ADAS KALLIG
I was on my way to the Chancellor's Palpatine office. It would be a waste to not use the opportunity to meet the leader of the republic in person, especially as I planned to start building my new faction soon. Building a powerful organization needs many funds and connections and I possess neither at the moment.
Getting some credits wouldn't be hard, especially with my knowledge about forgotten planets, full of valuable objects.
connections are harde, on the other hand, are harder to make. It took me years of careful manipulations, many different favours and a lot of violent murders to get where I was before my death. It also didn't hurt that both republic and empire were forced to fight a common enemy several times, letting me gain allies I wouldn't be able to get otherwise. Now I am with nothing, so I have to start from the scratch.
That's why the Chancellor's invitation was such a great opportunity. I would meet a person in power, hopefully being able to befriend/charm/manipulate him into helping me with my plans, while also finally getting answers about the current state of the republic. It was almost perfect.
Almost, as there was one tiny problem. People that decided to accompany me to the meeting.
"There is no way the jedi order will let you meet the chancellor alone" said Windu grimly, acting as if he was in charge. He probably wanted to show his domination over me with this sentence, but it wasn't very convincing. Authority is only possible if the person respects you and the jedi council didn't exactly give me a reason to do that so far. Seriously, how pathetic you have to be to not only conduct a trial without any preparation, but also let a known enemy of the order leave after not being able to sentence him? Without any assassination? That's what Jedi shadows are for. Try to use them in the future.
"Because what? I will possess him or something?" I asked sarcastically. Doing something like that would only hurt me in a long way. First, the Jedi would have a reason to hunt me because of that. Second, I don't know anything about the political scene of the republic. For all I know, possessing Palpatine would only hurt my future plans because of my lack of knowledge about the current situation.
"This or worse! The sith can't be trusted, you will corrupt the natural order the second you have a chance, destroying everything on your path without care"
"These are just hurtful stereotypes used to justify the violence against the empire. Being a Sith is all about self-improvement and being in touch with your emotions. Jedi just try to destroy our reputation by spreading false rumors. They think they are so great, sitting in their empty chambers with sticks in their asses, contemplating about the nature of the universe. They are just nerds, who think they are a big deal just because they can lift objects with their minds. They cannot even shoot the lightning with their hands, yet they act superior for some reason.
"Stereotypes? So many genocides and attrocities and you act like sith didn't do anything wrong?!" Exclaimed Obi-wan Kenobi, joining the discussion. Well, yes, there were some atrocities, but how does it matter?
"I mean, everyone commits some war crimes. Republic had a prison on Belsavis when they kept descendants of the original criminals as a prisoners and you don't see me accusing you of anything"
"You won't change anything by using these pathetic lies. It's only a matter of time before you will show your true nature. You won't be able to stop myself. Sith can't do anything but destroy." Said Windu, obviously trying to somehow win this already lost discussion.
"This is actually completely false. Did you ever hear about something called sith alchemy? We can create a lot of interesting things, so saying we can only destroy shows your ignorance" he was scowling now, obviously not willing to admit that he was wrong. Bullying jedi was fun.
"But fine, you can join me. Not like I can do much about it, as you were also invited" then I thought about something important "wait, now that I think about it, I don't have any formal clothes. Could you lend me something to wear? I promise I will give it back after the meeting"
And that's why I ended travelling with Mace Windu and Yoda, with my outfit still the same as when I landed on the planet. It just showed that Jedi are just a bunch of vindictive cheapskates, who wouldn't help a person in need, even if it were to cost them nothing.
If the chancellor asks, it was their fault that I didn't look presentable. And to tell the truth, I actually wanted to look good while meeting Palpatine.
The reason was simple. The closer I was to the Chancellor's office, the more potent the dark side of the force became. It emitted a familiar scent of corruption, which was quite pleasant after spending so much time among jedi. It almost felt like home.
But it also brought up some important questions like: why does the Chancellor's office feel like the fortress of the sith lord? And why did the Jedi allow something like that to exist on Coruscant, so close to their temple?
Let's think. The fact that there was so much of the dark energy there most probably meant that the man known as Sheev Palpatine was also a sith lord. So far so good. But why would jedi allow a sith to become a chancellor? Stopping something like that was their whole point, or at least it should be. So what was going on?
My thoughts went to the veil of the darkside covering the galaxy. The only rational explanation about it existing on such a huge scale was that Jedi must have lost to the sith. They wouldn't let something like that happen if it wasn't the case.
It would also explain all these imperial symbols and the mandalorian army. The Jedi had to surrender to the sith after being defeated. Being a Victor of the conflict, Palpitine started to change things, bringing back some imperial traditions, while keeping the defeated Jedi order as a trophy.
"Hey, Windu. Does the Chancellor have a good relationship with Anakin Skywalker?" I asked, trying to confirm something. If I am right...
"The more you talk the more I think you are not a Sith but some cruel joke created by the dark side to torment us. Such rudeness!" When he saw that I didn't stop staring at him, he let out a defeated sigh. " Yes, Chancellor Palpatine and Anakin have a good relationship, ever since Anakin was just a Child. What brought this stupid question?"
Ignoring him, I returned to my thoughts. It made sense. When Palpatine defeated the Jedi, he sent his apprentice there, to keep his eye on them. That's why they ignored Anakin's obvious bloodlust.
Also this war started because one of the jedi, a pureblood sith called Dooku Ahsoka talked about, left the order, being disgusted by its corruption. He probably wasn't able to bear being a slave to the sith lord. He gained allies among aliens, obviously discriminated against by the sith-ruled republic and started the war to liberate the galaxy and overthrow the puppetmaster sith that was ruling the republic.
To make sure that more jedi wouldn't join Dooku, he surrounded them with mandalorian clones, who would kill them in case of treason. Simple but elegant.
Okay, I was seriously impressed by this young brilliant man. Palpatine seemed like a quite intelligent and reasonable fellow, judging by his treatment of the Jedi, so maybe we will be able to get along.
As Palpatine had to take care of something important before having a meeting with me, his assistant took me, Windu and Yoda to his office, so we could wait for him, making ourselves comfortable.
The moment we entered the room, I knew my theory was right. The dark side was covering the entire room, clinging to everything and announcing that this territory was already taken. It was almost like entering the monsters' nest, with a sense of danger kicking in immediately after going inside.
The room was big, with black and red, classic sith colours on the walls. There were also many objects there, placed as a mark of status.
"Oh, nice sith sculptures" I said, looking at various objects around the room. I was never an expert in these matters, but I was able to tell that they were all of great quality, making Palpatine quite a collector.
"What did you say?" Asked windu. Weird, I thought he would be one of these pretentious art lovers, who wouldn't shut up about different styles and periods. He just had that look.
"These are all quite valuable sith sculptures of good quality, coming from different periods. Palpatine has a great taste. He probably had to spend a lot of time and effort to get these"
"You think you can fool us?! Why would Chancellor Palpatine have sith art in his office?!" Shouted Windu, clearly agitated. I started to suspect his mind wasn't quite...right.
" Because he is a sith lord?" I looked at him like he was stupid. " I would have thought his office being covered in dark energy would be enough of a sign" What kind of jedi wouldn't be able to feel the dark side in the air? Wait a minute...
"Wait, no. Palpatine sabotaged Jedi's ability to sense and use the light side. Sorry, I forgot about that" I admitted. It was my mistake. I felt it the moment I exited the tomb and yet I still forgot about something like that.
"The fabled veil of the dark side" I heard Yoda whispering softly, looking as though he was having an epiphany. Did they not know about that? Whoops. Palpatine probably wanted to keep it a secret, in case of a Jedi rebellion. I will have to apologize to him later.
The atmosphere in the room became heavy. Windu and Yoda were silent, their faces grim. Well, this is awkward. In my defence though, it was Windu who started the conversation, so It was his fault.
I didn't want to greet my fellow sith with such a negative air in the room. I quickly looked around the office, trying to find something to talk about.
Fortunately, I spotted a familiar object, placed on one of the tables.
"A sith chalice!" I exclaimed, intentionally loud, bringing Yoda and Windu's attention to me. I waited a little, hoping that one of them would ask me about it, but they were still silent, just looking at me with a hard gaze.
I coughed in my hand, pressing on despite the awkwardness. I had to keep going. "You know, it was very popular in my time. Many high class sith possessed one of two. You may think it's just a decoration, but It's actually an incense burner, used for various sith rituals" I picked it up and moved closer to the Jedi, trying to give them a better look at the chalice. It was in the shape of a large, metallic cup with red markings and a spiked lid. Judging by the smell, it was also filled with korriban incense. Palpatine really had a good taste.
I sneaked a look at the jedi masters. Were they interested? Whait, why did they look even more tense than before?
Desperate to do something, I used my force to light up the burner and let them see the effect. Almost immediately, black smoke started to leave the chalice, spreading a corruption of the dark side through the room. It looked really cool as the fog was moving slowly, as if alive, curling around us. I could even hear soft whispers, as if something was trying to enter my mind, which was another effect of the lit burner. There is no way Windu and Yoda wouldn't be able to feel it, even with the veil.
I raised my head. Would that be enough to make them relax a little? Inhaling the dark side vapor always helped me with stress, so maybe it would also help them ease up a little. I didn't want my meeting with Palpatine to go badly.
The moment I looked at them, I knew I failed.
The face of Windu could have been made out of stone. He didn't show any emotions, but I could feel the raging emotions inside him, barely restrained by his iron will. Yoda on the other hand looked like he was about to die from an old age, almost collapsing on his cane.
I gave up. I tried to keep the conversation going, but it was too awkward. It would be best to just wait for Palpatine, maybe he would be able to somehow change this awful mood in the room.
The next five minutes were silent, with the dark side whispers from a chalice being the only source of noise, every second making the situation more awkward. Honestly, how did it happen? I just wanted to have a nice, pleasant meeting with my junior. I was even nice to the jedi so that they wouldn't ruin everything!
Fortunately I heard footsteps coming from the outside. Few seconds later the door opened and Palpatine went inside. He was wearing a silver formal outfit, probably more appropriate to wear in the senate than a sith robe. I guess it would look bad for a sith to openly wear his robe on official occasions.
"I apologize for being late, there was that one senator who just couldn't stop talking about..." Palpatine started, but became silent after one look at the room. First he looked at the chalice in my hands, which was still emitting a black fog, slowly darkening the room. Then he very slowly moved his gaze up, meeting my eyes, as I looked at him with gratitude. Finally his eyes moved to the silent jedi masters, stopping there.
There was a beat of silence.
Then the room changed into a battlefield. Windu was brutally attacking Palpatine with his lightsaber. Palpatine was protecting himself from windu while shooting lightning at Yoda. Yoda was using force to both protect himself and send furniture at Palpatine, trying to splatter Chancellor's head with his own belongings.
Some would say this was bad, but I was just glad things weren't as awkward as before.