Chapter 23
A Decision Made

It seemed to be early dawn when he stumbled out of a tunnel exit into a rocky canyon. He staggered a few paces, then collapsed onto the hard, sandy ground, panting in a combination of fear, pain, and weariness. He was bruised, hungry, exhausted, and he had a splitting headache, but he was alive. Normally this was a comforting fact. But not this time.

He's screwed up, monumentally. It was his job to keep her safe. It was his job. The Jedi Council had entrusted her safety to him. Obi-Wan trusted him to keep her out of danger.

In another life, it seemed, she had been his friend. She didn't like him now, not that she knew it was him exactly, but he liked her. And losing her, failing her, and everyone else, was like being run over by a herd of raging Banthas. Twice.

Now not only was his 'Master', Obi-Wan Kenobi, imprisoned here, but so was Padmé Amidala Naberrie, Senator of Naboo. And if he dared return to the Temple without them, he'd be kicked out. And then he would be fair game for the Count.

Choking back a sudden sob of frustration, fear, and despair, Vader curled up into a ball and tried to get a hold of himself. If Padmé was still with him, or if Obi-Wan was free, he would be fine. But both were out of his reach, trapped, and if they weren't dead already, they probably would be soon. He was all alone and could barely cope. He certainly couldn't formulate a plan of action.

Eventually, he managed to get enough control to sit up and try to think. But he got nowhere fast. His thoughts just ran in circles. Useless circles that gave him no answers. And finally he wondered, what would Obi-Wan do?

He'd meditate of course. Obi-Wan's favorite thing to do was meditate. His favored activities were ranked like this: meditation, saber practice, katas, and tea.

Swallowing hard, Vader shifted into a comfortable position and desperately set himself to the task of meditating. If he worked at it enough, he would at least get the calm he needed to think clearly. At most, he'd get lucky and get an informative vision. At the very least, it gave him something to do.

It took longer than it should've. He'd trained extensively under Obi-Wan for four years now, almost five, and then there were the two years of pure Hell under the Count. He should be a master meditator. But despite his slow start, he did it.

As he slipped into the currents of the Force, the looming, indistinct presence he'd been vaguely aware of earlier came into slightly sharper focus. It was very subtle and heavily shielded, but frighteningly powerful. And it was familiar. Count Dooku.

Vader lurched out of meditation and nearly slipped into hyperventilation. He felt physically ill. His personal boogeyman was here, of all places!

Did he notice me? Did he feel me? Does he know that I'm here? Does he know that I'm with the Jedi now? Will he come for me? Will he steal me away? Will he kill me?

A hand came from somewhere behind him and gripped his shoulder. Vader had been so consumed by his panicked thoughts that he hadn't even felt the person come up to him. And the shock sent him tumbling forward into a defensive ball, trembling.

"What are you doing Vader?" A deep voice demanded. A voice that thankfully wasn't Dooku's.

"Huh?" Vader squeaked and turned to see none other than Jedi Master Mace Windu standing there and looking very displeased. "Um…"

"I seem to recall ordering you to remain on Naboo and continue to protect Senator Amidala." Master Windu frowned, looking surprisingly menacing for a Jedi who was supposed to look serene and peaceful.

"Yes, and…I would have. But…Senator Amidala…didn't agree." Vader cringed, struggling to pull himself back together.

"Explain." Master Windu commanded.

"She did not feel that the Jedi would reach Geonosis in time to help Master Kenobi. Since Naboo is much closer than Coruscant, she had the idea to go herself. The Senator felt that she would be able to either negotiate for Master Kenobi's release or buy him some time." Vader wrinkled his nose in disgust at such a foolish idea. "I tried to talk her out of it, but she refused to listen."

"So if Senator Amidala is here, where is she?" Master Windu inquired, glancing around at the rocky barren landscape.

Vader suddenly found the sand underneath his knees to be utterly fascinating. "We…got separated… They have her."

"What?" Master Windu growled.

"I screwed up, we got separated, and they have her." Vader muttered from between clenched teeth and then braced himself for a serious thrashing. He'd never failed the Jedi before, but if it followed the same pattern that failing his previous masters had, this was going to hurt. A lot.

"So, the reason that you're here is because Senator Amidala came?" Master Windu asked, catching Vader off-guard.

"Yes, why else would I come out here?" Vader replied, glancing up at the towering, dark-skinned Master.

"I don't know, why would you?" The Master asked in an odd tone of voice.

Vader blinked and then it hit him what the Jedi was suggesting. Obi-Wan tended to question his motives, especially when he was being difficult, but none of the others who knew his secret had ever openly asked this before. He swallowed hard before answering.

"Believe me, Master Windu, when I say that this is the last planet I wish to be on at this moment. I would much rather be watching over Senator Amidala on Naboo, despite her dislike for me and her ability to drive me up the wall. My only intent in coming here was to fulfill my responsibility in protecting the Senator. In fact, she told me that if I wanted to do my duty and protect her that I would have to come along." Vader replied calmly.

Master Windu studied him both visually and through the Force. When it seemed he could find no mistruth or deception, he looked displeased but nodded. "Why do you dislike this planet so much?" The Master asked.

"I have nothing against this planet in particular," Vader said slowly. "But the person that I've been running from, the main one, is here."

"Oh?" Master Windu tensed. "You've always been vague about who that is when we ask. You imply that he's nobility of some kind, but no more than that. Are you ready to say more?"

Vader felt annoyance churning up in his stomach and the stress of the situation didn't help any. "Exactly how many Force-sensitive noblemen are there out in the galaxy? How many are trained to use their power?" Vader paused to lurch to his feet to look the Jedi Master levelly in the eye. "I only know of one."

"And who is that?" Master Windu asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Vader was seriously tempted to punch the dense Jedi in the head. "Fine, I'll spell it out for you. Count Dooku is here and if he catches me I'll most likely end up dead before the sun sets."

"You accuse Dooku of training you in the Dark Side." Master Windu said in a low, threatening tone.

"Yes," Vader swallowed, "I do. He's not a Jedi anymore, he left the Order for a reason; don't expect him to act like a Jedi because he isn't."

For a brief moment, Vader thought that the Jedi Master was going to hit him, not only for his rude manner of address, but for accusing his former colleague of joining the Dark Side. But the Master visibly took hold of himself and stalked a short distance away to think over what he'd heard. After some meditation, Mace Windu returned to speak with him again.

"Come with me, I'll arrange for you to be transported off-planet as soon as possible." Master Windu ordered.

"Master Windu?" Vader blinked uncertainly. "You're…sending me away?"

"Of course, the reason that you are with us is to hide from your enemies, namely Count Dooku, so it only makes sense to send you off-planet away from him." Master Windu patiently explained. "Don't you agree?"

"Yes," Vader nodded, "but… I…I would like to stay, if I could."

"You wish to stay?" Windu inquired.

"Yes," Vader nodded again.

"Even though Count Dooku is present?" Windu raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yes," Vader swallowed nervously, rubbing his sweaty palms against the sides of his tunic.

Master Windu studied him intently before nodding. "Alright, if that is what you want, follow me."

The Jedi Master turned and left. Vader followed.

I'm coming Padmé. I'm coming Obi-Wan. And Count Dooku be damned!