Chapter 60: Come the Gathering Rain (Part 5)

"You want me to do what?" asked Siri in disbelief, crossing her arms as she sat down on her couch.

"Can you watch my padawan for a few days to a week?" repeated Obi-Wan, "I have a quick mission I've been assigned, and the Council is... not quite sure my padawan has recovered enough for fieldwork yet."

"...and you're not leaving her with Jinn or Dooku, why?" asked Siri pointedly, eyes narrowed, "Or hells, even on her own in your apartment? She's a senior padawan for kriff sake, not a baby."

Obi-Wan pursed his lips. "She... needs to get over something C'Baoth planted in her."

"Which is what?"

"Hatred of the Sith."

"She should hate the Sith, or Sidious at least, I don't see the problem, but of course, Jedi are so scared of hatred," she says mockingly before shifting on her feet. "You think leaving her with me for a week is the way to do that?"

"Yes."

"That's a terrible kriffing idea Obi-Wan," she laments, "How in the hells did you get Council approval for that?"

"Very carefully."

Siri snorts at the evasion.

"...I went to Yoda first and he won them over after a lot of arguing."

"Your lineage is a bunch of disasters, Obi-Wan," she said dryly, "What does Jinzler think of this?"

"...I'll get back to you after I tell her."

Siri threw back her head and laughed.

Siri is supremely unimpressed when Jinzler sits at the table, compleatly and utterly ignoring her. She's brought a datapad and changes of clothes into the spare room, and then proceeded to dismiss Siri's entire existence as she goes about her classwork. Siri doesn't quite appreciate being ignored since she's doing this as a 'favor' to Obi-Wan.

That's not going to stand, if shes going to do this, she'll do this her way.

She looks at Jinzler, her shoulders tense as she sits at the table doing whatever assigned homework she has as a senior padawan. Obviously uncomfortable, and judging by the tightness of her jaw, angry at being here with a Sith. Boo whoo, woe is me.

Siri sits on the couch and crosses one leg over the other, leaning back and gazing watchfully at the young woman. "Do you know what a Sith Sacrifice is, Jinzler?"

Jinzler doesn't look up, but does go still at being addressed before forcing herself to continue. "No."

"No?" poses Siri, irritated, "So let me get this straight: Not only did you not watch my so called questioning session with the senate, but the Jedi didn't explain it to you either? That is very foolish, both yourself and them leaving you ignorant of information and of the exact nature of the danger to you."

Now Jinzler looked up, glaring at her and snidely said, "Explained the danger you posses?"

"No, they didn't explain your nightmare, the how and why C'Baoth is an extreme threat to you."

Jinzler paled, looking unable to breath for a moment before looking down at her homework, a shake to her hands. "..."

"To become a Sith Lord of the Line of Bane, one of the last steps depending on the Sith in question is the complication of a Sith Sacrifice," explains Siri, "That Sacrifice is where they make a choice to murder someone who is supposed to mean a great deal to them, someone important, as a show of devotion to the Sith Order, and as a breaking of their previous allegiance and life. The Sith casts off their previous life in doing the act, and is bestowed the title of Sith Lord and a new name. I personally think that's supposed to be symbolic, but most Sith appear to take that literally as if they are a new person and that their past self is a weak pathetic other."

Jinzler doesn't answer, but the shake to her hands is in her arms now.

"What does this tell you, Padawan Jinzler?" Siri posed.

Jinzler takes a shaky breath, pushes herself to stop shaking, and goes back to her homework.

Siri's eyes twitch. "I asked you a question."

She doesn't answer.

"Passive aggressive little shit," said Siri flatly before snapping, "Jinzler!"

The padawan tenses and looks up, glaring at her. "What?!"

"You've been given to me for a week, and for that week, I am going to look after you, and I am going to teach you," said Siri, "And you will do me the courtesy of learning and listening."

"I'm not learning the Dark Side!"

"I never said you were, stop being stupid," countered Siri, "Tell me, do you like others walking on glass around you, Jinzler? Afraid to upset you, babying the poor abused padawan?"

Jinzler gets up in fury and stalks towards her assigned room.

Siri lifts her up with the Force and sets her back down at the table. "Don't touch me with the Dark!"

"Then stop being a brat," said Siri, "You will sit there and speak with me until I dismiss you for the night, are we clear Padawan Jinzler?"

"Perfectly," spat out Jinzler.

"Good," said Siri, "Now, unlike the Jedi, I am not going to baby you. I don't care if you are still hurting from C'Baoth's actions. You have things you need to know and things you need to learn critical to your survival that none of the Jedi are going to bother with since they don't want to risk breaking their little glass Tooka."

The girl's face is beat red with anger, shaking with it. Siri carefully wraps the room with the Force, catching and negating the vibrations of that rage with the Force. "I'm not saying they wouldn't eventually, or well, I hope they wouldn't be so recklessly irresponsible, but you need to know now, not as an 'oh by the way' after you get knighted. So listen up Jinzler."

Siri uncrosses her legs and leans forward. "This is not a guess. This is not a 'what if'. This is not a maybe. Its a guarantee. C'Baoth IS GOING TO TRY TO KILL YOU."

The anger is gone, back to shakiness, struggled breathing, and fear.

Damn.

C'Baoth really did a number kriffing up his padawan, she shouldn't have this much difficulty with control at this age. "This means, Jinzler, that you need to always, always, be aware and be on guard outside of this temple. From what I've read up on him, he's a grandstanding old bastard who lusts for recognition, fame, and power. When he comes for you, I doubt it will be a quick, assassination type of kill. He'll try to make a spectacle out of it. So high profile missions you need to be especially on guard for, but even that has its limits. If he goes too long without completing the sacrifice, he might settle for just getting it done and out of the way."

"If... if he t-tries to kill me...," stammers Jinzler, "T-to publicly attack a Jedi of the R-republic, as a part of a f-foriegn government, that wo-would be..."

"A political shitstorm at bare minimum?" poses Siri, "Or more likely, an act of war? Oh Jinzler, if you think this schism from both the Jedi and the Republic isn't going to end in war, then you are gravely mistaken. War is the goal, the intent."

Jinzler swallows.

"Padawan," said Siri tiredly, "I'm going to be very, brutally honest. Now is a terrible time to be a Jedi. The Line of Bane is moving towards its endgame, hells, its already there. Within the next decade, two at minimum, they are going to try and wipe out the Jedi Order. Do you understand me? DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"Y-yes," stammers Jinzler.

"Good," said Siri, "Do you understand then, that the stereotypical Jedi training and focuses might not be helpful to you in this situation? Diplomacy is all well and good, but the only diplomacy that's going to work against a Sith wannabe coming at you with a lightsaber is the aggressive kind."

Siri meets Jinzler's eyes and steels her voice. "While with me this week, we are going to focus on two things: Understanding, and combat. I will continually speak with you as I have now, trying to prepare you for whats to come and steel you for it. I will also try to start honing your saber skills to a passable standards. I also highly suggest that you see if you have any natural affinity for Tutaminis, or at least have the capacity to learn parts of it. C'Baoth is strong in the Force, you need to be able to counter him that way. I cannot help you with that last bit since anything I'd teach would be Dark. I suggest Yoda, he favors his lineage so you might be able to get him to bother with individualized lessons."

"You are Obi-Wan's padawan, you are important to him," said Siri, "As such, you are important to me. Hate me for being a Sith all you want, but do not doubt that I am trying to help you. Are we clear?"

There is a heavy mixture on Jinzler's face. So much anger, so much fear, and so much confusion. But, she nods none the less.

"Good, get your homework done, then you're dismissed for tonight," said Siri before settling in, grabbing her datapad, and shooting off a message to Dooku about lightsaber lessons for Jinzler.

Its not like they'd do her the favor of letting Siri train her alone in such things after all.

Especially considering that Siri can sense the wire under Jinzler's clothes, letting whoever listen in to anything said.

She's not really surprised at the testing.

Its just so Jedi of them.

There is a vicious anger that doesn't belong in a Jedi inside Jinzler when she comes at Siri in the training room she booked alongside Dooku. Its not funneled or channeled into the Dark, or even into her form, thus, its useless.

"Do you want to handle beating a combat focus into her or should I?" said Siri dryly, deflecting the pathetic assault.

She's not even sure what lightsaber form Jinzler is using its so sloppy.

"Oh, by all means," said Dooku, "I'm merely here to supervise."

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle," says Siri mockingly, "I wouldn't push her half as hard as I would my own eventual apprentice."

Jinzler snarled and swung a two-handed heavy blow. "I don't need you going easy on me!"

Siri neatly sidestepped, tripped her to the floor, and plucked her lightsaber up with the Force after she fumbled it upon impact. "Hmm. So you say, but honestly Jinzler, I've seen junior Padawans fight better than you."

Jinzler rose, fists clenched, face beat red...

"Jinzler, is there a reason you aren't releasing all that to the Force?" drawled Siri, "Because honestly, I'm surprised you can even walk, let alone figure out where to swing a lightsaber, with how much blinding red you have to be seeing at the moment."

"BECAUSE I KRIFFING CAN'T!" Jinzler exploded.

Dooku raises an unimpressed eyebrow.

But Siri, her eyebrows furrow. She knows some Jedi, especially Supernova, have issues releasing to the Force, but 100% unable? That suggests that...

Oh.

Jinzler doesn't trust in the Force anymore. Wow, okay, C'Baoth really, really, kriffed her up.

She likely can't even meditate the Jedi way properly, let alone release anything.

Hmm...

All things considered, Jinzler would probably do better settling into the Dark at this point, but, not ever going to happen being a Jedi and all. Obi-Wan has likely been trying to slowly wear the girl down and guide her back into the Jedi proper from where C'Baoth veered her off, but, considering where she was at this point, it wasn't likely to happen for a good long while. Which is all well and good if there is all the time in the galaxy to get the girl settled.

But Jinzler has a timetable, a ticking clock, on her lifespan and survivability.

The countdown to zero is whenever she clashes against C'Baoth.

Jinzler needs to fix her issues, recover to where she had been/should be at this point, and start improving at a rapid pace.

"Alright, we're going to engage a stopgap until you can do so," orders Siri, "Sit, you are going to enter the closest you can to meditation, then I am going to siphon out all that anger and negativity. Like bleeding a poison."

Jinzler narrowed her eyes, wariness emanating from her.

"Oh for kriff sake, Dooku is right here, and will be watching the entire time," said Siri flatly, "He wouldn't hesitate to drive a lightsaber through my back if he thought I was going to seriously harm you."

Dooku wrinkled his nose. "The sentiment is correct, but I am not so uncouth and barbaric."

"Alright, stab me through my face then from the front, honorable and all that."

Dooku sighed.

Siri sat down on the floor and motioned infront of her. "Sit, Jinzler."

She looks briefly to Dooku for a nod before she does so.

Siri closes her eyes and reaches out with the Force, devouring all the excess anger and frustration rippling off the girl. She has to resist the urge to make a slurping sound, its about as delectable as a smoothie. She uses it as she feeds, hand held out to the dark hound in her mind, it licks the fury off her fingers as it converts it into energy and pushes the power through her body in return, a tingle of excited muscles.

Jinzler shivers. "That... that feels weird."

"Of course it does," murmurs Siri, "Your emotions are being bled out of you. Where they were is now empty. Its not true calm, more like an absence. It still should be good enough to get a facsimile of meditation. I wanted you started on saberwork today, but really, nothing is going to get done until this meditation issue is settled. Now... begin."

Jinzler fidgets, trying to get comfortable, before she closes her eyes, and tries to reach for the Force...

"Why does a Sith use Soresu?" asked Jinzler, trying to copy the kata Siri was showing her.

"Why not?"

"Its not a form a Sith would...," began Jinzler.

Siri tsked. "Jinzler, let me give you a piece of advice. Throw away any preconceived notions of what a Sith IS. While some things still remain true, the Sith have changed over the last thousand years."

"Do you still take enjoyment out of the suffering and slaughtering innocents?" posed Jinzler mockingly.

"Sidious does," agreed Siri.

"And you're saying you don't?"

Siri thinks back to her meditation on grief after Skywalker yanked her out of the Dark. "I try not to."

"But you DID at one point."

"...yes," admitted Siri, "When my fall and seduction into the Sith truly began, when I came close to pulling out of the dark, then falling back even deeper into it, I became a true Sith Apprentice of the Line of Bane."

Jinzler narrowed her eyes in thought. Siri idly began rehearsing answers to what she assumed Jinzler was going to follow up with...

...only for the girl to ask something Siri hadn't quite gotten around to really considering. "You don't consider yourself of the Line of Bane anymore then, do you? Because as much as I loathe you, I'm not ignorant. You are different."

Siri's jaw set, her saber lowering to hiss against the floor. "My lineage within the Sith is a little more convoluted then normal. I've been trained and taught by two wildly different parts of the Line of Bane, Zannah and Sidious, the first and the last apprentices."

"If Sidious is the 'last', then what are you?"

Siri huffs a laugh. "A mess. I identify as a Sith, but snub their overall goals in place of my own desires. I cherry-pick what ideology and tenants of the Sith I like while ditching the rest without care of tradition. I highly prefer the Dark Side, but I don't much care if the light exists nor its state of supremacy in the galaxy. In that same vein, I don't care if the Jedi Order exists or not insomuch that Obi-Wan remains alive, everyone else is relatively expendable to me, ranging in how important to Kenobi they are."

The disgust on Jinzler's face only serves to make Siri snicker.

"I suppose I'm going to end up a break-off of the Line of Bane," admits Siri, "I want to kill Sidious and remake the Sith Order in my own image."

"And what image is that?"

"I'll let you know when I figure it out," drawls Siri, "By the way, watch your feet."

"My-urk!"

Siri lays Jinzler flat out on her back and grins down at her. "For shame Padawan, try not to bumble over your own two feet."

"You tripped me!"

"Did I? I'm quite a few feet away."

"You used the Force!"

"...do you have any proof? Dooku, did you sense me use the Force?"

Dooku looks up from his datapad, a bored expression on his face. "Do not drag me into your infantile quarrels."

"...glad he's not my great grandmaster, I kind of feel bad for you Jinzler."

The padawan gives her a withering glare, rises to her feet, and takes a swing with her lightsaber...

"...furthermore, in my own study of my predecessors, I found that they love to grandstand," lamented Siri, lazing on the couch, one hand twirling a finger through the air, one leg hanging off the side as she lectured Jinzler who sat prim and proper in a chair, "If C'Baoth is the same, and I find it hard to doubt he wont be, use it to your advantage."

"In what way?" asked Jinzler, tone always so sour, but at least she paid attention.

"Well, stabbing him through the face or the back while he's boasting generally works well," answered Siri dryly, "Take a moment to catch your breath, formulate a plan, set up a trap, whatever works. Just use the time so generously provided and do something with it. If he decides he wants to play with you rather than get the job done, then make him pay for his arrogance."

She nods.

"This in turn leads into my next lesson, and one of the more important ones, so listen and listen well," said Siri, "As much as I just badmouthed it, all that grandstanding does have a purpose. It's called Dun Moch. Its the art of psychological combat used to distract, enrage, cause doubt, or to instill paranoia in your opponent, perhaps even make them question their allies. The Sith will try to rip open your worst fears with pointed wordplay, will taunt you, ridicule your mistakes. It can even be turned into a way of life, controlling how you act to influence how other's perceive you..."

"Like you do?"

Siri paused, head slightly shifting, a single eye looking at Jinzler. "Why do you say I use it that way?"

"Half of the time you just don't make sense," admitted Jinzler, "Sometimes you're what everyone thinks a Sith is, cold and cruel delighting in beating or putting down others. Other times its like you don't take anything seriously, like life is just a big joke to you. Then you're serious or focused on occasion. The worst is when you mix them."

Siri smiled mockingly. "Do tell."

"You're having a serious instruction session right now and you're basically goofing off on the couch while you give it."

Siri laughed. "You need to live a little Jinzler, have some fun with your life."

Jinzler stared at her for a long moment. "How many masks do you wear?"

"As many as needed," Siri answered softly.

Jinzler scoffed. "If you hide behind a mask all the time, I wonder if you even know who the real Siri Tachi is anymore."

Siri thinks back to her meditation on regret. To the Siri Tachi she was confronted by within herself. Bleeding, rotting, filled with so many wounds, inflicted by others, inflicted by herself, because of herself. Oozing self-loathing and condemnation for herself. What she admitted to it, and it to her...

"I've got a pretty good idea."

Jinzler flew back and slammed into the wall, sliding down to the floor with a pained wince.

"I don't think this is working Yoda," lamented Siri.

"Mmm, not giving much chance, are you, for her to learn and try," critiqued the Grandmaster.

"Would C'Baoth? Would Sidious?"

Yoda grunted. "Again padawan Jinzler?"

Jinzler got up without complaint, a point in her favor.

"Feel the Force around you," instructed Yoda, "A friend? Yes. A guide? Yes. A shield? If you ask, it can be."

Jinzler takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. Siri feels her trying to wrap the Force around her, a more hesitant plea, still not so trusting of the Force but better. Still not good enough for this though. Siri flicks her wrist and Jinzler tumbles backwards to the floor with a gut punch delivered via the Force. Honestly, its not even fun anymore.

She gets up again without complaint, and Siri can't help but wonder if this is anything like C'Baoth's lessons the girl went through.

She supposes it doesn't matter.

Siri is certainly not going to baby the girl.

Not when she's so far away from properly learning Tutaminis. Yoda says she's capable, but the girl can't even block or misdirect a Force imbued punch yet. She's a very, very long away from being able to negate lighting or any other very dangerous and very dire Dark Side abilities.

Ah well.

She supposes she can keep putting a sour little Padawan on her ass for a few hours a day for the rest of the week, its no great hassle...

Its not the first night she's heard nor felt the girl's nightmares.

It is the first time she's felt even somewhat inclined to do anything about it.

Not that opening the door and plopping herself down against the nearest wall of the girl's room is doing much. The girl evidently feels her presence and jolts awake. Nothing happens for a minute aside from her short sharp breaths...

"What?" Jinzler demands sharply, exhaustion and frustration salting the air.

Siri stares at her through the darkened room. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

Siri shrugged and settled into her spot. "Well, I'm shit at these kinds of things, that was my attempt."

Apparently her try at humor fell flat, the girl merely rolled away from her, scoffing. Siri is quick to note that she did not however demand that she leave. She sits comfortably in the dark, eyes softly aglow with said power, watching the girl curl up under her covers as time passes, soft quiet sobs escaping her along with misery and far to much self-pity. Siri sighs, infuses a small sharp probe in the Force, and jabs it through the girl's mental walls (which are still trash, yet another thing she needs to get the girl to work on) and sends her into a dreamless sleep.

"She'll probably bitch me out in the morning," mused Siri, "When really, its a kindness."

Surprisingly, she didn't. But that might have had something to do with the fact she looked more rested than Siri had seen her since likely before C'Baoth took a nose dive into the Dark. Though she does give Siri the stink eye all throughout breakfast...

Siri discovers the unspoken rule rather late into the week.

Both Rain and Jinzler are ignoring each other's existence. Neither has been active or in the same room as each other at any point since this week began. So of course, Siri tries to pair them together for her own amusement.

"So Rain, I'm a little surprised," said Siri, poking at the holocron as she sets it on the table, "That you haven't tried to body-jack the little glass tooka."

Jinzler coughs, looking up from her homework. "E-excuse me?"

Rain materializes and gives Siri an unimpressed look.

Siri waggles an eyebrow at her, laying down on the couch and stretching to show off her assets. "Or do you still have a thing for me and my bod?"

Rain rolls her eyes, scoffing. "I don't take pathetic little wannabe Jedi as hosts."

"Pretty big words for an equality pathetic little wannabe Sith crying for someone called Laa," shot back Jinzler.

Siri's eyes go wide at the recoil and pain that flashes from the Holocron through the Force.

Holy kriffing shit...

The temperature of the room absolutely plummeted, Rain's words are ice, and despite how unaffiliated the Holocron has felt since Yoda did his thing, there is a twinge of very real darkness; absolute rage. "Considering that I was the Dark Lord of the Sith of my time, you are a very, foolish, little Jedi."

She feels the Holocron gather herself...

"Out!" barks Siri sharply. She's not sure what Rain can actually do in this state, but she's taking no chances. She forms a barrier around the Holocron with the Dark to preemptively contain her, "Get out Jinzler!"

The girl stumbles and bolts out of the room.

"I'LL KILL THAT LITTLE BITCH!"

Okay, this hadn't been her brightest idea. "Rain, we've been over this, no killing Jedi."

"Kriff off Tachi!" snarled Rain, glaring full force at her, "I don't know why you even bother with that little shit. She's worthless, and marked for death one way or another. The entire Jedi Order is. If you are so damn dead set on preserving Kenobi, put him in carbonite and stick him on a wall somewhere as an ornament. You are wasting time here!"

"Biding time," corrected Siri, "In a few more years, I walk out of here free as a bird."

"As if that really, truly matters," said Rain snidely, "You have the entire Black Sun in your pocket. If you wanted to disappear, you could, and Sidious really doesn't have the time to waste nor spare in tracking you down."

Siri feels predatory focus, narrowing her eyes. "You seem rather certain of that."

Instantly, Rain's rage is gone into cooled dispassion. "He's engineering the destruction of the Jedi Order, of course he doesn't."

They stare at eachother for a very long moment.

"You know who he is, don't you?"

"If we go by your logic, Siri," said the Gatekeeper quietly, "While I am Rain, I am still also very much Zannah. I will not betray a thousand years of effort over your grudge with Sidious and conflicted loyalties. You don't care if the Jedi live or do, I on the other hand very much still want their Order exterminated."

"We're going to have to compromise on that."

Rain sneered. "Will we?"

"I won't ask you for Sidious," said Siri slowly, earning a briefly surprised look from Rain before she masked it, "Because I know what we have won't survive asking you to cross that line, and I've let Sidious take enough from me."

Rain frowned. "And what do you wish me to actually compromise on?"

"That one way or another, you accept the outcome, whatever it is."

Rain sighed and moved her gatekeeper to sit on the couch. "Siri, even if you do defeat Sidious and the Jedi Order survives... what makes you think the Jedi are going to just let you remake the Sith Order as you see fit? In the event of the Jedi Victory, how do you see yourself surviving? Or that your would-be Sith Order that you still haven't nailed down as to how you want it to be, won't be hunted down and destroyed? Do you honestly think the Jedi will just accept the Sith in any form?"

Siri has no answer.

"You're grabbing for too much Siri," said Rain softly, "In the end, you're going to end up with nothing."

"I suppose we'll see."

"...and you just come here and laze on her couch?" asked Jinzler, skeptical.

"Yeah pretty much," agreed Anakin, "Everything in the temple is so bright sometimes, its nice to have some shade every now and then when I need a break."

Jinzler gives him a blank look, and Siri raises an eyebrow from her spot watching the pair from the doorway. That... is an interesting perspective. Its not like she doesn't agree with the sentiment, but she's dark. Anakin isn't. Curious...

"So, you two haven't killed eachother yet, that's a good sign, right?" asked Anakin.

"Not really, though I'm pretty sure her Holocron does want to kill me."

"Why?"

"...I might have said something unjedi like."

Anakin snickers. "What was it? I might want to..."

Siri puts her foot down with a firm, "No Supernova."

He rolls his eyes. "I'll get it out of her later."

"And if I ever hear you say what she said to Rain to her you won't ever step foot in this room again," said Siri coldly.

Anakin faltered for a moment. "Umm..."

"Jinzler gets a pass because Rain was asking for it, and because I gave my word I'd watch her for the week, if you say what she did to Rain consciously out of spite anyway then you're not who I thought you were," she handed down.

He squirms a bit. "Okay..."

She pins him with a cold stare until she's satisfied the message was received. Rain still hasn't left her Holocron since they ended that conversation. Siri doesn't like her cooped up and brooding all the time. Not healthy and all that. Not to mention she'd like her and Anakin to eventually be on speaking terms at least.

"Now both of you, get your homework done."

Anakin groans. "It's at my apartment."

"Then go do it there."

"Yeah yeah yeah," he mutters sourly before leaving.

"I'm not apologizing," said Jinzler through gritted teeth after he's gone.

"I didn't ask you to," answered Siri, "Considering that I don't want either of you active in the same room before Rain's had several months to cool off, its for the best we don't put you together again. For future reference, don't ever bring up Laa again. I won't be merciful a second time."

Jinzler narrowed her eyes. "And what would you do if I did?"

Siri smiled sweetly, "I can't hurt you without ramifications even if you deserved it, so I'd do the next best thing and sick Obi-wan on you and tattle of how unbecoming of a Jedi you were being. Not to mention withdraw any effort or support on your behalf."

Jinzler scowls and crosses her arms. "I never asked for your support. Honestly, I didn't even think we were going to be having any lessons or training this week, just me being forced to live in the same apartment as you for some stupid reason."

Siri blinks. "Huh."

Now that she thinks on it, Kenobi never did actually ask her to do any training, just watch and interact with the girl...

"No one put a stop to it," mused Siri before lamenting, "All this work and I'm not even getting paid for it!"

Jinzler rolls her eyes and goes back to her homework.

Honestly, no appreciation for the dramatics with this one.

Its the last day before Kenobi returns, the last night, that Jinzler finally says something about her dreams when Siri settle's down into the padawan's room with her place against the wall.

"He'll watch me die."

Siri looks over to see Jinzler sitting on the edge of her bed. "Who?"

"Obi-Wan," said Jinzler, shrugging, voice devoid of emotion, "It's... blurry. I can't tell where we are. But Obi-Wan is trapped behind a laser field..."

That's familiar.

"...and C-c-C'Baoth is throwing lightning at me none-stop, I... I look older, knighted... but I'm still losing," she said quietly, "I don't have my lightsaber, and I can barely hold the lightning back with my hands..."

That gets a raised eyebrow from Siri, not that Jinzler sees it in the darkened room. Does she have any idea how difficult it is to catch and negate Force Lightning? The way she dismisses it is offputting. "Do you actually see yourself die?"

"...no."

"Then why are you so certain you will?"

"I just... the Force at that moment feels so still," said Jinzler, "I fall to a knee, I... I think I hear your voice saying something, but I can't tell if you're actually there or if I'm remembering something I haven't heard yet. I see myself steel herself and, she struggles to rise and... she... I'm determined, but its not working. Then the moment of stillness breaks, I feel like something is going to happen, but I wake up."

"It's a warning," agreed Siri thoughtfully, "But... the Force is often tricky with such things. Is this a recurring dream? Or a one of?"

"I don't know."

"How can you not know?"

"Most don't really stay. They just leave impressions. Sometimes I remember bits and pieces. This one feels... more."

That's Siri's general experience with Force Visions. Vague and useless followed by the occasional wallop upside her head of something important. Though... "A lot of this might be because of your state of flux."

"My what?"

"You were going down one path," pointed out Siri, "But once Kenobi intervened, you're now going down another. A stream diverted from an obvious, if but bloody, end. Changes like this cause ripples, Jinzler, hell, smaller events than you becoming Kenobi's apprentice can have far bigger drastic outcomes."

Jinzler was thoughtfully silent for a few minutes. "Ever wondered what would have happened if you stayed a Jedi? What would have changed?"

"There really wasn't any 'staying' a Jedi," retorted Siri, "It was join the Sith or die."

"Don't avoid the question."

"Had I thought about what might have happened had my Master and I never run into Sidious's little beast of an apprentice that day? Plenty of times at the start. But it happened, and there is no use lingering on it anymore," said Siri, "Honestly though, I'd have probably ended up a Knight and had a little limpet like you running around after me."

"I'm not a limpet!"

"Mhm."

"Go away, Sith."

"Hmph. You need another knockout tonight? Last one most likely, I doubt Kenobi would approve."

"...fine."

"In summary Kenobi," drawled Siri, "Your padawan has anger issues, struggles to trust the Force, is so badly mixed with her saber forms that I think it was intentional sabotage on C'Baoth's part, has mental shields that are worth less than flimsi, and can't currently block a tickle attack through the Force with tutaminis. Overall, she needs work. I did what I could, but it was only a week."

He slowly blinked at her. "Well, that was glowing. You truly think she can learn tutaminis? I profess been meaning to look into it myself, perhaps she and I could learn together."

Siri sighed. "How was anything I said glowing?"

"Because you at no point said anything was hopeless, nor that she couldn't improve, you highlighted where you think she needs improvement, and you hinted she had potential for a very difficult ability," he said, giving her a cheeky grin, the bastard, "I'm getting quite skilled at understanding Siri-speak."

"Would you be terribly upset if I broke your nose again?"

"Come now Siri, that threat is getting old."

"I'll bribe Jinzler to shave that crap growing on your chin off in your sleep," she threatened.

He blinked, hand going up to his chin. "What's wrong with..."

"Don't grow a beard Kenobi."

"It would make me look older," he defended.

"Being baby-faced makes people underestimate you," she countered.

"Can you two not," came Dooku's exasperated voice, "Tachi, let him actually come off the transport before accosting my grand padawan."

Siri huffed and turned away, nodding once to Jinzler, smirking at Anakin who was trying not to laugh, then breezing past the gathered lineage sans Yoda. "Anyway, I've returned your padawan to you, later Kenobi."

"You know Siri, I didn't actually ask you to try to give her any training, but thank you none the less for trying to help," said Kenobi before he cheekily added, "So nice to see you caring."

"Go to hell Kenobi," she called back, "You need less vacations if it makes you like this."

"It wasn't a vacation."

"Whatever you say Kenobi."

"You know Master," she heard Jinzler say, "You should grow a beard just to spite her."

Kenobi sighed. "I take it you and her still don't see eye to eye?"

"She's surprisingly efficient, but that's about it."

Oh wow, glowing compliments there. Siri shakes her head in amusement, she gave Kenobi's brat a week of honest effort, let the Jedi make of her what they will.

The sight Sidious is treated to when he arrives in the depths of Geonosis is one that brings a pleased smile to his lips.

Rows upon rows of cells filled with bound former-Jedi that have Sith Torture Masks on their faces.

While most are still fighting it, he can already feel the dark seeping into some of them. He prowls the cells slowly, observing the soon-to-be fallen force under C'Baoth's command, judging how the dark takes or doesn't take to them. Rarely do any show real promise, a few might stand in as acolytes. One or two might have had use if he wasn't already committed to his renegade apprentice or her potential replacement in Skywalker. But the real prize isn't even in that regard, no, its in the cell that he is brought to.

With one Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"It wasn't that difficult," mused C'Baoth, "To fish out that Mundi was sent to infiltrate and observe on my doings. I was more surprised they'd risk a High Counselor in this. I admit altering one of the masks to fit him was... a trial."

Sidious's lips twitch in amusement at the overly large-cone shaped mask put over the Jedi. "The Jedi grow desperate my friend. They've been made aware of how badly they've failed over the last thousand years. They understand to even have a ghost of a chance to survive, that they must do something, and that all must play their part. Unfortunately for them, its far to late. The Force is already under my sway, fewer and fewer Jedi can get any clear advice from it these days. Otherwise perhaps he would have seen this coming."

C'Baoth chuckles darkly, eying the bound counselor greedily. "We're going to make such good use of you, Jedi."

Mundi eyes them grimly through the mask's eyeholes, but says nothing, gaze scrutinizing Sidious. He merely sneers in response and turns back to C'Baoth. "Have the absences been explained?"

"Of course," answers C'Baoth, "Injuries during the Second Huk War being tended to at an undisclosed medical facility."

"Good, good," said Sidious, laughing with malice as they stride away from the cell, "Everything is proceeding well within my desires. Now, I have a game of cat and mouse I wish to play with a certain pair of Jedi that I want you to take control of after you finish up your little war."

"In what way?" poses C'Baoth.

"I'm going to send you the contact information for one Grant Omega," informs Sidious, "You are to loosely aid him in drawing the attention of Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice."

"Luring them out to kill them?"

"Oh no, not yet, not unless they are so pathetic as to die to the Null," said Sidious in distaste, "This is merely another calculated strike against the pair, something to divert Jinn's focus from giving Skywalker everything he needs. Considering how fixated the man was with Xanatos, well... it should certainly cause issues I imagine."

"What does this 'Grant Omega' have to do with Xanatos?" posed C'Baoth.

Sidious smiled mirthlessly. "He is Xanatos's son."

C'Baoth blinks once and starts laughing.

Sidious offers his own laughter, fueling it with malice and reverberating it through the Force, like a whip across the former-jedi's minds, before they turn to leave the captured to their fate...

Review Responses: Someone may have guessed who the cyborg is.

Numero Uno Fan: Answered this chapter.

Mastertep89: Nope, sorry. I don't make promises or schedules on when I update. To many stories to write, to many fanfictions to read, to many video games to play, + full time job. I write what I can when I get the motivation/feeling to do so.

Pivom9co: I have no concrete plans with Thrawn yet, but I would like him to be in the story at some point. Mara Jade will be in it eventually. No plans on Barriss. Rex is a given. Satine is a given later in the 'Clone Wars', she and Siri will have words. Bo-Katan maybe, I'd need to do reading on her. Xizor + Guri... IDK, this is a much different Black Sun than he would have climbed the ladder in. No thoughts on Starkiller at the moment, if he does exist there will be no clone shenanigans.

DarkSideVortex: No problem, wasn't two months, was longer. :D

Dark Angels and Light Angels: Droumand Kaas maybe. I have no specific plans for the others.

E: I can't comment on what Anakin may or may not be without massive spoilers of course. Sorry.

Belial666: Siri won't learn it anywhere close to actually draining the life out of people. She siphoned off/took the darkness of the Kyber into herself, but I'm not sure I'd call it actual Force Drain.

RedShirt1453: Siri is on the down-low on revealing her own personal underworld contacts.

Everyone else, thanks for the comments.