3 days before the Chancellor addressed the Senate
On Veldari, Daimon received word of the attack within hours through Imperial intelligence networks. He stood in his ditation chamber, reviewing the holographic reports with growing annoyance. It seed that because of his re presence, the path that the Republic was going to take would stray them far off the path that they should be on. And if they dared to act against him then he would have no choice but to force them onto the correct path.
"My Lord, the evidence is too convenient," he said to Ilaria Zane, the Deputy Warmaster who had arrived to brief him personally. When it ca to matters of ruling, he left most things for her to deal with as she proved herself to be capable of making the sa decisions he would make.
"Imperial equipnt left behind? Survivors deliberately spared to tell the story? This has all the hallmarks of a false flag operation. Yet people are now going to use their emotions and death of innocents to block the logical truth and make stupid decisions."
"Our forces were nowhere near Giju," Ilaria confird. "I have verified the locations of every Imperial unit close to that sector. None were even within adequate range to pull of such an attack."
"The Republic knows this," Daimon said. "Or rather, whoever orchestrated this knows we can prove it. Which ans they’re counting on public opinion to override the facts of the situation."
"What will you do?" Ilaria asked.
Daimon went silent for a long mont, thinking about what they would do while this situation continued to develop. "We will deny involvent publicly and provide evidence of our force’s locations. But even then, that won’t be enough. The Republic Senate especially the militaristic faction will have already made up its mind."
He turned to face Ilaria, showing her his annoyed expression. "Inform Raelos to prepare the military. If they want war, I will not allow the Imperium to be caught unprepared. But we will not fire the first shot. Instead, we will let them co to us if they’re foolish enough."
Ilaria nodded, not saying anything more as she could see how annoyed he was.
"Leave alone for now. Tell the guards to not let anyone in for the remainder of the day unless it’s an ergency." Daimon commanded.
Ilaria bowed her head, "As you wish" and left the room, relaying his orders to the guards outside.
Once she left, Daimon started to reflect on his past actions. He wondered ’If I stayed in the Order would things have been different.’ But then he rembered the death of his master. If he stayed, he would have lost more people to Jedi arrogance.
The path he was currently on was the better path of the many he had seen in visions. He could have beco a conquering warlord, or he could have beco a Republic Senator and then maybe the Chancellor at so point. But all of those paths were boring and had their limitations.
But, as the Emperor of the Imperium, he could do so much more. If he wanted sothing done all he needed to do was say it and it would be carried out. Then he had loyal people who were close to him to check his actions at any given point.
Whether or not he listened to those points didn’t matter, as long as he was able to hear things from a different perspective was already a great thing in itself.
As Daimon ditated on the possibilities before him, a few days later on Coruscant, the Jedi investigation team was arriving at Giju. Master Kelran Orr led a group of five Jedi Knights, their mission to examine the attacked sites and determine the truth behind the incident. This team was a well-known team that has worked with the Republic to crack several cases, and they have a lot of experience from the Liberation War against the Hutts.
The settlents were still smoldering when they arrived. Local Republic authorities had cordoned off the areas, but evidence remained scattered across the burned structures. Master Orr knelt beside one of the bodies, placing his hand near the victim’s head, reaching out through the Force to sense the final monts.
"What do you feel?" asked Knight Sareth, whose Force sight allowed her to perceive things others could not.
"Fear. Confusion. But..." Orr paused. "Sothing feels wrong about this. The emotions don’t match what I would expect from an Imperial military operation."
"How so?" Sareth pressed.
"Imperial soldiers are disciplined, thodical. Even in combat, their presence in the Force has a certain... structure. What I’m sensing here is chaotic, almost rcenary in nature. These attackers were motivated by credits, not ideology or military orders."
Knight Sareth extended her own Force senses across the settlent ruins. "The equipnt is Imperial. I can sense the manufacturing signatures, the way the tal was forged on Imperial worlds. But you’re right about the attackers themselves. There’s a disconnect between the weapons and those who wielded them."
The Jedi team spent the next several hours examining every piece of evidence. They found the planted Imperial equipnt, the operational orders, the ammunition casings. On the surface, everything pointed to Imperial involvent. But the deeper they looked with the Force, the more inconsistencies erged.
"Master Orr," called another Knight from across the settlent. "You should see this."
Orr approached and found the Knight examining scorch marks on a building wall. "These blast patterns are inconsistent with Imperial weapons. The angle of impact suggests the shooters were firing from positions that don’t match the survivors’ testimonies." Orr didn’t know much about the scorch marks, but he trusted the knight as he was knowledgeable about all sorts of weapons.
"Docunt everything," Orr ordered. "We need to compile a complete analysis before reporting to the Council."
As they continued their investigation, a Republic military officer approached. "Master Jedi, the Chancellor’s office is requesting a preliminary report. The Senate is preparing to vote on military action."
"Tell the Chancellor that the Jedi Order does not provide preliminary reports," Orr said firmly. "We will present our findings when the investigation is complete, not before."
The officer looked uncomfortable at this response as he was being pressured by his superiors. "Master Orr, with all due respect, the political situation is deteriorating rapidly. Every hour we delay gives the Imperium more ti to prepare their defenses."
"If the Senate votes for war based on incomplete information, that is their choice," Orr replied. "The Jedi Order will not be rushed into endorsing military action without certainty."
The officer withdrew reluctantly, leaving the Jedi to continue their work while informing his superiors.
Two days later, Master Orr stood before the Jedi High Council on Coruscant, presenting his team’s findings. The Council chamber was filled with tension as the master’s listened to his report.
"The evidence suggests it was a fabrication," Orr concluded. "While the equipnt is genuinely Imperial in origin, the attackers themselves were not Imperial soldiers. The Force, the tactical execution, the emotional residue at the sites; all point to rcenaries conducting a false flag operation."
Grandmaster Turrick leaned forward hearing his assessnt. "You are certain of this assessnt?"
"As certain as I can be without identifying those who orchestrated it," Orr replied. "The attack was designed to appear Imperial, but whoever planned it didn’t account for Force investigation. They assud physical evidence alone would be sufficient."
"Or maybe you didn’t account for how manipulating the Imperials could be." countered Grandmaster Turrick. Master Orr looked confused as he didn’t understand what the Grandmaster was trying to say.
"The Imperials practice a very different way of understanding the Force; thus they have abilities that we may not know about. As such, manipulating the Force as we believe they have here is sothing that they are very much capable of. So while we appreciate your efforts, we have already unanimously decided that the Jedi Order will assist the Jedi in taking down Daimon the Tyrant and his cult following." explained Grandmaster Turrick.
Master Orr stood in stunned silence, his mind struggling to process what he had just heard. "Grandmaster, with respect, my investigation found no evidence of Imperial Force manipulation. The inconsistencies I docunted cannot be explained by...."
"Your investigation is noted and appreciated, Master Orr," Grandmaster Turrick interrupted, leaving no room for further debate. "However, the Council has access to intelligence you do not. The Imperium’s threat to galactic stability has been growing for centuries. This incident, regardless of its exact origins, has provided the catalyst necessary for action."
Master Orr felt his stomach turn. This wasn’t about truth or justice. This was about politics, about the Council using the attack as justification for a war they had already decided to wage. "You’re asking the Jedi Order to endorse a war based on false premises."
"We’re asking the Jedi Order to fulfill its duty as guardians of peace and justice," another Council mber said. "The Imperium has corrupted the Force, enslaved it to technology, and spread a dangerous philosophy across the galaxy. If we do not act now, their influence will beco too great to contain."
"Sotis the greater good requires difficult choices," Grandmaster Turrick said. "Your findings will remain sealed. The official Jedi position will support the Republic’s response to what we will publicly acknowledge as an Imperial attack. You are dismissed."
Master Orr bowed and left the Council chamber.
Everything he had been taught about the Jedi’s commitnt to truth felt hollow now. In the corridor outside, Knight Sareth waited for him, her expression troubled.
"They rejected your findings," she said quietly. It wasn’t a question; she already had a feeling of what the decision of the council was.
"Worse. They dismissed them entirely." Orr’s revealed. "The Council has decided this war will happen regardless of what actually occurred on Giju."
"Then what do we do?"
Orr was silent for a mont, staring out the window at Ossus’s Jedi Temple. "We serve the Order. But I will not forget what I found. When this war ends, when the truth can no longer be buried beneath political necessity, I will ensure it cos to light."
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