A tear rolled down Qui-Gon's cheek as he ended his communication with Anakin through the Force. The worst part about sitting alone in this cell was that it left him alone with his thoughts. Normally he would meditate in a time like this, but he felt the weight of Anakin's loss so profoundly that his thoughts were persistently fixed on Anakin. This was why he had reached out to Anakin through the Force. He could think of nothing but the boy he'd raised, and so he had directed his meditation toward connecting with Anakin.

The truth was that Qui-Gon felt responsible for the death of Shmi Skywalker. Anakin had told him on a number of occasions about having nightmares of Shmi's death. Qui-Gon had at first thought they were only the dreams of a homesick boy, but when Anakin had said they might be premonitions, Qui-Gon believed him. If only he had handled matters differently with the Jedi Council, maybe Qui-Gon could have arranged to have him and his Padawans take Padmé to Tatooine so they could all look for Shmi together. Or maybe there was some way he could have been more diligent in tracking down Padmé's would-be assassins that would have allowed him to keep his promise to take Anakin to Tatooine. Or perhaps there really was nothing he could have done and Shmi would have died no matter the choices Qui-Gon made. Regardless, he could not shake the guilt he felt for having let his boy down.

Qui-Gon was deeply pondering all of these things when the door to his cell suddenly opened. He looked up and was stunned to see a familiar face looking down upon him: his old master, Count Dooku. "Master," Qui-Gon leapt to his feet.

"Please, Qui-Gon," Dooku raised his hands in protest, "I have not been a Jedi for many years now. I stand before you now not as your Master, but as your friend. We can dispense with the formalities."

"Very well," Qui-Gon nodded, "though you will have to pardon the occasional slip of the tongue."

"Of course," Dooku smiled. "Now come. I've already arranged for your release. They should never have arrested you in the first place."

With that, Dooku led Qui-Gon out of the cell. "What are you doing here?" Qui-Gon asked as they walked the corridors of the catacomb that had served as his prison.

"Geonosis is a part of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, or as your Republic likes to call us, the Separatist Alliance," Dooku replied. "I am here for a summit to bring more systems into our fold, and also to get an update on the production of our army."

"Your army?"

"Yes," Dooku nodded, "the Geonosians' factories are a vital part of the building of the Confederacy's droid army."

Qui-Gon was taken aback by this. His investigation had led him to the creation of two armies, one for the Republic and one for the Separatists. With tensions already high politically, it was hard to view this as a coincidence. Surely someone was steering the galaxy toward all out war.

"And what brings you here, my friend?" Dooku interrupted Qui-Gon's thoughts.

"I'm pursuing a bounty hunter called Jango Fett," Qui-Gon answered. "Do you know him?"

"I do," Dooku said. "I'm told he's the one who captured you. I knew he was a formidable bounty hunter, but I must say that I'm surprised he bested you."

"Let's just say I was… distracted," Qui-Gon said in a measured tone.

"I see," Dooku raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, what business do you have with Jango?"

"I believe he was hired to assassinate a Republic Senator," Qui-Gon explained. "I was hoping to arrest him and bring him back to Coruscant for interrogation."

"That is a very serious crime indeed," Dooku said. "Unfortunately, you are no longer in Republic space. The Jedi have no jurisdiction here."

"Can I at least have a word with him?" Qui-Gon asked. "His involvement in this conspiracy has raised far more questions than it has answered. Questions that are becoming increasingly more disturbing in their implications."

"What kind of questions?" Dooku glanced at Qui-Gon quizzically.

"I – I don't know if I can tell you," Qui-Gon shook his head. "I haven't even told the Jedi Council about my fears. Until I know more, I'm not sure who I can trust."

Dooku stopped walking and turned toward his old apprentice. "Qui-Gon," he said with a concerned look in his eyes, "we may not hold the same allegiances, but you are still the best friend I ever had. If something is troubling you, please, let me help you."

Qui-Gon hesitated for a moment. He still wasn't sure he knew enough to trust anyone, but on the other hand, the man standing in front of him was one of the three men he trusted most in the entire galaxy. If he would be comfortable sharing what he had learned with Obi-Wan and Anakin, why should he be uncomfortable with seeking Dooku's help? "What am I about to tell you must be kept between us, for now," Qui-Gon said.

"Of course," Dooku said with a nod.

Now feeling a little more confident that it was safe to speak, Qui-Gon explained to Dooku what he had found on Kamino and how he had learned of a mysterious individual called Tyranus. Dooku's face fell as Qui-Gon recounted his story. When Qui-Gon had finished, Dooku shook his head and murmured, "So it has begun."

"What?" Qui-Gon asked. "What has begun?"

"I'm afraid there are some things I have kept from you, which I must tell you now," Dooku replied. "Please, Qui-Gon, don't think ill of me when I tell you what I know. It's a great source of shame that I have carried with me for many years."

"Master, what are you talking about?" Qui-Gon asked, becoming more worried by the second.

"Things are not as they seem, Qui-Gon," Dooku shook his head. "There is corruption at the core of the Republic. For years now, the Senate has been under the control of a Sith Lord called Darth Sidious. You have already had dealings with him yourself, Qui-Gon. You and Obi-Wan fought his apprentice, Darth Maul, on Naboo. Since then, he has been seeking out a new apprentice."

"How do you know all of this?"

"Because even before Maul's death, he was grooming me to take his place, and for many years I walked with one foot in the Light Side of the Force and one foot in the Dark Side. His name for me was Tyranus."

Once again, Qui-Gon was taken aback. "You – you're Tyranus?"

"Yes," Dooku nodded. "It was I who ordered the creation of that clone army you found on Kamino."

"What about Sifo-Dyas? What was his role in all of this?"

"I persuaded him to help me negotiate with the Kaminoans. Once he had fulfilled his role, Sidious made me kill him. I left him and the Jedi Order shortly after that. I couldn't live with myself if I continued in his service, and I couldn't be with the Jedi anymore, not after what I had done."

Qui-Gon took a few steps back and leaned against the wall. He was absolutely stunned by what he had just heard. "Qui-Gon," Dooku continued, "the Jedi can never find out about this clone army. You must persuade Yoda and Windu that there was nothing to find on Kamino."

"Why?"

"Because the clones are a trap for the Jedi," Dooku said ominously. "The attempt on the Senator's life was never about that Senator. It was merely a ploy to get the Jedi's attention so that they would find the clone army."

Qui-Gon fell silent as his mind reeled from hearing this. If what Dooku was saying was true, then this Dark Lord of the Sith had successfully manipulated the Jedi into seeking out their own destruction. But how could Sidious expect them to actually spring the trap, unless... "And – your droid army?" Qui-Gon asked. "What role do they play in all of this?"

"Hopefully, an unnecessary precaution," Dooku replied. "Sidious plans to manufacture a war that will make the Jedi turn to this clone army in desperation. I have formed this Confederacy because I believe that we have a real chance to help these people that the Republic's greed has left behind. But I also recognize that the tension caused by our seceding from the Republic provides the perfect opportunity for Sidious to tip the scales towards war. If that day comes, I must be able to protect my people. But your presence here presents us with an opportunity. An opportunity to ensure that day never comes."

Dooku approached Qui-Gon and put his hand on his shoulder. "Let me help you with your investigation. I am unaware of Sidious's true identity, but if we work together, I am certain we can expose him and defeat him once and for all."

Qui-Gon looked at Dooku. As he searched Dooku's face, he became convinced of Dooku's sincerity. He gave Dooku a nod, which prompted a smile to escape Dooku's lips. "Good," Dooku said. "Come. Let's go find Jango."

Dooku led Qui-Gon to a security station where they could view security footage from throughout the facility. It took some time since it was a massive factory, but finally they spotted Jango in one of the hangar bays with his son. Jango's ship was not docked there, so they agreed that the Fetts must be waiting to meet someone. Dooku believed he could get them to the hangar in time to find out who the Fetts were meeting. Qui-Gon agreed to this plan, and so they set out for the hangar.

When they arrived, they could see that Viceroy Nute Gunray had joined Jango and Boba on the far side of the hangar. Gunray was waving his finger at Jango while Jango stood resolutely with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Boba held his father's helmet as he stood beside him. None of them noticed Qui-Gon and Dooku's arrival, and the sound of their voices carried well enough in the hangar that Qui-Gon and Dooku could hear what they were saying. "That wasn't the deal, Gunray," Jango was saying. "My mission was to get the Jedi's attention, which I did. Now give me my money."

"You said you would get their attention by killing Senator Amidala, but she is still alive," Gunray argued. "You only completed half of your objective, and for that, you get paid half."

"I never said I would kill the Senator," Jango shook his head, "just that I understood that was how you wanted it to be done. Your master made no such requirement."

"What is the meaning of this?" Dooku interjected as he and Qui-Gon approached the group.

"This does not concern you, Dooku," Gunray turned to face Dooku, immediately noticing Qui-Gon in the process. He scowled as he recognized Qui-Gon as one of the Jedi who had played a hand in the downfall of his occupation of Naboo ten years ago. "What is he doing here, Dooku?"

"I'm the one asking the questions, Gunray, not you," Dooku growled. "Now answer me. What is going on here?"

"Just a little bit of business," Gunray replied. "It's a private matter."

Qui-Gon stepped forward and interjected, "I wouldn't call the attempted assassination of a Republic Senator a private matter."

"I do not answer to you, Jedi," Gunray said with a sneer.

"No, but you answer to me," Dooku retorted. "He is right, such a crime is certainly not a private matter. Especially if you are using my resources to pay for it."

"No, I swear I didn't," Gunray began to back away.

"Really?" Dooku crossed his arms as his tone became angrier. "Then whose resources did you use to pay this bounty hunter? You and I both know you had nothing before you came to me, so you can't be paying him out of pocket. Who are you working for, Gunray? Are you a spy, trying to frame our Confederacy for insighting an intergalactic war?"

"The only spy here is that Jedi you've brought with you," Gunray pointed at Qui-Gon.

"If you will not answer me, I will be forced to arrest you," Dooku replied and then turned to Jango. "Both of you."

"You can't do that!" Gunray exclaimed.

"Yes, I can," Dooku said evenly. "Qui-Gon?"

Qui-Gon removed his lightsaber from where it hung on his belt without igniting it as he stepped toward Gunray. Gunray raised his hands in a defensive position as he cried out, "No! You can't do this! Jango, get us out of this, and I'll pay you all the money I owe you."

"That's not much of a deal," Jango said as he suddenly drew his blaster and fired at Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon barely had time to react when he heard the sound of a lightsaber igniting followed immediately by a streak of blue light flashing in front of him and blocking Jango's blaster bolt. Qui-Gon immediately recognized the blue light as his old master's lightsaber blade. He glanced over at Dooku who nodded as he raised his lightsaber into a ready position. Qui-Gon ignited his lightsaber and turned to face Jango.

Jango, who had only just realized that he was in fact dealing with two Jedi, holstered his blaster. "What are you doing?" Gunray exclaimed.

"Changing tactics," Jango replied as he twisted his arm and activated a device on his gauntlet.

As the device glowed blue and made a distinct powering up sound, Qui-Gon instantly recognized the weapon Jango was about to unleash: whistling birds, one of the deadliest weapons a Mandalorian warrior could have at his disposal. There was no time for hesitation. Qui-Gon knew what he had to do, and he knew he had to do it quickly. He sprinted towards Jango, using a difficult maneuver to channel the Force through his body in order to enhance his speed. It was just fast enough. Jango was about to fire his whistling birds when Qui-Gon reached him and brought his lightsaber down on Jango's gauntlet.

Sparks flew as Jango collapsed, but Qui-Gon sensed the damage he had done to Jango's gauntlet may not have had the desired effect. Qui-Gon leapt back just as the device on the gauntlet malfunctioned and haphazardly sent whistling birds flying in every direction. Nute Gunray cried as one went through his eye, killing him almost instantly. Dooku expertly swung his lightsaber to block two that flew towards him. Qui-Gon did the same to stop one that was flying straight for his chest just before he heard a boy yelp. He turned and saw Boba fall backwards as he pressed his hand against his neck, dropping Jango's helmet and causing it to roll away. "Boba!" Jango shouted as he crawled toward his son.

By the time he reached Boba, it was too late. The boy was dead. Rage swept over Jango as he rolled over, drew his blaster, and fired shot after shot at Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon began deflecting the shots, but quickly realized Jango was not going to stop. So he precisely timed one of his deflections so the blaster bolt bounced off his lightsaber and flew back at Jango. Jango screamed in pain as the laser grazed the right side of his face, badly burning his eye and the area around it. Jango dropped his blaster and held his face in his hand.

"I see your skills have improved since I trained you," Dooku said with an impressed tone.

"Thank you, Master," Qui-Gon replied before turning his attention back to Jango. "What do we do with him? I doubt we'll get much out of him in that condition."

"Agreed," Dooku nodded. "Unfortunately, the Geonosians don't have the medical facilities we'll need in order to treat him."

"The Kaminoans do," Qui-Gon observed. "We could take him back to Kamino and question him there. Plus Kamino is a neutral planet, which means neither of us will have jurisdiction over the other there."

"An excellent point," Dooku agreed. "Very well. Let's take him to Kamino."