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Phase 11: The long way home

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Part 10

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Royal Palace

Theed

Naboo

Few hours of making additional deals and promises later, there was little immediately useful to show for. It was frustrating but not surprising – too much of the future depended on what was happening in the Core; we had no way of knowing details barring Satine's announcement of her becoming the Chancellor and calling off Order 66. While hyperdrives were an incredible capable piece of technology, their greatest strength was when they could be employed upon the hyperlanes. By using those, a starship could cross the galaxy in just couple of days. In contrast, when flying away from them, simply passing through a territory as small as a sector could take a few weeks or months depending on the stellar cartography there and how often ships passed through and updated the charts.

What that meant in practical terms was that with the CIS in control of the hyperlanes leading to the Core and either capturing, destroying or jamming all holonet stations between Naboo and there, the Republic was effectively cut to pieces. There was no way to communicate with the Core baring sending a ship or having available a stupidly overpowered transmitter that can blast its messages across most of the galaxy. There were few and far between and none in Republic control outside the Core.

There was also the little problem that the CIS was concentrating as many of their ships as possible between us and the Core, which was the reason why we had to make our way to the eastern part of the galaxy before even thinking about making a dash for Republic space.

All that left me in an interesting bargaining position. I could speak for myself and the Mandalorian people as Mandalore. I was the most senior Republic commander in the whole region, which helped too. What I couldn't do was negotiate for the Republic outside what the GAR needed to operate. Everything was made even more "fun" considering my aim was to undermine the Republic in the long run and replace it with something more sensible. That was the height of irony – after all my initial goals was to see a reformed and militarized Republic prepare for the Vong once this war was over. However, my experiences with the Senate after returning to Coruscant as Mandalore were an eye-opening experience.

There was no way to herd the Senate long term in any way that would ultimately prove less trouble and work than going for Palpy's plan for an Empire. That could have worked beautifully too, if the bloody Jedi didn't kill him and thus directly lead to the shenanigans I had to deal with ever since Kamino.

In the end, it was me writing off the Republic as a viable future that led me to even entertaining Tarkin's plan for the Mid-Rim and the whole campaign. The most frustrating part about this whole mess was that a lot of the locals apparently had the weird notion that everything we did in the last few weeks in the region could somehow impact the war at large or even shorten it, which was patently ridiculous. Anything like that was never in the cards in the first place, but at least explaining that to the locals with infinite patience and as small words as it would take would be Tarkin's job. What made it so hard to comprehend that the ships the CIS had in the region would have never made a difference elsewhere? They would have either stood guard over the hyperlands and at their bases, thus keeping the Republic ships gathered at Naboo from leaving the area or they would have continued their attacks – just as we found them doing when we first arrived here after Kamino. No matter what the CIS in the region did, by the time everything was resolved they either would have lost the bulk of their local forces while reducing our own or had to keep them here until the war at large was resolved. Even reducing Sullust's industry wouldn't be vital – the Separatists, as small as they were before their grand offensive had hundreds if not thousands of worlds that rivalled its output.

I should calm down. Dealing with that wasn't my problem – it was all Tarkin's and I could enjoy the thought of him trying to explain that to the locals. I would be leaving soon, just after I visited the newest addition to Naboo's court – Ki-Adi-Mundi, who was guest to a reportedly very nice cell.

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Mundi's cell was indeed nice. Real nice in fact – it resembled a more high end guest suite instead of a place you would keep a supposed criminal. It had to be for holding high value "guests" or royals suspected but not proven of doing any wrongdoing.

"General Veil." The tall Jedi gently bobbed his overly-large head in a nod. "Perhaps you can shed some light on the latest unpleasantries. Please, do have a seat." He waved at a nearby couch – an antique one made of carved wood and covered by expensive looking embroidered cushions.

Did I mention that the furniture was more suited for the Queen's own quarters than for any kind of cell?

"I can, at least in part, though I believe by now you're aware of the gist of it." I tried very hard to keep my tone amiable. By all accounts, Mundi got caught flat-footed by the coup and the consequent Order 66. See, the thing was, I found it hard to care. The Jedi messed up my plans for the future, their stunt at Coruscant directly led to my actions at Kamino and despite the Dark Side keeping my conscience in check, I was still bloody bitter about that, not to mention one of them nearly murdered my wife.

Any goodwill I had about this era's Jedi, which came from my time before even stepping a foot in this universe, was very much gone by now.

Deep in the dark corners of my mind, Shaak Ti's presence stirred when she figured out I was meeting another Jedi. She was both relieved and terrified when she figured out I hadn't made up my mind about what I was going to do with Mundi.

"Order 66. The Coup." The old Jedi stated sadly. "I'll admit I have no idea what the Council was thinking."

Oh, it was clear what they thought – suffer no Sith to live. Considering they went after Palpy, they somehow figured it out and went out to get him not as half-cocked as they did in the movies. They did manage to kill him after all, though how exactly they pulled that off I would never know. Perhaps I've been overestimating the man – I had no idea what was the last time he actually fought but that might have very well been before he became a Chancellor. While the Force could help you keep yourself in top physical shape with little to no training to keep in shape, the same wasn't true for combat skills – those were very much a perishable commodity.

People tend to forget that one of the primary functions and policies of the Jedi were to eradicate the Sith, no matter what they said in public. Their history made that painfully clear, though they never put it that way officially. Officially, it was all preserving and protecting the Republic, this, policing Force Sensitives for the good of all, that.

"True that." I allowed. "The big question is what you knew about the Jedi Coup, their treason. Not to mention the little issue of their assassination attempt on my person at Kamino." I smiled at the man and it wasn't at all pleasant.

"Nothing whatsoever." Mundi declared. He might have even meant it, but it the end that was of little consequence about his fate. Even if it was true, the question that mattered was what now?

=RK=

Part 11

=RK=

"Royal" cells

Royal Palace

Theed

Naboo

Mundi sat in a comfortable looking armchair with a serene smile on his face – it was like he had no worry in the world.

"Are you interested in the truth? I already told you." The Jedi Master spoke with an infuriating calmness.

"Oh, I'm very interested in it." My shark-like smile didn't waver. "It's another question how much it has to do with what will happen."

"Refreshingly blunt – that's one of the few things I do like about you, Veil. Let me state it plainly for the record again – I had no idea what the Jedi Council planned, nor am I aware why they did it." Mundi's kind eyes focused on me. "What now, General?"

That was an excellent question. The nasty thing was that I actually needed as many Jedi as I could trust on my side. Perrion and company had been busy – their blitz on Kamino was a proof of that. In the end I could be only at one place at a time and I would be hunting that bastard when the opportunity presented itself. I had no idea how many people he had trained to use the Force, nor how he had available. Then there were the Jedi who could have got away in the confusion following Order 66 – both on Coruscant and across the galaxy at large. They were going to be trouble. I needed people able to use the Force I could reasonably trust and right now that was only Obi-Wan, potentially Anakin and Aria – my remaining apprentice on Mandalore.

The four Jedi I turned at Eriadu didn't really count – sooner than later they will be more trouble than they were worth. I simply didn't have the time to groom Dark Siders so they would remain reasonably sane and not turn on me in the near future.

The moment Madorin declined to work with me, he sealed his fate. Mundi on the other hand was one of the more reasonable and open minded Jedi of this era. Of course I believed the same was true about Ti and look how that turned out...

In the back of my head said woman snorted in derision.

"Now?" I repeated. "We're in an impasse it seems. What do you want, Master Mundi?"

"A great many things, General, though I doubt you can offer any of them."

How to play this...

"You know, the only reason Order 66 wasn't as bad as it could have been was General Valentra and me. The original text called for summary execution of all Jedi." I admitted.

"You knew of it?" That revelation shook the serene smile off his face.

"Do you really think I would have taken command of the GAR without making damn sure I was aware of all the contingencies they had in place?" I asked. To my surprise, Mundi actually looked thoughtful at my words. "You've got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed. Now it was beginning to make sense, but... "Tell me you fools didn't?"

"Look too close at the gift army we found ourselves commanding? There was an ongoing investigation but it was a relatively low priority one. Most of us were too busy fighting the war. We knew about some Contingency Orders too." Mundi sighed and suddenly looked even older than his advanced age. "Order 66? Dooku was a former Jedi in charge of the Confederacy. It made sense that there was a contingency in place in case a Jedi followed in his steps and no member of the Order was at hand to stop them. A Jedi Coup forcing the Chancellor to give that order with his dying breath? That was inconceivable, especially that the Clones would go after all Jedi once it was given. I'm still struggling with believing it, yet I've seen a record of that transmission with my own eyes. The same goes with the announcement of your sister-in-wall becoming the new Chancellor, which confirms that Palpatine is either dead or not in a position to execute his duties."

It was very much conceivable to me. The GAR was a Sith creature; their real purpose was to stab the Jedi in the back when Order 66 was given – everything else was secondary.

"As far as the Order's precise text go – it was all about neutralizing a Jedi proven traitor to the Republic when I saw the text."

Well, wasn't that curious – that wasn't exactly the one Valentra and I had to rewrite, though the gist was similar. It was another question that such a wording was open for interpretation even before you had indoctrinated Clones to deal with.

"Further, my own command wasn't interested in capturing me but instead did their absolute best to kill me."

"That happens when you have an indoctrinated Clone army meant to purge the Jedi when the order was given." I smiled wryly. Carefully mixing truth and lies might be for the best in this case. It wasn't like there was anyone left alive to contradict my narrative. "I had a fascinating chat with Kamino's prime minister before Jedi Masters Ti and Rancisis tried to cut my head off."

"Is that so?" Mundi's face was a calm mask that gave nothing. Even examining him through the Force was like looking at a calm, tightly controlled pool of light showing now clues of what he thought about.

"Whoever you had investigating, must have asked the wrong questions. The Clones were indoctrinated since before birth to follow orders, serve the Republic and most importantly, when Order 66 was given to wipe out the Jedi. You my friend, got played long before this war began."

"By you?" He inquired, still keeping this highly irritating calm mask on.

"I wasn't around for that stunt. Besides, its too convoluted a plan for my taste." I shook my head. I would have acted in a more direct fashion if I had the GAR indoctrinated to follow my orders, complete with turning as many Jedi as possible before the first shot was fired. Perhaps even executing a direct strike on Coruscant to take out the Order if I could somehow hide my intentions from them. Once that was done, I could have taken my time subverting and dealing with the Republic. It would be worth it even if I lost the whole GAR in the process, which would have been unlikely to happen. Besides, I simply didn't have the patience and temperament to play Chancellor of the Republic for decades like Palpy did, which for all intents and purposes made the Banite Sith's plan non-viable as far as I was concerned.

"That much I can believe." He slowly inclined his head. "Very conveniently all proof you have burned with Kamino, didn't it?"

"That's true. However, the Clones actions when they got Order 66 speak for themselves. It is actually a matter of record that Valentra and I altered Order 66 to capture when practical. If he's still alive he can confirm my words too, but we got off topic, Master Mundi. Let us talk about the future."

"Mine in particular?"

It was my turn to nod. "And that of the Jedi. The Order as it existed is gone for good. It would be a long, long time before anyone trusts the Jedi again." Which should have been a joyful thought, but I did need the bastards, damn it!

"I've seen it for myself." Mundi admitted. "While there are some people who are friendly or at least neutral towards me here, a great many are hostile."

"This is Palpatine's homeworld. Say what you will about the man, but he was beloved not only on Naboo but across the whole Republic." I chuckled. "Even if you found proof of something patently ridiculous – as if he was a Sith or as corrupt as most people in the Senate, most people either won't believe it or will make excuses for him."

Whey you consider the man's popularity, I wondered what would have happened in the original timeline if the Jedi somehow managed to off him in his office at the end of the Clone Wars. Somehow I found it hard to believe that the military and the citizenry at large would have bought any explanations of him being a traitor to the Republic. Palpy being a hidden Force Adept – and that was all the Jedi knew at the time, one that wasn't a Jedi at that, was all they really had. If they failed to find a damn solid proof in his office, things would have turned ugly.

Mundi grimaced at my words. "Again, true. I'm old enough and I've been outside the Jedi temple often enough to see that as a distinct possibility. Sometimes the ability of people to convince themselves what the 'truth' is, is frankly astounding."

"Master Mundi, you said you liked my bluntness, so I'll be as clear as I can. When I found myself in the future, I was prepared to co-exist with the Jedi. Those who engineered the murder of my first wife were long dead or so I believed. The Old Republic and Sith Empire were long gone and to be honest, opposing you all would have been too much work for no real gain in the end. Besides, the supposed Sith leading the Confederation offended me." The thought of Dooku claiming to be a real Sith was still highly amusing, especially after I found the man captured by a bunch of pirates who managed to cut his arm off on camera no less.

"You made that much clear in the past."

"The Jedi Coup on Coruscant changed everything." I let the durasteel control I kept upon the Dark Side slip and my eyes glowed sinisterly with her power. "I felt Mace Windu nearly murder my wife at Coruscant. Mere hours later, Shaak Ti and Rancisis attempted to murder me at Kamino when I arrived with a fleet to reinforce them. Any goodwill or tolerance I had for this era's Jedi is gone. Fortunately for some of you, I find myself in the unpleasant position to find your kind... necessary. Did Yoda brief you about Perrion and his Old Republic Remnant? Did someone told you about the Jedi the Separatists deployed at Kamino or the weapon they used to mess up my Battle Meditation that led to that world burning?"

"I've heard rumours but nothing concrete."

So I told him my version of the truth complete with camera footage from the survivors of the 501st. I had that prepared before heading down here once Tarkin informed me who had turned up on Naboo after I left for Sullust.

"That's concerning." Mundi admitted after he watched the recording. "The situation has turned then. The Republic is backed by the Sith and the Separatists have Jedi to spearhead their campaigns."

The irony wasn't lost to any of us.

"The only saving grace for you is that I don't want any more unhinged Dark Siders running around. I already found a bunch of your people who had fallen after Order 66 came down on Eriadu – those tickling time-bombs are currently in orbit. Madorin and company." If Mundi decided to play ball he was going to find about them sooner or later and if I hid the fact that they had fallen to the Dark Side, that would undoubtedly bite me in the ass. As long as he didn't have proof that I was the one to turn them, I might be in the clear. Otherwise, well, I was playing quite a dangerous game with the man right now. While he was more useful alive and on my side, when all was said and done if he decided to oppose me he was going to die and I would have to face the fallout.

"Of course you had nothing to do with them falling." He didn't look particularly convinced.

"Nope. And we both know that even if they claim otherwise, that could be just Dark Jedi doing their best to create chaos. It is also true that no matter what the truth is some would believe that I did it despite any evidence to the contrary and others will see it as inevitable that they fell after the Jedi Coup."

"We both know you can't have any evidence you didn't turn them." Mundi grimaced.

"True that." I agreed. "May I point out I'm not actually trying to turn you? I already have an apprentice and when we're back together I'll have my hands full with keeping her from going on the deep end as a lot of Dark Side users tend to go. If you've paid any attention to my history, I had to deal with a Jedi I turned back in the Empire days. Keeping that little bundle of insanity from causing too much trouble was too much of a headache to ever want to turn another Jedi."

Unless I intended to use them as cannon fodder, I wisely didn't add.

"I'm aware of the girl. The Order's version of event's is quite different."

"Of course it is." I snorted. It figures that the Jedi's records and histories would paint them as saints and us as even bigger monsters than we were if that was at all possible.

"What are your intentions towards the Jedi?" Mundi asked.

"Everyone who took a part in the coup is going to die for treason. Even if I was inclined to, I won't waste any political capital on saving any of that bunch. Mace Windu dies when I get my hands on the bastard. That said, any Jedi who is not implicated in that nonsense and is ready to play ball will have a place in the military. I'm envision a deal similar to what Skywalker got. The Jedi will become a branch of the GAR – your autonomy is gone for good. The same goes for most of you playing generals. For one, I won't trust you not to do something foolish with that much of an authority. On the bright side, Obi-Wan is in charge of the GAR so you people will usually be as far away from me as both of us can arrange." I needed any trustworthy Jedi in the field countering the ORR. It was a nice bonus that a lot of them were going to die in the process, saving me the headache.

Minutes stretched as Mundi thought over my proposal.

=RK=

AN: Feedback on the talk with Mundi, please. I think that the next update should be from Mundi's POV and only then Delkatar will be finally heading for the Core.