[19 BBY]

[Executive Security Solutions City-ship/Capital-class Warship Stormcrow {II}, Battle-group Army of Light, In Orbit Nouane, Capital System, Nouane Allied Regions, Inner Rim]

"That's your plan...to rescue the Jedi the Hutts captured?"

I could hear the disbelief in Ventress's voice, and I shrugged "Officially? Yes, unofficially, we're making a dash through Hutt space for Ryloth...eventually anyway. It makes sense on the surface as I've had dealings with them before, you're very much not a Jedi, and the Jedi Council aren't going to risk any more Jedi, officially again, with the Hutts when they've got a Ghost Sith Lord who escaped Korriban apparently working with them..."

She, indicating she was learning, at least nodded and looked concerned at that "So, Officially, Jedi pay us to go ransom their idiots, and on we go. Unoffically? It's getting us the hell away from the Core, and Darth Sidious whose currently larping as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, thanks to the unofficial ceasefire GAR HQ has called for these ridiculous peace-talks. That, and it allows my former Jedi teacher to look up her sources on all the information we just dropped into her lap, info that's somewhat blown her mind"

"Hmph, to your amusement no doubt"

I sighed, shaking my head "No, things are too serious for that now. It's also a good reason to get us back to areas with support for the Aegis Guard, as, and I fear this, she could still just tell the Council...and then they'll try and arrest the Sith, and fail in the attempt. At which point..." I snapped my fingers "...it all comes tumbling down, and I do not want to be surrounded by Clone Legions when it does"

The truth, though only a handful of the senior staff knew it, and certainly not Asajj Ventress and her two 'sisters', was that we were headed for Rothana once again. Repairs, conversion of captures, and general upgrades were the order of business between now and arrival back in the Outer Rim. Things were coming to a head, and the Board of ESS, the full Board, needed to meet, along with our conspirators in the Ailon Nova Guard, and others such as Ryloth. The Tarkins and the ORSF too, once we'd framed the information to ensure enmity between them and the 'good' Chancellor at least, and hopefully ensure when Order 66 got triggered Palpatine's plans would have serious troubles now that the Confederacy had lost Dooku and Grievous.

"You truly believe this...that Palpatine, that old man, is a stronger Sith that Darth Tyrannus?"

"Yes, Yes, I very much believe so..." I replied, again, to the disbelieving tone "...and we've enough circumstantial evidence to convince my colleagues that he is. Asajj, you have to realise we assumed somebody in the uppermost levels of the Republic as coordinating what we saw...with the revelation of the Chancellor, and the links between him, Damask Holdings, and score of other companies it becomes fairly clear where many things came from. As to power..."

I tapped the data-slate on the table "History, Dooku, deliberately, stunted your training...because HE was the Apprentice, and Sidious the Master, which, when we consider your former teacher was a Jedi Master, personally trained by the Grandmaster of the Order, and possessed of many, many, Dark Side techniques says significant things about his powers even before we take into account he's managed to hide his nature from Jedi bodyguards, and the Jedi Temple in same District of Galactic City. Darth Sidious, for those feats alone, is certainly worthy of our respect"

"But not a feat unheard of either"

"No, no its not..." I agreed with a faint smile "...been reading the archives now I've opened them up to you?"

She nodded, seemingly faintly amused by it "They have hidden much"

I sighed deeply, suddenly weary a moment "Yes, they have, even from themselves, and now they are going to pay the price for that deliberate ignorance"

Ventress rolled her eyes "Yes, I shall weep for them"

"Well I won't, not for the Order as an institution anyway, but it is tragedy, and I do care for some of the individual members, so I'd prefer they'd survive..." I replied calmly, calmer than I was in reality as I controlled my emotions "...but, on a more practical level, the more that survive the less likely a complete takeover by the Chancellor is, or time invested into dealing with us my dear"

"That...is true I must agree..." she stated after a few seconds, then nodding "...as do I agree to your proposal for mutual learning. But, and I make this clear, I am not your Apprentice, some inferior or lesser"

I nodded "Of course, I believe the term is a Reciprocal Mastership, or Collaborative Teaching maybe, though I will remind you outside of Force training and such you and your two fair sisters work for ESS, and therefore me, so military orders get followed in the field. Oh, and for the moment, this is Top Secret between us of course, as Jedi would kill us for such a thing, my former teacher potentially among them. Helping train someone to be the best Sith they can rarely goes over well with the Jedi Council historically"

"Truly unbelievable"

"See, you can be politely sarcastic! Not that'll matter much longer I reckon, when the time comes..." I replied with a shake of my head "...but right now it matters. Now, the Oath will be sworn in the Force by Ritual, as laid out"

Ventress waved her hand from side to side as if swatting away a fly "Yes, yes, you and Mother Talzin were very clear on this, along with her preference for me not to become a true Sith. Dooku may have betrayed me...denied me, but I will make MY choices, no one else"

"Well, as I said I think it's a poor road to choose, but if that is what you wish then I'll guide you to achieve your potential as best you can. Frankly, the Nightsisters are very worthwhile in my opinion, and I'd encourage you to incorporate them as best you can..." I gestured at myself "...I certainly will after all once I've been shown them, as going crazy;- stupid, bloodthirsty, and self-destructively crazy is common, common, trait of wannabe Sith Lords from the time of very first ones. It's why the various Sith Empires tended to disintegrate at their peak, or on the verge of victory, as the extremist idiots took charge and started killing each other..."

I let out a breath "Which brings us to the situation in Hutt Space. Now, truthfully, I'm really, sincerely, hoping that this possessed Sith is not there, and they become someone else's problem. That, and again to be pragmatic, our dangerously powerful rogue Sith is a further distraction for the Sith Lord running the Republic. I'm sure a veritable army of assassins have been dispatched to deal with that problem...just like I imagine has been with both of us in mind..."

And was why we now had an understanding of who was behind attacks on our offices, attempts on Hanna's life a few months ago, and, more importantly, who we could retaliate against. Funds and weapons were in motion, under the cover of Separatist sympathisers. Several known Separatist 'leaning' Bounty Hunters, such as the infamous Cad Bane, should hopefully be striking blows for 'freedom' shortly despite the peace-talks;- though they had orders in the contracts to make it seem like the CIS wanted the attacks kept quiet during them. Darth Sidious was untouchable...but his inner circle of advisors and financial conduits?

They certainly were not protected to a fraction of the Chancellor's bodyguard detail, let alone his Force pre-cog powers. Sate Pestage for instance relied on his anonymity and a small bodyguard detail for security by all reports. Sadly that operation was out of my hands, those had to be clean after all, and Hanna was coming with us, along with all the corporate records, once it was set in motion. Coruscant would remain our official headquarters, it had too with the war, but with the danger revealed all important records and staff for ESS were heading to the Outer Rim in the coming weeks.

"...and resources are rarely unlimited, especially when your Office is as monitored as that of the Chancellor is right now. Or, well, at least we can only hope they are, and we are down said list from Maul, the Jedi Council, and the Hutt's new friend"

Ventress gave me a calculating look "And Mother Talzin and my sisters too"

"Yes, but they were *already* a target Asajj, hence the point of the Unhappy Team-up between us, and the Sith Brothers with their new Mandalorian, and pirate, friends. She's using us a moving target, and Dathomir is *very much* in the holo-news right now – going after her now? Unlikely, or less likely than it was till that point as she Knew who Sidious was, and very much has her own reasons to resist his rule. So, she's using me, you, and the Nightbrother duo as her distraction, while I'm using her for similar reasons of course!" I gave a snort of amusement, largely to myself as I spread my hands in a 'what can you do?' motion "Mutual self-interest at work, let's call it a lesson for a future Sith Lady like yourself, you can work with others when the need arises, it's what made the current one in Nar Shadda so dangerous when he lived"

"He was a Dark Council Member, I've read the file you provided"

'Yes, but you, and the Jedi, don't truly understand what that fact means' I thought to myself, but matched her calm and polite tone. She was getting away from the arrogance, but she still got her back up over other things, such as being told how outclassed she, we, were versus such a thing "Yes, and few notes in the Jedi historical archive were whining about how they wished he was a Jedi, a great warrior, sense of justice, yadda, yadda, yadda. Oh, and started off as a slave and killed his way to the top in short order as best I can tell..."

I waved my hand at her glance "Old records, private stuff not on the Temple data-files when I had access, and just time and destruction. The fact the Jedi Council..." Stass basically "...can barely tell us this, and that his name *might* be Darth Imperious, the rest unknown beyond bare outline of myths, doesn't say pleasant things about his demolishing two Jedi Masters off the Council, and the two Knights helping said Masters. So, we are going to be super-polite as well as armed to the teeth just in case he's still lurking about. So, we've a few days, and that means training and plotting..."

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