Fic - Star Trek: Rise of the Sith 11/17
Chapter 10
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Past: 4 Years
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"I warn you, if you vote to create this army, war will follow." Senator Padme Amidala addressed the Republic Senate, various yells and boos from other members of the Senate followed her statement. "I have experienced the misery of war firsthand, and have no desire to do it again," the young Senator continued, unfazed.
If he hadn't known about the assassination attempt on Senator Amidala barely an hour ago, Tom wouldn't have been able to tell from the young Senator's demeanor that she had narrowly escaped being killed. Calm and collected, Tom wondered what it would take to unnerve the young woman. In light of the threat, the Jedi Council had ordered Tom to keep a discreet watch over the former Naboo queen until they could arrange for a more permanent protection.
"Wake up, Senators, you must wake up!" Amidala continued, her voice strong and confident. "If we offer the Separatist violence, they can only show us violence in return! Many will lose their lives. All will lose their freedom."
The Separatist. A faction of systems and planets who had separated themselves from the Republic, believing that the Republican Senate was now under the influence of a Dark Jedi, an argument Tom had considered highly possible given the actions the Senate had been taking. But Tom wasn't convinced that the Separatist were free from the control of the Sith either.
"This decision could very well destroy the very foundation of our great Republic. I pray to you, do not let fear push you into a disastrous decision. Vote down this security measure, which is nothing less than a declaration of war! Does anyone here want that? I cannot believe they do."
Tom could think of at least one person who would want war, the Sith who was hiding among them. It had been ten years since they have traced the transmission to Coruscant, yet they were still nowhere near to finding out who had sent it. Tom had a strong feeling that the Dark Jedi was right here in the arena, a member of the Senate; the highest level of government within the Republic, where the most damage could be done.
"I concur with Senator Amidala." A pod floated down, stopping next to Amidala's at the centre of the arena.
"The Chair recognises Ambassador Neelix of Dorvan." The aid to Grand Chancellor Palpatine announced.
"My world sits at the border of Republic and Separatist territories. If a war was to happen, and I'm sure it would if the Senate authorises this army to be built, we will be devastated! I urge all of you not to approve this!" The Ambassador's statement was followed by both applause and boos by members of the Senate, indicating a clear split in decision on the matter.
"My motion to defer the vote must be dealt with first. That's the rule of law!" One of the other Senator's pods floated next to the other side of Amidala's in front of Palpatine, his patience clearly stretched to the limit.
"Due to the lateness of the hour and the seriousness of this motion, we will take up these matters tomorrow." The grand chancellor gave Amidala a sympathetic look. "Until then, the Senate stands adjourned."
* * *
Master Yoda and him were the only ones in the small meeting room, one of many throughout the Jedi Temple.
"Certain are you of this, Thomas?"
"I am, Master. But I can't tell exactly who."
"Clouded are your senses by the Dark Side. Grave danger the Republic is in if true is what you said."
"Senator Amidala is right, Master. The Senate cannot be allowed to build an army. If a Sith Lord is among them, then the Jedi Order would be his greatest threat. What will then prevent him from turning that army against us? We are spread thin enough as it is, with the Separatist creating troubles."
"More you think there is to the Separatist, hmm?"
"Yes," Tom took a deep breath, hoping that Yoda would believe in what he was about to say. "I'm not entirely certain, but I think the Separatist movement is another ploy by the Sith to weaken and undermine us. I have a feeling it's working."
The elderly Jedi appeared deep in thought, before slowly shaking his head. "Hard will it be to convince council of this."
"But you must, Master. If they were to succeed, they will have the power of the entire Republic Senate in their hands, and wiping out the Jedi would just be a matter of time."
Yoda closed his eyes, his face showing intense concentration. "Impossible to see the future is, the Dark Side shrouds everything," Yoda let out a sigh. "Convince the council I will try, but unlikely it is they will accept this with no proof." Yoda slowly made his way towards one of the many chairs in the room and sat down. "Come, sit." He pointed his walking stick at a chair next to his.
Tom obeyed. "Master?"
"To protect Amidala Obi-Wan and Chakotay have been assigned."
"I know."
"Just returned from Ansion they have."
"I know that too."
"Haven't seen Chakotay, have you?"
"No, I haven't." Tom had no idea where Master Yoda was going.
"Hard it must be, for you."
"Master, what are you saying?"
"It will not end well, Chakotay and you. Love and passion no place they have in a Jedi's life. Told you this I have many times. Told Chakotay this I have also. Stubborn both of you are." Yoda shook his head again. "But maybe see through the Dark Side you could with this link you share."
Tom frowned in puzzlement. "If it's because of the link, then why isn't Chakotay seeing it?"
"Stronger you both are in the Force because of the link. Share your thoughts and feelings he will, but he sees only what he perceives. Strong influence you have on him, however make up his own mind he will." Yoda explained. "Know what I speak of, do you not?" The Jedi Master's tone was... teasing.
Tom wished he could have control over the blush that he suspect was visible from orbit.
"Good it will be if change his mind you can, but remember, his own man Chakotay is, and so are you."
"I will remember that, Master."
* * *
"You don't trust him?" Chakotay asked his fellow Jedi. Senator Amidala's apartment was quiet, but they were both on the lookout for any potential threats.
"Who?" Obi-Wan replied, eyes never leaving the window.
"Chancellor Palpatine."
"He's a politician. It's been my experience that they'll please whoever is funding their campaign. None of them can be trusted."
"Surely that's a gross generalisation?" Chakotay argued.
"And you think Palpatine is the exception?"
"I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for him."
"He was the one who helped the council convinced your parents?" Obi-Wan turned to look at Chakotay, surprised by the revelation. Chakotay nodded. "I see."
"What could he possibly gain from - " Chakotay stopped abruptly, looking towards Obi-Wan.
"I sensed it too," the other Jedi confirmed with a nod.
Both men rushed into Amidala's room, greeted by the sight of two giant centipede like creatures inches away from the senator. The creatures rose up on their hide legs and hissed at the Jedi. Lightsaber drawn, Obi-Wan wasted no time in hacking the creature in half while Chakotay went after a black round probe droid hovering outside the bedroom window.
Seeing the droid move away from the window, Chakotay abandoned caution to the wind and crashed through the glass window, grabbing the robot before it could flee. The small hovering droid lost altitude and sank under the additional weight, but it somehow managed to stay afloat, gaining speed as it flew away from the apartment building with Chakotay hanging precariously to it.
"Damn," Chakotay cursed as he looked down. They were hundreds of feet above ground and there was no way for him to stop the droid without falling to his death himself. "Probably not one of my best ideas." He muttered to himself, looking around to see if they were flying above anything tall enough to break his fall. Nothing.
Definitely not one of your best ideas, Tom's voice sounded in his mind. Seriously, what were you thinking, jumping out a hundred-story window onto a flying droid?
You do realise I'm a little busy at the moment. The droid choose this moment to release an electrical shock, causing Chakotay to almost lose his grip on it.
Need help? Chakotay could hear the laughter in his mind.
I'm going to fall to death at any moment and you think it's funny?
Don't worry, Tom said with a barely contained chuckle. Obi-Wan's on his way. Besides, it's only a droid, I know you can handle it. And with that, Tom's presence receded from his mind.
Chakotay swore he'd kill Tom the moment he figured a way out of his current predicament. Chakotay let out a series of curses as the droid flew wildly into traffic, swinging and bumping the Jedi into on coming traffics and building walls in an attempt to rid itself of its unwelcome passenger. But Chakotay's grip on it was relentless. "After all this trouble you've put me through, I'm not letting you go that easily!" Sensing danger, Chakotay dropped his head just in time to miss a shot aimed at him. More shot were fired, but they were all off target. Chakotay could barely make out a dark hooded figure on a rooftop aiming at him.
"Great, this is just great!" Hanging onto the droid with one hand, Chakotay reached for the machine's circuitry at the back. He finally pulled out a couple of wires, disconnecting them only to realise it was the droid's main power supply as the lifeless droid succumbed to gravity, taking Chakotay with it. "Son of a...." The Jedi cursed, the buzz and honking of a hundred speeders flying pass his ears. Before he could try to reconnect the wires, Chakotay felt someone grabbing hold of him. He slammed into the side of a speeder at the sudden stop.
"You've got to lose some weight!" Obi-Wan grunted, trying to split his attention between flying the speeder in the heavy traffic and helping his fellow Jedi.
Still clutching onto the droid with one hand, Chakotay pulled himself up and landed in a heap in the passenger side of the vehicle. "What took you so long?"
"Finding a speeder with an open cockpit is harder than one might expect!"
"There!" Chakotay pointed towards a blue speeder taking off from a rooftop where the shots had came from.
"I see it." Obi-Wan acknowledged, giving chase. A red and white speeder wheezed pass them, its honk blaring as Obi-Wan narrowly missed a head on collision with it. "Now I remember why I hate flying," the bearded Jedi muttered, taking a hard right turn at a building. Obi-Wan accelerated, whizzing and veering pass the traffic ahead of them to come directly behind the blue speeder, banking a hard right to avoid the blaster shot aimed at them.
"Get on top of him," Chakotay ordered. "And don't lose it," he added after thrusting the droid towards Obi-Wan. "I went through a lot of trouble to get it."
"Oh no, you're not doing what I think you're doing!" Obi-Wan protested, dodging yet another blaster shot while trying to shove the droid into the speeder's storage compartment between the seats.
"Just get on top of him." Chakotay was now standing on his seat, his hand gripping the windscreen for balance.
"I think he's a her, and this is insane!" Obi-Wan increase their altitude despite his protests, now flying above the blue speeder whose female pilot was still shooting at them randomly. "You've spent too much time with Tom and his brand of insanity is rubbing off on you!"
"You can tell him that next time you see him." Chakotay jumped out of the speeder, landing on the roof of the blue speeder a few meters below them, his hands clutching onto the edge of the windows to avoid being flung off. Grabbing hold of his lightsaber with his left hand, Chakotay activated the weapon and thrust it through the roof of the speeder. There was a scream and the speeder veered wildly onto incoming traffic.
"Damn it!" Chakotay cursed, holding on tightly to the speeder. "That probably wasn't a good idea either." He quickly deactivated his weapon and hooked it back onto his belt. Repositioning himself, he managed to take a quick look into the cockpit; the pilot had passed out from the lightsaber wound that Chakotay had unintentionally inflicted upon her. With deft movements, Chakotay swung himself around and slipped into the out of control speeder through its window. He quickly regained control of the craft, but not before the passenger side slammed into a speeder in another lane, causing it to spin out of control, crashing into yet another speeder ahead of them. "Shit!"
He finally managed to get the speeder to stop, landing it on top of the roof of one of the many buildings around. A moan signaled that the pilot was awakening; Chakotay secured her weapons and climbed out of the battered speeder, aware that Obi-Wan was landing his borrowed speeder just a few meters away.
Just as he was about to drag the pilot out of the speeder, a sense of danger fell upon him.
"Look out!" Chakotay was already hurling himself away from the blue speeder even as Obi-Wan cried out the warning.
The building below them shook from the impact of the exploding speeder.
Chapter 11