Chapter 45 - Mission Impossible
"Where is that book," Anakin asked himself. He had been studying hard for his Initiate trials, a feat which would be so much simpler if his Master and Grandmaster hadn't decided to leave the temple, and drag him halfway across the galaxy, one week before the first trial.
Apparently, Grandmaster Dooku, who was actually his great grandmaster, had invited them to visit him on Serenno. Which was the planet the man had apparently got lost on… Or did he go to live there after Yoda lost him? Anakin wasn't sure, really. He just knew he'd be away from the Temple and the Archives for several days, and the prospect of bringing his books and notes with him was more complicated than one would think.
Anakin shook his head when he couldn't find the essay of Master Clive Staples in his stack. Then he remembered loaning it to Ramu, his clanmate. He would need to go ask for it back, as the late Master was bound to be one of the things he'd be asked about in the trial.
"Ramu." Anakin ran into the clan's quarters looking for his friend. He found the boy holding and inspecting his lightsaber trident.
"Hey Ani. What's up?" Ramu asked, putting down the saber.
"I know I said you could borrow that book, but I think I'm going to need to ask for it back," said Anakin.
"Oh yeah, right here." Ramu handed him the datapad. "I won't be needing it much. The council says they found someone to teach me a form to use with my saber."
"Oh really, who? Do we know them?" Anakin rattled off.
"I don't know who he is. He's coming back to the Temple later today. Apparently he's been away for a while on one of the remote sites. They say his name is Master Ranbull. I'm going to go down to the hangar to meet him when he arrives."
"That's nice. Maybe I'll get to see him too, before we leave."
"Oh yeah, you're going to visit Master Dooku. You know, you should go and ask Master Nu if she has any messages to give him. Any love letters," Ramu teased.
Anakin blushed and rolled his eyes. "No thank you. If she does, I don't want to get involved."
Ramu still laughed at his own joke. "Or you could tell him she makes these eyes with his statue every so often. And she sighs whenever anyone asks to see Holocrons on Makashi."
"Yeah yeah yeah. If it comes up." Anakin said, knowing, if the Force had any mercy, it wouldn't. "Thanks for the book back," he slipped it into his bag, then turned to leave the boy's quarters.
"No problem. Bye Ani. Have fun on Serenno," Ramu said.
"Obi, I told you. I packed that already. Just bring those bags. We're ready to leave now." Siri held Abigail, who'd decided to throw a two-year-old tantrum five minutes before leaving.
"I'm just trying to make sure we've got everything," said Obi-Wan, who appeared carrying two bags. "Here, I found this in her room." He used the Force to levitate a stuffed Thune into Abigail's arms.
"Boo," she hugged her toy and settled in her mother's arms.
Siri sighed. "Is that what you wanted?" The youngling nodded. Siri knew she should be more firm about Abigail having an emotional outburst, but in the end the mother was tired, and just glad things were resolved. "Are you ready to go now? We're going to visit your Daddy's Grandmaster." The little girl moved to hug her toy tighter.
Obi-Wan walked past them, "It's okay little one. He makes your daddy nervous too, but Grandpa Qui-Gon will be there. We can't let him go alone, can we."
Abigail thought for a second, then decisively shook her head no.
Obi-Wan smiled, and he dropped the bags so he could reach for his daughter. "There we go. Anakin should already be in the Hangar with Qui-Gon. If we're going to meet them there, we should get going." Instead of putting down his daughter, or handing her back to her mother, he held his hand out and used the Force to push the bags towards the door.
Siri shook her head. "Unless you want to be written up for flippant use of the Force, I'll take Gail."
Obi-Wan whispered something to his daughter before reluctantly giving her up and going to take up his luggage again. Siri carried Abigail and followed him out.
Obi-Wan and Siri went to the Hangar and quickly found Qui-Gon nose deep in preparing their shuttle for flight.
"Master," Obi-Wan greeted him with a rag to wipe the oil off his hands. "Where's Anakin? I would have thought he'd be helping you."
"Ani, he's over there." Qui-Gon motioned with the rag. "He's with his clan. They're waiting to meet the Master whom the council convinced to tutor youngling Ramu. Besides, It's not like I've never prepped a ship before."
"Oh, I'll go get him. We should be leaving soon." Obi-Wan walked in the direction Qui-Gon had indicated.
Siri sat Abigail down and turned to follow him when she heard another ship landing. She was curious about the anticipation she felt in the Force. The ramp lowered with a clang, clearly it was not a newer model ship. She and Obi found Anakin amongst a group of younglings standing, staring wide eyed at the ship.
"Come on Anakin, It's time to leave."
Anakin's eyes opened wide. He wasn't listening to Obi-Wan. "The Spider. Look, Master. It's the Spider." Anakin eyed both Siri and Obi-Wan when he said this. Siri turned in confusion, to look behind her at what the boy was staring at.
"Poison Spitter!" Siri shouted and ran up to the jedi climbing down from the shuttle.
"Hey! Padawan… Or knight now, I gather." He greeted Siri with a wide hug.
By this time, Obi-Wan had put two and two together, and he remembered the "spider" from Anakin's prior visions. "Hello Master," he greeted the stranger with a bow. Then went to pull Anakin from the group, back to their ship.
"You're back in the temple? Are they trying to reintegrate you again?" Siri asked.
"No, actually. Coming back was my own decision," Poison Spitter said. "It turns out, helping you was good for me. So good, infact, that my mind healers started looking for new students I could take on. When they told me about an initiate with a trident lightsaber, I jumped at the opportunity. I've worked with all kinds of weapons before. As I trained you, yah gotta use what you've got, in the field. I even used a real trident a few times. Anyways, when I heard the Council was looking for someone who used a double ended saber staff, thinking those forms would be a good place to start, I pointed out how they were wrong, and I got offered to come back."
Siri turned and motioned to the nervous boy to come closer. "Ramu, let me introduce you."
Ramu walked up and bowed. "Greetings Master Ranbull."
"It's nice to meet you, Initiate Ramu." Poison Spitter returned.
Siri looked over to see Obi-Wan finally getting Anakin to board their shuttle. "I'm afraid I have to leave now. In a few days, when we get back, we can reconnect."
"Go ahead, don't hold up your mission on my account." Poison Spitter waved to her.
Siri almost turned around to correct him on this not being a mission, then she thought, 'Two days with the full Disaster Lineage, and a two year old. Trying to keep them from causing any Galactic Calamities. Mission impossible.'
Dooku sat in his study, contemplating the challenges of training both of his Sith Acolytes. Tol had been a simple student. Recently fallen, he hadn't yet formed any bad habits in how to use the Dark Side against a real opponent. But Asajj was different.
She had fallen some time ago, and before that, she wasn't a Temple trained Padawan. Her old Master, she had explained, was on a mission when he found her. A long term mission, several times extended. Dooku, in fact, barely remembered the mission of the late Ky Narec from his time on the council. It was years ago. Had they really not received any news from him in that long? How did they not think to go looking for him? He remembered receiving a few messages early on. One was that he'd found a youngling slave who was Force Sensitive, amongst the pirates. Dooku reckoned that was Asajj.
Asajj definitely needed more firm mentorship. She was in that rebellious teenage stage, she hadn't even had the most basic lessons, and most of all, she needed a code. That's what Dooku had been working on that morning. It was more tricky than you'd think, to make a set of rules for the ruleless, and make them sound like an ancient tome, instead of something you just wrote up.
A knock at the door interrupted his work. Dooku looked up to one of his servants. "Count Dooku, sir. I have a message for you from Master Jinn." He held up his datapad and read in a loud voice, "We're leaving Coruscant at oh nine hundred hours. See you soon, Master."
"Very good. Have their quarters been prepared?" Dooku asked. "And the other preparations?"
"Yes, my liege. Exactly as you specified." His servant bowed. "The demonstrations are ready, and a nanny is on the grounds."
"Very good. You are dismissed." Dooku stood up proudly. This visit was going to go exactly as he planned.
He walked out into the hall and was nearly toppled by a teenaged stampede. "Master… Master Dooku," Tol and Asajj said at once. They made eye contact but no one spoke.
Dooku sighed, frustrated with the nonverbal argument his Acolytes were having. "What!"
"We heard there were Jedi coming," Tol said. Both of them clutched their lightsabers.
"And? Do you suggest we blockade them at the bridge or murder them in cold blood?"
"I can take a Jedi," Asajj boasted.
"Don't be so sure of yourself. Anyway, more would come. Do you intend to fight the whole order?"
Asajj didn't recount her statement, but she did look a touch more hesitant.
Dooku nodded. "Yes, my former Padawan and his lineage are coming for a social visit. None of them are your concern, and if you stay in the Tower, they won't even sense you're here."
Dooku walked them to a doorway and ushered them through. "And while you are having your respite, I expect you to continue your studies. I will message you a reading list."
"Yes, Master," Tol appeased.
Dooku waited for a second response. "Or, perhaps I should send you a test and a series of katas to learn?"
"Yes Master, I will read the holobooks," Asajj expressed in a big sigh.
"That's better." Dooku smiled as he opened the door for them.
Serenno was a strange planet. From the obelisks which lined the roads, to the archaic "carriage house" where they boarded a funny looking speeder that was pulled by Orbaks, Anakin could tell that this place was far from Coruscant. He almost felt sorry for Dooku, getting lost in a place like this. It felt very much like when he first left Tatooine.
Anakin could tell that Obi-Wan and Siri felt the same way. Qui-Gon at least had been here before. The man was able to point out a few interesting features along the way. Abigail hummed unbothered as she played with Boo, her stuffed toy.
"May you enjoy your visit, Master Jedi," said their driver as he let them out. Though Anakin did question the term. All he seemed to do was tell the Orbaks which way to turn. There was no engine at all to their speeder!
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan started to help the man pull their luggage out of the vehicle. Anakin got out and looked around. They were at the end of a street, and in front of a very large building. He didn't want to bother the others to ask where they were, but he figured it had to be another Temple or corporate building. Maybe it was divided up into apartments, like most buildings on Coruscant. It couldn't all be one person's home.
At that point a tall man with white hair walked out of the front doors. With his head held high, he walked down the short flight of stairs to join them. "Oh Jinn, let the service do that. It is what I pay them for," he drawled.
"Yes, Master." Qui-Gon looked scolded.
Anakin looked back up at the man, realizing who he was. Wearing a formal black suit, the man did not resemble a Jedi at all.
Dooku turned to look down at Anakin. "Greetings, grand Padawan."
Anakin bowed. "It's nice to meet you, Master Dooku."
"It is nice to meet you too, but I haven't been a Master in years. Here, they call me Count."
"Oh, I'm not technically a Padawan…" Anakin divulged. He felt like honesty should be returned with the like.
"Not yet," Dooku said with a wink. "And who might this be?" He shifted his attention to Abigail.
Her toy Boo had fallen onto the ground and the former master bent over to pick it up. At the same time the Youngling realized her toy was in peril, and she reached for it and pulled it out of Dooku's hands.
"Why, she has a strong saber arm. She will be a natural at Makashi," He joked.
The other adults laughed, though Anakin could tell they were only being polite. He followed them into the building.
"I thought you would want to get settled in your rooms first," Dooku said. "Up here." He led them up a long flight of stairs to a balcony, and then down a hall to a pair of double doors. "The little one can stay here. It is the family nursery."
"Oh, actually I was just going to bring her to my room. She is uneasy being alone," said Siri.
"Nonsense. The nanny will take care of her." Dooku clapped his hands and in seconds a woman wearing a simple yellow dress ran up and curtseyed. "This is nurse-maid Rolanda. Rolanda, this is your charge, Initiate Kenobi."
Rolanda knelt down to the two-year-old's level. "Hello, little one. You can call me Landa."
"I'm Abi-gail," she turned away from her mom to answer.
"Do you want to come see the nursery?" Rolanda asked. Abigail turned to nervously clutch at Siri's hand. "Your mom can come with us, if you want."
Abigail looked up at Siri, then turned to follow Rolanda, still holding her mother's hand. The room inside was brightly lit. From what Anakin saw, it seemed to be a large room, and very colorful. There were toys EVERYWHERE. Anakin knew that his sister would be very happy there.
"Come this way," Dooku called. The next set of doors he stopped at were across from one another. "Padawan, this room should meet your meager expectations." Qui-Gon was about to open the door, when Dooku spoke up again. "And Knight Kenobi, you and Knight Tachi will be comfortable here." He motioned to the door on the other side of the hall.
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon eyed each other in surprised confusion. "Master?" Qui-Gon uttered.
"What? Do you think I am a troglodyte?" Dooku stated.
Qui-Gon's eyes opened wide in shock. The man still held his breath. "B-but…"
"Oh, stop being an old fuddy-duddy, Jinn. Let the young lovers be. Of course this does leave one issue." Dooku's hand came up to tap at his beard. "Jedi rules state that no Initiate is to be left unattended outside of Temple grounds. Skywalker is too old to stay in the nursery. I think he will be more comfortable with one of you." He looked up suddenly. "Padawan, could he room with you?"
"Oh-hhh, I" Qui-Gon drawled. Anakin could feel that Obi-Wan was okay with the arrangement over their bond, so he moved closer to his grandmaster. "Yes, I think that'll work out fine."
"Good, then I leave you here. When our Luncheon is prepared I will have you sent for. Enjoy your stay."
"Thank you, Master." Qui-Gon said.
Dooku did not stop, but waved in passing.
Hey guys.
First, I know Anakin's reaction to setting up Dooku and Jocasta Nu, in this chapter, is kinda out of character. But considering it, he's twelve, still hasn't reached puberty yet, and the idea of two other adults getting romantic is gross at that age.
The author of the book Anakin is looking for came from C.S. Lewis. Clive Staples is really his name.
Abigail's toy "Boo" is meant to be the same toy Adi-Gallia gave her in chapter seventeen. A Thune is a real star wars creature. From the image on Wookieepedia it looks like an Elephant Rhino cross.
I couldn't resist bringing back my OC, Poison Spitter from chapter 20. I think he will make a good teacher for Ramu.
Next chapter, they will still be in Serenno. You will get to see more of the Capitol, and whether or not everything goes to Dooku's plans. The man is devious, I hope at least to make it more clear what he's trying to do, if we don't finish the visit in the next chapter.