Star Wars:The Apprentice

A/N:send a bunch of power stones and I'll upload 2 more chapters

This was new the only times my Master would allow me to leave the facility was either to kill someone or a test but this was different.This time he sent me somewhere with Dooku and we were alone something we never had the chance to be.Wherever he was our master was always nearby.

The ship descended toward the planet's surface of Cado Nemodia, cutting through the atmosphere with precision. I stood beside Dooku in the dimly lit chamber of the transport, my newly attained lightsaber clipped securely at my waist. 

This mission wasn't about combat. It wasn't about proving myself with a blade. 

It was about learning. 

I still didn't fully understand why Sidious had sent me with Dooku. I had no say in the matter, of course. When my master gave an order, I obeyed. That was how it worked. 

But I hated not knowing. 

Why the Trade Federation? Why the Techno Union? 

I had heard of them before, obviously. Even in my old world, they were important names in Star Wars—the ones who helped start the Clone Wars. 

But seeing them here, in reality? That was something different. 

Dooku stood beside me, hands clasped behind his back, his face calm as ever. 

"Do you understand why we are here, Venator?" he asked, his voice deep and measured. 

I hesitated. "To negotiate?" 

His lips curled slightly, as if amused by my ignorance. 

"To instruct," he corrected. "To plant the seeds of war." 

I frowned. 

War. 

Of course. 

This was about setting the stage for the future, for Sidious' grand plan. 

The ship landed smoothly on the docking platform, and the doors hissed open. 

A delegation was already waiting for us. Nute Gunray stood at the front, flanked by Rune Haako and a small group of Neimoidian officials. Their greenish-grey skin looked even more sickly under the artificial lighting. 

Beside them, Wat Tambor of the Techno Union stood motionless, his mechanical respirator clicking softly. His cold, robotic voice cut through the air as he greeted us. 

"Welcome, Count Dooku." 

Dooku inclined his head in a regal nod. 

I followed at his side, silent, watching. 

The Trade Federation officials looked nervous. That wasn't surprising. They were already deeply entangled in Sidious' web, but they were also afraid—afraid of the Republic, afraid of being caught, afraid of the Jedi. 

But above all, they were afraid of us. 

Sidious had that effect on people. 

And now, so did Dooku. 

"This way," Nute Gunray gestured, his voice carefully controlled. 

We were led into a grand hall deep within the Federation's secure facility. A large circular table dominated the room, holoprojectors flickering with various maps, charts, and supply routes. 

Dooku took his seat without hesitation. 

I remained standing, positioned just behind him. 

A Sith does not sit at the table of cowards. 

Nute Gunray shifted uncomfortably, his large eyes flicking toward me. 

I could feel his unease. 

Good. 

Dooku steepled his fingers. "You have concerns, Viceroy?" 

Gunray hesitated, then nodded. "The Jedi are watching us more closely than ever. After the… incident with Queen Amidala, we are under suspicion. If we continue down this path, it could mean the destruction of the Trade Federation." 

Dooku chuckled softly. "The Republic is a rotting corpse, clinging desperately to life. They lack the strength to challenge you. Their laws are empty".

Wat Tambor's mechanical voice hummed. "And yet, the Jedi remain." 

Dooku's expression darkened. 

"They will not remain forever." 

Silence followed. 

I absorbed everything. The tension, the subtle power shifts, the way Dooku manipulated them with words alone. 

Sidious had sent me here to watch,but I was starting to understand why. 

This was the foundation of the war. 

This was how the Sith operated—not just through strength, but through control.

Dooku leaned forward. 

"The Republic stifles you. It taxes you. It restrains your rightful expansion." His voice was like silk, smooth and commanding. "But with our support, the Federation and the Techno Union will prosper in ways you have never imagined." 

Gunray hesitated. 

Tambor tilted his head, analyzing. 

Dooku glanced at me briefly, then back at them. 

"And you need not worry about the Jedi. They will soon have… other matters to attend to." 

I knew what that meant. 

They were going to be *slaughtered*. 

Every single one of them. 

I stayed silent, but inside, something twisted in my chest. 

I still remembered Jorra Venn's face when I killed her. The way her body fell. The way the warmth left her eyes. 

The Jedi didn't know what was coming. 

And they wouldn't, until it was far too late.

As we left the grand hall, the sound of our boots echoed through the sterile corridors of the Trade Federation's facility. Dooku walked ahead of me, his posture regal, hands clasped behind his back as always. 

I followed in silence, replaying everything I had just witnessed. The way Dooku controlled the conversation, the way the Federation officials clung to his words like desperate men grasping for a lifeline. 

It was power, in its purest form. 

But it was boring. 

Politics had never interested me, not in my old life and not now. But Sidious had made it clear—power wasn't just about strength with a lightsaber or mastery of the dark side. It was about control. Manipulation. 

I had to *understand* this, whether I liked it or not. 

"Tell me, Venator," Dooku's voice cut through the silence. "What did you learn today?" 

I exhaled, considering my words carefully. "That the Trade Federation and the Techno Union are weak. They're too afraid to move forward unless they're sure they'll survive." 

Dooku gave a small hum, his pace never slowing. "A fair observation. But power and fear are two sides of the same coin. The true skill lies in making fear work for you." 

I stayed quiet, listening. 

Dooku continued, "The Republic believes itself strong because it hides behind laws and the Jedi. But the Jedi serve an ideal that no longer exists. When the Clone Wars begin, the Republic will be forced to rely on an army they do not control." 

Sifo-Dyas. 

I'd heard that name before, in passing. I knew what was coming, even if I didn't know every little detail. 

I glanced at Dooku. "You knew this was going to happen before you left the Jedi, didn't you?" 

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he led us outside, stepping onto a platform that overlooked the vast cityscape of Cato Neimoidia. 

The sky was dark, the city lights below shimmering like stars. 

For the first time since we arrived, there was no one else around. 

No politicians. No scheming Neimoidians. 

No Sidious. 

Dooku unclasped his hands and rested them on the railing, gazing out at the skyline. His expression was unreadable. 

I hesitated before speaking again. "Why did you leave the Jedi Order?" 

His fingers curled slightly against the railing, and for a moment, I thought he wouldn't answer. 

Then, finally, he spoke. 

"The Jedi have lost their way." His voice was quiet, but there was weight behind every word. "They were once guardians of peace, warriors when necessary. But over time, they became servants of the Senate—puppets of corrupt politicians who fear strength and change." 

I watched him carefully. 

Dooku had always been disciplined, poised. But here, alone, there was something else beneath his words. A hint of bitterness. 

A flicker of something human. 

I took a step closer. "Do you miss it?" 

His jaw tensed. 

For the first time, I saw hesitation in Count Dooku. 

Not uncertainty. Not weakness. 

But something deeper. 

"…At times," he admitted. 

I hadn't expected him to answer at all. 

He turned his head slightly, regarding me with sharp eyes. "You will come to understand, in time. The Jedi preach selflessness, yet they ask for complete devotion. They strip you of your attachments, your identity, all in service of an ideal that has long since rotted away." 

I swallowed, gripping the railing in front of me. 

Dooku wasn't wrong. 

But the way he spoke about the Jedi, about the Order he once served, made me wonder—was he truly convinced? 

Or was he trying to convince himself? 

I looked down at my own hands, flexing my fingers. 

I had wanted to be a Jedi when I was younger. Before I found myself here. Before Sidious and the Sith twisted my path into something *else*. 

I had admired them. 

And now? 

I had killed one. Stained my hands with her blood. 

I had become everything the Jedi stood against. 

And yet, deep inside, a small part of me still wondered—if things had been different, would I have chosen this path? 

Would Dooku have? 

The silence stretched between us, neither of us looking at the other. 

Then, Dooku exhaled softly. 

"Come, Venator. Our business here is done." 

I nodded once and followed. 

But as we walked back to our ship, one thought lingered in my mind. 

Dooku had been a Jedi once. 

And part of me wondered if, deep down, he still was.

As we walked through the corridors, the dim lighting casting elongated shadows against the cold metallic walls, I found my mind still turning over our conversation. 

Dooku had left the Jedi because he saw their corruption. That much made sense. But what didn't make sense to me was why he had joined this. 

The Sith. 

Sidious. 

The ones who wanted corruption. The ones who thrived in it. 

I glanced at him. He seemed deep in thought, his hands once again clasped behind his back as he walked with his usual elegance. 

I exhaled and finally spoke. 

"You know we're the bad guys, right?" 

Dooku barely reacted, only slightly turning his head toward me with a raised brow. 

I continued, "The Jedi might have forgotten their ways. They might have let the Senate control them. But they *still* protected the innocent when they could. They still believed in something good." I frowned. "We don't." 

Dooku remained silent. 

I pressed on. "I get why you left. I do. But why this? Why the Sith? Why Sidious?" 

Finally, Dooku stopped walking. He turned fully to face me, and for the first time, I saw something in his expression that wasn't just cold calculation. 

It was scrutiny. 

Like he was trying to decide if my question was genuine. 

Or if I was a fool for asking it. 

Then, with a calm voice, he said, "You assume there was another choice." 

I narrowed my eyes. "Wasn't there?" 

Dooku chuckled softly, though there was no humor in it. "You speak as if the galaxy allows such luxuries. The Jedi serve the Senate, the Republic is rotting from within, and the Sith—" He paused, as if weighing his words. "The Sith offer something real." 

"Power?" I scoffed. "That's it? That's why you joined? Because they had power?" 

Dooku gave me a look. "Don't be naive. The Jedi feared power. They let the Republic's corruption spread because they refused to act. Tell me, Venator, how many worlds have fallen into ruin under the Republic's rule? How many wars have begun while the Jedi stood by, refusing to intervene?" 

I clenched my fists. I had studied history. I knew the Republic had its flaws. I knew the Jedi weren't perfect. 

But that still didn't answer my question. 

"There had to be another way," I said, stepping closer. "You could've made your own Jedi Order. One that didn't rely on the Senate. One that still kept the ideals of the Jedi but actually did something. You could've—" 

"Been hunted," Dooku interrupted, his tone sharp. 

I blinked. 

He continued, "The Jedi do not tolerate outliers, Venator. They did not tolerate the Dark Jedi, nor do they tolerate anything that does not conform to their ways. Had I tried to forge my own path, they would have seen me as a threat. And they would have killed me for it." 

I wanted to argue. 

I wanted to tell him he was wrong. 

But was he? 

The Jedi had exiled those who strayed too far from their path before. They had cast out those who sought power beyond their understanding. 

Maybe they wouldn't have killed him outright. 

But would they have let him exist? 

Dooku watched me carefully, as if he could see my thoughts shifting in real-time. 

Then, with a softer voice, he said, "I believed in the Jedi once. As you did. As many did. But belief is not enough. The galaxy does not change through belief alone." 

I swallowed, my throat dry. 

I hated that I understood what he was saying. 

And I hated that he wasn't entirely wrong. 

I turned my head away, staring at the cold walls. "So you'd rather be this?" 

Dooku didn't answer immediately. 

Then he exhaled through his nose. "I do what must be done." 

A bitter laugh escaped me. "That's exactly what Sidious says." 

Dooku smirked, though there was no amusement in it. "Yes. And do you know why?" 

I looked back at him. 

"Because he is right." 

I clenched my jaw. 

Dooku turned and began walking again, his cape flowing behind him. "Come, Venator. You still have much to learn." 

I hesitated before following. 

But as I walked beside him, something gnawed at me. 

Something I didn't want to acknowledge. 

What if he wasn't entirely wrong?