The shuttles landed swiftly and without conflict. As the Jedi and clones disembarked, charges were carefully placed in a cluster on the side of the mountain. "Fire in the hole!" called one of the clones before a controlled explosion was set off and a cloud of dust appeared.

The dust dissipated to reveal a neat circular breach in the side of the mountain and the droid factory within. Anakin, Ahsoka and the Clones poured in immediately, lightsabers and blasters raised at the ready.

Obi-Wan raised his throbbing head to see the back of Grievous cape billowing out in front of him as he hung limply in the grasp of the droids. He was being dragged along down a curved corridor until they came to a halt in front of the entranceway to a large, dimly lit chamber.

Grievous knocked, disappeared into the chamber and reappeared. "Our honored guest is ready for you," he sneered. Then, without warning, the droid general violently lifted Obi-Wan and flung him headfirst into the chamber and sealed the door behind him.

The dark form of Count Dooku watched calmly as the battered bleeding form of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi skidded to a halt at his feet. The Jedi looked up at him with glazed over eyes.

"Dooku," he winced in pain, "to what do I owe the pleasure?" He clumsily reached for his lightsaber, but the Count sent it arcing away into the darkness with a lazy flick of his wrist.

"The pleasure," began Dooku darkly, "is all mine." He Force-flipped Obi-Wan onto his back and began circling around him slowly like a shark did its prey.

Obi-Wan tried to rise and escape, but Dooku sent a vicious strike of Force lighting into him that left him groaning and gasping.

"Good," said Dooku still circling him coolly. "You remain defiant even in the face of sure failure. You will do well for us."

He sent another painful burst of Force lightening into Obi-Wan's body but this time for longer. When the lightening searing through his mind and body finally ebbed, Obi-Wan realized what was going on here. Dooku would torture him physically and spiritually until Obi-Wan begged for death and pleaded to be saved from the pain by any means, even if it meant embracing the power of the dark side. Dooku was grooming him to be the next member of the Sith.

I will never, thought Obi-Wan. I will never give in. I am a Jedi and I will stay true to the Light. I will never give in.

Again and again Dooku struck Obi-Wan with the devastating power of his Force lightning. The pain was getting worse, like the spear through his shoulder over and over again but everywhere on his body. His mind felt like it was being pierced by daggers as his attempts to use the Force as a shield were thwarted as easily as ripping paper. He still would not give in. He clung to the light side and accepted death.

This is it, thought Dooku. This is where Obi-Wan Kenobi either joins us, or dies. As he centered himself and dealt the final blow, he was surprised and infuriated to see it ricocheting away harmlessly from where it was intended to strike.

"Skywalker," growled Dooku in disgust.

Anakin Skywalker had materialized out of nowhere and now stood protectively over the unconscious form of Obi-Wan Kenobi. In his hand, he held a blue lightsaber that blazed as brightly in the darkness as his presence did in the Force. In his eyes, he held pure, unyielding anger.

"So we meet again," said Dooku looking Anakin up and down in abhorrence, his eyes lingering for a moment on the black sling and the arm within. "I see you're still healing from the last time you dared challenge me," he mocked.

Anakin didn't take the bait. "You've failed, Dooku. You've failed to capture more than one Jedi and you've failed to recruit my Master to the dark side. But this time, I will make you pay for all the pain you've caused."

Anakin leaped into the air and somersaulted, putting all his weight and rage behind his blade as is collided with Dooku's. He continued the offensive, clashing his lightsaber viciously and driving Dooku harder and farther away from Obi-Wan's prone form.

Ahsoka and Rex slipped into the chamber unseen, collected Obi-Wan and his lightsaber between them, and stole out into the hallway to make the escape.

Anakin knew that they had safely taken Obi-Wan away, but his rage would not let him stop attacking Dooku. He wanted to kill him. He needed to kill him. Blue reigned down upon red as the two parried and lunged and the duel continued.

Meanwhile, Rex and Ahsoka had gotten Obi-Wan aboard the shuttle. Medics converged and took him away.

"Where's General Skywalker?" shouted the pilot from the cockpit. "The air strike commences in sixty seconds. Don't tell me he's still in there!"

"We're going to have to pick him up!" replied Ahsoka leaping into the co-pilot's seat and feeling warnings through the Force that Obi-Wan and Anakin were both slipping away.

All of Anakin's thoughts and energies were now centered on killing Dooku. The man who had stolen his arm, the man whose fault it was that he would never fully feel the touch of his wife's soft skin under his fingertips, the man who had tortured his best friend. He must make him pay.

Dooku realized that Anakin had become more skillful through the years and as the duel raged on, became fearful of his raw and untamed power. As he went to retreat, the Sith Lord was lifted off the ground by an invisible force that was slowly crushing his trachea.

Anakin was choking Dooku and so focused that he didn't notice the shuttle canon fire that blasted a hole in the wall right next to him. Nor did he see the Republic shuttle full of clones that hovered outside of it. All he could concentrate on was the fact that he was finally crushing the life out of Count Dooku and it felt good. Nothing else mattered.

"General Skywalker!" called Captain Rex from the shuttle, "Come quickly sir, the air strike is on its way!"

A fleet of Republic cruisers materialized in the sky above, their weapons glowing as they charged to full capacity.

Anakin didn't move and continued to choke the Count.

"Master!" pleaded Ahsoka as she forced her way to the side port. "Master, please stop! You're the only one who can save Obi-Wan!"

Save Obi-Wan...

Anakin reluctantly released his hold on Dooku. Then, to Ahsoka's immense relief, he soared gracefully out of the opening and onto the Republic shuttle.

As the shuttle sped off, Republic cannon fire rained down on the mountain, destroying the droid factory within.