Part 2- The Pawn's Move
I will die first. I will not let you control me. The words echoed through Obi-Wan's mind. He wondered what those words meant, and who had spoken them, but no matter how hard he tried to focus, the words were meaningless to him. It was as if someone had jumbled words together to form two very confusing sentences.
Obi-Wan! A voice called. Obi-Wan fled from the voice, for though he didn't recognize it, he knew it was evil.
Obi-Wan, do not run from your Master! Who are you? I am your Master. Now, come to me, my apprentice!Apprentice. That word meant something. Yes, that was a good word. Apprentice.
Suddenly, Obi-Wan's confusion melted away into dark certainty. He knew who called to him. And it was not his Master.
I will not give in! You are not my Master!It is foolish to resist, Obi-Wan! A sudden wave of agony crashed through Obi-Wan. Come to me, apprentice!
No! Obi-Wan cried. He tried to rise, tried to open his eyes and leave the nightmare that possessed him, but another wave of pain trapped him. All coherent thoughts fled from him once again.
Obi-Wan. Do not resist your Master. Please come to me, and the pain that grips you shall end. Suddenly, a thin beam of light pierced Obi-Wan's mind. Yes, Obi-Wan. Come to the light. The light will heal you, and make you stronger than you have ever been.
Obi-Wan stumbled to the light, reaching to it.
I'm coming, Master. I'm coming!Good, Obi-Wan. Good.
Just as Obi-Wan touched the light, his world suddenly became illuminated. He had awoken!
"Welcome back, my young Apprentice." Obi-Wan stared into the gray eyes of his Master.
"Thank you for bringing me back, Master Sidious," Obi-Wan replied almost mechanically, his eyes glazed over and dilated.
"Obi-Wan! I see Master Sidious has healed your mind." Count Dooku approached him, his eyes filled with joy.
"Yes, Count Dooku."
"Please call me Lord Tyranus."
"I would be honored, Lord Tyranus."
"Obi-Wan," Sidious called.
"Yes, Master?
"Are you ready for your first task?"
"Yes, Master."
"Coming this way right now are two Jedi. They have plans to kill me. You with the help of Lord Tyranus will challenge them and then you will kill them. Show them no mercy, for they will show you none."
"Yes, my lord."
"One more thing," Sidious smiled as the twenty-year-old turned to face him.
"Yes, Master?"
"Your name is no longer Obi-Wan Kenobi. That name associates you with your weak past. You must forget your name, as you have forgotten your past. You shall now be known as Lord Vader."
"Yes, Master."
"I will be leaving now. I have pressing business elsewhere. Remember my orders, Lord Vader. No mercy."
"Master Yoda, I have the midi-chlorian count for Ang-Jir," Healer Winna Di Uni called, her voice trembling somewhat.
"And?"
"If I'm reading the data right, it's off the chart. I've never seen anything like it. Not even your count's that high!" Winna exclaimed. Yoda merely nodded.
"You knew that she had a high count already, didn't you?" Winna murmured in realization. Yoda nodded once again.
"Very perceptive, Ang-Jir is."
"Do you think that…"
"The One, Ang-Jir is? Perhaps." Winna glanced over at Ang-Jir, who sat still, looking out the transport's window.
"We must leave immediately, then," Winna said. "If the Sith suspect what we do-"
"Know not, the Sith do. Believe another, the One is."
"Who?" Winna asked.
"Know that, I do not."
"Master Yoda!" Adi Gallia called suddenly. "A Senator has arrived. He wasn't present at the Senate when it was destroyed. He wishes to speak with you."
"Allow him in," Yoda ordered. The entrance ramp slowly lowered, and an elderly man entered the transport. He bowed respectfully. He was a man of regal bearing, though his face was warm and comforting.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Senator Palpatine, of the planet Naboo. I offer my sincerest condolences. You Jedi have lost much this day." Yoda bowed his greetings.
"What brings you here, Senator?" Yoda asked. Palpatine glanced around, resting for a moment upon Ang-Jir, before turning to Yoda again.
"You have assisted the Galactic Senate many times, Master Yoda. Now allow us to assist you." Yoda blinked, somewhat surprised.
"There are five remaining Senators, Master Yoda. The other four have agreed to make me Supreme Chancellor. As I am now in command, I have made a decision to order the immediate evacuation of all former inhabitants of Coruscant and its satellites. I have several thousand large transport ships heading this way as we speak. These ships will transport all to the Geonosis System, a world that is virtually uninhabited. There we will begin to rebuild the Senate."
"And how may you help us?" Yoda asked. Palpatine smiled.
"If you come to Geonosis, you will be given a good place to live and safe haven. And as soon as the Senate is rebuilt, we will begin aggressively searching for the Ramming Stone."
"Generous your offer is," Yoda replied. "Meditate on it, I will."
"You are short on time, Master Yoda." Suddenly Palpatine walked over to Ang-Jir. He stroked her light brown gently.
"Such a beautiful child," he murmured. "I would hate to see her life cut short by the Ramming Stone."
"Considered your offer, I have," Yoda answered.
"And?"
"Leave for Geonosis, we will."
"Excellent!" Palpatine cried exuberantly. "My aide will provide you with coordinates."
Suddenly, the Senator's comlink buzzed. He excused himself, and answered.
"The transport ships have arrived. Should we begin evacuation?"
"Yes." He ended the communication, and turned to Master Yoda. "Do not fear, Master Jedi. Things are beginning to come together again." Yoda nodded. The Senator glanced once more at Ang-Jir, and exited the transport.
Once outside, his bright smile turned into a dark frown. He swore under his breath.
"How could I have been so misled? It's the girl!"
The interior of Dooku's apartment was dark, and dreadfully quiet. Qui-Gon shivered involuntarily. The darkness was far more than a physical appearance. There was an evil presence in the apartment.
At first, Qui-Gon assumed that the strong waves of the Dark Side were emanating from the Ramming Stone. But as they went deeper into the building, Qui-Gon began to realize that the dark power that coursed through the building could not be caused by the Ramming Stone.
A Sith Lord was there.
That was the only explanation. Qui-Gon had only felt such power before, when he had fought a young man by the name of Verrat, whom Qui-Gon believed to be a Sith Lord.
"You have wonderful perception, Qui-Gon. I do not even think that Mace knew what lurked in the shadows of this torn planet," a deep voice said softly. Without thought, the two Jedi Masters drew their lightsabers.
"A bit paranoid, are we?" The voice asked, laughing mirthlessly.
"Show yourself, Sith!" Qui-Gon cried, his hands tightening around his lightsaber's handle. He knew that voice from somewhere, but he could not place it.
"Come now, Qui-Gon. Surely you remember your former Master." Count Dooku stepped out of the shadows, grinning maliciously.
Qui-Gon's eyes widened. It could not be true. Not Dooku, not the great-
"How could you, Dooku?" Mace asked angrily. "How could you betray the Jedi?"
"How could you?" Qui-Gon repeated quietly, as if in shock.
"You mean how could I betray you? Honestly, Qui-Gon, did you ever think that I truly cared about you? Or about any in the Jedi Order, for that matter? You were all nothing but weak pawns in a game."
"Whose game?" Mace asked.
"Pawns need not know the player. They only serve their purpose, and then are eliminated from the board. Most of the pieces have already been eliminated, thanks to the Ramming Stone."
"You work with the Ramming Stone?" Qui-Gon could not believe it. The Ramming Stone hated all Force users. Why would he side with the Sith?
"No. He works for me. Another pawn that shall soon be eliminated. But do not worry about him. You have other things to worry about." Dooku drew from his tunic belt a lightsaber with a strangely curved handle. He activated it, a crimson light shooting out.
Qui-Gon and Mace stepped back a little, settling in to fighting stances. They knew Dooku was a master of the old fighting style, a far more graceful and lethal style than what was now used by the Jedi. Though Qui-Gon and Mace both had great skill, it was unlikely that the two of them could bring down the Sith Lord.
Dooku chose to attack first, lashing out at Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon barely blocked the attack, and was knocked back by the force of the blow.
The Sith Lord laughed as Mace leapt forward, placing himself between Dooku and his friend.
"You think you will be able to save him?" Dooku snickered as he parried Mace's lightning fast attacks. Mace did not answer, but began to drive Dooku backward as Qui-Gon rose shakily.
Qui-Gon's mind was whirling. He tried to make sense of it all, but could not. Why would Dooku betray him?
Suddenly, he heard Mace cry out. The amethyst light emanating from his lightsaber disappeared as Mace was thrown backward, slamming into a wall. He slumped forward, either unconscious, or …
"Mace!" Qui-Gon cried, running to his friend. He pressed a finger against the fallen Jedi's neck, searching for a pulse. Much to his relief, he found one, strong and steady.
"It is time for the final piece to come into play. Lord Vader, come forth!" Dooku suddenly cried, causing Qui-Gon to turn.
A young man stepped out of the shadows, his face concealed by a black hood. Qui-Gon felt a flicker of recognition, but ignored it.
"Qui-Gon, I would like you to meet an old friend of yours. He has changed much, and for the better, though you may disagree."
Qui-Gon's heart skipped a beat as the blood drained from his face. It couldn't be…
"Do not be shy. Show this Jedi your face," Dooku ordered.
The Sith Lord nodded, and began to slowly draw the hood back. In the darkness his face was still unrecognizable.
But then, another light illuminated the darkness, this one emanating from the ruby lightsaber the youth was holding.
Suddenly, Qui-Gon's world shattered a second time that day. He had waited for this moment for so long, hoped for it, and now that it had come he was torn apart by it.
His former Apprentice stood before him.
