CHAPTER 16: OBI-WAN KENOBI

Jedi Temple, Coruscant

"Hold back!" Obi-Wan ordered to the row of Jedi standing behind the pillars at the main entryway to the Jedi Temple. "Allow them to remove their dead and wounded!"

Inexplicably, the Clones had stopped their advance into the Temple, stopped firing altogether, and were now in the process of an orderly retreat. A few stragglers removing the bodies of the fallen were all that was left.

"And what about the Clones nearest to us? Perhaps we can grab some of them and remove their chips," suggested a masked Temple Guard, whose saber pike glowed a brilliant gold.

"Leave them," Obi-Wan sighed. "Going near would only result in another firefight. We need to keep an eye…" his voice trailed off when his wrist-comm chimed. "Keep an eye on the entrance," he ordered, then took a few steps back. "Kenobi here."

Yoda's distinctive voice sounded from the device. "In full retreat the invaders seem to be."

"It certainly seems so here," Obi-Wan agreed, turning his head back toward the main entrance where now even fewer Clones stood. "It's clearly a trap though. What do you think they're planning?"

"That much is obvious… Yet clouds much the dark side still does. Other matters, we must discuss in council. Meet me at the laboratory level."

"Very well," Obi-Wan said, deactivating his comm. A hundred or so meters away, Ki-Adi-Mundi was exiting the Temple Library and on his way, clearly having already received the same message.

Obi-Wan made a mental calculation, trying to figure exactly who would be in attendance. Unless anything had changed with the Shadowfeed jamming, Oppo Rancisis and Stass Allie would not be in attendance, nor would Coleman Kcaj and Agen Kolar who had perished at the Sith Shrine. Surely, Anakin would have come to Obi-Wan first had he returned. Would this mean that Anakin and Mace Windu would be attending via holopresence?

Venturing from the area of the temple which had been a battle zone to areas which had as of yet been untouched, the mood of hyper-focused vigilance gave way to dread and uncertainty. Obi-Wan could see in the eyes of every Jedi he passed. They were under siege and everyone knew it, with the omnipresent electric prickle of danger never far away.

The Jedi Master had to take the long way around the open courtyard in the center of the Jedi Temple, as it was now off limits due to the threat of aerial attack or artillery strike. While the Temple was protected by a shield from orbital bombardment, two legions of Clones had marched their way through the shields which only stop fast-moving objects (as opposed to people and things moving at walking pace), and had hauled in vehicles, artillery, and hovercraft.

When he finally reached the infirmary, a gaggle of Jedi were standing in a semi-circle near the entrance, facing something out of view. Ki-Adi-Mundi had already arrived, beating Obi-Wan to the location, and stood with Saesee Tinn, Plo Koon, Shaak Ti, and Yoda. There were no holopresences from council members afar, and Obi-Wan could sense a level of dread and alarm that caused him to feel worried.

"What is going on?"

Obi-Wan approached the semi-circle and saw what they were all looking at. In a waiting room outside of the laboratory (which on days the Temple wasn't under siege served as a medical screening site), there was a muted flatscreen hanging off the ceiling. One half of the screen displayed a Twi'lek speaking animatedly, and the other still shots of Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker's faces, beneath which read "CAPTURED."

"I don't believe it," Ki-Adi-Mundi said firmly.

"Have we heard from them?" Plo Koon asked, his concerned voice warped by his respirator.

"Terrible news this is, but not for this reason did we gather," Yoda said.

"Respectfully," Obi-Wan spoke incredulously, "What could possibly be more important?" His thoughts rushed from Anakin to Padmé and the other Senators. The Jedi's hope of democratically removing Palpatine from office felt ever further from possibility.

Yoda turned from the flatscreen and said loudly, into the infirmary, "Master Nema? Updates have you?"

"We have," Rig Nema said, her voice filled with optimism. "We've found exactly where the inhibitor chips have been implanted in the Clones' brains, and it seems relatively consistent across patients."

Obi-Wan sighed in relief. "So we can surgically remove it?"

"Would it be possible to program surgical pods to remove the chips on a great number of Clones?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked further.

Nema stood to the side of the laboratory's entryway, gesturing for the High Council to step inside. "Good questions and good suggestions, but the news is even better."

As Obi-Wan stepped inside, the second High Council member to enter the room after Plo Koon, he fought the reflex to grab his lightsaber. Six Clones wearing hospital gowns were lying in the beds along the far side of the room, with the eyeless Miraluka Jedi Jazal standing near Fox's bed.

In the corner of the room opposite from Jazal, stood an off-yellow Jedi Knight with four slender lekku. Obi-Wan had never spoken to this Jedi personally, but he recognized her as Lyn Rakish. When she caught his eye, she said nothing but nodded in curt bow of acknowledgment.

"It is good to see you, General," said a voice from the opposite side of the room as Lyn.

Obi-Wan turned to the right and saw the familiar sight of the handlebar mustached Clone Boil, holding his helmet. One of the first Clones the surviving members of the Council had encountered immediately after confronting the dark side at the Sith Shrine, Boil had mysteriously lacked an inhibitor chip.

"Glad to see you too," Obi-Wan said distractedly, his gaze passing back to the middle of the room, over the Clones seated or lying down in hospital beds.

These six had not been captured assaulting the Jedi Temple after Order 66. Rather, these six had been found in the Halls of Healing early during the previous day's confusing events immediately prior to the confrontation at the Sith Shrine. Members of the Coruscant Guard, allegedly under orders to extract Dooku from the Jedi Temple, had stumbled into one of the secure wings of the medbay through a fire escape. From what the Jedi had ascertained, the bulk of these Coruscant Guardsmen had seemingly stunned themselves before they could get to Dooku, yet some of them had also somehow managed to abscond with Ahsoka.

"They're harmless," Jazal said reassuringly, standing to the left of the bed in the middle. "All of their chips have been removed."
"General Kenobi! Ge—General Yoda!" exclaimed a Clone who Obi-Wan had never seen without a helmet, but whose voice the Jedi Master recognized as Fox. "I—I had no idea…"

Obi-Wan frowned at Jazal. "Inhibitor chips might not matter in this case. Didn't these Clones abduct Ahsoka before the madness started."

"That is correct," said Nema with a shrug. "But their chips were activated afterward."

One of the six took in a sharp inhale of breath. "Abduct Ahsoka?"

"Never!" Fox yelled loudly, bed creaking as he sat up hastily. "Our orders were to capture Dooku!"

Obi-Wan sighed and crossed his arms. "Yes, because Ahsoka just happened to disappear moments after you arrived."

Fox's face flushed red at that.

"Then where is Ahsoka Tano?" Shaak Ti asked softly, placing a hand on Fox's shoulder.

"I have no idea! It's—It's not even possible for us to have taken General Tano," Fox continued, "You stopped us from accomplishing our—We were all captured!"

"That is a little bit difficult to verify," Ki-Adi-Mundi said dryly. "For all we know, after you stunned everyone in the medbay, including yourselves, some of your compatriots arrived seconds later and escaped down the emergency stairwell—"

"Stunned ourselves?!" yelled a Clone to the Cerean's right. On his face was an expression of being genuinely offended. "General, with all due respect, how dumb do you really think we are?"

Boil glanced at the other Clone, tapping the folding stock of his DC-15 carbine. "You don't want me to answer that question, ner vod."

Obi-Wan could not take his eyes off this Clone. Not because he disagreed with Boil's assessment, but because this Clone, unlike the others, had no bandage on his head. "Was he never implanted with an inhibitor chip?"

"Oh he was," Jazal said. "Meet CT-5701, Rack, our first successful inhibitor chip short-circuit."

"With energy?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked.

Jazal walked away from Rack's bed, heading toward an alcove on the other side of the laboratory. "The device operates—"

"We did not abduct Tano!" Fox yelled in protest, interrupting the change in conversation.

"Investigate this matter further, we shall," Yoda said, addressing all of the Clones. "No lie in you do I sense. Believe you, I do, but move on to other topics we must."

"Do they still need to be here?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked, gesturing to the Clones like they might as well be furnishings.

Obi-Wan turned to face Nema, then looked to one of the other Jedi, cocking his head curiously.

"I will escort them back to the detention block at once," Lyn said stiffly, and moved toward the Clones. Boil approached the hospital beds too, beckoning for them all to stand.

Feeling their palpable fear, Obi-Wan spoke up, feeling sorry for the Clones, in spite of any role they may have played degrading the Jedi Temple's defenses. "Perhaps they don't need to be held in cells."

"Allow them to stay in the minimum security confinement area," Yoda said sternly, agreeing with Obi-Wan. "No longer a significant threat do these Clones pose. Release all of the Clones whose inhibitor chips have been removed to the minimum security area."

"Very well, Master Yoda," Lyn said, gesturing for the Clones to get up.

Everything was silent for a moment, save the grumbling protests of the prisoners as they vacated the room, with Boil at the lead and Lyn at the rear. After that, only the Miraluka Jazal, Rig Neema, the Parwan Dr. Gubacher, and the High Council remained in the room. Now they could speak and conspire freely without any threat of anyone who potentially had dual loyalties overhearing.

"The device Ahsoka Tano had been building seems to emit microwaves," Jazal started, approaching a large metal console with an antenna aimed towards the now-empty beds. A device which Dr. Gubacher stood behind. "While the inhibitor chips—"

"Microwaves are quite harmful to organic tissue," Ki-Adi-Mundi interrupted, turning to Rig Nema.

"Deactivating the chips this way does have side effects, but the damage to the surrounding brain tissue seems very minimal," Nema reassured. "I would not have used the device on any sentient had I not been convinced that the benefit outweighed the harm."

"What about the effect on non-Clones?" Obi-Wan asked incredulously, imagining every being on Coruscant suddenly exposed to dangerous microwaves.

In the background, Dr. Gubacher continued noisily adjusting the antenna poking out of the device with a hydrospanner.

"There will be side effects," Jazal said. "I would only recommend using the device in a narrow, targeted way."

"Who was suggesting we use the device broadly?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked.

A note of impatience crossed Rig Nema's voice. "No one was saying that, but the side effects will be minor if we use the device in short bursts. Pain on the skin all over the body, lasting only a moment, a slight increase in the risk of cataracts, and—AHHHH!"

The spark of danger sense did not come fast enough for Obi-Wan or any of the Jedi in the wave's path. For an instant, every centimeter of Obi-Wan's flesh felt like it was on fire, and the smell of burning beard filled his nostrils. Even worse pains erupted simultaneously in his eyes. Searing hot pains that made him feel like his eyes were being cooked. Yet, as soon as the pain had begun, it was over, save the bright sunspot disrupting Obi-Wan's vision whenever he blinked.

"I am so sorry!" Dr. Gubacher exclaimed as he shut off the device.

Panting, Obi-Wan found himself stooped over, gripping his knees. Sweat poured down his face. "What was that?!" he asked, finally managing to look up into Dr. Gubacher's face. He knew what the answer must be, but he had to hear some sort of explanation as to why he had suddenly been subjected to such pain.

All three of the Parwan's eyes were wide in horror. "It was an accident, I assure you! I did not know the device was active. I was just attempting to re-align—"

Quaking from the shock herself, Jazal's hands were balled into fists. "What type of imbecile adjusts anything while still connected to a power supply."

"It is a serious oversight," Shaak Ti muttered. "I'd expect something like that from a Padawan learner, not a veteran engineer."

Still smelling burnt hair, Obi-Wan began frantically patting his face and discovered that, fortunately, his beard had not burned away. He let off a sigh before wiping the sweat from his brow. "I suppose that was as good a demonstration as any."

"Doctor," Rig Nema said to the Parwan through gritted teeth, "Another incident like that—"

"An accident!" Gubacher protested.

"Enough, that is," Yoda interrupted with as much force in his voice as Obi-Wan had ever heard. "Seen we have that the device causes significant discomfort to bystanders." He probed his own face with his three fingered hands, as if expecting to feel palpable wounds. "Not convinced I am, that this device is as harmless as you say. Yet, it will cause less harm than we would, were we to continue confronting the Clones solely with our lightsabers. Use this device as in limited circumstances, highly targeted if possible, we shall."

"Am I going to go blind?" Ki-Adi-Mundi said, wiping his eyeballs.

"Well, at least I can still breathe," said Plo Koon. "It seems Dorin breath masks won't be negatively affected by the burst of microwave energy.

"I just—I am so sorry," Gubacher blurted out again, two of his tentacles raised up alongside his two hands as if in surrender.

"Apology accepted," Obi-Wan croaked, frantically feeling in his pockets for a handkerchief. Failing to find one, he wiped the sleeve of his robes on his face, dabbing away the river of sweat. He did not miss the irony of it all—moments before being bathed in microwaves, he had been scoffing in agreement with Boil at how foolish the Coruscant Guard Clones were for somehow stunning themselves. Though, the more he thought about it, the less plausible that sounded.

Despite practically wilting under the gaze of the Jedi, Gubacher managed to add, "We may need to boost the power slightly to penetrate the armor suits Clones wear."

Obi-Wan thought to retort but heard a chime from his comm. To his surprise, the operating code did not match any that Jedi used, but was instead Padmé's number.

o.o.o.o.o

PADMÉ AMIDALA

CoCo Town Undercity

Ominous sounds of grinding metal and banging echoed through the dimly-lit passageway. The maintenance shaft she and the other Senators now found themselves in was dark and cramped, the badly-circulated air heavy with the scent of engine grease and ozone. Nearly everyone huddled in a tense quiet, their faces etched with the grim reality of their predicament.

More upsetting to some was the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Several times Padmé heard the Shistavanen Jedi Knight, Voolviff Monn, curse being left to babysit the Senators alone. Several alien senators spoke to each other in their own languages, none of which Padmé could speak, but they too sounded far angrier than fearful.

"This is it then," Bail Organa sighed. "This is the end of the Republic. This is how democracy dies."

Padmé felt like the words had been plucked from her own mind. She didn't even have the optimism anymore to cheer him up. While this was far from the first time Padmé had found herself trapped, it certainly felt the most hopeless. On their way down from the surface of CoCo Town, dozens of civilian bystanders had been injured in the crossfire. The Clones were clearly aiming to silence all of the opposition to Sidious in the Senate. The father of her child was captured, with one of the highest ranking members of the Jedi High Council captured alongside him, and she, along with the entire surviving leadership of the Delegate of 4000 were at the end of a maintenance access tunnel that terminated at a permacrete wall.

Were the Senators all destined to die right here in this very tunnel? Padmé didn't think so. Voolviff Monn would probably be more than a match for the Clones outside. He could cut a hole in the wall large enough for them all to escape through, but then they'd be under attack from the Coruscant Guard again. Even assuming they prevailed in combat in the undercity, there was no organized fighting force to help them retake the government. All of the millions of Clone soldiers in the Republic military really only answered to Palpatine. Padmé could have the entire Senate on her side, and they'd still lose.

"The Republic was already dead. It's been dead since Palpatine was elected, before then even," Padmé said grimly. Exhausted, she sat down against the damp permacrete wall, bending her legs awkwardly to accommodate her swollen belly.

"You mustn't say things like that," Mon Mothma insisted, her eyes wide in fear.

"Denying reality isn't going to save anyone." Padmé reached into her bag, withdrew her commlink, and began typing in Obi-Wan's number.

"The comms are being jammed still," Voolviff snarled, reaching down to snatch the device from her grip. "All you will do is give away our position!"

"Our position?!" Padmé asked in a near scoff. "To whom will I give it away? To the Clones breaking down the door?"

At another bang, a clump of dust fell down onto Voolviff's snout. "Fine," he grunted, brushing the dust off and squinting his eyes, "If you want to send a message to Obi-Wan that actually only reaches the people trying to kill us, be my guest."

Disregarding his warning, Padmé began. "Hello, Obi-Wan. I don't think you'll ever hear this, and if you do, I'll probably be dead. You know? I always thought I could make a difference," she continued, her voice heavy with resignation. "I believed that with enough conviction, with enough reason, with diplomacy, and with our pure intentions—that we could create a more just and peaceful galaxy. I thought that the peace of the Core could be simply replicated in the Outer Rim. I thought… Well, it really doesn't matter what I thought, does it Obi-Wan?

"What we have seen today," Padmé answered herself, "Is that a single man can be entirely above the law. I was wrong, it turns out. Power just…" A tear ran down from her left eye. "Power flows from the barrel of a blaster, not from the laws we vote on in the Senate—and certainly not…" Her voice trailed off as the banging on the other end of the door got louder, then she sighed, wiping a tear from her eye as she stared into the blue glow of her wrist HoloProjector. "You probably knew all of that before I did. I am not calling to tell you that. What I am calling to tell you is—Well, I don't even know how to say this. I guess I'll get right to it. Something happened a few years ago between Anakin and I. One thing led to another and… He's the father of my child."

Nearly everyone in the room was staring at her.

Voolvif's snout hung open in shock for a few seconds, before he turned away, disguising it as a yawn.

Jar-Jar shrieked loudly, "ANI?!"

Bail knelt down and reached to her shoulder to touch it, but seemed to think better of it and simply said, "Anakin? Oh, I am so sorry."

The Bothan Junior Representative, Shidar Zholskar, let off a barely-audible whisper, "I thought the father was gonna be Obi-Wan Ken…" The rest of Kenobi died in her throat when she saw a vigorous head shake No from Polo Se'lab, Bothawui's primary Senator.

Low murmurs began to grow at the edge of the crowd, echoing off the walls of the tunnel. Half the room seemed outraged by this revelation, and the other half seemed consoling.

But Padmé was not in the mood for either. "Well, excuse me! I did not realize everyone in the room would butt in on my private business. Perhaps I had too high of expectations for—"

"Padmé, do you read me?"

Obi-Wan's voice struck like a jolt of lightning. Blushing beet red and cursing herself for exposing Anakin, she looked down into a miniature of Obi-Wan, projected onto the chronometer-sized dias on her wrist. "I thought our comms were jammed…"

"They were," Obi-Wan said, then added gravely, "I heard everything, but I don't want you to worry about that right now."

Padmé's gut tightened, and she suddenly felt every minute of her nine months of pregnancy.

"We know about Anakin's abduction already," Obi-Wan continued, speaking quicker, "But your safety is paramount. If there is to be any hope for democracy, we need to keep the Senate safe for now, and hide you all."

"No," Bail said firmly, scooting close enough to the comm for Obi-Wan to see him. "What we need is to hold a vote as soon as possible. We need to reopen the Senate, in a full session, and hold a vote—"

"That would be a bloodbath!" Ki-Adi-Mundi's voice said in the background, before the Cerean materialized, stepping into the spot where Obi-Wan had been. "Legions of troopers surround the Rotunda now! What you are suggesting is simply not possible."

Padmé's face flushed a burning red and she sniffled, feeling more embarrassed than she could ever remember. She knew that in the context of everything going on, it was so irrational to feel embarrassed about her secret intimacy. But how she must seem to everyone now—to be a Galactic Senator in a position of immense authority, and to have had a relationship with a Jedi five years younger than her. It was all out in the open, and it should have been the political scandal of a century, but no one was even talking about it.

Was it really that unsurprising to Obi-Wan? He barely reacted!

"Reopening the Senate is paramount! We can't possibly depose Palpatine with military force alone. If it takes a thousand Jedi Knights to clear the way to the Senate building, then that's the way it will have to be. We can't allow him to maintain legal control of the government a minute longer!"

Plo Koon's holopresence replaced Ki-Adi-Mundi's. "It's worse than you know, Senator Organa. Palpatine is the Sith Lord we have all been looking for."

"We've all heard the gossip!" snapped Giddean Danu, the Senator from Kuat. Angry pink slightly tinged his dark skin as he continued impatiently. "We've all heard it on the news. It's the gossip of the day—Palpatine is a Sith Lord… And, with all due respect, we all know Sith Lords are what happens when a Jedi stops taking antipsychotics."

"Oh be silent, Danu," Polo Se'lab snarled.

"You be silent!" Danu snapped, raising a pointed finger at Plo Koon. "That Chancellor Palpatine is some kind of rogue Jedi does nothing to help your case, Master Plo Koon! First Dooku, now Palpatine!"

By the end of Danu's shouts, Padmé's own feeling of embarrassment had washed away. Now she felt embarrassed for Danu. "I have known Palpatine since I was a girl," Padmé said gently, "And he was never a Jedi."

"You are confused, Senator Danu," Plo Koon warbled in his deep voice. "Understandably confused, but we don't have time to explain the entire history of the Jedi and Sith right now. Suffice it to say, while the original Sith broke from the Jedi Order, not all Sith in Galactic history have been ex-Jedi. Palpatine was never a member of our Order."

"And that's not what's so dangerous about this whole situation," Padmé said, rising to her feet. "The Jedi have not yet told the Senate, but they know a Sith named Sidious was behind the Blockade of Naboo, behind the droid armies, and ultimately behind the entire war."

Another murmur rippled its way through the crowd. Some of the Senators' voices again rose in anger. Questions as to why the Jedi did not inform the Senate, comments as to where the blame for this whole mess lies, and angry accusations erupted from all sides of the room.

"You seem awfully well-informed," Mon Mothma remarked quietly. "Did Anakin tell you?"

"I… Yes," Padmé gulped.

"You should have told us."

While Mon Mothma and Padmé spoke to each other, the conversations in the background continued. Bail Organa made yet another impassioned plea for the Jedi to act now, which Obi-Wan said the Council would take under advisement.

Mid-sentence, however, Obi-Wan's holopresence turned off entirely with no Jedi replacing it. Instead, the figure that now stood on Padmé's wrist was an eerie pale human wearing a dark black cloak, face half hidden beneath a cowl. "Senator Amidala," Palpatine said, his voice unmistakable. "I hope I did not interrupt anything important."

"Unless you are announcing your intention to step down," Padmé said, "Then we have nothing to discuss."

"Recent events have cast a shadow over the Jedi Order, an institution once revered for its commitment to peace and justice. It is clear to me that the Jedi have strayed from their intended path, blinded by their own self-righteousness and out of touch with the realities of our government; the realities of our galaxy really."

"Cast a shadow?" Mon Mothma scoffed incredulously. "You cannot possibly be—Ugh… Ach!" The Chandrillan suddenly coughed, gasping for air, and clutched her throat which seemed to be pinching in on itself as if by magic.

Palpatine, Chancellor, Sith Lord, traitor, whatever he really was, held his right hand in a vicious claw, gesticulating in the Chandrillan's direction. "It is Senator Amidala with whom I am speaking, not you!"

"Turn that thing off!" Voolvif snarled, quick to ignite his lightsaber. "Turn it off or I'll turn it off for you!"

"Stop that!" Padmé yelled to Palpatine, frantically pressing buttons to try and end the transmission. She hoped that if the mini holoprojector were merely turned off, that Palpatine would no longer have the ability to keep choking Mon Mothma.

"As you wish," Palpatine sighed, lowering his hand.

Mon Mothma gasped for breath, nearly falling to the ground, but was caught by Bail and Shidar.

"Turn it off!" Voolvif repeated, saber still ignited.

"I'm trying!" Padmé grunted, still frantically pressing the power button. "It's not working!" She tried unstrapping the wrist comm, but the strap grew tighter the harder she struggled.

"Enough with the alarmism, Master Jedi! Unless you plan on ending my transmission by cutting off Senator Amidala's hand, I suggest you put that lightsaber away."

"What do you want?" Padmé asked angrily, giving up on ending the transmission. She messaged her hand, which was tingling from the pressure of the strap.

"I believe, Senator Amidala, that you possess the influence and insight needed to help me bring the Jedi to their senses. Together, we can initiate a dialogue, shedding light on the flaws within their order and inspiring them to embrace change."

"You're delusional!" Voolvif protested. "We'll never embrace the Sith!"

"Not just the Sith, but the Sith'ari," Palpatine smiled. "I believe that our shared commitment for the Republic's well-being will be the foundation for any dialog between the Jedi and I, Senator Amidala. But all I ask is that the Jedi turn over Dooku at once. The orders to eliminate the Jedi as traitors will be rescinded. From there, we can take a step into the future."

"You're responsible for billions of deaths, maybe more," Padmé said, putting steel into her voice. "You lied to the entire Senate for more than a decade. You put a blockade over our own planet—our home. Now, you've abducted my husband, and you think there's a way we can just talk this over?"

A concerned frown crossed Palpatine's face. "I would have thought that you of all people would understand my fondness for him. Harming Anakin is beyond my capabilities, but on that note, in exchange for Dooku, I will also return Anakin and Master Windu to the Jedi, unharmed."

"He's stalling," snarled Voolvif. "I don't know why, but he's stalling."

Palpatine let off an exasperated sigh. "Ever the paranoid one… I will give you and the Jedi one hour to decide, after which point I shall have no choice but to adopt more drastic measures." As if to disprove Voolvif's accusation that he was merely calling to stall for time, the Sith Lord ended the transmission abruptly.

"Okay, well perhaps he wasn't stalling," Voolvif grumbled, pointing a clawed finger in the direction of Padmé's wrist, "But he can't be trusted."

"The sentiment of the hour," Bail muttered.
Outside, the banging on the hatch suddenly quieted down. Everyone in the room turned their gaze towards the entryway. Ears perked up and angled towards the hatch, Shidar, Polo, and Voolvif began listening intently.

"Do you hear anything?" Mon Mothma asked, clasping her hands together beneath her white robe.

"Yes," Voolvif said, failing to elaborate further.

"Maybe they really are going to give us an hour to decide," Polo growled hopefully.

"Or someone with a brain is bringing up breaching charges." Bel-Iblis noted cynically.

Padmé shook her head, opting not to entertain either possibility. "Don't get too excited, Palpatine's demands are unacceptable. We will all be in grave peril in any future where Palpatine holds power over the military. We must… Master Monn, what are you doing?"

She couldn't help but notice that the Jedi now held his own wristcomm up.

"Voolvif, I am glad you and the Senators are alright," Obi-Wan said, his holopresence now on the small dias atop the Shistavanen's wrist. "We had feared the worst when your call suddenly terminated."

"We're still here, but these Senators need to be moved out of here as quickly as possible. The Clones have stopped trying to beat the door down, but they'll soon have forces in place to blast in and overwhelm the few of us who can fight back, if they don't already."

"Assuming the Sith actually allow us to send forth a rescue party, your extraction will be our top priority. In the meantime, there is something we must attend to which I cannot discuss on the… Oh?"

Ki-Adi-Mundi's voice came softly from the background. "I am receiving a call. You'll never believe this."

Padmé shook her head. "He's probably calling you now."

"Whatever you do, you can't trust him, Obi-Wan!" Bail yelled, stepping up to Voolvif's side to get a better view of the holoprojection.

"Who is calling us? Whom can we not trust?"