- Looking back. The active, concerned people of the Galactic Republic's capital all feel something coming, something big. The nature of it – whether it is good or bad for them – remains in doubt. One is in peril; the other is close to victory. Everyone's going to have to figure out, which side are they on? -
Chapter 15. An Opportunity
Midnight. The darkness of the night had called most people to bed and the anticipation of the next day. The essence of the atmosphere was gloomy, mysterious. At the Republic Senate building, a being was not thinking about resting, not just yet. An important exchange of information was taking place right now.
"… Also, I've contacted all my spies. None of them reported anyone, who seeks to conduct a cue against me."
A figure with a black cloak shows a malicious, satisfied smile.
"Very good, Tyrannus. Then I can confidently confirm my suspicions that the threat is coming from the Republic's side."
"Not a third party?"
"No, my friend. A third party doesn't have the ability to figure out my plot in time."
Count Dooku quickly rearranged his thoughts.
"That means the being, who has entered the picture, is a Force user."
"Correct. He or she has sensed my presence in the dark side and yet … the Jedi Council isn't here to apprehend me."
"What kind of trickery is this?"
"That's what we must find out, Tyrannus. I'll do some meditating on the matter."
"I'll be waiting for your call, Master."
"Very good. Till next time."
Chancellor Sheev Palpatine ends the transmission. Recent events that pertain to him have shown up out of the bloom. He did ask Tyrannus to investigate his visible people, while the same task was done on this side of the War by him. Amedda, Tarkin were absolutely loyal to him, so they immediately got off the list. No sense of doubt had crept in within the group of the red guards. All of this led the highest ranking person in the Galactic Republic to the fact that the new people, who have joined the equation, are Jedi Order members.
"They probably don't even realize what they have stumbled upon."
For now, the being required rest. After a swift thought about the activities in the morning, a decision was made to leave the office.
9:00. The Grand Master of the Jedi Council was awake and comfortably sitting on a cylinder shaped object, similar to the ones that were used by Oswald, Zane and Kelan in 'their' meditation room. Of course, Master Yoda was not there, he was in his quarters, admiring the beauty of the morning.
"Such tranquility. Hmmm."
The Jedi Order was against the lusting for material possessions, so creating extremely different object to take a seat on would contradict that. All of them were of similar size & similar color.
"A worthy task reconnecting with nature is."
Suddenly the green skinned being senses someone approaching the door of his living quarters, shortly a knock on the door is heard.
"Enter."
The door slides open and a fellow Force wielder walks into the room.
"Good morning, Master Yoda."
"Good morning, Padawan Menson."
He bows and takes a seat to the left of the Master's side. This cylinder shaped object is barely separated from the bed. The older Force sensitive closes his eyes, taps into his ability to sense anyone's presence. Some seconds later, he states:
"Your presence, I sense confusion within you."
"There is some of that."
"This confusion, does it have something to do with your arrival here?"
"Indirectly."
"Hmmmmm."
Yoda dispenses all thoughts away, fully commits to the conversation with his guest.
"The reason for your arrival is what?"
"Counseling, help, advice. Should I come back another time?"
Oswald didn't waste any time with his response.
"No need, Padawan. Rarely do I turn down a plea for my assistance from a troubled person."
"An admirable quality, Master Yoda."
A minute of silence arrives. More Zane than Kelan would gladly place Oswald at 2nd place in foresight in the whole Jedi Order. Quite unremarkably, 1st place would belong to Master Yoda. No delusion less Jedi Order member would entertain a debate on that topic. Differences in opinion arose, when the talk came to the being, who was behind him. Some had Windu at that spot, some had Obi Wan. The members of the FSL had almost an innate goal of arguing for Oswald's place behind 'The Great Master Yoda'. It shouldn't come as a shocker. The funded organization of Hector & Oswald could never have grown if not for the belief in the latter's ability to see the bigger picture. Younglings were the most aspiring to be great ranking members in the Jedi Order. Therefore, most of them would heartwarmingly welcome a battle of these anticipation titans.
"So? What advice do you require?"
"It has something to do with my visions."
"Visions? Hmmmmm. What kind are they?"
An expression of sadness appeared on the 19-year old's face.
"Of loss. Substantial loss."
"Are they vivid?"
"Fairly vivid, Master Yoda."
"Hmmmmm."
This time the green skinned Force user examined the contents of his guest without shutting his eyes.
"With great care approach this you must. Mere simple visions they are not. Premonitions I fear they might be."
Oswald calms down, takes a deep breath, and exhales.
"This you knew, hmm?"
"I hoped the situation was less … chilly."
"Not all events depend on your input, Padawan."
"Logical, Master Yoda."
Another pause comes into effect.
"So I have come to ask your advice on how I make them go away? The second thins is about the War."
"Dispensed they cannot be. The Force protrudes these visions onto you for a reason. Uncertain of its examination I am. The Force works in mysterious ways, as you know."
"That means they will come back?"
"Most likely, yes." – answers the Grand Master of the Jedi Council.
"Then what should I do?"
"Asses the timeframe in which they do happen. You must figure out when these visions of substantial loss originate from. If it is from the near future, required an obscure response there might be."
The blue eyed human nods in appreciation for the input.
"Now for the War."
"What of it, Padawan Menson?"
"I'm having doubts surrounding its precedence."
Master Yoda was intrigued by this change of topic. Almost nobody within the Jedi Order has seriously thought about the origin of the War in a very long time.
"Hinting at what you are?"
"With all due respect Master Yoda, I'm hinting of a wrong identification of the entirety of causes."
"Sense a cryptic cause you do?"
"And a severely dangerous one as well." – Oswald coldly answers.
"Hmm. You assume the dark sides play in the War?"
"At the very start."
"An engrossing implication this is. Wondered about the legitimacy or the official take on the War in the past I have."
"Did anything worthwhile come up for you?"
Master Yoda shows a dissatisfied look.
"No. It didn't."
"A sad conclusion."
Mundi's Padawan turns around and looks at the door.
"Anyway. I must be going now. Thank you for your time, Master Yoda."
"Think nothing of it."
While the human was standing up, the green skinned being added his closing remark.
"Just because I was not victorious with my findings shouldn't let you down."
This raises Oswald's mood just a bit. Before he is able to leave Yoda's living quarters, he senses an approach of two Force sensitives on the other side of the door. To much of his disliking, the elder Force user gives the sign to enter. This way Mundi and Kenobi run into Menson in the same room.
"Oswald, what a strange arrangement seeing you here." – says Obi Wan.
"What can you do, Master? Sometimes such a run-in just happens."
"That much is true, Padawan. Master Yoda did tell us to enter, so I assumed there was nothing in the room with him." – Mundi states.
"You should question the host for his reasons."
"Don't worry. We intend to do that."
Obi Wan smiles.
"I leave you to it."
Padawan Menson tries to go around both Jedi Masters, but is met with a change in plans once again. Ki-Adi-Mundi has other ideas.
"Wait for me outside this room, Padawan. We will not take long."
"Of course, Master. I'll be ready."
The youngest Force sensitive goes out of the room.
10:00 o'clock. The halls that went around the living quarters of the Temple were now in apparent use. The blue eyed human male immersed himself in a waiting regime. The signs: the back fully parallel to a wall, grey cloak hides most of his face, the stance resembled a man, who did not want to be disturbed. A couple of beings passed him by, did not take a long look of him due to the previously mentioned signs. Soon he rearranged his hands in a 'V' letter shape on the lower part of the waist, palms inward. To an attentive Force sensitive, such a posture indicated possible multi-tasking. The halls were lit in a yellowish light. A few seconds later and Mundi, Kenobi come out of Yoda's chamber.
"Padawan, walk with me. We have some urgent matters to discuss, while we make our journey to our quarters."
"Couldn't agree more, Master."
Kenobi narrows his left eye, the Force had sent him some strange waves. His thinking was disturbed by the cerean male.
"It's a pity that I must leave you, Obi Wan."
He shows a smile fast.
"Not to worry, my friend. I'll manage."
A couple of steps are taken.
"Besides, I believe we'll meet again today. Good day to you both."
"Thank you, Master Kenobi."
The experienced general left the two to themselves. Not many noteworthy actions were done until the entrance to another part of the Jedi Temple. There Obi Wan concentrated on what he recently felt through the Force from Mundi's Padawan.
"Strange. It seemed as though Oswald was in harmony, then not, then back again. I truly hope his stance within the light side of the Force has not … become … unstable."
Such a turn of events would do serious damage to the Jedi's public perception.
After some minutes of silence, Ki-Adi-Mundi turned his head towards his Padawan.
"To be honest, I didn't expect you to be in Master Yoda's quarters in the morning."
"I didn't realize that was a problem, Master." – stated the younger Force sensitive warmly.
"No problem, Padawan. I just fair to understand, why didn't you come to me for advice?"
"As I recall, you had already left our living quarters, when I woke up."
"True, but you could have found me quite easily. We do possess a unique bond."
"I don't dispute that. Yet I remember a very powerful Force user telling me to stop over expending my energy."
Rather than be irritated with a counter of his own past words, Mundi welcomed such a response.
"It is good to hear you are listening to my advice."
Both Force sensitives quickly rearrange their priorities.
"Now about the urgent developments."
"What news do you come with, Master?"
"We will remain in the Temple for quite some time."
"Reason being?"
"Reason being our lack of need in the battlefield. The Council has a list of who will be sent when."
"Let me guess – they haven't arrived at our place?"
"Good deduction, Padawan. Yes, we are lower on the list."
"That may not be a bad thing."
"On that we are in agreement."
From out of nowhere a vivid vision hits the semi-toned build being flat. The force at which it comes stops him in his tracks and issues a shaking on his limbs.
"Padawan! What's wrong?!"
Menson closes his eyes and sporadically gets to the wall, leans his left arm on it.
"Padawan!"
"The … visions …" – Oswald spills out while breathing heavily.
"What visions? What of them? What are they?"
A couple of Padawans see the Jedi Master looking at his hurt Padawan with a lot of concern. The Jedi Council member quickly gets rid of the variables.
"I can handle it, Padawans. Do not disturb us."
They take the hint and walk past them to their destination.
"Loss, … grief, … suffering. It permeates my mind."
"Calm down, Menson. Remember my teachings. Concentrate and try to reestablish control of your mind."
A good minute passes before Oswald manages to shatter the vision to dust and spread it to the far reaches of his mental plane. With the appearance of a significantly better feeling, fairly quickly eyes open up again. His Master was in a bit of disarray. The War was such a big part of the Jedi Order's members' lives, so much that a high concentration surge from the Force had become more or less a legend. A natural thing, usually one cannot proportionally split his attention between two important fronts. If you prioritize the War, it's winning, the traditional, unexpected Jedi tasks become second-rate.
"Thank you for your support, Master."
Mundi was happy to see his Padawan speaking normally again.
"That is what a Master should do."
He gasps, rearranges his stance to a familiar one.
"I apologize for my inability to maintain control, Master. The past few days have worn me out substantially. So much that I believe it is impossible to fully heal in the Jedi Temple. The sour resonance of the past is extremely powerful."
The cerean male had a difficulty empathizing with Oswald for one reason. The Jedi had a thesis in place that was against forming attachments with beings in the physical world. They argued that the Force is eternal, a Jedi is devoted to the Force, and the beings in the physical world were temporary. So it came down between the eternal life of the Force and the temporary, fragile life of any being in the physical world, no matter how great he or she had evolved their abilities. The Jedi Order chose the former. Choosing to go against the thesis of no-attachment could leave to an expulsion from the organization. Since the only worldview they ever had was from the walls and praised security of the Temple, such a rebellious action could leave to an easy death.
"I believe you already have a solution."
"More – a suggestion. Though I'm not sure if I want to make it a public one."
"If it helps you fully heal your pain, I don't see why not."
"Alright, Master."
Both take a few steps from the wall, now they are more or less in the center of the hallway. Their eyes are embedded into each other.
"I would like a 7 day vacation."
Luckily for him, Mundi expected a familiar suggestion.
"I think we can accomplish that. Yet I must be sure."
"Of what?"
"Of the seriousness of your pain, Padawan. Are you truly that … scorned now that you couldn't command a fleet in the battlefield alongside me?"
"It is not a matter of could I. It is a case of I would be in very tragic odds all the way across the military campaign."
A minute of silence circled around these two Force sensitive beings.
"I understand. You may leave only with one condition." – Ki states reluctantly.
"Which is?"
"You must tell me where it is you plan on going on your healing trip."
"That's not difficult. The planet is Naboo."
The older Force user felt a tinge of joy.
"Good. I'll call you in an hour or two to tell you, at which hour you can depart to Naboo."
"I appreciate your understanding of my situation, Master. Now I think you do have other urgent tasks to tend to."
"Quite right, Padawan. I have a meeting with the Council soon."
"May the Force be with you."
"And with you."
The cerean male nods his head and in an increased pace than before leaves his Padawan in the near center of the hallway.
About midday. For some time now all of the Jedi Council members were present. Masters Yoda & Windu were dispatching a Jedi Knights or Masters to the War front. The Council had past the discussion faze, when it came down to, who goes where. The Force sensitive that had his destination designated at 11:30 was Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker. Their meeting was very short, which Skywalker appreciated. He and the Council like to engage in games of tug-of-war. 'The Chosen One' hadn't forgotten Oswald's input in saving his Padawan (now former one) Ahsoka Tano from a possible death penalty. Wanting to end their relations on a high, Skywalker invited Menson to come to his hangar of departure.
"So? It's time for you to leave?"
"Hah. Such is the way of the Force."
Oswald could sense a mixture of feelings coming from Anakin, but didn't think too much of them. Right now the Jedi Master was not an element in the grand scheme of his. There were enough roads that needed attention.
"Out of interest, to which planet are you going to?"
"Ringo Vinda, Padawan."
"If I recall, that is the planet with an enormous space dock around the planet."
"Correct. Were you reading just now about the planets in the Mid Rim?
"I can't say I was, Master Skywalker."
The 19 year old shows a small smile.
"I just guessed."
"Well. You guessed right."
The older Force sensitive turns to his shuttle.
"Eager to return to fighting?"
"Since you knew Ahsoka, I'm sure she mentioned my distaste for meditation."
"Oh yes. You had no pleasure for it."
Anakin returns his eyes onto Oswald.
"That I didn't. I like to believe there are better actions to take than simply meditating in silence for a huge amount of time."
Mundi's Padawan just spreads out his bent arms around.
"Hey. You did achieve the rank of Master with that mentality. That proves its usefulness for me."
"Glad we value each other's views on preferred actions."
"I agree."
Feeling that there is not much more left to say, Anakin quickly decides on the closing remark.
"I'm extremely satisfied with you for what you did to help Ahsoka. Without you, the outcome could have been far worse. Thank you again, Oswald."
"It is the choice I'm happy I made that crucial time."
Both nod to each other, the being with the assigned task extends his right arm forward.
"May the Force be with you."
Menson connects their skin.
"And with you."
They smile and let go. In less than a minute the Jedi Master disappears behind the metal walls of the shuttle. For a while nothing but the engine of the ship can be heard. The blond haired human takes in the atmosphere around him while seeing his fellow former investigator of out of the Temple. In the nearest hallway to the hangar a transmission, which was put on hold, takes priority. He contacts the person, who was trying to reach him not so long ago, fully aware of who the person was.
"Good day, Senator Avergreen."
"Good day, Strategy Advisor. I have the exact time of the Vote."
"Very good. And it is?"
"At 18:00 Coruscant time."
"That roughly makes the Vote in 5 days and 6 hours."
"Right, SA. That's the Time."
"Understood, Senator. I'll make the necessary shifts around the concerned parties to bring them altogether, when required. You just keep on eye on your side."
"I can manage that. Until further importance."
"Goodbye."
The call ends. Objectively, they day had been going well for Mundi's Padawan. He had gained the lusted cards in his grasp, now the anticipation to play them at the exact time had to be worked out. A beautiful day outside fully complimented the day that went by so far. The Date/ Vote/ Time were now known. The human male had no reason to suspect that the important people in the Senator's sphere were not informed.
"Did that ease your doubt, Hefyra?"
"As much as it could have, Avergreen. The young Jedi does seem to be in more of a concentrated, determined state than before."
"I could agree to that. Maybe the moment had pushed to become braver."
"That's one reason. All I know is now we have to keep all of this under the radar of the Chancellor and his allies."
"We must be strong."
"And wise." – added Senator Hefyra.
Captain Trend was sitting at a table in one of the Military barracks on Coruscant. The meal he had was nothing out of the ordinary, just some unfrozen cooked meat with carrot salad on the side. The recent turbulence between all the major parties of the Republic had left a small quantity of doubt that hadn't evaporated out of the mind. Suddenly a clone came up to him on his left side.
"Good day, Captain."
"Good day, Nick. What's new?"
The recently appeared clone sits down at the same table as Trend.
"Nothing much, but I can tell that you are concerned about something."
The higher ranking clone chooses his next words with some caution.
"What if I am? I can assure you, Nick, that my focus on the War has not faltered."
"Maybe so, Captain. But it does seem like your doubting something special?"
"I'm just not sure about the recent Trial of the young Jedi. It … seems … to me to be …"
"To be what, Captain?"
"Staged, Nick."
A moment of silence settles in at the table.
"Careful with such views, Captain. If they don't disappear, try to peel back the layers of your doubt. Just remember, it is not wise at all to be questioning the intentions of the higher ranking people within the Military or, more broadly, the Galactic Republic."
"You got me on the wise part."
A harmonious state of well-being was a goal for Oswald at this moment in time. While the achievements of the day were cause for celebration, there were still some things that were not investigated. To investigate them, he needs to completely block out the physical world, logical action – meditation. This meditation had a high standard that's where the harmonious status comes in. What better place to achieve this than the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Everything should have been fairly simple, yet it all came to an end, when approaching his spot Oswald first sensed a familiar Force presence, second saw, who it was. The uninvited being was sitting on the polished elevation around the fountain, quickly sensed the incoming Force sensitive and said:
"Nice to see you again, Oswald."