Notice:
I do not own any rights to Star Wars. This is merely fan fiction by a fan and not someone even remotely involved in any Marvel or Lucasfilm property. That being said, I do hope you enjoy it.
"Master, this was not part of the plan."
"The plan?" Sidious scoffed. Despite the blue-holo glow of his skin, Dooku could still see the condescension almost ooze out of his wrinkled skin.
"The plan I created years before I even enlisted you? The plan I spent decades of my life perfecting and cultivating? Please, Dooku, if you have any opinions about my plan, do tell." Like a parent scolding their child, Dooku knew better than to challenge his master. Sometimes there are questions that are just left unanswered.
Was it humiliating? Absolutely not even Yoda had spoken down to him when he was just a Padawan. But for now, he would keep his knee bent and his head bowed. This was for the good of the galaxy; the Jedi and Republic represented the injustice and corruption of the galaxy. If that meant dealing with Palpatine and submitting himself, then so be it. He was a hero, and if it demanded it, he would also become a martyr.
"Plans are only worth using when the situation remains unchanged. The plan changed the second Amidala revealed the clone operation, something you assured me would be under control. How is it possible that out of all the senators, she of all people found out? Ninety-nine per cent of the Republic can be threatened or bought, yet the one senator who couldn't find out."
"Have you found out who the leaker is?"
"No." Palpatine narrowed his eyes at him, no doubt wondering if he himself was the rat. Preposterous, really. Out of all the Republic senators, pilots, and crew who were in contact with the Kaminoians, Palpatine still suspected him. He didn't know whether to admire his master's paranoia or be insulted by the lack of faith.
Then again, how Amidala of all people had found it was beyond him. There was always a risk of the clone army getting leaked, but Amidala was the one to discover it was just too perfect.
The girl was becoming more difficult than Dooku suspected. Sure, she had been quite active against the MCA, but that didn't really mean anything in the grand scheme of things. She was annoying, to be sure, but the approval rating approached the requirement every time it was brought up; it was just a matter of time. Worse comes to worse, Dooku would just assassinate her.
But this? This was a real issue; ideally, Dooku would have her dead already, but the Republic knew she was heading to Kamino along with the Jedi Council because of Obi-Wan. Killing her would only guarantee that the clone army had alternative motives.
She couldn't die on the planet, but she would need to be killed soon. Give it a month or two after Kamino, once they have figured out about this leak.
"And what of ou-your plans?" Dooku corrected, even though it had been him who had done almost an equal share of the work. Creating an empire means killing and supplanting the governing heads. It hadn't been easy. He still needed Grievous to fully join his armies. The Kaleesh man had a dislike for the Jedi much like his own, but his hadn't yet been sharpened, not yet tempered in the flames of pure hatred.
Dooku would need to fix that and give the general a reason to despise the Jedi. To become the leader of his Droid army, though, was something for the near future, Dooku supposed. He couldn't half-arse approaching Grevious. If he was going to permanently disfigure the general, then he would have to do it properly, leaving not even the tiniest trail that could be traced back to him.
"Amidala has certainly damaged our plans; she seemed to inherit her father's idiocy. Yet, there is nothing I cannot adapt to. The original plan will continue; it'll just need a few adjustments."
Adjustments? The Clone Army wasn't something that was adjustable. The original plan had a few key goals:
Engage in a galaxy-wide war to widdle down the Jedi numbers.
Have a mass extermination event for the Jedi.
Have Palpatine gain full political control and win the war.
Dooku would surrender.
Dooku would later be freed and act as a shadow governor for the new Sith Empire.
Reduce, then exterminate. The Jedi, flawed as they were, are a bunch of trained warriors, all with the most powerful weapon built into them.
The clone army was perfect in that regard. Sure, the Republic could probably muster up an army to fight the CIS, but it would be suboptimal. The war would be too close! Lots of Jedi would die, and the incompetence of the Republic would see to that even more than the clone army, but this new army wouldn't be capable of exterminating the Jedi.
They needed the best warriors; the Jedi spread across the galaxy, and a sudden ambush attack was needed to wipe the Jedi in one fell swoop. Even then, there would be some survivors; even with so much against the Jedi, it was just impossible to fully destroy them. But the Clone betrayal would destroy the order and allow Palpatine full control of the Galaxy, ushering in a new era of justice and peace. That would be enough for him.
"Continue with preparing the CIS; I will deal with the Jedi. All you have to do is keep the CIS running; after all, I can't wage a war against an empire that will collapse due to its own failures." So exactly what has he been doing this whole time?
"But the Jedi-"
"The Jedi will not be a problem. Amidala may have ruined the clone army, but the clones were merely a means to an end. The Jedi will still be wiped out, and the Republic will be the one to put those Jedi on a silver platter. I do believe the Jedi and the Republic have been allies for too long."
"I, like you, am in shock. There has been a great injustice done by the very people we put in charge to protect us from harm. I want to assure all the people of the Republic that the Senate has no knowledge of or involvement in this reckless and downright evil betrayal of trust. We are currently undergoing an internal investigation to find all personnel who were involved. But I assure you that this transgression will not go without consequence. You all know me; I was one of the main fighters pushing for a Republic military, but not like this. Not spending your money behind your back, the lies, the illegal deals, and the broken promises. To you, the Jedi, I will not stand for this corruption, not in my republic."
Anakin ignored Palpatine's voice echoing through the speakers as he walked through the streets of Coruscant, his hood obscuring his face as he walked. In the busy and overpopulated streets of Coruscant, Anakin alone was actually able to move through the crowds. Walking like almost all things was a skill, a skill he had perfected. Whether it was trailing someone or escaping, Anakin had perfected the art of weaving through people.
He finally made his way to his destination. An old, taken-down store that looked like it was on its last legs. Despite the broken-down look, Anakin walked through the door that squeaked loudly. The sound of old, rotten wood against old, rotten wood was never pleasant.
The alien who worked the front desk looked nicer than he should be for a run-down place like this and didn't bother to greet Anakin as he walked past the dusty shelves that hadn't been touched for days.
"I'm looking for 50% ABV rum."
"50? Sir, you should know that the Republic's limit on spirits is 40%." The alien recited as if he were reading a script. The dull, monotone laziness that constant repetition bred.
"Do we really have to do this every time?"
"Have we done this before?"
"No, not really. But when I start like that, this usually goes faster."
"Are you a cop?"
"Do I look like a cop?"
"They're getting better, not afraid to use the younger sort of undercover."
"I'll be sure to keep an eye out then."
Anakin rolled his eyes, but as predicted, the man shrugged before reaching down to a cabinet Anakin knew was locked with a safe that was more expensive than most things in this dingy store.
"Crazy stuff with the Jedi. I always knew you couldn't trust them." The man said he was trying his best to do small talk while he fiddled with the lock.
"I don't deal with politics, ever."
"Come on, kiddo," Anakin was many things, but he was never a 'kiddo'. "You kids are always on the web; you must have heard the news."
"The Jedi clone army? I'm familiar."
"I hear rumors they are trying to defund the Jedi. I swear that Palpatine guy is the only good soul in that shitshow; he's standing up against the Jedi for once. Those arrogant bastards think they can get away with anything, putting themselves before the people." Those were Palpatine's words; this man seemed to have no original thoughts. "War mongers, I swear."
"Can we just hurry this up?"
"Whatever, proof of ID?"
"Seriously?"
"Just busting your balls, kiddo. Have a good one." Hilarious, Anakin rolled his eyes, dropping a generous amount of credits on the counter. Ironically, the illegal stuff was cheaper than the real stuff, and again, he wasn't exactly paying tax, so he could afford to lower the prices.
"You too." The words had no meaning, but had Anakin been truthful, he would have had to spend the next hour being lectured about politics by a man who thought whoever was the most popular had to be the best.
Anakin left the rundown alcohol store that, despite its awful appearance, thrived on illegal alcohol. Yet he couldn't shake the bitter taste in his mouth. Despite his best attempts to stay out of things, he was still affecting the timeline too strongly.
It hasn't been the first time Palpatine has turned the Republic against the Jedi, but it has been the first time ever Anakin hasn't been responsible. He was no longer the catalyst.
This was all unfamiliar. A feeling he hadn't felt in eons. Instead of himself being the force behind change, Padme had become the one affecting the narrative. Idiotic girl, she was going to get herself killed. As always.
"This is all my fault."
"Yup."
"I wish you wouldn't agree with me on this."
"It is technically your fault. I warned you that your actions have consequences."
"Yeah, but I thought the consequences would be good! This? This isn't what I wanted."
This was the newspaper she was holding. Anakin peeked over her shoulder to read the article.
'Jedi uses Republic funds to make a personal army. Amidala uncovers Jedi betrayal.'
Padme had released her own article exposing the clone army to the public, and in doing so, Palpatine did what he did best. Win. Almost instantly, the narrative from the media went from 'Republic and Jedi build secret army' to 'Jedi betray Republic'. Palpatine controlled the media, and when you control everything people hear, it is extremely easy to make people believe a narrative. Every hour, it seemed more and more mistakes of the Jedi came out; there was so much that not even Anakin could tell which ones were true and how many were lies. The Jedi weren't without flaws, but this was just plain lies being fed to a populace needing someone to blame.
It certainly didn't help that the Jedi didn't have a publicity division. They could block all the blaster bolts they wanted, but getting them cancelled on the internet wasn't their expertise. They were simply too old to be able to fight against a media attack.
"You think Obi-Wan is mad at me?"
"It would take you killing children to be mad at you. This? This is nothing."
"This isn't what I wanted!" She cried, and of course Anakin believed her. She probably thought that the Senate would be the one to share the blame, accept that they had made a mistake, and move on. Not that the Senate would throw the Jedi under the bus and pretend to be a victim.
"Really? From a senatorial point of view, this is perfect. Both the people and those against the MCA are now unified." Just because some people wanted a military doesn't mean they liked the idea of the military being built without their knowledge or consent. Especially considering one of the main arguments for the MCA was creating jobs. Many people were looking forward to serving, strangely enough, people who had only seen war in movies or been born into military families.
"The Republic is more unified, and it won't be hard to run a smear campaign against the Jedi, who have no PR team. Approval ratings will probably go up for the Senators who openly go against the Jedi. It truly is incredible what having a common enemy can achieve." Anakin continued.
"It's not the Jedi's fault! The Republic also had a part in this."
"Yes, but that's not what the news is saying. It turns out 'we are kind of bad people' isn't as popular as 'the Jedi stink, and we are totally awesome for standing up against them'."
"We have to stop this."
"You." He was sure to stress his own lack of involvement. "Have done enough."
"But-"
"No buts! Besides, this isn't your fault." He could tell from her sideways glance what she clearly thought it was. "You didn't say one lie in your article. You can't be blamed for the way idiots react.
"I could have worded it better, though; maybe make the Jedi involvement less obvious. Don't you see they are using my own words? I'm getting praised by Senators who hate me just because it's the popular thing to do right now."
"And music fans literally abuse someone who says something negative about the singer they like. People will use any excuse they have to do something awful, so long as the excuse isn't 'I'm a bad person'. It's just a fact of life. People are awful."
"But they shouldn't be!" He merely shrugged. What were they going to do?
At least it was over.
Out of all her plans so far, this wouldn't be the worst, which was a sobering reality for Anakin. Her worst idea so far was that this loop was either turning off the life support or trying to stop a riot, and while this wasn't at that level just yet, Anakin could tell it was approaching that level of idiocy very quickly.
The two struggled to make it through the crowd, as per usual, Coruscant was overcrowded. This time was particularly bad because it felt like the whole capital city was stationed outside the Jedi Order.
It was painfully familiar. The signs, the screaming, the feeling that something was going to go wrong. Except this time they were in the rioting crowd instead of facing it. And this time, the crowd seemed endless. At this level of strength, Anakin doubted he would be able to stop it. When waves and waves of bodies crashed against you, there wasn't much a lightsaber could do. If he wasn't trampled to death, he would suffocate under the hundred bodies. Thousands in this case.
"Padme, can't we just holo them? Do we really need to speak to them in person? No offence, but I don't think they want to talk to the person who caused all of this." Anakin tried to yell, but it only came out as a murmur over the loud, obnoxious sounds of the city.
"I thought you said this wasn't my fault!"
"I lied!"
She rolled her eyes at him but continued to lead the two of them through the sea of elbows and jabs. Had he been leading, they probably could have gotten through effortlessly, but then again, he had made it apparently clear he didn't want her here.
It took a long time. It felt like they had walked through a kilometre of bodies, but eventually, they did push through to the front, where the worst of the worst had conglomerated.
The loud chanting, the smell of sweat mixed in with alcohol—the thoughts of every riot had been in. God, he felt like throwing up; this was the worst. He couldn't abandon Padme just yet. The death-prone Senator would definitely get killed without him.
"Senator Amidala?" A voice called out of the crowd. Oh gods, why was he here?! Now he really did want to throw up.
The old, wrinkled hand of Palpatine reached out to Padme. He, of course, was the only person who didn't seem to drown in the masses, as he had several blue senator guards around him, making his own little space around him. A space that Anakin wished Padme wouldn't accept. They should sink into the crowd, run, hide, or do anything but talk to this man.
"I must say it's wonderful to see you here." Palpatine almost purred. His eyes didn't betray his real intentions, and the Sith Lord had perfected lying. Not that Anakin did think he was lying, Palpatine told the truth just as much as he lied, he wouldn't be a very good lair if he always lied. Why was he thrilled to see Padme? What was he planning?
"Thank you, Chancellor; it's nice to be outside the crowd. There is only so much body oil I can take." Padme joked, and it hurt to see her smile when he laughed. Why was she so blind?
"There is more truth to that than I would like to admit. Are you here celebrating the fruits of your labor? I can't imagine the MCA winning at all now, or at least this year. You've really beaten me this time."
"My intention was never to win; this certainly doesn't feel like winning."
"Amidala, my dear, you've done what few are capable of. Your name is written on every news broadcaster's lips, and people who've never heard of you are praising you. You have made history, my dear; you've exposed the Jedi and their misuse of Republic trust. Congratulations, Padme, this is all because of you."
"You are too modest, Palpatine." Anakin noticed the way she cringed when Palpatine pointed out that this was all her fault. "You've certainly changed your tune in regards to the military. From war mongerer to peacekeeper, it must be quite the change."
"I have always been for the people. It's true, I did push for the MCA, but not like this. Betrayal and deceit have no place in the Senate."
"That would be a first." Anakin scowled.
"Anakin? Right? How are you?" The Sith Lord asked as if he hadn't slaughtered millions. The causal tone in his voice made the chosen one sick.
"A man of few words, I suppose." Palpatine laughed when Anakin didn't respond, not that he could. If Anakin opened his mouth, any sound that would come out would be a confused whimper.
"Anakin, don't be rude."
Still, Anakin didn't speak, and it was remarkably difficult to get the words out of his throat considering it felt like his heart was in his throat.
"It's okay, Padme; after all, this place can be quite overwhelming."
"Thank you, Chancellor." Despite that, she sent a dagger-like glare towards him. Bitch, he wasn't in the fucking mood to deal with her. Especially when she was protecting that fucking monster.
"Although Anakin, there is always a shortage of good guards. If you ever want to expand your horizons, I would be happy to take you."
"I'm fine." He managed to spit out the venom in his voice apparent to the two senators.
"No, he isn't; he should know that's not how you talk to people." She hissed at him. "And don't try poaching my staff!"
"Haha, you'll have to forgive me; the Jedi aren't too fond of the Senate right now, and I could use all the protection I could get. Please, Anakin, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
Thankfully, Palpatine could continue a small group of Jedi temple guards along with a Jedi Master Anakin recognized as Coleman Trebor. He didn't so much as recognize him as much as cringe, as he never really spent much time with him. As far as combat ability went, Trebor was sorely lacking, often dying quickly. Usually by Jango on Geonosis, but he would never survive the Clone Wars if Anakin ever did save the Master. Jango was good, but without prep time, no Jedi Master who sits on the council should lose to the Mandoloarian, especially so easily.
"Citizens, you have the right to protest, but you are preventing a Republic emergency service from providing assistance. We ask that you vacate the premises immediately in order for Jedi work to continue."
"Oh, that's not a good idea." Palaptine laughed to himself. It was rare that Anakin would agree with his old master, but he couldn't help but agree.
This wouldn't end well. Not with this many people; if a mob is only as smart as its most stupid member, then a group of this size would surely push the threshold of what humanity could truly be stupid enough to accomplish.
As expected, the plea of the Jedi sounded more like a declaration of self-righteousness. Screams and yells erupted from the crowd, and curses and insults were hurled. The Jedi were treated as a commodity this close to the core; no one on Coruscant had ever seen a Jedi fight or wipe out whole bandit groups alone. They just weren't special in the eyes of the people who never needed them, and as such, they thought remarkably little of them.
The Jedi still thought the people respected them, but these people? There was a reason Coruscant could afford to protest the Jedi, and that was because they weren't the people on the outer rims dealing with pirate raids and dangerous creatures in their wilds.
"People, please calm down." Anakin couldn't hear the Jedi, but by reading his lips, Anakin could piece together what he was trying to say. Not everyone in the very large crowd could, though, which only meant Trebor's words fell on deaf ears.
It was like being in a jet turbine as words blended together in the horrific sounds of hundreds of yelling.
Through the crowd, Anakin felt it before he heard the high-pitched squeal of a blaster. Trebor had never been the best Jedi. A sudden blaster bolt from the front of the crowd didn't give him too much time to get his lightsaber up to protect himself. Now that Anakin thought of it, he had never really seen many Jedi capable of deflecting a blaster bolt. There was just no real point to being taught like that. Either you deflected the blaster bolt at the opponent or to the sides because you didn't want to injure them. Yet with the very large crowd and Trebor having to rely on instinct, Anakin supposed he couldn't put the whole blame on the Jedi as the bolt collided off the lightsaber back into the crowd.
The people went silent, then a woman screamed in pain, and the crowd roared to life with a volume Anakin doubted was possible.
"Oh dear." Palpatine smirked, not a small bit of genuine surprise on his face. So while everyone looked forward, Anakin was the only one who saw the look of pride and joy on Palpatine's face, like a chess player who just made a game-winning move. Of course, he would be behind even this.
A/N: Yay exams! I love getting bent over a table and getting fucked over and over again. It doesn't help that work is calling me every chance they get because everyone is a university student, so during this exam time we are understaffed as fuck. I'm sleepy and writing this at half past midnight. Eepy time.