[19 BBY]

[Balahara Hotel Complex, CorSec Plaza, Coronet City, Corellia, Corellian System, Correlian Sector, The Core]

Padmé Amidala sat on the couch, scrolling through the available information on the chaos and madness occurring across the galaxy. Anakin thought it foolish, but her husband was worryingly broken up right now after...everything...and they both were coping in their own ways; just like everyone it felt like. Even Obi-wan showed signs of the stress...and her and Anakin's reveal of their marriage, since she really couldn't hide her pregnancy much longer, probably hadn't helped. Thankfully it reduced the stress of the secret on her, and that at least stopped the hovering, fussing, expectant father Anakin that had suddenly emerged with nightmares.

'As if not stressing was somehow easy' she thought to herself with a sigh as the sparse news appeared on the screen before her. Everything had fallen apart; they'd got Peace, and then...everything went insane, the Republic fell, the Jedi being arrested or butchered, and only a few days ago the Separatist delegation had left for home under heavy escort. Padmé saw that as mistake on their part, as the next few days would see a meeting of a coalition of Republic Senators such as herself who'd fight for Democracy and the Republic. Even if, more cynical, the Separatists didn't see them as legitimate it would have made sense for them to try plan the chaos to their advantage. It was a small ray of light on a dark night...perhaps.

"Still awake Senator?" came to her ears, and Padmé smiled faintly as Anakin's Padawan Ahsoka came out of the shower in one of those awful looking bathrobes supplied by the local Republic agencies. The loyal ones at least, as who represented the Republic right now was very much up for, violent, debate. It was mind-numbing seeing the madness descend upon everything she'd worked toward, to see democracy die as friend turned upon friend after her mentor...

"Indeed I am Ahsoka, come have a seat, and you can call me Padmé remember?" she told the young Togruta who was her bodyguard, and baby-sister it felt like, all rolled into one. It was certainly helped thinking on the extent of the betrayal, of the manipulation, of herself and Anakin by a man they'd both trusted for so many years. A man who'd forced her and Jar Jar to make uncomfortable, dreadful, choices thanks to the failure of those manipulations and betrayals. Padmé couldn't even bring herself to be angry at the men and women on Coruscant who'd overthrown the Supreme Chancellor...who'd destroyed the democracy they had all been fighting so hard to preserve.

"Heh, yeah, you and Skyguy...sorry Padme then..." the girl replied with a grin, plopping unto the couch beside her, eyes moving to the news on the Holo-net "...more bad news?"

"Everyday seems to bring more of it, but not much for the moment thank the Force. No I had just been communicating with Jar Jar, indirectly perhaps, and confirming Naboo is at least safe"

Perhaps it was a betrayal of the Republic, but it had to be done, and their homeworld had to be protected however it could. In her current condition, and with the hyperlanes and hyper-comms in chaos, there would be no safe way to leave Corellia;- even if she was not intent upon ensuring that kriffer Palpatine would not win, and the flower of democracy preserved here. Jar Jar, as Senator Binks, had returned home to Naboo and taken a place, unhappily, amongst the Tarkinist dominated 'Senate' being assembled on Naboo. Their homeworld needed to be protected, and as much as she wished otherwise...Corellia could not do so right now and neither could she.

Ahsoka gave a smile at that, the girl was trying so hard to be cheerful, to soldier on, despite her entire world seemingly coming apart "That is good Sen...Padmé, I've had some good news too I suppose. My friend Bariss survived, and her Master...even if she sent it to Skyguy as well with General Stormy"

"Ah, well, Anakin has been...busy with Master Kenobi and recently arrived younglings and their Jedi, so he hadn't told me that as yet" Padmé mused, resting back into the couch. Her opinion of Anakin's friend, The Stormcrow, was...conflicted at best, especially since the big green-skinned Outer Rim General had sworn, publically, to the forces working with the Military Junta on Coruscant. Well, the Eriadu based sub-faction that was merrily restarting the war with the Separatists as best she could tell on the limited information available to her.

Not that she'd expect any different from one the Militarist faction's primary attack rancors...but the man was also seemingly dedicated to the ideal of the Republic, and even rescuing Jedi from the Hutts despite personal clashes with them. That and he'd freed Anakin's mother from slavery, and Padmé could hopefully show the woman her grandchildren and reconnect both Skywalkers as a family. After everything that had happened, her husband needed something positive, and not just fighting, to focus on in her humble opinion.

"Ugh Politics"

Padmé laughed at that tone "Oh dear, certainly it can feel that way sometimes. But it has to be done..."

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[19 BBY]

[Senatorial Palace, Peachtree City, Abrion Major, Abrion Major System, Abrion Sector, Outer Rim Territories]

Esu Rotsino rubbed at her face, hoping, somehow, to chase away the tiredness as she walked out unto the balcony of the Senatorial Palace and gazed up at the night sky. The moons and stars twinkled back encouraging, a pleasant lie of peace and tranquillity to the actual brutal warfare taking place amongst them. It had all seemed so clear when she'd placed the Articles of Secession before the Senate of the Galactic Republic, so certain the future would be better.

All that they had to do was break the bonds, the crushing regulations that made her people nothing more than glorified droids; serfs supplying food to the Core like every generation going back a thousand years. Now though the galaxy was in chaos, the Hutts were putting on pressure, and her primary allies in the new Confederacy were largely dead, or fallen from favour. Yes that was an exaggeration, but the Clone Legions of the Republic had seemingly gone mad, as had the Jedi themselves, and nobody on Raxus Secundus seemed to care what that meant for her Sector.

Of course that had been a help in the wars so far as while the Sector was a major agricultural exporter, and they had used food as a weapon to discourage Republic actions, it wasn't ideal right now. No, the Galactic Republic was falling apart it seemed, and worlds that had been nominally loyal in the Sector were being forced to choose sides at gunpoint. That and the ever cursed return of pirates, or deserters turned pirates, who called it 'military necessity' to 'sustain' their forces 'in the field' as they called it.

Sure there'd been a number of clashes in her Sector, and threats made, but for much of the war they'd dodged the truly brutal battles of elsewhere. Only the terror when word came the Republic's ruthless General Stormcrow had ravaged his way through nearby Sectors, and wrecked the available Sector Defence Fleet in the process. But they'd survived, endured, and Separatist and Republic worlds in the Sector largely tried to avoid any big clashes beyond small task-forces for the occasional invasion such as Ukio, or the Molavar insurrection...

She sighed wearily, hands resting on the stone of the balcony "How bad?"

Colonel Harnesso was her younger uncle's second wife, and loyal to Albion Major first and foremost, so Esu trusted her opinion despite not truly wanting to hear it right now "Heavy fighting in the Hishyim system, we won, but losses were...bad Senator. They seemingly came out of the vicinity of the Rishi moons with five Venators and four Acclamators...drove them off, took out three of the Star Destroyers, but we lose half the forces in system. We...managed to get an idea of the data-banks"

Esu let out a breath "Do I want to know?"

"No, but you need to. Someone ordered them damage the spaceports here and other worlds, the distribution freighters and centres, oh, and scorch Ukio from orbit. Sloppy on their part, but they seemed to be following contingency plans and were generally leaderless...but we've no idea from who, and the Clones weren't exactly surrendering. Kamino maybe? The mind-control chip rumours are apparently very true"

"Haaaa...of course they are. The Jedi washouts world, of course, of course...kriff it. What are they trying to do? Cause a Sector wide famine!"

Colonel Harnesso remained stoically at attention behind her "Potentially, but I don't think anyone is thinking in that particular group of organic droids. It's the ones that *are* thinking that concern me more. We've had reports that of some Republic Clones going rogue, maybe taking out their chips, maybe not. A few have even switched side...its chaos Senator, and we can barely defend the Sector right now. We need reinforcements, yesterday"

Esu shook her head "They're likely won't BE any Harn. Hence the cobbled together Sector Fleet, with, you know, the technically Republic loyal worlds helping us. Such as the Jedi!"

"There not Jedi, their just farmers like most of the rest of the Sector, but they're as desperate as we are Senator. I wouldn't have believed it, but the Clones want them dead, doing nothing in the war aside, and the Hutts are pressing as well"

"Yes, I KNOW. They're charging tariffs to access their hyperlanes that might as well be a blockade, and now the Republic hyperlanes they were letting us use have been severed at Manda and Rishi. Bothawui as well, beyond that"

Bothawui had, as best they could tell, swung in behind the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, but the Sector Fleets the Republic had used at Lanos and Leritor were sworn to the Coruscant government. Sworn too, and now happily interdicting the hyperlanes while clashing with other Republic forces. A few months ago that would have been a relief to hear, but now the Confederacy's Sector Fleets at Druckenwell and Falleen weren't in the best condition to do anything about that position. She looked up at the stars that once filled her with such wonder and now only dread as she straightened and turned to head back inside.

"Rodia is still there, and the Republic beyond Christophsis. Harn, we'll reach out to whoever we can, but we need ships, and we need convoy escorts. If we have the harvest rots in the silos...or heavens forbid some insane starship commander starts burning fields..."

Esu shook her head. There was so much work to be done...

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