PART 3: ASTRAY ACOLYTES

CHAPTER 6: MAP OF POWER

On Dooku's ship Anakin's training continued as they flew towards Bothawui to meet with an informant. In the hold Anakin sparred with Dooku and worked on growing his powers.

Dooku forced the boy back and back again, then took a step back himself as Anakin lashed out with his blue blade. Catching the red blade of Dooku's saber Anakin threw the older man back a step.

"Control your power young Skywalker," Dooku said as he parried Anakin's blade. The young man reached for the force and shoved Dooku back. Dooku could feel the force responding to the young man but there was a wild edge to it, a dark edge.

"Your powerful young Skywalker, but you lack control, it is the only way to gain real power." Dooku reached out a hand and showed Anakin the control he was missing, Anakin was thrown back and hit the cargo bays wall with a soft thump. Dooku deactivated his red saber and clipped it back on his belt. "I've told you before, control, you must have it or you will never learn to truly control the force," Dooku chided.

Anakin rose from the hanger floor and dusting himself off he reached out a hand and called his lightsaber to him. Hooking the sword on his belt Anakin said "I'm trying."

"There is no try, either you succeed or you fail, that is all," Dooku scolded again, but then took a slightly softer tone with the boy. "I know that with time you will learn what I am teaching you." Anakin had been a great pupil; he'd learned quickly and had followed Dooku's every instruction, but he still lacked control. Dooku had hoped as he trained Anakin that the boy would learn the same control that Dooku himself had. Anakin's abilities had grown but his self control seemed to be slipping further and further away, Dooku did not, as of yet, understand why.

From above the tone that indicated they were coming out of hyperspace sounded. Anakin and Dooku headed back up to the cockpit and Anakin guided the craft down to the planet's surface. Bothawui was a cold planet, currently in the middle of its winter cycle. Making their way through the streets in one of Bothawui's many cities, Dooku led them to a bar of somewhat respectable visage. The establishment being located near the space port which usually meant good business from travelers also men't that inside there was a mix of Bothans as well as life forms from all across the galaxy. Dooku led them to a back table and said once they sat down "we shall be joined shortly by an associate of mine."

"This associate, they wouldn't happen to be a Bothan?" Anakin asked, already knowing the likelihood was high. Bothans were some of the best known information traders in the galaxy and Anakin, who had had his own reasons to deal with them in the past, was sure that they were on Bothawui now because they were in need of some valuable information.

"Yes," Dooku answered the boy's question, Anakin nodded but didn't say anything more. From what Anakin had seen at Dooku's home on Rexus, the older man was rich and could more than afford to pay. That was usually where negotiations started breaking down in any form of data selling, hopefully that would not be the case this time. Ordering a drink while they waited, Anakin's thoughts turned to Asajj and Ahsoka. He didn't know what they were up to and he was sure that Asajj would kill him when he returned to Tanga-3 for leaving her with the repairs to Starkiller. It had been a long time since he'd been on his own, almost five years now. The last time Anakin had been completely on his own was when he'd been a slave on Tatooine. He hadn't been completely alone even then, his mom had still come and visited him, had still been a part of his life. Own and Cligge too, but all of that had ended with his mother's death, then he'd truly been alone. For a moment the harsh sands of the night time desert stung Anakin's eyes and cheeks with their phantom fingers. Quickly pulling his thoughts away from that time, from that night, Anakin forced his mind to other places.

He wondered how Ahsoka was doing with her training, she had learned almost everything he had known, and now, there was just so much more than they had ever imagined. Why didn't Qui-Gon ever give him the full picture, or maybe he had tried but Anakin had been unable to see it then. Once again Anakin cut those thoughts of the past off immediately, no good came from dwelling on the past.

Dooku watched Anakin quietly as they waited, as a Jedi and now as a Sith he had studied and restudied time and again over his fatal flaw in training Qui-Gon. So often he had drilled it into his former padawan that his mind should always be in the here and now. But it was the glimpses of the future that could save one's life in a fight. Dooku had now become sure of his conclusions in the last four months, he had seen it with Anakin, and the boy was more than remarkable in that aspect. Dooku was sure that with training he could temper Anakin the why he had Qui-Gon and hon to a keen edge Anakin's foresight. Dooku would not make the same mistakes he had with Qui-Gon, he could give Anakin the skills needed to defeat any enemy. Dooku's mind quickly turned to his master, Sidious was the most powerful force user he had ever come in contact with, the Sith had frightening ability. Dooku's view of his master was shifting now that he had met Anakin. The boy, though he had not fully reached it yet, had great potential, possibly even to rival that of his master.

Across from them a cream furred Bothan slid into the seat and glanced between the two humans and then focused his violet eyes on Dooku. "Count Dooku, I've got what you asked for," the Bothan said. "But first the credits?".

"They will be transferred to your account once I have the information," Dooku said.

"Alright, mind you this information was not easy to come by; it took a lot of effort," the Bothan said.

"You will be well paid for your efforts," Dooku said. The Bothan reached into his belt pouch and produced a data disk. Setting it on the table the Bothan slid it towards the Count and then placed a data-pad next to it with a banking login visible on the screen. Dooku tapped in the code that would release the credits to the Bothan and then picked up the data disk. The Bothan rose and vanished out the doors. Dooku put the disk into a data-pad of his own and after a moment of reviewing the information seemed satisfied, turning to Anakin Dooku said "we have what we came for".