Chapter 47: Shadows

Complacency is always a threat, and it takes a few more weeks for her to realize she'd let it in. On a return trip from the dinning halls back to her gilded cell, it's far to long before she suddenly realizes that the Temple Guards that trail her are gone. She passes over the area with her senses...

She whirls seconds before a lightsaber activates, grabbing a muscular wrist and twisting it away, grabbing a tunic, lifting up her assailant with Dark Side infused strength, and slamming them into the nearby wall. Then she actually takes a look at who it is and grins. "Hey Quinlan."

"Hey Siri," the Kiffar answers cheerfully.

"So I heard they let you have a padawan, are they out of their minds?" she asked dubiously.

"Harsh Siri," whined Vos, "Now, if you don't mind..."

Siri feels an unactivated lightsaber press into her back. "Put my Padawan down."

Siri turns her head slightly, catching the sight of a solemn looking black haired human Jedi Master. Middle-aged, grim set, stress lined his face, the roots of his black hair starting to turn gray. He had his hair pulled back into a ponytail. He stood relaxed, and if not for the metal pressed into her back, Siri wouldn't have taken him as about ready to kill her. Where in the hells did he come from? That's twice in a row she let a Jedi get the drop on her like this. She'll scream at herself for the lapse later.

"Hmm, haven't seen you in a very long time Master Tholme," mused Siri, "Knight with his own padawan or not, you ought to teach Quinlan some manners. Putting a lightsaber to me is hardly the way to greet an old friend."

"As apposed to trying to kill Padawan Kenobi?" asked Tholme dryly.

Siri smiled thinly; wry old bastard. "I gave him every chance to run."

"I saw," the man answered back, dryness not lifting, "I watched the recordings of the battle, thoroughly. I'm honestly surprised you let Quinlan get close to you."

"I was off in my head," she said flatly, her amusement fading, the only hint showing was a flare of self-directed fury that briefly tinted the Force around her, "Sidious would have beat me to within an inch of my life for such a lapse."

Tholme hummed in response, Siri dropped Quinlan, both the Jedi put away their lightsabers; Tholme motioned ahead. "My old Padawan and I have been chosen to discuss a few things with you."

"Off the record?" she inquired.

"Of course," he answered.

"Oh goodie," said Siri with mock cheer, "I get to play with Shadows now. This should be much more fun than the Council."

"Its a shame really," mused Tholme, ignoring her poking, "You were noted as having potential to be a possible Shadow, or at least a Sentinel. I imagine you would have been tested on this during your trials."

Siri grinned. "Well, all things considered, I think I still fit that description, just in Sith terms instead."

"So you say," said Tholme, motioning down the hall, "But you're not there yet. You were for a moment, but Kenobi dragged you back far enough to not warrant immediate execution the moment a convenient excuse came up."

"Goosebumps Master Tholme," said Siri with a mock shiver.

Tholme didn't reply until they were in Siri's apartment, turning to level a gaze at her. "Make no mistake, Siri Tachi, we have records of some of the most sinister, twisted, and devious Sith that existed Pre-Ruusan, you are not there, not yet."

Siri smiled sharply. "Silly Jedi, if you are still using Pre-Ruusan to determine what I am or am not, then you are failing just as badly as the Council is."

"Perhaps," said Tholme, "I suppose that is why we are having this talk then."

"Is Quinlan along just for show, or can he speak to?" inquired Siri.

"Observation mostly," admitted Quinlan, "Obi-Wan is one thing, I'm another, and I knew you before."

"Hmm, here to see what little of that foolish little girl remains then?" posed Siri in a bored tone.

"More than you think, less than Obi-Wan hopes," was all he answered to that.

She hummed. He was rather fair in that judgement, so she'll throw him a bone. "You used to be a friend, Vos, so I'll give you a warning; unless you want to make yourself Fall, I really don't suggest you touch my lightsaber."

Quinlan huffed. "What makes you think I haven't already?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You're not fallen, and there is no lingering darkness at minimum. You would not have escaped it unscathed."

He shrugged. "I've been warned against it."

"Warned against it doesn't mean you've been told no," pointed out Siri, eyes sharpening, "So let me rephrase my warning. I am not the first Sith to have wielded that lightsaber, so more than my experiences would be echoed in it. If you try your psychometry on it, you will Fall."

He'd be lucky to handle Siri's touch from Bane's Heart, but Darth Zannah and Darth Bane? Not a chance.

"Ah," said Quinlan, "I appreciate the warning then."

"How many total would you say?" asked Tholme mildly, "And is that only of your current line, or does it go back farther?"

"That would be telling," she teased.

He grunted, but didn't press. Compared to the things he could ask, it was a pointless question, but it was a test, to see her openness to this discussion.

"So, here to pester me with question?" she asked, "Not badger me into returning? Or are you of the sane sorts that doesn't bother with that?"

"Oh, I know you can turn away from the Dark Side," said Tholme, "Its simply a matter of choice."

Siri raised an eyebrow at him. "You're rather matter of fact about that."

"When people think of the few times that someone managed to return," began Tholme, "They think of Revan, or Ulic, a mind-rub and being severed from the Force. They think of extremes. But those are simply the most well known examples. When people think of Revan, they forget to think of Bastilla Shan, who Fell, but turned away from the Dark Side out of love for Revan. Albeit her Fall and duration of being Fallen was far shorter and less damning than yours. There are of course other examples as well."

Siri hummed at that. "You seem rather knowledgeable on this sort of thing."

Tholme smile is wry. "We keep our own records separate from the general knowledge of the Jedi Temples."

"Temples, plural," she mused aloud, "So, information from before the Reformation, and with the reference to Shan, before the first Jedi Purge in the Shadow Wars."

Tholme didn't answer, merely continued along his previous point, "Of course, the reason the current belief of the Dark Side being inescapable is so prevalent is because its much simpler to never fall to begin with, not to ignore how rare returning is regardless. Cleaning up the damage of someone who falls is... a hassle, and even more trouble if they actually manage to return."

"Watched for life," said Siri with amusement, "I'd never be trusted with a Padawan, or near initiates, even if I did return."

"Probably not," said Tholme in agreement.

"Why Skywalker is allowed to come near me is beyond me to understand," mused Siri, fishing.

Tholme looked exasperated. "Skywalker will do as Skywalker wishes. Believe me, no one is impressed with him aside from his Master. While his goal is commendable, he is meddling into something beyond his age or experience."

There is something in the Force, beyond the Veil of the Dark Side, that ripples at those words. Its a small, quiet thing. Almost like a frustrated sigh. She briefly reaches out for the sensation, trying to grab it and pull it to her and demand an answer, but it slips through her fingers and fades away. Curious...

"No one, not him, not Kenobi, not even Galia were she still alive, can make you turn away unless you so wish to fight for it," said Tholme firmly, "I prefer to not waste my time in something you have no intention of even humoring."

"Pragmatic," she answered, "So, what do you want and what are you offering?"

Tholme shifted on his feet, crossing his arms. "This is not the first time that Jedi and Sith have allied to face a greater threat, usually another more powerful Sith as it is now. We make the same offer now that we did in the far past, not that the Sith ever stick to it."

"Which is what?" she asked, actually curious on this. Its not something that's ever come up in her own studies, or what Sidious or Zannah taught her.

"Sheath galactic domination, sheath rampant destruction, don't cause major strife or suffering, stick to yourself, don't break the law, and the Jedi will turn a blind eye to your existence."

"Bullshit," she answers flatly, "There's no way you wouldn't keep a watcher on me even if I did agree and go through with it."

"Let me rephrase then, the majority of the Jedi Order turns a blind eye," he corrected.

She huffed. "And you expect me to believe you wont put a saber through my back at the most opportune moment once my use to you ends?"

"Contrary to popular belief," said Tholme mildly, "Jedi do not murder all Darksiders on sight. There are many minor Dark Side cults, faiths, and groups scattered around the Galaxy that we monitor, but do not eradicate."

"Minor," echoed Siri in the same tone, "As in not a true threat, little unimportant blips on the radar that you might actually get in trouble with the Senate for slaughtering because they don't really do anything. Anything major, you wipe out."

Tholme raised an eyebrow. "Because of wanton destruction and widespread destabilization. Have you ever heard of the Seyugi Dervish?"

"Bunch of fancy Force Sensitive assassins," she recited, "That your order purged."

"After they continually assassinated many nobles, corporate heads, and government figures of various worlds," answered Tholme smoothly.

"And regular plain old assassin guilds and groups don't?"

"They don't generally have and abuse the Force to do so or so brazenly act in the open with disregard that allow us to track them down."

"Have an answer for everything, don't you?"

He didn't reply, just stared calmly at her.

"Alright, lets see if you have an answer for this, name any somewhat larger Dark Side organization that you aren't explicitly at odds with," she demanded snidely.

"The Blackguard."

Siri threw back her head and howled with laughter. "They don't count!"

Tholme tilted his head. "Why not? They use the Dark Side, do they not?"

Siri's lips peeled back in distaste. "That is along the same vein of saying anyone who uses a red lightsaber is a Sith. Those little leeches skitter around the Galaxy, nibbling on knowledge from various other sects, but have no real substance of their own. They're not very large, and hells, they don't even believe in the Dark Side, or the Light for that matter, they're one of those pathetic Potentium kind of groups."

Tholme raised a single eyebrow. "Is that your own opinion, or was your master not impressed by them?"

"Both, I think Sidious only allows them to live because of the off-chance they find something useful," answered Siri, "He instructed me on various little groups over my apprenticeship, past and present, and how they paled in comparison to the Sith."

Tholme studied her for a moment before drawing an accurate conclusion. "I assume that opinion covers all other Dark Side sects."

"Of course," she answered, smiling sharply, this Jedi was intelligent, she wondered if he'd understand what she was about to say, "Our Line was meant to take over the galaxy and rule it, and the Sith do not believe in sharing power."

Much to his credit, he understood exactly what she was saying. "He intends to wipe them all out."

"Any that don't fall in line," she agreed, "He voiced the thought to me once. He will decimate all Light Side sects, and subjugate any Dark Side ones he deems worth the effort rather than eradicating them, or maybe because it amuses him."

Siri barely held the jolt when Quinlan reminded her that he was actually in the room. "Even to the rest of the Dark Side he is an aberration, isn't he? Wonder how he would have played out with the Sith Empires of old."

Siri blinked at the thought, grinning slowly. "I would have paid credits to see that kind of madness play out. Let me answer it for you: If Sidious was still of the same mindset he is now, not raised as an old type of Sith, he would try to wipe out all other Sith all the while using them to his own advantage until he got to the point where he would dispose of them."

And then the sensation of a predator pouncing on its prey filled the air as Tholme's eyes honed in on her. "If that is the case, how do you figure in to all of this? A tool to be used and then killed when he saw no more use?"

"The Rule of Two doesn't work like that," she answered, "Well, not exactly. I am-was a tool to my Master, yes, as I imagine Sidious was a tool to his Master, and his Master to his own before that. But through being used and taught by our masters, we grow, and not just in one area, but all of them. The Rule of Two is so much more because of our knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the Sith. We are not specialists, while we may be particularly skilled in one area that does not mean we are ignorant in others."

"Jack of all trades?" posed Quinlan.

"Masters," she rebutted sharply, "Vos, I want you to think for a moment. How powerful do you think I am right now?"

The look he gives her says he smells a trap in her words. "You'd probably paste both me and my master in open combat without much difficulty since we're not lovey-dovey."

She sneers at him. "Sorry Vos, I'm taken, and not flattered."

"Owch Siri."

"Did you have a point to make, Tachi?" posed Tholme.

"I did," she answered, looking to him, "Were you here when Sidious snipped a memory from me? Did you feel his presence?"

"I was, and did," he replies, his face and Force Signature not betraying a hint of what he thought.

"I have only eight years of an apprenticeship to my line, and some of that was spent unlearning my time as a Jedi. I'm mid-twenties at the moment. I am infantile compared to what I could one day become," she explains in a harsh tone, "And nothing compared to Sidious at the moment. Even if I tapped into my full power, as I had on Naboo, Sidious would kill me in under a minute in a duel."

She narrows her eyes when neither react to her words. "Make no mistake, if you are still comparing my Line to any Sith of Old, you do yourself little credit. Sidious is a creature honed by decades of experience, learning, and conflict. There are maybe three Jedi, total, that he wouldn't destroy in the same time-frame he would destroy me."

"Yoda and who else?" asked Tholme sharply.

"Fay and Windu," she answered.

That got an eyebrow raised from Tholme, he stretched out the word, "Explain."

"Fay, I imagine since she doesn't have a lightsaber, fights like Sidious does," she answered.

"Sidious doesn't use one?" asked Quinlan.

"Oh, he does," she answered nastily, "But if he draws it he is mocking you. His primary strength is through the Force, and yet he is still a better duelist than almost any living Jedi."

She hesitated briefly. "I'm not entirely sure on Fay's power or ability, mind you, I've never seen her in combat, or any hints of it. From what I feel, she is powerful, but I don't know how much of that is focused into combative techniques. I might be giving her more credit than she deserves."

"And Windu?"

"Windu because of that absolutely ridiculous form of his," she said, shaking her head, "The way he uses that style is absolutely insane. Sidious never commented on it as anything but a 'Jedi-Butchery of Juyo', but... Windu is one with his form, Vaapad will allow him the ability to survive against Sidious far more than most Jedi at the moment. Not by much, but give him more years of experience and honing his ability... Windu might be able to contest Sidious."

"Contest does not mean defeat," pointed out Tholme.

"And if you recall, I said there were only three Jedi that he wouldn't destroy, not that he would lose against," she said flatly, "Yoda, I think, is the only Jedi alive that could have a chance to beat him. Everyone else would only win by superior numbers and teamwork, and that's IF you could manage to track him down."

"You don't believe we can," commented Tholme.

Statement, not a question, good, he understood. "No."

"Then how do you propose to best him?" inquired Tholme, "I will be frank that Dooku is under the impression you believe you are following down a suicidal path out of attachment."

"He's not wrong," admitted Siri, shaking her head, "I still, even after you got a taste of Sidious's presence, don't believe the Jedi are treating the threat he represents seriously enough. Before you can even think to take Sidious on you have to cut away his influence, his power, and delay his plans as much as possible. Especially the last one."

"Why?"

"Because, Sidious wanted Volorum gone," explained Siri, "Palpatine, for whatever reason, fits Sidious's aims. Whether from his neutrality towards the Jedi, or because Sidious somehow owns him."

"Didn't Windu do a check for that?" posed Vos.

Siri sneered. "Oh yes, he checked for one phrasing of that question. Which ignores that Palpatine might not even know Sidious owns him. There are ways to dominate minds and seed influence that leaves the afflicted completely unaware of it. Make no mistake, Palpatine is exactly where Sidious wants him to be. Which means the timer is Palpatine's Chancellorship. Whatever move Sidious intends will be within that duration."

"Eight years is a short time," said Tholme, but his tone is thoughtful more than dismissive.

"There's also the possibility that whatever Sidious intended got kriffed over by you ending up here," pointed out Vos.

The Dark Side's laughter fills her ear. "I severely doubt that. I was a tool when I was captured, a young apprentice. I am not nearly critical enough for my omission to ruin his plans. Maybe I missed up some of his future desires, or caused some issues, but I can guarantee I have not knocked him off course by much."

"And how would you know that?"

"The Dark Side mocks me every time I even think of it," she said, scowling.

Tholme hummed. "I see. So you believe pursuing the avenues you have given us is the best course?"

"Maybe if it had been rapid and fast paced and left Sidious scrambling to catch up," she commented snidely, "But you Jedi took far to long deliberating and arguing. Sidious has had plenty of time to adapt and prepare now. Its mostly roadbumps now rather than obstacles he has to work around."

"I will ask again then, what do you recommend?"

She leaned forward. "Get involved with the Senate. None of this wish-washy obedient little piss-ant shit you Jedi do now. Take an active role in determining your fate or Sidious will determine if for you."

Tholme raised an eyebrow.

Siri sneered at him. "The Sith OWN the senate, Jedi. Fight for it or be eradicated."

"The Jedi are not without their political allies."

"Who are by far outnumbered by corruption and greed," she jabbed back.

Tholme hummed. "Watching the political avenue is something we have already heightened."

She shook her head. "Watching is not intervening, but fine, whatever. Fail there and die if you so wish."

She shifted focus. "The Trade Federation is on the way out the door. Keep an eye on whoever replaces them as top dog of the Trade Conglomerates. Watch all of the top contenders actually."

Tholme nods in agreement, but doesn't comment.

"And for Force kriffing sake, watch the Banking Clans," she said, exasperated, "Legally and illegally. Through whatever means possible. Influence, corruption, bribery, all of that and more involves money. Follow the money, and you might find avenues to delay and weaken him."

"Any angle in particular to work?" asked Vos.

"I've already voiced many of the criminal underworld that I know Sidious has influence in, and some of the corporate world," she answered, exasperated, "I can't do everything for you Jedi. I pointed it out, its on you to handle it. My hands are tied for the decade incase you forgot."

Vos wigged his fingers through the air. "Aaaand if you weren't?"

Siri can feel the reprimand from Tholme instantly through the Force, Vos winces, but Siri answers anyway. "Even if they weren't, I wouldn't get involved more than I am now."

That interests Tholme. "Why?"

"Because I am quite comfortable with a few thousand Jedi meat shields between me and Sidious," she says lazily.

That made both shadows glare at her.

"He literally ripped into your head not long ago," said Vos, "He doesn't physically need to be here."

"And that was from my stupidity with the bond," she snapped at him, "I have means he is unaware of to counteract other kinds of attacks through the Force."

The day she reveals to Sidious she knows Sith Sorcery is best saved to be the day she kills him. Unfortunately, there is the likely chance she will have to tap into it to save her own ass at some point and lose that advantage.

"Is that so?" poses Tholme.

Siri smiled mockingly at him and moved to her couch, sitting down and crossing one leg over the other, nestling in and going silent.

Tholme merely folds his arms into his robes. "Do you have anything else to add or offer?"

"At the moment? No," she says before pausing, "Actually, I made an offer to Dooku when we sparred which I think you Shadows should take me up on. To create a larger, more realistic arena to fight in one of the lower levels of the Temple. There are other ways that could be used."

"Such as?"

"Hunting Sith who are concealing themselves through the Force."

Tholme gives her a considerate look. "I'll give the council a reminder on that offer."

Siri's smile turns mocking. "I'm sure you will."

Real 'field' experience like that, to try to find a Sith hiding their presence, is something they would never pass up on. Not that she thought it would be particularly useful against Sidious, but she was curious to see if they could adapt to her methods, and thus, if she could counter-adapt and learn something Sidious did not know. Through the Force all things were possible, especially unnatural things through the Dark Side. The only limits were her own understanding, experience, and imagination.

"You never did say if you'd agree to the offer," said Vos pointedly.

She blinked at him. "The keep my head down and you wont kill me when my back's turned thing?"

"That."

"Its pointless to agree to something when the chances of us actually reaching the goal are slim," she said flatly.

There was an air of disappointment around Vos, but Tholme didn't seem particularly phased.

Siri narrowed her eyes at Quinlan. "I will consider it, but you had best understand two things first."

"Setting terms Siri?" asked Vos with amusement.

"Pointing out realistic expectations actually," she countered, "One, if Obi-Wan ends up dead by the end of this, my 'limited care' of the Order becomes none-existent. The only shred of tolerance I give for the rest of you is that it would destroy him to be the only Jedi left alive."

"That's an ass backwards reasoning," said Vos flatly.

"Deal with it."

"And the second?" inquired Tholme.

"I will take an apprentice eventually," she said in warning, eyes sharpened on them for a reaction they did not give, "Not today, and I have no intention for it ever being Anakin Skywalker, but one day I will pass on what I know. If that is a problem, then don't bother bringing up your offer again, and expect me to kill any Jedi that show up without warning with a lightsaber in their hands"

Tholme blinks with his first show of actual surprise. "I sense that you are being truthful about Skywalker, why?"

Her meditations on the subject had not resulted in the kind of absolute answer they wanted, she wasn't fully certain herself, but... "I have the peculiar feeling that I want that child nowhere near the Dark Side."

"I was under the assumption that Sith wanted their apprentices to eventually kill and replace them as a stronger legacy," said Tholme carefully, "Its certain that he would become more powerful than you."

"And you are under the assumption I like that particular tenant of Sith philosophy," said Siri irritably, "News flash for you Master Tholme: The Rule of Two exists as the best bet to wipe out the Jedi. I don't care about that so much as the Jedi keep out of my way."

The sharp interest in his eyes is plain as day to see. "And what other tenants would you change if you were the sole Sith left in the Galaxy?"

She shuts him down hard. "Haven't given it much thought aside from that, and aside from my future apprentice joining me willingly."

The man's eyebrows climb at the last addition.

"I have no use of an apprentice who will only hate and resent me for starting them down this path against their will," she said snidely, "I see no reason to repeat Sidious's mistakes."

"What makes you think your supposed apprentice wouldn't kill you and take your place anyway, even if they didn't hate you?" asked Tholme.

She didn't have an answer for that. She didn't want that, found it repulsive and aggravating, but it was something so heavily entrenched into the Sith mindset that she wasn't sure she'd find a way to purge it even if she did kill and usurp Sidious as Dark Lord of the Sith. But like hell was she going to admit that to the Jedi. "I fail to see how giving you anymore insight into my mindset and ideology benefits me."

"Other than it adjusting our perception of you?"

"What makes you think I care what the Jedi Order thinks of me?" she asked with distaste.

"You don't, but you would care how we react to you after your parole is over."

Well said. She merely gives him a bored look rather than admit it. "If I wanted to disappear, you would never find me."

"And you would be content hiding for the rest of your life?"

"Waiting, not hiding," she jabbed, "The Sith did it for the last thousand years."

"We did not know of them then, we do now."

"And whether you survive the current Dark Lord of the Sith still remains to be seen," she drawled, "If I were a neutral betting woman, I'd all in on Sidious winning."

"Never know Siri," said Vos, "We could have an Idiot's Array in our back pocket."

Siri snorted. "You're all idiots, that I'll agree with."

Vos huffed.

"If we want to continue that shitty analogy," she said, "If you are expecting him to accept that your Idiot's Array beats his Pure Sabaac, he'd be more likely to pull out a blaster and put one between your eyes, or well, he'll put on a pleasant face, leave the table, and hire someone to do it for him so he's not implicated. Rules do not exist for Sidious."

"On that thought, what can you tell us about Sidious's mindset?"

"He's an asshole."

"..."

"No, I'm serious. If Sidious has two options in front of him, one more efficient and straightforward, the other a bit messy but involves tons of pain and suffering for others, he'll take the second," she said, scowling, "He won't do it if it risks his plans, no, but if he thinks he can get away with it, he will always go for option two."

"That's not exactly atypical for any Sith," pointed out Vos.

"If you're going to badmouth my Order, see yourself out," she said flatly.

"You're not denying it."

"I don't need to," she rebutted, "I'm not deluded, there were a great majority of Sith, through various Empires, that followed the general mindset of self-destruction to the end. However, I've read holojournals," from both Sidious and Zannah's collections, "And contrary to popular belief, there were Sith who were interested in pursuing the mysteries of the Force and enjoying freedom of self and emotion rather than galactic domination and endless betrayal."

"And how often were these supposed Sith crushed underfoot by the majority?"

"I'm pretty sure we all know the answer to that."

Siri reached up to twirl her hair around a finger. "Philosophical shit isn't something I've exactly had a lot of time to consider as an active apprentice, outside of 'recent downtime', but the old Sith Empires had the potential to be glorious things had they not been consumed by their power-lust and old hatreds."

"That's kind of rich coming from a Sith," said Vos.

Siri narrowed her eyes. "I want power, I won't ever deny it. But that power must have a reason, and the price of that power must not be at the cost of something I refuse to give up. The primary reason I have ever sought power was to kill Sidious, maybe I had a stint of wanting to be a Sith Empress at one point," for a lot longer than she admits, and if she's honest, she still kind of wants it even if it'll never happen, "But hey, what Sith Apprentice doesn't?"

"I'm not even going to respond to that," said Vos.

"Perhaps you could finish your thought, Tachi?" posed Tholme, "I'm rather curious where you are going with it."

Siri licked her lips; she's not quite sure on all of her thoughts yet, but she could use a springboard. She'd prefer Obi-Wan, but using this shadow could have benefits. "Power for the sake of power will only ever turn me into Sidious, and I hate him to much to ever just want to end up as a female version of him. So many stories I've read about old Sith end like that, they get so caught up in chasing power and holding onto it that they lose sight of what they could have had, or what it cost them."

She leveled a firm stare at Tholme. "I will not kill Obi-Wan chasing the power I achieved on Naboo, even if he is the chain holding me back from it. His death is not a price I am willing to pay. It's likely that I will never get what I desire between myself and Kenobi, but I'd rather he be alive than dead."

The cold calculating look in Tholme's eyes is an interesting thing to see. If the Rule of Two wasn't the current way of things, he might have been a potential option if he could be turned. But anyway, to continue her thoughts, "I won't say that the old Sith Empire's weren't brutal, but they were magnificent, they were a society, and they threw it away chasing after domination and their old hatreds."

"Old hatreds?"

She blinked at Tholme. "Isn't it obvious?"

He blinked back.

"Huh, well, even if its not obvious I thought you would have got it from Bant when you were done your prying," she commented.

Tholme let out a harsh breath. "If you expect Healers to break their oaths, even in the case of a Sith, you are sorely mistaken. Anything Healer Eerin saw in your head she kept to herself."

She... pushes down anything she might have felt at that, ignoring the squirming sensation in her gut at that. "Is it really not obvious? I don't get that you don't get this. The Sith hate the Jedi."

He frowned. "Well, of course they do, that is a given. I was under the impression you were referring to something else that wasn't obvious."

She rolled her eyes. "The Sith have been obsessed with their hatred of the Jedi and by extension the Republic since forever pretty much. If the original Sith Empire had never invaded the Republic way back when, they'd still be around. The same with Vitiate's Empire, even worse with his Empire if we're being honest. Each iteration of the Sith after the first grew worse and worse with more and more brutal infighting and power chasing that destroyed them from within each and every time until my Line came about."

"I think that is wishful thinking," said Tholme, "Its highly likely that any Sith Empire would have torn themselves apart even without attacking the Republic. Were you not just bemoaning old faults?"

Siri smiled sharply. "Is that so?"

"Siri," said Tholme in a patient voice, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to romanticize the Old Sith. Lets say you replace Sidious one day and try to change things, make a new Sith Order. What serious thing would actually change that wouldn't result in the Sith following the exact same steps they've always tread and destroying themselves while dragging the Galaxy into yet another galactic war at the cost of billions of lives? There have been many iterations of Sith, and it always ends the same."

She glared icily at him all the while she burns inside with frustrated fury, because she doesn't have an answer yet. "We're done here for the day, get out."

He merely shook his head. "Fantasize all you want, child, but history and reality gives us both the answer to what I ask."

She watches him and and Vos go, burning inside and not willing to let him have the last word, so she called out snidely, "Oh, and Tholme? I never got an answer on whether the Jedi would 'tolerate' me having an apprentice one day."

The man paused at the door. "That would entirely depend on you and the apprentice in question."

He leaves and closes the door behind them. Siri waves a hand and flicks off the lights, sitting on the couch in darkness, brooding. There is a part of her that seeks to dismiss his words, that craves to usurp Sidious and claim his rule, to claim sole governance of the Dark Side and bend it to her will and image. There is another part of her that she imagines leaning on her shoulder, eyebrow raised, and saying 'Ya know, idiot Jedi or not, he's kind of got a point, what are we gonna do 'bout that?'. Siri lets out a frustrated breath, tugging on her hair.

"I don't know."

What Tholme had said about minor Dark Side groups was true, but the thing was, there were small tight controlled groups with their own strict rules and guidelines that were enforced lethally if need be. Some of them didn't even see themselves as Dark. There was a gigantic difference between those and ANY iteration of the Sith. Was there any Dark Side society she could point to as to having actually worked? The longest lasting thing that she knew of was the original Sith Empire, they had lasted for roughly two-thousand years if she recalled. Vitiate's Empire technically lasted longer if one didn't count how many times it splintered and reformed until Darth Ruin did an overhaul of the remaining scraps. Outside of the Sith... what was there?

"Nightsisters maybe," mused Siri.

But that was a topic that she didn't actually know a lot about. Mighella had told her a bit about her home clan, but... the actual culture was lost on her. They weren't something Sidious had spoken of her about other than in passing mention, and Zannah never had. Not to mention, to her knowledge, they stuck to one single planet aside from a few strays. Multi-planet or galaxy wide civilizations however?

She scrubbed at her face, a growl escaping her throat. She doesn't know. She knows what she instinctively does not like about the Sith, but she has little idea of changing any of that aside from just 'not doing that'. When one considers potential apprentice(s) and their own eventual apprentice(s)? Is there any guarantee any changes she did try to make would stick long term? She sighs and lets the thought go, she's a twenty-some odd year old Sith Apprentice whose growth isn't even close to complete yet. She's thinking and stressing over things she shouldn't be until she is the Sith Master, and there's no guarantee she'd even live long enough to try, no guarantee she would kill Sidious.

So she shelves it for now, but, she doesn't forget...

Siri hums to herself, sitting in the corner of a room in one of the lower levels of the Temple, her datapad on as she browses the Holonet while various Jedi Shadows scour the level for her. Tholme certainly hadn't wasted time, one day and he'd already gotten permission for a test exercise. She had shrouded herself in the Force, given a group of twenty shadows a coy wink, and then vanished, using the Force to flicker off the lighting before plopping down where she was now and drawing an illusion over herself.

That had been an hour ago.

She was distinctly unimpressed.

The closest any had come were by almost accidentally stepping on her, but she just moved her legs. She hummed a quiet tune, masking the sound through the Force as she shifted from one news article after another. She loathed the Senate, but she was trying to keep up with it to see if she could spot anything that screamed 'Sidious' at her. So far, nothing really had come up. Just one boring or petty bill after another, waste of space and money, the lot of them. She figured Sidious was laying low after she had stirred up the hornets nest, or maybe he was still busy on damage control, or she was blind, who knows. She flicked to the next article, something about the Senator of Aldaraan heading some committee or another.

She lazily viewed it before she frowned. "Bail Organa?"

What the hell happened to Bail Antilles? He had been the Senator over a month or so ago last she knew.

There is a soft purr from the Dark Side, a hint of 'look deeper look deeper'. So looked deeper she did, poking around the Holonet...

If what she felt through the Force was any indication, "Died of a heart attack my ass."

There is something there in the Dark, unknowing whispers that she can't parse. This is important for some reason, this murder, and the man who replaced Antilles. How curious...

Siri decides she's wasted enough time letting the Shadows play around. So she gets up and leaves, passing by Shadows who have no idea she's even there. She goes until she finds the control room for the floor, Tholme, Dooku, and a few Councilors looking through cameras and observing the session.

"Is she even still down here?" questioned Windu, "For all we know she could have left."

"Mmm, nope," says Siri, unmasking herself and making the majority either startle or reflexively activate their lightsabers as they spun around, it was sadly amusing.

She casually walked past them, up to one of the monitors, and tapped her hiding spot. "Was sitting there reading my datapad the entire time."

There is a brief pass through the Force for truth before Tholme sighs and the Jedi put away their lightsabers. "I suppose we are going to require you to walk us through what you are doing."

"But that's cheating!" she exclaimed playfully, bringing a hand to her chest in mock outrage.

Tholme gave her an unimpressed look.

"I said I'd let your shadows experience trying to hunt a Sith, I never said I'd walk them through it," she says in a mocking undertone, "Though you might be able to convince me to give a starting lesson."

Dooku's eyes narrow. "What do you want, Tachi?"

"I want to speak to Bail Organa."

That was apparently not what they were expecting.

"The new Senator from Aldaraan?" posed Tholme slowly, his eyebrows furrowed trying to understand her angle.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"For fun."

"Tachi," says Dooku sharply, "Is this a game to you?"

"Could be," she answers with cheek before her amusement fades into coldness, "I'm pretty sure, based on what I feel through the Force, that Sidious had Organa's predecessor murdered, and I want to know why."

Dooku hummed, exchanging a glance with Windu who slowly nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

Surprisingly, they only have Dooku in the small sitting room directly watching her as Bail Organa is lead in, though she's certain they're being monitored through microphone and camera. She sizes up the senator briefly. Shortly trimmed mustache and beard, professionally cut hair. Dressed in what she assumed was traditional Aldaraan clothes, a blue half-vest on his left side over a neat blue tunic and belted pants, ending with a pair of dress shoes. He gives a brief nod to Dooku, she doesn't feel direct familiarity, so perhaps Dooku had known the previous senator rather than him.

"I will admit," said Organa, eying Siri warily, "When you asked for this meeting, Master Dooku, I was not under the impression it was subterfuge for another."

"I apologize for the deception," answered Dooku crisply, "But this is a rather sensitive mater."

"Which involves the Sith how?"

"Your predecessor was murdered by Sidious," Siri starts off without lead in.

Organa startled. "What?"

"You're not deaf, senator," said Siri, "Your predecessor was murdered by Sidious, and I'm very curious as to why."

Organa frowned, looking to Dooku. "Is there proof of this?"

"No," said Dooku, "I looked over the autopsy report myself, but cannot dig deeper, as the body has since been cremated."

Organa's jaw clenched. "Cremated? I was under the impression his body had been released to his family."

Dooku's eyebrows lift. "It was right in the report stored in the senate archives."

"Slight of hand," Siri muses with amusement, "So very easy to do, and if someone bothers to question it, the act can be claimed as a mere innocent accident."

Organa licked his lips for a moment. "Alright, I'll humor this for the time being."

"What was your senator doing recently?" asked Siri, "Anything at all that was different."

"Antilles was always his own man, you are going to have to be more specific."

"Since I was revealed then," she says.

Organa crossed his arms. "I know he had been reading into the past, the revelation of the Sith's existence had him poring over old records."

Listen listen listen.

Siri frowned at the Dark Side's harsh words beating on her ears. "What kind of old records?"

"Anything in relation to the Sith."

Siri's lips purse, tilting her head back. "That's not nearly specific enough. Everyone and their mother had to have been searching the holonet for information on the Sith after the Senate hearing. What specifically?"

"I'm was not exactly privileged to his inner thoughts, I was a friend of the family, yes, but I was not his minder."

"Did he mention anything of potential use? Leave any notes?"

Organa shook his head. "I don't know. We only talked once between your last public session and his death. Its how I know what he was even looking into. He just said he was lookinging into Aldaraan's and Senatorial old records on past Sith Empires. General knowledge of them, their actions, their politics..."

Siri full on flinched when the Dark Side howled through her ears. "That's it."

Organa blinked. "What's it?"

"Politics, Sith Politics."

Dooku stared at her, eyes furrowed. "Did you... feel something?"

"You didn't?"

"No."

Siri's nose wrinkled. "You Jedi are so blind with the veil blocking your foresight and the Force's guidance."

Organa startled. "What? What does she mean your Order is being blocked?"

A pinched expression crossed Dooku's face before he glared at Siri, she just shrugged in response. "Sidious has been using the Dark Side to cloud the Jedi's perception for the last few decades at least."

"And the Senate was not informed of this, why?"

"What did you expect us to do?" defended Dooku, "Advertise a weakness to the Jedi Order that would have our enemies baying for our blood? We barely even started to understand what was happening with the Force."

"Aldaraan at least would have readied itself in any way to aid the Order if it were in need."

"And the Jedi Order appreciates Aldaraan's continued support from the days of the Old Republic, but Aldaraan is one of the few planets that whole heartedly supports the Order these days," rebuts Dooku, "I am not as blind as others to the fact that the Jedi Order has been steadily declining in a positive light for decades now, perhaps easily over the last hundred years. We do not have nearly enough support to announce that weakness, especially with the revelation of how the Sith have been using the Senate to bleed us dry."

Organa's mouth twitches at that. "I see."

He turned back to Siri. "Why would 'Sith Politics' matter enough to get Antilles killed?"

Siri's mind was whirling at what should have been obvious. "It matters more than you can possibly imagine. The Sith have been manipulating and molding the Senate for a long time now. The Jedi are so foolish and arrogant not to get involved and try to counter Sidious's influence in the Senate, all that remains is controlling the Senate itself and snipping off any Senators that are a problem. Any significant problems in the senate contesting his will could set him back and potentially cause major issues. He has deep control, and it will only spread further as time passes. Now, with the revelation of the Sith's existence, is a potential vulnerable time when things are getting shaken up."

She licked her lips. "Make no mistake Organa. Bail Antilles was murdered by Sidious for trying to delve into the Sith, especially into the arena of Sith Politics. Sidious will tolerate no one getting wise to his schemes in a way that will actually challenge him."

Bail frowned. "And what of you?"

Siri snorted. "I wasn't an apprentice long enough to be introduced into the realm of Sith politics. I have a very, and I mean very, narrow understanding of how things were run in the old empires, let alone how Sidious does things these days. I may be able to pick out a few things that stink of him, but finding him through politics? I won't be able to do so."

Bail rubs his chin. "You believe that looking into this, I may find an avenue to find this 'Sidious'?"

"Potentially, but it will be even more dangerous than trying to go poking around his links in the criminal underworld," said Siri.

"I am more than willing to partake in this, Aldaraan will not stand to see this Sidious claim rule of the Galaxy and the destruction of the Republic," said Bail slowly, turning to Dooku, "I will be careful..."

"Do not mistake my warning," snarled Siri, pointing a finger at him and drawing him back, "I'm not saying be careful or be suspicious, I'm saying be paranoid. Trust no one but yourself with what you learn until its time to act. Not other senators, not anyone back on Aldaraan, not the Jedi, and not me, especially not me, interacting with me at all is libel to get you watched at minimum. When you return from here, you should never even hint that we spoke to anyone. Sidious believes in escalating punishment, so if he gets one whiff that you are digging into things the way Antilles was, you, and everyone you know and love, are dead."

"And I suppose that you wish me to thank you for this advice?"

"No," said Siri, "The only thing I wish is for you to succeed."

Both of Organa's eyebrows lift. "I was under the assumption from the newscasting that you wanted the Jedi Order to perish. Your Master dying before he succeeds seems counterproductive even if you wish to kill him."

Siri smiled grimly. "Its less about the Jedi's survival or lack thereof, and more to do with making sure Sidious loses. If Sidious is wiping out the Jedi, then he's most likely going to be corrupting the Republic into a Sith Empire in the process, otherwise Jedi Genocide really wont go over well. If he becomes a Sith Emperor, my desire to kill him becomes far harder to complete. The status of the Jedi Order is irrelevant to that."

The senator nods slowly. "I see."

"Understand this, Senator," she begins in a slow, dangerous hushed voice, "You are about to enter the most dangerous arena of your life. Forget your fellow politicians and their pitiful petty greedy games, about corperations atempting to buy votes, about the general corruption of the Senate. None of that matters in comparision to Sidious. He wields power in the Force and influence over people in a way you will never directly match. Your goal is to undermine him, but if he ever considers you an actual threat he will have you killed. Do you understand this and still desire to walk this path?"

"I do."

She gave him a look of pity. "You don't, but I know your kind, you'll try anyway."

She eyes him one final time before making for the door. "My final advice senator? Live in the shadows, unseen and unnoticed, or make a name for yourself and stand out where you will die in the light..."

Review Responses:

Wulfmoe: First batch of clones wouldn't be done yet ^_^. I hope my readers are still around too, it will be a few years, at least, before this story finishes.

AACM25: It may not 'work' in the manner of redemption, but whose to say it won't have an impact? And yeah, Qui-Gon Jinn had issues, major issues, which I think especially would cause trouble after he got over his initial fit of 'OMG CHOSEN ONE MUST TRAIN!'. This Qui-Gon might be a little more suited than cannon Qui-Gon, but even then...

Nerdman3000: The absolute truth of Bane wont be revealed to the Jedi until a bit after Zannah arrives. They will be interacting over time, definitely, don't worry 'bout that. I've seen the tropes page and like it, its kind of interesting to see how many 'overarching' things there are for certain actions that get used through various books, shows, games, and the like. It would be positively criminal not to use some custom fanart that isn't google-hunted :D.

1saaa: I'm glad you enjoy Sidious, he's devilishly fun to write. You'll see how the Jedi react to Zannah in a bit, gotta finish this section. Katis has a referenced planned, its short though. Can't really comment on Siri's ultimate fate, but... like I said, this is a tragedy.

Everyone else, thanks for the reviews.