Chapter 21: The Invisible Hand
*** 1 ***
Crusader came back the second day. He looked tired and anxious. Rackeli asked him what was troubling him, but he changed the topic.
He sat down in front of the computer. "I had better get busy. The protest will be in an hour. I talked to anti-war protesters about our bill. They were immediately in. All the groups will meet in front of the Senate. Actually, we are going to block the Chancellor's office and demand him to drop his opposition. The 'Jedi Cult' video is very popular. We are going to have a really large crowd. We the People are so fed up with the Jedi."
However, since Rackeli uploaded the video, she had started to have doubts. Was she really doing the right thing? A civil rights case had become a propaganda campaign against a well-respected organization. Well, at least it had been before the war.
Maybe she was too wrapped up in her resentment towards Obi-Wan and Palis.
"I am concerned. Maybe we should not do this-" She was interrupted by her colleague.
"There is no turning back now," Crusader cut her off. He sounded authoritative, like Anakin almost. "My boss said he would be responsible if anything bad happened."
Ironic, considering they were protesting against his father. "Where is Anakin, do you know?" she asked with concern. "Will he join us?"
"He said he would."
She felt relieved. Anakin was always true to his word. He had mentioned to her that Palpatine's attitude toward the bill had changed since the last time he had talked to him. Palpatine said he may throw his support behind it. It was a pleasant surprise to her. Interestingly, their movement was no longer divisive. What had changed?
"Then let us go." She led Crusader from her office with new determination.
She looked back to the office building thoughtfully. If they won this battle, this small workshop would be of little use for them. She appreciated the time the three of them spent here. She would even miss the arguments she had with Palis over the commlink.
Crusader was already a few meters ahead. She started to run to catch him up.
When they arrived at the Senate building, the protesters had already gathered in front of the grand entrance, holding signs. They also attached signs and slogans to the massive pillars.
Anakin was waiting for them in the building with a flat face. He wore civilian clothes, looking exhausted and withdrawn.
Each of them went through security checks, then they walked to the Chancellor's office quietly with other protestors following them. Some senatorial staff frowned at them. When they saw Anakin, they immediately put on smiling faces.
Anakin knocked on the Chancellor's office door. A few seconds later, a guard in red armor opened it. Anakin walked into the room by himself. A few protesters tried to follow, but Crusader blocked them and signaled everyone else to wait outside.
To everyone's surprise, Palpatine emerged from the office quickly with his son by his side. The crowd circled them immediately. Anakin frowned. Several reporters showed up from nowhere and squeezed themselves into the circle. All cameras were pointed at the Chancellor.
"My fellow Republic citizens," Palpatine apple with a hard voice, "I have to tell you that I am no fan of your video."
The tension in the hallway was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.
"But I heard your concerns." He changed to a soft tone. "I read the Freedom bill. I agree with many of your reform ideas. I am a father of a Force-sensitive son. This bill mattered to me on a personal level."
The crowd turned to Anakin. Several people gasped in surprise.
"Banning the Force-ability blood test entirely is not a good idea. I modified it. The blood test results will be saved in a database, which will be managed by the Chancellor's office," he announced with mild enthusiasm. "The Jedi Order cannot see the results until the Force-sensitive children reach the age that they are able to consent by themselves. For humans, like my son, it is ten. For certain species, such as Master Yoda's kind, it may mean more than 100. No more Force-sensitive child-soldiers, I assure you."
The group cheered. Anakin wore an emotionless expression, which confused Rackeli. He would be happy, right?
"The freedom of organizing and forming new Force-based religions will be granted, as long as they obey our laws. Soon, the Jedi Order will no longer dominate others." The Chancellor seemed very pleased. Anakin briefly showed a thin smile.
"Any former member of a recognized Force-based organization will automatically enjoy the full rights of a citizen."
"How about banning surveillance and discrimination of Force-sensitives, who are not members of Jedi?" a lawsuit plaintiff asked.
"Personally I like this idea, but we are a democracy. I will leave it to the Senate to debate about it. I heard some opposition from senators."
This confirmed her suspicions that senators were afraid of Force-sensitives.
"But rest be assured, a revised bill will pass. I will see to it." To her surprise, Palpatine looked into her eyes, and extended a hand. "Ms. Loo, I admire your leadership. The whole galaxy will be better off because of your tenacity and persistence."
She took his hand, and shook it firmly.
"Now you can go back to celebrate. I will have a moment with my son. I miss some family time." He put a hand on his son's shoulder. She heard Palpatine tell Anakin that Padme was waiting for them. They two disappeared in the hallway, with red guards trailing after them.
She felt refreshed. She thought she should be very excited, because Palpatine gave them his firm support. The Senate was extremely unlikely to stop it after they knew the Chancellor's position. It was indeed a time to celebrate.
This was the easiest protest she had ever organized or attended. Too easy. Their demands were met within an hour. It was like a political show. There was more than what met the eyes.
"Rackeli, let us have a drink," Crusader exclaimed. "All of us, let us go for a drink. Admiral Skywalker will foot the bill!"
The crowd cheered loudly. The reports took holos of the cheerful crowd.
As she walked out of the building, her commlink chipped with a news alert. Jedi Master and High Council member Mace Windu had issued a statement. He condemned not only the bill, but also Palpatine's overreach in Jedi's freedom of religion by breaking the tradition honored by all the Chancellors before him.
*** 2 ***
Padme made an appointment with Palpatine, wishing to discuss some political issues. She took Obi-wan's assignment seriously. If she was to observe Palpatine's interaction with his advisor Sate Pestage, she had to come back to Palpatine's inner cycle as she had done when she was a new senator.
Sate Pestage was a human male. He had served Palpatine from his days as a Senator from Naboo, and rose alongside him, becoming the galactic security advisor to Palpatine the Supreme Chancellor. From the Jedi Order's report, Palpatine gave him important assignments. When looking into some cases, the Jedi found Pestage involved in espionage, abduction, and murder. His methods were cruel and unusual, thus drawing the Jedi's attention. The Order planned to arrest him for further investigation.
Yet, these troubling incidents couldn't be directly linked to the Chancellor.
Unfortunately for Padme, her appointment with Palpatine turned into the First Family going shopping together for a whole afternoon. Quite unbelievable during wartime.
She at first refused, claiming public officials should stay focused on ending the war. But Palpatine insisted that a small break was justified. News of the victories in Outer Rim came one after another. The state-sponsored media already announced that total victory was within reach.
Spending time with Palpatine was not pleasant for her. But walking hand in hand with Anakin made her happy, even though her fiance was not exactly in a good mood.
They went to several high-end shops. In another time, Anakin would have loved to spend time shopping with her. He was not very interested in buying things for himself, but he always wanted to buy everything that Padme had shown an interest in. Today, he was different. He was lost in his thoughts and far too quiet.
She brought him to a skycar shop, which was his favorite. In the old times, he would talk enthusiastically about how the newest models were different from the older ones. To be honest, she did not understand half of what he talked about.
Now, she missed his excited chatter and hoped he could get better in a few days.
The next stop was a fancy tailor shop. The owner was a human male Palpatine's age. He greeted them with much respect.
"Your Excellency, what brings you here today?"
"My son and his fiancée are planning their wedding," Palpatine explained. "Anakin needs clothes other than his military uniform. By the way, your designs for the High Command were astounding. These uniforms were extremely popular among the public. We came back to you for the wedding attire."
The couple blushed. She and Anakin had decided that they would hold the wedding soon after the war ended.
"My son wears black well, but he needed to light up a little. We need something more celebrative."
"I can definitely make some hand embroidery, befitting the status of the First Family."
Padme wanted to say that they would not be the First Family after the war. Palpatine needed to resign from his office. They would be a normal high-society family, and spend more time on Naboo.
But, before she could say anything, Palpatine turned to her, speaking in a fatherly tone. "My dear, how about you having your measurements taken here? It would take quite some time if you need to travel back to Naboo to do the measurements, and take more time to make the dress. I already talked with your parents about the wedding planning. Go pick your favorite color and design. Don't tell Anakin what you choose."
Palpatine sometimes could be considerate. She appreciated this little surprise. On Naboo, it was tradition for the mother of the bride to prepare the dress, but the war called for a more efficient arrangement.
She surveyed around and picked ivory-colored lace and asked the tailor to make it a traditional Naboo style. She mentally pictured the way Anakin would react when he saw her at the wedding. It made her very happy.
It took quite some time to finish the measurements, then they went back to Palpatine's home to have a family dinner.
Servants brought several trays of traditional Naboo food including Padme's favorite Five-blossom bread. It paired well with the blossom wine from Palpatine's estate.
The three of them were chatting about unimportant matters, when Sate Pestage emerged from the door. The advisor spoke to Palpatine in a voice too low for Padme to hear what he said.
When he was about to leave, Padme took the opportunity to ask Pestage a question. If he was a Sith, he would have some reaction to what she was going to say.
"Sate, you must have heard the Chancellor's statement on the Force-sensitive bill. I am concerned about the Republic's security. It was very close to disbanding the Jedi Order, the backbone of our sovereignty and democracy. What do you think, Senior Advisor of Republic security?"
"I do not have a particular opinion on this topic. I will wait and see how the Jedi respond to it," Pestage said politely without any emotion. "Milady, I do not wish to interrupt your family time." He bowed to her and left.
Now she waited to see Palpatine's reaction.
Palpatine was indifferent to her statement. She tried another approach. "The Jedi have been serving the Republic for a thousand years. They sacrificed so many members in the war. At least, they deserve to be left alone."
"How about they leave everybody else alone?" Anakin refuted passionately.
She wished he would stop for just one moment. This wasn't about Anakin or his mad crusade. Ever since Palpatine was granted the latest emergency power, he had acted very boldly. Too boldly. Within a few days, he had already made many controversial policy changes and distorted the very constitution with a single stroke of his pen.
There was no pretense of reserve and humility anymore. He was the emperor without a crown.
"My dear, most of your colleagues would disagree with you. We must listen to the people." He put on the fatherly look again.
She found the "listen to the people" incredibly thorny. She wanted to say that the senators were fed up by the Senate surveillance program, and the misinformation on the state-sponsored and censored media. Thus they wrongfully blamed the Jedi for everything. But she controlled her anger. It did not help her with her mission.
She concluded that her Sith investigation strategy was futile, regarding Palpatine and his advisor. Worse, it had angered Anakin, which she had no intention to do again.
"Okay. I am not going to bring up this topic again. Anakin, you can celebrate your victory. I will not bark at you." She forced a smile.
"Let us talk about wedding planning," Palpatine changed the topic.
They spent half an hour discussing the planning. Only she and Palpatine were speaking. Anakin focused on his food and stayed quiet. Probably his mood problem affected him again. She felt sorry for him.
Suddenly, the window shattered. The security alarm blared. Palpatine's guard dashed into the room. The infamous cyborg General Grievous emerged with his four lightsabers all lit up. His shuttle floated outside the window.
Anakin already stood in front of her, his blaster in hand. "General, you are outnumbered by the senate guards. We had already set up special plans to handle you. We are prepared for today. Surrender now."
With Grievous distracted, Padme took out her hidden blaster, shooting straight at the general's naked eyes. Her aim was off. The bolt skidded across his metal skull.
Grievous hissed. With a swift move, one of his lightsabers reached the striking range of Palpatine.
"Didn't you see that I can kill your father with a simple strike of my saber?" Grievous touted. "Then I can resolve our old business, brat. There is no Jedi here to save you."
Anakin was about to say something. Palpatine signaled to him to stop. "What do you want?"
"The First Family of the Republic will pay a visit to the Confederacy's flagship. My Lord Dooku is waiting for all of you on the Invisible Hand . You will issue a surrender to the Confederacy."
All the sparks came back to Anakin's eye. "In your dreams!" He pulled a grenade, seemingly from nowhere, and cocked his arm back to throw. Palpatine stopped him with a simple gesture.
"Don't be hasty, son. We will talk to the Count. I believe he will surrender instead." Palpatine tried to stay calm, but Padme could tell that he was nervous.
"You are wiser than your brat." Grievous pushed Palpatine to the window. Padme and Anakin followed reluctantly. Anakin eyed her, quietly telling her not to worry.
Once they boarded the Invisible Hand , they were thrown into three separate cells, with binders on their wrists. Padme kicked the guard droid when it was cuffing her. Unfortunately, she was subdued quickly.
Anakin broke a droid's neck with his hands tied. But a more advanced droid poked him with a glowing staff. Anakin groaned and fell down on the ground.
Palpatine was the first to be taken out of the cell by Grievous. Anakin cursed Grievous, other than that he did not do anything drastic.
A few minutes later, a super battle droid came. Anakin seemed to have recovered mostly from the staff hit. He looked into her eyes when he was ushered out. "I will come back. Trust me," he called to her, earning him a push from the droid.
Padme's heart sank. There was no escape for him this time. Dooku and Grievous both could kill him easily. Based on his past experience, they were more than willing to do so.
They indeed had no Jedi help today. Instead, they had Palpatine, a helpless old man. What good could come out of this?
*** 3 ***
Dooku's ship was completely operated by droids which made Vader's escape easier. He could do whatever he wanted without resulting in blood and screams.
Once Vader was out of Padme' sight, he used the Force to push the super battle droid to the wall. Grievous had taken his blaster and other weapons away, but he didn't know he had a lightsaber hidden. The metal parts were scattered in different pockets. The crystal was hidden behind his rank insignia.
He held out his right hand and made a grasping motion. The metal pieces flew toward his hand, swirling around the crystal. A few seconds later, a lightsaber was in his hand. A scarlet beam burst into life. He cut off the binder and destroyed the droid. As more droids closed in, he used his lightsaber to deflect a number of blaster shots.
There were too many droids. He became impatient with cutting them apart. With an explosion of Force energy, he blew up all the incoming droids. Then he turned the saber off and ran.
He could sense that both Sidious and Dooku were on the observation deck. He didn't doubt his Master's ability to handle Dooku. But, as the Sith Apprentice, it was his duty to deal with such a threat.
Upon his arrival, he saw Dooku kneeling before Sidious, who was sitting in the commander's chair. Grievous stood behind the Count, in a submissive post.
"My Master, I am delivering the Republic's victory to you. Our Empire is rising," Dooku said with reverence.
Vader felt he was electrified by lightning. No, being hit by lightning would feel better. Sidious and Dooku must have had some communication and made a deal at some point during the war. However, maybe Dooku was pretending and playing some game here.
Vader pressed the ignite button and held the blade in an offensive position.
Seeing Vader, Dooku tensed. He turned back to Sidious. "You had promised before that I could fight this boy and take his life whenever he and I met. Today I will prevail."
"Only one Apprentice can leave here alive," Sidious pronounced with an authoritative voice. "The stronger one of you is worthy to rule the Galaxy by my side. Grievous, leave us."
"It will be me," Vader declared with fury. He was ready to end this pathetic former Jedi once and for all. He had a lot of questions to ask his Master after Dooku was dead.
"I am much more powerful than you, old man."
Dooku ignited his saber in response. He held the initiating position of Jedi Form II Makashi. "Kid, show me your feeble skills then."
Dooku was a fencer, and fought with ease. He could easily exploit opponents' weakness in defense without spending too much of his own energy. Vader himself had the advantage of physical strength and a more powerful connection with the Force. Most importantly, through these years, his fighting style incorporated schools of combative techniques outside the Jedi or Sith Orders. His strategy against Dooku was to exhaust the old man's strength by forcing him to counter Vader's aggressive moves.
Because of his rage and fury, Vader had an unusually clear premonition during this battle. As he anticipated, Dooku threw a bolt of lightning at him. He held the lightsaber with both hands. With a swiping move, he used the lightsaber to deflect and throw the lightning back to his adversary.
Dooku fended off the attack with some hard effort. He looked surprised but still unflinching.
Vader charged at him with his full strength. They exchanged quite a few blows, with their blades clashing and hissing loudly.
Eventually, the two scarlet blades locked to each other. The impassive expression completely evaporated from Dooku's face. Panic started to take over.
"Besides dirty trickery, what do you have, old man?" Vader taunted.
Dooku did not answer, instead, he clenched his left fist and used the Force to choke Vader.
Vader's vision started to grey, but he wasn't done yet. As he sank to his knees, he hurled his lightsaber like a spear. At the same time, he shot a bolt of lighting toward Dook's outstretched hand. The lightning bolt hit Dooku's left hand just as the lightsaber cut through the flesh of his right arm.
Dooku hissed in pain, with his lightsaber falling to the ground. Vader called both lightsabers to his hands, then held them next to the former Jedi's neck like a pair of scissors.
"What do you want me to do, Master?" Vader asked with cruelty.
"Do whatever you want, Lord Vader," Sidious answered with a laugh.
Dooku was too panicked to speak, but his eyes begged for mercy.
But Vader had no mercy for him.
He beheaded Dooku with one quick move, then turned off both lightsabers. He felt his strength leave his body rapidly as the adrenaline was used up. He looked at Sidious and knelt before him, both showing respect and recharging his energy.
"Master, it was done," Vader said with exhaustion.
"Raise, Lord Vader, you have proved yourself as a worthy Apprentice, just as I foresaw." Sidious surveyed Vader's face with intensity. "I sensed confusion in you."
"Yes, Master. I am confused. You are working with Dooku. I did not know this." Vader stood up and looked straight into Sidious's eye, which earned him a frown.
"My Apprentice, you were too young to know everything. The less you know, the safer for the Sith Order and our grand plan."
"I have questions," Vader said with defiance.
"Don't be resentful. It is unbecoming of you," Sidious said sternly. "You will understand soon."
It was his Master's way to demand that he stop asking questions. He was not happy about it, but he nonetheless obeyed.
"How could we explain this?" He gestured at Dooku's headless body.
'Easy." Sidious took off his commlink, he spoke with his Sith voice. "General Grievous, come back."
Grievous emerged from the blaster door immediately and knelt in front of his new master.
"You are the leader of the Confederacy now. You defeated the traitor Count Dooku, when he tried to sell out the Confederacy's interests. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my Master," Grievous answered obediently. Clearly, it was not the first time Sidious had communicated with the cyborg in his Sith role.
"Now leave us. I would like to have a moment of privacy with my Apprentice," the Sith Master commanded.
Vader finally had the chance to look outside the viewport of the ship. The dark sky was lit up by hundreds of fighters shooting at the Invisible Hand. The ship had a strong shield, otherwise, they would have been shot down. Vader sensed a Jedi boarding party was arriving.
"Son, set the ship to self-destruct. Ten minutes countdown. Get your girl, then we will take an escape pod and leave. We will go back to the Senate. There is so much work to do." Palpatine returned to his Chancellor's role, speaking with his political tone.
As Vader set up the self-destruct, an idea struck him. He quietly downloaded the data that contained the security recording of the observation deck. Then he ran to the detention center to rescue Padme.
Soon after their escape pods were ejected, the Invisible Hand exploded. Grievous and whichever Jedi rescue party had landed on the ship must be dead.
The three of them came all the way back to the Senate docking bay uneventfully. Padme nuzzled at Vader's neck. She didn't know a thing about what had happened during the past couple of hours.
Hundreds of senators were looking into the nightly sky with planetary shields protecting them. The falling remains of the Invisible hand became a magnificent meteor shower. When they finally landed, the crowd cheered, and dozens of reporters rushed to set up their equipment.
Palpatine spoke to reporters about how the two leaders of Separatists had fought each other, believing they were the rightful ruler of the Galaxy. It was another story of evil people infighting and defeating themselves.
"The war has not ended yet. It is the time to deal with the Separatists remnant with our full strength. The Jedi Council will send the most skilled knights to hunt down other Separatists leaders," Palpatine finished his speech.
Padme seemed extremely uncomfortable with his announcement. Her grip on Vader's hand turned painful.
"Anakin, I have to do something about this. Politically ," she whispered to him. "I love you, you must have faith in me."
He nodded halfheartedly, which seemed to surprise Padme. She must have expected a hot argument, but he was too tired and confused to say anything.
"Son, congratulations. The Children of Force Freedom Act will have a full-floor debate starting in an hour. It is just procedural. A vote had already been scheduled. No doubt it will pass. Then I will sign it tomorrow morning with the public witness." His voice showed a hint of triumph. "It will be a special moment for the galaxy. You know what I mean."
Vader nodded. It meant it was the end of the Jedi Order, one way or another.
"Now have some rest, you young couple. Son," Palpatine snagged Anakin's arm as they turned to go, "you come to my office at sunset tomorrow. I have a very important task for you.