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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga - PT Cool Change - Memorable Melodies #30

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by GregMcP, Oct 2, 2020.

  1. GregMcP

    GregMcP Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2015
    Even a Sith Lord needs a break sometimes.

    Inspired by...



    Cool Change, or, TGIF

    That meeting had been worse than a cybernetic eye implant without anesthetic.

    Count Dooku strode out the conference room door and down the elegant old stone corridor in his ancestral home of Castle Serenno. His fine black boots clacked and echoed, while his head was still full of irritation at the utter waste of time that had been the past two hours.

    The meeting had been with Wat Tambor, the Foreman of the Techno Union. How the Techno Union functioned with such a fool at its head was beyond him. The meeting was supposed to be a simple progress report on the production of a million more of their shoddy, awful battledroids, but the proceedings were continually interrupted by Wat Tambor twiddling the knob of his shoddy, awful analogue translator.

    Every few sentences, Wat's voice would degrade into electronic static which required more idiotic knob twisting, and then he would have to repeat whatever banalities he was trying to express for a third time. The whole affair was a farce. Unable to tolerate this any longer, The Count had raised a casual hand and mimed a little squeeze in the air. Nothing Foreman Tambor would have noticed, but The Count heard a small cracking sound, and smiled.

    “The next delivery will be-eeerrrwwwwwaaaaaaaa...”, and Tambor gave the knob another twist, only to find it come off in his hands. “.... aaaaaeeeewrrrrrrraaaa”

    The helpless look on his face as he held his little knob, and his inability to express his distress coherently almost made up for the wasted afternoon.
    “Dear Foreman Tambor, I suggest we reconvene at a later date.” The Count gave his infamous carnivorous grin. “When you have your affairs in better order.”

    Clack, clack, clack. The Count strode down the corridor. This useless day was over and the urge to get away from all the false politeness and political dealing filled his every thought. In his pocket, his holocom buzzed. No. Enough. But reluctantly he pulled it out and flipped it open.

    A flickering hologram image of a bulging eyed insect king appeared.
    “Grrzzztik ack brrr trrrkk nictnict arrk.”
    Ugh! Poggle the Lesser immediately grated on The Count’s nerves.
    “Could you call me..” he attempted.
    “Brrrrkt. Zit. Rrrllrlrlrrr.” The Lesser continued.
    “Can we do this another…”
    “ZZZzzzzzrt. Pik.”
    Count Dooku could not handle another moment of these insectiod buzzes and clicks. He slapped his holocon shut. Sigh. That was terrible diplomacy and would cause problems. Tomorrow. And tomorrow he will be able to manage it with grace. But today he had enough.

    He picked up his pace. Clack clack clack. To his personal launching bay.

    Ahh. His Solar Sailer. His beautiful bronze seed pod shaped ship. Built for one, and his droid pilot, of course. “FA-4, prepare the ship for an extended journey.”
    The spindly droid nodded and rolled on treads up the ramp into the cockpit.
    The Count strode up behind him.

    To get away. Just for a few days. This collection of incompetent rulers who called continually for his approval would just have to figure out things for themselves. Just for a few days.

    He sat in his tasteful hand stitched tan leather pilot seat. The tension was already flowing from his body. “FA-4, dear boy, take us out to the Rings of Valenor, when you are ready.”
    The droid gave a brief silent nod. No clicks or squarks. The Count was grateful for that.
    FA-4 flicked a few switches, pulled back on the yoke. The craft lifted, and floated out of the launching bay into a lovely blue sky afternoon. And then up. Up though clouds. Up into orbit.

    The Count’s holocom buzzed again.
    Sigh.
    He should leave it in his pocket. He should turn it off altogether. But he pulled it out and flipped it open.
    “Darth Tyrannus. How is the droid production proceeding?” said the croaking cloaked figure in the hologram.
    Darth Sideous was the worst kind of micromanager. He could call a dozen times in a day, but he wasn't someone Count Dooku could hang up on. He would have to do this.

    As with every flight, FA-4 watched in awe as the blue sky faded into black and the stars began to twinkle into view. It was the wonder of someone seeing it for the first time, which was in a way true since he was built with a deliberately short memory span. He would not remember this discussion between two Sith Lords for more than a few minutes. It was a good security feature.

    “The Techno Union are incompetent fools. Their droids will be almost completely useless, and cost a fortune. So everything is going to plan.” Dooku hoped this discussion would be short.

    The ship flew out past the oddly shaped moon of Mantero, the grey Funeral Moon. Goodbye Serenno, thought FA-4 as the blue-green globe shrank to a dot behind them. Out into empty black interplanetary space. With a button press, the ship’s golden solar sail unfolded before them. The droid clicked off the Ion drive, and the buzz and vibration of the engines ceased. They would now be quietly pushed outwards from the sun by the solar wind. Smooth and quiet and a little magical.

    “Heh heh heh. We will empty the treasuries of a thousand planets, and they will all become dependent on their Emperor.”
    Dooku was burned out by these guttural rantings of Darth Sidious. Enough Evil Machinations for one day.
    “Yes Lord Sidious. Perhaps we can discuss this further another time.”
    But once the Dark Lord had got started on a good rant, it was impossible to stop him.
    “We with CRUSH the will of the people, and all will bow down to meeee…”

    The Count placed his holocom in the dashboard and leaned back in his seat as it gave a small creak. He looked over at FA-4, sitting there and monitoring the controls. The droid had already forgotten their craft taking off just an hour earlier. He felt a pang of envy.

    Together, Count and droid, they watched rocks tumble by as they passed through an asteroid belt. The golden sail in front of them glittered the sun’s reflection.

    “... the Jedi will suffer the indignity…”

    The Count clicked the holocron into Mute. The little hooded hologram continued his diatribe, but finally, quiet.

    “Turn off the cabin lighting, would you dear boy?”

    The cockpit went dark, except for the little blue hologram that he found he just could not pretend was not there. He looked at his little dark master. His final irritation. He hesitated for a moment, then picked the holocom up, took a breath, and flipped it shut.
    There would be consequences.

    All was quiet.
    Just stars and the golden sail.
    And a forgetful droid.

    Together the two of them sat there in peace until for FA-4 this was all that had ever existed.


    The holocom buzzed.

    And buzzed.

    And buzzed.

    Very well. Time for apologies. He flipped it open.
    “Lord Sidious I am sorry…”
    He was looking at the stupid blank face of Viceroy Nute Gunray.
    “Wwhhy were we not informed of your negotiations with the Techno Union? Whee are most insulted…”

    “Oh for frick sake!” The Count flipped the holocom shut and handed it to FA-4.
    “Remove the batteries for me, would you?”


    The solar winds filled their sail, and they floated ever onwards, ever outwards.

    After hours of quiet solitude, an orange ball became noticeable before them. The gas giant Valenor. As it grew larger, a line of white became noticeable across it’s equator. Its famous glittering ring.

    Eventually they floated into orbit, KA-4 skilfully using the radiation from the gas giant to slow down and adjust course. The Rings of Valenor were largely made of shards of Kyber. The Count had sent apprentices out here to collect pieces for their sabers. It seemed a romantic little ritual to give them. The radiation refracted through the shards, scattering rainbows in every direction.

    A kaleidoscope of colors filled their cabin.
    KA-4’s optic sensors absorbed the dazzling beauty. He wished he would never forget it.


    “Over there! I see them! My boy! Go quickly!”

    Count Dooku pointed at distant flowing shapes swimming through the Kyber.
    KA-4 adjusted the sail and tacked into the new direction. It was a pod of Perrgil spacefaring whales. A dozen, perhaps, each with bodies as large as their spacecraft and trailing tentacles twice a long still. Their purple and blue bodies seem to shift hue as they gracefully floated amongst the Kyber and absorbed their natural Force energies.

    This was what Count Dooku had come here for. The anticipation welled up in him.
    “Thank you my dear boy. I will take the controls now. You can power down if you wish.”
    KA-4 nodded, and flipped a switch that activated The Count’s controls.

    The Count sat up straight in his chair, rolling his shoulders and stretching his back. He wiggled his fingers and took the yoke. A quick scan of the various dials to make sure everything was in order.

    He pressed an orange button on the console marked “Harpoon” and gave his famous terrifying teeth filled grin. On the outside of their craft covers slid back to expose several barbed metal spears.

    The deep whalesongs of the Perrgil whooped and droned through the cabin.

    He put his thumb on the harpoon trigger.

    “Now for some fun.”
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2020
  2. Kit'

    Kit' Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Oct 30, 1999
    That started so nicely and I could almost sympathise with the Count and then the end and


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  3. GregMcP

    GregMcP Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2015
    He is Count Dooku afterall.
     
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  4. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    The first scene was very RL slice of lifeish as it echoes the irritations and frustrations of endless wrangling :p =D= The serenity of the solar sail and the lovely destination of the Rings of Valenor -- absolutely contrasted with the ending! :eek:
     
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  5. Toddy

    Toddy Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Nov 13, 2016
    That was a lot of fun.
    I like the tones you’ve achieved in this characterization: supercilious, decadent and deliciously evil.

    But, even more than that, I like your integration of FA-4, his resonance as the sole complaisant being in Dooku’s life, and whom Dooku favors with a more genuine politeness.

    Wookieepedia tells me that “FA-4 units had the unordinary ability to be discreet” but they don’t say how this was achieved. Your explication was nicely done.

    And these bits:
    Brilliant.
     
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2020
  6. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    I can relate to that kind of upbuiding stress. Well done.

    The Count does not only defy gravity here by a little trip into space, but also his daily duties with the war mongers around him, all servants of dear Palpatine like himself.

    Yet the definite ending came as a total surprise. But then again, he has chosen the way of the Sith. Only the symphony of destruction can offer him real peace.
     
  7. Findswoman

    Findswoman Fanfic and Pancakes and Waffles Mod (in Pink) star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2014
    Oh wow, I have to say that ending stunned me, too! :eek: Definitely a change, though maybe a freezing cold one rather than a cool one! Though I guess if I were a Sith Lord who had been having to answer comm calls from various combinations of incompetent underlings and evil masterminds (I love that he just up and mutes Sidious--takes a certain amount of nerve to do that! [face_laugh] ), that might be just the sort of activity I, too, might choose as a way to unwind. As @AzureAngel2 very rightly points out, it's perfectly consistent with his Sithly nature. I too enjoyed seeing FA-4 and a bit of Dooku's gentler side toward this sole confidant of his--interesting exploration of the short-term nature of FA's memory (there are definite important implications there, when dealing with a Sith), with even a wistful hint that he wishes it weren't short term (always enjoy your looks into the minds of droids!). Thanks for yet another one of your unique, thoughtful, and very in-character vignettes! =D=