Chapter 2: Smoke Signals
"..Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun..." William Shakespeare
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Two Jedi starfighters, just detached from the starship, Integrity, flew side-by-side, wing tips almost touching, simultaneously punching laser bolts through the murky clouds that passed for the atmosphere of the planet Tythe.
Anakin hadn't been kidding when he'd said Tythe was a wasteland. The galaxy may have boasted many beautiful worlds, lush and full of life, brimming with activity, but Tythe wasn't one of them. Peering through the layer of bleak, misty clouds hanging over the planet was a task in itself, but if you were to catch a glimpse of the surface, you would not have been impressed.
Scars were deeply gouged across the discolored surface of Tythe, marring the land with countless bumps and misshapen hills. One could get the impression that Tythe had burned in a fire, perhaps as the result of a meteor shower, or a flare from its sun. But this resemblance was deceptive, for Tythe owed its wounds to no disaster caused by mere nature.
LiMerge Power had come in search of its abundant supply of natural plasma, a great asset to the war cause and to LiMerge's profits. But this exploit was soon abandoned, leaving the world in ruin.
And now, toward the east, large Separatist ships, hulking masses of steel, hovered over the neglected mining facility. This was the site of the battle.
The gigantic Separatist cruisers were being assaulted by ARC-170s, piloted by clone troopers, and laser blasts streaked across the sky, leaving trails of smoke and ash in their place of origin. And sometimes, where their targets once were as well.
Obi-Wan followed suit as Anakin expertly piloted through the thundering roar of battle, the Force guiding the two Jedi away from each bolt.
"Some place," Obi-Wan remarked into the comlink. "I sure wouldn't want to live here."
"I'd take this over Tatooine any day." was Anakin's reply.
Obi-Wan laughed. "Surely you regard Tatooine higher on the scale after Naos III and Escarte?"
"What would make you think that?"
"Oh, I don't know. The unfriendly welcomes, the lack of hospitality, the mud, and the unknown creature stuck to your boot…"
"You forget the Twi'lek izzy-mold and the drinks." Anakin added.
Obi-Wan sighed. "You are never going to let me live that down are you?"
"Not a chance."
Obi-Wan scowled, and then thrust the yoke downward, hitting an oncoming buzz droid and blasting it to pieces.
Beside him, Anakin's fighter spit laser blasts into a small Separatist droid ship. Obi-Wan watched as the ship was encompassed in flames, and began roaring down to explode upon impacting the damaged surface of Tythe.
"Nice shot, Anakin." Obi-Wan commented.
Anakin's fighter twirled upward, in a quick snap-roll, relishing the flight. "You expected less?" came Anakin's teasing voice.
Obi-Wan was about to reply when he felt a huge tremor in the Force as one of the Republic cruisers behind them received a killing blow.
"Oddball?" Obi-Wan said, adjusting his comlink to another frequency, but the only sound he heard on the other end was static as the ship careened and tilted, slowly beginning its descent.
Obi-Wan paused a moment as his comrade passed into the Force.
Over the comlink, Anakin's frustrated growl filled his ear. "We have to keep moving. We're losing too many troops."
Obi-Wan nodded to himself. He continued on, letting the Force guide his fighter through the heat of battle. He found himself thinking again of Anakin, and of the new truth he had learned about Anakin's relationship with Padme. He was still a little bewildered, and concerned for his former padawan as well, but somewhere, deep inside, he felt happy for Anakin. Merely because Anakin was happy.
Anakin's starfighter sped incessantly faster, and Obi-Wan quickly jerked the yoke forward, struggling to catch up.
"Anakin, this isn't a podrace." Obi-Wan thought to point out.
"Maybe not." Anakin replied crisply, "But I have a feeling that Dooku is onto us. We need a new plan, and we have to get to that facility as fast as possible."
"What exactly did you have in mind?" Obi-Wan dared to ask.
"We can easily slip past the enemy defenses if we hang low to the ground." Anakin explained, and Obi-Wan saw that Anakin was heading toward a narrow, rocky gorge.
"I'm not so sure if that's…." he began.
"Just try to stay with me."
"Yes, Master." Obi-wan said sullenly, and Anakin laughed as his fighter swooped down, hugging each dip in the terrain, flowing through the treacherous path as if it were part of the land itself.
Obi-Wan sighed, but followed, his fighter whizzing past the hills in the canyon. He may not have been able to execute the sharp maneuvers that Anakin did so effortlessly, but he fared well.
"Vulture droids!" Anakin warned.
Sure, there were a few. Obi-Wan yanked his yoke to the side, his fighter turning slowly out of danger's way. Ahead, two blasts signaled the demise of several vulture fighters, and Obi-Wan was not hesitant to knock out the rest with a quick thrust of his cannons.
"Anakin, I thought you said that we could avoid enemy attention." Obi-wan pointed out, not as a reprimand, but rather in a teasing tone.
"I've been wrong before." Anakin answered.
The two Jedi flew.
Anakin felt quite at home within the cockpit of his yellow starfighter. He moved gracefully, skimming over the hideous landscape, completely focused on the flight path he was following.
Up ahead, the facility sat, broken and neglected. The main section was a dome that had once been the plasma generation center. Corroded towers accented the top and roofless shafts were visible. But that wasn't what Anakin noticed first about the building.
An elevated platform stood at the center of the complex, and on it sat a lone ship. A fantail, distinctly designed by Geonosian experts.
"Dooku." Obi-wan said as he pulled closer to Anakin. Anakin was about to say something, but battle droids began streaming out of the facility, their bolts pounding against the outer hulls of the Jedi ships.
R2-D2 screamed a warning.
"Well, we can't go in that way." Obi-Wan said, as he and Anakin fell back and let their fighters climb higher, circling the entire building.
Anakin calculated their chances, and then said, "Another way. We can enter through the east dome. There's a shaft that leads directly inside."
Obi-Wan's eyes met the dome that Anakin had indicated, the shaft was indeed blown apart, leaving an opening perfectly sized for a starfighter.
"Anakin, there will be radiation inside the dome leftover from LiMerge's little experiment…"
Anakin's voice cut cleanly through his worry. "The radiation is a minor problem when compared with our odds at successfully maneuvering through the shaft."
Obi-Wan sighed. "I should've expected such a plan from you."
Obi-Wan climbed out of his cockpit, genuinely surprised that had had done as well as he did getting in. He looked around the room, observing the broken machinery and dusty walls.
"Dooku sure knows how to pick 'em. Only a Sith could enjoy this dreary place."
Anakin, already out of his starfighter, didn't answer. He had already instructed Artoo to stay with the ship; in response to the usual sad mewls.
"Artoo, I need you to stay here and keep track of any communications. There's troopers out there who may need to contact us."
Artoo made a noise that sounded a lot like a reluctant sigh to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan laughed. "Ready, Anakin?"
Anakin flexed his gloved fingers and grinned. "Let's go."
"I'm suspecting that Dooku is hiding in the upper levels." Obi-Wan said simply.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
The Jedi broke into a sprint, dashing towards Dooku's location before he could uncover their approach.
They came upon a durasteel containment door with a locked keypad entrance. Anakin's lightsaber plunged into the metal, melting a circular frame through it, the welded material gnashing and oozing.
Obi-Wan kicked the center of the weakened area, and light streamed through into the dark room inside. With a nod, Obi-Wan motioned for Anakin to enter first.
Flung carelessly in the middle of the room was a shroud of fabric.
"Dooku's cloak." Obi-wan observed.
Anakin closed his eyes, not bothering to sheath his already ignited weapon. "We know you're here, Dooku! You cannot fool us! Come out and fight!"
His voice echoed through the room. Out of the shadows, the Sith lord's form appeared, his steps sounding hard and cold against the steel floor.
"I've been looking forward to this, Jedi." Dooku smiled mockingly. "You realize that just because there are two of you doesn't mean you have the advantage."
"You won't get away this time, Dooku." Obi-Wan said, with sudden venom.
Dooku just grinned maliciously and ignited his red lightsaber.
Obi-Wan called his own saber to his hand and activated it.
"Don't get your hopes up, Kenobi." Dooku snarled. "I defeated you once, and I will do it again."
"Your arrogance blinds you, Count." Anakin replied, his voice cold and menacing. "We are both stronger than we were when we last met."
Dooku's grin widened, and he swung his blade forward, meeting Anakin's in a spray of sparks. "Prove it, Jedi."
And with this, the battle began.
The two Jedi whirled around Dooku, attacking him from different directions. The Sith easily parried their blows, all the while attempting to foil their teamwork scheme. He would use techniques of defense that didn't allow for some of the strongest of the Jedi attacks, rendering their tactics useless. Unless they wanted to impair their partner. Dooku dwelled inwardly on their loyalty to each other. He bobbed in and out of the gnashing blades meeting each other within instants of the last strike.
Even with this plan, the Jedi managed to back him up through the upper reaches of the chamber, causing Dooku to curse inwardly at his lack of preparation.
He realized it was time to hit them with the full force of the Dark Side.
He abandoned the old plan, now concentrating solely on keeping their sky blue blades away from him. He scarcely found space to attack them between blocking their slashes.
Dooku decided to toy with the younger Jedi's mind. It was always entertaining, and it would distract him a little for the time being. "So….Skywalker. How is Senator Amidala?"
Anakin brows knitted into a frown. "Don't even speak her name."
Dooku grinned. The boy had anger; he could feel in flowing through the Force. Usually, it seemed that Skywalker was an intricately woven mass of power, the Light Side flowing through him as naturally as the blood in his veins. But, with a little coaxing, the darkness locked within would gush through, the key to his true power.
"What makes you think you can defeat me, Skywalker?" Dooku taunted. "Your strength is nothing compared to the Dark Side. Even with your Master, you are no match for a Sith."
Anakin answered with several violent blows to Dooku's right side.
Inwardly, Dooku thought, His resistance will not work for Master Sidious. After Kenobi is dead, Skywalker will be ours.
The duel continued for a time, and Dooku began to feel the strain take hold of his muscles, and hairline fractures forming in his wrists. The threat was becoming more imminent, but Dooku didn't panic; for he had another plan. One that was flawless.
He feinted to the left then, sent a Force-push at Kenobi. The Jedi Master skidded across the floor and hit the other side of the wall. Then, he went into action.
In a sudden and unexpected move, he grasped Skywalker's neck with the Force and lifted him from his current fighting stance. Anakin's eyes bulged, and he struggled momentarily for breath.
With a smirk, Dooku flicked his hand to the side, sending the Jedi crashing from the upper level down into the main chamber. There was a satisfying thump, and Dooku's mind rushed with relief.
I knew this would be easy.
Obi-Wan's eyes focused, and he saw Anakin sprawled out beneath them, his body still and crumpled.
Dooku was smiling, gazing down at Anakin, his eyes dancing with apparent mirth. This is becoming quite interesting. The tables seem to be turning, Dooku thought his senses overwhelmed with approval
"Impressive, Dooku," came a low voice. Dooku turned, surprised to see Kenobi recovered so quickly.
And his vision was promptly obscured by an oncoming boot.
The kick was hard, Dooku's body pivoted dangerously from the impact. He caught balance just in time to see Obi-Wan's blade angled straight toward his own.
He brought his lightsaber up just in time.
Obi-Wan's eyes were firm and daunting. "If you hurt Anakin, you are going to wish you hadn't."
Dooku laughed aloud. "How sweet."
Obi-Wan's blade pressed harder against his own. "Kenobi, did you honestly think that you and your pathetic former apprentice would defeat me?"
Obi-Wan smiled emotionlessly. "Did you honestly think that we couldn't?"
Anakin felt his body strike the cold, solid floor, and darkness swirled before his eyes as the brunt of the collision overtook him. He faded out of the world, letting the dark mist cover him. His eyes closed.
He saw Padme, running through darkness, stalked by an unseen predator. A look of pure terror marred her beautiful face and tears streamed down her pale cheeks. She stumbled over parts of her ripped gown, her breaths hard and heavy. Then, a wind blew up under her, and she tripped, her body spilling out over nothingness. A scream, a plea, echoed through his mind. "Anakin..." Then, silence.
Anakin Skywalker's eyes snapped open.
Obi-Wan fought viciously letting himself sink fully into the Force, and letting it guide him as his strikes bore down on the Sith lord. He seemed to have the upper hand.
He delivered a glancing blow to Dooku's left thigh, and watched as Dooku bit down on the pain. The crimson saber whirled in a desperate attempt to meet each of Obi-Wan's attacks.
Obi-Wan could sense Dooku's weariness and it pleased him to think that the battle was nearly over. The Sith's strikes were becoming easier and easier to parry.
But just as he thought that the battle could be his, Dooku unleashed another plan.
One that could destroy Obi-Wan.
Dooku's head rang in frustration as he formulated his next preparation.
He knocked Obi-Wan's chin hard with the hilt of his saber, the same technique Darth Maul had used on Qui-Gon Jinn on Naboo.
Obi-Wan's head cracked back, and he staggered, the blow surprising him.
Then the Count drove a hard kick into Kenobi's stomach, toppling the Jedi. Obi-Wan's knees buckled.
He was forced to fight hard against Dooku's now triumphant attack, straining every muscle in his body to keep from collapsing. Then, when he'd mostly recovered, he quickly sprang upward, sending Dooku flying backward with a quick Force-kick in the chest.
Dooku righted himself at once, wheezing. He was becoming impatient. He let the rage consume him, hurling brutal strikes in Kenobi's direction.
A sudden grapple erupted between the two, and both stared ominously at their opponent through the clashing swords.
Obi-Wan's blade pressed down on Dooku's hard, forcing Dooku's knees to bend painfully, but he wasn't about to let this be his end. He dared to bring his other hand away from his saber for a split second, clenching an invisible fist around Kenobi's neck.
Kenobi dropped his saber, choking.
"Still think you're better than me, Kenobi?" Dooku snarled cruelly.
He watched with utmost pleasure as the Jedi was deprived of oxygen. "I've won…!" Dooku thought.
But Dooku, so focused on the Jedi before him, was unaware of the events about to transpire seconds later.
Just as Dooku thought the battle was his, he felt a scorching pain riddle through his back as another lightsaber pierced him.
The hold on Obi-Wan's neck went slack, as the Sith lord tumbled to the ground, his lightsaber deactivated.
Above the body, stood Anakin Skywalker.
Obi-Wan fingered his throat unconsciously as he regained his breath. He stepped over toward Anakin, placing a hand upon his shoulder.
Anakin shook his head. "I…I killed him…."
"You had to, Anakin. You did the right thing. "I'm proud of you."
Obi-Wan looked at his silent friend. Anakin didn't respond, he just stepped over the body of the Sith and walked toward the door. With a sigh, Obi-Wan trotted to catch up.
"Anakin..." he began.
Anakin turned to him. Obi-Wan noticed that a small trickle of blood ran down the side of his mouth.
"Anakin…are you…"
"All right?" Anakin finished, his voice sounding breathless and soft. "Yes, Obi-Wan. Don't worry about me…I'm fine, but…"
A high-pitched screech met their ears as they entered the bay.
Beside Anakin's starfighter, Artoo wailed.
"Artoo…" Anakin ran over to his droid.
Obi-Wan followed, more slowly, noticing several clone troopers waiting with Artoo. Helmets removed, they looked grim.
Anakin squatted beside Artoo. "What is it?"
The astromech leashed a series of clicks and beeps.
Anakin nodded sadly.
One of the commanders turned to Obi-Wan. "Does General Skywalker speak droid?" Hie voice was incredulous.
Obi-Wan grinned, despite his concern. "That droid."
One of the other clones shook his head.
Anakin approached them, his eyes not meeting Obi-Wan's.
"Anakin…what is going on?" Obi-Wan asked, knowing something odd was up.
Anakin couldn't answer, for another small transport pod containing a clone was landing. The clone hopped out, dashing over to the two Generals.
"Sirs!" he called. "I carry an urgent message!"
Once he'd reached the cluster, he dropped onto his knee, activating a hyperwave transceiver attached in the armor of his wrist. The solidified figure of Clone Commander Cody materialized, and the message began to play.
"Generals…the Grand Army of the Republic is victorious in the Battle of Tythe…"
Obi-Wan waited, knowing that there was going to be bad news next.
"..but contact with Coruscant has failed, Sirs." The usually composed face of Commander Cody was now appearing worried and unsure.
"Thank you, Commander." Obi-Wan said to the clone who delivered the message.
Shock tingled through Obi-Wan, for everyone knew that a communications failure could mean only one thing. Invasion.
He turned to Anakin, and was even more surprised that Anakin's face did not display the same shock he was feeling. In fact, Anakin didn't look surprised at all.
Finally, Obi-Wan spoke. "It was all a trap…and we…the Republic, the Jedi…we fell for it."
Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan's face at last. "Tythe wasn't the target all along, Master. We were."
And Obi-Wan realized that Anakin had been right, and that the Council had missed the real plot behind the Separatists' attack on Tythe. To draw attention away from Coruscant.
He motioned for the troopers still accompanying them to refuel their fighters.
Anakin seemed lost in thought, as Obi-Wan spoke. "Anakin, are you sure you'll be okay?"
Anakin sighed, wiping the blood from his face onto his now ruined cloak. "I'm fine, Master. I'm just not so sure if…"
"Padme will be fine." Obi-Wan said smoothly.
Anakin thought inwardly. I hope you are right, Master. He then remembered the most boiling points of the duel, coming back to him in flashes. Hitting the hard durasteel floor….Obi-Wan being Force-choked….
Then he turned to Obi-Wan. "Are you all right?"
Obi-Wan smiled. "Well, it wasn't a pleasant experience, mind you, but I'm perfectly all right."
Anakin sighed in relief. At least his Master was safe.
Obi-Wan shook his head ruefully. "Well, we get to go back to Coruscant, finally…"
His false cheeriness didn't fool Anakin. It was to be expected.
Anakin sighed. And he went over to join Artoo and the troopers in preparation for their journey to Coruscant, ignoring Obi-Wan's curious gaze.
Why does fate target the people most important to me?
Little did Anakin know that fate had even more in store for him and the ones he cared about in the hardships ahead…
Please, I know there are typos. That's my reward for working so hard on this story. TYPOS! Grrr...
Please review! Your reviews are appreciated immensely, as always. I've made a story map of sorts, for this story and so far it has twenty chapters, but it may have more, depending on how this develops.
Author's Note: I love that little part about Anakin speaking droid. (from Labyrinth) I couldn't bear not putting it in for some reason. Did that battle suck as much as it seemed like it did to me? I must admit, writing duel scenes and action isn't exactly my forte. No flaming me, though. I've been waiting to update this for awhile, and now, the plot is just beginning to unfold. Reviews, por favor.
Thank you, and may the Force be with you
Arie