INT. GEONOSIS – GENERIC FAMILY HUT/LIVING AREA – EVENING

The members of the typical Condawni family are nowhere to be seen. Their living area lies in disarray as a news telecast plays on the holovid display in front of their empty sofa.

The newscaster – dirty and disheveled – relays the disturbing news that supplies of food have all but run out and people across the provinces are resorting to cannibalism to stay alive. Large “food gangs” have amassed and begun prowling the streets, on the hunt for anything – any_one_ – they can kill for food. In fear of the savages marauding topside, many of the Geonosians living beneath the surface of the planet have either blocked the access tunnels leading down into their subterranean cities or pre-emptively struck back, coming topside in swarms to eradicate the non-Geonosians living in close proximity to their underground domains.

INT. CONDAWN CAPITOL HOUSE/CONFERENCE ROOM – EVENING

Chlorian Vader, the LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, the OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS of Condawn province, and VARIOUS OTHER FIGURES who maintain Capitol Centre sit around a rectangular conference table. Their discussion boils down to this: Though the Centre is a veritable fortress – protecting everyone inside from everyone outside – they have no food and are going to starve to death unless they take the chance to venture out beyond the gates in search of new sustenance. They argue about the feasibility of this proposal; many bring up the unwelcome fact that being as few in number as they are, with little in the way of weaponry and no armoured vehicles to protect them, they won’t last long once off Centre grounds.

When it seems no one has any good idea on how to proceed, someone makes mention of an underground escape tunnel built beneath the Centre which leads out into the wilderness beyond Condawn City. Though the open desert will be cold, with it being summer, the temperatures should be within a tolerable range. The wildlife should also be plentiful enough to sustain them the next few months.

Chlorian decides that the escape tunnel is the best option available. Rising from his chair, he tells everyone to get to their loved ones, to their employees, and inform them to prepare for departure immediately.

INT. MEDCENTRE/SHMI’S ROOM – EVENING

Darth enters his mother’s room. She is as still and silent as ever, eyes closed in a dreamless sleep over the ventilator mask which rhythmically breathes for her.

Crossing over to his usual chair, Darth holds up a datapad.

DARTH: Hey, Mom. I thought I’d read you something new. It’s The Maverick Moon. Remember how you used to read it to me when I was little? I thought you might like me to read it to you.

Sitting down, Darth calls the story up on his hand-held device.

DARTH: In another time, in a faraway galaxy, there lived a young man named Deak Starkiller. He was a student at the New Academy for Space Pilots, and already he was one of the best young pilots in the solar system. (beat) Deak and his classmates, the Planetary Pioneers, were training for a special mission. They were going to fly young men and women – the smartest and strongest and most talented – to uninhabited planets. There they would help build new colonies, founded on peace, justice, and good will toward their fellow members of the galaxy. (beat) One morning Deak raced toward the Academy at breakneck speed. His good friend Princess Zara Antilles was coming to visit the Academy. Deak wanted to be there when she arrived so he could show her some of the Pioneers’ exciting plans. (beat) When Deak reached the Academy, he hopped out of his landspeeder. Some of his friends waved or called good morning. All of them smiled. They knew why Deak was in such a hurry. Princess Zara had arrived. Although she was one of the youngest members of the intergalactic government, she was well known to everyone. (beat) Deak proudly showed Zara around the Academy. He told her about the work of the Planetary Pioneers. “Some of us will be building homes and schools and power stations,” he said. “Right now we are planning to use our powerful zukonium rays in the power stations. Instead of being used for war or destruction, zukonium will provide energy for our colonies.” “It sounds terrific, Deak,” said Zara.

Darth stops, the story calling up near-forgotten memories of when he was younger, before he started going to school and getting into trouble, a still-innocent child who hadn’t yet learned to read on his own. Biting his lip, he tries to stifle the tears he feels coming but cannot.

At that very moment, Shmi’s eyes open. Cloudy at first, they quickly clear as they focus in upon Darth.

DARTH: Mom?

Slowly, Shmi raises her arm, hand trembling as she reaches for her son. He quickly takes it in both hands, squeezing and stroking it to let her know that he’s here, that he cares.

DARTH: Mom! Oh God, Mom! It’s me, Mom – Darth! You’re okay, right? You’re gonna be okay!

But she isn’t going to be okay. Her eyes, momentarily alert, filled with unconditional love for her son, roll up into her head as she goes into a violent, full-body seizure.

The alarm on her monitor goes off and medics quickly rush in to administer aid. Screaming at the top of his lungs that he won’t leave her and will kill anyone who tries to separate him from her, Darth strives to hang on to Shmi, but the adults pull him away and drag him kicking out of the room.

EXT. XUTHLTAN – DRIED-UP RIVERBED – SUNSET

As another day draws to a close, Kathe Naad stands crouched down on one knee over the dead waterfall, looking out to the ziggurat far in the distance; she can see the four travellers returning from the Sith edifice with chest in tow. Face unreadable, her eyes tell a different tale: one of uncertainty and perhaps even distaste.

Away from her, Zosime Moulin sits on the ground beside the reclining Jango Cody. Immersed in her own thoughts, she doesn’t notice Cody regain consciousness until she turns on a whim, finding him already sitting up.

ZOSIME MOULIN: (Startled) WHA! (beat) Commander! I … I’m …

CMDR. CODY: (hoarse) Water.

Still unnerved, the doctor scrambles about until she finds herself a canteen. Taking the canteen from her, the Journeyman Protector gulps down what little water’s left at the bottom. Unsatisfied, he frowns deeply.

ZOSIME MOULIN: I’m sorry, Commander, but we’re short on water. You just drank the last of it, actually.

CMDR. CODY: (looks about) Where are we? Where’re the others?

ZOSIME MOULIN: I wish I could answer that first question, Commander, but I’m afraid I don’t know where we are. Something went wrong with the Son’s hyperdrive – an explosion – catapulting us … here. (beat) We spotted what looks like a ziggurat the other day, over in that direction. (points toward the ziggurat) The captain, Vaness, and the Jedi went off to find anything of value. They’ve been gone since then.

CMDR. CODY: Mal’Akhi?

ZOSIME MOULIN: (looks down) Dead along with Andue in the accident.

CMDR. CODY: (leans in close to the Gungan) Doctor, that accident wasn’t an accident.

ZOSIME MOULIN: (frowns) No accident?

CMDR. CODY: It was a deliberate act of sabotage. I know because I saw the saboteur; I saw her in the engineering bay before we jumped back to lhyt-speed; I found what she left of Andue in the hyperdrive access tunnel; I found the hyperdrive wired to explode. I tried to warn you – stop you – but you’d already made the jump.

ZOSIME MOULIN: (horrified) One of us did this? Who!? Who was it?!

KATHE NAAD: (O.C.) It was me.

Hearing Naad’s voice so near to them, the Journeyman Protector and Gungan turn their heads, finding the young Human woman standing right over them. In her left hand, inactive but held at the ready, is Obi-Wan’s lightsaber.

ZOSIME MOULIN: (incredulous) Kathe!?

KATHE NAAD: I hoped to spare you this. I’m sorry.

As Kathe triggers the azure blade, Cody is already moving, rolling clear of the saber’s range, but for Zosime, it is too late; with a single broad sweep of the Jedi weapon, Naad clears the Gungan’s head from her body.

The Gungan dispatched, Naad turns her attention on Cody. But even unarmed, the Journeyman Protector’s military background gives him an edge over the untrained woman. Seizing both her wrists and pushing the glowing blue blade away from him, he knees her in the side, forcing her hands open. The inactive hilt falls, hits the hard-packed ground, and the commander makes a dive for it. Furious, the woman dives after him. Their hands both locking around the lightsaber, they begin struggling over it.

EXT. DRIED-UP WATERFALL – SUNSET

Coming to the length of line dangling overhead, the four stop, crouching down to lower their chest of foodstuffs to the ground.

ANAKIN: (rubs his hands together) I don’t think we can haul the chest up there.

BAIL: We’ll thaw and take up what we can carry with us.

CUT TO

Cody and Naad, still wrestling about the ground for Obi-Wan’s saber.

CUT TO

The four travellers as they shimmy up the line.

CUT TO

Naad as she goes to bite Cody’s throat.

CUT TO

The four travellers as they continue shimmying up the line.

CUT TO

Cody as he headbutts Naad, forcing her off him, winning him the Jedi weapon.

Rolling away from Naad, he springs to his feet. With a SNAP-HISS, he engages the azure plasma blade.

EXT. DRIED-UP RIVERBED – SUNSET

Coming up over the edge, the quartet finds Cody and Naad standing there staring each other down, Obi’s lit lightsaber in the Journeyman Protector’s hands.

BAIL: (nonplussed) What the hell is this?!

Hearing the captain’s voice, both combatants swivel their heads in his direction.

KATHE NAAD: (points at Cody) He’s had your lightsaber, Obi. He stole it from your quarters and he’s had it on him this whole time! He was faking unconsciousness, and when he was ready, he attacked us! (points at Moulin’s remains) He killed Zosime – chopped her head off!

CMDR. CODY: She’s lying! Don’t listen to her!

KATHE NAAD: And the explosion? The crash? It was him! He did it! He sabotaged the Son’s hyperdrive! He stranded us on this forsaken rock! He’s a spy for the Clonemasters! He did it all for them!

CMDR. CODY: (outraged) Never! I’d never side with the vatheads!

BAIL: (unholsters his blaster) Commander, stand down.

CMDR. CODY: (angry) Captain, you know me! You know what happened on Concord Dawn – what happened to my family, my wife! You know!

BAIL: (levels his blaster at Cody) Yes, I know what happened to Jango Cody on Concord Dawn.

CMDR. CODY: (incredulous) What happened to Jang --! (beat) I am Jango!

BAIL: I don’t know that.

CMDR. CODY: I’m not a clone!

BAIL: Hand me the saber and we’ll talk about it.

Speechless, Cmdr. Cody is left with no alternative. Disengaging the lightsaber, he hands it to Bail. Bail – never taking his eyes off the Journeyman Protector for a moment – hands the hilt back to Obi-Wan.

BAIL: Raia, secure him.

Taking a length of line, Cmdr. Vaness moves in behind Cody, pulling his hands behind him and tying them fast together.

CMDR. CODY: (nods to Naad) What of her? Search her, search the bags; she may have taken the boy’s weapon as well. If you find it, you’ll know I’m telling the truth.

As Anakin moves in behind Naad and begins patting her down for hidden weapons, Obi-Wan begins looking through the knapsacks.

ANAKIN: (finishes frisking) She’s clean.

OBI-WAN: (finishes searching the knapsacks) Anakin’s lightsaber isn’t here.

BAIL: (sighs; to Cody) Well, Commander, that avenue’s out.

Cmdr. Cody responds with a harsh Concordian curse.