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That had been a blow, and Sidious had not liked the impact that he saw the Lucrehulk given to the Wookies was having on the ongoing low key conflict between them and the Trandoshans. Certainly Kashyyyk's security would be heightened to an entirely new level, even if they hadn't kept most of the Vultures.
The others would have less of an impact. Naboo would be more secure than he would like, but the one given over to the Order after working to pay back Serenno… Sidious let himself actually scoff. Imagine turning a ship that size into a mere humanitarian aid vessel! Pathetic. I can see Master Fay's hand in that. It might win the Jedi more…affection…among the Outer Rim and weaker planets, but it will also bring more attention there and away from where it really matters in the Core.
With the thought of Master Fay and her subtle danger to the Great Plan in mind, Sidious turned his attention to Serenno and fought back a frown. His agents' efforts to infiltrate the new Jedi training center had failed for the simple reason that no servants or droids were allowed in the area now. And Dooku's mansion too was a closed network in terms of the droids there. Sidious's agents, who of course had no idea who they really worked for, could not make any headway either electronically or physically. That leaves me with no way of knowing what Fay or Dooku are doing there. I will just have to wait and see if I can find some other way in, or… Hmm… Perhaps one of my pawns in the Order could be asked to retrain themselves there. Yes, that could work.
Making a note of that, Sidious continued to work, only pausing as he noticed another minor report from Serenno. Dooku was apparently getting in touch with people from past missions or meetings, talking to them in person on Serenno or elsewhere. These meetings were circumspect, in person, with nothing truly hinting at what was going on, but they were all over the spectrum in terms of the individuals involved. But there is a pattern here…
It hit him like a blast of Sith Lightning an instant later. They are all people Dooku met during the time he was most angered at the Senate and at the Jedi's complacency, the time when he was looking into information on the Sith! For a moment a new, almost unknown emotion filled Sidious, an emotion he had never felt since becoming Darth Sidious in the first place: fear. He knows!
After a moment, however, his self-control reasserted itself. The rest of the Order had made no effort in this direction; they were still following the trail he had left them leading out into the Outer Rim in search of the Dark Brothers rather than looking for the Sith. This looks as if only Dooku only has a suspicion here, and he is clearly acting on his own. That makes this manageable.
Going through his own meetings and memories of talking to Dooku, Sidious also knew he had not said anything to the man which would lead him to thinking of Sheev Palpatineas a possible Sith. I would have had before long, but his sudden near-retirement to look after his former padawan Vosa removed him from my orbit, and his interest in the new techniques Fay and T'ra Saa have introduced completely removed his desire to learn about the Sith. So I am safe…
A smile of pure villainous delight slowly formed on Sidious's face, and he fought back a desire to cackle like a villain from a child's show. But Plague is not… This, this could be the opportunity I have been waiting for. Now…how to go about setting this up and making certain none of it can splash back on me…
OOOOOOO
Dooku slowly pulled out of his meditation, only now noticing that his shoulders were a bit sore. I am quite obviously not getting any younger, despite the sheer amount of exercise I have been getting lately, he thought to himself with something approaching amusement. The Force could do many, many things, but reversing the touch of time was not one of them. And as a human he had a finite amount of lifespan, unlike Master Fay or Yoda. I suppose I should be happy I am not as frail as most men my age, but even so the Force can do only so much.
Despite the pain in his shoulders, Dooku allowed himself a grim little smile as he moved over to the window looking out into the sprawling training area. He had been busily clearing his memory, organizing it and going through each memory in turn which he thought might hold a clue to whoever had been trying to manipulate him into looking into the Sith. Dooku had been astonished by how much he had actually retained, but the organization of his memories left much to be desired until he started learning what Master Fay called Occlumency.
Organizing his memory thus also brought to mind a few of his less than best moments and forced Dooku to deal with them in turn. While I was a good Jedi for the mot part, I might not have been the best person at several points, including when I was training my padawans.
This method of organizing his mind had brought instantly to his conscious mind how many mistakes he had made in the training of both of his padawans. Very different mistakes, but still mistakes. He thought he had dealt with that, and he had in terms of Komari and had even atoned for his mistakes with her. But Dooku hadn't been able to truly atone in his own eyes for the mistakes he had made with Qui-Gon.
Still, at least I recognized most of them once they were rubbed in my face. I simply made new ones, Dooku thought ruefully, turning to another set of windows on the other wall as he heard the sound of people walking on the gravel walkway leading up to his mansion's front door.
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