The Senate is Disolved

Senator Jerica had finally fallen into a fitful sleep, when she suddenly sat up with a start. Something was wrong, she could feel it. There seemed to be an increase of pressure in her room, and she couldn't figure out why.

It then hit her that she had to get out of there, fast. Snatching up a pack of emergency gear, she fled her quarters, entering her office, and dove behind her desk just as an explosion ripped through her bedchamber.

Blinking her eyes, she realized she had lost consciousness for a few moments. She discovered that the force of the blast had moved her desk, slamming it against the wall. She was pinned in the small space under the desk. This is what had saved her life.

Removing a pair of clothes from the emergency pack, she slipped out of her bed clothes and dressed in the simple pants, tunic and cloak. It was a little difficult due to the cramped space and because of the pained stiffness of her body, but she managed.

Once dressed in her refugee disguise, she set about the task of pushing the desk far enough away from the wall that she might escape. It was difficult. The desk was heavy and her strength was significantly waned, but, at last, the desk shifted.

She squeezed through the gap she had created and gasped for breath in the fresh air. Then her gaze fell on her office and chambers. Tears stung her eyes, as, for the first time in her life, she was truly afraid.

Shards of carpets and furniture, that was all that was left. Her bedchamber no longer even existed, it was nothing but a gash in the building. Slipping the emergency pack over her shoulder, she managed to get to her feet. She was aware of a buzzing noise coming from right outside. Instinct took over as she managed to dart out on to her balcony just as a probe droid entered the room.

Pressed against the outside wall of her suite, she realized this was not an assassination but an execution. The Imperial probe droid made it painstakingly obvious that the Emperor wanted her dead, and he was going to make dead certain that she had not survived.

In gust of wind, the probe droid blasted out of her room, having finished its scan. She watched as it moved to another destroyed suite. That was when she began to catch her bearings. Looking around 500 Republica she realized she was not the only target. Many senators had been killed, and she was fairly certain she knew what their crimes had been.

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Hurrying down the numerous corridors, she still wasn't sure how she'd made it this far. Between the patrols and her own injuries, she was certain she should not have made it here, but she had. Knocking tentatively at the door, she was relieved when Alanna, handmaiden to Princess Leia opened the door to greet her.

"Jerica?" she asked, in a hush tone.

Jerica nodded, "Yes. Please, I must speak to either Bail or Leia. It's of terrible importance."

Alanna nodded and stepped aside to allow Jerica to slip into the room. Once the door closed behind her, Alanna's calm expression slipped a little, and Jerica saw the concern in her eyes.

"I'm afraid," Alanna began, "that neither Bail nor Leia will be able to speak to you."

It suddenly occurred to her that Bail and Leia had kept their office in a separate building from their living chambers. Seeing the office was intact meant nothing. If they had been a target, their apartment would have been hit. "Were they . . ."

Alanna shook her head, "The apartment was destroyed, there's nothing left." She took a flimsiplast and handed it to Jerica. "This is a list of all the Senators that have been pronounced dead."

Just as she suspected, Leia and Bail were listed among the causalities. She fought back tears as she saw the names of other senators she knew, Mon Mothma, Mollon of Polis Massa and then near end, she found her own name was listed. It didn't surprise her.

"The truth is," Alanna began. "Bail isn't dead. They must have just assumed he was in the apartment, when . . ."

"What?" Jerica pressed. "What are you saying?"

Alanna shook her head. "He went back to Alderaan, late last night. Once it was announced that," Alanna shook her head again and handed her another flimsiplast.

Jerica looked over the document, reading about a diplomatic cruiser from Alderaan, that had been taken into Imperial custody. A distress signal had been sent out by the ship, but the report concluded saying that all passengers had been killed.

"Leia was on that ship," Alanna stated simply. "When Senator Organa found out, he hurried home . . . to tell the queen. A message came through that all his attendants and advisors are to leave Coruscant before dusk tonight. He believes that if he was meant to be dead, it is best the Emperor thinks that he died."

"Well," Jerica said, struggling for a diplomatic answer, but there was none. "I'm . . . I'm sorry." She shook her head and gave both flimisplasts back to Alanna. "I won't keep you any longer. I'm sure you'd rather leave as soon as humanly possible."

Alanna nodded, before opening the door for Jerica to exit. "Be safe," Jerica said as she stepped through the doorway.

"Yes," Alanna said, "You as well."

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Wearing her cloak so that it shadowed her face, Jerica managed to slip into the Senate building's main level. She had planned to escape Coruscant on a public transport in the guise of a common refugee, but she had to make some sense of all that this first. She had the strong suspicion that all that was happening had something to do with the announcement Palpatine planned to make this day.

She came to the entrance of a senate pod, on the lowest level of diplomatic seats. Sitting in the pod were three Twi'lek senators. Standing in the shadows, unnoticed by the three, she listened to Palpatine's speech.

"And so, Senators, it has come to my attention that our safety is no longer guaranteed. Extremists are plaguing our fair galaxy, and as of last night, they have shown that they have no fear in attacking innocent people. Hundreds of senators are missing from today's assembly because they were silenced by the Extremists.

"With a heavy heart, I see that many of my friends have been killed senselessly. Bail Organa, Senator Jerica of my home world, and countless others who worked so hard for this Empire. We must not let this atrocity go unanswered!"

Applause filled the enormous chamber. Jerica had to force herself to remain silent. She wanted nothing more than to stomp into the Twi'leks' senate pod and announce that these "Extremists" were in fact the Emperor's goons. She wanted to call for the government to be turned back over the people, since Palpatine was incompetent to lead it. Yet, to do that would be to sentence herself and many others to death.

As the applause quieted, Palpatine continued, "It seems to be that our government is not strong enough, not capable of maintaining security and peace."

Applause punctuated the statement, and Jerica felt her stomach drop.

"So as if this day, the senate shall no longer function. Giving the regional governors direct control will spare us further action of the Extremists and give us safer worlds. For safety, security, justice and peace, the Senate shall immediately be dissolved."

Just as the applause began again, Jerica couldn't stifle her horrified gasp. Tears filled her eyes. What are they doing? Don't they understand? It's over!

The twi'leks turned in unison at the sound of her gasp, and Jerica barely had the wits about her to flee. Security was alerted, but she didn't slow her pace. Running, she managed to escape from the building and into the crowded, civilian-filled streets of Coruscant.

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His mind in a daze, Kirn moved about the square of 500 Republica. What now?

The daughter of Sabé Darred could have helped him, but a flimsiplast lifted from the Senate Convocation Center revealed what he had suspected. Senator Jerica Darred had been killed in the explosions, early this morning.

In light of the knowledge, he was understandably shocked to see the senator-in-question go rushing past him down the street.

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Jerica was running as fast as she could, though where she was going, she didn't know. Safety, she had to find safety, but that was a rare thing, especially on Coruscant.

Just as she was about to dart into the one of the clubs, a strong hand gripped her arm, jerking her around.

With a horrified gasp, she looked back into the helmet of an Imperial Storm Trooper.