"The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long." - Lao Tzu
Chapter 1: Sith Code
The Force signatures shone so painfully bright in his mind that Dooku had to drop the customary half-hour delay that was usually expected for the visitors of lower caliber and allowed the secretary to put the Jedi through immediately.
"Knight Kenobi, I am quite surprised by your sudden visit. I see, you have decided to leave your infamous padawan outside, for that I'm thankful... Yet, I can't even guess what your interest brings you two into my humble…"
Kenobi nonchalantly took a hilt from his robes, and ignited the lightsaber. The Force chose that moment to inform Dooku that the young Jedi wasn't above killing an unarmed opponent.
They engaged in the middle of the room, blue and red lightsabers clashing in furious combat. Knowing that Kenobi was a dedicated student of defensive Soresu, Dooku opened with a measured barrage of strikes and almost lost his life when the youngster pressed him with furious attacks instead. Within seconds Dooku was nearly overwhelmed with what he now understood was a deeply personalized Juyo variant, and yet the Jedi allowed him to back out for a moment just to utter a single nonsensical sentence.
"Peace is a lie. There is only Passion."
Dooku took a breath and allowed himself to fall for a more conservative stance, bracing before another swarm of attacks came. Yet, while his hands and body danced feverishly to parry every strike and dish out equal amount of his own, his mind was in disarray.
What has the youngster meant to say?
In just about any other situation Count would be delighted to spar with a partner who could find enough breath to discuss Sith philosophy during a duel, but now he was just annoyed. Was this just another pun Soresu practitioners were famous for?
"Through Passion… I gain… Strength."
An inhumanly strong slash made Dooku stagger few steps back after a scrambled parry and gave him a sudden flash of understanding. The Knight wasn't talking about the Sith way abstractly: he channeled his own emotions into the strikes, a technique too dark for any well-meaning Jedi.
And as older Sith delved deeper into the Force to sense the innermost of the light star ahead, he indeed found dark tendrils inside. They strengthened and grew… no, young Kenobi has simply allowed his inner Darkness to show from beneath a Light façade, a great display of control and dedication. Now, with Kenobi's true colors shown clearly, their wills clashed for the control of the Force as readily as their lightsabers did, and Dooku haven't felt that confident in the outcome of their fight anymore.
"Through Strength I gain Power."
It was precisely the moment that Jango chose to intervene; the man could not become the best headhunter in the galaxy without a flash of tactical brilliance. Just as Dooku blasted the young Jedi with Force Lightning and forced a heavy-breathed parry out of the youngster, the mercenary closed in from behind them guns ablaze, shooting energy bolts and flame at the Jedi's back…
Young Kenobi would not be crushed by mere lightning, but at least Count was sure to catch both youngster's attention and his lightsaber.
"Through Power I gain Victory."
The relaxed voice got through the cracks of electricity and blaster shots, and then the Jedi's reflection in the force… expanded, bringing forth a wave in the Dark side. Kenobi parted the lightning with his blade and, undamaged, stepped forth into strike range, forcing the tired Sith to abandon the now useless technique.
Their lightsabers clashed again and again, yet Dooku knew he was outmatched. Rumors said, Knight Kenobi was a Master Jedi in everything but the official title, maybe worthy a Council seat for his battle prowess alone, but it wasn't the Jedi skills that put a tired dread into the Count's heart.
"Through Victory my chains are Broken."
Dark side flew behind the strikes, it followed the young Jedi's biding regardless of Dooku's desperate attempts to regain control. He was forced to dance along the narrow paths, with certain doom waiting for him if he stopped playing along. Dooku wasn't a stranger to fighting with a stronger Sith, and knew the game: either his opponent made a grave mistake along the way, or the available tracks in the Force would narrow down until the whole Dooku's skillset of a Master Jedi and a Sith Lord would not allow for a single safe option.
"And the Force has freed me"
And with these words his opponent just… won. Force shifted, accommodating for his desires gleefully, and all the paths in the Force collapsed into one single lane. Dooku's found his lightsaber sapped from his hand as easily as if he was a padawan newbie.
Yet, the Force didn't allow him to sulk or despair. His only path was to listen, and he was attentive and serious, trying to ignore the view of charred armor nearby.
Kenobi slowly brought the end of his lightsaber to Dooku's chest and smiled grimly. "You have been freed by the Force, Dooku, but are you free now? Or a slave to your new Master, more than you have ever been before? I've seen what he has planned and how you'll end up, Count."
And now he listened not because he abided the will of the Force or feared death.
For the first time Dooku followed yo… Lord Kenobi's will genuinely, and, in his desperate interest, he failed to notice how suddenly a content sigh filled Force.
"Tell me."
The Force sang around them.