A/N) Thank you for all the reviews! This chapter ran away from me, hence the length and there wasn't really a good place to end it, so I just carried on writing until I reached a point where I could end it… I hope it is enjoyable!
Nine
Dooku could sense that victory was in his grasp. The dark side of the Force pulsed through him, indicating that Obi-Wan Kenobi had taken another step towards aligning with his cause. Dooku studied his prisoner. Obi-Wan was mentally exhausted; his eyes showed his nearing defeat, the battle that he wished to be over.
This was a pivotal moment for the Sith Lord. He could feel that if he played his cards right, Kenobi would be his. He had hologram proof of Skywalker's admittance to slaughtering an entire Tusken tribe. All he had to do was press a button and it would show his guilt to the captive Jedi, yet Kenobi was aware that the holograms had been fixed. Kenobi would be naive to believe that they weren't or were bending the truth at least.
The Force warned him to be careful. A slight misstep could undo the process that had already begun with Kenobi.
"Stand up," he instructed, having made a decision about where and how he would impart this important information on the young Jedi.
Kenobi looked at him wearily.
"You want to know about Skywalker, I will show you, but not here. As I've told you before, Obi-Wan," he continued gently, "I want you to trust me."
The Jedi did not respond to Dooku as he slowly pulled himself to his feet. But once he was on his feet, their eyes locked. Dooku felt a shudder role up his spine.
"If you want me to trust you, Dooku, let me feel the Force again so I can read your intentions. Keeping me cut off from it is not going to help you. If you want me to trust you, you have to trust me first," the captive said.
An interesting proposal, mused Dooku, but an expected one nonetheless.
"And how can I trust you to not contact your former Padawan for aid as soon as you regain the Force?" asked Dooku, throwing the scenario back at Kenobi.
The Jedi took a deep breath, clearly contemplating his answer. "You don't," he finally said. "Trust is the issue. You captured me and you desire my trust. How can I give you my trust since you are the cause of my suffering? You have to prove to me that you are worthy of what you seek from me before I can ever put my faith in you."
Oh, Kenobi was smart; Dooku had to give him that. The ball was in his park now. He already knew that Skywalker would eventually trace his former Master here; in fact he was ready for it. As soon as Skywalker walked through security he would be recognised, especially if he was carrying a lightsaber.
Dooku had security systems installed in his home that pinged whenever someone with a lightsaber entered his home; it always identified them. He wasn't stupid to think that Skywalker would try the door, however the walls, the windows, even the secret entrance had the use of being able to alert him whenever a lightsaber user entered his domain.
If the system did not recognise the lightsaber, then Dooku would know that Skywalker was here. He was anticipating the young man coming to his Master's rescue. He hoped by that time that Kenobi might be his however it all depended on his choice now, and what he decided to do.
Kenobi wouldn't be easy to convince to turn to the dark side; he understood that to achieve his goal, Dooku had to be sneaky. He had to appeal to the Jedi's sense of justice.
He felt reluctance to do this but the spark of warning was still there, still probing at him to be careful; to choose wisely. The Jedi waited patiently for his decision, not pushing for an answer.
Then Dooku raised his hand and reached towards the collar around the Jedi's neck. Carefully, he input the little code and waited for the small, but rather intricate computer system to recognise his DNA before releasing the captive from the device.
He probed the Force around Kenobi. Freeing the Jedi from the Force-suppressor did allow Dooku to see what his Force signature was radiating now. It still burned bright but it was duller than usual, the flame of it having decreased due to the betrayals Dooku had forced upon Kenobi. The drug was working.
"Thank you," said Kenobi stiffly.
Dooku couldn't sense whether Kenobi was using the Force, or even probing the bond he shared with Skywalker, but the Jedi Master had hit upon the very thing Dooku had been waiting for him to ask. Dooku knew that Kenobi would demand freedom from the collar; he had been prepared to give it, though much later in the game.
However he couldn't deny that things were moving ahead faster than he had originally planned. Kenobi's Force aura was a contributing factor to what would happen next. He wasn't shut down to Dooku's persuasions. There was doubt there, doubt in his position in the hearts of those he had trusted. That was an intriguing notion – Dooku could feel the hesitant nature of trust that radiated from the Jedi.
Much as he wanted Kenobi to turn, to ruin this Jedi would be tragic. But it would be so delicious to just see Skywalker's face as he witnessed first-hand his Master turning his back on him.
"I assume you want to take me somewhere more comfortable, Count?" asked Kenobi mildly.
Dooku shook his thoughts from his head. He was allowing his mind to run away with possibilities and with what he was sensing from the former Jedi Master. Potential rested within the Force; here was a chance for a bond to be formed between captive and Master.
Tread your steps carefully.
"You will follow me," instructed Dooku. "I trust that you will not attempt to escape."
"Not until I've heard what you've got to say," was the reply, in quite a dark tone of voice that Dooku was unaccustomed to hearing. He was allowing Kenobi to read his Force presence after all. He wondered what the Jedi was sensing from him? Could he detect the deception that he was slowly winding round the Jedi?
It was likely that he was and Kenobi didn't like it one bit. Nor did he approve of Dooku's chosen method.
And yet the Force that circled around them seemed to approve of this.
Ignoring his unease, Dooku trusted the Force, and led the Jedi out of his cell and towards the communication centre.
They still had another seven hours to go before they would be able to enter the atmosphere of Serenno. Anakin was getting even more frustrated that the time seemed to be going by so slowly. He had never considered space travel to be this long before, but now that he was desperately waiting for something to happen, time seemed to slow down. He was beginning to feel that with such good technology available that teleports should have been invented by now.
Anakin had long since stopped complaining about the length of time it was taking them to arrive at Serenno. He knew Adi didn't appreciate it. He had tried to mediate to ease the passage of time. Meditation had never been Anakin's favourite past-time.
In fact he tried to avoid it as much as possible. Meditation wasn't for him. Being active and doing things that helped with the greater good for the Republic was him.
Immersed in the Force as he was, he sensed a sudden familiar presence that he hadn't felt since he had started his search for his Master. Obi-Wan… He could sense his Master again! His aura had returned to the Force. Carefully, Anakin reached out and tried to make contact, to reassure his Master that they were coming for him.
Yet Obi-Wan Kenobi's presence shrunk back from him. Stung, feeling as if he had been slapped in the face, Anakin carefully prodded the bond. Obi-Wan was blocking him, voluntarily.
Unease settled in the pit of Anakin's stomach as he sought to identify the source of the block. Why would his Master erect a barrier against him? Didn't he want to be rescued?
It was then that Anakin felt something more drifting from the bond. Obi-Wan's presence felt tainted, felt darker than normal… The pureness was gone. Within the presence was unease, and mistrust.
What? Anakin felt confused by the torrent of emotions he was able to feel.
He reached out once more, gently prodding against the barrier Obi-Wan had drawn against him. Master? he sent, enquiringly. He tried to work his way through the Force barrier but what had been constructed had been built very well. There were no holes for Anakin to slip through; no way he could even contact his Master.
Why was Obi-Wan blocking him?
Frustrated and annoyed at his lack of success, Anakin floated out of his meditation, opening his eyes and finding Adi Gallia watching him, a curious expression on her features as she observed his actions. He had an uncanny feeling that his facial reactions to sensing Obi-Wan had drawn her attention to his meditation. He crossed his arms across his chest. "Alright then, what was I doing to garner your intense concentration on me?" he enquired.
"Your features were screwed up so tight I wondered if you were still breathing," she answered. "It looked like you were concentrating very hard on something; something that was just out of your reach."
Anakin sighed. "I was." He ran a hand through his hair. "I can feel Obi-Wan again."
Adi's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"But I can't talk to him over our bond. He's blocking me, intentionally, I'm sure of it," explained Anakin, feeling a little woeful at the current situation.
"Why would Obi-Wan block you?" asked Adi.
"I don't know," admitted Anakin. He nearly mentioned about the change in his Master's Force signature but he wasn't sure it was something he should talk about until he'd had a chance to discuss with Obi-Wan about it, and find out the reasoning behind it. "I intend on asking him that when we rescue him."
Obi-Wan followed Dooku out of the cell block, his gaze sweeping around him as he took in the walls, every door and passage they passed, searching for a way out. He didn't intend to escape, not yet, anyway. Much as he hated to admit it, he knew Dooku held vital information and he needed to know that before he could even consider escaping from his torment. If it meant remaining Dooku's prisoner until he had worked everything out…
However, he was also wary of returning to the Jedi Order and the Republic considering he now knew who the Sith Lord was. His belief in preserving democracy for the Republic had been shaken. Palpatine clearly didn't have democracy as one of his interests. He was after power; that had been becoming more clear as the war grew on and the Chancellor took on more executive powers, some of which he had 'reluctantly' taken on when the Senators had proposed them. Yet Obi-Wan didn't feel that the Chancellor was reluctant about the powers. He had seemed secretly pleased, all the time informing the Jedi Council that he would lay down all powers once the war had ended.
Now he wasn't so sure of that.
The revelation of the Sith Lord's identity fit with it being the Supreme Chancellor, considering his actions and the decisions he had made ever since Geonosis. It certainly changed everything.
Obi-Wan had been a part of discussions concerning the Sith Master with the Jedi Council. They had come to the collective decision that the Sith simply could not be Palpatine as he was already in power, therefore he was already exonerated from any suspicion. Yet his research into the Sith's history had shown they had changed over the centuries. Once there had been many Sith running around, now there were just two.
Two Sith could bring down the Republic. The fact that a Sith apprentice had been trained in secret showed that the Sith were preparing to come forth – their involvement in the Naboo crisis years ago proved that. The Sith had one goal in mind: absolute power. And if they could accomplish the extermination of the Jedi Order, they would.
Palpatine was in the perfect place to assume control of everything. The Jedi were his tools to play with as he pleased. If he was indeed the Sith Lord as Dooku attested, then the Jedi Council were his puppets, unaware of the true danger they were in.
He couldn't deny that an alliance with Dooku might be beneficial in this case, but there was the matter of the Count's intentions for him. Dooku wanted to turn him and his method of making Obi-Wan feel betrayed was just a small step in assuring that happened. Dooku's method had hit a part of Obi-Wan that had never truly repaired itself, but a part of him that he had buried deep long ago. Now, all those mixed memories and his feelings from when Qui-Gon had refused to take him as his Padawan, to the time when Qui-Gon had preferred Anakin over his current apprentice had been flung to the forefront of his emotions. It was proving difficult to suppress them, even with the use of the Force again. He had thought he had gotten over the hurt and disappointment of those times long ago.
Obi-Wan Kenobi had been wrong.
Even the knowledge of Anakin's betrayal of the code hurt. He had known for a while that Anakin and the Senator of Naboo must have been seeing one another, but to take it to marriage was something that Obi-Wan had not considered his young charge would ever have done.
And if there was more to come, Obi-Wan didn't know how he could confront the young man he thought of as more as his brother then anything, to find out why he had betrayed the code.
Dooku led the young Master through the intricate and decorated areas of his home, passing many portraits of whom Obi-Wan thought must be Dooku's ascendants. The floors were made of marble, shining in the sunlight that cascaded through the windows. Outside, Obi-Wan could see a mountain range; Dooku's home was secluded as far as it could be from any civilisation.
The Count turned another corner and Obi-Wan followed, finding his captor standing in front of a door. He didn't see the code that Dooku input to open the door but he indicated Obi-Wan to step through.
The Jedi did so, walking into a communications centre. There were a few droids operating the consoles, cameras showing every part of Dooku's home, as well as monitoring the spaceport within the main city of Serenno.
Dooku drew up a chair and motioned for Obi-Wan to sit down. When he didn't make a move to acquiesce, the Count turned back to the Jedi, a frown on his face. "What you are about to see would be best viewed sitting down," he suggested, trying to sound kind, but not coming across like that at all.
Obi-Wan sat in front of one of the spare console screens. "Just show me," he practically ordered.
Dooku ignored his captive's tone and instead flipped a few buttons and on one of the screens that Obi-Wan sat near to, the image of the Supreme Chancellor's office appeared. There was a time-stamp on it, showing the date of just a few days after the Battle of Geonosis. "There are two recordings I have to show you. This one and the next follow directly on from it. I am showing you them because you need to see just how many people are conspiring against you and you will see that I have been trying to save you all this time, even if it may be unconventional."
Obi-Wan frowned, choosing not to reply, but watched as Dooku played the first of two recordings.
Chancellor Palpatine stood by the window in his office, his arms held in front of him, as he swept his gaze over the capital city. A young man in Jedi robes approached him. A Padawan's braid hung down by his right ear.
"Hello, Chancellor," said Anakin Skywalker, bowing lightly before the man at the window.
Palpatine looked at the young Jedi. "Ah, Anakin, it is good to see you. How are things? Are you still not a Knight yet?"
"No, sir," replied Anakin.
"You more than deserve that honour, Anakin," said Palpatine, "especially after what you accomplished on Geonosis."
"I didn't accomplish anything, Master. I nearly got Padmé and Master Obi-Wan killed. I made sure Dooku escaped! If I had listened to Obi-Wan…"
Palpatine cut across the young Jedi. "You did what you thought was right. Your Master cannot always be right. Your opinion is just as valid as his. You will find that a Master should rely on his apprentice's abilities and opinions… but it seems that your Master fails to recognise that."
Anakin sighed. "It's not that, Master… The last few weeks I've proved that I still have a lot to learn."
"Something is bothering you, isn't it?" noted Palpatine, turning his attention fully on the young man. "You know you can tell me anything, Anakin. I am your confidante. You can trust me with the things you can never tell your Master. I know from Senator Amidala that you came from Tatooine to Geonosis… I also understand that in mission briefing you were instructed to remain on Naboo…"
Anakin visibly swallowed. "I went where I should not have gone," he admitted. "But I had to. Obi-Wan didn't understand… He would never understand what drove me to go to Tatooine… What I did there…" The young man visibly shuddered.
"What happened?" Palpatine seemed to be the kindly old man, the one that would listen to Anakin's woes, and help him through the pain that he was clearly in. "You can tell me. I have always been here for you, Anakin."
"It's difficult to talk about… I'm ashamed of my actions, of what I did. But it felt right. It felt good to tap into such power…" Anakin appeared to shudder again. Whatever was eating at him was getting to him as well. The young Padawan was silent for a while, just staring out of the window in the Chancellor's office, watching as traffic moved in the sky lanes, and the sun was setting to the west. When he spoke, his voice was low, shaking a little, as he admitted the crime he had committed, dealing out justice in retribution for the loss he had suffered.
"I killed them all…" he began. "The Tusken Raiders. They killed my mother… tortured her for a month… I could feel her pain even here on Coruscant… And no one listened to me. Obi-Wan refused to listen! He thought they were dreams! He was wrong and my mother died horribly because of his failure to listen to me. I failed my mother because I didn't do what my heart bade me to do: go to her and rescue her. I hoped they were just dreams… but they weren't. I saw her in pain, Chancellor, she needed me and I wasn't there to help her. I went to Tatooine to determine my dreams and what I found was the worst thing I could have expected."
Anakin looked up at the Chancellor, and his eyes were brimming with tears, a single trail of them ran down his right cheek. "She had a family, Chancellor. She had been freed. She was married, living the life she deserved to have and it was cruelly taken from her. She was taken one morning by the Tusken Raiders. They tortured her." He swallowed, struggling to continue. "I found her in one of their huts, trussed up and hurt so badly… Her injuries were severe… She had hung on for me… wishing to see me again… She lived for no more than five minutes after I freed her from her bonds… She said she was complete… My mother died in my arms…"
Palpatine stayed silent as Anakin struggled to continue.
"I… I was angry… I couldn't help it… I… I… I… I slaughtered them all. The women and the children too… all of them slaughtered like animals! They were animals for what they did to my mother! They took her and destroyed her! I killed them. All of them! And… and… and… I liked the power that gave me…" Sobs wracked from Anakin's body as he finally finished his tale. "I shouldn't have done that and I shouldn't have felt like that either…"
"Anakin, my boy…" Palpatine reached out and placed an arm around the young man's shoulders. "You did what any one of your power would do… You took the lives that were rightfully yours to take. It might have been wrong to the Jedi Code… but you dealt out justice as swiftly as one could hope for… Do not feel that you made a mistake… You did what you had to do… You should never supress your emotions, Anakin, because that is not who you are. You are not an emotionless shell like the Jedi Order is. They cannot understand what it means to be human, or what it is like to be loved… You and I do…"
"But anger is wrong… I shouldn't have done that."
"Perhaps," admitted Palpatine, "but is it a crime to deal out justice?"
Anakin swallowed. "No."
"And that is all you did, my boy." Palpatine moved his arm away from Anakin. "You have my trust; word of this will not get out to anyone, least of all your Master or the Jedi Council."
"I don't want Obi-Wan to know about this ever. He'd turn me in. I'd be expelled," said Anakin. "I trust him… but he's too enriched with the Jedi Code. There are some things he can't know about..."
Palpatine patted Anakin on the back. "Your secrets are safe with me, my son."
The video ended. Obi-Wan sat, numb with shock at the admittance of what Anakin had done. He had liked the power of the dark side… he had used it, breaking another value of the Jedi Order. And once again, he didn't trust Obi-Wan with this secret.
What had he done to deserve Anakin's mistrust? Was it all because he had tried to help him understand the importance of the Jedi Code? Anakin had completely undermined his teachings… He had freely admitted to the Chancellor of the Republic that he had murdered in cold blood… murdered children. If he could murder hapless Tusken children who could not be held accountable for the crimes of those that had tortured Shmi Skywalker to certain death, who else was Anakin Skywalker capable of killing? Capable of betraying?
What was worse was that he was confiding in the Chancellor who seemed to be pushing him to stay true to his principles of being human rather than that of the Jedi Code, which only furthered Dooku's admission that his Master was the Chancellor.
The Chancellors of the Republic had always greatly revered the Jedi Order, had always respected their values. Each one had made certain to understand the values of the Jedi Code so that they could better understand the function of the Jedi and what their place was in the greater Republic. Palpatine seemed to be going against that, actively encouraging Anakin that what he had done was justice, and Anakin appeared to have felt comforted by that.
"There is still one more recording to go," mentioned Dooku. "This one is a discussion I had with my Master shortly after he had that conversation with your young apprentice."
Obi-Wan felt sick. He didn't want to watch anymore. He almost stood up to flee but he remembered why he had to see this: he had to know for sure how deep this treachery went and he was curious about how Dooku had been trying to save him. He didn't yet have Dooku's trust, but it was clear that the Sith was willing to give him the chance to have access to the Force. He could feel in the Force that Dooku genuinely wanted Obi-Wan to trust him, though he did desire his fall to the dark side as well. They did have mutual goals that could be beneficial if they did work together.
The Separatists were fighting to break away from a corrupt Republic, and Obi-Wan could now see their point. The Republic was corrupt – had been for years. With a Sith Lord in charge, it was obvious that the corruption was there… and the Jedi had no place in the Republic. The Separatists actually had a point there, though both sides were being manipulated by a Sith Lord.
The next recording flashed onto screen and the Jedi Master dismissed his thoughts to watch what else Dooku wished for him to know.
The image of Dooku sitting at his desk came onto the screen. A hologram flashed up on his desk, and the view switched to another view so that Obi-Wan could better see the cloaked figure that Dooku was talking to. Though he couldn't tell for sure that the cloaked man was the Chancellor, when the Sith spoke the clarity and identity was clear to him.
"Master," Dooku bowed, lowering his head as far as he could.
"How goes the war effort?" the Sith Master enquired.
"Very well, my lord. We are succeeding in pushing back several Republic forces on the borders or our territory. We could potentially push into the system of Toydaria if we wished to take that sector by force. The Republic forces are crumbling – those fleets without a Jedi General are easier to defeat then those that are commanded by season veterans," explained Dooku.
"Good… good…" the Sith Master sounded pleased. "You will be pleased to know that my plan to destroy the Jedi Order is advancing. Skywalker is falling into my grip quicker then I intended. He has already tasted the darkness and he liked it. Becoming friends with him when he just a boy was perhaps the smartest thing to do… He does not trust Kenobi with his secrets."
Dooku waited, for he could not demand to know what his Master did not wish for him to learn.
"It appears Skywalker has a remarkable aptitude for killing women and children, when their partners murdered his mother. His vengeance was horrible and the dark side glimmered with his loss," the Sith's voice became darker. "Skywalker will fall and he will help destroy the Jedi Order … and, most of all, he will be the one to destroy Kenobi utterly. Betrayed and killed by his own apprentice… that is Kenobi's fate."
Dooku's entire posture stiffened. "My lord… May I suggest that Kenobi would make a better apprentice then Skywalker? Skywalker is too volatile, too quick to anger… He has no control! Kenobi, on the other hand, has that control. He may not be as powerful in the Force as Skywalker is but he is a match for him and he can defeat that boy! I ask that you reconsider… spare Kenobi's life and use him instead!"
"No. I have spent far too long investing in Skywalker's fall. That boy will be mine and he will bring the Jedi Order to its knees," hissed the dark lord. "Kenobi is an irritant that deserves nothing more than death brought on by his own student. He must die."
Dooku raised his head now, looking directly up at the hologram of his Master. "Kenobi is –"
"SILENCE! Kenobi will not be turned. You would do well to see that," growled Sidious.
Reluctantly, Dooku bowed his head. "Yes. My Master."
"Now, onto your recent successes…"
The hologram blurred off and Dooku walked in front of the desk to stare at Kenobi. His arms were folded across his chest. "I told you I was saving you."
Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows in surprise. "In a manner of speaking, but not entirely accurate. Your Master wants Anakin to kill me if he ever succeeds in turning him. You are trying to convince him that I would be better off turned, otherwise I will die like the rest of the Jedi Order will when the Chancellor decides we have finished fulfilling his goals for him."
"And when your former apprentice is ripe for turning," indicated Dooku. "I do not wish for your talent to be wasted. I am trying to save you. And I can still save you if we work together. How can you return to the Jedi Order now? The Chancellor knows you are here. I had to convince him to spare your life – I stood up for you because he would see you dead and has plotted for it for many years. He is allowing you to live for now, providing you remain under my care. He believes he can use you to turn Skywalker still. If we work together we can stop him – I cannot do this alone!"
Obi-Wan folded his arms across his chest, studying Dooku's face with a hard expression, his eyes glinting darkly. "I know you want me to be your apprentice but I won't. That is out of the question." He did however hesitate, unsure of how he could say his next thoughts.
"But you are willing to be partners?" probed Dooku, testing the waters.
"It's not ideal but I see there is merit to it. You are playing a game with Palpatine, but he is playing a game with not only you, but the entire galaxy. We're all his chess pieces, even you, Dooku, to be moved accordingly when he wishes to," explained Obi-Wan. "If I can save Anakin by working with you…"
Dooku frowned. "You still want to save him?" He brushed the bottom of his beard with his fingers. "Interesting."
"He's still my friend…" admitted Obi-Wan, but he lowered his gaze, "but I can't trust him anymore. I'm not sure who I can trust… I can't trust you, Dooku, either because you are trying to use me. I have no doubt that you would accept my offer of partnership, but you would still try to deceive me… To try to push me down the road that you think suits me best."
"And if I promised to not try to tempt you to join me as my apprentice would you reconsider?" enquired Dooku.
Obi-Wan probed Dooku's Force presence, searching his aura for any hint of deception in his statement. Sith were good at deceiving others, and Dooku was no exception to that. As he probed, he found it surprising that there was no hint of his true intentions. He was either being sincere with his promise, or he was a lot more powerful in the dark side then Obi-Wan had presumed. Dooku could hide his true intentions if he so wanted.
However this was an opportune moment to perhaps work out a deal that would bring the Separatists back into the Republic and heal the rift that had spread between the various systems.
Finally, he returned his gaze to Dooku, pulling his senses away from the man's aura, and clouding his own, making it extremely difficult for his captor to read him. "I would not take your promises at face value," he explained, "however you are giving me an opportunity to end this war. As you say, the Chancellor has so graciously allowed me to continue living under your care," he said sarcastically, "he will not take it lightly if I return to the Republic. I presume he would know you have told me his identity?"
Dooku nodded, not letting his emotions show on his face. "My Master is far more powerful then you can imagine. He will know you know… He does have spies within my household that report to him. He will know before you have even returned to Coruscant that you have escaped." The Count was choosing to be quite frank with him. "He will have you killed before you get into the atmosphere. He will not risk his identity becoming public with the Jedi Council until he is ready to reveal himself." Dooku locked gases with Obi-Wan, his eyes burning. "And he will only be ready when Skywalker is ripe for turning. Your young friend is not there yet… There is still time."
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, his head aching from what he was hearing. What could he do? What should he do? Should he betray the Republic that he was allied with because of what he now knew? Could he really become the lone voice of the Jedi Order to fight back against Palpatine? What about Anakin? He'd be betraying the young man he had raised.
But he did betray me – twice. The unbidden voice in his rose up.
He didn't like thinking this; he didn't want to believe that Anakin could be so callous to not trust him. Obi-Wan loved Anakin like a brother, yet for all his efforts, the young Jedi had betrayed him. Qui-Gon Jinn had betrayed him too.
I did not betray you, Obi-Wan. The voice of Qui-Gon Jinn was back.
Obi-Wan felt a burst of fury flush through him at the voice. "I told you to shut up and leave me alone!" he shouted aloud, not caring if Dooku heard him. Whatever that voice was, continuing to deny his own involvement in hurting his own Padawan was too much. Qui-Gon had abandoned him.
If Qui-Gon abandoned me, why should I have such worries about abandoning the Republic when it isn't the Republic I know? If Anakin doesn't trust me with his own secrets, would he trust me if I informed him about Palpatine's treachery?
Obi-Wan opened his eyes and he found that a tear had leaked from his right eye, trailing down his cheek. He wiped it away with a flick of his hand, and looked up at Dooku, who was still watching quietly. He sighed. He knew what he had to do if he was to save everyone he loved and cared for. "Dooku, I will make you a proposition."
"Go on," Dooku leaned forward.
"I will not becoming your apprentice, I will not train with you in the dark side… but I cannot go back to the Republic. Trust is the issue. I can't trust you either, but I can't trust the Republic or the Jedi Order either…" He stepped forward, and held out his hand towards Dooku. "I can, however, work with you to save the Republic. You may be a Sith but you are not completely there, even if you think you are. I propose a partnership, but there is one thing that I request that you must do."
Dooku still did not take his offered hand, watching the Jedi with sharp, dark eyes. "And what is that?"
"Grievous. Get rid of him. I don't care how. I will not work with you unless he is dealt with… or his actions are toned down so he is not a threat to the Jedi. I may have been betrayed by the Jedi Order, but I do not wish for them to all die." Obi-Wan folded his arms across his chest, taking away his pro-offered hand.
Now was the waiting game. If Dooku wanted to work with him, then he had to consider all other options first.
After all, Obi-Wan was not nicknamed the Negotiator for nothing.
Surprised at the offer, Dooku considered what his captive had proposed. Though Kenobi was his prisoner, this was a tempting offer. But to take Grievous out would be almost impossible… He was still too useful to Sidious. The only other option was to force Kenobi back on the drugs and back into his cell which could potentially destroy any future working relationship.
The Force warned him then. It was not an option for him to imprison the Jedi again. Kenobi would not turn otherwise. Though the Jedi Master was offering himself, he was doing so under an agreement which he was not in a position to negotiate, however Dooku could not underestimate him, nor could he ignore what he desired.
To outright kill Grievous was impossible to do without angering his own Master, however it was possible to reassign him to skirmish missions in the outer rim, where he wouldn't be in danger of destroying all Republic Forces or encountering Jedi… Grievous had been threatened with this job due to his failures… However, capturing Kenobi had been his saving grace.
But it was possible to take the droid general out of the game as per Kenobi's request.
It was possible to accomplish… Sidious would suspect something that was for certain, but even his Master was getting angry about Grievous' incompetence to actually do something useful for the Separatist cause. It was a risk Dooku was willing to take, especially if it secured him Kenobi's services…
He smiled gently. The Jedi Master was right not to trust him; however, he could sense that trust was slowly growing. He was falling into Dooku's grip.
A Sith Lord always lied after all.
He could take Grievous off duty for a while… and when Kenobi was securely his, Grievous could re-join the war effort.
He was playing a dangerous game but his instincts were telling him he was on the right path that he was preceding as the dark side wanted him to.
"Very well, Master Kenobi. I cannot kill Grievous however I can take him off frontline duty where he will no longer be a threat to the Jedi. That is the most I can do with your request…" The Count lifted his hand and held it out. "Do we have a deal?"
To be continued…
Please let me know what you think!
Ok… lots of things going on in this chapter. And major decisions are being asked for. I'm not sure if there is much I can say about this chapter, other than it is pivotal for the rest of the story. Originally I didn't have any intention of Obi-Wan learning of who Palpatine really was… that little nugget of information has changed this entire story and does have consequences for everyone. Dooku may have said to Obi-Wan that he won't be giving him that drug again though remember, a Sith lies ;)
Next chapter: Anakin and Adi finally reach Serenno. Should be posted next Saturday.
Until then,
the-writer1988