A Practical Guide to Revenge
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I don't own the Galactic Republic, the Jedi or the Machiavellian plans of certain Dread Emperors and Empresses.
Note: Unlike previous updates, this chapter isn't inspired from a movie scene of the Star Wars universe. Hope you will enjoy it nonetheless.
"You asked me what I want. This once, just this once, I want us to win. To spit in the eyes of the Hashmallim. To trample the pride of these glorious, righteous princes. To scatter their wizards and make their oracles liars. Just to prove that it can be done. So that five hundred years from now, a band of heroes shiver in the dark of night. Because they know that no matter how powerful their sword or righteous their cause, there was once a time it wasn't enough. That even victories ordained by the Heavens can be broken by the will of men." Amadeus of the Green Stretch, the Black Knight, to Catherine Foundling.
One Year before the Republic's Fall
Core Worlds
Coruscant System
Coruscant
Sector S-6
Since becoming the Padawan of Master Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan had visited exactly two hundred and thirty-nine different planets, fifteen moons, three hundred and one space stations, and forty-six inhabited asteroid bases. Strong of these exciting – and sometimes violent – experiences, the young man who had once been born on the Colony world of Stewjon had long concluded there was no world like Coruscant.
On most worlds, the towering starscrapers would reach through the multiple layers of solid materials to reach the skies. Here they didn't. They were barely on level 4000, and the polluted atmosphere was not visible until you were far, far higher than their current location. The plates of metal above their heads made sure of that.
But then on most worlds, the crowds walking around them would represent a significant percentage of the planet's population. There had to be hundreds of thousands of intelligent beings, unofficial representatives of thousands of species like Twi'leks, Zabraks, Grans, Gamorreans and others the veteran Padawan had no idea what they were called, never mind the world they came from. It wasn't the truth here: billions if not trillions of citizens lived their live in the different sectors.
For all its acknowledged imperatives to recover the world with plates of metals and grey-coloured industrial pieces, the capital of the Galactic Republic truly allowed myriads of sentient species to meet each other, trade with each other, and do plenty of other activities impossible for them on their original homeworld.
It brought a lot of advantages. The cantinas he had seen so far were not exactly prime examples of luxury, but they had HoloNet access, and the owners of these places were not suffering from a lack of clients.
It also had drawbacks, and he wasn't dumb to miss them. Most of the walls between shops were chipped and tarnished, when the original colours weren't in worse condition. Whereas level 5000 would have seen thousands of traffic-regulation droids, policemen patrols, and gigantic panels of holo-ads, here they were rare and the clothes of the crowd around were definitely lacking this air of healthy life every person in and around the Temple considered for granted.
"Master,' Obi-Wan cleared his throat, "far from me to deny you the pleasure of this instructive walk, but you haven't said the reason why we had to urgently come in this Sector."
Especially as they had returned to Coruscant and the Temple less than twenty hours ago, and save a brief sleep rest and an even briefer moment of meditation, Master and Padawan hadn't exactly done anything...and this included the debriefing and the bureaucratic work of their last mission.
"Oh I didn't?" Master Qui-Gon answered, with one of those smiles which exasperated the different Councils of the Temple. "Strange, I was sure I did."
Somehow, Obi-Wan Kenobi was more and more convinced of the contrary.
"No, you didn't...Master."
The maverick Jedi Master caressed his beard for a few seconds as they fended the crowd incognito in their Corellian-bought clothes.
"I have received a message from an old friend. He advised me to go listen to an electoral meeting. As I'm sure you remember, the Senatorial elections for Coruscant and the Core are coming."
"I've not forgotten, Master Qui-Gon," it would have been quite a feat on his part, given how many political speeches were on the HoloNet these last days. "But if we wanted to assist to a political meeting, the Liberty Stadium is far closer to the Temple than Sector S-6."
And likely far better for the interest of the debates and the Senator candidates available, the Padawan didn't say aloud.
"True," conceded his teacher and mentor in the ways of the Force, "but I am not interested in listening to the praises and the propaganda of the Big Three."
Obi-Wan didn't express his surprise in a vocal manner, but the words were a bit troubling, no matter the reputation and attitude of his Master. Assuredly, the Padawan wasn't fond of the three most powerful political parties which had dominated the life of the Republic for the last five centuries – and this was a conservative estimation. The People's Social-Democrat Party of Supreme Chancellor Valorum wasn't exactly for the people or really democratic last time he'd checked, the Liberal Party had been rocked by countless corruption scandals this last year, and the Industrial League Party...well, at least it was honest in its thirst of power and greed. You couldn't really expect something else from Kuati nobles, after all.
But between them, they held over ninety percent of the Senatorial seats, making their domination of the Republic institutions a foregone conclusion.
"For all the value of listening to other parties' speeches, it is unlikely they will have an effect whatsoever on the electoral outcome." He told his Master as they entered a turbo-lift and descended one more level.
This time they were barely out of the first embranchment that Obi-Wan felt by the Force the mood of the crowds around him change. Where before the best description would have been 'bored' or 'apathetic', the humans and non-humans Republic citizens they were close to had a...an air of determination, expressions ranging from between angry and pleased.
This was not the Light Side fuelling these fires of the body and the mind. It was a violent passion, and a dark current, one both seductive and wrathful, had been summoned at the edge of his consciousness.
"Master..."
"Yes. Stay calm, and do not attract attention upon us. We are not going to intervene."
Finding the electoral gathering was not difficult, between the old-fashioned posters on the walls and the countless men and women distributing political leaflets to everyone. It gave him a name to place next to this Force-agitation: the Imperial Party.
"Isn't this faction forbidden to present candidates?" The Padawan asked once they were out of the supporters' hearing range. The Republic was extremely tolerant of its citizens' ideas, but the groups which openly told they wanted to overthrow the Senate were not going to be authorised to campaign.
"The Imperial Sovereign Party, the Imperial Revenge Party, and other variations of the same names are," the Jedi Master nodded, "but they were disbanded these last years, and their most conservative elements regrouped in this new party."
Whatever words exchanged next, they were lost in the tumult, as they entered a vast improvised electoral stadium. Obi-Wan winced as the rage and the explosive emotions thundered and went uncontrollable. It probably didn't help that the meeting distributed a lot of 'energetic' drinks, all of them heavily spiked with alcohol or similar substances.
The Imperial Party loved the black and red colour, that much was sure. The support messages painted by the spectators were flashing like red lights, and the whole ambiance gave it an unreal and sinister atmosphere, in his humble opinion.
And then the noises were silenced, as one journalist climbed several stairs to find himself facing the candidate of the Imperial Party.
"I feel I have to ask this question...do you hate the Jedi, Senator-Candidate Palpatine?
His interlocutor, a grey-haired man, didn't even pause or stopped smiling.
"Don't be ridiculous. The answer is obviously a no." There was a heartbeat of silence. It was sufficiently long for his head to feel hope, that the 'Imperial' factions were not as bad as he thought. "To hate someone, one should have to meet them or to suffer the consequences from their actions. I have never met a Jedi in my life. I have never heard of an investigation against the corrupt Senatorial practises which was led by the Jedi Order. I am less than fond of the so-called 'Jedi knights', but to have deeper feelings about them would require them to do something."
The HoloNet journalist was definitely ill-at-ease.
"This may be a...severe judgement. The Jedi Order is small and can't intervene in every Republican affair of importance."
"Of course not!" for some insane reason, the Senator-Candidate was genuinely sorry the other man could think that. "There are after all barely ten million Jedi in our fair Republic, assuming I've not memorised incorrect numbers. But."
"But?" And again, the crowd was suspended to the lips of the man, who for all his calm and charisma, didn't seem that great an orator.
"But why then were the Jedi knights so interested in intervening in the Alderaan succession, if they don't have time for Coruscanti politics?"
A torrent of applauses approved the point.
"The Alderaan Ascendency Question was resolved by the Jedi Order at the request of the Senate and the Supreme Chancellor!"
"And yet how extraordinary that House Organa, loyal supporters of Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum and the Jedi Temple, were chosen over House Antilles, which lacked these insignificant ties."
"You are accusing the Jedi and the Supreme Chancellor to have favoured their political supporters?"
"Goodness no!" The older politician's face was the picture of innocence. For some reason, it made Obi-Wan more wary of him, not less. "I am not accusing anyone. I have not the pockets filled of credits to resist counter-defamation procedures."
What was the goal of this Imperial politician? What game was he playing?
"Many spokesmen have proclaimed your goals are to bring down the Republic via these...unofficial accusations. That it is a way for you and your allies to compensate for your non-existent presence in the Senate."
"Nonsense. We are trying to inform the loyal citizens of the Republic of the corruption which has spread everywhere in the higher institutions of the Senate. Or do you think it was normal for the Senator of Ryloth to sell his own voters into slavery? Not that the successor Valorum approved isn't doing the same thing as we're speaking, but I suppose 'for the people' is a good slogan for electoral purposes and nowhere else, isn't it?"
"Republic HoloNet has proved your accusations are utterly baseless and most of your 'facts' were using doctored information."
"In this case, why did they bother changing of Senator? Innocents should not enjoy the legendary hospitality of the Republic penal facilities."
The thousands of humans cheered around Obi-Wan. The HoloNet journalist opposing the candidate of the Imperial Party began showing visible signs of annoyance.
"Do you think you would do better in these complicated circumstances? You, a supporter of the Revan ideology?"
The Jedi Padawan didn't need the Force to know the thirty-something man had made a grave mistake. On the HoloNet or on the higher levels of Coruscant, this salvo would have seen the accused targeted by a lot of disgusted voices.
But they weren't in front of the Big Three's favoured audiences.
"Revan." The infamous name was repeated with...respect. "Yes, I have read what few speeches and real history you've been unable to destroy and wipe out. And I won't deny the Imperial Party is based, at least in part, on ideas she pushed forwards four thousand years ago."
"That alone should see you disbanded, Palpatine!"
"Please," the older man's contempt could be literally tasted. "The fact you are unable to see the state of the galaxy from your ivory starscrapers does not mean we are forced to drink your poisons of delusion with you."
The fist of the Imperial politician struck the lectern with surprising strength.
"Catherine Foundling. Lady Revan. Empress Victorious the First. Three names for a single remarkable woman, who four thousand years ago, proved the Aurodium-hold of the Great Houses and the Senators was not as secure as they might think. The forty years of reforms which happened under her rule are the reason the Republic is not yet in an irredeemable state of decadence today!"
"The last of the Revan reforms have long been abolished!" his opponent bellowed.
"Just so," Palpatine conceded. "And we can only thank the Senate for doing so. Really, it's not like the Republican Army is entirely consisting of Kuat droids these days. The Republican Navy isn't filled to the brink with Fondor, Kuat and Corellian designs, the main centres of shipbuilding having ruined all their other competitors. The Trade Federation and their friends aren't mustering vast army of clone troopers to enforce their embargos and various economical slavery operations. Our Senators aren't caught in incredible and scandalous traffics of influence, bargaining their power for billions of credits."
The HoloNet journalist had no answers to counter this long tirade. Everything Palpatine had just said was 'not happening' was the ugly reality everyone lived into...Obi-Wan didn't know if the 'Revan reforms' would have managed to prevent these deeds, though. But the crowd, swallowing everything Palpatine said, was not sharing his doubts.
"Revan was a murderess, a psychopath who killed billions! She was a Sith!"
"And one of the fiercest proponents of the abolition of slavery across the Galactic Republic," Palpatine added sweetly. "Some of the current Senators should remember that, in their speeches."
"The truth is that you want to take power and you don't like when one remind her crimes!"
"The truth," the Imperial Party's candidate affirmed in an almost dreamy voice, "ah, the truth. The truth is that you are still afraid, after four thousand years, of the power of Revan. You are fearful of the revolution she created. Of the chains she broke. Of the victory she granted to the citizens you wanted to keep enslaved."
This was far too close to the Sith Code recited by Xanatos before his death for Obi-Wan to be comfortable with this kind of speech.
"You are utterly mad. These calls for a new revolution won't be tolerated by the Senate."
"Revolution?" Palpatine smiled. "No! I call for an election, one where the Social-Democrats don't cram irregular votes into the ballot boxes. I love democracy, and we, members of the Imperial Party, will fight for our fair Republic's Constitution if all parties do the same."
Obi-Wan knew before the last word was uttered that this man would not respect the Senate's rules if he was elected. But he wouldn't be. There was no way the citizens of Sector S-6 would vote for him.
And then thousands, no, tens of thousands of human mouths began to shout their support, louder and louder.
"PALPATINE! PALPATINE FOR SENATOR! PALPATINE FOR A NEW ORDER!"
Author's note: Tried something different than I used to with this one-shot. I hope the readers will appreciate. The Star Wars prequels are a rich universe full of possibilities for fanfiction myself. Perhaps I will one day do it the justice of a full timeline, there are incredible possibilities in this galaxy far, far away from ours.
The other links to the sites where I post my stories:
www. alternatehistory forum /threads /an-impractical-guide-to-the-force .499018/
www. p a treon Antony444
archiveofourown works /27421807 /chapters /67028977