Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! Due to time restraints, I'm going to stop PMing my thanks for all of your amazing reviews (I read on Quora that it was something fanfic authors should do. But, it might be getting annoying for some of y'all, and that's the last thing I want). Just know, I do read all of them and the feedback is greatly appreciated. Part of this chapter was inspired by Anna Camp aka Obi-quiet's amazing time travel fic "Hindsight is Not Perfect."

Chapter 18: Miss Chase Goes to the Senate District

I thought I would be relieved when we finally got out of hyperspace. I could get off this confining ship, explore a new planet, get some more Jedi angry at me. But, as soon as I laid eyes on Coruscant from my seat in the back of the cockpit, I was filled with dread. It was the planet covered in lights from my first dream just over a week ago. "Annabeth," I whispered so the nearby pilots couldn't hear, "that's the planet from my dream, the one that the darkness spreads from."

"That's not good," she whispered back. "Though I guess it makes senses, since it is the seat of government and whatever happens on this planet will affect the rest of the galaxy. Maybe that's why the darkness spreads. But, I wonder what could be causing the darkness to begin with."

Obi-Wan must have overheard our discussion when he entered the cockpit because he added, "As far as evil goes you would have lots to choose from on Coruscant. It probably has the largest collection of corrupt politicians and heads of crime syndicates in the galaxy."

"Great, that really narrows it down," I muttered.

As we entered the atmosphere, my body involuntarily tensed up. I thought I was getting better after landing on Tatooine, but when we hit some turbulence, I jumped and closed my eyes.

Obi-Wan chuckled, "Qui-Gon was right. You hate flying even more than I do."

I managed to open one eye, and gave Obi-Wan my most intimidating, one-eye glare, "I'm fine in space. It's just flying in the air, and believe me, if my uncle threatened to blast you out of his territory, you would freak out just as much as I am. It's sort of become a subconscious reflex."

Our procession off the ship seemed overly formal, but apparently the Supreme Chancellor was waiting for us. I had let Panaka convince me to wear his extra uniform, and Annabeth wore a spare combat outfit that Padmé had loaned her. When I first saw her in the stylish maroon clothes, she was so beautiful that my mouth fell open until she pushed it closed with a smirk. Annabeth and I stood on either side of Panaka, right before the queen and her handmaidens, but after the Jedi, Ani, and Shmi.

As we waited for the entrance ramp to lower, Panaka quietly said, "Now, I know I shouldn't need to tell you this, but you both need to be on your best behavior." Even though he said both of us, he was looking directly at me. "Please, be respectful Percy, and it would probably be best if you didn't talk."

"Why are you signaling me out?" I grumbled.

"Because Annabeth doesn't inadvertently insult people when she talks to them. The last thing we need is for you to insult the leader of the Galactic Republic," he replied.

"Oh, fine, I'll be quiet," I muttered.

In front of me, I heard Obi-Wan chuckle, "So it appears that you can listen to an order, Percy."

"Oh, he's always listened pretty well," Annabeth added with a laugh, "it's whether or not he follows the order that's the trick."

"Hahaha guess it's pick on Percy day," I complained even though I was smiling too. I had missed this, the bantering, the comradery.

Outside on the landing platform, I was overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds. Now, I had heard that the whole planet of Coruscant was one big city, but I didn't really understand what that meant until now. The landing platform was floating in the air which should have made me nervous, but I my height perception was kind of skewed by the fact that at least half the skyscrapers I could see still towered over me. Now, I'm used to big cities. After all, I'm a New Yorker, born and raised, but this made New York look like a one stoplight town. There were skyscrapers above and below for as far as I could see and lanes of organized traffic speeding through the air! I'm not sure who looked more like a country bumpkin right then, me or Anakin.

I almost missed the slight bow everyone made to the two very old and distinguished men in front of us. As we moved aside for the queen, I noticed one of them staring at me, but he quickly looked away and addressed the queen. I studied him more closely. He had a rather large hooked nose and grey-white hair. While his smile seemed genuine enough, it did not reach his cold, calculating light blue eyes, and how he spoke, the way he crafted his words, reminded me way too much of Octavian for my comfort. Octavian senior introduced the other man as the Supreme Chancellor. That guy looked even more serious than Obi-Wan.

As the important people talked, I whispered to Annabeth, "Who is the guy next to the president guy?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Chancellor, not president, and I don't know how you don't know who the other man is. He is the Naboo senator, Sheev Palpatine."

Oh, I should have guessed that. "He reminds me of Octavian," I hissed.

She shrugged and whispered back, "It might just be because he is a good politician. Despite his flaws, Octavian was very good at politics and from what I know so is Senator Palpatine. Not all politicians are going to be like Octavian." Our conversation must have gotten a little too loud because Panaka gave us his you-better-stop look. I gave him an apologetic shrug and hoped Annabeth was right. I was probably overreacting. Just because the senator was clearly a good orator didn't mean he would be anything like Octavian.

Our group split up with the Jedi remaining with the chancellor while the rest of us followed the queen and the senator. Qui-Gon had told us back on the ship that he and Obi-Wan would need to report to the Jedi Council first and that they would send for us and Anakin when they were ready. A part of me really wished that time would never come.

When we reached the suite of rooms that served as the Naboo senator's office, Panaka lead Annabeth and I into a room filled with computers while the rest of our group freshened up. I was a little surprised when Blue the astromech droid followed us. "Annabeth, I hate to put this on you" Panaka started, "but now, that we are no longer trying to hide from the Trade Federation, do you think you could find a way to open up a secure line of communication between me and any remaining Naboo Security Forces? This room is equipped with several forms of communication. I know you've worked miracles with that portable computer of yours, and I've downloaded all the individual communication outlets of the Security Forces, even individual comlinks, into this R2 unit. Maybe you could use them to get past the Trade Federation's communication block. I am sure you know how invaluable information from the ground would be, not to mention if we could find and organize any of our forces that escaped capture."

Annabeth's eyes sparked in response to the challenge. "I'll see what I can do," she replied as she pulled out Daedalus 2.0 from her pack. In almost no time, she had the laptop hooked up to Blue and some communication computer.

"Do you have any idea how to do this?" I asked once Panaka had left with a very grateful thank you.

"I have an idea, but . . ." she shrugged her shoulders, "No, it's got to work. R2, do you have a complete copy of the message Governor Bilbo sent to the ship?" The droid responded in a series of beeps which Daedalus must have translated on the screen for Annabeth. "Good, if they used it to track us, then maybe we can use it to bust open the communications. I know they've got to be still communicating off planet and to their troops spread out on the planet. We just need to find a way to hijack their frequencies."

It took almost two hours, but eventually, Annabeth, Blue, and Daedalus somehow managed to use the Trade Federation's own method of communicating to connect with some of the Naboo Security Forces' communication devices. I didn't understand, but apparently it involved different frequencies to get messages through and converting wavelengths near the planet. Soon we were getting pings from small pockets of forces all over Naboo. "Annabeth, you're a genius!"

She gave me a smug smile, "I know." I kissed her right then and there not caring that we were in a senator's office. A loud cough eventually brought me back to reality. Panaka had returned, and the queen was with him.

I'm pretty sure my face was as red as Apollo's sun cows. "Umm, sorry about that, again, Your Highness," I managed to say as I rubbed the back of my neck. "I swear Annabeth and I don't spend all our time kissing. You just seem to have very unfortunate timing."

"Your apology is accepted," the queen said. It might have been my imagination, but I swore she had a ghost of a smile on her face. "Especially, since I assume that was a celebratory kiss, which means you have good news."

Thanks to Annabeth, Panaka was able to reach about 20 groups of resistance fighters scattered all across the planet. Most were made up of Naboo Security Forces that had escaped capture and were doing everything they could to free citizens and get supplies while giving the Trade Federation a very nasty headache.

I was curious how my Gungan friends were doing and asked Panaka to see if his men knew anything. They told us that they hadn't heard of anything, but all the Gungan cities they had found were deserted. Annabeth gave my hand a squeeze. I was grateful for her support, but it didn't add up. There was no way the Trade Federation wiped them out so easily which meant they must be hiding somewhere. They knew the waters and swamps of Naboo better than anyone.

The queen asked Annabeth to attend another meeting. I was about to leave them to go hang out with Shmi and Ani and escape all the political talk until I realized they were meeting with the Naboo senator. My instincts told me that I shouldn't let Annabeth be alone with that man. Sure, it was irrational that I didn't trust him just because he reminded me of Octavian. I knew I probably wasn't being fair to the senator, but I also knew to trust my instincts after all these years. As we walked down the corridor, I told her, "I want to be in this meeting."

She stopped, looked me in the eye, and whatever she saw made her sigh, "Percy, I'm not sure why your so jumpy around Senator Palpatine, but I'm going to be fine."

I gently grabbed her arm, before she could turn away, "Annabeth, please." I know I was probably begging, but I didn't care.

"You aren't going to let this one go, are you?" she mumbled.

Maybe, she wasn't as immune to my baby seal eyes as I thought. "Nope," I replied.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do," she said. We quickly caught back up to the queen right before we reached the room that actually served as the senator's office. "Your Highness, with your permission Percy would like to attend the meeting with the senator."

The queen whirled to face me. Even with her heavy makeup, I could see the surprise on her face. "You truly wish to join this meeting Percy? I thought you were not one for politics and even sitting still for that matter."

I was surprised that the queen seemed to know me so well since we had very little interaction together. I gave a little bow and said, "Yes, Your Highness, I promise to be on my best behavior and just stand by the wall as a guard even."

Before the queen could reply, Annabeth jumped in, "Actually," she bit her lip as she considered what she would say next, "Percy's input might be extremely useful at this point. He has held an important leadership position back on our home world and has this annoying ability to think completely out of the box. We seem to have exhausted all of our conventional options. Maybe, he can come up with an unconventional one."

The queen considered me for a moment before nodding her head, "Very well then, Percy, your council will be most appreciated. I feel we have been two steps behind from the beginning of this, always reacting right into our enemies' hands. Perhaps some unconventional thinking is exactly what we need." She turned back to the door and entered the senator's office with her head held high.

Senator Palpatine greeted Queen Amidala with a polite bow and showed her to a very large couch. Her handmaidens took up their positions behind her. Annabeth sat on a nearby chair, so I took the one next to it. Palpatine spared Annabeth and I a quick look before focusing on the queen as he gave her a report on the current state of the senate.

He started pacing as he talked and the similarity to Octavian's oration style became even more apparent – the slightly condescending tone that still managed to be sympathizing as he described the greed and corruption in the senate. He managed to convey his helplessness and distaste. Like, if only he was in charge, things would be much better. After his rant, it came as no surprise when he concluded that the senate would probably do little to help with the invasion.

When the queen brought up that Chancellor Valorum disagreed, Palpatine explained as if he was talking to a child, which I guess compared to him we kind of all were, though I figured neither Annabeth or the queen would appreciate it. "Frankly Your Highness, the chancellor has very little real power. In fact, I suspect he only called for the special session, so he can appear to be doing something. His administration has been greatly hindered by accusations of corruption although I am certain they are baseless, of course. Nevertheless, I fear the bureaucrats are in charge now."

"What options have we?" the queen calmly asked, clearly not letting the senator's tone bother her.

"Our best choice would be to push for the election of a stronger Supreme Chancellor, one who could control the bureaucrats and give us justice," Palpatine answered. "You could call for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum."

"He has been our strongest supporter," the queen quickly interjected.

Before the senator could respond, Annabeth asked, "Excuse me senator, but frankly, I do not see how a vote of no confidence would help our situation at all."

Palpatine frowned at Annabeth and said in that condescending tone, "Forgive me, but I do not have the time at the moment to explain the complexities of galactic politics to a handmaiden."

I hated how the man had just talked to Annabeth, but before I could do something stupid, the Queen coolly stated, "Annabeth Chase is the only member of my advisory council present. Her advice throughout this trying time has been invaluable, and I have come to rely on her strategic thinking."

Palpatine frowned but addressed Annabeth with more respect, "My apologies, Miss Chase, but a new, strong chancellor would be able to wipe out the rampant corruption in the senate, expose those on the Trade Federation's payroll, and return the senate to a state where it can serve the people again. This will create an environment where the Trade Federation will pay for its crimes. Not only will Naboo be liberated, but this will prevent another planet from suffering the same fate."

"That sounds very promising, indeed, Senator, but in the best-case scenario that would take what, at least a month just for the administration change?" Annabeth reasoned. "And, probably another month before Naboo sees any aid. Even with a normal election it takes time for a new leader to organize their cabinet much less flush out corruption in the whole government body. It will take even longer for an unexpected change in leadership because the chaos that follows a sudden change in power is often worse than any flaws of the current administration just because the system is not set up to run that way. Also, as Queen Amidala pointed out, Chancellor Valorum is a strong supporter for us. That might not be the case for the new chancellor. Clearly the Trade Federation has enough support in the senate to prevent the government from immediately sending aid. Perhaps, they have enough to elect a chancellor sympathetic to their cause which would make our situation ten times worse. I just don't understand why we should risk it."

She paused here and frowned, "In fact, if this terrible idea is really what's considered as the 'best choice,' then the only benefit I see in taking this course of action is that it might reveal the mysterious ally of the Trade Federation or at least give us another piece of the puzzle. Not that it would do us any good though because if this whole thing was designed to elect a new Supreme Chancellor, then the Trade Federation and it's ally would probably be the most powerful people in the galaxy."

"Can you please explain how a vote of no confidence could reveal our unknown enemy, Annabeth?" the queen politely asked.

Annabeth nodded before going into lecture mode. "As you just said in the hallway, Your Highness, ever since this started, our enemies have been two steps ahead of us. We have spent days speculating who this unknown ally could be and unsuccessfully trying to figure out the motivation behind such an aggressive attack by the Trade Federation. However, if they have backed us into a corner so that we have no choice but to elect a new chancellor then it all makes sense. The whole attack could have been orchestrated just so their ally would be elected chancellor. Though more likely the new chancellor would probably just be a puppet and not the mastermind behind everything, but the Trade Federation and their ally would be holding his strings with blackmail and bribes, so it amounts to about the same."

Queen Amidala's eyes widened as the realization sunk in. "So, this brutal attack on my people could have been nothing more than a power play," she stated angrily. "Unfortunately, though your idea does make sense, Annabeth, and it does answer our questions on the Trade Federations motive, at least better than any of our previous theories involving a better deal on plasma."

Senator Palpatine had remained quite during the exchange, but he clearly looked surprised. "I was not aware that the Trade Federation had such a powerful ally. What makes you think that they do?"

Annabeth looked at me with a raised eyebrow which was her way of asking if she should tell him about my dream. I gave a small shake of the head, and she nodded in agreement. With some unknown enemy in the shadows, the fewer people who knew I could sometimes spy in my sleep the better. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure Palpatine's sharp eyes caught the exchange.

"Firstly, the Trade Federation's actions do not make sense," Annabeth explained. "Yes, the Senate may be bogged down by corruption, but eventually, they will act and possibly cripple the Trade Federation for good. At the very least, I'm sure several powerful and influential Core worlds, like Grizmallt, Alderaan, and Corellia, will make the Trade Federation wish that they never set foot on Naboo either with weapons or trade bans. So, why would the Trade Federation risk the backlash unless they had a powerful ally in the Senate? Someone who could make their occupation legal and hold off any retribution from Naboo's allies. Even in the current senate environment, that could only happen if there was a change in leadership.

"Secondly," Annabeth continued. Gods, I loved when she got on a roll like this, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the growing surprise on the arrogant senator's face as he realized just how good Annabeth was. "Master Jinn is certain that it was a Sith warrior that attacked us on Tatooine to try and get to the queen. Based on the information Master Jinn provided, the Sith are believed to have been extinct for a millennium. However, the presence of this one clearly suggests that they are not extinct, so why would a secret order of powerful Force-users all of a sudden come out of hiding? I highly doubt their reason is to help Nute Gunray get cheaper plasma. No, there must be a bigger play, one that would allow the Sith to get revenge on the Jedi. I'm sure having a puppet chancellor would help with that. No doubt this unknown enemy is the missing link that explains why the Sith would work with the Trade Federation." I guess without my dream as evidence she couldn't come up with a way to explain that we knew our unknown enemy was this Sith Lord.

The senator looked like he was swallowing a frog before he managed to speak again. "Those are very compelling arguments, Miss Chase," this time there was no condescension in his voice. "However, I am afraid they are still circumstantial at best."

Panaka looked like he was about to spill the beans about my dream in order to convince the senator, but luckily Annabeth spoke before our guardian could. "I'm just curious Senator Palpatine, if there were to be an election right now for a new Supreme Chancellor, who do you think would win?"

He started pacing again, "Let's see, Ainlee Teem is very popular at the moment. He has favor with business factions and was against the taxation, so maybe he is the Trade Federation's secret ally or puppet politician. He already has the support of the Corporate Policy League who are militant and pro-slavery. That would be a very dangerous alliance if the CPL and Trade Federation are indeed working together." I couldn't help but clench my jaw at the mention of slavery. How in the world did a pro-slavery political group even exist?

"Who else?" Annabeth prodded.

"There is Bail Antilles from Alderaan," Palpatine continued. "He would undoubtedly have the support of the Core worlds and be a strong contender. And, . . ." he hesitated.

"And you from the Mid Rim," Annabeth finished for him.

As soon as she said those words the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Surely, our mysterious enemy couldn't be him. Naboo after all was his home too. And, although Octavian was one messed up power hungry dude, he would never have knowingly done something that would endanger New Rome. In the end, he gave up his life for it. But, maybe Palpatine was unknowing or unwilling. As Annabeth said, he could be a puppet politician that this Sith Lord was threatening with blackmail or maybe could blackmail in the future. Or, it could be this pro-slavery guy. I'm sure if he was elected the Trade Federation would be happy.

"According to the articles I've read on the HoloNet, you are also a favorite for the chancellor election next year," Annabeth concluded.

Now, Palpatine seemed impressed, "I am just a humble representative of the people. I am, of course, very fortunate and honored by the recent support I have gained just by doing my duty to the best of my ability. I must admit Miss Chase, you seem very knowledgeable on galactic politics."

Annabeth just shrugged, "My mother always said, 'Knowledge is one of the greatest weapons.' Plus, I had seven days on a spaceship to do research. Now back to the matter at hand, Your Highness, even though Senator Palpatine is a front runner to replace Chancellor Valorum, I would not recommend a vote for no confidence. I think the risk is far too great that whoever gets elected as the new chancellor could be an ally or puppet of the Trade Federation, and the transition time may do more harm to your people remaining on Naboo than the current administration. Preferably, we need a plan that will take less than two months. Even a commission with the current senate environment would not take that long."

"Is there another option?" the queen asked.

"Our only other choice would be to submit a plea to the courts," Palpatine replied.

"The courts take even longer to decide things then the senate," Queen Amidala stated, finally letting her frustration show. "Our people are dying senator. There must be something we can do to quickly stop the Trade Federation."

"To be realistic, your Highness," Palpatine sympathized, "I think we are going to have to accept Federation control for the time being."

I don't think I've ever been more frustrated with politics. Not even my first senate meeting in New Rome was this bad. Then I got an idea, and my mind started running with all the possibilities. "Wait, why can't we go back and deal with the situation ourselves? Like you said yesterday Annabeth, when the senate of New Rome failed to give Frank, Hazel, and I aid for our qu– I mean mission, we just dealt with it ourselves."

Annabeth sighed, "Percy, that is a crazy idea. The Trade Federation has an army. I know we've pulled off some miracles in the past, but we've never liberated a planet before. This is an entirely different scale then what we usually deal with."

I shrugged, "But we also have a lot more help than we normally would."

"What do you mean? Even the Naboo Security Forces leading the resistance are too scattered to actually form a strong enough force," she reasoned. "They would need a way to travel to one spot unseen by the Trade Federation. . . oh!"

I smiled as she finally started to catch on to what I was thinking. It was completely unnatural for me to think of something before she did, but since I've spent the last six months exploring the underwater cave network, I guess I should expect it just this once. "It took you long enough Wise Girl. Is this what it feels like to be you all the time?" I gave her a smirk.

She just grimaced, "Shut it, Seaweed Brain." During our exchange, I'm pretty sure we managed to shock all the other people in the room to silence. She bit her lip, "I still don't think it will be enough."

I nodded, "With the resistance forces alone, probably not. But, I think I could convince the Gungans to help. I'm sure at the moment they hate the Trade Federation more than they dislike the Naboo. They have a pretty big army."

"But Percy, you heard the reports, all of their cities are deserted. The Trade Federation probably destroyed them," she said softly.

"I really don't think so. They wouldn't have gone down so quietly. If they were wiped out, it would have been in a great battle that I'm sure one of the resistance groups would have reported. I think they are hiding in one of their sacred places." I frowned as I realized something. "Even I don't know where those are, but maybe Jar Jar does."

Panaka had been a silent observer for most of the meeting, but he seemed the first to recover from his surprise. "Percy, how do you know so much about Gungans?"

I winced, well here goes nothing. Hopefully, I wouldn't be grounded or anything. "I might have accidentally found one of their hidden cities. They promised to let me go and not attack the Naboo, if I promised not to reveal the location of their city. After that, they sort of adopted me. I didn't tell you because I knew you would pressure me for the location of their city, and I wouldn't break my promise to them. I figured it would be better to just avoid that conflict since my friendship with them wasn't hurting anyone."

"Percy," Panaka said in his extra serious voice which usually meant I was in trouble.

"Yeah, I know it was a potential security risk," I interrupted before he could start lecturing me. "But, they kept their promise, so I kept mine. Plus, it could pave the way for better Gungan-Naboo relations which could save our butts right now. So please, Panaka save the lecture until later."

I felt the senator's piercing gaze on me, so I met it with one of my own. "I don't mean to be rude, but who exactly are you?" he asked.

I was still pretty mad at him for insulting Annabeth, so I figured some impertinence was in order even though I'm sure I would hear about it from Panaka later. I gave him my best troublemaker smirk and replied, "I am Percy Jackson. I suppose I'm just a humble Naboo Security Force volunteer, but I specialize in messing up plans. So, I'm here in this meeting to come up with an idea that's so crazy, wild, and reckless that the Trade Federation and their ally couldn't have possibly predicted it."

Palpatine frowned though I couldn't tell if it was from my words or attitude. "Well, you have succeeded. This plan is suicidal."

"Actually, with the Gungan army, we might have a chance," Annabeth stated.

"I still do not wish for all-out war, if it can be avoided," the queen stated.

"I don't think it will come to an all-out war," Annabeth predicted. "I think it will probably come down to one, big battle." I looked into her grey eyes and could almost see her mind whirling behind them with ideas and potential battle strategies. She gave me a smile, "After all, it's not like the Trade Federation is a hydra." I knew then what she was thinking. We would go for the Trade Federation's head, its leaders, because unlike the hydra, the Trade Federation would not immediately grow another one, and their whole siege on Naboo would be crippled. I realized then that something during this meeting made Annabeth distrust the senator too because she used Greek mythology code.

Palpatine took the opportunity to interject, "I must protest this madness, Your Highness. No doubt the Trade Federation army will wipe out any resistance you could muster even if these Gungans are alive and do agree to help. You will be forced to sign the treaty. Surely, you do not trust these children and their suicidal plan with your life and more importantly the lives of our people? I hate to accuse our own citizens, but maybe, they are spies for the Trade Federation. This could all be a trick to get you back on the planet."

I stiffened at his accusations. I hated getting accused of being a traitor though unfortunately this wasn't the first time. It was just so opposite of who I was, but if I managed to control my urge to smack Octavian after he said it in a senate meeting then I wouldn't lose control for this arrogant politician either. I forced my tensed shoulders to relax and stood up to face the senator. "The Naboo gave Annabeth and I a home after we lost everything." Despite my efforts, my voice shook slightly with emotion at even the idea of betraying the Naboo. "We have fought in two wars on our home world, but on Naboo we have only found peace and happiness. Finally, a paradise where we can heal and recover and live without fear. So, why in Hades would we want to help anyone hurt our new home and family?" I asked.

The senator looked taken a back. But, the queen looked contemplative. She studied both Annabeth and I very closely. "You ask me to place much trust in you, but after Percy's heartfelt display of loyalty to our people and our home, I do believe you have the best interest of the Naboo at heart. But, please Annabeth, tell me you are confident we can succeed in this course of action?"

Annabeth sighed, "I don't know if confident is the word that I would use, but I do think we could make this plan work. It's better than doing nothing and waiting for the senate to act."

"Is there a way we can get a couple of Jedi to come as well?" I asked. "I mean even though they are a little annoying, and I disagree with them on practically everything, those guys are pretty handy in a fight."

The queen finally smiled, "That is something I think I can arrange. In the special session today, I will plead my case. If democracy fails and the senate requests a commission be sent to Naboo for proof, I will agree but make the very reasonable demand that the commission be comprised of Jedi. Hopefully, the Trade Federation's allies in the Senate won't be able to delay the commission being sent."

"Well, if we are guaranteed Jedi, then that will definitely increase our odds of success," Annabeth stated. "I was more than a little concerned about the Sith appearing again."

The Queen stood up. "Very well then, it is decided. If we do not get support for a speedy resolution from the Senate, we will immediately leave for Naboo."

Our party left the senator's office, but at the other end of the hallway, I spotted Obi-Wan and Anakin waiting for us. I groaned couldn't we at least have a break between annoying meetings.

Author's Note: I know it might seem like Annabeth pieced together everything pretty quickly, but unlike in the movie, the they know that the Trade Federation is probably working with or for a Sith Lord because of Percy's dream. Annabeth's really good at strategy since her mom is a goddess of strategy and would think much more rationally than a newly elected fourteen-year-old queen desperate to do something to help her people. I assume that Annabeth would know in order to understand your opponent and predict their moves you have to know their motivation, so she would be focused on trying to figure out what is motivating the Trade Federation and the Sith. As she pointed out, a power play really is the only motive that makes sense. But, in future chapters Palpatine will definitely be more careful and have lots of curve balls to throw at her. Please let me know what you guys think.