Obi-Wan felt glad Dooku was in the lead down the winding corridors, for they all looked similar down on this level and time was of the essence. He really hoped they would arrive before his Padawn could do anything that would complicate the unsteady truce with the Count. His thought were interrupted as light appeared ahead of them and Dooku said he would wait until Obi-Wan had explained the situation, so he went out into the sunlight to see the doors to Senitor Amidala's ship hiss open and two familiar figures exit.

"Master?" Anakin's eyes looked Obi-Wan up and down for serious injuries when they met up.

"I'm fine, Padawan. You on the other hand are in big trouble for disobeying direct orders from myself and the Council by coming here and bringing Senitor Amidala with you as well."

"Actually it's my fault, Master Kenobi." Padmé stepped forward. "I insisted on coming and he had no choice but to come along to protect me."

Obi-Wan remembered Captain Typho's comment that he would be more worried about what the Senator might do and now understood why. "Be that as it may, the only reason I am not in prison is because Count Dooku and I came to an understanding upon your arrival. He has information regarding a Sith controlling the Senate and I wanted to listen to what he had to say."

"He's probably just claiming that to buy time or is trying to get you on his side."

"Honestly Anakin, don't you think your master considered that?" Padmé scowled up at him before Obi-Wan could say anything. "Besides, as diplomats we have to hear anyone who offers us a treaty with an open mind, no matter where they're from."

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to smile as his Padawn looked taken aback by her reproach. "Spoken like a true ambassador. Come, let's go in together and listen."

Dooku welcomed the newcomers, not bothered by their obvious reservations because those were to be expected with his claims. He led them to a room full of books on shelves carved into the red stone walls, rare artifacts were displayed on and around fine tables made from expensive types of wood and elegant chairs of the same material were set up in prime spots throughout the room, which were perfect for reading and private meetings.

"Please, take a seat." He invited into the silence, noticing their admiration. His family fortune had been giving him all the luxuries the Order claimed Jedi had no need of, which he did not agree with. Ever since leaving all those years ago, it'd become quite clear to him that the Council was ignorant about a great many things. "As I told Master Kenobi, I spent my time outside the Order following leads on the Sith in places even Jedi are hesitant to go. I was driven by the untimely death of my old Padawn and Kenobi's master, wanting answers. I started on Dathomir and found the mother of the male Zubrak Qui-Gon battled, a woman called Mother Talzin of the Night Sisters." He activated a data cube.

"This is a recorded statement from her in her own hand. In it she says she remembers a Sith calling himself Darth Sidious visiting when she was a child and the same one returning years later when her son was small. He chose the young boy as his apprentice, which apparently was considered a high honor and she couldn't say no since she was merely being groomed to be the next matriarch at the time. She never saw him again in person, though he was allowed to contact her once a year by his master and she was not allowed to call him by his birth name, but rather the Sith alias he had chosen of Darth Maul. The number she gave me was a disconnected comm with a Corouscant prefix.

"As you can see from the next document, I authenticated it at the Central Communication Center. The Administrator himself verified that he had never seen this number in the normal database, which only happens if it is a private comm belonging to a powerful public official or an elite citizen or someone within one of the aforementioned circles. They tracked down the account the comm belonged to and it apparently closed the day Obi-Wan defeated the Sith on Naboo. The information about the owner only indicated it was used within the vicinity of the Senate building and a very familiar name attached: Darth Sidious. The Administrator apologized profusely when it turned out there were no records of who set up the account or how it was paid for, something that the Central Communication Center is meticulous in keeping. I assured him this was hardly the first time important information disappeared or didn't exist without explanation around this mysterious Sith, which was true.

"You see, word got around as I conducted my search and I was approached off the books by the Viceroy of the Trade Federation. He said that the same Darth Sidious employed him and his Federation under the table and they took the money from Maul without question. When they narrowly escaped punishment at the hands of the Senate, he was frightened because he felt watched whenever he was in the Capitol representing the Federation. I suggested it might have been because of the Senators who sided with Naboo during the blockade, but he admitted he still received calls from Sidious through a comm with no traceable number that hinted heavily Sidious personally witnessed all the Viceroy did.

"The question became how did he know this information? Spies in the Senate? A mole in the Viceroy's personal entourage? So well connected nothing was off limits? Through use of the Dark Side of the Force? I concluded it had to be a little of everything except for using the Force so close to the Jedi Temple, since the risk of getting caught was very high. That meant being able to control the Senate itself from a position of power, yet remaining under the radar by appearing like an ordinary member of the Senate. Many Senators that have joined my cause have said they too felt influenced while in the Capitol. A few even admitted to taking bribes to vote a certain way, though they could never remember who bribed them."

"But if they accepted money, there should have been a way to track it." Padmé observed into the long pause that followed.

Dooku felt his lips twitch at closely she had been paying attention as he gave her a nod. "Should have been is the correct wording, Senator. However, there was no papertrail just like in the Viceroy's case and the currency was in such small denominations that the serial numbers were common to every bank in the Republic. While I personally never got to see what the Viceroy received, it sounded like he had the same type of credits."

Anakin scowled. "That just proves whoever bribed them was careful, not someone with authority. I saw stuff like this all the time on Tatooine as a boy."

"You are correct in saying they're careful, Skywalker." Dooku acknowledged, faintly amused the Padawan had said something intelligent instead of being hot-headed. "But who has access to enough resources for what I have just told you about? I know Hutts are very wealthy, but they have no interest in the Republic or it's politics so long as it doesn't interfere with their dealings. The only other people in the Outer Rim who make enough money are bounty hunters and they like the galaxy to know they did something a little too much to be so discreet."

Obi-Wan rubbed his bearded chin thoughtfully. "True, but you still haven't told us if you actually know who this Darth Sidious is, Count."

He is most certainly Qui-Gon's Padawn, getting right to the subject at hand just as he would have. Dooku thought with sad pride, wishing Qui-Gon was still alive to see the Jedi Obi-Wan had become. "You have a point, Master Kenobi. I wish I could give you a better explanation than what I am about to tell you, which must not leave this room under any circumstances." He took a deep breath as his guests nodded in understanding. "I do indeed know who Sidious is because I became his apprentice shortly after being allowed to find him. He knows those who can be seduced by and will turn to the Dark Side as easily as the Council identifies babies who are Force sensitive. I'm telling you this because I have seen what he is capable of and it is time he was exposed for all to see. It incriminates me as well, but since he has his eyes on someone else as a new apprentice, I have no qualms about giving you his real name: Chancellor Palpatine."