Disclaimer: I do not own any of Star Wars, the right of ownership of Star Wars belong to Lucasfilm and I guess Disney too. The only thing I own is the characters you do not notice and the plot.
Chapter 21: Message to Chancellor
Mark and Rachelle is eating lunch in their quarters. As they eat, Rachelle challenges her mentor into a knowledge test of the Force for fun and so she could get a refresher. So far, her mentor is schooling her in skills and knowledge.
"Here is something that you might not, there are a species of near humans called Miraluka, that lack eyes, and they naturally use Force Sight, but that does not means that their connections to the Force lets them use it besides for sight." say Mark.
"Wait near human, how near human?" ask Rachelle. "Near-humans look almost exactly like humans but with minor differences. Looking at them, you may think there are humans but they might have different color of skin that is not natural like humans. There are some species that does not look like humans but are consider near human. For example, Pau'ans they are consider near human but you can tell they are not human while Miraluka looks like humans but without eyes." say Mark.
"So would a Twi'lek be considered near human?" ask Rachelle. "No, they are humanoids, didn't you learn about this when you were younger?" say Mark. "So what makes a near-human a near-human?" ask Rachelle. "Despite their appearance they must be closely related to humans biologically. Twi'leks biology is different then humans. Since they are human like they are consider humanoid." say Mark as he walks over to a bookshelf and pull out a Holobook.
Holobook, unlike books of the older days, is a slim, crystalline board, which was used to store vast amounts of information. It is very similar to a Holocron but without the protection of a Gatekeeper, which is an artificial personality, most likely of the person who created it. Only those that are Force Sensitive can use Holocron, but a Holobook can be used by anyone. In addition, a Holobook does not have an artificial personality.
Holocron is made with Holographic technology and organic crystals and only a few people know how to make them. It has limitless amount of space for knowledge about subjects. Some Holocron can have many gatekeepers because they put knowledge into it. The ancient Great Holocron has many different Jedi have put information into it. In addition, Holocron are much safer then Holobooks, because it can be restricted to who views.
Mark turns on the Holobook and slides his finger down the screen until it stops on a page. He spins the Holobook around so Rachelle could read it. The page reads:
Near-Human was the general term for any of the many species or subspecies in the galaxy, which were very closely related biologically to baseline Humans. In contrast, other humanoid species only had general external similarities to Humans, and had no biological connection. However, the term "humanoid" was sometimes used loosely to describe Near-Human species.
Most Near-Humans shared close external similarities to Humans, usually with small differences in skin and eye color or bone structure. Biologically, many Near-Humans were capable of interbreeding with baseline Humans. Some were close enough to the Human baseline to be considered a race or ethnic group of Humans, rather than a separate species. Similarly, some groups, biologically classified as Humans, though differing from the Human mainstream almost entirely in their culture, were considered so distinct that they were sometimes referred to as Near-Human.
Rachelle eyes widen as she reads this. She now remembers listen to Yoda teaching a class when she was younger. She remembers that class while because her future mentor, Master Aluna was there watching the class. Rachelle turns off the Holobook.
"I feel sorry for Padme. Before we can even make a move, we must get word from the Bakuran scouts let us know before we can make a move. Couldn't you sense if there is an army?" say Rachelle. "Trust me I try but all I sense was a shroud of darkness around Kashyyyk. Darth Vader is using the Force to make his presence larger. This is the first time he made his presence known. So he does want us to come." say Mark.
"How you know that?" ask Rachelle. "Think about it." say Mark looking at Rachelle. In less then 10 seconds, Rachelle's eyes widen as she realize where he is getting at. "You know it because he hide both his and Leia's presence from being found through the Force and that know he letting his presence know, he wants to be found." say Rachelle. "Yes, but he is also using his presence to hide something and it is not just his Leia's presence he is blocking. With some meditation, I might figure out." say Mark.
Mark got up, walks toward the bookcase, and puts the Holobook onto a shelf. He sits back down on the table until he hears a beep. Mark reach down to his belt and pick up a Comlink. "Zane here." say Mark. "Mark you need to come down to my office right away." says Padme's voice in a worry tone. "Which one?" ask Mark as he looks up. She could have just told him which one to begin with. "The one in the Presidential Palace." say Padme. "Rachelle and I will be there right away." say Mark.
Rachelle grabs the rest of her sandwich as they walk out of the room. Mark's meal left unfinished on the table. They rush over to the Presidential Palace where Padme is. They were in a lift taking up to her office, which is on the top floor of the Presidential Palace.
They step into a grand looking office that seems to remind Mark of Naboo right away. There were waterfalls along the sides of two walls that pours tiny pound underneath it. The window is toward Padme's back. The carpet of the room was a soft green color and the walls were a soft blue color. There were also plants from Naboo lining the walls and ceiling.
Padme looks up and Mark sense she is stress. Well, she have been stress out a lot since the kidnapping of Leia. It surprises him that her hair is not going gray with all the stress she have been having. Something got the stress she has been feeling up to newer higher levels. This right here has him concern.
They walk toward the desk and sit in the two chairs that are provided. "Thank goodness you finally here. I was doing some work on some bills that I thought would be great to help take all the corruption out of our Senate, when I receive this Holomessage." say Padme tapping a button that is along the edge of her desk.
A hologram appears in the space between the two chairs and the desk. It was a blue hologram of Darth Vader. "Supreme Chancellor Padme Amidala Skywalker. If you do not know my name already, a shame on you and the Jedi that serves the Republic. I am Darth Vader, and I am the one who had been holding your daughter as my prisoner for the past couple months. Now I am offering you a proposal that, I highly doubt a mother like you will refuse. You want to see your daughter alive, then you will come to Kashyyyk and you will hand over control of the Galactic Republic to me and I trade your daughter for that." say Darth Vader as Hologram of Leia appears. She was crying in the background in pain. Darth Vader holds his activated Lightsaber at Leia's neck.
"You have until next week to making to Kashyyyk, or I will enjoy killing your daughter in a slow but very painful way. Your choose, in a way it is a win win situation for me. If you hand over, I gain control. If you don't I get to watch the life fade from your pathetic excuse for a Force Sensitive daughter and oh do not let's forget that this will mean war between my Empire and your pathetic government. Hopefully to see you soon, for Leia sake." laughs Darth Vader as the transmission ends.
"He is a Sith, you cannot trust him to keep his word. Padme, whatever you do, do not hand him control over the Republic. Once he gets his way, you are as good as dead. I sense him through the Force. He is using his presence within the Force to hide something. I bet there is an army waiting there and he wants you to bring an army." say Mark.
"What if he is telling the truth?" ask Padme lightly, she have to admit she never had to face this kind of problem. She does not want to give up on the Republic, but could she stand being the cause of her own daughter's death.
"He isn't, but I do have a plan that will make it easier for us to get Leia." say Mark as he cross his right leg onto of his left leg. "What is it?" ask Padme. "You pretend to be interest in the deal, but before you sign anything over that you want to have physical proof that your daughter is alive and I am not talking holographic proof. When he shows her, The Jedi will come in and take her and you out of the way. I most likely would have to deal with Vader. Our main objective is to get you to one of the Attack Cruisers with Leia and get back to Coruscant right away." say Mark.
"Seems a bit risky." say Padme. "I just thought of it, it is going to need some fine tuning. I am a Jedi not a miracle worker. I cannot reach up in the air and pull out a miracle." say Mark as he shakes his head.
"How would I explain the army?" ask Padme. "He expects you to bring an army, because that what he would do. I think he expects you to bring reinforcements with you just in case." say Mark as he crosses his arms. Rachelle is watching her mentor. Even with her being almost ready to be a knight, she figures there are tons more things she can learn from him and try to pay attention to how he do things.
"Padme, sometimes you just got to take some risks, but those risks could be decrease if the right protections and orders are issued." say Rachelle. Mark smiles as he looks at Rachelle. When she first says you have to take risks, he thought that meant that you have to take risks, but when he hears the second part, it truly proves that she had taken his teachings to the heart.
"Okay, I am calling for 10 Attack Cruisers for this mission. That should give us more then enough power to save Leia, and hopefully put an end to this madness. The last thing I want a war on our hands, but it look like it might be something we have to do. I do not want to lose Leia and the Republic, so I putting a lot on the line because of your plan." say Padme.
"Your fate in me is wavering?" ask Mark with a slight smile on his face. "No, I trust you as much as I trust Anakin." say Padme with a smile on her face. Even through there is a smile and she looks happy, Mark senses that she is still stress out. She has a very good reason to be stress out. Padme is a very caring mother and he feels bad at how she feels. He could not image how she feels; because he never has someone he is that close to. He is very close to his mother, but it is not the same as if he was a father.
Anakin Skywalker is at one of the Attack Cruiser Staging Area on Coruscant. He is helping the Clones load the 10 Attack Cruisers with supplies and military vehicles that they might need. They have loaded bunch of Starfighters too.
Anakin feel slightly upset that he will not be able to help the Clones up in space to fight, but Mark wants all the Jedi that will be coming with them on the ground. He is a great pilot but he sees why Mark would want him along with the other Jedi on the ground. With his past experience with Darth Vader's troops, they will need Jedi down there to counter all the Dark Jedi and the Sith.
Anakin have a feeling it is going to be chaos, but if it gets Leia out of the Sith grip the better. He knows Mark know how to plan an organized chaos just well. He did it on Bakura when he come and help after his visit to Kamino in 20 BBY. He never knew there could be order with chaos.
"Sir, Chancellor Skywalker is on a Holocom. She wants to speak to you." say a Clone in a green and black armor. Anakin walks over to the small base that is near the staging area. "Thanks." say Anakin as he put down the crate he was carrying and walk into the base and looking around for the nearest Holocom.
Anakin walks to a Holocom and sees a blue holographic of his wife standing with her arms cross. He knows his wife so well that he can tell, without the aid of the Force, that something is bothering her once more. Well, there has been something have been bothering them both since the kidnapping of Leia back on Bakura couple of months ago. The thing is that it seems to be something more that is bothering her.
"Oh Ani, I have some very terrible news to show." say Padme as she sees him. Usually in public, Padme try to be much stronger then she feels since she is the Chancellor of the Republic. Even through she is using a public military line to contact him, people in the area of the base can hear some of the words she is saying.
"What is it?" ask Anakin concern of what is bothering his lovely wife more. It amazes him how the stress they both have been feeling since the kidnapping of Leia have not have any negative impacts on their health. This stress is worst than the stress that everyone had during the Clone Wars.
"I have gotten a transmission from Darth Vader recently. Mark and Rachelle are here in my office as we speak. Darth Vader says he will….he….he….will kill Le…ia, if I do not hand over control of the Republic over to him. He says we will get her back if he gets control over the Republic." say Padme having a hard time forming some of the words because of how much thinking and saying them hurts her. She loves Leia as much as she loves Luke. They are her children how can she not love something that her and the person she is madly in love with made from their love.
"No, Padme. Do not hand over the Republic. Talk to Mark, he might have a plan to save her and not give up the Republic. The Sith must not get control of the galaxy. Many innocent lives will be lost. Vader is a pure killing machine. I do not even think he have an ounce of light in him." say Anakin. He wish they could take the easy way out, but then he remembers all the trouble Mark told him that he went to make sure everyone got peace and freedom when he was overthrowing Palpatine.
"Mark have already came up with a plan, he just needs time to fine tuning it." say Padme. "If there is anyone who could do it out of the whole Jedi Order, it is Mark. He is very smart and he cares about Leia as much as we do." say Anakin before they say there goodbyes. He has a lot of faith in Mark for all he has done to save him from the darkness that was going to plaque him for the rest of his life if he sided with Palpatine back in the Supreme Chancellor Suite of Palpatine in 19 BBY. Mark made everything harder on himself trying to take down Palpatine in a way to allow Anakin and Padme's relationship stay. He even helps the family out in troubling times since then. Anakin have no reason to see this as anything different since Mark has gotten his spark back.
That is also saying something about Mark. If he feels so concern about Leia as Padme and he does, that is stating something. Mark is not actually related to the family but they treat him as family, that why Luke and Leia address Mark as uncle a lot. In their eyes, he is their uncle, same with Obi-wan, but Mark is around a lot more then Obi-wan is.
The only thing he knows for a fact is that Mark will try his hardest to get Leia back this time. He does not even need the Force to sense that. He knows that Mark will try to save Leia, even if it is the last thing he will do in life.
Sorry that it took me while to get this chapter in. Had to many ideas rolling my head base on school and this story that I had slightly hard time getting it out. Plus yesterday I was tired and was typing slowly.
First of all, remember that quiz I did a on chapter 19 about what I put in the story at the end. The weapon I was hinted is the Death Star. I stated a power to destroy planets, the Geonosians build over their planet Geonosis and that it was moved to Despayre (in the Saga is was move once the Empire replace the Galactic Republic). I know it was a bit hard to understand if you did not use Wookiepedia.
To the next part of the note. I am having slightly hard time coming up with a idea. Obviously you know Rachelle is in love with Mark and throughout this story of the series I have made couple references that Mark might not know he is in love with someone. I wonder what your input of an on how Mark realize he is in love with his Padawan. I have some ideas, but I really do not know where to start, and I think some of your ideas could help me.
Like usual, til next time, enjoy.