Chapter Sixteen: Doom Vs Dooku

I started the fight with a thrust which Dooku parried easily. I brought the blade back for a horizontal slash which he blocked but it also knocked him back a couple of steps. We moved in a circular pattern with me raising the sword up to where the blade rested on my elbow and Dooku shaking his arms out from the impact. Then he proceeded to come at me like a fencer, lunging so he could get a chest hit. I managed to parry his thrust but he was able to bring his blade back for a leg strike. He scraped the surface of my leg armor as I was able to step back. I attempted a downward strike at his hand but he moved it out of the way. I caught his lightsaber and held it down. He tried to get it out but he was no match for my strength. As we stood there, he started a monologue about power and other bullshit. I just shook my head and brought the blade up for a thrust in one motion. He backed up and parried the thrust but my sword scrapped the fabric of his clothes.

He looked down at it as we once again moved in a circular pattern. "You are a good fighter...you lack the finer points of dueling and hope to make up for it with heavy attacks". Said Dooku as he moved elegantly for another attack. I moved to block him as it seemed like he was gonna thrust at my right arm but he feinted and struck my left arm instead. It went through and burned a little but I was able to move back so it was a stab and not a cut. I was getting more frustrated as I kept attacking him with heavy slashes and cuts. It was like watching an experienced fencer fighting a barbarian with a club. I was delivering heavy slashes and some punches while Dooku was parrying and delivering precise cuts. These cuts barely did any damage to my health but they were annoying the shit out of me. I was gonna fight him honorably but at this point, fuck it.

I went for a overhead strike which he blocked but then I dropped my left arm and unsheathed the Doomblade. He barely saw it coming as the Doomblade cut his chest severely. He backed up, trying to use the Force to sustain his wounds while defending at the same time. But he had to defend more often since there was two blades in play now. I was getting angry so my attacks were more ferocious and my health was more buffed up. Dooku was now focused on defending as his bones started to ache from blocking the heavy strikes. So as I was about to deliver a downward strike with both weapons, he shot Force Lightning at me. It knocked me back onto the ground but what surprised me was that the Force Lightning didn't seem to affect me. My muscles twitched but I was able to stand back up much to Dooku's surprise. I walked towards him with confidence as he started backing up. Then he stopped shooing lightning and wanted to thrust at me but I kept attacking him. I ended up giving multiple downward strikes that he blocked every time but as he did, he got pushed back into a wall.

We locked into a clash as I pushed him into the wall. The blade started to heat up as I put more and more pressure on it. The lightsaber was getting close to his face as Dooku was desperately trying to find a way out. He could feel the heat of the blade as it got dangerously closer to his face before he managed to free a hand and Force Push me away. I didn't go far as I continued to bash him with the sword. He continued to block but he also kept dropping his arms lower and lower. Were it not for me being pissed off, I would attack in the opening but I was just doing wide swings. A portion of my sword was starting to glow bright white as I kept attacking with the same area. Till finally, I did one more downward strike and the top half of the blade broke off. But I still had half of it plus the extra blade attach to it. Dooku thought he had a opportunity to strike but I thrusted with the blades which he parried but in a split second, he forgot about the Doomblade which I stabbed his leg with. He cried out in pain before giving me one final Force Push. Then he used the Force to bring the ceiling down onto me. The impact was enough to hinder my movement as Dooku kept going till I was buried completely. He tried to run out of the room but the wound in his leg gave him a limp.

As he was limping out of the room, he could the cracking of stone as he turned around to see my hand emerge from the rubble. He started to hop away on his good leg while collapsing the tunnel. I had fully gotten out and looked at the door. I managed to calm myself down a little as I gather the pieces of the broken sword. With my Smithing Proficiency, I could reforge it. As I was looking around, I noticed that the last sarcophagus was broken open. Inside wasn't a lightsaber but a Sith Holocron, I took it and put it into my Inventory. Maybe I could get Cortana to open it or wait till Ventress becomes an Ally. I told Cortana to set up the portal to send me to the entrance of the temple.

Meanwhile...

Dooku was limping through the corridor that the Terentatek had chased Doom down. But when he entered the main portion of the temple, he was shocked to see Doom standing there. He ignited his lightsaber and pointed it at him but he was more shocked when he saw Doom pull out a lightsaber as well. More so when it was ignited and the blade was red. We stood there for a while as Dooku was trying to hide the doubt in his face. It was like watching a western duel, waiting for the other person to make a move. There was a slight wind that blew past us, carrying some of the dust with it. He had assumed his Makashi stance while I thought of another mind game to play. I held the saber with both hands and brought it up to where it was next to my face. This was the same stance Qui-Gon used before fighting Maul. I could tell that it bothered Dooku as he stared at me. So I said one more thing while he was distracted. "I know that you hesitated to kill Yaddle...and I'll be honest, you're right that the Republic has issues but what will be born of Sidious's vision will be much worse". I said as Dooku dropped his arms and was deep in thought. "I will not betray my master". Replied Dooku as he raised his saber and changed his look to that of anger. I just shook my head as he was ready to use the Force but then I activated the Ysalamir Lizard's bubble.

He was shocked as nothing happened and I rushed him. I delivered a lot heavier strikes since the lightsabers were lighter and I could recover quickly. As he was spinning around, I managed to cut his back which caused his cape to catch on fire. He threw it off as he held the saber out with two hands. I just stared at him as he tried to back up, he even looked at the doorway that led outside. But that was a mistake as I took the chance and rushed him. He barely saw it coming and was able to parry the blow but I also threw a fist out which broke a jaw. He groaned in pain as he backed up away from me. He tried to swing the lightsaber at me but I managed to catch his arm and twist it. It caused him to fall onto his knees as I raised my lightsaber in the air. His eyes widened as I brought it down rapidly but stopped right before I could hit his face.

"Consider this a lesson...tell your master that you fought me, a clone, and lost or...you tell him that you encountered a group of scavengers who were excavating a Sith Tomb...doesn't matter what you choose but I urge you to consider my previous offer". I said as I disappeared from sight in front of him. Dooku fell to the ground as he looked around, trying to find me but unable to.

(Side note: when Doom travels to other places or asks Cortana, he'll travel through the portal like in the game but he also has the ability to just teleport to the Fortress without needing a portal. He just can't do the same for going to different places)

Once Dooku couldn't find him, he gave up and limped his way back to his ship. Once he did, he programmed the ship to fly back to Serenno while he sat in the chair. As he entered hyperspace, the Fortress of Doom had suddenly reappeared. When Dooku arrived, Cortana was able to quickly teleport to a nearby moon to stay hidden and now she had come back while Doom was on the bridge. I took the Sith Holocron out and placed it on the half circle computer table. I asked Cortana to scan it and see if she can find a way to open it. I made my way to the Forge with my broken sword in hand. Once I got there, I saw that the piece of hide was cooled down. I placed the sword onto the Weapon workbench while I went to pick up the hide. It felt like it did when I first started testing it. Now it was like a little cup and no matter what I tried, it wouldn't budge. Now that I knew how to work it, I wanted to repair my sword first. I went to the workbench and dismantled the sword.

Two hours later, on Serenno...

General Grievous had walked into Count Dooku's office. He had thicker plating all over his body. This was one of the upgrades that he was satisfied with after facing Doom. He was desperate for upgrades but wanted to retain most of his original mobility. Count Dooku was sitting in the chair with a medical droid next to him. The droid had put his jaw back in place and was now working on his leg. "Count Dooku, what happened to you". Asked Grievous as he kneeled before him. "I had a run in with a mutual enemy of ours...the clone that bested you on Saleucami". Replied Dooku as Grievous looked up in anger with slight fear before asking where. Dooku just sighed and slumped into his chair before saying he had no clue. He said that he went to Moraband but also said that he was convinced that he didn't actually encounter him. That perhaps what he saw was just a illusion of the Dark Side. He wanted to believe that he was somehow weak enough to be influenced to see a vision of Doom. No one else could have known everything that Doom told him. So he was in denial about the whole situation.

But he told Grievous that his concern about Doom was still serious. He wanted him to send out spies to keep a eye on his movements. Grievous accepted his new orders and left the office as Dooku also sent the medical droid away. He sat in his chair in silence as he reminisced about the old days. He remembered a mission with Qui-Gon where a Senator's son was kidnapped and discovering the corruption in the Republic. Then his mind went to the last time he saw Qui-Gon, warning him to be careful after Qui-Gon had encountered Maul on Tatooine. Then he regretted not going to the funeral on Naboo. He bowed his head in regret and sorrow when Darth Sidious's hologram popped up on the table. "So Darth Tyranus, what of Moraband"? Asked Sidious as Dooku sat back up. "...It was a team of scavengers, I dealt with them but they were many...I sustained some minor wounds". Replied Dooku as he said it with confidence. Darth Sidious looked at him for a while before accepting the answer and hanging up. Dooku just sat there in deep thought as he thought about what to do.

Meanwhile, in the Fortress of Doom...

I had dismantled the sword and detached the main blade from the extra one. I had managed to get a good forge weld on the two pieces and was drawing out the whole blade with the hammer to get it to the right length. Surprisingly, despite the high heat, I was still in full armor but I did take my helmet off so I could see my work clearly. Once I drew the blade out to the right length and width, I let it cool in the air and grabbed some chisels from the Weapons Workbench so I could cut out the steel in areas where the electronics and mechanical parts were gonna be. Once that was done, I put the blade into the forge and got it up to temp before quenching it into the oil. I watched as there was a small fire on top of the oil and made sure to be careful of it. I moved it around so it was properly quenched then I took it out and placed it onto the Weapons Workbench. I pulled some clamps from a compartment and clamped the blade down so it comes out straight once it fully cools down. I let it sit there when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"So...thanks for curing me". Said Taria as she walked into the room. She had a smile on her face as I turned around to look at her. I told her that it was no problem as she got closer to me. "How can I repay you"? Asked Taria as I sat on the anvil and patted my lap. The anvil was hot but my armor kept me from burning myself. She came over and sat on my lap as I held her back. I told her that her skills would be useful but I had no need for it now. After a small while, we got up and I undid the clamps for the sword. I lifted it up and made sure that it was straight than I tested the blade by bending it and it went back to true straight. Once it did, I went to the grinder and started sharpening the blade and cleaning it up. Taria watched me work as she never seen any forging in her life. Once the blade was cleaned, I put everything back together and tested the blade to make sure it was perfectly good. "Why do you use a sword"? Asked Taria as I stared at her confused. "You have a lightsaber...why a blade"?

I told her that since I wasn't a Force User, it was better for me to have an actual blade to use so people don't ask too many question. She understood that since she was a Jedi Shadow and always had to blend in anywhere. Once I was done with the sword, I set it down as I walked towards the bridge with Taria but before I left the area, Cortana told me that the new cold storage was completed. So I placed the rest of the Zillo Beast remains in there. Once I placed it all in there, I went to the bridge to think of my next move. Then I thought of something as I asked her where her ship was. She said that she used a random pilot that she found on another planet to get her there. That sucks, I was gonna try to go back to Coruscant with her. I would tell the others that I received a distress call from her and that's how our path crossed. But without a way back, it was gonna be tough to explain that.

So I told her to pull up the Star Map for the systems near us. There was Florrum but Hondo gang would still be there. Dromuud Kaas was occupied by the Prophets of the Sith. Yavin 4 was mostly covered in forests and had no transportation. Cantonica would still be ancient ruins since Canto Bight wasn't established till after the battle of Yavin. As I looked for places that were close enough and a good cover for us to get transportation or a ship to go back to Coruscant. I could simply use the Fortress to get there quickly but I couldn't just keep appearing there without some mode of transportation. Then I saw one more place that had a better chance for me. Mandalore, home world of the Mandalorians, it was also neutral at the time which was perfect. So I told Cortana to set the coordinates and make sure to not get near Concordia. She was putting the coordinates in and getting us there while Taria looked around the bridge.

I told her that she was free to get a room when I remembered a question I had earlier about where the medical stuff in the Lab came from. And as I thought about it, the System answered.

The rooms will be tailored to the occupant once they enter...

That's very handy and saves me from having to get supplies. Probably could still get other stuff for the rooms. Once we teleported to Mandalore, I told Taria that I was gonna down by myself and I'll get her once I find a ship or transportation. She agreed to the plan as I walked through the portal and into an alleyway.