Chapter 58: The Galactic Senate

It felt like the entire Jedi Order and half the Senate had arrived to greet the Coronet. It was, admittedly, a pretty huge deal, but Anakin thought that it was becoming little more than a sensationist event, and that never helped anything. What was worse were the throngs of holonet news reporters and their crews standing by to record the entire event, and their presence was making him even more nervous than he already was. He could feel the tension of the Jedi around him as well, their collective unease about having a Sith Lord in their midst a strong reminder of how vulnerable they had become, and their anxiety was driven even further by having the likes of Kit Fisto and Mace Windu among them, physical reminders of what the Sith they faced was capable of.

Yoda wasn't worried, of course. Neither was Qui-Gon, and Anakin had spent a great deal of time meditating on what it meant to have Obi-Wan on Coruscant, and he too had come to the conclusion that they had little to fear by having him there. After all, if what they believed was true, than there was already a Sith Lord in the Senate. What did it matter if there was another one? Even still, their collective anxiety was making him nervous as well, and he had ventured away from the Jedi toward the Senators, not so that he could be around them, but so he could grab C-3PO from Padmé and take the droid away so that he could upgrade him.

The Jedi were concerned about the wrong things. Obi-Wan was far, far too smart to try anything in the heart of the Republic, something that Qui-Gon and Yoda had tried to ease the rest with, but to no avail. The Senate was also in a panic about the Mandalorian state, which was something that Chancellor Palpatine and Padmé had taken great care to reassure the delegates about. They were not worried about this powerful empire that had risen from the vulnerable neutral systems. Tarken had said that such a thing was expected, for uninvolved systems in a war torn galaxy are quickly made into battlegrounds if they are not protected. That a massive number of neutral worlds would band together to keep the galaxy at bay was just the natural course.

Anakin found himself agreeing with Chancellor Palpatine and Tarkin on the matter of the Mandalorians. Regardless of what was behind Mandalore's rise to power, it showed the galaxy that not only could peace be achieved, but it could be protected. That was an important message, and even if there was a Sith Lord bedding the Duchess, Satine at least seemed to hold to her peaceful ideals. Qui-Gon's last trip to Mandalore several months back had led him to assure that Kenobi wouldn't alter Satine, even when it would have been in his advantage to do so. Qui-Gon may have been correct on this point as well. It was possible that there was still some light in Obi-Wan Kenobi in the form of a deep, profound love for the Mand'alor, and protecting that may be driving him to break away from the Sith Master. This meeting was important because it gave the Jedi a chance to observe Sith machinations at its finest. It was their first and possibly only chance to actually see what the Sith were actually up to, even if everything would be hidden and veiled, not by the Dark Side, but by politics.

He removed the central panel on C-3PO's chest, much to the droid's displeasure, and Anakin couldn't help but smile as he relaxed. "I hardly think this is necessary, sir," the droid said. "All my functions are working at their optimum capacity."

"I disagree. How are your language skills?"

The droid took a step back and emitted a noise that made him seem offended. "I am proficient in over seven million forms of communication, sir!"

"I know, I built you." Anakin sat back on his heels and smiled up at the shiny gold droid. "How's your Sith?"

"My what?"

"Sith. The language originated on Ziost and Morriban over seven thousand years ago, and it fell into obscurity at the end of the Sith Wars. So how's your ancient Sith, 3PO?"

The droid was silent for a moment, its processors whirring as it searched its databanks. "I...am unfamiliar with this language," the droid finally said in marked disappointment, and Anakin patted the gold arm, holding up a data chip in his other hand.

"The Jedi have some data stored on the language. I couldn't find much, but what there was is on this." He reached into the droid's chest and pulled out a small datablock, and inserted the chip, the small device beginning to hum as the droid integrated the material, and Anakin replaced the device and secured the central panel. He was so engrossed in what he was doing that Skywalker didn't hear Ahsoka quietly sneak up behind him, the small hand on his shoulder making him jump. Like all the Jedi, she was concerned, but it felt...different.

"What are you doing, Skyguy?" she asked cheerfully, but her voice was tight and forced.

"Upgrading Senator Amidala's protocol droid. I want to see if it can learn Sith."

"For..."

"Because we're getting a Sith Lord here in a minute, Snips, and if he starts talking weird, I want to know what he's saying." Ahsoka laughed, but it almost sounded nervous, and Anakin stood and leaned in towards her. "What's wrong?"

"This whole thing is crazy, isn't it?"

Skywalker nodded. "That isn't why you're so tense, though." The Togruta bit her lip, looked over her shoulder to make certain nobody was close enough to hear, and than leaned in toward him.

"I'm worried about Master Quinlan," she whispered. "He hasn't been the same since Kamino, and that was almost three weeks ago."

"Everyone's on edge about that. Two members of the Council went missing, that's cause for concern."

"They didn't go missing, we all know what happened," the Padawan snapped, crossing her arms, and Anakin sighed. She was right, of course. Everyone knew what the actual objective of the attack on Kamino was, but nobody was willing to actually admit it. Shaak Ti and Saesee Tiin were better off dead than where they actually were, and Anakin secretly hoped that they fought so hard that the Sith was forced to kill them, instead of allowing him to take them captive and do...whatever awful things it was that he did.

"Obi-Wan was a close friend of his. Maybe he's just anxious about seeing him."

"...maybe." She sighed. "He did say he wanted the chance to talk with him. But I don't think it's just that, he's been acting weird since before we even knew about the Mandalorians coming to Coruscant."

Anakin craned his neck up to see if he could catch sight of the Kiffar Master, but the crowd was too thick, the excitement too high as the massive Coronet starliner flew gently into the port and docked, the loud thrum of the engines slowly fading into a dull hum as the ship powered down. C-3PO quickly made his way back into the crowd, Ahsoka turning to rush away as well, when Anakin stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder.

"I'll keep an eye on him, alright?" The Togruta looked away, her lips pressed in a thin line, and slowly, she nodded.

"Thanks, Anakin."

Smiling, he pat her on the back and pressed her forwards. "Come on, we don't want to miss this." The Jedi parted to allow them to pass, but it still took a fair amount of jostling to get to the front where Qui-Gon, Yoda, and Quinlan were standing, watching as the boarding ramp was extended, and Anakin could feel the collective and sudden tensing of the Senators and the Jedi as Mand'alor Satine and Obi-Wan disembarked together.

It was Palpatine that greeted them first, bowing deeply to the Duchess and warmly clasping Kenobi's hand. "I am so grateful that we have the privilege to host you on Coruscant, Duchess Satine," the Chancellor said, folding his hands behind his back and carefully appraising the pair. "I believe the Republic can stand to learn a great deal from you. For you to emerge to a state of galactic power in such a short time has been alarming from many, but I believe it speaks to the people's desire for a swift end to this war."

"I believe you are right. Perhaps we can find common ground so that we may aid you in achieving that end." She gestured to Obi-Wan at her side. "I understand that you are familiar with my companion."

"I am, yes. I know Obi-Wan from his days as a Jedi Knight."

Kenobi smiled warmly. "That was a long time ago, Senator. It's a shame that we find ourselves on separate sides of this foolish conflict." His golden eyes drifted to Senator Amidala, the young woman stepping forward to stand beside the Chancellor, and he bowed his head. "My lady, it's good to see you again."

"I'm glad you are well, Obi-Wan. I'm pleased that we share a friend as reasonable as the Duchess." Kenobi only barely repressed a grin when he felt the confusing mix of emotions within the girl, ranging from desire to resentment, and that passive touch of the Force was all it took to bring the Jedi down upon him. Before he even saw them move, there was a circle of the Order's best around the four of them, hands on the lightsabers at their waist. Eying them cautiously, Kenobi put his hands in the air in surrender, a slight smirk on his face becoming a wide grin when he saw Mace Windu."

"Mace! Good to see you up and about!" came the Sith's delighted chirp, and the only thing that kept the Jedi from drawing his purple lightsaber was that Yoda held his stick firmly upon it."How the back?"

"Fine," the Jedi Master growled, and Obi-Wan sighed heavily, his hand laid upon his chest.

"Thank the Force for that. I do apologize about that mess on Haruun Kal, Master Windu. It was...unfortunate that we had to meet like that."

"Your glibness does you no credit, Kenobi," the Master snapped, spitting the words as if they left a foul taste in his mouth, and Qui-Gon laid a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back into the circle when the Korun Master took a step toward the Sith. Qui-Gon inclined his head toward Obi-Wan, and the Sith cautiously did the same.

"You'll forgive Master Windu. He is understandably sore when it comes to you."

"It would be strange if he wasn't," Kenobi agreed, wiggling his fingers on his raised hands. "But there's no need for such hostility. I'm unarmed. I left my lightsaber at home."

Qui-Gon smiled softly. "At home? Not even on the ship?" At this, the Sith grinned.

"What need have I for a lightsaber when I'm to be protected by my former Jedi friends, brothers and sisters? It's the least I could do when the Order so graciously allowed me to come here without having my connection to the Force...disrupted."

The Chancellor gasped in something just short of horror and disbelief. "The Republic is of the opinion that removing the connection to the Force is akin to torture to those with the inclination. We have forbid such a practice to be used on diplomats as a sign of trust and good faith." Palpatine smiled almost shyly. "However, you won't mind if we do check to make certain you are unarmed, as you say."

"Be my guest..."

Satine's eyes narrowed as a Jedi stepped forward and began to roughly run his hands over Kenobi. "I understand there are a fair number of rumors circulating here on Coruscant about me and Obi-Wan. Is this how you are justifying your hostile treatment of my guest?"

Palpatine dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. "Please, Duchess, the Senate pays no mind to rumors. I'm sure you will find that you and your...companion shall be treated with the utmost respect. The Jedi are simply..." He paused, hand coming to his chin as he looked at the Jedi around them, the one that had searched Kenobi completing his task and roughly shoving him as he found nothing upon the man. "They are cautious. This war has taken a toll on them as well."

"Then it would do the Jedi well to remember who they serve, and adopt your more agreeable position." Palpatine nodded and raised his hand, and slowly, the Jedi began to step back until only Qui-Gon remained standing silently before them, and Kenobi could feel his deep blue eyes boring into him, his blinding Force presence reaching out to touch his consciousness, and Obi-Wan could feel the Dark Side, already tightly chained within him, shrink back as if it desired to fade into nothingness. This was why the Jedi had allowed a Sith Lord into their home with no means of containing him. They had attuned themselves to him, and even the slightest touch of the Force did not escape their detection. They were observing him, just as he was carefully monitoring his Master. He'd have to exercise caution. He'd already planned with Satine not to use the Force, but he didn't think that the Jedi would be able to sense a passive touch, a cursory look, a simple attuning of the senses.

His eye twitched as he brushed Qui-Gon's presence away from him, only to find the Jedi to be undeterred and reach out to him again. This time, Obi-Wan reciprocated, the lightest touch reaching out hesitantly toward that blinding light before he swiftly withdrew, the concealed and cowering Dark Side thrashing in protest, and he stepped closer to Satine. The Jedi were watching him closely, and despite his concealed Force presence, they could still feel when the Force moved around him, reached out on his behalf, acted in his interest. It would actually alert them if they could feel nothing, so Kenobi relaxed, reaching out to feel Palpatine, Padmé, the enormous Twi'lek representative, even the Jedi themselves, who all tensed and reenforced their defenses. A cursory feel of their surroundings was common of Force user, especially of the Jedi themselves. This was expected, and what's more, he could easily guide the Jedi's attention in this way.

"If you would follow me, Duchess," Palpatine said kindly, gesturing with his hand away from the ship and toward the distant towers of the planet's senatorial district, "we can get you settled in. We're having something of a celebratory gathering tonight, and we would be honored if you'd attend."

A small smile crept across the Duchess' face. "Is it customary for the Republic to put social events before work? That is how governments fall into disarray. If it's all the same to you, Chancellor, I'd like to conduct our business first, and celebrate our accomplishments after."

Palpatine seemed to balk. "What, now?"

"Immediately," was the Mand'alor's hard, swift reply. "We can rest as soon as the work is done."

"The proceedings will end for the day in just under two hours."

Satine held her hand out to the Chancellor, and stunned, Palpatine took it. "Then we better conclude our business quickly."

"He's doing it again."

"Anakin, stop, he's doing it because he knows we're watching him." Anakin didn't listen to his former Master. He kept the macrobinoculars firmly in his hands, looking over at the hover-platform that belonged to Mandalore, once occupied by Senator Merrik, who was now imprisoned in a Republic detention facility, and was now occupied by Duchess Satine and her fallen Jedi. The Sith had his attention away from the proceedings, his eyes looking down at something he held, and Anakin couldn't see what it was from behind the railing that encircled the platform. Periodically, those golden eyes would dart up and look directly at Anakin, a smug smirk coming across his face before he'd turn his attention back to what he was doing.

"I really don't like this, Qui-Gon."

"Be at ease, Anakin. His mind is calm."

"Than he is calmly up to something." The Sith moved again, this time to sit up straight and look directly at Anakin, and the young Jedi knew that Kenobi could see him. Slowly, he held up a piece of paper and grinned, and Anakin zoomed in, groaning loudly as he read what the Sith had been working on, a note written in a thick black elegant scrawl that read, 'If you keep staring, I'll think you're interested in bedding me.' Anakin dropped the macrobinoculars and hid his face in his hands. "I'm going to kill him. So help me, I'm going to kill him..."

Qui-Gon leaned back in his seat and chuckled. "My biggest regret continues to be my handling of Obi-Wan. If I hadn't pushed him to the Dark Side, I feel you and he could have been fast friends."

"I find that unlikely..." Anakin said, dismissing the idea entirely. "He's too evil for me."

"He wasn't always that way. Once, he was modest and reserved. He would have made a fine Jedi Master."

"What could have been doesn't matter anymore, Master. What matters is now." He brought the macrobinoculars back up to his eyes and looked once again at the Sith, squinting even through the magnified image. Something wasn't right. "He's a bit older than me, yes?"

"By fifteen years."

"How is it that he looks my age then?"

Qui-Gon leaned over the rail, listening intently to the Chancellor speak before he answered. "I've suspected for some time now that he's somehow using the Force to keep himself young."

"...you can do that?"

The Master shot the Knight a warning look. "Don't get any ideas, Anakin. That is a dark power, born from vanity and selfishness. It's a grave misuse of the Force, and there are consequences for leeching off the Force in this way."

Sighing, Anakin leaned back and closed his eyes. This assignment, in a word, was the most droll thing Anakin had ever had to do, and he was already beginning to long for the battlefield. The war was less painful than sitting there and listening to politics. A newfound respect for Padmé began to grow within him. The negotiations for use of the trade routes was derailed quickly, however, when the Senate demanded to learn about Mandalore and how they came about this peace when the entire galaxy was ready to be torn asunder.

Satine had smiled slightly and brought her platform floating to the center of the enormous chamber and quietly explained, not just about the alliance that she reigned over, but about her change as well. How personal betrayal at the hands of the politicians and advisors she trusted most, many who had stood by her to help bring her into power, forced her to look at how she had been running Mandalore. She had come to her throne after a violent and bloody war, which brought with it an abhorrence of violence that seeped deep into her being, as it did to the people she ruled. She ruled with a pacifist's ideals, which worked, until it did not. Her trust, her unwillingness to show the forceful dedication to maintaining all she had gained, had bred corruption and dissent, and the story seemed to resonate with the delegates that sat within their seats.

However, instead of allowing Mandalore to decline, suffer from greed and corruption and the dissatisfaction of those that saw another future, Satine had abandoned her hands off approach and found a way not only to bring her political opponents into agreement with her, but to eliminate the problems that plagued her government by strengthening her position. With the commitment of the Death Watch, no longer detractors, but enforcers, she had swept through her government and removed the corrupt and criminal elements, leaving her with a very small court and a position of absolute power given to her by the people, not as Duchess, but as Mand'alore. Other neutral systems followed suit, asking her to rid their own governments of the problems that plagued them, and before she knew it, an Empire was born. It was further secured when she had reached out to an old friend, one of the men that helped put her on the throne to begin with. That he was a Separatist had nothing to do with it, and he left the Confederacy behind when he ventured to Mandalore to help her secure her territory, as he had done when they were young. It wasn't political. It was friendship.

And that's when the trouble started.

"You would ally with a war criminal!" one of the Senators had shouted, completely out of turn, and the entire room had erupted into chaos, some vehemently in agreement, some shouting their opposition to the notion, others crying for both sides to be silent, and no matter how valiant his efforts, Palpatine and Mas Amedda couldn't regain control of the floor. Rolling her eyes, Satine nudged the man at her side, and Obi-Wan covered the woman's ears and whistled sharply, long and loud, and the transceivers that surrounded the central platform amplified the sound to such a pitch that every occupant of the room swiftly covered their ears, their auditory canals, or any organ they used to perceive sound. They were deafened long after the sound ended, but the Senate had fallen silent, Satine standing with her hands folded before her, the man at her side wincing as he touched the Force to clear the ringing in his own ears.

"Are you all quite finished?" the Mand'alor asked calmly, and she suddenly had the attention of every creature there, complete command of the Galactic Senate. "Cooler heads will prevail, but I can see that is an impossibility until this matter is addressed. Let me tell you exactly what I think on this matter. I don't oppose this war just on humanitarian grounds, I oppose it as an affront to life itself!" She pointed to Obi-Wan. "You call this man a war criminal, but for what? For fighting in a war against you? Are all Separatists evil criminals of war simply because they happen to disagree with the Republic?"

"That isn't what we are saying, Duchess," Palpatine began, attempting to backtrack when he saw that the woman had caught their attention, but Satine held up a hand and silenced him.

"If Obi-Wan Kenobi is a war criminal, than so is every Jedi that has taken to the battlefield, and so are all of you, for allowing this to continue!" Her eyes narrowed as she looked about the massive chamber. She couldn't see them, but she could feel the tension in the room. She lightly brushed the Sith Lord's fingers, and he gently pressed at the small of her back, urging her to continue, his senses directly connected to the feelings of her audience. "The Republic has created millions of beings specifically made to fight, and your Jedi and your Generals every day lead them to their deaths, and they were never once given the option of doing anything else! This is a slave army, and it is an insult to the freedom you claim to stand for!"

The representative from Kamino laughed harshly, moving her platform from the wall to be beside the Duchess in the center of the room. "We were right about this woman. She is financed by the Separatists. Just listen to her!"

Satine just smiled. "And you are financed by the Republic. Tell me, how much did this clone army cost to produce? How fantastically wealthy have you become by keeping the war machine turning?"

"It is not my faultthat wars are expensive!" the Kaminoan hissed, backtracking slightly, but it was enough for Satine to laugh and shake her head in disbelief.

"No, it isn't your fault, and it isn't your doing. But you are corrupt and greedy, like so many others, and you have no right to speak out against me when you would trade lives for credits, so return to your place." The elderly Kaminoan sputtered for a moment, looking around and listening for support that she did not have at the moment, and quietly moved her platform back to its place on the wall. "For the record," Satine said softly, "I had the same discussion with Count Dooku. The same thing applies to them. They may not be making clones, but they are murdering them. I condone none of this, which is why I have created my alliance."

"The Jedi fight for justice!" another called out, though they could not see from where. "The Jedi say that man is evil! They say he is Sith!"

Hushed, nervous muttering and soft, dismissive whispers again filled the chamber, and Satine put her hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "I think he should respond to this rumor himself," she said, and Kenobi tensed for a moment before he dipped into the Force to calm himself. He felt the swarming of a hundred Jedi minds around him, but he slowly waved them off and sunk deeper until the only thing he could hear was the humming pulse of the Force and his heart beating in time with it.

"As I'm sure many of you know, I was once a Jedi Knight," he said, voice calm and smooth and even. "The Sith are our mortal enemies, and the phrase has been thrown around a lot lately. When I was a Jedi, I killed a Sith Lord on Naboo, a Dathomiran Zabrak called Maul, and we later determined that he was the Sith apprentice, not the Master." He took a deep breath and looked away for a moment, feeling the room and finding them attentive. "For a thousand years, we have thought the Sith were extinct, only to have them rise again. The Jedi are correct. There are Sith out there, but there are only two and they stand against a thousand Jedi Knights and Masters. The Sith are no threat to anyone."

"But are you Sith?" a voice, tight and nervous, called out, and Obi-Wan centered himself, drowning out the pull of the Jedi upon him.

"The Jedi know the name and identity of the new Sith Apprentice. Darth Tyranus." He smiled and shivered theatrically. "Scary. The Jedi know him to be Count Dooku, as I am certain they have said countless times. Am I correct in that assumption, Chancellor?"

Palpatine started, as if he had lost focus and was suddenly brought back to the moment. "Oh, um...y-yes, on many occasions."

"Now, I killed the last apprentice...twelve years ago? It has been quite some time since I was a Jedi Padawan, and quite a bit has changed since then. I will put this to you, the Galactic Senate. It was painful for me to leave the Jedi, more than I can possibly say, but the rift between us had grown so deep that I could not in good conscious continue to stay with the only family I had ever known. I left to make a difference where I thought I could, without the aid of my brothers and sisters." His face dropped, and his smooth, emotive voice became cold, his crisp accent making it harsh and commanding. "There are only two Sith, in accordance with the ancient Sith Rule of Two. If Dooku, Darth Tyranus, is the Sith apprentice as the Jedi claim he is, and has been since I killed Maul when I was a very young man, how could I possibly be the Sith Master?"

There was silence, deep and profound, and Kenobi could feel the Jedi, tense and afraid and outraged, each one of them recoiling away from his consciousness and hiding behind their walls. "Perhaps the Jedi are wrong," Palpatine said softly, pointing an accusing finger at Kenobi. "Perhaps Count Dooku, this...Darth Tyranus is actually the Master, and you his apprentice."

Obi-Wan scoffed loudly. "I can see how you would think that, but Dooku has nothing to teach me. What's more, I have no respect for that self-righteous fool. We may agree on politics, but nothing else, which is well documented among the Separatist Senate. Ask them if you don't believe me, I know many of you still count members of the Separatists as friends. It wasn't long ago that they served along side you right here. It's honestly a disappointment that the Jedi haven't thrown themselves in force at Raxus or Serenno. Many would die, yes, but if the Count were the Sith Master, it would be worth it. Not attacking him may be a strategy. Dooku may eventually lead the Jedi to his Master, and it's a tactic I am very much in agreement with. Were I still a Jedi, I would have done the same."

"Very well, you've made your point," the Chancellor muttered. "But the Sith could have changed. Perhaps they abandoned the practice."

Kenobi shrugged. "It's possible. But I wouldn't know a thing about that." He could feel the entire Force tighten with the silent, muted fury of the Jedi. "But if I were to guess...the Jedi Order hasn't changed in thousands of years. As practitioners of the Force, why should the Sith be any different?"

There was silence, deep and profound, and through the angry pulsing of the Jedi, Kenobi could feel acceptance in the Senate. Softly smiling, he stepped back behind the Duchess, the woman drawing up straight and tall. "War is intolerable. You have all been deceived into thinking that you must be a part of it. Anyone who wishes to throw away their arms and accept peace is welcomed within the protected boarders of my empire. We will not be victims of this conflict. We will rise above it."

Throughout the Senate, hundreds of delegates from hundreds of systems roared with applause.