Dathomir….
Walking through the jungle, the Grandmaster moved unabated. The Force as his ally. Unusual for any creature to traverse the dangerous wilds. Like a protective bubble around him, even the most aggressive animal and plant life seemed to ‘bend’ to his will, parting the way for him as he walked. Jumping down a gulley, the Grandmaster climbed back up, checking his wrist mounted display to check his direction. It was the correct area. Dense, well-hidden. All of it was starting to make sense. This was a location that no one would dare walk or even attempt to find due to the dangerousness of the planet and the isolation of the area itself.
Thinking back on what brought him there. The many nights of meditation and investigation. The Force was clear, but he could not only rely on the Force as evidence that something was amiss. Those Jedi in the Order who fell under Master’s Harbeck’s spell were clouded. Just as a veil of darkness and fogginess descended on his arrival, anyone who listen to Harbeck’s message and accepted it soon fell under the same dense cloud of confusion. No longer able to hear the Force themselves, they heard what Harbeck wished them to hear.
The Grandmaster was placed in a position to do the most good. Able to check on the validity of the holo-tape sent to him by anonymous sources due to his own clearance within the Republic. Checking on the shipping documents that had ‘things’ sent away the morning of the previous Grandmaster’s death. Things that made no sense. Damaged cooling systems. Biological samples. An entire project division’s worth of material and resources. All of it ‘before’ the Jedi arrived to investigate. Czerka went to great lengths to hide the fact that all of it was sent before the investigation started. Changing times and dates; relisting the classifications of some of the items. But the Grandmaster dug deeper. Everything changed on the holo-net or in a financial system always left a trace, it just took a higher class ‘Slicer’ to find it. And a bit of the Force to lead them. The Jedi had both.
Back on ground level after climbing out of the depression, the Grandmaster looked down at the wrist unit again. He arrived. A cave, long since sealed and collapsed stood in stark contrast to the dense jungle around it. Evidence of the area having been cleared previously, swallowed up by the ever present encroaching jungle. He looked around turning away from the cave for the moment. A fire pit covered by plant life, rocks; smoothed out by time stacked neatly one on top of the other. Water buckets, far too heavy to carry. The Grandmaster squinted. All of it looked like makeshift tools in the training of a Padawan. Rudimentary, but reminding himself of where he was; the Grandmaster turned back toward the cave.
Raising his hands. The Grandmaster started to move the rocks blocking the entrance with his own power. Lifting them in the Force and setting them aside gently. The Force leading him as to which would move and which would further collapse the cave. He carved an entrance, crawling under the small entrance he made for myself and entered the cave. Coughing as the dust began to settle once again. Immediately sensing something and touching the wrist unit once again. A light came on, he extended his arm. Jumping back slightly as the light passed right below his feet.
A Skeleton. He bent down, touching the bones. Searching the Force, he felt it. A violent death, the essence of the Force all over the bones. The attachment to himself told him the bones belonged to a Jedi at some point, but he had no idea who it was. The Force told him enough that after standing back up, he took holos. Snapping images of the entire skeleton and sending it back to the database on his ship. It was too soon to bring anyone else in. The entire affair was far too dangerous to let anyone else in on what he suspected.
Continuing on, the feelings within the Force intensified. The cave was small, two sleeping areas. Some assorted living items. The Grandmaster searched it all. Stopping as he hands passed over the second sleeping area. Kneeling, he looked down shining the light down and moving the bed. Under it he found the clothing. An old green and yellow jumpsuit. Standing and extending it in his hands, he looked it over. Fairly standard for a Czerka worker. Strange that it was in the cave. Looking at the left breast pocket, he saw the writing; stenciled after the fact.
‘Zero-Zero-One’
--
- Coruscant, ‘The Works’….
All of it was sent from the same location. It took many slicers and investigators to triangulate the antenna array from which the information was originally transmitted. Deep in the unmanned area of the ‘The Works’. An automated area. All of the information passed through a multitude of arrays and was sent off planet to hide the fact that it originated on Coruscant, before coming back and being sent from the main holo-transmitter in Galactic City.
Combined with the information he already found, the visit to Dathonir, the shipping documents, the holo-tape of the Grandmaster’s death. All of it pieces of a larger puzzle. One, Czerka was in on. One, Harbeck was somehow involved with. He carried a satchel over his shoulder. The Grandmaster looking down at it as his speeder came to a stop and he hopped out. The jumpsuit from Dathomir gave off a very different energy in the Force. It was connected to Harbeck, but read ‘Zero-Zero-One’. Matching the shipped items the morning of the previous Grandmaster’s death. What didn’t fit was the holo-tape of the death. Why? How did the documents and the cave connect to it? Harbeck knew, Czerka knew. Most importantly the one who sent all of it knew.
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Confusing, still seeking answers. The Grandmaster needed to speak to the one who sent all of it. Who went to great pains to hide their location and identity.
Checking the datapad for the correct address again, the Grandmaster hesitated outside the door of the rather secluded dilapidated Townhouse. It was hard to believe that this could be the residence of the former Supreme Chancellor. It was the only dwelling in the area. And it emanated in the Force. That one living being was inside. Either he, or someone else went to great pains to ensure he couldn't be found easily.
Located on the ground level of the area called 'The Works' the Townhouse rested in the heart of the water filtration section of the planet-city's heart. No one lived out there. The once great Supreme Chancellor, the heart of the Republic now chose to reside in the Heart of the planet. Raising his hand to ring the chime, he hesitated. There was no chime. Just as well. A ring was too impersonal, he chose to physically knock instead of trying to locate a knocker. The reply came almost at once. A shiny protocol droid answered the entry. It was surprising that the droid didn't answer the door like a typical servant.
"Yes?" It stated questioningly, its photoreceptors seeming to glare at the Grandmaster.
"I am--" The droid rudely interrupted before the Jedi could finish.
"We know who you are. My Master does not take visitors, Jedi or otherwise. Please respect his wishes and depart this area..." It started to close the entry as the Master pushed back, a little of the Force behind him.
"He will see me...inform him I wish to speak to him about the death of the former Grandmaster, his friend...and a Project called 'Zero-One'..." As the droid once again started to voice his protect at the elicit entry by the Master. There was a murmur from within the passage way toward the droid.
"It's fine...AR-V...I will see him..." The droid stepped aside revealing a darkened passage beyond the entry light, the voice having come from a darkened room beyond. Reaching out in the Force, the Grandmaster felt the presence of the Former Supreme Chancellor. There was apprehension, fear and nervousness in the room beyond. Carefully and very slowly the Grandmaster moved as if he was approaching a wounded animal. That was the feeling in the Force. A man who was hunkering down. Licking wounds and aware of predators who would come to pick his carcass.
It was likely that the encounter would not go as planned. Entering the room, the Jedi Master saw a figure covered in blankets huddling in the corner. The smell of Alderaanian pine nuts hung in the air and even though the Grandmaster couldn't see the interior, he could tell it did not match the exterior. If the exterior was meant to hide and discourage visitors, the inside was designed to at least make them feel at home. Coming to a stop in the center of the room, the Grandmaster bowed slightly at the huddled figure.
"Thank you for seeing me Supreme Chancellor Pultimo. As you have no doubt guessed I am the Jedi Grandmaster..." Before he could finish Pultimo spoke from under the blankets.
"You mentioned my Friend and Project Zero...I advise you to use that reference sparingly. If you are not being watched in speaking about that, you soon will...." The huddled figure uncovered its head, looking around the room quickly. "They are watching me you see...it was part of my agreement with them..." Pultimo gestured with his arms taking in the room, "...you have nothing to fear in this room, I have it swept daily. It's the only room I stay in now." The Grandmaster scrunched his nose disapprovingly. It explained the pine nut smell. If he never left the room it meant he rarely used the fresher and by virtue the room stank of sweat and natural untidiness.
Gesturing with his hand toward a chair to his front, Pultimo waited until the Jedi was seated. His eyes wide, he watched. Looking around quickly, nervously. “Chancellor, I have a great many questions. It WAS you who sent the information to me. I know this. I just need to know why. And how its connected to Harbeck?”
Leaning forward, Pultimo placed his elbows on his knees remaining seated. Pultimo ignored the main question for the moment. His eyes glassy as he asked. "You mentioned my friend? You have discovered then?" The Grandmaster looked oblivious. His mission was merely to confirm some suspicions, not solve anything.
"Discovered? No, I need to ask you--" Pultimo raised his palm toward the Grandmaster reaching beside his chair to grab a cane in order to stand.
"Then we have nothing to discuss...my agreement was not to speak about that incident. However, if you ‘surmise’ the truth, I can tell you by a shake of my head. I will ‘voice’ nothing…" Pultimo glared impassively clearly waiting for the Master. "I knew someone would come, eventually...I was positive it would be a Jedi. No matter how many resources Czerka spends, the truth is a power that cannot be denied forever." The Former Chancellor confirmed nothing. Nodding once after the Grandmaster mentioned he knew the information was sent by Pultimo. He continued his glare. The Grandmaster decided to go for broke. Not wanting to reveal how he knew Project Zero-One and the late Grandmaster's death were related. Or that the Force had led him there, to that moment.
"Project Zero-One? Somehow...that Project and the Grandmaster's death are related?" Pultimo silently nodded. As the Grandmaster pondered, he asked his next question. "And because of this Project, Czerka sought to hide the Grandmaster's death?" Again, Pultimo nodded. Something wasn't adding up. There was some factor the Grandmaster was missing. After many moments of silence, Pultimo gestured for the Grandmaster to come closer.
"For a Jedi...you are not very smart." He stepped away from the Master reaching in a bureau and turned opening the Master's palm depositing a dusty data chip in it. He looked at it curiously before looking back at Pultimo. The Chancellor smiled weakly. "It was my insurance policy, in case Czerka ever came calling." Using his hand to close the Jedi Master's palm around it, he patted the hand lightly. Becoming slight worried, the Grandmaster sought to console the aging Chancellor.
"You could come back with me....keep this chip and come back to the Temple. We can protect you." Slowly Pultimo turned in the darkened room heightening his shadowy features.
"Master, you can't even protect yourself. You don't get it...Project Zero has been weaponized. And that weapon...is already in your Temple. Even now, it spreads its ‘influence’. What you have there in your palm...even that may not be enough to stop it. We...and the rest of the galaxy may already be too late."