Chapter 11
Sorry this took so long, I didn't have my laptop and a bunch of other stuff happened, in any case here it is. With a second shortly following.
Disclaimer – Apart from story line and a few OCs, Star Wars is obviously, though sadly, not mine. Rights to Lucas, also there are references to a movie named Dinotopia and also to Harry Potter. I cannot quite remember where in the story they are so I'll just add it every chapter. It talks about the code they have for life on Dinotopia, and I blatantly quote Hermione at some point.
"I thought we agreed this wouldn't happen again?" Micah asks when Mace comes stumbling out of his room looking like death warmed over. Arlie mercifully took pity on him and healed him, she refused last time because she felt he deserved it, she knew better now.
"I know, I'm sorry." Mace says, "And thank you Arlie." He says with a kind smile, it was the defeated look in his eyes that scared her.
"Mace, you know that if you ever want to talk about anything, you have loads of people that will always listen." Micah tells him keeping his voice low for his former padawan on the couch.
"I know, but I'm fine, really." No one looked convinced but they left it alone for now.
"Well I have work to do, Obi-Wan and Anakin should be checking in at some point this morning, I'll let you know what I hear." Arlie promises before leaving through the open door, Bellan had been the first to leave that morning, she had been woken exceptionally early when a new patient came in needing immediate attention, apparently there had been a complication on a mission to Corellia, luckily it was being overseen by Ki-Adi and she didn't have to worry about it until it warranted the entire council, if it did at all. Bellan had apparently picked up the habit of leaving the door open. The weird thing was none of them did it with any other door except this one.
"So, Arlie referred to us as her fathers last night. I don't think she realises I heard her but when the bartender gave her your lightsaber, which is on the nightstand by the way, he said it was her friend's, she said that you were her father. That we both were." Micah tells Mace who smiles towards the door his Padawan had left through.
"I guess we really did adopt her after all, well, both of them." He says with a glance to Garen who was snoring lightly.
"Yeah, we did. Also, Arl owes us an explanation, apparently, she met her step-father last night." Mic tells him, at his confused look he just shrugged, "Yeah I got no idea, we shall have to await her explanation. We should also both be getting to work. Younglings won't learn to beat the snot out of each other on their own." Micah announces after a quick glance to the chrono.
Micah got back late that night, about 11th hour. It was almost time for assessments for his class and he had to prepare, he really wishes he'd gotten back earlier now because there was Mace, on the couch, off his face and with an empty bottle of whiskey in front of him currently drinking out of a second…well shit.
"Hey Honey, you all right there?" Micah asks worriedly, once every ten years he could maybe deal with, this needed to stop now.
"'m fin'ove." Mace replies as he tries to look round and ends up falling backwards onto the floor, Micah rolls his eyes.
"Okay we are going to have a serious talk in the morning, and don't think I'm going to let Arlie heal you." He tells his partner seriously.
"No Arlie, don-donot tell'er please Mic, please don tell her." Mace mumbles as Micah guides him into their room.
"All right, I won't tell her. So long as it doesn't happen again, and we are still talking about this tomorrow."
"It won't 'appengen." He slurs in response before falling asleep on the bed with his face on Micah's chest.
"Yeah, you said that the last two times." Micah whispers to the dark.
Three days later at 7th hour Micah was eating breakfast as he talked with Garen over the comm since he was on a mission to fix what went wrong on Corellia a few days before. Mace woke up, walked straight past him and pulled out a bottle of rum which he proceeded to begin to guzzle.
"Oh hell no!" Micah says rather loudly pulling the bottle from Mace's hands who looks at him in surprise, "Yeah I didn't think you'd seen or heard me though gods know how you didn't." Micah says angrily.
"Micah, I am a full grown man capable of looking after myself. Back. Off." Mace says making a grab for the bottle, Micah pulls it out of reach.
"Like friggin hell you twit! You said this wouldn't keep happening, you said it three times. You still won't talk to me and now you're telling me to back off? This is not how you treat your life-partner Mace Windu!"
"Uhh Masters?" Garen asks unsurely over the comm. They both look towards it feeling guilty that their Padawan had heard.
"Shit." Mace mutters earning himself another glare from Micah.
"I'll call you back later Padawan, your other Master and I need to have a discussion." Micah says before shutting down the commlink
"You know what, I've just remembered I have a meeting to brief the council on the situation with Senator Amidala." Mace says beginning to walk out of their living quarters.
"Mace I swear to every flippin god anyone has ever worshipped, if you walk out that door you are sleeping on the force-damned couch!" Mace ignores him.
Two hours later Bellan and Arlie are walking into a clothing store.
"I changed my mind Bells, let's go." Arlie says beginning to back out of the shop.
"Do you recall the conversation we had maybe a minute ago? 'When we walk inside don't let me back out.' I came with you to support you sweetheart, now come on, let's go meet your Mother." Bellan replies, Arlie freezes for a moment before taking a deep breath and nodding.
"All right, yeah, let's do this." Arlie says before the two begin walking further into the shop, eventually they come across a counter behind which stands Shmi Skywalker. "Um, hi." Arl says awkwardly, Shmi looks up at her daughter for the first time in eighteen years, looks confused for a second, then her eyes widen and begin tearing up.
"Arleia?" She asks in a whisper, Arlie nods, beginning to cry as her Mother rushes forwards and takes her into her arms. They both begin crying into each other's shoulders which works well given they are the same height. "I am so glad you are okay, how did you find me?"
"I met Cliegg a few days ago, he gave me your comm numbers and home address and stuff but I thought this would be easier. Um, this is my girlfriend Bellan." Shmi smiles at the girl in front of her who smiles and bows slightly in greeting.
"Lady Lars." Bellan tells her.
"Please, call me Shmi. You are both Jedi?" Shmi asks curiously, noticing their attire and lightsabers, as she changes the sign on the door from open to close.
"Yes, um are you going to get in trouble for that?" Arl asks not wanting her mother to lose her job because of her.
"Well I'm not going to yell at myself so no. This is my store, well technically someone else bought it but it's all in my name." Arlie looks confused.
"Who bought it then?"
"I don't actually know him, a week after I mentioned to Cliegg that I wanted to move here, the man showed up and helped make it all possible, he said he owed it to my family."
"Black hair? Blue eyes?" Arlie asks as the words awaken a memory from years ago. Her Mother nods and Arlie smiles slightly.
"Friend of yours?" Shmi asks, Arlie gets a sad look in her eye.
"He used to be, a very long time ago."
The three went out for coffee as they caught each other up on the last eighteen years, Bellan and Shmi got to know each other well, sharing stories of Arl that she wishes were never shared.
"Have you seen your brother?" Shmi asks an hour into the impromptu reunion.
"Far too many times." Arlie says with a smile earning a laugh from Bellan, at her Mother's curious look she explains, "I've been on the Jedi High Council for three years, Obi and Ani get into a lot of trouble and yet somehow, they've always fixed it on their own so we never have anything to punish them for and the cycle just repeats." Arlie says chuckling, Shmi has a proud look on her face, then a confused one still filled with pride.
"You are on the council at twenty-three?"
"I was knighted at thirteen so it was seven years after that when I earned my Master status and a place on the council." Her mother looks very impressed while Bellan's eyes shone with pride at her girlfriend's accomplishments earning a smile from said girlfriend.
"Haven't you taken a student of your own? I thought that was something a Jedi did while a Knight."
"Most of the time it is but since I was so young and immediately partnered with my unofficial Brother-Padawan I didn't have an opportunity to. I suppose I do now, but I'm not sure I'll ever take a Padawan." Arl answers earning a thoughtful look from her Mother and an exasperated eyeroll from her girlfriend.
"It's a requirement Arl, at least one Padawan, even Master Dooku took a Padawan!" Bellan reminds her.
"If the Council can win an argument with me about it I'll take whichever damned Initiate they want, but since a few don't even think I should be a Jedi *cough* Yoda *cough*, I don't see them having great reasoning on me training a Padawan."
"Why doesn't Master Yoda think you should be a Jedi?" Shmi asks.
"Yoda and Arl have a legendary rivalry going back to the first day they met sixteen years ago. Master Yoda disapproves of everything Arlie stands for and Arlie…"
"Thinks the ancient troll is a twit." Arl finishes angrily.
"I was going to say you think he's a little close-minded but sure that works too." The three chuckle about that. Arlie's comm begins to chime and she sees it's Garen.
"One sec." Arl says to her companions who both nod, she answers the call. "Hey G, how's Corellia?"
"An absolute and total mess, kind of like our Masters' relationship right now." Garen says getting directly to the point, he wanted to call her earlier but knew she had the council briefing.
"What are you talking about?" Arlie asks worriedly, Bellan and Shmi exchange concerned looks.
"How did Winni seem during the meeting this morning?" Arl thought about it.
"Tired." She replies.
"Okay, then he's a good actor. I was talking to Mic this morning and Mace must have just gotten up and all of a sudden it was a whole 'hell no.' and a 'I'm a full grown man back off.' Followed by 'this is not how you treat your partner Mace Windu.' And you know some stuff in between, that was when they realised I was still there and Master hung up but I doubt the argument ended there." Arlie's eyebrows furrow in thought.
"Any idea what they were fighting about?"
"None, but Mic said something about Mace having said it wouldn't happen three times or something like that." Arlie spends a few moments quieting her mind and thinks clearly with all available facts when she remembers her step-father's words of warning.
'I'd keep an eye on your friend there, seems like he's got troubles and drinkin ain't the way to deal with it.'
"Oh dear. Garen you remember that thing that happened twice in the middle of the night? What if it's happened more than twice and suddenly became frequent?" She could practically hear her friend's eyes widen.
"Arlie this was two hours ago!"
"Yes, so you can see how that would have been the breaking point." Garen is quiet for a few moments as he thinks it over.
"Okay, okay, we can deal with this. I'm not there right now so Arlie, what do we do?"
"We let me talk to my Master, he did something for me once five years ago, it's time I return the favour." Arlie says as she thinks of the conversation she and her Master had just before her make up 18th birthday celebration.
"That slight alcohol problem you mentioned."
"was four years ago, and not a dependency so much as a drinking too much too often especially given my family had little to no idea. Point is I'll be fine."
"All right, I trust you. I am going to keep an eye on you though."
"Okay, if things aren't better when I get back next week..." Garen begins to ask.
"We stage an intervention." Arlie answers strongly but earning herself two curious looks.
"I hate it when you do this." Garen tells her over the comm, she looks at the device in confusion.
"What did I do?" She asks not just Garen but present company as well.
"What the frack is an intervention?" Garen answers, Arl's eyes light up in understanding.
"I have absolutely no idea what the equivalent would be, I'll look it up later and get back to you."
"*blaster fire in background* Shit! I'll call later Arls." Garen says before ending the call.
"Sorry about that." Arlie says as she turns back to her Mother and Girlfriend.
"It's fine, I was going to suggest having your Master's and this Garen over for dinner with the two of you, Obi-Wan, and Anakin when Cliegg, Owen, and I move into our permanent apartment next week but, it sounds like this may not be the best time." Shmi says with a worried expression, Arlie smiles kindly at her Mother.
"Things may be solved by then, I don't know how big that argument got. Having gone through my rebellious stage with that man I can say he's either completely blown up at Mic or he's managed to smooth it all over."
"Well, just let me know, I'm sure Owen would love to meet his older sister." Arlie smiles a teary-eyed smile at her mother's words, but then she's reminded of her little brother, Sonny, that she left behind on Earth along with her older brother Trick. And her boyfriend, was she cheating on him with Bellan? Technically they didn't break up…how is all of this only occurring to Arlie now? Her family had lost her father and step-mother, then she took herself away from them too. How worried must they have been? Do they think she's dead? Have they been looking for her unaware that she's not even in their universe anymore? Who was looking after Sonny? Well, she supposes, he'd be nineteen now. Which is weird since she was fourteen when he was born but that's the nature of time travel. Her beloved mentor is currently sixteen after all. Wait…her Jedi mentor, is sixteen…she must be in the Jedi temple! How could Arlie not have thought of this? She had to find her! But that wasn't her job, she was only supposed to get the Jedi ready. Plus, she didn't even know the Wookiee's name, but then how many Wookiee initiates could there be? Her mentor had told Arlie that the force had taught her force-magic so clearly she wasn't the one to train her. But Arl could keep an eye on her right? This required meditation.
"…lie, Arrrrliiieeeee." Bellan says waving her hand in front of her face.
'We should probably head back soon, I have a surgery in an hour and I have to review the file.' Bellan says looking over at Arlie and noticing the glassy eyed look the girl had on her face.
'Um Arleia?' Shmi asks concerned.
'She's fine, she zones out sometimes, one sec, I'll get her back. Arlie, Arrrrliiiieeeee.' Bellan says waving her hand in front of her face.
"Yeah you're right, we should be getting back to the temple." Arlie tells her as the memory of the conversation she missed enters her mind.
"It's still creepy when you do that."
They say their goodbyes and head back to the temple, later that night Arlie stands out on the balcony of her Master's quarters waiting for Mace to return, Micah knew she was here and had decided to just turn in for the night. He didn't want to deal with this again today.
As she was worried he would, her Master grabbed a bottle of some alcohol she couldn't name from Naboo before noticing Arlie and coming out to join her.
"Hey Arls, what're you doing here?" He asks leaning against the railing beside her.
"Garen called me this morning rather concerned about the two of you. Didn't take long to put together what was happening." She tells him with a pointed look to the bottle in Mace's hand, he had the decency to look ashamed as he turned the bottle over in his hands a few times. "I met my Mother today. Turns out she and her new husband and step-son have moved to Coruscant to be closer to Obi-Wan and Anakin. Apparently, Obi is my step-brother and neither of the little shits felt inclined to tell me. But then again neither did they tell Shmi I was here."
"Wow, that's big. How'd it go?" He asks a little upset this was the first he was hearing about this.
"Really good, Bellan came with me to make sure I didn't chicken out which I almost did." It took Mace less than a second to remember what the phrase meant, "The five of us plus Obi-Wan and Anakin have been invited around for dinner next week. I'm hoping Ani will be back from Naboo by then and Obi from his planet hunt. And I'm hoping you'll be okay at that time too." She says looking at him supportively.
"Arlie..." Mace begins saying in a frustrated tone.
"No stop. Whatever you are about to say is either denial, a lame excuse, or both. Master do you remember what I told you about that slight problem I had when I was fifteen?" Mace nods looking more and more guilty by the second. "I know what it's like, please let me help." He's quiet for a few moments, she thinks he isn't going to say anything when he suddenly starts talking.
"I was in love with Lorna. It was so wrong and no one ever knew but it was what it was. Now her murderer is the most powerful man in the Republic, I have to deal with him semi-frequently as he pretends not to know me. My niece deals with him nearly every day now and has no idea he's the man that murdered her mother right in front of her. Every time I see him with Yoda, the troll gives me a look like he can feel my rising anger. I'm afraid Arlie, I'm afraid for Padmè, I'm afraid for Little Obi, Obi-Wan says Sheev is taking far too much interest in Anakin, I'm afraid for the Republic and for Nih-Lo wherever the hell he is because I can't protect him. I can't protect any of them. I should have been able to and now the Republic is in serious trouble and there's nothing I can do. The worst part is I am more afraid for myself than any of it, because those looks from Yoda are warranted, every time I see Sheev I just feel unending rage and total hatred and betrayal and dammit Arlie I don't want to fall! I know you don't believe in the dark-side but whether it's a real thing or not doesn't matter if it will be treated as such either way." Mace rants unable to stop once he's started, he slams his hands down on the railing in a fit of anger before attempting to calm himself.
"We need a plan. I know we all agreed we wouldn't discuss it outside of council chambers but the others don't know what we know about Sheev. War is coming and we know it, we can't trust him to be trying to save the republic. We need a plan for how to deal with that, for how to protect our family as we do. But Master more than that we need you! You aren't going to fall and do you know how I know that?" Arlie asks, he shakes his head, "Because you're warm. Always have been, always will be."
'He feels cold. I don't mean his actions or anything I mean his presence in the force feels colder than it did.'
Mace smiles as his eyes fill with tears. "You know three years ago, Micah told me that he and I were bad Jedi because we had attachments, because we loved each other and our kin. I think he was right about what he said next, you guys aren't my weakness, you're my strength." Arlie smiles before leaning against his side, he wraps an arm around her shoulders as she grabs the bottle from his hands and uses the force to put it back in the cupboard. "Frivolous use of the force Padawan." He tells her, she laughs.
"Tell someone who cares Master."
The next morning Micah is lying in bed trying and failing to will himself to get up when there's a hesitant knock on the door.
"Come in?" Micah says confused to who it might be, he did successfully sit up though.
"Morning love, I uh, I made you breakfast." Mace says as he stands in the doorway holding a tray, Micah gestures for him to come in which he does and brings the tray of food over. The first thing Micah notices is the lack of alcoholic stench which he is grateful for. "I wasn't sure what you'd want so um.." Mace says gesturing to the tray that was covered in eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, and what Arlie called Waffles. They didn't have them in this universe so she taught them to make them which was an interesting adventure since she had made a potato spontaneously combust the first and last time they let her cook. Micah smiles, both at the memory and the food in front of him.
"It looks great, I hope you're planning on helping me because I don't think I could eat all this on my own." Micah replies extending an olive branch, Mace smiles and sits on the bed beside his life-partner.
"Listen, Mic, I owe you a huge apology. I was a total idiot and I lied to you and snuck around and to be honest there are a few things you are not aware of that happened over the last couple of days. I'll fill you in later," Mace promises at his partner's concerned look, "Anyway, I should have told you what was going on and I should have done it years ago before any of it got to this point." Micah raises an eyebrow at the knowledge Mace had been hiding something from him for years.
"So tell me now." And he does. He tells him everything, even stuff about the fledgling separatist movement that he technically shouldn't know. "Gods love, I'm so sorry." Micah says now wishing he had handled things differently.
"No I am, I also owe Garen a thank you and an apology. Turns out he dobbed us in to Arlie about yesterday morning and she worked stuff out from there and, what is it she says? Pulled my head out of my mouth or something." Mace says attempting to remember, she didn't say it often and usually in regards to Yoda and Yarael at which point he's often tuning her out.
"I think it's out of your ass but I don't know." Micah says shrugging.
"Doesn't really matter, point is she made me see reason and raised a good point, that we need a plan to deal with Sheev, I'd like it if you helped us. In fact I want to bring the whole group into it, we need help and I doubt the council will listen, even with Arlie's 'Ice to a hothian' mode." Micah laughs a little at that before sobering up…bad choice of words…
"I suppose we should plan for guests tonight then." Micah says leaning his head on his love's shoulder.
"Mic, are we okay?" He asks tentatively.
"Yeah Winni, we're okay."
"GOOD BECAUSE IF YOU SCARE GAREN AND I LIKE THAT AGAIN WE'RE GONNA BRING TAHL AND TERZA INTO IT!" Arlie yells from the empty Padawan room that she stayed in last night, her two Masters exchange looks as they realise that Mace had left the door open.
"The habit is spreading…" Micah says dramatically making them both laugh.
During her short lunch break that her assistant tricked her into taking, Arlie heads down to the crèche, knowing that if anyone could tell her where to find a certain Padawan, it would be the Crèche Master that watched over her. She found the Jedi Master currently on duty and smiled as she realised it was a friend of hers and the Master of the Crèche that had looked after Garen, Bant, Bellan, Reeft, and Obi-Wan.
"Master Penn." She calls, the woman smiles at her over the hoard of initiates.
"Master Aa, how lovely to see you. How can I help?" The woman in question asks as she walks towards her.
"I'm trying to find a Padawan but I don't know her name nor who her Master may be or even, to be honest, if she is here." Arlie explains earning a suspicious look from her friend, "Jey-Sahl please, I promise I'm not going to harm your possible former charge, I just want to know that she's okay."
"Well I don't know how to help if you don't know who you're looking for but I'll try. What do you know about her?" Jey-Sahl Penn asks with a kind and patient smile only possible from those that frequently deal with children.
"She's a Wookiee, should be about sixteen-years-old. That's all I know." Arlie says knowing that 'force-seer' and 'future force-magic user' were completely useless.
"I'm sorry to say, there was only one Wookiee in that age bracket in the temple but she was never taken as a Padawan and chose to return home rather than go to one of the corps." Jey-Sahl says surprising Arlie whose expression slowly morphs to thinly veiled horror. "Are you alright Arl?"
"I think I may have fu-uh-messed up." Arl says mindful of the initiates surrounding them, luckily they had yet to recognise the Jedi Master in their playroom. "Jey-Sahl I may have accidentally damned the Jedi Order to extinction and possibly all of reality along with it." She whispers terrified and feeling once more like the seven-year-old that tried not to cry as she sat alone in a small dark room.
"Whatever has happened Arlie you can fix it, I know you can." Her friend tells her supportively as she watches, concerned by the fear she had never before seen on her friend's face.
"MASTER AA!" One of the initiates yelled and soon she was swarmed, she put on a brave face for the initiates but inside she was quivering. She thought the separatist movement and Sheev friggin Palpatine would be the worst of her troubles, she should have looked into it sooner. If she had she could have prevented this, could have apprenticed theWwookiee herself! Could have done something! Okay she needed to calm down, suddenly she heard singing in her head.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy, when skies are grey
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
The singing calmed her as it always did, as did the realisation that her Master had sensed her panic and saved her again, she smiled and sent a thank you through the bond.
"Master Aa, are you looking for a Padawan?" The young initiate in her lap asks, Arl bites her lip.
"Aren't you a little young to worry about such things Initiate Harril?" Arlie questions with a patient smile she copied from Jey-Sahl.
"Not for me, my older sister is here too, she's fourteen in four days and no one has taken her so she's going to be sent to the corps because we don't have a home to go to. She said she'd be here to watch over me." The six-year-old says sadly, Arl made a mental note to ask the Crèche Master where the girls came from.
"I will ask around, point a few Knights and Masters in her direction, but if none of them feel she is right for them then taking her anyway would do more harm than good." Arl tells the young girl who hugs her tightly.
"Thank you Master Aa, you're my saviour." Arlie's heart seizes for a moment before she smiles at the girl who was completely unaware that she'd just made her day.
"You're welcome Quilo." Arlie replies as she fights back happy tears and holds the girl close. When she got ready to leave she went to the Crèche Master once again. "Could you please send me the information for Grey Harril?" Jey-Sahl smiles warmly at her.
"Trying to find her a Master within three days? I would think it wouldn't be hard, she's a talented Initiate, but still no one has chosen her. I'm sure Quilo appreciates the effort."
"What happened to their home?" Arlie asks warily.
"There was a fire late last year, burned down their house, their parents didn't make it out and they have no other relatives." Master Penn says sadly, Arlie nods. She gets a message from her Master saying there would be food at their place for everyone tonight, Arl is just glad he and her other Master were okay and immediately said she'd be there.
"Sorry I'm late, had an interesting day." Arlie says as she rushes in through the open door, Micah smiles before closing the door behind her, everyone freezes. "Are you going to kill us all Masters?"
"No, we aren't going to kill you Arlie!" Mace says indignantly.
"Well then before we get down to whatever serious thing you have to discuss, I have something very important to say as well. Is anyone here wanting to take a Padawan very skilled in code-breaking, using the force as a means of investigation and not getting into trouble after throwing pie in Master Poof's face?" Arlie asks, everyone sniggers and looks rather impressed at the last part.
"I was actually considering going down to the crèche tomorrow to meet some initiates, I need an assistant now that Bellan's a healer." Terza tells her, "But those skills won't necessarily help them in the healer's wing."
"I'd consider taking a Padawan." Bant says sounding a little unsure, however one look at her face showed the determination that had gotten her through her Padawan years.
"Alright, if I give you both a file on a girl and send you in her direction would you read it and meet with her, see if there's a connection there? Preferably in the next three days as well?" They instantly understood the time constraint and both agreed.
"Brilliant, now that that's sorted we have something very important to discuss that cannot, under any circumstances, leave this room." Micah begins, "Except for Garen, when he gets back, but I'll tell him in this room so it's still technically not leaving it but, you know this isn't even the point." Mace rolls his eyes and takes over.
"We need your help. There is a war coming and we have a murderer leading us through it."
"I'm sorry you what now?" Reeft asks very confused, that was not what he expected them to say. Mace explains all about the situation with the separatists, his family, and his meetings with Sheev since he first became Senator of Naboo.
"So, I've just had a scary thought." Tahl says after a few minutes of total silence, everyone turns to look at her. "You remember that Sith Obi-Wan fought a decade ago?" She begins.
"I still don't think it was a Sith." Mace says.
"Dooku thought it was a Sith." Arlie interjects.
"Oh well if Dooku says so..." He begins saying.
"Will you stop being children and listen to me?" Tahl asks hotly, they both nod sheepishly, "As I was saying, we never found the Master and this kind of war sounds exactly like something they would do. After the whole Naboo incident it seems rather large scale, they've gained power. Who do we know that gained power from Naboo?"
"Chancellor Palpatine." Bellan realises, Tahl nods at her.
"I'm sorry are we really suggesting that Palpatine is a Sith? Psychotic murderer is one thing, Sith is actually no that makes perfect sense." Micah says backtracking on what he was saying.
"He's not a bloody Sith, he wouldn't start a war that could kill thousands." Mace says tersely.
"You once thought he wouldn't murder his wife in front of their three children too." Arlie replies quietly, Mace inclines his head conceding the point.
"Okay but Dooku spends loads of time with Palpatine, especially since he left the order, would he really be spending time with a Sith instead of reporting him? I know he always had an unnatural interest in them but this is another level." Terza says to the group.
"Whatever you've gotten yourself into Master, get out, before it's too late." She whispers into his shoulder.
"It already is."
"He feels cold…The only other time I've felt that is with Master Dooku."
"Keep your brother away from the Chancellor, do not trust him under any circumstances."
"Arlie? Do you know something we don't?" Mace asks watching her face carefully as everyone turns to face her.
"I think Master Dooku is in trouble."