A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away…

STAR WARS

Revelation on Zereana

It has been six months since the beginning of the Clone

Wars. Deaths among the Jedi Order grow more frequent, and

the cyborg general Grievous has been discovered on the

Separatist world of Hypori, adding an asset to the

Confederacy, and a threat to the Galactic Republic.

On the Mid-Rim world of Zereana, a world still loyal to the

Republic, a new Separatist base of operations has been

discovered. Recently promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight,

Anakin Skywalker has been sent, along with his former

master Obi-Wan Kenobi, to attempt to eradicate this

situation…

Chapter one.

The underground tunnels of Zereana were not what Anakin would have chosen for a mission location. It was dark, and far too damp for his liking. Even now, nearly eleven years since he had left his native planet, he still found it difficult to adjust to the moisture of worlds unlike Tatooine. Odd how the Separatists chose this place to hide a base. He thought. Though it certainly does its job.

Indeed it did. Anakin and his former Master had searched what felt like every inch of the planet's underground, and hadn't even found so much as a Separatist Battle Droid head, much less an entire base of operations. All Anakin wanted was to get back to Coruscant. Hard to believe how back before he had married Padme', he had wanted missions to last forever. Times had certainly changed since Geonosis.

But now here he was once again, on a mission. And not three days since Praesitlyn, when he had passed the trials and been made a Jedi knight.

Obi-Wan had gone to search in another direction, and Anakin was able to enjoy some time to do things his way, as a Jedi knight. Technically, as a newly promoted Jedi Master, Obi-Wan could still give him orders. But Anakin couldn't help but feel that Obi-Wan should ease up on it, since Anakin was no longer his student.

He sensed his former master's presence. "Found anything?" Obi-Wan asked. Anakin grinned. "If I had, I think I would have called you." He replied, gesturing toward their comlinks. "Besides, I probably wouldn't see anything even if it was here. In this darkness, a Droideka could shoot me without me realizing."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "You'll never learn." He sighed. He then nonchalantly ignited his Lightsaber and cleanly cut a hole through the ground above them, thereby creating the needed light.

A short silence followed, and ended with a most uncomfortable Anakin abruptly changing the subject. "How did these tunnels get here anyway?" He asked gruffly.

A grinning Obi-Wan let the subject change slide. "Madame Nu said Zereanan miners often dug here, but left it alone after they discovered the Separatist base." Anakin shook his head. "They dug extremely far. I can't find a single…"

A jolt through his senses halted his speech. Obi-Wan seemed to sense it as well, for their Lightsabers ignited simultaneously.

A figure in pitch-black body armor sped towards them on a speeder bike that was equally darkly colored. Whoever it was, he was heavily armed and immediately began firing blaster bolts in the direction of the Jedi in rapid succession.

Lightsabers whirled and the bolts sped back toward their original owner, but this person was obviously extremely agile, for he made a perfectly timed forward flip off of his bike and landed back on completely unharmed.

Anakin leapt forward and clung to the back of the bike, still deflecting blaster shots. Ignoring shouts from Obi-Wan, Anakin tried to cut out the speeder bike's main engine, but tried in vain as blaster bolts poured forth from the black-armored stranger's WESTAR-40 blaster even more intensely. Anakin didn't have time to do anything but deflect, especially since the man's bike was still speeding through the tunnels of Zereana at full speed.

As the man reached into his pocket to reveal a thermal detonator, Anakin cursed his luck. Definitely not good. Anakin leapt off the bike, barely missing the thrown detonator. With speed only a Jedi could possibly posses, he sped from the tunnel. An instant later, half the tunnel collapsed from a massive explosion.

"I hope you have a very good reason for that." Obi-Wan's face was stone. Anakin thought it was obvious. "To find out who he is, and if he's working for the Separatists."

Obi-Wan sighed. "He attacked us didn't he? Are we working for the Separatists?" Anakin didn't answer.

"No. Therefore, he logically is." Obi-Wan finished. "As for who he is, that is entirely inconsequential."

Anakin bristled at the rebuke. Hadn't he received enough lectures from his former Master when he was an Apprentice?

--

They searched for days, or at least that's what it felt like. If we don't find anything soon, I'm going to steal a ship, jet back to Coruscant, and never leave. This whole mission is… Anakin's foul mood was interrupted by a comlink call from Obi-Wan. "Anakin? I think our search is over."

Anakin raced to see what had been found, and felt like shouting for joy. There below them was a massive cavern that housed an equally immense structure. Separatist Battle Droids poured forth by the hundreds, and STAPs patrolled the dirt ceiling. Obi-Wan smiled in satisfaction.

"It appears we've found our secret base."