Chapter 50: Shrouds of Deceit

Sidious decides that this had been a rather good week. His approval ratings are through the roof. Several new senators under his control had been 'voted in' to replace those lost to the corruption probe. One of the justices of the Supreme Court had died under 'mysterious circumstances', allowing him to replace one. Vosa had finally showed she wasn't completely incompetent in anything other than killing something, having made a fascinating contact in a Force Null called Grant Omega who had a grudge against the Jedi (and wasn't the parentage of that one an interesting delight to strike at Jinn at some point), perhaps now her mouth wouldn't get her killed on a more delicate matter on Dathomir he had been toying with. Tachi had gotten around to bringing the Jedi to the old warehouse in the Works, and oh he could feel and feed off of the negativity from here it was delicious, it hadn't gone down, if anything, it was slowly spreading. Finally, he had gotten around to seeing if he could modify the Veil of the Dark Side, to imbue new properties and fine tune his control of it as more than just a blanket shrouding darkness to block the Jedi on certain matters, and the answer was a resounding, delightful, malicious yes.

Oh the things he was going to do with it when the final war began...

But that was musings for later, he had an appointment with the Jedi Master walking in.

"Ah, I'm glad you could make it, Master Jinn," said Sidious in a warm tone, and it was the truth, for this meeting at least. Oh Jinn had no idea how delighted he was about to make Sidious.

"Chancellor," greeted Jinn in neutral politeness, tipping his head, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Sidious allowed himself a public moment of hesitation, knowing and seeing Jinn take note of it. "This is nothing official, or anything of that nature. It's more… personal I suppose, a matter concerning someone we are both rather fond of, your young Padawan."

Qui-Gon allowed a subtle frown to cross his face. "Anakin?"

"I have, in getting to known Anakin, tried to also attain a deeper understanding of the Jedi and the requirements to be one," explained Sidious in a slow, carefully manner, "Such as their views on attachment, and as that pertains to him, especially to his mother."

Qui-Gon, for all he didn't physically show it, had an air of incredibility about him, since the man doesn't know him to be Force Sensitive, his shields are not as tight as they should be, the feeling that come off him seem to state –I expect this from the Council, not a politician-. "With due respect Chancellor, Anakin is young, and only just starting on the Jedi Path."

"Oh, I agree," said Sidious, "And that is why I asked you to be here now, rather than later. You see, I am very fond of the boy, for what he did for my homeworld, and his general encouraging nature, I will confess, that I researched you when I learned you to be his master, and while I found nothing wrong, it did bring up something that led to this meeting."

Qui-Gon nods slowly, not seeming phased by the inquiry into himself, "It's understandable to be concerned for him. I am curious about what exactly was brought up."

Sidious licked his lips in an allowed method of nervousness. "Xanatos Du Crion."

Qui-Gon instantly locked down, face chiseled in stone.

"His final mission as your padawan was a dreadful thing to read about," said Sidious, an air of fake sympathy given the man, "But, his obsessiveness with his father, and how it was used to turn him into what he became…"

Qui-Gon saw where he was going, frowning intently, voice almost harsh, "Anakin is not Xanatos, and his mother is nothing like Crion. Even if she were somehow to achieve a position to, she would not try to use her son like that."

"Oh, I agree," said Sidious, watching Qui-Gon relax slightly, "I agree that neither sets are exactly alike, but… Anakin mentions his mother frequently, almost obsessively when a Jedi is supposed to let go…"

"It's understandable that he misses her," countered Qui-Gon firmly, "Anakin is still learning…"

"Even when he has vocalized some things that would be morally questionable about freeing her?" cuts in Sidious.

Qui-Gon grew still, his Force Signature blaring that he wanted to be anywhere but here at the moment listening to this. "Such as?"

"Some of the words he spoke to me left me… unsettled, so I pried a little, and I asked him if he'd break the law to get his mother out of slavery," said Palpatine, pressing a button on his desk to start up a recording off one of his earlier meetings with Skywalker several months ago, "And this was his response."

"Hutt law I'd break in a heartbeat! The sleemos are all hypocrites anyway, they break their own laws every day!" says the recording of Anakin, face dark, voice laced with anger and hate.

Qui-Gon jaw sets, grimacing.

"I understand where he is coming from," said Sidious in placation, "However, such things as I understand are not the Jedi Way, and what's more, while the Hutts and their so called law are nothing exemplary, the willingness to break one set of laws…"

"Can lead to disregard or breaking of another," finishes Qui-Gon, looking tired and frustrated.

Of course, the most beautiful thing about this was that it had all been done with simple editing to cut out the previous few seconds, where Anakin had actually hesitated about breaking the law before Sidious had narrowed it down to Hutt law for him. Technology was a marvelous thing, wasn't it?

"The love for a mother is a beautiful thing, but such things can become twisted," mused Sidious, "I show you this not to condemn young Skywalker, far from it, I want to see him become the best he could be. But, that won't happen if he unintentionally follows down Xanatos's path. However, it's not my place to guide and direct him, it's yours."

"Agreed," said Qui-Gon thinly, staring at the recording, flicking his wrist to play it again with the Force. He looked like he couldn't rationalize the hate on the young boy's face. Did he truly think Skywalker was so absurdly innocent that he knew not of hate? Oh the boy was sickeningly light to look like at times, yes, but there were dark stains all through him if one knew where to look. He wondered if Jinn had ever bothered to truly look for them in his 'prodigal boy of prophecy'. Shattering ideals was such a amusing pastime.

"I can also shamefully admit, the boy brings a bright light to my normally droll and tiring days, I hesitate on speaking this to him because upsetting him and driving him away…" Sidious trails off, leaving a helpless air about him.

Qui-Gon exhales. "He is a good boy, of that we agree, it brightens my day as well to see him grow and learn, so I understand the desire not to whenever I have to offer discipline and constructive criticism. I do not have an excuse however, it is my duty, as his master, to keep him on the right path. I thank you for bringing this to my attention, though…"

He hesitates, looking at the hologram, conflict apparent on his face. "Anakin is just a boy, the Council already has doubts about him, if they… would you…"

"Say no more," says Sidious, hitting a few buttons and deleting the entire section, including the parts that could have implicated him for inciting the whole conversation and at least softened the upcoming blow to Skywalker, "It will be as if it never happened."

Qui-Gon gave him an appreciative nod. "Thank you, Chancellor."

Sidious stood by the window after Jinn left, staring outward aimlessly. It had went well. He did not particularly desire Skywalker over Tachi, but he would be a fool not to plant seeds to be potentially harvested later, or at least cause friction and distrust between Skywalker and the Jedi that could get the boy killed later on if he needed to be eliminated, and this had been so very easy to plant.

Would be so very easy to reap.

Jinn would become stricter, and perhaps if he was more fortunate, like some of the harsher portrayals he had heard of the man early on in Kenobi's apprenticeship. In turn, this would drive Skywalker to Sidious with his frustrations. Jinn would believe they were on the same page, that he would 'help' with Anakin's attachment problems…

He smiled with malice. He would encourage the boy to bury it instead in order to fit in, he would explain that after all, the Jedi couldn't 'possibly' understand his worries and fears about his mother, they had never had parents. They had never been slaves, so how could they 'fathom' what he had been through? Bury it all, leave it untreated, don't seek help or an outlet except to Sidious himself…

And when Shmi Skywalker died in… oh what was a good number before he had her killed? Three to four years? There would be a permanent scar between Skywalker and the Jedi, more importantly, between Skywalker and Jinn.

Now, there was one last thing he needed to do for the day…

His smile turned absolutely sinister with delight.

…cut his apprentice off from the Veil of the Dark Side.

Its odd to say that Siri finds she actually misses the dining hall excursions.

But, since she had gotten back last week from her first outing from the Temple aside from the 'trial', she hadn't bothered to leave her room, having the guards outside get her meals for her. She thought it intelligent to make herself scarce. Especially since she's pretty sure what was learned there hadn't been kept quiet, or someone had leaked it. There has been a lot more negativity directed at her, most an ordinary amount she would expect, and yet, there some that hold a loathing that is oddly intense for Jedi. Its something the Dark Side whispers about, something important...

She moves the couch to the side of the room and sits in the middle, kneeling down in meditation, reaching for the Dark and demanding an answer...

Then her world is uplifted and thrown asunder.

The Dark Side suddenly abandons her, howling mocking laughter as it floats out of reach. She is briefly stunned, confused, shocked, then she growls in fury and lashes out, reaching to grab and yank it to her. She can feel its power pulse through her veins, but its as if any direction or insight, mocking or otherwise, is gone. She focuses, drawing her emotions to her intensely, reaching out to draw the veil around her while she works, not wanting to have the Jedi get in a fit...

Except the veil slips through her fingers.

She stares through the Force in utter bafflement, trying to understand, then demanding an answer of 'Why?' There is something, but its like its coming from a distance, a muffled whisper, like its trying to pass through something, almost like...

No.

No no no no no...

Like its trying to pass through a veil...

Black anger and rage pulses from of her. "That kriffing bastard!"

He cut her off from the Veil of the Dark Side! But how?!

There comes a knock at her door, and Obi-Wan calls through. "Siri? I can feel you upsetting the Creche from here."

Siri scowls and tries to wrap herself in a shroud-except she can't. Her throat seizes, blind panic rising through her. One method of cloaking her presence after another passes through her mind and fails. Aside from casting an incantation, any of her go-to ways she uses incorporates the Veil of the Dark Side in some way, shape, or form. They all stutter out, her presence flickering in the Force. Some attempts disperse before they can even begin, few can be maintained with any degree of sustainability. She grinds her teeth, shoves down her fear, and goes grim, thoughts whirling.

She can't use the Veil, no use crying over spilled blue milk. It literally shakes her control over most of her more intricate abilities. She's going to have to re-learn how to do almost everything without the Veil. She's not sure she even trusts her sorcery at the moment, though she will try in a pinch. The best she can do for the moment is raise her mental shields as high as they can go. Damn it, damn him, damn Sidious. How was he even able to do that? She thought the Veil clouded the lightsiders only. Being able to block other darksiders with it... is this a blanket thing over EVERYONE not Sidious? Or has he just done it for her specifically? If the latter... that was really bad, to be able to block specific individuals.

She'd been reliant on the Veil, far to reliant.

Almost like... like a crutch.

A snarl escapes her lips. She had become complacent in her security with the Veil, and now she's been caught offguard by it.

If she had been in a fight or mid-mission, rather than secure in this room, she'd be dead.

That was unacceptable.

Now Obi-Wan is knocking more insistently. "Siri, I'm coming in."

She opens her eyes, lips pursed, as he barges in, the comlink on his belt is buzzing for attention, probably about her. "Is there a particular reason you're broadcasting that heavily?"

She stares at him for a long moment, considering if she should reveal what Sidious has done. It would admit a weakness, but on the other hand, it would lessen expectations. On the other, other hand... it lessens her usefulness, she's already spilled most of the information she's willing to. Though Jedi aren't the Sith, she wont be tossed out or killed off simply because she's no longer useful. Which isn't the case anyway, she's still capable of beating the rank and file of the Jedi in spars, and she will figure out how to re-do her own shrouding, so the little Shadows can keep trying to find her. On her own, without needing the crutch of the Veil.

Actually...

Yes... she can use the Shadows, to test her own adaptions, but that is later, much later, once she actually figures out how.

She sucks in her pride and speaks, "Sidious cut me off from the Veil of the Dark Side."

Obi-Wan goes still. "What exactly does that mean?"

She gritted out, "I'm as clouded as the Jedi are now."

He frowns, and then she feels a pass from him for the truth, and she growls at him for it, but lowers her shields enough for him to sense she's not lying. He folds his arms into his robes. "Why now all the sudden?"

"I don't know, I didn't know it was even possible to block darksiders with it," she admits.

"I suppose I will need to inform the council."

She doesn't comment, not blind to him watching her for a reaction. Sidious laid far worse and less obvious traps in his words than Kenobi tries to. She's not going to ask him to do otherwise, she's not that stupid, especially after last week. He waits for a few more moments for her to say something before her gives her a curt nod and turns to the door. "Try to reign it in though."

"Maybe, just for you, I'll show how pissed I am to the temple with my shields fully down," she answered snidely.

He didn't answer, walking out.

She sighed, but didn't do that, she wasn't fully lowering her shields ever again if the choice was hers. She shook her head, closed her eyes, returned to meditation, and began experimenting with using the Dark without the Veil...

"Curious," mused Grandmaster Fay after Obi-Wan finished his brief report, "Considering the Dark Side's tendency for its users to turn and devour one another, its not as surprising as it should be. Yet the timing..."

"To be frank," said Master Windu, "I'm more surprised that up until now, Sidious has done nothing else to censure his apprentice. He cut out one memory and anything related to it in an attack, but that was it."

"Its not as if he can simply waltz in here to do otherwise," commented Master Tiin.

"Can't he?" posed Master Piell, "Assuming he is capable of the same methods of hiding himself as his apprentice, he could very easily come in, murder her, and walk out, with us none the wiser until we discover her. He could potentially do that at will to anyone."

"I am assuming that is a risk he does not wish to take," rebutted Master Windu, "One single mistake or slip up, and he is surrounded by the entire Jedi Temple."

"Either way, living in fear of such a possibility is nothing a Jedi should do," commented Master Koon, "Be mindful, yes, but fear it, no."

That got a collective nod from the council.

"I believe on the subject of this report, that there may be a point we have not considered," said Master Mundi before cleared his threat. "Padawan Kenobi?"

"Yes?"

"Do you believe the Sith Apprentice's words?" posed Master Mundi.

Obi-Wan nodded. "She let me feel for the truth."

"How can we trust that?" Master Mundi continued to press, "For all we know, this 'Veil of the Dark Side' could allow her to lie and pass as truth through the Force."

"I don't believe so."

"Not that I agree or disagree, but what is your reasoning?" asked Master Piell.

"Because, if I can't trust the Force, how can I trust anything or anyone?" asked Obi-Wan, "I refuse to live like that."

Grandmaster Fay hums, approval a brief flicker through the Force before she returns to her serene calm. "On that note, there is something about this 'Veil' that I have considered. Padawan Kenobi, please tell us two truths and a lie."

Obi-Wan blinked, slightly confused by the request. "Qui-Gon Jinn is my master, Yan Dooku is my Grandmaster, and I like the color red."

That got an amused huff from some of them.

"Now, consider," said Grandmaster Fay, "That ignoring the obviousness of it, we can feel for the truth with the Force. So I ask, why is such an ability not blocked by the Veil? Cutting the Order off from such guidance could cause incredible disarray."

Obi-Wan blinked.

Several of the other masters mirrored such a reaction. Master Windu rubbed his chin in thought. "I can feel the guidance of the Force in combat, sparring or otherwise. Depriving us of the ability to feel a blaster bolt coming could kill many a Jedi caught unexpected by it."

"On my last diplomatic mission," admitted Obi-Wan, "I felt nudges here and there in the negotiations."

They went a round across the Council pointing out various things they could hear from the Force.

"About the only thing truly blocked," mused Master Koon, "Is anything specific to the Sith and their machinations. Meditating on the future as well has been clouded, visions troubling, more difficult to interpret than normal."

"As Master Yoda likes to say, hard to see the Dark Side is," said Master Piell, ever the counterpoint, "We might still be able to do much of this, but can we say whether it is as it was? The curtain this Veil casts has been slowly growing for so long, I cannot with confidence recall if the guidance I receive now is less than I received years decades ago."

The collective council pauses to reflect.

Obi-Wan spoke quietly, "In my much shorter years, I do believe I receive less guidance now than I did as a child, or even a decade ago. I... used to be gifted in the Unifying Force, I was unusually prone amount of visions when I was in the creche, that slowly tapered off as the years passed. I still receive them on occasion, but, I wonder if perhaps it wasn't simply 'growing out of it'."

"Mmm," hummed Yaddle, "Recall I do, that concerns your Crechemaster had, about their frequency. To balance with the here and now, an argument Yoda gave, for why Master Jinn was good for you."

He's not quite sure 'dreams pass in time' was the appropriate response to visions, but, he's fairly certain his Master mostly told him that while he himself fretted over the possible implications. Or not. Qui-Gon had a habit of simply going with the flow and putting the future out of mind. Sometimes that really, truly frustrated Obi-Wan. Other times, Obi-Wan was more than happy to shove darker undecipherable visions out of his head and forget about them. Now he wonders if some of those were warnings of what was to possibly come.

"There is another point of view that I myself bring," offered Grandmaster Fay, "I have never felt so besieged or clouded by the Dark Side since coming to Coruscant. Even in the halls of this Temple. It is as different as walking and breathing upon unspoiled world compared to a heavily industrial world. Everything covered in smog."

Master Windu's lips tighten. "So it wasn't my imagination then."

There are murmurs of agreement from the rest of the Council.

"The epicenter of the Veil of the Dark Side is here, upon Coruscant," stated Grandmaster Fay.

It wasn't a question.

None of them took it as such either.

"I don't know the Dark Side," said Obi-Wan, "But I think Sidious ripping a memory from Siri would require some kind of proximity, or at least being on the same planet."

"Sidious is very likely based on Coruscant then," said Master Piell, "To create such a long lasting and heavy stain upon the Force that this Veil is."

"Most likely," agreed Master Windu, he seemed even more solemn than normal.

"Considering this," said Master Koon quietly, "I am not comfortable with our younglings remaining on Coruscant. It may be prudent to investigate abandoned temples across the galaxy for use."

"And you think that sending them out from the safety of being surrounded by our knights, masters, and members of this very council is the better solution?" asked Master Mundi, "If anything, they would be more vulnerable elsewhere."

"That would depend entirely upon where they were sent, and the secrecy of the location," countered Master Koon.

"That, is something to be argued later," cut in Master Windu before his gaze fixed on Obi-Wan, "Thank you for the report Padawan Kenobi, you are dismissed."

Right, topics not for him. He bowed respectfully and left, retreating to his room and his thoughts. He stretches out with his senses first to see how Siri's settled. Her shields are up, the Dark Side swirling softly around her in personal contemplation. He pauses... taking notice of an oddity. Her presence has a more solid feel to it, less elusive. Obvious in hindsight, but he had never correctly attributing that sensation as coming from the Veil itself rather than as a part of Siri. It allows him to better try to read her, or would have, if she hadn't responded to his prodded with the mental equivalent of flicking his forehead and telling him to buzz off.

He huffs before he falls into a light meditation, not to try and seek out the Force's guidance, but to better organize what he thinks and feels. The first thing that strike him was that this was perhaps the first time he has felt actual real true fear from Siri since she regained access to the Dark Side out of the Force Suppressant Cell. Waking up temporarily damaged from Sidious's attack hadn't come close to that moment of blind panic. He had honestly been worried she didn't feel fear at all.

Fear was a natural emotion, a normal response to certain situations and stimuli, it let someone know they were in danger. Jedi felt fear just as much as anyone else did, the goal wasn't to eradicate it, but to not let the emotion control them, to release it to the Force after acknowledging it. Not feeling fear at all was libel to make someone suicidally reckless and irresponsible with their own lives and potentially the lives of others. Not to mention their actions and how they are perceived. He had been a tad worried Siri would eventually do something and get herself in even more trouble than she already was in, or get her badly injured or killed. For all he knew she already had during her apprenticeship to Sidious. He pondered if fear in herself was another emotion weakened/suppressed by the Dark Side.

He let his thoughts shift. Looking past his initial balking at any part of the Order retreating from the Sith, he could understand Master Koon wanting to secret their young to the farthest corner of the galaxy far far away from Sidious and his sick twisted influence. He didn't want what had happened to Siri to happen to anyone else. Not to mention, he missed the clearness of the Force from his youth, he wanted the next generation to grow up outside of the Veil's shroud. But where would possibly be safe? They had no clue what temples were or were not known to by the Sith. There was also the worried thought, about how Sidious had known about what Siri had revealed so quickly and retaliated. How could they know if there was a potential spy in their midst?

Finally, he turned his thoughts to the Veil itself, and what had been discussed in the meeting. As he lingers on it, he considers something. Relatively, Siri and Sidious being actively against eachother is new. The Sith Lord might have never had to use the Veil against another Darksider before, never considered it. The timing could be as simple as him only just figuring out how. Or he only just got around to it, Siri had likely caused a mess he had to deal with from her revelations. Or there's something else they've failed to consider. Perhaps the timing was to hammer in on Siri after they discovered the warehouse, its likely he knew they found it. That would fit, set Siri more against the Jedi and vise versa then they already were followed up by cutting access from one of the Sith's most powerful tools. She's definitely more isolated than she has been in awhile, not that she didn't bring most of it on herself. Obi-Wan's not quite sure in the end which it is.

He sighs aloud and slowly lets his thoughts drifting away, entering into a full meditation, looking for the strength he's going to need to deal with Siri in the weeks, months, and years to come...

Authore's Note: Timeskip incoming, then 3~ chapters after focusing mostly around Siri & Anakin (ish), followed by Zannaaaaaaaah! (And Yoda returning!)

Review Responses:

Solarsailor55: Do you really want it spoiled?

DukeEarl: Her outlook will steadily shift into something of her own making rather than Sidious or Zannah influenced.

Nerdman3000: Perhaps a missed opportunity, but Sidious's goal was dissent between Siri and the Jedi, not having them rely on her to guide them through a trap. Siri's overall cutting insights/cunning took a hit this chapter. As for Leia... who said she's going to have a Sith name at all?

1saaa: Soz, Siri's direct apprentices are likely to just be Ventress (who may or may not survive the 'Clone Wars' equivalent), and then Leia. There may be others who learn from her, but only two will hold the position of apprentice to her, no more, no less. (maybe)

DukeEarl: Siri might be a 'fun' evil character at the moment, but from a moral standpoint she is not someone people should identify with. Understand how and why, sure, but identify? Absolutely not. Siri will never be a hero in the way we acknowledge/identify them, even an 'anti-hero' might be stretching it towards the middle-end of this story. Lawful Dark might be her ending theme, maybe, its still years away, subject to change and all that.

Scrumblenut: Obi-Wan and Siri will have ups, and many many downs. The height of which might be hit in the 'Clone Wars' equivalent, but we will see.