The senators were throwing looks at Anakin filled with empathy, as the tired Jedi looked dead on his feet. Wrapped in bandages and with a deep scar over his eye, which it if it had been an inch lower could have taken out the man's eye. Padmé, Bail, and Mon were furious by this whole facade. Anakin should be resting, not here answering questions about Tarkin's death, when it had been clearly a tragic accident.
Meanwhile, Anakin was bored out of his mind and pissed off. He had been in a delicious sandwich between his angel and Obi, when he had been summoned. The only thing keeping Anakin from throwing all his plans to the wind and reveal Palpatine as The Sith was that he was curious about what Palpatine was planning. Anakin knew he was being used as a distraction for Palpatine's party to raise up an outrageous proposal, which Anakin's allies in the Senate would Jump to consider to "save" him.
As if they had read his mind, a Senator "friend" of Palpatine's stood up and shouted: "Why are we debating this when we have a war going on?! The Separatists are forming a trade embargo against the Neutral Systems, we must do the same! Force them to finally choose sides and end this war once and for all!"
Anakin raised an eyebrow at that. The Trade Embargo... I had completely forgotten about that! Why did I never consider how much of a bad idea it had been? Right, mind leeches. Anakin looked around the chamber noticing how senators from all parties were considering this. Then again, everyone wants this war to end and they believe this could work.
"Why?" Anakin asked, bringing the Senate Chamber to a startled silence. They had all but forgotten about the injured Jedi they had summoned. Anakin would have been angry, had it not been for he had to fix this. "How does isolating those systems from both sides help us? If the Separatists won't trade with them, they'll only be able to trade with us. Or with the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space. They don't have to fight to help us. Supplies are important too, just like the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space's hyperspace routes."
Anakin had to bit off the smirk that was threatening to spread through his lips, as he felt Palpatine's seething furry in the Force as most senators were nodding in agreement with his words. Palpatine might be a genius at hiding his presence in the Force, but Anakin had spent two decades with him, he was in tune with Palpatine's presence: Now for the finalblow.
"Why would anyone want to condemn worlds to starve simply because they want to avoid the tragedies of war?" With that said, Anakin turned around and left the Senate.
The vote failed as Anakin had expected, and in return he got a very welcomed thank you from Padmé that night. The following day, Anakin contacted with his mom to get the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space and the Skywalker Corporation to trade with the Neutral Systems. After finding out what the Senate had almost allowed to pass, the Neutral Systems kept their trade with the Republic but preferred to trade with the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space and the Skywalker Corporation- bringing a boom in the newly freed planets and making the Skywalkers richer.
Thank you for your stupidity! Anakin toasted in delight. You gotta love it when things go better than planned.
"Did you know that the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space were planning this?" Padmé asked, as she entered their chamber in the senatorial apartment.
"Planning what angel?" Anakin asked confused, tilting his head, from where he was cuddling Obi-Wan on the bed.
"The Queen of Naboo had just received an invitation to join their forming democratic representative system," Padmé informed her husbands, much to their shock. "They are forming a democratic council to protect themselves from future invasions and keep each other accountable."
"Why invite Naboo? A planet that has never known slavery and is part of the Republic," Obi-Wan inquired curiously. "Not to mention, it is ruled via monarchy."
"Their reason is because Naboo has been the oldest ally of the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space with the Skywalker Corporation, and has become a safe haven to many ex-slaves," Padmé answered. "The thing is... the Queen and her advisors are seriously considering it. They've not been happy with the Republic and the Senate since the Trade Federation had invaded us. The war is meaningless and has brought to surface of corrupt this system is."
"My mom was asked to represent Tatooine," Anakin shared. "The Skywalker last name has always been nobility between slaves. My actions during the war and naming my ship Ekkreth only added to the legend of "the slave that sets others free." They even offered me kingship when I was there, during the war against the Hutts."
"Kingship?!" Padmé exclaimed, eyes wide open.
"You did not put that in your report for the Jedi Council," Obi- Wan frowned.
"Because they asked Anakin Skywalker, Ekkreth come again, not Jedi Knight Skywalker." Anakin replied. "Telling them that we already had a noble title in Naboo and could not accept it, did nothing to dissuade them. But once I pointed out that Ar-Amu wants true freedom for all of their children, they finally proceeded on electing a democratic body. They still insist on mom representing them as Tatooine's Senator."
"This is a mess," Obi-Wan sighed. "If Naboo leaves, the Republic will be left without a Chancellor."
"That is not a bad idea..." Padmé pointed out. "I am tired of the corruption here, so is Naboo. If we leave, we can finally take Palpatine out of power, and free us from the Republic. I can leave the Senate in the hands of Bail and Mon, who would grant the Separatists their independence if they agree to denounce the Sith. They would also keep the Republic from retaliating on Naboo for defecting to the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space. I can stay as Senator of Naboo, just in another democratic body."
Anakin's eyes widened at Padmé's plan. He had not thought of that as a possible plan. They could easily out Palpatine when they strip him off all their power, and the separatists would be outraged when Count Dooku is revealed to have been using them. It was perfect...
This is why Angel should be left to do all the planning, Anakin thought fondly. She is simply brilliant.
"What about dear heart and me? We are part of the Jedi order, who swore themselves to the Republic," Obi-Wan pointed out.
"Well," Anakin winced, he knew that there was something he had forgotten about.
"What did you do?" Padmé and Obi-Wan sighed at the same time.
"This time it was not me!" Anakin protested with a pout, before adding mostly mentally. "Naboo is not the only one disappointed with the Republic. Many Jedi, most of them from the younger generations and the Jedi Corps, are not quite happy with the Jedi Council."
"They want to split the Order?" Obi-Wan sounded aghast.
"They want to follow the path of the Gray Jedi," Anakin corrected.
"How many?" Padmé asked, startling both men. "I know you Ani, you would never bring it up if you had not thought this through."
Not in this timeline, Anakin agreed internally. Force knows, I was quite impulsive before. Out loud he said: "80% of the Agri Corps, 50% of the Medi Corps, 30% of the Exploration Corps, I5 % of the Education Corps, and 10% of the Jedi Order with the Protection Corps members scripted under said 10% following their Generals."
Silence reigned in the chamber as his spouses stared at Anakin in disbelief. "Force!" Obi-Wan swore, as Padmé was speechless for the first time in her life.
"That is not counting the Jedi Order members that were unaware of the option that they could leave, and the younglings," Anakin continued, careful of the other's reaction. "The Corps have seen with their own eyes all the work they can do in the outer-rim and wild space. Not to mention, they are not happy with how dismissive the Jedi Order and the Republic had been of them. Sending the "failures'' and not educating the younglings correctly about all of their options."
"That is not what happens!" Obi-Wan protested, raising his voice agitated.
"Then why is every youngling so afraid to be not chosen by a Jedi Master or Knight and forced into the Jedi Corps?" Anakin raised an eyebrow unimpressed, receiving an awkward silence in return. "Half the Galaxy was unaware of the Jedi Corps! Do you have any idea how much aid the Agri Corps could have been doing at the desert planets?! Even you Obi saw being sent to the Agri Corps as a death sentence!" Obi-Wan looked away ashamed. "This is not a critic to you Obi," Anakin sighed. "This is just how the Jedi Order had fallen, even before the war, they made the younglings believe that they were being tested and if they failed, they were sent away to the Corps. Not once, were the Corps and the Jedi Order put in the same level of importance. Only the Medi Corps come close, even then they are known as those that "care too much" and are unable to control their emotions."
"Ah, you are right," Obi-Wan sighed. "The Jedi Order is not the same."
"So, are we in an agreement?" Padmé asked after a few minutes of contemplative silence. "Naboo leaves the Republic for the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space, outing Palpatine as Chancellor. Bail and Mon end the war. And you two start your Gray Jedi Order in the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space."
"I'm in," Anakin quickly agreed. "The faster we end this war, the better."
Padmé and Anakin turned to Obi-Wan, who had a thoughtful expression, and waited. After some minutes, Obi-Wan sighed and smiled sadly. "We will do this together. All three of us."
"All ten of us, plus the Skywalker and Kenobi trooper clans," Anakin corrected with a chuckle. "Don't forget our three children and four parents, and if I had my linage sisters that's twelve."
"With my linage brother and best friend that makes fourteen," Obi-Wan chuckled.
"Plus all of Naboo... we have such a big family," Padmé laughed.
That they did. And they will do everything to protect them.