Chapter 67: Out the Door (Part 1)

22BBY

Feemor was having one-of-those-days, really, one of those years. Several times over.

Ever since he was re-adopted (abducted) back into his original lineage to take care of Anakin while Qui-Gon had to pull his head out of his ass, things had become a mess. Sure, Anakin was a nice kid and all, and hadn't deserved what happened to his mother, but the boy resisted help like the planets orbit their suns. Half the time at the start, he ended up stepping on the young man's toes because nobody had bothered to mention Anakin had been a slave. You know, one of those important pieces of information that a 'Master' needs to know to start on the right foot and not cross or say a taboo.

Sad to say that it had been the bloody Sith Holocron and Skywalker having a snipping-storm at eachother that clued him in when it called him 'slave trash'. Its really not how Feemor had wanted to learn that. Sometimes Feemor wondered how this had become his life when he was forced to chaperone any visits Skywalker had with a Sith Apprentice. Its also sad to say the only real sympathy he got was from either Obi-Wan or the Sith herself. And the occasional glance of pity thrown his way. Master Windu had once at the start squeezed his shoulder and wished him strength, he supposed that counted?

Feemor considered it a victory though, when he had told Anakin he didn't have to call him Master if he didn't want to. The teen honestly looked like he had been either going to die of embarrassment or die of gratitude. The Sith of course had noticed it when Anakin had suddenly stopped calling him that and seemed to favor him more. Then, even more terrifying, it seemed that decision had made the Sith like him.

"When your temple burns, little Jedi, I'll see if I can't secret you away for Supernova's sake," she had said with that darkly amused smile on her face.

Yeah... Siri Tachi scared him shitless, he's Jedi enough to admit that. He honestly thinks more people should realize having a Sith feel anything but indifference or even having awareness of you is not a good thing. If not from the general danger/mess of being around one, then because the other even more terrifying Sith was after the renegade and would look upon anyone who got too close. But as much as Feemor is terrified, he is a Jedi, he puts aside his fear, and he does his best to help his temporary padawan regardless.

That is, if the bloody boy would accept the idea that seeing a mind healer for anything aside from a critical injury wasn't a weakness, that it was a good idea to talk to someone about his past. Force knows Feemor had needed it after Qui-Gon Jinn threw him away. He had suggested seeing one, or a therapist, or whatever they called themselves depending on the race and planet, and Anakin had exploded at him and stormed out. Because apparently going to a mind healer meant you were broken and worthless and were going to be thrown away, again. He'd been forced to backtrack and apologize. He can't well force it, because Anakin wont cooperate, and it will likely destroy any trust between them and any that *might* exist between him and the Council if they agreed with him to make Anakin attend. Even if it helped him in the long run, he'd figured out quick that boy held grudges.

He groans and rubs his face. How had this become his life?

Its sad to say, that he ended up going to the Sith for a suggestion when everyone else either failed to give good advice or told him to have Skywalker release it to the Force. His request for an idea on how to get Anakin to a mind healer earned him roaring laughter and a comment of 'Good Luck'. But she had given him that darkly bemused smile that she seemed to reserve for him once more, so while she offered nothing worthwhile he had the sense he had moved up in her rating of him again.

Joy.

On the plus side though, he did like having Obi-Wan as his brother padawan. Though it made him ache sometimes, for the years they could have known eachother prior if Qui-Gon hadn't been such a...

He lets the thought trail away, because he has more important things to concern himself with.

Like the rising anxiety of his padawan and the entire bloody Jedi Order now that the Sith's parole end-date is right around the damn corner. On one hand, things will be more peaceful around here with her gone, on the other hand, things will be less peaceful elsewhere without her contained. Skywalker will also be losing a friend, as flabbergasted as it makes Feemor to think about it no matter how many times he does (how does Anakin befriend a Sith?!). Sure, she's different, but she's not the first weird Sith, he'd gone back and looked through history. She's not the first Sith that worked with the Jedi, not the first one that had a thing for a Jedi (though it usually ended badly for both of them), and she's not the first Sith that's wanted to remake their order in their own fashion/detested their Order's thing for betrayal. He might be willing to work with her if he must, but he will not ever forget that a Sith is still a Sith, and this Sith has committed terrible crimes that she ultimately got away with for the sake of taking shots at Sidious. Even if she had turned away from the Dark Side, it wouldn't have undone whats been done.

Of course, he knows better than to say such things to his padawan. He's not honestly sure of Anakin has a blind spot to the Sith or not, but she's the only one that tried to save his mother, and he holds his own debts like he does his grudges. So Feemor isn't going to risk alienating an already isolated Jedi over the subject. He really, truly does not like how Anakin has basically no friends in the entire Jedi Order outside of him, sometimes Obi-Wan, and maybe Jinzler. Anakin should have been put in the bloody creche to start with as to not play favorites taking a Master while coming out of nowhere. It would have let him make friends and learn more of their ways steadily before he hit thirteen, and its very likely someone if not Jinn would have taken him at that point anyway. Its just... the more he learns as time goes by, the more frustrated he gets with how things have been handled since the bloody start.

He also doesn't approve of his padawan having apparently been visiting the Chancellor since he was nine. He tries not to point fingers without proof, but that's a situation ripe for abusing a child. Even if there was no abuse, its not appropriate in his mind. If the Chancellor wanted to build a rapport with a Jedi like Valorum had with Jinn, he should have bloody well waited. Regardless, to be sure about it all, he'd carefully asked about those meetings, and even got himself invited along, so the best he's been able to do is supervise.

He gets the feeling that Palpatine doesn't like that he's there, no matter how grandfatherly he smiles. Good, because frankly, Feemor doesn't like a politician who got into that office off the suffering of his own people.

The Sith had laughed hysterically when he said that once while speaking to her and Obi-Wan, and he's loath to admit they agree on something

Finally, of all the things he feels like bitching about lately, is the fact that even the responsibility of guiding Anakin in the Force is so ridiculously out of Feemor's reach. Feemor considers his best strait his sturdiness, that no matter how many things try to knock him down he's always gotten back up. That does not however mean he is powerful. He's not as strong or as skilled as pretty much anyone else in his lineage, Jinzler even looks like she'll pass him in a few years once she's knighted. As such. even meditating with Anakin feels almost impossible, its staggering to get swept up into his meditation the few times the boy actually manages to properly do so. He can ground the boy and help him not get lost in the tides of the Force, but helping him make sense of the overwhelming amount of things he feels in meditation is so far out of Feemor's abilities.

Its just... overwhelming, but no one else really will have Anakin's trust if they take him on. Feemor had only worked because Anakin latched on to the fact Jinn had kriffed up with both of them and it created a point where the young man was willing to try. He'd honestly prefer if Masters Windu or Fay or Yoda took the boy on, they'd be the best equipped to deal with guiding that power. Master Koon wouldn't be a bad bet on at least making Anakin comfortable, as no one resists his kindness for long, but to his knowledge, Anakin and Master Koon haven't really spoken much.

It sometimes really feels like he helplessly is in a no-win situation, but all he can do is try.

And no, he doesn't believe in do-or-do-not, that saying is asinine.

He sighs and stands up, moving to open the door and step out onto the apartment balcony. He stares out aimlessly over Coruscants metallic landscape. Stretches his senses, and feels the overwhelming Dark blotching out the guidance of the Force. With the Sith's warnings, with the sharp rise of the Confederacy, and the signs that things were going to lead to an open conflict, he honestly wants to take Anakin, no, take the entire bloody Order and run. But he doesn't have that authority, and he doesn't think they would listen anyway.

He feels trapped.

He has no idea what to do...

Siri walks into the Council chamber, arms folded into her robes all business like, Kenobi a few paces behind her

"You requested this meeting, Tachi," said Windu, "Why?"

"I'd like to negotiate a few things," she said.

"Such as?" he posed.

"When my parole is over, I want my ship," she stated.

Like hell was she leaving the Scimitar here, even if she had to steal it back.

He frowns in consideration. "I don't particularly like its stain being in the temple. If it hadn't been for the potential of gleaning information off it, it would have been dismantled."

She smiled. "Did you manage to actually hack its databases?"

"Parts, its multifaceted security is more... inspirational, than anything we uncovered," he admits.

Her smile widened. "Did you understand anything in it?"

Having a database entirely in Sith was a glorious thing.

He glowers at her. "We've translated a few things, not much that I will admit is useful."

"So its not quite useful to you," she mused, "So the question begs, what do you want in exchange for giving me my ship back, fully intact and ready to go the moment my parole is up."

He exchanges glances with Fay, eyes flickering over a few of the Councilors. "Is there anything you deem offlimit?"

"Information on Sith Sorcery is a no go," she says, grinning.

He gives her a flat look.

"Mmm, a favor, would you give?" posed Yoda.

Fay looked exasperated. "Master Yoda, you expect her to honor it if nothing is here to bind her to do so?"

"I'm more inclined to be offended by him wanting a blank check to cash in at any point," said Siri honestly.

"You expect us to believe you would honor a 'favor'?" said Fay, skeptically, "And to what degree?"

Siri frowns, tilting her head back. Hmm... what was the Scimitar to her? "Five small favors, three medium favors, or one large favor. We can argue the semantics of what is small medium or large at the time of the request, and you can mix and match small to medium. I will send a comcode to Kenobi once I've obtained one and you can contact me through him. As for the idea of honoring it, we both have the same goal of destroying Sidious, if I discover who he is, I will likely need your help in killing him. You cannot and should not trust me, but you should trust in that I will do what needs to be done to defeat him. Alienating the Order needlessly from this point on isn't a goal."

"And it wasn't before?" she posed.

Siri grins. "No, it was entertainment."

Obi-Wan sighs in exasperation. "Must you Siri?"

She shrugged. "Might as well."

"We will discuss it, and if there is anything else we might want instead," said Windu, "You had other things you wished to negotiate?"

She smiled thinly. "I've been doing some thinking, and I need Obi-Wan to go deliver a message for me since you wont let me out of the temple until my parole is over..."

Obi-Wan sometimes wonders how he gets involved with Siri's messes.

He does not like the look of this warehouse district. He also feels at least five snipers training their aim on him.

He also doesn't like that he senses... is that a Nightsister? On Coruscant?

"What does a Jedi want here?" she poses, stepping up and scrutinizing him, "There is nothing... illegal... occurring here after all."

Right. Of course there isn't.

"Siri wanted me to speak to a... Lex on her behalf?" he posed.

The Nightsister blinks and scowls. "Of course she does. Her vacation is nearly over and I suppose she wants us to ease her back into things. Lazy, ungrateful, wench."

Her tone is biting, but Obi-Wan feels fondness from her more than anything. So, Siri has a Nightsister friend, useful information to know.

"He isn't here, but I can get in contact with him," said the Nightsister, "Come."

She turns to go before pausing. "Oh and Jedi? You saw nothing."

Of course he didn't.

He doesn't see crates filled with who knows what kind of contraband. He doesn't see a few people that he is vaguely sure are on a Coruscant wanted list. He most assuredly doesn't hear the term Black Sun either. Of course he doesn't. He especially doesn't see when kriffing Alexi Garyn, the Underlord of the Black Sun, appears on a holopanel and lights up at the mention of Siri's name.

"She's friends with the leadership of the Black Sun, of course she is," mutters Obi-Wan with exasperation.

Not quite enough apparently, it earns a quirk of an eyebrow from Garyn, a smug challenge in his tone. "Its very likely Jedi, no matter her interest in you, that I know her far better."

Obi-Wan cocked his head. Was that a tint of jealousy? Good Force, had Siri been in a relationship with a crimelord? "Perhaps."

"The message?" posed Garyn.

Obi-Wan pulled out a transmitter, but when he hit play, rather than a pre-recorded message, Siri herself popped up. "Lex darling!"

"Hello Iris," Alexi, "To what do we owe the pleasure? Am I readying a place for you?"

"Not quite," said Siri.

Obi-Wan sighed. "Siri, this is not a pre-recorded message."

Siri turns her head and blinks innocently at him. "Why Kenobi, we agreed upon a message being delivered, how and by whom wasn't negotiated. You brought a comlink so I could deliver a message, see?"

Garyn gwaffed, and Obi-Wan gives her a withering look.

She turns back to Garyn, her face going cold, tone business. "I've been doing some thinking since we last spoke and I... think a precaution needs to be taken."

"A precaution?" said Garyn, "Against Sidious?"

"No, not him," admits Siri, "Someone who could potentially be worse if things go badly in the upcoming war."

"I see, I thought things were heading that way too, nice to know you agree," said Garyn slowly, "Is this going to be anything like the Plasma deal you advised me against awhile back?"

"Exactly like that actually," agreed Siri, "And unlike that, you're probably going to like this even less. But... it might save your life in the long run."

Garyn sighed. "Hit me."

"Get the Black Sun out of the Slave Trade," advised Siri.

Obi-Wan blinked. What? Not that he was complaining, but what?

Garyn swore. "Iris, really? Do you have any idea how much this will cost me? How many people, deals, future revenue..."

"Its not worth your life nor the existence of the Black Sun," snapped Siri, "If the person I referenced Falls, there is a very good chance anyone even remotely involved with Slavery will be hunted down and exterminated with extreme prejudice."

Wait. Was this about Anakin?

"So this change is over a possibility?" said Garyn, incredulous, "Not even a guarantee like Sidious?"

"The person I referenced is one of my favored," admits Siri, "And I swore to him that if we both we're alive after Sidious was dealt with, I'd help him abolish slavery, so... this is giving you advanced warning to get out of it."

Obi-Wan considers Siri quietly. She had sworn that to Anakin? That's...

"Of course he's favored," muttered Garyn, "You can't make anything easy and let me just shoot whoever it is?"

"Ignoring that he'd kill you if you tried, if you raise a weapon against him I would kill you Alexi," said Siri in a soft tone, "You are dear to me, both of you are, but if either of you initiates against the other neither will not like the consequences."

Garyn sighed. "Iris dear, you do make things so complicated some times."

"Chin up Lex," said Siri cheerfully, "I know it must have killed you to give out a favor to the Hutts awhile back, this'll let you start snipping at them."

"Oh that's nice, you want me to go after the Hutt Cartel too?" he stated flatly, "Iris, I have limits. I can phase out the Slave Trade over a few years, the Hutt Cartel is not negotiable at this moment."

"I never said it had to be an active thing," rebutted Siri, "Even just refusing deals with them over the Slave Trade will hit their bottom line, the Black Sun isn't a small syndicate anymore Lex, not even medium sized really. I have been reading the holonet over my parole, you've been busy."

Alexi grinned maliciously. "Oh yes I have. A rather large amount of rivals, small and large alike, we're hit over your parole by Jedi and the Republic and left quite a few openings for the Black Sun to slide into, you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Siri smiled. "Not a thing dear."

Obi-Wan stiffened. Had she really? Had she used them to prop up the Black Sun?

She turns to glare at Kenobi, probably got something along the bond from him. "The groups I had advised you against did belong to Sidious, Kenobi, don't even start. That their downfall also benefited my group, well... opportunity costs and all that."

"He has made demands over the years you were away," posed Garyn cautiously.

"Of course he did, I'm not surprised, its good that you kept your neck intact," said Siri, "Keep your cover for now, but be ready. When the time is right, the Black Sun will cut him off. You need to have things set up before then, fallback bases..."

Garyn cut in. "Iris, I began planning for this the moment I made you one of mine."

Obi-Wan frowned. One of his?

Then Garyn made a face. "Did the Jedi or the Courts take the ring by chance? Do I need to make another, or steal it back?"

Ring? What ring?

"Oh no, I've got that hidden away," said Siri, "I'll be collecting it after I leave the Temple, I've got a few things... well... a list of things honestly, that I need to do before we meet up. I will need a place to do a thorough scan and search for trackers sooner however, sorry Kenobi, not trusting the council's word that they wont defile my baby with one."

"Your baby," he said flatly.

"Hey, that ship is precious," she said cheekily before turning, "Oh and Lex? Probably don't need to say this, but scrub the warehouse."

"Of course," he agreed, "Until we meet again Iris."

"See ya Lex," she said, cutting the connection, Garyn doing so after giving the Nightsister a pointed look.

Obi-Wan gave a long suffered sigh.

"She has that affect," agreed the Nightsister, crossing her arms and scowling, "Things were much simpler before she appeared."

"They were," agreed Obi-Wan, turning and leaving.

As much as he'd like to bring this whole warehouse and everyone in it to justice, taking on an unknown Nightsister and far to many criminals/mercenaries wouldn't end well. Not to mention... he doesn't particularly want to cause a scene if they're actually going to listen to Siri. The Black Sun is almost as massive and powerful as the Hutt Cartel, them leaving the Slave Trade... that will have far reaching consequences in the criminal world, and lessen the suffering of the Galaxy. Better to let that happen he thinks then start a confrontation and risk it.

He returns to the temple, and meets in Feemor's apartment. The lineage, even Qui-Gon standing awkwardly near the door, is there for the impromptu debrief, as are Mace and Fay. The former raises an eyebrow. "Well?"

He gives a rundown of what happened...

The Force around Anakin suddenly goes blank. "...she was involved with the Black Sun?"

"It would seem so," said Obi-Wan slowly, giving him a wary look.

Anakin's face contorts with anger, and he's out the door heading Siri's way. Obi-Wan sighs and massages his forehead.

"I'll follow," said Feemor, putting a hand on his shoulder and heading out.

"She played us," said Windu flatly, rubbing his face, "She used us to weaken Sidious's reach in the underworld while propping up her own. Schemes within schemes, she's not so different from her master as she thinks."

"Agreed," said Fay.

"Perhaps," said Dooku, "But... the enemy of my enemy. The Black Sun opposing Sidious could have benefit for us..."

Siri looks up as Anakin storms into her apartment, rage on his face...

"KHOOOOH PUUUHRR."

Oh kriff, what the hell? Why is the Dark Titan looming behind Skywalker again?!

"You!" snapped Anakin, pointing a finger at her, betrayal ripping from him in the Force, "You! How many?!"

"How many what?" she asked.

"HOW MANY PEOPLE DID YOU PUT IN CHAINS HELPING THE BLACK SUN!" he roared at her.

Her face goes blank. Force dammit Kenobi.

"Anakin, I..." she begins.

"Kriff, I don't even want to hear it," he said, shaking his head, "How could you?"

"You forget Anakin," she said quietly, "I'm a Sith, and for a time, I was Sidious's dutiful little apprentice."

Anakin is shaking in anger, but before he can say anything, a voice speaks up from the doorway, "I'm not saying forgive her, but she's trying to fix it."

Her eyes flicker to see Feemor standing there, arms cross.

"She's covering her ass and trying to safe a worthless sleemo's life because she likes him," snapped Anakin, "She's not doing it because she cares and wants to fix it."

"Then what would it take?" she asked quietly, tensely, the death head mask glowering at her.

She wants that Dark Titan gone.

He sneered at her. "Oh I don't know. Think about how many people you helped deliver into slavery directly. Then think about how many were indirectly enslaved by you propping up the Black Sun. Times that by ten and maybe I'd forgive you."

"You're putting a lot of weight on my actions in assuming what may or may not have happened because of my involvement," said Siri, "If my interaction with the Black Sun had ended up with them dead, the Hutt Cartel or who knows who else would have filled in the power vacuum anyway."

He glared at her. "Excuses Siri, really?"

"Facts," she snapped back, "How about this..."

"Oh, I'm all ears," he drawled out, "Lets see you worm your way out of this."

"I'm ending it in the Black Sun, I'm not able to take on the Hutt Cartel myself, but," said Siri, "One of the first things I'll do after getting out of here is find and take out one of the top slaving rings in the galaxy for you. Alexi's got to be able to point me in the right direction."

Anakin clenched his jaw and grit his teeth. "Do you even really care?"

"Anakin," she snapped sharply, voice darkening, the Dark swirling around her, "I'm not capable of it anymore."

He blanks.

"I really, truly don't think you have an understanding of what being a Sith Apprentice costs you, even after the last damn decade," she gritted out, "I haven't been capable of caring about the general whole of the galaxy since like a year into my apprenticeship to Sidious. I care about you because you managed to become important to me, and thus I care about your concerns, but that's as far as I can realistically feel. A planet could blow up on the other side of the Galaxy and I wouldn't be capable of honestly caring about those lives lost outside of the principle of it and thinking it a waste of resources."

He looks at her, shocked and stricken.

"I'm not a good person Anakin," she said softly, "If you thought I was underneath being a Sith, then you've been lying to yourself. I want the Sith to change, to be better than what they were, and I will make it so if I can. But that doesn't change who I am and what I've done. Some things I regret, yes, but not to the depth you'd wish I did. I will do whatever it takes to see my goals done, especially Sidious dead, and its likely little of it will be legal or done in away you approve of."

He shakes his head and takes a step back.

"I promised you I'd help you destroy slavery, and I meant it," she said.

He turns and walks out, rushes out really, emotions a mess. Honestly, he's hit his majority and he still had shit control of his feelings.

Feemor folds his hands into his robes, considering her. "If I may make a suggestion on the slavery front?"

She nods.

"Do you know the name Krayn?"

Siri makes a face. Oh kriff. "Pretty much the lord of Nar Shaddaa behind the puppet that rules there."

"The council has wanted him gone for awhile now," said Feemor, "I overheard Mace talking about it once, that their last attempt to infiltrate his organization ended in failure."

Siri gives a heavy sigh, rubbing her face. "Well..."

Taking bloody kriffing Krayn down would probably earn Skywalker's forgiveness and then some.

"...this is going to be fun," she muttered, before pointing a finger at him, "Don't speak a damn word of this to anyone. Not even the Council, I don't know Sidious's eyes and ears in the Order. Karyn catching wind of me would make things... complicated."

"Not even Anakin?"

"Anakin likes to blab," was her answer.

Feemor nods. "Good luck then."

"Have fun wrangling Skywalker while I'm gone," she shoots back.

Feemor makes a face and walks out.

Siri waits until hes closed the door before groaning and putting her head in her hands. "Kriffing Krayn. The things I do for you Skywalker, the things I do..."