AN: Alright kids, this is sort of the culmination of this baby, so the chapter's a bit longer for your enjoyment. Only one chapter to go after this one!
Chapter 33: The Lord of the Sith
"I was right," Satine drawled softly, the Duchess lounging in bed, the sheet draped over her rounded hip as she watched Obi-Wan pull on his boots, the powerful muscles in his back shifting under his pale skin as he moved. "You have changed."
"Time does change us all."
"Not like that," she purred watching him pick up his robes and shirt from the balcony, the morning sun seeming to make the Jedi glow. "There's something...wild about you now. It wasn't there before. When we were young, you were...hesitant."
Obi-Wan laughed. "Sweetie, when we were young, we were inexperienced. We had never been with another before, and I was expressly forbidden from having you."
"We are still inexperienced." She looked at him curiously. "Or have you been practicing?"
Kenobi scoffed. "Hardly, but I have an experienced friend. He spent a great deal of time talking my ear off trying to educate me on the subject."
She arched her eyebrow. "A Jedi?"
"As I said. The Code doesn't forbid physical pleasure." He sat on the bed next to her and pulled the covers up to her shoulders, kissing her forehead gently. "It just forbids what we're doing."
Her hand shot up to hook around his neck, and the Duchess pulled him off-balance, and Kenobi tumbled on top of her, moaning softly as Satine fiercely kissed him. "This is how you've changed," she said softly, voice breathless as the Jedi tightly grabbed her hip. "The Obi-Wan I knew was cautious and careful."
"We were under the constant threat of death, my dear, we had to be careful."
"And your Master was always around."
"Yes, that too." He smiled, brushing her cheek as he sat up and pulled his shirt on.
"You are reckless. Passionate. Like...like nothing can contain you. Like you can take anything you want like you own it."
Kenobi smirked, looking at her over his shoulder as he pulled his robes on and cinched them with his belt. "Do you like it?"
"I shouldn't. But I do."
He grinned, coming over to kiss her deeply, the woman moaning helplessly under him. "I feel the same way." He got up, straightening out his robes. "I need to go."
"Will you be back?"
"I suspect so, yes." His blue eyes looked her over, her face concerned and marred with worry. "Satine..."
"You said the mission was dangerous."
"It is. But I'm dangerous too." He flashed her a cocky grin. "I don't want you to worry. One way or another, I will return." He left the room, closing the door behind him and walking casually through the palace. His complete indulgence of the Dark Side the previous night had left him feeling empowered, balanced, and he was ready to destroy the Sith. All he had to do was convince the Council to send him the help he needed.
He slowly made his way to the docking bay, his focus intense as he put his mental defenses in place. They had failed him before on Serenno, but they wouldn't fail again. Kenobi looked around the dock, watching the people rush about and peacefully go about their business, and his chest swelled with jealousy and pride. His Satine had created something beautiful, something that worked, but he knew it would not last. Peace never did. If only the Republic could work so well as Mandalore, than perhaps he wouldn't be so disgusted with the state of the galaxy. But the Republic was broken. They didn't have a strong leader like Satine to guide them, they just had greed and corruption. For now. His reunion with the young Duchess just reinforced that the Republic needed change, and Obi-Wan knew he could be the agent of that change. After all, if the Republic wasn't strong, wasn't powerful, than Mandalore would fall as well. There needed to be a strong force to keep people afraid of disrupting the peace, or the fragile pacifist regime of the New Mandalorians would crumble.
Kenobi climbed into his starfighter and left the planet with little ceremony. He would have liked to stay, of course, but he had a job to do, and as much as he loved Satine, he wouldn't let even her get in the way of what must be done. His long fingers tapped his ship's comlink, and he punched in Serenno's coordinates into the navigator as he was patched through to the Council. The little hologram of Mace Windu appeared on his control console, arms folded in his robes and nodding toward the Knight.
"Obi-Wan. How did the mission go?"
"Exactly as I said it would, Mace. Dooku confirmed everything I had to say about Viceroy Gunray."
"So he believes there is a Sith Lord in the Senate as well."
"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan started to say something else, but quickly bit his tongue. How much was he to say about Dooku? Master Windu would certainly not believe him. He chose to say nothing.
"We really need to talk to Dooku," Mace said softly. Turning away from Obi-Wan and talking to the Council that sat outside of the hologram's view. "What's your current location, Obi-Wan?"
"Just outside of Serenno." A lie, but he was close enough and headed that way regardless. He'd be there by the time any help arrived. If any help arrived. "I'm keeping an eye on things in case he tries to leave."
"Do you believe he will?"
He bit his lip, determining how much to say to them. This wasn't about the truth anymore, it was about getting what he wanted. "I don't know. Some things he said...the way he said things bothered me. I can't get it out of my head." That, at least, wasn't a lie.
"In what way?"
"He talked about the Sith Lord like...I don't know, like he knew. I can't explain it, it was just a feeling. Something felt...wrong."
"Did you sense the Dark Side in him?"
"...no." He couldn't tell them the truth. They may believe it, but the risk was too great. After all, they hadn't believed him in the past. Appealing to their own beliefs was the best way to get them to agree with him. "But as you said, my vision has been clouded. Dooku could just be that good at hiding his intentions, or I may just not be as in tune as I usually am."
Mack nodded in agreement. Success. Kenobi smiled. "We need to talk to Dooku. Bring him in, Obi-Wan."
"Right, two problems with that. First, I'm in a starfighter, there's no room for a passenger. And secondly, if I'm going to bring him in and there is something going on, I need support. I can't take Dooku on my own."
"I agree." Kenobi breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he was getting somewhere. "We have a group of Jedi out on a mission right now in the Yavin system. We're sending them your way."
"Thank you."
"They should be there within a few hours. Can you wait?"
"Yes. Thank you, Master."
Windu nodded. "Be careful, Obi-Wan. And don't do anything rash. May the Force be with you." The connection was cut, and Kenobi pulled his ship into hyperspace toward Serenno. This was it. Everything had been building toward this moment. As the stars blurred to the white streaks of hyperspace, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The past few years, his focus had been so clouded, so divided, that meditation became impossible. Every time he had closed his eyes, he saw visions and war and the recurring horror that was the Sith Lord. But that had now...resolved itself. He felt clarity, for the first time in a long time, and he slowly lost himself in the Force, the need for meditation and personal reflection simply overpowering. After all, it may be the last chance that Obi-Wan had to do so.
His past few years he had spent drifting ever closer to the Dark Side, the pull and allure of it driven by the need for power, the need for change. The galaxy was in the wrong hands, barely functioning under the greed and self-interest of the Senators that claimed to run things. A thousand years of peace was rewarded with corruption and stagnation, and Kenobi couldn't bear it. The Jedi Code taught the virtues of peace and harmony, but it failed to mention how dangerous that could be, how easily peace lead to complacency, how quickly harmony bred the chaos of self-interest, how swiftly serenity became weakness.
Conclusion: the Jedi Code is wrong.
A collection of half-truths and lies that only served to make the strong weak.
Which is where the Sith Code came in.
The Jedi applied their Code only to themselves, used it as a guide to live their lives, but the Code of the Sith applied to all. It was a steadfast doctrine that made sense not only for those that were one with the Force, but for all creatures. All that lived felt passion and desire, and while the Jedi sought to control this, to overcome their very natures, pretended and deluded themselves into believing that they were without these, the Sith thrived on it. They did not hide from their natures. They did not turn a blind eye to their passions, they faced them head on, without fear or restraint, and through struggle, they became stronger. This is what the galaxy needed. It needed passion and strife and conflict in order to progress and improve. Not the useless, pathetic infighting of the imposed peace of the Republic, but true strife against a common enemy. Passion would be the agent of change, conflict the necessary component of the betterment of the people.
Conclusion: The Way of the Sith was the only way.
And Obi-Wan was going to facilitate that change.
If this was the result of the Dark Side corrupting him, or just his own changing views, he would never know, but Kenbi did know that he wouldn't sit idly by and watch the galaxy collapse around him, as the Jedi seemed intent on doing. Sidious had manipulated the Trade Federation into attacking Naboo, and while he still didn't understand exactly why, he did understand the motivation. Like a good Sith, Sidious was trying to change things, and Kenobi couldn't blame him for it.
Sidious.
He closed his eyes tighter, growling in frustration as he tried to concentrate. All this started with Sidious, but it was the one piece that he hadn't been able to find. Everything led back to the elusive Sith Lord, but when Kenobi looked, he simply wasn't there, or worse, took active steps to make sure that traces of himself were erased. Obi-Wan did not soon forget the agony of hearing his voice on Athiss, a pain so deep that simply thinking of the Sith Lord sent suffering lancing through him until the voice was distorted and hazy, completely unrecognizable from the original sound. And then there was Cato Neimoidia, and the memory that Kenobi had stolen from Nute Gunray. He had heard the Sith Lord again, but that time, it was different. Instead of pain, Obi-Wan had felt pleasure, a soothing feeling that permeated his defenses and filled him with hazy desire, the promise of pleasure and power in exchange for submission and obedience. Like before, the sound of the Sith's voice was lost on a tide of euphoria, and though the memory of it made the Dark Side within him purr in satisfaction, he could not recall the voice.
It made sense, of course, how differently the voice had effected Kenobi. Before, he was new to the Dark Side, unaccustomed to it, and the touch of the Dark Lord of the Sith was nothing but searing agony, but a year later, Obi-Wan was a student of darkness, was steeped in it, and the Sith's touch was...pleasant. It left him yearning and wanting, his entire being aching for instruction from the Master Sith. He felt compelled to tell him everything, the voice soothing and trustworthy all at once, making him feel safe and secure. He could trust the Sith Master. There was danger there once, but now, Kenobi held no fear of the Sith Lord. Just...trust, admiration, respect for the power he wielded. He had to learn. He couldn't trust the Jedi, but the Sith felt honest and powerful, and Kenobi felt calm in the trust of that smooth, compelling voice.
Obi-Wan's eyes flew open, the blue irises pinpoints as sudden realization flooded over him. He had been looking for the wrong thing. He knew the voice, but could not place who it belonged to, but what he could do is recognize the feel of the voice.
Chancellor Palpatine.
Their first meeting, he felt nothing, but the second time they met after Obi-Wan's extended mission, he felt very similarly almost immediately. His guard had been up as he searched the Senate for ill-intent, and when the Chancellor came to him, he felt...calm. Peace. Soothed, his mental defenses relaxing instantly as the very presence of the man made Kenobi want to trust him. And he did, immediately and completely. He never imagined that the Sith would feel good like that, couldn't fathom that the memory of the voice he had stolen from the Viceroy would feel almost like home. When had that changed? Long, long ago, the Dark Side felt cold, sinister, foreboding, but now, Obi-Wan felt lost without it, like a piece of himself was missing when he tucked his darkness away. Of course the Sith felt different to him now, the very nature of the Dark Side had changed him. He went to the Senate looking for the sinister chill when he should have been looking for comfort.
If he did, it would have lead him straight to Chancellor Palpatine.
Kenobi lurched forward in his seat as his ship exited hyperspace, and he grabbed the accelerator and thrust it forward on the course for Serenno. There was the matter as well when he had manipulated the Chancellor's mind, and in hindsight, it was extremely telling. He had thought he felt resistance, a mental wall so strong it could not be broken, thought, for just an instant, he could see wicked glee and sinister approval in those dark blue eyes, and then it was gone, like it hadn't even been there, like his mind was playing tricks on him. Palpatine was so humble, so modest, so weak that it almost seemed too obvious now. Obi-Wan couldn't help but admire the man his cunning, his patience, his planning, and he couldn't help but wonder what the Chancellor would look like with blazing yellow eyes. It would be...stunning. Magnificent...
The lush planet of Dooku's home world filled his viewport, and Kenobi cut the power to the engines, the starfighter slowly coming to drift in its orbit. His heart was racing as he felt rage build up inside him. He was right about Tyranus, and he knew he would be right about Sidious as well, but he had nothing to present to the Jedi Council. No proof, no evidence, just suspicions and visions and feelings, and as they did before, the Council would push him away, doubt his insight. He hadn't been introspective as of late, he simply couldn't between the visions that disrupted his focus and the need to train and prepare for his inevitable confrontation with the Sith, but now Obi-Wan had clarity. His visions were over, his tensions washed away in the Dark Side by his new Code, and everything was clear. He was right. He knew it, he felt it. And the Jedi would never believe him. Kenobi took this information and put it away deep inside of him; he would deal with this in his own time, on his own, and without the foolishness of the Jedi.
A Consular-class Republic cruiser jumped out of hyperspace just behind Obi-Wan's starfighter, and he was quickly hailed. He opened the com-channel, and the holographic image of a woman appeared on the console.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi," she smiled, "I'm Sar Labooda. The Council has sent me and my team to aid you."
Kenobi knew the Jedi to be the sister of Depa Billaba, a member of the High Council, and he was, for the first time in a while, pleased with the Council's decision. Both sisters were considered formidable, wise, and masters of Niman style lightsaber combat. The Council didn't send him a couple of Padawans, they had sent him a Master. He smiled, inclining his head toward the hologram. "I welcome your help, Master. Do you know what we are in for?"
"Yes, Depa has filled me in. She says you are under the impression that Dooku is Sith. Is that true?"
"I believe there is that chance, yes."
"Then we must proceed with caution. I will go and prepare my team. Lead us to where we will land."
The com cut, and Kenobi grabbed the controls, powered on the engines, and flew the ship into Serenno's atmosphere, the Cruiser following close behind.
Like before, it was an easy entry into Serenno's atmosphere, the ships cutting easily through the humid air toward Dooku's palace. Kenobi was half expecting the palace to have turned fortress overnight, but there was no indication that anything was amiss, no weapons or guards or military presence to be seen at all. Obi-Wan frowned. He supposed it was possible that Dooku didn't suspect that he would return with help, but he found that unlikely. The Count was arrogant, but he was careful, and he wasn't stupid. He'd be ready.
They landed in the courtyard, and Obi-Wan jumped out of his ship, pacing restlessly as he waited for the cruiser to extend its ramp, and Sar Labooda strode out with three other Jedi, two male, one female, all human. Before, Serenno was calm and temperate and peaceful, but now, something felt...wrong. The Dark Side was pervasive, oppressive, and Obi-Wan watched the four Jedi shiver as they stepped into the courtyard, hiding his smirk as he bowed; he wasn't cold. He was comfortable, the Dark Side in him stirring to life and wrapping around him, his blood rushing with power.
"Master Labooda..."
"You may be right," she said softly, approaching the Jedi and shaking his hand, her three fellows laying their hands on the lightsabers at their belts. "The Force here feels...cold. Wrong. The Dark Side is here."
"We'll be careful."
"Yes, we will." She took her saber into her hand, running her thumb over the smooth hilt. "Lead the way, Kenobi."
He nodded and walked to the head of the group, the four fanning out behind him and making their way slowly toward the palace. Nothing was stirring or moving, and Obi-Wan knew they were safe for the time being. The Dark Side was making his senses sharp, and he could feel the presence of the Count inside. As far as he could tell, nobody else was there.
The Jedi entered the palace, cold and dark and their footsteps echoing far too loudly off the high, vaulted ceilings. While Kenobi would never have described the palace as hospitable before, he would have called it beautiful, elegant, if nothing else, but now, it was another thing completely. It was dark, sinister shadows cast on the walls from windows that seemed to let in too little light, their every breath and step echoing around them like they were surrounded by beasts, hungry and snarling. It felt dangerous, and Obi-Wan was finding that he loved it.
They had crossed the massive entry hall and stood before the elevator that Kenobi had been in the day before with Dooku, his hand laying on the call button, and Labooda stepped up next to him.
"Are we safe?" she said softly, barely a whisper, eying her Jedi companions as they tightly gripped their sabers.
Kenobi nodded. "For now. This is the way I went with Dooku before. We'll find him up where he took me."
"How do you know?"
"...just a feeling." She nodded, drawing up taller and observing her surroundings, and Obi-Wan observed her stoic face, her calm demeanor. Unlike her companions, Sar Labooda wasn't afraid, and Kenobi admired that.
The elevator door slid open with a hiss, the noise loud and sudden in the cold, dark room, and the three trailing Jedi ignited their lightsabers, their blue and greed blades lighting the area with their soft glow, and Labooda hissed at them, reprimanding them for their fear and cowardice, demanding that they center themselves. They muttered their apologies under their breath, sabers deactivating and flushing in embarrassment as they followed Kenobi into the elevator. The doors hissed closed, and the platform began to rise.
"Are your companions up for this task?" Kenobi asked the Master, his sharp blue eyes observing the other three Jedi as they took a moment to center themselves in the Force.
"They are acting like Padawans, but yes, they will be fine. The Dark Side is strong here. I confess that I'm finding it difficult to stay centered as well."
"Just keep your wits about you. Dooku's an old man, how much trouble can he be?"
The Master looked Kenobi over carefully, and he could feel her reach out and touch him with the Force. His defenses were up, and he wouldn't let her in. "Dooku was before your time, so allow me to tell you that he is considered one of the finest lightsaber duelists alive."
"Mace Windu-"
"He is Windu's equal." Whatever Obi-Wan was about to say was lost in his throat. This made Master Windu's impromptu beat down make much, much more sense. Windu wasn't making a point, he was preparing him for a duel with Dooku. Obi-Wan couldn't breathe. The best he could do against Mace still resulted in a fatal blow for Kenobi.
I'm going to die.
The revelation didn't hit him as hard as he thought it would. What hurt more was the realization that Mace Windu had come to prepare him to kill Dooku in the moments before his own death. Kenobi nodded slowly, the Dark Side softly soothing him. "What do I need to know?" he asked quietly.
"He is an expert in Makashi style combat, a style the Jedi have only rarely practiced since the Old Republic. The style specializes in lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat."
Kenobi groaned. "Which we don't use since the Sith are gone..."
"Exactly. Our opponents wield blasters, not sabers. We can win, but we must work together. The style works best against one opponent, but I have seen Dooku fight and win against four opponents."
"And we are five." Kenobi smiled. "We can do this."
Labooda nodded. "We can." The doors slid open, and Kenobi looked out into the room, blinking his eyes against the well-lit dining hall. A fire was crackling in the fireplace on the far side of the hall, the wall of mirrors reflecting the light pouring in through the windows that overlooked the forests down below the palace. The day was overcast, dark clouds on the horizon that promised a tropical storm on the way, and Dooku stood, tall and regal, overlooking it all.
"I had hoped, Obi-Wan," the Count drawled softly, his clipped accent dripping with disappointment, "that you would have been smarter than this."
"Smarter than what, Dooku?" Kenobi growled, rushing forward, stopping far away enough from the Count to give him time to defend against a sudden rush. "The Council wants to talk to you. You'd be wise to come with us."
"I don't answer to the Council anymore, boy." He turned, grinning savagely. "Neither do you."
The Dark Side within him roared, and before he could think, Obi-Wan launched himself at Dooku, his lightsaber shooting to his hand, Labooda shouting for him to stop, but he was deaf to her cries. All he saw was Dooku, his face smug, his smile cocky, his eyes narrowed dangerously and glinting a pale, sinister yellow. Nothing else mattered. It all ended here.
Obi-Wan had nearly reached Dooku when he felt himself lifted into the air, a crushing pressure on his neck and then searing, brutal agony shot through his entire body as the Count's hand rose, blue lightning shooting from his fingertips and striking the Jedi in the chest. He couldn't feel through the pain when Dooku used his powerful command of the Force to throw him hard against the far wall, the mirror shattering as Obi-Wan struck it, and he fell to the ground, glass falling around him and residual lightning dancing over his body, sending agony through him. He saw pain, heard it, felt it as his nerves screamed as he was tortured. Kenobi knew his agonized cries were echoing in the vast hall, and he grit his teeth, clenching his hands and curling up against the pain, holding his breath to silence himself. He was going to die, but he wouldn't give Dooku the satisfaction of hearing him suffer.
The other Jedi drew their weapons and rushed at the Sith, but Obi-Wan could barely make out what was happening. He saw Dooku's red blade ignite, poised and ready, but pain kept running through him, his every nerve on fire, and he closed his eyes against the pain, reaching into the Force to banish the agony so he could join the fight. There was a loud crash next to him as one of the other Jedi struck the mirror and fell to the ground lifelessly, a burning hole gaping in his chest. Anger rose in Kenobi, and he climbed to his feet, calling the saber to his hand, but lightning arched through the air and struck him again, and he was knocked back to the floor, shards of glass cutting through his robes and blood slowly soaking into the thick, black cloth.
It was torture, and nothing else, the fearsome power of the Sith Lord overcoming him and leaving him weak and drained as agony sapped his energy from him. Kenobi grit his teeth, his shaking arms pushing himself off the ground, and his blue eyes watched as Dooku deftly fought off the two Jedi.
Two.
Obi-Wan looked around, his hazy mind looking for the missing Jedi. It didn't take long to find the woman, her body laying draped across an overturned chair, smoke rising from her robes and severe burns covering the exposed skin he could see through her torn, tattered robes. Obi-Wan found his strength, reaching deep into the Dark Side and pulling power from the infinite wells of hate and pain and rage. He drew his saber from his belt, igniting the red blade and holding it out before him, his other lightsaber laying underneath the long dining table, but he did not wish to reach out to the Force to call it to him, since last time went so poorly.
Dooku's red blade circled the blue of the remaining male, and he lunged forward, the blue lightsaber narrowly avoiding the Count as the Sith blade drove into the Jedi's neck. He reeled to meet the Master, the body of her third comrade dropping to the ground, the Sith's eyes narrowed in focus, a smirk upon his lips. They fought intently for a moment before Kenobi rushed in, his blade sweeping in a wide arch down toward the Count, and Dooku swiftly parried his strike. Labooda's eyes shot toward her companion and they widened in momentary shock as she saw the wrathful Jedi holding the blazing red saber, and that moment was enough. Dooku's blade shot out and pierced the Master's arm, severing it at the shoulder, the woman gasping in pain as the appendage fell to the ground, still clutching her green saber. Dooku's blade pierced her leg, and she went stumbling backwards, landing next to one of her fallen companions and staring up at the Count in horror as he reeled on Kenobi, the red blades locking.
"Do you honestly believe you can defeat me, Obi-Wan?" Dooku asked softly, his voice confident and strong as he watched Kenobi struggle to keep the Sith's blade from him, the glowing plasma hissing and sparking as they locked. "The Jedi sent you here to die."
"No!" He snarled, swinging his blade high and ducking under the Sith's weapon, bringing his own lightsaber around low, arching up high, cutting down and thrusting forward, but every one of his strikes was easily blocked. Dooku was distracted for a second when Labooda tried to summon her saber to her remaining hand, but the Count beat her to it, the green blade flying into his hand and, countering a vicious Kenobi, stabbed the green blade into the Master's other leg, grinning maliciously as she screamed, her hand held to the new wound, and he tossed the weapon to the side.
Obi-Wan snarled, tapping into the Dark Side and rushing Dooku, only to be struck once again in the chest by the arching blue lightning. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain and clenching his jaw tight to keep from howling his agony. Dooku retracted his weapon, clipping it under his cape. The fight was over. The Jedi had lost.
"Did you honestly expect another outcome, Obi-Wan?" Dooku purred, his long, slow steps taking him to Kenobi's side, yellow eyes regarding him with disgust as the man twitched, the searing agony of the lightning torturing him even after it had faded. "I had hoped you would be smarter. You know what you are. You would do well to accept it."
The pain was intense, but his hatred for the man was stronger. Obi-Wan looked up at the Count, shaking with pain and eyes blazing yellow with hatred and rage as he tapped deep into the well of the Dark Side.
Dooku hissed. "The Jedi will never take you back. I told you as much, but you seem content to live in denial. If you won't accept what you are, than you are nothing." He held up his hand, and lightning shot from his fingertips, striking Kenobi in the chest. There was pain, yes, but it seemed to be making him stronger now, the suffering and the rage fueling the Dark Side, filling him with it, and despite the torture, the pain was not so blinding as the darkness flooded him.
Or it was just the calm that set in before death. One of the two.
"My Master won't approve of your death, Obi-Wan," Dooku said softly as the lightning ceased, watching with amusement as the Jedi's movements slowed, his breath fast and ragged with the pain. "But I confess, I will enjoy killing you. You were never a threat to me, but you were a complication." Kenobi groaned softly as he slowly started to push up from the floor, breath labored, but focus blazing as he glared up at the Count. He couldn't fight anymore. He was going to die. But he'd be damned if he didn't die looking his enemy in the eye. Obi-Wan's yellow eyes met Dooku's and he held his gaze, unafraid as the Count raised his hand once again, and he braced for the end.
Kenobi didn't see what had happened, but Dooku suddenly shuddered, his eyes wide and fearful, and he quickly turned and kneeled, softly, respectfully drawling, "My Master..." as Obi-Wan heard soft, careful footsteps. Dooku suddenly gasped, clutching and clawing at his throat, struggling to breathe, and Obi-Wan laid his head on the ground, the effort of holding himself up far too much to continue.
"Master, please," Dooku gasped, and he was swiftly silenced by a cold, harsh voice, and Kenobi gasped as he recognized it, the darkness in his mind swirling feverishly as the voice came back to him, his hazy, forgotten memories suddenly in clear focus.
Sidious.
A long fingered, knobby hand rested on Kenobi's head, and he tensed, preparing for the end, but it didn't come. Instead, the long fingers ran through his thick blond hair, gently stroking and caressing him, the intense pain slowly fading into a dull throb as the Dark Side purred, soothing his body and mind and filling him with the familiar feeling of burning pleasure and contentment. Kenobi moaned softly as his body relaxed, a heavy weariness settled over him, the touch of the Sith Lord burning and gentle and promising. He felt...safe.
"Do you know who I am," the voice purred, silky and smooth, and Kenobi shivered, nodding slowly.
"Darth Sidious."
"Yes," the Sith hissed, his hand tightening in Obi-Wan's hair, and the prone man whimpered in submission. "My apprentice has wronged you. Has wronged me, and he will be punished. Severely."
"Master, I-" The Count stopped, eyes wide and clutching his neck once again, Sidious' golden eyes boring through him.
"If you did your job, Tyranus, it wouldn't have come to this. This is all your doing, I sent him to you ready." Dooku couldn't answer. Dooku couldn't breathe. Sidious' grip in Kenobi's hair relaxed as he resumed running his fingers through the fine locks, and Obi-Wan shivered, gasping softly as pleasure and power rushed through him, his hand tightening around the hem of Sidious' black cloak.
"I have been watching you closely, Obi-Wan," the Master drawled, watching in amusement as the fallen Jedi shook with chills as the Dark Side ran through him. "I confess, your victory over Maul made me nervous, at first. I didn't know what to think. You were a huge...problem." His hand tightened in the sandy blond hair, and Obi-Wan gasped in pain, shutting his eyes against it, but not moving otherwise. "Imagine my pleasure when I saw how you did it. And imagine again how pleased I was when I met you and felt the Dark Side boiling within you."
"Palpatine..." Kenobi whispered, and the hand tightened even further and sending pain through his being. And then it stopped, the hand loosened and resumed it's stroking, and Obi-Wan moaned softly, submitting to the man kneeling above him. The affection was a confirmation, a reward for reaching the correct conclusion, and Kenobi could feel the very heart of him crave more.
"Yes," the Sith Lord whispered. "Your connection to the Dark Side is formidable. Your thirst for knowledge is admirable. And I didn't have to do a thing. You, Jedi, sought out the Dark Side on your own, embraced it with your heart open, took it deep inside you and treasured it." Sidious felt the Jedi shake, a final resistance as the man began to silently weep, arms wrapping around himself and curling into the tightest ball he could. The Sith Master smirked. "Look at me, Obi-Wan."
It was a command, and Kenobi could not disobey. He wanted to obey. With a whimper, Obi-Wan pushed himself to his knees, breathing labored through the pain and effort of it, and looked at the hooded man, his face in shadows and his golden eyes glowing from under the hood. They pierced right through him, saw everything, and if Kenobi had any defenses left, he was compelled to lower them as he felt the Sith Master enter his mind, his presence curling around him like a serpent, smoky tendrils of darkness reaching into the deepest recesses of his being, and it was euphoric. Kenobi moaned deeply, shoulders sagging and head dropping to his chest, but the Sith's long fingers shot out and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look into his blazing eyes, and Obi-Wan trembled, shivering as passion and pleasure ran through him without restraint in his submission.
"Look at you," Sidious purred, leaning close to Kenobi and looking into his eyes, half-lidded with pleasure and bright, glowing yellow. "You are beautiful. With the right hand to mold you, you could be a work of art, a masterpiece."
"What is it you want?" Obi-Wan asked softly, and the Sith's mouth curled up into a sinister smirk.
"I want you, child. As I have said, your part is not yet done, and I would see you walk the path to your destiny. I want order. I want efficiency. I want to rid the galaxy of it's vile, indulgent corruption and its idle complacency. The Republic is weak. Its people are weak, but I will make it strong." The Sith's golden eyes bore through him. "What is it you want, Obi-Wan?"
"...I want the same things. I want...this system is broken," Kenobi snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously, and the Sith Lord grinned. "I swore I would fix it, and I will."
"We will."
"Yes."
Kenobi didn't see the green blade arching in the air toward him, and if the Sith Master saw it, he showed no indication of it, no concern for the swiftly descending saber as Dooku's own red weapon crossed in front of the kneeling men, blocking a fatal strike to the fallen Jedi. Obi-Wan's yellow eyes focused on the sparking, flashing sabers inches from his face before his attention shifted to the furious face of Labooda, battered and bleeding, the burnt flesh of her shoulder a gruesome reminder of the disastrous assault against Dooku. Kenobi recognized the determination in her eyes. She was going to die, and she knew it, but she would destroy as many of the Sith as she could before she did.
"Traitor," she growled, her voice angry and pained, her one arm shaking with effort to press the blade closer to Kenobi before she was thrown back, a powerful blast of the Force from Dooku as he defended his Master. The Jedi struck the hard wood of the dining table and crumpled to the floor, lightsaber tightly in her hand as she struggled to rise.
"The Jedi would kill you, Obi-Wan," Sidious whispered in his ear, Kenobi's yellow eyes watching as the Jedi Master struggled to her feet. "They sent you here alone before when they knew the danger you faced, and now they openly attack you. They have sent you to your death, Sithkiller." Sidious smirked as he felt rage build within the man, and the Master rose to his feet, carefully observing the room, the bodies scattered about the hall. "This isn't your first betrayal at the hands of the Jedi, is it?"
Obi-Wan's jaw clenched, felt a surge of power within him as he surrendered his anger to the Dark Side, the pain and weariness of his body fading to a distant memory as strength surged through him. He slowly rose to his feet, golden eyes blazing. "No, it isn't."
"Let this be the last of the many times you have been betrayed." Sidious called Kenobi's fallen saber to his hand, ignited the red blade, and put it in the young man's hand. "Kill her."
He looked at the lightsaber in his hand, closed his eyes and felt the power of it before he slowly glared at Sar Labooda, the woman holding her green blade out before her. He barely heard Sidious speak. He just looked at the Jedi, and all his rage and pain and hatred for his previous betrayals took over. They were weak and complacent and they treated him like he was nothing. From his own Master and all the way up to the High Council, Obi-Wan Kenobi had been repeatedly betrayed by the people he loved. He didn't even need to think twice about what he was going to do.
He had to kill her. He wanted to.
Kenobi gripped the blade tighter in his hand, and slowly advanced.
Sidious leaned toward Dooku. "Don't let her escape, Tyranus."
"I wouldn't dream of it, Master."
Labooda's arm shook, the tip of the saber wavering as she pointed it at her fallen brother, his yellow eyes glowing from the shadows of his face. "Kenobi, why!' she cried, backing away slowly as he drew closer. "You were supposed to hunt the Sith, not join them!"
"I can't help that they're right."
"They are deceiving you!"
"No, they aren't." Kenobi chuckled softly, predatorily watching the Jedi Master try to focus herself, but the ache in her legs and the phantom pain of her severed arm was making her connection to the Force shaky and unstable, and Obi-Wan scoffed. The weakness of the Jedi was contemptible. Through the power of the Dark Side, pain only made him stronger. "For the first time, I see clearly. The peace of the Jedi has created a mire of sloth and corruption in the galaxy, and if we are to thrive, if we are to be strong, it must be purged."
"No! It isn't perfect, but-"
"But it could be." He lashed out with the red blade, and the Jedi quickly brought her own green one around, but it wasn't enough, the Sith weapon grazing her side and sending new pain shooting through her body, the black, cauterized skin smoking, and the smell of burning flesh permeated the air.
The Master's eyes narrowed, glaring at Kenobi as he grinned, already feeling his assured victory. The Jedi in him was gone, and there was nothing left for Labooda to try and save. She brought her weapon back up. "My friends are dead because of you."
"Don't give me credit for that one. I didn't kill them. I'm just going to kill you."
"The Council will hear about this!" she snarled, quickly parrying two lazy, almost playful strikes from Kenobi. "They will know what happened here, and they will hunt you. All of you!"
"Don't be naive, Master," he drawled slowly, voice mocking. "They will treat this the way they have treated the Sith from the very beginning. With indifference." He arched his blade swiftly upwards, a quick change from his slow pace before, and the red saber connected, severing the Jedi's remaining hand at the wrist. Labooda's strength was sapped as she watched her weapon fall, flickering off as it hit the ground, and she dropped to her knees. It was over. Her eyes were tired, weary as she looked up into the blazing yellow eyes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, his red weapon pointed at the pit of her throat.
"I'm tired of listening to the lies of the Jedi. You were supposed to be my family. What sort of family throws their brothers to the side like they are nothing?" He smirked bitterly as he watched the Master's face tremble. "You should be pleased," Kenobi said softly, and his voice would have been kind if his words weren't laced with resentment. "The Jedi have a policy of being unattached. They won't mourn you for long."
Sar Labooda opened her mouth to speak, but Obi-Wan slowly pressed the saber down into her chest, and her brown eyes widened as she felt the blade pierce into her lungs. Kenobi watched her carefully as her face showed pain, betrayal, disbelief, and then finally resignation as the life faded from her. He felt her presence in the Force fade until it was nothing, and he deactivated the weapon in his hands, watching the body of the Jedi Master fall to the ground.
Kenobi shivered as he heard the deep, silky chuckle of Darth Sidious, and he turned to face the Sith Lord. "Good, good, my boy," the Master purred, slowly walking toward Kenobi, Dooku closely following behind him. "I knew you were worth watching. See, Tyranus, I told you so. A Jedi that fell because he craved it. Not for love, as you thought, but for power. For order."
"It is so, my Master."
Sidious laughed as he watched Obi-Wan's eyes narrow as he focused his golden gaze on Dooku, and deftly stepped out of the way as Kenobi activated his red blade and swiftly arched it toward the Count, the older man reaching for his saber too late. His golden eyes glowed with rage as the blade struck and sparked against another red saber, and he followed the weapon up it's length to stare at Darth Sidious, his own sinister weapon held almost delicately in his hand as he effortlessly defended his apprentice from the fallen Jedi.
"As I said," he hissed softly, voice barely above a whisper, but the tone was dangerous. "Dooku still has his part to play. As do you."
"Dzworokka yun; nyâshqûwai, nwiqûwai."
Sidious grinned. "Don't you quote the Code of the Sith to me, Jedi. I am the Master of the Sith. Who are you to question my methods? Who are you to tell me of the rules I must abide by."
Kenobi glared at the Sith Lord, fury burning in him, but he deactivated his weapon. There was rage and passion in the Lord of the Sith, but Sidious did not feel angry. He seemed...amused. Pleased, even, and Obi-Wan felt himself relax, silently submitting to the will of the Master. He wanted to please him, he did...
"You aren't like Tyranus," he purred softly, his lightsaber burning in his experienced grip. "He is a figurehead, a powerful front, but you, Kenobi, are like me. You have a knack and a talent for mind control, for domination, for subjugating people to your will. You are skilled, but I can make you better." The Master observed Kenobi carefully, smirking in satisfaction as he watched longing and desire flash in those yellow eyes. "You want it, Obi-Wan Kenobi. I can give it to you. Join me, and I will make you unstoppable."
Kenobi could feel the Sith Lord within him, and he knew that Sidious already knew all his desires, his passions, his yearnings. He looked around the room and carefully took in the broken glass, the overturned chairs, the three dead Jedi Knights, the Jedi Master that he had killed himself. He had passed the point of no return long ago, but this solidified it. This was the scene right out of his vision he received on Dromund Kaas nearly two years ago. It was a foregone conclusion then, the Force already warning him of what he would become. It was over. Everything he wanted was within reach. This was what he wanted.
Obi-Wan slowly dropped to his knee, kneeling at the feet of Darth Sidious, his eyes locking with the sinister yellow ones gleaming with amusement and pride from under his hood.
"Master..."
"You are Sith in all but name, but I will change that. Let go your fear, Obi-Wan. The Dark Side is your ally. Submit to it."
It was a command, yes, but there was no weight behind it, no compulsion to obey, no Force behind the words, but Obi-Wan obeyed. He wanted to. Breathing deeply, he closed his eyes, and let go his restraint, his reservations, his inhibitions, and surrendered himself completely to the Dark Side.
