V.2-C.9│Battle of Geonosis III│

"It is obvious that this contest cannot be decided by our knowledge of the Force, but by our skills with a lightsaber." Dooku ignites his lightsaber.

Yoda does the same, not saying or exchanging anymore words.

The two then go into a flurry of rapid, fast paced attacks where they are still evenly matched within the beginning of their duel. Yoda makes a strange battle cry as he leaps into the air to close the distance between himself and Dooku.

Their moves are fanciful even though they were extremely practical to both of their statures at the same time, which helped to display the intense duel between the two.

Their duel goes on for a total of 50 seconds as Yoda continues to be the jumping bean that he is and moves from place to place. Yoda also keeps exerting himself, which then he creates grunting sounds due to him getting along in his years.

It takes alot of energy, no doubt to do an extensive exercise such as lightsaber combat.

"Fought well you have, my old Padawan." Yoda said as they came to a brief stop.

"This is just the beginning." Dooku replied before using the Force to direct an object towards Yoda to create distance to distract him as the object was falling towards Anakin and Aayla.

Noticing this, Anakin doesn't do much and Aayla helps Yoda out in trying to stop the object from falling on them. Anakin needs Dooku alive after all, so if he participated, it would only make his future harder.

He was prepared however that if both Aayla and Yoda failed to hold the object to grab Aayla and move out of the way.

Dooku now on his ship, looks back one last time to see that Anakin was looking at him. Dooku nods in his direction to affirm that he was still going to go through with the deal, while Anakin also nods back.

The reinforcements outside this place were unable to stop Dooku's escape because they didn't know from where he would go, though they did manage to slightly damage his ship. That was all they could do.

Yoda slowly made his way over to the exhausted Aayla and Anakin, while Padme and Shaak had also gone into the room with several clone troopers flanking them from both sides.

Padme rushes in to hug him regardless of the situation, which slightly upsets Aayla while Shaak also had to keep her calm given that Yoda was here. "Ani!" Padme exclaimed.

'Why the hell does he get to get away with something like this?' Aayla thought within her mind about how Yoda didn't seem to mind this little reunion between the two.

"Seem it would, Senator Amidala, connected to Master Skywalker you are." Yoda spoke seeing the two embrace each other.

Padme now shy about what she had just done detached herself from Anakin. "Oh. Master Yoda, I didn't mean anything by this." Padme hurriedly explained the situation.

"Master Yoda, I have a situation to report to you about." Anakin decides to distract Yoda with the importance of what has happened.

"Please, young Master Skywalker is, tire I do. Other time, you may tell me." Yoda said as he seemed quite tired mentally rather than physically.

"I understand." And Anakin did understand just like he had said, as coming across a student you were very close to and still carry a bond, disconnected even as it, would certainly mentally drain someone.

Even the most mysterious and wisest of all people would experience their downs just as they have their ups.

Yoda turned around to see that Obi-Wan also walked into the room. "What happen to me?" Obi-Wan was rubbing the back of his head as it was sore.

Anakin supplied an excuse. "Something fell on your head. You were completely out of it, so Aayla and myself here went to face the Count."

"That's strange. I didn't feel anything through the Force?" Obi-Wan said with some confusion while sporting a large bump on the back of his head.

Yoda laughs here being slightly cheered up by the situation. "Seem it would Obi-Wan, more training you need." He hums after finishing here before continuing on his way outside with Obi-Wan and the clones following after them.

This left Shaak, Aayla, Anakin and Padme as the only ones left within the room.

"Well... I guess we should all introduce each other here." Anakin said knowing that this may break down into a semi catfight. Not that Padme really stood a chance, but she would probably give a valiant effort.

"Hello, I am Aayla Secura, a VERY close friend of Anakin's." Aayla introduced herself first to Padme.

Narrowing her eyes, Padme responds. "Hello Master Secura, I am Senator Amidala, other known as Padme and I am also a VERY close friend of Ani." She gave a Anakin-esque smirk back and introduced herself.

"Ani?" Aayla turns to Anakin. "She calls you Ani already?"

Shaak decides to break the tension that was building by introducing herself. "I am Shaak Ti."

"Can't you see we are both talking here." Both Aayla and Padme said as they turned back to each other, not actually talking and was just communicating through their eyes.

"I apologize." Shaak said as Anakin moved over to her to allow the two women to sort out whatever they were doing. To him it seemed like they were testing each other, on what? He didn't know, nor did he try to find out either.

"Are you alright?" Anakin asked Shaak as she seemed to be dazed.

"No." She admitted quite readily. Shaak may be older than Anakin and others but that doesn't mean anything when she didn't truly experience much life had to offer.

Being from a social species, especially within a culture that promoted it she had no real connection to her home of Shili other than her travelling there from time to time in the past to train her padawans.

She had become more open with Anakin and readily shared her feelings with him, and she couldn't be any more grateful for having him.

"What is wrong then?" He asked her as Padme and Aayla were now asking each other various questions concerning Anakin within the background.

"I-" She hesitated before continuing. "I didn't know how to lead those clone troopers. A lot of them had died, people I had known within the Jedi had died and I feel as if it was my fault. I could have done much more."

Anakin hugged her which did get the attention of the other two within the room as Shaak started to silently cry on his shoulder.

There was alot of baggage to unpackage within Shaak, and she was fortunate to have developed close bonds with others. She would have been mostly alone throughout the entirety of her life, right from when she was a youngling to now.

Aayla came in and joined the hug, which turned it into a group hug. Padme was silent here and was uncertain if she should also hug the group.

But she had a feeling she knew why Anakin was hugging the woman, and it most likely has to do with the responsibility of being a leader during times of war. Holding the lives of those below you within your hands is not a good feeling, especially when those same people died due to your inexperience or mistakes.

"It is ok, you did your best." Anakin said as Shaak came back to herself, aware that there was technically a stranger within the room.

'Thank you.' Shaak sent through the Dyad they shared.

'No worries, I am here for you anytime.' Anakin replied through the connection.

Padme makes herself known through a small cough. "Well, it would seem that you have some explaining to do." Her smile here seemed a bit forced, nonetheless it didn't change the feelings that the Force-sensitives within the room could sense coming from her.

"Yes, I do believe I should explain just what exactly is going on here." Anakin rubs the back of his head reminiscent of other Shonen protagonists from his past life.

[]

While all of that was happening on Geonosis, Dooku had made his way to Coruscant.

His ship under the cover of the night entered Coruscant's atmosphere, slowly descending towards the planet. Originally Dooku went there because he wanted to hand over the plans from the Death Star, but since Dooku does not have anything like this, there must be another reason for his visit.

Dooku slowly made his way from the dark side of the planet to the light where the sun was rising and coating the city within its golden hues.

Far away from civilization however, he drew closer towards the industrial district that was far out from the main location most are interested in when coming to Coruscant.

It was smoky and the sun now was giving off red and maroon hues of coloring as the clouds sometimes blocked the sun from view. The industrial area was a large area with multiple plants that seemed to run on some kind of energy that created clouds, plumes of smoke.

This was emitted into the atmosphere.

This area of Coruscant wasn't just an area full of industrial buildings hard at work to help provide for the main cities supply. It was also the area with broken down, crumbling sky-scrapers with ships also being left behind.

It was a graveyard of broken everything.

Dooku had made it into a hide away far from the mainstay of Coruscant and his new enemies within the Republic and Jedi Order.

Exiting the ship, Dooku saw a cloaked figure approaching. "The Force is with us, Master Sidious."

"Welcome home, Lord Tyranus. You have done well." Sidious turns around with his hood still pulled up and leads Dooku away from the bay they were in.

"I have good new for you, my lord. The war has begun." Dooku explained.

"Excellent. Everything is going as planned." Sidious responded.

"I also have the most interesting bits and pieces of information that you may want to know." Dooku continued.

"Oh? What have you found out, Lord Tyranus that was so interesting that you just have to tell me." Sidious questioned.

"It is about the boy. The Chosen One, he seems to be far more connected to his home then what most of the public perceives." Dooku said.

"Is that so?" Sidious feigns disinterest but Dooku continued.

"Yes, master. It would seem that Skywalker still keeps in close contact with someone within the Empyrean, which is why he allowed me to leave."

"Interesting. This must mean that the boy is still within a vulnerable state." Sidious said out loud while thinking inwardly. 'Yes. This is good. This makes manipulating the boy that much more easy, as I can tell that he doesn't agree with the Jedi, along with him still supporting the empire he is heir too. Oh, how wonderful for me.'

Sidious laughs within his mind as Dooku and himself discuss other things, top among them is the deal establish between the Empyrean and the CIS where the Trade Federation would have to be dissolved.

A sacrifice that Sidious was willing to take. In fact, there was very little that he was not willing to sacrifice when it came to furthering his designs and plans for the future.

He would achieve his goal by any means necessary.

Dooku had left out a fact however, no he had left out several when talking to his master about Anakin, one such thing being how well he worked together with another Jedi. Or even the fact he thought that the two were much more than just friends from his observations.

There was other things as well, with how Senator Amidala's eyes seemed to linger on Anakin in the arena. He had also been fortunate enough to even see the small displays of affection the two shared or more like, Amidala had done to Skywalker.

Dooku was actually extremely surprised by this revelations but he would keep them to himself as it would seem that the boy was keeping these relationships secret. As he should because he is a Jedi at this point of time.

Dooku did have a feeling however that this not last long.

There was something within the Force that was stirring and it tipping the scales.

"Tell me, Lord Tyranus. Is there anything else of interest when it comes to young Master Skywalker?" Sidious asked him after their meeting was over.

"No master." Of course there was but Dooku didn't tell his master everything and was becoming disillusioned to him as well. He didn't only believe that the Republic and Jedi were corrupt and backwards, he also started to believe that Palpatine was properly not the best option either.

"That is quite unfortunate, I had thought that during this you may have discovered that the boy would have other weaknesses." Sidious said before continuing. "The Jedi have nothing but praise for the boy, it is quite unfortunate that they were unable to recruit him to the Council."

That was news to Dooku and it only confirmed what he had already been piecing together within his mind. "Really? Did Skywalker reveal to you the reason behind his rejection? He wouldn't just be following in Qui-Gon's footsteps now is he?"

"Still have some affection for your former apprentice, do you Tyranus?" Sidious questioned him.

"I have already resolved that if the Jedi get in my way, I wouldn't hesitate to kill. It is just that I believe that Qui-Gon could see my side of the story." He left of here while continuing mentally within. 'He would help me overcome you, my master.'

"Your affections for your apprentice may be the death of you. You must not hesitate to strike him down if he was ever to come after you." Sidious said in his dark corrupting tone.

Dooku just bows. "Yes master."

[]

On Tatooine.

Shmi had received reports about what was going. Knowing about a potential ally or threat is important within the grand scheme of things as she needed to be mentally prepared and ready for any threat to her life, the lives of her people or to her son.

She kept upto date on what he was doing and to her relief he had seemed to be staying on Coruscant much more.

What mother wouldn't worry about their child but she was especially invested in knowing and others would say she was much more worried than what was considered normal. Or those people simply didn't know how it was to feel like as a mother, or even as a parent.

Thankfully it also would seem that her child always kept in touch with her to put her worries to ease. Now that she was immortal, or at least have eternal youth as her son had explained to her she could watch him as long as she would like.

She had also gone through with the super serum and she had never felt younger. She looked younger and much more beautiful within her prime and this seemed to draw some of the eyes of the people.

Having a higher natural beauty certainly helped with charming people.

She was also aware of many things, specifically the cult or at this point, the religion about her child where he is praised as some sort of god. She didn't know how to feel about this but as her youth was rejuvenated, she too had been added into the religious pantheon of her people.

Something about being the mother of their lord and savior definitely elevated her within the eyes of the people who followed and prescribed to this religion.