AN :
You deserve this Chapter Kings ;)
New goal is 420 power stones, make it happen.
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He wasn't like them. Dooku's will was durasteel, and his resolve was like the tip of a vibroblade. He would use the Dark Side, he would not be used by it. It would not be his fate to be put down like a rabid beast, not when there was still so much to do.
The Galaxy had to be brought to Order, and here they would see it done.
...
They never met twice in the same place, and never left a digital record of their meetings. Palpatine was arranging things in the senate, while Dooku focused on building up the Outer Rim into a credible opposition. If one of them needed something, they would reach out to the other through the Dark Side, and a suitable meeting place would be arranged.
"Any progress to report?" Palpatine asked.
"The aristocrats continue to gather around me. They're upset by their trade routes being closed by pirates."
"Goood. They've sampled the wealth you can offer, they'll crave it more now they've been cut off."
As far as business partners went, the aristocracy of the Outer Rim were especially needy.
Once they sampled the small but lucrative trade deals Dooku offered them under the table, they only hungered for more. A palace was an expensive thing to keep, and a great quantity of credits was needed to maintain the barrier between the rulers and the ruled.
It wasn't just about armies, ships and security, but about showing status. There was a romance to autocratic rule, a story that had to be told. To stay in charge, often you had to make the masses believe a change in regime was impossible, and that lie was easier to sell if you believed it too.
Ornate royal guards, vast gardens, towering palaces. These things were incredibly expensive and utterly vital for the continued survival of an aristocratic class.
In just shy of two years, vast swathes of the Galactic Northeast had fallen under Dooku's sway. He wasn't officially the ruler of anything more than Serenno yet, but his influence was growing every day.
Murmuring into the Duke of Raxus' ear about how much easier this would all be without the burdensome Republic, how much more they could all be making with open trade produced a nod and sad sigh. An independent Outer Rim was no longer unthinkable, but a distant dream they wished was real but just couldn't see a way to.
All Dooku had to do now was show them a viable path to independence, and he'd have half a dozen sectors ready to take it overnight.
Right now an independent Outer Rim was a pipe dream, destined to be crushed by the Hutts and Trade Federation even before the Republic was involved. To get people to commit to his Confederacy, Dooku needed them to believe it was possible. Legitimacy came from security and reliability, and those things came from power. Much like the aristocracy Dooku rubbed shoulders with, he needed his power to be seen to truly cement his growing powerbase.
Having the New Temple up and running was a big step towards that goal; the promise of direct Jedi protection alone was what brought the Duchess of Mandalore into his clientele. His method of organizing the Temple, having a Jedi assigned to the protection of a sector for a year before moving them to another, was working well.
The sheer intimidation factor alone of knowing that you might face a jedi was enough to sway most criminals into being more discreet in their villainy, and the less sensible ones served as perfect examples to the others. Few things in this galaxy were as naturally terrifying to the devious mind as watching a single Jedi tear apart a swarm of blaster equipped fighters without struggling at all.
The only problem was that Dooku didn't have many knights to share around. The half a dozen sectors who had signed onto his plan enjoyed the security he offered, and opened their worlds up to the Jedi for recruitment. Even now Narec was leading a recruitment drive, aimed at only those worlds which fell under the New Temple's protection, but it would take at least a decade before his first class of Younglings were ready to become Knights and protectors of an entire world at a time.
The New Temple was a long term project, one that would yield rich fruits, but couldn't currently stand against the greater powers of the Outer Rim. To really push his plans forward, Dooku needed to be able to stand up to the Hutts and the Trade Federation, and he simply couldn't do so from within a slimy Nemoidian protection racket. The House of Serenno needed to stand out, head and shoulders above the rest of the Outer Rim, a bulwark capable of protecting not only itself, but its allies as well.
For that, Dooku needed an army, and he happened to be friends with a man who had a great deal of experience in building such.
"Why did you call this meeting?" Dooku asked. "You wouldn't risk exposure for a progress report."
"The Clone Army has been commissioned, and your… 'New Temple' is being overseen by another Master. Your friend, Sifo Dyas, has served his purpose and is now too great of a risk. The time has come for him to be… eliminated."
A chill ran down Dooku's spine, and immediately he felt ashamed of his own weakness. They were bringing the Galaxy to Order, sacrifices had to be made. Palpatine was obviously correct. Sifo knew too much, and could unravel all their plans just by opening his mouth. Dooku had visited his old friend's quarters in the New Temple, and seen the empty bottles in his trash bin. Guilt was crushing Sifo. He dreamed of being Lord Horth reborn, but the truth is he only had a fraction of that great man's will and moral fiber.
Sifo was weak, and a danger to their plans. It was a sad thing, really to see him grow stagnant like the rest of the Order. They had been great friends, even from such a young age, but Sifo really didn't have the vision, the ambition necessary to see what had to be done.
Peace wouldn't be won by retreading long dead conflicts between dead Sith Empires and a broken, stagnant Republic. Order would require a forward looking vision, one not fixated on the past, but full of great dreams for the future. Sifo was becoming such a weak and feeble old man, Dooku might even be doing him a favor by cutting his life short.
Better to burn out than fade away, after all.
Dooku knew with certainty that he had to be eliminated.
He was resolved to do it himself.
Tan'ya would be devastated.
It was a strange thought to have so suddenly, but it resonated so clearly that Dooku blinked, focussing on it. Not just Tan'ya, but Athemeene too. Sifo had shared many a meal with his family, and had taught his daughter so much.
Dooku couldn't eliminate Sifo, the man was practically a brother to him. They were family in all but blood. Sifo had even disobeyed the Order to help him end the Serennoan Civil War! If Dooku couldn't trust Sifo, who in the Galaxy could he trust?
Palpatine spoke. "I see… You lack resolve."
"No." Dooku said, sharply. Mind racing to find excuses that might satisfy the man. "You're right, he knows too much, but he can't speak without exposing himself. I will… supervise him more closely, and if there is any risk of him talking, I will deal with it personally."
Those golden eyes narrowed on him, almost seeming to frown. "You can control him?"
"Yes, I can." Dooku asserted. "Indeed, I still have need of him. For our war to happen, we need not just one army but two, and who else could ever be a better architect?"
"...Very well." The Sith drawled, and maybe for the first time Dooku realized exactly what dealing with one truly meant. "Sifo lives, for now."
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