The Dispersal of the Senate
I apologize for my unplanned, unannounced hiatus. I live with an autoimmune disorder and I overdid it the last couple weeks. I was so mentally and physically exhausted, I couldn't think enough to work on editing my next chapter.
Please enjoy this next chapter.
I do not own Star Wars.
The planet Lasat was a large planet with wild, warrior species. About ten years after the rise of the Empire, Lasat became the next in a series of Mid and outer Rim planets that had had enough of the Empire. Its rebellion began with small cells on their home world, since Mandalore's subjugation had cautioned other worlds to be careful in their rebellion. After all, Mandalore was now the seat of the Imperial Academy, and the proud, warrior race that had lived there had been enslaved, corrupted, or displaced.
It was not the first planet with a sentient species who reminded more humanoid species of animals. Kashyyyk, the Wookie home world, had been suppressed since the very rise of the empire after they had given much aid to the scattered Jedi. However, that had been in a time when labeling the Wookies as Jedi accessories had carried some weight. A decade had passed since the Purge, and uncomfortable answers had been raised about the Jedi's so-called plots. Imperial Citizens would not dare voice such question, but it did run in their minds.
Lasat's Rebellion grew swiftly, aided by the distraction of the campaigns of General Skywalker, who had become a great thorn in the Imperial Fleet's side. There was little contact between the Rebellion and Lasat however, since Lasat was far from Dantooine and Tatooine, where General Skywalker's main bases were kept hidden. It was true there were couriers between them, but they were not working on unison, but creating two separate campaigns. The Lasat Royal Family had received a request to meet with Padme Skywalker, but had hesitated because she was human and they were concerned that the fact that there were many humans in the rebellion meant that xenophobia would be in the rebellion as well as the Empire.
They declared themselves free of the Empire to see how the Rebellion would react as much as to get rid of the Imperial Base. With contact between Lasat and the Alliance so limited, they were unaware that General Skywalker's fleet had suffered a series of losses, and that three of the numerous Rebel Bases Padme and Shaak Ti coordinated had been wiped out by the Imperials. Among those killed during this was the former Naboo handmaid Jeda Red. The rebel bases grew quiet and Skywalker retreated to regroup and recover from a devastating loss in the Jardin System. It was true that the Rebels tried to send aid, but there was little to spare, and their suggestions that Lasat be abandoned to save lives was considered an act of cowardice and the Rebellion was believed to consider the Lasats weak.
It was one of Padme Skywalker's rare diplomatic failures.
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Under the watchful eyes of their newly named Masters, Padawans Luke and Leia Skywalker were working their way through an obstacle course with the intent of beating the other with their lightsabers. Training caps on the sabers they had recently built meant that the sabers would cause no more harm than a stinging bug. There were several other new Padawans and Jedi Masters watching as well. The Skywalker twins always attracted a crowd. Excluding their parentage, Luke and Leia were the most fluid in using both Force Sense and Force Sight. Even at ten, Luke was still the most competent user of the Force Sight, as the stretching of his abilities into using Force Sense had led to him modifying many of his lessons to use both arms of the Force, even to the point of switching between them without concentration.
His more aggressive sister was powerful, giving her an advantage in a face to face meet. She however needed more concentration to use both Force Sense and Force Sight. Luke and she had been trying to see if they could let Leia see it constantly as Luke did. So far, they had failed. She had to concentrate hard to use Force Sight.
She was circling cautiously through the stacked shipping containers that was their current training ground. Dressed as her brother was in brown pants and boots with a white tunic, she had her long hair braided into a crown, with only the thin Padawan braid dangling over her right shoulder. Obi Wan Kenobi was officially her Master and there was much amusement that Kenobi had chosen the twin so much like his first Padawan. Aware that her Master was watching for the temper that had lost her the last match with Luke, she let her shoulders relax, concentrating to see if the Force Sight would reveal her brother's position. This failed. When the Jedi had first learned to use Force Sight Luke had become very noticeable in the Force. The Natural Force Currents followed him around so all one had to do was trace them. Luke had then learned to repel the currents so he would not be so noticeable.
He was muting his presence, so she stretched out her hearing, looking for his breathing and soft, careful movements. Before she could Triangulate the sounds, his Force Presence blared out, overwhelming her mind, as he came leaping from her left. His green saber came down on her swift parry with her unique yellow saber. With swift blows, he drove her back, working hard to keep her from getting a strong stance.
She soon adjusted for his speed and gained the stance he wanted to avoid. Her blows were fiercer and faster, so he Force Leapt up to the top of the containers to avoid the danger of grappling so closely. Aware that if she lost sight of him she would be back to searching for him with sound, she leapt after him, not as agilely, but just as surefooted. More than once since learning the Force Leap, they had played tag across the rooftops.
Mama had taken some time to be okay with this, but Dad liked to join them when he was on leave.
Just as familiar with her tactics, Luke scampered across the tops of the obstacle course, weaving in and out before diving into one of the alleys the boxes created. She leapt down after him, stretching out with her Force Sense to seek what his next move was. There were ripples she could feel, and concentrating on Force Sight, she could see, indicating he was preparing for attack or escape. She lunged forward hoping to pin him, but he leapt up to the top of the course again and when she tried to jump up he batted her down with his saber. Her teeth clenched, but she reminded herself that rage would not aid her. When he knocked her down twice more she re-evaluated her tactic. Taking the stance again, she let him believe she was going to try again, but this time, instead of leaping forward, she leapt backwards onto the container behind her.
Now at the same height she flipped over to his container and faced him head on. Here they dueled for the last two minutes of their time. Ahsoka, currently on leave, called 'time' which meant there was no clear winner. Leia panted a little before following Luke to their Masters, who were both beaming.
"Well done, Leia." Obi Wan said. "You restrained your rage."
"Yeah. It was hard though. I wanted to scream at him for being such a jumpy bug." She sighed and glanced at her twin who was receiving his own praise and criticism from his Master. "He's getting stronger."
"Does this worry you?" Obi Wan asked.
"Yes. I've had bad dreams about him." She admitted, watching Obi Wan closely. He did not overreact, nor did he paste on a fake smile.
"I see." He said softly. "About the future?"
"Maybe. He's bigger and stronger, but still very strange."
"I think your brother will always be unique."
"Do my dreams mean something? He's being hunted in them. Sometimes he is hunting me."
"All dreams can mean something, Leia. Whether this is from your very natural fears considering the danger your parents are in from their leadership of our Rebellion, or whether you have glimpsed a possible future is difficult to discern. Premonitions are so often mere pieces of information, sentences of a larger paragraph we cannot see." He answered.
"Dad looks worried sometimes when he's home and he is watching Luke use the Force."
"Ah. That may be a conversation you want to have with your parents." He answered. "For now, you should put it out of your mind. Tomorrow morning before we leave to meet the Jedi we will discuss your dreams some more."
She was disgusted to discover she suddenly wished Obi Wan had smiled and assured her they were just dreams. He had not treated her like a youngling, but acknowledged there could be something to the nightmares. A desire to take her brother and run away flooded her. It was pushed aside, for she was the daughter of Rebel Leader Padme Amidala Skywalker and Rebel General Anakin Skywalker, born to war and power.
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"You are letting your fear get to you." Master Shaak Ti informed her Padawan as he sat in meditation the next afternoon. His sister had just lifted off from the planet to go with Obi Wan to meet Master Windu's ship for an exchange of information and passengers. He too would be leaving the planet for the first time since they settled there, when Shaak Ti and he went to Tatooine with father to introduce the young Padawans to the X-wing fighters that were now the staple of the Rebellion Fighter Squadrons, though Leia would be coming along on that trip.
"I don't want to lose her."
"Has your bond faded or broken?"
"No."
"Your sister is safe with Master Kenobi. There is always risk to all of us, even here where it seems so safe. We will not bring you into battle for some years yet, but it is time you learned of the galaxy beyond. You must face your fears however. Do not let them control you."
"Mama is brave, isn't she?" Luke said after a moment. "Leia and I never thought about Dad being in danger, but Mama has always known."
"Your mother is a great woman, Luke. She has learned to face the worry that your father might not come home and has continued to do her duty without fail."
"Is it easier for Dad, since he is in more danger? I mean, I would like it better if you and I were going to meet Master Windu and Leia had to stay here and clean R2D2."
Shaak Ti smiled. "It may be, but that does not mean his bravery is no less than your mothers or yours."
"Is part of growing up not being together as much?"
"Ah, little light." The Togruta sighed. It was not often she used his nickname since their official mentorship began. "It can be. Someday your sister may fall in love, and there may be someone closer to her than you."
"Ew. Leia wouldn't like that. She says boys are silly, only I'm not as silly as the others. Besides, I must agree to any one she likes."
Shaak Ti's soft laugher echoed in her meditation circle.
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Padme Skywalker sat reviewing the latest reports from Alderaan. Bail Organa had quietly instituted military training for his people, and was her primary contact in the Senate. Among his deeds for the Rebellion he and Padme's former handmaid Hame had placed spies in the Health Departments from which he informed Padme and the Jedi about the Force Sensitive Children who were marked down. Pairs of Jedi would be sent to talk to the families, warn them of the danger of kidnapping, and offer to relocate the entire family, as well as teach the Force Sensitives. They were not always successful, and they risked discovery by talking with the parents, but they had relocated many into Alliance havens and Jedi Enclaves, had even stopped several Imperial Kidnappings, and had slowed the number of children stolen to serve Palpatine in some yet undiscovered role.
It was a matter that was close to her heart. Her own children would be sought by the Empire for their parentage alone, much less the Force Powers they had.
"Mama! The Shield is back!" Luke hollered in the window as he raced by towards the landing pad. Padme hurried to exit, finding Shaak Ti following Luke at a more sedate pace. The familiar brief jealousy that Shaak Ti could connect to her son in a way she could not rose and fell as she reminded herself that whatever bond Shaak Ti was building with Luke, her own maternal bond, which he had shown her many times, was very important to him.
"How is the calm Jedi Padawan this afternoon?" She asked. Shaak Ti grinned.
"Proving to have excellent control over his excitement."
Both women laughed when they saw Luke dashing for the transport before the door was even lowered, hollering his sister's name. The laughter swiftly died when Luke slowed down, his excitement fading and both women feeling his fear rising through the bonds he had built between them. A pang of fear shot through Padme's heart, but it was relieved by Leia, following Obi Wan with a subdued, sad face, came down the ramp. Obi Wan spoke softly, and Leia hurried to her brother. She was crying as they hugged each other tightly.
Obi Wan came towards the two women with a grave face.
"Anakin?" Padme gasped.
"No, no. He is well." Obi Wan promised. "It's the Lasats."
"What has happened?"
"Xenocide. The Empire razed the entire planet and killed ninety percent of the population." He said.
Pain shot through her heart, guilt for her relief at her husband and daughter's continued good health, and guilt that she had failed to connect with the Lasats or give them enough aid, horror to the loss of life. For a moment, she stood stunned, a helpless woman in a vast galaxy. Then the Queen crept up her spine, soothed her face, and disconnected her personal shock from her position as Leader.
"Is the Red Squadron available?"
"Yes."
"As soon as we have reports of the locations of the Imperial fleets and can chart a way, send the Squadron to help save any evacuees who might be lost in their escape."
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"This is Padme Amidala Skywalker." The regal woman stood in front of a wall, draped with a flag. On the Flag was the burning bird symbol. "I stand here today as representative of the Republic Alliance. Many of you know us as the Rebellion. We have used that name, but today I tell you that we are not a Rebellion. We are an Alliance against tyranny. We are a people who want to stand for Justice, for Compassion, for Hope, for Freedom, principles I saw fall to fear and corruption which lead to rise of the Empire.
"Over twenty million lives were killed on the planet of Lasat. Warriors, Healers, Fathers, Mothers, Children. Their crime against the empire was our shared belief that they had as much worth as other sentients. They did not want to bend their knee and deny who they were and they stood up for their right as sentient lives.
"There will be more who die, who are enslaved, and who are destroyed. If the Empire continues to spread out, to claim the right to the whole Galaxy, to deny us our right to live in freedom, if you stand by and watch this happen, thankful it wasn't you, this ugly darkness will harm us all."
She paused, her hands shaking as the cam pulled backwards to reveal a small table to her side with candles on a step stair rack.
"For Lasat." She said, lighting one. "For Commander Jeda Red, for Mandalore…" One by one she spoke names of whole planets, communities, or brave individuals, lighting a candle for each one, until with the last candle, she breathed, "the Jedi."
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It had taken years of whispers in the right ears, of secret holovids passed around, of reminders of life before the Empire. With the advice and aid of many, Bail Organa had created a line the Imperial Senate had been unwilling to cross. That it was his hand that had kept that flame of Justice alive was secret to Palpatine. What Palpatine did discover was that he had reached that line.
The Senate exploded in arguments with the fall of Lasat. It was true that the common man had been uneasy for a long time, and with the genocide of Lasat and the fear that they could be next because the Rebellion kept springing up through the cracks of the Empire, the Senators appealed to the Emperor to restrain the Imperial Fleet from such carnage. While Bail had not spoken the treasonous statement that it had been done on Palpatine's order, the careful inflaming of the Imperial Senate meant Palpatine would need to either concede something to the Senate or openly denounce the Senate and completely remove the old system.
Bail was unsure which the Emperor would do. Conceding could appear weak and Palpatine, who had turned the Jedi Temple into his Imperial Palace, had gathered a large court of rich and powerful men who did not sit in the Imperial Senate but had influence on the important Core Worlds. Palpatine had fed the Core worlds, keeping them rich and sated with pleasures to keep their loyalty. It was true his court was full of spies, all trying to gain more power by turning on each other, but he had a good deal of power through them. On the other hand, the generation being raised in the Imperial doctrines was only a decade old and the old guard of the Senate, corrupt and complacent as they had been, had never truly bought the xenophobic, complete dictatorship they had welcomed.
Either way, the Genocide of Lasat and Padme Skywalkers reminder that her rebellion was an Alliance meant to restore democratic freedom would change the face of the Galaxy. With twelve hundred planets now aware of the Republic Alliance and either full members in secret, or on the fence about it, if the Imperial Senate was dissolved, the Alliance would emerge.
War would come to Alderaan.
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His name was Makku Jolcon. He was the last of Palpatine's original five Hunters. Three were dead and the fourth had abandoned his job and fled to wild space. Their original mission to hunt the Jedi had changed to hunting all on the wanted lists, but Makku had always paid special attention to his Jedi Hunts. Amid all his Hunts and travels he had begun building patterns of the Rebels and the movements of individuals he had marked out had begun to build a map. His personal goal was to find Padme and Anakin Skywalker, who had vanished so thoroughly only to reappear as ghosts before disappearing again.
He had narrowed their hiding place to the Outer Rim. It would probably take him a few more years, but he could feel it in his bones that he would find them.
"-Emperor Palpatine has dissolved the Imperial Senate after discovering that many were being threatened by rebels if they did not work against the Imperial Government. The battle of Lasat has been exaggerated by a band of rebels lead by former Naboo Senator Padme Amidala. Senator Amidala was once a bright politician, but her association with the Jedi lead to her turning her back on peace and unity and she has been causing dissension for a long time now…" The holo-screens in the mid rim bar was spilling out the Emperor's twist on recent events.
Makku took a sip of his drink and smiled. He was certain Palpatine would have liked at least another five years to pass before removing the Senate, but Padme Skywalker's Rebellion had undermined this plan. The Senate would be upset by their apparent loss of power, but the media was already spinning the story into one of blackmail, corruption, and deceit. It would certainly not be as smooth a path as it would have been five or ten years hence, but the uproar and surge to Skywalker's so called Alliance would flood the Rebel paths, feeding Makku the information he needed to eventually, finally find the Rebel Leaders.
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"Bail, you are in a very precarious place!" Padme exclaimed over the holovid. Her friend gave her a tired, tense smile. "Alderaan is on the edge of the inner rim. Once this Declaration of the Alliance is sent to the Imperial Center, every world and name on the Declaration on it will be marked. All the others on the Declaration are either Outer or Mid-Rim. Are you sure you should?"
The weary Viceroy took a deep breath. "I know what danger my people will run, Padme, but we have made our choice. My People know what risk we will run. I feel strongly we should do this."
"Viceroy," Anakin interrupted over his wife's shoulder, "I am sending General Tano with half our fleets to your aid. In the meantime, the rest of us will be doing all we can to keep attention off Alderaan."
"Thank you, General Skywalker." Bail took a deep breath. "I hope this will not be a death knell to the Alliance if half must be used to protect Alderaan."
"It will be hard, but we may have the strength to withstand the Imperial Navy right now. The Senate's dissolution has made many worlds upset and the Imperial Forces are going to be spread thin to quell the many rebellions."
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