Chapter 68: Out the Door (Part 2)

"...and do you find, Master Windu, that the parolee will repeat their offenses? Will we be back here in a few years?" poses the Chief Justice of the Courts.

The sourness of Windu's face is adorable, its an honest struggle not to mocking coo at it. But Siri wants this over and done with, so she has little intention of dragging it out. The faster she's out of the court room, the better.

Windu's arms are folded into his robes in typical Jedi fashion. "Siri Tachi has made plain and obvious her own stance regarding her former Master, if she does return here, it is not likely to have been because of his orders. I do not believe she will actively strike against the Republic unless provoked into it."

Hmm, he had a sense of half-truth half-lie to his beliefs. Evidently for the first and 2nd half of his statements. But really, it could almost be a full truth, if he added 'unless she sees a reason to and believes she can get away with it.' But really, she doesn't particularly desire to start something with the Republic if she doesn't have to. It doesn't mean she wont however.

The Chief Justice reads over the datapad. "Her behavior was cited as less than stellar I believe."

"Most of us were never expecting a miracle in that regard," stated Windu, "She has changed in the last decade, not to the degree some would hope, but its more than I realistically thought possible for a Sith."

"Careful Master Jedi," posed Siri, always acting as her own defense, "That almost sounds like religious prosecution if that statement is solely based on my views of the Force."

She can't help herself sometimes, its just so fun to poke at them.

Windu gives her a withering look. "History would suggest otherwise."

The Chief Justice cleared his throat. "Do you have anything further to add, Master Windu, any reasons to consider the terms of the parole unfufilled aside from her brief violation at Master Dooku's behest early on?"

"No, your honor," said Windu.

Lie, lie lie lie rippled off him in the Force. Siri has to hold back a laugh. Really, considering the number of trips she took, they'd probably have grounds to extend it. They could have potentially brought the courts into it then to make it an official violation, but as she thought at the time, it would have exposed weakness in the Jedi Order in their inability to contain her. Really, she thinks the Jedi are just tired of her squatting in the Temple. Good, because she's tired of it too.

The Chief Justice nods and turns to her. "Do you as the parolee have anything to add?"

"...would murdering Sidious in cold blood count for putting me back in here?" she poses, blinking innocently.

He wags his gavel at her. "If you locate him, bring it up to the proper authorities, do not take justice into your own hands."

"Of course your honor," she answers dryly.

Proper authorities, ha! She can imagine someone trying to cuff Sidious. Honestly, taking Sidious alive would likely involve taking all of his limbs and keeping him perpetually unconscious because really, all he needs is the focus to use the Force to be lethal. Not gonna happen regardless, the judges have no true concept of what it is to face a true Dark Lord of the Sith if they honestly think taking them alive is a realistic option. She could imagine Sidious either sneering at the statement, or having the judge killed simply out of offense of implying it could be done.

"Well then, the courts finds the terms of your parole met, collect your things from the Jedi Temple which are to be released to you no later than the end of the business day, dismissed," he said, waving them off.

She plans to be gone within the next two hours, the Jedi better not dwaddle in that regard.

"It must have killed you to say that," she mused as she walked out with Windu.

"Can you simply not hold your tongue until you leave?" he asked.

"Temper temper Master Jedi," she chided, tone teasing.

He shook his head and didn't rise to the bait. The ride back she allows him his silence, truth be told she's cataloging what she needs to get done. Check and cleanse any tracking mechanisms from her ship is an obvious first once she's gone. Second...

She shifts with a slight discomfort. She doesn't actually like the prospect of Kenobi and Supernova being so far out of reach. She wont have any reason to be in the Jedi Temple anymore and likely wont be back in, and trying to figure out where they are in the galaxy at a given time on a mission isn't going to work without judicious use of slicing or sticking a tracker on them that they'd be sure to find. She considers if sorcery could be used to keep them protected...

Now there's a thought. She's aware of being able to create an inscribe Sith Talismans, really, any kind of jewelry. They could be used for protective means, or even healing. Though she's rather curious on the how of it, the Dark Side generally doesn't lean itself towards healing. Probably a catch or opportunity cost somewhere, but there should be something in Freedon Nadd scriptures back in the hideout on it. So...

Clean the ship. Less than a week, mostly in travel time.

Head back to her hideout and look into protections for her favored idiots, probably something for Alexi and Mighella as well. Maybe something for the extended lineage, not to sure about that. Depends on what she finds for timeframe, hopefully no more than a week or two.

Deal with Krayn and his organization. Unknown timeframe, will likely involve killing relatively everyone involved aside from slaves, so she can't say she wont have fun.

She considers it, and makes a face. Rain is going to bitch at her again about infatuation and attachments... but then again, maybe she can tempt Rain with some extracurricular activities in dealing with Krayn. It had been far too long since that first time Zannah caused chaos in the Coruscant underworld, maybe she'd like to... stretch her legs and kill something. Siri smiles with a touch of malice, oh yes, she could buy off Rain no problem.

She's aware Windu is side-eying her now. She just smirks at him.

"Is there anything you actually want out of the apartment?" he asks, when they touch down in the hanger and got out, "I didn't think you had picked up anything."

"Not really," she confirmed, "I suppose I'll grab my ship, my lightsaber, and be off."

"Try not to get us sent after you in the first month," said Windu dryly before clearing his throat, "Your ship will be flown out of its secure location and brought here within the hour. You will be handed your lightsaber before you get in and not a moment before. As you are no longer held in parole within the Temple, you are not to be moving through it without an escort and permission of the Council, which you do not have as of the moment."

She shrugged and leaned against the transport. "Waiting here then."

He left after that, leaving her a little bemused that she had no minder...

Ah, there was Kenobi walking in, her lightsaber on his belt. "Good afternoon Siri."

"I suppose," she said.

He raised an eyebrow, voice calm and civil. "One would think you would be pleased to be leaving, having evaded any desire to turn away and better yourself after all."

She smiled. "Why Kenobi, is that bitterness?"

"Is it?"

"Hard to tell," she said, "Your shields have improved, the bond is quiet, and that baby-face of yours is oh so difficult to read."

"I am going to grow a beard one of these days," he muses, "It does get tiring not being taken seriously sometimes."

She made a face. "Ick, and come now, being underestimated is always useful."

"Is grating you mean."

"Not when you get to turn it around on whoever the idiot of the day is."

"A Jedi does not partake in revenge."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't lie Kenobi, I bet you find it so satisfying proving people wrong on missions and giving them a mock-charming smile afterwards while being passive-aggressively pleasant."

"Well, I am usual pleasant company, it never hurts to smile," he said in a reasonable tone.

Siri huffed. "You're just lucky most people don't know your weakness."

"And what is that?"

"Breaking your nose," she deadpans.

He returns a withering look. "You haven't done so in years."

"Opportunity Kenobi, I'm just waiting for a good chance," she said, "All those fancy words, putting an end to it is as simple as bloodying that pretty face with a physical shut-up.

"Yes well, most beings try to be civilized."

She snorted. "No they don't. Most people would rob a stranger for a credit if they could get away with it."

"I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree on the overall outlook of the galaxy."

"Pessimism is more reliable than optimism," she advised sagely.

"You two flirting is terrible," comes Rain's voice, shimmering into existence ontop of the transport, glaring down at them.

"I'm fairly certain we were arguing actually," he said.

"Sure," said Rain, "Siri, what is our ETA for out of this hellhole?"

"Less than an hour? Give or take," she answered.

"If I ever have to see this place again, it better be burning," muttered Rain, glaring around at pretty much everything before vanishing back to her holocron.

"Always pleasant, that one," said Obi-Wan, "I dare say you are the more positive of the pair."

Siri coughed. "No, not really. I just don't mind keeping face with Jedi, Rain considers that beneath her."

"Quaint."

"I still don't think she's forgiven Yoda for that light acid bath when they first met."

Obi-Wan made to say something before frowning and glancing towards the bay entrance. Ah, there it was, that familiar stain in the Dark Side. Her baby was flown in and landed, the pilot exiting a minute later, giving the ship a distasteful glance and a shiver, before hurrying away.

"Right, well," said Obi-Wan, "As agreed, your ship, fully fueled, stocked with a number of perishables."

She hummed and walked over, laying a hand on its hull, a shiver of the Dark running down her arm. "Oh I've missed you."

Obi-Wan sighed and followed her to the ship. "Siri..."

She turned her head. "Yeah?"

"Try... try to reign in some of your worse impulses, please," he pleaded.

"Obi-Wan," she said slowly, turning, and giving him a cold look, "I will do what I must to see Sidious destroyed," and further her goals, "My targets will not be the innocent, not anymore," they shouldn't be anyway, "If I kill someone, its very likely they deserve it."

"And if the innocent do end up in the crossfire?" he challenged.

"I'll try not to have needless death Kenobi," she said flatly, "But really, I have no intentions of being involved in conflict that could involve civilians. Not like you will be in soon enough."

He soured. "War is not guaranteed."

"Fat kriffing chance its not," she snapped back, "The general outlook on the holonet thinks its heading that way, planetary governments all over the galaxy are preparing for it, the senate..."

She laughs. "Have you seen the laws and ideas and amendments being thrown around and suggested to combat this 'Separatist Crisis'? Its like I told the Council years ago, the Republic is going to kill itself, and out of its rotting corpse Sidious will build his Sith Empire. The baseline is already heading that way, term extension was created for Chancellorship which, once Sidious offs Palpatine and slides into his spot, will legally be the basis he goes for lifelong rule. Just you keep watching Kenobi, as one stroke at a time, the Republic dies and the Sith Empire is born out of its rotting corpse."

She shakes her head. "You Jedi had the chance to get into politics and try to combat it, but its far to late on that end."

She does wonder how Organa is doing with his hunt, he'd been wise to keep his head down so far, she hadn't really found much on him on the Holonet. He was also still alive, so that spoke well of him not being obvious about it.

"The Republic isn't lost, not yet," said Obi-Wan firmly, "We will find Sidious, and we will cut him out of the Republic."

"You'll try," said Siri, holding out her hand for her lightsaber.

He passes it over. "Do or do not."

She clips it to her belt. "Do I look like a Jedi to you?"

He sighs softly. "No, no you do not."

Ten years of prodding it her, must have killed him to admit defeat. She gives him a curt nod and a quick not-mushy goodbye. "Later Kenobi, try not to mess up that pretty face of yours."

She turns and heads up the ramp, he calls out, "Just for that, I'm growing the beard."

"Gross Kenobi."

With that, she taps the button and closes the ramp, walking into the ship. She does a quick pass over, checking for damages, bugs, and the like. She can vaguely sense where the Jedi might have pried into the wiring and poked around, but she doesn't actually sense any trackers. Still doesn't mean she wont have the Black Sun look over the ship. She makes for the cockpit, straps in, contacts flight control and briefly waits for an all clear. When she has it, she is out of the temple, off of Coruscant, contacts Garyn quickly for a set of coordinates, and then goes into hyperspace.

She sighs and leans back in her chair.

Rain materializes next to her. "Finally free, eh?"

"I suppose."

Rain scoffs. "You need to ditch your attachments, if not permanently then for awhile."

"Does the name Hardin ring a bell miss hypocrite?"

Rain scowls at her and evades. "So, what are we up to?"

"Oh not much, cleaning the ship, heading home, looking up a few peices of sorcery I never looked into properly at the time, then we get to go play," said Siri nonchalant.

"Play?" said Rain, eyes gleaming.

"Tell me Rain, how would you like help me terrorize and kill a whole organization?" asked Siri, slowly smiling with malice.

Rain matched that smile. "Siri darling, I'd love to."

So she was gone.

Sidious stares out of his office window at the Jedi Temple, lost in thought.

He had been undecided on whether he wanted to call his insolent apprentice to his office or not and begin integrating her unwittingly into his plans. She had the tendency to cause a bit of a mess, and things were still a little delicate until the war started. Finding a Clone Template had taken longer than he originally intended, since he had to waste time prepping Vosa for use, so the longer he can hold off, the longer the Republic's army has to grow. It can be initiated now if need be, but even the oldest Fett clones look more like older teens than young men at the moment. That presents certain risks...

He doesn't believe the Senate will balk at it, not with his influence, but taking in a Clone Army will already present moral issues that will strike at the Republic, which was intended. If that army even somewhat resembles a child army, it will get worse to the point it might become problematic. Not that he particularly cares about moral, but he cannot risk sending too many more systems to C'Baoth's hands less his temporary apprentice decide he'd rather take over the Galaxy through force than follow through with Sidious's plans. As it is, an army of droids along with a small army of fallen Jedi under C'Baoth's control makes him rightly watchful.

He wasn't afraid, but it did prompt due caution, especially with his renegade of an apprentice a wild card in the whole thing. He hadn't intended to worry about the immortality part of his regime yet, but he had begun perusing his options, just incase. Essence Transfer into a clone body looked to be the easiest option. Though with what Skywalker had told him after Korriban, about the confrontation with Darth Bane and Darth Zannah, it had made him take a closer, second look, at why Zannah had possibly not taken a new body. The resulting research had been... annoying.

A clone body would not be the same as his true, birth body. It would not be eased or adapted into his current powers, or future ones. He has a hunch, based off a number of old writings on other Sith who had tried this and experienced difficulty with their new bodies, that there could be... complications. Anywhere from the body not being able to contain his power and imploding, to having to carve parts of his power out to be able to fit in, to the bodies suffering degeneration. There were potentially many side effects ranging from small to large.

Its not that it couldn't work, he could simply keep hopping bodies if need be if the bodies didn't instantaneously fail, but it didn't seem like a permanent, perpetual solution. Damn Plaguis, all that time in his labs and the Muun hadn't finished his research into Midi-chlorian Manipulation and eternal life. Or if he did, he had never hinted at its finished state. It would have made this much simpler.

He sighs. He can have a basic setup crafted soon enough as an emergency fail-safe, but he'd rather discover another solution. He simply doesn't have the time to find one yet.

He turns his thoughts back to the war and decides: A single year, no, even half a year more, and he wouldn't have to concern himself with the clones appearing too young. Though really, if they were helmeted all the time it wouldn't generally matter unless someone went digging, and considering all the vultures over the years poking around the Senate and its voting history, its likely someone would dig in and discover how old they appeared very quickly. As it is, he'd been very thorough with C'Baoth cleaning up any potential links between the Sith and the Clone Army, because he is fairly certain it will be investigated. How fortunate that it will be confirmed that the late Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas and the late oh so generous Hego Demask coordinated and funded the army.

How useful that using his dead Master let him neatly tidy things up.

He sends a message for C'Baoth to hold off on sending Fett after Amidala until the next break and following session of the Senate, let her have a few months more, it matters not.

For now, he suppose he will see what trouble his wayward apprentice gets into.

"Your excellency, your appointment with Senator Organa starts in five minutes," came a chime from his secretary.

"Ah, thank you dear," he said, false smile on his face, before moving to sit down.

Hmm. Organa was it? The replacement of the late senator Antilles. He hadn't heard much of him yet outside of what one would normally expect from one of Aldaraan's. But otherwise, he'd been... quiet, watchful, learning. Interestingly, he'd heard of the senator talking with senators and groups one from that world normally wouldn't associate with. A friendly lunch with the representative of the current head trade conglomerate had been a rather surprising thing to hear. Though why the man had requested a meeting was anyone's guess at the moment. Probably to try to get some support for some pitiful little bill helping the pathetic and needy.

"Good afternoon your excellency," offered Organa, a brief bow before he sits.

"Senator," he greeted back, "What brings you to my office today?"

The man frowns, looking down at his hands, lost in thought for a moment. "The Queen and I differentiate in where we believe the Separatist Crisis is going."

Well now, a conflict between husband and wife, or more importantly, senator and queen, is always something to take advantage of, but he's not honestly sure he needs Aldaraan for anything. Still, never hurts to put his hand in the pot. "How so?"

"In my honest opinion, I believe this will end in war, she disagrees," he said, "I ask you personally, not officially, what do you believe, your excellency?"

Sidious leans back, considering the man. Well now... a senator of Aldaraan believing that peace will fail? Not holding out for negotiations or trying to press for them? Color Sidious surprised. "It is unfortunate, but, I do agree with your assessment. I have hope that perhaps this can somehow be averted, but I will not risk the Republic by clinging solely to that hope and not preparing for reality."

Organa sighs and rubs his face tiredly. "Agreed, and its why I came to you specifically. Naboo and Aldaraan hold many a similarity, and potentially a similar fate. My people value culture and education, the arts, we on principle prefer a peaceful resolution, but some people will not ever seek nor desire peace. I could very so easily see the Trade Federation Occupation of Naboo happening to Aldaraan, and unlike Naboo, we have no secret Gungan army."

Oh Sidious liked where this was going. "Surely not! Outside of the Sith plot, one of the reasons the Trade Federation got away with it until they were defeated was because Naboo was a Mid Rim world, not Core, surely you don't think..."

"Aldaraan has long been part of the Republic, taking the world would be heavily symbolic in taking the Republic, and from what I understand of the man, Jorus C'Baoth likes grand overreaching gestures," pointed out Organa.

Well then, Organa had his temporary apprentice pegged accurately. Its not a bad plan either though it comes with risks. Attacking a Core World like Aldaraan, especially Aldaraan, will stir the hornets nest and would take a great deal of support from C'Baoth's Separatists. Actually, yes, a very good plan then if he needed to get C'Baoth's support trimmed a bit. Not early in the war though, perhaps the later parts of it. Surely it would be a rallying cry, to give the Chancellorship more power to protect the Core.

He echoed this aloud. "I don't think he would risk it early in any offense, but later on, if he feels he is winning and doesn't feel concerned about the backlash of attacking a peaceful world..."

Organa nods. "He could do so, and so I was hoping if you have the time, to go over Naboo's experiences with the Trade Federation Occupation, and perhaps go over how your planet adapted and changed in the aftermath."

Oh now that is tempting. To slowly whittle away at Aldaraan's pacifism, why, if he could use Organa as a basis to begin twisting them away from their ideals... My oh my, they just kept throwing themselves at him, didn't they? The Jedi, the Senate, various planetary governments, so many organizations and trade conglomerates. They just all made it so easy...

"Most certainly Senator, I can even put you in touch with Senator Amidala for her perspective as well," he said sagely.

"Indeed, I would not mind the young, former queen's advice, but I would still prefer the more experienced voice," answered Organa, eyes appraising.

Sidious smiled. "Of course Senator Organa, of course."

Another sycophant in the making.

Author's Note:

Organa: I'm having absolutely no luck finding this damn Sith Lord, lets try poking around the chancellor and see if I can find his influence there.

Resident Sith Lord: Why hello there.

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M1dnight217: Its because review responses and author's notes count for words here since I have to type them into the chapter itself.