CHAPTER 53: DOOKU'S GAMBIT
POV: Kael Vorn
The encrypted transmission arrived during the sanctuary's morning meditation, its signal cutting through multiple layers of security with surgical precision that suggested resources far beyond standard Separatist capabilities. Kael's enhanced Codex detected the intrusion first, warning systems flashing urgent alerts as unknown data streams penetrated their supposedly impregnable communications array.
The sender identification made his blood freeze: TYRANUS.
Dooku's Sith name hadn't been used in official communications for months. Seeing it attached to a message transmitted directly to the Gray Order's most secure channels carried implications that made Kael's hands shake as he activated the decryption protocols.
The message, when finally decoded, contained seven words that shattered everything he thought he understood about their strategic position:
"The Chancellor is Darth Sidious. I was his apprentice."
No. Not possible. He wouldn't—
But the data package that followed the revelation made denial impossible. Financial records showing Senate funds flowing to both Republic and Separatist accounts. Communications intercepts revealing coordination between allegedly opposing military commands. Most damning of all, holorecordings of private conversations between Palpatine and Tyranus that left no doubt about their relationship.
"The war is his orchestration. You seek to stop Order 66. You cannot, alone. I offer intelligence, nothing more."
Kael's hands trembled as he processed the magnitude of what Dooku had shared. Years of carefully gathered evidence suddenly had context. The shell companies, the coordinated military movements, the political manipulations—all of it orchestrated by the man sitting at the pinnacle of Republic power.
"Kael?" Ahsoka's voice cut through his concentration. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Worse. I've seen the devil wearing the mask of a grandfather.
"We need to call an emergency meeting. Leadership only. And we need to do it now."
Within an hour, the sanctuary's most secure briefing room held its most dangerous gathering yet. Kael, Ahsoka, Ventress, Rex, and Obi-Wan—who'd arrived for a routine consultation—sat around a table while holographic displays showed the evidence Dooku had provided.
"This is impossible." Obi-Wan's diplomatic composure cracked as he absorbed the implications. "Palpatine has served the Republic for decades. He's been a mentor to Anakin, a trusted ally to the Jedi Council—"
"He's been playing everyone." Kael's voice carried the exhaustion of someone whose worst fears had been confirmed. "Both sides of the war, both major Force traditions, every democratic institution in the galaxy. We've been dancing to his tune since before we knew music existed."
Rex studied the financial data with the analytical mind that made him invaluable as a military commander. "The clone army. He ordered its creation through proxy agents. The inhibitor chips. The whole war—it's all his design."
"But we can't prove it." Ahsoka's frustration was palpable as she reviewed the evidence. "This intelligence gives us the complete picture, but it came from Dooku. Without his public testimony, it's the word of a known Sith Lord against the most popular politician in the galaxy."
Ventress hadn't spoken since the meeting began, her attention focused entirely on a secondary message that had accompanied the primary intelligence dump. When she finally looked up, tears were streaming down her pale face.
"He explains why." Her voice broke slightly. "Dooku explains his motivation."
She activated the holocron, and the familiar aristocratic tones filled the briefing room:
"I cannot undo my crimes. I have killed innocents, betrayed allies, served darkness with enthusiasm that shames me now. I will likely die as a Sith, beyond redemption or forgiveness. But perhaps I can ensure my Master doesn't achieve his ultimate victory. Consider this my penance—incomplete, insufficient, but genuine. I was wrong about many things, but I was right about one: the Republic's corruption required drastic solutions. I simply chose the wrong solution and served the wrong master. Perhaps you can succeed where I failed."
The hologram flickered and died, leaving silence heavy with implications.
"He's trying to atone." Ventress wiped her eyes with hands that shook slightly. "After all these years, all these crimes, he's finally trying to do the right thing."
"The right thing would be public testimony before the Senate," Obi-Wan said gently. "Formal confession of his role, evidence presented through official channels—"
"Which would accomplish nothing except his immediate execution and the burial of all evidence," Kael interrupted. "Palpatine controls the investigation apparatus. He controls the military. He controls enough senators to ensure any formal accusation dies in committee."
Rex leaned back in his chair, processing the strategic realities. "So we have proof that can't be proven. Knowledge that can't be shared. Intelligence that makes us more dangerous to Sidious but not necessarily more capable of stopping him."
Welcome to the fundamental problem of fighting someone who controls the system you're trying to use against them.
Over the following weeks, the intelligence pipeline from Dooku proved invaluable despite its frustrating limitations. Separatist fleet movements arrived with perfect accuracy, allowing Republic forces to avoid ambushes or exploit enemy weaknesses. Warnings about assassination attempts targeting Gray Order members saved lives. Most crucially, detailed information about hidden Sith facilities allowed them to disrupt operations before they could be completed.
But each piece of intelligence came with reminders of their fundamental powerlessness against Sidious's long-term planning.
"He's been building this for decades," Kael said during one of their evening strategy sessions. "Every crisis that expanded executive power. Every emergency measure that suspended constitutional protections. Every military buildup that centralized command authority. We're trying to stop a plan that started before any of us were born."
"Then we stop playing by his rules," Ahsoka replied with characteristic directness. "We can't beat him through legal channels or political maneuvering. But when he finally makes his move—when Order 66 activates and the mask comes off—we'll be ready."
The fourth week brought their most valuable intelligence yet: confirmation of Order 66's timeline. Dooku's message was brief but terrifying in its specificity.
"Activation within six months. Possibly sooner if events force his hand. The trigger phrase is 'Execute Order 66.' All clone commanders have received the protocol but believe it targets rogue Jedi. When spoken by Sidious, it will activate the inhibitor chips simultaneously across the galaxy. Be ready."
Kael stared at the message until the words blurred together. Six months to save what remained of the Republic. Six months to prepare for the slaughter of the Jedi Order. Six months to build something capable of standing against the Empire that would rise from democracy's ashes.
"We know the truth," he said finally, his voice heavy with the weight of useless knowledge. "We just can't prove it to anyone who matters."
Ahsoka moved to stand beside him, her presence a comfort in the gathering darkness. "Then we prepare to act when proof becomes irrelevant—when he makes his move and we're ready to counter it."
If we're strong enough. If we're fast enough. If we're lucky enough.
The thought went unspoken, but it haunted every plan they made and every preparation they undertook. They were racing against time itself, building strength to face an enemy who had already won every battle that mattered.
But they would try. Because the alternative was accepting defeat without resistance.
And that was something none of them could do.
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