Jedi Insurgency 105

After defeating Rahm Kota in a duel, Corvus didn't stick around, and left. Before departing, however, he invited Kota, Poggle the Lesser, and Admiral Tyg to a meeting at the Tarkin mansion within Eriadu City. 

During his flight back to the planet, he learned that Obi-Wan of all people had landed on Eriadu. Furthermore, it was Kenobi who had Knighted Jax! 

On one hand, he was a little sour that he wasn't there for his student, nor was he the one to promote him! On the other hand, he was very proud of Jax, and the fact that the white haired teen caught Kenobi's eye in the first place was kind of like receiving second hand praise. 

For all his demerits, Obi-Wan was one of the paragons of what it meant to be a Jedi. He covered for Anakin's shenanigans, Anakin's love life, AND he was one of the most effective Generals in a galaxy spanning war. The dude was a legend, one who took out LEGENDS Grievous, Legends Maul, and Legends Anakin. Those were some insane feats, and he deserved some respect to his name. His mastery over Form III, aka soresu, made him out to be the pinnacle of defense. Of course, it wasn't as flashy as the other lightsaber forms, and he did get folded by Dooku. However, the case could be made that an overwhelming defense is just as, or more important than offense. Some people would like to wield a nuclear bomb, whilst others would be happy to survive one. 

People never included him in their top 10's for strongest Force user, and while Corvus didn't either, he wondered how much potential Obi-Wan really had. In canon, he became a hermit and basically abandoned the Force for 20+ years...in this timeline, he had only been a Master for a few years, and had a seat on the Jedi Council. In his opinion, Kenobi had some serious potential to take a step further, especially if he got his hands on ancient holocrons, or trained on Tython.

It was easy to hate on Kenobi, knowing that during the Age of the Empire, the man basically did nothing to foster the Rebellion. That he practically sat on his hands in the desert, and didn't teach Luke anything until his Aunt & Uncle were murdered. Furthermore, he had ‘from a certain point of view’ lied to the boy, telling him that Vader had killed Anakin Skywalker. That his father was a merchant of sorts. Corvus could understand not wanting to drop all of that on an impressionable teenager, but it all felt rather manipulative. As if old man Ben Kenobi was cool with Luke killing his own father, and never knowing the truth. 

Other than that, Corvus largely had some major respect for the man. Obi-Wan would never ask someone to do something that he wasn't willing to do himself. He always made himself open to others in the Order seeking council. And above all, he was a genuinely good man who tried to do his best for the people of the galaxy. 

It was difficult to hate such an iconic figure from his childhood. 

Mulling over these thoughts as he piloted his ARC-170, Corvus then felt a headache as the upcoming meeting drew near. Rahm Kota hadn't been lying when he said there was bad blood between the Jedi and Geonosis. It was one thing for him to be throwing his weight around the CIS Ruling Council as some shadowy figure. But now he would be present with two other Jedi Masters, a gregarious nobleman in the form of Tyg, and a completely alien bug creature. Knowing the Geonosians' dark history of cannibalism, and that the remains of clone troopers & Jedi that were never recovered likely were eaten…yeah, the atmosphere didn't exactly scream ‘let's team up.’ 

Seeing the Tarkin estate just up ahead, Corvus ignored the annoyance prickling his heart, and landed his starfighter. He had a meeting to attend. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sitting room of the Tarkin estate was cavernous, darkly elegant, and cold despite the twin hearths burning at either end. High, arched windows let in the dull gray light of Eriadu’s overcast afternoon, filtering through the sheer red banners bearing the Tarkin sigil. The air stank faintly of cigarra smoke, brass polish, and old money. Everything in the room-from the obsidian floors to the stone busts of ancestral Tarkins lining the walls-seemed designed to intimidate.

Corvus hadn’t said a word to any of his guests, and was silently sitting. Obi-Wan had arrived with Yon & Jax moments ago, yet they too kept silent, as the atmosphere was tense. Rahm Kota, and Poggle the Lesser were currently regarding one another with undisguised venom. To put it lightly, bad blood existed between the two. 

Admiral Tyg wheezed as he lowered himself into a reinforced chair near the long durasteel table. His navy coat strained at the seams, and he dabbed a silk cloth against his moist brow, his eyes flickered ‘seemingly’ nervously between the attendees. “Let’s…proceed, shall we? We’ve wasted enough time glaring.”

Corvus smiled behind his mask. Tyg was a man on the larger side, but he was a good man at heart. Willing to donate to charity, and feed the poor from his own coffers, he was one of the few people he knew he could rely upon. 

Rahm Kota stood instead of sitting, his arms crossed over his armored chest, and his breastplate was proudly on display,  the scars of blasterfire proved he had seen combat. His eyes burned with the barely restrained fury of a man who’d seen too many comrades gunned down by Geonosians. He spoke in a gravelly, drawling voice, it was one rich with disdain and unshaken defiance.

“You’re tellin’ me I’m supposed to sit across from a man who helped create the droid legions that slaughtered entire colonies, and we’re supposed to smile like it’s some damn festival?”

Poggle the Lesser hissed quietly in response, mandibles clicked together in what passed for contempt. Through the Force, Corvus sensed as if Poggle was giving Kota a big middle finger. 

The Arch Duke sat with regal stiffness, his translator whirred to life. 

“Nmm'kah, the Jedi speak of blood with clean hands. Curious. The Umbarans would disagree. Their cities burned under Republic artillery. Do you remember, Jedi Master Kota? Or do you only recall victories?”

Kota leaned forward, his knuckles were planted on the table, turning white from the pressure, and his voice lowered to a dangerous volume. “You don’t get to say that, bug. One of Naboo's moons was glassed under your ‘protection.’ Children were used as decoys in the Outer Rim sieges. And now you wanna sit here like your boots ain't caked in the same mud as ours?”

Obi-Wan Kenobi shifted in his seat, and clanked a spoon against a simmering tea cup. He glanced at Corvus as if he wondered when he would jump in, he then raised his voice to cut between the hatred of the two men. 

“We are not here to trade atrocities like war medals.” He said in an even tone, and then took a long sip of his tea. “We’ve all lost far too much for that kind of indulgence.”

“Indeed.” Corvus murmured from the far end of the table. “The galaxy is fractured, a hundred worlds bleed. The citizens cry for succor, yet their pleas go unanswered. It is we men of power who can bring them peace. This petty bickering shall take us nowhere.”

Admiral Tyg cleared his throat loudly. “Yes, thank you, Master Revan. Well put. Now, Poggle has presented the remnants of the Confederacy’s willingness to…enter a new coalition. Coordinated military actions, economic restoration, mutual defensive pacts-”

“And how do we trust them?” Kota snapped. “You think they won’t just stab us the second our backs are turned?”

Poggle’s translator clicked again. “Trust is not required. Results are all that matter to the CIS.” Poggle replied, and then glanced meaningfully at Corvus. 

Corvus slightly inclined his head. “Your help was most welcome.”

“As was yours.” Poggle chittered. 

Kota looked like he might blow a gasket, but Obi-Wan interjected before Kota could retort. “We cannot afford a war on another front. Not now. The Empire is solidifying its grip while we argue over sins of the past. Either we build something together, or we all fall separately.”

There was a long silence. Even the flames in the fireplace seemed to pause for a moment as ‘The Negotiator's’ words seemed to carry with them some metaphysical weight. 

Obi-Wan leaned back in his chair, raised a brow, and took another calming sip of tea. Corvus, meanwhile, took a good look at his students. The pair of boys smiled at him, and Corvus felt his heart warm. 

‘One day, the Jedi Order will be better than ever before.’ Corvus promised to himself. During this brief thought, he missed something that Kota had said, and only caught Obi-Wan's reply. 

“Well, Master Kota.” Kenobi said with a wry smile. “As much as I admire your zeal for kicking in the front door of tyranny, perhaps we should restrain ourselves until we have a grasp on Galactic affairs.”

Kota rolled his eyes in response. “I don’t need a damn floor plan to know which way evil’s sittin’. The Empire’s out there hangin’ Jedi in city squares, burnin’ temples, stealin’ children, and you’re sittin’ here talkin’ about diplomacy. About waiting. I didn't come all this way to Eriadu to sit around and talk. I came here for action!”

Obi-Wan sighed, folding his arms as he leaned forward. “Yes, and here you are, talking. So, some part of you must believe this isn’t just a waste of time.” His smile faded slightly, and his voice softened in tone. “I’ve fought more battles than I care to count, Master Kota. But what I’ve learned, is that winning a war doesn’t mean you’ve built peace. It just means you’re the last one left standing. If we are to do this, we must exercise caution. Otherwise, we will have brought ruination to the innocents of the galaxy for nothing.”

Kota grunted but said nothing. His eyes searched Obi-Wan’s face, and it looked as if he wanted to rebute, but his student placed a hand on his shoulder, and the middle-aged man ultimately said nothing. 

Across the table, Corvus steepled his fingers and was deep in thought. From what he could tell, Obi-Wan wanted to turtle up, gain intel, and act with carefully coordinated movements. Kota, meanwhile, was interested in blitzkrieging the enemy. As for Poggle, he got the sense that the alien preferred Kota's style, but was too proud to say anything. 

“The Empire has expanded too fast. Palpatine’s declaration to seize power was simply too overt. As we speak, their economy is collapsing under the weight of its own ambition. Supply lines are stretched thin. Hyperfuel is being rationed. Entire sectors are being stripped bare for military production. Volunteers join the army by the billions, but there simply aren't any proper channels or logistics to train, feed, and house them. They are as desperate to rearm as we are.”

Admiral Tyg blinked, his jowls quivered ever so slightly. “Well, yes, there’ve been whispers, of course. My smuggler friends have told me a few things. That there are black market shortages, planetary tax revolts. But... collapsing? That’s a bit strong, isn’t it?”

Corvus smiled at Tyg's ‘incompetent persona’ and shot him a wink in appreciation. Sometimes having an ‘idiot’ in the audience ask questions was very helpful for convincing others in an ‘organic’ fashion. 

“You know it’s true, Admiral. The numbers don’t lie. Their entire economy was designed for war. Now that every sector has been hit, production lines have halted, and debt has mounted up.”

Corvus then turned toward the others, and started to speak in a fervent, passionate tone, one that carried with it boundless optimism and sincerity. “This is the moment. Not for vengeance, or for conquest, but a moment for rebirth. We will rebuild factories. We gather our allies, ignite the fires of resistance, and show the galaxy an alternative to the status quo. By marrying the best of Republic, Jedi, and Separatist ideals, we can shape a galaxy richer, and more bountiful than anyone had ever imagined. 

We need to break their wills with iron clad ideals, strong economic reform, and the promise of real justice.”

Poggle the Lesser clicked softly, but said nothing. His compound eyes remained fixed on Corvus, they were calculating, and measured his every gesture. 

Admiral Tyg cleared his throat nervously. “It’s…a bold vision, I’ll grant you that. We’d need factories, trade routes, hidden bases, even convincing a handful of Senators to stick their necks out could take months. But…perhaps. Perhaps this is the only path left.”

Kota scoffed. “So we wait? Play the long game? Watch ‘em tighten the leash around the galaxy while we set up supply chains and give pretty speeches to backwater worlds? You ever tried diplomacy with a brainwashed clone, Revan? Ain’t much for conversation. I say we take all our combined fleets to Coruscant right now, and give that ugly prune a taste of Jedi enlightenment.”

Corvus met Kota’s glare without flinching. “There are planets enough that you should be satisfied, Master Kota. Be mindful, however, that we are up against perhaps the largest military industrial complex of all time. Furthermore, it is run by a Sith who defeated Grandmaster Yoda in a duel, the very same Sith who fooled everyone in the galaxy, and used his charisma, intellect, and abilities to position himself into Emperorship. The long game, gentlemen, is the only game that we have a chance of winning.”

Kota opened his mouth again, but Obi-Wan cut in before the older Jedi could launch another tirade.

“Gentlemen, might I suggest something radical, such as consensus?” Obi-Wan smiled disarmingly, but there was a steel edge beneath his voice. 

“I happen to think you’re both right, in your own infuriating ways. Revan’s strategy gives us a future. Kota’s gives us momentum. We need both. But we can’t act alone, not anymore. If we’re serious about this, then we need the others.” Obi-Wan said, and inclined his head towards the bug in the room. 

Obi-Wan then briefly paused, and his voice dropped to something quieter, something almost reverent.

“Master Yoda is still out there. So is Ahsoka Tano, Quinlan Vos, Shaak Ti, and many more Jedi. Senators like Organa, Mothma, Chuchi, they all stand with us. We are not alone.” Obi-Wan then looked around the table, his gaze lingered on each of them in turn.

“Kkkr'guh, my contemporaries remain ss'cha, unconvinced. However, I am open to working with the Jedi. I pledge Geonosis’ support to this alliance.” 

A moment later, Kota exhaled through his nose, and the corner of his mouth was twitching.

“Well. I guess this beats another damn funeral.” Kota muttered as he glanced out the rain soaked window panes. 

Obi-Wan smiled faintly.

“Glad we agree on something.”

Corvus slowly nodded at Obi-Wan. It seemed that the meeting had gone well?