Title: Strength over fear
Author: ewan's girl
Disclaimer: I make no money off of my stories (alas); the wonderful world of Star Wars belongs to George Lucas.
*Chapter 6:
"Milady please think about what you are doing." Dorme grabbed her master by the arm, trying to reason with her. "Come inside, there must be another way."
Padme smiled at her handmaiden. "I've made up my mind." She turned and began to walk towards the Naboo Cruiser sitting on a lone landing platform.
Dorme tightened her cloak around her; the early morning fog gave a chill to the air. She looked at the senator then over to the other companion on the landing pad. The third woman sighed and walked over to Padme.
"In the past you have rushed into situations that you probably shouldn't have." The brunette woman grabbed Padme's arm. "If I may be so bold as to say this is one of those times."
Padme smiled at her companion. "No one has worked with me longer, and knows me better than you do Sabe." She released her arm. "So why do you bother trying to change my mind?"
Sabe sighed and glanced back at Dorme. "Is this why you called for me?" She looked back at the senator.
Padme nodded. "Dorme has been with me for a while now and I trust her with my life, but no one carries my likeness as you do." She smiled. "We have always been mistaken for twins." Padme took Sabe's hands in hers. "No one must know that I have gone."
"What about the Chancellor?" Sabe asked.
"He believes that I am considering leaving the Senate, he won't expect me to attend any meetings." Padme reassured her.
Dorme walked up to them. "Milady it is a dangerous quest that you are embarking on."
Padme hugged her friend and sighed. "I know, but I have to do this." She released her faithful handmaiden. "I don't expect you to understand." She turned and hugged Sabe. "Thank you my friend." She pulled away from the hug. "And thank your husband for letting you come out of retirement."
Sabe smiled. "Be careful Senator." And with that the two handmaidens watched Padme climb into her starship, her faithful droid R2 already waiting for her. The ship took off and disappeared into the clouds. The two women looked at each other and sighed.
****************
Obi Wan stood in the rain, he felt numb when he saw the small master nod. "What has happened? Is she here?" He asked, feeling hope and dread rise inside of him.
"Know that I do not." Yoda claimed, motioning for Obi Wan to come in from the rain. "Led me here the Force has." He eyed Obi Wan as the younger man tried to shake off some of the water that had collected in his hair. "Brought you here too the Force has, nothing happens by accident, hmmm."
Obi Wan looked at the diminutive Jedi with a curious glance. "What are you saying master?"
"Know this I am not sure." Yoda looked up into the blue/grey eyes of his friend. "Clouded the Force is becoming, clear its will is not."
Obi Wan hung his head, he knew this to be true for all the Jedi, yet it was hard to hear it from Master Yoda. His comlink beeped and broke the silence. "Kenobi." He answered it.
"General Kenobi we are in position." A voice of a clone trooper was heard through the static.
Obi Wan looked at Yoda and sighed. "I wish to help you search for Master Tachi, but I have been called to Kamino, by the Council might I add and I must finish here first." Yoda nodded and Obi Wan bowed. "Viceroy Organa and his men are here, if you need any assistance. . ."
Yoda put up a clawed hand to stop him from continuing. "Have the assistance of the Force I do."
Obi Wan nodded and walked past the council member. "Master Yoda." He called and Yoda turned. "May the Force be with you in finding her." Obi Wan said softly and turned to leave. "Captain, I'm on my way." He called into his comlink.
*******************
Obi Wan stared out the window of the transport and noticed a building set on stilts coming closer into view. The building looked similar to the ones in Tipoca city, but was much smaller. He figured that the Separatists must have taken over the inhabitants of the building to make it their base camp. The transport came to a halt and Obi Wan jumped out, heading towards the group of soldiers waiting for his arrival.
The moment he came near the building, he unconsciously wrung his hands, feeling a strange disturbance in the Force. He stared up at the dark, round structure and shuddered. 'Something is not right.' He thought to himself as a lead clone walked towards him.
"General Kenobi." The clone addressed him. "We have taken the base."
Obi Wan continued to stare at the building, rain dripping down his face. "Were there any live beings?" He asked.
"No sir, only droids."
Obi Wan closed his eyes and listened to the Force. "Were there any chemicals found Captain?" He asked, his eyes still closed.
"No sir, no antidote was found." Obi Wan looked at the clone. "No chemicals of any kind were found sir."
The tired general sighed. "Very well captain. Proceed as planned." He then began to walk away from the building as the Captain turned to the other troops.
"Prepare the detonators!" The captain called out over the rain.
Obi Wan continued to walk away from the commotion when the Force seemed to grab him, forcing him to stop. He closed his eyes and listened, he felt a faint whisper calling to him.
He opened his eyes and looked towards the building. He shook his head. 'I'm going crazy.' He thought to himself, but then felt the whisper again.
He stopped and listened to the voice that seemed to blow with the wind. He felt strange about the voice, as if he recognized it. 'Master Qui Gon?' He closed his eyes again and listened harder. He felt the Force all around him; suddenly he felt a dark ripple. He quickly opened his eyes and ran towards the building. "Hold it Captain!" He shouted as he skitted to a stop on the slippery platform. The clones all stared at him. "Hold the detonators." Obi Wan commanded and the head clone signaled for the other troops to stop what they were doing. He looked up at the building again and turned to the Captain. "Wait." He said and headed towards the dark structure.
The Captain cocked his head in confusion. "General?" He asked and walked towards Obi Wan who didn't say anything and walked into the enemy base. As the Jedi master disappeared into the darkness the clone turned to his men and shrugged.
Obi Wan walked around the disheveled room and listened to the Force. He had no idea what the Force was telling him, it appeared that the clone army had ransacked the building and found nothing that he was searching for. 'Maybe I'm letting my concern for Anakin cloud my connection to the Force.' Obi Wan thought to himself as he continued to search the room.
Suddenly he felt a disturbance through the Force. A familiar presence passed through his subconscious. He tensed and instinctively put a hand on his light saber. "Dooku." He whispered under his breath. He scanned the room with his eyes and also the Force and found no source of the disturbance. He shook his head and turned to leave when he noticed something peculiar. He walked to the back of the room and pushed a button, suddenly a door in the floor opened, revealing a grand stair case. Obi Wan pulled out a glow rod and slowly descended down the stairs.
**************************************
Mace Windu held on as his swoop covered more ground faster and faster. He glanced to his side and looked at Ferus Olin who had a look of pure concentration on his face. Mace knew that the young man was an exceptional apprentice and a very skilled Jedi in his own right. Yet Mace was concerned that the Padawan would use his personal feelings about the capture of his master in battle. Ferus hadn't said much to anyone since Mace arrived on Ohma-D'un, but he had almost single handedly come up with their battle plan and that impressed the Council member.
Mace returned his attention to the task at hand; they were leading a battalion of troops to the Confederacy's base in order to hopefully retrieve the antidote. More and more clones became infected everyday and the threat of more chemical warfare worried the Senate. On a personal note the threat of more chemicals worried the aging master for the already depleting Jedi population. Anakin Skywalker was the first Jedi to fall victim to its effects and the boy has survived longer than any of the healers thought he should. This alone gave speed to Mace's decision to infiltrate the enemy's base.
"Master, it's just over that next ridge." Ferus exclaimed, pointing towards a hill of red rock. Mace nodded to Ferus and the two Jedi ignited their light sabers.
*************************************
Obi Wan continued his trek down the long stair case. He felt as if he had already traveled for miles and was sure he was underwater by now. Finally he came to the bottom and found himself standing in a fluorescent lit hallway. He extinguished his glow rod and listened to the Force to guide him in the right direction. He turned right and headed towards a large set of steel double doors. He carefully opened them and what he saw took his breath away.
He found himself staring at a very large room that seemed oddly familiar. He noticed thousands upon thousands of glass tubes holding human babies. The babies were identical in their features.
// "It depends on how good your manners are and how big your. . .pocket book is."// the voice of Dex rang through his mind.
Obi Wan stared in horror as the realization hit him. "They're building a clone army." He quickly ducked behind one of the tubes as a droid rolled past him. "That's why they created an antidote." He hung his head. "We are so blind to not see this coming."
Obi Wan turned away from the scene and continued his search. He walked back into the brightly lit hallway and stealthily made his way down it. He passed by several small rooms, which he decided to ignore and continued to search for a medical facility of some kind. Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck seemed to stand on end and something seemed to call out his name. He turned quickly around and saw no one in the hall. He then felt a soft Force presence, so weak in fact that he almost missed it. He quickly ran back down the hall and stopped at one of the many doors. He put his hand on the door and immediately felt a familiar presence. His heart began to thud in his chest as he used his light saber to cut through the steel.
The sight before him made him stop in his tracks.
He saw a person, naked, lying on the floor with their back to him. Their hands were chained above them to the wall, and they had pulled their legs up towards their chest, trying to form the fetal position. He noticed the person was malnourished and their head had been shaved. Obi Wan felt sick to his stomach when he smelled the air in the small, dark room. The aroma was so bad that he had to step back into the hall to get some fresh air. After taking a deep breath of clean air he forced himself into the cell, walking up to the prisoner. He bent over the lifeless form and quickly averted his eyes when he discovered the prisoner was female. Suddenly his heart was in his throat as he looked down at the pale face of his dear friend Siri Tachi.
"Siri?" He asked, even though he knew it was in fact her. He took off his cloak and placed it over her shivering body and placed a hand on her forehead, feeling her feverish skin. He then noticed the thing that made him the most appalled. The Separatists had not only shaved her beautiful blonde hair completely off, but they had tattooed a number onto her skull. He ran his hand over the 8 digit number and felt anger rise inside of him. He then grabbed his light saber and cut through her chains. He carefully put her arms through his cloak, noticing the black bruises on her wrists from the chains. He scooped her frail form into his arms and carried her out into the hall.
He turned towards the staircase when he felt a dark ripple in the Force. He turned and saw Count Dooku leaning on the wall, watching him with an amused look on his face. Obi Wan tightened his hold on Siri and stared at the leader of the Separatists.
"You." He growled. "How could you resort to such evil? You were once a Jedi."
"I don't expect you to understand Master, I'm sorry General Kenobi." Dooku answered, continuing to lean on the wall. "It is nothing personal I assure you."
"Nothing personal? You are a sick, sadistic man." Obi Wan spat.
"Come now General." Dooku pushed himself off the wall, and stood in front of the Jedi. "Tell me, what do the Republic do with their prisoners of war?"
"The Republic doesn't have any. . ." Obi Wan stopped himself.
"Exactly my point." Dooku smiled. "With the Sith in control of the Senate, do you really think you would treat your prisoners any better?"
Obi Wan shook his head. "I took this little matter of yours involving a Sith controlling the Senate, and they found nothing." He stared the old man down. "By all accounts, you are the Sith."
Dooku laughed. "My dear friend, of course they found nothing. The Sith have clouded their vision like I explained before." He suddenly grew serious. "Tell me Master Kenobi, how is your own connection to the Force these days?" Obi Wan tried to hide his response, but Dooku noticed his eyes widen. "Muffled?"
Obi Wan turned his gaze away from Dooku.
"We live in a dark time my friend, the Sith have returned. You above all others know this to be true, you have been in their presence before." Obi Wan gave a sharp look at Dooku. "You have proven to be instrumental in their downfall, they know this, that is why you suffer needlessly."
Obi Wan looked down at Siri and then back at Dooku. "Enough of this old man." He stated. "You are under arrest, ordered by the Supreme Chancellor himself."
Dooku laughed at Obi Wan's statement. "And just how do you expect to do that my young Jedi? How are you planning to carry us both out?"
"My troops have taken over your base, they will be here shortly." Obi Wan answered, hoping Dooku wouldn't call his bluff. "Now are you going to come quietly?"
"I hope you are prepared to have so many lives on your hands." Dooku exclaimed, and his servant Steve appeared, holding up a remote. "You see I too have set detonators about." He smiled a wicked smile. "I would hate to see it go off before you get dear Master Tachi to safety." He took the remote from his servant. "Prepare the ship Steve." Dooku commanded to the young man. "Now you have a choice Obi Wan, join me or your life and the life of Master Tachi will be forfeit."
Obi Wan held Siri closer to his chest. "We are both Jedi, we are prepared for death."
"And what about your apprentice? Are you prepared to let him die?" Dooku asked, and noticed Obi Wan stiffen. "Tell me, how is young Skywalker feeling these days?"
"You monster." Obi Wan stated under his breath.
Dooku smiled and held up a small vile of yellow liquid. "I hold in my hands the thing you've most been searching for. Essentially I hold the Republic's victory." He rolled the vile between his fingers. "The cure for the boy you deem as a son, they way to ensure the prophecy that your master believed so much in will come true. Because if the boy dies, how can he bring balance to the Force?"
"What do you want Dooku?" Obi Wan asked, although he knew the answer.
"I told you what I want." He smiled. "I want you to help me defeat the Lord of the Sith."
Obi Wan shook his head. "I will never join you."
Dooku shrugged and placed the vile back in his tunic. He turned away from Obi Wan only to turn back and defend against a blue blade. "Are you sure you want to do this? There's no little troll to save you this time."
Obi Wan swung his light saber down then across in an upward stroke so quickly that he pushed Dooku towards a corner. Obi Wan smiled while twirling his blade. "Very sure."
*TBC! Please review!
Author: ewan's girl
Disclaimer: I make no money off of my stories (alas); the wonderful world of Star Wars belongs to George Lucas.
*Chapter 6:
"Milady please think about what you are doing." Dorme grabbed her master by the arm, trying to reason with her. "Come inside, there must be another way."
Padme smiled at her handmaiden. "I've made up my mind." She turned and began to walk towards the Naboo Cruiser sitting on a lone landing platform.
Dorme tightened her cloak around her; the early morning fog gave a chill to the air. She looked at the senator then over to the other companion on the landing pad. The third woman sighed and walked over to Padme.
"In the past you have rushed into situations that you probably shouldn't have." The brunette woman grabbed Padme's arm. "If I may be so bold as to say this is one of those times."
Padme smiled at her companion. "No one has worked with me longer, and knows me better than you do Sabe." She released her arm. "So why do you bother trying to change my mind?"
Sabe sighed and glanced back at Dorme. "Is this why you called for me?" She looked back at the senator.
Padme nodded. "Dorme has been with me for a while now and I trust her with my life, but no one carries my likeness as you do." She smiled. "We have always been mistaken for twins." Padme took Sabe's hands in hers. "No one must know that I have gone."
"What about the Chancellor?" Sabe asked.
"He believes that I am considering leaving the Senate, he won't expect me to attend any meetings." Padme reassured her.
Dorme walked up to them. "Milady it is a dangerous quest that you are embarking on."
Padme hugged her friend and sighed. "I know, but I have to do this." She released her faithful handmaiden. "I don't expect you to understand." She turned and hugged Sabe. "Thank you my friend." She pulled away from the hug. "And thank your husband for letting you come out of retirement."
Sabe smiled. "Be careful Senator." And with that the two handmaidens watched Padme climb into her starship, her faithful droid R2 already waiting for her. The ship took off and disappeared into the clouds. The two women looked at each other and sighed.
****************
Obi Wan stood in the rain, he felt numb when he saw the small master nod. "What has happened? Is she here?" He asked, feeling hope and dread rise inside of him.
"Know that I do not." Yoda claimed, motioning for Obi Wan to come in from the rain. "Led me here the Force has." He eyed Obi Wan as the younger man tried to shake off some of the water that had collected in his hair. "Brought you here too the Force has, nothing happens by accident, hmmm."
Obi Wan looked at the diminutive Jedi with a curious glance. "What are you saying master?"
"Know this I am not sure." Yoda looked up into the blue/grey eyes of his friend. "Clouded the Force is becoming, clear its will is not."
Obi Wan hung his head, he knew this to be true for all the Jedi, yet it was hard to hear it from Master Yoda. His comlink beeped and broke the silence. "Kenobi." He answered it.
"General Kenobi we are in position." A voice of a clone trooper was heard through the static.
Obi Wan looked at Yoda and sighed. "I wish to help you search for Master Tachi, but I have been called to Kamino, by the Council might I add and I must finish here first." Yoda nodded and Obi Wan bowed. "Viceroy Organa and his men are here, if you need any assistance. . ."
Yoda put up a clawed hand to stop him from continuing. "Have the assistance of the Force I do."
Obi Wan nodded and walked past the council member. "Master Yoda." He called and Yoda turned. "May the Force be with you in finding her." Obi Wan said softly and turned to leave. "Captain, I'm on my way." He called into his comlink.
*******************
Obi Wan stared out the window of the transport and noticed a building set on stilts coming closer into view. The building looked similar to the ones in Tipoca city, but was much smaller. He figured that the Separatists must have taken over the inhabitants of the building to make it their base camp. The transport came to a halt and Obi Wan jumped out, heading towards the group of soldiers waiting for his arrival.
The moment he came near the building, he unconsciously wrung his hands, feeling a strange disturbance in the Force. He stared up at the dark, round structure and shuddered. 'Something is not right.' He thought to himself as a lead clone walked towards him.
"General Kenobi." The clone addressed him. "We have taken the base."
Obi Wan continued to stare at the building, rain dripping down his face. "Were there any live beings?" He asked.
"No sir, only droids."
Obi Wan closed his eyes and listened to the Force. "Were there any chemicals found Captain?" He asked, his eyes still closed.
"No sir, no antidote was found." Obi Wan looked at the clone. "No chemicals of any kind were found sir."
The tired general sighed. "Very well captain. Proceed as planned." He then began to walk away from the building as the Captain turned to the other troops.
"Prepare the detonators!" The captain called out over the rain.
Obi Wan continued to walk away from the commotion when the Force seemed to grab him, forcing him to stop. He closed his eyes and listened, he felt a faint whisper calling to him.
He opened his eyes and looked towards the building. He shook his head. 'I'm going crazy.' He thought to himself, but then felt the whisper again.
He stopped and listened to the voice that seemed to blow with the wind. He felt strange about the voice, as if he recognized it. 'Master Qui Gon?' He closed his eyes again and listened harder. He felt the Force all around him; suddenly he felt a dark ripple. He quickly opened his eyes and ran towards the building. "Hold it Captain!" He shouted as he skitted to a stop on the slippery platform. The clones all stared at him. "Hold the detonators." Obi Wan commanded and the head clone signaled for the other troops to stop what they were doing. He looked up at the building again and turned to the Captain. "Wait." He said and headed towards the dark structure.
The Captain cocked his head in confusion. "General?" He asked and walked towards Obi Wan who didn't say anything and walked into the enemy base. As the Jedi master disappeared into the darkness the clone turned to his men and shrugged.
Obi Wan walked around the disheveled room and listened to the Force. He had no idea what the Force was telling him, it appeared that the clone army had ransacked the building and found nothing that he was searching for. 'Maybe I'm letting my concern for Anakin cloud my connection to the Force.' Obi Wan thought to himself as he continued to search the room.
Suddenly he felt a disturbance through the Force. A familiar presence passed through his subconscious. He tensed and instinctively put a hand on his light saber. "Dooku." He whispered under his breath. He scanned the room with his eyes and also the Force and found no source of the disturbance. He shook his head and turned to leave when he noticed something peculiar. He walked to the back of the room and pushed a button, suddenly a door in the floor opened, revealing a grand stair case. Obi Wan pulled out a glow rod and slowly descended down the stairs.
**************************************
Mace Windu held on as his swoop covered more ground faster and faster. He glanced to his side and looked at Ferus Olin who had a look of pure concentration on his face. Mace knew that the young man was an exceptional apprentice and a very skilled Jedi in his own right. Yet Mace was concerned that the Padawan would use his personal feelings about the capture of his master in battle. Ferus hadn't said much to anyone since Mace arrived on Ohma-D'un, but he had almost single handedly come up with their battle plan and that impressed the Council member.
Mace returned his attention to the task at hand; they were leading a battalion of troops to the Confederacy's base in order to hopefully retrieve the antidote. More and more clones became infected everyday and the threat of more chemical warfare worried the Senate. On a personal note the threat of more chemicals worried the aging master for the already depleting Jedi population. Anakin Skywalker was the first Jedi to fall victim to its effects and the boy has survived longer than any of the healers thought he should. This alone gave speed to Mace's decision to infiltrate the enemy's base.
"Master, it's just over that next ridge." Ferus exclaimed, pointing towards a hill of red rock. Mace nodded to Ferus and the two Jedi ignited their light sabers.
*************************************
Obi Wan continued his trek down the long stair case. He felt as if he had already traveled for miles and was sure he was underwater by now. Finally he came to the bottom and found himself standing in a fluorescent lit hallway. He extinguished his glow rod and listened to the Force to guide him in the right direction. He turned right and headed towards a large set of steel double doors. He carefully opened them and what he saw took his breath away.
He found himself staring at a very large room that seemed oddly familiar. He noticed thousands upon thousands of glass tubes holding human babies. The babies were identical in their features.
// "It depends on how good your manners are and how big your. . .pocket book is."// the voice of Dex rang through his mind.
Obi Wan stared in horror as the realization hit him. "They're building a clone army." He quickly ducked behind one of the tubes as a droid rolled past him. "That's why they created an antidote." He hung his head. "We are so blind to not see this coming."
Obi Wan turned away from the scene and continued his search. He walked back into the brightly lit hallway and stealthily made his way down it. He passed by several small rooms, which he decided to ignore and continued to search for a medical facility of some kind. Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck seemed to stand on end and something seemed to call out his name. He turned quickly around and saw no one in the hall. He then felt a soft Force presence, so weak in fact that he almost missed it. He quickly ran back down the hall and stopped at one of the many doors. He put his hand on the door and immediately felt a familiar presence. His heart began to thud in his chest as he used his light saber to cut through the steel.
The sight before him made him stop in his tracks.
He saw a person, naked, lying on the floor with their back to him. Their hands were chained above them to the wall, and they had pulled their legs up towards their chest, trying to form the fetal position. He noticed the person was malnourished and their head had been shaved. Obi Wan felt sick to his stomach when he smelled the air in the small, dark room. The aroma was so bad that he had to step back into the hall to get some fresh air. After taking a deep breath of clean air he forced himself into the cell, walking up to the prisoner. He bent over the lifeless form and quickly averted his eyes when he discovered the prisoner was female. Suddenly his heart was in his throat as he looked down at the pale face of his dear friend Siri Tachi.
"Siri?" He asked, even though he knew it was in fact her. He took off his cloak and placed it over her shivering body and placed a hand on her forehead, feeling her feverish skin. He then noticed the thing that made him the most appalled. The Separatists had not only shaved her beautiful blonde hair completely off, but they had tattooed a number onto her skull. He ran his hand over the 8 digit number and felt anger rise inside of him. He then grabbed his light saber and cut through her chains. He carefully put her arms through his cloak, noticing the black bruises on her wrists from the chains. He scooped her frail form into his arms and carried her out into the hall.
He turned towards the staircase when he felt a dark ripple in the Force. He turned and saw Count Dooku leaning on the wall, watching him with an amused look on his face. Obi Wan tightened his hold on Siri and stared at the leader of the Separatists.
"You." He growled. "How could you resort to such evil? You were once a Jedi."
"I don't expect you to understand Master, I'm sorry General Kenobi." Dooku answered, continuing to lean on the wall. "It is nothing personal I assure you."
"Nothing personal? You are a sick, sadistic man." Obi Wan spat.
"Come now General." Dooku pushed himself off the wall, and stood in front of the Jedi. "Tell me, what do the Republic do with their prisoners of war?"
"The Republic doesn't have any. . ." Obi Wan stopped himself.
"Exactly my point." Dooku smiled. "With the Sith in control of the Senate, do you really think you would treat your prisoners any better?"
Obi Wan shook his head. "I took this little matter of yours involving a Sith controlling the Senate, and they found nothing." He stared the old man down. "By all accounts, you are the Sith."
Dooku laughed. "My dear friend, of course they found nothing. The Sith have clouded their vision like I explained before." He suddenly grew serious. "Tell me Master Kenobi, how is your own connection to the Force these days?" Obi Wan tried to hide his response, but Dooku noticed his eyes widen. "Muffled?"
Obi Wan turned his gaze away from Dooku.
"We live in a dark time my friend, the Sith have returned. You above all others know this to be true, you have been in their presence before." Obi Wan gave a sharp look at Dooku. "You have proven to be instrumental in their downfall, they know this, that is why you suffer needlessly."
Obi Wan looked down at Siri and then back at Dooku. "Enough of this old man." He stated. "You are under arrest, ordered by the Supreme Chancellor himself."
Dooku laughed at Obi Wan's statement. "And just how do you expect to do that my young Jedi? How are you planning to carry us both out?"
"My troops have taken over your base, they will be here shortly." Obi Wan answered, hoping Dooku wouldn't call his bluff. "Now are you going to come quietly?"
"I hope you are prepared to have so many lives on your hands." Dooku exclaimed, and his servant Steve appeared, holding up a remote. "You see I too have set detonators about." He smiled a wicked smile. "I would hate to see it go off before you get dear Master Tachi to safety." He took the remote from his servant. "Prepare the ship Steve." Dooku commanded to the young man. "Now you have a choice Obi Wan, join me or your life and the life of Master Tachi will be forfeit."
Obi Wan held Siri closer to his chest. "We are both Jedi, we are prepared for death."
"And what about your apprentice? Are you prepared to let him die?" Dooku asked, and noticed Obi Wan stiffen. "Tell me, how is young Skywalker feeling these days?"
"You monster." Obi Wan stated under his breath.
Dooku smiled and held up a small vile of yellow liquid. "I hold in my hands the thing you've most been searching for. Essentially I hold the Republic's victory." He rolled the vile between his fingers. "The cure for the boy you deem as a son, they way to ensure the prophecy that your master believed so much in will come true. Because if the boy dies, how can he bring balance to the Force?"
"What do you want Dooku?" Obi Wan asked, although he knew the answer.
"I told you what I want." He smiled. "I want you to help me defeat the Lord of the Sith."
Obi Wan shook his head. "I will never join you."
Dooku shrugged and placed the vile back in his tunic. He turned away from Obi Wan only to turn back and defend against a blue blade. "Are you sure you want to do this? There's no little troll to save you this time."
Obi Wan swung his light saber down then across in an upward stroke so quickly that he pushed Dooku towards a corner. Obi Wan smiled while twirling his blade. "Very sure."
*TBC! Please review!