Senate Compound: Chancellor's Office
In the end, the meeting itself was a short affair. Chancellor Sheev Palpatine had to laugh at the irony. High Admiral Neidhart Muller, the officer from this 'Neue Reich' had to wait for an audience which at most lasted for barely an hour. The young man himself, in his early 40s was courteous, mild-mannered, and well-spoken. With the way the man carried himself, he clearly had a military background. Despite the rather thick and heavy accent the man had when speaking in Galactic common, he was able to express himself quite well. The Jedi was also helpful enough to translate words and phrases if needed.
Palpatine then reexamines the letter handed to him by the representative earlier. A personal letter from one government official to to another. The letter was handwritten in vellum paper by hand and sealed with wax stamped with the personal seal of Crown Prince Alexander Siegfried von Lohengramm. The letter itself was handwritten in two languages. The Jedi explained that the upper portion was written in the official language of the Reich (which he had no idea of how to read), while the lower part was written in Galactic common. Apparently these people were unfamiliar with Galactic common. Quite an odd anomaly if one were to think about it. Fortunately the Jedi Explorer who discovered them was competent enough to teach them their language.
Handwriting, vellum paper, and wax seals. It would seem that these people despite being quite an advanced space-faring race still clings to some rather…old practices.
The contents of the letter itself were simple. Courteous words of greeting and diplomatic requests. Palpatine opened up other topics with the envoy such as trade, migration, and other topics but Muller insisted such details will have only happen if the Republic agrees all the terms of the letter. Apparently the man was simply a messenger and nothing more.
The first request was the establishment of an embassy, preferably in Coruscant in the very near future. In return, the Republic was also granted permission to establish their own embassy in Fezzan should they wish to. This was fairly simple. While unprecedented was quite feasible. Muller agreed to the establishment of a temporary consulate only in a private building away from the Senate compound until such time that the Empire could build their own.
The second request was to give the incoming ambassador the privilege to attend Senate hearings only with an observer status. While it certainly does need some deliberation, it was understandable. These people are new to the Republic. Certain systems, functions, and practices maybe foreign to them. As such, attending Senate meetings would be helpful on their part. The letter also gave assurance that the ambassador could be told in advance not to attend certain meetings should it involve matters of security or confidential topics. In fact, the same privilege to the future ambassador of the Republic would also be given.
The third request was quite disconcerting: extraterritoriality. This perhaps was the controversial one. The Reich wants its embassy be deemed extraterritorial. As such, laws of the Republic are not recognized inside the embassy. Matters within the walls of the embassy are to be deemed matters of the Empire not the Republic, and outside interference without the consent of the ambassador will be seen as a violation of the sovereignty of the Reich (and even worse that that, maybe seen as an act of war). In the same manner, dignitaries from the Reich will not be subject to the laws of the Republic. Any gross violations done by any of the dignitaries within the Republic will have to be discussed so as to process extradition.
Again, the Prince has assured in the letter that the same privileges will be given to the Republic as well. Something like this would need to be discussed in the Senate and would take some time. After all, extraterritoriality is a controversial issue even within the Republic, much less when given to an entity outside the Republic.
Throughout the course of its history, the Republic has never hosted hosted foreign embassies, or even if it did it, the practice was essentially lost to time. Unaligned entities like the Hapes Consortium and the Chiss Ascendancy did not have embassies in any of the territories of the Republic; though dignitaries do come in from time to time. A practice like this would be new for the Republic. He did suggest that instead of an embassy, then perhaps a vacant office in the Senate compound be allotted for the Reich. However, according to the young admiral it was nonnegotiable. The Reich insisted on its own embassy. Quite the audacity, he must say.
He noticed there was something different about the representative. Reaching out to the Force to be able to read better into people was something Palpatine did on a regular basis. It was an ace he had which enabled him to easily maneuver himself around the turbulent politics of the Senate. However, when he reached out into the Force to see deeper into the young admiral he felt….nothing.
Every living being is connected to the Force. It was the central dogma held by the Jedi, the Sith, and every organization that believed in the Force held onto.
From the smallest organism to powerful force being' everything revolved around the Force. Things were different when it came to the admiral though. When he subtly reached out to Admiral Muller, there was a strange sense of void. No, this feeling was not the Dark Side nor was it Force Resistance. It was simply the feeling of absence: vague, empty, and desensitizing. It felt as if there was the Force never existed within the young man so to speak.
He felt it was impossible, even illogical. All living beings are connected to the Force. It is what guides every thing to their fates. There were stories of how the Rakatans lost their connection to the Force, however it was generally agreed that what happened was that they simply lost their abilities to commune with and manipulate the Force. They never actually lost their connection to the Force. However, this was a different thing.
Palpatine decided he should deeply meditate more in this. Perhaps he was simply being too subtle in his search, and Muller's connection with the Force was simply too weak. He did have to be careful not to be sensed by that Jedi after all. However he still should prepare for the possibilities, especially should he be proven right.
Initially, he toyed with the idea of rejecting the Reich's proposal. An outside entity running around freely in Senate affairs, even if it had no power to directly influence said affairs might pose problems. If what he felt within the admiral indeed was something and if it was not an exception, then these people might create further unexpected complications. He cannot let that happen. He cannot risk it with everything so close in his grasp be ruined by some upstarts from another galaxy.
Then a strange idea flashes his mind. Yes. Perhaps he could play this to his advantage. He still controls the game, and the arrival of a new player might complicate things but it might make things easier in the long run.
Timeskip: Jedi Temple
For one Togrutan Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, things lately have been tumultuous for the past two years. Most of her two years as a Padawan have been spent in the frontlines. Granted she did have an excellent teacher in the form of her master, Anakin Skywalker and with the occasional guidance from Obi-Wan Kenobi; she would sometimes wish things were more like this: peaceful and quiet.
As a youngling, she dreamed of tales of grand adventure away from the confines of the Jedi Temple. Now, it would seem irony has turned its head and now she prefers the quiet, safe, and peaceful halls of the Jedi Temple to the noise of battle. As such, moments like this when she could go home were deeply cherished. When she arrived earlier, the first thing she did was meet up with old friends both inside and outside the Temple.
While walking around the halls of the temple, as she turns her head to acknowledge a random Youngling who greeted her, she fails to notice a rather tall figure she was going to collide with.
"Oh. I am deeply sorry, Master." Ahsoka says as she apologizes as she bumps into the figure assuming he/she was a Jedi Knight.
"Be careful, young one." the voice tells her gently. Ahsoka then shifts her gaze to the person. Here she sees two rather tall Humans. The first was a fair-skinned dark-haired man wearing a blue version of the robes commonly worn by Jedi. The other was had an ash gray hair wearing what seems to be some form of intricately-designed black military uniform.
"Oh. You're an Explorer from….the…..Service Corps, right?" Ahsoka remarked recognizing the variation of the man's Jedi robes. Members of the Explorer Corps were known to wear blue version of the widely recognized Jedi Robes.
The Service Corps was a minor known branch of the Jedi Order. While the Jedi were famous for the Jedi Knights, there existed a less famous branch of the Jedi: the Service Corps. Divided into four smaller branches:the Agricultural Corps, the Medical Corps, the Educational Corps, and the Explorer Corps. This branch of the Order served as a support branch with roles different from the highly revered Jedi Knights. The Service Corps was not particularly a popular choice for most of the Younglings as members are usually selected from those who failed their initial trials.
Now, it was not that Ahsoka's reaction meant she actually looked down on members of the Service Corps. It was more of a surprise. Aside from those in the Medical Corps, most members were rarely seen in the Temple. Rarest among them were members of the Explorer Corps. The Explorers always had the least number of members, and are actually rarely seen in Coruscant or the nearby regions. Their work usually entails mapping new hyperspace routes and planetary expeditions usually focused in the Unknown Regions, a job considered to be highly dangerous for most Jedi. Due to the nature of their job, members of the Explorer Corps rarely visited the Temple, if not at all. Mostly, they stayed in outposts working closely with the Republic Survey Corps and have always been rather independent of the Order. Her master once told her that he had a good friend who is a member of the Explorer Corps but has gone missing for some time before the start of the Clone Wars.
The dark-haired man raised an eyebrow. "Yes. I am a proud member of the Service Corps. As such, that 'oh' is supposed to mean what, young lady?" the man asks sternly.
"N…nothing. I mean I'm really sorry for bumping into you." Ahsoka replies.
The man simply continued on raising his eyebrow. It was as if he was waiting for something. His companion simply gives an awkward attempt to look the other way, trying not to get himself involved in the situation
"Uhhh?" Ahsoka replies now confused.
The man simply shook is head, grunted and gave out a sign.
"I swear they gets worse every time." the man says as he turns to his companion. "I believe the term you are missing is 'sir', young one. I may not be a Jedi Knight, but I am still your senior in the Order."
"But…" Ahsoka tries to defend herself but the man quickly cuts her off.
"Perhaps I should raise this issue with your master. Tell me, who is your master?"
Before Ahsoka could answer, her master Anakin Skywalker together with Obi-Wan Kenobi arrive just in time.
"Hey, stop bothering my Padawan." Anakin says as he and his former teacher approaches the three. He takes a good look at the man scolding his apprentice. Recognizing the man, his eyes widened in surprise. He was an old friend that many believed to be dead. Before he could say anything, his former master talks first.
"Jarrod Shan? What a pleasant surprise!" Obi-Wan says with a mixture of surprise and glee.
"You were gone for so long. Everyone thought you were dead." Anakin adds. "It's good to see you again Jarrod."
"Likewise Anakin, Master Kenobi. It takes more than a hyperspace jump gone wrong to take me down." Jarrod's previous stern demeanor slightly relaxes. "So you are this young one's master." Jarrod says as his eyes again return to their scrutinizing look at the young Togrutan.
"Yes. Why? Did she do anything?" Anakin asks.
"Perhaps a lesson in respect. I may not be a Jedi Knight, but I am still a Jedi nonetheless, as well as her senior." Jarrod ranted.
"Now, Jarrod." Anakin tried to appease his own friend.
"Master…I didn't mean any disrespect. I….." Ahsoka tried to defend herself. However Anakin's own apologetic, pleading look convinced her to do the opposite. "Fine. I am sorry, Sir Shan." she conceded.
Jarrod's face softens. "Very well then. What is your name, young one?"
"Ahsoka Tano, sir." Ahsoka replies meekly.
"Anyway. Where are my manners? Gentlemen, young lady; may I present High Admiral Neithard Muller of the Neue Reich. Admiral, these are some old friends of mine, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker." Jarrod says as he introduces his companion to the three Jedi. Jarrod made a note to specify the word manners in front of the Padawan.
The three men then shook hands and exchanged a few pleasant greetings with one another. For some reason when Anakin shook hands with the admiral, he suddenly felt…numb.
"Neue Reich?" Obi-Wan suddenly asks distacting Anakin before he could ponder more on the strange sensation.
"We're not from around here, Herr Kenobi." Muller replies in a rather thick and heavy accent of Galactic common. The man definitely was not a native speaker of the language.
"Unknown Regions." Jarrod simply Anakin and Obi-Wan simply nodded in understanding.
"You do know outsiders are not permitted in this part of the Temple." Obi-wan reminded the explorer.
"He's...a guest. We have an appointment with Master Yoda." Jarrod explains.
"Appointment?" both Anakin and Obi-wan asks him.
Muller looks to his watch. Before his companion could reply to the two, he clears his throat."We have to get going. We're already late."
"Ah yes."Jarrod says realizing the time they lost. "Look, we should be going. Master Yoda must've waited for hours now."
Both Anakin and Obi-Wan simply looked to each other in bewilderment.
"Master Kenobi. Anakin. Ahsoka. Perhaps some other time. It's good to see you again,Anakin...and Congratulations." Jarrod says before he and Muller leaves. He gives a small smile towards them before he turns his back. Muller nods as he follows his companion.
"I swear Master, I was not disrespecting him." Ahsoka then tries to defend herself once they see the two out of earshot.
"I know." Anakin reassures her. "It's just that….Jarrod is a bit...sensitive when it comes to how people treat members of the Service Corps."
"Things were worse for the Service Corps back then." Obi-Wan also adds, recalling how some of the more...arrogant members of the Order had low opinion of members of the Service Corps.
"Oh." Ahsoka's eyes widened with sudden understanding. While not as widely spread now as it was back then, many of those in the Jedi Order tend to see members of the Service Corps as something akin to a second-class Jedi. Things did change for the better but the general view of the Service Corps as wash-outs was still remained despite stern warnings from Master Yoda himself.
"Don't worry. He's actually a nice guy. You two should get acquainted on better terms." Anakin reassures his Padawan as he gives her a small pat on the head.
"Was he the friend you talked about? The one in the Explorer Corps. " Ahsoka suddenly remembered.
"Yeah." Anakin answered his padawan with a small smile.
Ahsoka simply gave a small smile and nods her head in understanding.
Timeskip: Master Yoda's Office
When Muller met Master Yoda, he did not expect someone so….tiny. While Jarrod did describe him as old, green, wrinkly, and small; he did not expect someone so small. The Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, a being older than any living being he knew was standing in front of him with an outstretched hand with his eyes closed as if in deep concentration.
"Hmhmhmhm. Judge me by my size, do you?" Yoda asks the man as Yoda then opens his eyes and broke of his concentration. "Betray you, your face does not." Yoda adds with a playful tune to his voice.
"Uhhh….No sir. I was just surprised by how you look." Muller tries to defend himself. His companion Jarrod simply gives a knowing smirk. The green-skinned old Jedi simply gave a small smile.
"It seems absent in the Force, you truly are. If true this is, then perhaps your people are as well." Yoda answers Jarrod now with a more serious tone. "True it is what you have said, young Jarrod Shan. Sense the Force in him, I cannot." Yoda turns to the explorer.
"Yes Master Yoda. It was unsettling and disturbing. Being around them, it felt blinding..." Jarrod answers, recalling his own experiences during his in the Reich. Yoda's eyes widened at this statement.
Muller then hands out a small drive to Yoda's hand which the old master receives.
"What you have in your hand are all the gathered data I could get when it came to the Midi-chlorian studies we conducted back in the Reich. It's beyond my line of expertise, but the simple explanation our scientists gave me was that the organism are seen as foreign bodies and are immediately destroyed by the host's immune system. Our own subjects were limited but so far, all subjects displayed the same response. An immune response was developed specifically to target Midi-chlorians. We have painstakingly translated the data in your language with the help of Herr Jarrod's protocol droid." Muller then adds.
Yoda simply gave a small nod. "Hmmm. Very radical indeed, these findings are. Changes everything we believe, these findings will." the old master tells them.
"Indeed Master Yoda."Jarrod then answers.
Muller thinks long about this. This 'Force' became a point of interest for the Empire when they discovered Jarrod Shan. Such abilities augmented by this unknown power essentially creates superbeings. The Reich rarely worked with religious organizations in most of its policies, especially with its own bad experience with the Terraist Church. However, the study of the Midi-chlorians became a top priority for the military after they were made aware of Force sensitives. No, it wasn't that they automatically deemed the Jedi as a threat; a handful of pacifist warrior monks was not a significant threat. However from what Jarrod told them of this galaxy's history and how this 'Force' shaped it's history, it was wise to prepare for unforeseen circumstances. Even with their best scientists, their own studies turned inconclusive. These organisms were complex and sensitive, and Jarrod's own understanding of them was limited. Thus, they had to turn to the Jedi Order for help. While it was risky, it was worth the risk.
That and the Jedi Order's held a huge political sway in the Galactic Senate. The Jedi Grandmaster himself aided him in getting an audience with the Chancellor far sooner than he actually expected. Jarrod Shan who now became the Reich's liason with the Order indeed turned out to be a helpful friend for the Empire. This Order seemed to entrench itself deeply with in the institutions of this Republic and as such, good relationship with them will be beneficial to the Empire.
"Prince Alexander wishes for a cooperative study of the Midi-chlorians, with the help of your Order. Of course, all findings will be shared between us." Muller finally speaks to the old grand master. "The Reich assures you we will be open with regards to our findings. For all the secrecy that surrounded the study, Herr Jarrod was made aware of all our findings despite him being technically an outsider."
"Hmmm….think deeply on this, I should. Inform the council, I must." Yoda answered the two as the old Jedi gazes towards the drive in his hand.
The two simply nodded their heads in understanding
"Late it is. Get some rest, you two should." Yoda reminded the two.
"Indeed, Master Yoda." "Thank you." Both men stood up. Jarrod gave a small courtesy bow while Muller gave a salute.
"A reply, I will give you soon." Yoda then tells Muller before the two men leave.
As he was left to himself inside his office, the old master reflected. The discovery of these humans will change things. The established understanding of the Force will change. For centuries since its establishment, the Jedi Order's own understanding of the Midi-chlorians have been limited. Aside from a few basic concepts about the organism, much is still not known about them. Never has been there any attempted extensive study about the organism itself. The nature of the Midi-chlorians was complex and any conventional attempts to study the organism became inconclusive.
It was a wide belief that all living things have Midi-chlorians in them and the organism itself is essential to life, now only for him to find out that there is a whole cache of living beings that actively reject the organism will challenge that concept, especially when it came to their own understanding of the Living Force. Even Yoda started to find himself questioning everything he believed in. Contrary to what people believed, Yoda was not a very dogmatic person. A being as old as he is understood that the only thing constant is change. However, something of this scale, it was a different thing altogether...
The offer of a study was tempting. In the recent years, the Force has been clouded, uncertain, and more unpredictable. The study into the organism may help bring new insights. However, by doing so also opens doors that might challenge the very founding principles of the Jedi Order. Will they be willing to open up the doors into the unknown? Will they be willing to change and adopt to the changes these findings will give them? Will the answers be a gift or a curse?
Throughout the night, Grandmaster Yoda pondered on these questions with only the night lights and cold winds of Coruscant to comfort him in his thoughts.
A/N: So here's another chapter. I hope you guys like it. Please. A review would be really appreciated. It helps me to know which parts are weak so I can improve myself. Next chapter would focus on the Reich. Some few familiar faces in LOGH will be making their appearance as well. ^_^