Chapter 60: Counterpoint

The Jedi had been dispatched immediately following the departure of Satine and her Sith Lord. It had not been the unqualified disaster they had expected, and while plans by some of the Masters to secretly arrest Kenobi were thwarted by an unexpectedly early flight from the city, Qui-Gon Jinn assured the Masters that Kenobi's visit, for him, had been extremely informative. Sith ambition was at work in the Senate, in the Confederacy, and now in Mandalore as well. With all the galaxy's major governments influenced by the Sith, the ultimate plan was becoming clear, a fact that Qui-Gon privately talked to Yoda about so the Grandmaster may take the appropriate steps. After all, Master Jinn was seen as too personally involved, too controversial to be listened to, but Yoda heeded the old Master and began to work very closely with him and Skywalker to bring the Sith to heel.

And Anakin was becoming strong. Watching the Sith Lord at work in the senate had renewed his dedication to everything he held dear when he had seen with his own eyes that Obi-Wan had the very real ability to take it all away from him. And Anakin Skywalker would not lose. He recognized that as a Jedi, he was a bit out of step with the Council, and while most called him defiant and difficult, Qui-Gon had always called their unusual approach...forward thinking. The Council at large didn't listen to Anakin, but they didn't need to. The Council was falling apart, and the most effective members were proving to be Luminara, Qui-Gon, Quinlan and Yoda, and they valued Anakin's opinion, respected the power he had, and stood behind him in the confrontation with the Sith that they all knew was coming.

Despite his knighthood, Anakin approached learning with the eager readiness of a new Padawan, and while he was quick to relentlessly pester Qui-Gon about his knowledge of the Living Force, it was Yoda he went to for the bulk of his training. Yoda opened up his mind to the Force, showed him things he never knew to be possible, taught him what it meant to be a vergence in the Force and how to harness that power. The Force was light and gentle and loving, and it guided his actions, drove him to better himself, showed him that there was another way and a better way to deal with the problems they were facing. Anakin had always liked lightsaber combat and yearned to fight, but with Yoda, he felt that drive diminished. Yoda never used a lightsaber. With the Force as his ally, he never needed to.

While Yoda oversaw his Force training, Qui-Gon helped Skywalker manage his personal struggles, of which there were many. Not being raised within the Temple, Anakin grew attached gladly and often to nearly everyone. He was compassionate, terribly so, which led him to connect deeply with those he had spent even a little bit of extended time with, and this made him frightfully protective. It wasn't a bad trait, but it was a difficult thing for a Jedi Knight, and while not impossible to manage, his emotions often clouded his vision and prevented him from fully connecting to the Force that surrounded him as a living nexus. Qui-Gon was of the opinion that emotions were not necessarily bad for the young man to be feeling. They were expected, given his late start in the Order, and Qui-Gon had always known that one day, he'd need to train Anakin not to prevent these very human emotions, but in learning how to put them in their place and deal with them appropriately when the time allowed it.

He had recovered from the tragic death of his mother. It was a long, arduous process, but Anakin had managed to put it away, and while he still often sat and thought of her and was gripped with sadness, it was not laced with the anger and the bitterness that it had been. Visits to his brother Owen had helped, and Qui-Gon was slowly becoming of the opinion that Anakin's attachments were what was saving him. He felt deeply, passionately, and he surrounded himself with people he loved and trusted, and each and every one of them relieved the pain of loss. He grieved slowly, and when he did, he was never alone, having an understanding mentor in the form of Qui-Gon Jinn, a Jedi who never faulted him for his emotions. The embrace of his emotions wasn't the Jedi way, but Qui-Gon never followed the Jedi way in the manner the Council approved of, and that was just fine for Anakin. He always had a Jedi to fall back on, a friend to talk to, a father figure to understand, and with support in the form of the Jedi family, Skywalker always had a way to manage his emotions and deal with them in a way that was both healthy and human.

And then there was Padmé...

Manipulated by the Sith for reasons unknown to everyone, the young senator was an emotional mess, but after her encounter with Obi-Wan upon the Tranquility, things began to change. Before, she was hopelessly drawn to her handsome, former Jedi protector, allured to his calm demeanor, his smooth words, his desire for peace, reawakening her old, childhood crush and igniting it into a lustful blaze. Anakin had found himself haplessly, and happily, on the end of the culmination of her frantic desires, but he understood what it was. It was simply...physical. Raw and carnal passion born from Sith manipulation and raging hormones. And then Kenobi rescued Nute Gunray from right under Padmé's nose, and that desire turned to anger.

And she had been furious, her strong emotions overriding even the attraction she had for the Sith Lord. She admitted she still found the idea of him terribly appealing, and despite her rage, she was drawn to him, but she anger made her stubborn, and it made her recognize what this truly was. She was smitten, drawn to a man that was both charming and dangerous, and she had been drawn in, blind to all else until he had directly hindered her own progress, and Padmé was left to be angry and resolve herself away from him. She, after all, had Anakin. The differences between them could not be more stark. Obi-Wan was charming, smooth, frightfully attractive, but he was also cruel and manipulative, a Lord of the Sith, despite what the Senate believed. Anakin, on the other hand, was kind and sweet, awkward and boyishly handsome. He may have been impulsive, but he was also loyal and dedicated and much more intelligent than he let on, and with her anger with Obi-Wan solidified, she opened herself to Skywalker.

It was slow at first, tenuous and uncertain, and very slowly, they began to open up to each other, and despite being bound by institutions that demanded they not be together, Padmé found herself becoming infatuated with the Jedi that was clearly in love with her. It was a careful courtship, but the slow, easy friendship grew into a gentle intimacy that stood in stark contrast to the very fast, all-consuming lust she had for Obi-Wan, and the Sith's absence made it easier for her to return Anakin's gentle feelings.

Than Obi-Wan had returned to Coruscant, and Anakin felt he might lose her.

The evening that the Coronet had returned to Mandalore, Anakin excused himself from the Temple to go see Padmé, with specific instructions from Qui-Gon to learn exactly what the Senate had discussed when the Jedi were frantically scrambling back at the Temple as they prepared to dispatch to the war as soon as possible. When the door slid open, Padmé had sighed in relief and quickly threw herself into Anakin's gentle arms, the Jedi flushing slightly as he pulled her into her apartment and sealing the door behind them.

"Are you alright?" Anakin asked, threading her long brown hair through his fingers. "I sensed a great deal of distress from you yesterday."

"It wasn't just me, it's everyone," Padmé said softly.

"Are they still worried?"

Padmé shook her head. "The Duchess did a good job stating her case. Nobody here is discussing peace options, but everyone agrees that the Republic will benefit from this Mandalorian alliance." She laughed harshly. "Several systems just today have declared their intentions to leave the Republic and join the Mandalorian Empire."

"That's not good..."

She sighed wearily and sat on the edge of her bed, Anakin dragging her desk chair over and sitting backwards upon it, arms draped over the back as he looked into the Senator's big, brown eyes. "No, it isn't. The Mandalorians may be for peace, but they are further fracturing the Republic at a time where we need to be united. The war cannot end unless we are!"

Anakin put his hands up before him. "I know, Padmé. You know I agree with you." He dragged his finger over the back of the chair. "Have you managed to convince anyone that Obi-Wan is Sith?"

She laughed at that bitterly. "I will say this about Obi-Wan Kenobi. He is an inspired talker. If he wasn't in service to the Force, he'd make an excellent politician."

"He isn't in service to the Force, he is Sith." Padmé glared at him pointedly, and Anakin looked away, biting his lip and sheepish. "S-sorry..."

"They all believe he's a poor, misunderstood, lost brother of the Jedi. He has everyone fooled, and even if I could convince them otherwise, it wouldn't matter. Nobody believe the Sith are a threat." Anakin sputtered in outrage, but Padmé held up a hand to silence him. "I know, Anakin. I know he's what you say he is. I've felt his influence, you know that."

"Y-yes..." the Jedi said, suddenly extremely uncomfortable. It was always a difficult thing for them to discuss, but Qui-Gon had said it was necessary. An open discussion would allow him to be compassionate and avoid any sort of misunderstandings, and doing so helped him release unease into the Force. After all, he wasn't supposed to have any of this. Careful and measured prudence must be taken.

"Obi-Wan has them convinced that the Sith are insignificant because there's only two of them. I tried to tell them that a single person that is particularly powerful, or talented, or ambitious can change the course of the galaxy, but they wouldn't listen. The Chancellor tried to help, but..." she shrugged, a weary smile on her face. "He's just...too eager to try and please everyone."

"At least he's trying."

She nodded, covering her mouth with the back of her hand as she yawned. "And the Jedi? They at least understand the threat. Do they have a plan?"

"We're all being sent back to the war. I'm leaving for the Sullust system tomorrow morning, and I think they're sending Council members to the Mandalore system to try and cut Kenobi off as he's leaving for Separatist space. A lot of Jedi are very angry that he wasn't arrested as soon as the Senate session was over."

"I'm very angry about that."

Anakin smiled slightly. "I understood the Duchess' point, but Obi-Wan is a war criminal, far more than we could ever be accused of being. I saw what he did to Depa Billaba. I saw ghost towns on Ryloth. I've felt the full fury of the anger inside him, I've seen the darkness that had has warped his soul."

"I know you have, Anakin..." She sighed heavily. "I'm not disagreeing with you. But what are the Jedi going to do about it? There's no way your Masters are going to be able to catch him as he's leaving Mandalore."

"You're right, they won't, he's too smart to allow himself to be captured. He's banking on the Jedi behaving in a certain way in order to manipulate us, which is what he did here yesterday. He counted on the Jedi obeying the Republic and honoring the promise that was made to him, but if we acted differently..."

"We have to behave honorably, Anakin..."

"I know, I know," he said quickly, waving her off. "But if we defied his expectations, he'd be confined in a cell deep inside the Jedi Temple right now, and we'd all feel safer." Anakin took a deep breath as he observed Padmé, the young woman thinking carefully for a moment before slowly nodding her agreement. "So Master Qui-Gon and Master Yoda came up with a plan that should do exactly that."

Padmé grinned widely. "I knew you would come up with something. Will it work?"

"The way things look now, it should, but things are constantly changing in this war, and so must we. It's a plan, but it's a flexible one."

"So," she drawled, "is this one of those plans that you hide from everyone?"

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Please. It was Qui-Gon that thought of this. Does he ever demand secrecy?"

The Senator smiled softly. "Not usually."

"The plan is..." Skywalker said, holding up his hands before him. "We don't do anything."

"...nothing?"

"Nothing."

Padmé's expressive brown eyes narrowed in anger. "Doing nothing isn't a plan, Anakin!"

The Jedi grinned. "Except when it is. If what we believe is correct, there are three Sith Lords, Dooku, Obi-Wan, and their invisible Master, and they are all involved in the three major powers in the galaxy right now."

"I know you all say there's a Sith Lord in the Senate, Anakin, but-"

"There is, Padmé. Just because we can't feel it, doesn't mean it isn't there. We learned that from Obi-Wan. Unless he's sufficiently stressed, we can't feel him in the Force at all." Anakin thought she'd argue, and for a moment, it looked like she would, but than she bit her lip and nodded for him to continue. "Obi-Wan is, by far, the most actively dangerous of the three. The Master is, of course, a bigger threat, but Master Yoda doesn't think the Jedi will ever see him, and if we do, it will be too late to stop his plans, whatever they might be. So to get to him, we need to go through his students."

"You're going to make Obi-Wan do it?" she asked, incredulous. "How. I know what it's like to get between a Jedi and his Master, I doubt that the Sith are any different."

"But they are, because they're entire culture isn't based on supporting each other like the Jedi, it's based on the desire and will to successfully execute the Master that trained them." Padmé stared at him aghast for a moment, than gasped in understanding. "As Master Qui-Gon says, Obi-Wan may be the most dangerous of them, but he's is also the only one that has shown he can be reasoned with, and he just recently came into quite a bit of galactic power."

Padmé nodded in agreement. "It's very clear that he's involved with Satine."

"Deeper than you'd think, if Master Vos and Master Qui-Gon are to be believed, and that kind of power leads to ambition for the Sith that may be very dangerous for the Master. Master Yoda says Obi-Wan is a Force nexus, so he's absolutely going to be stronger, but if he manages to kill this Sith Master isn't going to matter. The fight between them will draw so heavily on the Dark Side, cause such a disturbance in the Force that the Jedi will have to feel it. We should be able to find them, and than Qui-Gon, Yoda and I will be there to deal with the one who lives, which should be made easier by the fight they just endured."

At this, Padmé frowned. "Why do you have to go, Anakin? It's going to be dangerous, isn't it? More dangerous than anything you have ever done."

"Yes." He sighed, standing up from the chair and coming to sit beside her on the bed, taking her small hands in his. "Master Yoda says that I'm destined to fight Obi-Wan. He believes Kenobi will be able to slay his Master, and it will come down to a fight between him and me since we're both vergences in the Force. " Anakin looked away from her sheepishly. "I'm not sure I believe I am, but that's what they say. So!" He brought one of her hands to his lips. "Qui-Gon wants the Jedi to come out in support of Obi-Wan and his rule of Mandalore. He thinks it might stir tensions between Obi-Wan and his Master and if that happens, it's only a matter of time before Obi-Wan kills the other Sith. Meanwhile, I'll be training with Qui-Gon and Yoda to make myself ready to face him. Or the Master, if Obi-Wan is killed."

Padmé thought about this in silence for a long while, her hands tightening around Anakin's. "This plan is completely insane," she finally said, but she was smiling. "It might work."

"Yeah, it might." He brushed a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear, the woman smiling gently as he caressed her cheek. "I know you have...passions for Obi-Wan. Was seeing him alright?"

She looked away from him as she laughed, and Skywalker couldn't help himself from smiling. Despite the serious nature of the subject, her laugh was infectious, her care and delight in the Force not unnoticed. "I'm alright. Mind you, I find him terribly attractive..."

"Oh, that's wonderful."

"But you have mentioned off-hand how beautiful you find some of your Jedi friends..." Anakin blushed fiercely.

"T-that's not the same!"

She smiled, planting her small hands on his thighs and leaning up to plant a chaste, innocent kiss on his lips, the Jedi blushing furiously as she did, as he always did when they touched. "What I find physically appealing shouldn't matter because I chose you, Anakin..."

A breathless whimper was torn from the Jedi and he quickly embraced her, an easy, gentle passion building in them and slowly overtaking the two lovers. Even in their most passionate, they were careful, cautious, like they weren't supposed to have the slow, gentle intimacy they shared, which they supposed they weren't. But it was theirs, and for the life of him, Anakin wasn't letting go.

Obi-Wan had told Satine everything on the ship as they left Coruscant for Mustafar, about his conversation with his Master, about how pleased the reigning Sith Lord had been by the proceedings, how he agreed that the Mandalorian state had to be protected as insurance for the future. But most of all, how the Sith had essentially gifted her to Obi-Wan in exchange for the rights to their first child, and how the Master would aid in the infant's creation by...Satine wasn't exactly sure how, but Obi-Wan had assured her that the Sith could manipulate the body to do as he commanded, and apparently, her body had been manipulated.

It served two purposes. First, it would give her and her lover the child they had wanted, not just born from them, but created by the Dark Side itself, a condition that the Sith Lord had demanded, and they both knew that it was these demands that were keeping Satine not just alive, but under Sidious' protection. However, more importantly, this put a time limit on Obi-Wan's plans to murder his Master. They had no desire to surrender this powerful child, and not least because it belonged to them. This was the union of Sith and Mandalorian, the first of a new breed of rulers, and it would begin a legacy that would outlast the long history of the Republic.

When they reached Mustafar, they quickly sequestered themselves behind the locked doors of Obi-Wan's large, ornate bedchamber and wasted no time in setting about their duty. Satine watched in rapt interest as Darth Lumis knelt before her, eyes closed and breathing deep and calm as he reached deep within the Dark Side, the contained beast pacing restlessly within him, and he gently stroked it, coaxed it to come closer, and with a shuddering gasp, he surrendered himself to its power, the darkness instantly rushing through him and clutching him in its cold, wrathful grasp.

The claiming had been rough, brutal to the point of dark bruises on pale skin and the possessive burning of the full fury of the Force on every brush of his body against hers. And still, Satine was unafraid as she looked into those golden eye rimmed in a jagged blood red, so unlike what she was used to, but still so familiar. In them, she saw the Force itself, raw and dangerous and powerful beyond her imagination, all fury and passion and hatred and lust, and she loved every moment of it, worshiped the feel of it as it rushed through her and ravaged her body. It was a difficult thing to understand, the way the Dark Side worked, they way it gripped the man she loved, the way that it not only came when called but shared a body with the Sith Lord, but as she lay underneath him, she saw it burning within him, seizing control of his movements and his actions until there was little left of Obi-Wan within the possessive, lustful fury of the gold and red eyes.

There was pain, yes, and not a little of it as the Dark Side lay claim to what belonged to it, and while others may have shrank back from the beast that overtook one that they loved, Satine faced it head on, looked unafraid deep within it, and embraced it, loved it just as she loved the man the housed it. The Force was power, furious and vengeful and unending, and while she knew that she should turn away from it and never return, Satine was stubborn and dedicated. This thing was a part of Darth Lumis as much as his heart and lungs, and she wanted it. With acceptance and submission to the flames that consumed her came pleasure, not covering the pain, but moving in tandem beside it as the Dark Side took full possession of her, pleased by her willingness to serve it in the way it wished.

It was a long while before it was over, and after having been lulled into thinking it was several times, only to find herself roughly taken once again, Satine found it best to simply keep herself as close as possible so the beast didn't feel the need to exert its hard-handed domination over what was already his. She only knew her Obi-Wan had returned to her when the possessive, tight grasp on her hips relaxed and a gentle hand lay on her stomach, pulling her close, and the fine hairs of his beard brushed the back of her neck as he kissed it, sated and pleased and far less drained than she was. They were silent in their contentment, which made the ping of the comlink seem all the louder. With a tired groan, Obi-Wan extended his hand and called the device to him, answering it with a tired drawl of, "What is it..."

"Kenobi." The voice was husky, a low, dangerous timbre, and completely distinctive. Ventress. "Where have you been? I have been trying to contact you for days!"

The Dark Side growled its displeasure at the tone the woman used, but otherwise did nothing else, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but smirk. Even the Dark Side could overindulge. "Do I need to remind you that I don't answer to you, Asajj?"

"I don't need a reminder!" Kenobi frowned. Ventress was angry, so much more than she had ever been, which was saying something, since wrath consumed the Nightsister more often than not. And with her rage came power. Ventress had become alarmingly powerful within the past few weeks, her embarrassing loss to Skywalker on Kamino driving her to strive deeper into the Dark Side for power. It was working, but it was also consuming her, and nobody around her would argue with the results she was producing. One week of solid victories and six dead Jedi Knights had landed her squarely in Dooku's good graces, but it had also attracted the attention of the Jedi Order. She was a threat before. Now, she was a target.

"I think you might."

"I didn't call for a lecture!"

"Then why did you call?" Obi-Wan snapped, his patience gone, and he could almost feel Ventress recoil.

"...I'm flying to fight on Sullust."

Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed. "You bothered me to tell me that?"

"...no." She took a deep breath that could be heard over the soft muffling of the comlink. "I wanted to train with you."

"Dooku made it very clear that you are his to train."

Ventress scoffed. "Since when have you ever listened to Dooku!"

"I still don't, but our Master wants peace between us. I think." He paused, dragging Satine closer to him and gently whispering apologies in the sleepy woman's ear. "Regardless, Dooku and I have come to an understanding, and it has suddenly become more beneficial to me to make nice with him."

He could feel Ventress roll her eyes. "You two are insufferable."

"We are Lords, we can do as we like."

"You are dramatic children! One moment, you hate each other, and the next, you need each other." Obi-Wan and Satine both attempted to stifle laughter at that. "...Kenobi, is someone else there?"

"Can Dooku and I hate each other because we need each other? I find that is often the case, and that is especially true of the Sith."

"Really, Kenobi, who's there? If this private call has become a public conversation, I-"

"Asajj, honestly..." Obi-Wan sighed. "I never complained when you flirted with the Dark Side, but you are allowing it to own you."

"But it has made me strong!" she insisted, her voice a low, dangerous growl, and Obi-Wan just scoffed, dismissing the notion entirely.

"You think winning a few battles and killing a few Jedi makes you strong, Asajj? There is strength in the Dark Side, yes, more than even you will ever be able to understand, but all that power is useless if you allow it to burn you to nothing. You've reached too far, too quickly, Ventress."

"That's why I want you to train me!" the Nightsister pleaded. "Kenobi, Lord Lumis, please! I'm so strong now, but you can make me stronger!"

Obi-Wan groaned and rolled on to his back, Satine settling her head on his chest as he rested the hand holding the comlink on the pillow beside him. "What do you think, Satine?"

Ventress gasped loudly. "Is that who you're with?" It was followed by an audible sneer. "So help me, Kenobi, if you two are-"

"If we were, believe me, you'd know." He grinned when the Nightsister retched. "Ventress, I respect your desire to deepen your studies, but I...don't think it's a good idea. You're already stepping into territory you have no business in." Obi-Wan could feel Ventress become angry again, but it did not affect him. There was a pulling in the Force, something deep and persistent that seemed to warn him, not against Ventress, but against making her stronger.

"And what makes you so special that you get to decide what territory I belong in!"

"Asajj. I am a Sith Lord. I don't just reign over the Dark Side, I am the Dark Side."

"You are afraid," she sneered, contempt dripping off her voice. "You fear how strong I will become!"

"You have never been a threat to me, Ventress, but it's cute that you think so." She sputtered in rage, and before she could say another word, Obi-Wan closed his eyes, focusing on her voice, her anger, the thin, constant connection that they shared, and he grabbed hold and pulled hard, and the angry growls changed quickly to a gasp of pain. "Feel that, Asajj?" Obi-Wan asked quietly, picturing her in his mind and feeling her anger flee in the presence of overwhelming fear. "I am a Lord of the Sith, and you may be trained in the Dark Side, but you can never match up against one of my kind."

"I-If you trained me-"

"You aren't Sith, Ventress!" he snapped, his fragile patience giving way to temper. "You are powerful, far more powerful than I thought you would have become, and despite all your strength, you have barely begun to scratch the surface of the Dark Side, and it is already consuming you!" Kenobi took a deep, calming breath. "I can help you reach the next step in your training with Dooku, but I can't show you the ways of the Dark Side. I'm an apprentice, and I cannot take an apprentice of my own without drawing the ire of my Master. It would put us both in grave danger."

"But Dooku-"

"And Dooku is walking a very dangerous line," Kenobi said softly, and he could feel Ventress slowly shift away from outrage as she began to listen. "I don't know if Dooku plans on training you as Sith, Asajj, but our Master has taken notice of his ambitions. No Sith Lord stays satisfied being a mere apprentice, and if Dooku made the push to kill my Master with you at his side, I would be forced to stand against both of you, and mark my word, my friend, I will not lose."

Ventress was quiet for a long while before she finally said, "Do you think that would happen?"

"No. I think my Master would find a way to bring Dooku back into subservience. Despite his harsh methods, you mean something to him, Asajj. What that is, I don't know, but being important to a Sith Apprentice is a very dangerous place to be, and now, you are overreaching."

"...I'll be careful," Ventress said slowly, and Obi-Wan could feel an ache in his chest suddenly lessen. He didn't realize how tense he was. "Thank you, Obi-Wan."

"Look, Asajj, I..." Kenobi hissed in frustration, biting his tongue as he thought. "I need to stand by the Sith, and as long as you are an asset to us, I suppose I could find a way to help you hone your skills."

Obi-Wan heard her breathe a sigh of relief, but she didn't express her ease or her feelings verbally. Instead, she quickly snapped, "It's not like I need your help, Kenobi. I just prefer Mustafar to Serenno."

Kenobi smiled softly. "Goodnight, Ventress. Happy hunting." The com cut, and he unceremoniously tossed the device back to th ground, curled up with Satine in his arms, and the two fell quickly asleep.