Yoda: Dark Rendezvous
	Sean Stewart
	2004
	19.5 Years Before The Battle of Yavin
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SPOILER ALERT: This Will Spoil The Plot of the Book!

A battle scared Jedi Master named Jai Maruk returns to Coruscant to meet with the Jedi Council immediately regarding an extremely urgent matter.

Jai tells Yoda and some of the other Jedi Council members that he intercepted a Trade Federation ship that was delivering supplies and tracked the ship to the planet of Vjun.  Yoda tells them the planet is strong in the Dark Side of the Force.  Jai admits that he was captured by Asajj Ventress who then delivered him to Count Dooku.  Dooku allowed Jai to return to the Jedi Temple and give a message to Yoda personally.  He wanted to tell Yoda that he wants peace and in exchange he gives Yoda a small sea shell.

63 years earlier Yoda and Dooku (holding the same shell) sit by a pond and discuss Dooku's impending departure from the Jedi Temple.  After many years of training, Dooku is a little bit saddened by the upcoming experience but Yoda tells him that he always a place in the Jedi Temple.  Yoda and Dooku discuss the role of the Jedi in a very touching scene between master and apprentice.  The course of the conversation eventually turns to the meaning of the Force and that there is a light and Dark Side.  Yoda tells him that even he is not perfect and has had lapses where he has been touched by the Dark Side.  As they depart, Yoda tells Dooku that he will always keep a candle lit at the Jedi Temple so Count Dooku willl always know that he can return.

63 years later, Yoda and Mace discuss development.  Mace offers some insight that surprises Yoda but he agrees they must take the chance that Dooku's overture is legitimate.

On Vjun, Ventress and Dooku talk about the latest happenings.  Asajj has recently destroyed a Jedi ship and has brought the severed hand of its Jedi pilot still clutching a lightsaber to Dooku.  She wishes to become a Sith.  Dooku denies her request saying he likes her in the position she's in right now and uses a Force attack to punish her for her insistence.  A new delegation arrives to meet with Count Dooku and he releases Asajj and sends her to greet them.

Dooku talks with Darth Sidious over a hologram.  Sidious tells him to promise the envoy that additional military help will be coming to them very soon as they are ready to surrender to the New Republic.

After Dooku leaves the room, a door swings open from one of the secret passages throughout the Château and a Vjun fox and an old woman comes through.  They pay special attention to the severed hand that now lays in the corner.  The old woman tells the fox that the baby will be returning home soon.

After Dooku placates the convoy that more troops will be coming soon, the envoy gives him a package that was delivered to them by Senator Amidala.  The package is from Yoda and contains a wax candle.

Back on Coruscant two droids, Solis and Fidelis, are playing a game.  One of them has some sort of super sight and sees that the envoy has returned to the Jedi Temple and is delivering a package to the Jedi.

Jedi Master Maks Leem is summoned to the door by her Padawan Whie, who has taken the package from the envoy and delivers it to Yoda.

Inside the package is the lightsaber from the severed hand.  Yoda asks Maks if Whie, is ready for the outside world and she reluctantly admits that he is.  Once he is alone, Yoda reveals that the lightsaber is actually modified to produce a hologram from Count Dooku.  Dooku appears solemn as he invites Yoda to Vjun to talk.  Dooku implies that old age is finally calling him back home and he wishes for an end to all the war.  He does threaten that nothing should come towards them except Jedi.  If he sees anything else he will commence the attack in full force.  After the hologram is gone, Qui-Gon Jinn visits Yoda.  Yoda is a bit saddened by this whole scenario, but Qui-Gon shows him the light by implying that Dooku only thinks he is lying about the situation.