AN: This is it guys, the last chapter for this story. Thank you all so much for all your support, critique, information, suggestions, etc. I had a lot of fun, learned a lot, hade some awesome conversations and made some pretty neat buddies.Of course, all this isn't over, as I said I'm going through the Clone Wars, and I am. First chapter of my new one will be posted tomorrow, hopefully I can keep the updates as regular as I did with this one. Once again, thank you. You guys have been the best.

Chapter 34: Epilogue

A week after the slaughter on Serenno, the Jedi Order held the funeral. It would have been done sooner, but the Order was frantic in their search for Dooku. The Jedi left for the Count's home world when the Council didn't hear from Obi-Wan Kenobi or Sar Labooda or her team by that evening. Attempts to contact Dooku failed as well, and Master Yoda had felt the Force tremble, strain under the weight of something far off and awful. The matter was settled when Qui-Gon Jinn stumbled into the Council Chamber, hand held to his head and claiming that something had happened to his former Padawan. When the Jedi sent a ship to Serenno, it held some of the most powerful Jedi in the Order, Master Windu and Master Yoda among them.

The Jedi had stormed the palace, but could find no sign of Dooku. The palace was still, silent, dark and cold and it reeked of the Dark Side. They found the bodies of their missing Jedi in the upper chambers of the palace, the long hall in disarray, broken mirrors and shattered glass covering the floor, long, deep burns across the walls, the thick rugs singed and shredded from the sweeping plasma of lightsabers. Severed arms and legs were scattered around the room, faces had been deeply gorged and disfigured with electric burns, and there were pieces of their fallen comrades that were simply missing. In the end, the Jedi had recovered five lightsabers and enough of their dead to piece together what had happened, but the bodies of the fallen had been dismantled and disfigured so badly they could not be reasonably pieced together.

Obi-Wan had been right from the beginning. Dooku was Sith, that much was clear, and the Council members present quietly talked amongst themselves, discussing the implications of being blind to Dooku's nature and trying to push away the guilt of sending five Jedi to a brutal death at the hands of a Sith Lord.

The bodies were maimed beyond recognition, and they simply could not put them together correctly, and the Council had to meet to discuss what to do about it. In the end, at the insistence of a despondent Depa Billaba, they had decided to quietly burn what they had recovered of their Jedi, opting for a funeral a few days later that would be symbolic and open to the rest of the Order.

They had built five pyres, one for each of the Jedi slain by Dooku, and the evening they were lit, nearly the entire Order showed up to pay their respects. It was more than just the loss of five Jedi; it was the grim realization that the Sith had returned. Before on Naboo, nobody had died. A Master was injured, and a Padawan had returned a legend. Now, that legend was dead, along with a Jedi Master and three others, and it was suddenly real. The Jedi were silent, grim in the knowledge that the Sith were biding their time and waiting to strike. Their peace was over.

As the Jedi gathered in the courtyard, watching the fires burn bright against the night sky, three cloaked figures stood on top of one of the Temple's tall spires and looked down on the five points of light. One of them was holding a pair of microbinoculars to his face, peering down at the somber scene.

"Qui-Gon is there," the man drawled deeply, his fingers adjusting the settings to zoom in.

"Of course he's there. His student is dead. Killed by his own Master."

"That's is why I expected him to recuse himself, Master."

"Is his new Padawan there, Tyranus?" Dooku zoomed out slightly, scanning the scene, but stopped when a sharp scoff came from beside them, and the two Sith Lords turned to look at their companion, leaning against the slick speeder that brought them there, eyes glinting under the hood.

"Mention Anakin Skywalker again and I might vomit." Dooku smirked.

"Jealous, Kenobi?"

The new Sith Lord rolled his eyes at the older man. "Did you really just ask me that? I abandoned the Jedi because of that, of course I am jealous."

"Not just that, I hope," Sidious purred next to him, and Kenobi shivered under his cloak.

"Of course not, Master. You know I am dedicated to the Sith," He flashed Sidious a charming smile when those sinister eyes regarded him carefully, feeling the Sith's presence in his mind. Their training bond was easily established after Kenobi had surrendered himself to the Dark Side; after all, Sidious had put in a lot of work beforehand to prime the former Jedi for training. Obi-Wan supposed that he should have been bothered by this. After all, on the surface, it seemed like he was being manipulated and controlled by the subversive Sith, but he knew better. Kenobi had wanted this. He had always wanted it. The Sith Master's interest was simply a comfort, a recognition of his talents, and it was humbling. Obi-Wan owed the Master for his faith in him.

"Perhaps we should be grateful to Qui-Gon," Sidious said softly. "His Master is a Lord of the Sith. He raised a Lord of the Sith. Perhaps he shall bring up another." Sidious laughed softly as Obi-Wan, growled, eyes rolling and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Anakin will be a failure as a Jedi. He was too old to train, everyone said so, and Qui-Gon stupidly insisted."

"A failure as a Jedi, yes," Sidious said softly, yellow eyes raking the scene below them. "But not as a Sith." Kenobi tensed next to him.

"I don't see Skywalker there, Master," the Count finally said, bringing the microbinoculars away from his eyes.

"A pity."

"Master," Kenobi snarled, "you don't have designs on this child, do you?"

"His presence in the Force is strong. And better yet, he is filled with fear, and anger. I could make a fearsome Sith out of him." Sidious laughed with amusement as Obi-Wan's golden eyes seemed to glow, the Dark Side rolling off him in furious waves as rage gripped him. "Do you not think so, my apprentice?"

"I am stronger! His presence in the Force may be impressive, but he is weak. He's a slave to the Jedi and their misguided Code, he will never be truly powerful."

"If we would turn him..."

"But we won't."

Sidious glared as Kenobi, and he smirked. His new apprentice was willful and passionate, a cold fury in the Force that rushed into his training without fear or hesitation. In the week since he had dedicated himself to the Sith, his powers had greatly increased, his loyalty and obedience absolute. He expected his apprentice to be willful. The Sith were not slaves.

"You believe you are stronger, then?"

"I know I am." Kenobi looked at the Sith Lord, his yellow eyes pleading, and Sidious couldn't help but grin. "Master, please. I lost one Master to Anakin Skywalker. Don't make me lose another one."

Sidious put his hand to Kenobi's cheek, and the apprentice leaned into the touch, sighing softly in satisfaction. "We are Sith, Obi-Wan. There are so few of us. The Dark Side deals in betrayals, but we must be united, at least for now, if we are to correct the galaxy. Unless..." He grabbed the bearded chin hard, and Kenobi winced. "Unless one of you have designs to become the Master."

Tyranus inhaled sharply next to him. "Of course not, Master."

"You'll always know more than me, Master, I submit to your greater wisdom."

Sidious glared at the two for a moment, then finally nodded and released Obi-Wan's chin, the apprentice rubbing his face to relieve the stinging.

"It looks like Qui-Gon has taken your lightsaber, Obi-Wan," Dooku said, voice amused as he held out the microbinoculars to the younger man. Kenobi's yellow eyes flashed to the tall man, and he strode over, snatching the microbinoculars from his hands and looking through them, scanning the crowd and stopping suddenly when he brought his old Master into focus. He felt pain and anger and loss and regret race through him as he looked at the stricken Jedi. He never had a chance to try to repair the rift between them, and he knew he never would. Qui-Gon Jinn would hurt more if he knew his old friend wasn't dead, but a Lord of the Sith.

Obi-Wan snarled, throwing the microbinoculars into the speeder. "He can have it, what does it even matter. Why did you even bring me here!"

"Don't question your Master, Kenobi," Dooku said dangerously, and the younger Sith scoffed.

"You don't get to tell me what to do, Tyranus."

Both men stopped, eyes wide as they felt the Force constrict around them, cutting off their airflow. They could still breathe, but barely, their labored breaths coming out as desperate wheezes. "Now boys," Sidious said slowly, a soft smile on his face as he watched the two Sith struggle. "I am certain that you two will try to kill each other soon enough. Don't start now." He released them, and both men lurched forward, breathing deep and frantic and coughing as oxygen returned to their burning lungs.

"He is young, Master," Dooku growled. "Impatient and impertinent and untested. Killing a crippled Jedi Master does not make him Sith."

"He is old, Master," Kenobi snarled in return. "Powerful, yes, but how long before age takes him and he just withers away. You train a dying man. You need a legacy."

"I need you both," Sidious hissed, and the two men fell silent. "This is why Bane adopted the Chwayatyun. The Rule of Two avoids this idiocy. Shall I decide right now who it is to be? It would be easy to push the other off the top of this tower." The men fell silent, looking at the ground, and Sidious snarled. "Look at me." Two pairs of eyes shot to the Sith Master, both filled with regret and anger and a desire to please. "As I have said, I need you both. The Masters of the Order will be searching for Tyranus, and I must stay in the Senate and continue my work there. It will take a great deal of time and effort to discredit the Jedi on their cries of Sith Lord."

"That seems to make me the logical choice," Kenobi purred, smug yellow eyes drifting to Dooku's face, and he grinned when he saw fear there.

Sidious nodded. "That leaves you, my apprentice, to do the work of the Sith. Look at them all," the Master said softly, pointing down to the funeral below, and Kenobi's eyes fixed on the pyre that burned for him. "You are dead to the Jedi, Obi-Wan. That gives you the ability to freely do my bidding. They will be looking for Tyranus, not you."

Kenobi looked at Dooku with smug satisfaction written all over his young face, observing with keen delight as the Count paled, but the victory was cut short when the Dark Side seemed to boil, setting his every nerve screaming with pain, and he collapsed against the speeder, hands tightly grasping his head as if the pressure would ease the pain.

"Don't scream, Kenobi," Sidious purred sweetly, and he swiftly bit down on his lip, drawing blood and whimpering pitifully as he tried to keep silent. "You wouldn't want to alert the Jedi, now would you? I fear I would have to push you from here. The Jedi would be happy to have your body back mostly in tact, I'm certain." The Master's hand shot out and grabbed a handful of the sandy blond hair, yanking sharply and grinning as the apprentice hissed. "I need you both. Tyranus has connections, vast wealth, galactic respect as a wise and respected leader. Even the Jedi will be unable to change that opinion with their cries of 'Sith Lord,' I will see to that, and when the time is right, I can turn the Republic against the Jedi when they try to hunt Dooku. I need him to lead. I need him to be my public face while I toil in the Senate. You can do none of that," he hissed, as he threw the younger man against the speeder, Kenobi hissing as the pain slowly eased. "What are you, Obi-Wan, next to the Count of Serenno? You're just a dead boy."

"Yes, Master..." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, leaving a long streak of deep red blood on his exposed skin. He felt like a Padawan again, which, he supposed, he was. His Master was just darker and more severe than he was used to. That was fine. Like with the Jedi, he'd need to watch his tongue. He felt like nothing now, but he knew he was instrumental to the plans of the Sith. In time, he would grow fearsome, but for now, he needed to learn. He came to stand beside his Master, gently gathered the long, black sleeve of Sidious' robe and brought it to his lips reverently. "Forgive me, Master. I forgot my place."

The Sith Lord nodded. "I brought you here so you can look and remember." Obi-Wan turned, looking down into Sidious' golden eyes. "I want you to remember that you are dead to them. I want you to see them mourn, I want you to see your old Master suffer at your loss. You can never return."

"I died to the Jedi a long time ago," Kenobi said softly. "I already know I can never go back, not after what I've done."

"If you knew they would forgive you," Dooku said softly, "would you go back?"

"...no." Kenobi took a deep breath and looked over the Temple. It had been home for so long that it felt strange to look upon it and not feel the comfort he usually associated with it. "I can't forget what has happened. I can't forget how I got here. I can't forget how far I had to fall to finally find the truth." Dooku nodded, satisfied with the answer, his mouth upturned in a small, sad smile. Obi-Wan could feel the Count reach out to him, the Force that touched him warm and sympathetic. They were at odds, yes, but they had come from the same place. They were children of the light that came to find comfort in the darkness. The wind blew, cold and biting with the chill of the evening, and the pyres below wavered, the air catching stray sparks that drifted on the breeze.

"So!" Kenobi chirped, pulling his cloak closer to him. "Who knows I'm dead?"

"The Jedi haven't said anything to me about it," Sidious said softly. "Though I suppose they won't be able to keep it quiet for much longer. The implications of your death effect more than just the Jedi."

"Your girlfriend in the Senate is going to be upset," Dooku drawled, looking the man over and smirking as Kenobi rolled his eyes.

"Please. My girlfriend is not in the Senate." The golden eyes of the other Sith apprentice looked at Kenobi, saying nothing, but the blond could feel his touch in his mind, sifting through his feelings and searching for something he seemed to have missed. He threw his defenses up, blocking Dooku out, and the Count frowned. "Master, does everyone have to believe I am dead?"

"Yes." Silence followed, and Sidious frowned. While he appreciated that his answer was taken as final, he had come to expect questions from Kenobi. The man had a profound gift for talking his way around a situation until he got what he wanted, a trait that the Sith Master wanted to encourage. "Why do you ask?"

"I made a promise to someone, Master," he said softly, and Sidious looked up at his apprentice's face, features expressionless and golden eyes distant.

"If you would allow yourself to be swayed by a woman, Obi-Wan-"

"Don't be ridiculous, it''s nothing like that," Kenobi hissed. "But the Jedi would have kept me from her, and now that I have her, I should like to keep her. I will lose her for good if I leave her again." He growled. "Or are the Sith more like the Jedi than I thought?"

Sidious laughed softly, cold and amused. "I have designs for Mandalore. Can your Duchess be trusted?"

He moved to speak immediately, but he stopped himself, silently rolling the question over. "Satine," he finally said slowly, "is a pacifist that comes from a warrior's culture, but don't think that doesn't make her dangerous. She is a warrior in a different way, and she finds a way to get what she wants. Always. She's a difficult woman, but if she is handled properly, she can be reasoned with."

"And can you reason with her?"

"I believe so, yes."

Dooku laughed, shaking his head. "You are a young man, Kenobi, and your passions are ruling you. This woman is your Master."

Obi-Wan looked disgusted. "Oh, please. Don't make me sick. I love her, yes, but I only have one Master, and I know how to put my duty before myself." He crossed his arms and stood as tall as he could, looking terribly smug. "Dzwol shâsotkun. It's a part of our Code. If I weren't allowed to have this, I'd be a Jedi."

Sidious laughed, his voice smooth and amused. "I believe you can talk and negotiate your way into nearly anything, Obi-Wan."

"With your training, I certainly will. I do so love getting what I want."

The Master nodded. "Mandalore is not a part of the Republic, but it is an ally. When we come to war, I have no doubt Mandalore's Duchess will become problematic. We may benefit from having someone close to her that can manipulate her opinions." The Sith looked down at the Jedi funeral, the pyres beginning to burn low, and the silent throng of Jedi had thinned. "Contact her, Obi-Wan. Make her keep your secrecy."

Kenobi bowed deeply, a broad grin on his face. "It will be done, my Master. Thank you."

"Just know," the Sith purred, yellow eyes flashing dangerously, "if ever you put this woman before the demands of the Sith, I will make you kill her yourself."

"Trust me, Master, it will never come to that. The Sith is a higher calling. Love is just so...common."

"And yet you crave it," Dooku hissed, and Kenobi just shrugged.

"What can I say? I embrace my passions. I appreciate power, I seek to obtain it, I want to purge the Republic of it's weakness, and it will be done. So what if I enjoy being inside a beautiful woman, but..." Kenobi grinned wickedly, his yellow eyes bright and amused. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, old man?"

Indignation rose on the Count's face, and he took in a deep breath to begin rebuking the much younger man, but the Sith Master swiftly turned toward the speeder. "We have work to do. Are you done watching the Sithkiller burn, Obi-Wan?"

Kenobi scoffed as he jumped into the pilot's seat. "I was done before we got here."

Sidious nodded as he climbed into the back of the speeder, Dooku settling next to him. "We have a great deal of pieces that must be moved into place before we can proceed with our plan. Where do you suppose we should start, Obi-Wan?"

"With my training. I cannot be of use to you if I am not prepared."

Sidious smirked. It was refreshing to have a young apprentice, vital and eager for power, for change, and his Jedi background had made him patient and cautious, two things he never had with the young and reckless Maul. But more than that, he was loyal, seemingly content to serve under a Master, so far devoid of the desire to kill the Sith Lord. True, Sidious felt the unsteady relationship he had with Dooku, occasionally at peace, and occasionally murderous, but Obi-Wan had none of that toward Sidious himself. It was just calm submission and obedience, perfect loyalty from his former Jedi Knight. So far.

"And you will be. I will make you fearsome, Obi-Wan."

"I greatly look forward to it, Master." Kenobi smirked. "Buckle up, Master, we're going to fly against traffic."

He heard the Sith Lords secure themselves, Dooku groaning loudly at the prospect, and Obi-Wan powered on the speeded, the engines humming smoothly, and he thrust the accelerator forward. The speeder accelerated quickly through the air, the skilled pilot taking them away from the somber Jedi Temple and into the night.