Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. It belongs to Disney. I make no money from this story.
Chapter 9: Casts the darkest shadows
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Part 3
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Senator Amidala's office
Senate Building
Coruscant
Padme retreated to her office after the exhausting meeting with her allies. After Amidala proclaimed her change in priorities and views, she had to endure a painful discussion of how wrong she was. That she was throwing away what they fought for over a decade because of an infatuation. All those arguments did was make Padme re-examine her political positions closely. Unfortunately, the conclusion she leaned towards now was simple. The Republic she fought to change from the inside would do everything to resist positive changes.
Palpatine might very well be right in the end. Many of the problems she struggled to see fixed, weren't signs of a broken system. No, it was much worse. Ten years ago, the Senate doing nothing to aid Naboo wasn't a bug of the system, born from bureaucracy and corruption. Instead, it was a feature. Naboo and the Chomel sector, simply weren't powerful, or influential enough to see the powers that be within the Republic move to aid them. While respected, and useful, they didn't matter enough. It was at that point, Padme felt the keen edge of a biting irony slice through her. If Naboo was more powerful, or if it had a military strong enough to deter, if not outright halt the Trade Federation, then everything would be different. They wouldn't have been blockaded and invaded in the first place.
Some worlds were important enough and influential enough, that they could afford not to have a military to speak of. Mon's Chandrila was a prime example. That world was one of the many breadbaskets feeding the Core. That was why Chandrila didn't need significant military forces to defend itself. The worlds it fed would have had to step up and protect it.
In theory, Naboo's plasma exports to the Core should have given it a similar status. However, like Palpatine slowly explained years ago, Naboo took advantage of the new taxation and tariff laws. That meant economic consequences for those who might have otherwise supported them. By raising tariffs to the Trade Federation, and thus affecting its many clients in the Core, Naboo's government ensured that they would stand alone when the Federation flexed up its military might. Too many people wanted those taxation and tariff laws repealed, or were interested in seeing their effect, making Naboo a useful testing ground.
A bitter chuckle escaped Padme's lips. Even then, it wasn't the Republic or the Senate resolving the crisis. It was the might of the Gungan army, used as a distraction, a bold action to capture Gunray, and Anakin managing to blow up the Droid Control Ship. It was a military action that saved Naboo, not negotiations and diplomacy, though those helped when facing the Gungans.
Yet, that wasn't something Padme could allow herself to accept, much less believe back then. It went against all her principles and what she had been taught about everything. Now, she had a lot of things to re-examine. But first, she needed to consult with her Queen and government. Padme went behind her desk and sat on her chair, bringing up the communications suite online.
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Officer quarters
Republic Cruiser Rising Light
hyperspace
Obi-Wan wasn't sure if he was awake and recovering, or if he died and ended up in one of the Nine Corellian Hells. The loss of the 212th was tragic enough. The still-unfolding Hutt disaster was worse. It was the reason why the evacuation fleet from Christophsis had to undergo a much slower journey to Rodia. They were using secondary hyper routes and even good-old-fashioned hyperspace travel without such benefits for parts of the exodus. Ideally, they would have gone to Randon, then jumped to Herdessa and Miralan.
Peaceful Herdessa was out of the question. The Confederacy won the first battle fought there, and took the system on the sixth day of the war, only for the Republic to retake it a few days before Obi-Wan went to Christophsis. While Kenobi was swimming in a Bacta tank, the Separatists launched the third Battle of Herdessa. They won and took the planet, cutting the Republic forces from easy access to the hyper-lanes allowing quick travel across the galaxy.
These disasters were mere preludes for the worst catastrophe to date. As far as the Council was concerned, Anakin had not only fallen to the Dark Side but dragged young Padawan Tano into the darkness with him. To make that catastrophe complete, according to the Council, now Anakin was busy pulling a Revan and subverting the GAR for his nefarious purposes.
All Obi-Wan wanted at that moment was to awake from this nightmare. Barring that, to go shake Anakin and figure out what in the name of the Force was happening!
Instead, he was stuck as a healing passenger, unable to do anything constructive. Frustration and crawling fear about the future ate at Obi-Wan's composure. Mental exercises to calm himself down had little effect. Every time he attempted to center himself through mediation, all Kenobi could touch was shifting darkness instead of the shrouded pool of light that was the Force. It didn't take him long to figure that out – it was the Force bond he had forged over the years with Anakin. Whatever happened to Skywalker, he was now a source of pulsing darkness shrouding everything. The worst bit was that its cold dark touch felt almost welcoming when it brushed over Obi-Wan's mental shields.
He shuddered in disgust and decided that meditation was out of the question for the time being. That left Kenobi with little to do but read reports and think about what happened. He knew that going to Christophsis with a single Clone Legion and a small fleet would be very dangerous, perhaps fatal. Yet, the locals desperately needed help, and it was both the Jedi's and the Republic's duty to answer.
Morally, the decision was the right thing, there was no question about that. Diplomatically, too – both Christophsis' government and everyone else could see that neither the Republic nor the Jedi would flinch when upholding their duty was dangerous. That gesture would reassure allies and make the Separatists understand that they would fight with their hands, not the easy campaign they had envisioned against a defenseless Republic.
From a military standpoint, going to Christophsis with the forces Obi-Wan could gather, had been a mistake. The 212th was gone now, along with thousands of local volunteers. That was on him, and Commander Cody was right to blame Kenobi for the deaths of his brothers.
Strategically, the only thing Obi-Wan could see himself doing better was waiting and not going to Christophsis with such a small force. Arguably that couldn't be helped, he mussed. Tactically, on the other hand, he had options he never considered. Obi-Wan read the reports from his surviving Clones, as well as those from Anakin's 501st and Admiral Yularen's staff.
They all agreed on a few critical points. Liberal application of orbital firepower was the first. Second, using the environment against the enemy. Finally, when presented with defending an untenable position, retreating, using scorched-earth tactics. Those weren't tactics a Jedi would, or should consider. The very thought of using orbital bombardment was anathema, much less when they fought on a Republic world. The collateral damage would have been extreme.
They came to Christophsis to aid the locals, not to destroy the planet themselves!
The same was true about using the environment, which in this particular case meant demolishing skyscrapers, or even space-scrapers and burying the enemy forces under the rubble. There was even a note from Anakin, that was eye-opening. According to the note, an ideal application of this insane tactic would be to wait for the Separatist vanguard to pass. Only then, you should blow up the buildings, bury the main body of the attacking force, and deal with those cut off at your leisure.
Where did he go wrong with that boy?!
Then there was the polite suggestion to retreat and destroy all useful infrastructure to deny it to the enemy. That was out of the question as well. Doing so would have doomed most, if not all locals, cut off in the capital city during the fighting.
Even if those suggestions were military sound, they weren't something a Jedi could or should condone, or even consider as viable options. They weren't Sith!
Obi-Wan's face twitched at that thought. If this was how Anakin fought now, and if he kept offering suggestions in this vein, Kenobi could easily see why the Council was concerned. And if he had implemented such tactics already… Obi-Wan grimaced at the very thought. How could the war twist Anakin so much, so fast? Or did he fall earlier, under Kenobi's very nose, without the Jedi noticing?!
Was he that much of a failure?!
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Part 4
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Senator Danu's office
Senate Building
Coruscant
Senator Danu stormed into his office, dismissed his aides and went to a tastefully disguised bar, to pour himself a drink. Giddean threw his his white and black hat at his desk, watching it land gently near his secure terminal. The last few days proved to be extremely frustrating, and that was before the Hutt's uppity behavior threw a wrench into his plans. First, Palpatine's war escalated into something that might actually pose a threat, which was an uncomfortable prospect. On the face of it, the idea that a bunch of Outer Rim hacks could threaten the Republic as a whole worth nothing more than a laugh.
Palpatine, and his government might lack the assets to fight and win the war, despite the secret army they managed to sneak pass everyone. Kuat, their allies and rivals were another matter. The question there was simple – was it worth it fighting the Separatists. Realistically, Kuat was posed to profit from the war. With KDY being the largest domestic source of income and work, the impact from losing access to cheap resources from the Rim would be minimal on their economy. The cold blooded calculus was that a long war would be most profitable for them, thanks to all the military contracts they would have to fulfill. However, that was a false perception. A revitalized and re-militarized Republic would shift the balance of power. Thanks to its defense fleet, mothball fleets and industrial capacity, Kuat had an advantage within a demilitarized Republic that only Corellia and Fondor could rival when backed by their respective allies.
With Fondor in Separatist hands, and set up for hard times in the long run, this only left neutral Corellia as a consideration. Giddean's young friend and patron, Kuat, agreed. Fighting the Republic's militarization, while making as much money from it was in Kuat's best interest.
Danu took a calming sip of his cocktail and went to sit behind his desk. He activated his comm terminal and soon got through to Kuat. He found his friend sitting on a sofa, petting his fluffy Felinx, which was sprawled all over his lap. The young man wore his preferred red coat and hat with pride – those were House Kuat's colors and they stood for millennia of history.
"Giddean, buddy, how are the fossils treating you?" Kuat greeted him with a nonchalant hand-wave and a boyish grin.
"Many are worse than your Aunt and that's saying something." Danu said in a sobering tone. "We've got a new issue." He quickly explained the Hutt's ultimatum.
Kuat's smile died as he listened, and by the time the Senator finished, his patron had a thunderous expression on his face. The Felinxs sensed her master's mood shifting and stirred. She playfully batted him with her fluffy paws, trying to distract him.
"That's enough, sweetie." Kuat rubbed his cat's ears, earning himself a loud purr. "So a bunch of up-jumped gangsters think they can dictate to us what to do, is that it?" An ugly sneer twisted Kuat's noble features.
"The GAR is already struggling against the Separatists." Danu shrugged, leaving dignity behind. His friend didn't care about it during private conversations. "They're set to lose much of their forward deployed forces, and we're still unclear on what the Separatists have available to throw at us."
"The Trade Federation alone has a lot of ships. I should know, they've been transporting a lot of goods to our shipyards. The question is how many of them could they afford to waste in combat, instead of using them for security on the Rim and keeping a semblance of economy going." Kuat mussed.
It was unnecessary to say aloud that with the sudden start of the war, the economy was going out of the airlock, with only a select number of industries enjoying an uptick in business. The same was true for the Separatists. When they began this war, they cut themselves off from the lion's share of their clients, and that couldn't be good for the bottom line. That fact alone, gave some credence to Count Dooku's narrative about the start of the war. Until Palpatine and the Jedi unveiled their secret army, the Separatists held most advantages. They didn't need to take the financial losses by starting a war when they did, while they could still have gotten a good deal without it.
"I do require instructions, my friend. This is too important for me to vote how my conscience tells me to." Danu brought the conversation back to the topic at hand.
"My gut reaction is to tell those overgrown earthworms where to stick their ultimatum." Kuat hummed. He kept rubbing his pet's ears, using her purr as a means to calm himself down in a hurry. "I'll speak with my dear Auntie and the legislature. Despite what they think, KDY isn't and shouldn't be Kuat, even if our fates are forever bound to each other. This isn't a decision I could, or should do by myself." Kuat flashed him a smile. "That's why I gleefully backed you up when Auntie offered you the position of Senator, Giddean. You understand. We aren't Kuat, and we shouldn't threat our whole world and allies as our personal fief!"
"It's been just a few short months, yet Lady Onara doesn't seem particularly happy with my performance." Danu shrugged. "From what I gather, she has some particularly old fashioned ideas about KDY's place in the galaxy, ideas you don't share." Otherwise, we wouldn't be friends, he didn't say aloud.
"That she does, along with most of the old nobility. Being the Heir of the family might eventually mean I would run KDY, however that doesn't make me divinely chosen to decide the future of our fellow citizens! I'm not all knowing, and I certainly lack a divine mandate, something certain people around here believe they were born with!" Kuat vented some of the frustration he constantly felt when dealing with his fellow Kuati nobles.
More petting and purring followed, until Kuat calmed himself down.
From what Danu gathered, this was his friend father's idea – a pet helped deal with the constant frustrations and headaches that came with the territory of being Kuat of Kuat in a constructive manner. For as long as Danu knew Kuat, he had a particularly affectionate, and often lazy feline lounging around, demanding attention.
The only real downside was that the fur was a bitch to take off clothes.
"That's better." Kuat muttered, gently stroking his pet's soft fur. "I'll get the parliament gathered and we'll discuss and vote on the ultimatum as soon as possible. I'll make sure you've got our decision and marching orders in time for the Senate session tomorrow." He shook his head. "Two days deadline?! The Hutt's are quite eager to join the Separatists, aren't they? I doubt that even Palpatine can make the Senate finish deliberations and actually vote before the deadline expires."
"This brings the second pressing issues, buddy." Giddean pointed out. "What will we do if the Hutts actually join the war? Their backing will at the very least ensure a long conflict with all that entails."
Like a militarized Republic emerging from the ashes, which would be less than ideal. In that case, Kuat's standing fleet and building capabilities would be much less of a quiet bargaining chip than they had been since the day the Republic demilitarized.
"We'll be discussing that eventuality as well and get back to you before the deadline expires." Kuat promised. "While we're talking about headaches, what's up with your Jedi friends?"
Now it was Danu's time to grimace.
"There's some kind of a dogmatic schism going between the Jedi Council and former Jedi, now General, Skywalker."
"The boy that saved Naboo ten years ago?" Kuat perked up.
Giddean knew his friend used to be a fan, along with a lot of other youngsters across the galaxy when that particular news broke. For that matter, he was one too.
"One and the same. You didn't miss his exploits at Christophsis, did you?" Giddean asked.
"Of course not, the whole Holonet buzzed with news of that victory. So much for all those speaking against the Jedi being effective commanders, eh? One of them just won the most stunning victory in a thousand years!" Kuat chuckled happily at that.
"For some reason, the Jedi believe he has fallen and is now evil or something. You know, like another Revan of legend." Danu winced at the admission.
"Has he?" Kuat inquired.
It was such a simple and innocent question, yet the Senator had no idea how to answer, so he shrugged. "Only time can tell. If he is, Skywalker will show it with his actions."
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