Chapter 16 – A Time to Heal

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

Author's Note: Dooku gets more from his POV, and he and Ahsoka make plans... :D

~ Amina Gila

If Dooku wasn't so used to Sidious's sadistic side, he probably would have done something completely irrational. As it is, he can barely breathe, surprise and horror overwhelming him. Though he doesn't want Kenobi to die, he knows that Anakin's death would be something from which he could never truly recover. With Qui-Gon, they were both Jedi, so letting go – while hard – was easier. Not that he's ever truly let go of his former Padawan, but he likes to think that he has.

When he met Anakin, the boy was so prone to attachments, especially being imprisoned by Sidious, that Dooku found it impossible not to care for him deeply. The bond he shares with Anakin is far deeper and more meaningful than anything he's ever felt in the past. If it were severed – he shudders to think what that would do to his mind. More than likely, he'd Fall beyond any hope of return.

Still, he can't fault Anakin for trying to protect Kenobi. It was so obvious how much they'd care about one another. Besides, it proved that Anakin is capable of conquering his fear of Sidious. They'll have to be extremely cautious until they get the proper opportunity to fight him, because they cannot afford to raise his suspicions even more. For now, Dooku will just have to do damage control and hope that it's effective.

"Master, stop," he half-orders, half-begs, keeping a tight grip on Tano's arm. She seems desperate enough to try almost anything to save her friends. "If we lose Anakin, we'll lose our most valuable asset. It will be much harder to destroy the Jedi if he's gone."

The words seem to have an effect because Sidious lets up the attack. A quick glance at the pair shows that they're both unconscious. They desperately need medical attention, but Dooku would rather get Sidious out before he tends to them. Fortunately, the Sith Lord seems to have ideas of his own. "I'm leaving," he states flatly, disgust evident on his face and in his tone. "The progress you've made in turning Kenobi to our side is abysmal. It would probably be better to simply eliminate him."

No. No. Dooku can't – won't – do that. "We have to wait longer," he suggests carefully. "Breaking Jedi isn't easy. It will take time and patience. I have both. In the meanwhile, Lord Vader and Tano can assist our plans."

"Fine," spits Sidious, whirling around and stalking towards the door. "I have a mission for them. I'll give you the details. Come with me." He pushes the button to open it, marching away down the hallway.

Dooku releases Tano, giving her brief instructions before turning to follow his master. "See if one of the prisoners is a medic. We might need another assistant. Carefully transport them to the medical wing of the mansion." He explains to her where it is, though he's not certain if she'll remember, before hurrying to find Sidious, not that that'll be hard. The Sith is radiating an aura so cold it nearly burns into the Force. Quickly reaching out, Dooku senses that he's heading towards where his starship is. He'd better hurry unless he wants to find himself in even more trouble. So, he does.

Sidious is standing next to the ramp of his shuttle by the time Dooku catches up with him. "What is thy bidding, my Master?" he asks humbly.

"I was quite pleased by the progress we made in turning Tano," Sidious comments, a twisted smile on his lips. "Lord Vader was correct. She is indeed easy to manipulate. Perhaps too easy. Kenobi will prove to be much more of a challenge." Dooku nods, opting to remain quiet. Either Sidious is planning something, or his temper has cooled since Anakin confronted him.

"I have a datacard for you detailing information for the next steps we must take," the Sith Lord continues. He passes it to Dooku who holds it carefully. Who knows what information it contains? "If we wish to succeed, we must expand our army."

"Yes, my Lord," Dooku agrees. They'd talked about it in the past. While Dooku will always remain the apprentice, having other trained dark siders will help them immensely. They can be used as assassins or infiltrators to help in their many battles and causes. The more chaos they sow in the galaxy, the better, at least in Sidious's viewpoint. Dooku isn't about to challenge that.

"I have picked out another Jedi who will be easy to turn to our side." Sidious's smile turns malicious. "Lord Vader murdered her master on Geonosis, and her anger against him will be her undoing. All the data you need to know about Barriss Offee and her position in the army is located in that datacard. Start with her."

"As you wish." Dooku inclines his head, though inwardly, he's worried. If this Jedi hates Anakin, she will never help them. She'll be blindly loyal to Sidious alone. Oh. That actually makes sense. When Sidious came here, he was already suspecting something amiss, and Anakin accidentally confirmed his suspicions. That means they'll have to tread with upmost caution. When this mission is complete, they'll have an enemy in their midst who will happily report every wrongdoing and deviance to Sidious.

There's also a distinct possibility that Offee will replace Dooku as the main Sith apprentice, not that he'll ever hear about it. Still, he has an order, and he must ensure its completed properly. With everything at stake, he cannot afford to make any mistakes.

"And Dooku, send Tano," commands Sidious. "Fit her with the same tracking bracelet we used on Lord Vader at the beginning of his apprenticeship."

"Of course," he readily agrees. "I shall care out the plans immediately and wait for any further instructions." His master seems satisfied, because he doesn't say anything, instead walking up the ramp onto his starship. Dooku watches him leave, not daring to let out a breath of relief until the shuttle is too far away to be seen. He has to get back to Anakin and Kenobi. They need to be transferred to the medical wing and given proper attention. Then, he'll take the time to read through the datacard.

**w**

As soon as Dooku is gone, Ahsoka scrambles to Obi-Wan's side. He was being electrocuted longer, so whatever injuries occurred will be most prevalent in him. Through the Force, she can feel their presences, dimmed into unconsciousness, but still pulsing with life. That's one small consolation. She doesn't know what she would do if one of them was to die. Obi-Wan is laying on the floor in an awkward position, and she's wary of moving him without assistance. For all she knows, she could do more damage to his body.

Anakin, at least, wasn't thrown into anything by the force of the lightning. He's laying on his back, face unusually pale. Like this, he seems so much younger than he does when he's conscious, and it hurts to look at him, especially knowing what he's been through. Letting out a shaky breath, Ahsoka scrambles to her feet, glancing briefly at the clone's unconscious body. There's nothing she can do for him. Maybe once Obi-Wan and Anakin are secure, she can come back for Appo.

Sidious wouldn't like it, but she doesn't care. Something is seriously wrong with him, and she's determined to find out what. He shouldn't have reacted as though he was being mind controlled after Anakin electrocuted him. Opening the door, she steps into the small hallway. There are six cells, three on each side. Four of them have three clones in each, none of whom look very happy with their current situation. Though Ahsoka doesn't know much about prison cells, these seem to be fairly standard.

"Is one of you a medic?" she questions hesitantly, feeling inexplicably unsure of herself. Dooku told her to do this, but how can she be sure that one of the prisoners won't hurt Anakin or Obi-Wan? They shouldn't, but suppose they did? "I need help."

One of them snorts quietly – she's not sure which one. A second steps up to the ray shield, raising a disbelieving eyebrow at her. She notices that, unlike the others, his hair is blonde. "Why would you be asking our help? Why should we help you?"

"We're prisoners too," she tells him. "I am – was – a Jedi Padawan, before Sidious captured me." She carefully forces herself not to think about how she'd killed two of their fellow men.

"Why do you need help?" another clone asks from the other side of the hall.

"Sidious used Force lightning on two of us," she replies, neglecting to add that Anakin isn't a Jedi. The details are far too complex for her to explain, and it's not really her place anyways. "They're unconscious," she explains, "And we need to move them to the medical wing in the mansion here. Count Dooku said it would be better if we had more help."

"He's not wrong," the clone informs her. "I'm a medic. The name's Kix."

She smiles at him, "I'm Ahsoka Tano."

"Coric over there is a medic too," Kix adds, pointing to another clone across the hall from him.

She pushes the button to deactivate the ray shield on his cell. He steps out, and she reactivates it, repeating the process with Coric, who has yet to speak. At least none of the other clones tried to force their way out. "What if we tried escaping?" Coric finally says.

Ahsoka sighs as she leads them towards the interrogation room at the end of the hall. "Anakin – he's in there – has a mother who is implanted with a slave chip. If he escapes, his mother will die. That's why we're still here."

"Tough," murmurs Kix. "Maybe I can do something to help her."

"Maybe," Ahsoka grimaces, "But she's on Naboo, not Serenno. Anakin can't go see her very often. The next time he does, we might be able to make plans. Anyways, it's something I'd have to discuss with everyone else."

Neither man flinches at the sight of their unconscious comrade, but Ahsoka notices that Coric's eyes linger on him for a second before flicking to Anakin and Obi-Wan. Kix immediately moves over to them, stooping down to check them for injuries.

"This one might have a spinal injury if he hit the shelf just right." Kix motions to Obi-Wan. "We probably should take them upstairs in stretchers."

"I'll –" Ahsoka cuts herself off, suddenly realizing that she can't rely on her memory to lead them both up there. She's not even certain exactly where she's supposed to go. "We'll have to wait for Count Dooku to come back. He should be back any minute."

"They'll both need treatment for electrocution," Coric comments, checking Anakin's pulse. "They should be fine other than that, though they should remain in the medical wing until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest."

Ahsoka feels more than hears Dooku returning, looking up with relief when he arrives. "He's gone," Dooku says simply. "What's the status?"

"We'll need to move them with stretchers preferably," Kix declares. Watching the way that he acts towards the pair, Ahsoka feels herself relaxing. She doesn't think either of them will harm Anakin or Obi-Wan.

"I have a few upstairs. Come." Dooku motions to him, and together, they leave the room. Ahsoka waits silently with Coric for them to return. They're back within a few minutes, and she helps the clone medic lift Anakin onto one of the stretchers, while Dooku and Kix move Obi-Wan far more carefully.

"I'll come back for Appo," the Count assures the two clones. "He needs to be treated too."

"What happened to him?" Ahsoka wonders as they begin transporting the duo to the medical wing. They pause in a turbolift, and she finds herself being distracted by her surroundings. The mansion is far more elaborate than she'd expected, but she probably shouldn't be surprised. Dooku is a Count, after all.

For a moment, she doesn't think that her query will receive a response, but Dooku clearly knows if his grim expression is anything to go by. "I'll explain later, once Appo has been secured," he finally says. Kix and Coric say nothing, but she doesn't miss their spike of interest. Clearly, they want to know too; if they'll be treating him – they will – they need to know.

Ahsoka pushes all thoughts of Appo to the side when they reach the medical wing. She helps Coric move Anakin to one of the four beds. Obi-Wan is on the bed next to him. Both are still unconscious, but their Force signatures aren't fading, so she supposes that's a good sign. All she can do now is watch, since she's not a medic. She doesn't have the knowledge to help. Resolving to stay out of the way, she resorts to pacing on the other side of the room while Dooku returns to the basement to retrieve the injured clone. If she didn't loathe the place so much, she probably would have offered to join him.

As she waits, she replays the incident in her mind. What happened to Appo? It was as though something was trigged in his mind, something which overrode all common sense. Sidious couldn't have been mind controlling him because she didn't feel any manipulation through the Force, and from Dooku's behavior, she believes it was something else. But what?

**w**

In retrospect, Dooku should have realized that they were taking a serious risk by electrocuting the clones, especially with the intention of retrieving information. The clone's unconscious body is floating next to him, levitated with the Force. Upon entering the medical wing, Dooku immediately lays Appo down, strapping him down to keep him contained. When he regains consciousness, he'll probably try to carry out whatever mandate has been triggered in his brain.

Without saying a word, Tano appears next to him and helps him tighten the straps. "What's wrong with him?" she asks softly. He can almost feel her worry.

"Appo, like all the clones, has an organic chip in his brain," Dooku explains carefully. He struggles to keep all his emotions in check, not that it's hard. "The Kaminoans will claim it is necessary to prevent them from being overly aggressive and to induce them to follow their commanders' orders."

"That's not true?" she inquires, a hint of apprehension in her voice.

"It's true to a point," Dooku concedes, "But there is another purpose. Sidious drafted a list of orders, and the chip has each of them recorded. When triggered, the clones will be forced to obey, even against their will."

The Togruta sucks in a sharp breath. "They mind control the clones?" she whispers in horror. "What – what are the orders?"

"I don't know," the Count admits, shaking his head sadly. "I was never informed, and I had no way to break through the encryption without alerting Sidious as to what I'd done. However, based on Appo's behavior, I believe that one of the orders is to execute Anakin."

Tano blanches, her reaction proof enough that she cares deeply for Anakin. "So, what can we do for Appo?" Her bright blue eyes dart towards the unconscious man, though Dooku can sense that he won't be thus for long. His consciousness is slowly returning.

"After the medics have stabilized them," Dooku motions towards Anakin and Kenobi, "They can run a scan on his brain. The chip should be easily identified."

"I hope so," she mumbles before turning and gravitating back to Anakin's bedside. She doesn't seem at ease if she's more than ten feet away from him. Her devotion is admirable.

"How are they?" the Count asks, stepping across the room, arms crossed, scanning the pair both visually and through the Force.

"They should be conscious soon, sir," one of the medics – Kix, he thinks the name was – informs him, as he adjusts something. "Skywalker's prosthetic appears to be in need of repairs."

"I'll have it taken care of," Dooku murmurs, turning sharply when he feels a spike of anxiety from Appo. The clone is awake and struggling against his restraints. "Calm yourself," he admonishes, lacing the words with a Force suggestion. It only works for a few seconds.

"Appo, it's alright," soothes Kix, hurrying over and placing a hand on the other's shoulder. "You don't need to do anything right now. Just rest."

"Good soldiers follow orders," the clone rasps in reply, jerking even more fiercely.

Pressing his lips together, Dooku raises a hand. "Sleep," he orders firmly. Appo slumps limply, unable to resist the suggestion. It's too simple of one, and the effects came on him too quickly. "Get him sedated," he instructs Kix. "I don't think he'll remain that way for long. Have the med droid scan his brain. It should be able to find the chip in there."

Dooku has always known that Sidious prepares endless contingency plans, and this is simply further proof. When the clones were created, Anakin was barely even ten. There was no reason to include an order for his execution, unless Sidious actually foresaw that Anakin's power could become a major threat to his dreams of a Sith Empire. As soon as possible, they must take measures to counter Sidious' army. Sith they may be, but even Anakin can't face down millions of blasters and come out alive.

"The scans are negative, sir," Coric reports, frowning.

"Try again. There's something there." This time, Dooku places a hand on Appo's forehead, delving into the Force to help them locate the chip. He knows it's there because that was part of the plan. Now, they just need to find it. If it's not removable – and he really hopes it is – then they'll have to kill Appo. He would be too big a liability to leave alive.

"We have it, sir." Kix motions to the spot on the scan. "It's located right here."

"Can you remove it?"

The two medics look at one another, seeming to be conversing silently. "Yes, sir, we can," Coric answers. "It should be a relatively quick procedure, and all the necessary instruments are here."

"Then do it." If this goes well, maybe they can remove the chips from all the clones. It will give them an advantage in addition to more people they can count on.

Final Note: Like I said last week, next week, instead of the next chapter of Brotherhood, I'll be starting a new fanfic called Meet You at the Dark Side, where Ahsoka is Dooku's apprentice at the beginning of the Clone Wars, and yes, she's a Dark Sider. :P