Chapter 2- In the Senate
Namah Agati smiled to himself. Patience had rewarded the Sith and it was now rewarding him. His parents had made their way up from the lower levels of Coruscant and he had climbed higher still, taking advantage of every opportunity for advancement, large or small. Now, thanks to a rule instituted at his own subtle suggestion, Namah was the sole Head of the Senate. For as long as the emergency lasted, he would remain Head and the Triumvirate would remain powerless.
His gaze swept the emergency quorum. The group couldn't have been better if he had hand-picked the members. Of course, he almost had. Namah Agati had planned carefully for this day. He made his own fate and left nothing to chance or the Force.
Composing his face with a solemn, sympathetic earnestness, he addressed the members. "My fellow senators, it grieves me greatly that we must call such a meeting as this. Like you, I have always dismissed the tales of Jedi cruelty, whispered in sordid cantinas and circulated in dark corners of the holonet, as idle gossip and vicious rumors." Actually, he had hired many of the whispering voices and had, under various pseudonyms, planted many of the ugly tales on the holonet. "And yet this morning we learned that the hero of the Alliance, Luke Skywalker himself, has succumbed to the temptations inherent in his great, supernatural powers. As I contemplate what this could mean, I…," he broke off as the doors to the meeting room slid open and Leia Solo strode in.
"Senator Agati, what is the meaning if this?" she demanded.
"Ah, Princess," a male Chevin senator from Vinsoth spoke up. "We realize it is hard for you to consider your brother as a threat. No one here denies his valor in our fight for freedom, but we must not forget that it was through the power of a Force-user that we were first enslaved."
"What!" Leia shouted. "Who has poisoned your minds with this nonsense? It was the Sith, the mortal enemies of the Jedi, who subjugated us. It was the power of the dark side and the only way to keep darkness at bay is with light. We need the Jedi." As Leia finished her outburst, she pinned Namah with a cold stare.
He returned her passion with a mournful gaze. "We would all like to agree with you, Senator Solo. Sadly, history has proven that the line between light and dark, Jedi and Sith is thin indeed."
"Head Senator Agati is right," agreed a woman from Corellia. "You've heard of Count Dooku? And there were others." She paused and looked meaningfully at Leia. "We must act now while we still can."
Still outwardly dolorous, Namah was beaming internally. Even Senator Solo's interruption would not be enough to derail his plan. "It is in my mind to form a small trustworthy committee to seek a swift solution to our problem."
Several senators volunteered and he chose a few more, including Leia's protégé and confidant, Arni Belden, the senator from Bakura. So far, the young man's loyalty to Leia had served Namah well.
"Head Senator," Leia's voice was coolly diplomatic now. "I demand to be part of your committee."
"Princess," interrupted a haughty Arkanian woman, "forgive me, but I think I speak for us all when I say that you are too connected to this matter, too closely involved."
"And you," Leia swept an accusing arm toward the gathered senators, "have listened far too long to lies about the Jedi."
Namah ignored her. "We are wasting precious time. If we move swiftly, we may find a way to find a bloodless way to neutralize the threat."
"Threat?" Leia's voice was ominously low. "I submit that you are the real threat, Head Senator. You and all those who would follow you."
Senator Solo was going to be a problem. But Namah Agati had a plan. He always had a plan.
"I will relent in my demand to join your committee on one condition," Leia continued, her anger still simmering. "I would hear from whoever has brought these baseless accusations against my brother and the Jedi Order."
Of course. She was trying not to lose face. He would indulge her and call upon his witnesses. He might as well get his money's worth before his assassin droids ensured that they could not betray him.
"Very well, in interest of peace in the Senate, I agree. I personally spoke with the victims of the Mersia attack myself, before this meeting was called and they are standing by, in case anyone else asked to hear them." He nodded to an aide and the young Mon Calamari activated a holographic comm.
"Lindra Homms, the Galactic Senate deeply appreciates your willingness to testify in this matter. Are any of the others with you?"
"Yes, Senator," a young humanoid woman with wide green eyes, dishevelled blue hair and sea-green purple flecked skin replied. "Tos is here, and Kir'raning and Magir, too."
"Excellent. Would you tell the senators gathered here just what you told me?"
"Well, sir and senators, Tos and I, he's my mate you see, we went into the Weathered Sailor Cantina down near the docks here at Portside. Just for a drink and a bite to eat, not looking for trouble. We were just sitting there with our drinks and we saw this Togruta pestering these nice old Clones that have been odd-jobbing at the docks. We didn't much like the looks of it and soon we realized she wasn't alone. Next thing we know, this fella with her, another Clone, I think- he takes something she gave him and pressed it to their heads."
"Strangest thing I ever saw," Tos, a young male Mersian, chimed in. "They sort of glowed and then they just sat there smiling. Then the Togruta, her Clone, a human girl, and a bunch of Togruta kids get up to leave. And would you believe, all five of the other Clones started following them, for all the Galaxy as if they had no will of their own anymore."
"We were about to get up and do something about it," Lindra picked up the story, "but Kir'raning here beat us to it. Asked the Togruta where she was taking the old guys. 'They're old friends,' she claims. Kir'raning put his claw on one Clone's shoulder to talk to him. Next thing we know, he's flying through the air. It was Jedi." The woman stopped, choking on a sob.
Tos explained softly, "Kir'raning is a Ssi'ruu. Plus, he tried to stop whatever it was that they were doing. I guess they thought that was reason enough to try to kill him. There were four more humans with the Togruta, all Jedi- with those lightsabers of theirs. We didn't stand a chance."
He held up a bandaged arm and pointed to Lindra's similarly swathed leg. "We were the lucky ones," he said sadly. "A lot of the others didn't make it, including two Ssi-ruuk."
Namah bowed his head. "I am deeply sorry for what you have suffered but I must ask one more question. Did you recognize any of the perpetrators of this massacre?"
"Yes," Lindra stopped crying long enough to speak. "I've seen him on the holonews lots of times- Luke Skywalker." She sobbed again.
Namah looked to see Leia gazing with narrowed eyes at the blue-haired couple. "Do you have any proof of what you say? Videos? Images?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, Senator," Tos replied. "They completely destroyed the Cantina. Burned it to the ground. No security recordings left. And we didn't exactly have time to take holos. If our wounds and dead friends are not proof enough…." The image flickered as he moved the worn transmitter. "Maybe this is." The holoimage showed the smoldering remains of an old building.
Leia was not impressed. "Where are the bodies of your dead friends?"
"Our friends were buried at sea early this morning. We have much water and it is our custom. And we never wait to bury our dead," Tos asserted.
"I apologize for Senator Solo's harsh words." Namah stepped in front of Leia, blocking her view. "Be assured the rest of the Senate sympathizes with you. May we call on you again if we need you?"
The couple nodded. Namah thanked them again then motioned for the aide to end the transmission.
"This meeting is dismissed. The newly appointed council members will join me in a private meeting room."
With a final glare, Leia glided icily from the room. She would, of course, inform her precious brother of everything she had seen and heard- exactly as he hoped she would.