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Chapter 22
In one of the many dark fortresses on Muuninst, Hego Damask sat in his chair, keeping his hands on the table, waiting with a fresh drink in his hand given to him by 11-4D, contemplating matters.
While Sidious had many allies in the background, Plagueis still had his own resources. The Banking Clans were one of them. The fact that the Clans left the Republic throughout the recent debacle, using the example of Naboo as a primary reason why, made others feel unsafe.
He had Sidious to thank for that much after all.
San Hill was also most useful when it came to sustaining their military, political, or other alliances. But that hadn't been Plagueis's primary concern. What had been was Luke Skywalker again.
When Plagueis attended the meeting, Skywalker caught onto Sidious immediately based on those narrowed eyes and conflicting emotions. But when Plagueis approached to have a closer observation of this outcry by the Force, the Muun didn't warrant a similar reaction. Plagueis had maintained secrecy, whereas Sidious had not. He knew that Sidious wasn't detected by the other Jedi, for if he were, thousands of Jedi would hound him with the hope of placing him under arrest out of a misplaced sense of morality and he wouldn't still be the Chancellor.
The Muun had been astonished for the first time in decades. Plagueis's foresight had been accidentally blurred by Darth Tenebrous' midi-chlorians. Sidious clouded his mind, playing the part of an Apprentice eager to execute his Master's plans. Both of these admissions required him to meditate and manage the damage, yet again swearing galactic vengeance on Sidious. For all that he had given to that boy, to be repaid with THIS, Plagueis's fury was only held in check by the fact that pursuing Sidious could be the end of the Sith.
When his clarity returned, Plagueis's mind felt open for the first time in many years. It truthfully worried him how close Sidious came to catching him off-guard. It was a reminder of how Malak lured Revan into a compromised position, using the war as an advantage to trick Revan. How could Plagueis have been this, THIS arrogant?
His lungs cleared, and his breathing came easily again for the first time in years, leading Plagueis to several conclusions:
This entity had seen through Sidious whereas many Jedi had not. Oh yes. The alarm, rage, and fear the man had around his Apprentice gave him pause. What exactly had Sidious done to the man for him to fear him so much? Especially since they were nearly equal in terms of power. While Sidious had indeed killed Jedi before in his training sessions, each of them was monitored by Plagueis, to entertain the outcome where the boy wasn't just an average duelist and Dark Side acolyte.
No, it hadn't been that. Whatever Sidious had done to Skywalker, it had drawn out the fear, making it agonizing. The level of fear was incredibly personal. Plagueis was all for playing with his victims, but Sidious bore no resemblance to the man—that much had been sincere, given the amount of confusion and bemusement that his former Apprentice had.
This entity indulged in Jedi training, and his story was truthful. But most certainly, what reason would he have to travel to Naboo just at the time of the Trade Federation's invasion? That wasn't a coincidence. The Dark Side continued purring.
Another possibility was that Luke Skywalker had witnessed Sidious's massacre of his family from afar and went to get training with the hope of stopping him. But that theory was also nonsensical for two reasons; the man wasn't of the right age, and Plagueis would have sensed someone of that power, nabbing him immediately. Oh, how that thought pleased him. When the man fully turned and trained to be of Sidious's power level, he would have probably even pitted them against one another to see who would be the victor.
Nevertheless, he couldn't hope any longer.
The Muun felt the strong bond between Luke Skywalker and that second vergence - the ten-year-old human - Anakin Skywalker. Their surname was curious. Plagueis wasn't an idiot. There was some sort of connection, and that said connection could be the undoing of the Sith. Let it be Sidious if anyone else. The potential that the younger Skywalker had, the much the older one already accomplished, Plagueis knew that he would have to be very careful in handling this.
And Plagueis would pass on the whole idea of allowing himself to disappear in one of his many facilities for long thank you very much!
It would seem that the war of their dreams would have to become legitimate.
The result would be the same in the end; the destruction of the Jedi would still occur.
It would be just a matter of which Lord of the Sith would rise.
Sidious's original plan was to ensure that each trial was plagued by procedural problems or other issues that prevented an actual verdict. But given how incompetent the Viceroy had shown himself to be, along with the Trade Federation's damaged reputation after recordings of the Destroyers were released, showing an orbital bombardment, doing so would only be a waste of time at this point.
He sensed that many didn't care about what happened. The bombardment only infuriated normal civilians and the Naboo people especially, but the people in power were pressured to take action only to keep their positions. In short, if Gunray wasn't discarded, it could have echoes of illegality in his own Chancellorship.
Yet, that didn't mean the Trade Federation's armada couldn't be substituted for other uses. When considering a new contingency he had for the Army, he decided scrapping the droids and allowing Gunray to continue his cowardly rule would be a waste of potential.
So, Sidious barely managed to hide a smirk as the voice rang out. "By an overwhelming majority, Viceroy Nute Gunray is found guilty of invading and occupying a foreign member of the Republic..."
Not that Sidious would shed a tear for that wasted piece of alien trash.
It was delicious to watch the Viceroy recoil in surprise and horror as his charges were named one by one. The helpless fool no doubt thought he was too useful to keep around and thus not expendable, but Sidious had merely allowed him to think so as the trials persisted for the past couple of weeks.
Gunray looked up between all of the pods. His pathetic eyes locked as his lungs stopped and repeated all in spans of seconds. Palpatine was barely able to control his glee. His words were stuck in his mouth as the reality of the situation slowly came down on him. There was no escape. No hope. Simply, betrayal and consequences for the failure of Naboo awaited.
And they were in the sentencing now. Here, within the Chancellor-Elect's chair, Sidious merely remained motionless, watching as the Chief Justice of the Republic's Supreme Court read like he was playing a script. Sidious would gain control of the courts with time and patience, but for now, he would have to act with discretion and manipulation.
"Sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole."
And it was over.
All was silent for a moment. If anything, it seemed like a grieving chamber of death. The Republic had wholeheartedly failed the Naboo, a terrible look from the rest of the galaxy's perspective, but a new possibility for the future Emperor to take advantage of. This reminder of what happened could be yet another reason why the Republic must be dissolved for a better and stronger system. It was true too.
It could also elevate only the slightest of blame off of Gunray for Valorum to share. Why his system failed, and what Sheev Palpatine's administration would do to correct those issues.
The platform drifted over to the guards, who took him roughly and led him out. When he found words, he managed to say, "N-no! You're all being played! Sidi-" The rest of the words came out as ramblings as he tried to resist against the guards, only for them to drag him out.
Oh, it would have been ever so easy to break him out politically speaking. Money, good lawyers, status, bribes, political influence/pressure, backroom deals, extortion, hell even threats. Using every shady trick in the book. But why? The Trade Federation Viceroy could enjoy his cell until Sidious gave him the death he'd so deserved. Gunray went on trial when Palpatine was still building up his influence over the soft and hard levers of power, but the courts were already corrupt and ineffective.
The outgoing Chancellor sent the Jedi illegally to intervene. This meant one couldn't bring the Jedi in. Everyone else was a "partisan" of Naboo and thus a good lawyer could cast doubt on their testimony. But this evidence was far too much. The Federation did attempt to set up Dofine as a fall guy, but the outcries had dismissed that. Anything was possible in a court as steeped in corruption as the Republic's.
Palpatine came forward, standing in front of the face of the galaxy. "I will like to speak," he said. Given permission, the Chancellor-Elect stood in front of the entire galaxy. "It is my solemn duty to speak not as the Chancellor-Elect but as a Nabooian. I would like to give a moment for the names of all the lives lost..."
And so he did. A datapad full of names sent by the Queen of those who had been recovered. To remember all of those good people who would go down for nothing. Despite his solemn tone, it contrasted with what he felt when the actual event happened. When those lives perished, Sidious bathed in their blood, taking no small amount of pleasure in it.
"I know these names may seem meaningless," Palpatine continued, "but I would implore you - all of you - to think about what else could happen to your worldsw. Chancellor Valorum and others failed leadership brought us this far. The corruption ran rampant in this nation, which is supposed to stand for peace and justice. Under my administration, this will be corrected. Nothing like Naboo will happen again. I won't allow it!" He slammed his fist against the nearby podium.
And now the audience clapped. First, his close allies. Then his people. Now, even his opponents. Oh, he was so widely beloved already, and he had only started. After the meeting, Palpatine started moving down to his office. He still didn't have Mas Amedda wrapped around his finger entirely-something that would have to be remedied shortly, but that was a matter for later.
Besides, no rest for the wicked came to bite. For immediately after the trial, Palpatine was bombarded with petty affairs that had no meaning. Even in a time of mourning, Naboo and the Chommell Sector had to decide on a replacement, and they did so in a matter of days: Janus Greejatus.
Already, the man's succession as Senator was proven unwelcomed among the influential politicians of Naboo. The relationship Greejatus had with his political benefactor was one of friendship. Palpatine knew he had to be careful, however, not to echo the most controversial of Greejatus's statements, at least not in public. Greejatus proved constantly to Palpatine that he had an aptitude for politics, but he became part of the Senator's cabal, along with Kinman Doriana, Sim Aloo, and Sate Pestage.
He would have to work with Maul to keep an eye on people in his cabal and anyone who may get too close to the truth. Damn Skywalker for taking that slave trash with him. What a shame. The boy was an emotional disaster due to his harsh upbringing. All he had to do was remove his mother, draw out her pain to make the boy feel it, and so could have curbed the resentment between him and the older Skywalker. But predictably, the unorthodox Jedi took both and disappeared from the map. The Jedi Council knew where they were, but the man had apparently made them keep that confidence.
There was no beating around the bush. The man knew who he was. And he was incredibly powerful. Unfortunately, like with Yoda, any duel between them wouldn't be ensured. Sidious would have to amplify his abilities.
He remembered the immediate contempt the man held in his heart for him. The immovable object broke character for a second; deep emotions, none of them positive: anger, fear, rage, suffering, pain—all merged into one, and if allowed to flourish, could label him as a great wielder of darkness.
He then regained control impressively, giving Sidious little more than a resentful stare out of the corner of his eyes. Their second meeting, however, still amused him. It was all too amusing to have Skywalker acknowledge him as Chancellor-Elect whilst knowing the damage he'd caused. Perhaps that would remind him of all who would die to his actions.
The edges of his lips turned up into a smirk.
He had a feeling Skywalker would be fun to untangle, even more than the Jedi Order.
Shmi sighed with a content smile as she watched Anakin dig his fork into the bowl of well-cooked stew. Not too long after the two returned to the ship, Anakin's hunger gave way, and Luke relented without hesitation. Her son began to thrust spoon after spoon into his mouth. Although the thought of Anakin working out as much as he was gave her unsettling implications, she learned instantly that Luke wasn't torturing Anakin.
Many of them at slave camps were severely malnourished, to the point of being skin and bones, for years. Many recovered and lived healthy lives past 80 years of age. Children experienced stunted growth caused by malnutrition. The deformity was commonly carried through life, and it made her worried that her son would become like that.
She forgot the feeling of three meals a day a long time ago under her parents.
Anakin was happy.
He'd always tried to be, but it was not until recently that he had been able to explore testing terrains with Luke. Both he and Shmi feared that Luke would lash out for having extra meals that he cooked since she didn't know how to make meals that were beyond Tatooine's standards of good.
The opposite was true, however.
But Shmi still felt like a slave. She couldn't help it. It just happened as if it was second nature now.
When he finished his meal, Anakin slowly began to doze off. "I'm just going to close my eyes for a sec..." he started, resting his head on the table and shutting his eyes, soft snores escaping him the next second.
Shmi shook her head slightly, a small smirk across her lips.
Luke stared at Shmi and shrugged slightly. "I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Your son doesn't give up no matter what."
Unsure if it was a compliment or not, she couldn't deny the way her face scrunched. The small part of her wondered. What would be Luke's next move? After all, it was just him and her... alone. The fears of what he could do to her and her son still were there, damn it. It didn't matter what anyone said. They were mere garbage compared to common people.
He chuckled, and somehow, that laugh eased Shmi to the bone. She felt a strong sort of maternal instinct surrounding the young man despite knowing that he could take care of himself. A small smile creased her face nevertheless.
"Do you want any more stew?" Luke asked. It was a new normal. Very often, he would even insist that they finish the food, for the independent Jedi Master didn't like the thought of his food expiring and that he wouldn't need it anyway.
"I have eaten enough," she soothed, though her eyes landed on the pot for a moment.
Luke snorted. "You're a terrible liar."
A light ignited in her chest, but she decided to remain quiet.
He sighed, his expression transforming into a more serious one.
"I understand that you are still getting used to your new lives, but neither of you are my slaves. You would never have to ask me for approval in matters like this, and I will never lay a harmful hand on either of you." Luke walked up and wrapped his arms around her.
Shmi was still shocked by the physical comfort she felt from someone who should be her master, but she nevertheless returned the embrace. After a few minutes, they pulled away.
"Now, you should take Anakin to bed. I imagine he has a visitation for his pillow, and his grouchiness at having a sore neck tomorrow isn't on the agenda." Luke quipped with a wink. Shmi laughed this time, completely at ease, as she collected her little boy with Luke looking on with a fond smile.
Holding his stare for five seconds, Shmi led her little Jedi down the hall for a much-deserved sleep.
Tempted to sleep as well, she was stopped when her stomach began growling. She scowled. Damn, Luke was right. It had been a hunger she was used to, but she chose to just do it anyway. She had to stop thinking about the worst of people, especially the man who saved them and had been treating both of them well.
Joining her son in the land of sleep on the opposite bed, she realized just how much this new life was enough for her.
She would rather be on the surprising serene feel of Dagobah for the rest of her life than on the torturous planet of Tatooine.
