Trust in the Force | Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Arena

It didn't take long to figure out the current inhabitants of the colonies on Geonosis weren't all Genonosian's. In fact as soon as the two Jedi had snuck into the massive red brick compound troops of droids were easily spotted in the midst of their manufacture below, and the distinct smell and sound of metal and machinery passed by their noses all too soon after. These were droid factories, giant ones.

"Do you feel that?"

Obi-Wan's voice was low at her side, both of them hunched low as they snuck their way behind the pillars and down a flight of stairs which seemed to circle around the open space in many floors. The architecture was surprisingly beautiful on the inside, each pillar and railing looking to be intricately carved with shapes and arched into high ceilings and filtered light that glowed in from the outside.

Lyra knew without asking what he meant, "Yes" she had felt the other Force presence in the vicinity the second her senses had flared out to detect any oncoming danger. What greeted her back was a presence stronger than her and Kenobi, one she dimly recognised but could put no name to. At least not until Count Dooku began heading in their direction, speaking to a group of Separatists and supports as they vaguely discussed their ongoing and upcoming plans.

"We must persuade the Commerce Guild and the Corporate Alliance to sign the treaty" Count Dooku spoke calmly to the others while Obi-Wan pressed himself against the wall to listen closer at her side.

"What about the Senator from Naboo?" Another asked "Is she dead yet?"

Ah, so it had been them who had hired the hitman to end Senator Amidala's life. Lyra frowned at the unsurprising revelation nonetheless and pressed her shoulder back closer to Kenobi to keep out of sight when the group passed them in their trodden steps.

"I am not signing your treaty until I have her head on my desk"

Anakin would have a few choice words to say about that if he ever heard, she was sure of that.

All those stations, the ships they'd passed and the hidden secrecy of it all made sense now. This was a Separatists base, perhaps the biggest they'd ever come across. She was sure even Obi-Wan was surprised by the find with the way his eyes widened and then narrowed while they both concealed themselves and backed away further shoulder to shoulder, watching Dooku's back retreat into the distance undetected.

"I am a man of my word, Viceroy" Dooku assured before another Man's voice offered further words to heed.

"With these new battle droids we've built for you, you'll have the finest army in the galaxy" The mention of an army took Lyra's mind temporarily back to Kamino, and the Clone Army which had been just freshly commissioned and finished for the Republic without anyone's explicit knowledge. What a coincidence that the droid army of the Separatists would see their finish at the exact same time. Though she doubted the dreaded use of the mass of Clones now at their disposal, she was becoming more and more unsure if the fear of the Senators who would inevitably vote on the use of them outweighed their reluctant view of war now so close at their doorstep that it was impossible to turn away.

Would the Chancellor turn to war?

"Come" Obi-Wan gave her no time to argue as he grabbed loosely at the bottom of her Jedi cloak and tugged her back and down the steps towards a balcony which overlooked wherever Dooku and his supporters had walked off to.

"As I explained to you earlier, I am quite convinced that 10,000 more systems will rally to our cause with your support, gentlemen" They sat in a circle around a large illuminated table, each species offering another planetary system to this growing alliance.

Another alien species spoke in a language she could not understand before the translated modulated on another spoke up further down the table "The Techno Union army is at your disposal, Count".