A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a while. Like before, I promise I'm not abandoning this story. I just hit a major case of writers block.
With this chapter and going forward, it is important to remember that accusing a high level leader of treason or an equally bad crime, is a delicate matter and often requires tons of unquestionable proof. All the knowledge and reasoning in the galaxy doesn't legally matter without it.
Anyways, I would love to know what you all think. So, stop in and drop a note about what you like, don't like, want or don't want to see, etc. (or just to say hi. :) )
Well, without further ado, I give you Chapter 15...
(Coruscant: Senate Building)
Padme let out a sigh as she accepted the data pad from her assistant. The day had been a long one. She had started the morning reading through two bills that were absolute shipwrecks from cover to cover. Then, she spent another two hours meeting with various Senators about the war. Despite veiled attempts to dig, she could find no signs of a leak within the political circles. Through the rest of the days activities, she continued to listen and ask. Yet she could find nothing. Now, she got to read up on the war through Senatorial Briefings.
"This is going to be a late night," she muttered as she scanned the table of contents.
By this point, Padme had retreated to her desk. There, she set down the data pad long enough to tap the computer interface on her desk. She pressed two buttons, swiped over a screen, and hit play. The sound of instrumental music from the Theed Palace Orchestra whispered through the room- adding a sense of warmth to her asthetically cold room.
The concept of time seemed to fall away as he scrolled through the ever depressing reports. Planets were being lost at a rapid pace. The CIS was picking up momentum and angling straight for the core. Resources were spread thin. To add insult to injury: political, public, and military moral were at all time lows. Jedi and clones alike were simply vanishing from their units; refugees and protesters were applying pressure to already maxed out public services; and politicians were reduced to spinning their wheels and throwing more money at a problem that money couldn't solve.
She was pulled from her thoughts by the door chime. Padme gasped as she looked at her chrono. The sky outside had gone from pale blue to the black of night as four hours marched on unchecked.
"Come in," she called as she silenced the music.
In response, Bail Organa stepped through the door. Despite his fashionable clothes and dark colored hair, the fellow Senator seemed to be aging by the minute.
"You're still here?" she inquired as she motioned him to a seat.
"I wasn't. C-3PO said you were still here, though. So, I came back," he admitted as he stroked his beard.
The motion and accompanying tone reminded her of Obi Wan, and sent her gut churning. Padme put aside her emotions as she followed up.
"So, what brings you out this late?"
"News on Earth," Organa answered quickly before gesturing to the data pad in her hand, "I see you probably have some of that news already."
"I got the risk assessment. Unfortunately, it's crushed between about thirty-seven equally bad reports," Padme confirmed.
"Yes. Well, I just heard back from Master Yoda. Both Obi Wan and Anakin have cleared their units. Neither man could find a leak," Bail Organa added with a grim sigh.
"So our leak is political," she reasoned.
"More than likely. The Jedi are still combing the prison transcripts. However, nothing has been found so far," Organa agreed before adding, "What about the Naboo security chief?"
Padme's eyes narrowed, "What about him?"
"Are you sure he's not the leak?" he clarified.
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive," Padme confirmed, "Even if he wanted to, which I highly doubt, he wouldn't have the means or opportunity. Control of the lab went straight from the 501st to the 212th. Naboo security forces were almost never allowed passed the perimeter and certainly were never given a copy of the data and weapons seized in the raid."
"Are you sure," Bail Organa pressed.
Carefully controlled anger clung to every word as Padme explained, "I am. I spent two weeks getting stonewalled by SIS because I wanted to know the end result of the investigation. Once that road proved to be a dead end, I turned to Naboo Security. They told me that they never received any of the reports. An R2 assisted dig proved that they were telling the truth."
Senator Organa backed down in the face of Padme's sharpened tone. Given the logic behind it, he saw no reason to pursue the angle further.
Bail Organa let out a sigh as he leaned back in the chair. Here he had to step carefully. There were two possible options left, and no proof. If be made one misstep from this point on, the destruction of his carefully forged political carrier would be the least of his worries.
"This leaves us with two options… Either someone lied and we didn't catch it or our leak is further up," he dreadfully announced.
"Anakin and Obi Wan wouldn't have the motivation to give away this information. At the same time, they would know if the clones were lying," Padme noted.
"Yes. What about our contacts in the Senate? We both know that things are becoming more and more cutthroat in the Senate chamber," Senator Organa suggested.
"Maybe, but even the CIS systems seemed fearful of this weapon. Many of the system representatives personally contacted the Chancellor's office to wash their hands of the project," she answered with a shrug.
"That means it's higher up," Organa declared, "The question is, 'How far up?'"
Padme considered the question for at least a whole minute. She hastily crossed bureaucratic and elected positions with responsibilities and powers. While the task was hard to complete mentally, it did seem to present two answers… one of which she almost refused to believe.
"Either SIS or the Supreme Chancellor's office," she breathed as the color drained from her face.
Bail Organa's eyes widened at the accusation. However, some reasoning of his own kept him from immediately rejecting the idea. Taking that possibility into consideration, he waved Padme in close.
As she leaned in, he asked softly but firmly, "I am not saying that you are wrong. However, I will say that what you are suggesting is a very serious accusation to be making about the Republic's main intelligence service and a man with a spotless political and personal record."
"SIS I'm not worried about. Palpatine, I am. I know that you two were very close friends. He was a mentor to you, and you two were both critical components in each other's success," -he quickly waved down Padme's protests- "This investigation may produce knowledge that you don't want. Are you able to handle that?"
Padme nodded as she forced down her own line of protests. Clearly it wasn't her honesty in question.
There was a faint quiver in her voice as she answered, "Yes."
Senator Organa nodded with satisfaction as he reclined again and motioned for Padme to do the same. Despite his relaxed body language a new fire was burning in his eyes.
"Then, first thing tomorrow, I believe we need to have a talk with the Jedi," he declared.
(Earth: Southwest Russia)
Obi Wan shivered as a cold draft tore into the room through a shattered window. The burned out building worked well for protecting the sensitive communications equipment housed within, but offered little protection from the icy winds that Volgograd was notorious for.
Obi Wan ignored both that and the creeping sensation down his back as he gave his report.
"...By working with the poor weather, we were able to bog down Grievous's droids. For now their air support is limited as has their ability to gain ground. However…" Obi Wan's report trailed off as he shivered yet again.
The darkside rolled off of the building in waves. In the heat of battle when this location was chosen, he had failed to notice that detail. However, now it was starting to create a problem. He had heard that this city had seen some heavy fighting while under its previous name of Stalingrad. Yet, this was worse than most places in the city.
"Obi Wan," Master Plo Koon cut in, "Are you ok?"
"Huh?" Obi Wan blinked as though he had been slapped, "Oh… yes. I'll be ok. This city has quite the connection with the darkside."
"Unnaturally dark?" Master Windu quizzed.
"No… Not given the city's history," Obi Wan answered with a dismissive wave.
Not one of the eleven other members on the council looked convinced. Yet, with some urging, they let the matter drop. Obi Wan was known to have sound judgement, and there was no reason to question his judgement here.
"So, are we certain that General Grievous is leading this assault?" Kit Fisto finally asked.
"No," Obi Wan answered with a frown as he stared at a map of the city, "But I strongly doubt a tactical droid is calling the shots. They prefer brute force and overwhelming numbers. This battle is different. The droids are employing better strategies- strategies that are distinctly Grievous in nature."
"How close to answering this question, are you?" Yoda pursued.
"Recon teams are going out as we can spare them. Right now, the focus is on using the lull in combat to secure our hold on the city," Obi Wan answered as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"If leading this assault, Grievous is. Then the key to victory, he may be," Yoda advised.
If only it were so easy, Obi Wan thought before answering, "I agree. What is the situation on Coruscant? I have a lot of leaders demanding a lot of answers."
"The investigation is still going. Unfortunately, it sounds like it may be taking a darker turn than we expected. I will be meeting with Senators Amidala and Organa after our discussion has concluded."
"I see," Obi Wan said as he stroked his beard, "Has the doctor been cleared?"
"No, not yet. However, found something in the transcripts, we have not," Yoda answered with drooping ears.
Obi Wan's answer was cut short as a Russian officer raced into the building.
"Gen-" the Colonel stopped short as he saw the holographic figures, "Gentlemen. General Grievous has been spotted. SAS has him on the far west side. Unfortunately, the team was spotted before they could take a shot."
Obi Wan nodded as he processed the information.
"I see," he acknowledged before turning to rest of the council, "Well, it appears as though the war is calling. Was there anything else?"
"Yes, but it can wait. Time does not appear to be on your side," Master Fisto answered as he traded glances with the various council members.
Seeing no objections, Yoda spoke up, "On that we agree. Speak later we can. May the Force be with you."
"And to you as well. Obi Wan out."
With that, the Jedi master disconnected the transmission. This only left the city map to give the room a cold blue glow. By this point Colonel Iosef was standing over the table as well. Obi Wan wrinkled his nose as the man lit a cigarette. The smell was intense, and he had yet to understand the appeal.
On the flip side, the aging officer had long since given up on getting Obi Wan to try them. Though, he was still convinced that it would do the extraterrestrial human good. Lord knows those council meetings were enough to make any man a smoker and an alcoholic. Tack on this war, and they would be enough to make that person a drunken mess.
"So, you're sure that he is here?" Obi Wan quizzed.
"Yes. The Brits have their problems, but I doubt even a toddler could misidentify that robotic freak," Colonel Iosef confirmed with a wave of his cigarette.
Obi Wan ignored the insult as he followed up, "Where?"
"Here, at that apartment complex. I was right, they are using it as a command center," he answered as he stabbed his finger into the display.
"I see."
"What about the weapon?" Obi Wan quizzed.
"The people in research and development think they have a working model. In the prick's quest for nukes, he came up with something just as good without knowing it," Iosef stated.
"Will it work, though?" Obi Wan asked as he continued to stare at the map.
"According to them, it should wipe out any electrical device between these roads" the Colonel answered as he pointed to a road two miles east of the CIS command center and five miles west of it.
"How soon should it be here?" the Jedi quizzed.
"Assuming the convoy isn't delayed, the device should be here tomorrow," he answered with a sly smirk.
"Good. Get the men in place. Tell the SAS team to meet me on tac-2," General Kenobi ordered as he rubbed his forehead.
"What are you doing?" Colonel Iosef asked as he crushed his cigarette under his boot.
"Going to deal with an old problem," he answered as he turned for the door.