Worth the Sacrifice
Emphira earnestly searched the face of the man standing before her, a frown on her lips as she pondered how she was going to get out of this situation. The whole thing had been a trap from the moment they landed: there were no alarms to set off, no unexpected traps or pitfalls, and the droids had waited for them to enter the building before making themselves known. Since when do they favor intellect over intimidation? She frowned as she stormed ahead, unaware of her surroundings as she made quick work of their defenses.
It wasn’t until after she’d been found out that she realized her rookie mistake. Well sure, she’d been captured before and had escaped just as easily, but this time was different: Ahsoka had gotten caught as well. Not that the young woman couldn’t handle herself, she was very well-versed in self-defense; had she been freed, she could give Ventress a run for her credits even without her lightsabers. But Count Dooku had made it imperative that their weapons were confiscated and to be properly restrained upon delivery. From there, the dark apprentice had given her two options: take her chance at freedom or release Ahsoka and stay behind. In her opinion, the choice was simple: sacrifice her own freedom and have the xenophian reunited with her Master. After all, she was under oath to keep her safe until her True Master, Emilyn-Phiabelle, had honed her abilities and was able to do the task herself. However, she hadn’t heard the graying man say that he would let her go without a hassle, and knowing that he wasn’t above using unnecessary mistreatment on his guests made her somewhat hesitant to comply with an actual response. If I give myself up, I could easily milk any information I need and get out.
A moment of silence passed before she put up a front of defeat. “Alright Dooku, I’ll stay behind... but let her go.” True to his nature, the man remained unmoving as he replied coolly, “And should I refuse?” the Diachronia had no time to visibly react to the defiant cadence as she focused her efforts on mentally soothing the Togruta’s mounting rage. “Then I won’t be the fault for Anakin’s wrath.” She returned smoothly, knowing all too well what could occur when her half-uncle was angered. Nor will I try to control my own. She growled as her darker half sparked in agreement, watching his thoughts fly across his face with a neutral expression. “Very well then, I will allow Skywalker’s apprentice to return to him unharmed.” His hand moved in a smooth arch, sending a thread of Force energy that unlocked the teenager’s bonds and returned her lightsabers. “And be sure to send your Master my regards.” He called after her, a murderous glint present within the depths of her eyes as she turned to look over her shoulder, an unsettling chuckle escaping her when she spoke up. “I would be honored to, Dooku.” She purred with a cruel smile, her right eye briefly darkening as a glowing red iris flashed ominously in his direction before the door slid shut.
