Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Star Wars. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not created with commercial aim. I make no money from it.

Phase 14

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Part 8

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GNN Studio

Coruscant

"Good morning Coruscant!" Borsk Tonfa greeted cheerfully. "I'm glad to inform you that finally the situation on the Capital of the Republic is calming down. Security Forces and military units are dissipating the last pockets of crime gone out of control and die hard rioters. Meanwhile, across large tracks of the Capital, people are busy taking stock of the damages incured – which are estimated to be in the billions of Credits..."

After he was done with the local news, Borsk went for the standard morning overview of the night's events across the galaxy.

"The Separatists committed more acts of piracy across the sectors close to Corellia. In response, Republic battle groups and local system defence forces are on the hunt. We will have more information on convoys hits early in the afternoon. The main Separatists forces continue to fortify Corellia and the other systems upon the main trade lanes in preparation for a massive Republic counter-attack that every knows is coming soon and fortunately otherwise the Core has been calm last nigh."

Borks paused and took a sip of water while the holo-images around him showing the Core shifted to show the eastern part of the galaxy.

"Heavy fighting continues throughout the eastern parts of the Mid-Rim..."

Tonfa was halfway through listing planets and systems won and lost during the night, when he got a message that an unexpected interview was done and ready for broadcast. He smiled when he got the head's up, he knew Victoria would get the job done!

"I must interrupt this part of Galaxy at War for a special treat!" Borsk exclaimed. "Late last night, our own Victoria Halcyon was offered an exclusive interview with a woman we had on our network some time ago – one Dr Zash, a Sith scientist who survived from the Old Republic times. It seems there was more to her than meets the eye. She had spent the last few months recovering after an assassination attempt carried by no other but Jedi Master Yoda, the disgarced Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. Until now, his fate in the aftermath of the Jedi Coup was unknown, however now we not only have a security recording of part of his fight with Dr Zash, but an interview with the woman herself! I bring you, Victoria Ha

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The striking read haired woman smiled wishfully. "Whose truth? Mine? Yours? The Jedi's? Or the actual truth? All I can give you is my truth, Victoria." Zash spoke in a gripping tone that demanded attention. A far away look entered her eyes and she began her story. "Do you know what I learned on my father's knee as a wee little lass? Our kind had been in seclusion for almost a thousand years. For my father and his friends, the galaxy at large was the stuff of myths and legends. Their world was the hundred star system controlled by the Sith Empire. Then the Jedi and the Republic came. They drove our people to the farthest fringes of the galaxy, showing no mercy nor regret in their pursuit to exterminate us." Her smile became sad and her voice – it sounded as if she sang a funeral dirge that plucked strings in the hearts of trillions across the galaxy who watched the broadcast.

"Do you know what I know of my mother? There are only impressions – warm sun upon my skin, her soft hands holding me and the scent of her favourite perfume – of fruits that had been extinct for five thousand years after the Jedi burned our home to the bedrock. Smell, touch and the colour of her eyes – that's all that I recall. If it wasn't for my father keeping a medallion with her image always close to his heart, I would have never seen her face."

Victoria swallowed a lump that formed in her throat and finally spoke when Zash paused. "While that is certainly a moving story, how is that relevant for what is happening right now? What does it have to do with General Veil's actions?"

"To understand him, to understand why he did what you all accuse him of, you must know where he came from. What made him the man you all knew and what drove him to such lengths." Zash's voice was enchanting. It demanded attention and Victoria found herself nodding eagerly. She wanted to hear more of that story, a sentiment shared by billions across the galaxy.

"Then please explain. Form what I remember from ancient history, the Republic only entered that war to protect the Jedi. That certainly differs from your account." Halcyon prompted. She had to hear more!

"Of course it does, dear. The Republic, the Jedi – they won that war. They were around to write the history books."

Put that way... It sounded so simple, so reasonable and it raised so many questions that Victoria was eager to dig into.

"Do you know what my father would have done to experience the simple pleasure of having my mother beside him again? Do you know what I would do if I could meet her for just a moment?" Zash's gaze hardened. "We would have done everything. It would be worth anything."

"An impossible dream, one shared by everyone who has lost a loved one." Victoria nodded.

"Yes. What my father and the other scattered survivors of the genocide could do, the only thing they could do, was to ensure that the same thing wouldn't happen to their children and grandchildren. For a thousand years we built our Empire anew. For ten centuries we lived in peace, yet in fear that the Jedi will find us and do their utmost to murder us again. We sent agents in the Republic as a precaution and do you know what we saw? We saw the Jedi fighting a civil war, calling those who turned their back on the Order Sith and both sides waging a war of extermination. We saw the atrocities committed by Malak and we saw the Jedi exterminate those who they deemed Sith. We welcomed the few survivors from that genocide who were fortunate enough to escape in the Unknown Regions. You can guess what happened afterwards."

Victoria closed her eyes. "You saw the same happening to you all over again." The journalist whispered while people from all over the galaxy watched from the edge of their seats.

"The Jedi abhor attachments. They terrified of emotions. And they forever misunderstand and fear us. We learned the hard way that the long peace we enjoyed was a lie. The Jedi hadn't changed. Nor had the Republic. We believed that once they found us again, they would react the same way – with unthinking brutality, the same thing they always accused us of." Zash sighed sadly.

"So you prepared for centuries and then, when you were ready..." Victoria asked a leading question.

"We are what the Jedi made us. We decided that their obsession with our extermination had to end, on our terms... and the Republic..." This time Zash's smile was different. Colder. Deadly. "They did a great job worming their way into its very heart. For thousands upon thousands of years, the Jedi used the Republic as a shield. No one could strike at them without waging war against the Republic as a whole and setting the galaxy on fire. The galaxy is a complicated place. Even when you act with the best of intentions, there are many unintended consequences."

"After what happened recently, there are few who would believe that General Veil ever had good intentions." Victoria countered. "He did such a monstrous things..."

"That he did." Zash graciously agreed. "So did the Separatists. Did you forget Naboo? Their plans to enslave everyone on Ryloth and sell those people to the Hutts? Not to mention everything that they did in the Rim that we barely heard of here in the Core, because it was and still is out of sight and out of mind."

"The Separatists are clearly not innocent. They did commit grave war-crimes, no one will dispute that." Halcyon said. "Yet, does that excuse his actions?"

"What actions are these? What my former apprentice did, it was monstrous yes. Kamino, Sullust, Bothawui. The first – that was on the heads of the Old Republic madmen as much is it on his. Sullust? Military targets. People die in war, Ms Halcyon. Innocent people, by their billions. This is the reality of our existence. Of a war spanning the galaxy. It is such a terrible, tragic waste, yet... that is the price for victory, for survival. We aren't fighting reasonable people. This isn't a mere conflict over credits or resources. No matter what they profess, the Separatists are fighting for one simple thing – power. They want to control the galaxy, otherwise they would have negotiated in good faith. Before they launched their grand offensive, the Confederacy could have done so from a position of power. The same could have happened after the fall of Corellia. Yet, here we are – the galaxy burns, as we speak good people fight and die upon thousands of worlds scattered across hundreds of sectors."

"Was that an excuse or an explanation?" Victoria inquired.

"My Apprentice isn't here to defend his actions. I do know him better than most and it falls upon me to do it now." Zash said.

"Now, that he is gone?"

"You all call him a monster. A typical Sith obsessed with vengeance and destruction... Are you all blind?" Zash accused. "He was the first Sith in millennia to leave behind the endless conflict between our people. He offered his hand in friendship to the Jedi and the Republic. Fought and bled in your war. He saved the very Senate that was later hell bent on demonizing him. He saved countless people from slavery at Ryloth. It was him who bought the Republic precious time with his victory above Geonosis. It was Delkatar Veil who saved the whole galaxy from that abomination, Crimson. Until the very end, he fought in the Mid Rim to protect people he knew hated him for who he was and what he stood for! The moons he burned at Sullust? He did it for the Mandalorian people and the Republic, so the Separatists could throw less material at us all! What he did at Bothawui, what he sacrificed for us all... We all saw him burning again and again to give his fleet time to escape the Bothans betrayal! We saw him scream in agony to prove that treason would never prosper! I could feel his agony through the Force as his flesh melted from his bones!" Zash paused and took a deep, calming breath.

When she spoke again, her words rang with power and her eyes blazed orange. "As a newly instated general of the Republic Grand Army, I can promise our enemies, that I would anything it takes to bring this war to a swift and decisive conclusion."

=RK=

The broadcast returned to the Galaxy at War studio and Borsk, who got caught on camera nodding thoughtfully.

"Victoria took this interview early this morning and just beamed it to us a few minutes ago." The Duros continued. "It revealed some startling facts and raised a lot of good questions about the past – questions we believed answered a long time ago. We at GNN, will dig in and do our utmost to bring you the truth, both about the war we are all fighting and the past that led up to it, that much I can promise you all!"

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Part 9

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Ambassador suite

Mandalorian Embassy

Coruscant

Five people gathered in Satine's living room. Ahsoka was laid on one of the couches, still sleeping off the latest stunt that Mandalore unleashed upon the galaxy. As if Sullust wasn't bad enough...

Her sister laid on her side on the other couch, recovering from what was hopefully the last round of operations to turn her into a combat cyborg. Satine gave Bo an exasperated look, that she blithely ignored.

Next was her husband – he was sitting in an armchair, uncharacteristically nursing a drink and finally, a perky Sith Lord hovered protectively above the young Togruta.

"You can see it now, can't you?" Zash asked kindly. "Why the Republic died."

Satine looked away from her sister and frowned at the Sith. She knew the woman was playing her, working on an agenda of her own. It was working too... While an outsider to the Core politics and how the Republic was really run, she had been in politics for long enough to know how the game was played. She knew that certain facts were never stated openly and when that was inevitable, their true importance understated as a matter of course. To the average citizen, the Republic was one happy family. It was the policy that had been ruling the galaxy for as long as almost everyone could remember.

Like all the best lies, this one held more than a grain of truth.

Now that she was the Chancellor, of a Republic gone in all but name, Satine understood. Any Senator or government official who gave a damn about their homeworld and people, had a choice to make. Sometimes it was simple – what was best for their people aligned with the interests of the Republic or at least protecting its interests would be the best one could do to safeguard what was precious to them. At other times...

"Yes, dear. I know." Zash nodded benevolently as if reading her thoughts... which she might be actually able to do. Damn Sith...

"We're here to prove all my sister's detractors right." Bo grumbled morosely. "Let's get to it. All that double talk and innuendos gives me a headache."

Zash gave her a flat look. "That's the hangover and implants."

Bo acted very maturely and gave the likely deranged Sith a one finger salute.

"I see why Delkatar likes you. You've got spunk." Zash happily nodded to herself.

"Speaking of my idiot of a husband..." Bo looked expectantly at the Sith.

"He's most likely dead, however I've got it on good authority he had the tools to get better. It's another question if he'll manage to pull it off this time. Anyway, we're here burdened with a glorious purpose! It's plotting time!"

Bo threw her fellow read head a venomous look that made Zash smirk.

Why all Sith had to be either insane, murderous maniacs or both?

"Strictly speaking it was Kuat and some other powerful Republic members that betrayed the Republic first. We're left to take the blame and pick up the pieces." Obi-Wan raised a good point.

It was just a few hours ago that he finally saw the politics making the Republic possible in the first place for what they really were and the logical implications hit him hard. The line between business as usual, doing what was best for your own people and treason could be thin and blurry at the best of times. What Kuat and most other powerful players in the Republic did could easily be passed as the first two. The problem was that it could easily be the latter two and no one could really prove it. Did Kuat held back their fleets to protect their people and industry? Did they do it just to let Corellia, their biggest rival, fall? Or perhaps so the Republic could get near collapse and so they could emerge as the undisputed power in the Core and thus the galaxy?

The truth was probably something in the middle. Probably. The revelation that Obi-Wan got could very much be the truth too. From the point of view of a former Jedi, who was sworn to protect the Republic, seeing Kuat's actions as treason could be easy once he opened his eyes. After all, he did choose to do his best to protect Mandalore and their people, thus betraying the ideals of the Republic. It was the same choice that Satine made when she accepted to become a Chancellor and they weren't alone in that – most senators and government officials had to face that dilemma multiple times during their careers. It was a small wonder that the Republic functioned as well as it did to begin with.

Or perhaps it wasn't – from what Satine figured out, when the Republic worked, it was more often than not either due to a powerful Chancellor who was able to force the Senate into action, because enough of the major powers aligned to push through an agenda or thanks to backstage deals that then got worked through the Senate.

At least for the time being, Satine didn't have to worry about that. Between dead members and corruption investigations, the Senate was the closest to irrelevance it had ever been. Besides, she wasn't elected by it but by a clique of powerful local governments who expected her to protect their interests and prosecute the war to an acceptable conclusion – in that order. Her prise was the capability to help her people – eventually. One of the things Obi-Wan had been busy with, besides arranging the liberation of Corellia, was an expeditionary force to lift the siege of their home.

The Bothans' treason threatened it all.

A pillow hit Satine's head, startling her out of her thoughts. "Pay attention." Bo hissed angrily. "My husband knew what would happen when he brought his fleet to Bothawui. He wasn't surprised by their betrayal. What he did, he did it for us, for our people! He chose to burn, in order to make an example of the Bothans and warn us about their betrayal. You are the Chancellor of this damned Republic but first, you are a Mandalorian and you will make damn sure Mandalore's sacrifice wasn't in vain!" Bo was on her feet, painting with fury and pain.

"She's right, you know." Zash agreed. Of course she would, that maniac was her apprentice. Probably she was at fault he turned that way too. "Don't give me that look, girl, show some steel. Without his warning, the Bothan agents could have lit the whole Core on fire without you being the wiser."

"He could have waned us another way, just as he showed himself here earlier!" Satine snapped.

"Actually, he probably couldn't, not without a beacon to anchor him. If I hadn't summoned him, I doubt he would have even attempted projecting his consciousness all the way here. The power required is tremendous and the Force isn't what it used to be." Zash countered.

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Ever since Delkatar rescued me from Tython, I've noticed that it takes significantly more power to do the simplest of things. Figuring out what's wrong is on my to do list." Zash explained unhelpfully.

Satine stared at the Sith at the implications of that simple statement. What could Zash or Veil for that matter do if they didn't need to use more energy for anything related with the Force?

"You never paid much attention to the old histories, sister." Bo chuckled. "Do you know why our people always allied with the Sith in the past? Because they were power incarnate and didn't shy of using it. They were worthy allies, even though a great many of them were utter bastards." Bo looked at the resident Sith. "You're going to use the gift my husband offered us all, aren't you? I watched your interview."

"I will keep the Core worlds in line." Zash nodded. "You won't have to disband the force meant to secure Mandalore to keep an eye of unreliable elements."

"How do you intent to do that?" Satine was afraid to ask. "The plan you and Obi-Wan came with was awfully vague. In fact, one of the reasons we're here is to ensure we're all on the same page."

"I was suddenly struck by the need to go visit Kuat and have a heart to heart chat with Onara Kuat." Zash smiled. "In person."

Satine groaned. "We can't afford to have Kuat antagonistic, much less as enemies."

"Don't worry about them."

"I am worried." Obi-Wan stated flatly. "If we have to fight them, what we have left if we win will be swept away trivially by the Separatists. If they simply go neutral, we will lose the war inside a year. Two on the outside if we manage to pull off a few miracles. And if they switch sides..." He didn't have to extrapolate.

"As I said, I'll handle Kuat. What you need to worry about is the political fallout of, well, everything. You already agreed that the Republic no longer served your purposes when you laid the groundwork to sideline the Senate. Now its time to decide how to lead that to its ultimate conclusion."

"We win the war and go back home." Obi-Wan asked. "We'll have to continue the charade until then."

"And you were just beginning to show some promise." Zash shook her head sadly. "Think, Jedi, think. Half the galaxy, and I don't include the Separatists, see us as the architects of everything that's wrong – Sith and Mandalorians alike. We don't get to quietly retire once the Confederacy is handled. The Republic is already fractured with successor states cropping up. That trend is going to get worse before it could get better if it does at all." As she spoke, Zash became all business. They were no longer listening to the flirty temptress she tried to present herself with. Now, seeing her sheer presence, there was no mistaking her for anything but a woman accustomed to power. "A great many people already see us as threats that must be removed. They fear us and before we're done, they will have more reasons to."

"You're talking about ending the Republic and replacing it." Bo spoke of it first. With an Empire, that was left unsaid yet everyone heard it.

Obi-Wan gave the Sith a long, hard look, before he averted his eyes and stared at Satine with tender, pain filled eyes. "What's one more treason after all the others?" He sighed.

"Kenobi, the Republic you swore to protect and believed in, it never existed in the first place." Zash spoke kindly.

"I finally figured that out, thank you very much." Her husband spoke in a sarcastic tone. "That only makes it worse." He added morosely.

"To think that I looked at the Republic as potential saviours and an example to live up to..." Satine muttered. Her words made Bo snort in amusement, but thankfully her sister didn't comment otherwise.

"Popular support. Delkatar's deed at Bothawui would have fired up every Mandalorian warrior worth their name. As loath I am to admit it, we need more." Bo suggested.

"Good girl." Zash nodded in approval. "I've already planted some seeds with my interview. In the weeks to come, we'll all be making a lot of public appearances and speeches, offering deals, making treats, offering economic support and using every little dirty trick in the book. However, what we need and lack is symbol to inspire and a cause our followers can get behind."

Later, if anyone asked her, Satine could honestly say that she knew exactly when the dream of the Republic died. Where too – in her living room, during a plotting session with her husband, sister and a cheerful Sith.

=RK=

Much later, the sisters got a bit of time to speak privately – Obi-Wan had to go back to GAR HQ and the war and Zash continued to hover over Ahsoka – she had chosen the poor girl as her new apprentice and was hell-bent on ensure she recovered.

This was the first time Satine and Bo had for themselves after Veil burned along with Bothawui. She cursed the burden of her office, which had to come before her own family – the fallout of the Bothans' treason ensured that she had to use every moment of the past few days preventing the Republic from imploding, again.

"How are you, really?" Satine asked after she dragged her sister in one of the bedrooms and pushed her to sit on the bed, then jumped next to her.

"I saw my husband burn... and half the bloody Republic cheered his death as if it was the best thing that happened to them!" Bo snapped.

"The other half were infuriated by the traitors and supportive of our people, of you." Satine gently pointed out.

Her sister cursed colourfully. "It was supposed to be just a marriage of convenience and politics, you know." Bo muttered.

"I'm well aware."

"Yet... he was everything I imagined I wanted as a girl. A powerful, famous warrior, who went to become Mandalore, even!"

"He wasn't too bad in bed either, I her." Satine smirked.

"There's something true to that saying about older men and experience."

Satine wisely didn't mention that Bo had been very experienced in that department too, long before Veil appeared. As the ruling Duchess of Mandalore, she had kept as close tabs on her sister as she could. Despite their falling out, Bo-Katan was the only family she had left after the civil war.

"You aren't pissed off just because you lost on a great sex. You fell for him for real, didn't you? I know you were becoming fonder and founder of him before he left to deal with Crimson." Satine spoke quietly.

"I do care for him, all right? I don't know if it is really love or just the fact that I love the fact that I'm married to Mandalore. I haven't been the best when emotions are concerned." Bo sighed. "I miss him, you know." She glared at Satine, though there was no heat in her eyes. "There are so many things that were left unsaid and now..."

"We saw him die."

"If Zash is to be believed he might get better. She apparently did."

Satine didn't know how to feel about that at all. On one hand, Veil surviving, might be good for her sister. On the other, that would be a colossal problem for her, not to mention that when was said and done, she wasn't sure if Bo wasn't better off as a widow. Her husband was a bloody Sith after all.