Thankfully, even though it was thirteen years ago, Dooku still recalled precisely where his old Jedi quarters were. The refreshing cool water splashed helpfully on the aged Count's face, who rubbed the liquid over his face in belief it will help him overcome these unique - yet impossible - circumstances. Pausing, the ex-Jedi stared down at the running basin, the implications of this extronadary but inconcievable feats still being processed in his rational mind. Qui-Gon's true physical presence has confirmed his absurd suspicions.
By some feat of the Force, Dooku had defied the will of time and space, back to the day where his old apprentice still walked among them.
Dooku had never put much faith in those that couldn't be proven; such as that arrogant brat being the legendary Chosen One, for example. And time travel was another. Either the aged Count had either dreamt the whole thirteen years since leaving the corrupt Jedi Order up. was going insane, or the Force had been willing to return to a moment in time where Qui-Gon could be saved.
But why?
Turning the faucet off, Dooku raised his head upwards to meet his reflection, himself of over ten years ago staring right back from the mirror. While not much had changed from his aged features, the notable differences from his future and past self now would be the last streaks of brown across his greying hair and beard, in a striped pattern. Inwardly Dooku couldn't repress a smile; even his own hair believed in orderly.
But the fact remained, the Count has returned to the past. But how, and why? For once the aged Sith was defeated in knowledge, and that infuriated him. Dooku never placed much stock in the Unifying Force, specifically when it came to impossible unproven feats such as the situation he finds himself in now.
But with Qui-Gon around...
Dooku shook his head, allowing no outward emotion to display on his aged features. That was a foolish stunt he did earlier, Dooku chided himself. The lack of composure and control all because he saw the living breathing presence of his former pupil once again. His hand sgripping on the edges of the basin, Dooku recalled the words of the spectre of Qui-Gon in the afterlife.
"You still have much to do, Master Dooku. The Will of the Force desires you try again, not just for yourself, but for the Jedi, for Obi-Wan, for Anakin, for every living thing in the galaxy."
Was this what he meant? It must be. The logical explanation was clear through Dooku's mind. For some inexplicable reason, the Will of the Force returned him to that before Qui-Gon died. Was Dooku perhaps... the Chosen One after all?
Still recovering from this entire revelation, the Count inhaled deeply, the calmness of the Force wrapping him like a blanket. The Temple still bathed in the light of the Force, and the Sith Lord found himself unable to now grant leeway for some of that light to help him deal with the stress.
His comlink beeped again.
Dooku scowled, having read the contents behind his former master's request for their meeting earlier, and pulled out the damning device. If Dooku remembered correctly, he was to meet with Sidious, unaware of his true identity by then, in a cafe overlooking the Works. The Count had half a mind to run his lightsaber through the man's heart as soon as the traitorous Sith greeted him.
But unlike most Sith, Dooku wasn't without restraint. He'll indulge his former mentor, for now, before devising a plan to deal with him indefinitely, and save Qui-Gon from the Sith assassin on Naboo.
The death of a mindless Sith for the life of a maverick Jedi. A fair trade, all things considered.
Something was not right.
The minute the two sat down, Sidious picked up on a difference; an echo of the Force whispering to him that something was uniquely different about the Jedi at the opposite side of the table. The Sith Lord had yet to recall Dooku expressing sterness to that extent before during their meetings and conversations. And it appeared the charismatic Jedi Master was cloaking his Force signature from all, even non-Force users.
"The Senate is studying plans to develop housing projects in the flatlands." Sidious, in his Palpatine persona, responded to Dooku's rather cold remark about the Works below, outside the window of the cafe they met at.
The Jedi's brown eyes narrowed, and Sidious couldn't help but feel the slightest tingle the glare was aimed towards him than the man's legendary disgust for the Senate in question. "Why not simply build over a radioactive waste dump?"
Whatever was different about him, Dooku was expertly hiding it well. However, no deception was beyond the sight of a Dark Lord of the Sith. Sidious saw right through the troubled Jedi, and what he saw both intrigued and... unnerved him.
Not scared. Because Sith fear nothing. But unnerved.
Something had changed about this man before him. The expressed disdain, the cold words escaping his mouth, the way he spoke as though Dooku had partaken in this conversation before. Sidious couldn't pinpoint the source behind the greyness that now surrounded the Jedi like a veiled cloak. Not yet anyway.
"Where are credits to be made, the lives of ordinary citizens are of little conseqence." Palpatine replied solemny, as Sidious discretely sinked into the darkness, inspecting the grey shield before by ever angle, moving like a snake examining its prey. The Sith Lord dare not 'touch' the shield, lest he reveal himself to be the ancient enemy the Jedi sought for. Not to Dooku, until the disgurntled Jedi proved himself anyway.
And from the look of things, that won't be long anyway.
"I hope you'll put a stop to it." Dooku said expectantly, his gaze blazing as though daring the Senator to challenge him.
Well, two can play this game, Master Jedi.
"I'd prefer the Works to remain unchanged for a time." Palpatine said smoothly, awaiting Dooku's responce as the man waved away an approaching waiter.
"So, a blockade prevents you from going to Naboo, and what happens but Naboo comes to you. Quite a piece of magic." Sidious caught the tiny sarcasm rolling off the tongue at the last part.
The Sith Lord was well acquainted with the art of acting; it has, after all, kept himself and his master hidng their true selfs from the blind faces of their enemies. So Sidious could easily detect the feigned interest Dooku was portraying.
But instead of pointing out such revealing cracks on the Jedi's acting, Palpatine smiled slightly. "Yes, my Queen has arrived."
"Your Queen. And from all I hear you may soon be her Supreme Chancellor."
Palpatine shrugged, while Sidious' wariness increased by Dooku's cold remarks. What has prompted such behaviour from this Jedi? Especially towards a man he considerably trust? Perhaps the events of Galidraan continue scar him immensely. Or perhaps the foolish Council had requested something of the Serennian that was unquestionable.
Either way, Sidious was put on edge by the firm brown eyes directly focused on him, as if detemining the prey himself. If the Sith didn't know any better, he'd say the man before him was more than prepared to stab his lightsaber through the Senator's heart.
"That is, however, part of the reason behind my asking you to meet me here." Palpatine began carefully, gauging the Jedi's reaction.
The man cocked an eyebrow, as though expecting that very sentence. Had Dooku anticipated every possible conversation during this meeting beforehand? "Worried that you won't receive Jedi backing if you're seen with me in the usual places?"
The Naboo Senator widened his arms considerably, "Nothing of the sort. But if I am elected, and if you and I are going to begin to work together, it behooves us to give all apperances of being on opposite sides."
Now the Serennian's eyes narrowed into slits, outwardly judging the humble Senator before him. Sidious gained the distinct impression that the man saw right through him, unraveling all his secrets with relative ease, and it unnerved the Sith even further.
But how?
"Work together... in what capacity?" Dooku inqured, with a barely concealed growl.
And it was at that point, that particular moment, that Sidious felt the Jedi's shield slip, and a wave of darkness washed over them. Palpatine restrained from expressing a surprised reaction, keeping his entire face neutral as he responded to the stern Dooku after a moment's pause, while Sidious reeled back in unexpected shock, the current of the dark side being soaked up by the Dark Lord of the Sith. It only took a second for Dooku to reinforce his Force signature, but Sidious had all the truth he required.
The dark side was strong in Dooku. Stronger than he anticipated. A though the mand had been... trained to use the more powerful side of the Force. But why? And by who? Only two in the entire galaxy were capable of training someone of the dark side to that magnitude; Maul was an exception, as he was no true Sith.
Had Plagueis-?
No, the Muun's greatest flaw of trust in his own pupil prevents such an act of betrayal. Desite that, however, his master needed to be aware of this development as well.
Jedi Master Dooku was a Sith Lord. And Sidious will find out who taught him such a mastery of the darkness.
It didn't take long for the Jedi Master to track down his old friend, hurrying through the hallways of the sacred Temple in his search. Luckily, the man had spotted his Dooku just as the aged Makashi master was leaving his quarters. "Dooku!"
His fellow Jedi had his back turned to him, but even Sifo-Dyas noted the stiffening, as if he was the last voice his friend expected to hear. And Dooku wasn't the only one surprised, Sifo-Dyas felt the shielded Force signature cloaking the aged Jedi Master, prompting his furrowed brow.
Slowly, Dooku turned to face his old comrade. "Sifo-Dyas..." The addressed Master barely heard the wispher, as if the sophisticated man before him was geniunely shocked to see his old friend. But why?
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Indeed, the Serennian appeared and sounded as though he hadn't seen Sifo-Dyas for years. He was only gone for about a week, taking care of an unpleasant mission on Eraidu. The humoured Jedi Master raised a brow, adding wryly, "Or were you expecting someone to attack you, hence your cloaked Force signature?"
As if quickly recomposing himself, the seventy-year-old Master cleared his throat, adopting that civilized tone Sifo-Dyas knew all too well. "Recent events have been keeping me on guard lately, my friend." The Serennian folded his arms, raising an elegant brow of his own, yet those brwon eyes looked entirely uncertain, "How have you been, Sifo?"
Sifo?
Now that was confirmation over something being wrong; Dooku hadn't addressed his friend with that short name for over several decades. "Compared to you, it seems, I am positively healthy." He replied with slight amusement, "I know when something's troubling you, old friend."
Dooku waved dismissively, flawlessly regaining his more sophisticated state. The man would make a brilliant politician, had he not been brought up as a Jedi, as others have remarked upon time and time again. "And I would be thrilled to share with you my concerns, old friend, but I am in current search for my old pupil."
And then something flashed upon his eyes, something Sifo-Dyas noted when Dooku first returned his gaze. Guilt? Regret? Was the wound of Vosa's disappearance still fresh to the Serennian? "Qui-Gon Jinn?" Sifo-Dyas chose to inquire instead, hoping it was about the maverick Jedi and not the one the Council was certain died. At Dooku's slow nod, the Master smiled slightly, relieved, "Well it's a good thing I caught up to you then, I've heard during my return to the Temple that Master Qui-Gon and Padawan Kenobi are already departing from Coruscant as we speak."
And that provoked a reaction Sifo-Dyas least expected, lowering his arm fold. The expression on Dooku's face stilled, eyes narrowed considerably, and the concerned Jedi felt frustration and worry roll off the older Master. "To Naboo?" Dooku asked, with a steel edge to his tone.
Sifo-Dyas nodded warily, not particularly liking the slight darkness he can feel leaking from the shielded signature. "Yes, the Queen of Naboo is determined to return to her home world, and the Council has dispatched Master Jinn and Padawn Kenobi to accompany her, in hopes of finding this apparent Sith Lord they faced on Tatooine..." The Jedi Master trailed off, strong eyenrows forming into a 'V' shape at the clenched fist of Dooku's.
"I see." And with that slow statement, the Jedi Master brickly turned, "Thank you for the information, Sifo. If you'll excuse me, I have pressing matters to intend."
The Force warned Sifo-Dyas, as though he committed a life-changing impact. The man hurriedly walked roward before his friend could depart, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Dooku, wait. What are you planning?"
"To correct a death that should never have happened." The vague Serennian replied, shrugging off Sifo-Dyas' grip with ease. Glancing behind his shoulder, Dooku added before the other Jedi could interject, "It was good to see you again, after so long... my friend."
'After so long'?
Something was evidently amiss, and it clearly centered around Dooku. Even when debriefing the Council over his assignment to Eraidu, Sifo-Dyas had noted the tense and disturbed expressions on the wise Council's faces, as though danger wa sin the very halls of the sacred Jeid Temple, and that pertubed him as well. Either they finally sensed something large was going to strike the Republic very soon, the apparent return of the Sith, or the shifted nature of Jedi Master Dooku.
Yet, as a small inkling of Sifo-Dyas' mind thought, those three was all connected somehow.