Chapter 33: False Start
Note: So... as it was pointed out to me, Force Suppression Cells (FSC) aren't actually cannon that I can find. I could have sworn they were, but, I've read more fanfics than I have re-read/re-watched Star Wars/re-played games, so, I'm assuming reading it somewhere is where those come from, if I didn't just imagine them into existence back when I was planning out this portion of the story, can't really recall.
Anyway, so yeah, FSC are made up for this story, as are their related affects, though, I did try to put some thought into how it might actually work if they were *real* to Star Wars.
On occasion, being Palpatine was like wearing an uncomfortable, disgusting mask.
All the meek and self-depreciating comments, the grandfatherly smiles, the pleasant interactions; it would be insufferable if it weren't for the fact that it was for one, necessary, and two, amusing to deceive the incompetent senators, Jedi, and well, everyone. Not a single person in the entire galaxy had any clue who Sidious truly was. Even when in the same room as multiple Jedi council-members, there wasn't an ounce of suspicion. He stood in the chancellor's pod in the middle of the senate chamber, on galaxy wide holovision and holonet, with the entire Republic watching, and showed not even the slightest hint of anything more than a leader seeking justice.
Which he was doing now, and having a rather irritating session trying to corner the Jedi Order into allowing his apprentice to stand trial. "...and I do not understand the Jedi Order's reluctance to allow this particular Force Sensitive to be tried in the Senate. It is hardly the first time, even in recent years, that such a thing has occurred."
He glanced over the pod of Jedi; Yoda and Windu would normally be the center of Sidious's attention, but the fact that Obi-Wan Kenobi was here again after the preliminary questioning session earlier this week drew his interest. As much as it benefited him for that particular Jedi to be there, why would they allow a padawan into such a gathering when not requested? It had to be something to do with his apprentice. The question was, what exactly? What role did Obi-Wan Kenobi play in regards to her beyond a counter-temptation back to the Jedi?
Something to be thought about later, for now, he was vulnerability in the Jedi's defense. "Why, was not young Kenobi here, while proven innocent, not put on trial for the death of one Bruck Chun some years ago?"
His predatory eyes noted a slight flinch from the young man. Still a sore spot? Or perhaps an allowance that Sidious had made a point they could not quite refute?
"Mmm, true it is, Chancellor," allowed Master Yoda, "But seduced to the Dark Side, young Kenobi was not. Dangerous, young Tachi is."
"To the Senate, and the court of law, one's religion is hardly a basis for danger, Force Binders can be used if she proves unreasonable," countered Sidious, before he made a deliberate pause.
He had been considering, whether or not to publicly reveal his apprentice. The Jedi had not taken the initiative to do so, and considering what Kenobi had tried to do on Naboo, Sidious had an idea as to why. One, to not cause a public panic at the discovery of a Sith, and two, to not publicly condemn Siri. Being publicly known as 'fallen padawan' was one thing, being publicly known as a Sith was something far different, far more ostracizing and damning to Galaxy at large, and especially to other Jedi. He knew the padawan wanted to turn her away from the Dark Side. Ludicrous, except for one small problem.
She had almost been pulled away once already early on in her apprenticeship.
Allowing any advantage to the Jedi in stealing his apprentice away was unacceptable. "...or are you so concerned because she is a Sith?"
The Jedi all went silent and still. A murmur went up through the Senate, generally of confusion. Most would have no idea what a Sith was. "It is what Viceroy Gunray confessed to her being when asked of her involvement."
He leaned forward, staring down at them like the gnats they were. "Considering that Gunray only recently informed us within the last week, and you have held her for over a month, tell me, Master Jedi, were you planning on informing the Senate of this development?"
He could feel a collective rise in irritation against the Jedi, even if most of the Senate had yet to understand what a Sith was, and resisted the urge to smile. While he was still furious with his apprentice, there were many ways he could turn her capture to his advantage even before he reclaimed her. From start to finish, the Jedi's involvement in the Blockade of Naboo was a political nightmare, for them. They hadn't been supposed to be there to begin with. There was several ways he could turn this against them, but he had to tread carefully for his public image, lest he follow Valorum out of office. He should not seem angry that they intervened, no, he should appear grateful. But if it was ever pointed out that they shouldn't have been involved... well... he'd have to phrase his response carefully.
Yoda, to the little green troll's credit, did not appear cowed or phased by the accusation. "Her word alone, we had. Claimed to be Sith, others before her have. Cause unnecessary panic, want that we did not."
There wasn't a Force Sensitive alive who had felt his apprentice briefly ascending to Sithdom who would believe she wasn't a Sith. While the normal miscreants of the Galaxy may take the troll's word for granted, those with the power of the Force would not. Depending on how the Jedi as a whole react, lying to the Senate could cause potential internal conflict. Not to mention from other sects or factions of the Force scattered across the Galaxy. Of course, when it eventually came out that she was truly a Sith, the trolls statements would come back to bite him. He could, at any time, play footage of her battle against the Jedi, of her use of Force Lightning, and put a rather large dent in the troll's argument. No mere fallen padawan, after all, can defeat an accomplished Jedi Master and a padawan on the cusp of knighthood.
The problem with that laid in his apprentice's future use.
If he revealed her fully, it would risk turning the Galaxy against her, and make coming up with an explanation of her use for his future empire tricky. Though, when he had his empire, it might not matter. He knew he would have to confront the Jedi eventually, her coming in to 'save the day' from the usurping Jedi could be seen as a 'redeeming action' to the public, a slow lead in to when she became the enforcer of his empire. There were other potential ways it could be used, after all, to the public what was the difference between a Jedi and a Sith? Light and Dark? He could potentially use her to downplay the Sith's danger until the empire is made and control secured...
On the flipside, there was no guarantee he would retrieve his apprentice. Denying himself an advantage on the chance to reclaim her, as much as he desired to, was foolish. He was a Sith, he was in control of his desires, not the other way around. He would not go frothing at the mount to take back what belonged to him. Either retrieved her, or he didn't. If he could not have her, then no one would. He would make sure the Jedi could not properly use her. He could ruin her reputation and image easily, make any use future use of her by the Jedi controversial. Make anyone and everyone see and treat her with suspicion...
Which... now that he thought on it, could be a driving force for her to return to him (if she ever escaped). After all, he would be the only one in the Galaxy who would not turn her away for being a Sith, far from it. Yes... he could further drive her from the Jedi, from the Republic, and back into his hands all the while calling the Jedi out for lying.
"Master Jedi," began Sidious, "Ever since learning of this 'Sith's' involvement, I have been researching their history in preparation for this request..."
He began typing into the holoscreen on his pod, sending a clip from the battle on Naboo to the Senate. He had secured every ounce of it that he could from every camera angle available in the generator complex. He chose her use of throwing Jinn down a walkway with lightning flowing from her fingertips, earning a startled gasp from many senators. "Is that not Force Lightning? Something not actively seen since the last Jedi and Sith war?"
Yoda placed both hands on his glimmer stick and stared up unblinking at the chancellor. "Limited to Sith, that ability is not."
Not untrue, the Nightsister Witches favored the ability after all, they however stuck to their little world save for a few odd cases. Rare was the darksider otherwise who could manage to properly harness Force Lightning without killing or damaging themselves with it. Still, he could only press a point for so long. "Regardless of that, Master Jedi, Sith or not, Siri Tachi was involved in the illegal occupation of Naboo. Gunray's confessions paint her and her hidden Master as the architects behind the event. This is not a matter that only involves the Jedi Order. We have a right to have her questioned first by the senate, and then to face justice in the courts."
"Unsafe it...," began Yoda yet again.
"Master Jedi, the Senate is not asking for her to stand before unbound our unaccompanied," he said, allowing an air of incredulous to creep into his voice, "Are you saying that in Force Binders, surrounded by Jedi Counselors, she would still pose a threat?"
The Jedi said nothing right away, briefly turning to converse with one another.
"Our petition is a request," said Sidious, "But if we must put it to vote and make it an order, we will."
"Seek the courts in such an event, we will," said Yoda firmly.
Unfortunately for Yoda, Sidious owned or had dirt on half the courts at the moment (eventually all of them with his future appointments). He had encouraged them, and they had already made a few public remarks about supporting the motion. He gives the Jedi a look of disappointment, then takes his time looking around the senate as if judging and weighing his support. He has it even if he didn't own so many of these miserable leeches. "So be it, Master Jedi. A discussion, and then a vote will be held, and we will forward the results to you afterwards."
They could stall this out only for so long. He had the Senate. He had the Courts. He had public support according to the last polls. While he had intended for the occupation to become a minor footnote to be swept under the rug, he had changed course, having the media flout it as a grievous injustice to rile up as many people as possible. After all, if a trade conglomerate could invade one world, why not another? It stirred up fear, and that fear led to anger, anger that demanded a target. His apprentice would be that target for the time being.
It was only a matter of time...
Obi-Wan groaned. "You're joking. It's barely been a week since we appealed to the courts!"
"Mmm, wish I were, I do," murmured Yoda as the two of them walked together in the halls of the temple, "Agreed with the Senate, the courts have. Ask for a second appeal, the Jedi will, but doubtful it is, that the courts will bend."
Obi-Wan sighed softly. "I suppose it will go to trial then."
"To trial, it will," agreed Yoda quietly.
"Siri, last I talked to her, believes it's a ploy by Sidious to kill or capture her," said Obi-Wan.
"Possible, it is, but not certain," said Yoda, "Unclear the Force is on the matter."
"If he does, do you think he would go after her before the Senate questioning session? Or before the Court Trial?" asked Obi-Wan, "He couldn't possibly think to try something while they are proceeding, would he?"
Yoda shook his head. "Know that, I do not. Under watch at all times, she will be."
The Jedi Master frowned, his age skin wrinkling. "Hope I do, that lying she was to you. If great influence in the senate, Sidious has, more danger is there than forcing a trial."
"I hope so to," he said.
But he didn't believe she was lying, and there was no small amount of unease that filled him with the notion that the Sith might have some kind of control over the Senate. Because that in turn meant the Sith had a means of control over the Jedi. It was a dark thought that he knew weighed in the Council's mind. In Qui-Gon's mind. Hells, Grandmaster Dooku already thought the Senate corrupt, Sidious having influence there magnified every single one of the aged Jedi's arguments. Something had to be done, but no one had a clue what. They didn't know who Sidious was, and trying to go in and route him out was impossible. They didn't know if he was disguised as a member of the senate, an aid, a facility staff, a friend of a senator, all of that and more. Not to mention the Senate would not tolerate the Jedi just waltzing in and making accusations on anyone without proof.
"Inform Young Tachi, you should," said Yoda, poking Obi-Wan in the chest with his glimmer, "Avoiding seeing her, you have, weeks now it has been."
"I've been trying to help with the...," began Obi-Wan.
Yoda gave him a knowing look. "Fool me, you do not. Your responsibility she is, asked us of this, you did. For better, for worse."
Obi-Wan looked away for a long moment. "She tried to kill herself Master Yoda. I just..."
He trailed off unable to find the words briefly. "She has absolutely no faith in us, in me, I shouldn't be surprised, shouldn't be hurt... but..."
"A Sith she is," said Yoda softly, "In no one, does she trust."
"I've talked with her for over a month, I still can't wrap my mind around living that kind of awful life," admitted Obi-Wan, "I just... I don't understand why she doesn't want to turn away from it. She's not misguided, she knows what she does is wrong, and even if she doesn't think she's redeemable, why continue to be a Sith? Why not something else, anything else?"
"Answer that, only Young Tachi can," said Yoda, waving his stick into the air, "Off with you Obi-Wan. Old I am, need rest for the sessions to come, I do."
Obi-Wan gave him a small smile before taking his leave. It was... long past due. A little over two weeks, Siri was probably peeved at him from staying away for so long, especially since she was forcibly bedridden for her own safety. He was expecting her to be particularly viscous, or give him a very long cold shoulder. He resigned and braced himself as he headed down to the cells. The Temple Guards on watch say nothing as he passes and waits for the energy fields in front of her cell to cycle, and walks in.
He hesitates in the entryway, eyes on Siri. She lays motionless on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, an IV into an arm, orogastric feeding tube in her mouth and down her throat. He imagined it had to be horribly uncomfortable, but then again, it would be nothing compared to her training or her punishments as a Sith. She didn't seem particularly uncomfortable at the moment...
Ah just get it over with.
"Good morning Siri," he said, slowly stepping into the room.
When she didn't respond, or give a tell she heard, he sighed. One of those days again then. He walked over, and sure enough, her eyes were glazed as she stared up at the ceiling. It never ceased to disturb him to walk in and find her like this, especially when he wasn't sure what exactly caused it. She had implied it had something to do with the Force Suppression. But there was a rather lacking amount of information on it, especially extended stays in the cells. Simply put, when was the last time Jedi actively used those cells? The last Jedi and Sith war against the Brotherhood of Darkness? Even then? The Jedi Order had been in disarray after Skere Kaan caused a schism and turned to the Dark Side. The Republic's Dark Age, he had read, had been brutal.
There was simply no information on extended Force Suppression. Only on short term effects, things that could be used to cause it, and in the most extreme, the ability to sever someone's connection to the Force. Holding a Darksider long term... well... from what he had read, just didn't happen. More often than not, Darksiders fought to the death, or took their own lives rather than be captured (case and point Xanatos), they almost never willingly surrendered, or if they did, it was part of some scheme. In the distant past, considering that Sith were generally only active in the galaxy during war times, trials were hurried through, and individuals in question did not spend a long time in a cell, let alone a Force Suppressant one. There weren't many of these after all, it was far more common to put a prisoner in Force Binders, in a secure prison, under the watch of a Jedi. Alternatively, they were kept unconscious or in stasis for the duration of their imprisonment. There were also notes to never carry a weapon anywhere near a Sith, as having a weapon was more of a danger to the warden than to the Sith who could take it. Considering that most Sith in the far past were unrepentant mass murderers who wouldn't even acknowledge what they did was wrong, their sentence in trial was generally death if they didn't get themselves killed trying to escape or fighting their captors.
Jedi rarely held any prisoner in the temple for an extended period of time. They had their own detention center, yes, higher in the temple, but it was a detention center, not a prison. The Jedi were not wardens. They sometimes held dangerous Force Sensitives or criminals until something was decided in what to do with them. There was also, as much as Obi-Wan did not like to note, a rather large difference between Jedi attitude to darksiders depending on what Era one was speaking of. Jedi opinion on them varied from redeemable to lost causes to be put down. That it had not always been 'Once you turn to the Dark Side forever will it dominate your destiny', had always been shocking for him, from when Dooku first spoke of Master Ur Manka trying to help 'Iris' years ago, and even now, the possibility was still jarring to him.
Now, Sith on the other hand, from what he was allowed to read, delighted in taking and torturing prisoners. So perhaps it stands to reason Siri might have more understanding on the subject. If there was some kind of issue, why keep quiet on it though? Why endure an unnecessary hardship... oh, right, Sith, that's apparently what she did her entire apprenticeship. Even if this was an extreme side effect of being in the cell, what was he to do? Argue with the council for an hour outside the cell for her where she'd just bathe in the Dark Side and undo every ounce of progress they made? He sighed, looking down at Siri in silence for a few moments before walking over to his usual spot and sliding down, taking a datapad out of his pocket to start another binge on reading Republic Law. It was one of the driest reads he had ever had, and gave him constant headaches trying to understand the legal jargon.
He spent a few hours numbing his brain to the madness of the legal system before he stopped and stood, stretching. He glanced over at Siri, a slight frown crossing his face to see that she was still out of it. How long had she been like that this time? He walked out of the cell and paused to look at the guards, considering what to ask.
"Has she been compliant the last few weeks?" he asked.
One of the Temple Guards shifted to address him. "The Prisoner has no spoken once. It prefers to ignore us when we come into change the equipment and simply stare at the ceiling."
A sinking feeling hit Obi-Wan all the sudden. "I see."
Perhaps he should ask Master Che to come down again...
"Sure of this, you are?" posed Master Yoda.
Obi-Wan stood next to Master Che, his entire body tensed with worry and deep concern as Master Che reported her findings to the Jedi Council. "If we stim her anymore than what we have, it risks serious damage to her nervous system. She is not reacting whatsoever to them."
"She could be faking it to give herself a chance to escape if she were taken out of her cell," posed Master Windu.
"Without the Force, I don't believe she could fake keep still without reacting at all," countered Master Che, "She visibly reacted the last time we tried this."
"It could be a long term plot...," began Master Windu again.
"I think," rumbled Plo Koon, "That it would be relatively simple to test this. Bring what equipment you need to the cell, and monitor her readings. I hope that it is a ploy of some kind, if not, we will react accordingly to see what can be done."
Master Che huffed. "Perhaps had anyone kept a proper eye on my patient, then it wouldn't have gotten this far. But so long as she is a docile compliant prisoner, what would most care?"
There was an air of disapproval through the chamber, but the healer didn't even flinch at the collective stare-down of the council, she merely continued, "Dangerous or not, the first time this 'blanking out' as Padawan Kenobi calls it happened, I should have been informed. The fact that its occurred far more often that I was led to believe is far more alarming..."
She gave Obi-Wan a withering look, and he winced.
"...and especially since we do not know the duration of this episode, which ranges in possibility to two-weeks to a few hours. The fact that I have no concrete idea why this in particular is happening is also concerning, I will need time to figure out what is wrong, and to determine treatment if there is something to do for her. Time that we do not have."
"I beg your pardon?" inquired Ki-Adi-Mundi.
"I may spend my days mostly in the Halls of Healing," said Master Che, "But that does not mean I am unaware of what goes on outside the temple. Is she not requested for court? Last I heard, the Order's appeal was going to be shot down. Tell me Masters, what exactly happens if she is say, requested tomorrow? And all we can offer is a comatose prisoner who was not before? I am not a politician, but even I understand how bad that will reflect on the Order."
That sinking feeling from earlier hits higher now, with a low key of warning from the Force that Master Che is not wrong in the slightest.
"The Jedi did not harm her in any way during her imprisonment," rebutted Master Windu pointedly, "If anything, she has been treated with more leniency than any Sith deserves."
"I do not particularly care that she is a Sith," said Master Che, "Negligence can be just as dangerous as intentional harm, and expecting Padawan Kenobi to be her sole supervisor was foolish considering the pressure and stress of dealing with a difficult patient. This is hardly the Council's first dangerous prisoner, there are proper procedures in dealing with them, dropping these measures and losing your minds over her being a Sith is inexcusable."
"Asked for this, Padawan Kenobi did," pointed out Yoda.
"And does he have any knowledge of procedure?" inquired Master Che, "Where was his hand off? Who watched her when he wasn't?"
"She was supervised through camera the entire duration of her imprisonment," answered Master Windu.
Master Che opened her mouth to retort, but Master Piell cut in. "Rather than continue to argue and point fingers, perhaps we can focus on resolving the matter at hand? As you said Master Che, time is of the essence."
Master Che gave one last disapproving look across the council room before nodding. "If you are dead set on not transferring to the Halls of Healing, I'll need a few hours to get my equipment mobile and down there."
"Then may the Force be with you," said Master Windu, a clear dismissal, "Padawan Kenobi, stay."
Obi-Wan folded his arms into his robes as Master Che left, waiting.
Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke first, "You had no prior warning this time?"
It only took a moment for Obi-Wan to understand. "I felt no warning from the Force, unlike with the suicide attempt and her first overwhelming brush with guilt. She was in no danger of dying. I'm assuming no one else felt anything."
Yoda hummed. "Meditate often, have I. Felt little in the Force, about Tachi. Potential for good, for evil, vague unease, concrete these are not. No warnings, for, against."
"I imagine we all have meditated on the topic of the Sith," mused Master Piell, "With similar, frustrating results."
"And you Obi-Wan?" asked Master Windu, looking like he had swallowed something foul, "Has your... closeness with the Sith in question allowed you anything but warnings from the Force?"
Obi-Wan hesitates for a moment, probing the Force, and only getting a mucky swirl, like a dark cloud, blocking anything and everything about Siri. "Normally, I would say no, I haven't gotten anything and been done with it. But that's the thing, Masters, ever since I heard about the trial, the Force has been especially clouded about Siri. Before, while it wasn't monumental, I could get vague hints about when I should show up, twinges on important things she talked about after I left the cell when thinking back on it, but its all gone now. It's... well... it as if anything about Siri is being..."
"Clouded," offered Yoda thoughtfully.
It hangs, unsaid in the air, about the question of the Sith having anything to do with the Force being clouded as a whole. That Sidious may be cloaking any perception the Jedi could get on him or his apprentice through the Force.
"Yes," agrees Obi-Wan, "I feel little but general unease, the same as you Master Yoda, when I try to probe the Force about Siri, nothing more, nothing less. No warnings, no advice, nothing. Whether it is the intrusion of the Sith, or the will of the Force itself that we make the decision ourselves, we are on our own with how to tread with Siri."
"Assuming the Courts doesn't try to have her executed," mused Master Piell, "While there we no confirmed murders from her during the occupation, she was involved with the incident that left many dead on Naboo, and the attempted murder of two Jedi. Not to mention her incursions as 'Iris' against Master Dooku, there were several innocent casualties, and many other crimes and murders she is suspected of."
Obi-Wan hesitated.
"You do understand, Padawan Kenobi," said Master Windu, adopting a... not cruel tone, but a firm one, "That it is most likely well within their rights to. You have admitted to being attached, but are you prepared to let her go if she is made subject to the death penalty?"
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, a pained look crossing his face. "I am a Jedi, Master Windu. I want to help her, but I do understand that no matter how much she was or was not forced into this life, she has made her bed, and will have to face the consequences of her actions. If... if the best I can do is help her let go of her hate and the Dark Side to find peace before she passes on, then so be it. "
The Korun Jedi Master looked over Obi-Wan for a moment, eyes searching, before nodding with approval and sitting back in his chair. "Very well."
"Though," Obi-Wan added, making the approval fade into resignation, "I will state that without Siri, we have no leads on Darth Sidious."
There was no question of Siri not being found guilty of something. But a plea-deal of some-kind could be made, for information, for the chance for her to redeem herself... that was honestly the best he could hope for...
Siri was not requested the next day.
But she was requested the day after.
"The session is in two hours, Master Che, surely you have something?" asked Master Windu.
Obi-Wan stood across the room from Siri's bed in her cell, watching her chest rise and fall with quiet breaths. Little wires attached to sensors on her head and over her heart as Master Che looked her over. "I've had less than twenty four hours to begin studying her condition and preform additional research and tests. Her brains waves are... not quite comparable to a comatose patient, but more similar to those who fall to deeply into the Force and can't find their way out. Which, of course, does not quite fit the situation. I have been talking with Obi-Wan, about some of the comments Siri made during her imprisonment, and there is a possibility it has something to do with long-term exposure to the cell itself."
Master Windu frowned. "Explain."
"That's just it, I don't know," admitted Master Che, "It was a conjuncture with little to no proof aside from her allusions. I would like to take her out of the cell..."
"It has been argued against...," began Master Windu.
"Under watchful eyes, and in Force Binders if it will placate you," interrupted Master Che, "And see what I can sense with the Force."
Master Windu grumbled a bit, but agreed, leaving briefly to request Yoda and Ki-Adi-Mundi's presence before returning, with a pair of binders. Force Binders were not as... restrictive as the suppressant cell, worked more like a disruption than actually blocking it. Siri was promptly cuffed, de-wired, and placed on a gurney before being carted out of the room. Obi-Wan was hoping, as much as he didn't want her to touch the Dark Side, that merely bringing her out would do something, but nothing happened. Master Che had her set down and knelt next to her, placing a hand on her forehead and closing her eyes.
Obi-Wan tentatively reached out with the Force, not to interrupt, but to feel Siri's presence for the first time in over a month. She felt oddly distant, not elusive, but detached from herself, like her Force presence hovered around her but not in her. It was one of the strangest things he had ever felt through the Force. It didn't feel quite right, she felt muggy in the Force itself, though that might have something to do with the binders as well. At the moment, she didn't particularly feel like anything in the Force, dark, light, somewhere in between, she was just there but not there.
He watched patiently as Master Che felt around with the Force, before pulling back. "Definitely not faking it. Her state is a lot like being lost in the Force, just not in the Force itself, most curious. I'll need to look into the medical area of the Archives..."
"Master Che, we do not have time for more research," said Master Windu, "Is there anything that you can do at this moment?"
Master Che gave him a disproving frown. "You want me to experiment? Mess around? Before I have all the details and a chance to think the issue through? What if I make her condition worse?"
At that, Yoda grunted. "No, careless we must not be."
"I suggest, you inform the senate that she is not medically fit to be questioned at the moment," suggested Master Che.
"Like that, they will not," muttered Yoda, leaning on his stick to peer at Siri in thought, "Believe us, they may not. If still they demand, and we deny, penalized the Order will be."
"Well, then I suggest someone dress her in actual clothes rather than the medical gown," said Master Che, "I'm surprised she didn't throw a fit over being stuck in that for so long."
"I doubt what she wears is a concern to a Sith of all things they could be worried about," said Master Windu, "But..."
He paused for a moment, frowning. "We will give her back her robes, she has not earned the right not agreed to return to the light to be given the robes of a Jedi."
Obi-Wan said nothing, resisting the urge to make a face. He really didn't want to see her in that dark clothing again. It wouldn't be that difficult to request a set of clothing from one of Coruscant's prisons. Better a bright orange of a prisoner than clothes of a Sith if he was asked. But he wasn't, he was mostly along for the ride at this point. He had faith that she would pull out of this. Regardless, Siri's fate was in the hands of Master Che, and then whether she succeeded in finding a solution or not, in the Senate...
Sidious felt the parasite bond snap back into place the moment the Jedi took his apprentice out of the confines of wherever they were holding her. He figured she had been in the depths of their temple, in their cells. He did not, like some overeager youngling, immediately react. He took his time carefully testing it out, feeling for her, around her. She was still suppressed in some way, either with cuffs, a serum, or through the efforts of the Jedi themselves. That was the first thing he noted.
The second, which made him more cautious in his probing, was that someone was poking around his Apprentice's force signature, and cautiously around her mind but not in it. He kept his presence hidden and carefully masked any of his own prodding. Especially when he detected the presences of several council members present around her. He would not give the council even a shred of a hint of what his Force Signature felt like until the time came to end them.
The third thing he noted was the state of his apprentice, and his eyes narrowed as he prepared himself for the senate session. She was detached from herself. There were several ways this could happen, especially if the Jedi were careless in probing her mind and trying to break her mental defenses. But no, he hadn't felt the bond awaken once after it had gone silent until now. Which meant she had been in their cells for the entire time. That, in turn left only one conclusion. A term his former master called Suppression Detachment.
The Sith had long delighted in the capture and torment of Jedi. There were many ways to deprive them off the Force, whether directly, or indirectly. Suppressant Cells, Sith Torture Masks, poisons, sorcery, all of that and more. The Sith weren't shy in how the preyed upon the weak and unworthy. Plaguies especially had been methodical and experimental with his Jedi captives. Toying with them, torturing this way and that to see what could garner which result. Force deprivation could lead to a great many different end results. Madness the most common in varying degrees.
But not the only one.
To be deprived of the Force was worse than simply losing a sense, or a limb, or anything the common rabble of the galaxy would try to parallel it with. It was losing access to part of one's life, their very essence and soul. To permanently lose the Force was something one could adjust to, but would never truly recover from. Losing access to it however was a far worse thing. For it is still there, just maddeningly out of reach. One could still reach for it, but never touch; even worse was the backlash of it. Trying to desperately enough to call to the Force that it hurt. That, coupled with isolation, torture, stress, loss of the concept of time, and the like, could degrade the mind.
However, there was another danger in the Force being out of reach for so long. One is always a part of the Force, as it is part of them. It is an anchor as much as it is a pull. There is such a thing as delving to deep into the Force that one mentally lose one's sense of self, becoming technically one with the Force without being dead, though one might as well be. So long is one has the Force, one will always be reaching, feeling for it. However, if they couldn't access it... they would be reaching into nothing, for nothing. Putting their consciousness and focus into nothing, and can lose themselves that way as well. It can happen passively, as one either loses their sense of time, or loses their sense of focus in the here and now, de-anchoring themselves. It will slowly grow worse over time naturally. Stress of course makes it worse, Plagueis had once make a Jedi go dead to the world in a week under his tender mercy, the Jedi accepting oblivion as an escape.
The permanency of that depends on how long they were gone before treated; whether they had lost their higher brain functions from extreme disuse, or their sense of self had fully faded away.
Take them out of their deprivation, and tug their detached sense of self back... and the poor Jedi would be back in their cell of horrors on demand. Or his apprentice in this case. He was not truly concerned that the Jedi had permanently damaged her, not nearly enough time had passed. Her control of the Force would be weakened for the near future without the chance to meditate and firmly re-anchor herself to her body, and may need a few weeks to shake it off, but she would be back to functional form quickly enough. Assuming of course he did not render her disabled in his punishment of her failure on Naboo for an extended period of time.
It was still curious, that she had lost herself to oblivion so quickly... only a bit more than a month?
He hummed quietly to himself; he supposed he would find out what happened in that cell once he had her back in his hands. For now, he pocketed a datapad, adjusted his robes, and strode out of his office, his senatorial guard falling in behind him as he made his way through the building and into the senate chamber. It was in the process of slowly filling as senators and their aids arrived one by one. Several different camera-droids were already flying around the senate from various galactic new-stations, no doubt with some pre-session discussion going on in various newsrooms by spokesmen.
Mas Amedda was there waiting for him. "Chancellor, we have received a message from the Jedi Council. They say that the Sith is medically unfit for questioning."
Sidious paused briefly in his calculations, feeling down the bond again. The fact that the Jedi still hadn't brought his apprentice out of her state was curious... did they not realize how? It wasn't complex, let her out, give her unhindered access to the Force and tug her back...
A soft smile spread across his lips.
Unhindered access.
Oh yes, he understood.
They didn't want to let her access the Force, let her touch the Dark Side, did they? If it wasn't a lack of understanding, then it would be that. This brought so many possibilities... he wondered, if he demanded it, would they really take her to the session in that condition? Without drawing her back? Either they denied it and were penalized by the Senate, and drew both condemnation and public scorn...
Or they brought her out like that, for all to see...
He wanted to cackle; sometimes the Jedi made things all to easy. They were handing him ways to slowly turn the public against them all to easily.
"Tell them we will tolerate no further excuses," said Sidious, feigning disbelieving indignation, "They have stalled and delayed beyond necessary as it is."
Mas Amedda bowed and briefly left the pod to return the answer.
Sidious comfortably sat down in his chair and waited patiently, mind turning over how many different ways he could turn what was coming to his advantage. The opportunity had shifted from painting his apprentice the villain and stealing her away. Now the Jedi were handing him a way to damage their public image on a platter. The question was... how to use this. Did he now paint his apprentice the victim and condemn the Jedi? That could be useful in a way to strike against the hated enemy, but it may also generate sympathy for his apprentice, which could make attaining the 'death penalty' and secreting her away in a fake near-death state difficult.
Alternatively, he still had an extraction team of bounty hunters on standby. His apprentice was relatively comatose at the moment however. She was not capable of taking advantage of a distraction to escape, or fleeing with the bounty hunters. On the flip side, she also couldn't fight against them if she misunderstood their purpose in targeting her, darksiders did not often react well to another of their kind coming out of nowhere, and he had one Aurra Sing at the ready to lead that team. Still, there was no guarantee that the mercenaries could even get the job done and escape with Tachi. The Jedi would have her heavily guarded, and if an attempt was made, that guard would easily double. That method would have only one chance to work, if he decided to use it. If they failed, he would also lose out on potential future resources from the money sucking scum in question. Sing loved to kill Jedi, and he would rather that continue for the time being.
So many possibilities on what to try and what to do...
He supposed he was also being a bit hasty. There was, after all, one uncertain element in all of this.
His apprentice herself.
Was she still loyal to the Sith?
Had Kenobi pulled her away to the Jedi?
No, that couldn't have happened yet. If she was still in a cell, then she hadn't agreed to turn from the Dark Side. There was a chance however they had filled her with doubt, that Kenobi had made her conflicted. Under normal circumstances, if she had never been tempted back by Ur Manka, he wouldn't have entertained the possibility at all. But it had, and he would not allow arrogance to blind him. It made him reconsider how he would deal with her when he retrieved her. He had pressed her into the Sith initially after she had fallen, slowly seduced her more and more into the Dark Side. He supposed that old relic of a holocron had aided in this. Drastic punishment may drive her away if her dedication to the dark had been shaken. He may have to re-seduce her to the Dark Side, remind her of its power and possibilities...
Then punish her when she was firmly back in her proper place.
He nodded to himself and turned his attention to the Senate, stretching out to gauge the mood of those gathered. Some eager anticipation, some irritation at having this delayed so long, a hint of fear and unease about the prospect of a Sith, most indifferent. Most honestly didn't give a damn about Naboo's occupation, or the upcoming questioning. It was just another day in the life of a senator. He considered what mood he should cultivate before the Jedi arrive. He would have initially encouraged fear and anger of his apprentice, but now...
Perhaps impatience? Irritation at the Jedi?
Yes... that would work.
He spent the time waiting for the session begin to subtly manipulate the atmosphere with the Force. When he finally detected his apprentice's presence leaving the Jedi Temple he pulled back his influence and started masking his efforts so the scorn directed the Jedi's way would seem natural. He waited in anticipation to lay eyes on his apprentice again, and when he finally did... he may have miscalculated in allowing her to be brought here. A Sith should never been see as weak, and as she sat drooped in a hover chair, her eyes vacant, mouth slightly open, a bit more thin than he remembered; she looked anything but strong, surrounded by several high ranking council members, and that ever present annoyance that was Kenobi.
It gave for a powerful, sympathetic image, yes, but it would be a damage to her stature when she eventually retook her place as his apprentice and became his empire's enforcer down the road. She was going to be livid when this sight came back to haunt her. He supposed she could only blame herself for bungling Naboo so badly. In fact, he could lord this over her, force her weakness down her throat over and over again. Give her a new source of hatred, of herself, of the Jedi, allow and encourage it to fester and grow. A new anchor to aid in tying her down into the Dark Side.
Finally, it begins, Mas Amedda motions there pod forward to the center of the chamber and stands, but when the Senate doesn't immediately quiet from their own conversations his voice booms out, "Order, we will have order!"
Amedda waits a moment for the chamber to quiet down before booming out, "We begin the senatorial questioning session of one accused Siri Tachi for the involvement in the Trade Federation Occupation of Naboo. The chair recognizes the Supreme Chancellor to begin these proceedings."
While nothing aside from a stab at the Jedi would happen this session, Sidious still stood, a role to play, clearing his throat before clearing his throat to address the senate, beginning as he always did when he had been a senator. "Delegates of the Senates, we are gathered here in the aftermath of a tragedy, seeking answers. There is no longer any doubt of the validity of the accusations of occupation. The battles have been fought, the damage done, the losses counted. The senatorial rights of the Trade Federation are, even now, in question."
He lets his eyes wash over Senator Lot Dodd, watching the Neimoidian squirm a little under the collective look many senators gave him. "However, it has come to light that a conspiracy of sorts may be at play. That these events were manipulated and catapulted to the galactic stage by a third party. When questioned, Viceroy Nute Gunray gave a confession."
He tapped his interface, sending a carefully scripted clip to every pod, and every newscaster...
"What was the reason behind the occupation of Naboo?"
Gunray's voice answered. "Publicly, it was because of the recent taxation changes, but that's rubbish. Laws and prices change day to day. What is against us one day is in our favor the next. The Trade Federation has suffered worse changes in the past."
"Then why did you invade the Naboo?"
"I was pressured into it, threatened into it."
"By whom?"
"I... you promised protection?"
"If your testimony is given in honesty and proven truthful, yes."
"His name is Sidious, says he's a Sith. Him and his apprentice."
"His apprentice?"
"The blonde haired devil! If I ever failed to meet his expectations, he'd send her out to 'remind me of the price of failure'. She'd shock me with lightning or choke me with her powers. I was trapped! Damned if I do damned if I don't since the beginning!"
"The beginning?"
"I didn't know at first, I swear! Sidious was influencing my ascent to becoming the Viceroy of the Federation, wanted to use me for some reason. So he blackmailed me, either I did what he wanted, or he either killed me or revealed what he had done to get me elected and had me lose everything. No matter what I did, I lost."
"Why did this 'Sidious' and his apprentice want you to invade Naboo?"
"I don't know, he never told me. He wanted me to make the Queen sign a treaty to make the occupation legal, but he never told me why. When she escaped, he sent the apprentice out to retrieve her."
"You call her 'the apprentice', did you not know her identity?"
"It's all Sidious ever called her, and she never offered her name. I knew better than to ask."
"Is there anything you can tell us about this 'Sidious'? Age? Race?"
"He was always cloaked, and image transmissions can be falsified, so I don't know if what I saw was true or not. I could only tell he was an older humanoid..."
Sidious clicked off the recording. "Copies of the full questioning are available on request. The point has, however, been made. A third party, Sith as they claim, appears responsible for the tragedy that befell my homeworld. One of which, we has been brought before us here today."
He leveled his gaze down at his apprentice. "Captured during the conflict was the Apprentice as Viceroy Gunray would call her, a former Jedi Padawan known as Siri Tachi, who..."
He let himself trail off, his eyebrows furrowing as he leaned forward as if to peer at her. He could detect the perceptions of many turn to her, including the cameras, wondering what had cause his pause. Now was to close the noose the Jedi had so graciously put around their necks, out of the corner of his eye, in one of the news feeds her had up on his interface, it zoomed in on her vacant face. "Master Jedi, what is the meaning of this?"
Master Windu stepped forward to speak, "With due respect Chancellor, we sent word that the prisoner was not medically fit for questioning."
Sidious pulled himself back to stand up straight, eyes narrowed. "Forgive me, if with all the unusual delays the Jedi Order has given in defiance of their mandate to serve the Senate, I made the incorrect assumption that was another stalling tactic. You could have sent a request for the senate to send an official to confirm the status of the accused. But that, in itself, is besides the point."
He gives them a fake-honestly baffled look. "Master Jedi, how is it that while under the Jedi's care, the accused now appears as addled as a mentally infirm patient?"
He had shaped it as an honest question, pointing the finger without sounding condemning, making it seem like he was trying to be understanding.
Master Windu kept his stony emotionless face. "We are not fully sure, Chancellor."
Sidious allowed a bit of his puzzlement to fade away from his face, replacing it with a hint of suspicion. "Perhaps, Master Jedi, you could detail your detainment of the accused?"
"She was kept in a Force Suppressant Cell under twenty-four hour surveillance, fed regularly, while one of our own questioned her about what had transpired since her assumed death on a mission eight years ago," explained Master Windu.
Sidious rubbed his chin in fake thought for a moment...
Before a chime sounded from one of the senatorial pods, Sidious turned his head to see Bail Antilles of Alderaan signal his desire to speak. He was, to be frank, still surprised the senator hadn't bowed out of the chamber and retired after his defeat for chancellorship, its what he had felt the man's intentions were. Perhaps he was merely choosing to stay for this last incident with Tachi.
Mas Amedda boomed out. "The chair recognizes the Senator of Alderaan."
Antillies stood and directed his attention to the Jedi. "Have records of her history within the Order, and this last mission she was assumed dead on, been made available to the Senate?"
"They have not," answered Master Windu.
"Allow me to rephrase then, will they be released to the Senate?" inquired Antillies firmly.
Sidious was curious if the Jedi would bend on this. It honestly didn't matter to him. Her initial history and the death of her former Jedi Master might garner a hint of sympathy, but not much considering how deeply she'd delved into the Dark and devoted herself to the Sith...
Then he paused.
There was a slight danger, not in regards to Tachi, but to Talesan Fry. If an inquiry went into what happened to him led to the few he did not own that knew his chief engineer questioning him...
Sidious made a mental note to make sure to sabotage anything that could lead to his chief engineer, and by extension, the planned superweapon. It was far to early for any hint of that to break into galactic stage. It could cause problems down the road if it was linked to the Sith and revealed much later on when he had his empire. Hmm... ah yes, the boy had been a minor at the time, perhaps that could be used to expunge his name from the details of that mission? He'd have to look into it, and if not that method, then find another way.
Master Windu's eyes flickered to Yoda, who with a weary sigh, nodded. "Made available, her records will be."
Antillies nodded and sat back down, satisfied.
Sidious gave a moment, to allow any other senators to come forward to speak, but none did, so he recaptured attention, pretending to unknowingly lead into the heart of the matter at hand, "How often was she taken out of the cell to be questioned? Perhaps someone... overzealous, harmed her in transit? "
"She was never taken out of the cell until today," answered Master Windu.
Sidious blinked at him, make himself appear taken aback. "Not once?"
"No, the cells have freshers, and she was brought food daily," answered the Jedi, "She was questioned within it."
Sidious's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Master Jedi, I have often heard it said that the Force is considered to be a part of a Force Sensitive much akin to a sixth sense. Would you consider this to be true?"
"Somewhat," said Master Windu slowly, not quite seeing where 'Palpatine' was going with this, "It is a part of who we are, it flows through us all. Our bodies, our minds, our soul.
Sidious did not hide his frown. "I cannot pretend to know or understand the Force and what it feels like to have it, but, are you saying it is more important to a Force Sensitive than one of a sentient's normal senses?"
There was the slightest hint of hesitancy from the Jedi, he must have an inkling of where this was going now. "Yes, Chancellor."
Sidious's face darkened with disapproval. "Then it would be accurate to say that depriving a Force Sensitive of the Force would be considered a form of Sensory Deprivation. You are aware, Master Jedi, that Sensory Deprivation is considered by this Republic, when exposed to it for extended periods of time, to be a form of torture, are you not? That it can have sever psychological consequences for individuals depending on the duration and extremeness of the deprivation? That perhaps this deprivation may be the cause of her condition?"
The hush that fell over the senate is so profound and so deep it was deafening.
Sidious was not unaware of the risk of making so bold a claim, an allegation, against the Jedi Order so soon in his Chancellorship. He had intended initially that he would appear indifferent, neutral, perhaps slightly friendly to the Order early on in his rule. It was a shift in outlook, but one that he could explain, one that could be seen as warranted; especially if the public reacted the way he thought they would. It risked the Jedi and their allies cooling towards him earlier than intended, but it could be seen as a logical jump in thought. It could also paint him in a strong light, that he was not weak, not easily cowed. Though it would be a deviation from his soft-spoken grandfatherly visage he had maintained. Perhaps it could be seen as stepping up to the task at hand?
Master Windu took the time to school his face and think out his answer. "There is little study on the effects of Force Suppression. Very rarely have their been occupants dangerous enough to warrant being confined in these specialized cells within the last thousand years, and never for an extended period of time. I cannot speak for others, but the comparison had not occurred to me. Tachi is an incredibly dangerous prisoner who warranted special methods of containment. There was little else that could be done to properly contain her."
"As I understand it, Force Binders do not completely cut off the Force, but... muddle it I think is how it was once described to me?" inquired Sidious, "Could those not have been used?"
"Binders can be overcome by Force Sensitives powerful enough," explained Master Windu patiently.
"While under the watch of the Jedi? In the heart of your very temple?" he asked, allowing skepticism to coat his voice.
"Our temple not only contains our knights and masters, but our younglings, our padawans," said Master Windu firmly, "We take their safety seriously. Darksiders are known to be corruptive and tempting to the young, giving Tachi any leeway to escape and lure the defenseless to the Dark Side was unacceptable."
Tachi was far from being close to ready to even think of taking an apprentice. Potentially decades away. That fear was laughable to Sidious.
"With due respect Master Jedi, arguments of religion based on the Force have little grounds in court nor the Senate," said Sidious patiently before shaking his head, "But I do not wish to linger, whats done is done. At this point, Master Jedi, I believe the Senate would prefer to see if this situation can be salvaged. Remove her from her binders and allow her access to the Force."
That got a start out of the Jedi, Master Windu spoke up, "Chancellor, with due respect, that is unwise. She is dangerous..."
"And surrounded by some of the most renown Masters of your order, your Grandmaster included," said Sidious, tilting his head at Yoda.
"Perhaps in a more controlled environment...," began Master Windu.
Sidious gauges the state of the room before giving his answer. There is a growing amount of disapproval, most at the Jedi, though some at him. He catches the thought that he is 'lingering' or 'pressing the same point to much' from a few, some believe he is being heavy-handed, or are blowing it out of proportion. That number does not outweigh those who don't or are neutral however. There are hints of sympathy here and there for his apprentice, and more than a few who were fine with her potentially being permanently addled as a form of punishment. Though they would never say it aloud. Sidious weighed the risks of demanding they do this here, it was a bit against procedure, but there was a reason he wanted it done now.
Simply removing the binders and giving her uninterrupted access to the Force wouldn't be enough, at least not immediately, she might eventually come back on her own. But for a quick result, she'd need a 'tug' back, and while the Jedi would most likely figure that out, he wanted that moment shown here with him as the reason and not them (not to mention there was a slight chance they might end up screwing the process up and ruining his apprentice, and that was intolerable). "If we must put this to a vote, then I will call for one, Master Jedi. I have great respect for the Order, especially with what was recently done for Naboo, but as of the moment I am largely unimpressed with how the treatment of this prisoner has been handled."
He can feel a rising tide slowly questioning his decision, and at this point, he knows he needs the Jedi to bend to not have this come back looking bad on him. He is unbudging, despite the growing murmurs in the Senate, eyes locked on the Jedi. Master Windu and Yoda exchange glances for a long moment, before briefly addressing the other Jedi present. The Council Members move to stand in a square formation around his apprentice while Kenobi kneels down in front of her to take off the binders.
Sidious waits for just the right moment, not as soon as the binders come off. That's unrealistic, one would naturally need a moment for the change to impact. But that moment later, he reaches so very carefully down the bond, keeping his presence masked, and tugs at her Force Presence...
Siri jolts, a strangled gasp escaping her lips as her eyes come back into focus. A glimmer of pain rockets down her face at the sudden and overwhelming sensation of not only regaining herself and the Force, but being bombarded by an entire senate chamber's worth of emotions and thoughts in the air, all at once. She pitches forward off the chair, Kenobi catching her before she can collapse. She shakes uncontrollably, eyes wild with building tears, one hand clutching her head, ragged and pained breaths breaking through her mouth. From deprivation and loss of self to awareness and overload in one fell swoop. This image far more powerful than her just sitting vacant in the chair, though it is another moment of weakness that he will have to suffer undermining his future enforcer.
But it has the desired effect. Any that had been against what he was doing quieted, many no longer considering what he requested crossing the line, but the recognition that something was wrong that needed to be stood against. For the few none-corrupt senators, bleeding hearts that they were, mistreatment was unacceptable even if they didn't care for the prisoner in question, or thought they deserved it. So high and mighty with their pathetic morals. So weak with them, chained down and unwilling to do what needs to be done.
Sidious gives it a moment longer before he activates the microphone again, clearing his throat for attention and then speaking with heavy disapproval in what he is sure will be the first crowning point of his Chancellorship. "Master Jedi, while I refuse to believe her state is something you intentionally sought out, it pains me to say that I have never been more disappointed in the Jedi Order as I am right now. The Republic is a nation of law and order, of peace and equality, how we treat our people, from the position of Chancellor all the way down to a prisoner, is a reflection of our society and it's morals. All but confirmed in court to be guilty or not, they are owed certain undeniable rights by our democracy. Expunging upon these rights goes against what the Republic stands for, and is immoral."
He frowned, looking Siri over. "I, and the Naboo, have every right to detest the accused for her involvement in the suffering of our people. Despite this, I will recognize that the treatment she has received thus far is unacceptable. Especially if her excessive confinement was grounded on fear of this 'Dark Side'; religious prosecution was outlawed a long time ago, far before any of us were born, and I will not see that return under my watch."
He considered whether or not he could demand her transferred out of their keeping... but decided against it for now. If she 'escaped' because of him doing so, it would reflect poorly on him after all. "I will not however overlook that yes, she is dangerous and that yes, the Jedi are most likely the only ones who can properly contain her. She will remain in your custody, but will not be placed back within that cell, am I clear?"
Master Windu appeared both relieved, and like he had swallowed something sour. "Yes, your excellency."
"Then I move this session to be adjourned, giving the accused one week to recover and sort herself out," said Sidious, "With the Jedi keeping the senate updated on her condition and if she requires more time."
And with that, he watched the Jedi turn and scurry away, carting his disoriented apprentice on a hover-chair out of the chamber...
Review Responses:
EclipseTobias: Well... turns out that I did, or someone else did. I made a note of it in the beginings of the chapter.
Nerdman3000: She won't realize its him, not yet. She will be the first to be suspicious and peice it together easily, but not quite now. And even when she does, as you said, she might laugh at it. Then she might cry, who knows. IDK on Time Travel, we'll see when we get to it. (could easily do multiple diverging sequel fics).
1saaa: A mixture I suppose. It will continue for a while, and there may eventually be a timeskip. But for the time being, things will move at a normal pace. I especially want (SPOILER)...
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Siri involved in a certain mission involving Grant Omega and Korriban.