Thank you all for the reviews, I really do appreciate them. It makes my day when I read that you guys are still enjoying the story and it inspires me to write more often, which means I update more often. Anyways, I could go on thanking you forever, but it would probably get boring after a few paragraphs, so I'll stop there…
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or anything Star Wars related.
CHAPTER 9
Covenant
Anakin Skywalker tightly clenched his jaw while he tugged and pulled at the restraints that bound his wrists and ankles together, his protesting muscles aching and burning due to the self-inflicted strain that had been put on his body as a result of his futile attempts to free himself. Suspended in the air several feet above the ground, he floated in an energy field that he noted was quite similar to the type of tractor beam that would be found on a large freighter or containercrafts to assist in handling fragile cargo and exports, quickly and efficiently. Though tractor beams were most commonly used to drag objects from place to place by ships, the technology had also been adapted to apply to safe and humane methods of containing prisoners. The grappling rays – or magnetic beams as some called them – were no longer used only for starport employment or armament for military vessels and galactic pirates, but for apprehending and detaining criminals or other selected targets as well. Anakin felt anger and resentment rise within him at the thought of such a simple invention getting the better of him. If it weren't for the glowing energy field that surrounded him, he would have had no trouble in snapping his bindings and making for his escape. However, in his current state, he was in no position to flee or defend himself if he were to come under attack by hostiles.
Finally admitting to himself that his struggles would not accomplish anything after what seemed like hours of failed efforts to break his restrained limbs loose, he allowed his body to slightly relax and anxiously glanced around at the dark cave in which he had been imprisoned. He inwardly cursed at himself for his foolishness and the rash decision that had landed him in the grasp of the Jedi's mysterious quarry, The Falard. If only he had heeded Obi-Wan's advice. He had thought his old Masters' suggestion to surrender to the Dark Jedi insane at the time of its proposal, but now he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps his mentor had devised some kind of alternate plan that could have spared them both their unfortunate fate. In the end, they had been seized by dozens of enemy warriors anyways…his impulsive actions had obviously not improved the outcome of the battle any.
Shaking the troubling possibility from his churning mind, Anakin peered through the darkness of the damp cave and fixed his gaze on the opened door that taunted him from across the room. Hanging ajar and begging for him to step through it, the awaiting passage was located on the wall opposite the one that he himself hovered before in midair. His eyes narrowed when he saw a shadow moving along the jagged halls just outside it, loud footsteps approaching from a place that he was unable to see from his wretched vantage point. It wasn't long before a figure clad in black robes and a thick cloak joined him, the glint of its sickening yellow eyes studying him from beneath its cumbersome hood as it slowly lurched through the doorway.
"Where is Obi-Wan?" Anakin half demanded, not even giving the intruder a chance to address him.
"Asking about another while you are left alone and vulnerable, that is an honorable quality," the figure said in an amused tone. "Don't worry, Master Kenobi is fine. He has not yet outlived his usefulness…he still has a role to play, just as you do."
Not understanding the meaning of his captors' statement, Anakin's only response was an intensified glare.
"You still don't realize who you are, do you?" the figure continued. "The Hero With No Fear…the Chosen One. Anakin Skywalker, destined to save the Jedi and restore balance to the Force. What a pitiful prophecy they have concocted. The Jedi actually have the audacity to claim that an instrument of the light will someday fix everything and set the wrongs of our existence right, as if it were that simple. The weight of the galaxy has been placed on your shoulders, my young friend, dare you expect to lift it?"
"Why don't you stop speaking in riddles and tell me what you want," Anakin impatiently retorted.
"Direct and to the point, I can admire that," the figure replied, seemingly un-phased by his prisoners harsh tone. "What I want, Skywalker, is to do what my ancestors could not. To fulfill the wishes of the prophets."
"Great, another fanatic," Anakin mumbled. "I have met plenty of others just like you."
"Not quite like me, I can assure you," the figure chuckled as if it were chatting with an old friend, taking a broad step forward to close the distance that lay between them. "You see, we have much more in common than you might think. Just like you, I was not birthed by a mother and a father…I was conceived by the Force itself, to serve my purpose."
Anakin's fists reflexively balled at his sides, his rages building up and gradually taking hold of him as memories of his beloved mother, Shmi Skywalker, flashed through his throbbing head. "And what purpose would that be?"
"To see to it that you serve your purpose, of course," the figure said nonchalantly. "You are supposed to tip the balance of the Force, that much is true…but in the favor of which side, that is yet to be determined. The Jedi believe that you are their savior, but the Sith believe that you are meant to end the oppression of the Dark Order and vindicate certain…misconstrued aspects of our kind."
"You are not a Sith Lord," Anakin defiantly countered. "You are nothing more than an obsessed imposter. The Sith are extinct, I saw to it myself."
The figure turned its back to the Jedi Master as it reached into its cloak, pulling something out that was obscured from his view. "Are you so sure?"
"Their ways died with Darth Sidious three years ago."
"Not died…only put to rest temporarily," the figure corrected. "The Sith can never die, my friend. The dark side is too strong a flame to be extinguished."
Anakin's eyes widened when the figure turned back around, revealing a small, defined object that it held in the center of its flattened palm. The device was unmistakable. In this creatures hand rested a Sith holocron, activated and shimmering with an eerie red glow. The crimson object cast a gloomy blood-colored sheet of light on the walls and ground, illuminating the rough surfaces of rock and stone.
"Who are you?" Anakin managed to ask through his shock.
"I think you know by now," the figure replied, once again pocketing the holocron in the folds of its dark robes.
"The Respian," Anakin stated bitterly.
"Among other things."
Reaching a gloved hand up to pull back its hood, the figure flashed a sinister smile at the look of pure astonishment that his appearance had evoked in his prisoner. Utter disbelief and confusion blanketed the helpless Jedi's face.
"It can't be!" he exclaimed.
"I can see right through you, Anakin Skywalker," the words fell from Qui-Gon Jinn's grinning lips. "Your dreams, your memories, the ones you love, the ones you hate…your greatest fears."
Anakin could only watch in stunned silence as the deceased Jedi Master began to pace in front of him, his presence vanishing in the shadows as he stepped through them.
"You may know very little about me, but I know everything about you," he said as he reemerged from the darkness, his voice changed to match his altered features. Once again moving into the dim light, the treacherous Count Dooku took even more satisfaction in his captives bewildered expression. "Yes, the Jedi did cut me down, didn't they? But not before you took my hands from me."
Anakin's confusion soon ebbed as realization dawned on him. "You're a changeling."
"Oh, I am much more than that, my dear boy," Dooku boasted. "I am the Force in all its glory."
Casually clasping his hands behind his back, the man once known as Darth Tyranus faded back into the shadows with a crude smirk.
"Is this all you can do?" Anakin spat in disdain. "You cannot strike fear into me with these cheap imitations. You are wasting your time."
"Though my intentions are not to strike fear into you, I most surely could if I so desired," Dooku's voice replied. "For I know what you fear most, Skywalker. You fear loss. Loss of the one you love above all others…the Senator."
Anakin's rages flared at the mention of Padme. "If you touch a single hair on her head – "
"Now-now, you would be wise to keep your temper. Anger leads to the dark side, after all," the Respian interrupted in a voice that the floating Jedi had not heard before.
Not able to place the deep and imposing rumble that now filled the cave, Anakin intently listened as the sound of something truly unsettling assaulted his ears…something mechanical. Some form of breathing apparatus, he ventured to guess.
"You will find in time, my young friend, that one cannot escape who they are."
Sabe frowned while she watched Padme and Chancellor Organa's secretary argue to the point that she thought fists could soon be thrown, Threepio almost cowering in the corner as he flailed his arms and did his best to reason with the feuding women. However, his pleading fell on deaf ears and he was given no notice. Folding her arms across her chest and keeping her nose out of the dispute, Sabe listened as the snooty secretary gave excuse after excuse, saying that the Chancellor was either too busy preparing for a meeting with the Senate or that appointments had to be scheduled in advance if somebody wanted an audience with the leader of the Republic. All of these excuses were ignored and instantly dismissed by Padme.
"Just tell him that Senator Amidala is here to see him," she instructed. "It won't take long, I only need a moment of his time."
"And as I have told you repeatedly, you may have a moment of his time when you have arranged a meeting beforehand," the pompous secretary countered. "Now, will I need to contact building security and have you escorted out or would you like to schedule something for the future? I am sure we can work you in sometime next week."
"Next week?" Padme nearly gasped. "I don't have a week to wait. Please, just go and tell him – "
Just then, all eyes turned to Bail Organa's office as its doors slid open and out waltzed the Chancellor himself, fully clothed in the regal and traditional attire that signified his noble position in the Senate. His face lit up when he saw Padme.
"Senator Amidala, what a wonderful surprise!" he warmly greeted her. "What brings you back to Coruscant?"
"Not the best of circumstances, I'm afraid," Padme solemnly replied. "I was hoping I might have a word with you."
"Yes, of course, come in," Bail said as he extended a hand and gestured for she and Sabe to enter his office. They quickly obliged and did so, Threepio scurrying in behind them while they received a deathly stare from the secretary. Apparently, she was not fond of her authority being undermined. However, a less than sincere smile replaced her scowl when Bail turned to her. "Hold my calls, if you would."
"I will, Chancellor."
Padme and Sabe took two of the five chairs that sat in front of Bail's desk, patiently waiting as he drifted into the room to join them.
The doors to the office slid shut and he took his seat as well. "Now, what can I do for you, Padme?"
"I need your help," Padme began to explain. "We have visited a…trusted source of Obi-Wan Kenobi's."
"Oh yes, Obi-Wan…" Bail trailed off. "Master Yoda has told me of his latest exploration of Korriban with Anakin. I am assuming that you are here to discuss their situation, are you not?"
"Technically, yes," Padme answered, causing her longtime acquaintance to crease his forehead in puzzlement. "I have actually come to ask you for a favor."
"You know that I will do anything in my power to help," Bail reassured her.
"I am glad to hear you say that," Padme said with a weak smile. "Because this is a big one."
Intrigued and genuinely curious about what the ex-Senator had to say, Bail intently leaned forward on his desk and listened as she informed him – in detail – of what had transpired with Dexter Jettster the day before.
As youngsters growing up in the polished corridors of the Jedi Temple, padawans did – on occasion – strike up strong and long-lasting friendships. Siri Tachi had been a contemporary of Obi-Wan's when they had first started down the challenging path to Jedi Knighthood. A short time after Obi-Wan had been paired with the honorable Qui-Gon Jinn as his Master, Siri had become apprenticed to the venerable Adi Gallia, and the two Jedi had been sent their separate ways to learn the ways of the Force under the guidance and tutelage of their new mentors.
During their time spent apart, both had gained much knowledge from their Masters. Siri's lightsaber talents and technique had been exceptional – often combating with a fighting style that was highly athletic and yet very focused. Although, the ambitious padawans' determination had often proven troublesome during lessons as she had difficulty comprehending when it was prudent to refrain or withdraw from a fight. Obi-Wan had kept himself updated on Siri's progress while he was unable to see her in person, and it had been a shattering blow to not only the Jedi, but to him personally, when she had abandoned the Order shortly after the Battle of Naboo in which his Master had been savagely slain during a duel with the first Sith to surface in nearly a thousand years. Word had gotten back to him that Master Gallia and Siri had engaged in a severe disagreement while tracking smugglers on the Kessel Run, which culminated in the younger Jedi's shocking departure. Not long after hearing of the distressing news, he had discovered that Siri had not only turned her back on her training and heritage, but had also allied herself with the infamous Krayn – one of the most despicable and barbaric slave traders who had ever stalked the Republic spacelanes. But even despite her drastic changes, the possibility that she would one day give herself over to the dark side had never once entered his mind. The truth of her turn stung at his heart.
"Are you feeling well rested?"
So caught up and engrossed in his thoughts that he had not even noticed the set of eyes that observed him from the outer perimeter of his confining cell, Obi-Wan looked up at the scintillating energy field that presently kept him at bay with a start. There she stood, just as he had always remembered her, though lacking the sparkling radiance and zest for life that had once kept him so captivated. Siri Tachi, the woman who had denounced her place as a Jedi…the woman who had taken the title of a Sith.
Like the rest of the Dark Jedi, distinct symbols that the Archives back on Coruscant had identified as having originated from ancient Sith scriptures on Korriban marked her once innocent face. She was as beautiful and youthful as ever, but her eyes blazed with a fury and hate that could not be denied.
"Siri," was all he could muster up in response.
"Is that all you have to say after all this time?" she mocked.
"What would you have me say?" he asked with a heavy sigh. "You are a Sith. You are no longer the same person that I once knew."
"As blind as ever, Obi-Wan," she retorted in disgust. "Still following the Jedi code like a blundering droid. Still believing that the ways of the Order are the only right ways. When will you forget the arrogance of the Jedi and embrace the Force for what it really is?"
Obi-Wan furrowed a brow. "And what is it?"
"Life," was Siri's simple answer. "The gifts of power and immortality. You would be lying if you said you did not dream of such things."
"Jedi don't dream," Obi-Wan calmly replied.
"Once again, not looking beyond the narrow views of the Jedi Council," Siri accused, her expression hardening. "How can you continue to follow them? The Jedi were nearly eradicated, but you do nothing! The Republic betrayed you and still you stand behind them!"
"Chancellor Palpatine betrayed us, not the Republic," Obi-Wan stated matter-of-factly.
"Palpatine was the Republic!" Siri exclaimed. "A Sith Lord led the Jedi for years, right under their noses! If you are all so wise and skilled in the Force, why could you not see that Darth Sidious stood within hands reach while he led the war fronts on both sides? How could you not realize what he was? How can you forgive and forget as if nothing happened?"
A shiver ran down Obi-Wan's spine as a faint yellow glow rose in the infuriated eyes of his corrupted friend, only adding to her overall menacing appearance.
"You cannot allow personal vendettas to consume you," Obi-Wan replied. "It is dangerous to dwell on the past, you must move on for your own sake. Your hatred and lust for vengeance will destroy you."
"Do not lecture me, Obi-Wan Kenobi," Siri growled as her yellow gaze grew brighter. Suddenly, she shifted her attention to a comlink that hung at her waist when it chimed to alert her of an incoming call. Glaring at the receiver, she angrily plucked it from her belt and thumbed the button to answer it. "You were told not to disturb me unless absolutely necessary."
"My apologies, mistress, but two Jedi starfighters are closing in on our position," a distorted voice replied from the other end of the transmission, a hint of fear evident in its uneven tone.
"How long?" Siri questioned.
"ETA is two minutes and counting, mistress."
"Very good, I will be right there," Siri said as she switched the comlink off and returned it to its place on her hip. Then, shooting Obi-Wan one last condemning look, she spun on her heels and started away from his holding cell. "I am needed on the bridge. Your rescuers have arrived sooner than anticipated…"
