Trial of the Times

Chapter 46 - The Lion's Den

Dooku strides further into the Temple, scanning ahead with the Force. He can sense Skywalker's tension; he's gripping his unignited lightsaber hilt. The fear he's unwilling to admit to hovers around him faintly. Dooku pushes it away, focusing instead on locating Sidious within the Temple. Up ahead, he doesn't sense him, he senses his former Sith apprentice. Halting he raises a hand, bringing everyone to a halt.

"I sense Savage ahead," he warns the others, turning specifically to the clones. "Continue your search of the Temple and secure it. Sidious has locked himself deep within the Temple. Let us handle the Sith." He reaches out again. "Grievous is up ahead as well."

Kenobi glances around. "Let's continue," he urges after a moment of heavy silence.

The four continue, approaching a metal door which has been sealed closed. "There's more than one way in," Skywalker decides, after trying in vain to open it.

"Two ways, in fact," Dooku corrects him, raising his hands. Once in his grasp, the doors slide open, unable to resist the will of the Force.

"Yes," Skywalker concedes. "You were right." He keeps his right hand poised, ready to ignite his lightsaber at a moment's notice. The room beyond is enormous, ceiling stretching up for at least forty feet, and Dooku immediately knows that it was chosen due to its resemblance to an arena. Inside, Maul and Savage pace back and forth, while Grievous watches them with distain. At the sound of the door opening, all three turn to face the newcomers.

This is a test – a challenge. Whoever survives here, will be left to confront Sidious, and they cannot afford to lose a single person. Last time, the Sith was toying with them. This time, he'll be seeking to kill, and Dooku expects that – whatever the future holds for the duel – it will end quickly if all four of them are there.

"Hello there!" Kenobi announces with fake cheer in his voice as he strides forward, the first willing to enter the arena. Not to be outdone, Dooku stalks in slightly behind him.

"Kenobi," spits Maul. "I have been waiting for you."

"My sincerest apologies," Kenobi quips in reply. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"Enough talk!" growls Grievous, words followed by a hoarse cough. "We didn't come here to socialize with one another."

"No, we didn't," agrees Savage, unclipping his double-bladed lightsaber with an unnecessarily dramatic flourish.

"This will end with bloodshed," warns Maul. "Surrender now, and perhaps Lord Sidious will show you mercy."

"Yes," Skywalker murmurs, feigned casualness in his tone as he steps forward to stand side by side with Kenobi. "It will, but don't be so sure it will be ours."

Maul snarls, his double-bladed lightsaber hissing to life. Savage follows him. As one, Dooku and his companions ignite theirs, the glow casting shadows around the dimly lit room. Four versus three. Dooku has no doubt that Savage will be the easiest target, having gotten the least training, and Skywalker and Kenobi were some of the finest duelists in the Jedi Order. He can only trust in the Force that they will be fine.

Tuning out everything around him, Dooku leaps towards Savage, the blue and red blades clashing together. Speed and efficiency are the most important. They don't have time for useless chatter, not when every second wasted gives Sidious a chance to create a last-minute plan to have the galaxy bowing at his feet.

Savage still fights with much of the same brutality he did when Dooku first started training him, though his style has been refined immensely. Unsurprising. Sidious and Maul would have seen to it, but he's still no match for Dooku. He hasn't wielded a lightsaber most of his life, and he certainly hasn't developed a refined style. The Sith's yellow eyes narrow as he swings his lightsaber, trying, in vain, to land a hit. Dooku block him with precision, his blue blade dancing around him always being in the right place at the right time.