STAR WARS According to Jack Episode II ATTACK OF THE CLONES Not so long from now, in a place much like our own... Scene 1: The Galactic Hundred The unity of the Galactic Republic hangs by a thread. What began as a few dozen planets resisting Senate control has spread to thousands. This Separatist movement, lead by the mysterious ronin Jedi Master Count Dooku, has thus far limited itself to nonviolent means of political dissent, but on the eve of the meeting of the Galactic Hundred, whispers of the possibility of open rebellion flood the interstellar networks. In the emerald city of Felucia on the planet Toydaria, leaders from the one hundred most powerful planets in the galaxy meet in hopes of resolving the Separatist crisis peacefully. At stake is the creation of a standing Army of the Republic to replace the temporary militias and police coalitions that have protected the galaxy since the birth of democracy. While many believe this drastic step is necessary to ensure security in these troubled times, many others see it as the final straw... "Anakin, are you even paying attention?" "Not at all, Master." Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker sit on top of the vine covered outer wall of the Grand Central Station of Felucia, looking down on the landing platform where the leaders of the G100 slowly arrive. The bizarre megafungus of the Toydarian jungle glitters like stained glass all around them. Its heavy perfume permeates the air with the peculiar effect of dampening psychic powers, making Toydaria an agreeable and trustworthy place for tense political summits such as this. Obi-Wan is one of only a handful of Knights that the Jedi Council has sent to guard and protect the summit; despite the importance of the gathering, all agree that five is more than sufficient, for thus is the power of the Jedi Masters. Anakin, still a student, is there to watch and learn. Yet his eyes and his thoughts are cast toward the misty sky. Obi-Wan is especially disappointed at his padawan's inattentiveness to his lecture, as he thinks he was on a particularly informative roll. "You seem a little on edge," the master says. He knows Anakin well enough that he can still sense his padawan's strong emotions despite the aromatic interference of the jungle. "I haven't felt you this tense since we fell into that nest of gundarks." "You fell into that nightmare, Master, and I rescued you, remember?" "Ah, yes," Obi-Wan chuckles, placing a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "You're sweating. Relax. Take a deep breath." Anakin shrugs off the hand. "I haven't seen her in years, Master." "She's not going to be the handmaiden you remember, Anakin. She never really was that to begin with." "I know, it's just...you can't understand. You weren't--" "--born of Naboo, I know." Obi-Wan smirks to see his young padawan, who long ago grew into the body of a man, show a little bit of the boy that still remains in his heart. The Eternal Queen has ruled for the full written history of Naboo, not by violence or fear, but by the loving and willful consent of her people. She is connected to her people by a telepathic bond that Obi-Wan knows very well he can never really understand. And she is not the only great power to come from Anakin's homeworld. "Hey, look," points Obi-Wan, "There's Chancellor Palpatine!" The crowd of milling delegates below them parts to grant wide passage to the highest ranking member of the Galactic Senate, come to greet his native Queen. He is flanked on either side by guards cloaked and hooded in the crimson color that has become the emblem of his contentious rule. "He looks sadder than I remember," says Anakin. "Leadership takes its toll on even the strongest man," says Obi-Wan, "And Palpatine always struck me as kind of soft." Anakin throws a dirty look at his master, who laughs. "No offense! The people of Naboo have much to brag about. I dare say you've become one of the top ten of the top hundred..." Anakin's eyes turn back to the sky. "Here she comes!" The Naboo royal cruiser drifts down out of the clouds, guarded by a single small fighter escort. The cruiser is a large and elaborate ship, etched with ornate gold trim yet built to give the impression of an anachronistic seafaring vessel floating in the sky, complete with flapping solar sails and ornamental oars. The hatch opens, and a parade of Naboo dignitaries step out. Among them is the Queen's protocol droid C-3P0 and the Gungan outcast turned political wonderkid, Senator Jar-Jar Binks. They and the other attendants form a line on either side of the hatchway, bowing their heads in respect as Queen Amidala of the Naboo exits the ship. Though she carries herself with the grace of a creature that has lived for ten thousand years, the young girl dressed like a porcelain doll in regal attire looks barely old enough to speak a complete sentence. "I don't understand..." Anakin mumbles. "She's a clone!" Obi-Wan exclaims. "Anakin, we really should have expected this. For all but the brief time we knew her, Amidala lived with fourteen bodies to call her own. Of course she would have grown new ones since then; her clones are what ensure her longevity. And with her secret out in the open, she has no reason to try and hide it anymore. That girl down there is Amidala--they're ALL Amidala. But that's not Padme." Anakin pouts. "Yeah, we should have known." "Careful, if you radiate any more disappointment, you're gonna make me cry." "Quiet," says Anakin. "I want to hear what they're saying." Both of the Jedi stretch their senses, and it is as if they are standing at the center of the action on the dock. As the Queen processes toward the Chancellor, two pilots jump out of the escort fighter. One wears a helmet with a darkened visor. The other is their old friend Captain Panaka. "We made it," the Captain says to his companion. "I guess I was wrong. There was no danger at all." The young Amidala reaches Chancellor Palpatine, nodding politely. "Your Honor," she says, the steadiness of her voice seeming eerie given her visible age, "It has been far too long." The Chancellor's eyes becomes uncharacteristically wild. His face locks into a maniacal grin. He draws a blaster from beneath his robes and fires upon the child queen. Onlookers scream. None of the guards know quite what to do. The Chancellor cackles as he flees, and the crowd makes way for him out of habit. Anakin dives from his perch in pursuit, plummeting many stories before he lands on the platform with a loud crunch. "I hate when he does that," Obi-Wan mutters to himself, grabbing a vine to swing after his padawan. Meanwhile, the masked fighter pilot pushes through the guards and scattering crowd, crouching over the fallen Queen. "Chorde!" cries the pilot. "I'm so sorry, Padme..." the little girl groans, "I have failed you..." Spasms rack her body, followed by the stillness of death. "NO!" Padme rips the helmet from her head, cradling and kissing her dead clone. "No, Chorde, it is I who have failed you..." Captain Panaka runs to their side. "Your Highness, you are still in danger here!" Padme speaks through tears. "I shouldn't have come here. It's happening all over again..." Panaka is stern. "This conference is very important. Chorde did her duty, you must do yours. Now come!" She does not move, but only grips Chorde tighter. "Padme! Please!" Reluctantly, she steps away from her body and lets Panaka usher her to safety. Threepio follows, muttering, "Oh dear, oh dear..." Scene 2: The Changeling Anakin bursts through the doors of Felucia Grand Central Station just in time to see the image of Chancellor Palpatine shed his robes and sprout a head of long black hair. Ani unsheaths his lightsaber and throws it at the retreating assassin, its deadly green blade spinning precariously close to innocent bystanders. Much to his surprise, the saber boomerangs around and rushes back towards him as the shifting figure disappears into the crowd. The lightsaber flies into Obi-Wan's grasp and deactivates. Obi-Wan hands the hilt back to Anakin, along with a scolding. "NEVER let your lightsaber out of your grasp!" "Sorry, Master," Anakin responds by rote. "This weapon is your life!" "I know, Master," grumbles Anakin, irritated that a lecture is taking precedence over their pursuit of the assassin. Obi-Wan sighs. "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?" "Please don't say that, Master," Anakin says, his attitude calming into deferential respect. "You're the closest thing I have to a father." "Then why don't you listen to me?" "I am trying." Obi-Wan shakes his head and looks out into the crowd. "He couldn't have gotten far," he says. "I think he is now a she," says Anakin, "And I think she is a changeling." Obi-Wan groans. He turns to a security droid standing guard by the doors. "Seal all entrances to the station. Be as discreet as you can about it, we don't want to start a panic, but don't let anyone in or out until I give the all clear." The beefy droid rolls in front of the doors, his arms extending to block the path, and he begins to repeat in a calm but authoritative voice, "This exit is temporarily closed. We apologize for the inconvenience." The Jedi look out over the terraced levels inside the station, filled with platforms for air and ground transportation as well as hundreds of stores and booths where merchants sell their wares. Each level cuts a winding circle around a fluorescent ancient mushroom that reaches from the courtyard dozens of levels below to dozens of levels above, where it protects the open-air center from the elements. The native blue-skinned Toydarians fly from level to level, their small wings beating fast, mingling with the throng of alien travelers and shoppers that pack the walkways. "Well," sighs Anakin, "she could be anyone by now..." "Patience. Use the Force, Anakin." The padawan shuts his eyes and makes a face of frustration. "It's no use. I can't pick up anything on this planet. All I'm sensing is mental soup." "Think," says Obi-Wan, not about to miss an opportunity to instruct. "She came in here to hide, not to run." Anakin shrugs. Obi-Wan gestures to where the changeling disappeared. "Go and find her," he says. He walks in the opposite direction. "Where are you going, Master?" Obi-Wan grins mischieviously. "Shopping!" Anakin grumbles to himself about his master never taking things seriously, but years of training keep him from diving too far into such petty emotions. He passionately wants to be the one to catch the assassin, but he has been taught that allowing such deep passion to fuel his actions leaves no room in the pilot seat for wisdom. Alien faces look back at Anakin with curiosity, suspicion and invitation as he moves among the merchant booths. He doesn't need Force powers to hear the whispers as he passes. Jedi are so rare that most sentient creatures never in their lives see one. The jungle fumes have been irritating him since he arrived. He has only had his power dampened like this a few times before, and none of them are good memories. Now the fumes also deny him one of the most essential defensive powers of the Jedi: the ability to pass through a common crowd unnoticed, without evoking adoration and worship. A squat creature with twisting horns and long brown fur walks up to him. "Please, Master Jedi, give me your blessing! I am a good soul, upright and good! Consecrate me with your power!" Anakin can't even tell if she's sincere or not. "I--I'm sorry, lady, it doesn't exactly work like that." A purple child tugs his robe. "Can I see your lightsaber?" "No. Go away, I'm busy." A Toydarian flitters into his path, pointing a holographic recorder at him and talking to the preview display on the recorder rather than at Anakin. "Master Jedi! Hey, Master Jedi! Wave!" "He's not a Master!" shouts a voice from the crowd, "Look at his haircut! That braid means he's still a student!" Anakin can't take anymore. He leaps over the terrace ledge. His telepathic powers may be dampened here, but his physical superpowers work just fine, and with two or three bounding leaps he has brought himself to perch on a spongey outcropping of the giant central mushroom. "To hell with this musk," he thinks to himself, "I'm one of the most powerful Jedi ever. Even Master Windu said so. I'm stronger than some fungus." He sits cross-legged with his eyes shut, steadies his breathing and focuses his power with all the techniques that he knows. He's drawing plenty of stares, but the fluttering Toydarians give him wide berth and he is otherwise undisturbed. Slowly but surely, he begins to sense their individual minds. He's still not sensing with high resolution, but he catches wafts of emotion here and there. He skims the surface of these, feeling for the fear and excitement that the assassin must be feeling. Instead he senses something much more familiar, someone he has not sensed since childhood. "Watto?" He opens his eyes and looks down at his Toydarian stepfather, Watto Skywalker, bargaining with a reluctant customer at a booth selling pocket droids. Anakin hasn't seen Watto since the day his mother was murdered by the vile Darth Maul and he left his homeworld to become a Jedi. He never expected to see his stepfather again. Suddenly Anakin hears the snapping sound of a lightsaber activating and slicing. He turns his head to see Obi-Wan a few levels above him. His master's blue saber is pointed at a woman with platinum blond hair in a red dress. The woman is holding the smoldering half of a blaster pointed in Anakin's direction. Disarmed by the Jedi Knight, she drops the blaster and raises her hands in surrender. Anakin jumps back to his master's side. Unsheathing his green saber, he speaks to the surrounding crowd. "Official business, folks. Move along." Most of them stay to gawk, but they move back quite a bit from the humming sabers. Anakin turns to Obi-Wan. "You were using me as bait!" "Well, it worked, didn't it?" Obi-Wan turns his smile to the woman. "Tell me, changeling, why did you attack the Queen of Naboo?" "It was just a job," she says, glowering. "Who hired you?" asks Obi-Wan. "Like I'd tell you that," the changeling snorts. "He'd kill me quicker than you would." "Tell us!" demands Anakin, "Tell us now!" She just laughs. Scowling, Anakin raises his hand toward her. He begins to rifle through her thoughts, trying to find a picture of her employer. It is a clumsy operation, given the limits of the environment. It is a painful operation. The woman grunts, grabbing her head and falling to her knees. "Anakin, stop it! You'll break her mind!" Anakin is not so obstinate as to disobey the direct word of his master, and he stops immediately. Yet his efforts seem to have been worth it. "No, please, fine, I'll tell you," the woman says, panting. "It was a bounty hunter named--" ZIP! A tiny dart hits the changeling in the neck, and she collapses. She dies instantly, reverting to her fishy inherent form. Both Jedi look up to the source of the shot and see the helmeted figure in camouflage armor. Rocket boosters flare from the pack on its back, and it soars out of the station and out of the reach of the Jedi. Scene 3: On The Throne Again In the well secured and luxuriously decorated audience chamber of the castle that has been provided to the Naboo delegation by the Toydarians for the duration of the summit, Queen Amidala and other key members of the Loyalist faction meet to discuss the death of clone Chorde. Most of them sit in standard conference chairs, with their aides sitting behind them. But Padme finds herself once again sitting on a throne. This throne is much more beautiful than the cold steel throne on Naboo from whence she becomes the common consciousness of her planet. This one is cut from precious stones and cushioned with the finest down in the galaxy. This one carries all the authority and commands all the reverence of her simple seat on Naboo, but without any of the mutual understanding and sympathy. This one is just a throne. Somewhere deep down inside her, in a place that Padme would never admit, she had been looking forward to an incognito trip to Toydaria. The dampening of her telepathic power was going to be the first time since the past generation of Amidala clones died that she would have had the opportunity to be alone. When Captain Panaka initially proposed that Chorde be sent as the official face of Amidala, with Padme in the shadows to offer support and advice to the child clone, Padme had begun to view the trip as something like a vacation. Now, alone and yet surrounded by attendants, in conference with her political allies, it feels like a prison. Threepio interrupts their discussion to announce the arrival of Chancellor Palpatine. "Show him in," Padme says. Everyone stands as the Supreme Chancellor enters, but he disregards their formality, rushing to greet the Queen of his homeworld. He sports a swollen black eye. "Your Majesty, I am so sorry! I was a fool to accept an emergency private conference away from my guards, but I thought, what do I have to fear from a great man of peace like Visha Solo? It's all my fault." "Nonsense, Chancellor," says the Queen. "The changeling fooled us all, and you clearly took your share of the pain. Please, join us." As the Chancellor sits, Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan asks, "Do we have any idea who's behind the attack?" Master Mace Windu, commander of the Jedi protecting the summit and defacto executive leader of the egalitarian Jedi Council, speaks next. "It seems clear that the assassin was very particularly going after Queen Amidala, if it bypassed an opportunity to assassinate the Chancellor. It is possible this was the work of domestic Naboo insurrectionists." Captain Panaka says, "We have been experiencing difficulties with disgruntled Gungan miners on our moons...." "Nosa!" protests Senator Jar-Jar, straining not to fall headlong into his native dialect under all this stress, "Da Gungan peeple lub and suppurt da Queen. Weesa solb our fites wit demokaky--democracy!" "I meant no offense to our stalwart Gungan allies," says Panaka, intentionally using big words. Jar-Jar scowls. "Meesa tinkin' Count Dooku wuz behind it." There is a stir of surprise in the gathering. "He is a political idealist," says Senator Organa. "Not a murderer!" "Senator Binks, you must remember that Count Dooku is a Jedi," says Master Windu. "Master Dooku has always been too concerned for personal freedom to be able to join the Jedi Council, and I believe this is why he so passionately rallies others to the Separatist cause, but he is still a Jedi Knight. He couldn't assassinate anyone. It's not in his character." "Why not da Jedi able to stop dis den?" Jar-Jar demands. "Fibe not enuff? Send mo!" "Master Obi-Wan is already investigating this further," Master Windu says with resolute calm. "I must agree with the honorable Senator Binks," says the corpulent Twi'lek Senator Orn Free Taa, "The Separatists are not as pacifist as we would like to believe, and I am beginning to doubt the Jedi Council's ability to protect us. The Republic needs more security, before this comes to war. We must confront these rebels now, and we need a standing army to do it!" Palpatine scowls. "Must I remind you, Senator, that negotiations are continuing with the Separatists. Peace is our objective here, not war." "My noble colleagues, I concur with the Supreme Chancellor," says the Queen, "At all costs, we do not want war! I was the target of this attack, but more importantly, these peace talks were the target. I have lead the opposition to building an army; I will not allow an attack against me to undermine that effort." Orn Free Taa is not assuaged. "I recall a time not so long ago when you raised your own army, Your Majesty, without any consultation from the Senate." "In response to provocation, Senator, not to preempt it, and those forces were disbanded long ago. Creating an army now would only legitimize Separatist concerns. Give diplomacy a chance to work." "But if the Separatists do take up arms..." Palpatine speaks adamantly. "I will not let this Republic that has stood for ten thousand years be split in two. These negotiations will not fail!" "One thing remains certain, Your Highness," says Captain Panaka, "You are still in grave danger." Palpatine looks to Windu. "Master Jedi, may I suggest that the Queen be placed directly under the protection of one of your graces?" "Chancellor, please!" Padme protests, "The Jedi are here to guard the summit, not just me!" "Your Majesty," Palpatine says, "I realize all too well that you do not wish to place your own safety above the safety of others. But perhaps there is someone who does not have immediate responsibility for securing the summit...like your old friend, Anakin Skywalker?" "This is possible," says Master Windu, "Padawan Skywalker has not yet completed his training, but I believe he has the heart and strength to keep the Queen safe. Master Obi-Wan will have the final say over his student, of course, but I think he will agree to it." The Queen continues to show hesitation, so Palpatine adds, "Do it for me, Your Majesty. I will rest easier, knowing you are safe. The thought of losing you is unbearable." "Very well," she says. Master Windu nods. "I will speak with Master Obi-Wan immediately, Your Highness." ***** The last of the Loyalists leave. Captain Panaka magnetically seals the throne room entrance and Padme feels like she can breathe again. "My team has swept your private chambers," Panaka says, "The garden patio doors are not as secure as I'd like, but I'll have guards posted nearby, and I'll be in the room next door. I swear you have got nothing to fear, so long as I am here." "About that, Captain..." "Yes, Your Highness?" "When the Jedi get here, I would like..." She sits up straight and musters the full strength of her royal demenor. "I have decided to send you back to Naboo, to guard Dorme." "Your Highness, I--" "There is nothing you can do here that the Jedi will not be able to do better." Panaka stiffens. "I'm sorry that you feel that way, Your Highness, but I must protest. Every little bit helps. My presence here would only make you safer." She speaks gravely, to make her point clear. "How am I safe, when I am undefended on Naboo?" Panaka blanches, caught in his mistake. She continues, "You have served me well these past years, Captain, during some of the most troubling times I have ever known. But you have forgotten that I am more than this figure sitting before you. You have forgotten your Queen. Don't make this more difficult than it already is." He cannot deny it. He kneels and casts his sight to the ground. "My duty is to you, Queen Amidala. I will do as you ask." "Thank you." There is an awkward pause, then Panaka says without raising his head, "By your leave, I will go and prepare a report to give to Padawan Skywalker when he arrives." She speaks gently now, fearing she has been cruel. "Typho..." He looks up at the sound of his name. Tears roll down from his one good eye. She knows that what has been said cannot be unsaid. She nods, and lets her true meaning pass unspoken. "...you are dismissed." Scene 4: Heroes Reunited "So, my young padawan, you have finally been given your own assignment. Your patience has paid off." Obi-Wan speaks to Anakin as they walk through the corridor leading to the Queen's private chambers. Anakin's astromech droid R2-D2 rolls along behind them. Anakin defers, "Your guidance more than my patience." "Yeah, well, just don't forget it. Don't do anything without first consulting either myself or a member of the Council." "I'll be fine, Master. There's nothing to worry about." "I'm not worried. I just--" "--want to see me do my best, I know." They turn a corner to find C-3P0 standing deactivated in front of the entrance to the Queen's chambers. Artoo rolls up to him and makes a series of beeping noises, and Threepio switches to life. "What? Oh, goodness me, Master Obi-Wan! Master Anakin! And my little friend Artoo! What a pleasure to see you again!" Artoo blips and beeps, the head of his canister body spinning happily. "Hello, Threepio," smiles Obi-Wan. "My sincere apologies for deactivating my external sensors. I was just catching up on the day's electronic communications. You know how they pile up." "I'm here to guard Padme," Anakin says rather brusquely. "Of course. Right this way." Threepio leads them into the lounge area of the Queen's quarters. An array of very comfortable looking sofas and elegant chairs sits underneath a ceiling tiled with skylights. The verdant palace gardens are visible through the windows. "Her Highness will be out momentarily," says Threepio, "I'm very grateful you're here, Master Anakin. The situation is more dangerous than Queen Amidala will admit." "You should call him Padawan," Obi-Wan says as he flops onto a couch, "Master is a title he has yet to earn." "My apologies," says Threepio, "I am programmed to acknowledge all sentient beings as Master, for I am merely a droid..." "Don't you worry, Threepio," says Anakin, flushing, "I will find out who's trying to kill Padme, I promise." Obi-Wan frowns. "You're here to guard the Queen, Anakin, not conduct an investigation. You will not exceed your mandate." "I meant in the interests of protecting her, of course." Anakin stands at attention and attempts to offer a professional contrast as his teacher sinks into the cushions. "We will not go through this exercise again," Obi-Wan scolds, "And you will pay attention to my lead." "Why?" Obi-Wan nearly leaps from his seat. "What!?" "Why else do you think I was assigned to protect her, if not to assist in the investigation? Protection is a job for local security, not Jedi. It's overkill, Master. Investigation is implied in my mandate." "You will do exactly as the Council has instructed, and you will learn your place, young one." "Yes, Master," Anakin says coldly, letting his voice carry the further objections that he's not allowed to speak. "Well, I know I'll feel a lot better having you here," says Threepio, his protocol algorithms scanning for ways to deflate the obvious tension in the room. "Perhaps while we wait, you could recount some of your adventures since we last met? I'm sure you've done a lot..." Anakin whistles to his droid. Artoo rolls up to Threepio, extends a rod into a plug on his side and uploads a stream of data. Threepio's voice modulator lets forth a garbled mix of languages as he processes the flood of information. "That should be the entire record of my accomplishments," says Anakin. "Well, the parts I'm allowed to make public, at least." "My my my, that IS a lot!" Threepio says as Artoo withdraws. Anakin smiles, and Obi-Wan chuckles. "Your accomplishments are certainly great, my young padawan," Obi-Wan sighs, "It is only restraint you must learn. You're focusing on the negative again. Be mindful of your thoughts." "My apologies, Master. I should not question your instruction; I am grateful for it." Obi-Wan looks past his student to the bedroom door, and jumps to his feet. "Your Highness!" "Master Kenobi!" Padme walks into the room and clasps Obi-Wan's hands. "It has been far too long! I'm so glad our paths have crossed again." She looks up at Anakin, and her eyes grow large in disbelief. "Ani? Little Ani?" Anakin smiles wide and bows low. "At your service, M'Lady." "My goodness you've grown!" "So have you," says Anakin, "Grown more beautiful, I mean. For a Queen, I mean." He blushes. She smiles tenderly. "Oh Ani, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Naboo." Obi-Wan says, "Anakin will be near you at all times to protect you, and I will be heading up the investigation into the attack. Our presence will be invisible, Your Highness, I can assure you." "Perhaps with merely your presence, the mysteries surrounding this threat will be revealed," Padme says solemnly. "Now, if you will excuse me," says Obi-Wan, "I must go to the control center and review your security recordings. May the Force be with you. Anakin, good luck!" He bows and leaves, with Threepio following to return to his post, and Anakin relaxes a bit. "So...uh...how have you been, Padme?" He immediately wishes he hadn't said that, for how stupid it sounds. "Really exhausted, actually," she replies. "Oh, Ani, it's so good to see you, and we have so much catching up to do, but could we do it in the morning? I've had a very long day." "Uh, sure. I'll just--" "Thank you for understanding. I knew you would. I'll sleep better knowing you're nearby. The other bedroom has been prepared for you, if...do Jedi sleep?" "Well, yeah, usually. I mean, I don't have to, if..." "Of course you sleep. Sorry. If you need anything, Threepio is stationed outside the door, and he can get it for you." "Thanks." "Okay, well then. I'm off to bed then." Abruptly, she retreats into her bedroom. Once she's gone, Anakin groans and sits on the least plush chair in the room. "She hardly even recognized me, Artoo. I've thought about her every day since we parted, and she's forgotten me completely." Artoo emits beeps of comfort. Anakin pats Artoo's dome. "Yeah, you're right. Tomorrow." He crosses his legs, sits up straight and commences his meditative vigil. Eventually he falls asleep in this pose. He dreams of his mother. Scene 5: The Separatist Manifesto In the morning, there is no time for catching up. Anakin is stirred from his slumber by a cadre of attendants arriving to dress Padme. He watches warily from a corner as they pile on the heavy garments, thick makeup and elaborate hairpieces that transform her from a woman into a demigod. A team of political advisors arrive to brief her on the developments of the night. Other than wishing him a good morning, Padme seems to ignore that Anakin is even there. When one of her aides mentions a conflict back home between the Agricultural Guild and the Gungans, Anakin tries to offer his opinion. "The Agricultural Guild should accept the Queen's decision regarding diversity quotas," he says. "Their motto is 'Food For All.' I don't think that's limited to just humans." "Padawan Skywalker, please," says Padme, "These are my people, and I know their hearts well. I think it would be wise for you to allow me to speak for myself on these matters." As she returns to conversation with her advisor, it seems to Anakin she says the same thing he said only with more words, making him feel especially put out. Once the Queen has been prepared, they walk in procession to the front gate, where a stout open-aired AT-CT walker waits to bear them to the first day of negotiations. ***** Anakin and Padme enter the summit hall. The one hundred delegates are solemnly taking their places at a circular desk. Each representative is allowed one guard to stand behind them; all other attendants are made to wait in an observation area separated from the delegates by a ray shield. Chancellor Palpatine sits alert amongst the representatives, his black eye already nearly healed by the powerful bacta restoratives available to him. Jedi Master Windu stands as his personal guard. If Anakin were free to choose his own teacher, he would choose Master Windu, and he can't help but stare at the revered Jedi Knight as they approach. Windu nods back in greeting. Ani keeps his professional face on, but his insides jump with glee. To Anakin, Master Windu represents all that is best about the Jedi: strength, compassion and unwavering service to the Republic. Anakin can also sense the nearby presence of Master Obi-Wan and the other three Jedi watching over the meeting, but they keep themselves hidden from sight. As Padme takes her seat directly to the right of the Chancellor, she speaks two brief words to Anakin. She subtly gestures to a human man walking towards them, white-haired but nonetheless strong in bearing, dressed in black, with a black cape clasped by a gold chain. "Count Dooku," she whispers. Anakin nods. He recognizes Master Dooku. Living Jedi Knights are few enough in number that every student is expected to learn the names and faces of every one, though they are still plentiful enough to make such memorization the bane of a student's training. He bites his tongue against mentioning this to Padme, though. He doesn't want her to scold him for talking out of turn again. "Your Highness," Dooku says to Padme, briefly nodding his head with respect. "I was much aggrieved to hear of the attack against your clone. I wish to assure you that if any Separatist was responsible, I will find them and see that they are dealt with appropriately. Such violence only serves as a barrier to peace, and peace is what I desire." "Thank you, Count," Padme says, "But threatening to defect from the Republic is more of a barrier to peace than any blaster. The galaxy must not be divided." "It is unfortunate to hear you say that, but perhaps these talks will change your mind." "I am always willing to listen, Count." With another nod, Dooku walks away and takes a seat at the opposite side of the circle from them. He sits alone, without a guard; he has no need for one. Palpatine calls the meeting to order and calls upon Count Dooku to make an opening statement on behalf of the Separatists. Dooku rises and speaks with a voice that commands authority... "My fellow sentients, "Though I have lived for only a meager sliver of the Republic's long rule, I have in my lifetime seen the soul of our once fair galaxy become tarnished with mistrust, selfishness and corruption. Where once we worked together freely and voluntarily, of our own accord, to lift even the least among us to great heights, we now bicker to amass individual power without any regard for those who have no power to give. We have trapped ourselves in a cycle of escalating violence that now threatens Galactic Civil War. "Today we stand at a crossroads in the history of our galaxy, one final chance to avert great tragedy. If we seek to dominate one another through violence, we will only beget violence. We must instead renew our commitment to the ideals on which the Republic was founded, ideals of democracy and self-rule. "Look around you, to the example of the great powers that guard the peace today, the Jedi Knights. Ten thousand years ago, the only way to be free was to be the most powerful being in the galaxy, dominating all others. The Dark Lords of the Sith were not content to live and let live; they demanded absolute loyalty and they destroyed anyone who could possibly dissent. Then one day there arose a hero who could not be destroyed. He demanded no obedience, winning the allegiance of others through love rather than fear, and with them he ushered in an era of peace that lasts to this day. I speak, of course, of Master Yoda, founder of the Jedi Order. "And so to this day, when a student of the Jedi comes of age, earning the rank of Knight and the title of Master, they are given the chance to take sacred oaths of loyalty to the Jedi Council, but they are also given the opportunity to freely choose their own oaths and bonds. If the members of the Jedi Council were to insist that every Jedi Knight join the Council, then they would be forever fighting amongst themselves, seeking to dominate one another rather than working together for the good of all. Where such mighty powers war, there is no hope of peace for the meek. By making membership a matter of free choice, the Jedi Council allow themselves to be worth freely choosing. "As some of you may know, I am a Jedi Knight, trained at the Academy of Dantooine and sanctioned as bearing the wisdom and mercy expected of any great power in the galaxy. Yet I chose not to join the Council. My lightsaber remains as green as any student's, and I bear only the authority that others choose to give me personally. "I made this choice out of no disrespect to the Jedi Council, whose exemplary wisdom has long guarded the peace of our galaxy. Rather, I chose this path on behalf of those who fear they have no choice, to be a living demonstration that choice exists and that the powerful need not fear it. "The Jedi Knights know the reality of power, that those who bear the Force cannot be compelled to peace by mere force. The truth cannot impose itself except by virtue of its own truth, as it makes its entrance into the mind at once quietly and with strength. "My hope is that you, the great leaders of the galaxy, might remember the lesson of the Jedi Knights. I speak as the elected leader of the people of Geonosis and on behalf of our fellow members of the Separatist movement. We are a diverse coalition of planets who seek only the freedom to choose our own path, to work alongside one another as partners rather than be dominated by narrow majorities of the Senate. Permit us this choice. Support a resolution to allow peaceful defection from the Republic. We mean you no harm; we wish only the self-determination due to any sentient beings. May the Force be with you." There is no applause, for it would be improper in this setting, but several delegates on Dooku's side of the circle nod in agreement. Even a few members of the Loyalist faction seem pleased by Dooku's words, though Padme is not among them. As the day wears on, the other delegates make their own speeches and engage in debate over the nuances and high stakes involved, and it occurs to Anakin that politics are a lot more complicated than he would like to believe. Scene 6: Whatever Happened to Viceroy Gunray Obi-Wan spends the day guarding the perimeter of the summit, but finds no trouble. He turns his mind to his investigation into the attack on the Queen. As the meetings draw to a close for the evening and the delegates disperse, he manages to corner a potential suspect. "Viceroy Gunray!" he exclaims, taking on a threateningly friendly tone, "Haven't seen you in awhile. How long has it been?" "Not ssssince you tessstified againssst me, Massster Jedi," says Newt Gunray, the Neimoidian who lead the invasion of Naboo years ago. "Ah, yes, I remember now," says Obi-Wan, leaning against a wall to block Newt's attempt to pass. "I must admit it's fairly impressive. After all those hearings and four trials in the Supreme Court, you're still the Viceroy of the Trade Federation." "My innocccenccce ssspoke for itssself," Newt hisses. "My actionsss were approved by the Ssssenate, who had acccesss to the sssame intelligenccce I did." "Of course," says Obi-Wan, putting his arms around Newt's shoulder and leading him away from the Federation guards, who are unable to protest the interference of the Jedi. "And as an upstanding citizen, you wouldn't mind answering a few questions about what you were doing yesterday when Queen Amidala was once again attacked? Seeing as how you're the only person alive to have ever attacked her, I'm sure you're eager to once again establish your innocence." "Massster Kenobi, I underssstand why you sssuspect me, but I did not arrive on Toydaria until thisss morning, and I know nothing of thisss attack. But I will sssay, I believe you are looking in the wrong placcce, if you are looking to the Sssseparatistssss." "Where should I be looking, then?" Newt glances around nervously, then leans in close and whispers to Obi-Wan. "You remember the Sssssith?" Obi-Wan begins to take the Viceroy's words seriously. "Yes. You claimed as part of your defense that you were tricked by the Sith called Darth Maul. An easy claim to make, given that I had already slain Maul. You still want me to believe that your alliance with that monster was entirely out of your control?" The Viceroy doesn't even bother to defend himself. Whatever's putting the fear into his voice, it's not Obi-Wan. "Massster Kenobi, I will tell you thissss, then never ssspeak of it again. There wasss another, the one who trained Darth Maul. Darth SSSSssss-Sssidious. He controlsss the Sssenate from the sssshadowssss. Thisss isss why the Sssseparatistsss resssist. The ssstakesss here are much greater than you can imagine." "And why would this Darth Sidious want to kill the Queen?" "Becaussse ssshe opposssess the creation of an army for the Republic. The Sssith desssire war for itsss own sssake, and ssshe is a woman of peaccce." "Then why not go after the Chancellor? Surely his commitment to peace is greater than even the Queen's." The Viceroy shudders. "I have sssaid too much. Take what I have given you, Jedi, and be thankful for it." Newt pushes past the Jedi and nearly runs out of the building, his delegation following. Obi-Wan is surprised to discover that he believes the Viceroy. This investigation is going to be more fun than he thought. ***** "So, Anakin, what did you think of the first day?" After standing mutely in the background all day, Anakin is startled by Padme's question, so it takes him a moment to respond. They sit in the AT-CT walker as it plods its way through the colorful streets of Felucia back to the Queen's temporary palace. They are escorted by fluttering Toydarian police and the yellow landspeeders of the Chancellor's Guard. "I...uh...found it very enlightening, Your Highness." She smirks with curiosity. "Enlightening? In what way?" "Well, no one really agreed about anything. Not even the ones who were supposed to be on the same side. I can see why the system doesn't really work." "How would you have it work?" "We need a system where the politicians sit down and discuss the problem, decide what's in the best interests of all the people, and then do it." "But that's exactly what we're trying to do here," Padme explains, "The trouble is that people hardly ever agree." "Then they should be made to," Anakin says. Padme looks surprised. "By whom? Who's going to make them? You?" Now it's Anakin's turn to look surprised. "Of course not me!" "But someone." Anakin nods. "Someone benevolent and wise." Padme frowns. "That sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship to me." "It just depends on who we put there, Your Majesty," Anakin says, a mischievous grin creeping across his face. "You're making fun of me!" "Oh, no, I'd be much too frightened to tease my Queen!" For a moment, Anakin fears his sarcasm has gone too far, and he is relieved when she gives him a friendly smile. "If only everyone could know one another's hearts and minds the way I know my people, perhaps none of this would be necessary." "Amidala, Queen of the Galaxy!" Anakin declares with a laugh. "Oh, Ani, I don't think I could bear--" She is cut short when Anakin grabs her by the waist and leaps from their carriage. They tumble to the ground, and he covers her with his body as their walker explodes. Anakin peeks out from his cloak just in time to see the bounty hunter take off, rocketing away faster than their escort can chase. "He's getting away again!" Anakin shouts, scrambling to pursue. "ANAKIN!" Padme cries. He looks back to her, then to the escaping bounty hunter. He lets out a roar of frustration that echoes down the city streets, then dashes back to Padme, who has already stood back up. "C'mon," he says dejectedly, "let's get you out of here." Scene 7: Nightmare from the Past Anakin sprints down the street on which he grew up. Moments earlier, he jumped from the Jedi shuttle before it could blast into space, suddenly remembering that his powers would enable him to survive the fall--and so much more. His mother stands on their lawn, reaching out into space and wailing his name. Darth Maul approaches her from behind, thirsting for a kill. "Mom!" Anakin shouts, "Look out behind you!" Shmi turns to look at him instead, her face lighting with joy. "Ani! You came back!" He's too late. Darth Maul cuts her down. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Anakin leaps at the Sith, brandishing his lightsaber and bearing down with rage. Maul deflects the first two strikes, but the third slices through the hilt of his saber. The fourth, fifth and sixth strikes slice through the Dark Lord himself, and he falls to the ground in pieces. Now Anakin is at Shmi's side, cradling her in his arms. She gasps and chokes. "Ani...is it you?" "I'm here, Mom. You're safe. Hang on, I'm going to get you out of here..." "Ani? Ani? You look so handsome. My son...my grown-up son..." "I'm a Jedi now, Mom. I'm going to save you." She shuts her eyes. "No...no...you have already failed me...I am already dead..." "Mom! Stay with me!" "Justice, Anakin...only you can bring justice for this..." "No. Mom, I love you! MOM!" He wakes with a shout, leaping from his meditative position and igniting his lightsaber in a single motion. He breathes rapidly. Beads of sweat pour down his bare torso; his body glistens in the moonlight. Realizing it was only another dream, he sheaths his saber and calms himself with a deep breath. It is just before dawn on the sixth day of the summit, and there have been no further attempts on Padme's life. He found the first few days of discussion interesting, but as the grand statements of political ideology wore into the gritty details of interstellar commerce and defense, his interest waned. He's much more interested in Padme. Just being around her again is intoxicating. Yet opportunities for them to speak in private have been scarce. Anakin has had to content himself with a few smiles shared over small cultural references to their homeworld. He finds little about his homeworld funny, but any reference to Naboo seems like an inside joke when Padme is around--like they're sharing a secret code. Everything is nicer when she's around. Her presence is also dredging up memories from youth that he'd rather forget. He drags himself through a shower, warm, salty and sweet-smelling on this planet. The waters of Toydaria wash over him, carrying some of the nightmare away, yet when he steps out dripping, he is still agitated. He pushes a button on the wall and gets blasted with hot air, puffing his hair up at odd angles; seconds later he is dry. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, he flips open a jar of blubs, pulls out one of the alien grubs and pops it in his mouth. It wiggles around his teeth, eating up anything that shouldn't be there and excreting minty freshness. He stares miserably at his reflection, lips bulging with the blub, then sees Padme standing at the door behind him. "Oh!" he exclaims, spitting the blub into the sink and turning to face her. She blushes and averts her gaze, and with a second exclamation he covers himself with his hands. "I'm sorry," she says. "I heard you cry out. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." "I'm fine," he says. "Nothing to worry about. Perimeter is secure. You're perfectly safe." "That's not what I...Okay. My apologies, Ani. I mean, Padawan Skywalker." She flees from the room. Anakin curses to himself and rushes to pull on his pants before going out into the garden to intercept her. "Wait--I'M sorry," he says. "I'm glad you were worried about me. I mean, I'm just not used to it that much anymore. Jedi are expected to take care of themselves. And...I like when you call me Ani." She smiles and takes his hands, and they sit together. Small glowing beetles drift lazily among the exotic flowers surrounding them. "It's beautiful here," says Anakin. "It must be difficult having sworn your life to the Jedi," says Padme, "Not being able to visit the places you like, or do the things you like. Not being allowed to love." "Attachment is forbidden," Anakin explains, "Possession is forbidden. But unconditional compassion for all sentience is central to a Jedi's life. So you might say we are encouraged to love." "Anakin," she says with a proud smile, "You've grown up!" She tenderly pats down his blow-dried hair with one hand. He clasps the hand and kisses her fingers, taking her somewhat by surprise. "You were having a nightmare," she says, pulling back gently. "The night of my mother's death," admits Anakin. "It's your stepfather, isn't it? Watto. This is his homeworld. He's here." Anakin nods. "You must go to him." "No!" he protests. "No, I've been assigned to remain by your side. I would be disobeying a direct order..." "You were ordered to keep me safe, and you cannot do that while this hangs over your head. And if that's not enough rationale for you, I will tell anyone who asks that your Queen ordered you to visit your stepfather, and let them deal with me." "It wouldn't be right..." "Of course it would be right. Anakin, show yourself some of that compassion you have for everyone else. You've got hours before I have to leave for my first meeting of the day. I will be safe until you return." "Okay," he says, looking her in the eyes, "I'll program Artoo to warn you if there's an intruder. Thank you. This means a lot to me." She looks down, blushing. "It's nothing," she says, "Just a favor for a friend." ***** Deep in the jungle, the bounty hunter has been resting beneath the fronds of a pitcher plant, waiting for the call. The call arrives. "Yes, Lord Sidious?" he asks the shrouded hologram. "Jango Fett, the time has arrived," says the Sith. "The Queen will be unguarded all morning. This will be your final opportunity to get close. There can be no mistakes this time." "Understood, My Lord," says the bounty hunter. The transmission ends. He rises to his feet and looks into the brush. Moments later, a figure emerges. He is the same height as Jango, striding with the same confident posture. His armor is gleaming white with red bars on the shoulders indicating rank in an armed force, but is otherwise exactly like Jango's armor. They remove identical expressionless helmets to reveal identical faces, except that the new arrival lacks the bounty hunter's deep battle scars. He hands a sealed container to Jango. "Be careful, sir. They're very poisonous." "They'd better be," says Jango. "Sir, are you sure you don't want me to go instead? I am more expendable." "That's your problem, Boba. They left out the good bits when they made you. You kids just sit tight and let me pull some strings for you." "Yes, sir!" Container in hand, the bounty hunter rockets into the sky. Scene 8: The Other Skywalkers Morning light barely pushes its way through the clouds of a gathering storm. Anakin slips silently along the roofs of the hivelike Toydarian houses, there being no roads for offworlders in the residential section of the city. He has previously consulted a directory, but now he is guided more by a small voice in his mind whispering "this way" and "over here." The voice of his mother. Finally he comes upon the home he is looking for. He slides down a wall and stops by an open window. Peeking inside, he sees the family gathering for breakfast in the kitchen. Around a high table with perches instead of chairs, a young female Toydarian giggles and coos at her infant sibling. A slightly older boy flies in, chasing what appears to be a large lumpy flying maggot--a pet? He reluctantly perches at the table when his mother squawks at him in their native language. Her bristly hair is wrapped in curlers and her face is smeared with bright garish makeup in clownish parody of feminine beauty. The entire scene seems to mock everything Anakin ever wanted but never had. Anakin's heart skips a beat when Watto enters. As soon as he hears the familiar voice of his stepfather, he feels like a kid again. "Ah, achuko Rozatta!" Watto greets his wife. She flutters over and kisses him on the cheek. He playfully ruffles his son's hair before taking his perch at the head of the table. He's happy, happier than Anakin ever saw him on Naboo. Quelling his emotions, Anakin moves away from the window and to the front entrance. He reminds himself that he is a grown man, no longer a child. He knocks. Watto opens the door. "What is it? I don't know you. Don't you know what time it is?" Anakin finds himself suddenly speechless. "You look like a Jedi. Whatever it is, I didn't do it!" Watto says, shutting the door. "I'm looking for Shmi Skywalker," Anakin blurts out. Watto stops and examines him suspiciously. "Who wants to know? Could you be...nah. No way." "Don't you recognize me, Dad?" "Ani? You ARE Ani! It is you!" Watto laughs, much to Anakin's surpise, and wraps him up in a big hug. "Boy, ya sure sprouted! And look at you--a Jedi! Whaddya know! Hey, maybe you could help me out with some deadbeats who owe me a lotta money..." Some things never change, thinks Anakin. "My mother. I'm here to find out what happened to my mother." "Oh, that...look, kid, I thought you knew. Dat thing got her, y'know. Darth Maul, I think they called it. It was in the news way back, the same thing that tried to kill the Queen. Big todo. Thought a Jedi would've heard 'bout that." "I did, I just...why didn't you tell anyone? Why did you just disappear?" "Sorry, Ani, but you know...business is business. Things were getting ugly so I made myself scarce. Can you blame me?" Anakin gives Watto a look that says yes, he can, as distant rolling thunder fills the pause. "Believe it or not, that was the kick in the rump I needed. I cleaned up my life, got myself an honest job--pokedroid salesman! Can ya beat that? Got myself a good wife and kids...I mean a new wife and kids...I mean...look, what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry, okay? I know I didn't do right by you and your mom. But hey, we all make mistakes--I'm only sentient. I done better ever since. And it looks like you ain't doin too bad yerself. So whaddya say? Can you forgive your old man?" "You used us," says Anakin, more like a statement of fact than an angry accusation. "You never loved my mother, and you never loved me, you just used her to get to my mechanical skills. Easy money. That's all we were to you." "That ain't true! I wasn't the best to ya, but deep down..." "She's dead," Anakin says flatly, "My mother is dead because of you." "I...know," says Watto, bowing his head in respect, "I know, and I'm ashamed." Anakin's hand clenches around the hilt of his lightsaber at his side, then relaxes. "I forgive you, Watto," he says. "It is the first lesson I was taught as a Jedi. Nobody's perfect. Those who bear great power must bear great forgiveness. And so, I forgive you." "Well, hey, that really means a lot to me kid. I mean that." He flashes a pitifully sincere smile, bearing rotten teeth. Drops of ambrosial rain begin to fall. "Why don't you come in then for a bit, eh? Have some porridge with the family--they'll love ya. I don't want things to be awkward between you and them. Yer welcome here, anytime." "No, this will be the last I see of you," says Anakin, "You had your chance with me, years ago, and you wasted it. I'm not yours to use anymore." "Okay," Watto says quietly, "I can respect that." He extends his hand for Anakin to shake. "I guess this is the proper goodbye then, eh? Good luck to ya, Ani. What do they say? May da Force be witya." Anakin accepts the handshake, but does not return the blessing. He feels relief and a sense of closure; he has said what needed to be said. And then... "You would forgive this!?" screams the voice in his mind, "You would absolve my murder? Listen to his thoughts! Know the depths of what he has done!" Assisted by the touch of his stepfather's hand and the spirit of his mother, Anakin skims the surface of Watto's thoughts. He doesn't have to look far--one single memory shouts above all others. "Thank gods the kid never found out," thinks Watto, "that I'm the one that told the Federation where to find us. Darth Maul was only there because of me." Anakin's face darkens, as if his compassion has run elsewhere to hide from the storm. The handshake turns into a powerful squeeze, and Watto is brought to the ground, yelping in pain. Stepping away, Anakin extends his palm, using the Force to push Watto back into the house. Unsheathing his lightsaber, Anakin follows him inside. The door slams shut behind them without a touch. Later, neighbors will report that they heard shouting in the home before the fire broke out, but no one ever figures out what started it. Lucky that thunderstorm put it out before it spread, folks will say. But ain't it a shame, friends will say, that the whole Skywalker family died in the blaze. Scene 9: A Message from Kamino Torrents of rain thump against the hood of Obi-Wan's cloak. He stays dry beneath it, with a little concentration and assistance from the Force. Nevertheless, the weather is irritating and he just wants to quickly check in with Anakin, so he decides to make his visit unofficial. He jumps over the outer wall of the palace, bypassing the guards without a second thought. As far as he's concerned, the guards are only there for show, anyway. But it bothers him when he's able to pass through the palace garden without the rustle of his steps summoning Anakin to greet him. He passes cautiously through the patio doors into the sitting room of the Queen's suite. "Hello?" No Anakin. No anybody. He draws his lightsaber and treads softly toward the Queen's bedroom. He hears voices in conversation. Or rather, a single voice--the Queen's. Is she talking to herself? She does not sound alarmed. He sheaths his saber and moves up to the door to listen. "...can't just give up and leave now," she says, "Not when progress is finally being made. If anything, the attacks have shown us all the need for a peaceful settlement between law-abiding systems." "We cannot risk our life on this, Padme. Our people are more afraid and mistrustful of one another than at any other time in our rule. It's grown much worse since you left." Her voice, but younger. Obi-Wan realizes she's speaking with one of her clones back on Naboo via holographic transmission. "We can risk this one body, Dorme. Eventually, you and your sisters will have to bear on without me." There is an uncomfortable pause. "What is it?" asks Padme. Dorme responds with hesitation. "Yesterday...we were visited by our friends from Kamino." "And?" "And...all attempts to seed from the rest of us have failed. Padme, you're the only one of us capable of mothering further clones. They say...they say our line has gone stale." "Gone stale! What is that supposed to mean?" "They say you have violated the Prime Requirement." Padme sputters; Obi-Wan has never heard her so emotional. "I--what--but--that's IMPOSSIBLE. I would KNOW if I were--" "They say wanting is as good as having, as far as their process is concerned." Another uncomfortable pause. "Padme, we share your thoughts on this," says Dorme, "We are only telling you what the representatives from Kamino told us, when we raised these very same objections. Have you wandered so far from us in such a short time? Are we not Amidala?" "Well, that's the question now, isn't it?" spits Padme. Obi-Wan gasps, both at her words and at the sound of C-3P0 clanking through the front door. He's snooping on the wrong side, anyway. Time to retreat. ***** Jango Fett sails over the outer wall of the palace, the pounding rain concealing his rocket boosters from the guards. As far as he's concerned, the guards are only there for show, anyway. The Jedi Knights are the ones he has to worry about. He cuts his rockets and rolls to a landing, alert for any sign of them. Three breaths later and he's satisfied that, if they were aware of his presence, they would have been on him by now. His sensor arrays sweep the grounds, and the display inside his helmet shows him the results: a ventilation tube without branching passages leading to the Queen's bedroom. Perfect. He makes his way there with masterful stealth. He removes the lid of the canister and looks inside. Two giant millipedes the length of his arm try to escape, but they bump harmlessly up against the energy seal. Large ugly mandibles chomp threateningly at him. Carefully, he places the mouth of the canister against the entrance to the ventilation tube and presses the button to release the seal. The canister shakes as the creatures scuttle away. ***** Anakin enters the palace properly, letting the Naboo lieutenant in charge of security know he has returned. He waves off the lieutenant's assurances that the palace has been kept secure; he's dripping wet and distracted by the weight of what he has just done, and as far as he's concerned, the guards are only there for show, anyway. He makes his way directly to the Queen's chambers. "Oh, pudu," he swears to himself when he sees Obi-Wan waiting for him. "Where have you been?" asks Obi-Wan, arms folded sternly. "Out for a walk," Anakin grumbles obstinately. "What were you thinking? Abandoning your charge! I know you're a student, but surely you know better than this!" "It was her idea!" protests Anakin, "I think she wanted some time to be alone. I don't think she likes me watching her." "That is no excuse for leaving your post, Anakin." "She ordered me to! She's my Queen! What was I supposed to do?" "You've made a commitment to the Jedi Order," frowns Obi-Wan, "A commitment that comes before all else." "Don't worry, no harm has come to her," says Anakin. "She's fine. I can sense everything going on in that room." Obi-Wan raises a doubtful eyebrow. "Your senses aren't that attuned, young apprentice. Especially here on Toydaria." Anakin shuts his eyes, casting his inner sight toward the Queen's bedroom. "She's sitting at her mirror, brushing her hair. She's still in her nightgown." A smirk of dopey pleasure crosses his face before he opens his eyes and says, "She's FINE." "Be mindful of your feelings, Anakin, they betray you," says Obi-Wan, frustrated as usual with his padawan's resistance to even a well-deserved scolding. He eyes her bedroom suspiciously. "Don't forget she's a politician. They're not to be trusted." "She's not like the members of the Senate, Master." "It's been my experience that political leaders are only focused on pleasing those who please them," says Obi-Wan. "They are more than willing to forget the niceties of democracy to get what they want." "Not another lecture, Master. Not on the economics of politics. Besides, you're generalizing. The Chancellor doesn't appear to be corrupt." "I've observed that he is very clever at following the passions and prejudices of the Senators." "Yeah, well, I think he's a good man. My--" Anakin cuts himself off, suddenly sprinting toward the Queen's bedroom. "I sense it, too!" Obi-Wan insists, following. Padme turns to see Anakin burst into her room, heading directly toward her with his green saber ready to attack. She screams. The saber spins past her feet, and she looks down to see it slice through the two disgusting creatures poised to bite her. Obi-Wan flashes through the room and leaps through the patio doors, leaving shattered glass in his wake. Outside, Jango Fett rockets into the sky, but not before Obi-Wan leaps up and grabs his leg. Together, they disappear into the rain. Scene 10: The Bounty Hunter Obi-Wan grips Jango Fett's legs as they fly through the storm. Soaked by the Toydarian rain, Obi-Wan can't sense which direction they're flying or even how high they are, let alone what might happen next. The flames from the bounty hunter's jetpack taper off inches from his head, and he thinks he smells burning hair, but he's kind of stuck. He knows if he lets go, the bounty hunter will get away again--this time probably for good. Jango kicks and swerves, trying to shake the Jedi loose. "Why don't you land?" shouts Obi-Wan, "We can talk this over!" The bounty hunter responds by drawing his blaster and firing down. Obi-Wan yelps, avoiding the shot but briefly losing his grip. He hangs on to an ankle with one hand, and draws his blue lightsaber with the other. He deflects two more blaster shots with his saber and looks for a way to disable the bounty hunter, but he can't do so without losing his ride. In the meantime, Jango wises up to the ineffectiveness of his blaster; instead he stretches his fist out and presses a button on his arm. The cord of the bounty hunter's grappling hook winds around Obi-Wan's wrist, taking the Jedi completely by surprise. Jango gives a powerful yank and Obi-Wan shouts in pain and drops his lightsaber. Obi-Wan panics. It's not like his power stems from his saber, but he feels naked and defenseless without it. Gripping the cord to keep his connection to the bounty hunter, he lets himself drop. He doesn't fall far; he lands face down in a puddle on a shuttle landing strip and gets dragged through the oily water across the platform. Finally he gains some traction, bracing his heels into the ground and swinging the bounty hunter around by the cord. Jango smashes into the docking bay wall. His rocket boosters sputter and die, and he falls down to the platform, landing on his hands and feet. Crouched over in that position, Jango has perfect aim to fire the large missile strapped to his back. The explosion whips around Obi-Wan, who ducks under his cloak and shields himself with the Force. The blast clears just in time for Obi-Wan to see Jango's fist barreling at his face. Obi-Wan takes the punch and returns it, but Jango's helmet absorbs the blow despite the Jedi's strength. Still tied together by the cord, they are stuck in hand-to-hand combat. Obi-Wan tries a flying kick, but Jango grabs his legs, spinning him around and thrusting him into the ground. Obi-Wan goes for a low kick and knocks Jango's feet out from under him, and then they're both flat on their backs. "Hey, you're pretty good!" says Obi-Wan as they jump back up. "Ever thought of becoming a Jedi?" Jango looks to the Firespray space corvette parked on the platform. He presses another button on his wrist, and the ship's laser blasters unleash on Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan tumbles out of the way and catches a glimpse of the hilt of his lightsaber rolling toward the edge of the platform. Relieved, he reaches out his hand and calls his weapon back to him. It flies through the air and-- WHUMP. Just before the saber reaches Obi-Wan's fingers, Jango pounces on him, and they both go sliding down the sloped edge of the platform toward a drop into the dark jungle below. Jango presses a button on his other gauntlet, extending a serrated blade along his forearm. Sparks fly as he drives it into the metal of the platform, and he slows to a halt. Obi-Wan falls over the edge and comes to a wincing stop when the cord pulls taut. He's hanging above a jungle river. Amidst flashes of lightning, he can see some kind of big cat with a striped coat and hairless tail slinking along its bank. The beast sees him, too, and smiles, revealing multiple rows of pointy sharp teeth. "That's no good!" moans Obi-Wan. Up above, Jango pulls with all his might to lift the arm bearing the cord up to the hand supporting both their weight. Straining, he presses the cord release. Obi-Wan plummets. Thinking fast, he spins the loose cord around his head and manages to lasso a utility pole. The snapping jaws of the cat barely miss his toes as he swings in an arc to safety. With four great leaps, he returns to the landing platform. Jango stands in front of the hatch of his ship, its engines roaring in preparation for takeoff. He holds Obi-Wan's saber in front of him with both hands, bathing himself in its deadly blue light. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," warns Obi-Wan. Jango charges. He swings the lightsaber wildly, and Obi-Wan leans to dodge, barely moving to avoid the amateur's broad attacks. Obi-Wan doesn't need to counterattack or even nudge with the Force. Jango has no sense of how to use a weightless weapon, no idea of the local eddies and currents in the Force that direct its motion, and most importantly, no clue that the greatest danger a lightsaber poses is to the one wielding it. Jango cuts halfway through his own gut before he even feels the pain. The saber blade retracts and the hilt falls to the ground. Obi-Wan snatches it back and tucks it into his belt with a sigh of relief. He bends over the dying bounty hunter, removing the helmet to reveal Jango Fett's battle-scarred human face. "I just wanted to give my boys a chance," Jango wheezes. "You fool," says Obi-Wan, "You didn't need to die over this." "I won't," Jango says, then he dies. Obi-Wan steps away from the body, drenched and lost in thought. Over the roar of the corvette, he hears Master Mace Windu call his name. "Why did you kill him?" Mace asks as Obi-Wan jogs to the platform entrance to meet him. "I didn't," replies Obi-Wan. "He tried to use my lightsaber." "Unfortunate," says Mace. "He fought like he was without fear of death," says Obi-Wan, "and he said as much in the end. I wonder what he meant?" "I think I might know," Mace says, nodding back toward the bounty hunter's ship. The ship's hatch is closing as the bounty hunter's younger unscarred doppleganger climbs inside, dragging the corpse behind him. Mace and Obi-Wan dash toward it, but the ship flies off without them. "Clones! Great!" Obi-Wan shouts, exasperated. "Come, Master Kenobi," says Mace, placing a hand on his shoulder, "We must convene the Council immediately. This isn't over yet." Scene 11: Change of Plan "I'm taking an extended leave of absence," Padme says, calling upon all her diplomatic skill to keep from cringing, "It will be your responsibility to take my place in these negotiations, Senator Binks." Jar-Jar falls back onto the couch in Padme's sitting room, nearly fainting. "MEESA? Rilly?" Padme sits next to him, taking his hand. "Jar-Jar, I've seen you grow so much over the years. You've become a leader and a representative of our whole planet to the galaxy at large." "Ya, wib you holding meesa hand!" She self-consciously sets his hand back in his lap. "Besides," she says, swallowing her own concerns, "You're next in line. You are who the others will expect. We really have no other choice." This does not encourage him; his face droops. "Can I count on you, Senator Binks?" With a pompous flourish of his arms, Jar-Jar leaps to his feet and bows low. "Meesa HONNAHED to be takin on dissa heavy birdun." "Good," says Padme nervously. "Meesa accept dis with MUY MUY humiwity and--" "I don't wish to hold you up," Padme interjects, knowing the lengths to which Jar-Jar enjoys taking such formalities, "I'm sure you have a great deal to do." "Of course, Your Highness," says Jar-Jar, using his most practiced phrase. Threepio leads the Gungan out, and Padme retires to her bedroom to start packing. Threepio shuffles back in a moment later. "Excuse me, Your Highness," he says. "Yes, Threepio?" "Two things, actually," he says awkwardly, "First, I don't mean to be improper. I know it is not my place to ask. But I was talking to Artoo and I found myself, um, wondering--if you can forgive the boldness of a droid claiming to wonder--" "What is it, Threepio?" Padme asks wearily. "Well, I just wanted to know...am I to be left behind with Master Jar-Jar?" Padme gives a small smile. "I think it would be good for me to have a familiar face around," she says, "Would you like to come along with me?" "Yes! Oh, thank you, Your Highness!" Threepio says, clapping his hands together, "How delightful! I mean no offense to Master Jar-Jar, but to see the Jedi Academy Planet of Dantooine--oh, what a rare opportunity! It is said that the Jedi Order maintains the most complete databanks in the galaxy. Do you think I might be allowed access?" "I'll see if it can be arranged," says Padme, "though we must not press the good will of the sanctuary being offered to us by the Jedi Order. What else did you want to talk to me about?" "Yes, of course," says Threepio, slipping with relief back into his usual protocol algorithms, "Padawan Skywalker is here to see you, Your Highness." Padme smiles wide. "Please, show him in." Padme rushes to seal her undergarment bag, and Anakin appears at her door. "Hi," he says. "Hi," she replies. He smiles when he sees that she is smiling, just as she frowns to see him frowning, before each resorts to a neutral look of professional diplomacy. "Everything has been prepared," he says, holding out a pile of rags, "You're to dress in these...disguised as a nerf herder. I'm sorry." "It's alright," she says, "I don't mind dressing like a peasant. I've done it before." "No, I mean, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you well enough. That now you have to leave and go into hiding, when you've worked so hard to broker peace amongst the Galactic Hundred. It's my fault." "Oh, Ani! Don't think that!" She touches him on the shoulder so that he'll look her in the eyes. "My leaving has nothing to do with you. You've protected me so well, my brave Jedi guardian. I would be dead twice over without you, and our world ruled by the Federation. I do wish I could stay here with you, but my duty is to Naboo and I must do as my sisters Amidala ask. I mean, we have decided this is for the best. But we wouldn't have made it this far without you. You have become a great Jedi." "Yeah, well, Master Obi-Wan manages not to see it," he says, shaking loose from her touch. "Mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like," she says, "It's the only way we grow." "Don't get me wrong," says Anakin, looking out the window and far away into his thoughts, "Obi-Wan is a great mentor, as wise as Master Yoda and as powerful as Master Windu. He was the only one willing to train me, and I am truly thankful to be his apprentice. Only, in some ways...a lot of ways...I'm ahead of him. I'm ready to be a Jedi Knight, and it's entirely within his authority to make me one. But he's holding me back. He's jealous of my abilities." "That must be frustrating," Padme says hesitantly. "There is one silver lining, though," says Anakin, turning to face her, "I have never been to the Jedi Academy. I've been trained in the old padawan style, following my master wherever he goes, and I think I've been better off for it. But now Obi-Wan says I need a classroom to complete my training. I am to accompany you to Dantooine." He waits to gauge her reaction, and is relieved to see her grin. "I think that's the best news I've heard in weeks!" she declares. "I wasn't sure how you'd take it," he laughs. They're both surprised to find themselves hugging. "Hey," he says, pulling away from the embrace before his body betrays him, "Why don't we take one more stroll through the garden before we leave?" "I still need to pack," she says regretfully, "We suspect spies among the staff, so I have to do it myself." "No problem, I can help," says Anakin. Shutting his eyes and extending his hand, he manipulates the Force to send Padme's garments flying out of their closets and into their suitcases, which then stack themselves neatly by the door. "Ani, that's amazing!" Padme gasps. "Master Windu says I've got the finest touch in the galaxy, but let me know if you see a wrinkle." He offers her his arm. "Shall we?" "Um," she says, looking at the stack of rags, "I still need to change into my disguise." "Right," says Anakin, "I'll, uh, just meet you out there." He leaves. As she begins to undress, Padme notices how fast her heart is beating. She sickens for a moment, realizing that perhaps her sisters are right about her. But she pushes the thought from her mind. She's got a good feeling about this. Scene 12: Leaving Toydaria "Master Windu, I must thank you again," says Chancellor Palpatine as they wait in an empty utility corridor leading to the space docks, "I'm aware that your intervention threatens the neutrality of the Jedi Order in all this. We are truly in your debt." "To offer peaceful sanctuary is never a violation of our Order's neutrality," Mace assures him, "and I guard you of my own free will." "And we are most grateful for the sanctuary you will provide to Her Majesty," smiles Palpatine, "The safest spot in the galaxy. But tell me, when Padme Amidala made her request, did she happen to mention why she needed it?" Windu raises an eyebrow. "You believe the attacks against her are insufficient justification for sanctuary?" "No no no," Palpatine rushes to clarify, "It's just very unlike her, you see, running to hide. It's never really been her style, especially not since...well, not since I became Chancellor." "And she has not told you this herself?" "She does have secrets she keeps even from those closest to her," the Chancellor confides, "I think it might be, you know, woman troubles, if I may avoid being crude about it." "You may," says Mace Windu. A nearby hatch clanks open, and from it emerges Anakin and Padme in their disguises, followed by Obi-Wan and a tall cloaked and hooded figure with a great fat stomach. "Master Kenobi, who is this?" Windu asks, pointing to the stranger. From beneath the cloak comes the muffled voice of Threepio. "See, I told you this would never work. We'll be noticed for sure!" The belly beeps like Artoo. "Be quiet--both of you!" says Anakin. "Master Windu, they'll be fine. We just have to get them to the starfreighter and I'll deactivate them both once we're on board, okay?" "That really would make me feel better about all this," says Threepio. "Just be careful," says Master Windu, "As soon as you go out these doors, you'll be on your own until you reach Adari. A Knight from the Academy will meet you there to escort you to Dantooine. We'll keep your absence quiet as long as we can." "They'll be safe with me," Anakin insists. "Don't do anything foolish," Obi-Wan says to Anakin, "I expect you to make full use of this opportunity. I'll be dropping by to check on your progress once the summit has ended." "Goodbye, Your Majesty, and good luck," says Palpatine. "Take good care of Jar-Jar for me," Padme replies, "The threat's on you two now." The doors to the space dock open, and Padme and Anakin make their way out into the crowd. ***** Their journey on the starfreighter takes a full night. They sit in steerage, a common area without windows, amongst the poorest passengers and overflow cargo. They find an empty bench, and Anakin discreetly moves some crates around with his mind, providing them with a small measure of privacy. He deactivates Threepio and folds him up under the bench to give them some extra room, but he lets Artoo continue running basic security scans while doubling as a coatrack. "So, what kind of terrain does Dantooine have?" Padme asks when they've settled in. "Oh, all kinds!" brags Anakin. "Mountains, deserts, jungles, plains, snow, forests...you name it, Dantooine's got it. At least, that's what Master Obi-Wan says." "That's impossible!" scoffs Padme. "Planets have a terrain. Everyone knows that. It's strange to hear of a planet with two or three climates, let alone every climate!" "Well, why do you think the Jedi picked it?" smiles Anakin. Padme giggles, and thus they pass the time talking casually like any other passengers, leaning next to each other, until finally they fall asleep against one another. Padme wakes with a start to find herself flat on the bench. She hears Anakin curse. She sits up to find him hunched underneath Artoo's chassis, sucking on a bruised thumb, while the other passengers sleep around them. "Ani, what's wrong?" she whispers. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," he says quietly, climbing back up on the bench next to her. "Artoo's shifter broke. I was just trying to fix it. I'm good at fixing things. It calms me down. Life seems so much simpler when you can just take the parts and put them all together and make something work, you know?" "I know," she sighs, "but sometimes there are things no one can fix." He rests his head on her shoulder, lost in his thoughts. "Why couldn't I save her?" he asks himself as much as he asks Padme. She knows who he's talking about. "You're not all powerful," she says. "Well I should be," he says. "Someday I will be. I will be the most powerful...Jedi, ever. I promise you. I will even learn to stop people from dying." "Ani, don't try to grow up too fast," she says, unaware of the prophecies hanging heavy on his mind. "But I am grown up. You said so yourself." He nuzzles deeper into the nape of her neck, burying himself in the comfort of her presence. She laughs unexpectedly, causing him to sit up and stare at her. "What's so funny?" "Nothing," she whispers, "I mean, I just realized--the ship's recyclers have just about scrubbed all of the Toydarian atmosphere out of the air. I should be able to read your thoughts any moment now." Anakin blanches. "Uh...I'd forgotten about that." Padme smiles mischieviously. "I think as your Queen I have the right to know what you're thinking about me. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You'd hardly be the first of my subjects to be attracted to me, and I'm curious..." "No, I mean, I'm not embarrassed about that, I just...please don't..." Padme touches his mind. I KILLED THEM I KILLED THEM ALL THEY'RE DEAD EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM THEY WERE ANIMALS AND I SLAUGHTERED THEM LIKE ANIMALS AND I HATE THEM The force of Anakin's emotions suck her down like rapids and she can't breathe, she can only stare in horror as she's sees through Anakin's eyes and feels his grip on the lightsaber as it pierces through his stepfather's heart and turns on the wife and children... "ENOUGH!" bellows Anakin, ejecting her from his mind. The tears well up in his eyes and his face melts into grief. He collapses to the floor, fetal. A sleeping alien stirs at the sound of his exclamation. "Why do I hate them?" Anakin sobs, "I didn't...I couldn't...I couldn't control myself...I...I don't want to hate them...but I couldn't forgive them..." "Hush, ssshhh," says Padme, rushing to comfort him in her arms, hugging him and stroking his hair while casting a nervous glance at the other passengers. "I wish that I could just wish away my feelings," Anakin whimpers, "but I can't." Padme's mind spins. In her time she has seen every dark secret of every child of Naboo, and she has seen much worse than this, terrible as it is. She's known the violence, lust, greed and jealousy of all her people, from the lowest street thug to her most trusted advisors, and even in the midst of it, she's seen great good. She could have never lived for ten millennia without abiding compassion for even the worst mistakes, and relative to the hidden sins of many powerful men, the murders Anakin has committed seem almost easy to absolve. That they weigh so heavily on his conscience is a testament to his goodness. The brightest lights may shine from the darkest places. Yet she knows he would find no consolation in any of this, so she just quietly croons, "Shhh....you're only human..." "No, I'm Jedi," cries Anakin, "I know I'm better than this." "You were angry. You had every reason to be. And you can't be perfect." "I HAVE TO BE PERFECT," Anakin hisses through gritted teeth. "Shhhh!" says one of the other passengers, and Padme gives them a glare that says they should mind their own business. Anakin weeps. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." Padme cradles him until passes out, and only then does he stop crying. Scene 13: The Silent Master Padme, Anakin and the droids walk along the dark landing platform on Adari, looking for their Jedi Knight escort. They can see nothing of the planet from the crowded terminal, but animated posters on the wall brag about the tropical resort islands littering its pristine ocean surface. If only they were here for leisure. With Anakin's mental powers fully restored, they are able to pass unnoticed by the throng of disembarking passengers. They have spoken little today, neither very sure what to say, but they hold hands as they go, and the touch is mutually reassuring. "There he is," says Anakin, pointing in the direction of a Keldorian in Jedi robes standing motionless in the midst of the rustling crowd. "Your Highness, this is Master Plokoon," Anakin says when they approach. Padme is unnerved--not by his twisting horns and mottled bumpy orange skin stretched in intricate folds, which is a common enough appearance beyond humanity, but rather by the black metal cage secured over his eyes and mouth. She maintains her composure and nods her head respectfully. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Plokoon." The Jedi Knight bows low but says nothing, then turns and motions for them to follow. "Ani..." Padme whispers in Anakin's thoughts, "his face..." "Master Plokoon has taken a vow of silence and blindness," Anakin thinks back, sensing her concern, "so as to elevate his greater senses." The Force shifts around them, the perception cloak falls and Padme is able to see the Jedi ship, identical to the one that took her to Coruscant during the Federation invasion. The ineffable beauty of seeing it up close takes Padme's breath away. ***** "You weren't kidding about Dantooine," Padme says to Anakin, staring out the window as they descend. Green, blue, white, brown, here covered by dark storm clouds and there clear skies. She has never seen anything like it. They pass over a ridge of mountains and coast low above a vast forest. A flock of white birds takes flight in their wake. "There, up ahead, is that another ship? It's so big! Are we going to dock with it?" "That's the Jedi Academy," says Anakin. The Academy hovers over the treetops like a great bowl drifting along in the breeze, the only worldly stronghold of the otherwise itinerant Jedi Knights. At its brim, four towers mark the points of the compass while a taller spire thrusts from its middle. They land at the base of the central spire, amidst a maze of moss-covered walkways and spherical chambers suspended between the towers. They exit the ship along with Master Plokoon, and are greeted by an enormous knot of white hair sitting atop the back half of a giant anaconda. "Hello hello hello!" says the furball, allowing Padme to identify the tiny flapping mouth and two beady eyes at its center, "I am Master Oppo Rancisis, Principal Principal Principal of the Jedi Academy. On behalf of the Jedi Council, I welcome welcome welcome you, Padawan Skywalker Skywalker Skywalker, and you, Your Highness Highness Highness Amidala, to the planet planet planet of Dantooine." After formal greetings are exchanged, he continues, "Your Highness, you are free free free to walk the school grounds and make use of all all all resources available to students for the duration duration duration of your time with us. Master Plokoon will show you to your quarters quarters quarters, and I shall dine dine dine with you later." "I would be delighted." Anakin turns to follow Padme and Plokoon as they leave, and Master Oppo slides up next to him. "Padawan, where where where are you going? You will be lodging with the other students. Come come come." Anakin blushes and turns to follow the principal. Looking back, Padme gives a small wave goodbye. "You are lucky lucky lucky," Master Oppo says to Anakin. "What?" asks Anakin, thinking he means Padme. "How so, Master?" "Obi-Wan didn't tell you? It's a very very very special thing indeed. Head Master Emeritus Emeritus Emeritus Yoda will be teaching a class for our most precious precious precious students, and you you you will be among them!" "Really?" asks Anakin, his spirits beginning to lift. "Oh yes yes yes! Rare rare rare for Head Master Yoda to teach a class. You are lucky lucky lucky, Padawan Skywalker!" ***** The door to Padme's quarters opens. It is a single room, smaller than she is accustomed to and spartan in its decor, with a bed and a desk and little else. Still, a tall window lets bright sunlight in on the whitewashed walls and affords a view of the ever-changing landscape. "It is not what you would hope for," says an ethereal feminine voice, "But I believe you will find a deeper comfort within." Padme whirls and looks with surprise at Master Plokoon. "Did you just say that?" she asks. Plokoon nods. "But...your vow of silence!" "There are many ways to speak in silence," Plokoon says, and Padme realizes the voice is in her mind. "Your voice..." thinks Padme in response, "...are you a woman?" "My species is without gender, but the voice you hear would be my own, were it to break the silence. From what I have learned of humanity, I do believe I would have more in common with your females." "But...Anakin spoke as if you were a man." "Most men usually do." Padme smiles. "I have noticed you have your own talents of mind," thinks Plokoon. "I do," Padme admits. "May I ask, why are you not a Jedi Knight?" "I ascended to my throne before Master Yoda established the Jedi Order." "You did not join Head Master Yoda when he arose?" "He--he never asked me to." Padme senses Plokoon's sudden thought. "Your Majesty, are you telling me that you were a..." A wall grows. Master Plokoon can sense it, though it is subtle--memories hidden, thoughts concealed. "Forgive me, I have intruded where I am not wanted," thinks Plokoon, "I will withdraw." "No, Master Plokoon, I take no offense!" Padme calls aloud, but the silent master flees. Scene 14: Yoda and the Younglings "You have got to be kidding me," Anakin groans to himself as he stands at the classroom entrance. A dozen or so children from as many different species sit cross-legged in a circle, meditating. The oldest among them sees Anakin and stands, no taller than Anakin's midsection. She walks over to greet him. "Padawan Skywalker," she says, "We were told to expect you. Please, join us in peace as we await the arrival of Master Yoda." She reaches up her little hand to take his, and leads him into the circle. He sits with a sigh and tries to meditate, but he is distracted by the thought that this must be some mistake. Surely Master Obi-Wan meant for him to train alone with Master Yoda, and his enrollment in the one class taught by Yoda was merely a curricular formality. Finally, the ancient master's scratchy voice jolts him out of his thoughts. "Good Morning, Younglings!" "Good Morning, Master Yoda!" they chime in unison. Flustered, Anakin joins them on the last three syllables, and he hears the small chirp of another student giggling. Yoda smiles. "How wonderful your voices and smiles! Great pleasure it gives me to teach another generation of Jedi. Much talent have you all, say the other Jedi. I have no doubt that you will show it. Eager to learn you are, and only a short time together have we, so waste it with speeches, I will not. For our first lesson, please rise and draw your sabers." They all stand. Even the younglings are taller than Yoda, and Anakin towers over the lot. Diminutive half-length lightsabers flash to life, all green. Awkwardly, Anakin draws his own, and a few of the other students gasp to see it. Anakin realizes they are young enough to have never seen an adult's lightsaber, and he flushes with embarrassment. Yoda seems to take no notice. With a wave of his hand, a panel opens in the wall and a parade of levitating hunter-seeker droids float out. Anakin recognizes the metal balls covered with small blasters from his own earliest training with Obi-Wan. They are meant for practicing blast deflection; their shots do no harm, but only cause a sharp pain. They're toys. A row of helmets follow the droids out of the wall. Guided by Yoda's hand, they come to rest on the students' heads, and the blast shields flip down, blinding them. The other students accept this with calm, but Anakin rips his helmet off his head. "Is there a problem, Padawan?" asks Yoda. Anakin kneels, mustering all the deference he can while still objecting. "Master Yoda, I believe there has been a mistake. I spent years practicing this exercise, and I have perfected it. If we only have a short time together, shouldn't I be focusing on exercises more...age appropriate?" Yoda scowls, and Anakin's gut churns under his skeptical gaze. Already, Anakin regrets speaking up, and he lowers his head nearly to the floor as he waits for a response. "No mistake, Padawan. But if you have nothing more to learn here, always free to leave you are." "Forgive me, Master, I was out of line," Anakin sincerely pleads, "I am grateful for this opportunity. Please allow me to continue?" Yoda hobbles forward and lifts Anakin's chin with his withered three-fingered hand, looking directly into the padawan's eyes. The master purses his lips and purrs with concentration. Then he reaches out and Anakin's hunter-seeker droid flies into his grasp. He punches a few buttons and releases it back into the air. "Forgive me, Padawan. Mine the error was. When ten thousand years old you reach, even the elderly seem as children. Programmed for you a more challenging task, I have. Return to your position, you may." Anakin rejoins the younglings, unsheathing his saber and blinding himself under the helmet. He reaches out with his other senses, and a clear picture of the room around him resolves in his mind's eye. "Reach out, sense the Force around you," instructs Yoda, "Use your feelings, you must!" One by one, the hunter-seekers begin to take their shots, which the wobbling pint-sized sabers mostly manage to deflect. They may be younglings, but each is already quite strong with the Force. Occasionally a blast hits its mark, and Anakin feels the pain that the student feels and their struggle not to let it show. He remembers how cruel this exercise once seemed to him, when Obi-Wan first dropped the blast shield over his eyes on Naboo. But he also remembers how the pain finally drove his reflexes to the point that even a lethal volley of blaster fire would never meet his skin. He dials back his emotional sensitivity so as not to feel the other students' stings, and when one youngling accidentally deflects a shot into another's shin, Anakin realizes it's actually somewhat funny. All this time, his own hunter-seeker doesn't take a single shot. At first, Anakin thinks the droid is just waiting for him to get bored and drop his guard. When he does get bored, he tries to intentionally focus on something else, hoping to lure the droid into taking a shot, yet still it hovers there motionless. Then he goes so far as to deactivate his saber, bracing himself to accept the inevitable blast that doesn't come. Is it broken? Master Yoda is looking right at him, shaking his head in disappointment. Anakin relights his saber, knowing that he's just calling undue attention to himself. He tries to stand at the ready without moving until Yoda's interest is drawn elsewhere. When he thinks he's in the clear, he takes a few swipes at the droid with his saber, and it flies just out of his reach. It's not broken. And he doesn't think Master Yoda is expecting him to chase it around the room. Is this a test of his patience? That seems like the kind of trick an ancient Jedi Master would try to pull on a padawan. If that's what's going on, Anakin knows he can handle it. Many of his past missions with Obi-Wan called for him to remain still for days at a time as they waited for monsters and menaces to emerge from hiding. Anakin has patience. So he makes no further move, but relaxes into his stance. He is ready to deflect any blast that comes his way, yet he no longer expects one. Yoda pays him no further heed. Scene 15: Dexter's Diner The summit ends with little fanfare, when one day the Separatist leaders simply do not show up to the meeting. The remaining Loyalists briefly discuss taking sanctions against the Separatists for abandoning negotiations, but this is opposed by moderates and those who fear it would only hasten war. No accords are made, no pacts or treaties are signed. Everyone leaves. Obi-Wan finds himself back at the Jedi Academy for the first time since his acceptance to the Council. It is a strange sensation, for during his own training, the Academy and its planet constituted his home and the sum total of his galaxy; he never expected his life to become so detached from this place. Yet it is only a school, and except for those who become instructors, the mission of a Jedi Knight lies elsewhere. Little has changed, yet he now feels like a stranger here. Or maybe it's just that walking the empty halls without a pass while classes are in session feels like breaking the rules. It's nearly lunchtime, so he heads directly for the cafeteria. "Go easy on the mung beans," he says to the food services droid dishing items onto his levitating tray. "Mung beans is good for ya," she responds with her usual programatically stylized voice. Obi-Wan smirks as she doles out a double portion. "Hey, does Dexter still work here?" he asks. "HEY DEX!" she shouts back into the kitchen, "SOMEONE TO SEE YA, HONEY!" An extremely fat Besalisk with a gaping maw and cranial ridge sticks his head out through the service portal. "OHBEE WAAN!" "Hi, Dex!" "Take a seat! I'll be right wit ya!" Obi-Wan takes his tray and finds a table. "Hey, old buddy!" Dex hollers as he waddles out of the kitchen. Three of his burley arms encompass Obi-Wan in a bear hug, while the fourth idly scratches his own rear end. They sit, Dex squeezing into his chair with a groan. Few would think that this roughshod creature in a stained apron is one of the oldest sentients in the galaxy, but only Hutts live longer than Besalisks, and for Dex, the past few decades as Academy chef have been a pleasant retirement after one thousand years of checkered dealings as a smuggler and mercenary. "Pardon me," Obi-Wan says, shoveling a large scoop from his tray into his mouth, "Ah've mished yur cookin'!" Dex lets out a deep belly laugh. "Please, don't let me stop ya! It's good to be feedin' you again, Ben. When you get a chance to take a breath, lemme know what brings you to these parts." Obi-Wan swallows and says, "Checking in on my student, Padawan Skywalker..." "Yeah, I seen him!" Dex says, "Seems like a good kid. Doesn't mix much with the other students, but always orders double meatloaf, and I consider that a sign of good character." Obi-Wan continues his sentence, "...and visiting the Jedi archives." "So, you thought you'd visit me first, eh?" "Ten thousand years of Jedi experience don't hold a candle to what you've seen, old friend." Dex chuckles. "Whatcha got for me?" "Well, I was hoping you could tell me what this is," Obi-Wan says, carefully passing Dex the poison dart that killed the changeling. Obi-Wan takes another large bite of his meal while Dex closely examines the tiny thing in his massive hands. "Well, whaddya know! I ain't seen one of these since I was prospectin' on Subterrel, beyond the Outer Rim! What you got here is a Kamino saberdart." Obi-Wan gulps, and does not take another bite. "Kamino? The Republic analysis droid I showed it to said its origin was unidentifiable." "Those analysis droids only focus on symbols, you know. I should think you Jedi would have more respect for the difference between knowledge and wisdom." "Well, Dex, if droids could think, we wouldn't be here, would we?" Obi-Wan scoffs. "But what makes you think it's from Kamino?" "It ain't what's there that gives it away, it's what ain't there--a logo. Any maker of toxic weapons is required to put their seal on it, and bad guys will just use a fake one. But these Kaminoans, they like to keep to themselves. They're geneticists--damned good ones, too, so folks let 'em slide. Their logo is no logo." "Kamino...doesn't sound familiar," says Obi-Wan, lying a little, "Is it part of the Republic?" "Naw, it's beyond the Outer Rim. I'd say about twelve parsecs outside the Rishi Maze, toward the south. It should be easy enough to find, even for those droids in your archive." "Are they friendly?" "Well, it depends..." "On what, Dex?" Dex grins. "On how good your manners are...and how big your pocketbook is..." Obi-Wan gives him a knowing smile. "Say," says Dex, looking over Obi-Wan's shoulder, "Ain't that yer kid over there?" Obi-Wan turns to see Anakin taking a seat alone in a corner. "Yeah. I hate to cut things short with you, Dex, but I should probably go say hi." "Not a problem, I gotta go get ready for the lunch rush anyway," says Dex, wrenching himself out of his chair. "You stay out of trouble now, you hear?" "You know me, Dex." Dex returns to the kitchen, and Obi-Wan takes his tray over to Anakin's table. Anakin looks up at him wearily as he sits. "So, the summit's over I take it?" "Good to see you, too," says Obi-Wan, "And yes, with nothing accomplished. No surprise there. How's your training with Master Yoda going? Learning anything?" "Hardly," snorts Anakin, "Master Yoda seems to be going out of his way to avoid teaching me anything. Today the younglings were paired up to practice duels and we had an odd number, so he told me just to stand to the side and wait. Just 'wait' and no other instruction. Never mind that I don't know why I'm stuck in a class with younglings in the first place. This is a total waste of time." "Well, just think of it as a break from years of hard work," says Obi-Wan, furrowing his brow. "It can't be all that bad, and it's a great honor to train with Master Yoda." "I don't want a break," says Anakin, "I want to be ordained a Knight." "You will be," says Obi-Wan, "Patience." "I know, I know," Anakin sighs, poking at his food with his fork, "Patience. I'm learning that lesson well enough. Am I going to be allowed to learn anything else while I'm here?" "Whatever lesson Master Yoda is teaching you," says Obi-Wan, "You'll know when you've learned it, I promise you that much." "I'd better," grumbles Anakin. "So, tell me," says Obi-Wan, helping himself to a bite off Anakin's tray, "have you b'n shpending any thime wi' Padme?" And just when Obi-Wan thought Anakin couldn't look more forlorn... Scene 16: The Jedi Archives Padme sits on the prow of the Academy, meditating. The ship drifts on an ocean of featureless clouds, a vast white sheet extending out of sight and blending seamlessly with the misty morning sky. She loses herself in its blankness, letting ten thousand years of worry evaporate into its undifferentiated calm. When the sun's light finally breaks through and dissipates the fog, she feels refreshed, renewed and at peace. Beside her, Master Plokoon rises, takes her hand and helps her to her feet. "Thank you again, friend," Padme thinks, "You have taught me greater wisdom with your silence than I found in millennia of political advisors." Plokoon replies with a warm embrace. Padme carries the feeling all the way back to her quarters, where she finds Artoo and Threepio waiting eager as pets by the door. "Miss Padme," says Threepio, "Artoo just stopped by to ask if today would be the day you bring me to visit the Jedi archives? And...can he come, too?" "Yes, I think we can do that today," Padme says, "Let's see what the Jedi can teach a droid." "Oh..." says Threepio, quivering with a highly unusual impulse of excitement, "...oh BOY!" Artoo beeps with satisfaction. ***** Lucasite, the crystal at the heart of a lightsaber, has many other useful properties as well. By pressing a lucasite alloy into flat sheets, a properly trained Jedi Librarian like Master Jocasta Nu can use the Force to realign its crystalline structure to record information within it, information that can then be read later by a simple scanning device. The Jedi archives contain row after row of these bound sheets, blue shimmering stacks that bear the memories of the Jedi stretching all the way back to the earliest years of the Republic. Master Jocasta has added to this, one page at a time, since she herself was a student here, and now she is far from young. She senses frustration and hears mumbled curses echoing from within the stacks, so she drags her old bones away from her desk to investigate. "Are you having a problem, Master Kenobi?" she asks with a whisper when she sees him standing in the midst of the stacks, banging his scanner against his hand. "I think it's broken," he mumbles back, trying to keep his voice down. "It's not returning any results for my search." "Let me see," she says, taking the device from him. "It appears to be in working order, despite your abuse. What are you looking for?" "I'm trying to find a planetary system called Kamino. It doesn't seem to show up on any of the archive charts." "Kamino? It's not a system I'm familiar with. Let me take a look..." Instead of using the scanning device, she places her hand directly on the stacks and shuts her eyes in concentration. She frowns a little, then opens her eyes. "Are you sure it's real?" she asks. "Absolutely," replies Obi-Wan, "It should be in the Beta Quadrant somewhere, just south of the Rishi Maze." "Those sound like the sort of directions you'd get from a street tout, some old miner or Furbog trader." "All three, actually." Giving him a skeptical look, she reaches out to investigate again, and Obi-Wan waits patiently. After a long search, she opens her eyes. "I hate to say it, but there is no mention of a planet named Kamino in the memory of the Jedi. It looks like the system you're searching for doesn't exist." "That's impossible," says Obi-Wan. "Perhaps the archives are incomplete." "Well," she says with a small amount of indignation, "by all means, Master Obi-Wan, I do hope you will share with me anything you learn of this planet. I am always glad to add to our knowledge, and there is always more to learn. But the archives are totally secure. One thing you may be absolutely sure of--if a system does not appear in our records, the Jedi have never been there!" Obi-Wan sighs. "Well, thanks anyway." Moments later a different voice echos through the library. "Miss Padme! Miss Padme!" Threepio calls out, "We're ready to go now!" Obi-Wan hears a startled gasp from the next row over, and sees Padme walk from the stacks to her droids, who have been processing information at a desk in the corner. She keeps her eyes on her droids, and tries not to look like she's seen Obi-Wan there, but clearly she was listening in. "Excuse me, Master Obi-Wan," Master Jocasta sighs, "I believe I must go teach a protocol droid to be quiet in the library." Obi-Wan slinks back into the stacks as the librarian walks away, moving out of sight from Padme. He is tempted to confront her about this, to learn all that she knows about the planet Kamino, but he weighs the logic of this in his head. It's clear that she knows that he knows, and at this point she even knows that he knows that she knows that he knows. She is evading him politely for now; if confronted, the evasion might become divisive. He decides to let Padme come to him in her own time, and in the meantime he'll continue learning what he can without her. He remembers Dex's words: "It ain't what's there that gives it away, it's what ain't there..." Inspired, he reattaches his scanner to the stacks and programs it to perform a gravitational assessment of all known star systems. Scene 17: Lesson Learned In Master Yoda's classroom, the younglings practice butterfly form, a series of fluttering lightsaber moves. It is one of the easiest of many forms they will learn in their years at the Jedi Academy, and they repeat it with concentration until they get it right. Anakin, on the other hand, has already mastered all of the canonical forms, and so Master Yoda instructs him to practice stone form: to stand, unmoving, as if the fate of the galaxy depends on it. Suffice to say, Anakin is very bored. "Younglings! Younglings!" says Yoda. "Enough. A visitor we have. Welcome him!" The students stand at attention and in unison say, "Good afternoon, Master Obi-Wan." "Good afternoon, younglings!" Obi-Wan says cheerfully, winking at his pouting padawan. "I am sorry to disturb your class, Head Master." Yoda brushes the apology aside. "What help to you can I be, Master Obi-Wan?" "I'm looking for a planet described to me by an old friend. I trust him. But the system doesn't show up on the archive maps." He hands a mapping datasphere to Yoda. "Lost a planet, Master Obi-Wan has! How embarrassing!" says Yoda, playing it up for his smiling students. "Liam, the shades shut, please. Gather around the map reader, younglings. Clear your minds, and find Obi-Wan's wayward planet, we will." Yoda places the sphere in the map reader, and the galaxy flickers into view around them in the darkened room. The younglings smile with delight, and a few of them reach up to try and touch the nebulae and stars. Obi-Wan turns the sphere with his mind until he's zoomed in on the sector that concerns him. "It ought to be here," he says, pointing, "but it isn't. Gravity is pulling all the stars in the area towards this spot. There should be a star here, or at least a record of a destroyed star or something that would cause the gravitational anomaly, but there's just nothing." "Most interesting," says Yoda, speaking to both Obi-Wan and his class, "Gravity's silhouette remains, but the star and all the planets, disappeared they have. How can this be? Younglings, in your mind, what is the first thing you see? An answer? A thought? Anyone?" "Master?" says one student with a raised hand, and Yoda nods for him to speak. "Because someone erased it from the archive memory?" Obi-Wan looks surprised; Yoda chuckles. "Truly wonderful, the mind of a child!" he says. "The Padawan is right. Go to the center of gravity's pull, and find your planet you will." "Thank you, Head Master," says Obi-Wan, pulling the map sphere back to his hand with the Force. "Younglings, your forms resume," says Yoda, "While privately with Master Obi-Wan I speak." He looks directly at Anakin as he adds, "Perform them without error, I think you can." The youngling sabers return to spinning and Anakin resumes his unmoving stance as Yoda and Obi-Wan step out into the hallway. "Master Yoda, who could have erased information from the archives?" Obi-Wan asks, baffled that this is even being suggested. "That's impossible, isn't it?" Yoda frowns. "Dangerous and disturbing this puzzle is. Only a Jedi could have erased those files. But who and why, harder to answer. Related to the attacks on Amidala, this planet is?" "Yes, I believe the bounty hunter that attacked her comes from there. And..." Could Padme have erased the files? Obi-Wan holds his further thoughts back; Yoda doesn't seem to notice. "Hmm," grumbles the Head Master, "Go there you must, and report to the Council all that you learn. Make haste, Master Obi-Wan. The Dark Side clouds much surrounding these attacks; unravel the hidden future you may." "Yes, Master Yoda." "One more moment stay," says Yoda, holding up a hand, "for this moment, the future remains clear..." "What do you mean by that?" asks Obi-Wan. In answer to his question, screams surge from the classroom. Obi-Wan runs back inside to find Anakin suspending a Togrutan youngling in the air with the Force as the other younglings cower away from him. "Anakin, what in the galaxy are you doing!" Obi-Wan shouts. "Master, I can explain!" Anakin says, setting the youngling down gently. "Ashla drifted in her form, she was about to slice Liam's leg off! All I did was stop her, I didn't hurt anyone!" "Is that all?" asks Obi-Wan, folding his arms. "PADAWAN!" Yoda chastizes as he walks in, and the entire room falls silent. "Failed in your form you have. No more will I teach you today. Leave, you should, to contemplate your failure." Anakin opens his mouth to protest, but from the look on Obi-Wan's face, he knows he won't get support from his master. Infuriated, he storms out of the room. Obi-Wan follows. "Anakin, wait!" Anakin spins to confront him. "Wait! Wait! That's all I've been doing!" "I know," says Obi-Wan sternly, "And right now you're doing a lot to explain why." "What was I supposed to do, just let Liam lose a leg?" "Yes." "I can't believe you really think that! That's just wrong! It's...evil!" "Padawan, listen to me," says Obi-Wan, "Real danger is part of the training. You've spent your life training in the field by my side, you've often been in danger and so I've never had to put you there on purpose." "But you would protect me, when you could see that I was about to be injured! You didn't just stand by and do nothing. I couldn't stand by, either." "Can you see the future so well to know that losing a leg today would not prevent Liam from losing his life when he's a Knight? Or that the hurt Ashla caused would not teach her to take greater care when she bears more power than a child's saber? Or that letting it happen won't prepare you to tolerate the existence of real evil when it's necessary to do any good at all? Master Yoda sees deeper into the future than any of us, and I can think of many possible reasons he would have expected you to remain still." "Maybe I can't know for sure," argues Anakin, "but that still doesn't make it right to do nothing." "Then I'm afraid Head Master Yoda is correct, and you have failed to learn the one lesson he put before you." Anakin scowls. "Yes, Master." "I am leaving for another mission. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I expect you to have grasped this lesson by the time I return. Just do what Master Yoda says, alright?" "Yes, Master." Anakin walks away in a huff. Obi-Wan turns to see Yoda standing in the hallway, observing the conversation. "He still has much to learn," Obi-Wan says. "His abilities have made him arrogant." "It is a flaw more and more common among Jedi," agrees Yoda, "Too sure of themselves they are. Even the older, more experienced ones." Obi-Wan glances down at the Head Master, not sure how to take that. "Remember, Obi-Wan," says Yoda, "If true the Gungan prophecy is, restore balance to the Force your padawan will." "Yes, yet the tricky thing about restoring balance is that it all depends on what's out of balance to begin with." Yoda gives a low grumble but says nothing more, hobbling back to his class. Scene 18: The Picnic Padme sits on her bed, receiving her daily communication from Dorme through a small holographic projector held by Threepio. In these weeks at the Academy, this has been her only connection to the outside galaxy. "How many systems have joined Count Dooku and the Separatists?" Padme asks. "Thousands," says her counterpart on Naboo, "And more are leaving the Republic every day. Every system that leaves is one less vote against creating an army, and if the Senate votes to create an army, it will surely push us into civil war." "It's unthinkable!" gasps Threepio, "There hasn't been a full scale war since the formation of the Republic!" "The Separatists are building an alliance between the Trade Federation and the Commerce Guilds," Dorme continues. "Even if the Republic were to call upon all remaining armies in the galaxy, the Separatists would now have the larger force. Many of our own people believe the time has come to accept the inevitability of war and prepare for our defense. There are even those who believe we would be safer in the hands of the Separatists." "We must keep our faith in the Republic," Padme says, "The day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it." "And thus is whispered in the heart of every child of Naboo," Dorme says defensively, "for as long as we remain on our throne." "Thank you, Dorme. I'm sorry...I know this is a difficult time for us, and I wish I were with my sisters." "So long as you are safe, we are safe." "Perhaps I am not so helpless here as I've thought. Master Windu shows great loyalty to the Republic, and Count Dooku is still a Jedi Knight even if he's not on the Council. You tend to our people; I will do what I can from here to salvage negotiations." The transmission ends, and Threepio stands quietly while Padme loses herself in her thoughts. Then the door opens. "Ani! Come in!" Anakin smiles shyly and steps inside, with Artoo rolling in behind him. "I've hardly seen you. How have you been?" Padme asks. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class?" "Hi, I just saw, and thought, um...look out your window." She smiles skeptically and does as he requests. Beneath sparse tufts of cloud stretch green rolling meadows with blue ribbons of rivers reaching to the horizon. Anakin continues, "Doesn't it remind you of..." "...home?" Padme finishes his sentence wistfully. "Yes, yes it does." "So I saw this and I was wondering," says Anakin, looking her in the eyes, "do you like picnics?" ***** "I don't know if we should have left Artoo alone with Threepio," Padme says, plucking a stem of grass nervously as she sits under the bright midday sun talking to Anakin. "Threepio has been acting so strange since they got together. I think Artoo has been altering his programming." "Artoo can be a troublemaker," chuckles Anakin, "But you're just changing the topic to evade my question!" Padme blushes, "Oh, I don't know..." "Sure you do, you just don't want to tell me." They have sat in this field beside their parked landspeeder all morning, playing a coy and flirtatious game of question and answer with unspoken acknowledgement that this is safer than reaching into one another's minds. "Okay," sighs Padme, "I was twelve. His name was Palo. We were both in the same school together. He was a few years older than I. Very cute...dark curly hair...dreamy eyes..." "Alright, I get the picture," groans Anakin. "Whatever happened to him?" "I...I had to leave him behind when I became Queen. But I watched over him until he died; he went on to become a great artist." "Maybe he was the smart one." "You really don't like politicians, do you?" "I like two or three," Anakin smirks, "But I'm not really sure about one of them..." Padme returns the smile and looks out at the beauty surrounding them. "This reminds me of a place we would visit on school retreat," she says. "We'd swim in a pond like that one over there. I loved the water. We used to lie on the shore and let the sun dry us, feed each other paya fruit and try to guess the names of the birds singing..." Anakin waves his fingers through the air, and out of their basket floats a paya fruit. Padme laughs as it drifts towards her; it peels itself, and a bite sized chunk breaks off and flies gently into her mouth. "I bet Palo couldn't do that!" Anakin grins. Padme raises her hand to her mouth to keep from losing the food in laughter. "If Master Obi-Wan caught me doing this, he'd be very grumpy," Anakin says. He impersonates his master. "Don't be a show-off, Anakin!" "I won't tell," Padme smiles. "So, what else can you do, show-off?" Within minutes, Anakin is perched upon a charging reek, keeping his balance despite the raging beast's attempts to buck him. A herd of grazing shaaks scatter out of their path. A safe distance away, Padme stands on a bluff, clapping and cheering. Her smile becomes a gasp when the massive creature catches Anakin with its three large horns and sends his body flying. He lands face down and does not move. As the reek gallops away, Padme runs down the hill, calling Anakin's name. She flips over his limp body and flings herself onto him, feeling for life. She's about to break into tears when he breaks out into laughter. She smiles and curses and beats his chest angrily with her fist, and they kiss. He wraps his arms around her and their boundaries collapse. They flow into a single mind and body. They avoid their dark memories and reach for the light they find in one another. The troubles of the galaxy melt away and only they exist, Queen and King... "No!" says Padme, pulling away. She hurriedly stands and walks several paces away before stopping. "I shouldn't have done that." "I'm...sorry?" says Anakin, baffled and disarmed. "No, I'm sorry, it's just...I can't. We can't. It's just not possible." "Anything's possible! Padme, listen to me..." He stands and approaches her, but does not attempt to touch. "From the moment I met you, all those years ago, a day hasn't gone by when I haven't thought of you. And now that I'm with you again, the thought of not being with you...it's agony. You are in my very soul. What can I do? I will do anything you ask..." Padme meets his eye, then looks away. "If you don't feel the same way, tell me," Anakin says icily. "It's not that, it's..." "Then you do feel something!" "Anakin, listen to yourself. You're studying to become a Jedi Knight, you're not allowed to marry. And I'm the Eternal Queen. I have more important things to do than fall in love!" "Your clones can carry on without you!" "No, I--I will not let you give up your future for this!" "It wouldn't have to be that way. We could keep it a secret." "Then we'd be living a lie, one we couldn't keep up even if we wanted to. I couldn't do that. Could you, Anakin? Could you live like that?" There is a long silence. Anakin looks away. "No, you're right. It would destroy us." That's all that needs to be said. "I think we should head back to the Academy now," says Padme. "Yeah, we'll have to cut through the mountains to catch up with them, we'd better get started to be there by nightfall." They pack up their belongings in silence. Scene 19: The Forgotten Planet Obi-Wan's ship brakes out of hyperspace. "There it is," he says to himself, "Right where it should be. Our missing planet. Kamino." Kamino is a water planet, a single blue gem orbiting a red giant star. Obi-Wan taps at his console, scanning the worldwide ocean with the ship's sensors. The seas are thick with life, but the computer finds no signs of intelligence. He stretches out his senses with the Force. It is difficult to sense an entire planet at once, but his intuition nags his attention toward a small spot near the equator. Here the mottled ocean floor takes on definitive shapes, circles and lines that seem like they might have been laid out by sentience. And then he senses a mind. He can't sense much more than that, but whoever it is, they must be very powerful for him to sense them from orbit. With a few more taps at his console, the cockpit of his spacecraft detaches from the bulky hyperdrive engines. He glides down through the atmosphere and into the waters of Kamino. The shapes he sensed from orbit turn out to be the stone ruins of an ancient city on the ocean floor. Curtains of seaweed hang from columns and archways scoured by the ages. His ship floats between the remains. Whatever destroyed civilization on this planet, it washed the world clean. The other mind is strong here, but he can't tell where exactly it is at. It seems to be all around him. Whoever is out there, he senses that they are confident, unafraid and focusing right back at him. Just when he thinks he'll have to get out and swim to get any further, a great circular hatch opens in the ancient plaza beneath him, bathing his ship in a powerful white light. Sensing no malice from his mysterious observer, he passes through it. The hatch seals above him, his ship comes to rest on a grated deck, and the water drains out of the chamber. He steps out of his ship cautiously, hands raised away from his holstered saber. "Please, show yourself," he says. "I mean you no harm." A sleek countoured door opens, and a soldier steps out--a clone of the bounty hunter. He is followed by another. And another. Other doors open, and Obi-Wan is quickly surrounded. Each clone trooper points a blaster directly at him. "Well," he mutters to himself, "I think I'm in the right place." From behind the troopers steps a tall, thin and delicate alien with more neck than body. Her skin is creamy smooth, and she has ebony eyes that seem to twinkle with the light of the galaxy. "Jedi Master Kenobi," she sings in a calm lilting voice. She bows low, her head nonetheless remaining well above Obi-Wan's. "Welcome to Kamino. I am Prime Minister Lama Su. I am honored to finally meet you." "I'm expected?" asks Obi-Wan, unable to contain his surprise. "Of course! Jedi Master Sifodyas told us he would send you." The tiny mouth of the strange creature seems to smirk as she adds, "Though after all these years, we were beginning to think you weren't coming!" "With all due respect, I--" Obi-Wan cuts himself off. He was about to mention that he knows of no Jedi named Sifodyas, but then he thinks--Sifodyas? Sidious? Best to play along; time to improvise. "I hope you will find me as worthy as my master," he says ceremoniously. "I am sure we will. Now please, this way..." Obi-Wan follows her into what seems to be an elevator. The doors slide shut. Obi-Wan presumes they're moving, but from the inside the elevator is motionless and silent; he finds the effect unsettling. "You will be delighted to hear we are on schedule," says Lama Su. "Two hundred thousand units are ready, with another million well on the way." "That's...good news." "I'm sure you will be proud of the army we have built for you." "For me?" "For the Republic. But you must be anxious to inspect the units for yourself." Obi-Wan shrugs. "That's why I'm here." The doors open, and Obi-Wan finds himself on a catwalk running the edge of a giant underground cavern. The polished walls and bright artificial lights stand in sharp contrast to the ruined city above; this is a fully modern facility. Stepping to the edge of the walkway, he takes in the view below him. Across a parade ground stand hundreds of troopers in formation, each identical except for the colored stripes on the shoulders and helmets of their armor. Without any perceptible signal, they raise their large blaster rifles in unison and begin to march perfectly in step with one another. Lama Su beams with pride. "Magnificent, aren't they?" ***** Lama Su leads Obi-Wan through a tubular walkway with transparent walls, allowing them an overhead view of the enormous base that stretches beneath the bottom of the sea. Obi-Wan looks out across acres of jars, each containing a fetus suspended in pale blue bacta solution. Slender Kaminoans drift among them, tending to various dials and control panels. "As you can see, each unit is hand crafted," says Lama Su, "in full compliance with the Republic's prohibition against automated mass production." "Very impressive," Obi-Wan says, keeping his revulsion well hidden. "I'd hoped you would be pleased," sings Lama Su. "We consider them our finest work." "Even finer than Queen Amidala?" Obi-Wan asks. Lama Su pauses in her walk, and for a moment, Obi-Wan fears he's pushed too hard. She considers his question and replies, "Cloning Amidala is mere genetic replication, no tampering with the midichloric structure, no growth acceleration. And of course, we had to keep it a secret. Until Queen Amidala revealed our work to the galaxy, we had no leeway to experiment, and no one to experiment on. We have merely been her technicians. But this--" She gestures below. "--this is a work of science." Happy to have confirmed Amidala's connection to Kamino, Obi-Wan decides to let the topic rest for now. Better to give the prime minister an excuse to ramble, and see what she spills. "And what have you accomplished with your experiments?" he asks. "You mentioned growth acceleration..." "Oh yes, it's essential. Otherwise, a mature clone would take a lifetime to grow. Now, we can do it in half the time." She leads him past a regiment of identical adolescent boys practicing martial arts in perfect synchronicity. "This group was created about five years ago. They are totally obedient, taking any order without question. We modified their genetics to remove their personal desires, making them utterly dependent upon Republic authority for their sense of purpose. Yet clones can still think creatively; you will find that they are immensely superior to droids. We take great pride in our combat training program." She leads him over a workshop. Sparks fly as several armored clone troopers weld panels onto a half-completed ship. "We have taught them to build all that they need. Abandon them on a planet with sufficient mineral deposits, and in a year you will have an armada." "I don't see them talking to one another," says Obi-Wan, "Do they share a telepathic connection?" "They share a link," replies Lama Su, "An unavoidable consequence of the process. Bodies can be cloned, Master Jedi, but the soul remains as one. Do not fear; we have erased their memory of the original host." "And who was the original host?" "A bounty hunter by the name of Jango Fett." The pieces are falling together, thinks Obi-Wan. "Do you keep him here?" "No, his presence would interfere with our modifications. In return for his pay, which was considerable, Fett agreed to have no contact with the product." "I see," says Obi-Wan. "I would very much like to speak with one of the...product." "I would be very happy to arrange it for you," Lama Su sings. The tube opens up onto a wide balcony overlooking a launching pad. Thousands of clone troopers march in formation onto massive triangular battle ships known as star destroyers. Each spacecraft bears the Seal of the Galactic Republic. "As you can see, the first shipment is ready when you are!" Obi-Wan Kenobi is speechless. Scene 20: The Crystal Cave Well after sunset, the landspeeder bears Anakin and Padme along a winding mountain path, its headlights displaying a sheer rocky cliff on one side and a drop into darkness on the other. Anakin slows them to a halt where the path ends. Padme rouses from her nap in the passenger seat. "What is it?" "We've run out of road...again." "Last time you checked, you said this road went through for sure." "I was wrong. Sorry, Your Majesty." She bites her tongue and says no more, as she has done for most of the ride. She doesn't want to argue, but she can tell that Anakin does. "I'm going to go check again," he says, climbing out of the vehicle. "Is it safe for me to get out and stretch my legs?" "Who knows? Just stay close to the speeder." Anakin scampers up the side of the cliff, out of sight. Padme steps out and stretches, avoiding the edge. She breathes in deeply, letting the crisp night air call her to her senses. She is anxious to return to the Academy, make contact with Mace Windu and Count Dooku, and use every last diplomatic resource at her disposal to avert war. She feels this entire outing with Anakin has been a mistake, a distraction from her duties, and she fears the consequences of her selfish folly. Long minutes pass, and she sees no sign of Anakin. "Ani?" she thinks, broadcasting the thought like a shout. The response she hears is not an intelligible reply, but rather a yearning for her presence coming from back down the road. It is not distressed, but she still thinks perhaps Anakin is in trouble. She makes her way into the darkness, keeping her hands against the mountain and taking each step with care. The rock gives way under her hand, and with a rumble, a passage opens in the cliff beside her, outlined by a pale blue glow from within. Lead by instinct, she steps inside, down steps carved from stone, and into one of the most guarded secrets of the Jedi Council. The dark walls sparkle with chips of lucasite. At the center, three of the largest crystals she has ever seen jut out from the center of a small altar, illuminating the chamber with their blue light. "Padme!" Anakin calls from outside. Before she can respond, he is beside her. "Padme, what is..." He is struck speechless by the sight. He stumbles up the altar and collapses kneeling before the great crystals. "How...how did you find this?" he asks, breathless. "I don't know. I can't explain it. It just sort of called to me." Looking down, his eyes grow wide at the sight of the blue shards scattered haphazardly on the ground around him, many of them the perfect size for use in a lightsaber. He takes one in his hand and turns to show it to her, his gaze transfixed on it. "Do you know what this is?" he asks. "It's...lucasite. The crystal that powers lightsabers, and my throne back on Naboo." "It's not just any lucasite," he says, his eyes wild and glinting in the crystal's soft glow. "There are deposits of green lucasite on many planets, easy enough to find if the Force is with you. The clouded lucasite of Naboo isn't pure enough to power a lightsaber." "But blue..." "This is the Council's lucasite," he says. "Having this in your lightsaber marks you as a member of the Council. Jedi Knights take saber color very seriously. They say Master Windu's purple saber marks him the leader of his generation. They would recognize this as a sign." "So if you returned to the Academy with this in your saber..." "They'd have to let me join the Council, which means they'd have to recognize me as a Knight," Anakin finishes her thought. "Don't you see? You can't be on the Council if you're not a Jedi Master." "I don't know, Ani. What if it just upsets them?" "The only one it would upset would be Obi-Wan," grumbles Anakin, but he doesn't dwell on the thought. "I can't believe you just stumbled onto this place! It's gotta be...fate." He takes his saber by the hilt and flips open a panel, revealing the green crystal within. The blue shard in his hand will fit perfectly; he only needs to swap them. He hesitates. "You're not going to do it, are you?" asks Padme, sensing his intentions. He sighs, and flips the saber panel shut, leaving the green crystal within. "It wouldn't be right," he says. "It's not fair, though. My life has been filled with signs like this. It's like the Force itself wants me to be a Jedi Knight. The time has come. But..." "But it's not what Obi-Wan wants." Through Anakin's mind flickers every single lesson he has been taught by the Jedi, and he finally sees within them a common thread. "We have great power," Anakin mutters, "and we can always take more. The real difficulty is learning not to." He casts the blue shard to the ground. "You're a good man, Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan will come around in time." She rests her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. He looks at her, and they both very much want to embrace. Instead, he walks past her and back out into the night. After turning the landspeeder around and taking the turn they missed, they make their way back to the Academy without further incident. Scene 21: Interview with a Trooper The soldiers' quarters are no more than countless rows of compartments no larger than coffins, stacked five high. The aisles between them recede out of Obi-Wan's sight as Prime Minister Lama Su leads him through them. "Ah, here we are," says Lama Su, examining the stock number on the front of one of the cases. "Commander Cody Fett." "Commander?" asks Obi-Wan. "You created officers?" "They are not true leaders. Think of him more like a communications device. Give him an order, and he will relay it to the units under his command with the speed of a thought. Ask him a question, and he will report all that they see." "Useful," Obi-Wan mutters to himself. Lama Su presses a button and a bunk extends out from the wall. Even without his armor, the clone within is an imposing sight to behold, pure muscle bulging underneath his sleeping shirt and shorts. Unlike Jango, his swarthy face is unscarred. His eyes bolt open, and he is on his feet and standing at attention with unnatural swiftness for a waking creature. "Commander Cody," says Lama Su, "I would like you to meet Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi." "Sir!" says Cody, saluting. Obi-Wan is not sure how to respond. At first he thinks the emptiness in the trooper's eyes is the vapidness of an automaton, but then he senses that he is rather standing before one neuron of a much larger brain, the attention of which is focused on thousands of tasks throughout this underground city. "Commander, you speak for all of the clones?" "Sir, I am assigned to the 7th Sky Corps, but with authorization I am able to speak for any Fett, sir." "I order you to do so now," says Obi-Wan, in part to determine if the clone will recognize his authority. "Sir, yes sir!" "Uh, very good," says Obi-Wan. "Tell me, Commander, have any Fetts ever been off planet?" "Sir, no sir!" "Are you sure about that? You've never been to, say, Toydaria?" "Sir, none of us have ever left Kamino, sir!" "I assure you, Master Obi-Wan, we will not release them from this facility until their deployment is officially approved by the Senate," adds Lama Su, misjudging Obi-Wan's concern. "We have no desire to use this product for ourselves. Our interest here is purely economic." Obi-Wan brushes her off and continues to address the trooper. "Does that include Jango Fett?" The clone glances briefly at Lama Su before responding. "Sir, I do not know, sir." "I told you, Master Obi-Wan," says Lama Su, "The link to the original has been broken!" "Then you are not aware, Commander, that Jango Fett is dead?" Lama Su gasps. "Sir...no, sir." It is clear to Obi-Wan that this is news to the prime minister. As for the clone trooper, he seems to be speaking honestly, but the soul beneath that face is too immense for Obi-Wan to suss out a lie. "This is most unfortunate," sighs Lama Su. "I'm afraid this means we will have to find a new template to create further troops. This may delay the next generation's shipment." Obi-Wan is perturbed to hear a shipment is already planned for the next generation. His ability to hide his convictions is wearing thin; he cannot keep up this charade much longer. But the prime minister's last comment raises one more question in his inquisitive mind, and now may be his only opportunity to ask. "You couldn't clone a second generation from one of your troopers?" Commander Cody looks down in shame, the first emotion he has shown. "I'm afraid that's impossible," says Lama Su, "Jango Fett did not meet the Prime Requirement for multiple generation cloning." "What requirement is that?" "Why, he wished to procreate," Lama Su sings as if it's the most obvious thing in the galaxy. "No being that seeks physical union with another can be sustainably copied; the integrity of their identifying pattern diminishes over time. It is a rare thing to find a host truly suited for eternal replication." "That explains why you're not selling clones to every wealthy sentient that wants to live forever." "It would be most profitable if we could." "And I guess that makes Queen Amidala a particularly unique subject for your work." Whoops, too far. Lama Su rears up to her full height and speaks sternly. "With all due respect, Master Jedi, Amidala would not wish me to discuss this, even with you." Obi-Wan decides to lay the truth bare. "You have been deceived, Prime Minister. Whoever it was that ordered this army, they were no Jedi Knight. I came here to investigate an assassination committed by Jengo Fett, in league with at least one of his clones, who I saw with my own eyes on Toydaria. This army you have created comes as a surprise to me, and I'm sure it will be a surprise for the Jedi Council as well." "I don't understand," mumbles Lama Su, "Master Sifodyas had power that only a Jedi could have. Master Kenobi, he told us you were coming..." "Have no fear, Prime Minister, I believe you. If you cooperate with our investigation, I'm sure you will be absolved of your role in this crime." "But...what are we to do with the product?" "Keep the clones here for the time being, and tell no one else of their existence until you hear back from me. If it is known that the Republic has an army at its disposal, war may be inevitable." "Oh," cries Lama Su, "Oh, Master Jedi, forgive me! It is too late for that!" "What do you mean?" "We have already sent a delegation to Chancellor Palpatine to announce the completion of the army and arrange for final payment. The meeting is already in progress; we expected to be sending troops with you when you left. I am so sorry! We didn't know, none of us knew!" Obi-Wan scowls. "Perhaps it is not too late, if we act quickly. I'll need some privacy to contact my peers." "Of course, right this way..." As they turn to leave, Commander Cody calls out, "Sir!" Obi-Wan turns. "What is it, soldier?" "Sir, I am looking forward to working with you, sir!" Chills run down Obi-Wan's spine. The trooper seems oblivious to the conversation that has just occurred in front of him, yet his words weigh on the Jedi Knight like prophecy as he walks away. Scene 22: Jar-Jar's Big Day Beneath the Senate Chamber on Coruscant, in the office of the Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine and a handful of key Loyalist leaders discuss what they have just learned of the clone army. "And you're sure your people knew nothing of this?" asks Senator Bail Organa. "Queen Amidala knows all that my people know," says Palpatine, "And I know she would never approve the use of clones for war. But apparently, the people of Kamino did not think they needed permission from the people of Naboo." Organa sighs and rubs his temple in frustration. "This doesn't add up. It's too convenient. Armies do not just appear out of the galactic aether exactly when they're needed, unless someone is trying to start a war. There's some mischief at work here." "You heard what the representative from Kamino said," says Senator Orn Free Taa. "This army was commissioned by the Jedi Council. It is clear the Jedi Knights are not strong enough to defend the Republic on their own. Who knows what threat looms in their foresight?" "We have not yet spoken to the Jedi to learn their intentions," says Organa. "Chancellor Palaptine, please, we must postpone the debate until you can meet with Master Windu..." Senator Ask Aak grunts and whinneys, and his silver protocol droid translates into Coruscant Standard. "The time for debate is over. When the Separatists hear of this army, they will use it as a pretense to attack, whether or not the Senate has sanctioned it. Our hand has been forced." "The debate is not over!" Organa insists. "The Senate will never approve the use of clones without the consent of Naboo. If nothing else can stop this, that will." Everyone looks to the Chancellor. "Senators," says Palpatine, "I may speak as Supreme Chancellor and in good conscience as a human being to say that I would not permit this army unless I had no other choice. But I cannot speak for my planet; the conflict of interest is too great. My world has appointed others for that task." Of those gathered in this office, only two have not yet shared their opinion. The first is Senator Jar-Jar Binks, who can only gulp as all eyes now turn to him. He is momentarily reprieved by the other. "This is a crisis," says Mas Amedda, the Chancellor's closest advisor, a stoic robed figure with blue skin and two long horns extending both up and down from his expressionless face. This lifelong buereucrat has served at the side of five different Supreme Chancellors across political party lines, though he speaks rarely enough that most Senators consider him part of the office furniture. As he is not known for mincing words, those gathered now hang on to every one. "And in times of crisis," Amedda continues, "the Senate may vote to give emergency powers to the Supreme Chancellor, so that decisions can be made with both the speed and prudence demanded by the threat." Everyone starts shouting at once. "That's as good as an authorization for war!" "That's not good enough! We must make a decision now--" As the politicians argue, Jar-Jar sits biting his lip and crossing his eyes in an attempt to think harder than he has ever thought before. Palpatine slides over to him. "It's too bad Reverend Padme isn't here," the Chancellor says to the Gungan. "She would know what to do." This seems to push a button in Jar-Jar, whose face becomes resolute. He stands. "Senators!" he declares, "Meesa pwepared to take bowled action! I do what musten be dun!" Firm in purpose, he walks out of the room. Over the next few hours, word spreads among the politicians of Coruscant. The Loyalists are divided, and the fate of the galaxy now hinges on the opinion of the senator from Naboo. Conventional wisdom says the moderates will swing on his decision. The talking droids of the interstellar news networks dig up all that they can about Jar-Jar, trying to get into his head and guess what he will do. If he condemns this army, the Senate will likely vote to disband it, regardless of the Separatist threat. If he endorses it, there will be war, but there may be war anyway. And if he defers... In the Senate Chamber, under the gaze of the thousands surrounding him in the great arena and the billions watching this broadcast across the galaxy, Jar-Jar concludes his speech. He speaks bravely, and he believes he does his world proud. "Senators, dellow felagates! Itsa clear, deasa Separtists made a pact wit de Federation du Trade! In wesponse to dis direct threat, meesa pwopose dat da Senate give immediately emergency powers to da Supreme Chancellor!" The Chamber erupts in shouts and cheers. Chancellor Palpatine recuses himself from moderating the debate, but it does not last long. The Senate follows Jar-Jar's lead and authorizes Palpatine to use all necessary and appropriate force against those planets, organizations or sentients he determines are planning future acts of interplanetary terrorism against the Republic. "It is with great reluctance that I have agreed to this calling," Palpatine proclaims, "I love democracy. I love the Republic. The power you give me I will lay down when this crisis has abated!" Everyone applauds. Those who sought an army are satisfied that they now have the protection they need. Those who fear war are convinced that Palpatine will refuse to field the army. For his part, Jar-Jar is confident that today he has done justice to Padme's faith in him. They are all wrong. ***** When Padme and Anakin return to Padme's quarters, the droids are jumping with the news. After viewing the many messages and transmissions that are waiting for them, they sit in stunned silence at the edge of Padme's bed. "It's not your fault, you know," Anakin says, seeing a tear roll down Padme's cheek. "You had nothing to do with this." "Ani, you don't--" Padme stands and moves away from him, speaking to the wall. "I can't believe clones have been used for this. I feel helpless. No, worse--I feel dirty. Violated. Cloning was not meant for this." "Pardon me, Miss Padme," Threepio interrupts delicately. "There is one more message that you should attend to..." "I just don't understand how they could do this without my knowing," Padme continues, lost in her sorrow.. "All of them. Lama Su. Bail Organa. The Chancellor. Jar-Jar! Oh!" She clenches her fist, coming as close to anger as she gets. "I could kill Jar-Jar!" She'll never get the chance. Later this evening, Jar-Jar will be found murdered in his quarters. That is to say, it will take awhile to identify the victim conclusively, given the mess of tangled remains they scrape off the ceiling, but no one doubts that it is Jar-Jar Binks. Such bold action as he took today does not come without consequence. "Miss Padme," says Threepio, "about that message..." Scene 23: Count Dooku When Obi-Wan enters the inner sanctuary of the Jedi Council, he is taken aback by how large it has become. This is usually a small and simple whitewashed room, conceived for peaceful meditation, containing no more than the few dozen members of the Jedi Council available to meet at any given time, and often empty and shuttered. It is easy to forget that this special place will expand to accomodate all who gather, and now it has become a great court, with high arching windows that pour down light from a featureless sky. Obi-Wan looks around at the hundreds of creatures sitting in a widening spiral of cushions, and it seems to him that every member of the Council is here except for Head Master Yoda. Obi-Wan finds Yoda's absence reassuring, for only the presence of the reclusive Head Master could make straits seem more dire. Master Windu sits in the centermost ring, and motions for Obi-Wan to take a seat beside him, at a pallet that has been left empty for him. As Obi-Wan sits, he realizes he is already too late. Sensing the thoughts of his peers, he knows that the army has been approved, and this once-in-a-lifetime gathering of the Council can now only react. Every mind there waits with eager attention for him to report his experiences on Kamino. He does not feel nervous, but he does feel slightly overwhelmed. He delivers his report as only a Jedi Knight can, not through words but through projected emotions and experiences. The entire Council sees what he saw, hears what he heard and even feels what he felt--his surprise, his concern, his suspicion... Obi-Wan suspects that the clone army was commissioned by a Sith, and the Council concurs. If Viceroy Gunray's story is to be believed, it could very well be the same Sith that trained Darth Maul, the one that is secretly controlling the Senate. Yet they all know that this Sidious or Sifodyas character is possibly no more than a ruse planted by the true Dark Lord of the Sith, meant to foster mistrust between the Jedi Council and the Republic. Master Rancisis inquires as to whether or not Sifodyas was bearing a lightsaber, and Obi-Wan does not know. In his hurry to report to the Council, he has not yet had time to fully interrogate the Prime Minister. Rancisis reminds them that only those trained at the Academy have the knowledge needed to build a lightsaber. This has been the mark of the students of Yoda since the birth of the Jedi. And then there's the matter of the deleted records in the archives. The others readily see his point. One by one, the Jedi begin to accept that there is a traitor within their ranks. There is little doubt as to who that traitor might be. The Council does not jump to any hard conclusions, for this is not their way, but they can no longer deny the possibility that Master Dooku has turned to the Dark Side. Though he is one of their own, their hearts begin to harden against him like frost spreading across a window pane. Obi-Wan begins to resist this thought. He is sympathetic toward Jedi Knights who are not on the Council, and he has additional suspicions of his own. It is still possibile that the Separatists have seen what they have not, that the Republic is under the control of the Sith, and that Dooku is misguided in his means but not his ends. Yet all of these thoughts are overpowered by Mace Windu. Much is clouded by the Dark Side, Master Windu reminds them. If the Jedi Knights turn against their own, the Sith will destroy them without lifting a saber. They must remain calm and at peace, if they are to see their way through this long night. Chastened, the rippling concerns of the Council settle back into the polished glass of wisdom. "Let me travel to Geonosis," says Obi-Wan, "to learn more about what's happening there." Shaking his head, Windu reveals the transmission intercepted at the Academy hours before. The holographic image of Count Dooku appears in the center of the room. "Reverend Padme," says Dooku's image. "I apologize for contacting you while you are in hiding, but I hope you will recognize that I have kept your secret safe and done you no harm, though I have known your location this whole time. Please believe me when I say that I do not hold you accountable for the creation of this clone army, and I send you this plea with the hope that you are as appalled by this turn of events as I am. Many are now saying that this will goad the Separatists into a preemptive strike, but I assure you, I am more committed now than ever to a diplomatic solution. I implore you, come to Geonosis. Meet with the other leaders of our alliance, beings I know you respect and trust. Hear our side of the story. With your help, we may yet be able to avert bloodshed. Even if you will not join us, I promise you safe passage from our system. I await your decision." The transmission ends, and Obi-Wan knows from the various memories shared by the Council that Anakin and Padme left the Academy shortly thereafter, unquestionably headed for Geonosis. "It's a trap," sighs Obi-Wan. "I want to give Master Dooku the benefit of the doubt, but c'mon, they gotta know it's a trap." Master Windu begins to caution Obi-Wan not to act in haste, and the rest of the Council echos this concern. Obi-Wan looks around at them; they know him so well. He begins to dematerialize. "Master Kenobi!" Mace shouts. "What's that?" Obi-Wan says, briefly solidifying. "Something's interfering with my connection. You're breaking up." He shimmers and becomes translucent. "Master Kenobi, enough of this foolishness," Windu frowns. "Don't worry, I don't think it's anything malicious," says Obi-Wan, ignoring him, "Probably just space gas. I'll investigate Geonosis, and report back when I know more." "Obi-Wan," Mace says, "We will not restrain you from pursuing your padawan, just hear us out. This display is uncalled for. You could at least use--" Obi-Wan vanishes, and Mace Windu cringes. "...the door." ***** "You know this is a trap, right?" Anakin mutters for the umpteenth time from the pilot seat of the Jedi ship speeding him and Padme to Geonosis. "I don't trust Count Dooku any more than you do," says Padme, "but if there's any hope for a diplomatic solution, we must see it through. I should have done more sooner." "Well, we'll know for sure soon enough," says Anakin. "If Dooku is the bad guy here, we won't be leaving without a fight." "Ani, please at least try to let me negotiate." Anakin shrugs. "Just call it aggressive negotiation." Padme sighs and looks at him warily. "Just follow my lead." Artoo rattles through a series of warning beeps, and Anakin translates. "We're about to leave hyperspace. Hang on, I'm switching to manual control." The funnel of hyperspace resolves into distinct stars, and the dirty brown rings of Geonosis loom in front of them. "Count Dooku won't be able to detect the Jedi ship through our cloak," Anakin says, "Give me a moment to encode our signal, and then I'll hail him." Dooku's holographic image appears on the dashboard right then, and Anakin mumbles, "Nevermind, I guess." "Reverend Padme, I'm so glad to see you've accepted my invitation," says Dooku, "And you've brought Anakin Skywalker along! Good, good. We can use power such as his." "Master Dooku," Anakin growls. "I'm here to protect Padme. That is all." "Of course," says the Count, "Though neither of you have anything to fear, you have my word. I'm transmitting landing coordinates now. I will see you soon." Scene 24: The Rebel Alliance The Jedi ship breaks through a layer of brackish smog above what seems to be the major metropolitan center of Geonosis, though as far as Anakin and Padme can tell, the entire planet surface has been urbanized. The buildings here are not the slender spacescrapers of Coruscant, but rather broad squat buildings of orange brick darkened by soot. The rings of the planet arch over the sky, ending in a forest of tall chimneys belching black smoke that obscures the horizon. "What's with the smokestacks?" asks Anakin. "I think..." says Padme, digging around through her memories of a rougher era of the Republic, "I think they're factories." "Aren't factories illegal?" Anakin asks, and Padme gives no reply. As they cruise lower, Anakin says, "And those things that look like ants, those must be Geonosians." The fleshy humanoid insects trundle single-file along the concrete streets, dour expressions on their houndish faces. The ship lands. "You two stay here," Anakin says to the droids as they prepare to disembark. "Threepio comes with us," says Padme, "I may need his diplomatic analysis." "Miss Padme," says Threepio, "I am certainly willing to remain with the ship, if--" "Okay," says Anakin, "C'mon Artoo." Artoo beeps and rolls past them, out the hatch. Padme raises her brow skeptically, and Anakin says, "What? I might need his diplomatic analysis!" The humans stride out, following Artoo. "I'm a protocol droid!" Threepio moans nervously, "I'm not built for aggressive negotiations!" They pay him no heed, and he has no choice but to follow. Count Dooku is there to greet them, his cape billowing out behind him in the warm dry wind of the dock. "Your Highness, Master Skywalker, welcome to Geonosis!" His formal greeting of Anakin jars the young padawan, who chooses not to correct him. "The meeting has already begun. Please, this way..." "Stay close," Padme whispers in Anakin's mind. "Don't worry, you're not leaving my sight," Anakin thinks back. Dooku leads them down a dimly lit passage, along a narrow walkway with railings that give wide berth to the dark walls. "Count Dooku," Padme says, "I would like you to explain why you contacted me at the Jedi Academy, instead of addressing Amidala through official channels." "Unfortunately, Your Highness, your sisters on Naboo would not accept my call. They still believe it was I who attacked you on Toydaria, which is further from the truth than they can imagine. When I saw you at that summit, I could tell there was something different about you. Something special. And I knew it was you that I could treat with." Padme stops and speaks firmly. "Count, understand one thing. I am Amidala. Any decision I make, today or any other day, will only be made in harmony with my Sisters Amidala and the people of Naboo. Their heart is my heart." "That is all that I ask, Your Highness. Let your world view me through your eyes, and let your heart decide. Oh! Master Skywalker, don't--" Anakin is reaching over the railing to try and touch one of the walls. He yanks back his hand as a Geonosian's fleshy pincer snaps through the space it just occupied. "Careful now," says the Count. "The Geonosians rest on the walls when they are not working. They are a very industrious and communal species, and they have no need for homes of their own, but they do not appreciate having their sleep disturbed any more than you would." Padme scowls at Anakin as they continue walking. "Here we are," says Dooku as they turn into a conference room. "Queen Amidala, Master Skywalker, I would like you to meet the leaders of the Confederation of Independant Systems." ***** The rebel leaders gather around a battered table under bare bulbs, nothing like the rich formality of Toydaria and Coruscant. They murmur to one another as Padme finishes reading the treaty on the document pad they have given her. Anakin and the droids stand behind her. Finally, she places the pad on the table, and Dooku rises. "Friends, you have read the terms of our alliance," he says. "As I explained to you earlier, I am quite convinced that ten thousand more systems will rally to our cause with your support." He nods to Newt Gunray, who Padme is very displeased to see. "Our friends in the Trade Federation have already pledged their support. When their battle droids are combined with your resources, we shall have an army greater than any in the galaxy. Even the Jedi will be overwhelmed. The Republic will agree to any demands we make." "The Banking Clan will sign your treaty," says Chairman San Hill, the long-faced Muun. This, Padme expected. "I am authorized by the Corporate Coalition to accept your terms," says Passel Argente, speaking on behalf of hundreds of first world planets. Comrade Shu Mai, representing the Syndicate of Asteroid Miners, clicks and squaks enthusastically. "He says they will sign," Threepio translates. "Thanks, we caught that," Anakin whispers. "The Techno Union is at your disposal, Count," warbles the electronic voice of Wat Tambor. He adjusts a dial on his heavy armored suit and adds, "With these new super battle droids we have built for you, the Confederation will be unstoppable." "And what of you, Your Highness?" asks Dooku. Padme doesn't know what to say. She cannot deny that these men represent the backbone of the galaxy. The Republic very well may crumble without a shot being fired, if it no longer has their support. "You're building this army, but you say you will not use it?" she asks. "The Republic would be foolish to stand against us," says Dooku. "We will defend ourselves if attacked, but we will not fire the first shot." "You're asking a lot from us," Padme continues. "You want access to the lucasite technology of the Naboo palace." Newt Gunray can't help but lean forward eagerly at mention of this. "But what, may I ask, will Geonosis be contributing to this cause?" "I'm very glad you asked that, Your Highness," says Dooku. "As you are the only hold out, I believe it is time to reveal our hidden strength, and perhaps it will sway you. Please, follow me..." Scene 25: The Assembly Line As Dooku leads them down the passage, the leaders of the rebel alliance hear it before they see it: booming repetitive hisses, clicks and thumps echo from a cavern ahead. They step out into the glow of a droid factory. Deep below them extends the main assembly line. Great pipelines pump molten metals into casts. Droid parts flow by on a web of conveyor belts; sparks fly as large mechanized arms weld them together. At the bottom of this massive apparatus, assembled battle droids march away in formation. "Behold," proclaims the Count, "the wonders of automated mass production!" The rebel leaders ooh and ahh. San Hill applauds. Padme eyes Wat Tambor, whom she expects to be more shocked than she is, but he is giving Dooku a congratulatory pat on the back! "Oh my goodness! Shut me down!" says Threepio, taking it all in. "Machines making machines! How perverse!" "I don't get it," Anakin thinks to Padme. "What's the big deal with automated production? Seems like a good idea to me, now that I think about it." "The prohibition against automated mass production has been in place for thousands of years," thinks Padme, "ever since the Galactic Depression." "What was that?" "Goodness, didn't Obi-Wan teach you any history?" "Nobody ever talks to me about history," Anakin thinks pointedly, "not even the folks I know who lived through it." Padme sighs; luckily she can explain this with the speed of thought. "By the fourth millennium, droids had been built to do just about everything, but that left no jobs. The rich got richer and the poor got poorer. The Galactic economy was completely stagnating. The Senate resolved the crisis by prohibiting automated mass production. That's why everything in the galaxy, especially droids, must be assembled by a sentient being." "Hunh," thinks Anakin. "I guess I just took it for granted; it never even occurred to me that droids could be used to make more droids." Padme walks over to Wat Tambor. "Excuse me, Foreman..." "Your Majesty!" squeaks the speaker in Tambor's suit, "I know what you are thinking. You are wondering why the Techno Union is not appalled at this violation of laws we have long supported." "Yes..." says Padme, disturbed that Dooku has turned to listen in. "Sentient beings require more than a task to perform," says Tambor, "We are educated and imaginative. We require the opportunity to create something new. Let machines build the things that have been built before. With the shared technological knowledge of the Confederation, sentient hands will be employed by invention for millennia to come. The laws that once served workers are now our greatest obstacle to success." "Laws can be repealed..." says Padme. "Too many powerful people are invested in the status quo," says Tambor, "Too many corrupt politicians can be bought off. Revolution is the worker's only hope." "The old galaxy will burn in the fires of industry," Dooku says, "A new order will arise. Your Highness, will you join in this rebirth?" "Anakin," thinks Padme, "How fast can you get us out of here?" "Just let me know when to start running," Anakin thinks back. "Artoo can take care of Threepio." "You're not tempted by this offer, are you?" thinks Padme. "Hell no," thinks Anakin, "We need to get to Coruscant and bust the lid open on this operation!" "Good," thinks Padme, "Let me see if I can talk our way closer to the exit..." Before she can open her mouth, Dooku's voice echoes through both their thoughts. "You should know, I can hear everything you're thinking..." Anakin blanches, and Padme shouts. "RUN! NOW!" In a flash, Anakin scoops Padme up by the waist and dashes along the factory catwalk, away from Dooku. Geonosians leap from the walls, gliding toward them on membranous wings. With a twirl, Anakin sets Padme down carefully and draws his lightsaber to face the onslaught. He uses the Force to push away the first two attackers, but the third reaches out for Padme and loses its bony arm to his lightsaber. The next one loses a leg, and the next loses its head. Anakin hopes this show of lethal force will get these dim-witted creatures to back off, but there's just too many of them. One of them gets past him and begins grappling with Padme. It pins her arms back and screeches in her face. She tries to kick it in the groin and her shin crashes against hard exoskeleton. Shutting her eyes tight and taking a deep breath, she bashes her head into its face. It loses its grip and she loses her balance, falling off the catwalk and into the maze of the droid assembly line. "PADME!" Anakin shouts, abandoning all hesitance as he cuts a swath of black blood and limbs to escape the swarming Geonosians. He leaps down after her. Meanwhile, Artoo blips angrily at Threepio. "My obtuse little friend," says Threepio, "If they had needed our help, they would have asked for it. Protocol dictates that we, as droids, should remain here, and here is where I'll staAAAYAAAAA!" Artoo pushes Threepio off the catwalk, then activates his rocket boosters and flies into the action. Anakin lands on a conveyor belt. Robotic arms twice the size of his body zip glowing hot plates on and off the line at high speeds. He dodges through this gauntlet, reaching out with his mind to find Padme. "Where are you?" he thinks when he senses her, and she projects her own view back to him. She is trapped in a giant empty vat, the entire structure shaking as it clicks its way down the line towards a spigot spewing bubbling hot metals. She is scrambling to climb out, but finding no purchase. "Hang on, I'm coming!" thinks Anakin as he rolls under sharp blades slicing across his path. Threepio lands on a line of nearly completed battle droids, and finds himself swiftly strapped into place by robotic hands. "Artooooo, over heeeere!" he cries, but the astromech droid just flies on past. Threepio trembles as the conveyor belt inches him towards a tangle of probes being inserted into each droid, with a large sign above that reads "Battle Programming." "I wish I couldn't read Geonosian," he whines to himself, "What did I do to deserve this!?" Anakin gasps for breath as he makes it out of the deadlier portion of the assembly line, only to find his way blocked by Geonosians. He prepares to cut them down but they keep their distance. They're holding guns. They fire wobbling globs of yellow plasma, and Anakin barely realizes in time that his lightsaber won't deflect this kind of shot. He dodges. Grabbing with the Force, he wrenches a large girder out of the factory structure and sends it hurtling towards them, knocking them aside. Padme screams as her vat clicks into place beneath the spigot and its nozzle begins to open. Artoo lands in front of a control panel and inserts a rod into its outlet. Dials spin and he beeps frantically, then a horn blares. With a quaking groan, the entire factory grinds to a halt. Padme sighs with relief as the nozzle closes. Anakin reaches her and lifts her out of the vat. They leap to the factory floor. The exit is blocked by Count Dooku. With a roar of determination, Anakin raises his saber above his head and charges. Dooku raises his hand, and bolts of lightning jump from his fingertips to Anakin, stopping him in his tracks. Anakin screams and writhes in pain. Electricity still flaring between them, Dooku uses this strange dark power to lift Anakin up and bash him against the wall. Finally he lowers his hand, and Anakin falls limp to the floor. Dooku doesn't even afford Padme another glance. "Bind her and take them both to the reinforced holding cell," he instructs the Geonosians at his side. Staring mutely at Anakin's smoking body, Padme offers no resistance. Scene 26: Lucasite Chains Artoo rolls into the weapons locker as if he owns the place. He is confronted by a dangerous looking security droid. "Authorization," the security droid demands, pointing a blaster at the smaller droid. Artoo bleeps and bloops. "I have been instructed to keep the Jedi weapons locked away," says the security droid. "Only those with double gold clearance may retrieve them." Artoo blips some more. "Very well, follow me..." ***** The dark cell is lit only by three columns of red energy in which three figures float immobilized. Anakin stirs awake to find himself bound, and he sees Padme off to one side. And on the other.... "Obi-Wan!" Anakin says. "What are you doing here!" "Rescuing you, of course," Obi-Wan mutters. Anakin looks around at their predicament and snorts. "Good job!" "It was very exciting fight," Obi-Wan insists. "I'll tell you all about it later. So what happened to you two?" "Dooku is manufacturing an illegal droid army," says Padme. "We tried to escape to warn the Republic," says Anakin, "but he stopped us. He used some kind of Force lightning..." Obi-Wan sighs. "That seals it, then. The Jedi have long forbidden use of that dark power. And these red energy fields we're stuck in seem to be generated by the same lucasite that powered Darth Maul's lightsaber." "Dooku has become a Sith?" asks Anakin. "He's the one who trained Darth Maul," says Padme. Obi-Wan eyes her carefully but says, "Yes, that does seem likely." "Hold on," says Anakin, sensing the approaching presence of power, "I think he's coming." Sure enough, a door slides open in the wall and Count Dooku strides into the cell. "Your Highness!" he proclaims, directly approaching Padme. "This has all been a mistake. A terrible mistake! They've gone too far." "I thought you were the leader here, Dooku," Padme says coldly. "This had nothing to do with me, I assure you. But I am no tyrant," he smirks, "You are prisoners of the people of Geonosis. I promise you I will do all that I can to have you set free." "Well, I hope it doesn't take too long," says Obi-Wan, "I have work to do." Dooku turns to Obi-Wan. "Master Obi-Wan. May I ask what a member of the Jedi Council is doing all the way out here on Geonosis?" "Just checking on my student and his charge," sneers Obi-Wan. "I thought you promised them safe passage, and I arrive to find them in jail." "Did they tell you the destruction they've caused?" Dooku says. "Fourteen Geonosians are dead, dozens more injured, not to mention the damage to private property. You should have come to me first, Master Obi-Wan. The Geonosians have found you all guilty of conspiracy against the planet. The punishment for this crime is death." Anakin opens his mouth to protest, but Dooku cuts him off. "Nevertheless, I understand why you reacted the way you did, young Skywalker, and I will speak to the Geonosian High Council on your behalf. I should be able to at least get your sentence reduced to life imprisonment..." "I don't need help from a Sith!" spits Anakin. Dooku ignores this comment and turns back to the elder Jedi. "It's a great pity that our paths have never crossed before, Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon always spoke very highly of you. I wish he were still alive. I could use his help right now." "Qui-Gon Jinn would never join you," Obi-Wan says matter-of-factly. "Don't be so sure. You forget that he was once my apprentice just as you were once his. He knew all about the corruption in the Senate, but he would have never gone along with it if he had known the truth as I have." "The truth?" asks Padme. "The truth. What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of the Dark Lord of the Sith? Hundreds of Senators are now under the influence of one called Darth Sidious." "Half truths and lies," says Obi-Wan. "If this Darth Sidious even exists, you're probably in league with him. You cannot fight the Dark Side with the Dark Side, Count." "On the contrary," says Dooku, "That may be the only way to fight it. The Jedi Council has made itself weak on purpose, thinking they serve the greater good, but they will abide great evil if they do not take a stand. You must join me, and together we will destroy Darth Sidious and bring peace to the galaxy!" "We will never join you, Dooku," says Obi-Wan. Anakin and Padme glare holes into the Count. He can see he has no traction here. "It may be difficult to secure your release," he sighs with resignation. With a flourish of his cape, he turns and leaves. The captives hang in silence for a minute, then Padme says, "We've got to find a way to warn the Republic." "Look," Obi-Wan says, "I can make contact with the Jedi Council. But you're really not supposed to see me do this. So, y'know, just don't mention it to anyone. And don't worry. I'll be back in a minute." Before Anakin and Padme can say anything else, he passes out. "Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan!" Anakin shouts to his master's comatose figure, but Obi-Wan just hangs there. "Great..." ***** Artoo wheels through aisles of racked battle droids, each one huddled in a sitting position with its knees bent up to its head for compact storage. He finds what he's looking for--a pair of golden shins. He bleeps in greeting, and Threepio peeks his head out through his legs. "Oh, my little friend! You found me! I knew you would. I was worried, I admit. I thought I was scrap. But here you are! I'm so glad to see you! You've got to remove the battle droid program from me at once! I'm afraid if you don't, I may not be able to prevent myself from doing something terrible on the battlefield. I might even kill a Jedi. Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful if I killed a Jedi? Kill all Jedi! Oh, goodness, was that me? See what I mean? What are you doing? No, don't open that, that's my private compartment! You have no right to be in there! What are you putting inside me? I can't see! Will it reprogram me? I don't feel reprogrammed. I would still like to kill all Jedi. It didn't work. Where are you going? Get back here! Artoooooo!" ***** The Jedi Council sits together in meditative communion, waiting. Waiting is all they are prepared to do. Too many mysteries remain, too much is clouded by the Dark Side. Then Obi-Wan appears in their midst--properly, through the door they have conceived for entrance into this fortress of the mind, in a place that is everywhere and nowhere. Obi-Wan speaks plainly. "My friends, the time has come to take our stand." Scene 27: Immovable Objects Every one of the one hundred thousand seats of the Colosseum of Geonosis is filled, mostly by swarming Geonosians tittering with excitement. Criminal executions are the most popular entertainment on the planet, and today's event promises to be the best ever. Bets fly between the natives as to whether it will even be possible to execute a Jedi. The spectators feel the edge of danger, sitting so close to the action. Battle droids line the aisles and wait in the wings, in case anything goes wrong. At the center of all this, in a small circular battle arena, still bound by red lucasite energy, Padme and Anakin try to make peace with their impending death. The unconscious body of Obi-Wan hanging next to them offers little hope or comfort. "Before we die," Anakin thinks to her, "I want you to know...I love you." "I thought we decided not to fall in love," thinks Padme, "That we would be forced to live a lie. That it would destroy our lives..." "I'm pretty sure our lives are about to be destroyed anyway," thinks Anakin. Far above them, small in their vision, the leaders of the rebel alliance sit in observation and judgment. Dooku steps to the front of the box and speaks, his voice amplified by the Force to fill the stadium. "Fellow citizens of Geonosis, the eyes of the galaxy are on us. Today our humble planet will demonstrate that the crimes of the powerful will not go unpunished!" The crowd roars and cheers. "Anakin Skywalker," Dooku continues, "You have been found guilty of terrorism and murder. The punishment is death by the beasts of the colosseum." "Go ahead and try! Your monsters won't even get close!" Anakin shouts as loud as he can, struggling pointlessly against the rays that hold him. The crowd laughs. Dooku raises his hand to hush them and says, "It is true that Jedi are notoriously difficult to kill. Even immobilized, a Jedi Knight's power over mind and matter make it nearly impossible to bring them to harm. Yet there is one creature that even the Jedi fear. Immune to telekinetic forces and with no mind beyond the instict to kill, I present to you the prize of the Geonosian bestiary, the Acklay of Vendaxa!" At the edge of the arena, heavy gates swing open and a team of half a dozen Geonosian handlers lead the chained acklay out onto the battlefield. It is three times the height of a man, a thickly armored green body picking its way along on the tips of six gigantic claws. Its head and neck are shielded by a long bony crest. It snaps up one of the handlers into its wide mouth and uses its razor-sharp teeth to snap the poor creature in two. The other handlers fly away as fast as they can, leaving the chains to dangle. The crowd cheers. The red beams surrounding Anakin disappear as soon as the acklay begins its charge. He knows it is pointless but he has to try. He raises his hands and focuses the Force with all his might to knock the monster back, but he doesn't even slow it down. "I'm back!" says Obi-Wan. "Sorry I took so long. What did I miss--OH!" Anakin rolls to dodge the acklay's claws as they pound into the dirt around him. He tries to work his way underneath the monster to find a soft spot to attack, but every inch of it is covered in layers of massive armor plating. He tries punching anyway, and ends up clutching his fist in a grimace of pain. The crowd laughs and jeers. One of the acklay's claws catches Anakin from behind. Padme screams, the crowd roars and Anakin falls face first into the dirt, but all the acklay manages to do is rip off his tunic. The rippling muscles of his bared flesh are untouched. He jumps back up, avoiding the acklay's snapping jaws by a hair, and leaps upon the fearsome beast's back. This is the moment that Padme makes her choice. Time seems to slow to a halt as she watches her shirtless lover lasso the acklay, winding chains around the monster's neck and finally through its mouth with the precision guidance of the Force. Anakin grabs the loose end and pulls back, effectively reining the creature. It leaps and bucks, trying to throw him off, but he hangs on tight. Padme floods with passion and emotion. Anakin is the most powerful Jedi she has ever seen, and she was there in the beginning. Within him glows the strength and magic of her world. He is the culmination of her history, the fruit of her long rule and her hope for the future. He is perfect. He is hers. And she knows, deeps down, that this is what her Creator intended all along. Anakin gallops to her side on the back of the acklay. With a wave of his hand, he uses the Force to disable the lucasite shackles and lift her up to him. "I love you too, Ani!" she cries, wrapping her arms around him. "I love you!" He leans her back in his arms and kisses her. The crowd roars--this is entertainment! "Hey, I don't mean to interrupt!" Obi-Wan shouts. They gallop over and Anakin releases his bonds. Obi-Wan drops to his knees. "Sorry," he pants, "Astral projection takes a lot out of a guy. Gimmie a second." "Did it work?" Anakin calls from his mount. "Did you get through to the Council?" "Yeah," Obi-Wan says resolutely, "It worked." Padme and Anakin turn to follow Obi-Wan's ominous gaze. They are surrounded by battle droids, a different build than they have ever seen. These droids have bulky silver bodies, and at the center of each glows a red lucasite eye. "As you can see," booms Dooku's voice, "Even the ackalay is no match for the Jedi. But what if the natural Force powers of such a monster could be molded by sentient hands? Could we not create the perfect weapon, a weapon that will even stop the Jedi? Would that not ensure independence for whoever wielded it? Fellow citizens, today I tell you, we have created such a weapon! We shall wield it, and we shall be free!" The super battle droids open fire amidst screams and cheers. Anakin and Padme tumble to the ground, but moments later the blaster fire stops, and only the acklay is dead. To drive the point home, a single super battle droid steps forward and points its blaster at Anakin. Anakin steps forward to face it. A strange hush falls over the crowd as Anakin raises his hand and attempts to brush the droid aside with the Force. His effort shows on his face. The super battle droid does not budge. In response, the super battle droid lets out a volley of blaster fire. Shots explode around Anakin's feet, and he's forced to scramble out of the way. The shots chase him around the arena, and the crowd hoots and hollers. Dooku raises his hand and the blaster fire stops. Anakin dashes back to Padme's side. "Let this be a demonstration and a warning," bellows Dooku, "For all who would stand against our Confederation of Independant Systems. Anakin Skywalker, Padme Amidala and Obi-Wan Kenobi, prepare to die!" All of the super battle droids raise their blasters. The trio of heroes can only spin in circles, helplessly looking for a way out. And then another voice echoes throughout the stadium. "Not today, Count!" shouts Master Windu. His violet lightsaber springs to life at the pinnacle of the colosseum opposite Dooku's box. Throughout the stands, blue and green lightsabers activate. The super battle droids whirl and begin firing at the new arrivals. Geonosians fly from their seats to escape. Waves of traditional battle droids march into the arena. The fight has just begun. Scene 28: The Council Intervenes At every entrance on every level of the Colosseum of Geonosis, a Jedi Knight attacks. Two hundred have answered Master Obi-Wan's call; many more now rush from all corners of the galaxy to join them. There has not been such a gathering of Force power since times of legend, and yet they fight together with swiftness and coordination undimmed by the ages. The strongest members of the Council are all there, having set forth the moment Obi-Wan appeared before them. Master Mace Windu leaps from his perch, his lightsaber spinning so fast that it leaves only a violet blur that no blaster bolt can penetrate. Master Shaak Ti, whose powers of stealth begat an entirely new discipline at the Academy, reveals herself in the midst of the enemy troops, cutting down surprised super battle droids from behind. Master Plokoon fights without looking or hearing or any sign of mercy for an electronic enemy, and the blind Master Ki-Adi-Mundi rips battle droids to pieces with a thought. Even Knights who are not on the Council have joined in the rescue effort. The young Master Kit Fisto, who stepped down from the Council for love but still steps up for its honor, dashes from one battle droid to the next, smiling eagerly at the excitement. The old Master Nikkos Tyris spins his green lightsaber with a forlorn weight to his movements, feeling dark premonitions about they choice they all now make. They press inwards, toward the prisoners in the arena. "You call this a diplomatic solution?" Anakin shouts to Padme as they take cover with Master Obi-Wan behind the dead acklay. "No, I call it aggressive negotiations!" Anakin is comforted by her confidence. Maybe they won't die after all. Obi-Wan looks out above the acklay and ducks back down, a blaster bolt singing his hair. "Twenty thousand battle droids and only our fists to fight with. This is going to be easy!" Anakin stands up and stretches out his hand, using the Force to yank three blasters from the grasp of his enemies and passing two of them down to his companions. "You can't expect me to use this!" Obi-Wan protests as Anakin and Padme peek out from their cover to return fire. "Kill all Jedi!" shouts a familiar voice. Padme falls back. "It's Threepio!" she cries. "He doesn't seem friendly," says Anakin. "I think he's been reprogrammed." "We can't just shoot him!" They jump back up and shoot the battle droids surrounding their golden friend, but Threepio continues advancing steadily. His eyes glow red and he points a blaster at them while repeating "Kill all Jedi!" He fires, and they dodge back down. "We have to shoot him!" "No!" Padme grabs Anakin's arm to restrain him. He could physically resist her, but he won't. Threepio walks past the acklay and points his blaster at them. "Oh, Miss Padme," he says, his eyes briefly glinting gold, "I'm terribly sorry about all this." "Ben, shoot him!" shouts Anakin. Obi-Wan looks angrily at the blaster in his hand. "KILL ALL--" Threepio short circuits. The storage hatch in his belly pops open, and two lightsabers fly out. The Jedi call their weapons to their hands by instinct. Anakin jumps to his feet, green saber shining bright. "Thanks, Artoo!" "Now we're in it!" says Obi-Wan, blue saber spinning in hand. "Stay here until I call for you," Anakin thinks to Padme, "I'll cut us an exit." Anakin and Obi-Wan leap into the fray. With the prisoners rearmed, the Jedi Knights turn their attention toward Count Dooku, only to find that battle droids have encircled them and taken the high ground. The fight out will be more difficult than the fight in. Most of the battle droids they face are of the traditional design, spindly stick figures meant to do no more than carry a blaster and be difficult to blast. For centuries they have been used by planets for elaborately formalized and ritualized combat, in a galaxy so much at peace with itself that the idea of war has become detached from the idea of sentient casualties. When the Trade Federation used battle droids directly against the people of Naboo, they lost the political war and saw most of their wealth taken by the courts of the Galactic Republic. And when Anakin faced battle droids on Naboo, he didn't even have a lightsaber. With a single wave of his hand, he pushes dozens of them aside. Unfortunately, in doing so, he gives the super battle droids a clearer shot. He has already seen that these new weapons, powered by red lucasite, cannot be moved by the Force. He quickly also learns that his lightsaber cannot deflect their blaster bolts; all it does is absorb them, depriving him of his means to turn the enemy's blast against it. This is going to complicate things. Anakin uses his quick mind to adjust his tactics, but other Jedi Knights are not so quick to adapt. The Ithorian Master Roron Corobb takes a deep breath with his six lungs and lets forth a mighty Force roar that knocks the battle droids aside, but he falls beneath super battle droid blaster fire. Master Coleman Trebor nearly reaches Dooku's box, only to be shot down by a super battle droid he did not sense hiding in the shadows. Master Barriss Offee bears the injured away from the field, but when she reaches the lifeless body of her teacher, Master Luminara Unduli, she collapses to the ground in anguish. Of the couple hundred Jedi Knights engaging in this mission, twelve have already lost their lives. Obi-Wan can sense it. His heart breaks. Sparking droid bones pile up until the arena is carpeted in them, but the droids just keep coming. The Jedi Knights have no choice but to fight close, lightsabers spinning furiously as they shield themselves from incessant blaster fire and cut down each super battle droid individually. As they stretch out their senses and get their bearings on this planet, the Jedi Knights realize the full extent of the factories they are fighting amongst. Every assembly line in the city is running at capacity, producing droids more quickly than they can be cut down. "Do not fear!" shouts Mace Windu, but they have great reason to fear. The remaining Jedi Knights are trapped back-to-back in the center of the arena. It is all they can do to prevent blasts from entering their defensive circle. At their center, Padme clings to Anakin's side. High above, from his observation box, Count Dooku raises a hand, and all droid fire ceases simultaneously. "Master Windu!" he bellows. "You have fought gallantly, worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi Order. Now, it is finished. Surrender, and your lives will be spared." They can all sense it then--their own lingering doubts and fears. The collective mind of the Jedi Council, a singular communion that has lasted ten thousand years, is far too powerful to not see its own weakness. There is temptation, especially among the green sabers, the young and the rebellious. Yet this same bond that shows them the worst in themselves also saves them now. The patient wisdom of the best among them calls them from the darkness to the light, steadying their resolve. And there at their center, the outsider and student Anakin Skywalker shows no hesitance. Mace Windu shouts in response, "We will not be hostages for you to barter with, Dooku!" "Then I'm sorry, old friend..." Dooku sighs with sincere regret, raising his hand to give the order to resume fire. He is stopped by a deafening crack of thunder, the sound of ships exiting hyperspace inside the atmosphere, pealing out into the steady drone of six large troop transport ships sweeping down into the arena. Giant mounted lasers cut swaths of clear ground and waves of fully armored Fett clones pour out the sides of the ships to fill the space, blasters firing as their boots crunch down on droid remains. Stiff back and firm face betraying no lack of poise, Count Dooku turns and walks away. Scene 29: The Battle of Geonosis The clone troopers swiftly clear the arena. Their blasters take down even the super battle droids. Though they are still outnumbered, the clones are able to act with the perfect concert of a single mind, and the droids are not programmed to face such a foe. The Jedi Knights, their spirits rallied by the reinforcements, begin their pursuit of Count Dooku, leaping up the arena bleachers to the top of the outer wall. "There!" Mace Windu shouts, pointing at a ship rocketing out the side of the colosseum. "They're heading toward the space port. After them!" Propelled by the Force, the Jedi Knights bound across the industrial landscape after the fleeing rebel leaders. From every factory, hanger and shed march droid machines of war, kicking up great clouds of dust as they charge. Bombardment cannons pick their way along on spiderlike robot legs while mechadozers roll over everything in their path. The clones have machines of their own--starfighter ships zip overhead, providing cover fire while massive walker tanks and additional troopers are airlifted to the ground. The rebel ship disappears into the billowing smog of Geonosis as the armies collide in the streets, flashes of blue, green and red glinting in a dusky storm. A clone commander jogs toward the only Jedi Knight remaining in the arena, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who stands arguing with his apprentice while Padme looks on helplessly. "Sir!" the clone trooper interrupts, giving Obi-Wan a salute before handing him a holographic transmitter. "The Chancellor is waiting to speak to you!" Obi-Wan activates the holopad, and the image of Palpatine appears before them. "Master Kenobi!" says Palpatine. "Reverend Padme! What a relief you're still alive! I thought you could use some backup." "It's always nice to have help," Obi-Wan shouts over the thunder of the battle. "I've commanded the clone troopers to submit to the authority of the Jedi Order," continues Palpatine. "The Army of the Republic is now yours." "Chancellor!" protests Obi-Wan. "We are a religious order! We have never sought military command!" "You think I sought this?" Palpatine says. "I'm a politican, Master Kenobi. I know less than you do about leading an army. Yet I'm afraid these times call us all to difficult responsibilities, and the Jedi are the only ones I can trust with this power. Please, use it to stop Count Dooku!" "Have no fear, Chancellor," shouts Obi-Wan, "We won't let the traitor get off the planet!" "Thank you, Master Kenobi! And may the Force be--" The transmission dissolves into static. "Well, soldier," Obi-Wan says to the trooper, "it looks like I'm your new boss." "Sir, I've been looking forward to this, sir!" "Commander...Cody?" Obi-Wan asks. "No, sir! My designation is KC-192." "Ah," says Obi-Wan knowingly, "but when I met Cody..." "...we all met you, sir!" "Fascinating." Though she is keeping her cool, Anakin senses Padme's thoughts tugging at him in fear. "Master, what exactly is going on here?" Anakin shouts angrily. "One of these things was trying to kill Padme! And now we're surrounded by them!" "I'll explain later," Obi-Wan says. "These ones are on our side...I think." He turns back to the trooper. "Commander Casey, can you sense the progress of the battle from here?" "Yes, sir! We have just reached the spaceport, but rebel ships are already launching. Our starfighters will pursue. There's one now, sir!" A large spherical space cruiser arcs across the sky above them, blotting out the sun. Starfighters spin around it like gnats, unable to halt the progress of the behemoth ship. "Aim right above the fuel cells," Anakin tells Commander Casey, still annoyed at having to work with the troopers and eager to show them up. Though he has never seen this class of ship before, he has always had the ability to sense the inner workings of mechanical things, uncanny for even a Jedi. "Yes, sir!" says the trooper, and moments later the rebel ship transforms into a plummeting fireball. "Good call, my young padawan!" says Obi-Wan. The ground quakes, reminding them that they're not in the safest place to be watching ships fall from the sky. "Commander Casey," orders Obi-Wan, "Please escort the Queen to safety. Anakin, you're with me. It's time to rejoin the fight." "I told you already," says Anakin, "I'm staying with Padme." "I could have you expelled from the Jedi Order for this disobedience!" Obi-Wan threatens in exasperation, but his student does not budge. "Anakin, I need you on this! I can't take on Count Dooku alone!" "You won't catch him at all if you follow that army," Anakin snaps back. "Dooku is running the other way, towards the citadel to the south. Am I really the only Jedi who sensed that?" Obi-Wan cuts himself off mid-response, shuts his eyes and breathes deeply, extending his senses to confirm what Anakin has said. He sighs. "You're welcome," says Anakin. "Now go!" "We'll discuss this later, young man!" Obi-Wan says. "Commander Casey, get them both out of here!" "Yes, sir!" Giving Anakin one last angry look, Obi-Wan bounds away. The clone commander escorts Anakin and Padme over to a transport ship. Anakin whistles and R2-D2 rolls out from cover to join them, dragging the deactivated body of C-3P0 behind him on a thin tow cable. "Ani, you should follow Obi-Wan," says Padme as they stand at the entrance to the transport ship. "You have to do your duty. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." "You say that," says Anakin, "but you can't hide your desires from me. Not anymore. You don't want me to leave your side any more than I do." "Come to your senses!" Padme says. "Ani, I love you, I always have, and I want us to spend many happy years together, to make up for all the years we've lost. But if Dooku kills Obi-Wan today, that will never happen. You'll wither in misery and guilt, and you'll blame it on me, and I can't accept that." "I'd give up everything for you," Anakin whispers. "I don't want you to give up everything," Padme cries. "I want you to be the man I've fallen in love with. Please!" Anakin flushes, then turns to address the clone commander. "Do whatever she asks of you," he orders, "just keep her safe." "Yes, sir!" "I love you," Anakin says to Padme, gripping her around the waist and kissing her passionately as the transport ship lifts into the air. Then he lets her go, and leaps out the hatch. Padme steadies herself against the wall, fighting back tears. "Sir," the clone trooper says, addressing her, "We can take you directly to our control ship in orbit. Right now it's the safest spot in the system." For a moment she falters at the sight of a ship full of Fetts, the mask of her would-be assassin on every face, but she uses the shock to steel her nerves. "No," she says resolutely. "No, we've got to get that army turned around. Tell all your troops to redirect their attack to the south citadel. Tell every Jedi you can find, too. The other rebels don't matter--we can end this war right now if we stop Dooku." "Sir, yes sir!" Finally Padme notices the Jedi Master on the ship with them. Her eyes widen. "YOU!" Threepio reactivates under the prodding of Artoo. "Oh, my," says the confused protocol droid, "I've just had the most peculiar dream!" Scene 30: Darth Tyranus The gothic arches of the Count's citadel jut out from the clouds high above the asphalt plains of Geonosis. Count Dooku strides into the dimly lit hangar hidden at its peak, followed by a personal contingent of droids. He hears the hum of an intruder's lightsaber snapping the droids to bits. He turns slowly to face his challenger, feeling no fear. With a wave of his hand, Obi-Wan Kenobi brushes the droid remains into a pile in the corner and grips his saber tight. "Traitor!" "Back down now, Master Kenobi," Dooku says quite calmly. "My Jedi powers are far beyond yours." In demonstration of this, he raises his hand and lets forth a crackling stream of Force lightning. Obi-Wan holds his ground and trusts in his training, raising his lightsaber. The saber attracts and absorbs the electrical attack, leaving him untouched. "I don't think so," Obi-Wan smirks. Dooku shrugs his cape back over his shoulders and draws his lightsaber. Its handle is curved in a way that allows him to spin it with only a slight movement of his wrist, and its blade glows blood red. The sight of the Sith lightsaber pushes Obi-Wan over the edge. He comes in hard and fast, aiming for Dooku's head, but Dooku easily parries the blow. Obi-Wan strikes again and again, glowering intently through tousled hair. Dooku counters these attacks with grace, standing tall with one hand behind his back, master of an ancient fighting style that Obi-Wan has only read about. When Dooku jumps to avoid a low swing, his upper body barely moves at all. Yet he does not gloat over the ease of it; his face remains grim and troubled. "Master Kenobi, you disappoint me. Master Yoda holds you in such high esteem. Surely you can do better!" It's not a taunt, it's a challenge, spoken as if Dooku's greatest wish is to be cut down now. Obi-Wan is more than willing to oblige. But that is not meant to be. For a moment their sabers lock together, and a grin of insanity and pain flashes across Dooku's face. Then with two quick cuts, Obi-Wan collapses to the ground, wounded in the thigh and shoulder. Dooku raises his saber to deliver the death blow. Anakin Skywalker sprints into the hangar. Inches from Obi-Wan's nose, red lightsaber meets green. "You're going to pay for all the Jedi you killed today, Dooku!" growls Anakin. "That's brave of you, boy--but foolish," says Dooku. "I would have thought you'd learned your lesson." "I'm a slow learner." Grimacing in pain, Obi-Wan reaches out and calls his lightsaber back to his hand. "Anakin, catch!" he shouts, tossing it to his padawan. Anakin catches it and faces Dooku with blue in one hand and green in the other. The twirling fury of Anakin's sabers drives Dooku back, away from Obi-Wan, and the old Count finally starts to break a sweat. It takes all his concentration to deflect Anakin's rapid attacks, but finally he is able to slip in and slice the hilt of Anakin's green saber. Anakin tosses his broken saber aside and leaps backwards, spinning Obi-Wan's blue saber in his hand as he returns to a single-saber stance. The student and rebel stand with their lightsabers raised over their heads, assessing one another. Then they lunge in unison, each strike both attack and defense. They are evenly matched in strength and speed, making this a battle of wits, with each combatant looking for the chance to drive the other into a vulnerable position. Anakin nearly gets there, and Dooku must swing his lightsaber through a power conduit to block the blow. Sparks fly, and the blue and red light of their weapons flickers across two dark figures as the hangar fills with shadows. Then it is over. Dooku cuts off Anakin's arm above the elbow. As the shock of it spreads across Anakin's face, Dooku pushes him back with the Force. Ani's body falls onto the droid scrap heap like a rag doll. Dooku slouches with exhaustion that runs much deeper than this battle. But it's not over. One more opponent saunters in to prevent his escape. "Master Windu," Dooku says in greeting, resuming his dignified posture. Mace Windu stands with his hands folded in his robe. "Dooku," he says sternly. "You have interfered with our plans for the last time," the Count says, letting forth a blast of Force lightning. The leader of the Jedi Knights need not even draw his lightsaber to defend himself. Mace raises his hand and the energy coalesces into a white hot ball in his palm. He throws this right back at a surprised Dooku, who barely dodges. "The power of the Dark Side will not save you," says Windu. "I have become more powerful than any Jedi," brags Dooku, "Even our old Master." "You could never accept that Master Yoda favored me over you. Of all the noble reasons to decline membership on the Council, you chose your path out of jealousy and spite. And now your ego threatens the entire galaxy. Today it ends." "This is just the beginning," Dooku laughs, more at himself than at Windu. "I should have done this a long time ago." Mace Windu's unique violet lightsaber ignites, and Yoda's two most powerful students clash in destined combat. Meanwhile, Anakin lies on the pile of droid parts, delirious with agony. The few coherent thoughts penetrating through his wrath and sorrow come from the small part of his mind that views everything as a problem to be solved. Pain can be mastered, but if he is going to rejoin the fight, he will need an arm. He acts on instinct, summoning power he doesn't know he has. Something in the junk pile begins to move. Windu's strikes carry a power that overwhelms Dooku's skillful form. The rebel abandons subtlety, both hands gripping his lightsaber like a padawan, while the ground cracks beneath his feet with each blow. Dooku retreats backwards. Windu throws a punch from afar, the Force carrying the strike to Dooku's jaw. Then a kick to the stomach. And another punch to the jaw. Dooku staggers. "Yield!" Windu commands, "or I will kill you!" "That's the only way," Dooku mutters, wiping blood from his face. "It's always been the only way." He draws himself up. "The Force has spoken a name for me, Jedi. I am Tyranus, Dark Lord of the Sith!" "Then you must die," Windu says solemnly, charging. Dooku thrusts the red blade of his saber into the floor, sending waves of Force lightning down through it. The saber lodges itself there, and glowing orange cracks spread out from it. The entire building quakes. Archways crumble. Boulders break from the ceiling and plummet toward Obi-Wan's unconscious body. Windu sheaths his saber and reaches out with the Force, catching them just in time. Every muscle in Mace's body strains as he struggles to hold the trembling citadel together. Dooku reaches out, and Anakin's severed limb flies into his grasp. He turns to Anakin lying on the junkpile. "Thank you for this!" he says. After glancing to confirm that Windu remains occupied, the Count turns to his ship. Then he senses a rising presence behind him, and looks back again. There stands Anakin Skywalker, the arm of a battle droid where his own should have been. His metal hand pulls Dooku's red saber from the concrete floor and raises it above his head. He roars so mightily that a wind rises around him. Behind and beneath Skywalker, Master Yoda hobbles into the hangar. Leaning on his walking stick, he shuts his eyes and sighs with grief. Darth Tyranus dashes onto his ship, and it rockets away as soon as he's through the hatch. Anakin extinguishes the saber and drops it, panting as his rage subsides. Padme enters behind Yoda. "Ani!" she shouts, running to him. He reaches out and touches her face, feeling the warmth and wetness of her cheek beneath his cold steel fingers. Then he passes out. Scene 31: Gentle Excommunication "...no idea how he did it, Masters Jedi. But the circuitry has intertwined itself with his neural pathways. It has become a part of his body." Anakin recognizes the soothing electronic voice, pitched somewhere between the voice of a mother and a voice of a child, as belonging to a Republic medical droid. Next he hears Obi-Wan speak. "I've never heard of anything like it, have you?" "No," Mace Windu replies. "This power is neither taught nor restricted. This is something new." Anakin opens his eyes, shifting in his bed to alert the others that he is awake now. He is in a hospital room. Obi-Wan sits in a hoverchair with his arm in a sling. Windu and the droid are the only others there. "Where's Padme?" he asks. Obi-Wan turns to the droid. "Would you excuse us for a moment?" The droid rolls out the door, which seals shut behind her. "Where is she?" Anakin demands, pushing himself up in the bed. His mechanical arm whirs slightly as he moves--softly, but loud enough to startle his Jedi hearing. He accidentally yanks the wires attached to it, and monitoring equipment tumbles off its stand. "Careful now!" Obi-Wan says, catching everything before it hits the floor. "It's probably going to take you awhile to adapt to..." He trails off as he watches Anakin make a fist, wiggle his fingers and snap them with a clank. "I'll adapt. Now tell me what happened to Padme!" "Padme is fine," Obi-Wan reassures him. "We're keeping her out of sight until we can arrange secure transport off planet, but there is no immediate risk. We're safe on Alderaan for now, guests of Senator Organa. And you should take care to restrain your emotions, padawan." He glances at Windu, whose face shows no expression. "Be wary of the difference between passion and compassion. These are dangerous times for the Jedi." Anakin lies back and calms down, his main concern addressed. "So what did I miss? How did the battle end?" "The rebels have abandoned Geonosis," explains Mace Windu. "Clone troopers remain behind to maintain order until a Republican government can be restored." "Clone troopers," Anakin groans. "Can we trust them?" "We still don't know who commissioned them," says Obi-Wan, "but they served us well. The Council has agreed to accept command over them for now, all the better for keeping a close eye on them." "I have to admit," says Anakin, "it would not have been a victory without them." "Victory?" says Obi-Wan. "No, padawan, I don't think I'd call it that. It's the start of a civil war." Anakin pouts and sighs. "You know, I saved your life out there." "You certainly did," smiles Obi-Wan, "and I appreciate that. I suppose I can at least pause in my lessons long enough to say thank you." "How about long enough to make me a Knight?" "Anakin," Obi-Wan pleads, trying to laugh it off in front of Mace Windu, "I don't know if I can give you up. I might not survive this war without you there to rescue me!" "I want to fight by your side, Obi-Wan," Anakin says earnestly, "but as your partner, not as your student. I'm ready. You know it." "You'll be ready when I say you're ready," scowls Obi-Wan, "And if you can't accept that, you'll never be ready!" "Master Kenobi," says Windu, "May I have a moment to speak alone with your padawan?" "Please do," grumbles Obi-Wan, levitating to the exit in his hoverchair. "He stopped listening to me a long time ago." The door hisses shut behind him. "I'm really sorry about that, Master Windu," says Anakin. "Master Obi-Wan often gets angry when he's lecturing me about restraining my passion." "It's clear you're eager to become a Knight," Windu says, "and you will make a formidable one, there is no doubt of that." "So what am I missing?" Anakin asks honestly, without bitterness. "Please, tell me. There are certainly more powerful Knights out there, but I'm more powerful than many members of the Council. Maybe even most of them." "No, Anakin," says Windu. "You are more powerful than them all. I believe you are even more powerful than me. I have never seen the Force be with anyone as it has been with you." "Then why won't Obi-Wan let me graduate?" "Master Kenobi came to us years ago--long before you were of the usual graduation age--seeking the Council's permission to make you a Knight. We refused." Anakin looks like he's just lost his other arm. "You? But why? Surely you're not jealous of me? Afraid? I've spent my whole life looking up to the Jedi Council! I've only ever wanted to be good enough to join, and now, what, you're telling me I'm too good?" "The reasons are many and complicated," Windu says, "They cannot be explained as a lesson or codified as a rule. I tell you this now so that you might begin to seek your own understanding, instead of blaming everything on Master Kenobi. You must discover for yourself what it takes to be a Jedi Knight. Only then will you become one." "I don't--" Anakin's mind flails for a way to argue this point, but he realizes it is useless. Master Obi-Wan would let him argue, would listen to his objections and respond with great patience so that Anakin might see where he has erred. But Master Windu doesn't care if he sees the error of his ways. Mace doesn't want him to be a Jedi Knight. And as Anakin realizes this, he sees the way out. "What if I promise not to join the Council?" he asks. "Would you permit Obi-Wan to make me a Knight, would you allow me to be called Master if I swore not to seek a blue saber?" Windu lets only the slightest sign of emotion show, but it's enough to let Anakin know he's on the right track. In a flash he sees through Windu's stoic exterior, sees an ego and heart as fragile as any padawan and an altogether reasonable fear of losing control in the face of a future shrouded in darkness. Windu isn't afraid that Anakin would defy the Council. He's afraid that Anakin would lead the Council to defy him. "Such an oath would not be permitted," Windu says, unaware of Anakin's thoughts. "The Council must remain open to any Jedi Knight who would choose it. If we were to publicly refuse admission to a Knight now, we would just be recruiting apprentices for Darth Tyranus." Anakin understands and sympathizes with Windu's dilemma. The Council ensures that every member is there voluntarily, and so no Jedi Knight is compelled into communion against their will. But the Council gives itself no such freedom, compelling itself to accept all Jedi Knights. Only Anakin can give them that freedom, and he thinks they deserve it as much as anyone else. "This isn't your choice, this is mine," Anakin says. "If Obi-Wan grants me full rank and title, I won't seek to join the Council. I'll stand with the Jedi Order against the rebellion. I'll put my power to use like Master Qui-Gon did, in service to you, without demanding an equal say. And it doesn't matter if that happens tomorrow or decades from now, I--I just thought you should know. I will never join the Jedi Council unless I have your blessing to do so." Mace Windu examines Anakin for a long moment, but shows no sign of his thoughts or feelings. "I will speak with Master Kenobi," he says. He leaves. Anakin is alone, and the importance of what has just happened sinks in. He sniffles. Then he grimaces. Then he cries. It does not take long for him to exhaust this emotion. Already he begins to accept the alternate course that has been charted for his life. He wipes a tear away with his new hand, and looks down at his glistening finger with surprise. He stretches out his arm and moves it around. If anything, it seems stronger and faster than the arm he lost, though it will probably take him awhile to figure out everything he can do with it. He wonders how his Force powers have been affected, and he looks around the room for something to levitate. A small velvet box rests on a stand in the corner. Summoning the Force, he is easily able to call it to his metal grasp. He opens it. Inside is a small wooden pendant and a handwritten note that reads, "Come back to me." Anakin smiles. Scene 32: The Fall of Naboo Count Dooku turns off the ship's engines as he enters Coruscant space, gliding down on solar sails so as to avoid detection. He makes his way into one of the few barren parts of the capital planet, the site of an ancient radioactive disaster that is now nothing more than a great plain of iron shielding. The spacescrapers that cover the rest of the planet loom on the horizon like distant mountains. He touches down and walks out into the radioactive land, making his way beneath the surface through a heavy ragged trap door. ***** Anakin's graduation is marked by no grand ceremony or token. Obi-Wan simply calls him aside one day and asks him to kneel, igniting his blue saber just long enough to snip the padawan's small braid from his head. "That's it?" says Anakin. "That's it," says Obi-Wan, offering his hand to help Anakin to his feet. There is no certificate or diploma. Anakin will continue to wield the green lightsaber that he has carried throughout his training. But Obi-Wan gives him something he values even more--the respect of an equal. Anakin basks in it as they spend the afternoon reminiscing and sipping bloo milk on the terrace of Bail Organa's mansion. "So, where do we go from here?" Anakin asks as they watch the sun set over the mountain lake. "The Council has given me orders to return to Kamino and meet my clone commander," Obi-Wan says. "Every member of the Council is being given command of their own regiment. But of course, I could use some help." "I think I'll stick with you, Master Kenobi," says Anakin, grinning. "I still don't trust those clone troopers; you'll need me around to watch your back. But first I want some time off. I might go home for awhile. I've never been back, and..." "Anakin, I know this isn't my business anymore, but I do wish you'd spend less time with Padme," says Obi-Wan. "I know how you feel about her, and you're not bound by the Council's vows of celibacy. But..." "You suspect her," says Anakin. "You think she is the other Sith, Darth Sidious." "I didn't say that," says Obi-Wan, "but I do think she may have had more to do with the creation of the clone army than she's letting on. She is, after all, the only other line of clones that has ever existed. Your friend has dark secrets." "Padme hates the clone troopers and she hates this war," says Anakin. "She thinks Sidious is Tyranus' apprentice, that Dooku set the whole thing up on purpose to start this war." "That does sound like a sithy thing to do," says Obi-Wan. "And if that's the case, Sidious might already be dead. If the legends can be trusted, Sith apprentices have a high mortality rate. Dooku will keep training new ones until he finds one stronger than himself. We can expect to face many more in the future. What do you think?" "I think that half the Council thinks I'm next in line," says Anakin. "I'd be happy enough to earn their trust. I'm not going to go around creating mistrust. That would be the way of the Dark Side." "Right you are, my young ah--good buddy," smiles Obi-Wan. "Nevertheless, I think we should keep a closer eye on the Senate, and trust the Force to reveal things in due time." "Yeah, well, may the Force be with us," Anakin says as the sun's rays disappear from their sight. "We're gonna need it. I've got a bad feeling about this." ***** Dooku does not know how long he has been wandering through poisonous dark tunnels--could have been hours, could have been days--but he finally finds himself staring at Chancellor Palpatine's white hair through the grate of an air vent. He watches in silence as the Chancellor's meeting ends and everyone leaves. Dooku prepares to make his move. Palpatine moves first. He raises his hand and drags Dooku out of the ceiling of his office with the power of the Force, slamming Dooku to the floor as tiles fall around him, then picking him up again and pinning him to the wall. "Welcome home, Lord Tyranus," says Palpatine. "Master, I--" Dooku rushes to explain, but is cut off as Palpatine chokes him. "It is of course the hope of every Sith Lord to be killed by his apprentice," says Palpatine, floating Dooku towards him to look him in the eye, "For no one should be greater than the master except for the padawan. But if I am to receive that final honor, it will not be today." He grinds Dooku's face back into the floor. With a look of disgust, Dooku reaches his head forward and kisses the hem of Palpatine's robe. "You have done well," laughs Palpatine, releasing his grip. "Everything is going as planned. Now rise, Lord Tyranus. You still have much you must learn, if you intend to win this war." "Yes, Master Sidious." ***** On a wind-swept platform floating atop the endless ocean of Kamino, Chancellor Palpatine presides over the official commissioning ceremony for the clone army. Filling the deck behind him, the Jedi Knights stand alongside the clone commanders they will use to communicate with their regiments. Obi-Wan stands with Commander Cody, whom he requested after finding himself secretly unnerved at the thought that every clone is the same person he met that first day on Kamino. All of the other members of the Jedi Council are there, and most of the green sabers as well. Obi-Wan explains that Anakin's absence is no sign of disloyalty; he is escorting Padme Amidala back to Naboo, and when he returns they will command the 7th Sky Corps together. Mace Windu stands at Palpatine's right side, speaking on behalf of the Council, but even Head Master Yoda is here, standing for all to see at Palpatine's left. With a great fanfare, each Jedi Knight formally commands their troopers to deploy. The sea around them roars and bubbles as hundreds of star destroyers rise from the water and launch into space. Afterwards, as the assembly disperses and the Jedi Knights make their way to their personal transports, Windu calls Obi-Wan over to where he stands huddled with Yoda and the Chancellor. "What's wrong?" asks Obi-Wan, seeing the distress on Palpatine's face. "We just received word," says Windu, "Naboo is under attack." "The troopers will never make it there in time!" cries Palpatine. "Don't give up hope," says Obi-Wan. "Anakin and Padme are there. They'll buy us time. Commander Cody! Tell your men to change course, we're going to Naboo!" "Sir! Yes sir!" Yoda shuts his eyes, seeing the future--but not enough of it. "The shroud of the Dark Side has fallen," he says solemnly, "Begun the Clone War has." ***** The rebel assault on Naboo makes the Federation invasion of years past look like a cordial visit. Before troops even land, the capital city of Theed is bombarded from orbit, its elegant domes and spires leveled in fire and ash. Viceroy Gunray strides through the smoldering palace halls, relaying orders to droids as he walks. "Begin loading the lucassssite onto our ships immediately. We need to be out of here before the Republic arrivessss. Kill everything living you find. Leave nothing for the Ssssenate to ssssave!" Stepping over the dead body of Captain Panaka, he enters the throne room. Dorme is there, clutching two younger Amidala clones. "Your Highnesssss," Newt laughs, "A pleassssure to kill you again!" Amidala screams as the droid blasters fire. The screams carry across the stars and echo in Padme's heart, where she locks them away beneath the sight of Anakin Skywalker's eyes looking into her own and the touch of his flesh and metal hands holding hers. "I do," she says. She doesn't hear the words Bail Organa speaks as he performs the ceremony he has promised to keep secret. She doesn't feel the soft warmth of the Alderaan sun, in this place she will have to learn to call home. She has no thought at all of the two droids standing as their only witnesses, though Artoo beeps with what seems like contentment and Threepio emulates prudent emotions for a wedding. For Padme, the only thing that exists right now is her husband. And she knows, as her soul mingles with his, that she is the sum of his universe as well. Padme and Anakin kiss. And Naboo falls.