Slightly shorter chapter this time just due to the build up I'm having to do and the world building to ensure it had a certain weight to it... Hope you enjoy regardless... And, let the hijinks of Yoda begin?
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The Jedi Temple was bursting with activity as the archives were being cleared of all sensitive information and refurbished to host a 'meeting' of minds. Rumours had spread quickly at the lively display of motion from the Jedi Council. Some Padawans swore that the Jedi were hosting a meeting between the council and the Chancellor of the Republic... Older Jedi, knights and masters alike, felt that perhaps some old member of the Jedi who had sequestered themselves away had achieved something notable and were coming back to avail themselves of their knowledge to the order at large...
Both perspectives were wrong but still they held the most possibility in the minds of the Jedi. At the same time that the archives were being refurnished the temple in totality was receiving a full inspection and security check. Clone troopers of the Coruscant Guard could be seen scoping every ordinary level outside of the temple itself whilst Jedi Temple guard did copious scans with security droids. Jedi Master Shaak Ti had even been called back to the temple in order to lead these security checks, her red-white lekku having been seen far more often than any other point inside the temple during the clone wars.
The council itself had also been busy throughout the two day grace period they had been granted. Mace Windu had ensured the younglings were guarded at all times by two Jedi Knights at all times. Ki-Adi-Mundi had ensured that the Holocron vault was locked down with extreme prejudice, all of the lockdown protocols having been activated. Plo Koon had been seen contacting Senator Amidala in hopes of having her present for the 'exchange' to come; an effort that he was most successful at. Kit Fisto had been taking charge of the steps of the Jedi Temple, an extreme oddity that drew much attention to the Jedi's actions.
Depa Billaba, Oppo Rancisis, Eeth Koth and Adi Gallia had been in constant contact with the exterior efforts of the clone wars as Yoda managed the internal affairs of the temple. All four of them were taking to the work like a fish to water, their skills finally being used fully after an extremely long period of being left on the sidelines.
The full council was present. It was an oddity, a peculiarity, a downright surprise amidst this galaxy spanning war.
~~~
In Orbit of Coruscant...
The Two day journey between the frontlines and Coruscant had been, to say the least, boring. As a member of the chat I was occupied, don't get me wrong, but the topics were so... Droll.
Ever since I had foisted my responsibility onto Tony, having had exploded in chat afterwards, the conversation was almost completely dead. All the members were busy or had little to talk about. Jester was talking about secret plots and plans of some guy called 'Ludi', whoever that was, meanwhile Loki was doing godly things... Essentially bathing in hot women and luxuriating in hot springs; I wasn't jealous, I wasn't!
Ahum, anyway... Conversation with Obi Wan and Anakin had stalled pretty hard after I revealed the latter's biggest secrets and feelings. The master and former Padawan were working through their own set of issues and ignored us for the most part. The only upside for them was the fact that Ashoka had stayed on mission and had been speaking with all three of us, her mood never fluctuating despite our status as Sith Lords.
Speaking of the cute little Padawan, she was standing beside me and Sirius as we looked out from the bridge. Coruscant was a gorgeous jewel in the pitch black of space. Geometric lines of light spanned the entire surface of the world and glowed with a lustre not unlike torchlight being focussed into a diamond. Massive Venator-class ships hung suspended in orbit of the capital world, their hulls gleaming with fresh paint and the hum of maintenance droids.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Ashoka intoned softly from between us, her eyes slightly glazed as she looked over the capital of the Republic.
"It certainly is breathtaking. It's almost as spectacular as Hogwarts..." Sirius stated casually.
Looking over at the old dog I found Ventress leaning against a far wall in a corner of the bridge, her pale skin softly shimmering from the nearby wall lamps. She had been totally silent since her conversation with Harry two days ago. It wasn't a great loss for the atmosphere of the ship but it was a shame considering her potential as a Sith Assassin; if she were to be trained properly.
"Hogwash?" Sirius cackled at the Padawan's innocent question.
"Hogwarts! The school I and Revenant went to as children. It was a mad-house of fun and magic but it had a natural beauty that was beyond mere words..." The old dog stared off into the middle distance, his mind dragging him into past memories no doubt.
The Togruta blinked a few times before simply shrugging, her attention drifting back towards the spectacle before us. Shaking my head I focussed on our younger companion, his roguish grin, black hair and newly healed scar making me rethink the meeting with the Jedi Council.
With the Horcrux removed from his scar the teen had been happy beyond measure, his mood turning less rigid and grumpy. Morphing into a more soothing countenance. He had spoken to me and Sirius of the memory fragments inside his mind and his work to explore them.
Voldemort had died, a fact confirmed by him immediately upon questioning. But there was more than just his death left inside his mind. He had spoken as if the memories were buried in his subconscious, waiting for him to explore them. Personally I had no clue how that would work or how one could unbury them but Harry was working on it, apparently. He'd already started showing some proficiency with spells he had never cast before and his Sith abilities were gaining an edge that only Dark Arts from his world could conjure. Already his telekinetic skills had become sharper and stronger, beating Sirius handily despite the gap in age and experience in using magic.
I only hoped that the Marauder mischief could be contained sufficiently before we made landfall... A pyrrhic hope at best, unfortunately...
~~~
One Hour Later...
The Negotiator slowly whirred down as Obi Wan, Anakin, Ashoka and us three stepped up to the Jedi delegation opposite. We were still in the dockyards of Coruscant with its massive refuelling limbs and crews quickly scuttling around to ensure the ship was given repairs and a full compliment of supplies before it needed to be used again.
All of us were stood on a red carpet, that had probably been freshly rolled out for the meeting, whilst Grandmaster Yoda, Mace Windu and Shaak Ti stood opposite us. It was an odd experience to meet all of these characters in person... Yoda looked exactly the same as the prequels portrayed him but had an aura of temperance that softly billowed out around him. Mace Windu presented himself as a taciturn warrior, his eagle-like gaze piercing each of before scanning for threats and dangers whilst he thumbed the edge of his robes near his lightsaber. Shaak Ti was almost a pleasant surprise in comparison to previous Jedi... She had a kind air about her and smiled towards us with an unjudging stare of curiosity.
Many people in the Star Wars fandom considered the woman 'hot' or 'sexy', which were definitely true, but experiencing her connection to the force first hand I had to consider her more of a mother-figure. She seemed to be the one that you could go to for anything and only get warm hugs in return.
"Master Yoda, Master Windu, Master Shaak Ti... May I introduce, Darth Canis-" Obi Wan gestured towards the old dog, "Darth Revenant-" He moved down the line and pointed out Harry, who simply gave a coy wave, "and finally, their leader, Darth Nexus." I nodded my head and grinned at the small chuckle of Yoda.
"Pleasure to meet you it is. Learn much we will from this visit, yes?" Yoda asked in his backwards ways.
"Of course Grand Master Yoda. I must say that we are delighted to be dealt with in such a cordial manner, despite our titles and the history you have with our misguided brethren..." Windu and Shaak Ti tilted their heads at my words, the Grand Master himself nodding in understanding; though I doubted his knowledge in the true schism of Sith ideology and practice.
"Sad it is, that they hurt so many... Yes, sad it is..." The green little guy looked very sad as he let his words slip away into the wind.
Sirius scratched his chin for a moment before coughing out loud, drawing the attention of everyone present. "So, are we having the meeting here? Or...?" Ashoka giggled at the dog's antics as the other Jedi all shot him a quizzical look.
Harry smacked his dog-father in the shoulder whilst shaking his head. It was obvious that the dog was getting antsy being in one place too long. We would have to take him on walks more often... Being cooped up on a space ship for too long had probably affected him. I'd have to check in with Obi Wan to see if he peed on any of the canteen seats or pieces of furniture in his room... I chuckled at the constant stream of thoughts.
"Of course not, we will escort you to the Jedi Temple where you will be given quarters and sustenance. Then we can continue our 'discussions'." Windu said powerfully, his tone brooking no argument and his eyes conveying his severity.
"Sounds like a plan!" Harry exclaimed loudly, his gaze whipping around to take in the distant skyscrapers and hab-complexes that sprinkled the skyline. Shaak Ti laughed at his antics which only lead to him winking at her; I thought I spotted a blush but I can't be sure...
"Lead on, we have much to speak about." I stated.
"Indeed, much to speak about do we have! MmmMHahahaha, much chaos you have caused for the order of late... Much enjoyment have I had, mhahahahahahahahaha..." His laughs made me grin, I couldn't help but find myself enjoying his company despite how little interaction we have had so far. The small, stifled, groan of Windu behind me didn't help the situation either as I imagined the green little guy annoying the hell out of the rigid Jedi protector.
"That's a wicked laugh." Harry murmured from beside me. Yoda only increased his laughter in response, much to the concern of Windu who was trying to retain his calm amidst this very 'stressful' situation.
I feel like I'm going to enjoy this meeting; I thought as I scanned every single droid, tool and ship inside the dockyard as fast as I could.
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May the force be with us all...
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