Falling Night
12
In the privacy of his quarters, General Hill sat at his desk causally, his feet kicked up on the desktop. He leaned back in his chair, taking in the room before him.
The walls were now blue, just as he wanted.
Holographic maps displayed battles being fought all over the galaxy. All of them famous battle of the past, of course.
General Hill was watching history before his eyes. But the image he focused most on was one of the future –
The plans for the coming attack on the Republic.
The image was basic, really. It was a simple map of the galaxy, with Separatist ships marked as blue dots on the map and the Republic markes as red ones. Hill smiled to himself as he saw the growing red around the Honoghr system.
The Republic was buying the deception so much that they had gone beyond the proverbial vornskr hunting up the wrong tree – they were in the wrong forest altogether. There was no sign that the Jedi knew there was even a deception. According to Dooku they were about to pull themselves out of the war.
That was something not even Sidious expected. Hill knew he had to be pleased at that news; it almost guaranteed a Separatist victory.
"General Hill," a slippery Neimoidian voice called out.
Instantly, Hill took his feet off the desk and straightened his stature. "Yes?"
"We are here to report that the Trandoshans have agreed to our terms," Nute Gunray said.
"That's excellent, Viceroy. Is there anything else you need to tell me, or did you merely come here to bother me with trivialities?"
The Neimoidian froze in his place, confused. "I meant no offense, General." His eyes darted around the room. He dared not look at any of the displays on the walls too closely.
Hill suppressed a smile. The holograms had the affect he hoped they would.
"You question my plan, Viceroy. It should be enough for you that Lord Sidious approves of it."
"I do not understand what we are doing, when–"
"And that is why you failed to hold onto a simple planet like Naboo," Hill leaned forward and hissed. "You cannot see beyond commerce – that is why you failed. You failed to dispose of Queen Amidala then, and now she still runs free."
"Queen Amidala is dead."
"Don't be stupid. Those guards you sent to assassinate the royal family had less intelligence than your battle droids. Queen Amidala is alive – and she's under the protection of the Jedi."
"Impossible!"
This was why Hill hated the Neimoidians. They were so stubbornly stupid, even when the truth smacked them in the face.
"It's no matter now. The only great loss is that you do not have your revenge."
Gunray stared at him, seething.
"As to my plan," Hill continued to rile the hapless Viceroy, "there is no need for you to worry yourself with it. Thanks to your friends in the Techno Union the Republic cannot see or track us. They don't know what we plan to do – and because they don't know where we are they cannot do anything to stop us. So I suggest you stop questioning me before you find yourself facing the surprise end of our technology.
"Now do you get it, Viceroy?"
"Yes…yes." Gunray nodded his head submissively.
"Good," Hill said icily. "You are to remain with the Trandoshans. And whatever you do, keep the Republic out of our business at all costs."
"It is done, sir."
The Neimoidian bowed, an act Hill thought ridiculous, and left.
Three day's time.
Hill took a deep breath and one last glance at the galactic hologram before leaving the room for his personal one.
Yes, only three days.
Then twilight for the Republic would fall.
Anakin walked with Obi-Wan nervously over to the Senate building. Mace and Yoda said nothing the whole way, so Anakin was uncomfortable about breaking the silence. Furthermore, he did not know what to say – for what could be said?
The Knighting ceremony had been interrupted, and Mace was angry about it. There was nothing that could be changed. Anakin sighed to himself and tried to relax.
Things would work out.
They always did.
Mace led the way to Palpatine's chambers, still trying to control his anger. Of all the times for the Council to be interrupted, Palpatine had to choose this one. On top of that, Mace was irritated that the Chancellor would take this opportunity to attempt to blackmail the Jedi with yet another threat such as the last one he gave.
That really pushed Mace over the edge – he knew the threat was coming.
If this exemplified the Republic they were supposed to protect, Mace figured that the Republic could go ahead and fall. This was not what the Jedi stood for; this was not what they worked to protect.
Aggressively, Mace pulled the door to the Senate building and did not bother to hold it open for the rest of the Jedi behind him.
As he walked by Mace, Yoda gave him a concerned look, as if to tell him that he needed to get control of his feelings. Mace made a sound deep in his throat, like a growl. Yoda gave him a sterner look in response.
Without a word, Mace walked down the hall to Palpatine's, leaving Obi-Wan and Anakin to get the door for themselves.
In the Chancellor's chambers, Yoda was the fist to speak.
"Called us you have. What emergency have you?"
"We have just gotten word of where the Separatists intend to attack," Palpatine answered. "They wish to invade the world of Honoghr. However, we suspect that they have other plans. We have received intelligence that suggests Kashyyyk is the true target."
Palpatine narrowed his eyes at Yoda, as if daring him to disagree. Yoda only let out a ragged sigh.
"What do you want us to do? Do you even know when this attack is going to happen?" Mace said, his jaw set. "Furthermore, it makes no sense for the Separatists to attack Honoghr. Yes, they are expanding throughout the Mid- and Outer Rims, but Honoghr is not close to their area."
"A façade it is," Yoda said wisely.
"But what would the Separatists want with Kashyyyk?" Obi-Wan asked.
Visibly Palpatine's shoulders slumped in resignation. "They can want only one thing: to enslave the Wookieees."
The statement ushered in a moment of silence as everyone realized the severity of the statement.
Through the Force, Anakin felt a tremor of sadness from his master. Personally, he felt a desire to hunt down and destroy all of the Separatists for even considering forcing the Wookiees into slavery. It had less to do with the fact that they were Wookiees, Anakin was somewhat indifferent to alien species since he viewed everything as life, but more to do with that he understood the humiliation of being a slave.
"I would hope that the Jedi would go and stop the Separatists before they even attack. That way, they know they cannot get away with this kind of action against the Republic. Surely you will not let one of our worlds become enslaved to these monsters."
Palpatine sat down behind his desk.
"True, but the Separatists may be trying to throw us off the track with Kashyyyk – intending for somewhere else to be their target," Obi-Wan offered. "It would be best to send in a team, see if there truly is a threat."
Mace and Yoda looked at him, Yoda giving him a nod of understanding.
"Right is Master Kenobi. Send in a team we shall, assess the situation on Kashyyyk," Yoda gave in.
"However, if we decide that there is no need for action we will not take it. You have pushed into this, but if you say that the Wookiees are going to be invaded we do have a responsibility to protect them," Mace said. "We're going there only to save the ones we lost, Chancellor. That includes the Wookiees."
"Alright then. It's good to know that I have you on the side of the Republic,' Palpatine said with a smile to the Jedi.
"Back to the Temple we must go. Discuss this with the rest of the Council we shall," Yoda said as he got off his chair. He did not look at anyone else but Palpatine as he did so. Slowly he hobbled over to the door and proceeded to open it.
"Excuse me, Master, Chancellor. I would be willing to work with Bail Organa on this matter – as I have worked with him in the past," Obi-Wan cut in.
The small green alien and the leader of the galactic government both looked at him.
"Fine it is with me," Yoda said. His eyes slid to the Palpatine.
"I see no problem with it," he agreed. "With you and Senator Organa in charge, I feel very secure in saying that the Republic is in good hands, Master Kenobi."
Obi-Wan gave him a half-hearted smile.
"Back to the Temple we must go, Chancellor. Thanks to you for alerting us to this threat," Yoda said, making his way to the door.
"I'm proud that there is hope for the Republic," Palpatine called out to the disappearing Yoda.
Yoda said nothing in return. Mace also said nothing as he got out of his chair and made his way to the door. He merely nodded in acknowledgement to Palpatine.
Obi-Wan followed the two masters, with Anakin in tow. As Anakin was on his way out the door, he called out to the new Knight.
"Master Anakin?"
Anakin whirled around to face Palpatine.
"Uh, yes?"
"Might I have a word with you?"
Obi-Wan turned around at this statement, looking from Palpatine to Anakin. Anakin shrugged with a confused look on his face.
"I'll see you back at the Temple, Anakin," Obi-Wan told his former Padawan.
"Yes, Mas – I mean, alright Obi – um, yeah. See you back there," Anakin stammered, forgetting that Obi-Wan was no longer his master.
Obi-Wan nodded and left the room. When Obi-Wan was gone, Anakin turned back to Palpatine.
"Yes, Chancellor?"
Palpatine came around to the front of his desk before replying. He folded his hands together as he spoke, "I see you have become a Knight, Master Anakin. That's wonderful. I just wanted to congratulate you on that accomplishment."
"Oh, um, thank you," Anakin muttered as he shifted on his feet. He did not want to tell Palpatine that he interrupted the Knighting ceremony.
After all, the Republic falling under attack was more important. Without the Republic, there were no Jedi and without the Jedi there was no Republic.
"I also wanted to thank you for helping the Jedi seeing the true meaning of the situation. I hope you understand that now that the Jedi are willing to do what they must do, there is hope for this Republic."
"Please, Chancellor. I hardly had any influence with that. I think that Master Yoda and the rest of the Council saw that the fight was inevitable. We couldn't stay out of things forever, and if the Republic is under attack then it is our place to defend it."
Anakin looked straight at Palpatine, feeling a little more confident in the presence of the Chancellor.
Palpatine looked over him with a closer eye, and it made a shiver go up Anakin's spine. In the corner of his mind he felt something trying to worm its way into his thoughts through the Force. He pushed it away while keeping his face expressionless. A tiny part of him suspected it was Palpatine – there had been other similar, strange occurrences in the presence of the Chacellor.
"You had a pretty spectacular event happen to you, from what I understand. You made Master Obi-Wan have a false vision through the Force," Palpatine said, a tone mystery in his voice. "That's what made the Jedi finally decide to let you take the Trials."
It was not a question, Anakin knew. He said nothing in response, completely at a loss for words. His jaw dropped open slightly.
"Did you know that there are powers even greater than that which could make a Jedi see something more than just a simple lightsaber attack?"
Anakin shook his head. Palpatine stepped closer to him, but Anakin took a step back. This whole situation was starting to give him a bad feeling.
"You are the Chosen One, Anakin. I can tell you now that the Jedi will not help you come to terms with that. When they fail, you still have one place to go – you can come to me. I can teach you things that no Jedi will."
Anakin took another step away from Palpatine. Now he was really starting to worry, almost feeling scared. His heart beat faster, and he reached out to the Force in a desperate attempt to keep his emotions under control. It was obvious that the Chancellor could read his mind, or at least something damn close to it. Anakin wanted to cut that option off from the Palpatine as fast as he could – there were things in his mind that the older man could not know.
What in the blazes does he mean by that? What could I possibly have to gain from him – what could he teach me that the Jedi wouldn't? he thought to himself.
The Chancellor went on:
"Remember, Anakin, I am more than I appear to be. If you ever need help with anything, or want to learn something…I might be able to help you."
For a second, Anakin simply gaped at the Chancellor.
"Think about it Anakin. Look back on your training. The Jedi have always been against you, they didn't want to train you, they didn't want you to see your mother, they let you become a Knight so late…so many things.
"They see you as a burden they were forced to deal with because Master Qui-Gon was reckless and you were dumped on them. You are the Chosen One, and you should not be held back."
Trying to keep his anxiety under control, Anakin could not help but look at what Palpatine was telling him. It was true – sometimes he felt that the Jedi were holding him back. He could sense new things through the Fore, and he could sense more than Master Yoda even, yet they would not listen to him. Not even Obi-Wan, who usually was very open-minded to his Padawan.
Anakin swallowed nervously.
"I – I should get back to the Temple," Anakin croaked, his mouth dry. He turned to leave.
"Alright. You do have your duties, I understand. But please, Anakin, know that you never have to be alone in this galaxy. There is a place you can always go – I am always here."
Those words struck a chord in Anakin.
Sometimes the Jedi could be so difficult that Anakin felt he had nowhere to go but Padmé's. If anything happened to her, then he did now know where he would be. While Palpatine made him feel on edge, it was comforting to know that he at least had one more place to turn to. A friend would be good to have, no matter what. Anakin nodded to Palpatine, thanked him, and left the Senate building.
Wandering through Coruscant, the Chancellor's words bounced around Anakin's head. Despite his misgivings, he felt that Palpatine's words about what the Jedi would teach him and what he said about how the Jedi felt about him were correct. All Anakin had to do was look back at the past of his training to know that Palpatine spoke the truth.
In his speeder, Anakin came within the sights of the Temple but could not bring himself to go inside. Perhaps it was a good time to see Padmé. She always had a way of putting his mind at ease.
Anakin nodded to himself and made his way past the Temple. Within twenty minutes, taking his time, he reached the building where Padmé lived. As he rode the turbolift up to her floor, he paced the few steps that the turbolift spanned. His right hand toyed with the fray on the inside of his sleeve.
Maybe Obi-Wan was right; maybe he was spending too much time with Padmé. There were things he missed by constantly being with her, but he could not keep himself away – especially now that he knew she loved him too. Only a few hours passed since she said those words, but it seemed like days to Anakin.
Knocking a few times, Anakin hoped that she was home. He reached out with the Force just to make sure.
There.
She was just on the other side of the door, and the sense of her was growing stronger.
"Anakin?" Padmé asked, opening the door. "Anakin!"
She threw her arms around him and squeezed him tight.
"How did your Trials go?" she said as she glanced up at his face. Noticing that something was bothering him she got a worried look. "What's wrong?"
In response, Anakin held her as tightly as he could, letting the Force flow through him. Holding her felt so good, it banished his worries over the Chancellor's words.
"Shh. Don't speak. Just let me hold you."
Nothing could make him let go of her, leave her. After a second, he leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head.
"How were your Trials?" she asked.
He looked down at her and could not help but smile. For a second he did not say anything.
"I did it. I'm a Knight," he said when he finally spoke. "Can you believe it? Only after thirteen years, I'm a Knight. Most Jedi only become Padawans after that amount of time, they spend nearly another ten years training after that…"
"Oh Anakin, I knew you could do it. I knew you could. And you came here a nervous wreck!"
"Hush, you. I'd like you to take them and see how you handle it."
He looked down at her, thinking that she never looked so beautiful. Without a second thought he kissed her. When he broke it off, he watched her face.
"What happens now?" she whispered.
"Whatever you want," he replied softly, putting his hand on her cheek again, noting how soft her skin was.
For a second she leaned away from him as her eyes searched his face.
"I don't know, Anakin."
Without another word Padmé let go of him and went back inside her apartment. Anakin's brow wrinkled in confusion, and he followed her inside. In slight irritation he clenched one hand into a fist and shook it a couple times, but as soon as he was inside he took a seat and tried to look normal. Talking about the Trials started to make him nervous all over again.
"Well, the good thing is that you made Knighthood," Padmé said from the small kitchen as she got a few things together. Anakin nodded in response as he looked down at the floor.
"I suppose so."
"It's what you wanted, though, right?"
"Yeah."
"What's wrong? There's something bugging you, I can tell."
Padmé came over and sat down next to him. She handed him a cup filled with a red drink that smelled sweet and fruity. Gingerly, he took a sip. He took another drink then looked at her.
"I don't really know. A lot of things."
"Like what?" she pressed. "If you're going to keep coming around, you had just better get used to telling me things."
Anakin sighed then said, "The Republic expects an attack by the Separatists any day now, and they think that it's going to be on Kashyyyk. The Jedi have to fight, and that means I'll be going and…"
He trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought. Everything was just getting so weird; nothing was quite like how he expected it to turn out. Not knowing how to say what he wanted, he sighed, leaned forward in his seat and put his head in his hands. For a few seconds he sat there before Padmé came over next to him.
"Anakin, what's wrong?" She slid one arm around him and nuzzled close to him.
"I don't know, Padmé. I don't know. I should be happier, I just became a Knight today, and here I am all a mess. I thought that being a Knight would just make everything better….like magic or something."
Instead, there's a battle being dropped on our heads, and then the Chancellor steps way beyond his boundaries…
Padmé looked up at him, into his eyes. It was enough for him to realize that she knew there was more to what bothered him than he revealed. He took a deep breath before he spoke again.
"I…" Anakin stalled again, not knowing how to explain the Chancellor's words. Lamely, he made up the excuse, "I'm just afraid I won't get to see you again."
"Don't talk like that," Padmé said. "It's useless. I know you'll come back."
"How do you know that?"
She closed her eyes and turned her face into his chest.
"I just know. And plus, it's not an option. If you don't come back then I have no idea where I'd be or what I'd do."
Padmé's voice choked up in her throat. "I shouldn't be doing this, Anakin, but I can't help it. I just want to see what's best for you. I want you to know that no matter what, I'll be here for you. I'll always be by your side, Jedi Order or not."
Anakin wrapped his arms even tighter around her, not wanting this moment to end. The Force rushed through him, enhancing every emotion and sensation he felt. A soft moan of contentment escaped from deep in his chest.
"You have no idea what that means to me, Padmé," he whispered in her ear. His heart beat a little bit faster and he said, "I love you."
"I love you too."
"I don't know where I'd be without you either. You helped me through the Trials today."
"How?" Padmé pulled back from him slightly to get a good look at him.
He smiled.
"Loving you opens me up to the Force in a way I've never known, and I can feel what I need to do even more than ever when I think about you and focus on the Force at the same time. It's amazing. You're amazing."
Anakin stopped and put his hand on her face, his fingers trembling slightly. To him, it still felt awkward to touch her in such a way. He was just about to kiss her when she leaned up and kissed him.
Every part of him knew that there was nothing that could drive them apart now – not a battle, not the Jedi…
Nothing.
Anakin knew it was his job to bring love back to the Jedi; this was a part of the Force they had to understand. He kissed Padmé back warmly then kissed her again.
"I have an idea," Anakin said.
"What?"
"We could get married."
"What?"
"Think about it. It would solve our problems, we could go away for just a little bit, just you and me. We could be together the way we should be…before…"
He stopped speaking and searched her face. She stared back at him, confused.
"Are you mad?"
This was definitely not the response for which Anakin hoped.
"There's no one we know that could marry us. Everyone would know you're a Jedi at once. You'd be expelled. I can't let you just throw it all away like that."
"But I'm not giving everything away. You are what I want. And the Jedi don't have to find out…the Chancellor owes me a favor, he could help us out."
"Palpatine? First, I don't trust him. Second, he's the head of the Republic – he would tell the Jedi for sure."
A small well of anger rose in him, how dare she talk so about one of the few people Anakin could rely. He reached out to put a hand on her arm in the hopes of bringing her close to him again.
"So why not?" he pressed.
"It's too much. We're risking too much anyways as it is. And we're together right now, why should we do something that might put is in more danger of being found out?"
"We don't have to be found out. And plus, we're not together right now – at least the way we should be. Is it to much to ask that I want to be with you before something bad happens?"
Padmé sighed, not sure how to counter this. "Anakin, I don't think it's the right time now."
"Then when is the right time?" Anakin leaned forward, coming closer to her face.
Her eyes darted back and forth as she glanced him over.
Through the Force, he could sense she was trying to think about a thousand things at once, trying to analyze how everything might turn out because of a choice to go one way or the other. He took a deep breath but did not say anything, opting to let her think. The last thing he wanted to do was to force her into a choice that she would later regret.
Before she said anything, Padmé swallowed to clear her throat. "I don't know Anakin. I just can't do it right now."
The words hit Anakin so hard he could not breathe. He shook his head, eyes squeezed shut. When he looked back at her, he shifted in his seat.
No, no. This can't be right – she loves – no –
Anakin took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. Looking at her was hard. His throat constricted, tighter and tighter. Air, he needed air, he couldn't breathe. She had to have a reason.
"What?" he managed to say, his voice strangled. It sounded more like a plea – anything to get her to take back the words she said.
"I'm sorry, Anakin…it's just that I can't do that right now."
He looked at her again and felt something shift inside him. Anakin yanked his hand away from hers. With a cool, calculated voice he thought to himself, Fine. If that's how she wants to be.
"Alright. I understand," he said flatly.
"Please." Padmé reached out to touch his arm.
Subtly he moved away from her. He looked at her with a stony expression, his eyes cold. Sitting next to her, being in this room with her was enough to make him want to scream. How dare she think she could help him. She did not understand anything – he could make her understand.
"I have an idea," Padmé said softly. "Maybe we could get married after all this mess is over. Like you said, it's dangerous with you having to go off and fight, and then…"
She trailed off, watching his face intently. Anakin blinked a couple times but did not say anything.
"I don't want to loose you…that's what I'm most afraid of. And if we wait…we can be sure that we won't loose each other. We can go somewhere, raise a family, have a normal life after this whole mess is over. I meant what I said – I'm never going to leave you."
You know she's right.
Anakin took a deep breath. He exhaled slowly, feeling a smile creeping onto his face. It would be better to wait until after the war. Maybe he could become a Master with more influence over the Jedi and thus in less danger of being expelled from the Order.
Then if they married…they could have a family in a safe and stable galaxy. Safety. Stability. They were what he wanted most, and what he wanted most for his family.
"Okay. Okay," he whispered. He pulled her close, never wanting to have again that feeling of losing her. "I think I can live with that."
"Are you sure?" Padmé looked at him with concern.
"If I get to have you at some time in my life…it's more than enough to keep me going."
Awhile later, after several kisses, squeezes, and love affirmations, they were curled up on the couch. Pamdé was tucked up against him, and Anakin wrapped his arms as tightly as he could around her.
Lying there, he felt himself drifting off into sleep and did not try to fight it. He reasoned that the day had been long, and this was something he needed before he could go back to the Temple. Deciding that the Masters would just have to deal with his feelings for Padmé, he fell asleep next to her for the second time.
"Do we have any idea how where the Separatist navy is going to attack?" Obi-Wan asked, looking straight at Bail Organa.
The Alderaanian senator shrugged. "We honestly have no idea. Initially, we found out that they were planning something for Honoghr but rumor points to Kashyyyk as their target."
"Anything more than rumors?"
Bail shook his head. "Unfortunately, no."
Fingers dancing over the controls for the display in the center of the room, Organa focused the map of the galaxy on the area around Kashyyyk. Obi-Wan studied it, thinking hard.
For the past couple hours, as soon as Organa had been able to draw himself away from the Senate, they had discussed the looming attack on the Republic. Organa wanted to meet in one of the map rooms of the Jedi Temple – there was nowhere private in the Senate building where they could safely discuss counter measures. Currently, the room was dimmed, most of the light coming from the holomap of the galaxy. Red and blue points of light, representing Separatist and Republic forces respectively, cast an eerie glow on the room.
"The problem is…" Bail admitted, "that we seem to have lost most of the Separatist fleet."
"What?" Obi-Wan exclaimed, completely astounded. "How in the blazes do we loose an entire kriffing fleet?"
"They've found some way to cloak themselves…I can't explain it. The experts over in Intelligence–"
Obi-Wan snorted.
"–have no idea either. They're even more stumped than we are," Bail said, ignoring Obi-Wan's expression of doubt.
"Do they have a cloaking device? Soemthing they could reasonably use in battle?"
"It's not impossible. The Separatists do have the alliance of the Techno Union."
"Well, that just makes everything so much easier," Obi-Wan said wryly, giving the map one more cursory glance. "So what do we have to go on?"
Organa's fingers moved over the map controls once more. Around the Honoghr system, pinpoints of yellow were illuminated.
"See those points? All initial intelligence points to the presence of ships – and large ones. Assuming that, you'd expect to find the Banking Clan communications frigates or at least a Commerce Guild support ship.
"But when we took a closer look, we found something entirely different. It's just some kind of gravity well so it looks like a ship is there when there isn't."
"So they're invisible and fake?"
"Unfortunately."
Obi-Wan let out a heavy sigh. This new technology really put the Republic in a bad position. With most of the Separatist fleet missing, and then mock gravity wells making it appear the fleet was where it was not, it would be near impossible to track them at all.
"Have these anomalies moved at all, and if they have, is there any way to track them?"
"Yes and no," Organa answered. "In the past few hours, we've noticed that several of them have left the Honoghr system. The only problem is that to find them again, we have literally send out a team to scope out the system."
"Hmm." Obi-Wan studied the map for another second.
As he watched, Obi-Wan saw that Organa was right – a couple of the anomalies left the system of Honoghr, lessening the number of yellow dots shining in the map.
"And that's where we thought they were really going to attack?"
Organa nodded.
"It's a front," Obi-Wan said simply. "Honoghr doesn't have much value to offer the Separatists – I can tell you right now that they aren't going to do anything with it. At the most they want to lure us there, but the question is why."
"I agree completely. We've found no signs of imminent attack in the Honoghr system – once we figured out their bluff."
"So that leaves us back with Kashyyyk. The problem is that it doesn't offer much to the Separatists either…"
" Except for the Wookiees," Organa finished for him.
"Exactly what Palpatine said," Obi-Wan said.
"Do you have any ideas, Master Kenobi?"
"Please, call me Obi-Wan. We've worked on enough campaigns," Obi-Wan insisted. "And just a second…could you bring up a map of all Separatist territory again?"
The map broadened, increasing the number of red systems. Kashyyyk continued to flash. Putting his hand to his chin, Obi-Wan studied the map. Something bothered him about this. It almost seemed too easy that they learned about the attack on Kashyyyk.
"Do you think they might want something with Honoghr?"
Organa shrugged. "I don't see what they would want with it. It's populated with only a primitive sentient species. I think they're just trying to trick us into going there, if anything at all."
"Somehow, I feel that you're right."
Reaching out to the Force, Obi-Wan tried to gain some insight. He felt the undercurrents of deception, but nothing specific enough to tell him the Separatists' true intentions.
"I know they're up to something more than this – they have something bigger planned. We can't deploy the entire fleet against Kashyyyk or Honoghr."
Organa raised his eyebrows slightly at the Jedi. "Are you sure? What if that is what they expect us to do – and thus are able to take both the planets?"
"And if we don't and they really attack somewhere else, we'll be stuck. In fact, that's about all the importance that Honoghr can serve. If we deploy the entire fleet there, all systems further in to the Core will be at greater risk for attack."
"True…"
"What we have to do is send most of the fleet to Kashyyyk. That way, if another system falls under attack, we have at least some hope of countering it. As for Honoghr…with no actual ships in the system, we can't assume there's going to be an attack. It'll just have to wait for another day."
"Perfect…catch the enemy in his own game and call their bluff."
Obi-Wan grinned. "But that's not all. Do we have any idea of when the Separatists plan to attack?"
"Oddly enough, the Chancellor discovered that it will be in approximately two day's time. Why?"
"We'll send in an intelligence team of our own, if you will. They'll arrive before we do, enough so that they can tell us if there is going to be an attack. From there, we'll deploy the fleet accordingly."
Organa glanced down at the chronometer on the map controls, sighing. "Unfortunately, I do have to return to the Senate. Palpatine is pushing new legislation, and I have to vote on it…"
"What does he want now?"
A grim look came over Bail's face. "He wants to limit Jedi involvement in the war, now that he has an army."
"I see," Obi-Wan said icily. "Tell him that as long the Jedi are around, we will do anything to protect the Republic. If he's not careful – suffice to say that…he will make many more enemies, ten thousand of them to be exact, that are close to home."
"I understand…but the problem is that too many senators are willing to go along with his proposals. There have been…strange mishaps to those who openly protest him."
Obi-Wan eye's narrowed. And this is the person that Anakin has been going to for advice? What's wrong with that boy?
"No doubt," he muttered. "That does not surprise me at all."
"No. We can only hope that when the war is over that he will step down."
"You had best be careful, Senator Organa," Obi-Wan said out of genuine concern for the senator. Over the years, having worked together so frequently, they had become good friends.
"I worry not. For, as long as there are Jedi, I have friends…and the Jedi have a friend."
Obi-Wan smiled, catching the hidden meaning behind Organa's words.
"I must be going…I shall inform the Chancellor of the plans at the soonest possible moment." Organa straightened his posture, speaking more clearly. "May the Force be with you, Master Kenobi."
"And the best of luck to you, Senator."
Organa nodded, and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Obi-Wan sighed, turning to look at the map still alight in the middle of the room. Stepping over to the control panel, he shut it off.
There were too many things to think about.
"There have been mishaps…" Organa's words echoed in his head.
Sighing, Obi-Wan shook his head. Unfortunately, this news had not surprised him in the least. For the past five years, give or take, Palpatine had grown greedier, the status of Chancellor was not enough for him. In three years, he managed to turn the strong Republic into a fearful society – feeding out of his hand, believing the carefully controlled news that came out of Palpatine's spin machine…
Soon the citizens of the galaxy would want someone to blame for this entire disaster.
And Obi-Wan knew all too well who the scapegoat would be:
The Jedi.
While Palpatine and his Senate were to blame, they managed to garner and maintain unparallel support throughout the Republic.
People loved Palpatine. He kept the Republic together through this time of crisis. They no longer loved the ones who had kept the Republic together for a thousand years.
And Anakin had allied himself with the man. Call it an act of stupidity, or one of self-preservation, it was what it was. Either way, it concerned Obi-Wan greatly.
Making his way out of the map room, he tried to stop worrying over his former Padawan. Anakin was a Knight. He could look after himself. As much as he tried to reassure himself, Obi-Wan could not stop his feelings of concern. Promising himself that he would track down the younger Jedi as soon as he reported to the Council the plan he and Bail agreed upon, Obi-Wan forced himself to lay aside his concern for the only brother he had known.
The lush planet of Kashyyyk loomed in the view of the cockpit. Tenner Quantos, an exotic looking Twi'lek, captained the Whistle's Song towards its destination. Next to her, her good friend Pela Ho'San, sat deep in meditation. Suddenly her eyes flew open, shimmering black in the light of the cockpit.
"They're here," Pela said, knowing that Tenner would understand what she meant.
Just off to the right of their cockpit, they could see the large ship from the InterGalactic Banking Clan lying in wait. There was no sign of other hostile ships, but the sight of the one was enough to make Tenner swallow.
Everyone knew that taking on one of the Banking clan's communications frigates with anything less than assault ship was pure tactical suicide. They were armored to the last bolt – carrying cargo that even the Hutts would not dare to drag through the spacelanes.
"So far they haven't done anything," Tenner replied calmly. "They're just sitting there, just as intelligence said they were. I'm going to navigate us down to the surface, there we can talk to the Wookiees and find out what they expect in the means of an attack."
She did not need to say that the presence of the Banking Clan ship clearly supported they hypothesis that the Separatists intended to attack. As the war broke out, these ships came to plague the Republic. There was no battle from which one of these communications frigates were absent.
Pela did not reply as she sank back into the Force. She knew well enough to trust in Tenner's flying abilities. Reaching out to the Separatists, she commented, "They are definitely going to attack. I can feel the anxiety coming from that ship like nothing else. The whole ship is astir. Wait–"
The thought did not get finished because at that second, the Separatists released a squad ARC-170 fighters. Twelve of the deadly ships flew towards them and their newly designed S-Foils locked into attack positions, almost making the ships look like an X.
At that second, Tenner jerked their ship hard to the left, having sensed them just before they appeared. Pela grunted as the restraints of the seat kept her from flying across the cockpit.
"Time for some evasive flying," Tenner said, glancing from the approaching fighters back to her control panel. There was almost a hint of exhilaration in her voice.
Pela rolled her eyes, her friend was rather fond of fast flying despite her Jedi training. She assumed that even Jedi had to have some sort of excitement in their lives, perhaps an effect of young Anakin Skywalker. He was known in the Temple for his flying skills, and hushed whispers passed around the younger female Jedi about his looks…
But Pela never indulged in those affairs.
Her focus was the Force, her purpose was to serve the Force.
As Tenner concentrated on evading the enemy fighters, Pela reached out to the Force to see what they intended to do. Right now they were ahead of the twelve fighters, which was odd.
"It has to be a warning," Pela said with her eyes close. "Wait – the pilots are clones, I can feel them yet at the same time I can't–"
For the second time in minutes she was cut off. This time, a husky voice crackled over the holocomm, although they received no image.
"Unkown ship, identify yourself or be destroyed immediately."
"This is the Whistle's Song. We're on diplomatic business for the Republic. We have no quarrel with you," Tenner said calmly, a completely different tone in her voice.
"Republic ship, stand down immediately. This is Separatist space."
"Not yet, as far as I am concerned," Tenner muttered to herself. Pela eyed her, warning her to be careful.
In response, the ARC fighters sped up, coming up close on them. A few red laser bolts flashed past them, narrowly missing their ship.
"They're firing at us?" Tenner hissed. She did not elaborate on the thought, opting instead to send the ship into a steep dive. Pela braced herself in her seat as gravity took over and the planet rushed at them.
The Separtist fighters fired again. The husky voice came over the holocomm again, commanding, "Republic ship! Stand down immediately! Your presence here is illegal. Either turn around or be destroyed! You have been warned!"
"Oh, I don't think so!" Tenner looked over to Pela.
No words were needed.
Pela darted out of her seat, making her way to the center of the ship, where the controls for the ship's defenses were. Unlike other ships, which required a person to manually fire the weapons, this ship belonged to the Jedi. Only a person strong in the Force could make use of its weapons, meager as they were.
Sinking into a trance, Pela guided the light laser cannons to fire at the ARC-170 fighters. Just as they did with the Jedi, she fired a couple of warning shots at them. Despite the fact that they threatened to kill the Jedi, Pela had no interesting in slaughtering them; she could do that easily if she wished. After all, she was a Jedi, and Jedi fought only to defend when provoked.
The fighters, however, did not back off.
Through the Force, Pela felt that Tenner was about to bring the ship through a loop to throw off the enemy. Pela balanced herself and stopped firing the lasers for the briefest of seconds as gravity flipped and up became down.
In the cockpit, Tenner cursed. More fighters darted out of the Separatist hangar bays. They were having a hard enough time handling the twelve that first came after them, but now there were two whole squadrons, no, three…
Tenner cursed again as she saw that two heavily armored Commerce Guild ships came out of hyperspace, almost on top of them.
"PELA! GET BACK HERE!" she screamed as she threw the Whistle's Song into another dive to avoid becoming squashed by the bigger enemy ships.
Within seconds Pela reappared in the cockpit.
"Oh, not good." Pela took one look out at the new arrivals. She went to the back of the cockpit, binging up the Jedi Temple on their holocomm.
"Master Yoda! Master Yoda! This is the Whistle's Song, on mission to Kashyyyk. The attack has started, repeat, the attack has started. We just arrived, and Separatists began to move against us."
"Pela Ho'San?" Mace Windu spoke.
Pela stared at him for a second, expecting to speak with Yoda. "Yes, Master Windu. Tenner Quantos and I just came out of hyperspace to find the Separatists already here. They warned us to back off, then sent fighters against us. Now other ships have arrived, they are driving us–"
Pela stopped speaking for a second as she scrambled to stay on her feet.
"Tenner, would you please warn me before you do that again?" she screeched. She turned back to Mace. "Sorry, Master. The Separatists are attacking Kashyyyk. We don't know how many more troops they intend to send here – for now we have one Banking Clan communications frigate, and two Commerce Guild support ships. They all have ARC-170 fighters…we're being driven down to the surface of the planet."
She stopped again and braced herself as the force of Kashyyyk's gravity took hold of the small ship.
"Entering the atmosphere!" Tenner yelled from the pilot's seat.
"Please, Master Windu, send aide immediately. The Separatists are attacking the Republic. War is here again."
With that, she punched off the holocomm and darted back to her seat. She hoped that she could help Tenner land the ship in one piece. The enemy fighters continued to fire at them, hitting the ship now that Pela was no longer firing back at them. Coming down through the atmosphere, Pela could make out what appeared to be a village.
When the ship groaned and the surface lurched towards them at an alarming rate, she prayed that they would land in one piece.