Riding in the speeder was uneventful, the Supreme Chancellor exchanging normal pleasantries with the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. Underneath, the Jedi could feel a layer of excitement and anticipation in the politician. Something was coming. Something the Chancellor very much wanted the Jedi to see and more, approve of. The speeder landed in a very non-descript and less traveled area of Coruscant near the border of ‘The Works’ and Galactic City. The Works, the engineering and husbandry area of the ‘City-Planet’ was responsible for all of the needs of the people of Coruscant. Water, air, power; everything the planet required to maintain function passed through and was either reconditioned, recycled or recombined to provide adequate provision. Layer upon layer of complicated systems lay on top of one another. Centuries of logistical works, some of which could be placed in a museum. Most of the lower layers, though non-functional, served as the foundation for a more modern and robust system of ‘Works’ in recycling and remanufacturing.
Coruscant was a ‘planet-city’. Only a small fraction of the planet was non-industrialized or covered by some form of man-made architecture. The Works itself were a marvel of technical engineering, but over time it became so complicated and convoluted that only someone with vast knowledge of the area knew exactly where they needed to go in order to maintain a system. Work that was done mostly by droids. Areas that had seen no humanoid traffic in almost a hundred years existed within ‘The Works’. The Grandmaster’s eyebrow went up again as they all disembarked from the speeder. The Works, as convoluted and complicated as they were, was also the best place to hide something. Even Jedi had been known to lose themselves and others they were trying to follow in ‘The Works’.
They began to talk once again as the Supreme Chancellor seemed to be leading the Grandmaster down a path that had no destination. Side maintenance streets came and went. As did the droids who maintained the area. The Grandmaster realized as soon as they passed another alleyway that they were approaching an area with no speeder traffic. Vehicle movement was impossible in that particular portion of Coruscant, the overhanging techno buildings were far too low for vehicle travel and it hid their movement from anyone who would have been watching from above. Again, reinforcing the Grandmaster’s view that the Chancellor was indeed taking them somewhere that was meant to be hidden.
Finally, they rounded a corner and the Chancellor came to an abrupt stop turning toward his companion. “…I only ask that you keep an open mind. I would expect nothing less from a Jedi.” From seemingly out of nowhere a very inconspicuous guard in normal street clothes intercepted the Chancellor and his companion. The Grandmaster of the Jedi Order incredulously raised an eyebrow at the Chancellor; the ‘normal’ looking guard produced a portable retinal device and placed it over the Chancellor’s eye. The guard then turned to the Jedi as an affirmative ‘beep’ verified the Chancellor’s identity. Raising a hand, the Jedi shook his head ‘no’. It wasn’t aversion to being scanned, but scanned by a very strange and non-descript person. Reaching out, the Jedi could feel there was a military attachment to the area and the Chancellor, verifying that the guard was indeed supposed to be there. Rather than argue, the Chancellor vouched for his Jedi friend. “It’s ok…he’s with me. I will take responsibility for him.” The fact they scanned the Chancellor and then tried to scan the Grandmaster of the Order spoke volumes to the secrecy of the place. And what both of them were walking into.
The entire way toward the non-descript location there was a nagging feeling in the back of the Grandmaster’s mind. "Normal looking. Covered from the air. No overt show of arms? Very interesting." The Jedi Master spoke as the guard parted the way to allow the two men to proceed. Another guard in street clothes nodded at the two men, but not before opening his duster showing the Jedi Master the arsenal underneath. The guard grinned showing all teeth as he slid a key card through a hidden slot in the wall he stood next to. Even the key slot was hidden as the Grandmaster watched the card disappear and then reappear sliding back out toward the man who used the hidden terminal. Made to look like part of the wall. Looking directly at it, no one would have seen it. The normal looking guard then leaned down and breathed on a hidden sensor. The small round hole in the hidden door frame finally revealed a camera which was watching all of them and their every move. The Chancellor smiled.
"We wish to remain anonymous in our little endeavor. Yes, there are many locks and checks. Even for me. What I have to show you demands it." The Politician smiled inviting the Grandmaster along once again.
Parting to allow them entrance, the wall gave way to a massive vault like door that was so heavy it was made to slide across the floor on a hinge and rail in order to open. Not as much opening as sliding along the rail groove in the floor at an angle on the massive hinge it was attached to. The wall behind the two men closed leaving them alone in the vault room as the door made a series of high-pitched twitters and beeps. Massive locks on all sides noisily echoed in the background as in the distance the pins which held the door closed retracted and slid into the frame of the vault. Slowly the door moved and slid toward them across the floor and on the predesigned track. The Grandmaster shifted uneasily at all of the subterfuge, but said nothing. As if noticing the change in demeanor the Chancellor extended his arm behind the Grandmaster once the door fully opened. “Trust me…I have never let you down. I don’t intend to start now.”
As laboratories went the first portion of this one was still meant to display an aura of the simple. Had someone managed to breach the security at the front, they would be none the wiser upon entering the area. This fact was not lost on the Jedi Master, as he again raised an eyebrow. His suspicions were confirmed as the Chancellor made his obligatory handshakes and 'hello's', but moved quickly through the room. Those technicians and scientists present had no idea what lie beyond the scope of their own area. It was meant that way. Colored IDs and bright lit code cylinders, coded to their stations blinked as they left to greet the Chancellor. Alerting the security station that those responsible for certain stations being monitored within the lab were moving. Knowing the Chancellor was visiting, there was no response or warnings. Ordinarily, there would have been.
Finally reaching a very obvious entranceway in the form of another vault door, the Chancellor turned to give his Jedi friend a slight smile. By all appearances it was several meters thicker than the last door with a holographic terminal combination lock consisting of over a thousand spinning and swirling algorithmic pass numbers glowing in the blue holo-field. That in itself meant to deter anyone from attempting entrance. Looking at the door, minus the lock, The Jedi Master immediately estimated the man-hours necessary to breach the door. Conventional means at least ten to fifteen hours, maybe one to five by lightsaber.
Standing before the door, the Chancellor folded his hands in front of himself simply. Some sort of unseen scan commencing before the holo-field turned from spinning numbers to allowing input. Placing one of his hands inside the field, the Chancellor manipulated a set of codes given to him that day. The combination rotated every twelve hours, but the Chancellor was one of the few who had a twenty-four hour code. One of the few perks of being at the top of the food chain.
The large vault door clicked and clanked internally for what seemed like a decade before it finally began to open. Its weight and smooth movement assisted by a gravity lift track in the floor similar to the door they passed on the way in. The track in the floor was well worn showing its previous openings. Looking over his shoulder the Chancellor glanced at the Jedi Master who showed no emotion through all of the unscheduled fanfare. The Chancellor didn't have to be a Jedi to know, the Master was understandably curious. But also, uneasy.
Stopping and gesturing for the Grandmaster to come forward, the Chancellor led the Jedi into a vast underground cavern. The lab set-up was similar to the ruse of a lab they passed through, but different in that all of those working seemed to be cordoned off by sections. Sections that worked independently of one another. Noted by the enclosed pods and glass-like surrounding spaces which separated one from the other. The common area of it all was a series of huge vertical tanks sitting side by side one another and running in two rows down the length of the cavernous underground which trailed off into the distance and into lower light. The two exchanged a glance, both walking down the metal stairs noisily bringing curious looks from those who were close. As the Master stepped on to the overlook scaffold, he took note of the row upon row of special tanks, they were of a medical design. They both had seen hundreds of them in the last war. More lives saved by the fluid which filled those types of tanks. Kolto the known healing fluid necessary for advanced trauma recovery. There were hundreds of what the Master assumed were scientists, roaming in the various sections with their white sterile suits and coats. Each involved with different parts of some kind of huge endeavor. Something so large, he surely would have heard about it; giving the Chancellor another incredulous look.
The Master turned wide eyed to a smiling Supreme Chancellor. “Welcome…” He raised his arms, not really speaking to the Master anymore, but to everyone that could hear him. The cavern, home to what the Master would soon learn was called: Project Alpha.
"What is all this? The tanks? The people? What have you got going in here?", There were lots of layers to the question. Not lost on the Chancellor that something so large should be under some kind of oversight and there-by in the ‘know’ of someone like the Grandmaster. Motioning again for the Jedi to follow without bothering to answer the question, they descended the scaffold to the research floor entering a very small glass enclosed room. All of the scientists in the room wore the same white protective garb and masks. The two newcomers looked grossly out of place. Extending a hand toward a large metallic bureau in the far wall of the room, the Chancellor continued to smile as the Jedi Master approached. He leaned in and saw the endless numbers stamped on endless vials and files located in the bureau. Shaking his head, the Jedi Master was about to once again display his ignorance, as the Chancellor motioned for him to forget what he was going to ask, picking a numbered vial from the bureau and using it to speak at the Jedi as if giving a lecture.
"The last battle, of the last war we were down to the freshest of our newly trained troops. Not battle hardened. Trained as well as we could train them in sixteen weeks. Basically, armed Civilians with just a touch...of conditioning. Experience…” The Chancellor said the word as the capstone of his lecture. “…that is the real classroom. Where the replusor meets the lane, so to speak.” He could see the Jedi lost even with the Master clearly reaching out. The look gave it away, half-closed eyes; the serene look. Pultimo sought to clear up the confusion. “All of the collected knowledge of some of our greatest warriors, wiped out...with the bolt of a blaster rifle or the slash of a lightsaber." The Chancellor put the vial back in the file, moving his hand over the casing, speaking reflectively, "Not anymore...I got them back...", he looked at the Master quickly, "...most of the DNA of our greatest warriors is here in this repository. It’s funny, we were the key to our own future. We used to take DNA samples for identification purposes or to track someone. Now it will serve a greater purpose." The Master's eyes got wide. "Imagine. The ability to extract our heroes’ greatest attributes, enhance them and place them in a host or...recreate them entirely."
"You mean Cloning?” A grim expression passed over the Grandmaster’s face as all of the pieces of the puzzle began to slowly fall into place. All of the secrecy, all of the subterfuge and more, the elusiveness of the Chancellor in talking about this endeavor before bringing the Grandmaster to the location finally made sense. Standing a bit straighter, the Grandmaster placed his hands on his hips and leaned into the Chancellor, it was time for the lecturer to be lectured. “Chancellor....sentient beings, bound to us? To do our will? It’s akin to slavery. And I will not waste time reminding you of the Duros Accords. It is against Republic law to augment or produce a being for another’s singular purpose." The Jedi Master walked over to the large repository running his hand over the large assortment of vials and numbers. "How long has this been going on?" The Grandmaster asked sternly.
"That's not the question you want to ask. The question you want to ask is: Have we been successful?" Speaking excitedly, the Chancellor leapt off of the table he was sitting on and walked toward the Master. A morbid curiosity crept into the Jedi.
"Chancellor, I’m not sure I want the answer to that….”
“You do.” Continuing his broad smile, Pultimo quickly led the Jedi from the glass enclosed lab into the main thoroughfare. And into the first corridor of Kolto vats. Several of the vats in the row had people in them, floating in suspension. Something that couldn’t be seen from the scaffold above, as the glass enclosure of the vats was turned away. Pultimo gestured at them.
"Wounded warriors, floating in suspension. They are all volunteers in case you were wondering, no slavery here. These particular vats are in stage two of the DNA injection sequence. They represent the capstone of some of our gene sequencing work." Listening to the Chancellor, the Grandmaster folded his arms placing his hand at his mouth; watching the lifeless form float in the suspension. Beside the nagging feeling of dread that was coming from the Force, the Grandmaster was morally against some of the studies on gene therapy and manipulation. Man using machines to enhance themselves was not a new technology. Soldiers used machines to do everything from load starships to fight wars. As Soldiers were wounded, microsurgery and artificial limbs replaced what was lost. Nanites circulated through disease victim’s veins and even the more elicit used cybernetics to enhance abilities already keen in an individual. The possibilities were endless and were already being used.
As Grandmaster, he made it his business to stay abreast of the latest technological and scientific studies. Clones, gene-manipulation; all of it would lead to the merging technology of man and machine as one. The ultimate dream of course was to create a being that could be manipulated, repaired, updated and controlled like a machine. There were lines of morality and spirituality that the Grandmaster felt were in jeopardy of being changed and erased with the technology. And that didn’t even scratch the surface of the still emerging issue of Cloning. Something the beings of Duros got a firsthand lesson against from the Republic. A Duros owned corporation, cloning individuals to be sold for parts by the one who paid to have them cloned. The issues were endless. Individual rights, oppression and those were just the legalities of it. Nothing could top the moral implications of ‘hatching’ someone just to kill them off. Near war between the Mirialans and Duros was averted due to the spiritual implications involved. Mirialans, a very spiritual people were disgusted by the fact that the Duros were creating ‘souls’ within the ‘Unity’; their version of a National Faith and the The Force. The ability to create a being from scratch was still being debated, but for the moment completely outlawed. As the Jedi stood looking at the floating being in the vat; who was a volunteer, he could not help but also consider the benefit of some of the technology. But the price would far outweigh all of that. The price of a sentient being’s soul, as the Mirialans were so fond of saying.
"You still didn't answer the question."
Stolen story; please report.
“You said you weren’t sure you wanted to know.” The Chancellor lost his smile briefly, "Not as successful as we would like. But the results are promising." Sitting down on the console of one of the vats, the Chancellor frowned. There was a lingering feeling within Pultimo that the Jedi Grandmaster already knew why he had been ‘summoned’ to the lab and why he was being shown all of it. Pultimo decided to answer the question before the Grandmaster could ask. "You’re here because we want to bring the Jedi into the project. Imagine the possibility of an enhanced Jedi, one...programmed from birth to be the bravest, most knowledgeable and best warrior ever seen. Or...the possibility of cloning an endless supply of Jedi. There would be no end to the Order, no chance of ever being driven or defeated into extinction. No end to the--"
An expression of horror stopped the statement; the Grandmaster moving back a step and dropping his hands. “You’ve used the word again. And it’s completely against the law, you know this.” The Jedi paced away, looking back at the politician. Using all of the control and meditation techniques practiced over countless years, the Jedi tried to control the rising emotions. He smiled placidly and shook his head. “Thank you, but no. I know where this leads and where this will go. The Jedi have not, nor will they ever have anything to do with a project such as this. It is not in our character to dabble in science of this caliber. We have scientist, but our technology is in using the Force to enhance things. Imbue plants with life or give nutrients to a patch of lifeless ground. Perhaps enhance objects that are already imbued with the Force, as all things are. The Force is in everything. Programmed, I just—that word, applied to Jedi? Its—” The expression the Grandmaster gave betrayed the fact that he had much more to say, but he was trying to be as diplomatic as possible.
“Even this project is part of the Force!” The Chancellor stood sharply, remembering who he was talking to, he softened just as quick. “We aren’t talking about enhancing crops here, Master. This is about the survival of the Republic.” Returning the sour look with one of his own the Chancellor pushed off of the Kolto Vat he was leaning on and approached. “Time and time again, the Sith have returned. How long until they return more powerful or in greater numbers than last time. If we do not prepare for the future based on the lessons of the past, then perhaps we don’t deserve to survive.”
Dipping his head in placation, the Grandmaster bowed slightly. “If that is the Will of the Force…”
“But don’t you see!” The Chancellor exclaimed excitedly. Pointing to the vat next to him, the politician made a point of his finger gesturing to the being floating inside. “We can influence that outcome with one of our own.” Releasing a sigh, the Chancellor nodded to himself and looked back to the Master. “I get it. I understand that no matter what I say, you will always return to the ‘Will of the Force’. But Grandmaster…” Approaching again, the Grandmaster felt he was being closed in on as the politician locked eyes with him. “…not everyone believes as you do. There are far more people that lack the Force than possess it. Far less now due to the war.”
Without warning the Chancellor turned and walked away, past the rows of Kolto vats and beings in suspension heading for the far reaches of the lab. He knew the Grandmaster was going to follow him, the Chancellor’s words already spurring thought within the Jedi as he considered them. They made it to the back of the lab, much darker and more secure. A large normal sided double door stood before them, only a simple key card reader guarding the entrance as the Chancellor turned to look at his companion once again.
"What if I told you the Jedi were already involved. Unofficially of course..."
Again, without warning the Chancellor opened the door by sliding his personal key card through the reader. The doors unlocked and opened with a flourish and rush of stale air. The foreboding feeling the Grandmaster was having hit him hard with the release of the air as the Chancellor stepped through, the Grandmaster hesitantly following. The two men stopped at the first of another series of vats, light emanating through the clear liquid from the back of the room cast a strange pallor over the both of them as the Grandmaster looked up at the being floating in the liquid and then retched back in horror.
The being in the liquid wore the braid of a Jedi Padawan.
Placing his hands on the glass the Grandmaster reached out to the being in the container and grit his teeth. The Padawan was alive. Wounds from lightsaber combat as well as the scars of former blaster fire were already closing up and healing. The Padawan was in a state of perfect hibernation. Partially from a self-induced healing trance prior to death; the other part an induced coma to affect the healing process brought on by the Kolto. But the mind was blank.
“You’re going to tell me this one is a volunteer as well. Chancellor, I have to insist that any Jedi you have here be released at once. No living Jedi may volunteer themselves for anything without the approval of the Council and—” At the word ‘living’ the Chancellor looked away. The Grandmaster caught the escape from the politician and stopped speaking. “—you mean these Jedi….” The Grandmaster quickly spun around in the smaller room, looking at all of the vats which were aligned neatly in rows like those outside in the main lab. “…these Jedi were dead?!?!” Jumping to his own conclusion he didn’t wait for the Chancellor to answer before getting visibly angry. All of the calming techniques to maintain composure sudden leaving him. Already the Grandmaster was shaking his head as Pultimo raised his hands for calm.
“Now wait a minute, Master. You don’t have to blame yourself or anyone else. These Jedi were killed on Korriban, at least most of them were. We cleaned up the dead and gave them all the proper rites before placing them in suspension.”
“ALL THE PROPER RITES!!” Speaking through clenched teeth, the Grandmaster calmed himself letting out a pent-up breath of air. “Disregard for the moment that you know nothing of the proper rites involving a fallen Jedi, to say nothing of ‘stealing’ their remains from a battlefield. Do you have any idea how unethical or morally corrupt this is?!?! These Jedi have gone forward, they have merged with the Force. They have gone beyond the pale shadow of flesh and bone!”
“Well…” The Chancellor gestured at the Padawan they were both standing in front of, “…obviously not. He’s still here.”
"Outrageous!", the Master could no longer contain himself, "This is completely unacceptable. These Jedi have already gone on to join with the Force, they have been honored...their memories and deeds enshrined in the Archives...To do this...to do this is heresy!" The Master looked around quickly, searching for the exit. The Chancellor began to speak just as quickly putting on his best politician’s voice.
Turning from the room the Grandmaster started to leave. Pultimo was afraid of the Jedi’s reaction once he learned more of what was going on within the project. That fear was confirmed as the Grandmaster started past the doorway. “Grandmaster, you may want to consider your next move. This is not going to look good for the Grandmaster who presided over the last war; to have lost the accounting of all of his Jedi. To have left some on the battlefield only to be discarded and forgotten.”
The words stopped the Grandmaster cold. The Jedi turning slightly, a fire burning behind the eyes that Pultimo had not seen come from any Jedi he met. The question of numbers made sense. Pultimo wasn’t asking so he could prove his theory or convince anyone of the validity of his plan based on Math. He was asking the Grandmaster because he actually wanted to see if the leader of the Jedi knew. This moment was planned from the beginning.
“Are you trying to blackmail me?” Slowly the Grandmaster walked back toward the politician, his shadow seemed to grow enough that Pultimo actually took a step back. Formality, gone. A little of the Southern Corellian twang in his voice returned. Corellia, the planet the Grandmaster originalted from before being taken by the Jedi as a child. Stopping the Jedi glared at the Leader of the Republic. “My duty…is to the Republic. I got no problem marching up the steps of the Senate and telling them everything. I will not be blackmailed or extorted by this. You should have known better than to try and extort the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order.” Already his mind was locking on to the Supreme Chancellor, not maliciously, just to see what the man was thinking. The Jedi was surprised to find calm.
“Not extortion…a partnership. You can have full oversight of everything involving these Jedi.” As the Supreme Chancellor spoke the Grandmaster noticed the politician look out past the door and toward another part of the lab. It was a quick look, but it betrayed that there was more to what he was offering or more that he wanted the Jedi to oversee. Shaking his head, the Grandmaster looked down again sadly.
“Maybe you didn’t hear me. This…the Jedi’s part, is over. I want these Jedi returned to me. It’s non-negotiable. And I have an obligation to report all of these activities.” Seeing the Chancellor look out past him the Jedi also did a quick look behind himself. “You’re doing more here than you’ve shown me. Aren’t you?”
There was much more to the project than Pultimo had shared. What started out as a simple project to try and harden the average combat troop by manipulating the genes of the individual had morphed and splintered into many more projects; all under the umbrella of Alpha. Leading the way, the Chancellor left the room and walked a couple of meters toward a similar storage area to the very first one he’d shown the Grandmaster. Another set of vials and an endless array of numbers greeted them upon entrance. The scientist was actively working on a sample as the two entered. Gesturing for the technicians to part the way, Pultimo invited the Grandmaster to take a look under the holo-magnifier the scientists were working under. It only took a moment, the Grandmaster stood back up after looking into the oculus and the image of the sample all of the Doctors were working on. Again, the Jedi shook his head; anger growing again.
“We’ve…” Speaking softly as the Grandmaster looked down in the occulus, the Chancellor was already preparing himself for the reaction he was about to get. “…hit a bit of a ‘snag’ concerning this particular portion of our research. This is where I believe you and the Order can help us this most.”
“Midichlorian research.” Still shaking his head, the Grandmaster grit his teeth again. “Research that has been banned and outlawed by the Council and agreed to by the Senate.” Giving an incredulous look, the Grandmaster looked as if he was about to burst out laughing, but it quickly took a sad turn. “They will put you under the jail for this and throw away the key. And me with you if I am party to it.”
Rushing out, the Grandmaster’s robe flourished as he passed the technicians.
“What are you going to do?” Pultimo rushed out after him as the Grandmaster stopped and turned with as much flourish with which he was leaving.
“Do? What do you think I’m going to do?” A calm voice did not match his demeanor; the Grandmaster took a step back toward the other man. “I’m going to inform the Council, who will in turn inform the Senate. What you are doing here—”
“--Is necessary.” Pultimo said plainly. Before the Grandmaster could speak again, he continued. “Listen to me, this technology will be seen to its fullest potential, if not by the Republic, then some ‘independent’ entity. Wouldn’t you rather have a say in where this goes?” Looking down the Grandmaster slumped. It was an old argument. Advancement in the name of deterrence. If the Republic didn’t do it then someone else would and it could be someone who the Republic didn’t like. “Even the Sith.” Pultimo spoke finishing the thought for the Jedi. “You had better believe that if the Sith got their hands on what we were doing, they would most definitely use it against us.”
“But you started this?!?! How can you justify doing something of this magnitude in the name of deterrence?”
Smiling thoughtfully, the Chancellor gestured for the Grandmaster to rejoin him in the laboratory. The Grandmaster shook his head. “This was going to happen. One way or another. This way we get to be the designers of fate, we get to decide where this goes and we become the authors of a new destiny involving all of this technology.” Walking forward, the Chancellor got close. "What better way to honor the legacy of the Republic's greatest heroes, than to ensure the greatest attributes are passed on to our next generation. These men and women volunteered for this program, selflessly giving themselves for the betterment of the entire Galactic Republic. Your role...in this endeavor would be to oversee that the Republic never oversteps its bounds. That we always honor the memories of our past Jedi in order to create a brighter tomorrow for the Order today...I am not asking for something unethical. I am asking for your support to help ensure that what happened in the last War, the near extermination of the Jedi...never happens again."
The Grandmaster lowered his head, looking slightly over his shoulder, "Midichlorians can't be replicated. Scientists have been trying for a century, to no avail. We had it banned due to the morale implications." He turned facing the Chancellor, “You have no idea what you’re doing here! Messing with the natural order!” He turned, gritting his teeth again. So many emotions, so many conflicting thoughts. The Grandmasters head began to spin. Fists clenched as he tried to regain his composure. “The Force is a natural phenomenon! It can't be enhanced, or even replicated.” Shaking his head repeatedly the Master began to voice his thoughts. “No. No. I won't condone this...experiment. You can't 'create' Jedi...they are born. And only through training and dedication to the Force can they be made into greatness. Without the proper training and nurturing, too much can go wrong. Look at the Sith!!!"
The Chancellor frowned. He knew bringing the Grandmaster in would be a tough sell. Time and opportunity forced the Chancellors hand. They were on the verge of a tremendous break through. The time had come to bring the Jedi in. Not just because they were experimenting with the remains of dead Jedi. The time had come because the research required data and information collected by the Jedi’s own scientists. Narrowing his eyes, the Chancellor went back to his previous veiled threat. The politician in him coming out once again.
“You are directly responsible for these Jedi.” Gesturing toward the tanks in the far room it made the Grandmaster look up sharply.
“Me?!?!”
“You are the moral and legal face of the Jedi Order. These men and women were ‘left’, discarded on the battlefield. If these were Republic Soldiers you would be standing in front of the courts explaining to the families of those Soldiers and justifying why you left them behind?!?!”
It was the first time in their relationship that the Chancellor ever saw the Master near enraged. His lip twitched, brow heavy as the man slowly stood and pulled the robe he wore around himself. “No Chancellor, it’s you…” The Master once again made his way toward the exit. “It is you who will answer for this. You will justify to the Republic and the Order why you’ve done this.” Letting the Grandmaster get a few steps away, the Chancellor finally spoke. The words freezing the Grandmaster in place.
“And your time as Grandmaster will be at an end.” The Jedi slowly turned. “The shockwaves of this will ripple through the Republic. Old wounds will reopen. Hatreds reignited. Oh, I will answer for it too, but my time is almost ended. I will drift off into the sunset, disgraced…unremembered. But you…you will face the rest of your Council and answer for the lives which float in those containers. Every single Jedi is important right? No wonder you have no families to answer too, you take them as children. You are their family. And the question of your methods regarding the taking of Force Sensitive children will once again come into question. The very Order you protect have their methods scrutinized. The pressure will be unbearable until finally…you and the Jedi Order crumble from the inside. Turning on one another.”
“What you describe is a scenario all too common in the halls of the Senate. That would never happen in the Jedi Order.”
“Are you sure? Are you willing to take that chance?” Leaping forward, Chancellor Pultimo’s voice was almost pleading. “Be reasonable here!! I don’t want to destroy the Jedi, I want to protect it!! YOU…you’re smarter than this. I have known you as a brilliant protagonist at times, a wise scholar and when I need it…a friend.” The Grandmaster’s face softened. “I couldn’t have asked for a better leader to serve along side of. I know what the Order means to you…I want you to know it means that much to me as well.”
A long silence ensued between the two as the scientists around them seemed to continue with their work. The area around them locked, the two men staring at one another.
“You’re blackmailing me.”
“No. I don’t see it that way. I’m asking for your help.” The Chancellor took a few guarded steps. “I will freely admit, that our methods were unethical. But some of the biggest breakthroughs have spawned from illicit research. What’s done is done. I can’t change that. I wish I could, but I can’t. BUT we can change it going forward, under your guided hand.”
Still shaking his head, the Grandmaster fought it. Conflict, the debate between right and wrong. Those lines were being blurred by the desire to protect what he loved. What he was charged with defending. “This cannot remain a secret any longer.” At first the Chancellor thought he failed. The older man’s head sagged down, looking at the floor. “At least between the two of us.” His head snapping upward, the Chancellor’s eyes got wide. The Grandmaster stood a bit straighter, pulling the robe around himself once again. “I will require a sub-committee comprised of both Jedi and Senate oversight. Others will be brought in, this will all be done above board.”
“Of course, Of course…” The Chancellor spoke excitedly. The Jedi holding out a hand to stop the other man from coming any closer, as if the Chancellor was something putrid he did not want near him at the moment.
“What I do…I do to preserve the Order. To preserve civil order within the Republic. But mark my words…” The Chancellor lost the smile, the Grandmaster’s voice getting low and threatening. “…you will pay for this. And so will I.”
Another long silence ensued between the two before the Chancellor quelled his excitement enough to speak once again.
“I anticipated your request, Master Jedi. I want you to know, the Senate has already appointed a special closed-door committee to oversee this project. It will be secret, but not in the way it once was. There will be oversight. ‘Limited’ oversight. You understand the need for some of this to never reach the ears of the general populace. I would expect, the Jedi Council to do the same.", the Chancellor regained his smile, he had won enough political battles before to know he had just won another.
The Grandmaster folded his hands in front of himself staring back into the vat containing the dead Jedi. "Make no mistake, it's not your words that swayed me...", he said almost reading the Chancellor's winning expression, "…beside your threats to the Order...chances are, if the Republic is working on this no doubt the Sith would be or already have been as well. They are known dabblers in the fated art of Alchemy and Magic. Science is….not magic, but it can be just as dangerous. I know we haven't seen the last of them, I have foreseen this. And although they no longer have our resources, better we be the keepers of this...’experiment’ than any agents of the Dark Side." The Chancellor clapped his hands together standing before the Grandmaster, placing one of his hands on his shoulder. He shook the hand of the Grandmaster with his other.
"Come then, Grandmaster...let me bring you up to speed and tell you what direction we are going." With that the two men began a long walk down the expansive corridor, talking over the Project and how to avoid inclusion of the Dark Side in their Jedi plans...