"The Senate is under the influence of the

Dark Lord of Sith."-Count Dooku

Episode II

In the current clone war, the situation in the galaxy is getting worse and worse, the war seemed like it would never end.

The Clone soldiers had been a great help to the republic, but what had happened on Geonosis and what was revealed by Count Dooku while Obi-wan was a prisoner.

It was something that had privately left the Jedi council confused and greatly alarmed.

In a secret session of the Order, they would not reveal anything to anyone including himself.

Supreme Chancellor or the Senate, there was even the possibility of being in danger, they debated the possibility that the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious, was actually influencing the Senate of the Galactic Republic.

"Is it really what Dooku said? Is a Sith Lord really running the Senate? No… we would have already detected it through the Force." Obi-Wan considered the possibilities.

"Obi Wan... Dooku be joined to the dark side, he cannot be trusted... but without a doubt, the dark side has spread to every corner of the galaxy, without a doubt its influence is here with us." Yoda added with concern.

"We must initiate an investigation on our own, but secretly. No We must inform not even the Chancellor, nor other Jedis as well, we must see how present things now that we are at war." Mace Windu added.

All the Jedi nodded in their places without objecting.

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On Cato's world Neimoidia, he was under attack by the galactic republic with the army of Clone soldiers.

Upon learning that Viceroy Nute Gunray was there, they had to catch him as soon as possible, this would turn the war in their favor.

The capture was carried out by Jedi Anakin Skywalker and his master Obi-Wan Kenobi. They were entering the planet's atmosphere, to attack a Trade Federation base of operations.

"We're about to catch him, master," Anakin said through his communicator when he dodged a attack on your ship. "I know, Anakin, but we shouldn't rush."

In the communication room in the complex, at that moment, Nute Gunray was talking to Darth Sidious through a holo transmitter and only saw the holographic image of the Sith wrapped in his black robe without being able to see his face.

"Leave your planet immediately. That's an order! Get out immediately!" Nute Gunray ordered with a hoarse and annoying voice.

"But my lord, what will we do next? What will happen now if we leave our planet?"

"Count Dooku has instructions for you from now on," said Sidious, turning off the holographic image in front of everyone.

While Anakin and Obi-wan were entering the operations complex, searching for Nute Gunray... but without a doubt He had fled in time, avoiding being caught.

"It's amazing teacher! It was under our nose!" Anakin said indignantly.

As Obi-Wan looked around trying to find any clues of something to help them but they didn't see anything until...

"Good news my former Padawan, apparently our dear Viceroy forgot to delete the latest conversations from this transmitter."

They both analyzed the transmissions, until they saw the holographic recordings of the last conversations that Gunray had had with the other Separatist leaders... but most importantly, they found the hologram of a dark figure with a hood and black clothes. Without a doubt that was the Sith they were looking for.

"Master... Do you think that person in the holographic image is the Sith? "Is that… is Darth Sidious?"

"Anakin certainly is."

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At the Jedi temple, they reviewed the transmissions found on Cato Neimoidia and found more information, data they never thought they would ever find. There was a map of the Li' Emerge complexes, where Dooku and Sidious had met on Coruscant, and some tunnels that led to the basement of the Republic 500, where Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's quarters were located.

"Those tunnels that map shows, where are they from, master?"

Obi Wan analyzes and was left with a face of shock and surprise when he realized "They are... they are tunnels that lead to the basement of Republica 500, the building where they live." members of the Senate of the galaxy like the Supreme Chancellor."

"Even so, Master, it doesn't seem to me that something like this is possible. Chancellor Palpatine is a good man, he would never be capable of something like that, much less be a Sith!"

"Tomorrow we will have a meeting with Chancellor Palpatine, that is when we will find out if he is really hiding something or if he is innocent." Yoda said.

Anakin didn't entirely agree, but he had no choice but to accept the council's decision.

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After that meeting, Anakin locked himself in his chambers, unable to believe that the person who has been your friend could be under suspicion of doing something improper.

At that moment Obi-Wan tries to calm the mood he was in.

"Anakin... don't be like that, we still don't know anything for now."

"Even so, master, I refuse. The Chancellor has never done anything wrong against the Jedi and the Republic."

"I'm aware of that Anakin, but we're still not saying he's the Sirt, maybe."

Maybe it's someone who works for him or another member of the Senate. Not only he but other important members live in the 500th republic."Anakin nodded his head more calmly "I... I'm sorry master, you're right it doesn't have to be him, it could be someone else" Obi-Wan hugged him tightly and at that moment an alarm sounded from his communicator.

Chancellor Palpatine wished to speak with him immediately in his office.

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In Palpatine's private office, from a few days ago, after the invasion of Cato Neimoidia. He had not been informed of that mission, there was undoubtedly something they were hiding from him. The dark side warned him that something very strange was happening.

Without a doubt something is going on with them, they must be planning something behind my back, I can tell. feel in the Force, my only hope is the boy. Anakin has trusted me for years and is the only one who can tell me what is happening. He smiled a wicked smile to himself.

Upon entering, Anakin bowed out of respect and Palpatine adopted his usual friendly voice. "Anakin… please… Don't do that." "You and I are friends… that's for strangers."

Approaching Anakin he placed his hand on his shoulder as a sign of friendship and trust, Anakin could feel his friendship and support. Palpatine knew that was the way how he had earned it over the years.

But he immediately felt uncomfortable feelings in Anakin "Anakin... What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you? I see that something is tormenting you. Tell me... can I help you with something? You know you can trust me, I care a lot about you my boy."

But Anakin, as much as he wanted to tell Palpatine what was happening, he couldn't do it and only said...

"We're just about to find the Sith Lord."

"Well... that's good news for everyone, if they find this Sith Lord, the war will finally end" he could feel that he was hiding information from him but it was undoubtedly by orders of the Order.

After a while Anakin left with the conflict he felt for Palpatine.

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After a moment Palpatine could no longer contain his anger and his eyes glowed yellow.

"What has happened, my lord?"

"The information from Viceroy Nute Gunray's holo transmission has led the Jedi to the location of our rendezvous in Coruscant" Sidious confessed in a tense tone.

Dooku was stunned. "Are you in danger?"

"They think they have found the scent of my trail, Lord Tyranus... And perhaps they have."

"Can you leave Coruscant, my lord? Sidious stared at him, despite the parsecs that separated them.

"Abandon Coruscant?

"For a time, my lord. Surely we can find some way to…"

"Maybe. Lord Tyranus. Maybe:

"If you can't, I'll come to your side."

Sidious shook his head. "It will NOT be necessary. "That would only prove that I am indeed the Sith Lord they are looking for."

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At the meeting they had prepared with Chancellor Palpatine, the Jedi Council was gathered before him and among them was Anakin.

"So... what is this meeting about?" Palpatine said sensing something strange.

Master Windu got straight to the point regarding his suspicions, to which Palpatine only feigned indignation and looked straight into Anakin's eyes trying to make him feel guilty.

Jedi Master Kit Fisto said "There is a possibility that the Sith named Sidious be among the Senate."

To which Palpatine answered everyone directly, "And you think I'm that Sith? I find such a thing outrageous, that of all the other people I am the main suspect."

"Let's not rush, Chancellor, no one accuses you directly, it could be someone else from the Senate and not you." Obi-wan said trying to calm the situation.

"There is evidence that indicates that Count Dooku has been speaking with the Sith Lord in the Li'Merge complexes, the tunnels found there connect to the basement of Republic 500."

Palpatine stood up from his seat showing his anger in his expression and indignation and asked once again "And... how can I prove my innocence that I am not that Sith? Call me Jedi Masters."

Anakin dared to answer the chancellor, "It's very simple, Chancellor... You know that you don't may be, so it's just a routine method. We will do a count of your midichlorians in your blood right here and we will know immediately. The Sith Lord must have an extremely high midichloride count, you are not force sensitive so there will be none in your blood."

Windu showed the device that the Jedi use to count the midichlorias in babies if they are sensitive to the force or not, the result will come out immediately and Palpatine knew that there was no more escape but... it was a matter of any time before Dooku would arrive on Coruscant .

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But just at that moment, when they were about to count the midichlories, there was an intense explosion in the Senate and alarms were ringing everywhere.

The Clone troops in the capital reported that it was an attack by the Separatists commanded by Count Dooku himself and General Grievous.

Mace Windu thought for a moment that this was too suspicious, that this attack had happened precisely at that moment when they suspected that Palpatine was the Sith... "Chancellor, we have evidence that there is a tunnel beneath Republic 500 where it appears that Dooku met with the Dark Lord of the Sith. If you have something to say, now is the time."

Palpatine frowned at such a thing and only responded, "I don't think this is the best time to talk about this, Master Windu, don't you see what's happening right now?"

"That's exactly why I say it," everyone turned to look at the Chancellor with doubts, "now that we are doing this investigation, Count Dooku appears to attack the capital and maybe even kidnap you Chancellor…. It seems that this would help prove your innocence just at the moment when we have doubts about you. How did they know that you were here and how could they invade the safety of the planet so easily? "We could call him Chancellor Palpatine or… he prefers Darth Sidious."

All the Jedi present paled at this. Palpatine made a face of real annoyance at this last one.

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But before a new discussion could begin, an explosion was heard outside the office.

"That old man is not Darth Sidious… how dare you confuse me with him? "That is very rude of you." A hooded figure spoke, you couldn't see his face.

Obi-Wan confused said "You...? Are you the Sith?" Looking towards the entrance to the office but unable to make out the face of the figure.

Palpatine tried to hold back his laughter. It's Sate... Dooku simply made a decoy of Sidious... Tyranus's plan, which he didn't know was going perfectly.

The figure that was covered in a black robe, like in the recordings they found in Gunray's transmissions with Sidious, he agreed standing next to Dooku.

But still there were some doubts in Yoda felt that something was wrong this was strange and timely. "This is too strange and timely, don't you think?"

"Are you serious, Master Yoda? An old man as kind and decrepit as the Chancellor cannot be a Sith… the Jedi have fallen short by thinking that way."

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To make matters worse, General Grievous stood next to a battalion of Droid soldiers, laughing with his hoarse voice as they pointed their weapons at the Jedi present.

The decoy they had just used had worked perfectly, without a doubt seeing Pestage disguised as Sidious with those clothes had worked perfectly in the eyes of the Jedi.

"What do all these nonsense mean? Reply!" Obi-wan demanded an answer.

Pestage only responded in a mocking tone to the Jedi masters. "It was just a decoy... a trap and they fell, they all fell. It was a trap for Chancellor Palpatine, it had been a problem for my plans ever since he became Chancellor. It would have been a relief for me if you killed him yourselves believing it was me."

Anakin furious at these revelations He lights up his lightsaber attacking Dooku, starting a fight in front of everyone.

While Anakin fought with his lightsaber, the Jedi also fought with Grievous and the battle droids.

But they had a doubt and the suspicion that there was something more, something hidden, why not?

They could feel the force in the Sith, they couldn't feel the dark side in him like they should.

Mace Windu with his lightsaber ignited shouted "Yes it is the Sith! Why don't we feel the Dark Side in you?"

But Pestage only laughed and answered confidently. "I have been hidden for decades in the galaxy, I have been alongside Jedi all this time and they have never perceived me in the Force, why now? would they do?"

Palpatine saw this spectacle that was already repulsive to his sight, at first it was fun but not anymore.

Palpatine through the Force signaled to Dooku that it was time to end the charade and time to leave.

He signaled to Pestage, as they departed at the same time clone ships on the surface were arriving at Coruscant.

The three of them ran, being guarded by Droid soldiers while Anakin tried to stop Dooku... but he threw him with Force lightning, leaving him badly injured.

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Seeing how they fled, the clone soldiers who were entering the senate were arriving. Palpatine with an internal smile, was standing helping Anakin from the wounds that Dooku left him. "Now I see, boy, what you meant by finding the Sith yesterday."

"Forgive me, Chancellor... in truth, I, I never distrusted you, I could not say that what was happening was an order of the Jedi council."

Anakin felt remorse, but Yoda intervened saying, "In the name of the Jedi Council we offer you an apology, Chancellor Palpatine, we were wrong."

Palpatine with a fake smile only responded "It's okay Master Yoda, it was understandable now with what happened; "Whoever doubted me, they heard it... they implanted falsified evidence in me."

"It's incredible that they incriminated you... I don't know how they got to that point."

Palpatine with a perverse intention "What hurt me is that you were part of this Anakin... we are friends, did you doubt me at some point?"

But Anakin immediately denied with remorse "No! Never Chancellor... I was the first to protest against those ideas."

And Obi Wan spoke immediately, interrupting, "That's right, Chancellor, he always defended you in this case."

"I'm glad that Anakin, you're my only real friend here." Anakin felt relief and just bowed before him.

"But Sidious escaped again, and we still don't know who he is."

"Don't worry boy, be patient, we'll catch him."

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Once Palpatine returned to his quarters, he was completely alone. Palpatine laughed loudly, his yellow eyes emanating, he put on a black cloak covering his face with the hood, and activated the holoprojector, seeing Dooku's hologram.

"The plan worked perfectly master, now you are no longer suspected of anything, everything can continue going according to your plans, the Jedis have been deceived perfectly."

Sidious laughed once again "I congratulate you Lord Tyranus, you did it perfectly, without any major mistakes, now they will never know who I am until it is too late for them to do anything."

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When Pestage was returning to the 500th Republic, he was still disguised as Sidious. Palpatine appears before him, taking him by surprise, "Very good job Pestage, you achieved your interpretation of me perfectly."

Pestage just bowed to Palpatine "Thank you master...but I only did it for you."

But Palpatine with mockery and disgust "enough of all this, take off those clothes."Immediately, the show is over, do you hear me?" he ordered.

But Pestage responded in a tone of amusement, "but why teacher? If I see myself Well, I also took her out of your apartment, sir."

End