Simultaneously, in another part of the pace, a rge door opens as a man in dark clothes and a dark cloak draped over his shoulders marches into the wide throne room in the pany of several super battle droids.
The Queen of the pace, of course, already knew of this man’s sudden arrival. Yet, it was still more ued than she would have liked to. After all, she did not get any kind of notice of this guest's pnned visit. Such rude behavior alut her in a bad mood.
She was a kind natured ruler, but having to be surprised like this in her own pace was a bit too much. There were even battle droids brought into her throne room. This felt just like an iion...
The queen froze for a sed at that thought.
Wait, was this truly an iion? eous! How does this decrepit old man think to humiliate her? However, no matter how much she would like to, she simply couldn’t raise a voice against one of the most powerful leaders of the separatist droid armies. That being said, she khat t Dooku was not a man who would anecessarily. There must be a reason behind this sudden move, and she o know what it is so she ter it.
With that thought in her mind, she id back against her throne and weled the t with a warm gesture.
“It is a true pleasure to see you visit me in my humble pace. t Dooku.”
“It is far from being a pleasure for me, Queen of Zygerria. Let us leave the ies behind. There are urgent matters waiting for me, a lot of them ing the state of this war and the iable fall of the corrupt republic.”
“Then please share with me the reason of your sudden visit.” — Stated the queen in a somewhat aone.
“I came here because of an unfortunate realization. Your pace had been infiltrated by Jedi spies. It is likely an attempt to assassinate you as the current leader of the New Zygerrian sve empire.”
“What?! Jedi infiltrated my castle? HOW! And more importantly, who?”
“I see that the zygerrians’ ck of skill to find jedi have yet to improve sihe st war, which your people had lost, pathetically, if I may add.”
“We are yet to see if your Separatist coalition will do better in this regard, t.” — Said the queen with obvious bile.
“My Separatist coalition, which you are a member of, do not fet about that fact.” — Answered Dooku in a simir manner. — “Be that as it may, a troublesome information had e to my attention, which led me to e here personally. It seems that you retly began to keep jedi sves as your handmaidens he less? A wanted girl named Nizzal, more specifically. Bring her before me, right now.”
The queen’s eyes gre from hearing that statement, and the way it was given to her. As if she was a sve to be ordered around. With that thought, her mind was pletely engulfed with rage. She stood up and shouted at the gray-haired bastard.
“You will not order me around in my own pace, t! How do you even dare to question my as in such a way? Since when do I o expin my reasons to you in an internal matter of my own pace!?”
“Sihe moment, you decided to ally yourself with the Separatist Systems. Should I remind you, whose armies are currently defending your miserable p from the republic fleets, or the reason why you are able to openly build a system and ey on the shoulders of sves? You should have knower to...” — Dooku’s eyes suddenly widehen he uncharacteristically rolled to the right in the middle of his emotional speebsp;
The very sed, a series of ser beams hit the ground where he had just stood, and one also mao hit Dooku on his left calf, making him cry out in pain and surprise. Limping slightly, being uo pce much weight on his left leg, he looked around the hall. Where more and more bster shots were exged.
The Queen was pletely frozen at this moment. She reflexively looked to find the source of the attack. What she found, however, was even more perplexing. The attack came from one of her new guard droids. Did it malfun, she wondered?
Oher hand, t Dooku was sed at this oute that the edges of his eyes began to turn yellow. The super battle droids he used as his escort were slowly destroyed by the six-unfamiliar droids, this type he had never seen before.
When the droids’ attention once again refocused on him, he immediately ignited his lightsaber, blog a few ser beams and redireg them back at two specific droids. The ohat were damaged by his battle droids. They were immediately taken out, lessening their o four.
He then made a quick pirouette, holding the majority of his weight with his good leg, and cut down another droid that dared to e too close.
The other three reag to this, immediately jumped back slightly. They even stopped firing, that made him realized something ominous. These droids were waiting for him to leave an opening. These damhings were programed to fight against force sensitives. He smirked, as he looked towards the queen while never letting down his own guard.
“I see that I may have judged you too hastily. Your droids are created with the purpose of hunting jedi. Now, I see that the Zygerrian empire has much more value than I thought previously, your majesty. Still, you have gooo far with this presentation. Order your droids to stop, and we will speak of iations about your... priced sve. I am willing to buy it, I may alset your attempt to kill me, if you share the battle program of your bodyguard droids.”
The queen was ly sure at this moment what had triggered her droids to attack. But it, in some miraculous way, have solved her current problem, and also taught the t a lesson. Therefore, she seamlessly hid her initial surprise and walked back to her throne while telling the droids to stand down. It was only whe down and finally turned around that she realized the fact that the teuation hadn’t ged. The droids were still in battle mode, and they were aiming at the t.
“Stand down!” — She shouted again, now much louder. Yet, nothing ged.
“What is the meaning of this?” — She spoke aloud in genuine surprise.
“I see.” — Stated the t. — “I was too quick with the praise, as you are not even capable of trolling your own assets.”
His eyes narrowed suddenly.
“Then I have no other way, but to make my owation of the immense power of the dark side.” — With that he raised up one of his arms slightly, and at the same time all three of the droids froze. Then soon they also began to raise up into the air, simultaneously with the t’s hand movement. The droids were already a few meters high, when the t suddenly dropped down his arm, and the droids followed the motion, crashing into the floor, breaking into hundreds of different parts. Some of them even hit the queen, causio flin pain.”
At that moment, the doors burst open with the thrown body of a zygerrian pace guard. Soon after that, more droids began to rush into the throne room. ando droids, the queen immediately realized. The pace was utack by the very droids that were guarding it until now. There was not enough zygerrian pace guards to defend against su attack. She looked back at the still limping form of the t. For the first time in her life, she felt fear between the walls of her own pace. In the pce that until now, was a safe heaven for her. A sardonic thought appeared in her mind as the ando droids tinuously flooded into her throne room. Was she a sve to the Separatists all this time? Was this all a cruel illusion, all the power her voice held, her authority, everything?
“I have given you a ce to redeem yourself.” — Stated the t. She looked down at him. She was still sitting on her raised throne, allowio always look down on the people and sves brought before her.
No, that ’t be the truth. She thought, these droids must have e to her rescue. Yes, that must be the case. She is still the queen, nothing really ged.
She raised her voi the same fident way she had done so many times before.
“Droids, arrest him immediately!” — Not even one of the droids moved. There was plete silend stillness.
“What are you waiting for, arrest him, I said! Your queen orders!” — Still nothing happened.
“I am afraid.” — Said the t in an apathetic voice. — “That you have missed your ce. There are other pawns at my master’s disposal who will happily take your pce at the first opportunity.”
“What? I am not that easily repceable. I am the rightful queen. My people will never accept anybody else!”
“Your people? Ha! This delusion of authority has gone on long enough. The aristocracy of your world will jump on the first ce to take on the royal liell me, dear, who else will stand up for you? Your sves? My droids? All of your money ah bees useless in front of the unbending power of the dark side.”
Dooku slowly raised this time, both of his hands in front of him.
“And now, you will suffer my punishment for your insurgency.”
“Insurgency?” — Asked the queen in a weak and surprised voice as blue lighting shed out of Dooku’s fingers, directly hitting her in the chest.
Her eyesight turned pletely white as she fell out of her throo the arble floor. She felt as her body rolled dowairs that were leading to her elevated throne. Intense pain pulsed through every part of her body. Her heart was beatiically. Her blood was boiling in her veins.
Her body stopped at some point. Now she was lying on her back, on the arble floor. She couldn’t see anything, but somehow she was able to hear a dreadful voice, as if it eaking directly into her mind.
“How far, the mighty have fallen, Queen of Zygerria. Your delusion of power ends here.”
Anhtning strike struck the body of the Queen. The once powerful and feared woman, norawled out on the marble stairs in front of a Darth Lord of the Sith. In the middle of her own pace. The illusion of power was o be seen anymore. She was howling with an animalistic scream as the lighting slowly cooked her alive. After a few minutes of this, she finally stopped moving. She was dead. The smell of burned hair and burned flesh lingering in the room was the only reminder of her existenbsp;
The t turned away from the slightly charred body, and ordered the droids to search the castle for the girl he came for, and of course Anakin Skywalker. He wanted both of them alive, since his master had pns for Skywalker, and he couldn’t go against such explicit orders. Yet the girl was different. He wao figure out why his master wao kill this twi’lek kid so much. What threat could this mere child hold against the most powerful being in the gaxy? This he o know, and if possible harness it, and with time use it against his own master. But, first of all, he o fio his shame, he got injured on his left leg, but the droids should be up to this task on their own. Even if Skywalker escapes, that girl should be easy to capture.
~oOo~
While those dire circumstances have pyed out ihrone room, a pace-wide battle begaween the droids and the guards. Most of the sves were caught unaware in the middle of this battle.
Nizzal and Ahsoka were on their way to meet up with Anakihey ran into a terrified Eqomu, who immediately told them that a battle had begun in the pace, betweetle droids and the zyggerian pace guards. Faced with the dire situation, the two girls decided to take Eqomu with them and run towards Anakin’s room.
Soon after, they mao reach the pce, but the firefight was already closing in ohe sounds of fired bster guns were eg through the corridors.
Ahsoka practically burst into Anakin’s room, immediately closing the door behind them. Eqomu even pushed a nearby wardrobe in front of the door.
Anakin watched the children py out their antics for a while, then he rolled his eyes and walked up to the heavily breathing bunch.
“So, what is this otion?” — He asked them, but none of them seemed to care about his question. With a frowuro his padawan.
“Soka, tell me the reason that made your new friehe o barricade my door?” — He looked at the mirian boy with a curshen turo the familiar twi’lek girl, who truly hadn’t ged at all. Only to be forced to look back at his appreh a raised eyebrow.
“The pace is utack by separatists. Nizzy thinks that Dooku’s spies have mao find her here. They have e to capture or kill her.” — Ahsoka finally expined.
Anakin turned back towards the twi’lek with a plicated expression.
“Don’t give me that look.” — Said Nizzal.
Suddenly, her colr started vibrating. Everyourowards her. Only to see her suddenly paled face with a purely horrified expression.
She gulped loudly, frozen in pce as her life pyed out before her eyes.
Ahsoka, too, realized what might have happened and rushed to the side of her friend. In a desperate attempt, she tried to pull off her damned colr using the force. The only thing she achieved with said attempt was to slightly strangle her friend, unfortunately.
~oOo~
From the perspective of Nizzal.
‘The moment the colr started vibrating, I realized what must have happehe queen was dead, and the internal meism built into the ust have been triggered...’
‘I didn’t feel any pain so far, but that didn’t mean that the poison wasn’t ied already... There are small enough needles to leave no sense of pain behind.’
‘I watched as Ahsoka tried to help me to remove this damned device. If something like that would have been this easy, I would have do already. I looked at my friend’s worried expression, and the others’ fused ones. Anakin tried to ask Ahsoka the reason for her sudden panic, but she was too fused at the moment, and didn’t answer.’
I straightened my bad looked my friend in the eye.
“It’s okay... We o move. There is no time...”
“But!” — Shouted Ahsoka.
“No buts! Move... the... I-I will hold them back... While I .”
“What the hell are the two of you talking about!?” — Shouted Anakin as he pletely lost his posure from being ht ignored for so long.
Suddenly, a pletely new robotic voice joihe discussio, it was very familiar to Nizzal.
“(Statement) e has been made to the unication device. Processing local data, redireg information. Information had been received. Began unications.”
“You! Where the hell is your voiing from?” — Nizzal gritted her teeth, realizing who the voice beloo. — “Even if that is the st thing I do, I will blow you up, you cursed droid!”
“(Statement) I speak with you through the unication device built into your colr. There is also a bea that sends us signals with your current position. The order’s attempt to assassinate Darth Tyrannus has failed. I have sent a rescue team to extract the bait, I mean you. They will arrive through the baly in a few minutes.”
“Well, that makes things easier.” — Said Anakin, with a radiant smile. — “I don’t really know who this guy is, but if he tried to assassinate a Darth, I like him already. Also, Tyrannus? Is that supposed to be Dooku? What a stupid ass name. Ha!”
I blinked as my mouth fell ajar.
“If... if there is a microphone, a speaker, a bea signal, and who the hell knows what else, built into this damn colr, then how is there pce for twelve different types of poison!?”
“(Humorous statement) Oh, there is no poison. ents have removed that long before it was locked onto you. Now it is nothing more than a unicator and a signaler device. Ah, and it still shock you if you try to take it off, I suppose…”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“I will destroy YOU!”
“(Sta--ment) -The sign-- is -ost, they m-st ha-- --ga- to disrupt our -...”
“STOP PRETENDING YOU USELESS JUNK PILE!”
“Oh, so that was the problem?” — Asked Anakin. — “I am gonna say that this droid definitely mao get under her skin. Definitely.”
Ahsoka was also shocked by this whole oute. She was happy, yet sour, that all her worries seemed to be wasted right now. She couldn’t really react to this pletely ued oute, and therefore she instead chose to stand in her pd look at her currently raging friend.
“Couldn’t you tell me that from the start!? You bastards!” — Said friend was currently shouting into the colr’s microphone in a frenzy.
Eqomu, in the meantime, mao uand most of the situation by silently listening to the versation. He walked up to Anakin and said.
“Master Jedi, could you somehow remove my colr?”
“Certainly.” — Answered Anakin. Then waved his hand over the boy’s less fancy colr, which immediately disassembled itself and fell on the floor in small pieces.
Eqomu was very surprised, seeing how easily his colr fell apart. — “... Thank you, master jedi! I will go out onto the baly and watch out for this evacuation team.”
“Good, do so, but be careful!”
“Yes, Master Jedi!”
Then Anakin turned back to the still shouting Nizzal.
“... and who the hell did you call a bait? I will grind you into dust and throw you off of the highest cliff I could ever find, after I have deleted all of your memory copies! I know that you still hear me!”
