Disclaimer: In no way at all do I own any of the original character, locations, ships, or anything else mentioned in Star Wars. They are all owned by George Lucas. I only own my OC. Any similarities between this story and another are purely accidental.
Sica Meni: You'll get your multiple choice soon enough ; ) No worries about getting bogged down by exams at this point in time, cos it's my SUMMER BREAK!
Masked Masquerader: Geonosis was fun to write. There is a bit of it in this chapter, but things will really heat up in the chapters following this.
Liz: Thank you!
Randomness: I might do Episodes 4, 5, and 6, but I'm not too sure just yet.
---
Obi-Wan and Lyra stood at the entrance to Tipoca City, being seen off by Taun We.
"Tell your Council the first battalions are ready," he said. "And remind that if they need more troops, we will need time to grow them."
"We won't forget, and thank you," said Obi-Wan as both Jedi bowed to Taun We.
The two Jedi exited the tower, once again being assaulted by the driving rain. Both pulled their robes tightly around their bodies, making their way to the two starfighters. Upon reaching their ships, Obi-Wan addressed his Astro-Droid, R4. The droid switched on, beeping at the two Jedi.
"R4, relay this, scramble code five, to Coruscant, care of the old folks home!" Obi-Wan shouted over the howling wind. The panels lit up from inside the cockpit as a transmitter disc emerged from the starfighter, transmitting the message to Yoda and Mace Windu back on Coruscant.
"We have successfully made contact with the Prime Minister of Kamino!" reported Obi-Wan, still shouting. "They are using a bounty hunter named Jango Fett to create a clone army! I have a strong feeling that this bounty hunter is the assassin we're looking for!"
"Do you think these cloners are involved in the plot to assassinate Senator Amidala?" asked Mace Windu in a low voice.
"No, Master!" It was Lyra who answered this time, yet also shouting. "There appears to be no motive!" What does this planet have against proper hearing!
"Do not assume anything, either of you," ordered Yoda. "Clear your minds must be if you are to discover the real villains behind the plot."
"Yes, Master!" replied Obi-Wan. "They say a Master Sifo-Dyas placed the order for a clone army at the request of the
Senate almost ten years ago! I was under the impression he was killed before that! Did the Council ever authorize the creation of a clone army?"
"No," replied Master Windu gravely. "Whoever placed that order did not have the authorization of the Jedi Council."
"Into custody, take this Jango Fett," instructed Yoda. "Bring him here. Question him, we will."
"Yes, Master!" answered Lyra. "We will report back when we have him."
Obi-Wan shut off the transmission and the two Jedi cautiously reentered the corridor. Seeing that it was empty, they moved down the bright hallway, eventually reaching the door to Jango Fett's apartment.
Lyra ran her fingers along the door, locating the locks and opening the door. The two Jedi entered the apartment, only to find the Fetts' personal belongings gone and everything in complete disarray—a clear sign of hurried departure.
Obi-Wan went to an ultra-thin computer screen, punching up an onscreen picture of the Fetts, unhitching the lines securing their ship on the landing platform. Jango was wearing his armor and rocket pack they saw on Coruscant.
"Wonderful," groaned Lyra as the two Jedi charged out of the apartment, down the hallway, and out the tower. As they neared Jango's ship, the two Jedi drew and ignited their lightsabers.
The bounty hunter shot up with his rocket blazing and over the two Jedi, landing on the top of a nearby tower. Jango fired down at the two Jedi, who deflected the shots back, but Jango evaded them without hesitation. He then fired an explosive, sending Obi-Wan and Lyra diving out of the way.
Just as they did, an explosion threw them again to the ground. Lyra looked up, seeing Boba aiming the ship's lasers at the two Jedi. Quickly, she ran towards the ship, disabling the lasers her goal.
She scaled the side of the ship, making sure Boba couldn't see her. She climbed underneath the laser gun, igniting her lightsaber and cutting through several parts of the gun, but not enough so it would come crashing down. Carefully, she made her way to the other laser gun and did the same thing.
Grinning at her success, Lyra dropped down to the ground, just in time to see Jango rocket into the air, dragging Obi-Wan behind him on the platform surface by a thin wire.
As Obi-Wan slid toward some columns he managed to maneuver himself into a roll avoiding a collision by leveraging the wire against the structure and pulling himself to his feet. Obi-Wan pulled with all his weight against the momentum of the wire, causing Jango to drop and crash into the ground. Jango's rocket pack broke free from his back and exploded.
Still connected by the wire, Obi-Wan charged at Jango, kicking him over the platform edge. Jango slid, pulling Obi-Wan with him. Locked together, the Jedi and the bounty hunter fell down toward the raging ocean. At the last moment,
Jango dug his forearm claws into the surface. Obi-Wan slid past him as Jango finally ejected the wire free from his wrist, letting Obi-Wan fall.
Lyra's eyes widened and she raced toward the edge of the platform, seeing Obi-Wan use the Force to make the wire wrap around a pole, stopping his descent. He swung to and fro on the wire, dropping to a small service platform below.
She sighed in relief. "I swear, someone up there is watching over you, Obi-Wan," she muttered, thinking of Qui-Gon. She backed away from the edge, seeing Jango's ship already beginning to take off.
Behind her, Obi-Wan came out onto the landing platform, calling his lightsaber to him with the Force. He turned it on, only to come up next to Lyra and see the ship take off. He took a small homing device from his belt, tossing it onto the hull of Jango's ship.
---
Two starfighters appeared in space, approaching a red planet surrounded by an asteroid belt. Both disengaged from the hyperspace transport rings, and followed another ship that approached the huge planet.
"That's interesting, R4," said Obi-Wan, looking at one of the panels in his cockpit. "They seem to have discovered the tracker. Shut down, shape-scan their last coordinates."
Suddenly, a small charge from Jango's ship drifted to the two Jedi's starfighters. As it approached, both droids (R4 and R6) let out a succession of several beeps.
"Sonic charges. Stand by," ordered Obi-Wan, diving into the asteroid belt.
"Are you insane?" breathed Lyra, piloting her starfighter into the belt as well. "The asteroid belt? We're going to be crushed!"
"We'll just be extra careful, then." Obi-Wan's ship entered a small tunnel in one of the asteroids, chasing Jango's ship.
Lyra sighed deeply, following Obi-Wan into the tunnel. "You better know what you're doing, Obi-Wan Kenobi," she muttered so he wouldn't hear her. The three ships passed over the asteroid and Jango emerged, chasing and firing lasers at them.
"Blast! This is why I hate flying!" muttered Obi-Wan as bits and pieces flew from his starship.
"I thought you said you didn't mind flying," said Lyra, smirking.
"Flying through an asteroid field with someone trying to shoot you down is something else," replied Obi-Wan dryly.
The release of another torpedo interrupted the banter between the two Jedi. "Damn it, I thought I took out his guns," Lyra snarled.
"The front guns," reminded Obi-Wan. "His rear ones are perfectly functional." Suddenly, a huge asteroid tumbled across their path. There was no way to evade it.
"R4, prepare to jettison the spare canisters," Obi-Wan ordered, and Lyra did the same. "Release them, now!"
The two droids complied, and a huge explosion occurred as their starfighters appeared to crash into an asteroid. Jango's ship emerged from the asteroid belt, and headed down toward the planet. But, back at the asteroid belt, the Jedi's starfighters were hidden in a blasted-out area on the pitted backside of the great rock.
"Well, I think we've waited long enough," Obi-Wan said through the commlink.
"R6, follow his last known trajectory," ordered Lyra.
Their fighters moved out from the backside of the asteroid, and headed away from the asteroid field, descending toward the planet—which they had learned from the droids was called Geonosis.
"There's an unusual concentration of Federation ships over there, Lyra," said Obi-Wan. "We'd better stay clear."
Lyra nodded, seeing the large fleet of Trade Federation ships hiding among the asteroids.
The two starfighters skimmed across the top of a small mesa along the edge of a rocky ridge. Lyra and Obi-Wan maneuvered under a rock overhang and landed. The two Jedi exited the starfighters, observing the planet.
Geonosis was a red rock planet, featureless apart from bluffs and mesas, and occasional tall stalagmites that stood out dramatically on the arid plains. The night was quiet, except for an occasional weird cry of the locals
Obi-Wan checked their bearings, and the two Jedi headed away.
---
The two Jedi left instructions with R4 and R6 to stay put, and headed for the nearest settlement at a brisk walk. The building stretched up high, with many small windows cut into its rocky surface. Like the rest of the landscape, it was a dull red color. The interior was dim, the only light coming from weak rays filtering through the windows.
Lyra shivered in the dank cool that filled the room. "Not a very welcoming place, is it?" she muttered under her breath, looking at the eerie gauzy material that covered the windows.
"Well, I hardly doubt they chose the interior decoration for its appeal to guests," rejoined Obi-Wan, making Lyra roll her eyes.
Smirking, Obi-Wan led the way through the labyrinth of passages. They reached a vast expanse in the interior of stalagmites, with a vaulted ceiling supported by immense pillars and Gothic arches. The room was empty.
Silently, both began to make their way across the square, when several voices approached the room. Obi-Wan and Lyra darted behind a pillar, as a party of different species sauntered past and into the room.
"What about the Senator from Naboo?" demanded a Neimoidian that Lyra recognized as Nute Gunray. "Is she dead yet? I'm not signing your treaty until I have her head on my desk."
"I am a man of my word, Viceroy," replied a white-haired male with dark robes—Count Dooku.
When the group disappeared through a nearby doorway Lyra turned to Obi-Wan. "Gunray is still the Viceroy?" she hissed under her breath. "I thought the Supreme Court dealt with him years ago."
"Apparently, the court couldn't decide an appropriate sentence for him," replied Obi-Wan, "so they let him remain Viceroy for the time being. Now, are we going to follow them or are we going to sit out here and hope they consider shouting normal speech?"
Glaring, Lyra led the way to a staircase beside the archway the group had disappeared through. They reached the top, peering through an archway at the group they had seen before. They were now all seated at a large conference table, discussions well under way.
"As I explained to you earlier," said Dooku, his voice easily carrying up to the two Jedi, "I'm quite convinced that ten thousand more systems will rally to our cause with your support, gentlemen."
"The Techno-Union Army is at your disposal, Count," came a metallic voice.
Another spoke up, "The Banking Clan will sign your treaty."
"Good, very good," replied Dooku, sounding pleased. "Our friends from the Trade Federation have pledged their support. When their battle droids are combined with ours we shall have an army greater than anything in the Galaxy. The Jedi will be overwhelmed. The Republic will agree to any demands we make."
Noiselessly, the two pulled back from the archway. Avoiding Geonosian guards, the Jedi carefully made their way back to their ships.
Obi-Wan immediately went to work, examining a transmitter dish on his ship. Following his example, Lyra made her way to her own starfighter.
"The transmitter's working, but we're not receiving a return signal," Obi-Wan muttered. "Coruscant's too far. What about yours?" he asked, turning to Lyra.
She sighed deeply, patting R6's domed head comfortingly. "Mine isn't even working. It's not your fault," she added when R6 beeped apologetically. She turned to look back at Obi-Wan. "My transmitter must have gotten pretty banged up in that asteroid belt."
Obi-Wan sighed. "We'll have to try something else."
"Maybe we can contact Anakin on Naboo," said Lyra. "It's much closer."
"Good idea," replied Obi-Wan, jumping into the cockpit of his starfighter. "R4, relay the signal. Anakin? Anakin, do you copy? This is Obi-Wan Kenobi." There was nothing but static. "They're not on Naboo." He turned to Lyra. "I hope nothing's happened to them."
Lyra put her hand comfortingly on Obi-Wan's arm, offering him a small smile. "He might be on Tatooine," she offered. "I have a feeling he'll be there, what with his dreams about Shmi and all."
Obi-Wan studied the readouts from the transmitter. "That's Anakin's tracking signal alright. What in the blazes is he doing there? I told him to stay on Naboo."
"He's not exactly disobeying orders if Padmé is safe," Lyra pointed out, to which Obi-Wan merely glared,
Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair, frustrated, before moving back in front of the holo-projector once more. "Anakin, Anakin do you copy? This is Obi-Wan Kenobi and Lyra Sanome."
A beeping sound informed them, that R2-D2 was recording the message on board the ship on Tatooine.
"Anakin, our long-range transmitters have been knocked out," said Obi-Wan. "Re-transmit this message to Coruscant. We have tracked the bounty hunter, Jango Fett, to the droid foundries on Geonosis. The Trade Federation is to take delivery of a droid army here, and it is clear that Viceroy Gunray is behind the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala."
This time, Lyra spoke. "The Commerce Guild and the Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming a—Wait! Wait!"
Her words were cut off as several Geonosians snuck up on them. Both Jedi ignited their lightsabers and fought the local guards, but were soon overpowered when several destroyers came on the scene.