Chapter Eight: Meeting of the Minds

Revan, Malak, and Meetra came to the room adjourning the Dantooine Council chamber. There were a series of benches here, and younglings were training on the mat. Revan saw Bastila standing by the door, arms under her breasts and hair tied up like usual. As he approached, Bastila looked up.

"First Master Kae comes through here, looking like a ghost. Now you three," said Bastila, voice concerned. "Are you alright, Revan? You seem different?"

"We've been doing some research for the Council," said Revan. "Master Dorak wanted me to examine some of the ruins, the ones we were told never to go to. Malak and Meetra went with me."

"I see," said Bastila. "Well, if the Council judges as such, I shall not question the matter."

"Don't bother; it was a complete non-event," said Meetra.

"Largely a waste of time," said Malak. "Not even the Council found our findings interesting."

"Well," said Bastila. "I suppose I should simply be relieved that those ruins were little more than a red herring. Though I confess, I had a certain interest in them long ago, when I was less wise.

"Senator Yusanis and Master Kae are within, as well as others.

"They're waiting for you inside. I was not invited to attend."

"Are you bitter?" asked Meetra.

"No, I am not bitter," said Bastila. "I simply feel that my own insight might have been helpful. Obviously, I was mistaken."

"So that's a yes, then," said Revan.

"Stop attempting to provoke a reaction from me, Revan," said Bastila. "You really should outgrow such childish habits."

"As opposed to standing outside the Council doors. Even when we were summoned to a secret council and you weren't?" asked Meetra.

"I thought I might be needed," said Bastila. "And since I have no other duties at present, I came here."

"You were hoping to receive a Force vision, weren't you?" asked Revan.

"And what if I was?" asked Bastila, annoyed.

"You know, you could just eavesdrop at the door?" said Meetra. "The security systems aren't that good."

"I would never do anything so irresponsible," said Bastila. "It may have been forgotten with the chaos of the First Mandalorian War. But I spent my time at the academy rather better."

"...Weren't Meetra and Malak the only ones who became Padawans from our group?" asked Revan.

"...It was the will of the Force," said Bastila after a moment. "Obviously, all things happen according to its will. It may seem strange, but it was necessary that I be part of the Agricultural Corps, just as it was necessary for you.

"Had either of us go into a more traditional Master apprentice relationship. It may have ended in disaster. The Force was at work even then."

"That's pretty egotistical," said Meetra. "Pride cometh before the fall, Bastila."

"Will you just get to your meeting already," said Bastila. "You don't believe a word of what you just said anyway."

"True enough," said Revan, walking past her. "Give my regards to Master Nomi."

The three of them walked into a round council chamber where the Dantooine Jedi Council often met. They were not here at the moment, however, and in their place were several people. First, Senator Yusanis was a man of Echani descent with a neatly trimmed beard and a large frame. Second, Master Kae.

"Last of all, there was a tall, wiry white-haired man in a red uniform. A lightsaber was at his side, and Malak looked at him in hatred.

Revan remembered him now.

"Revan, Malak, Meetra Surik, I'm pleased to see you here," said Yusanis. "Master Kae is here with us and, I believe you met our last person."

"Alas Czerka," said Malak, voice cold.

"I'm well used to reaction, and I don't need to hear any speeches," said Alas simply.

"Well, you're going to hear it anyway," said Meetra. "You sold people into slavery wearing the robes of a Jedi Master while sitting on the Jedi Council."

"Slavery has been legal all over the galaxy since the beginning," said Alas. "I don't see how inflicting it on people the Jedi Covenant have arrested is any worse than Kasshyk. And I note you're the one who decided to turn Coruscant into a bloodbath, and gods know how many other places."

"Yes, it was very unfortunate it came to that," said Revan. "I'd have loved to bring it to proper legal authorities, but you and your friends subverted them all. Did you ever consider trying to do your job as members of the Jedi Council?"

"Several times, actually, and we were mostly shut down hard," said Alas. "Either way, I'm not to be liked, and I'm not here to bow and scrape. I am working for Master Zhar as a contact in Czerka corporation."

"And where is Master Zhar now? I don't see him here?" asked Malak, looking around.

Master Zhar entered, clad in a blue Jedi tunic with his headtails wrapped around him as if summoned. "Master Zhar is here.

"Alas, Malak, I understand your previous vendetta. But if we are going to rehash every bad choice that has been made in the Republic, we may as well abandon this Council.

"Alas has been seeking to atone for his previous crimes. He has already been of great use by curtailing the atrocities of Czerka Corporation. And he is as a representative of Czerka, with important information for us."

"Thank you, Master Zhar," said Alas, seeming to mean it.

"Very well," said Malak.

"Where is my HK unit?" asked Revan.

"HK 12 is available for your pick up in the mechanic bay," said Yusanis. "The theories it presented were quite interesting. They were also disturbing.

"I've never seen such utter contempt for life in a droid before."

"It's part of the charm," said Revan.

"I'm sure it is," said Yusanis. "Now then, perhaps we can get down to business. First, I should remind all of you that this meeting has been sealed by order of the Jedi Council. Speaking of this conversation or revealing the details is a punishable offense.

"Revan, perhaps you could begin?"

"Yes," said Revan. "The Second Mandalorian War is coming; this is an inevitable fact. Only complete unforeseen and unlooked-for events will prevent it from happening. At present, it is delayed so that we can deal with the Iridian Plague.

"This temporary delay will not prevent the war. However, we can make use of it.

"Master Kae, I believe you should elaborate."

"Yes, I will," said Kae. "Revan, Atris, and I have been working for a long period of time to track down the main smuggling routes. We have avoided direct confrontations or attacking them. Instead, we have installed figures we know to be corrupt at the bases.

"Officially, we're adopting a live and let live. In reality, we are keeping careful track of their movements. All while making ourselves appear as complacent and weak as possible. Atris has sent information to the Mandalorians. One that should help them root out the criminals."

"What about the Sith? What plans are being made to shut down their operations?" asked Zhar.

"Alas could tell you that," said Kae.

"The Sith are tied to organized crime and rely on it for their profits," said Alas. "They will not clamp down on it under any circumstances. Malgus cannot afford to be bankrupt.

"I did a lot of business with them, so I know a thing or two about how they operate."

"Are you serious?!" said Meetra.

"You mean to say that you were on the Jedi Council, and you were a dealing with-" began Revan.

"We've already established by now that I'm a terrible person," said Alas. "Can we move on?"

"Not likely, but keep talking," said Malak.

"The Sith want the Iridian Plague controlled," said Alas. "But they can't shut down the drug trade without killing their war options. That's one of the reasons killing the drug trade is such a good idea.

"It'll take the Sith out of the fight and make the war a two-player battle. Since the Republic has a lot more industry and reserves, we'll be the main beneficiary.

"And we can't attack them without starting it.

"So that area is beyond our reach."

"No, it isn't," said Revan.

"Revan?" asked Zhar.

"Bandon has recently joined the Sith. He might very well be at the academy as we speak," said Revan. "Sith consider backstabbing an integral part of the ideology. Bandon still has an account with the Revanchists. We could contact him and have him as an agent."

"He has turned on the Jedi," said Zhar.

"The guy has a much lower body count than I do, Master Zhar," said Alas. "It might be worth a shot."

"And what kind of operation would you suggest?" asked Zhar.

Silence as Malak shifted.

"Malak, you have something to say?" asked Zhar.

"Badon would not have to betray the Sith to achieve what we want," said Malak. "All he would have to do is be a Sith in such a way that it destroys the drug trade and proves his own superiority. If the Sith were convinced that he had proved himself stronger, it would be a legal move.

"For Sith, strength is the only true moral code. If you become stronger by an act, it is good. At worst, he would make many enemies. But they would not view anything he did as inherently wrong if they increased his power.

"They wouldn't even care if he did it with our help, so long as they felt him doing it would benefit the Sith as a whole."

"It could be a chance to bring him back to the Light," noted Arren. "A young Jedi, angry at the world, go to the Sith and sees the horror of their nature. Destroying their operations, he is convinced to turn back to the Light by an old friend.

"It's a nice story, and it could be true."

"Would it be true, do you think?" asked Zhar. "There have been instances of false repentance."

"Master Zhar, Bandon is not evil. He's bitter, angry, and feels treated," said Revan, remembering his friend. "The guy is good at logistics and engineering, charismatic enough to run a crew, and has some good work. Then, suddenly, he's taking orders from demoted Jedi Masters who have been sneering at him. Masters who he might very be better than in some ways.

"His actions are not the actions of a fallen hero.

"Think of him as a blue-collar worker who has spent the last few years being given menial work. At the same time, he watches much less qualified people get all the credit. So he tells the boss to go to hell and finds work somewhere else.

"Now, maybe he'll go full dark side.

"But if we're quick about it, we should be able to get him to come back, provided we give him an incentive."

"What sort of incentive?" asked Yusanis.

"Offer him a Knighthood and pardon," said Meetra.

"Meetra," said Zhar. "A knighthood is not something that is handed out as payment."

"The entire Jedi Council were until recently made up of hires by nepotism," said Alas.

Zhar sighed. "A Knighthood should not be something handed out as payment. There have been serious mistakes made, which should not be repeated. If we are to repeat every foolish decision because there is precedent, we may as well just go into hermitage.

"And such a position would have immense authority attached. I do not think Vrook or the others would ever approve."

"And where is Vrook?" asked Meetra. "Why aren't the Jedi Council at this meeting?"

"Because I am no longer part of it," said Zhar. "If an individual master were to be recorded as part of an operation like this, it could be excused. If the entire Jedi Council were here, and disaster came of this-"

"It can't be directly traced back to them," said Meetra. "Got it. Intellectual cowardice."

"Zhar is right," said Revan after a moment. "Badon has never exactly been the ideal Jedi at the best of times. Giving him a knighthood would be a betrayal of the principles of the order, especially since he doesn't even respect the order. I think that we should come up with some other incentive to bring him back.

"We don't have to get him back from the order.

"We just have to get him away from the Sith. I think he'd go very far in that organization.

"Money, combined with a Sith Order about to collapse, seems like a good start. Cut his incentive to stay, and he'll come over to us."

"We are getting off the point," said Yusanis. "Plans are being set up for a complete shutdown of numerous Exchange operations. The TSF has been pressuring them, and Echar and other worlds are providing support. They are coordinating with various independent systems to go after Exchange operations.

"However, their operations are limited to the inner parts of the galaxy. The Republic has chosen to focus law enforcement on areas closer to home. Ones where the public will see what a good job we're doing."

"The areas meant for distribution get hit while supply goes untaken," noted Meetra. "Which means that operations will be moved to areas closer to the front."

"Hopefully, yes, though we will miss some," said Arren Kae. "Still, you cannot wipe out all crime everywhere. In a best-case scenario, we can disrupt it enough to force it down to a smaller scale. It's not easy to set up a criminal network in a neighborhood, let alone between planets.

"A great deal of the Republics' budget has been going toward improving policework as well.

"Which brings us to Revan's plan."

Revan looked to Alas, then to Yusanis. " ...Is it safe to speak?"

"I will vouch for Alas in this, Revan," said Zhar.

Revan nodded. "The Exchange is going to be very confident soon.

"They view this crisis as an opportunity to play the role of middleman and increase their power. Who can forget their assassination of several senators during the riots on Coruscant?"

"Yes, several of them went after me," said Yusanis with a smile. "That was quite an entertaining afternoon."

"Yes, well, they are going to want to expand to other areas," said Revan. "And some of them will want to do something that flexes their newfound power.

"I suggest we give them an opportunity."

"What do you mean by that Revan?" asked Zhar.

"Simple enough," said Revan. "We prevent an apparent weakness in Dantooine by which they can begin operations. More specifically, we allow the place to become a stopover for their operations."

"You will let them ply their trade?" asked Zhar.

"No, of course not," said Revan. "Dantooine does not have a high enough population to justify selling the drugs. And if they actually started making trouble, the Jedi would shut them down hard. Especially with the growing militia. But, theoretically speaking, Dantooine could be used as a relay point.

"After all, a lot of ships go from here to Coruscant and other places that are highly populated. And Jedi ships are exempt from being searched. After all, we sometimes carry Dark Side artifacts.

"A criminal smuggled through Jedi ships could bypass all security. At least in Republic worlds."

"And with our crackdowns, that would be a very valuable tool," noted Yusanis. "So what do we do with the cargo when it gets there? We can't sell it."

"We wouldn't have to," said Arren Kae. "Many illegal drugs have legitimate medicinal uses. It is only their excessive use that is dangerous. We could simply have someone pay for the shipment as it arrives and then filters them in for humane use.

"As for cargo with no legitimate use, it can be safely stored."

"And you don't think a Jedi meeting them at the dock is going to raise eyebrows?" asked Meetra.

"So send one of the former Jedi Council," said Alas. Everyone looked at him in surprise. "Oh, come on, our reputation is mud right now. Everyone hates us, and this is a job even we can't screw up. Obviously, I can't do it, but I could probably explain I brought the others over.

"Set me up as the mastermind for this thing.

"Then it turns out later that it was all a benevolent plan by the Jedi Council or something."

"That seems workable," said Zhar. "However, it would only take one of your comrades falling to the Dark Side to turn this operation into a real one."

"I've got people I can assign to each post," said Revan. "Call them enforcers.

"We can trust them."

"I'd like to look over their profiles, Revan," said Zhar.

"Of course," said Revan. "Malak has already assembled the list. We can go over them later."

"Hold up," said Meetra suddenly. "You've explained how this operates. What are we going to do with this?"

"We'll be able to observe every single ship as it docks," asked Revan. "We can covertly observe the crews every step of the way.

"At the same time, we can check where they go and use it to find other areas of operation."

"Nice," said Alas, crossing his arms. "But I can already tell you where they are getting the drugs. Taris and Kasshyyk."

"What makes you say that?" asked Meetra. "Taris can't grow anything."

"Sure, but it's a major stopping point for a lot of trade routes," said Master Kae. "Most of them went obsolete as more of the galaxy was mapped. But, it still does a lot of business transporting contraband.

"They use their connections with the Republic to make it easier to get in."

"And Kasshyyk?" asked Malak.

"It has land that grows like nothing else," said Alas. "The Shadowlands, that's what the wookies call them, have incredible richness. There isn't enough sunlight to grow real crops, but you can grow narcotics if you set up some solar lamps.

"A lot of narcotics.

"There are a lot of fields down there, endless fields. The slaves we used to work with them get eaten alive a lot, and the droids are destroyed. But we make so much it's cost-effective to replace them."

"Did you know about this?" asked Malak.

"Yes and no," said Alas. "I wanted to grow medicinal plants ten years ago. And we made a big profit. But, supply kept expanding, and there wasn't any demand. So the guy in charge of operations on Kasshyk made a lot of contacts.

"By that time, I was on the Jedi Council. I might have been able to do something about it, but I didn't. The Jedi Covenant tolerated it so they could use the Pureflower we grew. After the Covenant got hit by Revan, there was a lot of supply and less demand. So, the crops went to the Exchange instead.

"These get shipped to Taris and sent all over.

"So if you want to shut down the drug trade, go there. Also, Taris sells lots of weapons all over and is a major supplier of arms. And also the slave trade."

"Was there no response?" asked Zhar. "Surely someone must have questioned what you were doing?"

"We specifically screened our hiring process to only hire sociopaths," said Alas. "Without any empathy, you could trust them to do anything you wanted. It's standard procedure when dealing with colonies where the natives are a problem.

"It's a big galaxy with a lot of people; we can afford to pick and choose."

"But what about the nobility," said Meetra. "Many of you have long-standing traditions as Jedi. Surely someone must have had a problem with it."

"I did," said Alas. "But if I picked a fight, nothing would change, and I might get disinherited. There might be a couple of 'good' rich people out there. But they have to match the prices of their psychopathic competition.

"And they have to stick to their own social class. There are only so many multi-trillionaire nobles. So you have to forgive their little quirks. If Lord Such-and-Such likes raping children in his spare time, you can't pick a fight with him over it. None of them judge eachother because if they did judge, they'd have no social life. They never cross eachother if they can avoid it.

"At the same time, when you make a certain amount of money, you want something to spend it on. All kinds of forbidden pleasures are open to you. There are going to be entrepreneurs dedicated to supplying those pleasures. And, of course, everybody who goes to those resorts gets photographed.

"Don't they, Yusanis?"

"Your implication is not appreciated," said Yusanis. "Get to the point."

"Well, Taris is one of the places they have those," said Alas. "Taris used to be a rival to Coruscant because it was on major trade lanes. But new hyperspace routes made it irrelevant.

"It combatted this by refusing to outlaw any of the things other city planets did.

"There are limits to what can be done on Coruscant. Not so much for Taris, provided you have the money. Everything is for sale. It's one of the favorite ports for criminals all over the galaxy since it has a lot of markets. You can also use it as a launching point to go to all sorts of places."

"Why haven't we shut down Taris decades ago?" asked Meetra.

"Our attention has been distracted," said Zhar. "Through means which by this point must seem all too obvious."

Revan thought about this. "...Which means that Taris and Kassyyk are already set up to make use of this ring. So chances are, it'll all get funneled through them."

"So, let's shut them down," said Malak.

"Aren't we trying to avoid targetting organized crime?" asked Meetra.

"Who says we have to target organized crime?" asked Arren Kae. "Taris has always been one bad day away from a race war. And Kasshyyk is an occupied planet whose indigenous population are being enslaved. We don't have to shut anything down.

"Just throw a few sparks which burn the whole operation."

"What are you suggesting then?" asked Yusanis.

"I think we should head to Taris and see what we can find out," said Arren Kae. "Master Zaz-Kai Ell is already there.

"In the meantime, we should dispatch Bastila and Nomi Sunrider to Kasshyyk. We can send them with a military escort. Justify it as defending Republic citizens from possible Mandalorian aggression."

"What good is that going to do?" asked Meetra.

"Bastila is a classic Jedi. So is Nomi Sunrider," said Kae. "Both are held as paragons of the order, and neither is really taken seriously. However, both are smart and a lot more dangerous than they let on. Just put them on Kasshyyk for a long period of time.

"Eventually, they'll stumble across what is going on and destroy the operation.

"Once Taris gets shut down, there won't be a clear demand anymore. All I have to do is tell the leadership it's not worth bringing down the political heat."

"Which means an unknown source of contraband will try to take their place," noted Malak.

"What makes you so sure an unknown source of contraband will?" asked Zhar.

"It's a big galaxy, and everyone is watching," said Revan. "Plus, the Exchange is trying to set up for aggressive expansion. We take out Taris by accident while preparing for war; then, we call it a mulligan. Once we have the systems set up, everything whirs to life.

"If all goes as planned, the Exchange will be bankrupted. This will be days before we initiate an all-out assault on their holdings. Once we seize enough people, we'll be able to get names and faces and make arrests on everyone they were involved in. At that point, the biggest problem will be processing everyone."

"Everything won't go as planned," said Malak simply.

"Well, of course, it won't; we'll have to adapt our strategy then," said Kae. "But it's a good starting place, at least."

"Who should be assigned to the Kasshyyk garrison?" asked Zhar.

"I believe Captain Saul Karath would be an excellent choice," said Revan. "He is quite accomplished, and more importantly, has Carth Onasi as a major subordinate."

"Why Carth?" asked Malak.

"He's an accomplished soldier, and more, one of the most effective detectives in the TSF," said Revan. "Having him assigned there will give the Republic deniability.

"The Exchange will think that Carth figured out what was going on and forced the Jedi's hand. It doesn't have to be part of a larger movement."

"And what will Czerka think?" asked Yusanis, looking to Alas.

"Czerka Corporation wants to get out of the criminal game," said Alas. "So long as it was necessary to do business, we were willing to pay certain expenses. However, with the Jedi Covenant failing, we'd prefer to go legitimate.

"Criminal activity is starting to backfire."

"So instead of selling drugs on the street, you'll jack up the price on life-saving medicine," said Meetra.

Alas laughed at that. "That's precisely it, Meetra. Precisely."

The plan was made, and they had a goal.