. . . . . . . "Revenge of the Sith (AU)/Chapter 15"@en . . . . . . "In the Senate, sentients were gathered for the afternoon session. Such events were not what they used to be. Formerly the representatives of the Republic would engage in debate, vote on an issue and it would be passed. Now all that was gone thanks to Palpatine\u2019s emergency powers. The senators merely put forward proposals for his approval. Such was the case with Senator Triev Stokra of the Corporate Sector. He moved his pod forward and was recognised by the chair. \u201CThe Corporate Sector respectfully asks the Supreme Chancellor why Count Dooku has not been brought to trial yet,\u201D Stokra said. \u201CHe has been held in the Jedi Temple for a number of days, surely this is a matter for the courts and not the Jedi.\u201D At this Danta moved his pod into the arena. \u201CNaboo wishes to remind thesa Senator from thesa Coprat Sect that theysa Jedi are holding Dooku as theysa can control him,\u201D Danta explained. \u201CThe Chair does not recognise the Senator from Naboo,\u201D Palpatine said, meeting Danta\u2019s eye briefly. For a moment there was silence in the Senate chamber. Then Danta returned his pod to the Naboo box. \u201CI have been advised that the questioning of Count Dooku is nearing a conclusion,\u201D Palpatine explained for the benefit of all. \u201COnce this is done, as it will be shortly, he will be made to answer for his crimes.\u201D A cheer erupted from the chamber. \u201CIf one has caused as many deaths as he does and caused this war to go on longer than it should, then they shall be answerable for their crimes in full!\u201D The Senate exploded, politicians on their feet and chanting the Chancellor\u2019s name. Bail Organa rose with them, after all one had to keep up appearances. During this his aide whispered in his ear. With a few words, a figure in a brown cloak was admitted to the Alderaan box. \u201CI\u2019ve spoken with Obi-Wan,\u201D Padm\u00E9 told him. \u201CAnd?\u201D Padm\u00E9 thought for a moment. \u201CI think they will be willing to side with you,\u201D she whispered. \u201CBut it all depends.\u201D \u201CIt would,\u201D Bail agreed. \u201CThank you.\u201D Padm\u00E9 retreated discreetly, exuberance still the order of the day in the Senate. But despite all the noise and the distance he was from the Alderaan box, Palpatine noticed her leave. Yet he said nothing, continuing to be the centre of the erupting storm. Reports of this were heard by the Jedi Council, and when the next interrogation session was over Mace Windu approached Renust Nju. \u201CThe Senate is calling for him to be brought to trial,\u201D he told Nju. \u201CImpossible, how could such a thing be done?\u201D Nju asked incredulously. \u201CWe have done it for others,\u201D Mace reminded him, thinking of Kar Vastor whom he had brought back from Haruun Kal early in the war. \u201CHolding him longer gives no one any favours.\u201D \u201CI\u2019m going to be honest with you, Mace,\u201D Nju said, falling into step beside the dark-skinned Jedi Master. \u201CI haven\u2019t learnt much from him that we already know. I put the evidence that we gathered against him and he refuses to acknowledge it, discounting it as circumstantial.\u201D He stared at Mace for a moment. \u201CI\u2019m surprised you asked me to handle this, you\u2019re the one who knows him.\u201D \u201CAnd that\u2019s why you are asking the questions,\u201D Mace answered. \u201CWe\u2019re running out of time, what happened this afternoon will only get worse if we continue to delay.\u201D \u201CI\u2019ll see what I can do,\u201D Nju promised. In the late afternoon Anakin found himself in the Chancellor\u2019s office again. He had heard what had gone on in the Senate and he was pleased. The sooner Dooku was brought to trial, the better. \u201CSo Anakin,\u201D Palpatine said once he had dismissed the red guards, \u201Cdid you see your friend off?\u201D \u201CYes,\u201D Anakin replied, \u201Cif I didn\u2019t hate Grievous so much I\u2019d almost feel sorry for him.\u201D Palpatine looked surprised. \u201CI thought Jedi were not allowed to hate.\u201D \u201CFigure of speech,\u201D Anakin shrugged. \u201CIt doesn\u2019t matter, Obi-Wan will soon have his head.\u201D \u201CProvided that he is the right Jedi for the job,\u201D Palpatine reminded him. \u201CThe Council was\u2026very sure of its decision,\u201D Anakin told him. \u201CYou don\u2019t seem very sure about that,\u201D Palpatine observed. Anakin said nothing. \u201CIt hurts me to see you in such pain, Anakin,\u201D Palpatine said, walking towards him. \u201CI had no idea that you being put on the Council would cause this.\u201D \u201CThey seem to resent you,\u201D Anakin replied bitterly. \u201CI still don\u2019t know why.\u201D \u201CHave you already forgotten what I told you about power?\u201D Palpatine asked him. \u201CThis is not only limited to the Jedi, there are those in the Senate who resent the measures that need to be taken.\u201D \u201CThey don\u2019t understand,\u201D Anakin said loyally. \u201CThey may not,\u201D Palpatine agreed, \u201Cbut their voices are quite loud and numerous, even after the display this afternoon.\u201D \u201CI don\u2019t have much stomach for politics, your Excellency,\u201D Anakin murmured. \u201CI know, but I wouldn\u2019t mention this if I didn\u2019t think it didn\u2019t concern you directly,\u201D the Chancellor replied. Anakin looked at him. \u201CWhat do you mean?\u201D \u201CIt seems that a certain Jedi has been seen associating with these senators,\u201D Palpatine explained slowly. \u201CObi-Wan?\u201D \u201CNo, I believe this was a female Jedi Knight,\u201D Palpatine told him. \u201CShe has close associations with Senator Organa, as well as Danta Pela of Naboo and\u2026a few others.\u201D \u201CPadm\u00E9?\u201D Anakin could feel cold sweat start to gather. \u201CBut she\u2026she would never\u2026no.\u201D He walked away for a moment, staring at the floor his thoughts whirling. \u201CSometimes the closest are those who cannot see,\u201D Palpatine said, and it was this remark that caused Anakin to look back. How could he know? Anakin thought frantically, Master Yoda is one thing, but Palpatine? \u201CI may not be a Jedi, Anakin, but I do have eyes and ears,\u201D Palpatine said. \u201CI have noticed that you have a certain\u2026fondness, shall we say, for Padm\u00E9 Naberrie.\u201D Anakin could not trust himself to answer. \u201CMay I be right in guessing she does not return these affections?\u201D he asked. \u201CShe said\u2026\u201D Anakin brushed his hair away from his face. \u201CShe said a while ago that we can\u2019t let it continue. After all, there is a war on.\u201D \u201CI see.\u201D Yet Palpatine continued to look at him. \u201CIt seems very\u2026unfortunate.\u201D \u201CIt\u2019s the way things are for the Jedi,\u201D Anakin told him with a shrug. \u201CIt\u2019s not like we have a choice.\u201D \u201CYou may think you don\u2019t Anakin,\u201D Palpatine said mildly. \u201CBut it doesn\u2019t have to be like this. There is a way you can have what you\u2019ve always wanted, there is a way for you and Padm\u00E9 to be together.\u201D \u201CWhat do you mean?\u201D Anakin asked. \u201CI think,\u201D Palpatine replied slowly, \u201Cthat you already know the answer to that.\u201D When the Vigilance cleared into real-space, Obi-Wan considered his options. Utapau was a Separatist-occupied world and it wouldn\u2019t be wise to bring in his forces. At least, not just yet. \u201CWhat\u2019s the plan, boss?\u201D Obi-Wan smiled, Commander Cody he had known for quite some time and he had no reluctance in leaving the second part of the operation to him. After all, that what was he was designed for, he was a clone of Jango Fett like all the others. \u201CWe\u2019ll do a two-pronged attack,\u201D Obi-Wan explained, bringing up a holographic display of the area. \u201CFortunately for us, most of the cities are concentrated here\u2014\u201D he pointed \u201C\u2014on this continent on the far side. I\u2019ll go in first and locate Grievous.\u201D Cody let out a low whistle, yet he knew what the Jedi was capable of. \u201CSend in two battalions, with the third in reserve to cover any escape routes,\u201D Obi-Wan finished, deactivating the hologram and heading for his starfighter. \u201CAnything else?\u201D Cody asked. \u201CNo, but I can only keep them distracted for a little while,\u201D Obi-Wan reminded him. \u201CDon\u2019t take too long with the attack.\u201D \u201COh come on, boss,\u201D said Cody nonchalantly, \u201Cwhen have I ever let you down?\u201D \u201CWell\u2026\u201D Obi-Wan stroked his beard, \u201Cthere was Cato Neimoidia.\u201D \u201CThat was Anakin\u2019s fault,\u201D the clone reminded him, \u201Che was the one who was late.\u201D \u201CVery well then,\u201D conceded Obi-Wan as he climbed into his starfighter, \u201Cthe burden is on me not to destroy all the droids before they get there.\u201D \u201CI'm counting on you, boss,\u201D Cody said, saluting him as the cockpit closed around Obi-Wan. Soon enough, Obi-Wan was flying out of the hangar and heading for space. Yet as he did this he felt a momentary sadness. If only Anakin was here, he thought. \u201CEngage the hyperdrive, Arfour,\u201D he told the astromech on his wing. Arfour chortled affirmatively and the starfighter disappeared. Padm\u00E9 found Anakin in the Temple gardens, he was sitting idly beside one of the pools and examining some of the flowers. He looked up as she approached and plucked a small white one off the shrub. \u201CThis one\u2019s always reminded me of you,\u201D he said, cupping the blossom in his hand. \u201CI still don\u2019t know why, but somehow it does.\u201D He smiled and offered it to her. \u201CAnakin,\u201D she warned. \u201CWe\u2019ve talked about this, I\u2019ve made my choice and I\u2019m not going back.\u201D \u201CYes, I know,\u201D he sighed, discarding the flower. \u201CBut I still can\u2019t help thinking that it shouldn\u2019t have to be this way. There\u2019s something\u2026\u201D He closed his eyes for a moment. \u201C\u2026there\u2019s something that holds me back, I've never given up my feelings.\u201D Padm\u00E9 didn\u2019t answer him, some things were better off not being said. The feelings might still be there, but Padm\u00E9 knew there was a certain line Anakin would not cross because she had asked him not to. She knew that what stopped him from doing this was the hope that she might let her guards down again, something she had vowed to never do. \u201CWhy were you in the Senate this afternoon?\u201D he asked her suddenly. She stared at him. \u201CHow could you know that?\u201D \u201CIt doesn\u2019t matter how I know,\u201D Anakin said loftily, \u201Cthe fact is that you were seen there.\u201D Padm\u00E9 sighed, she should have realised this. \u201CPalpatine told you, didn\u2019t he?\u201D Anakin didn\u2019t answer but his face betrayed him. \u201CAll right, I was there,\u201D Padm\u00E9 admitted reluctantly. \u201CDoes it matter?\u201D \u201CIt does if you were seen talking to senators of questionable reputation,\u201D Anakin told her. Padm\u00E9 stood over him. \u201CWho are you to say that?\u201D she demanded. \u201CI don\u2019t believe this! You\u2019ve got no views of your own as Palpatine\u2019s given them to you.\u201D \u201CSo what if he has?\u201D asked Anakin indignantly. \u201CI still don\u2019t understand why none of the Jedi can see him as I do.\u201D \u201CThat\u2019s because your friendship benefits him,\u201D Padm\u00E9 retorted. \u201CHow can it?\u201D Anakin asked. \u201CHe\u2019s never asked me to do anything!\u201D \u201CExcept be his representative on the Council,\u201D she pointed out. \u201CThat wasn't just for him!\u201D Anakin flashed. \u201CHe told me that was for the benefit of the Jedi as well.\u201D Padm\u00E9 examined Anakin for a long moment, was there any way she could get through to him so he could see what Palpatine as he really was? Well, not yet, if the Loyalists had their way then the truth would not just be apparent to Anakin but to everyone. Yet Padm\u00E9 was not one to so easily give up.She shook her head, holding back the hot words she had meant to say to him. How could she approach this? But before she could say anything, Anakin spoke again. \u201CI have found a way to save you,\u201D he said. She stared at him again. \u201CSave me?\u201D \u201CFrom my nightmares,\u201D Anakin reminded her. \u201COh.\u201D Padm\u00E9 had almost forgotten about Anakin\u2019s vision. \u201CIs that what\u2019s bothering you?\u201D Of course it\u2019s bothering me, Anakin thought fiercely, he still could not face the thought of losing her. \u201CI've learnt about something,\u201D he told her quickly, not wanting her to break in and ask questions he didn\u2019t want to answer. \u201CI have found a way so I can keep you safe.\u201D \u201CHow?\u201D Padm\u00E9 asked, she didn\u2019t like the sounds of this. \u201CI don\u2019t really know,\u201D he confessed. He had initially meant to tell her the whole story, but with what she had said about Palpatine he knew that would only lead into another argument. \u201CBut I won\u2019t lose you, I can\u2019t.\u201D \u201CI've already encountered a Sith two\u2014no three times and survived,\u201D Padm\u00E9 reminded him. \u201CI\u2019m more than capable of taking care of myself.\u201D \u201CNo.\u201D Anakin took her hand with a grip that surprised her. \u201CThat's not good enough for me."@en . . . . . . . "In the Senate, sentients were gathered for the afternoon session. Such events were not what they used to be. Formerly the representatives of the Republic would engage in debate, vote on an issue and it would be passed. Now all that was gone thanks to Palpatine\u2019s emergency powers. The senators merely put forward proposals for his approval. Such was the case with Senator Triev Stokra of the Corporate Sector. He moved his pod forward and was recognised by the chair. At this Danta moved his pod into the arena. \u201CI\u2019ve spoken with Obi-Wan,\u201D Padm\u00E9 told him. \u201CAnd?\u201D \u201CIt would,\u201D Bail agreed. \u201CThank you.\u201D"@en . . . . .