Doku tossed and turned restlessly on his bed. Finally, with a sigh, he rose and went to the small balcony of his quarters.
His assassin apprentice, Ventress, was off on a solo mission and would be returning in the morning, but for now, he was alone.
Tomorrow he would once again suffer Qui-Gon's anger, having forced him to, yet again, retreat from Naboo when they were surrounded and outmatched, delaying his plans even further.
He shook his head. Things had gone so wrong that he feared his old Padawan.
He wished he had never brought Qui-Gon to Sidious those five years ago after finding him clinging to life by a thread on Naboo while searching for Darth Maul's body. He wished Qui-Gon had actually been dead when he found him.
It was too late now. The damage had been done and couldn't be fixed.
Dooku hated Sidious for corrupting Qui-Gon. He hated Qui-Gon for letting himself be so easily corrupted, but most of all, he hated himself for willingly bringing his beloved Padawan to the Sith Lord in his desperation to save him.
He had not assisted in Qui-Gon's training and therefore grew very distant from him. He had monitored the training but took no part in it, hating himself more and more everyday for allowing it. Once Qui-Gon had become a full Sith Lord and reached his full power, which went beyond even Master Yoda, he knew all was lost.
The Count shivered despite the fact that it was a warm night.
Qui-Gon's once unnatural paitence had been wearing dangerously thin, especially towards Dooku for his questioning and sometimes mettling of his plans, and this recent delay in his plans had pushed him over the edge.
Dooku sighed. He knew he had little chance of surviving tomorrow in the arena, Qui-Gon's favorite place to vent as well as torture.
He shivered again. He had brought destruction upon th Jedi by bring Qui-Gon to Sidious and nothing could stop it.
Another sigh came from the tall, elderly Count as a realization came to him. He knew what he had to do.