Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars (or Clone Wars would be forced to obey canon!)
Shattered
The darkness of the abyss was there and growing larger. The entire galaxy was now poised on the brink of the abyss, about to be plunged into eternal darkness. The Clone Wars had spread across the galaxy, disturbing the fragile unity of the Republic as corporate armies marshalled to try and reduce the corruption in the government. Unable to succeed, and manipulated by the evil Dark Lords of the Sith, the galaxy had entered into the Clone Wars with the Battle of Geonosis. Since then, the Jedi and their clone comrades had been spread thin across the galaxy, battling the evil droid forces of General Grievous and his ilk.
However, while the war had been bad enough, more recent events had shaken the galaxy, the Republic and indeed the Jedi Order, to their core.
A secret group within the Jedi Order, known as the Concordat, was a group that had been dedicated to eradicating all forms of attachment within the Order, led by Jedi Council member Mace Windu. His group, whose fanaticism and influence had spread far and deep, had recently launched a coup to topple Yoda and destroy all forms of attachment within the Order, which would have seen any pro-attachment Jedi murdered, the Council and the younglings destroyed and the Jedi Order under the increasingly dark influence of Mace Windu and his second in command, Eeth Koth.
However, thankfully for the Order, Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, had happened upon their evil group when he had fallen in love with his Padawan, Ahsoka. As such, he had gathered like minded Jedi to his cause, and although it cost Ahsoka her life, he had rallied the group to his cause, and he along with his Entente had defended the Order, and he had personally killed Mace Windu in battle, freeing Yoda.
However, Operation Abstinence had shaken the galaxy's faith in the Jedi. While the war was on the way to an ending, with General Grievous and his cohorts running scared away from the core, people were growing more and more suspicious of the Jedi by the day as a result of what had happened in Abstinence. In fact if it wasn't for the people's hero, Anakin, the Jedi may very well have been disbanded.
And this climate of mistrust was just what the Dark Lords of the Sith required, even if they hadn't planned it. A triad of evil dark side users, there were three Sith who were dedicated to destroying the Republic and the Jedi Order, the manipulative Darth Sidious, the charismatic Darth Tyranus and hidden in the shadows was the callous Darth Infinity. Between them, these three shadowy Sith Lords were prepared to destroy the galaxy if that was what it took to eliminate their ancient enemies...
XX
"Forward!"
A handsome, long haired man leapt to the front of the ranks of clones that were pouring fire into the retreating droid forces, his blue and green blades marking him as the cyclone of energy that was their general. Lancing forward, the Jedi Council member dissected another destroyer droid as the Separatists began to mount their ships and pull out.
"General Skywalker, we have the enemy on the run." A clone commander reported.
"Thank you Commander Denal." Anakin said, nodding to the clone and turning off his lightsabers, one of which was his own and the other of which was the one that had belonged to his first love, Ahsoka, before she had been murdered by Mace Windu.
He sighed. This was the fourth frontier world they had taken this week, with Luminara Unduli, Tsui Choi and Kit Fisto, all Council members, having taken other ones, and Anakin's former master, Obi Wan, taking another before the week was out, as would Plo Koon. And despite all of that they were still no closer to finding Count Dooku or General Grievous and bringing the war to an end.
Anakin sighed as he watched the last of his gunships shoot down the fleeing vulture droids. He hadn't actually been at the front since before Operation Abstinence. Losing Ahsoka had done a lot of damage, and his fight with Mace had nearly killed him with the amount of lightning the deranged Jedi had put into his body. As he had recovered, he had started going out with Barriss Offee, a beautiful Jedi healer who had helped him with the Entente and remember that he hadn't killed Ahsoka after Mace had framed him. They had had a good three months, and then completely out of the blue, she had broken up with him, with no reason or explanation. As such, as soon as Vokara Che had pronounced him as good to go, he had volunteered to be one of the six active Jedi Council members who were leading the Republic armies in crushing the last Separatist holdouts in the Mid Rim, to get away from Coruscant, to get away from all the idolising teenagers and young single women (and a few old ones, along with the occasional guy) who hung around outside the temple day after day to try and glimpse him, and most of all to get away from whatever had happened with Barriss.
He growled. He had never been like this before. Yeah he had been in love with Ahsoka, but she had been murdered before that could have gone anywhere, and then he and Barriss had broken up before he knew what was happening. However, it was after his breakup with Barriss that he had taken a routine diplomatic nicety mission (which was Council speak for 'pain in the rear function but we need to go to it to keep a very grumpy Chancellor happy'), and it was there where he had encountered Padme Amidala, who he had had a massive crush on in his youth, and after a few drinks, and perhaps because he was on the rebound, the next morning he had woken up in bed next to her, and ever since then the two had been going out. At first, Anakin had just been doing it because he had felt guilty but then he had started to enjoy spending time with her, she wasn't stodgy and self absorbed like most of the senators he knew. And now, the two of them were approaching the three month mark, and Anakin was quite happy about that...it was just, he didn't know what had happened with Barriss.
"General Skywalker, we are receiving a message from Coruscant." Denal informed him, and the holo materialised to reveal Master Yoda, who had warmed to Anakin substantially since he had saved him during Operation Abstinence.
"Master Yoda." He said in greeting, and Yoda looked at him, his age and how tired he was showing.
The loss of Mace due to his treachery had put a severe strain on the Grand Master, making him appear even more old and wizened than he actually already was. With Mace no longer around to help coordinate the war effort, Yoda had had to take a lot more action in that field, due to his closest second being Ki-Adi-Mundi, and he didn't know everything that Mace had done to be as of great use (if you could call it that) as Mace had been. Yoda had also received a lot of criticism from elsewhere, with the rest of the galaxy demanding to know how a secret cabal could have appeared in the Order without his knowledge, and then be able to try to topple the existing regime through a military action. And as if that wasn't enough, there were many within the Order questioning Yoda's leadership due to what had happened, and there were still some dissenters who objected to the fact that attachment had been approved throughout the Order.
"Master Skywalker, any sign of Count Dooku is there?" he asked tiredly, and Anakin shook his head as Adi Gallia, another member of the Council strode into view.
"We didn't actually expect you to find him Anakin. Were there any problems?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"None. They fought, they ran, they left. Grievous must be consolidating his forces for something major if you ask me." He said, his eyes narrowed.
Yoda looked grim. The only major thing Grievous could be after could possibly be Coruscant. With the Jedi force usually present there diminished because of Abstinence, and with the army spread out very thinly in the Mid and Outer Rims, Coruscant could be a tempting target for an increasingly desperate foe. The sooner they found Dooku and his pet monster and ended this war the better.
"Conserve our energy we must. Growing, the shadow of the dark side is. On the move is our enemy. Master Skywalker, return to Coruscant you should. Fear I do, that make their move soon the Sith will."
Anakin frowned. Ever since Abstinence, the dark side cloud caused by those events hadn't diminished at all. In fact, despite the defeat of the Concordat, things were getting steadily darker. The Sith were definitely out there, growing in strength and in power. And with the Order already weak...
"Very well Master Yoda, I will return at once." He said, bowing his head.
The holo flickered out and Anakin sighed. At least he could see Padme when he got back. He needed to unwind.
"Um, sir, may I have a moment?"
"Yes Denal?"
Denal looked at the other clones in the group, Fives, Echo and a few others, and receiving their nods, he took a breath.
"Sir, we were wondering how well General Tur-Mukan was doing with the post-war resolution on what to do with us?" he asked bravely.
Anakin smiled. During Abstinence, Etain Tur-Mukan, who had been reunited with her thought-dead clone lover Darman during the battle, had made an impassioned speech which had stopped the clones fighting by promising them rights after the war which would allow them to live as normal people after the war ended. Ever since she had said that she had become something of a folk hero to the clones, followed faithfully by Darman, who had narrowly escaped Rahm Kota's attempt to kill him, and had been canvassing for support for the clones to become full citizens of the Republic once the war ended.
While many politicians had initially dismissed her, once Anakin had said in a rather careless manner during an interview with Padme that he supported it, it had certainly captured the public's imagination, and Senator Riyo Chuchi was now the main proponent of the bill aside from Padme, and she was passionately battling within the Senate chamber for it to become official.
"As far as I know Denal, everything is going fine. She and Senator Chuci get quite impassioned about your plight." He said with a smile.
"Thank you sir." Denal said, saluting, before turning and going to inform the other clones.
Anakin sighed. The sooner this war ended the better. Then, the remaining Concordat Jedi could be put onto trial and the galaxy would be able to put Operation Abstinence and all of its repercussions behind it. Anakin gave a grunt of irritation and headed into the command centre to oversee the politics of victory.
XX
"We have lost New Holstice. The Republic forces are beginning to beat us back on every front." Grievous informed those present in the darkened room.
Those present were the Separatist Council, the leaders of the various aspects of the Confederacy. At the centre of the semi circular room's ring of chairs was Count Dooku, otherwise known as Darth Tyranus, the Sith Lord, who, under the orders of his master Darth Sidious had precipitated these Clone Wars. On his right hand side was the bald and lethal female assassin Asajj Ventress, a Dark Jedi who Dooku had further corrupted and had turned into a competent Jedi killer. On his other side was the general who served immediately under Grievous, General Whorm Loathsom, who had won many victories before Abstinence and had been promoted to that position after the death of Lok Durd a few months before. The only other Force sensitive in the room aside from Dooku and Ventress was a fearsome yellow and black Zabrak, by the name of Savage Oppress. A ferocious killer, he had been hired by Dooku to serve as his bodyguard while Ventress was on an assignment as part of a complicated plan to try and ensnare Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi. However, Abstinence had set that plan off the rails and they had only encountered Obi Wan, and he had overcome his surprise and had defeated the Zabrak. The others present were the heads of the organisations that made up the rest of the Confederacy. Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation, Wat Tambor of the Techno Union, Shu Mai of the Commerce Guild, Passel Argente of the Corporate Alliance, San Hill of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, Po Nudo of the Hypercommunications Cartel, Poggle the Lesser of Geonosis and Tikkes of the Quarren Isolation League were those that remained of the Separatist leadership.
Despite the chaos Abstinence had caused for the Republic, they had certainly hit back hard. Lok Durd had been killed in battle on Zeltros by Jedi Knight Serra Keto. Sora Bulq had been defeated on Saluecmai by Quinlan Vos, where as Queen Miraj of the Zygerrians had been killed while trying to escape from a Republic blockade by Saesee Tiin. Rogwa Wodrata had been apprehended by K'Kruhk and the last of the Morgukai, Bok, had been killed by Aayla Secura in a pitched battle on Kintan.
"Then we have lost the last of the Mid Rim have we not General?" Shu Mai asked imperiously from her seat.
Grievous turned to the small Gossam and nodded. She was one of the few on the Council he could actually stand. Cold, cunning and manipulative, Grievous was privately happier to have her in the proverbial tent than outside it.
"That is correct. I have recalled all of our remaining forces from the Mid Rim in order to defend this area of space more thoroughly. While I do not like this sort of warfare much, we could easily hole ourselves up in this area of space for quite some time to come." He explained.
The war, while it had initially gone well, with the Separatists controlling over half the galaxy at one stage, had certainly taken a turn for the worse since Abstinence. The Republic, determined to regain lost political ground and confidence had launched a massive offensive, forcing the droid army from the Inner and Mid Rims, and striking throughout the Outer Rim, and forcing the Separatists back...until they reached here.
Now all that remained of the Separatist holdings was basically the Braxant Run and the back end of the Hydian Way, and whatever got in between. While there were purse worlds, such as Mygeeto and Serenno, along with the actual capital of the Banking Clan on Muunilust, the great funds that had once driven the movement had now largely dried up. Also, they only had two major shipyards left, the one at Dathomir and the one on nearby Yaga Minor, but how much longer the Dathomir one would last was anyone's guess as the Republic was getting steadily closer to it with each victory. They only had three remaining droid factories capable of producing massive armies in short times, one on his own world of Kalee, one on Agamar and the other on Ord Janon, and lastly they had their political capital here on Sartinaynian, or Bastion, where those who remained of influence in the Separatist cause could hole up, hence why the Council was here now.
In short, the situation looked very desperate, and the Republic was showing no signs of letting up. The situation was indeed desperate.
"Well done General. Lord Sidious informs me that we are close to the end of the war..." Dooku began, but a furious Gunray stood and stuck his chin out defiantly.
Grievous had to suppress the urge to smash the Neimodian's head in. He acted like he was in control and with more spine than he actually had when Dooku was present, as he knew very well that Dooku would not allow Grievous to kill him as he so longed to.
"Close to defeat maybe! You promised that we would be able to crush the Republic, but instead we are being crushed ourselves!"
Dooku gave Gunray a disdainful glare, and the Neimodian's courage seemed to fail him, and he backed down, hurrying to sit back at the table and not draw anymore attention to himself.
"As I have explained many times before Viceroy, there is a plan in place which will lead to the destruction of the Republic. Now, I'm afraid I must return to my estate on Serenno. General, you have command." Dooku said and he swept out, Ventress and Savage trotting behind him.
Grievous began to advance menacingly towards Gunray when the hologram flickered on, revealing the cowled face of Darth Sidious.
"Lord Sidious." Grievous greeted, bowing along with the council.
"General Grievous. You have done well." Sidious bit out, and Grievous inclined his head graciously.
"Thank you Lord Sidious."
Sidious nodded musingly.
"The end of the war is near General. Soon now the Jedi will be destroyed, as will the Republic. Where is Lord Tyranus?" Sidious asked curiously.
Shu Mai stood, inclining her head as she did so.
"He has gone to his estate on Serenno my lord." She informed him, and Sidious nodded.
"Good. Now, this is Darth Infinity." He said, and as he did so another cloaked, cowled figure stepped into view, making the restless Council sit straight and observe this newcomer.
This one was smaller in stature, but it was clear that they controlled just as much power as Sidious. The jaw line was slimmer and less harsh, leading Grievous to suspect this new Sith was actually female. All they could see was her lips but she had the same air of menace about her as Sidious did.
"My plan to destroy the Republic is nearing its fruition. It is also taking up much of my time. As such, you will now report to Lady Infinity as though she were me. Is that clear?" Sidious growled, and Grievous bowed again.
"Of course Lord Sidious." He said, and the elder Sith disappeared, leaving their new master present.
"It would be wise if none of you mentioned me to Count Dooku." She began, her voice a soft purr, but there was no warmth in it, it was colder than a bad night on Hoth.
"May I ask why Lady Infinity?" Tambor asked, and she favoured him with a smile.
"He may not approve of my presence." She said silkily.
"This is getting out of hand. Now there are three of them!" Gunray whined and Infinity turned to him, and the rest of the Council edged away from him slightly, even his own dogsbody, Haako.
"Indeed. There are three of us Viceroy. And you would do well to keep that little fact to yourself." She hissed, and he looked at her curiously.
"You...there is something familiar ack!"
Gunray had stopped talking and was clutching his throat. Infinity's hologram had extended her hand and had wrenched him up with the Force. As the Neimodian grasped at his throat, Grievous could feel excitement rising in him. Infinity then brought her hand together in a fist, and Gunray gave a wet gasp before there was a very sickening crunch, and his body fell to the floor, a shattered broken mess.
She then turned coldly to Haako.
"Congratulations on your promotion 'Viceroy' Haako." She said, then turned to look at the rest of the horrified members of the Council.
"Anybody else question my authority?" she asked in a sinister whisper and they all shook their heads meekly. Satisfied, she turned to Grievous, who was looking at the horrific mess on the floor intently.
"Do you have a problem with my power General?" she asked sharply, and he shook his head.
"No my lady, I just regret that I did not get to kill him myself." He lamented, and she gave a cold, high laugh that he was sure wouldn't suit her if they could see her real face.
"Continue to serve me well as you would Lord Sidious and I will see that you are amply rewarded." She said, and her holo flickered out.
Grievous then motioned to two super battle droids, clasped his hands behind his back and left the room, making sure to stand on the mess that had once been Gunray contemptuously as he did so, leaving the chattering Council members behind him.
XX
Infinity leaned back, satisfied. Gunray always had been a thorn in the side of the Sith, whining about this that and the next thing. Best for all of them if he was dead.
A whooshing noise came from behind her and she turned to see her finest creation yet, Darth Reaper.
Formerly Jedi Master Eeth Koth, she had salvaged him after his lethal duel with that irritating Jedi Obi Wan Kenobi and had brought him here to be rebuilt, favouring pain and harshness over all else. His natural horns had been ripped out and replaced with metal blades like razors. Pumps full of toxins pumped such needed liquids around his torso, which was trapped in a metallic shell due to his near fatal injury during the duel. The metal bodice was coloured all in black, with red and blue tubes carrying nutrients around his body, and a rage enhancing adrenal stimulant pumped through a large green tube that was embedded in his skull. One of his eyes was a sinister, green orb like a laser, and his limbs were long, thin, skeletal and black, metallic in nature. She had also adorned his face with Sith tattoos, to give him a faint resemblance to Darth Maul, and a breath mask such as that of Darth Malak's marked the bottom of his jaw. At his waist were three lightsabers, one which he could mount into his arm itself to act as a rocket, and the two he could actually use in combat.
She had destroyed the faint little bit of good in him that was left after Abstinence with ease, and once she had done so she had restructured his mind, making him her ultimate weapon...at least until he could be replaced with someone far fitter and more agile and powerful.
"Will not Darth Sidious be annoyed that you killed Gunray?" he asked through his mask.
"It matters not. The Separatists are stuck where they are until the end of the war, which is mere days away. And then, the Sith will have their revenge..." she promised, her yellow eyes glinting evilly.
XX
Dooku swept towards his Solar Sailer. Gunray's death just didn't make sense. While the entire Council had told him that Sidious had killed the pathetic worm, Dooku suspected otherwise. His master had said all along that Gunray had to be kept alive, the least of which reason was the fact that the Trade Federation contributed the most to the Confederacy. So why would Sidious suddenly kill him? Something just didn't add up. And the undercurrent of deceit, worse than it was usually, made him all the more suspicious. The fact that there was also some from Grievous made him all the more concerned.
No. Something was going on within the Confederacy that he had created on his master's orders, and something else was at play here, something he didn't quite understand. However, after Abstinence had shaken Sidious' confidence due to his failure to predict it, he and Ventress had picked up on something that was off with their overlord...something potentially deadly to Count Dooku.
"So what really happened to Gunray?" Savage asked in his gravelly voice as Dooku headed for his ship.
Dooku frowned. To tell the truth he didn't know. All he knew was that Sidious wouldn't have killed Gunray, that didn't make any sense at all.
"I don't know, I trust the two of you will figure it out while I'm gone." He said.
Ventress looked darkly at Savage. Something was clearly amiss with all of this and she didn't like it one bit.
"What if the Separatists are becoming redundant master? The Republic has us on the run. What if Sidious is going to cut his losses and hang us out to dry?" Ventress asked worriedly, and Dooku had to admit she had a point.
"Be that as it may...the war is ending, and soon we will have our revenge against the Jedi. You need be patient only a little while longer child." Dooku said, and Ventress inclined her head as he entered the ship.
It was unfortunate, Dooku thought, that Abstinence had struck when it did. If it hadn't, the plan, which was to destroy the Separatists anyway as the various groups that made it up were all too powerful, would be much easier to accomplish. However, Windu's actions had delayed the Republic war machine enough so that the vast majority of the leadership could escape back to friendly space. A great pity. Sighing he nodded in farewell and the ship lifted off, bound back for Serenno so he could retrieve some Sith holocrons for his master.
"What do we do woman?" Savage asked, and Ventress narrowed her eyes.
"We interrogate the Council, and hope that we are wrong about our suspicions." She said silkily.
XX
The training halls in the temple were full of the sounds of practice sabers swinging as the younglings learned the basic forms under the watchful eye of Serra Keto, who was once again covering for Cin Drallig due to his treachery in joining the Concordat, as Yoda didn't want him influencing the young ones, who had narrowly escaped with their lives a few months before.
As the students were practicing, it gave her and Barriss, her best friend, a good chance to catch up, as both of them could still see what was going on and Barriss' healing skills could come in handy.
"I still don't get why you did it! You won't explain why you broke up with him!" Serra whined like a teenager, making Barriss smile.
"It's my business." She said simply, sending a sharp look at one of the younglings who was trying to scratch their back with the lightsaber hilt.
Serra rolled her eyes in exasperation. Since they had broken up, whenever she had mentioned Barriss to Anakin he had gotten incredibly snappy, which she translated as he didn't have a clue as to what he had done that was so bad in order to make Barriss break up with him. Barriss on the other hand had been dancing around the subject for weeks and never actually giving anyone a straight answer.
"Barriss, you dumped the Saviour of the Order, who had also been voted the Holonet's Sexiest Man Alive award for this year and the biggest hero of the Republic! Girls would kill to be where you were." Serra pointed out and Barriss shook her head.
"I know that, every time we went anywhere we would have some ridiculous teenage girls wearing less clothes than a rodent trying to get his attention. And the hate mail I got when I ended it was ridiculous as well." She grumbled, and Serra arched her eyebrow.
"You got hate mail?" she asked in surprise.
"Yes. Things like 'Anakin deserves better than you' and 'you shouldn't play around with him like that', utter nonsense." She said sniffily.
"That's horrible...but mind you they might be right seeing as we don't know why you ended it in the first place." Serra said slyly, and Barriss hit her lightly on the arm.
"Why I ended it is my business Serra. And for the record, I don't keep grilling you about breaking up with Bardan do I?"
Serra and Bardan had worked together in the lead up to Abstinence, but after a few dates the two of them had split up.
"There just wasn't any chemistry between us. Yeah he's nice enough and all but he just wasn't meant for me." Serra explained, then shouted at a youngling who had stabbed their lightsaber into the floor.
Barriss sighed. Ever since she had broken up with Anakin, she had been getting pestered endlessly about her reasons for ending it. Her reasons for ending it were her own, and even her former master, Luminara Unduli, who was now a Council member, was vexed on why Barriss had broken it off with Anakin (something which infuriated Shaak Ti and Exaz, the Temple gossips, no end). However, despite the fact that she had broken it off, for her own reasons, she had to admit to herself that she really did miss him. However, she had made her choice, and she had to stick with it. Besides, he was happy with that Naboo harpy Padmé Amidala the filthy no good...
Something about her bitter thoughts must have shown on her face, because Serra was smiling knowingly, and Barriss changed her face into a scowl and proceeded to yell at a student who had inadvertently just turned his lightsaber on while it was facing backwards, skewering his friend through the leg, making the unfortunate lad scream in pain.
XX
The hangars of the Jedi Temple were a sorry sight these days. Saesee Tiin had defeated a Jedi carer by the name of Du Mahn here during Operation Abstinence, and this place had been quiet ever since. With the deaths of nearly two hundred Jedi, most of the Order was away from Coruscant, with only a day in between assignments. Anakin piloted his blue Delta-7 fighter into the hangar, still blackened from where a gunship had slammed into it during Abstinence, and he sighed forlornly. Returning to Coruscant was like returning to a swamp planet, the atmosphere was so dull and tense. And what with Palpatine having just been voted more emergency powers, he couldn't imagine his peers on the Council being very happy either. Grunting, he ejected R2D2 from the droid socket and hauled himself out of his cockpit.
R2 whistled at him, and he patted the small droid on the dome affectionately.
"I know R2. It's been like a morgue a lot recently actually." He said sadly, and he headed through the quiet hangar, nodding to the Temple security staff, which there were very few left of since Abstinence.
It wasn't even as if he could talk to Obi Wan while he was here, because according to reports, he was waist deep in droids under the command of the sadistic Osi Sobeck. Anakin and R2 trudged through the quiet halls, the only ones he encountered happening to be one of the members of the Concordat he would be delighted to sentence after the war ended.
"Oh hello Anakin." Saesee Tiin said tiredly as he came out from a classroom full of bamboozled looking students who he had clearly just taught astronavigation to.
"Hello Saesee. Where is everyone?" he asked tiredly and the horned Ikitochi gave a guttural swear word.
"Another protest out the front door, they threw an incendiary at the door, so Adi rallied whoever she could find and went to chase them off. The delights of having lived through a coup...I take it you had no sign of Dooku or Grievous?" he asked wearily, and Anakin shook his head, R2 beeping mournfully beside him.
"Not hide nor hair of him. This is getting old. At least I don't have to intellectually torture students though." Anakin said with a small smile as the stumped looking students traipsed past him.
"You know, I envy you when you have to teach. You get to teach them combat, Yoda teaches them the Force, Shaak Ti teaches them history, and I just confuse them. Even Adi gets to make sense occasionally." Saesee grumbled and Anakin laughed, just as Adi joined them, looking disgruntled.
"More of the same. 'Disband if you have any decency', 'let us live in peace, keep your noses out', other such delightful forms of conversation." She said disdainfully, and she smiled at Anakin in welcome.
"It's getting worse. Look, sure we missed what was going on with Abstinence, but don't they think we came off the worst? Yeah, the Republic lost a load of clones and a Star Destroyer, but we lost two hundred of the Order, found out a third of the Council were traitors and had to kill the second in command of the Order. Why can't they give it a rest?" Anakin demanded irritably.
"Because someone in the Senate is helping them along." Adi said darkly, and both Anakin and Saesee looked at her in surprise.
"What?" Saesee demanded angrily, and Adi sighed, gave the corridor a cursory inspection then leaned in close to them.
"I had lunch with Mon Mothma, the Senator from Chandrilia, and she tells me that someone high placed in the Senate is getting information from the Order, some of it information only certain masters know. And whoever this unknown Senator is, they are using it to push more anti-Jedi sentiment, getting support for bills to curb the so called excesses of the Jedi."
Anakin rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. They were a near permanent fixture nowadays. He made a mental note to ask Barriss for a remedy later...then he remember she had broken up with him for no apparent reason and glared at the ceiling instead.
"So someone is giving out Jedi secrets? Great, just what we need." He growled, and Saesee nodded gravely.
"As if we need to give the public more reason to distrust us. What sort of stuff are they letting slip whoever they are?"
Adi rolled her eyes.
"Opinions on the war, some of our criticisms of the Chancellor, the depth of the Concordat's infiltrations...in short a whole lot of stuff not for the ears of the public or the Senate but stuff that is slipping out anyway and is getting moulded into something more sinister than it actually is. On top of Abstinence..." she said gravely, and Anakin sighed.
"Alright. I'll look into it. And if the Senate is hearing stuff, maybe we should start asking Senators. I'm going to see Padmé, see what she knows." He said, and pointedly ignored the smug looks Adi and Saesee gave him as he strolled away.
XX
"Oh Master Anakin, welcome back. It is good to see you all in one piece." C3PO said happily, and Anakin smiled at the gold plated droid.
Built from junk he had found in Watto's scrap yard as a kid, he had gifted Threepio to Padmé after the Battle of Geonosis, while she had given him Artoo to help him in his starfighter. After all they had been friends over the course of the war. The fact that they had pulled apart a little, and were now occasionally sharing a bed was really quite irrelevant.
"Hi there you." A voice said, and Anakin turned to see Padmé entering the room, dressed in a purple gown with her hair tied high up in a net. She took his cheek in her hand and stood on her tip toes, gently kissing him on the lips.
"Hi yourself. Sorry Padmé but this is more business than pleasure...not that I would say no to a little bit of pleasure." He added with a roguish grin, and Padmé smiled at him indulgently, then sighed sadly.
"I would love to as well. But there's an urgent meeting I've got to attend anyway. What's your thing first?" she asked and he scowled.
"Someone is spilling everything we say and do to the Senate. Do you have any idea who it might be?" he asked hopefully, knowing full well it was far too easy.
She shook her head, looking pale and weary all of a sudden, and Anakin couldn't help but think Barriss would carry that look off a whole lot better. Brutally suppressing this thought, he reached over and pulled her close to him, feeling her lithe body warm against his own.
"No, I'm sorry. But there's a lot of people who are using any excuse to go after the Jedi." She lamented and he sighed, shaking his head, his long hair stroking her forehead as he did so.
"After Abstinence you would think people would learn to keep their mouths shut, but no, that's far too clever. Idiots." He cursed, and she smiled up at him, and he felt some of his troubles thaw a little, but a nasty little voice in his head told him that if Barriss had smiled at him like that they would have disappeared entirely. Ignoring this, he looked at her face and saw a faint sign of excitement there.
"So what's your urgent meeting about anyways?" he asked, wondering what could possibly have her excited about a meeting. Probably something to do with one of her pet projects.
"To discuss what we should do now that we have Count Dooku cornered. He's stuck on Serenno, one of our Intelligence agents received word that he was travelling to his estate there and we got one of the new Interdictor cruisers there with a fleet, he's trapped, and our side's mined the system, so the defence fleet can't even get him out of trouble." She said smugly, and then looked up at Anakin, her eyes wide as she saw the simmering anger in his own bright blue eyes.
"Ani?"
"Dooku's been found, and he's trapped? How don't we know of this?" he demanded, and Padmé grimaced, looking at him placatingly.
"Well, ever since Abstinence, you lot have been getting information on a need to know." She said gently, and he scowled.
"How are we meant to lead the army if we don't know relatively major stuff like the enemy head of state being cornered? When are we meant to be getting told?" he demanded and she shrugged half heartedly.
"After our meeting's done I expect." She said sheepishly, and Anakin growled.
"Alright. Thanks for the info." He said, kissed her on the cheek and ran out, looking harassed.
"Oh dear, Master Ani seems quite upset." Threepio commented to his mistress, who only smiled.
XX
The Council had quickly responded to the summons, with those still out in the field attending by holo. Yoda frowned at Anakin as he reported what he had found out.
"Trapped Count Dooku is?" he asked from his usual chair, and Anakin nodded, his eyes narrowed.
"And why were we not told of this? It's hard enough leading the war effort as it, stretched thin as we are, without not being told everything." Plo growled from his chair, though it was only a hologram of him as he was still on the front lines.
"Nice of them to tell us don't you think? So what do we do Master Yoda?" Saesee asked from the seat that used to belong to Ki Adi Mundi, as he had now moved to Mace Windu's old seat.
"I could get my forces refitted and go after him." Anakin volunteered, and Luminara nodded.
"It does make sense, it won't take that long to refit Anakin's troops." She reasoned, and Shaak Ti, in between Luminara and Saesee, nodded at first, but then shook her head.
"I would agree Luminara, but Master Che informs us that Anakin still isn't fully recovered from his duel with Mace." She said, looking across the room at Anakin, worry etching her crimson features.
"Is this true Anakin?" the holo of Obi Wan asked sternly, looking left to see his former apprentice, who shrugged a little.
"I feel fine, I just failed her eye test when I saw her last, my vision still goes a little bit blurry." He admitted half heartedly, and Obi Wan rolled his eyes in amusement.
Tsui Choi, the tiny Aleena Jedi who had been promoted to the Council following Abstinence, leaned forward, his seat on Obi Wan's other side just beside the door, his holo flickering as he did so.
"We must act quickly. If we lose this opportunity, the Senate will have even less reason to trust us. However, I believe only a Council member should go and take command of the force intended to capture him. However, with all due respect, I feel that only a small number of us are actually capable of defeating Dooku in battle. I remember him from my days as an apprentice, he always beat me with little difficulty." He remarked, his face grim.
Oppo Rancisis, a former member of the Concordat's Triad who had defected, leaned raised his hand from his seat in between Luminara and Adi.
"I agree with Master Choi. I am too old and ungainly to defeat one such as Dooku. Master Koon is on the front lines, as are Master Kenobi, Koon, Fisto, Choi and Unduli. Which is a pity as I feel she could be a match for him," he said, inclining his head to her, and she smiled slightly, "leaving us only the ones who are here unless we pull troops from an ongoing battle, which carries its own set of problems." He reasoned, and Obi Wan looked sceptical.
"You're right about that, and we have enough going against us without ceding worlds just to try and capture Dooku. And the dark side is growing stronger. I think we can agree that we don't want to leave Coruscant under defended by the strongest Jedi in the Order."
Adi raised a finger to her lips.
"Well, we have two problems. The Sith master, if we are right in our assumptions of Dooku being the apprentice, is soon going to make his move. As such, why do we not try and get him to expose himself?" she asked slowly, and the entire chamber looked at her in shock.
"What, and use the Temple as bait?" Anakin demanded, his eyes hard.
"The idea does have some merit. However, such a plan would require only one of two Jedi to go, and one cannot." Oppo said, looking at Anakin, who looked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"He means Anakin that if any Jedi's absence could help draw the Sith out, it would either be yours or Yoda's. And as Master Che still has doubts, then the answer is obvious." Plo said, turning to look at Yoda, who nodded in agreement.
"Decided then the matter is. Go to Serenno I will, and deal with Count Dooku. Any forces aside from the blockade are there?"
Saesee called up the information, looking grim.
"Ah here we are. Master Reus is nearby with her Padawan, as is Ima-Gun-Di. Both could meet you there." He said, and Yoda nodded.
"Very well. Deal with Dooku I will. In the meantime, on our guard we all must be. Increasing is the power of the dark side. Identify the Sith we must." Yoda said, and Shaak Ti pursed her lips.
"We can continue investigation we began before Abstinence and see if that yields any results. We are getting close, I can feel it." She said, and Yoda nodded.
"Very well. Help you will need?" he asked, and she nodded.
"I have Exaz and Master Sinbue lending a hand, but I could always use someone else. Besides, Exaz's tea making skills are crap." She said disdainfully, and Anakin snorted in amusement.
"I'll help if you want. The sooner we find the Sith, stop Dooku and end this war the sooner we can get everything back to normal."
"Decided then the matter is. With all of us, may the Force be." Yoda said, and with that, the holos flickered out and the other Council members departed the chamber.
XX
"Are you sure you'll be alright Master Yoda?" Anakin asked as they headed towards the transport that would take Yoda up to his flagship, the Enlightenment.
"Fine I will be young Anakin. Know I do how wish to bring Dooku to justice you do, but trust me to get the job done you must. However..." he said, and beckoned to Anakin, and he crouched down so he could hear the Grand Master better.
"All very well this plan may be. However, dangerous are our unseen opponents. Clever are these Sith. If act we do, and fail regardless, a way we must have." He said tensely, and Anakin cocked his eyebrow at Yoda, and then realisation hit him.
"You want a contingency?" he asked softly, and Yoda nodded grimly.
"Yes. If fail we do, an escape we must have. Organise this you must. Use whatever resources you need." He said, and Anakin stood up again, looking grim.
"Alright. I'll see what I can organise." He said, and they resumed their walk towards the transport.
"You really think they're about to make their move Master?" Anakin asked, and the wizened Grand Master nodded.
"Believe so I do. Wary we must be. You in particular. Seek you out the Sith will, too dangerous you will be to their plans. May the Force be with you." Yoda said as he climbed onto the transport.
"And you master." Anakin said, raising his hand in farewell as the gunship gave a roar and headed for space, leaving Anakin with a dark pit of worry in his stomach.
XX
"The plan is proceeding as planned my master." Infinity whispered in the darkness to the hologram of her master.
"Good. Tyranus is now trapped on Serenno. But the Jedi seek to lure us out." He growled, and she arched an eyebrow over her vivid yellow eye.
"Indeed? It doesn't really matter, it won't be long until we can destroy the Jedi anyway."
"Be that as it may, the last pieces are not yet in place, and we are no closer to turning Skywalker. If the Jedi move too quickly, all will be lost." He spat, and she sneered in response.
"The problem with Anakin is that he is still in love with Barriss Offee. However, I am confident that we can overcome that obstacle with time." She said proudly, and he glowered at her.
"Time is the one thing we do not have. This is taking too long Lady Infinity. We need to up our game." He sneered, and she gave him a vicious, predatory smile.
"Do not worry my master, I have a plan in mind. With Yoda and Kenobi away, and with his beloved Barriss still not telling him why she dumped him, his last defences are gone. He grows reckless without them to stay his hand. And as such, I will crush his last defences." She gloated, and Sidious gave her a grim smile.
"See that you do my apprentice, and the galaxy will very soon be ours." He said, and his holo flickered out.
Infinity glowered at the spot where he had vanished. The galaxy would soon belong to the Sith yes...whether it belonged to Darth Sidious was another matter entirely. Smiling, she saw the dormant form of Darth Reaper. She was thoroughly looking forward to setting loose her creation. But first, she had to prepare herself. After all, there was one last thing to do to ensure the turning of Anakin Skywalker...and failing that, her own immortality and power.
XX
Night had fallen on Coruscant, and an exhausted Anakin entered Padmé's apartment, stifling a yawn. Yoda had successfully headed to Serenno to deal with Dooku, and most of the others had their own projects. He and Shaak Ti, assisted by Exaz and Tera Sinbue, had spent long laborious hours going over the suspects for the position of full time Dark Lord of the Sith to no avail, all they had given themselves was a headache. However, they had narrowed it down to being someone in the top echelons of the Republic, they just couldn't figure out who. Someone however was wielding an awful lot of influence over events, and it was imperative that they found out who before it was too late.
There was also the question of how the Senate was getting information out of the temple. Much of the information was highly confidential, which proved that someone high up was intentionally or unintentionally giving away information. However, Ki Adi Mundi had reported that during a meeting with the Chancellor, Palpatine had said something that only he and Yoda knew of, so that begged the question, how on earth was information getting out of the temple? Whatever was going on, someone in the Senate was on the receiving end of a lot of Jedi gossip, and they were construing it in such a way so as to make the Jedi seem even worse than they already did, which didn't help things in the slightest.
Despite all of that, Anakin had begun actions so as to ensure the Jedi's survival in the event that the Sith gained the upper hand. Ships were being secreted away in various places, and Senators who might be able to help had been identified. He had organised for two Knights or masters to be on each escape ship. He only hoped they never had to use the plans he was creating because if they did, many would still die, he just couldn't gather enough ships without attracting undue attentions from within the Order (which he couldn't do while someone in the Senate was hearing about their every move) and from outside the Order which could alarm people even further.
"Padmé?" he asked softly, and as he entered the living area, he was taken aback by the sight of Padmé, bathed in candlelight, wearing a revealing purple dress, and Anakin felt his jaw drop.
"Wow." He said weakly, and she smiled at him, wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down to meet her lips in a kiss.
"You've been working too hard Ani, you're exhausted. So..." she said softly, and he kissed her passionately again, breaking off for air a minute later.
"Hmm, I have been working very hard, what with Sith, Abstinence, Senatorial spying, and keeping my girlfriend happy." He said with a slight smile, kissing down her bare neck, making her moan in pleasure.
"Well, you've been neglecting the last part for a while, what with running off to the front and working so hard...how about you make it up to me?" she asked softly, taking his hand and pulling him gently to her bedroom.
"Yes ma'am." He said with a grin, eyeing her bare back as she took him through, and tried to force images of Barriss out of his head.
XX
Barriss was deep in meditation, trying to feel her way through the various currents of the Force. Outside, a storm was beginning to roar. Lightning, rain, thunder and wind were bashing away at the temple, a truly tempestuous storm slamming away at the inhabitants of Coruscant. Cursing those in charge of the weather conditions who were safe in their stations, she immersed herself deeply in the Force, trying to discern what was to come. Luminara had always taught that the future was fluid, but a climate of fear and mistrust had gripped the temple since Abstinence, so she was willing to try anything to try to divine what was to come in the next few weeks.
Immersed in the Force, she could see the titanic storm over Coruscant, lightning flashing in and around the temple, as if the eye was right above the home of the Jedi. The temple shuddered as a massive boom of thunder went off above it, and she could hear the rain lashing against the doors, walls and windows.
And then, she began to see...
Dimly, she could see the younglings, crying many levels below her, with Master Caudle trying her hardest to calm and soothe them. As the younglings cried, scared of the storm, another jagged fork of lightning made them scream all the louder as the storm raged...
She could see Adi, Saesee, Ki and Shaak Ti within the Reconciliation Council chamber, Shaak Ti clutching her head as the storm raged, and Barriss could feel the pulse of the dark side behind the storm. Adi looked slightly sick, Saesee had his eyes closed and his hands were digging into the cushion of his chair, while Ki was groaning and panting, and Barriss realised this was no normal storm, this was dark side work, Sith magic...
Across the galaxy, she could see Yoda, wheezing weakly, hanging on to his stick tightly as his Star Destroyer bore him towards Serenno, and in her mind's eye she could see the battle that would soon take place, Yoda facing Count Dooku in combat...
Out in the field, her master Luminara was directing troops onto a transport as she felt the Force rage, and Barriss felt a flash of panic as Luminara staggered under the weight of the dark assault...
Obi Wan, riding a BARC speeder towards the last remaining droid troops, paled and suddenly lost his grip, falling from his bike as the storm's dark energy echoed across the galaxy...
She could see blasterfire, hear Jedi screaming, lightsabers going out and plunging the temple into darkness as the dark side spread, crying and howls of pain penetrating her skull...
General Grievous and Asajj Ventress were looking on in shock as a world burned before them, before a red saber sliced them from existence...
And then she saw the worst thing of all. Anakin, totally naked, on top of Senator Amidala, who was looking at him adoringly, the two of them locked in love's embrace, totally oblivious to the dark side storm going on outside their room...
And the scene faded to be replaced by two vivid yellow eyes, rimmed with a horrible scarlet corona, a cackling laugh, and the taunt in a cold, inhuman voice 'he is mine! He is mine! He is mine!', and she saw Anakin, dressed all in black, his hair a darker hue, his lightsaber red turn to her and look at her in contempt...
And she saw Anakin's beautiful blue eyes turn that same Sith yellow, and she retched, watching as the three beings behind him, dressed in hooded black cloaks, raised their arms to him in greeting, and he went to them, his yellow, hate filled eyes never leaving Barriss until he turned and kneeled at the feet of the Dark Lords of the Sith...
"NO!"
Barriss bolted upwards, then proceeded to empty her stomach of its contents onto the floor. Gasping weakly, she wiped her mouth and pulled herself to her feet, feeling sick and feverish. Hers limbs were shaking, she felt horribly cold, her eyes were streaming with tears down her tattooed face, her stomach was unsettled, making her feel nauseous...
Panting, she called for a droid to come and clean the floor and staggered over to the wall, supporting itself against its cool hard surface, still shivering, her head pounding painfully.
Outside, the dark side storm continued, though its affect had clearly lessened, the rain was tailing off, the wind was dying out, the thunder was moving off, and the lightning was no longer jagged forks, it was just bright flashes, showing the power behind it had gotten bored.
Barriss steadied her breathing, using meditation techniques, and shivered. The Sith were here on Coruscant. They were strong, very strong, perhaps stronger than the Jedi. The storm had to be some sort of dark ritual for some ungodly purpose, a thought which made Barriss sick with fear. And they were getting to read to move, and her vision hadn't even given her a clue as to who the Sith were.
And worst of all, they wanted Anakin.
XX
The dark side storm that had rocked the temple the night before had died out the next morning, leaving a bright and sunny day in its wake. Anakin practically had a spring in his step as he returned to the temple that morning, rejuvenated by his night with Padmé and he was eager to get on with the mission Yoda had given him, along with helping Shaak Ti try to identify the Sith in the Republic.
"Anakin, are you alright?" Ki asked in concern, rushing up to him, his face tired and drawn.
Anakin looked at him oddly, but then he noticed the faces of everyone else in the temple, all of them reflecting worry, or looking tired, or ill.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Master Mundi, what's wrong?" Anakin asked tensely, as he saw Whie and Scout slowly walking up the corridor, with Whie leaning on his girlfriend as though it was a struggle to move.
Ki looked at him in disbelief.
"Anakin, didn't you feel the dark side tempest last night? The entire temple was shaking as a result of it. It was a storm unlike any we'd had in years, and it was created by the Sith! It caused havoc for Jedi everywhere, the younglings were up all night screaming, we couldn't sleep, it was too painful for us to concentrate, many of us still feel ill...are you telling me you didn't feel it at all?" Ki asked, stopped short by the stupefied expression on Anakin's face.
"We heard the storm, but I didn't feel anything dark side about it." He said, and he was beginning to feel a little worried. If the entire temple, if not the entire Order had felt it, why hadn't he?
Ki looked at him worriedly, and Anakin could feel his own sense of paranoia increasing. What was going on? How powerful were these Sith that they could create a storm that powerful and imbibe it with so much dark side energy, yet still make it unnoticed by the strongest Jedi on Coruscant?
Anakin was about to ask Ki this when Saesee appeared at Ki's side, his face looking grimmer than usual.
"Anakin, I'm glad you're alright. Master Gallia is trying to contact the other Council members." He explained, and Anakin blanched, worried he'd forgotten a Council meeting.
"I thought we were in recess." He said sheepishly, and Ki nodded.
"We are, but we felt it prudent to discuss the storm. Especially with the bombshell you just dropped Anakin." He said, looking wary, and Saesee raised an eyebrow, but got no response, so he sighed.
"Well that isn't all. The Senate is in an uproar." He said simply, and Anakin rolled his eyes, but then stopped.
"Padmé usually tells me if something big is about to kick up a hornet's nest in the Senate." He said, feeling a little put out by his girlfriend.
"Well, perhaps she didn't say anything because she was the one who did it." Saesee said, and he smiled in response to Anakin and Ki's stupefied looks and beckoned them towards the Council chamber.
XX
"The recent events within the Jedi Order have demonstrated the folly of not having a clear command structure. While their leader, Master Yoda thankfully survived the tragedy of Operation Abstinence, the resulting struggles of the Jedi to meet our needs shows that without a clear second in command, the situation can quickly become confused and get worse with devastating rapidity. While I have the utmost respect for Master Ki Adi Mundi, it is clear that, perhaps due to the fact that he isn't a celibate freak like Mace Windu was and doesn't have a secret organisation helping him, that he is not quite as competent as Master Windu was at assisting Master Yoda with the war effort. With the Jedi distracted, it has come to my attention that if, Force forbid, something were to happen to the Supreme Chancellor, we have no clear command structure. While Vice Chair Amedda," Padme said, inclining her head to the Chagrian beside the Chancellor, "is a fine Vice Chair, he does not have the authority to take over the Senate should something happen to the Chancellor. As such, I propose that the Senate immediately creates the position of Vice Chancellor, who would take over the Republic in event of losing the head of state. And if the motion passes, I would like to nominate Senator Organa of Alderaan for the position." She concluded, and the entire Senate went into an uproar.
Within seconds, the holo showed Senator Ask Aak, Senator Riyo Chuchi and Senator Orn Free Taa, all backing the motion, and as soon as the vote had been passed (which aside from the Military Creation Act itself was probably the fastest anything had ever gone through the Senate), nominations for the post had begun. And as it stood, Bail Organa, Eeusu Estornii and Padmé had all been nominated for the position, and Padmé was clearly in the lead.
"Well, she certainly sprung that one on us." Luminara, who had arrived back on Coruscant the hour before commented dryly.
"No kidding. But that isn't all that the Senate passed this morning." Adi said darkly, and Anakin looked at her worriedly.
"Nothing so big can have happened can it? And when will they decide?" Kit asked, whose ship had just arrived in orbit.
"They will decide later today, whoever has the majority of the votes will become the new Vice Chancellor. And as to what else could have happened, our old friend Senator Aak proposed an amendment to the Security Act. This amendment allows Palpatine to disband the Order if need be." Shaak Ti said darkly, and there was a collective hissing and in taking of breath from the chamber.
"The Jedi are independent from the Senate." Obi Wan growled, and Anakin shook his head.
"We may be Master, but after Abstinence, you can't really blame them. It's just more anti-Jedi fear mongering, but after everything Windu did, it's hardly surprising. People want to feel as if they have control over the Jedi." Anakin said, once more rubbing his temples.
Yoda, his holo flickering as his ship prepared for its final jump to Serenno, sighed, and turned to Shaak Ti.
"Any suggestions on the Dark Lord do you have?" he asked, looking hopeful, but she shook her head.
"None. And before any of you get any bright ideas, we ruled out Ask Aak...sadly. It has to be someone in the executive, and after their wonderful antics last night, I think we need to try even harder to find them." She said, to general nods of agreement.
"I passed out, the dark side got so strong." Obi Wan commented, and Anakin looked at him in alarm.
"The younglings were up all night, it was awful. I've never felt anything that strong before." Ki commented, his gaze fixed on Anakin.
Yoda nodded his head dolefully.
"Indeed. Most powerful the storm was. Felt it even going out to the Outer Rim did I. Anakin, troubles you what does?" Yoda asked, peering at Anakin in concern, and Anakin felt a little bit of shame colouring his cheeks.
"I didn't feel anything last night." He admitted sheepishly, and he was immediately aware of the entire room turning to look at him in shock.
"Nothing?" Plo demanded in surprise.
"Nothing. Mind you, I was you know, busy, at the time..." he admitted reluctantly, and he went red at the smug look on Obi Wan's face, which he pointedly looked away from.
"Hmm. Most interesting. But even if you were 'busy' Anakin, you shouldn't have been able to not sense it." Tsui said, making quotation marks with his fingers.
"Unless..." Luminara said, leaning forward slightly, and the entire room looked at the Miralian master.
"Unless?" Anakin asked worriedly, not liking where this may be going.
"During my days as an apprentice, I studied Sith rituals. Some of them were really quite nasty. The storm could very well have been centred around you Anakin, something to do with you. Trying to increase your anger, or taint you or something. In short, affect your alignment with the Force, perhaps trying to turn you to the dark side." She said gravely, and Yoda frowned.
"Heard of such things I have. Incredibly potent they are, able to distort one within the Force. Wary you must be Anakin. If right Master Luminara is, in grave danger you are. Trying to lure you to the dark side, the Sith must be." He said worriedly.
Anakin stood up from his chair. So, the Sith was after him now. As if they didn't have enough to worry about. But to what end? Then, a thought occurred to him, and he smiled slightly.
"You reckon I didn't feel the effects of the storm because it was centred around me right?" Anakin asked Luminara, who nodded, looking hesitant.
"Well I assume so. Even with what you were occupied with at the time, you should have been able to feel the storm. As such, I reckon it stands to reason that the storm was avoiding you for some reason or other, either that or it was aimed at changing you somehow. Luring you, affecting you in some unknown way, trying to start to lure you to the darkness." Luminara mused, and Anakin smiled, earning him a questioning look from Kit.
"What exactly are you so happy about Anakin? Most people when they realise the Sith are after them would tend to panic." He said with a slight grin, and Anakin turned to look at him.
"The Sith. He's made a mistake." He said smugly, and Obi Wan looked at him oddly.
"How in the worlds do you figure that one out?" he asked his former apprentice, but it was Oppo who answered.
"Because it was directed specifically at him, with the aim of making him do something, or change him somehow. As such, I think we can rule out a random person as the Dark Lord. If they are targeting Anakin, and if as we think, the storm was the first step in trying to turn him to the dark side, it stands to reason that the Sith Lord is someone he knows, has a rapport with. Someone he trusts. And therein, my friend lies their crucial error. By targeting Anakin with a storm that is meant to increase his powers and hence his likelihood of turning to the dark side of the Force, they have shown themselves. They must be someone Anakin knows and trusts, if they intended this to be the first strike in luring him to the dark side. Otherwise the entire thing would be pointless, aside from meaning we were all up all night. They have left themselves exposed." Oppo said excitedly, and Anakin nodded triumphantly.
"Exactly. Which means, by causing the storm and targeting me, they've accidentally revealed something they didn't know about themselves. They must know me. Either that or they think they're incredibly clever and I'm incredibly stupid and will just say yes when they ask me to join them." He said and he resumed pacing as the entire Council absorbed this information.
"So, what do you suggest we do Anakin?" Ki asked gravely.
"We keep it to ourselves for a start. No one outside this chamber can know that the Sith are after me, especially with the Senate somehow getting information from the temple. It'll just make things worse. Then, I hedge my bets. I keep an eye on things, and also help Shaak Ti sort through the suspect list, and see if we can't narrow it down to whoever is trying to make me Darth Chosen One. The Sith has to be someone I know. So, let's see if I can't draw them out."
"That sounds incredibly risky young Skywalker." Plo cautioned, and Anakin shrugged.
"I know. But it'll be even more risky if we don't figure out who the Sith are and what they're up to sharpish. Unless anyone has any other ideas?"
Saesee looked around them all, then sighed.
"Unfortunately no. But be careful Anakin. If Luminara is right, the Sith is after you, and that can only be to turn you to the dark side. And that's something that doesn't even bear thinking about."
XX
The Council had adjourned, but Anakin could sense that one member had a particular desire to talk to him, and he had a shrewd suspicion he knew what about as well. The fact that he didn't really want to have this conversation would hardly improve things. A Sith was after him by the looks of it, the dark side was getting stronger, and he was no closer to finding out why Barriss had broke up with him. Something he was about to have to tell her former master, who was incredibly fond and protective of Barriss.
"Anakin, a word please?" Luminara called, dashing up behind him so he couldn't escape.
"Hello Luminara. It's good to have you back. How did your battle go?" he asked, and she sighed wearily.
"As well as can be expected. We have the Separatists on the run. Which now I come to think of it is probably why the Sith are about to make their move. However, that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about." She said, the expression on her face telling him she would not be dissuaded from her mission.
He sighed. He supposed he should get it over with, before she built up too much steam. After all, she had been out in the field when Barriss had broken up with him, and he had left right after on his own mission, and she had then been redeployed, as such this was the first time since just after Abstinence that she had been able to corner him, and he had no doubt she had been rehearsing this for weeks.
"Anakin what...?"
"Luminara, your guess is as good as mine. We were doing fine, then out of the blue she ended it. I don't know why she did it, she won't talk to me, and she hasn't told Serra either. You can try to find out if you want, but I reckon you'll have about as much joy as I will." He lamented, pushing his hair behind his ear tiredly and she cocked her head at him, looking curious.
"Did you try to talk to her? To find out what happened?" she asked, her gaze steely and he sighed, feeling weary.
"Of course I did! I was just as caught out as everyone else was when she dumped me. I kept trying to talk to her, trying to find out what I did wrong and she wouldn't even talk to me, so I gave up." He said sadly, shaking his head.
"You certainly wasted no time in replacing her." She said tartly, and he glowered at her, setting his shoulders angrily, his eyes glaring daggers at the other master.
"Firstly, it started off as a mistake. Secondly, I was hurting and she was there, which your former Padawan was responsible for. And thirdly, it's none of your business." He said coolly, and she took a step back, bowing her head.
"I apologise Anakin. That was out of order. You're right, it is none of my business. I'm just...concerned. For the two of you." She said, and Anakin backed off a little bit, but his gaze was still hard.
"Well she ended it, and I tried to fix it and she wouldn't let me. And besides...I'm with Padmé now anyway." He said and he turned to leave.
"She misses you." Luminara stated softly, and he turned and looked at her with an odd expression, like pity. But it wasn't for himself. Maybe he thought she was deluding herself.
"If she does she has a funny way of showing it." He retorted, but there was no real heat behind it.
"And you miss her. I know you do." She commented sadly.
"I'll see you later Luminara. Good luck with Barriss." He said in an odd voice that was very unlike his own.
And as he turned away from the other Master, he tried to deny to himself that there was a lot more truth to her words than even she knew.
XX
Anakin scuffed his way back to his quarters, almost knocking J'oopi Shé and Taria Damisn, who were coming the opposite way, off their feet. Alright, he had to admit it to himself. Luminara was right. He did miss her. He was in a relationship with Padmé, yeah. And he enjoyed it, sure. And given some more time, he may even begin to love her as much as he had loved Ahsoka and Barriss. But...there was still Barriss.
After he had lost Ahsoka, she had been there for him in a way he hadn't thought possible. She had helped him, healed his heart, and had made him love again. And, while he felt bad because it meant he wasn't fully committed to Padmé, he did still love Barriss. He missed her like crazy, just like he had missed Ahsoka after Mace had killed her. And...he hated to admit it to himself, but there were times when he wished the woman he was sleeping with was actually Barriss, rather than Padmé. Growling at himself, he could feel self loathing rising inside him. He was lying to Padmé. She'd been there for him, and yet again had been a woman who had put him back together after the one he had been with had gone. He had to try to forget Barriss, bury his feelings for her. After all, Padmé was smart, beautiful, sweet, kind, loyal...but she didn't have the beautiful tattoos on her face like Barriss had, the ones that contrasted so nicely with her face when she blushed.
Angry at himself, he shook his head, cursing Barriss, Luminara, Padmé, Exaz for good measure, and then just women in general. Why were they so complicated? And what the hell had he done to make Barriss split up from him? Even if he knew that, he might be able to get over Barriss.
Which of course, would be a lot easier if, as he discovered when he turned the corner into the Council quarters corridor, she wasn't standing right outside his room, looking as irritatingly gorgeous as ever in her jumpsuit, her hair styled high and had the blazing expression on her face that he so loved.
"Barriss, what, er, what are you doing here?" he asked hesitantly, not quite sure what to make of this impromptu visit.
"I need to talk to you." She said boldly, though it was clear from the blush accenting her tattoos that she was just as embarrassed as he was.
"What about?" he asked, wondering if he was finally about to find out why she had dumped him.
"I was meditating last night, and I had a vision. The Sith, I think the Sith is after you." She admitted, looking worried, her brown eyes showing how much she still cared for him, despite everything.
Anakin looked at her suspiciously, his eyes narrowed.
"You got that from a meditation? How?" he asked, and this time her blush turned to a flush of anger.
"I don't know do I? I was trying to discern what the Sith might be up to, and then I got swept along in the vision. I saw everyone suffering from the storm, and then I saw you..." she tailed off in embarrassment, hoping her ex hadn't noticed it, but the incredulous look on his face told her he had sensed her awkwardness.
"Wait a minute, you used the Force to peek?" he demanded in disgust, and she glared daggers at him and held her head high in dignity.
"I did not use the Force to peek. As I told you I was trying to figure out what the Sith are doing, and I happened to see you and the Senator, before it changed to you being on the dark side. I can't control the visions, you can't either. And what's more, why would I want to peek, I've seen it all before." She added scathingly, crossing her arms angrily, and Anakin leered at her, towering above her, and to her credit she didn't back away.
"What is your problem? You split up with me, then you suddenly appear warning me about the Sith being after me, Make up your mind!" he growled angrily, his frustrations coming to a fore, and she narrowed her eyes, piercing him with an icy glare.
"Just because we split up doesn't mean I'm automatically going to stop caring for you, it doesn't work like that! I still want to be your friend Anakin." She retorted.
"Some friend, you don't talk to me in months and then you appear telling me I'm going to turn to the dark side!"
"That is so not what this was about. I still care about you, and obviously I don't want you to go to the dark side! I'm worried about you!" she yelled angrily.
"Worried are you? You haven't been worried before now! And around you go, peeking in on what your ex is doing with his new girlfriend..."
"I didn't want to see that! Do you think I like seeing you with her? Hell no!"
"Are you jealous of her?" Anakin demanded, wondering why she was so upset about him being with Padmé.
"No I'm not, I just think you could do better than her." She sneered bitterly, and Anakin shook his head angrily, not believing that she could be judging him for who he was with now.
"You do, do you? Well for your information I'm getting on fine, without your judgement and without your 'friendly' warnings, so keep them to yourself." He sneered angrily, and she took a step back and it was with a flash of savage pleasure, along with a large dollop of guilt that he saw tears brimming in her eyes.
"Fine. Turn to the dark side then, let the Sith take you, see if I care." She said haughtily, and she shoved past him and started to storm up the corridor, her head bowed.
"You know what, bite me!" he threw at her, and she gave him a rude hand gesture in response before she disappeared around the corner. And as she did so, he was sure he heard a sob.
Feeling angry at Barriss and at himself, resentful of her fear that the Sith would get him to turn, hurt that she had so little faith in him and guilty because he had upset her, he was about to enter his quarters to cool off when Exaz, the diminutive, amorous Sullustan came around the corner. And by the look on the face, he had a suspicion she had been eavesdropping on he and Barriss' squabble.
"Well that was mature." She commented chirpily as she went past.
Anakin snarled, and cursing Exaz again, he entered his quarters to go into deep meditation.
XX
The Venator Destroyer Resplendent launched the last of its gunships down towards the surface. Beside it, the Sacrifice and the Enlightenment were angling towards the Lucrehulk that was the centre of the defence fleet around Serenno. Around the three Star Destroyers were dozens of Pelta class frigates, about fifteen Consular frigates and five Arquitens class frigates, all pummelling away at the fleet in orbit around Serenno. Vulture droids and tri-fighters were on the run, heading back to the Lucrehulk, or one of its five remaining escort ships, though it was clear that the last Recusant was about to fall due to the barrage of the Sacrifice's ARC-170s.
As the three flagships, backed up by the newly arrived Accumulator class landers dismantled the last of the defence fleet, gunships and landing craft were hurtling down to the forested canopy of the world. The palace of Count Dooku was on a high bluff, overlooking an endless expanse of forest. On the other side it was surrounded by a large, deep moat, with only a single drawbridge for ground based entry. A thin strip of land led to the castle, and a turbulent fast flowing river with an arched bridge over it led to a large, flat island that was ringed by turrets. And at the other end of the island was a large kilometre across bridge that led to the rest of the forest, which spanned another arm of the same fast flowing river.
And it was that large bridge that was a point of serious contention between the droid army of Count Dooku and the clone army of the Jedi.
Blaster rifle fire filled the air with multicoloured darts as they progressed across the bridge, the clones steadily beginning to force the droids back. Hailfire droids lay with broken wheels, and tank droids were burnt out shells as a result of the continuous Republic attack. However the droids were still putting up one hell of a fight, and were embedded in the trenches that they had dug on the island, the large turbolaser turrets they had mounted preventing further advancement of the Republic forces.
The dark brown coloured armour of the 17th Field Battalion clone troopers did nothing to hide the white that made up the rest of their armour, a fact that the battle droids made good use of. The dark skinned and horned Nikto Jedi at the front of the battalion, Ima-Gun-Di, his blue lightsaber batting blaster bolts back at the droids, grimaced as another clone was cut down by a droid sniper. They were good men, and they were getting cut down due to Dooku's refusal to see sense and surrender.
"Captain Keeli, we need to close up our left flank! Otherwise they'll just keep cutting down our men!" he called, and his clone captain nodded, and he signalled for the troops to close the gap.
"Whatever you and your Padawan have planned Master Reus, please hurry!" he pleaded, as one of his ATXT walkers were blown apart.
At the other side of their end of the bridge, a beautiful woman by the name of Keelyvine Reus, her hair tied into a bun and held in place by two needles, cursed as one of her ATRT walkers plummeted to the ground, felled by a droid tripwire. Her two green lightsabers were a blur as she led her clones from the 25th Assault Regiment, clad in mostly red armour, forward, trying to break through the wall of blasterfire the droids were sending at them. Deflecting an attack from Ganch, her clone commander, she hissed. Tyzen Xebec, a Zabrak boy and her Padawan, should be in position by now, so what in the nine hells was taking him so long? Her and Ima-Gun-Di's armies were being slaughtered by the relentless barrage of laser fire, and there were still a couple of hailfire droids and tank droids sending heavy artillery their way. What was worse, if they were delayed any longer, Count Dooku may take his chances and try and escape the planet, despite the massive numerical advantage their forces had. And that would be catastrophic.
"Hurry Tyzen!" she urged, cursing as three homing spider droids started plodding over the bridge.
And, as if by magic, there was suddenly a deep hum, and a massive force of swamp speeders and BARC speeders appeared from nowhere, hurtling across the river as if it wasn't there. On the lead swamp speeder was her young Padawan, his blue blade acring left and right, knocking stray bolts away from their attack force. And with a loud grinding noise, the swamp speeders hurtled up the banks of the island, their lasers taking down the first of the turrets. Keelyvine smiled as she watched the swamp speeders smash through the droid trenches, and then grinned even wider as she saw two other Jedi leap from another couple of swamp speeders. About time they caught a break in this battle.
Yoda flipped himself into the air, throwing himself from the speeder Tyzen was piloting. He landed deftly in the middle of a droid trench and with a simple gesture, flattened the inhabitants of the trench with a Force push. Lighting his lightsaber, he sprang from trench to trench, the sounds of battle egging him on as the clones behind him, aided by the speeders attacking the last defending forces on the bridge from behind, finally broke onto the island, and with the speeders dealing with the last of the turrets the battle was once more in their favour. Nodding to Commander Gree, the two led their forces forward, the diminutive Grand Master hurtling from place to place, scattering the droid defences as they pushed towards Dooku's citadel.
Behind the rather large mess Yoda was making of the droid defences, Bardan Jusik leapt onto the gunship that was zooming over the embattled island, its missile launchers sending streaks of blue light into the turrets guarding the main entrance into Dooku's citadel. As he landed, he smiled at the members of Delta Squad. Clad in full green Mandalorian armour, with long curly blond hair falling to his shoulders and a slight growth of a beard, he certainly looked more Mandalorian than Jedi, despite his training. And it was his job to ensure that Dooku didn't escape the citadel.
"Well Boss, what have we got?" he asked, extinguishing his two lightsabers tiredly.
"That Solar Sailer of his is on top of the building. We need to take it out before he decides to make a run for it." Boss said, hoisting his large cannon and steeling himself for a drop from the gunship.
"Hey Bard'ika, General Reus has two lightsabers like you. Don't you have a thing for two blade wielding Jedi?" Scorch teased and Bardan glowered at him.
He and Serra Keto had had an amicable split weeks before, however it hadn't stopped Delta Squad, Darman, Etain, the Nulls and Skirata and Vau needling him about it every time they got the chance. It was driving him crazy.
"Stow it smart ass. Alright Deltas, lets stop our dear enemy leaving, then go and dust some clankers." He said, as the gunship began taking heavy fire from the missile launchers that were protecting Dooku's ship.
And he threw himself from the gunship, lighting his sabers as he did so. His body then lurched as his jetpack kicked into high gear and he settled neatly on the battlement of the citadel, his lightsabers immediately knocking deadly bolts away from the commandos as they landed, their rifles firing at the super battle droids waiting for them. Sev gave a vicious war cry, a rocket launcher mounted to his wrist, like Bardan's, emitting a fiery rocket and blowing apart the command console of one missile launcher. Bardan jetted into the air, landing on top of Dooku;s ship, and was immediately in the air again as an electric current passed over the elegant ship. Boss and Scorch shot down the last of the droids, and while Bardan threw a saber to slice through the remaining missile launcher, Fixer fired an EMP pulse, and with a last crackling flicker, the last defences around Dooku's precious ship fell.
"Alright boys, lets make sure this thing never goes anywhere else again." Boss said, indicating for the other commandos to set the charges.
"Master Reus, Yoda and Ima-Gun-Di have reached the drawbridge, and Yoda's pulling it down. We'll have Dooku soon." Bardan said, a feeling of immense relief filling him. With Dooku dead, the war wouldn't be able to last much longer. Then, the Jedi could deal with Abstinence and then hopefully get back to normal.
"Reckon it'll soon be over sir?" Fixer asked and he nodded an affirmative, and he could feel Sev's excitement beside him.
"Well if the war is going to be over soon, I say we tot up as many clanker kills as we can!" he said boisterously, and Bardan smiled as the dangerous clone led the way down the stairs, intent on demolishing as many droids as humanly possible.
XX
Dooku couldn't believe what he was hearing. Surely, Ventress and Opress were wrong, or the Council was misleading them. But no. The look on Ventress' face, one of fear and contempt, was clear. What they were saying was true.
There was another Dark Lord of the Sith.
"You're sure of this information?" he demanded, as another artillery round slammed into the wall of his citadel.
"Yes master. Haako was quite insistent. A Sith Lord called Darth Infinity killed Gunray, depriving Grievous or myself of the considerable pleasure. And I suspect that this Infinity is the one who sold out your location. Either that, or as you feared, Lord Sidious has no use for us anymore." She said, her voice cool and devoid of all sympathy.
So that was it. Sidious had had another apprentice all along, this Darth Infinity. And due to the fact that none of them had even suspected this other Sith's existence until recently, it was clear that Dooku himself had been the dupe, the distraction for the Republic while his master and his opposition prepared to destroy the Jedi and take over the galaxy.
He had been used. Sidious had never intended that Dooku would rule the galaxy side by side with him. Dooku had known that his master had always wanted Skywalker, and he had accepted that, seeking to prove to his master that he was a worthy substitute. After all, hadn't he manufactured this entire war just to help his master take over the galaxy? And after Abstinence, it had seemed as if Skywalker would never fall to the dark side. But no. It was clear now that whichever apprentice Sidious intended to rule the galaxy with, it had never been Darth Tyranus. Darth Infinity perhaps, and whatever he hoped Skywalker would be, but never him. The thought left him feeling used, cheated and angry. Sidious had used him. Infinity whoever they were, that was the one who would reap all the benefits of the Clone Wars. Not Tyranus. Thirteen years of his life wasted, as a pawn in someone else's game.
So he had been used. He had been lied to and deceived by his master. But Sidious had taught him the way of the Sith. Ever since the earliest days, the Sith had been betraying one another. Darth Traya had exemplified it for the love of the Force. As such, didn't the Sith always betray one another?
"You have done well child. I fear this will be the last time we ever speak. Help Grievous hold out as long as possible. Anything that makes it harder for Sidious to triumph it useful apprentice. And child..." he said, his stern gaze fixed on his apprentice and bodyguard, and Ventress and Opress, both looking shocked, raised their eyes to him for the final time, "you would have made a fine apprentice." He lamented, and with that he cut the transmission before Ventress or Opress said anything.
So that was it. His life was to be sacrificed; his death would create the void that Skywalker would fulfil. Musing as he sat in his chair, his citadel rocking around him, he actually found himself wishing that Skywalker wouldn't turn to the dark side. Odd how betrayal would make you think things you would never normally think.
Blasterfire could be heard from outside the door, a heavy rifle or too by the sound of it. And there were definitely the sounds of a lightsaber humming, but not the one he was waiting for. As such, he turned to the four MagnaGuards beside him, and pointed to the door. As the four skeletal droids went through it, he could see the infamous commandoes of Delta Squad, led by Bardan Jusik, the Jedi turned Mandalorian, fighting the last of his droids. Dooku stood, feeling the blazing presence of Yoda approaching. Thirteen years of his life had led to this. The Sith always betray one another. And Sidious and Infinity would learn soon enough that betraying him would cost them dearly.
The door opened, and Dooku saw the remains of his bodyguards. The commandoes and Jusik raised their weapons but did nothing to attack him, as Yoda entered the room, his green eyes narrowed. The door then closed behind him, and Yoda leaned on his stick, surveying his former apprentice.
"Count Dooku."
"Master Yoda. I've been waiting for you." He said, and leisurely raised a hand and sent a burst of Force lightning at Yoda.
Yoda dropped his stick immediately, raised a hand and crushed the attack. Dooku followed up with another attack, which Yoda also crushed.
"At an end, your insurrection is." Yoda said, his lightsaber leaping into his hand and springing to life.
"Indeed master? But the war has only just begun..." Dooku taunted ominously, his curved hilt saber igniting and glowing scarlet.
And he was on Yoda. Allowing Makashi to flow through him, he twirled and swatted at Yoda's defences. He knew the Grand Master was more than a match for him, but that didn't matter. Dooku poured everything he had into the attack, his saber crashing against Yoda's but the small master was too much for him. Yoda was a blur, blocking and attacking, leaping around him. Dooku cut down towards Yoda's head, but he was then forced to twirl around to defend his back such was Yoda's speed and skill. They duelled across the office, Yoda leaping around like a sarlacc's tentacles, leaping to the desk and attacking from on high, or spiralling up at him from below. Dooku was excellent, but Yoda was superior. And Dooku was beginning to tire, his work slipping as Yoda pressed his advantage. Tired of the contest, Dooku slammed his blade into Yoda's, locking their sabers.
"Fought well you have over the course of this war Dooku." Yoda said, glowering at his apprentice.
"But as I said Master Yoda, this is just the beginning." He said wearily, and took a step back, extinguishing his saber as he did so. He then walked around his desk and sank into his chair, surveying Yoda.
Yoda looked at Dooku in surprise, but cautiously switched off his saber, though he kept it in his hand. He sensed no deceit from Dooku, only weariness, anger and smugness. But then again, he had never sensed deceit from Mace, and look at what that had done to the Order.
"What up to are you Dooku?" Yoda asked curiously, and Dooku steepled his fingers, peering down at Yoda.
"Nothing Master Yoda. I am simply tired. Tired of this war, and tired of being used."
Yoda surveyed him oddly. This was unexpected. But, if he was reading his mood right, Dooku might be persuaded to give him some information: information that may lead to the second Sith.
"What mean do you?"
Dooku sighed, tidying his desk as he did so.
"You see, my master, Darth Sidious. He always intended for me to start this war. That I'm sure you have figured out. However, this war was intended to help do one thing: turn the Skywalker boy to the dark side of the Force."
Yoda, who had suspected this, took a step back nonetheless. It was one thing to suspect the Sith of trying to turn Anakin to the dark side, an entirely different thing to hear it straight from the bantha's mouth. The Dark Lord was indeed after Anakin.
"I was merely a placeholder. However, I have recently found out something else. You see, Viceroy Gunray was murdered by the Sith. And he wasn't killed by me or my master. There is a third Dark Lord of the Sith." He said simply.
Yoda's eyes bulged in shock. A third Dark Lord of the Sith? One of them had broken the Rule of Two, and considering Dooku's lack of fight to the death, he had to assume that he and the other one were the apprentices. Darth Sidious had played on Dooku's ego, and lust for power, and had destroyed him with it, harnessed it for his own use. The other one however was an entirely different box of frogs. Another Dark Lord changed everything. And it meant that the Jedi were in even graver danger than they had thought.
"My master always intended to rule the galaxy with Skywalker, or perhaps with this other Sith. But never me. I was a means to an end. And that master, is my gift to you. A warning. Skywalker is the key to victory, for either light or dark. Protect him or kill him, whichever you see fit. My master, Darth Sidious, he is the true Dark Lord of the Sith, the master. But there is another. Another apprentice, and due to their hiding in the shadows, I suspect they are to be trusted even less than my master. Their name is Darth Infinity."
Yoda was shocked. The Sith were after Anakin. The Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious, had precipitated the Clone Wars for some insidious purpose. There was a third Dark Lord of the Sith to find. All of this was momentous news. And the worst of it was, he couldn't feel Dooku lying.
"How do I know that lying you are not?" Yoda asked suspiciously, and he gave a slow, demeaning laugh.
"And what would that gain me? Use the Force Master Yoda and tell me: am I telling the truth?"
He sat watching his former master until he received a nod, and he snorted derisively.
"Who is it?" Yoda asked, knowing he was pushing his luck, but hoping all the same. And if Dooku gave him the identity of the true Dark Lord, he may not have to die, and he may even be able to be redeemed at the final hour.
Dooku surveyed him magisterially, and appeared to be embroiled in some internal debate. Did he truly betray the Sith Order and try to redeem himself at the final hour? Or did he curse the Jedi and give the Sith their chance to have their way? He nodded to himself, and looked Yoda square in the eye.
"The Dark Lord of the Sith is P..."
And suddenly Dooku's head twisted around with a vicious crack, and his body slammed down on top the desk, the back of his head lying on the table and his head looking at the ceiling.
Yoda looked at the remains of his former apprentice in shock. A third Sith. Anakin was a target. But, they had a starting point. But now that Dooku was dead, the Sith must know that he was about to crack. Meaning time was running out for them to succeed...or for the Jedi to stop them.
XX
"You're sure he is dead?" Grievous asked the bald assassin, and she nodded silently, the room, hanging off her every word.
The Separatist Council all looked to him worriedly. Count Dooku was dead. And that meant so was the thing keeping them alive. And if Ventress and Opress were right, Darth Infinity and Darth Sidious had little use for the Separatists anymore. He was now in charge of a Sith puppet...a puppet that had to have its strings cut before it got a mind of its own. Time was running out for the Separatists. The Sith would act soon to destroy them. The complexity, yet the simplicity of the Sith's plan was now obvious. And they had but two choices: accept their fate, or fight to the end. And in his damaged mind, it was a no brainer.
"Recall all forces. And let us see if we can outlast the Sith." Grievous said, and he nodded in response to the respecting look he received from Shu Mai.
XX
Anakin opened his eyes. His meditation had done some good. He had calmed down, and he intended to go and find Barriss and apologise for arguing with her. But as he stood, he felt a flicker in the dark side. Triumph and awe filled him. At long last, Count Dooku was dead. The war could come to an end.
But then, he felt a flash of dark triumph, totally unlike his own, and he realised what it meant. With Dooku dead, the remaining Dark Lord of the Sith was about to make their move. And that meant the Jedi, and him in particular, were all in very severe danger.
XX
Darth Sidious smiled as he pulled out his lightsaber from the bronzium statue by the door. Dooku was dead. The fact that he was about to give the game away was irrelevant. Infinity had stopped him before he had. And now, the time was close. At last, the Sith would once more rule the galaxy. And that meant that the Jedi would soon be coming for him.
And that was a competition he was most looking forward to.
XX
Darth Infinity hid her own electrum plated lightsaber up her sleeve. Dooku was dead. It had been rather satisfying, killing him. And now, she was the only Sith apprentice. And if Sidious thought that he was going to replace her with Skywalker, he was so very wrong. She was the one doing all the work now, inciting rituals, luring him, stoking his ego. She was the one who would turn him to the dark side. And that meant she, not her master, would be the true Dark Lord of the Sith. After all, she was ready. She'd been ready for quite some time to take the mantle from her master. She was looking forward to that quite as much as she was looking forward to the coming contest with the Jedi. She could hardly wait.
"Lord Reaper, prepare yourself for Operation Knightfall. Your clones are ready. Soon now, we will strike." She said triumphantly, her voice filled with delighted malice.
"Yes mistress." Came the cold, husky mechanical voice of what had once been Eeth Koth, and she heard his heavy feet thudding into the distance.
She smiled. Darth Reaper was like Dooku, a placeholder. Soon she would have a true apprentice, the Chosen One. And when he turned to the dark side, his power would be unmatched. A truly worthy apprentice for the true Dark Lord of the Sith. She smiled at the thought, and gave a cruel, high laugh that pierced the darkness of her lair. Soon, Anakin would be hers...and the Jedi would be no more.
At long last, I'm back, and I'm back with the first installment of Shattered!
Apologies for it taking so long, I've been engrossed in Supernatural recently, and also trying to cope with third year course work, a bunch of essays, an uncooperative laptop and trying to run the flat, but here we are!
So Shattered has begun. Dooku is dead, and the Separatists are holed up in Bastion. Anakin and Barriss have split and dont appear to be getting on too well as a result, especially with Anakin sleeping with Padmé. What's more, the Order and the galaxy is still reeling from Operation Abstinence.
So what will happen next? It's clear the Sith want Anakin. Will he resist? Just who is the mysterious Darth Infinity? Who is giving away Senate secrets? Will Sidious be the true Dark Lord, or will Infinity? And as the darkness grows, who stands to live, and who stands to die? A bloodbath is coming next chapter! Speaking of, I'm trying to decide on another survivor, but I can't decide who yet.
Anywho, hope you enjoy, sorry again for the long wait, hopefully I will be back soon and until then, enjoy!
