Note 1: This fic is AU. Star Wars and its affiliates do not belong to me, only the contents of this Verse.

Note 2: Thank you to my betas chrishuyen and Young at Heart 21. You guys are great.

The Sith and the Senator

Chapter 12: Senate

By WrittinInStone

Darth Vader

"… We cannot allow the actions of the Separatists to go unchallenged. We must retaliate to show the citizens of the Republic that we are strong enough to meet this threat to its unity," Senator Ainlee Teem insisted, slamming his hand on the podium for emphasis. "Now is not the time to show weakness, we must show strength—"

"If we attack the Separatists we will only endanger the lives of the Republic's citizens," I interrupt smoothly, tapping my fingers lightly on the large, deep purple table. "We must strike only when it is absolutely necessary and only when we are sure that the targets are indeed Separatist cells. Instead of sending the droid army into every corner of the Republic and terrifying its citizens, we must work with the Jedi to hunt down the remaining leaders of the Confederacy. Without General Grievous and Asajj Ventress, the Separatist movement will crumble."

"The Jedi have been searching for Grievous and Ventress for months," Senator Teem shot back crossly, his three eyes glaring at me. "While you insist on withholding the clones, the Separatists are steadily waging a war of attrition on our forces in the Mid and Outer Rim systems. Even with our resources we can only sustain the war at this level for a short time before suffering severe economic consequences. We must end this conflict as quickly as possible and we can do that by allowing the Jedi to use the clones in the field to fight. The Separatists would soon fall under the might of such an army."

I sit up, back straightening as I turn a cold gaze upon the Gran. "Well, I apologize if I gauge the success of this war by the amount of lives saved as opposed to money spent. Nothing that the Republic spends is more important than doing what it promised to do in the first place; provide unity and stability to those within its borders. Yes, a clone army would quickly destroy the Separatists… but it would take along a good amount of citizens in its path as well. We are trying to prevent the spread of discord within the Republic's ranks. How do we succeed in doing that if we create yet another Separatists movement while trying to destroy the first?"

Silence meets my pronouncement and I smirk inwardly at the looks of surprise and approval being shot my way by the other occupants in the room.

I am in the Senate, attending a meeting with several key Outer and Mid Rim senators from the fourth quadrant of the Republic.

So serious is the issue of the war that the interim Supreme Chancellor has broken the Senate into small groups so that there may be a consensus among neighboring sectors as to how to proceed with the war.

This suits my purposes much better than being one of the thousands in the Grand Chambers hoping to get a word in edgewise and has made it infinitely easier to build my reputation as a wise man who seeks peace with as little force and violence as possible.

My performance in these meetings have gained me a growing list of allies, especially among those senators who have little pull or wish for this conflict to end as soon as possible. Most have heard of me before they see me and now expect to hear my opinions in session.

This time is no different and I relish the weight that my words carry.

Senator Teem's eye stalks twitch for a moment before he sits down, having finally realized that he has damaged his reputation and made himself look like an ass with no regard for the life of the Republic's citizens.

Dark triumph floods through me as he does, effectively transferring control of the meeting to me.

My careful campaign to win the hearts and mind of the Senate is working. My peers are aware of my dubious reputation when I enter, but by the time I leave, they are awed by my political prowess and look to me for guidance when I am in attendance.

Little by little, I am breaking the stronghold that Senator Amidala has on the Senate and soon, even she will be under my control.

"Gentlemen," Senator Dorr says smoothly, interrupting my thoughts as he throws me a cautious look. "It is time to call this meeting to a close until later on today. Please think about the person you think would best represent our sectors as the vote will take place when the session reconvenes this afternoon. This person will move forward to the meeting with the delegation that consists of all the senators from the fourth quadrant of the Republic—senators who will be chosen much as our spokesperson will be chosen by this group. After that, two persons will be chosen from each of the four quadrants. These senators will then meet with Interim Chancellor Valorum and representatives from the Jedi to make a final decision as to how to deal with the Separatists and clone army. This is a very important decision, so please, think carefully and choose wisely."

I nod gravely, the very picture of seriousness as I surreptitiously study the occupants of the room.

They will choose me to represent them, of course. There is no one else who has the status, power or seeming integrity to challenge me.

As the meeting finishes, I rise, nodding and smiling at the senators as I leave the conference room for my personal senatorial chambers.

It is laughable how gullible these fools truly are. They think they are politically savvy but all of them have the intelligence of a shaak, looking no further than their own special interests and completely missing the bigger picture. They are swept away by the concern that shines in my eyes, the conviction in my voice. They fail to see what is beneath and while this is beneficial to me now, it will be a problem when I begin to shape the galaxy to my liking. To dwell in the company of fools is to court disaster and I will not have my plans fail because of the idiocy of blind, incompetent, partisans.

They will vote for me today, so they are not without their usefulness… at least, for now. I will use as long as they remain so, but then they will be eliminated. The clock is quickly counting down to that moment and when it arrives, I will separate their limbs from their bodies with my lightsaber and oh, how I relish that day.

Yet the day is not over for there are two more senatorial delegations meeting for the fourth quadrant, another whose sectors lies in the fourth quadrant: Padmé Amidala's.

I suppress a feral smile at the thought of her.

She will win the vote for her quadrant as well for no one would dare to vote for any other. It will be interesting indeed to see her in her natural habitat—the senatorial debates—at the following meeting as I have not yet had the opportunity to do so.

If she is anything in public like she is when she is ripping into me, it should be entertaining.

I nod to a senator as I walk easily down the halls of the Senate, moving steadily enough to convey focus, but not so slow as to encourage interruption and idle chit chat.

Amidala and I will be having lunch later on today and I look forward to it with an anticipation that I have not experienced in quite some time.

I immensely enjoy watching her glares, her complete and utter determination to match me word for word. She does not yet understand that she is in no way a match for me, but it will be my pleasure to enlighten her.

She will soon learn the consequences of her actions, very, very soon.

I bite back my annoyance as I round a corner, walking straight toward a group of gathered female politicians. Their eyes widen as I come into view and I can almost see their minds moving, calculating as they bestow appraising looking upon me.

Force, how I despise fan girls. They are no better than the Jedi in my eyes and should be dispatched just as quickly. Women such as these have haunted my steps since I showed my face in the Senate. Establishing a reputation as a skilled lover was necessary to win them over as women with power are freer with their sexuality and welcome men who can fuck their brains out. Yet now it seems more a double edged sword for they pursue me relentlessly and without boundaries.

At times, I enjoy the power that my face brings me, but lately, their doggedness has made me homicidal. It was not too long ago that I fulfilled an old fantasy when I found a senator's aide that I had worked with previously waiting naked in my bed. I had not been in the mood to play "Skywalker", so I summarily disposed of her, cleaving her head off of her shoulders with my lightsaber before rolling her body over the veranda of my suite.

Just the thought of watching her body topple over my terrace cheers me immensely and I wink sensually at the women as I stride confidently through their ranks, parting them like a diver into water.

They inhale sharply at my bold action and as I pause momentarily to throw another suggestive look over my shoulder, I see that some are eyeing my body while others are staring at me as a cat would a mouse.

Silly twits.

When the time is right, they will be eliminated as well.

Arriving at my office, I grab my black cloak and pull it around my shoulders, immediately relaxing as I feel its weight settle over my shoulders. It is the garb of a Sith and I immediately feel the facade of Anakin Skywalker fade when I don it.

I pull the hood over my face, knowing that it completely hides my identity from all eyes. I pause a moment to study the room, making sure everything is in place. I chose this office for several reasons; first, it's in the Senate unlike that of many other senators and secondly, it has a hidden exit that allows me to leave without detection.

It is through this exit that I leave, my lightsaber dangling soothingly along my side.

I have an hour and a half before my meeting with Amidala, plenty of time to take care of some business.

I have contemplated my path for a while and I realized long ago that I am no Darth Sidious; I am Darth Vader. I must make my own path, go my own way and I fully intend to do so.

It's time for the world… and the Jedi, to understand that as well.

#*#*#*#*#

I am composed as I stare from the shadows of a nondescript building, still as stone, waiting for my prey.

Patience is one of the few virtues I practice and I have found that waiting makes the end game so much sweeter.

Disgust twists my features as they finally appear; Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.

They walk down the street laughing and talking, taking little notice of the passing looks of awe and respect being shot their way by nearby patrons. Their clear and apparent closeness makes me sneer. I will make that affection their downfall.

I have done much research on them and found that they as targets could not have been more perfect. Masters Jinn and Kenobi are some of the most decorated Knights in the Order, boasting awards, medals and accolades for their bravery, lightsaber skills and negotiating abilities. They are both paragons of virtue; the very picture of what Jedi should be.

It makes what I'm about to do so much sweeter.

I close my eyes a moment, allowing the Dark Side of the Force to fill me.

Opening my eyes, I blink slowly, knowing that they are shining a bright, clear gold even through the shroud of darkness around my face.

Immediately the Jedi pause, all cheer disappearing as they sense my dark presence, grabbing their lightsabers and bringing them to the ready, startling the patrons around them.

I increase the flow of the Dark Side for just a moment, long enough for them to…

My nose flares, as my eyes connect with Obi-Wan Kenobi's, noting the alarm on his face.

I turn my back to them, conscious of the many people between us. Pausing, I throw a pointed look over my shoulder before deliberately moving through the crowd.

As expected, they follow.

Soon, the people fade and the wide spaces narrow. Just as it becomes easy to see me, I disappear from their sight.

"Did you see where he went, Master?" I can hear Kenobi ask, eyes darting as they run down the passageway where they saw me. "He disappeared."

"No, but stay alert," Jinn replies tersely, lightsaber still held at the ready. "He could anywhere and he felt like—"

"—A Sith?" I interrupt, appearing behind them.

They immediately turn to face me, faces hard, blue and green lightsabers glowing.

"Who are you?" Jinn demands, eyes narrowing at me, trying to see through the veil of darkness around my face.

I pause for a moment, merely staring at them before using the Force to call my lightsaber to my hand, enabling it with a push of the button.

And then, before they know it, I am slashing my lightsaber at Kenobi's middrift, it being stopped by Jinn only a second before it slices clean through his old Padawan.

Kenobi's gasp of horror was gratifying, but I did not react, merely sweeping around smoothy to attack once again. This time, Kenobi blocks, ready for my attack.

I pull back, and they move forward together, their blows coming quickly and in succinct. As I move to counter their attacks, it is clear that they have fought together many times and that, quite well.

With a snarl and a whirl of my cape, I flip backwards, and then, using the wall behind me, push with my legs, propelling me toward them. The time for games are over; they are good, very good and I need to end this quickly.

Drawing on the Force I begin to increase my speed as I go on the offensive, startling them with my sudden aggression.

Then, I see it: Jinn is weakening because despite his skill with the Force, he is old. He only falters slightly, but it is enough and I take advantage, disarming him and capturing his lightsaber with a simple twist of my wrist, easily placing my red blade and his green blade at his neck in an entrancing angle.

Kenobi automatically pauses and I can feel the rising panic from him that he is obviously trying to hard not to feel.

So typically Jedi.

"You are beaten," I say clearly, tonelessly, to Kenobi. "Lower your weapon."

"And if I don't?" he answers, his voice hard, lightsaber still high.

I smile mirthlessly. "Your master dies," I answer with a shrug, tilting my head at him.

"Don't do it Obi-Wan," Jinn says tersely, wincing as I press the blades closer. "That's an order!"

"I'm sorry, Master," Kenobi says softly as he begins to lower his weapon.

Did I say typically Jedi? I meant sickeningly Jedi.

Using the Force, I call Kenobi's weapon to me, smirking as I hang it on my belt, never taking my eyes off of my foes.

"If this is all the Jedi have to offer, then I don't have much to worry about," I say, shaking my head as I disable Jinn's lightsaber while shoving him away and placing it on my belt with Kenobi's. The older man stumbles but Kenobi is automatically there to catch him.

"You are a Sith," Kenobi says, stating the obvious, ignoring my insult.

"Perceptive," I say, sarcasm leaking through my voice. "What alerted you? The red lightsaber? The fact that I tried to cut you in two?"

"Why are you here?" Jinn interrupts, eyes following my every movement. "And why didn't you kill me?"

"I still can," I respond, eyebrows raising, "and I probably will. But not today. Call this little meeting a friendly introduction."

Kenobi's eyes widens. "An introduction?"

"Yes," I confirm, nodding slightly. "I want the Jedi to know just who they're fighting against. It's only fair, no?"

"That's not the way the Sith operate," Jinn says harshly. "What are you playing at?"

"I'm not most Sith, Master Jinn," I say. Then my voice hardens as though carved from ice, "And it's simple: I want the Jedi to search high and low for me, to meditate on the Force, to scurry like the rats you are to discover my identity only to realize in the end that even with ample warning, you still failed, you were still destroyed."

A stunned silence meets my announcement and I smile cooly at their disbelief.

"Arrogance and pride were always the downfall of the Sith," Jinn reacts finally, eyes narrowed though I can tell he is unsettled by my words.

"And yet we remain," I say softly, tauntingly. "Even with the efforts of the oh-so numerous Jedi, the Sith yet exist." I shake my head, amused by that truth. "But as fun as this is, I must leave you now. I have other… duties to attend to."

"This isn't over," Kenobi states through gritted teeth, face red from suppressing his anger.

"Right you are, Master Kenobi," I respond, every ounce of distaste for his title in my voice. "It has only begun."

Suddenly, a rock clangs against a can nearby, automatically drawing a quick glance from the Jedi. But when they look back a second later, I am gone.

I wait silently in the shadows as the Jedi begin to back out of the passageway, wisely choosing to retreat and fight another day lest I change my mind and decide to kill them.

When they are gone, I move forward with narrowed eyes.

Moments later, Darth Maul, cloaked like myself, joins me, silently moving to my side from his hiding place nearby.

"Did everything go as planned, Master?" he rasps, eyes gleaming.

"Better," I respond cooly, crossing my arms. "Much better."

He says nothing, only nods, following me as I turn to leave.

I admit, I did not expect Kenobi and Jinn to be so good and even now, I am out of breath. If I had not been so anal about my lightsaber training, I would not have been able to best them.

I will not underestimate them next time.

Yet, I am very pleased with the way this meeting went. This demonstration was not to kill, doing so, so soon after Kenobi finding me would have been suspicious indeed. No, the point of this little episode was to make a point.

I want the Jedi to know that I am here, I will not hide and sulk in the shadows as Palpatine did. I am a new generation of Sith, one that will rock this galaxy to its core.

Darth Vader is here and now, everyone knows it.

End of Chapter 12: Please review

Chapter 13: To Dare A Senator: Amidala accepts a bet.

A/N: Thank you to everyone that reviewed last chapter:

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