Dantooine, lush with bright green fauna, and a beautiful azure ocean that spans for miles, Dantooine was a farmer's planet belonging to the Outer Rim territories located inside of the Raioballo sector, a sister planet to the nearby planet of Lah'mu in every conceivable way. Both planets were homes to several hundreds of farmers simply looking for a reprieve from the constant infighting of the Republic government's political infrastructure. That was not to say that the farmers were not a part of the Republic, they paid their taxes, distributed the milk and meat of their animals to major retailers, too did they acquiesce to the safety and humane inspection of Republic food safety auditors. The people of Dantooine were citizens of the Republic or so they thought. But once the Clone Wars broke out, the denizens of the planet found themselves embroiled in war. Despite their misgivings for the corruption of the Republic government, the planet remained loyal to the republic alongside their sister planet Lah'mu they, like Lah'mu, had expected their loyalty to be rewarded with assistance when the Confederacy of Independent Systems' droid army swarmed over the sister planets of the Raioballo sector. But no assistance ever came for them until months later when Lah'mu had fallen to the Separatist forces and Dantooine was on the brink of subjugation that the Republic had sent Jedi Master Mace Windu alongside Jedi Master Rhys Malorum and his apprentice, Jedi Knight Esaren Hydra to drive off the separatist forces from the sector, initially, the Jedi were successful and with the combined efforts of their Clone battalion and the farmers that were armed with tools they routed the Separatist forces and drove them away from Lah'mu, unfortunately, Jedi Master Mace Windu had been recalled to Coruscant and the task of expelling the Separatist General was left to Malorum and his friend Esa-Ren hydra. Now, Rhys Malorum and his former Padawan, Esa-Ren Hydra stood at the center of what was considered a General's tent awaiting the wisdom of one of Jedi Council's most trusted Jedi, and Malorum greatest friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"How goes the campaign on Dantooine, Rhys." Obi-Wan Kenobi asked. However, there was an unusual feeling dread emanating from Malorum's long time comrade.

"The conflict on Dantooine has been settled, the Separatist forces have been routed and General Cantis Sedora has dug herself a hole on Dantooine. Presumably awaiting orders from General Grievous." Malorum folded his arms and continued. "The Raioballo sector is all but pacified."

"That's good, Rhys ." The blue flickering image of Kenobi replied. "But the task of expelling Cantis Sedora will not be an easy one." The Jedi Master rubbed his beard and became lost in thought for a brief moment, then continued."I encountered Cantis Sedora myself early in the war, it was only due to Admiral Yularen's guidance that I was able to escape with my life, but the casualties were significant. Proceed with extreme caution, Rhys, General Sedora is not as arrogant a tactician as Admiral Trench nor is she as easy to goad as General Grievous, "

"Don't worry, Kenobi." Malorum bowed respectfully to the Jedi Master, young Esa-Ren followed en suite. "Tell the council the Raioballo sector will be liberated, Kenobi. We shall finish what Master Windu began."

The Jedi Master nodded approvingly. "I know it will, Rhys, but be mindful of the Force."

"Aren't I always?" Malorum smiled, and Kenobi returned it. The two Jedi had been a troublesome duo during their youth, it was amazing to see just how much they had matured, had it been this war that had made age twice as fast?

"There is another matter we must discuss.," Kenobi said, at length. The Jedi Master turned to look to Esa-Ren Hydra as well as the Clone Commander as well as ARC Troopers. "Would you all mind if I speak to Master Malorum, alone?" Esa-Ren and the Clone Commanders all exchanged a glance, saluted, and left the tent as Kenobi had commanded. "Rhys, Count Dooku has been killed."

Malorum felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach, how had he not felt anything? "Killed? Was our goal not to capture him alive?"

Obi-Wan seemed almost taken aback by the remark, then he seemed saddened at the question. "Dooku was killed by Anakin above the skies of Coruscant when the Separatist launched their attack on the Chancellor in an attempt to capture him."

"Then the war is nearly over." Malorum stroked his chin, finally after years of war, of deaths, the Clone Wars would come to an end.

"Seemingly," Kenobi responded.

"Seemingly?"

"The loss of Admiral Trench dealt a significant blow to the Separatist forces, with both Dooku and Trench lost that leaves few to fill the vacuum left by their deaths." Obi-Wan folded his arms and continued. "That leaves only one other being capable of filling the void left by Dooku and Trench."

"Grievous." The name was more of a statement than a question, Malorum had faced Grievous before on the planet of Bellasa alongside Esa-Ren, they had managed to corner Grievous and nearly captured them, but the General evaded them, and their losses were too many for the battle to be deemed a victory despite the liberation of Bellasa. "Does the Republic know where he is now?"

"He is on a remote planet called Utapau, the Council will be convening within the next couple of days to decide what our next move will be-" Kenobi paused, hesitating for fear of…..? What? Malorum wondered, despite their friendship Kenobi had always been difficult to read. "Rhys regardless of what happens with Grievous, it is imperative that Sedora is taken into custody."

"What's so important about Sedora? She's an incredibly talented strategist to be sure, but she doesn't hold the sway that someone like Wat Tambor or Nute Gunray has." Malorum's arms collapsed to his sides. "This whole operation has been curious, to say the least, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan eyed Malorum, almost skeptically, then sighed exasperatingly. "The Council fears that this vacuum of power left by the death of Dooku and Trench will allow the Generals to consolidate power and take over key positions in the Separatist forces."

Suddenly the pieces fell into place, with Dooku gone the Separatists would need a new leader, had Admiral Trench not been killed by Anakin Skywalker perhaps he would have been made the new leader of the Separatists forces by virtue of seniority alone, but Trench was gone and the only Separatists warlords that remained were Generals Grievous and Cantis Sedora. Moreover, while the two had been fearsome foes on their own, together they would be unstoppable even against the Jedi. "Sedora will be captured, Kenobi."

"I trust you, Rhys, as does the Council. May the Force be with you." With that, Kenobi was gone, and Malorum remained in the tent, alone, for the first time in his life Malorum felt an incomprehensible feeling of...dread. The power he had once felt pouring from a seemingly unending waterfall became mere droplets escaping through small crevices within a dam. Malorum turned about and stepped out of the tent. He immediately noticed his friend, Esa-Ren standing atop a Republic Fighter Tank gazing into the Dantooine sunset as it's rays of light forced the bright green trees and natural rock formation to cast out elongated shadows, the cool air made her hair twist and turn. Suddenly, Esa-Ren's body stiffened slightly, almost as if sensing Malorum's discomfort, she turned about and leaped down for the tank onto the ground.

"Is everything alright, Master?" Malorum felt that question strike him at the heart, was everything alright? Physically he was fine, emotionally he felt grateful to be able to acknowledge his pain and let go, but mentally? He had no response.

"I do not know, Esa-Ren. I sense that this upcoming battle will be difficult." Malorum saw his former Padawan's eyebrows furrow, too, did he see his friend's features hardened for a moment, then softened. "A wise man once told me, we must let go of what we fear to lose no matter how much it hurts us." Malorum allowed himself to smile as the younger Jedi slipped her hand into his and gripped it tightly, Esa-Ren pulled at her Master's arm, smiling, the young Jedi continued. "Come on, let's go for a walk." Malorum obliged.

The Jedi walked together, almost in sync, they took in the beautiful sight of Dantooine's gentle breeze moving through the blades of grass. Malorum welcomed the breeze as it made his robe lift and twirl around, they had fought a long battle and deserved a moment of peace.

"Enjoying yourself, Master?" His former apprentice, Esa-Ren Hydra, asked. Malorum simply smiled in response. His friend had grown strong in the Force, at nearly twenty-four standard years of age, Esa-Ren had displayed a keen understanding of the Jedi principals and their role in the universe. It was no wonder why the young Jedi had proven herself ready for Knighthood at an early age.

"Esa-Ren!" The voice of a Clone Trooper, only it was not that of a typical battle-hardened trooper, it sounded younger, more inexperienced, and it came from behind the Jedi, it was the voice of a clone trooper that had been a new member of the unit Malorum and Esa-Ren had been traveling with, he had rescued them multiple times while on Dantooine. Esa-Ren had taken to calling the clone Noble in light of the amount of time the trooper had pulled them out of a tough spot at the risk of his own life.

"Noble!" Esa-Ren nearly yelled as she ran up to the Clone Trooper and embraced him. Noble returned the gesture, held her up off the ground, and spun her about as he held the young girl, laughing all the while. Malorum smiled wearily at the sight.

"Nice to see you too, Esa-Ren!" the Clone trooper replied as he put the young Jedi down, his eyes trailed up to meet the gaze of the man behind Esa-Ren. As it slowly clicked who he was looking at, his mouth snapped open, his cheeks flushed a bright pink color. Stiffening despite himself, he immediately dropped back into a more professional stance, snapping into a salute and praying his shaking limbs wouldn't give him away. "'M-Master M-alo- I mean G-General," he managed to get out, mentally kicking himself for how weak his voice sounded. "It's good to see you, sir! Commander Mukan is waiting to speak to you in his private quarters, sir!

Malorum merely shook his head as his young apprentice stifled her laughter, and waved at the embarrassed trooper."Relax, young one. You've saved my life out there on multiple occasions, there is no need for formalities among comrades." Malorum smiled warmly at the young trooper. "Thank you for informing me about Commander Mukan, I'll head there now." As Malorum walked past his former Padawan, he gently hit her head with the bottom of his fist and said."Try to be more understanding of Noble's embarrassment, Esa-Ren. After all, how embarrassed would you feel if Noble were to find out that you were the one that spent an entire week in the decontamination room after you fell into a pile of Bantha dung on Tatooine."

As Malorum walked further and further away, he felt his friend's mortification through the Force. The sound of Noble's laughter echoed until Esa-Ren started to protest his mockery, it wasn't long until the other troopers came around the pair and asked what was happening. The last thing Malorum heard was more laughter joining with Noble's own. Malorum allowed himself a chuckle as he continued his way towards the Command tent. As Command Center Tent came into view, Malorum found himself feeling unease emanating from the tent, Malorum simply raised a brow, and waited at the entrance of the tent.

"Come in, Malorum!" Beckoned, the Jedi Master obliged and entered the personal quarters of Mace Windu. Malorum found himself staring at the flickering image of a

Cantis Sedora stood tall and proud, it had been a foolish demonstration of confidence, foolhardy in that the droid army did not care nor feel the same emotional distress or joy as organic beings. Yet, it was the only thing that gave her some measure of security in what was going to happen next. A tall, slender, and fierce human woman of nearly fifty-five standard years, Cantis Sedora had served in the Republic Naval Forces with distinction for all of her adult life, she had served for nearly the entirety of Finis Valorum's term as Supreme Chancellor, so it had come as a surprise to all of her former comrades when she joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems and became a General for the Separatists. However, her defection had not been something made out of frustration Cantis Sedora had a good reason to join the separatist, and his name was Darth Tyranus. Cantis had gotten well acquainted with the Darth Tyranus early on in his career as the young Jedi protege of the venerable Master Yoda, and when the time came to carry out the plot to go to war with the Republic Cantis was among the first to join Dooku and his master - the man behind the scenes - Dooku had given no clue as to what the name of his Master was. The defection of one of the most respected members of the Republic Naval Forces had a profound effect on the Republic who saw once-loyal planets secede from the Republic and join the Confederacy of Independent Systems after witnessing her impassioned speech in support of Dooku. Cantis continued to distinguish herself within the Separatist ranks as an able General throughout the war…

Until Now.

Cantis had been sent to the Raioballo sector in an effort to fully conqueror the sector to begin the acquisition of the Chopani sector and it's highly popular hyper lane route - Myto's arrow - so as to cut off the Republic from its scarcely populated allies and begin to air propaganda against the Republic to crush enemy morale. A brilliant move that Grievous and Dooku had agreed to, a plot that had nearly succeeded. However, Cantis had greatly underestimated the Jedi as well as the Republic and found herself utilizing every strategy in the classical military manuals in an attempt to fend off the Republic forces led by the Jedi. Her battle with Jedi General Mace Windu had nearly ended in defeat, however, Cantis had accounted for her failure against Windu, and retreated into the canyon regions of Dantooine, wherein months earlier unbeknownst to the Jedi Cantis Sedora had constructed several facilities into the canyons to serve as her base of operations securing her an escape from the battle in plains of Dantooine. Cantis had chosen well, as her base had only two entrances, the main one was obvious as it was the natural opening of the canyon, along the natural rocky surface above of the entrance, however, were modified droid turrets with their guns ready to rain fire upon whoever was foolish enough to enter the canyon base. Cantis allowed herself to chuckle. To get to the main entrance, one would have to get past her DSD1 dwarf spider droids, AAT-1 Hover Tanks, and of course the B1 infantry as well as the occasional Super Battle Droid in order to just reach the entrance, and if they managed to miraculously breach her frontline the Republic forces would buckle under the fire of her droid turrets. And if they broke through even that? She had reserved two LM-432 crab droids, or muckrakers to hold the line while the remainder of her forces continued to rain hell on the Republic forces.

Cantis Sedora placed both of her hands on her holo-table, leaned in, and motioned to her left to pull up the secondary entrance on her holo-map. A smaller, more narrow trail appeared, a lesser tactician would have placed a light guard there or perhaps even ignored it, but Cantis was a master strategist as such she had made preparations to have that area guarded by several Super Battle Droids and DSD1 dwarf spider droids as well as B1 Snipers perched upon the branches of the trees near the trail, for if the Republic were to breach that area Cantis' forces would be caught in a pincer attack. Cantis' eyebrow furrowed, if, by some stroke of luck the Republic forces were able to break through her defensive perimeter there, she had ordered the placement of Droidekas nearing the bunker at the end of the trail, though she did not expect the Droidekas alone to best the Republic forces they would certainly hinder their advance and allow her main force to converge on her enemy's position, surround them from all sides and destroy them in one fell swoop.

But there was the issue, her plan divided her forces into two groups, one powerful enough to maintain a defensive line, the other moderately well guarded but ultimately designed to fail so as to allow draw the Republic forces further into the narrow trail and then destroy them with a pincer, but it all relied on the Republic forces making the first, and they remained at a standstill. It was, of course, expected as after their first rounds of battle on Dantooine, Cantis Sedora's naval forces had been destroyed but they had severely damaged the Venarator-class cruiser to the point where the Republic forces were forced to land the cruiser in a vain effort to repair the ship the Republic had likewise exhausted all of their starcrafts in the initial skirmish, though Cantis assumed that similar to how her forces still possessed few Scarab and Vulture class starfighters the Republic still had a few starfighters as well. But this battle had turned into a ground war.

Suddenly, Cantis Sedora's T-series tactical droid, TF-1279, came to her side and said, "General Sedora, we have an incoming transmission from the Republic forces."

Cantis Sedora sighed wearily, walked away from her holo-table, and slumped into her chair. She leaned back into her chair and folded her arms. "Go on, one-two-seven-nine, patch them through."

Suddenly the image of a man with greying hair and striking features wearing the suit of an admiral appeared before her, it was a man she had recognized from her time in the Republic navy and he was named Wullf Yularen.

"Cantis, it has been some time." Wullf Yularen spoke almost in a sad tone. "I will not lie to you Cantis, I did not expect you to answer my transmission, frankly, I thought this would be in vain but…" The old fool seemed to be at a loss for words, beside himself even. Cantis allowed herself to smile at the Admiral of the Republic forces, for it was only natural for it to be unnerving to speak as they were now when they had been comrades in arms in their youth. "General Cantis.." There it was, after composing himself he finally found himself speaking to her in a formal tone, could it be he viewed her as a monster just as she viewed Grievous as one? "I am contacting you now on behalf of General Windu...and because I need to." Cantis Sedora found herself averting her gaze, she couldn't stand to look at him, she couldn't stand the look in his eyes that dared to ask the question as to why she had betrayed the Republic, betrayed him.

"Cantis, please surrender to our forces on Dantooine, we can protect you from Separatist retaliation, and if it's Dooku or Grievous that you fear the Jedi can defend you from them. Please Cantis!" The Admiral pleaded, almost on to the point where tears threatened to overwhelm him. "I cannot lose any more friends to this war…" Wullf Yularen fell silent, as did Cantis Sedora, they had both lost friends to this war, friends that had at one point been considered brothers or sisters all lost to the Clone Wars. "Cantis, I beg you, my old friend, surrender to the Republic, lend us your strategies and the senate will surely pardon your crimes.."