Chapter 6 – Duel of the Fates

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. xD

WARNING: MENTION OF CHILD ABUSE!

Author's Note: Sorry about what happens in this chapter... Now you can see how horrible Sidious is... And on the bright side, I'm planning an AU for Brotherhood called Double-Crossed, which diverges at the beginning of this chapter because Anakin is able to save Jango. I have no idea when I'll start releasing it though. xD

~ Amina Gila

For a few seconds, Anakin feels nearly weightless as he plummets towards the ground. At the last second, he gathers the Force, catching himself and landing effortlessly on his feet. The effects of battle are visible all around him as his lightsaber ignites in his hand, red blade strikingly out of place among the Jedi's blues and greens. His head swivels around as he tries, in vain, to locate either Obi-Wan or Ahsoka. He can still feel them in the Force, so he knows they're alive.

A blur of violet catches his eye, and he turns to see Windu severing Jango's hand as the bounty hunter shoots at him. Anakin's heart drops when he realizes that Jango's jetpack isn't functioning properly. Windu doesn't even hesitate as Jango takes a step back and swings towards his head. Anakin can see it playing out in slow motion, and he knows he has to stop it. For Boba. No child should have to lose a parent. "No!" yells Anakin, throwing the Force at Windu a millisecond too late.

Jango's head and body fall to the ground separately, and all Anakin can feel is a burning rage. He lunges, leaping through the air, lightsaber swinging towards Windu, who had quickly recovered from the unexpected attack. Their blades lock, Anakin's eyes glowing yellow as he glares viciously at the Jedi. That's what the Jedi always do, it seems. Separate children from their parents with no regard for who they're hurting. "You're a monster," he snarls. "You killed an unarmed man. You are no Jedi."

With those words, he launches a furious attack, realizing less than a minute later that Windu's style is best suited for fighting against dark siders, but this is one fight Anakin has no desire to lose, so he'll do what he's always done best: improvise. Their blades move so fast, Anakin can't even keep track of who is striking where, as he draws on the Dark Side like he never has before. He knows he either needs to back out or find a weakness. Neither options seem very likely, until Windu catches him in a saber lock.

Anakin gives him a cruel smile, tightening his right hand enough that the mechanics squeal in protest before clenching his left fist. Windu staggers back, hands going to his neck as he chokes. Anakin swings for a killing blow when a green lightsaber blocks his. He turns to face a Mirialan Jedi. "You would defend a monster?" he spits with disgust, leaping backwards and throwing Windu at her. Clearly, this is one fight he can't win.

Her reply – whatever it was – is lost in the chaos of battle surrounding him. He knows that Windu and this new Jedi will likely pursue, which means he needs another way to escape. If all the Jedi turn against him, he won't stand a chance. He ducks under a line of blaster fire, rolling to a crouch, eyes darting around. Seconds later, he leaps over a line of droids, moving ever closer to Ahsoka – and the exit.

"Stop him!" he hears Windu order. He throws aside the first Jedi who turns towards him in a threatening manner, skidding to a halt next to Ahsoka.

Using the Force to paralyze her is easy – it prevents her from resisting and adding to his troubles. Sidious will punish him grievously for this. He wraps an arm around her waist, pulling away her lightsabers and clipping them to his belt as he puts his own blade in front of her neck. The Mirialan stops about fifty feet away, watching him warily. "Attack me, and I'll kill her," he growls, voice low and menacing.

He acutely feels Ahsoka's shock and betrayal which quickly lead to anger. "Let me go!" she yells, trying to break his Force hold and failing. When he senses Obi-Wan approaching, drawn by the noise and Ahsoka's panic, a plan forms in the back of his mind. It's risky, and it might not work, but it also might, and with the current situation, he has to at least try. Glancing around, he sees that the Jedi are massively outnumbered. If too many of them choose to focus on him, they'll all die.

Ignoring Ahsoka's screams, he begins backing up, dragging her with him. He doesn't have to go far to reach the exit, and it will be easy from there. The droids are programmed to recognize him, and if he gives them the appropriate order, they'll let him pass unhindered. He has one chance, and he's not going to lose it. He drags her to the entrance before giving the incoming droids the order, hoping that no Jedi is close enough to hear him using Dooku's name.

"Yes, sir," they echo, marching past and around him.

He reaches out, sensing that Obi-Wan and maybe a few other Jedi are pursuing him. The droids will slow them down. He takes off, making a run for the landing bay with Ahsoka still being restrained through the Force. As he gets closer, he reaches for her mind, pressing against her shields and willing the command sleep through them. She resists as best she can, but he's been trained to do this, and he doesn't have a choice. He can't deal with half a dozen Jedi and leave the planet all at once.

When the ship is in sight, she finally succumbs, though her mind continues struggling. Anakin feels a strong pang of guilt when he climbs the ramp, laying her on the floor of the hold before calling a pair of Force restraints and securing them around her wrists as he releases his attack on her shields. It won't take her long to awaken, but he has more pressing concerns now, namely that Obi-Wan is almost there with two more Jedi shortly behind him.

He steps out of the ship, leaping off the ramp to the floor as Obi-Wan slides to a halt right inside the hanger. "Where is Ahsoka?" he demands, something conflicted in his eyes as he takes in Anakin standing there with his drawn lightsaber.

"Safe," he answers in a clipped tone.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Obi-Wan queries gently, stepping closer.

"Do you think I have a choice?" he demands, pushing back the pain threatening to consume him, and from the Jedi's expression, he thinks he might have caught it. He swallows, extending his left arm as he begins choking Obi-Wan. "I'm sorry," he murmurs as he uses the Force to drag the Jedi over to him.

Obi-Wan struggles in his grip, but he's unable to free himself. Anakin snatches Obi-Wan's lightsaber, clipping it to his belt beside Ahsoka's and deactivating his own. He releases the Jedi Knight inside the hold, and he immediately begins gasping for breath. Anakin snaps Force restraints on his wrists, leaving him beside Ahsoka and races to the cockpit to start the engines. Knowing the ship, it will take a couple minutes before he can take off. In the meantime, he'll have to fight off the pursuing Jedi.

With a grim resignation, he stalks to the top of the ramp and waits after leaving the other three lightsabers inside the ship. He knows that Ahsoka is awakening and probably will be fully conscious by the time they actually leave. Less than fifteen seconds later, two Mirialan Jedi race into the hanger. "Where is the Padawan?" demands the elder of the two, green lightsaber held before her defensively. The younger, raises her own blue blade, eyes narrowed at him.

He shrugs nonchalantly, deciding to bide his time as much as possible. "Somewhere," he answers vaguely. "She's perfectly safe from the likes of you." He gives them a sharp smile, drawing his lightsaber, though he doesn't ignite it. "So, are you willing to let me leave peacefully, when I have done you no harm?"

"You have two kidnapped Jedi on your ship," snaps the older. "Release them."

He gives her an unimpressed look. "They are just where they want to be," he assures her, as his old hatred for the Jedi surges to life. If they want a fight, by the Force, he will give them one, and they will never live to tell the tale. He can feel the bloodlust humming through him, Dark Side hovering around him like a cloud.

Neither Jedi responds. Instead, they charge towards him. Anakin ignites his lightsaber, a scream of fury escaping as he clashes against the green blade. The Jedi killed Jango. They left Boba without a father. Both are injustices which must be corrected. He sends an unexpected blast of lighting toward the Mirialan Padawan, sending her tumbling to the floor. He Force slams her hard into the wall, knocking her out cold, while he focuses his attack on her master.

"Barriss!" exclaims the elder, sending a worried look towards the fallen Padawan.

"I think it is yourself you need to be concerned with," snarls Anakin, kicking her off balance, before leaping aside to avoid her next attack.

She strikes towards him, seeking a weakness when there are none. Anakin moves like he was born with his lightsaber, fighting like it's a part of him. He ducks under her swing, his lightsaber grazing her arm before she swings around to block him again. He's been fighting relentlessly for a while, but his master forced him to train in endurance. He can do this for a couple hours without tiring too rapidly.

He's fought and killed Jedi in the past. She won't be much harder. He attacks her relentlessly, pushing her back towards the wall of the hanger and caging her in. She's tiring far quicker than he is; she's probably been battling droids for a while, after all. He can feel her exhaustion in the Force and decides to end the fight before anyone else can arrive. He thinks he can sense more approaching Force signatures, and it worries him. He'll never overestimate his own abilities after what happened that one time…

Anakin unleashes a burst of Force lightning at her. The Mirialan holds up her lightsaber to block it, ducking when he throws his own saber at her. Predictably, she's shocked, and he revels in her pain, calling his own saber back and leaping towards her. He feints to her right, and she spins her blade to block him. He suddenly changes direction, stabbing her through the side. She gasps, lightsaber falling from her fingers. He stabs her chest, blade piercing through her heart. She's dead before he pulls it out.

The Force gives him a warning, and he senses more Jedi approaching. He spares the Padawan a glance, but knows he'll never reach her in time. Whirling, he breaks for the shuttle, racing up the ramp and using the Force to push the button to close it. Sliding into the pilot's seat, he fires up the engines, exiting the hanger just as more Jedi arrive. He doesn't give them a chance to pursue, pushing the ship to its maximum speed and zooming away into the atmosphere of Geonosis.

When he enters space, Anakin notices the intense space battle going on, but doesn't stick around long enough to be noticed. He pulls the lever, making the jump to hyperspace. It's not until the stars are streaking past, that Anakin allows himself to relax. He's exhausted from the fight, and angry as he was, killing Jedi never gets any easier. He doubts it ever will. Heaving a sigh, he forces himself to get up to go check on his – on Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.

**w**

"Do you know Anakin's master?" questions Padme as the silence stretches on. She's admittedly curious, and if Anakin won't tell her, maybe Asajj will.

She's already gathered that her companion isn't the talkative type, but she might answer a few questions. She doesn't know why Anakin would have kept the secret, but she assumes he had his reasons. She can't forget the look on his face when she'd asked: a mixture of raw fear and anxiety, emotions she'd never thought to see on Anakin. Something is wrong. That much is clear, and she's determined to discover what.

Asajj grunts, opening a blue eye to look at her. "Yes, I know who it is," she answers.

"Can you tell me?" Padme queries.

"He can tell you if he wants to," she replies evasively.

"I just want to help him," Padme murmurs.

Asajj heaves an irritated sigh. "Look, Senator," she all but snaps. "If you really care for Skywalker, you'll leave this alone. It's not something either of us can share."

Padme blinks at her in muted shock. She hadn't expected that kind of reaction. So, whatever the secret is, it's a dangerous one? What has Anakin gotten into? She lets the silence drag on before curiosity prompts her to begin a new line of questioning. "You're not Jedi, right?"

Asajj scoffs. "No, we are not Jedi." Padme might not be Force sensitive, but she can almost feel the loathing in the response.

"What are you then?"

"Some – well, I guess you could call us dark Jedi if you want," Asajj answers finally, a distinctly wary look in her eyes. "Names don't have a whole lot of meaning to us. We're just dark siders."

Somehow, Padme knows there's more to the story. There's something huge that she's missing; she just doesn't know what, but she's determined to find out. She thinks about Anakin, about his braveness, selflessness, and caring heart and wonders if she's been missing part of him. She knows he has darkness, that he's capable of doing harm, but she just doesn't think he would, at least not without an incredibly good reason. They love each other deeply, and even if things get hard, she'll hold onto that love. If nothing else, it will help them weather the storm together.

**w**

Dooku can sense the approaching Jedi long before they arrive. He moves swiftly, entering information into the control panel in the hanger. There's no use sticking around longer than necessary, after all. If the situation were different, perhaps he might feel something other than scorn and disgust towards them. The Jedi were supposed to help people, and while he'd become very disillusioned with them, he had never expected this.

They call themselves peacekeepers, but they've done nothing to prove it. They weren't keeping the peace when they rejected Anakin and handed him over to a Sith Lord to raise. The Council should have known better. Dooku never thought they could possibly be this ignorant and stupid. No one with that much Force sensitivity can remain untrained. It's dangerous, not only for them, but for those around them.

There is no emotion, there is peace. Hah. So much for that. Peace is a lie. There is no peace. There was no peace when Anakin lay dying in his arms. There was no peace when Anakin was forced to kill unarmed prisoners or face dire consequences. There was no peace when Anakin was ordered on missions to eliminate certain Jedi. The Jedi have failed both themselves and the galaxy, and Dooku can no longer find it in himself to believe they deserve saving.

Dooku doesn't need to touch the boy's wrist to know that he doesn't have a pulse. "That was totally uncalled for," he spits at Sidious, resting his left hand on Anakin's chest and sending a burst of Force lightning into him. "You should leave."

"You try to command me, Lord Tyrannus?" Sidious asks mildly, seemingly unconcerned that he may have just killed his other apprentice.

"I am giving you a suggestion which you should heed," Dooku snaps, sending another current to the boy's heart. Force. How can Sidious be so cold-hearted? Is that a requirement in order for him to be a Sith? Sidious watches a moment longer before stalking out of the room. "Come on, Anakin," murmurs the Count, sending a healing wave of the Force through him. His patience is rewarded when he feels life flickering back into the body.

For a long time, Dooku had continued to consider the Jedi his friends, but that day, as he tried to bring the fourteen-year-old back to life, any feelings of kinship died. No child should have had to face pain like that. The memories trouble him to the point of sleeplessness at times. He'll never forget how Anakin asked him why he'd done it, acting as though it would have been better if Dooku had let him die.

"You're going to pay for all the Jedi you killed today, Dooku!" a female voice rings out behind him. He turns, unconcerned, anger boiling within him as he takes in the human Jedi. Her blonde hair glimmers with gold in the sunlight, her blue eyes glaring daggers into him. He knows her – if only in passing. Siri Tachi. And the other Jedi, Master Adi Gallia, is a Council member and Siri's former master. He's heard their reputations of being excellent duelists. He won't take any unnecessary risks, but he doubts they'll be able to defeat him.

Moving in sync, they approach him, lightsabers ignites. Tachi's is purple, while Gallia's is blue. The Tholothian looks him up and down as though sizing him up. Dooku casually extends a hand, sending Tachi slamming backwards into the wall. Before she even has a chance to rise, he starts electrocuting her. He has an aversion to Force lightning now, but he can still admit its usefulness in combat. He must use whatever techniques he has to escape as fast as possible.

"Siri!" Gallia cries, as her former Padawan is slammed into the wall again even harder, dropping limp to the floor. She should be unconscious for a while. Dooku ignites his red lightsaber, parrying Gallia's first strike as she comes at him with furious determination. She's upset over the death of so many Jedi, but Dooku's anger is far more powerful. The Jedi had abandoned the child who needed them, and that is not something he can easily forgive.

He holds fast to the old combat style he had learned, realizing how much of an advantage it gives him against another lightsaber-wielder. Gallia slashes at him, sapphire blade moving at a dizzying speed. Dooku keeps up with ease, hardly moving as she tries to overwhelm his defenses. His lightsaber is always where it needs to be, preventing her from even coming close enough to score a hit.

As the duel progresses, Dooku begins to push her on the defensive, using his skill to push her backwards. "Master Gallia, you disappoint me," he taunts. "I heard you were such a good duelist." Growling, she throws herself forwards, forcing him to take a step back to avoid losing a limb. He spins his lightsaber, keeping her at bay, while he works to find the best way of incapacitating her, especially since he senses Yoda's Force signature not far away.

Drawing on his skills at lightsaber combat, Dooku presses forward, launching a devastating attack which pushes the Jedi Master backwards. They're evenly matched, and Dooku can freely admit that she has skill, though he's not concerned about losing to her. This is war. He doesn't have to play fair. Gallia strikes towards his side, but he's already there blocking her and catching her blade in a saberlock.

Clenching his left fist, he wraps tendrils of the Dark Side around her neck and starts choking her, stepping back in satisfaction as both her hands fly to her neck. She struggles against him, but he doesn't give her a chance to fight, slamming her backwards into a wall. Her unconscious form crumples to the ground. "And so it ends," Dooku declares, whirling towards his shuttle just as the hanger door opens again. Reaching out with the Force, he fires up the engine, preparing to make an escape as quickly as he can.

"Master Yoda," Dooku states coldly, emotionless eyes staring down at the Grandmaster.

"Count Dooku," Yoda replies, slowly walking in.

"You have interfered with our plans for the last time," Dooku warns, ripping a piece of machinery from the wall and throwing it towards the Jedi.

Yoda harmlessly pushes it away, letting it crash to the floor a distance away. He rips down part of the ceiling, but Yoda catches it moving it aside with ease. Of course. He had never expected to win that easily. It was merely a distraction – a way to prolong the encounter and give him a better chance of escaping. He hadn't expected to meet his old master as an adversary, but the part of him which had initially quailed at the thought died years ago.

Dooku follows it up by extending his right hand, sending a blast of Force lightning at Yoda, who catches it in his hand, deflecting it harmlessly to the walls around them. "Powerful you have become, Dooku," Yoda admits, ears twitching in a way which suggests he's unhappy. "The Dark Side I sense in you."

"I have become more powerful than any Jedi," Dooku retorts, "Even you, my old Master. You have failed the Jedi, and for that failure, you will fall." He can't help the emotion which leaks into his words. The anger of seeing Anakin tortured and treated as a slave year after year finally come to the surface in an eruption of pure rage.

He sends another blast of lightning, fueling it with his anger. Yoda still deflects it, sending it flying around the room. He knows Anakin could easily do the same thing if he tried. The boy has so much potential. "Much to learn you still have," Yoda chides.

"I was not trying to fight you, Yoda," spits Dooku. "My duties call me elsewhere." He raises his hands, crushing part of a crane and sending it crashing to the floor where it will crush the life out of Tachi and Gallia unless Yoda stops it. Just as he'd expected, the Grandmaster turns, extending his hands to catch the crane.

Dooku doesn't stay there to see what happens, racing up the ramp of his shuttle and sliding into the pilot's seat as he blasts out of the hanger. He has to reach Serenno as fast as possible so he can contact Sidious – he can send the Death Star plans to him a different time. His master will be less than happy with Anakin's behavior, so he needs to minimize the damage. Another time, he probably would have enjoyed a fight with Yoda, but some things matter more than petty revenge.

Recent Release:

A Time to Break - Sometimes, death is the only option.