Chancellor Palpatine was reduced to pacing his office. The hearing was a rash move, he thought to himself as he steepled his fingers and held them to his mouth - still pacing. It would have gone as planned had Windu testified and not the old gnome.
He paced more furiously. He was now in a place where he could not afford any more mistakes. He would have to put off working on Skywalker for a little bit longer due to circumstances. He could feel Dooku pulling away from him as well - another thing he had not foreseen. One little amendment on one bill that no one had bothered to read. One little reporter that wanted to make a name for herself caused this, he mused. To be fair, if it had happened to someone else, Palpatine would have found it funny. But it had happened to him, and his plans were unravelling. The Force was not giving him any clarity and his visions of the future were cloudy and too multi-varied for his taste.
Palpatine continued to pace, as no answers or ideas came to him. Patience, he thought to himself as he stopped to look out his window at the Jedi Temple. He could feel the shroud of darkness starting to peel itself away from the Temple. He would only have so much time left to make his move now. He resumed his pacing and hoped that he would be able to come up with something to mitigate this disaster.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu had gone to the Council Chambers to greet Yoda and discuss how to handle the fallout from the hearing. Anakin had wanted to sneak out and see Padme, but she had sent him a text message via comm telling him that it would be unwise to be seen together. The other disappointment was another text message via comm from the Council asking him to stay on the premises in case he were needed. Anakin scowled - he was almost certain that they would want his insight into what Palpatine could be thinking. However, he was even more confused than any of the Masters could have been. He was heeding Master Windu's advice to not approach Palpatine. After the debacle at the Senate, he decided that it was sound advice - he certainly didn't want to find himself in between the feuding Chancellor and the Council. He decided to head to the Room of a Thousand Fountains to clear his head.
As Anakin approached the room he heard what sounded like a heated whispered argument and stuck himself in a nook in the hallway, his curiosity piqued.
"No, Leia. He didn't do himself any favors by holding that ridiculous hearing. If we tell them now, it will all be for nothing. They'll react out of anger. We need to wait until things settle down at the very least. Besides, the Force is warning me not to say anything yet."
A huff, and then the speakers came into view - the Solo twins, the boy carrying several datapads that had originated from the Archives, from the looks of them. "Fine. I just can't believe that after that charade they haven't figured it out on their own. Truly, how can so many people be so dense? Even in the worst of my…"
The words trailed as they went out of earshot. Anakin was tempted to run after them and eavesdrop some more, but he feared being discovered. He wondered what it was that they had to say to who that would get them to react in anger? He had an idea all of a sudden, and doubled back to the cafeteria, as it was close to lunchtime. He figured with all the Council members in session, Padawan Renz would be around since he wouldn't be needed.
He found the Padawan and procured the location of the Solo twins' quarters after convincing the boy that he had a message to deliver to the twins that could not be heard by anyone else. With the number and location of their quarters, he got his surveillance equipment ready. He had used it more than once to figure out ways to sneak out of the Temple - figuring out who was prone to wandering/guarding hallways and at what times. He would just be using it for a different reason this time.
Anakin lost track of time as he set up his equipment and jumped when he heard Obi-Wan Kenobi ask: "Stars' sake, Anakin! Your comm is right next to you and you don't hear it?" The comm unit was indeed on the couch Anakin was seated on. He blushed as he saw that there were several messages that awaited action on his part.
Anakin turned around to see Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu both standing in his quarters. "Just what is that exactly?" Master Windu gestured to the equipment.
"I was going to spy on the Solo twins," he blurted. He couldn't think of a good enough lie - the truth would have to suffice. "I overheard them discussing something about how they couldn't tell us something for fear that we would react in anger and I thought I'd find out what they are hiding," he finished more confidently.
Both masters' eyebrows went up, but neither said anything for a moment. "Indulge me", Master Windu surprised both the other men in the room. "Let's see what they have to say."
Anakin fought a stupid grin off of his face. "Here it goes", he said, and hoped he wouldn't get in a huge load of trouble for this. The holo kicked on and they could see and hear the twins bickering in the main living area.
"We have to tell them at some point, Luke. What's the point of going to the past if we aren't changing anything for the better?" Leia asked rather heatedly.
"No, Leia. Remember the Force's instructions? No direct action. We still have two and a half months until the Empire is...was...born. We have to be mindful of not undoing our own existence, or else all will really be lost then."
The three men stared at each other for a moment. Time travel? Were these people insane? They continued to watch, transfixed.
"So, just let Palpatine keep doing what he's doing? Do you think he won't escalate and try something else after today's little display of power?"
Luke lifted his hands and eyes up to the ceiling and then let his hands drop against his sides in exasperation. "What would you have us do? Walk up to the Jedi Council and announce ourselves as time travelers and that we know who the Sith Lord is? They would think we're insane. And then what little good we have managed to do so far would be destroyed. Besides, we've managed to fly under Palpatine's radar so far, which is what we want."
Palpatine? The Sith Lord? Anakin's head was reeling and he could feel the other two men's shock in the Force as well. What was going on?
"No, not when you put it like that," Leia deflated and flopped onto the couch. "Two and a half months before everything goes to hell, Luke. It's not a lot of time. I can't live through all of that again - I just can't. The idea of failure again is too much." She put her face in her hands.
"I know, Lei," Luke said as he sat next to her and put his hand on her back. "But we have to be extremely careful. We have to heed the Force's advice." Leia snorted with derision and Luke made a small grimace. "We can't do anything too overt. If we alert the Jedi too soon, they might to after Palpatine and start Order 66 far too early. We can't risk it. You've already managed to hit his credibility pretty well within less than a week. That might be the only way to get things done. Besides, with our fetal selves probably not being...viable...yet, if we were to be discovered, then Palpatine could have our...other...selves destroyed and all would be lost for sure. We can't undo our own existence, that was the other directive," he finished softly.
Leia sighed and looked at her twin with sad bloodshot eyes. "I saw Tarkin's holo the other day. I've been reliving the destruction of Alderaan for the last several nights. I can't stand the idea of that happening again. Or Ben. Losing Ben again…" she trailed off and buried her face in her hands again.
"I'm so sorry," Luke told her as he rubbed her back gently. "I can help you with the nightmares if you'd like," he ventured carefully.
She shook her head. "No, I just feel the need to do...something. That's what always kept me going before. Especially after...Alderaan," she said on a shaky intake of breath. "I just keep seeing him saying 'Fire at will', and then Alderaan being obliterated over and over again. My greatest failure," she sniffed and wiped at her eyes angrily.
"That wasn't your fault, Leia. He would have done that no matter what. He was just looking for an excuse to use the Death Star. Besides, it wouldn't have mattered what planet he had used it on - you would have felt the same way no matter what, and that was the whole point. Him using Alderaan was just extra cruelty," Luke soothed.
The three horrified men just sat in silence, absorbed in the conversation taking place. Empire, Death Star, destruction of Alderaan? The Force was ringing with the truth of it all, which made it impossible to deem the twins lunatics. However, it was all too much to take. But they continued to sit there and listen further. All three of them jumped when Leia suddenly sprang to her feet and exclaimed: "Order 66! There's something we can do something about!"
"Like what? We can't warn the Jedi just yet - they'll think we're insane, remember?" Luke asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"I know that!" Leia said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "What set it off? Master Windu going after Palpatine, right?" she asked as Master Windu jumped in shock in the other room.
"That's all the information that we have. Well, except that it was an order that was implanted into the clones' chips and that they couldn't refuse to follow it. We don't know much else beyond that, since Palpatine had all the records pretty much purged. Really, it was all just oral history from the few clones that had survived to tell the tale," Luke shook his head sadly.
"Right - but who is in control of the clone army? Isn't it the Jedi?" she asked shrewdly.
"That I don't know - that information went missing altogether. The clones may answer to the Jedi in the field, but the Jedi and the clones are pretty much being sent to fight wherever the Republic needs them to - the Jedi aren't in control of anything regarding troop movements, from what I can tell. So, I'd say that ultimate control would fall under the Republic?"
"Right. So, if that order is already preprogrammed, who would have been responsible for inserting it and why? If we can get someone interested in finding that out, then we might have something to tie to Palpatine to make him lose even more support. After all, he just failed in taking over the Jedi Order, and failed in trying to humiliate Master Yoda. If he got hit with this now, it would be over for him politically. Or at the very least it would look like the power grab that it is to the public", she finished triumphantly.
"That's definitely worth thinking about from a timing perspective," Luke allowed tentatively.
Leia scoffed and put her hands on her hips: "But? I know there's a but in there."
"Yes - it comes back to who do we tell and why. I mean, without implicating Palpatine directly, how do we go about this? Can you think of anyone you could trust to give that information to if we could find out how to get it?"
"There's Senators Mothma and Organa-"
"Leia, no!" Luke was on his feet now. "We can't implicate them. We need them to stay out of Palpatine's sights. If we fail, they will be needed to start the Rebel Alliance again. We can't risk them."
Leia sighed and dropped her head. "It's a good idea, Leia," he walked up and rubbed her arms. "We just don't know how to get the proof and who to trust with it is all. But I think you're on the right track," he finished with a smile.
"Of course I am," she looked up with a sly smile. "You're talking to the General now."
"We'll have to figure out the logistics somehow. You can ask Master Fisto how the Jedi and clones coordinate, and I can do the same with Master Windu. Perhaps we can plant the seed of curiosity so that they'll be willing to look for themselves," Luke rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Stop doing that", Leia swatted his hand away from his chin. "That habit must have rubbed off on you from Kenobi years ago. I noticed him doing that a few times before." The three men perked up again at that - Kenobi? Years ago? Master Windu felt several things click into place about Solo's habits that he had noticed now.
"Sorry?" Luke asked, not sure why she was disturbed. He'd never even thought about it. Then again, he had never mentioned to Leia just how much some of her mannerisms were Vaderish, especially when she put her hands on her hips or crossed her arms to express displeasure.
"It's ok. I'm just trying to figure out the logistics of this and that was an unnecessary distraction," she stated and softened some upon realizing how callous she sounded.
"It's ok," Luke gave her a half smile. "You're in General mode."
"Yes, sorry," she said softly but then brightened up. "I think I can bring up the clone command structure with Master Fisto and see if we can get another enterprising reporter interested in another story."
"But will they know what to look for? That's the question."
"I'll think of something to steer them in that direction. Shouldn't be too difficult given that Master Yoda brought the clones up in his testimony today. Someone somewhere has to be questioning the clone army in the first place, right?"
"Yes, I'm sure there are. And I wouldn't doubt it if someone had gotten too close and eliminated for it already," Luke said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I just hope that this doesn't get anyone killed and then we have nothing to show for it," he said apologetically. He didn't want to take the wind out of her sails. It was a good idea, but implementing it was going to be a nightmare.
"I'll have to think on it. Maybe get someone in the Senate involved somehow…" Leia trailed off. She knew in her gut that this was the direction they needed to move in. She felt it as surely as she had felt anything.
"Senator Danu from Kuat," Luke said suddenly. Leia's head snapped up and they locked eyes.
"Yes - that's perfect," she said. "Kuat is enormously important strategically to the war effort - so he's almost untouchable. And, he's a pacifist…" Leia's eyes lit up and she surged forward to grab Luke's hands.
He smiled back at her - Leia's good mood was infectious when she was like this. "I think that's the ticket. He would have credibility and protection that no one else does at the moment," Luke agreed.
The Force hummed in agreement. The twins were satisfied for the moment. They broke apart and started preparing for their midday meal.
Anakin finally reached over and shut the surveillance equipment off. He sat back hard against the couch, in complete shock. He chanced a glance at the two Masters and saw the same thing with them. He was concerned with Master Windu's chalky complexion. No one said anything as they were all too busy digesting the information they had just heard. The Force had confirmed that all of what they had heard was true.
Anakin decided to brew tea for the two Masters. They were going to need it once they got over their shock. They all needed to sit down and figure out how to approach the Solo twins now that they knew what they did.