Hey everybody, this is OrangeGalen with the second part of my own personal Star Wars story. If you haven't read the first part, do so now. It's called Star Wars: The Clone Wars-Emergence [The Red Sith Saga, Part One]

Still here? Good, now enjoy the much better second part.

Disclamer: I do not own anything Star Wars in any shape or form. However, I do own my OC's.

This part takes place in-between "Point of No Return" and "Revival" of Season 5. 20 BBY.

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Deciphering the plot! After the foiled attempt to destroy Valor space station and the successful return of D- Squad, the Jedi council now has the Separatist decryption module. With this, they can decipher the transmission sent by General Grievous and find out what the message contained. Hoping to discover how the Separatists knew about the strategy conference, the Jedi council is relying on this transmission to hold a clue as to where the information came from.

Elsewhere in the galaxy, a fierce debate over the war is brewing. Two sides in the Separatist Senate, one that supports a peaceful resolution with the Republic and the other that wants to continue the war, are at a head in a series of heated debates. But dark forces are about to collide during these times, and the result will change the course of the war and change the fates of many people on both sides….

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Raxus Secundus: Separatist Senate Building

The Senate was in an uproar. Once again, calm debate and logical reasoning had turned into jeering and finger pointing. Most of the people in the building were on their feet and were yelling for either a vote or at other members of the Senate. Only a select few were standing still and calm displaying little emotion other than slight amusement at the scene around them. Bec Lawise, the Congress Leader, was trying to get some semblance of order in the hall and was having some success, but it was slow going as people kept getting dragged back into the verbal fray. Many people in the guest box were talking to each other and shaking their heads, disgusted at this chaos. Count Dooku, who was attending via hologram, was silent during this, having no wish at the moment to resolve the loosely termed debate going on.

The main confrontation had started between Senators Voe Atell and Kerch Kushi and was continuing on besides the noise. For the third time, the topic of sending a peace delegation to the Republic was being debated. But unlike the other two times, it was hotly contested this time by the majority of the members. Circumstances, both past and present, were having an affect on the decisions of every senator. There were only a few currently still clinging to the hope of a peace delegation, but they were vocal and persistent enough that a debate had been called for. After the opening comments, insults and jeers were started to be thrown by both sides, and eventually the senate ended up in this current messy act.

"Senators! Please! Calm yourselves!" Bec Lawise was saying, who had been trying to restore order for the past ten minuets. "There is no need to fight amongst ourselves!"

"Exactly!" Voe Atoll exclaimed from her position on the floor of the Separatist Parliament, "We should be concentrating our efforts on fighting the Republic, not extending peace to them!"

"But now is the time to renew peace talks!" Kerch Kushi said, who was standing across the table from Atell. "In light of our recent victories in the mid rim, the Republic was forced to spend valuable resources reconquering a few of the systems we took, while we wasted little resources and still hold many of those same systems. We are in a better position than the Republic and we can use this as leverage for the talks!"

"That is the same reason the Republic will not discuss any talks with us! They won't back down from this war and neither should we! We are winning, and we should capitalize on it by striking deeper at the Republic!"

"And shatter any hope for a peace? We should not be so hasty and ruin this opportunity for peace!"

"Peace? We have already tried twice for peace! The first time we extended our hand, Mina Bonteri, the same person who sponsored the proposal, was brutally murdered by an underhanded Republic attack! The second time, her traitorous son, Lux disrupted the talks and they haven't been renewed since. The Republic is not interested in peace!

"Anybody who wants peace with the Republic," she said to the turmoil, "look back and ask yourself, "Do we want to negotiate with people who will kill those who offer peace?" We should not!"

The crowd got louder as more and more people voiced their opinions, about the debate or about their fellow senators. The hall was ringing with the ferocity of the voices yelling and Bec Lawise trying to shout above everyone else.

Ah, but it is hard for your voice to be heard over so many who are also trying to be heard, Count Dooku thought. He was onboard the ship Invisible Hand listening and watching the Senate meeting through a holographic projection.

Politics here are no different than anywhere else in the galaxy. Those fools actually think they control the Confederacy and that they can do what they want. If that were allowed then my master's plan would fall apart and that would end the dream of a new Sith Empire.

However as he watched, he reminded himself that there was no way this group of politicians could ever hope to get true power. They are all puppets, one way or another, of the Sith. Without guidance they will have no idea what to do. By the time they realize this simple fact it will be too late. That thought almost brought a smile to his lips, but he maintained his look of concern mixed with slight disinterest. A mask over my true face and intentions. Soon it will fall and I will reveal myself as who I truly am. But for now, I must play my part as Head of State Count Dooku. I will let this go on a little further, and then I will speak and say that we must continue this war. If this war stops, the Jedi will survive and we will likely be uncovered as the Sith Lords and be executed by the Jedi.

The noise reached a high as the two sides tried to overpower the other. Dooku turned down the audio on his end. Secretly he wished that some of them showed a little more backbone so things would go smoother. The thing with puppets is that they need to be constantly controlled and supervised, otherwise they will do nothing. It's quite irritating, especially at times like this.

As he was watching, he noticed that Kerch Kushi was acting slightly out of character. He has a dislike for Voe Atell and what she represents, that is true, but he is trying too hard to be heard. He would normally have stopped and backed down by now, and not continue this confrontation. What's he playing at?

"I urge you to hear me out on this!" Kushi exclaimed to the senate, "Why do we need to fight when we can accomplish our goals through peace? We should stop expanding the production of new droids and pursue a common goal with the Republic: the end of this war. "

"That is the one thing the Republic does not share anymore! They won't stop this war until the Confederacy is ruined! They only want to see us executed as traitors!" Voe continued.

"That may be! But we must try and…" He was cut off by a large section of the senate booing at him. Kushi was starting to get flustered. He didn't want to be here this long, but the admiral who came up with this plan told him to stay out there until he gave the signal on his communicator. But the signal hadn't been given and Kush was almost out of steam. Must keep this up just a little longer. It can't be too long now. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his head.

He's cracking, Voe Atell thought, he can't keep up with the pressure. He's mine now. "Senators! Hear me! I say for the good of the Confederacy that we must continue the war effort and continue attacking the Republic while we still have the advantage!"

There was just enough of a dip in the volume that Bec Lawise took his chance. "Order! Senators, please! Control yourselves!" The noise petered away and senators began to get a grip on themselves. "Now is not the time for such a display. Are we not the representatives of the Confederacy of Independent Systems? Should we act in such a way as we just did?" More people seemed to realize this and be slightly embarrassed, or at least annoyed. Surveying the scene, Lawise deemed it calm enough to proceed.

"Now everyone here deserves a chance to be heard. Let us hear the rest of what senator Kushi has to say before moving on." He finished with a slight sneer. He personally did not support peace with the Republic, but he wanted to put on a good show for the Senate before shooting down his proposal.

The silence in the hall was deafening after the noise the Senate produced. Kushi felt the eyes of everyone here on him and he was tempted, just for a moment, to sit down and be done with it. He cleared his throat instead. Another bead of sweat came down. "Thank you Congress Leader Bec Lawise." He suddenly heard a soft beeping. He looked down and saw that his communicator was flashing. Silently relieved, he thought, Thank God, he finally wants to talk. "Now, as I was saying, we should pursue a diplomatic way to end this war. We have pursued this in the past with very little success, and the talks have either broken down or never got started in the first place. I suggest that we look into starting new peace talks with the Republic.

"However, this does not mean that we will give way on anything." He said, slightly louder as the noise started to grow again. "In fact, it will be the Republic itself that will call the meeting and want to make peace with us." There was more murmuring at this. "To elaborate further, we have with us here today, the very person who originally came up with this proposal, and one that I support fully." He turned to where Lawise was seated. "If I may?" Lawise cautiously nodded, curious to see where this was leading. Even Count Dooku seemed interested now as he seemed to give the senate more attention.

"Senators, allow me to present the one behind this new peace movement, and one of our most distinguished military leaders: Admiral Darkover." He turned towards the guest box and a figure in a dark cloak stood up and started walking down to the floor. The murmuring increased.

"An admiral? Here?"

"I heard he was killed in action at Bothawui."

"This must be important if he decided to come back from the front lines."

Count Dooku spoke quietly to Bec Lawise. "What is he doing here?"

"I don't know, but I guess we will soon find out." Bec replied.

"I don't like surprises Lawise."

Bec shook his head. "Neither do I. We could stop him before he speaks."

"In front of the entire Senate? If we remove him it will be seen as silencing the opposition, which is illegal according to the By-Laws of the Confederacy." He shook his head, "No, for now we have to listen and hear what he has to say."

By this time, the robed figure had moved down from the guest seating and was making his way to the floor. As he made his way down people shuffled out of his way and there was a gap for him to walk down. Kushi, who had stepped back away from his stand to, pulled up a chair behind the figure and sat down in it, grateful to be out of the hot seat.

The senate grew quiet as the figure reached the stand. He reached up and pulled back his hood, casting away the shadows and revealing his crimson face to the senate. His pair of cheek tendrils hung down, slightly curled, and his yellow eyes shone with the glowing sun that was reflected through the window. He radiated an aura of power and authority, and in the minds of most he seemed to grow larger while the others around him shrunk in his presence. At this moment there was only one individual who was important. Kerch Kushi? He was just a figurehead, the symbol for something larger. Bec Lawise; he was an extra faceless background actor that is onstage during a play. Even Count Dooku, arguably the sole founder of the Confederacy, was now only the patron that the show really was performed for. These notable men were there only to make his appearance even grander. They may think they can control the scene, but he was the writer, the author, and now the publisher.

"Greetings senators, I am Admiral Darkover."

And with that simple phrase, the magic of the spell was broken. The results still lingered, but the thing that was entrancing the senate was gone. Hushed whisperings were heard throughout the hall and there was some shuffling as people seemed to remember they were still there. A few weren't moving and were trying to preserve the spell that had mystified them. But the strength of it waned and more and more came to realize that they were senators, once again performing their duties to the Confederacy.

Voe Atell seemed to come around the fastest. She blinked a few times before returning to her senses, and then she felt angry. "Why is there a military commander here? This session is only for members of the senate…"

"And invited guests." Darkover finished her sentence. "Senator Kushi was kind enough to invite me to this meeting, and I accepted his invitation." There was intense whisperings throughout the hall and quite a few threatening looks were sent Kushi's way. Kushi himself sat firmly in his seat, but wanted to melt away into it. Darkover seemed oblivious to this going on around him. His face maintained a calm demeanor and he remained in a parade rest stance behind the stand.

"Senators," He called to those assembled, "I come before you, not as part of the military, but as a fellow citizen concerned for the well being of the Confederacy. We have been at war with the Republic for close to two and a half years now. During these years, many battles have been fought. Systems have been won and lost, and many lives have been claimed during this conflict. The afore mentioned Mina Bonteri is one such example. But casualties are to be expected in war, and that is an unchangeable fact of life.

"But how long should these loses continue? How long do we fight until we have what we want? Do we fight until both the Confederacy and the Republic are so exhausted to lift a blaster? Or do we hope that by destroying the Republic we will gain our independence? In this case, independence from what? If the Republic is destroyed, who will take its place? It would have to be us. We will have to be the ones to take its place as the centralized government of the Galaxy. And if we do, then we will only inherit the problems the Republic had. The very same problems that were the reasons we separated from it the first place: corruption, greed, and gridlock."

Bec Lawise snorted from his stand. "Hah! You suggest that if we win, we will only become as corrupt as the Republic?" He shook his head, "That is the reason we separated, to rid ourselves of such problems that have plagued the Republic for years."

"And do you think that our system is any better?" Darkover countered. "Is it not based off of the Republic's form of government? Is this not a representative democracy? I haven't seen any evidence to support your claim, Congress Leader Lawise," he said in a slightly mocking tone, "especially after that pitiful scene this Senate put on a few minuets ago." There were angry voices heard throughout the hall. Some members present didn't like being insulted like this, but others thought about what Darkover had just said. There was some truth to the words he spoke.

"No government in charge of the galaxy will ever be free of corruption." Darkover continued. "There are too many differing viewpoints, too many disagreements, and too many ambitions. Something or someone will give way and then the corruption spreads like a plague.

"But throughout history, when the plague becomes too noticeable to hide, a select few will come into power and replace the corruption with a new government, such as we have done here. But it will never last and the cycle will begin anew once again.

"However, I have a solution that will break this chain and leave the galaxy in a state of peace that it has never experienced since its formation!" There were many different voices heard, some in disbelief, some in agreement, others flat out rejecting it. But all the voices were now part of the play. Whether they wanted it or not, nothing was going to change the outcome of this act. The script had been written, the cast auditioned, and the director was now putting the pieces in place.

"The Confederacy, since its foundation has always desired one thing: to be recognized as legitimate by the Republic. That has always been the major sticking point of every negotiation. Even Senator Atell here has to agree with me, since she herself is one of the ones who has publicly promoted this goal." Voe frowned, but said nothing. It was true, and to say anything against that would be hypocritical. "But this recognition has always been denied, and negotiations have always fallen apart.

"But now, there is a way to achieve this goal. Since the beginning of this war, the Confederacy has always been on the offensive. If you go anywhere in the Republic, you will find people who say that the Separatists are the aggressors and are the ones that are causing the war. AND THEY ARE RIGHT!" He shouted, causing an instant uproar in the senate. "They are right! We have always been on the attack, always looking for an opening in the Republic's armor to strike at! No wonder they don't want negotiations: they know we will be the ones to break it!"

The rest of what Darkover said was drowned out by the uproar in the senate. Almost everybody was now shouting at Darkover, screaming at him to leave and take his traitorous talk out of here. Even members who supported the peace talks were having serious doubts.

Lawise was once again calling for order, but he too was barely containing his rage at what this man said. The Confederacy as the villains in this conflict? Impossible! He thought, He twists and turns the facts to his advantage.

Count Dooku continued to watch on. What is he trying to do? He wondered. This would be political suicide if he was a politician, and he seems to be aiming for that goal. This has gone on long enough, he thought, time to intervene.

He stood up, and in the senate building his hologram mimicked his movements. "Senators, esteemed colleagues." He said onboard his ship. The message relayed through the hologram mimicked his actions. Dooku's voice, even through the hologram, was enough to return the senate to a relative state of calm. "Please, refrain from judgment until I am finished." The last few voices silenced and the senate was full of anticipation. Darkover had now given Dooku his undivided attention and was staring at his hologram intensely. Good, Dooku thought, now you're in your rightful place, just as you should be.

"You have all heard Darkover's claims about the nature and the possible future of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. While I have no immediate evidence against his claims, he himself has no evidence to support even his own claims. You speak in metaphor and hypothesis, but you have no proof for your claims." He said directly to Darkover. A few people murmured in agreement while the rest remained attentive to the scene in front of them. "Members of the military are not welcome in this senate, but we have politely let you speak your mind. In return, you have insulted our very government and the people who run it: not a very good way to gain support for your cause, if I may say so." Dooku's hologram leered at Darkover, "I believe that you are thinking only of a military stance suited for your benefit, not of that for the Confederacy. If this is the case, you should forget your plan and concentrate on conducting this war.

"This is a place for politicians, not as the will-less puppets as you make them out to be." Positive cheering was heard for Dooku. "If you continue to hide behind senators, then you only endanger yourself in the end. The Confederacy is stronger than you make it out to be and we will prevail in our struggle against the Republic!" Massive cheering erupted from the senate, phrasing Dooku and the Confederacy.

A massive lie, all of it, but the Confederacy still has its uses for the moment. Dooku thought. In my master's plan, the Confederacy is just a means to an end and will not survive in the future. But for now, it stays.

The cheering subsided until there was only one person clapping: Darkover. His face had changed only slightly, barely showing any signs of the amusement he was feeling. As the senate calmed, his clapping was the only thing still echoing throughout the hall. Many beings exchanged looks of confusion. Why is he clapping? He should be running out of here. Why is he still here? These were some of the thoughts that were going through the minds of a few senators. They were unaware that what they thought was the finale was actually only the rising action. The real show was about to begin.

Darkover stopped clapping and reassumed his open posture. "Well said Count. If I were you, I could not have said it any better. But you have yet to offer a solution to the question: what will happen if we win? Do we simply take over from where the Republic left off?" He turned to the rest of the senate, "I think we can all agree that can't happen. We simply can not take over the Republic in its current form." He turned back to face Dooku. "However, I have a answer to both that question, and our immediate problem of legitimacy. As I said before, we have been portrayed as the aggressors in this conflict. But what would happen if we changed that view?

"Our droid forces outnumber the Republic by an overwhelming number, however we keep getting beaten again and again by the Jedi." He almost snarled the word. "That is because we break formation to attack them. We have enough forces to hold the entire Republic back, but we squander them in worthless raids and temporary conquests. I know because I have issued such plans under orders by other military commanders, such as my recent victories in the mid-rim. But, what would happen if we pulled back and held the worlds we already have, instead of attacking?"

"Then the Republic will attack and we will eventually be overwhelmed by their firepower!" Bec Lawise said. Some of the senate murmured with agreement, but it was unenthusiastic agreement.

Darkover shook his head. "Have you heard nothing of what I've said? We have enough forces to withstand anything the Republic throws against us if we stop wasting them by attacking and we assume a defensive posture."

"That would leave us vulnerable and give the impression that we can't win this war!" Voe Atell said.

Darkover looked over at her and gave her a look that plainly said; oh, you're still here? "Once again: have you heard nothing? Yes, it may give that impression to the public at first, but as the military commanders of the Republic will soon find out, they won't be able to break through our lines due to our numbers and revised strategy. Once they've bloodied their noses against our entrenched lines, they in turn will revise their strategy. They will pause and try to figure out a way break our lines, and when that happens, the public will lose faith in the Republic's ability to win. A galaxy wide stalemate will ensue, and that is the moment when the talks will resume. That is when the Republic will ask for us at the negotiation tables."

Dooku, clearly displeased with this line of thought, broke in. "And why will the Republic want to have talks with us?"

Darkover smiled. I have him now. "Because, public discontent will force their Senate to act. Because their commanders will soon realize that they cannot break through and destroy us. Because they will be curious and want to know what our strategy is. And the only way they will be able to touch us will be through negotiation. And then, that is where we will play our trump Sabacc card: Peace in return for legitimacy."

The senate broke out in urgent conversation. While some did not like this plan, many others saw the reason and opportunity behind the concept. Ones who had already supported the peace conference decided to give this new plan their full support, and those who did not want peace full heartedly disagreed with this plan. However, these two groups were already pre-determined. They would not change anything; they were the critics reviewing the play. It was up to the audience, the ones who were still undecidedly watching the show, to make the final review.

"This is an outrage!"

"Why is he an Admiral if he won't fight?"

"He is a savior!"

"We should of had him here ages ago."

This has gone almost perfectly, Darkover thought with some amazement. I thought it would take a little more effort than this. Now it's time to deliver the final blow. "In summation," He said, "my proposal is this: we change our military strategy to a mainly defensive posture, and then we wait for the Republic to break its literal military back and come to us for peace, which will be arranged on our terms. Those terms will guarantee our recognition and the end of this war. In short, we win."

The Senate erupted with noise once again. This time instead of chaotic shouting, it was the sounds of debate, albeit louder than necessary with some clapping, cussing, and cheering thrown in the mix. Everyone was now discussing Darkover's new plan, whether they agreed with it or not, and that was going to be the only thing on people's minds for the rest of the day. Any other debates and topics were now out the airlock in favor of Darkover's newly revealed plan. Just as it should be. They will think of nothing else except of me and my idea. My presence is no longer required here; the outcome of what they decide matters little now, but my work is now in motion. I must remember to thank Senator Kushi later for the "invitation".

Darkover stepped down from the stand and made his way to exit the parliament building. Just as he was about to step through the archway out, he felt someone's presence concentrated on him. He stopped and looked straight at the source of it: Count Dooku. Darkover narrowed his eyes and considered Dooku, waiting for anything from this Dark Lord. Dooku only continued to be focused on him and did nothing else. Darkover waited a moment and then, when Dooku didn't react, pulled his hood over his face and exited the building.

Moving outside in the sunlight, he was like a black spot, a walking shadow denying the sun the benefit of its illumination. His yellow eyes glowed with an inner fire brought on by his triumph in the senate. People who were outside and had heard him speak moved forward on the landing platform to talk to him, but suddenly withdrew as if repulsed by an unseen force.

The shadow moved on. Darkover signaled his personal ship to activate the door and open it. The ship was sleek and aerodynamic, slightly rounded and had a pair of wings that could resemble the wings on a Z-95 Headhunter, only slanted backwards. Obviously the shuttle had been modified to suit Darkover's needs. The ship, originally outfitted with a class 3 hyperdrive, had been gradually upgraded by Darkover so now it worked and had the same efficiency as a class 1 hyperdrive. Same with the weaponry, which had started with only a basic pair of light laser cannons. Those had been removed and replaced with two medium cannons and in addition to that, a hidden missile launcher for certain circumstances. However, this ship was not meant to be a fighter: that was the job of another ship Darkover had. A small medical facility was located near the rear of the ship for immediate treatment of wounds and injuries. Needless to say that the reactor had also been upgraded to support all these changes. It was no longer just a shuttle; it was a fully upgraded mobile base with weapons, a medical facility, communication room, and rest areas. This is the type of ship that Darkover boarded. Its name was The Black Waste.

Darkover came onboard and the internal computer fully activated. Getting into the pilot's seat, Darkover ignited the thrusters eased away from the senate building. Following the airway lines, he piloted his way through the city's airspace out towards the edge of the city. A ten-minute flight brought him out of the city to the sparsely populated open country. Five minutes more and a small mansion became visible on the landscape. Darkover turned his ship to point at it and landed on a platform in the back of the mansion. After setting the landing gear down, Darkover opened the ship's door and stepped outside.

The door to the mansion was locked and had a security panel. Darkover pulled off his glove and pressed his hand against it. The security system read his fingerprints and heat signature, then opened a second control for a retina scan. After Darkover completed these two checks he grasped the handle and opened the door. He was back inside his temporary home on Raxus Secundus.

This ends the first chapter. Like? Dislike? Let me know, I need inspiration to finish this. I have a few more chapters written before I run out, so any input would be helpful. Thanks!

Anyway, this will have VERY SLOW UPDATES. You have been warned after I (hopefully) dragged you into this story. He-he...

So for now, Read, Review, Favorite, Follow.

-OrangeGalen