35 BBY
Despite her misgivings about being inducted into what could be described as a cult that brainwashed children, Tan'ya was thoroughly enjoying her lessons as a Jedi.
In her second life to cast a spell through a computation orb, even the Elenium Type 95, the user needed a clear mind, a focus on their purpose, and the required formula. The Living Force was similar in some regards, but in others it differed vastly from the field of science Tan'ya had once called 'Magic'.
The Force was a living thing, allegedly, and it bound together all other living creatures. Just the idea of it was a bit frightening, if true. It was made marginally better when Sifo Dyas explained that the Force was often measured by the presence of a miniscule life form called Midi-Chlorians.
These subcellular organisms had somehow infected all life in the known galaxy as best as Tan'ya could discern. They allowed all living beings to communicate with each other in some kind of a gestalt psychic consciousness. The exact method by which they did that wasn't clear, but it was something measurable and provable, a naturalistic explanation Tan'ya vastly preferred to Master Sifo's penchant for mysticism.
The way Sifo talked about the Will of the Force reminded Tan'ya entirely too much of how Christians and other monotheistic religions talked about their God. Ever-present, omnipotent, omniscient, and with a plan for the future. Honestly, of course a bunch of bacteria had a plan for the future. Like all single celled life forms they would be entirely focused on propagating themselves through their hosts. Well, if they gave Tan'ya telekinesis in the process she was happy to let them do it.
Master Sifo's lessons had mostly been focused on self control since the lack of it resulted in her destroying the school's door with what was supposed to be a gentle push. He had instructed her not to try and use the force outside of his presence, at least until she wasn't a risk to herself and others, and she had obeyed. Back in her second life she had been forced to break many of her own cadets of their bad habits. There was no need to soar to the heights of her potential just yet, she had time, and it was important to develop the primary skills that would keep her safe before she learned the wrong way of doing things.
One of the most important skills her master wanted her to focus on was emotional self control, which was conveniently something Tan'ya had been worrying about for some time now. The body she was in was more prone to childish mood swings than her previous ones, which was frustrating and embarrassing. It turned out that a good part of that was actually the Force itself detecting the emotional states of the people around her and feeding them back to Tan'ya, some of which she mistook for her own feelings, and some of it was her own instinctive response to those feelings around her. Shielding her mind, learning to wall it off from those around her, was a basic but important step towards regaining her equilibrium. Though even with her mind walled off, Tan'ya found she wasn't quite like her old self.
There were feelings and impulses she found inside herself, as she began to sift through her own mind during mediations. Beneath all the obvious emotions she'd found a strong current of… something. It was hard to describe, but it felt present and soft, like a gentle current. It was strange, like it was always there even when there were more powerful emotions present. When she was sad, or frustrated or happy, it was still there, unchanged. At first she thought it was just her baseline emotional state, but there were times that it felt stronger and times that it was more distant, though it never quite went away.
Finally, she asked, "Master, what's this feeling?" Tan'ya opened her mind for him to inspect, focusing on that soft emotion in particular.
Sifo smiled. "Love, Tan'ya. That's love."
"What?" She opened her eyes, raising her wall again and feeling somewhat embarrassed. "For who?"
"I think that's your love for me." Sifo answered with obvious amusement.
"But, I've only known you for a week!"
"No, you've known me for much longer than that."
Well, that was true she supposed. Maybe Tan'ya had become familiar with Sifo on a subconscious level from her mostly unremembered days as an infant.
Sifo continued his explanation. "Even if I wasn't here, your love for me would never truly go away. Unlike other emotions it lingers forever, weaker at some times but never truly gone, unless…"
"Unless what?"
"Unless it becomes hatred." Sifo paused, considering his student. "I guess now that we've arrived here, I have to explain the Dark Side to you."
"What's the 'Dark Side'?" Tan'ya asked, slightly amused by the ominous name.
"Nothing to make light of." Sifo warned. "There are two sides of the Force, the Light Side, which we can connect to with peace. We can draw on feelings of love, of joy, of serenity to calm ourselves even amidst a raging storm, and allow the Light Side to flow through us.
"In contrast, the Dark Side is fueled by hatred, fear, and anger, to impose your vision of what should be upon the world. If the Light Side is peace, then the Dark Side is domination."
Tan'ya considered for a moment. "I'm not sure I understand. You speak as though fear, hatred and anger are evil. Aren't they just part of our nature?"
"The exact logic of those who practice the Dark Side." Sifo shook his head sadly. "The argument might even be right, for those who aren't force sensitive these are nothing but just that, feelings that drive you to action. But we're force sensitive, and we commune with a living thing. The key difference between the two is that we are at peace with the Light Side and it's at peace with us, and in the same way you might seek to dominate the Dark Side it also seeks to dominate you.
"Practitioners of the Dark Side enjoy a rush of power. They often reach the peak of their abilities much faster than we might, and they draw great satisfaction in achieving their desires. What starts as hatred of evil, raging against injustice, or fear of danger will be warped with time. The more you draw on these feelings, the more the Dark Side will come to warp you. The users are transformed, often starting with the best of intentions and eventually becoming abominations. Powerful, irrational, and shielded from guilt or remorse by the paranoia, wrath and spite that they cling to."
It sounded frighteningly familiar to Tan'ya. The power offered to her in previous life through the Type 95 had a similar effect, filling her with reckless confidence and an indifference for life. Driven by anger and hatred she'd raged against Being X and his gift, not realizing she was playing right into his game.
"Tan'ya, you must not draw on the Dark Side. Ever." Master Sifo continued.
"Yes, Master. I promise." This was certainly not the sort of thing she would be investigating. At least, not until she was at least an adult, anyway.
"Good. If ever you feel tempted, just remember: all who rely on the Dark Side will die violently, and alone."
…Yup, the jedi were definitely a cult. Tan'ya smiled and nodded, just to move past this uncomfortable moment.
He smiled at her and stood up. "I think that's enough for today. Let's go get some fresh air."
Even though Sifo had intended for their small walk around the Temple Grounds to be a chance to stretch their legs and relax for a moment, Tan'ya found herself burning with curiosity. The armies of worker droids going about their business and endless rows of warehouses and temporary storage were not enough to hold her attention for any length of time.
"Master, are there many Dark Side users?"
"Thankfully, no." He sounded amused, which was slightly irritating. "They're much rarer than those who use the Light Side, mostly because of their self destructive tendencies." He shrugged his shoulders. "Dark Side organizations and cults have a tendency to turn inwards in time, tearing themselves apart with madness and infighting. Individually, they can be very powerful, but they only seem to last as long as they have an external foe to focus their hatred against.
"Are there any large Dark Side organizations in the Galaxy right now?"
"If there are, they're doing a good job hiding themselves… Jedi have been known to bump into some poor self taught fool on occasion, maybe even a small cult working together. In their ignorance they never understood the fire they were playing with. It's entirely too easy for a force sensitive who doesn't understand the danger to accidentally touch the Dark Side, and eventually come to rely upon it."
"Why don't the Jedi try to help them?" Tan'ya asked.
"They do, often, but much of the time we're simply too late." Sifo sighed, looking distant for a moment. "It's one thing to touch the Dark Side, but when you've bathed in it, gloried in it, drunk it unto yourself then, well, you just can't help someone who doesn't even realize that they need help. Especially not when they're so dangerous."
"...Did you know someone who fell to the Dark Side?" Tan'ya asked.
"No, no one." He looked at her and smiled, though to Tan'ya it looked forced. Likely, he wasn't willing to talk to a child about it. Whatever it was, it was likely a private affair. If some prior apprentice or friend of his had fallen, then surely he wouldn't want to talk about it.
Picking up on his social cue, Tan'ya decided to leave that one alone. "How do you fight people who use the Dark Side, if they're so powerful?"
"That's something you'll learn as you get older, right now you're a little too young to start lightsaber practice."
Tan'ya almost rolled her eyes at that.
"Why don't I go ahead and ask you some questions?" Sifo turned to look back at his student. "What are you using the local holonet uplink for? I can see that you've accessed it every night you've been here, even after I've told you to go to bed."
Looking down sheepishly, Tan'ya murmured. "I've been researching."
"Researching what?"
"History, mostly. But also different worlds, astrography, um… that sort of thing."
"You didn't mention weapons and starship manufacturing." Sifo crossed his arms.
"I… I mean, that's part of it."
"Tan'ya, I have administrator access to the uplink. I know what you've been reading."
"It's just… I'm curious, I guess." Tan'ya shrugged. "When I become Count one day, shouldn't I know these things?"
"The Jedi Lords really are being resurrected." Sifo sighed with a shake of his head and turned away.
"...What are the Jedi Lords?"
"A controversial topic." Sifo said after a moment, possibly realizing he shouldn't have mentioned it at all. "One that you can learn about when you're older."
Oh, more of this? Tan'ya rolled her eyes. "You and father always say that, 'When you're older', but I already have my own compad. I'm reading after action reports from the Stark Hyperspace War right now, lots of things get published on the holonet, you know. I could easily search up the Jedi Lords if I wanted to. But I won't."
Sifo raised an eyebrow. "And why won't you?"
"Because I want you and Father to realize that I can be trusted." Tan'ya drew herself up, standing as tall as she could be, but still only coming to Sifo's waist. "I want to learn everything you have to teach me, I want to learn it as fast as I can, and I'm not going to cheat."
He regarded her for a long time. "Okay, Tan'ya. I'll talk to your father. He's made me promise not to tell you some things, but I'll see if he doesn't mind me going into the Jedi Lords. And other things as well."
"Thank you, Master." Tan'ya bowed her head. She was an expert at pushing boundaries, but she didn't want to upset Sifo or Father by doing so. If she could just push the line a little bit at a time, eventually the two of them would let her get away with anything and never realize that they'd done so.
"Don't be so smug." Sifo chided. "I notice that in all your time on the holonet you still haven't called your Mother."
Tan'ya froze.
"See? You've let your mental wall down. Now I can feel you panicking."
That evening, Sifo-Dyas retired to his own personal office cabin and kicked off his muddy shoes. After pouring himself a stiff drink of Corellian Brandy he sunk into his rugged old sofa chair with a relieved sigh.
The Jedi Master was nearly seventy. Some days he felt his age more than others, and having a new student to teach was only reminding him of his years.
Often he wondered how Dooku did it. There wasn't even a year between them. They had been friends as younglings, and somehow Dooku had as much energy and vitality now as when they were boys. Sifo could almost imagine his old friend running around at ninety years old with that old fashioned lightsaber of his and still somehow defeating men decades younger than himself in battle. It was like Dooku didn't even notice time passing, like it was beneath him.
Years ago, when Dooku had been appointed to the Jedi Council, Sifo had known it was a bad idea. No matter his wisdom or skill in the force, there was no way that he could ever be content to sit on a council that at its core was entirely focussed on preserving the status quo.
Sifo scowled and sighed, swirling the brandy in his glass before taking another sip. Not that his stint on the Council had fared much better.
Sifo had always been more patient than Dooku, but that was like saying that a Hutt was slimier than a Senator; definitely true, but not by much. The key difference between Dooku and himself was that he was a patriot, while the Count was a perfectionist. One saw a broken galaxy, and needed to fix it because he couldn't stand anything less. The other saw a broken Republic, and swore to defend it even from itself.
The story of the Republic was a long one, and Sifo couldn't bear to imagine it ending any time soon. Created to defend the core against the Sith twenty five thousand years ago, it rose and fell, rising again several times over. When the Republic was weak, the Galaxy descended into chaos, and when it was strong, peace reigned.
History fascinated Sifo. Ancient tales of flawed heroes like Lord Hoth, tragic fallen champions like Revan, and sinister villains like Naga Sadow had enraptured him ever since he'd broken into the holocron vault as a youth. If he hadn't been busy with his duties as a Jedi, Sifo could easily have spent his entire career chasing ancient legends, unearthing forgotten tombs, and writing books.
He still had a long list of unused sources on his compad for his unfinished work, 'A Complete History of the Republic', a lengthy project that he'd always dreamed of finishing. Sifo had even completed a course by distance through the University of Empress Teta, paid for with credits that he liberated from a large spice dealer's ring on that same world. Those were stolen credits that had to be returned, but even so he couldn't help himself. The chance to study history in a formal capacity was just too strong a temptation to pass up.
He studied hard whenever he had a chance, in between his other duties, and thoroughly enjoyed working on his doctoral thesis, 'Hyperspace Capable Organisms and their effects on Early Human Migration Patterns: the flaws in the Sleeper Ship Hypothesis.' It took ten years of irregular study, but eventually 'Dr Difo-Syas' had graduated without ever setting foot on campus.
He'd be continuing his studies right now, if he hadn't been distracted for so long by his… other project. Things were going well on that front. The Kaminoans had just about finished construction on the facility, and the project was only a few years from the point where they could begin mass cloning, then it would just be a matter of finding the right genetic template. It took decades to build the infrastructure necessary to outfit and recruit a million units.
Just finding manufacturers for the blasters and plastoid plates that wouldn't be detected by the Senate's bean counters had not been easy. It saddened him that he had to do this. Blastoid-Industries was the quintessential example of everything wrong with the current republic, a galactic corporation with questionable practices protected from repercussions by friends in high places. They were also the only company that would manufacture billions of blasters quietly without asking too many questions. The same qualities that made them such a stain on the Republic were what made them suitable for this role.
Sifo sighed, draining the last of his brandy and pouring himself another cup.
Would history remember him? Would they care? Future generations would find out about his role in creating the clone army, it couldn't stay hidden forever. Would they see it as a necessary act, or just more evidence of corruption?
The Galaxy had lots of armies. The Trade Federation, the Hutt Cartel's mercenary outfits, the Techno Union, the Thyrsian Sunguard and Emberlene Shadowguard, more and more every day. The entire Mandalore sector was one unifying leader away from having the most elite army in the galaxy. Central authority was breaking down, the Republic wasn't respected, loved, or feared. At the end of the day, the first duty of any government was to maintain order, and the Republic wasn't doing that. Through sheer corruption and inertia, they had somehow forgotten that the orders issued by the Senate only carried weight if they had the force to back them up.
Maybe a hundred years ago, ten thousand Jedi might have been enough to maintain peace in the Galaxy, but not anymore. The Jedi were outnumbered by a ratio of billions, and without an army of their own to call upon they were doomed to fail.
Sifo stared into the bottom of his glass, seeing his own reflection in the melting ice cubes. Peace requires strength. If the Jedi are weak, there can be no peace for anyone.
He knew that, history showed it again and again. Weakness invites attack, like a magnet draws iron or blood draws a predator. All those things the idealists obsessed over, personal rights, a free judiciary, fair elections, the sacred role of democracy, all of that just disappeared when someone shoved a blaster in your face. Any right to personal property is completely forgotten when confronted with bandits and pirates, and a fair court system was meaningless in the face of an endless cycle of violent reprisals. Any democracy would melt away like an asteroid that strayed too close to a star if an army of corporate droids kicked down the senate door.
The Republic needed an army, but all its institutions were failing. He wouldn't trust the Senate with an army, no more than he trusted the Hutts. The only old institution that still worked, still did its duty unbowed and with diligence were the Jedi. Of course the Clone Army had to go to the Jedi.
Had Lord Hoth ever felt this conflicted when he called up the Legions of Light? To take all that power into his own hands, the power to do anything, remake the galaxy as he saw fit, and to use it to battle the Darkness? A Jedi Lord, not beholden to any democratic procedures, with a vast army of billions at his personal command, and no one anywhere that could possibly tell him no.
Lord Hoth was a hero. He destroyed the Sith of his era and saved the Republic. A good man by all accounts, even if he had an explosive temper and didn't like compromising much. Hoth had been compassionate, brave, and cunning. Abrasive and stubborn. Sifo thought of him often, and knew it was good that he'd died when he did. Hoth had walked into the pages of history, his record unblemished by ugly postwar power struggles.
Alone with his thoughts, Sifo-Dyas stared at his tired, wrinkled face in the murky reflection of his Correllian Brandy, and thought how strange it was that the past and future met in him.
History was one of his interests, the other was prophecy.
The Jedi Council despised prophecy. Some masters believed that its power lay exclusively in the retelling, that by speaking of it they made it true, or worse, by struggling to avoid it you made it certain. The trick to avoid prophecy, they argued, was to just ignore it. After all, if it was real, it would happen regardless of your efforts, and if it wasn't then there was no need to trouble yourself with it.
The Temple on Coruscant had a vault stuffed with prophecies, a veritable labyrinth of problems that those on the Council simply chose not to think about if they could. Maybe they had a point. Sifo knew there were many prophecies that had not come to pass in that vault. If some on the Council had its way, Sifo's prophecy would have just ended up collecting dust with the others.
This prophecy had been different though. Not because of what it promised, but because of what it assumed.
"The Child of the Twentieth Lost would tear the Veil of Deception open, and reveal the circling darkness once more."
A single sentence, with a frustratingly unclear meaning. What was the 'Veil of Deception'? Was it even about Tan'ya? She was definitely one of the children of the Twentieth Lost. Was it saying she would become a sith? It couldn't be, she was so powerful, the Living Force clearly had great plans for her. Sifo shuddered to think of her as a new Lord of the Sith. He hoped it really meant that Tan'ya would reveal some hidden cell of the Sith, but he just didn't know.
All that he knew was that first speaking the prophecy brought a sensation like burning alive and starving to death at the same time. His skin seared too hot to bear, and his stomach gnawed at him, swollen and empty, eating itself. It only lasted a minute, but it stuck with him years later. Any who viewed his prophecy on the holocron it was recorded on reported the same thing. They all felt fire and hunger, absolute and complete agony.
The exact meaning of it escaped everyone. Sifo had a suspicion that he almost was afraid to utter aloud.
Fire and starvation, what could that mean but war? A new great war to divide the galaxy. Somewhere out there, potentially in the unexplored regions, a new Sith Empire must be brewing. Sifo didn't have a lot of evidence to prove this, but his prophecy had presupposed the existence of the Sith. Tearing the Veil of Deception and revealing them to the Galaxy meant they had to be alive and active right now.
Similar things had happened before, with the Great Galactic War and the Cold War that followed it. If Sith Emperor Darth Vitiate had plotted in the unexplored regions of the Outer Rim for generations before launching his assault on a peaceful and unprepared Republic, what was to say a Lord of the Sith couldn't be hiding in Wild Space or the Unexplored Regions even now? Who's to say that Tan'ya wouldn't be the one to discover them?
There were whispers in the Temple that Tan'ya might be the Chosen One. Sifo dismissed those. The Prophecy of the Chosen One clearly stated he would be 'born of no father' and Tan'ya definitely had one of those.
Dooku, who was proving himself to be a very protective Father, had told Sifo in no uncertain terms that Tan'ya was not to know about his prophecy, or any prophecy that hadn't long ago come to pass. Sifo understood the motivation, he really did, and he didn't even mind that Dooku was obviously very attached to his family, but in some ways it made it rather difficult to prepare his student for the coming storm.
She needed to know about the Sith and the threat they presented, but she had to learn it in such a way that wouldn't frighten Dooku. Sifo stood up and took his now empty glass over to the sink, where a quick run through the sonic scrubber left it shining spotlessly. After putting it away he turned and headed back over to find his seat, before sitting cross legged and beginning to meditate.
He didn't have as much time as he'd like to these days. Between corresponding with Kamino, finding suppliers for the army and now teaching Tan'ya, Sifo was stretched thin. As much as he wanted to write his book, he had no idea where he'd find the-
"Oh." He opened his eyes. Now that was an excellent idea. Sifo jumped to his feet and grabbed his compad, before dialing in Dooku's number.
The next day Sifo found Tan'ya waiting in the classroom for him, his arrival obviously anticipated eagerly. She was getting a lot better at shielding her mind, but her body language and facial expressions were incredibly easy to read.
"I spoke to your Father last night, and he has agreed with me. Our lessons are moving too slowly." He smiled at her, and took out his datapad. With a few button presses he shared his notes with her. "Normally it would be expected for a Youngling to have to be taught skills like mathematics, reading and writing, and other foundational knowledge that everyone should learn. But you have already learnt most of this, which means to keep your lessons moving at a pace that keeps up with you, we're going to do things differently.
"Rather than stay here in the Temple, you will be accompanying me to various libraries, universities, and archaeological sites across the Galaxy. Together we will write up a complete history of the Galactic Republic, volume 1. Congratulations, you're my new research assistant."
She looked at him like she didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing, and he couldn't help but smile.
It was adorable just how easy Tan'ya was to read.