The command center was a huge, nearly spherical white space full of floating holo-screens showing schematics overlying aerial views of the battle monitored by dark, stocky, curly haired young men in the blue uniform of the Republic. One detached himself from his console and came to meet the Jedi and Amidala.
"Can I help you, sir?" he asked Anakin.
"Jedi Skywalker and Jedi Darklighter escorting Her Royal Highness Queen Amidala of the Naboo." Ani answered, sounding briskly official.
"Yes, sir, we've been expecting you." said the clonetrooper. He turned to Amidala. "Would your Highness care to observe to the battle?"
"Yes, I would." she said firmly, ignoring Ani's worried glance.
The clone showed them to an alcove on the second level equipped with a large holo-screen and three comfortable chairs. "Anything else, Ma'am? perhaps something to drink or eat?"
"No thank you." she said. The man saluted and left.
"I wonder how they tell them apart." Amidala murmured.
"Color combinations on our chest badges, Ma'am." she jumped. Another clone - at least she thought it was another - had appeared in the opening to their alcove. He smiled. "Actually we have no trouble telling each other apart, but the differences we see are too subtle for anybody except a Jedi to pick up on." She felt herself blushing and the man continued reassuringly: "No need to be embarrassed, Ma'am. We expect born people to be curious about us."
He tapped on the screen controls. "I've tied you into the central combat computer, all battle data will be available to you here." he pointed to a red button. "If you need anything just buzz."
"Thank you." Amidala said again and this clone too saluted and left.
"They seem like nice guys." Anakin said quietly.
"No reason why they shouldn't be." Jacen answered. "They can't help their ancestry - or the circumstances of their creation."
"They were made for a purpose," Anakin said musingly, "like me."
Jacen shook his head. "Not the same thing. The Force is All and it conceived you to serve the All. These poor guys were made to serve the purposes of beings no greater than themselves. It's not right."
"No it isn't." Anakin agreed, looking broodingly at the men moving around the command center. "And what's to become of them once the war is over?"
Amidala's heart sank at the thought. What was the Republic to do with tens of thousands of born soldiers when there was no one left to fight? "We'll worry about that after we win the war." she said decidedly, and activated the screen.
"Are you sure you want to watch this?" Anakin asked her.
"I don't want to - but I must." she answered. "It's no good hiding my head in the sand."
That was inarguable, and Ani didn't try to argue just addressed himself to the control box. "Let's start with a general overview of the field then."
The battle schematic showed the Republic forces as a blue crescent, it's long horns enveloping the red Separatist positions. The right flank was visibly in advance of the other, right among the starships.
"Looks like Master Obi-Wan is doing well." Jacen observed.
A number of flashing red markers indicated deactivated droids. "Looks like Master Qui-Gon's accomplished his mission too." said Anakin. He twisted a control and the perspective changed, now they were looking westward, back towards the city. Two bright dots detached themselves from towers, heading at speed towards a massif well away from the battle.
"What's that?" Amidala asked.
Anakin did something to the controls and the visual zoomed in, the bright dots resolved themselves into a black robed figure on a swoop bike followed by the armored Jango Fett.
"Sly Moore!" Jacen started up in alarm. "We've got to catch her, Anakin, if she gets away -"
"She'll rally more systems to the Separatist cause and do who knows what other mischief." his friend agreed. "Padme, call Master Yoda, tell him we've gone after the Sith and need all the help we can get fast!"
Amidala once again proved she could follow orders without argument when it mattered. She nodded: "Right." He rewarded her with a broad grin then the two Jedi ran for the door leaving her to head purposefully for the com center.
"Master Dooku, an urgent message from the Rear Command Center, sir."
"One moment," the Master said to the trooper then turned back to the com-technician to say; "Keep trying, we must reestablish communications." before following the trooper across the circular deck to another console. Dooku was surprised to see young Queen Amidala's transparent image floating above the tiny holo platform. "Your Highness?"
"Sly Moore is trying to escape." she said bluntly. "Anakin and Jacen have gone after her but they need help."
"Indeed." the Master agreed grimly. Destroying a Sith was no job for an Apprentice however gifted. Nor for an aging Jedi Master with all to much darkness of his own - but if that's all you have... "I'll be right there."
The Queen vanished and Dooku turned to the man next to him. "Get me a ship. And get word to Master Yoda as quickly as possible."
Anakin and Jacen commandeered a pair of scout swoops from the clonetroopers and headed off on an intercept course at best speed. They soon caught up with the Sith and her escort.
Fett made a tight u-turn and headed for them, bowing his shoulders to fire the missile on his jet pack. His aim was good but Jedi reflexes were better. The missile passed between them to impact on the desert floor far below.
"Keep on her!" Anakin shouted over the comlink to his partner. "I'll take care of this guy."
"Right!" Jason peeled off and headed after Darth Sinistra's diminishing form. Fett tried to pursue but Anakin blocked him.
"Pity they don't arm these things." he muttered to himself, igniting his sabre. This was likely to be a little tricky.
Fett tried to go right down his throat, firing both hand blasters. Anakin fended away his fire and, as the bounty hunter's swoop flashed past, cut off the tail vanes. It spun out of control. Fett blasted free using his jet pack but not before somehow managing to aim the damaged swoop right at Anakin.
'This guy is good,' he thought admiringly, allowing the swoop to pass close enough for him to slice away its starboard engine and send it tumbling sideways to make another crater in the Geonosian desert. 'but not good enough.' Anakin knew without vanity that there was no one anywhere as good as he was in the air or space - though someday there would be. Once again the fair haired youngster's face flashed before his inner eye, and suddenly he knew who he was looking at. 'My son - and Padme's. And that girl is his sister, our daughter!' Jedi reflexes successfully deflected another volley of blaster fire from Fett despite his distraction. 'Focus on the moment' Anakin reminded himself.
There were several minutes of rather tedious maneuvering as Fett looped around the swoop on his jet pack trying to get a shot in past the Jedi's guard, and Anakin tried to get close enough to use his sabre as ricochets bounced right off the bounty hunter's armor. But of course Fett wasn't stupid enough to let him. And his jet pack gave him a maneuverability that even Anakin's superior piloting skills couldn't completely redress.
There was one thing he might try....if it didn't work Fett could kill him, but what the heck - nothing ventured and all that. Anakin took a deep breath, let go and threw his sabre. It spun through the air sending Fett's head tumbling into the void while his dead body continued to jet upward, now uncontrolled, towards space.
Anakin grimaced a little, caught the lightsabre as it orbited back to his hand and doused it. Then checked his scope. Jacen's indicator showed brightly just a few klicks away up a winding arroyo.
He was waiting by his swoop at the mouth of a tunnel high up the cliff face. "Sorry, that took a little longer than I expected." Anakin apologized. "Glad you waited."
"You bet I did! You're the reckless one, remember?"
"Right, I knew it was one of us." Anakin peered into the darkness. "You sure she's in there?"
"Very." Jacen answered grimly. "Can't you feel her?"
Anakin stilled his mind, reached out, and shivered. "Ugh, yes."
They exchanged uneasy but determined looks. "Guess we better get on with it." said Jacen. Anakin nodded agreement and side by side they went in.
Queen Amidala greeted Dooku at the docking port. "They're off the scope," she told him, "but I saw where they went."
Clearly he could either waste valuable time arguing with the stubborn young monarch, or accept the inevitable at once and get after those two boys before it was too late. He held out a hand to help her on board. "Show me."