Part 52 - Obligation

Serenn lay alone on his bed that evening, with the exception of the baby girl, who he had laid by his side. He stroked her belly and watched her little eyes as they took him in, her tiny mouth rising into what looked like a smile; he was sure she couldn't see him properly, but he could sense that she liked him. The Force was clearly strong with both her and her brother, which was to be expected, but he felt closer to this one. Perhaps he could see more of her mother in her than in Luke, or maybe he just saw too much of Anakin in the boy. Or maybe…?

He shook his head, casting all his thoughts aside. What did it matter?

Rolling onto his back, he then lifted the baby onto his chest and held her there whilst he caressed her little body with his metal fingers. She made a small, contented sigh, and clubbed her tiny hands into fists, beating them arbitrarily against his abdomen.

"So even you will abuse me, little one?" he smirked, looking down at the girl. She offered him another adorable smile, as if she understood him, and he was sure she tried to laugh, though he wasn't confident a baby of this age should be able to. He shrugged inwardly and just stared at the ceiling.

There was a hole in his heart right now, a great empty block, where a part of him seemed to have been pulled out. He was covered in holes, if the truth be known, his every loss in life dealing an extra blow to that fragile fabric, yet never had a segment as large as this been hacked from his soul; Padmé's loss had rendered him into little more than a numb, empty shell - or, at least, it would have, had it not been for this child.

Or perhaps he should say 'children', yet the boy didn't click with him; he saw Anakin every time he looked into that boy's bright, blue eyes, and it only enraged him. The girl was different, and she would grow up to be different, too - he knew that, even if he knew he wouldn't be here to see it.

"What to name you?" he then pondered. He tried to ignore all this grief for a moment, and to concentrate on the little, bright light sat on his chest; Padmé had bestowed upon him this great task and honour, of naming her daughter, but he wasn't finding it easy.

He pursed his lip and tried to think of a name that Padmé would have approved of, something classy, yet not too old-fashioned, something pretty to befit the girl, yet not something to belie her authoritative nature - for that is what she would encompass; no daughter of Senator Amidala's would comprise of anything other.

Serenn shook his head - he'd been given so many tasks and missions throughout his life, yet none had he found so difficult as this. A child wore their name throughout their lives, a mark that their parents gave them, along with their blood and all manner of other unwanted genetic traits. He had been named Serenn by his parents, that faceless name that so many of his forefathers had carried, because that was what had been deemed right by the aristocracy of Serenno. For some reason, there had been a need to prove that the values and peoples on the planet were an unchanging thing, and every generation seemed to wear the same names as the last; and yet every Serenn had been different, contrary to the principles that their inherited name symbolised. It was all a sham. It always had been.

"It wouldn't be right to call you Padmé," he surmised. "For you're not Padmé." He looked at the girl, who looked back. "You're different. You have your mother in you… but you also have your father." He looked back at the ceiling whilst the child seemed to settle on his breast, lulled by the gentle motion of his lungs as they inflated and deflated beneath her.

"Luke Skywalker," he muttered, trying to gain some inspiration from her brother's name. "Luke…" He gave the girl another glance. "Must it complement his name?"

He thought on this for another moment before he took the girl up gently in his arms and sat upright, watching her little face as she fell into a deep slumber, blissfully unaware of everything that was happening right now.

It was then that there was a quiet knock at the door and Obi-Wan Kenobi peered in. Serenn gave him a quick glance, but didn't say a word, and soon restored his sight to the little girl. Obi-Wan wasn't deterred by this show of aloofness, though, and he soon just walked in and took a seat opposite the Count, on a nearby stool, electing to watch the man until he chose to speak.

After some time, Serenn finally shifted himself a little and realised that he wasn't going to get out of this. "So, Obi-Wan," he said in a quiet voice, so as not to disturb the sleeping infant, "What can I do for you?"

Obi opened his mouth to speak, but his words faltered, and he found himself saying, "I'm sorry about Padmé… She was so young, and so healthy, but…"

The Count sighed and looked down again at the little girl, as though she were the most precious thing left to him in the universe. "Why did she have to die?" he muttered, swallowing convulsively as he tried to keep his grief down. "Why couldn't I save her? I… I just wasn't strong enough…"

"You couldn't have saved her," Obi-Wan said. "No one could have."

Dooku didn't look so convinced, and had to get to his feet to stall his anger; he rocked the child gently in his arms as he walked across to the window and stared out over the landscape, a landscape currently swathed in darkness.

Obi-Wan pitied the man a little, and yet there was part of him that could never forgive him, because he had done so much. Now that he was here, and he saw one of Padmé's babies in the Count's arms, the thought that Padmé had died for these two, inopportune children sent a tremor of rage through his body; they had been the mere product of two men's struggles to possess her, and she was now dead because of it. He consequently turned his eyes back up to glare at the Count, and said suddenly, "You do realise that this is all your fault, though, don't you? That this is all just a horrid, knock-on effect from the events you set into motion on Geonosis, when you took Padmé under your wing?"

Obi couldn't quite understand where his sudden passion and anger had come from; he had never loved Padmé, at least not like Anakin and Dooku, but he had cared for her as a friend and an ally. She had made mistakes, but she had been a strong and compassionate soul, and never had she deserved any of this, to become nothing more than a prize fought over by two impassioned men. "I can hardly bear to think on it," Obi went on in disgust, unable to look Dooku in the face as he felt the other man turn his eyes on him. "Of that poor girl, who suffered so much, and who has now died… And all because of you…" He shook his head, his face creasing as he attempted to comprehend recent events. "And now we have to go back to where it all began," he muttered sullenly, "and try to set things 'right'."

His last words came out so bitterly that it left a terrible taste in his mouth, and he could only continue to look away, for he was afraid of Serenn's response.

Needless to say, Dooku was sorely wounded by Obi-Wan's stringent honesty. Part of him yearned to fly into another of his rages, and yet, as he stared at Padmé's daughter, his tender and more human side took precedence over this and reduced him to a degraded wreck. "I don't need reminding of all that," he said sadly. "I can't reset history, my boy. But I can do my best to try."

"'Try not, do or do not', Dooku. Or can't you remember that?" Obi grumbled on.

Serenn didn't say a word. He just rocked the child in a numb daze.

"She's a pretty little girl," Obi-Wan now said, suddenly desperate to flee the matter.

"I know," the Count muttered.

"What is she called?"

Serenn vacillated for a moment before he looked back at Kenobi and stared at him. He then said, with a decisive nod, "Leia. She's called Leia."

"Leia?"

Dooku nodded.

Kenobi glanced away and made a gesture with his eyebrows that was extraordinarily similar to one of the Count's expressions. "'Luke and Leia'." He smiled. "It's a nice name. I like it."

Serenn stroked the girl's head and looked away. "I suppose that's an added bonus," he murmured, "though whether you approve or not is negligible."

Kenobi smiled weakly; it was something of a strange relief to know that elements of Serenn's patrician manner still remained, even now.

"Everything's gone wrong," the Count suddenly uttered, staring into space as he mulled over the events of the past twenty-four hours. "It shouldn't have ended like this."

"I know…" Obi whispered, "but it hasn't ended. Not yet." He got to his feet and paced tentatively toward the Count, lifting a finger to point at the child. "You carry Padmé's legacy in your arms. And Anakin's, I dare say."

Dooku gave Obi-Wan a cantankerous scowl as he mentioned that boy's name. "Perhaps," he murmured. The Count mercilessly blamed himself for what had happened to Padmé - the fact was that he could only blame himself for much of it - but he blamed Anakin, too; it was Skywalker who had, in an attempt to wipe any trace of him from Padmé's body, brutally raped his alleged 'beloved', and it was he, the purported Chosen One, who had thus begotten a child on her - or rather two children - which had consequently been her death.

Serenn's gaze darkened, his muscles tensed and his heart pounded with fury; suddenly, Anakin was the murderer, and he was now stood over Padmé's body, thrusting his lightsabre through her heart, and sending her to her doom.

His metal fingers tightened slightly on the child in his arms - yes, it was Anakin's fault. Darth Vader had taken Padmé away from him!

Serenn blinked before he then turned to Kenobi. "I suppose that you have come to bring me to heel, yes?" he asked. "To ensure I keep to my word and accompany you on this mission?"

Obi-Wan had fallen into too much of a hard-faced mood to now feel shamefaced about the rapidity with which they had to depart on this assignment, despite Padmé's sudden loss; "We have to leave," he said firmly, "We just can't postpone it any longer…"

The Count stared away once more and looked at little Leia. He felt a large lump in his throat, but managed to swallow it down after a tense moment; everything was suddenly coming back to him at once, and an impending departure made dealing with it all so much more difficult. He eventually managed a bitter smile and said, "What a pathetic man I am. I'm mourning for a woman who was never mine to have… for a woman less than a third of my own age." He shook his head and felt his throat tighten. He wanted to grieve, but he wouldn't allow himself to; he didn't have the time to mourn.

He then, to make matters worse, suddenly felt Obi-Wan's hand on his shoulder, and he bit his lip, trying not to show his grief to the younger man, a man who, despite everything, could still show him mercy and sympathy.

"The Force's will be done," Kenobi said as he glanced down into the face of the young baby girl and smiled at her. "The Force's will be done…"

And so little Leia was reunited with her brother in their provisional nursery, whilst Serenn returned to his room and donned those robes of old for one last time. On went the trousers, the tunic, the brown boots, and leather belt… it was just like old times. Even his hair was the same length as it had been in his Jedi days, though it was now a completely different colour. When he finally hooked his lightsabre onto his belt and looked at himself in the first mirror he found, he felt a little odd, but he felt complete; things had come full circle for him, and now all that remained was this final task, this final duty, one he would do for the Jedi he had killed, the people he had harmed, and the woman he had loved.

As he walked out into the corridors, he could not resist the temptation to go to see Padmé's children for what might be the last time. They had been put up temporarily in what had, conveniently, years before, been the old family nursery; it had recently been transformed into another bedchamber, but its tenants had been relocated with other people for the time being, until the children found a new home.

Serenn couldn't remember having ever been in this room himself as a child, though he was sure he must have been. But that was a long time ago now…

As he stood over the two makeshift cribs, the evening moonlight shining hauntingly through the windows, he thought again over everything that had happened. How had it come to this? How had he allowed himself to be so misled, to be made to do the bidding of Darth Sidious, to use Padmé as a pawn in a game he never had control of, to take away everything from her that wasn't his to take, to put her in terrible danger, to leave her at Darth Vader's mercy, then to wind up alone with her two children and be practically responsible for her death?

He felt a stray tear roll down his face and fall, with a gentle patter, just next to Leia's face. The girl seemed to stir very slightly at this and extended a tiny hand over toward the fallen tear, making the Count smile, and he reached down to her once more, to stroke her face.

"Knew that here I would find you."

Serenn rose his eyes and now saw Master Yoda sat over the other side of the room, on top of a pile of nondescript boxes. Either the Jedi Master had come in unannounced, or he had been there all the time; either way, the Count found it incredibly irritating.

"Beautiful they are. Very beautiful," the Jedi Master mused on, nodding to himself. "Yes. And strong is the Force with them. The boy in particular."

Dooku felt his brow furrow. "The girl is just as strong."

Yoda's ears cocked a little. "Think so, do you?"

Serenn stood up straight and walked across toward Yoda, before he knelt before the diminutive creature and stared him hard in the eyes. "Can you not feel her powers? They're there, surging beneath her skin…"

Yoda made a faint chuckle. "Mhm… yes. An affinity to the girl, you have."

Serenn blinked once but did not shift his line of sight. "The boy does not 'harmonise' with me… He feels cold." He ran his tongue over his teeth as he thought on this. "He shall be reckless."

Yoda didn't agree or disagree, something which didn't placate the Count at all.

"What reason for this is there, hmm?" Yoda quizzed him at length. "Thought you of that?"

Serenn shook his head gently, bemused; "Reason for what? The boy's 'coldness'? My affinity to the girl?"

Yoda again didn't clarify anything; the small Jedi only looked concerned, almost a little disturbed, as if he wasn't at all happy by the state of affairs. He just sat there with his pale green eyes set on his old Padawan. "More hope have you for the girl?" he murmured after a moment.

"She will be prudent and cautious, like her mother. I am certain of it."

"Not impulsive, not spontaneous, not proud, like her father?"

Serenn's gaze tightened on the small Jedi and he exhaled slowly, studying Yoda's visage with care. "Yes, she will be that, too… but she will be more balanced than the boy."

"Or so think you."

"Yes, so think I!" he growled, making to get to his feet until Yoda's cane hit his shoulder and he stayed put.

"A word I want with you, old friend."

Dooku sat back on his knees and waited; he suddenly felt like a Padawan again, and could almost see the carpet and décor of Yoda's apartments in the Jedi Temple build themselves up around him; he could almost feel the brush of his Padawan braid against his shoulder, and the draft at the back of his neck, beneath his cropped hair, all over again.

"Into exile I am to go," Yoda said. "No longer safe is it for me to here remain. Alone must I be."

Serenn still didn't say a word. He just sat there in silence.

"A decision for the children we must make. With Master Kenobi have I already had words, but your opinion I would also like on the matter."

Dooku nodded a little, inviting his old mentor to continue.

"Only one child does the Emperor know of, but two here we have. In more danger is the boy. Far away must he be sent."

Serenn inclined his head once more.

"Therefore to Tatooine, Master Kenobi and I feel, he should be sent."

Serenn felt his nose wrinkle. "Why Tatooine? It's a planet of pirates, scum and villainy. Surely there are better places?"

Dooku then grunted as Yoda prodded him with his cane; "For a moment, hold your tongue," the Jedi Master griped. "Not finished, am I."

Serenn rubbed his shoulder, where his mentor had struck him, and promptly quietened.

"From Tatooine came young Anakin," Yoda explained. "There shall Anakin's son have family, and there grow up, shall he, far from war and far from the Emperor's influence. A humble life shall he lead, and a humble demeanour shall he assume."

Dooku's brow arched in disbelief. "Humble, indeed. He has traits in his blood that shall not easily be restrained. It shall be his nature to seek for a greater existence."

"So pessimistic are you!"

"Master Yoda, look in his eyes! Touch him! He's his father's son."

"As are we all. Yet like our fathers are we all? No. Too narrow-minded are you, Serenn."

The Count shook his head and looked away. "Are you sure that it's wise, sending the boy back to Tatooine, seeing as his father came from there?"

Yoda made a certain nod. "Bad memories does Tatooine hold for Anakin Skywalker. Going back there soon, I doubt he shall."

Serenn resigned himself to defeat. "Very well, I agree. I doubt I could sway you otherwise anyway. And the girl…? What shall you do with her? Send her to Nal Hutta? Or Cato Neimoidia, perhaps?"

He got another slap from Yoda's cane. "No sarcasm shall you use on me, old friend," Yoda grunted. "With Bail Organa we feel she should go. In the public eye, she may be, but safe there shall she be. Unknown is her existence, and sometimes better hidden are things in the public eye."

Dooku didn't look quite so convinced. "Organa? You'll not send her with him." He got to his feet and returned to the cots, glancing over the boy for a brief moment before he bestowed a long, fretful look upon the young girl. "Why can't she stay here?"

"And take care of her, shall you? Be here, will you?"

Serenn slowly rose his eyes, reluctantly accepting the truth he had long known; he knew that he wasn't going to be here. He just didn't want to believe it.

"Be here, you will not," Yoda stated, as if to settle this matter.

Serenn nodded dolefully. "I know," he finally confessed.

Yoda climbed down from on top of the boxes, and hobbled across the floor to his former protégé. He placed a small green hand against Dooku's leg, and Serenn subsequently dropped to his knees, by his mentor's side, and stared blankly at the floor.

"Safe she shall be," Yoda assured him. "Concern yourself, do not. Happy with this arrangement Padmé would be. No children has Senator Organa's wife been able to have - now a precious gift she shall receive and nurture."

Serenn turned his eyes on Yoda and looked deep into those green pools of knowledge, whilst Yoda reached up and patted him lightly on the arm; "Now must you say farewell to young Padmé," he whispered. "Before time for you to go, it shall be."

Serenn continued to stare and, after a moment's uncertainty, he then leant down and embraced the small Jedi.

Yoda smiled sadly and held his old friend in return, giving his final and most gifted apprentice one last pat on the back. "Miss you I shall, Serenn," he said, before he parted from the lofty Count and watched the man get to his feet. "Nice to see you as a Jedi again, it is, too, might I add."

Serenn smiled vaguely down at the Jedi Master. "Take care of the children, master."

"Worry yourself, do not. Well cared for shall they be."

Dooku nodded half-heartedly and walked across to Padmé's children to give them each one last glance. "Good luck, Luke," he murmured to the boy, before he then turned to the girl, planted a kiss on his two fingers, and lightly pressed them against her forehead. "Goodbye, Leia." He then tore himself away and made for the door.

"May the Force be with you, Serenn," Yoda said.

The Count gave his mentor one final parting look; "And you, my master," he replied, before he left without a further backward glance.

TBC…