Chapter 14: The Council's Bidding

Obi-Wan Kenobi leaned lazily over the Head Librarian's desk in the Grand Library, his long finger rhythmically tapping the silver bell on her desk, the clear, pure chime of the bell becoming extremely irritating to the occupants of the library who were lost in study when the ding, ding, ding rang out every other second. Kenobi was immune to the glares of the other Jedi. He was irritated, and Force help him, he would rebel in this manner.

Ding, ding, ding.

This was Jocasta Nu's fault, the other Jedi had to understand. After all, he would stop when she returned to her desk, and no, he wouldn't go looking for her. Obi-Wan already had to seek out one Jedi today. He wasn't going to waste his time looking for another when making her come to him was an option.

Ding, ding, ding.

A smug smile spread slowly over his face as he saw Jocasta Nu striding furiously toward him, and he lazily continued to tap the bell until she was behind her desk, the woman snatching the bell away with incredible speed. "Are you a child, Kenobi?" she hissed, and the Jedi simply smiled at her.

"I'm sure many would think that, yes."

"You are acting like Quinlan Vos!"

"Oh, please!" he said loudly, indignant. "Quinlan would have tapped the bell for much longer!"

"Qui-Gon's serious little Padawan wouldn't openly vex me, Kenobi."

"I am not Qui-Gon's Padawan any longer," he drawled, getting off the desk and inclining his head. "But I do apologize, in any case. My day has been a challenge."

"And now you seek to make my day a challenge as well?" she huffed, her fingers tapping the electronic records and activating the catalogue, ready to answer the Jedi's question. "What can I do for you?"

"I need access to the Forbidden Archive."

Jocasta's eyes narrowed, regarding the easily smiling Jedi before her. "Master Yoda said something about that," she said softly. "I was hoping you wouldn't arrive for that. There are many texts here that are forbidden. The Library has many secrets, but none are more dangerous than that which rests in that particular archive."

"I know." He carefully observed the old Jedi Master, the woman resolutely crossing her arms. "I wouldn't be here unless it was necessary." She didn't say anything, but her fingers danced over a control pad, and a moment later, two masked Jedi Temple guards came to stand next to the Jedi Knight.

"Come with me, Kenobi," she said softly, and she led the Knight and the two guards deep into the library. They walked down dark, twisting halls lined with books, scrolls and datapads for longer than Kenobi would have liked until they came to an elevator tucked away in the labyrinth of the collected knowledge of the Jedi. The four of them entered, and the elevator began its decent.

They were all silent, until one of the guards cleared his voice, muffled behind the mask, and asked, "Did you really kill a Sith?"

Kenobi nodded, not looking anywhere but straight ahead. "Yeah, I did."

The guard didn't say anything else, just grunted softly in approval.

The elevator came to an abrupt stop, and the doors slid open, revealing an enormous, rotunda, a large circular database station in the center, the outer walls lined with ancient texts and glowing blue torches, filling the area in pale, eerie light. Obi-Wan walked forward in awe, the guards following him, but Jocasta stayed in the elevator. "Remember, Kenobi," she said sternly. "Removing material is forbidden. Study all you like while you are here, but the texts stay where they are. You have been given clearance to copy digital data to your datapad, and copies of all you download will be sent to the Jedi High Council."

"Yeah, yeah, fine. Kriffing hell, security is tight down here."

"I'm certain you see why." The Jedi nodded. "I leave you to it. The guards will show you out when you are done." The elevator door slammed shut, and the Librarian was gone. Obi-Wan had no idea where to start. The security was a problem. He'd have to be careful about what he downloaded. That was fine. He sat at the database and opened it up, finding a list of all the texts that were kept down there. Everything from Dark Side teachings, Sith history, former Sith worlds, texts on the language, everything could be found there. He quickly plugged in his datapad, and began to download the list of Sith worlds, manuscripts of the language, and a brief history of the Jedi's dark counterparts. Nothing there was terribly objectionable, and these were things that the Council would expect to see in his search.

That done, it was time to begin. He left the database and went to the bookshelves at the side of the room, looking carefully at the texts. Many were written in Ancient Sith, but there were several written by Jedi in the Old Republic about their ancient enemy. Finding a book about the details of the Dark Side, he picked it out and brought it to the database, sitting at one of the terminals and opening the book on his lap. He suspected that much of what he wanted would be in the books he could not read, and he vowed to come back after he had learned the Sith language.

The book he selected, though, was interesting. Containing a mix of Sith history and details on the use of the Dark Side, the heavy tome served as a fine introduction to the power he sought to control. The more he read, the more similar the two sides of the Force appeared, the sole difference being where the power came from; the Jedi, from peace and serenity, and the Sith, from passion and pain. What was different, however, were the abilities that the Dark Side gave the Sith, and there were many. The ability to derive strength from the fear and pain of others, to subjugate a group of people to the user's will, just by being in their presence, the power to rip information out of people's minds without their consent, physically manifesting the Force itself as lightning, all these and more, each darker and more terrifying than the last.

Obi-Wan had gone to the Archives to learn about his enemy, and he learned more than he wished. The Dark Side was fearsome, and the darkest reaches of it held nothing for the young Jedi but the terrible knowledge that there was a Sith Lord out there with access to all of it. The Jedi may have been right after all. This kind of power corrupted absolutely, could only be derived from someone with evil intent, and despite his own dealings with the Dark Side, Kenobi did not feel evil, didn't even feel like he wasn't a Jedi. However...

Some of these things were appealing. He remember how it felt on Dathomir, modifying the Jedi's mind trick and used it to dominate the Nightbrothers, felt the rush of power when he could reach out with the Force and grab someone, choke them, feel the life slowly drain from them. He liked the passion, the power, remembered how good it felt to just let go, to feel power and pleasure rush through him like a rapid. It was too good to pass up. He wanted that, he needed that. Just because the Dark Side could lead to horrors didn't mean he wanted them. His Jedi training was too good, too perfect, his temperament too suited to patience and moderation to be lost in the throes of the darkest of powers.

But the more subversive powers, those that focused on concealment, those that seemed to branch directly off the Jedi's skill set were of great interest to Obi-Wan, and he quickly found the text that detailed the Sith ability to conceal their presence and intentions. That wasn't just useful for him personally, but this information could help him discover how the Sith Lord was hiding.

He tapped his datapad and began downloading information on Dark Side concealment as well. What he had was more than enough to point him in the right direction, both in his own studies and in his mission. He shut the tome, placing it back in the bookshelf where he found it. A simple cursory look at the nature of the Dark Side taught Kenobi that he didn't want a great deal of it, to his great relief. He never wanted to be likened to the Sith of old, but on Dathomir, he had felt he was drifting in that direction. Now, even with his desire to continue using the Dark Side fueling him, he knew he didn't want to go that far. The darkness would augment his own abilities, giving him an edge over others, allowing him to get information he wanted with ease, but he would leave the pain and the cruelty to the Sith Lords.

"You ready, boys?" he asked as he disconnected his datapad. "I have what I need.." The guards said nothing, just opened the elevator, and they entered, heading back up into the world of the light.


It was nearly a week later when Quinlan Vos barged into Obi-Wan's room without an invitation, the young Jedi Knight glaring at the Kiffar Master, datapad in hand. "Do you ever knock?"

"Not when I'm hoping to catch you doing something illicit," the Master purred, and Kenobi just rolled his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Sviemas tave tsis khutrai."

"...uh huh?"

Kenobi looked back to his datapad. "I'm studying the language of the Sith." He frowned. "I don't know if the grammar is right, it is...difficult."

"Ugh, what a waste." Quinlan flopped onto Obi-Wan's bed and the knight sighed, closing his datapad and placing it on his desk. "I was hoping I'd find you in here with Aayla. Naked."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. What about Luminara?"

"What about her?"

"...never mind, Quinlan."

"Aayla is beautiful, and she talks about you constantly. You must be seeing her as well, she is crazy about you!"

"Everyone is crazy about me. The talk has been incessant," Kenobi sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Over a month later, you'd think that the talk would die down."

"It's very irritating. Nobody notices me since you were knighted." Vos paused, looking over the young knight and smirking. The young man's hair had grown out a bit, no longer sporting the ridiculously short cut look of a Padawan, and a faint, blond beard was visible on his cheeks. "I bet you get all the girls." Obi-Wan glared at him and Quinlan threw his hands up in the air in surrender. "Or boys, sorry!"

"I'm not..." Kenobi huffed, crossing his arms. "Why is it that everything with you has to do with sex?!"

The Master gasped and sat up totally straight. "Obi-Wan! I didn't know you knew that word!"

"Oh, please..."

"I mean it! I like you so much more now!"

"Quinlan, I have studied biology."

The Master grinned broadly, his delight making the gold tattoo across his face seem brighter. "I just didn't know! Oh, hey, what's the word for sex in Sith?!"

"Lytis."

"Why are you looking up that stuff in your language studies?" Quinlan laughed loudly, and Obi-Wan flushed a deep shade of red, his growing beard doing nothing to hide the color rising in his face. "Oh, Obi-Wan, you are hiding something! Who is it? Which of our fellows is getting some of the Kenobi action!"

"Nobody! You study the Sith and it's all passion with those guys, sex comes up very quickly. Kriffing hell, Quinlan, why is it all sex with you all the time?!"

The Master shrugged. "I like sex."

"The Code-"

"Says nothing about sex, Obi! Just attachment, and I'm really good at not getting attached." He shrugged. "And I'm on these undercover missions all the time, so..."

"So you just enjoy not being under the watch of the Council so you can break the rules?"

"...yeah. Pretty much."

Kenobi groaned. "I'm just surrounded by rule breakers. If it's not Qui-Gon, it's you, you know. How often do you go breaking that code, huh?"

"All the time." Quinlan yawned. "I've had many partners. Job hazzard, you know?" He smirked at the Jedi's hard gaze. "And you? Handsome man like yourself must have had a little of that."

"I do not wish to discuss it."

"You have!" The Master laughed loudly, and the Knight's blue eyes narrowed.

"Once."

"...once?" Quinlan laid back. "Maybe I don't like you as much as I thought. You've only been with a girl once?"

"No, not...ugh, Quinlan, it was one girl, not one time." He snatched up the datapad, opening it again and returning to his studies. "I'm done discussing this, it's making me feel filthy. So if you're done wasting my time..."

"I'm not wasting your time, Obi-Wan," the Master drawled, laying back on the bed, hands folded behind his head. "I came here for a reason."

"I'm not sleeping with Aayla!"

"Yes you are." Kenobi started to protest, but Quinlan interrupted him with, "The Council sent for you."

"...what." Quinlan smiled at the man's outrage. "You didn't think that you should have told me that first instead of wasting my time with sex talk?!" Closing the datapad and grasping it tightly in his hand, Kenobi stormed out of the room. Quinlan Vos lazily followed.

"I hate you. So much."

"Careful, Obi-Wan, anger leads to the Dark Side."

"I'll show you the Dark Side, Quinlan," he snarled as he stepped into the elevator, pushing the button rapidly to close the door on the Master, but the Kiffar slipped in before it could close.

"You know," Quinlan purred, leaning in toward the smaller man, his arm resting lazily on the wall. "You and I could-"

"No."

"What if-"

"No."

"Just one night, Obi, come on!"

Obi-Wan smiled, so disarmingly that Quinlan recoiled slightly. He was just teasing the uptight Jedi, he didn't think that the other man might actually go for it. "Quinlan Vos," Kenobi purred, drawing closer. The Kiffar backed up. "I would sooner attempt to seduce Master Yoda than ever, ever find myself in bed with you."

"Oh..." Quinlan looked away from the Knight, eyes cast to the ground. "But, you are sleeping with Aayla, right?"

The sound of flesh meeting bone could be heard as the elevator doors opened, and Obi-Wan Kenobi strode out to meet the Council, followed by Quinlan Vos, holding his bleeding nose.

The two Jedi stood before the High Council, bowing reverently, and Mace Windu observed the Jedi. "Welcome. Thank you for coming."

Obi-Wan was about to speak when Quinlan quickly cut in with, "Masters, thank you for having us." He pointed at Kenobi, blood from his nose on his fingers. "Obi wants to seduce Master Yoda."

"Masters," the Knight said through clenched teeth. "I'd like permission to execute this idiot."

Yoda chuckled good-naturdly, but Mace stood up quickly, glaring at the men that stood before him. "Why is it that every time you two are in our presence, I deeply regret every second of the time I have wasted."

"A decision, we have made," Yoda said softly, his raspy voice alight with good humor. When Mace's eyes narrowed, the old Master softly said "Too serious, the Council is." Mace sighed and slunk back into his seat. There was no winning for him today.

"We have a record of the information you have been studying," Mace drawled, his voice tired. "Tell us, what use have you for a list of Sith worlds."

"As I said before, Masters, if I'm to find this Sith Lord, I'm going to have to go to Sith worlds. He may not be hiding there, but if the Sith are back, we will find traces of them on their historic worlds."

"Which worlds do you suspect?" Master Plo asked softly.

"Moraband, Malachor, Ziost, Athiss, and Dromund Kaas stood out to me. There are also points of interest on Bosthirda, Krayiss Two, and Rhelg is a known Sith holy world." The Council mumbled quietly to each other, but no objections were raised, and Kenobi took it as a sign to continue. He took out his datapad and with a few quick swipes, projected a map of the old Sith Emipre. "This here is where all these planets are located, out here in the Esstran Sector of the Outer Rim."

"If you believe that the Sith Lord is hiding out there, then why have you been researching Dark Side concealment?" Mace's dark eyes met Obi-Wan's blue ones, and Kenobi could feel the presence of the Master in his mind, trying to find the Knight's intentions, but sensing nothing. Kenobi smirked; he had been studying the texts on Force concealment, after all.

"I don't think he's on those Sith worlds. I think he has been there, almost certainly, but there's no way the Sith Lord is there." Obi-Wan pointed at the floor, blue eyes hard. "He's here. Right underneath our noses, he has to be." The Council began talking again, loudly this time, and Obi-Wan waited, watching them carefully.

"If he was here," Mace growled, "we would have sensed it."

"No, you wouldn't. I don't know how yet, but I will find out. He might not be here on Coruscant, but he is in Republic space. The Sith have always fought the Jedi, and if he's going to fight us, he needs to be near us."

"You talk like the Sith are patient. They aren't."

"The Sith have changed." The Council fell silent.

"How have you come to learn of this?" Plo Koon asked carefully.

"I don't have proof, not yet. It's just a feeling, but if there are only ever two Sith, and they are fighting to come back from the brink of extinction, then they would have to change to survive." Kenobi observed the Masters carefully, reaching out with the Force to sense their feelings, and they were afraid. "One thousand years, we have been complacent in our belief the Sith were all dead. That's one thousand years they have had to run unopposed, free to change and evolve into something we can't fight because we don't know how. We can fight them, we will fight them, but we can't assume anything about the Sith, not anymore."

"When did you get so impressive, Obi-Wan?" Quinlan muttered next to his companion, and the Knight held up a hand to silence him.

"You have been studying their language," Mace growled. It was an accusation.

"I have been, yes." The Master's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Kenobi smirked. "The majority of their text is in Sith. If I am to learn, I must know the language." The Masters nodded, relaxing slightly, but Mace did not, still looked at the Knight as if he were an upstart Padawan. "Eyah seh maat, shu kor huaan, Ari Windu. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. I will learn, and we will defeat the Sith."

Mace was outraged. "I won't have you speaking that filth in-"

"Are you fluent?" Master Plo asked, interupting the seething Master Windu, and Kenobi shook his head.

"Not yet. It's difficult to learn."

Mace huffed, crossing his arms and sitting back in his chair. "I don't like any of this, Obi-Wan, but you make your point very well. The Council is sending you to Athiss. This is a long term mission that will take a few months, at the very least. You are to go and delve into the ancient ruins there and learn all you can. The planet is uninhabited, and unlike Dathomir, there isn't a nexus of Dark Side energy surrounding the planet. If you discover anything of importance, or you pick up on a lead, you are to pursue your suspicions."

Obi-Wan held his breath. This mission was exactly what he needed. Ancient Sith ruins were said to exist on the planet. This would be the perfect place to start his search for the Sith Master, and if he was very lucky, he'd find a Sith holocron to teach himself. He bowed deeply. "Thank you, Masters. I ask for some time to prepare for the mission."

"How much?"

"Give me a month to perfect my mental defenses. The mission on Dathomir was illuminating, and I will need to strengthen myself to be at my best. I also need time to become fluent in Sith. That seems to be necessary if I'm going to a Sith ruin."

Mace nodded. "That is reasonable. A month from now, you will be leaving. Prepare for a long mission, as you could be away for a very long time if you are on the trail of the Sith. Contact with the Council is expected weekly, if possible. If you are out of contact for more than a month, you will be presumed dead."

"I understand, Masters."

"Quinlan Vos." The Kiffar stood straight. "You will train with Obi-Wan to strengthen your mental defenses against the Dark Side, as he is becoming a bit of an expert on the matter. Put your skills to use, but be warned; the things you find there will have a history of violence, death, rage and darkness. The pull to the Dark Side will be strong for you."

Quinlan nodded. "I understand. I'll be alright." He grinned at Kenobi when he realized the Jedi Knight was looking at him in confusion. Mace sighed.

"Obi-Wan, your partner for this mission will be Quinlan." The Kiffar was grinning like an idiot, and Obi-Wan felt his pulse spike as he watched those mischievous eyes glint with amusement.

"...oh, kriffing hells!"