Several seconds passed before the ship whistled into a dark room with no windows. It was quite large and resembled the cargo hold of a ship, or even a flying station, but the Jedi were not allowed to think about what it was or why they had been brought there. The Jedi were not allowed to think about it, because in a moment something heavy and suffocating spread through the air in their ship, gradually filling the entire space. No matter how hard they tried to hold their breath, it was useless, and eventually their lungs involuntarily filled with a little oxygen mixed with the strange substance, which made their consciousness begin to drift, and their eyes darkened until they were completely submerged in blackness. It seemed as if someone had simply come and, with a single movement, turned off the life functions of the three adepts, for some unknown purpose, but no, it was ordinary sleeping gas, and those who had released it had a very specific goal. How specific became clear the moment Obi-Wan, through his closed eyelids, felt a bright light and was forced to open his eyes, reality rushed into his eyes relentlessly and in a single second, starting with the fact that he himself was chained by force to his hands and feet between two crossbars hanging on either side. What's more, his neck was encircled by a collar that shocked him with electricity with every movement of the Master. Kenobi could not understand where he was, because until now he had only seen this ship from the outside, never from the inside. However, Asoka, who was sitting near the wall and also had difficulty understanding where she had come to, shared the same opinion. It seemed that Togrutha wanted to ask the Master this question, but before she could open her mouth, a tall, slender figure entered the dimly lit room from another compartment. It was a grey-haired man in a black cloak with a neat beard and amber-red eyes. Magister Kenobi remembered the days when they were still brown.
"Greetings, dear comrades aboard the Invisible Hand," said the newcomer ceremoniously, but he did not bow, as it was not his custom to show respect to prisoners.
"Greetings, esteemed colleague, I did not know you missed our company so much," replied Obi-Wan, not at all embarrassed.
Ahsoka said nothing, just looked at them and listened to the conversation. At that moment, there was nothing special, just an exchange of greetings. But then...
"You are right, my apprentice was not mistaken about you," continued the grey-haired man, folding his arms across his chest. "He knew that you would not stop there and would want to see for yourself the one who managed to wipe the floor with an organisation whose history spans many thousands of years.
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you — even in this situation, Kenobi didn't lose his presence of mind — There may not be many of us now, but there are thousands behind us. There are only two of you. A teacher and a student.
"How right you are," said the grey-bearded man with a satisfied smile. "Your teacher has conscientiously instilled in you the concepts of honour and duty, but he forgot the most important thing — that only the Dark Side opens the way to unlimited power. I understood this, and it is a pity that you realised it so late, just before your death.
And with that last sentence, Count Dooku, for it was he, in a single leap quick enough for his advanced age, reached Kenobi and, activating his fiery red blade, raised it above the helpless Master's head. However, when there was no more than a centimetre between his throat and the red blade, two other blades flashed in the dim light of the prison cell — one bright green and the other multicoloured, sparkling with all the colours of the rainbow. Then something quite heavy jumped onto the Count's shoulders and pulled him back, dragging him away from Obi-Wan. Dooku reacted and, turning sharply, threw off the insolent and self-confident obstacle that had dared to show such unheard-of audacity. The obstacle was quite tall and slender, with a very flexible figure, crowned with mantles with contrasting white and blue stripes. When Dooku left the Order, Asoka Tano was a skinny ten-year-old girl with a shy look and a trusting face, but now she stood before him, or rather hung in the air, a very pretty and confident person with the mannerisms of a Jedi Knight. She looked at him and waited for him to make the next move, the heat of the upcoming battle already gripping her, causing her blood to rush through her veins and boil in hot streams, making her smile and look defiantly at the Count. He was wrong not to tie her up, although, no, it was a special move to test what she would do when she saw her companion helpless and whether she would allow him to be killed. She didn't. Excellent. Jedi are so easy to play with, with their repertoire of emotions. All these thoughts were hidden beneath the Count's grey hair, while on the surface there was only a haughty smile and a mocking look:
"Who do I see here, isn't that the same little girl? How cute you are in your desperation to protect your friend," he said, glancing sideways at the Togrutar, who was already red with indignation. "Well, let's not deprive him of his last pleasure. Let him see how terrible it is to lose his comrades. After all, he's unlikely to be able to protect you.
"But you're unlikely to have enough sense to save yourself, and you won't be able to get me either! Come on, take me, old man!" Asoka smiled and in one leap was behind the Count, holding both blades in front of her. He turned around and swung his sword at her, but Torguta easily flew under it, breaking through the block and landing on a ledge protruding from the wall. Duku was next to him and knocked the ledge away with a single blow. Asoka managed to jump down and strike the red blade from both sides in mid-air, knocking sparks out of it. The Count performed a turning manoeuvre and, with a sharp blow, pushed his opponent's swords apart, causing them to spring back and collide with each other, causing one of the Togrutas' swords to fall out. But this did not upset her in the least, and putting her only remaining sword in front of her, she rushed at the Count with a battle cry, who was already standing in an attacking position, in a front right stance. He pretended to be preparing for an attack, but at the moment when the insolent Togruta was already in front of him, or rather above him, he sharply directed the tip of his sword upwards, crushing his opponent's attack. Ahsoka tried to block, but only managed to start when the red blade struck her rainbow-coloured sword, knocking it out of her sweaty hand and leaving her unarmed before the relentless Sith. Dooku laughed smugly, raised his other hand, tossed Asoka into the air and directed a purple flash of Force lightning at her. A powerful electric current ran through her fragile body, sparking slightly on her montralls. Tano shuddered and let out a soft cry, but Dooku wasn't satisfied and followed up with another, more powerful flash. Togruta bounced almost to the ceiling, the purple current tearing louder screams from her lungs. And to top it all off, he fired a third bolt, knocking Asoka away from him and slamming her into the wall so hard that she passed out. But he didn't see that a brave defender, not yet in a very serious position, had already rushed to her aid. Anakin had not been taken prisoner when everyone else had been put to sleep; he had remained on the ship and came to his senses when he heard the sounds of battle. The teenager looked out the window and, carefully climbing out, followed the sound. What he saw horrified Skywalker when he realised what was happening to his loyal friend and even more. But remembering who he would soon become, Anakin pulled himself together and tried to assess the situation. Spotting one of Ahsoka's swords nearby, he concentrated and pulled it towards him with the Force. Then, taking advantage of the fact that the Sith was preoccupied with the fight and temporarily unable to see behind him, he quickly cut the ropes, freeing Master Kenobi. Then a painful cry reached his ears, one that sounded very familiar. No longer in control of himself and without thinking about what would happen next, Anakin reactivated his sword and, with a beastly roar, lunged straight at the Count, pouncing on him like a predator, intent on venting his rage for the pain of his loved one. He jumped up and was already at eye level, thrusting Ahsoka's lightsaber forward, when in the next second he was severely punished for his audacity. His right hand was burned as if by fire, the same red colour that burned his eyes and made him squint. The pain paralysed his speech and almost knocked him unconscious, when a wave of powerful Dark Force threw him back to where Asoka was already lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling with lifeless eyes. Anakin lost consciousness before he realised what had happened and heard his right arm, severed just above the elbow, hit the metal floor of the station with a dull thud, still clutching the rainbow-coloured lightsaber in his lifeless fingers. Obi-Wan saw this clearly and stepped into the fray in place of his defeated students. He fought more skillfully and just as persistently, but skill always wins out, and Kenobi almost managed to push Dooku against the wall, but the latter, with a beautiful turn, wriggled out of his grip and Obi-Wan, receiving a double blow from the Count's sword and the second sword pulled by him, fell nearby, losing consciousness from the pain in his arm and leg.
"I welcome you, my former Padawan," the Count suddenly heard from somewhere nearby and turned, startled. Standing before him, despite his extremely small stature, looking down at him, was Master Yoda himself. It was Ahsoka, who had regained consciousness before the others and contacted the temple, calling for help in the form of two Masters — Yoda and Plo, who now approached his former student and, while Yoda distracted Dooku, helped her carry the wounded and transfer them aboard his "Invincible".
"My former teacher, what an honour," said the Count without any respect. "Have you come to die beside me? It's nice to hear.
"I do not think your former apprentice would have been pleased with your fate, Dooku," Yoda said calmly, shaking his ear-shaped head, but not in condemnation, rather in bitter regret for the loss of a comrade.
"Qui-Gon is no more, and you are to blame," replied Dooku in his usual manner, although at the mention of his student's name, something sad and at the same time kind flashed in his eyes for a second. "You failed to help him, and now no one can help you."
And as befits a Sith, he activated his lightsaber without warning. Count Dooku, as in his years of service to the Order, used the Makashi form, which was designed for competition and seemed to have been created specifically for duels. Yoda, on the other hand, was a devotee of the Ataru form, which concealed his short stature with daring acrobatic tricks that allowed him to appear on either side of his opponent and parry his attacks. However, the goal of the duel was to distract his opponent and slip away unnoticed, which is exactly what he did. However, before that happened, Yoda managed to tire himself out from endless jumps. Dooku behaved like a master and did not bother with respect, his blows were sweeping and aimed to kill, but here Yoda's height played into his hands, allowing him to dodge the sword at the last moment, slipping under or over it. Dooku was instantly behind him and swung his sword to cut his former teacher in two, but the only thing that fell was a piece of the wall; Yoda was already behind him, having jumped to the side. Dooku spun around and delivered a diagonal blow with his right hand, managing to cut the Master's cloak without touching him. This commotion was beginning to annoy the Count, and his helplessness was driving him mad, causing his blows to become increasingly careless and his movements distracted. Anger was never a good ally in battle, and Yoda counted this as a plus, for he himself remained calm, not for nothing had he devoted almost all of his eight hundred years of life to rigorous training. Not only his body, but also his spirit, and as a result, once again flying over Dooku, who was already almost panting with rage, he easily slipped through the half-open door, where his comrades were already waiting for him, lowering the docking ramp. The Count did not even immediately realise that he had been tricked, and his eyes followed with a burning gaze the point disappearing into the sky, which was all that remained of the "Impenetrable". And there, on board, a difficult conversation was taking place, for the circumstances were serious. It is not easy to admit that one of your comrades, with whom you have served side by side for many decades, has not only rebelled against the Republic, but has also become an enemy of your former self — a Sith. However, until now it was unclear who he was, the first or the second, or even the only representative of the other side of the Force. However, this conversation concerned only two people — the Masters Plo and Yoda, while the other three were in the medical bay. Ahsoka came to her senses before the others and saw that the Master and the youngling were lying on the other two couches. Obi-Wan, wrapped in bacta-soaked bandages, lay on his side with his injured arm and leg on top, his face toward the wall, and Ahsoka did not know if he was still asleep or had already woken up. On the other side of her was Anakin. He was lying on his back, his eyes closed, his long dark eyelashes looking black against his pale face. His blond hair, which had grown considerably in recent days, was scattered across the pillow; it had recently begun to curl and now framed his face in a beautiful wave. His right arm, or what was left of it, was also tightly wrapped in bandages, holding a cooling compress in place. There was nothing more to be done at the moment. All that remained was to wait for the arrival of the medical team and send him to the medical ward, where the stern but very attentive healer Master Vokara Che would finish what the meddroid had started. Asoka slowly got up and sat down on the couch. Her head was spinning a little, and her body ached slightly from the residual effects of the Force lightning. The girl carefully lowered her legs to the floor and stepped towards the neighbouring couch. Unable to control herself, she sat down on the edge and ran her hand through her friend's tousled hair. Her heart ached with sharp pain and the irreparable nature of what had been done. It was her fault. She was to blame for his injuries. And it would stay with him forever, and with her too, reminding her once again what a terrible creature she was, capable only of hurting the people who loved her. The boy was devoted to her with all his heart, ready to risk his life to prevent Duka from killing her. And what did he get in the end? A lifelong injury. Tears welled up in his eyes and it became impossible to hold them back.
"I'm sorry, I'm to blame. And I needed to see this to understand how much you mean to me, you're the best thing left in my life. You're the light I'm walking towards. Please don't leave me. I'm not asking for forgiveness, I know I don't deserve it, just don't go.
She was crying openly now, clutching his other hand, the one that was still intact. Anakin soon opened his eyes and would surely have fallen asleep again from the aching pain, but he didn't when he saw her sweet face in front of him.
"Ahsoka, I'm here, I promised I wouldn't leave you, and I didn't. Everything will be fine, because I love you," he said quietly and gently, releasing her fingers and stroking her cheek. The weight on Togruta's heart lifted a little, and the pain was gradually replaced by hope for peace. But clearly not for the person who woke up at that moment and stared at them both with completely mad eyes. And an unpleasant conversation awaited them upon their arrival.
***
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