Chapter Six: A Traitor In Our Midst (Part One)
So...it's been a really long time since I last updated. I have been going through a really tough bout of writer's block and haven't been able to find the right words to express the few ideas I've come up with. If you're reading this story for the first time or if you read it months ago, thank you for taking a chance on me and my fic! Enjoy!
. . . . .
Count Dooku paced the floors of his office, anxiously tapping the ends of his fingers together. The words of Sidious lingered in his head and the weight of both fear and failure seemed to multiply with every step. He would deny it to his final breath, but Count Dooku was scared.
He let out a heavy breath before retreating to the slight comfort of his desk. Dooku pinched the bridge of his nose, willing away the headache he had had all day. Just as he was about to find something to drink, he heard a chime from above his door, signaling that someone was outside. Pushing away his preliminary angers of another droid coming in to report the simplest of problems that could be solved in a matter of seconds, Dooku sat up in his chair and prepared for the visitor.
"Come in," He said, his cold and menacing tone echoing throughout his melancholy office.
To his surprise, the doors opened to reveal Ventress, not a senseless battle droid. She strode through the doorway and stopped in front of his desk, waiting for permission to speak.
"What is it Ventress?" Dooku asked, desperately hoping that she didn't have bad news for him.
"We will be arriving at the Klarno's planet in less than four standard hours, Master," Ventress reported. "What preparations do you wish for me to make?"
Dooku smirked as he mentally reviewed their plan of attack. "If all has gone as planned, we needn't bring anything but ourselves and two battalions of droids. The fate of our inevitable battle is in the hands of our spy."
Ventress smiled mischievously as she began to speak. "The best way to bring down a government is always to do it from the inside."
With that statement, Ventress turned on her heel and swiftly walked to the exit. As the durasteel door flew open, Ventress abruptly paused to speak.
"And if that doesn't work, you kill it yourself."
. . . . .
Obi-wan Kenobi gazed intently at the map of the Klarno's planet, studying the landscape and terrain of the land. He, Jessie, Tup, Kix, Coric, and Cody were gathered around a table, brainstorming ideas to find their MIA comrades.
"Does anyone know where they went? A direction they traveled?" Obi-wan asked, his patience wearing thin as any new evidence about his friends' locations evaded him.
"We know where they were headed, but we don't have any concrete evidence that they actually made it there," Kix said.
"And we could make a rough guess as to the path they travelled, but we couldn't be sure," Jessie added.
Obi-wan sighed and hung his head, weariness creeping into his features. He and the clones had searched for hours in hope of finding any information at all, but so far they had come up empty handed.
Just as Obi-wan was about to call it a day (for the others, not himself) he heard deep laughter to his left. Out of curiosity, he turned to see what was going on. He saw a group of four clones gathered around a comlink affixed to a strange but sleek looking contraption.
Obi-wan walked towards the clones and began to overhear bits of their conversation.
"Do you think...knows we're listening?"
"I can't believe he said that!"
"What's going on over here?" Obi-wan asked when he finally reached the group.
"N-nothing General!" One of the clones stuttered, a guilty expression appearing on his face.
"What is that machine? What does it do?" Kenobi pressed.
Before the first clone could make up another excuse, one in the back placed a hand on his shoulder and stepped forward. "It's my machine, Sir," he said. "It can monitor transmissions and conversations by picking up on nearby frequencies and activating comlinks. We were listening to a conversation between two of our friends."
Obi-wan was about to reprimand them for eavesdropping when he had an idea.
"Could it be used to listen to something that happened a while ago?"
"I believe so, Sir" the clone said, a look of confusion quickly spreading through his face when he realized he wasn't being punished.
"Then grab your device and follow me," Kenobi said, turning around and heading back to his companions near the map.
"Sir, yes, Sir!" Replied the clone.
. . . . .
Well, well, well, here we are again, at the end of the chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and hope that you will like the following ones, too. Now, it's time to address the elephant in the room: There's a traitor in our midst! Is there one, or are there multiple? Have we met them, or are we yet to meet them? Will you be surprised or will it be obvious? Is there even a traitor, or is Dooku bluffing? Tell me your theories! As for the people who have requested and OC either by reviews or by PM, I have a plan to introduce all of them very soon! May the force be with you!
-Olivia :)