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Phase 3
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Part 5
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The Royal House of Naboo vs. The Trade Federation, round three! Senator Greejatus filled the documents to sue the Trade Federation for damage caused during the Invasion of Naboo!
GNN
Chancellor Palpatine met with the Hero of the Republic, Commander Terrinald Screed! Is this a sign that the Chancellor will back the formation of an anti-piracy force in the Senate?
Holonet News
Jedi Master Dooku is yet to condemn the Senate and Jedi Order again after meeting with Chancellor Palpatine! Sanity prevails!
Galactic City News
Senator Chappel, representing the Tashdor Sector in the Outer Rim Territories, proclaims official support for a Republic anti-piracy force. She vowed to introduce a bill in the Senate to expand the Judicial Forces to include an anti-piracy force to restore security in the Outer Rim! In the past year, the systems in the Tashdor Sector have suffered greatly from piracy, and the Trade Federation has proven incapable of restoring security in the region.
GNN Galactic News Today
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Chancellor's office
Palace of the Republic
Coruscant
I've been the Chancellor for less than a month now. And I was already getting sick of spending most of my time either stuck in my residence in the palace or the Senate Building. On the contrary, the few official functions I attended all over Galactic City did little to improve my mood. If it weren't for Sly providing a delightful and constructive way to deal with the constant frustrations that came with the job, I would already be fit to be tied.
It was darkly amusing to think that even Palpatine, who should have known better, wasn't fully prepared for what the job entailed. I should know. I had the bastard's memories. By now, I was convinced that the man would be ready to burn the galaxy down out of sheer spite in a decade or two. In hindsight, that would explain much of what I could recall from the original timeline's future.
In practice, I needed to alter specific plans and find more ways to keep myself sane. Realistically, doing so required some risks that might be too reckless. Yet, there was no point in going for Emperor, only to become an insane caricature of everything I believed in due to the strain and frustration I already felt.
Dooku was key. The faster I could get him on board, the better. As a bonus, if my new rough plan panned out, I would have great fun trolling the Jedi and many new ways of subverting the Order. Sadly, I had to wait for Dooku to leave the Order. Until then, ravaging Sly in novel and creative ways would have to do as stress relief.
"Your next meeting is ready, Chancellor!" My new secretary announced.
Sate vetted her, ensuring she didn't have outside loyalties. Jena Kole was a middle-aged Corellian veteran from the Judicial Forces. She lost a leg and retired from service in the same campaign that saw Terrinald lose his eye, becoming a hero in the process. Needless to say, she came in highly recommended by Screed. As a bonus, her time as a junior staff officer prepared her to deal with tons of paperwork. A second bonus was she was a trained and experienced officer. Thus, she could act as an unofficial adviser in that role and eventually deal with various military-related issues for my office.
In that regard, both Sate and Terrinald went above and beyond to find me such a diamond in the rough.
"Let him in." I gestured, shoving aside everything on the holographic screen above my desk.
Even with the Senate between sessions and delayed due to the Core Faction's issues, I still had tons of paperwork to attend, coming from other branches of the government that still worked. In this case, I had over a hundred approved proposals for charity funding to review and either stamp or veto. Not being an idiot, I naturally had to read at least a summary of the damn things made by my legal staff before signing off on them. The good news on that front was that most grant requests never reached my office, no matter if they were approved by the relevant committees and other government agencies. Only those requiring the release of sufficient funds crossed my desk. Nowadays, that is anything over twenty million credits. For reference, that was about a third of the price of a brand-new Venator Star Destroyer. Granted, that was a bleeding-edge model and one of the options I needed to approve as a part of the Clone Army by the end of next year at the latest.
Armand Isard walked confidently into my office, wearing plain civilian clothes. He was another ally who wanted to see strong and effective leadership grasp the reins of the Republic and make it work.
"Chancellor, how can the SIB help you today?" He asked.
"It's not the SIB I need help with, at least not today. I need a new director of Republic Intelligence. Someone who knows what they're doing and willing to reform the damn organization so it can be useful. Do you know someone like that?"
"I'm all ears, Chancellor. What exactly do you require?"
"For someone to clean up house and bring back the organization to what it was during its height in ages past."
"I am ready to serve," Armand noted.
That was one of the reasons I liked him. He was a no-nonsense man who didn't speak much, but he had something of value to say when he did. After hearing the droning on and on from all kinds of politicians for weeks now, such a thing was something I greatly appreciated."
I looked at the stack of data pads and data chips on my desk until I found the right one. Another tedious biometric scan followed before I could open the necessary files and load them into my workstation.
A decree dismissing the current Director, an Alsakan's creature, came up, followed by another, assigning a new one. Fortunately, that bunch wasn't my allies yet, so for the time being, I had no qualms about stepping on their feet. I finished signing the documents and stood up.
"Armand Isard, do you solemnly swear to discharge the Director of Republic Intelligence duties to the best of your abilities? Do you swear to protect the Republic's integrity against all external and domestic enemies?"
It was all for show. I knew, however, it was something that Armand would appreciate.
Isard stood at attention, and a rare smile graced his face as he repeated the oath of office. I offered him the data pad, and he signed it, officially becoming the new Director of Republic Intelligence.
"You have your orders, my friend."
"What are my goals after I clean up house and restore the organization's operational capabilities?" Armand asked.
"I need you to focus on two issues. First, find all you can on the pirates attempting to strangle our economy. Second, find where all the bodies are buried and who buried them. It might take us decades. However, we will clean up the coruption choking the Republic and give this galaxy the leadership it deserves."
A brief, vicious smile flashed over Armand's face.
"I'll make sure of it, Chancellor." He saluted and left with a spring in his step.
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Part 6
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Chancellor Palpatine dismissed the Director of Republic Intelligence over incompetence relating to the Naboo crisis and the piracy in the Outer Rim Territories! An SIB agent, Armand Isard, is the new Director of Republic Intelligence!
Holonet News
Senator Glinda from Alsakan voiced concerns over the change in Republic Intelligence leadership.
GNN Morning News
Rendili StarDrive announced it could not complete many construction contracts on time and within the negotiated price. The reason cited is the reduced flow of resources and the increased cost of raw materials. Economic recession is now likely inevitable.
Galactic Finances Magazine
Senate will hold an emergency session to discuss the Republic's economy tomorrow.
GNN
Serapin Energy Authority announces an increased price of energy deliveries. Trade disruption and a sharp rise in prices will lead to a delay in replacing older energy repositories. This will limit Serapin's energy exports and increase costs for the next two months until the repository replacement cycle is complete.
Galactic Finances Magazine
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Senate Chamber
Senate Building
Coruscant
It was a good thing that compared to the person I was as Sidious, I no longer expected I could control the galaxy's fate by myself. Otherwise, recent events would have infuriated me more than their direct consequences.
Who knew a few butterflies would cause tons of people to speculate to make quick cash, which would plunge the economy into recession? I certainly didn't intend for that to happen, though the resulting instability could help me push for specific goals.
Amusingly enough, the Core Faction still needed a leader. Sate reported that at least five groups within it were at a deadlock, refusing to bulge. After Antilles, no one wanted to risk a wild card in the leadership position. Yet, at the same time, there was no compromise candidate.
This created a power vacuum I would have to fill while trying to present myself as a competent and reasonable Chancellor.
"We will have order!" Amedda blustered. I didn't envy his position. As the Vice Chair, it was his cursed job to try and corral the thousands of Senators around us into behaving.
Instead of quieting down, the noise levels increased as at least thirty distinct groups demanded to speak. Ladies, gentlemen, and other beings, this was our distinguished and wise Senate.
I've been to calmer and more relaxed, not to mention more polite, meetings of the Dark Council.
The explanation of what was happening today was simple. It finally dawned on many people that the Republic's economy was heading toward an asteroid field without shields or a way to maneuver away from the collision. The result was predictable – thousands of Senators got marching orders to get the problem solved or else.
The problem that was many of them had conflicting ideas about what solving the problem would mean. As if that wasn't bad enough, some groups wanted both the issue removed, yet to milk it for all it was worth to make quick cash.
That was why I spent the next few hours telling myself that murdering the Senate would be counter-productive. The reason for my vexation was simple - I had to listen to various senators babbling about fiscal and taxation changes that would solve nothing. Of course, no one spoke about raising taxes to do something productive! The plan was to further reduce taxes on large corporations, so they could better deal with the spike in the prices of resources.
Not a single one of those bastards dared mention that the core of the problem was the restricted supply due to piracy, the need for more security in the Outer Rim, and Trade Federation shenanigans to drive the point home.
A few taps on our pod's control panel got privacy fields up, ensuring we couldn't be overheard.
"If this goes on like I suspect it will, there will be no resolution by the time we all get replaced for allowing the economy to crash," I told Amedda.
His eyes darted over the speaking Senator of the Commerce Guild, then went to the pods of important Core representatives.
"With the Core Faction fractured, we're unlikely to get consensus anytime soon." The inflection in his voice told me all I needed to know. He could very well imagine a worst-case scenario that ends our political careers.
"If Chappel's willing to speak, call her next. If not, we'll listen to this nonsense for a few more hours while you figure out how to corral the key players in the Core into my office after we waste most of the day. Meanwhile, I'll figure out how to get them all on the same page."
"Good luck, Chancellor. You'll need it." There was no hint of humor or irony in Amedda's voice.
It will be hilarious if I get myself voted out of office by incident.
Amedda flagged Taa next because, sadly, Chappel either was trying to win political points with that statement for the media or didn't have a bill ready. Or perhaps, she was aware there might be no support for such a stunt.
My huge Twi'lek friend wore eye-searing robes that, in any sane world, would be banned as an illegal weapon.
"Esteemed colleagues, playing with taxes without thinking through the consequences is what got us here in the first place. Doing so again in the heat of the moment will be a mistake!"
Many people jeered at that. Every single one I saw and recognized represented corporate interests. The kind of interests I was sure were playing speculation games and wanted to profit from the instability as much as possible.
"We have one simple solution to the issue at hand! We must allow the Trade Federation to increase its military assets to secure the troubled areas of the Outer Rim Territories! The disruption of trade in those regions is the cause of our current troubles!"
Predictably, my replacement was the first to jump from his seat and decry Taa. However, Janus was far from the last.
Amedda grumbled in vexation and began screaming for order. Janus did get to speak next. Sadly, he was contractually obliged to tear a strip off the Dod's back over the Invasion of Naboo instead of offering anything constructive.
"If the Trade Federation didn't deploy a whole fleet and army to the peaceful Naboo, then perhaps it could have used those assets to keep the trade going!" Janus sneered. "How many other ships are you people misusing by keeping peaceful worlds down instead of using them to chase pirates!?"
"This is an outrage!" Dod screamed loud enough to be heard over the jeers and shouts of approval and disapproval that Janus' words dragged from the throats of many Senators.
Amedda's shouts made my fingers twitch with the desire to choke someone or fry them.
"We will have a short recess to allow tempers to calm down," I said loud enough for my Vice Chair to hear.
"We are now in recess! The session will continue in twenty minutes!" Amedda's voice roared from the chamber's loudspeakers.
I got the privacy field up again. "Amedda, start talking with people for that meeting. Sly, send a message to Commander Screed. I want him to get a plan to secure two to three sectors on the Outer Rim from piracy. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to account for the minimum number of assets that can get the job done quickly. Have him report to my office as soon as he's ready."
"You've got a plan already. Good." Amedda sounded relieved. He pulled a data pad from his ceremonial robes and began typing messages.
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