~Sidious's POV~

"The day is nearing," that had been the last sentence his own master had said to him, before he had retired into the bed that would become his coffin. Sidious allowed a malicious smile to curl around his lips. He breathed in the dark, felt its slithering power tickle his ambition.

"Lord Sidious," ah, there was Tarkin. "Our troops are ready and prepared for infiltration. Should I give the all clear?" he asked. Sidious nodded. Ilum was scheduled for annihilation this day.

"Yes. And summon Darth Tyrannous here to me," he ordered. Tarkin gave a small half-bow before he discreetly, and quietly, took his leave. Sidious was coming to like that man. Though, the Captain's pride would be the death of him, and if the dark was any indication, it would be an ironic death indeed.

Pride goes before a fall.

A lesson that Dooku could stand to learn, if anything.

His slave's defiant and…Abnormal behavior was starting become a very vexing thorn in Sidious's hide. The nuisance needed to be removed, and Sidious knew just how to go about doing it.

He did not turn in his throne when Dooku approached, his very posture signifying his proud and arrogant defiance. Across from them, the Light Side tinkled like bells stirring in the wind, an indication that the Jedi, too, were preparing for attack.

Interesting, once the warriors of the Light had been devoted to defending the innocent, a stalwart wall against death and despair, but now they were attacking, striking the first blow. Slowly, they were being blinded by their own Light. If you concentrate on something for too long, then you begin to lose the beauty you first saw in it

The Dark, though, was something that if concentrated on, gave you more power than could be described. It did not blind you. It empowered you. He sucked in a deep breath, inhaling its fragrant moistness. Dooku was saturated with hate, but also something more than ambition…he had hope. Hope that once the Jedi were destroyed he could start a new order; he could take over in Sidious's place and give people the life he had never lived.

He wanted power, true, not to take over precisely though Sidious knew that jealousy of his throne was in that black heart, too, but the power to save anyone he liked. The power to defeat death. The power to defeat failure.

Unacceptable. The Dark was death. The Dark was failure.

"Darth Tyrannous," he spat. This honor-bound barve disgusted him and everything they fought for; he made his decision. "We are about to mount our counterattack against the Jedi. You are aware of the plan?" He asked. Dooku nodded, on one knee but head unbowed. His chin was tipped up. Sidious had half a mind to electrocute him.

"Yes, master. I know what my role is," he agreed. Sidious snorted. "Your role is being changed, Tyrannous. Your behavior and recent failures have led me to doubt your competence. I want you to place Darth Vader in charge of all our troops. You will go into the caves and eliminate them." He ordered. Dooku went rigid under the stripping of command.

"You are promoting a mere clone to my rank? You are taking my armies!" he cursed. Sidious spun around, fury rising within him. He would show this insolent, arrogant fool…He sucked in a deep breath. Physical punishment obviously did nothing for Dooku. The only way to get to him was hit his abominable pride.

"Do not raise your voice to me, Dooku!" he ordered sharply. Fear stirred in Dooku's golden depths, and he bowed his head but Sidious sensed he had not even managed to bend his attitude. "I have been your loyal servant for many years now. How could you do this to me?" growled the former Jedi, insistent with his whining.

Sidious leaned forward, squeezing the armrests of his chair so tightly between his fingers the metal dented. "You dare to contradict me? Your master? Those armies are mine, Count Dooku. And you are mine to do as I please. That mere clone is more capable than you have proven yourself to be," he hissed back.

Dooku did not raise his bowed head, though Sidious saw one fist clench. Sidious internally dared this idiot to raise his voice again, or even to glance at his saber. He would make sure that he felt the pain he deserved. After a moment, the dark fury circulating around Dooku switched to realization.

Sidious smiled as he heard Dooku gulp. "The caves are full of Light," the younger Sith implored softly. Sidious leaned back and tipped his chin imperiously.

"I suggest you meditate on this, then. And after you have accomplished that, you may go give Darth Vader his new post yourself," he chuckled, taking delight in the way Dooku's shoulders slumped with knowing defeat. He knew there was nothing he could do or say, Sidious had taken his control, and sent him to what was the Sith's idea of hell.

A fitting punishment.

"You are dismissed," he replied, with a wave of his hand as he turned away, back towards the cruisers waiting miles away, strong and glorious rather like a statue he intended to smash. The light glared at him over his shoulder, here even in this place as Dooku said not a word, only quickly founding his way out, as if there was one.

Once a slave of the dark, always a slave to the darkness.

~Padme's POV~

"The council is actually using one of your plans?" Padme gasped of her husband, currently underneath his starfighter busily fixing something before the battle. All of the ships were buzzing with the probability of an attack. So forth they had merely been on defense, but Anakin's strategy called for offense this time as it always did.

"I know, I was surprised too," Anakin agreed, with a small grunt as he yanked one of the long wire tube things from underneath his ship. "There it is! Here-could you hold that sweetie?" he asked, one long and mechanical arm stretching out to hand her the device.

Padme knelt and reverently took the repulsor wrench, marveling how he only seemed to feel no shame in his mechanical appendage right now. He was his deepest, innermost self while he was working on these things, in this atmosphere.

It was his way of meditation to bring small hammers to his side with the force and slowly, thoughtfully replace them with screwdrivers. She knew he felt the force most acutely when he was this focused. She felt almost honored to be included, even if it were a small, meaningless task.

"But Mace said that now that they know Ackbar is a traitor who won't tell us what the Sith know, we must be the first to strike or we will be struck down and all that…We needed a new plan and one so outrageous that the Sith wouldn't expect it," he explained blandly.

Padme raised her brows. "And attack is new?" She wondered dubiously. Anakin chuckled humorlessly below her. "Oh, yes. During most of this war, Padme, the Jedi have been defending. The bad guy's go in, start reigning terror, we arrive and fight for the peace again. That is how it has been since the Clone Wars. We haven't really attacked much unless we were ambushing a fleet on its way to go reign terror on a system. I want to be the first to strike," he said. Padme nodded in understanding.

"But really, it still is defense. They attacked Ilum first," she pointed out. Anakin rolled from under, and gave her a grin. "That is what I told the peace-loving council to prove my point. They sensibly saw what I was getting at," he agreed, proud of his slyness in this one regard.

Padme rolled her eyes. "You sure fooled them, Ani," she chuckled. Anakin nodded and slipped back underneath the starfighter, chuckling evilly. He was so jejune sometimes. It was cute, really.

Padme leaned back on her heels, watching as ships were loaded and fueled again. In truth, she was perfectly aware that the council probably knew what Anakin had really been trying to say with his tacit-if not vital-point of self-defense. They weren't all that stupid. But she was grateful that they had humored him, if anything.

Suddenly, Ahsoka and Intrepid walked up, the two of them laughing softly over something. "What did I tell you? He got his head stuck again," Ahsoka teased, upon noticing them on the ground.

Padme giggled. "Ha, ha Snips, I'm laughing on the inside. Shouldn't you two be with Lux?" Anakin added sarcastically, coming from under the fighter to give her a dry look, mouth quirking at the corners. Ahsoka grinned and folded her arms across her chest. Intrepid folded her hands into either of her sleeves passively.

"He's banished us from the room. He says he'll never forgive us for having to abandon him aboard ship during the battle," Ahsoka told them. "He'll never stay in there you know," Padme reminded them reasonably.

Intrepid nodded. "That is why we tasked the twins with keeping an eye on him. He is not to get out of bed for any reason, we told them," she hid her mischievous and wily grin behind one hand demurely.

"Good strategy. It should keep the twins busy as well," Padme chirped, glad that they had killed two birds with one stone. "Have your spies caught any sight of Lux's father, Ahsoka?" Anakin inquired.

Ahsoka sighed and shook her head. "Nothing. It's only been a few days, granted, but…" she trailed off. They all knew what she was thinking. Dooku had probably tricked Lux, lied as usual. He had used his own yearning against him. Padme sighed in disgust.

"We have to keep looking," Anakin determined through clenched teeth. Padme remembered how urgently he had sought out his own mother; how he had stood and walked out of the Lar's home, sure that she was alive out there. There was no stopping a son looking for his parents.

At length, Anakin broke the silence again. "Why can't Obi-wan watch Lux?" Anakin inquired.

"He will be otherwise busy leading from the sidelines, master," Ahsoka pointed out. "And I haven't seen Obi-wan nor Nava since the interrogations. Where are they?" Padme piped in.

She had need to talk to her friend about her and Anakin's progress. It helped to have some womanly support and guidance, which Nava was always privy to giving freely.

Besides, she could always practice her blaster aim with Nava, who was quicker on her slim feet than a woman twice her younger. The conveniences of living with Jedi.

She wondered if any of the senators had dared ask another Jedi to help them do the same. Padme could almost imagine the stoic and calm faces transforming into surprise on the scene. She smiled at the thought. Intrepid suddenly gave a feral grin. "Maybe they're taking our advice into consideration, Anakin," she quipped without expression in voice.

Anakin let out a sputtering noise and banged his head on the starfighter trying to sit up. "Ow! Uh, you mean that advice?" he asked, coming from under, rubbing his head. "It would explain why no one has seen them," Intrepid agreed without scruples, her eyes twinkling.

Anakin; also was smiling in a weird way. "What are you two talking about?" Ahsoka asked, obviously as in the dark as she was. "Oh, nothing, nothing…Be sure Obi-wan doesn't hear you say that, Intrepid, he'll have my head," Anakin snickered.

Intrepid gave a tight half-shrug of diligence, though her emerald eyes still had an impudent sparkle in them. "We are sworn and bound to the truth, master," she pointed out meekly.

Anakin laughed. "That's true. And it is for the common good, really, Luke and Leia keep saying they want cousins," Anakin contemplated. A light went off in Padme's head.

"Are you two seriously talking about that?" She squawked as Ahsoka chuckled softly, shaking her head. "What? I'm tired of waiting, Padme! It's about time he lectured someone else," Anakin stopped, considering.

"Besides, I want a little youngling to be a bad influence on. I've already got it all planned out. First, I'm gonna teach him Huttese," he prattled away cheerily. Intrepid was the one to let out a squawking noise of indignation this time. "You are not teaching that child barbaric things!" She scolded protectively. Padme rolled her eyes.

"And if it's a girl?" She demanded of them. "A girl is good too. I can still teach her Huttese. It's not a language that leans on one gender," Anakin assured her of his native tongue's equality status. "Obi-wan will murder you," Ahsoka warned. Anakin shrugged and threw one arm around his knee, grinning.

"Oh, no, that'd set a bad example! We mustn't murder the uncle, now! And then after that, I'm going to take him to pod-races and show him how to deal with the greasy popcorn people," he established.

"Dare you try that with my children," Padme mumbled threateningly. Intrepid narrowed her eyes at Anakin. "We will take my little girl and show her museums and teach her philosophy and how to ballroom dance," she said firmly.

"How do you know it'll be a girl?" Ahsoka asked curiously. "Healers intuition," Intrepid replied confidently. "Oh, yeah? Well, I have Chosen One's intuition. And I say it'll be a boy!" Anakin asserted once more.

"And my boy will not be turned into another teacher's pet, thank you! I'm going to teach him to be rogue," Anakin declared bravely. Intrepid cocked one dangerous eyebrow. "Over my dead body will you pollute my girl," was her eloquent response, delivered dead-pan.

"It's going to be a boy!"

"Girl!"

"Boy!"

"Girl!"

"What's going to be a boy or girl?" Padme swiveled around to notice Obi-wan Kenobi and Nava Venerate standing right behind them curiously. Anakin and Intrepid broke off from their argument to turn to the parents of their imaginary child. "Nothing," they said in unison, quickly. "Your child," Ahsoka and Padme added in unison a half second behind.

Obi-wan and Nava cocked the exact same eyebrow in astonishment. "Are you two going on about this again?" Nava sighed, crossing her arms just as her husband stroked his beard, brows thundering. Neither of their apprentices noticed. "Yes, we are," Intrepid said churlishly.

"I believe they've banded together, Nava," said the Negotiator, with some amusement. "Strength in numbers," Nava grunted. "Master, I want a baby," Anakin pouted. "Then go make one yourself. I thought you had a wife," Obi-wan told him confusedly. "His wife is done with children," Padme piped in as the official representative of this 'wife' person.

"I want you to make one! A boy, please," Anakin requested. "It will be a girl!" Intrepid cried, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "Boy!" Anakin disagreed. "We are not having children, and why you talking about this in public?" Nava asked, glancing around. The clones, though, were ignoring them as usual. Padme had a feeling they were used to this.

"No, please continue. I'm having fun," Ahsoka said, with a wave of her hand. She was, indeed, grinning with amusement. Padme leaned back, having fun herself. "A child is not something you order like you would a meal on a menu, anyways," Obi-wan continued lightly.

"We're too old for children, all the same. Another few decades with another? No thank you," Nava snorted. "But I would teach her philosophy," Intrepid tried to cajole. "No, I would teach him how to be a rogue," Anakin corrected. "I sense war on the horizon," Obi-wan predicted theatrically.

"Oh, come on master! I've always wanted to be a bad influence," Anakin said again, appealing to his friend. At times like these, Padme counted Obi-wan lucky he could not see Anakin's expression. It was heartbreaking; surely the compassionate man would melt underneath it. Obi-wan smiled gently. "Anakin, don't you know? You already are a bad influence. In fact, when we give examples of how not to act to the younglings, we just use you," he said cheerily.

Padme laughed. "I can believe that!" she hooted. Anakin feigned heartbreak. "Obi-wan, that hurt my feelings," he pouted. "You will survive," Obi-wan assured him.

Intrepid sighed. "I suppose it's a losing fight, Anakin. We'll try again after the battle," she planned. Anakin nodded mournfully and vanished beneath his starfighter once more. "Ah, family," Padme sighed with a cheeky grin. "You're telling me," Nava moaned.

Intrepid nodded. "We'd better go bolt Lux down," she said to Ahsoka, who nodded and followed her back to the med-bay. "Is Mace alright?" Obi-wan inquired of Anakin. "He is. He said he just needs time," Anakin sighed as she handed him back his device and stood. "I'd better find Bail and ready the rescue Bird," she suggested.

"Good luck," Nava snorted. "I 'm off to my own ship. I sense trouble afoot," she said. Padme allowed a small smile of herself. "Nava, when don't you sense trouble afoot?" She asked.

"When Anakin isn't in the room," Nava laughed. "Hey! I only bring trouble when I'm near a ship," she heard the grin in his voice. "As which it follows, you all had better run," he warned. Padme snorted.

"If I were afraid of getting into trouble, Ani, I wouldn't have married you," she replied. "Cheers to that," Obi-wan agreed neutrally. Padme laughed and walked off, yet Nava's unspoken worry hung in the air riveting through her mind. There was a sense of frenzied uncertainty spreading throughout the ships. As if Armageddon itself was here.