AN: So, I'm starting to eat away on my lead, and the chapters from here on out are going to get a bit more complicated and more difficult to write as we enter the third act. I try to put out good sized chapters between 4000 and 6000 words, but that's difficult to write everyday. So I'm putting this to you guys. Which is your preference, shorter chapters of between 3000 and 4000 words, or longer chapters that can go anywhere from 5000 to 10000 with a day or two between them. Let me know! Enjoy, I liked this one.
Chapter 52: Broken Ally
Two chairs around the table of the Separatist Council on Raxus were vacant. Wat Tambor had been captured on Ryloth by his own stupidity, the order to evacuate the planet ignored to satisfy his own greed. The other missing member was Archduke Poggle the Lesser, the leader of the Geonosians, and that particular loss greatly disturbed Dooku.
The insectoid creature had been captured by the Republic when the newly appointed General Skywalker had launched an attack so ferocious against Geonosis that the Separatists couldn't get organized quick enough to mount a suitable defense. Skywalker had brought the full might of the Republic down on the planet, attacking from space with three Venator-class Star Destroyers and on the ground with thousands of clones and four Jedi, three of those generals, including himself. Skywalker had been joined by his newly appointed second in command, Wilhuff Tarkin, and together with his forces, General Skywalker had managed to completely and ruthlessly destroy the Droid Foundries on the planet. The blow was devastating, and Dooku was furious about it. This Jedi was far more aggressive than most.
The silence in the room was broken when the doors opened and Obi-Wan entered, walking to one of the empty seats and dragging it away from the table so he could sit by himself. Crossing his ankle over his knee, he leaned back and smiled brightly at the Count, who glowered for a moment before he felt the malice practically radiating from the younger Sith Lord. Kenobi had struggled for control before, but now he wasn't even trying, and Dooku could feel the Dark Side gravitate toward the younger man as if it was summoned. When the door closed, a man in black and red regulation clone armor stood with his arms crossed as if he were guarding it, and Dooku spotted a lightsaber at the man's side.
"Cody," Kenobi said lightly, and the clone looked toward the Sith Lord. "Make certain nobody leaves until I am finished here."
"Yes, my Lord." Cody looked about the room. "If they try, sir?"
Kenobi shrugged. "We've lost enough of the Council, so don't kill them. Arms or legs will not be missed, though, do you think you have enough training with the lightsaber to accomplish that safely?"
The Council looked at the clone, eyes wide in fear, and Cody shrugged. "I think so, sir." Dooku fixed his steely gaze on Obi-Wan and it was if he were looking into the Dark Side itself. His defenses were down, and he allowed the Force to run freely through him, and the Count could feel the rush of the storm and the chill in the air. Every breath he took was thick with the Dark Side, but it wasn't empowering him as it usually did. The Dark Side was drawn to a more powerful Master, and for the first time in a very long while, the Force didn't seem to heed his call or bend to his will. It was actively against him. Dooku swallowed hard and strengthened his mental defenses, his hand coming to rest on his lightsaber.
Obi-Wan clapped his hands together and looked about the room. "Well, we have had lots of failures lately, haven't we?"
"You've had your own share of failure, Kenobi," the Count growled, and the younger Sith laughed loudly.
"Have I? Christophsis, Haruun Kal, Vassek, Florrum...I seem to recall victory at all of those. And those are just the big ones. I have only been successful on my smaller missions as well."
"Christophsis was lost, if you will remember."
"Intentionally. Sometimes you must lose battles to win wars, and Christophsis destabilized the Republic and the Jedi Order all at once. I would call that a victory. But you," he laughed, eyes narrowing dangerously. "All of you, failures. Nute Gunray gets captured on Rodia by a little girl, Wat Tambor allows his personal greed to prevent victory on a very important fight, Grievous loses the Malevolence...even you, Dooku," Kenobi chided. "Captured by pirates...it's embarrassing."
"I recall you being captured as well."
"By design, it was the quickest way to find you, and I needed time with Quinlan Vos to pull him closer to the dark." Obi-Wan whistled. "But Geonosis...this failure is different."
"And where were you," Dooku growled, hands flat on the table and rising out of his seat. "One year since the start of this war and you have been involved in hardly anything at all! You are hardly fit to be a commander!"
Kenobi just smiled, and through his rage, Dooku could feel the other Sith slowly reach out and grab hold of the darkness that had suddenly rose from him in his anger. He suddenly couldn't breathe when he realized his error. Kenobi had been trying to make him angry to give him an easy way to grip him in his dark clutches. "I would have been on Ryloth," he said in calm, measured tones, but to Dooku, from across the room, it felt as though Obi-Wan was leaning over him and whispering directly into his ear. "I wanted to be on Ryloth. We had a deal, Dooku...we were to be partners in this war, we were going to work together to increase our efficiency!" The smile dropped off Kenobi's face and was replaced by cold indifference. "And then you told our Master about the arrangement..."
Dooku felt Kenobi's grip tighten, and he focused on the younger Sith, the man's calm doing nothing to hide the raging darkness around him. The Count felt unease before, but now he felt that he was in actual danger. "We cannot talk about this here, Kenobi."
"Oh, we absolutely can. Not about our Master, or course. I assumed that you just told him everything he wanted when he punished you for getting captured." He grinned wickedly. "Which is pathetic, by the way. No, this is about something else." He rose from the seat and sauntered to the table, the Council scrambling to get out of his way when he approached and laid his hands on the hard wood surface. "Tell me about Death Watch, Dooku..."
"I've never heard of them," Dooku said without a hint of hesitation or emotion, and it was almost believable.
"Really. That's not what Pre Vizsla said. And you know what? I believe him." Obi-Wan drew his weapon from his belt and activated the humming black blade, and for a moment, Dooku's eyes flashed with recognition, and Kenobi growled. "Why. Why would you assault Mandalore! Why would you try to execute Satine when you know that she is mine?!" Dooku opened his mouth to speak, but Kenobi's hand shot forward and grabbed the Count's neck with the Force. "Actually, I don't want to know." He pointed the darksaber at the members of the Separatist Council who stood with their backs flat against the back wall. "I want you all to watch this so you can understand what happens to those who touch my things."
Dooku tensed as a tremendous weight pressed down on him, his arms shaking violently as he tried to keep himself up, but the pressure became too great and he was slammed to the table, the hard, sturdy wood shaking from the impact and groaning and creaking under the weight of the Force upon it. Dooku gnashed his teeth together and kept his mouth shut. He would not make a sound, not for this Sith whelp, and furthermore, he refused to be held there like some novice. His deep brown eyes lightened to a pale, eerie yellow as the Dark Side flooded him, and with a vicious snarl, he threw up his defenses, forcing Kenobi out of his mind, and with the speed of a much younger man, he drew his lightsaber, the red blade on the curved hilt thrumming dangerously.
Obi-Wan tossed the darksaber into his left hand and drew his primary weapon, the red plasma blazing in a hiss as it extended. Catching the black weapon in a backhanded grip, he pointed the red blade at Dooku. It had been a long time since he had fought with Dooku, in training or otherwise, but Obi-Wan knew he was better. Within him, the Dark Side felt one with him, his heart beating in time with its powerful pulsing, his breathing in unison with the ebbing and flowing of the Force, the clawed, shadowed hands of the Dark Side resting over his on the sabers he held. The Dark Side had assumed control of his body, allowing Obi-Wan the chance to manipulate and maneuver through the Force to break within his opponent from within.
It was Kenobi that moved first, the younger, more agile Sith swiftly jumping on to the table, and Dooku slashed at his legs, Obi-Wan pushing off the solid wood and twisting in the air, lashing out with the red weapon when he was above the Count and using the momentum to carry him all the way down, the strike easily blocked, but the darksaber nearly took the Count's hand off when it was whipped around. Dooku took a swift step back, and he found himself defending against a vicious offensive by two dangerous blades, and Obi-Wan was proving to be a frustrating opponent. His movements were precise and accurate, a carry-over from Dooku's own style, but unlike the older man, Kenobi was young and athletic, replacing Makashi's precise footwork for fast, unpredictable movements, quick dodging and perfectly timed jumps.
A very well-placed stab made Obi-Wan take a slight step back, and it was enough for Dooku to become the aggressor, pressing his advantage with a flurry of small cuts and stabs, and while a single blade would have allowed the saber to hit its mark, Kenobi's use of a second weapon was impressive, and he used both defensively to easily keep Dooku's blade from him. If possible, Obi-Wan was a more frustrating opponent when he assumed the defensive, and Dooku recognized the young man's mastery of Soresu, an impressive feat for one so young, and easily the best in the style that he had ever seen. Both blades were used to their maximum efficiency, turning his perfect defense into an impenetrable wall, and the matter wasn't helped any when none of Dooku's feints had their desired effects. It was as if the younger Sith could see what the Count was doing before he did it, the red and black blades seeming to move into position before Dooku even moved his lightsaber.
Obi-Wan swiftly retreated, forcing Dooku to chase him, lest he lose the offensive, and the Council members scattered when the combatants drew near to them, the sound of another lightsaber humming to life when Nute Gunray rushed toward the door in terror, only to find a blue blade held by the clone pointed directly at him. Despite the commotion, Dooku kept his focus on the younger Sith, his dangerous opponent suddenly changing directions and ducking under the Count's weapon, his own saber raised over his head to block against a downward strike, the red blades sparking as they slid against each other. With Dooku's blade locked and keeping the red saber from him, Obi-Wan quickly spun, slipping out to move behind the Count, his backhanded darksaber slicing across Dooku's ribs just under his arm. The Count's yellow eyes widened as he gasped in pain, and the loss of focus allowed Obi-Wan to grip the older Sith with the Dark Side, pain rushing through the man as he was forced to his knees before Darth Lumis.
Kenobi deactivated his sabers and returned them to his belt when Dooku's eyes rolled back into his head from the pain. His fingers extended, he called the Count's dropped saber to his hand and tossed it to Cody, the clone catching it easily and, holding it with due reverence, inspected the curved hilt of the Sith Lord's weapon. Obi-Wan pointed to the Council, keeping the focus and the fury of the Dark Side on Dooku. "All of you, return to your seats." No push of the Force was necessary. Every one of them rushed to take their seats, visibly shaking as they watched their leader be tortured by the unseen power that the other man commanded. When it looked like Dooku would lose consciousness, Obi-Wan loosened his grip on him, the elder Sith gasping for breath when he felt his lungs could expand without severe pain.
"Have we understood the lesson?" Kenobi asked, his voice a low, menacing growl and Dooku felt chills run through him when he heard the breath of the Force in Kenobi's words. "Don't touch my things, am I understood? None of you are to touch my things!" Kenobi's blazing golden eyes locked on to Chairman San Hill when the Muun raised a shaking hand into the air.
"What, may I ask, constitutes as yours, my Lord?" he asked, his high pitched voice even higher with the strain of tension and fear.
"Everything," the Sith snarled in a voice that was barely his, and through the pain, Dooku managed to rise to his feet, staggering away from the Sith Lord who was one with the Dark Side, a nexus that he felt foolish for not seeing before. Kenobi shook his head, an elegant hand roughly running through his hair as he struggled for control, the Dark Side sinking its claws deeper into him as he struggled against it. Eventually, his breathing evened out, even if the Dark Side remained snarling and raging. "Mustafar is mine," he said softly. "The Negotiator and the Liberator are mine too, as is everything on them. Mandalore, and the entire system it belongs to are mine as well, as are all systems in the Neutral Alliance. Cody over there is mine. Duchess Satine Kryze is especially mine," he growled, turning to Dooku, and the man was once again forced to his knees when pain rushed through him.
This time, it was different. This time, it was as if the Force had reached out and roughly grabbed him, its ethereal hands sinking into his arms and holding him in place, the proximity to the slash under his arm burning. Dooku tried to center himself, but found that the Force was acting in concert with Obi-Wan to the exclusion of all else. He looked up to see Lumis above him, one hand grabbing his white hair, and the other poised above his forehead, fingers extended as if he were reaching out to grab something small and delicate. Dooku's eyes widened when he felt the Sith within him, not reaching through his thoughts and memories as he was known to do, but grabbing something deep inside him. Kenobi's hand began trembling as if he were struggling to hold on to something heavy, and then slowly, he began to draw his hand away from Dooku, and the Count gasped as he felt the very Force within him stir, aroused to action and unwillingly pulled from him and into the Sith that controlled him.
Dooku had endured the pain of before in stoic silence, but now, as he felt life ripped from his body, he screamed. It felt like eternity and he tried to find his focus to fight back, but the Sith that commanded the Force seemed to ignore his struggle. Without warning, Obi-Wan let go, and Dooku fell to the ground, gasping and coughing and shaking as the pain faded into a dull throb. He looked within himself, touched the Force, and the Count could feel that the Force that gave him life was wounded. His Master had taught him about the Sith Lords of old, and one of the most impressive was the Lord of Hunger, Darth Nihilus, a Sith so powerful that he consumed the very Force from the living. A being so wrong that he left gaping wounds in the fabric of the Force itself. But Sidious had said that his knowledge had been lost, and here now stood Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Lumis, doing what Nihilus had done on a much smaller scale. It was...unfathomable. And deeply impressive.
Breathing deeply, Kenobi looked down at Dooku's prone form, feeling his life energy, touching the Force within him to find him...salvageable, unlike the first being he had this to. Of course, he had drained Eeth Koth to the point of death. Comparatively, he managed Dooku with a lover's gentle hand. When Dooku began to move, slowly pushing against the ground to lift himself up, Kenobi walked around the conference table to sit at the head in what usually would have been Dooku's seat, his long fingers running over the deep lightsaber burns in its polished surface.
"Now, do we all understand to stay away from my things?" The Council nodded frantically, high-pitched whines of panic torn from a few throats, and Obi-Wan grinned brightly. "Excellent. Let's talk business. Ryloth and Geonosis are devastating losses. I would have come immediately after Ryloth fell, but there was some foolishness on Orto Plutonia I was called away to deal with. By the time I was on the way here, Geonosis had already fallen." He extended his hands. "What are we to do about this, gentlemen?"
"We must rescue the captives," Nute Gunray said in his accented wheeze. "It's a disgrace that the Republic even has them." The others around the table nodded in agreement, but Kenobi just drummed his fingers on the table, eyes on Dooku as the Count still struggled to rise.
"You aren't thinking this through. An attack in the heart of the Republic to free those two is hardly worth it." Kenobi took a deep breath. "If you want them back so badly, it will need to be an infiltration job."
"There's a bounty hunter I have used in the past..." Dooku wheezed, standing on shaking legs and shuffling to the nearest chair. "Cad Bane. He can do this, if we find it prudent to do so."
"Kenobi steepled his fingers and looked at him. "And do you find it prudent?"
"I do not." Dooku's eyes narrowed, the pale yellow slowly darkening to his natural brown. "If they were so easily captured, than they deserve to be locked away for a time. How else will the lesson be learned."
"...I agree." Kenobi looked around the table, but none of the others, save for Dooku, were looking at anything other than the ground at their feet. "Nothing else? Is that the best that the Separatist Council can come up with?" He groaned, running his hand through his hair. "We have a problem, and his name is Skywalker. The loss of Ryloth can be handled, but now the Jedi are blowing up our droid production plants. We need to retaliate. We need to make them fear the consequences of attacking us like this." He tapped the table with his finger. "So we return the favor. We attack Kamino."
All the beings around the table looked at him, big eyes wide or mouths hung open, and slowly, they began to voice their agreement, the fear they felt before slowly fading as they began discussing how such a feat would be accomplished. Dooku's eyes never left Kenobi's, the young Sith Lord smirking at the Count's silent displeasure.
Obi-Wan whistled when it became too loud in the room, and they all quieted down, fidgeting in their seats excitedly. "I will be leading the assault, but if this is to be done, I need the best. I'm bringing General Grievous and Asajj Ventress with me, and we're taking the Negotiator, the Liberator, and...is Grievous' new ship built yet?"
"Yes, my Lord," San Hill said. "The Invisible Hand is fully operational."
"Excellent. I shall need that one as well. You will do well to ensure that everything I need is sent to Mustafar. I plan to leave by the end of the week. Make certain I get additional dreadnaughts and heavy cruisers. All of you, in the meantime, will make certain that all of our droid foundries are heavily defended, and I want the biggest ones relocated to Teth and Indoumodo out in Wild Space."
"That will be expensive..." Hill said softly, withering when the Sith gold eyes fell on him.
"You are the bank. Fund it."
"If we divert our resources to our foundries, than how will we hold the systems we have captured!" Gunray's cohort Rune Haako asked said forcefully, and the Sith Lord rolled his eyes.
"Do you want to lose systems, or the war? Because I really want to win it, which is why we are going to Kamino. To discourage their destructive behavior." They frantically began vocalizing their understanding, praising him for the plan, generally groveling, and with a sneer, Kenobi waved his hand in the air. "Go. I've no further use for you." Given permission, the Council quickly pushed away from their seats and rushed for the door, Cody stepping out of the way as they left in a hurry, and when they were gone, he had closed the door behind them, tapping the console on the wall to seal them inside. Dooku hadn't moved, his burning gaze never once leaving Obi-Wan.
"Our Master will not approve of this," the Count said quietly, sharp brown eyes following Cody as the clone took a seat beside Obi-Wan.
"Of course he won't approve. We're going to lose the fight, winning isn't the point." Dooku hadn't stopped looking at the clone, the man's armored feet on the shining surface of the table, and Kenobi thrust his thumb toward him. "Cody knows most everything. We can discuss this here."
"Ovas tym zenoti tu'iea meistras kash ari iv tave resucejis?"
"Ah...no, he doesn't know that." Kenobi laughed lightly. "Honestly, do you think I'm a fool? I plan to be around a long time, that isn't something I share with anyone but you, my Sith brother."
Dooku frowned. "If your plan isn't to crush the cloning facility, than what is it you intend to do?"
"I'm sending a message," Kenobi said slowly, folding his hands together and reaching out with the Dark Side to grab Dooku's mind, the Count's jaw clenching as he did so. "The planet will be heavily guarded, and an attack will draw the full might of the Republic to us. But more than that, on Kamino is Jedi Master and member of the High Council, Shaak Ti."
"And you mean to kill her?" Dooku asked, incredulous. "Kamino is a dangerous target, even for you. To attack the planet just to capture one Jedi-" Kenobi hadn't moved, but the Force was suddenly around his neck, squeezing hard and preventing him from drawing anything more than thin, wheezing gasps.
"Your opinions stopped mattering the moment you attacked Mandalore," Lumis whispered, smiling softly as Dooku struggled. "I do wish to be friends, Tyranus. I'd hate to let something like this get in the way of our working relationship, especially since my problems have resolved themselves so nicely, and without the conflict you created, I doubt they would have ended the way they did."
"I didn't create Death Watch..." Dooku wheezed when Obi-Wan had released him, his hand rubbing at his neck and eying the other Sith cautiously when he leaned back and laughed.
"No, but you funded them. You gave them the support they needed for a hostile takeover, and in doing so, you have made the Duchess an ally of the Sith."
Dooku scoffed. "And what ally could be found in a peacekeeper. We would have done better to raise an army of Mandalorian warriors, and Death Watch would have been indebted to us." The Count's eyes narrowed in anger. "This Satine is a distraction and a weakness!"
"You're right, she was." A sinister smile spread over the features of the younger Sith Lord, and Dooku could feel the Dark Side pulling at him, deep in his mind and urging him to submit. He gripped the table, teeth clenched together as he felt Lumis within him, pulling at the wound in the Force he had inflicted and promising to make it worse if his will was not heeded. "Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak. As the Code demands, she has faced adversity, she has prevailed, and now her chains are broken."
Dooku's eyes widened as he slowly understood. "You have...changed her?"
"Not me. She has changed herself. A willing ally is so much more effective than a slave, and Satine Kryze is more than willing to do what she must to protect what is hers. You wanted a Mandalorian army, and in time, you shall have it. But now, we have gained a political ally, and I believe our Master would agree that a cunning politician can outflank and outmaneuver even the strongest of warriors."
Dooku brought a hand to his chin and stroked his beard as he thought, doing all in his power to push away Kenobi's presence in his mind, but the younger Sith would not let go. "She serves you?" he asked, and Obi-Wan shrugged.
"In exchange for the protection of her systems, she has agreed to serve the Sith."
"And she said this?"
"In so many words. She will be an ally to me, and she is fully aware of my Sith connection."
"Does our Master know about this?"
Kenobi shook his head. "Not yet, but he will. I intend to have her bring as many systems as possible into her Neutral Systems. When the Empire ends the war, the entirety of her alliance will join with us as the force that has reestablished strength and peace to the galaxy."
"...that is exceedingly clever."
Kenobi grinned. "A Sith Empire, brought into being not with subjugation, but with gratitude." He pulled on Dooku's mind, pain jolting through the Count when he felt the very Force within him shrink back from the Sith, tucking away as if to protect the violent wound inflicted upon it. "So we are done touching my things, yes? Because if not, I would be more than happy to show you that weakness can be tempered into strength, and the Dark Side has forged me."
"I believe you," Dooku mumbled, breathing deep when he felt Lumis loosen his crushing hold. Obi-Wan had always been cruel, but this was far different than before. He was unchecked and uncontrolled, the Dark Side running freely through him, and it seemed as if the young man had no intention of stopping it. The Force was burning, and Darth Lumis was laughing as he burned with it. "What have you become..." Dooku asked softly, though not unkindly. Lumis was more than a tool of the Dark Side, he was a partner of the Force, a thing so rare and unfathomable to the Sith mentality that the Count had a sudden urging to become very close to the boy. Dooku had misjudged him. He was a dangerous enemy, far more dangerous that he previously believed. He needed to make an ally of this one before Sidious turned them against each other again.
Kenobi scoffed. "What kind of a question is that."
"You aren't even trying to control the Force anymore, Obi-Wan, it is controlling you."
Kenobi laughed, leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "I try, Dooku, but the Force will have what it wants. I no longer have the tools to control the Dark Side, my powers have grown too strong too quickly."
"How."
The Sith Lord smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know..." Laughing, he leaned over the table toward Dooku, as if getting ready to share some secret, private thing. "The truth is, I don't know why. My knowledge of the Force has expanded to include things I never thought possible. Maybe it's that which pulls the Dark Side to me. Maybe it's the will of the Force itself, I do not know." His finger traced the deep gouge in the table left by the lightsaber. "But I do know that the Dark Side will consume me if I allow it to. I need control of it, and I don't think I will find what I need among the Sith. Which is why I need to go to Kamino."
Dooku hissed, leaning forward to be closer to Lumis, and whispered, "You want to learn control from the Jedi?"
"The Jedi are bastions of control and restraint, and I believe it is foolish to discount their teachings on the matter. After all, the difference between us isn't in our understanding of the Force, it's in the way we use it. Jedi methods put to Sith practice can yield nothing but strength. I will not be turned away from knowledge simply because we find offense with the practitioners."
"I was a Jedi longer than Master Shaak Ti," the Count growled. "I could teach you more about Jedi control than she could."
"That's true, but I'm not learning from her. I need something from her that you can't give me. I need a Jedi."
"There are easier Jedi to obtain."
"Yes, but no other accomplishes as many things for as at once as Shaak Ti."
Dooku scoffed. "Such as?"
"Cody here tells me that she's training clones on Kamino. Her capture will deprive them of a teacher, and the loss of a member of the Jedi High Council will shake them. It has before, and Jedi compassion guarantees that each blow against them hurts more than the last." Kenobi pursed his lips, looking away from Dooku for a moment before quietly saying, "I have seen visions in the Force, and it has shown me a Togruta female standing in a field of dead Jedi. I cannot see who it is, and I don't know if it means that this woman escapes execution or aids in it, or something else entirely, but I feel like this could be dangerous for the Sith. There aren't many Togruta females among the Jedi, and I will deal with all of them."
"Be wary of visions, Kenobi," Dooku warned. "The Force so often leads us astray. It's why we must take the Force and bend it to our will. We control the Force, it does not command us."
A small smirk slid across the young Sith's face, his eyes flashing dangerously, and Dooku recoiled slightly. "The Sith talk about bending the Force to our will, but it is exactly that which turned the Force against the Sith Lords and drove us to near extinction. The Force bites back, our Master has said this many times before. I will not be pulled into the same mistakes as a thousand Sith before me."
"And you would heed the will of the Force?"
"Without question. The Force has shifted in our favor. The Dark Side is rising, and the Force isn't just allowing it to happen, it is aiding us. The Jedi have failed to create balance, and now the Force favors the Sith to do what the Jedi could not. It would be foolish to let ambition wreck our advantage. That would make us comparable to Wat Tambor's humiliating loss of Ryloth."
Dooku frowned. "I doubt our Master would approve of your views."
"I disagree. The Sith are changing. Conflict is the agent of change, and we thrive upon it. Our Master isn't one to waste an advantage when he sees it." A sly smirk slid across Kenobi's face. "The Rule of Two is over, Dooku. It has been for some time. The new Sith Order is rising, and if we do not adopt new ideas, new methods, we will stagnate and fall as the Jedi have. Our allies are flocking to us. Our Master is bringing close those who will serve in the Empire. I have brought Satine and a thousand systems to be ready for our ascension. On that woman, I will sire the next generation of Sith Lord that will rule this galaxy."
Dooku was silent for a moment as he contemplated this. "There will always be a Lord of the Sith above all the rest."
"Of course, but under him will be hundreds of Masters, thousands of apprentices. An Empire will require the combined might of a thousand Sith to make our rule enduring." A sinister smile crossed his face. "We will need each other, Dooku. I'd hate to kill you. You are powerful and valuable to the Sith, but if it means safeguarding my interests, my future children, my legacy in the Sith Empire, I will do it."
"Darth Sidious will not allow it."
Golden eyes gleamed in amusement. "Oh, Tyranus, do you think to tell our Master of what I have done here?" Kenobi gestured carelessly in the air. "Go on then. Tell him. Tell him how I so easily brought you to heel. Tell him you need help to defend against me, and your usefulness to him will be over. All you will be is another stone on which the Sith will step upon on their rise to greatness." Lumis smiled gently when Dooku's jaw clenched in anger. "Do we understand each other?"
"Perfectly."
"Excellent!" Obi-Wan clapped his hands together as he rose, Cody quickly leaping to his feet to stand beside his Master. "Now, I have told you of my future plans, as per our agreement. Despite this...disagreement, I believe we can still make the arrangement work. We are partners after all, yes? We both seek the same things."
"Naturally..."
"I'll contact you after I return from Kamino. With any luck, I'll return with more than just Shaak Ti. They are certain to send Jedi to defend their clones, and I need Force sensitives to experiment on."
Dooku rubbed his neck, the phantom fingers of the Force still burning his skin. "Have you learned something new?"
A slight, secretive smile passed over the Sith's face for a moment before it faded into cool indifference. "Oh yes. You shall see in due time. You're going to like it. And we're going to need something to replace the droids if the Jedi continue to assault our factories."
He tapped the clone on the shoulder, and without another word, Darth Lumis left Dooku alone to contemplate his place in the new Order of the Sith.