The request arrived while the morning court was clearing out. Dooku was standing near the tall windows of his office, one hand resting behind his back, the other holding a tablet with notices waiting for his approval. Steward Neral stood near the door with his own tablet held against his chest. The man has been in and out of this office six times before noon, always with a new matter that cannot wait. He signs the first notice with a brief touch of his thumb. "Send this to the port authority. Existing docking rights stand. Any captain attempting to delay bonded cargo for political reasons loses priority access for thirty days."
Neral bows his head. "Yes, Your Majesty." Dooku signs the second notice and pauses over the third. A soft chime sounds from the desk. Neral looks down at his tablet. "A priority transmission from Coruscant." Dooku seemed to have been waiting for this one. "The Senate?"
"No, Your Majesty." Neral's thumb moves over the screen. "The Jedi Temple." He turns from the window, the hem of his cloak shifting over the polished floor. "Open the header." Neral sends it to the larger display beside the desk.
JEDI HIGH COUNCIL — FORMAL REQUEST FOR CONTINUED DIPLOMATIC AND EDUCATIONAL CONTACT
"Have they requested a meeting?" Dooku asks. "Yes. With you, as soon as your schedule allows." Neral looks faintly amused before smoothing his face. Dooku steps closer to the display. "Show the full message."
The text expands. The Council offers congratulations, and they acknowledge Serenno's "altered political circumstances." They express a desire to maintain open communication. They request permission to send one Jedi Master and one Padawan to Serenno for a temporary placement.
Dooku reads the message to the end. His expression does not change. Neral shifts his weight. "Shall I prepare a refusal?"
"No." Neral looks up. Dooku walked to his desk and finally sat down. "Have my sister join us."
"At once." Neral left quickly. Dooku remains still for a moment. He knew the Council long enough. Some of them would have wanted distance. Some would have wanted closer access. Others would have spoken of danger. After a while, the office door opens again. Jenza entered her eyes first, going to the projection, then to him.
"The Temple?" she asks. "Yes." Her mouth tightens. "That was fast." She walked closer and looked over the message. "They want eyes in the palace." Jenza looks at him. "Are you not going to refuse?"
"No." She studies him for a moment. Jenza circles the desk and stood near the window. Outside, one of the palace banners catches in a light wind and snaps once before settling. "Who are they sending?"
"The message does not name them." Dukoo sighed, somewhat expecting the worst. "That means they want to discuss it," Jenza added. Dooku looks back at the message. Maybe they expected him to deny them if he knew the name of the master they would send. "The Jedi are not wrong to be concerned." Jenza's expression softens by a small amount. "No. They are not." A second chime sounds.
Neral's voice comes through the office speaker. "The Council is ready to receive your answer whenever you wish, Your Majesty." Dooku closes the draft without sending it. "Inform them I will speak with them now."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Jenza moves toward the side of the room, out of the main line of the projector, but still close enough to listen. "Do you want me present?"
"Remain if you wish," Dukoo spoke calmly. She puts her glove back on, slow and neat. "Then let us see how politely they try to put a leash on us." The projector in the center of the office flickers to life. Blue light rises, gathers, and forms several figures. Yoda sits at the center, Mace Windu stands beside him with his arms folded inside his sleeves. Ki-Adi-Mundi is present, as expected. Plo Koon stands with that calm patience Dooku remembers too well. Adi Gallia and Shaak Ti are also there, both watchful.
Dooku remains seated for one measured breath, then he rises. "Master Jedi's." Yoda lowers his head slightly. "King Dooku." Mace's face gives away nothing. "Your message was received," Dooku says.
"We wished to speak before any misunderstanding could grow," Mace says. "A wise choice. Rarely practiced enough in the Republic." Dukoo added while his eyes moved over each member again. Ki-Adi's mouth tightens. Plo's head tilts just slightly, as if hearing both the words and the old wound beneath them.
Yoda taps his stick once against the floor of the Council chamber. The sound comes through the transmission faintly. "Changed, Serenno has. Changed quickly. Contact, we wish to maintain."
"Contact is not off the table, but that will be up to how honest you all are," Dooku says. Shaak Ti's eyes settle on him. "Then we will be honest. The Council believes it would benefit all sides if a Jedi presence remained near Serenno for a time. As a channel." Dooku's expression did not change. "A channel."
"And as guidance," Ki-Adi adds. "Where appropriate." Mace inclines his head. "We are not asking to govern your world."
"No," Dooku replies. "You are asking to place members of your Order inside my court during the first weeks of restored sovereignty." Silence follows that. Plo speaks next. "Liora is strong in the Force. We would be failing in our duty if we pretended otherwise."
"And I would be failing in mine if I failed to protect her from the life I had to lead." Yoda's ears lower a fraction. "Terms, you have."
"I do."
Mace does not look surprised. "State them." Dooku walks around his desk, standing fully in the projector's light. "Any Jedi sent to Serenno will be received as guests of the crown. They will not act as representatives of the Senate. They will not advise noble houses, contact military officers, or involve themselves in internal governance unless I request it."
Ki-Adi's eyes narrow. Mace looks to Yoda, then back to Dooku. "Continue."
"They may speak with Liora only if she seeks them out. They may offer instruction in areas I approve. They will not suggest that her future belongs to the Temple. They will not perform tests, medical or otherwise, without my permission."
Adi's face remains calm. "That is understood."
"Good," Dooku says. "Their communications with the Temple will be respected. Their official requests will go through the palace. If they are approached by noble houses seeking to use them as leverage, they will report it." Shaak Ti gives a small nod. "Reasonable."
Yoda watches him for a long moment. "Trust, little there is."
"There is no trust," Dooku says. "But it can be built by behavior." His eyes focused on his former master. "Who do you intend to send?" Mace answers. "Master Luminara Unduli." Dooku considers the name. "And the Padawan?"
"Barriss Offee," Shaak Ti says. Dooku looks from face to face. "A Mirialan Master with a Mirialan Padawan," Jenza says. "And you expect that to help with my niece." Shaak Ti answered gently. "Liora has already shown interest in identity, belonging, and culture from her conversation with master Plo. Master Unduli may be able to offer her something we cannot from a distance."
"Luminara is measured," Dooku says. "She will do. But what of this Barriss?"
"Thoughtful," Plo says. "Observant. Serious for her age." Dooku's mouth moves by the smallest amount. "That could describe half the children the Order worries about." Plo inclines his head. "It can." Mace steps in. "They will follow the boundaries set for the mission."
"They will do well to follow them," Dooku turns and lifts his tablet from the desk. "I will send written terms within the hour. If the Council accepts, Master Unduli and Padawan Offee may depart when ready. They will be cleared through palace approach lanes and met at the royal landing court." Yoda studies him. "Allow this, why?"
Jenza's eyes move to Dooku as he lowers the tablet. "Because closing every door is a habit of frightened men," he says. "I am not frightened. And because my daughter should learn what the Jedi are from more than old records, and my distaste for what they have become." Plo's presence in the holo stills. Yoda's gaze softens by a shade. "Good, this may be."
"Or it may not," Dooku says. "That depends on all of us." Mace gives a short nod. "They should arrive in three standard days for travel." Ki-Adi finally speaks again. "And if Liora chooses to speak with them more freely than you expect?"
Dooku turns his head toward him. "Then she will have made a choice. I do not fear her choices, Master Mundi." Ki-Adi says nothing after that. Then Yoda inclines his head. "Terms, send, Review them, we will. Hope, I do, that wisdom guides this."
"As do I." The projection breaks into blue sparks and vanishes. The office returns to daylight as the window covers rise. Jenza lets out a slow breath. "Well." Dooku looks at the empty space where the Council had been. "They chose well."
"That worries you?"
"I would be a fool if I didn't take this seriously." Jenza walks toward the desk. "Luminara will be harder to dismiss than what you were expecting."
"Yes."
"And the Padawan?" Dooku looks down at the crown resting beside his work. "We will see." Three days later, I learned that droid fingers were evil.
Pov returned.
I sat at a workbench in one of the smaller palace classrooms with my sleeves rolled up, a magnifier clipped over one eye, and a half-built droid hand sitting in front of me. Master Rennic stood beside the bench with his hands behind his back. He was a droid engineer with grey hair, an oil stain under one thumbnail, and the calm patience of a man who had watched rich people break expensive machines for thirty years and somehow not committed murder. "The third tendon line is too tight," he said.
I looked at the hand, and I had loosened the second line twice. A tiny, horrible little mistake. I picked up the micro-tool again. "I knew that." I tried to recover my pride. "Of course, Your Highness." I glanced at him as his face, which was perfectly serious.
A little training remote hovered on the other side of the room, turned off, and was resting in its cradle. It had been opened earlier, so I could see how the repulsor system connected to the stabilizer ring. I was not allowed to work on the active power cell yet. The classroom smelled like warm metal and cleaning solvent. One of the windows had been cracked open, and cool garden air slipped in every so often, carrying the faint smell of wet leaves.
I adjusted the third tendon line, and the droid fingers twitched, I stared at them. Master Rennic leaned closer. "Better." The fingers opened again when I triggered the signal. Not smoothly, but they opened. "It still catches," I said. "Near the second knuckle."
"Yes."
"So the joint pin is crooked?"
"Most Likely." Master Rennic made a sound that might have been a cough. "Most machines are spiteful, Your Highness." I set the hand down and flexed my own fingers. My fingertips were sore from holding the tools too tightly. But I liked it. I picked up the little hand again and turned it over. The future I knew was already cracking in places. Not gone or useless, but no longer could be considered 100 percent true.
Master Rennic tapped the workbench lightly. "Your Highness?" I looked up. "Sorry."
"Your focus went elsewhere." I sighed and nodded, "It does that."
"So I have noticed."
I looked up at him. "If I wanted to build a droid that could operate away from me for long periods, what would I need to learn first?" Master Rennic did not answer quickly. He leaned against the edge of the workbench, eyes moving over the parts in front of me. "That depends on what you mean by operate." His eyes turned to look at me. "Travel. Observe. Make simple decisions. Defend itself if needed." He looked at me with the expression adults wore when deciding how much truth a child could handle.
"If you want a droid that can operate away from you," he said, "you need decision architecture, communications, and memory security. If it may need to defend itself, then you add targeting ethics and weapons control."
"Targeting ethics?" I repeated. "Yes." It seemed like he wasn't going to go into detail. The classroom door opened before I could ask the next question. One of the palace servants stepped inside and bowed. "Your Highness."
"Yes?"
"His Majesty requests your presence in the west receiving hall." I set down the tool. Master Rennic straightened. "We can continue tomorrow." I looked down at the droid hand. One finger was still slightly crooked. "Can I leave it here?"
"Of course."
"Please don't fix it." He looked offended as I asked. "I would never." That sounded like a sacred promise from a man who had very strong opinions about learning through suffering. I slid off the stool and smoothed my sleeves. There was a faint black streak on one cuff. The servant's eyes flicked to it and then away. I sighed. "Do I have time to change?"
They shook their head. My stomach did a small, suspicious twist. "Who are we receiving?" The servant's face remained smooth. "Jedi guests, Your Highness." I knew this was coming. Not the exact moment, but still. The Jedi were not going to ignore me forever. Not after the visit. Not after Father put a crown on his head and changed the shape of Serenno's future. Of course, they sent someone. I walked toward the door. My shoes clicked softly against the classroom floor. The servant walked a step ahead of me. Two guards fell in at a distance.
I passed a polished wall panel and caught my reflection for half a second. Small. Red-brown formal tunic, cream underlayer, hair pinned back. One cheek may be a little smudged with oil. My thoughts moved faster than my feet. Who had they sent? Plo Koon would have made sense if they wanted trust. Mace would be too much pressure. Yoda would be impossible. Ki-Adi would be… no thank you. Obi-Wan was still a Knight, and sending him would be strange. The closer we got to the receiving hall, the more palace activity changed. Servants moved with careful purpose. Guards stood a little straighter.
I felt Father before I saw him. His presence in the Force was steady and contained. I found him in the west receiving hall. He stood near the center of the room, dressed in black and deep red, his cloak falling neatly from his shoulders. Captain Varin stood near the side entrance with two palace guards. Jenza was there too, because of course she was. My aunt missed very little and trusted less. Father turned when I entered, his eyes went to my stained cuff, then to my face.
"Droid lesson going well, dear?" he asked. "Yes, Father. I managed to get one hand working. Mostly." Jenza's mouth curved. "A strong beginning." I walked to Father's side. I stood a little straighter. "Who?"
"Master Luminara Unduli and Padawan Barriss Offee." For one second, I forgot how to breathe normally. Of course. Of course, the galaxy would do that. Barriss Offee, future traitor, Future bomber, Future mirror held up to the Jedi Order's failures. Depending on which version of the story the universe decided to follow, she was either a girl crushed under a war that had not happened yet or someone already walking toward a cliff she could not see.
And she was coming here, Father noticed. His eyes sharpened slightly. "You know of them?"
"I can't say I've ever met them," I said. "Master Unduli is respected. Disciplined. Known for being calm under pressure." Father said while resting his hand on my shoulder. "And Barriss?" I asked. "I know less about her." The landing doors gave a low tone. Captain Varin turned his head. "Their shuttle has touched down." A servant moved to the side panel. The great doors began to open. Sunlight spilled through first, white and bright. A gust of outside air followed, carrying the smell of rain on stone and starship heat.
The shuttle waited beyond the threshold on the royal landing court, sleek and quiet, with Temple markings along its side. Its ramp lowered. Master Luminara Unduli descended first. She moved with calm balance, robes falling in clean lines, dark headdress framing a face that seemed carved out of patience. Her eyes took in the hall, Barriss followed. She was smaller than her master, of course. A young Padawan, straight-backed, hands folded into her sleeves. The dark markings across her face made her expression seem more serious.
Her eyes found me, and I wondered what she saw. The Jedi crossed the hall. Luminara bowed first, respectful. "Your Majesty." Father inclined his head. "Master Unduli." Her gaze moved to Jenza. "Lady Serenno." Jenza returned the nod. "Master Jedi." Then Luminara looked at me. "Princess Liora." I gave a small bow. "Master Unduli."
Barriss bowed too. "Your Highness." Her voice was quiet. I looked at her and felt the future. Could I change her future? And if I did, would something else, something much worse, take her place?
"Padawan Offee," I said. Her eyes lifted a little. She had not expected me to know her name before the introduction. Father's attention brushed against me through the Force. I softened my expression into something more childlike. "My father told me."
Barriss accepted that with a small nod while Luminara's eyes moved between us once. Father stepped forward, drawing the focus back to himself with the ease of a man who had spent his life owning rooms. "You have had a long journey. Your quarters are prepared. The terms agreed upon by the Council have been received and accepted."
Luminara nodded. "We are grateful for the welcome." Jenza stepped. "Perhaps we should let our guests rest." A protocol droid rolled forward and bowed. "Master Unduli, Padawan Offee, I have been instructed to guide you to your assigned quarters. Refreshments have been prepared according to Temple dietary standards, though the kitchen requests clarification on whether the bitter-root infusion should be served hot or merely warm."
Barriss looked briefly confused. Luminara answered without missing a beat. "Warm will be fine." The droid bowed again. "Excellent. The kitchen staff will be relieved to hear this." Luminara turned back to him. "When would you prefer our first formal discussion?"
"After you have rested," Father said. "This evening. Until then, you may settle in."
"And Princess Liora?" Luminara asked. Father's expression remained calm. "She has her own schedule." Luminara inclined her head. "Of course." Barriss looked at me again. There was curiosity there. The protocol droid began leading them toward the guest wing. Luminara followed, but Barriss lagged half a step behind for just long enough to glance back at me.
I gave her a tiny nod, and she returned it. Then she went through the side archway, her robes whispering softly over the floor. I let out a breath I had not meant to hold. Jenza noticed. "Well?" I kept my eyes on the empty archway. "That was not who I expected."
Father's gaze settled on me. "Who did you expect?" I shrugged a little. "Master Koon, maybe. Because I spoke with him before." "That would have been the obvious choice, if not for the fact that Master Plo has his own duties," Father said.