Author's note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Unfortunately, I can't seem
to sort out the layout. The gaps I put between scenes on Microsoft Word
don't show up here! Oh well, try again.
If there's any Star Wars terminology someone can't understand, please mention in a review and I'll make sure I explain it when I do the next chapter.
Death of diplomacy
A wave of intense unpleasantness ran through Anakin as he sat down on his bed. He was alone in the humble room, which was devoid of material possessions except for a chair, a small wardrobe and the bed.
He had felt something awful had just happened, and something even worse was about to be conceived. A cold chill reverberated through him like the icy particles of a Hoth blizzard.
The automatic door to his room opened. Qui-Gon soundlessly entered and watched his apprentice tremble like a leaf.
"Are you okay, Ani?"
Anakin turned to face his Master, his young features framed with worry, "I.I just heard voices crying out. In pain".
Qui-Gon nodded, "I sensed something too".
Obi-Wan entered as well, "We all did".
Coruscant was the undisputed core of the Galactic Republic. The vast planet was just one great metropolis. From the dangerous and derelict under levels rose great metal skyscrapers, that thrust into the air for many miles.
On these levels of the skyscrapers resided the wealthy, both honourable and corrupt. Sky lanes were filled with speeders shooting past the encompassing structures that absorbed the planet.
The most important buildings were prominent features amongst the endless sea of towers. The Senate Hall and Chambers was a gargantuan flat-topped steel dome, smooth and sleek. The Jedi Temple was a pyramid, and rising from it were four towers. The Coruscant Embassy consisted of an elaborate set of undulating and sinuous steeples.
For newcomers, Coruscant was a breathtaking spectacle. For some, it was a representative of the Republic's wealth and power at its peak. A few loathed its grey, artificial environment. But whether or not an individual was well opposed to it, none could deny it was an awesome sight.
From the highest room in the Senate Chambers, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic paced back and forth in his office. The art décor in the room was simplistic, the crimson walls plain and the grey floor unelaborated.
Chancellor Palpatine was an aged man with thinning grey hair. His face was creased by lines of both elderliness and concern. He was dressed in a turquoise cape and corset with golden brooches. He ceased pacing and sat behind his desk, contemplating he news he had recently received.
Six guards stood motionless and noiseless at different points in the room. They were draped in scarlet robes from the neck down to their feet. They donned a helmet of the same colour that covered all of the face except for a thin slit that was the visor. Each carried a steel forcepike, a long staff with a lethal, pointed end that could expel deadly amounts of targeted electricity. No one except for Palpatine himself knew of his bodyguard's origins.
The automatic door opened and two beings entered. One was tall and striking, the other not so.
The former was Jedi Master Mace Windu. He was a tall, dark-skinned man with a shaved head and penetrating eyes, smooth-faced despite his many years of tireless dedication as a senior member of the Jedi Council. He was considered one of the galaxy's finest warriors.
The second was also a senior Jedi Council member, but his appearance was remarkably different. Jedi Master Yoda was not much taller than two feet. His green skin was wrinkled and creased. His oval head projected two pointy ears, and large, half-closed eyes held within endless wisdom. A few white hairs sprouted from his scalp. In one gnarled, three-fingered hand he carried a walking stick. But Yoda was not as decrepit as appearances suggested.
Although the ancient alien was over eight centuries old, his mastery of the Force and skill with a lightsaber was unparalleled in all of the ten thousand strong Jedi Order.
Palpatine smiled briefly at the two, then gestured for his guards to leave. They did so silently and swiftly. Yoda and Windu sat on two small chairs facing the Chancellor's desk.
Palpatine leaned forward, "Master Jedi, I thank you for arriving so promptly at such short notice. I felt it necessary that you see this", he activated a large view screen on the wall facing him.
The two Jedi turned to face it as a crystal clear image appeared on it.
It was that of a creature known as a gran. Dressed in formal wear, the being was obviously in a state of panic. Its wrinkly hands fidgeted, its breathing was laboured, an elongated snout ended in a chattering jaw and its three eyestalks that protruded from its bald head darted about nervously as he spoke.
"This is Prime Minister Elbo Pascon contacting the Supreme Chancellor on Coruscant. Chancellor, Cornellia is under attack!" an off screen commotion caused the gran to look up, but he quickly diverted his attention back again, "All communications have been jammed, but they have not managed to locate this secret channel. A battle droid army is overrunning the entire city of Penjiralmark and are invading the."
There was a hideous roar of metal being pounded on metal, and it became apparent that a locked door had been forced down. The Prime Minister uttered a bleat of fright as four super battle droids stormed into view and unleashed a hellish barrage of blaster bolts from their wrist guns. The gran fell, smashing into the view screen and ending the transmission.
Mace Windu stroked his chin, deep in thought. Yoda glanced at him, then spoke in a gravely, lilting voice.
"Surprising, it is, that the Jedi could not foresee this".
Palpatine did not respond to Yoda's comment, he merely sighed and said, "I received this transmission three hours ago. My council of most trusted Senators agreed you should be notified immediately".
Windu looked at the Chancellor, "It is obvious that something must be done immediately", he stated firmly.
"Yes, but what? We have no idea how large that battle droid army is, or even whom it is committing these crimes. It must be a merchant organization, one of the Separatists, like the Trade Federation or Corporate Alliance or."
"The Commerce Guild", Windu cut in.
Palpatine looked like he had been struck by an angry wampa's paw, "That's.sensational. How did you know that?"
"One of the Jedi Council had scant evidence that a fleet was massing on the Outer Rim, but it was not enough to confirm anything", Windu looked at Yoda, "We did not act fast enough".
"Compensate for this flaw, we must", was the elder Jedi's response.
"Let us not be too hasty", gathering up his robes, Palpatine rose abruptly, "I have called for a session of the Senate so as to inform all of this tragic update".
The politician walked away briskly, followed by the two Jedi.
The drab, grey corridors of the Cornellian House of Parliament were treated to an unusual sight. Motionless formations of battle droids were passed by a tall, broad figure as it made its way to the Prime Minister's office. It got halfway when an elaborately dressed man and a battle droid with yellow markings came forward to greet it.
"General Toraq, you have arrived", Harak Rogue grinned and thrust a hand forward in welcome.
The grin faded when he got a good look at Toraq. He was a trandoshan, a reptilian species with some basic and primeval instincts. His scaly head had a protruding toothy snout with a fiendish sneer on it and two sunken- back eyes. Two clawed hands flexed restlessly, as if yearning for the grip of some horrific weapon.
There was certainly no shortage of those. Slung around the trandoshan's back was a huge blaster rifle. Several smaller laser pistols were half- concealed in leather holsters that were attached to a utility belt. Attached to this in addition were spare blaster power cells and several proton grenades. Donning a light and flexible but strong armour suit, General Toraq was an intimidating sight.
The trandoshan briefly shook Rogue's hand with an intense, painful grip and then smiled, revealing all of his foul fangs, "It is obvious that the codes I sent you were correct", he hissed.
Rogue regained himself and nodded, "They were. The communication disruption was successful, not a single message got out", without warning, a previously unthought-of fear nagged at the man, "Unless.unless there was a secret channel they did not tell you about."
Toraq dismissed it with a wave of his thick arm, "I was General of the Cornellian army for seventeen standard years. The government gave me access to every single channel until I was.removed from my post for manslaughter. The beauty of it is they forgot to reposses the codes off me", the burly reptile let rip with a harsh, roaring laugh".
"Quite", Rogue replied in an offhand manner, attempting to regain control of the situation, "You will have to wait for your reward, General, but when it comes it will be staggering".
"It better not be too long", Toraq snarled.
"It won't be", OOL-2 intoned, "Already, worker droids are establishing building sites for battle droid factories. The Separatist Union has already triumphed".
If there's any Star Wars terminology someone can't understand, please mention in a review and I'll make sure I explain it when I do the next chapter.
Death of diplomacy
A wave of intense unpleasantness ran through Anakin as he sat down on his bed. He was alone in the humble room, which was devoid of material possessions except for a chair, a small wardrobe and the bed.
He had felt something awful had just happened, and something even worse was about to be conceived. A cold chill reverberated through him like the icy particles of a Hoth blizzard.
The automatic door to his room opened. Qui-Gon soundlessly entered and watched his apprentice tremble like a leaf.
"Are you okay, Ani?"
Anakin turned to face his Master, his young features framed with worry, "I.I just heard voices crying out. In pain".
Qui-Gon nodded, "I sensed something too".
Obi-Wan entered as well, "We all did".
Coruscant was the undisputed core of the Galactic Republic. The vast planet was just one great metropolis. From the dangerous and derelict under levels rose great metal skyscrapers, that thrust into the air for many miles.
On these levels of the skyscrapers resided the wealthy, both honourable and corrupt. Sky lanes were filled with speeders shooting past the encompassing structures that absorbed the planet.
The most important buildings were prominent features amongst the endless sea of towers. The Senate Hall and Chambers was a gargantuan flat-topped steel dome, smooth and sleek. The Jedi Temple was a pyramid, and rising from it were four towers. The Coruscant Embassy consisted of an elaborate set of undulating and sinuous steeples.
For newcomers, Coruscant was a breathtaking spectacle. For some, it was a representative of the Republic's wealth and power at its peak. A few loathed its grey, artificial environment. But whether or not an individual was well opposed to it, none could deny it was an awesome sight.
From the highest room in the Senate Chambers, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic paced back and forth in his office. The art décor in the room was simplistic, the crimson walls plain and the grey floor unelaborated.
Chancellor Palpatine was an aged man with thinning grey hair. His face was creased by lines of both elderliness and concern. He was dressed in a turquoise cape and corset with golden brooches. He ceased pacing and sat behind his desk, contemplating he news he had recently received.
Six guards stood motionless and noiseless at different points in the room. They were draped in scarlet robes from the neck down to their feet. They donned a helmet of the same colour that covered all of the face except for a thin slit that was the visor. Each carried a steel forcepike, a long staff with a lethal, pointed end that could expel deadly amounts of targeted electricity. No one except for Palpatine himself knew of his bodyguard's origins.
The automatic door opened and two beings entered. One was tall and striking, the other not so.
The former was Jedi Master Mace Windu. He was a tall, dark-skinned man with a shaved head and penetrating eyes, smooth-faced despite his many years of tireless dedication as a senior member of the Jedi Council. He was considered one of the galaxy's finest warriors.
The second was also a senior Jedi Council member, but his appearance was remarkably different. Jedi Master Yoda was not much taller than two feet. His green skin was wrinkled and creased. His oval head projected two pointy ears, and large, half-closed eyes held within endless wisdom. A few white hairs sprouted from his scalp. In one gnarled, three-fingered hand he carried a walking stick. But Yoda was not as decrepit as appearances suggested.
Although the ancient alien was over eight centuries old, his mastery of the Force and skill with a lightsaber was unparalleled in all of the ten thousand strong Jedi Order.
Palpatine smiled briefly at the two, then gestured for his guards to leave. They did so silently and swiftly. Yoda and Windu sat on two small chairs facing the Chancellor's desk.
Palpatine leaned forward, "Master Jedi, I thank you for arriving so promptly at such short notice. I felt it necessary that you see this", he activated a large view screen on the wall facing him.
The two Jedi turned to face it as a crystal clear image appeared on it.
It was that of a creature known as a gran. Dressed in formal wear, the being was obviously in a state of panic. Its wrinkly hands fidgeted, its breathing was laboured, an elongated snout ended in a chattering jaw and its three eyestalks that protruded from its bald head darted about nervously as he spoke.
"This is Prime Minister Elbo Pascon contacting the Supreme Chancellor on Coruscant. Chancellor, Cornellia is under attack!" an off screen commotion caused the gran to look up, but he quickly diverted his attention back again, "All communications have been jammed, but they have not managed to locate this secret channel. A battle droid army is overrunning the entire city of Penjiralmark and are invading the."
There was a hideous roar of metal being pounded on metal, and it became apparent that a locked door had been forced down. The Prime Minister uttered a bleat of fright as four super battle droids stormed into view and unleashed a hellish barrage of blaster bolts from their wrist guns. The gran fell, smashing into the view screen and ending the transmission.
Mace Windu stroked his chin, deep in thought. Yoda glanced at him, then spoke in a gravely, lilting voice.
"Surprising, it is, that the Jedi could not foresee this".
Palpatine did not respond to Yoda's comment, he merely sighed and said, "I received this transmission three hours ago. My council of most trusted Senators agreed you should be notified immediately".
Windu looked at the Chancellor, "It is obvious that something must be done immediately", he stated firmly.
"Yes, but what? We have no idea how large that battle droid army is, or even whom it is committing these crimes. It must be a merchant organization, one of the Separatists, like the Trade Federation or Corporate Alliance or."
"The Commerce Guild", Windu cut in.
Palpatine looked like he had been struck by an angry wampa's paw, "That's.sensational. How did you know that?"
"One of the Jedi Council had scant evidence that a fleet was massing on the Outer Rim, but it was not enough to confirm anything", Windu looked at Yoda, "We did not act fast enough".
"Compensate for this flaw, we must", was the elder Jedi's response.
"Let us not be too hasty", gathering up his robes, Palpatine rose abruptly, "I have called for a session of the Senate so as to inform all of this tragic update".
The politician walked away briskly, followed by the two Jedi.
The drab, grey corridors of the Cornellian House of Parliament were treated to an unusual sight. Motionless formations of battle droids were passed by a tall, broad figure as it made its way to the Prime Minister's office. It got halfway when an elaborately dressed man and a battle droid with yellow markings came forward to greet it.
"General Toraq, you have arrived", Harak Rogue grinned and thrust a hand forward in welcome.
The grin faded when he got a good look at Toraq. He was a trandoshan, a reptilian species with some basic and primeval instincts. His scaly head had a protruding toothy snout with a fiendish sneer on it and two sunken- back eyes. Two clawed hands flexed restlessly, as if yearning for the grip of some horrific weapon.
There was certainly no shortage of those. Slung around the trandoshan's back was a huge blaster rifle. Several smaller laser pistols were half- concealed in leather holsters that were attached to a utility belt. Attached to this in addition were spare blaster power cells and several proton grenades. Donning a light and flexible but strong armour suit, General Toraq was an intimidating sight.
The trandoshan briefly shook Rogue's hand with an intense, painful grip and then smiled, revealing all of his foul fangs, "It is obvious that the codes I sent you were correct", he hissed.
Rogue regained himself and nodded, "They were. The communication disruption was successful, not a single message got out", without warning, a previously unthought-of fear nagged at the man, "Unless.unless there was a secret channel they did not tell you about."
Toraq dismissed it with a wave of his thick arm, "I was General of the Cornellian army for seventeen standard years. The government gave me access to every single channel until I was.removed from my post for manslaughter. The beauty of it is they forgot to reposses the codes off me", the burly reptile let rip with a harsh, roaring laugh".
"Quite", Rogue replied in an offhand manner, attempting to regain control of the situation, "You will have to wait for your reward, General, but when it comes it will be staggering".
"It better not be too long", Toraq snarled.
"It won't be", OOL-2 intoned, "Already, worker droids are establishing building sites for battle droid factories. The Separatist Union has already triumphed".