Remember when I said that this chapter would be out soon?... oops

Yeah, I got kinda sidetracked

Review Responses:

-Molag Vile: This Luke definitely sees things more like his uncle. There's also some other stuff going on in this AU that's lead Luke to be a bit more Amoral, and he's also learning the darkside as his first exposure to the force, which tends to encourage darker tendencies. Also, he probably had the highest body count even in canon so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-The Taios: Dooku has not told Sidious about Luke yet. Gotta gain your apprentices' loyalty before you let Sidous try to manipulate them.

Also, trigger warning for a person being retrained.

Luke sat on his knees in a dimly-lit chamber, eyes closed. Deep breath in, deep breath out. The scene would be tranquil to any onlooker, but the deep scowl on the young man's face gave away his true emotions. The deep shades of the darkside filled his mind and soul and spread throughout the room, making every dimension of it clear in Luke's mind, despite his eyes being shut.

A flame inside his chest rose and fell with every long hollow breath. Raw power bottling up inside him with every inhale and then released into the force with every exhale, shaping it to his will. When he inhaled, the flames in his heart rose higher and brighter, like the glow of his closed eyes. With each exhale, the fire calmed just a little, only to be stirred up yet again with the next inhale. The heat scorching his core like a nuclear reactor, freezing in it's torridness.

It was becoming a nightly ritual of Luke's to meditate into the night before he fell asleep. Ventress claimed to hate meditating, but Luke found an odd solace in taking a couple of hours to strengthen his connection with the Force. In brief moments like these, he could feel the raw power of the darkside coursing through him as he sat there on his bed.

Anakin Skywalker strode through the Jedi temple, his long Jedi robes billowing behind him.

Suddenly, he turned around, igniting the bright blue blade of his lightsaber. Ahsoka's terrified eyes met his own darkened gaze.

"Master?" she asked in a small voice, with Anakin's blade still near her throat. Her voice was trembling.

"Ahsoka," Anakin breathed out. "I'm… I'm so sorry." He quickly extinguished the blade. "I haven't, have… didn't notice you there."

"I thought so. I'm ready for the mission, master."

It hadn't taken him long to lift all the monoliths besides the way to Dooku's palace . A few weeks had been enough for him to gain the strength he needed to conquer that challenge. He felt his rage and anger at all injustice in the world (which he would never let diminish ,) all his passion for both flying and mechanics, as well as determination not to give in to the whims of the universe swirled in his heart, his mind, and his arms as he raised them and the stones followed. He had enough strength to impress Dooku and move on to the next challenge.

Obi-Wan stared at his former padawan with doubt. No one would ever buy the fact that Ahsoka was his adopted daughter and they were just randomly travelling through the galaxy. Obi-Wan's face was too known for that. Or was it?

Anakin reached to his pocket and pulled out a razor. His razor. And handed it over to Obi-Wan with a smirk. Oh, Force, why had he even signed up for this?

Just two months ago, Luke would have scoffed and called Dooku and Ventress crazy for all of their ' power of the darkside ' talk, but he could now feel the raw power of it coursing through his veins, ready to impose his desires on the world through sheer willpower.

The Force now aided his every strike as he took down yet another squad of training droids with nothing but his bare hands and feet. He could now dent durasteel with the same effort as it had previously taken to break a board. He could now dance gracefully around each training droid, wrenching their heads off individually with the same move he would use to break a near-human's neck.

Anakin couldn't help but smile as he watched Obi-Wan in normal civilian clothes and what more with his beard gone. He had always thought Obi-Wan handsome and he had to admit the beard wasn't exactly an improvement.

But, since all three of them were tourists they could just act like normal people. Perhaps he could flirt a little with Obi-Wan, no Ewan, he corrected himself, to better keep the cover?

He rolled aside, wooden stick instead of a lightsaber lying a few meters from him. He reached out with his arm and the stick flew to it just in time to block Ventress's ferocious blow. He thrust his arm out. The frustration from all the fights he had lost against her tingling under his skin. The power travelled from his heart to the tips of fingers.

Ventress flew across the room and crashed into the opposite wall and fell to the ground. For a moment Luke tensed. Was she…was she dead? No. She was alive; he was sure of it, but she was unconscious.

He'd won.

Luke couldn't help but let out a victorious cry!

Anakin stepped into a public shuttle, his ordinary linen backpack on only one of his shoulders. He was just a guy travelling the galaxy. They were no one important. Just a guy named Hayden who enjoyed some adrenaline while exploring new planets.

In the corner of his eye he caught Ewan and his adopted Togruta daughter Ashley asending the ramp as well.

They were off to Serenno.

"Skywalker," Dooku greeted at the beginning of their next training session, "your efforts in mastering the dark side have thus far been admirable, but you are not a Sith yet." The Count's arms were clasped regally behind his back as he spoke, his aura filling the room.

The Skywalker boy's sheer potential was truly astounding. He had taken months to accomplish what would have taken almost any other Force sensitive years to achieve. Still, while the boy took to the darkside with a fervent passion, he had yet to truly Fall in the traditional sense. A push needed to be made if the boy was going to tap into his full potential and become a true weapon to use against Sidious and the Jedi.

The boy tilted his head, looking up endearingly with his bright blue eyes, now somewhat red-rimmed, but nowhere near the sith golden yellow that Dooku could achieve when utilising the dark side.

"I have been wondering," the boy began, "what exactly is a Sith...beyond just using the darkside I mean."

It was a valid question. The boy's ignorance could be useful or annoying depending on the circumstances, but he was pleased that he was at least taking an interest.

"Sith follow the Sith code as well as taking on a new, honorary name with the title Darth."

The boy paused for a moment, his face contorting into a look of confusion. "Does that mean that your title is Darth Dooku?"

Count Dooku stared blankly, resisting the urge to laugh or smack his palm, both undignified and unbefitting of a Sith Lord. Instead, he took a deep breath then answered, "No, my Sith name is Darth Tyranus, and you will refer to me as such when concerning Sith matters."

The boy seemed only a little sheepish at his mistake. Scratching the back of his head, he quickly moved on to the next subject. "What about the Sith code?"

That was a query that Dooku was more than happy to oblige.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion . Through passion, I gain strength . Through strength, I gain power . Through power, I gain victory . Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. The Sith live by these principles, achieving them as each one sees fit."

Dooku said these words resolutely, and even used the Force to emphasize their importance. The Sith code was another thing that made the Sith superior to the Jedi. It was ironic that they claimed that only the Sith deal in absolutes when absolutes were ingrained in the very core of their code while the Sith code made no promises.

"The Force shall free me…" Skywalker mumbled, deep in thought. Dooku could sense the boy's introspection. He was giving the code thought, interpreting it as he saw fit rather than taking it at face value, a true sign of a fledgling Sith Lord.

"Today you will be trying something different than the norm." Skywalker immediately stood at attention, eager as always to learn. "I'm sure you recall how my prison is designed to null one's connection to the force."

"Are you going to teach me how to get around it like you said?"

"In a sense. I will simply be providing the circumstances that will force you to learn yourself. This will be your first proper test as a Sith apprentice."

It would be the perfect way to push the boy far enough to become a proper Sith without having to resort to the more unseemly methods that Sidious relied upon. Even the slight dampening from the prison was painful for the boy because of how completely open to the force he was. If Dooku were to cut him off completely, it could be enough to both teach him to draw on the force internally and trigger a true fall.

Luke knew he should have protested more against this particular 'exercise'. Doo—Tyranus had called it his first proper test, but now he found himself literally chained to a stone wall.

Well, under normal circumstances it wouldn't be that bad. He had a knack for escaping these sorts of situations, as evidenced by his first attempted escape on Serenno. No, the problem was that the chains used had cut him off completely from the Force.

He hadn't known that it could be this agonizing. What was once a raging storm in his consciousness was now gone. It was like all of his senses had been shut off. A part of him that he never realized he relied upon suddenly gone, a limb abruptly severed from the body, leaving nothing but phantom pains.

He could barely move. He couldn't feel anything. He was blind and chained like a Tatooine slave.

But Luke Skywalker would not stay chained.

A new sandstorm of anger began to emerge as he tugged futility at his restraints. The chain links screeched and rattled as he pulled harder and harder.

A low growl escaped his throat, slowly transforming into a roar. What part of him had ever thought that this was a good idea!? He should have refused the minute Darth Tyrannus had suggested chaining him to a wall.

He jerked forward. And again. His bare wrists burned from the restraints . The anger, which laid under the surface no longer began to pour out of him and solidify his resolve.

Luke was a free man, a child of the twin suns and he would not be restrained.

Something warm began to drip down his arm. Blood—deep crimson and sickly warm.

He shook once again with a nother roar. He will escape from these chains.

The wall began to crumble under the pressure of his will. Fissures forming starting at the base of the chain.

Finally, he ripped himself free, but that was not the end of it

He began to concentrate on the chains still baring his access to the force. He let out one last roar of primal rage, and the rigid metal of the cuffs shattered, sending the shrapnel flying every which way. Just as the Sith code had said, the force had set him free .

The cell door opened, and he could hear brisk footsteps coming ever closer.

Darth Tyranus smiled as he watched his apprentice look up to him with bright yellow eyes.

Dooku was curious to see what kind of Sith his new apprentice would become and the boy had been truly unpredictable. He was no blunt instrument, like that zabrak had been, nor was he a source of unending rage like he imagined the other Skywalker might become. No, so far the boy appeared as cheerful and friendly as ever, even with the bright yellow eyes boring into his soul through his own amber pair. .

Now that the more extreme measures that had to be used to make the boy Fall were dispensed with, the real training could begin. The boy was curious and eager, much how Qui-Gon had been, once upon a time. The bitterly dulled pain that came when he thought of his former Padawan was banished as he focused on the present. There was no point in dwelling in the past, not when there was so much to focus on in the here and now.

Aside from training the boy, he had a cause to run, plans to make, missions to enact, and developments to oversee. All of these factors may lead to the eventual win of their cause, but it left him little leisure time. As such, he needed to focus on what few moments he could manage, such as his meals with the boy.

" Your progress thus far has been quite adequate ." He decided a bit of praise couldn't hurt. After all, the boy was hardly as arrogant as the other Skywalker.

" I'm happy to hear that torturing your apprentices is worth it then ." All traces of friendliness and good humor were gone from the boy's face as he spoke.

"That was hardly torture," Dooku started, raising a brow, "It was simply a teaching method I employed, and as a result, your potential has been tapped. "

The boy said nothing in reply, returning to his meal, a simple course of fruits and some toast at his insistence that extravagant meals were more trouble than worth. Since he was to spend the morning focused on studying the blueprints and designs of some of the more commonly used droids, Dooku did not nag (for he was not one to do so anyways) and simply left him to his thoughts.

Luke's days fell into a new pattern. Something barely resembling breakfast, studying, building and creating blueprints, a bland lunch that might as well be his only meal of the day with how much he ended up getting served. Then came mandatory the time spent with Tyranus learning 'Sith arts' which was mostly lifting stuff and while he was still getting used to it, it was boring. He knew he could do more. Then trying to figure out why Separatist engineers were so stupid , dinner with Dooku (most of the time) and, finally, his nightly meditation.

He cleared his mind as Tyranus had instructed him and focused on the memory of being chained up; how he broke free. He felt the strange sense of strength in his gut slowly spreading into his body.

He recalled the Sith code Tyranus had taught him, reciting it in his mind as the tingling feeling under his skin spread.

Calm. That was the closest a Sith like him could get to a peace. And could he even call himself a Sith? Tyranus had said that he wasn't, but he also sort of implied that he would be after he completed that first real test.

Or perhaps he needed one of those red laser swords for that. Lightsabers? He really should ask Tyranus for one.

He looked at the clock on the wall. Almost 1800 standard and time for his nightly dinner with Dooku. He really needed to punch his stupid face . Or perhaps gut him alive. Yes, gutting him alive seemed like a good idea, but not unless he tried another stunt like chaining him to the wall.

Then again, Luke was nothing but pragmatic. He understood Dooku's intentions with it now, and he had become stronger because of it, but dammit if he would ever let anyone do that to him ever again.

At least Luke knew the way out if he was ever imprisoned that way unwillingly.

He took a deep breath. What's done is done, and he'll find a way to get payback without getting fired eventually. For now, it was time for his daily dinner with Dooku.

He sat in a comfortable chair, his back straightened like a stick as he carefully cut a small piece of his under seasoned fish and ate it. (it had not taken long to realise that many of the Core World dishes he was served had a far lower level of spice and flavor than he was used to.) He looked straight forward or on his plate, completely ignoring Dooku.

"Tell me, Luke, how is your work progressing?" Count Dooku asked with his deep silky voice.

"Not bad considering the junk I'm working with," the young man replied flatly. His empty plate was whisked from him and replaced with neatly arranged, masterfully cut vegetables , no doubt just as bland. Luke picked the right utensil and began devouring the dish.

"But you did a very good job, so far" the Count commented while carefully observing his own food.

"Anything would be better than what you had before," Luke responded. He stabbed a bright red vegetable with his fork with a ferocity that the poor food didn't deserve. He looked over the piece of his dish and decided it was probably edible enough for his hardened Tatooine palette.

"We were limited by the need to stay undiscovered for as long as possible," Dooku explained.

"I don't think you couldn't hire someone worse than you did, now matter how secretly you were working," Luke retorted.

The empty dish was taken away once again and its place took a small bowl with a cute pile of chocolate mousse. At least chocolate could be enjoyable without the need for spices.

"I am trying to tell you I appreciate your work and you just… keep ignoring me!" the Count exclaimed.

"Oh, really?" Luke asked. "Then why didn't you say so earlier? It's not that hard."

Luke saw as Dooku's face tensed with ire and then relaxed again. "I admit I hoped you would catch the…subtler hints."

Luke suppressed a snicker. He grew up on a kriffing Tatooine, he could read people like books. But getting the count to say it loud and made Luke feel like he had one-upped the Count . The Count might have been a master of fine manipulation but kriff it, he was going to make him act straight forward for once if it's the last thing he'll ever do. But there was little point in tormenting the Count even further as fun as it might be . Perhaps they could get along better in time.

"Well, to be honest," Luke began, "I knew what you were trying to tell me." The Count looked irritated. "It was just too much fun to drop it."

"And I will not accept this fun again," Dooku scolded smirking Luke. "You are an adult, not a child ."

"I actually turned eighteen only a few days before I got here, so I'm still quite close."

"Do not push me, boy," the Count growled, his voice dangerously low.

For a moment two pairs of bright yellow eyes locked in a fiery battle of wills. Tyranus should really teach the kid how to shield his true nature.

Tyranus was the first one to divert his gaze, a small smirk appearing behind his neat beard. The boy was stubborn and to his surprise he was enjoying the small challenge. It was certainly more pleasant than the other Skywalker's insolence.

Yes, they would get along.

Luke Skywalker had found himself in yet another staring contest with Ventress. Why did Dooku have to bring her into their nightly dinners? It was fine just training with her, but Ventress at a dinner party inevitably brought on an entirely new level of awkward.

But as it turned out his meal was always far more interesting than he would go in expecting.

Ventress stabbed her meat like it offended her and chewed as if she was practicing for her enemies, which made an interesting contrast, given that the rest of her table manners seemed to mirror Dooku's fine and elegant habits. The kind Luke was coming to associate with those in high positions, whether in power or class. (The closest comparison he could make were the more independent moisture farmers, but they fell rather short in comparison. He supposed one could make the comparison to the Hutts, but they were never pleasant in their eating habits.) Luke tried to copy the manners. It was clear that Dooku expected him to learn more than just fighting and how to use the Force.

"I've heard you've managed to improve the fighting droids. Maybe I'll have a real challenge soon." Ventress spoke, her smile a touch too sharp.

"Given how much room for improvement I had, it wasn't hard." Luke said, noncommittally.

"Now, if only you were even half as decent as the old fighting droids, then I might have some fun." Her too-sharp smile was fully out as she casually took another bite.

Luke got the message. But, there was a reason he had worked the Freedom Path as soon as he was old enough. He was not one to let things stand.

"I admit, my face-to-face fighting needs work. But, I am hardly new at fighting to the bitter end." he gave a sharp smile in return. He doubted it had anywhere near the same effect, but he was hardly going to lie down at the challenge.

"Oh?" Dooku interrupted.

"Tatooine is hardly a place for the soft, sir, but aside from that, I have been involved with helping those less fortunate. Those in power do not always agree with such actions." Luke spoke carefully, wary of offending the man whom he was benefitting from. After all, they had hardly spoke of such large matters as slavery yet, and, until he knew where Count Dooku stood on such issues and could plan accordingly, he would not risk being thrown out with little in the way of being able to navigate successfully in the past. It had become clear in the time he had been here that what he had been taught in school did not always align with reality.

"What a paragon ," Ventress replied, her teeth no longer on display, but her look just as deadly.

"Hardly, but the right for those hurting due to an established, corrupted system that harms those not directly benefiting from it, is always worth protecting." Luke was willing to let the parallels speak for themselves. He was no diplomat, his argument was rather blunt, but it did the job.

After a moment of silence and a sip of water, he changed the subject to something a little more direct; "I will admit, it's satisfying to see the look on a corrupt sentient's face when I kill them . There was always a risk, of course, but the result of one less harmful individual is a boon, even if there are more to take their place."

Luke snuck a look over to Dooku, curious to see the man's reaction. The man was odd at times, willing to be practical and even brutal but oddly prudish at other points.

The man surprised him by simply looking exasperated, much like Uncle Owen would when complaining about the Hutts fixing prices on water. As if the talk of killing off corrupt leaders was merely an old annoyance.

"Did you have a preferred method?" Ventress asked, interrupting his thoughts. She seemed genuinely curious, though it was mostly covered by a bland tone.

"Most of the time, I had to be as stealthy as possible. If caught, it would have been worse than death, of course."

"Of course." she retorted, this time her voice taking a distinctly amused tone .

"But when my target was too close to the enemy, a stab to the heart or neck would work fine. Most of the time if it came down to it, however, it was with a blaster or outmaneuvering them through the more difficult parts of the canyons." His first delivery to the Freedom Path had been through the canyon. Seeing the speeder chasing him hit on an almost unavoidable section of rock and the resulting explosion due to the angle that it hit had shocked him and gave him a grounding of just what he was doing.

Over time it had gotten both easier and harder. No matter what, he could not be caught, so he grew very competent at leaving no witnesses to report his activities , otherwise there would be no way to continue them. He had learned how to keep a secret, how to fight, and how to do whatever it takes. He had grown a durasteel spine and an unbreakable determination.

"I can see where you got your edge , Luke," Ventress said after a pause. She looked ready to throw down right then and there. Their bouts nowadays usually end in complete annihilation for the losing party (usually Luke, but he had gotten lucky more than once) or some form of tie. There was little in between, so they have become quite competitive. Out of the blue sparring matches have become commonplace whenever a bout was left undecided, and, unfortunately, the last one came to a short end when they both were called off for work.

"And now I'm getting curious, how did you end up with Dooku? I am sure he would take you as an apprentice without any previous skills. Or am I mistaken and there was another thing appealing to him?"

If Ventress had eyebrows, she would have definitely raised one at his inquiry. " That… is none of your business," Ventress snared, standing up abruptly. Her reply marked a clear shift in the mood. Though it had been somewhat tense before, Ventress now looked outright malicious. She glared at him with her sky blue eyes, and Luke stood in turn and let his eyes fade blue to radioactive golden yellow as he stared back.

He understood the response, and he would respect her secrets, but he would not be intimidated.

"Now, my apprentices," Tyranus interjected, not making a dent in the tension, but certainly redirecting it, "the dinner table is hardly the place for fighting. I implore you to enjoy your meals."

Luke and Ventress stared at the Count, then shared a glance.

"Training salles, in an hour," Ventress said as she sat down.

Luke smirked as he followed suit. "I'll meet you there."

That's a wrap

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