31 BBY
This was an important occasion for the New Temple, and the crowd reflected that. Every available Jedi Knight had been recalled for the ceremony, and all the Temple's clients had been invited as well. Among the attendees, Tan'ya recognised several of her own aunts and uncles, mixed in with a range of nobility from across the Outer Rim. Among their ranks, a baron would be expected to rule over a moon or a continent, a Count would rule an entire world, and a duke would rule a sector.
Most prominent among them were Duchess Satine of Mandalore, and Duke Harrad of Raxus. Both of them were already clients of the New Temple, and powerful ones at that, with Satine being the head of state for the Mandalorian Sector, and Harrad ruling over the Tion Hegemony.
By all accounts, they both governed fractious, and contentious realms where the exact degree of influence they wielded over each world varied, but between the two of them they officially ruled eighty planets. As remarkable as they were, they weren't even the most impressive guests here.
Looming like a shark among minnows, Queen Amidala stood out to everyone. Despite the title of Queen, Amidala was actually a democratically elected head of state. Though her world had been easy prey for the Trade Federation, it played an economically vital role in the Galaxy, and its influence was widespread. Recently the senator from Naboo was nominated as a candidate for the Supreme Chancellor, so clearly its influence was vast, even if its defense was horribly mismanaged. Amidala was a potential client, one that could open very important doors for the New Temple and Serenno.
Then there was Hego Damask II. Officially, he didn't rule anything, but realistically, the muun could be said to be among the most powerful figures in the Galaxy. He was a chair of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, one of five. He was a deca-trillionaire in his own right, but his position on the guild made him even more widely influential than that. The Banking Clan was a trade guild, similar in concept to the Mining Guild or the Trade Federation, in that it represented all of the Galaxy's banks in negotiations with the Republic. The Banking Clan's word was practically law, as far as the Galaxy's financial sector was concerned. Even Republic Credits were traded at a rate set by the Banking Clan!
Compared to Hego, even the wealthiest and most influential members of the Outer Rim's nobility were nothing, just backwater old money with some charming rural estates! Even the Supreme Chancellor would have to be careful with what he said in a meeting with Hego Damask. If Queen Amidala was a shark among minnows, Hego was a man stooping down to curiously examine a nest of ants.
What such an important person could possibly be doing here, at the tiny little New Temple on muddy, battered Indinor, Tan'ya could only guess. Part of her wanted to believe it was a sign of the Temple's growing influence and great potential, but she knew that was wishful thinking.
While she watched the Palace, Damask had contacted Serenno and requested a meeting with her father. Of course she had promised it to him, at a date yet to be determined. Now she was worried her father wasn't in a fit state to handle such a meeting!
As much as Tan'ya wanted to grow the power and influence of Serenno, most likely Damask was hoping to use Dooku's contacts within the Jedi Temple for some personal matter. Or at least, that was the only explanation Tan'ya could think of. He stood amongst the others with a pair of helmeted Thyrsian Sun Guards flanking him, watching the ceremony unfold.
Under everyone's gaze, Asajj walked through a path marked in the crowd by pairs of assembled Jedi, looking like she was almost overjoyed. Far from the serene, stoic warriors that the Jedi were known as, Asajj was visibly pleased. The robes of the New Temple Jedi were different from those of the main temple, integrating dark armor and a cape at the neck that could be detached with an iron chain. The outfit looked much more formal and militaristic than the brown and tans that Coruscant Jedi wore, with silver buttons and epaulets. Asajj was the first one to wear it, as the first trainee of the temple to be Knighted.
As Assaj passed each pair of Jedi, they drew their lightsaber behind her and held them up, until finally she walked up the staircase up to the stage where Dooku was waiting. She took out her own lightsaber, and offered it to him. Receiving it from her, Dooku inspected the weapon, before finally lighting it. Using the tip of the blade, he nicked the chain holding her cape on, causing it to fall from her shoulders, before placing a new cape over her shoulders that Master Narec had been holding. Dooku affixed the cape in place with a chain of durasteel, and returned Asajj's lightsaber to her.
She stood, turning to face the assembled as a Jedi Knight, smiling proudly.
Despite herself, Tan'ya felt a surge of excitement for her long time friend. She joined the clapping of the crowd for an embarrassing few seconds, before realizing that she'd let slip her mental control of the Force, and forced it back down. Her father had obviously noticed, glancing over at her, but his gaze drifted back to the crowd.
Feeling mortified, Tan'ya slowed her clapping down, avoiding eye contact with Knight Prialla who glanced back at Tan'ya. Even the assembled younglings had noticed, more than a few of them gaping at her openly.
Tan'ya wasn't just strong in the Force, as it had been explained to her. She was incredibly strong in the Force, already with a level of raw power that exceeded every knight in the New Temple. If she didn't keep careful control of her power, she'd walk around looming over everyone like a thug. Tan'ya wasn't quite sure where she rated compared to her father, or even Master Yoda, but she hoped to one day surpass them.
Thinking of the little green gremlin, Tan'ya realized she hadn't spoken to him in a while. She'd heard that he and her father weren't speaking and that a feud was brewing. Officially, the Coruscant Temple no longer considered the New Temple an official branch, having cut them adrift after her father's actions at Naboo. Master Narec and Padawan Asajj had been captains for two of the ships in the Serenno defense fleet, which was admittedly an inappropriate, private use of Temple personnel.
Still, it was the kind of minor breach that Tan'ya thought it should have been possible to smooth over with a private meeting and a little mutual compromise, but then Qui-Gon Jin had died. Tan'ya had little interaction with the man, but her father was devastated by his death and held Yoda responsible.
Tan'ya thought that was unfair, but then grief was known to express itself irrationally. Whatever the feud between her father and his former master, Tan'ya was sure that one day they'd be able to patch things up again when everyone had a chance to calm down.
She hoped at least, she kind of liked that little old green kook.
After a moment, Tan'ya resolved to give him a call when there was time, just to let him know that he wasn't completely an enemy to her family.
With the ceremony itself over, Asajj and Dooku walked down from the stage together to mingle with the crowd. Servants pushed refreshments on hover tables into the room, and a band began to play soft music with strings and bells in the background. The guests all moved forward to gather around Dooku and Asajj, talking excitedly in a small group together. Tan'ya decided to collect a few refreshments from the table, before going to congratulate her friend.
Shecollected a few peppered Indinorian Lobsters on a plate and took a glass of Erera fruit juice, when someone behind her asked, "What do you recommend?"
Tan'ya turned, and was shocked to find Hego Damask standing behind her, holding a small plate of his own. He was tall and thin, which was typical of a muun, but unusually he had a large breathing apparatus around his mouth, which he lowered down to his neck so he could sample the food. His resplendent formal robes were trimmed with platinum, and decorated with whorls of muunish script that Tan'ya couldn't read. His gaze was clear and steady, evaluating her.
Behind him, a small distance away, the two Thyrsian Sunguards eyed her suspiciously from behind their helmets, rifles still over their shoulders, but held in a way that they could be brought to hand at a moment's notice.
"I didn't think I could surprise you, I would have thought a Jedi in training would know when they were being approached."
Mind racing, she hurried to find an explanation that wouldn't reflect poorly on her training. "My training has been different from the other Younglings. I'm very powerful in the Force, but sometimes I struggle to control its potency. The Force reacts much more quickly, and strongly to me, so if I'm not careful I can cause harm."
"Fascinating." He murmured, stepping past Tan'ya to examine the table. After a few moments he selected a few sweet meats on skewers with cheese and dried fruits, as well as a cup of wine. Looking over at Tan'ya, he paused to take a breath from his breather, before saying to her, "All force sensitives I know are the opposite. They strain to reach the force, where you struggle to keep it at bay."
Tan'ya stared at him, before asking, "Do you know much about the Force?" Hesitantly, she tried to read him, but he felt just like any other being, less powerful than average even though his mind was so tightly woven she couldn't sense any thought or intention from him at all.
"I know some." The muun turned to watch the crowd, while taking a sip of his wine and another puff. "Different cultures have different ideas of what the Force is, and find different uses for those who are sensitive. Do you know of the Chiss?"
I've heard of them, but never done any extensive reading. I believe they're related to the Pantorans?"
"Descended from the same stock, yes. The reason our side of the Galaxy has never been able to deeply explore or colonize the Unknown Reaches is because of a Hyperspace phenomenon called the Galactic Barrier, which prevents the formation of stable hyper lanes. It's impossible to travel the ever shifting and closing pathways without precognition, and so the Chiss recruit all their Force Sensitives to become a class of professional navigators. They don't share more with us than they have to, but I do often wonder if maybe they've put their most gifted people to a better use than we have." He tilted a hand over to his Sun Guards. "The Galaxy has plenty of warriors, a profession that makes them inherently expendable. Do we really need Jedi as protectors? As I read history, it seems to me that the only thing they exist to protect us from that our normal warriors couldn't, is the fallen version of themselves."
He fell silent, chewing on his food and taking another sip of wine. He regarded Tan'ya, clearly waiting for her response.
After a moment, something came to Tan'ya and she smiled to herself, sadly. "'Soon will there not be a soldier? Everywhere the commonwealth will reign and will rule all in safety. The empire will forge no arms and will furnish no rations, the bantha will be kept for the plough and the orbak will be bred for peace, there will be no wars and no captivity, in all places peace will reign, in all places our laws, and in all places our judges.'"
He looked at her for a long moment. "I don't recognise that quote."
"It's from a… minor kingdom, in the history of a local world. Probus was a successful ruler in his own right, though overly grandiose by our standards to call himself by the title Emperor when he had not even one entire planet to his name. In the end, his soldiers and mercenaries heard his speculations, and killed him to protect their own interests." Tan'ya met Hego's gaze. "I'm sure we all dream of a peaceful galaxy, with no need for Jedi and no fear of the Sith, but it will simply never be. There are plenty of other Dark Force users out there than just fallen Jedi, and a rose by any other name smells just as sweet."
Hego considered her answer, before nodding once, in agreement. "You must be right then. It seems a shame to me that we must have Jedi, when we could have artists, scientists and engineers, but without something to replace them and keep the peace, they're needed as they are." He reached out a hand, which Tan'ya shook. "Hego Damask. It's nice to speak with you in person, Tan'ya Serenno."
"Thank you, the pleasure is all mine."
Dooku watched Asajj schmooze with his noble clients, and felt the deep satisfaction of seeing years of work paying off. He had trained Asajj into an able warrior and diplomat, who was engaged in conversation with both Duke Harrad and Duchess Satine, and had them both interested and engaged with what she had to say about Jedi training.
Mixed in with the amusing stories and the almost mischievous, infectious energy Asajj brought to the conversation, she seamlessly wove in points about the absolute necessity of the New Temple. The result was that Asajj seemed almost cocky, but with the genuine talent to back it up. In the end it would be his decision to assign a world to his newest knight and protege, but the way things were going, Dooku thought he was likely to start receiving bids!
As He watched his former padawan he felt that sense of melancholy return. Komari was dead, killed by Dooku's own hand, Rael refused to speak with him at all since he'd destroyed the blockade and Qui-Gon was slain by an assassin sent by Dooku's own ally. Would Asajj one day be the same? Lost to Dooku forever?
He switched his gaze over to the refreshments, where his daughter was talking with Hego Damask. He seemed genuinely engaged in the conversation he was having, raising his breathing apparatus back to his lips while nodding at a point Tan'ya had made. Concerning. Damask was one of Palpatine's associates, why was he talking to her?
Dooku felt no strength in the Force coming off the banker, but his mind was a tightly woven steel trap. Someone had clearly trained him to resist intrusion, and trained him very well. There was no way one of Palpatine's cronies would spill the Grand Plan to his daughter, though. Most likely he didn't even know what the plan was, just another mundane man of influence caught in Sidious' web.
Definitely Dooku would have to find out what they were talking about later, though.
"You've done well by her."
Dooku glanced over at Ky Narec, then realized the man was looking towards Asajj.
"Thank you for showing such care for her." Ky said, regarding Dooku. "And I'm sorry for what happened to Master Jinn. I… can't imagine the feeling."
Had Dooku's dark thoughts been so obvious to Ky?
"Thank you." Dooku said.
After a moment's hesitation, Ky tipped back his wine and swallowed it all in a single gulp. Wincing at the strain he put himself under, he looked at Dooku through watery eyes.. "You used the Dark Side. At Naboo, on that Nemoidian."
Dooku's eyebrows shot up at that, and he turned to regard Narec. "You dare to accuse me?"
"Peace, please! I'm not accusing you of anything." Narec, held up both hands. "I know that you did, though. And so does Asajj. We both sensed it."
Dooku grit his jaw. "Only someone who has touched the Dark Side can detect it."
Ky's face fell, and he lowered his eyes. "Asajj was born on Dathomir, I'm sure the Dark Side comes to her quite naturally, while I have my own skeletons buried on Coruscant." He hesitated, before adding, "We need to talk about this. About the New Temple, and its future." He finally looked into Dooku's eyes, and said firmly. "I refuse to be a part of a resurgent Sith Order, especially when we've already done so much good."
Dooku scoffed. "Of course I'm not planning-"
Ky held up a hand to forestall him. "I didn't think you were. You know as well as I do that accidents happen, that good intentions can have terrible consequences. So, before this goes any further, we need to talk. In private, before you leave again."
Dooku frowned, examining the man. Usually Narec was something of a weakling, but on this issue he was clearly resolved. "Of course." Dooku said, after taking his measure. "When the party's over, we'll discuss this in depth."
Hopefully they could resolve this peacefully, Dooku was pleased with the great work Narec was doing at the Temple, but if the man was going to become a liability then he would have to be replaced. Hopefully that could be avoided.
Across the room from them, Queen Amidala made eye contact, before making her way over accompanied by her solitary handmaiden. Dooku almost felt sorry for the young Queen, being elected to office at such a young age and to face such a major crisis. Most likely Darth Sidious had something to do with her election, seeking to put a teenager in office who could easily be manipulated.
Well, two could play that game.
"Master Narec, it's my great privilege to introduce to you Queen Amidala of Naboo." Dooku said.
"I'm honored, Your Majesty." Narec bowed respectfully.
"The honor is ours." Queen Amidala replied. She briefly lowered her in acknowledgement, then looked back to her host. "It seems you were right, Count. The Jedi Council did not see Naboo's need for a Jedi protector. Obi-Wan has been recalled to Coruscant, leaving us without a guardian."
"I'm saddened to hear it, though hardly surprised. On a good day, the most the Jedi Council will have to offer you is their sympathies. Of course, the New Temple would be more than happy to offer you protection, if you were to merely ask for it. All we request is that you help contribute to the Temple's operating costs, and allow citizens of Naboo to be recruited to the New Temple, if they so choose."
"...Very well." Padme said.
"I didn't think the Mid Rim was in our jurisdiction?" Ky asked.
Dooku said, "The Jedi Council has cut us off from the main Temple, something we were always moving towards. As far as they're concerned, the New Temple will be no more than a splinter sect, like Corellia's Green Jedi or the Altisians. We need no longer worry about overlapping jurisdictions when we have no official jurisdiction, anyway."
Ky frowned, not liking the idea. "So Coruscant Jedi will feel free to barge into and take over our operations and investigations as they see fit."
"They did already. Prialla was all but shut out of Sifo's murder investigation completely."
Queen Amidala spoke up. "We speak not just for the planet of Naboo, but for our entire sector. The Mid Rim has become too dangerous to remain so lax in our security measures. We need not just Jedi, but for ships to patrol our Hyper Lanes, and soldiers to drive off invaders. Never again will one of our worlds be occupied and made to starve."
"This is no longer Jedi business." Narec said. "It's been an honor to meet you, your Majesty, but I believe this discussion is for the Count of Serenno." With a final bow, Ky slipped away, making his way over to join Asajj.
Dooku glanced at his retreating back, before looking to Queen Amidala. "I'm afraid, your Majesty, that my greatest concern right now is providing security to my own sector. I have made quite a powerful enemy."
Queen Amidala narrowed her eyes, like she didn't quite believe him. "Why would you start a war with the Trade Federation that you didn't intend to win?"
"I didn't declare war. I merely liberated an ally who was being occupied."
"Save your excuses for the courts, Count. What are we to do about the Trade Federation?"
Dooku wasn't sure at that moment if Amidala was speaking with the royal we, or as an ally of his that expected collective action. Externally, her feelings were well controlled and she was doing her best to remain composed, but internally her fear and anxiety were almost overpowering. No doubt the trauma of the siege was affecting her.
The handmaiden standing behind Padme seemed to be almost overwhelmed with hatred and fear at even the mention of the Trade Federation. Her memories kept circling around what Dooku came to realise was torture, with her teeth and nails being pulled out, among other flashes of violent horrors.
He grimaced, finding himself more sympathetic to the two then he was just a moment ago. "Queen Amidala, I don't think I can give your people the protection you desire. My own navy is just a single refurbished hammerhead right now."
"What about the Munificent Frigates?"
"They belong to the Trade Federation. I might be able to justify commandeering them before the courts, but keeping them would be blatant piracy. Besides which, many of the parts and components of those ships are patented by the Trade Federation, meaning I can't replace them when they inevitably break."
She looked at him almost like she didn't believe what he was saying. "We were under the impression that your goal was to create a new power in the Outer Rim, Count."
"Where did you hear that?"
"A common rumor. Is it not true?"
It was true in the past. The whole point of Sidious' plan was for Dooku to build a political union in the Outer Rim capable of a sustained war with the Republic, but now Dooku wasn't so sure he wanted that. Certainly he wanted Sidious dead, but now he thought he would much rather just do the deed himself, when his strength in the Force had grown enough.
Dooku took a sip of his wine, and considered his answer before replying. "We still fall short of that goal."
"What would you need to make it happen?" Amidala asked, insistently.
Dooku's eyebrow shot up, looking over at her. He considered her for a few moments, before answering, "Serenno is prevented from purchasing ships by Senate legislation that considers us a pirate haven. We have the raw materials necessary to start crafting our own ships, but lack the knowledge, infrastructure, and energy sector necessary to begin; the Galactic Mining Guild has done an excellent job making it impossible to tap into our own natural resources.
"The plan to get around this has been to draw together a number of disparate sectors," He indicated the Duchess of Mandalore and the Duke of Raxus, "that may be able to combine our differing resources into a much more potent force, but so far I lack the capital necessary to truly bind my allies together in a strong alliance. For the moment, they enjoy relations with me for the Jedi I can provide, but to convince anyone to truly commit to an alliance to pacify the Outer Rim would require me to offer them more than I possess."
"What if we were to provide you with that energy directly?" Padme frowned. "Trade along the Great Hyperlanes is tariffless, and our worlds sit directly on them. It would not be nearly as profitable as selling to Coruscant, but gas haulers could be subsidized by our government to make the long journey to Serenno through the Core.
"That would be a big step." Dooku conceded. "Though at a steep price to your own people. Surely you would be better off developing your own capacity for ship construction?"
Queen Amidala's mind was resolved in the force, and her face was set in a determined, imperious scowl. "Our world only has a population of one billion. The planet's flooded core makes large-scale mineral mining difficult, and dangerous. Our ability to refine and extract plasma is the sole source of our Galactic relevance. We cannot allow our people to be made to starve, and cower under the boots of a foreign occupation ever again. So we will begin now to create our people's security. If it's a work that takes decades, it merely means we should have started decades ago."
Dooku took his time in replying, considering what agreeing to her deal would really mean. Just because Dooku wasn't conspiring with Sidious anymore, that didn't mean he couldn't accidentally play the villain in the plan to reform the Republic into an Empire. If Dooku did succeed in creating a powerful alliance in the Outer Rim, there was no way of preventing the controlled news networks from painting him into a villain so evil as to rival Skere Kaan.
But then, if Dooku and Serenno remained as weak as they were, there was nothing at all to prevent his home and family from being crushed like an egg beneath the boot of a determined Senate. He'd already given them the excuse they needed, with his actions at Naboo. For the sake of his family, and his home, the only way out seemed to be through. To grow his own power and influence to the point where he could contend with the Republic itself, and put armies in the field and fleets in the hyperlanes that Sidious simply couldn't defeat.
Of course, the ideal solution would be to corner the Sith in a remote location, when Dooku had grown strong enough in the Dark Side to defeat him. That depended on Sidious leaving Coruscant, but right now he was protected by the Jedi Council.
There was no way the Jedi would protect Sidious if they learned what he was. If Dooku could just somehow reveal what Sidious really was, without revealing to the Jedi his own dabblings in the Dark Side, then they would cut down that Sith for him…
Dooku had three ways to win. The first was to reveal Sidious to the Jedi without implicating himself, the second was to grow an alliance in the Outer Rim that would defeat the Republic in war, and the third, if all else failed, was to go to Coruscant himself, and rip the beating black heart of the corrupt senate out in person, damn the consequences. Though Dooku himself would die, his family would be saved, and Tan'ya would reign at the head of her own personal empire.
It was a plan of multiple layers and contingencies, and it only meant continuing with what he'd already been doing: growing in power personally and politically.
If he had to sacrifice his own life for the sake of his wife and children, he was fully willing. Qui-Gon's death had been meaningless, a result of Dooku's indecision. The time to hem and haw and hesitate had passed long ago. No more would he concede to the plots and schemes of others. No longer would he wait and beg for others to solve the Galaxy's problems.
It was time to do the work himself.
"Your Majesty, I think you're right." He smiled at Amidala. "Many works that we need now should have been completed decades ago, and so there's no time to start like now. Let me introduce you to Duke Harrad and we can begin planning."
Tan'ya had enjoyed her conversation with Hego Damask, and better still, he seemed open to the idea of investing heavily in Serenno's future development. The funds he could provide would be invaluable from moving her homeworld away from its primitive state, to something prosperous and competitive in the interplanetary market.
After all, she was acting on her father's behalf until he was ready to return to his duties as Count. He had said so himself, just after coming back from Naboo. Her father had delegated to Tan'ya the responsibility to act, rule and make these decisions in his absence, and so of course she had the authority to negotiate and forge deals with other parties for Serenno's benefit.
Hego Damask had left, going to join the small circle of sector leaders who'd gathered around her father. Tan'ya was hopeful that she'd done what she could to make the muun well disposed towards any investments her father might suggest.
Afterwards, Tan'ya had lingered for a few hours. She'd struck up a conversation with some of the Jedi Knights, and even got a chance to speak with Duchess Satine before she left. It took a moment for Tan'ya to realize that despite Satine's role as autocratic ruler of the Mandalore Sector, she was sincerely a pacifist and held to democracy as her highest ideal. A pacifistic, mandalorian democracy. It sounded like the start of a joke, and Tan'ya promised to read up the history of how that came to be. In such a vast Galaxy, there were too many fascinating corners to study.
Finally, after hours had passed and the guests had thinned out, Tan'ya's father had left to his offices with Queen Amidala and Duke Harrad to further develop their plans. With him gone, and the room emptying, Tan'ya finally took her chance to approach Asajj.
Somehow, despite all the attention and chatter she'd been engaged in, Asajj hardly seemed tired at all. Her voice was even more crackly than usual from overuse, but she had clearly thoroughly enjoyed herself.
"Congratulations, Asajj," Tan'ya said, "and well deserved too."
"Thank you, little Tan'ya." Asajj put an affectionate hand on Tan'ya's head. "Were you watching me and waiting all night just to say that?"
Tan'ya shook her head, then took Asajj by the hand to a balcony overlooking the plains of Indinoor. It seemed almost every time Tan'ya was here the view changed. Much of the mud flats had been cultivated, with rows of piff berries planted in the muck stretching past the horizon, even from this high viewpoint. A nice looking large farmhouse could even be seen with a large barn and multiple speeders parked nearby.
Turning to regard her friend, Tan'ya cut right to the chase. "I found Sifo's holocron in my father's office. He made it shortly before he died, and he believes that my father was the one who had him assassinated."
"What? No." Asajj looked shocked. "What reason would he believe that?"
"Because my father and Sifo had commissioned an extremely remote planet called Kamino to create an army of clones for the Jedi Order. They both thought it would be needed to defeat a resurgent Sith Empire, but Sifo's holocron was afraid my father intended it for other purposes and had killed him."
Asajj immediately took out her datapad to look up Kamino, but Tan'ya held up a hand to stop her.
"Kamino has since been deleted from the Jedi Temple's records, and a few years ago, the Senate updated its operating systems for central Republic mapping, and Kamino was deleted from there too. Even most of the Galaxy's megacorps have removed Kamino from their maps. Only old spacer's logs have track of where it is."
Asajj looked shocked. "Only someone with massive control over the bureaucracy on Coruscant could make a change like that."
"Not only that, but we're talking about billions of clones. I sent Colonel Seith to see if Kamino is real, and he confirmed that it was there. There's no way Serenno alone could afford to create such an army. Sifo's holocron told me that my father was working with an anonymous third party, who was providing the funding."
Asajj nodded, accepting the explanation, then considered, "Do you really think Master Dooku killed Sifo Dyas?"
Tan'ya hesitated. "I don't want it to be true, but I can't be certain without further investigation. To get more information from the cloning facility, I need someone to pose as their Jedi client, there to do an inspection."
"You want me to go to Kamino?"
"I don't know who else to ask."
Asajj pursed her lips. "Have you considered telling the Jedi Council?"
Of course Tan'ya had. The main reason she hadn't already was… what if her father really had killed Sifo? Then what would become of her family? Of the New Temple? Of his legacy? Of course, Tan'ya believed firmly in the social contract, and she didn't want to conceal a murder. If it turned out her father had murdered her teacher… Tan'ya still hoped that it wasn't true. She had to find out, she had to be certain.
Finally, after a long enough pause, Asajj spoke gently. "...I do know someone, among the Coruscant Jedi. They're unorthodox, and they may be able to help us. No one would have to know that it was you who informed on your Father."
There was the sound of hissing gas from right beside them, and both girls jumped in fright. They turned to see Hego Damask standing there, holding his breather against his face. How he'd snuck up on them she didn't know, but his tightly bound mind left no trace in the Force at all.
"You can of course call the Jedi Temple, but before you do you should consider the severe consequences of doing so."