Yes another tongue in cheek chapter title, but as some on SB reminded me...Callera's got a fairly immediate issue to handle. If she can remember it.
Sifo-Dyas was late. Three days overdue to be precise. And every hour since his predicted return gnawed deeper at Callera. The council while concerned, did not seem to share in her urgency to confront him. He would be there soon enough in their minds, with the Naboo Crisis resolved Sidious would need time to build to the next step, to the Clone Wars. But this Dark Lord is the schemer's schemer, and Callera had tossed a spanner in the works.
'Paitence' Every Council member had met her concerns with the word when first day of the wayward Jedi being late had passed. And by Allya she had tried. Physical therapy, time with Anakin, more time sparring with Master Drallig than most of the Order would consider healthy, helping Korshae polish his form with polearms now that he had officially been taken as a Padawan; but nothing settled her unease. She needed to talk to Sifo-Dyas, to pump him for the details of the next stage of Sidious' plan. Even if he was a pawn, he had something Callera needed badly. Knowledge. She never thought her only basic understandings of history would come back to bite her harder than a Rancor ever could. Even then, how much would be accurate in this timeline...
'Start with what you know and work from there.' While she never spent much time learning from Master Horn, thanks to spending time with his wife Callera would like to think she had picked up a little of his methodology at times. And that brings her here. A secluded meditation chamber off the main corridors with Master Qui-Gon, Healer Ky'sa, and Padawan Kenobi. The last title one she still wants to change quickly, but first.
"I need your help," Callera's words bring absolute towards her, "I don't know what I know."
"What do you mean?" Ky'sa focusing her gaze on the silver haired woman.
"I have bits and pieces of the current moment and the Clone Wars in a decades time up here," tapping her temple before continuing, "but what exactly I know, I do not know."
"Do they not teach history in your time?" Ky'sa's voice soft with amusement belying her gaze.
"As I told the two of them," Callera waves a hand at the Master and Padawan duo, "a lot of the records were destroyed or altered to match the Emperor's vision of things during the lead up to his takeover. Between that and the fact that just trying to keep a handle on galactic events since I was born could be considered a full-time field of study, is it any wonder that a non-student of history would only have bits and pieces?"
At this Qui-Gon's firm yet soft voice interjects, "I gather you wish us to ask questions, to try and ascertain what you know and open up more avenues for inquiry to find ways to stop this plot in its tracks."
"Correct."
Obi-Wan looks at his Master who returns the gaze with a nod before Obi-Wan turns to face Callera. "What can you tell us about the opposition?"
"They called themselves a confederacy of some sort. Made up mostly of very wealthy and influential groups like the Trade Federation and Banking Clans. Used droid armies. Between the Droids and the fact that all member groups of the confederacy were nonhuman, it made it easy to turn the Republic forces and propaganda to a more human first mindset to oppress other races."
"Same droids as the ones we saw on Naboo?"
"Most likely evolutions of them, it was a decade after Naboo after all Master Qui Gon."
"With droid intelligence, what did they do for covert operations?"
"A mix of mercenaries, bounty hunters, and dark side acolytes of varying degrees..." Callera's voice trailing off as pieces start falling into place.
"Someone left the order recently, didn't they. Someone human. Someone who had the respect of the Order. Left for a political position."
Qui-Gon's eyes narrow as he follows her words, "The Lost Jedi number twenty at the moment, and the last one fits the racial description and the fact he has taken up an inherited title. But I do not think my own Master would be capable of leading a force against the Republic and the Jedi."
"Even if he felt the system had become corrupt? If he felt the Order had become part of the problem? If he'd been turned..." Callera's words trail off letting the implications fill the air.
"You think Sidious got to him?" Ky'sa words further bringing a chill to the air.
"Or he found Sidious and wanted to learn what the Order wouldn't teach. Or was shown how the dark can be used to control and not just influence." Callera snorts half-heartedly, "Forcing your will upon others, to create order, to create 'peace.'" the last word spat out. "How close was your Master to Sifo-Dyas?"
"Master Dooku was Sifo-Dyas' closest friend in the order," Ky'sa cuts in before Qui-Gon can speak, "are you insinuating that he might be part of the reason that Sifo-Dyas has not arrived yet?"
"Yes, no, I don't know." Callera's exasperation plain as she sighs, "But right now Dooku fits the bill for one of the most influential and potent of Sidious' acolytes in my timeline, and if the same is true here..."
"He could already be compromised by now." Obi-Wan's stunned voice finishes the thought.
"And if he is, there is no telling what damage he has already done." Ky'sa chimes in, "Altered records, knowing what the Order knows so Sidous could counter our movements better, recommending Jedi for certain assignments for outcomes that benefit the Sith rather than the Republic."
"If that's the case then why have him leave the Order?" Qui-Gon's voice steady, but eyes weary, "wouldn't he be better as a spy at the Temple?"
"Only to a point." Ky'sa and Callera speak in unison before Ky'sa nods ceding the floor to Callera.
"Who better to lead your opposition than your own acolyte? But it takes time to build the trust and authority one would need to lead a Confederation effectively, even if you are leading it to its demise in the long run. As tensions rise, Dooku's rank as Count grants him certain privileges in certain quarters, using that plus the respect and authority he can borrow from being of the Order even at remove to position himself as a guiding figure as the movement gains momentum."
"How would we prove this assertion one way or the other?" Qui-Gon's solemn tone, "You make a case that is plausible, but without proof to accuse him would be a travesty if false and push our foes to potentially lash out in unpredictable ways if true."
"The Council appears to be content to wait for Sifo-Dyas to plan out the next moves against the Sith. And some of them are friends with or at least friendly to Count Dooku even with his separation from the Order. The passivity of the first coupled with the potential of a Dathomiri Shimmer Snake in the second leaves me at wits end."
"Grandmaster Yoda." Obi-Wan chimes in. "Dooku's Master was Yoda, convince him that Dooku could be compromised and hopefully that will help limit Dooku's access to the investigation and remind the Council that Sidious is out there. Even if he is not who you say he is, Maul shows he exists as does Master Dyas' confirmation of his 'special project,' means the overall path of your tale is still taking shape."
"Well said Padawan," Qui-Gon's eyes alight with pride at his student as he turns to lock eyes with Callera, "your next step is clear then. I do not know what to believe in regards to my Master, but you are right that in a scenario as you present he is in a unique position to affect the fate of the Republic. The Council needs to be made to see that, and be mindful of how they interact with him."
Callera catches the eyes of those in the room with her before bowing her head, "Thank you for helping me find the next step on my path."
Ky'sa shakes her head, "Our path. We're all committed to stopping this threat to the Jedi and the Republic. You're not alone, remember that."
