Watching him, Obi-Wan wonders his old master would make of this situation. He was a firm believer in the Force and it's intent, the old prophecies and the bits of truth in legend. Meeting a Jedi from an undetermined future that has traveled back, citing the Force's will has guided him, would be the sort of riddle he would have loved. It would have drove Obi-Wan up the wall.
But he's seen some strange things over the last thirty-some-odd years. This encounter certainly ranks up at the top of that incomplete list.
"Yes, visions are tricky business," He agrees, because it was never certain what was a dream and what was true prophecy. "But I think the difference here is that visions do not literally send you to another point in time where alterations can be made." Lifting one hand, he strokes the taper of his beard. "If you aren't here to change something, then I can't imagine why else the Force might have guided you into that portal."
"I've had visions I wanted to believe where guiding me to help people or change something, but in retrospect they were more...guiding me towards something I needed to understand. And I've had visions manipulated by a Sith trained Dark Sider."
Does Master Kenobi know anything about Maul, he wonders. He doesn't know how far back Maul's quest for revenge stretches, or when it started.
"So yeah. Tricky is one way to put it." He sighs. "If nothing else...the Sith can't be allowed to use the temple on Lothal to manipulate time. Maybe the point is to show me the stakes."
His eyes narrow as Ezra goes on. There were stories, of course, of the Sith's ability to interview with visions and dreams — but this is the first time he has met someone who can confirm this information as true. Before the appearance of Maul no Sith had been met or seen for a thousand years, much of their power in the Dark Side was as shrouded in mystery as that side of the Force itself. Even if he learned nothing else from this boy, that alone was worthy of noting and reporting to the Council.
Obi-Wan nods along, agreeing that all of these theories are possible. If it was indeed showing him the stakes, then maybe the fact Obi-Wan found him was also not a coincidence. He smiles.
"Maybe so. Either way I believe this means we'll have to talk about visiting Lothal. If not just to shore up our presence there, then to try and get you home."
He watches those expressions flicker across Master Kenobi's face, and gives a small smile back.
"So, first Coruscant. And consult with the Council. And then, if they agree, Lothal?" Then he frowns. "How...secure will a meeting with the Council face to face be?"
"Like I said, I trust you. But-" He grimaces. "Some of the Darksiders I've faced used to be Jedi. I don't even know who all is on the Council." And then sighs.
"Most of the time, when I asked Kanan about how things were when he was a Padawan, he'd say something about how everything was different now. That there was just us, and the Force. Ahsoka was a little more willing to talk about the past, when she was around. Anything about how things work at the Coruscant Temple or - I don't know - all the rules and expectation people just know when they grew up somewhere - probably best to assume I don't know."
It's a sound strategy for the time being, but Obi-Wan has been on the frontlines long enough now to realize that the best laid plans are always up for debate. One cannot account for everything, no matter how hard they try, not even the droids they fight against. But this framework is a starting point, and the direction is better than nothing.
What isn't a happy revelation is the way it sounds like more Jedi have become Darksiders. It was one thing to be faced with people like Maul, or Ventress, who had never been on the side of light insofar as he could tell — but the thought that others had followed Dooku into the Dark was a chilling. Obi-Wan weighs his next question carefully. What Ezra says to him could be damning, but he must remind himself that these things can be changed. All futures could be changed.
"Do you now their names? Those former Jedi working for the dark side."
Ezra is silent for a second, very reluctant to specify.
"They usually use titles or wear masks, or both. I know one. The Sith Master's right hand, because I know someone who was close to them, before. I'm...almost certain they haven't embraced the Darkside and the Sith, yet. They'd have to hiding it really well."
Surely Ahsoka or Obi-wan, or someone, would have had some clue? But then-
"Or maybe I'm wrong. The Master is already hiding in plain sight."
The more he teases out of Ezra the more difficult it becomes to keep his curiousity down. Obi-Wan has always been weak to learning, something that never ceased to irritate his former padawan that would much prefer to be constantly on the move. But if Ezra could have said anything to pull the final string on Obi-Wan's attempts at self governance, it's this: The Master is already hiding in plain sight.
His whole demeanor seems to cloud over, because there's weight to those words that hasn't existed up to this point. Something heavy in him that the Force brings his attention to, as though to whisper pay attention. Obi-Wan leans forward, looking hard into Ezra's face.
"You mean to say you know who the Sith Master is?"
"He doesn't publicly call himself Sith or any sort of Force user, and I've never been anywhere near him, personally. But Maul alluded to him being his former master. Darth Vader and other Darksiders obey him. He's ordered temples torn apart and Jedi hunted. It's the only conclusion that makes sense."
The name Darth Vader means nothing to him, but something about the turn of those syllables feels like a klaxon going off. Like he should know it, like it's important. What it suggests, though, is that this Master is cycling through apprentices. It isn't Dooku, or Maul, or Ventress — it isn't this Vader. What is of import, though, is the hesitation in Ezra's answer. The way he carefully tiptoes around the answer.
It's with a sinking sensation that Obi-Wan says: "I've already met him, haven't I?"
This is the one thing that Obi-Wan cannot let go. The potential good of knowing this information, the name they've been chasing for years outweighs the potential negative consequences.
Ezra shakes his head, but he's trying to think it through.
He isn't terribly worried about his own life, really, but what will happen if Master Kenobi doesn't believe him? Will the Jedi assume he's part of a Separatist plot and hand him over to someone? He imagines they'll assume he'd get sort of due process, but Ezra can't trust that. In Republic custody, beyond the Jedi, he's probably as good as in Palpatine's hands. And at the point, he's pretty sure dead is the kinder option.
And if Master Kenobi does believe him, then what? Is there any way to move against Palpatine that might not end up even worse?
"If I tell you - I'm sure you'll see immediately a lot of ways acting on that knowledge could be dangerous, but not all of them," Ezra tries to explain, rapid fire. "You can't just ask the clone troopers for help. I know they're good men. Captain Rex taught me about how to be an officer, but even him I can't trust here and now, because there's no guarantee they'll be able to fight their...their programming."
He hates using that word, but it was the one Rex had used.
Should he bring up Master Skywalker, specifically, as another potential source of betrayal? No, that can wait, he decides.
It is a successful diversion, and though Obi-Wan isn't entirely sure if Ezra is doing it on purpose — choosing between demanding the knowledge of the Sith Lord and the more immediate issue involving his men, Obi-Wan focuses on the latter.
His brow tightens, coming down harshly over his eyes. His gaze flicks over Ezra's shoulder to the two men posted near the doorway, and though neither of them move he knows better than to think they aren't eavesdropping.
"What do you mean their programming?" He knows what the Kaminoans told him, of how their DNA was altered to make them more submissive, but the way Ezra says this makes him think the boy means something else entirely.
"That's the word Rex used. Kanan used the word 'chips'. I don't know exactly how it worked," Ezra admits.
"I know Rex did get around it, somehow. I'm pretty sure Ahsoka helped him. That they helped each other and that's why...why they were ok. Around for me to know them. Kanan had a hard time trusting him, at first, and the few others of his brothers we met. His experience was that the people he'd trusted to watch his back turned on him and his master without warning."
He hasn't forgotten that Ezra knows the identity of the Sith Lord, or how apparently he's right in front of their noses, but this is a much more horrifying prospect. Obi-Wan sits back, looking at Ezra for a long moment, before sliding his gaze over to the men at the door. He sees them shift their weight, glance at one another, can sense their unease — but it isn't the sort of unease that comes with being caught in a lie.
And beyond that, Obi-Wan could never imagine the 212th turning on him. Cody, Rex, the rest of the 501st... these men have laid down their lives for the Jedi time and again.
"If something seems too good to be true, it usually is," He says quietly to himself, as though reciting something he has heard before. The serendipity of the clone army being prepared just in time for the war... it had given all of them a sense of unease. It was foolish of them not to look further into this.
He needs to talk to Anakin. He needs to talk to the Council. Obi-Wan stands up, and the transition from Jedi Master to General is apparent in his posture. Still, he pauses long enough to give Ezra a genuinely concerned look.
Ezra eyes go wide again as Master Kenobi goes gets to his feet, and he starts shaking his head, because he has serious doubts that that call won't end horribly, somehow. He barely even registers the question aimed at him. He's far more worried about screwing up the galaxy then himself.
Did he do this backwards after all?
It really is the two big pieces of information together that expose the trap, isn't it? So he blurts out, rapid fire, "It's Palpatine. He declared the war over, himself Emperor and the Jedi traitors who didn't want to stand down and tried to assassinate him, all at once. And that makes the troopers just following orders from the highest authority, right? To a lot of people who don't really know them, or the Jedi, it would all make a kind of sense."
The truth ringing out brings the universe to a stand still. Obi-Wan freezes, staring down at Ezra in the kind of shock that wipes the expression of all feeling. It's Palpatine. Palpatine, the Sith Lord. The man that ruled the Senate, the Republic. The man who has always been outspoken about ending the war, who asked for the Jedi's services as personal protection. The man that Anakin considers his good friend. The shroud behind Dooku and the Separatists — there would never be an end to the war, unless it ended the way Palpatine wanted it to.
And he'd been right in front of them the whole time. Not a single one of them on the Council could notice. Dooku was right, he thinks, bewildered.
"That..." can't be, he thinks, still not quite seeing Ezra as his mind scrambles to put the pieces together. But even as he says it, some intrinsic part of him knows Ezra to be telling the truth. Electing for emergency powers, interfering with the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan takes a sharp breath, sounding like he's been punched in the gut.
Ezra lets out a breath slowly. Master Kenobi is clearly struggling with all the implication, which is more than understandable, but Ezra can feel that the Jedi Master believes him. That's one huge hurdle down.
"I...don't know. Aside from, there's clearly ways for Darksiders to hide what they are, if they bother. Palpatine is smart; he must have planned this all for a long time. He's stayed in power as Emperor my entire life."
His shoulders slump. "People fight back, but if anything the Empire seems to be getting stronger and stronger."
Obi-Wan turns away, giving his back to both Ezra and the troopers near the door who are shifting uncomfortably, despite their professionalism. He covers his mouth with one hand, reaching for the sense of calm he is always trying to achieve. It feels impossible in the moment; both Palpatine and the Clone Army. How could any of them survive such a violent betrayal?
Moreover, he is not second guessing his decision to take Ezra back to Coruscant. If the Chancellor catches wind of him...
This is when the door hisses open and Obi-Wan turns to look up at Cody in full armor but without his helmet. He pauses in the door, as though sensing the tension in the room, but seems to remember himself and nods at Ezra before focusing on Obi-Wan. "General, you're receiving a call from the Jedi Council."
Ezra nods back to Cody and offers a strained smile. His impressions of Cody so far have matched his pretty high expectations, and honestly it just makes the conclusion he'd come to, that in his time Cody had long been ground up in the machinery of the Empire, so much worse.
He can only imagine he's going to meet more and more good people long lost by his time.
"Master," Ezra breaks in. "I'll stay here, go with you, go along with whatever story you come up with. Whatever you think is best. Only - can we even trust the comms?"
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no subject
But he's seen some strange things over the last thirty-some-odd years. This encounter certainly ranks up at the top of that incomplete list.
"Yes, visions are tricky business," He agrees, because it was never certain what was a dream and what was true prophecy. "But I think the difference here is that visions do not literally send you to another point in time where alterations can be made." Lifting one hand, he strokes the taper of his beard. "If you aren't here to change something, then I can't imagine why else the Force might have guided you into that portal."
no subject
Does Master Kenobi know anything about Maul, he wonders. He doesn't know how far back Maul's quest for revenge stretches, or when it started.
"So yeah. Tricky is one way to put it." He sighs. "If nothing else...the Sith can't be allowed to use the temple on Lothal to manipulate time. Maybe the point is to show me the stakes."
no subject
Obi-Wan nods along, agreeing that all of these theories are possible. If it was indeed showing him the stakes, then maybe the fact Obi-Wan found him was also not a coincidence. He smiles.
"Maybe so. Either way I believe this means we'll have to talk about visiting Lothal. If not just to shore up our presence there, then to try and get you home."
no subject
"So, first Coruscant. And consult with the Council. And then, if they agree, Lothal?" Then he frowns. "How...secure will a meeting with the Council face to face be?"
"Like I said, I trust you. But-" He grimaces. "Some of the Darksiders I've faced used to be Jedi. I don't even know who all is on the Council." And then sighs.
"Most of the time, when I asked Kanan about how things were when he was a Padawan, he'd say something about how everything was different now. That there was just us, and the Force. Ahsoka was a little more willing to talk about the past, when she was around. Anything about how things work at the Coruscant Temple or - I don't know - all the rules and expectation people just know when they grew up somewhere - probably best to assume I don't know."
no subject
What isn't a happy revelation is the way it sounds like more Jedi have become Darksiders. It was one thing to be faced with people like Maul, or Ventress, who had never been on the side of light insofar as he could tell — but the thought that others had followed Dooku into the Dark was a chilling. Obi-Wan weighs his next question carefully. What Ezra says to him could be damning, but he must remind himself that these things can be changed. All futures could be changed.
"Do you now their names? Those former Jedi working for the dark side."
no subject
"They usually use titles or wear masks, or both. I know one. The Sith Master's right hand, because I know someone who was close to them, before. I'm...almost certain they haven't embraced the Darkside and the Sith, yet. They'd have to hiding it really well."
Surely Ahsoka or Obi-wan, or someone, would have had some clue? But then-
"Or maybe I'm wrong. The Master is already hiding in plain sight."
no subject
His whole demeanor seems to cloud over, because there's weight to those words that hasn't existed up to this point. Something heavy in him that the Force brings his attention to, as though to whisper pay attention. Obi-Wan leans forward, looking hard into Ezra's face.
"You mean to say you know who the Sith Master is?"
no subject
"He doesn't publicly call himself Sith or any sort of Force user, and I've never been anywhere near him, personally. But Maul alluded to him being his former master. Darth Vader and other Darksiders obey him. He's ordered temples torn apart and Jedi hunted. It's the only conclusion that makes sense."
no subject
It's with a sinking sensation that Obi-Wan says: "I've already met him, haven't I?"
no subject
"I don't know how well you think you know him, personally. But you all know him."
no subject
"Ezra, you must tell me."
no subject
He isn't terribly worried about his own life, really, but what will happen if Master Kenobi doesn't believe him? Will the Jedi assume he's part of a Separatist plot and hand him over to someone? He imagines they'll assume he'd get sort of due process, but Ezra can't trust that. In Republic custody, beyond the Jedi, he's probably as good as in Palpatine's hands. And at the point, he's pretty sure dead is the kinder option.
And if Master Kenobi does believe him, then what? Is there any way to move against Palpatine that might not end up even worse?
"If I tell you - I'm sure you'll see immediately a lot of ways acting on that knowledge could be dangerous, but not all of them," Ezra tries to explain, rapid fire. "You can't just ask the clone troopers for help. I know they're good men. Captain Rex taught me about how to be an officer, but even him I can't trust here and now, because there's no guarantee they'll be able to fight their...their programming."
He hates using that word, but it was the one Rex had used.
Should he bring up Master Skywalker, specifically, as another potential source of betrayal? No, that can wait, he decides.
no subject
His brow tightens, coming down harshly over his eyes. His gaze flicks over Ezra's shoulder to the two men posted near the doorway, and though neither of them move he knows better than to think they aren't eavesdropping.
"What do you mean their programming?" He knows what the Kaminoans told him, of how their DNA was altered to make them more submissive, but the way Ezra says this makes him think the boy means something else entirely.
no subject
"I know Rex did get around it, somehow. I'm pretty sure Ahsoka helped him. That they helped each other and that's why...why they were ok. Around for me to know them. Kanan had a hard time trusting him, at first, and the few others of his brothers we met. His experience was that the people he'd trusted to watch his back turned on him and his master without warning."
no subject
And beyond that, Obi-Wan could never imagine the 212th turning on him. Cody, Rex, the rest of the 501st... these men have laid down their lives for the Jedi time and again.
"If something seems too good to be true, it usually is," He says quietly to himself, as though reciting something he has heard before. The serendipity of the clone army being prepared just in time for the war... it had given all of them a sense of unease. It was foolish of them not to look further into this.
He needs to talk to Anakin. He needs to talk to the Council. Obi-Wan stands up, and the transition from Jedi Master to General is apparent in his posture. Still, he pauses long enough to give Ezra a genuinely concerned look.
"I need to make a call. You'll be alright here?"
no subject
Did he do this backwards after all?
It really is the two big pieces of information together that expose the trap, isn't it? So he blurts out, rapid fire, "It's Palpatine. He declared the war over, himself Emperor and the Jedi traitors who didn't want to stand down and tried to assassinate him, all at once. And that makes the troopers just following orders from the highest authority, right? To a lot of people who don't really know them, or the Jedi, it would all make a kind of sense."
no subject
And he'd been right in front of them the whole time. Not a single one of them on the Council could notice. Dooku was right, he thinks, bewildered.
"That..." can't be, he thinks, still not quite seeing Ezra as his mind scrambles to put the pieces together. But even as he says it, some intrinsic part of him knows Ezra to be telling the truth. Electing for emergency powers, interfering with the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan takes a sharp breath, sounding like he's been punched in the gut.
"How could we not notice?"
no subject
"I...don't know. Aside from, there's clearly ways for Darksiders to hide what they are, if they bother. Palpatine is smart; he must have planned this all for a long time. He's stayed in power as Emperor my entire life."
His shoulders slump. "People fight back, but if anything the Empire seems to be getting stronger and stronger."
no subject
Moreover, he is not second guessing his decision to take Ezra back to Coruscant. If the Chancellor catches wind of him...
This is when the door hisses open and Obi-Wan turns to look up at Cody in full armor but without his helmet. He pauses in the door, as though sensing the tension in the room, but seems to remember himself and nods at Ezra before focusing on Obi-Wan. "General, you're receiving a call from the Jedi Council."
no subject
He can only imagine he's going to meet more and more good people long lost by his time.
"Master," Ezra breaks in. "I'll stay here, go with you, go along with whatever story you come up with. Whatever you think is best. Only - can we even trust the comms?"
Is there such a thing as too paranoid?