Chapter 39
Mace Windu was not having a good week. First of all, the bounty hunters that had been captured by Skywalker and Obi-Wan had been broken out of prison. Thankfully Ziro was still imprisoned. Quinlan Vos had been sent out to try and recover the bounty hunters but Windu didn't have much faith in any results. Bane was a slippery fellow and it was he who was believed to have led the breakout.
Suddenly he was regretting letting Skywalker and Obi-Wan both have time off. They did deserve it, and it did make sense for them to take time off at the same time, but it was still inconvenient. Those two had some of the best success rates of the entire order.
To make matters worse they seemed no closer to finding Dooku. He was the key to ending this war, just as he had been the key to starting it. Windu sighed. He frequently lectured Skywalker, and many other Jedi, about attachment and yet he had been unable to kill his old friend, despite knowing he was the shatterpoint that would lead to war. Well, he certainly wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Especially given that he knew what was at stake. They simply could not afford to lose.
News was coming in that Dooku had a new apprentice, but nobody knew who. Anyone who had seen this new person had not survived. This worried Mace, he hoped it was not the mysterious apprentice of Palpatine. At the same time, if they could discover who it was now then that would hopefully give them an advantage. They were about a year away from the rough date Obi-Wan had given him for the original fall of the Republic. A year was not a long time for good enough training to beat a Jedi Knight like Skywalker. Still, the closer they got to the date, the less time there was.
"Master Windu?" One of the younglings was standing behind him, looking a little nervous.
"Yes?" He asked kindly.
"Master Yoda is looking for you. Apparently there is to be a Council meeting." He said, spitting out the words exceptionally quickly.
"Thank you." Windu said with a slight smile. The youngling nodded, bowed and left. Windu sighed. He wondered what new bad news this would bring. It wasn't far to the Council chambers so he made it there before many of the other members. They slowly filtered in or appeared as a hologram. To his surprise Ahsoka Tano walked. Wasn't she supposed to be on Kamino? Windu rolled his eyes. What had Skywalker's Padawan done now? He could almost feel the headache coming on.
"We have heard that you used your Jedi status to smuggle Senator Amidala to Raxus for an illegal meeting with a member of the Separatist Senate. Is this true?" Kit Fisto asked her. Windu almost groaned. Why had they thought Skywalker was ready for a Padawan? Clearly he was a terrible influence.
"Yes." Ahsoka admitted.
"You are aware that such a meeting is highly illegal?" Ki-Adi Mundi asked.
"Yes. Senator Amidala did inform me so."
"You also abused your status as a Jedi." Windu told her sternly. Ahsoka looked down. He sighed.
"Grave, this misdeed is." Yoda stated. "Explain, why."
"I heard the Senate going on about deregulating banks to pay for the war. That this war seems to have no end in sight. Senator Amidala said she used to be friends with someone who might be able to help. I just wanted to help her try and negotiate peace." Ahsoka sighed. Windu considered her. Her intentions might have been good but her actions were illegal and highly dangerous. He wondered where she got that from. "It worked. The Separatist Senator got the Separatists to extend the hand of peace. They agreed to try negotiations." She continued.
"Yet Coruscant was attacked." Saesee Tiin pointed out.
"It must have been someone who doesn't want the war to end. There are still plenty of people who are profiting from the war." Ahsoka pointed out.
"Be that as it may, what you did was still illegal." Windu pointed out. "Whatever your intentions. We shall be speaking to Knight Skywalker upon his return. Until then you will be confined to guarding the archives." He stated.
"Yes, Master." She muttered, her head still bowed.
"You are dismissed. Please report to Madame Jocasta Nu." Windu told her. She nodded and left. He sat back in his chair and bit back another groan. Bloody Skywalker and his teachings. Strangely that thought didn't have as much bite in it as it once would have done.
Anakin and Obi-Wan were having a lovely time on Naboo. The apartments they were staying in were lovely. He had seen them only briefly when guarding Padme given that they headed straight to Tatooine. They spent most of the week out and exploring the lakes. He may have thrown Obi-Wan into a couple but that favour had been soon returned. It was very isolated and despite being a popular tourist destination, they saw nobody else. It was incredibly freeing being able to touch or kiss Obi-Wan whenever he wanted, without having to scan the area to make sure they were alone first.
They spent at least two days in bed all day, neither of them wanting to get up. Those were particularly fun days where the two spent an awful lot of time learning about each other's bodies along with a few other activities. They also celebrated the new year together the evening before their last day. It was perfect. They had taken a picnic out to one of the lakes and lay together, drinks in hand, watching the fireworks coming from Theed. Both of them hoped that by the next year they would be able to do this again, having won the war.
Their last afternoon drew to a close much quicker than either of them would have liked. Anakin could scarcely believe it had been two whole weeks. He felt lighter and freer than he ever had before. He wanted this to be permanent. Not just a holiday. They clambered into bed that night, facing each other and chatting quietly.
"I can't believe we have to go back tomorrow." Anakin sighed.
"Me either. Still, hopefully it will all be over soon."
"I still wonder how I'm, or anyone really, is supposed to bring balance to the Force. Destroying all the Sith surely doesn't create balance. That shifts everything to the light. Would it not mean embracing all sides of the Force?" Anakin frowned. It had troubled him for a long time. Obi-Wan looked at him and shrugged.
"Honestly, I don't know. The actual prophecy supposedly says 'A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored.' Other versions include the statement that the Chosen One will destroy the Sith. There are many interpretations and any one of them could be correct or we could all be wrong." Obi-Wan told him. Anakin sighed. It wasn't fair to expect Obi-Wan to have all the answers but questions still plagued him. Maybe it was for the best that he planned to leave the Jedi with Obi-Wan. How could he bring ultimate balance when he was planted firmly in one way on thinking and rejected other teachings of the Force? Anakin was confused and decided against any further thinking for that evening. He wanted to just enjoy his last free night with Obi-Wan for a while.
The next morning dawned bright but cool. They reluctantly got themselves ready and left the apartments, making their way back to the ship. It was a marginally shorter trip back to Coruscant from Naboo but it would still take a few hours. When they finally arrived back in the Captial, both Jedi were summoned to a Council meeting before they even had time to unpack their bags.
"What can I possibly have done now?" Anakin wondered. "I've been gone for two weeks."
"Maybe we are needed on a mission." Obi-Wan suggested. They put their things in the apartment and changed back into Jedi robes. Then they headed to the Council chambers. Everyone else was already there. Obi-Wan took his seat while Anakin stood, facing Windu.
"Good to see you both back. I hope your respective meditative retreats were fruitful." Windu said.
"Yes, thank you, Master." Anakin inclined his head. Obi-Wan simply nodded and smiled.
"Well, Skywalker, there has been an incident with your Padawan." Anakin felt a flash of panic.
"Is she alright?" He asked quickly.
"Padawan Tano is fine. However, last week she used her position as a Jedi to sneak Senator Amidala to Raxus for an illegal meeting with a member of the Separatist Senate." Windu informed him. Anakin had to bite back a groan. He could picture the eye roll Obi-Wan was giving right now. Part of him was sure she had a reason but getting caught was not good. This would not help her reputation which was most likely already stained from being his Padawan.
"That's...unfortunate." He said slowly.
"Indeed." Windu was giving him an unimpressed look as if Anakin had told her to do such a thing. "She has been on duty guarding the archives this week instead of on Kamino. We trust you will speak with her about this matter and ensure it doesn't happen again." Windu stated.
"Yes, Master." Anakin nodded.
"We must impress the seriousness of such an act. Both the illegality of such a meeting and the abuse of power is troubling. If Padawan Tano does something similar again, we will be forced to consider if she is mature enough to be a Padawan at all." Kit Fisto said. Anakin sighed. He couldn't really complain about that. Ahsoka could have got herself arrested doing such a thing. His main fault with her was getting caught though. He knew she would not take such a risk without good reason. He would speak with her about why she did it before pressing the matter with the Council. It would do no good to argue when he did not know the full story.
"Of course, Master Fisto. I shall speak with her." Anakin promised. Maybe not the talk they wanted him to have with her, but he would speak with Ahsoka. Then they filled him and Obi-Wan in on what had happened in their time off. Quite a lot as it happened. Obi-Wan certainly looked more unhappy than the rest at the mention of Dooku's new apprentice. He probably knew who it was. They had missed the battle at Sullust where Ki-Adi Mundi and Luminara Unduli won a close victory. Ventress was presumed dead. That was certainly something, except Anakin had a feeling she wasn't dead at all. One glance at Obi-Wan confirmed his first thought.
Once the rest of the Council had been dismissed, Yoda and Windu called Anakin and Obi-Wan to stay behind. They showed them some footage from Devaron. Obi-Wan sighed.
"Yes, that would be Savage Opress. I believe he is Maul's brother."
"Grave, this is." Yoda stated.
"Indeed." Windu frowned. "Do you know where he is heading next?" Obi-Wan thought for a minute.
"I believe he is going to go to Toydaria. Last time he killed the Toydarian King."
"We cannot allow that to happen. You and Skywalker must stop him." Windu said.
"It will not be easy. None of us were able to kill him in my previous timeline." Obi-Wan told them.
"We will manage, Obi-Wan." Anakin said confidently. But the look on the other man's face made his confidence falter slightly. This Savage must be pretty damn powerful to make Obi-Wan look even remotely close to scared. Finally Obi-Wan nodded.
"We should leave now if we are to beat him to Toydaria." They left the Council chambers and went straight to the Jedi hangar to pick up their starships. As they flew, Obi-Wan gave him a brief overview of what he knew about their opponent. They arrived on Toydaria and the guards led them in to see the King. He greeted them politely and Anakin had to hide his distaste. They may have been pleasant enough but all they did was remind him of Watto. Now, while Watto had certainly not been the worst Master he could have ended up with, it was still not a pleasant reminder. Obi-Wan squeezed his arm and then dropped his hand but walked close enough to him that their hands brushed occasionally.
"Your Highness. We regret to inform you that we have come across information that points to a Separatist threat to your life." Obi-Wan told the King. He angrily spat out a few curse words and ideas for what the Separatists could do to themselves that Anakin understood but Obi-Wan clearly didn't. Probably for the best. Some of those suggestions were not anatomically possible. "We are here to offer protection."
"We thank you, Jedi." The King replied, not sounding particularly grateful. Then there was a loud crash from outside.
"Well, it seems like we have company." Anakin muttered. They both turned to face the door, lightsabers ready. A huge figure came bursting through, throwing back the Toydarian guards. It was the largest Zabrak male Anakin had ever seen. His horns were huge and his face was yellow and brown. He snarled angrily as the two Jedi prepared themselves to fight.
"We'll take him together." Obi-Wan said.
"Definitely." Anakin agreed. The monster approached and its eyes fixed on Anakin. He only had a moment to wonder why it seemed so interested in him when there was a flurry of blows from either side. It was clear that he was not used to fighting with a lightsaber, his technique was sloppy at best. But he was incredibly strong. Anakin met one of his blows and was easily forced backwards. That had never happened before, not even in his fight with Maul. A strong kick sent his lightsaber flying and made him yell as his wrist was broken. Kriffing hell, he cursed inwardly. Thankfully Obi-Wan jumped in and provided a distraction. This allowed Anakin to regain his feet and summon his lightsaber back but he wasn't able to rejoin the fight quickly enough to prevent Obi-Wan being thrown violently across the room.
"Obi-Wan!" He cried. The other man was unconscious.
"Skywalker!" The monster growled. Anakin raised an eyebrow. Why did this thing know about him? Ah. Maybe it had somehow found out he had been the one to kill Maul. Hadn't Obi-Wan said they were brothers? Quite how this thing knew that was beyond him. Only Ventress had that knowledge, aside from the Jedi. He didn't have time to ponder any further as the Zabrak came racing at him. Anakin dodged to the side and slashed, taking off an arm/ Savage howled with rage and pain.
Anakin briefly noted that the Toydarian King was flying high above them, thankfully out of range. However, Savage seemed to be paying the King no attention. He was firmly fixed on Anakin. At least this kept him away from Obi-Wan. He dodged another attack, jumping up and over his head. The red lightsaber swung up to meet him but he twisted in mid air, only just avoiding the blow. It did get close enough to rip his robes though. He had to fight with his left hand, given his broken wrist but at least he still had his arm. Although, losing an arm didn't seem to slow Savage down at all. Anakin attempted a Hawk Bat Swoop which grazed the beast's shoulder. Another angered snarl erupted from him. Anakin dodged the red blade aiming for his face but a powerful kick connected with his knee. He was forced to the floor and before he could react a boot came racing towards his face and everything went black.
He woke sometime later feeling rather uncomfortable. The source of his discomfort seemed to be, well, everything. Pained groans reached his ears along with the crackling of electricity. Without opening his eyes, he was able to tell that he was lying on a metal floor with his wrists bound behind his back. This was particularly painful given the state of his right wrist. Moving his legs a little, he discovered that his ankles were also bound and he probably had a broken knee. Opening his eyes, he saw that he appeared to be on the bridge of a ship. Dooku was standing in front of him with his back to him. There was a large desk thing between them. On the desk was his lightsaber. Kneeling in front of Dooku, was Savage. Dooku appeared to be hitting him with lightning.
"I said to bring me the Toydarian King." Dooku was saying angrily. Well, hopefully that meant they had succeeded in saving the King then.
"Skywalker killed my brother." Savage stated with equal anger.
"You think I care? You failed in your mission." Dooku snapped. "However, my Master will be quite pleased to have Skywalker."
"No. I want to kill him." Savage argued. More lightning. Anakin was definitely sure he wanted Savage to win this particular argument. He would rather die than be taken to Palpatine. Still, he rather hoped someone would come for him before it reached that stage. As long as Obi-Wan called for help. Anakin prayed that Obi-Wan would not be stupid and try to rescue him alone.
"You will not kill him. Now, you are dismissed until I call for you again." Dooku told him. Savage snarled. He was hit with lightning until he finally left the room. Dooku then turned to Anakin. "Ah, young Skywalker. So wonderful to see you again."
"I wish I could say the same." Anakin spat.
"Now, now." Dooku raised an eyebrow at him. "My Master would be quite pleased to have captured you. However, I think you could do a lot better, serving me instead." Now it was Anakin's turn to raise an eyebrow. He struggled to sit upright and stared at Dooku in astonishment.
"You want me, to join you?" He asked in disbelief.
"Indeed. The Republic is corrupt. The Jedi are corrupt. You must have seen it." Dooku insisted. "Together, we could overthrow my Master and rule a better galaxy together. My current apprentice...well, he is not quite right."
"You don't say." Anakin muttered. "Look, I may not agree with everything the Jedi do but I certainly don't want to destroy them."
"Who said anything about destroying the Jedi? We simply need to teach them." Dooku said calmly.
"And you think they'll listen to us, do you? Not a chance."
"We would make them. Teach the new Jedi."
"As a Sith, aren't there only supposed to be two?" Anakin asked.
"So narrow minded." Dooku tutted. "We would rule together as Master and Apprentice but I admit to seeing the need to have the Jedi as peacekeepers. They have simply fallen into corruption and need to be cleansed." Anakin frowned at him.
"Two people ruling the galaxy sounds like an awful lot of work. I'm afraid I wouldn't be cut out for such a thing." Anakin told him. "But you could end this war. You told Obi-Wan there is a Sith Lord in the Senate. Tell us who he is and we can overthrow him. Then we can work on sorting out the galaxy, through proper democracy." Anakin suggested. Dooku eyed him curiously.
"You've certainly been taking lessons from Master Kenobi." His lips twitched into an almost smile. "Your suggestion is an intriguing one. Except that the Republic would execute me for my supposed crimes."
"Not exactly supposed crimes." Anakin muttered under his breath. "But maybe not if you helped end it. You control the Separatist Senate. You would be the key to ending the war peacefully. Besides, removing a Sith from the Republic Senate would be a good way to start removing the corruption." He pointed out.
"The Jedi would never allow it." Dooku reminded him. Anakin sighed in frustration. It almost felt like they were getting somewhere until they weren't.
"You could at least tell us who your Master is." Anakin said. "Save you a job of overthrowing him."
"You haven't guessed?" Dooku mocked.
"We have some ideas but proof is required."
"My word would not count as proof. They would be very sure to accuse me of lying."
"It would give us a cause to at least start an investigation. You were a Jedi once, Dooku. You may believe they are corrupt but you believed in their ideals once. Surely you cannot want this war to keep going with no end in sight? Your master is playing both sides of the war and it will only end when he wants it to. There is no need for more innocent blood to be spilt." Anakin tried desperately to convince him to just give up the name so he could report it to the Council. Dooku studied him thoughtfully. There was silence for several, long minutes. Finally Dooku opened his mouth but the doors behind him opened. Anakin was just about to curse Obi-Wan's timing when he saw it was Ventress and Savage. This wasn't good. Given what Obi-Wan had told him, they were here to kill Dooku. He was currently defenseless and likely to get hit in the crossfire, especially given that Savage wanted him dead.
Dooku was caught by surprise and ordered Savage to kill Ventress. The assassin laughed at him, saying that Savage worked for her. A fight broke out. Anakin summoned his lightsaber to himself, thanking the Force that he wasn't wearing Force suppression cuffs. He cut himself free but had the problem of a broken knee making it rather difficult to stand, let alone move. He would have to be content, defending himself if the fight came near him. Dooku constantly blasted Savage with lightning. Ventress did manage to kick him backwards, forcing Anakin to dive sideways out of the way. He groaned when he landed on his dodgy knee and this unfortunately drew Savage's attention. Ignoring Dooku, he turned towards Anakin. Ventress yelled at him but he ignored her too. Just wonderful.
Anakin brought his lightsaber up just in time to deflect the powerful blow coming towards him. His maneuverability was severely compromised so he was forced to keep deflecting rather than attempt to attack. Across the room, Ventress and Savage were fighting once more but it was clear she was no match for Dooku alone. Anakin rolled to the side to avoid another attack, too powerful for him to risk blocking. Dooku then distracted Savage with more lightning. This allowed Anakin to swing his lightsaber around, close to the ground. He sliced straight through the ankle. Savage fell to the ground beside him and Anakin found himself engaged in the strangest battle he had ever been in. Neither of them could stand, or move properly, meaning they were trying to fight while both struggling to sit up. Anakin's wrist was broken and Savage was missing an arm but sadly this slowed down Anakin far more than Savage. He was a monster.
Ventress was clearly losing and suddenly disappeared down a pipe or vent of some sort. Dooku gave chase, leaving Anakin and Savage in the room. Then the doors opened once more and Obi-Wan came rushing in.
"Anakin!" He called.
"Over here." Anakin called back, grunting as he blocked another attack. Obi-Wan was by his side in an instant, taking over the battle for him. This allowed him to finally draw breath. He offered up some of his pain to the Force which cleared his head a little. Savage edged closer to where Ventress and Dooku had disappeared, throwing himself down the vent before he lost his life. Obi-Wan immediately turned back to Anakin.
"Injuries?" He asked.
"Broken wrist and knee." Obi-Wan scooped him up bridal style and began carrying him out.
"Did you come alone?" Anakin asked.
"Yes. There wasn't time. By the time I regained consciousness, you and Savage were both gone but not by long. I followed him to his ship and watched him take off. He had managed to destroy both our starships so I had to borrow one from the Toydarians to get here. They were so grateful we saved their King that they didn't mind."
"Oh good. The King is alive." Anakin sighed in relief.
"Yes, he lost quite a few guards but was unharmed in the end."
"It was foolish to come after me alone, given that you knew Dooku and Savage would be here."
"You would have done the same for me." Obi-Wan told him pointedly. Yeah, there was no denying that, They reached the ship but a load of droids were waiting in the hangar. Anakin rolled out of Obi-Wan's arms, using the Force to cushion his fall. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan looked down to check he was ok before blasters started being fired. It only took a few seconds for the older man to dispose of the droids and pick up Anakin once more. "Please warn me before you do that."
"There was no time." Anakin shrugged. They boarded the ship and took off. Once they were in hyperspace, Obi-Wan took him to the medbay and checked him over. Anakin took more painkillers and some healing aids so he would begin to heal quicker but he would require a bacta tank if he was to be in fighting shape anytime soon. He hated bacta tanks.