Part 10- The Chase Begins
"Why doesn't he show himself?" Qui-Gon asked angrily. "Is he afraid?" He began to pace back and forth, each step filled with anger.
Mace watched his friend, feeling utterly useless. He could tell Qui-Gon that his wife was in a far better place- his child as well- but somehow Mace knew that words could not bring any comfort to the Master.
The two sat alone in the rubble that had once been the Temple, watching hundreds upon thousands of ships leave the now desolate Coruscant. Not long after the Temple had been destroyed, Mace had received word that the two explosions had upset the planet itself. Coruscant might be completely destroyed.
But the Jedi refused to leave, for they knew the Ramming Stone would not flee until he had seen the extent of damage he had dealt to the Jedi Order. His pride, anger, and insanity would let him nothing else until he saw the pain and sorrow, and surrender of the Jedi.
But the Ramming Stone was not expecting two Jedi Masters, filled with iron resolve to end the his reign of terror. He was not expecting one of the most powerful Council members, his heart bound to a friend he had loved for nearly five decades, nor was the Ramming Stone expecting a man, a former Master, father, and husband, filled with a cold rage, a rage that could only be felt by those who had been crushed. He was a man who had lost everyone, but the one man who stood beside him.
Qui-Gon glanced at Mace, and swore that he would not let the Ramming Stone take the Council member's life. He would die before his friend was harmed.
Only moment later, the two heard the sound of a small speeder fast approaching. Instinctively, Qui-Gon put a hand to his lightsaber.
But several yards away from the Jedi, the speeder stopped, and Talon Wessel stepped out.
"It's been a long time, Jedi!" Wessel called, his grotesque face smiling cruelly. "Are you all that is left?"
"Yes," Mace called out.
"Good. The Ramming Stone is waiting for you. You will find him at the former residence of the late Count Dooku." Mace saw Qui-Gon pale.
"You want to end this war before it begins, Jedi? Then go, see if you kill us." Talon leapt back into the speeder and a moment later, he was gone.
"It's a trap, you know," Qui-Gon said as Mace began to walk in the direction Talon had gone.
"What have we to lose, Qui?" Mace's voice was quiet, but his eyes shone. There was a fire in those determined eyes, a fire that only showed itself on the brink of battle.
Qui-Gon gazed into those eyes, into the fire, and knew that their fight would not be in vain.
Qui-Gon placed his hand and Windu's shoulder, and the two began to make their way to Dooku's home, a place filled with darkness where a truth lay, a truth that would bring Qui-Gon to his knees.
***
Obi-Wan had heard the explosions, the screams. But in his heart he refused to accept the truth.
"You know they are dead, Obi-Wan," Dooku said softly. Obi-Wan flinched. Though the room was completely dark, and Dooku stood well behind Obi-Wan, who sat, tightly bound to chair, Obi-Wan knew he was smiling.
"Do not hold on to your foolish hopes. The Jedi and the Senate have fallen, and the Sith are about to rise."
"Why Dooku? How could you betray the Temple? How could you betray your friends?" Dooku laughed coldly, and Obi-Wan saw the hypocrisy in his words.
"I never thought I would hear one- who has betrayed everyone who has held him dear- would reprimand another for the same sin."
"I did not mean to betray them. You chose to."
"But you did." Suddenly, Obi-Wan could feel Dooku's hot breath on his shoulder. "You did not have to leave the Temple. You could have remained with your Master. The two of you could have hunted down the Ramming Stone, and none of this might have never happened. But instead you let your guilt guide you. if you had faced your own fears, and guilt, you could have saved Qui-Gon. You could have saved his wife, and his children. Yes, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon had children. A son and a daughter. But now they lay with their father in the dust. All because of you."
"Why are you telling me this?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice trembling. He knew Dooku's words were true. He had known the words in his heart for three long years, but had never found the courage to acknowledge them.
"You were unable to save because the boy you were was weak. You are not meant to waste your power away, serving others who do not wish to be served, helping others who do not deserve to be helped. I can sense a great power in you, Obi-Wan, a power so deep within you, only those who would search long and hard enough could discover it. It has long been smothered by your desire to do good deeds and seek the narrow and lighted path. There is another path, Obi-Wan, a path filled with power and victory."
"You mean the Dark Side. The way of the Sith."
"Please do not say, 'I will never turn.' You have already taken a step down that path. Did you not feel the pleasurable power of the Dark Side coursing through your veins when you murdered Master Sifo-Dyas? The pleasure was so great it sickened you, but you will gradually extend your limits. Do not deny it, Obi-Wan. You have taken that step, and you have found it to your liking."
"What do you want me to do? Betray my Master further? Turn against every principle he taught me to satisfy my own pleasures?"
"Qui-Gon is dead, Obi-Wan! Look to yourself! Imagine what you and I could do, could be! Together, Obi-Wan, we could rule this galaxy."
"I do not want power! I do not want pleasure or revenge." Suddenly, Dooku grabbed the Obi-Wan by his shoulders and harshly spun him around.
"What do you want then?" Obi-Wan could almost see the Sith Lord's face, his black eyes hard, his lip curled into angry snarl.
"I want to pay for all life lost, all sorrow and bitterness gained because of me. I thought that if I killed the Ramming Stone I could do so. But now I realize that only I can-"
"Enough!" Dooku hissed. "You are stubborn, Kenobi, so stubborn! I tried to make your path easier, but you have left me no choice!" Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt cold metal touch his skin and heard a long hiss.
"It is a shame I must break your will. But it can be reformed, and in the darkness, it shall grow stronger."
"No," Obi-Wan said. "I will die first." He heard another hiss, and as a wave of dizziness swept through him, he resolved to fight the effects until enough of the drug had been poured into his body to kill him. He would not betray Qui-Gon's memory. His death was his only redemption, and he steeled himself for the final crash.
But as he did so, he heard Dooku laugh. Obi-Wan felt a presence enter the room, and suddenly in his mind a black wave crashed into all his resolve and the boy was sucked down into inky blackness.
"Hurry, Lord Tyranus. His second test is fast approaching." The smile on Darth Sidious' was filled with glee. Yes, Qui-Gon was coming, thanks to a little mind play on Talon Wessel. And when the Jedi arrived, he would be surprised to find his former Padawan, armed with a red blade, and filled with a wrath that would result in the death of Qui-Gon Jinn.
Sidious let out a small laugh, for he could already feel Obi-Wan's will weakening, and the first steps of his plan fell into place.
