Another Time

Chapter 14

Location: Blackswan Colony, prison

Darth Sidious smiled in trumpet at the two Kenobi siblings in the prison cell. A transparent force-shield separated the two warriors and freedom, but it afforded them a clear window out to the main chamber. The room was circular and gave the guard a visibility into each cell, though today the main control station served a new purpose. Today it would serve as Sidious' platform so that he may relieve his greatest achievement.

Smuggly, he said, "The Clan certainly has brilliant technology. I can see why they have lasted so long, though they have one major flaw. They are too dependent on their Master and will bend to anyone's will if he is threatened. Lord Blackswan maybe a wizard in biology, but he is a poor leader and made no precautions in case of his capture. These clones will do anything to protect their master."

Jinn said, "Have you just here to gloat? Don't you have something more evil to do elsewhere?"

Sidious roared with laughter and came closer to the young Master. "No, I have something I wish to show you—the both of you. It is my by far one of my finest achievement. Here, you will see the birth of a new Sith. A Sith unlike any other. A Sith who was born of true Darkness."

The Sith then gestured towards the clone-warriors and then a large glass cylinder was brought in with a large machine. The two siblings then approached the clear force field to see what was going on, but the water in the tube was muddy and unclear. They both had no idea what was happening.

"Wake him," commanded the Sith.

The two siblings then saw a Clan-doctor operate the machine until the murky liquid inside the cylinder began to bubble and churn. Then, suddenly the liquid within began to drain away and inside it was revealed a form. There was some kind of man inside the tube. A human man they had never seen before. Though, unexpectedly the cylinder was lifted away and a hiss of steam flowed from the sealed tube as it opened.

Kiya and Jinn saw that the man was dressed in a black bodysuit and he stood motionless with his eyes closed. He was completely still and was supported by a harness. Yet, then Sidious came stepped forward he shouted.

"Rise Darth Vice! Rise and obey your Master!"

In a flash, the lifeless puppet suddenly sprang to life. He's eyes opened and revealed an eerie yellow sheen and his face then contorted into a hideous scowl. He then straightened and broke free from the support harness with ease and approached his Master with flexed powerful muscles. He turned to Sidious and gave him an empty stare.

He then gallantly gave the Dark Lord a blow and said, "I hear and obey, Master."

At that, the Sith laughed joyfully and said, "Very good, my apprentice. Very good."

Sidious then looked towards the prison cells and said to Jinn, "See what wonders the Clan makes. See how awesome my new creation is. For Darth Vice is no ordinary Sith. No! He is infused with enough midi-chlorian to fight a hundred Yodas. He is physically in the peak of perfection and his mind is a beautiful work of art. For within his mind are all the Clan's collected memories of hatred and revenge. He knows nothing of the Light and he lives solely to obey me."

"Blasphemy!" shouted Kiya. "That monstrosity blackens the Clan name!"

Sidious roared with laughter. "I can assure you, Milady that Darth Vice is your precious Clan's greatest accomplishment and with him I plan to take the Senate by force and eliminate the Jedi myself. For this is a day that will forever be remembered. This is the day that the Light shall be no more and the Darkness will rein supreme."

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Location: Kamino

When Obi-Wan and Thrice investigated the poison dart they were lead to Kamino. A place not found in the Jedi Archives, but known for manufacturing advanced clones according to Obi-Wan's informant. The two then set out and landed on the watery world and entered the factory with a surprisingly warm welcome from the Kaminoan guide. They were then given a grand tour and shown the labs and cookie-cut men being produced on an assembly line like hotcakes in a diner.

Thrice frowned and whispered, "I smell war. You don't make an army of clones unless you plan on using them and this so-called advanced technology is child's play. It took these people years to grow this army and that can only mean one thing. Someone has been planning for a very long time."

"Yes," said Obi-Wan—"but the Kaminoans think the Jedi commissioned this army. That means someone from the Temple had them made. We should go see this bounty hunter whom these clones are based and question him."

"He will not be cooperative, Obi-Wan."

However, the Knight was confused. He sensed that Thrice was on edge. She seemed unnerved about something. She was behaving more aggressively than she normally would on mission. Obi-Wan then quietly came to her side and slowly caressed her back.

"Milady, what's the matter?"

The lady then turned and said, "It's these clones. They're all empty dolls—shadows. They aren't men. They aren't even warriors. Oh, Obi-Wan these men were all breed to die the moment they were born."

The Knight then pulled his lady into his arms and gave her a hug. "Hush, Milady. It cannot be helped. And you must compose yourself. We must learn why this army was made and by whom."

Thrice then broke away from Obi-Wan's touch and said, "I know. I understand. Let's go."

Though, before anyone could move, the door to the conference room opened and in walked Count Dooku. He stopped and gave each of them a curious look and then spoke. "I did not anticipate your arrival Master and Lady Kenobi. This is indeed an unexpected surprise. However, you two will soon discover that crossing my path is a grave mistake."

The elder man then ignited his red lightsaber and rushed to duel the couple, but they suddenly parted and drew their weapons as well. The two then carefully circled the Sith and tested his defenses with quick blows, but the Count was very skilled.

"It will take more than you two to defeat me."

Obi-Wan said, "Are you the one behind the clone army? Is this a commission by the Separatist?"

The Count laughed confidently and said, "Such matters are too important for someone as insignificant as you, Obi-Wan."

"Yet, they are not too important for me!" shouted Thrice.

The lady-warrior then lunged forward and seized Count Dooku by the back the neck and had him shrieking out in pain as she used the Force-ki to burn his flesh. Obi-Wan then quickly moved in and disarmed the traitor and burned him cross the forearm to prevent him from dueling. The Count once again cried out in pain and clutched his wound tightly and gave the Knight a glare.

"You vicious brutes!"

Though, Thrice ignored his insults and reached over to dig her nails into the Sith's injured arm and had him groaning with pain. "Enough of your blabber, dog! Tell us what you know or there will be more."

Enraged, Count Dooku said, "You won't dare. It is not the Jedi way and I will not break."

The lady-warrior then leaned forward to the Sith's ear and said, "Oh, but I do dare and I am no Jedi and you will break."

The Count scuffed. "I will not yield to a she-devil like you. And you may choose to torture me all you like, but you will get nothing out of me."

Thrice then smiled wickedly and replied, "There is a method that the Clan uses to extract information from difficult clones that I think well work nicely on you, Count. It is the second curse our Clan knows out of three. The first is the curse-of-fire which you've just experienced, the third is the cruse-of-flesh were I can command all your cells to expel their energy till your body blackens and dies. The third curse is fatal unless treated immediately, but the second curse is called the curse-of-soul. And with this curse I will break your will by using the channel Force-ki."

Obi-Wan frowned. He had no idea she knew these "curses." She never told him she knew methods of torture and it disturbed him greatly that she'd even use them. He couldn't let her go through with this even though their prisoner was the Count. He could not let her travel down this dark path.

"No, Milady. You shouldn't torture this man. If you do than we are no better than he is."

"You are too soft, Obi-Wan. And I've never pretended to be better than my enemies. I know what sort of warrior I am. I am a being made for war. I don't have such pretty notions of justice and fair play. All you must know is that this man would not hesitate to slay you so you must not give him sway."

Obi-Wan quickly rushed to Thrice and placed his hand on her wrist and said, "No, Thrice. This is wrong. I won't allow this."

The lady then looked up and met the Knight's gaze. She was surprised to discover they had such a difference in opinion. It was rare for them to disagree on something—something as important as this. Was she really being too cruel? Or was Obi-Wan being too soft? And if she followed through on her threat would he think of her less? Would he think her cold and unmerciful? Yet, she wondered about the cost. Would the price of mercy be too high? Oh—why didn't Obi-Wan understand? Why didn't he know that this could be a mistake?

Though gradually, the lady exhaled deeply and said, "Jinn was right. I should have sung to you, Obi-Wan. I should have allowed you to see how deeply I feel. Then, maybe you'd understand. But, I'd rather you'd hate me now and live then to have to regret this moment and die!"

The woman warrior then channeled the Force-ki into a violent swirl of misery and despair. She then forced it into Count Dooku till his mind was filled with emptiness and sorrow. He wailed with agony as the feelings churned inside him with sheer devastation. It was like he was closed off into nothingness and there was no hope of any kind to cling to. He was like a fledgling lost in a raging storm.

"MECRY! OH, PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE!" cried the Sith.

Lady Thrice then released the Count's arm and gasped and closed her eyes. She balled her hand into a fist and said, "Tell me what you know. Tell me who commissioned the clone army. Why was it made? Who is the Sith Lord? Where is he?"

However, he didn't reply. Count Dooku leaned forward and folded over into the fetal position and began to shake. Tightly, he wrapped his arms around his legs and began to mumble. Obi-Wan in response was disturbed. He shook his head in disbelief and took a step back.

"What did you do to him?"

At first, the lady gasped again and moaned mournfully. She used all her will to beat back the feelings of despair and slowly opened her ruby-eyes and stared unseeing into space. She almost seemed as crushed as the Count, but then a lone tear trailed her cheek and she quickly brushed it away.

"Thrice?" asked the concerned Knight. "Are you all right?"

"It's fine, my love," she replied—"It's fine. Now, let's go ask him again."

-0-0-0-

Count Dooku proved to be more willing to talk after Lady Thrice's curse. He revealed everything. He told the pair about how the clone army was commissioned by Darth Sidious and how he was really Palpatine. He said he wanted to be Supreme Chancellor, but that his plan was slowed down by the siblings. He had the clone army made to use in a false war with the Separatist who were really made to give a reason to support the Chancellor's political power. Sidious wanted to use the clone stormtroopers to kill off the Jedi once they were integrated. He said that he was the Sith Lord's apprentice and follower, but that he's plans had changed again when he discovered the Clan. He took control of the Clan and had made himself the new Lord of Blackswan. Sidious was planning on taking his new allies and stormtroopers to destroy the Jedi and the Senate in one final blow and make himself a king.

"Blast, we must stop him," said Obi-Wan.

"Yes, but the siblings?" said Thrice. "Didn't they go to Dagobah to get in touch with the Clan again to return home? They must be in trouble."

"Then we must hurry to Dagobah and help them."

"Yes, but what about the Count?"

Obi-Wan paused for a moment and said, "We'll contact the Temple and have the Kaminoans keep him drugged and quarantined till someone can come and retrieve him. Though, I have a feeling he won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

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Location: On the ship to Dagobah

"Obi-Wan, I'm sorry."

"What?" said the Knight.

"I said I'm sorry. I'm sorry I cursed that man when you didn't want me to."

Frustrated, Obi-Wan said, "Then, why did you do it? And what did you mean when you said I didn't understand?"

"Obi-Wan, there are a great many things you don't know about me. Things I've done that I've never told you. Things you could never fully understand. You know that my life is long. You know that my life was hard. There are things I've done that I'm not proud of, but I saw little else to do. You—you don't know the things I fear. You don't know how deep my feelings go."

The Knight frowned. "I thought we shared everything, Thrice. And I can't imagine you fearing anything. And I know how you feel. What other feelings do you have? And what does it have to do with singing?"

The lady then reached over the controls in the ship and activated the auto-pilot. She then turned her chair and faced her husband and held his hands.

"Oh, Obi-Wan…I've never told you this, but my greatest fear is losing you."

Surprised, the Knight said, "But, you'll never lose me, Milady. I am yours and you are mine."

Thrice then shook her head and said, "No, no you don't understand. I'm not questioning your commitment. I'm not even afraid of death. It's what will happen to me after you're gone."

Obi-Wan was confused. "What do you mean when I'm gone?"

Then, in a shaking voice she said, "Oh, my sweet Knight. My body is about 40 years old, but I am destined to out live you by nearly a hundred. You'll be gone forever, my heart."

Tenderly, Obi-Wan gathered Thrice into his arms and held her tight. "Oh, Thirce. Why didn't you tell me you were worried about being alone?"

Tearfully, she said, "Because I didn't want to spoil our happiness. I didn't want to worry you over something that can't be changed. Oh, Obi-Wan! That curse I put on the Count was no great sin. I merely projected my feelings onto him. I intensified my loneliness and left him bare. But, I can do more than share my sorrow. I can share my love. Oh, Obi-Wan—sometimes I care about you so much I think I'd burst with joy."

Suddenly a realization dawned in the Knight's mind. He remembered feeling a sensation like that once. Back when he was a Padawan. "Thrice, is your singing the song of the Living Force?"

Startled, she pulled back slightly and said, "Y-yes, I guess you could say it is. How do you know?"

"Kiya sang to me once, when I was a Padawan. She hummed this melody that covered me completely in peace and security. She said it was her feelings manipulating the Force. She said it was how she felt when she was with me. She said I made her feel safe and like she belonged because that's how her brother made her feel. I've never felt so serene in my life."

Then, Obi-Wan gasped and shouted, "Force! Is that what you've been holding back from me? Oh, Thrice, why would you deny me that pleasure?"

Sadly, the lady said, "I was afraid. I feared what it would mean. What you'd do? What I'd do? I was afraid you wouldn't love me the same way."

Obi-Wan smiled and gave her nose a quick kiss. "Never."

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Location: Dagobah, Blackswan Colony

When Obi-Wan and Thrice landed on Dagobah they found that the colony was mostly deserted. There weren't that many guards present and they discovered that the remaining science staff was locked away in the Grand Hall. The pair had no trouble breaking in and they found Jinn and Kiya in the prison ward.

Swiftly, Jinn rushed to Obi-Wan and said, "Obi-Wan! We must contact the Jedi and warn them about Sidious."

"Yes, we know, Jinn. We found Count Dooku and got Sidious' plot out of him and contacted the Temple. They should be prepared to face him."

"No!" shouted Kiya. "No, you don't understand. Sidious doesn't just have the Clan-warriors with him; he also has his own creation, Darth Vice. Oh, he's horrible Obi-Wan. He's said to be a hundred times more powerful than Master Yoda. Everyone will be slaughtered by a demon that strong."

Thrice said, "Then we must hurry. Come, we go to Coruscant."

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TBC

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Thank you T and Jedi Angel001 for your reviews. Things have gotten really exciting with Sidious making trouble. But, I have more surprises coming up soon, but you'll just have to wait and see.

Please keep reading and reviewing. Thank you.