Chapter Text
Obi Wan stared at the suspicious black briefcase (delivered directly to him, and by extension the 212th, as they were groundside in a battle against the Separatists when it was delivered by a benevolent and jaunty B1 battle droid that had subsequently been gunned down by Boil) and decided that he was not ashamed to admit that this was unexpected.
Because really, who could expect this?
Once again, he read over the sticky yellow flimsi note attached to the briefcase, resisting the urge to rub at his eyes to ensure this was not the lovechild of stress and his sleep-deprived mind. But no — he wasn't sleeping, he wasn't meditating, and the briefcase and the note were very much real: 500 000 credits awarded for successful completion of The Box.
Obi Wan did in fact vaguely recall Dooku promising a hefty reward for competing in that Box, yet he had presumed that his reward would have been passed over after his reveal as a spy, if he was ever going to be paid at all. And if he was to be paid, he definitely had not expected the money to be delivered by a B1 battle droid in the middle of a battle.
The men surrounding him had initially been suspicious, but once he explained what it was and assured them that he felt no warning in the Force, they had seemed to find the situation rather funny.
He was pretty sure Cody was laughing at him. The Commander's face was impassive and his shoulders were stock still, but pure glee emanated from him in waves through the Force. The situation itself really wasn't all that funny, either, though Obi Wan supposed that the gobsmacked expression that he knew was on his face must be utterly hilarious from an outsider's perspective. Obi Wan, for his part, did not think it was quite so funny.
"What are you going to do with this, sir?"
Obi Wan frowned at his Commander, then stopped to consider the question seriously. "Well, I certainly have no use for such a large sum of credits. I will donate it to the Temple, see if they can use the funds for anything."
"Very good, sir," Cody said, voice reverentially bland. "I'm sure the Temple will appreciate having the extra money to replace your robes whenever you lose them."
Obi Wan tossed a peeved look at him. Cody did not react, but the glee in the Force did increase.
A peeved but starchy look settled on Dooku's face as he watched the bounty hunter fumble through the trials of the Box. With all the competent bounty hunters unavailable, he was forced to rely on the bumbling, clodhopping fools that made up the lower ninety percent of the bounty hunter population.
He had elected to continue using the Box as his vetting process, and it had proved effective so far in picking out the best from the bunch. What to do with a large ugly cube stationed on Serenno other than use it? He had invited a few of the Lords of Serenno to compete in some of the more benign of the challenges, although simply gaining good graces with the people of Serenno wasn't enough to justify the large amount he had spent on the construction of the Box, particularly considering that he was already a well-liked ruler among the people of his planet.
The bounty hunter — a Quarren that went by the name Norkke Vienlen — succeeded in the first trial Dooku had set out for him, yet his form was inelegant and he bungled his way through the problem-solving aspect of the trial. Was it too much to ask for a competent bounty hunter?
With bounty hunters like Cad Bane, Embo, and Rako Hardeen either imprisoned or busy with other jobs, it just may be.
No. Not Rako Hardeen. Hardeen was a spy from the Republic, Obi Wan Kenobi. If Rako Hardeen truly was a real person with the misfortune to have his identity stolen, and not merely a farcical identity created by the Council, the man could never hope to reach Kenobi's competency.
Norkke was known as One-Shot Vienlen. A testament to his deadly accuracy and speed with a blaster, or so Dooku had thought. In reality, he bumbled along the sniping challenge like a toddler trying out archery. It took the Quarren just above six seconds to shoot the target thrice, a piddling time that amounted to more than double Kenobi's time in the same challenge. His shots were also a tad to the left, whereas Kenobi's hit bullseye every time.
Dooku again found himself wishing that Kenobi was Sith. With Kenobi by his side and their powers combined, they would surely be capable of taking on Lord Sidious. And if Kenobi really was so beholden to the Light, Dooku could find jobs for him that did not involve murder. Kidnapping, possibly, or Mind Tricks to wheedle out information. Kenobi did always have an aptitude for Mind Tricks.
Dooku was willing to compromise. The one thing Kenobi had to do was abandon his commitment to the corrupt Jedi Order.
No. Kenobi was too Light, too devoted. Sith Obi Wan Kenobi would never happen. It was better to disillusion himself from the idea now. Even as a Sith, Kenobi would be too merciful, would never be able to fully submit to the Dark. He wasn't able to kill even one man, despite the risk of exposing himself as a spy. He was weak. He would never make a good apprentice.
Dooku refocused on Norkke as the Quarren fought to complete the final challenge, and scoffed. He seemed to be having difficulty troubleshooting the situation. It was a simple sequence issue! His critical thinking skills were pitiful.
Obi Wan Kenobi could have completed this challenge by now.