Their interceptors slipped out of hyperspace at the very edge of the Utapau system, near the poisoned world of Flauss situated on the opposite end of the system from their target planet. As usual, Anakin arrived first with Obi-Wan arriving moments later. As per their plan, the assault force was situated several hyperspace lanes away, just close enough to hit the enemy in surprise but far enough to give Anakin, Obi-Wan and the Jedi strike team room to breath for the other objective.

Anakin misliked deceiving Cody as did Obi-Wan but the situation was what it was and even his Master seemed to visibly relax being away from the Vigilance. When a man who disliked flying as much as Obi-Wan did, preferred it to staying anywhere else, it spoke volumes. So, they played things as one would expect: Anakin being reckless and Obi-Wan trying to reign him in with a fair few jabs thrown at who owed who for which save. It was almost fun enough to make them both forget how much had changed.

"Artoo," He called out to the astromech, breaking radio silence. "What're you picking from the welcoming committee?"

His domed head swirled inside the vacuum of space while a series of chirps and beeps resounded via the interceptor's internal communications systems. As far as Artoo could tell from his short and long-range scanners, nothing at all was out of the ordinary. No one was moving to attack them, no one was there period. Nothing one could see with conventional means anyhow.

"Time to see if my latest scheme'll work out," Anakin sighed, relaxing his whole body inside the familiar and welcoming interior of the starfighter.

"Trust in the Force, my friend, and it shall provide the answers."

Anakin accepted the advice, nodding across the vacuum at Obi-Wan who sent an encouraging smile his way. With another relaxing exhale, he remembered the lessons with Master Yoda and Master Tii and reached out into the Force. It began slowly, extending past the immediate vicinity of himself and Obi-Wan, past the void of space, past the poisoned ruin that was Flauss, zipping past stars with hyperspace-like speed...The difference between doing it there and on Coruscant was striking enough to make him reflexively gasp.

The dark side was far less potent here, its miasma almost completely situated around the deepest depths of Utapau. Everything else was impossibly clear. Anakin could almost breathe in the toxic fumes of Flauss beneath them, hovering in the atmosphere. He could feel the lava heat on his skin from the rivers of Taktos searing across the entire surface. He could hear the indigenous bird creatures of Unistros call out to him as though he were mere inches away instead of an entire system. Even the chilling void of space, which he never feared, showcased a form of cool energy all on its own, a welcoming sensation keeping his senses from being overwhelmed from too many things at once.

Was this how the Force once felt, before the return of the Sith? During the height of the Republic's long gone golden age? Was this the universe Obi-Wan and countless other Jedi of his generation once enjoyed and was robbed from them? A universe Anakin's and those even younger never fully experienced? No, no it was there, scattered about but present. Anakin had simply never felt the need to reach out this far. It cast a melancholy shadow on an otherwise fantastic experience.

But this too he let slip out into the Force, along with his distracting thoughts and feelings. There would be enough time to enjoy sensations like this when the war was won and the Force was hopefully put to balance again. Narrowing focus on Utapau itself first, Anakin circumnavigated past the faint disturbances of the dark side there. Though their minds were alien to his own, Master Yoda said there were certain sensations in the Force shared by all, detectable and discernible by any Jedi skilled enough to find them. Fear was one, along with happiness, worry, excitement,... The native species of Utapau were sorely deadlocked in the negative spectrum.

As Anakin searched further inside the depths of their mountainous sinkholes, he encountered sensations from the wildlife there as well. Near the bottom of one particular sinkhole, Anakin sensed a pulsating, mutilated sensation of constant anger permeating from the depths of the planet like a beacon. He'd sensed it days ago when it was mere inches away from his body.

"Grievous is down there," Anakin said in a cool, detached voice.

"And Dooku?"

"... I don't see him, not like I did when they attacked Coruscant."

"He's either not there..."

Or Sidious sensed my heightened Force perceptions back home and told his apprentice to keep a low profile, Anakin thought, trying in-vain to sense any kind sign for the Count. Dooku was there on the planet, faint traces of his Force signature lingered in the air the same way exhaust from a waste disposal plant poisoned the air. But it was faint... like the paw print of an animal a few days old.

"What of Gunray and the Separatist Council?"

"They're not on Utapau," Anakin removed himself from that planet upon another, closer examination. "They would've stuck out like Grievous amidst the native populace."

With the same precise focus, he diverted his Force focus onto every single other planet, zeroing in on whatever or whoever was located on them. A process made quite a bit easier than he feared it would be thanks to several factors. The first was the Utapau system itself, most of it was uninhabited by any life whatsoever such as Taktos or Flaus. The only signature from there belonged to the natural occurrences on their surfaces. The second was how droids stuck out admist the other energies of the Force. They didn't exist in it, not like most other things or people. On the various moons littering the star system, Anakin felt how they stuck out from everything around them. Like stones interrupting a river. Yet, even within these disturbances in the universe's flow, there was life, alien life forms completely distinct from anything else on the system. A very mixed group of them in-particular hid on what appeared to be a small, emergency escape vessel parked on one of the moons of Barbilly.

Anakin couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. "They're on the farthest most moon on Barbilly."

"Alone?"

"So it would seem, it looks like Grievous or Dooku or Sidious," Or Palpatine, he silently added. "Are prioritizing them getting away while the rest of us are busy fighting."

"Can't have that."

"Certainly not," Anakin turned the engines back on, coordinates set for Utapau. The green-brown world grew with their approach, Anakin letting his pure flight instincts do the driving while his Force perceptions kept looking for Dooku. As a pure military and political necessity, the Count being absent didn't matter. With Grievous dead and the Separatist Council captured, even he couldn't hope to hold it all together, the war would be won. As far as ordinary people were concerned but for a Jedi, having a Sith Lord still out there was a greater threat than ten thousand confederacies, especially one like Dooku.

Anakin kept proding through the Force, sometimes with more of his own will commanding the search but more often allowing the Force itself to lead him to where he wanted to go. Neither method gave him the answer he wanted: Dooku wasn't there and it took at least three calming breaths for his jaw to unclench itself at the thought of him slithering about somewhere else while they were here. It helped that he could practically feel Obi-Wan's jaw clench when the turbulence started banging them inside their cockpits. The hyperwinds of Utapau lived up to their reputation, transforming the entire surface into a blasted, uninhabitable rock that would've made Tatooine look accomodating.

Even the upper levels of the sinkhole city weren't completely protected, with semihurricanes necessitating massive wind turbines nearly as blasted as the surface of the planet to redirect the worst of their effects away. Midway through the city, the turbulence finally stopped and so did their descent ontop of a large but busy landing pad. Before their starfighters even touched down, Anakin already sensed the presence of creatures moving toward them.

The first group was a pack of chubby, brown-skinned creatures with big, black eyes and large oblong heads wearing engineering equipment and carrying ship maintenance tools Anakin recognized them immediately. These were the Utai, a species who didn't care for administration or politics and willingly took up the social position of manual labor within Utapau's society. Behind this group, at a slower pace, approached Pau'an clad in black and red robes, a staff whose black eyes glistened in the sun outside.

"Seems we're expected," Obi-Wan commented, opening his cockpit up.

"Mhm." Anakin decided to let his Master take the lead there while he kept a very close eye on their starfighters. The Utai didn't seem treacherous from what he could tell but there were alien species out there whose minds were difficult to discern, even for a Jedi. "You know what to do if they try something Artoo."

The astromech beeped affirmatively, swiveling his dome in the direction of the nearest Utai.

"Greetings, Master Jedi," The Pau'an spoke with a heavy accent. "I am Tion Medon, master of port administration on this peaceful world. What, may I ask, brings you to us?"

"Greetings, Master Medon," Obi-Wan bowed. "I will be blunt, for our time is short: we are here because of the war."

"There is no war here unless you've brought it with you."

The pulsating fear radiating from Medon was almost like standing inches away from a starfighter jet. Though his face, body and even voice were the picture-perfect examples of serenity, on the inside he was almost shivering from terror. For himself, for his people and what the Jedi arrival would mean for both of them. Deciding that Artoo had their starfighters covered, Anakin stepped a few inches closer to Medon.

"We're here to help," Anakin said in a calming voice, waving a hand and trying to ease the administrator's worries. "You don't have to tell us where he is, we already know. Please, go find someplace safe and hide, warn the rest of your citizens to do the same. For those who want to fight, tell them to wait, we'll be getting back up soon enough. They'll know it when they see it."

The effect on Medon wasn't immediate but it was potent. The nearly palpable fear diminished to a sensible worry and the towering being seemed to shrink right in front of them as some of his burdens eased away.

"I will... Do as you instruct, Master Jedi. May the Gods watch over you in the times to come."

Anakin and Obi-Wan accepted this with silent, polite nods, observing Medon fade away back deeper into the current level of the city. The Utai followed suit, excitedly talking to one another, no doubt impressed by the starfighters.

"Well done," Obi-Wan's hand rested on Anakin's left shoulder.

"A little peace of mind never hurt anyone," Returning to their ships, Artoo beeped and chirped, saying the Utai only did some basic check-up and maintenance work. Though one did try to prod a little more than necessary next to the fuel cells a quick ignition of them made him back off.

Anakin laughed. "Good work, pal. Now," He leaned closer, voice dropping to almost a whisper. "Remember what we talked about on the trip over here? Now's the time to do it."

"That goes for you as well, Geenine," Obi-Wan spoke to the astromech droid inside his interceptor. "Follow absolutely everything Artoo instructs to the letter, am I understood?"

Both astromechs gave affirmative chirps and beeps. Artoo had been fully briefed on the situation all the way back in the innermost sections of the Temple where no one could possibly find out. Some of the Council voiced doubt about his capabilities but Anakin and surprisingly enough, even Obi-Wan, vouched for the astromechs skills, cunning and most importantly, his discretion. The only way Artoo would ever reveal a secret is if you broke his legs and sliced into him for a month, either one is far easier said than done. Geenine was picked up in the Temple as well, extensively checked by Anakin and Artoo both and programmed with certain behavioral modifiers, such subservience to Artoo's directives.

With their orders given, the droids fired up both ships and slowly lifted themselves off the landing bay. Anakin and Obi-Wan watched them rise higher and higher until their shapes disappeared into the searing, brown hyperwinds devouring the uppermost section of the city. Then even the sounds of their engines vanished amidst this noise. It was just the Team left, for now.

"Shall we?" Obi-Wan asked, breaking the silence.

Anakin waved an open hand towards the edge of the landing bay. "After you, Master."

Stepping closer to it, Obi-Wan took out a pair of electrobinoculars and aimed it towards the level Anakin pointed out to him. The tenth or so of the city where one could, even from several levels high above, notice grey and black spheroid shapes along with several spires matching their appearance jutting out from the rocks. Droid control antennas.

While his teacher observed them that way, Anakin reached into the Force once again and attempted to sense out anymore surprises potentially waiting for them down there, zipping past the fears, anxieties but also a fresh rush of renewed hope from the occupied populace. Grievous radiated as always, standing as still as a statue. There was absolutely nothing else alive there with him, not the natives, Separatist leaders or a Sith Lord. What he could perceive were dozens upon dozens more blockages in Grievous' nearby vicinity, the place was teeming with battle droids, a small army's worth.

"Still no sign of our dear friend the Count?"

"No, but Grievous isn't lacking for company down there."

"Company that may prove troublesome should they decide to intervene in our duel."

"True," Anakin admitted, fighting Grievous alone or with the MagnaGuard would be a challenge but something they could do deal with. Having hundreds of blaster bolts buzzing around at the same time though... "But, if we put enough of a good show for the General-"

"And we most certainly will."

"He'll do something stupid like give us an actual fighting chance just so he can kill us personally."

"Well then," Obi-Wan said nonchalantly, putting the binoculars back into his belt. "Let's not keep him waiting."

Anakin was about to point out they lacked the means to do that with no starfighter or any other means of transportation around. The words never came out, for a bellowing series of cries cut through the wind noise made them both halt in their tracks.

"Suubatars...?" Obi-Wan said, taking point.

"The creatures from Ansion...?" Anakin asked, mind whirling past the three years of war to a simpler time when the biggest worry he had was not disappointing his Master. It was one of their last missions before the entire galaxy was thrown into chaos but in hindsight, a precursor to the splintering of the Republic that was to come.

"Not precisely, though I have a feeling their Utapauan equivalent will prove no less useful," Obi-Wan sent an amused glance Anakin's way. "Assuming you're up for a living mount."

"We all must do things we dislike Master in these trying times," Anakin looked at him the same way. "Such as flying."

Banter aside, they both knew the truth behind Obi-Wan's words, Anakin intensely disliked using living mounts. Anything with a mind of its own put him on edge, particularly in situations such as these where they'd be traversing stories worth of sinkhole city. Obi-Wan once said a machine didn't care whether or not it or its master crashed. Anakin retorted they did what they were told at all times.

They left the landing pad behind, moving into the shadows of hallways carved into the sandstone, the only source of illumination coming from lamp rods dangling overhead, casting a yellow hue over everything. Eventually, the single line hallway opened up into a circularly carved room of substantial proportions, big enough to fit five or six interceptors inside. The room consisted of two levels, an upper one with a balcony overseeing an arena like lower level via a series of ramps connecting the two.

In this arena, though a pen was a better name for it, were a dozen large, reptile quadrupeds. With large, beaked faces, scaly bodies stretching out to fifteen meters and four meters in height, they looked like some distant cousin of Tatooine's krayt dragons. What took away from their imposing first impressions was the calm, even lazy for some way they squatted or laid about the pen, allowing Utai wranglers to wash them down, offer them food,...

Descending down the ramp, Obi-Wan approached the nearest wrangler and gestured, reaching out through the Force. "My friend and I require transportation."

The Utai's bulging eyes stared at him, growing wider and glossier until he nodded. Obi-Wan sent another suggestion his way. "If you would be so kind as to give us two saddles."

Following another nod, the wrangler left for a saddle rack away from the dragonmounts. While they waited, the two Jedi walked closer amongst the creatures. Obi-Wan looked at them with more interest than Anakin, passing by several green, brown and orange ones before stopping at one who didn't shy away from his touch or tried to overly endear itself by drawing attention to itself. The creature had a calm, intelligent look in its eyes and accepted a sheaf of grass from a nearby bin with no qualms.

Anakin, meanwhile, heard the rumbling noise of an orange mount just to his right. While it appeared lazy, sprawled out on its belly, arms stretched wide, the yellow eyes looking at him showed interest and... challenge? Peering out into the Force, he remembered sensing the sensation of the creatures through the Force and this one was certainly shining brighter than the rest. He stood half a meter taller than Obi-Wan's mount and was far more pig-headed.

Instead of being annoyed by this, however, Anakin found himself more drawn to the creature, staring back at it without even the tiniest shred of fear or hesitation. The mount snorted and following a quick stretch, rose to full height, towering over Anakin, each stomp of his feet reverberating across the cavern. The other nearby mounts reflexively moved away from him. Then, the creature leaned its face mere inches away from Anakin's, the rumbling in its throat louder and its interest intensified.

Anakin did not move or say anything, he merely stood before the dragon and felt perfectly at ease. Soon enough, the orange mount let out a loud huff and moved again, showing Anakin his side and sitting gently on the rocky floor. With his living hand, Anakin gently stroked the creatures surprisingly soft skin hiding a body build by years of climbing vast, incredibly dangerous sinkholes.

"You've got attitude," He smirked, patting the dragon's belly. "But so do I."

The Utai shuffled over to them, stopping to stare at Anakin and the mount, his surprise apparent through the Force. Evidently this one really was a troublemaker. With their saddles placed, they took the reigns of the creatures. Obi-Wan and his executed it as though they'd been partners for years. Anakin, meanwhile, had to stop a moment and adjust but he wasn't alone, the mount seemed just as surprised to be equally unadjusted to this situation. Instead of fighting back against him, Anakin merely slipped deeper into the Force, letting his own relaxation affect the mount. Eventually, his muscles relaxed imperceptibly and the loud huffing eased to a gentle breathing pattern.

"Boga," The Utai said, pointing at his Master's mount. For Anakin's, he said "Dobu."

"Thank you very much," Obi-Wan smiled, nodding at the Utai. "My companion and I cannot offer you monetary compensation would do solemnly vow to free your world from tyranny."

"I don't think he understands."

The Utai's head tilt to the side and confused, almost bug-like star confirmed as much.

"Ah yes, quite right, well..." Without another word the wrangler wouldn't have understood anyway, Obi-Wan gently nudged Boga forward and the dragonmount honked, rising on two legs before taking off like a green blur. Not to be outdone, Anakin's own charged after her in a rush that would've been the envy of a speeder, if speeders could feel envy anyway.

In a matter of moments, the dimly lit cavern gave away to open, clear sky, along with a fantastic view of the almost bottomless looking pit underneath. In a single bound, both dragons leaped across from the exit all the way to an adjacent, metal balcony and without losing a moment's stride, kept leaping on and on the way down. With the same practiced ease a Jedi Knight wields a saber, the creatures skillfully and easily jumped down from level to level, never over or under exerting themselves. Claws easily ripping into stone or even steel and their heads whipping this way and that with perfect situational awareness. What was impressive about the ride down, besides the thrill of leaping across such a vast chasm and the wind whipping in his face was how Anakin didn't need to do anything at all. Neither did Obi-Wan. Without warnings or prompts or commands, the mounts simply knew what their ridders wanted and the best way to get there.

This free ride also gave him a chance to further examine the city and to truly feel how deserted much of it was becoming. Medon had heeded their advice well, sources of fear and worry vanished further away from the countless balconies and landing pads across the city. The beings who were staying to fight did so with a tangible desire for revenge fueled by a sense of hope. Sobering up from the rush, Anakin silently vowed to make sure their hopes weren't misplaced just as Boga and Dobu jumped and landed like phantoms into the archway of level ten. Just above where Grievous was.

With equally surprising and skillful grace, the dragon mounts gently traversed the length of the archway, their massive frames producing no noise at all against the durasteel their claws banged against. Eventually, the archway began to split open, revealing a towering hall underneath. A hall filled to the brim with every single battle droid ever produced by the Confederacy, all of them making a very poor show of not waiting for, say, two Jedi to drop at any moment.

Seven figures stood out amongst them, Grievous and six of his MagnaGuard, looking out at a docking bay in front of them. With a deep breath, Anakin made one last effort to find Dooku, hoping that their vicinity might provoke a reaction from the Count. During their duel on Geonosis, the ex-Master of Qui-Gon seemed immovable, his demeanor never giving way to panic or even anger. But on the Invisible Hand, Anakin and Obi-Wan both saw Dooku could be intimidated and shaken like any other man and having the people responsible for that humiliation might make him shake again. That was the logic Anakin kept in-mind with every search. Again, nothing.

"Well then, we shall see if it is so," Obi-Wan commented, no doubt taking the slight grimace on Anakin's face for an answer. "No sense in keeping them waiting for much longer."

"Right," Anakin dismounted along with him, casting aside his longer Jedi robes. But before they turned this place into a free-fire zone, they had one more thing to do. Looking back at the dragons, Anakin found Dobu looking at him again, head held high but not out of challenge, just a quiet acceptance that they were parting ways. It was eerily familiar to a Jedi. Obi-Wan took a more personal approach with Boga, gently rubbing her beak and whispering for her to leave.

Moving away from the creatures, Anakin and Obi-Wan moved to the edge of the archway, lightsabers in both hands and bodies ready for battle. They did not say anything to one another, merely letting the calming effect of immersion in the Force and each other's presence washer over them. It reminded Anakin of being back on Coruscant with his family the night before.

With a glance and nod to each other, the two friends leaped from the archway and landed in an almost glide gently onto the floor. None of the droids so much as glanced in their direction. At that moment, Anakin sensed something else from his old teacher, a wry bit of amusement at the tip of his tongue. With a nod, he told Obi-Wan to go for it.

"Hello there."