AN: I know... took me long enough to update. A few deadlines got in the way. I also wrote a few chapters for an Anakin SI in DC, which I'll probably start uploading soon. Either way, I hope you enjoy the chapter and hope all is well with you all.
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Jonathan Grey
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The capital world of the Republic, Coruscant, came into view like the metal shithole disguised as a jewel, just as it had the last time I was here. I still had the ship's stealth activated, so patrol ships didn't bother us as we made our way to the Jedi Temple.
"Should we wear robes too?" Nicolas asked, idly adjusting his cufflinks. Even as he tried to be nonchalant, I could feel his excitement. He had his shield in a way to let others know his emotions while keeping his thoughts tightly locked, all to make sure the Jedi knew he wasn't shying away from having emotions in the first place. "I somehow feel underdressed."
"You're in a magically enhanced butler's uniform with a symbiote underneath and a highly advanced watch," Perenelle replied dryly. "You'll survive."
"Feel free to use the folder full of all the shady stuff Cortana could find in their archives and from mission reports," I smirked, shaking my head when Nicolas's eyes lit up at the thought, immediately going to the tablet. Perenelle simply sighed in faux disappointment, trying to suppress the smirk fighting its way to her lips.
As the ship touched down on the landing platform directly connected to the Temple, I could see the welcome party waiting, having no doubt sensed my arrival through the Force. Yoda, leaning slightly on his cane, stood in front of a few Jedi Masters who were side by side behind him, including Mace Windu and, surprisingly, Ki-Adi-Mundi. To their right stood Qui-Gon Jinn, possibly as the meeting's chosen mediator.
I was surprised they allowed Ki-Adi-Mundi to attend, given our last encounter, but I could sense some sort of apology for his previous transgressions brewing.
As soon as we stepped off the ship, I placed it in the [Hoard], not risking any political manoeuvring from accidents caused by trying to service the ship. With the Flamels flanking me, I came to a stop just before the Jedi, ignoring the curious looks they were sending my way, having seen the Gauntlet disappear into 'nothing'.
"Jedi," I muttered with a nod, letting the voice modulator on the helmet do its work in Kratos-ifying my voice.
Yoda's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, measuring my being in the Force but not doing much more than that. Whether he was satisfied or disappointed with what he found, he didn't express it. "Welcome, Emperor Grey. Long your journey was, hmm?"
"Not long enough, and I have yet to finish," I replied, referring to the Potter-Verse world tour, but he didn't need to know that. "But we made time."
Qui-Gon stepped forward with a calm smile. "The Council appreciates your visit and hopes this meeting will be the start of mutual understanding."
"I suppose that's what I'm here for," I turned to the maverick of the order. "Understanding. Not the shady tactics your Order and government have become so accustomed to in the name of peace and cooperation."
Much like his fellow Council members, Windu's brow rose slightly at that, but he said nothing. Instead, Yoda gestured with his hand. "Much to discuss, we have. Included, any 'Shady tactics' you believe there is. Inside, come."
I gave the goblin a nod, walking by his side as Nicolas and Perenelle fell into step with the other Council members just a few steps behind. By the looks of it, Nicolas had chosen Windu as the Jedi's representative as to who to beef with on their behalf. The subtle glance Windu sent his way was all I needed to know he expected something to come his way.
Walking through the massive stone arched entryway engraved with Aurebesh, which was basically Galactic Basic written language, writing of peace, balance and harmony. I was tempted to start off the polite shit talk by pointing out the lack of balance and how they want their people to suppress their emotions, but I let it be for now.
As we passed beneath another arch, the temperature cooled slightly. Of course, the Jedi would not breathe the same air as regular folks on Curosant, that would be beneath them. They had air filters and conditioning to cover that.
We walked through tall, polished hallways lit by the rays of Curosant Prime seeping through high-arched windows. The sun may have been small, but it did its job just fine, lighting up sandstone walls and elegant columns etched with scenes from Jedi history. Jedi, young and old, moved around, giving the Council members respectful nods as they passed us.
Nicolas seemed to make a show of looking around with keen interest, stepping closer to Mace Windu, offering a firm handshake as we passed some large ornate statue. "Nicolas Flamel, Emperor Grey's butler, Wizard and alchemist, among other things."
Windu shook his hand with a polite nod. "Master Windu. Welcome to the Jedi Temple, Mr Flamel."
A group of younglings, no older than nine or ten, passed us, miming sabre moves they must have recently been practising. Nicolas studied them, furrowing his brow as he saw the opportunity for what it was. "If you don't mind the question," he said casually, "do you only train children because they're easier to indoctrinate? Or is there a more noble explanation that isn't strongly understood by the masses?"
The comment earned a few side glances from the other Jedi, but it was Windu who answered, somewhat firmly. "We train children from a young age to ensure they grow up fully immersed in the Jedi Code. Discipline, selflessness, and detachment from emotions that would cause them to fall. Young minds are more adaptable and less likely to have formed strong attachments or ambitions. Those things lead to fear, anger and hate. All paths to the Dark Side."
Nicolas hummed thoughtfully at the textbook answer. "So emotional repression over emotional mastery. Fascinating."
Perenelle shot her husband a warning glance, trying to seem like she was chiding his tact, but the three of us knew she was enjoying the show all the same. Either way, he pressed on with a shrug. "It just seems to me that the Jedi are willing to make exceptions for political reasons. Anakin Skywalker, for instance, trained past your usual age threshold, he's even allowed to contact his mother. But not everyone gets that chance. That sort of selective flexibility feels unfair to the millions of beings across the galaxy who could do great good with even basic Jedi training."
Mace's eyes flicked toward Yoda and I before going to the other Council members, who seemed content with just observing the conversation, then returned to Nicolas. "You're not wrong to question it," he said slowly. "But the practice is not arbitrary. It stems from millennia of tradition and a desire to preserve order. Older initiates come with strong attachments and rigid worldviews. They are more difficult to temper and are more prone to emotional instability. We have learned through painful history that exceptions can be dangerous."
"So can stagnation," Nicolas countered with a faint smile, having already expected that reply from the details he read on his tablet before our arrival. "You also run the risk of Force sensitives learning on their own, which could lead to Force users out in the world causing harm in the galaxy due to not being shown a better way."
Windu didn't rise to the bait. He merely inclined his head. "Perhaps. But in the Jedi Order, stability is prized. Controlled upbringing offers the greatest assurance of integrity in our ranks. That is why the tradition stands."
"It's not about tossing tradition and doctrine aside," Nicolas insisted, "it's about survival, compassion and a domino effect. If someone is Force-sensitive and stuck in a warzone, slums or is literally a slave, wouldn't giving them the chance to learn control of themselves and abilities be better than waiting for the consequences of their power left unchecked?"
Windu's response came quickly, almost like this was a conversation he had been part of many times before, possibly with politicians or those in high positions, because I didn't see him giving regular people the time of day. "And if those same individuals come with trauma or unresolved emotional bonds, the Jedi way may not save them. It may break them even more, or worse, arm them with the abilities to cause more harm in the galaxy than without the training the Order provides. That risk is not one we overlook lightly."
As their voices continued to weave through ideology and pragmatism, Nicolas even brought up the fact that he had personally created a school for young children and plans to aid me in creating another for older students. That seems to get their attention, but I simply turned to Qui-Gon Jinn, letting the bald Jedi try his best to get as much relevant information about the school. "How have you been, Jinn?" I asked. "And how's Anakin coming along?"
Qui-Gon gave a slight smile, taking his eyes off the ongoing conversation between the purple lightsaber-wielding Jedi and the Alchemist. "I have been rather well. As for Anakin… I check in from time to time. He's doing well academically."
That answer made me raise a brow, not that he could see it under my helmet, but my following words were enough for him to guess my expression. "Academically," I repeated his words back at him. "I take it there's an unspoken 'but' in that reply?"
Qui-Gon's smile faded slightly as he let out a small, barely heard sigh. "He's too far ahead of his peers. Both intellectually and practically, but the Council believes it's best for him to stay grouped with others his age. Social cohesion, they say." He gave me a sly look. "But something tells me you already knew that."
Somewhat bypassing his last comment, I let out a soft chuckle. "I skipped several grades when I was younger, something his mother is already aware of. Never seemed to do me any harm. In fact, it taught me to rise to challenges more quickly. I don't see why the boy can't do the same."
Qui-Gon's gaze drifted toward the old goblin walking beside us. "Not all in the Council are as adaptive to unorthodox methods."
Yoda's ears twitched slightly at the mention of his name. Without turning, the Grandmaster spoke in that slow, deliberate tone of his. "Already, a risk, the boy was. Older than most, and attachments strong. Push more than the Council has, and questions will rise. Deny his entry, they nearly did."
"You speak like I wasn't an even greater risk myself." I countered half-heartedly with a small shake of my head. "Don't get me wrong, I understand why you would want to keep him with his peers, as long as it's for his own good and not because a bunch of old people in a literal ivory tower thought it would be best."
At that, Yoda turned with an arched brow and a hint of amusement. "And where, receive your training in the force, did you, if not from the Jedi, hmm?"
"You'd be surprised how much the Force is willing to teach those who are willing to listen," I answered critically with a shrug. "Who's to say I didn't learn from a Jedi of old? I'm sure you've heard of Force ghosts."
As that statement hung in the air, we approached the massive elevator platform with its doors sliding open with a soft chime to let us inside. The circular platform glided upward in relative silence, excluding Windu and Nicolas, who were still going back and forth, if only quieter than before.
Using the moment to further mess with the wrinkled Sith in the Senate, I reached out in the Force while looking out the panoramic windows at the rows of floating speeders and Republic cruisers. It wasn't something he would think he needed to worry about with how unintuitive it was, but it would definitely let him and the Jedi in the elevator with me know I was not to be fucked with.
By the time we reached the top, the conversation between Windu and Nicolas had ceased as everyone seemed to be focusing on me. I simply shrugged as I told them, "Your temple is built on Sith grounds, and you have yet to fully cleanse it. I would advise doing so. It could influence the children you bring here without them or yourselves even knowing, and we wouldn't want that now, would we?"
Before any of them could respond, the tall doors to the corridor leading to the Council Chamber hissed open, and we walked through to another set that revealed the iconic circular room, with its windows allowing for quite a view of the Coruscant skyline. Each Jedi made their way to a seating spot, and some others were taken by holograms of others holocalling in, leaving only one empty, which I humbly accepted. The Flamels stood behind me, both with their tablet in hand.
"I assume the Senate reached out to you regarding all the assistance they so generously offered to the newly formed Grey Empire?" I drawled, interlocking my fingers as I panned my visor to meet the eyes of all the present Jedi.
Qui-Gon, sitting in a chair I knew wasn't his, gave me a soft nod. "It seems like a fair place to begin. And yes, they did. Though I will admit I was only made aware of that recently, as I have been on a mission. So, if there are any issues you believe the Jedi can help with, I see no reason we can't look into doing so."
I let out a noncommittal hum as I asked, "Did any of you actually see the contracts the Senate offered us?"
A beat of silence followed. Faces turned between one another, but in the end, Yoda's expression remained unreadable, and Windu's brow only furrowed slightly, some of the while others palmed data-pads they had in a chair pocket, possibly to start reading, or averted their eyes. Regardless, no answer came.
With a mirthless chuckle, I continued. "If you had, you'd have seen the deals weren't deals at all. They were glorified chains, as bad as anything the Hutts or any other criminal organisation would offer. Contracts designed to make an entire region dependent, drowning in debt, locked into generations of repayments. Only difference is: instead of one desperate family, it's entire planets being crushed under that weight. I'm sure Shmi Skywalker or Cortana had already sent her displeasure when your ambassadors tried to make contact."
The words hung in the air like a thick fog. Some Masters shifted in their seats, but not nearly enough to be truly disturbed by where the conversation was going.
"That… would not be in the spirit of the aid we were told was offered," Depa Billaba murmured, exchanging a glance with Shaak Ti.
"You were told? Or your Order?" Perenelle asked with a tilt of her head, not even looking at the Jedi who spoke as she studiously looked through her tablet. "Are you implying the Senate lied to you? Or are you implying the Jedi who presented you with the information on the aid proposed were the liars who falsified the information they presented to you?"
My HUD showed that she was reviewing the information Cortana had obtained about the whole fiasco. Luckily for them, it showed the Jedi were trying to cover up for the Senate and not another Jedi.
Mace Windu spoke with only a slight edge to his voice. "I was only informed that assistance had been extended. I didn't see the fine print, but I'll admit… I didn't think to question it. However, I am sure many in the Senate would be more than willing to review any contracts and such, and we would be more than willing to aid in cooperation between the two entities moving forward."
Those words seemed to trigger the resident Alchemist as he chose that moment to go at Windu again. "Then perhaps you, as in yourself being in a possession of power, and your Order as a whole pay more attention. I've seen some of the assignments the Jedi have accepted under the banner of Republic service over the last thousand years, and many seem more about enforcing control than keeping peace."
Windu turned to him, jaw set. "I can assure you, the Jedi serve the Republic to protect—"
"Yes," Nicolas cut in, much less politely than he was with the bald man on the way here. "To protect the people, not the corrupt systems choking the Senate halls. Or have you forgotten that one of your own Masters, Dooku I believe his name is, walked away because of the same rot? Because no one in this Temple had the spine to call out the filth the Jedi keep propping up."
A deep silence followed that accusation, and I could see Yoda take a slow breath and seem to almost reminisce for a moment before focusing on the conversation.
Plo Koon chose that moment to add his two cents. "We are aware that the Republic is imperfect. But we believe our continued presence can still guide it. Make it better. If, for instance, people find wrongdoing as you have said, then it should be brought to the Senate for all to see, and for all to judge."
"And while you wait for the wind to change," Nicolas shot back, "whole worlds and systems burn. Like Naboo, if Emperor Grey had not been present."
While I was enjoying the show, I thought it best to get through this quickly, so I raised my hand slightly, calming the exchange. "You may believe you are doing what's best for all. But belief doesn't erase consequence. So, allow me to be blunt, what will the Jedi do, now that you know how the Senate really tried to 'help' the very people I freed?"
The Council fell into a contemplative silence, but I could feel they were having a conversation with the Force, as if we weren't in the room with them.
Rude.
After a moment, Yoda leaned forward slightly in his seat. "Question the Senate, we will. Observe and act, perhaps… we must. Means of cooperation between the Republic and Grey space, it seems."
"We will need time," Windu added, most likely thinking of any backlash the Order might face by making the Republic look bad.
"Of course," I replied, only slightly curious as to what the Republic would say but fully expecting them not to care much, and for Palpy to capitalise, naturally. "Now then. I hear you want to take children from my kingdom…"
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"I am neither a scientist nor a philosopher. I'm a Jedi. I don't have to explain reality. I just have to deal with it."
— Mace Windu.
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Hello There
A lighter chapter featuring Mace Windu, the baddest mother fucking Jedi alive.
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