I'm alive and finally back with an update. Thank you for your support, concern, and well wishes over the past year. When I said it might be a while, I did not think it would take this long, but I did promise I would keep working on it. If you are studying at a college, be nice to your professors. They have a very demanding job. Besides being busy with work, this chapter was difficult to write and spiraled into over 17k words in my attempt to wrap up this part of the story to move on to AoTC, so I split it up. Good news is I will post the other half within a week. I did write a good bit of this section while I was writing my dissertation and because of that it might be a little denser than normal. One of the delays is that I tried changing it for 4 months and debated cutting out most of the debate, but decided I wouldn't like what that would do to the overall plot. So if this chapter isn't as "fun" as some of them, I apologize, but there will be lightsabers in the next one.
Interlude XIV – Annabeth
Annabeth couldn't stop herself from admiring the Jedi Temple even though she should be focused on the upcoming hearing with the Council and after that, the Senate meeting that would determine the fate of the Republic. She appreciated the stark contrast of the Temple compared to the rest of the buildings of Coruscant. In her world, that particular architecture predated even ancient Greece. It was as if that ziggurat proclaimed that the Jedi had always been and would always be while the mixture of the gothic and renaissance influence added a certain amount of beauty and grace to the stately structure.
Maybe if things went well today, she'd finally get the opportunity to examine the rest of the building. However, that was a big if. She had done everything she could think of to make sure both she and Percy could walk away free from this meeting with the Jedi, and she had pulled as many strings as she could to help influence the Senate vote later that day. Quinlan had even allowed her to stop at Organa's suite to formally return his ship. She used the time to handle some other business too, but she still felt like she had forgotten to do something. Or maybe she was just doubting that her plan to push the galaxy to war was the right one. Her conversation with Padmé came back to her.
After she ended her call with Obi-Wan, she only gave herself a moment to prepare for another difficult comm call before she contacted Padmé. In the hologram, the queen of Naboo was resplendent in her formal regalia. However, the usually near expressionless face with the heavy makeup (what Percy called Padmé's queen-mask) slipped into a relieved smile. "Thank Shiraya, you are alright, Annabeth." Padmé waved her hand probably clearing the room, and a few seconds later her posture shifted to a more relaxed position on her throne as she said, "I wanted to contact you to make sure you and Percy were safe, but I was afraid to draw any attention."
"That was the right call since for a while there we had both the Hutts and the Trade Federation looking for us. But Percy and I are both safe for the moment, and we're heading towards Coruscant to clear up some things with the Jedi Council."
Padmé nodded her head in understanding, "Yes, I imagine they are not particularly pleased that Percy flooded a desert planet." After two years on Naboo, Annabeth and Percy had finally trusted Padmé with their full secret. Besides the fact that Padmé was smart enough to have figured out that Percy and Annabeth had unique abilities different from even the Jedi, Padmé had become a close friend to Annabeth, and she had wanted to tell her the truth. "Tell me what happened." So, Annabeth did.
When Annabeth finished, Padmé just sighed as she rubbed her temples. Annabeth's own head throbbed in sympathy. She'd been fighting an Athena sized migraine for the last few days, now. "What a mess! I trust you have some brilliant idea to get us out of this and avoid galactic war."
Annabeth braced herself. Convincing Padmé was crucial for her Plan Alpha to work, and knowing her friend, this wouldn't be easy. "Actually, I think the wisest course of action is to let there be a war."
"What! You cannot be serious?" Annabeth winced slightly at the shock and look of betrayal on Padmé's face. "Please, explain yourself," Padmé demanded in a soft, dangerous tone that Annabeth knew meant her friend was moments away from losing her temper.
"The Trade Federation has been itching for a fight even before they claimed Tatooine," Annabeth quickly said. "Despite my best efforts and the support from Chancellor Palpatine, we have been unable to really cripple the Trade Federation, no doubt because of this Darth Sidious. He seems able to counter every move we make. We manage to dismiss the corrupt judge that let Gunray walk, but then the jury is rigged for the next trial. Meanwhile, the Trade Federation is gathering support from planets and factions disgruntled with the Republic in the Outer and Mid-Rim, not to mention the battle droids. They have far more than the amount reported to the Senate since they hide them during inspections. I only found out about them through some rather impressive slicing and have no way of legally proving it. They cover their tracks well.
"Ironically, thanks to the Autonomous State Acts that kept the Republic from swiftly aiding Naboo when the Trade Federation attacked us, not to mention the Voluntary Expansion Amendment regarding specific territory expansion of member systems, the Republic as a whole does not have to support the Trade Federation in its defense of a new territory without the approval of the Senate and Chancellor. This war can be just between the Trade Federation and the Hutts, and I am sure the Hutts would prefer if systems with particularly strong navies like Correllia or Mon Cala stayed out of it. Based on the current number of Trade Federation battle droids and estimating the forces of the Hutts and their allies, the Trade Federation should win within a year, effectively whipping out one of the worst crime syndicates in the galaxy. However, the war will weaken the Trade Federation's resources especially because of the Conflict Recovery Act which I'm sure you remember ensures the victor of a conflict spends 50% of the cost of the war on helping civilians recover."
Padmé snorted at that, "How could I forget that bit of galactic legislation that you insisted Senator Antilles of Alderaan propose just so Naboo could vote against it, even though I was the one that wanted it passed."
Annabeth shrugged, "I guaranteed that the act passed which is no easy feat considering thousands of systems have to agree on something. Because of that bit of trickery, the Trade Federation's senator even voted for the bill along with their other big corporation buddies because they believed it would hurt Naboo at the time. That would not have happened if Naboo had proposed it. They didn't know that you intended to spend more than that to help your people recover anyways. Now, it will be part of their downfall, which is why I wanted it passed in the first place. Therefore, this war should eliminate both the Hutts and Trade Federation as potential threats."
Annabeth tried to read her friend's expression as she considered what Annabeth had said. Finally, Padmé spoke, "I will admit that your argument has strategic merit, but I cannot condone war, at least not without first attempting a peaceful solution."
"The peaceful solution is an illusion Padmé. The Hutts will not accept a substitute for Tatooine. Not only because they want to control those hyperlanes, but because their pride has been offended." Padmé opened her mouth to argue, but Annabeth already knew what she would say, "Yes, I believe it would be possible to convince the Trade Federation to give Tatooine back to the Hutts and avoid this current war. However, the Trade Federation will be resentful since they technically have not done anything illegal. We could try to sweeten it with lessening regulations or lowering taxes for them, but in the end that will only strengthen the Trade Federation. Best case scenario the peace would last for a few more years before the Trade Federation found a new focus for their too large army, maybe even the Republic itself which would be an even larger loss of innocent civilian life. I do agree with you that peace should always be the first choice, but there is wisdom in recognizing when war cannot be avoided in which case you should pick your battles carefully. At least in a war between the Trade Federation and the Hutts, there will be minimal loss of life since one army is made up of droids and the other one includes some of the vilest sentients in the galaxy."
"But there still will be loss of life," Padmé argued. "Have you forgotten about the poor sentients who have no choice but to serve the Hutts? Or the inhabitants of Tatooine? That planet will be a war zone, and I cannot imagine that Percy will accept their deaths after he worked so hard to free those people."
"Assuming the Jedi do not lock us up in their Temple, Percy and I will save everyone we can. We will nullify the chips in the Hutts' remaining slaves, so they will not be forced to fight. We can also evacuate anyone who wishes to leave Tatooine. However, as I told Percy, we cannot save people from their own stupidity. None of this would have happened if the people on Tatooine had just listened to me. I warned them of the consequences if they tried to join the Republic. They brought this upon themselves."
Padmé gave her an appraising look, "Are you sure the Hutts are the only ones whose pride has been offended?"
Annabeth grimaced at what Padmé had just insinuated, but if she was being honest with herself, it did force her to acknowledge that ugly part of her that was angry at the people of Tatooine for messing up her plan. Padmé indeed knew her well. "That same pride that may have been offended is what makes me strive to come up with the best possible solution to this problem. Although, I will not deny that I am frustrated with the idiots on Tatooine, who selfishly and foolishly put us in this situation, I would never let that emotion compromise the quality of my work to find the best path forward. Besides with Percy, you can be sure that we will do our best to save every innocent life possible and probably even those that seem impossible. Trust me, Padmé, if there is not a war now, the alternative will be far worse."
"I do trust you, Annabeth. It is just that I always used to believe that war could be avoided. That naïve, optimistic girl in me wants to believe by the time this potentially worse war comes around, maybe we could figure out a way to stop that one too." She frowned. "But after we were invaded, and the only way to save my people was through fighting, I understand now, that sometimes war is necessary." Annabeth held her breath while Padmé considered her limited options. "I suppose you wish me to strongly suggest to the Naboo senator to vote in favor of the Trade Federation's claim on Tatooine?"
"Yes," Annabeth agreed, "because if Naboo of all systems supported the Trade Federation, if they put aside the past in the name of democracy, then the majority of the Senate will follow, even the anti-expansionist and anti-corporate groups." Padmé gave her an incredulous look, so Annabeth clarified, "After all, the citizens of Tatooine democratically chose to join the Trade Federation. The Trade Federation didn't even have to resort to coercion. Even though I want nothing more than to destroy this Darth Sidious, I have to admit he has a sense of humor. In this case, a true supporter of democracy would have to back the Trade Federation," she smiled wryly.
"I too appreciate the irony of the situation," Padmé flashed Annabeth an equally sardonic smile before straightening in her chair and once again resembling a queen. "Very well, I will take your advice to heart and make my request to Senator Vancil. I am afraid that is all I can do in this matter. The rest will be up to him." Vancil? Annabeth had not realized that Percy's old mentor, the Minister of Commerce was now the Naboo senator. From what she knew of him, he was a fair, kind, and loyal man. He would see the sense in this or at the very least do as his queen asked. "I pray for all our sakes that you are right, Annabeth Chase."
Of course, it had not helped that when she had finally contacted Chancellor Palpatine with her plan, he had mentioned the possibility of the Hutts gaining a secret army. He assumed it was either hearsay or a clever bluff by the Hutts, and Annabeth was tempted to agree since after years of spying she had never heard any mention of a secret Hutt army. However, it was enough to make her doubt. If the Hutts did have an additional army, it could draw out the conflict and casualties more than she had originally predicted. As they entered the elevator leading to the Council's chamber, she asked Quinlan, "Have you heard of a secret Hutt army?"
The Jedi frowned, clearly not expecting the question. He had probably been considering what he would say to the Council. "No," he finally answered giving her a puzzled look. "Why?"
"Just something the chancellor mentioned," Annabeth muttered feeling slightly embarrassed.
"I still don't think he needs to be here for this," Percy complained.
"Yes, he does, and we've gone over a hundred times why exactly he needs to be here," Annabeth stated, but Percy just glowered.
For starters Palpatine was their insurance to provide oversight and make sure the Jedi did not overstep their jurisdiction. She had planned for him to be there as soon as Obi-Wan mentioned the possibility of detainment. "Just think how annoyed his presence will make Master Windu," Annabeth added, which did seem to cheer Percy up a little bit. After all, it wasn't like Master Windu could refuse the chancellor. Even if the Jedi usually enjoyed a certain amount of autonomy, they still served the Republic. The other reasons she wanted Palpatine there were a bit more complex. She believed Percy had the right idea about telling the Sith that they were from another universe. It was time to start showing their cards to see who was bluffing and who was in cahoots with whom.
Palpatine had shown an unusual amount of interest in Percy and her. She wanted to call him on his grandfather act and see how far he was willing to go to protect them in their supposed hour of need. If Palpatine did keep them from being locked up, there was a chance that he would ask something from her and Percy in return. Something that might finally reveal why he invested so much time in them to begin with. Percy thought he might be grooming them to be his personal hitmen or something equally horrifying, but Annabeth wasn't sure. Then there was always the possibility that he would not actually try to help them, which would be revealing in of itself.
"And please try not to lose your temper," Annabeth warned.
Percy rolled his eyes, "I know. I know."
Her own frustration flared even though after all these years she knew Percy hid his worry behind sarcasm, and nonchalant attitude. To make sure, he was indeed taking this seriously she added, "I wouldn't put it past Master Windu to try to bait you in order to make you seem unstable and dangerous." She glanced at Quinlan hoping that he would defend the Jedi Master and say she was wrong, but instead he just shrugged, which meant Windu may very well employ that strategy. Percy grimaced. He hated being manipulated. Perhaps Percy's rebellious streak would actually work in their favor. If Windu truly wanted Percy to lose his temper, Percy being Percy would do the exact opposite.
The lift stopped, and the doors opened. Percy stepped forward into the antechamber, shoulders back and head up, but he held out his hand for hers. As Annabeth gripped that strong and steady hand with her own, she asked, "Ready?"
He turned his head to look at her and flashed that smirk that made her breath hitch, "As long as you are by my side Wise Girl, I'm ready for whatever they can throw at us."
Quinlan made a gagging noise, "Enough with the lovey dovey stuff. If you two were any more attached, you would be physically joined at the hip."
Annabeth smiled, "Actually according to one of our myths, humans used to have two faces four legs, and four arms. Fearing their power, the king of the gods split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves. It explains our need to find love, and the concept of a soul mate." She gave Percy's hand a squeeze.
"And that we're stronger together," Percy added giving her a swift kiss that still managed to leave her breathless before they stepped through the doors to the Council Chamber, together.
The circular room had not changed much in the last six years with its large windows and impressive views of the city beyond. Annabeth appreciated how, unlike the Olympians who had their thrones in the shape of a U to emphasize Zeus and his siblings 'power and importance, the Jedi preferred more of an Arthurian approach, keeping their chairs in a circle to suggest that they all had equal importance. Although there were a few new faces among the Council members, Annabeth was disappointed to see that there were still only three female members out of the twelve. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but as ancient and sometimes backwards as the Olympians were, they still had a five to seven female to male ratio on their council.
The evenly spaced circle of chairs had been broken by the chair added for the chancellor next to Windu's but a little in front of the others, a subtle reminder that the chancellor did not belong here. Obi-Wan waited for them in the center of the circle. He offered a slight bow in greeting and flashed them a strained smile, half-hidden behind his beard. Annabeth looked towards him for some sort of sign, and he gave her a tiny nod. She tried to hide her relief as she and Percy returned the proper Jedi greeting. Obi-Wan had found something!
Before anyone spoke, Annabeth brought out Daedalus 2.0 in tablet form and did a quick sweep for surveillance bugs. "Is that really necessary?" She could hear the disapproval in Master Windu's voice.
"Forgive me for being overly cautious, Master, but I want to ensure that what is discussed here does not reach certain parties." Annabeth replied. "It wouldn't be the first time that unwanted surveillance was found in secure Republic facilities." To Annabeth's relief, the scan came up empty. Though it was interesting that spying devices had been found in Palpatine's chambers both as a senator and chancellor, but so far none that she knew of had been found in the Jedi Council chambers. "It's clean. So why exactly after practically ignoring us for the last six years did you demand to see us in person?"
"Pretending ignorance does not suit you, Chase," Windu retorted with only a hint of annoyance. She had a feeling Windu knew exactly why she had asked the question. From her first interaction with the Jedi Master, she'd recognized that Windu was in a way like her. He was a strategist, adept at analyzing opponents and knowing exactly where to strike to defeat them. She would love to play a game of Shah-tezh against him though she supposed in a way this was. "Surely, you knew that there would be consequences for your companion's actions on Tatooine." Annabeth narrowed her eyes at the implied threat. "And before you say anything about no jurisdiction. Perhaps you should take a look at the most recent budget approved by the Senate."
Annabeth had never seen a Jedi this close to gloating. Windu pulled a datapad from the compartment of his seat and used the Force to float it to her.
She took is out of the air and began reading:
Section 25.4.3
Force-users are hereby described as any sentient being with a midi-chlorian count of 7000 or greater or any being displaying Force-user abilities witnessed by a full member of the Jedi Order.
Annabeth hated to admit it, but she was impressed. "You got the Senate to agree to this in a budget! Even though it removes any oversight and gives the Jedi far too many liberties to declare whoever you want a Force-user and therefore under your jurisdiction? You must have made it very enticing for them to agree."
"We requested a 25% budget cut. I suppose they did not look too closely at anything else," Windu explained.
"No wonder I hadn't heard about this." Annabeth had been keeping an eye out for a huge debate on the issue, not a paragraph in a million-page document. Even she had her limits. "And with all the seizures you made in the past few years due to cracking down on the drug-cartels at my recommendation, I wager your coffers are still rather full. I'm impressed. For someone who infamously detests politics, you play the game well Master Windu."
Windu was no longer smiling when he said, "Let's just say I felt inspired by you. I'm not sure how you convinced the Appropriations Committee and the Ethics Committee to agree and partially finance that ship of yours with more firepower than any civilian should legally have. It seems we all must adapt to the times at hand."
Annabeth's perfect rebuttal was at the tip of her tongue, but before she could say it, laughter filled the chamber. She looked at Percy, managing to mask her surprise better than the Jedi because after all these years she was used to Percy doing the unexpected. However, even she had assumed Percy would have been as angry as she was with the new rule since it technically gave the Jedi some degree of legal control over them, yet here he was laughing.
"Jackson, please inform the Council of what you find so humorous," Windu said with resignation heavy in his voice.
Percy's laughter stopped, and he flashed that troublemaker smirk of his, "I guess I should feel honored. You changed a what? Millennial-old definition just for us? Maybe you aren't as pigheaded as our family." Trust Percy to see the silver lining in this and to insult the Jedi while he complimented them.
Since several members of the Council were looking less than pleased to be associated with pigheadedness, Annabeth decided to shift the focus back to her instead of Percy by reminding them why exactly they needed to change their definition of Force-user. She reached for the Outside Force as easily as she would've drawn a dagger and floated the tablet back to Master Windu. Connected to the Force, she could feel the Council's reaction varying from surprise, to impressed, to concerned that she could access the Force so easily and had such control.
"Clearly, the Council was wise to change their description of Force-users because despite our lack of midi-chlorians, we can use the Force." As she said those words, she turned her attention to Palpatine. His eyes widened, and she felt his surprise in the Force at their lack of midi-chlorians. Other than sensing the quick thoughts of a brilliant mind planning, the Force as always was unresponsive around the chancellor as it was around Padmé and other non-sensitive beings. She knew Percy usually would disprove of her probing a non-Force sensitive and abusing the powers in the same way he hated when the Jedi did it. However, this was Palpatine, so he'd understand since he still distrusted the chancellor himself. Besides, she would always use every advantage she had to keep them safe. Though as before, she could not sense anything particularly alarming from Palpatine, only a brief impression of plans within plans, a mind much like her own.
"But to bring us back to the reason we are here," Annabeth continued. "Even if you have jurisdiction over Percy and me, to dole out consequences for our actions on Tatooine, strictly speaking from a legal standpoint, we have done nothing wrong. Unless the Jedi are not bound by the same laws as the citizens of the Republic?" Annabeth paused for a second trying to gage the Council's reaction to that statement. She thought she was feeling hints of annoyance and surprise. "However, since you have appointed yourselves our judges, jurors, and disciplinarians, I would like to remind the Masters of this Council of what we did right. We have freed over 20,000 people, most of them forgotten sons and daughters of this very Republic you vowed to defend and protect. We have given them a chance for a better life and provided funds, resources, and transport to start a new life in the Republic. Does anyone in this room wish to disagree?"
Annabeth turned so she could briefly look each Master in the eye, challenging them to argue. She could detect, both through the Force and her own observations, flashes of shame that the Republic and Jedi had neglected these people and relief that they were freed. She suspected that most if not all of the Jedi were like Quinlan and had abhorred the slavery practice and wanted to stop it and help those enslaved but were unable to because of their duty to the Republic to maintain the status quo and protect the peace.
Of course, it was the logical Master Mundi who brought up the counter arguments. "No one here will deny the good you have brought to those lives; however temporary it may be. While none of the Jedi approved of Jabba the Hutt's policies, he did maintain the peace. Therefore, we cannot condone using the Force in anger to murder Jabba for revenge. In addition to the murder of another sentient – however horrid he may have been – because of your actions, the galaxy is on the precipice of war. Not to mention Tatooine is now controlled by a corporation known for exploiting colony natives, so any previous slaves that remained on the planet will likely face similar hardships as they had experienced under Jabba's rule. Last but certainly not the least of your crimes, Jackson has abused his Force abilities likely due to corruption from the dark side and altered the very climate of a planet. Your actions on Tatooine seem to have aligned with the dark side so strongly that you have tainted the Force. You have indeed done a great deal wrong."
Many of the Masters nodded in agreement though Annabeth was relieved to see that not all of them had, including Masters Yoda and Adi Gallia and the Kel Dor Master with the breath mask (Master Plo Koon based on what Quinlan had told her). She could work with that. Next to her, Percy tensed, fighting the urge to inform the Council of exactly how unfair their accusations were. She felt Master Windu's expectant gaze as if waiting for the outburst, so she squeezed Percy's hand. He immediately relaxed, trusting her completely to get them out of this mess.
Annabeth remembered what she had said to Percy all those years ago in a ship bathroom. She still believed that Percy would be the one to change the Jedi Council. However, much like Piper's charm speak, Percy's persuasion tactics stemmed from his emotions and passion, and now was not the time for passion since it would only convince the Council that Percy was using the dark side. With enough time, she hoped the Council could see the good Percy accomplished because of his passion and love, but right now, they needed to rely on cool logic.
Annabeth took a deep breath and closed herself off from the Outside Force. She and Percy had discovered that when they were in contact with what they called the Outside Force, they lost their innate shielding abilities, and other Force sensitives could sense their intentions. She had started to work on shielding herself even while in contact with the Outside Force, but that gave her a massive headache. For this though, she needed to channel her own abilities. She focused on the aspect of her mother that had inspired many a philosopher, logician, and lawyer, and she began to speak. "Thank you for communicating the grievances of this Council, Master Mundi. I shall address each of them in turn. I believe the first charge is the murder of Jabba the Hutt. However, there's a few issues with the charge. First, I'm sure it's not necessary to remind you that the death of Jabba was clearly a case of self-defense. Correct Master Vos?
"Yes," Quinlan confirmed. "Jabba's cruiser fired first. It appears the whole thing, the death of all those slaves, was a clever trap just to kill the sentient he knew as Da Soocha."
Now to provide the most obvious counter argument on her terms, Annabeth said, "Since Percy had not realized that he had already killed Jabba at the barge, you could argue about his intent to kill Jabba with the destruction of the palace–"
"That was an accident!" Percy interjected. "I didn't mean to destroy the palace just make it shake a little to send a message."
The Masters exchanged glances with each other, likely sensing the truth in Percy's words, that he had not intended to kill Jabba, just send a warning. "If that is the case, then your anger, your need for revenge, caused you to lose control," Master Windu reprimanded.
"You try controlling an earthquake," Percy grumbled.
Annabeth could tell Palpatine was very interested at the mention of the earthquake. For the most part, she and Percy had tried to keep Palpatine in the dark regarding their abilities, but thanks to Tatooine most of the damage was already done. Palpatine was too smart to overlook the change in the Solleu during the Battle of Naboo and the new water on Tatooine. There was no point in trying to hide anymore. Besides, she needed him to remind the Jedi that they were still beholden to the laws of the Republic and that she and Percy had 'friends' in high places.
"Regardless," she said bringing them back on track, "I know you can sense that there was no intent for murder even for the sake of revenge. Surely whatever changed in the Force does not block that ability. Besides, any other court in the Republic not corrupted by the Hutts would consider it justified homicide or at most voluntary manslaughter." Several Masters as well as Obi-Wan frowned at her implication.
She turned to address Palpatine who was struggling to hide his own amusement. No doubt he appreciated her clever jab in that argument. "Second, Chancellor, am I correct in saying that no one outside of this Council has formally charged Percy Jackson for the death of Jabba the Hutt?"
Palpatine consulted a data pad before he answered, "Yes, you are correct. It appears most of the galaxy is still confused regarding the death of Jabba the Hutt. Although if a certain young man was responsible for his death, he would have my full support and should be honored as a hero for removing such a blight on this galaxy." Palpatine gave Percy a grandfatherly wink and several of the Jedi Masters shifted in their seats at the chancellor's statement and obvious favoritism. "However," Palpatine continued, "based on Republic intelligence reports the Hutts themselves blame this Da Soocha though strangely enough they have not called for his arrest, capture, or death. They seem to believe he's some sort of deity."
Windu muttered, "They got it half right."
Palpatine glanced at him, clearly confused by the comment. "What do you mean by that Master Windu?"
Only years of practice kept Annabeth from wincing. Percy just glowered. She had known the risks but had hoped to avoid showing this particular card to the chancellor during this meeting. Sensing the weakness, Master Windu pounced, "Forgive me Chancellor, but I had assumed that you knew the alleged parentage of your young associates since you worked so closely with Chase and Jackson over the years."
Annabeth knew exactly what Windu was doing. He was trying to get the chancellor to distrust them and remove his support from Percy. Thinking quickly, Annabeth planned her next move. Hopefully, if she said it right, she could assuage Palpatine and maybe start to win Windu over or at the very least pique his curiosity. Before Windu could say anything else, Annabeth apologized to Palpatine, "I'm sorry Chancellor, but we did not want to waste your time with stories of myths and legends. After we worked so hard to be taken seriously and earn your high regard despite our youth, I was concerned we would lose your respect if we claimed that my mother and Percy's father are apparently extremely powerful, Force beings that are considered strategy and water deities back on our native planet. Perhaps, I was wrong to not trust in your friendship, but I am aware how outlandish that claim seems, especially for a non-Force sensitive, who is unable to detect the subtle differences between us and the Jedi.
"Besides it seemed unimportant," as she said that statement, Annabeth looked directly at Windu, hoping he was good enough to get her hint. She considered reaching for the Force, so he could read her intentions, but she could tell by the slight frown that he was asking himself the right questions. Why had she and Percy told the Jedi their secret and not their supposed friend Palpatine? When he returned her gaze with a wrinkled brow, she knew that he had put it together: she and Percy trusted the Jedi more than they trusted Palpatine. Therefore, for some reason they distrusted the Chancellor of the Republic despite the favor he showed them (Ironically, it was that favor that had sparked their distrust. Unfortunately, that was one of the hard learned lessons of being a demigod. Distrust anyone who shows an unusual amount of interest in you. Likely, it is a god, monster etc. that either wants to use you or wants you dead.) Annabeth turned her attention back to Palpatine and said, "Percy and I can do what we do, the why doesn't matter." She held her breath hoping Palpatine would believe their excuses and not pull his support. His training as a politician made him difficult to read.
"Unless you want to lock us in a lab, stick us with needles, and run tests on us," Percy added with a challenge in his voice, daring anyone to try. "I will not be anyone's lab rat."
Annabeth had to fight the urge to kiss Percy right then. They had talked their way out of enough situations that it was almost the same as physically fighting together. He had provided the perfect closing statement and had said it with just the right amount of defiance used to mask genuine fear that she couldn't have planned it better if she had actually tried. While the Jedi distrusted emotional arguments, they needed that emotion to convince the chancellor. Beneath Palpatine's political mask, she saw a flicker of understanding as he said, "While I am disappointed, I understand why you did not tell me about your unique heritage. In any other circumstance, I may have found this revelation difficult to believe, but since I am currently surrounded by some of the wisest beings in the galaxy and they are not contradicting you, I have no choice but to accept it. Even though I still have many questions about how this came to be, it does explain many of your oddities. I assume that's why young Percy seems able to change a planet's water features?" Percy looked like he was trying to swallow the fire water of the Phlegethon again, but he managed to nod. Palpatine gave Percy a comforting smile. "It is not easy to be different. Your secret is safe with me," he assured. Percy managed another nod, but Annabeth could tell that he was not happy, even though it really wasn't that far off from what the chancellor must have already presumed regarding his abilities.
"However," Palpatine continued, "returning to the issue at hand, I believe Annabeth was making the point that Percy currently does not have a formal charge against him. Unless the Jedi Council wishes to do so themselves and file it through the court system, Percy cannot be convicted of murder or even homicide. While this Jedi Council may have a degree of jurisdiction over Percy for Force-usage under their mandate to protect the Republic from nefarious Force-users, murder charges against anyone outside the Jedi Order is still governed by the courts, which would apply to Percy since neither he nor Jabba the Hutt are members of the Jedi Order."
Relief filled Annabeth. She half feared that the Chancellor would turn on them and hand them over to the Jedi. Using the opening Palpatine provided, Annabeth cautioned, "I'm sure I do not need to point out how unwise it would be for the Jedi to charge Percy with the murder of Jabba. Currently, the Hutts are only angry at the Republic because of the Trade Federations actions. If they believed a Republic citizen was responsible for Jabba's death, their response would be far worse than it currently is, much less the public would consider Percy a hero since most in the galaxy are celebrating Jabba's death, unless they were on his payroll."
Master Windu glanced around at the other council members, probably confirming with them through the Force, before speaking, "Although I imagine knowing exactly who is responsible for all their troubles over the past few years would be extremely valuable to the Hutts - maybe even enough for them to relinquish their claim on Tatooine – the Jedi Council withdraws its claim that Jackson murdered Jabba the Hutt and will not file charges regarding his death as long as the citizens of the Republic remain ignorant of the situation. However, we still hold you accountable for the rest of your actions on Tatooine."
Annabeth had to admire Windu's stipulation of keeping the public out of it. Relying on public opinion had been one of Annabeth's messier backup plans, but hopefully she wouldn't need it. "I believe the Council's next accusation is that Percy and my actions have caused our current political situation that has put the Republic on the brink of war," Annabeth stated. While her arguments for this point were still strong, this one stung her pride. "However, the Trade Federation and the Sith are far more responsible for this predicament than we are."
The Jedi tensed at the mention of their ancient enemies. Yoda asked, "Believe the Sith is behind this do you?"
"Yes," Annabeth answered. "We already know that the Sith has worked with the Trade Federation in the past and must be using his apparent influence in the courts to keep Gunray out of prison and as Viceroy."
"That is speculation at best," Windu stated. "However, it is not a speculation that your actions to remove Jabba the Hutt from power despite this Council's warning have destabilized the galaxy and lead to war. That is why the Jedi Order and the Republic have left Tatooine alone, but you assured us that this wouldn't happen, that you had a plan."
The condescending tone grated on Annabeth, but before she could reply, Percy unnecessarily came to her defense. "At least we did something," he retorted. "While the Jedi Order has done nothing to help these people for years. It was so nice not getting called a Jedi for once because out there they know the Order doesn't care enough to send someone to help them. I know you only sent Master Vos because you wanted to control us not for them."
The Jedi looked shocked. Master Windu denounced, "That is not true."
"For an order that claims to not act in fear, you still let yourself be governed by it." Annabeth pointed out. "Your fear of disturbing the peace has let injustice flourish for far too long. And I did have a plan that would have kept the peace intact for at least a few generations. It would have worked too even though I knew the Sith would try to disrupt it. He just got lucky."
"There's no such thing as luck," Master Mundi stated, and Obi-Wan nodded his head in agreement. "If the Sith is behind this, he simply out maneuvered you."
Annabeth suddenly realized that the Jedi Council wasn't only trying to trigger Percy. They were testing her too. She thrust her anger and pride down and coolly responded, "If not luck, then it must have been the will of the Force. Since Percy losing control of his powers, incapacitating himself, and throwing Tatooine into complete chaos while I was off planet was not part of my plan. Otherwise, there would have been no other opportunity for the Trade Federation to move in. The people of Tatooine would never have accepted the Trade Federation's offer if either Percy or I had been there to talk sense into them."
"But surely you would have left eventually," prodded Palpatine. "What would have stopped the Trade Federation from moving in then? I find it difficult to imagine that the former slaves would choose to stay with Gorga instead of the chance to join the Republic."
"I anticipated that because I figured that would be Sidious' play if he were to do a move at all. By the time Percy and I left, Tatooine would have had a healthy, free people's economy under Gorga with standards of living better than many places in the Republic," Annabeth explained. "Therefore, the only clever thing Sidious did was to be ready early just in case something unexpected happened, which is what any decent mastermind should do."
"Because nothing unexpected ever happens when you or Percy is involved," Obi-Wan muttered.
"Know you well, the Sith must," Yoda said with a chuckle despite the seriousness of the topic. Even Master Windu's mouth twisted briefly into a smile to Annabeth's surprise.
"I am curious, my dear. How exactly did you intend to accomplish those economical changes on Tatooine?" Palpatine questioned. "Before recent events, I would have believed that a thriving, anti-slavery economy on Tatooine under Hutt rule would be as impossible as the planet flooding."
Eager to share the brilliance of her plan, Annabeth explained, "I invented a new holoprojector that would have greatly enhanced the quality of holograms. I was going to give the designs and patent to Gorga along with the governance of Tatooine without any monetary charge as long as he agreed to the new Tatooine Constitution, which banned slavery, required the newly formed citizens' council to serve as a Parliament, and implemented a sort of Jedi outpost if the Council agreed because the Order has a serious image problem on the Outer Rim. Percy and I would have stayed for 6 months to help set up the factories, and then we would have left. But to keep Gorga honest, I informed him that I had designed a bug in the system. If he broke his promises, the production of the holoprojectors would malfunction. Gorga is far too greedy to risk jeopardizing such a lucrative business. Plus, he'd likely be dealing with a rebellion as well which is never profitable."
"That is a most impressive strategy," Palpatine complemented. "It would have given each party what they wanted."
Even Windu nodded his head in agreement, "It would have been a good plan. Master Vos left out those details in his report."
"It's not his fault!" Percy of course defended his friend. "We didn't exactly tell Quinlan everything. We didn't want the Council trying to butt in and mess everything up or risk it getting back to the Sith."
"And you are certain the Sith is behind this?" asked Mundi.
Annabeth replied with a question of her own, "How else did the Trade Federation know exactly when to come to Tatooine?" When no one answered the somewhat rhetorical question, Annabeth continued her explanation. "No doubt the Sith sensed the disturbance Percy caused in the Force just as you all did and told the Federation to act. What bothers me more is how Sidious knew we would target Tatooine and when? It would have taken months at least for the Trade Federation to prepare, much less for them to be stationed so close. For obvious reasons, very few people knew of our plans to liberate Tatooine, this very Council being one of them. Hence, my concern at the start of this . . . hearing. The Sith promised to tear this galaxy in two, which is the only reason why we are on the brink of a galaxy wide war. Plus, there's the added bonus of getting revenge on me for messing up his plans years ago. So don't try to blame me and Percy for this."
"I cannot deny your logic, and your insight indeed provides a good deal of sense to a chaotic situation," Master Mundi admitted. Perhaps she was starting to win him over with her rational arguments.
However, her sense of victory was crushed when Master Windu spoke, "We must monitor the situation and ensure that this galaxy does not come to war. But regardless, if the Sith is once again behind the Trade Federation's movements, it does not change the fact that Jackson abused his Force abilities to the point of altering the climate of Tatooine and may also be corrupted by the dark side."
Annabeth had always known that these particular concerns would be the most difficult to prove. She had no idea how the dark side worked exactly, so she didn't know how to prove that Percy hadn't used it. She just hoped whatever prophecy Obi-Wan found would be good enough. "What if it was the will of the Force to return water to Tatooine?"
"Assume you know the will of the Force do you? Hmm?" Yoda asked.
"They do seem to use that as an excuse often," grumbled the gruff Master Piell. "Even the wisest Jedi Masters, can only hope to glimpse the will of the Force."
Several other Masters murmured their agreement. Annabeth smiled as she responded, "And what if it was a Jedi Master who had predicted it?"
Percy looked shocked. She hadn't completely shared her suspicion with him or what she had asked Obi-Wan to do. She needed his reaction to be genuine. "You got to be kidding me! Of course, there'd be another kriffin prophecy. I swear, I can't even sneeze without there being a prophecy."
Master Windu sighed and rubbed his temples. "I did not believe you would rely on such a feeble argument Chase. Prophecies are unreliable and vague."
Annabeth glanced at Obi-Wan, but he was already clearing his throat to speak. "Actually, Masters, this one is quite specific." If Windu's look of disapproval bothered Obi-Wan, he didn't show it. He pulled out a dodecahedron shaped solid made out of a grayish crystalline material. It must be that holocron Obi-Wan had mentioned, some sort of data storage from what Annabeth could deduce, but it was unlike any she had ever seen.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes for a moment, and the holocron floated above his hand rotating slowly as it glowed blue. Its sides came apart and seamlessly rearranged themselves. Once they clicked back into place the holocron returned to Obi-Wan's hand.
"Okay, that's pretty cool!" Percy admitted, and Annabeth had to agree. She wished she had reached out with the Outer Force to feel what Obi-Wan had done to open it. She had a feeling that was one method of data storage that she wouldn't be able to hack her way through.
Quinlan flashed Percy a smile and muttered, "You only like it because it's blue."
Both of them were awarded with an exasperated look from Obi-Wan before he addressed the Council, "Forgive me for bringing this holocron, but I thought it best if you heard it straight from the source in case the Council finds it as unbelievable as I did."
As if sensing Obi-Wan's will, a hologram of a Zabrak Jedi appeared and spoke in a language Annabeth didn't recognize. Even her earpiece translator was only able to understand a few words like 'fear,' 'water,' and 'free.' It must be some sort of ancient dialect. "For those of you who are not familiar with Old Alderaanian, the prophecy says: A time will come when the ground will shake, and the masters will fear. The skies will weep, and the water will flow. And the denizens of the desert will–"
"Know they are free once more," finished Percy.