A/N: First things first, sorry about the error. For some reason it looked fine in the doc manager and after I posted it got buggy. I use pages but I'm gonna try different methods. To make up for it, I will be posting two chapters today. Thanks for those that reached out and told me. Now, on to the original authors note.
Hey guys so I was reading some reviews and you all wanted me to continue this story. I've been busy with college and what not but my semester is all but at a close and I have more time to write. I appreciate the constant support and I'm excited to continue this story.
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Star Wars
The Supreme Commander
Chapter 8
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The Jedi Council had been working harder in the last week than they had the entire war. Master Windu had to admit that Skywalker was right that the Jedi Council had been growing lazy over the course of the war. A Sith Lord hiding right under their nose had proved the Jedi had grown blind over the years. The hubris they exerted was frightening and he could even say he feared what direction the order might have gone had Skywalker not brought these revelations to light. In his down time, he had done some thinking and he contemplated all the Jedi that had lost their way or simply fell to the dark side. Count Dooku, Ahsoka Tano, Quinlan Vos were the most notable names, but there were plenty more.
In this last week, they had deployed their latest batches of EMPs to many Jedi. They estimated that roughly 35% of the Clone Army had deactivated chips. Jedi Master Jaro Tapal, Jedi Master Depa Billaba, Jedi Master Quinlan Vos, and Jedi Master Aayla Secura were among the many Jedi that had received the EMPs. They estimated that it would be two months before the entire Clone Army had deactivated chips. Most every Jedi Engineer had dropped what they were doing and began working on the EMPs which made their production time staggeringly short.
He was in his chair in the council chamber, staring off at the Coruscant sunset when a priority call came. Seeing as he was the only one in the chamber, he decided to answer it.
"Master Windu," greeted Skywalker, flanked by Ahsoka behind him.
"Skywalker and Tano," Windu greeted it's good to see you both are well. Did you need something from the Jedi?"
"No, not at the moment," Skywalker said.
"Then why did you call?" Windu asked, perplexed. Did Skywalker know how busy they were right now?
"I gotta hand it to you Master Windu, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'm sure you can help me if you read between the lines."
"Sorry Master, he is quite the knuckle head. I told him it was a bad idea to check up, but by the time I objected his palms were on the buttons."
Something was weird about this message, but he didn't know what. Maybe if he played along, then their purpose would be revealed. "Well we might need your help soon with some Outer Rim sieges if you are up to the task. I'll contact you when we have more information."
"Sounds good master," Anakin said as he ended the transmission.
Master Windu immediately replayed the message, nothing was glaringly obvious. Skywalker's hands weren't cuff-.
"Clever one Skywalker," Windu realized as he retraced the video. It all made sense. Earlier in the war, Eeth Koth had been captured by Grievous and used hand signals to give coordinates of his last known location. The language of hand signals was complex, and Windu had a very basic understanding of them. Unfortunately, Eeth Koth left the order so he couldn't ask him to translate. Anakin was emphasizing his hands hoping he would catch on.
"M-A-N," he translated as he watched the different hand signals.
The hand signals switched over to Ahsoka.
"D-A-L-O," Windu said under his breath.
They switched back to Skywalker, "R-E. Mandalore!"
What could he want on Mandalore though? And why had he used hand signals? Was he worried the Separatists might intercept the message?
"What are you up to Skywalker?" Windu asked aloud.
He retraced the video again to look for more clues. He noticed that Anakin periodically made a hand gesture whenever hands were mentioned. It was a beckoning motion. Perhaps Skywalker wanted him to come there?
The doors swished open behind him. He turned around to find Master Yoda and Master Plo walking into the council chambers. "Masters, I believe you should take a look at this message."
"A message from Anakin and little Soka," Master Plo said, his interest now peaking.
"The meaning of this message, what is it?" Yoda asked as he looked up at the frozen frame of Anakin and Ahsoka.
"They used hand signals to spell out Mandalore. I believe they want someone to come to them. Must be something important," Windu said.
"We are busy dealing out the EMPs right now," said Master Plo, "do we have time to make the trip to Mandalore?"
"Go, Master Koon and I will. Not raise suspicion, will us leaving," Yoda said, already hobbling back out of the council doors.
"I'll keep watch over the temple," Windu said, "if our enemy is on the move, we must be ready."
"Ready, we are not," Yoda said as he took a look back, "but help us prepare, this meeting may."
Like that, Master Yoda hobbled out of the council chamber and Master Windu was left with his thoughts. The dark side had never felt stronger, and yet, the Separatists had been all but destroyed. Whatever this summoning by Skywalker was, it had to be important. The war was far from over.
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The journey through hyperspace was long and both Jedi Masters caught up on some sleep. Master Yoda couldn't remember the last time he had gotten that much sleep. These days he was plagued by nightmares and the aches of old age. He was out of his prime, but he was still the most powerful and wise Jedi alive. Nine hundred years had taught him much, and he had learned to compensate for his growing physical weakness by strengthening his connection with the force. When they were forty minutes out, he had awoken and started to meditate. It brought him comfort to feel the force in a natural way. Not for battle, but for enjoyment.
When they had finally come out of hyperspace, he and Master Plo had walked towards the cockpit of the shuttle and flew themselves in. They landed safely on the outside of the city, not sure what to expect. Last they had heard, this city was in the control of Maul.
As if on command, Mandalorian's in red armor with horns on their helmets surrounded them. They knew these were Maul's forces, but they didn't seem hostile.
"I am Commander Gar Saxon, state your business," the leading Mandalorian said as he removed his helmet. A stern man with neatly arranged short blonde hair met their gaze. It was obvious from the way he carried himself that he was their commander, and his introduction only served to explain his mannerism.
"I am Master Plo Koon of the Jedi Order and this is Grandmaster Yoda. We received a communique from Supreme Commander Skywalker. We are here to speak with him."
"I see. We will escort you to the palace. Lord Maul has requested you wear cloaks to conceal your identity from Republic spies."
"Maul still rules this planet?" Plo Koon asked, "where are Skywalker and Tano? Why are we hiding from the Republic?"
"Master Jedi, there is a lot to be discussed. Just do as we have requested and it will all be explained."
"I don't like this," Plo Koon said as he and Master Yoda raised their hoods.
"Keep an open mind, we must. Allies we never expected, we might have," Master Yoda explained as they boarded onto some sort of hover transport. Yoda hadn't been to Mandalore since two hundred years before during the High Republic age. He had gone there as a part of a diplomatic mission to smooth things over with the Mandalorian government to prevent rising tensions with the Jedi. Sundari had changed a lot since he had last been there. The buildings were taller and the architecture reflected the wealth the new government had since they had opened up to the galaxy.
But still, Yoda had to admit, the peaceful government the Jedi had supported was flawed and corrupt. The Mandalorians were warriors, and they would suffer unless they accepted their warrior culture. While he didn't agree with their ways, he knew that a complete turn culturally was not healthy for the people.
"Commander Saxon, believe in Lord Maul, why do you?"
"He holds the dark saber. In Mandalorian culture, the dark saber wields influence and only the strongest may wield it. He was stronger than Pre Vizsla. He may not be of our culture, but he respects our ways more than most. He will make us relevant again," Saxon answered.
"Hmm yes," replied Yoda, "two hundred years ago, here I was. Changed much, your planet has. Your warrior way, not forget them, you all must. Part of who you are, they are."
"Master Jedi forgive me, but shouldn't you not want us to be strong? Wouldn't a strong Mandalore threaten your power? The Mandalorians of old and the Jedi of old fought countless battles and neither side was really better than the other. The way I see it, we are the only people who can resist the Jedi."
"Perhaps," Yoda admitted as the palace came into view, "but work together, for the good of us both, we may be able to. An open mind, we can all keep."
"I can agree to that," Saxon said as he put his helmet back on. They arrived at the palace and to the two Jedis shock, they found not only Skywalker and Tano waiting for them, but flanking them was Maul and Master Kenobi.
"Master Yoda, is that Master Kenobi?" Plo Koon asked right as he was thinking the same thing.
"Strange, this situation is. Listen before we speak, we must."
Yoda watched Maul approach them, passing Anakin and Ahsoka in the process. He was still the leader of this planet so it was his duty to welcome them. "Master Yoda, we meet at last," Maul said, he turned to Plo Koon, "I have not met you yet, what is your name."
"Jedi Master Plo Koon," Plo Koon simply responded, weary of the former Zabrak Sith. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan didn't seem to be weary of his presence, but he still found it hard to trust the Zabrak.
"Pleasure," Maul said, eyeing him. "I would love to keep talking but the throne room is more private. This is Skywalker's request so I will let him take it from here and I can fill in when I need to," Maul said as he led them to the turbo lift.
The turbo lift ride was awkward and long. Anakin was trying to fill the silence by asking Master Plo about some of his recent assignments. Obi-Wan, even though he had been filled in, was sharing a staring contest with Maul. Saxon and Tano were awkwardly speaking of how they faced off on the battle field and arguing about who would have won. The only person who really had a smile on their face was Master Yoda. He was smiling up on everyone giving everyone in the lift an unnerving feeling whenever his gaze fell on them.
To everyone's relief, the turbo lift stopped and they entered the throne room. Yoda curiously looked around. It was a beautiful room. A bit dull, but that seemed to be the Mandalorian approach, not unlike the Jedi Order.
Anakin spoke up first, "Maul was able to gather proof of the identity of Darth Sidious. This unexpected alliance is built on the idea that Darth Sidious must be stopped before it is too late. We have merely days before he figures out what we are doing and enacts his final plan."
Yoda's ears perked up. The identity of Darth Sidious had alluded them, but they know he was in the Senate. They could do nothing against him until they had proof, but now that they had proof, he did wonder what this could mean. "Watch it right away, we must. All other questions, irrelevant, they are."
"Agreed," cut in Maul as he led them to the room where he had shown each Jedi before. He linked up the recording and it immediately played.
Master Yoda gasped as the face became visible. His worst fears had been realized. Not only was the Sith Lord in the Senate, he was the Chancellor. They had never ruled out that possibility, but it had sounded unlikely. His cane fell to the floor and he grabbed at his chest. He could feel hands catching him before he fell. He shook his head to shake himself out of his daze.
"Master Yoda, are you okay?" Asked Ahsoka as she kneeled down to his fallen form.
Most surprisingly, the only person who seemed to understand his pain was Maul. "He is the oldest and wisest Jedi in the order. He was tasked with solving problems that nobody else could. Sidious was so close the entire time and he had failed to realize it."
"It's not your fault Master," said Anakin, "I was the closest to him out of anyone and I never realized it."
As Yoda regained his footing, Obi-Wan chimed in, "the dark side is stronger than it has ever been. Once the Chancellor realizes I am no longer under his control, and that Anakin has been in contact with Maul, he may carry out his plan whether he has all the pieces in place or not. We have all the pieces we need here."
"That's right," continued Anakin, "my fleet is made up of the first generation of new ships in service of the Republic, faster and stronger than any other Republic fleet. The officers on board have been informed of our revelations and are with us. Maul and the Mandalorians are with us as well. We have the millions of Clones who no longer have the chips that fought the Separatists and the Sith Lords controlling them for three years and are loyal to the Jedi who have fought with them."
"We need support from your Senate," reminded Maul, "without the Senate, we just look like rebels."
"And not just the Senate, we need the support of the people above all else," added Plo Koon as he stroked his chin in thought.
For the first time all meeting, Saxon chimed in, "Lord Maul, perhaps we could broadcast the footage of Palpatine across the galaxy."
Maul's eyes lit up, "yes, that could work. But the people need to be told what it is and what it means. We need a poster boy, someone that the people can get behind."
"Skywalker," Yoda said.
"Yes master Yoda?"
"Be in the video, you must," Yoda said.
"Why me?" Asked Anakin, confused.
"Because after Palpatine, you are one of the most powerful people in the Republic," said Maul.
"Plus you have fought bravely throughout the Clone Wars. They don't call you 'the Hero with No Fear' for no reason. They admire you, and would respect your words. They don't trust the Jedi, but they trust the Supreme Commander."
"Sense a balance in you, I do. Not too much dark, not too much light. Leading us towards the next age, you are."
"It's like what Master Jinn's holocron said," realized Ahsoka, "having a balance of light and dark within you is what helps a force user surpass what is possible. Maul and I have been studying it, but Anakin is applying it."
"I agree with Ahsoka," said Obi-Wan, "every time the light gets powerful, the dark rises to meet it. I never realized this until now, but the force is like a pendulum."
"This is where the Jedi and Sith have failed," Maul exclaimed, as if he were a mad scientist and a theory had been confirmed, "the reliance on one side of the force is what drove each to fail!"
"Perhaps right, the late Qui-Gon was," admitted Master Yoda, "study his holocron, I must."
"I will appear in the video, but we need to gather the support of the Senate," Anakin said, changing the subject "the video won't be enough. We need senators to endorse our idea. Unfortunately, I can't return to Coruscant without the Chancellor getting suspicious. But I know someone I trust with the job," he said as he looked over at Ahsoka.
"Me?" Asked Ahsoka. "What about Obi-Wan?"
"Snips, I trust you more than anybody else and so does Padme. If anyone could deliver a message to her, you could."
"But the Republic has a warrant out for me," argued Ahsoka.
"Most Clone units in the capitol have been disabled, and I used my access codes to make the Coruscant Police droids give you an automatic bypass. The Coruscant Guard is the only Clone force you have to worry about."
"What do you want me to say to her?" Ahsoka asked, doubting if she was worthy of the job.
"I'll supply you a copy of the video," Maul said quickly, before Anakin could. He walked to a distant console and searched the drawers for a datachip.
Anakin watched Maul go and turned back to Ahsoka, "just show her the footage and tell her we have a plan in place, but she has to quietly gather support. It's imperative this news doesn't reach the Chancellor. We just need to make sure we have some Senators on standby incase we need them. Any armies or forces they can muster can be called on when we need them," Anakin explained.
"Little 'Soka," Plo Koon said fondly, "you may not be a Jedi, but we are putting our fate in your hands. It sounds like a lot, but we wouldn't trust anyone else with this task."
"Leaving the order, planned by the force, it was. The catalyst for a revolution, it is. See it now, we all do," Master Yoda explained as he hobbled around the table and closer to Ahsoka, grunting with each step.
"Okay, I'll try my best," Ahsoka said as she looked down at Yoda who frowned, she waved her hands apologetically, "I mean I'll do it! Don't say it Master Yoda, I know what you're going to say."
Yoda chuckled and turned to walk over to where Maul was who was having trouble finding a spare data chip. "Check the cabinet labelled data chips, did you?"
Maul emerged from the drawer and bumped his head on the table of the console, cursing to himself. "I'm glad I didn't grow up with you in the Jedi temple," Maul muttered as he opened the right drawer and grabbed a data chip.
Yoda chuckled, "Then decided, we have. No need to reconvene, there is. When Skywalker's fleet shows up above Coruscant, the signal to the Jedi, that will be. Call in all of our fleets, after that we will."
"Are you not staying here Master?" Anakin asked.
"For the first time in over a thousand years, prepare for the defense of the Jedi Temple, we must," Yoda said as he hobbled out of the room with Plo-Koon and Ahsoka following him.
"Is he always this strange," asked Saxon.
"You don't know the half of it," Obi-Wan sighed.
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A/N: Thanks for reading, these chapters are a little shorter just to condense the information within them and not rush things along. Next chapter, Ahsoka will be visiting with some senators plus much more.