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Star Wars AU The Triumph of Darth Plagueis: Episode Two
By
Celgress
32 – 22.5 BBY
The decade following the Blockade of Naboo had proven a busy one for Hego Damask, aka Darth Plagueis Grand Master of the New Order of the Sith. Both the hologram as well as the clone of Palpatine had served their purposes. No one suspected anything was amiss. Not the weak minded fools in the Senate, not the mighty, defenders of democracy in the Jedi Order. The Palpatine Clone was elected Supreme Chancellor of the Republic by a landslide.
One of Palpatine Clone's first act, after six months spent in seclusion recovering from a rare, extremely contagious, illness brought about by a parasitic infection, was to seek ratification of Hego Damask as Co-Supreme Chancellor. An appointment first made at the conclusion of Palpatine's acceptance speech, made via holographic interface while convulsing. At first there had been skeptics. Those who felt the very idea of a Co-Supreme Chancellor was both unnecessary and undemocratic. However working tirelessly during his colleague's sickness, including through several minor upheavals, Damask had silenced the critics. By the time of Palpatine's recovery and the final ratification vote, demanded by the Constitution of the Republic, Damask's official campaign for Co-Supreme Chancellor garnered the support of over 90% of the Senate. The new status-quo was now firmly entrenched.
On a personal note Damask befriend the former human slave, current Jedi padawan, Anakin Skywalker. At first the old Munn's transpirator mask had frightened the boy. Recognizing the impediment to their potential relationship Damask had undergone cutting edge, cloning based, facial reconstruction surgery on Kamino late in his first year as Co-Supreme Chancellor. Thanks in part to some help from the Dark Side of the Force, following the procedure Damask looked like his old self again. Crediting the importance of aesthetic appeal in politics for his decision to repair his damaged face while noting the health risk which had been involved, Damask was more popular with the masses than ever before. Most importantly during the following nine years he became a wise, jovial, grandfatherly figure to Anakin. Slowly, yet persistently, Damask planted the seeds of darkness within the boy. Seeds which would one day bring a great harvest.
Still determined to abandon the rule of two, in spite of the earlier actions of his now deceased, disloyal apprentice Darth Sidious, the Munn sought out Jedi Master Count Dooku and turned him to the Dark Side. Turning Dooku had proven even easier than Plagueis had first suspected. The untimely death of Dooku's former padawan, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, had merely been the last in a long line of occurrences that had disillusioned Dooku with both the tenants of the Jedi Order and the power structure of the Republic. With only the slightest encouragement from Plagueis the newly minted Darth Tyranus had slayed Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas in cold blood. With Dyas removed no one, save Plagueis himself, Dooku & the Prime minister of Kamino, knew the sinister truth about the Clone Army which was being breed for the future defense of the Republic on Kamino.
Meanwhile Plagueis had retrieved Darth Maul from Naboo shortly after the latter's defeat at the blade of the then padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. Though it sickened Plagueis that Maul had been so easily defeated, the Force told him it still had some use for the fallen night brother. Plagueis had Maul fit with the finest cybernetic legs credits could buy. Plagueis then instructed the fallen warrior to retool his combat style to something both more refined and less overly aggressive. The result being that over the succeeding years Maul became one of the most balanced swordsmen in the Galaxy, trading in Juyo for a combined style made up of elements of Soresu & Djem So. Within five short years of the disaster on Naboo Maul had fully recovered. In fact Maul was even more powerful than before.
With both Maul & Tyranus firmly on the Dark Side the Sith began spreading rumors of new draconian policies that would soon be introduced to the worlds of the Republic so that order would be maintained. These 'revelations' only acted to further stoke the fires of rebellion which had been smoldering since both the Yinchorri Uprising and Naboo Crisis. Soon all out civil war would plunge the Galaxy into the most terrible catastrophe it had faced in centuries. Everything was evolving as Plagueis had foreseen.
To Be Continue in my next, full length, chapter my AU version - Attack of the Clones!