Saga Protégé: Chosen - TPM AU - Anakin, Dooku, etc. (Ch. 5, 9/20/08 -- COMPLETE)

Title: Protégé: Chosen
Authors: Persephone_Kore and Dreagoddess
Timeframe: Starting in The Phantom Menace
Characters: Anakin, Dooku, others
Genre: General, AU
Keywords: Dooku, Anakin, training
Summary: Master Dooku steps in to offer to train Anakin Skywalker.

Sequel:
Protégé: Padawans


Chapter 1

"He will not be trained," said Master Windu. His voice was deep and the words seemed very heavy.

Anakin couldn't believe his ears. For this, he'd left his mom behind with Watto? He could tell Master Windu didn't like him any better than Obi-Wan did, but he'd done all their tests. He'd done them perfectly! ...Just about.

"No?" Qui-Gon sounded incredulous. Qui-Gon was nice. Qui-Gon had said he should be trained, although Anakin was starting to wonder whether that was a good idea, if most Jedi were like the Council, and sat in shadowy rooms asking questions and making ominous remarks.

"He is too old. There is already too much anger in him," Master Windu went on.

Anakin scowled before he caught himself. Of course he was angry. They'd put him through all those tests and then said it didn't matter because he was too old? They knew how old he was before they started!

"He is the Chosen One," Qui-Gon said with some heat. "You must see it."

"Clouded, this boy's future is." Anakin still couldn't figure out what species Master Yoda was. The old green being nodded, wispy white hair snagging on the edge of his robe. "Masked by his youth."

First he was too old, now his future was masked by his youth? He'd thought Jedi were supposed to be wise. He didn't think that meant not making any sense.

Qui-Gon drew himself up, opening his mouth.

A deeper voice than Master Windu's came from the shadows by the door. "I will train the boy, then. I take Anakin Skywalker as my Padawan learner."

The Council's heads came up; Qui-Gon whirled, and Anakin thought that Obi-Wan had huffed a little, as if he hadn't been expecting this but thought he should have, before he turned too.

The owner of the voice strode out of the shadows. He wore all dark brown, and was tall and dark-haired with touches of silver, and his robe draped from his shoulders like a prince's cloak and whispered after his boots along the smooth floor. He paced across the room, and Anakin thought he moved like Qui-Gon, relaxed and easy and sure he was in the right place, but the whole effect was much more intimidating. He stopped and looked down at Anakin. "Unless you refuse me?"

Anakin stared up at him. "Who are you?"

Qui-Gon coughed slightly. "Ah, Anakin, this is Master Dooku. He's a very respected Jedi Master, and he's done an excellent job at training several past padawans." His voice was slightly wry, but his eyes twinkled a little as he looked from Dooku to Anakin. "Including me."

"Oh!" Well, that was a good thing, then... wasn't it? "Pleased to meet you," Anakin said, offering a hand.

Master Dooku gave him what Anakin felt was a quietly doubtful look, like maybe he hadn't been expecting Anakin to remember his manners under the circumstances. He shook hands after a moment. "Likewise." His voice was very dry indeed.

"He is also," Master Yoda said, "not invited to this meeting!"

Dooku shrugged and bowed in the same sleek motion. "I followed Qui-Gon in. No one disputed my presence until now."

"Because quiet, you kept, Apprentice," Yoda retorted tartly.

"It was not necessary for me to speak, then. It is now. Does anyone contest my right to train this boy?"

"Already said he would not be trained, we did," Yoda grumbled.

"Yet the Council is not in charge of providing training once a child is taken as a Padawan." Dooku looked down at Anakin. "And he is, as it happens, old enough for that."

"I don't think it is wise," Master Windu said, "to start training him so late. He's young for a Padawan, but old enough, that's true. But he is some years past the age we've found preferable for the start of Jedi training." But Anakin noticed th

 

"This explains so much," Obi-Wan breathed.

Yes it does, indeed! We have an inkling where Qui-Gon's rebellous nature comes from! Hee!

A very interesting start, PK! I wonder what this will mean for the futures of both Dooku and Anakin. Both originally ended up Sith Lords, but perhaps putting them together will alter their courses and take them somewhere else. While Dooku and Qui-Gon were more fringe Jedi, Obi-Wan was more inclined to stay in the main stream, which was difficult for Anakin. The differences this brings about should prove intriguing!

Great job!

 

Wow what a fresh and unique perspective. Dooku taking Anakin, this ought to be interesting, and I doubt Dooku cares so much about bending the rules, under his tutelage, Anakin might very well thrive. You've definitely got me hooked, really excited to see where this will go.

 

"I followed Qui-Gon in. No one disputed my presence until now."

"Because quiet, you kept, Apprentice," Yoda retorted tartly.

LOL!

I've reviewed elsewhere but it was so much fun reading it again that I had to do seconds. Really looking forward to where you go with this.

 

Oh Fun!
I want to see how it will all turn out especially because the different types of missions
he might go, or the training, and Dooku might not turn, jinn might not die, and Ani and Obi might still become some sort of friends...
i loved Obi-wan's last sentence... now we know where jinn's rebelliousness comes from!
=D

I am looking forward to the changes... and all characters must change even and especially Obi-wan because even if jinn dies he will have more time to heal, and be able to enjoy his time as knight before having to train someone... so his attachment to rules might have to gain anoither perspective since he won't have to compensate for any rule breakers! *cough*Jinn*cough*Ani*cough*

 

Oh, lovely!

I love Master Dooku's dry amusement at Anakin's blunt and open friendly manner. I imagine Dooku will have to stifle quite a few Anakin-inspired guffaws in order to maintain his famous dignified manner.

And Obi-wan's parting comment is priceless!

This AU could develop in so many intriguing directions. I can't wait to see where you go with it. Thanks for sharing!

 

Oh my - lots of possibilities here! Can't wait to see where you go with it.

 

Interesting... Very interesting...
I am curious as to where this will go.

 

Oh, you're posting! I like it very much. I haven't read many fics in this era and sometimes I get forgetful about checking Saga, but I'll try to keep up with it.

 

ohh good one! add me to your pm list please!

 

OOH ... I'm hooked.

I love Dooku, just hope he's a good guy in this fic.

PM list, please.

 

Goodness, thank you everyone for the kind comments! PK will be posting Chapter 2 any second now.

AngelQueen
Qui-Gon has a rebellious streak? Goodness, I don't know what you mean. Yes, the differences between Obi-Wan and Dooku will definitely have an effect on Anakin. If nothing else, he's definitely going to get plenty of lightsaber practice.

Jinngerbread
Thank you, we hope you continue to like the direction! Dooku seems to do well training slightly rebellious padawans, so the idea of him with Anakin was just irresistible!

leia_naberrie
Thank you! They really are fun, aren't they?

ClaudiaR
There you go again, calling Qui-Gon a rule-breaker! I just don't know where it comes from... <cough> I think Obi-Wan will enjoy this little change of events, letting him get to know Anakin without any lingering bitterness towards Qui-Gon or the pressure of being a Master.

nada_smith
As you can see in the next chapter, Dooku isn't quite sure how to deal with his new padawan. Both of them will definitely have some learning to do! Hopefully they'll manage it without too much collateral damage.

katriene
And here I was afraid we'd become predictable. Hope you enjoy the rest of it!

MagicToo
Glad to have caught your attention. Stick around and we'll show you.

Gabri_Jade
Ohh, right, PK told you about this one! We're glad you like it. We're posting it to LJ as well, in case you'd find it easier to, er, find.

JediKaren
Thanks! Will do.

Lisbev
Yay! We shall hope to reel you in with further chapters and... okay, I think the metaphor needs to stop there. We're rather fond of Dooku ourselves. If you're looking for stories where he's a good guy (at least part of the time), there are some other samples in our profiles.

 

Protégé: Chosen
Chapter 2

"I take you, Anakin Skywalker, as my padawan learner," Dooku recited formally, looking the boy in the eye as the rest of the room disappeared from around him. He'd recited this oath four times, the first time with Qui-Gon, now standing as a powerful Jedi Master with a padawan of his own beside him. The second, elsewhere in the galaxy, fighting to protect the innocent and defend the way of life Dooku had taught him about. The third was somewhere in this building, even now patiently teaching a roomful of Jedi initiates how to defend themselves in a perilous world. The fourth....

The words almost didn't come for a moment. The fourth was dead, horribly dead, and if he'd trained her better....

But the boy wasn't a part of that, and he needed training. Dooku finished the oath resolutely.

There was a moment of silence.

Anakin stared up at Dooku with wide eyes.

Obi-Wan leaned forward hurriedly and began whispering in the boy's ear. Anakin swallowed and began to repeat his words. "I accept you as my Master...."

Unorthodox it might have been, but they managed to finish. At the end of it, Master Yoda heaved a huge sigh. "Wish you well, we do," he said quietly.

Dooku bowed. "Thank you, Master." He did mean it, arguments aside. "Are we dismissed?"

"Much you have to do now," Yoda said. "Go, all of you." He made a shooing motion with his stick. One or two of the Council members looked as if they might like to protest, but no one quite did.

"That was unexpected," Qui-Gon said, after they were halfway down the hall. "I thought you said you weren't planning to take another Padawan."

"I was following the promptings of the Force," Dooku said coolly. "Evidently I should be training him -- planned or not." He glanced sideways at Qui-Gon. "Besides, I suspected you were about to do something foolish."

Qui-Gon met Dooku's eyes, raised his eyebrows and said nothing for a moment, then, "Well, my Padawan seems to be under the impression I argue with the Council too much, but I'm not sure how much of an improvement he found it to have you take it up instead."

Dooku snorted. "I was arguing with the Council before he was born."

Qui-Gon smiled. "I know."

"You still don't do it enough," Dooku added, making Obi-Wan's eyes widen alarmingly. Dooku looked down at his new padawan appraisingly. "Well... Anakin. You seem spirited enough, at least."

"Um... thank you, sir." Spirited or not, Anakin looked a little daunted by this latest development.

"Master," Dooku corrected, not unkindly.

"...Master." Anakin frowned slightly.

"The Council was right about one thing, Padawan. You're coming to Jedi training much later than the other younglings. You have much to learn to catch up even to your age group, and most of them are not yet padawans." Dooku sighed. "Fortunately I relish a challenge. Are you a hard worker?"

Anakin tensed up a little more. "Yes...."

Dooku eyed him. "You seemed to have enough to say before the Council. Well. We'll have to get started immediately. Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, if you'll excuse us?"

"By all means." Qui-Gon waved them off, offering Dooku a slight bow and Anakin a reassuring smile.

They heard the faint chime of Qui-Gon's commlink as they walked away, Anakin still frowning slightly.

Dooku steered the boy rapidly through the various administrative details of his initiation into the Jedi Order -- clothing, the traditional boy-Padawan haircut for human males, the request for new quarters. Anakin was strangely quiet, which would have been fine if it were a peaceful and respectful sort of silence, but it seemed wary and resentful instead, and Dooku didn't like it. He tried not to allow this to put him on edge, but the warning about anger came back to him, and he wondered abruptly if he should have taken that more seriously after Komari....

...He wasn't failing to take it seriously, and the urgings of the Force had been quite distinct, if perplexing.

The new quarters were to be available by nightfall, but meanwhile Do

 

*giggles* Ah, the rebellous Master/Padawan line of Dooku. Anakin shouldn't worry, though. He'll find his niche soon enough.

Great update, PK! I'd love to be added to the PM list!

 

I'd love to get PMd, if you don't mind.

 

Did someone say Qui-Gon was a rule breaker? I'd like to think of him as an improviser.

And as for Dooku, in my heart anyway, I didn't beleive he was a "real" bad guy. Seems the canon Dooku got suckered in & played by Sidious just like Anakin did.

I'm so nervous that they're all going to Naboo.

Great update , & thanks for the PM.

 

Ahh, Master/Padawan bonding. Of sorts.

Add me to the PM list, please?

 

ohhh soooo good! I love it!

 

Very interesting idea... I look forward to seeing how it progresses.

 

We're posting it to LJ as well, in case you'd find it easier to, er, find.

I saw that. It will serve as a reminder to me, then.

As far as the story, I just love it. For one thing, it's an interesting AU scenario; for another, it's really well written. Good pacing, tight but not rushed narrative, excellent characterization, very funny without sidetracking the narrative from the main storyline, and seamless enough that I'd never guess it was a collaborative effort.

Qui-Gon met Dooku's eyes, raised his eyebrows and said nothing for a moment, then, "Well, my Padawan seems to be under the impression I argue with the Council too much, but I'm not sure how much of an improvement he found it to have you take it up instead."

Dooku snorted. "I was arguing with the Council before he was born."

Qui-Gon smiled. "I know."

"You still don't do it enough," Dooku added, making Obi-Wan's eyes widen alarmingly.

Hee! Poor Obi-Wan.

"Master," Dooku corrected, not unkindly.

"...Master." Anakin frowned slightly.

"The Council was right about one thing, Padawan. You're coming to Jedi training much later than the other younglings. You have much to learn to catch up even to your age group, and most of them are not yet padawans." Dooku sighed. "Fortunately I relish a challenge. Are you a hard worker?"

Anakin tensed up a little more. "Yes...."

This was such a good way to show some of Anakin's psyche. I love the subtle way you handled it.

Qui-Gon was looking at him with a touch of bemusement. "Is this when I'm just supposed to nod and say 'Yes, Master'?"

Dooku eyed him. "Yes. Set a good example for my new padawan."

Inviting himself along sounds just like Dooku, too. Excellent job.

 

Very good! Please put me on your PM list!

 

please please update and add me to your pm list.

 

Thank you all for both your feedback and your patience! I had to finish moving apartments and go on a trip for lab, and I kind of slowed down on the editing.

AngelQueen: He'll get there, yes. And you're on it!

zonzo: Then so you shall be.

Lisbev: Yes, the canon Dooku was duped. It doesn't really absolve him, but it is sad.

DarthXan318: There'll be more later. Sure thing.

JediKaren: Thanks! Updating now.

MagicToo: Glad you like it.

Gabri_Jade: I'm glad you like it! They're a fun group to play with, although just as a warning, we got all four of them in one place again and discovered they didn't want to shut up. Drea and I have been cowriting for... a while now... good grief, I think we started in 2000, maybe? Anyway, I think we blend pretty well. Sometimes we forget who wrote which lines.

Anakin has some hangups. Some of them will be further addressed. *g*

EECHUUTA: Thanks, welcome to the story!

 

Protégé: Chosen
Chapter 3


Boots thumped rhythmically against the marble floors of the Temple, with the faint shushing of cloaks against the floor. One set of footsteps was lighter than the others, faster but more uncertain at the same time. Anakin trailed behind Dooku and Qui-Gon, trying to look like a proper Jedi Padawan, even if he had no idea what that meant, while he kept his ears open for the older Jedi's conversation.

"Let me guess," Dooku said after a few moments of silence. His face held a very faint smile. "They don't believe you about the Sith?"

Qui-Gon's mouth tightened. "Let's just say they think I'm mistaken in my interpretation of several matters lately."

Dooku glanced back at Anakin, who ducked his head and tried to pretend he wasn't listening. "I'm ...withholding judgment on the question of the Chosen One, at the moment. But a Sith threat is not something to take half-seriously."

"I assure you, I am taking it completely seriously. Obi-Wan and I can handle it. Not to say we won't appreciate your assistance. And your company."

Dooku hesitated minutely at that. "I believe you are taking it seriously," he said. "I don't believe the Council is."

"Judging by their not bringing you in to consult?" Qui-Gon asked with a grin, then threw up his hands at the look Dooku gave him. "I don't deny you're the undeniable expert, Master!"

"It might have been a good idea if they had," Dooku said somewhat sourly. "But somehow I suspect they think they are humoring you."

"Well, if so, we'll have a boring time watching Queen Amidala resolve a trade dispute. But a Sith's involvement would explain why the Trade Federation took such an extreme step as to blockade the planet militarily."

"Incidentally, is anyone doing something about that? We are not a military fleet."

"The Trade Federation maintains that their blockade is legal. While I cannot imagine this is within the intended spirit of the law -- unless they had a hand in it, I suppose -- I'm told they are technically correct, at least on the surface of things." Qui-Gon shrugged. "We are to protect the queen. She wishes to return to the planet, and she says she has a plan. That is up to her."

"Politicians!" Dooku sighed.

"Be nice," Qui-Gon chided. "Here we are." They exited onto a landing pad where a sleek ship was waiting.

Anakin bounced a little on his toes and said, "I'm going to say hi to Padmé!" before he ran ahead.

Dooku's eyes narrowed slightly, but he held his tongue. He would have to talk to Anakin about appropriate conduct, but -- he reminded himself -- it was only the boy's first day as a Jedi, never mind a Padawan, and this seemed to be more a case of exuberance than attempting to test his limits. At least the handmaiden he'd charged up to was either pleased to see him, or too kind to show she wasn't.

Qui-Gon conducted the necessary introductions. Obi-Wan lifted an eyebrow at seeing Dooku and Anakin joining them again, but he seemed amused. After they'd taken off, settled in, and had a brief war council with the queen, during which the Jedi politely ignored her reasonably subtle communication with the handmaidens, Dooku found himself alone with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, feeling vaguely unsettled. Not quite as if something was wrong, but more as if everything had suddenly been lifted out of his hands, given a good shake, and then handed back to him.

"I wonder," he murmured, "if I shall still have a padawan at the end of this, or if that... handmaiden is planning on carrying him away. I don't think he'd struggle very hard."

"They do seem to have become good friends," Qui-Gon said.

"However did they meet?" Dooku suddenly frowned, anger swirling around him almost palpably before he released it into the Force. "For that matter, how did you meet? He said you won him."

Qui-Gon blinked. Barely. "We were trying to buy parts to repair the queen's ship from a junk dealer who, as it turned out, owned Anakin and his mother. He wasn't willing to take Republic credits--"

 

Awesomesause.