Volunteer Army (Ep. #7, Prod. #6, Dec. 2011)


A plot unraveling! As the Clone Wars continue, the secret Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, is plotting to use the war to take over the galaxy. But due to the recent failure of his apprentice, Count Dooku, Sidious has been forced to find other means of fulfilling his dreams.

Warriors, criminals, and bounty hunters from all across the galaxy have received invitations to join Sidious' new personal army, and rush to his secret lair on the ancient Sith planet, Korriban….


Deep in the Outer Rim, the planet Korriban sat cold and dead. It was an endless desert of mountains and canyons. There was nothing about this planet that people liked, so civilizations were nonexistent.

But thousands of years ago, this planet was home to an ancient order that had killed itself; the Sith. Korriban was the place where the Sith Lords had lived, learned, and plotted against the Jedi. But they had also killed each other for power, leading to their apparent extinction.

But a Sith Lord called Darth Bane had created a law that only two Sith Lords may exist at a time; a master and an apprentice. The Sith survived in hiding for a thousand years until Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi defeated Darth Maul, the first apprentice to Darth Sidious.

There was a canyon on Korriban dubbed the Valley of the Dark Lords. This was perhaps the most foreboding place on the planet because it was where the bodies of some Sith Lords were buried in their own tombs. The valley was said to have been haunted by their spirits.

Yet, dozens of different starships were docked around one of the tombs. Inside was a hallway lined with statues of Darth Bane himself, each carrying a flaming torch. At the other end of the hallway was a large, semi-circular chamber with three steps leading up to the stone casket, where lay the body of Darth Bane.

Standing in front of the alter Darth Sidious looked out over the crowd that had shown up. He saw the blue Duros bounty hunter Cad Bane, with his brown leather jacket and wide, brown hat. Talking to him was Aurra Sing, with her orange jumpsuit, white skin, and long brown ponytail. Nearby was the Rodian Greedo.

There was the reptilian Trandoshan, Bossk, and Dengar, whose head was completely wrapped in a white bandage. The purple-skinned aquatic Patrolian Robonino, the cyborg AO-327, and the young Boba Fett, clad in Mandalorian armor.

There was also the Zabrak Sugi, the Kyuzan Embo, whose wide wooden hat doubled as a weapon and shield, and the Mandalorian Pre Vizsla, leader of the movement known as Death Watch, and several of his best warriors. Sidious was proud to see that a clone traitor, nicknamed Slick, had joined, too. Even the spice pirate, Hondo Ohnaka, came with his thievish Kowakian monkey-lizard, Pilf Mukmuk. It was quite a turnout.

"Welcome, my friends," announced Sidious. "You have made a wise choice by coming here. With your help, the Jedi will die, and the Sith shall rule the galaxy once again!"

"And what's in it for us?" asked Bane.

"I want 10,000 credits minimum!" hissed Bossk.

"We should get extra for every Jedi we kill," stated Aurra greedily.

"You will each get 5,000 for every job you do, and an additional 10,000 for every Jedi you kill," said Sidious. "And once I control the galaxy, your criminal records will be wiped clean."

All of the bounty hunters seemed excited about that. Sidious smiled maliciously at his new volunteer army. These were the most dangerous beings in the galaxy. They were ten times better than clone troopers or battle droids.

"But before your first missions, you will have to be tested." Upon hearing this, the group suddenly fell silent. "All I ask is that you all leave this tomb." He gave them all an evil smile and with the flick of his fingers, the door leading into the tomb fell shut and the statues of Darth Bane came to life!

The bounty hunters chattered as the flame-wielding statues marched into the chamber. Then the test began. Cad Bane drew his twin blaster pistols and flew into the air with his jet boots. He began firing at one of the statues that was swinging its torch at him. The bolts cracked the stone but did not shatter it, until Aurra blasted its head off with her sniper rifle.

AO-327 wielded a heavy concussion rifle attached to his backpack, which fed energy into the weapon. He could fire explosive balls of energy at targets, causing catastrophic damage to even medium-sized tanks. The statues were tough, though; it took three shots just to completely destroy one.

Robonino, with his small stature, was able to sneak up on one of the statues and climb on top of it. Then he took out his blaster, but it was knocked out of his hand by the statue's arm. So he used the only other weapon he had; an electric charger.

Sidious shook his head at the fish-like creature. He wouldn't damage stone with electricity. As the Sith Lord predicted, the charger didn't weaken the statue; in fact, it did quite the opposite. The statue hit Robonino with its torch, knocking him to the ground, and then brought it down for the final, fiery blow.

Boba Fett, Pre Viszla, and his warriors, meanwhile, had adopted Cad Bane's strategy and were using their jetpacks to hover above the crowd, shooting at the statues. Boba used a modified EE-3 blaster rifle that fired more powerful shots than the average blaster. But the stone was still hard to crack.

Three Death Watch warriors fired the missiles in their jetpacks. Each missile destroyed one statue. But upon seeing its comrades destroyed, another statue swung its torch at the warriors. One warrior dodged the swing, but the second warrior's armor caught fire, and the third's jetpack exploded and threw him against the wall.

Viszla was distracted by the warriors' fall and a punch by a statue knocked him out of the air and he hit the ground hard, his blaster bouncing away. As the statue closed in on him, Viszla took out the Darksaber, an ancient black lightsaber stolen from the Jedi Temple 900 years prior by his ancestors. He swung the weapon and sliced off the statue's arm, then its legs, and then its head.

Everyone else fought the statues with their blasters, thermal detonators, and whatever else they had at their disposal. Finally, the last statue was destroyed, and Robonino, two Death Watch warriors, Hondo Ohnaka, and Pilf Mukmuk, were dead. And the survivors were furious with Sidious.

"What are you playing at?"

"You could've gotten me killed!"

"You brought us here just so you could kill us!"

Sidious raised his hand for silence. "I didn't want these people to be killed, but if they had had enough skill, they would be alive; just as you are now." The bounty hunters murmured in agreement. "Now you are ready for your first mission."


The planet Mandalore was once home to the greatest warriors in the galaxy, until an act by the pacifist Duchess Satine Kryze eradicated the soldiers to turn her planet into a world of peace and prosperity. For many years, Satine was hailed a hero by her people.

But prior to the start of the Clone Wars, a group of citizens decided to revive the Mandalorian warriors and secure the planet's reputation of fear. This group called themselves the Death Watch and was led by the governor of the moon on which they were based.

Since then, Death Watch has attempted to assassinate Satine and her advisors several times, and have revealed spies and traitors all around her, including the former Prime Minister of Mandalore, Almec, who was controlling the black market to secure supplies for the planet.

After Almec's arrest, Satine's brother, Malsev, was elected to succeed him. So far, he was doing well. He had exposed many of the Death Watch spies on Mandalore and his speeches and public greetings boosted the morale of the Mandalorians.

"You are doing a wonderful job, Malsev," Satine had said after a meeting.

"Thank you, Satine," he had replied. "Death Watch has grown stronger than we had anticipated. Our spies count at least 120 warriors."

"You needn't worry, my brother. The people are supporting you, and Death Watch hasn't tried to attack you yet. You will make an excellent Prime Minister."

Malsev smiled. But they were soon interrupted by a man who had just entered the room. "Pardon me for interrupting, Duchess, Prime Minister, but we are once again out of medicine for the hospital."

Malsev's smile turned into a frown. "How did this happen, Dr. Zaz?"

Zak Zaz, a doctor at the hospital, answered, "We were promised fresh supplies, but the shipment never came in." He held up a data pad displaying the information on the order.

"Let me see that." Malsev took the data pad and read it. "I don't know what to say, Doctor. Our shipments don't come on regular supply routes anymore. The black market dealers are often late nowadays."

"I need that medicine! Some of our patients could die if we don't treat their flu by tomorrow!"

"We will see to it that the shipment goes straight to you as soon as it arrives," reassured Malsev. "I promise you."

Zaz bowed. "Thank you, Prime Minister, Duchess." With that he left the room.

When he was gone, Malsev sighed. "There has to be a way to secure trading rights without getting involved in this wretched war."

"I wish there was," agreed Satine. "We don't have much choice, unfortunately. I advise you not to worry about that. We will manage fine."

Then the doors opened again. This time it was the police captain. "Duchess! Prime Minister! We're under attack!"


A small cargo cruiser entered Mandalore's atmosphere. It had a rounded V-shaped hull with a box-shaped bridge at the back. The engines were set on three long stalks – one pointing straight up and two pointing down and to either side – which protruded from the behind the bridge. Behind those were two long stabilizer wings.

The Mandalorian custom officials had let the ship in because the hospital was expecting a shipment of medicine, which the cargo ship pilot said he was carrying. But they didn't realize that the ship had been retrofitted under Darth Sidious' orders and lent to a band of bounty hunters.

The Mandalorians didn't think anything was wrong until they saw what appeared to be the disk-shaped loading doors extend to unveil two large blaster cannons. Then missile launchers rose out of the wings and turbolaser turrets from the front of each engine.

On the bridge of the undercover cruiser, Pre Viszla explained the plan to the other bounty hunters. "Half of us will stay to man the cruiser's guns. The other half will fly into the city in our ships. Then my warriors and I will sneak into the palace, kidnap Duchess Satine, and kill anyone who defends her.

Several smaller ships were nestled in the cargo bay of the undercover cruiser. The first ship was the Punishing One, a JumpMaster 5000 scout ship modified and piloted by Dengar. There was also the Xanadu Blood, a heavily modified Rogue-class starfighter given to Cad Bane by Darth Sidious. In the corner was the Halo, an SS-54 light freighter used by Sugi and Embo, next to a Mandalorian shuttle.

The last ship in the hanger was perhaps the most fearsome; Boba Fett's Slave I. It was originally a Firespray-31-class patrol and attack ship, stolen by Boba's "father", Jango Fett. After Jango's death at the hand of Jedi Master Mace Windu, Boba completely overhauled the ship and added new deadly weapons, faster engines, and a modified body for better maneuvering.

Each bounty hunter boarded their respective ships and took off. The others who stayed on the ship manned the turrets and the ship's controls. Aurra Sing looked at the radar screen and announced the approach of several armed Mandalorian police speeders with flashing blue and red lights.

From his shuttle, Viszla laughed. "This is the best they can throw at us? Let's show them some real firepower!"

At his signal, the turrets and ships opened fire at the police speeders, which responded by firing back at the bounty hunters. From the capitol city of Sundari, the battle was a series of red and blue laser bolts flying across the sky, with occasional large yellow fireballs appearing where the speeders were destroyed.

After a few minutes, Viszla's shuttle began to descend towards the city with the other ships in tow. The cruiser, however, remained behind. In one of the turrets, AO-327 sat in the chair holding the controls for the twin laser cannons. There was a targeting screen between the handgrips, though the cyborg's vision was already intensified and his brain enhanced, so he didn't necessarily need it.

He found a speeder in his line of sight, and his brain enhancement allowed him to accurately calculate where and when to fire. He pushed the buttons and several red laser bolts sped through the air, and then the speeder flew into them.


Duchess Satine and Prime Minister Malsev watched the battle from the palace, and both could not believe what they were seeing.

"This is an outrage!" exclaimed Malsev. "We must set up our security shields to defend the city!"

Satine, however, was calmer and more thoughtful. "This makes no sense. The Death Watch wouldn't dare attempt a direct assault. There's something more to this attack."

"Well, I'd rather not find out what it is. Let's hope the security shields will be enough."


Boba Fett sat behind the controls of Slave I, following Pre Viszla's Mandalorian shuttle, along with the Punishing One, Halo, and Xanadu Blood. Personally, Boba didn't have a problem with the Death Watch, but he didn't like to think he had a relationship to them. Both they and Boba's father were Mandalorian warriors, but the Death Watch never attacks directly, but sabotages instead; cowardly fighting, as Boba called it.

As the black-domed city of Sundari loomed closer, Boba was suspicious that a capitol city would be left so vulnerable. When he thought about it, he realized there must be hidden defenses. "Pull up!"

"What?" asked Viszla via intercom.

"Pull up! I bet we're flying into a trap!"

"I'm not picking up any weapons," observed Sugi.

"They've probably got an energy shield," suggested Cad Bane.

"I have no readings," said Dengar. "Are you sure?"

"Pull up!" repeated Boba. "All craft pull up!"

"Take evasive action!" ordered Viszla. Upon his command, all of the ships turned away from the city. "We'll have to blast our way in. Fire at one of the openings and destroy the shield generator."

The Xanadu Blood was the first to turn back around, so Bane fired the first shots. As expected, the shots didn't make it through the opening, but dissolved into the invisible shield. Some shots did hit the metal plating, so the bounty hunters fired at the opening's border.

On the Punishing One, Dengar carefully aimed and fired a proton torpedo. He held his breath while the powerful projectile soared through the air. He didn't exhale until he saw the torpedo hit the plating with a huge explosion.

The explosion tore right through the plating and destroyed the shield generator, leaving the city vulnerable.


The duchess and prime minister watched in shock as the shield protecting the city was destroyed. When the smoke and flames cleared, they saw five ships heading towards the opening they had created.

"Satine, we must evacuate now!" exclaimed Malsev. "I have a ship just out back." He began to run for the door, and then looked back at Satine, who was rooted to her spot. "Duchess, we must hurry! Come!"

Satine finally came to her senses and followed her brother to the rear landing platform. A shuttle was parked in one of the spaces. The two made for this ship, but before they could reach it, it exploded in a great ball of flame.

The dignitaries shielded their eyes from the light and smoke, and when they thought it was safe to look, they were horrified to see another shuttle and several armed Death Watch soldiers in its place.

Pre Viszla stepped forward holding two pairs of electrobonds. "You're coming with us."


In the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano sat in her room meditating. Ever since she began spending her free time in peace and quiet, it became easier for her to use the Force. She didn't have to think about the harshness of the war, or the danger she runs into, or having to lead without her master.

Her deep thoughts were interrupted, however, when her communicator began beeping. She stood up and retrieved it to take her call, hoping it was her master.

It wasn't, unfortunately. But she was still glad to see the hologram of Korkie, the young nephew of Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore. They had both worked together to arrest the corrupt Prime Minister Almec a year ago, and before leaving Mandalore, Ahsoka told Korkie how to contact her.

"Korkie, I'm glad to see you."

"As am I, Master Tano."

Ahsoka knew it was only good manners for others to call a Jedi "Master," but hearing the mention of that word reminded her of how much she missed Anakin Skywalker. But she didn't let her personal feelings get in the way of the conversation. "How have you been?"

"I'm doing fine. I've been assigned an internship under the new prime minister, my father Malsev."

"Congratulations. How are things on Mandalore?"

"Not good," he replied with a fearful expression. "The Death Watch has attacked Sundari and kidnapped Auntie Satine and my father.

Ahsoka was shocked. "What happened?"

"We don't know. There was some kind of armed cargo cruiser and some unidentified smaller ships, along with a Mandalorian shuttle. After they left, my aunt and father were missing!"

"Don't worry, Korkie. I'll get help."

"Thank you." With a bow, he ended the transmission.

Ahsoka knew she had to get help, but since Mandalore had elected to stay neutral, the Republic authorities couldn't provide aid. She needed to find someone close to Satine….


Darth Sidious' army of bounty hunters dropped off their prisoners at the Death Watch base on the moon Concordia. Then they returned to Korriban for their next missions.

Sidious was certainly pleased that his plan was working. "I must confess that I am very surprised by the success of your mission," he had said. "They don't suspect a thing. Governor Viszla, return to Concordia and fortify your base. I sense that the Jedi will come to rescue your prisoners.

"As for the rest of you," he continued to the others, "I have several missions for each of you. Take however long you need to; I will contact you when the need arises." Sidious walked up to Boba Fett and handed him a holodisk. "Contained on this holodisk are very important plans that must not fall into the hands of the Jedi. Bring them to the prescribed coordinates."

"Is that all?" asked Boba. He didn't think this was a hard enough assignment.

Sensing his doubt, Sidious replied, "I am confident that you will overcome any complications. If you would like, Greedo may accompany you."

He moved on to Cad Bane. "Bane, there are several Republic listening posts stationed near Coruscant that will warn the Jedi if any Separatist ships stray too close. You, along with Aurra Sing, Dengar, and Bossk will destroy these stations."

Next, he went to AO-327. "Cyborg, Separatist leader Nute Gunray is acting suspiciously. I want you to serve as his bodyguard, and report to me his intentions."

The cyborg nodded. "Yes, my lord." He didn't wait to hear what the others were to be assigned; he went straight to a Sheathipede-class Separatist shuttle outside and took off.

Sidious continued. "Sergeant Slick, I want you to infiltrate the Republic by posing as a clone trooper called Spider. I want to know what the Jedi are up to."

Clone Sergeant Slick nodded. "With pleasure, my lord."

Underneath his hood, Sidious smiled maliciously. He could sense the bounty hunters' loyalty to him growing. Soon the galaxy would be thrown into turmoil, and there would be nothing the Jedi could do.


Padmé Amidala sat in her office in the Senate Building. She was glad of her recent victory in the senate, but she knew that victory could soon be taken away. She had to work tirelessly if she wanted to end the war.

The door slid open and Padawan Ahsoka Tano entered. Although she was busy, Padmé was always able to find time for her friends. "Ahsoka, what a pleasant surprise."

"I'm glad to see you, too, Padmé," Ahsoka responded. "I've come because the Death Watch has kidnapped Duchess Satine and her brother, the prime minister."

The senator was surprised by this shocking turn of events. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Her nephew Korkie just contacted me."

Padmé shook her head and stood up. "This is not good at all, Ahsoka. If Satine is killed, Mandalore will become a dangerous threat to the Republic. We have to find her."

"There's more," Ahsoka suddenly remembered. "They were with some other ships that didn't belong to the Mandalorians. I think the Death Watch is being backed by bounty hunters or smugglers."

Padmé paused to turn these facts over in her mind. Why would Death Watch be working with bounty hunters? They had more than enough warriors, why get extra help? There must be more to this kidnapping, and the Jedi needed to find out. That gave Padmé an idea. "I think I know just what to do."


Somewhere in deep space, a fleet of Venator-class star destroyers sat waiting for their next orders. The fleet had been assigned to be led by Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. The two Jedi were on the bridge of the flagship, the Negotiator.

Anakin used to be Obi-Wan's apprentice until sometime after the start of the war. During the ten years they were together, their relationship grew until they could be considered brothers. They knew each other so well that the Jedi Council had assigned Anakin to join his former master in the Outer Rim Sieges.

But there had been a price for Anakin. He had to leave behind his own apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. He missed his Padawan, but he had to focus on the war.

As the two Jedi were discussing war tactics, one of the Negotiator's controllers announced that they were receiving a transmission from Coruscant. "Send it through," replied Obi-Wan.

A hologram of Senator Padmé Amidala appeared on the main projector. "Master Kenobi," she began, "I come before you with grave news; Duchess Satine has been kidnapped by the Death Watch movement."

Obi-Wan was surprised, despite having expected this to happen. If Mandalore was to rise again as warriors, they had to eliminate Satine. Obviously, she was their prime target.

Padmé continued, "We also believe that the Death Watch is working with bounty hunters. I was hoping you could go to the organization's base on the moon Concordia and find out what you can."

"Of course, Senator," replied Obi-Wan. "We will leave as soon as we can." They exchanged bows and the transmission ended.

Anakin chuckled with anticipation. Normally, he would try to talk his way out of these types of missions, but he didn't want to miss a chance to see Obi-Wan and Satine together.

When Obi-Wan was a Padawan, he spent a year with Satine on Mandalore. During that time, they became close. Very close. However, Obi-Wan left her to perform his duties to the Jedi Order, which made Satine angry. Now the two are merely friends who often argue with one another for their opposing beliefs. Satine was a pacifist and detested war, while Obi-Wan spent most of his time fighting in one.

"Are you excited, Master?" asked Anakin playfully. "You get to see your old girlfriend again!"

Obi-Wan whirled to face Anakin with frustration. "She is not my…" He never brought himself to say the word he meant to say, but interrupted himself. "I am far from excited, Anakin. This is a very dangerous mission. Any wrong move could prove fatal."

Anakin, still smiling, replied, "Of course, Master. I'll go prep a shuttle with a private chamber for the love birds."

As he left, he heard Obi-Wan following him and yelling, "That's not funny Anakin! I have absolutely no intentions of the sort! Satine and I are friends, and nothing more! Period!"


Concordia was one of the two moons orbiting Mandalore. It was covered in dense forests and had been settled by the Mandalorians as an agricultural colony. However, the colonists soon established hundreds of mines to extract a precious metal native to the moon - precious for its resistance to lightsabers. This process nearly destroyed all of the forests, though they began to grow back after the mines were abandoned.

As part of Duchess Satine's New Mandalore regime, anyone who was still devoted to the planet's warrior ways was banished to Concordia, where they would eventually die out. But they didn't. These people established a new civilization, and created a society of warriors known as Death Watch.

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker approached the moon in an Eta-class Jedi shuttle. They knew that if they landed too close to the Death Watch headquarters, they would be detected and their ship destroyed. Their only hope was to land in the middle of the nearest forest and approach on foot.

Landing was only the easy part. Getting into the Death Watch base undetected would be harder. And rescuing Satine would be harder still. The two Jedi walked through the forest and across the landscape until they reached the edge of a cliff. By then, the sun was beginning to set.

"Well, now what?" asked Anakin.

"The Death Watch is concentrated in a mine at the bottom of this quarry," replied Obi-Wan. He took out a pair of binoculars and observed the base. There were several curved-roofed buildings and Mandalorian shuttles and fighters at the bottom of the quarry. Each was surrounded by warriors wearing vaguely familiar Mandalorian armor.

"How do we get in?" asked Anakin.

"There's no way we'll be able to go straight down without being spotted. We can access the base through the underground mines. There should be an entrance at the base of the mountain." Obi-Wan gestured to a mountain that bordered the opposite side of the quarry. It was a long way off.

Anakin sighed upon seeing the amount of energy they would use. "Well, we better get going." He began to walk towards the mountain, Obi-Wan in tow.


By the time the two Jedi found the entrance to the mine, it was already night time. At this hour, there wasn't much chance of being seen, but they still had to watch for guards. The entrance was a small door built into the side of the mountain. Beyond that door was a dark, narrow hallway that led into the main operations room.

This giant chamber housed several large contraptions used to break down rocks and extract the metal they contained. Obi-Wan was vaguely reminded of how he was almost broken down by the same machines, and then saved by Satine.

Then the Jedi entered a similar room, although this one was in full operation, and was producing pieces of Mandalorian armor. In the center of the room, a control center was suspended on scaffolding so that it towered over the assembly line. There were two Mandalorian soldiers at the control center operating the machines.

"Maybe if we hurry, they won't see us," whispered Anakin. He began to move forward but Obi-Wan put a hand on his shoulder to discourage him.

"These warriors have been too well-trained. We need some kind of diversion to draw their attention away from us while we make for the door."

Anakin scoffed. "If they're so well-trained, what makes you think that will work?"

"You don't actually want to fight them!"

"Who said I did? I'm just saying that we need to get through without disturbing the base. If we create a diversion, they'll know something's wrong!"

Obi-Wan sighed. "Very well. We'll use a Jedi mind trick on them to make them not notice us. You take the one on the left."

Anakin groaned in disappointment. "Fine." At the same time, the two Jedi reached out with the Force to touch the minds of the two warriors.

It worked! The soldiers both turned to face the opposite wall in response to a metallic clanging noise that wasn't real. Obi-Wan ran towards the door to the next room and Anakin followed.

"Hey, you!" Several shots hit the wall around the Jedi. They were coming from the control center!

As soon as they were safely in the next room, Obi-Wan locked the door. "Well, that didn't go as planned."

"Yeah," panted Anakin, "Great idea, Master." Then he began to walk away.

Obi-Wan protested to Anakin's back. "It's not my fault! Mind tricks only work on the weak-minded. How was I supposed to know these two were stronger?"

"Now thanks to you, the whole base knows we're here!"

"Would it have been any different if we had done it your way?"


Pre Viszla stood in the Death Watch headquarters' control building. Darth Sidious had warned him that the Jedi would try to rescue his prisoners, and Viszla was convinced that he needed to guard them more closely. He also needed to set up security measures to prevent the Jedi from entering the base.

He was too late. A controller announced that two Jedi had been spotted in the mine and were making their way towards the base.

"Round up several of our best warriors!" Viszla ordered. "I'll need help if I'm going to stop these Jedi."


Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi had to move more stealthily to avoid running into more Death Watch troops. It wasn't easy, for the entire base had been alerted to the Jedi's presence, and Mandalorian soldiers were running about searching for them.

After running and hiding through many more rooms, they found their way into the main compound. Except there was a ray shield blocking the door. They were trapped!

"This is the only way into the compound," observed Obi-Wan.

"Then how do we get in?" asked Anakin.

"I thought improvisation was your specialty."

Then they heard footsteps echo through the passage. "Here's an idea; hide!" Anakin leaped up into the rafters that supported the ceiling. Obi-Wan followed.

They weren't a moment too soon. Two Mandalorian guards rounded the corner and walked down the hall. One of them said to the other, "If the governor knew two Jedi were coming, why didn't he heighten the security?"

"The measures he was instructed to place will take a while to set up," replied his partner. "Leave it to a Sith Lord to ask the impossible."

Anakin and Obi-Wan looked at each other with surprise at the mention of the word "Sith."

"He has so many other bounty hunters working for him; why couldn't he assign some of them to help us?"

"I know, right? Personally, I think that Fett kid would make a good warrior. If he had been assigned to come with us, we could train him well."

"Poor kid. Being sent to run errands with a Rodian."

Their conversation was interrupted when one of the soldiers' communicator beeped. He took it and pressed a button and a hologram of another person in Mandalorian armor sprang up. Obi-Wan recognized the warrior as Pre Viszla. He was the only Death Watch soldier to wear a cape over his armor.

"I want both of you to go to the south wing," Viszla ordered.

"We just patrolled that area," replied the soldier holding the holoprojector.

"It's you turn to guard the prisoners." With that, the hologram disappeared.

The two warriors began to walk back down the hallway. Once they were gone, the Jedi jumped down from their hiding place. They were stunned by what they had heard.

"So Death Watch has been working with bounty hunters," said Anakin.

"And they were hired by a Sith Lord," added Obi-Wan.

"Sounds like Count Dooku is behind this."

"Yes, and Dooku has sent Boba Fett on a mission."

"I think we're up against something worse than Death Watch," hypothesized Anakin.

"We'd better go back to the ship and contact Senator Amidala." Obi-Wan began to retrace his steps through the complex with Anakin behind him.


Escaping the Death Watch base was harder than it was getting into it. Now Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi had to try to remember the way through the mine tunnels while avoiding Mandalorian soldiers, who were now guarding all exits in an attempt to catch the Jedi.

They finally found their way back to the entrance they had used to get in, but there were four soldiers with a blaster turret by the tunnel and another two with sniper rifles on the control tower.

"Well," asked Anakin, "Do you want to use mind tricks on them, or should we try to fight this time?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "Someday, you're going to be wrong. And I just hope I'm there to see it."

Sensing what each other was thinking they used the Force to break the metal beams holding up the control tower. To the soldiers, there was a terrible screeching sound, then the floor disappeared, and they fell through the air for two terrifying seconds. Then there was nothing.

The four remaining soldiers realized that there was danger nearby. Three of them held their blasters ready and the fourth took the turret controls. Then the two Jedi leapt from their hiding place, lightsabers in hand. At the sight of the intruders, the soldiers opened fire.

Anakin and Obi-Wan used their weapons to deflect the blaster bolts, but the soldiers were good at dodging blasterfire. Also, the turret's shots were too big for the lightsabers to deflect. The Jedi moved this way and that to catch the shots with their blades.

One soldier holstered his blaster and pulled out a knife. Then he activated his jetpack to soar up into the air and bring his knife down on Anakin, who jumped out of the way. With a swing of his lightsaber, he sliced off the blade of the knife, and then swung at the soldier's head. But the soldier ducked and punched Anakin in the stomach and knocked the weapon out of his hand.

Now they were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. They punched and kicked and blocked. Once, the soldier threw a punch at Anakin, who responded by grabbing the fist and pulling the warrior over his shoulder so that he landed on the floor behind him. As soon as Anakin whirled around, he received a hard kick to the groin.

As he groaned with pain, the soldier lunged at Anakin and wrestled him to the floor. As the soldier pounded on Anakin's chest, the Jedi saw that the soldier's jetpack was pointed at the turret that Obi-Wan was struggling to avoid. Using what strength he could muster, Anakin summoned a metal pipe from the destroyed scaffolding and swung it at the jetpack.

The jets burst to life and the soldier screamed as he was propelled at the turret. He hit his head hard and was knocked into unconsciousness. At the same time, the jetpack was triggered and fired a rocket. The turret, and its operator, vanished in a ball of fire.

"That's two!" said Anakin as he recovered his lightsaber and rejoined Obi-Wan.

"About time you got here!" commented Obi-Wan. "I could've used your help a few minutes ago."

"Really?" asked Anakin. "I should be saying the same to you!"

The two remaining warriors continued to fire at the Jedi, but they knew it was easier to defend against two than it was four. One of the soldiers gave a series of hand motions to the other, who responded with a nod. Then they activated their wrist-mounted flamethrowers, sending two streams of fire at the Jedi.

Anakin yelled "Look out!" and dived out of the way. He barely dodged the flames in time; the corner of his Jedi cloak had caught fire. As he rolled over the fire to put it out, he noticed that Obi-Wan was standing with his hands stretched in front of him, using the Force to divert the fire.

But the soldiers continued firing until the flames would be too big for the Jedi. But before that point could come, the flames Obi-Wan was diverting hit the walls of the tunnel, setting them ablaze.

The warriors stopped firing and ran through the flames so they were on the side of the tunnel leading to the base, while Anakin and Obi-Wan darted through to the exit. The Force gave them enough speed to make it safely through, but the soldiers weren't quick enough and were set completely aflame.

The Jedi ran as fast as they could away from the mountain and towards their ship.


Pre Viszla hadn't been so angry in a long time. But as he watched the four poor soldiers being carried away from the burning tunnel, he was so furious that he had shot the soldier that had been merely knocked unconscious.

"This is impossible. Two Jedi break in and escape without harm done to them, and they nearly destroy one of our mining rooms and incinerate four brave warriors!"

"Should we go after them, sir?" asked a sergeant. "I can have a full squad of assassins with speeders and sniper rifles ready in a few minutes."

"No," replied Viszla. "The Jedi will come back. They came to rescue the prisoners, which they failed to do. We need to be ready when they come back. In the meantime, I'll have a little talk with our Sith friend."

Viszla left the room and headed for the communications center. He thought long and hard what he would say. Any wrong words could be fatal for him. He walked to the computer console and typed in the prescribed frequency.

A hologram of Darth Sidious popped up. "Governer Viszla, have the Jedi arrived?"

Viszla hesitated a second. "Yes. The Jedi were here, but they escaped without the prisoners. We are heightening security and setting traps as we speak. When they come back, we'll be ready for them."

A frown was visible under Sidious' hood. "If the Duchess escapes, she will crush your rebellion and continue to be a symbol of peace for the people of Mandalore. In order to bring Mandalore back to its military state, the Duchess must fall."

Viszla wasn't sure he heard right. "I thought we were holding her as leverage against the Mandalorian government. You want me to execute her?"

"Soon, my friend. If the Jedi escape again, you may do what you must."


Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi made it back to their shuttle safely, and no Death Watch troops had tracked them. As soon as they were inside, the both slumped back into their chairs, panting heavily. "That was too close," commented Anakin.

"Isn't it always?" asked Obi-Wan.

"I still can't believe we have to go back for Satine and her brother. Any ideas on how to do that?"

Obi-Wan replied, "No. Do you? The only thing I can think of right now is reporting our progress." He used the holotransmitter to contact Padmé Amidala. He began to describe everything they heard. "Count Dooku has hired Death Watch and several bounty hunters to kidnap Duchess Satine. While the Death Watch is here on Concordia guarding the Duchess, the other bounty hunters have all been sent on different missions."

"Dooku!" repeated Padmé. "This is not good. These bounty hunters can tear the galaxy apart. Do you know who they are or where they're going?"

"All we know is that Boba Fett is on some sort of errand."

"We'll contact our spies. If they see Fett or his ship, they'll let us know. Perhaps if we capture him, we can interrogate him. He may reveal to us what we need to know."

"Thank you, Senator. We will contact you when we rescue the Duchess."

"The Republic is depending on you, Master Kenobi. We must not fail."

The transmission ended, and the Jedi were left to prepare for their dangerous task.