Chapter 9: Negotiations

Drallig remained standing by the elevator, shoving Vancil forward roughly. The Sith glanced back to scowl at Drallig. Sure, you could have reasoned that it was pointless considering Vancil's masked visage, but he was sure the Jedi got the message.

Vancil looked back ahead of him as he walked into a large circular room, a ring of what he could only call thrones circling a small area in the middle. Behind these was a singular glass pane that made up the entirety of the walls which allowed possibly the most brilliant view one could get of Coruscant without a ship to get higher.

And seated on these cushioned thrones, was the Jedi High Council.

Vancil worked his jaw underneath his mask, making sure that only his confidence and pride was emanated from him. If they knew that he was even the smallest bit scared, then chances were that these negotiations would go very badly for him.

Of course, it most certainly helped that apparently most of the council appeared to not be present, with flickering holograms filling the place of all twelve seats except for the four which contained those actually present. Of the ones present was an Iktochi, who sat with a pensive expression on his face, a Kel Dor whose curiosity could be seen even with the protective mask and goggles he wore, a bald dark-skinned human with perhaps the most serious expression of them all, and a green…something. He was definitely a small one though, and he looked ancient.

Not wanting to stump himself on deciphering just what the hell that little goblin was, Vancil shook his head and marched forward, arrogance oozing out of him with his head held high as he walked into the centre of the room. It honestly surprised him how little Council Members were actually present. From what he knew the Council was an incredibly important piece of infrastructure for the managing and running of the Jedi Order.

The entire room was silent as he stopped in the centre, every Jedi, present or not, looking over him. Vancil glanced around, unsure as to what exactly was to happen now. He knew his demands and what he wanted out of the Jedi, and he was sure that Anakin would have relayed his demands of access to the Jedi Archives to them.

Yet neither he, nor the council spoke a word. And he would be damned if he spoke first. Vancil preferred to think about things from a tactical stand point, as it was one of the only reasons, he survived being a Sith. And right now, if he spoke first, he would be at a disadvantage, as to it would be his own equivalent of getting down on his knees and begging. Yes, he was technically going to the Jedi for help, but Vancil would be damned before he ever admitted such a thing.

"So then, this is the Sith we've heard so much about." The Kel Dor said as he broke the silence, his tone surprisingly both gentle and serious at the same time.

"Hmmmm, strange, this is. Expect a Sith to walk right into our grasp, we did not." The midget said, making Vancil even more confused at his manner of speaking.

"Well, considering that he claims to be of the Sith Empire, I think it's safe to assume that everything would be a little strange." Said one of the holograms, a human wearing armour and with a full beard.

The Kel Dor nodded to the bearded human before looking back to Vancil, "Indeed Kenobi. Now, while Anakin has told us what has apparently happened to you, I think it would be best if we hear it from the man himself."

Vancil worked his jaw, "Well, I'm going to be honest, I'm still kind of confused about what is going on. It's been a very intense…I don't actually know how long it's been. They don't really have clocks in those cells.

"I suppose it would be best to start on the Rakatan ship. You should have seen it, there I was, kicking Kandria's ass and sending her flying all over the place, while my master, Darth Ominit was doing the same thing to her master. Ominit beat that Jedi a little too hard though and damaged some computers which knocked both me and Kandria out. I woke up in this weird ass metal box, wandered around for a bit, then promptly kicked Kandria's ass again.

"Of course, with my intense intelligence and goodwill I decided that sparing her was the best option. I then saved her from certain death using my absolutely intense and awesome skills from some jet pack wielding wannabes, whose ship we then promptly commandeered. Alas, our escapades came to an end when your Skywalker dude showed up with a battlegroup of capital ships. We got tractor beamed, I surrendered under the condition I could meet with you and that I would keep my lightsaber, and now here I stand."

Vancil shrugged nonchalantly, but internally cackled to himself. Sure he may have embellished some of the feats he had listed but it was about right. The Council Members all turned to glance at one another, probably sharing silent conversations simply through those slight movements.

"Hmmmm, and if Skywalker's words are truth, you wish to access the Jedi Archives to find out what happened to the Sith Empire?" The Kel Dor spoke up as he leaned forward with a curious expression on his face.

Vancil nodded, his bravado fading slightly at the reminder of his situation, "Yep, basically."

The dark-skinned human pursed his lips, his eyes suspicious as he looked at Vancil "And, why would you think we would accept such a request, Sith."

Vancil grimaced underneath his mask, "Think of it as the final wish of someone who has nothing to live for anymore."

"So, you are simply looking for closure?" The bearded hologram said, to which Vancil nodded reluctantly.

His bravado had faded dramatically as the effects of his outlandish embellishments were wearing out. Not the effects on the Jedi, he was certain they wouldn't believe a word he said. They were his way of both denying the situation while also keeping up his little illusion.

As a result of this fading façade he sighed in resignation, "Yes. I know it wouldn't actually mean much, and that the most reasonable thing to do would be to have just escaped the second I could. But being reasonable was always more of a Jedi thing."

The Jedi shared another glance, the Kel Dor leaning over to whisper to the little green midget, their words too faint for Vancil to make out. As they whispered, Vancil switched his gaze onto the other two council members present, studying their reactions and faces. The Iktochi had kept his pensive expression throughout the entire meeting, never once taking his gaze off of Vancil, as though the Sith were a strange piece of art.

The dark skinned human however, was a very different story. Every part of him screamed caution as he glared daggers at Vancil, as though he aimed to reveal every secret just by looking at him. As for the holograms, their Jedi training coupled with their expressions being hard to read due to the occasional static, meant that he couldn't even begin to guess what they were thinking.

His gaze flicked back to the midget and Kel Dor as the latter pulled back into his seat, looking at Vancil, "So, say we do allow you access, and you find what you're looking for. What will you do then?"

Vancil pursed his lip as he pondered for a moment, "I'd improvise, like I always do, and like I always have done."

The Kel Dor nodded, "I see. Well, I have conferred with Master Yoda here, and I would like to make you an offer."

Vancil narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "An offer? You little council doesn't have anything I want other than the Archives."

The Kel Dor raised a placating hand, "Yes, you may think that, and the other council members may think that as well. However, what I am offering comes purely from me, with Grandmaster Yoda's blessing."

Vancil looked over to the midget with a look of bewilderment thankfully hidden beneath his mask. That was the Grandmaster?

The Kel Dor continued on, either not noticing or not caring for his bewilderment, "What I offer you, is a membership with the Jedi Order."

Now, there was a lot of ways Vancil could react to the words that had just been uttered. He could be thoughtful, insulted, or even thankful. However, only one single sound made it out of his mouth.

"Huh?"

The Kel Dor nodded, as though Vancil had just said something wise and thought provoking, "I will take you under my wing as my apprentice. From your story, and what young Skywalker has told me, I believe that you deserve a chance to embrace the light."

Vancil couldn't breathe, his brain having a meltdown as none of his emergency modes were suited to solving something like this. He had to look deeper.

"Master Plo Koon! Surely you do not intend to openly welcome a Sith into our ranks!" The dark-skinned human said, his gaze snapping to the Kel Dor Jedi with a look of indignation, his protest repeated by most of the other council members with those who didn't simply looking shocked.

Vancil could sense something, buried so deep inside him he had forgotten what it even was. It was something though, something that would help him respond.

Plo Koon kept his gaze on Vancil, unwavering and unfazed by the comments of his fellow council members, "The Sith said it himself, if not directly. He has nothing to live for anymore. Even if he is a Sith, I will not stand idly by while he falls into aimless despair."

He was getting closer, deeper within himself to the one thing he could reach for. He passed by every other protocol he had buried, as even if he didn't even spare them a moment, he knew they wouldn't help.

The bearded human spoke up next, "I hate to say it, Master Windu, but there could also be benefits to allowing the Sith into the fold. If he truly is from the Sith Empire of old, then he is perhaps the best option we have for combating the two Sith still at large."

A spark of red lightning jumped between his palms, thankfully hidden by the closeness due to the closeness of his hands. He was getting close.

Windu sighed in frustration as he looked to the bearded jedi, "While that is true, Obi-Wan, it would essentially be us relying on the dark side for victory. If we do that, we will be going down the path which the first Dark Jedi took."

Vancil looked down at his feet, his entire focus going into his mind. He could reach for it now, a memory. Something that would tell him what to do.

Plo Koon raised a hand to silence the rest of the Council, "I think it is best if we save these discussions until after young Vancil's answer."

This seemed to unite the squabbling council, who quickly quietened down as their gazes turned to the Sith. Vancil simply stood there for a second, silently looking at his feet as he pored through the memory. Finally, after looking through it he raised his gaze to look at the Jedi master directly in front of him, Yoda. He knew what to feel now.

His face twisted and contorted beneath his mask.

Rage.

*****

A/N:

I post this story on Royal Road, and personally that site/app is just far better in terms of UI and the reader experience. I'll still post on Webnovel, however Royal Road is also ahead in chapters. You can or not, don't affect me much.

PS: There are also memes on Royal Road