Chapter Ten: Take the First Step of Peace

The dark and perpetual storm of Topcoat City did not let up as Anakin carried the Sith in the makeshift sack. Anakin could feel Palatine within the struggle like a group of womprats within the confinement and shivered as he remembered how the young Dragon once viewed the man as a boy. I can't believe I ever looked up to him!

Ahsoka gently touched then troubled young man's mind. We were all fooled, and the Jedi are the oNes who set you adrift without any emotional support in your early life. Anakin's companion said wisely. You reached out for the first emotional anchors you could find as a child.

Padme and Palpatine… Anakin groaned before he bent low and made an odd sound: a fusion of a growl and retching.

Once the moment of nausea passed, Anakin heard cackling from inside the bag. The Darith Hybrid quickly took his prisoner high in Komino's storm-blotted sky. With a grin, Anakin waited, the bag suspended in the air by feet claws. A blood blade exploded out of the containment as the fabric burned away in the a mad rage, Palpatine slashed the bag in half and dropped like a stone towards the frenzied sea below.

Palpatine cursed and railed on Anakin even as he fell with his sabers still swinging wildly to strike Anakin. "You think you've won?" The Sith spat over the howl of wind and crash of thunder. "The Dark Side will always have those who want power!"

Anakin debated letting the sea have him while the beast fell. Then, with an annoyed huff, Anakin folded his wings and darted for the falling man. When Palpatine screamed in pain, Anakin only dug his claws a little deeper in the man's hands and banked to return to the Aether after Anakin dove and caught the fallen lightsabers in his tail. This made flying a little harder, but Anakin did manage.

As the young man landed, he could only smile as the ship roared to life. Anakin then walked over to the door to see Ahsoka with her arms crossed as she leaned on the inside bulkhead. The Togruta flashed a deadly frown at the old man. Then, she deftly caught the captive's sabers from a flick of Anakin's tail and sealed the sabers away in a drawer near the co-pilot chair.

"I wonder how much he would pay to see you fry." Anakin said as he glared at the Sith Dartha. "Then again, there are my people to consider." Anakin turned to Ahsoka. "What do you think, Snips?"

Ahsoka got up and glared hard at Sidious. "He may be much weaker with The Force, Skyguy, but The Sith are still Jedi territory." Ahsoka's lip curled in disgust. "Then again, they can't feel the grip of The Dark Side all around the Order."

Anakin nodded. "The Order has become decadent and full of frightened fools." Anakin then glared at Palpatine. "No, we won't bring him there first." We'll bring him to Raxus.

Ahsoka looked at Anakin in shock. "You really want to leave The Dark Lord with nothing to maneuver."

Anakin growled and punched Palpatine. The impact drove the air from the monster's lungs and kept him from screaming while the force of the blow broke half the man's ribs. As a result of the trauma and an inability to draw on The Force to remain awake through the pain, the Sith collapsed into unconsciousness. "The less movement an opponent can use against you, the faster you can defeat them, Snips."

Ahsoka nodded and had to fight a smirk. That's not a tactical move Jedi would approve. Ahsoka looked at Anakin in wonder at this new side of him awakened by going to Earon. Maybe Mandolorians but not Jedi…

Anakin smiled as he looked down at his blue astromech friend. "Artoo, set course for Raxus."

Artoo gave a few startled beeps and whirs in confusion.

"I know, buddy." Anakin said as he put his hand on the top of the blue and silver droid. "Trust me. This is the fastest way to end the war."

Ahsoka looked at Anakin. "I think Ive go an in on Raxus that will at least allow us too be heard by The Separatist Senate." Ahsoka put her hand on Anakin's. "Remember Lux?"

Anakin nodded. "I remember him." The Dragon said with an uncomfortable nod. "His mother is the Senate Chair?"

Ahsoka nodded and slowly opened to Anakin about her time with Lux. Lex was attracted to me, and I had a crush on him. She told Anakin. As a Jedi with little memory of how to react to those feelings, I hurried them, and they died out. With a smile, Ahsoka touched her Mark gently and felt a sort of 'back feed" through their Bond.

Anakin suddenly felt an overwhelming calm take him. When the Halfling recovered, he looked at Ahsoka in shock. "What was that?!"

Ahsoka shrugged. "I touched my Mark to reassure you." The embarrassed girl said as her Lekku colored a little deeper blue. "We are each other's forever."

Anakin sighed and looked at Ahsoka apologetically. "I should have known better."

Ahsoka shook her head. "You're not a mindless machine, Anakin," Ahsoka said gently. "You're allowed to feel emotions as they come and go." Ahsoka hugged Anakin from behind. "Let's both go to bed. We've both had a long rotation and could use the rest."

Anakin raised a brow. "…but Raxus?"

Ahsoka laughed. "Artoo can alert us." The Togruta assured her Mate. "Now, come on, Skyguy." Ahsoka said as she climbed in a bunk.

Anakin followed her and wrapped his wings around her as they settled into sleep. "Sleep well, Snips."

Down on surface in the Confederacy of Independent System's Parliament, Dooku felt a whisper of Sidious' Force Signature. Curiously, it was dwarfed by two powerful Signatures as they flanked the Dark Lord on either side. I don't understand. Is this one The Chosen of the Force?

Even as the man stood and looked out the window of his office, the count couldn't help a feeling of discomfort. Dooku could remember his old Padawan and Qui-Gon's adamant insistence to train young Anakin because he was certain of the boy's fate while The Jedi Order remained blind to much in the galaxy. For the uncountable time, Dooku stood in thought and reached out to The Force in confusion. Am I truly doing the right thing? The man let out a long sigh as avians flew in the cloudless sky above him.

Death and pain need to exist to prod the Galaxy into change, my Apprentice. Sidious oiled out into his mind. The Jedi failed to protect Qui-Gon, and peace will never exist with them.

The wise voice of his old master offered rebuttal. Trust in The Force, you must, my Padawan.

"How can I trust The Force when it took one I saw as my son?!" Dooku balled his fist in a show of anger. Then, with a sigh, the man began to prepare to meet his Master. A single sharp stab in The Force made Dooku stager for a moment. The odd thing about the attempt at punishment lay in its lack of strength, much weaker and almost pure rage rather than the "normal" steady flow from the Dark Side given by Sidious in his shown rages. Why is Sidious suddenly so weak? Dooku pondered the strange occurrence even as the man made his way out toward the landing bay to meet his weakened Master.

As the Aether landed, Ahsoka looked at Palatine with some worry. What are we going to do with him, Anakin?

I want to show The Separatists this war for the falsehood it is. Anakin growled before he got up from the pilot chair and hauled Palpatine to his feet. "Come, Excellency."

Palpatine felt a shiver roll down his back. Normally, anger such as what Anakin put on full display as he looked ahead to The Separatist Parliament would fill the Sith with twisted , the rage from Anakin scared Palpatine even as he fought back against his building fear with a snarl. This child won't undo thousands of years of work in a single move! Palpatine looked angrily at Anakin before the man looked at his hands, gnarled and twisted as they were with years of pure Bogan use. The Sith Lord scoffed and reached out to twist The Force to his will and reform the mask of a kind, wise man. However, Sidious recoiled in agony as The Force itself seemed to bite at him like a diseased canid. "How?!" Sidious roared in defiance as he glared at Anakin in a fury.

Anakin breathed deeply and took in the beauty of the world around him without much notice or care about the corrupt Dartha fool. Instead, Anakin busied himself with the scenery of the splendid world, green and color seemed to flow from the planet as the duo of Force Users escorted their prisoner to his hearing before the Separatists. Oddly, the buildings around the three visitors seemed to mesh with Raxus' natural glory.

Ahsoka stopped as she sensed Count Dooku. His presence didn't put her on edge as it would before. If it could bae believed, the Togruta felt a glimmer of hope in the old man as he walked up to the pair of former Jedi. Do you feel that, Skyguy?

Anakin nodded. There's a flicker of peace in him. The young Dragon agreed. It's strange.

Dooku shook his head as he sensed Sidious' bloody crystals with the male reptilian stranger instead of his former master's robes. "I never expected to meet you here without a lightsaber."

Sidious grinned in some sick satisfaction at Dooku. "Do you know who it was that killed Qui-Gon, Dooku?" The man let loose with a deranged cackle. "I sent Maul to kill the weak Jedi." Sidious' eyes glittered with an almost ecstatic euphoria. "Give yourself to me, my apprentice." Sidious urged. "Kill my captors!"

Anakin put a clawed hand on Dooku's shoulder. "Qui-Gon would not want this, Dooku." The Darith looked the conflicted old man and smiled. "Come with us into the Parliament and seek justice for Qui-Gon rather than empty vengeance."

"I am too old." Dooku said quietly as he let buried pain slowly surface. "I cannot turn back."

Anakin laughed. "Among those of my father's race, the Darith, the four of us are considered Hatchlings." Anakin gently began to soothe old wounds in the man's connection to The Force. "The only ones unable to regain Balance are those like Sidious, irrevocably broken by The Bogan or those so swallowed by the Ashla, they become blind to the natural link to the Bogan in all sentient beings."

Dooku blinked as he digested the wisdom from this stranger. "Who are you?" The Confederacy Head of State asked as they entered the meeting hall.

A cacophony of voices resounded off the walls of the chamber. Among the faces, Ahsoka looked up and met the eyes of a certain senator from Onderon. He shook his head with a soft smile and walked down to the floor to meet her. However, the boy froze in his tracks when he saw Anakin.

"Hello, A-Ahsoka."

Ahsoka shook her head and looked at Anakin then Dooku. "I'm…" she grunted at the strain Palpatine put on her mind with it now divided between the Sith and Lux. "…this isn't an enjoyable time!"

Dooku looked as if he wanted to laugh but remained composed. The count then simply strolled up to the main speech platform and gestured widely. As if by magic, the room stilled. "Senators of this great Confederacy of Independent Systems, I bring grave news."

Whispers erupted into fear and shouting. Most were scared because it looked as if Jedi were dispatched to oversee a final surrender of the CIS. Anakin could feel the fear and anger as could the other three Force Sensitives in the room. Something needed to be done quickly or the room would devolve into an angry mob.

"May I, Mister Head of State?"

Dooku looked over at the biped reptilian in shock. Then, he nodded, "Be my guest."

Anakin nodded his thanks before Anakin replaced Dooku on the podium. The young Darith Hybrid closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Both you and The Republic have been pulled into a war with a singular goal." Anakin noticed most of the delegates in the room look around in confusion and anger. "I know this must be a shock, but you must understand." Anakin slowly lowed his head and shivered at memories of the Tusking Raiders. "I know this is hard though believe," Anakin nodded to Ahsoka who pushed Palpatine forward. "I know most won't believe the words of a stranger, but maybe you'll believe your own eyes."

When the cloak fell away from Palpatine's face, all manner of chaos spewed from most senators present. With his Mask destroyed in the fight with Ahsoka, Palpatine could not reinstate his guise of a kind man looking for the betterment of the galaxy. Palpatine shrank away from the camera droids and lights to hide.

"This creature and other Sith like him labored for centuries in the shadows to break The Republic and make it into an Empire with this…this Hatchling-killer at the head of the Empire!" Anakin sighed, "Your independence from corrupt Republic, while noble, only served to further this beast's goals in weakening everyone and allowing him to snatch up the remains.

Cries of outrage and hoRror filled the great hall. Demands for a trial spread throughout the parliament building. Anakin couldn't help a small smile aimed squarely at Palpatine.

Palpatine hated this, but he still had his trump card. "How can you trust this monster?" Palpatine challenged as he pointed a shaking finger of fury at Asoka. "He allied himself with a Jedi!"

Ahsoka shook her head. "The Jedi accused me of betraying The Order and The Republic." Ahsoka looked at the senators around her. "I am no Jedi. Anakin and I have moved beyond their limited views and see much more clearly."

Ahsoka turned her attention to Palpatine. He looked scared as Ahsoka's eyes turned the same color they had as she tried remove his connection to The Force completely.

Palpatine truly knew he would have no power when the Dragon and Togruta finished with him, and such a realization terrified the Sith Lord. How can they do this to me?! Sidious growled before he turned his head to glare at Anakin. You will regret this, you animal! I swear it!

"This man's machinations are no reason liberty should die." Ahsoka spoke firmly with more emotion and conviction than any in the room expected. "Why would you trust the word of an imposter who killed The Chancellor and subsumed his identity to gain power over a sentient like me who's lived under the corruption of the Jedi and the decrepit republic they serve?!"

Dooku looked at Ahsoka as the senators broke into yet another roar of confusion and shouting. "Enough! I will have order in this council!"

"What do you propose we do?" One senator as he looked at his fellows. "Shall we return to the rigged negotiation table?"

Other senators murmured in agreement.

Anakin leaned over in Dooku's ear as he indicated his Mate, "Ahsoka and I could act as ambassadors for you, Count."

Dooku nodded but looked at Anakin in uncertainty. "There's much that can go awry in your transport of Sidious to Coruscant."

Anakin snorted and blew smoke in distain at the stab to his pride. "For the right price, my associate and I can guard him more securely than The Citadel the Jedi use."

Dooku nodded. "Truly, lasting peace in The Galaxy is priceless, Bounty Hunter."

Anakin nodded. "1.5 million credits." Then, the Darith Hybrid looked at Ahsoka for confirmation. "That's our price."

With the price set, Dooku garnered the attention of the rest of the beings in the chamber. "These bounty hunters have agreed to transport the accused to Republic Space with documents of extradition for our trials as well." Dooku stated. "What is the mind of this assembly?"

Both former Jedi were surprised when the Parliament Majority voted for the communication with The Republic and to let the Sith face the Republic courts, first.

They're as tired of war as The Republic. Ahsoka thought as the session concluded a few minutes later.

Anakin nodded. War weighs on all, Snips.

Before they could go back to the Aether, Anakin and Ahsoka felt a gentle tug in The Force. Dooku walked up to the duo with a tense look on his face. Years of pain seemed to drain from the old man as he looked at the pair and return him to a slightly more youthful vigor. 'Thank you both." Dooku said with a slight bow. "Safe journeys."

Anakin nodded. "May this be the first step to two independent governments as they learn to coexist, Master Dooku."

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