Spare him... kind of...

"Actually... I think you have something I desire after all..." you say, changing your mind. "A... lovely young Senator... from Naboo."

You hadn't even spoken her name, yet the implications you left hanging in the air seems to snap a thread within Anakin's psyche. The thinly-veiled threat made against his wife awakens within him a Dark Side rage that would make the Sith Lords of old turn their heads with intrigue. With an infuriated, ****-powered scream, he breaks free of the hold you kept upon him, the shockwave blasting you back across the hanger. Righting yourself in midair, you manage to land on your feet, your boots skidding along the durasteel floor with an irritating squeak. Lifting your gaze to face your maddened opponent, you find a pair of golden yellow eyes burning fiercely like molten coals glaring back at you.

Fingers contorted into a claw, Anakin raises his mechanical right hand and summons your second lightsaber from your belt. The crimson blade roars to life, bathing the fallen Jedi with a demonic glow, and a smile forms beneath your mask.

"There. Much better," you say with approval.

Once more he's upon you, but this time his practiced finesse has been thrown out the window. Djem So gives way to an instinctual Juyo as Anakin furiously swings and batters against you. Your smile soon gives way to a sneer as this fully unleashed Chosen One immersed himself in the Dark Side. The roiling energy radiating from him stinks of malice to the point of curdling your blood with disgust. No wonder Palpatine wanted him as an apprentice so badly.

No longer content with playing games, you throw yourself earnestly into the duel, matching Skywalker blow for furious blow. On more than one occasion, Anakin nearly succeeds at taking off your head, the crimson blade instead carving into the face of your mask and leaving shallow, molten fissures in its wake. He wanted you dead, terribly so, but who could blame him? Your frequent use of Dun Möch to tear into his insecurities would drive anyone into a maddened rage, but then again that was your aim anyway; to give him a taste of the Dark Side and disrupt his allegiance to the Jedi Order.

The battle continues to rage on with Anakin throwing literally everything he had at you, from a storm of lightsaber swings to barrages of telekinetically thrown debris; a valiant effort but ultimately fruitless. From start to finish, you controlled every aspect of the fight, something Anakin would fail to notice in his blind rage. Regardless, you knew the fighting would soon end as an approaching presence in the **** rocketed towards the Scarlett Dawn at high speed. Smirking beneath your mask, you spin to Anakin's flank and blast the enraged Jedi with a torrent of blue lightning. The tendrils strike him with enough power to throw him across the hanger towards the protective **** field and he hits the floor with a nasty smack to his head, knocking him ****. At that very moment, the form of a modified LAAT gunship comes screaming into view.

Spinning in place, the craft lands and opens up to reveal a squad of clone troopers with their rifles brandished against you. Summoning your red blade from Anakin's now limp grasp, it returns to your hand just in time as the soldiers open up with a barrage of blaster fire. With practiced ease, you expertly wield your blades and deflect the bolts back to their shooters, and while you manage to knock down a few clones, the rest are shielded when Obi-wan Kenobi emerges from the craft, his own lightsaber a blur in the hands of a Soresu master. Behind him comes Ahsoka Tano who slips her arms around Anakin and drags him back towards the gunship.

"I have him, Master!" you hear her yell over the din of battle.

"Great work Ahsoka. Everyone back on the ship!" Obi-wan orders.

"Master Kenobi!" you call out to him as they make their escape, your amplified voice heard easily over the gunfire. "Keep an eye on your old apprentice. At this rate, he'll be the **** of you."

Obi-wan regards you in silence, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he focuses on protecting his men until the gunship finally seals against the vacuum of space and departs, though you knew your words had taken root in his mind. In that split moment, you felt a flicker of recognition from the Jedi Master when his gaze settled upon your mask. Pleased with your work, you sheathe your lightsabers and retrieve your holo-com from your belt and contact Count Dooku. The Sith Lord's shimmering form answers you a moment later.

"You're playing a dangerous game manipulating Skywalker in such a manner," he lightly chastises though his expression remains neutral.

"You know as well as I do that Anakin is a keystone in this war," you retort. "If he's to bring balance to the **** as the prophecy claims, he won't stay with the Jedi. In time, he will seek me out even if only for ****. That drive will lead to him asking questions the Council will find alarming and further alienate him from their control and into your Master's loving arms."

"And what of Darth Sidious?" Dooku questions. "He doesn't appreciate rivals in his own quest for power. Openly using the name Revan as you did will only raise his suspicions further once Skywalker brings it to his attention. He may even choose to seek you out and personally put you down."

"Good. I want him wary of me. His **** will mean the end of the Rule of Two and ultimately the end of the Sith as we know it, but Anakin must fulfill his destiny first. This is the Will of the **** and I feel outright preventing that from happening will have irreparable consequences on our Universe as a whole. For now, Master Dooku, continue your war. It won't be long until I reveal myself on the grand stage."

"As you say, Master Hazelton," Dooku complies with a courteous bow. "In that case, I shall take my leave. I have other matters to attend to as I'm sure you do as well."

"Until next we meet, it's been a pleasure," you agree with a nod.

With your business concluded, Count Dooku cuts the transmission, leaving you in the dark silence of the hanger, giving you a moment to take stock of events so far. Rescued Shmi Skywalker and knocked her up? Check. Converted Padawan Barriss Offee? Check. Converted and boned Asajj Ventress? Check. Gift a state of the art warship to the Chiss and establish a rapport with their most promising commander? Also check. And now you were conspiring with the Republic's most wanted man in the galaxy and on top of that, planted a seed of corruption in the mind of Anakin Skywalker that would compete against Palpatine's for dominance; all of this on top of building an infinite armada. All in all, you were quite pleased with yourself. Eager to get back out into the galaxy, you look into the blackness of space pondering what your next move should be when a beeping comes from your holo-com.

"Master..." comes the smooth, smokey voice of Asajj Ventress as her kneeling form shimmers into view.

"Good to see you, my dear," you greet her. "Was your mission successful?"

"Indeed Master. I have captured and subdued the zabrak Maul, and we're on our way to Dathomir as you've instructed."

"Excellent. I will be waiting for you."

You cut the transmission and smile. Time to pay the Nightsisters a little visit.