Poggle the Lesser descended along a path long familiar to him. This was the fifth time in recent memory that he had gone down into the most sacred and secret place on Geonosis. The Archduke was followed by a pair of droids pushing a gravity platform, upon which rested a massive wooden box decorated with precious metals and gemstones. But its contents were even more precious. Obtaining it had required tremendous effort on Poggle's part, but… the will of the Hive was unyielding.
Entering the Queen's vast, dimly lit throne room, the Geonosian bowed respectfully and looked around. Karina the Great, as always, was impressive—huge and majestic, she seemed to occupy all the free space. Faithful servants stood frozen near her enormous belly, carefully receiving the eggs emerging from her ovipositor.
Before the Queen stood the figure of… a human woman. By her tattered garb and the lightsaber hanging at her belt, she could unmistakably be recognized as a Jedi. She had been purchased from dooku newest ackolyte Bogan vos though it wasn't dooku order or did he have knowledge but Poggle preferred to answer the queen words ; her name was Aubrie Wyn. However, there was nothing to fear. From now on, this Jedi served the will of the Hive.
"Did you-u-u bri-i-ing wha-at I-I aske-e-e-ed fo-o-or?" Karina drawled.
"Yes, my Queen!" Poggle snapped his fingers, and the droids rolled the platform forward.
In an instant, the Jedi was standing beside him. Poggle flinched—the bright yellow of her eyes frightened him. The woman ran her hand over the wooden lid, then threw it open. The room filled with a reddish glow. Inside the box, resting on soft cloth, lay three blood-red pyramids emitting a dim light.
"Is-s thi-is wha-a-at you nee-e-ed?"
The woman took the first pyramid into her palm. The light intensified.
"This one is useless," came the strange sounds of Geonosian speech from the woman's throat.
The pyramid returned to its place, and the Jedi picked up the second.
"This holocron is empty."
Poggle froze in alarm.
The third pyramid ended up in the woman's hands. Suddenly, it tore free from her grasp, flying into the air and hovering at chest level. The woman arched her back, tilting her face upward. This continued for several seconds, after which the Jedi laughed and smiled.
"This is what we need!"
Poggle breathed a sigh of relief. However, these ancient artifacts had cost him a staggering amount of money, and it would have been deeply disappointing if it had all been for nothing.
"Ca-an you-u-u do I-i-i-it?.."
"Yes. I'll begin immediately. I'll need two weeks, after which I'll present you with the results."
"Yo-o-o-u-u may go-o-o~," Karina said, graciously waving her forelimbs.
After that, the Geonosian Queen turned her gaze to the Archduke.
"I am plea-a-a-sed with youu-u-u-u. Ho-o-ow is the ma-a-atter progressi-i-i-ing?"
"Better than we expected. The first two hundred and fifty ships will be launched in a month. We have enough manpower and slaves to feed the newborn warriors. New fighters have been manufactured to our order…"
When Poggle finished his report, Karina the Great dismissed him.
Walking through the corridors leading to the surface, he noticed a light at one of the turns. He stopped and looked closer. The Jedi was standing beside one of Karina's dead warriors, who lay motionless on a stone slab. Mercilessly cutting him open with a specialized medical cutter, the woman indifferently rummaged through his insides, occasionally pulling out and examining internal organs and performing mysterious manipulations on them. The red light emanating from the pyramid hanging above the stone slab flooded the entire chamber, making the scene even more eerie.
Poggle hurried on his way.