Outwardly, nothing had happened. For all to see, it was just two vastly different men shaking hands.
It was fortunate that Vader's mere existence drew so much attention onto himself that few took note of how robotically the senator released the hand and stepped back.
Within himself, Sidious was choking on his own rage. He could not think. He was numb to all things, even the Dark Side itself, as his mind made its own conclusion: Plagueis had betrayed him, used him...manipulated him. His teacher had done so on many occasions in the past, but this time Palpatine never saw it coming. How had he not foreseen this? How potent was this supposed Darth that the Dark Side would hide him even from all that Sheev could see in its shadows?
So white hot was his fury and so deeply were the reborn suspicions taking root down in his soul, all he could do was just stand there in an effort to not react and give away everything. To lash out at this rival, this mockery of all he believed to understand, and swallow whole these pathetic Jedi in the storm that was his being. To forfeit everything to take down all that he could with him. But cold, brutal determinism and innate wisdom reconquered his mind, slowly.
"I as well, Vader," Valorum agreed with a nod, eyeing the masked man intently. "If I may ask, are you a bounty hunter?" he asked, wondering what the Jedi were so worked up about. Yes, very intimidating, but many mercenaries were.
"If I was, I imagine the Federation would have already bought my services," Vader answered idly before turning to the group that he had traveled with. "I believe your ambassadors will have much to tell you and their council, Chancellor, bu there are important matters for the Queen to prepare for.." he reminded as he settled his mechanical thumbs into his belt.
"Yes, of course," the man acknowledged as he readdressed the queen. "I have called for a special session of the Senate to hear your position. I believe Senator Palpatine has more to discuss with you," Valorum offered, knowing he wasn't allowed to be too involved beyond this point.
The false and real queen both recognized the subtle reminder that he was supposed to be impartial in the actual politics of this, and nodded her thanks. "Thank you deeply for the concern, Chancellor," she gave before turning to her world's official representative in the Republic.
Sheev blinked, looking vaguely surprised as he glanced at Vader. To any other, they would merely pass it off as the Senator being uncertain about what to make of the situation after all the Jedi had come for this dark cyborg. The Chancellor didn't blame him, nor did the Jedi or his planet-kin.
But Vader knew that Palpatine was just trying to regain control of his emotions and his mask, something the time traveler took no small pleasure in observing. If not for Vader's very presence, the Jedi would never miss the undercurrent of rage and wrath swimming in the frail-looking man. Ironic, the cause of his rage was the only thing hiding him at this very instant. The fact was not lost on Palpatine, which only made his anger worse.
Yet he reigned it in and nodded to his queen, adopting the look of a man that wasn't sure what was going on around him but still had a job the to do. The feigned uncertainty was a great way to hide his little tells of wrath and ruin. "Yes, of course, right this way, My Lady," he motioned to his hovercar. "We have much to discuss before the session," he stated as the group started following them along, including the two humans he didn't recognize.
Nor did he truly care at the moment, his mind tearing itself apart as the King of the Beasts demanded to make itself known.
"Indeed you do, Senator," Vader agreed ominously as he moved to follow them, feeling the would-be-Emperor's power bristle beneath the surface at his words.
Only to be stopped by Windu stepping halfway in front of him. 'How predictable,' Vader thought to himself
"We're not finished," Windu stated firmly as he stared up into the tinted lenses.
All parties stopped to watch the exchange, the senatorial guards once more on alert in their dark robes.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan murmured to himself as Qui-Gon shook his head in exasperation while the other Jedi surrounding them took subtle steps forward. Padme nodded to herself at his barely-heard words, watching the exchange closely.
"Master Windu, this is not the time or place for this," the maverick Jedi quietly cautioned in warning as he stood next to the Shatterpoint user.
But the man did not back down as he gazed in challenge at the Sith Lord, as if daring him to make the first move.
'The fool doesn't even realize the trap he created for himself,' Vader noted, almost disappointed, but...he was the first true exposure to the Sith the Jedi had experienced in ages. Catching them off guard had apparently alarmed them even more than he anticipated. Vader wasn't sure if that counted as an overestimation or underestimation, but he supposed it didn't matter. They expected him to jump straight to lashing out with his lightsaber and throwing the weight of the Dark Side at them.
If only Qui-Gon had a chance to warn them.
"I have no business with the Jedi, let alone the Master of the Order," Vader stated without interest or alarm as he moved past Windu, the Dark Side leering through him at the Vaapad user with disdain and mockery.
Windu turned, never taking his eyes off his target while the surrounding Jedi all moved to block Vader's path between him and the Naboo party. "I believe otherwise, My Lord," Mace Windu pointed out with obvious disdain felt in how the title left his lips.
"Mom, what's going on?" Anakin asked quietly to his mother.
"I'm not sure, Ani," Shmi answered softly and honestly as they watched the confrontation.
"Master Jedi, what is the meaning of this?" the Queen of Naboo called with a slight frown to her ever neutral expression.
"Your Highness, please, this is Jedi business," one of the Jedi urged from near the body-double. Luminara Unduli, Vader believed. She was wearing a different, brighter shade of robes and headdress though. He didn't recall really meeting her early on, so he didn't doubt she might have changed preferred clothing in a few years, but it could just be a master from the same species that he didn't recall.
"Jedi business?" the queen repeated coldly as she looked at the female master, seeing Padme nod subtly out of the corner of her eye.
"Chancellor," Vader spoke before anyone else could, not even looking at the man while he stared down the assembled Jedi that grew uneasy as the Dark Side added a literal weight to his gaze. "Are the Jedi acting on your orders?"
Valorum rose an eyebrow at the question but he was becoming displeased with the situation himself. "No, though, Master Windu has been less than forthcoming about the meaning of this gathering of Jedi."
"It is because I am a Sith."
The most skilled Defels couldn't sneak through this crowd by the sheer sound vacuum that formed in wake of that admission. One Jedi almost dropped his lightsaber at the sheer casualness with which this Sith gave his affiliation.
"A...Sith?" Valorum repeated in confusion as the word echoed in his head. "As in..?"
"Yes, Chancellor, as in the group that is constantly at violent odds with the Jedi. Given my reception here, you can imagine why," Vader answered calmly.
"And repeated wars on the Republic," Mace corrected in a calm, cold tone.
"Refrain from conflating long dead political-entities with overarching belief systems, Jedi," Vader refuted pointedly. "But you did not come here for a history lesson, Chancellor. I have committed no crime, or they would have told you. Unless I misunderstand the laws of the republic, I'm not obligated to acquiesce to their desires without cause. Given the current situation, I'd rather request the Queen of Naboo invoke the galactic law against religious persecution on my behalf."
Mace actually looked taken back by that play. Vader had to admit, there was a small joy in seeing the disbelief in those eyes as the Jedi realized the Sith had denied a chance to fight and kill Jedi. That he was using the republic's very laws to deny them the chance to stop him here.
Valorum scowled in his own disbelief. "Is this true, Master Windu?" he asked sternly.
"He's a Sith," Windu reminded coldly, as if that answer should be enough. Once it had been, but that time had passed.
"Who is currently aiding a sovereign government in a time of danger," the False Queen reminded sternly. "Unless there is a formal charge to be made against Darth's person, I must ask that you cease this nonsense."
Vader had to give Sabe credit, she was a wonderful mouth piece for Padme, every utterance a perfect imitation.
The other Jedi all looked conflicted, some even confused. "Is there a charge, Master Windu?" Valorum pressed with distaste as the Master of the Order scowled at the back Vader's helmet, searching for an excuse. A look to Qui-Gon was met with a shake of the head. Either there was nothing to charge or Qui-Gon was unwilling to use what he knew.
"There is none, Chancellor," a smooth, rich voice addressed as another Jedi strolled up to the group and took down his hood, garnering surprise from Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and even Valorum.
And Vader too, if he was honest, but he had been surprised ever since he had sensed this Jedi when the ship landed: What the sithpits was Dooku doing here?
"This was merely a precaution," Dooku assured, ever charismatic as he turned to address the Queen with a deep inclination of his head. "I apologize, Your Highness, for this misunderstanding. Ancient years of bad blood compels caution on our part. We could not assume that the first Sith we have felt in many life times would not be different from his predecessors. Something I'm sure you can understand, Darth Vader," Dooku finished, turning to regard Vader with a cool expression even as Windu gave his fellow master the slightest of glares.
"I would have assumed the wisdom of the Council would have foreseen that, given the undamaged condition of your fellow Jedi," Vader subtly mocked as he peered at the graying Master, who was obviously doing damage control and yet did not seem at all bothered by being before a Sith, unlike the others.
"Given that one is my former Padawan, I deeply appreciate that," Dooku gave with the slightest hint of challenge in his eyes before stepping aside.
Now Vader understood. Dooku had returned from wherever he had been at this point in the timeline because he sensed Qui-Gon's presence in Vader's vicinity. Interesting. Unless he was mistaken, while no Sith Lord, Dooku was still very disillusioned at this point.
Vader said nothing more as he waltzed right by every Jedi near this end of the platform, moving to walk side by side with the Queen. Everyone of them watched him pass with mixed feelings. Some were worried about his cunning, others uncertain of his motives. A general desire to stop him and frustration with his manipulation was in the air.
Though, he wouldn't call invoking one of the most well known laws in the Republic as manipulative. Or were they directing that towards him making the Queen into his ally?
His musing came to end as he stopped at the last Jedi. Oh, he had no plan to intimate or provoke them here, but this one seemed to latch onto the fact that he was the last one standing between letting a Sith Lord loose on Coruscant. The Dark Lord turned slowly to regard this Jedi, who was holding his lightsaber out, the slightest tremble in his finger over the button. A brown haired knight with a long mustache and a small goatee.
His average potency in the force quivered ever so slightly under the full attention of the Dark Lord, but did not waver. If it wasn't so foolish, Vader would almost call it brave.
The Jedi Knight began to tremble, risking igniting his saber by pure accident as the Darkness threatened to swallow him whole...
"Knight Tassu," Dooku called authoritatively, drawing the young Jedi's attention with a stern scowl. "Stand down. There will be no conflict here, least of all one instigated by the Jedi."
The man trembled a bit more before putting away his lightsaber. Vader passed by them as he joined the Queen and her entourage in the hovercar.
"You can't resist making an entrance, can you?" Padme asked quietly, the barest of smirks to her face while young Anakin just grinned at their Dark Side friend.
Vader ignored her for once, briefly glaring at the transport. He always preferred standing in such crafts if he wasn't piloting, but it was a bit too crowded for him to do that.
And all the while, Sidious withered in his own fury just a few seats from the Sith Lord, unable to show or express anger, turning it inwards towards what he did best: scheming
MEANWHILE
Yoda stared out from the council room in the Tranquility Spire, finding none of the tower's namesake. He too had felt it, a proud display of power to declare one thing. That the Dark Side had fallen on Coruscant.
That the Lord of the Sith had arrived.
He could see it. Not the Sith, but the Dark Side itself, reared up in all its tenebrific glory, peering upon a world it had not been set free upon in an age. To the diminutive Jedi, it felt akin to a living beast. Standing as territoriality as an Anooba or an Aak Wolf, but with all the imposing might of a Rancor or a Gorax. Yet while a blanket of it spread upon this world city, it felt as if the true bulwark loomed over the skyscrapers with an eager grin, daring all to challenge its arrival on this planet, to step forward and be its prey.
And yet, for all the ill-feelings the Dark Side brought with it, he sensed no danger. Yet. All this power in the darkness, but it only moved to intimidate and unsettle those in the Light. Even now, Yoda was using a great deal of his not-so-small might in the Force to help sooth the younglings in the temple below. The Dark Side refused to enter the temple, to even try. A more arrogant Jedi Master might take this to mean it couldn't. Yoda knew otherwise. It wasn't trying because it didn't want to.
For now.
As numerous before him had, Yoda often wondered how truly sapient the Force was. It had a will, few Jedi ever disputed that, but was that will more towards a conscious will or something akin to cosmic instinct? Could either side could be compared to a singular minded being in any fashion? If it was so, he imagined the Dark Side was gleeful right now in its mocking nature. Like a feline secure in its victory over some minuscule prey. But Yoda could do nothing for now. He still believed it was the right course to retrieve their fellow Jedi and learn what they could before confronting this Sith Lord in any direct fashion.
He only hoped Mace Windu did not do something over zealous. Master of the Order, Yoda would never contest that Windu was worthy of that. The green entity had held that title many times over the centuries in every fashion: on and off, officially and unofficial, temporarily and long term. He could be Grand Master and Master of the Order at the same time, and had been such in the past. He would still be so if he did not step down after so many years each time.
Rely on him too much, some Jedi did. Immortal, some mistake him for. But mortal, Yoda knew he was. One day soon, the end of his long life, he sensed. Soon for him, at least.
Before he reached a thousand years in age, he believed. Pity, he was hoping to reach the forth digit. But the point remained that he needed the Order to be able to stand without him. His greatest concern was that they would not be able to move on without him one day. Having his own holocron did lessen that worry some, as did watching the success of the latest generations. Still, he worried for Windu. The Dark Side had plagued the Jedi in his youth, leading him to mastering the Vaapad style. Confronting a Sith Lord that blatantly announced his power in the Dark Side like this could prove taxing for the Master, both in resisting the Dark Side and in maintaining his calm. Yoda was firmly assured on the former, but uncertain on the latter in this circumstance.
And yet, death he did not sense. Conflict, he did not sense. And so his faith in the Force and his fellow Jedi soothed his old heart. He gave an amused look up at the Dark Side, imagining he perceived a face within its depths. If nothing else, he'd take a small moral victory on this front and deny it the despair of the younglings and the complete ruining of his mood.
That was how Yoda lived the Jedi Code on a day-to-day basis. One simple thing after another to nurture the light in whoever he could.
MEANWHILE
"Masters, what exactly was that?" Valorum asked with a raised eyebrow to the gathering of Jedi.
"That, Chancellor, was us just letting a great threat waltz into the heart of the Republic," Windu answered in a stony voice.
The Chancellor scrunched his brow at the strange behavior from the Jedi, turning to the two sent as ambassadors. "Master Jinn, you arrived with this man, this...Sith. What are your thoughts on this Darth Vader?"
Obi-Wan mentally counted down in his head, eliciting some chuckles from his master through their force bond. Outward, Qui-Gon kept his composure and take a deep breath. "Vader is dangerous, beyond any doubt. But since meeting him, he has done everything in his power to aide Naboo's Queen and remained...civil with my Padawan and myself," Qui-Gon explained, eliciting much disbelief and muttering among his comrades, Windu turning to stare at him with a hard look.
"A trick, no doubt," the Mater of the Order reasoned.
"Master Windu, I have always appreciated your commitment to safeguarding the republic," Valorum started, Dooku stealthily rolling his eyes behind the politician. "But I can't simply allow the Jedi Order to apprehend someone for no legal reason, let alone one that is aiding a recognized government in a time of crisis. Regardless of what the Sith were, in the eyes of the law, being one is not a crime, nor can we find him guilty by association a millennia after the fact."
"We are aware, Chancellor," Dooku assured, ever the cultured one. "I'm sure you understand that with our being able to sense him in the force, our surprise was far more enhanced than most by this reemergence."
Valorum sighed and nodded. "I may not understand the Force fully, but I can appreciate the idea of knowing something dangerous exists that you thought destroyed," he relented as he nodded to his guards. "I will be taking my leave now. I hope this matter settles well on your end, Jedi Masters," he said in farewell, making his way off the platform, leaving a confused group of Jedi in his wake.
With the Jedi now alone, Windu turned his full attention on the two returning Jedi, only to be interrupted by Dooku bringing a surprised Jinn into a brief hug. "Ahh, my old Padawan, still getting into the oddest trouble I see," Dooku greeted in a borderline fatherly tone. Despite the situation, many Jedi smiled at the scene, and at the return of Dooku, one of their Order's best.
"Master, I certainly didn't expect to see you here," Qui-Gon returned warmly. "I thought you were visiting your home-world?" he questioned idly. While attachments were prohibited, every Jedi visited their birth world at least once in their lifetime.
Qui-Gon himself did it basically everyday, but that came with being a native to Coruscant. Something he sometimes wondered might have helped him to understand the Living Force better than others.
"Oh, I was, until I thought you were battling the newly returned Sith," Dooku answered with a smirk. "Imagine my surprise when I realized you were traveling together?"
"Believe us, Master Dooku, we were as surprised as you were," Obi-Wan assured, a bit nervous.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi. Qui-Gon has told me a great deal about you," Dooku mused with a whimsical look. "Fret not, better than what I told my Master of Padawan Jinn."
Qui-Gon shook his head in welcome brevity after such a bizzare trip. "My Padawan is correct though, our tale is a very...strange one."
"Stranger than telling the Chancellor the Sith Lord isn't a threat?" Windu questioned with a scowl, nonetheless giving them a chance to explain.
"It starts with the Sith Lord coming down the stairs to help rescue the Queen," Obi-Wan answered bluntly.
While many stared oddly at that, various less reserved Jedi couldn't help snickering at that line.
"This is no joking mater, Padawan," Windu scolded the apprentice, and the others by proxy.
"I assure you, Master Windu, my Padawan is both serious and accurate," Qui-Gon affirmed, knowing both he and Dooku were going to enjoy this for different reasons.
Speaking of which. "It seems you have quite the story to tell, but we should do so back at the temple, with the rest of the council," Dooku pointed out with a soft smirk.
If Mace Windu were not a Jedi or less stubborn, he would have face palmed at that.
MEANWHILE
"You are certainly an outrageous one, Lord Vader," Plagueis remarked with amusement, humming as he gazed down upon the dispersing mass of Jedi, standing atop one of Coruscant's nearby mega-buildings. Such a gathering of the Order had attracted the attention of many onlookers in the surrounding areas, leaving him far less suspicious if the Light-based organization sensed an onlooker.
He found the entire exchange very interesting, relishing in the blanket of Darkness this self-proclaimed Darth brought with him. But more than that, he found Vader's handling both amusing and appropriate for a Sith. He could no hear them from here, but it was largely unneeded, he had sensed enough to understand. Vader had ignored and side stepped the Jedi entirely, using the simple legal basis that they had no proof he was a criminal. He was a bit surprised to see Dooku back on Coruscant, but not that he was salvaging the situation better than most Jedi. After all, the Light Side users had come here expecting a great battle and what they received was to be ignored and dismissed.
The Dark Lord had considered taking a route like that, in theory at least, but deemed his own illegal activities and the scrutiny that would come afterwards not worth the effort. Did that mean Vader had no strictly illegal past for them to use against him or was there just no trail to follow back to him? More questions.
Even ones not about Vader himself, he noted to himself. While Sidious lost some form of mental confrontation with Vader, Plagueis had take note of a nigh-literal hidden gem right amongst the group: The young boy that was part of the Queen's company, along with a woman he sensed as the boy's mother. Plagueis had dived deep in the Dark Side, deeper than he normally could in public, but Vader's shroud obscured the sight of all in the light. And as he swam in those brightless depths, he found himself dodging around and through so many little tendrils of emotions of the Jedi: a righteous anger, a growing uncertainty, swollen pride that was unspoken and now bruised, and of course the beginnings of fear they would deny the existence of. But as delectable as he found these sensations, he focused in on the boy. There, a casual glance would perceive only a force-blind child, until one looked past the surface. There, he found it; a force-cloak. Force-sensitive children did it best, instinctively turning their potential into an ability to hide.
He felt the force-gaze of Vader upon his presence, but either the fellow Sith deemed it unnecessary to stop Plagueis or simply had lacked the chance to do so in that crowd. Regardless, the Muun pushed his senses past the shield and-
Plagueis shivered at the memory, the sheer overwhelming potential the boy had, merely gazing at it so close and intently had blinded him briefly, almost making him physically recoil. That boy would be the next Revan, with power others could only dream of. It made it clear to Plagueis how this force-sensitive child could stand so close to a Dark Lord announcing his arrival and not be affected while full grown Jedi quaked in their boots.
But Plagueis was not one easily blinded in his fascination. Rather, it made him more attentive, more curious. And with that came him stumbling across a mystery that, unknown to him, troubled the True Queen of Naboo. For within Anakin Skywalker, he sensed...something. Something like the start of a force-bond, but...strange. In using his own essence to sense the destination, he recoiled quickly before he risked provoking this Vader in this opportune time.
The bond...didn't lead so much as was aimed at Vader. What, in the name of Bane's Tomb, was the connection between this boy and this Sith Lord? The bond was new, too new for Vader to have been a father in much sense of the word beyond mere biology. But what was there was strong. The sheer strange factor was that...forming bonds were like growing plants, to his perspective. They grew and slowly reached out across the force until both limbs touched and intertwined.
There was nothing growing here, but it didn't feel broken or incomplete. This, while a minute discovery in the midst of his grand schemes, was not something he had ever seen before.
Shrugging off the child while labeling him as "Must Recruit At All Cost One Day," he refocused his attention on what he had learned. This Vader was not a brute. Despite bluntly exposing himself, he had used the appropriate cunning to throw the Jedi off their game. Perhaps that was the ultimate reason for saving the Queen? To use her as a political ally against the Jedi's influence. It was a good plan, if so, and one that could help if played right. With himself and Sidious leading the Republic, and Vader being a famous display of Sith being capable of benevolence while retaining their ruthlessness, all the while painting the Jedi as dogmatic and unwilling to change and accept the new reality...? Yes, yes, that could work. And, admittedly, he and Sidious were not perfect masters in the more traditional forms of war.
Sidious for politics, himself for wisdom and knowledge, and Vader for wars and battle.
The one of only two issues was Sidious, who he sensed was further unsettled by Vader. He wasn't sure anymore if Vader was at fault for that or if it just was due to his apprentice's temperament. Or both, likely both.
The other issue was Vader himself. Would he, and any others he associated with, be willing to work with them? A careful topic that would have be broached to their unexpected peer in the dark, carefully and on alert for any deception.
Meeting with Sidious would be hard, he'd be preoccupied handling the young queen and securing the vote, but Sidious seemed to be holding himself together just fine. It would be wise to secure a moment with this Vader. Only in a direct meeting would he be able to decipher what kind of alliance or rivalry the Order of Bane could have with Darth Vader.
He scowled momentarily as he looked up into the sky, into space, into the force. Oh how he cursed whatever ploy his Master had pulled in his dying moments, robbing Plagueis of a majority of his ability for visions. There was something lurking out there, something the Dark Side was...not warning, but cautioning him against. Yet he could not deduce what. It was not another force-wielder, Light or Dark, but that did not detract from the fact that there was an unknown and likely connected to Vader. But was it allies or enemies to this third Darth?
If Darth Bane was correct in no other facet with the Rule of Two, it was that Sith need not be enemies with one another. Preferably allies, but Plagueis could settle for a rival with a like-cause.