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CHAPTER TWENTY: Interruptions

CORUSCANT

Anakin Skywalker awoke with a start. Looking over at his sleeping wife, he slipped out of bed and stepped onto the balcony. Something was very wrong in the Force, so many were dying at once. Feeling sick, he went into the kitchen and splashed cold water on his face.

Yoda stumbled back, what felt like needles were pricking his heart. He had sensed this before, a massacre on Felucia during a military during the early days of the Clone Wars. Over time the suffering had gone from a blaring stereo outside of a window to a home blaring it's music a few houses down, always in the background, but only if you listened for it. Very rarely did individual events stick out like this. For it to be so protrusive, these either must be great numbers or Force-users. Wondering what in the galaxy could have caused it, Yoda hurried down to the intelligence compound. They would have the answers to this tragedy.

"I'm afraid there's been a massacre on Ryloth," Slick, one of the clones told him. "A resistance group working near the re-invaded southern sector and all the surrounding villages were wiped off the map." Yoda nodded, thanking the clone for his trouble. Such a needless waste of life, Yoda thought to himself. The sooner the Republic victory, the better.

When Padme rolled over in her sleep, she noticed the bed was empty. Looking for her husband, she saw the door to the balcony was open. Walking over to him, she began to rub his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly. He shrugged.

"Something is wrong in the Force," he said simply.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"It's out of balance," he responded vaguely. That's so specific, she thought to herself. Clearly Anakin was not in one of his more verbose moods, so she kept him company, gently rubbing his arms with her fingers.

Obi-Wan Kenobi headed straight to the securimax prison complex immediately after Yoda told him of the massacre on Ryloth. The Republic needed to up it's ante when it came to gathering information from the Sith. The war could be stopped today if they could just get Dooku to concede. Opening the hefty door, Kenobi stormed into the cell. If he didn't know better, he'd say his urgency startled the elder man.

"Master Kenobi, I wasn't expecting you for quite some time," he said, rising from his stretched out position on the cot. "I thought our last conversation finished all of our business."

"Not quite, Dooku," Obi-Wan seethed. "Your government just sanctioned the massacre of non-combatants on Ryloth," something flickered across the Sith's face, but what it was he could not tell.

"I'm afraid I haven't been in touch with command for the past month or so, terrible signal in here," Dooku retorted. Obi-Wan scowled.

"You keep saying how Qui-Gon would be so eager to join your side, but you don't even blank at a blatant war crime," Obi-Wan shouted.

Obi-Wan, you are so blinded by the Jedi, the Separatist leader thought. He had felt the disturbance of the Force, but while he was sure the Ryloth occurrence was no light matter, it could not have been caused by a group of sentients who weren't Force-sensitive. Not to mention the sheer distance of Ryloth was a factor, whatever caused the disturbance was much closer.

"Kenobi, did you sense this disturbance?" he asked calmly, leaning forward. Obi-Wan shook his head. "I thought not, it takes years of training to sense things like this, or a sheer amount of power which unfortunately you do not possess. That sort of disturbance simply could not have been caused by something so far away not involving Force-sensitives," Dooku explained. "And I'm not finished. I don't ally with people who cannot see the big picture. I have said all I can say, all the pieces of the puzzle are in front of you, Kenobi. Now please leave me in peace, I was resting before you rudely interrupted," moving with far more grace than most others his age, Dooku returned to his cot as if it were a royal four-poster.

Obi-Wan fumed at the older man.

"We'll give you and the Confederacy a chance to capitulate, if only to end this war," he said suddenly. Dooku merely raised an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid I don't have much authority over Separatist affairs anymore. You should strike when the iron is hot next time," he responded.

"Another time then," Obi-Wan retorted. He was tired of dealing with Dooku and his snark, and had half a mind to just let Anakin handle it, but that would just end in disaster. Not sure how to break the absolutely astounding news that the Sith was unrelenting, Obi-Wan went in search of Anakin. He knew Anakin was jaded with the Council, and didn't try to encourage it due to his inherent volatility. But this time, Obi-Wan was the one who needed to vent.

Anakin was surprised when his holo buzzed with a call from Obi-Wan. Padme hurried back inside, and he pulled his robes back on.

"Obi-Wan?" he asked, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.

"Where are you? I'm outside your room." What the?

"I went for a walk," he answered lamely.

"Excellent, where? I'll meet you," Obi-Wan said a little too brightly. Crap, he doesn't know does he? Looking around for some landmarks, he replied with the first one he saw.

"Near the Senate building," realizing how out of character he was, Anakin hoped that whatever it was that had unsettled Obi-Wan held his attention well.

"Ok, I'll see you in front of the fountain in a few moments," Obi-Wan chirped, abruptedly ending the call.

"Padme! I'm sorry I've got to go. Obi-Wan wants to go on a walk," Anakin told his wife, completely bewildered by the bizarre turn of events.

"He wants to go for a walk with you? At this hour?" Padme asked.

"No I don't think so. I'll see you as soon as I can," he reassured her, giving her a kiss before he left.

"Blasted Dooku! I'd let the Senate get ahold of him if I didn't have to report to the Council!" Obi-Wan yelled, startling Anakin.

"Obi-Wan what happened?" he asked, trying to get a handle on the conversation. Did I miss a red alert? he wondered briefly.

"He keeps making those stupid hints that a Sith controls the Republic, don't you see it? As if that's even possible," he ranted. "And he keeps bringing up Qui-Gon as if I'll go off and join the Separatists! Here's so blindly arrogant I can't stand it!"

"The Jedi still haven't turned him over to the police?" Anakin asked. "I thought the month long detention had run out."

"Not for Dooku it hasn't. He's considered too powerful for a transfer or being detained by non-Jedi. So I'm stuck with his sorry face indefinitely," Obi-Wan scowled. "If the Council won't turn him over I just might," out of breath from ranting, Obi-Wan leaned against the railing that overlooked the city.

"Dooku doesn't know what he's talking about. And nobody has said you have to talk to Dooku," Anakin reassured him. His friend displaying such blatant emotions knocked him off kilter, and he honestly wasn't sure how to handle this coming from Obi-Wan. He also was trying his hardest to hold back his own anger towards the Sith Lord.

"It's all very foolish to be angry about right now, I know how this is going to play out already," Obi-Wan continued, "the Senate will handle him eventually once the Jedi cannot get anything out of him."

"Then use Qui-Gon against that kark and we'll get him for all he's got," Anakin exploded, slipping in some Huttese. He was sick of the reminders that he man who had cut off his hand was meters below the Jedi Temple in a cell, and he wasn't allowed to anything but sit and wait for someone to prosecute him or do something. "We can stand here griping about it or go out and do something!"

"For once, I agree with you. Maybe this is a bad idea," Obi-Wan joked. "Come on, there shouldn't be too much of a hassle to let you in to visit your dear friend."

Palpatine had the report of the Ryloth massacre on his desk nearly three hours after it happened. It put him in a good mood, the amusement at the incredibly delay in intelligence and the Jedi falling right into his prediction that they would not notice anything else amiss in the galaxy. Having ordered some famous Alderaanian whiskey to celebrate, Palpatine mused on what to do next. That Force compound in the northern reaches had been taken care of, Ventress and Durge had both assured him there were no survivors. If they were both wrong... he stopped himself, no use worrying. It would be impossible to fool the Gen'Dai who could hear a heartbeat from one hundred feet away. Not to mention his insatiable desire for carnage. Now he had to deal with Anakin, Windu, and Dooku, all former or potential apprentices. It was vital to the plan that he bring Anakin to the Dark Side, and he had a plan that would get the ball rolling.

After having a conversation with a famous and familiar bounty hunter under his Sidious guise, Palpatine pondered what to do about Windu. He had never had contingency plans before, and the very existence of this one already troubled him. Once he turned Anakin he would have another potential Dark Sider running around, and while he had no doubt about Anakin's ability to terminate him if the need arose, the existence of the Force colony on Lah'mu had rattled him. He should have instructed for some removal of data or texts, but that would have aroused the suspicion of Asajj Ventress.

Yet another problem. He had set up a plan for Anakin, he wouldn't need her around much longer. Activating the holo, Palpatine instructed General Grievous that Asajj Ventress must die by the end of the month, by any means necessary.

Now to Mace Windu. Palpatine was beginning to think he had made a mistake with that one by tipping off to Skywalker and Amidala. He wasn't sure if he trusted the man to keep quiet, and killing a very public member of the Jedi Council would weaken the Republican resolve too much. He would just have to bide his time with this one, unfortunately.

And finally, Dooku. He felt a genuine twinge of regret, though still small, when it came to his former apprentice. But his continued existence only spoke of Anakin's resolve in the Light Side. Perhaps the second time is the charm, he thought with glee. It seemed he would need to enlist the help of a bounty hunter once again.

Dooku felt vaguely irritated when Obi-Wan returned with an angry Anakin Skywalker. There was something afoul in the Force and all they wanted to do was try to get information out of him. So much for controlled Jedi emotions, he thought to himself, raising himself to a sitting position once more.

"Too what do I owe the pleasure at this hour of the night?" he asked with faux graciousness.

"Quit the crap Dooku. You can end the war right now, all you have to do is surrender!" Anakin yelled. The man cut off his arm and just sat there like they were old friends meeting for tea?

"Skywalker, Kenobi, you both are so young, you don't fully appreciate all the nuances that come with being an established ruler. Now, for the last time, I am not the one in charge of the Confederacy of Independent Systems as of my capture and indefinite detention. If you would kindly stop badgering me with these juvenile notions that I can end the war, it would be most appreciated," angered by the elder mans cold manner, Anakin slammed his hands on the table.

"Does the fact that your army massacred villages on Ryloth not bother you? The sooner this war comes to a close, the sooner you get out of this cell!"

"Skywalker, let me explain this to you. First, I do not have the power to control what the Confederacy does. In terms of the international government, some one else is now the elected leader. In terms of the individual planets, each system chooses their own course of action, it just so happens that at the present they all align. Second, this is not the outcome I desired either. Believe me, if things were going as I planned them, the Jedi would not control such large swaths of the galaxy," Dooku seethed, enunciating each word.

"The Republic is better than the Separatists any day, do you not know how many your troops have massacred? At least we care about justice," Obi-Wan snapped.

"Lets not pretend that everyone in this room doesn't despise the corruption in the Senate. And you consider the Republic just? Tell me, Kenobi, how many months have I sat in this prison, waiting to be tried for alleged war crimes? Should'n't I be on trial by now? And how many villages on Republic-occupied planets that appeared on prewar maps now no longer exist?"

"I'm sure there must be some explanation for those supposedly missing villages. And locking up political dissidents is so much better?" Obi-Wan demanded, "you started this war, how can you be upset at the current situation?"

"The Republic has no registered political prisoners because criminal trials have been backed up in the courts for upwards of six years," Dooku countered. "I can see the previous information I've given you hasn't resonated. Very well. Tell me Obi-Wan, can you say with absolute certainty that your government is utilizing all of it's resources to end this war?"

"Of course I can. We want to win this war, not prolong it," Obi-Wan stated, beginning to reign in his emotions.

"Closer inspection says otherwise," Dooku said simply. "I know Skywalker here doesn't pretend to have patience for politics, which I respect. But you, Obi-Wan, and the rest of the Jedi High Council pretend to do so. I'd advise you and your colleagues to give more scrutiny in the direction of political arrangements and the realities of those actions. Now really, I have nothing more to say to you," finally finished, Dooku leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes in meditation.

Anakin smoldered in silence, the fact that Dooku was attempting to take the moral high ground infuriated him. The man had sparked a political crisis that would take systems generations to heal from.

"Look, Dooku,"he growled, leaning in close to the man. Before he could finish his thought, a familiar hand grabbed his shoulder, and gently pulled him away from the older man.

"Not now," Obi-Wan whispered, leading them out of the cell. "I sense something in the Force,". Anakin stopped, and as he calmed down he noticed it too.

"It's not a clone," he said quietly, resting his hand on the hilt of his lightsaber. As the presence drew closer, the two were startled to see Windu come around the corner.

"Skywalker, what are you doing down here?" he demanded, striding towards them. "You have direct orders from the Council to not go anywhere near this building, let alone this level!"

"He's with me, Master Windu. I wanted to have a third party present while I interrogated Dooku," Obi-Wan interrupted calmly.

"And Skywalker was your first choice?" Windu asked incredulously. Shaking his head, "Skywalker you should leave, we'll take it from here."

"As you wish, Mace," Anakin answered in as calm of a voice as he could manage. Windu had been jumping down his throat even more than usual lately, and it irked Anakin that after nearly six years of being a Jedi Knight, the man still did not treat him with any more respect than he had when he was a Padawan. Leaving the two Masters to deal with the Sith, Anakin returned to the one place he knew he would be calm.

TATOOINE

As the infamous dustball came into view, Malaika began to double-check that all the shields and anti-theft devices were in place. She hadn't landed on this crime-infested rock in five years, and she didn't see anyway it could get any better in the middle of a galaxy-wide war. Touching down in Mos Eisely at the one ship dock whose owner she could trust, Malaika turned on her holo one last time to see if Nayden had activated his.

After she had spent several hours in hyperspace putting as much distance as she could between her small fighter and the Separatist fleet stationed near Lah'mu, Malaika had begun to run through a list of Kohtal she knew for a fact were not on-world at the time, and anyone outside the Kohtal she could go to for help. Fortunately, her habit of keeping all her items together meant she had enough money to last roughly month, but that wouldn't do her any good if the Separatists were looking for her. She had sent a message to Chihiro and flagged it as urgent, telling him to let any other off-world Kohtal know Lah'mu was no longer safe. Next she had sent another urgent message, this time to Nayden. The fact that her message had gone so long without being opened made Malaika briefly wonder if Nayden was imprisoned. When they had smuggled goods to planets involved in regional conflicts, if a smuggler was caught with goods from the enemy, their sentences were often twice as harsh as they would be otherwise. Owing to the rapid Separatist dispensing of sentences and the absurd wait for trials in the Republic, neither possibility was far from Malaika's mind. Making a note to access the prison laws of the two systems, Malaika rented a speeder to take to Jabba's Palace. If Nayden was still actively involved in the smuggling trade, eventually he would hear of her recent reentry into the world of bounty hunters. She checked to make sure her armor was secure one last time, and began her ascent to the throne room.

CORUSCANT

Obi-Wan Kenobi let out a sigh of relief at the news Mace Windu had given him. As of two hours ago, Count Dooku had been transferred to the Republic Department of Justice, and was no longer be his problem. He had sent a message to Anakin to tell him the good news, but oddly enough it hadn't been answered. No matter, whatever his former Padawan had been doing lately to calm himself on Coruscant, it was working. Cheerily sipping on his tea, he nearly dropped it when the familiar black alert siren sounded. This had better be a false alarm, Obi-Wan thought angrily. The past seven times he had tried to enjoy his tea, he had been interrupted. And he did not appreciate it one bit. A sense of anger more befitting to Anakin washed over him when he read what it said.

Count Dooku taken from Republic custody by what appears to be Separatist agents. All Padawans are to return to the Temple immediately. Knights and Masters not assigned to search sectors report to the High Council chambers at once.

They won't know I received this ten minutes later than I said I did, Obi-Wan debated with himself on whether participating in the futile search for a Sith Lord who was by now long gone, or enjoying his tea. His sense of duty winning out, Obi-Wan placed the tea on the counter, and headed down the hall for the High Council chambers.