Obi-Wan had not stirred from the position Yan had left him in. As he gazed down on the man, Yan was struck by how young Obi-Wan looked, how vulnerable. For a moment Yan could see the padawan he used to know. A padawan he almost took for himself because he couldn't stand to see that light fading. How far he had fallen since then.
How many times had he tried to kill this boy? How many times had he ordered other people to do so?
Once there was a time he would have challenged his own beloved Padawan, Qui-Gon, for the right to be called this young man's Master.
Hesitantly Yan reached out and smoothed Obi-Wan's hair off of his face. Since becoming General , Obi-Wan had kept it short, dignified. Which suited the young man better than that awful long hair he sported on Genosis.
Perhaps Yan was getting old, perhaps he still had a bit of light left in him.
Hesitantly Yan sat down on the bed and maneuvered Obi-Wan until the young's man head was in his lap. Slowly he returned to gently stroke his grandson's hair. Absent-mindedly he began to hum. Between one breath and the next, Dooku fell into a light meditation.
He once again reached for the light, still surprised when he felt the warmth as it embraced him. Obi-Wan was like a small sun next to his in the force, a small sun that was being eclipsed. Parts of his bright light was dimmed.
Frowning, Dooku reached out further. As his senses rolled over Obi-Wan's force presence he felt sharp spikes of pain, and deep aches. He could taste the sense of loneness, depression, and stress on his tongue.
Dooku came quickly back to himself, without a second though he picked Obi-Wan up and marched to his private med-bay where he didn't hesitate to dis-robe Obi-Wan and throwing him into a tank of bacta.
The dark side rolled back to him as he paced back and forth in front of the tank, only having the presence of mind to make sure he didn't brush Obi-Wan. He was beyond angry, angry how Obi-Wan was floundering.
Did no one else see? Did it take a Sith to figure this out?!
Dooku finally stopped and glared at his grand-padawan as he floated blissfully unaware. Not an ounce of fat adorned his body, multiple bruises in different stage of recovery covered his frame.
The med droid who had been analyzing Obi-Wan spoke up. "Patient is suffering multiple lacerations, burns. I have detected multiple pieces of sharpnel embedded in his torso. He is also suffering from malnutrion and dehydration and exhaustion."
Dooku sighed. "Remove the shrapnel, treat him for everything else."
"Yes Sir."
Dooku gathered the robes and belt he had thrown to the floor, he deposited the robe into the laundry and to brought the belt back to the room that was now Obi-Wan's. He meant to just lay it on the table and then leave, when the Force nudged him. Yan paused and turned the only other item in the room that was Obi-Wan's was the boots he had removed before tucking the boy in.
The Force nudged him again and Dooku examined the boots more closely.
He had to chuckle when the heel of the left boot clicked open and a small tracker fell out. It was a small transmitter that would just broad cast a position and nothing else. Obi-Wan probably didn't know he was carrying it. Clever Clones.
He gently put it back and set the boots aside. His droids reported significant damage to the Negotiator, Dooku didn't doubt that they were following him; just slower then normal. It would give him a few days to decide what to do.
Despite his best attempts Dooku found himself drifting to the Med-Bay over the next three days were Obi-Wan still floated peacefully in the bacta. Additional tubes had snaked in and out of the tank providing Obi-Wan with the necessary nutrients and fluids. The droids had also easily removed the shrapnel.
At the end of the third he was recovered enough to be taken out. He was rinsed off, put into a soft sleep robe and tucked back into the bed. Dooku was once again pulled into the room. His inner turmoil getting stronger each time he looked down into the sleeping face of his grandson.
Parts of himself he hadn't felt for years seemed to be reviving and he looked back in shame on his actions, and often time horror. Every step he had taken in the past ten years he saw in a new light. How Sideous often used his grief and his pride to manipulate him.
Speaking of Sideous, the Sith Lord had demanded to speak with him tonight. With a twirl of his cloak he exited the room and made his way to the bridge. Right on the dot, the blue figure of Sideous appeared before him.
"Master," the word tasting like ash in his mouth.
"Did you kill Kenobi?" Sideous demanded.
"The Clones didn't let us get close," Dooku replied truthfully. If Obi-Wan hadn't run ahead of his troops, Dooku wouldn't have met him. "They are more protective than usual. No sign of Skywalker."
Dooku tested the waters, he knew why Skywalker wasn't there. Question was would Sideous say anything. Dooku wasn't dumb, he knew that Sideous had an interest with the boy.
"He is none of your concern, just do as you were told and kill Kenobi! Do not fail me!" threated Sideous before he cut the video.
Dooku put his hand behind his back and stared off the bridge thinking.
Why? Why was he so insistent that Obi-Wan die now?
Dooku had a feeling that it resolved around Skywalker. It always seemed to come back to him. Dooku felt as if he was missing a part of the puzzle. He never really give much thought to it before, but Sideous was in control of both sides of the war. Sideous tried to maximize Jedi causalities but he seemed to focus on Obi-Wan when he was alone but let up on the assaults when Skywalker came onto the scene.
It came to him like a bolt of lightning. Sideous was grooming Anakin to be his next apprentice. Anakin was attached to Obi-Wan, extremely so. Losing his Mother had made him slaughter an entire village, what would losing his Master do? Treachery was the way of the Sith, and Sideous was a follower of the rule of two.
But Anakin was in the Temple, seeking help. He wouldn't be as volatile as he once was if he actually accepted the help. Killing Obi-Wan would essentially force the young man to leave to find the killer, Yan himself, thus eliminating Sideous apprentice and leaving it free for Sideous to manipulate Anakin into. Obi-Wan would be there to be Anakins moral support anymore. Leaving him vulnerable, like the child Yan always believed Anakin to be.
A child who would have unlimited power. His connection to the Force would be unstoppable.
A series of visions struck Dooku.
The Jedi temple in ruins, bodies of younglings scattered all around.
Anakin in black armor with a ruby red lightsaber striking down Jocasta.
The sounds of thousands of voices going silent, a planets worth and his Masters evil cackle.
Dooku retched himself out of the stream of images and sounds. He suddenly felt weak, shaky, and almost sick.
The future without Obi-Wan was dark, Anakin destroying the Jedi and Sideous gaining the power to destroy whole planets.
"Now do you see Master?" asked Qui-Gon gently, "You are so close, it's not too late for you."
"Perhaps," mumbled Yan. Qui-Gon did a double take, had Dooku just heard him?
"Keep the course, quarter speed," Dooku instructed the bridge before taking his leave. He needed to regroup and meditate about this new information before he faced Obi-Wan tomorrow
"How are the repairs coming?" demanded Cody, a harsh tone in his voice.
But the vod did not blame him, they were all blaming themselves for losing Obi-Wan to Dooku. But Cody was taking it the hardest.
"The radio is still toast. We can't reach the fleet for back up, but the Generals tracking device is still going strong," Frequency spoke up from communications.
"How far out?" Rex asked.
"Distance has been maintained, Dooku's ship hasn't enter lightspeed."
Rex couldn't help but feel a bit of relief from that report. The Negotiator was limping as fast as they could after Dooku's ship to try to retrieve their General. The only chance they had was if Dooku didn't go to lightspeed. If he did then Obi-Wan would be lost.
What was worst was they couldn't call any of the ship for assistance.
"I want every available Vod working on the engines," Cody ordered. "Frequency, do whatever it takes to get the communications up and going."
"Yes Commander," Frequency replied softly bending over his work.
Rex winced, Freq had been working around the clock on the communications. Frag, everyone had been hauling ass to get the ship in working order again. The cuddle piles had grown as the stress wretched up considerably, spilling out all over the ship. All the Vod were taking it hard they had lost the General.
Cody was the only one that Rex had not seen in any of the piles, his older Vod seeming to punish himself.
"Cody," Rex said softly.
"What Rex!" barked Cody.
Rex fixed his vod with a look, he had half a mind of beating some manners into him. "Cody, the Vod are pushing themselves as fast as they can. But it doesn't do anyone if they run themselves into the grave. When was the last time you slept."
Cody's mulish silence was enough for Rex to know it had been a long time. "Come on Cody,"
Cody initially resisted, "No."
But Rex wasn't going to take no for an answer.
He leaned in close so only Cody could hear him. "Either you go willingly or I will take you down and drag you to your bunk."
Cody's eyes gleamed and for a moment it appeared that he would take Rex up on that threat but then he seemed to deflate and gave his brother a slight nod.
Rex steered Cody back to their personal bunks, something that hadn't been used a lot since the first cuddle pile. Rex instructed Cody to strip to his blacks and dragged the mattress onto the floor along with the blankets and forced Cody to sit down.
But there was still too much tension in Cody's shoulders, he would never be able to sleep.
"Out with it," Rex said simply. "Out with it our I will go to Kix for a sedative!"
Cody let out a shuddering breath and like a dam finally broke.
"It was my fault, he is my General!" Cody said, frustrated tears prickling his eyes. "I should have pushed forward, I should have gotten to him!"
Cody had looked absolutely lost when they boarded the ship to give chase to Dooku and now all that feelings he had been suppressing was coming out. A few hot angry tears came falling out. "I'm also so angry with him! Why did he do it!"
Rex squeezed his brother's shoulder. "You know the Jedi, you know our Jedi and you know how Obi-Wan was after the last battle. There was no way he was going to let you, let us get close to him. You can't blame yourself."
Cody sighed, "In my mind I know this, but I can't help but blame myself. Who knows what Dooku is doing to him because we failed him!"
With a deep breath through his nose, Obi-Wan opened his eyes and looked sleepily at the ceiling. His mind was calm as he slowly woke up. For the first time since before the war Obi-Wan woke up feeling refresh. The edge of constant exhaustion was gone and aches and pains that had been become apart of his normal life was no longer there. He hadn't realized how much pain he had been carrying around until it was no longer there.
However the wonderous feeling didn't last long as his last memories flashed into his mind, his fight with Dooku and being suspended in the force field. He sat straight up in the bed, noticing in the back of his mind that the room didn't automatically start spinning like it usually did.
He was in a room, that was clearly on a ship, thick covers encased his legs and he was dressed in soft sleep robes. He could clearly see his own robes looking freshly laundered laying across a chair near the bed.
His utility belt along with his lightsaber was laying on the table. Obi-Wan called the lightsaber to his hand and pressed the button. The familiar blue blade burst forth with no hesitation. As the blade sank back into the hilt, Obi-Wan accessed what it all meant. He was obviously cleaned up, undrugged, unchained, and given access to his greatest tool.
Maybe he had been rescued?
Obi-Wan quickly dressed and secured his belt and blade on before testing the door. It opened easily under his touch giving him more evidence to support his current theory. Reaching out with the Force he felt a presence further down the hallway, but the Force gave him no warnings in fact it seemed to encourage him to move forward.
Obi-Wan cautiously moved towards the presence. The door opened automatically as he got closer and he wasn't expecting what he found on the other side.
There sitting at a table was Count Dooku himself! Obi-Wan's hands automatically flew to his saber hilt but he didn't draw it. Bad manners and all to attack a man who was obviously having a cup of tea.
The reaction that Dooku gave when he looked up from his data pad was quite the opposite. He merely sat down his tea cup.
"I was wondering when you would wake up," Dooku said his eyes traveling up and down inspecting him after setting his data pad aside.
Obi-Wan was speechless, his silver tongue failing him. His mind couldn't seem to process that the Force was offering no warnings and was absolutely calm in not a little encouraging.
"Well just don't stand there blocking the door,"Dooku scolded him. "Sit," nodding to the chair on his left.
Obi-Wan's mind was racing, but the most prominent question was why Dooku felt so…so grey in the Force. He didn't feel drenched in the dark side like he did during their dual but he didn't feel light but almost a mix of both. The Count gave him another pointed look that finally had Obi-Wan moving. He wearily sat down on the edge of said seat, ready to jump up and run on a moment's notice. Something he did do when the doors behind Dooku opened and a two droid carrying the dinner trays came walking out.
A sound drew Obi-Wan's attention back to the Count, a sound that had sounded like a chuckle. But looking at the older man, there was nothing but a neutral mask in place.
"Sit, if I had wanted to harm you Obi-Wan I would not have invited you to dinner."
Dinner?
As Obi-Wan continued to stand the droids indeed set the tablet for dinner and set out a large pot in front of the Count. Obi-Wan watched as Dooku served himself a bowl, and then filled Obi-Wan's bowl up with thick tuber soup and pieces of flakey bread cut from the same loaf.
For the second time Obi-Wan gingerly sat down as his stomach let out a huge rumble at the smell of food that wasn't a ration bar.
Every instinct told Obi-Wan not to eat it, that it was somehow drugged. But Dooku proceeded to eat, taking sips of soup and refined bites of bread, the same items he had served Obi-Wan.
His eyes never leaving the Count, Obi-Wan picked up the spoon and took a tiny sip of soup and almost groaned at the taste.
The taste sent him back to a forgotten memory of eating this same soup with Qui-Gon in Dooku's apartments back before Tahl had died. The next week Mahl/Daan had happened and Obi-Wan had forgotten all about it. The taste of the rich soup brought it back.
In fact it brought a rush of almost forgotten, only a few, happy memories of his early Padawan days. Studying in the library with Madame Nu with Dooku assisting. The words of praise of the older man as he demonstrated an Ataru flip. The fight that had rocked the apartment after the ordeal with Buck.
Obi-Wan had been numb with the fact he had caused the death of one of his crèche mates that he didn't recall what had been shouted in the fight. He just remembered the raised voices and the crashes of porcelain and finally the slamming of the front door.
After that fight, Obi-Wan had not seen his GrandMaster until the day they came back from Naboo and the older man had demanded to know if it was true. Dooku had left the Order soon after that time, in a time Obi-Wan had probably needed the older man the most.
"Is the soup not to your liking?"
Dooku's voice coming through his haze of memories.
Obi-Wan blinked to see the other man looking him with a face that could almost be mistaken as concern.
"No, I was just reminded of something," Obi-Wan said softly taking another bite. "It's delicious."
Dooku nodded, "I remembered you were fond of it last time I served it, I'm glad you still enjoy it."
Obi-Wan didn't know what to say in reply and the rest of the meal continued in silence.
Though a morbid part of Obi-Wan wondered if this was his last meal before he was executed and if he should ask the Count why he lacked the manners the last time he tried to execute the Jedi.