Chapter 73: Double Talk

"Darth Sidious?" The Chancellor clasped his hands together and leaned over the desk to bring himself closer to Luminara Unduli and Kit Fisto, his Jedi advisors. He had requested the meeting, as he always did after he knew the Council had met. As Supreme Chancellor, it was his duty to keep abreast of to war effort and to keep in close contact with the Jedi Generals that were running it. After all, the wisdom of the Jedi helped guide him down the right path. "Are you certain?"

The Mirialan nodded. "One of our Masters was on Raydonia and confronted the creature. This was the Sith Lord that was killed on Naboo during the blockade, if you would remember.

Palpatine nodded. "I do remember that, yes..." He stroked his chin, his eyes drifting up toward the ceiling in thought. "If I remember correctly, wasn't that Obi-Wan Kenobi that killed him?"

"It was."

He tapped the table with his finger. "Is it possible that Kenobi was in league with this creature back then? It could account for his survival."

Fisto chuckled softly and shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Chancellor. Though it was a good guess."

"Obi-Wan left the Jedi a few years after that," Luminara said gently. "This Maul survived with the strength of his willpower."

Palpatine laughed heartily and leaned back in his seat, folding his hands in his lap. "That isn't possible."

"Master Jinn assures us it is so." Luminara leaned forward. "And this Maul was the Sith apprentice before he was assumed dead. The Sith Master hasn't changed since then, from what we understand. This Sidious is the man we are looking for." She sighed as she leaned back in her chair, a pleased smile on her face, and Palpatine frowned.

"Why isn't Master Jinn here with you to report this important development? He was the one that was there, wasn't he?" Both Jedi nodded. "I have a great many questions about the incident. I would find his account of the utmost importance."

Kit Fisto looked uncomfortable for a moment, the greatly shortened tendrils on his head wiggling in his discomfort. "Master Jinn is not in the Temple. He hasn't been here since he left to deal with Maul. Even we had to hear his report over a holotransmission."

"That is...unorthodox?" the Chancellor asked, and Luminara sighed.

"Just like him, yes. He's investigating something."

"What is it?" The Jedi shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Chancellor."

Palpatine sighed and closed his eyes. He greatly disliked getting this sort of information from the Jedi when he could have been getting a much more detailed, much more through report from his apprentice, but a recent string of threats against members in the Senate had put Palpatine under constant surveillance. Everywhere he went, he required a protective detail, including two Jedi Knights to shadow his every move and be on the lookout for anything even remotely suspicious. Getting away long enough to contact Lumis had been impossible. It had been well over a month of this nonsense, and he was growing tired of it. They had vastly important matters to discuss. Like Maul, for example.

"How big of a threat is this Maul?" he asked softly, a look of concern on his face. "Certainly he cannot be any challenge to the Jedi. If he was defeated before by a mere student, surely he can be dealt with again."

"He did escape Master Jinn on Raydonia," Fisto said. "But no, we don't believe he is a threat to the Republic. We have designated him a Jedi problem, and he will be apprehended." Fisto flashed a charming smile. "Don't worry, Chancellor. Stopping this creature is a priority."

"The bigger problem is the Sith," Luminara said, and Palpatine looked back to the Mirialan. Of his two advisors, she had been the most difficult to properly manage. Kit Fisto was formidable, yes, but it was the Mirialan who had a talent for politics, and she navigated the Senate with ease through its most difficult, confusing times. Waylaying her had been a constant source of frustration, as it was shaping up to be now. Maul's survival and emergence in the galaxy was a problem only to Sidious, but he was in the business of turning difficulties to his advantage. If properly pressed, Maul could still serve some use to him, as he currently was by giving the Jedi yet another thing to focus on. A divided attention only served to make them easy to continually distract, but Luminara was singular in her focus and not so easily sidetracked.

Of course, the distraction extended to Lumis as well. Before Maul had appeared, the man had been consumed by visions about the former apprentice that bordered on obsession, and he was right to be worried. Maul had been powerful once, and now, he was a loose end, and one that knew too much at that. Furthermore, the matter was personal to Lumis. He had always been fastidious and a touch obsessive compulsive, and finding the man alive would no doubt wound his pride and aggravate his neurosis at leaving a task uncompleted.

"If you will excuse me for saying so, Master Jedi," Palpatine said apologetically, "but what good will this name do you? A name without a person to match is just a name."

"You're correct," she said softly. "The name is unimportant for anything other than giving us a label for our Sith Master." She smiled softly, knowingly, and the Chancellor felt his chest tighten. "What is important is Maul himself. Identifying him as the former Sith apprentice puts him in the position to identify the man."

Sidious changed his mind about Maul. His immediate death was the highest priority. He needed to speak to Lumis.

"And you really believe that this...Sith is within the Republic?" The Jedi nodded firmly, but would say no more. The Mirialan was so...secretive. It was a persistent problem. "You know I have always supported the Jedi in this matter," he said softly, "but if we were to open an investigation now-"

"I do not ask for that," Luminara said quickly. "The Republic cannot afford to be divided. All I ask is that you keep your ears open. I doubt you will hear anything, but awareness in that matter is key. Knowing who the Sith are is our first step to defeating them."

"But this is largely a Jedi problem, yes?"

She smiled softly. "Yes, largely. We have assigned Jedi to...handle matters regarding the Sith, and we have put our most respected Masters to the task."

Palpatine leaned back in his seat. It was unlikely he'd be able to get anything more out of the Mirialan on the subject, and the meeting appeared over anyway. "I thank you for your time, Masters," Palpatine said respectfully. "I do wish you luck in finding this Sidious. I know how important the Jedi believe this matter is." Nodding, the Jedi stood. "I will need your guidance tomorrow, Masters. The Senate is discussing a Mandalorian matter. It seems they have expanded their territory substantially as a result of the attack on Raydonia."

Both Jedi tensed. Mandalore was a difficult matter made more complicated by Darth Lumis, and the whole enterprise was proving itself to be a worthwhile investment. Mandalore thrived, and hundreds of systems willingly and gratefully surrendered the ability to govern themselves in exchange for the promise of safety. As a test run for his own empire, it was a resounding success, and as the war grew more ferocious, Mandalore grew in strength. Satine was a powerful ally made stronger by her intimate connection with the Dark Side, and more importantly, it was a severe strain on the Jedi, who could find no justification to interfere in the peaceful regime, despite the knowledge that a Sith Lord was in her bed, and his child was quickly growing inside her. That was bad enough, but the child was so resoundingly strong in the Force, so rife with Dark Side energy even at such an early stage that the Jedi had taken note, and it had left them not only with grave misgivings about what may come from this, but a complete inability to do anything about it. At the very least, it kept Jedi attention away from him, and for that, Lumis had to be congratulated. Manipulating the Senate was so much easier when the Jedi were looking the other way.

"We are at your service, Chancellor," Fisto said, bowing deeply as he and his companion left the room. The door slid closed, and Palpatine's genial smile dropped away into a vicious scowl. He needed to find a way to evade his Jedi security detail. He had a great deal to discuss with Lumis.

The Force shook as Kenobi screamed in rage, the visions before him increasing in their intensity as he fell deeper into the Dark Side. The vision was still there. The face in flames, burning and contorting in rage and pain, continued to torment him. He had hoped that the incident on Raydonia would see the vision fade into nothing, an image of what had happened instead of what may yet still come to pass, but apparently Maul's burning had nothing to do with it. He didn't think it did, but when Maul had escaped, he dared to hope. Foolishly, it would seem, because the visions only became more intense. He stopped seeing Maul, though. That warning had passed into reality and it had no business occupying the Force.

There were new visions now. They were vague, uncertain, but with focus, he drew closer to them, grabbed hold of the images and sharpened them. It was still unclear, but he saw Ventress, his old friend lost and alone and surrounded by Jedi. He saw Quinlan, clutching a lightsaber in tight, shaking hands, his eyes closed and his face darkened with rage. Again, he saw the field of dead Jedi, the young human male standing tall and strong among them, but the Togruta had grown distant and faded. She was still standing, yes, but no longer a part of the gruesome scene, and he couldn't decipher the meaning of that. Something important had changed, and while Maul was a major threat, he somehow didn't think it had anything to do with his Master's former apprentice.

He opened himself up further, loosed his tight grip on the Force, and images flashed through his mind at a blinding pace, far too fast to see. There were flames and lightsabers and pain and screams of untold agony, but he couldn't place what they were and, overwhelmed, he couldn't find the strength to slow them down and regain control. His breathing became labored, his pulse quickening as his body tightened and shook in effort, and he was jolted out of it when a small, delicate hand reached out and lightly touched his cheek.

"Focus, my Master." The gentle touch was enough. With a deep breath, he reached out and drew strength from the Jedi, his concentration returning like a rush of fresh air. The visions slowed to a crawl, and they stood out before him like a living mural of bright pastels casting impressions of what would come to be. There was the vision of Ventress and Quinlan, the dead Jedi, the face in flames, all things he had seen before. But then there was Qui-Gon. He had seen his old Master in visions before, but it was now...different. Brighter. Stronger, still standing at the edge of darkness and keeping it at bay. Kenobi didn't know what it meant, but he knew that whatever it was that Qui-Gon was holding back, it mustn't be released. The Dark Side shrank away from the Jedi and his charge, and whatever it was, it was no ally of the Sith. He saw the Jedi Temple, smoke and flames coming from the side of the massive building, and Kenobi leaned in closer to get a better look to see if he could discern from where, but to no avail. But this wasn't news. The Jedi Temple would burn, along with all the Jedi when the Sith asserted their dominance from the ashes of the Republic.

The rest was more troubling. He saw Maul, faded and seething with rage and revenge, standing upon a new pair of cybernetic legs, his brother Savage kneeling before him. Kenobi reached out and touched the vision, his hand passing through the Nightbrother's head as he tried to discern their surroundings, but it was too dark to see. Breathing deep as he focused, he drew deeper of the Jedi's reserves, and the hand at his cheek trembled, the woman gasping as she strained to do her Master's bidding. Slowly, the area began to lighten, a green, foggy haze slowly beginning to surround them, and Kenobi could feel the cold pit of dread as he looked upon it. The mist quickly burned away, and the brothers were consumed in flames as a city behind them began to burn.

Kenobi's eyes flew open and he wrenched away from Shaak Ti's touch, his heart racing once again as he pushed the visions away. He needed time to meditate on this. The Force had been unbalanced since Maul had reappeared, and now it reached to him to right the damage. He needed to find this Sith pretender, and quickly. Hondo had proven to be useful, and he knew he made the right decision when the gleeful pirate had contacted him the very next day with word of the renegade brothers. It was nothing that he could follow, a quick appearance to attack and kill two Jedi on a small moon, and then they had vanished once again, but every piece of information was worth its while, even if it didn't result in their capture. It would. Everyday for the next month, he had received intel from the clever pirate, and every single thing he learned about Maul and his brother allowed him to better understand them, how they worked, how bold they were, the things they would and would not touch. He would be patient and attack the brothers when he was ready, when it would not be expected. His Master would approve of biding his time. An overzealous desire to please had made him impulsive in his formative years, but he had long since overcome that. The Sith now favored devastating precision strikes, as would be executed on the Jedi, but not until the time was right.

"You know," Cody said lazily, laying draped over the bed in the corner and looking at the Sith and the Jedi, "I could complain about my Jedi touching you like that."

"You could. But you won't." Kenobi jumped to his feet and stretched his legs. He had been sitting in deep meditation all evening, and though he was used to such, it had been for a particularly long amount of time. His visions consumed him, and he needed understanding. "Before she is yours, she is my slave. Isn't that right, Shaak Ti?" He grabbed hold of the cones of her montrails and pulled her head back, forcing her to look up into his cruel yellow eyes, and she whimpered as a shiver ran down her spine. Resistance had fled from her long ago.

"Yes, my Master..."

Cody hissed as he sat up, swinging his feet over the side of the bed and beaconing for the Togruta to come to him. Looking up at Kenobi for permission, the Sith sighed heavily and waved her off, and the Jedi gratefully rushed to the clone, sank to her knees before him and ran gentle hands over his thighs. Obi-Wan had no trouble allowing this. It kept Cody pleased and Shaak Ti in the light where he needed her, and it was greatly satisfying to watch a member of the Jedi High Council willingly submit to the carnal pleasures of her betters.

The com on his wrist beeped, and he absently dug into his robes to pull out the holodisc and frowned when he saw there was no holotransmition to go with the call. Satine usually didn't call unless she could see him, and she was busy meeting with good-will diplomats from Coruscant until the end of the week. Sliding the holodisc back into his robe, he pressed down the button to answer the call. Before he could say a word, a light, jovial voice came over the com, one he recognized immediately, and his eyes widened as he instinctually dropped to his knees to kneel.

"My friend, it's Palpatine!" Kenobi didn't move. He never got calls like this from Sidious, he didn't even think he had the comlink code for that particular device. Closing his eyes, he reached out with the Force for his Master and found the connection completely blocked. Someone must have been there, or close enough to warrant discretion. He stood when he realized how ridiculous he must have looked, and with a swift nod to Cody, he left Shaak Ti's room as the clone dragged the Jedi up to attend him, taking long strides through his palace as he headed for his own room. "I'm sorry I missed your call earlier, I was in a meeting with the Jedi."

"Nothing serious, I hope," Kenobi said softly. Meetings with the Jedi were regular, but if Sidious felt the need to get in contact with him while he was being watched, it was either extremely urgent, or his Master was testing him. Again. He didn't mind. Obi-Wan played this game well.

"Dark time are ahead, I'm afraid," he said somberly. "I would have called you sooner, but it's been difficult to find time to myself with the protection detail I've been assigned." He chuckled softly. "If I can say anything about them, the Jedi are certainly thorough."

"They most certainly are, yes." Which explained why he hadn't simply contacted him through the Force. Jedi were watching him. Kenobi frowned. That could be very, very bad, though he was certain it wasn't. Sidious was careful, and had been since before Kenobi had been born. "Is the need for protection the same as before?"

Sidious gave a long-suffering sigh. "I'm afraid so. The death threats and assassination attempts on the senators haven't ceased for over a month. Local authorities suspect it to be the work of bounty hunters and crime syndicates paid off by the Separatists, but they have found nothing to support it."

Translation: put an end to this. Kenobi smiled. It had been a long time since he had run an investigation like this, and while he couldn't do this one personally, it would give him a chance to test exactly how extensive Hondo's network was. "Hopefully the matter will come to an end soon."

"I do hope so!" Palpatine said with laughter in his voice. "It's getting tiresome being watched all the time."

"All the time?"

"Well, not all the time," he amended. "They are standing guard just outside my rooms. They say they can sense everything that happens in here." He laughed. "Can you imagine such a thing!"

"Not at all..." That gave him a little more freedom in what he could say, though not a great deal more. The call could still be monitored.

"I hear you saw a mutual acquaintance the other day," he said kindly, but Kenobi could feel himself tense. This may have been the cause of the call. Sidious may have been more angry about Maul escaping than he anticipated. It was senseless to dance around the matter.

"Your name did come up, yes," he said softly. His pace through his palace slowed as he approached his rooms, and he absently laid his hand on the console on the wall, and the door hissed open. He stepped inside and went straight to the large windows that overlooked the lava flows, and he sat before it, eyes closed as he felt the warmth radiating off the glass. "It wasn't for long, though, he had a flight to catch."

"Oh, what a shame," Palpatine said. "I do hope you get to see him again very soon. I know you haven't seen each other for a long time. You have a great deal to catch up on, I'm sure."

"Very soon, yes. He has entered into a family enterprise, and I am open to doing business with him, if it seems profitable to my firm."

"Do you suspect it will be?" he asked, curious, and Kenobi laid his hand on the window, a soft smile on his face as he imagined Maul's first demise, and what his second may look like.

"No, it seems unlikely," Kenobi said softly. "The work they do is substandard to their field. I fear that I may have to terminate any potential contracts with them."

"A pity," Palpatine said, a light chuckle in his voice that denoted approval. "But you must do what you can to secure your interests."

"I agree."

Kenobi could hear muffled talking on the other end of the com, voices he couldn't hear or recognize, and Palpatine's humble response of, "No, thank you, Masters. I will be quite alright." More muffled talking followed. "Just an old friend of mine from the Legislative Youth Program on Naboo." More talking, then the soft, easy laugh of the Chancellor. "Yes, it had been difficult to find the time, but it is always nice to get in contact with old friends." Palpatine laughed again. "It has been a long time since I have seen you," he said, his attention returned to Kenobi again. "How is your family?"

"Very well," he said proudly. Exactly how long had it been since he had really had a chance to speak to his Master? He put his forehead to the warm glass when he realized that it hadn't been since his trip to Coruscant nearly four months prior. Lots had happened. "On all fronts. Grandfather and I have finally reconciled. He had some trouble with his live-in help, and resolving that matter seems to have mended our difficulties."

"It pleases me to hear that." He sounded more curious than actually pleased. It seemed as though Dooku hadn't been speaking with Sidious either, though that was almost certainly because their Master had made himself unavailable. "I'm sorry, I did not hear about this help of his."

Kenobi hissed, his swift mind racing through how best to explain Dathomir without explaining what had happened. From as far as he could tell, it didn't seem as though the Jedi had known about it either, so it was unlikely that Sidious had heard about the massacre. "Do you remember the woman that he had hired to be his bodyguard?"

"I do."

"Well, it turns out she was a bit of a criminal. When he found out and fired her, she came back with a very large friend and tried to rob him blind." He laid back on the floor and closed his eyes, bathing in the glow of the lava. It was...relaxing to hear his Master again, comforting even though there was no flow of the Force between them at the moment. "I happened to be visiting and drove them off. He and I have been getting along very well ever since."

"How frightening!" Palpatine gasped. "I do hope those rogues do not return when you aren't around."

"I find that to be very unlikely. It seems that the entire idea came from their mother, and I heard that a rival crime syndicate had a dispute with them and wiped them out."

"Their mother?" the Chancellor said in disbelief. "How dreadful. Was she killed as well?"

"I'm uncertain. It seems to me that those types are in the habit of never dying when you expect them to."

"I fear for your safety," Palpatine whispered. "If she planned it, and she's still alive, than she may yet come after you."

"I doubt it," Kenobi scoffed. "It seems like this particular syndicate is more feared than Black Sun these days among the crime lords."

"Are they really?" he asked in disbelief. "I haven't heard of such a thing."

"You are running a Republic at war, my friend. You can't be expected to dirty your hands with petty criminals."

"That is true..." he sighed wearily. "Still, I am pleased to hear that you and your grandfather are safe and working together once again."

"As am I."

"And your wife?"

"Busy," he said slowly. "Her own work keeps her away from me much more than I would like, but she and her sister are doing a fair bit of good in bringing order to their own small piece of the galaxy."

"A noble effort," Palpatine said. "With a war as terrible as this, one must strive to find peace where they can make it."

"Well, we found it," Kenobi said with a genuine smile on his face. "She's pregnant"

Palpatine gasped in joy. "Is she really?" He laughed, and called to the Jedi, happily repeating the news, which was met with soft, short responses. "Congratulations, my friend! How far along is she?"

"Four months. She is beginning to show now."

"And do you know the gender? Have you run the genetic tests?"

Kenobi stretched out and sighed happily for a moment, but his chest quickly tensed. Sidious was gauging the child. His future apprentice. He swallowed hard. He could lie to him, but it wouldn't serve him, especially not now when the child could be clearly detected in the Force. His Master must have sensed him, since he was so invested in this outcome. All he could do was be honest and take comfort in the knowledge that what Sidious knew about his son was irrelevant. The Sith Master would be dead before the child was old enough to train.

"A boy," he said slowly. "And yes, the tests have come back with several of my genetic markers."

"Hopefully not the wrong ones!" the Chancellor said gleefully.

"No, no, it appears as though with the right education, my son will far surpass me." It was supplicant, meek, and conveyed exactly what Sidious had wanted to hear. Kenobi could hear him practically beaming from across the com.

"I would be happy to give you whatever references you may require. I have a great many connections to several prestigious youth programs across the Republic."

"I was hoping you would." The meaning was clear: my son is yours, Master. If Sidious thought otherwise, there was no doubt that Satine would be taken from him and murdered as soon as she had bore the child. Kenobi had no qualms about bending to an old man's pride. After all, he would be dead soon enough, and Darth Lumis would rise as Lord of the Sith. Soon. Soon.

"I did have one question for you, my friend," Palpatine asked, his voice an almost secretive whisper, and Kenobi felt his chest tighten. Had Sidious heard his thoughts? He shook his head of the idea. It wasn't possible. Their connection was blocked, and to reach that far would require a tremendous pull of the Dark Side, a thing he could not afford with Jedi present. "I've seen a strange thing I thought you could help explain."

"I shall do my best."

"Our soldiers have occasionally been fighting these...creatures." Kenobi held his breath. This could be bad. "They look like sentient species, but they were reported to act almost rabid, and their bodies looked sickly."

"You don't say..."

"Yes, it's very frightening," he said somberly. "But I remember you once researched a disease among the native Gungans that caused them to behave in a similar manner. Do you believe this could be the cause of an illness?"

He knew. Sidious knew that he had created Sithspawn. He had rehearsed many times what he would tell his Master when he learned of his experiments, but Kenobi didn't think he'd have to explain this soon, and certainly not while speaking in riddles. He took a deep breath and held it.

"I'm not sure. I would have to see this specimen of yours. But..." He ran a hand down his face. "What I found in the Gungans was a corruption of their bodies at a cellular level caused by an imported virus. Some...biological agent introduced to their systems. They angered a great many people with their defense of Naboo, and we know the Separatists sink to these disgusting levels all the time."

"They do," Palpatine agreed. "But how do you suspect such a thing could be done?"

Kenobi tapped his chin. "All I have is speculation, but...on my research trip in the outer rim, I came across a species of humanoids that had been altered by a powerful environmental contagion. Contact and use with this force seemed to change them over time. Were I to guess, a similar principle was applied to the Gungans, but instead of this contagion changing those that came in contact with it in their daily lives over a longer period, the Gungans were forced to endure intense exposure to an agent or a virus that changed them in the span of days."

Palpatine was quiet for a moment, and Kenobi held his breath in the silence. "Interesting..." the Chancellor said softly, sounding so much like his Master instead of the sniveling politician. "I'm not quite sure I fully understand. When next we meet, I would be very interested in learning more about this."

Fantastic. "It would be my pleasure."

"I fear I have taken up enough of your time," Palpatine said, a soft chuckle in his voice. "It's getting late, and I would hate to keep you from your wife. Please, give her my fondest regards, and I hope to see you very soon."

"As do I..." The com fell to static, than silence as the call dropped, and with a groan, Obi-Wan ran his hands over his face and through his hair. It could certainly have gone worse. He didn't sense Sidious' displeasure or anger, just curiosity and peaked interest, which was good. Or very, very bad. Regardless, there was nothing to be done about it now, and he had his future directives. Destroy Maul, locate Talzin, and investigate the threats on the Senate to free the Master for ease of movement. It was simple enough, except for the stuff that wasn't. Groaning, he got to his feet, stretched, and crushed the com beneath his heel. It wouldn't do for anyone to trace that call back to him, and while he was certain that his Master had taken the necessary precautions to ensure that didn't happen, Obi-Wan didn't leave anything to chance. He needed to go to Mandalore. Satine was a willing accomplice in his designs. She'd sooth the anxiety right out of him. The delegations she was entertaining could be easily avoided, and at night, she would be all his. He had enough practice sneaking around for years. What was a little while longer when he would be Emperor beside her soon enough?