Give Us One

612, Give Us One

After ending the call, Count Dooku rose to his feet and saw Darth Malthael leaning against the shadows with his arms crossed. Though his features could not be seen clearly, the cold eyes beneath his hood watched him with a mocking gleam.

"I need an explanation... Archangel of Death," Count Dooku said in a deep voice. "The Dark Reaper could effectively strike the Galactic Republic, yet you simply let such a powerful weapon be destroyed before your eyes? Surely you do not believe we already have enough strength to contend with the Galactic Republic?"

"You still did not understand what I told you before, Darth Tyranus," Darth Malthael said lightly. "The Dark Reaper may be powerful, but in the end, it was never yours. That has nothing to do with whether I came to Tull Planet or not."

Count Dooku's expression darkened. He understood what the other man meant. He could not have held on to the Dark Reaper under the Jedi Order's assault. Even if Darth Malthael had helped him, so what? Would Malthael have handed the Dark Reaper over to him? And on a deeper level, even if he had truly managed to keep it, the thing still would not have been his.

The Dark Reaper belonged to Darth Sidious.

It was not that he failed to understand this. In fact, that was precisely why he had not exposed Archangel of Death's involvement before Darth Sidious earlier.

"What do you intend to do between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems?" Count Dooku asked.

"There is no conflict between you and me. Do you know Darth Pregas?" Darth Malthael asked in return.

Count Dooku did not answer. He had heard of the name, but truly knew very little, especially since Darth Sidious