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That night, Anakin meets Chancellor Palpatine at the opera in the Galaxies Theater. He tells Palpatine about his visions and his fears. Palpatine warns Anakin about the true goals of the Jedi Council. He claims that the Jedi are not only against himself, but also against the Senate and the whole democratic system. Palpatine- "Is the Jedi Council a democratic body itself? After all, aren't they telling you what to do? Haven't they tried to convince you to act against me? Anakin, you know I'm not able to rely on the Jedi Council.“ Anakin realizes that Palpatine is right. The Jedi Council believe that Palpatine may be under the influence of the Sith. In an effort to learn more about the Chancellor, the Jedi Council have instructed Anakin to stay on Coruscant to watch him ... spy on him, while Obi-Wan leads his mission to Utapau. They know Anakin has a close relationship with the Chancellor. Palpatine recounts an old story, "The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise." This infamous Dark Lord of the Sith supposedly gained such an insight into The Force that he was actually able to influence the midichlorians to create life. Anakin becomes interested in this story after his haunting dreams of Padme’s death – perhaps this time he could prevent her death, unlike his mother's. Anakin asks what happened to Plagueis in the story. Palpatine says that he was murdered by his apprentice as soon as he discovered the same power. Palpatine- "... The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be ... unnatural. Anakin- "Is it possible to learn those powers?” Palpatine- "Not from a Jedi." Obi-Wan exits hyperspace and disengages his ship fom its ring. A feeling of dread and foreboding has been creeping slowly upon him. He tries to concentrate on his feelings, hoping to grasp some reason for it. The group of Republic ships exit hyperspace around him as he focuses. He feels an acute sense of danger. Kenobi- "Commander Cody. Come in over ..." Commander- "The Utapau system, sir. Shall we begin landing our troops?" Kenobi- "No. Orbit the planet while I take a look." Utapau is a cold rocky planet with many craters and sinkholes. There are two kinds of beings that inhabit the planet. The Utai and the Pau'ans. The short Utai have always lived in the sinkholes that spot the planet. After a climate change, the Pau'ans migrated down into the holes and the two species co-exist in a mutually beneficial environment. The Pau'ans represent only about 30% of the population of Utapau and are the city administrators and bureaucrats. The Utai are the labor class. The main city is called Pau City. Obi-Wan arrives, lands and talks with Tion Medon who is at first cagey but then secretly informative. He's the master of port administration for Pau City so he has to be careful about what he says. The Separatists have come to occupy the world and the Utapau people accept this with no arguments, however, in secret, they're preparing to rebel. When Obi-Wan arrives, Tion Medon, ever the bureaucrat, acts as if nothing is out of the ordinary. However, while Obi-Wan's starfighter is being refueled, Medon whispers to Kenobi that the Separatists have indeed taken over Utapau. Later the battle begins. Republic clonetroopers and their Jedi generals fight swarms of battledroids and armored vehicles for control of the system. The losses are great on all sides, but the droids are no match for the accuracy and precision of the clones and their Jedi leadership. Clonetroopers on B.A.R.C. speeder bikes race through massive droid squads. Obi-Wan lands his ship and mounts a Veractyl named "Boga", which is a super fast reptile beast the Utai have domesticated. He rides through the battlefield steering "Boga" around massive tanks and laserfire. As he makes his way through the firestorm enemy forces turn in his direction. Unable to flee he watches as the droids fire at him. Suddenly a Republic gunship drops between them, blasting the droids and vehicles. A Jedi General jumps out of the ship and deflects laser bolts with his saber. Suddenly a vehicle bursts from hiding and makes an escape attempt. Jedi General- "Go! Capture Grievous!!" |
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