… Or is she? It dawns on Aayla what she has to do. Maybe she was lying a moment ago about Skywalker not noticing anything, but then an idea comes to her, and the smile she forced onto her face becomes a lot more genuine.
"Actually… I might have just had an idea."
Quinlan furrows his brow, his curiosity piqued.
"Oh? Some other way to deal with Skywalker? What is it?"
"We make him Fall."
Her words land with all of the force of a proton torpedo, literally making her former Master jolt back as if he's just been struck.
"Wha- Aayla, are you insane?!"
But Aayla stands her ground. This is the solution. She knows it is.
"No more insane than you, Master. Think about it! What other choice do we have? Getting the Chosen One killed isn't going to help us, not if it lets the Sith win. I'd rather die with the rest of the Order than join them."
Quinlan's jaw clenches at that. Aayla knows he agrees with her, that even with the Dark Side having seeped in and corrupted them, neither actually wants to join with the Sith. Not least of which because Master Tholme died at a Sith Agent's hand… to say nothing of the number of friends they'd both lost in that arena on Geonosis because of fucking Dooku's orders.
Aayla would sooner slit her own throat than serve Count Dooku, and she believed Quinlan felt the same.
"… Those aren't the only two options. We could run. Leave it all behind."
Even he doesn't sound convinced of that idea, though. They both know they're not going anywhere, not right now. Aayla especially…
"I can't. The 327th are my responsibility. I won't abandon them."
Quinlan sighs, clearly having already known what she was going to say.
"So what, you're just going to try to make the Chosen One Fall to the Dark Side? Are you hearing yourself Aayla? It's impossible, you're only going to get yourself killed. And really, how is it any better? How is he supposed to fulfill the prophecy and bring balance to the Force if he Falls?"
Aayla bites her lower lip, worrying it between her teeth for a moment before sighing.
"… I don't know. But just because he Falls doesn't mean he'll join the Sith. You and I are Fallen but neither of us did it out of hatred or malice. Even now, we don't want to hurt anyone."
"Oh, I definitely want to hurt a great many people, Aayla."
Huffing, she rolls her eyes.
"You know what I mean. If we control Skywalker's descent, then maybe we can control his Fall too. Maybe we can make him like us and in doing so, turn him against the Sith. I'm not ready to just let the Sith have control of the galaxy or whatever they're after. I'm not going to run and hide, Master. And you're right, just keeping my distance from Skywalker is never going to work in the long run either. But this… this could work. All I have to do is convert him to the Dark Side."
For a long moment, her former Master is silent, the Kiffar Male just turning over her words in his head. Finally, Quinlan closes his eyes, squeezing them tight as he sighs.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi's former Padawan, the Chosen One… Falling to the Dark Side. It's utterly ridiculous Aayla, but I suppose if I can't convince you otherwise… then I'll support you as much as I can, just like always. Whatever you need, you just let me know alright?"
Smiling, Aayla takes her father figure's hands in her own, giving them an affectionate squeeze.
"This will work, Master. I know it will."
-x-X-x-
Vader suddenly feels a strange urge to sneeze, but given who he's currently contacting, he uses the Force to take care of the need, a slight flaring of his nostrils the only sign that there was ever even an issue. And indeed, with his hood up and his true identity concealed, even that much isn't visible as the call finally connects.
"Master."
Asajj Ventress kneels on the other end of the secured commlink, her head bowed to him.
"Darth Shar. Tell me of your progress."
A barely visible shiver runs through her at the sound of his voice, and then she's talking. Vader listens as Ventress describes her recent missions to him, as well as the training she's been doing with the holocron he gave her every free moment she possibly has. And then, once she's gotten all of the good news out of the way…
"There is something else, Master. I have… recruited someone to our cause."
Oh? Vader offers little outward reaction to this, maintaining his silence for a moment and letting Ventress sweat just a little bit. Finally though…
"Tell me more."
Keeping her eyes lowered to the floor, the Dathomirian licks her lips.
"… Her name is Sev'rance Tann, my Lord. She was a Dark Acolyte under Dooku, but after he found me, she and those like her were pushed to the sidelines. Her power is middling at best, but I believe her potential lies elsewhere… with her mind. I have been passing on the teachings of your holocron to her for some weeks now and she absorbs the knowledge you have graciously granted me like a sponge."
Interesting. Very interesting. In more ways than one, truth be told. First, Vader knows who Sev'rance Tann is… or rather, he knew of her. She was Chiss, one of the very few who had left behind their civilization in the Unknown Regions and traveled core-ward at this point in time.
Others like her would eventually follow, none more impactful and dangerous than the future Grand Admiral Thrawn. Of course, Vader didn't intend to let Palpatine's Empire ever exist in this timeline, so Thrawn would never achieve the military rank he had in the original timeline. Although, if his intelligence and prowess could be turned towards Vader's purposes…
Well, that was all still in the future for the time being. For now, Sev'rance Tann was the only Chiss of any notoriety that Vader knew of. She would also have died some time in the first year of the war if not for this change of circumstances. She could still perish of course, but Vader doubted it would be in the same way if Ventress had truly taken her under her wing and began training her in secret.
That was the other interesting thing about this. Ventress didn't have to tell him that she'd recruited Tann. She was obviously keeping it a secret from Dooku, just as she was keeping his holocron and the change in her allegiances from her would-be Sith Master as well.
But this… it was a surprising sign that Ventress truly meant to submit herself to him in the long run. Vader already knew she'd sensed his power and given everything he'd told her, he knew he'd succeeded in binding her to him when they'd first met.
However, he'd also anticipated that bond weakening over time and distance. The holocron was a great way of slowing that weakening, but this reveal suggested she was a long ways off from needing another reminder of her power.
"… Well done, Darth Shar. Continue your training of Tann. Dooku was a fool to toss her aside, I'm sure her brilliant mind will be better put to work for us rather than him and his Master. If you deem her worthy, you may even show her the holocron and tell her about me… but I will leave that decision in your hands."
Of course, Vader was also sure that Sev'rance Tann's presence here in this part of the galaxy was no mere coincidence. She was either a refugee who had fled her people for some reason, or she was an early spy that had eventually been replaced by Thrawn after her unforeseen demise.
Either way, Vader could make use of her in a number of different ways, that much he was confident of.
Meanwhile, Ventress looks rather amusingly pleased by his praise. Her eyes dart up to finally look at him and her smile stretches from ear to ear, surprisingly honest and earnest for a moment before she finally remembers herself and regains control.
"Thank you Master. Your trust in me will not be misplaced, I swear it."
Vader internally snorts derisively at that. Because really, he's not trusting Ventress with much. She still doesn't know who he is under the hood. All she knows is that he's a Sith Lord of no small power, capable of creating his own holocrons. And from the look of things, she's used his holocron to grow her own power far faster than it would have grown in the previous timeline.
… Honestly, he really is impressed with her. She's surpassed his initial expectations. Perhaps it's time that he gives her something more to do after all.
"I have a test for you, Darth Shar. One where your investment in Tann might just prove useful to you."
Ventress perks up yet again before quickly schooling her expression.
"I hear and obey, Master."
"There is a world in the Outer Rim called Lotho Minor. It is a junkyard planet, filled to the brim with trash and refuse. But even among the trash, one can find treasure… and danger."
True to her word, Ventress doesn't speak, listening intently and hanging off of every syllable out of Vader's mouth.
"There is a dangerous entity on Lotho Minor, one that must not be allowed to escape that world. And if left alone for too long… he WILL escape. Maddened as he is right now, he is weak for all that he is also extremely lethal and deadly."
Darth Maul, Vader does not say. The Dathomirian Male clung to life by way of the Dark Side even now, despite his sanity having all but left him. He would be rescued in time if nothing was done… and Vader couldn't have that.
Maul could not be allowed to escape Lotho Minor, he would cause far too many issues in the long run. And as an apprentice to Sidious, he would never truly bend the knee to Vader in the way Grievous and Ventress had done. He was too… willful.
"This is your mission, Darth Shar. Go to Lotho Minor. Take Tann and whatever resources you can sneak away under Dooku's nose with you. Find the entity in the bowels of the planet and put an end to him. You will know him when you see him… no doubt, you will feel his presence in the Force when you arrive on the planet."
Ventress stiffens at the confirmation that her target is Force Sensitive. But she doesn't protest. She simply bows her head again.
"It will be done, Master. I will prove myself to you, I swear it."
He hopes so. Because if she fails, if she dies… then he'll have to go and take care of Maul himself. And that would be such a hassle.
"Once you have completed this mission, you will have more than proven yourself worthy of further lessons, Darth Shar. You will be several steps closer to finally being ready to cut yourself free of Count Dooku and his failed Sith Order once and for all. And once that happens, I will have further work for you as well."
Positively vibrating with excitement at this point, Ventress licks her lips again.
"Yes Master. Thank you for this opportunity, Master."
With that, the call comes to an end. Vader stares off into the distance for a moment, contemplating things. As she was in the other timeline at this point, Vader doubts that Asajj Ventress could have killed Maul, even maddened as he is. However, if this new and improved Ventress, built stronger and better by his Holocron's teachings, proved capable of handling the Sith Apprentice… well then, that just showed his plans were working, didn't it?
More than that, once Maul was dead, Vader could send Ventress on to Dathomir to treat with the witches there. They would welcome her with open arms as one of their lost sisters... so long as their leader did not find out what she'd done under the wrong circumstances.
Yes, if Ventress succeeded and went on to Dathomir, Vader would warn her to be careful so that Mother Talzin did not learn Ventress had killed her son. It was the least he could do at that point.
For a moment, he considers getting in contact with Ahsoka as well. It's been a while since he and Darth Varice got a chance to speak, after all. However… it had already taken hours to get this secured conversation with Ventress set up. If Vader wanted to spend any more time with Padme before he had to depart tomorrow with Aayla, then he couldn't do the same for Ahsoka.
Besides… he trusted Ahsoka a lot more than he trusted Ventress. No doubt she was doing perfectly fine remaining undercover and hiding her Darkness from Kenobi.
After all, Kenobi had been blind to Vader's own internal darkness for a long, long time before his proper Fall in the original timeline. The sanctimonious Jedi Master might have a history of fighting Sith, but he was utterly terrible at actually detecting them. They just tended to throw themselves in front of him in disturbing quantities.
Decision made, Vader turns and heads for Padme's apartment. If he was going to be gone from Coruscant for some time after this, then he wanted one last night with his wife.
Hopefully Aayla Secura wouldn't be too much of an issue. But if Vader had to arrange for an 'accident' for the Twi'lek Jedi Master to get her out of his hair, he would.