What Are You Smiling About?
by ardavenport
Qui-Gon Jinn's boots hardly made any sound on the plush red carpeting. The formally dressed chancellory aide walked slowly ahead of him. Barely limping from his recent injuries, he still stood tall and strong having lost little of his old stride. Bearded, with long, barely-graying, brown hanging down past his broad shoulders, the Jedi Master was simply dressed in the opulent offices.
The aide ushered him through the luxurious, suite, past busy staffers and loitering hangers-on, through an anteroom to the door of the Supreme Chancellor's office. It slid open for them immediately and the aide stepped aside for Qui-Gon.
"My dear Master Jinn!" Dressed in dark robes of state, the new Chancellor stepped forward, greeting the Jedi warmly. The aide bowed and left them alone in the spacious office, the door closing behind her.
"Chancellor Palpatine." Qui-Gon bowed formally, his arms tucked before him into the opposite sleeves of his dark brown robe. Palpatine accepted the announcement of his title with false modesty and ushered the Jedi to a chair opposite his official desk before the room's panoramic view of the busy city-planet outside.
"I'm so gratified to see you up and about again." He settled himself into his high-backed chair. "That was a very near thing for you back on Naboo." Qui-Gon silently inclined his head in response. "Now, how can I help you?"
Clearly uncomfortable, Qui-Gon pressed his hands together before beginning.
"You may have already heard that the Jedi Council has finally refused my request to train young Anakin Skywalker as a Jedi–"
"Oh, I have," Palpatine interrupted, his tone so theatrically sympathetic that Qui-Gon grimaced. "Such a bitter disappointment. I cannot imagine what they were thinking to refuse such a promising student."
"Yes, it was disappointing," Qui-Gon continued calmly. "They have, however, left if to me to find a suitable situation for young Anakin and I was hoping he could be accepted as a refugee on Naboo."
"Of course!" Palpatine threw his hands up. "But hardly as a refugee. Certainly not for the hero who saved our whole world. The Queen would sponsor him personally in whatever apprenticeship he would want, I'm sure. Not to mention myself, of course." Palpatine rose from his seat. "I shall make the arrangements personally." Qui-Gon stayed seated and after a momentary pause, the Chancellor resumed his seat.
"There is something else?" he inquired genially.
"I do not care to be placed in this position, but I find myself with no choice. I must also ask for refugee status for myself as well."
His mouth agape, Palpatine stared back.
"For yourself, Master Jinn? I don't think I understand."
"Anakin must be taught the ways of the Force. I must go with him to train him properly," Qui-Gon state earnestly, leaning forward, his dark blue eyes fixed on the elder statesman before him.
"You? But I thought that the Jedi Council had forbidden his training?" Palpatine sat back, confused.
"They have." Qui-Gon stated, lowering his eyes. "That is why I must leave the Jedi Order." He straightened "Training Anakin must be my first priority. I will be submitting my petition for separation immediately."
"Oh, I am so sorry to hear that your disagreement with the Council was so severe. I had no idea that the rift was so great—"
"There is no rift Chancellor," Qui-Gon corrected, his tone annoyed. "I will leave the Order on good terms, I assure you,"
The com on the desk chimed. Palpatine answered it. A miniature, holographic receptionist announced a new arrival.
"Show him in," the Chancellor told it before waving the device off again. Qui-Gon rose from his seat and bowed again.
"Of Course, Naboo would be happy to give you sanctuary Master Jinn. It is the very least we can do for all you've done for our world." Qui-Gon nodded. Then he frowned as if he'd forgotten something. He stood in place, concentrating on something unseen. Qui-Gon turned to look at the new arrival.
Jedi Master Dooku looked back at his former Padawan with equal surprise. But he quickly corrected his expression, as did Qui-Gon. The door closing behind him, he strode forward. He wore a dark brown robe, belt and boots, very similar to Qui-Gon's, but his tunic was grayish-brown, his pants white, the opposite of Qui-Gon's brown pants and off-white tunic and tabards.
"Ah, Master Dooku. I'm so glad you could come. I believe that you and Master Jinn have met before?" Palpatine asked by way of introduction.
The older man, his hair and beard nearly white with his years, sneered back at Palpatine. "You might say that. I trained Qui-Gon myself, if that qualifies as knowing someone." He raised his eyebrows at his former Padawan. Though much older, Dooku was the same height and had a remarkably similar build to Qui-Gon. The two stately Jedi dwarfed the smaller, averaged-sized politician behind the desk.
"Ahh, of course." Palpatine ignored Dooku's scorn. "And I believe you also have something else in common. You've both proposed leaving the Jedi Order."
Surprised again, Dooku's head turned to him. "I never said anything like that," he denied. Qui-Gon looked back and forth between the other two.
"Of course you have."
In those four words Palpatine's voice changed, descending from a polite, aging statesman to pure malevolent hatred. Dooku's eyes widened.
"You..." Dooku mouthed the word, barely speaking.
The shorter man seemed to have transformed from the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic into something more...or less. Though physically unchanged, his face had become that of another person entirely. He waved one hand back. Behind him, the window to the city outside went to black.
The Chancellor raised both his hands. Qui-Gon jumped back, reaching for his weapon.
Blue lightning shot out from the Chancellor's hands, catching Qui-Gon, lifting him into the air and hurling him far back to pin him high on a wall. His teeth bared, the smaller man intensified his attack and his lips curled upward when Qui-Gon, helpless under the onslaught of snapping, crackling energy, writhed in pain.
Then the lightning stopped. Qui-Gon fell, crashing to the floor. He twitched from little licks of blue light that briefly remained and then lay still.
Dooku stood frozen in place, staring at Qui-Gon. He looked down. Qui-Gon had barely had time to reach his lightsaber, but it had flown from his hand when he'd been thrown back. Now an abandoned cylinder of black and silver, it lay at Dooku's feet. He bent down and picked it up.
"Did you doubt my power?" The newly emerged Sith Lord came around the desk to confront the older Jedi. Dooku's hand tightened around the saber hilt and he turned his head.
"No," he denied imperiously. "That would have been foolish."
The Sith began to circle him. "You cannot flirt with the power of the dark side, Jedi." He spat out the last word like a curse. "Give me your answer. Now," he demanded venomously.
His eyes steady, Dooku slowly sank to his knees before the Dark Lord.
"I pledge myself to your teachings. Master Sidius." Dooku's deep, resonant voice was steady, with a hint of anticipation and emerging avarice.
"Good." The Sith's voice rumbled low in his throat. "From this point forward, you will be known as Darth..." he seemed to consider for a moment, his hand raised to deliver his dire blessing. "...Tyranus."
Dooku inhaled deeply, his eyes widening with awe.
"I shall serve you well, my Master," he declared righteously, but Sidious looked unimpressed.
"Prove it," he challenged. His arm waved toward the wall behind him. Qui-Gon, still paralyzed on the ground, watched them.
Dooku rose to his feet and strode forward. The lightsaber in his hand jerked, trying to return to its owner's weak call, but he kept a tight grip on it. His thumb activated it. The green blade flashed into existence. The ominous hum from it rose and fell as he swung it down to point at the injured Jedi.
Qui-Gon calmly stared back up at him before his lips curled upward into a sad smile.
"What are you smiling about, boy?" Dooku demanded, obviously not satisfied by this fearless reaction to his threat. The glowing green tip of the lightsaber brushed Qui-Gon's cheek. The hair of his beard blackened, singed; the skin on Qui-Gon's cheek reddened. Dooku wrinkled his nose at the smell.
Grimacing with pain, his dark blue eyes streaming, Qui-Gon Jinn looked up at his former mentor.
"You cannot make me hate you. My Master." He said softly, his eyes alive with compassion.
Shocked, Dooku drew his arm back and plunged the saber into Jinn's chest, through the heart. The Jedi's body arched from the pain, the shock. Dooku dragged the end of the saber across the body, making a cruel black gouge though fabric, skin, flesh, bone. Then his former student fell back on the floor, the color draining from his face; his eyes stared at nothing. The Force escaped the now dead flesh.
"Pathetic," Darth Sidius pronounced contemptuously over the passing. Dooku still stared down at the thing at his feet. The green lightsaber clicked off. "You have done well, my new apprentice." Sidious's voice changed again, back to the affable politician.
Dooku looked up. If he was surprised by the transformation, he didn't show it this time to the smiling Chancellor standing innocently beside him. Palpatine turned and went back to his desk, speaking as he went.
"But now, you will perform a special task for me." He glanced over his shoulder, at the body on the floor. "Seeing that you've lost your old student, it is only appropriate that you should take on another." Turning, Palpatine clasped his hands together before him. "A very special young man. But before you meet him, I want you to go on a personal mission of mercy first. You will go to Tatooine and buy young Skywalker's poor mother out of slavery for him. I'm sure he will be most grateful to see her."
His expression guarded, Dooku bowed. "Of course, my Master," his deep voice spoke solemnly.
"And then." Smiling, Palpatine spread his hands. "We shall both ensure that he is instructed properly."
– END –
(this story first posted on tf.n: 20-Apr-2006)
Disclaimer: All characters and situations belong to George and Lucasfilm; I'm just playing in their sandbox.