Chapter 5: Coruscant.
"Queen Amidala, if I may, things might not go the way you think or in fact want." Ambassador Decker told the young lady.
"What do you mean?" Padme asked, giving her full attention to the other young woman across from her.
"If what you have told us is correct, then the Trade federation have their hands in many pockets and even a representative in the senate itself. It will not be so easy to convince over five hundred others to listen to your plight when the allies of the Trade federation and they themselves are denying everything and spreading falsehoods. This will take time, time your people possibly don't have." Decker stated.
"But I can't stand by and do nothing!" Padme exclaimed, eyes wide. What the other woman had said was true, senate meetings take time. Nothing is rushed, Proper procedure was done. But this meant that action would not be taken immediately. And Naboo and her people could suffer because of it.
"I'm not suggesting you do nothing, but in fact appeal to your closer allied worlds and other people you truly trust. Usually those who really care will show that friendship in ways you possibly wont realise, but if they aren't truly friends then their real allegiances will become clear. Actions speak louder than a thousand words. If it comes down to it, I can try to convince my husband to help. But then there is the Prime Directive to consider, we do have rules to abide by." The other woman reminded her.
"I see...thank you Ambassador Decker. I am thankful for your insight and advice." Padme smiled.
"Please your majesty, call me Janice." The older woman winked.
"Well then Janice, thank you."
~ - ~ - ~
As soon as they were on board the USS Dreadnought the small group of S31 security officers took the Skywalker family to the Medical Bay, that way they could be looked over and then scanned to see if their slave tags could be removed.
Much to the family's surprise, the medical officers told them not to worry and that it would be easy to remove them. All they had to do was lay down, not move and just stay calm.
Two minutes later, it was all over.
"Andddd done. There you go Skywalkers. You are a free family now, those filthy devices are out of your body for good." A starfleet nurse revealed with a smile.
"Really? I didnt feel any pain." Shmi said with a hint of awe.
"It's a painless procedure ma'am, the scanners indicated that the device would explode if there was any tampering with it. So surgery was out of the question, The doctor simply highlighted the areas where the explosives were and beamed them into space. They have now harmlessly exploded." The nurse explained.
"Beam?" Anakin blinked, confused. He was amazed by all the advanced and amazing technology, but it was simply beyond him. Until he studied enough to understand it all that is.
"Yes, It's a process of dematerialising a person or object into a data pattern and then sending that pattern out to its desired destination. Some people call it teleportation but its a lot more complicated than that, it's widely known as 'Transporter Beaming.' Hence the word Beam." The Nurse smiled, the little boy was adorable, as were his sisters.
~ - ~ - ~
The USS Dreadnought and her two escorts came out of warp a few million miles from Coruscant. Immediately, they were hailed by coruscanti security forces who requested their identification.
Having assumed this would happen, Captain Decker had taken the liberty of requesting Queen Amidala and Qui Gon remain on the bridge so as to confirm they were not a threat and to give out the proper security identification.
Once a landing zone had been given and permission granted for the starships to orbit the planet, Captain Decker escorted his wife and their guests to the shuttle bay, where the recently repaired Naboo Royal ship and two shuttle crafts waited to be launched.
After boarding their separate vehicles, the ships exited the Dreadnought's hangar bay and flew down into the atmosphere of Coruscant.
A short while later, they landed on a hovering platform in the middle of the city. There they were greeted by coruscanti security forces, the Supreme chancellor of the Republic, the senator of Naboo and a handful of Jedi.
"So this is Coruscant. The entire planet is one big City...most Impressive. It is however, not as militarised as Q'onoS or Yorktown Station." Noted a S31 officer as they landed. Captain Decker and his senior staff stayed on the ship, as they had not been given permission to come to the surface. The Coruscanti security forces had only allowed a small team of starfleet security officers to accompany the Naboo party.
"There's Chancellor Valorum's shuttle. And look over there. Senator Palpatine is waiting for us." Captain Typho of the Royal Guard gestured.
The first to greet them was Palpatine.
"It is a great gift to see you alive, Your Majesty. With the communications breakdown We've been very concerned. I'm anxious to hear your report on the Situation." Palpatine stated before turning to his side.
May I present Supreme Chancellor Valorum.
"Welcome, Your Highness It's an honour to finally meet you in person." The middle aged man greeted with a small smile. He seemed tired and possibly stressed.
"Thank you, Supreme Chancellor." Queen Amidala.
"I must relay to you how distressed Everyone is over the current situation. I've called for a special session of the Senate to hear your position." Valorum stated.
"I'm grateful for your concern, Chancellor. But I fear my people do not have much time." Queen Amidala sighed.
"There is a question of procedure... but l'm Confident we can overcome it" The chancellor nodded, empathising with her.
"I must speak with the Jedi Council Immediately. The situation has become much more Complicated." Qui Gon said,
(Senator Palpatine's Apartment.)
"There is no civility, only politics. The Republic is not what it once was. The senate is full of greedy, squabbling delegates. There is no interest in the common good. I Must be frank, Your Majesty There is little chance the senate will act On the invasion."
"Chancellor Valorum seems to think there Is hope." Padme pointed out.
Palpatine sighed "if I may say so, Your Majesty, the chancellor has little real power He is mired by baseless accusations of Corruption."
"Then its a good thing this isn't our only plan then."
Palpatine froze at that, confusion evident on his face before he replaced it with a hopeful one. "It's not, your Majesty?""
"No, our starfleet friends have offered their support. And they may be a small group, but they are strong. Plus I may hopefully be able to garner some additional help from our close allies and friends." Queen Amidala revealed.
"Ah, while that is a wise choice. I must inform you that the bureaucrats are in charge now. Our VERY best choice would be to push for the Election of a stronger supreme Chancellor. One who could control the Bureaucrats... and give our world justice. You could call for a vote of no confidence In Chancellor Valorum."
"What? But he has been our strongest supporter, why would I do that." The Queen asked.
"He is an older man with fleeting strength, he does not have the allies or control he used to. His replacement might be more quick to action and have the resources to do so." Palpatine argued.
"Our people are dying, Senator. We must do something NOW to stop the Federation. Our friends will help us, I am confident on that. If not then Starfleet will anyway. I will not vote against Chancellor Valorum."
Palpatine's right eye twitched ever so slightly, he was quickly losing his patience. "Let's be realistic, Your Majesty. I think we're going to have to accept Federation control... for the time being. I know you are confident, but three ships alone will not be able to take down the invading trade Federation force."
"That is your opinion Senator, I however will not give up so easily. I will make my case towards the senate today, if I am denied, then I will turn to my other options. You are dismissed Senator Palpatine." Queen Amidala replied.
"I-yes, your majesty."
~ - ~ - ~
"He was trained in the Jedi arts. Of that I am certain, he was strong in the dark side of the force. My only conclusion can be that it was a Sith lord." Qui Gon Told the council who was sat before him.
"Impossible. The Sith have been extinct for a Millennium!" Ki Adi Mundi exclaimed.
"I do not believe the Sith could have Returned without us knowing." Another Jedi Master stated.
"Hard to see, the dark side is." Master Yoda hummed, concern evident on his face.
"We will use all our resources to unravel This mystery. We will discover the identity of your Attacker. May the Force be with you." Mace Windu finished.
There was a few seconds of silence.
"Master Qui-Gon, More to say do you?" Yoda asked, sensing something. Something important.
"Yes, I have encountered four children, strong in the force. One of them, a boy named Anakin Skywalker has the highest Midichlorian count I have ever seen. I believe they all should be trained. It is possible the boy was conceived by the midi-chlorians." Qui Gon revealed.
"You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force. You believe it's this ...boy?" Mace Windu assumed, eyes narrowed. He didn't like Qui Gon, but he did respect him.
"I don't presume to-"
"But you do. Revealed your opinion is. Trained as a Jedi you request for him, hmm?" Yoda hummed.
"Finding him was the will of the Force. I have no doubt of that." Qui Gon nodded, confirming the Green Grandmasters suspicion.
"Bring him before us, then. The others, young enough they already are. Begin their training immediately, they will." Yoda stated, leaving no room for argument.
~ - ~ - ~
The senate was in session.
"The chair recognizes the senator from the Sovereign system of Naboo." Chancellor Valorum began, gesturing towards Senator Palpatine.
"Supreme Chancellor, delegates of the Senate. A tragedy has occurred which Started right here with the taxation of Trade routes and has now engulfed our Entire planet...in the oppression of the Trade Federation." The Older Man stated.
Another senate pod decoupled and quickly hovered up to the main senate floor.
"This is outrageous, I object to the senator's statements!" A Neimodian dressed in expensive robes exclaimed.
"The chair does not recognize the senator From the Trade Federation at this time."
The Neimodian Senator growled but stood backwards from his Pods control, allowing the Naboo Representative to continue.
"To state our allegations, I present Queen Amidala, the recently elected ruler of the Naboo, who speaks on our behalf." Senator Palpatine revealed, stepping aside so her majesty could speak.
"Honourable representatives of the Republic. I come to you under the gravest of Circumstances. The Naboo system has been invaded by the droid armies of the Trade Federation."
"I object! There is no proof!" The Neimodian senator exclaimed, anger in his voice.
"Actually, There is. My ship and guard were saved from three alien vessels, they recorded the incident of my escape. Their engineers will testify as to the damage done to my ship, on top of this we have two Jedi witnesses who will collaborate the footage and testimony." Queen Amidala Revealed.
The senate auditorium fell into murmuring and deliberation.
The Trade Federation glared at the Naboo Queen and quickly looked to one of his allies, The Senator of Malastare. Said senator took the hint and came forward.
"The Congress of Malastare sympathizes with your claim your majesty, However, we do not know these outsiders. They are not a part of this senate. They could have technology that could circumvent the truth, allowing them to invent whatever story they want. While I would have in the past accepted the testimony of the Jedi, with recent events having occurred I must with a heavy heart recommend we send a commission to ascertain the real truth of the matter."
The events which he were talking about just happened to be the Huk/Kaleesh slaughter. Where the senate and Jedi Order was manipulated into helping the wrong side, with many Innocent Kaleesh being slaughtered after a campaign led by Jedi Masters T'chook D'oon and Jmmaar.
A full investigation was eventually done by Republic Security Forces and it was found out that the Huk had used its Senatorial Status and Influence to its advantage, with the result being a major tragedy. Once that came to light, the Jedi Order's reputation became darkened. And many lost trust in the so called 'Peacekeepers'.
Chancellor Valorum was about to say something, only for his aide, Mas Amedda, and others of his counsel to begin whispering something into his ears, making him sag in sadness.
"And here we see the bureaucrats, The true rulers of the Republic And on the payroll of the Trade Federation, take over. This is where Chancellor Valorum's Strength will completely disappear." Senator Palpatine told Queen Amidala.
"The point is... conceded. Will you defer your motion to allow a Commission to explore the validity of Your accusations?" Chancellor Valorum asked the Naboo Queen.
"I will not defer. I've come before you to resolve this attack on our sovereignty now. I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this Invasion in a committee. If this body is not capable of action then I must leave now. I will not waste time that my people do not have."
And with that, Queen Amidala directed the pod back to the door and left the Senate Auditorium, much to the shock of Senator Palpatine.
The senate was in an uproar with some also leaving as it delved into chaos.
Sidious smirked to himself, even though the Queen had not been influenced By his manipulations, her words had still stirred the situation to his advantage. Sure it didn't go exactly the way he wanted, but he would merely adjust accordingly. The senate had lost faith in Chancellor Valorum, and while Queen Amidala returns home to fight off the droid army, he would 'fight for justice' and call for a vote of no confidence In Valorum's new leadership. Thus enabling his plans further.
Nothing would stand in his way, especially not these newcomers.
~ - ~ - ~ - ~
"The boy will not pass the council's test Master. He's too old." Obi Wan sighed, once again trying to convince his master to stop pushing this certain point.
"Anakin will become a Jedi, I promise you. My padawan." Qui Gon replied, not deterred at all.
"Do not defy the council, Master, not Again." Obi Wan begged, he didnt agree with a lot of his mentor's views, but he still respected and looked up to him. He didn't want his Master to be disciplined or worse, exiled.
"I shall do what I must, Obi-Wan. The force demands it." Qui Gon said with a sigh.
(End of chapter 5)Hope you enjoyed this. Stay tuned for more! :)