The hatch cycled shut, the shuttle lifted off, and Obi-Wan's smile faded as he turned to Mace Windu. He braced himself for the conversation to come. The roar of the engines brought a strange sense of harmony to the negotiable Jedi. Being next to Windu, focusing on his next mission, and the events that continued to implode around him, it all made him feel on edge.
It was subtle, almost nagging in the back of his mind. If he acted on it, fear would take grasp. If fear didn't take grasp, doubts would come to the surface. Those doubts would begin to act of their own accord, and his own misgivings would be glaring.
"You wanted to speak with me, Master?"
Windu moved close to Obi-Wan's position by the window, nodding out at the scene of the city below. His eyes were hard, focused on the city-scape below. His mind was focused elsewhere.
"It's Anakin..."
"What..." Obi Wan started, measuring his tone. "What about Anakin?"
"I don't like his relationship with Palpatine."
"We've had this conversation before, Master. There is no harm in them being close, Palpatine has been there for him since he was a child. I find nothing wrong with Anakin seeking comfort outside of the Jedi. There is nothing wrong with that."
"You speak too soon, Master Kenobi. Have you forgotten our meeting that ended not too long ago? I believe There is something between them. Something new. I could see it in the Force. If it isn't there right now, it will be there, soon. It felt powerful. And incredibly turbulent."
Obi-Wan bowed his head a fraction, speaking calmly.
"I trust Anakin with my life."
"I know you do. You two have always looked out for each other on the war zones. I only wish we could trust the Chancellor with Anakin's. I don't like how he panders to Anakin's emotions. That is dangerous, Anakin doesn't need any help in that department."
"Well, yes." Obi-Wan said, frowning. "Palpatine's policies are questionable. But he dotes on Anakin like an uncle on his favorite nephew."
Mace stared out the window. "And, that is part of the problem."
"I'm sorry?"
"If he puts distance between Anakin and us..." Mace's eyes grew hard as stone. "There is no telling what could happen."
"Master." Obi Wan looked Windu in the eye. "What are you saying?"
"The Chancellor loves power and control. He covets it. He, I dare say, worships it. If he has any other passion, I have not seen it."
Obi-Wan shook his head, looking over the man carefully. "I recall that not so long ago, you were on good terms with him."
"Things change."
Flying over landscape torn with smoldering wreckage where once tall buildings filled with living beings had gleamed in the sun, toward a Temple filled with memories of so many, many Jedi who would never return from this war, Obi-Wan could not disagree.
Beyond Coruscant, on those planets where monsters of the Trade Federation and Republic were vying, where being suffered at the hands of both. On planets where mothers and fathers wept for losing their children and where children wept for losing their parents. Some didn't even get so lucky and died together, but in hindsight, perhaps that was the better way to go.
Obi Wan nodded.
Things do change.
After a moment, Obi Wan spoke. It was with the same measured tone he'd been speaking with the entire time.
"What would you have me do?"
"I am not so certain. You know my power of Shatterpoint. I cannot always interpret what I've seen. I just see it, it doesn't always make sense and it isn't always coherent either. Be alert. Be mindful of Anakin, and be even more careful of Palpatine. He is not to be trusted, and his influence on Anakin is dangerous. If it wasn't before, now it is."
"But Anakin is the chosen one, surely—"
"All the more reason to fear an outsider's influence. We have circumstantial evidence that traces Sidious to Palpatine's inner circle."
Obi-Wan had difficulty breathing.
"Are you certain?"
Mace shook his head.
"Nothing is certain, not in these times. But this attack...Had to be an inside job. And the timing...We were closing in on Sidious. The information you and Anakin discovered. We managed to trace it back...It came from a sith lord in a part of an abandoned factory in The Works, not far from where Anakin landed the cruiser. When the attack began, we were tracking him through the down level tunnels."
Mace stared out the viewport at a vast residential complex that dominated the skyline to the west. He narrowed his eyes, a trace of a growl escaping his lips.
"The trail led to the sub-basement of Five Hundred Republica."
Five Hundred Republica was the most exclusive address on the planet. Its inhabitants included only the incredibly wealthy or the incredibly powerful, from Raith Sienar of the Sienar Systems conglomerate to Palpatine himself.
"I also don't trust Master Cadus, either. He is in the same boat as those three in my eyes, but that is not a conversation I will have with you. Just know I don't trust the three of them. I know you two have a history, as did Master Qui Gon and Master Cadus. It is imperative that someone remains impartial in all of this. Cadus was the apprentice of Sifo Dyas, who was close to Count Dooku. Your Master was Count Dooku's Padawan."
"Oh." Obi Wan said, not sure what else to say.
"We have to face the possibility that what Dooku told you on Geonosis was actually true. That the Senate is under the influence...Under the control of Darth Sidious, and it has been for years.
Obi-Wan shifted his shoulder an inch, crossing his arms over his shoulders. It was a few more minutes before he spoke again, and he felt like he couldn't measure his voice enough.
"Do you have any suspects?"
"Too many. All we know of Sidious is that he's bipedal, of roughly human appearance. Sate Pestage springs to mind. I wouldn't rule out Mas Amedda, either. The sith lord could be hiding among the Red Guards. There's no way to know for sure."
"Would this sith be at the top?"
Windu's eyes darkened and he stared at Obi Wan with a ferocious intensity that would have ripped apart anything else. "Are you suggesting that Palpatine is really Sidious?"
"I am not suggesting anything. I am merely asking a question. It is the simplest thing."
Windu arched a brow, but didn't say more than that.
"Who's handling the questioning? I'd be happy to sit in. My perception is not as refined as some among our ranks, but I can still-"
Mace shook his head. "Interrogate the Supreme Chancellor's personal aides and advisors?"
"Yes."
"Impossible."
"But Master—"
"Palpatine will never allow it. Though he hasn't said so in direct terms..." Mace stared out the window. "I'm not sure he even believes the Sith exist."
Obi-Wan blinked. "But...how can he not?"
"Look at it from his point of view: the only real evidence we have is Dooku's word. And he can't be trusted. There is Ventress as well, but her treachery is second to none."
"The sith on Naboo—the Zabrak who killed Qui Gon—"
Mace shrugged. "Taken out. As you know. Relations with the Chancellor's Office are...starting to become extremely difficult. I feel he has lost his trust in the Jedi. I know that I have certainly lost my trust in him."
"But he doesn't have the authority to interfere with a Jedi investigation..." Obi-Wan frowned, suppressing the uncertainty building within.
"The Senate has surrendered so much power, it's hard to say where his authority stops."
"It's that bad?"
Mace's jaw locked. "The only reason Palpatine's not a suspect is because he already rules the galaxy."
"But we are closer than we have ever been to getting ride of the sith for good. That can only do us good. I would think that Anakin's friendship with Palpatine could be of use to us in this...He has the kind of access to Palpatine that other Jedi might only dream of. Their friendship is an asset, not a danger. Depending on how you look at it. Cadus too for that matter, has access to Palpatine. We need Cadus and Anakin on our side, Master. Whatever may be going on, we need to think ahead."
I will have to answer for that...Forgive me, Master Kolar.
Despite tears wishing to well in his eyes-for the pitiful thing he had made his comrade do, Windu was like steel on the outside.
"You can't tell him."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Of the whole Council, only Yoda, Cadus and myself know how deep this actually goes. And now you. I have decided to share this with you because you are in the best situation to watch Anakin. Watch him. Nothing more."
"We don't keep secrets from each other."
"You must keep this one. You have to." Mace laced his fingers together and squeezed until his knuckles crackled.
"But...He will know something is amiss. If not right away, certainly in time. It will be sooner than later. I am afraid of the repercussions that could follow with this whole thing, Master Windu."
These were dark lines of thought, something Yoda was warning about constantly.
"Skywalker is arguably the most powerful Jedi alive, and he is still getting stronger. Only Cadus, myself, and Master Yoda surpass him. But despite all of that, Anakin is not stable. You know it. We all do. It is why he cannot be given Mastership. We must keep him off the Council, despite his extraordinary gifts. Jedi prophecy is not absolute. Jedi Prophecy in nonsense, I realize now. The less he has to do with Palpatine, the better."
Obi-Wan stopped himself from speaking.
He thought of how many times Anakin had violated orders. He thought of how unflinchingly loyal Anakin was to anyone he considered a friend. He thought of all the times Anakin would rush into the face of danger to save one being. He thought of the danger Palpatine faced unknowingly, with a sith lord among his advisers just waiting to strike...
And, the off chance that Palpatine really, truly is Darth Sidious...
Master Windu was right.
This was a secret Anakin could not be trusted to keep.
"That man toys with Anakin in dangerous ways. The boy has always been emotional, we don't need someone pulling on the strings of his heart. Not in this time of war, not when there is so much suffering and death around us."
"What can I tell him?"
"Tell him nothing. I sense the dark side around him. Around all three of them."
"As it is around us all, not just Anakin, Palpatine, and Cadus. Even you Master." Obi-Wan reminded him. "The dark side touches all of us, Master Windu. Even Yoda."
"I know that too well, Obi-Wan."
For one second Obi-Wan saw something intense, ghastly, and haunted in the Korun Master's eyes. Mace turned away. "It is possible that we may have to move against Palpatine."
"Move against him? Windu, he is the Chancellor. He is the Commander in Chief of the GAR. To do that is treason."
"If he is truly under the control of a sith lord, it may be the only way. And, I will not just shove aside the question you posed earlier..."
Obi-Wan's whole body had gone numb.
This didn't seem real.
It was not possible that he was actually having this conversation.
"But, if we do that...We will be branded as traitors, Master Windu. The Jedi could come underfire of the GAR and I don't need to remind you that a lot of our fellow Jedi have forged deep trust with their troopers."
"You haven't been here for a few weeks, Obi-Wan. You've been off fighting the war in the Outer Rim Expeditions. Helping us clear paths into the lawless system. You don't know what it's been like, dealing with all the petty squabbles and special interests and avarice of fools in the Senate, and Palpatine's constant, cynical, ruthless maneuvering for power. They are all vying for power. He continues to carve away chunks of our freedom and bandages the wounds with tiny scraps of security. The Senate gives up more power! And for what? Look at this planet, Obi-Wan! We have given up so much freedom! How secure do we look?!"
Obi-Wan's heart clenched.
Pain.
This was not the Mace Windu he knew and admired. It was as though the darkness in the Force was so much thicker here on Coruscant that it had breathed poison into Mace's very spirit. True, the man had always been close to the dark side, it is why he created the style known as Vaapad, as a way to channel his own inner darkness into light. But, even with all of that in mind, Mace wasn't the same man.
Obi Wan firmed his lips.
And, perhaps it was even breeding suspicion and dissension among the members of the Jedi Council. The greatest danger from the darkness outside came when Jedi fed it with the darkness within. The darkness within them, that even with decades of tempering, was still there. He had feared he might find matters had deteriorated when he returned to Coruscant and the Temple, but not even in his darkest dreams had he thought it would get this bad.
The war was no closer to being over, and all of this was happening. Coruscant had suffered an attack in the face of Palpatine obtaining even more power. Now, not only did the face of the Republic look incompetent, but the Senate didn't look any different from something rotting away. If there was ever a time to dismantle the Senate as a whole, now would be that time.
"Master Windu. We'll go to Yoda together. When we meet again, after our respective missions coming up, we will meet with Yoda. Among the three of us we'll work something out, certainly. We will. You'll see."
"It may be too late already."
"It may be. And it may not be. We can only do what we can do, Master Windu."
Some of the lines erased themselves from the Koran Master's face.
"I grow warier as the days pass, I am not sure leaving Coruscant would be in our best interests now, but with Master Yoda staying here...I should be able to finish this battle."
"To lack faith is disheartening. As Jedi, we will come to common consensus and move forward, that is what we do. To do the opposite. To invite dissension. To invite enmity within our ranks. We'd be the sith, merely wearing the robes and touting the code of the Jedi."
Something in Mace's eyes focused, and he nodded grimly. "Thank you for...Reminding me of that fundamental difference."
Obi Wan bowed his head a fraction.
Perhaps... Windu thought, oddly solemn.
He did the one thing a Jedi should never do, and Obi Wan just made that clear.
The dark side touches all.
Windu shook his head.
You, more than anyone.
When a Jedi had a question about the deepest subtleties of the Force, there was one source to whom they could always turn, well, that had been the normal thought. The obvious answer would be Master Yoda. But, Shaak Ti, first thing in the morning, without even taking time to stop by Yoda's own quarters to speak with him, she had gone to Cadus's humble home on Coruscant to speak with him.
She'd been surprised by how graciously, she dare say, charmingly, the Jedi Master had welcomed her into his home, and by how patiently he had listened to her stumbling attempts to explain her situation on Kamino, her departure, everything she had been through, and everything that was going on within the Order that she knew of.
Cadus had never made any attempt to conceal what had always seemed to Shaak Ti to be a gentle approval of her passive ways. But this morning, despite clearly having other things on their minds—even their Force perceptions, had detected echoes of conflict and worry within the Master Yoda's chamber.
He had simply offered Shaak Ti a place to sit and suggested that they meditate together. He hadn't even asked for details. Shaak Ti was so grateful and so relieved it took few minutes to compose herself into proper and passive serenity. After a time, Cadus's eyes had slowly opened and there was only composure in his eyes and expression.
"Would you like a drink?"
Shaak Ti shook her head, gently declining. "No, thank you. I know you drink the Wookiee brew."
Cadus went to his fridge and poured a glass for himself. He brewed Shaak Ti a cup of tea.
"The meeting went better than expected. How did it go with Palpatine?" Shaak Ti gently broke the silence.
"No improvement." Cadus said, choosing his words carefully.
"I know I am not to have such thoughts. But, I wonder what will become of the Republic and the Jedi Order."
"These are turbulent times. We can't just focus on the Jedi Order or the Republic, not anymore. We have to focus on the bigger picture."
Shaak Ti felt tears well in her eyes. She wasn't sure why, but she felt that she couldn't trust her answer. Her emotions conflicted with her Jedi discipline, and the sting of losing her place on Kamino still wounded her. It was a sign of just how far that man's power went, and it frightened her.
"I agree with you." Shaak Ti nodded gently, sipping her tea gingerly. "I should be concerned about the Jedi Temple, but there is so much going on...It would be ignorance to just focus on the Jedi Temple."
Cadus could reason with her sentiments. The Jedi Temple also contained the archives, the vast library that encompassed the Order's entire twenty-five millennia of existence everything from the widest-ranging cosmographical surveys to the intimate journals of a billion Jedi Knights. It was there Any Jedi hoped to find, everything that was known about prophetic dreams, everything that was known about preventing these prophecies from coming to pass, and even controlling them.
The only problem was that the deepest secrets of the greatest Masters of the Force were stored in restricted holocrons; since the Lorian Nod affair, some seventy standard years before, access to these holocrons was denied to all but Jedi Masters. So, it didn't impede him since he was a Master. He had always enjoyed reading everything in those archives, but there were things not within those archives.
Shaak Ti wasn't wrong in her sentiments, and maybe, just maybe, he found an ally within the Jedi. She would certainly not stand up to Yoda or Windu, she was far too passive for that. She would be able to rally others to their cause, though. Find like minded Jedi. But, in the end, it could lead to her own downfall as well, because all of the Jedi, save for a few, were all of the same dogma.
It is why he knew ultimately, he would have to slaughter the majority of them. There is no way they would follow or agree with him-even if his pursuits were just and noble, but to the Jedi-they would not be. They would only become an obstacle. Individually, there were few Jedi that had the power to make such a fuss, but collectively, under Yoda's leadership...
"You mentioned something about Windu." Cadus changed the topic.
Shaak Ti cleared her throat, straightening her posture. She looked just on the edge of being uncomfortable. Perhaps, deep seated within her conscience was the pain of betrayal. Mace Windu was a fellow Jedi. Powerful and wise in his own way, the man had endured the dark side, and found a means to make it a light which he could use. He was her comrade in arms.
To speak out against him was wrong. It felt wrong. But, there were facts. Facts were facts. Jedi could spend time speaking about the force and other things of that nature, but they still needed clothes. They needed water. They needed food. They needed shelter. They were not as ascetic as they liked to show themselves off to be to the general public.
Still, her heart clenched.
"Master Windu...I believe...Is being slowly consumed by the dark side. No one but the Masters will approach him, and even some of them are wary. Aalya, Kit Fisto, Ki Adi Mundi, and several others are also expressing concern and caution."
Cadus met Shaak Ti's gaze-his eyes flashed, and there was fury within them. There was anger. But, inside, he felt a deep caution set in. It would explain why he sent Kolar after him. The dark side had consumed Windu in that very moment. To even tell a fellow Jedi to kill another Jedi was going against everything the Jedi stood for, but Windu persisted and Kolar had conceded.
Seeing the sorrow in Shaak Ti's eyes, Cadus understood the gravity. He had seen it when he had been meditating on his way back to Coruscant. Windu was going to get out of control and would start stepping over lines.
"The dark side surrounds us all. It grows stronger." Cadus said. "The Jedi of the past knew this and understood this, however now..."
Shaak Ti's eyes widened and she felt faint. "Are you saying the Jedi have allowed the dark side to penetrate...To such an extent, that it would cause dissension among our ranks?"
Cadus didn't look her in the eyes. He didn't know the answer for sure. Certainly, the Jedi would always rally together instead of fight against each other. But, Windu's actions could arguably say otherwise, and if Shaak Ti knew what transpired...Perhaps she would have lost faith in the Order and would walk away from it. Dissension was one thing, but for another Jedi to raise their blade against another.
They would be sith, merely wearing the robes of the Jedi and spouting the code of the Jedi.
"I just know that there is a bigger picture we must focus on. We must find like minded Jedi among our ranks. We have to look outside of our brethren as well, into the galaxy at large."
"I know Ki Adi Mundi and others express caution and concern, but they are not like I. I am of a mind that Windu should be expelled or put in confinement, until this war is over with. The only one I see agreeing with us right now is Master Secura. Perhaps Master Unduli and Barris Offee would offer support, they are always of moderation and kindness."
"What about her relationship with Kit Fisto?"
Cadus would not have such a thing coming back to haunt him in the future, and it would. He was almost certain that it would come back to haunt him. Many Jedi considered the relationship between Aalya and Kit Fisto to be inappropriate. There were feelings between the two of them that would start to become an obstacle for the female Twi'lek.
Aalya would need to cut that fool down and she wouldn't. Those deep feelings would prevent her from delivering the killow blow, always. Kit Fisto would always interfere in his plans as well. His strong feelings for Aalya would drive him to always confront them head on in everything that they do. To cut Kit Fisto down would cause to much of an uproar though. Something he frankly didn't want to deal with. In the end, Kit Fisto would have to be taken out.
To get rid of him sooner would be better, but...
"I don't know..." Shaak Ti looked off to the side, playing with her fingers. "I'm more concerned about her relationship with Commander Bly."
"What do you mean by that?"
"They are close. Very close." Shaak Ti wasn't willing to divulge anymore than that.
"We'll need to wait." Cadus concluded.
"What about Master Unduli and Barris?"
Cadus considered it. "We still need to wait. Unduli is relatively close with Yoda. She will concede to Yoda's points on Windu, when we cannot do that. Barris...I am not so sure, perhaps, if given a little time..."
She had lost faith in the Order, after all. She was trying to make amends for what she had done.
Shaak Ti nodded. "I shall return to the Temple and meditate on this. I won't say a word to anyone there, it will be like the usual. Thank you, Master Cadus...This was...Refreshing."
Cadus smiled briefly, leading his old friend to her small Jedi cruiser. "Certainty in uncertain times."
Shaak Ti smiled, but it was a sad smile. "Master Yoda says we must find certainty in these turbulent and uncertain times,to look into the future for all of these things, we have to...but what you said just now...And, our conversation..."
"Agreed."
And, in that moment, relief and happiness budded within Shaak Ti.
There was reciprocation and a rapport.
"How the times change...When Jedi can't see what is in front of them."
"The times are still changing as well."
"That is what worries me the most."
