Epilogue
"So," the blue-hued image of the cloaked figure spoke, his dark palpable voice steady, "it would appear that the war effort will continue as planned. And General Grievous is performing well, my Apprentice?"
"Yes, Master," Dooku replied, bowing. "He performs admirably and continues to grow in rage towards the Jedi."
"Excellent. He will make a fine killing machine for the Jedi—and no one knows of his presence, not even the Jedi."
"Yes, my Master."
"Have the esteemed General begin to strike along several key worlds—I feel it is time to prove why he is our brilliant mastermind and perfect leader for the Separatist Army."
"Your will shall be done, my Master."
"Excellent, Lord Tyranus. Soon we shall have our vengeance—and the so-called 'Chosen One' will not be able to stop us." With that, the figure phased out and Dooku stood there for a few moments before he turned to look out at space.
How could I have been such a fool in letting Skywalker and Kenobi live? He found himself wondering that for some time. Kenobi would be a powerful ally. If only Qui-Gon were here; he would have convinced young Kenobi. But Obi-wan is still a beacon of Light for the Order. He would have made Qui-Gon proud. As for Skywalker… the child is too reckless. That would prove his undoing. I should have killed him when I had the chance.
It had been no secret that Sidious had made mention of the boy. Sidious had been watching Skywalker for a long time, slowly probing and manipulating the boy into falling to the Dark Side.
Dooku's upper lip curled into a snarl as he thought of the Golden Child being admired by both his former Master and his current Master. Soon I shall have another chance with Skywalker, he thought to himself. And then I shall prove myself to Lord Sidious. It is the only way for the both of them to see my mastery and my skill.
He turned and left, eager to continue training his new pet: Grievous, who had acquired two more lightsabers. The time would come when they would unleash the boldest plan of them all: one where Kenobi and Skywalker would undoubtedly fall to both Grievous and Dooku.
No, he thought. I shall give Obi-wan one more chance—I owe Qui-Gon that much at least.
Grievous continued to win battle after battle, eager to watch the Republic fall. But lately, he had found himself growing complacent. He had only fought and killed the weaker of the Jedi Order. He wanted more.
Lately he had been watching his MagnaDroid Bodyguards fighting the rest of the Jedi. But he knew there were those that tempted him. Obi-wan Kenobi—the Negotiator—and his Apprentice, Anakin Skywalker were two such Jedi that tested his might.
But he lately he had found himself attracted to the skills of another Master—the only one that was bold enough to eliminate an entire droid army without one of his own. Mace Windu, he thought. Surely we will meet, blade for blade. And perhaps then, we shall see who is the better of the two.
The doors hissed behind him—and the footsteps of a person could be heard behind him.
"Ah, General Grievous," Dooku began, "our Master has a plan in store for us."
"Good," the General replied, as he hacked and coughed, wheezing heavily. "I shall be looking forward to laying waste to a planet."
"Something a bit more eloquent than that, my good General," Dooku replied with something akin to disgust.
"Ah, I see. What is our Master's bidding?"
"He has begun to set the stage for the final conquest," the Sith Lord began, revealing a circular disk in his hand that displayed a blue image.
The image was of a planet that had a silver glow and a concentrated darkened area—presumably where the capital was. It was none other than Coruscant.
"Lord Sidious plans the attack soon?" Grievous asked.
"Soon, my friend," Dooku nodded. "However, he requires that we set in chain a motion of events so as not to alert our enemies."
"Of course," Grievous nodded. He had been craving battle and he so hoped he fought the Jedi, especially a certain violet-wielding Jedi. Mace Windu had grown in his mind so much that Grievous felt himself eager to crush anything that got in the way. He would do anything as long as he had the chance to clash blades with the legendary Master.
"We shall win this war soon enough, my friend," Dooku spoke reassuringly. Unlike the preoccupied General and his Master, Dooku found himself turning to thoughts spoken not so long ago. Obi-wan, what if I show you the Sith Lord that has been controlling all of these events? Would you then understand that you have been fooled and join me so that together we could destroy the Sith?
Grievous observed the Sith Lord leave the room, and in his hands sat the prized jewel, located in the center of the Galaxy. In roughly 2 years, Coruscant would fall and Grievous would finally cross blades with Master Windu. Until then, he would cross blades with as many Jedi as he could—eager to hone his skill for that fateful encounter. And then, he would fight the famed Kenobi and Skywalker. Nothing would be impossible for the Kaleesh warrior—after all, this was what he craved for.