Obi-Wan Kenobi
The sun is nearing rising as I silently make my way towards the tallest towards in the area. Battle droids are guarding the entrance – not surprising considering that I saw Trade Federation ships here. Fine. I'm not planning to go in that entrance anyway.
I circle around the tower, moving in between the shadows to avoid being seen, finally stopping near a window. Just then, I sense presences approaching from around the corner. Glancing cautiously around the corner, I see two flying creatures who must be Geonosians, moving pasts, talking in their own language.
I turn, quietly moving back the other way. There's no way I can risk someone finding out that I'm here, provided they don't already know. Turning another corner, the sound of clattering machines reaches my ears. With a frown, I step over to the vent the sounds are coming from and look down.
A factory. There are conveyor belts and machines everywhere, and they're producing battle droids. But why? First, I find the Kaminoans have produced a clone army for the Republic, and then I come here to find that the Trade Federation is producing a droid army for the Separatists. The implications of that are more than a little disturbing.
Backing away from the vent, I hurry off again to continue with the investigation. I walk down a staircase, making a turn and coming to an abrupt halt when I hear talking. There are people there, a lot of them. I step back against the wall, taking shelter in the darkness.
"Now we must persuade the Commerce Guild and the Corporate Alliance to sign the treaty," I hear Dooku's familiar voice speaking. He walks past, a group of others, including Neimoidians and Geonosians, following.
"What about the Senator from Naboo?" demands another familiar voice. Gunray. "Is she dead yet? I am not signing your treaty until I have her head on my desk."
It's hardly a surprise he wants her dead so badly, after what happened a decade ago on Naboo. Well, that explains who Jango was working for. I back up a few steps further into the shadows as they round the corner, soon disappearing from sight. I don't catch Dooku's reply.
It's not until the group has long past that I risk moving forwards after them. I follow the sound of voices over to a fairly large gap in the rocks where I can look down at them. They are seated around a table in a fairly large, but still very dark room.
"As I explained to you earlier, I'm quite convinced that ten thousand more systems will rally to our cause with our support," Dooku declares, "And let me remind you of our absolute commitment to capitalism... to lower taxes, the reduced tariffs, and the eventual abolition of trade barriers. Signing this treaty will bring you profits beyond your wildest imagination. What are proposing is complete free trade. Our friends in the Trade Federation have pledged their support. When their battle droids are combined with yours, we shall have an army greater than anything in the galaxy. The Republic will be overwhelmed."
They're preparing for war. I can't help but wonder now. Did Sifo-Dyas foresee this? Was this why he created the clone army? It's a good thing he made it, or the Republic would have been caught off-guard.
"If I may, Count," one of the others speaks up.
"Yes, Passel Argente," Dooku responds, "We are always interested in hearing from the Corporate Alliance."
"I am authorized by the Corporate Alliance to sign the treaty," the person responds.
"We are most grateful for your cooperation, Magistrate."
"The Commerce Guilde at this time does not wish to become openly involved," another representative declares, "But we shall support you in secret, and look forward to doing business with you."
"This is all we ask," Dooku acknowledges before his gaze turns to the Muun's present.
"The InterGalactic Banking Clan will support you wholeheartedly, Count Dooku," the Muun assures him, "But only in a nonexclusive arrangement."
I need to get out of here and inform the Council of all this while I still have time. It seems that Dooku has been working to secretly prepare the Separatists for war, for whatever reason. If such a conflict actually does occur, though, the Republic would still have the element of surprise in having the clone army.
I hastily pack away from the opening in the rocks, hurrying back towards the exit to the factory.
Anakin Skywalker
We've been sitting in mostly silence, but Jaufre and Padme finally managed to force us to eat something. We haven't moved from the garage floor. A sudden beeping draws my attention to the doorway, and Artoo zips inside. From how excited he's acting, it's probably something urgent. Our masters must be sending a message, though I don't know why. After all, shouldn't they be telling whatever it is directly to the Council?
The four of us stand up and follow the droid outside to the ship. Sure enough, right as the three of us get inside, a hologram of Obi-Wan appears. Where's Qui-Gon? Aniya and I opt for standing while Padme and Jaufre take a seat in front of the hologram. "Anakin, Aniya," Obi-Wan begins, "Qui-Gon already took the bounty hunter to Coruscant for questioning if you're wondering. I continued the investigation. My long-range transmitter was destroyed when several droids attacked my ship. Retransmit this message to Coruscant." Padme spins around and hastily carries out the request while we wait impatiently for the message to continue.
"I have located the droid foundries of Geonosis," he continues once the communication connection to the Council has been made. "The Trade Federation is to take delivery of a droid army here, and it is clear that Viceroy Gunray is behind the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala." Aniya, Jaufre, Padme, and I all exchange glances. I'm not at all surprise to hear the news. I'm only surprised we didn't wonder before. The only thing I want to know now is why.
"The Commerce Guild and Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming an –" he goes on. "Wait! Wait!" Obi-Wan ignites his lightsaber, clearly seeing something we can't. A second later, blaster bolts start whizzing towards him, which he deflects. The last thing I see before the hologram turns off is Obi-Wan disappearing off the hologram, and the droids continuing to approach him.
Aniya and I exchange horrified glances as our fear for him escalates.
Another hologram appears, this one being Master Windu. "We will deal with Count Dooku," he assures us, "The most important thing for you two is to stay where you are." On Tatooine? Really? Well, at least they haven't realized we aren't on Naboo. "Protect the Senator at all costs. That is your first priority."
"Understood, Master," we chorus. The hologram flickers off before anyone has a chance to say another word.
Padme turns to the readouts on the control panel, scanning them over. "They'll never get there in time to save them," she points out, "They have to come halfway across the galaxy. Look, Geonosis is less than a parsec away."
The only thing that makes me hesitate is that if we go there, I'll be putting Padme in danger. And Aniya and Jaufre. I have no idea what we'll be walking in to.
"Let's get going!" urges Aniya impatiently, desperation to save him clear on her face.
"We were given strict orders to stay here and protect Padme," I object.
"And did that stop us from coming to Tatooine?" she reminds.
"You were given strict orders to protect me, and I'm going to save him," interjects Padme. "So, if you plan to protect me, you will have to come along." That ends the argument. Looks like this mission will be going like so many others. At least the Council can't blame us for Padme's actions. I'm so glad that she took the initiative to do this.
"Wait," Jaufre reminds, "We have to tell everyone we're leaving."
I nod, before turning and quickly descending the ramp of the ship. "We have to leave," I inform them.
"Anakin's master is in a bit of a situation, so we need to go rescue him," elaborates Aniya, appearing in the doorway behind me.
"You can take Threepio with you," Beru murmurs, "Your mother would want him to go with you." Yes. Probably. At least we'll have one last thing with us to remind us of Mom. Moments later, we reboard the ship with the semi-confused protocol droid in tow. We make haste in flying through the atmosphere, and once we're in space, Padme enters the coordinates into the navicomputer, allowing us to make the jump to hyperspace.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
When I regain consciousness, the first thing I realize is that I'm being restrained within beams of blue energy which prevent me from moving. The mechanism rotates slowly, allowing me to have a full view of the room. The room is mostly dark, the dim lights shining down onto the floor around the perimeter of the room doing little to provide illumination. But it's more than enough to see. Hopefully, the Council got my message, though I'm sure Anakin and Aniya sent it to them. What I saw earlier was more than a little disturbing. The Council needs to hear, and we need to react immediately.
Suddenly, the door to the room slides open. I stiffen at the sight of the person in the doorway. Count Dooku. It's been so many years since we last spoke with each other. I had expected that sooner or later we would run into each other again, especially with hostilities rising between the Republic and Separatists, but I didn't expect that he would actually come here to speak with me.
"Traitor," I spits out as Dooku steps into the room. I may be grateful for what he did ten years ago, helping us find Anakin and Aniya, but too many things have changed since then. He still betrayed the Republic.
"Oh no, my friend," he says, a hint of concern in his voice. I have a hard time telling whether it's feigned or real, though. "This is a mistake. A terrible mistake. They've gone too far." So I've realized.
"I thought you were the leader here, Dooku?" I reply, keeping my voice emotionless.
"This had nothing to do with me, I assure you. I will petition immediately to have you set free," Dooku insists.
"Well, I hope it doesn't take too long. We have work to do," I retort.
"May I ask why a Jedi Knight is all the way out here on Geonosis?" Dooku questions, slowly walking in a circle before stopping in front of me.
"I was tracking a bounty hunter named Jango Fett," I explain after a moment. Telling that part of the truth shouldn't hurt. "He apparently has made numerous trips here."
"Oh, there are no bounty hunters here. The Geonosians don't trust them," Dooku replies adamantly.
"Who can blame them?" I shoot back, "But regardless, I know that he's been here."
"It's been a long time since our paths have crossed," he continues after a moment, "I have been hoping to meet with Qui-Gon again for a while. I could use his help right now." Of all things, I wasn't exactly expecting him to say that. But if he really thinks my former master would join him, he's delusional. Qui-Gon may not like the way the Jedi are now, and definitely agrees that the Republic really needs to be fixed, but he wouldn't leave like this, not like he did.
"Qui-Gon would never join you."
"Don't be so sure," replies Dooku calmly, "Don't forget that he was once my apprentice as you were his."
"That doesn't mean he'd put his loyalty to you above the Jedi and Republic," I retort.
"He knows, of course, about the corruption in the Senate," he responds, "But if he knew how deep the corruption runs in the Republic, he would never stand for it. Not if he knew the truth."
"The truth?" I echo, confused.
"The truth," he repeats, "What if I told you the Republic was now under the control of the Dark Lord of the Sith?" How...?
"That's not possible," I insist firmly. The Sith Master who disappeared years ago has been in hiding. How could he be controlling everything so much? Although, considering that he's a Muun and thus a part of the Banking Clans, I can see how he'd be able to control many things, but not to the extent that Dooku is claiming. Still, he ought to know something; he left to find the Sith, and this might be the only lead I'll get from him.
"The viceroy of the Trade Federation was once in league with this Darth Sidious, but he was betrayed ten years ago by the Dark Lord. He came to me for help. He told me everything," Dooku explains, "The dark side of the Force has clouded the Jedi's vision. Hundreds of Senators are now under the influence of the Dark Lord. You must join me, Obi-Wan, and together we will destroy Darth Sidious."
Sidious? Is that the Sith name of Hugo Damask? Unless... it's the name of his new apprentice since I'm quite certain Maul is dead. He was injured when I escaped the compound on Mustafar, and I'm not sure how he could have gotten out. Besides, even if he had, there's no way he could be the one influencing the Senate.
"I will never join you, Dooku," I answer finally. There's no way I would betray the Jedi and Republic like that, and I'd never leave Qui-Gon and the twins behind. Especially not when I have no guarantee that Dooku's telling the truth in the first place. More than likely, everything he's saying is meant as a trap.
Dooku sighs in apparent disappoint, which I really don't think is very sincere. "It may be difficult to secure your release," he says finally, before turning and heading out of the room without another word.
Anakin Skywalker
It's not long before the blue and white blur of hyperspace disappears, revealing the reddish orange colored planet right ahead. As the spaceship flies low over the surface, I can sense our Obi-Wan's presence slowly getting closer and closer.
"Look," Aniya exclaims suddenly, "There's columns of steam straight ahead! The droid factory must be nearby!" Scanning the surface, my eyes fall on a very thick column of smoke rising up from an opening in the ground.
"They're exhaust vents of some type," Padme comments.
"That'll do," I reply. Carefully, I guide the ship down through the vent and to a stop inside. This is where we need to start looking. The smoke is swirling around outside the windows thick enough that it's hard to see anything at all.
"Hopefully, it's a good thing," Jaufre supplies from where he's standing behind our seats.
Padme spins her seat around and jumps up. Aniya and I stand up as well and pull on our outer robes. I really don't like the thought of us dragging Padme into something like this. We don't even know what to expect. From what I can tell from the holorecording Obi-Wan sent us earlier, it's something much bigger than we thought, or have ever dealt with before.
"Look, whatever happens out there, follow my lead," Padmé advises us. "I'm not interested in getting into a war here. As a member of the Senate, maybe I can find a diplomatic solution to this mess." It's clear she's already set her mind on this. I can only hope it will work. I'd much prefer not to have to fight our way out. Right now, the Force seems to be warning me that the cloud of darkness both me and my sister sense is about to arise.
"I hope so," quips Aniya cheerfully, "But for some reason, I really doubt it."
"It's worth a try. At least we'll be able to hold them off from doing anything until the Council gets here," Padme replies, "Trust me on this?"
"Don't worry. I've given up trying to argue with you," I respond.
"I suppose you're right," agrees Aniya reluctantly. "But I just want to warn you that I feel something in the Force. A great darkness is here."
"You sense it too?" I murmur as we start heading for the landing ramp.
"It's uncomfortably strong. I can feel the danger just out there," grumbles Aniya, her expression that of growing concern.
Just as we're about to step out of the ship, Artoo starts beeping behind us, clearly wanting to follow. "Stay with the ship," Padme commands. "You too, Jaufre."
He freezes where he is behind us, expression changing to one of annoyance. "Stay here? And do what, watch? While you go out there into what could easily be a trap and risk getting yourselves killed? I don't think so!"
"It's going to be fine," I insist.
Jaufre's eyes narrow, but before he can say anything else, Padme gives him a sharp look. "They would understand me going – given I'm a senator, and Ani and Ani are Jedi, but not you. Stay here."
Withhis arms crossed and a glare nearly severe enough to kill, Jaufre stays behind.