Chapter Text
Anakin stared down at Dooku on his knees before him, hands missing, red and blue lightsabers crossed on either side of his neck, with a look of fear replacing the usual smugness in those dark eyes. It gave him no small thrill of satisfaction at seeing the man who had taken his arm and electrocuted him countless times entirely at his mercy, he couldn’t deny that.
“Good, Anakin. Good.” Palpatine praised with a pleased chuckle from the chair behind him to which he was bound.
He looked over to him briefly before turning his glower back on Dooku, instinctively seeking direction from his mentor on where to go from here. He should take Dooku in for trial right? But how was he supposed to get a handless Sith, the Chancellor, and Obi-Wan, who was unconscious and possibly injured , off this doomed ship with Grievous and an army of battle droids on board, all on his own? He was good, but he was still one man.
I should check on Obi-Wan… he has to be okay. He’ll wake up and be able to help surely…
His train of thought came to a shuddering halt as Palpatine’s voice reached his ears once more in answer to his uncertainty, all warmth having vanished from his tone so only cold indifference remained. Even the temperature of the artificial air seemed to drop as he gave his advice. No, his command.
“Kill him. Kill him now.”
The look of shock and betrayal on the Count’s face when he looked at Palpatine spoke volumes, though why he would have that expression he couldn’t fathom. The shock made sense, as he himself felt the same way about the callous order from the leader of the Republic. Yes, he wanted Dooku dead, but wouldn’t it be more beneficial to Palpatine if he was arrested and made to confess all the information he had on their enemies? He didn’t understand politics well enough to be sure. Maybe he just wanted this war to end as badly as he did. It had to be a blow to Dooku’s pride as well.
Betrayal though? That… that couldn’t be right. He must have misread the emotion there is all. They were on opposite sides of this war! Dooku had the Chancellor kidnapped for Force’s sake, and not for the first time! Even if they had somehow known each other before all of this, that was a look you gave someone… that had up until now been an ally, a friend… (a Master? He had known that betrayal once with Obi-Wan, after Hardeen)….
Palpatine’s words were echoing in his mind, drowning out the whisper from the Force to keep going, he was on the right track… Kill him now.
His confusion wasn’t the only reason for his hesitation though, or what was really staying his hands. His thoughts had drifted back to Obi-Wan, as they so often had whenever he needed guidance. When he was floundering in the dark, at risk of getting lost in it with no way out. He had always been a beacon of light to help him find his way again. His trust in his former Master had been badly shaken during the war, his faith in the Jedi frayed to the breaking point, but… but I don’t want to disappoint him still. This isn’t what he would want.
But it is what Palpatine wants. Wouldn’t he be disappointed if you refuse?
As he and the Jedi (he and Obi-Wan) drifted ever further apart, he and the Chancellor had only grown closer. This man had also supported and mentored him since childhood, when there was no reason why he should want anything to do with him (yet he did because…?). Who had been there for him in ways his former Master never could. Obi-Wan was loyal to the Jedi Code and to the Council, not to him (are you sure of that?).
Palpatine knew his most precious secret and his deepest regret, and he had kept these in confidence for years. He was always there to offer a hand or council to guide him into through the darkness (like he’s familiar with it perhaps?). Not a beacon, but a sturdy anchor. Anchors come with chains. (Is he pulling you back up, or dragging you down?)
Dooku was watching him with pity caution (a hint of hope?) now as he clenched the hilts of his sabers tightly enough that his knuckles turned white and the gears in his mechno hand squealed in protest, his brow furrowed and jaw clenched, his inner conflict plain on his face.
Time had appeared to stop around him as his mind had struggled to process the tempest of thoughts and feelings Palpatine’s words had evoked, but in reality, what had felt like hours had been mere moments. Now he had a choice to make. In desperation, he grasped at the last pathetic excuse (a gossamer thin, but very real, lifeline) he could find. His fracturing sense of morality.
“I shouldn’t…” was all he managed to force out, but he felt so much more.
It’s not the Jedi way.
You don’t care about that do you? This is Dooku. He deserves vengeance justice.
It’s not Obi-Wan’s way!
That’s the same thing, and you will NEVER be Obi-Wan.
I KNOW THAT!!!!! I can still do the right thing.
Ha, that’s rich coming from —
That thought was never finished as both older men spoke at the same time, one impatient, the other the confession of a man now at peace with his inevitable death. The Chancellor’s eyes were drilling spiteful holes into his back, while Dooku looked him square in the eyes with something oddly resembling respect.
“Do it.”
“He’s Sidious.”
If Anakin had not already made his choice in that instant, he would have made a very different one. As it was, he was in the process of stepping back with a shake of his head, lightsabers deactivating with a hiss, when Palpatine’s two simple words, equal parts demand and warning, tore into him with jagged, flesh-rending claws like a nexu pouncing on its prey. They shredded through his mind, his heart, his soul, freezing him where he stood as they played on repeat like a broken holorecording. With no regard for his inner turmoil, for how it would effect him, devoid of all mercy…
Do it. Do it. Do it….
But he had not. He had disobeyed a direct order from the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. He had never felt so cold in his life, standing as rigid as a statue with a look of shock and wide-eyed terror making a mockery of his handsome features. Only heightened by Dooku’s last words finally registering through his fear. The column of blue light piercing the man through the heart from behind certainly didn’t help matters.
Obi-Wan’s lightsaber… but he’s still out and I didn’t… Dooku definitely didn’t… that leaves…
Oh. It was so much worse. He’d disobeyed a direct order from the Sith Master, Darth Sidious. The one they’d been looking for, the mastermind behind the Clone Wars. Who had wanted… him? As his new apprentice? The Force seemed to release a heavy sigh, but wrapped him in what little comfort it could provide. Which wasn’t much considering his current predicament. (You got there eventually.)
This hadn’t been a seized, spur-of-the moment opportunity for justice. It was a planned, cold-blooded execution. With him as the intended executioner. It had been a test of loyalty. One that he had failed. That had exposed Sideous before he was ready.
“Foolish boy.” Palp — Sidious hissed as he freed himself from his throne-like chair and stood with far more grace than a man his age should possess. A whisper of the Dark pulled both his and Dooku’s unlit sabers from his slackened grip, leaving a trail of burning frostbite on his flesh palm where it had brushed his skin. The eerily calm anger and disappointment dripping from his words like venom confirming his worst fears.
“I… I don’t understand your Excellency….” he stuttered, unable to keep his voice from trembling. Even now the habit of using one of his formal titles was too difficult to break. His subservience respect had been too deeply ingrained.
You are weak Skywalker…useless…
“Oh, I think you do Anakin.” Sidious replied, glancing at Dooku’s body that had crumpled unceremoniously to the floor with the same disdain as one might have for a bug crushed under their shoe. Sparing him no further thought, he smoothed his gray dress robe and glided fluidly around Anakin to face him now, his blue eyes having turned their true sickly yellow.
He regarded him with a calculating gaze that flayed him alive on the spot, leaving him as raw and vulnerable as a youngling. Though this was nothing new when he was with him. The Jedi Council made him feel the same way, but he had truly believed that Palpatine cared, and would never use that vulnerability against him.
Force, how could I have been so blind? (He had everyone fooled.)
“It was not time yet for you to learn of my identity, but I will confess I was confident that I had your undivided loyalty by now. That you would take this easy opportunity I provided to prove yourself to me. Clearly my faith in you was misplaced. However, I can be generous. There will be other chances, my future slave apprentice.” he said smoothly, but there was an edge to his words. This was the calm before the storm.
You would be lost without a Master. It’s only a matter of which you choose.
Oh, so suddenly I have a choice? I don’t think Sideous agrees. Besides, Obi-Wan is not that kind of Master.
Keep telling yourself that. The Council holds his leash, and he holds yours.
Sidious contemptuously tossed Obi-Wan’s and Dooku’s lightsabers across the room, Anakin’s own tucked away somewhere in one of his voluminous sleeves. Anakin could call them to him with the Force, but it would do him little good. He could barely think straight, let alone duel the Sith Master that had been a second father-figure to him. Sidious knew it too. He knew the effect he had on him.
He smiled slowly, lifting a wrinkled hand to gently grip his chin, making Anakin tense, breathing in shallow pants through his nose with his lips pressed together, but was unable to pull away. He could only meet his eyes, the fear still very present in his own, but alongside it now was a spark of defiance.
Sidious apparently found it amusing, since he let out a quiet laugh. “I have need of that fire my boy. You’re a slow learner, but you can learn. You will, given time. I am a patient teacher, and soon you will be calling me Master. That is… unless you don’t care what happens to Kenobi over there?” he drawled with a raised brow.
Anakin’s eyes narrowed dangerously and he jerked his chin from Sidious’ grasp, taking an instinctive step to the side that put himself between Obi-Wan and the Sith. “Don’t hurt him.” he growled, his anger simmering to a boil just beneath the surface, but Sidious’ taunting smirk had his voice breaking in the end, his threat coming out more as a desperate plea.
“Please sir…” he amended, giving up his thin veneer of control, shame tinging his cheeks pink as his gaze flicked to the floor. Not the only other person he couldn’t bear to lose besides Padmé. He and Obi-Wan had many issues between them to work through, but he didn’t want him dead. He loved needed him.
Naive child…. he will make you choose between them one day soon…
I’ll kill him first.
That I’d like to see.
“I will not kill him as of yet. I was going to have him killed here on this very ship, but I can see now that he might be of more use to me alive. You can spare him much pain though if you join me Anakin.” Sidious offered with his most generous smile.
Anakin flinched, but shook his head again. “It would hurt him worse if I did.” he replied, desperately trying to convince himself he was still making the right choice even if every instinct was screaming to protect Obi-Wan no matter the cost.
Sidious tsked. “Be that as it may, it won’t matter in the end. I will get what I want and you will only be prolonging your suffering along with his. How long do you think you can live with that guilt?” he mocked uncaringly.
He tilted his head in consideration, not sparing him a moment to reply. “Which brings us to your punishment for your disobedience.” he crooned.
That was the only warning he had before Sidious raised both hands and sent torrents of lightning far more powerful than anything Dooku had ever produced through his entire body at point-blank range.
The agony was like nothing he’d ever felt before, his nerves igniting in white-hot fire as he was blasted backwards, skidding along the polished metal floor until he came to a stop, convulsing on the spot while electricity arced over him, smoke rising from his skin and robes. Even with his insulating glove, the intense voltage started to melt and warp the metal plating of his mechno arm, frying the delicate circuitry within and sending more painful feedback lancing through his nervous system.
He could barely hear his own screams as they were torn from his throat between ragged gasps of air over the rapid pounding of his heart in his ears, threatening to burst from his chest at the rate it was pumping his electrified blood. It could only be thanks to the Force that he was still alive right now.
Then inexplicably, mercifully, it all ended. He lay panting face down on the floor, unable to move except to lift his head slowly to glare up at the Sith looming over his prone form with that infuriating smile still in place. He wondered if his eyes had flashed yellow for a moment upon noticing the glimmer of dark delight that flickered through the elder man’s own.
“Your resilience is most impressive Anakin… excellent… but in the end, if you do not kneel before me of your own volition, you will know nothing but pain until you are begging for mercy at my feet. This was only a small taste of the suffering you will face. You will be made to know fear before we move on to rage and hate. Consider this my first lesson to you.” he purred.
Anakin grit his teeth. The man was a broken record. Did he need to keep pointing out that he would suffer? He knew all of those emotions intimately already and he wasn’t interested in learning more. This treacherous sleemo who he’d loved trusted had nothing to offer him.
“I told you, I will not join you.” he hissed in frustration at his own vulnerability at the moment. He didn’t have the strength left to stand, let alone fight Darth Sidious. Not unless he drew on the Dark Side, which he would not do. (That wouldn’t be enough either, you’re not yet ready.)
You can’t resist it forever. It’s far too strong in you.
“Stubborn, prideful boy, that is not a choice that I’m offering you!” Sidious snapped coldly, looking up at a point somewhere behind him, giving a slight nod. A shiver ran down Anakin’s spine, his heart still pounding erratically in his chest, as familiar, heavy, metallic footsteps and harsh coughing echoed through the room from behind him.
Grievous.
He shifted and pushed himself up onto his elbows with an embarrassing amount of effort, but before he could get any farther, a huge, clawed foot came down on his back and shoulders and pressed him back down to the floor with more force than was strictly necessary. He was vaguely surprised there was no taunt of ‘Jedi scum’, but he supposed the cyborg menace was aware that Sideous only liked the sound of his own voice. And your screams. Or your supplication.
The Sith began to pace slowly, hands hidden in the sleeves of his dress robe, a deranged, covetous light entering his eyes, more cracks forming in the serene mask of Palpatine. Despite this, his tone remained level, calculated, emphasizing each word just so to drive them in like nails in his coffin.
“Don’t you see that I already own you? Your fate has been in my hands for years now. It has been since before we even met in fact. Perhaps even before you were born. I know all of your darkest and most treasured secrets that you would not want reaching the wrong ears. More importantly, you owe your very existence to the Dark Side. To the Sith. To me. The Force may have conceived you, though I am skeptical of this, but if it did so, it was only because my former Master and I tipped the scales of balance in our favor and you were its woefully inadequate last-ditch effort to correct this falsely perceived imbalance. Your power is undeniable however, so I suppose I should thank it then for providing me with such a gift. Its precious servants were even so generous as to hand you to me personally on a golden platter. They raised and delivered the tool of their own destruction. The irony is poetic. Deep down, you cannot help but to obey me. Your loyalty may as well be a collar around your neck. You need me Anakin. Unfortunately, I’ve given you too much leash, so you think you can defy me, but you only need to reminded of your place.” he sneered.
With every word Anakin could hear the crack of a whip and the stinging lashes against his back. They pierced his heart and he was absolutely not going to let tears prick in the corners of his eyes. He turned his head slowly to look over the where Obi-Wan had been laying, a sharp jolt of fear passing through him when he saw that he was no longer there. He could sense him on the ship though… so most likely he’d been dragged away by battle droids while he was being electrocuted. Obi-Wan would have woken up by now, would have fought back if he could. Maybe they’d drugged him to keep him from interfering? He didn’t know.
Perhaps at that point he should’ve kept his mouth shut, but honestly he wasn’t sure it would have mattered. Sidious only wanted to hear one thing in response to his crazed monologue. He would not accept silence either. He looked up at him, eyes half-lidded with feigned boredom (and real exhaustion). “Are you ever going to stop talking Chancellor?” he asked in his most disinterested tone, only slightly ruined by the slur in his words from the lightning.
The temperature of the room plummeted sharply, the air taking on the scent of ozone, but another round of lightning never came. “It didn’t have to be this way Anakin.” was all Sidious said, voice completely devoid of emotion and chilling him to bone. He was enjoying every minute of this. His earlier words suggested that he had planned this from the start for if things went sideways. He turned and walked away, abandoning him to whatever punishment he’d come up with this time. Anakin wasn’t naive enough to think he was done with him. Only for now, but he’d be back.
Grievous laughed and then coughed again. “You and Kenobi will be coming with me Jedi scum. Lord Sidious wants you alive, but while he’s away, I am going to enjoy breaking you Skywalker. I’ve been given free reign as long as you can still function for your new Master.” he taunted. Ah, there it was.
The cyborg’s clawed foot tore slowly through the back of his robes as it slid down to his lower back and pressed down hard. For the second time that day, all he knew was pain, just as Sidious had promised. Bones cracked and his vision turned white, head tilting back in a soundless cry. Blissful numbness spread through his lower body, his last currently functioning limb scrabbling at the durasteel beneath his palm weakly on reflex. The cool metal touched his forehead as he slumped to the floor, soothing in its unyielding rigidity. Something stable in the sea of confusion that was his reality. Then it all went dark.