INT. DELANTINE – IMPERIAL EMBASSY/OBI-WAN’S QUARTERS/MAIN ROOM – DAY
Atop a desk, the disassembled components of Obi-Wan’s damaged lightsaber rest upon a white cloth. Obi-Wan himself is seated in an armchair away from the desk, immersed deep in his own thoughts.
There’s a BUZZ at the door.
OBI-WAN: It’s open.
The door slides open, allowing Bail admittance. Crossing over to the desk, he peers down at the dismantled weapon.
BAIL: What’s the state of your weapon?
OBI-WAN: The power cell and crystals are intact, but the modulation circuits, the field energizers … they’re beyond repair; they’ll have be replaced. (beat) What is it you want, Bail?
BAIL: Raia’s body will be shipped out on the flight to Alderaan within the hour, and I have every intention of going with her to see her put to rest. I thought I’d give my farewells before heading out to the spaceport.
OBI-WAN: Cody knows?
BAIL: Yeah. (beat) He’s doing quite well, y’know. The doctors believe he’s recovered enough to make the trip to Concord Dawn. You should go in to see him before he gets ready to leave.
OBI-WAN: I’ve been meaning to, but with everything’s that happened with Anakin ….
BAIL: I understand. You have a lot on your mind. (beat) What do you plan on doing? With Anakin, that is.
OBI-WAN: In three days, I’ll be leaving for Coruscant. Once there, I’ll await my next assignment. Anakin’s welfare will no longer be my concern.
BAIL: You’re just going to leave him here, the way he is?
OBI-WAN: The paperwork’s already been processed; the Imperial Medical Corps will cover Anakin’s bills. The doctors at the Abieds-Brannrid Medical Centre will give him all the attention and care he requires. They can do more for him than I.
BAIL: (perturbed) Kenobi, you’re his mentor. No, more than that, you’re all but his brother. He needs you more than anyone. You can’t turn away from him, not now when he needs you most.
OBI-WAN: Bail, I …
BAIL: What?
OBI-WAN: Bail, I … I … I can’t even bear to be in the same room with him anymore. (beat) When I’m there, it’s as if I’m not. He just stares straight ahead – straight through me. I talk to him, and he doesn’t answer, doesn’t respond at all. (beat) The Anakin Skywalker I knew – the Anakin I met on Tatooine, who I’ve trained and fought with these last five years – isn’t the man lying restrained in that hospital bed. That man is a stranger, and he frightens me. (beat) God forgive me, he frightens me ….
INT. BATTLEMOON/UIY-2249’S CABIN
Uwe is seated in a chair, reading over the contents on a datapad, when the door to his cabin BUZZES. Standing up, he crosses to the door and opens it. Standing there on the other side is THX-1138.
THX-1138: Officer UIY-2249?
UIY-2249: (nods) I am he.
THX-1138: Would it trouble you if I came in, Commander?
UIY-2249: Not at all, Admiral. (ushers THX-1138 inside) Come, take a seat. I was just about to imbibe a glass of nectarwine. You are more than welcome to join me, of course.
Entering the cabin, Thex takes a seat in the chair directly opposite the one Uwe was sitting in moments before. Crossing over to the bar, the commander takes out two tall glasses.
UIY-2249: I also have Osskorn stout, if nectarwine’s not to your liking.
THX-1138: Nectarwine’s good by me, Commander.
Pouring nectarwine in the two glasses, Uwe carries them over to the two chairs. Handing the admiral his glass, the commander sits down in his chair. Removing his niqab, Thex takes a sip of the wine.
UIY-2249: It’s to your liking?
THX-1138: Quite.
UIY-2249: (smiles) To what do I owe this pleasurable visit, Admiral?
THX-1138: I have a UIY serving aboard the Purifier. I thought it might be edifying if I got to know something about you, to see how the two of you compare.
UIY-2249: How do we fare thus far?
THX-1138: There are similarities. He isn’t a drinker to my knowledge.
UIY-2249: (smiles) Connoisseurship is a learned talent.
THX-1138: I’d figure so.
Uwe takes a long sip of his nectarwine. Allowing the liquid to sit on his palate, his eyes roll up into his head with pleasure.
THX-1138: Commander…?
Eyes rolling back down, Uwe swallows his mouthful.
THX-1138: (cont’d) I’ve observed you with Officer SGW-0027. You’ll obey her orders, follow the commands she gives you, but loosely, with much snark. I get the sense you don’t care much for her.
UIY-2249: I don’t care much for anyone, Admiral.
THX-1138: But hers is an exceptional case. It’s not apathy but antipathy you feel towards her.
UIY-2249: (shrugs) I admit to a modest dislike.
THX-1138: Why do you dislike her?
UIY-2249: I distrust Force-adept clones. Their loyalties are rendered suspect by the nature of their unaltered genomes.
THX-1138: Sigeu’s as loyal to the Directorate as I am – as you are.
UIY-2249: But I am loyal because I cannot be otherwise. You are loyal due to the nanoscopic detonators implanted deep within your medulla oblongatas.
THX-1138: So you distrust me, Commander?
UIY-2249: I do.
THX-1138: Do you dislike me as well?
UIY-2249: That, Admiral, (takes a sip) remains to be determined.
EXT. GEONOSIS – DESERT – DAY
Having dismantled their rudimentary camp and packed up their belongings, the displaced Condawni once again wander through the desolate landscape.
One little girl, MITRA DURAND, is held up between her two parents. A three-year-old child with curly black hair, she is very ill; malnourishment combined with some bug she recently picked up have left her too sick to move about on her own.
Coming to a large conical rock, the wanderers decide to stop and set up camp there.
EXT. CONDAWNI CAMP – TWILIGHT
Mitra wails, crying from the ceaseless hunger which churns her empty stomach. Mrs. Durand holds her to her breast, singing to her and rubbing her back, but neither offer any comfort. When the terrible screams from her daughter become too much to bear, she comes to a final drastic decision: if no food is to be found out there, then she will provide it herself from herself. Handing Mitra over to Mr. Durand, she brings out a knife and begins sawing through her left arm. Alarmed, he tries to stop her, to wrestle the blade out of her hand, and others in the camp come to offer him aid. Mrs. Durand screams, in agony and hysteria both, as the air turns red around her.
In the end, Mrs. Durand cut too deep and bled out too fast for her companions to staunch the flow; she dies.
Chlorian is called forth, and he declares that they will bury her immediately. Mr. Durand decries this decision, saying that she gave her life for Mitra’s; Chlorian has to let Mrs. Durand’s body be processed into meat for the child’s sake. Chlorian will have none of this; they will not reduce themselves to cannibalism, no matter what the circumstances.
EXT. MRS. DURAND’S GRAVE – EVENING
Mrs. Durand has been buried in a shallow grave beyond the camp. As everyone else sleeps, Mr. Durand, determined to honour his wife’s wishes, has come to retrieve the body. After exhuming her, he builds a small fire away from prying eyes and sets about dressing her corpse.
Once the worst of the ghoulish business has been done, Durand collects his daughter for a late dinner.
EXT. CONDAWNI CAMP – MORNING
Durand was sloppy concealing his skullduggery; the others easily find him curled asleep on the ground with Mitra in his arms beside the cooled remnants of his fire, the remains of his wife none-to-expertly deposited back inside the grave. Dragging him back into camp, they bring him before Chlorian. Chlorian isn’t angry, just disappointed, but declares that he can’t allow Durand to get away with what he has done; if he chooses to be lenient, his leniency could be seen as license for others to commit more and more heinous acts of cannibalism. Taking out his blaster, he shoots Durand in the head. With Durand dead, Chlorian orders the body be dragged out into the desert and left there.
INT. BATTLEMOON/OBSERVATION DECK
Sigeu and Thex sit together on the deck, looking out the transparisteel wall at the shell of starships which surrounds Townowi, almost completely blocking all sight of its dazzling white surface from view.
SGW-0027: You should’ve seen the planet before the arrival of all the ships. It’s beautiful – a dazzling globe of white crystal, completely pristine, flawless.
THX-1138: We could always take a shuttle through the blockade, into the atmosphere.
SGW-0027: (shakes her head) It’s not the same. You can only really appreciate it from this view. (beat) The battlemoon’s superlaser’s powerful enough to split open a continent. Perhaps I should order the gunners to fire through the ships, clear an opening….
THX-1138: No. You’d risk marring the planet’s surface.
SGW-0027: You’re right. Besides, the superlaser would be better utilized following this campaign. (beat) I’m going to take great pleasure burning Cartao down to a cinder.
THX-1138: That day’s coming soon, isn’t it?
SGW-0027: (grins) Yes. Then the clones will have no masters.
The two admirals kiss.
INT. BATTLEMOON/UIY-2249’S CABIN
Uwe is seated at his computer terminal. On-screen is a live video feed from the observation deck. As Thex and Sigeu kiss, he grins.