(no subject)
Dooku is sitting in his room, meditating on who-knows-what, when he hears a knock. Sensing out quickly who it is, Dooku comes out of his trance and stands up. "Come in."
Bonzo comes through the door. "Master Dooku."
"How are you doing today?"
"Not too badly. And you?"
"Much the same. I've been fortunate to be trapped in here for so long; I've never had so much time to meditate on the Force."
Dooku is being at least somewhat sarcastic, but it's also rather true: Not many missions, not having a galaxy that needs protecting calling on him...just one student who manages to keep his hands full. Not bad, frankly.
"I was wondering..." Dramatic pause.
"Out with it, Bonzo." Sigh and a smile. "You know what you want to say, so go ahead and say it."
"When am I getting my lightsaber back?"
Dooku closes his eyes. "Sit down."
Bonzo complies, sitting down quietly.
"I've known you for approximately two years in here. For you, it's been...somewhat longer."
"That's about right. Four years once you count my time back home, I think."
"Alright. In that time, what have you learned?"
Pause, with much thought. "I've seen what can happen when I let my anger or my ambition get the better of me."
"And that is?"
"I do things...that I shouldn't do. Bad things." Understatement of the month, anyone?
"You have given into these...tendencies of yours twice since I took you on. What guarantee do I have that you won't give in again?"
"I'm not in a position like I was before..."
"No, you're in one where you could, in time, take absolute power if you so desired. That was never available to you on Earth."
Blink. "I never thought of it that way."
"I had a feeling that you hadn't. You don't think of what can tempt you until it does." Pause. "The dark side is that way most of the time. It preys on weaknesses that we don't see as well as those that we do."
"But I know my weaknesses now."
"What are they?"
Pause. "Pride. That's my biggest fault. Always has been. I'm infallible in my own mind sometimes. That's what led me to hate Ender Wiggin...he hurt my image of myself and I wanted revenge for it. It's also what led me to take Achilles' offer: I thought I could use the knowledge I had to help people; I overlooked the possibility...no, the fact...that I was helping a tyrant with what I was doing. And I told myself I was helping people."
"And when you lost your temper at the sight of Petra?"
"I was in love."
"You're not the first Jedi to face that problem, Bonzo, and you're never going to be the last."
"She called it off. Told me to get lost. You can ask Master Kenobi for the details."
Deep sigh. "It's for the best, Bonzo."
"Yeah, but I'm in a position where I'll be expected to have children...the colony and all."
"At least you won't be blinded by love or infatuation if that comes to pass." Long pause. "I don't think you're going to fall again, but I want you to understand something."
Bonzo sighs. Warning: Incoming Lecture. "Yes?"
"If you fall again, I won't hesitate to do what I did last time. If necessary, I won't hesitate to kill you."
"I won't."
"I hope not. I didn't come down on you hard enough the first t ime. Hopefully...this time, I hope you've learned your lesson."
Bonzo sighs, and thinks for a long moment about everything. "You don't...no, you probably should worry, but I don't plan on doing anything like that again. Ever. If nothing else, it'll draw too much attention to me."
"Believe me, I don't think I'll ever stop worrying about you." Pause. "Not that you'll keep me up at night, but..."
"I understand."
"Even Qui-Gon gave me fits. He turned out well enough. And I thought I'd never fall, but...well, absent some very clear explanations from Master Kenobi, I'd probably be on my way to the dark side myself. You've...seen the movies, as I recall."
Bonzo nods, and sighs. "I have."
Pause for thought. "Bonzo, I'm going to let you have your lightsaber back." Dooku reaches into a drawer in his desk, and opens a box, revealing the 'saber. "Would you please reach into the second drawer in my dresser?" Pause. "Second from the top, that is."
Bonzo reaches into the drawer, and reveals a box after a little bit of rummaging that draws a light chuckle from Dooku.
"I was worried that you might try to steal it from me, so I kept the crystal separate." Pause. "One of my old friends, Lorian Nod, tried stealing a holocron...and let's not even get into Bruck Chun, shall we? Let's just say that you never bothered to try and steal it, so I'll take that as encouraging."
Bonzo hands over the box, which Dooku pops open with a silent wave. Inside is the lightsaber focusing crystal. Dooku removes it, wipes it down carefully, and reinserts it into Bonzo's lightsaber. Closing the lightsaber back up, he carefully ignites it and examines the blade for a moment before extinguishing it. "There you go. Good as new. Now, don't let me catch you using it to execute dissidents...or anything like that...ever again."
"You won't. I'm never going down that path again."
"Good. We can start sparring practice again tomorrow."
"Oh, and Bonzo?"
"Yes, Master?"
"The next time you pull anything like you did with Achilles, I will stop you. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
Bonzo comes through the door. "Master Dooku."
"How are you doing today?"
"Not too badly. And you?"
"Much the same. I've been fortunate to be trapped in here for so long; I've never had so much time to meditate on the Force."
Dooku is being at least somewhat sarcastic, but it's also rather true: Not many missions, not having a galaxy that needs protecting calling on him...just one student who manages to keep his hands full. Not bad, frankly.
"I was wondering..." Dramatic pause.
"Out with it, Bonzo." Sigh and a smile. "You know what you want to say, so go ahead and say it."
"When am I getting my lightsaber back?"
Dooku closes his eyes. "Sit down."
Bonzo complies, sitting down quietly.
"I've known you for approximately two years in here. For you, it's been...somewhat longer."
"That's about right. Four years once you count my time back home, I think."
"Alright. In that time, what have you learned?"
Pause, with much thought. "I've seen what can happen when I let my anger or my ambition get the better of me."
"And that is?"
"I do things...that I shouldn't do. Bad things." Understatement of the month, anyone?
"You have given into these...tendencies of yours twice since I took you on. What guarantee do I have that you won't give in again?"
"I'm not in a position like I was before..."
"No, you're in one where you could, in time, take absolute power if you so desired. That was never available to you on Earth."
Blink. "I never thought of it that way."
"I had a feeling that you hadn't. You don't think of what can tempt you until it does." Pause. "The dark side is that way most of the time. It preys on weaknesses that we don't see as well as those that we do."
"But I know my weaknesses now."
"What are they?"
Pause. "Pride. That's my biggest fault. Always has been. I'm infallible in my own mind sometimes. That's what led me to hate Ender Wiggin...he hurt my image of myself and I wanted revenge for it. It's also what led me to take Achilles' offer: I thought I could use the knowledge I had to help people; I overlooked the possibility...no, the fact...that I was helping a tyrant with what I was doing. And I told myself I was helping people."
"And when you lost your temper at the sight of Petra?"
"I was in love."
"You're not the first Jedi to face that problem, Bonzo, and you're never going to be the last."
"She called it off. Told me to get lost. You can ask Master Kenobi for the details."
Deep sigh. "It's for the best, Bonzo."
"Yeah, but I'm in a position where I'll be expected to have children...the colony and all."
"At least you won't be blinded by love or infatuation if that comes to pass." Long pause. "I don't think you're going to fall again, but I want you to understand something."
Bonzo sighs. Warning: Incoming Lecture. "Yes?"
"If you fall again, I won't hesitate to do what I did last time. If necessary, I won't hesitate to kill you."
"I won't."
"I hope not. I didn't come down on you hard enough the first t ime. Hopefully...this time, I hope you've learned your lesson."
Bonzo sighs, and thinks for a long moment about everything. "You don't...no, you probably should worry, but I don't plan on doing anything like that again. Ever. If nothing else, it'll draw too much attention to me."
"Believe me, I don't think I'll ever stop worrying about you." Pause. "Not that you'll keep me up at night, but..."
"I understand."
"Even Qui-Gon gave me fits. He turned out well enough. And I thought I'd never fall, but...well, absent some very clear explanations from Master Kenobi, I'd probably be on my way to the dark side myself. You've...seen the movies, as I recall."
Bonzo nods, and sighs. "I have."
Pause for thought. "Bonzo, I'm going to let you have your lightsaber back." Dooku reaches into a drawer in his desk, and opens a box, revealing the 'saber. "Would you please reach into the second drawer in my dresser?" Pause. "Second from the top, that is."
Bonzo reaches into the drawer, and reveals a box after a little bit of rummaging that draws a light chuckle from Dooku.
"I was worried that you might try to steal it from me, so I kept the crystal separate." Pause. "One of my old friends, Lorian Nod, tried stealing a holocron...and let's not even get into Bruck Chun, shall we? Let's just say that you never bothered to try and steal it, so I'll take that as encouraging."
Bonzo hands over the box, which Dooku pops open with a silent wave. Inside is the lightsaber focusing crystal. Dooku removes it, wipes it down carefully, and reinserts it into Bonzo's lightsaber. Closing the lightsaber back up, he carefully ignites it and examines the blade for a moment before extinguishing it. "There you go. Good as new. Now, don't let me catch you using it to execute dissidents...or anything like that...ever again."
"You won't. I'm never going down that path again."
"Good. We can start sparring practice again tomorrow."
"Oh, and Bonzo?"
"Yes, Master?"
"The next time you pull anything like you did with Achilles, I will stop you. Do you understand?"
"Yes."