A slow smile stretched across Dooku's face, but there was no warmth in the expression. "Well, well. What a cozy scene."
"Dooku," Anakin spat, drawing his blade. "Here for a rematch?"
Count Dooku stood in the doorway, red blade ignited and poised. Two guards lay decapitated on the plush carpet at Dooku's feet. He smirked. His eyes glanced over Anakin and Obi-Wan disdainfully before swiveling to Palpatine. "There are far bigger prizes."
"True," Obi-Wan agreed amicably, twirling his blade once. "But Anakin and I can hardly ruin our near pristine record against Sith Lords. You understand, of course." Dooku was the blight on that record, but they were younger then, less battle-tried. This time… This time, Obi-Wan vowed, would be different; they could not afford to fail.
Dooku chuckled, a dark sound that caressed his ears.
Then it was a flurry of blades - red, blue, and green.
"I sense much anger in you," Dooku taunted Anakin. "But you don't harness its power. You're too weak."
"I thought I should give you a fighting chance. Fair play and all that. Master Obi-Wan was always so insistent."
Where Maul or Opress would have snarled and pressed even harder, Dooku merely smiled - a man utterly confident in his own immense skill.
Back and forth. Over furniture, around the room. Give and take. Push and pull.
It was a stalemate. Anakin suspected they were being toyed with. But Obi-Wan, too, was holding back, reserving power, keeping his true strength hidden until the opportune moment. Obi-Wan wielded humility as efficiently as his blade, never to be under-estimated. Anakin admired his strategy.
Then, with a move that impressed even himself, Anakin disarmed Count Dooku. "It's over, Count," Anakin snarled.
Dooku fell to his knees. Anakin kept his blade at Dooku's throat. The red blade answered Obi-Wan's call and flew into his hand.
"Well done, Anakin," Palpatine praised. "Well done, indeed." Dooku glanced at Palpatine - not with contempt, but with fear and confusion.
Anakin ignored the Chancellor. He met Obi-Wan's eyes over Dooku's head. They had done it. They had actually done it. Hope bloomed in his chest.
"I'll contact the Temple. We'll require Temple Guards to assist in transporting him to a cell."
"Master Jedi," Palpatine protested. "He's too dangerous to be kept alive."
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "That may be, but he will receive a fair trial, as the law dictates."
"He will be found guilty of all crimes. Let us not delay the inevitable." Palpatine turned to Anakin. "I know you will appreciate my desire to end this here and now. Dooku has escaped from prison before. Let us not provide him an opportunity to do so again and needlessly prolong this wretched war."
"That isn't the Jedi way," Obi-Wan snapped.
Palpatine smiled. "Ah, but Anakin is no longer a Jedi."
Anakin hesitated. He would be lying if the thought hadn't crossed his mind. How many times had he imagined Dooku's death? How many were dead because of this man? He'd tried to have Padmé killed. He was likely behind the order to target Adrina's RMSU. Dooku deserved to die. He deserved a slow, agonizing death. It would be so easy to kill Dooku now, his blade hovering just above Dooku's neck.
Anakin clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on his lightsaber. A flick of his wrist and it would be done. Justice. Vindication.
Anakin wanted to kill Dooku. That swirling darkness deep within him called out, begging for Dooku's blood. Begging to see the life in Dooku's beady, hateful eyes snuffed out. He could almost feel the great sigh of relief he would give, the great burden lifted from him, to scatter pieces of Count Dooku across the luxurious carpet. It would be too quick, too clean, but it would be over.
Anakin wanted Dooku dead.
The darkness whispered coaxing, tempting entreaties.
But Padmé would urge him to allow the justice system its proceedings. Obi-Wan, too, would argue that killing Dooku now would not be true justice, but revenge. Adrina would acknowledge the logic in Palpatine's argument, but urge him to rise above, to be better than their enemies.
He couldn't do it.
"I'm not a Jedi," Anakin said, not taking his eyes off of Dooku. "But I know that killing him here would not be right."
"You're fools, every one of you," Dooku chuckled. "Blind, utter fools."
"Don't make me change my mind," Anakin snarled. The whispers swirled once more, but Anakin ignored them.
"The end is upon you." Dooku shook his head. "And you can't even see it. The fleet is here and the time of final reckoning is nigh."
Obi-Wan brought the hilt of his lightsaber down on Dooku's head and he collapsed unconscious. "Much better." He bowed slightly to Palpatine before stepping aside to contact the Temple.
Palpatine tilted his head, studying Dooku's prone body. His sneer melted into consideration. "Master Kenobi was correct," Palpatine said thoughtfully. He smiled at Anakin. "The Jedi Temple is indeed the best course of action."
Anakin nodded curtly. Unease slithered through him; he expected Palpatine to insist Dooku be transferred to a Republic holding facility, like Ahsoka had been.
Obi-Wan cleared his throat as he returned, grim-faced. "His escort will be here momentarily. They confirmed that the Separatist fleet just exited hyperspace above the planet. They're making their final play."
0
Adrina opened her eyes to blinding sunlight. She slammed her eyes shut and cringed away from its brightness. Beside her, a familiar monitor quietly recorded its patient's vitals. Adrina inhaled deeply. She flexed her hands and frowned. Adrina cracked her eyes. An intravenous line pierced her left hand. She blinked. Odd.
Adrina struggled to a sitting position. Where was Obi-Wan? Hadn't she heard him calling her? Why was she in the Halls of Healing as a patient? Why did her entire body throb? A faint tendril of the Force weaved through her body, assessing. Shivers ran up and down her spine.
How am I still alive?
The sheer amount of new and freshly knitted tissues, both internal and external…Her injuries would have been catastrophic. How had she even survived? What had she survived?
She had been…. She had been…
What had happened? If her patient sustained these injuries, she would say they had… Adrina furrowed her brow. What would she say? The answer slipped through her fingers like water. She would say… She would say… Her brow furrowed. She would say…
Fire. Pain.
Adrina sucked in a breath as the memory rushed back - that blinding second of realization as her world had erupted into chaos. Into pain. Into oblivion.
And Obi-Wan… Obi-Wan in her floating dream, comforting even in her unconsciousness. He had spoken to her, of that she was certain, though his words were nothing but wisps. Tears burned her eyes and clogged her throat.
But there was something else, too. Something important. Something the Force demanded she know, demanded she see. A vision thrust upon her. It fluttered on the hazy edges of her memory, elusive vapors of smoke that scattered when she groped for them.
If she could just reach the datapad hanging from the foot of the bed, she could learn more.
Adrina swung her legs over the side of the bed and fought a wave of lightheadedness. She gritted her teeth through the pain. Sock-clad feet touched the cool floor. Adrina paused, gathering her tattered strength.
"Just what do you think you are doing?" Master Che tutted from the doorway. "The call button exists for a reason, as you ought to know."
"I'm fine." She would be, anyway. She was weak and her entire body throbbed, but, in her professional opinion, she would make a full recovery in time.
Che snorted.
Adrina grimaced as Che helped her lay back down.
Che's expression softened. "I'll see that some holobooks from the Archives are brought to you."
"I don't suppose my comlink survived…" Unlikely.
Che adjusted Adrina's pillow. "Your robes were unsalvageable, but I believe a few items in your belt were relatively unscathed, namely your comlink and a data crystal. Your lightsaber, too, though I need not tell you that you are restricted to very light activity. New tissues are extremely delicate and that's the only thing holding your body together."
Adrina's brow furrowed. Data crystal? What data crystal did she carry? Data crystal… Oh, yes. The bounty hunter, Lor Dmee, who felt he owed her a debt for saving his life.
"How long was I unconscious? It feels like moments, but I know it was longer than that." If her brain wasn't so jumbled, she knew she could accurately estimate based on her stage of recovery, but as it stood, her brain felt little firmer than goo.
"You have been in a healing trance for nearly three days." Che covered Adrina in the white blanket. "To be expected with injuries such as yours."
"What… I know it was bad, but…" Adrina grimaced at her ineptitude.
Che frowned at her, shook her head once, and answered, "Myocardial contusion, severe internal bleeding, a variety of broken bones, concussion, and inner ear injury, not to mention the substantial burns and lacerations. You were near the center of the explosion, found unresponsive. It took hours to stabilize you. Your heart stopped twice." Che sighed, long and heavy.
Adrina's heart squeezed and blood ran cold. She shoved the thought of her own death aside. She hesitated a moment before admitting, "I thought I heard Obi-Wan."
"So you did," Che said, nodding. "But he left an hour ago with young Skywalker."
Oh. Adrina sagged against the pillow. She stared at the empty chair.
"He handled it admirably, but he was nearly out of his mind with worry. They both were."
"What did I miss? Why was there an explosion?"
Che paused. "Master Kenobi will have much to tell you when he returns. But for now you can rest assured that the perpetrator has been apprehended. You need not fear a reprise."
Adrina frowned.
"But I'm afraid it will be some time before Master Kenobi returns. No doubt he and young Skywalker are off to face the Separatist fleet." She shook her head. "They've been vexingly bold, attempting to invade Coruscant."
Adrina blanched. "What?"
Che nodded. "Moments ago. The Council just alerted us. Oh, no. I see that look in your eye. You are staying right here. You are not well enough to be of any assistance."
"I intend to be a model patient," Adrina murmured. It was not as though she would have a choice in the matter; her body would be of no help in its current state. Sleep already tugged at her.
Che raised an eyebrow. "A cognitive exam is in order. Physically, your body is recovering wonderfully. Your burns and lacerations are nearly healed. Your strength will return quickly if you rest."
"A hearing exam, too." Her eyelids drooped.
Che touched Adrina's shoulder with a soft smile. "We will see you put to rights. Never fear. Sleep, now, and be at peace. You are wonderfully alive."
Adrina slipped back into sleep's arms.
0
Adrina awoke to an empty room. She stared at the empty chair beside the bed with a sharp pang of bitterness. Alone.
"..hospital ship needs…" The harried male voice outside her door faded away.
The hospital ships needed a great many things, Adrina imagined, not the least of which would be medical personnel. Able-bodied medical personnel. Her fingers curled into the soft sheets.
Adrina glared at her left hand. The intravenous line remained. Someone recently administered pain medication through the line, judging by the cold tingling around the insertion site. The medication ebbed away the pain and cleared some of the fog in her mind.
Adrina sighed. She sat up with a good deal of effort and a grunt of pain. How long had she been asleep? Long enough for Master Che to deposit a small brown bag on the side table.
How long had a battle waged in the sky?
A good patient would call a meddroid to help them across the room to the chair by the tall window. But she couldn't justify pulling a valuable meddroid away from other needier patients when she was perfectly capable of walking three steps to the plush chair.
With a burst of resolute energy, Adrina swung her legs over the side of the bed. She gripped the IV pole with her right hand and, bracing for a jolt of pain, eased to her feet. Her legs wobbled. Three steps - that's all she needed to make. Three small steps.
Adrina shuffled forward. One step. Then another. Her legs buckled. She pitched forward into the chair. She hissed at the impact on tender skin. She straightened the IV line and adjusted her position in the chair to better view Coruscant. The sun, shifting to the other side of the planet, cast lovely red and orange hues on the gleaming buildings.
She leaned back in the chair, watching the dancing lights painting a fiery scene across the spires. Fire. Adrina's brow furrowed. She concentrated on the image that flashed through her mind, but the vision vanished. Adrina sighed. She rubbed her forehead.
Bursts of light above Coruscant grabbed Adrina's attention. She gritted her teeth through each too-familiar burst, fearing that one signified the loss of someone she loved. Burst after burst after burst, until her throat constricted and her stomach roiled. The gentle nudge of the Force quieted the roars of anguish and urged her to go to Padmé. Adrina sighed; her body was weak and hurting. She had no business running around Coruscant. Still, that quiet voice whispered to go.
"This is ridiculous," Adrina muttered. She grabbed her datapad and shot off a quick note to Padmé. She sighed at the near instant response, even if it assuaged some of the hurt of waking alone.
Ignoring the annoying voice of common sense chastising her imprudence, Adrina carefully removed the intravenous line and stood. She looked down at herself, at the loose tunic and trousers, and at the slippers waiting by the bed - hardly the attire she desired. Still, it would have to do. Adrina sniffed her shoulder. At least someone had recently cleaned her, if the citrus scent lingering on her skin was any indication. It would be enough.
Adrina slung the bag across her chest, ignoring the discomfort, and took measured steps towards freedom. Trembling legs grew more confident with each step towards. The door slid open. Techs and assistants rushed hither and yon, each more harried than the last.
Adrina nabbed a hoverchair from the nearby storage alcove. She eased into the hoverchair, settling her bag in her lap. In the bustle of the Halls of Healing, Adrina slipped out of the infirmary. The doors to the Halls closed behind her, silencing the chaos.
Shadows encroached the gilded halls. The eerie silence blanketing the Temple amplified the soft whrr of the hoverchair. Adrina shifted in the seat and drew her borrowed blanket tighter around her shoulders against the uncharacteristic cold. Already her strength waned.
The warm breeze teased Adrina's loose hair as the Temple doors parted for her. She tipped her head back and released a sigh.
Padmé's personal speeder awaited Adrina at the northern entrance. Adrina raised an eyebrow. The Senate complex was close and she had taken a winding, if easier, path to the entrance, but Padmé must have sped quite a bit in order to be waiting for her.
Padmé stepped out of the closed-top speeder with a warm smile and rushed over. Keen eyes assessed Adrina. "You were blown up three days ago. Should you really be out of bed? You look awful."
"A healer said I was fine."
Padmé chuckled. "Your opinion doesn't count."
Adrina merely smiled.
"Are you, though?" Padmé pressed, concern superseding humor. "Are you alright?"
Adrina clenched her jaw and stared down at her lap. "I'm… recovering."
"I am glad you are alive," Padmé murmured after a long moment of silence. "I heard your injuries were severe."
Adrina managed a nod. Fatigue weighed on her. "I'm stitched back together, but the deep healing required will take time and energy. I'll be restricted to light activity for a week or two, but..." Really, she should be nearly bedridden for a few days minimum, but Padmé didn't need to know that detail.
"Anakin is concerned about permanent damage."
Adrina bit her lip. "Time will tell."
Padmé assisted Adrina into the speeder. Adrina relaxed back into the leather with a deep sigh. After storing the hoverchair in the back, Padmé piloted them away from the Temple. If Coruscant's population knew of the battle waging above their planet, the volume of traffic surely didn't show it; Coruscant stopped for no one and nothing.
"Have you seen Obi-Wan?"
Adrina shook her head. "Not Anakin, either."
"We were all worried about you."
Adrina twisted her hands together. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
Padmé's grip on the steering column tightened. "This was not your fault." Padmé stated.
Adrina opened her mouth, but the words evaporated and they traveled the rest of the way in silence.
C-3P0 greeted Padmé and Adrina on the patio. Adrina gratefully accepted 3P0's help out of the speeder. Already the pain was returning, her limited energy spent. Adrina nabbed a glass of juice from 3P0's tray and sank onto the patio couch. Padmé murmured her thanks to 3P0 and sat opposite Adrina.
Adrina bit her lip. "Do you mind if I lay down? Sitting up is…uncomfortable." She really should have stayed in the Temple, but she couldn't return. Not now. Not yet. She would have to deal with the pain. The Force assured her that she was exactly where she should be, despite the imprudence.
"Not at all."
Adrina took a long drink of juice before setting it aside and stretching out. She laid her head on her arm and closed her eyes.
Padmé quietly broke the silence just as Adrina was drifting to sleep. "We secured funding for the clinic," Padmé said. "Our bounty hunter's appearance, coupled with the Duali's tragedy, sealed the deal. Repairs are set to begin early next week."
"Good," Adrina murmured. She cracked half a smile. "Dmee feels he owes me a favor, you know."
Padmé choked on her juice. She laughed.
"It's true. Gave me a data crystal to contact him. Told him I wasn't sure I would ever need to call such a favor in, but…" Adrina shrugged. She patted her bag. "It managed to survive the blast - no idea how."
Padmé chuckled. "If years in political service have taught me anything, it's that people owing you favors is never a bad thing."
Padmé's sweet visage belied a clever, shrewd mind. Adrina's smile slipped. "Master Che said the perpetrator was caught. Who was it?"
Padmé set her glass aside. Adrina steeled herself for bad news. "Barriss Offee. She has already confessed before the military tribunal."
Barriss Offee. A Jedi.
Adrina could only croak a singular word, "Why?"
Padmé sighed. "I have a transcript of the… trial, if you care to read it."
Adrina nodded mutely.
"Here."
Adrina accepted Padmé's datapad with trembling hands. Adrina's eyes squinted and strained, trying to focus on the slow-scrolling words. Fragments of Barriss' testimony registered. "...Jedi are the ones responsible for the war…lost our way…army fighting for the Dark side…"
Adrina shoved the datapad back into Padmé's hands. "I can't…" Tears burned her eyes and her head throbbed.
Betrayed by one of their own… How could sweet Barriss Offee commit such an atrocity against her own family? How could she condemn the Order for their failings whilst committing greater sins? Adrina held her aching head.
Padmé touched Adrina's hand. "The guest room is prepared; why don't you sleep? You're welcome to borrow any of my clothes. I have plenty I no longer fit into. Dormé moved them into the guest closet." She rubbed her growing belly with a fond smile.
"Perhaps a short nap," Adrina conceded. Padmé helped her to her feet. But Adrina paused to stare at the orange-hued sky. She wasn't entirely sure what to do with these spiraling emotions. She'd sent Anakin and Obi-Wan off to battle countless times before, but never without the distraction of her work.
"I'm sure they're fine," Padmé said, following her gaze, but worry laced her voice.
Adrina turned away, weariness slumping her shoulders. She clung to the only thought that provided comfort: Obi-Wan always keeps his promises. Always.