Obi-Wan grimaced as the metal restraints bit into his wrists as the two Geonosian guards, very roughly, yanked hard on the thick chains that bound him, pulling him through the large stone archway and into the room. He stumbled as they did, and then caught himself, blinking his eyes as they adjusted to the bright light in the large, circular chamber.

He looked around, warily; it was a large audience chamber of some kind, and the smooth, brown stone walls rose up to a domed ceiling, where several large, gothic stone carvings looked out from what would be the four corners of the room. Directly ahead of him, a large, ornately carved chair sat on a raised stone platform and, on either side of it, two galleries extended along the walls almost halfway around the chamber, each of them filled to capacity with several hundred Geonosian drones who milled about and chattered anxiously as the guards brought him to the center of the room.

From his seat on the large stone chair, Archduke Poggle the Lesser, regional governor of the Geonosians, watched him carefully as the guards fastened the chains that bound him to two large anchors on either side of him and then quietly took their places near the entrance to the chamber. Directly to his right, near the edge of the observation gallery, Count Dooku stood, silently, with Jango Fett at his side.

The Archduke raised his hands, and the throngs of Geonosians in the chamber galleries fell silent. He turned and, extending his hand toward Dooku, uttered a string of unintelligible clicks and grunts. Obi-Wan turned his attention to Dooku and watched as he nodded politely and looked at the captive Jedi before him.

Obi-Wan looked over at Jango Fett, who stood, quietly, the thumbs of his gloved hands tucked snuggly in his belt. "I thought there were no bounty hunters here, Dooku," he said, sarcastically, looking back to the Count as he took a step towards him.

Dooku looked up at Obi-Wan and smiled, politely. "Master Kenobi," he said, taking several steps toward the center of the room, "you have been charged and found guilty of espionage."

"Charged?" Obi-Wan said, sarcastically, regarding Dooku with a look of contempt. "I wasn't aware I was on trial, Dooku."

"Oh, yes," Dooku said, as he stepped closer to Obi-Wan, wringing his hands, slowly. "I'm afraid that Geonosian justice is swift, my Jedi friend. I'm sorry that I couldn't do more for you, but I'm afraid that you were captured in the act of committing the offense," Dooku said, regarding Obi-Wan with a look of deep concern. "I'm afraid that there's nothing more I can do for you."

"And my I ask what the punishment for my alleged crime is to be?" Obi-Wan asked, making no attempt to mask the contempt in his voice.

Dooku hung his head sadly for just a moment. "I'm afraid you are to be executed," he replied, then looked back at Obi-Wan, his face solemn, forlorn. "I'm sorry, my friend, but I did all that I could."

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied, flatly, "I'm sure you did all you could, Dooku." He looked at Dooku coldly and paused a moment, then continued. "You know you'll never get away with this," he said. "The Jedi Council knows what you're doing. You're committing an act of war."

Dooku looked at Obi-Wan for a long moment, and then turned and walked back to where Jango Fett stood quietly. "The accused has been found guilty and sentence has been pronounced," Dooku said, turning around slowly. He raised his hand and gestured to the two guards near the chamber's entrance. "Let the execution begin."

As the Geonosians in the observation gallery began to hoot and wave their long, taloned arms wildly, the guards made their way to the center of the room and unfastened the chains that bound Obi-Wan. "Take him away," Dooku said, coldly, as the two guards led Obi-Wan from the center of the room and toward the chamber's entrance.

------

The wispy, brown clouds moved quickly through the dusky, gold Geonosian sky, as the late evening sun cast long shadows from the towering coliseum walls onto the sandy floor of the massive outdoor arena. This place seemed familiar to him, he thought, as Anakin looked out from the shadows of the massive archway where he and Padmé had concealed themselves. No wonder, he thought, since so much of the planet seemed to be covered in rock and sand, much like his home planet of Tatooine.

He carefully studied the massive execution arena. Quietly and as swiftly as they could, they had followed several battalions of Geonosian guards through the maze of tunnels to this place and, judging from it's size and the hundreds of Geonosians that filled the massive arena, they knew that this must be the place where they intended to carry out Obi-Wan's execution. They had concealed themselves in the shadows, directly across from the three large, circular pillars in the center of the massive arena.

He felt grains of sand pelt his cheek as a gust of hot, dry air blew past them. He was tired of sand, he thought to himself, as he shifted his attention and looked at Padmé as she knelt on one knee in front of him, looking cautiously out from their hiding place. He missed green, missed the warm, moist air of Naboo; suddenly, he longed for the deep green meadow behind her home, and for the soft sounds of the clear, blue river that wound its way through it.

He looked fondly at his beautiful young wife for a long moment. He knew how brave she was; indeed, he had watched her not long before, as she had fearlessly distracted the two guards in the dark corridor when they had retrieved Obi-Wan's weapon. She was strong, that much he knew, and, in many ways, more so than he. He had always admired her strong spirit and willingness to fight, ever since he had first met her all those years ago.

But now, he wanted to take her home, to get her away from this dangerous place. All of his life, he had longed for nothing more than to be a Jedi, and to live a life filled with adventure, danger, and excitement. Even as a child, he had thrilled to the adventure and danger of the pod races that Watto made him participate in; at those incredible speeds, he had never felt more alive than when death was only a simple wrong turn or failed mechanical part away. His own wants and desires had always been his main concern; after all, he had never had any family or loved ones to consider before. True, he had always sought to please Obi-Wan, to make him proud of him. Obi-Wan had been the only father he had ever known, and he loved him, he knew that. But he was his master, and their relationship had always been more of student and mentor rather than father and son, even though he had always thought of him as such.

Now, though, as they prepared to attempt to rescue Obi-Wan and face danger once again, his heart longed for nothing more than to have Padmé safe at home, to hold her safe and secure in his arms, to never have her face such a dangerous situation again.

Gently, he placed his hand on her shoulder, and she looked over her shoulder up at him as he smiled softly at her. "Are you okay?" she asked, placing her hand gently on his as he gazed at her.

"Yeah," Anakin said, taking a deep breath and smiling back at her. "I'm fine." He paused for a moment, his eyes gazing deeply into hers. "All of a sudden," he said, softly, "I just wish we were home, by the river."

Padmé smiled at him lovingly; she knew that he was thinking of the time they had spent in each other's arms by the river on their wedding day. She took his hand from her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "Don't worry," she said, as she kissed his hand gently. "We'll be going home soon." She smiled up at him, her eyes shining brightly. "And the first thing we're going to do," she said with a warm smile, "is take our blanket and go back to our spot in the meadow."

"Promise?" Anakin asked, smiling warmly at her.

"You'd better believe it," Padmé sighed, and then she gently kissed his hand again.

They looked at each other silently, for a long time, until the quiet, romantic moment was broken by the long, low cry of two horns sounding near the head of the arena.

Anakin took a step closer to Padmé, crouching low behind her, as they both turned and looked out into the massive arena as the hundreds of Geonosians in the gigantic stone theatre began to whoop and chant loudly. They looked toward the far end of the arena and watched as, slowly and ceremoniously, Archduke Poggle the Lesser strode slowly through the entrance near the main archducal viewing box and took his place near the center of the railing, overlooking the sandy floor of the arena. Directly behind him followed the tall, dark figure of Count Dooku, and, as he took his place to the left of the Archduke, Jango Fett, his armor shining brightly in the setting sunlight, came and stood directly behind him, followed closely by young Boba.

Padmé's eyes opened wide as she saw the next two figures that walked slowly through the entrance and onto the viewing platform. "Anakin!" she said, reaching up and taking his hand from her shoulder and squeezing it tightly. "Do you see that?"

Anakin nodded as he watched, amazed, as Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray and his aid walked up and bowed slightly to the Archduke, and then took their place to the right of his position, directly across from Count Dooku and Jango Fett. "That's Nute Gunray," he said, slowly, turning to look at Padmé as she looked over her shoulder at him. "This just gets better and better all the time. What's he doing here?"

"I don't know," Padmé said, turning and looking back toward the entourage assembled on the viewing platform. "He was supposed to be removed as Viceroy of the Trade Federation after the blockade failed ten years ago," she said, "but they never replaced him. Somehow, he managed to stay in power."

Padmé turned her attention back to the viewing platform, just in time to see Poggle the Lesser take a step toward the railing in front of him. "Something's happening," she said, still holding onto Anakin's hand.

Suddenly, the Archduke raised his hands and, almost instantly, the massive complex fell silent. He looked around the complex briefly, and then, he uttered a long series of clicks and grunts in his native tongue, and, as they echoed through the loudspeakers in the coliseum, the massive throng of Geonosians erupted into loud cheers.

Anakin and Padmé both turned and watched as, directly across from them, two Geonosian soldiers, armed with long, sharp spears, suddenly took their place on either side of a large, heavy metal door. As they did, the door began to slowly open, and the din of roars and cheers in the massive theatre grew to a fevered pitch.

Padmé squeezed Anakin's hand tightly as, lead by two Geonosian guards, Obi-Wan was lead through the door and out into the bright, evening sun. "Ani," she said, softly, as she felt him place his other hand tightly on her shoulder.

"I know," he said quietly, as he watched his mentor look helplessly around the massive arena, still blinking his eyes in the bright sunlight, as he was lead slowly to the large, stone pillar near the center of the arena. As he reached it, the two Geonosian guards pushed him, roughly, against the stone pillar and, pulling his arms high above his head, one of the guards flapped his wings and, lifting himself into the air and to the top of the pillar, fastened the chains that bound Obi-Wan to a large, metal cleat at the top of the pillar.

Anakin watched as his master looked up at the chains that bound him and tugged at them, fruitlessly, as the Geonosian guards began to make their way back toward the heavy metal doorway.

Suddenly, the sounds of drums began to echo through the massive arena, and the throngs of Geonosians drove the din of shouts even higher. Padmé and Anakin watched as, slowly, a large metal gate, nearly fifteen meters high and at least that much across, began to lift slowly, directly below the viewing platform on which Dooku and the others stood watching the helpless Jedi Knight struggle against the chains that bound him.

Anakin rose to his feet and, quietly, took a step closer to the door, kneeling directly in front of Padmé, watching the gate intently. Padmé pulled close to him, her hand holding tightly to his arm, as they both watched the gate lift itself the last few meters into its fully open position. In stunned silence, they both watched, in disbelief, as huge, crablike legs began to emerge slowly from the darkness inside the open gate.

The creature was an acklay. Standing a full ten meters tall, it was massive, its huge, round body held several meters from the ground by eight large, sharp tipped, crablike legs. It's huge, hairy body was topped by a long, slender neck, and its eyes searched the arena wildly, as its huge, wide mouth began to open in a loud shriek, revealing the massive, sharp teeth inside it. Behind it, two Geonosian guards on huge, doglike mounts followed at a distance, as they reached forward with long, electric probes and struck the creature near its rear, drawing huge blue arcs of electricity as they did so.

The creature was obviously angered by the painful electric shocks, and it turned quickly and snapped wildly at the two Geonosians, shrieking loudly. They withdrew for a moment, and then, lowering the probes toward the creature again, they urged it out into the arena, as the coliseum filled with excited cries and cheers.

Padmé felt her heart begin to sink as she looked, in disbelief, at the creature as it snapped wildly once again at one of the guards, narrowly missing it. "Oh, Ani," she said, her voice trembling as she spoke, "What are we going to do?"

"We've got to get him free," Anakin said, never taking his eyes from the massive creature as it struck again, with a loud shriek, at the other guard. He turned and looked at Obi-Wan as he stood, helpless, watching the creature from the pillar in the center of the arena. "He'll never have a chance," Anakin said, "not with his hands bound like that."

Anakin reached under his tunic and retrieved his light saber from his belt. Holding it tightly in his hand, he turned and looked at Padmé, as she looked deeply into his eyes. "I've got to get him free, Padmé," Anakin said, his eyes searching hers. "Or he's as good as dead."

Padmé gazed deeply into his eyes for a moment, and then nodded, slowly, and reached down and drew her blaster from the holster at her hip. "Go," she said, her eyes never leaving his. "I'll give you all the cover I can from here."

Anakin smiled at her softly. "Don't worry," he said, gazing deeply into her eyes, and then he leaned forward and kissed her, passionately.

Padmé returned his kiss, her eyes shut tightly, as she reached up with her free hand and ran her fingers gently through his hair. After a long moment, their lips parted, and she opened her eyes and looked at him, lovingly. "Be careful," she said, softly.

Anakin smiled at her, and then turned and looked back out toward the arena. The creature turned slowly back toward the open arena, as the two Geonosian guards moved back toward the wall near the viewing platform. Its eyes searched the arena quickly, and it suddenly froze as it saw the helpless Jedi near the center of the arena and began to take a wary step toward him.

Obi-Wan looked at the creature as it studied him from a distance, and then began to take a step toward him, its long, spiked legs driving deep into the coarse sand as it walked. He felt his own stomach begin to churn with despair as, over and over, he yanked, as hard as he could, against the heavy chains that bound him. This doesn't look good at all, he thought to himself, as the creature suddenly leaned its head forward and opened its mouth, its sharp teeth dripping with saliva as it shrieked loudly at him. As it did, the throngs of Geonosians roared with delight.

Anakin looked quickly around the arena; there didn't seem to be many armed guards, only a few placed at points along the railing around the viewing area. He turned and looked back at Padmé. "Do you see the guards?" he asked, turning to look at her.

Padmé looked quickly around the railing of the arena. "Yes," she said with a nod. "I'll take care of them. You go free Obi-Wan."

Anakin smiled at her and then, rising to his feet and taking a long deep breath, he bolted out of the archway's shadow and into the arena toward Obi-Wan.

------

Count Dooku watched with a smile as Obi-Wan struggled in vain against the heavy chains that bound him. He reached into the Dark Side, stretching out his feeling toward him; he could feel the fear that was overtaking him, could sense the dread that built in the captive Jedi as the massive creature began to move slowly toward him. He closed his eyes and allowed it to flow through him, a grim, contented smile on his face.

Suddenly, he heard the Geonosian throngs begin to scream and yell wildly, and he felt a strange tremor in the Force; it was unfamiliar, a strong Jedi presence that he had never felt before. He opened his eyes and looked out into the arena, just in time to see a dark-clad figure running quickly across the sandy floor toward Obi-Wan, just as the brilliant blue blade of a lightsaber blazed to life in his hand as he ran.

Dooku turned and looked to his side as, quickly, Jango Fett leveled his blaster rifle, and began to take aim at the mysterious figure that closed in on Obi-Wan. Quietly and swiftly, Dooku raised his hand and placed it on Jango's weapon, pushing it down slowly as the bounty hunter turned and looked at the Count.

"Well, well," Dooku said with a smile, "it would seem that Master Kenobi has friends, after all." He nodded at Jango, and Jango slowly placed his weapon back on his shoulder, and followed Dooku's gaze back out into the arena.

Obi-Wan looked up at the cleat that bound him to the pillar once again, and, reaching into the Force, pulled against the heavy metals chains with all his might; it was no use, he thought – the chains were simply too thick and too strong.

Suddenly, he saw something out of the corner of his eye, and sensed a familiar presence; as he turned, he looked up in amazement just in time to see the bright blue blade of Anakin's lightsaber strike the heavy chain directly over his head, sending a cascade of glowing red sparks raining to the sandy ground around his feet.

Obi-Wan spun around, leaning back against the pillar to catch himself, as his arms fell free in front of him. His hands still bound in the shackles that held him, he looked, shocked and amazed, as Anakin turned and deflected several laser bolts away from his master as the guards around the arena's railing began to fire are him.

Anakin turned around quickly and looked at his mentor. "Your hands, Master," he said, as he turned and deflected another series of laser blasts.

Obi-Wan nodded, and held his hands out away from him, and, quickly, Anakin turned and with a quick, smooth thrust, cut through the metal shackles that bound Obi-Wan's hands, sending them tumbling amid an array of brilliant sparks to the ground at his feet.

"You're late," Obi-Wan chided. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd gotten my message," he