"Missed Qui-Gon Jinn's funeral you did, Dooku."
Dooku did not bother looking behind him or in any way slowing his measured pace across Theed Palace's soaring atrium. His former master, though he might pretend to be old and frail when it suited his purposes, was in fact as agile as a youngling when he wanted to be. And lo, sure enough, the tap-tap-tap of a little green troll's gimer stick soon fell into step beside him. "You summoned me to Naboo, Master Yoda, and I came forthwith," Dooku said curtly. "Now I am here."
"Not for the dead, a funeral is, but for the living," Yoda pointed out.
"And I will mourn the untimely passing of my former Padawan on my own time. In my own way," Dooku replied. His disagreements with the High Council and its current methods with respect to preserving peace throughout the galaxy were widely known; that he would blame Qui-Gon's death on the failures of the current leadership went without saying. "Please, Master," he continued, "let us not be unbecoming to each other. I do not wish to argue."
"Debate the proper role of the Jedi Order, my purpose in summoning you to Naboo it is not," Yoda agreed. "Instructions, I have for you. Escort to the new Supreme Chancellor of the Republic until his return to Coruscant, you will be."
Dooku's brows rose. "Chancellor Palpatine needs a bodyguard? Surely this role would be better suited to a planetary law enforcement officer than a Jedi Master!"
"Perhaps. Before our discovery of this Sith Lord, better suited to planetary law enforcement this may have been. Remain myself, I would, but recalled on Temple business I am." Yoda's pointy ears drooped every so slightly as he shook his head. "Dark times, these are, young Dooku. Protect the life and health of this new Chancellor, you must."
"Protection?!" Palpatine spluttered. "Naboo is my home! There is nowhere else in the galaxy I am safer than on Naboo."
"Ah, if only that were so," Dooku said patiently. They'd been arguing about this for some minutes already, but he had been allocated his current assignment by Grand Master Yoda himself and had no intention of shirking it. "We do not yet know if this Dark Lord of the Sith who revealed himself during the battle for Naboo was the apprentice or the master, and regardless, there are always two. Should the second Sith Lord choose to attack, only a Jedi such as myself would have a hope of defeating him."
"Hmph!" Palpatine stormed off in a swirl of richly brocaded ceremonial robes. "Dark Lords of the Sith—these are bedtime stories, Master Jedi! Pure fantasy!"
Dooku fell easily into step a half-pace and slightly off to the right behind him. He could and had predicted exactly this reaction from Palpatine. He was not bothered. "Very well. You may believe or not as you wish, but my presence is non-negotiable. As a politician, Chancellor, surely you understand the meaning of 'non-negotiable?' "
"Yes, unfortunately," Palpatine huffed.
"You may tell your compatriots that I am here in case the Trade Federation attempt a surprise retaliatory attack upon your person," Dooku suggested. Retaliation was in fact a distinct possibility; it wouldn't even strictly be a lie.
Palpatine stroked his chin thoughtfully as he walked. "That seems reasonable." A grand set of double doors were being opened directly ahead, and beyond, Dooku could see a long boardroom table and at least two dozen officials already seated. "I hope you enjoy sitting in on meetings, Master Jedi. My itinerary is full of them!"
"No. We won the day on Naboo without having to avail ourselves of such extreme measures." Amidala's face behind the white and red paint was as rigid as a doll's. She was, Dooku reflected, revealing herself to be as childishly obstinate and ill-prepared for complexity as her tender age of fourteen years would suggest.
"All the more reason not to sit pretty on past accomplishments, no? I would remind Her Majesty that I also continue in my previous capacity as Naboo's representative to the Galactic Senate and do not require Her Majesty's acquiesce in order to throw Naboo's support behind this policy change." Palpatine's tone of voice was mild. From tone alone, one would never guess that he was threatening open defiance of his homeworld's democratically elected planetary executive.
"Then perhaps we ought to consider amending Naboo's rules on senatorial appointments," Amidala replied. She was practically baring her teeth. "Indeed. They are perhaps long overdue."
Palpatine didn't miss a beat. "Your Majesty, I would be most grateful for relief from my duties as Naboo's Senator. As Her Majesty has seen, the responsibilities of the Chancellor's office already weigh heavily upon my conscience, and I would be keen to be able to give them my fullest, undivided attention."
"We shall see to it in due course, Sheev. Perhaps, given your undivided attention, your stance on this issue will further clarify itself."
"My sincerest thanks, Your Majesty." Palpatine bowed humbly before the dais.
Amidala's face was tight, impassive. It hadn't been lost upon anyone that Palpatine had not agreed with her at any point during their rather heated exchange.
Dooku followed silently behind Palpatine as he departed the throne room, but his thoughts were lightyears elsewhere. Was it possible that—would Palpatine really—? His pulse was racing with excitement. He could hardly believe what he'd heard.
"Your proposition intrigued me."
"Which one would that be, Master Jedi?" Palpatine asked tiredly, scrubbing his face with the palms of both hands. He'd been on the go for fourteen hours straight, Dooku knew, and this was the first time all day that he'd been able to avail himself of the sofa in his guest quarters.
Dooku crossed his arms over his chest. Instead of answering Palpatine's question directly, he said, "Over my years of service I have reached the unfortunate conclusion that the Jedi Order has made a grievous error in aligning itself so closely with the Galactic Republic, and this error has the potential to threaten the long-term stability and survivorship of both. The standing army you propose, independent of planetary and system self-defense forces and answerable directly to the Galactic Senate, would seem a wise, forward-thinking alternative to the current substandard provision."
"I am pleased to hear you voice your support, Master Jedi." Palpatine paused to sigh ruefully. His stared at his feet, despondent, and shook his head. "But as you undoubtedly heard earlier, I have found no support for this change from Her Majesty the Queen. And I suspect that many of Naboo's traditional allies will be similarly resistant to change that might one day save their lives."
"There may be support amongst the Jedi," Dooku mused.
Palpatine eyes lifted, and he met Dooku's gaze directly for what, it now occurred to Dooku, was the first time ever. "This proposed army would preempt the Jedi Order's traditional intragalactic peacekeeping authority. You would see the Jedi Order stripped of this power? It has been delegated for millennia."
"Not everyone necessarily deserves to wield the power they possess," Dooku replied.
"Agreed."
Yes, it seemed they understood one another perfectly.
"I do not believe I have thanked you properly yet for your hard work as my personal protection these past days, Master Jedi," Palpatine said to Dooku late into their final evening on Naboo as they took in the panoramic sunset over Theed from one of the palace balconies together.
"No thanks are required. And besides," Dooku added, "my services were not required. I was a mere inconvenient presence at your meetings."
"On the contrary, you were a great moral support. I love the people of my homeworld deeply, but the Naboo can be frustratingly conservative when it comes to institutional transformation. I have been pleased to know that there is at least one respectable mind sympathetic to the needs of the future."
Dooku inclined his head politely. Had this been Yoda's objective in assigning Dooku to the Chancellor all along? Had he known that Dooku would look favorably upon Palpatine's brand of politics? Had he hoped that a bond of respect—perhaps even friendship—might grow between them, thereby, and perhaps paradoxically, further assuring the Senate's continued reliance upon the Jedi Order and the judgment of its High Council? Dooku wouldn't put any of it past the little green troll.
"Might I offer you a drink?" Palpatine asked Dooku suddenly, seemingly out of the blue. "The Nabooian red is not as widely celebrated as its more famous Alderaanian and Chandrilan counterparts, but I can assure you you will taste no better wine anywhere in the galaxy."
"Ah, no, that will not be necessar—"
"Please. I insist," Palpatine interrupted.
Dooku supposed there was no harm in acquiescing, and he had developed a healthy amount of respect for the man. There was much a continued association with Palpatine might teach him. "Very well, Chancellor."
Palpatine smiled, his eyes seeming to flash briefly gold in the last light of day. "Excellent! Also, if I might be so bold, I was hoping that we might discuss in more detail what support there is to be marshaled amongst the members of the Jedi Order for an Army of the Republic…"
END