"Conflicts are constructed atop two foundations: pride, and resources." —Darth Bane

"Kill him," ordered Palpatine, still bound to his chair. "Kill him now." The Jedi before him hesitated briefly before thrusting the plasma blade through the count's chest. Dooku's body toppled to the ground, smoking slightly. The sound of his panicked breaths ceased. His executioner just looked down at his dying enemy, as if in regret, or perhaps shame. There was a moment of silence as the lightsabers went off.

"He was too dangerous to be kept alive, Anakin," said the Chancellor as his wrist bindings opened. He got up and walked towards Skywalker. "You did well. There is no shame in success if it was for a righteous cause. It was justice. It is not the first time you have rendered it."

"It was still wrong," retorted the Jedi, his tone tinged with guilt.

"We have no time for discussing morals. If we do not leave immediately, we could get captured by General Grievous!" replied Palpatine. The Jedi quickly hung Master Kenobi over his shoulder, ignoring the Chancellor's statements that it would only slow them down. Then the three holograms exited the recording, leaving Dooku's holographic body on the floor.

General Grievous turned off the holorecording on his desk, almost disgusted at the count. How had he ever earned his respect if his skills were this lacking? Dooku had been defeated by a mere two jedi in a battle he should have been easily capable of winning. Even more damning to the skills of his mentor, was that the final blow came after Kenobi was taken out of the fight. Was Dooku, the greatest duelist of the order, so incapable as to be defeated, not by a master, but by a student? Admittedly, Skywalker had a reputation for surpassing the capabilities his rank suggested but when judged against others whom Dooku had defeated, he had shown little distinction…

It was possible Dooku could shed more light on this after the medics got him in a condition stable enough to conduct long conversations. He remembered the doctor telling him it was unlikely they could get him that far, advising him to return to his duties.

He looked out through the transparisteel viewport at the expanse of space interspersed with the white streaks of stars. He could make out one of the three Munificent-class frigates accompanying the Lucrehulk-class battleship that would temporarily be his flagship. It was an acceptable escort considering the resources available to him. He would still have preferred more ships, however likely that they would be sufficient reinforcements for the fleet at Kashyyyk.

A short beep on the holoprojector before him indicated a communications request. He read the ID code. It was Sidious. He typed a short command on the console to open communications. Grievous bowed as high as he dared as the room's lights dimmed to a blood-like red.

"Lord Sidious," greeted General Grievous, straightening up.

"General Grievous," said Sidious, "I have ordered the Separatist Council to the mining facility on Mustafar. They will be secure there for a time. You will not no longer have trouble with their meddling, which should allow you to use available resources as you see fit…" This is a step in the right direction, thought Grievous. Without their constant squabbling and attempts to hold back funding, he would have far more freedom in delegating resources as he saw fit. There was a short pause as the hooded Sith considered his words.

"You need not concern yourself about Dooku's failure to keep the Chancellor in custody. Palpatine's escape, while unfortunate, is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Capturing him was merely an opportunity to divide the Republic's objectives."

"But what of the defeat of Count Dooku? How was such a defeat possible?" asked the general, wondering why Sidious had not addressed it immediately.

"I understand from the reports submitted by the Jedi that it was by stroke of chance that my apprentice was vanquished. But it matters little," said Sidious, his half-concealed face betraying no hint of an expression. "Soon I will have a new apprentice. One far younger, and more powerful."

"But who will rise to Dooku's position in his stead?" said Grievous, holding back questions that flooded his mind.

"You will be informed after your mission is completed. For the moment, you may resume command of your forces at Kashyyyk as planned. Consult me about your next move when the conflict there has ended," said Sidious, and ended the transmission.

Grievous stood at the holotable, puzzling over what his Master had told him, as the lights returned to their normal bright blue. Who was this more powerful disciple Sidious was going to take? Did he think Dooku was no longer worthy of being his apprentice? The general wondered why the Sith had not simply ordered the execution of Dooku before he was healed. Considering his Master's general policy when it came to the unworthy acolytes and apprentices of Dooku, that was what he should have done.

Unless Sidious is unaware that Dooku is still alive… thought Grievous. And why did he want to replace him? Did he perceive the count as an unworthy disciple?

—

"Contingents five, seven, and two, I want another routine scan of the outer moons. In the case of encountering enemy craft you are ordered to return to the fleet immediately. Is that understood?" said Rear Admiral Tinis Ghar. Where was the inevitable swarm of Republic reinforcements to repel the imminent ground assault on Kachiro?

The only GAR forces on Kashyyyk were reportedly one thousand clone troopers under General Quinlan Vos, who had regrettably managed to slip through the blockade before they had full stranglehold on the system. Despite the clone's superior quality, Tinis knew that his subordinate Belis Tayne would be more than capable of defeating their uneducated general. Anyway, he knew how badly the Wookies were outnumbered.

"Rear Admiral, Colonel Tayne's troops are finished with their deployment. He requests permission to go on the offensive," reported a neimodian officer. Finally. The admiral looked at the squadrons patrolling the distant moons. No sign of enemy reinforcements.
"Permission granted. Does he wish to receive orbital support?" There was a short pause as the officer relayed the message.
"He is beginning the assault but declines your offer." He already knew his friend would not accept it. Bombarding the forest outside Kachiro would reduce cover for the droids and tanks, even if it made maneuvering an easier task. Tinis walked away from the transparisteel windows back to his uncomfortable command chair.

And now to resume waiting. It was a shame he had nothing to do but stand there, bored. The bridge staff continued to work in a monotonous slur. He could see their reactions becoming progressively slower as the battle continued under them. Only the droids were unaffected. That was perhaps one of the only good things about them, he mused as reports came in from the patrols. Nothing. As usual.

—

Author's Note: After a great deal of writer's block and many stressful hours, I present to you the second chapter of this story. I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are deeply appreciated for their motivational value, as well as constructive criticisms. Apologies for the lack of action during this one, as it takes between the two major battles in ROTS. I really look forward to writing about the battle of Kashyyyk in the next chapter. Please leave constructive criticism in the reviews, as I am not very good at finding the flaws in my own writing. Until next chapter!