Kirk knew he was in trouble as soon as he could see. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the darker atmosphere, but he immediately recognized that he was alone on the bridge(?) of an unfamiliar ship, and that - more importantly - he was surrounded by an alien species that he had never before seen. They had leathery skin with noses that gave the impression of having recently been punched in the face.

They also had weapons (albeit strange ones) aimed at him.

It was a natural instinct that had Kirk reaching for his phaser on his belt, determined to at least get in a few good shots before he was- what? Killed? Kidnapped? The sweaty palm of his hand was already on his weapon, and his fingers were only beginning to close around it when an authoritative voice called out,

"Hey! Hey, there is no need for violence, my friend!" One of the leathery-skinned beings stepped forward, his stride and the deference of the others making it quite clear that he was the leader. "We are all sensible beings here, and you can trust that we will not attack you."

Kirk was finding it difficult to get a good look at the male's eyes through the thick goggles covering them, instead allowing his gaze to focus on the turtle-shell looking hat that the leader wore.

"But if we did want to attack you …" leather boots thudded against the metal floor as the alien advanced, a smile on his lips while he voiced what was an unmistakable threat, "it would not be a very fair fight."

A few chuckles came from around the room at that last part, with murmured promises of pain if Kirk tried anything. He slowly put his hands in the air, shoving his panic down as he answered genially. "Well, gentlemen-" And here everyone laughed much louder before quieting at a hand signal from their leader. "It appears that I am outmatched."

"I knew you would see it our way!" The leader laughed even louder than the rest, clapping Kirk on the shoulder as soon as he was close enough. His accent rang of the Middle East, and a grinning little red monster leapt from seemingly nowhere onto the turtle-hat. "Now perhaps you can explain to us how you popped out of thin air, eh?"

"Only after you've explained who you are, how you intercepted the transporter beam, and where my two companions are." Kirk didn't allow himself to be pulled in by the man's arm around his shoulder, planting his feet apart and looking him in the eye (he hated how tall his kidnapper was).

"Intercepted?" The man gave him a wide-eyed look of surprise through his goggles, frowning as he responded. "You don't even know how you got here? You came to my ship!"

"I was trying to get to the Horizon, and I had two of my men with me-!" Kirk was beginning to get angry with the frustrating individual, his panic rising once again, but was cut off when the man's leathery hand tightened on his shoulder.

"My friend, I do not know how you teleported onto my ship, but I am Captain Hondo Ohnaka, and I do not appreciate what you are insinuating." The red monster on the alien's shoulder suddenly began to cackle, laughing so hard that it fell off Ohnaka's shoulder. "I am a pirate! I do not kidnap people unless they are worth money to someone, and I certainly do not kidnap them by teleportation."

"That'd make it easier though, Boss." One of the other men spoke, his accent a thick cockney.

Kirk was very quickly beginning to get a picture of what had happened, and felt as though his stomach had just fallen through the floor. If these men didn't know what teleportation was, then there was no way the Federation knew about them, or vice versa.

That also meant that the esteemed captain of the Enterprise was in the middle of a first contact. With pirates.

The fact that Spock and McCoy were nowhere to be seen was also worrisome, and so it was with forced bravado that Kirk puffed himself up to respond. "I am James T. Kirk, Captain of the USS Enterprise, and I am missing two of my friends. I demand to know where I am, and where they are as well."

"You demand!" Ohnaka's eyes blew wide once again behind his goggles, and then he was laughing. As soon as he began laughing, his men followed suit. Kirk was privately very glad that his own crew never did anything so ridiculously false. The little red monster was cackling again as it leapt back onto the pirate's shoulder, narrowly avoiding the spikes on Ohnaka's chin. "I like you, Kirk!"

The statement - although seemingly said apropos to nothing - was accompanied by another hearty slap to Kirk's shoulder.

"I'm still waiting for an answer." Jim kept his voice hard, and the pirate's chuckles died quite abruptly.

"You are on my ship, Kirk. Right now you are a guest, though I do not know where your friends are."

Ohnaka put his palm up to the red monstrosity on his shoulder, and for a moment Kirk was certain that he was about to pet it. Instead, the creature's tail lifted from where it had been resting on the captain's back, and Kirk gaped when he saw that his phaser was wrapped in the end of it.

His hand flew to his belt, but it was undeniably empty, even his communicator was gone.

"And when you are a guest on my ship, you play by my rules." Ohnaka's tone was still light, but his expression was hard. "I think we'll have a lot to talk about, too! We are both captains, and you know a lot about these …" He waved his hand as he thought of the word, "transporters that I do not."

The small red demon cackled again while the pirate took his phaser and began to tuck it away.

All the nerves and worry that had been simmering ever since Kirk had arrived abruptly boiled over. It wasn't a conscious thought that had him lunging forward, a smart right hook taking down the pirate and his horrendous little pet, it was pure panic.

For a few moments, the dark room was filled with shouting as the captain of the Enterprise grappled for his weapon. He needed that weapon, he wasn't sure if letting them have it would break the Prime Directive (though at this point that wasn't the priority), but he was definitely certain that if he didn't get away from these men now he would never find his friends.

His last conscious thought was that McCoy was going to be very angry with him.

To say that Dooku's day had been bad would have been the greatest understatement of the Galaxy.

Dooku's day had been horrendous.

Two of his acolytes had died when one of them attempted to assassinate the other in a coup that failed spectacularly, the Republic was in the process of demolishing the small moon of Riaj to destroy the droid factory thereon, and his Master had called to inform him of the death of Savage Opress. What had happened to Maul was anybody's guess, but Dooku wasn't privy to details like that. Not when he was merely a pawn in his Dark Lord's wrinkly hands.

So it was with anger blackening his soul that he entered into the large barren room that he used for training. In moments the droids were activated and the Count was destroying them.

He had known when he had become a Sith that his Master was merely using him in a larger game. It was why he had agreed, actually, because of the power that came with the title Darth Tyranus and being the lackey to Darth Sidious.

With a vicious slice, he chopped two training droids in half.

He had used his Master almost as many times as he had been used, he was certain. The Dark Side of the Force was powerful, and he knew in his soul that if the Jedi refused to see the black hole that the Republic was falling into then he would expose it himself.

It was why he had killed Syfo-Dyas.

His old friend.*

Without that death, he never could have claimed the power that came with his new title. And without that power, he never could have even begun to make the difference that he was now.

A strong thrust took out another droid.

Qui-Gon's death had only made it a simpler choice to take, knowing that he could in no way show the Jedi how wrong they were.

Two more droids fell in sparking pieces.

It was ironic that for much of his life Qui-Gon had tried to prove to the Council that the darkness was brewing. That it was growing. That the Galaxy would not remain safe … Only for them to finally believe it after his death.

Dooku shocked the next droid with the Force, taking it down in a crackle of electricity.

Even then the Council hadn't really acted. It was only when they'd moved against Senator Amidala that Obi-Wan had discovered the Clones and subsequently the entire war had begun.

He crushed the last three droids with the Force, putting his lightsaber away with a small sigh.

His indignance at the stagnation of his old Master - and by extension, the whole Order - fled just as abruptly as it had flared, and his lip curled in disgust at the plans that he knew his Master had for young Skywalker.

Fools, the lot of them. The corruption was right under their noses, festering and oozing pus, and still they could not see it. Even his own grand-padawan had been in denial when he'd told him of it.

It was with heavier steps than before that Dooku made for the door, determined to meditate before he retired. By morning, Riaj would be the Republic's and the droid factory would be nothing but debris.

It was a pity that Grievous was in the middle defending a small planet on the other side of the Galaxy (it had a wealth of minerals that they couldn't afford to lose). Had the General been on Riaj then perhaps the GAR* wouldn't be currently swarming it.

The door hissed open as Dooku approached, and he had only just crossed the threshold when a shudder ran almost violently through the Force. He spun around, uncertain what had happened and yet certain that it was behind him.

To his amazement there was a sparkling light in the center of the training room, and a figure was materializing in the center of it. It was a pale humanoid with a blindingly bright blue tunic on, and conspicuously pointed ears.

The stranger's eyes widened as they took in their surroundings, and Dooku felt a trickle of alarm in the Force for a moment before the man murmured. "Fascinating." Around the man the Force was swirling, making it clear that nothing about the situation was by accident. The Unifying Force was practically shouting in Dooku's ear that this stranger was immensely important.

"Forgive me for intruding upon your property, but I believe that my mode of transportation has malfunctioned, leaving me apparently stranded." The man's cultured voice was monotone (despite the clearly Rim accent), but the whisper of panic in the Force increased just a little. "I am Spock, and if you would permit me I would like to attempt to contact my missing companions."

It took Dooku a full three seconds to process that he was the one being asked, and so it was with less authority than usual that he responded. "Of course."

The man nodded succinctly as he removed a small instrument from his belt, opening it before beginning to speak. "Spock to Captain Kirk, come in, Captain Kirk." Both of them waited in silence, and then the words were repeated. This happened several times, with different names before the unfamiliar device was put away.

"It appears that I have been stranded."

"It would appear so." Dooku agreed, still marveling at this phenomenon.

"If it would not be too much to ask, I would require your assistance in ascertaining where I am, and the locations of my crewmembers."

Dooku merely nodded, "I will help you if I can, and you are on the planet of Serenno."

"What is your name?"

"I am Count Yan Dooku, but you may refer to me as Dooku." The Count wasn't sure why the Force had sent him this stranger, but he knew that the Force did not make mistakes.

He didn't know how, but it was exceedingly clear to him that this man would change the future. For better or for worse was still to be seen, but Dooku felt a spark of hope.

Something he hadn't felt in quite some time.

Kirk awoke on his back to a splitting headache, and it was with a small moan that he remembered where he was. Panic was still there, but now it was layered with annoyance at himself for his rash attack. He could hear murmurs from around him, and his right hand stung badly. There was also a slight weight on his chest, and he had the distinct impression that someone had put something there.

The last thing he could clearly recall was the laughing red monster on Captain Ohnaka's shoulder, and so it was with reluctance that he opened his eyes.

The ceiling was grey and uninteresting, but he could see that he was surrounded by the leathery aliens from before, all of them talking to each other in murmurs that quieted when the thing on his chest made itself known. It was the red monster again - except it wasn't. It was yellow. It gave a series of squeaks that had all of the aliens looking his way, and the silence was quickly filled with a long tsking sound.

"Oh my, Kirk." Hondo said after clucking his tongue for nearly 10 seconds straight. "You look terrible."

Jim gave him a weak glare, happy to see that the goggles were a different pair (he could vaguely remember breaking the first pair with a satisfying crunch), and the pirate shook his head.

"Didn't I tell you that there was no need for violence?"

"What do you want, Ohnaka?" He had meant for his voice to be more authoritative, but it came out much too feebly in comparison. The yellow monster jumped off of him onto the pirate's shoulder with a squeak.

"Oh, my friend, you wound me!" Hondo grasped his chest in mock pain. "It is as I told you! You are a guest here on my ship! You will stay with us and help us to build this transporter that you speak of, and in return we will help you find your lost ship!"

Kirk narrowed his eyes. "I'm a captain, Ohnaka, not an engineer. I couldn't tell you how to build one. I don't need help finding my ship, either. Just the two crewmen who came with me." It was mostly the truth.

"Then where is your ship?"

"It's right where I left it. My men and I were transporting onto another ship and ended up somewhere else instead. I need to locate them as soon as possible."

"Then it is your ship that lost you?"

Kirk avoided nodding, instead answering with a terse, "Yes." A sharp pain from his hand had him glancing over to see that one of the aliens was stitching it up - a leathery-skinned doctor that didn't pay them any mind as Hondo continued.

"This is terrible!" Ohnaka didn't notice when Kirk tried to pull his hand slightly towards him to look at it, only for a strong grip to keep him from moving it. "We will have to help you find your friends so that we can build a transporter and send you back!"

"They're not engineers either-" He looked up with anger towards Ohnaka, but was swiftly cut off.

"Now everybody get out! Captain Kirk and I have plans to make!" Hondo made a shooing noise, forcing the clump of pirates around him to thin with small grumbles. The only words Kirk caught were transporter and credits.

Hondo sat on the edge of his bed, but Kirk studiously ignored him, instead watching as the doctor continue sewing his hand; it was a bloody mess (how had it gotten cut like that?) The doctor seemed annoyed, and Jim felt a pang of worry for Bones. He hoped that his friend was better off than he was.

At least let Spock and Bones not be floating out in space somewhere, he prayed.

Ohnaka laughed heartily from his side as Jim continued watching the doctor, the yellow shoulder-monster joining in with its small cackle. "I am a Weequay, Kirk. You punched me in the face." Kirk glared as the confident captain carefully tapped the spikes growing out of his chin. "It was a simple thing for me to turn my head and let you damage yourself. Don't worry, the stitches are only a formality. They are there to make sure that it heals correctly in the bacta, and there they will dissolve."

Jim quickly made the executive decision to just grab for his phaser next time, and forgo the punching.

"But now that we understand each other, we can talk a little bit more about these transporters. I have many questions."

Kirk clenched his jaw, knowing that he was in for a long argument.

*Syfo-Dyas grew up with Dooku, and was the friend that he manipulated into sanctioning the creation of the clones. It was also this friend that he killed to become an official apprentice/Sith to Sidious. (Correct me if I'm wrong on any of this)

*The GAR is the Grand Army of the Republic (so basically the Clone Army, for those of you who don't recognize the term)

So if you guys haven't figured it out by now, the POVs in this fic are going to change at my whim. It will definitely be centered around Kirk, Spock and McCoy, but there will be multiple SW POVs in-between theirs.

If I got any of my Dooku facts wrong, please lemme know. His Wookiepedia page is super long, and yet I feel like we know so little about him. I think he's a fascinating character, and I'm going to do my best to bring that out.

As for my interpretation overall of these two fandoms, I'm obviously going to take some liberties, but feel free to let me know if I'm missing anything important. The same goes for any mistakes that you might see; I recently updated this chapter and tried to smooth it out and correct any mistakes, and I would hate to find out years from now that I missed some.

Thank you for reading!