I'll give y'all another chapter or two after this one, depending on how many reviews I get. One chapter per review. I could honestly post about 20 for how many I have saved right now, but y'all ain't gettingthem unless you magically summon 20 reviews.
...
Rain battered the high windows of the Kaminoan complex, streaking the transparisteel in restless rivers that distorted the endless gray ocean beyond. The storm had not relented since their arrival. It was as though the planet itself refused to be still.
Inside Jango Fett's quarters, the air was heavier than before.
The revelation about the assassination attempt had shifted something fundamental. There were no pretenses left in the room now—no polite formalities, no half-truths.
Jango stood near the window, arms crossed over his chest, posture relaxed but coiled beneath the surface. Qui-Gon remained seated, his mechanical right arm resting lightly on the table, fingers flexing once as the servos adjusted with a quiet whir. The prosthetic caught the sterile overhead light, polished metal in stark contrast to the earth tones of his robes.
Obi-Wan stood slightly behind his former master, arms folded inside his sleeves, eyes fixed on Jango with open suspicion.
Jango broke the silence first.
"I've had a plan brewing since Zam," he said evenly. "I just needed to decide who I trusted enough to hear it."
Obi-Wan's jaw tightened. "You attempted to kill a sitting senator."
Jango didn't flinch. "I followed a contract. One that was never meant to succeed."
"That doesn't absolve you," Obi-Wan replied sharply.
Qui-Gon lifted his metal hand slightly—not to silence Obi-Wan, but to temper him.
"What's your condition?" Qui-Gon asked Jango.
Jango's gaze flicked to the prosthetic arm for half a second, then back to Qui-Gon's face.
"Full immunity," he said plainly. "I know im a wanted man, and I cant help with the republic hunting me."
Obi-Wan turned sharply to Qui-Gon. "Master—"
"Done," Qui-Gon said without hesitation.
The word fell into the room like a stone into still water.
Obi-Wan stared at him. "You can't be serious."
Qui-Gon's expression didn't change. "There are more pressing matters than this."
"He's a criminal," Obi-Wan pressed. "Loyal to Anakin or not."
Jango's lip twitched faintly. "I've always been honest about what I am."
Qui-Gon rose slowly, the mechanical arm adjusting fluidly as he moved. "And right now, what he is may be the only thread leading us to the truth."
Obi-Wan looked between them, disbelief evident. "You're trusting him?"
"I am trusting his loyalty to Anakin," Qui-Gon corrected.
That silenced the room for a moment.
Jango uncrossed his arms.
"Here's what I'll do," he said. "I leave Kamino. Publicly. I head to Geonosis. I tell Dooku I handled things. That the Jedi are chasing ghosts."
"And we follow you," Obi-Wan said, understanding dawning.
Jango nodded. "You track my ship. I'll make it easy. Once you're on Geonosis, you snoop around. Listen. Find out what Dooku's building."
"And you?" Qui-Gon asked.
"I stay close enough to be useful," Jango said. "But not close enough to be blamed."
Qui-Gon considered it.
Rain cracked against the windows like distant blasterfire.
"I like it," Qui-Gon said finally.
Obi-Wan exhaled slowly. "It's dangerous."
"So is standing still," Qui-Gon replied.
Jango stepped forward, extending his hand.
Qui-Gon took it—flesh and metal clasping in a firm grip.
"For the boy," Jango said quietly.
"For Anakin," Qui-Gon agreed.
///
Hours later, Jango's ship cut through the storm and vanished into hyperspace.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stood on an exterior landing platform beneath Kamino's relentless rain, cloaks plastered against their forms. The storm blurred the horizon into a single shifting gray sheet.
Obi-Wan activated the holo-communicator.
The blue projections of Master Yoda and Mace Windu flickered into view, distorted slightly by the downpour and wind interference.
"Report," Windu said without preamble.
Qui-Gon inclined his head respectfully. Water streamed down his beard and soaked into his robes, but he seemed unconcerned.
"We tracked the bounty hunter to a planet called Kamino. He's a Mandalorian named Jango Fett. When we tried to apprehend him, he resisted, leading to a fight that ultimately led to his escape off-world. Fortunately, fortunetly we were able to place a tracker on his ship.
Obi-Wan kept his expression neutral.
Yoda's ears twitched slightly. "Behind the assassination attempt, you believe he is not alone."
"No," Qui-Gon replied. "He was hired."
"By whom?" Windu asked.
"Newt Gunray," Obi-Wan said. "And Count Dooku."
The storm seemed to grow louder around them.
Windu's gaze sharpened. "Dooku."
"Yes," Qui-Gon confirmed.
Yoda's voice was quiet. "Deep this corruption runs."
"There is more," Qui-Gon continued.
He hesitated only briefly.
"We were told that 10 years ago, Master Sifo Dias commissioned a clone army for the Republic."
Windu's expression darkened. "The Council never approved such an action."
"Nor were we informed," Qui-Gon said.
"Two million Units of clones have already been bred and trained. Billions more are nearly complete. Master's, this is an army the Republic has not seen since the Old Republic."
Rain hammered against the platform as though punctuating the gravity of the revelation.
Yoda closed his eyes briefly.
"Hidden from us, this was."
Windu folded his hands behind his back. "Do you believe the Kaminoans are complicit in the attempt on Senator Amidala's life?"
Qui-Gon shook his head slowly. "I do not. They appear unaware of the broader conflict. They believe they are fulfilling a legitimate Jedi request."
"Which they were," Obi-Wan added quietly. "At least, they think so."
Yoda opened his eyes again, ancient and troubled.
"Clouded the future is," he murmured. "A war approaches. And prepared for it, someone has been."
Windu's gaze returned to Qui-Gon. "Follow this Mandalorian, and find out what Count Dooku has been planning.
Qui-Gon inclined his head. "We will."
The holograms flickered out, leaving only the sound of the storm.
Obi-Wan looked at his former master.
"You're taking a tremendous risk trusting Jango," he said.
Qui-Gon's mechanical fingers flexed once as he deactivated the communicator.
"Trusting Anakin," he corrected softly.
Lightning flashed across the ocean.
Far away, on Tatooine, Anakin Skywalker knelt in the sand beside the grave of his mother, the dark side whispering in his grief.
And the galaxy moved one step closer to war.
///
The sky above Geonosis burned like rusted iron.
Red dust curled through the air in slow, choking spirals as Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi guided their ship into a narrow canyon carved by centuries of wind and erosion. The planet felt hostile in a way that was different from Tatooine's harshness. Tatooine was indifferent. Geonosis felt deliberate—like something was being prepared beneath its cracked surface.
They disembarked under the cover of nightfall.
The air was dry, metallic, and heavy with distant machinery. Even before they saw it, they could hear it—a low, grinding hum that vibrated through the rock beneath their boots.
They moved cautiously along the cliffside until the canyon opened into a massive geonosian hive city.
The two Jedi made their way through the catacombs of the city.
And there it was.
A valley carved into an industrial nightmare.
Massive foundries belched smoke into the darkening sky. Conveyor systems ran endlessly between structures the size of cities. Rows upon rows of skeletal battle droids stood in formation as sparks rained down from assembly arms that moved with inhuman precision. The scale was staggering.
Obi-Wan exhaled slowly. "This isn't a militia."
"No," Qui-Gon said quietly. "It's an army."
They descended carefully, slipping through shadows and scaffolding until they found what they were searching for—a towering structure built into the rock, guarded but not impenetrable.
Inside, the air was cooler but louder. At the far end of a cavernous chamber, a gathering had formed.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan pressed themselves into a narrow balcony high above the floor.
Below them stood Count Dooku.
Tall, composed, his cape falling in elegant folds behind him, his silver beard catching the harsh industrial light. He stood before a semi-circle of holographic projections and living delegates alike—leaders of the Trade Federation, the Techno Union, the Banking Clan.
"The Republic," Dooku was saying, his voice calm and measured, "has lost its way. Corruption festers at its heart. Bureaucracy cripples it. The Jedi serve blindly."
Obi-Wan glanced at Qui-Gon. His former master's expression remained unreadable, but there was pain there.
Dooku continued. "We will forge something stronger. Cleaner. An alliance built on autonomy and strength."
A Neimoidian spoke next, his voice oily and cautious. "And the matter of Senator Amidala?"
Dooku's lips curved faintly. "Handled. Or soon will be."
Qui-Gon's jaw tightened.
Obi-Wan activated the small transmitter clipped at his belt. The signal flickered weakly.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan whispered.
Static crackled.
Then Anakin's voice came through, faint but steady. "I hear you."
"Boost the signal," Qui-Gon said quietly. "Patch us to Coruscant."
On Tatooine, aboard the ship resting near the Lars homestead, Anakin moved quickly. Padmé stood nearby, watching him with quiet concern as he rerouted power through the comm array.
"Hold steady," Anakin muttered, adjusting the frequency.
The image stabilized.
In the Supreme Chancellor's chambers on Coruscant, a small gathering had convened at once.
Master Yoda stood near the center of the room. Mace Windu at his side. Other Jedi Masters lined the perimeter. Senator Bail Organa stood among the political delegates, his face grave.
Supreme Chancellor Palpatine sat in his chair, hands folded calmly, eyes fixed on the holo projection as it flickered to life.
Qui-Gon's image resolved first—rain-streaked robes now replaced by red dust.
"Masters," he began, voice urgent but controlled. "Geonosis houses droid foundries of unprecedented scale. It is plainly obvious that this is not a planetary defense force, but a galaxy-spanning army."
The hologram shifted, showing the vast rows of battle droids being assembled.
Murmurs rippled through the chamber.
Obi-Wan stepped into view. "Count Dooku is leading the Separatist Alliance directly. Representatives from the Trade Federation, Techno Union, and Banking Clan are present. He is coordinating them."
"And Senator Amidala?" Windu asked.
"Dooku is the architect of the attempt on her life," Qui-Gon replied. "There is no longer doubt."
Palpatine's expression darkened in practiced outrage.
"This is open aggression," Bail Organa said quietly.
Qui-Gon nodded. "He is drawing systems into the Confederacy. And whatever he is planning next—"
The holo flickered violently.
Behind Qui-Gon, metal clanged sharply.
Obi-Wan's head snapped toward a sound off-screen.
Then blaster fire erupted.
The image shook wildly as the Jedi ignited their lightsabers, the bright hum filling the chamber on Coruscant as droid silhouettes flooded into view.
"Master—" Anakin's voice cut through the static. His form now replaced the remnants of Qui Gon and Obi-Wan before the gathered assembly.
"Stay where you are," Mace Windu said sharply. "Protect Senator Amidala at all costs."
The holo crackled, then went dark.
Silence swallowed the chamber.
For a long moment, no one moved.
Then Windu turned to Yoda. "This is an escalation of aggression that we are truly unprepared for."
Yoda's expression was grave. "War, this is."
They did not waste another second.
The Jedi Masters moved swiftly from the chamber, robes sweeping behind them.
The senators remained.
Bail Organa turned slowly toward the others. "We cannot ignore this."
A murmur of voices rose immediately—fear, outrage, calculation.
"We need an army," one senator said bluntly.
Bail let out a short breath, almost a humorless laugh. "Unfortunately, that is not so simple. The Senate would never approve the creation of a standing army. Not without significant resistance."
At the edge of the room, Vice Chancellor Mas Amedda cleared his throat delicately.
"Unless," he said smoothly, "a senator were to propose granting the Chancellor emergency powers."
The room quieted.
Palpatine remained seated, outwardly reluctant.
"This is not a power I would seek lightly," he said.
Jar Jar Binks, standing awkwardly near the back, blinked slowly.
Senator Amidala trusted him with representing Naboo, for serving the Republic until she returned. What would Senator Amidala do?