*Chapter 386**
**Scene 1 – Jedi Council Chamber, Coruscant (Holographic Conference)**
The blue-tinted holograms of the Jedi Council flickered in the dimly lit briefing room aboard the *Sovereign*. Yoda sat at the center of the projected circle, his small form radiating quiet authority. Mace Windu's hologram was rigid, arms crossed, while the other Masters — Ki-Adi-Mundi, Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, and several others — watched with varying degrees of concern.
Dagon stood tall in the center of the transmission, Nox beside him, and Shaak Ti slightly to the side. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a lightsaber.
"Grave news and unexpected this is," Yoda said slowly, his ears twitching. His large eyes fixed on Nox with undisguised wariness. "A Sith Lord, returned from the ancient past. Explain, you will."
Dagon took a measured breath and began the carefully prepared story.
"Masters, during the war against the Eternal Empire, the Sith led by Darth Marr and the rest of the Dark Council protected the Jedi and the Republic against their common foe. Nox risked his life for his people, along with Ashara, who was betrayed and killed by the very Order she served. I believe we owe it to them to give them back their lives."
The Council chamber erupted into immediate argument.
Ki-Adi-Mundi's voice rose first. "This is highly irregular. Reviving a Sith Lord — even one who claims to have fought alongside us in a forgotten war — risks corrupting the balance we have sworn to protect."
Plo Koon's masked face remained calm, but his tone was grave. "If what you say is true, General, then Darth Nox may have once acted with honor. But the dark side leaves deep scars. Can we truly trust that he has changed?"
Mace Windu's hologram leaned forward, eyes hard as durasteel. "Changed? He is a Sith Lord. The dark side is not a coat one simply takes off. We should destroy the holocron remnants and ensure this… resurrection ends here. The risk is too great."
Yoda raised a small green hand, silencing the room with surprising authority. "Argue, we have. Agree, some do. Destroy Nox outright, others wish." His gaze shifted to Dagon. "Hmm. For now, reassigned you are. To Naboo, you will go."
Dagon bowed slightly. "As you wish, Master Yoda."
The transmission ended. Dagon turned to Nox, who stood with his arms crossed, purple eyes narrowed in irritation.
"They still see me as a monster," Nox muttered.
"They see what they expect to see," Dagon replied. "Give them time. Or don't. Either way, we have our orders."
**Scene 2 – Chancellor's Office, Senate Building, Coruscant**
Something unusual was happening. That much was certain.
When I entered Palpatine's office, I found Yoda and Windu already there, deep in conversation with the Chancellor. They were explaining — with visible discomfort — that the Jedi were spread too thin. With Skywalker and Kenobi missing in action, that was probably true.
To make it even funnier (at least from my point of view), the newest hot spot was Naboo. That planet truly seemed cursed. It was a major point of embarrassment when the Grand Master of the Jedi Order had to admit to the Chancellor that there were no available Jedi to help his homeworld.
Little did I know I should savor that great moment while I had the opportunity.
Palpatine was glaring at the Masters, and I took quiet delight in it. The only thing I regretted was that I wasn't wearing my helmet — it was currently being upgraded by a few trustworthy engineers back at HQ. No recording of this show. It was a pity that Tarkin and Pellaeon were waiting outside and missed it.
"Am I to understand," Palpatine asked quietly, his voice laced with betrayed incredulity, "that you couldn't spare a single Jedi to go to Naboo?"
The sheer theatrical disappointment he managed to inject into that sentence was worth a reward by itself. Every time I met Sidious, I had to marvel at how good an actor he was. It also reinforced my belief that playing the political game against a man like him would be suicide — even if he didn't have decades of a head start.
"Unfortunate, it is," Yoda nodded, the picture of regret.
Sidious glared. It wasn't quite a full Sith glare, but it was good enough. When it became clear the Jedi had nothing more to add, I cleared my throat.
"I am sorry to interrupt, but it appears I am out of the loop. What is the problem, sir?" I inquired with just the right amount of deference to my nominal commander-in-chief.
"Separatist presence has been located on Naboo," Palpatine explained. "When it became clear we would be unable to send any meaningful forces there, Queen Neeyutnee requested Jedi assistance. However, at the moment, our Jedi friends," he spat the words with bitter, betrayed tone, "are unable to send anyone but a few untrained Padawans — which is, of course, out of the question."
I was tempted to point out that there were two obviously free Jedi standing right in front of me. But perhaps Naboo was too backwater for the esteemed Council members to go there personally. I was sure Palpatine had similar thoughts. Even if he wasn't a Sith, it would have occurred to him that two of the most powerful Jedi in existence weren't willing to help his homeworld when they were clearly available. That had to grate.
With him being Sidious, I was certain the Chancellor would find a way to use this as an opportunity to tarnish the Jedi's image. Perhaps a few careful leaks to the media…
I wondered what his game was. I remembered that something important was supposed to happen on Naboo around this time, but the details eluded me. Was there some kind of secret research facility hidden there?
The comm built into Palpatine's desk beeped. When he answered, the holograms of Padmé Amidala, Jar Jar Binks, and an opulently dressed woman whose face was covered in white and red makeup appeared. I knew this was no coincidence. The Force was attempting to influence events, and I could sense it was steering toward something I would not enjoy. I had learned to recognize the signs. In this universe, there were seldom direct consequences, but there were *always* Force-related shenanigans.
"Chancellor. Masters." The Queen gave them a small, regal bow. "We attempted to contact the Jedi Council but were told they were speaking with you."
"How can I help you, my dear?" Palpatine smiled at his former and current Queen. He was the perfect picture of a sweet, helpful old man. Say what you will about the man, but he was a superb actor who might have chosen the wrong vocation — if not for the small issue of him being a Sith.
"We managed to retrieve some data from a damaged tactical droid," Amidala said.
"Please enlighten us, Senator," Windu intoned, sudden interest sharpening his voice.
"The Separatists have some kind of research facility in the eastern swamps. The droid mentioned something about a virus," Amidala explained in a concerned tone.
"They plan to attack us. It's the only explanation," Captain Typho added after stepping into the holo-projector's range.
"Delicate the situation is. Jedi to send, I wish…" Yoda began, only to be promptly interrupted by Amidala.
"I am recommending Generals Kenobi and Skywalker. Our relationship with the Gungans is strained at present, but they trust General Kenobi."
"Both of them are already there but have not reported in," Windu explained.
"Hmm. Senator. Stretched thin the Order is," Yoda continued with his Emperor-cursed butchering of Basic. This wasn't the first nor the last time I wished to strangle the little troll because of it.
"Then General Dagon should make do," Palpatine said smoothly. "I am sure the Order will send a Jedi as soon as possible."
The Jedi Masters looked from the Chancellor to me and back. It was obvious they had expected me to be tied up on Lantilles for the foreseeable future. Now they had a problem. They clearly did not want to let me go without supervision. However, they had just spent who-knows-how-long telling Palpatine there were no Jedi free to go before I arrived. They could not suddenly free someone to watch me now. The Jedi were in a bind.
A week ago, Palpatine had finally put his foot down and told them he "trusted" me and would not condone such a waste of resources when I had shown no animosity toward the Republic. He had even gone so far as to say he had no time for some kind of personal conflict between me and the Jedi — not when I had done so much for the Republic since my appearance. If Sidious suspected I was more than I seemed, he was keeping that information to himself. My only surprise was that the Jedi had not spilled the beans about what I truly was.
Even better, the Jedi had shot themselves in the foot this time. It would look very bad for them if they could suddenly release someone to come to Naboo as my minder, but hadn't been able to do so in the first place to solve the locals' problem. This was an opportunity to make myself even more popular and reinforce my reputation for competence and getting results.
"I'll assemble a task force and head to Naboo ASAP, sir. By your leave?" I declared.
Palpatine gave me a grave nod. "Please do so, my friend."
"Chancellor. Master Yoda. Master Windu." I gave them a small bow of respect I did not feel and exited the office.
"Walk with me," I said to Tarkin and Pellaeon as soon as the doors closed behind us. "We have a fire to put down. There is a Separatist presence on Naboo, and at the moment the cupboard is rather empty. We'll be heading there right after a battle group is assembled and we have at least a regiment ready for action loaded on the ships."
"That's a tall order, sir," Tarkin sighed.
"I am aware of that. We have our work cut out for us."
As we walked down the corridor, I allowed myself a small, private smile.
Naboo awaited.
And this time, I would make sure the galaxy remembered exactly who Dagon Marek was.