Chapter 14: Moving Pieces

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, Master. I've seen it in the Jedi."

Sidious crossed his arms, his mouth drawn in a contemplative frown, the black folds of his cloak draped over his thin, unassuming frame, but Lumis knew better. His Master was the most powerful Force user in the galaxy, despite his small stature, his body weakened with age. The Force did not care for the physical; it was drawn to something else, something deeper, something his Master had an abundance of.

"What is your level of control over him, Lumis?"

"I can make him mine in under a minute, Master." Sidious nodded.

"And how long does it last?"

"From the moment I leave him? Hours. The droids have recorded up to five, but it depends on how hard I work him. If I break him too much, we cannot use him. I've had to be careful."

Sidious was still for a moment, his breathing imperceptible, and Obi-Wan looked down at the man, his hood drawn back, and while he resembled the Chancellor Palpatine, the man before him was Darth Sidious, his golden eyes pinpoints as he ran through the information his apprentice had provided him. "We may need a new Jedi for you to experiment with."

"I need a Master if it's for practice. The Knights are too easy."

"Can the Knights access the holocron Vault?"

"Yes, but not where they would keep the Sith holocrons."

Sidious frowned. "Soon enough, you will have more Jedi than even you will know what to do with. We are on th brink of war. Did you go to Kamino as I asked?"

"Yes, Master. Two hundred thousand clones are ready for deployment, and a million more are impending. Do you believe that to be sufficient?"

"It will have to do. I will have full power in the Senate within the week."

Kenobi smiled gently. "Congratulations are in order, I suspect. Shall I bring you a gift?"

"Sentimentality is a weakness, Lumis," The Sith Master growled, but there was no threat, no malice, no warning behind it, a small, slight smile tugging on the edge of his thin lips.

"Even if it's for my Master?"

"...perhaps not then. If you must, bring me the Sith holocrons from the Jedi Temple."

"I'll begin formulating a plan. I have so many options." Obi–Wan closed his eyes, sifting through the memories he had drawn out of the Jedi Master, feeling the Dark Side in the depths of the Jedi Temple pulse with life. He was so focused in the surge of the Dark Side that he did not feel the careful prodding of the Master upon his mind.

"Lumis. You are guarded."

Obi-Wan's yellow eyes slowly opened, drifted to his Master, and he bowed his head and kneeled before him. The Sith Master slowly came to stand behind him, his knobby fingers sliding into his golden hair, the shadowy hands of his Force presence gently combing through the apprentice's mind, and Kenobi leaned back against his Master, sighing in contentment.

"I see the holocron has been useful," Sidious said softly, gently observing Kenobi's thoughts and memories like the passive observer of a holovid. "Do you believe you possess the skill to break the Jedi?"

"Given enough time, I think I can break the best of them."

"You will not have time when war comes, Lumis. You will be engaging in battle with the Jedi on the field of war. Can you break them during battle?"

"...yes. When I engage Koth, he is easiest to break when he is wielding his lightsaber against me. His focus is on the fight, not his mind, and feelings of aggression give me a way to get in."

"Show me." Obi-Wan closed his eyes, bringing the memories to the forefront of his mind to give the Master easy access. "Koth is weak. He was hardly at his best when you faced him."

"And you see how easily I broke him. I learned from the holocron, my Master. I can break a Jedi during battle. The longer we fight, the easier it will be for me to bring them to their knees."

"You will need to draw your lightsaber against them."

Kenobi smirked. "I eagerly await the opportunity."

"You have been reluctant in the past, my child." Sidious' presence became probing, more invasive, and Obi-Wan groaned softly as the shadowy fingers raked through his open mind. "You have been given several opportunities to kill Jedi, and you have passed up every single one."

"Master, I am the Negotiator. I cannot have any death linked to me. I have been very careful about who dies around me, and how." Kenobi smirked, warmth running through him as he took pride in his own exploits, and he felt his Master softly gasp, the long fingers tightening in his hair. Sidious was in his mind, and Kenobi's feelings were flowing back into the Sith Master. Palpatine may have been holding Obi-Wan open, but the connection flowed both ways, and the Master was exposed to his Apprentice.

"You have done well to maintain discretion, Lumis."

Kenobi softly chuckled, bringing forth the memories of the broken Jedi, the death of Ixian, the soldiers that have killed themselves all because of his command, and he could feel his Master tremble, his body heating as he purred in satisfaction. "I find it extremely satisfying to watch people kill themselves or their loved ones. Doing it myself is just...hollow. It's too easy."

"You are a testament to the Sith, my Apprentice." Kenobi sighed as the Master gently stroked his hair, his thin fingertips running across the young man's scalp. "We will not be able to meet in person for quite some time." Sidious felt Lumis quietly hold his breath. "You will be on your own for some time. As Supreme Chancellor, it will be difficult to find time to contact you exactly when I need you. You will need to use your own discretion in the upcoming war."

"...am I ready, Master?"

"What do you believe?"

"I'm ready."

Sidious nodded. "You are ready. You will not be alone, of course. You will have Tyranus." The hand tightened in the thick blond hair, sending sharp pain through Kenobi, and he moaned softly. "Watch him, my Apprentice. I sense treachery in him. He still has use to me, and I wish to keep him until I am ready for the war to end."

"I will report all my suspicions to you, my Master."

Sidious nodded, the fist in Kenobi's hand relaxing, returning to its petting. "As I said, I may not be in contact for long periods of time. Slave him to you, if you must."

Obi-Wan reached up and grabbed one of his Master's hands, bringing it to his lips and gently kissing the rough palm. "Thank you, Master...I have been waiting for this for a very long time..."

"Only if necessary, Lumis."

"Yes, my Master."

"As war draws closer, Tyranus will find himself further and further in the public light. His influence cannot be denied."

"I'll admit, he has proven to be remarkably effective. I was never one much for public speaking, I can't help but admire him for it."

Sidious smirked. "You are a shadow operative, Lumis. The seat of power was never for you."

"I agree, Master."

"Which is why you are watching Tyranus now. He was meant for rule. He lusts for power, as you do, but it is on a grander scale. It makes him a threat, a worthy placeholder until I found a more suitable apprentice, but a threat none the less." He tilted the young Sith's head up, and worshipful golden eyes gazed up at his Master. "I think it will benefit me for you to appear by Tyranus in his next public address. Hooded, of course, but I need to rile the Jedi. They have become reclusive since Antar 4. Their actions in that battle have made the people doubt their intentions, and the past few months have seen them slowly rise in esteem. They have returned to being peacekeepers, and I need them angry. When the Republic calls on them for war, I need them willing, and I feel that the threat of the Sith will drive them to it."

"They know Tyranus is Sith, Master."

"Many of them have been doubting that over the past few years."

Obi-Wan scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Dooku supposedly killed me, and they doubt he's Sith? I had told them, you'd think they would see that as a confirmation."

Sidious nodded. "Many do. But many doubt. He has done little these past six years, and nothing of late to indicate his connection to the Sith."

Kenobi felt a flash of anger shoot through him, the feeling spreading through him to the Master behind him, and Sidious hissed, his hand balling in the sandy blond hair once again. "They are truly pathetic. Do they honestly never learn?"

"Never." The Master calmed his anger, sending the Force through his apprentice to sooth the origin of the Dark Side's wrath. Under the command of Sidious, Obi-Wan's rage abated, and he relaxed against the Sith Lord. "Their incompetence should please you. It will be their undoing."

"I know, Master, I'm just..."

"Bitter?"

He didn't move for a long while, Sidious searching through his mind to find the emotion his apprentice felt, but could not discern what it was. Kenobi's mind was turbulent, awash in emotions, and a single one did not surface. "It is not bitterness," he said slowly, his words carefully measured. "I do not regret my turn to the Sith. It would have happened even if the Council heeded me."

"But you wouldn't have fallen if Qui-Gon Jinn hadn't tossed you aside."

"...you're right. I wouldn't have." He took a deep breath, feeling his Master's presence calm and patient within him. "I look forward to the end of the Jedi. But they betrayed me. I have not forgotten, and I will never forgive them. Knowing what I know now, if I had to do it all again, I would have run to you sooner."

"I know." Sidious ran his hands over Kenobi's neck, his shoulders, delighting in the soft, pleasured gasps of the apprentice as he slowly slipped out of his mind. "And now you must go."

Kenobi smiled, slumping forward and sighing as he stood. "When we are reunited, it will be in our new world."

"My Empire."

"Yes..." He grabbed the hem of his Master's sleeve and brought it to his lips. "Is there anything you want me to do before the war?"

"Make your public appearance, than lay low. Leave the war-making to me and Tyranus."

"And during the war?"

Sidious grinned wickedly. "Be victorious, Darth Lumis."

"Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha. You have made me powerful, my Master. I will not fail."

Viceroy Nute Gunray shrieked loudly, jumping out of his chair and stood shaking behind it as if the heavy wood could shield him. When Grievous stood and reverently bowed his head at the newcomer, the rest of the Separatist Council followed the Neimoidian's lead. Grievous, bowing to the Negotiator? This was an unholy union if they ever saw one. The hooded man inclined his head in response.

"I hear congratulations are in order, General Grievous."

"Thank you, my Lord," the cyborg purred, pleased, respectful, and Dooku rolled his eyes. When he said to make peace with Grievous, this was not what he had in mind. He imagined the violent tension ending, he didn't foresee the brutal cyborg licking the young Sith's boots in his subservience to him. Kenobi had an irritating habit of making allies everywhere he went, and though it did benefit the Separatist cause, it severely annoyed the elder Sith Lord.

"Is the army to your satisfaction?"

Grievous growled. "It will be. We have numbers, but droids are useless."

"Mm, I hear you like the MagnaGuard droids. I commissioned several full battalions of them to be made. They are more expensive, but I believe the Banking Clan provided the funding."

"W-we did, my Lord," San Hill said swiftly, hiding behind the chair.

"And the Techno Union did begin building them, didn't they?" Golden eyes fell on Foreman Wat Tambor, and the Skakoan blanched, his ragged, nervous breath coming in metallic bursts through his respirator.

"We did, my Lord..."

Kenobi grinned at the cyborg. "I don't like droids either. Hopefully these will suit you better. Also," he purred, "I went to oversee progress on the Malevolence. It is truly remarkable. I think you'll be pleased, Grievous."

"Oh, Sith Hells!" Dooku impatiently drummed his fingers on the table, his angry eyes meeting the amused yellow of Kenobi. "Why don't you just get to it and marry him?"

Obi-Wan scoffed, laughing loudly, and the Council ducked behind their chairs. "Oh, you know I can't do that! I already married you!" The faintest of color came to the Count's face, and that was enough. Both Sith knew Kenobi had won. He looked about the room and scowled. "I hate this place..."

"You don't need to be here, Negotiator."

"Mm, I disagree. Where is everyone?" Obi-Wan smirked, his lazy gaze running over the room, and he stopped on Dooku's face, the Count's features drawn and confused. There was a difference in the other Sith, and Dooku didn't like it. He saw those yellow eyes glint in the shadows of his hood, and he could sense the malice there, quietly sending a single, simple request to the younger man through the Force.

Please, don't.

That settled it for Kenobi. He had to. Grinning, he commanded, "Come on now, everyone sit." And they did. The Council members moved from behind the heavy chairs and sat obediently, their bodies slightly trembling under the strain of the Force. "Now, what were we discussing?"

"We were just finishing," Dooku snapped, standing up, and the others stood again.

"Now, Dooku, I came all the way out here to Geonosis, this cesspool of a planet, just to see our progress. War is coming, sweetheart, and I want to see my work. Sit." The Separatists all sat. Dooku's hands were planted firmly on the table, and Obi-Wan grinned with delight as he saw the other Sith's arms shake with the effort of resistance. He was struggling.

"M-my Lord," Nute Gunray began, but Kenobi held up his hand.

"My dear, the important people are talking. Hold your breath." The Neimoidian sucked in a sharp breath, his thin frame inflating as his chest expanded. "Don't you breathe now, understand?" Gunray nodded, and Kenobi flashed Dooku a cheery smile. "I have really missed this."

"You have never stopped, how can you miss it?"

"It's been a few days. The discussion, Dooku. What was it about."

"Declaring war. The Republic is voting on raising a military. We are writing up the articles of the Confederacy."

"Ah, we're no longer just a Separatist movement?"

"We have the support, and the Republic is hostile." His brown eyes darted to the Neimoidian, the pathetic creature turning a deep green, his chest expanding and contracting rapidly as he struggled to not breathe. "That is what we are doing, let him go." Kenobi nodded, and with a slight wave of his hand, the Viceroy collapsed on the table, breathing quickly and sucking in air like a parched man at an oasis. "We will meet tonight, all of you, leave," Dooku snapped, and the Council quickly did as commanded, Gunray's Neimodian friends helping him from the room. The door slammed shut, and Dooku drew his lightsaber and pointed it at the Sith as he pulled his hood back, yawning and running his hand through his hair, unconcerned.

"Every time," Dooku snarled, slowly advancing. "Is this a joke to you?"

Kenobi scoffed. "You know this whole thing is a joke."

"It isn't! This is our Master's plan!"

"And all these men, all of them, are already dead. When our Master has what he needs, the Confederacy will be crushed under the Empire's heel."

"That time is not now."

"No, but it will be soon."

"The way I see it," Dooku growled, "when the war starts, your time is over. Our Master needed you to bring worlds away from the Republic, and now you've done that. You are useless."

"Mm, that's cute." Kenobi smiled disarmingly, drawing and igniting his lightsaber in an instant when the Count lunged at him, their blades locking just before his face. "My Master wants me to be with you on your next address to the Separatist worlds." He grinned, effortlessly defending as Tyranus furiously attacked, his brown eyes melting to raging yellow.

"He did not! He wants you hidden."

"Datapad in my pocket says differently. He's recorded a message for you."

"I'll see it after I kill you."

"Master won't like that."

Dooku grinned wickedly. "Oh, I think he'll forgive me. You were an amusing distraction for him, but I am his apprentice."

The Count renewed his assault, but it was too late. Obi-Wan smirked, his blade deflecting the furious blows, but he was lost in the Force, using the open flow of the Dark Side to effortlessly slip undetected into Dooku's mind. He chuckled softly, and quietly issued the command to kneel, and, shaking, Darth Tyranus dropped to his knees, his yellow eyes pinpoints as he gazed at the other Sith in fear. Kenobi took the datapad out of his robe and handed it to the Count.

"I think," Kenobi drawled as Dooku carefully listened to the Sith Master's message, "that you will find our Master desires us to stick together."

"...so it would seem..."

"He wants to keep you safe, Dooku. That's going to be hard when there's a war on, so he's throwing me out into the field. It will change their focus. We need them spread thin if we're going to kill them all."

"You don't kill Jedi," Dooku snarled, tossing the datapad back to the other Sith, and Obi-Wan deftly caught it.

"No, I don't. What I do is far, far worse." He watched the Count closely as the older man carefully tested his ability to stand, found himself unrestricted, and quickly got to his feet, the Force around him shifting as he threw up his defenses, eyes sliding back to their natural brown, and Kenobi felt a twinge of jealousy. He didn't have the ability to reclaim his own natural blue like Dooku and his Master could. The skill would have been useful had he ever wanted to infiltrate the Jedi. "I don't have the room on Serenno to keep all the Jedi I plan on breaking, so I'm relocating."

"...what."

Kenobi rolled his eyes. "I'm moving out, dad. Force help me, I thought you'd be pleased to be rid of me."

"Don't get me wrong, I am. Exceedingly so." Dooku frowned, looking the petulant man over. "I have tried for years to force you out of my home. I am simply...surprised. It is very sudden."

"What, do you need advanced notice?"

"Not at all. Where will you go?"

"Mustafar." Dooku frowned, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Kenobi had a taste for finer things and luxuries, and Mustafar was neither of those things, but he knew better than to ask for an explanation. "When is your next address?"

"I was going to have one at the end of the week," Dooku said smoothly. "But since you are here, we can do it tonight. I don't want another Council meeting disrupted by your presence."

"...Dooku." The brown eyes shot to the other Sith and narrowed at the serious, sincere tone of the younger man. "I know we don't see eye to eye, since we hate each other, but if we are to make our Master's plan succeed, you and I must be united. He cannot do this without us."

For a moment, Kenobi saw those eyes flash dangerously, and in them, he saw desire, ambition, a chance to take advantage of a sign of weakness, and while Obi-Wan kept his face gentle and sincere, the Dark Side within him growled dangerously. His Master was right. There was treason within Dooku. He truly believed that he could defeat Darth Sidious with the right allies. The Count slowly smiled, and though it was very convincing, the Negotiator wasn't fooled.

"I will put aside our feud if you do, Lumis."

"Gladly." The young Sith extended his hand, and Dooku quickly took it, the physical contact allowing the two Sith Lords to more easily read each other, and both men bucked up against the strong, impenetrable walls of the other. Kenobi smirked. "Until the war begins, our Master requested that I lay low. I'll be staying on Mandalore. I'd love it if you don't need me in that time, but you do know how to contact me."

"I won't," the older man said swiftly. "Believe not or not, the Confederacy can run without you."

"If only that were true..." Obi-Wan sighed heavily, a smirk on his face as he looked at the older man. "We have a few hours until the evening. It may be the last time we get to spar. Do you want to?"

Dooku frowned, glaring at the man. "You always complain when we do. Don't you say it's too easy to beat an old man?"

"...I'd forgotten that. You're right, I'll just go find Grievous." Kenobi didn't wait for the Count's outraged response. He just left in search of the cyborg.