Dooku woke early. His conversation with Lorian the day before still troubled him. He decided to head to the Room of the Thousand Fountains to stroll among the greenery and let the music of the water calm his mind. It felt luxurious to be able to decide how to spend his time. He knew such days would be over soon, and he intended to enjoy every second of them. He wouldn't allow a small disagreement with his friend to ruin them, either.
He stepped out into the hallway and immediately noticed a change.
Dooku sometimes wasn't sure whether the Force or his intuition was working — he wasn't that experienced yet. But he knew that the atmosphere in the Temple had changed. There was a humming current underneath the calm, an agitation he could pick up easily.
Ahead of him, a few students stood in a cluster. Dooku approached them. He recognized Hran Beling, a fellow student his age. Hran was a Vicon, a small species only one meter tall.
He didn't have to ask the students what they were discussing. Hran looked up at him, his long nose twitching. 'Have you heard the news?
The Sith Holocron has been stolen!'
Dooku was naturally pale, but he felt his blood drain from his face, and he was sure he looked as white as a medic's gown. 'What? How?'
'No one knows how,' Hran said. 'There could be an intruder at the Temple.'
One of the younger students lowered his voice to a whisper. 'What if it's a Sith?'
Hran's eyes twinkled. 'Yes, what if it is?' he asked solemnly. 'He could be walking the halls. He could be anywhere. What if he's behind you right now?' Hran gasped and pointed behind the young student, who jumped in alarm, his Padawan braid flying.
The others burst into nervous laughter. Dooku didn't join them. His heart thumping, he turned away.
There had been no intruder. He was sure of it.
Dooku hurried to Lorian's quarters. The privacy light was on over Lorian's door, but he accessed it anyway. The door was locked.
Dooku pressed his mouth against the seam of the door. 'Let me in, Lorian.'
There was no answer.
'Let me in or I'll go straight to the Jedi Council room,' Dooku threatened.
He heard the smooth click as the lock disengaged, and the door slid open. The room was dark, the shade drawn against the rising sun. He stepped inside and the door hissed shut behind him. All was dark except for the hologram of Caravan, a model star cruiser Lorian had designed. It traveled the room in an endless loop.
Lorian sat in a corner, as if he were trying to press himself against the wall hard enough to melt inside it. His hands dangled between his knees, and Dooku saw that they were shaking.
'You took it.'
'I didn't mean to,' Lorian said. 'I just wanted to look at it.'
'Where is it?'
Lorian pointed to the far corner with his chin. 'Do you feel it?' he whispered. 'I feel so sick.. '
'Why did you take it?' Dooku asked sharply, his gaunt features making him look older than his years. Sweat broke out on his forehead. He could feel the dark power of the Holocron. He didn't want to look at it. Just knowing it was behind him in a dark corner was enough to make him feel shaky.
'I was in the archives. I had it in my hands. Someone was coming. I put it underneath my cloak. Then I ran.' Lorian shuddered. 'I was going to take it back, but I can't.. I can't touch it again, Dooku.
I didn't expect it to be like this.'
'How did you expect it to be?' Dooku asked angrily. 'A pleasant walk in the woods?'
'I have to bring it back,' Lorian said. 'I need your help.' Dooku looked at him in disbelief. 'I told you I didn't want anything to do with this.'
'But you have to help me!' Lorian cried. 'You're my best friend!'
'You got yourself into this,' Dooku said. 'Just stick it under your cloak again and bring it back.'
'I can't do it alone, Dooku,' Lorian said.
Dooku's gaze rested on Lorian's shaking hands. He didn't doubt that Lorian wouldn't be able to do it. 'Please, Dooku,' Lorian begged.
Dooku didn't get a chance to answer. The door suddenly hissed open.
Oppo Rancisis, Jedi Master and revered member of the Jedi Council, stood in the doorway.
'Are you ill, Lorian?' he asked kindly. 'Some of the Masters noticed that you..' His voice trailed off. Dooku felt the atmosphere in the room change, as though gravity had increased. He felt it pressing against him.
Oppo Rancisis stared at them. 'I sense a tremor in the Force,' he said.
They could not speak.
His keen gaze swept the room. Suddenly he turned and strode to the corner and picked up the Holocron. He placed it carefully in the deep pocket of his robe. Then he turned and regarded the two boys.
Lorian pressed himself back against the wall and pushed himself to a standing position.
'It was Dooku's idea,' he said.
