Chapter 7: The Day The Republic Died, Part 1
Anakin stepped out of the doorway onto the landing platform; the early morning air was cool and damp, and he took a deep breath as he looked out at the thick fog that hung over the city as the first sun's rays began to break over the horizon.
The tops of the tallest buildings could be seen, jutting through the thick blanket of fog like a handful of a child's building blocks strewn across a thick blanket of snow. He looked up toward the dark purple sky, and watched as the sun's rays began to paint the bottom of the slow moving clouds a deep reddish-gold as the smaller of Coruscant's two suns began to slip into the morning sky.
He stood quietly, pulling his thick brown cloak tighter around him, as he stood in the cool morning air and listened to the sound of the city bustling below him. Coruscant was a city that never slept, at least not all at one time; at any time of the day or night, the city was bustling with activity, from the old, seedy lower levels to the shining new tops of the buildings and structures that rose high into the sky.
Coruscant was more like a living organism than a giant city; where most cities simply tore down old structures to make way for the new, the massive city planet simply added another layer on top of the old as it grew. Indeed, the city had covered all of the planet's inhabitable land mass several thousand years ago, and for the last twenty or so centuries, it had simply evolved upward into the sky, adding a new shining layer on the top as the older ones decayed below, closer to the planet's surface.
Anakin had been to the city's lower levels on several occasions, when he had been Obi-Wan's apprentice. Indeed, he remembered the last time he had been there, when he and his master had pursued Zam Wesel down through the planet's depths; it wasn't a place that most people wanted to go, and he was thankful that Padmé had never seen it, even during her terms as Senator.
He took another deep breath, as he looked out across the foggy city; he remembered when he used to relish these trips to the massive city planet. Now though, even with all of its brilliant lights and splendor, he found the city to be cold and empty, when he compared it to his green, peaceful home with Padmé on Naboo.
Yet with all of its teaming life and billions of inhabitants, the living Force was so much harder to sense here, even for him. Anakin had grown so used to its presence at home that now, as he closed his eyes and reached into the Force, he felt as though he were sensing its presence through a thick blanket of fog, just like the one that hung over the city on this cool autumn morning. He reached up and pulled his hood a little farther up over his head, as he felt the cool damp air on his ears; it was no wonder, he thought to himself, that the Council hadn't been able to sense what he had about Chancellor Palpatine, if their ability to sense the Force's guidance here was a clouded as his felt now.
Anakin looked up from his thoughts, as he heard the ship's thrusters approaching the platform from the distance. He watched as the large, silver cruiser emerged from the cloud bank and swept up over the side of the building, firing its landing thrusters and settling slowly onto the landing pad in front of him.
Anakin walked quickly across the platform toward the ship, as it's side access door opened and dropped to the platform with a muffled thud. He looked up as he walked, and smiled as he saw Master Yoda step into the doorway, placing his small hands on his cane and watching him as he approached the ship.
"Good morning, young Skywalker," Yoda said pleasantly, as Anakin took hold of the ramp's railing and pulled himself up into the ship. "Slept well, I trust you did, hmmm?"
"Good morning, Master," Anakin nodded, as he stepped up into the cockpit and tossed his hood back onto his shoulders. "I did indeed, once I finally fell asleep," he said. He turned and watched as Yoda pressed the button on the side of the doorway, and then turned toward the clone pilot who sat in the ship's main console.
"Ready we are, captain," Yoda said with a nod as the ship's door sealed itself shut and the cabin pressurized itself with a rush of air. "Depart we may, as soon as you are ready."
"Yes, Master Yoda," the pilot replied with a nod, and then he turned his gaze back to the controls, and Anakin looked out of the front window as the thrusters fired and they lifted slowly off the damp platform, the engines kicking up whirling clouds of moisture as they rose into the air.
Anakin slipped his cloak off of his shoulders as Yoda walked toward him and took a seat on the bench across from him. "How did you sleep, Master?" Anakin asked, as Yoda watched him fold his cloak neatly and lay it on the bench, and then take a seat directly across from him.
"Not as well, I fear, as I would have liked," Yoda sighed, "but well enough, nonetheless." Yoda turned and motioned toward the small cabinet that separated the two benches where they sat, just beneath the window to Anakin's left. "Food and drink, we have," Yoda said with a grin, "if hungry you are."
"As a matter of fact," Anakin nodded, as he stood up and walked to the cabinet, kneeling down in front of it and opening the door, inspecting its contents with rapturous lust, "I'm starving."
Yoda laughed under his breath, as he watched Anakin take a large carton of juice from the cabinet, along with several packages of breakfast pastries. "Remembered that about you, I did," he chuckled. "Always hungry, you were, Obi-Wan used to say," Yoda said, as he watched Anakin close the cabinet and return to his seat across from Yoda, placing the items in his hands on the small table between them.
"Padmé would agree with him, Master," Anakin grinned, as he opened the container of juice and took a long, thirsty swallow. "She likes to tease me about the fact that I'm always hungry," he said, as he placed the container back on the table and picked up one of the pastries and started to open it.
Yoda smiled as he watched Anakin take a large, hungry bite of the pastry and sigh, deeply. "She says," Anakin continued, his voice a bit muffled as he chewed, "that if our little ones eat like I do, we're going to have to take up farming to feed them."
Yoda laughed again, as he stood up and walked to the cabinet and inspected it for a moment himself, taking a small container of jil'andigo in his hand as he closed the cabinet and walked back to his seat.
"Uhhgh," Anakin said, as he recognized the dark, syrupy beverage in Yoda's hand as the Jedi Master took his seat again and looked back at Anakin with a puzzled smile. "How can you drink that stuff, Master?" Anakin said, wrinkling up his nose as he watched Yoda open the container and inhale the dark beverage deeply. "Obi-Wan likes it," he said, as Yoda grinned back at him, "but I never could accumulate a taste for it."
"Gave up too early, you did," Yoda chuckled, as he paused and took a long swig of the thick beverage. "Learned to drink it I did, on the planet where it is made, four hundred years ago," Yoda said, leaning back against the bench and watching Anakin as he shook his head in playful disgust and went back to his breakfast.
"Only three or four years it should take," Yoda grinned, "and relish it like I do, you would."
"That's okay, Master," Anakin laughed, as he waved his hand in front of his face and then swallowed another bite of his breakfast. "I think I'll just stick with my juice."
"Served you well, it seems to have," Yoda chuckled, as he watched Anakin open another pastry. "A strong, sizable fellow, you have become, from the small boy you used to be." Yoda paused, as he took another sip of his beverage. "Good at farming, I think you would be," he chuckled, "if correct your companion is."
Anakin smiled back at him and nodded his head as he chewed, and then he turned his attention to the ship's window beside them. He watched as the sky faded quickly from gray to black, the stars shining brightly around them as they made their way through the atmosphere into open space.
"It's been a long time since I've traveled this much," Anakin sighed, as he turned his attention back to Yoda. "How long will it take us to reach Kamino, Master?" he asked, as he watched Yoda turn and look out of the window as he took another sip of the beverage in his small hand.
"Five to six hours, I believe," Yoda said, turning to look back at Anakin. "But much we have to talk about," he nodded. "Pass quickly, I believe, the time will."
Anakin nodded his head, just as he heard the ship's star drive power up. They both turned and looked out of the window beside them, as the stars suddenly stretched and surged past them, as the pilot engaged the ship's hyperspace engines.
In a flash, the tiny ship disappeared into the blackness of space, carrying its occupants toward whatever destiny awaited them on the dark, watery world.
Obi-Wan walked, as quickly as he could, up the rocky slope of the crater's outer rim; the ejecta blanket was deep and powdery, and he looked down for a moment as he walked, watching the small clouds of rust colored powder that his boots kicked up with each step, as they sank deeply into the soft, powdery surface.
With any luck, he thought to himself, this stuff's only on the outer rim of these craters; it was slow going, and he turned and looked behind him for a moment as he neared the top of the crater, looking out over the rocky, barren landscape.
Utapau was an angry, barren world; the planets orbit around its large, yellow sun took it through a massive asteroid belt each solar year, and the results of this violent, unfortunate orbit were readily evident across the planet's surface. The rust colored landscape was covered with massive craters as far as the eye could see, stretching out toward the rocky, jagged horizon. There, the planet's features met with the orange-yellow sky, and he watched as huge clouds of pulverized dust whipped up from the barren landscape and swirled into the air, covering the landscape with a haze that shifted continually with the wind, as it swept over the rims of the craters and down into the shallow valleys between them.
He turned and watched for a moment, as the two detachments of clone troopers followed him up the rim of the crater. He stood quietly as he did, allowing himself to catch his breath, until he heard the familiar voice behind him.
"Master Kenobi," he heard the voice call, as he turned and looked up to the clone commander who crouched, about fifty meters from him, near the rim of the crater. "Hurry, sir," the commander called, as he motioned for Obi-Wan to join him. "I believe we've found something."
Obi-Wan covered the distance between them as quickly as he could, and then knelt beside the clone commander as he peered over the rim of the crater with his long-range glasses. "What is it, Commander Cody?" Obi-Wan asked, as he watched the helmeted clone commander lower his glasses and turn toward him.
"It would seem that Master Skywalker was correct, sir," Cody responded, handing the binoculars to Obi-Wan and gesturing toward the large columns of steam that jetted into the rust colored sky.
Obi-Wan looked through the binoculars, and swept them quickly down the columns of rising gas toward the base of the crater. He spun the small dial between the two optical pieces gently with his finger, drawing the image in tighter, as he focused on the large cavern near the bottom of the crater, just to the east of the four massive gas plumes.
He could see the four sentry droids who stood near the cavern's entrance. They stood quietly, two on either side of the massive stone tunnel that seemed to snake down into the planet's surface at the base of the crater. He swung the glasses toward the center of the crater again; he could see the massive ventilation shafts hewn into the crater's base, and he watched for a moment as the massive columns of steam and hot gas erupted violently from the vents into the sky above them.
"It would indeed, Commander," Obi-Wan said, as he watched the four sentry droids carefully for a long moment. "There's no doubt about it," he said, as Cody turned his gaze toward the crater below them. "There's definitely a droid factory down there somewhere."
"Remind me to give Anakin another pat on the back when I see him," Obi-Wan said, as he studied the sentries carefully. He swung the binoculars toward the edge of the crater, just behind the sentry droids and the entrance to the tunnel, and studied the sloping inner surface of the crater for a long moment.
"Only four sentries, as far as I can see," Obi-Wan said, as he studied the path down from the crater's rim directly above the tunnel. "They obviously aren't very worried about anyone coming to find them," he said thoughtfully, as he looked back at the four droids that stood motionless near the tunnel's entrance.
"I need to get in there, as quietly as possible, Commander," Obi-Wan said, as he handed the binoculars back to Cody as he turned and looked at him. "I'll take the long range transmitter with me," Obi-Wan said with a nod. "Keep the detachments down on the outer rim of the crater, and wait here until I signal you."
"Yes, sir," Commander Cody said with a nod, as he turned and picked up the small case beside him and handed it to Obi-Wan.
"I'll contact you just as soon as I can," Obi-Wan said, as he placed the strap on his shoulder and tucked the case under his arm. "Keep a low profile, and don't let those sentries see you."
"Be careful, sir," Commander Cody said with a nod, and he turned and watched as Obi-Wan took a few steps down the outside of the crater, and started to make his way along the crater's outer rim, trudging as quickly as he could through the soft powdery surface.
It took Obi-Wan nearly forty five minutes to traverse the distance to the back side of the massive crater's rim and make his descent down into it; he stopped for a moment to catch his breath, as he made his way down the steep, rocky inner surface, crouching behind a large boulder that jutted from the ground about a hundred meters from the tunnel's entrance.
He peered out from behind the boulder, and looked toward the edge of the tunnel's opening ahead of him. If he could keep from alerting the sentries, he though to himself, he should be able to catch them by surprise from above, and hopefully dispatch them, before they had a chance to alert anyone below the surface. He took the long-range transmitter from his shoulder, wrapping the strap securely around his left hand, as he reached down and drew his saber with his right. He stood up and started across the rocky surface toward the tunnel's entrance, moving as quickly and silently as the Force would allow him to.
He stopped, about five meters from the edge of the top of the tunnel's arch, and gently laid the transmitter on the ground; he took a few steps, as silently as possible, toward the rocky edge in front of him, and stopped just a few meters from the edge. He looked down at the rocky ground below him; it appeared to be about six or seven meters down to the surface, and he visualized the location of the four sentries as he stood silently for a long moment.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and inhaled deeply several times, allowing the Force to flow through him; he stood silently for a moment, and then, opening his eyes and reaching deeply into the Force, he leapt toward the edge and cartwheeled head over heals down toward the ground below him.
Obi-Wan's brilliant green saber blade blazed forth the instant that his boots touched the ground; he spun around quickly, bringing his blade up and into the first of the two sentry droids that stood to the left side of the arch. He spun on his heals, bringing his blade back around in a smooth, fluid motion, and watched as it sliced neatly through the second droid's mid section, sending it clattering the hard stone ground.
He turned quickly, just in time to see the other two droids level their weapons at him and begin to fire; he whirled his blade around, first left, then right, as he caught the first two laser blasts and deflected them back to the droids, catching both of them neatly between their electronic eyes. He brought his blade up, holding it tightly in front of him, its brilliant blade glowing and humming loudly, as he watched the two droids fall stiffly to the ground.
He looked around for a moment, watching the silent landscape around him for any trace of additional attackers; seeing none, he extinguished the blade of his weapon, and returned it quickly to his belt.
He turned back and looked up toward the top of the tunnel's entrance; reaching into the Force again, he quickly leapt back up to the top of the stone archway, running quickly and retrieving the small long-range transmitter that he had left there. He turned and ran back to the edge as he placed the transmitter on his shoulder and, holding it tightly to his side, he jumped back down to the ground below him.
Obi-Wan turned and looked up toward the lip of the crater where Commander Cody watched him silently, and he raised his hand and waved to him. He smiled, as he saw Cody stand up for a brief moment and wave back to him, and then crouch back down behind the crater's rim.
"Well," Obi-Wan said quietly to himself, as he started toward the tunnel's entrance, "You've made it this far. Let's hope the rest goes just as easily."
Commander Cody watched intently though the lenses of his long-range binoculars, as he watched Obi-Wan walk quickly toward the tunnel's entrance and then, pausing for just a moment, disappear into the darkness.
He turned around and took the small comlink from his belt, checking it one more time to ensure that it was on the correct frequency. He returned it to his belt, and then turned his attention toward his armor; he laid the binoculars down on the ground beside him, and gently brushed the fine, red dust from the bright white armor on his sleeve. His gloved fingers left long white tracks behind them, as the fine dust adhered in small clumps to his fingertips. He rubbed his fingertips together gently for a moment, watching as the dust dropped slowly the ground, and then picked up his binoculars that lay beside him. He raised them to his helmet again and watched in silence, as he waited patiently for Obi-Wan to contact him.
Obi-Wan peered out from behind the massive stone support column, and looked down into the large, circular command center below him. He watched, as the droids that sat at the control stations that ringed the outer rim of the chamber worked in silence, watching the myriad of displays and control readouts that circled the room.
He had wound his way through the long, winding tunnel for what seemed like an eternity; he had followed the sounds of the machinery in the factory to this large room where he now found himself, and with a little help from the Force, he had managed to gain access to a ledge that overlooked the command center and steel himself behind one of the large support pillars that arched up and over the center the roughly hewn chamber.
He looked out through the windows that looked out over the massive operation beyond them; he could see the enormous conveyors and machinery, very much like the factory that he and Anakin had encountered on Geonosis, and he could see the hundreds of battle droids that moved slowly along them in various stages of completion.
There was no longer any doubt, Obi-Wan thought to himself, that what the Council suspected was correct; the Separatists were definitely in the process of replenishing their forces. He needed to find General Grievous, and obtain whatever proof he could find, as quickly as he possibly could, and then destroy this operation before these new droids could be placed into service.
If Grievous is here, Obi-Wan thought to himself, he's most likely going to make it into this command center sooner or later. He leaned back silently into the shadows as he folded his arms across his chest and took a deep breath. Sooner would be better, he mused, shaking his head, as he watched the droids below him move quietly around the room, watching the operation that ran below them.
Obi-Wan watched the droids silently for nearly ten minutes, and he had begun to settle himself into a more comfortable position to prepare for a rather long wait, when he suddenly heard several long tones echo through the chamber below him. He looked down, curiously, and watched as one of the droids near the far wall turned and addressed the one that stood silently in front of the large windows looking out over the manufacturing facility.
"Sir," the droid's electronic, monotone voice said, as the droid near the window turned to face him, "We are receiving an urgent transmission for the General."
"Summon him to the command center at once," the droid responded with a nod, as he turned and looked back out at the operation below him.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, how lucky can you get? he thought to himself, as he leaned back into the shadows and watched as the droid pressed a button on the communications console beside him. "General Grievous," the droid's voice called over the loudspeaker, "please report to the command center at once."
Obi-Wan watched silently for a long moment, as he waited and watched the long tunnels that converged near the large command center below him. Suddenly, he heard the familiar, heavy footsteps, the same ones that he had heard onboard the Imperial Hand only a day earlier. He leaned forward from the shadows, just a bit, and watched as the familiar, dark grey cloak emerged from the shadows of the tunnel at the far end of the chamber and headed toward the command center.
Obi-Wan watched him as he walked; he was a fearsome looking man, or cyborg, or whatever he was, he thought to himself. He stood a full meter taller than Obi-Wan, and his powerful cybernetic legs echoed off the stone walls of the chamber as he walked. His faceless gray mask covered his alien face, just as his long, grey cloak covered his body, a frightening mixture of flesh and machine.
Obi-Wan leaned back into the shadows, as he watched Grievous enter the command center and walk toward the droid that stood near the window as it turned to face him. "What is it, Commander?" Grievous asked, his deep, muffled voice asked, as he stopped just short of the droid and placed his long, slender cybernetic fingers on his waist. Obi-Wan watched, as the General's cloak opened in front of him, and he watched with a growing sense of contempt as he watched the sabers that swung in the dim, red light at his waist.
Obi-Wan looked at them closely for a moment; he immediately recognized the unique, translucent handle of the one that hung near the General's right hand, and he began to sense a wave of anger growing inside of him.
He remembered when the young Jedi had shown it to him, only a month ago, just outside of the Council's chambers. Young Ardmak had been very proud of it, the very first saber he had created, and he remembered how proud Master Tin had looked when he had watched him congratulate young Ardmak on his accomplishment.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes for a moment; not now, not here, he thought to himself, as he struggled to stem the anger that he felt welling up inside of him. Rest assured, though, General, he thought, as he narrowed his eyes and watched the massive cyborg intently, I'll relieve you of that saber soon enough.
"We're receiving an urgent transmission, General," the droid's monotone voice exclaimed, gesturing toward the communications console at the far side of the command center. "Master Sidious wishes to speak with you immediately."
Just what I've been waiting for, Obi-Wan thought, as he listened intently to the conversation taking place in the chamber below him. He reached down beneath his tunic to his belt, and removed the small image/audio recorder carefully. He switched it on, and looked down at it as the small device powered itself up, the green indicator light between the two eyepieces beginning to flash softly in the darkness.
Obi-Wan lifted the small device to his face, and peered through it, adjusting the focus and zoom until he could see the general clearly through the small lenses. He pressed the small button near his right index finger, and sat silently as the device began to record the conversation below him, the small red record indicator flashing in the upper corner of the eyepiece as he watched the General intently.
"Relay the transmission to the holographic imager," General Grievous said, as he turned and walked to the small round table near the center of the room. He extended his long, cybernetic arm toward the console and, pressing a button on the table, he took a step back as the lights in the command center dimmed, and the blue-green holographic image suddenly appeared over the emitters in the center of the small table.
Obi-Wan turned his imaging recorder toward the holographic image above the table as it appeared; he quickly adjusted the focus and zoom, trying to bring the image in as clearly as he possibly could.
"What is thy bidding, my Master?" General Grievous said, bowing deeply, as the image appeared on the table in front of him.
Obi-Wan looked at the image on the projector through his imaging device; it was clear, and he was recording it perfectly, but the General was standing directly across from him, and all he could see was the back of a thick black hood.
Blast it, Obi-Wan thought to himself, as he listened to the conversation unfold below him. If he'd only turn around this way, just once, he thought, as the vaguely familiar voice echoed through the dark chamber.
"How is the replenishment of our droid forces proceeding, General?" Darth Sidious asked, as General Grievous stood back up as his dark master addressed him.
"On schedule, my Master," Grievous replied, his voice deep and muffled underneath his faceless grey mask. "We are producing four thousand units per hour," he said, "well above our forecast production."
Four thousand an hour, Obi-Wan though, his mouth dropping open in amazement as he peered through the recorder. At that rate, they'll be able to completely recoup their losses by the end of the week, he though. He had to get the information they needed, and quickly, so that they could bring this operation to a swift and unceremonious end.
"Excellent," Darth Sidous said, as he nodded toward the General as he stood before him. "We should be ready well ahead of schedule, then."
"Yes, my lord," Grievous said, nodding his faceless head toward his master.
"Very well," Darth Sidious said. "The first stage of our attack will begin shortly," he said. "Have the completed droids sent to the transports and await my command to dispatch them to the designated systems. I am transmitting the coordinates for each system to you now," Sidious said. "Are you ready to receive them?"
General Grievous turned and gestured to the droid that sat at the station directly in front of Obi-Wan. "Prepare to receive Master Sidious' transmission," he said, his cold voice echoing through the chamber, "and transfer it to a datapad as soon as you have confirmed successful reception of the signal."
"Yes, General," the droid replied obediently, as he went to work at the station in front of him.
Obi-Wan turned his recording device toward the thick, dark hood that still faced away from him above the table. Come on, he thought to himself, anxiously, just something, anything, to confirm who you are, he thought. A name, a place, anything.
"I will signal you as soon as the operation begins," Sidious said, as the General listened to him intently. "We need to eliminate as many of the Jedi in the first wave of attacks as possible."
Obi-Wan felt his heart stop in his chest as Sidious' words struck him like a bolt of lightning. Eliminate the Jedi, he thought to himself; what in the name of the Force is he planning to do?
"Your task remains the same," Sidious said, as General Grievous listened intently to his master. "You are to eliminate as many of the Jedi that survive the initial attack on the outlying systems as possible. Lord Vader and I will deal with the ones that remain here, on Coruscant."
"Understood, my Master," General Grievous replied, nodding his faceless grey head again.
Obi-Wan couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he felt his hands beginning to tremble as he held the recording device tightly in his hands, recording every word of the unfathomable conversation taking place below him.
It's not possible, Obi-Wan thought to himself; he's insane, there's no way he could do this, no way at all. Even in his worst nightmares, he could never have imagined the scope of the Dark Lord's plans; it was apparent to him, now, that Sidious's plans went far beyond just removing the Jedi from the affairs of the Republic. He planned to eliminate them, all of them, entirely – from existence.
"General," the droid at the console said, turning in his chair to face Grievous as he stood at the table, "we have received and confirmed Master Sidious' transmission."
"Excellent," General Grievous said, as he turned and walked toward the droid's station, directly in front of Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan looked up, for a split second, to the imaging camera that hung from directly in the center of the room above the General; yes, he thought, as he saw the camera begin to follow the massive cyborg as he walked across the room, directly toward Obi-Wan. Quickly, he looked back through his imaging device and zoomed in, as tightly as he could, on Sidious' image. If he'll just turn around and follow him, Obi-Wan said, as he watched the dark hood turn slightly, as the blue-green image flickered several times. Please, please, just turn around and follow him.
Obi-Wan watched as General Grievous took the datapad from the droids hand and looked at it for a moment, and then turned and faced the hooded image before him. "We have confirmed your transmission, Master Sidious," General Grievous said, as he looked at the datapad again, but didn't move. "I will send the droids to your coordinates on your command, my lord," he said, as he lowered the pad slowly in front of him.
Obi-Wan felt his heart begin to beat harder in his chest, as the image of Darth Sidious began to turn slowly toward him. He zoomed in as closely as he could, as he watched Sidous's face begin to come into view, as he turned slowly to face his dark, evil servant.
He had known that Anakin was right; indeed, he hadn't doubted his young friend for a moment, ever since Anakin had revealed to him what he believed in the med lab the day before. Yet now, as he looked at the face that looked back at him through his imaging recorder, he felt a cold, icy chill run through his body, as he saw the two glowing yellow eyes that stared out from under that dark hood as he finally faced him, full on.
"Very well," Chancellor Palpatine said, his glowing eyes and familiar face staring back at Obi-Wan through the imaging recorder. "I will be meeting with the Senate shortly. Prepare your troops, and yourself. I will contact you as soon as the attack has begun."
"Yes, my Master," General Grievous replied, bowing reverently, as he watched Darth Sidious' image flicker, and then fade away.
Obi-Wan leaned back into the shadows silently, his heart still racing in his chest, as he pressed the button on the side of his imaging recorder with a trembling finger. His hands trembled, more than slightly, as he switched the small device off and, pressing a button on the front edge of the recorder, ejected the small data disk from the device and held it, almost reverently, in his trembling hand.
It was here, all of it; everything that the Council needed to prove Palpatine's dark identity, along with a plan more evil than anything any of them could ever have imagined. No matter what else happens, he thought to himself, as he placed the small disk securely in his belt, I have to get this information back to the Council, immediately.
He folded the recorder quietly, and then returned it to his belt, and then sat quietly for a moment, as he reached into the Force and tried to calm himself. His heart was still racing, and he reached down and picked up the small long-range transmitter and placed it, silently, back on his shoulder. He looked out at the command center for another moment, and watched as General Grievous walked toward the window, studying the datapad in his hand, as he and the droid commander with him looked out over the massive operation below them.
As quietly as he could, Obi-Wan stood up and walked through the shadows along the support structure, toward the entrance through which he had entered the chamber. He reached into the Force again and, as quietly as he could, he jumped down to the stone floor below him, and drew himself back in the shadows, standing silently for a moment.
He leaned forward, looking back down the hallway toward the command center; Grievous and his commander still looked out over the operation through the window, their backs to him, and, concealing himself in the shadows as best he could, Obi-Wan made his way back down the long corridor. He had seen a small room as he made his way down into the factory, just below the surface. He should be able to get a signal to Anakin and Master Yoda, if he could only get back to that room. It was his best, and quickest, chance of getting this information back to the Council as soon as possible; he couldn't risk waiting till he was back at his ship.
He was certain of one thing, as he made his way silently through the tunnel toward the surface; they were running out of time.
Yoda looked up quietly from the datapad in his hand, and looked out of the ship's window, as the stars continued to streak by them.
They were just a few hours from Kamino now; he and Anakin had talked for quite some time, as Yoda had listened with keen interest as Anakin had shared the details of the past four years with him. It had been a long time indeed, since he and the young Jedi Knight who sat across from him had been able to sit quietly and share with one another; Yoda turned and looked at Anakin thoughtfully, as he slept quietly on the bench across from him. Anakin dozed soundly on the bench, leaning back against the corner near the window, his head resting on his shoulder and his arms folded across his chest.
Yoda looked at him for a long moment; even he had been amazed at how strongly the Force was with Anakin now. Anakin possessed a strength, a peace and oneness with the Force that few Jedi ever attained. Yoda smiled, as he looked back down at his datapad; even he would never have believed that the angry, ambitious young boy that he had known so may years ago would have found such peace and contentment in so simple a life.
Yoda looked up from his datapad again, as he heard the captain call to him. "Master Yoda?" the captain called, as Yoda stood up from his seat and walked quietly toward the cockpit, his small cane held tightly in his hand.
"Yes, Captain Netaka?" Yoda said, as he stood beside their pilot.
"We're receiving an incoming transmission," Netaka said, turning to look up at the Jedi Master who stood beside him. "It's coming in on a coded frequency, and it says it's urgent."
"Who is this transmission from, Captain?" Yoda asked, looking at the flashing indicator on the console curiously.
"Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," Captain Netaka said, as he reached over and adjusted the signal antenna on their ship to adjust for the signal's incoming direction.
"Relay the signal to the com station in the rear of the ship, Captain," Yoda said, his expression growing concerned.
"Yes, sir," Captain Netaka said with a nod, as Yoda turned and walked back toward the bench where Anakin slept.
"Anakin," Yoda said, reaching out with his cane and tapping him gently on the leg. "Wake up, you must," he said, as he watched Anakin open his eyes and look sleepily around the cabin.
"What's wrong, Master?" Anakin said, as he took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes, sleepily.
"Receiving a transmission from Obi-Wan, we are," Yoda said, as Anakin sat up and looked at him, taking another deep breath as he tried to wake himself. "Urgent, Obi-Wan says that it is."
"Maybe he's found something on Utapau, Master," Anakin said, as he watched Yoda walk to the small communications console at the table between them. Yoda reached into his robe, taking the small signal encrypter from his pocket, and he placed it into the slot on the receiver and pressed the button to power up the transmitter.
Anakin leaned forward, running his hand through his hair quickly, as he watched Yoda take a seat beside him, as the ship's lighting dimmed and Obi-Wan's image flashed several times, and then appeared, flickering and flashing steadily, on the console in front of them.
"Master Yoda, Anakin," Obi-Wan said quietly, a sense of deep concern in his voice. "Thank the Force I was able to reach you."
"I have urgent news for you, and the Council," Obi-Wan said, as his image flickered again. "I'm sorry for the poor quality of this transmission, but I'm currently fairly deep underground, and I'm unable to send a stronger signal."
"I need you both to relay this transmission, now, back to the Council," Obi-Wan said, as Anakin and Yoda looked at each other thoughtfully; they could both sense the urgency of Obi-Wan's transmission.
"Have you found something, Master?" Anakin asked, as he turned a deeply concerned face back to Obi-Wan.
"To put it mildly, Anakin," Obi-Wan said quietly. "I don't want to risk transmitting this twice," he said, as his signal flickered again. "It's urgent that you get the Council online now," he said, as Anakin turned his attention to the transmitter controls. "I may not have a lot of time, Anakin."
"Understood, Master," Anakin said, and Yoda watched him as the young Jedi's fingers flew on the control pad, as he activated the ship's relay transmitter and sent the beacon signal back to the Temple. "I'm signaling them now. I should have them online in just a few moments."
"Very good," Obi-Wan said quietly. "Let me know as soon as you have them."
Yoda sat quietly at Anakin's side, watching as Anakin watched the control panel closely. He saw the bright yellow indicator at the side of the display begin to flash, slowly, as Anakin reached over and engaged the signal lock.
"I've got them, Master," Anakin said, looking back up at Obi-Wan's flickering image. "Master Windu and the other Council members are receiving your transmission now," he said. "Go ahead."
"Good work, Anakin," Obi-Wan said with a sigh of relief, as his signal flashed again.
Mace Windu and the other members of the Council watched the flickering image of Obi-Wan as it flashed on the large holographic display in the center of the Council chambers.
"Masters," Obi-Wan said, as his signal continued to flash intermittently, "I've located General Grievous on Utapau," he said. " The General is currently overseeing the operation of a massive droid factory here below the planet's surface."
"They are currently in the process of building replacements for their droid army," Obi-Wan continued. "They are currently producing more than four thousand units per hour," he said, as Mace Windu exchanged glances with Ki-Adi Mundi. "At this rate, they should be able to totally replenish their army in just a few days."
"I've also been able to gather critical information on General Grievous' involvement in the murder of the six Jedi in recent weeks," Obi-Wan said, as the Council listened intently. "I was able to identify the lightsaber of Master Tin's apprentice on the General's weapon belt," he said. "I was able to record images of it, that I'm sending to you now, along with some additional, very disturbing information."
Mace turned and looked at Master Mundi, as the Jedi master beside him reached over to the control station beside him and activated the main recorder, watching as the data stream fed into the system, as Obi-Wan continued.
"Were you able to get any proof of Palpatine's involvement, Obi-Wan?" Windu asked, as he looked up at Obi-Wan's flickering image in front of him.
"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said, nodding his head. "It's all there in the recording that I've sent you." He paused for a moment, and took a deep breath. "You'll have to see it for yourself to believe it, Master, but I can tell you quickly what it is that I've discovered."
"General Grievous," the droid at the communications console called, as he turned to face the massive cyborg as he stood near the window of the command center.
"What is it?" Grievous asked, as he turned to face the droid, looking up from the datapad in his cybernetic fingers.
"We are detecting an unauthorized transmission from somewhere in the complex," he said, as he gestured toward the console in front of him.
"A transmission?" Grievous said, as he walked quickly across the command center and looked at the display in front of the droid.
"Yes, General," the droid replied, his monotone voice echoing off the walls of the chamber. "It appears to originate from somewhere below the surface."
"Are you able to decode it?" the General asked, as he studied the display with his yellow, catlike eyes.
"No, sir," the droid responded. "The signal appears to be encrypted with a hardware device on both ends of the transmission."
"A Jedi," Grievous said, his angry, cold voice echoing off the chamber walls, as he turned back to his clone commander quickly.
"Send a detachment of destroyers into the tunnels," Greivous said, his voice irritated and angry. "Have them search every square centimeter of the tunnels near the transmissions source, until they find him," Grievous said, his yellow eyes flashing angrily in the dim light. "And bring him directly to me."
Anakin and Yoda listened intently as Obi-Wan continued. "Palpatine is indeed Darth Sidious, Master," Obi-Wan said. "I was able to get clear images of him as he spoke with General Grievous just a short time ago. You should have all the evidence you need on the recording I'm sending you."
"Sidious is planning to launch some kind of attack," Obi-Wan said, as his image flickered again, "directly against the Jedi."
Anakin and Yoda sat in silence as they listened to Obi-Wan's transmission. "The attack is apparently imminent, Masters," Obi-Wan said. "Sidious told Grievous that they needed to kill as many Jedi as they can in the initial attack," he said. "The General appears to responsible for killing any Jedi that survive the initial attack on the outlying systems, while Sidious said that he and someone called Lord Vader would deal with those that remained on Coruscant."
"I can only assume that this Lord Vader might be the attacker that Anakin and Master Yoda are looking for," Obi-Wan said. Anakin took a deep breath, as he turned and looked back at Yoda thoughtfully.
Mace Windu and the other Council members sat in complete silence, as they listened to Obi-Wan's transmission. "Sidious said he's meeting with the Senate shortly," Obi-Wan said. "It's imperative that we intercept him before he does. It's apparent that he no longer just intends to eliminate us from the Republic's affairs, Masters," Obi-Wan said, taking a long deep breath. "He plans to eliminate us entirely."
Mace turned and looked at Master Mundi, a deeply concerned expression on his face. "Do you have the recording from Obi-Wan?"
"We do," Ki-Adi said, turning his white bearded face toward Mace and nodding.
Mace looked back at Obi-Wan as he addressed him. "Advance the time index to seven point three three," Obi-Wan said, "and play from that point."
Yoda watched as Anakin tapped the display beside him quickly, advancing the image to the time index Obi-Wan had indicated, and then reach over and press the play button. They both watched, as the image of General Grievous and Darth Sidious appeared on the display in front of them.
"I will signal you as soon as the operation begins," they heard Sidious say. "We need to eliminate as many of the Jedi in the first wave of attacks as possible."
Anakin and Yoda looked at each other in disbelief as they listened to the unbelievable transmission. "Your task remains the same," they heard Sidious say, as they looked at the image on the display in front of them. "You are to eliminate as many of the Jedi that survive the initial attack on the outlying systems as possible. Lord Vader and I will deal with the ones that remain here, on Coruscant."
They both looked up at Obi-Wan's transmission as he spoke again. "Advance the time index to eight point four six, now, "Obi-Wan said, as his signal flashed again. "And hold the image."
Mace Windu stood up from his seat, as Ki-Adi Mundi dialed the index in and transferred the image to the display in the center of the room.
The Council sat in stunned silence, as they looked at Chancellor Palpatine's face underneath the thick, dark hood, his unfeeling, yellow eyes staring coldly out at them.
Mace took a long, deep breath, as his expression grew deeply angry. "It would seem," he said, his voice trembling as he spoke, "that Anakin and Master Yoda's suspicions were indeed correct."
"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said with a sigh. "In a way we never imagined."
"Obi-Wan," Windu said, as he looked up at the flickering image in front of him. "Withdraw as quickly as you can from the complex," he said. "Have the two battalions with you launch an attack on that complex. We need to destroy it, as quickly as possible. With any luck," Mace said, we'll be able to destroy General Grievous in the process."
"Understood, Master," Obi-Wan said. "I'll make my way back to the surface now. I should be able to…"
Anakin and Yoda looked at each other, as Obi-Wan's signal suddenly went dead and faded from view. They turned their eyes back toward the display as it flashed again, and Mace Windu's image appeared in front of them.
"Anakin," Mace said, "do you still have Obi-Wan's signal?"
"No, Master," Anakin said, as he looked down at the display, his face deeply concerned. "We lost him," he said, looking back up at Mace's image. "It just went dead."
Mace nodded his head, slowly. "We must trust that Obi-Wan will be able to handle the situation on Utapau," he said, and he directed his attention to Yoda. "Master Yoda," Mace said, "I believe it is clear now, from Sidious' transmission, that Dooku's killer is here, now, on Coruscant."
"I would agree," Yoda said, nodding his head slowly. "Imperative it is, that we confront Sidious as soon as possible, before he has time to meet with the Senate."
"Defenseless, the Senate would be," Yoda said, turning his concerned face back up toward Mace Windu, "if he were to decide to reveal himself, and take action against the Senate."
"Agreed," Mace Windu said, nodding his head. "Reverse your course, and head back to Coruscant," Mace said, as Anakin and Yoda listened to him intently. "We will go to the Senate building and confront the Chancellor now, and ask him and his apprentice to surrender to us peacefully."
Mace looked at Yoda thoughtfully for a long moment. "Perhaps we can convince him to end this conflict without further bloodshed if we confront him now."
"We will contact you as soon as we have the situation under control," Mace said, nodding his head. "Contact me if you hear anything further from Obi-Wan, and we will do the same."
"Go carefully," Yoda said, as he looked up at Mace with a deeply troubled countenance. "Powerful, Sidious is," he said, somberly. "Rely on the Force, you must, when you confront him."
"Understood," Mace said, nodding his head. "We will look for you soon at the Temple," he said. "Until then, may the Force be with you both."
"May the Force be with all of us," Yoda said, and he watched Mace Windu's image flicker and disappear.
Anakin stood up and walked quickly to the cockpit in front of the ship. "Captain," he said, as the pilot turned and looked up at him.
"Yes, sir?" Captain Nataka said, looking up at Anakin from his seat at the controls.
"Turn us around," Anakin said, looking out of the ship's front window, an angry expression on his young face. "Take us back to Coruscant, maximum possible speed."
"Understood, sir," Captain Nataka said, and he reached down and pulled the ship back out of hyperspace, as he fed the new coordinates in the nav computer.
Anakin turned and walked slowly back to the passenger's compartment, and sat down quietly across from Yoda. He looked at the Jedi Master, as he sat quietly, his hands folded in his lap, as he looked down silently at the floor below him.
"I'm sure we can still stop him, Master," Anakin said, as Yoda looked up at him with a deeply troubled expression.
Yoda said nothing; he took a long, deep breath, and he and Anakin both turned and looked out of the ship's window beside them, as the stars suddenly streaked past them again, as their ship flashed and disappeared into hyperspace.
It was just a matter of whether or not the speed of light could get them back to Coruscant in time to stop a disaster.
Our story continues shortly...