Chapter Twenty-Four
In the pre-dawn hours of the following morning, Obi-Wan woke feeling something warm pressing into his chest. Then, he noticed that his arm was around that something warm. A second later, he opened his eyes to see Sarali curled up into a tight ball beside him. His arm was draped over her waist. Her tail was wound around her body and just barely peeked out from under his cloak, which was somehow still over the both of them.
She was so beautiful. Now that she slept, her face was finally free of the lines of worry and sorrow which had marred her smooth face. She looked the same as she had back on Tatooine, almost disturbingly so. It hardly looked as if a day had gone by, yet she had changed so much. Gone was the young woman just trying to protect herself from further anguish. In her place was a woman with fierce loyalties and more wisdom than he would ever expect for her age.
Quite suddenly, she stirred. Her tail flicked and her ears perked up. She was awake.
"Sarali?"
"Hmmm?" she asked, sounding as if she would have liked very much if she could go back to sleep.
"We should be going."
"Where?"
Without a word, he pointed to the large rock formation relatively near them.
"They hollowed it, didn't they?" Sarali said, turning back toward him with a wry grin.
He nodded before leading toward the natural building.
ooooooooooo
Half an hour later, Obi-wan and Sarali walked through the narrow hallways of the building. Both were nearly silent as they moved through the enemy area. Quite suddenly, there was a large opening in the wall. They both carefully looked around the pillar only to see a gigantic droid factory.
Obi-Wan began to walk again, silently grasping Sarali's hand to pull her along rather than stare in fascination. She looked at his face silently for less than a second before matching his pace to continue through the eerily quiet structure.
They hurried down a flight of stairs but were forced to dart behind a pillar as they heard voices approaching.
"We must persuade the Commerce Guild and the Corporate Alliance to sign the treaty," a deep voice worthy of an orator said. Obi-Wan instantly recognized it and mouthed to the confused looking Sarali, 'Dooku.'
"What about the Senator from Naboo? Is she dead yet? I'm not signing your treaty until I have her head on my desk," a second voice, this one with a very odd accent, said. To this, Obi-Wan mouthed to her, 'Nute Gunray.'
"I am a man of my word, Viceroy," the first man, Dooku, said.
"With these new battle droids, we will have the finest army in the galaxy," a very robotic voice said. It was obvious from their faces that neither knew exactly who that was.
Obi-Wan and Sarali silently followed the group to a sort of meeting room. They snuck up to a level above and peered down at the group as they sat at a round, partially lit table and continued their odd cross between a discussion and a negotiation.
"As I explained to you earlier, I am quite convinced that ten thousand more systems will rally to our cause with your support, Gentlemen," Dooku said smoothly.
A small alien with a lot of gold ornamentation and a very long neck responded in a rather strange language.
"The Techno-Union army," a being encased in metal began to say before his translator began making odd sounds. With a bit of fiddling with some dials on his chest, he began to speak again, "Is at your disposal, Count."
"The Banking Clan will sign your treaty," a very tall and slender being with an elongated head said.
"Good, very good. Our friends from the Trade Federation have pledged their support, and when their battle droids are combined with yours, we shall have an army greater than any in the galaxy. The Jedi will be overwhelmed. The Republic will agree to any demands we make," Count Dooku said.
Obi-Wan and Sarali listened in for only a little longer. When they had heard enough, Obi-Wan took her hand so they would not be separated in the darkness before they both snuck out of the structure and back to their ships.
ooooooooooooooo
As soon as they were free to talk again, Obi-Wan said, "I'll have to contact the Jedi Council."
Sarali nodded her head and said, "I would expect as much with this discovery."
The soon reached the ships, at which point Obi-Wan instantly began to fiddle with the transmitter whilst Sarali simply laid herself out in the sun.
"The transmitter is working, but we're not receiving a return signal," Obi-Wan said more to himself than anything.
"Coruscant is too far for these transmitters," Sarali said, instantly recognizing the problem after years working with electronics. She did not even open her eyes to answer.
"R4, can you boost the power?" Obi-Wan asked.
The droid responded with a flurry of beeps and whistles.
"We'll have to try something else," Obi-Wan said, already thinking of alternatives.
"Anakin," Sarali said simply, almost as though it was obvious.
Obi-Wan looked over at her speculatively. When he did not speak, she said, "Naboo is much closer, that is unless he's wandered off as he is apt to do."
"That's a cheery thought," Obi-Wan replied sarcastically.
"Anakin? Anakin, do you copy? This is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin? He's not on Naboo, R4...I'm going to try to widen the range,"
"Knowing Anakin they are either on Alderaan or Tatooine, depending on which on suggested an alternative," Sarali commented.
"I do hope nothing's happened to him," Obi-Wan said worriedly.
"It most likely already has. I am more concerned about how deep the trouble is," Sarali returned.
"That's Anakin's tracking signal, but it's coming from Tatooine," Obi-Wan said, confused.
"Thought so," Sarali interjected.
"What in the blazes is he doing there?"
Visiting family, hiding from the Separatists, who knows with him, Sarali thought.
"I told him to stay on Naboo," Obi-Wan continued.
"Does he actually listen to you?" Sarali asked.
"Good point," he conceded.
Obi-Wan activated the transmitter again before saying, "Anakin? Anakin, do you copy? This is Obi-Wan Kenobi."
ooooooooooo
On the far off world of Coruscant, the Jedi Council and a few senators watched Obi-Wan's message in the Supreme Chancellor's office.
"I 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 responsible for the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala. The Commerce Guild and the Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming a-"
"Obi-Wan! Droidekas!" Sarali's higher voice said sharply.
They watched as obi-Wan began to fight them off. For a second, they saw the flash of a small, lithe figure flip through the picture before a droideka appeared, attacking Obi-Wan.
"Who was that?" Mace Windu asked.
"Senator Amidala's aide, Sarali Linat. She accompanied master Kenobi to assist in the investigation," Senator Bail Organa said simply.
"Why were we not informed of this?"
"Wesa thought yousa knew," Jar Jar said, looking guilty.