"Master Windu! You have fought gallantly. Worthy of recognition in the history archives of the Jedi Order. Now it is finished. Surrender - and your lives will be spared."
"We will not be hostages for you to barter with, Dooku."
"Then, I'm sorry, old friend. You will have to be destroyed."
The droids raised their weapons. Anakin and Padmé clasped hands tightly. Mary was near Obi-Wan. Count Dooku raised his hand to give the order to fire.
Padmé looked up and whispered to Anakin.
"Look!"
Above, six Gunships were descending fast through the open area in the arena ceiling. They landed in a cluster around the handful of Jedi. Clone troopers spilt out and started firing at the droids. There was a hellstorm of laserfire that bounced off the laser shields created by the Gunships. Yoda appeared at the door of one of the Gunships.
"Come on... hurry! Hurry!" shouted Yoda.
The surviving Jedi dashed to the Gunships and scrambled in. Mace Windu hanged on tight as the Gunship, firing all its weapons, rose out of the arena up and over the topmost rim.
The massed lines of parked Federation Star ships and the droids surrounding the arena, were themselves surrounded by thousands of Republic Star ships, disgorging tens of thousands of Clone troops. Beyond, more Republic Star ships were landing and spewing out troops.
Mace Windu stared at the incredible sight.
"More battalions to the left. Encircle them we must, then divide."
The Clone troopers opened fire with artillery. Explosions wrecked the parked Battle Star ships. Clone troopers advanced, firing at the massed droids. Fighter droids flew overhead, exchanging fire with the Gunships and Jedi fighters.
3-PO and R2 saw flashes outside of the ship, exploding everywhere.
"I'm sure I heard something, this time. Didn't you? It's probably just a celebration."
Gunship #2 skimmed the battlefield, firing down, deflecting answering fire from the droids.
Obi-Wan, Mary, Anakin and Padmé were at the open sides of the Gunship. Clones fired down at the droids below.
The Gunship slowed, circling over a droid gun-emplacement. It blasted it, but suddenly the Gunship was rocked by a near miss. It lurched violently.
"Hold on! Look over there..." said Obi-Wan.
Through the other side of the Gunship, they saw a Geonosian Speeder racing past. In the open cockpit was the unmistakable figure of Count Dooku.
"It's Dooku, go after him!" yelled Anakin.
The pilot started to comply, but... there was a huge blast, the ship lurched on its side, and Padmé tumbled out.
"Padmé!!!" shouted Anakin.
Anakin stared down in horror as Padmé hit the ground below.
"Put the ship down! Down!" yelled Anakin.
"No! Forget her. We have to go after Dooku." Obi-Wan said.
"No, we're not!! Land this ship!" continued shouting Anakin.
"Don't let your personal feelings get in the way. We've got a job to do." Obi-Wan replied.
Below, Padmé hauled herself to her feet and waved for them to go after Dooku.
"I don't care! ...Go back." Anakin said.
"Anakin! She's all right! Look." Mary affirmed.
Anakin stared out to see Padmé rescued by Clone troopers.
"Follow that speeder!" ordered Obi-Wan.
On the ground, Padmé looked up at Gunship #2 as it speeded away after Count Dooku. Obi-Wan, Mary and Anakin followed the speeder to a Geonosian tower. The speeder descended rapidly; the Gunship followed.
Count Dooku's speeder parked outside the tower; the Gunship parked next to it. Obi-Wan and Anakin leaped down and ran inside the tower.
Before entering, Mary said "I have a bad feeling."
☾☼
Count Dooku threw switches on a control panel. His Interstellar Sail Ship was guarded by a squad of super battle droids. The doors of the exit-port slid open.
"Your Excellency!" said the droid captain.
Count Dooku turned as the trio ran in through the hanger doors. They drew their lightsabers. The droids raised their weapons.
"That won't be necessary, Captain. Stand down. And leave them to me." Dooku said.
The droids lowered their weapons and backed off to the walls. Count Dooku looked at the trio with slight amusement.
"We move in together, you slowly on the..." Obi-Wan was going to say.
"I'm taking him now!" said Anakin.
"Anakin, no!" yelled Mary.
"You'll pay for all the Jedi you've killed today, Dooku."
Anakin charged across the open space at Count Dooku, who smiled faintly, watching him came. Anakin raised his lightsaber.
At the last moment, Count Dooku thrusted out an arm, and Anakin was lifted up, hurled across the room, and slammed into the opposite wall.
He slumped to the foot of the wall, semi-conscious. Count Dooku moved toward Obi-Wan and Mary.
"Kenobi and little Skywalker, isn't it? As you can see, my Jedi powers are far beyond yours. Now, back down." Dooku said.
"I don't think so." Obi-Wan replied.
They lifted their lightsabers. Count Dooku smiled.
"Ah, but if I must."
Count Dooku drew his lightsaber. He and the duo started to circle each other.
"I have spent the last ten years learning to use the power of the Dark Side. It gives me infinitely greater power."
"You will have to prove it." Mary said.
Obi-Wan came in fast, swinging at Count Dooku's head. Dooku parried the cut easily.
Mary threw herself at Dooku but she was intercepted. As they fought, it quickly became clear that Dooku was the complete swordsman, elegant, graceful, classical, a master of the old style.
"You disappointed me. Yoda held you in such high esteem." Dooku said to Obi-Wan.
Count Dooku parried another cut.
"Surely you can do better...? No, I'm surprised. Has Jedi swordsmanship degenerated so quickly, or are you trying to make fun of me? Which is it?" said Dooku to Mary.
Count Dooku thrusted. Obi-Wan stepped back quickly, panting for breath.
"Come, come, Master Kenobi. Put me out of my misery."
Obi-Wan took a deep breath, got a fresh grip on his lightsaber and came in again, followed by Mary. For a moment, they drove Count Dooku back. Then Dooku's superior skill began to tell again, and he forced them to retreat.
Count Dooku increased the tempo of his attack. They were pushed to the limit to defend themselves. Dooku pressed. His lightsaber flashed.
Obi-Wan was wounded in the shoulder, then the thigh. Mary narrowly dodged Dooku's attack. Kenobi stumbled back against the wall, tripped, and fell. His lightsaber went skittering across the floor.
Count Dooku raised his lightsaber. Obi-Wan looked up helplessly. Dooku's lightsaber flashed down and clashed against... the twins' lightsabers! Count Dooku and the twins stared.
"That's brave of you, boy... but foolish. I would have thought you'd have learnt your lesson." Dooku said to Anakin.
"I'm a slow learner." Anakin replied.
"It's impressive how your sister managed to resist all my attacks." Dooku said, referring to Mary.
"Never underestimate me." Mary added.
Mary and Anakin charged at Count Dooku. The force of their attacks caught the Count slightly off balance. Anakin's lightsaber flashed. Count Dooku drew back, putting a hand to his arm. He took the hand away and looked at the smear of blood where Anakin had nicked him.
"You have unusual powers, Youngs Padawan. But not enough to save you this time."
"Don't bet on it!" replied Anakin.
"Anakin!" shouted Mary.
Obi-Wan used the Force to catch his lightsaber and he tossed it to Mary. With two lightsabers, Mary attacked. Count Dooku paraded and responded to enemy attacks. It was no contest.
Anakin was driven back against the wall. Finally Count Dooku, in one flashing move, sent Anakin's arm flying, still gripping his lightsaber. Anakin dropped to the ground in agony.
Count Dooku drew himself up to deliver the coup de grace, but was intercepted by Mary, with the two lightsabers, she continued to attack Dooku with more anger.
The fight lasted until Dooku stabbed her with his lightsaber. Mary felt nothing, it was as if everything had stopped, she looked with tears in her eyes, her twin and her best friend, then she fell to the ground and in the last moments of her life, she saw a shadow approaching and then nothing...
☾☼
Suddenly, the great doors slid open. The droids turned fast, raising their weapons. Through the thick smoke, emerged the heroic figure of Yoda. He stopped on the smoke-filled threashold, four droids lined up on either side of him, guns pointed.
Before the droids could get off a shot, Yoda raised his hand, and the droids were flung against the far walls and crashed to the floor in heaps of smoking metal.
Silence. Count Dooku stepped away from Mary to face the Jedi Grand Master. His lightsaber whirled in a formal salute.
Yoda looked behind Dooku and saw his Padawan lying dead and behind her, Kenobi and the Skywalker twin unconscious but still alive. Yoda and Dooku began fighting.
After the long fight between the two, Obi-Wan awoke and found Anakin next to him and Mary a little further along... but he soon realized that Mary was no longer with them. He woke Anakin up and the two ran to the twin.
Anakin took the twin's lifeless body in his arms.
"No, no Mary... wake up... you can't leave me too... please... wake up."
Anakin cradled her in his arms and kept crying, he had lost his mother and even his sister now.
After a while Padmé also entered and noticing that her friend was no longer with them and burst into tears.
"No, Mary..."
☾☼
Mary suddenly awoke but saw nothing, she began to walk in the unknown when a white light appeared. She walked toward the light and saw her mother and Jedi Master Qui-Gon.
As soon as she saw her mother, she burst into tears and hugged her. "Mom, I missed you so much."
"You too, my child." answered Shmi.
"Mom, Master... what is this? I'm dead? And Anakin? Obi-Wan?"
"They are well, and yes... you are dead, but your time has not come yet." the Jedi Master replied.
"Wake up, my child. Your brother needs you."
"I want to be here with you, Mom."
"I'm sorry, but it's not possible."
"When will I see you again?" asked Mary.
"You'll never see us again." replied the Master.
"What? Why?" asked confused Mary.
"Because the Force has given you a special gift, that of immortality and you can no longer die and grow old, to receive it you should have died." replied Qui-Gon.
"What? It's impossible! Why me?"
"We don't know, I'm sorry, Mary." Qui-Gon said.
"Now go. My daughter. I love you so much." Shmi said, hugging Mary.
"I love you too, Mom." Mary replied.
"May the Force be with you, Mary." said Qui-Gon.
"Thank you, Master."
☾☼
Mary woke up in a room, she looked around and tried to get up, but she felt a pain in the abdomen, she looked down and saw bandages wrapping it.
She remembered what had happened, fighting in the arena, fighting Dooku with Anakin and Obi-Wan, his saber passing through her and her "death".
"Wait! Anakin and Obi-Wan! I have to find them!" She thought.
She got up despite the pain and left the room.
She saw Obi-Wan, Yoda and Mace Windu talking. The first to notice was her Master and then the other two. Obi-Wan as soon as he saw her, he ran to her and hugged her.
The two Jedi Masters approached them.
She told them who she had seen and explained to them, what Qui-Gon said about immortality. They were amazed and couldn't explain how it happened.
"Where is Anakin?" Mary asked.
"Anakin drove Senator Amidala back to Naboo." Obi-Wan replied.
"Mary, a new Master will you have, Mace Windu will be." Yoda intervened.
"What... why Master Yoda?!"
"I'm too old to keep teaching you." Yoda replied.
"All right, Master... I won't let you down."
They were standing, looking out through the tall windows at the great plaza below.
Yoda sat in his chair.
"I must admit without the Clones, it would not have been a victory." Obi-Wan said.
"Victory? Victory, you say?" said Yoda.
They turned and looked at the sad little Jedi sitting in the Council Chamber, the Chamber was empty.
"Not victory, a defeat, it was... Master Obi-Wan. Begun, the Clone War has!" said Yoda.
The Great Clone War had begun...