**Chapter 542**
**Scene 1**
**Serenno – Castle Serenno**
Count Dooku strode briskly through the shadowed corridors of his ancestral home, his cape billowing behind him like a living shadow. The urgent summons had pulled him from delicate negotiations, but the matter could not wait. He entered his private office, sealed the doors with a wave of his hand, and activated the encrypted comm system.
The holographic figure of Nightsister Selena materialized before him. The Dathomirian witch knelt immediately, her pale skin and dark tattoos stark against the blue glow.
"Teacher," she intoned respectfully.
Dooku regarded her for a moment. "I hope you have had enough rest before your new assignment?"
"Without any doubt, I am ready to carry out any of your orders."
"Good." Dooku flicked his fingers, transmitting a encrypted battle plan. "Then I am sending you the details for a new operation."
Selena studied the data silently for a moment before her eyes narrowed. "Why are you not sending me after him?" she hissed, her voice laced with venom. "He is attacking your holdings directly. With the fleet you have provided, I could crush him and his precious fleet."
Dooku raised a hand, cutting off her protest. "Such is Darth Sidious' wish. Besides, it is important to distract the Jedi from other matters…"
"But Master—" Selena tried again.
"Enough." Dooku's voice sharpened like a blade. "Dagon Marek is a dangerous variable — too dangerous. The loss of my once-trusted acolytes has left us thin. I am now relying on you, General Grievous, and this tactical droid."
He activated another holoprojector. A advanced tactical droid with crimson markings appeared beside Selena's image.
"THX-01," Dooku addressed it. "One of the few original units still operational after the disastrous events at Dentaal."
The droid bowed smoothly. "My lord, what is your request?"
"You are to proceed to Felucia with your current fleet and link up with reinforcements there. Your primary target is General Dagon's fleet. Request any additional forces you deem necessary — except for the super ships. Understood?"
"It will be done, my lord." THX-01 bowed once more and vanished from the transmission.
Selena remained, her expression stormy. Dooku met her gaze evenly.
"Do not fail me, Selena. The balance of this war grows ever more delicate."
**Scene 2**
**Malastare – Republic Forward Base**
Sionver Ball stepped down the ramp of the cargo ship, her multiple eye-stalks swiveling as she took in the arid landscape of Malastare. The planet's desert dunes stretched into the distance, broken by patches of jungle and the occasional methane lake shimmering under the dual suns.
"Malastare… eighteen and a half thousand kilometers in diameter. Gravity approximately one point three standard. Full rotation takes twenty-six standard hours. Revolution around the sun takes two hundred and one standard days. Climate arid. Terrain: desert, jungle, methane lakes…"
"Careful! Careful!!! That is not a piece of scrap metal!" she barked suddenly, rushing toward a group of clone troopers carefully unloading a large, reinforced crate from the ship's hold.
"Ma'am, we know what we're doing," the clone captain replied calmly.
Sionver suppressed the urge to raise her eye-stalks in exasperation — a habit she had picked up from dealing with humans. Beside the clones stood Jedi Master Plo Koon and a Devaronian Jedi named Sial Jacen.
"If it's so fragile," Sial Jacen asked, arms crossed, "was it even worth bringing here?"
"This is a prototype," Sionver replied, patting the crate protectively. "The only one of its kind. My concern is perfectly natural."
Plo Koon's kel dor mask tilted slightly. "You only have this one… electron-proton bomb?"
"Yes. We've been working on it for several years. Only last week did we finish assembling this prototype. Testing was originally scheduled for the end of next year."
"So you have no other bombs?" Plo Koon pressed.
"You only have one chance," Sionver confirmed. "And on what principle does it work?"
The scientist launched into her explanation with clear enthusiasm. "As you know, ion bombs come in various yields, but to achieve a large coverage area their size must increase dramatically. This creates problems in both manufacturing and transport."
She gestured to the relatively compact device on the repulsor cart. "It doesn't look very big — smaller than a capital ship torpedo and far lighter. Yet the primary blast radius is one and a half kilometers, with a passive effect reaching out to ten kilometers. For reference, a standard ion bomb with that kind of area would be the size of a Corellian CR-90 frigate."
The Jedi exchanged glances.
"What will be the consequences of using this bomb?" Plo Koon asked. "The Gran Council and the Dugs are concerned about environmental impact."
"There were no full practical tests," Sionver admitted, "but I assure you there will be no significant environmental contamination or physical damage. Perhaps a small crater — ten meters wide and a couple meters deep. Being close to the epicenter is not recommended, of course. However, the primary effect is the disablement of droids. Your troops, even a couple of kilometers away, should be perfectly safe."
Sionver looked around the bustling base. "By the way… when do you intend to use it?"
Plo Koon's gaze turned toward the horizon, where distant thunder rolled across the methane flats. "Soon," he said quietly. "Very soon."
The Kel Dor Master's eyes held the weight of command as he studied the prototype weapon that could turn the tide on Felucia — or any battlefield where droid armies swarmed in overwhelming numbers.