May The Invisible Hand Be With You - (Star Wars CK2-Style Quest)
- Thread starter Dr. Snark
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
-
- Tags
- star wars canon what canon tsundere dice ck2 quest actions have consequences all the credits all work and no play makes ciaran a dull girl best sister capitalism ho! despairing qm teetotaller society member gotta catch 'em all insanity looting off the rails sage dice approaching spicy sheev tsundere asajj
- Location
- america
that "wipe your droids memory" is kinda wierd to me.Have some tasteful propaganda. I do warn you that some of these are huge.
It translates as "Aliit Ori'shya Tal'din / Family is more than blood"
like, droids are kinda like people? and wiping their memorys just seems............cruel? inhumane?
I think there's a policy in which Droids are meant to have their memories wiped every eight years to prevent personality defects and because of the stigma of the first Droid Rebellion.
Aramis
An unwilling witness
- Location
- Who cares?
Ayep, the Republic by no means was a kind place for droids, especially since the CIS made a mostly droid army. It's also an allusion to WWII posters like this one:
- Location
- Germany
If you keep a Droid's memory without wipes for too long they kinda develop different personalities from the basline product.
Basically they can become people if you don't do it regularly and most people don't want to deal with that.
- Location
- Ireland
This is literally the first time I have heard of a droid rebellion. Where can I find information about it?
Aramis
An unwilling witness
- Location
- Who cares?
There have been several actually:
Droid Revolution
Great Droid Revolution
Second Great Droid Revolution
Gavos Droid Revolution
Droid rebellion (lol C3-P0)
I haven't seen this one in the index, is it canon?
- Location
- USA
The droid memory thing was actually a plot point in the show. Anakin never wiped R2D2 and they had to rush to recover him because he pretty much knew everything about the Republic war effort by that point.
Did he ever get wiped in canon? It'd be funny if Luke looked into there and found out about Vader before ever meeting Obi-Wan.
Did he ever get wiped in canon? It'd be funny if Luke looked into there and found out about Vader before ever meeting Obi-Wan.
- Location
- Germany
Nope. C3P0 got wiped after the war, but that R2 unit knows all the secrets of the galaxy.
Well, at least more than most droids who aren't HK47.
Killerflood
Corporal Cannonfodder
- Location
- Saṃsāra
No, not that I know of. His memory might have been wiped during his stay on Naboo but afterwards he kept everything. It was a point in ROTS that C-3PO had his memory wiped but Artoo wasn't mentioned in that sentence. So for all anyone knows, Artoo is the oldest surviving cast member of the series.
- Location
- Sweden
Well, Dr. Snark responded to the original version saying it was somewhat canon, but that none of the Jedi or Sith would have seen the vision, and didn't give a response when it was edited later.
And of course it's not in the index, that was kinda the point of the post I made, to find the Omakes not in the index yet.
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- Location
- Tromso, Norway.
I know that in the swarm series or whatever the one with the Killiks is called Luke manages to pull out the recording of when Anakin killed Padme. IIRC.
Aramis
An unwilling witness
- Location
- Who cares?
You know that thing about droids having their memory wiped every 8 years or so? Well... R2-D2 was built in 33 BBY and continued to have galaxy-defining adventures through out all of his existance up to 137 ABY, which hasn't yet killed him; that just the most "modern" story that had him in it. That sassy cinnamon roll has more than 170 years worth of stories and secrets.
Killerflood
Corporal Cannonfodder
- Location
- Saṃsāra
That's of course using Legends. But even considering either timeline, Artoo has still never had his mind entirely wiped. Reading through his Wookieepedia Article, Cad Bane has selectively wiped his memories and Organa (in legends) restricted access to his memories of Anakin and Padme.
He also has only been destroyed or severely damaged three times that I recall.
- Once during the Clone Wars cartoon. (apparently)
- Getting shot (and surprisingly not exploded!) during the first death star battle.
- Getting shot during the Battle of Endor (second Death Star)
- Location
- alphen aan den rijn
.. dammit i know the story your talking about..
uh can`t find it right now is the list
also no, do not remember the name of the thing
uh can`t find it right now is the list
also no, do not remember the name of the thing
- Location
- Somewhere and somewhen in time and space
Here. Droid Training Exercise.
Sci-Fi - May The Invisible Hand Be With You - (Star Wars CK2-Style Quest) | Page 449
- Location
- Sweden
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Other than certain droids like R2, most astromechs are not that impressive. They are essentially computers on wheels. Astromechs are also very common so about everyone has some around. I doubt Ciaran's organization is any different.
Interlude - A Nobleman And A Sith
Dr. Snark
Exactly As Planned...Probably
- Location
- Right where I want to be
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
The Oracle
"You can't be serious."
"Grandpa, it's a risk worth-"
"He is going to try and kill you."
"Which is why there are several Watcher teams in the area to prepare for that exact thing." Ciaran said as she finished gathering up her travel supplies for her journey to Serenno: a holdout blaster, her lightfoil, and the Moonlight Blade (just in case), to say nothing of the particularly fancy set of robes she was wearing that conveniently hid most of those weapons from sight. "And Thrawn's going with me as my 'adjutant' so I'll have him around too. I. Will. Be. Fine."
"I still can't believe you're just going to go there based on an invitation of all things." Silas said, visibly exasperated as he followed Ciaran out the door. "You really think that's legit?"
"Yes. In all sincerity Dooku is a man of high status; while there's obviously some ulterior reason he wants me to visit him on Serenno I've been around him long enough to know that yes, he really would invite people to formal dinners like this."
"This is unbelievable-" Silas started to say before he and Ciaran turned a corner, Ciaran nearly running straight into a very serious Asajj.
"Asajj, whatever it is-"
"It's about your appointment on Serenno."
The silence between the three people present was stifling until Silas cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'll uh...I'll just get going now."
As he walked off Ciaran's shoulders sagged slightly. "No offense but I was really hoping you would not hear about my little trip."
"I did."
"You're not going."
"I know." Asajj folded her arms. "I cannot say what my former master would want from you of all people right now but I can warn you to be on guard. And yes," she said, holding up a hand to stifle Ciaran's incoming protests, "I know you're going to be already. What I mean is that everything he does or says is part of some ulterior motive so be aware of that."
"...That's all?"
"Yes," Asajj said brusquely as she brushed past Ciaran. "Enjoy your dinner."
Ciaran glanced back at her before shaking her head and restarting her trip back towards the hangar. It only took her a few moments before she arrived, seeing the Emerald Dream readied for its flight with Thrawn standing calmly by the entrance ramp, sharply dressed in a white military uniform. Nodding towards Ciaran, he wordlessly followed her up the ship's ramp and settled into the copilot's chair as Ciaran prepared the ship for takeoff.
"Dooku is aware that I am going with you, I hope," Thrawn commented as the ship slowly moved forward towards one of the ventral hangar doors, the metal grate covering it slowly opening up as the Emerald Dream hovered over it.
"Well, I did tell him that I'd be bringing an adjutant with me, and he seemed to be fine with it," Ciaran replied while flipping a few switches before glancing back at Thrawn briefly. "Forgot to say it earlier but I think that look really suits you."
"An occasion such as this demands a much more refined appearance after all. But thank you nonetheless," Thrawn replied.
Turning back to the pilot's console Ciaran received the all clear signal from the Oracle's control, and with that let the Emerald Dream drop into space before kicking the engines to full power, the ship racing towards the edge of the system.
"You know it's been ages since I've done anything like this, going to a fancy dinner to discuss important matters," Ciaran commented as she punched in Serenno's coordinates. "Or really, ages since I've actually cared about who I was dining with."
"A fair point. I for one am curious to meet Dooku in person; of course I've read his dossier, his public speeches, manifestos and so on, but there is no substitute for meeting a man face to face. Especially a Sith Lord."
"I won't argue with that," Ciaran said as the ship finalized its calculations. "Well then, let's get going, shall we?"
With that the Emerald Dream leapt into hyperspace...
------------
Serenno
Landing on Serenno was fairly straightforward, as was getting an airspeeder to Dooku's palace since it was waiting for Ciaran and Thrawn at the spaceport. As the speeder came into sight of the palace Ciaran could see what appeared to be Dooku himself standing close to the exterior landing pad. Even as it settled down and began to kick up air, he continued to stand poised and ready to receive his visitors, his cape dramatically billowing behind him.
"Lady Ciaran, good to see you again," Dooku said in a polite tone as she and Thrawn disembarked. "And it is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of your...adjutant, I believe it was?" he said as he faced Thrawn more directly.
"That is correct," he replied, bowing respectfully. "Mitth'raw'nuruodo, though my associates refer to me as Thrawn for the sake of convenience."
"I must admit, your reputation has begun to precede you, Master Thrawn. Whenever the Council defense forces are brought up your name is rarely far behind. I've heard nothing but praise for your tactics against the pirates in Council space."
"You flatter me, Master Dooku. My achievements must seem so paltry in comparison to yours; I've read a number of your manifestos on the Separatist movement and I must admit that I found myself quite moved by them. I only wish I had the chance to hear you speak before this war."
The two men stared each other down, trying to get a read on the other before Dooku looked back over at Ciaran. "I can see why you wanted him to come with you."
She smirked. "I figured you'd say that. Now that you're finished interrogating him, it's nice to see you too by the way. Shall we?"
"Of course," Dooku flatly replied as he led Ciaran and Thrawn towards the palace's entrance. The sun had begun to set on Serenno, making the gardens around the central walkway seem all the more vibrant as the various flowers in them were highlighted by the rays of the setting sun, even as the central tower cast a long shadow over the courtyard.
"This is quite the home you have here," Ciaran commented as the three of them approached the palace entrance. "Did you build this yourself or was it family property?"
"The latter," Dooku replied, not looking back. "I inherited this palace upon my return to Serenno."
"I must say the architecture is quite fascinating," Thrawn commented seemingly randomly though Ciaran knew full well what he was about to do. "Your family must have been quite proud; the walkway leading up to the central building gives a visitor ample time to take in the gardens and obelisks around the area, allowing the family's wealth and status to be fully impressed upon any visitors, though they seemed to be rather blase about it given the utilitarian design of the central building and the fact that the rest of the palace is buried within the cliffside." At this point Dooku had stopped to face Thrawn who was continuing his explanation unabated. "However I doubt they were personable in general given that we are located in a rather isolated position on the planet and that only the central building is accessible from the outside; they were likely either paranoid of intruders or rather secretive-" Thrawn stopped, seeming as though he was only now recognizing the Count's curious expression. "My apologies. I am rather passionate about artwork in general and it can get the better of me at times."
While this was going on Ciaran had been watching Dooku closely, getting a read on his expressions. From what she could tell Thrawn must have been at least partly right given the look of ever so slight surprise on Dooku's face, though it was quickly quashed. "I must say I did not expect you to have such an appreciation or insight in aesthetics."
"Few ever do at first," Thrawn coolly replied.
As the three of them got back on track Ciaran moved closer to Thrawn. "Gotta say, that was rather simplistic knowing you," she whispered. "I was expecting a whole lecture on Serennoan architecture or something."
"The details I mentioned may have been rather obvious given enough thought but that does not make them any less important or relevant," Thrawn quietly replied. "There is something to be said about over-analyzing something when the information you need is already right in front of you."
"Feels like forever since that's been the case..." Ciaran muttered more to herself than anything else as she, Thrawn and Dooku entered the palace...
----------
The walk to the dining room was eerily silent as neither Dooku, Thrawn, or Ciaran were willing to speak, to say nothing of the fact that Ciaran could barely detect anything with her Force vision. It was not because of any Force anomalies or anything along those lines, but more because there appeared to be few if any living people within the palace itself. She and Thrawn had noticed a fair number of droid servants, but no living people.
After a few moments the three of them arrived in a finely decorated dining room, with lavish silverware, goulash. crab salad, and glasses of charade set out for three different people. Dooku wordlessly gestured to the table, and were promptly seated by a trio of droids who quickly left the area leaving them alone. Despite the bright lighting and colorful food, the air around the three of them was heavy with tension.
"Please enjoy yourselves," Dooku said as he gestured to Ciaran and Thrawn. "I assure you that there is no finer food on Serenno."
"Thank you," Ciaran replied, taking a bite. As she swallowed it, she prepared her body to repel any toxins that may have been contained within it, but detected none. Nodding in appreciation, she commented simply that "It's quite excellent," subtly signaling to Thrawn that it was safe.
"I must say Count that this goulash is exquisite, even if it's a little too warm for my tastes," Ciaran said lightly as she punctuated her statement with another bite. "And quite frankly it could have used some more color, it's really quite dour-looking."
"I had assumed that you would prefer taste over appearance Lady Ciaran," Dooku replied, clearly expecting a line of conversation like this from the beginning.
"Now now, it's rude to make assumptions about people as I'm sure you well know." The look on Dooku's face let Ciaran know full well that Dooku's experience as a statesman was the only thing keeping him from actively rolling his eyes at that statement.
Once that banter was finished the three of them ate quietly, each of them waiting to see who would make the first real move in the conversation.
After a moment, Ciaran decided it would be her. "When was the last time we were together like this?" she asked rhetorically. "It seems like forever ago since the last time..."
"I can imagine," Dooku replied. "The official formation of the Separatist Alliance seems as though it was ages ago, even if it has only been a few short years since then."
"Yeah, and only a year before that that I was training with you and Asajj." Ciaran pretended not to notice that Dooku seemed to tense up ever so slightly when her name was mentioned. "What happened to the two of us since then?" she said as she leaned back slightly. "We had a good thing going with our pseudo-master and student relationship before this whole mess started."
"Our paths diverged considerably is what happened," Dooku replied flatly. "I had to lead the Separatist Alliance, and you have been working alongside the Council. There was no chance that our relationship could have continued the way it did."
Ciaran frowned. "And why not?" she said as she turned her head towards Dooku. "The two of us were still in contact over other matters at the time. Granted those were hardly ideal circumstances as it were but the point stands."
Dooku cast an unsubtle glance at Thrawn at those words.
"If you're wondering, I trust him with nothing short of my life," Ciaran said, answering the unasked question. "He's fully aware of all of my endeavors."
"Quite so," the Chiss replied as he took a bite of food offhandedly. "If anything the two of us have been far more successful together in said endeavors than we would have been had we acted separately."
"...Intriguing," Dooku said after a moment of contemplation, turning back to Ciaran. "I would not have expected you to find someone so capable and so trustworthy in a time like this."
"If there's one thing the war has done for me, it's helped prove who I can and can't trust," Ciaran replied pointedly. "I'm sure you understand."
"Indeed it has."
"So then, why am I here?" she asked, though not accusingly. "What made you decide that I would at least be trustworthy enough to be in the same room as you?"
Dooku was silent for a brief moment, contemplating his words. "As of late I have been facing a rather...troublesome pair of individuals that I believe you and Thrawn are also well aware of."
Ciaran raised an eyebrow and Thrawn leaned forward slightly but neither of them said anything, waiting to see whether he was accusing them of culpability or not.
"My sources tell me that they have also been making quite the stir in more illicit circles, and in light of that information I am of the mind that the both of us would benefit to see them eliminated as soon as possible. That is why I wanted to reach out. We may not have aligning goals, but we do appear to have mutual enemies."
Thrawn leaned back slightly but Ciaran maintained her focus on Dooku. "The Zabrak pair, right?"
"Indeed."
"I do agree that they are a problem," Ciaran said neutrally. "But what proof do I have that you can be trusted?"
"I would imagine that the final blow would be entirely handled by either you or I as neither of us would trust the other to be thorough in their elimination, so we would simply share intelligence on their activities. Nothing more would be required than that."
Ciaran's focus didn't waver as she scanned Dooku for any tells. He seemed to be telling the truth but something still wasn't quite right...
"And afterwards...?"
"That depends on how well our cooperative efforts pan out," Dooku coolly replied before noticing that the appetizers were finished. WIth a snap of his fingers a trio of droids quickly cleared the table and set down plates of heklu for the three of them.
"Did you order this just for me?~" Ciaran teased. "Why odds are I might have made a credit or two off of this dinner then!"
"As a matter of fact I believe you have," Dooku commented. "This was shipped in directly from Riileb, and from my understanding you have some connections in the heklu trade going on there."
"Well let's just say I have a...close friend in the business who was willing to let me in on some of the trade deals in the area," Ciaran replied before she took a bite of said heklu. Now that she was not obligated to speak while she was eating she started to fully process what Dooku was suggesting to her. Based on his pitch Ciaran was now almost certain that he was planning on pitting her against Sidious given the chance, namely things going well with Maul and Savage. Even so, there still seemed like a piece of the puzzle that was missing...
"There is something to be said about over-analyzing something when the information you need is already right in front of you."
Thrawn's words rung through her mind as she glanced around the room, searching for any other presences more thoroughly but finding none that stood out to her. "So do you spend all of your time alone in this palace or do you have some new disciple to teach?"
Dooku looked at Ciaran with curiosity. "I have in fact taken on a new apprentice though I doubt meeting him at this current time would be wise. He is quite...unstable, and I can only imagine what his reaction to you would be if you met in person."
"I see..." she replied neutrally before focusing back on Dooku more intently. "So I have to ask, what is this place's story? This doesn't seem like a normal location for a palace like this," she said offhandedly.
"Indeed," Thrawn said suddenly, taking up the opportunity Ciaran had presented. "I must admit that it's architecture surprised me as it did not seem to resemble the traditional Serennoan style..."
While Thrawn began conversing with Dooku over the palace's history, Ciaran quietly took a small breath and began to focus herself. She didn't want to focus on Dooku himself; the man had proven himself to be quite effective at hiding his true feelings on the matters he was talking about. She knew that his isolation here was the key to...well she didn't know what exactly, but her instincts were screaming at her that there was a bigger opportunity to be found. However regular conversation wouldn't be enough, so it was time to use her ace in the hole, and focused her vision on Dooku's shatterpoints.
After a moment of concentration Ciaran perceived what appeared to be shards of glass floating around Dooku, each one of them containing a different image. One was of him at the head of the Separatist Council - obvious - one was of him kneeling in front of Sidious' hologram - also obv...wait...
Ciaran focused in on the image and noticed feelings of resentmentbitternessdoubt that seemed to radiate from it, and it seemed as though once she did the image shifted slightly to let her see Dooku's face, a grimace that seemed to convey his disdain for the Sith Lord.
Taking in that particular piece of information, Ciaran focused on another shard that displayed an image of what appeared to be a forlorn Dooku looking at a holographic projection of himself with a number of other Jedi she didn't recognize except for one Master Yoda-
"Lady Ciaran?"
Blinking beneath her visor she quickly replied to the question. "Sorry, I was considering the offer while that conversation about architecture was happening. You'll have to forgive me, I don't have the same passion for art that Thrawn does."
"I see," Dooku replied. "Forgive my interruption then, it seemed as though your mind was elsewhere."
"Mm," Ciaran mumbled out before going back to eat, contemplating exactly what she wanted to say. After a moment she finalized her plan of attack and turned to face Dooku. "You know, now that we're talking like this I always wanted to ask you something."
Dooku turned to face her with a calm expression, not saying anything as he waited expectantly.
"Why did you save my life all those years ago?"
The room went dead silent, the tension spiking dramatically as those words were uttered. Thrawn leaned back in contemplation, glancing between Ciaran and Dooku as they stared each other down.
"I was acting as a Jedi should."
"Don't give me that line, we both know it's a lie."
Dooku was nonplussed. "It was because I saw potential in you."
"As an apprentice? An underling? What was it?" Ciaran retorted. "Potential is a very broad term."
Dooku steeped his fingers. "I cannot say I was quite certain at the time, but I understood that it would have been a waste for you to die to something so...trivial."
"Is that right?" Ciaran said, idly stretching out her fingers. "In that case I do have one other question."
"Which would-"
"Do you regret that you saved my life?"
That caused Dooku to reel back in shock slightly as he processed it. "What is the meaning of-"
"Answer my question," Ciaran said coldly, leaving no room for argument. "Do you regret that you saved my life when you could have just let me die? No one would have ever known. You could have been 'distracted' or 'unable to sense me' or just flat out testified that you weren't around when I was gassed. No one would have known, and no one would have accused you otherwise." She took in Dooku who was outwardly staying calm even as she could tell that he was starting to tense up for a fight. "Well? I don't have all day."
"Why would I regret that?"
"You're dodging the question, but I'll admit that is one worth answering." Ciaran leaned back. "You could regret it because I've been a thorn in your side in so many different ways. My work with the Council, the breakup of our special arrangement shortly after the war started, and of course various other things that neither of us would ever be willing to talk about openly...unless you want me to go into more details?" she taunted as Dooku glared at her. "Had I died you wouldn't have had to worry about this dinner, the Council likely would have been a footnote in the war, your plans would be proceeding without a hitch..."
Ciaran went silent for a moment, outwardly preparing for her next argument and inwardly determining whether or not she was willing to take a major gamble...before she chuckled darkly to Dooku's confusion and Thrawn's concern.
"Oh I'm sorry. Calling them 'your plans' would imply that you actually are something more than an insignificant pawn to Sidious, wouldn't-"
Suddenly Ciaran felt a burst of Force energy hit her in the chest, knocking her backwards as Dooku charged forward with his lightsaber drawn. As he swung downwards the Moonlight Blade leapt into Ciaran's hand and activated, her hand gripping it tightly as she rose up and blocked Dooku's strike.
"Oooh, touched a nerve did I?~" Ciaran taunted.
"You realize I can no longer let you leave this planet alive," Dooku coldly said, ignoring her words.
"Ahh, so you do feel regret! That's just great. Do you also regret the fact that you've become nothing more than a disposable stooge for your so-called Master?"
As the two of them exchanged blows once again Thrawn quickly moved into the room's doorway and into one of the hallways, hitting a panic button that he and Ciaran had set up to signal the Watcher teams in the area to converge on the palace for an extraction.
Meanwhile Ciaran and Dooku's impromptu duel had moved out into a different hallway before Ciaran forced another standstill.
"On some level you agree with me don't you!?" Ciaran shouted as she locked Dooku's blade in place. "You've realized just how much your 'Master' doesn't care about you and just how disposable you really are."
Dooku's flinch gave Ciaran an opening, letting her throw Dooku off balance and get momentum going before she felt a much stronger burst of Force energy hit her in her core, sending her flying backwards.
"You say that as though you are capable of threatening him," Dooku said as he slowly strode forward to Ciaran as she picked herself off the ground. "If anything you are the insignificant one here."
Ciaran chuckled to herself as she stood up again. "Is that right...?"
She took a deep breath, holding it in for a long second before slowly exhaling.
"Then let's see how much you've been improving over the past few years, 'Master.'"
Suddenly Ciaran closed the distance between them in what seemed to Dooku was almost the blink of an eye, striking him with an attack that had far more power behind it than she was using just a moment ago. From there she went on a relentless offensive, constantly attacking with incredibly rapid strikes that Dooku was only barely able to block through sheer skill and experience as he was finding himself being pushed back by her blitz.
"All you're proving to me right now is how weak you really are!" Ciaran shouted as she continued to attack relentlessly, the Moonlight Blade constantly arcing through the air and leaving behind dizzying patterns of light as she charged forward. "If you really were something more than a mere pawn you would have spent the last few years getting stronger, preparing yourself to break free from your 'Master's' chains. But all I see is a weakling who is content to be a slave!"
"Such arrogance! Do you truly believe yourself to be that powerful!?" Dooku fired back as he pushed Ciaran away with a Force blast before holding out a hand, lightning shooting forth as she managed to block it with her lightsaber in time, gritting her teeth as she held her ground against it. "You are deluded if you think you can challenge my Master," he said as the lightning continued to lash out at Ciaran. "I was hoping that you of all people would not be so foolish as to think you can defeat him."
"Of course!" Ciaran managed to grunt out. "You would have preferred if I had just shut up and listened to your orders like a good little lapdog. Tell me something, did you ever wonder why he chose an old man like you as his apprentice instead of someone younger?" She grinned viciously. "After all, it wouldn't do for someone meant to be thrown aside to live a long life and potentially get in the way once your usefulness is over."
The lightning suddenly increased in intensity as Dooku's face morphed into one of sheer fury, lightning bolts suddenly shooting away from Ciaran and burning into the sides of the hallway.
"Face it!" Ciaran shouted over the din. "You know I'm right. You know just how worthless you are to him, that you're just another pawn to be thrown away when he's done with you. You thought that becoming a Sith would mean more than becoming a pawn for Sidious' games and you don't want to admit just how wrong you were. So let's bring it back to the question I was asking before-"
"Did you ever regret saving my life!?"
The lightning continued to lash out for what seemed like an eternity to Ciaran before it suddenly receded. Taking stock of Dooku, she could tell that his hands were shaking, his knuckles on his right hand white as he gripped his lightsaber tightly.
"...No."
His hands stopped shaking.
"You may have been a nuisance at best and a liability at worst, but I do not regret that I saved your life. You might say that...that it was the result of the regrets of a foolish old man who saw his prized student cut down in his prime because of the treachery of others."
The hallway went silent save for the hum of Ciaran and Dooku's lightsabers.
"So what happens now?" Ciaran said neutrally. "Are we still going to do our level best to kill each other?"
"There is no other choice," Dooku said with icy calm as he gave a Makashi salute with his lightsaber. "As I have said before I cannot let you live now that I know you are aware of my master, and it is the way of the Sith. The victor will become stronger through destroying their opponent."
"Do you seriously believe that!?" Ciaran shot back. "Because by that logic either I die and you clearly don't want that, or you die which is something I don't want."
Once again the hallway went silent.
"Call it sentiment for a teacher, call it gratitude towards the man who saved my life, or if you want to be cynical call it not wanting to lose a potential ally," Ciaran said, "but I don't want to kill you. I don't blame you for trying to blackmail me; I would have done the exact same thing in your position. I don't blame you for sending assassins after me, because again I probably would have done the same. Instead of killing each other for absolutely no gain whatsoever we can-"
Suddenly a loud ringing came from Ciaran's comlink. Activating it a holographic image of a Watcher appeared.
"Ma'am, we received Thrawn's distress signal and we're almost ready to-"
"Ignore that extraction order, it's no longer necessary."
"Uh...ma'am are you sure? This came directly from Thrawn himself and you specifically told us-"
"To treat it as though it had come from me, I'm well aware. The situation has changed and that order is no longer relevant. Am I clear?"
"Y-yes ma'am."
The comlink went dead as Ciaran looked at Dooku again, his expression unreadable. "Come now," she said, "did you seriously expect me to walk in here without a backup plan?"
"I suppose not."
For a third time the two of them went silent before Ciaran deactivated her lightsaber. "I don't know about you but I'd rather finish that dinner than try and kill you."
Dooku did nothing for a long moment, then shook his head slightly. "Once again you have proven yourself to be far more than I could ever have prepared for," he said more to himself than anything as he deactivated and sheathed his lightsaber. "Shall we?"
With that the two of them walked back to the dining room, neither of them saying a word. As they approached, a confused Thrawn leaned out of the doorway slightly, taking in the sight of Ciaran and Dooku walking together before fully stepping out. "...I take it the two of you have resolved your...dispute?"
"Close enough," Ciaran replied offhandedly, settling down in a chair as Dooku slowly did the same, Thrawn cautiously following suit. "So..." Ciaran said awkwardly after a moment of awkward silence, "Is dessert still on the table?"
Dooku and Thrawn stared at her blankly.
"What?"
Shaking his head in exasperation, Dooku steeped his fingers again. "Very well then. Perhaps we should start over while being more honest with each other this time."
"Sounds good," Ciaran replied. "So, why did you bring me here?"
"To get your help with dealing with the Zabrak pair, or more specifically Maul. Not only have they killed Sev'rance as you're no doubt aware but they are also starting to interfere in Separatist matters. I wish to see them dead."
"Out of pragmatism or revenge?"
"Both. The former is obvious. As for the latter Maul killed one of my past students, a man I highly regard even now."
"I take it you told Sidious about him."
"And he promptly dismissed Maul as being irrelevant. Admittedly while his orders have been rather taxing recently, it was in that moment that I truly began to doubt my value to him as you so bluntly put it."
"To be fair, I was kind of in the heat of the moment...even if I was right."
"...Quite."
"Were you planning on allying with me to take him down?"
"It was a potential plan though I was not expecting anything resembling certainty with you. At this point though I believe it is now more or less a certainty given what we are discussing and the fact that I will be willfully ignoring that you are aware of my Master's existence."
"You understand that I'm not going to just automatically trust you."
"Indeed, which is why I will give information as a sign of good faith and to set up terms for our alliance. To begin with, there is currently a mole within the Jedi Temple."
"...I beg pardon?"
"What good would a mole do in a location such as that?" Thrawn queried. "The Jedi Temple hardly has any military value."
"True, but imagine someone within it spreading ideas that the Council is leading the Jedi down a dark path and so on to more volatile members of the Order."
"Ahh, so that's how it is," Ciaran said. "So who is it?"
"Sora Bulq. I doubt you've heard the name before, but I'm certain you're more familiar with his master, Mace Windu."
"Oh. Him. Greaaaat."
"The point is that he is in direct contact with me and I have no doubt that my master is keeping an eye on me through him."
"So you need him out of the way. Simple enough."
"Second is my new apprentice: Quinlan Vos. He is a Jedi spy."
"You're sure."
"His aforementioned instability makes him far easier to read than he believes. I bring him to your attention for similar reasons; namely that through him the Order will have increased knowledge of my activities. He too must be dealt with in some fashion."
"Okay..."
"Third, have you heard about the fleet-killer attacking Republic ships without leaving a trace?"
"Gotta say, that's a fine piece of work whatever it is."
"Indeed, the Malevolence is quite the vessel. Though it is ultimately a singular, albeit very powerful ship that can be defeated with a clever or powerful enough force arrayed against it. No, what I wish to discuss is her sister ship, the Devastation."
"Because..."
"It is a planet-killer."
The room went silent.
"You're serious," Ciaran said flatly as Thrawn's eyes suddenly went out of focus.
"Indeed. The results were not intended however its cannons are capable of destroying a world if fired. You are fortunate that my master did not order it to be used on Taris as of yet. Or any other major Council worlds for that matter, but I'm sure you understand why Taris would likely be singled out."
"And you're telling me this so he'll never get the chance to use it against me."
"Quite so."
"You're positive that it can destroy entire planets," Thrawn said with sudden intensity, his eyes boring into Dooku's with an almost manic light. "Have you tested it? Confirmed it for yourself?"
Dooku was taken aback slightly but replied with a simple "Yes."
"Thrawn, what are you-"
"Mugg Fallow. If the Ascendancy had that ship they could erase it and every world Mnggal-Mnggal has consumed." He drummed his fingers on the table, starting blankly into space before getting up suddenly. "If you'll excuse me I need to contact the Oracle immediately to start confirming this," he said, not even giving Ciaran or Dooku the chance to say anything as he rushed out the door.
"Is this entity he mentioned as horrific as he implied?" Dooku asked.
"Yes," Ciaran replied coolly, before turning back to Dooku. "Any other state and/or personal secrets you wanted to tell me?"
"No, however I did want to say this: if I am to rebel against my master I will need those liabilities dealt with so that I am able to move more freely. Steal or destroy the Devastation, handle Vos and Bulq however you see fit so that their eyes are not on me - whether they die or are turned is not my concern - kill Savage and Maul, and-" Dooku paused, thinking to himself for a moment. "Shu Mai. She is also an obstacle; she speaks of rebellion against me when she believes I cannot hear her. Deal with her as well if you can, though she is not as high as a priority as she's far too cowardly to fully commit to a rebellion."
"And if she died you can have a Separatist Council you can push around without issue and who would quickly fold once you're done with them, right," Ciaran noted. "We both know Nute would cave to someone pointing a particularly pointy stick at him so he's not an issue, and from my understanding the rest of the Council is a lot like him."
"Indeed. Though I on that note I must ask, is Wat Tambor actually dead?"
"Not yet. He's going to be handed over to some Eternal City people who I'm sure would be more than happy to use him to take over the Union, then he'll die. Oh, right, on that note I should point out that if you see 'Wat' in the next couple of days, he's a body double I'm using to try and take advantage of the chaos."
"Duly noted. At any rate, if all of those pieces I mentioned are taken off the board, then I will be able to move freely."
"I see. One thing though," Ciaran said as she smiled. "You seem to be under the illusion that I am going to be helping you. Let me make something clear my dear Count: it's you that's going to be helping me."
In response Dooku simply raised an eyebrow. "I was not lying earlier when I said that you were being arrogant. What makes you think you have seniority in this matter?"
"It is my right as Darth Traya."
Dooku's face had a look that indicated he wasn't quite sure how to process that declaration. "It would seem that my comment about your arrogance was far more accurate than I realized if you've given yourself that particular title."
"It's not arrogance," Ciaran replied flatly. "I was given the title by the past Traya herself, who preserved herself as a Force spirit for the past four millennia. I was given it because there must always be a Darth Traya."
Dooku took in Ciaran's declaration with a contemplative look on his face. "Either you are completely delusional or you are telling the truth given the intensity in your voice." He steeped his fingers again as he leaned back. "I will acknowledge that you may have some legitimacy to your claim, and that you are likely hiding your full power from me as we speak. I admit that perhaps my familiarity with you makes it much more difficult for me to be intimidated by your usage of that title. Even so..." He was silent for a moment, contemplating his words. "When you fought and when you spoke I never was under the impression that you could be a true Sith Lord, and even now I see you as 'Lady Ciaran, who has the title of Darth Traya.' It does not seem to me that is who you are, and that it is merely a title that you would use to sow fear or assert authority over those who are not willing to question it. You may act the part - and I admit you are quite talented in that regard if nothing else - but I do not yet believe that is who you are."
Ciaran was dead silent.
"Did I 'touch a nerve' as you put it?" Dooku said, though in a tone that was anything but mocking. "Lady Ciaran I will be blunt: from what I know of her the past Darth Traya became the being that still strikes fear into the hearts of Jedi and Sith alike after decades of understanding the Force as a Jedi and a Sith both. From what I know of you and what I can tell you have only begun to do the same in the past few years. Am I wrong in this assumption?"
"...No."
"Then I will simply say this: you are still young and no doubt have a long life ahead of you. You have a long time to fully grow into that title and decide what you want it to represent for yourself, and more importantly to learn how to be more judicious in using it."
"...Is that sincere advice I just heard?" Ciaran said as her usual energy came back into her voice. "It feels like ages since you've said anything like that to me! And to think only a few minutes ago you were actually considering killing me...why by all rights I should just write that off as a ploy to try and get under my skin~"
Dooku sighed resignedly. "Yes, well whenever you are involved the concept of 'predictability' becomes completely irrelevant. Now then," he said, snapping his fingers as a pair of droids came into the room. "You mentioned continuing the dinner, so we may as well move to the dessert course." With that the droids set down a plate of ryshcate for the two of them to Ciaran's amusement.
"Why Count, I didn't realize that this was such a special occasion if you're bringing out ryshcate of all things."
"I would hope that it would commemorate our newfound alliance. To the future," Dooku said as he raised his glass.
Ciaran raised her own. "To the future..." She said, trailing off slightly as she wondered what Asajj would think of this. "However uncertain it may be..."
Rewards: Alliance forged with Dooku, intel on various targets of interest, Ciaran's "Darth Traya" trait improved
AN: Because I take Insane Crits seriously, and because as it turns out said Insane Crit hit at the best worst time for Dooku.
Honestly this took so long not because of writer's block, but because I wanted to make very sure this came together in the best way possible. (Yes, I will get to how Asajj is going to take the news, probably around the time the Big Thing happens because drama.) Enjoy~
(Also credit due to Panory for helping he add a bit more flavor to this.)
"You can't be serious."
"Grandpa, it's a risk worth-"
"He is going to try and kill you."
"Which is why there are several Watcher teams in the area to prepare for that exact thing." Ciaran said as she finished gathering up her travel supplies for her journey to Serenno: a holdout blaster, her lightfoil, and the Moonlight Blade (just in case), to say nothing of the particularly fancy set of robes she was wearing that conveniently hid most of those weapons from sight. "And Thrawn's going with me as my 'adjutant' so I'll have him around too. I. Will. Be. Fine."
"I still can't believe you're just going to go there based on an invitation of all things." Silas said, visibly exasperated as he followed Ciaran out the door. "You really think that's legit?"
"Yes. In all sincerity Dooku is a man of high status; while there's obviously some ulterior reason he wants me to visit him on Serenno I've been around him long enough to know that yes, he really would invite people to formal dinners like this."
"This is unbelievable-" Silas started to say before he and Ciaran turned a corner, Ciaran nearly running straight into a very serious Asajj.
"Asajj, whatever it is-"
"It's about your appointment on Serenno."
The silence between the three people present was stifling until Silas cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'll uh...I'll just get going now."
As he walked off Ciaran's shoulders sagged slightly. "No offense but I was really hoping you would not hear about my little trip."
"I did."
"You're not going."
"I know." Asajj folded her arms. "I cannot say what my former master would want from you of all people right now but I can warn you to be on guard. And yes," she said, holding up a hand to stifle Ciaran's incoming protests, "I know you're going to be already. What I mean is that everything he does or says is part of some ulterior motive so be aware of that."
"...That's all?"
"Yes," Asajj said brusquely as she brushed past Ciaran. "Enjoy your dinner."
Ciaran glanced back at her before shaking her head and restarting her trip back towards the hangar. It only took her a few moments before she arrived, seeing the Emerald Dream readied for its flight with Thrawn standing calmly by the entrance ramp, sharply dressed in a white military uniform. Nodding towards Ciaran, he wordlessly followed her up the ship's ramp and settled into the copilot's chair as Ciaran prepared the ship for takeoff.
"Dooku is aware that I am going with you, I hope," Thrawn commented as the ship slowly moved forward towards one of the ventral hangar doors, the metal grate covering it slowly opening up as the Emerald Dream hovered over it.
"Well, I did tell him that I'd be bringing an adjutant with me, and he seemed to be fine with it," Ciaran replied while flipping a few switches before glancing back at Thrawn briefly. "Forgot to say it earlier but I think that look really suits you."
"An occasion such as this demands a much more refined appearance after all. But thank you nonetheless," Thrawn replied.
Turning back to the pilot's console Ciaran received the all clear signal from the Oracle's control, and with that let the Emerald Dream drop into space before kicking the engines to full power, the ship racing towards the edge of the system.
"You know it's been ages since I've done anything like this, going to a fancy dinner to discuss important matters," Ciaran commented as she punched in Serenno's coordinates. "Or really, ages since I've actually cared about who I was dining with."
"A fair point. I for one am curious to meet Dooku in person; of course I've read his dossier, his public speeches, manifestos and so on, but there is no substitute for meeting a man face to face. Especially a Sith Lord."
"I won't argue with that," Ciaran said as the ship finalized its calculations. "Well then, let's get going, shall we?"
With that the Emerald Dream leapt into hyperspace...
------------
Serenno
Landing on Serenno was fairly straightforward, as was getting an airspeeder to Dooku's palace since it was waiting for Ciaran and Thrawn at the spaceport. As the speeder came into sight of the palace Ciaran could see what appeared to be Dooku himself standing close to the exterior landing pad. Even as it settled down and began to kick up air, he continued to stand poised and ready to receive his visitors, his cape dramatically billowing behind him.
"Lady Ciaran, good to see you again," Dooku said in a polite tone as she and Thrawn disembarked. "And it is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of your...adjutant, I believe it was?" he said as he faced Thrawn more directly.
"That is correct," he replied, bowing respectfully. "Mitth'raw'nuruodo, though my associates refer to me as Thrawn for the sake of convenience."
"I must admit, your reputation has begun to precede you, Master Thrawn. Whenever the Council defense forces are brought up your name is rarely far behind. I've heard nothing but praise for your tactics against the pirates in Council space."
"You flatter me, Master Dooku. My achievements must seem so paltry in comparison to yours; I've read a number of your manifestos on the Separatist movement and I must admit that I found myself quite moved by them. I only wish I had the chance to hear you speak before this war."
The two men stared each other down, trying to get a read on the other before Dooku looked back over at Ciaran. "I can see why you wanted him to come with you."
She smirked. "I figured you'd say that. Now that you're finished interrogating him, it's nice to see you too by the way. Shall we?"
"Of course," Dooku flatly replied as he led Ciaran and Thrawn towards the palace's entrance. The sun had begun to set on Serenno, making the gardens around the central walkway seem all the more vibrant as the various flowers in them were highlighted by the rays of the setting sun, even as the central tower cast a long shadow over the courtyard.
"This is quite the home you have here," Ciaran commented as the three of them approached the palace entrance. "Did you build this yourself or was it family property?"
"The latter," Dooku replied, not looking back. "I inherited this palace upon my return to Serenno."
"I must say the architecture is quite fascinating," Thrawn commented seemingly randomly though Ciaran knew full well what he was about to do. "Your family must have been quite proud; the walkway leading up to the central building gives a visitor ample time to take in the gardens and obelisks around the area, allowing the family's wealth and status to be fully impressed upon any visitors, though they seemed to be rather blase about it given the utilitarian design of the central building and the fact that the rest of the palace is buried within the cliffside." At this point Dooku had stopped to face Thrawn who was continuing his explanation unabated. "However I doubt they were personable in general given that we are located in a rather isolated position on the planet and that only the central building is accessible from the outside; they were likely either paranoid of intruders or rather secretive-" Thrawn stopped, seeming as though he was only now recognizing the Count's curious expression. "My apologies. I am rather passionate about artwork in general and it can get the better of me at times."
While this was going on Ciaran had been watching Dooku closely, getting a read on his expressions. From what she could tell Thrawn must have been at least partly right given the look of ever so slight surprise on Dooku's face, though it was quickly quashed. "I must say I did not expect you to have such an appreciation or insight in aesthetics."
"Few ever do at first," Thrawn coolly replied.
As the three of them got back on track Ciaran moved closer to Thrawn. "Gotta say, that was rather simplistic knowing you," she whispered. "I was expecting a whole lecture on Serennoan architecture or something."
"The details I mentioned may have been rather obvious given enough thought but that does not make them any less important or relevant," Thrawn quietly replied. "There is something to be said about over-analyzing something when the information you need is already right in front of you."
"Feels like forever since that's been the case..." Ciaran muttered more to herself than anything else as she, Thrawn and Dooku entered the palace...
----------
The walk to the dining room was eerily silent as neither Dooku, Thrawn, or Ciaran were willing to speak, to say nothing of the fact that Ciaran could barely detect anything with her Force vision. It was not because of any Force anomalies or anything along those lines, but more because there appeared to be few if any living people within the palace itself. She and Thrawn had noticed a fair number of droid servants, but no living people.
After a few moments the three of them arrived in a finely decorated dining room, with lavish silverware, goulash. crab salad, and glasses of charade set out for three different people. Dooku wordlessly gestured to the table, and were promptly seated by a trio of droids who quickly left the area leaving them alone. Despite the bright lighting and colorful food, the air around the three of them was heavy with tension.
"Please enjoy yourselves," Dooku said as he gestured to Ciaran and Thrawn. "I assure you that there is no finer food on Serenno."
"Thank you," Ciaran replied, taking a bite. As she swallowed it, she prepared her body to repel any toxins that may have been contained within it, but detected none. Nodding in appreciation, she commented simply that "It's quite excellent," subtly signaling to Thrawn that it was safe.
"I must say Count that this goulash is exquisite, even if it's a little too warm for my tastes," Ciaran said lightly as she punctuated her statement with another bite. "And quite frankly it could have used some more color, it's really quite dour-looking."
"I had assumed that you would prefer taste over appearance Lady Ciaran," Dooku replied, clearly expecting a line of conversation like this from the beginning.
"Now now, it's rude to make assumptions about people as I'm sure you well know." The look on Dooku's face let Ciaran know full well that Dooku's experience as a statesman was the only thing keeping him from actively rolling his eyes at that statement.
Once that banter was finished the three of them ate quietly, each of them waiting to see who would make the first real move in the conversation.
After a moment, Ciaran decided it would be her. "When was the last time we were together like this?" she asked rhetorically. "It seems like forever ago since the last time..."
"I can imagine," Dooku replied. "The official formation of the Separatist Alliance seems as though it was ages ago, even if it has only been a few short years since then."
"Yeah, and only a year before that that I was training with you and Asajj." Ciaran pretended not to notice that Dooku seemed to tense up ever so slightly when her name was mentioned. "What happened to the two of us since then?" she said as she leaned back slightly. "We had a good thing going with our pseudo-master and student relationship before this whole mess started."
"Our paths diverged considerably is what happened," Dooku replied flatly. "I had to lead the Separatist Alliance, and you have been working alongside the Council. There was no chance that our relationship could have continued the way it did."
Ciaran frowned. "And why not?" she said as she turned her head towards Dooku. "The two of us were still in contact over other matters at the time. Granted those were hardly ideal circumstances as it were but the point stands."
Dooku cast an unsubtle glance at Thrawn at those words.
"If you're wondering, I trust him with nothing short of my life," Ciaran said, answering the unasked question. "He's fully aware of all of my endeavors."
"Quite so," the Chiss replied as he took a bite of food offhandedly. "If anything the two of us have been far more successful together in said endeavors than we would have been had we acted separately."
"...Intriguing," Dooku said after a moment of contemplation, turning back to Ciaran. "I would not have expected you to find someone so capable and so trustworthy in a time like this."
"If there's one thing the war has done for me, it's helped prove who I can and can't trust," Ciaran replied pointedly. "I'm sure you understand."
"Indeed it has."
"So then, why am I here?" she asked, though not accusingly. "What made you decide that I would at least be trustworthy enough to be in the same room as you?"
Dooku was silent for a brief moment, contemplating his words. "As of late I have been facing a rather...troublesome pair of individuals that I believe you and Thrawn are also well aware of."
Ciaran raised an eyebrow and Thrawn leaned forward slightly but neither of them said anything, waiting to see whether he was accusing them of culpability or not.
"My sources tell me that they have also been making quite the stir in more illicit circles, and in light of that information I am of the mind that the both of us would benefit to see them eliminated as soon as possible. That is why I wanted to reach out. We may not have aligning goals, but we do appear to have mutual enemies."
Thrawn leaned back slightly but Ciaran maintained her focus on Dooku. "The Zabrak pair, right?"
"Indeed."
"I do agree that they are a problem," Ciaran said neutrally. "But what proof do I have that you can be trusted?"
"I would imagine that the final blow would be entirely handled by either you or I as neither of us would trust the other to be thorough in their elimination, so we would simply share intelligence on their activities. Nothing more would be required than that."
Ciaran's focus didn't waver as she scanned Dooku for any tells. He seemed to be telling the truth but something still wasn't quite right...
"And afterwards...?"
"That depends on how well our cooperative efforts pan out," Dooku coolly replied before noticing that the appetizers were finished. WIth a snap of his fingers a trio of droids quickly cleared the table and set down plates of heklu for the three of them.
"Did you order this just for me?~" Ciaran teased. "Why odds are I might have made a credit or two off of this dinner then!"
"As a matter of fact I believe you have," Dooku commented. "This was shipped in directly from Riileb, and from my understanding you have some connections in the heklu trade going on there."
"Well let's just say I have a...close friend in the business who was willing to let me in on some of the trade deals in the area," Ciaran replied before she took a bite of said heklu. Now that she was not obligated to speak while she was eating she started to fully process what Dooku was suggesting to her. Based on his pitch Ciaran was now almost certain that he was planning on pitting her against Sidious given the chance, namely things going well with Maul and Savage. Even so, there still seemed like a piece of the puzzle that was missing...
"There is something to be said about over-analyzing something when the information you need is already right in front of you."
Thrawn's words rung through her mind as she glanced around the room, searching for any other presences more thoroughly but finding none that stood out to her. "So do you spend all of your time alone in this palace or do you have some new disciple to teach?"
Dooku looked at Ciaran with curiosity. "I have in fact taken on a new apprentice though I doubt meeting him at this current time would be wise. He is quite...unstable, and I can only imagine what his reaction to you would be if you met in person."
"I see..." she replied neutrally before focusing back on Dooku more intently. "So I have to ask, what is this place's story? This doesn't seem like a normal location for a palace like this," she said offhandedly.
"Indeed," Thrawn said suddenly, taking up the opportunity Ciaran had presented. "I must admit that it's architecture surprised me as it did not seem to resemble the traditional Serennoan style..."
While Thrawn began conversing with Dooku over the palace's history, Ciaran quietly took a small breath and began to focus herself. She didn't want to focus on Dooku himself; the man had proven himself to be quite effective at hiding his true feelings on the matters he was talking about. She knew that his isolation here was the key to...well she didn't know what exactly, but her instincts were screaming at her that there was a bigger opportunity to be found. However regular conversation wouldn't be enough, so it was time to use her ace in the hole, and focused her vision on Dooku's shatterpoints.
After a moment of concentration Ciaran perceived what appeared to be shards of glass floating around Dooku, each one of them containing a different image. One was of him at the head of the Separatist Council - obvious - one was of him kneeling in front of Sidious' hologram - also obv...wait...
Ciaran focused in on the image and noticed feelings of resentmentbitternessdoubt that seemed to radiate from it, and it seemed as though once she did the image shifted slightly to let her see Dooku's face, a grimace that seemed to convey his disdain for the Sith Lord.
Taking in that particular piece of information, Ciaran focused on another shard that displayed an image of what appeared to be a forlorn Dooku looking at a holographic projection of himself with a number of other Jedi she didn't recognize except for one Master Yoda-
"Lady Ciaran?"
Blinking beneath her visor she quickly replied to the question. "Sorry, I was considering the offer while that conversation about architecture was happening. You'll have to forgive me, I don't have the same passion for art that Thrawn does."
"I see," Dooku replied. "Forgive my interruption then, it seemed as though your mind was elsewhere."
"Mm," Ciaran mumbled out before going back to eat, contemplating exactly what she wanted to say. After a moment she finalized her plan of attack and turned to face Dooku. "You know, now that we're talking like this I always wanted to ask you something."
Dooku turned to face her with a calm expression, not saying anything as he waited expectantly.
"Why did you save my life all those years ago?"
The room went dead silent, the tension spiking dramatically as those words were uttered. Thrawn leaned back in contemplation, glancing between Ciaran and Dooku as they stared each other down.
"I was acting as a Jedi should."
"Don't give me that line, we both know it's a lie."
Dooku was nonplussed. "It was because I saw potential in you."
"As an apprentice? An underling? What was it?" Ciaran retorted. "Potential is a very broad term."
Dooku steeped his fingers. "I cannot say I was quite certain at the time, but I understood that it would have been a waste for you to die to something so...trivial."
"Is that right?" Ciaran said, idly stretching out her fingers. "In that case I do have one other question."
"Which would-"
"Do you regret that you saved my life?"
That caused Dooku to reel back in shock slightly as he processed it. "What is the meaning of-"
"Answer my question," Ciaran said coldly, leaving no room for argument. "Do you regret that you saved my life when you could have just let me die? No one would have ever known. You could have been 'distracted' or 'unable to sense me' or just flat out testified that you weren't around when I was gassed. No one would have known, and no one would have accused you otherwise." She took in Dooku who was outwardly staying calm even as she could tell that he was starting to tense up for a fight. "Well? I don't have all day."
"Why would I regret that?"
"You're dodging the question, but I'll admit that is one worth answering." Ciaran leaned back. "You could regret it because I've been a thorn in your side in so many different ways. My work with the Council, the breakup of our special arrangement shortly after the war started, and of course various other things that neither of us would ever be willing to talk about openly...unless you want me to go into more details?" she taunted as Dooku glared at her. "Had I died you wouldn't have had to worry about this dinner, the Council likely would have been a footnote in the war, your plans would be proceeding without a hitch..."
Ciaran went silent for a moment, outwardly preparing for her next argument and inwardly determining whether or not she was willing to take a major gamble...before she chuckled darkly to Dooku's confusion and Thrawn's concern.
"Oh I'm sorry. Calling them 'your plans' would imply that you actually are something more than an insignificant pawn to Sidious, wouldn't-"
Suddenly Ciaran felt a burst of Force energy hit her in the chest, knocking her backwards as Dooku charged forward with his lightsaber drawn. As he swung downwards the Moonlight Blade leapt into Ciaran's hand and activated, her hand gripping it tightly as she rose up and blocked Dooku's strike.
"Oooh, touched a nerve did I?~" Ciaran taunted.
"You realize I can no longer let you leave this planet alive," Dooku coldly said, ignoring her words.
"Ahh, so you do feel regret! That's just great. Do you also regret the fact that you've become nothing more than a disposable stooge for your so-called Master?"
As the two of them exchanged blows once again Thrawn quickly moved into the room's doorway and into one of the hallways, hitting a panic button that he and Ciaran had set up to signal the Watcher teams in the area to converge on the palace for an extraction.
Meanwhile Ciaran and Dooku's impromptu duel had moved out into a different hallway before Ciaran forced another standstill.
"On some level you agree with me don't you!?" Ciaran shouted as she locked Dooku's blade in place. "You've realized just how much your 'Master' doesn't care about you and just how disposable you really are."
Dooku's flinch gave Ciaran an opening, letting her throw Dooku off balance and get momentum going before she felt a much stronger burst of Force energy hit her in her core, sending her flying backwards.
"You say that as though you are capable of threatening him," Dooku said as he slowly strode forward to Ciaran as she picked herself off the ground. "If anything you are the insignificant one here."
Ciaran chuckled to herself as she stood up again. "Is that right...?"
She took a deep breath, holding it in for a long second before slowly exhaling.
"Then let's see how much you've been improving over the past few years, 'Master.'"
Suddenly Ciaran closed the distance between them in what seemed to Dooku was almost the blink of an eye, striking him with an attack that had far more power behind it than she was using just a moment ago. From there she went on a relentless offensive, constantly attacking with incredibly rapid strikes that Dooku was only barely able to block through sheer skill and experience as he was finding himself being pushed back by her blitz.
"All you're proving to me right now is how weak you really are!" Ciaran shouted as she continued to attack relentlessly, the Moonlight Blade constantly arcing through the air and leaving behind dizzying patterns of light as she charged forward. "If you really were something more than a mere pawn you would have spent the last few years getting stronger, preparing yourself to break free from your 'Master's' chains. But all I see is a weakling who is content to be a slave!"
"Such arrogance! Do you truly believe yourself to be that powerful!?" Dooku fired back as he pushed Ciaran away with a Force blast before holding out a hand, lightning shooting forth as she managed to block it with her lightsaber in time, gritting her teeth as she held her ground against it. "You are deluded if you think you can challenge my Master," he said as the lightning continued to lash out at Ciaran. "I was hoping that you of all people would not be so foolish as to think you can defeat him."
"Of course!" Ciaran managed to grunt out. "You would have preferred if I had just shut up and listened to your orders like a good little lapdog. Tell me something, did you ever wonder why he chose an old man like you as his apprentice instead of someone younger?" She grinned viciously. "After all, it wouldn't do for someone meant to be thrown aside to live a long life and potentially get in the way once your usefulness is over."
The lightning suddenly increased in intensity as Dooku's face morphed into one of sheer fury, lightning bolts suddenly shooting away from Ciaran and burning into the sides of the hallway.
"Face it!" Ciaran shouted over the din. "You know I'm right. You know just how worthless you are to him, that you're just another pawn to be thrown away when he's done with you. You thought that becoming a Sith would mean more than becoming a pawn for Sidious' games and you don't want to admit just how wrong you were. So let's bring it back to the question I was asking before-"
"Did you ever regret saving my life!?"
The lightning continued to lash out for what seemed like an eternity to Ciaran before it suddenly receded. Taking stock of Dooku, she could tell that his hands were shaking, his knuckles on his right hand white as he gripped his lightsaber tightly.
"...No."
His hands stopped shaking.
"You may have been a nuisance at best and a liability at worst, but I do not regret that I saved your life. You might say that...that it was the result of the regrets of a foolish old man who saw his prized student cut down in his prime because of the treachery of others."
The hallway went silent save for the hum of Ciaran and Dooku's lightsabers.
"So what happens now?" Ciaran said neutrally. "Are we still going to do our level best to kill each other?"
"There is no other choice," Dooku said with icy calm as he gave a Makashi salute with his lightsaber. "As I have said before I cannot let you live now that I know you are aware of my master, and it is the way of the Sith. The victor will become stronger through destroying their opponent."
"Do you seriously believe that!?" Ciaran shot back. "Because by that logic either I die and you clearly don't want that, or you die which is something I don't want."
Once again the hallway went silent.
"Call it sentiment for a teacher, call it gratitude towards the man who saved my life, or if you want to be cynical call it not wanting to lose a potential ally," Ciaran said, "but I don't want to kill you. I don't blame you for trying to blackmail me; I would have done the exact same thing in your position. I don't blame you for sending assassins after me, because again I probably would have done the same. Instead of killing each other for absolutely no gain whatsoever we can-"
Suddenly a loud ringing came from Ciaran's comlink. Activating it a holographic image of a Watcher appeared.
"Ma'am, we received Thrawn's distress signal and we're almost ready to-"
"Ignore that extraction order, it's no longer necessary."
"Uh...ma'am are you sure? This came directly from Thrawn himself and you specifically told us-"
"To treat it as though it had come from me, I'm well aware. The situation has changed and that order is no longer relevant. Am I clear?"
"Y-yes ma'am."
The comlink went dead as Ciaran looked at Dooku again, his expression unreadable. "Come now," she said, "did you seriously expect me to walk in here without a backup plan?"
"I suppose not."
For a third time the two of them went silent before Ciaran deactivated her lightsaber. "I don't know about you but I'd rather finish that dinner than try and kill you."
Dooku did nothing for a long moment, then shook his head slightly. "Once again you have proven yourself to be far more than I could ever have prepared for," he said more to himself than anything as he deactivated and sheathed his lightsaber. "Shall we?"
With that the two of them walked back to the dining room, neither of them saying a word. As they approached, a confused Thrawn leaned out of the doorway slightly, taking in the sight of Ciaran and Dooku walking together before fully stepping out. "...I take it the two of you have resolved your...dispute?"
"Close enough," Ciaran replied offhandedly, settling down in a chair as Dooku slowly did the same, Thrawn cautiously following suit. "So..." Ciaran said awkwardly after a moment of awkward silence, "Is dessert still on the table?"
Dooku and Thrawn stared at her blankly.
"What?"
Shaking his head in exasperation, Dooku steeped his fingers again. "Very well then. Perhaps we should start over while being more honest with each other this time."
"Sounds good," Ciaran replied. "So, why did you bring me here?"
"To get your help with dealing with the Zabrak pair, or more specifically Maul. Not only have they killed Sev'rance as you're no doubt aware but they are also starting to interfere in Separatist matters. I wish to see them dead."
"Out of pragmatism or revenge?"
"Both. The former is obvious. As for the latter Maul killed one of my past students, a man I highly regard even now."
"I take it you told Sidious about him."
"And he promptly dismissed Maul as being irrelevant. Admittedly while his orders have been rather taxing recently, it was in that moment that I truly began to doubt my value to him as you so bluntly put it."
"To be fair, I was kind of in the heat of the moment...even if I was right."
"...Quite."
"Were you planning on allying with me to take him down?"
"It was a potential plan though I was not expecting anything resembling certainty with you. At this point though I believe it is now more or less a certainty given what we are discussing and the fact that I will be willfully ignoring that you are aware of my Master's existence."
"You understand that I'm not going to just automatically trust you."
"Indeed, which is why I will give information as a sign of good faith and to set up terms for our alliance. To begin with, there is currently a mole within the Jedi Temple."
"...I beg pardon?"
"What good would a mole do in a location such as that?" Thrawn queried. "The Jedi Temple hardly has any military value."
"True, but imagine someone within it spreading ideas that the Council is leading the Jedi down a dark path and so on to more volatile members of the Order."
"Ahh, so that's how it is," Ciaran said. "So who is it?"
"Sora Bulq. I doubt you've heard the name before, but I'm certain you're more familiar with his master, Mace Windu."
"Oh. Him. Greaaaat."
"The point is that he is in direct contact with me and I have no doubt that my master is keeping an eye on me through him."
"So you need him out of the way. Simple enough."
"Second is my new apprentice: Quinlan Vos. He is a Jedi spy."
"You're sure."
"His aforementioned instability makes him far easier to read than he believes. I bring him to your attention for similar reasons; namely that through him the Order will have increased knowledge of my activities. He too must be dealt with in some fashion."
"Okay..."
"Third, have you heard about the fleet-killer attacking Republic ships without leaving a trace?"
"Gotta say, that's a fine piece of work whatever it is."
"Indeed, the Malevolence is quite the vessel. Though it is ultimately a singular, albeit very powerful ship that can be defeated with a clever or powerful enough force arrayed against it. No, what I wish to discuss is her sister ship, the Devastation."
"Because..."
"It is a planet-killer."
The room went silent.
"You're serious," Ciaran said flatly as Thrawn's eyes suddenly went out of focus.
"Indeed. The results were not intended however its cannons are capable of destroying a world if fired. You are fortunate that my master did not order it to be used on Taris as of yet. Or any other major Council worlds for that matter, but I'm sure you understand why Taris would likely be singled out."
"And you're telling me this so he'll never get the chance to use it against me."
"Quite so."
"You're positive that it can destroy entire planets," Thrawn said with sudden intensity, his eyes boring into Dooku's with an almost manic light. "Have you tested it? Confirmed it for yourself?"
Dooku was taken aback slightly but replied with a simple "Yes."
"Thrawn, what are you-"
"Mugg Fallow. If the Ascendancy had that ship they could erase it and every world Mnggal-Mnggal has consumed." He drummed his fingers on the table, starting blankly into space before getting up suddenly. "If you'll excuse me I need to contact the Oracle immediately to start confirming this," he said, not even giving Ciaran or Dooku the chance to say anything as he rushed out the door.
"Is this entity he mentioned as horrific as he implied?" Dooku asked.
"Yes," Ciaran replied coolly, before turning back to Dooku. "Any other state and/or personal secrets you wanted to tell me?"
"No, however I did want to say this: if I am to rebel against my master I will need those liabilities dealt with so that I am able to move more freely. Steal or destroy the Devastation, handle Vos and Bulq however you see fit so that their eyes are not on me - whether they die or are turned is not my concern - kill Savage and Maul, and-" Dooku paused, thinking to himself for a moment. "Shu Mai. She is also an obstacle; she speaks of rebellion against me when she believes I cannot hear her. Deal with her as well if you can, though she is not as high as a priority as she's far too cowardly to fully commit to a rebellion."
"And if she died you can have a Separatist Council you can push around without issue and who would quickly fold once you're done with them, right," Ciaran noted. "We both know Nute would cave to someone pointing a particularly pointy stick at him so he's not an issue, and from my understanding the rest of the Council is a lot like him."
"Indeed. Though I on that note I must ask, is Wat Tambor actually dead?"
"Not yet. He's going to be handed over to some Eternal City people who I'm sure would be more than happy to use him to take over the Union, then he'll die. Oh, right, on that note I should point out that if you see 'Wat' in the next couple of days, he's a body double I'm using to try and take advantage of the chaos."
"Duly noted. At any rate, if all of those pieces I mentioned are taken off the board, then I will be able to move freely."
"I see. One thing though," Ciaran said as she smiled. "You seem to be under the illusion that I am going to be helping you. Let me make something clear my dear Count: it's you that's going to be helping me."
In response Dooku simply raised an eyebrow. "I was not lying earlier when I said that you were being arrogant. What makes you think you have seniority in this matter?"
"It is my right as Darth Traya."
Dooku's face had a look that indicated he wasn't quite sure how to process that declaration. "It would seem that my comment about your arrogance was far more accurate than I realized if you've given yourself that particular title."
"It's not arrogance," Ciaran replied flatly. "I was given the title by the past Traya herself, who preserved herself as a Force spirit for the past four millennia. I was given it because there must always be a Darth Traya."
Dooku took in Ciaran's declaration with a contemplative look on his face. "Either you are completely delusional or you are telling the truth given the intensity in your voice." He steeped his fingers again as he leaned back. "I will acknowledge that you may have some legitimacy to your claim, and that you are likely hiding your full power from me as we speak. I admit that perhaps my familiarity with you makes it much more difficult for me to be intimidated by your usage of that title. Even so..." He was silent for a moment, contemplating his words. "When you fought and when you spoke I never was under the impression that you could be a true Sith Lord, and even now I see you as 'Lady Ciaran, who has the title of Darth Traya.' It does not seem to me that is who you are, and that it is merely a title that you would use to sow fear or assert authority over those who are not willing to question it. You may act the part - and I admit you are quite talented in that regard if nothing else - but I do not yet believe that is who you are."
Ciaran was dead silent.
"Did I 'touch a nerve' as you put it?" Dooku said, though in a tone that was anything but mocking. "Lady Ciaran I will be blunt: from what I know of her the past Darth Traya became the being that still strikes fear into the hearts of Jedi and Sith alike after decades of understanding the Force as a Jedi and a Sith both. From what I know of you and what I can tell you have only begun to do the same in the past few years. Am I wrong in this assumption?"
"...No."
"Then I will simply say this: you are still young and no doubt have a long life ahead of you. You have a long time to fully grow into that title and decide what you want it to represent for yourself, and more importantly to learn how to be more judicious in using it."
"...Is that sincere advice I just heard?" Ciaran said as her usual energy came back into her voice. "It feels like ages since you've said anything like that to me! And to think only a few minutes ago you were actually considering killing me...why by all rights I should just write that off as a ploy to try and get under my skin~"
Dooku sighed resignedly. "Yes, well whenever you are involved the concept of 'predictability' becomes completely irrelevant. Now then," he said, snapping his fingers as a pair of droids came into the room. "You mentioned continuing the dinner, so we may as well move to the dessert course." With that the droids set down a plate of ryshcate for the two of them to Ciaran's amusement.
"Why Count, I didn't realize that this was such a special occasion if you're bringing out ryshcate of all things."
"I would hope that it would commemorate our newfound alliance. To the future," Dooku said as he raised his glass.
Ciaran raised her own. "To the future..." She said, trailing off slightly as she wondered what Asajj would think of this. "However uncertain it may be..."
Rewards: Alliance forged with Dooku, intel on various targets of interest, Ciaran's "Darth Traya" trait improved
AN: Because I take Insane Crits seriously, and because as it turns out said Insane Crit hit at the best worst time for Dooku.
Honestly this took so long not because of writer's block, but because I wanted to make very sure this came together in the best way possible. (Yes, I will get to how Asajj is going to take the news, probably around the time the Big Thing happens because drama.) Enjoy~
(Also credit due to Panory for helping he add a bit more flavor to this.)
God damn Ciaran, Miraluka are colorblind. That's a rookie mistake.