Chapter 30: I Caught Your FishNotes:Guess who's computer decided it needed a little vacation and spent a week at the computer hospital? *sobs* I wanted this chapter to go up last weekend, but alas. My computer needed some repairs so you get it now. Along with the knowledge that if I don't have this machine to provide me with a constant stream of entertainment my thoughts become… haunted.
Anyways! I am also working on getting my next book published. Should be out the first week of June so be on the look out for that. I will definitely have an announcement. Enjoy your fic!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextQuinlan Vos was frustrated. Very frustrated. More frustrated than he had been in a long time.
And it had everything to do with the fact that his investigation into the Corries was going nowhere.
Okay, so he had caught a few senators and officers abusing them. He promptly filed his findings with Windu, of course. But that wasn't what was frustrating.
What was frustrating him was the fact that he had gotten nowhere into what was actually going on with the Corries. And what made it even more frustrating was the fact that the Corries, or at least the Commanders, clearly knew something was up.
When he grabbed that necklace Fox dropped in his mad rush to get to Captain Rex, he saw that it was a tracker. He felt the panic surging through Fox's veins and the fear that he would never get to see Rex again.
He knew something was going to happen to Rex. He knew something bad was going on. But Fox couldn't figure out what.
The energy drink cans were also going nowhere. He had managed to figure out that they were numbers, but that was about it. Dates, times, and trooper numbers were all included. But when Quin went to look at mission reports, there was nothing. And wouldn't you know but conveniently all the cameras that could watch the troopers were out. There were other notches in those cans too . That had to be some other code. Some way of tracking what the troopers did.
It was just that Quin couldn't crack anything!
He felt like Fox and his troopers were running circles around him and his investigation! What's more, something happened Cody and Fox's other batchmates met up with him while on their shore leave. Something big. He felt the shift in the Force. Windu felt the shift in the Force. Everyone felt a shift in the Force. The fucking rats in Coruscant's sewers felt the shift in the Force!
Quin was willing to bet a million credits that it had something to do with the troopers. He just couldn't figure out what the fuck it was!
And he completely understood that Fox and his brothers were smart . Perhaps all geniuses. But Quinlan Vos was not dumb. You couldn't be dumb and be a shadow and be Obi-Wan Kenobi's closest friend.
He felt like he had all the pieces right in front of him. But he couldn't put them together! Fox had. Fox, Cody, Wolffe, they had put the pieces together he was sure of it. So why couldn't he?
"Argh!" He stood up and started pacing around the Room of a Thousand Fountains. He had hoped that meditation would bring him clarity.
Instead, he just felt frustrated. Restless as he tried to work through problems he had failed to work through a thousand times before.
The answer was right in front of him! He could feel it. He could taste it! So why couldn't he see it?
"Having trouble, Knight Vos?" Master Sinube said. Behind him, a gaggle of initiates giggled.
"No, Master, of course not," Quin said quickly. He did not want to burden him with anything . Especially since he was probably here to teach the kids something important. Something that did not have anything to do with Quinlan Vos's realization that he was an idiot who couldn't crack one simple case.
Master Sinube cocked his head to the side and hobbled to the edge of the fountain to sit down. "Children, perhaps we can help Knight Vos with his problem."
The children all cheered.
"Um, I'm not sure that's really appropriate, given what I do," Quin said, rubbing the back of his neck. How was he supposed to explain in an age-appropriate manner what he was doing? Hell, he didn't even know what he was investigating at this point . "Besides, I don't want to mess with your lesson plan."
"The Force is telling me that my lesson plan can wait," Master Sinube said.
That wasn't how the Force worked.
"Besides, sometimes we get stuck in our own heads. Another perspective can help us clarify things. And what better perspective to have than that of a child?"
That of a clone trooper would be very helpful. But, since there seemed to be some grand conspiracy in which the clone troopers were hiding things from the Jedi, that probably wasn't going to happen.
Quinlan looked at the children. They stared up at him expectantly. Bright and shining in the Force. So full of hope and joy. None of it was snuffed out yet by war and pain and suffering.
"We can help, Knight Vos. We promise we can," a young human boy said.
Quinlan sighed and sat down next to Master Sinube. "Alright. Let's see what you kids got."
The children cheered and went to sit on the floor in front of him, listening in rapt attention.
"I'm trying to help a group of people who are being mistreated ," he started. Was that an age-appropriate way to start the conversation? It felt like it. Master Sinube hadn't cut in yet so it was probably fine.
"Do you know who's mistreating them?" another initiate asked.
"I do, but that's not the problem."
"What is it?"
"Children, please, let Knight Vos speak," Master Sinube scolded gently.
"Sorry, Knight Vos," the kids chorused as one.
"No problem. Anyways, I know who is mistreating them . But in my investigation, I found that it went deeper than calling them names or being mean to them. I think this group of people has gotten tangled up in something very bad . They know what it is, but I don't. And I can't help them until I know what it is."
"Why don't you ask them?" A zabrack asked.
"Because they don't fully trust me. They don't trust that I can help." And lately, he had the distinct feeling that Fox, Thorn, Thire, and Stone were trying to protect him from something . He and every other Jedi that stepped into the base.
Stone especially had gotten very particular about who spent time with the padawan and initiate volunteers helping out in the base. Something he had never worried about much before. He even went out of his way to completely rework the volunteer schedule, taking off troopers who had never had an issue with the kids before. But now they were banned for some reason.
"But if you figure out what's going on, then you can help them?" a young togruta girl asked.
He nodded. "Exactly."
"I still don't get why they don't trust you. You're a Jedi!"
"Sometimes, children," Master Sinube started, "the problem is so large that we feel overwhelmed. We don't even know where to begin to ask for help. Or we might be ashamed of what has happened to us, even though it is not our fault. So, we hide. Remember, Zizi, how you did not want to ask for help on your lightsaber forms because you thought it was too big for even me to handle?"
Zizi nodded. "Yes, master. But you're so smart. All the Jedi masters know everything!"
"If only that were the case," Master Sinube chuckled. "Sadly, we do not. And it is smart of the group to understand that. But, just because we do not know everything, doesn't mean we can't help."
The children all nodded in understanding.
"I know!" a twi'lek boy said. "Why don't you play the spider game!"
"The spider game?" Quin furrowed his brow.
The spider game was something that helped the initiates get used to trusting and using the Force while climbing and falling. The basic premise was you pretended you were a spider climbing up a very tall 'tree' (rock climbing course that was only about ten to thirty feet high, depending on the initiate's age). Then, when you got to the top of the tree , you let the 'wind' (creche master using the Force) catch you and help you float to the ground. The spider didn't fear the tallness of the tree and trusted the wind to catch it and take it down to the ground safely. So should you trust the Force. To help you climb high and land safely. He supposed he could make the Corrie's climb a rock wall and have them jump down. But, he had also seen videos of Alpha-Seventeen's training and he was pretty sure clone cadets did that sort of thing all the time. Only with jet packs instead of the Force. And more aggressive yelling from Seventeen instead of gentle support from creche masters.
"An excellent suggestion, Tian!" Master Sinube beamed.
"Is it?"
Tian beamed. "We pretend like we're the spider. We think like the spider. We become the spider. That helps us move like the spider. You need to do that with the people. Pretend you're them. Think like them. Move like them. Become them!"
That … wasn't the worst idea Quinlan had heard.
"You have been moving about this investigation like a Jedi Shadow," Master Sinube said.
"Because that's what I am?"
He smiled at him. "Your people have already solved the mystery though . Even where you have failed."
"Thank you for reminding me."
"If being a Jedi Shadow isn't giving you the answers you need, then perhaps it is time for you to not be a shadow ."
"I suppose it can't hurt to try," Quin said.
"Excellent!" Master Sinube beamed. "Now then, children. It is time for our afternoon meditation. Thank Knight Vos."
"Thank you, Knight Vos," the children all chorused together.
"Thank you for your help," Quin said. He waved goodbye to the children and watched them leave the room.
"Think like a trooper, eh?" He hadn't done something like that yet. And at this point, he was willing to try anything. He could tell whatever was happening with Fox was already escalating. If it escalated any further, everyone might be in danger.
And, as much as Fox ticked him off, he did like the guy. He didn't want to see anything happen to him.
Besides, if Cody and Obi-Wan were going to get married (and they definitely were , Quin had already picked a date and the venue), then they were going to be family and family made sure they didn't die because of a conspiracy. Also, he wanted to know what was setting Stone so on edge that he didn't trust his own brothers anymore around the initiates and padawans.
"Alright, time to think like a trooper," Quin said. What better place to think like a trooper than Corrie HQ? But, as he stepped out to catch the tram to the base, he remembered that most troopers didn't take public transportation. They didn't like getting harassed and generally preferred to save what little stipend they got for other things like food, paint, games, and the like.
"Dammit. Can I think like a trooper after I get to the base?"
He sighed heavily and started walking. No, he'd do it now. Besides, the walk gave him time to think through what he knew about trooper culture. If he was going to think like a trooper, it helped to have a good grasp on how they viewed the world.
Luckily, Quinlan hadn't just been trying to figure out what Fox was up to during his observations. That wouldn't be good shadow work. You had to understand your targets if you wanted to dig up dirt on them and find their dirty secrets.
And also Ahsoka's series was very entertaining to watch.
So, Quinlan had a breadth of knowledge to pull from.
The trooper culture was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. And he knew that anthropologists were just itching to get their grubby academic mitts on the boys so they could compare it to other cultures around the world . Madam Nu was practically foaming at the mouth at the thought of putting together a book on the culture and had been bothering Thire about helping her with it for some time now. Thire, the poor thing, would usually go hide behind Thorn until she gave up for the day.
Troopers did take a lot of their culture from Mandalore. It made sense what with Jango Fett being Mandalorian and all that. They spoke pidgin Mando'a and had bits and pieces of the culture sprinkled around . Like painting their armor and saying their remembrances. He also caught a few of them with more Mandalorian-type names. Though, those were rarer than the other names they came up with.
He was convinced (though he could never get Fox to admit this) that Cody's name was actually Kote. Mandalorian for Glory. From what he could piece together, most of them went with less Mandalorian-sounding names to blend in better with the Republic and the Jedi, two systems that weren't always on the best of terms with Mandalore.
But despite these little instances of Mandalorian Culture, the troopers were not and never pretended to be, Mandalorian. It was almost like someone had taken a bunch of Mandos, stuck them on an island, and then waited a thousand years to see how their culture differed from the culture on Mandalore. There were definite links to the Mandalorians, but they were, in the end, their own people with their own culture.
But it wasn't just the isolation that caused the troopers to differ. It was their upbringing . The constant surveillance. Mandalorians put a huge emphasis on protecting the children at all costs. The Kaminoans had no such qualms and would 'decommission' (murder) any cadets that didn't meet their strict standards. It made Quin sick just thinking about all the children who died because they were slightly different. He had heard that Captain Rex was slated for decommissioning because of his hair color, only for Fett to step in and stop it. It was horrifying to think someone could die just because they were blond.
So, the troopers developed a very secretive way of moving about the world. Quin had already managed to break several of their codes and sign language, but he knew there were others. And he also knew that part of the reason Fox didn't trust him was because he wasn't a brother, or vod, as they called each other. He wasn't a vod so he couldn't be completely trusted to have their best interests at heart.
But one did not need to be a clone to be a vod. It seemed like the padawans and initiates, or baby Jedi as most troopers called them, were more easily folded into the pack. As of yet, he could not find a single padawan commander under the age of majority who hadn't been nearly universally adopted by their troopers. It was kind of sweet, really. The padawans and initiates were vod almost immediately. To be trusted and protected just like any other brother.
Though, he had heard Ironside, Master Tapal's commander , bitching to the other commanders about how no vod that young would have ever been allowed to fight so he didn't understand why Cal was then forced to.
Quinlan agreed.
Also, given the advanced aging of the troopers, he sometimes saw them raise or lower the ages of the people who surrounded them to get a better idea of their ages. Ahsoka wasn't fourteen in their eyes , she was seven. Anakin wasn't nineteen in their eyes, he was ten. And so on and so on. Whenever a shiny would inquire about a padawan, inevitably, the conversation would go like this:
"How old are they?"
"Sixteen."
"Oh, that's not so bad."
"That's like an eight-year-old cadet."
"Holy fuck why the fuck are they out on the battlefield?! And why the fuck aren't they wearing armor?!"
It was endearing and also a little horrifying. Buy hey, arguing with the Chancellor about the padawan's roles in the war was Obi-Wan's job, not his.
The older members of the Jedi order were trusted , but not quite as much. He did know Wolffe had accepted Master Koon as their buir and whatever was going on with Cody and Obi-Wan showed that more trust could be had , but it was slower going.
The Natborns, though, were a completely different story. To date, Quin could not think of a single nat born who was trusted by the vode on the same level as the Jedi or padawans. He didn't know if this had something to do with their upbringing or current treatment, but it was a very clear separation between them and their naturally born officers.
The other interesting thing was how the troopers viewed familial relationships.
They called each other brother and there seemed to be a sense of familial camaraderie amongst them, even if they didn't know each other well. But with millions of people, it was impossible for little cliques not to develop. And Quinlan found these little family units the most interesting thing of all.
The first family unit that most troopers had was their batchmates. These were sets of approximately five clones (depending on their skill set there could be more or less) that they 'grew up' with. They trained together. Slept in bunks together. And were often stationed together.
Fox's batchmates were as follows: Fox, Cody, Gree, Wolffe, and Bly. All from the command class. All his closest brothers.
For some reason, a lot of the batchmates made hierarchies with the siblings . Much like how older siblings were at the top of the hierarchy and younger siblings were at the bottom. They'd call each other ori'vod and vod'ika accordingly. But what confused Quin, and what he could never get a clear answer on, was how they knew who was older and who was younger.
He had managed to figure out that Fox and Wolffe were the ori'vode of the group. Then Cody and Gree. With Bly as the vod'ika and youngest of the group. But how would they know? It wasn't like the Kaminoans told them when they were decanted and at what time (though they probably had that information). How did Fox know with certainty that he was the oldest and Bly was the youngest? No one could give him a straight answer.
It got even more confusing when it came to 'twins '. They were clones. With thousands of them being decanted on the same day. Possibly at the same minute. Twins in nat born (Force, now Quin was using their terms!) terms meant two babies grown in the womb or egg at the same time.
Technically, no clone was a twin.
But he had heard Fives and Echo of the 501st being repeatedly called 'The Domino Twins '. Archer and Sol were also usually referred to as twins. And Quinlan could not, for the life of him, figure out why. He got that they were brothers. But why were Echo and Fives twins, but not Fox and Cody?
Once again, no one would or could give him a straight answer. The closest thing he got to one was Archer shrugging and saying "It's more like a vibe thing. You get it?"
He did not get it. And he was starting to think that he never would.
Moving on from the confusing mess that was what clone troopers considered twins, the family unit didn't just start and stop at batch mates.
It seemed like each member of the batch mate unit would go on to 'adopt' other brothers. Brothers that they loved more than other troopers. For Fox, this was most clearly seen with Thorn, Thire, and Stone. Cody had Rex, Waxer, Boil, and Wooley. Wolffe had Sinker and Boost. And so on and so on. It seemed to Quin that once a brother from the batch unit adopted another brother, that brother would be folded into what he was calling a 'circle of protection '.
So, because Cody adopted Rex, Rex was now under the protection of the entire Command Batch . Which was why Fox tried so hard to put a tracker necklace on him and keep him safe.
It was unclear just how far out this circle of protection went. Rex adopted Fives and Echo and it was clear that Cody did his best to protect them. But he wasn't sure if Fox would extend the same level of protection or if there was a point where he just saw them as another set of brothers. Again, baby Jedi (dammit! Padawans, he meant Padawans!) were the exception in which case every trooper with half a soul agreed that they would commit war crimes to protect the children.
Literally in some cases. He had caught a group of troopers called the Bad Batch hunting down some people leaving disgusting comments on Ahsoka's series and stabbing them repeatedly with knives.
Quinlan was not one to judge. He did the same thing to some creep who would not leave Obi-Wan alone when he was seventeen. And again to another creep who tried to get Anakin into a van by asking the kid to help him look for his lost cat. In fact, the only reason why Quinlan knew about the Bad Batch and the stabbing of creeps on the holonet was because he was actually on his way to do that very thing when he stumbled across them. He decided to turn around and not report them.
Let the troopers have a little war crime, as a treat.
So, yeah, the clone troopers were absurdly protective over the little padawans on the battlefield. To an almost insane degree. Quin wondered if any of the padawans noticed. Barriss didn't seem to notice all the murder-vibes Commander Gree put out into the world. And Ahsoka seemed blissfully ignorant of the fact that Captain Rex had threatened a man at vibro-knife point who was looking at her. Likewise, he had met Grey and Caleb one day and was shocked when Grey seemed to be viewing him as a threat to Caleb . Even though he was a Jedi.
Quinlan had originally thought the Corries's overprotective nature of Ahsoka was because she was injured and Bane was still on the loose.
Not the case.
Those troopers would murder the Chancellor if he openly tried to hurt a padawan.
In the end, that's the thought that Quin was left with.
The men were loyal. He could see that in the way Commander Cody would follow Obi-Wan without question. Or the way Captain Rex would go along with Anakin's crazy schemes with only an eye roll and a prayer. Or the way Fox , despite his clear hatred of Palpatine, would do what he asked without hesitation. But whereas Quinlan thought it was near blind loyalty, he was learning that wasn't the case.
They were loyal until you gave them a reason not to be. Until you pushed them just a bit too far. Or asked them to do just a bit too much.
And that worried him.
As of this moment, he was pretty sure the troopers hadn't been pushed too far. But what would happen if that happened? The GAR was a house of cards, being held together by a slave army who (for the most part) were content being slaves. For now.
But if any of those men decided they had had enough, if Force Forbid any of the commanders (particularly Cody of Fox) decided they no longer wanted to be a part of this war, the entire Republic would come crashing to the ground . And the thing was, Quin felt like they were already there. He just couldn't figure out why. The Corries and all the troopers were still doing their jobs. They were still following orders and fighting against the Separatists. They were still winning battles. But there was something he couldn't put his finger on. Something had shifted. Something had changed. And that's why he needed to figure out what was going on with Fox. What did he know? Because Quin knew that once he figured that out, all the pieces would fall into place. And then once the pieces were in place, he and the troopers could work together to bring about the end of the war and the Sith.
He got to the Corrie Base, still not any farther along in his investigation and still not feeling like a trooper.
He sighed heavily and went to sit down in his corner (they still had not given him a desk which he didn't mind. They always asked and he always said no).
He settled in for another round of meditation only to realize that the troopers didn't really meditate. Especially the Corries. Some of the ones that were closer with their Jedi, like Cody and Wolffe did, but the Corries did not.
So, if he was going to think like a Corrie, this wasn't going to work.
He frowned. "Maybe it is time I got that desk," he muttered.
He was still struggling to slip into the mindset of a Corrie. He still felt like an outsider, observing rather than living. A tourist. Only there for a few days before returning home and back to his old life. And he couldn't figure out a way to fix it.
"Something the matter, sir," Thire asked.
Quin looked at him. "Thire, what do you do when you're stuck on a problem?"
"Is this about your secret crime family?" Thire asked, coming to sit next to him.
Quin nodded. "I'm stuck. I've been stuck for months now. Every lead I have goes nowhere. I've meditated on this problem for what feels like thousands of hours. And I need to figure it out. Like, today."
"Why today, sir?"
"Dunno. The Force is telling me though that time is up. I have to figure it out. And when the Force is this insistent and clear, that means it's probably big."
"Why not ask to Force, then?"
He chuckled. "That's not really how the Force works. It guides and occasionally will give you insight. But it doesn't usually tell you exact things you need to know."
"Sounds annoying."
"Tell me about it." He flopped back. "I'm willing to try anything. So, let's say that you're working on an investigation. You feel like you have all the pieces but for some reason , you just can't put them together. What do you do?"
Thire thought for a moment. Then he said, "Spar."
"Spar?"
He nodded. "We have training droids that we use. I like the hand-to-hand one. Level 6. Track 8. Seventeen originally designed it as an endurance test. Basically, it's the same series of moves repeated indefinitely until the droid lands a hit on you."
Quin grimaced. "Sounds fun."
"Better than Level 3 Track 15."
"Shouldn't the lower levels be easier?"
Thire got a haunted look in his eye. "You'd think that, wouldn't you." He shook himself out of it. "Anyways, that's what I do. I get into a rhythm with the droid and just go until I get unstuck."
"Mind telling me what the moves are?"
Thire grinned at him. "Now, where would the fun be in that?"
"Wow, so mean. And here I thought I was your favorite Jedi."
"Ahsoka is our favorite Jedi. Unless you're Stone, then it's his baby Jedi. But that's fair."
Qiun laughed and stood up. "Thanks, Thire. Don't work too hard, today. Okay?"
"That is not up to me, sir."
Once more Quin found himself walking through the streets of Coruscant to get to the barracks as that was where the training droids were kept . He had never used one before.
"I hope this works because if not, I'll have gotten my ass kicked by a droid for no reason," he muttered. He found an empty training salle and turned on the droid, finding the level and track that Thire had said. Then, he took a deep breath, and cut himself off from the Force.
Immediately, his body felt like it weighed about fifty pounds heavier. His arms seemed to drag on the floor and his feet didn't want to lift. And it also felt like all his senses were duller. He couldn't hear as much. Feel as much. See as much. Smell as much. Everything seemed to take an almost brown tint to it.
The worst part of all, though, was the fact that an entire one of his senses had been completely cut off . He was so used to having the Force around to feel the life of every living thing around him. Of the emotions gently (or not so gently) lapping against his shields like waves on the beach. He was used to the Force being there to guide him. To direct him. Another way to determine danger. Another voice in his head to help make decisions.
As a shadow, sometimes it was imperative that he appear as Force null as possible. There were many people out there who weren't Jedi but who could still use the Force. Some of their parents did not want to send them to the temple. Some of them were never found . Some of them had been sent to the temple but left for various reasons. But it was important that Quin be able to pass as a regular Force null should the circumstances call for it. He always hated it. But, if he were going to think like a Corrie, he had to be like a Corrie too . This was the Spider Game, after all. And the troopers (or at least most of them ) were not Force Sensitive. Therefore, Quinlan couldn't be Force Sensitive either. He couldn't fight using the Force. It was regular old hand-to-hand combat just like any normal person.
Once he was completely cut off from the Force (and feeling like he had a lead chain around his neck) he looked at the droid.
"Begin training sequence," he said in a strong, clear voice.
The droid didn't even hesitate and zipped towards him. Quin barely had time to put up a hand to block the right hook. And when it did, he was painfully reminded that he wasn't wearing any armor.
He didn't have time to muse on his lack of appropriate attire (and wondering if he maybe should have put on some extra armor even if he was too tall and bulky for it to fit properly ) before the droid went to kick him . A spinning backkick.
Once more, Quinlan just barely managed a block. It was like his arms and legs were moving through molasses. The droid was quicker than him. Much quicker than him. And he couldn't even think because of was too busy trying to make sure the droid didn't bash his brains in.
Left jab. Right cross. Left side kick. Right roundhouse kick. One right after another with no breaks and all of equal intensity.
"How does Thire think when this thing is trying to kill him?" He barely managed to roll out of the way of a spinning hook kick. Little Gods, no wonder Cody kept punching and kicking droids. He apparently had been trained to do that exact thing. Only, in many ways, this droid was even deadlier than the ones on the battlefield. Was this assassin droid tech? It certainly moved like it. But why would the Kaminoans have access to Separatist droid technology?
So lost in thought about trying to figure out how the Kaminoans may have had access to Separatist technology (before they even existed) that he forgot about the droid trying to kill him. The right hook missed him by a fraction of a hair. That would have definitely broken his cheekbones had it managed to land the hit. They trained like this?
Hell, no wonder not a single Corrie was phased the first time someone threw a bottle at them. That would be a love tap compared to this.
Once more, getting lost in thought proved to almost be his downfall as the droid aimed a kick right for his sternum.
Quin leapt back. Not as far as he wanted, though, because he still didn't have the Force. Something he forgot about.
He panted and wondered if maybe it was too late to try knitting like Gree did to relax.
The droid lunged at him again.
Right hook. Spinning back kick. Left jab. Right cross. Left side kick. Right roundhouse kick.
Hey, that was the same sequence as before. Quin managed to block each of them. And sure enough, the sequence had started to repeat itself.
There were fifteen moves , he counted before the sequence started over.
He made it through four complete sequences before he finally settled into a pattern.
This , he realized, was what Thire was talking about. Once he learned the pattern, all that was left was to settle in and keep up. Despite not having the Force, Quin was a very fit man. So he was able to keep up with the droid fairly well.
It took him eight sequences before he finally started to feel confident enough to let his mind wander to work through the problem. The droid's attacks kept him tethered to the present, never able to sink into a full meditation. But it was still a meditation of sorts. A moving meditation. One without the Force.
But no matter, because it almost felt like by not allowing himself to sink fully into meditation, to not fully commit his mind to the problem at hand , he was able to work on it in the background. The conscious focuses on blocking the droid while the subconscious puts pieces together and makes connections. Some of them were wild. Some of them were more realistic. But like a child putting together a puzzle randomly through trial and error, that's how his brain worked.
Who was ordering the blackout missions?
Someone with the power to do so.
Why would someone be ordering blackout missions?
Because they wanted something done but didn't want records of it or risk the troopers letting slip what they were asked to do.
Why wouldn't Fox tell him about the blackout missions?
Because someone powerful was behind them.
But Quinlan Vos was powerful. The Jedi Order was powerful. They cared about the troopers. They could help them.
But they're not the most powerful people in the galaxy.
Then who was? Who was more powerful than the Jedi Order? Who was so powerful that Fox didn't think that the Jedi Order could possibly stand up to them?
The answer snapped into place. Clear as ever. So clear Quin couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before.
"Palpatine," he gasped.
A fist smashed into his face, breaking his nose.
"End training sequence," a voice called.
"Ah, fuck," Quin said, stumbling to his knees and trying desperately to staunch the waterfall of blood now spurting out of his nose.
He looked up to see Fox strutted towards him. Eyes rimmed with dark circles, a bit more grey in his hair than there had been last week, and one of those damned energy drinks cracked open and in his hand. No notches though . Which meant he was drinking this one for funsies.
"You're supposed to block, you know," He said, coming to kneel in front of him.
"I got it, I got it," Quin said. He opened his connection to the Force back up and took a deep breath. The weightless feeling came back to him so fast, that he almost felt like he was floating.
Fox dropped the energy drink and datapad in his hand and took Quin's face in his hands . "Doesn't look too bad."
"Yeah, well—OW! Fuck!" he shouted as in one swift motion Fox snapped his nose back into place. "Warn a guy next time!"
"No." Fox took another swig from the can and crushed it in his hands before tossing it into the nearest trash receptacle. He stood up.
Quinlan's mind was racing with everything he had managed to uncover and he was eager to let Fox know. To finally let him see that he was on their side.
Of course, now that he knew it was Palpatine , everything made sense .
Who had the most power in the galaxy?
Palpatine.
Who had the power to shut off cameras?
Palpatine.
Who controlled the Corries and could kill them if they stepped out of line?
Palpatine.
Who controlled the Jedi to a certain extent?
Palpatine.
It was amazing just how much everything made sense now. But, the Force was still telling him that he was missing a piece. Hopefully, if he discussed things with Fox, that last piece would finally make itself known.
He scrambled to his feet and followed after him.
"Mind telling me why you're using our training salle?" Fox asked.
"Maybe I wanted to get a good workout in," Quin said.
Fox looked unamused and left the building, heading back to Corrie HQ. "Jedi have their own salles."
"And I didn't want to train like a Jedi. I wanted to train like a trooper."
Fox stopped walking and turned to him. "Why?" Confusion was evident on his face.
Quinlan sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets. He didn't answer right away , trying to formulate exactly what he wanted Fox to know. How much he needed him to trust him. How he was on his side and trying to help. Eventually, the answer came to him.
"Did you know the reason I'm stuck on Coruscant watching over you is because I fell to the Dark Side?" If he was going to convince Fox to air all his dirty laundry , he needed to do the same . A show of good faith. Besides, he knew Fox well enough at this point that he trusted him not to use it against him.
Fox frowned. "No. I didn't know that. You were a Separatist?"
Quin's heart warmed when he realized Fox hadn't reached for his blaster . Even as an instinctual thing. He didn't even seem that mad upon realizing that this vital piece of information had been withheld from him.
He barked out a laugh. "No, not in the slightest. But I did join Dooku for a few months."
"How can you be in league with Dooku and not be a separatist."
He shrugged. "Because I was a Jedi, not a member of the Republic. The politics … they're … they're different." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. He didn't know how to explain it to Fox in a way that wouldn't make him seem like a flighty, crazy person ready to betray everything he stood for at a moment's notice.
"Why'd you join him?" Fox asked.
"What?"
"In my experience, everyone joins a group for a reason . A good reason, at least, to them. The Separatists do have their reasons for wanting to leave the Republic and the Republic has good reasons for wanting to stay in the Republic . So, what's your reason?"
"Oh…" he sighed again. "Towards the start of the war, my master was killed . They—the Council-- suspected Dooku and sent me to investigate. They were hoping for some intel to end the war quickly. But, I was found out . What's worse is my ex, Ventress—"
"You and Ventress were a couple?" Fox scoffed.
"You think I'm out of her league?"
"Other way around."
"Rude."
"Truthful."
"Anyways," Quin said, ignoring Fox's jabs at him. "What a hell of a way to find out what happened to the woman you loved. Right? I was betrayed, of course, but I was insistent that I would not fall to the Dark Side. No matter what they did to me, no matter how much it hurt, I wouldn't fall."
"They tortured you," Fox said simply.
Quin nodded. "It was hard, seeing how twisted Ventress had become. Of course, this was before she got ahold of Obi-Wan and Seventeen. Maybe I had gotten captured afterward , I would have been more prepared. But … damn, you got to understand she wasn't always like this. She was kind at some point. And I honestly thought that if I just talked to her enough, I might get her back to the Light."
"But it didn't happen."
He shook his head and wiped his eyes. "No, it didn't. I held on. For Force knows how long I held on. And then they revealed to me that Ventress was the one that killed my master. I didn't believe it of course. I mean, why would I? That would be like if Riyo told you she killed Cody."
Understanding dawned in Fox's eyes.
"But then they gave me his lightsaber, and I saw that she was telling the truth. And that's what broke me. I mean, how could someone who loved me at one point do such an awful thing? I was willing to forgive the torture. I really was. And that might make me stupid but I thought that if I just could get through to her, it would all be worth it. But that… what she did to Master Tholm e… I…"
Fox put a hand on the back of his neck and squeezed. The same way he did when a shiny was having a particularly hard time adjusting to life off of Kamino. It was the smell and the noise that tended to get to them the most.
Quinlan took a deep breath. "I fell after that."
"Still doesn't explain why," Fox said, dropping his hand.
"Because I was tortured ?"
He shook his head. "No, you were tortured before. Why after Ventress showed you what happened did you fall?"
Huh. No one had ever asked him that before. Not even the mind healers. They seemed to think that his body and mind had simply had enough.
"I… hope. I think I didn't have any more hope. And grief. Master Yoda says that fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. And hate leads to suffering. And that's the path to the dark side. That might be some people's path, but it wasn't mine. For me, it was thinking that there was no more hope. No reason to be good. What was the point? If someone who was once so full of light could get twisted so horrifically, then what good was I? You don't fall when you're afraid or suffer or hate. Everyone feels those things on occasion. You fall when you lose hope. When you lose faith things can get better. That there's something worth living for. When all you can feel is the anger, hate, and suffering."
Fox didn't say anything. He didn't have to.
"I wasn't dark for very long. I don't know why I managed to claw my way back to the light. That whole time is kind of a blur. Sometimes, I don't want to remember because I'm afraid of what I'll find. But I do remember feeling hope. And when I felt hope, I latched onto it . Like a man dying of thirst who stumbles upon a river. And then I found my way back to the council. Palpatine doesn't trust me. He thinks that I'm some double agent." He laughed.
Fox did not. And his Force presence seemed to flicker briefly to disbelief of all things. And a fair bit of anger.
"Man, if you think Obi-Wan's yelling at him about Rex was good, you should have seen him tear that man a new asshole over me. Him and the council."
"The council thought you were a double agent?"
"They weren't convinced I was one hundred percent back in the light," Quin shrugged. "That's okay, though. We are fighting a war. And two former Jedi already managed to fall. Why not a third one, am I right?" He grinned at him.
Fox did not grin back.
His smile dropped. "Anyways, I was more or less put on probation. To live on Coruscant and attend sessions with mind healers once a week from now until the end of time to prove that I'm no longer a Sith. I never really was, to be fair. I just lost hope for a time. And needed some help finding my way back."
Fox nodded. "I think you did."
"Really?"
He nodded. "Cody hasn't shot you yet . Which means that he doesn't see you as a threat. So even if you were a Sith, you'd be a pretty shitty one."
"Wow, nice to know that Commander Cody doesn't view me as a threat. Anyone else that he doesn't view as a threat?"
Fox thought for a minute. "He doesn't view a lot of people as a threat. If he likes you, at least."
"Does he like me?"
"No."
"Oh."
"Is there anyone else he doesn't like that he doesn't view as a threat?"
"C3PO."
"And?"
"That's it."
"That's it! You mean to tell me he views Jar Jar Binks as a threat but not me?"
Fox stared at him.
Quin snapped his mouth shut. "Ah, yeah. As soon as it came out of my mouth , I realized how it sounded ."
They turned and continued walking.
As they got closer to the base, Quin decided to open up one last time.
"Fox, can I ask you a question?" Quin said.
"You just did," Fox deadpanned. Quin chuckled.
"So I did."
When Fox didn't say anything else, he decided to continue. "In your episode with Ahsoka, the one where you talked about politicians and not medicine—"
Fox scoffed but didn't say anything.
Quin continued. "You talked about how some people in the Republic wanted the war to continue because of money and power. Which do you think is the bigger reason?"
"Power," Fox responded without hesitation.
"Oh?"
He nodded. "Money is easy to get and hold onto. At least, compared to power. You might not be able to get it ethically or legally, but you can usually find some way of getting more. Whoring yourself out. Selling a Kidney. Stealing your neighbor's speeder. Vastly underpaying your employees. Embezzling it."
That last one sounded like Fox knew a real-world example. Quin decided not to comment and let him continue.
"You can get more money. And you can keep it if you know how to invest or save it. Yeah , for some of us, money is harder to get and keep. But compared to power? It's easy. Power, on the other hand, you can't cheat your way to power. You have to earn it. You have to sacrifice for it. And even if you've given everything to gain power, it's never truly yours. You can't save it. You can't tuck it away for a rainy day. It is always in danger of slipping from your hands. And the more unethical the means of getting power, the more afraid you are of losing it." He turned to him, his tired eyes boring into Quin as if he could read his every thought. "Most of the people in the Senate bought their way to power. They tried to cheat their way to power. So they are acutely aware that all it takes is one stumble and they could lose everything. They're desperate to hold onto their power. And for most of them , they are laboring under the delusion that money will give them the power they need."
"You don't think it will?" Quin asked.
Fox shook his head. "Not forever. My brothers and I don't have money to buy power. But we can still take it away if we want to. Anyone on the lower levels could. Even the Chancellor could not stop every beggar in the city if they decided to rise against him."
That right there answered Quin's question. Fox had come to the same conclusion as him. He and his brothers were holding their own investigation.
"Which politicians do you think want this power the most?" he asked, making sure to say 'politicians' instead of 'senators ', hoping that Fox would catch on. Maybe trust him so they could work together.
Fox's mouth quirked up into a brief smirk. For a brief moment, Quin didn't think he'd answer. He didn't think he'd take the bait.
"By the way, I caught your fish."
Quin smiled. "What a coincidence, so did I. Care to tell me about it, Commander ? Make sure they're the same fish?"
Fox shook his head. He tapped out in Dadita Dex's. Three days. Kenobi. Ahsoka. Rex. Cody. Wolffe. Koon.
Quin nodded and tapped out Understood.
He could be patient. Especially if that meant Fox was finally opening up and telling him what the hell was going on in the Galaxy.
*****
"Gree," Barriss hissed in the dark room.
Gree groaned and woke up to see her squatting by his bunk, her nose practically touching his.
"Shit, kid. How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that? Could have stabbed you."
Barriss looked properly embarrassed at this and looked down at the floor. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I'll go."
"Stop," Gree said, catching her arm before she could scurry away. "You did mean to wake me so mission accomplished."
She winced. "Sorry."
"It's fine," he yawned and pulled her onto his bunk and right up against the wall. This way, if Order 66 went live, the troopers would shoot him first and hopefully give Barriss enough time to escape through the vent that was right next to his bed. He wondered if she sensed his thoughts. If she did, she didn't say anything. He almost wished she would. Her and Unduli. They had all agreed not to tell the Jedi until they could be certain who was the one that ordered the chips to either be implanted or updated to include the kill order. He understood that. He agreed with that. But currently Green was sitting at about fifty-five to sixty percent dechipped. This meant if that order went live, it was going to be hard to protect Barriss and Unduli. But if they knew , if they could sense Gree's unease, then they could be prepared. Alas, he must have been doing too good of a job shielding and they didn't let slip any indication that they knew about the chips, the orders, or what Gree and his brothers were doing.
Barriss pulled off her head covering and cuddled into his chest. Gree made a concerted and pointed effort not to mention that. When he was first assigned to Unduli's squad, he asked about the head coverings, wanting to know what potential weaknesses his general might be hiding (Force, was that so he could protect them better or so that he could hurt them better when Order 66 went live?).
Unduli explained that the head coverings were a cultural thing and were worn around people who weren't considered family. And doctors, of course. Barriss had dutifully worn hers around him since the beginning. But, after he had come back from leave and was now down a chip in his brain, she started taking it off around him.
Just around him, though. And only at night in the dark. Almost as if she were testing the waters. It made him very happy that she felt like they were family, but he also didn't know if he should say something. He had been meaning to ask Unduli about it to make sure he wasn't overstepping or anything but just hadn't had the chance. He supposed so long as Barriss felt comfortable and safe, it was no big deal . But he wanted to make sure. He wanted her to be comfortable too .
"Another nightmare?" he said, pulling his thoughts away from head coverings and murder chips and back towards the matter at hand .
Barriss nodded.
"Want to talk about it? That always helps," he said. Though, lately, his nightmares had taken a turn. Instead of droids killing everyone he loved, it was his own brothers. And he was forced to shoot them. One particularly nasty dream had a trooper strangling Barriss. He tried to get him off her without killing him but no amount of stun bolts to the back would stop the trooper. In the end, Gree had been forced to kill him.
When he rolled him off of Barriss, it was Cody. Cody had tried to kill her.
Of course, Cody had his chip out and wouldn't be unwillingly killing anyone anytime soon, but the fear was still there. Unduli had noticed the nightmares and asked if he was alright. He said he was fine and brushed her off.
Barriss, on the other hand, was having increasingly worrying nightmares. Ever since Palpatine started talking to her, she started having them more and more regularly. But was what weird about them was the fact that they weren't your standard nightmare fare. They weren't of battles or people dying. They were of the Jedi temple and the Jedi Order becoming tyrants and enslaving the galaxy. It was … bizarre to say the least. They almost seemed more like visions than nightmares.
Thankfully, after a particularly nasty one that had her practically catatonic when she stumbled to his room, he urged her to get help. She didn't fight him and talked with her master. Barriss had been talking to Unduli about these dreams and had even called in Kenobi and Windu to help out since both of them had a history of nightmarish visions of future events. But sometimes, Barris didn't want the comfort of the Jedi , she wanted to be free the talk about whatever these visions/nightmares were and complain about the problems.
"They're slavers," she said. "They have a whole slave army and are warmongers. We're supposed to be peacekeepers and breaking up slave rings. Instead, we're just as bad as the separatists. Maybe even worse." She muttered.
Gree grunted. Maybe they should get Wolffe in on this. He was the most emotionally stable of the command batch. Admittedly, that was a very low bar, but he still cleared it.
"They didn't have much of a choice," Gree said.
"Yes, they did! They could have left the Republic. They could have set you all free. They could have—"
" Vod'ika, " Gree said softly. "You know several Jedi. Dozens of them. Do you really think that anyone is happy they're forced to be generals?"
" Well they're not doing anything to stop it," she snapped.
"War is complicated. Makes us do things we never thought we'd be doing." Like helping your brothers smuggle drugs to a spice dealer so they could slowly poison the Chancellor of the Republic.
"No one else seems to care! They're all corrupt. They're all just preaching violence. All of them." The hate and vitriol in her voice shocked him. He had never heard her speak so harshly of anyone. Maybe it was the fact that it was late at night (or early in the morning. What time was it again?). Or maybe Gree was being extra sensitive because he was tired. Either way, he wanted to get her to calm down.
Unduli would probably tell her to take a few deep breaths and meditate. But because the Jedi were partially the reason for her outburst, he didn't think that'd go over well. Maybe he should employ Seventeen's technique of whipping troopers back into shape.
No, not making her do a hundred and fifty burpees (though that would be plan B) but rather forcing her to face the cold, hard reality of the situation.
"What do you think would have happened to me if Kenobi had told the Kaminoans 'no thanks, we don't want an army?"
Barriss stopped and thought about it for a second. "I don't know. What?"
"We would have been executed. The Kaminoans don't see us as human. The Republic doesn't see us as humans. And what do you do when you can't sell a product? You destroy it. Or sell it to the next highest bidder. And that would have been the Seppies, who would have taken us, wiped us of our free will, and made us fight for them instead."
"They wouldn't have—"
"They would have. The Kaminoans are smart. They would have figured out a way to do it," He was trying to keep himself from spilling too much, still mindful of the listening devices that were recording everything. Apparently, he was on some sort of hit list Fox found. He was not interested in painting a bigger target on his back. Besides, they were so close to finishing this war and getting rid of Palpatine. He was not going to be the one to fuck things up because he couldn't stop running his mouth.
"The war has brought out the worst in a lot of people. Seppie and Republic alike," he continued. "The Jedi don't want to be generals, but if they aren't generals, the natborns would treat us like trash. You remember Admiral Bapti, right?"
Barriss nodded.
Admiral Bapti had been Unduli's first admiral. Until she caught him abusing the troopers and promptly had him demoted and kicked off her ship. He had been reassigned to Skywalker's ship but had a mental breakdown around the fiftieth time Skywalker went rogue and nearly crashed the ship (so after about a week of working with him). Last Gree heard, he had retired and was now a waiter at some Chandrilan restaurant on Naboo. May he never get a tip and always have to work something natbors called the "clopen ".
"And Ti's been helping out with the conditions on Kamino. Kenobi's been working to try and get more power passed to us in the GAR, you know, get a few of us to be generals so we can end this war sooner instead of dealing with whatever shit the Senate's working through. And without Amidala, we wouldn't have a representative in the Senate or on Kamino. Though I'm sure Fox does not appreciate the increased workload."
"I guess," Barriss grumbled.
"Life's complicated, kid. The Jedi aren't warmongers. And they do have a slave army, but I know Windu has been working hard with Organa to try and make that a thing of the past. Remember, they're just as unwilling participants in this war as we are. But do you know why me and my brother's stay?"
"No?"
"We could leave any time we want to. There are not enough Jedi or natborns to stop us. But we stay because we know the Seppies wouldn't treat the Republic right. We stay because it's the right thing to do. We stay because we know that if anyone else were to do this job, it would be a failure. And the Jedi are the same. They stay because they can at least mitigate some of the damage. That doesn't make it right. But sometimes , in war , it's not about what's right or moral. It's about what will give you the best chance for survival. Don't get me wrong, I want to be free. I want to have the ability to choose if I'm a soldier or a cook or a teacher or whatever else nat borns get to do. But I also know that sometimes we have to do things we don't want to move closer to our goals."
When he first got the chip out and had time to come to terms with what that really meant, he wondered if the chip was the reason for his loyalty. If the chip was what was making him stay even though if he wanted to, he and all his brothers could walk away and no one could stop him.
Maybe a little.
He had noticed that now with the chip gone, he wasn't quite so loyal to the Republic. But instead of disappearing, that loyalty had been transformed . What was once loyalty to the government and Palpatine had now been replaced with loyalty and love for his brothers. For Unduli and Barriss. For the people of the Republic. For the natborns that donated paint and socks. For the doctors volunteering their time and limited resources just to help his brothers. For the billions and trillions of sentients who had written to their Senators about trooper's rights so that he and his brothers may be treated better. So no , he was no longer loyal to the Republic. He was loyal to the people. And he'd continue to fight for the people.
Barriss grumbled some more. "I don't like it. I still don't like it. It's not right."
"Then leave. You can leave, kid. No one would think any less of you. Leave and become a clone's rights activist. Or an anti-war activist. Or both. The world could use more people like that."
She didn't respond.
He sighed. "You know on our last campaign how you and Unduli stayed up for hours after the siege had ended because some citizens had gotten buried in the rubble and you were trying to get them out?"
Barriss nodded.
"That's why I'm still here. And I think that's why you're still here too ."
"I… I want to be a Jedi," she finally said. Softly. To where Gree could barely hear her. "I want to help people. It's just, right now, it feels like there's no hope. No light. Just war and death. And that's what's going to cause the fall of the Jedi Order."
He hugged her tighter. "Can't think like that, kid. Seventeen always said the battle is fifty percent mental and fifty percent physical."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Of course, he'd shout that to us while making us tread water for an hour so who knows? But if you think that the Jedi Order is going to fall, then why even stay? Get out now. Build yourself a new life on the outer rim away from the war. And the GAR and the Seppies. I don't think anyone would blame you."
"I can't do that!" she cried, pushing back to look him in the eyes.
"Why not? You seem pretty convinced the Order's going to fall and is filled with awful people. Why stay?"
"Because…Because…" She sputtered. Groaned. Then flopped back down onto the bed.
"You got to have faith. No matter how dark things get, no matter how much death is around you, you have to have faith. You have to have hope. So long as you have that going for you, the Jedi Order won't fall. And who knows, maybe once this war is over, they'll need someone like you to help restructure so shit like this doesn't happen again."
She looked up at him. "You think so?"
"Yeah. Now get some sleep. Grievous has been spotted skulking around near where our next campaign is. You got your knives?"
He didn't see her roll her eyes, but he knew she was doing it. "Yes, Gree. I have all the knives you put on me."
"And the wrist straps Cody gave me?"
"I do not lose my lightsaber!"
"Barris?"
"Yes, I have the wrist straps."
"Good. Then let's go kill a creepy-ass cyborg with a bad case of emphysema," he said, hugging her tight.
She laughed and didn't say another word. Once her breathing had evened out and he knew she was asleep , he let himself drift off .
*****
Dooku took a deep breath and prepared himself for the conversation he was about to have.
The hologram flickered to life.
Immediately, he took a knee and bent his head . A servant showing proper respect for a king.
He felt all the more bitter for it. He was no servant. He was Count Dooku. Former Jedi. Darth Tyrannus. Leader of the Separatists. Someone who saw through the limitations of the Jedi and left instead of pouring himself into the Order until it ate him up and spat him out. He should not be kneeling for Palpatine. If anything, Palpatine should be for him. Without Dooku, his plans would have long failed.
"You don't have to kneel for anyone." Qui-Gon's voice echoed in his head. "You can still see the faults of the Jedi and be a good person. You can still help people. There is still hope."
He did his best to ignore all thoughts of his former padawan. He was one with the Force now. His impact on Dooku's life was at an end.
"It will never be at an end so long as you open your mind to my memory."
Then, problem solved. He closed his mind to his memory and focused on the task at hand .
"My lord, you requested a meeting?" He didn't know what Palpatine wanted to talk about , but he knew it couldn't be good. Something happened in the Force recently. A strong beam of light bursting through the darkness. So blinding, Dooku almost turned his back completely on Palpatine's fool's errand.
Almost, but not quite .
Just because there was light did not mean it would remain that way forever. They simply had to find the source and snuff it out. Same as they always did.
"You know, deep down, what the source is. And yet you have hesitated to snuff it out." Sifo-Dyas said.
Recently, Dooku had started hearing more and more voices of fallen Jedi. Qui-Gon was the one who spoke to him the most. But Sifo-Dyas was another regular occurrence . Along with Yaddle. He did his best to ignore them and hoped they were simply the result of stress-caused auditory hallucinations.
"Stress? Or guilt?" Yaddle asked.
Dooku ignored her. "Is this about the recent shift in the Force?"
Palpatine had to feel it as well. That had to be what this meeting was about. Why else would the man be demanding his immediate attention and feeling so angry and hateful that Dooku could feel it all the way on Serreno?
"There has been a change of plans," Sidious said. His voice cracked with hate so strong, that it nearly knocked Dooku off his feet. He wondered if any other Jedi could feel it. He almost hoped they could. If they felt his hate, then they could be rid of the tyrant once and for all. Then, and only then, would Dooku have hope that the Jedi weren't just some puppet army who would bow to the whims of the Senate no matter how egregious their requests were.
There were slavers running wild in the galaxy.
There were padawans on the front lines dying.
The Jedi were no longer peacekeepers. They were enforcers of whatever the Senate wanted. And what the Senate wanted was money and power. But, if they would just kill Palpatine. Or even if they would just say 'no more!' and leave the Republic altogether, then he would have hope.
A thread of light seemed to spill from his chest. With eyes still lowered, he watched it unravel. Followed it as it seemed to grow bigger and bigger and bigger.
Then, he thought of the council. Of how they didn't do anything unless Master Yoda approved, even though it was supposed to work as a majority vote.
"Obi-Wan, Mace, and Plo do try to make changes," Qui-Gon said. "Alas, Master Yoda is too blinded by his age and wisdom to see that it is time to step down."
Just like that, the thread snapped and was replaced once more with darkness. Who was he kidding? The Jedi would never kill Palpatine. They would sit around debating with each other the right course of action until the end of time. And by then, it would be too late. Palpatine would have already won and made slaves of the galaxy.
"What plans are you referring to?" he asked. There were a lot of plans. Sometimes, it was hard to keep track of what plans were Republic-specific and what plans were Separatist-specific.
"Tano must be disposed of immediately. I am tired of waiting."
Dooku felt his chest seize with …. With fear of all things. So he had found the source of the light, but not the source of the shift. Still, they were so interconnected at this point that getting rid of Tano might well be what was needed to snuff out the light completely. But he didn't want to say that. He didn't want to agree to that.
For some reason, he felt strangely … protective of the girl. Perhaps it was simply because she was part of his lineage. He could see pieces of both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in her from reports and that made him want to try and recruit her to his side all the more . Her attachment to her troopers would be a good starting place. But he knew it would never work. Just like Obi-Wan refused his call despite being aware of and experiencing firsthand the council and Jedi's many shortcomings, Ahsoka Tano would never fall. She would find another way to help her troopers, had found another way to help her troopers, but would never fall.
"What about your plan to make Offee fall and frame Tano?"
Palpatine snarled. "That blasted girl keeps talking to her master and commander about it. Her mind has become twisted with my efforts , but Unduli and the clone are keeping her grounded enough that she isn't falling. I would try to kill the clone, but I grow tired of wasting time and resources all so that two insignificant padawans can be dealt with. They were never part of the plan."
Clearly, Ahsoka and Barriss were not insignificant padawans, if they were causing Sidious to devote this much of his time and attention to them. Sometimes, it felt like he had completely abandoned the great plan altogether just so that he could be rid of Ahsoka.
He did not speak these thoughts aloud. He had learned long ago that Palpatine did not like to be questioned . He did wonder, though, if it was time to distance himself from the man. Originally , he saw Palpatine as a stepping stone to fixing the galaxy. He'd go along with his plans and schemes and wouldn't roll his eyes when he discussed creating a cloned Sith army. When the time came, he'd cut him down and use his power to rid the galaxy of corruption. To bring about peace. To end slavery. To end greedy politicians taking everything whilst their constituents suffered.
Only, he was starting to wonder if Palpatine was going senile in his old age. If perhaps the man he thought of as cunning and powerful were no more than a fumbling buffoon. Like that creature Amidala kept around in the Senate for reasons Dooku could never understand. Perhaps he had overestimated Palpatine's abilities to see any plan through to completion. The cloned Sith army was going nowhere with Hemlock in prison. Ahsoka had yet to die. Offee had yet to turn. Little Gods, the man couldn't even kill a couple of clones properly! (Maybe Dooku was being too hard on Grievous and Ventress after all).
Yes, maybe he should step back. Shut Palpatine out from the Separatists and go about finding peace in a different way.
He knew no matter what choice he made he did not want to return to the Jedi Order. Master Yoda had led them to this war . Had ignored warnings of their downfall. Had become so powerful the council couldn't do hardly anything without his approval. The Jedi Order themselves helped uphold slavers with the excuse of not wanting to get involved. They forced Padawans to bury their feelings. They sent children into war and never once seemed to make any moves to remove themselves from the situation. They themselves had slaves. No matter what pitiful stipend the clones got, that was what they were. They couldn't leave. They couldn't choose a different path. They couldn't vote.
This was what the Jedi Order had become. Slavers too cowardly to leave the safety of the Senate and actually do things that mattered. That was why he originally fell for Palpatine's speeches. But now, kneeling in front of him as little more than a servant, a pawn in a chess game, Dooku could not say if he had truly chosen the right side.
"Go to Coruscant. We are going to end this," Palpatine said, pulling Dooku from his thoughts. "And bring Ventress with you."
"My lord, is that wise? With so many Jedi on Coruscant, not to mention the clones—"
"I will black the clones out if needed. As for the Jedi, have Ventress kill as many of them as possible. The creche would be a good place to start."
Dooku's gut clenched. "The children?"
"Yes, it will do well to sow the seeds of chaos and grief. And the initiates will be weak enough that even Ventress should be able to handle them."
That wasn't the issue (also, Palpatine had yet to 'handle' Ahsoka and Offee so maybe he shouldn't be so judgmental of Ventress). The issue was that they would be slaughtering children.
Palpatine seemed to read his mind. Seemed to sense his hesitation. "Come now, Dooku, surely you knew this was coming. I can also activate Order 66 if you'd like. The clones will leave no child alive."
"No, my lord. No need to activate the chips just yet. Ventress will perform her duties as needed."
"Good."
"What about Kenobi?" he asked. He had kept up with his grand padawan's exploits and was ashamed to say how proud he was of the man he had become. The strength, the empathy, the steadfast devotion to the Light. It made Dooku mourn for their nonexistent relationship. Qui-Gon had kept them separate for much of his padawanship, likely sensing the growing darkness within Dooku. He wondered if maybe he had been able to talk to Obi-Wan, he would have stayed in the Light. It was too late for that now. But he did know that Palpatine was growing tired of his exploits. He had tried to have him assassinated, only for it to fail. If he were going to take out Ahsoka, he would likely be aiming for Obi-Wan as well.
"He will also die. Our new ally needs a chance to prove himself, after all," Sidious smirked.
Ice seemed to fill Dooku's veins. He wasn't surprised, but he also wasn't happy. For some reason, he wanted Obi-Wan to stay alive. Possibly because he seemed to be the only true Jedi left. Willing to speak his mind and scold the council as needed. Or maybe that was just Dooku's own bias towards his lineage. Perhaps he was no better than Master Yoda, blinded by his age and attachments. Still, the thought of his grandpadawan dying made him feel … empty. But not the kind of empty one gets when one doesn't care. The kind of empty one gets when they're sad. Grieving. Yes, he was grieving the death of Obi-Wan, he realized. And what that would mean for the Jedi Order.
He did his best not to let it show. He already had one slip-up with his feelings towards the death of the children in the creche. Anymore and Palpatine might do something drastic to him. "Of course, my lord. I will send Ventress to Coruscant and be there within a few days."
"Good." Palpatine flickered off the call without so much as a goodbye.
Dooku stayed kneeling for another breath. He pushed himself to his feet and stumbled to the bathroom.
His fingers ran under his eyes. Still not yellow, no matter how much hate he had in himself.
"Because you still have hope," Qui-Gon's voice echoed from somewhere. " And faith . Please listen to it. Let it guide you. Trust in the Force."
He let his fingertips drop. "There is no more hope for me. I have traveled too far down the path of darkness.
"Yet you still sense the light ".
"One does not have to be good to see the light." He sighed and shook his head. "Listen to me, arguing with a ghost. Palpatine will get his war. And it will end."
"Palpatine? Not Sidious?"
Yes, Palpatine. Not Sidious. He hadn't been Sidious in Dooku's mind for a long time.
"I doubt even he has the presence of mind right now to be anything more than a spoiled child, breaking his toys when he doesn't get what he wants."
"You could stop him. You could warn the Council. Warn Obi-Wan. Keep the galaxy from falling into chaos and darkness."
Dooku took a deep breath. "I am too far gone, my padawan. I must see this through to the end."
He swept out of the room and towards his ship.
"My army will not fail," Sifo-Dyas whispered in his ear.
"Of that, I have no doubts." Dooku got into his ship, punched in the coordinates, and took off. It was time they ended this. No matter what the outcome would be , he was on the wrong side. But, he accepted that. This was his burden to bear and he would bear it. He only hoped the Jedi would learn from his mistakes and something like this would never happen again.
*****
Dooku: Head to Coruscant.
Ventress: Is that wise?
Dooku: Are you questioning your master?
Ventress: No. Of course not. I am simply wondering what purpose this will serve. That's all.
Dooku: It'll serve to be rid of Ahsoka Tano once and for all.
Ventress: Of course. I'll kill the girl myself.
Dooku: No need. Sidious has decided to do it himself.
Ventress: I can do it.
Dooku: You have failed in the past when she was less trained. What makes you think you can do it now?
Ventress: Then why send me to Coruscant at all?
Dooku: We'll need to distract the Jedi so they do not come to her aid.
Dooku: Attack the temple. Kill as many Jedi as you can.
Ventress: And what will you be doing?
Dooku: That is none of your concern.
Ventress: Does that include the children?
Dooku: If you don't have the stomach to do what is asked of you, then I suggest you run. I will hunt you down and kill you eventually. But you might live a few extra months at least.
Ventress: No, master. I can do what needs to be done .
Dooku: Good.
Dooku: And be warned, if you fail, I will be forced to terminate you.
Ventress: Understood.
Notes:Originally, Quinlan's little realization that it was Palpatine was going to be much like Cody's, but since it's basically the same conclusion, I decided you didn't need the thought process twice.
Guess what's happening next time? Guess. Guess. Guess.
That's right! Pain! So much pain! I do need to do some rewrites of the plot outline because I've made some changes but it's going to be fun.
And painful!