by Cavan Scott
DOOKU:
Me too. I mean, I felt something similar when you were watching the demonstration.
JENZA:
You followed me?
DOOKU:
No. I…I sensed you were in trouble.
JENZA:
And I was. Thank you…for helping us. I’m grateful, even if my pig of a brother isn’t.
DOOKU:
And your name is Junsa?
JENZA:
Jenza.
DOOKU:
Mine’s Dooku.
JENZA:
(LAUGHS) I know. You said.
DOOKU:
(EMBARRASSED) Sorry.
JENZA:
Don’t be. But Dooku…that’s a Serennian name.
DOOKU:
I’m from here. At least, originally.
JENZA:
Where’s your family?
DOOKU:
I don’t know. I was just a baby when I was taken to Coruscant.
JENZA:
A baby?
DOOKU:
(SHRUGS) It’s the Jedi way. I can’t remember any of this.
JENZA:
Then you need a tour. Would you like me to show you around?
DOOKU:
What about your droid?
JENZA:
She can wait. (GRABS HIS HAND) Come on.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
She held out her hand, and after hesitating for just one moment, I took it.
We explored the Celebration together, tasting succulent lalaren blooms from Carosi Eight and marveling at blatterborn and hunanetre in the Dianectric Menagerie. We even tried our luck at the game stalls, Jenza winning a stuffed purrgil on the zero-gee shoot-out…with a little help from the Force…
It was like walking through a dream, the place of my birth both alien and yet eerily familiar.
For all my training, I struggled to keep my emotions under check as Jenza led us away from the pavilion, heading toward an imposing domed building in the heart of Carannia. I had known little of life outside the Temple, but here, as we climbed the magnificent marble steps, I felt a stirring deep within me, as if this was where I truly belonged…
SCENE 11. INT. ASSEMBLY HALL. SERENNO.
Atmosphere: The assembly hall is vast, a great cathedral with a massive domed ceiling. Dooku and Jenza’s footsteps echo as they enter the main hall.
DOOKU:
(AWED) What is this place?
JENZA:
The Great Assembly. Our version of the Senate, I guess you’d callit.
DOOKU:
It’s incredible.
He rushes to the far wall.
DOOKU:
What are these?
JENZA:
The seals of the seven houses. That’s Borgin, that’s Malvern, and that’s Hakka.
DOOKU:
What about this?
JENZA:
Serenno.
DOOKU:
The planet?
JENZA:
The house. (RELUCTANTLY) My father’s house.
DOOKU:
Your father?
JENZA:
He’s the Count of Serenno. He…he rules the council.
DOOKU:
So the entire planet is named after your family?
JENZA:
I think so. I’m sorry. I really should pay more attention in lessons, but it’s all so tedious, especially when Father starts harping on about our “birthright.”
DOOKU:
But how did it happen?
JENZA:
(SIGHS) I could launch the hologuide…
DOOKU:
I’m sorry. I’m just interested.
JENZA:
Someone has to be. According to legend, the planet was part of the Sith Empire…
DOOKU:
The Sith!
JENZA:
And my great-great-great-great-something-grandfather led the charge against them.
DOOKU:
Your grandfather did? Surely it was the Jedi?
JENZA:
Like a Serennian would let someone else take the credit. If you believe the stories—and my father does, passionately—Granddaddy Serenno saw them off single-handedly, and the other houses submitted to his authority.
DOOKU:
Renaming the planet in his honor.
JENZA:
He formed the council, joined the Republic, and here we are. Although Father’s never been too keen on the last part.
DOOKU:
Joining the Republic?
JENZA:
(PUTTING ON HIS VOICE) “Serenno can look after itself, Jenza!”
DOOKU:
(LAUGHS) Well, we know you can. Not many people try to take a bite out of a Karkarodon. It’s usually the other way around.
JENZA:
(EMBARRASSED) We should probably get back. We’re not even supposed to be in here. (BEAT) Dooku?
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
A carving had caught my attention—an immense beast, larger than any malosaur, crawling up toward the domed ceiling. The creature’s crested head was thrown back, jaw stretched wide, roaring at the stars that were painted across the apex. Spines ridged its powerful back, wings spread wide as if ready to take flight.
And then there were its eyes…eyes, though fashioned in stone, that burned with an intensity that was all too familiar…
DOOKU:
What is that?
JENZA:
The Tirra’Taka? Just another legend. “The dragon that holds the world together…”
DOOKU:
It’s beautiful.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
I couldn’t look away, walking toward the sculpture as if in a trance. It looked so alive, so vibrant, as if any minute it could spring from the wall to crash through the columns that held the domed roof in place.
I could feel the creature’s heart beating in my own chest, its roar echoing at the back of my mind…
We also hear the roar of the Tirra’Taka. It’s distorted, low, rising in volume beneath the following exchange.
JENZA:
Dooku, what are you doing? Don’t—don’t touch it, okay? It’s supposed to be bad luck.
DOOKU:
So beautiful.
The ground shakes, dust falling from above.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
I barely even noticed the ground shifting beneath our feet, flakes of paint falling from the ceiling high above…
JENZA:
What was that?
DOOKU:
(WHISPER) Tirra’Taka…
JENZA:
Dooku—don’t!
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
My fingers brushed the stone…and the world was torn apart…
A groundquake hits, shaking the foundations of the assembly hall.
JENZA:
What did you do?
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
I snapped from my reverie, cracks snaking across the polished marble before us.
DOOKU:
Me? Nothing? What’s happening?
Another rumble, stronger this time.
JENZA:
It’s a groundquake.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
But it wasn’t the scrape of tectonic plates that caused me to clasp my head in pain, but an impossible bellow slicing through my mind as easily as plasma carves through flesh…
The beast roars in his head.
DOOKU:
(SCREAMS IN PAIN)
JENZA:
Dooku!
DOOKU:
So loud.
Another roar. More rumbles.
DOOKU:
I can’t—(SCREAM)
The full force of the groundquake hits, the walls cracking.
JENZA:
We need to get outside!
Masonry tumbles from the domed ceiling, crashing to the ground nearby. All the time, the monster bellows in Dooku’s head.
DOOKU:
(PAINED) Make it stop!
JENZA:
Dooku! Please. We need to move before the roof comes down! Dooku!
The assembly hall collapses on them.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
Serenno’s Assembly Hall had stood for generations, surviving invasion, storms, and revolution. But now it came tumbling down.
History is written in the blink of an eye. My story would have ended there if Jenza hadn’t pushed me aside. Everything that has happened since…my life with the Jedi…my life now…it all hinged on that moment. All hinged on the bravery of an eleven-year-old girl…
SCENE 12. INT. ASSEMBLY HALL. BENEATH THE RUBBLE.
We’re underneath the rubble. The stone is still settling above Dooku and Jenza.
DOOKU:
(COUGHS)
JENZA:
Dooku?
DOOKU:
Jenza? Where are you?
JENZA:
I’m trapped. I…I can’t move.
DOOKU:
Me too. What happened?
JENZA:
You don’t remember?
DOOKU:
You were telling me about your family, and I heard a noise and—(CRIES OUT)
JENZA:
What is it?
DOOKU:
My leg. It’s trapped. (CRIES OUT) I think it’s broken.
JENZA:
What are we going to do?
DOOKU:
Do you have a comlink?
JENZA:
It got smashed. Back at the festival.
DOOKU:
I should have one. (SEARCHES FOR IT, PANICKING SLIGHTLY) Where is it? Where is it?
The rubble shifts above them.
JENZA:
(CRIES OUT)
DOOKU:
Jenza!
JENZA:
The rubble. It’s moving.
DOOKU:
It must be settling.
JENZA:
How are we going to get out?
DOOKU:
I don’t know.
JENZA:
Your…powers.
DOOKU:
What about them?
JENZA:
Can’t you lift the stones the way you shoved those aliens away?
DOOKU:
Master Yoda tells us that the only difference is our mind, but…(HE PUSHES WITH HIS MIND, IMMEDIATELY GASPING WITH FRUSTRATION) A few thugs are one thing. An entire building is very much another.
The rubble shifts again.
JENZA:
You’ve got to try!
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, trying to ignore the pain in my leg. I could do more than try. I was a Jedi. Back on Coruscant, during levitation classes, Yoda had told me I was strong in the Force. I could see the truth of his words in those ageless eyes, and yet they had me shifting blocks and baubles around the practice gallery, good enough for Sifo-Dyas and the others, but I knew I could do more.
As my clan-mates played with the toys, I tried to shift the statues that lined the gallery, the equipment chests, even the chair on which Yoda was perched. (SNORTS) He told me I wasn’t ready. That my time would come.
And this was it. This was my chance to show everyone just what I could do. I would save the girl. I would save myself. I would demonstrate, once and for all, my true potential.
Quieting my mind, I placed my palms against the rubble that pressed down upon me…and pressed back.
DOOKU:
(TRYING TO HOLD HIMSELF TOGETHER) “The Force surrounds me. The Force dwells in me.”
JENZA:
What are you doing?
DOOKU:
“The Force flows through me, the Force protects me.”
JENZA:
Dooku?
DOOKU:
You told me to try! I’m trying!
JENZA:
Sorry. Sorry. I’m just so scared.
DOOKU:
I know. I am, too. But I’ll get us out of here. I promise.
JENZA:
I know you will.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
She believed in me. She knew. Now I had to do it.
DOOKU:
(THROUGH GRITTED TEETH) “The Force surrounds me, the Force dwells in me.”
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
Above us, the rubble started to shift, to grind against itself…
The stones begin slowly to separate.
JENZA:
Dooku. Dooku, it’s working.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
Of course it was.
Rubble scrapes against itself as the stones lift.
DOOKU:
(WITH EFFORT) “The Force surrounds me, the Force dwells in me. The Force flows through me. The Force. Protects. Me.”
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
Dust was pouring through the shifting stones, streaming into my eyes, coating my gritted teeth, but what did I care? I could feel the heat of the sun against my grazed cheek, slivers of light breaking through gaps in the debris—gaps I was creating.
SIFO-DYAS:
(OFF-MIC) There he is!
ARATH:
(OFF-MIC) Where?
Sifo-Dyas and Arath scrabble through the levitating stones toward Dooku.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
It was Sifo-Dyas and Arath. They were looking for me. They would see what I had accomplished. I should have concentrated on the rubble, but couldn’t resist the urge to cry out. Sifo-Dyas would share in my victory and Arath…Arath would burn with envy…
DOOKU:
I’m lifting them!
SIFO-DYAS:
Dooku!
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
(VICTORIOUS) I pushed up, the stones lifting, rising into the air. My arms shook with the effort, even as my friend scrabbled toward me.
DOOKU:
Sifo-Dyas! Can you see what I’m doing?
ARATH:
He’s delirious.
SIFO-DYAS:
Arath. Look at his leg!
DOOKU:
I’m lifting them, Si. I’m lifting them.
SIFO-DYAS:
Not you, buddy. Not you.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
What did Sifo mean? How dare he belittle what I had achieved. I expected such petty jealousy from Arath, but never Sifo-Dyas. Sifo-Dyas was my friend. He…he understood.
And then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar figure in Jedi robes standing in the ruin of the Assembly Hall, hands outstretched, eyes screwed tight.
It was Yoda. Yoda was lifting the debris. He had saved us.
Not me.
YODA:
(WITH EFFORT) Pull him out.
DOOKU:
No.
YODA:
(WITH EFFORT) Hurry.
More Jedi make their way across the rubble.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
They were all there. Braylon. Tera Sinube. Even the rest of the clan.
BRAYLO
N:
Careful. That injury looks serious.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
I had failed. My pride…my pride had gotten the better of me. Yet, disappointed though I was, my thoughts went to my newfound friend. I twisted around, pain lancing up my back. Where was she? Where was Jenza?
JENZA:
Hello? Can you help me?
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
She was alive. I hadn’t failed her.
SINUBE:
Let the rescue droids through. That’s it. Stand back.
Several hovering droids sweep in to offer assistance.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
I listened to them work, picking over the rubble, looking for other survivors. I tried to tell them that we had been alone, but my voice was hoarse, dust coating my throat.
DOOKU:
(COUGHS)
SIFO-DYAS:
Dooku. Try to relax.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
Relax? How could I relax? I felt a presence sweep across the disaster site, a fury that was all too recognizable.
Gora hurries across the rubble.
GORA:
(OFF-MIC, CALLING) Jenza? Jenza, where are you, Daughter?
JENZA:
Father?
BRAYLON:
We have her, Your Grace.
GORA:
(APPROACHING) Out of my way.
He shoves Braylon aside.
GORA:
Let me see.
JENZA:
Father!
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
If Braylon was insulted, she didn’t show it. She was hurrying over to Yoda, whose face had darkened with the effort of keeping the debris aloft.
YODA:
Yula…Some assistance…I require…
BRAYLON:
Of course. (CALLING) Tera!
SINUBE:
(APPROACHING) I am here.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
The Masters mirrored Yoda’s stance, palms lifted to the open sky.
SINUBE:
In the Force we trust.
BRAYLON:
In the Force we believe.
YODA:
In the Force we are!
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
With the sound of a rushing gale, the rubble was blown clear.
SINUBE:
Master Yoda. Are you—?
YODA:
Look not to me.
DOOKU:
(CRIES OUT)
SIFO-DYAS:
Try not to move. (CALLING OUT) Someone help him. He’s really hurt.
DOOKU: (NARRATION)
I barely heard Sifo’s voice. Barely felt Yoda’s fingers pressing against my temples…