With his purpose renewed and the promise of a future anchored in his heart, Kaelen turned to the task at hand. The cold calculation returned to his eyes, but this time, it wasn't empty. It was filled with a steel resolve.
"Padmé, give me the exact coordinates of Obi-Wan's last transponder," he said. She nodded, transferring the data to his datapad. Kaelen input them into his portal gun, adjusting for planetary rotation differentials and gravitational fluctuations.
Anakin watched, his hostility toward Kaelen now mixed with a dose of fearful awe. This man, his rival, operated on a level the Force itself seemed to struggle to explain.
"Alright," Kaelen announced, his portal gun emitting a soft hum. "The plan is stealth. A surgical extraction. We go in, locate Obi-Wan, I open a portal directly into his cell, we pull him out, and we go home in time for dinner. Zero combat, zero noise, zero stupid improvisations." He directed the last part at Anakin with a hard stare. "Skywalker, your job is to keep your mouth shut and your lightsaber off. Understood?"
Anakin clenched his jaw, but nodded.
Kaelen aimed at the desert air and fired. A stable green portal opened. On one side, Tatooine's sand dunes and its two scorching suns. On the other, the cold darkness and echo of a reddish, rocky cavern.
"Welcome to Geonosis," Kaelen said. "Stick together and don't touch anything."
They crossed the threshold. The change was instant and disorienting. The dry heat was replaced by a cold, subterranean humidity. They found themselves in a system of natural tunnels, clearly part of the Geonosian catacombs. Kaelen consulted a scanner on his wrist, which displayed a real-time three-dimensional map of the complex as they moved.
"There are droid patrols 200 meters in that direction," he whispered, pointing down a side tunnel. "And Geonosian life forms above. We'll move through the lower levels. Obi-Wan's signal is coming from further ahead."
They advanced in silence. Kaelen led, neutralizing motion sensors with small electromagnetic pulses. Padmé followed, moving with the silent grace of someone trained in stealth. Anakin brought up the rear, his impatience an almost physical presence in the darkness.
The Confirmation
Finally, they reached a larger cavern. From an upper ledge, they could see an energy cell below. And inside, suspended in a force field, was Obi-Wan Kenobi. Facing him, a tall, aristocratic figure in a cape spoke to him. Count Dooku.
"...it would be difficult to believe the Senate is under the control of a Dark Lord of the Sith called Darth Sidious," Dooku was saying in his deep, cultured voice.
Kaelen, Padmé, and Anakin froze. The confirmation. The conspiracy Kaelen had theorized, now confirmed by the mouth of the enemy leader.
"The Viceroy of the Trade Federation was once fooled by this Lord Sidious," Dooku continued. "But you, my Jedi friend, I don't believe you will be so easily deceived."
For Kaelen and Padmé, it was the final piece of the puzzle. But for Anakin, it was the spark that ignited the powder keg. To see his former master at the mercy of a Sith, to hear the name of the enemy who had been manipulating the galaxy... his patience shattered.
"Dooku!" Anakin roared, ignoring Kaelen's desperate signals to be quiet.
Kaelen's Choice
Idiot. Monumental, impulsive idiot! He just threw away the only advantage we had: stealth.
Anakin leaps from the ledge, his blue lightsaber snapping to life mid-air. It's a dramatic entrance, brave, and the stupidest thing I've seen in both my lives.
Dooku doesn't even seem surprised. He smiles. A thin, predatory smile. It's a trap. It was always a trap.
The instant Anakin landed, the cavern came alive. Hidden panels in the walls slid open, revealing dozens of battle droids. Ray shields sprang from the floor, separating Padmé and Kaelen from Anakin, and Anakin from Obi-Wan's cell. Droidekas rolled in and deployed their shields, their twin cannons targeting them.
"Ah, young Skywalker," Count Dooku said with amused calm. "So predictable. Like a puppy chasing a squirrel."
Anakin lunged at him, but was intercepted by a hail of blaster fire.
Kaelen cursed under his breath and raised his portal gun, but before he could fire, he felt an invisible, crushing pressure on his hand. Dooku, without even looking at him, extended two fingers in his direction. The portal gun groaned under the power of the Force, and Kaelen had to drop it or his wrist would have shattered. The weapon clattered to the ground.
"A fascinating technology," Dooku said, now turning his attention to Kaelen. "But your mind, however quick, is tied to a body of flesh and blood. You are... unexpected. And thus, interesting."
The situation was desperate. They were separated, outnumbered, and Kaelen's primary weapon was out of reach.
Tactical analysis: Surrender. It's the only option that guarantees Padmé's short-term survival. I can escape later. I can fight later. But I can't do anything if she dies here because of a Jedi's stupidity.
"Cease fire," Kaelen said, his voice resonating with an authority that surprised even Dooku. He raised his hands slowly. "We surrender."
Anakin stared at him in disbelief. "Surrender? Never!"
"Shut up, Skywalker. You've done enough damage for today," Kaelen snapped. He looked at Dooku. "Terms are that Senator Amidala comes to no harm. In exchange, you have two Jedi and a... technological enigma. A good haul for a single day."
Dooku smiled, a genuine expression of victory. "A wise decision, Director Ror. Very logical." He gestured to his droids. "Take them away. All of them. Prepare the arena. The people of Geonosis will enjoy the spectacle."
As the droids surrounded them and bound them, Kaelen saw the look of panic on Padmé's face and impotent fury on Anakin's. But in his own mind, the panic was already gone, replaced by a cold, furious calculation.
Well done, Skywalker. You've turned a surgical extraction into a public death sentence. But they're alive. And as long as we're alive, the game isn't over. Dooku thinks he's won. He thinks he's in control. He doesn't know he just locked a Rick in his dungeon.
Big, big mistake.