Chapter Nine - Politics

"Trust me, my capacity for mayhem is undiminished."
- Mara Jade Skywalker

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"Invited, the Senators have been. Arrive within the hour, they will," Yoda's pronouncement after the recess left those present in the chambers at ill ease. Knowing exactly how close the Sith Lord was had greatly shaken their usual sense of serenity, and their lack of surety on how to proceed left the Jedi further unhinged. Still, they were Masters on the Jedi Council for a reason and they were able to shake off the uncertainty and gather their thoughts for discussion after only a brief time.

And a sense of serenity and surety are two things that Anakin is most certainly lacking, Mara thought, sighing. It was hard seeing the man who would be Vader as a young, troubled, man. As a more experienced, mature Jedi from the future, she supposed she ought to have some sage advice for Anakin, so when Luke had left to speak with Anakin privately, Mara had held him back. "I'll talk with him, Farm Boy, he needs a bit of a firm hand, I think."

Luke looked like he wanted to argue but ultimately acquiesced at his wife's pointed look. Jedi Master he may be, but Luke knew that sometimes a former Emperor's Hand was needed.

Looking back later, she knew that she had helped Anakin, but she figured he'd still be a nervous wreck until Padmé had given birth and was still breathing.

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Anakin had been taken aback when his...Daughter-in-Law...held Luke back and gestured for him to speak with her instead. Somewhat reluctantly, he met with her outside of the Council chambers while a short recess was called. Daughter-in-Law, he thought, shuddering, my son is indeed a brave man. Remembering the reasons he had wanted to speak with Luke in the first place, he was hard-pressed to squelch the spike in his anxiety.

"Why did Luke include Padmé?!" he whispered harshly. To his irritation, she merely rolled her eyes.

"Listen up, Skywalker...Anakin," she ordered, somewhat irritated that 'Skywalker' now applied to more than one blonde Jedi Tatootine native in the galaxy. "Your wife is a wonderful person, yes? A wonderful politician, yes? Those two traits, Anakin, aren't as common as you'd think!"

"But in her condition-" Anakin yelped as he was interrupted by Mara flicking his nose.

"Anakin! She is pregnant, not in imminent danger of exploding like a thermal detonator. This is what she works for-what she lives for! She would not hold you back, Anakin, don't you dare try to hold her back."

He wanted to argue, he wanted to rage at her, the words were caught in his throat and they just couldn't escape to make themselves heard. He looked past her briefly to see Luke speaking with Obi-Wan.

Luke.

His son.

The older man did have physical resemblances to both Padmé and him, but seeing Luke smile as he and Obi-Wan shared some anecdote took decades off his face and made it all that easier to see the similarities. This is all for Luke, he thought heavily, for Luke and his absent sister.

Mara had remained silent during this moment of introspection and when he caught her eye again, she nodded, satisfied with whatever she saw there. Clapping him on the shoulder hard enough to make him wince, she led him back into the chambers.

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It wasn't long before a young padawan admitted the three senators into the Council chambers. Luke had seen holos of his sister's adopted father but he was still somewhat awed at the sight of the man. The dark skinned man seemed to exude kindness, nobility, and the durasteel backbone which would help him bear the burden of helping establish the Rebellion as well as raise the offspring of the creature he knew had once been Anakin Skywalker with such love.

It was no wonder, he thought, that Leia loved him so.

And there was Mothma. Mon Mothma, Senator of Chandrila. She seemed to be exactly the same as she had been decades from now, filled with the same traits that made Bail Organa such a strong leader. Luke had had the pleasure of knowing Mothma and had always looked up to her. It was odd seeing her so young, but even now that he was the older one, he still felt that same inclination to follow her. As a leader, there were very few who were remotely as capable as she and Luke remembered the days when she had steered the galaxy with that gentle yet resolved way that was distinctly hers.

And then there was his mother. Padmé. Still beautiful, pregnant, and so in love.

"Senators, thank you for joining us," Obi-Wan welcomed them politely, interrupting Luke's reverie.

"It is rare that we are called to meet here in the Temple, Master Jedi, we were eager to satisfy our curiosity on the reasons for our invitation," Senator Mon Mothma said in her customary regal tones.

Stars, I've missed that voice. I wonder what Mon would think if she knew that she would be the future leader of a New Republic, Luke pondered. Horrified, no doubt.

"Right you are, Senator. A grave mistake I fear it was," Yoda said as his ears dipped low.

Luke saw Padmé glance at Anakin with a questioning look, but Anakin seemed unaware as he studied the floor. Luke felt guilt radiate from him, possibly for the events to come or for Padmé's presense here, Luke was unsure but his study of Anakin was interrupted when Padmé spoke.

"What do you mean, Master Yoda?"

Bail Organa and Mon Mothma glanced at each other before turning curious eyes towards the diminutive Jedi Master.

"A terrible truth, we have learned," Yoda said slowly.

"A conspiracy, one that threatens the Republic, the Jedi, and everything that you and we stand for," Mace Windu added somberly.

"Since before the beginning of the war, during the Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo almost ten years ago, we were made aware that a Sith Lord was at-large," Obi-Wan paused as a look of pain appeared on his face for a moment. "We know now that both Darth Maul as well as Dooku were apprentices to this Sith Lord, but we have been unable to discern anything more about the Master."

"We now know the identity of the Master, known as Darth Sidious," Windu finished.

All three Senators were now focused entirely on the Council arrayed before them.

"The Chancellor, a Sith Lord is," Yoda stated, eyes closing and head dropping. "Arrogant we were, not to have sensed his presence."

"The Chancellor!?" Senator Organa exclaimed. "I have grown leery of the man and have been troubled by his accumulation of power...but a Sith?"

"If the Chancellor is a Sith Lord, was would that ultimately mean for the Republic, for the Jedi?" Mothma added on the heels of Bail's question.

"That he is no supporter of democracy can be safely assumed," Obi-Wan said, "the way of the Dark Side does not include sharing power, instead he would be gathering it for himself. The Jedi will be the most important obstacle for him to remove for he will have no ultimate success as long as we still exist to challenge him."

"But how?" Padmé asked. "How could it be him? How could he even hope to destroy the Jedi?"

At that, the Jedi Council, almost in unison, turned towards Luke and Mara. This, of course, prompted the attention of the three senators.

"Senators, I am pleased to meet you," Luke said into the sudden quiet. "My name is Luke Skywalker."

"And I am Mara Jade Skywalker," Mara said, but couldn't help but to stir the pot a little by adding, "his wife."

Obi-Wan and Anakin both rolled their eyes as the three senators stared at Luke and his flame-haired self-proclaimed wife with consternation. Their focus began alternating between the two older Skywalkers before eventually including the younger Skywalker as well.

"Order 66," Mara declared, refocusing the attention of the occupants of the Council chambers. "Order 66. It will spell the end of the Jedi and of the Republic."

"How do you know?" Padmé interjected, "And what is Order 66?"

"Order 66 is an order embedded within the clone units of the Grand Army of the Republic." Dead silence and a sickening sense of dread pervaded the room after Mara's revelation. "The order itself is a command that all Jedi are to be considered traitors to the Republic. Every Jedi. Every man, woman, or youngling who belongs to the Order are to be killed on sight. Clone units on Coruscant would be charged with assaulting the Temple itself, with orders to leave none inside alive."

Silence.

Mara saw Anakin flinch at the mention of killing younglings and knew that he was imagining himself doing just that, either in the past on Tatooine or in the future Mara spoke of.

Everyone else just stared at Mara.

"But...the clones?!" Padmé exclaimed. "Embedded how?"

"Biological programming, or perhaps a control device implanted inside them. There were some clones who didn't turn against the Jedi, but they were far and few between," Luke answered.

"Fives!" Luke heard Master Shaak Ti murmur to herself, just loudly enough for him to hear.

"You speak as if you were there, Luke and Mara," Mon Mothma asked curiously.

Luke winced. He had no intention of explaining the dynamics of traveling through time with the aid of the Force to a group of politicians, no matter how much he respected them. He had forgotten just how sharp Mon was and he scrambled to come up with a relatively truthful answer but he was saved when Mara spoke for him.

"We were there, Senators, from a certain point of view, that is. The Force can reveal many truths to those open to hear them." It was about as generic of an answer that a Jedi could give, but it was enough to satisfy Mon, though her curiosity obviously remained undimished.

"What is it that you would have of us, Master Yoda?" Senator Organa asked.


"Bane...Sing...what do you have to report?" Grievous said before coughing harshly.

"The senator you requested I observe went to the Jedi Temple today, along with Senators Organa and Mothma. They've been there for hours now. I was close enough to hear that they weren't aware of why they had been invited, but I was unable to attach any listening to device to them. They are not unguarded and they were far too close to the Temple for my comfort," Aurra Sing reported.

"That's about the same on my part. Both Skywalker and Kenobi have also been sequestered in the Temple," Cad Bane added as he adjusted his distinctive hat, "Although I did see Anakin travel with two other Jedi to the Temple from Senator Amidala's apartment. The other two Jedi were an older man and woman and were unknown to me."

"Good...did you get captures of them?"

"Yes, General, I'll send them to you now."

"Very good. After this, you will be in contact with another. Expect a communique from him soon. His name is Lord Sidious and it would be very wise to treat him with respect," Grievous said.

"We will await his communication then and continue our observation in the meantime. Who is this 'Lord Sidious,' General?" Aurrua Sing asked.

"Someone important," General Grievous chucked before breaking into another coughing fit, "Someone with great plans for the Republic."


"Well, Coruscant hasn't changed," Ahsoka said dryly as they navigated their way through the urban sprawl and crowded airways.

The Dathomirian at her side gave her a side glance but otherwise ignored the Togrutan's observation. After a few minutes of quiet as they journeyed to their temporary housing, Asajj asked, "So what exactly is the plan here, Tano?"

Ahsoka considered the question before she said, "we will meditate and follow the Will of the Force, Ventress."

"Meaning you have no idea."

"Meaning I have no idea."

Asajj chuckled, "No, things haven't changed one bit."

Ahsoka scowled.


The news of those particular senators remaining ensconced within the Jedi Temple did little to comfort Chancellor Palpatine. While he was satisfied that his plans remained intact and were proceeding as he had foreseen, the disturbance in the Force that had occurred recently along with the rare invitation for a group of senators to enter the Jedi Temple for a meeting didn't suit him. And for two unknown Jedi to be accompanying young Skywalker from his dear wife's apartments? No, this did not suit him one bit.

That Senator Amidala had been one of the three senators to journey to the Temple was perhaps something he could use. Possibly, the two Jedi had discovered Anakin and his idealistic fool of a wife and had reported them. That seemed unlikely with the presence of the other two senators, but such a situation would prove ideal for turning the boy.

'Two unknown Jedi accompanied Anakin Skywalker from Senator Amidala's apartment to the Jedi Temple,' had been what General Grievous reported to him. The images of the unknown Jedi had shown an older man and woman unfamiliar to him and he made it a point to be familiar with the Jedi that might be near Skywalker. They will have to be investigated, Palpatine thought, two unknown Jedi who may be aware of Anakin Skywalker's marriage are too much of a wildcard to remain ignorant about.

Steepling his fingers, Palpatine smiled as he considered the Coruscanti skyline. All this will be mine soon, and the Jedi will be no more.

For now, he would remain patient. He needed more information and until whatever deliberations were taking place in the Temple ended, he would have to remain reluctantly ignorant.


Author's Notes: Short chapter this time, sorry! I thought adding anything more wouldn't do much for the story and I want to move on to where the fun begins.

Random Thoughts: I don't know about you guys, but it's driving me nuts that people are posting stories featuring Ahsoka and listing Lumiya as the character. Come on Star Wars nerds, you ought to know that it was Shira Brie became that particular gem of wonderfulness.

There's a Star Wars fanfic that I can't remember the title of, but it featured the sandworms of Dune on Tatooine, I don't remember much about that story, but I want to give a shout out because I really loved that idea. Let' face it, we've all wanted to drive a sandworm across the desert.

Again, thanks for the feedback you've given me! Don't hesitate to let me know what you think is good/bad.