One Wrong Step

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Chapter 5: Dueling Dooku

Just as everyone prepared to die in battle, the sound of ships could be heard. "Look!" Padmé called. Several oddly-shaped ships had arrived, and Rey assumed by everyone's attitude that they were allies. That fact became more obvious when they began shooting down droids. Rey and Kylo both reentered the fight with renewed vigor. Men in armor resembling stormtroopers came out, but for now Rey was just glad for the help; she'd attempt to sort everything out later. The Jedi began to climb into the ships, and Rey and Kylo quickly joined Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan in their transport. Rey let out a large rush of air. As the ships flew through the air, laser blasts began coming toward them. "Hold on," Obi-Wan commanded.

After flying for several minutes above a ground battle, Obi-Wan noticed something. "Look over there," he said, pointing to a speeder below.

"It's Dooku," Anakin realized. "Shoot him down!"

"We're out of rockets, sir," the pilot informed him.

"Follow him!"

"We're gonna need some help!" Padmé argued.

"There isn't time! Anakin and I can handle this!" Obi-Wan responded.

"And we can help." Rey motioned to herself and Kylo.

"How did I get pulled into this?" he asked.

"You're here, and I assume you want to survive," she answered.

He paused. "Good point."

Shots began coming toward their ship, and Rey only belatedly saw that the two ships escorting Dooku had fallen back behind them. One shot hit and shook the ship, and Padmé and one of the troops fell out. Anakin screamed her name. "Put the ship down!" he called.

"Anakin, don't let your personal feelings get in the way!" Obi-Wan chided him. "Follow that speeder!"

"Lower the ship!" Anakin insisted.

"I can't take Dooku alone! I need you! If we catch him, we can end this war right now! We have a job to do!"

"I can't leave her!" Anakin argued.

"Come to your senses! What do you think Padmé would do if she were in your position?"

"She would do her duty."

Dooku's speeder landed on a platform outside a building, with their ship following closely. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Rey, and Kylo leaped onto the ground with their ignited lightsabers in hand. The ship took off again but was destroyed as soon as it had. The four ran into a hanger where they found Dooku and a ship he was presumably about to use to escape. "You're gonna pay for all the Jedi you killed today, Dooku," Anakin said.

"We'll take him together," Obi-Wan said. "You go in slowly on the left, and-"

"No, I'm taking him now!" Anakin snapped, charging forward.

"No, Anakin, no! No!" an exasperated Obi-Wan shouted as Dooku raised his hand and covered the hasty Padawan with…blue lightning? Rey was utterly confused but knew there would be time for questions later. Anakin was thrown against a wall and lay there, unmoving. Obi-Wan raised his lightsaber and pointed it at the older man.

"As you see, my Jedi powers are far beyond yours. Now, back down," Dooku said, again shooting lightning out of his hand, but Obi-Wan absorbed it with his lightsaber. Lightning is absorbed by saber. Got it.

"I don't think so," the Jedi replied calmly. Dooku withdrew a lightsaber hilt that was strangely curved and began to duel Obi-Wan.

"We've got to help," Rey whispered urgently.

"How?" Kylo asked. She glared at him and ran toward the dueling pair, adding her lightsaber to the fight.

"Interesting," Dooku commented. "Who are you, girl?"

"That's none of your business," she snapped, throwing herself into the fight. However, it wasn't long before she felt an excruciating pain in her right leg that caused her to collapse. "Rey!" she distantly heard Kylo call as she crumpled to the floor. She was still conscious enough to watch the duel, though. "Master Kenobi, you disappoint me," Dooku said condescendingly. "Yoda holds you in such high esteem. Surely you can do better!"

To his credit, Obi-Wan didn't respond to the insult, merely continuing to counter the other's blows. Several minutes later, the two were in a tight blade lock when Dooku quickly removed his saber, striking a defenseless Obi-Wan's arm and leg. The Jedi dropped to the ground, and Dooku stood over him, prepared for a killing blow. Rey tried to stand to help him, but to no avail. Suddenly, however, a green and a blue blade intersected the red one. There stood Anakin and Kylo, sabers parallel to each other's and expertly stopping Dooku's blow. "Brave of you, boy. I would have thought you'd learned your lesson."

"I am a slow learner," Anakin said.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called, tossing him his lightsaber, which Anakin held in his left hand and ignited.

Rey realized the wisdom in that decision and threw hers to Kylo, who took it. The three fought around the room, someone cutting a wire that caused the lights in half the area to go out, leaving the lightsabers the only brightness, casting the room in an eerie glow. Rey crawled over to Obi-Wan. "Are you all right?" she asked.

He groaned. "I'll live. You?"

"Me too." Suddenly, Anakin was tossed over in their direction, and Rey's stomach turned when she realized that his arm now ended around his elbow. Kylo, though, appeared to be holding his own with the older man. "Where was he trained?" Obi-Wan asked curiously.

"I really don't know," she replied, watching as Kylo sliced off a large section of Dooku's cloak. A metallic clank could be heard as it hit the floor, confusing Rey. Must be something else in there besides just fabric. The count, as if realizing that fighting Kylo was taking too much time, Force-pushed him back several feet until he hit the wall. Dooku then rushed into his ship, only pausing to say, "This is just the beginning."

Kylo shook himself off as the ship left the hangar, and a short little green guy entered the room, followed closely by Padmé, who was calling, "Anakin!" She clung to him briefly as Obi-Wan and Kylo both helped Rey to her feet. "Thanks," she said softly as Obi-Wan released her and Kylo-strangely gentle-made her lean against him.

"I've got you," he whispered.

Rey noticed Obi-Wan speaking to the short green guy and that Master Windu person. They were gesturing toward the two of them. "That doesn't look good," she muttered.

"What?"

"The way they're talking and pointing at us."

"They don't know anything about us, though."

She thought for a moment. "Didn't you say on Tatooine that you could sense Anakin's anger?"

"Yes…" he said slowly.

"Theoretically, could they sense you using the Dark Side?"

He groaned. "Yes."

"Did you while fighting Dooku?"

"Yes."

"That explains the gestures," she said. "What do you think they'll do?"

"Worst case scenario, kill me."

"Best case?"

"Lock me up in the Jedi Temple, probably." He glanced at her. "But why do you care?"

"We've called a truce, remember? Besides, I know nothing about this time period. I need your help."

"Anakin," they heard Obi-Wan call, and he went to join the group, again gesturing toward the two of them. After several more moments, Master Windu and the green guy came over. "Kylo Ren?" Windu asked.

"Yes?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

"You are under arrest."

"Am I allowed to ask why?"

"For being a Dark Side acolyte."

"Do you have proof?"

"Do you deny using the Dark Side while fighting Dooku?"

"No, I do not."

"Then I must ask you to come with me." Windu took Kylo's arm and began to lead him away, but the younger man stopped. "Rey."

She looked over at him from where she was trying to stay on her feet. "Yes?"

He threw her the lightsaber she had given him when he was fighting Dooku. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she responded softly as she caught it. Padmé came over to her side and steadied her. "Are you all right?"

"I think so." Rey glanced at the cloak on the floor. She pulled away from Padmé and staggered over to it. "What's wrong?" the Senator asked.

"There was something in this earlier; it made a noise when it fell." She rifled through it until she found a datastick. "I bet this is it."

"I wonder what it is," Padmé mused.

"Maybe you should hold on to it," Rey said, holding it out.

The other girl took it and slipped it into a pouch on her belt. "Come on; let's get you to a medcenter."

"You too; those scratches look nasty." The two girls exited the hanger, followed by the three Jedi, Obi-Wan and Anakin helping each other.