Disclaimer: As always, I have never owned Star Wars. Never will. Everything in this story belongs to George Lucas, and most of the ideas I got for this story came from Yoda: Dark Rendezvous by Sean Stewart.
Authors Note: Even though this is a very short story, I have finally written a Dooku/Qui story, so hopefully you will like it. I apologize to all my readers for being lazy and not writing for a while, I figured I could write you something before I start school tomorrow. Enjoy!
aiden skywalker
Stars appeared to stream past the transparisteel viewport as the Republic transport made its jump to hyperspace. A young man, accompanied by someone who did not appear much older, gazed out into space as though there was actually something to look at. It was impossible to tell if the two men were traveling together or if they were simply placed next to each other for the long journey ahead. They certainly looked nothing alike, so they could not pass as brothers, although the two men obviously knew one another by their exchanges of body language. A small stone rested in the younger man's hands as he stroked it absentmindedly. Subtly, the older male would glance over to the passenger whose eyes were fixed out the window, almost as though he was checking to see if the younger man had chosen to look at something else. However, each time the man checked, the passenger to the left continued to stroke the stone as he looked out the window.
The older man had dark brown hair which had been cropped short; matching the younger man's hairstyle, except for a long braid which rested on his right shoulder. Almost anyone could recognize the plait of hair that symbolized a Jedi Padawan, and could assume that the two men were in fact, Master and Padawan. Although the Padawan had not risen his eyes, or spoken a word, his mentor looked over to regard the student. The younger male had shifted his gaze to the stone as he turned it over in his hand. It appeared to be just another rock, but the Master knew how special the rock was to his apprentice.
It had only been a few years ago when the Padawan had first laid eyes on the Force-sensitive rock. On a simple visit back to his homeworld, the apprentice had found the stone from The River of Light. While his mentor had never felt the rock himself, he could only imagine what sort of experience it would be. No doubt it held strong memories for his Padawan.
"Master, do you miss your home?"
"Don't be ridiculous Qui-Gon, we just left Coruscant a couple of hours ago," the Master snorted.
"I meant your homeworld. Do you ever miss Serenno?"
"Qui-Gon, you mustn't dwell on your past. Keep your focus on the present."
"If you could go back, would you?"
"Since there is little chance I will ever visit that planet again, I choose not to think about it."
The tone in which Dooku spoke quieted Qui-Gon's questions for the moment. An attendant droid made its way down the aisles, offering refreshments to the various passengers. Dooku managed to wave it down before it passed him, and ordered a cup of rose tea. Finally Qui-Gon raised his eyes to meet those of his mentor.
"I miss my homeplanet sometimes," Qui-Gon stated.
"If you were a normal Padawan, you would not know which planet it was."
"But I'm not. And neither were you."
Another droid returned with Dooku's tea and offered him a variety of condiments before the Jedi Knight simply said he wanted it plain. He took a whiff of the steam before setting the cup down to cool.
"Serenno always had the most perfect roses."