Interludes: Chaos Reigns
[Jedi Temple, Coruscant]
Obi-Wan Kenobi
It's only been a few days since our failed mission to Toydaria. A heavy blow struck to our reputation as protectors. Even worse, we failed king Katuunko who was a great supporter of the Jedi.
The council hadn't been able to take enough time to meet again before today, but finally, here we are. We just explained exactly what happened there. But, should we really believe what he said?
"Troubled are you, Master Kenobi?"
Master Yoda has always been very perceptive to my moods.
"I just can't believe it. Darth Maul is dead I'm sure, but the more I meditate about it the less clear the answers from the force are "
Master Yoda reflects for a moment, I can feel as he moves in the force seeking answers. The rest of the council is waiting for his wisdom while maintaining a tense silence.
"Dead he is not but alive he is neither, very certain I am. He shall rise once more"
Dread pools in my stomach and thoughts most unlike what a Jedi master should feel rise within me.
"Calm yourself, Obi-Wan. If he does appear again, we shall destroy him for good, this time. You defeated him before, I'm certain you can do it again"
Master Windu always looks at the bigger picture. But right now I can't help my feelings, at least his encouragement is spot on. I'm no longer a padawan and whenever he decides to appear again, I will defeat him.
"We should focus on how we are going to dispose of him." the voice of Adi Galia fills the room and many faces show agreement
"Perhaps it is time we use some guile; perhaps, a trap could be set in order to stop him."
"Master Mundi's idea has merit but what would we use as bait?"
No one in the room has an answer for Shaak Ti. After all, no one sane can deduce what someone fallen to the dark side could want.
Before we can discuss further, Anakin receives a message. His comm starts beeping in the middle of our discussion.
"Anakin, I thought I told you to leave it with Ashoka so we wouldn't be interr-"
"Wait master Kenobi, answer it he should"
Anakin wastes no time and the hologram of Padme appears in his palm.
"Anakin! You are being accused of murdering Count Dooku."
Silence reigns in the room at the announcement.
"What!? But I haven't seen Dooku in months"
"The separatist are claiming that you and Obi-Wan surprised him after an incident occurred in Toydaria. Rumors said that king katuunko asked for Dooku's protection and while they were meeting in his ship, you boarded and attacked him. In the ensuing fight the king and the Count both died"
A tense silence filled the room.
As always, in situations like this, we look towards the wisdom of Master Yoda, but in this particular situation, his semblance was different. I could see his ears had dropped a tad. I sometimes forget that Dooku was once a student of his. The passing of a padawan, no matter how low he had fallen, was not easy.
I looked towards the other masters and came to the silent agreement of letting master Yoda have a few moments to himself.
"Troubling these lies are… very troubling. A message we must send, the truth we must tell. A plot of the Sith this may be"
Let's hope nothing more happens while we are busy with this new problem.
[Primary Junkyard, Lotho Minor]
OOM-B1-626
"Have you found him, 626?"
"No, Commander Savage. We have been busy fighting off the locals."
Oh boy, I'm gonna get dismantled for failing this task.
"Inform me immediately when you find him, and remember, no matter what don't kill him, or I will make sure you stay on that desolate planet"
His hologram disappears and now I'm back to the reality of this place.
This job really sucks. I've heard of droids cleaning animal pens, but this is even worse, this junkyard is the stuff of nightmares. Some of the tallest machines ever built work here devouring metal indiscriminately.
Oh, well… just another day on the great droid army.
One of the scouting droids, who was assigned to my squad, is hurrying back to my position.
"Commander 626, we have found a being who knows where the target is. He says he will help as long as we get him food."
Food? Organics are so weird.
"Then give it food quickly"
"That's the problem we… don't have… food"
...
…
...
"Right… hmm, tell the being that we will take him off planet and then give him food"
"Roger, Roger"
And there he goes, running again. I'm glad I was made to give orders.
Now, time to lead my squad. Originally it had been a full battalion of B1 battle droids, now only a little less than half remained, and I had to complete my mission with them.
"Start moving in the direction of the scout. It's time we left this place."
"Roger, Roger"
We walk for no more than five minutes, passing through sights not apt for droids fresh out of the factory, shooting every odd Junker who decides to try their luck before we see the scout again.
"Stop… I said, stoop"
"Why are we stopping?"
"Because I command you. Besides, the terrain ahead is prone to acid rain according to the reports, so we will wait here"
Dumb infantry, always making me explain everything.
"Sir, the being has accepted our bargain. He says there is a tunnel not far from here that leads underground and to the lair of the objective"
"Excellent work, we will contact the ship to prepare for extraction. Now, advance"
Finally, we will leave this place and commander Savage won't dismantle me. Truly the droid army is great.
We continue moving before we quickly take cover under some downed structures as an acid rain starts falling.
Truly, my luck is the worst. Do droids even have luck?
After some waiting, we finally arrived at the entrance of the lair.
"Prepare for battle! The objective is in the cave system down this tunnel"
What is left of my battalion prepares to descend. I hope I get a better job next time.
[Chancellor's Office, Coruscant]
Darth Sidious
Things really aren't going well… and that was an understatement. Things are royally fucked up.
Dooku is dead, the separatist council is unavailable and most infuriating of all, that idiot cyborg Grievous is ignoring every attempt I make to contact him.
When I felt my bond break with Dooku I thought he had simply betrayed me and started preparing accordingly. Gathering alibis for when he inevitably exposed me to the Jedi in an effort to destabilize the Republic and win the war on his terms.
I thought he finally connected the dots and realized that I was making Anakin my apprentice. But no, the useless aristocrat got himself killed and nobody even knows who actually did it.
Anakin has great potential, but he is not strong enough to do it no matter what the CIS are saying, even if he had the help of Kenobi however this was the perfect chance to further alienate Anakin. It cost a substancial amount of credits but my agents managed to change the story into something more useful for me.
If only i could see the future as clearly as before, what once i saw so clearly is now a jumbled mess of images, leaving me only with some visions of at most a week in advance, and barely usuful ones at that, which is less than ideal…
Also, less than ideal, I never found out what caused all of this to begin with. That disturbance I felt before is still out there.
Curse you, Whoever you are! You've ruined a millennium of planning.
Well, I'm no useless Jedi, I can adapt to changing situations. Truly how dumb they are for getting dragged down by useless dogma.
But what to do now… hmm
First things first, I must ensure the war stops for a while. I need to take back control of the separatist and I can't do that if I'm being watched for treason for meeting the people I need to coerce.
Meanwhile I should kill those people that could take my position as chancellor. Ensuring I stay in power until I can have my empire is of the utmost importance.
Then I have to keep ruining the image of the Jedi. Making them restart the war when the time is right should take care of that.
I should not forget to investigate what happened to Dooku. I have to discover the identity of this new enemy and if possible, make whoever did it one of my pawns.
The only positive thing I got out of all this is my connection to the dark side. It has been strengthened by my rage and frustration.
I need to descend to the lower levels of coruscant for another massacre. That is the only way I have to really relax.
Truly working towards my Sith empire is tiring, but once I finally dominate the galaxy, it will all have been worth it.
One of my secretaries is approaching…. carrying a message, from what I feel.
"Chancellor, the Jedi are looking to set up a meeting at your earliest convenience. When would you like to meet them?"
"As soon as possible. After all, the Republic deserves answers"
And so do I.
[Iziz, Onderon]
Lux Bonteri
Something strange is brewing under the surface of all that is happening right now. Meetings about peace and the debates about the credibility of the offers. People clamoring for vengeance for my mother's death and the death of Dooku.
…
Vengeance, as if they know what actually happened.
The only solace in my heart is that the architect of my mother's demise has fallen too. As her son and as an avid political activist, I'm being trained to eventually fill her role.
But right now, those same people who desire to use me as a figurehead for their political opinions, have summoned me to the palace to meet someone important.
Normally I wouldn't even entertain the idea, but if I ever decide to support the republic, some intelligence about the state of affairs in Onderon would be well received and make any talk I engage into a more formal one. Politicians trade in secrets and favors after all.
The palace is as beautiful as always. The great design of the walls making any attempt of entering a major endeavor, the openness of the design leaving any intruder or escapee little cover.
If I am walking to my death, they sure chose a nice place.
Arriving at the destination, I can't help but pause at the door. The atmosphere feels different, colder…
Gathering my courage, I enter the room. Inside is the biggest Zabrak I have ever seen; the king is seated with him and even the temporary senator of Onderon. Something strange is going on here.
"Lux, please take a seat. The commander has something he wishes to talk about with you. Don't worry we will not be in here it will be only you and him"
As soon as he finishes, the king stands up motioning for the senator to do the same. They waste no time in leaving.
"You must be happy Lux; I hope it's alright if I call you Lux"
His voice is cold and the movements he makes to appear non-threatening just highlight his innate aggression. He is clearly not a great diplomatic mind.
"It's ok to call me Lux, but what do I have to be happy about?"
He smiles, something that looks more like a predator baring his teeth than a friendly gesture.
"I assumed you would be happy that your mother's murderer is dead"
He knows! But how and why is he here?
"So, you know the truth, what do you hope to gain by revealing this to me?"
No matter what, I must remain calm. Use everything my mother taught me about politics and diplomacy.
"Hahahaa. You are calm, good. You are exactly the kind of person I need on my side; I'm hoping you will become one of my allies. One of the voices in the separatist senate that moves things as I want"
"Why would I ally with you? What do I gain? If you truly have enough power to get a meeting with the king tell me who you are"
"Hmm… Trust is hard to come by in these times. So, if I'm to gain yours it is better that I tell you my story. My name is Savage Opress. Until recently, I was training with Count Dooku as his apprentice. Until I killed him"
He…he what?!
"I see that got your attention. Yes, I was the one who killed Dooku. Not many people acknowledge the truth, but the CIS is ruled by the Separatist Council rather than its senate. I am in control of the council and as they dictate policy through their proxies, the CIS follows my commands."
"That is impossible! Why would they answer to you? By your own admission you were only recently Dooku's apprentice"
"That is very simple and at the same time very complicated. The short answer is that I'm Sith and so they obey"
"Sith… the ancient enemy of the Jedi?"
"Yes, I will reveal to you the truth of this war, the whole truth. And once it's over, you will have the choice of joining me in my admission. Remember, in the end even if your mother wished for peace, she never once considered joining the Republic again"
"Then, tell me everything! If you convince me, then House Bonteri and its allies will be yours to command"
Another ugly grim appears on his face as he starts to tell me how this war started many years ago on Naboo.
Author note: WOLO you delicious people that live on the internet, i'm here again for your entertainment and like always this is your reminder that you can find the next chapter on my for a dollar, also i'm planning to open a discord server for my s where i will answer questions you have about the story, dropped plot points and even personal stuff, not too personal though. Anyway see you on June.
P-treon: /KalJc