PART 3: ASTRAY ACOLYTES
CHAPTER 4: APPRENTICE
Anakin back flipped arching up and over the edge of the garden wall and landed on top of the stone structure. "Very good," Dooku said, it was not the flip; the boy had been more than capable of that when he had come to Dooku. It was the control in the force that Dooku was trying to teach him. Anakin had excelled at an alarming rate; the Jedi would have held him back and slowed down his progress normally. But Anakin already had technical skills, what he needed was control. Dooku could teach him that. "Now focus and control your powers, it is the only way to gain strength" Dooku watched as the boy executed a neat and tidy flip to land back on the stone pavers of the courtyard in Dooku's home on Raxus.
Inwardly Dooku smiled, Anakin had been trained by Qui-Gon in part before Qui-Gon's death. Now he was finishing what Qui-Gon had started, teaching the boy what he should have taught Qui-Gon. In a way he was writing the mistakes he'd made while training his former padawan. The boy had great potential and once Anakin was trained, even his master Darth Sidious, whom Dooku had not told about Anakin, yet , would fall in their wake.
Anakin had learned so much in the last four months when he returned to Asajj and Ahsoka there would be a lot of information to impart. The next time he came face to face with the droid creature, the force was telling Anakin he would, he would be ready for it. Anakin had felt his powers growing. He could feel the immense power that lay just inside the darkness that Dooku offered and with little effort he was reaching out and taking the power that lay there.
"Again, you need more control." Anakin's powers, though growing were still elemental in many aspects. Dooku intended to train Anakin in the ways of the force, whether learning the ways of the Jedi or the Sith the only way to relate to the force was through control of one's own self. Anakin was about to turn back to the wall and go through the routine again when one of Dooku's server droids came to the garden.
"Count, a message," the droid said and held a holo projector to his master. Dooku took the device and turning it on he studied the map closely. Finlay, he had been searching for this for a long time.
"Never mind your training for today," Dooku said. Anakin gave the count a searching look. "We have a journey to make," Dooku said.
"Where are we going?" Anakin asked.
"To obtain the secrets of true power," Dooku went back to his rooms to pack the few things he'd need while they made preparation to leave the planet. The holo-projector in the room gave a beep indicating that someone was trying to make contact with him. Dooku pressed the button that allowed the image of his master to materialize and sank down to one knee.
"Lord Tyranus," Sidious said his black hood cowling his face, and leaving it in shadow.
"Yes my master?" Dooku asked his eyes down cast.
"Have you obtained an appropriate agent for the Coruscant matter?".
"Yes my master, I have already given them full instruction and they are on their way right now to Coruscant as we speak, the matter will be handled as you have instructed".
"Good, good," Sidious said, "The senate grows restless for peace, make certain your own political matters remain in turmoil," Sidious instructed.
"Yes my master" Dooku agreed, when the transmission ended he left instructions that no votes where to take place in his absences and his mid size passenger ship left Rexus the same day.
Cutting off the transmission Palpatine walked to look out his window and view the Coruscant skyline. He felt it again, stronger and stronger over these last four months, a disturbance in the force. He had felt it many times in recent years, the sources always evading him, the dark side revealed all to him except the source of this power. Palpatine frowned, out there at that moment there was a being with an incredible presence in the force, and it was growing stronger. This being might be the answer to all of his plans and yet the dark side of the force did not reveal the source to him, "where are you?" Palpatine asked the skyline of Coruscant.