Star Wars Episode III by Patricia C Wrede

Author:Patricia C Wrede
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult - Fiction
Publisher: Disney Book Group

All the way to Utapau, Obi-Wan considered how best to find and destroy General Grievous. If they blasted their way in, Grievous would only run away again—the droid general was always careful to have an escape ship stashed somewhere close to his command center. He might not even be with his armies. His command center might be hidden in one part of the Utapau system, while his droids massed for an attack somewhere else.

So Obi-Wan decided to keep his clone troops in space aboard the Jedi cruiser and search the system himself, quietly. That way, he could be sure that when he told his forces to attack, they would be attacking the right place.

Commander Cody accepted the order without question, as he always did. The clones had been genetically engineered to take orders; that was why each major offensive needed a Jedi Knight as general. Though he had worked and fought with the clones for years, their willingness to follow any order, no matter how unreasonable, still made Obi-Wan uneasy. Free beings shouldn’t be so…obedient.

Obi-Wan snorted. How many times had he complained about Anakin’s independence and headstrong ways? And here he was, worried because his clone troops were too compliant. Anakin would laugh himself sick if he knew what his Master was thinking.

The planet of Utapau looked peaceful enough as Obi-Wan flew over it in his starfighter. He saw no sign of the droid armies. The huge sinkhole cities looked quiet. Well, he hadn’t expected General Grievous to be out in plain sight, and Utapau was officially neutral. He’d have to refuel and search the rest of the system.

Arranging a landing was no problem. A worried-looking local administrator even came out to the ship to greet him. Obi-Wan bowed politely to him. “With your kind permission, I would like some fuel, and to use your city as a base to search nearby systems.”

The administrator gestured, and a ground crew rushed out to service the fighter. “What are you searching for?” he asked as if it were of no particular interest.

“A droid army,” Obi-Wan replied. “Led by General Grievous.”

The Utapauan held very still for a moment. Then he leaned sideways, as if he were inspecting the underside of Obi-Wan’s fighter. The movement brought his head close to Obi-Wan and hid his face from the windows above. Very quietly, he said, “Grievous is here! We are being held hostage. They are watching us.”

“I understand,” Obi-Wan replied just as softly. If he made the wrong move, the droids would slaughter thousands of civilians. No wonder the administrator was worried!

“The tenth level,” the Utapauan whispered before he straightened up. Obi-Wan nodded and walked back to the starfighter. He made a show of ducking underneath it, to make it seem as if he were studying something the Utapaun had pointed out. Then he climbed back into the fighter.

As the ground crew finished its work, Obi-Wan set up a secure communication channel to his clone troops. “I have located General Grievous,” he told the commander. “Report to the Jedi Council at once.

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