Wander the Stars
A Star Wars: The Clone Wars fanfiction by SLUG-CAT624
Two years before the events in Attack of the Clones…
Division looms in the future of the Galactic Republic.
As more and more intergalactic corporations and
starsystems flock to Count Dooku of Soranno's cause,
darkness simmers behind the charismatic leader. As
the Count tries to please his new master, one soul
on the suppressed Outer Rim planet of Raxus
may change the course of what could be- for
better or for worse.
Author's Notes: The Star Wars universe is property of Lucasfilm. This story is not monetized. This story is not beta read. The author will take creative liberties and diverge from canon. Flames will be used for roasting marshmallows only. I also deleted what was previously the first chapter of this story for consistency's sake- the plot elements I was setting up there have been shifted to the next story in the series. Thus what was chapter 2 has now become 1, etc. Sorry for any confusion this causes!
So it's been nearly 4 years since I first started trying to write this. It has gone through meny drafts to try and flush out what exactly I wanted from it. I want to say that if you came to this story with Earth in mind as the centeral plot point, I'm afried that will no longer be the case and I'm sorry. However, I belive the core themes have remained the same, if that is any condolence. And to that one commenter who pointed out the flaws that I see in my old drafts today, thanks. I am indead very diffrent now, and a little less set in my own ways. May the Force be with you, dear readers.
One
Dooku would never admit that he was afraid. But as he stood in the communication's hub, staring at the blinking light of the holo projector that said there was a message waiting for him, Dooku was cold with fear. He knew failing a Sith master was a very foolish thing to do, and he had no doubt that despite the light years that separated them, his master could still inflict pain and torment beyond any he had experienced. His fingers hovered over the controls, he doubted he should keep his master waiting any longer, but…
Skywalker. He knew there was something intolerable and inherently annoying with the boy the moment he laid eyes on him. It had been in a rare moment of weakness, just a few weeks after he left the temple. He was lonely, and in his palace on Sorrano had typed in the codes to the security feed at the Jedi temple.
He found himself looking at the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Despite the blue tinge of the holo, the room still appeared bursting with life- birds chattering, reptiles croaking and hissing and thousands of plants from all across the galaxy. He typed in a few commands so he could see the pool that he and Qui-Gon had often sat at, and he and his master before Qui-Gon. His eyes widened in surprise. Kenobi sat there, face lined and braid cut, yet refusing to sit on the opposite side of the pool beneath the tree from Yoda's homeworld- the unspoken privilege when one became a Knight. He still sat on the short grass where that padawan sat, the learner… Suddenly the audio spiked with a shrill giggle, and a golden haired youngling came tumbling out of the tree- Yoda's tree. Dooku flinched, and young Kenobi flinched with him.
"Mr. Obi-Wan sir," the little boy asked, "what's this?"
Kenobi looked up at the boy on the opposite bank, his gaze seeped with exhaustion. "A tree, Anakin."
"Huh. Wizard! Is that a tree too?" He pointed to a tall redwood from Endor.
"Yes Anakin."
"Wizard!" The boy went sprinting back into the greenery, his Padawan braid flying behind him. Dooku cut the footage, an unsettling feeling in his heart whenever he thought of Kenobi's padawan.
He later learned the boy's full name- Anakin Skywalker. And through his informants he learned of his arrogance, but most of all, his power. Dooku pressed connect, and his master appeared before him. He fell to one knee.
"My master." Suddenly Dooku's gasping as an invisible hand chokes him, and he's lifted off the ground. The hold goes on for some time, until he can feel the blood pounding through his head, and darkness steadily creeping along the edges of his vision. When he's released, he doesn't feel his body slam to the ground, just the rush of air into his lungs and his raspy, gasping breaths. He wipes a bit of blood from his nose.
"I am sending you the coordinates of a planet. Raxus. Conquer it, and establish your foolish succession there."
"Yes master." Dooku whispers, shaking as he pulls himself to his knees.
"Do not fail me again, or next time I shall not be so kind." The connection fills with static, and Dooku slumps back to the ground.
{}{}{}
San Hill, the head of the Intergalactic Banking Clan, may be credit driven, but he wasn't a fool. At least he thought so.
The holos of the other members of the newly formed Spetratist alliance glowed blue around him. Count Dooku was speaking.
"-We need a place to establish a presence, in the galaxy, my friends. A capital." The count's hands were clasped in front of him, and his voice was almost hypnotic. There were mummers of agreement from around the table, and San nodded. After a few minutes of discussion, three planets rose to the top- Felucia, home of the Commerce Guild, his very own Mygeeto, home of the crystal mines that brought so much wealth to his Clan, and surprisingly Raxus, a small uninhabited planet in the outer reaches of the galaxy. The representative that proposed Raxus was the former Galactic Senator Tikkes.
"We want to show the message of the Confederacy- not holding one spieces or planet above another like the Galactic Republic," the orange Quarren said. "By establishing our capital on an uninhabited planet instead of an established one, it will show the Confederacy's true message- of equality- to the star systems who have chosen to follow us, and may sway many more to our side." Several heads nodded at this, and San Hill began to feel alarmed. No, he thought frantically, it has to be Mygeeto! His name would live in infamy, not to mention the trillions of credits that making Mygeeto the capital of the Confederacy would bring.
"A highly profitable planet for agriculture and trade as well," Wat Tambor clicked and hissed through his respirator. Dooku sat back, thoughtful. Suddenly his eyes turned cold, and Dooku turned to Hill. He swallowed nervously.
"And what does the Intergalactic Banking Clan think of Raxus?" Dooku asked, voice carefully toneless. Was it him, or did his collar suddenly get tighter?
"The Banking Clan will support any decision you make, Count Dooku." He managed to not let his voice shake.
"Good. I expect a sector of droids to help me begin the construction of infrastructure on Raxus by next septday, 06:00 Galactic Standard." San Hill wasn't a fool. He quietly summoned his secretary to transfer the credits needed to the Count.