The Weaving Force: Chapter 116 (Patreon)

Chapter 116:

Adi Gallia

She sat at a Council meeting; the day they sent Jedi to Geonosis.

She sat at a Council meeting when they returned to them.

But what returned to them were not… they were not the Jedi that had left. 

What returned to them… were men and women, broken and shattered; not just physically, but emotionally, mentally and even spiritually. 

Their presence pressed down on the temple, almost like a physical weight. Fear and terror had such… such a hold over them that Adi felt her heart break for each of them.

She felt… guilty. Guilty that her task had been to remain behind, to manage the temple. To be safe while Knights and Padawans saw such horrors that the majority of them were waking up with night terrors, screaming for their Masters, or calling the names of Clones and Jedi slain on those sands.

The Temple was a heady, sickening cocktail of negative emotions and the healers were pushing themselves nearly to the breaking point. They’d called on all enclaves and satellite temples to send any aid they could and while all answered, it still felt like there were just… too few.

Always there were just too few Jedi.

And now there were even less of them. 

Not even the news that Jorus, the traitor was dead. That Sev’Rance Tann the butcher of Corellia and apparently also a Sith was just as dead. None of it even seemed to bring a sense of relief; not even the barest notion that any of this had been worth it.

The Temple felt… empty. Colder. Darker. 

It was… It was horrifying. Entirely and completely Horrifying. 

She did her best to help, to aid the healers, guide the padawans, advise the Masters, mend the clones. She did not stop trying to help in any way she could from the moment she woke from her barely six hours of sleep to the moment she lay her head down again as the Corruscant Night filtered through her windows each passing day.

But it felt like she was trying to push back the tides of an ocean.

Not since her childhood had she cried. But she felt closer and closer to tears every passing hour.

And then- came the whispers.

The hissed voices slithering through the temple. Voices of doubts. Of recriminations. Of blame and anger and… even hate.

Towards the Seperatists, the Republic, Their fellow Jedi, the Council…

“How couldn’t they have known?” 

“Are there others like Bulq?”

“Is Master Yoda… too old? Is he capable at his age?”

“We should have just glassed that planet from orbit. No. Its not Genocide. Its Pest control.”

The shadows within the temple grew long, and the whispers grew poisonous. Adi felt as though she couldn’t breathe on some days and if it weren’t for Master Yaddle and Master Fay, she wasn’t sure how any of those in the healing wing could have endured this storm.

But that’s all that they’d done.

Endure. 

They hadn’t healed it. They hadn’t fixed anything. 

For all her power. For all her experience. For all her skills, capability and insight…

She felt helpless.

Genuinely; truly helpless.

And so… here she sat. In a Council meeting… with 14 other members- and no idea… where to even begin.

The heavy, graven silence told her, even more than their haunted, troubled and exhausted expressions… they were no better.

Master Yoda wore every single minute of his near thousand year lifespan right now. The sadness seemed to weigh him down, stooping his posture and making him seem so impossibly small.

Master Windu’s face could have been carved from stone, a stoicism that barely contained the roiling mass of conflicted and warring thoughts that had no calmed no matter how many times she caught him meditating in the room of a thousand fountains.

Master Mundi had not moved a single inch for what seemed like an age and Master Koth stared out of the window, a thousand miles away.

Obi-Wan’s eyes were closed, his brows knit together. Skywalker had… left. Just left barely three days ago.. They didn’t know where, and he wasn’t answering anyone’s Holocalls. 

They didn’t even know if he was coming back. 

She turned; in… almost reflex. She didn’t even think it was just-

She turned to Master Plo to ask him how he thought they should proceed. Because always it was in moments like this that his calm, steady hand seemed to know how to proceed through even the most troubled waters.

When she looked upon his empty seat- the sudden surge of grief nearly choked her.

She faced forward again, taking a deep shuddering breath trying to once more find her center- realizing in that moment… just how they all felt.

“Will we not speak?”

It was Master Poof who ventured into the silence, disturbed it. The gentle master’s voice was kind, sympathetic; it always was. He’d been one of the few left behind in the temple, like her. 

Master Koth was the one who answered him. “What more is there to say?”

His voice was laced with a… not hostility… a bitterness. A resentment.

He turned away from the window, taking a deep breath. “We’ve failed. Utterly, and completely.”

Master Poof lowered his head, the gesture looking odd with his long neck. “I understand… this was… is a bleak moment. But. two of the Sith were killed. Geonosis has been pacified. The cost was great but-”

“He sat right there.” Koth gestured to the seat beside him. Also empty. 

Master Bulq’s seat. 

“He sat Right. There!” Koth’s voice raised at the final words as he repeated himself, now glaring at the spot. And she realized… he hadn’t been looking out the window.

He’d been looking away from the ghost seated at his side. 

“And we didn’t feel any of it-” The Zabrak scoffed. “Not one of us.” 

He looked around the room, eyes passing over each of the Council members. ‘Not you.” He said to Master Tiin who’s features twisted in guilt, his particular gifts of mind reading seemingly a mockery in this moment. “Not you-” Koth continued, gesturing to Windu who didn’t even twitch, staring straight ahead. 

Finally, Koth turned to Yoda. “Not even you, Master.” The word Master was delivered gently, kindly. “Not even me.” Koth declared. The huff of air sounded vaguely like a disbelieving laugh. “None of us. Not. A. Clue!”

Gallia knew the Council had met before this moment. Knew that they’d spoken already about how to proceed, what to do. But she understood as Koth spoke now that it hadn’t really… set in. That it hadn’t had time- the shock of it, the impossibility of it. The sheer scale of the betrayal, the disaster.

Now it’d had time to sit. To fester.

And it was boiling over.

Koth shook his head. “And we want to tell this order and everyone within it- in the Republic that we are the guardians of peace? Of order? We can barely even safeguard these chambers!”

None spoke up, none refuted him. Even as Gallia herself, and no doubt others wished to defend their order, and themselves… she couldn’t say them

Five Hundred thousand dead. A beloved friend, colleague and Jedi councilman drawing closer and closer to death every passing day and a Knight being forced to kill in vengeance before fleeing the order without a word; made anything short of damning silence a hard thing to muster. 

“Dallon-” Master Koth scoffed. “She told us, after Illum we had to look out for internal corruption.” He turned his attention to Mundi. “You dismissed her- And I agreed with you.”

A muscle in the Zabrak’s jaw twitched, His lips curling His eyes darting this way and that way around the room, seemingly searching for an answer amongst the walls and ceiling.

Master Kenobi sighed. “What is to be done about the chips in the Clones?”

“A meeting has been called.” Windu finally spoke; his voice carefully neutral, even robotic. “Myself, Master Yoda. Master Yaddle. The Chancellor, several key Core World Senators, including Corellia, Alderaan, Kuatt and the Kaminoans. We’ll deliver our findings regarding the chips and take immediate steps to have them removed from all troops as quickly as possible.”

“If that’s the case why the meeting?” Obi-Wan demanded with a raised eyebrow. “Or… is the meeting to inform them and the removal of the chips is what you’ll propose at the meeting? Because those are very different things Master Windu.”

Mace’s features darkened ever so slightly and it was answer enough. 

“I don’t see why they wouldn’t agree-” Master Rancisis put forward. “We’ve seen how ruinous those devices can be. We cannot have an army or conduct a war when half a million men can be executed on the turn of a phrase with no way to counteract it.”

“Not to mention that the chips we’ve extracted have programing space for several hundred command orders.” Master Tsui Choi added. “Removal or imprisonment of the Senate, the Jedi, the Chancellor. The damage these orders can cause is immense.”

“How did this even happen?” Tiin demanded. ‘Who ordered- or even authorized this in the later generations.”

“We’re investigating-” Master Poof tried, only to be cut off.

“Always three steps behind.” Koth grit his teeth, hands clenching tight. “We’re always always three steps behind.”

The Zabrak shook his head, and began marching out of the room.

The meeting hadn’t been called to a close, but none had the heart to stop him.

—

Taylor:

“You think he’ll be back?” 

I turned, looking at Vicky where she sat beside me in the training room.”

I didn’t want to lie. So I didn’t. 

“I don’t know.”

The Temple was damningly silent since our return. A collective tension, a holding of breath that made everything seem poised to shatter into a million pieces if anyone so much as breathed wrong.

The Council tried to keep things quiet about everything that happened on Illum. Of course they did. It was the same MO as the PRT.

I made sure they couldn’t.

A whisper here, a rumor to a clone there, and soon word was spreading.

I wasn’t going to let them lie to everyone. To bury their heads in the sand like they’d done over and over and over again. 

If the Council had a traitor they were inept.

And if they tried to cover it up that meant they couldn’t be trusted, regardless of what platitudes and lies they told themselves to justify it.

I knew the damage it would cause to them.

But they’d cost us Plo. They’d cost a lot of Clones their brothers.

And they may have cost us Anakin too.

And I wasn’t too keen to give them a pass on any of it.

They could shape up and fucking swim or drown for all I cared right now- but I wasn’t just gonna sit here and let them push everyone else down while they held their heads above water pretending everything was fine.

Infront of us; Iskt and Karla were practicing their force manipulation, small rocks and boulders orbiting around them in concentric rings that danced around eachother without ever actually striking one another, an exercise in fine control and awareness. Iskt’s skin was still red, distorted with heat around him. It was mildly uncomfortable being next to him for a while, like standing too long under a heat lamp.

He joked he didn’t have to iron his clothes much anymore. 

Vicky sighed at my words, leaning forward, her head in her hands as I placed my own palm between her shoulder blades, rubbing at the spot there to try and help. “We should’ve done more…” She lamented. “Five hundred thousand people blow their brains out right infront of him, he’s nearly killed and we barely do more than give him a phone call and a see you soon.”

“There was a lot going on.” I tried to excuse.

I was right; there had been. Not the least of which was Master Plo.

But she was right too.

We should have been there for him and what he’d been through.

He wasn’t made of stone.

“We should’ve done more-” She affirmed anyway.

A momentary silence; I saw her head bow, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“What’s going on… with… everyone?”

My voice was almost a plea as I said her name. “Vicky.”

She snapped. “I can’t just wallow in my own head forever Tay!” 

“It hasn’t even been a week.”

“You had, what? A day?”

“Part of my power; and I can compartmentalize.” I reminded gently.

“Fuck powers and fuck compartmentalizing, give me a problem to fix, or a thing to do I can’t-” She rubbed at the bridge of her nose, her rant trailing off.

“I’m sitting here-” She continued. “And I think about Master Plo, I think about the Cyborg fuck the Geonosians made and how many more Jedi and Clones he’s going to kill when I’m not there; I ask myself what would master Plo say and then I’m back to thinking about Master Plo- I try to think of little greena nd that makes me think about the Council and everything they’re dealing with, which makes me think about Master Plo and who they might get to replace him and then I think about the Clones which makes me think of Orwell and that makes me think about Master Plo again, I’m running round and round in circles in my own head like a Hamster running on a fucking depression wheel. I don’t need more time I don’t need more space. I need literally anything other than those things. So either help me or I’ll fuck off and go find something on my own!”

There was a sharpness to her anger, an aimless desperation that was looking for any outlet. Me, herself, the Jedi, the Council. Anything

I recognized it. Felt it. 

So I helped. 

“The rumors about the Control chips are spreading through the Clones. They’re worried. It might help if you spoke to yours and told them straight up whats happening.”

“Council said not to talk about it until they were ready with a plan.”

‘Fuck em’ I thought but didn’t say.

“They’re your men.” I answered instead.

She thought about it nodding.  “And the Jedi healers? The council themselves?”

I sighed through my nostrils, shaking my head. 

“No change in the diagnosis. Too much oxygen entered his system. They can slow down things. But his organs are shutting down one by one- The Council are still pulling their heads out of their asses.”

Vicky’s features twisted, grief, anger, a myriad of other things passing through her eyes, I heard the groan of the metal bench we were sitting on giving beneath her fingertips. 

She took a breath, trying to find her calm again. 

“Any news about the Seps?”

I opened my mouth, then paused, a new distraction catching my attention- not directly but still within range of my insects hearing.

“You’ve read the histories. The last time someone proposed anything like this it’s led to thousands of years of misery and death-”

“I know the histories, but I also know that this is not what the Jedi are meant to be. We are not cannon fodder for the senate. We are not executioners, meant to hold the power of life and death over millions of souls at nothing but a few words we could give out on a whim. We are not butchers and attack dogs and enforcers for a government that would rather vat grow slaves than fight its battles themselves!”

The words weren’t shouted, but they were heard. 

“Master Plo is dead. And with him gone; there is one less voice of true reason on the Council. Killed by a fallen member of that same Council. That’s all the proof I need. Any who feel the same way- I ask that you follow me. That we leave this order this… arm of the Senate and establish a new temple, away from this madness and its corruption.

“Tay?” Vicky called. “Something wrong?”

The group they were speaking to was small. But I imagined they’d be carried soon enough. 

—

Shmi Skywalker:

“So you’ll be home soon?”

Shmi couldn’t help but feel the palpable flood of relief course through her system as she heard the words.When both the Lady Hannah and Master Saxon had been deployed to Geonosis she’d been worried almost sick, and dreaded the possibility every single day that she might get a call and would have to sit down and speak to the children that they’d lost either of, or Force forbid both of their parents. 

But now she could breathe easy; because both would be coming home. 

“Yes.” Aras nodded. “I trust they behaved themselves?”

The words carried a note of warning, not for her, for the children. He’d never accept either jen or Daryan ever doing anything less than be model children for someone he entrusted to take care of them. 

The former slave woman smiled. “They’ve been very good. No fights in school either.” She joked lovingly “Not even to defend the little lady’s honor.”

“Good.” Aras opened his mouth, and then hesitated; she could guess that he wanted to make sure that ‘The little lady’s honor’ didn’t actually need deafening, before he refrained, clearing his throat instead. “Good.” He repeated. “Two days. Farewell Shmi.”

“Goodbye sir.” She nodded.

The Holo flickered out.

Shmi looked towards the nearby clock. There were still a few hours before she had to leave to go fetch the children from school. Enough time to season tonights dinner and do a bit of light cleaning before she was off.

As she turned away to go and finish her tasks- the doorbell chimed.

Shmi paused- wondering briefly, who it might be. Perhaps a message from the Duchess, informing her that Aras and Hannah were being recalled? Someone from the school?

Marching towards the door, she wondered if she might, perhaps, grab the blaster hidden in a compartment by a small table beside the door before reconsidering, her own innate feelings telling her it wouldn’t be necessary.

She opened the door.

And there was her son.

Anakin stood there, and his eyes were red from tears; like when he’d hurt one of his playmates on accident. His lips trembled the feeling within him breaking through the cracking surface.

All the pain and hurts of days and weeks bubbling up from beneath.

He choked as he said the word ‘Mom’.

Shmi stepped forward, and took him in a hug.

And her boy cried.

“She rocked him like he was a child again, and not a man nearly grown, rocked him and tried to sooth the pains and hurts and told him it would all be alright, whatever it was, it would all be alright. 

“Let the tears come and douse the fires in your heart my son.” She whispered now as she did years and years ago. 

And her boy cried, and she let him.

(X)(X)(X)

Hello friends.So I can fairly safely say that there are exactly 2 more updates to go for this fic to reach the end of the arc and for the fic to go on break.The next chapter is probably going to involve Anakin and Shmi, at least a little bit and we again go to the political side of things, mingled in with Jedi council politics, so expect Alexandria, Mace Windu, Yoda and Palpatine all blended together in what I'm fairly sure will be a bit of a surprise outcome for many people.Oh yes...

Definitely a "Fifth Column" moment for certain parties :3I can say with some confidence you're all gonna like this.