Note: Yeah, I know the last chapter had some mistakes. I found at least 5. Hopefully, I'll have corrected them in the coming week of this chapter's post.
-Out of comprehension! While performing an action with an archaic object, Jedi Padawan Oswald Menson & Youngling Katooni managed to emit so much dark side that the most powerful, gifted Force wielders in the Galaxy have taken notice of this. A new viewpoint… Is assured.-
Chapter 26. It's him
About 12:00 Naboo time, 3 days till the Vote.
"Shhhhh! Shhhhh! Shhhhh!"
The sound of the wind blowing was emotion invoking; the stillness of the clearing extruded harmony, the grass' natural shifting complimented a view of untouched nature. Though, a part of it had been recently crushed in what appeared to be a rolling of some sorts. A few minutes the cause was moving again, the Human opened his eyes, which were pointed to the ground.
"Hah?"
The blonde haired male barely manages to think about the past, when he is struck by a wave of pain.
"Ahhh! That hurts."
A bit of practice with hand movement before Oswald decided to push himself off the grass in the clearing. Now his body was in a unconventional crouch position.
"It's the second time that this has happened."
Being, who he is, a surveillance of the surroundings was performed. Not so long into the oversight, when, suddenly, the Force thrusts the newly spread dark side presence onto him.
"Quite the spread." – Oswald states with more widespread eyes than pre-surveillance.
And – a sight of the lying Tholothian girl.
"Katooni!"
With the prospect of her being heavily wounded firmly in his mind, Menson quickly stands up and starts moving towards her. The stillness of the clearing – confidently in the past.
"Os-wald?"
She said it too quietly to be heard by Oswald. All of a sudden, a serious change occurred. He was almost at the grey box, which did not seem to be damaged, the Bridger hidden within it most likely, when Katooni said:
"You've unlocked me."
The tone; the tone sounded nothing like the Katooni he knew that it caused him to stop moving. The 12 year old was standing up, in quite the remarkable fashion, faster than the other Force sensitive. This just created even more concern, raised the curiosity level for the latter.
"The elder…Jedi…Chained, suppressed me." – she continued.
The way she said the word 'Jedi' was enormously spiteful, obvious giveaway of animosity.
"I thought I was lost for all eternity, but, thanks to you, I've come back."
This statement was made in the same unusual tone as before. Oswald rapidly assembled his newly formed ideas into a column. The arrangement presented a conclusion in less than a minute. Moreover, it was strengthened by a worrisome detail. The Tholothian girl's eyes were not colored in the usual sapphire blue; surprisingly, the hue did not resemble a fiery or golden yellow, which was synonymous with the Sith. Candy red, the Youngling's eye's outer circle presented itself as such.
"I was about to call you a Sith, but then I saw it." – Menson said quiet calmly.
A malicious smile appeared.
"My eyes?"
"That's right. They're red."
The self-confidence grew a bit more.
"What does that tell you, feeble… One?"
"That you are most likely…"
A few steps were taken forward; the air between the two Force sensitives became more dense. A conflict may have been on the horizon.
"…Some type of Sith."
"Why do you think so?"
"Your speech is filled with the lust for harm."
"Good work. That's why you managed to break my chains."
Her Force presence shot up an extreme amount; Mundi's Padawan noted it with no hesitation.
"I believe the only way to thank you would be to…"
The callous smile was widening, suddenly, the Force was sending signals of danger to the Padawan. Yet, before she could continue, her whole body tensed up.
"No! No! No!"
Katooni in a bizarre way lifter her head up, appeared from the side to be having a seizure, reluctancy to vomit or both. All of a sudden, the body started shaking; the candy red around the center of the eye changed, split into 2 sections: the sapphire blue & the candy red ones. By this point in their entire 'performance', Oswald had successfully managed to numb his ability to be surprised, shocked.
"Oswald! Oswald!"
The tone – the accustomed Katooni's one. He didn''t waste time to respond.
"Yes, Katooni. What is going on?"
"I…don't…know…" – the girl said in a desperate voice.
Her body was behaving even more chaotically.
"It…has a hold of me. I don't know, how long I'll be able to hold her off."
Prevalent fear, desperation was easily traceable.
"Help meee, Oswald! PLEEEEEEEEASE!"
"Alright."
Very soon she stopped shaking; the candy red overflows the sapphire blue section. A direct eye conversation resumed.
"She is a fighter. She doesn't want to become the thing she was destined to be."
"I can help her with that." – Oswald made a courageous stance.
"Hah!" – the harmful being chuckled.
The distance between them shrank again; 10 meters (~32 feet) remained.
"You're no Sith. You won't eliminate me." – she expressed playfully.
"Fair enough."
The 19 year old flexed his right arm, compressed its fingers, extended the arm out with fingers arranged horizontally.
"Though, this will suffice."
Quickly he closed his eyes, launched his head & arm forward. This caught the Tholothian girl unprepared, so his action worked.
"HAAAAAH!"
In a few seconds her eyes closed and her body fell to the ground. The whole motion resembled a knock-out.
"This will at least assure me some time to think."
The restoration of the clearing to the state before their arrival this morning was underway.
Suddenly, a Human male's eyes open. He takes in the view of the room; everything seems to be in the same way as before.
"Hmmm… That ferocious crave for harm has been unlocked." – Dooku states in a grim pitch.
The being stands up from the circular object.
"So much trace of disbalance, chaos. One second it was vibrant, than – completely the opposite."
A small delve into the Force.
"Strange, it appears to be stabilized now."
A face of caution appears.
"This implies at least some level of coordination."
Before more thinking could be conducted, Warden Garsh starts knocking on the door.
"Hsssss… Count Dooku."
"What is the cause for this disturbance, Warden? – the Human male asks with a distaste in his mouth.
"The Alfa spy is calling you."
Rapid shift in activeness.
"I'll be right there."
Obvious transpiring of events. Who wants to keep his or her superior waiting?
Just after the explosion in the Senate building. Palpatine was not a newcomer when it came to unusual things connected to the Living Force. And yet… Today's sighting was nowhere to be found in his memories' archives. Moreover, the Force sent waves of danger because of it. His daily schedule had to take a back seat to this unseen event; it now occupied the highest level of the priority pyramid. About 5 minutes of relaxed, calm meditation, delving into the Living Force initiated a chain of thinking.
"I was connected to the Force. No doubt that was the case. Therefore, I should have sensed this growing danger to my plans before it reached this level. My insight…is…,to term it, extraordinary."
A list of possible explanations appeared in his mind; so a selection of fact or falsehood followed suit. It didn't take long for the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic to be drawn to a possible answer.
"What if there was no way for my senses to inform me of this danger up until today?"
His self-confidence didn't waver; it actually tilted to the positive side. The curiosity level was on an upward curve.
"That suggests that the source of this danger is ancient. To completely block any intrusion from a Force wielder of power such as myself would require enormous effort and ability. No one in this Galaxy is capable of that at this moment in time."
The person's focus shifted back to the unexpected event.
"Whatever it was, it created a static haze in my cabinet. A sophisticated design indeed." – Palpatine states with a malicious smile at the end.
"An ability to appear before another Force sensitive being in an obscure way… Without said being knowing your true identity. An ingenious masterpiece."
Even though he knew that his enemy had acquired such an ability, it did not take away from the grandiose nature of it.
"The possible things I could achieve with it. Honestly, my rule would be eternal, since no one with the capability to sense the Force would be able to hide from me."
The daily schedule was the furthest thing from his thinking sphere right now.
"That static haze did show me 2 beings; one was substantially shorter than the other. I'm confident that the taller one is a Jedi Padawan, while the other – a Youngling."
The Youngling's participation was not of a concern to him.
"The Padawan is the main subject."
Quickly his mind presented a fact about the past that transformed the growing curiosity graph from a curve to a parable.
"He could have been the person that sensed me on Coruscant this week."
The prospect of potentially seeing all of his work of being ruler of the Galaxy being eradicated by a Jedi Padawan as soon as 24 hours later gave him a rush of adrenaline to act swiftly on this threat.
"This is not a simple set back. It has complete extinction as a more than likely possibility."
A hollo projection of Count Dooku appears before him.
"Dispersion with pleasantries this time."
"Understood." – the known Sith Lord says in a ulterior voice.
"I trust you've sensed the same thing I have."
"Yes. The lust for harm of pronounced size."
"Tell me, have you ever sensed such an unordinary dark side?"
"No, never. The nature of it is as deranged as its size."
"The pulse or existence of it changed so fast."
"Indeed."
"This ability possesses so much potential with regards to my future plans that I want you to quickly identify the planet from which the dark side was spread & send an operative to retrieve it."
"I understand."
"This is urgent matter. Make sure it takes priority until it is dealt with."
"Would not think of anything else."
"Good."
The transmission ends.
On the blockade around the planet of Ringo Vinda. The Republic army's siege of the Separatist dominated structure was halted due to a couple of factors. One – the 3 Jedi Generals assigned with the mission needed to access casualties, let the clone troopers rest. Second – General Anakin Skywalker had to shift his attention back to the campaign after a disturbing surge of the dark side through the Force.
"Sir, is everything okay?"
The proclaimed 'Chosen One' turns his head to his commander.
"I don't know, Rex."
The Human male gets up from a grey crate.
"I'm a bit concerned."
"About what?"
"Something that happened just before we reached this checkpoint."
He exhaled.
"I sensed a wave of dark side energy coming from somewhere else in the Galaxy."
"A wave?"
"Hah. More like a giant waterfall."
A small amount of cheerfulness returns to him.
"You have any idea what it means, sir?"
"No, I don't. Though I fear that this event is not random."
"Not to sound disrespectful, sir, but we should concentrate on our current campaign. After we eliminate the Separatists from this blockade, you can confront that challenge."
Anakin takes a minute to think.
"It does seem pointless to be worried about something that can't be changed as of right now."
Taking Rex's counter-position on the matter, the General says:
"Alright. Let's get back to working on our next strategy."
"Gladly."
They both leave with far less morbid faces than before.
Before 19:00 Coruscant time, Jedi Temple's library. Padawan Awkan's feet were resting on a tortilla brown square below a table with a computer. A 360 degree overview from his position showed that less than 10 Force sensitives were present in the library. No sane person would name it full. The mocha brown eyed non-Human male was researching an idea, which formed earlier in the day, when his Force sense picked up a familiar presence.
"Its closing in."
He quickly closed all of the information he was searching & stood up from the chair. The presence wasn't found in the main hallway of the library. In a undisturbed manner, the 21 year old tidied the space on the table, then removed himself from the main hallway. Soon, the presence was revealed.
"Hello, Orlana. Didn't want to approach me back there?"
"Hah! Didn't feel like it today."
"Either place was fine with me."
Awkan, Orlana were standing at one of the ends of shelf, with Awkan positioned in a more visible manner.
"Glad to hear it." – another person says.
The mocha brown eyed male addresses the interjector.
"Drazeena. You're confident today."
"Assured, Awkan."
"My bad."
The male smiles; the other two join him. Orlana & Drazeena were both female members of the Jedi Order, though their occupation was not as traditional as Awkan's. They were both library workers, their job – making sure the Archives are safe, maintained. When the Force sensitives are in the Youngling rank, they have a year limit, which, if passed, are deprived of the chance to move up to Padawan. Such an occurrence was rare, but a contingency was in place for it. The non-selected ones would be enrolled in different sectors of the Temple. Now about their physical traits. Orlana – 21 year old, cerulean blue skinned Rhodian female, 50-50 on the athletics-acrobatics scale, wielded a blue lightsaber. Drazeena – 19 year old, cobalt blue skinned Twi'lek female, slightly more athletic than acrobatic, same lightsaber color as Orlana's.
"So? What is the reason for our meeting?"
"The Council." – answered Orlana in a quite serious tone.
"They're having a meeting right now?"
"That's right."
"Yet that is not the main thing." – Drazeena mentions.
The trio come closer to each other, begin to whisper.
"The main thing is what their conversation is centered around."
"You believe it's about Him?"
"We are most certain of it. I heard rumors that Master Tiin was inquiring something suspicious about Him from Master Sinube."
"Do you know the time?"
"This morning."
The male took a minute to assess the most likely time for the distrustful conversation.
"You are probably right about the Council's meeting at 19:00."
"Tiin will mention the suspicions he has towards His intentions towards the Order."
"Maybe more to the Council, Orlana." – Drazeena adds.
"They might… Might… Be moving closer to… The area that I fear the most."
A small quantity of dread was setting around them.
"You're not wrong, Awkan. That could be happening in just a few minutes."
"Well, there is some good news. Tanlia's new mission is already underway."
"I can see that as being good."
Gives both a serious look.
"Anyway, I have to get back to my research. Inform Hector whenever you can of this and be wary."
"As wary as we can be."
They don't exchange any pleasant farewells and all 3 move in separate directions.
On-board the bridge of a Republic flagship.
"Ready, Tanlia?"
"Yes, Master."
He nods, then looks back to other side, towards the admiral.
"You can begin our travel in hyperspace, Admiral."
"Right away, General."
Less than a minute before a fleet of ships leaves the space around Coruscant. The last thoughts of the blonde haired female were concentrated on Calder.
"I hope it is not the last time."
"Could the explosion be coming from Naboo?" – Windu asked in a serious manner.
The silence & anticipation of the answer from the addressed Council member was suffocating any cheerfulness that may possibly slip into the atmosphere of the chamber. 11 of the 12 members were present, the absent one being Master Kit Fisto. After a couple of minutes, an answer was thrusted into the world.
"Hmmm… Scenario likely." – Yoda retorted.
"Mace, I'm really getting tired of your inquisition into my Padawan's life." – Mundi stated.
"He is a member of the Order, Ki."
"And you don't see me persisting with knowing everything about your life, Plo."
"Please, we must remain in a harmonic state of mind." – Luminara expressed, with the intention of cooling the tension between Mundi & any Council member protruding into Menson's existence.
The Cerean male felt inner turmoil so strongly for the 1st time in quite a long time. On one hand, the Jedi Council was the highest level of the Jedi Order; one of their goals – the Order's continual existence, it had to be respected, since he was on it. On the other hand, the outlook of his Padawan's intentions have severely swayed from moderately positive to questionable in less than a week.
"I realize this is hard for you, Ki, but we mustn't underestimate the newly formed threat."
"Yes. There is a threat at large."
The Cerean male settled back down into his seat; though, the negative judgement of Oswald's actions still flowed.
"You shouldn't be taking this so harshly, friend. Let us not make it seem that Padawan Menson's reasons for his behavior are easily explainable." – Koth entered the conversation.
"Yet, he has to learn to conceal his emotions. Right, Koth?"
"That is correct, Luminara."
"Since emotions are a component of assessing someone's behavior, it shouldn't become a surprise if we can't peace together everything."
"Good point, Master Undhuli. Though such unique circumstances shouldn't be ignored." – Windu presented a counterargument.
"The circumstances have not eased up since that Event, Master Windu."
"She is right. We mustn't jump to any brash conclusions again." – Obi Wan compliments Undhuli's view.
"Do not make it seem that there is no precedence for it, Obi Wan. Yes, Menson saved Tano's life by intervening and capturing Offee. That was a success worthy of an applause. Yet, the way he achieved it is questionable. So the lingering doubt around him has withstood the test of time."
"That might be the case, Koth. Now Master Yoda & Windu have gathered information about the recent greatly destructive expansion of the dark side in the Galaxy."
Koon showed off a grim face.
"According to Master Yoda, the root of the problem might be on Naboo, where Padawan Menson is staying as far as we know."
"All of it might be true, Plo, although, there is no truly, definitive fact that proves it is him that is the cause."
"Not that it is my great pleasure to state this, but there is more to his vacation than we previously thought, my friends." – Tiin stated.
"Please explain, Tiin."
"Certainly, Mace. Just this morning I've managed to ascertain a new fact about said vacation."
He took in a deep breath; the other Council members' suspicions raised immediately.
"Jedi Younglin Katooni is almost certainly with him on Naboo."
Was it the most egregious thing everyone though in their mind? No. Was it the best possibility? Also no. It was again, in their mind, – questionable motivation from Menson's part. Very shortly silence dominated the air in the Council chamber.
"Well, he might have thought that it wouldn't hurt to take a Youngling with himself." – Mundi tried to give a reason in a nonchalant way.
"All he does is think, my friend. Combining at least the 3 forces that we have discussed, a conversation with him must be done as soon as possible."
Kenobi sided with the anti-Menson group on this occasion.
"Your suggestion?" – Yoda asked the bearded Jedi Master.
"Contact him and get a message across that he has to address the Council in hollo form as soon as possible."
This time he chose more of a caring, empathetic tone.
"A wise move. With any luck, he might not be expecting our call."
"And we can get a true reaction from him not a façade that he most likely displays." – Koth supported Windu, while also taking a slight at Mundi's mentorship.
"Very well. I just hope you realize the risk."
"I trust in the Force, Mundi. So should you." – Luminara mentioned.
15 minutes later. The unconscious Tholothian girl was laying in her bed, eyes closed, precisely hidden under the blanket as the evening before. Since the face was facing the ceiling, the tendrils spread on the sides miraculously suggested harmony within the 12 year old's mind. This impression could convince the naïve, but that's not who Oswald was. A genuine thrive to peace together the best picture of the upcoming future can't respect overly optimistic views. The blonde haired male stood in the room's doorframe. Soon, solo turned into a duo.
"Is she going to be okay?" – Jeremy asked.
"Hard to tell."
It was quite obviously not a retort of confidence.
"What happened to her?"
Mundi's Padawan turned his face 90 degrees to see some part of Varna's offspring's face.
"You want the honest answer?"
Jeremy did noticed a hint of severity in his voice.
"Yes."
The insightful one's eyebrows cohesively lifted up.
"My knowledge of the cause is minimal."
He looked back at Katooni, wished her the best within the mental plane.
"Sometimes even I'm left stranded with no direction in sight."
"Well, Oswald, then I only want to know one thing."
"That being?"
"Do you know when she will wake up?"
"Keeping everything in mind, probably somewhere around 8 o'clock."
The situation was precarious, but the native male had other plans for the day. A swift, maybe even with some joy, remark manifested itself in the world.
"Alright. I'll tell my mother that there will only be 4 people eating dinner today."
"Good idea, Jeremy.
The Force sensitive completely turned around.
"Just inform me if you see her walking out of her room earlier than 8 o'clock."
"I can do that. Also, I'll inform my brother of this aspect."
"I'm sure you will. Now I've got a urgent matter to deal with. Make sure your mother keeps the food as warm as possible, when I get back."
"You needn't worry, Oswald. She has already thought that through."
The two left the guest room; Katooni remained unconscious, lost deep inside herself. It did not inspire any fear in the elder Force sensitive. Most likely the technique that produced the current situation for her was used at least once before on someone else.
Neeza's transport station. Although containing only 6000 inhabitants within its border, the town had a transport station. It had two sections: one was used for transporters to frequently move in and out of the town, the other – for ships that were temporarily stationary. There were 4 designated pads in place for beings, who wanted to visit someone in the town or its nearby area. Obviously, the Nu-class-3G-SB-#4 transporter occupied one of the four pads. The farseeing one quickly marched to the top of the platform, a bead of sweet was shoving over his forehead.
"Such immense popularity on this location."
He walks over to the cockpit, lower his fingers on the control panel. There were 2 messages left for him.
"Let's start with the one from my special messaging device. It is bizarre to see something of note left on there at this moment."
He pressed the play button; a voice soon appeared, though not the one Menson was expecting.
"Hey, Oswald. It's Calder. Just wanted you be prepared for the coming news that your about to hear."
To his surprise, Ahsoka, the Padawan, who had left the Order not even a week before today, was searching for his whereabouts. She reminds him of the fact that she could send him a voice message any day, any time. At the end, the question of the current position was presented. Right after it, Calder's voice reemerged.
"As you can see, she wanted to see you. I strongly believed you would too. That's why she is already on he way to the town you're in. That's all."
A brief pause had been established on the flow of words.
"The identity of the Sith plus the dark side explosion plus Katooni's unordinary state plus the arrival of an expelled friend. All of that at once. Phsssssh!"
Those were merely the ones he conjured up in his head before he decided to continue to respond to messages.
"This one is not going to be kind. The Force is being blatant with that."
It was his Master's voice; basically, the Cerean male ordered him to create a hollo connection to the Council's chamber as soon as possible. There was a topic of discussion of the utmost importance that required Menson's presence.
"A minute of wiping the mind clean of doubt, then the conversation can begin. My Master knows the length of my procedure."
If the Force signals of weariness, danger were small before, they were definitely concentrated and not difficult to be detected.
Close to 20:00, Coruscant time. "Sir, a being is trying to establish a hollo connection to the chamber." – a Jedi Knight stated.
"Point of origin?" – Mace inquired.
"Naboo, sir."
"Put it through."
The Knight nodded and disappeared. Not even a minute passed, when a standing young Human male appeared before the purple lightsaber possessor. A grey cloak was covering everything, except the forearms and the face.
"Greetings, Master Windu."
A outrageously swift look around the chamber; almost everybody was present.
"Other Masters."
He noded.
"I trust you know the reason for my disturbance."
"That we do, Padawan Menson."
"Good that you didn't mistreat your Master's request it is. A crucial conversation… There must be."
"If you say so, Master Yoda, but no previous knowledge of the topic at hand."
"That is what we are here to present to you."
Tiin removed some of the obscurity of the conversation.
"I'm listening, Masters."
"Have you sensed anything… Enormously dangerous to the Order today?" – Koth asked.
"Danger of what scale, Master Koth?"
"He just stated that it was enormous, Padawan. Please stay focused."
Plo Koon didn't seem particularly in the mood to settle for answers of little value.
"Well, there was one incident."
"Can you recall when it happened?"
"By my estimation – 90 minutes ago."
"And what can you tell us about this incident, Padawan?
The blue eyed male turned his face to Luminara.
"The feeling of it was of atypical Sith origin, Master Undhuli."
"What made it atypical?"
"It did not seem…Understandable enough. It strayed from all of my previous readings of the dark side's influence on the World."
"How would you best describe the object that you sensed?"
"An explosion, Master Tiin."
His sight had shifted back to Windu.
"Is there anything more you know about it?"
"No, Master Plo. That is all I've gathered of it. It did, after all, happen fairly recently."
"That it had."
"There is also an unrealized aspect of your voyage to Naboo."
"What unrealized aspect, Master Koth?" – Oswald quickly questioned the Zabrak male.
"That you did not inform us you were taking someone on-board with you."
"I don't seem to recall the need to inform the Council of such trivial matters. After all, said person is a part of the Jedi Order."
"She is also a Youngling, Padawan."
"It isn't the wisest move in the World." – Tii expressed.
This take on the situation raised Oswald's anger level a substantial amount.
"Neither is accusing of ill-advised actions a person, when you yourself aren't capable of eliminating dangers and are prone to harsh reactions, Master Tii."
"Be careful, Padawan. There is no need to diminish the accomplishments of Master Tii."
"If I'm not mistaken, no one is exempt from criticism within the Order. Not even Masters on the Jedi Council."
"Correct, Padawan. Recommend a lighthearted tone I would."
"Of course, Mater Yoda. Some practice might be missing."
He calmed down significantly.
"So… If I'm understanding it correctly, you took a 12 year old Youngling, who had recently been Force shocked by an unknown Force sensitive, with you on a trip to Naboo, because it did not appear important to you to mention to the Council?"
"I would tend to agree with that viewpoint, Master Tiin."
"Understood, Padawan."
"Then there is one sphere of actions remaining."
"Correct, Shaak. Padawan, don't you want to find out from us something greatly treasurable to you? – Obi Wan asked.
Oswald turned his attention to Kenobi.
"Now that you mention it in that specific way – there is."
"The question being."
"Is Padawan Farnos alive?"
"What makes you think he is not?"
"Those are my reasons, Master Koth. For me, the most important subject right now is Farnos' status."
Koth & Kenobi locked eyes, then – Kenobi & Windu. Getting approval signs from both let the bearded Council member to present the shortest version of the story.
"No. He was extinguished last night."
No emotional turbulence portrayed from Menson.
"Who is the culprit?"
"We are still working on it, Padawan." – Windu answered.
Realizing the fragility of continuing this conversation, an ending was the most appealing choice of action. The faster, the better.
"Well, who knows, the truth might shine on us, when me & Katooni return back to Coruscant."
"A wise outlook, Padawan."
A minute of silence sailed in, before being blown away by Master Yoda:
"Nothing more to add is there. Free to go back to your vacation you are."
He nodded in affirmation.
"I'm greatly pleased, Master Yoda."
Another outrageously fast look around the Masters' faces.
"May the Force be with you."
Windu nodded and the signal was instantly severed. At some point, everybody gets tired of hiding friction. So the curtains may lift; quite remarkably, the conversation may even become smoother. Then there is the aspect of the Force signals. Both the Council & the Padawan were getting signals of rising danger form the Living Force. Could this have been part of the plan from one party?