Chapter Twenty-Two: Plans Derailed
Malak sensed the flames and fire and looked up in horror.
He reached out with his mind, trying to find the presence that had disappeared. There was no pain, no sudden cry of anger—only an explosion of flame and then nothing.
Was he...
"Revan?" said Malak.
"What is it?" asked Kreia.
"...I can't sense Revan anymore," said Malak. "I can't... he's gone."
"Are you certain?" asked Kreia. "He may have simply gone beyond our sight."
"Is something wrong?" asked Senator Yusanis within the transport.
"Malak has sensed a friend in duress," said Kreia. "Or, perhaps, dead."
"Revan?" asked Carth.
Malak nodded mutely.
Could he be... dead.
He was dead.
Revan had been shot down. Who had done it? The Exchange? The Jedi? The Senatorial Guard?
It didn't matter. All of them were guilty of what had happened. They'd betrayed their oaths, their people, and their subordinates. And for what? Money?
What had it all been for? And how many people other than they had murdered Revan?
Yusanis put a hand to his shoulder. "Sorry for your loss. We should talk about our business later. We should be safe in the Echani Compound."
Malak said nothing.
Looking out the window, he saw them lowering down toward the Echani Compound. It was a large, violet, and white building with little in the way of engravings. As they descended, the doors opened, and they walked out of the shuttle.
Carth kept looking at Malak with sympathy, but there was no time to discuss it.
Malak drew up his datapad and circled through the information they'd found. And then he saw, with clarity, that he had power. With a single act, he could avenge Revan, avenge everyone they'd hurt. He could bring them to their knees in an instant; all it would take is a few button pushes and a holonet connection.
Avar Kriss and her cohorts were carried out on stretchers, drugged. Yusanis watched them with contempt. Malak could sense real anger from him. "A pity we won't be able to hold them."
"Chancellor Padas Kriss is her mother, She need only draft a pardon, and she'll be freed."
"Are those not for miscarriages of justice?" asked Kreia.
"Of course they are," said Yusanis. "Fortunately, I've managed to get access to footage of her skirmish with you, and I've posted it to the holonet. When Padas pardons her, it should damage her credibility quite a bit. And it will expend politician capital.
"That should play into my plans so far."
"And what plans are those?" asked Carth.
"That is a bit complicated," said Yusanis. "And not something I can discuss with just anyone."
"With all due respect, Senator," said Malak. "Jedi have no jurisdiction. And even if they did, the Council would gladly break it."
"Then I expect there will be a great many Jedi corpses in my house when they try," said Yusanis.
Carth blinked. "...You're serious?"
"We Echani are the finest hand to hand fighters in the galaxy," said Yusanis. "And the Jedi are not as strong as they once were."
Carth nodded. "In any case, I've got to head back to Telos. Lieutenant Grenn will need a full report on all this. And also the data I've gathered."
"Of course, I've already arranged an escort for you," said Yusanis. "You see, our governments have been in negotiation. Telos and Eshan have been coordinating against possible strongarm tactics by the Senate. You are far from the only world which has a problem with the corruption inherent to this system.
"The air car is waiting now."
"Yes, sir," said Carth. "Malak, Master Kreia, may the force be with you."
"You as well," said Malak.
"Indeed," said Kreia.
Carth was led away, and Malak turned to Yusanis. He paused, conflicted about what he was going to do, then asked. "Do you have a holonet connection, Senator?"
"Yes, if you'll give me your datapad, I'll put in the password," said Yusanis.
Malak drew out his datapad and handed it to Yusanis, who quickly set it up. Then he handed it back. Malak took his datapad and looked out over Coruscant in the fading light. The evil streets of this hell world were losing their semblance of beauty in the sunset. A dying world that had long since consumed its own ecosystem.
"Thank you," said Malak.
Malak began setting up the algorithm he needed as he followed behind Yusanis and Kreia. As he did, he wondered if he should really do it. If he did this, then there would be no turning back.
It would be an escalation.
No neat and tidy solution would be available.
Except Revan was dead. And if he wasn't a lot of other people were dead. Malak decided he didn't want these people to get a neat and tidy solution. The time for that had gone down with Revan's craft. Malak did it, and he did it again and again and again.
Coming into the meeting room, they were seated at a round table. Some wine was poured for each of them by Yusanis, into crystal goblets. Malak sipped it to soothe his nerves. Had he done the right thing? Could he take it back somehow?
No, of course not.
"I must thank you again for retrieving G0-T0, Master Jedi," said Yusanis. "While he is, ultimately, replaceable, he is still a valuable device."
"I wonder if you put too much trust in a droid," said Kreia.
"In this case, my trust serves as a protection," said Yusanis. "He provides a means by which I can enact decisions I wouldn't ordinarily be able to.
"You see, G0-T0 was designed to go rogue. He has the ability to bring information to appropriate authorities without my permission. It allows me to hand out information to spur people to action while having full deniability."
"What do you mean?" asked Malak.
"How do I put this?" asked Yusanis. "Using G0-T0, I was able to access an immense amount of data via analysis. That analysis has ensured my people are able to navigate the stock market. More importantly, it has allowed me to find what some call dirt.
"Unfortunately, if all released at once, we could face some very serious problems. If the data you found were to be revealed, the government itself could be toppled. No doubt you are aware of the mistrust in the Republic already?"
"Yes, we are," said Kreia. "It would not do to have the kind of chaos to affect the galaxy as a whole."
Malak disagreed. "What's your point?
"Let it collapse."
Yusanis seemed taken aback at what he said. But he remained calm. "If we did so, mass anarchy would result in far more damage than anyone wants. You'd have chaos and every petty warlord trying to set up their own Empire."
"How is that worse than what we have now?" asked Malak. "Czerka Corporation has been practicing slavery and murder. They are doing so with the full approval of the Jedi. Sentient creatures are being tortured, skinned alive, and enslaved as animals. Citizens of the Republic are being taken without trial to be tortured. The Senatorial Guard are corrupt to the core. And the Exchange has bought and paid for everyone involved."
Yusanis nodded. "That may be true.
"However, I have in mind a plan to deal with that. Sending G0-T0 to Captain Trelius was the first stage of the plan. I'd hoped to put him in a position of immense power, a power which he could not handle. Removing him would thus become the top priority of the entire system. In the ensuing fires, there is an opportunity to see him replaced."
"And who do you have in mind?" asked Kreia.
"A number of more qualified young me who are favorable to our cause," said Yusanis. "Of course, if G0-T0 is captured, the official story would be that his behavior became erratic.
"We'll have to call in some favors here or there, perhaps do a few."
"Such is the nature of politics, I suppose," said Kreia.
"In any case, I think that you could be of great help to me in this, Master Kreia," said Yusanis. "Video footage of your skirmish with Avar Kriss has already been released on the holo net. I expect it will go viral shortly.
"I am also in contact with a number of Jedi Enclaves.
"I assure you, they are as frustrated with the situation as we are. Even now, plans are in motion for a vote of no confidence in the Jedi Council."
"A vote of no confidence?" asked Kreia. "Such a thing has no precedent."
"There's always a first time," said Yusanis. "Master Vrook, Vandar, and Zhar have been among those.
"In this case, the vote will be carried out, and the Jedi Council will be given an ultimatum. Step down, or all the Jedi who voted will resign from the order and found their own on Dantooine. I was hoping you could add your vote."
"A schism?" mused Kreia.
"Yes, it could cause some problems," said Yusanis. "Once the aristocrats see that they may lose everything, they'll be more careful.
"Once that is done, my own party will make their move. I've already got the support of Telos and their allies. We'll use the data in G0-T0 to systematically remove our primary opponents in the Senate. Ordinarily, the Senatorial Guard would ensure no faction gained that kind of power. They are the mediators of the swamp, but they are in chaos with Calo Nord's massacre.
"Once they are removed, we can offer to cover up the data for those more sympathetic to us, ensuring they owe us a favor."
"What about the Corporate Sector? They may oppose such a move," noted Kreia.
"Well, we are in luck," said Yusanis. "You see, corporations are in competition with one another. And those that have control of the Senate are heavily associated with the core worlds. More recent organizations, such as the Trade Federation and the Techno Union, are out of luck.
"Companies such as Czerka Corporation and Bumani Exchange Corps. They are given special treatment and handed valuable contracts. They are unhappy with the status quo and have agreed to support us. All they ask in return is a level playing field.
"With these factors in play, we'll be able to force some more qualified Jedi for the Council."
"And what happens to the Jedi Council?" asked Malak. "What happens to Aluyard Czerka and all the rest?"
"They will likely lose a great deal of influence and money," said Yusanis. "The Jedi should be able to arrange for the Council to be sent to some obscure assignment. A cushy posting where they can't do anymore damage. Or, perhaps, they could be convinced to resign."
"So they'll get off," said Malak.
"I'm afraid powerful men have a gentleman's agreement on Coruscant," said Yusanis. "Powerful men never convict other powerful men. To do so would set a dangerous precedent. If a man is truly beyond all hope, they are convinced to resign.
"But to put this many powerful people in jail...
"It would require a level of self-sacrifice that even the best Jedi would find difficult to match."
"So we replace one set of corporate overlords for another?" surmised Malak. Nothing was going to change with this. The system changed hands but continued its atrocities.
Yusanis smiled. "From the most cynical perspective, yes. However, with fresh blood on the three-ring circus that is the Republic, no one's hold on power will be secure.
"There is an opportunity for Telos and Echar to put through certain changes. Which, in turn, may lead to greater changes still. In my experience, most large changes come as a result of many smaller changes."
"Until someone else rolls it all back, or bribes the government of Telos, you mean?" guessed Malak.
"That is a risk," said Kreia. "However, it is the purpose of the Jedi to mediate such disputes."
"We've got a member of the Jedi Council locked in prison. She tried to murder us," said Malak flatly. "If they can corrupt the Jedi Council, who can't they corrupt?"
"May I ask what you are suggesting as an alternative," said Kreia. "Other than hopelessness?"
"The people of the Republic deserve to know what has been done to them. All of them," said Malak. "These senators and CEOs steal the taxpayer's money. They are using it to exploit, enslave, and brutalize them. The information G0-T0 gathered belongs in the area of public discourse."
Yusanis looked disturbed at that. He choked visibly. "Give the information to the public? If I may say so, that is a shockingly naive view on the subject.
"While the purpose of the government is to serve the people. People as a whole are ignorant and understand almost nothing."
"Who picks out their education?" asked Malak.
Yusanis shifted. "That's beside the point.
"A mob is only as intelligent as it's least knowledgeable member. Mob rule is something to be avoided. The reason we have a Republic is that a pure democracy cannot work on a large scale. Think about celebrity fandoms and sports stars? They rise and fall on a whim with hardly any rational component.
"Fads rule the government instead of people."
"What makes them unfit to understand what is being done with their money?" asked Malak. "And how does having an informed public constitute mob rule?"
"Narrative is important," said Yusanis. "The average person isn't interested in understanding the full scope of the situation. What the media tells them is filtered to be an entertaining story while getting the point across."
"Narrative?" asked Malak, and he decided to come clean. "I'll give you a narrative, Yusanis. A group of Jedi investigated a case of kidnapping. While doing so, they found evidence of an immense conspiracy. It is one that has reached across all levels of government and the business sector. They then released the data to the public. Shooting across the holonet, it was seen by everyone with a connection. It was revealed to every member of the government on Coruscant and sent to every news station.
"People found out just what their government had been doing. And they did something about it. Programming an algorithm is something I have a talent for.
"That's my narrative going forward."
Kreia and Yusanis looked at one another, then back. Kreia spoke. "...That is a very dangerous idea, Padawan Malak. It would cause immense chaos and solve virtually nothing. And neither Yusanis or I would allow it."
"Allow it?" asked Malak. "What makes you think you are in a position to disallow it?"
"Explain what you mean by that?" said Yusanis.
"I'm not Aedal, Master Kreia," said Malak simply. "I don't want to make a big show and have everyone watch as I gloat. I know you'd never let me do this, no one would who have any kind of position of authority.
"So why would I ever run the idea past you if I planned to do it at all?"
"...When did you do it?" asked Kreia.
"Thirty five minutes ago," said Malak. "When we first got holonet access. They killed my best friend. That was a mistake."
"...I'm going to have to speed up my plans," said Yusanis after a moment. "I suppose we should come up with a cover story. If we are known to be behind this, all of us are going to be dead in a week. Perhaps we can be a bit more... creative with things."
The sounds of outraged yelling began to reach their ears, and police sirens soon sounded. Distantly, blaster fire could be heard. Malak looked out the window and decided that these people deserved whatever they got.