A/N: Thanks for all your great comments guys, I really appreciate it. Sorry about the incredible wait between chapters, I've suffered a great number of losses in the last few months.
A special thanks to thewayfaringstrangers, whose words showed me that people still cared about this story. Hope you all enjoy this long overdue update.
Obi-Wan had always thought the Jedi Council Chamber was beautiful, and had told Anakin that on many an occasion.
Anakin could see no beauty in the circular chamber; to him the Council chamber was cold and lifeless. It was a simple fact that Anakin had noticed when he had first entered the chamber ten years ago. When he had first stepped into the circular room, and stood before the twelve strongest Jedi in the order he had felt incredibly cold, as if the Council members were boring through him with their glacial calm and seeing his most private thoughts.
See through you, we can, Yoda had said to him.
Since then, Anakin had grown strong in the Force; he had learned many skills, including the power to shield his thoughts, even from the strongest members of the Council.
As he stood in the center of the chamber, Anakin could feel the Force rippling peacefully, almost too peaceful, similar to the calm before a Tatooine sandstorm.
"Skywalker, did you ensure Senator Amidala's safety before your departure?"
Mace Windu's face had been cold and hard since Anakin had first met him, and he couldn't recall having ever seen the Korun Master smile.
"Yes Master," said Anakin deferentially, "I reviewed Captain Panaka's security measures, and they were thorough. Senator Amidala is safe in Theed."
"Then now the time is, to introduce your new master," said Yoda
The Force began to swirl in anticipation of the coming storm, and Anakin could feel his apprehension leaking through his mental shields.
Mace Windu stood, his shaved skull gleaming in the brilliant light of the Council chamber.
"Skywalker, with Obi-Wan's status unknown, and the war progressing steadily, the Council has decided to appoint me as your new Master."
Anakin felt fury rush through him, they were abandoning Obi-Wan. They were leaving his master for dead, the man who had been like a father to him.
I've lost him, just like I lost Mom.
He clamped down on that thought like a plummeting blast door, the last thing he needed was for the Council to inquire about his mother. They had barely believed the lie he had told them about going to Tatooine because Naboo had not been safe.
"Anakin," said Master Windu, his voice softening ever so slightly, "I know that you are attached to Obi-Wan, but as a Jedi, you must learn to let your attachment go."
His voice became hard again, "You will move your possessions into my quarters tonight, and Obi-Wan's quarters are going to be reassigned."
"What!" Anakin roared, "You're just giving up on him?"
Mace didn't move a muscle, "The Chancellor has requested that we lead the clone army against the Separatists. There are no Jedi available to continue the search for a Jedi Knight who is most likely dead."
"Then I'll go!" Anakin could not believe this, was this what captured Jedi could expect. The Council was pronouncing Obi-Wan for dead and removing any trace of him from the temple.
"No," said Yoda sharply, "Needed at the front lines, you are, Skywalker."
Mace Windu resumed his seated position, "Skywalker, the Droid Armies are pressing on the Inner Rim, and soon the Core will be threatened. Our duty as Jedi is to serve the greater good."
Shaak Ti's voice spoke out, softer than the others, "Skywalker, if Obi-Wan is alive, then we will search for him after the droids have been driven back."
Mace frowned, "This discussion is over. You are dismissed young Skywalker."
Anakin spun on his heel, his body shaking with fury. He couldn't stand to spend another minute staring into those calm, unfeeling, hypocritical faces.
The chamber doors slammed shut with a resounding thud, and Mace Windu stared at the empty space where Anakin had been in concern.
Dooku was regarding Obi-Wan with an expression of genuine concern, his aged face looking sad and weary.
The hologram of Padme was still visible, her stern, unyielding face staring out at Obi-Wan.
"How?" the Jedi Knight managed to croak, "How can this be."
He finally raised his head and looked at Dooku again. The tears had faded from his face as had the grief in his heart; they were replaced by shaky resolve.
Dooku sighed, "What exactly are you referring to, my friend. How could your apprentice have slaughtered over a hundred innocent beings in cold blood? How could Amidala have instigated the entire Naboo crisis under your and Qui-Gon's noses? How could she have seduced the Chosen One without him discerning her true identity?"
Obi-Wan took a deep breath, drawing calm and peace from the Force, "All of it, Dooku. Tell me everything you know about Darth Sidious and how she attained her power."
"If we are to discuss such dark matters, then I shall require a drink," said Dooku lightly.
He flicked his fingers, and a roo-wood cabinet behind him opened silently. A tall bottle of golden Hapan wine floated out of it, along with a pair of Vorsian crystal glasses.
One of the glasses set itself down in front of Obi-Wan, and a moment later the bottle uncorked itself, filling the vessel with the shimmering intoxicant.
Normally Obi-Wan would have made a remark about such casual use of the Force, but he was still reeling from the two shocks he had just received. He absently grasped the goblet and took a long swig of the drink, the sweet liquor burning in his throat, but doing nothing to chase away the cold sorrow in his heart.
Dooku took a delicate sip from his glass, then set the vessel down on the table and tapped a key, restoring light to the conference room, and banishing the image of Padme.
He looked at Obi-Wan, "Sidious has been very circumspect in discussing her past, I know very little."
He took another sip of wine, and then continued, "All I know is that she was once the apprentice of a Muun named Darth Plagueis. He trained her from infancy to embrace the Dark side in its entirety, and she quickly became a master of the Force. Once Sidious had learned enough from her master, she killed him in his sleep. At that point, she had already acquired her own apprentice, in the form of Darth Maul, who dealt with the Trade Federation on her behalf."
Dooku drained the goblet, and then looked directly at Obi-Wan, "Do not let her beauty and youth fool you, Obi-Wan. Padme Amidala is a mighty Sith Lord, the strongest in a millennium. She has the Supreme Chancellor wrapped around her finger. That misguided fool Palpatine will do whatever she says. It is her intention to wipe out the Jedi Order and rebuild the Republic into an Empire."
Obi-Wan sat back in his chair, reeling at these revelations.
Padme was a Sith.
She had orchestrated the entire Naboo crisis to put her pawn in power on Coruscant. She had trained Darth Maul, she had seduced Anakin. And yet he simply could not believe it. How could Padme, a young, well-intentioned, virtually innocent woman be a cold-hearted Sith Lord? Moreover, how could he have failed to sense her, if she was indeed a Sith.
Obi-Wan glanced at Dooku with cold blue eyes, "While I do appreciate your honesty, I am still sceptical. Padme was just a girl when the Trade Federation invaded Naboo. How could a mere teenager have trained a deadly Sith Lord and orchestrated such a complex scheme."
He shook his head decisively, "Tell me, Dooku, if Padme Amidala is indeed the Sith Lord, how could she have hidden her power for so many years?"
Dooku shook his head, "You are hearing but you are not listening."
He rose and began to pace, "Sidious was raised by a merciless Dark Lord, she was trained from birth to hide her identity. She is the culmination of a thousand years of Sith efforts. It is her goal to wipe out the Jedi and corrupt the Chosen One."
Dooku stopped and looked Obi-Wan directly in the eye, "And she is perilously close to achieving the latter."
It took Obi-Wan a moment to realize Dooku's meaning. "Are you saying that the slaughter on Tatooine was because of Sidious's goading?"
"Yes," said Dooku in satisfaction, sounding just like Qui-Gon had when Obi-Wan had managed to master a difficult lesson.
"But her efforts go beyond that. As you know, the Jedi Order forbids attachment because it can lead to the Dark side."
Dooku returned to his chair and tapped the console, bringing another image to life. "With his mother gone and you presumed dead, Padme Amidala is all Anakin Skywalker has left. And they are now bound together, more closely than ever before."
The image that appeared was that of a beautiful gazebo overlooking a spectacular lake. Standing in the center of the pagoda were Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala. Their faces were both alight with joy and happiness, the latter's face giving no hint as to the evil that supposedly lurked within her. Behind them stood an older man, dressed in the robes of a clergyman.
As the man and woman clasped hands, the priest began to speak.
"Do you, Anakin Skywalker take Padme Amidala to be your lawfully wedded wife."
Anakin beamed his entire being alight with a happiness and delight that Obi-Wan had never seen on his face before. "I do."
"Do you, Padme Amidala, take Anakin Skywalker to be your lawfully wedded husband."
Padme smiled beatifically, her brown eyes shimmering with joy, "I do."
The priest raised his hands, "Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Anakin stepped forward and pressed his lips to Padme's, enveloping her lithe body in his strong arms. They kissed for a long moment, held in a passionate embrace that symbolized their everlasting love.
Dooku paused the hologram and looked at Obi-Wan, "As you can see, Sidious has had a profound effect on your young apprentice."
Obi-Wan was too shocked to speak, his mind reeled at all the events he had witnessed in the last hour. He had seen Anakin slaughter a hundred beings in cold blood, he had seen him break the most sacred covenant of the Jedi by marrying, and he had learned that Anakin's wife was in actuality a Sith Lord.
This was too much for Obi-Wan, and he simply stared at the frozen image of his apprentice embracing a supposed Sith.
"I have to tell the Council," he said after a moment, "Master Yoda will know what to do."
Dooku radiated alarm in the Force, and he drew himself up. "I cannot allow that, Obi-Wan."
Obi-Wan rose from his chair, his whole body shaking. "This goes beyond your grudge with the Council, Dooku. If Anakin turns to the Dark side, he'll be unstoppable. I have to warn the Council that the government is under the control of a Sith Lord and that Anakin is being influenced by her."
"It is not out of pride that I forbid this," said Dooku sharply, "Darth Sidious has a gift for foresight that is unsurpassed by any Force-user that has come before her. She will know that she has been revealed and she will take action."
Obi-Wan shrugged, "One Sith cannot stand against hundreds of Jedi. If I act quickly, then the Council can kill Padme before it's too late."
Dooku rose as well, towering over Obi-Wan, "First, Sidious will not be alone. Do you really think that Skywalker will simply stand by and let the Jedi kill his wife? The Jedi would have to contend with the wrath of the Chosen One, and as you just witnessed, it is a force to be reckoned with. And secondly, Sidious will not have to face the Jedi alone."
Dooku removed a datapad off the table and handed it Obi-Wan. "The Grand Army of the Republic that saved the Jedi on Geonosis answers directly to the Chancellor, and per his request, the Jedi have agreed to lead the clone battalions against the droid armies now marching on hundreds of Republic worlds."
Obi-Wan accepted the datapad and looked at the screen, reading the words out loud.
"Order 66," he began. "In the event of Jedi officers acting against the interests of the Republic, and after receiving specific orders verified as coming directly from the Supreme Commander (Chancellor), GAR commanders will remove those officers by lethal force, and command of the GAR will revert to the Supreme Commander (Chancellor) until a new command structure is established."
He gasped at the implications of this order, and the device tumbled from his fingers, clattering to the floor. Obi-Wan fell back into his chair, overwhelmed by the intricacy and deviousness of the Grand Plan of the Sith.
Dooku had a look of saddened satisfaction on his face.
"So now you understand the need for caution. One word from Sidious and Palpatine will issue the order that will turn the clones against the Jedi, wiping them all out in a single, unforeseen blow."
Obi-Wan buried his face in his hands, all of these revelations overwhelming him.
"What is your plan, then?" he asked, "Since you clearly appear to have one."
Dooku smiled warmly, and took an object from his belt and handed it Obi-Wan, the latter's eyes widening in recognition.
"Yes, I do."
Obi-Wan took his lightsaber from Dooku and turned it over in his hands, his eyes fixed on Dooku's confident face.