DURREGROHD, the capital city of the Mid-Rim planet of Gorelasg, saw thin patches of gray clouds obscuring it from the early-afternoon sun. Qui-Gon watched Dooku shamble out of the Gorelasgan government building. The older man looked shell-shocked by all that had transpired. His apprentice could only guess what the two older people had discussed after he'd left his Master's side.
Ambassador Am'dur Urbezelle saw Dooku also, and walked up to meet the Count, arms outstretched. "Master Dooku!" he said, and there was a pitying tone to his voice and facial expression, "Negotiations went that badly, did they?"
Dooku breathed, long and slow. "The Turzdorel remains uninterested in working with the Republic. I fear that I have overestimated her respect for the Jedi Order."
The Ambassador's starship was parked at the end of the platform, and had been since shortly after Qui-Gon met the Twi'lek man's aide in the government building's lobby. Urbezelle wrapped one arm around Dooku's shoulders, and with a drinking-glass in the other hand, pointed at the cruiser. "Ah, well, do not take it as a personal failing, Master Jedi. We cannot decide what these Raelgari will think... I fear that not even your Force can budge their stubborn minds. I suppose there's no reason for myself to go bother her again." He nodded back at the building.
Qui-Gon hurried after the two men and the ambassador's trailing entourage. There were no Raelgari outside with them, he noticed. "What now?" he said, "what's our next move, Ambassador? What can we do to convince them?"
"We?" Urbezelle turned to Qui-Gon. "I'm afraid us diplomats have expended our capabilities, young Jedi. This is a blessing of the Republic Senate: there are many methods of, ahem, negotiation when it comes to splinter-systems like this one. Those wiser than us, wiser than I will develop a solution that pleases the most parties. And worry not; it will be a peaceful one, so long as the Raelgari allow it to be."
"Oh, okay." Qui-Gon followed, but curled his lip. Something feels very wrong, here.
Dooku dragged his feet, and Urbezelle took his arm off the man. "What's the matter, Master Jedi? You still have regrets? It is not your hostility which created this bitter failure we must swallow, certainly."
"I think," said Dooku, "that I have enjoyed my time here. The air is fresher than on Coruscant, somehow. Go on ahead, Ambassador, I would savor it once more. I will join you in a moment." Dooku looked around, his face some mixture of reverent and dazed.
Urbezelle glanced at him and shrugged. "You enjoy, Master Dooku. After all this difficulty is behind us, perhaps you can visit Gorelasg again, as a hero of the peacemaking process. It's a bit too… utilitarian, for my own tastes." He boarded the starship with his Captain and aides.
Qui-Gon stopped beside his Master. Dooku was staring blankly up at Urbezelle's starship. Without looking, he spoke: "I am curious what you make of the Raelgar Jedi, Padawan Jinn. He forsook the Order, and fought against the Republic itself."
There was a long pause before Qui-Gon realized Dooku was expecting an answer, and a longer pause as he thought one through. "I'm not sure, Master. As Alpulenya told the tale, it sounded like The Republic was hurting her people for no apparent reason. I have not heard tell of such a time in our history; it seems to run counter to our very founding ideals."
"It is good," said Dooku, "to be skeptical…" He craned his neck down at Qui-Gon and smiled weakly.
"Assuming her story is true… or, close to the truth, anyway… I guess the Closvimteol was serving justice, the balance of the Force, and his own people. I suppose that was the Turzdorel's aim in telling us: the people of Gorelasg fear our Republic, and she wanted to make that perception known, and the reasoning behind it. To us, at least." Qui-Gon scratched his chin. "To somehow serve Gorelasg's needs."
Dooku looked back up at the ship. "And what is it we serve, young Jedi?"
"Why, The Republic, Master. Peace, a Just Order, and the sanctity of all living things."
Qui-Gon followed his Master's gaze to the enormous, proud, gilded crest of the Galactic Republic emblazoned on the side of Ambassador Urbezelle's ship. It towered over both humans, bathed them in shadow. "So we claim," Dooku said. He lowered his eyes and started for the boarding ramp.
"But what should we make of this, Master? If—" Qui-Gon sidled closer to Dooku and lowered his voice as the two of them stepped up the ramp, "...if the Republic says one thing, and the Raelgari say another, who are we to believe? How are we to know what's true?"
"You must trust your instincts, Padawan," said Dooku, "Where does your skepticism take you?"
Qui-Gon scratched the back of his neck. "...well… the Turzdorel said she wanted to address any problems we might have, but she didn't mention my getting attacked last night. I sense she got word of all our exploits, and it seems like a pretty important thing not to mention."
"Do you mean to say she was involved, Padawan?"
"Well, not that she planned it," said Qui-Gon, and he thought: I hope not. "But you always say that thieves most often steal because they don't have enough to eat. That seemed to be true of those thieves. And you say that widespread criminality is often a failure of a planet's own government, keeping people hungry and frightened." Qui-Gon crossed his arms proudly.
"Indeed. A government is larger than any one of its citizens. And there can be powers larger still."
"What… what could be larger than the government of a whole planet?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Yes, the Turzdorel seemed obsessed with the idea of size," Dooku mused, "that's certainly an angle to consider."
"But—"
"Enough!" the Count said sharply, "I will opine for you no further." They stepped into the ship's corridor. Behind them, the boarding ramp closed them from the dusty concrete of Durregrohd, and Urbezelle's starship began to climb.
Dooku and his apprentice found the cruiser's lounge room, where a small banquet was prepared for them. Again, the ambassador's human aide was sat in a corner, inspecting her comm-screen silently. "Sit," Urbezelle bode them, "I won't have Coruscanti gossips saying that I was a poor host to cherished Jedi guests." The pair sat and picked quietly at the food. Another aide, a Pantoran man, came in and tapped the human woman; both left, whispering to each other.
The ambassador sipped his beverage. "So, Jedi. I see that you are still disconcerted by the events of our mission. Padawan Jinn?"
Qui-Gon glanced up quietly.
"Oh come now, your experiences could not have been as unpleasant as mine," said Urbezelle, "what did the Raelgari's Queen say to you, exactly?"
"I'm afraid it was a most fruitless meeting after all, Ambassador Urbezelle" said Dooku, sighing, "my Padawan and I will retire to our quarters now, that rest might wash away the disappointment."
"She didn't say much, really," Qui-Gon said. Dooku glanced at him anxiously. "She just told some old stories about Gorelasg, and thanked us for listening." Both he and Dooku remained seated.
"Gah," said Urbezelle, humored, "well, that's not the worst news. Not for the Republic, anyway… for you it must have been terribly droll. A heroic youth of the Jedi Knights, stuck listening to old people lecture history. Oh, young Jinn, at least tell me you gained something from this whole excursion, even if it was from your own personal adventures in that city."
"No," Qui-Gon said, after chewing, "not really. I did almost get robbed, but Master Dooku scared away the thieves."
Dooku shook his head in his hand. "Padawan, we must be—"
Urbezelle sat up. "Now this is what I expected of our Jedi. You must have given the buggering Raelgars a nasty fright, eh Master Jedi? I told you there was a criminal element at play, didn't I? Well, we're lucky to have been joined by the both of you. Hah! No wonder the Queen wouldn't give you any leeway, after you showed you wouldn't be pushed around..."
Qui-Gon chewed his food. He half-smiled along and nodded at the ambassador.
"It's like that—" Urbezelle looked up at the Count, "You've heard about this, right Master Jedi? It's like that little insurrection the Raelgari staged centuries ago, the last time we tried to make peace with them! Ah, I didn't want to listen to my more pessimistic contemporaries, but now it all fits true: the Raelgari would rather doom themselves that form a working coalition."
Qui-Gon sat up, too. "That's… not how the Turzdorel told it. She said that the Republic attacked Gorelasg, that our own armies tried to conquer her home!"
Urbezelle clicked his tongue, "Ah yes, and of course that's how a Raelgar would tell it. This is one pitiable flaw of the young and curious, Jinn: you are too trusting. Everyone has 'their truth,' their biased personal version of events. And then there are the facts, and the fact is that this criminality of theirs is baked into their very culture, from common thieves to the top of their flat little palace! It's like the beebleberries in this bread, you see…" He picked a berry out from the middle of a slice of bread on his plate. "Even when the source of the problem's picked out, the impression and essence still lingers, tainting all it touches. And this Queen, believe me, she's the source, or whoever really rules this backwater."
"So… the Republic as well, then," Qui-Gon said, "I mean, our very laws are created by beings with their own 'version of the truth'. How can criminality be a 'fact,' if its foundation is the biased views of those who write the laws?"
Dooku stifled a grin.
Urbezelle narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about? You are a Jedi! You should know better than anyone that the laws and regulations of the Republic bring peace to the galaxy, same as the Codes of the Jedi Order."
Qui-Gon looked up plaintively. "My apologies, Ambassador. As you said, I am young; a Jedi learner. I seek only to share insights with you, as to better understand the intricacies of how the Republic brings peace and democracy to the galaxy. Which laws did Gorelasg break, that we were sent to treat with them?"
Urbezelle settled back into his chair. "You just don't know… oh, poor, naive young Jedi, of course you'd be confused. Proposition… well, I don't want to bore you with specifics and legal jargon, let's see… in short, Mid-Rim semipartner systems which benefit from shipping thoroughfares are required by law to contribute productively to either the fuel-refinement or shipbuilding industries, or both, including a mild taxation rate on relevant commerce. Well, the legal-types would call it a 'tithe,' but it's a distinction without much difference; they contribute a slight fee to the public trust and gain the benefits of Republic security forces."
"Oh," said Qui-Gon, "and what's a 'Mid-Rim semipartner system'?"
"Oh, hah, well you know what a Mid-Rim system is, I'm sure..." Urbezelle tapped a thoughtful finger on the arm-rest of his chair. "'Semipartner' just means… well, it's a system that doesn't formally join The Republic—and so forfeits its right to representation in the Senate—but is involved closely enough with the goings-on in nearby Republic space to maintain amicable relations. Well… they should, anyway, for all we provide them."
"So," Qui-Gon's words came slowly, "they don't want to be part of the Republic, and we still see fit to make laws for them? And demand 'tithes'? They must feel that we're encroaching on them; from how they described events, they seem to view us as aggressive invaders!"
The ambassador groaned. "You've been led so far astray by Raelgar lies, Padawan. You don't see the expenses the Republic pays to maintain security in this sector, which Gorelasg doesn't contribute to—quite the opposite!" He smiled, shrugging. "But I don't fault your confusion; politics is a difficult matter for a young mind to sort. Help me out, Master Jedi, surely you can explain this in a way your little learner can understand."
Dooku threw up his hands apologetically, and turned to speak to Qui-Gon: "I told you words could be slippery, Padawan. Remember the angles which underpin them…"
Qui-Gon scratched his head and considered things silently for a while. The others ate quietly. At length he smiled. "Ambassador Urbezelle… what department of our Republic did you say you worked in, again?"
"Huh?" He looked at both Jedi. "I'm of the Foreign Relations Office of the Bureau of Shipping and Mercantile. Most of our dealings are Core and Inner-Rim, naturally, but sometimes we must visit outlying territories to resolve disputes like this."
"Of course, of course. You serve the Republic well," said Qui-Gon, "and no doubt the Senate needs this law observed, to keep the shipping lanes around Gorelasg running effectively."
"Yes, exactly!" The ambassador gestured with his hands. "It's the Senate that got us into this mess in the first place! They wouldn't approve economic sanctions or other firmer measures until we tried at diplomacy with these people, and look what good that did us. I'm glad to earn my paychip, of course, but it doesn't serve any end to waste my time like this."
"And who needs these regulations observed?" Subtly, Qui-Gon waved a few fingers at the emissary as he spoke. "By what means do you receive just rewards for your efforts?"
Urbezelle seemed to have trouble speaking. "Uh… well, the BSM has the support of many in the Senate. We're publicly funded per Dual Resolution 117-903R, which was passed many years ago. As for the Proposition that mandates shipping-industry contributions by semipartner systems, Proposition 39-MRSP-14142 passed two years ago. Senators from Coruscant, Kuat, Dowut, Loedorvia, N'Zorth, Azbrian, Demophon, Hosnian Prime, Corellia, and many lesser worlds supported the motion." He furrowed his brow at all the words spilling out of his own mouth.
Qui-Gon lowered his head. He's right, all this politics stuff is impossible! How am I supposed to know what any of that means?
Dooku sat up in his chair, smiling. "Ah yes, Ambassador Urbezelle, many in the Republic have been blessed by your advocacy. You should be proud of your accomplishments. And luckily, the Senate has strong relations with many in our Republic. Were there any other wise advocates working by your side, to ensure that the Senate made the right choice?" His right hand extended towards the Twi'lek man in a friendly way.
Urbezelle nodded. "Why, yes… yes of course! Lobbyists from the Shipbuilder's League and Fuel Alliance were critical in ensuring our continued funding passed, and that these necessary measures were seen favorably by those in the Senate. Why, I have dinner with Dras Oleamor from TransGalMeg next week, where we are to discuss this matter specifically. I hope today's disappointment is not so terrible a setback for galactic progress."
Dooku turned his head half-towards Qui-Gon, and muttered so only his Padawan could hear: "A coalition of Shipbuilding and Refinery corporations. They have no love of Core taxation rates. Gorelasg would not be the first Mid-Rim planet whose people were made to work for the benefit of corporations of the Core, and that Senate Proposal ensures the local government would be saddled with the tax burden. What a profitable relation that would be… for the Republic, anyway."
Qui-Gon stared at his Master aghast. He shook himself, and all but shouted at Urbezelle: "Your employers just want cheap work out of the Gorelasgans! This isn't about 'peace' or 'criminality'... it's about money. The greed of the Republic drove us here!"
Urbezelle blinked. "What… You would speak to an Emissary of the Republic this way!? How dare you, little—"
Dooku jumped up, grabbed the startled young Jedi by the arm and pulled him to his feet, and bowed to Urbezelle. "My Padawan did not intend offense, Ambassador. He is young and hot-headed, and we are all exhausted by the stress of recent events. We apologize for the harsh words, and let us meet again tomorrow, when cooler heads may prevail."
Urbezelle stood haughtily. "See that he's taught better, Dooku. I will not have my person and my station slandered by some radically-misguided Jedi whelp." His human aide walked in to investigate the commotion.
Dooku hastily bowed again and dragged Qui-Gon down the hall.
"But Master—"
"Silence!" hissed the Count, "Not now, Qui-Gon." He pushed his apprentice ahead, and after one hurt glare at Dooku, Qui-Gon rushed off to their quarters.
Dooku stopped; back in the lounge, he heard Urbezelle speaking to his aide: "...I recall a time when these Jedi did not insert themselves into matters of politics, to the benefit of all!" The Count balled a quivering fist. Then, exhaling, he trudged on towards their guest suite.
Dooku found young Qui-Gon Jinn sitting on a bunk bed, shocked and distraught. "What are we even doing, Master?" he said, "This 'Ambassador'—no, the powerful people that pay him—they just want to enslave the Gorelasgan people to line their pockets. We have to do something!" His hand rested on the hilt of his lightsaber.
"Not now, Padawan." Dooku sat down next to his apprentice. "This is his mission. Any strife between the Republic's Emissary and the two of us would reflect on me, and The Order by extension. There may be a time to make our disagreements heard, but not here, not with this… pawn."
Qui-Gon watched Dooku shake his head, and speak despairingly: "What you now see, I have known, Padawan. But.. The Republic has a very specific idea about the role of Jedi, one our Order has helped to cultivate. We are to be silent peacekeepers, not deciders of galactic politics. There is wisdom in this—a powerful Jedi could become a great threat to all—but there is also cowardice; an unwillingness to accept responsibility for the Republic we are a part of. Whose prosperity brings us comfort."
"It doesn't have to be this way," Qui-Gon muttered, "this corruption… allowing it to persist goes against everything we're meant to stand for. There must be a way to make the Council see… or… someone!"
Dooku shook his head. "It is a dangerous course, Qui-Gon. The Jedi Order is aligned with The Republic; do not think it easy to disrupt that bond. If we made disagreement known, the Order would sooner turn away from us; we would be traitors to The Republic. Criminals. You are more knowledgeable, or at least more open to these ideas, than any Jedi I've spoken to… they deride me for my insights—they are all blind! Willfully, selfishly blind!"
Qui-Gon clutched the sides of his own head. "Why… why would you teach me these things, Master Dooku, if we aren't able do anything about it?" He stopped and clenched his fists. "No. It's… it's not about danger to us. 'A Jedi puts the safety of others above his own.' No matter the cost, we must help the people of Gorelasg. We can't just allow this to continue, this path… further wealth isn't going to make these rotten corporations any less powerful! You've said there were others before, and that means there will be more like Gorelasg, more entire planets enslaved." He looked up at Dooku, tears in his eyes. "Master, we have to do something!!!"
Slouching, Dooku looked at his Jedi Padawan. The tensing of the younger man's muscles, the fire in his eyes. And the sliver of hope that his wise Jedi Master had a plan, a path forwards; Dooku sensed that, too. He sighed, and his whole body sagged. "I will... find some way to tell the Council, some way to convince them of what we both now see. I am familiar with their ways, and should already have devised a method of bringing them to the truth. I have been… afraid to take this course, to even imagine ways I could speak directly of this corruption, for fear that I would doom myself to ridicule and exile. But you are right: it isn't about my safety."
Qui-Gon's shoulders sank also. "And what then? What if it doesn't work? I couldn't let you fall alone, Master, I wouldn't be able to… we are in this together now, don't you see?"
"You are young, Qui-Gon, and that means many good things. But you had difficulty accepting the flaws of The Republic and our Order because you are of them; close to them. Perhaps it is I you'd best focus the harshest skepticism upon…"
Qui-Gon looked up angrily. "No! You can't—I won't let you cut me out of this! What's the point of… all this time, all your lessons… everything I feel, now—this is what you wanted!"
Dooku nodded. "Precisely…"
They sat together in silence for a few long minutes.
"You are right, Qui-Gon. I wanted you to see the truths I saw; the ones that troubled me. It was selfish; I wanted to know I was right, that I wasn't…"
Qui-Gon shook his head.
"But enough of that. 'We are strong, together in its light.' I will make Gorelasg's case to the Council, and regardless of the outcome, I will keep you as involved as you wish to be."
"The Council isn't the sole source of wisdom in the galaxy," Qui-Gon said, "maybe there are other Jedi who feel as we do, or could come to sympathize with our position. It need not be just us two, either, we might just be the beginning…"
"Yes, yes," Dooku said, "but trust my wisdom, Padawan. There's a very particular way to present things effectively; it's a very narrow chance we may yet have. Do not spread word of this until I return to you with news of the Council's decision."
"Very well." Qui-Gon smiled, in the way one might after an exhausting day of work.
Dooku stood and made for the other bedroom of their suite. Only when his face was out of Qui-Gon's sight did he allow a few tears to seep from his eyes.
Am'dur Urbezelle's luxury cruiser careened through hyperspace.
The starship slowed and entered Coruscant's orbit; Qui-Gon awoke to the lights of the city-world blaring through his bedroom's viewscreens. Master Dooku will have words for me, he thought, we'll have to smooth things over with that cowardly slime who owns this spacecraft. He was correct.
The Ambassador stood silent and prim near the boarding ramp. The Jedi approached him dutifully. "Ah, Ambassador Urbezelle," said Dooku, from within fresh-trimmed facial hair, "I would like to apologize, but you've heard enough of that from me. Padawan?"
Urbezelle looked at Qui-Gon expectantly. Snottily, one might say. "Yes, Ambassador, I apologize," said Qui-Gon, "a Jedi should be calm, and respectful to gracious Emissaries of the Galactic Republic. My insults were an unfair disservice to you. Thank you for all you have provided us."
"Much better." Am'dur's smile returned. "I was over-irritable also, with all that nonsense the Raelgari Queen had me sitting through, and their drinks did not agree with my stomach. I suppose we should put the whole business behind us then, and no harm done between loyal servants of the Republic."
"Allies," said Dooku, "if, even after all mistakes we've made, you still think the same of us."
Urbezelle chuckled pleasantly. "I think, Master Dooku, that you two will be the most obtuse Jedi I ever meet. And, given your mostly-spotless conduct, that is exceptional praise to your Order." He offered an outstretched hand to Dooku, who shook it warmly. "I will be sure to send the highest possible commendation for your services."
The ship landed gently, the doors slid open with a rush of depressurizing air, and the boarding ramp stretched down onto a wide landing-platform. Urbezelle stepped down and took a deep breath of the mid-day air, the smells of paint and metal and space-fuel. The others followed him down the ramp.
"Now," the ambassador said to his Jedi passengers, "I must be off to share news of these events with my associates, and no doubt you will be returning to your Jedi Temple. Good day to you, Knights of the Republic."
"Good day," said Dooku. He watched Urbezelle and his Captain walk to a taxi speeder on the platform near them, then led Qui-Gon away.
Urbezelle's aide joined them. "Would you like me to arrange transportation for you, Master Jedi?" she said.
"I… actually, yes," Dooku answered, "my Padawan here will need a taxi back to our Temple. I have already made other accommodations." The human woman walked away, tapping at her comm-screen.
Qui-Gon whispered to him: "Master. I have never seen you act so pleasant to anyone, nevermind a flunky like that Urbezelle. I didn't know you could lie so well. Or that I could, for that matter."
"Clarity of purpose allows for the mastery of many useful skills, Padawan," said Dooku proudly. He watched a passing speeder turn and approach their platform, his hands clasped behind his back.
"And what about these 'other accommodations'?" Qui-Gon whispered, "you are still coming back to the Temple, right?"
"Eventually, Qui-Gon. I must think strategically now, and not invest all my faith in the Council. I have other contacts on Coruscant, and we will have need of whatever help we can find if we are to succeed." Qui-Gon inspected the side of his Master's face; Dooku's eyes were set on the horizon, unmoving, deeply introspective. Master Dooku is wise, Qui-Gon thought, I sense the seriousness in his words. He will find a way.
"Alright, Master," said Qui-Gon, "but if the Council won't listen, I'll have plenty to say to Master Yoda." Qui-Gon noticed the taxi stopped next to him, its open door. "May the Force be with you, Master Dooku."
Dooku nodded. Qui-Gon realized that this was the only answer the man would give, and so he boarded the transport quietly, and was off to the Jedi Temple.
***
Yttriostic, the young Chachtessk Nuyepisj to Gorelasgan Turzdorel Alpulenya, stood now in her mentor's private chambers. Alpulenya sat at her desk, chin resting on her fist, looking out the window and thinking. This was how Yttriostic spent most of her time, waiting for the wise old woman to ask something, or ask for something, or look at her expecting the girl to ask her something. Her focus was to develop a sense for the three, so she could anticipate which was coming next.
"What do you make of that Jedi, Cupbearer?" asked Alpulenya. (They spoke to each other in Ragorlebnan, which here is translated to Galactic Basic, to replicate the fluency between them for a non-Gorelasgan reader.)
"Dooku of Serenno?" Yttriostic asked. "He is brittle. What do you ask about? His future? You see more than I."
"I ask if he will help us," Alpulenya replied, "and why. If you are someday to be Voice Ahead, you must understand the intricacies of people, their beliefs and behaviors."
"You tried to have him help Gorelasg," said the girl, "you know which strings to pull. I sense that he understands our plight, and has no love for The Republic."
"He has no love for any authority."
"And you showed him that a Jedi could leave," Yttriostic continued, "and still do good, be commemorated for his acts. His pride, then?"
"That's a part. And will he join to us?"
"I cannot say." Yttriostic breathed slowly. "You did not offer him any further graces, Voice Ahead. No invitation to return, no insights into what role he could serve here, not even access our encoded channels, unless you did after I'd left, and did not tell me. If you wanted him to join to us, you did not provide him many incentives."
Alpulenya sat up. "Power is done by us and upon us. Authority is the name we give for those with the greater power to Do. Our society functions because one such as I, armed with this great power, also have that power checked, and relent it willingly. Take accountability for my actions. Still, I am authority."
"That's true, Voice Ahead. But I don't see what it has to do with Dooku. Emissaries will always submit to the authority of foreign places they visit, and retain some fragment of authority in their own lands. And he admired us, at least more than he does his Republic. He respected you."
"He respects directness, and so I sent it." Alpulenya clicked her tongue. "Dooku is unhappy with how he fits in the Republic. Hmm, and he was interested in us. On the other hand, he could at any time have shared more of himself, instead of just collecting insights."
"So he will not help us? Do you mean that he engaged with us selfishly, and would not risk his privileges to advance our interests?"
The Voice Ahead stood. "No. He will help us, accidentally."
"Accidentally?" Yttriostic looked at her mentor's face. "He is clever and strong-willed. Was your aim not to feed him the information that would lead him to help us intentionally?"
"I sense many intentions in the man, and many wills around him, pulling. I had information that was especially incendiary to his mind, and so Alpulenya tantalized and terrified him, but he is a man who believes that he makes his own choices. That is the critical piece to remember. The Fifth."
She met Yttriostic's eyes. "You will be Voice Ahead, Yttriostic. And so you must remember this: Dooku works for Dooku alone. For 'liberty,' which is not liberation—he does not take to bindings willingly. There can be no friendship with him."
"Still," said the girl, "his actions will help us?"
"Gorelasg must not be beneath the Republic as it falls," the woman replied, and she sat. "We must do what we can with the opportunities his actions provide. And in the future, avoid him."
"And what of his student, Voice Ahead? What did you learn of Qui-Gon Jinn?"
"His depths are more outwardly focused," Alpulenya said, "And yet… he is bound to his Master. His future is uncertain. However, in the paths I foresee, he either never returns here, or also becomes one best avoided. I pity the child. May the Current guide him."
***
Days after Qui-Gon returned to it, the Jedi Temple was a clamor of whispered rumors and anxious feelings. Multiple strange and troubling occurrences seemed to put all of Coruscant on edge. Both Ambassador Am'dur Urbezelle and Jedi Master Dooku had disappeared without a trace, along with many of the ambassador's aides. Qui-Gon did what he could to avoid prying stares and questions.
He was not yet privy to a conversation between those he could not avoid forever: in their meeting chamber, atop the Temple's pinnacle-tower, the Jedi High Council discussed the matter of inexplicable disappearances.
"Could it be that the Raelgari themselves acted against the pair?" asked Master Ki Adi Mundi, "it would explain many other recent events."
"Master Dooku is a powerful warrior," said Master Oppo Rancisis, "he would be difficult to impair, so far from the seat of Gorelasg's power. There could be other wills at play."
"Each side of this matter, must we see," said Master Yoda, "Qui-Gon Jinn, the Count's Padawan learner, have I requested here. From the boy, a greater understanding we will reach."
The voice of a Jedi Temple Guard came from a comm device built into Yoda's chair: "He's here, Master."
"Enter alone, he may."
The doors of the chamber slid open, and in came Padawan Jinn. He stood in the center of the circle of chairs and waited in quiet bewilderment. The Masters of the Council regarded him curiously.
"Padawan Qui-Gon Jinn," Yoda said to the youth, "of Master Dooku's whereabouts, and his mysterious disappearance, know something, do you?"
Qui-Gon shook his head slowly. "No, Master Yoda. I haven't seen him since we first returned to Coruscant, and he hasn't contacted me or anything. Has anyone heard from him?"
The Council members shared glances.
"Spoken to us, he has not."
"But why Master?" Qui-Gon looked around at each other Jedi in the room. "Why would he leave us?"
Mundi nodded patiently towards the young human. "The Council does not know. We were hoping you might be able top share some insight towards finding an answer. Did Dooku tell you of any intentions he had?"
Qui-Gon furrowed his brow. "I'm not sure… he told me that he wanted to speak to all of you, Masters; it was the first thing on his mind."
"What do your instincts tell you?" asked Master Yaddle.
"I think…" Qui-Gon looked at the floor. "I believe that he will return. He would not forsake his duties."
Yoda cocked his head. "On Gorelasg, see anything of note, did you?"
"They're much like us… The Republic, I mean," said Qui-Gon, "Master Dooku seemed to like them, though I doubt the feeling is mutual. They were… insightful, Master."
"Mmm," said Yoda, "beset by strife, Gorelasg is. Not so humble, perhaps. Shun Republic they do, as they shun Jedi. By their own actions, isolated they are." The other Masters nodded.
"I—yes, Master Yoda. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more assistance in figuring this out. Please tell me when my Master returns." Qui-Gon turned to leave.
"Padawan Jinn," said Yoda, "more to say of Gorelasg, have you? Finished speaking to you, the Council is not."
Qui-Gon stopped and turned back towards the Council members on his heel. "No, well… it's true, they are isolated from us. What wisdom they see is set against our own. I don't believe the people of Gorelasg were ever open to negotiating with us."
"We have sensed the same," said Master Yarael Poof.
"Be at peace, Padawan," said Master Plo Koon. Qui-Gon shuffled awkwardly.
"Another matter, we must discuss," said Yoda, "a great challenge you have faced, and proven wise through it, you have. And now, without a Master you are. The Trials, the Council wishes you to face. A Knight of the Jedi Order, you may become."
"...Yes, of course." Qui-Gon looked around the room. "Thank you, Masters. I humbly accept this honor you grant."
"Prepare yourself, Knight-to-be," said Mundi. The Masters nodded respectfully towards Qui-Gon, and the young Jedi bowed and turned to leave.
Don't feel, thought Qui-Gon, if I focus on it, they'll sense the truth, and then they'll never let him back. He left the Council Chamber in stony silence.
"I sense strife in the Padawan," said Poof.
"He was agitated, and left things unsaid," said Rancisis, "what might he have seen on Gorelasg?"
"At his own Master, upset, Jinn was," said Yoda to the assembled Masters, "strange, this is. Quite strange."
Plo Koon furrowed his brow. "Qui-Gon trusts Master Dooku. Admires him. Animosity between them would be strange indeed, Master Yoda."
"Good, the faith of a Padawan learner is," said Yoda, "but by this faith in his Master, the wisdom of the learner may falter. Sees greatness in Dooku, he does. Too great to be waylaid, hmm?"
"So we all agree that Dooku's been separated from us by some outside will?" asked Mundi, "The Raelgari, or someone else involved in the crisis?"
Koon shook his head. "The spreading of such an unconfirmed suspicion could have an ill effect on the matter. For all involved." He glanced at Yoda.
"Hmm." Yoda rubbed his head. "Unclear to me, this is." He closed his eyes, leaned back, and extended a hand to join with the Force. Some of the other Masters did the same. "Clouded, the Count's future is. More clouded than any Jedi."
Plo Koon scratched the side of his face. "May the Force guide him through whatever darkness he now faces."
Yoda nodded. "Blames his Master, Jinn does. For by no outside power can Great Jedi be defeated, and so, believes his Master left by choice, the boy does. Terrible burden for a young Jedi to carry, terrible burden."
Mundi set his jaw. "A perception Master Dooku may himself have nurtured."
"In truth, only together in the Force may Jedi find strength," Yoda said. The other Masters nodded in agreement.
"We should convince Qui-Gon that Dooku wouldn't choose to leave," said Yaddle, "we wouldn't want the boy to resent his Master, not now."
"Not without full truth can we convince young Jinn. Open, our senses must be." Yoda fell silent.
The Council ended their session quietly. The last to leave, Yoda walked out of the chamber on his own.
Jedi Master Cyslin Myr met Yoda by the turbolift beneath the Council Chamber; she'd been waiting for his arrival. Her Jedi Padawan, a young Human boy named Mace Windu, followed quietly behind the two Jedi Masters as they conversed.
"Master Yoda," Myr said as she hurried to Yoda's side, "the Kuati cargo fleet has been recovered. The crews are still missing, Master. Do you think it has something to do with Senator Vulshkrom's disappearance?" (At this time, Karanoi Vulshkrom was the Galactic Republic's Senator representing the planet Kuat.)
"Investigate this matter, we will," said Yoda.
She lowered her voice. "And what of Master Dooku? What did his Padawan say?"
Yoda shook his head slowly. "Unbalanced, the boy is. Through admiration of his Master, blinded, Jinn may be, to what dangers Dooku might face."
"Dangers?" Myr looked at him, puzzled. "What happened on Gorelasg?"
"Unclear, this is," said Yoda. He led the other two Jedi to window-bay of the hallway they were in, and climbed up on the accompanying bench. "Consult the Force further, I must."
"Do you think he did something to inflame tensions with the Raelgari?" Myr put crossed her arms. "I believed Dooku's arrogance could cost him a chance for improved closeness with the Force, but could it be that this 'derision' you spoke of turned to hostility?"
"Hmm. No. Or… I know not. A new distortion in the Force, there is, one which clouds my view of the Count."
"A distortion, Master?" Myr's eyes widened.
Yoda looked away from her. "Unsettling, this is. Most unsettling indeed."
***
A hulking garbage container in a murky undercity alley of Coruscant. One of its lids was hinged open, and inside lay the lifeless body of a well-dressed Twi'lek man named Am'dur Urbezelle. He had a long, deep gash running through the length of his body, one still hot enough to be smoldering brightly orange-yellow. No one in this city-world's underbelly would think twice at the sight, if this corpse was ever to be seen at all before only bones remained.
A cloaked figure sat alone on the curb by this garbage bin, head in hands: Count Dooku of Serenno. He pressed pinched fingers into the bridge of his nose, then to the hard-squeezed eyelids behind. He looked furtively around the alleyway and, finding no signs of the Republic's authorities, stood and brushed himself off. He tossed a thick brown robe and some beige clothing on top of the discarded things within; the corpse's scar no longer smoldered, it was but a dark ravine of black char. Dooku walked away down the alley and into the industrial steam of Coruscant. He never returned to the Temple.
***
In the Jedi Temple, a tall, human Jedi with a full brown beard and thinning brown hair stepped pensively up a flight of stairs. This beard, he rubbed in his fingers. Other passing Jedi nodded to him respectfully; he only spared a hasty greeting back as he pressed on. His thoughts were elsewhere; he seemed unusually distraught to those that saw him go. He must be in a rush, one thought. They all knew Master Qui-Gon Jinn to be a patient, wise, and amicable man.
Qui-Gon reached a large chamber in the Temple: a training chamber, where many Jedi younglings were practicing with lightsabers. Skilled Master Mace Windu was leading the exercise. Among the learners there were Rodians and Ithorians, a Togruta and a Devlikk, a Tarnab, a Mythrol, and even a pair of Humans. One of these, a boy with a blue lightsaber, was sparring with the Togruta girl. It was a competition more playful than anything; in fact, it seemed to be more about who could twirl their blade into the most impressive circles, rather than a serious test of combat. Suddenly, the Togruta lunged in with her own blue saber. The Human boy blocked the strike, but the force of it sent him onto to his backside, his lightsaber's hilt clattering lifelessly away.
The Togruta disengaged her saber and reached down to help her Human rival up. He reached out with his own hand, but stopped his fingers a foot or so from hers and looked up at her with a gleeful expression. She met his gaze, and both young Jedi tensed the muscles of their outstretched hands. Then she yanked backwards and up he went, pulled despite no physical contact between them, the two connected only in the Force. She yanked a bit too hard, and then caught sight of Qui-Gon, and switched to standing at attention. At this, the Human boy stumbled forwards back off his feet and crashed into her; they both fell to the ground. Master Windu shook his head.
Both young Jedi hurried to their feet, and the boy shout-whispered to her: "What happened?"
She glanced at him, and then at Master Jinn. "Sorry, Obi-Wan, but…"
Obi-Wan drew his lost lightsaber back to his hands with the Force and looked down, ashamed. Then, a little grin peeked out of the corner of the boy's mouth. He stifled a laugh.
Qui-Gon smiled.