Disclaimer:
Star Wars does not belong to me, nor do any of the images displayed. This fic was created by me for entertainment purposes.
NA 1: This is a translation from Spanish. Before, I used to upload the translation from Google Translate, but I found this one and it seems better to me. Please comment to let me know what you think.
NA 2: If anyone wants to help with corrections or translations and serve as an editor, please send me a private message. I am too busy to do it myself. Again, my apologies to everyone.
NA3: También he publicado el original en español, ya pueden leerlo.
Star Wars Xion 7
-We must follow Dooku, if he escapes, the war will begin," Obi-Wan said, refusing to descend into the war zone, where the Republic ships were trying to establish a beachhead, landing artillery, tanks and troops, but on the opposite side the droids had their own artillery and tanks, and the battle was not easy.
The clone troopers piloting the ship complied with Obi-Wan's order immediately and took to the air in pursuit of Dooku, who was escorted by his own bodyguards. They shot down two transports before being shot down. They also fired on the ship they were on, and Padme lost her balance, but the Force warned her of the danger and Anakin was already holding her up. Obi-Wan noticed this, but Anakin shrugged it off. It was useless to try to explain anything.
…
-Padme, don't go out," Anakin ordered when they reached Dooku.
Dooku, who was waiting for the last preparations of his escape ship, approached them walking gracefully.
-Anakin, stay with me," Obi-Wan advised as they faced Dooku.
-Master, stay behind with Padme. Her technique is good, but her physical condition is terrible, she will only be a burden," said Anakin. Dooku blinked and Obi-Wan sighed, but he had witnessed Anakin's training with Windu, so he stepped back to stand to the side with Padme.
-Interesting decision," Dooku said, adopting a graceful stance, like a Spanish fencer.
This was the famous Makashi form, supposedly the best form for single combat, Form II in the Jedi combat arts. Anakin disagreed with this assessment, as it was too limited in other respects, but at least it served its purpose and certainly lent an air of nobility to Dooku, who moved like a feline on parade.
-Dooku, your control over your emotions is admirable, but if you think that keeps the dark side from corrupting you, you're wrong. It is a drug and you consume it at will, it will consume you bit by bit," said Anakin. Dooku smiled.
-Padawan, your knowledge of the dark side amazes me," said Dooku as he took his saber in his left hand and gestured towards him. Anakin wondered if Palpatine had given him the order to try to enter his mind.
-Dooku! -Obi-Wan exclaimed as he saw what he was doing, for a Jedi would never attempt such a thing.
Anakin undoes the attack with a wave of his hand and made a gesture. Dooku tensed and quickly stepped aside, interposing his saber to stop the Force wave directed at his ship. His hasty movement caused him to lose some elegance and his anger was evident as he looked at Obi-Wan, who did not know where to look.
-Dooku, do you think you're the only one who can play dirty in this place? If you keep up your tricks, I'll have you crawling on the ground," Anakin said coldly.
-"Brave statement," Dooku replied, but he didn't dare move away from his ship and just looked at Padme and Obi-Wan behind him.
-You can try, in the meantime, I will turn your ship to scrap and soon there will be hundreds of Jedi in this place," Anakin said calmly, studying Dooku's strength. Now that he was facing him, he realized that he had no lesser presence than the brown beast.
"Shit," Anakin thought, there was no way to capture this guy, he could only delay him until reinforcements arrived. The green troll had to be close….
Anakin blinked. The green troll would not come, the surviving Jedi were leading more troops, which forced the Geonosians to deploy more of their robots, thus revealing their hidden droid factories, and now the Jedi were set to destroy them. The Brown beast and the green troll were leading the attack. The second battle of Geonosis had been brought forward.
"Force, I should have let those cretins die," Anakin thought resentfully. Dooku, who still couldn't find a way to use the Force against him without Anakin destroying his ship while attacking him, smiled.
-Trouble? -Dooku asked mockingly.
-For both of us," Anakin replied. Your hidden factories have been discovered, I'm afraid your plan to appear innocent has gone down the drain," Anakin reported. Dooku frowned.
The Jedi had just dealt him a severe blow, but it was his fault for bringing an army to the site. Anakin's problem with this was that now he would have no reinforcements….
Dooku advanced, apparently he had given up trying to use Force abilities. Anakin, who was already familiar with this area, knew they were evenly matched in that regard, so he preferred to conserve his energy for a saber battle. Although they would also be evenly matched in saber skill, Anakin had the advantage in physical form, so if the confrontation dragged on, he would emerge victorious.
Dooku saluted with a flourish and Anakin adopted the V-form stance. He opened the duel with a lunge and Dooku held off his attack long enough to move out of the way, stepping at a forty-five degree angle to the right, leaving his ship behind Anakin's back.
Dooku's move indicated that he did not trust his honor and suspected that his ship would suffer the consequences if it was exposed. Anakin smiled and played along, because it would be equally difficult for Dooku to attack Padme and Obi-Wan, who were watching the duel.
In the cramped space of Dooku's ship's hangar, the power of the V-form was diminished, while Dooku's II-form, with short, smooth movements, was enhanced. Dooku was unaffected by Anakin's powerful blows, and the saber fight dragged on.
Dooku would launch quick, short attacks that prevented Anakin from moving his lightsaber too far away to take advantage of his strength. In terms of fighting styles, Dooku's was as offensive as Anakin's, and after a minute, the two separated to evaluate strategies, as the fight was not progressing. Anakin needed space and Dooku wanted to escape, as this fight was useless for him.
-Dooku, there is no way you can take that ship with me here. Surrender and you will make life easier for both of us," Anakin advised.
-Padawan, your arrogance will be your undoing," Dooku replied, and made a strange motion with his hand. Another Jedi would have fallen victim to his lightning attack having no idea what was coming, but Anakin raised his lightsaber even before Dooku completed his move.
Dooku looked at him in surprise, but as Anakin had promised, he would not stand idly by. At the same time he raised his arm with his saber to defend himself from the Sith beam, he raised his other arm and the ground began to erode on all sides. The same would happen with Dooku's ship, although the resistances of both materials were not equal and it would take longer for it to wear away.
Dooku, surprised but understanding what he was doing, was quick to lunge to disrupt Anakin's concentration and stop the erosion.
However, this did not come without cost, as the Makashi style was not suited for lunging and Anakin had enough room to power his strike. He performed a full vertical slash that Dooku, as he was lunging, had no choice but to receive with his saber, staggering backwards.
Seizing the opportunity, Anakin executed another full horizontal cut, which Dooku managed to partially dodge by spinning backwards and empowering himself with the Force. The tip of Anakin's saber grazed Dooku's left forearm, not enough to sever it, but it rendered it useless. Despite this, Dooku regained his stance, brandished his saber and continued to attack at high speed without uttering a word.
Anakin accepted the challenge and concentrated all his energies on the duel, despite being limited by Dooku's style and the limited space available.
Despite having a disabled arm, Dooku's stance was smooth, with quick, short strikes, giving Anakin no time to gain momentum or move away. Anakin also could not jump backwards due to the limited space, as he had to keep his attention focused so as not to trip over anything.
In this fight, deflecting attention would be deadly. Thus, the duel in which Anakin thought he had every advantage stalled for both of them. Dooku could not escape and he could not defeat him. Perhaps someone with more experience in saber duels could do it, but Jedi of his level were hard to come by, and a training match was not the same as a real duel.
Anakin was annoyed, but he unleashed all the Force and refused to force any movement, displaying a dance of steps and techniques against Dooku. He did not plan to give up, he still had the advantage in Force and fitness, and Dooku was wounded. This would weaken him even faster. At this rate, Dooku would not last more than two hours. It wasn't a victory, but this was no contest. Anakin would settle for capturing him and making things difficult for Palpatine. He would see who he would seek out to lead the Separatists.
Fifteen minutes later, Dooku had finally made a face as he realized his intentions. Anakin smiled at him, but he wasn't finished when they both jumped back to finish their duel. They didn't let their guard down, but their minds were elsewhere, so they stepped away.
-Anakin, the droids are retreating in this direction," Obi-Wan reported, confirming to him the uproar of explosions that was vibrating the earth and getting closer and closer.
Anakin couldn't believe this was a coincidence, and Dooku didn't seem to have done anything, so this must be Palpatine's doing. He didn't want the supposed separatist leader to fall in this place….
A missile hit the cliff, and the cave shook. Anakin did not hesitate and retreated towards Obi-Wan and Padme, the Force warning him that if they stayed there, they would end up buried. Still, he would not let Dooku go just like that, and as he ran, he used his free hand to free a boulder from the rock ceiling, which fell onto Dooku's ship.
Dooku looked at it menacingly, but gritted his teeth and dove off the cliff, being picked up by a vulture droid in a risky maneuver. In the end, as Anakin had promised him, he did not let him leave in his ship, and the sith lord lost his glamour, jumping off a cliff.
His master looked at him with disapproval at his petty character.
-Master, it was Dooku who brought that army here, being cornered. He is the one with the petty temper, I am only punishing his dishonor," said Anakin, taking Padme in his arms. Padme gave a little cry and blushed. Anakin grimaced and released his emotions to the Force. He said nothing and shot off at the speed of a bullet to get out of the place. Obi-Wan followed him.
…
They emerged from the cave that was Dooku's lair, and a few minutes later were picked up by a troop transport, which took them next to the Republic command line, which was moving steadily advancing towards a very large but disorganized droid army.
It was a disaster in terms of strategy, it looked like they had taken the droids out of the factories, given them a weapon and sent them onto the battlefield like a disorganized army of ants. Because of that, the clones were advancing without much resistance.
…
The clone troop transport dropped them off at the makeshift command center, where the commanders, Yoda and Windu, were located, directing the troops and being protected by a makeshift perimeter of clone troops behind a line of tanks. The command room consisted of holographic computers placed on top of supply crates that had contained weapons. The holograms showed the droid factories and the massive numbers of them joining the battle.
Anakin wasted no time in greetings or formalities and immediately began reading the battle reports and situation, grimacing a lot as he did so.
According to Xion's recollections, the clone army was to take Geonosis and capture the droid factories, letting Dooku, the Separatist leaders and General Grievous escape, in general, anyone who wanted to leave the planet. However, this rescue of Obi-Wan resulted in disaster for the Republic, with many Jedi casualties. The battle was chaotic due to the Jedi's lack of command skills and their lack of knowledge on how to use the clones.
Now the situation was not much different. The separatist ships quickly fled when they saw the approaching army and no one thought to blockade the planet and its hyperspace routes to prevent them from escaping. Their ships left taking an army with them, which meant the war would not end here.
The battle on the ground was also disastrous. The tanks were misplaced, the Jedi didn't know what to do, and the clones awaited orders from incompetent commanders. Although Anakin had saved the lives of many Jedi by arriving with the army, this did not improve the situation. The surviving Jedi decided to scout the area, discovering the hidden droid factories and causing the Geonosians to have to fight in earnest.
In short, the Jedi had disrupted a large hive of enemies and the enemy troops had increased by a factor of five. What kept them from being completely annihilated in actuality was the disorganization of the Separatists, for as they fled, their chain of command was a chaos worse than the Jedi's.
Another major change was that, by pure chance, they located one of the conspirators involved in Dooku's plot, who had been blocked in his escape route. This explained why the Droid army was so determined to win this battle, for if one of their leaders were caught there, the Separatists would have a lot of trouble justifying their presence there.
However, the current problem was that this prisoner was in the enemy command center, with a growing droid army surrounding him. All indications were that they would have to retreat and wait for reinforcements, which would undoubtedly give him a chance to escape his target.
With Dooku and the rest of the Separatists having escaped, this battle would be just as disastrous and fruitless as the one Xion remembered.
Anakin would gain no political advantage from it that Padmé could take advantage of, and that he could not allow. He had made a mistake in trying to capture Dooku, he should have concentrated on a more modest objective and pursued the minions. While capturing them would not significantly affect the course of the war as capturing Dooku would, each of them represented a political victory against Palpatine. Anakin must have considered that in his ambition to catch Dooku; it was pure hubris.
Anakin gritted his teeth and no longer knew who was more useless, him or the other Jedi. At least they managed to catch one of the enemy leaders, while their only results were to return empty-handed. He shook his head to release those thoughts of self-criticism. This was no time for regrets.
"In the face of frustration and anger, nonchalance and calm," he said to himself in his mind. He looked at Windu and Yoda and remembered that he still had contingency plans, for he knew that if he captured Dooku, there would be no way for them to let him go peacefully and he would be facing an entire army. His attempt to capture Dooku was a failure, but he still had an uphill battle ahead of him and his plans could still be useful.
-We must take the command center immediately. If this army gets its act together, we will be slaughtered," Anakin said as he looked at the overwhelming number of enemies they faced. Windu looked at him with a worried expression and Master Yoda chewed his saliva, while the clone captains looked at the group.
-We know, Padawan Anakin. We are advancing in the direction where we located the command signals, but there are too many of the enemy and they are massing faster than we can advance. If this continues, we will have to retreat and wait for reinforcements," Windu explained reluctantly.
-I will not allow it! -said Anakin. Dooku has escaped, and if we lose this leader, all evidence against the Separatists will disappear, and we will be left as the villains, which will give them more support," he added. He would not allow Palpatine to win a double victory, knowing the consequences this would have.
-The consequences we can see. The power to prevent it we do not possess," said Yoda.
-I disagree," said Anakin, who already knew there was an army in this place and was preparing to take control of it. However, he did not count on losing Dooku after spending ten years training to capture him with ease and now finding himself in the middle of a battle. Anakin watched the holographic screens, positioning himself on standby. Yoda, Windu, Obi-Wan and Padmé knew Anakin had a plan.
-Padawan Skywalker, have you seen anything? -Windu asked, with an annoyed expression. Anakin raised an eyebrow.
-Master Windu, you surprise me. Are you asking about the future? -Anakin replied with mock surprise. Yoda chewed his saliva and Windu gritted his teeth.
-Anakin! -Obi-Wan, who was intent on preventing Anakin from enjoying his victories over the other Jedi, chided. Anakin sighed. If it were up to him, he would remind them of their ineptitude some more.
-As I mentioned to you earlier, I made some preparations because I already knew there was an army hiding in this place. My plan was to infiltrate and capture the command room secretly while the factories remained hidden.
"The problem is, because I didn't allow the droids to kill the Jedi in the arena and entertained the Geonosians without combat until the clone army arrived, there are now more Jedi and the factories were exposed. We have a war on our hands and my infiltration plans are out of the question," said Anakin, omitting the fact that he too failed to capture Dooku. Still, I have backup plans.
"Since I cannot infiltrate stealthily, I will go in hard and with your help, for unlike you, I have prepared for this war and have some resources at my disposal," Anakin added, glancing at a troop transport approaching the command center.
Anakin frowned. Yoda and Windu were also surprised by Jadle's presence, and looked at him because it was obvious he hadn't expected her to come there either.
The troop transport arrived at the perimeter a few seconds later, and Jadle, carrying a backpack on his back and a small box in his hand, descended from it. Four clones stood beside him on guard. Jadle walked toward the command center. When he arrived, he removed the metal backpack and handed it to them. Then he looked at the box in his hands hesitantly.
-You must return them at the end of your mission," said Jadle handing him the box with some hesitation. Anakin hurried to take it.
-Of course," Anakin replied. He wasn't willing, but he couldn't betray Jadle's trust either. Yoda and Windu were staring at the box.
-What will you use the Kiber crystals for? -Yoda asked, unable to hide the fear in his voice, for he sensed that he would not like the answer.
-To fight my way through the droid army. I will take my master with me and I will need two other volunteers. Though it is a dangerous mission and these volunteers are likely to die," Anakin said with a smile, as he looked at the green troll and the brown beast, who were his main problem in the Jedi council.
Yoda blinked and Windu gave him a determined look to indicate that it would not be so easy to get rid of him. Anakin smiled mischievously.
-"Of course, we can withdraw and grant the Separatists a political victory that will affect the reputation of the Republic and the Jedi," Anakin said. "They can also send someone else," he added, though he didn't dare complete that sentence. Windu glared at him angrily, but Jadle sighed and stepped forward.
-Master Windu and I will be your reinforcements," Jadle said. The whole group looked at Jadle. Anakin shook his head.
-Master Jadle, it is too dangerous. Let Master Yoda take his place," Anakin said with concern. Yoda frowned. Windu glared at him angrily, while his master sighed resignedly.
-Yoda is better suited to be in our control center. Besides, I can handle your defensive spheres, as I have practiced with them," said Jadle, shaking his head and then pointing to the holographic screens. There is no time for further discussion, the enemy line is strengthening and soon we will have to fall back," Jadle added. Anakin gritted his teeth. He already knew the old woman had no good intentions in learning her defensive ability. This old woman was too stubborn and there was no time to waste.
-What is your plan? -Windu growled, suspecting that Anakin was planning to assassinate him on this mission. Anakin approached the holographic screens.
-First, we will advance toward the enemy lines here," he said, pointing to where enemy reinforcements were arriving on the way to his control room. Once there, we will run at full speed, break through the enemy lines until we reach this mountain," he continued, pointing to a mountain about a kilometer from the enemy line. At the mountain, we will climb up to the control room level to bypass the internal defenses. Then, we will pierce the layers of defensive armor and rocks, entering the control room where we will disable the droid army, capturing their leaders or destroying their computers should they refuse to surrender," Anakin explained.
-Anakin, we would need an army twenty times that size to break through that defensive line. Besides, we have no air support, since any incoming ship will be shot down," said Obi-Wan.
-That's why only the four of us will advance. I will lead the way and take care of the mountain drilling. You will cover me, as my perception will be at a minimum and I will need protection. I'll also need backup once we reach the target, because I don't think I'll be in any condition at that point," Anakin explained, as the backpack opened and eight spheres came out.
What surprised them most, however, was that the backpack itself split and formed four more spheres. The first were small, no bigger than a fist, but the other four were three times its size and floated open like a flower.
Anakin opened the small box and the four crystals floated, one in each sphere, fitting into a small mechanism that imprisoned them, and the spheres closed. These larger spheres were not perfect, as they had a small part of their surface concave, which would allow any other traveler to immediately recognize which weapon they belonged to, even if it was thousands of times smaller.
-These are one of my preparations in case of a situation like this. I call them Death Stars," Anakin said. Windu and Yoda almost jumped in surprise, and Windu was about to reprimand him, but Master Jadle gave him a warning look.
-This is no time for discussion, Master Windu. I already know the entire plan and the skills the Padawan will use, and as far as I can see, his condition is not the best at the moment, but it will suffice. We must move forward before we lose our chance and tarnish the reputation of the Order," said Jadle in a serious tone.
-Jedi speed will reduce our perception of our surroundings, and there will be a lot of shooting," said Windu.
-The distance is also quite extensive," interjected Obi-Wan, whose physical condition was average and would suffer from using the Force on his body for an entire kilometer.
-Master, don't expose yourself like that, it's embarrassing," said Anakin, as the eight defensive spheres formed an orbit around the group, creating a defensive perimeter. Besides, Master Windu will be our first shield, you will be our second. Master Jadle and I will escape if we lose both of you and if the plan fails," Anakin added with mock regret. Don't worry, as I mentioned before, I will try to save you," he added, inhaling deeply before turning to the troop transport that brought Jadle.
-Captain, take us as close to enemy lines as possible," Anakin ordered. Obi-Wan shuffled moodily, followed by an angry Windu who was unwilling to play his part in this plan. However, the reputation of the Jedi Order and the Senate was at stake, so they advanced with less enthusiasm than Obi-Wan. Windu was sure he would not survive, as he did not think highly of Anakin and suspected that he wanted to take them to the Council in a coffin to avoid future reprimands.
Anakin wouldn't complain if a stray shot got him rid of the brown beast, with his arrogant demeanor and overweening pride, but he had no plans to get rid of him either. He was just trying to annoy him so that he would think twice before bothering him in the future.
-Anakin, be careful," warned Padme, who had been silent since his arrival. Although the Jedi Order supported Palpatine, she still held great respect for them.
The troop transport advanced toward the offensive line, which was moving less and less into the desert with a few spikes. Despite the obvious disorganization, the droid army had the advantage of being able to deploy in large numbers.
Their group descended on the front lines, in a neutral territory of two hundred meters.
-Master Windu, Master Obi-Wan, we will form an arrowhead. I will be at the tip and you will protect the rear on my sides. Master Jadle will control the defenses from the center," said Anakin.
Windu was surprised to see Anakin in the vanguard and realized he was being made a fool of. The eight spheres continued to orbit around him, while the four mini Death Stars were placed at Anakin's sides.
Anakin gave no time for complaints and shot off using jedi speed, which he had used previously to escape. This power was very useful, but it had several disadvantages. First of all, it was exhausting, and Jedi with little control of the Force or novices tended to faint after barely six meters.
Obi-Wan, who was already an experienced jedi, complained even after going a kilometer. In addition, it was necessary to be in good physical condition, so Anakin did not want to take Jadle, despite her great control of the Force, as she was an old woman and this would be a difficult test for her. Finally, although jedi speed heightened the senses and gave the sensation of the world slowing down, compared to a jedi at rest, the perception was much less.
Despite all these disadvantages, jedi speed had many advantages, including the strategic advantage that Anakin was taking advantage of at the time to break through the enemy battlefield and assault their base without them being able to stop him. However, jedi speed was not his only weapon in this plan.
A second after they had started, they had gone a hundred meters and found themselves in front of a formation of B2 armored droids, a large number of B1s, spider tanks and numerous cannons.
Anakin raised his hand and the four Death Stars fired concentrated beams, twice the width of a lightsaber, which struck the enemy ranks, cutting through both tanks and armored droids, while a ripple of the Force disarmed those left standing. Obi-Wan and Windu hurried to clear a path, understanding their role at that moment and also understanding the purpose of the spheres Jadle moved to intercept the blaster fire, which although not specifically aimed at them, on a battlefield with gunfire everywhere, it was absurd to think they would be unharmed without proper shielding.
…
Two seconds later, they reached the offensive line and had a clear path a hundred meters ahead of them, while the hundreds of droids around them had been disarmed, although their pieces had not yet fallen to the ground. The Death Stars continued to fire, clearing the way by separating the tanks into several parts that Windu and Obi-Wan moved aside so they could advance.
…
Ten seconds after starting, they reached the mountain where the control room was located and, at that moment, the droids had already focused their attention on them. Hundreds of weapons were firing at them, especially now that they were in front of the main control room. However, the defensive spheres intercepted most of the shots and Jadle stopped the others with his lightsaber.
The tanks and cannons that tried to fire on them were taken out by two Death Stars, while two others literally dug a tunnel into the enemy bunker and Anakin used the Force to throw the cut rocks away and prevent them from disrupting the advance.
Since ten seconds had already passed, Windu and Obi-Wan assisted Jadle in the defense.
-Anakin, are you all right? -Obi-Wan asked, noting the indiscriminate use of the Force he was making.
There were more than a few Jedi who had burned themselves out by overestimating their capabilities with the Force. However, considering Anakin's current control and despite his confrontation with Dooku, as Master Jadle had mentioned, he still had enough Force to accomplish this task.
-"Master, concentrate on your own task," replied Anakin, who did not want to be shot in the back because of petty conversation. Obi-Wan looked at him with hostility, but focused on his own task.
…
Thirty seconds after starting the mission, and twenty seconds after climbing the mountain, they were only about twenty meters away from reaching the control room. They made their way through and Windu and Obi-Wan entered to eliminate the droids in the command room.
The command room was huge, a cavern about a hundred meters in diameter, where there were dozens of Geonosians and also dozens of B2s, plus a couple of destroyers that would not make it easy for Obi-Wan. However, Windu was present and Anakin wasn't too worried.
Anakin didn't help, as he was experiencing double vision. The armor proved to be tougher than expected and he had to resort to rearranging matter to speed up the infiltration. He ignored Obi-Wan and Windu, who would take care of the rest, and turned around, hoping not to run into the elderly Jadle, her bones broken from the run to that spot….
Jadle looked at him and he watched her as she held her abdomen, from which blood was gushing.
-Master Jadle! -Anakin exclaimed, as the old woman nodded with acceptance and leaned against the wall to rest.
-"Chosen One, your path must not end in this place," Jadle said with a smile, and after a sigh of relief, she seemed to fall asleep. Anakin could feel the Force fading from her and knew she would die in a matter of minutes. He ran to her and pretended to examine her wound.
-It's just a small burn," Anakin said to Windu and Obi-Wan, who were about to finish off the droids, but two destroyers were giving them trouble. He took advantage of all their attention being on them to place his hand on Jadle's wound and, as he had said earlier, it only left a second-degree burn rather than a mortal wound.
Anakin tried to get up after healing Jadle, but now everything was spinning, and then came the darkness. Healing a person when he was already on the edge was too much ….
…
When he awoke, Anakin was in the infirmary of a space cruiser. Opening his eyes and sitting up, Anakin received a hug from Papme, who was beside him, but they were not alone, and she was quick to let go of him and lower her head in shame. Anakin dismissed her emotions to the Force, as quickly as they came, and looked at Papme reproachfully.
-Woman, you are going to be our undoing," Anakin complained in his mind, as Obi-Wan, who stood at the foot of his gurney, gave him an insinuating smile. Anakin looked at him menacingly, but said nothing, because Jadle, Yoda and Windu were also there.
-We are here to retrieve the Kiber crystals," Windu said, looking at the death stars at the side of the bed.
Anakin was surprised they hadn't opened them themselves to get the crystals, after seeing what he was doing with them. Yadle shook her head, Anakin guessed she was the reason they hadn't gutted the spheres in search of the crystals.
Anakin shrugged and, with a gesture, the four death stars parted, the crystals released and them turned into a metallic backpack. The guardian spheres, which were also there, slipped inside and then it closed. The crystals flew to Windu, who examined them before putting them away.
-We must talk about these artifacts," Yoda said. Anakin guessed he would never see another Kiber crystal from them in his life.
-I will get others," said Anakin. The Jedi were not the only ones with Kiber crystals. Yoda and Windu looked at him in dismay. Jadle smiled.
…
When the Inquisitors left, Jadle and Obi-Wan brought him up to date. As expected, the Separatist faction was outraged by the invasion of Geonosis and it didn't take them a day to declare war.
Papme was devastated that Palpatine had achieved his goal and that several members of her pacifist group joined the militarist faction, proposing and approving the use of the clone army. Papme had already testified on this matter and, after ending her relations with those who betrayed her ideals, she continued to oppose the war and declared that she would seek peace.
There were also changes, because even though Dooku managed to escape, the clones took over Geonosis and the droid factories there. Coupled with the capture of a member of the Separatists, this showed that the Separatists were already planning a war.
Anakin also knew that losing that army and the factories was not in Palpatine's plans. Coupled with the blackmail or bribery of Papme's supporters who betrayed her, this would weaken her power and ease her downfall in the future. Jadle did not mention anything about his wounds, even though she knew he had healed them.
…
Upon returning to Coruscant and having settled a few things, the Jedi Council rewarded Anakin by naming him a Jedi Knight for standing up to Dooku and for his plan that saved the Council's reputation. Jedi Knight Obi-Wan was made Master, something totally unexpected for him and also for Anakin, as this was only supposed to be achieved by great deeds or training several Jedi Knights, and Obi-Wan could barely do anything in battle.
Finally, the Council elders swallowed five percent of their pride, which was the same size as Coruscant, and admitted that Anakin's visions had been accurate and had helped them as well. Perhaps, had they paid attention to them earlier, the conflict could have been avoided. In the future, they would seriously discuss any visions Anakin had, which meant that they would not be dismissed completely and they would endeavor to find out if they were true.
Now Anakin watched as the few cruisers the Republic had loaded up with an army of clones that would invade the Separatist systems, or so it was assumed. However, Anakin knew that the Separatists out-resourced them and that these ships would barely be enough to keep their allied worlds from being wiped out.
In the future, Palpatine would play his cards right to force the Republic to break his rules again and again, thus increasing his power and allowing him to take extraordinary measures to strengthen his military and take on the Separatists. It would also play on the indifference of the people on both sides of the conflict, keeping the war as something distant from their realities as it is being fought by clones and robots that in the end had no effect on their consciences.
-Victory? No, a victory, this is not. War and death has fallen upon the galaxy, the shadow of the dark side, upon us it is," said Yoda. The familiar words caught the attention of Anakin, who looked at Yoda, as did his master and half the council, as they watched the troops.
-War? -Anakin asked, drawing everyone's attention. Anakin shook his head. "This is not a war. It's a puppet show. On one side, droids that no one cares about, and on the other, clones that, despite being slaves and a clear violation of Republic law, no one cares about either.
"Thus, this conflict will escalate and the people involved in it will only think about profits, losses and economic agreements. Looking at it this way, it doesn't make sense, until you realice that there is a third party involved in this puppet show, and that party is us Jedi.
-It will be our hands that are stained with blood in this conflict. Every stain will be on our reputation. The Separatists already see us as enemies, which has completely excluded us from any negotiating role that was originally ours to play.
"In conclusion, this is not a war, it is a puppet show to get rid of the Jedi Order and tarnish its reputation to such an extent that, if we lose, people will never trust us with their peace or trust us again. Even if we win, someone with enough influence could easily get rid of us, and since the people would only see us as one side in the conflict, they will simply consider us another casualty in the war," said Anakin. The Jedi looked at him stunned. They really were blind and did not realice that the only ones involved in this matter were them, and it was clear that they would be the ones to suffer the consequences of this war.
-Worrying, this possibility is," said Yoda. For the first time, he was not trying to dismiss his words as assumptions or opinions.