Chapter 36: Who Questions Who?
Note: First part of this chapter probably shoulda been in the last one *shrug*.
Obi-Wan, wisely in Siri's opinion, only stays long enough to drop off food for the next few days. She frankly doesn't want to deal with him or any other Jedi for the time being. Siri stays glued to the datapad for the most part, only stopping to meditate, eat, or use the fresher. She hasn't been able to get to sleep with all the Jedi so blasted bright in the Force all around her. She can sustain herself off of meditation for a long while, but she knows she's eventually going to flop at some point. Or grow accustomed to it eventually.
She's more cautious with the datapad after her initial session with it. She figures they're monitoring her traffic with it, and makes a point not to make obvious the major points of contention she might use in her own defense. If she has something she needs to look up, she tries to lead into it as a sort of fancy, following links that lead up to her topic rather than just searching right for it. She also locates the cameras in her apartment with a brief pass of the Force, she's not particularly surprised to find them, though she is at least somewhat surprised they offered the courtesy of not sticking one in the bedroom, and the fresher. She leaves them active for the time being, its not like she has anything to hide at the moment.
She spends, much to both her embarrassment and amusement, a rather large time reading speculation articles or commentaries on herself. She finds the strange pictures people try to paint her life as or their reasoning to explain her actions baffling. Don't people have anything better to do with their time? Most are completely stupid, but some at least guess somewhat right about Sith training involving torture. Maybe those ones at least read a bit into their history.
Though it does bring up a topic she needs to corner that Jedi Healer about.
The next time Obi-Wan comes by with food, she inquires, "I wish to speak with... whoever the hell it was who tended to me."
"Master Vokara Che," said Obi-Wan, a slight puzzled look on his face, "Why do you wish to speak to her?"
"None of your business," she answers flatly.
He frowns. "I'd need a reason to give her, and the council, to allow the visit."
"It concerns my health," she says with a scowl.
She feels a light pass from him in the Force, reflexively checking for injury at her words, and her scowl deepens, "My past health, I am entitled to my medical records, am I not?"
He nods slowly. "I'm assuming you are, I'll pass the request along."
It takes the Jedi far to long in her opinion, (who needs a day to argue over a healer coming in here?) before the Twi'Lek Jedi entered the room with Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Windu as an escort. Siri isn't amused to have that many Jedi in her room. "I did give my word I would not harm anyone here, rather unnecessary if you ask me."
"You've already broken your word," said Windu pointedly.
She raised an eyebrow. "Did I now?"
"You threw Padawan Kenobi across the room," he answered flatly.
She blinks at him for a moment before scoffing. "You Jedi were for one, asking for it by parading me around like that, and two, I wasn't aware you were all glass dolls."
Yoda tapped his staff. "A request you have for Master Che, if wish to speak to her, then our presence, required it is."
Siri rolled her eyes. "Did you bring my records?"
Master Che walked over and handed a datachip off. Siri took it and plugged it into her datapad, scrolling all the way down to the more recent entries. She doesn't show the smile that wants to spread across her face at the pictures of the various old scars, bruises, and burns the healer took when she was first brought in after Naboo. If she tries to get sympathy, this will be useful. All suffering has a purpose, and rather just as a trial in her training, it may be serve as a swaying for some of the few bleeding hearts in the senate, or in a jury (assuming Sidious doesn't rig it). "I assume I am allowed to keep a copy of this?"
Master Che nodded. "You are."
Siri makes a copy and hands it back, flicking through the notes for a moment, a frown on her face. The notion of long-term damage from Force Lightning isn't one she likes. She also doesn't want to be reliant on a Jedi to be able to deal with such damage. "The damage from Force Lightning, can that be dealt with by regular treatments for electrical shocks?"
"I already treated the damage your body endured," informed Master Che.
"I'm talking about future ones," Siri answered, "As I doubt I'm going to be Sidious-free for the rest of my life one way or another."
Master Che studies her for a moment before answering. "To a degree, however, the attack is not solely electrical, but Forced based. Normal treatments can alleviate symptoms, but it will leave lingering damage that requires the Force to dissipate."
Siri nods at that, thinking. "Does this require actual healing, or can it be dissipated just by dispersing the energy?"
Master Che paused to consider it. "I'm uncertain."
"Well, one way to find out," said Siri, holding her arm out to the side, and aiming her other hand at it, focusing a bit of her hate of Sidious through her fingertips.
The healer springs back as Windu activates his lightsaber, the other two Jedi tensing when lightning arcs from her fingers into her arm, Obi-Wan exclaiming, "Siri!"
She pays them no mind, compared to Sidious, using her own lightning on herself hardly hurts. She watches the energy coil around the limb, sharp burning stings cackling up her arm and down to her hand. She clenches and relaxes her fist, focusing her attention through the Force on her wrist, watching the energy embed into bone and flesh and Force. She frowns thoughtfully at it. She is not entirely sure how to go about this.
"You, have absolutely no self-preservation instincts," hisses Master Che, brushing passed Windu and grabbing Siri's arm.
Siri yanks it free and glares at her. "I'm trying to figure it out."
"Then watch and learn and for Force sake, don't ever do that again," demanded Master Che.
"Leave something for me to try myself then, or I'm just going for a repeat," said Siri without batting an eye, "This is kiddie grade lightning."
The scowl she earns from the healer is amusing. "There is no safe level of Force Lightning."
"I'm not on the floor screaming my head off with literal smoke rising from me, so its kiddie grade," said Siri dismissively.
The level of disquiet from the Jedi rankles her. "Keep your pity to yourself or I'll show you exactly what I think of it."
"Hmph, always so quick to threaten, are you?" posed Yoda, frowning at her.
"Perhaps if everything the Jedi did didn't make me want to throttle them it wouldn't be an issue," she answers, offering her arm back to the healer and watching carefully through the Force as the Jedi goes about tending to the pitiful little shock. Honestly, the healer is fretting over childsplay, its embarrassing. Still, Che leaves her wrist alone, and Siri follows the lead she was given.
Not the way the Jedi do, oh no. She doesn't sooth away the energy and dissipate it. She attacks the lingering sensation, destroying the connected energy that lays corrosively on her joints. It causes a flash of pain, but she ignores it. She's satisfied though, if she encounters and survives Sidious, she can mitigate some of the aftermath. Though, with the intensities Sidious can go to, shes not sure if it will be entirely effective. She might have to tap into Sith Sorcery for that. While it is an oddity, and a rarity, there were documented cases of sorcery being used to heal. She recalls reading that Freedon Nadd healed Exar Kun's near broken body with it.
It's also something she doesn't have any incantations learned for nor any artifacts or talismans made. She never particularly focused on any of those pages in Freedon Nadd's scriptures. If she ever gets the chance to go back to her hideout, she probably should look into it...
"If you are done with your own shock therapy...?" questioned Master Che.
Siri grinned. "For now."
The healer huffed and left, shaking her head and muttering to herself all the way. Windu turned off his lightsaber, a scowl etched onto his face, and did the same. Yoda had an unreadible expression, but turned and slowly walked out without a word. Obi-Wan just sighed. "Sometimes Siri, I think you've gone literally insane."
Siri hummed at at that, non-committal, and settled back onto the couch to read her datapad...
It would be split into two parts.
The Senate, dared, to think they had the right to question her. She would be brought to them for, at bare minimum, one questioning session before she was sent back to the temple to await her day in court. Additional sessions depended on if the first went satisfactory for them or not. It sounded simple enough, but when the Jedi showed up at her door, a pair of Force Binders in hand, she scowled at them. "Is that really necessary?"
She had her answer when the entire Jedi Council piled into her apartment. She huffed with irritation and held out her hands, Windu cautiously approaching to snap them on. Siri didn't try to hide the dark look that brought to her face when her connection to the Force grew murky. Nor hide the body-wide visible hostility that sensation brought. After her time in that cell, she HATED any kind of dampening or suppression. The Jedi tensed, but Siri did nothing save for stand. She was led out of the room, a circle of Jedi surrounding her, Obi-Wan's hand on her arm as a guidance.
"I'm capable of walking myself," she glowered at him.
He gave her a strained look, and didn't answer. She was led through the halls of the temple, to the hanger, and onto a transport. Siri plopped down onto a middle seat, the rest of the council filing in, Obi-Wan sitting next to her on one side, Yoda on the other. The ship took off, several Jedi starfighters flying as escort. The whole thing felt like overkill to her, but she kept silent for the time being. When they landed, and the Jedi started filing out, Siri caught sight of camera droids flying about in anticipation.
So, she made sure when she stepped out and started walking, that her back was straight, her chin was tilted up a bit, and her face held with controlled confidence. That was how she first should have been seen in public. She pushed down her own anticipation for this questioning session, she'd be giving the galaxy a show to wash over those pathetic images and videos. She had to work to keep the smile off her face. She was going to enjoy this.
She was led through the building, and into the Senate chamber on a larger pod generally reserved for bigger species. The council lined the outskirts of the pod while she stood in the middle in front of the pod's senator seat. Even through the binders, she felt the eyes of so many on her. The eyes of the corrupt, pathetic senators of the galaxy. Had she access to her own personal network and datapads, she could ruin over half of them easily. She could still recall enough on her own to know just how much power she actually had here. They thought she was captured and chained, to be interrogated and questioned, but little did they realize it was THEY who were the ones trapped in this room and session with her.
Her eyes flicker upward as Mas Amedda motions the Chancellor's pod forward to the center of the chamber and stands, his voice booming out to quiet the murmurs and conversations within the Senate, "Order, we will have order!"
Amedda waits a moment for the chamber to quiet down before glancing around the room, and then down at Siri, "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."
Siri's eyes shift to the Chancellor as he stands... and feels a twang of something she cant quite figure out. A sense of unease in her gut that she doesn't understand why it's there. Something about the man unsettles her, but she lets nothing show. Even if she had clear access to the Force, she couldn't probe the man without the Jedi freaking at her. She makes a mental note to merely study how he acts and speaks for the time being.
"Delegates of the Senates," began Chancellor Palpatine, "We are gathered here for a second time in our pursuit of justice, of answers, for the senseless loss of life on my home planet of Naboo. Brought before us today, is an individual captured during the conflict, a former Jedi Padawan known as Siri Tachi, who Viceroy Gunray claims is a Sith..."
Siri narrows her eyes, bristling, her voice ringing out loud and clear, coated with ice, "I AM a Sith."
Obi-Wan sighs quietly as the Chancellor pauses to glance down at Siri, and Mas Amedda glowers at her, his voice booming down, "The chair does not recognize the questioned at this time."
She gave a feral smile that was all teeth, making the Chagrian hesitate at the sight of, visibly unnerved, her voice ringing out mockingly, "My apologies, please, do continue."
The Chancellor raises a single eyebrow down at her, a hint a disapproval on his face before it's masked. "...who now corroborates the claim of being a Sith Apprentice."
He pauses for a moment, considering something, "Before we begin the questioning, it is appropriate that, regardless of the charges against you, I offer the Republic's apology for your... mistreatment and extended exposure to the Force Suppressant Cells."
"You know, if that token apology actually meant anything," said Siri, raising her bound hands and rattling the cuffs, "Then you wouldn't have me, yet again, in some kind of Force Suppression."
"You are a dangerous criminal, Siri Tachi," said the Chancellor mildly, "It's proper procedure, and not even close to the degree of suppression as the cell you were in."
"And if I gave my word that I would be relatively civil?" posed Siri.
"I've be advised that trusting the word of a Sith is a fool's notion," said Palpatine.
Siri scoffs. "Then why am I here in a questioning session if you are going to toss out everything I say?"
"I did not say we would," echoed back Palpatine, "It is up to the Senate, and the Jedi, to ferry out the truth in your words."
Siri rolled her eyes. "Here's a lesson for you Chancellor; treachery is the way of the Sith, but sometimes cold hard truths are far more painful and enjoyable, and I do oh so love rubbing those kinds of truths in deep enough to bleed."
The Chancellor is, surprisingly, not even slightly taken back or unsettled by her words, he merely shakes his head. "Regardless, the binders are not coming off."
"Well, that's to bad," she mused, moving to sit in the pod's seat, prop her feet up on the pod's dashboard, raising her hands behind her head like a pillow. She nestles into the seat and gives the Chancellor an absolutely lazy smile, not taking him or the Senate seriously at all, "The binders come off, or I wont answer a single damn question and we can go straight to trial. I've had about enough of any kind of Force Suppression for the time being."
"You do yourself no favors with both this defiance and childish display," said the Chancellor critically.
"I don't need any favors in dealing with the corrupt, spineless, piss-ants that litter this dome," she answered back nastily, "So whats worth more to you Chancellor? Keeping me in chains, or getting answers?"
She could faintly detect the surge in irritation and anger through the Force at her words even through the binders, and wondered if she could force them open with that energy. The emotions begged her to eat them like an appetizer, oh so delicious to feed off of and give her the strength to break the chains on her wrist. She holds it back though, and merely looks up smugly at the Chancellor. She'd love to tear the Senate a new one, but if she goes straight to trial instead of dealing with the questioning, it doesn't impact her strategy.
The Senate is her fun.
The trial will be her work.
The Chancellor looked ready to retort before he closed his eyes and sighed softly, shaking his head. He glances down at the Jedi, eyebrow raised. "Do you believe you can keep her contained if she is released and tries anything?"
Siri snorts, not even giving the Jedi time to answer. "It's the entire kriffing Council, I'm good, but I'm not that good."
The Chancellor ignores her, staring down at Yoda. The troll takes his time in answering, his eyebrows furrowing as he turned his gaze on Siri. She raised her own mockingly, and he merely sighed. "Keep her contained, we will."
The Chancellor looked down with disapproval at Siri as Obi-Wan moved to take off the binders. "If that is all...?"
"Well, I could do with some tea and snacks while we're at it," she says snidely, bringing her freed wrists down onto her lap as she moves to sit upright, one leg crossed over the other.
Palpatine stares at her, incredulous, rumbles of indignation and disapproval rolling through the senate before he speaks, "Perhaps it is inappropriate of me to remark, but, I'm not sure I have ever met anyone as outright insolent as you are."
Siri laughs. "My Master says the same thing, Chancellor, it's my best quality."
Palpatine puts his foot down. "I believe you've done enough mockery. Siri Tachi, you are here to answer our questions in regards to your involvement in the Trade Federation Occupation Naboo."
"Alright, shoot," she says.
"Is it true that the Sith incited the Trade Federation to blockade Naboo?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered back, "In Sidious's own words, it was a 'Seemingly insignificant, yet important move on the chessboard towards the Grand Plan'."
"The blockading of the Planet, and the death of many civilians is something to be considered insignificant?" the Chancellor posed, looking disgusted.
"His words, not mine," she said, neatly sidestepping giving her own opinion.
A chime rings, and the Chancellor glances over to one of the Senator pods. An Ithorian, Siri can't quite remember the senator's name, Tenda-something, one of the few senators that isn't completely corrupt if she recalls; Mas Amedda booms out. "The chair recognizes the senator of Ithor."
The Ithorian looked down at Siri. "What is this 'Grand Plan' you speak of?"
"The same as it's always been," she answered, "Wiping out the Jedi."
And galactic domination, but she wasn't quite up for shooting herself in the foot that badly by proclaiming that to the Galaxy.
The Ithorian rumbles. "A planet was invaded on the basis of religious warfare?"
"Far worse things have been done for even worse reasons than that," she answers back.
The Ithorian shakes his head, but sits back down, question done.
Another pod rings for attention, this one she recognizes as Bail Antilles of Aldaraan. "The chair recognizes the senator of Aldaraan."
"Aldaraan remembers the Sith of ages past," began the Senator, "The wars, the occupation, the bloodshed, armies of crimson lightsabers without a shred of mercy. Yet only one Sith is present, and another only referenced as a name. How many more of you are in hiding?"
"Irrelevant to the occupation of Naboo," she answers, "But, since I'm feeling generous, allow me to alleviate your fear."
She gives him a predatory smile, and even at a distance she sights the way the man tenses and steels himself. "Comparing the Sith of now to the Sith of old is foolish. We have changed, evolved. There is supposed to be only two of us at a time now."
The Senator looks puzzled, overwhelming his previous tension. "Only two?"
"Sith have this nasty habit of stabbing eachother in the back, so it was decided generations ago to nip that problem in the bud," she answers, "Now we only kill eachother when we're ready to take our place as the Master."
Antilles frowns. "And that makes up for no longer having armies of Sith?"
She shrugged in response. "Remains to be seen."
Antilles sits back down, face scrunched back in thought, working over her words.
Another senator chimes in, Edcel Bar Gane of Roona, his voice puzzled. "Why would you kill your own teacher? That makes no sense, would it not cripple your Order to throw out someone with age and experience?"
"I'm not here to discuss Sith Philosophy," she answered flatly, "The majority of the people here wouldn't understand it. If you're asking about me personally, I hate his kriffing guts, I don't need any other reason."
Again, the Senator seemed puzzled. "An Order based around killing your own members makes no sense."
"The same could be said for a senate filled to the brim with corruption and greed," she said pointedly, "Wonder why the Republic citizens pays the taxes it does to keep all the worthless cretins in here around."
The Senator huffs, but sits back down.
The Chancellor waits a moment, giving a chance for more questions, but none come. "I suppose I will get to the heart of the matter. Why did the Sith incite the Trade Federation to invade Naboo?"
"Why did the Sith incur the Naboo Incident?" mused Siri, "Sidious only directly told me it was as a test for me, but I'm not stupid. He has multiple reasons for anything he does. Personally, I think he did it to get Valorum out of office."
There were murmurs through the senate chamber, and Chancellor Palpatine peered down at her, curious. "And what led you to that conclusion?"
"Valorum was a friend of the Jedi, helped and supported them...," she said simply, a sly smile spreading across her face, "...to the point where he felt he could dismiss Senate procedure and bypass them completely by personally getting the Jedi involved with Naboo."
Now those murmurs were a lot louder.
"I have, little doubt, that Sidious was involved in your election, Chancellor Palpatine," she said.
The Chancellor narrowed his eyes as a hushed silence went through the dome. "Perhaps, if you have an accusation to make, you say it plainly."
Siri shrugged. "I'm not saying I do. You're an interesting choice, Palpatine, not because of corruption or anything, but because of neutrality."
That seemed to... surprise? Confuse him? "Neutrality?"
"I've unfortunately had to study the Senate a great deal," said Siri with disdain before giving him a skeptical look, "From what I can tell, you are neither for nor against the Jedi. You've been apart of bills that have harmed and helped them. You would, most likely, not go out of your way or risk your position to do them any favors nor ask them to breech senate protocol, like Vallorum did."
"As much as it chagrins me to say," admitted Palpatine with self-depreciation, "I would not have breached our laws to send Jedi to Naboo. Other ambassadors surely, or even appealed to the courts, but the Jedi require senate approval to use in such a manner."
She tilted her head in acknowledgement. "As I said, neutral, and having a Chancellor that does not particularly favor the Jedi is important," she tilted her head the other way, "Or, since you're so suspiciously squeaky clean that I've never been able to find dirt on you, you're in Sidious's pocket."
Palpatine looked affronted. "I beg your pardon?"
Siri smiled sharply. "I'm a Sith Apprentice, finding dirt to use and blackmail people with is something Sidious had me do plenty of. I never found anything on you, so either you are as clean as you look, and I doubt that, no politician is perfectly clean, or Sidious wants you to appear that way."
"I am not in the 'Pocket' of this 'Darth Sidious'," said Palpatine, glancing down at the Jedi standing watch over Siri, "I've been told the Jedi can feel the truth in statements, no?"
Siri could feel a light pass through the air by Master Windu, who gave a nod, and Palpatine looked down at Siri with a smugness that was unsettlingly familiar. "And let us not forget, Siri Tachi, you are the being questioned here, deflecting onto others will not save you."
Siri shrugged, forcing away her unease. "I don't particularly care. You were a logical conclusion, but either way, your neutrality suits him."
Palpatine seemed to weigh her words for a moment before sighing, "We should move on, but you have peeked my curiosity. If this 'Sidious' has such a heavy influence in the senate," Palpatine's tone indicated he didn't believe that, "Why not choose someone hostile to the Jedi then?"
"Because pretty much all of them have dirt that they could be blackmailed with," she said with amusement, "And Sidious would never tolerate having someone in your position that someone else besides him could manipulate. He's a controlling bastard like that."
"You seem to have the opinion that many of the Senate would be corrupt," said Palpatine mildly, "You've made your opinion on that clear multiple times now."
Siri snorted. "Because more than half of them are. If I had access to my old network and datapads, I could bring up evidence to compromise them all and bring the Senate, and thus the Republic, to it's knees handling the chaos of the whole thing."
"But, since I don't and can only go off what I can remember at the moment," she said, smiling sweetly, so giddy that he had given her a lead in to this, "Would you like to know that Senator Tikkes, Bufus Ritsomas, Danry Ledwallow, and Wuja Wojaine are involved in a slaving ring?"
She watched, smugly satisfied, as the entire Senate Dome burst into madness. At her side Obi-Wan could only sigh in resignation. She feels the chaos of the area, and feels the ripples of it out in the Galaxy, from however many people are watching. She purrs quietly in the back of her throat at the torrent of negative emotions flooding the Force at once.
It's good to feel the Dark Side again, it truly is...
At least until the Force Binders are snapped back onto her wrists and she's led out of the madhouse and back to the temple...
She's led back to the Senate a week later.
She doesn't hide how smug she is from the cameras on the way in, considering the Senate was down the four members she had named. Apparently several 'household servants' had come forward, emboldened by Siri's actions, and contacted the authorities. Slave chips had already been removed, so guilt wasn't in doubt anymore, and more and more people were getting implicated as the Senate Bureau of Intelligence was forced to get off its ass and actually do their job, raiding the homes of the senators and finding evidence of 'transactions' with many a people's name still listed.
It was being called one of the biggest slavery busts of the last decade.
Not to mention the fact that the Senate approval rating dropped over twenty percent in a single night as more and more facts and findings came to night, and calls for investigations into corruption were at a new all-time high.
It is her first indirect act against Sidious. It's something she knew he would mistake as her simply being herself, at striking out against the Senate that would dare to judge her. Not that she wasn't doing that as well. But Sidious thrived on the corruption in the Senate, on being able to control the corrupt. Wiping out his potential tools, while not an extreme act, weakened his avenues of manipulation. Especially if this led into more senators being investigated and discovered corrupt. It could lead to setbacks for him, but nothing entirely dangerous to his goals. He would, at most, be irritated and a tad pissed off.
Its nothing he couldn't recover from though, and knowing Sidious, there were ways he might be able to turn it to his advantage. But the point of it was twofold: It weakened the Senate, and more importantly, bought her time before Sidious would be ready to enact the Grand Plan, because either way he would need time to adjust. A few months to a few years of extra time could end up being literal life or death, for her or for Obi-Wan. She didn't give a damn about the rest of the Jedi, but she'd need to find a way to ensure Kenobi lived through the end of his order. Assuming she wasn't sentenced to death at the trial and had to book it out of Coruscant.
When she's brought to that large senator pod again, she smiles smugly up at the Chancellor. He doesn't frankly look impressed, but waits until Mas Amedda quieted the Senate and recognized him to speak. "Last time we were gathered, you admitted to the Sith's involvement in the Trade Federation Occupation of Naboo. Now, the Senate asks what precisely was your involvement. We already know and have witness recordings of your attempted murder of the Jedi, now we offer you the chance to come clean on anything else."
"Hmm, straight to the point today," she mused aloud in answer, "Not to keen on giving me a chance to say anything else? The room is looking a little bit emptier than the last time I was in it."
"Yes, your ability to deflect onto others, regardless of the validity of their guilt, is admirable," said the Chancellor dryly, "But the Senate was not gathered here today to to pander to your whims."
"Such a shame," she mused, her gaze slowly turning to glance at one senator after another, her voice punctuating hard each time she spoke while focused on one, "There's so much I could tell you. About Senators who rigged their elections, had their opposition murdered, bribed officials or voters, or are involved with criminal organizations, but I suppose that's not important compared to my limited involvement in the occupation."
Palpatine's lips are pursed, but the rest of his face is carefully masked. The rest of the senate though, she can feel the rising tension and fear, the corrupt abhor her, terrified for their positions. Perhaps now they realize that they are the prey before the predator who has stalked their movements and knows their sins. "But alright, have it your way. I was sent primarily for the Jedi. As a test to see if I could pass my Sacrifice. Outside of that, Sidious wanted me to bring the Queen back to Naboo in order for Gunray to settle a treaty with her. That's it."
They'd have no way to prove that she was instructed to kill the Queen afterwards.
The Senate takes a moment to parse through that, before one chimes for attention, Senator Yarua of Kashyyyk, and Siri has to wait for an interpreter droid to speak, because of all the languages she's had to learn, Shyriiwook was not one she managed, "What do you mean by 'Sacrifice'?"
Time to play the 'victim' card. Not that it's exactly a lie or a sham, because if she's honest, its entirely the truth, but something she's mostly not capable of caring about anymore. "Sith training is meant to purge the apprentice of all connections to their past lives. To destroy and beat out of them their ability to feel compassion, mercy, and the like. The Sacrifice is the pinnacle of that effort, where the apprentice is meant to kill someone who once held significance in their life as proof of severing their chains of the past, and their devotion to the Sith Order."
The wave of disgust and horror and pity that permeates the air is difficult to feed on through the Force, like spoiled food since its directed at her. The Wookie roars out and the droid translates. "Barbaric!"
Siri shrugs. "It is what it is. I've survived eight years of it."
She steps forward to put on her next act as the 'poor indoctrinated Sith Apprentice', pulling out a datastick and inserting it into the pod's terminal, calling up and distributing the pictures and readings of her bodily condition as documented by Master Che, "Sith training is meant to create a masterpiece, a being who can endure immense punishment without flinching, be utterly ruthless in the pursuit of their goals, who has no chains to hold them back. A weapon that has been so finely honed, an entity that nothing aside from another Sith, their own future apprentice, can hope to defeat."
She says it with pride and confidence as if to show the scars and bruises and burns as triumphs and trophies, but as intended, all she feels back, and sees from several nearby senators, is negative reactions. All those pathetic weak stomachs and wills. Its disgusting how fragile they are.
Chancellor Palpatine takes his time in viewing the records as murmurs and discussions litter the senate room. It is that Senator from Aldaraan that speaks up. "You say the Sith have changed, evolved, but all I see is the same cruelty and madness history speaks of. Destroying and corrupting someone who used to be an agent of good is deplorable, despicable, and evil. I should pity you, but as a Sith, you should be locked away in the deepest pit the Republic can find."
"Then perhaps, senator," she said cuttingly to Bail Antilles, "You should check the Republic's Laws. It is not illegal to be a Sith nor is it illegal to use the Dark Side of the Force."
The words caused a ripple of surprise, even from the Jedi surrounding her. Her lips peel back in contempt. Idiots. Any laws surrounding that were nipped in the bud LONG before even Sidious was born by previous generations of the Banite Sith. Slipped into anti-religious persecution bills.
"Perhaps not," interrupted Chancellor Palpatine, "However, attempted murder, and acts of sedition along with many of the other crimes you are accused of, are."
Siri tilted her head up. "This questioning session is in relation to what happened on Naboo. I have been courteous in answering other off-topic questions about my Order, but any other charges will be answered and refuted in court."
The Chancellor's eyes narrow slightly. "You seem quite confident in that."
She just smiled in response. She wasn't going to reveal her (hopefully) winning hand before she could use it. The less time she gave Sidious or anyone to react to it, the better. Ideally, for maximum effort, she would directly ask the judges in the initial court session her question about torture classification, and then move right to dismiss the other charges.
Palpatine shook his head. "But I digress, for you are right. So allow me to ask you a question. You said you were sent to Naboo primarily for this test, this 'Sacrifice'."
Siri took great effort in restraining the defensive hunch that her shoulder's wanted to take.
"One would think, as a Sith, you would have simply killed the Jedi and moved on, yet, the events surrounding the end of your battle are quite... confusing," he said, "The cameras, after all, only captured video, not audio. The Jedi, have not been exactly forthcoming with anything in relation to you, so I will ask: You failed your 'Sacrifice', why?"
Siri says nothing.
The Chancellor punches a button, and a recording plays of the final few minutes of the conflict between her and the Jedi. She tenses as she watches her and Obi-Wan interact, watches the way she collapses in on herself after Obi-Wan shoved his emotions down the connection between them and booted her out of that state of being a true Sith. The way he held her after, and that's where the Chancellor pauses the video. "Rather strange to be going from killing one another to offering comfort."
Siri voice, when she answers, is tense, bitter, and not nearly as confident as it should be. "As I said, Chancellor, I'm still a Sith Apprentice, still learning and embracing my Order's ways. Some difficulties in doing so are to be expected."
"That doesn't answer the question," rebutted the Chancellor.
"A Sacrifice is chosen for multiple reasons," said Siri slowly, voice struggling in a way she does not want it to, "Not just for severing the past and showing loyalty to the Order, but for eliminating outside influences. Eliminating weaknesses that could cause your devotion to waver, that could cause split loyalties..."
"It sounds like a Cult!" shouted another Senator without bothering to chime for attention, "That's meant to isolate its victims and turn them into complete and utter monsters!"
There is a roar of agreement that circles the Senate, it takes a few minutes for Mas Amedda to get order back. Time Siri desperately uses to try and control her emotions. When its quiet again, the Chancellor poses again, "You still haven't answered the question, Siri Tachi. I am not asking what a Sacrifice is, I am asking why you failed yours."
"It almost sounds, Chancellor," she bit out, "That you wanted me to succeed."
The Chancellor looked affronted. "I am relieved that the Jedi suffered no unnecessary loss of life on Naboo, I am asking this as it pertains to understanding the Sith, understanding you, and understanding what punishments would be appropriate, whether harsh, or meant to used as treatment for eventual reintroduction to society. One would think you would be eager to paint yourself in a positive light in this moment, yet you seem reluctant to even speak of it."
Siri ground her teeth and does not even glance at Kenobi as she speaks, "Obi-Wan was a fellow Jedi Padawan who meant something to me at one point. The Dark Side thrives on negative emotions, so finding out he felt the same way towards me as I had to him, along with having those emotions shoved into my head disrupted my control of the Force and made me heavily offbalanced. He tried to argue with me to rejoin the Jedi while I tried to argue for him to join me. Neither of us succeeded as evident."
The Chancellor frowns thoughtfully. "I was under the impression that Jedi were not supposed to develop feelings for one another."
Siri gives a nasty smile. "Yes, neither cult allows for that."
She can feel the glowering of the Jedi at her, the hurt from Obi-Wan, and the roiling from the Senate at the words levied at their pet Jedi Order.
"I failed my Sacrifice for many reasons, but ultimately, because Sidious is an arrogant idiot, who likes to play with fire," she snapped out, hoping her Master was watching, or even better, in the room to hear her scorn, "Because every Sacrifice any Sith has ever taken is also a risk to turn them away from the Sith. If he wanted to ensure there were no potential conflicts of interest, he should have taken care of them himself instead of trying to force me to. That was asking for something worse than me simply being captured to occur. He's lucky I agree that the Jedi are to weak and complacent to stand a chance at killing him, otherwise I might have left willingly with Obi-Wan."
The frown on the Chancellor's face hasn't left. "You appear to hate your master a great deal."
The air around Siri went cold as ice, spreading deeper into into the Senate chamber, frosty breathes appearing from the lips of various senators as Siri's hate spilled into the room. "I live for the moment when I will one day kill him. The Jedi and the Grand Plan, are secondary things barely worth my time or notice unless they get in my way."
The Chancellor's face goes carefully masked. "I see..."
Oh, Sidious saw indeed, saw something he may have miscalculated in.
Perhaps Plaguies had a point in the way Sidious himself had been trained. Sidious had hated his Master, oh there was no doubt about it, but he did not hate Plaguies to the extent that it became an obsession, that it disrupted his commitment to the Grand Plan and to realizing the ascension of the Sith, to the fulfillment of his own designs. Was the literal only reason Tachi hadn't turned away from the Sith because of her hate of him? Of her faith in the power of the Dark Side over the weakness of the Jedi in being able to kill him? Perhaps not the only reason, but it was a large one, of that he could feel.
It was a wonder she had chosen to kill Plagueis and not him. Or perhaps not. If her hate was evident enough, she wanted to make him suffer before he died. Charming really. He'd be proud of it if it hadn't become an obstacle to his own desires. He contemplated what she had said, her petty insults were hardly enough to spark mild irritation, but her words; should he have simply had Kenobi and any of her other living former-friends killed? After Ur Manka and the failure of her first Sacrifice with Garen Muln, perhaps he should have. Her discovering that they had 'mysteriously' died could have severed the last chains holding her back, else he would have simply had to wait for her to carry her weight in the Grand Plan with the extermination of the Jedi Order, that would have been assured to push her all the way. On the flip side, the Sacrifice was meant to be a test of the Sith in question, if they could not pass it should they be deemed worthy?
Regardless, when he recovered Tachi, he would have to consider how best to get her onto the correct mentality. If he could. He might simply have to kill her if her hatred of him became to all-consuming. Perhaps her apprenticeship had been, what was that phrase? To much of the stick and not enough of the carrot to chase. On that line of thinking, he could adapt some of his interactions with Skywalker to her. Obviously not without adjustment, she'd take any of the praise and words he had given Skywalker in their first few meetings and throw them right into the trash, she knew him better than that.
Something to consider another time; he watched as the Jedi cautiously stepped closer to Tachi, her hatred still pulsing through the air with enough intensity to send sparks down her fingertips. "I suggest, Siri Tachi, that you restrain yourself."
A dark scowl etched onto her apprentice's face, and he felt her pull her hate back to her, the beginnings of lightning fading from her fingers. She gives him a smile that would be defined as sickeningly sweat. "My sincerest apologies, Chancellor."
Regardless of the carrot and the stick, he still yearned to punish that insolence. Not to mention throttling her for the work he's going to have to do to keep the senators he wants to stay in their current positions there. Or to find replacements. He can use her actions to his advantage, yes, to gain public approval for being the Chancellor to lead the 'Anti-Corruption efforts', but he'd rather she had not started a shake up of the Senate. He knew from his daily briefings that the SBI was getting dangerously close to a few political allies now that the hornets nest had been kicked and the public was actively paying attention, and he did not yet have the influence or control of them to yank them back in the middle of such a publicized event.
He was going to be incredibly busy doing damage control. He, as much as he hated to admit it, needed his apprentice back soon, or at least someone strong enough to stand in for the moment. His current tools scattered around Coruscant and the Galaxy did not exactly have the power, finesse, or training that she had. Regardless, its time to end this. He had intended to drag this on a bit more initially, but decided after the first session that it was a terrible idea given his apprentice's attitude and actions. He might have been amused at her pure spite of the Republic Senate if it hadn't started causing him issues. Though, the way she sowed and fed off the chaos of it was a delightful thing to watch, another confirmation that she was still dark, that there was still the possibility to reclaim her.
"I believe then, unless anyone has any further questions, this session can be drawn to a close," said Palpatine, waiting a few moments before nodding to the Jedi, "The Initial Appearance in court is set for a week from today. The Preliminary Hearing a week after."
He watches the distaste on his apprentice's face, feels the scorn. But little fear. She is oddly confident. He contemplates that and so much more as she is cuffed and led out of the chamber. Her actions as a whole during the questioning leave him... he's not quite sure. Irritated? He did not expect her to actually divulge anything of value on the Sith. That she took the time to explain the Sacrifice surprised him, he made sure to get at least some value and understanding out of it and why she failed it. He still hadn't come to a decision on whether he should have Kenobi killed, or wait and force Tachi to do it.
He sits in his pod, watching the Senate bicker and question eachother on what was learned. The fact that she vaguely explained the Rule of Two was both an irritation and a boon. Both to weaken the potential threat the public took the Sith as, yet give their enemies concrete information on their numbers. Few in the public would understand just how dangerous the Rule of Two had made the Sith. Her actions here had however given him a very clear target that needed to be dealt with. Bail Antilles was looking deeply into history, he had the man watched after the first questioning session, Antilles was scouring through previous Sith Wars, their occupations, their politics...
If he didn't retire soon, Sidious would make him retire, permanently. He couldn't afford a senator who might see through him once Sidious started making his endgame moves.
His thoughts flickered back to his apprentice, again on her confidence. He considers what avenues she might try to defend herself at the trial. He also now considers how dangerous it might be to introduce his own evidence to confirm her guilt as 'Iris'. Her ties to being 'Iris' were loose outside of Dooku having confirmed to him privately that she somewhat admitted it while in her captivity. He knows his apprentice, that Dooku managed to find any shred of her at all during her earlier missions was surprising, more a testament to Dooku rather than a weakness of his apprentice. There would be little to no physical evidence, her face was always hooded and hidden, and it would devolve into a he-said-she-said situation in court, with Dooku being the well respected Jedi Master, her the deceiving Sith Apprentice. He believed that Dooku's words would be taken over hers, but had intended to negate any risk of it being otherwise.
But if he introduced evidence, with her current openness in discussing the Sith and the obsessiveness of her hatred towards him...
She would know he had put it there, and she might reveal information that could cause very real damage to his efforts out of spite. He had used her to sow his influence throughout much of the underworld of the galaxy, used her to kill several key targets, prop up certain individuals and organizations, could reveal his heavy control in the trade conglomerates, continue to point of corrupt senators he has uses for and get rid of them...
She had the potential to set him back years, and any one Supreme Chancellor was limited to two four years terms. He intended to create a potential for war that would enable him to extend that duration, but even that realistically could go on for only so long, especially if it took him longer to engineer the crisis to begin with. If he lost this position, he would be forced into abandoning his plans to corrupt the Republic into an Empire, and go for destroying it instead. He would still win either way, but replacing the Republic rather than converting it would require more effort to do, and maintain.
Not to mention the dangers of pinning the spotlight on him. He averted the immediate danger with clever wordplay and carefully allowing the Jedi to feel for the truth in the statement, after all, Sidious could not be in his own pocket if he were the same person, now could he? His apprentice was also one of the few individuals in the galaxy that might be able to figure out who he is with enough time and exposure to his public persona.
There are not words for how vexed he is with his apprentice right now and all the trouble she's caused. She's slowly approaching the point where she's becoming a liability rather than a boon. The last few years had been good, especially with Plaguies, to see all of that faltering now is disappointing. He does not want to throw out eight years of effort, of a Sith slowly coming into their own, to admit he failed. Not to mention Skywalker is still years away from being anywhere near ready to become an apprentice, and Dooku is not in a position of vulnerability. He may have to expand his horizons if he cannot get Tachi back, and use a more undesirable stand-in apprentice...
Then something strikes him.
He wonders how she would react to him 'replacing' her. That would rankle her, of that he would be sure. He wonders if she would set out to kill her rival and replacement... it could be an alternate way to draw her out and retrieve her. In fact... if the trial fails, there is an option that will pry at both her and Dooku at once. The more he thinks on it, the more he likes the idea. Ideally he simply gets Tachi back, but if that fails...
Perhaps he should pay a visit to the Bando Gora and see if Komari Vosa could be of use...
Author's Notes:
The slaving ring Tikkes and the other senators were involved in doesn't have a start date in Wookiepedia that I can find, it was only discovered in 22BBY, I'm going to assume/use it as I see fit.
Does anyone know if Sidious had any active acolytes (not apprentices/stand ins) active at this time period? I'm trying not to make assumptions based on things I read in other fanfictions again. He had to have had potential tools, yes, like bounty hunters/assasins/ect, but acolytes with some Force training is the main question I have.
Also, does anyone know the names of ANY Star Wars Judges in their Supreme Court during this time period? I can't find anything on Wookiepedia.
Review Responses:
M1dnight217: Glad to be of service.
ZimmMaster: Glad you enjoy and love it so. It'll be a long while yet though before Siri reaches the Master stage.
Nerdman3000: Loosely, but not to the full degree that Zannah actually has. He has no knowledge of Freedon Nadd's scriptures for example.
EclipseTobias: A thing to consider is that this is from Siri's point of view, of her opinions, not ours as readers who know the whole thing. She has her own ideas for what would and wouldn't work. She has a large hint of Sidious's strength, having seen him and Plaguies fight, but not nearly of his true potential or abilities. Hell, arguably he might not even be at the peak of his power yet, there are decades between now and the Reborn Emperor (if I choose to use that, but, then again, Siri as a Sith Master VS a reborn Sidious is very temping...). Regarding foresight, I will argue the future is always in motion, he sure as hell didn't see Vader dropping him down a shaft coming. Force Visions, as I understand it, can warn or show you of certain events, whether in feeling or images, but what leads up to those events may be largely in question. Sidious is absolutely amazing at manipulating events towards what he sees and desires (or away from them), but he is not omnipresent. The actions of individuals can change outcomes one sees in a vision, or alternatively lead straight to them.