A Path Less Taken

Chapter 30 - Other Ideas

A/N: Had no clue how I wanted to do this. Absolutely no clue. I was stuck for a while on this decision. But I'm fairly confident in the decision that I'm making. On with the chapter.

"I don't suppose you have another plan?" Clovis questioned. They didn't even make it halfway to the next hangar before they were stopped by Separatists forces.

"Nothing other than what we discussed," Padme said, and Clovis nodded in response as the droids continued to escort them.

"We found them wandering the halls sir," one of the Commando droids said.

"I see. Clovis," Count Dooku said, standing tall and imposing in front of the Senators.

"Count," Clovis said civilly even though the look on his face suggested anything but.

"It seems you have proven that you were on our side after all," Dooku said, not looking at Clovis, but keeping his eyes on Padme as he spoke. "Has she decided to join us?"

"Join you?" Padme questioned, tearing her eyes away from Dooku and looking at Clovis.

"Clovis here told me about how instrumental you were in getting him to power," the Sith Lord said.

"If I had known..." Padme said, piercing Dooku with a look of anger. The Sith Lord hardly blinked.

"Either you're with us or against us. Arrest her," Dooku said, gesturing towards the Commando droids.

"You can't do this Dooku," Senator Lawise said, which made Dooku eye the politician with a look of distaste. "The Separatist Senate would never approve."

Padme looked towards the droid that was next to her. These B1 droids were pathetically easy to disarm, and she could easily do it. But it was doubtful she and Clovis would even get far with Dooku and a Commando droid sitting right there. So she squashed the urge as best as she could.

"They'll never know, now will they?" Dooku said, lifting his hand and gripping the Separatist with an invisible hold. This time Padme really did disarm the droid and aim the blaster at Dooku.

"Hey!" the droid exclaimed, but Padme paid him no mind. Dooku raised a hand for the Commando droid to halt from aiming the blaster at her.

"Let him go," she told him. Dooku hardly complied and instead, with a rather lax expression on his face, he used his free hand to take ahold of the blaster Padme grabbed with the Force. With minimal effort, he turned her sights from him to Senator Lawise. The Senator let out a rather strangled exclamation before Dooku pushed his hand further out, forcing the Naboo Senator to put two laser rounds in his chest. He dropped to the floor like stones in a river.

"No!" Padme exclaimed, dropping the blaster and moving to check on the Senator she unwillingly shot. He didn't move. Not even a pulse. By the looks of things, he had her aim for the heart.

"Are you insane? What do you think the Republic will think of this? You know they'll be here once they find out," Clovis told him.

"I won't be here by the time they get here," Dooku said, moving close enough to Clovis to where he could speak in a whisper. And his tone was deathly ominous. "But you will."

"You will not..." Clovis said, gritting his teeth in anger at the Sith Lord. Dooku easily met the gaze coolly.

"I can and will," Dooku said before promptly leaving the room. The droids gripped Padme's arms to hold her still and a look of despair crossed Clovis' face, but as he glanced at Padme, there was a look of understanding that Dooku would've spotted, but the droids didn't.

"Come on. Let's go," one of the clones said. Clovis glanced at Padme, who nodded when he looked at her and he nodded back. Obi-Wan, who was leading this assault, moved to approach the Senator that wasn't being escorted by clones.