Hey guys! Sorry that I didn't post this last night like usual, I have decided to move my posting to Saturday because of school. I'll have more time to edit these chapters and post on time on Friday nights, so I hope you don't mind! Corona has made school such a hassle, you have to wait in line for like ten minutes to get into the school, then they have to check this app to make sure you're healthy, and then u can finally get to a three hour class (there is a 15 minute break). We then have to GO HOME and do the rest of the day virtual. We're also only in school every other day so that's... "fun"
Edit: Y'ALL I FUCKING POSTED THIS WITHOUT REALIZING I FORGOT TO PUT REX IN TWO SCENES I'M- I HAD TO COME BACK AND ADD HIM DJKFHAKJDFH
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. If I did, all the lightsabers u can buy would change colours. Don't be shy, add some more!
Chapter Four: The Failed Escape
Count Dooku stood from the seat aboard his Solar Sailor, flicking an imaginary speck of dust from his shoulder. Straightening his tasteful tunic, he strode down the ramp into the Zygerrian heat. The Count didn't particularly enjoy this place, it was full of pain and dirt, and it was insufferably warm. He merely pretended to find the slave trade interesting, not acknowledging the improved efficiency droids would provide in the place of sentients.
He strode to the palace gates, having landed inside the city nearby. The Sith merely waved a hand at the guard meant to be filtering intruders, and the dazed Zygerrian sent the admission code outside of his free will. He stared in terror and confusion as this unknown man breezed through the gates to the heart of the planet's capital. He dared not oppose him, however, for he understood he would lose.
Dooku walked through the courtyards of the palace, anyone who would stop him too afraid to get close. One brave but foolish guard shot at him once, a blaster bolt easily returned to its owner with a quickly unsheathed lightsaber. A Zygerrian alerted someone in the palace to this threat, but it would not matter. He was here, though unannounced, on official business and Atai was expecting him. Putting away his blade, the crimson heat retracting back into the curved metal, the leader of the CIS strode purposefully through the palace doors.
He sensed the presence of several slaves, yet none attempted to make themselves known to him. Good, they were smart. He did not desire to go out of his way to hurt them, what was the point? The respected member of the Separatist Senate would be damaging government property and killing innocents for absolutely zero gain.
The Sith lord made his way to the throne room with the patience of a man who had all the time in the world. He truly did, and did not care if he kept the Queen waiting. It was an ample beginning to her punishment for failure to alert him to Skywalker's presence. She would be angry to be made to wait for who she believed to be an inferior, Dooku knew that Atai had not told her specifically who the meeting was with.
Smiling deceptively cordially, Count Dooku pushed open the throne room doors.
Anakin stood with his arms crossed, feigning annoyance. In truth, he couldn't be happier.
"I will be unavailable for an unspecified amount of time this afternoon, I have a meeting with an ally. You will be free to roam, but there shall be ground rules." The Queen was briefing her newest pet on his duties for the day, and that newest detail was certainly intriguing.
The Knight put on his best playful pout, hating this role he was playing. He had not slept in the Queen's bed last night, but still felt uncomfortable, her mere presence violating. "Your Highness, I can behave myself in a meeting. What if you are attacked?"
She giggled, looking over her shoulder in a way that was clearly meant to be flirtatious. The man it was meant for just found it nauseating. She responded, "My security is ample. Who would attack me in my own palace?"
He shrugged, purposefully providing feeble arguments. "I don't know, maybe me?"
She laughed, just as he had intended. "Anakin, you amuse me. You will be allowed to roam free this afternoon until you are recalled, but you must give me your lightsaber."
The General hid his frown at that requirement, but knew not to push his luck. Unclipping the weapon from his belt, he pressed it into the overgrown cat's outstretched palm. She smiled, and they began the day.
Artoo beeped excitedly as Anakin came into view, astromechs weren't designed to get lonely but he had missed the adventure that came with being around his master. Of course, he had spent time checking on the others yesterday, but had only been able to stay for ten standard minutes per cell. Everyone was alive and well, though it was easy to see that they weren't exactly happy to be locked up. Ahsoka'd had some choice words for Anakin, words that were not going to be repeated.
He wheeled into the General's shins, eliciting a pained grunt and pat on the dome.
"Hey buddy, it's nice to see you too. Listen, I have another job for you." Artoo beeped indignantly and the Knight laughed. "I know, you just had a job. I'm asking you to free them. I need to take care of the Queen, but can you get them out?"
What kind of a question was that? The droid whistled loudly in binary, getting a laugh out of the soldier.
"I knew you could. I'm headed to the throne room, good luck."
With that, they both headed in different directions.
Artoo loudly flung himself down the stairs to the cells, plugging into the port in the wall. He opened the two cells holding his friends, and waited a few minutes for them to come into view. The first to appear was Obi-Wan, who greeted the droid with a smile.
"I should have known it was you, you and Anakin always do these things," He said affectionately.
Next came Ahsoka and Rex peeking around a corner, both visibly annoyed the other wasn't staying out of the possible line of fire. That irritation dissolved, however, once they saw Artoo and their resident parent, Obi-Wan.
He waved. "Hello there!"
Rex nodded back. "General Kenobi."
Artoo noticed the metal around each of their necks and instantly identified the shock collars. That was something he could take care of.
After a few beeps and whistles in binary, Ahsoka bent down so that the fierce astromech could fix their little problem. He released some of his military-grade sparks, breaking the collar. The togruta took it off gratefully, glad to at least have that burden lifted off her shoulders.
The process was repeated with the two humans, and Ahsoka asked a question, "Where is Anakin?"
The droid replied in binary, getting the tiny padawan to narrow her eyes.
"We have to help him. He can't just leave us in those cells for days and go off to perform heroic deeds without us!"
Artoo beeped excitedly, totally in agreement, but Obi-Wan and Rex just rolled their eyes. They did, however, want to help Anakin, and the foursome headed to be backup.
Anakin speed-walked to the throne room at a pace no heterosexual man should be able to accomplish. He was burning with an anger that had been so violently repressed for the sake of the mission, a volcano about to explode. The Queen was going to pay for her villainy and for the trade that had caused so much of his childhood trauma. She was going to give him the information he wanted, tell him where the colonists were, or he would just… persuade her to.
Reaching the doors, the vengeful Jedi thrust them both open, striding angrily into the room. He did a double-take, however, when he saw who occupied it.
Count Dooku was seated upon the throne, regal as ever with his ego and poise. Upon taking sight of the disgruntled General, he stood, brushing off his cape. It was easy to spot the trademark curved hilt the Sith sported, along with another hilt, one that looked familiar- It was his own lightsaber.
The General drawled, "You have something that belongs to me, Count. Give it back and nobody gets hurt." He knew that that would definitely never happen, but a distraction was essential for his short-notice plat to work.
The old man laughed. "You must know that surrender would be the wisest option. Perhaps we could even work out a deal. Your padawan may end up staying unharmed upon her capture if you give in now."
Anakin's face twisted with a protective rage. He roared, "You won't touch her!"
"That was the point, Skywalker."
Deciding to totally disregard the earlier idea to distract, the Jedi turned the negotiations aggressive. Reaching out his hand and focusing on the Force, he ripped the lightsaber off Dooku's belt and into his outstretched palm, surprising the Sith Lord. He had not expected such a reckless strategy. Why only take one lightsaber, anyways? Classic Skywalker, never thinking anything through.
Dooku took the steps down the throne with a grace and patience that added to his calm aesthetic as his foe ignited his blue lightsaber. The Separatist turned on his own and took his fighting position, ready for the impending duel.
The General was too impatient to wait for Dooku to come to him and charged, arcing his saber in an easily deflected blow. Doing his best to reel in his emotions, he thrust at the man, only for his blade to be deflected. Fear for Ahsoka was making the Jedi sloppy, and it allowed for an opening to be found in his defense. The Count noticed it and Force-pushed him across the room, making the pilot land in a heap several feet away and slide a few more.
Anakin groaned at the rough hit and got to his feet, barely able to ignite his lightsaber on time to block a blow from the surprisingly agile old man. Using the Force as a boost, he leapt over his foe and landed behind him, slicing with his sword- only to be blocked once again.
They locked blades, and the Jedi asked a question, "Where is the Queen?"
The leader of the CIS only responded, "Taken care of." He enjoyed being cryptic, there was no reason to explain what had happened to that schutta.
Annoyed by the vague answer, the General pushed out of the blade lock and retreated a few feet. The duo was nearly at the steps of the throne, far from the door, and both looked over when it opened. Ahsoka burst inside, followed by Obi-Wan and Artoo.
Count Dooku took advantage of his opponent's distraction and blasted him with sizzling lightning, throwing the man into the wall with a loud thud.
Obi-Wan and Rex's eyes widened, worry taking over their facial features as Artoo beeped in distress. Ahsoka screamed and sprinted towards him, yelling, "Master!" She did not care that she had no weapons, she only cared about Anakin's well-being.
The Jedi Master could only yell, "Ahsoka, no!" before she got near her teacher, and consequently Count Dooku. The old man extended a robed arm and closed his fist, lifting the teen right off her feet. She scrabbled at her throat, eyes wide in disbelief, as she choked.
Rex could only look on in horror as the togruta was pulled towards one of the most powerful men in the Galaxy by her delicate neck, gasping for air as she kicked at nothing in a desperate attempt to gain purchase. She was held barely a foot in front of him as he ignited his crimson blade. This spurred the weaponless men into action and Kenobi commanded, "Let her go!"
The noise and elapsed time between his electrocution caused Anakin to rouse, shaking his head as if trying to clear the grogginess from it. He was immediately vigilant, however, when he saw his padawan suspended in midair in front of the lightsaber-wielding murderer Count Dooku.
Scrambling to his feet and crossing the distance to a choking Ahsoka and smirking Dooku, he ignited his lightsaber. "Drop her, Count."
He smiled. "Perhaps if you surrender, I will be lenient."
The General glared at the older man and looked up at his dangling padawan, still loudly trying in vain to get air into her lungs as she kicked. The Commander locked eyes with him, both pleading for him not to take the deal and yet begging that he free her. The Count tightened his hold and she wheezed, eyes bugging out as air no longer was able to struggle past her enclosed windpipe. She was truly thrashing now, panic setting in as Her Master's own fear took a deep root inside him. Looking up at his asphyxiating student, he hoped she would forgive him for this.
Anakin sheathed his lightsaber and tossed it over to the other man, who turned his off as well. Ahsoka fell to the ground in a heap, gasping for air. She trembled as her Master gently held her, whispering one thing, "It's okay. You're okay."
R2-D2 silently rolled down the palace hallways, trailing about 100 feet behind his friends. Once Anakin had surrendered, the resourceful astromech had been able to escape the throne room before several managuards came in, bearing three sets of binders. He had plugged into the security system and downloaded the throne room surveillance, watching as Ahsoka and her Master were pulled to their feet and placed in binders, Obi-Wan and Rex already restrained by two of the humanoid droids.
Now, the party was being led out of the palace to a landing pad where a transport would likely be picking them up. Dooku was at the head of the group, holding Ahsoka by her back lek to discourage rebellion from the other three prisoners. Anakin was behind them, each arm held by a separate manguard, the droids gipping their weapons menacingly. Rex was also being forced along by the electrified clankers. Obi-wan was at the back of this little parade, restrained in a similar fashion, and Artoo's auditory processors were able to make out the jab, "This is another fine mess you've gotten us into!"
The General snarked, "I didn't have much of a choice, Obi-Wan. Maybe we wouldn't be here if you hadn't gotten caught."
Dooku snarled, "I tire of your bickering. Be quiet or you won't be the only one yelling." He accentuated this with a sharp tug to his prisoner's lek, making her yelp. That shut the other two men up quickly, the desire to protect stronger than the will to play the blame game. Artoo was recording all of this, knowing that he could be of use in the shadows.
After several minutes the convoy finally arrived at a landing pad, prisoner transport neatly parked upon it. Dooku led them all inside where they stayed for several minutes, likely getting everyone secured. Eventually, the Sith Lord exited the vehicle, looking around suspiciously. Artoo nervously backed up more into his hiding spot, quietly beeping with apprehension.
The old man dismissed it as nothing and walked off, prisoner transport rumbling to life. The hidden astromech kept recording as it shuddered into the air, heading for space and likely a Separatist flagship. He finally ended the recording, slowly detangling himself from the heaps of wires and boxes that had hidden him so well. The droid rolled away from this landing pad, making his way back to the stolen ship they had entered the planet in.
Once aboard the slaver vessel, he plugged in and opened up communications with the Jedi Temple. Hoping this would work, he sent the message.
Mace Windu sat in his comfortable chair, listening as Yoda spoke.
"A message we have received, from Skywalker's astromech."
Ki-Adi Mundi leaned forward in his chair, asking, "A message? What does it say?"
"A holorecording, it is. Watch it, we shall."
The lights of the council chambers were dimmed and the holoprojector on the floor started up. The entire council watched with rapt attention as the image flared up, casting all of its watchers in a blue glow. Nobody made a sound as they viewed the capture of Kenobi, a clone, Skywalker, and his Padawan.
When it ended, nobody spoke for a solid minute, all of them digesting the video. Finally, Shaak Ti broke the silence.
"Though their capture is unfortunate, the missing togrutan colonists should still be our priority. I understand that I may hold bias on the matter, but they are innocents that require our help."
"What of the wookiees?" inquired Ki-Adi Mundi.
Mace Windu sighed. "The wookiees are fine. To counter the point of Master Ti, Generals Skywalker and Kenobi have important information to the Republic which, if given up, could negatively affect our war efforts drastically. We may find that rescuing them is actually in favor of the galaxy as a whole far more than helping the colonists."
Yoda shifted into a thoughtful position, contemplating this discussion. All eyes were on him as he said, "Down a dangerous path, this line of thought will lead us. Be careful we must, when discussing the lives of innocents."
Everyone nodded sagely even though that's basically what they were already doing. Yoda made the simplest things seem complex and mature.
Shaak Ti continued to speak her mind. "I say we work to rescue the colonists. We will never be able to tell if doing so would put others in danger, but we do know that failing to help them would result in terrible suffering."
Stass Allie inquired, "Why don't we just end slavery on Zygerria?"
Mace Windu snorted. "That's way too much work, we should just rescue the thousands of colonists instead and ignore those other slaves' suffering."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Seems smart to me," said Saesee Tin.
And so it was decided, Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka would need to hold out a little longer.
End of chapter!
Notes:
-but fr why dont they just END SLAVERY KJDSFHLKJFHLKSJFHLKASJF
-Ahsoka Dooku is really close to Anakin he might hurt you- Ahsoka- Omg she has airpods in she cant hear me
-Where's the Queen? I don't even know yet lmao we'll see
-Anakin this is why u need to focus look what happened
-I am trying to portray Dooku as the most pompous bastard to exist
-Anakin just face it you cannot beat Dooku yet
-What about the droid attack on the wookiees?
Tune in next week for chapter Five!