Star Wars: Darth Tyranus

1

Violet light from a chandelier gave the VIP lounge's deep crimson carpet a murky, almost orange hue. Exceptionally gaudy, Count Dooku thought, sneering as he wrapped his black cape tight around him. Only the tip of his astutely pointed nose was visible as his hood obscured the rest of his countenance. In the High Courts of the Falleen, he preferred to remain in the shadows - they would see even the slightest hint of vulnerability or emotional instability as a weakness, thus forfeiting Dooku's entire purpose of visiting such a wretched world.

    Something Lord Sidious would not forget easily.

    "Ah, Senator Zurros, at last," Dooku said as a Falleen male strode into the room.

    He was somewhat short for his species but tall by human standards, the elegant robes of an affiliate of the Falleen Royalty evidencing his status even without Dooku's identification. Stocky in frame, less muscular than obese from a lifetime in luxury, he bowed his head almost curtly and sat on the cushioned ledge opposite Dooku's own. As befit the customs of his people, Senator Zurros' head was completely uncovered, confidently proclaiming a complete lack of flaw or weakness. The Falleen expected even visitors as high-ranking as Dooku to take a more subtle approach. Though it sickened Dooku to submit to such superficial power measuring, the Falleen were important for the plans of his Master and so he took every measure necessary.

    "Count Dooku. It seems we have finally found the time to meet, as we have desired for some time now. I assume all is well?" Zurros' voice was sharp but almost seductive as his reptilian tongue and vocal cords gave it an innocuous serpentine quality.

    "Of course, Senator. Our efforts toward the creation of a Confederation of Independent Systems are transpiring as quickly as anticipated. It seems I am not the only former citizen of the Republic who sees through its ancient paper skin into its corrupted, destabilized and asphyxiated bureaucracy," Dooku said, his deep voice and powerful tone resonating in the small chamber.

    The only other occupant in the VIP lounge, Zurros' personal guard, gazed at him steadily as he had since Dooku arrived. Moreover, as Zurros spoke, he attempted to use his Falleen pheromones to throw Dooku off-balance and open him up to coercion. Dooku found it comical, both their fearful defensiveness and attempt to cloud his mind. If only they knew his identity, the true extent of his abilities now infused with the power of the darkside. With minimal effort, he retained complete focus, the pheromones washing over him like a gentle Naboo breeze.

    Zurros crossed his legs, his mouth curling into a sly smile. "Mm, you are so passionate about your idealistic endeavors, Count. I read your manifesto - and I must say, you deliver the same vigor in person. It is quite inspiring really. I can see why your more weak-minded proponents would so readily separate from the Republic and follow after your distant promises of wealth and independence. However, what will truly happen to a system that abandons the Republic, hm? Several minor systems have left, yes, and you are trying desperately to convince more important systems to join your cause. But how can you promise the Republic will not retaliate? Do you truly believe they will simply let their civilization perish without a fight? Surely you are not so naïve, Count."

    Dooku narrowed his eyes, invisible behind the shadow of his hood. Zurros was not a fool, he knew. The Falleen were clever beings, particularly in social interactions. He knew that gaining their support for the Confederacy would stab at the very heart of the Republic, injuring their confidence and tossing a black cloud into the political sky. He would not win them over easily, however. Fortunately, Dooku was used to difficulty. All men have their weakness, he thought, their fears and desires. He simply needed to play the proper chords to receive his desired result.

    "You are perceptive, Senator, for which I'm sure you are widely acclaimed. The Republic would most likely attempt to hold itself together, perhaps even trying to force systems to remain in its allegiance. But the Republic has no army. The Jedi Order is very powerful, yes. They are not soldiers, however. On the other hand, I have made agreements with the Trade Federation to fund an entire army of battle droids, millions upon millions of them, as well as Destroyer droids and new prototype models which will prove to greatly overpower any resistance - even Jedi."

    Zurros leaned back against the velvet-padded wall and tapped his angular chin thoughtfully. "I had not been informed of these battle droids."

    "The purpose of this meeting is to inform your decision of affiliation, Senator," Dooku mumbled, giving his tone an edge of impatience to further solidify his upper hand in the discourse. "As I said, the Confederacy is growing rapidly. Nothing will stop its ascent toward full rule of the galaxy. Perhaps you should decide on which side of history you wish to reside."

    The Senator's long, thin green tongue slithered out of his lipless mouth, tasting the air. "Mm… You make your points well, Count. There seems to be much I do not know. This new information will influence my decision whether to remain with or defect from the Republic, but I cannot make it immediately. However," he said, holding up a narrow, scaled finger, "for now I will agree to a contract giving your Confederacy free passage through our system and the use of the planets and moons other than Falleen here to do with as you please. In return, I require the promise that if the Confederacy does win out, the Falleen will receive ample compensation for our agreement. Are these terms acceptable, Count?"

    Dooku grinned, but kept his visage shadowed. "They are indeed, Senator. You will not regret this decision - or your future choice to ally fully with the Confederacy. If that is what you choose, of course."

    Zurros smirked and offered a data pad to Dooku, who traced his signature upon it and pressed his thumb against its screen to give a fingerprint and DNA sample, thus sealing the treaty. "It is agreed, then," Zurros said as he stood.

    Dooku rose as well, lowering his hood to reveal a calm, confident expression and piercing gaze. They clasped forearms in the traditional Falleen show of agreement as Zurros' guard bowed his head, having acted as a witness. "Would you like a tour of our capital before you depart, Count?"

    "Unfortunately I must leave immediately. I am required elsewhere. The life of an idealist affords little time for pleasantries."

    "Nor the life of a senator, it is true," Zurros breathed, gazing up distantly before exchanging a bow of heads with Dooku. "Until we meet again then. You will receive word of my final decision very soon, do not worry."

    "I assure you," Dooku said as he moved towards the curtained entranceway, "the Confederacy will succeed. Thus, I have no worries."

    Black cape flowing behind him, Dooku exited the VIP lounge and boarded his personal solar-sailor transport. Atmosphere gave way to space and stars soon transformed into the quasi-reality of hyperspace. The tides of destiny are falling into place, Dooku meditated, closing his eyes. Soon, the Sith will rule once more.

2

It was difficult to see Dooku's secret residence on Coruscant, even from the air. The cell was simply a small box, split in two by a single wall which separated a docking bay and a living area, and situated in an alley on the lowest level of the planet. Forced to relinquish his previously-luxurious Count's suite high in the elite Coruscanti apartment skyscrapers because of his well-known Separatists ties, he also required a more caliginous location in which to meet with his Master, the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious.

    "Welcome home, Lord Tyranus," Darth Sidious croaked, his voice reverberating in the diminutive docking bay. "I assume your mission was successful?"

    "Exceedingly, my Master. Senator Zurros has agreed to give the Confederacy free passage through Falleen territory and permission to use their colonies as bases for our operations." Dooku's cape flowed elegantly as he took a seat opposite his Master, the round wooden table crafted of the finest mahogany. He would have nothing less, even in his secret quarters on Coruscant.

    "Well done, my apprentice. The pieces of this war are falling into place. As its gears begin to turn, the Jedi will be unable to defend the Republic alone. We are bringing the destiny of the galaxy to realization, Tyranus. The Sith will rule - it is inevitable."

    "Yes, my Master. The corruption of the Senate has blinded the Jedi - they cannot even see the dissidence right before their eyes. Once the Republic is broken, it will be unable to recover, and we will reign victorious."

    Pride swelled in his heart. For years he had watched corruption polluting the Senate - corporations vying for power, lobbying to legalize whatever would most profit them, banks dictating the uses of resources and finances for their own ends, crime allowed to run rampant and despots given free reign over systems simply out of respect for "tradition". Though the Jedi allowed and followed such a corrupt government, they are simply misguided, he thought. If shown the true path, the illuminating fire of the Sith, they could join his cause and create a just, ordered galaxy, governed by a new Order where Sith and Jedi are no longer distinct but one. Envisioning his dream, Dooku struggled to retain his focus, and was forced back to the present as Sidious spoke.

    "There are still many obstacles in our path which must be removed, however," Sidious said as his pale, thin fingers poured a glass of deep red wine.

    "What is thy bidding, my Master?"

    "Your predecessor, Darth Maul, once revealed to me the existence of an organization which had previously eluded my notice. Whether from its obscurity or adept secrecy, it cannot be known."

    Darth Maul. He had heard much of the former apprentice of Darth Sidious, though he held little interest. If he was defeated, he was unworthy of the Sith and so deserved to be forgotten. "What is this organization, Master?"

    "My sources had for some time found little mention of them," he said, drinking from his glass. "For years, I believed the agent Maul encountered simply lied to him. But I have recently received new information which proves their existence and influence. They are called the Blue Vornskr Agency."

    Dooku raised an eyebrow. "A peculiar name."

    "Indeed. Supposedly they are so named because their goal is hunting objects of power, many of which bear the touch of the Force, which they believe to be the source of all corruption. Though idiotic cowardice, their methods are cunning and frequently successful - however, their specific techniques remain unknown. If they are able to track Force objects, or even Force-users, they could prove a grave threat to our secrecy and thus, the future of the Sith."

    "I see," Dooku said, steepling his fingers before him.

    "This cannot be permitted," Sidious whispered, cold and piercing. "You must track them down and terminate their efforts swiftly. As your identity has become a symbol of separatism, known throughout the galaxy, it is dangerous for you to be seen performing the duties of a Sith. It is paramount that you leave no witnesses and keep your identity hidden from all."

    "Yes, my Master. I will remain umbrageous - and none who recognize me will live to recount it."

    Smiling, Sidious cackled, abruptly breaking the chamber's quiescence. "Good. You will leave immediately. I have had the coordinates of the Blue Vornskr headquarters transmitted to your transport's navigation computer. You will go to the planet Tynor. It is a marginal world… Few are aware of its existence. But the eyes of the Sith are ubiquitous - nothing is beyond our reach. Go to this world, eliminate this impediment. I expect a swift return, Lord Tyranus. Do not fail me."

    As they rose, Dooku bowed deeply before his Master and turned toward the door leading to his personal docking bay and the solar-sailor docked in it. Within moments, he was departing the world he so recently arrived at, once again entering hyperspace.

3

Since becoming the apprentice of Darth Sidious five years before, Dooku continued to marvel at the vast knowledge and power of his Master. The plans of the return of the Sith had yet to be fully revealed to him. But he trusted completely in Sidious, who had guided him to the path of truth and justification, away from the voluntary slavery of Republic capitalism and Jedi naivety. He had never heard of the planet Tynor, but as he traveled through hyperspace, he commanded his droid pilot to recite the information Sidious had sent to his ship.

    "Tynor. Terrestrial, Ty sector, Ty-n system, the Outer Rim Territories. Atmosphere: breathable. Sun: one. Moons: none. Orbital position: fourth. Rotation period: twenty hours. Orbital period: three hundred seventy days. Diameter: ten thousand nine hundred eighty meters. Climate: arid. Gravity: standard. Primary terrain: mountains, equatorial ring ocean, rivers, steppes and deserts. Native sentient species: none. Immigrant species: unknown. Government: none; no political affiliations. Civilization: unknown. Sentient population: unknown."

    "Thank you droid, that will be all," Dooku said, raising a hand and the droid quieted immediately.

    Such an obscure world, Dooku thought. As a Jedi Knight, he had rarely been sent to worlds like Tynor. His knowledge and power were so well-known, his missions pertained only to the most dangerous and important systems. However, the apparent emptiness of Tynor indicated something about the Blue Vornskrs, whom Sidious knew to reside on that planet: they were adept at secrecy. Obviously, the galactic surveyors and explorers in the Republic hadn't noticed them yet. Tynor was relatively close to civilized worlds like Mon Calamari, yet it had not even be used for resources or as a launching base, evidencing a probable lack of habitable environments. Dooku felt no hesitation. This mission was highly relevant to the cause of the Sith, a stepping-stone to their domination of the galaxy and the return of order, justice and intelligence to the galaxy through the power of the dark side.

    As he came out of hyperspace, Tynor loomed in the distance, a horrid ball of ashen, rocky plains and bare mountains, ringed by a tepid, sere ocean that ran across the entire equator. Dooku curled his lip as he gazed coldly at the world. Now he understood why no one bothered to come to Tynor: it was worthless.

    "I assume there are no landing pads?"

    "Correct sir," Dooku's droid said, its voice meant to sound human but coming out more like a mimicking bird.

    "Did Lord Sidious' information indicate any specific location where the Blue Vornskrs might be based?"

    The droid paused a moment, checking its information banks before replying. "No sir. Lord Sidious' informant guessed that they might have a base near the largest mountain range on the planet, on the north-west hemisphere. Apparently his sensors detected a hollow area underground at the base of a mountain in that range, with tunnels leading away, but could find nothing further."

    "Hm… set us down a hundred meters from that mountain."

    "Yes sir."

    The droid pilot skirted Tynor's magnetosphere, just outside the fringe of the atmosphere until positioned above the desired landing spot. As the ship entered the atmosphere, a wave of red heat enveloping its hull as they shot down at a slight angle, the lights on the ship's control panel began blinking in and out. Into the stratosphere, they were off for over a minute, the engine cutting off simultaneously.

    "What's wrong with the ship, droid? There is no interference with the systems and no presence of life within a kilometer," Dooku inquired, his voice low and threatening. He hated unexpected problems, even something as simple as a technical malfunction, and he intended to overcome it quickly.

    For a moment the droid did not reply, its four spindly arms working frantically over the controls without success. "I cannot find the source of the anomaly, sir. As you wisely said, there is no interference in the atmosphere, magnetic field, gravity or anything else, or any life forms to possibly cause a disturbance. I will continue working sir."

    "Of course," Dooku muttered, closing his eyes and leaning back.

    Dooku cleared his mind. The Force flowed easily through him. As a student of the Force for almost eighty years, its touch was familiar, answering quickly at his beckoning, bent to his will. The hot fire of the dark side coursed through him like lava, burning away hesitance and meekness, replacing it with full confidence in his abilities and the power of the dark side. Opened to the eyes of the Force, he could feel the ship around him - his droid working, lifeless but persistent and efficient; machines whirring and turning, striving to complete the tasks his droid gave. And as its systems shut down again, this time they did not reactivate, with only a few kilometers separating them from the surface.

    The dark side acquiesced to his desires. He felt the ship hurtling to the ground, guaranteeing a quick, violent death. With the Force, he grasped the ship and forced its inanimate metal husk to follow his will. Within seconds its descent slowed, its hull cooling as it neared the troposphere but still scalding through the air. A cloud of dusk seemed to continuously rise up from the bone-dry steppes below, instantly transformed into droplets of black mud particles from the ship's heat. Dooku opened his eyes to slits and gazed at the ground rapidly approaching. But just as impact seemed imminent, the solar sailor slowed and leveled off. Rather than crashing, it slid along the flat earth and soon came to a halt about twenty kilometers from his desired landing location.

    Opening the canopy, Dooku leapt out, switching his droid to its stationary "protect ship at all cost" programming. It would use every weapon the solar sailor have if attacked, and as a last resort would fire up the engine and move to a secure location until it was safe to return, sending a distress signal to Dooku's comlink. However, the crash had damaged his ship, its hyperspace capability knocked out. He assigned the droid to try to repair it, but he knew his escape would come from elsewhere.

    A short, crunchy dry grass extended in all directions, no trees visible and only a few bushes dotting the steppe. On the eastern horizon, the edge of a river could be seen, and on the western horizon, the intended mountain range loomed high and forbidding, its vacant, rough-hewn surface topped by a cap of thick snow. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to cross that.

    As Dooku gazed around at his surroundings, a barren wasteland, not even an animal to be seen, he smiled. No life, no civilization; no politics, no credits; no war, no peace. Only himself, nature, and the Force to keep him alive and accomplish his mission. The necessities of life lay bare. For decades, he had lived in luxury, authority and fame, hailed by all as a symbol of idealism, intelligence and power. Now, in the emptiness of nature, he was nothing but an animal on a hunt. He would find whoever had knocked out his ship's energy; this was not simply a hike in the wilderness.

    It was a hunt for revenge.

4

The thick mesh of grass on the steppes of Tynor were no impediment to the massive greenscale constrictor, its limbless form slithering easily as it stalked its prey. Emerald eyes fixated on its target, the snake's heart raced in anticipation, stomach acids churning hungrily and rippling muscles preparing to crush the very life from its helpless victim.

    Finally, it was within striking distance. Sliding to a stop just a couple feet away from its prey, a tall but thin figure whose scent seemed primate but pulsating with tasty life and filling vigor as the greenscale flicked its forked tongue into the air to preview its lunch. Silently, it moved forward, dry grass crackling as the snake's 30-foot length and 300 pound weight crushed it under its belly which quavered with eager anticipation of food.

    Waiting till just the right moment, the constrictor lunged at its prey. But as it flew threw the air, propelled by the extraordinary strength of its tail, the figure stood and activated a weapon in his hand. A crimson blade extended and as the snake began to fall to the ground, the man sliced upward, bisecting it at its stomach. It released a broken squeal of pain and writhed, frantically trying to escape, but the man stepped closer and pushed his lightsaber into the snake's head, ending its struggle instantly.

    "A hostile planet indeed," Count Dooku said to none but himself as he examined the enormous reptile.

    A light breeze blew Dooku's distinguished white hair and perfectly trimmed beard, giving a little relief to the dead cold which he burdened him since exiting his solar-sailor. Fixing his curve-handled lightsaber back to his belt, Tyranus extended a hand. Both sections of the snake corpse rose into the air and somberly floated over the fire which Dooku had kindled the previous night. Releasing his grip, the carcass dropped onto the fire, which subsided momentarily before blazing with renewed fuel. He quickly regretted his decision as the burning snake gave off a nauseatingly bitter odor.

    Traveling across the barren waste until late the previous night, he had found a spot to camp, built a fire and slept, keeping his Force awareness open to the possibility of animal attack - or ambush from his own prey, the Blue Vornskrs. He certainly wouldn't allow the target of his mission to catch him off-guard - as a Sith, shame was worse than death, for in death, the failures of one's life are no more. Only the solitary silence of the grave.

    Dooku glanced east and saw the high ridge of Tynor's sun barely cresting the horizon, glimmering slightly off the distant river. Morning had only just dawned - he had no time to waste. For such a simple task as this, Dooku mused, I wish to be done quickly and prove my worth to Lord Sidious. The son of a noble family; a legend of the Jedi Order; and now, a Dark Lord of the Sith. For all his life, he had dreamt of heroism, becoming a figure of renown and significance in the galaxy, changing things for the good and heralding the rise of a new era of justice, peace and greatness. But, he knew, all his hopes rested in one person: Darth Sidious, his Master. Contemplating the magnanimous and ubiquitous character of his Master, Tyranus grinned. As the apprentice of Sidious, his dreams were guaranteed.

5

As Dooku continued westward, the mountain in which he believed the Blue Vornskrs to reside came fully into view. Sunlight blazing behind it seemed almost inappropriate with the complete emptiness of the mountain's surface. Glimmering off its snow-capped peak, the pitted and jagged rock of its sides became more visible. Dooku could not make out any buildings or structures built into the mountainside, but his experience of the ingenuity - and duplicity - of the sentient mind compelled him to remain suspicious and observant.

    Only a couple hundred meters away from his destination, Dooku restrained the natural reaction of anxiety and excitement. Although as a Sith he had unlearned the Jedi delusion that emotion should be feared and suppressed, he also knew that emotion left unchecked led to recklessness and unnecessary difficulties. Sith did not simply let their emotions run rampant, boiling over whenever they pleased. We are not street thugs or schoolyard bullies, Dooku thought as he gazed ahead. Hatred is to be grasped in the mind's firm hand, held, restrained - and sharpened as a spear until the time comes to strike. Then, emotion will thrust the spearhead through its opponent until nothing remains but dust and ashes in its wake. Until then, intelligence and practicality are prime.

    Passing at the fifty meter mark with still no sign of life or civilization, Dooku suddenly felt a mild, almost imperceptible tingle run down his spine. Only one so attuned to himself and his surroundings would have noticed it rather than dismissing it as a simple chill or fidget. He glanced around a moment, expanding his awareness for any sense of danger, but he felt none. Reaching into his pocket, Dooku took out his datapad and tried to activate it - but its screen flashed once and died. Frowning, he tried again - with the same result. He removed its back panel and used his less-than-refined knowledge of electronics to try and manually turn it on - nothing.

    An idea occurred to him. Dropping his datapad, he gripped his lightsaber and pressed its activation button - with the same result as his datapad: a brief flicker, and subsequent power loss. Glaring ahead, Dooku's eyes narrowed. The deactivation of his solar-sailor; the death of his datapad and lightsaber; and with no sign of atmospheric or artificial disturbance - Dooku could only make one conclusion as to the cause of his problems, which he knew could have only been perpetrated by a guided hand: the Blue Vornskrs. Though his knowledge of their beliefs and methods was limited, he remembered from Darth Maul's report that the cult despised all power - including technology.

    Dooku smirked to himself. They reject technology, yet they use a dampening field to disable electronics, he mused; they reject power, yet the Blue Vornskr member Maul had met used a blaster. He despised hypocrisy, deception - but what more could he expect from a cult deluded enough to reject power and hide away on a worthless backwater husk of a world?

    Replacing his lightsaber and datapad, Tyranus felt a renewed energy ripple through him, the dark side's hot touch blanketing him in the security of its power, the confidence to accomplish anything. Taking a deep breath of Tynor's frigid air, Dooku pulled his hood close to his head and broke into a Force-enhanced run, covering the ground to the mountainside in seconds.

    Looking up again, he saw only a bare rock face, jagged and treacherous. However, he knew of many anti-technology cults and cultures in the galaxy who lived in camouflaged structures so as to better "harmonize" with nature. Dooku closed his eyes and extended his awareness across the mountainside, surveying the surface for any sign of life. Though he felt the presence of a few animals and sparse vegetation, he could not detect any sentients, who always reverberated a very obvious pulse in the Force. Refusing to even consider the idea of failure, Dooku moved close to the mountain and ran his hands along its rough surface. Gazing up, he saw what looked to be a precarious ledge hewn by millennia of erosion and the weight of animals jumping back and forth from it. He leapt up, guiding and propelling his ascent with the Force and landing with an elegant flip on the ledge, his obsidian cloak billowing around him and finally drawn in close.

    Somersaulting from any ledge or outcropping he could find, Dooku moved with perfect agility and grace, his feet landing softly and leaving even the surface dust undisturbed. As he rose in altitude, the air became thinner and colder, but the dark side afforded a heat that no weather could touch.

    At last, Dooku thought as he came to a thin catwalk outcropping barely a meter long. Standing on his toes, he rest his hands flat against what appeared to be simply another bare rock face, but which through the Force was much more. As he extended his awareness into the mountain, searching for any hint of sentient life, he suddenly felt an overwhelming emptiness fill his mind, his very soul. The Force seemed to leave him, life itself drained away and replaced by a cold darkness. Losing his balance and focus, Dooku fell backwards, feeling as if he had been kicked in the chest. Though he felt the icy winds whip across him as he tumbled through the air, plummeting toward certain death, he could only see blackness, with only one thought occurring to him: where is the light?

6

Dooku did not know how long he had fallen, but since he was still alive, he assumed it had not been too far. Returning to consciousness - if his experience had indeed been unconscious - he quickly summoned the Force to break his descent. Though it seemed to come from a great distance, the Force came at his call. Inertia almost knocked him out as he instantly froze in midair, levitating at what appeared to be a couple hundred meters from the surface. His mind felt sore, like a recently-amputated limb, and he struggled to retain focus as he used the Force to telekinetically float him toward the mountainside. Finding a ledge extruding far enough to hold him, he finally let go and hit the hard rock on his back, knocking the breath out of him. Yet somehow, he felt no bodily pain - or physical sensation of any kind - only a continuous, dull throbbing in his mind like a living pulse, as if a heart of darkness had been lodged deep within him, threatening to rupture.

    Holding his head, Dooku growled deeply, hatred boiling in his veins. The dark side returned sensation as rivers of Force lava coursed through him, rejuvenating and hungering for vengeance. But even as the Force returned to him, Dooku felt a quiet but steady remnant of the mysterious darkness that had so abruptly brought him to the edge of death. Ignorance of his enemy's strange power would not deter his thirst for revenge.

    Once again he began bounding up the mountain, leaping from ledge to ledge but with slightly heavier, more cautious steps. As he scaled the mountain toward his previous location, he tried to recall the experience of the darkness, but he couldn't quite place it. The darkness did not feel like the Force, he was certain of that. It lacked the familiar life and warmth that always characterized the Force. Yet it felt somehow supernatural, spiritual, and very powerful. Though Dooku had had no time to protect his mind from its assault, he believed an attempt would have been futile. He knew little about this darkness, but he would not give it the same opening again.

    Finally he came to the ledge from which he had fallen. Last time, his mind and Force aura had been completely open, his hands touching the mountain and his attention locked onto it as he focused singularly on searching whatever resided within it. Perhaps that darkness had been the mind of his quarry pushing him away, he speculated - some strange alien, possibly intergalactic, with powers no one had ever conceived of before. But since he had not been attacked yet, he concluded he was most vulnerable when caught unawares and vulnerable. Drawing in his Force presence tight, making himself invisible to any Force detection, he steeled and quieted his mind, keeping his awareness open for any hint of danger or anomaly.

    Examining the mountainside, he could find no trace of artificial cutting, surveillance or decoration of any kind. Considering ideas, he instinctively reached for his lightsaber, but retracted his hand as he remembered the electronic dampening field - the nature of which he had begun to doubt, as the Blue Vornskrs seemed averse even to technology that disrupted other technology, and this darkness gave even more confusion to the quandary.

    Using the Force, he used directed bolts of Force lightning to burn a glowing red-hot circle in the mountainside just wide enough for him to fit through. The intensity of Force lightning quickly liquefied the circle of rock and as it flowed like lava down to the ledge, he used the Force to assure it stayed on course. Once the space had been cleared, he knelt down and slid through it. He came out on an almost identical ledge and stood, then turned to assess his surroundings - and gaped at what he saw.

7

 The last thing Count Dooku saw before consciousness left him was a massive, seemingly infinite chamber, utterly black except for a million veins of golden liquid flowing down the sides of the chamber. As they flowed, the veins curved without break, giving Dooku the impression the chamber walls were smooth. The veins met at what Dooku thought was the chamber floor, pooling in a single spot, yet without filling up anymore space than a small pond.

Moments after seeing this, Dooku was abruptly overwhelmed with indiscernible sounds, rhythmic, but seemingly so ordered and complex it consumed all other sound, tearing away the attention of his other senses until he finally blacked out. His last memory was his hands desperately covering his ears and his body collapsing to the floor.

At last, awareness began to trickle into Dooku's mind. His body felt an odd mixture of fatigue and strength, as though he had been swimming for an extended period. Taking several deep breaths, the air filled with a metallic sterility, the rhythm that had overwhelmed him before could be heard but more subtly, only as a background. After a moment to compose himself, his brain naturally recoiling at the sound that had forced him into unconsciousness, Dooku slowly opened his eyes.

The darkness of the chamber into which he had stepped was replaced with a gentle ambiance of blue-tinted light. The golden veins remained, but Dooku could now see that they were pooling into a diminutive basin, metallic but decorated with exotic white shapes he could not identify. On the walls, between veins, were ephemeral images. Thousands of squares, the size of which was difficult to determine from Dooku's distance, cyclically displayed scenes from various planets across the galaxy. They seemed to be live video feeds, each square displaying a different location and changing every minute or so. The squares did not seem to be the same material as common vidscreens; their surface shimmered slightly, like the surface of a pond, and were perfectly clear even as far away as Dooku was.

Thinking he saw shapes moving in front of the screens at random intervals, he squinted, trying to make out what they were. Only when Dooku felt a touch on his shoulder, making him jump in surprise, did he realize his wrists and ankles were bound by metal cuffs to the chair he was sitting in. Slowly, he moved his gaze up as the figure moved to stand before him - and once again found his mouth agape.

8

 Despite being restrained and helpless, Dooku felt no fear. Anger boiled in the back of his mind, resentful of his captivity and being taken by surprise, but his Sith training allowed him to restrain it until an appropriate time to release it in retribution. For now, he was simply curious. The touch on his shoulder had been gentle, almost sensual, like a concerned partner. He felt a peculiar excitement, not out of anticipation or pleasure, but a more inexplicable sensation from a level of intimacy he had never felt.

As the figure moved to stand before him, he felt his throat tighten and his skin tingle in expectation of a kind agent to fit the kind action he had experienced. Dooku had not expected to see a human female on this very far-flung world, but upon seeing her, he certainly did not mind.

He could not accurately guess her height, but he didn't particularly care at the moment. Never had he seen a more beautiful woman. Her clothes were as ethereal as her beauty - particles of gold poured across her equally golden skin, forming no design in particular but covering her nonetheless in a magnificent artwork of light. Luminescent blonde curls framed her face, but the kindness of her smile and the depth of her eyes entranced Dooku most. The exotic, intoxicating music he had heard upon entering the chamber became more audible, seemingly growing at the woman's closeness.

With an act of will, Dooku closed his eyes and bowed his head, breaking the trance that had threatened to consume him. Yet even in his mind's eye, the woman remained just as poignant.

"Welcome to Tynos, realm of the Celestials."

The name seemed vaguely familiar, recalling Dooku's history and xenoarchaeology studies as a Padawan, but he could not quite place it. "C-Celestials…" speaking for the first time, the mixture of fatigue and contentment in his voice stunned him. "I have heard this name, but I cannot recall from where… Who are you?"

She smiled, clenching Dooku's heart. "We have lived for time beyond record. But who we are is nothing compared to the River of Light that is our life."

"River of Light?" Dooku asked, both to her and to himself. "Rivers… Do you speak of the golden liquid flowing down the walls of this chamber, and the particles on your body?"

"You are very perceptive," she said, laughing softly, the genuine joy in her laughter seeming sorrowfully foreign to Dooku, a relic from childhood. "But the wonders of the Light Waters cannot be spoken of - only felt."

Dooku suddenly felt his ankle and wrist restraints break, and he realized that his bondage had never been so much for captivity as waiting, a maddeningly long hyperspace flight home. His hands rose as though without his volition, but as they moved to touch the Celestial woman, he had no desire to resist.

The moment his fingertips touched her waist, the particles of Light Water running across her flowed onto him, and stole his breath away. Closing his eyes as the droplets quickly covered him, Dooku could see in his mind images - no, experiences - he had never conceived of before.

Zooming out, he seemed to be gazing down at Tynos, its barren aridity quickly forgotten as Dooku saw a million interlacing streams of Light Water running throughout the planet, atop its surface, within its depths. The planet's core was a sphere of blinding white light from which all the Waters came, substantial but immaterial, more beautiful than anything he had ever seen. He could not stop gazing at it and reached out in his mind to touch it, but just as he met its ethereal, unfathomable surface, the sense hit him that he had already felt it. The Light Water - he understood. There was no distinction between the water running across his body, filling his mind and soul, and the heart of Tynos.

As his sight backed away again, he could see Tynos from a distance. Surrounded by space and stars, Dooku gasped as a face materialized across the planet's atmosphere. He could not recognize its species, though he knew it was not organic. He wondered if its face was just a representation for his benefit. Its eyes contained a black and white half, each constantly swirling without mixing. Though the face smiled at him, the conflict in its - no, Dooku could tell it was distinctly male - eyes was mirrored in its expression, a mixture of agony and love, contempt and generosity. Although the conflict threatened to spill into Dooku, the Light Waters protected him within its infinite purity, allowing him to feel only its goodness and eternal wisdom.

In rapid succession, the image in his mind flashed between millions of different worlds throughout the galaxy, some he recognized, but most he did not. Occasionally, the image would center on a single world and display its historical changes in high-speed, showing the rise and fall of civilizations, the emergence and extinction of entire species, both of sentients and otherwise. Sometimes he was shown a galactic view, starships traveling in endless quantities, waging wars, conducting trade, immigrating to and colonizing new worlds, or destroying entire planets.

Eventually, the vision centered on the Celestials, but they did not appear human as the woman had, and only now did he see that she was not human either. Their organic disguise disappearing, he could see their true appearance: metallic, android robots, humanoid in shape and size, and more advanced than any droid he had ever seen. Their metal faces expressed the full range of human emotions, their eyes just as deep and expressive, their bodies even expressing body language as organic bodies do. They had no hair, but it did not matter - Dooku saw only the same beauty as in the human-like woman he had just met.

He saw the Celestials growing on Tynos, beginning as a much simpler version in nature without any makers, emerging just as organic species do. Yet, the spirit he had seen expressed in Tynos' atmosphere, the being whom he now knew to be named Tynos, was the catalyst for the birth of the Celestials and their programming. However, they were completely autonomous and learned just as organics do. Dooku saw their history, growing on Tynos, "reproducing" by constructing more and more of their race, each new member a unique individual. And, he saw their departure from Tynos, flying without ships, freely entering hyperspace without the need for a hyperdrive, seemingly possessing total power over nature.

But as Dooku continued watching their history, their explorations of the galaxy, their creation of Centerpoint and Sinkhole Stations, the Maw, the galactic bisecting hyperspace tangle, and making of systems like Corellia, Vultar, the Hapes Cluster and the Kathol Rift, he realized they did not do these things of their own power. Rather, the Light Water was the means for everything they did, the power that allowed them to freely manipulate nature, the fuel for their machines and the unending drink that satiated their bodies, protecting from all damage and decay. He could feel the compassion the Water gave them, motivating their restriction of so many violent and imperial species throughout history from destroying the galaxy, their giving sentient civilizations knowledge of hyperdrive technology, their education of so many species across the galaxy in all fields of learning - and in the ways of the Force.

As he sensed deeper into the Water, Dooku realized it was not some alien energy, but the Force itself. And not just the Force, but the Light Side, in all its essential life and purity. He suddenly became aware of the poisonous darkness in his own heart, the death he had planted in his spirit from a lifetime's indulgence of the dark side, particularly his recent conversion to the cult of the Sith and complete surrender to what had before been only a private vice. Returning to consciousness, he cried out in anguish at his own corruption, pulling away from the Celestial woman and breaking his connection to the Light Water that he felt too unworthy to touch.

Recoiling in his chair, Dooku clenched his eyes shut, trembling in shame and self-disgust. The Celestial woman, who remained standing before him, reached out to touch his arm, but Dooku slapped her away. Clenching his teeth, hatred filled him, consumed him, and Dooku allowed the dark side to pulsate through him. Only then did he realize his suicide, his living death as a servant of the darkness, and only then did he embrace his fate as Darth Tyranus, Dark Lord of the Sith.