Star Wars : Tanya

"If your world requires agricultural development we can work it out, if you need manpower for construction we can find a way. If you need security but can't raise a Defense Force lest the organization of radical pacifists who put you in power decide to remove you, well… That can be arranged."

...

Satine made eye contact with him for a long time, trying to read him. "I didn't say I needed a defense force. Not to you, and not publicly."

"I certainly need one." Dooku replied. "This is the Outer Rim, after all. Have you ever been to Nal Hutta, by the way? It's a fascinating place. They have open air slave markets where they can easily put a price on anyone. You may be interested to know that ever since you took power, the value of Mandalorian slaves has gone down. They must have found an increase in supply, somehow."

Satine's face didn't change, but he could tell he hit home with that one. The idea that one's own people were being abducted and taken away in collars would offend anyone, let alone this soft hearted woman. Worst of all she knew she was responsible for it. The New Mandalorian movement which she rode to power would be furious at anything that even smelled of an army or their old ways.

"It's only an invitation." Dooku spoke softly. "No need to do anything but survey your options, for now."

"'For now?'"

"For now." Dooku affirmed. "If you won't participate in club activities, eventually you won't be invited back. Before you make any decision, why don't you come to a meeting? Once you understand what we're doing a little better, then you can choose to accept our offer, or…" His lip curled with distaste. "Place your faith in the Senate."

With their meeting concluded, he found Asajj exactly where he left her.

She climbed to her feet, wobbling slightly as her head swam from the rushing blood. "I will be wiser with what I say in the future, Master."

He regarded her. "Remember, it's one thing to make a mistake, and another to repeat it. Next time I will not be nearly as lenient."

Asajj looked worried.

Boundaries established, Dooku touched her shoulder reassuringly, and offered her a reward. "I have every confidence you will be an excellent Jedi. Now, let's go craft you a lightsaber."

Her happy smile reminded him of Tan'ya. Dooku mentally shrugged and walked away. Perhaps he was growing too soft?

...

Ky Narec sat in the pilot's chair of his parked freighter, lightsaber in hand. He stared down the barrel at the glittering tip of the kyber crystal that was just barely visible, knowing that this was exactly what he had taught Asajj not to do on the first day he started training her. Never look down the hole, unless the power pack was removed. If he just pushed the button he'd be dead in an instant, brain fried to greasy cinders before he felt any pain at all.

He sighed, lowering the lightsaber to start spinning it through his fingers like an oversized pen. Killing himself would tear little Asajj's heart to pieces, so he couldn't do that. It was too late for suicide. If he really wanted to end it all, his best chance was years ago, before he ever met his little youngling.

Dark secrets lurked in Ky Narec's heart, truths that he'd never shared with anyone. Maybe Dooku or Sifo suspected there was more behind his carefully built exterior, or maybe they really believed he was the laidback, caring man that he acted like. Narec didn't know, but he suspected that the Master of the New Temple, Makashi Expert, Count of Serenno and legendary Jedi Maverick just didn't care. If Dooku had taken even a moment to question Ky's story of being stranded on Rattak for a decade it would have fallen apart completely.

How could he possibly have been stranded on a world that faced near constant weequay pirate raids? As a Jedi Knight Ky was more than capable of boarding a ship, defeating its crew, and piloting it back to Coruscant. He had stewed on his excuses, trying to think of an explanation that wouldn't arouse suspicion, and the best he could come up with was that he wanted to keep Asajj safe.

The truth was that the only reason Ky the coward in hiding had accepted Dooku's offer to come with him to the New Temple was because of Asajj. The poor little girl didn't deserve to grow up in poverty because she was stuck with an awful adopted father. By the Will of the Living Force, she didn't even know that he was the one who killed her old master. The guy was a nasty slave owning piece of work, but she didn't know that.

Instead, it had been easier to again hide the truth like he hid on Rattak, and let the galaxy believe him dead.

It was fitting that he was a Jedi Knight of the New Temple. Dooku had been permitted by the council to ask for Knights and Masters from Coruscant to go with him, but had not ordered anyone to do so. The Count had managed to round up a mere ten who were willing; disillusioned weirdos, bitter idealists, and a few that Ky suspected were a lot like him, just hoping to be left alone in a backwards corner of the Galaxy.

Well, it turned out that Ky, now forty after his self imposed exile on Rattak, was one of the most experienced Knights in the New Temple. So he was basically in charge when Sifo and Dooku weren't around. Ky had been ordered to organize the knight's into search parties, and he'd done that. Now they were out, scouring the Galaxy for any force sensitive crazy or stupid enough to move to a cold, moldy mud world for a dangerous job that paid them with room and board, and almost nothing else. Jedi didn't earn a wage, they were servants of the Republic and the Living Force.

Well, Ky suspected they weren't likely to find many interested with a pitch like that. In this ship there were two: Him, and Priala Pric. He was there because he hoped Asajj could find some kind of decent future out here, and there's no way she would be accepted back on Coruscant.

In contrast, Jedi Knight Priala was freshly minted and just so excited to work for her personal hero, Jedi Master Dooku of House Serenno. Had he heard about the battle of Galidran? Of course he had, everyone had. Did he know that Dooku was the greatest duelist in the Order? Yes, he did, he promised.

Priala was a good kid, really. He envied her youth and optimism, but that didn't mean he wanted to spend time with her. No one at the New Temple seemed to want to either. They were all misanthropic and broken, and her sunny optimism rubbed everyone the wrong way. When the New Temple Knights had been organizing into pairs to survey the Galaxy for recruits, Prialla had been at the back of the room, standing apart from the others and desperately trying to make eye contact with someone, anyone.

Ky had felt sorry for her. Damn his soft heart, he beckoned her over, and they had begun planning an exciting trip all the way to the Galactic Rim.

Prialla was dark skinned, and short. Really short. The poor girl didn't even break five feet, and was whip thin too. She practiced her form II lightsaber techniques almost religiously, even in the limited space they had aboard their rugged old Correllian YT 100. The girl would have no hope as a duelist at all if it wasn't for her stronger than average connection to the force. Despite himself, Ky had offered her a few suggestions on how to improve. He could see how hard she worked, and hated to think that effort would go unrewarded.

Prialla was gone, leaving him to watch the ship alone. Currently, he was parked in the dock of 'Capital City', the forthrightly named capital city of Planet Lothal, which was at the absolute Outer Rim of the Outer Rim. Anything located further away from Galactic Center than this was practically open void for all intents and purposes. Just a whole lot of nothing until you burned out of hyper matter and got nowhere doing it.

They had only stopped here to check up on an old abandoned Jedi Way temple that was in the area, hoping maybe some young force sensitive had been drawn to it without understanding why. No such luck.

Now Prialla was out to get some fresh fruit for the next leg of their journey. Ky had a sweet tooth, but he also had to watch his waistline. He was getting on in years. They had plenty of supplies, but there was nothing like a nice bit of fresh fruit for a tasty, guilt free snack.

Where was Prialla? She'd been gone for more than an hour on what should have been a ten minute errand. He'd already tried calling her, but she must have had her holocommunicator turned off because the call hadn't even connected. Maybe he should try reaching her with the force?

...

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