Chapter Thirty Nine

For a few moments it was all Dooku could do to split his attention between what was being said in front of him and the feeling in the Force of the new arrivals. Fay's presence was like a wave of serenity in the Force all around her, encapsulating the entire system like a fog. It was potent but diffuse and a sign of both her power and personality.

The boy with her, the touch in the Force was both distinctly masculine and young, to Dooku senses, was controlled, extremely so, Dooku couldn't get a read on it at this distance. Interesting, this must be young Harry, the one she radioed about. That was all his Force senses could tell of the two arrivals without Dooku actually consciously directing them, and he couldn't do that and listen in on the conversation in front of him at the same time.

The crux of this meeting was the need to create anti-pirate patrols, what type, how large, and how far away from Sorenno they could operate without the Senate both hearing and bleating about it. There was also concern about the militarization of the Trade Federation, which continued to accelerate. The Trade Federation was a partner of some local Sorenno corporations, but in other ways they were competitors, hence the concern.

Trade was the backbone of the Six Great Houses. They had controlling interest in the local economy of course, which was based on agriculture and the three gas giants' output, which would make them rich here in this sector. But it had been how they had brokered those local goods into trade elsewhere that made him rich even by galactic standards.

Indeed, though the Core Worlds did not realize it Sorenno was actually wealthier and more powerful financially then any two systems outside of the so-called Big Big Five were the most financially powerful single systems in the Republic, Coruscant, Corellia, Alderaan, Kuat and Fondor. Coruscant was of course the most important system in the entire galaxy. Corellia, Kuat and Fondor were ship-building giants. Alderaan and its colonies, all of whom still answered to their mother planet, were rich in mineral and agricultural wealth.

A few moments more discussion went by about whether or not they should create their own anti-pirate force, what their public stance on that would be. Two of the counts voiced concern over how the Senate would react to their following the Trade Fleet into becoming more militarized, only to be nearly shouted down by their fellows. The idea that they should worry about the Republic's or more likely the Senate's reaction to their creating anti-pirate fleets might have been enough to cause a fist fight if not for Dooku's presence.

Sorenno was almost militantly independent, and did not like even the fact they had to answer to the Sector capital let alone the Republic. This attitude harkened back to a time when the planet had been invaded by Sith during the Great Galactic War and again during the New Sith War. The locals valued their independence, and would fight for it at a drop of a hat.

"I believe that we need to bring in a far more neutral individual then you believe myself to be," Dooku said after that slightly more acrimonious then was polite exchange. "Luckily for us, we have such an individual on hand. Master Fay," he said, reaching out with the Force to open the doors, "would you join us please."

A second later it was all Dooku could do to stop his voice from stuttering to a halt as he forced his jaw not to unhinge at the sight of the Force Ghost apparently reading something over the young padawan's shoulder. Dooku noted absentmindedly that it was one of the local travel brochures, but that was about the last thing he had on his mind at the moment.

She was gorgeous, a beautiful young woman who looked a little younger than his former padawan was when she became a knight. At least when she had died anyway who knew how long she had been a ghost? She had bright red hair, not the orange normal people associated with the idea of red hair, flowing down her back in a cascade. She had the same emerald eyes as the teen, who had to be her son or other descendent with those eyes. Her face had a pale tone to it, and her body was lithe and desirable, and admittedly showed off to good effect with what she was wearing a moment.

There must be a tale about that, unless it's as simple as Force Ghosts not being able to change their clothing after they have died, he mused to himself, then turned his attention on the boy who was just as interesting in a way. He had stood up with Master Fay and was making his way forward, and the young teen met the older man's eyes for a moment until Dooku nodded his head and the padawan bowed formally. Interesting Dooku thought to himself, and those emerald eyes of his, a potent tool those.

That thought was caused by the gasps of two of the count's daughters, here as their heirs. One was a married woman, the other a girl of twenty, but both blushed as they saw the padawan's eyes and face.

Dooku however noticed the boy was well balanced, poised on his feet, his eyes tracking from side to side, almost automatically after breaking eye contact with Dooku. He had no lightsaber at his side however, nor did Fay. Leaning back Dooku mused, now I understand why she has come here I think. Though why Master Fay is willing to go against her own beliefs to get her padawan training with a lightsaber is beyond me a present. But his Force presence!

At this distance, Dooku's Force sense could get a glimpse of the boy's Force presence under his Force Stealth and, Dooku realized, the enveloping feeling of Fay's own aura. He blazed with the Force and the Light in a way that Dooku had only ever seen in Master Yoda. The youth was nowhere as controlled, but possibly even more powerful than his former master.

Yet Dooku let none of these observations show on his face or in his voice as the newcomers crossed the intervening space between the table where the counts were sitting and the large doors. "Gentleman, may I present Jedi Master Fay and her padawan…"

He trailed off and Master Fay smiled, putting her hands together in her Jedi robe as she tilted her head slightly to her padawan, who stood a respectful half pace behind and to the left of her. "This is padawan Harry Potter."

One of counts heirs standing behind the table, a young boy of about 10, muttered something about "Peepee?" And was quickly hushed by his neighbor.

Harry however simply rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Wow that's a new one, I haven't heard that before."

Dooku sighed, looking at the younger boy who looked rather abashed as his father turned a stern eye on him.

Next to Harry Master Fay chuckled quietly. "Do not worry young one," she said kindly, looking at the now embarrassed boy. "Our dignity is not so fragile as all that. I believe however you were having a discussion? That you apparently want my input on?"

Master Dooku gestured to Count Luther, whose holdings had been hit the most by the pirates. The younger man, he was at least fifteen years younger than Dooku, nodded his head respectfully to the Jedi, before filling in Master Fay on the incidents that occurred recently while he tried not to stare at her beauty.

Master Fay broke in occasionally to ask questions, and Dooku obligingly brought up a map of this system sector, highlighting the places where the Pirates had attacked. He watched with approval as Harry leaned in, listening intently and even the Force Ghost looked as if she was taking it in murmuring something in a language he didn't understand to the boy, who did not answer verbally with other people around. Good Dooku thought, rather amused. The last thing we would need is some people questioning whether or not the young padawan is sane.

Master Fay eventually sighed, leaning back from her chair and shaking her head. "Five attacks of that severity, with that many deaths? I apologize, I had not realized that pirates were that bad in this sector."

"You could not have known milady," count Luther replied gallantly, bowing his head formally to her from where he sat. "We have heard of you, indeed you would be hard-pressed to find a system government in the Outer or Mid Rim that hasn't heard rumors of the great Jedi Master Fay and her ability to quell violence and end conflicts. But I do not know if even your abilities would be able to do anything about this."

"Not unless we can find a single pirate base," Harry mused thoughtfully, before nodding his head politely to count Grimaldi, who had been controlling the hologram device for a few moments. "May I?"

The older man nodded his head, leaning back as Harry began to manipulate it, changing the view here and there as if he was searching for a pattern, not just with his physical senses but with the Force. "I did the same thing padawan," Dooku said with a shrug. "Yes, if the pirates had a single base a short sharp campaign would see them off, but I'm afraid I wasn't able to find any kind of pattern. Worse, the attackers might not all be pirates. Some could be ships from other sectors, poorer sectors admittedly, raiding our commerce because they have needs their own cannot meet. Privateers I believe the term is."

Harry grimaced, leaning back and frowning thoughtfully as he touched that odd looking scar on his forehead.

At the same time Master Fay's quiet voice brought everyone's attention back to her as she sighed, sadly. "I am a Jedi of peace. I am not a Guardian or a sentinel I am a Consular. I do not even have a lightsaber to my name. I refuse to believe that conflict, combat, should ever be a first recourse."

She inhaled deeply before going on. "That being said, the pirates are obviously a real issue and even I know that conflict between the different segments of the Republic are real. I think that those differences could still be worked out through dialogue, but not pirates. With that in mind, you must see to your own people I believe."

More than one of the counts' faces went still in shock, staring from Dooku to the new Master. Dooku allowed a wintry sort of smile to cross his face, and said blithely "Yes, but the Republic Senate has been death on that kind of thing for centuries. We have no local societal reason to have a large offensive military like that, and there have been other systems and sectors that have been smacked down for trying to build their own fleets.

"Even Corellia isn't allowed to create an offensive fleet." Said one of the as-yet unintroduced counts, his voice that of someone with an ancient bone to grind. "This despite Republic laws allowing them to build those monstrous in-system defense ships of theirs."

"Then I think the Senate should not have agreed to allow the Trade Federation to arm itself," Harry said with a frown, looking up from his work on the hologram. "That set a bad precedent, even I know that. And the Trade Federation is also already an offensive force with those giant ships of theirs, I'm sorry I can't remember the name of them, and the number of fighters they can transship. So long as you don't robotize your military to that extent, I fail to see how the Senate would be able to make more than grumbling noises. Peace is all well and good," he said with a quirky smile towards his Master, who chuckled, shaking her head at what was obviously an old argument between them. "But the ideal of peace can be taken too far: you need some steel to back it up."

More than one of the counts chuckled at that, and Dooku raised his hand in the ancient gesture of a fencer acknowledging a touch.

"So long as you don't raise land troops, the factions within the Senate will not be able to stop you from creating your anti-pirate fleet. But I would recommend that you keep your number of offensive capital ships to a minimum just for the appearance of things," Master Fay said shrugging her shoulders. "Other than that, I'm afraid I am not the Jedi Master you need to ask questions about military things."

"I on the other hand am," Dooku said leaning forward intently. "My own recommendation as you will all remember, was to create a small extremely elite pilot corps, along with locally built starfighters. Take some of the designs coming out of Kuat to start, and build on them." His eyes locked on a few of the counts, who had wanted to build capital ships rather than starfighters. "Starfighters, backed by system patrol ships can handle the pirate menace without being seen as a danger by our neighbors. This needs to be both a show of strength and restraint, a rapier rather than a broadsword."

They all nodded their heads agreeably, won over to his argument by the newcomers and their sudden backing of it.

The conversation continued from there, though Harry did not take part, having provided what Dooku mentally labeled as the voice of the youthful outsider already. He did however notice the boy going over the hologram, still looking for a pattern for some reason. He was also writing something down on a small data pad, with his mother, grandmother, something other or other looking over his shoulder and whispering in that language in his ear. He was apparently nodding to himself as far as the counts knew, and Dooku had to fight back an amused smirk at the duplicity the two were showing. Evidently this wasn't the first time the two of them had done this little act.

A few moments later, the discussion ended, and the counts including Dooku stood up, shaking hands formally. Harry quickly got to his feet, moving around to help his Master to her feet, despite the fact that Fay obviously didn't need it, a courtly gesture that won many smiles from the counts and a flush from the twenty something heiress, who, Dooku now remembered, had a rather serious suitor somewhere around the place. The boy had a sort of understated charisma to him Dooku thought, again amused.

As the last of the counts left, Dooku turned to Master Fay gesturing with one hand for the newcomers to follow him. "We will talk in a moment," he said simply, looking from the two physical people up to the Force Ghost, who smirked at him before bowing in the Jedi manner while still hovering in midair.

Dooku felt his lips quirk upwards and he wondered about his odd humor at the moment. Perhaps Master Fay's presence is not just soothing, but somewhat uplifting. My mood has certainly changed for the better since their arrival. Part of Dooku wanted to resent that, but for the most part he was willing to simply let the effect wash over him.

The Jedi were silent for a few moments as they walked heading towards another landing day, before Dooku looked over at Master Fay. "We will have to call the Temple about this. I was assigned to that discussion because I was already here of course, but Yoda and the High Council will be interested in what went on. The pirates are a major issue throughout this sector. And I also have some friends in the Senate that probably need to be warned."

"I should probably check in with Master Yoda in any event," Master Fay replied with a slight twitch of her shoulders. "After that however, I would like to get to the reason why my padawan and I are here."

"Lightsaber training," Dooku said with a nod, and Master Fay's lips quirked into a smile as she nodded her head at the other Jedi's perspicacity. Dooku turned his attention to the young boy, who had remained behind Master Fay as respectfully as possible, and again the two of them locked eyes. After a moment the boys again bowed his head, and Dooku nodded. "We will see on that. But let us get the more onerous duties finished before the more pleasant ones."

A moment later, Master Dooku sat in one of the secure Hypercom link rooms within the Count's discussion hall. Master Fay stood beside him for now, while Harry and the Force Ghost remained outside. As they were waiting for to link up, Dooku cocked his head. "I will wait to ask more questions, but one just occurred to me pertinent to the moment. Can Force Ghost appear through digital technology?"

"No," Master Fay said with a shake of her head. "We can't hear Lily through communication devices either."

Dooku nodded filing the Force Ghost's name away.

That brief moment of byplay had taken enough time for the Temple to open the link on its end, and the image of the High Council appeared an instant later. "Masters," Dooku said nodding his head to Master Yoda and Master Windu before nodding his head slightly more formally to a few of the others. He respected many of the High Council, but there were a few that he felt were … ill chosen. He respected their abilities in the social sector and politics, but he felt that the High Council all too often reached a consensus by simply following whoever was first to speak rather than open debate.

Although thanks to Master Yoda, that had been changing of late, and the debates had become much more freewheeling since his return from the Explorer years ago. Now there seemed to be some kind of tension apparent in the High Council, coming to the fore whenever the younglings of Clan Saa were brought up or the abilities they, Yoda and their other teachers, were disseminating throughout the Order.

"Padawan," Master Yoda said, nodding his head, watching his former padawan for the little twitch of the eyebrow that he always got when he addressed Dooku that way. Master Dooku had several issues, and one of them was a bit of hubris, which Master Yoda felt it incumbent upon himself to tweak occasionally. To his surprise however his padawan did not rise to the jibe, but then Master Yoda saw Master Fay standing behind him, and had to force his face to not shift into a beaming expression at her presence. "Discussions among the counts you have been a part of, decision reached there has been?"

"I trust they understand that they cannot be allowed to arm themselves further," said one of the other Masters, shaking his head. "We are having enough issues with the Trade Federation, we do not need other separate groups militarizing themselves in the Outer Rim. I'm certain the Order can handle these pirates. All we need to do is find their base."

"That is strange," Dooku said softly, and Master Yoda and Master both held back winces. "I seem to have dialed the Senate's Hypercom address rather than the Jedi Order's. Very odd indeed."

"You know what I mean," said the same Master, Yarael Pouf, replied. He was one of the ones that Dooku felt was a little too quick to back the Senate line. That he had also been one of those who had tried to blame Dooku for the debacle with the Order's intervention into the Mandalorian Civil War was also something between the two of them.

"It is not illegal, nor is it an issue the Order needs to care about so long as Sorenno realizes that any offensive act against any of its neighbors will cause us to take action against them. Starfighters alone will not be able to conquer any of their neighbors, and that is all that we need to consider, which was why Master Dooku and myself wrote up the outline for the anti-pirate force we did." Master Windu said smoothly, cutting off his friend with a gentle gesture of his hand and looking past Master Dooku to Master Fay. "Master Fay," he said, nodding his head. "I do not know if you remember me, I was a young initiate the last time we met."

"And now you are Master of the Order," Master Fay said with a faint twitch of her lips. "How time does fly."

Something about those words caused Master Mace to twitch a little, as Yoda and Yaddle both chuckled in the manner of their species. "Yes well, can we ask what vagaries of the Force brought you to Sorenno?"

"A desire to help young the young Knight Komari Vosa. I am after all uniquely suited to help in that area." Fay replied.

"So it is nothing to do with your eat mysterious padawan?" Master Windu asked archly regaining his equilibrium quickly.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Master Fay said serenely, letting the man's judging glare wash over her like so much mist.

"Question Master Fay we will not," Master Yoda said complacently, but with steel in his voice, as Master Giiett nodded just as firmly. Years had gone by, but he well remembered Harry Potter and his mother and knew what their powers had done for the Order, oh yes. "Her padawan's training, her own responsibility it is. Good it is to see you again, several years it has been Master Fay."

Yoda stared through the hologram at Master Fay who fell silent, the two of them communing somehow, which the other Masters, even Dooku and Windu, could not quite follow or feel. At last Yoda smiled widely, as did Master Fay. "Speak more we will if meet in person we can, many of the techniques, received well they have been."

"I know Yoda, and I have a few others that might be received just as well now," Master Fay said smiling lightly.

A few of the Masters on the other end of the Hypercom shifted uncomfortably. Only a few of them had been able to re-create the techniques Master Micah and Yoda had been able to, though far more knights and padawans could use them, and a few of them had even begun to branch out, creating their own variations of the known techniques. The Council of First Knowledge was having fits, Jedi style of course, because of that.

Windu too had issues with the new techniques, though mostly he had issues with the youngling who had been taught them, they were all far too emotional in his opinion. But this was not a time for that discussion or the discussion of where the new techniques had come from. "Perhaps we could get back to the original topic?" he asked, and Yoda nodded.

That discussion continued for a time. The High Council had not been happy for the solution Dooku and Windu had pushed for. Nor that Dooku, who had a personal connection to Sorenno, had been assigned to the debate. It smacked far too much of collusion to them, and of going around the Senate and its prerogatives. But Dooku had long wanted to see the Order distance itself from the Senate, and Windu was worried about the uptick in violent missions, pirate activity and, though no one outside the Order knew it, the rising power of the Dark Side. With the two of them, backed by Yoda, Yaddle and a few others, Master Pouf and the Pro-Senate faction could gain no headway.

A moment later the call ended, and Fay left quietly, having no wish to speak or be seen by any Senator. She had long disliked the Senate and its long-distance rule, which attempted to centralize control of the Republic in such a way that was at best unfeeling, at worse hopelessly corrupt.

Dooku felt much the same, thought he actually had a few friends among the Senators, and had more concentrated on how stagnant the Order had become, something that had changed with Yoda's return to Coruscant. Indeed, though no one knew it, before the new techniques had been introduced Dooku had been searching for knowledge of the Sith, believing that conflict with the Sith would force the Order to start growing again. But since the new techniques had started to spread, the impetus behind that idea had faded swiftly, though he still had issues with how the Order was more an extension of the Senate than a separate entity.

After Fay left the room Dookuhe called his friends one after another, ending with the Senator of Naboo, Sheev Palpatine. The two of them were not close, but they had similar thoughts on the Senate's immense and cumbersome bureaucracy, and Sheev was well thought of in the halls of the Senate.

They talked for a while, with Dooku commiserating with the man over the recent Eriadu debacle, which he had tried to push forward, and the death of his king recently. "But you didn't call just to hear me up moan about my fellow Senators inability to act like intelligent moral individuals, nor even my own personal loss, thankful though I am for your sympathy" the man said after about fifteen minutes. "What is going on my friend?"

"You are unfortunately correct. The Issues with piracy that were one of the reasons the Eriadu Trade Conference had been called in the first place has also begun to be a problem here in the D'astan sector. And The Council of Counts has decided how to respond." Dooku replied.

The man winced shaking his head. "Sorenno has also decided to militarize then?"

"In a way yes. No capital ships will be built, but a starfighter corps will be raised trained and armed to go after the Pirates."

"I see," the man said with a sigh.