Trial of the Times

Chapter 40 - Mandalore

"Welcome to Mandalore," Duchess Satine declares, as Dooku and Kenobi stop before her. Cody stands several paces behind them. "I am pleased to see that you are not carrying weapons," she adds after a moment, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

"Of course not," Dooku hastens to assure her, "I know that Mandalore does not permit weapons, so we left ours in a concealed compartment in the ship." She dips her head in a grateful nod, motioning them to follow her to the speeder which will be escorting them to the Duchess' residence.

"I must confess, Master Kenobi," she murmurs after they are seated, "That I am mildly surprised to see you here with Count Dooku. I would not have expected you to form an alliance with him." Her expression is distinctly curious, though Dooku can see an underlying cautiousness.

The former Jedi Master shifts, though his calm demeanor doesn't change. "I am not a Jedi anymore, Duchess," he replies at last, and her eyebrows rise in surprise, "You do not need to call me Master Kenobi." He pauses, giving Dooku a sideways glance. "The Council took actions I could not agree with, so I left the Order and have joined the Sith."

"I thought Sith were long term enemies of the Jedi," she remarks, "I heard one killed your master."

Kenobi nods. "That is correct, but Dooku is reforming the Sith Order. Over time, they, too, have lost their way. We are striving to create balance within ourselves, instead of sticking solely to the narrow-minded view of the Council."

Dooku can sense Kenobi is choosing his words carefully. That doesn't stop the irrational surge of pride at his admission. It is true that the Council had become narrow-minded, but Dooku had never expected Kenobi would openly admit it.

"I see," Duchess Satine replies, her posture becoming slightly more relaxed, "Might I ask what it is that changed your mind? The last time we spoke, I was under the impression that you would not leave the Order."

"I left the Order for Anakin," Kenobi tells her bluntly, "The Council... expelled him, and I could not, in good conscience, abandon him. I know the Jedi would consider it an attachment, but –" he pauses, shaking his head slowly, "He – I kept him from falling to the Dark Side. My position as a Jedi Master would have meant nothing if I'd let that happen to him."

"This happened recently?" she wonders, "I have not heard anything about it."

Kenobi hesitates, and for the first seems unsure of himself. Finally, he nods. "It was after I faked my death," he confesses.

The Duchess' expression tightens, concealed anger in her eyes. "Don't ever do that again," she warns quietly, "It was not easy to think you dead, even if only for a short time." Dooku reigns in his amusement. So, he was right. She does have feelings for Kenobi, feelings which may well be reciprocated.

"It – I – I'm sorry," he replies contritely, "It was not a decision I made lightly. Someone needed to uncover the plot to kidnap the Chancellor, and at the time, we had no idea who he really was."

She huffs quietly but accepts his apology with grace. "What should I call you, in public I mean?" she queries.

"My Sith name, Lord Aristaeus," Kenobi answers quietly, tugging his hood closer over his face. Since the meeting is supposed to be in private, Dooku agreed that the former Jedi Master did not need to wear his armor to conceal his identity. A simple hood could keep his face covered when outside of closed doors.

She gives him a shrewd look. "Tell me a little about the Sith. What are the differences between them and the Jedi?"

Dooku takes that as his cue to start talking. "The Sith were initially created to restore the Jedi's original values. They tried to create balance by using both the Light and Dark Sides of the Force. They also do not believe in the current Jedi idea of suppressing emotions."