When Paths Diverge

Chapter 7: When You Get Sentenced To Death, Bring Backup

Obi-Wan gave a weary sigh as he piloted his small ship, preparing it to land on the reddish swirls of Geonosis. Funny, he mused, how his life revolved around sand and the colour red. Geonosis, the planet on which the first Clone Wars battle took place, was a reddish planet absolutely covered in sand. Mustafar, that nightmarish lava pit, was filled with crimson red magma and crumbling sandy ground. And of course, Tatooine, the miserable world that was filled with sand.

Obi-Wan shuddered involuntarily, thinking back on his horrible twenty years living on Tatooine. Force, he still had nightmares about being stripped to bone by a sandstorm or being eaten alive by a krayt dragon!

Silently, he scanned his surroundings as he stepped out of his ship, his hands resting on his lightsaber. So far, nothing. If he remembered correctly, the last time on Geonosis, he had gone through the main entrance, and had gotten caught unprepared by several droidekas. So, the smart thing to do this time, was to go through another way. He gazed around once more, his keen eyes taking in every detail.

There. A cave-like structure at the side of the horizon. Judging by the very faint footprints leading in, it had to be some sort of side entrance or back-way passage. He made his way over to the caves, stopping right at the gaping mouth of the sand entrance. Obi-Wan carefully peered in, stretching out his senses, using the Force to gain some sort of idea of the basic structures of the caves.

From here, he could sense a tunnel filled with hundreds of pulsing signature. Geonosians, he guessed.

Nodding to himself, he leapt into the hole,igniting his lightsaber as he did so, to illuminate the narrow passage. He dropped to the ground, a ten feet drop or so, his boots landing with a soft thud. He straightened, and began to make his way forward, keeping one hand pressed against a wall. After several minutes, he came across several small, hollowed out parts of the rock, made to look like a hive. It is a hive, he realised, for the Geonosians. He searched around the hive, his eyes finally falling upon a small trapdoor of sorts on the ground, tucked away at one corner.

He knelt next to it, and using one hand, he yanked it open. The hatch gave way, revealing a set of stairs leading downwards into the darkness. Cautiously, he went in, closing the hatch behind him. Instantly, he was plunged into darkness. He thumbed on his lightsaber again, the faint bluish light revealing an even smaller tunnel branching off from another one.

He followed the smaller tunnel, eventually making it to a metal door. He pulled on it, but it stayed shut. He was about to cut a hole in the door using his lightsaber, when he heard several voices. He paused, recognising one of the voices. Dooku? Curiously, he pressed his palm against the right side of the tunnel, from where the sound seemed to be coming from, and scooped out the dirt.

The dirt gave way, a small hole appearing at the side. He pressed his eye to it, his eyes adjusting to the light as it spilled in from the room, flooding the tunnel with a low where yellowish light. He blinked as he saw Qui-Gon, looking absolutely furious, as he spun around, trapped in a shield. Dooku was at one side, talking to him. "What if I told you that there was a Sith Lord in the Senate?" Dooku asked.

Qui-Gon snorted. "Right. And I'm an ideal Jedi."

"You may not believe me, but it's true." Dooku replied calmly. "Join me, my old Padawan."

"No."

There was a long silence.

"Very well." Dooku finally said. "What happens next is not my doing."

Count Dooku stormed out of the room. As soon as he was gone, Obi-Wan shoved his lightsaber into the dirt wall, causing in to collapse into a heap. He stepped over the pile, coughing slightly. Qui-Gon turned his head around. "Obi-Wan?" He asked incredulously.