Conversations 3
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Kitster's grainy image laughs back at you as you wave your arms dramatically, laughing at yourself as well.
"So Padme is following Captain Panaka around, he keeps making excuses to leave, and she keeps saying stuff like "Oh, let me help you with that, Captain!"
Kitster grabs his sides and laughs harder than ever at your impression of the Queen's falsetto. You can't go on either, laughing helplessly at the memory.
After a few moments, Kitster wipes his eyes. "Alright, Ani, I know you. You've got something to say, and you've been leading up to it. Hit me."
You hum. How to put this delicately…
"Dooku is royalty, apparently, so he's about to get a ton of money. I want to come and free you."
To your surprise, Kitster doesn't look surprised. He nods a bit and says "I figured this would come up eventually." He scratches his head and looks uncomfortably at the side. "See, Ani… I never really told you this, but since you left, all the other slave kids have been coming to me for advice, and for help, and stuff… they look up to me now. And, well, remember that guide on etiquette I bought with the reward money you gave me?"
"Yeah."
"Well, it looks like I'm about to go into training to become a host at a club run by a Dungan who works for the Hutts. I won't be making as much as a free man, but I'll make enough that I can buy my freedom in a few years, if I do well and work my way up until I work for the Hutts. And you know how my dad screwed over the Hutts, and they made my price pretty crazy to punish him, so that gives you a good idea at what I'm working towards."
"Wow, Kit, that's fantastic! You want to make your own way, huh? Well, I guess I get that, but I kind of wish you would take my offer."
"No, Anakin, it's not for me. If the other slave kids see me buy my way to freedom, that'll give them hope for their future. If I can buy my freedom, they can, you know?"
That's surprisingly wise-sounding, coming from your old friend. "Yeah, I gotcha. When you buy your freedom, though, I'm gonna come get you and bring you to Naboo. You're gonna love this place. No buts, this is my condition for letting you make me wait years and years to see you in person."
Kitster grins. "You've got a deal."
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"Master, what're we gonna call ourselves?"
"As an organization?"
"Yeah."
"Nothing. We aren't an organization."
"Aw, come on. The Jedi have a cool name and a code, and so do the Corellian Jedi, and the Nightsisters, and the Dathomirian Witches, and even the Sith, and also-"
"I get it, Anakin."
"Anyway, that's not the point! We need a name and a code! And a cool symbol, too!"
"Oh, and I suppose you have something in mind already, don't you?"
"The Dooku Two!"
Master Dooku whips his head to face you, his face locked in a mask of disbelief. Then, for the first time you've seen, ever, Master actually bends over from laughing. His face turns red, he holds his sides, and he howls in laughter.
You shift your feet. "What's wrong with it?"
He grins at you. "Dooku is one of the most common slang terms for feces in the galaxy."
"...Oh."
He walks on ahead, still giggling to himself. You follow, slightly embarrassed, until you realize something and perk up. "Hey, you didn't say no!"
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"I believe I've stumbled upon the founding society of both the Jedi and the Sith in the archives of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant."
"The Jedi and Sith are polar opposites, there's no way someone founded both of them. That would be like the Supreme Chancellor enslaving all the people in the Republic just so there would be slaves to free in his campaign to emancipate the slaves."
"That's right, one person would never found both. Unless the Jedi and the Sith both split off from a common ancestral society, as two opposing militant extremist groups, one dedicated to the Dark, one dedicated to the Light."
"Hmm. I can… maybe see a scenario like the one you're describing coming to pass, but I wouldn't believe that until I had solid proof. Also, the Jedi aren't militant extremists."
"Oh really? Do you know of any other organizations that spend their entire childhood getting indoctrinated into a certain mindset to worship the Force? Do you know of any diplomats who spend their entire life learning how to effectively cut someone into pieces with a lightsaber?"
"...No. Alright, you have a point, but what's your proof?"
Senator Palpatine fishes into his robes and pulls out a holodisc. "The information on this holodisc is tens of thousands of years old. It speaks of an ancient Force-wielding race or society called the Je'daii that wielded both the Dark and Light sides of the Force. Then, there was an internal struggle…"
"And the Jedi walked away with the Light, and the Sith walked away with the Dark. Fascinating…"
"I completely agree. But I can't help but feel like there's something hidden in this holodisc, some secret I'm not seeing."
"And you want me to help you look through it?"
"Well, yes. Here, I'll send you the information now."
You plug your datapad into C3PO as the holodisc transcript is delivered to his memory bank. The holographic transmitter and projector installed into his chest piece show Senator Palpatine fiddling with his controls.
Not for the first time, you thank your foresight for having installed Threepio with communications equipment. He really is very useful.
"Alright, it's showing up on my datapad. Do you have any clues about what to look out for?"
"Well, the secret, I believe, lies in the Codes. You've doubtlessly heard the Jedi Code, right? There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge-"
"Yeah, I've heard it. What about the other codes?"
"Alright, the Sith code is its opposite. It goes like this: Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me."
That… wow. That resonates with you. After all, the Force did break your chains, it did free you. Not that you'd say as much; the Sith are evil as evil gets.
"Hmm. Is that it?"
"Well, the last clue is the Code of the original organization."
"The Je'daii?"
"Yes. Now, their code is as follows: There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no fear; there is power. I am the heart of the Force. I am the revealing fire of light. I am the mystery of darkness in balance with chaos and harmony, immortal in the Force."
"It's just representations of the dichotomy of the Force," you realize instantly, "with no emphasis on Dark or Light."
"Exactly!" Palpatine smiles broadly. "I'll probably have to delve deeper in my archives to understand it better, but the implications of this are tantalizing, wouldn't you say?"
"Oh, absolutely sir," you nod furiously. "So I should just study the Codes and look for clues?"
"Well, if you have the time, I'd like you to study up on their history, but that's not as important to me. Maybe you could recruit your Master to help."
"I'll see what I can do. If you find out anything, would you let me know?"
"My boy, you will be the first to hear of it."
Then, with a smile and a wink, he was gone.
You sigh and look up at Threepio. "What do you think, Threepio?"
"Master Anakin, I'm afraid I must say I find it a little bit odd that the esteemed Senator of Naboo spends so much time hanging on your words. From my understanding of human culture, this is unusual, quite uncommon indeed for such an older man to be-"
You wave your hand, cutting off his worrying tone. "He's just a friend, Threepio. Age doesn't matter with friends. He's a great person, and he's trying to do good in a corrupt Senate."
"That has nothing to do with-"
"And besides, I meant what you thought about the holodisc."
"The holodisc? Why it seems to have gone through no less than seven translations from its original text, and probably more. I've only had a few seconds to analyze it, after all. If there ever was a secret, it must be lost in misconstrued context by now."
"How many forms of communication are you fluent in, Threepio?"
"Over six million, sir."
"Do you think you could replicate its original text and context?"
"It would take quite some time-"
You smile. "Do it."
You stand up to leave the room, and C3PO worries after you, "I thought Master Dooku was going to assist with this?"
"He will," you say, "after it's translated."
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A/N: Have some conversations.