FORBIDDEN ATTACHMENTS ─ star wars

X. Count Dooku

Chapter Ten
Anakin

Whoever this supplier is, he is certainly generous. The two shipments of supplies he sent are huge. The supplies have been sent in two large cargo ships, maybe the size of the throne room put together. I try to look at the sides of the cargo ship as it lands on the platform, trying to see if there's any symbol or other indicator of who this is from, but there isn't. It's painted the same tan color every other cargo ship is, rusting and creaking as we board them and begin to unload them.

"Whoever this supplier is must have a lot of money." I hear Fallon mumble to me, watching as her fellow rebels begin handing us boxes to take to the palace.

I nod to her, grabbing onto a crate. "I'd be generous too if I was trying to take over a planet."

Fallon grabs onto a crate as well, walking close by my side as we bring them off the ship and towards the palace. Aiden is standing near the entrance to the palace, watching us and the other rebels as we unload the cargo ships. I can sense a happiness flowing through him at the sight of the newly arrived supplies. Like Fallon, he genuinely cares about his people's safety and well being. Even through he is the only one to have talked to the supplier, I don't think he's in on the plot going on with this planet. I think he's the supplier's most valuable pawn.

I see Aiden let out a sigh, looking over his shoulder towards the palace doors and turning to go inside. Fallon sees this too, whispering to me as we set the crates down on the ground; "He's probably going to contact the supplier in the conference room."

"The question is how do we get into that room without being seen."

Fallon thinks on this for a moment, her eyebrows creased in thought, before her eyes light up, grabbing onto my arm. "I have an idea. Follow me."

She leads me up the stairs of the palace and inside, running down a hallway I haven't been down before. It's exactly to the right of the front doors, leading to a staircase that goes down below the surface. The stairs are black marble, shining up at us from the white lights that are attached to the sides of the walls. When we reach the bottom of the stairs, I see three hallways we could take. Two are lit with the same white lights as the stairs, the other is dark and seemingly blocked off.

Fallon points to that hallway. "That's where the tunnel system starts. The hallway in the middle leads to the maintenance room. In that room there's the entrance to the ventilation shaft."

I smile at her. "Clever."

She shrugs, making her way towards that room, with me in tow. "I have my moments."

The door is a lighter wood than the doors upstairs, and thankfully it isn't locked like the ones upstairs either. We quickly make our way inside, finding the room to be filled with boxes of cleaning supplies and maintenance droids, all of which I'm sure are used regularly given how pristine this palace looks. Behind one of the recharging droids is a large opening in the wall, blocked off by a metal grate.

Fallon turns her head towards me. "Now twiddle your fingers and work your magic."

I glare at her. "It's called the force."

She smirks. "I knew that. I just like saying things to get under your skin."

I sigh, using the force to push the droid aside. As I pull at the grate to open up the ventilation shaft for us, I shake my head, fighting off a smile that threatens to form on my lips. "You think you're so amusing don't you?"

Her smirk only widens. "Clearly you do too."

Once the grate is off, I bend down to the shiny marble and begin to crawl inside, finding the sides of the shaft to hug tightly at my shoulders. Fallon gets in behind me, her much smaller figure easily being able to fit inside this cramped little tube. I try to hold back all of my grunts as I push my way through the vents, not wanting to give Fallon any new material to tease me for.

"Now the question is how do we find the conference room while in here." Fallon comments.

"I'll use the force to guide us there."

I can't see her, but I know she has an amused gleam in her eyes as she says; "Do Jedi use the force for everything?"

"No, but it certainly is very helpful. Particularly for us right now."

Closing my eyes I reach out and let myself feel the force around me. It's like swimming through a vast ocean of energy, with every person around you offering their own unique energy source that makes the force infinite. I search for Aiden's now, following his energy source as I continue crawling through the vents.

I begin to hear a voice coming from around a corner. As we turn and head further down the shaft, the voice becomes louder, more distinct. After a few moments I recognize it as Aiden. I see light shining through another metal grate a few feet in front of me, and as I approach it, I hear Aiden talking with what sounds like an older gentleman.

I look through the gate, finding that it's several feet above the ground. We found the conference room; I see the long wooden table below me, with a life size hologram projection resting on top of it. Aiden is standing with his back turned away from us, giving us full view of the man speaking to him in the hologram.

Count Dooku, former member of the Jedi council, political idealist, and known member of the separatists, is looking down at Aiden with a forced tenderness. Inauthenticity is etched in every wrinkle of his face, but Aiden is far too desperate to see it. Fallon crawls up next to me, our faces practically pressed together as we watch the meeting unfold.

"On behalf of all of Taris, I cannot thank you enough for your help. These supplies will save so many lives."

Count Dooku smiles, thin and twisted. Even through a hologram I can feel the dark side coursing through him, I hear it in every word he says. "Taris is one of the many planets that has become a victim of the Republic's hubris. I am happy to be of assistance."

"Have you heard any word from Jango Fett? Has he captured the queen?" Aiden asks, slight hesitation in his voice. Like he's worried about the answer he will receive.

Dooku looks very disappointed as he shakes his head. "Fett discovered the queen hiding out in Mandalore. Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi stopped him from retrieving her. No doubt Master Kenobi will take the queen somewhere else now that her location has been exposed."

"Do we have any idea where he will take her?"

The count shakes his head. "No. But Jango Fett has never failed me before. Soon he will find her and together we will convince the queen to do what's best for her people; joining the separatists."

Aiden nods, hope filling his blue eyes. "King Willard never seemed to care about his people. But Queen Genevieve is different. I've seen how dedicated she is to all of us. I'm sure she'll see reason."

Count Dooku nods, crossing his arms. "I have no doubt she will. I will contact you if I hear any updates from Fett."

Aiden bows his head to the count. "Thank you, sir."

As the hologram fades away, I turn my head to look at Fallon, forgetting for a second how close she and I are. I try to back away a little but I end up hitting my head, biting my lip to hold back a groan. Fallon finds this amusing.

"Whose Count Dooku?" She whispers to me.

"He used to be a Jedi before he left the order and joined the separatists. Tensions between the republic and the separatists are getting worse, the senate is starting to worry the separatists will start a civil war."

Fallon nods slowly, her eyes starring down at Aiden as he makes his way towards the exit of the conference room. "And you think getting Taris to join the separatists is apart of his plan to start a war?"

"Think about it. Taris oversees what? Fourteen other planets. It is the most influencail planet in the outer rim. If Dooku gets Genevieve to sign the planet over to the separatists, then the other planets will follow. He'll have enough of an army to start the war."

Fallon closes her eyes, letting out a sigh. "And if Taris is under Republic rule, the separatists could extract Irum from the ground and make weapons."

I nod. "Exactly."

I feel a range of emotions flow through her; guilt, betrayal, anger, hatred. But on her face I only see determination. Her voice is firm as she tells me; "I think it's time you and I visit Taris's trade ports."