Chapter 31: The Count of Serenno
The fight went on much longer than it ever had, and Kenobi was in rare form. The Sith Lord's defenses weren't breaking, but his sudden and vicious offenses were proving useless against the Jedi. This time, things would be different. This time, he would kill the Sith, and the nightmares would finally end. Obi-Wan saw his opportunity and lunged forward, but the Sith grabbed his wrist, his grip crushing, and the red blade entered the Jedi, pain lancing through him as the strike proved fatal. The maneuver he used against Mace didn't work. It was as if the Sith knew his game. He felt a second stab of pain, and looked down to see his own blue saber buried just under his ribs. Obi-Wan shook his head as his eyes began to slide out of focus, trying to hold on, but he was fading very quickly, the cold settling over him. When did the Sith take his lightsaber from him?
"Give up, Kenobi," the Sith whispered, his voice smooth, soothing, almost gentle. "It's over. You're already gone." He gently pushed the Jedi back, and Kenobi fell lifelessly to the ground.
His eyes shot open, and Obi-Wan focused on the view of beautiful Serenno filling up the viewport as he entered the temperate atmosphere of Dooku's home world. He groaned, putting his face in his hands as the autopilot took him toward his final destination. It was too much to hope that he could beat the Sith in his vision, but he was getting closer. It would happen soon. Very soon, he could feel it.
Obi-Wan took his personal starfighter on the mission, as Serenno wasn't too far off the Hydian Way, and it only took a few hours to get to the lush, beautiful planet in the Outer Rim. He took over the controls when he saw Dooku's palace looming ahead of him, a large, opulent, capsule-shaped structure rising out of the edge of a cliff-face and extending far back into the forests of the mountain plateau. Obi-Wan couldn't help but be impressed. He had heard that the Count saw disgustingly wealthy, but he didn't imagine that the man would live in a literal palace. No wonder he left the Jedi.
He landed the ship at the edge of the large courtyard and jumped out of the fighter, taking off his black cloak and tossing it into the cockpit, hands on his belt and checking that his lightsabers were secured. Long strides took him down the long, stone path toward the massive palace, and his sharp eyes saw another heading toward him. Kenobi sped up, feeling anticipation build within him, and as he drew closer, he could make out the tall, elegant figure in black, a dark red cape draped over his shoulders and fastened with golden clasps, white hair and beard showing his advanced age, but he carried himself like a much younger man. Obi–Wan had never seen him before, but he knew it was Dooku. He could feel the power surrounding the man, the very Force bending before him.
The Count spoke first, a wide grin on his face. "Obi-Wan Kenobi. I have heard so much about you." He bowed at the waist, deep, respectful, and Kenobi warily returned the gesture.
"Count Dooku...I feel this meeting has been needing to happen for a long time."
"And so it has, but all things in their proper time, my friend. Come." He turned on his heel, his long, measured steps heading back toward the palace, and Kenobi fell into step next to him, keeping out of arm's reach and observing him carefully. He was strong, dangerously so, and there was a tight control on everything about him. Obi-Wan couldn't help but feel the control was born from the need to hide something. After all, he had to develop that sort of control himself.
"Qui-Gon always spoke very highly of you, Obi-Wan," the Count said softly, his deep voice calming. "And I saw the fight with your Sith. Very impressive. I should like to discuss that with you after we have concluded business."
"This feels like a trap." His tone was bitter, angry, and Dooku stopped, looking over the Jedi carefully. Obi-Wan looked up to meet his brown eyes, and frowned. Like Qui-Gon, Dooku was very tall. He was getting very irritated with always having to look up when he was talking to people. "You asked for me, and you asked for me to come alone. Tell me that doesn't seem like a trap."
"It does, you are correct. But as you said, I simply asked for these things, as a personal favor. The Council was welcome to deny me. I am pleased they did not, but I never demanded anything of them."
Obi-Wan felt rage flare up inside him, the old feelings of betrayal returning full force. The Council had to suspect Dooku, especially after Palpatine's report on the Viceroy's prison visit and the subsequent deleted records. The truth of Nute Gunray's claim supported all of Obi-Wan's assertions, and the Council had to believe it if Mace Windu himself came to beat him senseless to test his readiness to deal with the Sith. And they still sent him alone. Even when they didn't have to, even though Obi-Wan alone wasn't a demand of the Count.
They sent me to my death and they didn't think twice.
"I sense anger in you, Obi-Wan."
"I'm fine."
"Hmm..." The Count began walking again, leading the Jedi up the steps to the large entrance of his palace. "I assume you'd like to get to business," Dooku said softly as they walked into a long hall, their footsteps echoing off the vaulted ceilings as they crossed the hall toward an elevator on the far end.
"As quickly as possible."
The Count nodded. "What do you need to know?"
"I need to know about the Viceroy. You spoke to him. I need to know why."
"Like you, Obi-Wan, I struggled with what happened on Naboo. The Jedi Council did not seem to be taking the threat of the Sith seriously, and my student was severely wounded. If it weren't for you, Qui-Gon Jinn would be dead. That is why I asked for you. The Jedi did nothing, but you did. I am grateful."
"I don't want your gratitude, Count, I want answers."
Dooku scoffed as they entered the elevator, the doors closing behind them and the platform swiftly rose. "You will have them. I spoke to the Viceroy because, like you, I suspected the Sith must have been involved with the Trade Federation. Their presence on Naboo made no sense if they were not connected." The elevator opened into another large room, a long, ornate dining table in it's center, elaborate chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings and deep red curtains draping huge, wide windows. Kenobi couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at the room, it's elegance unique from all the other palaces he had visited in the past.
The Count led Obi-Wan to a large, red sofa, and the Jedi dropped into the soft, plush cushions, nearly sinking within them. Dooku sat in a matching armchair across a black, carved stone coffee table. It was...distressingly comfortable.
"I spoke to Gunray about his invasion," Dooku said softly, the deep tones of his voice strangely soothing. "And he told me what, I suspect, he told you. The Republic is under the sway of a Sith Lord called Sidious, and many Senators are under his direct control. The Naboo invasion was the idea of the Sith, and the Trade Federation was just doing what they were told out of fear of their Master."
"...it took me over a year to learn all of that, and you knew within the first week after it all happened." His eyes narrowed dangerously, and he felt himself in the grip of the Dark Side. "Why didn't you tell the Council?!"
"What happened when you told them?"
"They...w-well..." Obi-Wan bit his lip, looking away and he felt his anger toward the Count disappear as his frustration with the Jedi grew. "They didn't believe me. They called my judgement into question. They put me away for a year until I found proof that you talked to the Viceroy too. They didn't believe me, but they'd believe you. You were a Master."
"And that wouldn't have been enough," Dooku said softly, sadly, and Obi-Wan watched him very carefully. "If they were serious about the Sith, they would have sent Mace Windu to hunt them. It's true that you have killed more Sith than him, but you are a child next to him."
"I know. He made that very clear before I left to see you."
Dooku smiled knowingly, watching the bitterness wash over the young Jedi. "I left the Order when I learned the truth. The Jedi would do nothing, and they wouldn't heed my Council. I, too, thought it unthinkable that a Sith Lord could exist under our noses without a single one of us sensing him. The Jedi have become weak, and only the strong can defeat the Sith."
"...Qui-Gon said you left for political reasons."
"Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Republic is controlled by the Sith. How is that not political?"
"The Jedi Council will listen now," Obi-Wan said forcefully, leaning forward and rapping his knuckles against the stone table. "They sent me here to talk to you about this, they are ready to listen. Talk to them, come back to Coruscant with me and we'll tell them together."
"And how long before they do anything, do you suppose?" The Count's brown eyes raked over the young Jedi as confusion and anger and doubt passed over his handsome face. "They will do nothing, Obi-Wan. They have become complacent."
"...yes..." The Count was right. The Jedi would do nothing. Even if he brought back solid proof about the Sith Lord in the Senate, they would continue to deny it. But he could still get Dooku. Dooku was still Sith, he had to be. He was decidedly against the Council, he didn't trust the Jedi, he echoed the Sith sentiment that peace made the Jedi stagnate. Obi-Wan believed that as well, but...
Wait...
"I want to talk about you, Obi-Wan," the Count said softly, smirking as he watched Kenobi's mental defenses slowly start to tremble. "Your battle with the Sith Lord Maul. What was it that could stop a Sith Lord from killing a Jedi Master? I imagine that list is very, very short. What do you suppose it was, hmm?"
"I-I don't know, I was..."
"And then the way you fought," Dooku leaned back in the chair, crossed a long leg over his knee. "I have seen Jedi fight like that before, but only when they were consumed with rage."
Kenobi's eye twitched, his blue eyes seeming to become lighter as he dove into the Force, trying to find balance, but finding none. He closed his eyes, feeling the Count with the Force, and found him...amused. Gleeful, even, as if he were discovering a great secret. "Of course I was angry, my Master was hurt," he finally managed to growl, gripping his knees tightly. He would have left, but he needed proof the Count was Tyranus. That was the point of this trip. If he didn't find that, then the Sith were as good as lost. He'd never have a chance like this again.
"As would anyone be, my boy," Dooku drawled, leaning forward and smirking with interest, his fingertips pressed firmly together. "But something attracted the interest of the Sith before your Master fell, and as I said before, not much can do that. And seeing how you fought, I might guess that you were being fueled by something...darker."
Kenobi felt his pupils narrow as he focused intently on the Count's smug face, holding his breath until his chest ached. Dooku knew. How. How could he know when a Council of twelve Jedi Masters could sense nothing for years. When he finally exhaled, the Jedi whimpered, shaking as he felt his mental walls crack. "I...I-I didn't-"
"You didn't know, I know. The Dark Side is a powerful ally. What else was a Padawan to do when faced with a Sith Lord and fear for your Master? You turned to a stronger power, you used it, and you were victorious."
"...y-yes..." Obi-Wan was shaking, and he could barely breathe, but it felt good to finally admit it, the darkness rolling inside him and flooding his senses. Knowing he was using it was one thing. Practicing it and developing his skills was another thing. But admitting it out loud to someone else, to someone who was once a Jedi, was something else entirely, and it deepened his connection to the Dark Side, filling him with the rush of power and pleasure he used to get when his connection was new.
"And what a victory," the Count whispered sharply, watching with profound interest as the Dark Side took Kenobi, the young man shaking with the effort to control it. "It wasn't the last time for you, I'm sure. It never is. You spent time in Sith Space, and I'm certain you found your time away from the Jedi...informative. Tell me, how did you deepen your connection to the Dark Side without a teacher?"
"I-I didn't, I'm-"
"Oh, come now, Obi-Wan. Look at you. You're entire being is begging to be taken by the Dark Side, How can the Jedi even let you out of the Temple when you're like this? You are soaked in darkness, you are filled with anger, and resentment and disgust and betrayal." Each word was like taking a hammer to Kenobi's mental defenses, all his restrain and resistance slowly crushed by the Count, and Dooku smiled maliciously as he watched the Jedi shatter.
"They don't know, why would they keep me?!" Obi-Wan leapt to his feet, blue eyes sharp and angry and glaring at the amused Dooku, relaxed and at ease in that stupid chair of his, and Kenobi couldn't take it. He reached behind him and grabbed his lightsaber, but the weapon flew out of his hand before he could turn it on, the Count's elegant fingers holding it, turning it over, examining the craftsmanship. Obi-Wan took his other saber into his hand.
"Now, now, this isn't the Jedi Way, young one," the Count said deeply, turning the saber over in his hands and igniting it, the long, red blade humming to life and lighting Dooku's face, the deep red sharpening his features with the dark shadows it cast. "But you haven't been a Jedi for a very long time, have you, Obi-Wan?"
Kenobi closed his eyes, shaking and fighting his desire to activate his own saber and strike the man down. He was a Jedi...wasn't he? He clipped the weapon back on to his belt, swaying slightly before his legs buckled and he sat back down on the couch, gasping for breath as his head swam, tendrils of darkness worming deep inside his mind. He looked at the Count, felt himself calm in his focus as he reached out with the Force, touched Dooku's mind, and found only darkness.
"...how did you know about my mission in Sith Space." Kenobi was calm when he asked, but his mind was hazy, his vision swimming.
"My Master and I have been watching you." The Count turned the lightsaber off and tossed it next to Kenobi on the couch, but the man didn't touch it. "Your work on Dromund Kaas was masterful."
"You're Tyranus."
"Eyah seh maat, shu kor huaan." The words were a comfort to Kenobi, and he felt himself relax, the familiarity of the language soothing his frayed nerves as the Dark Side engulfed him. "But you knew that already, didn't you? Why else would you come here. Certainly not to talk about the Viceroy. You already know what we discussed."
"T-the Council-"
"Oh, stop it. You may fool them, but you can't fool me. I see it in you, just as you see it in me. You came here for a teacher."
"No! No, I'm not Sith! I'm not, I won't be!" Kenobi shut his eyes tightly, gripping his head in his hands. "There is no passion, there is peace," he began swiftly, his words running together. "Peace is a lie, there is only passion...no, wait!" His eyes were frantic, looking at the smug grin spread across Dooku's face. The words were coming to him without thinking. "Dzwol shâsotkun. Wonoksh Qyâsik nun!"
Dooku laughed deeply. "Listen to you, Kenobi, the Code of the Sith on your lips in the Old Tongue. When did you replace the Jedi Code in your heart with the Code of the Sith?" Obi-Wan said nothing, biting down hard on his tongue to keep his mind from betraying him. "So what will you do? Go back to Coruscant? You can tell them I am Darth Tyranus, as you already have done, but you have no proof, and they've no cause to believe you. They didn't before, and they won't now."
He was right. With a vicious snarl, Obi-Wan grabbed the saber next to him and powered it on, red blade hissing to life, and Dooku just laughed. "I can kill you."
"No, you can't, don't delude yourself." The Sith Lord eyed the raging man, chuckling deeply as he felt the Dark Side swell around the Knight. "You are powerful, young one, and coupled with your Jedi control, you could be fearsome. But not now. Not today. Not without training. If you fight me now, as the broken Jedi you are, I will kill you, even though it is against my Master's wishes."
"Perfect. If I die here, the Council will know you are Sith, they will know I was right! They will come for you, and you will die."
"No," the Count chided gently. "You will die, yes, but the Jedi won't come. I will tell the Jedi that you attacked me, which is true. I had to slay you in self-defense."
"You are a Sith Lord! They won't care!"
"They will. Striking first is not the Jedi Way, is it? And, I may be mistaken, but your blade comes from the lightsaber of Darth Maul, is that correct? It does have the same feel..." Dooku watched the blue eyes narrow, smirking as he saw doubt and uncertainty pass over the handsome features. "Now, I might be wrong, but when I kill you and the Masters come to fetch your body and your lightsaber, they'll find that you are in possession of a Sith Lord's weapon, modeled after your own Jedi one. Tell me, Jedi, who looks like the Sith Lord in this situation?"
"...t-they-"
"No, they won't," the Count interrupted, reading Kenobi's mind through the Force. "You know as well as I that they can't sense me. Now put your weapon away, boy, and sit. All of your potential outcomes are the same. You have lost."
The red saber deactivated and dropped from Obi-Wan's hand to the floor, and the Knight silently sat back down. Dooku was right. He was right about all of it. There was nothing he could do. The Sith had won.
"Dzworokka yun; nyâshqûwai, nwiqûwai," the Count said softly when Kenobi remained silent. "I have been given to understand that you are fluent in Sith. Do you know what that means?"
"Chwayatyun. The Rule of Two." Resisting was pointless. Dooku already knew everything.
The Count nodded. "That's right. I stepped in after you killed Maul, but my Master had been training me for quite some time. In order for the Rule of Two to work, there need to be several being trained. A true Sith is difficult to make. The training kills many, and complete dedication to the Dark Side is necessary. If the apprentice dies, another must be ready to step in. I was primed when Maul was the apprentice, just as you will be ready when it is your time."
"I'm not Sith..." Obi-Wan felt completely lifeless, his words sounding hollow even to him.
"Not yet."
Kenobi growled, his blue eyes narrowing as he felt the Dark Side snap inside him. "I am not Sith! I started this whole thing to kill the Sith! I'm not going to stop until you are all dead!"
"You know who else loves killing Sith? Other Sith. Obi-Wan, look at yourself, really look. I haven't done anything to you. All of this, all this darkness is coming from you. You have fallen, Jedi, and you don't even know it."
"T-there is no emotion, there is peace..."
Dooku rolled his eyes. "Go on then, cling to your precious Code while you can. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge, Obi-Wan, so look at yourself. Really look and tell me if you are still a Jedi after all you have done."
Kenobi didn't need the Count to prompt him, because his mind was already racing. The fight with Maul wasn't that bad, all things considered, but what came after it was. He was reliant on the Dark Side, completely dependant on it, and he had managed to delude himself into believing he could control it. His studies of the Sith language and his thirst for learning the dark secrets of the ancient order was only the beginning, and were he stronger, had he not let the Dark Side in, then it wouldn't have been so bad either. But he had. He had nurtured it, given the darkness exactly what it needed to grow and thrive, and it had changed him. Made him stronger, certainly, but had also made him...wrong.
His manipulation of the Force was one thing, bending it to his will instead of the Jedi Way of flowing the natural path of the living Force, but he had committed atrocities. He had used the Force to manipulate the minds and will of others, to send living creatures screaming in pain as he mentally tortured them, held people under his thrall and made them do things that they would, in no ways, ever do. Kenobi remembered the feel of the Sith spirit in his mind, how he felt used and violated and completely broken from it, and without a second thought about it, he had done similar to countless others. And even now, as he sat on the Count's couch and looked into himself for the first time in a very long time, Obi-Wan didn't feel guilt for these things. He had the power to do so, and that made it his right. Dooku was correct. The Dark Side had changed him.
The Count watched Obi-Wan drift from denial to struggle and conflict, and finally resigned himself to acceptance as his shoulders slumped and he leaned back against the couch, completely defeated. "It isn't so bad. The Jedi Way is not the only way." He held his hand out to the fallen Jedi. "Come with me. I can show you the ways of the Dark Side. You can't control it now, but you can. You will. You must if you are going to be powerful. Together, we can return order to the Galaxy!"
Kenobi stared at the extended hand for a long while, not sure what to make of it. Could he do this? Did he want this? He must have, or he wouldn't have studied the Dark Side the way he had. He had learned how to conceal himself from detection so he could immerse himself in the darkness, after all. He wanted to learn, he did...
But he also wanted the Sith dead. His blue eyes narrowed as he looked at the smug face of the Sith Lord. His whole search for power was to see the Sith destroyed. He couldn't stop. Not now, not when he was so close.
"Why. Why would you want this?! Dzworokka yun; nyâshqûwai, nwiqûwai. That makes me a threat to you. If I am trained, what's keeping me from killing you and taking your place?!"
"You can't kill me." Dooku's answer was nonchalant, and it angered Kenobi. "And this is what my Master wants. He has been watching you very closely, Obi-Wan. After you killed Maul, he was...apprehensive, but when he saw the turn you were taking, well...let's just say that nothing has amused him more than watching the Sithkiller Obi-Wan Kenobi become Sith himself."
"No, no! I am not Sith, not yet! I can still go back, it's not too late!"
"My boy, you have fallen too far," Dooku said softly, his deep voice laced with sympathy. "It's over for you. It has been for a long, long time. You cannot return to what you were. The Dark Side has corrupted you. All you can do now is learn to control it."
"I-I've fallen, yes, but I can still go back! It's not too late, it's never too late."
Dooku sighed, hanging his head. "You continue to delude yourself. Fine. I will show you."
Kenobi couldn't move fast enough to move away from the Count as the Sith reached out with a long, pale finger and touched the younger man's forehead. He felt the Dark Side pulse, hard and strong, and he suddenly couldn't breathe, his heart rate slowing to a crawl and his vision blurred. He felt...exhausted, his thoughts suddenly disjointed and incoherent as tendrils of darkness dug deep into his mind. He had to get out. Obi-Wan leapt to his feet, but his legs would not hold him, and he stumbled, failing to find his footing, and Dooku swiftly caught him as he fell, laying Kenobi back on the couch as he slipped into unconsciousness.
The fight was different this time. His opponent was frantic, off-balance, desperate, and it left wide opening gaps in his careful guard, and Obi-Wan slowly picked him apart. Their last fight was long, difficult, requiring all the power and concentration he could muster, but this was...too easy. He was stronger than the hooded man, clearly so. Kenobi was never one not to press an advantage. He rushed forward, weapon arching in the air, drawing his opponent's guard up before driving forward, his blade sinking into the gasping man's chest, and a gleeful grin spreading across his face.
"It's over," he purred, chuckling as he watched his opponent tremble, his life ebbing away. "It's finally over."
"...I know." The man glanced up to him, blue eyes peering out from under the hood, and Kenobi suddenly couldn't breathe. "We always knew it would end this way. You always win..."
Obi-Wan backed away, ripping the blade out of his opponent's body and the man fell to the ground, his blue lightsaber sliding uselessly away as the Jedi Knight died. Kenobi stood over his fallen adversary, glowing red blade in hand, and looked down at the man he recognized all too well, his yellow eyes blazing with fear and fury and sinister glee.
He woke up with a start, a strangled gasp in his throat, like he always did, breathless and heart racing as he tried to get his bearings. The large room now had a fire burning on the far wall, and the big red armchair was pulled up next to it, Dooku sitting comfortably in it with a book in his lap. Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed, and he jumped off the couch, snarling as the Dark Side flared up around him, and the Sith Lord's eyes snapped up from his book to observe his guest.
"I can see why Maul was distracted," he purred, closing the book and regarding the man with interest. "You are quite powerful. Even without the proper training, the well of the Dark Side runs deep in you."
"What have you done to me?!"
"Nothing at all. You needed rest, and I helped you to it. That is all."
Kenobi's sharp eyes darted to the windows on the wall. The sun was still in the sky, but it was setting. Late afternoon. He had not been out for long. He looked back to the Count, placed his hand on his lightsaber, and rushed at him, drawing the red blade swiftly as he drew closer. The Sith Lord extended a hand, and Kenobi stopped dead in his tracks, straining under the weight of the Force as he dropped to his knees.
"None of that," Dooku hissed, flicking his wrist and sending the red saber skidding across the room. "I am trying to help you." The other lightsaber flew off Obi-Wan's belt and into the Sith's hand. He activated the blue blade and pointed it to the far wall, long, tall mirrors lining it that made the already massive hall seem much larger than it actually was. "Look, Obi-Wan. Look at yourself and see what you have become."
Kenobi's eyes followed the length of the blade, slowly looking to the mirror, and holding his breath when he looked at himself. Dooku's pressure on him lifted, but he stayed kneeling on the cold, hard ground. Even from this distance, he could clearly see his eyes glowing yellow. He didn't know how he found the strength to rise, but he did, dragging his feet until he stood before the image of himself. He felt sick, shaky, uncertain, but the man in the mirror was healthy, confident, the black of his robes standing in sharp contrast to his sandy blond hair and golden yellow eyes. He blinked, rubbed his face and looked again, but the blue eyes he was born with did not come back. He, in every way, looked the very image of a Sith Lord.
"...how..."
"I told you. You have fallen. It's too late for you, Obi-Wan. The Dark Side has corrupted you. That is your physical proof." The Count stood, the blue lightsaber deactivating as Kenobi's red saber flew to Dooku's other hand. The Sith Lord stood next to the younger man and placed his sabers into his shaking hand.
"I saw it before, but I thought I was seeing things, I-I thought-"
"It's real. You can control it, to a degree, but your physical change may be difficult to conceal as you move forward with your training."
"You don't-"
"My Master has taught me how to hide it. He can teach you as well."
"Y-yes, I..." Kenobi stopped, shook his head. "N-no, I...I can fight this. I can go back, I can admit everything, I can get help."
"You can," Dooku said softly, laying a hand on Kenobi's shoulder. "But it will fail. The Jedi are powerless to stop this. You know it's true."
He had to get out of there. He had to return to the Jedi, he had to tell them. Maybe he couldn't be redeemed, maybe he had fallen, maybe he was more Sith than Jedi, but it wasn't too late, the Order would forgive him. He could go back, Dooku was wrong, and he could do the right thing. He could bring the Jedi here to kill the Sith Lord. It wasn't enough to make up for what he had done, it wasn't enough to save him, but it was a start.
"...how do I..." He pointed to his face, and Dooku nodded.
"Focus. Center yourself in the Force. Control your feelings. Keep the Dark Side at bay."
Kenobi closed his eyes, breathed deeply, did as Dooku commanded, and when he opened his eyes again, they were pale blue, and he watched carefully as the color slowly returned. He leaned against the mirror with a groan. Relief washing over him. It wasn't over. Not yet.
"You'll be wanting the texts you will need to begin your training, I presume." Kenobi looked up at Dooku and nodded, and without a moment's hesitation, the Sith's long strides carried him out of the room. Obi-Wan clipped his lightsabers to his belt, taking one more glance at his reflection in the mirror before he dashed across the long, vaulted chamber and dove out of the window.
