Chapter 90: Dooku
A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!
Count Dooku enters the stage.
-x-X-x-
Yan Dooku was many things. Former Jedi Master. Count of Serenno. Head of State for the Separatist Movement. And of course, he was Darth Tyrannus, Sith Apprentice to Darth Sidious, the Lord of the Sith. He was many things, but one thing he prided himself on NOT being… was taken off guard.
He was an old man at the end of the day, one who had traveled the galaxy in his younger years and seen all there was to see. He was the one who saw the deep corruption in both the Republic and the Jedi Order. He was the one who knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the only way forward… was the Dark Side.
Frankly, when he’d finally found his way to Palpatine, helped along by the Sith Master’s clues and hints, Dooku had already known that he needed to Fall. Destroying Palpatine wouldn’t fix things. Even if he’d understood at that point that the corruption in the heart of the Republic and the Order was the doing of the hidden Sith, it didn’t truly matter. It was too late.
The only way to save anyone, the only way to fix anything, was to wipe the board clean and start again. And as ironic as it was, Darth Sidious was the one in the best position to do so. That was why Dooku had joined him. That was why he had become a Sith, after spending most of his life as a highly respected Jedi Master.
… and now Palpatine was dead. Dooku had felt it through the Force, of course. The training bonds that Jedi created between Master and Padawan could usually be severed without death and often were when the Padawan become a Jedi Knight. They could even be severed before that with minimal harm if things between a Master and Padawan became untenable for whatever reason.
This was not the case for Sith. The bond between a Sith Master and his Apprentice went far deeper than that. It was a connection that leaned on the Apprentice most heavily, but also one that benefited the Apprentice in several ways. And ultimately, part of growing stronger in the Dark Side of the Force was turning that connection to your own ends, until eventually you were strong enough to overcome both it and your Master altogether.
Master-Apprentice Bonds between Sith always ended in death. This was the Rule of Two. One to embody the power of the Dark Side and one to crave it. And eventually the one who craved it was meant to usurp their master, taking the title of Lord of the Sith for themselves and taking on a new apprentice afterwards.
Dooku had always known he would one day need to surpass his Master. Treachery was the way of the Sith, after all. He had assumed it would come after they established their Empire, however. He had envisioned a future where his newly established Order, trained under his authority, would assist him in usurping the throne from Darth Sidious, and he would become the new Emperor of the Galaxy.
… That future was now impossible, as was any future where Dooku surpassed and usurped Sidious of his own accord. With the Sith Master dead, things had just changed dramatically. And not for the better. The truth was, the war between the Republic and the Separatists was… clean. Oh certainly, plenty of people still died. Plenty of planets were ravaged by the war. And yet, the armies were made up mostly of disposable units. Droids on one side, clones on the other.
This too was why Dooku had known he ultimately had to side with Sidious. Because in the end, even if he’d killed Palpatine, the war that the Sith had been nudging into place was inevitable either way at this point. But without the Sith to guide it on both sides, it would have been a war that cost trillions of lives, instead of merely millions so far.
In a galaxy filled with more than thirty million sentient species discovered so far, the fact that only millions of individuals had lost their lives to the galactic war so far was… nothing short of extraordinary. And it was all thanks to Dooku’s careful custodial management of his side of things.
Oh certainly, the Separatists had still committed their fair share of atrocities, but that was by design, to make the non-human species that made up the Confederacy look all the more monstrous and villainous. Their actions were carefully orchestrated, like one massive galactic play.
But that was all gone now. Oh certainly, Dooku could try to continue his work from his side of things, but with Sidious revealed to be a Sith Lord, he doubted the Jedi would continue to throw themselves into the meat grinder. He also doubted his ability to keep the war going at all for very much longer without it getting out of control, not just because there were key members of the Separatist Council who had known Darth Sidious, even if they didn’t know who Sidious really was. And once they found out…
Well, that mattered little in the face of the other major problem. Namely, the shroud of obfuscating darkness over the Force that was rapidly dissipating. Said shroud had been largely maintained by Palpatine and had allowed them to keep the Jedi in the dark even before the war had begun. It had made it so very easy to prompt the Jedi into becoming Generals and Commanders in a war they should never have believed in.
That was over now. The shroud was diminishing fast and Dooku couldn’t keep it up by himself. He barely even knew where to begin, frustrating as that was to admit.
Fortunately, there was one bright spot in all of this. Or rather, more accurately, there was one very, very dark spot. The dissipation of Palpatine’s shroud of darkness had revealed a massive, pulsing mass of darkness in the Force, located in one specific place. When Dooku had found out what was there… or rather who was there, he’d wanted to scream.
And yet, it was his only opportunity. As much as he’d long despised Annie Skywalker for her impulsive recklessness, there was no denying that his now dead Master had long, long held a deep, curious interest in the Jedi. Was she truly the Chosen One? Did it truly matter? Ultimately… no, it did not matter. What Annie Skywalker was, was insanely powerful in the Force. And right now she was radiating enough Dark Side Energy that a Jedi might think they were sensing some sort of black hole in the Force or something.
Dooku had to reach her. And if possible, he had to turn her to his side. It was the only way to salvage this mess, both on a political and religious scale. He was the new Lord of the Sith and he had been ill-prepared for having the mantle passed onto him. But if he could gain a powerful Apprentice quickly, then they could uncover the secrets of the Dark Side together.
On the political side of things, if Dooku managed to turn the Jedi’s vaunted Chosen One against their corrupt Republic… it would be glorious. They were already starting to call Skywalker the Hero Without Fear, a title that Dooku knew was a complete load of shit. The Jedi Knight was filled with fear, hatred, and anger. She just hid it all behind a mask of courage that she didn’t really feel.
But in the end, the truth didn’t matter. What mattered was perception. Taking Annie Skywalker as his Sith Apprentice would not only allow him to strengthen his hold on both the Dark Side and the Separatist Movement, but it would also allow him to shake the Republic and the Order both to their core. He would turn their great victory over Palpatine into an ashen defeat. He would rock their faith in their ability to win this war by suborning one of their greatest heroes.
“Sir, we have arrived.”
Dooku smiles a grim smile as his fleet transitions out of hyperspace and into real space. He can see the Republic Ships in the distance and can see that they didn’t expect a Separatist Fleet twice their size to suddenly be bearing down on them out of nowhere either. Things are in shambles right now with Palpatine dead. Nobody knows what to do, and these Republic Forces in particular aren’t sure what to do because their Jedi General is currently indisposed.
“Launch Droid Starfighters and Vultures. Disable but leave as many alive as possible.”
“Sir?”
Dooku looks to the Nemodian who dares to question him, his eyes narrowing in a way that only takes a moment to intimidate the Nemodian into compliance. Indeed, normally there was no reason to try to take prisoners. Especially not when you were fighting clones. And yet, all reports said that Annie Skywalker considered her clones to be her family. That she had become very close with them during the last several months of war was undeniable.
He would spare as many of them as he possibly could for her… for his new Sith Apprentice. She’d best be grateful.
-x-X-x-
KILL THE JEDI! KILL THE JEDI! KILL THE JEDI!
No, no, no, no… she wouldn’t. She refused. She wouldn’t kill the Jedi. She would rather die. Annie whimpers, even as she lays curled up in the fetal position in her quarters. Her hands clutch at her ears, but it doesn’t keep HIS voice from reaching her all the same. She’s tried her best to get the voice out of her head, but it’s impossible. Especially with the Dark Side buffeting her from all angles, attacking her constantly.
Meditation only seems to cause her to sink deeper into the Darkness too. It leaves her feeling like she’s drowning, like if she doesn’t stop, she really will snap. Reaching out for the Light has never felt as impossible as it does now. She’s even tried releasing her emotions into the Force, but that only feeds the Dark Side all around her, making it stronger.
Annie doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t- a sudden ripple under her causes her to sit up on her bed, eyes snapping wide open. That was… that felt like something struck the ship. It was barely noticeable since her quarters were so deep in the ship itself, but even still… they were under attack. She would know that feeling anywhere.
No sooner has that happened then there’s a sudden banging at her door.
“General! We’re under attack! A Separatist Fleet dropped out of hyperspace and is attacking. They outnumber us two to one and are already performing a boarding action!”
Annie doesn’t hesitate. Even with Palpatine’s voice still pounding against the inside of her skull, she thrusts out a hand, summoning her lightsaber to her and activating it with a snarl as she rushes for the door. Palming it open, she steps out of her quarters for the first time in days, watching as her trusted Clone Commander Rex steps back in surprise… and fear?
Rex has been with her through thick and thin. A clone of the red-headed Mandalorian Mercenary Bo-Katan Kryze, she’s proven herself to be trustworthy, loyal, and steadfast, as well as courageous and brave. So when the red-haired clone actually looks afraid, even Annie has to stop.
“What? What is it?”
“I… your eyes, ma’am.”
Annie brings her fingers up to her eyes involuntarily, before realizing that obviously she can’t touch them. But then, she doesn’t have to. Nor does she even need to find a reflective surface.
“Yellow?”
“O-Orange, ma’am…”
Ah. Even worse than she thought. Annie’s hand grips down so hard on the handle of her saber that the metal starts to creak before she stops herself.
“Never mind that. I am in control, I swear it.”
Maybe if she says it enough times, she’ll even start to believe it herself.
KILL THE JEDI! KILL THE JEDI! KILL THE JEDI!
Forcing herself to ignore Palpatine’s voice, Annie looks to Rex, who in turn doesn’t look entirely convinced. But she’s loyal if nothing else. She won’t betray her. Annie believes that with all her heart.
“Who is boarding us? Is it Ventress?”
She can’t keep the hopeful tone out of her voice at the end there. She’d love to kill Ventress. She’d love to just destroy the bitch, even if it wasn’t what the Light Side preached. But Rex shakes her head.
“Ah… no ma’am… it’s Dooku. Count Dooku is here.”
Annie’s eyes widen and her face twists up into an expression of pure, undignified glee.
“Even better.”
She can’t help purring out the words, even as she reaches out in the Force, feeling for Dooku’s presence so she knows where to go. Dooku was once a Jedi. Maybe his death would quiet the voice in her head for a time. Only, just as she’s searching out Dooku’s distinct Force Signature, Annie stops dead in her proverbial tracks as she feels two more familiar signatures as well.
“… Rex… why are Padme and Tylo on the ship? Why are they on the ship and I didn’t know?!”
Her Clone Commander stands at attention, showing that vaunted courage and bravery in the face of Annie’s mounting rage, even as she explains herself.
“They arrived less than an hour ago, ma’am. Just before Dooku and his fleet came out of hyperspace and attacked. I tried to contact you, but you were refusing all communications. We were discussing the best way for them to come to you when the Separatists arrived. Ma’am.”
That… that was fair. Annie hated how fair it was. Part of her wanted to reach out in the Force and shut Rex up and- Annie’s eyes widen as the Clone Commander begins to gasp for air. She quickly lets go of Rex’s neck with her mind, horrified by how easily the Force had leapt to obey her inner thoughts. No, not the Force… the Dark Side.
And yet, she’s still filled with inner turmoil. Padme and Tylo were here. If she laid eyes on Tylo, she wasn’t sure she would be able to stop herself from trying to kill him. He was a Jedi Knight, after all.
Dooku was also here. He needed to die. She needed to kill him.
But Padme… Force, Annie’s heart yearns for Padme. She longs to go to her. To be with her. Maybe Padme, even if she can’t touch the Force, could help quiet Annie’s aching head. Maybe she’s all Annie needs. Unfortunately, Padme is with Tylo. Tylo is with Padme. And Annie can’t be trusted near any Jedi right now. She’s sure of it.
And yet, she longs for them all the same…
[ ] Go deal with Dooku first, he needs to die - 8%
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