From Darkness, I Rise

by Kurenaino

The Jedi are thrust into a war that threatens to tear the galaxy apart, and prospects are bleak when the fearsome Sith Negotiator begins to win key victories against the Republic. Sequel to From Grace, I Fall. Also, more Sith!Obi keeps the sadness away. Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

50. Reconciliation

Chapter 50: Reconciliation

When they had left the Death Watch compound, Qui-Gon could feel panic from his companion through the thick feel of the Dark Side. Kenobi was satisfied, yes, overcome with the powerful grip of his unqualified victory over his enemies, but Qui-Gon sensed his concern for the woman he had left behind. He wasn't afraid. Qui-Gon was uncertain that Obi-Wan could even feel fear anymore. But there was undeniable worry, an urgency in his actions when he jumped onto the speeder and pushed it recklessly at top speeds across the rocky terrain. Qui-Gon only just managed to keep sight of him on the back of his own speeder. Obi-Wan had always been a more talented pilot than him, and the years certainly didn't change that.

When the Jedi returned to the hanger, the transport ship they had arrived in had been powered on, the engines emitting a high-pitched whine as the systems were primed, and Qui-Gon had to jump off the speeder, leaving it to sit idling, and rushed up the ramp just as it began to close. The doors to the cockpit, sealed when they had come to Concordia, now was wide open, molten metal running along the large, circular cut in the thick steel, the discarded remains of the door laying halved in the hallway, and the droids that flew the ship were scattered in pieces about the floor. Qui-Gon carefully made his way down the hall, stepping over the scrapped metal and molten pools that now burned small holes into the durasteel before it cooled, and grabbed the back of the pilot's seat where Obi-Wan sat when the ship rocked as it lifted into the air.

"Was all this necessary?" the Jedi asked, indicating back toward the hallway, and with a soft growl in his chest, Obi-Wan pushed the accelerator to maximum speed, the burning thrust of the engines scorching the hanger as they left, and Qui-Gon could see smoke rising from the wide open doors when the ship circled around and aimed toward Mandalore.

"The droids insisted I did not have clearance to enter the cockpit," the Sith said, his voice cool and even, seeming to calm as he sat at the helm of a ship, and Qui-Gon couldn't help but smile softly. In this respect, Obi-Wan was quite a bit like Anakin.

"Well, do you?"

The Sith's hand clenched the yoke tightly. "I don't need clearance to go anywhere I want. Droids have no right to deny me anything."

"Ah, of course." His long fingers tapped on the back of the seat as the Sith Lord forced the ship through space at top speed, the cockpit humming with the sound of the engines and the whine of the overworked thrusters. "Are you concerned about Satine?"

"Why should I be concerned for her?"

The Sith was feigning indifference, that much was obvious. As before, the Jedi couldn't feel Kenobi's presence in the Force, but he didn't need to in order to see what his former Padawan felt. After all, he had so often looked like this many years ago when they first had come to Mandalore. "Because she is in the palace with Senator Merrik and she trusts him."

"Yes, well, that woman is in the habit of trusting all the wrong people, isn't she!" the Sith snarled, pressing the accelerator and the yoke so far forward that the metal connectors seemed to groan, objecting to Kenobi's will to spur the ship even faster. "Tal Merrik, Pre Vizsla...I wonder if Prime Minister Almec is in on this as well, she has staffed her entire court with people that want to witness her downfall!"

"The Mandalorians have a history of violence," the Jedi said softly, much kinder than the Sith had been anticipating. "It takes generations to change a culture, it cannot be done in the span of years, but centuries. She has done very well in the short term, though."

"Maybe so, but it's just given her enemies time to regroup and form a plan to depose her." Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair. "I should have done something sooner, I never should have complied with her desires in this matter."

"Lesson learned, then?" Qui-Gon asked, and Kenobi turned to finally look at the man, gold eyes narrowed in confusion and searching the Jedi's face to seek his intentions.

"Yes..." he said slowly, lightly brushing the Force against the Jedi's guarded mind, but careful not to get too close. It almost seemed like Qui-Gon agreed with him. "I don't understand," the Sith mumbled. "The Jedi don't feel this way. Has the war changed your beliefs so much?"

"Would you rather me condemn your actions as atrocities? Is that what makes you feel like a Sith, knowing that what you do is an affront to life itself?"

"That isn't what makes me Sith," Kenobi growled, returning his attention to the viewport, the planet quickly growing larger as they drew near. "Besides, what I did today wasn't wrong, or evil, or whatever it is that you Jedi seem so likely to believe about such things. I did what was best for what is mine."

Qui-Gon nodded. "I agree." Those golden eyes shot to him again, wide and disbelieving, and the old Master laughed. "What? You are no Jedi, Obi-Wan, it is foolish to hold you to the code that we adhere to. The Jedi have always sought to be understanding and compassionate, and we don't blame the people in this galaxy for acting out of emotion. Why should I think any differently of you?"

"...you're trying to sway me. It won't work."

Qui-Gon scoffed. "You are lost to the Jedi, Obi-Wan, there is nothing to sway. And you didn't kill anyone today, which is more than I could have asked for." The Sith said nothing, only grit his teeth and looked out the viewport, hands tightly on the shuttle's controls. "Do you love her?"

"I cannot believe we are having this conversation..." He closed his eyes and took deep, calming breaths, and Qui-Gon felt the Force twisting and turning in a conflict of emotions, all of them intense and all of them complicated. He had his answer. "I have no interest in telling you, in any case. The only thing that matters now is getting to the heart of the problem and burning it. What did you find in Vizsla's home?"

"Nothing much. There may be two other Death Watch compounds on Zanbar and Carlac."

Kenobi tucked the names away for later. He'd need to make certain he visited those planets soon. They entered Mandalore's atmosphere at a speed far too fast to be safe, the ship howling through the night sky as it raced toward domed, distant Sundari.

"What you found is inconsequential," the Sith whispered. "If there are traitors among her, I will seek them out and they will be destroyed."

"She is lucky to have you, Obi-Wan."

The Sith Lord laughed bitterly. "I doubt she feels the same." Qui-Gon didn't know what to say to that, so he remained silent, the lights on the command console flashing and beeping as they were given access to enter the city. Obi-Wan overrode the ship's autopilot when it engaged to bring him into the port, and he flew the shuttle around to the palace against the wishes of flight control, who demanded he return to his authorized course. Pressing forward despite warnings coming in over the com, Kenobi brought the ship to the royal hanger, watching the guards through the viewport gather around the ship with weapons drawn and ready to fire. Qui-Gon sighed.

"You do like to make an entrance, don't you."

"I like to make haste. It isn't my fault that haste usually foregoes subtlety." Without powering the ship down, Kenobi jumped from his seat, flicking his hand in the air and the scattered scrap from the broken droids and doors went flying down a short, branching hall. He slammed his fist into the console on the wall and the landing ramp extended. The Sith pulled his hood over his head and motioned for the Jedi to exit first, Qui-Gon sighing as he did as Kenobi asked. The guards that circled the ship lowered their weapons when they saw the Jedi Master, looking at their commander in confusion when Qui-Gon tucked his arms into the sleeves of his cloak and bowed.

"I apologize for the entrance," the Jedi said, a small smile on his lips. "I'm afraid I have urgent need to meet with Duchess Satine as quickly as possible. Can you direct me to where she would be?"

"We don't need them..." Obi-Wan whispered as he passed the Jedi, the guards swiftly moving out of the hooded man's way, and Qui-Gon followed, shooting a sheepish, apologetic look to the guards.

"You could stand to be polite, Obi-Wan," the Jedi softly admonished, chuckling when the Sith beside him cursed under his breath at him in Mando'a. "You cannot possibly believe that she is in any danger, Merrik has been living beside her for years."

"He's Mandalorian, that makes him dangerous enough," he muttered, climbing a long staircase two steps at a time and leading the Jedi toward Satine's personal quarters. "And the thought of him near her makes my skin crawl. I'll need to be rid of him." Qui-Gon couldn't argue with that. They walked in swift silence the rest of the short way and stopped outside of large, ornate doors, the Sith punching in the code that made them hiss as they slid open, and the two men walked in, stopping when they saw Satine Kryze and Tal Merrik seated at the long table in the room, quietly discussing matters of state. Qui-Gon felt the change in the Force as Kenobi grinned from underneath his hood.

"A little late for business, isn't it?" Obi-Wan drawled, and both Mandalorians stood, Satine looking at the Jedi, pleased and hopeful, and Merrik looking on cautiously.

"I thought we wouldn't be disturbed, Duchess..." the Senator started, and Kenobi just laughed, pulling back his hood and grinning when Merrik visibly recoiled.

"Oh, nothing can keep me from you, my friend!" the Sith hissed, slowly creeping closer to the Senator, and Merrik moved around the table to stand near Satine, as though she may somehow protect him. "You and I, Merrik...we have business."

The Senator's green eyes darted between Satine and Kenobi, a mix of confusion and anger on the Duchess' face, and Merrik gasped, looking at Satine in betrayal. "That's the Negotiator," the man said, breathless and pointing to the smirking Sith Lord. "Satine, I...I didn't think the rumors in the Senate were true, but..."

"What?!" The Duchess reeled on him, her hands balled into fists. "Tal, you know I have no business with the Confederacy."

"But that is a Separatist agent, and he could get into your personal chambers, so-"

"Were you listening, Merrik?" Kenobi asked. "I'm here for you. Sit, I think your Duchess will be very interested in hearing our arrangement." He smiled when the Senator didn't sit. "I really don't like having my name attached to things that are not my doing, and your plans to expose the Mandalorian government in league with mine..." Obi-Wan whistled, chuckling as the Senator took a step back. "Well, that's just bad business."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Oh, stop it, feigning ignorance isn't going to save you. Did you think that it would somehow benefit you to frame the Separatists for your plans to overthrow the Mandalorian government?"

Merrik stuttered, and the Duchess turned to him, eyes wide and chest tight. "Tal, what is he talking about?"

"I-I don't know, Duchess..."

Kenobi rolled his eyes and drew the weapon at his belt, the black blade humming as it was ignited, and Merrik's eyes widened in recognition, the Sith grinning when he felt the man begin to panic. "Pre Vizsla and the Death Watch sends their regards." The Senator moved faster than Kenobi expected, his hand reaching out to grab Satine's arm and roughly pulled her against him, one arm around her thin neck as he drew a blaster from behind him and pointed the barrel at the woman's head. Satine gripped his arm, trying to loosen the tight hold, but stopped struggling when she heard the weapon charge, her blue eyes wide with fear. Qui-Gon's jaw clenched, hand coming to rest on the lightsaber at his belt, but Obi-Wan just rolled his eyes.

"You really aren't thinking this through," the Sith sighed, and the Senator's face contorted with rage and fear.

"We had a deal," Merrik snarled, arm tightening around Satine's throat. Obi-Wan shrugged.

"Oh, no, no, your deal wasn't with me, and what I want should be all that matters to you right now. And as far as I'm concerned, the deal has been renegotiated." Kenobi laughed. "They don't call me the Negotiator for nothing."

"We should really save the Duchess before you begin bantering," Qui-Gon whispered, eyes never leaving the Senator and his hostage, and with a sigh, Obi-Wan held up his hand, the blaster pulled from Merrik's grasp and sent flying out the open doors to the balcony. Disarmed, Merrik's arm tightened around the Duchess, using her as a shield, but he was forced to let go when he felt himself being held by the throat as well. Wheezing, he dropped to his knees, grasping at his neck to relieve the pressure that held him, but nothing was there. He looked up in desperation to find Satine safely in the Jedi's arms, and the Negotiator kneeling before him, an easy smile on his face, and Merrik's labored breathing ceased as his throat was completely closed off. It didn't take long for the man to cease his struggling, his violently kicking legs going still as he faded into unconsciousness. When he was still, Kenobi let go, the tense body falling limp as the Sith Lord stood.

"This is what your blind trust has brought you, Satine," Kenobi growled, pointing at the Senator. "You are surrounded by traitors and people that mean to overthrow you." His words were much harsher than intended, and when the Duchess said nothing, her entire form shaking in fear and emotion, Obi-Wan softened considerably. "I've managed your Death Watch problem. You won't be seeing them again."

"Did you kill them?" she asked, her voice soft and distant, and Qui-Gon could feel the Sith's anger flare. He held the Duchess closer to him.

"Obi-Wan didn't kill anyone," the Jedi said quietly. "But he did send a powerful message that Mandalore and your government are protected."

"Like I should have done a long time ago!" the Sith Lord snapped, his anger getting the better of him, and Qui-Gon felt that not all of it was because of the situation. "If I knew about Death Watch, Satine, if you told me, than I could have ended this threat before it became serious!"

"I didn't want you to kill anyone! And this was a Mandalorian problem, it didn't concern you!"

"Of course it concerns me, Mandalore is my home, Satine, and you!" he growled. "You mean something to me!" Obi-Wan laughed harshly. "Without trust, there can be no love, and you haven't trusted me for a long time. And don't say this is because of what I did to you, you didn't trust me long before that! If you did, you would have told me about the threats to your rule."

Qui-Gon carefully held the Duchess to him when he felt the woman tremble, and she quickly buried her face into the folds of his robe. "We've solved the threat before it escalated, Obi-Wan. We can put it behind us now."

"Maybe you can, Jedi, but my work's just begun." He groaned loudly, running his hands over his face and through his hair. "I know I said I'd give you Merrik to bring back to the Senate, but I'm going to need him to make my interrogation of Satine's court easier."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Of course. Whatever you need."

Kenobi groaned as he looked at the unconscious Merrik. "It shouldn't take me long. Vizsla didn't mention anything about any others, but that doesn't mean they don't exist."

"Vizsla betrayed me as well?" the Duchess asked softly, her voice tight and strained, and the Sith's furious golden gaze fell on her.

"Oh yes, he leads the Death Watch, but he's been dealt with." Kenobi bowed mockingly. "You're welcome, your Highness." He sighed heavily, his anger growing. "And then there's the matter of Dooku." Qui-Gon eyed the Sith Lord curiously, but said nothing. "He knows about me and Satine, why would he do this..." He shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense. Mandalore has no use to him. I thought he and I had an arrangement..."

Qui-Gon smiled softly. "Misplacing your trust, Obi-Wan?"

The Sith Lord laughed at that. "I never trusted Dooku, this isn't a matter of trust, it's a matter of convenience."

"It is convenient for him to betray you like this?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "He betrayed me before this. We had come to a mutually beneficial arrangement, and we had agreed to keep it between us, which he, of course, didn't. But this..." Obi-Wan closed his eyes and centered himself, and the Jedi could feel the man opening himself up to the Force, letting it be drawn to him and flow unrestricted through him. "I don't treasure much, but I do treasure Satine. This is a personal attack, and he's going to suffer for it."

"Obi-Wan, if you kill Dooku-"

Kenobi rolled his eyes. "There are things worse than death, Jedi, and Dooku's going to experience all of them. Nobody messes with my things." Merrik groaned on the ground as consciousness slowly returned to him, and the Sith Lord roughly pulled him to his feet. "When I get back from dealing with this scum, I'm going to sleep so I can leave here early in the morning for Raxus. The Separatist Council and I need to come to an understanding." Dragging the dazed Senator behind him, Kenobi left the room, the doors hissing closed and leaving the Jedi and the Duchess in silence.

Quinlan Vos had been right. Obi-Wan could be reasoned with, and what's more, it seemed he could be convinced to turn on his allies, which turned out weren't allies at all. The man seemed to have no feelings of loyalty toward the Separatists at all, so why fight beside them? Dooku seemed to be in Kenobi's sights, and like the Jedi have been saying, the greatest enemy of the Sith were other Sith. He had hoped Obi-Wan would have mentioned his Master, or even alluded to the idea that the man existed, but Kenobi didn't get where he was by being careless. Still, it seemed obvious to Qui-Gon that Dooku may have had no reason to cross the younger Sith like this. The entire thing screamed of Sith machinations, and Qui-Gon was certain that his intelligent former Padawan came to the same conclusion. What's more, it seemed as though Obi-Wan was listening to the Force, not attempting to exert his will upon it, and while he knew that Kenobi could not be saved, he was becoming more and more convinced that, like Anakin, the Force had singled Obi-Wan out for a greater purpose.

"He loves you," the Jedi finally said, and the woman in his arms tensed. "You must know that."

"...I know," she whispered, her hand balling tightly into his robes. "I just forgot how much."

---

It was several hours later when Obi-Wan threw himself onto the couch in the Duchess' living quarters and used the Force to grip one of the Sith holocrons, the pyramid glowing and rising into the air as it opened, the whispers of Ancient Sith seeping into him. He had quickly thrown Tal Merrik at Qui-Gon and left them without a word, his entire being focused on a singular task. He needed to deal with Dooku, but he was having trouble deciding on how to do it. Death was too easy, too common, and furthermore, Sidious had made it clear that Dooku was a necessity to the war effort, though Kenobi was beginning to doubt that, since the man was willing to fracture his necessary alliances for...what?

He frowned, shifting on the couch and sinking further into the Dark Side's grasp, clutched tightly in the claws of a snarling beast. Dooku was always cold, methodical and logical. He had taken a risk forming a tenuous alliance with Kenobi, and attacking him in this manner seemed reckless, even for a Sith Lord. This entire situation felt wrong. True, Obi-Wan himself had laid the groundwork for a personal mess, but it was possible much of Satine's aggravation had to deal with her struggles with a threat to her reign. Everything that had been happening felt like the influence of Darth Sidious. Sabotage wasn't something Dooku carelessly did. Obi-Wan breathed deeply of the Dark Side and sank into the embrace of the Force. What he did to the Count of Serenno had to send a message to not only the Separatists leaders, but to his Master as well. Darth Lumis, Lord of the Sith, was too dangerous to cross.

Nothing else mattered but this. The Force guided him in everything he did, which conflicted with the Sith Master's philosophy of bending the Force into submission, but Obi-Wan had always believed in a give and take. In order to achieve mastery, one must submit, and Sith did not easily bend. The lesson Sidious gave that had most stuck with Lumis was the idea that the Force would strike back. The Master's solution to this was to beat the Force into submission, but Obi-Wan had understood the folly of this. The Dark Side was not the only dangerous aspect of the Force. Just as one could find comfort in the dark, one could also feel pain in the light, as he had felt within Qui-Gon Jinn earlier that day. Sidious walked a dangerous path if he was attempting to manipulate the young Sith. Even now, Kenobi could feel the Force pulsing within him, and he could feel the pull of it not to murder Sidious, but to reel him in.

The Force favored the Sith in it's shift toward the darkness, and while Sidious was a necessary component to seeing the will of the Force come to pass, he also needed to understand that the favor could easily be lost, and Obi-Wan felt he was the instrument of that. The Jedi abandoned the Force by placing the will of politicians above the will of the Force, and with the Republic to command them, the Jedi effectively allowed the Force to be ruled by the Senate. It was this that was giving rise to the Dark Side, this that would fulfill the Sith Imperative and fulfill their revenge, and it was for this reason that the Jedi Order needed to be purged. They had abandoned the Force. They deserved no less. And in time, if Sidious was not mindful, if he reached too far, he would face the same fate.

A soft touch on his chest drew him out of his meditation and he opened his eyes to look impassively at his Duchess, the woman kneeling beside him. "May we talk?" she asked quietly.

"No."

Satine bit her lip and looked away, and Obi-Wan could feel her through the Force, calm and resigned and so unlike she had been recently. "May I talk, then?"

"If you must..."

She nodded and exhaled in relief. "I have been thinking about what you have said. What you have been saying. And you're right. I've been using words as a shield, and it's worked for some time, but...I need a sword as well."

Obi-Wan extended his hand and called the holocron to him, the glowing pyramid closing as it returned to the Sith. "You have changed your ideals?" he asked, incredulous.

"No, but..." The Duchess held her breath, and Kenobi ventured a quick look inside her mind and found it moving swiftly, but organized, devoid of the haphazard and confusing emotional turmoil of before. It would have been so very Jedi if her conviction hadn't been so very Sith. "I have been uncompromising and rigid and moralistic, and I...recognize that this is part of the reason you left the Jedi before. I will not lose you in the same way." She looked the Sith Lord over, her mouth a thin line. "...you can say something, you know."

"Oh no, you have much more to say, yes?" She nodded. "Then please, continue. How did this change come about."

Her fingers drummed on his chest as she looked away. "You changed it," she said finally. "Qui-Gon said you subdued Death Watch without killing a single one of them. I may not agree with the methods I am certain you used but...I cannot argue with results, and you did in hours what my government could not do in months." She sighed and finally looked at him. "I was wrong about you when I said you have sacrificed nothing. I have been wrong about a great deal as of late." She laughed sadly. "I do not want to abandon my ideals. I want Mandalore to change. I want to remain neutral. I want my planet to have peace. And I will do anything to make certain that is accomplished."

Kenobi held his breath when he felt the Dark Side grip the very heart of him. The Jedi had always said that the Sith deal in absolutes, but it simply wasn't true. The Jedi existed on a strict continuum where everything was neatly divided between good and evil, right and wrong, light and dark. They were a moral authority, and Sidious had often said that they held a monopoly on morality. The Sith, however, were far more fluid. Power was simply a means to an end, and that end was galactic strength, where the strong would enforce the rule over the weak, as it should be. However, the Sith had been forced to change in favor of subtlety and subterfuge, where it wasn't the strongest that ruled, but the most shrewd, the most clever, the ones that could bring beings under their sway and use them to further their ultimate goals, and Satine, peaceful Satine, was exhibiting these traits right now. If managed properly, the Duchess could be not only an ally, but an accomplice.

"I have dealt with your enemies, Satine," he said carefully.

"There will be others. If I have learned anything from this, it's that the neutrality of my systems will not be respected. I can't even trust my own people! I was close to both Merrik and Pre Vizsla. If my closest allies could so easily betray me, others can as well." She ran her hand slowly across his chest, and his breath hitched as the Force gripped him tighter. "Is it true that you will be going after Dooku? Qui-Gon said you may."

"Dooku and the rest of them. I have a message to send about what it means to cross me."

"But you fight for them."

"Mm, they fight for me. I am not beholden to the Confederacy, I am beholden to the Sith."

Closing her eyes, Satine took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, looking at him again when she said, "Tell me again of the Sith. I will strive to understand better this time."

Obi-Wan was cautious, but those blue eyes seemed hungry for knowledge and understanding, much like he had once been as a Jedi when confronted with the overwhelming allure of the Dark Side. "The Sith," he began slowly, "are difficult to define. The order in the past has been one of violence and brute strength, but our extinction at the hands of the Jedi has forced us to change. We seek to reestablish order in the galaxy. The Republic is corrupt beyond repair. It's time to clear the slate and begin anew."

When the woman didn't say anything, he reached into her mind to assess her feelings, and for a moment, her body tensed when she felt his presence, only to relax a moment later when she accepted him within her. "That's not unlike what we did on Mandalore to put me into power."

"You're right. It's very similar. And you, my dear," he said softly, taking her hand from his chest and intertwining their fingers. "You right now remind me so much of myself when I left the Jedi Order. Betrayal by those close to you forces you to examine your ideals, hmm?"

"It does..." The Duchess climbed up onto the couch with the Sith Lord, her thin, pale legs straddling his hips, and Kenobi felt the Dark Side settle within him and fill him with longing and desire, and for the first time since this whole mess began, he felt centered and focused. "I thought about what you said about your powers, and if I had them..."

"Did you now..."

"I would use them," she whispered, and Kenobi felt shame and longing within her. "All my ideals could be realized, all of them. All without death and violence and war, which is what I always wanted. Which is what you did with Death Watch, isn't it?"

"Not exactly. It wasn't mental manipulation, I needed a permanent solution." Obi-Wan ran a hand up her thigh, pushing the thin silk of her knee-length robe up over her hp. "I simply made them afraid of continuing their plans. I doubt you'd like it."

"Tell me."

He kissed her hand, looking at her cautiously, but he found the woman to be not only curious, but vindictive. Pre Vizsla's betrayal hurt her more than he realized. "I used the Force to break him."

"Did he suffer?"

"Oh yes."

"For long?"

"Longer than I anticipated. You Mandalorians are so hard to break." Obi-Wan frowned when she looked away for a moment, but he didn't feel any of her usual righteous indignation. "I know we are having trouble with trust, Satine-" She placed a long finger on his lips to silence him.

"I am willing to let go of your past transgressions if you let go of mine. We have both made mistakes, and..." A faint smirk came to her lips as she slowly rolled her hips, dragging a deep moan out of the Sith Lord, both his hands coming to rest on her waist. "I'm going to need my Sith Lord protector to maintain my peace."

"You're becoming devious, aren't you?"

"I did learn from you, Obi." She ran a hand along his jaw line. "I can overlook the things you do in this war to achieve your goals, and I want to help you if I can. If you are to be my partner in maintaining peace, I want to be your partner in achieving the goals of your Order."

"...do you mean that?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper, and the woman nodded. "Without the Force, that could be difficult," he said softly, absently stroking her leg. "But my Master always said that it's not only the Force sensitive that have a place in elevating the Sith Imperative.

"Your Master says a lot of things."

"He's very wise, as he should be. He had the culminated knowledge and the power of a thousand years of Sith Lords. He says the way of the future isn't in brute strength, but in political acumen, and you have always been a shrewd and cunning politician." Obi-Wan's voice caught in his throat when Satine began slowly rolling her hips over his own, his passions quickly rising in a haze of lust and ambition. Betrayal and a swift, divisive solution to her problems had turned the unyielding Satine from a dreamer to a realist, the sharp intelligence and rhetoric she had employed to bring people to her way of thinking was suddenly repurposed toward keeping Mandalore safe, regardless of the cost. She still maintained her pacifist ideals, of course, but those ideals had transformed from the idealistic to the practical.

"Do you still desire to kill him?"

"N-no, I still have too much to learn from him." Satine gratefully stopped he movements, and the Sith Lord let out a shuddering breath. "If I am to be the Master of the Sith, I will need to know all he does, lest the knowledge be lost. And soon, the Sith Order will be resurrected in force, and there will be more Dark Side adepts than he can manage on his own. He will need me."

Kenobi moaned loudly when the Duchess began moving again. "Can we out-maneuver him politically?"

"I feel like that would be very difficult." He grabbed her hips to still her, the Dark Side raging and howling to be loosed on the woman that was clearly goading him into ravishing her. "Is this your way to get me to leave the Sith?"

"Am I asking you to leave?"

"...no."

"If that is what you want, Obi-Wan, than I will love you as a Sith Lord." She smiled softly. "You learned my language. Will you teach me yours?"

"Ooh, my Master would not approve of that."

"All the more reason to teach me," she muttered, leaning down to kiss him, and Kenobi finally realized what it was his Master had been trying to teach him for years. As Palpatine, the Sith had fostered strong ties and relationships, all without the power of the Force, all without manipulation and coercion, and it left him with allies that had come to him willingly, their loyalty strong and unshakable for having chosen his path for themselves. Beings like Mas Amedda, Sly Moore, and the Tarkins of Eriadu would stand by Sidious when he became emperor because they had chosen the path of the Sith, and now Satine Kryze willingly joined her will to the Sith. She wasn't just a lover now. She was an ally, and that was more valuable than all their years together.

"I don't know how you can help yet," he muttered when they parted, face flushed and striving to keep the lustful Dark Side in some level of restraint. "But you are in a unique position to exert political sway over the Republic and the Confederacy. I shall have to meditate on it..."

"You meditate on everything." She slipped her hands under his robes, running her fingers over his bare skin, and the Sith Lord growled possessively, the golden eyes glowing as the Dark Side exerted control, but Satine was unafraid. "Will you raise Sith Lords when you are Master?"

"I will raise children," he responded quickly, wrapping his arm about her waist and flipping her over, his hands by her head and his knee insistently nudging her knees apart. "They will be strong in the Force, and yes, I will teach them the ways of the Dark Side, and when they are old enough, they will be Sith."

"...I didn't know you wanted children."

"I do..." he growled deeply. "A Mandalorian Sith Lord would be fearsome. It's an insult to the Sith line that it hasn't happened before."

"And you know your children will have the Force?"

"I'm given to understand that it's genetic."

The Duchess reached up and slid her hands along his shoulders, wriggling underneath him to allow him to fit comfortably between her legs. "I feel like there's no time like the present to begin that process."

Obi-Wan surrendered to the Dark Side and allowed it to draw the depths of its desires out of the woman beneath him. Early in the morning, he would be on the way to Raxus to establish his dominion over the Separatists Council, and he suspected that their submission to his will wouldn't be nearly as easy or willing as the Mandalorian's, but Kenobi doubted that the Dark Side would find it less pleasurable.