Later on, after the Senatorial meeting, Chancellor Palpatine was sitting behind his desk with two red-clad guards on either side of the door. He was currently in a meeting with members of the Jedi Council. Yoda, Plo Koon, Ki Adi Mundi, and Mace Windu were sitting across from him on the other side of the desk. Behind them stood other Jedi, most notably Jedi Master Luminara Unduli and her Padawan, Barriss Offee, although when one looked at them, they would have seen two Mirilan females, dressed in the typical dark clothing that was as far from the traditional robes as you could get. Next to them, was Kit Fisto, a legendary Nautolian Master.
Palpatine was unlike his predecessor, Valorum; his office was painted a red colour and was displaying more ostentatious pieces from his art collection.
"I don't know how much longer I can hold off the vote, my friends," Palpatine was saying. "More and more star systems are joining the separatists."
This was nothing the Jedi weren't already aware of. They knew more and more systems were joining the Separatist movement, adding more and more resources to the movement, and giving them greater power and influence in other parts of the galaxy.
"If they do break away -," Mace Windu trailed off as he asked the question on his mind.
Palpatine reacted sharply, "I will not let this Republic that has stood for a thousand years be split in two. My negotiations will not fail!"
"If they do, you must realise there aren't enough Jedi to protect the Republic. We are keepers of the peace, not soldiers," Windu said.
The Jedi Order was stretched thin in the galaxy right now; while they still maintained their diplomatic missions and enforced the peace on numerous worlds when asked, a lot of their time and energy had been spent on trying to solve the Separatist crisis. But it had all failed. It did not help that Dooku, the leader of the movement, was once a legendary Jedi Master, who had left the Order a decade ago, and had gone seemingly insane, and was doing this.
The Council remembered how Dooku had become disillusioned by the Order, the Republic. They didn't know why he had started this and what he hoped to achieve; all attempts to speak to him and hopefully talk some sense into him, and get a better understanding of what he wanted had all failed. Dooku was not interested in peace. To their horror, he had become a recluse. Even now, the Jedi had no idea where he was and what he was doing. The Council would never admit it, but they were nervous of what the future held.
It worried them all, especially Master Yoda, as he had been the one to train Dooku in the first place.
Palpatine nodded his full understanding and sympathy, and he turned his attention to Yoda, "Master Yoda, do you think it will really come to war?" He asked nervously.
Yoda closed his eyes and he entered into a temporary meditative trance. The Jedi in the room and Palpatine were silent as the little Grand Master concentrated, "Worse than war, I fear... Much worse," Yoda said finally.
The members of the Jedi in the room, especially the council members, looked at Yoda worriedly, wondering what he had seen.
"What?" Palpatine asked.
Windu's brow furrowed, his already serious expression deepening. "What do you sense, Master?"
"The Dark Side clouds everything. Impossible to see, the future is. But this I am sure of," Yoda opened his eyes, looking sadly but gravely at Palpatine, "Do their duty, the Jedi will."
Yoda exchanged a look with Windu and the other Council members, promising to speak to them later. He was extremely worried by what he had seen, although he had not told Palpatine. He had seen flashes of something; of the Jedi destroyed, of the Republic…wrecked, although he didn't understand any of it so far, and he decided that they would all enter a meditation as soon as they could so they could make sense of what he'd just seen.
But from what he had seen Yoda….Yoda had the feeling someone in the Jedi Order had recently probed too deeply into the Force, trying to view the future, although why they would do that worried him, but what worried him the most was what he had seen. That was why he and the council had to discuss it as soon as they returned to the Temple.
A muted chime sounded from Palpatine's desk. A hologram of a Rodian aide appeared, on the Chancellor's desk.
"The loyalist committee has arrived, Your Excellency."
Palpatine nodded, "Good. We will discuss this matter later. Send them in," he said to the hologram.
They all stand as Senator Amidala, Captain Typho, Mas Amedda, Dorme, and several senators - Bail Organa, Jar Jar Binks and Ryyder and their attendants enter the office. The Jedi Council members rose to greet the senators.
"Senator Amidala," Yoda began his expression and tone one of pure regret, "your tragedy on the landing platform, terrible. Seeing you alive brings a warm feeling to my heart.
Padme had enough warmth to smile back gratefully, nobody else had said the same barring Bail and Mon. "Thank you, Master Yoda. Do you have any idea who was behind the attack?"
"Our intelligence points to disgruntled spice miners, on the moons of Naboo," Windu said.
Padme blinked in surprise and more than a little annoyance. "Whoever it was had access to my ship, Master Windu. I think the real saboteurs were closer to home than that, and they had access to the systems that overrode the security scanners. But I think that Count Dooku was behind it. Or Nute Gunray," she added, sneering in loathing at the thought of the vile Neimodian.
Gunray had led the invasion of Naboo, and the two of them had shared a strong loathing since.
There was a stir of surprise among the Jedi. Privately they had asked themselves if Dooku had turned to the Dark Side, which would explain so many of his actions lately even if they had no proof and every time they had tried peering into the Force, they had not received their answers. They shared a long, deep look with one another.
Ki-Adi Mundi said, "He is a political idealist, not a murderer."
Padme's otherwise calm and serene expression darkened with growing anger, and when Master Windu spoke up, her temper bubbled even worse. "You know, M'Lady, Count Dooku was once a Jedi. He couldn't assassinate anyone. It's not in his character."
All Force-sensitives in the room felt Padme's temper flare. Suddenly she'd had enough of being threatened, blown up, shot at. But what she was furious about was how she was being spoken to.
Padme had never liked being patronised. She had always hated it whenever she had grown up and people just dismissed her concerns and questions like she was some child who didn't know anything. But what truly antagonised her was how these Jedi Masters, the so-called wisest of their thrice damn Order, didn't understand that people could change over the years. She had the feeling that years ago they would never have imagined that Dooku would have left, nor would he have led a bunch of worlds who'd broken away from the Republic, which was fracturing like icebergs from an icy pole and drifting on an ocean.
In that moment, Padme's patience snapped.
"Spare me your platitudes, Masters Mundi and Windu," Padme snapped, but the Jedi were only mildly surprised by her outburst. "I have just witnessed several of my people dying, and my ship was destroyed. Three were left badly injured. I don't care if you think Dooku is a saint; wake up, he has left the Jedi Order and the Republic, and he has set up an insurrectionist movement against the Republic. Not all of the Separatists are saints. Nute Gunray is part of the movement, and he would love to see me dead. But I have personally seen too many funerals lately. I am sick and tired of being in a funeral procession, and relatives, friends and family members of my friends cursing me with their eyes and body language, the last thing I want to hear is Jedi Masters being unable to accept people change over time!" Padme didn't regret raising her voice, but she managed to stop herself from shrieking at them.
Yoda was unsurprised by her anger and the reasons behind it, and he quickly tried to settle her. "Right, you are, Senator. Good reasons to be angry, you have. Forgotten that the Jedi should not. In dark times nothing is what it appears to be, but the fact remains for certain, Senator, in grave danger you are."
Padme bit her lip, sighing and nodding at the Grand Master. She had no intention of apologising for her outburst, not to Palpatine or the Jedi. She wanted them to see her anger. But she knew Yoda had made a good point.
Palpatine stood up and walked over to the window, and looked out at the vast city. For a moment the Chancellor didn't speak, but seemed content to look out of the window so he could gather his thoughts.
"Master Jedi, may I suggest that the Senator be placed under the protection of your graces?"
What?
Bail frowned, "Do you think that is a wise decision during these stressful times?"
Padme could see where this was going, and she was not in the mood for more protection; Jedi bodyguards would allow her to survive a little longer, but after seeing the corpse of Qui-Gon Jinn after his fight with that thing on Naboo, she knew even Jedi made mistakes, "Chancellor, if I may comment, I do not believe the…," but she couldn't finish her sentence, as Palpatine finished it for her in that manner of his where you wondered if he was dismissing you, or being rude without meaning to, "situation is that serious." No, but I do, Senator," Palpatine finished.
Padme knew it was hopeless - when Palpatine made up his mind, he had made up his mind; mild-mannered facade aside, the man was like a duracrete wall and rarely let anything change his mind. "Chancellor, please! I don't want any more guards!" And I don't want anyone else to die for me, she mentally added, sure the Jedi could hear her, but she did not care.
Palpatine nodded in that slightly patronising but kindly manner "I realise all too well that additional security might be disruptive for you, but perhaps someone you are familiar with... an old friend like... Master Kenobi…?" Palpatine smiled winningly at her. Padme blinked in surprise, she was unsure how to feel about this; she felt as if her control over the situation had just been….snatched.
While it would be good to see Obi-Wan again, and Anakin, Padme didn't want them involved in her mess. The last time it happened, Obi-Wan's Jedi Master, Qui-Gon, was murdered.
In the meantime, Palpatine nodded over towards Mace Windu, who nodded back. Padme watched the two men curiously; while Windu looked as calm as any stereotypical Jedi, she could see his usually stern appearance become sterner. Clearly, he didn't like the situation being taken out of his own control.
"That's possible," Windu said slowly in thought. "He has just returned from a Border dispute on Ansion."
Padme frowned, wondering what had happened on Anison to warrant that. In truth she had been so fixated on this whole mess with the army act and the implications of what would happen if it went through, she hadn't really paid any attention to the rest of the galaxies' problems. But everything was going to hell anyway, one more problem made little difference to her.
"You must remember him, M'Lady... he watched over you during the blockade conflict," Palpatine said.
She wanted to kill him for patronising her like that. How dare he think she didn't remember Obi-Wan so well?
Still, she bit her tongue again, and she tried to smile graciously even if everyone could tell she was not in a good mood. "This is not necessary, Chancellor," she tried to say.
But Palpatine didn't listen. He put on instead his grandfather's act that had long since stopped working on her when he just…ignored her and seemingly pretended she didn't exist when he didn't need her, and then pretended nothing had happened. It was annoying and frustrating for her, especially since it was partly her own actions that led to his time in office in the first place.
"Do it for me, M'Lady, please. I will rest easier. We had a big scare today. The thought of losing you is unbearable," Palpatine had the nerve to say while keeping his act up.
Padme had to stop herself from sneering. 'The thought of losing me is unbearable, huh? Yeah, right. You'd probably be celebrating one of the thorns in your damn side is gone for good!' But she knew it was hopeless. She had been pushed into a corner, and if she refused from the Supreme Chancellor, he would go over her head anyway.
Reluctantly she nodded.
"I will have Obi-Wan report to you immediately, M'Lady," Windu told her as they prepared to leave.
Yoda added, "Too little about yourself you worry, Senator, and too much about politics. Be mindful of your danger, Senator. Accept our help."
Padme thought about what the little Jedi had just said. She knew he was right about how she cared little about her own safety and put others ahead of herself and how she spent too much time worrying about politics. Truthfully she was only doing this because she was that type of person. She was just so tired of seeing so many suffer.