For long years, now, had Count Dooku sat in meditative silence in a deep, maximum-security prison on Coruscant. His arrangement of capture was years in the past, and time had so altered his appearance that his own mother would never have recognized him, now. Although the general population would never see him, even behind bars, Dooku's body remained sturdy and handsome, an eternal reminder of the special gifts of The Attraction System.
As Dooku meditated, he felt a change within the Force. It was barely noticeable at first, subtle to true perception, and yet as he realized it, he realized that he was becoming something more than a mere powerful user of the Force; he was becoming a part of the Force itself.
"Fascinating," Dooku murmured, with his eyes still closed. "The Force isn't just a tool to be used; it's a living being to be embraced."
The realization brought with it a new sense of purpose. He could now betray Sidious, they were equals if not Dooku was stronger. Dooku could have broken out at any time; his superhuman strength was more than sufficient to get past the physical barriers that held him. But he had waited, biding his time, playing the long game that had always been his specialty.
A faint knock at his door broke into his reverie. Senator Riyo Chuchi slipped through the crack with her blue skin, such a jarring contrast to the drab grays of the prison. The force barrier which was there, and long gone since Dooku, had been a quiet prisoner.
"Count Dooku," she said, her voice less than a whisper. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."
Dooku opened his eyes, a warm smile spreading across his face. "My dear Senator, your presence could never be a disturbance. Please, sit."
As Riyo mirrored him from the other side of the desk, Dooku gave close inspection. The Attraction System told him volumes about her emotional state, her loyalties, and what she might become.
"You seem troubled, Senator," Dooku observed. "What weighs on your mind?"
Riyo fidgeted, her fingers nervously interlocking. "I… I've been thinking about what you said. About how corrupted the Senate is, and how flawed the Republic is. I want to help, but I'm afraid."
Dooku's gaze became piercing as he leaned closer to Riyo. "Fear is natural, my dear. But so is overcoming it. Tell me, what is it that you truly want?"
"I want justice," said Riyo, her voice becoming stronger. "I want to see a galaxy free from corruption and tyranny. But I don't know if I have the strength to make that happen."
Dooku nodded to himself. "Strength comes in many forms, Senator. Sometimes it is not about having the power to change everything at once but the courage to take the first step."
He paused, choosing his next words very carefully. That was the moment he had been expecting: the test of Riyo's loyalty and affection.
"If you really believe in this cause," Dooku continued, "there is something you could do. Something which, in itself, would start a chain reaction, a series of events that will change the galaxy."
Riyo leaned across the table, her eyes serious. "What is it? I'll do it."
Dooku smiled to himself as he sensed the depth of her commitment. "I need your help to escape this prison. Not through the Force, which is nullified here, but through more... conventional means."
Riyo gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "But… that would be treason! I could lose everything!"
"Indeed," Dooku said softly. "The question is, my dear Senator, are you willing to risk what you believe in?"
A tense silence lay between them, as Riyo wrestled with the dictates of her conscience. Patiently, Dooku waited for the moment he knew would decide both their respective relationship and the fate of the galaxy.
Finally, Riyo whispered in a low, soft voice, close to a murmur, "I'll do it. I'll help you get away. Just swear to me, Count Dooku, that with this freedom, you will change things for the better, just as we have always spoken about."
Dooku reached across the desk, and his long fingers closed around Riyo's. "You have my word, Senator. Together we shall forge a new path for the galaxy, free from corruption that has plagued it far too long."
Riyo nodded fiercely, fear and determination mixing to shine in her eyes. Dooku felt a hideous wave of satisfaction: he'd certainly managed to instill those two qualities in her, deeply. Now, with her help, he would set in motion the next phase of his grand plan.
The Attraction System buzzed in the back of his mind, ways and means unfolding to him. And he knew his escape would be only the beginning. As an aspect of the Force itself, he stood to remake the very fabric of the galaxy.
"Prepare yourself, Senator," Dooku said, his voice resonating with new power. "The future awaits, and we shall be its architects."
As the night cycle of the prison began, with very long shadows thrown across the cold corridors, Senator Riyo Chuchi moved toward the cell of Count Dooku. Her heart was pounding—not merely out of fear of discovery but from excitement at the thought of what was to follow. She clutched tight to her chest a small, almost inconspicuous package. Inside, the contents held Dooku's freedom.
The cell door slid open with a feeble hiss, revealing the tall figure of Dooku, standing expectantly. The long silver hair and beard, grown unkempt and wild during his imprisonment, framed a face that seemed to defy any age. Even in the feeble light, his eyes burned with an otherworldly light.
"Senator," Dooku offered, his deep voice sending another shiver down Riyo's spine. "I trust you were successful?"
Riyo nodded, stepped closer and held out the package. "Everything you need is here, Count. Security codes, guard rotations, even a small repulsor lift to aid your descent from the upper levels."
Dooku took the package into his hands, fingers brushing against Riyo's. The contact, momentary though it was, felt electric. "Well done, my dear. Your courage will not be forgotten."
Riyo swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "I… I'm not sure if I'll ever see you again after this."
Dooku set the package aside and turned his full attention to the Pantoran senator. "Riyo," he said softly, using her first name for the first time. "You've risked everything for this moment. For me. Why?"
"Because I believe in you," answered Riyo, golden eyes meeting his own. "I believe in your vision for the galaxy. And because." She hesitated a moment, marshaling her courage. "Because I've grown to care for you more than I ever thought possible."
It looked like the air would spark with tension between them. Dooku stepped closer still, his tall frame towering over her petite one. "My dear Senator," he murmured, "you've awakened something in me I thought long dead."
Without another word, Dooku had grasped Riyo's face in his hands and brought his lips to hers. The kiss was gentle at first, a tentative exploration, but it suddenly deepened into something far more primal. Years of repressed desire and longing poured out as they clung to each other, the rest of the galaxy fading away.
Riyo's fingers fumbled within Dooku's silver mane as she drew him to her, pulling herself against him, marveling at its strength and vitality. Dooku himself lifted her as if she were weightless, pinning her against the wall of the cell as the intensity of their passion grew.
Stretched out and condensed into moments, time seemed to lose itself in them. Finally, they broke apart, gasping for breaths while their bodies shook with aftershocks from the encounter.
"I never knew," Riyo gasped, her blue skin now tinged with a deeper shade of blue. "I never thought it could be like this."
Dooku traced a finger along her jawline, his eyes softening with an emotion Riyo had never witnessed in him. "Nor did I, my dear. You've given me more than just the means to escape. You've reminded me what it is to feel truly alive."
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As the hard wall of reality crashed back in, Riyo found herself fighting to recompose her clothing and herself. "You should go," she said hesitantly. "The night shift change will happen soon. It's your best chance."
Dooku nodded again, reaching for his package. "You'll come with me?" he asked suddenly, as surprised by the question as she was. "Together, we could reshape the galaxy, create the future we've dreamed of."
For the moment, it almost tempted Riyo—the idea of giving all that up and going off on a new adventure with the enigmatic man beside her. She shook her head in sorrow. "I can't. My place is here, in the Senate. I can be of more use from within the system."
The expression on Dooku's face was unreadable, but he nodded in understanding. "Then this is where we part ways, Senator. But know this: what we've shared here, what you've done for me, I will carry with me always."
With a final, fervent kiss, Dooku turned to make his exit. He had nearly reached the cell door when he paused to glance back to Riyo. "May the Force be with you, Riyo Chuchi. Until we meet again."
And so, he disappeared, leaving Riyo all alone in the cell, heartbeats erratic because of the chain of thoughts that his visit had set off in her mind. As she resumed her composure to leave, she could but wonder what the future held in store for her and for the man who had captured her heart so unexpectedly.
Just as the first light of dawn edged over the horizon of Coruscant, the indomitable Count Dooku stood nearly atop a sky-fire, the bustling metropolis below feeding to his augmented senses—his silver hair, now dyed back to its restored, lustered youth—whipped through with the wind as he accessed the interface for The Attraction System.
"Computer," Dooku boomed, his voice at once both aristocratically refined and young in vigor, "access Coruscant's central security network."
A holographic display flickered before him, for his eyes only. Data streams leaked across his vision, detailing the incredibly complex network of surveillance and security protocols that blanketed this city covering the entire planet.
"Locate all records pertaining to Senator Riyo Chuchi's movements within the past 24 hours," he said under his breath, fingers dancing in the air before him as he made lines of command dance to his whims.
While the system worked on collating the data, Dooku's thoughts drifted to the passionate encounter he'd shared with Riyo. A small smile played about his lips, a rare display of emotion for the usually stoic Count.
"Quite the predicament you have left me in, my dear," he spoke musingly. "Your compassion may yet be your undoing… unless I intervene."
There chimed the interface: a task at its end. Dooku watched, an almost slitted gaze, the footage of Riyo's secret trip to his cell.
"Erase all visual and audio records of Senator Chuchi's visitation to the detention center," he told the interface. "Replace with… ah, yes. Lieutenant Zin Dezir of the Coruscant Security Force. Adjust time stamps and access logs accordingly."
The system functioned silently, throwing its unseen changes back into the security footage. Dooku watched as the vid of Riyo was replaced by one of Lieutenant Dezir, unaware.
"Now," Dooku went on, his tone rueful, "to arrange for some evidence to be found in Dezir's quarters. Financial records indicating that large sums have been transferred to his account from several well-known Separatist sources. Correspondence with known Separatist agents. And… the remnants of a small stash of illicit Separatist propaganda materials."
As The Attraction System completed his desires, Dooku's accelerated thoughts raced through the fallout possibilities. Lieutenant Dezir's career would be finished, his life possibly lost. But Riyo would be safe. Her seat in the Senate would be secured.
"The needs of the many," Dooku whispered, a saying from a galaxy with which he now had shared memories, "outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one."
The interface blinked, the task complete. Dooku reviewed the spliced records with his superhuman perception, checking that no trace of manipulation was left in the records.
"Computer, deep scan all related systems. Eliminate any residual data that could be in contradiction with our splices."
By this point, Dooku's gaze had swept the length and breadth of the Senate District. Somewhere in those halls of power, Riyo was bound to be preparing to fend off the political repercussions of his escape. He felt a pang of guilt, quick to be suppressed by the force of his newfound assertiveness.
"She'll understand," he told himself. "In time, she'll see the necessity of these actions."
The scan was done, no anomaly marked. Satisfied, Dooku nodded.
"Log out of the Coruscant security network," he said. "Erase all traces of our access."
As the interface faded from view, Dooku drew a deep breath—the Force itself seemed to be coursing through him stronger than ever before.
* * *
As the smooth Separatist shuttle penetrated the atmosphere of Tion, Count Dooku looked down at the vast metropolis. The twin suns of the planet were painting a golden shade over the cityscape, reflecting brilliantly off the polished durasteel of CIS military installations. His augmented senses picked out every detail: the minute patterns of air traffic, the subtle shifts in the Force emanating from the populace below.
'Home, sweet home,' he murmured wryly. Thoughts of his college-student alter ego flicked back and forth at the edges of his consciousness, impressing on him just how much had changed.
As the shuttle finally landed at the landing pad of the CIS headquarters, Dooku saw the contingent of battle droids and Tionese security forces heading to their side. He smiled. He knew what was in store for them as a surprise.
The ramp lowered, and Dooku walked out, his rejuvenated form looking quite impressive. The security forces raised their weapons, pointing straight at him before they seemed to falter in their purpose, recognition striking them.
"Hold your fire!" a Tionese officer shouted, his eyes wide with disbelief. "It's… It's Count Dooku!"
Dooku raised a hand in greeting, his voice reverberating with newfound charisma. "At ease, gentlemen. I have returned to lead the Confederacy to victory."
The officer walked closer in caution, the youthful appearance still proving hard to reconcile with the man before him being Count Dooku, as he remembered. "My lord, we… we thought you were captured by the Republic. How is this possible?"
Dooku's eyes twinkled with amusement. "The Force works in mysterious ways, Captain. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a war to win."
Crowds started to build up when word spread out of the city that Dooku was back.
The interface of the Attraction System blinked in Dooku's eyes, passing on the real-time data of the mood of the public and the strategic implications of his return.
Dooku entered the headquarters; he was met with a cacophony of cheers, whistles, and sustained applause. Leaders among the separatists and military commanders rushed to meet him, the confusion and joy on their faces showing how confused they were to find him transformed.
In the middle of the crowd, he immediately recognized the presence in the Force, the Chiss general, and his most trusted lieutenant. Sev'rance Tann shouldered her way through the throng, her crimson eyes growing even bigger at the sight of Dooku's rejuvenated form.
"My lord." She breathed, dropping down onto one knee. "You have returned to us."
Dooku reached out with his hand and gently lifted her chin. His heightened senses were easily able to detect the quickening of her pulse. "Rise, Sev'rance. Much do we need to discuss."
The crowd thinned, and Dooku escorted Sev'rance into his personal quarters. It was only then, as the door slid shut behind them, that Sev'rance's tight control snapped, and she embraced Dooku tightly.
"I thought I'd lost you," she whispered, raw emotion cracking through her normally stoic demeanor.
Dooku returned the embrace, his superhuman strength carefully restrained. "I'm here now, my dear. And, I assure you, I have no intention of leaving again."
Their eyes held for a second, and years of unspoken feelings shimmered to the surface in an instant of passion as they knocked their lips together. The living Force intensified around them in its amplified eddying tempest of emotion and power.
Hours passed, and as Tion's suns set, Dooku stood before a mirror in his quarters. Sev'rance was asleep, having claimed a portion of the bed behind him. He ran a hand over his signature beard, lost in thought.
"Computer," he said softly, accessing The Attraction System's interface. "Analyze the strategic impact of further altering my appearance."
Data scrolled across his vision, describing the myriad ways that allies and enemies would react differently should he change his look again. After a moment's reflection, Dooku made his decision.
He drew on the Force and used it to move a razor as he removed his iconic beard. He removed silver, and Dooku regarded his reflection. Truly, now his chiseled features were wholly on display and spoke of youth in vigor and ageless handsomeness.
"A new look for a new era," he thought, stroking a hand through his still-silver locks.
Behind him, Sev'rance murmured, "Dooku," her voice thick with sleep.
He turned, one of his rare smiles softening his newly exposed features. "What do you think, my dear? A bit of a change, I admit."
Sev'rance's crimson eyes widened, taking in Dooku's transformed appearance. "You look... incredible," she breathed, rising from the bed to approach him.
She felt the wash of his confidence and determination, now flooding back from his depths, and the training of new lines in his jaw. Reaching out, the interface from the Attraction System pulsed at the edge of his vision, showing him the sprawling network of the CIS across the galaxy.
"Tomorrow," he said softly, his voice low with power, his will burning like a fire. "The Republic, the Jedi… they have no idea what's coming."
Count Dooku stands within the command ship of the Separatists, his imposing form even more intimidating, if possible, under the hard light of the bridge. Predominantly blue, there are white highlights that accent the CIS insignia of his leg flanks and his billowing cape. Before him, he gazes at a holographic display of the galaxy at large, the mechanical timbre of his heavily modulated voice filling the air with the metronomic swish-click, swish-click of some artificial breathing, echoed by none so much as the iconic sound of Darth Vader.
"General Grievous," intoned Dooku with a commanding voice that seemed to reverberate through the very hull of the ship, full of purpose. "Report on the status of our forces."
The cyborg general stepped up, his metallic feet clanging against the polished floor. "My lord," Grievous began, his narrow yellow eyes never wavering from Dooku's, his master returned. "our forces hold steady, but we've not made any advances in the past months. The Republic's clone army still continues to—"
"It's about to, Grievous," Dooku said, his gauntleted hand swishing away the nav-interface for the Attraction System, flickering in his vision, feeding him data on real-time troop movements, supply lines, and, most importantly, strategic weak points across the galaxy. "We have been playing a game of attrition, General. It's time we strike decisively."
Dooku turned to the assembled Separatist leaders, his cape swirling dramatically. "For too long, this war has raged—a tool for our unseen masters. Not anymore. Today, we take our destiny into our own hands."
As the old Sith spoke, Dooku's mind churned with memories made by his joined consciousness—the strategic insights of a seasoned Jedi Master melded with innovative thinking from another real-world college student. By the nature of things, Sidious would soon come for him if he didn’t get to him first, and there was little time to waste.
"Prepare our fleets for a coordinated assault on key Republic strongholds," Dooku said. "We shall strike at Coruscant, Corellia, and Kuat simultaneously. The Republic won't know where to focus their defenses."
As Separatist leaders hurried to do his bidding, Dooku retired to his private chambers. The door slid shut behind him with a hiss, and he doffed his helmet, revealing the youthful, handsome face framed by a long mane of white hair. He turned to a secure communications terminal, and his fingers skipped with inhuman speed and surety across the controls.
"Get me Kamino," he instructed to R3-TZ, his little droid having long been happy to see him. His voice now without the mechanical modulation. "Priority channel, highest encryption."
Before him flickered a holographic image: Lama Su, the Prime Minister of Kamino. The large, almond-shaped eyes of the Kaminoan widened in surprise at Dooku's appearance.
"Count Dooku," Lama Su greeted, his long neck bowing slightly. "This is… unexpected. How may I be of service?"
Dooku's gaze narrowed in resolve. "Prime Minister, I hereby declare emergency protocol Alpha-Zero-Six. Authorization code: Tyrannus."
Lama Su gave no expression, yet his eyes flickered as if he knew. "I see. And which specific order is it that you wish to execute?"
"Order 66," Dooku replied, almost inaudibly. "Effective immediately."
The room lapsed into a stillness that seemed to hang there for some time before Lama Su broke it. "As you wish, Count Dooku. The orders will be out to all clone units by the hour. But do you mind telling me why you've chosen to… activate them in such a precipitous manner?"
Dooku's lips twisted into a sardonic smile. " Suffice to say, Prime Minister, that the playing field is no longer level. The days of the Republic are numbered, and I am resolved to see Separatist goodness prevail."
With a flick of his wrist, the communication closed, and Dooku stared out at the stars. To the side, on the interface for the Attraction System, there was a real-time report of the clone armies swathes across the galaxy. Soon, the Jedi would be defeated, caught completely off guard by their own forces.