Summary: Spoilers for Ep I, I guess... Yan Dooku was approached by Sidious during TPM.
He is asked to be the next apprentice, but initially refuses. What makes him go
to the Dark Side? This is my idea
And don't ask why I wrote this...I think it had something to do with a chat with CRHBlack...
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" No." Former Jedi, now Count of Veronita 8, said briskly to the man in the black robe,
the Sith called Sidious. He was standing at the doorway to his manor, tapping his foot on
the stone with great dislike eminating from his being. He would not tolerate this man in his
home, especially with his plans to meet his former apprentice and his young Padawan on
their yearly sabbatical after some mission to the Trade Federation.
To have a Sith, if that was what the man really was, anywhere near him should be an
instant communication to the Temple. But Yan Dooku was not a Jedi, nor did he believe
that a Sith could exhist anymore. But he did know the old man had allies in the often
unruly Deep Side of Veronita's major city of Salheed. And Yan had too many friends in
that town that Sidious could do harm too, too much at risk to make him too angry. So
he kept from comming the Temple. But he would put his foot down on this.
" And besides, I have Jedi company coming for a visit. I recommend you leave, now."
Sidious only smiled at the frowning, slightly fuming ex-Jedi. It unnerved the Count for
a strange reason, and for a second he heared a young man sobbing, saw him rocking a
too-still form in his arms. Just weeping. And then it was over and he was back on the
veranda staring at the now wickely grinning, half-hidden face.
" Very well then. But you will reconsider. Of that I have...little doubt." And the he was
gone. Yan frowned again, this time at the strange vision he'd experienced. He'd never
seen that boy before, never heared his voice, but somehow, he felt in tune with the
almost soul-crushing weight of intense grief of the young man for the figure cradled by
hands too smooth and young to go through such living agony. Yan threw the darkness
off and wandered back into the manor, deciding to sit at the library's piano and play a
melody to sooth himself. It was an old melody, from the mythical home of the human
race, Earth. In a few minutes, ' May It Be' had grabbed his full attention, helping him
center himself in the Force. He'd have to be slightly less intimidating for the first
meeting with young Obi-wan. Qui-gon, he mused, was too old to be frightened by Yan's
often eerie behavior, but Obi-wan was certain to be unnerved. As these thoughts became
clearer, Yan had one tiny, uneasy thought. He had no idea why it brought a chill to his
bones.
He'd never seen nor heared Obi-wan. But he's seen Naboo...
(on Naboo, during the Duel of the Fates)
Qui-gon parried the ruby blade with a grunt. It was getting harder and harder to keep the
Sith Apprentice from his goal. A goal that had the elder Force-user responding to a fear that
plauged every Jedi with a Padawan. He'd figured out the ulterior motive to the Sith's attacks.
This young man hadn't wanted to kill any Jedi, he didn't just want Padme to fail.
He wanted Obi-wan dead.
And that filled Qui-gon with such energy that when he realized Obi-wan had fallen behind,
he didn't bother to fall back and wait. He knew what he would do. He had to stand between
his Padawan and certain death. The Force was bright and would gently ease Obi-wan into
a state of being where the surroundings would be as blessed and beautiful as the young
Jedi himself. But Qui-gon's stomach turned at the mear idea of any more physical pain
to his apprentice. Force, the child had been kidnapped, nearly mind-wipped, forced to
fight a former Jedi much older and better trained than he, lost a friend in a raging war,
and a whole slew of other unpleasant things. And now, for some reason, a Sith Lord and
his dark apprentice wanted Obi-wan dead.
/Master! Master, please wait/ Came the cry in his mind, a frustrated request laced
with a tremor of fear. Qui-gon only smiled in his mind. He would have to close the link.
Just in case...in case worst came to worst.
/ Don't worry, child. The Force is all around us/ He replied, before shutting the bond as
tightly as he dared. His last feelings from the boy were, oddly, love and a slight note of
panic rising to engulf the young man. Qui-gon felt proud for a moment. The boy who was
now a man could sense the elder Jedi's plan from two mere sentences.
The feelings were pushed away as the forcefield rose up between them. Obi-wan, he
saw, had skidded to a stop just at the start of the forcefield walls, panting. Qui-gon sank
to his knees in meditation. He knew, with suddenly sadness, that he could not hope to
survive this day. With some remorse, he thoughts turned to his own Master, who would
be expecting them both in a week. But only Obi-wan would go to Veronita 8. Qui-gon
would not let it happen any other way considering the knowledge his short vision from
his meditation brought. Two dead, one alive. As the shield fell away, Qui-gon managed
one message through the dormant bond from his youth.
/ I'm sorry, my Master/
/ I'm sorry, my Master/ Yan, with a sudden intake a breath, found his dormant
bond with his former Padawan flair up suddenly with the apology before it began
the unmistakable path towards being truly severed. And through the bond Yan felt out
the training bond Qui-gon shared with Obi-wan. It too was beginning to be severed. The
desk he was working at tipped over, scattering paper and datapads onto the floor with
a thunderous crash. But Yan didn't even stop to notice. He was immediatly reaching to
the younger man, bile rising in his throat at what the severance of Qui-gon's side of both
his and Obi-wan's bonds meant.
' Qui-gon hasen't seen me in years and he adores that Padawan of his. Why would he
even think about severing our bonds to him. He has no reason unless he was going to di-'
Yan paled, reaching through the dying bond with unease.
/Qui-gon Jinn. I don't know what you are doing, but don't you dare think of dying.
Padawan, speak to me, for Force's sake! What.is.going.on/ He thought furiously to
the obviously battle-weary Master.
/ Help him cope, Master/ Came the short, distracted reply like a breath of fresh air to
the Count. Yan almost sighed, but the words in the bond shook him.
/Qui, child, don't you dare/
/ Obi...wan...please...tell him...tell him I love him...I..won't...won't have time...must...
aaa..ah.../
The bond closed, but was not totally blocked since Yan had a strong hold on it, strong
enough to connect him to his former-Padawan, but not speak.
In that moment, Yan Dooku was very much afraid.
Obi-wan was very much afraid.
It was not a Jedi thing to feel. Time and time again Yoda and often Yaddle had spoken the
matra of the Jedi...fear leads to anger...anger leads to hate...hate...leads to suffering. But
Obi-wan seriously doubted he could suffer any more than this. Than watching his only father
fight a powerful darkness by himself. As the timer on the shield clicked towards its end, the
Sith found his mark, using a dirty trick to smash his saber's hilt into Qui-gon's chin.
Their bond was closed, but Obi-wan held a small hold on it, refusing his Master's attempts
at severing it when Obi-wan figured out that his Master had Seen his own demise. The death-
severance of a bond could kill or drive insane a Padawan, but Obi-wan was reckless.
The color drained from his face as the red saber began it's fatal attack. The saber stuck it's
mark in the middle of Qui-gon's chest. The Master's handsome face contorted in sharp pain for
a nanosecond before his body gracefully sank to the floor.
The scream that came from Obi-wan in that instant reverberated all the way to where Padme
Amidala stood, on the stairs to the generator room where the battle had taken place. She would
later recall the pain that erupted in the vicinity of her heart at the mournful, broken sound she ran
towards. And she would never forget the site. But most of all, that scream would not leave her.
The pain that Padme felt was nothing to the mental shattering of the still-living bond in Obi-wan's
mind. It was as if someone had cleaved a piece of his mind in two and left it to bleed out, only ten
times worse. It made him want to fall to the ground as well and die. Just die.
Yan cried out, the pain ripping through his mind like nothing he'd ever felt before, as he fell to his
knees in the hallway. A servant woman, Nami, was at his side, holding her employer to her to stop
his strange thrashing about, his eyes closed and pained. She was terrified, but held him with all her
strength.
Yan, meanwhile, felt the aching pain fade away, giving him a chance to grasp Nami's arm and re-
gain his breath.
" Sir...?" He looked up into Nami's eyes, aware of her closeness, and did something the great
Jedi would have never done in the prescence of any other. He cried.
" Padawan...padawan...oh Force...Padawan..." Nami closed her eyes, knowing now what was
te mysterious ailment. And she too wept for the Jedi she'd met all but once. It would be a long time
before the rage would drive Yan to a deep, comatose-like sleep.
And the next day, Sidious appeared again with his offer. Much to Nami's horror, the now stricken
Count Dooku spoke but two words when Sidious had spoken.
" I accept."
" Good. Good, my apprentice. The Jedi...the Jedi knew of the vision of your former student's demise.
And they did nothing to stop it. But I promise, they will pay. You will get your reward." Yan looked up
and nodded.
" Yes, my Master. But first, I have one last duty to Qui-gon..."
( one week later, at the Jedi Temple)----------------------------------------
Anakin Skywalker, newly made Padawan learner, leaned against his young Master, his eyes
pleading for Obi-wan to feel better. His Master looked down at him, and ruffled his hair with one hand
while smiling softly in the Coruscanti moonlight.
" I'll be better soon, Ani. And thank you, Padawan. Now...off to bed. You have classes tommorow."
Anakin sighed and nodded, but not before hugging the young man. Obi-wan chuckled softly as the
boy entered his old room. But once the door was shut, Obi-wan heaved a sigh and made his way into
the halls of the temple, until he stood in the garden his Master had played in as a child, specificly an
old Cherry Blossom. And he just sat there, head in his hands, before a voice and a touch alerted him
to another presence. To his suprise, it was Master Dooku, face grim like he'd never thought a face could
be and right beside him.
" You must be...Obi-wan."
" And you sir...Master Dooku, I presume?" He said quietly, and watched the nod as the older Jedi sat
cross-legged next to him.
" You felt it." He said simply, noticing the dark rings and even darker aura eminating from the elder of
the two. Yan nodded. At that, Obi-wan put his head back into his hands and wept silently. Yan kept his
hand on the boy's sholder, gently sending waves of compassion towards the young Knight.
To the later awe of the New Jedi Order's Academy students, and even more so to the shock of Jedi
Master Luke Skywalker, a Jedi and a Sith sat and mourned the loss of Qui-gon Jinn under the dying cycle
of a cherry blossom tree. For a moment, the dark and light of the Force swirled into a pleasing, balanced
grey. And all for the love of one sorely missed Jedi.
ummm..yeah...really random story. I just had to give Dooku a reason to turn...and well, heck, it worked on Ani...