Author's Note: Not that long of a chapter, but necessary. Chapters 31-34 have been made over. I would've posted the new chapter for 35 as well but the site won't let me. (Eye roll). The thing is I really wanted that one posted with the others as not to have two of the same chapter up at the same time. Hopefully I'll be able to tommorow. Reviews are always welcomed, but I thank everyone who reads the story nonetheless.

The Lure of the Dark Side: Chronicle 1-The Turning of an Era

Episode V: Revenge of the Sith

Chapter 19: The Treason Continues

1400 came sooner than Amidala's liking as the Senators starting arriving at her home a half-hour before. The same five Senators that came the day before were accompanied by two others: Chi Eckway of Wroona and Bana Breemu of the Humbarine Sector. The Naboo Senator had 3PO serving refreshments to everyone as the meeting began.

"I am very grateful to be included here," Chi Eckway said, her dewlaps jiggling as she tilted her blue head in gesture around Amidala's living room at the gathering of Senators. "I speak directly only from my own sector, of course, but I can tell you that many Senators are becoming very nervous indeed. You may know that the new Governors are arriving with full regiments of clone troopers-what they call security forces. We all have begun to wonder if these regiments are intended to protect us from Separatists…or to protect the governors from us."

Amidala mentally laughed at this as she looked up from the document reader in her hand. "I have reliable information that General Grievous has been located, and that the Jedi are already moving against her position. The war may be over in a matter of days."

"But what than?" Bail Organa asked leaning forward. "How do we make Palpatine withdraw his governors? How do we stop him from garrisoning troops in all our systems?"

"We don't have to make him do anything," she said reasonably. "The Senate granted him executive powers only for the duration of the emergency-"

"Yet it is only Palpatine himself who has the authority to declare when the emergency is over," Bail countered. "How do we make him surrender power back to the Senate?"

Chi Eckway shifted backward. "There are many who are willing to do just that," she said. "Not just my own people. Many Senators. We are ready to make him surrender power."

Amidala snapped her document reader closed in anger. She looked from Senator to Senator expressionlessly. "Would anyone care for another refreshment?"

"Senator Amidala," Eckway said, "I fear you don't understand-"

"Senator Eckway. Another hoi-broth?"

"No, that's-"

"Very well than." She looked up at her protocol droid. "3PO, that will be all. You are free to power down for a while."

"Thank you Mistress," 3P0 replied. "Though I must say, this discussion has been most stimu-"

"3PO." Her tone went a trace extra firm. "That will be all."

"Yes Mistress. Of course. I quite understand." The droid turned stiffly and shuffled out of the room. As soon as 3PO was safely out of earshot, Amidala brandished the document reader as though it were a weapon. "This is a very dangerous step. We cannot let this turn into another war."

"That's the last thing any of us wants," Bail said with a disapproving look at Senator Eckway. "Alderaan has no armed forces; we don't even have a planetary defense system. A political solution is our only option."

"Which is the purpose of this petition," Mon Mothma said, laying her soft hand over Amidala's. "We're hoping that a show of solidarity within the Senate might stop Palpatine from further subverting the Constitution, that's all. With the signatures of a full two thousand Senators-"

"-we still have less than we need to stop his supermajority from amending the Constitution any way he happens to want," she finished for her. She weighed the reader in her hand. "I am willing to present this to Palpatine, but I am losing faith in the Senate's readiness, or even their ability to rein him in. I think we should consult the Jedi."

Bana Breemu examined her long, elegantly manicured fingertips. "That," she said remotely, "would be dangerous."

Mon Mothma nodded. "We don't know where the Jedi stand in all this."

Amidala sat forward and scoffed. "The Jedi aren't any happier with the situation than we are."

Senator Breemu's high-arched cheekbones made the look she gave Amidala appear even more distant and skeptical. "You seem…remarkably well informed about Jedi business, Senator Amidala."

Amidala rolled her eyes in irritation. "For heavens sake, my sister Antellica is a Jedi. Surely you all know that. Plus I've been good friends with Jedi Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda for the past thirteen years now."

Giddean Danu nodded his head, approval plainly written across his dark face. "If we are to openly oppose the Chancellor, we need the support of the Jedi. We need their moral authority. Otherwise, what do we have?"

"The moral authority of the Jedi, such as it is," Bana Breemu said, "has been spent lavishly upon the war; I fear they have none left for politics."

"One Jedi than," Amidala offered to the others. "There is one Jedi-no not Antellica-one whom I truly know all of us can trust absolutely. Obi-Wan Kenobi. I would suggest Master Yoda, but being that he isn't here…"

Bana Breemu rose an eyebrow at this. Amidala glared at her. "Antellica told me yesterday that Master Yoda has gone to the Kashyyyk system to help fight in the war there."

She turned back to the others. "Being that he isn't here I'd suggest Obi-Wan. He is quite trustworthy, and respected among the Jedi and Republic. He was here to see me earlier as a matter of fact, that's how I found out about General Grievous."

"He told you?" Bana Breemu asked disbelievingly.

Amidala choose to ignore her. "While we were conversing he received a call from the temple stating that Clone Intelligence had found General Grievous on Utapau."

Realizing her slight mistake, she mentally cursed herself. Windu didn't say where she was. Me and my big mouth.

None of the other Senators seemed to notice though. They all looked confused.

"Utapau?" Bail repeated. "Why Utapau?"

"It's a fiercely independent system that's had no part in the war," Mon Mothma also agreed. "I should know. That's the system I was assigned to earlier in the war to try and negotiate to join the Republic. They weren't interested, so I left. I can't see them joining the Separatists. It just doesn't make sense."

Fang Zar unknotted his fingers from his raggedly bushy beard and shrugged, as did Amidala and the rest.

"Well, getting back to what we were saying," Fang Zar said, "we cannot block the Chancellor's supermajority-but we can show him the opposition to his methods is growing. Perhaps that alone might persuade him to moderate his tactics."

Bana Breemu went back to examining her fingernails. "When you present the Petition of the Two Thousand, many things may change."

"But," Giddean Danu said, "will they change for the better?"

Bail Organa and Mon Mothma exchanged glances that whispered of some shared secret. Amidala was very much interested in what treason they were planning with their 'organization', but said nothing. Bail said slowly, "Let us see what we can accomplish in the Senate before we involve the Jedi."

All the Senators agreed to this, and even Amidala nodded her head. "Yes, and if you don't mind, I think it would be better if I presented this petition to the Chancellor by myself as not to bombard him all at once with all these signatures. He knows me very well and I him. I think I may be able to talk some sense into him.

Bail and Mon both nodded. "Do try Senator," Mon said.

"I'll do the best I can," she affirmed.

The meeting than adjourned with the prospect of another meeting the next day, at the same time.