"In control doesn't necessarily mean calm. I suspect that the Jedi have taught you the wrong ideas of how to control one's anger. It's not that I try to push your fury away, try to hide it so that I can't see it. I'm at the point where I can actively choose whether or not to be angry. I can call it up, when I need it to fuel my strength, and then change to a different emotion when it's no longer needed. Yes, I'm aware of how ridiculous it may sound, that I can just switch emotions on and off, but I've spent a decade or so practicing, and it really isn't difficult anymore. I don't let it break me. When I don't need my anger, I choose to be happy."

"Also, I wouldn't be quite so hasty to assume that I fit with the others who use the dark side. I'm certainly not trying to claim that the Sith Lords of the past, or even the ones I'm told are operating today, are stable. I would quite agree that the dark side is harmful to most who've tried to use it, but I don't, in fact, have a mind that works like theirs."

"The Jedi taught me nothing."

"Well.  Qui-Gon did, a little.  But not of emotions, nor their care and handling.  That I learned myself, in the deserts of Tatooine, and far too quickly for a healthy life.

"And this I say to you: feelings never vanish.  They mask themselves, they hide, they come out at an angle you would never expect...

"But if you do not feel the feelings you have, they will build, and build, until you break.

"No matter how good you are at tricking your own mind, the memories, the thoughts, and the feelings remain.  Don't forget that.

"As an example, Count Dooku...Did you choose your anger, when you saw Qui-Gon's pyre?"

"No, I didn't. But I was able to turn it off when prompted to. And why, exactly, would refusing to feel your emotions cause them to grow stronger? There's a level at which it's no longer tricking your mind, it's actively reshaping it into a state where it's stronger. My emotions are a part of me. I'm not going to let anything else decide who I am, what I feel."

"I'm curious, though. What do you suggest I do instead? Just feel whatever feelings happen to come up? Even if not for the Force, that sounds rather unpleasant. I'd rather not feel anger and sadness, except for when it's necessary for my powers. Getting rid of them seems healthier than the alternative."

"To grow stronger?  No.  To grow trickier; to seep into unrelated thoughts and actions, to fester and cause rot; lingering guilt, doubt, and resentment that spreads into everything it's allowed to touch.  I don't think that you should stop controlling your emotions.  I do think you should question the sources of the emotions that come from outside your control.  Things happen for reasons.  It's obvious, but nonetheless, it's true, and sometimes the reasons are subtler than they first appear.  Contemplate the anger you felt, looking at the pyre; find its source, and control that.

"If you are truly able to shape the bedrock of your mind as you say, though...Well, I'd appreciate if you wrote your techniques down, in general; the Jedi Order could stand to have calming techniques other than saying 'release your emotions' in new and excitingly different collections of words, hm?

"...Mmm.  I think, you and I, we've simply walked different paths.  I sought, and still seek, primarily self-knowledge; to understand the workings of things, before I ever contemplate changing them.  You seek primarily self-control, self-mastery; you may or may not know how or with what you have meddled, but you knew the outcome you intend to reach, long before starting.  Both of these are useful skills, but you wouldn't want to hammer with a wrench, or wrench with a hammer - and sometimes, you need to do both of those things.

"I don't think most Jedi could usefully learn Sith techniques.  I think it would be possible to teach the skills that someone would need, the same way the Jedi do...but by doing the same harm the Jedi do to their learners, along another axis.  This helps absolutely no one, especially since your teachings are...active, in a way that Jedi thought is not, that will inevitably lead to people re-enacting new and excitingly horrifying Hutt-isms as they lose track of what they even started down their chosen path for.  You know what you want, and you hold it tightly.  Others are not the same.

"I think that the fundamental lesson I'd teach, were I to start an Order of my own, would be discernment.  To know yourself and know the world around you is to take the first step to changing it, after all."

"That seems reasonable enough. I think it'll be a little difficult for me to explain these things, and yes, I agree that it's not something most people would be able to learn. But unfortunately enough, even if it does end up bringing me pain, protecting myself isn't in fact my goal. If I have to spend my life being unhappy, in order to protect a great many others from even worse fates, then that's still a net positive."

"And you already think about starting your own Order? I admit I'd be interested to see how that turns out. Certainly can't be any worse than the Jedi."

"I intend more to reform this one; it's broadly compatible, just needs a good shaking.  ...There's something I keep hearing you not acknowledge I'm saying, and I want to - be clear on what I'm trying to communicate.  You are seemingly unambiguously working well and doing good along the path you walk...but many others not only can't but should not follow you, because your path walks into the suns.  If you are sure of yourself, if you are strong in conviction, if your stride does not waver, you can do that, and neither become lost nor go blind...but that is three points of failure, and many who try to emulate your travel will die in the desert, sun-scorched, regretting every step they took or having forgotten why they tried."

"Don't worry, I'm certainly not planning to encourage all the Jedi to become Sith Lords. But I'll warn you, I spent fifty years trying to change the Jedi Order from the inside, and I never had much of an impact. I doubt it'll work for you, either."

"Yeah, but you don't have a Sith Lord's lightsaber hanging from your belt right now."  Kina permits herself a small grin, but...that does bring back memories.  "Though, Qui-Gon actually killed the fellow.  He was attempting to get Obi-Wan, had lost focus on Qui-Gon because he'd crashed a kriffing speeder into him and possibly also because I'd just whanged him on the head with a wrench, and Qui-Gon stood up with a broken arm and probably more to spare and cut his head off.  ...Still feel kind of sorry for the guy; it's not his fault the Sith kidnapped him to train as an assassin and torture 'for research purposes'."

"A Sith lightsaber." Dooku looks impressed, but also slightly worried. "I heard Qui-Gon had killed a Sith. This part I hadn't. Ah... if you're not interested in messing up your head for the greater good, then you might want to throw that into an abyss as soon as possible. They're dangerous, not just in the standard burning people way."

"It's not really still his lightsaber in that sort of way, if that's the sort of thing you're worried about.  It's a different color, even.  They're specifically known to be head-messing-with dangerous, though?  Yikes.  ...Can't say I'm surprised.  They...pour their pain, anger, hatred, suffering into the things, for power.  Only makes sense it'd...echo."

"A different color? You mean you managed to claim it as yours, change what it was? Interesting. I don't think any Jedi could do that - well, Windu somehow made his turn purple, but it didn't start out belonging to a Sith Lord. Well, I'll grant that it'll mark you among the Jedi, but I expect you'd have an even harder time making changes than I did, given your age. Not many Jedi will listen to a child, or notice them as anything special, even if you do have that saber."

"I did indeed.  And as for that other quandary...Wouldn't you say children are the future?"  Kina has an almost smug expression on her face, a subtle quirk of the lips.  "Classes can get interesting, when someone's willing to question what's being taught in them."

"And you expect them to listen? The teachers generally don't respect their students, and if you hope to educate the other kids, I doubt they'll want to listen to you when the authority figure says otherwise. You may be overestimating the degree to which people are moved by explanations of why they're wrong."

"I don't have to make them listen.  I have to make them think.  A simultaneously easier and harder task, really.  Nonetheless, it's one I think I've had success in, already."

"Really. What progress have you made?"

"It's not so much anything measurable; I've only been here a week.  What I do have, though, is opportunity, because I'm new and bold.  There's rumors flying already.  And I can leverage that popularity to introduce new ideas to the people that will heed them."

"Yes, I suppose you might be able to sway a few. Qui-Gon, of course, was quite reasonable. And if you're looking for specific resources, Yarael Poof and Depa Billaba were the only Council members who seemed at all interested in any change within the Order. Still, I doubt you'll make much progress. In my experience, people in general simply don't listen to arguments, and the rumors, whatever they are, won't actually be concerned with the substance of what you say."

"Actually, what did cause the rumors? I imagine the lightsaber isn't your only accomplishment."

"The Master Yoda couldn't answer my question in meditation class."  Kina continues to subtly smug.

"Ah. That's not actually that out of the ordinary? He doesn't really answer questions, he just has very wise ways of avoiding them."

"Does he now.  It's a shame that he didn't use them at the time, then."

Dooku chuckles. "I suppose it's too much to ask of Master Yoda, for wisdom to involve actually being correct instead of reciting mindless cliches. Well, I've found it much easier to work outside of the bounds of the Jedi Order, and for that matter, as far from the Republic as possible. But if you want to look for change within the Order, I certainly wish you well. Just don't be surprised if you find nothing more than a lesson on sophont nature."

"You're not wrong.  And yet, if I succeed, it will be a far larger impact than changing any one world could hope to make.  Do keep in touch; I cherish the existence of respectable opposition.  I'd best return, however; I imagine the Masters are quite concerned that their Chosen One has been this long alone with a heretic."  She grins wryly.  "I'm sure you know the way out of here; you've walked it before, hmm?"

"Well, I don't - " He pauses. "Well. Well, that explains a surprising amount. The Chosen One. I may have to take back what I said about the Jedi not respecting you."

"- Oh, it does?"  Kina's dramatic exit, spoiled.  Hmph.  "I have to admit, I still haven't heard all that the Jedi know about this prophecy thing."

"I don't know much of prophecy. It's not something that's been replicated at any point recently; visions of the future are quite hard to come by. Well. I'll certainly keep an eye on you, then. Let's see how you manage to, ah, bring balance to the Force." He does begin to walk away, but stops for a moment. "You didn't actually mention your name?"