(no subject)
It was evening. Rather late, actually. Dooku had been observing Bonzo for a few days...ever since he had returned to the Bar feeling particularly dark. He'd been sorting out what was wrong, and he'd finally come up with something resembling an answer. So, finally, he approached Bonzo as he was heading to bed, in the hallway outside his room.
"Good evening, Bonzo. What have you been up to?"
Bonzo jumped at the sight, trying to stuff thoughts away in corners of his mind so he didn't betray anything.
"N...nothing. Just practicing, working, you know..."
"Quite. What sort of work are you involved in back home?"
Bonzo blinked, and came up with an answer after a moment. "Security and forecasting." A pause. "I've been using that information I got when I was on Petra's world...using it to warn people. And working to make sure that the ability to disperse that information isn't sabotaged." Which was, by the way, harmless in his mind.
"I see. Tell me, why do I sense something dark in you? It's screaming like a mynock stuck in quicksand."
Bonzo blinked, seemingly confused. "Dark? There is nothing wrong with what I've been doing." He frowned slightly. "I'm a bit tired...practice this evening was exhausting, and I'd like to get some rest."
Bonzo stepped forward, trying to enter his room, but Dooku positioned himself in Bonzo's way. "Not just yet. I have a few more questions...to put my mind at ease. If you don't mind, that is."
The frown on Bonzo's face darkened a bit, showing either irritation or anger at being delayed. "What do you want to know?"
"First of all, I've been watching you for a few days...and you know how hard it is to hide things from a Jedi, do you not?"
Bonzo's face flushed, remembering the...incident with Corran some time before. "I...I do."
"Then why don't you tell me how you've been protecting the project. You were rather vague about that."
Bonzo shook his head. "It's not important."
"Executing dissenters isn't important?"
Bonzo nearly jumped. As much as he should have known that would come out, it both caught him by surprise and embarassed him. I thought I had that thought hidden... And Bonzo's face turns red with embarassment. "They endangered the project. It had to be done." A brief pause. "If I hadn't killed them, Achilles would have killed me." And then Bonzo realizes what he just said.
Dooku frowned at Bonzo. "Achilles?" Pause. "Why in the Force were you working with Achilles?"
Bonzo looks up at Dooku, frowning. "Because I had no other option. If I didn't go to him, the information wouldn't get out nearly as far as it has." A glare follows. "You wouldn't understand."
"I wouldn't understand?" Dooku's voice is almost contemptuous at that. "Like I don't understand why Exar Kun fell to the dark side or why Anakin Skywalker turned on the Jedi Order?" Pause, with a shake of the head. "Bonzo, I do not know where you got the death sticks you have been taking, but you are clearly on some."
"I know what I'm doing, Master. Stay out of it."
"I will most certainly not. Whatever posessed you to team up with that monster, you are turning into one yourself."
"I am not. I am helping to bring unity to my world, and helping to save thousands of people in the process!"
"By executing anyone who disagrees with you?"
"By removing threats to security by any means necessary."
"And nothing seems wrong with that?"
"Absolutely not."
"Then you are no better than Achilles."
Bonzo's temper tipped over an invisible line at that point, and he began reaching for his lightsaber. "I am far better than Achilles. Don't you dare say I am like him. I am nothing like him."
"You are nothing like him? What part of killing people who are defenseless is not like him, Bonzo?" Dooku's glare bored into Bonzo. "Then again, maybe you're worse. After all, you're the one executing people." A pause ensued. "I'm sure you feel honorable doing it, too."
Bonzo's temper exploded, and his hand grabbed his lightsaber, and took it off his belt. He ignited it, and swung upwards at Dooku. The strike was fended off almost effortlessly, as Dooku stepped back. Dooku fended off the next blow, and then the blow after that. "Yet more of your honor, Madrid. I did not raise a hand against you, and you struck at me."
Bonzo kept trying to break Dooku's defense, but his strokes were fended off almost without any effort, causing his frustration to soar. After perhaps a minute of this, Bonzo's patience collapsed, and he lunged forward.
When Bonzo lunged, Dooku simply made a pair of counter-blows as he stepped aside. The first caught Bonzo on his left leg, sending him stumbling. Bonzo then prepared to strike downwards in another attack, and Dooku grazed him on his right arm as he blocked the blow. Bonzo dropped his lightsaber as the pain from both wounds hit him, allowing Dooku to catch it in the air as Bonzo hit the floor, screaming in pain.
"You bastard!"
"Me? You drew your lightsaber first, Bonzo." Dooku used the Force to call Bonzo's lightsaber into his hand, and looked at it. "You moved first. I merely defended myself." And a pause. "You seem to have forgotten that I did not have nearly enough time to teach you more than a fraction of what I know before you left."
Dooku looked Bonzo over as he lays there, writhing in pain at the two cuts, and shook his head, leaning down. A waitrat soon appeared, and Dooku took a deep breath. "Could you send for someone on security? I need a hand." The rat headed off obligingly, and Dooku knelt beside Bonzo.
"How could you do this to me, Dooku?" The anger and hurt was audible in Bonzo's voice.
"I only defended myself, Bonzo. I could have more easily taken your arm off."
Bonzo looked down at his leg and his arm, and shook his head. "I don't need your help."
And security is incoming. We hope.