Disclaimer: Don't own Star Wars… but I can still dream.
A/N: Sorry, it is late. Life caught up with me and has worn me ragged… plus this chapter wasn't being kind to me.
Chapter Two: Sidious's Pawn
"General," A clone trooper stated, coming to stand by Qui-gon. "They are destroying our cannons."
Qui-gon looked briefly at the clone trooper before reaching down to free his electrobinoculars. Bringing them to his face, he peered through, immediately spotting the cause of their problem. Through the binoculars, he watched as a blue armor-clad being led a squadron of IG lancer droids, completely devastating the Republic's front line. Qui-gon's frown became more pronounced as he turned to the clone trooper.
"Have your men get ready to ride." Qui-gon paused, putting down the electrobinoculars. "I will join you shortly."
The clone trooper saluted roughly before he turned and left. Qui-gon silently watched his retreat before making his own way to the swoops. He mentally noted to himself that he was getting to old for this. 'Tonight every bone in my body is going to ache.' Qui-gon thought ruefully, imagining the various things Anakin would say to goad him.
Along the way, he picked up some extra clone trooper armor. The extra protection and disguise it would provide could prove useful, at least for a time. With the suit on, he continued on his way. Upon reaching the swoops, Qui-gon was pleased to see that the clone troopers were ready and simply awaited his orders.
"Let's ride," Qui-gon said, mounting his own swoop. Revving the motor, the Jedi Master guided his vehicle into the lead position his troopers lining his sides. They tore across the battlefield, winding between their own troops and those of the Separatists. Their lances destroyed droids and many of the IG lancer droids, who moments before had been wreaking havoc on their cannons. Qui-gon left his men to make quick work of the droids and went to intercept the droids' leader.
The bounty hunter raised his lance in challenge before lowering it and racing his swoop quickly at Qui-gon's own. The Jedi Master also lowered his lance and barreled at his armored foe. The bounty hunter's own lance only managed to knock Qui-gon helmet from his face, while Qui-gon's lance hit the brute's swoop, forcing its rider to abandon it. The Master's lance was pulled from his grip during the explosion. So Qui-gon removed his lightsaber from his utility belt, its green light illuminating his face. He turned his swoop and made a passing run at his opponent his lightsaber stretched outward. Then suddenly his progress was halted as the bounty hunter grabbed his swoop and threw him from it. Qui-gon soared through the air before righting himself and landing on his feet.
He barely had time to dodge his own swoop which the being was now using like a mace. He made intricate tight cuts with his lightsaber, cutting the swoop into numerous pieces. In one swift move, Qui-gon pierced his opponent through his chest. Expecting the match to be over, the Jedi Master moved to shut off his blade only to hear his opponent's laughter. With only a second of warning through the Force, Qui-gon was broadsided by the bounty hunter's fist followed closely by his other one.
His grip on his lightsaber was lost, and Qui-gon found himself desperately trying to put distance between himself and his attacker. The being raised his arm and bullets flew at Qui-gon, who simply raised his hand and sent them back at his attacker using the Force. With his other hand, Jinn reached out with the Force and pulled his lightsaber out of the bounty hunter's torso. Diving forward, Qui-gon neatly cut the startled being in half.
Qui-gon sighed. He stared at the corpse, trying to determine what the bounty hunter had been until his comlink buzz.
"General Jinn," Captain Fordo's holograph began. "We are ready."
"I will be there shortly."
SWSWSW
Anakin clenched his teeth, following the exotic ship through another tight twist. 'The Force is with this one,' Anakin thought solemnly, diving downward as the enemy ship headed for the planet's surface. R-4 began to beep rapidly, trying to get his attention.
He sighed. "It's alright R-4... we aren't going to crash. I've done worse stunts before." R-4's response was a series of wild beeps. Anakin smiled. "You worry too much."
Breaking through the atmosphere, Anakin watched the enemy ship head to the city from which columns of smoke exited. The relative calm that enveloped the city made Anakin speculate that the ground battle must be almost over. 'Leaving me to clean up this last fighter,' he thought, narrowing his eyes when the fighter suddenly dodged into the streets below. 'He is either crazy or brilliant.' He quickly positioned his own fighter to match his target's course.
He briefly noticed a troop of ants… no clone troopers… marching below. However, his attention was ripped from them as the enemy fighter pulled a 180, zipping past him once more. Effortlessly Anakin pulled the same trick, buzzing the troopers in the process.
"Anakin!" A voice came roughly over his headset. "What are you doing down here!"
"Ah, Master," Anakin said roughly, pulling his fighter into another tight turn. "Trying to down this fighter."
"Focusing your attention on one fighter is not the way to win a battle!" Qui-gon's voice came across sour.
"The Force is with this one, Master." Anakin paused. "He is dangerous."
"More the reason not to be following him! Besides, Anakin, he is either trying to lead you into a trap or is purposely distracting you from the battle overhead."
"But, Master, he has already destroyed numerous fighters!"
"Let him go, Anakin!" His Master replied. "I need you here. I feel that the Sith Lord might be here… Someone is manipulating the Force to secure the battle's outcome. I will need your help."
'The Sith Lord,' Anakin repeated in his head. "I'm coming, Master. Tell me how is the road ahead? Not busy, I hope."
"Anakin!"
He snorted back laughter as he preformed a tight flip before landing in front of his Master's troops. Yes, there would be a lecture later, but for now it was forth it just to see the look on his Master's face. Opening the cockpit, Anakin leaped from his fighter. He threw his customary smile at his stern-faced Master, who looked slightly pale.
"I didn't give you a heart attack, did I, Master?"
"One day you will," Qui-gon returned dourly. "It's no wonder my hair is so gray."
Anakin frowned. "And I thought that was because you were so old."
/Of course that is what you would say, my Padawan./ Qui-gon said through the bond. /You are never one to admit the stress that you put your poor Master through./
/What stress, Master?/
Qui-gon sighed aloud. "The goal is to first secure San Hill."
"We could entrust that to the clones, Master." Anakin said quickly. "We don't want the Sith to escape."
"No, we don't want that. However, I sense that we will be needed at the Command Tower." Qui-gon's voice trailed off, and the aged Jedi Master closed his eyes. "I sense that we will find the Sith there, as well. Whoever they are, they are very elusive."
Anakin looked shrewdly at his Master. "He won't be for long."
"Anakin, be mindful of your thoughts." Qui-gon said calmly to the younger man. "A Jedi must seek other methods than simply killing their opponents. I understand that at times the death of an opponent is the only option, however, it should come at the end of numerous tries."
"Yes, Master," Anakin replied dutifully.
"This war is turning the Jedi into something we are not." Qui-gon said, motioning the troopers forward. The aged Jedi kept his pace equal with Anakin's as they followed after the clone troopers. "It is turning us into killers. When faced with an opponent, we choose the easy method, which is not always the best. There are some opponents that can only be destroyed by the sword… but many Jedi even the wisest of our order are confusing those who can be saved with those can't."
"But if killing one person saves-."
"In war, it is easy to think that way… however, if that practice is carried into peacetime the Order might very find itself unable to recover." The lines on Qui-gon's face deepened. "It has happened before… and could very well happen again."
"It won't, Master, I won't allow it to." Anakin said, hoping to erase the deep creases that had form on his Master's forehead. "When I fulfill the Prophecy, everything will return to how it should be. There will be peace once more."
Qui-gon nodded his head wearily. "Unfortunately, peace will be slow in coming, even if the Sith Lord is discovered immediately. His poison will still affect the galaxy long after he is removed."
His Master's words troubled Anakin, though he did not voice his anxiety. He continued to walk next to his Master. Ahead he could make out the sounds of laser fire. 'Yes, now this is when the fun begins.'
SWSWSW
'Asajj has failed to lead Skywalker away.' Dukke thought, feeling pity for the woman. She was sure to receive the wrath of not only Dooku but that of their Master as well. His lips thinned.
The Jedi were approaching the command center now, but when they arrived they would not find taking it as easy as it might at first appear. Already Durge was pulling himself together and hurtling toward the Command Tower. It would only be a matter of minutes before the two forces collided in a stalemate. Durge, after all, was not an opponent that one could defeat easily. Dukke was well aware of that, recalling the numerous hits he had received from the bounty hunter, while serving as his target. Still he preferred the insane bounty hunter over Grievous, a beast that could wield four to five lightsabers with mechanical accuracy. He had been singed by those stolen blades more than once, and even when he had not been, Grievous usually saw fit to inflicted more bruises to his body, instead.
His mind jerked from his thoughts regarding the various monstrosities that his master had collected to the swirl of motion that encased the Command Tower as clone troopers broke into the tower with their guns blazing.
Dukke touched the bankers' fear as he accessed the room using the Force. San Hill, in particular, was petrified and seemed stuck in place in the line of danger. With a simple Force suggestion, he compelled the Muun to take cover beneath the war table. He felt the Jedi arrive into the command room, quickly securing the room with the clone troopers. Or at least, they believed they had secured the room.
Durge's emergence into the room quickly brought the republic soldiers out of their complacency. The younger Jedi attacked the bounty hunter without thought and was slammed into a wall, leaving the older Jedi to fight off Durge's attacks.
'If this was all the resistance that they Jedi could offer, Durge just might win,' Dukke thought.
Durge suddenly encompassed the older Jedi, drawing him into his body. The fear and anger of the apprentice rippled through the Force as he made wild attacks at Durge, who avoid them easily. Dukke briefly recalled what the county hunter had once told him, "To me you all move in slow-motion." The words eerie than became more so now.
Within Durge, the older Jedi fought to escape, but he would need help. Using the mediation, Dukke swung the clone troopers into action, using electricity to momentarily render Durge unable to move. It had barely weakened the bounty hunter, but it was enough for the Jedi to use it to his advantage. The older Jedi pulled on the Force, using it push outwards. Dukke found the confusion that flooded Durge to be amusing, and took a silent pleasure when the creature exploded, even knowing that it would only be a matter of weeks before the bounty hunter returned. It was after all a week without Durge. His enjoyment quickly dissipated when he felt another mind touch his shields.
Out of curiosity, Dukke brushed lightly back against the Jedi's mind before recoiling in sudden pain. The Battle Mediation was broken rather quickly as Dukke pulled himself out of the trance. His head pounded painfully even as he sought to rub his throbbing temples. His ragged breathes shook his thin frame. Without so little energy left him, Dukke's connection to the Force was tenuous at best, leaving him blind. It was a side effect of the mediation. And now the Jedi were coming. Using his fingers, Dukke tried to feel his way out of the room before they arrived.
SWSWSW
"Master!" Anakin yelled, clearing the gap that separated them. He grasped the swaying Jedi, who was drenched in the creature's innards. "Are you alright?"
Qui-gon drew in deep breaths and nodded his head in answer. Once he could breathe clearly, he flipped his hands in a downward motion, allowing the goo to fall off. His eyes traveled over the room, until they landed on a disgruntled San Hill, who appeared to be kissing the floor.
"Now, Chairman Hill," Qui-gon said loudly. "Captain Fordo will escort you to your temporary quarters, until I am able to meet with you."
The defeated Muun nodded his oblong head. His eyes never left the ground even after the ARC Trooper led him and his subordinates away.
"The Sith?" Anakin asked.
"He is here," Qui-gon trailed off, scratching his beard. "We touched mind during the battle. It felt familiar… something that I have not felt for -." Qui-gon didn't finish his sentence, instead took long strides across the floor, forcing Anakin to trail behind. "He is trying to escape. We must hurry."
Qui-gon knew his apprentice was frustrated by his silence. However, there was very little that he could tell the young man. Even he could not quite remember when he had felt the presence before, and that is what troubled him. He nearly stopped in mid-step when the answer hit him. 'Naboo,' he thought. His frown deepened. It had been there that he had first felt the presence, and even then he had not known where it had originated from.
"Master, what are your thoughts?" Anakin asked.
"We need to take him alive." Qui-gon said, turning a corner with his pace picking up. "He is nearing the hanger bay."
"I can feel him, Master." Anakin said quickly. "Just ahead."
Turning another corner, Qui-gon could see the back of their target, who was draped in black robes, obscuring his features from sight. The person's pace was like a slow creep with his left hand running across the wall's smooth surface as if he was using it for guidance. His back was turned to them. 'Is he blind,' Qui-gon questioned. He stared in utter shock as the being was sent crashing into the wall.
"That was easy," Anakin stated, staring at the crumpled being. "Are we sure he is a Sith?"
Qui-gon examined the small being that appeared to be human, though he could not clearly see his face. "That was unnecessary force, Anakin. I think he is blind."
"Blind?" Anakin repeated, watching his Master approach the figure. "Master, wait!" He shouted, while he brought his lightsaber to life, its reassuring hum filling his ears.
Qui-gon quickly ignited his own, watching as five lightsabers of varying colors exited the cloaked person's robe, igniting. They stood like a barricade suspended by the Force, separating the combatants. Shakily, their target rose, using the wall behind him for support. The friction of the wall slowly pulled the hood away from his face, causing it to ball up between the youth's neck and the wall. Qui-gon felt his eyes widen and mouth lax.
Before him stood a familiar ginger-haired youth that he had not seen since Melida/Daan, even the braid was still attached. He locked eyes with the white orbs and his blood chilled.
"Obi-wan," he whispered, before shaking his head. 'This being is too young to be Obi-wan… he would be in his thirties now.' His jaw clenched as he glared at the young man before him. "What is this trickery?! What are you?"
"Master," Anakin called as the lightsabers leaped forward attacking the Jedi. Anakin's blade clashed against a blue one even as a red lightsaber threatened to flank him. "He's getting away!"
Qui-gon clenched his teeth, while parrying a blow from a green lightsaber. Using Ataru, he sprung over the lightsaber cutting it neatly in two before turning to the orange one. Behind him he heard Anakin grunt as he cleanly cleaved one in half, leaving the count at three to two. Anakin was quick to even the odds, destroying the red one. The two Jedi came to stand side by side, preparing to attack the remaining lightsabers when the two blue beams suddenly disappeared, and the metal cylinders clattered loudly to the hard floor. Looking down the hallway, Qui-gon instantly noticed that the youth was no longer present.
"To the hanger bay," he shouted to Anakin as he raced down the corridor. "We are not going to allow him to escape!"
They reached to outer hanger bay in time to watch the youth climb into an exotic fighter that was perched on the platform.
"Master," Anakin called, finally catching up with Qui-gon. "That is the fighter from the space battle."
Qui-gon watched, his heart beating rapidly, as the fighter lifted and swiftly tore from the planet. The only things that remained of the boy were the lightsabers that remained in the hallway. "Trust me, Anakin. I recall that ship… it buzzed my head twice followed closely by my Padawan."
"Sorry, Master." Anakin paused, still staring at the no empty sky. "Back there you called him Obi-wan. Wasn't that the name of your old Padawan… the one that didn't return?"
Qui-gon sighed, wishing his heart would steady. He bowed his head turning away from the hanger bay, and took a step back toward the hallway. He could feel Anakin brooding silently as the youth mirrored his steps.
"Master?"
"I'm sorry, Anakin. It seems that I am easily lost in my thoughts today." Qui-gon bent low over one of shattered lightsabers picking up the exposed crystal, which was a deep blue, in his callused hand. "He looked strikingly similar to Obi-wan."
"But?"
Qui-gon clasped the crystal tightly in his hand. "He was too young to be Obi-wan."
Anakin's mouth opened slightly before he closed it.
The Jedi Master smiled faintly, reading his apprentice's unspoken question. "Now, Anakin? Now we will collect these lightsabers and return to Coruscant. Maybe Master Yoda will be able to provide further insight into this matter."
SWSWSW
Ventress piloted her solar sailor quietly. It had been easy to break passed the Republic barricade without Skywalker being present. Now they were parsecs away from Muunilinst and on their way to Coruscant where Darth Sidious awaited their arrival. During this time of waiting, neither she nor her companion spoke. Her silent passenger simply looked out into space leaning his head against the curved view port. A small cut grace his forehead with a small trace of blood that had fell along the contours of his face, until it stopped just below his left cheek. The blood was already dry. The complexion of his face was paler than normal but that was to be expected.
"Obi-wan," she heard him whisper to the glass.
"What did you say?" Ventress asked.
"It is what the one Jedi called me." Dukke replied quietly. "Do you know what it means?"
"No," Ventress answered, scowling. "But coming from a false Jedi, it most likely something not worth remembering."
"I don't remember things, anyways." The boy responded as he leaned more heavily against the view port.
"You look sick." Ventress commented. "Be sure to not throw up in my fighter."
The boy snorted, leaning back into his seat. "It seems like something I should remember… something important that shouldn't be forgotten."
"I doubt it." She paused. "Only remember that it is your task to serve the Master… it is better for your health."
"I lost my lightsabers… except for the one I, personally, use."
"You will no doubt make more." Ventress replied dryly, peering into the dense space before her. "What do you remember, Dukke?"
"Waking," Dukke whispered tiredly. "And realizing I was still alive."
SWSWSW
Author's Note: I know the order of the battle was changed. It was necessary for the plot. Please, remember to R&R. Chapter Three: 'Searching for the Key' will hopefully be up next Friday, though the new Harry Potter book is coming out… and I must read that.