— Sidious —
Sidious had been biding his time, patiently waiting for the events he needed to set the next stage of the Grand Plan into motion. The board was set for that next stage almost immediately after speaking to his Apprentice. All he needed was to see the next move of the game from his controlled opposition. Together, he and Tyranus would bend the galaxy to their every Dark whim.
Except… the next move never came. There was no spark in sight, just more of the same. Just… dreadful, deplorable, damning peace. Just… uneventful business as usual.
It was supposed to start with an explosion, an assassination attempt on a popular figure, her influence growing more and more by the day. The first attempt would likely fail, of course. The second was less likely to fail. But Sidious wasn't privy to his Apprentice's plans after the first. All the better to react naturally and drive events toward their shared goals.
Except… not even the first attempt occurred. Nothing. That junior of his, also from Naboo, went about her life as if nothing was amiss, as if nothing lethal was in the works for her. She'd arrived back on Coruscant without any interference to speak of, and even had the time and freedom to bring… complications… before Sidious in his public persona.
The girl wasn't supposed to have been at that party, much less with the mother of his Chosen One in tow. The mother who should've been damned to a painful, significant death already. The mother who should've pushed his Chosen One to her first taste of the Dark Side.
Instead, that mother was on Coruscant. She was alive and all too well. She was grounding her daughter, advocating for her, and more — working toward unbecoming goals of her own. As a result, Sidious had spent a night as Palpatine listening to the mother preach her loathsome freedom.
It was disgraceful. Disgusting. Damned things that should've been denied long before they reached anywhere near Sidious and his Chosen One. The mother was supposed to be dead, tortured to her last breath. Sidious had surely set that in motion, reaching out through the Veil of the Dark Side to arrange events on distant Tatooine.
Except… something had shattered his subtle manipulations. His Chosen One had reunited with her mother early and freed her from the slavery that would've been her doom and the start of Ani's glorious Fall. As if that alone wasn't bad enough, the mother had been allowed to make her debut in good and proper society. Social circles she had no place in. She preached freedom there, opening eyes that should've stayed closed, and spread this 'Mighty Leia's good word'.
Sidious was left FUMING, furiously searching for why and where things had gone wrong.
Where was his Apprentice's rightful and enforced compliance? Where were the results he needed? Where were the sparks to set tensions burning in perfectly controlled ways? Where, oh where… had his Grand Plan been thrown off its perfectly positioned tracks?
Sidious didn't know. But he would find out. Business — unfortunately… — proceeded as usual. His public role in the Republic kept him busy, even as Sidious searched for the crack in his Grand Plan. He kept a close eye on the important players who should've been dancing to his tune, yet… weren't.
The mother, in just her debut, had already made troubling connections with a few people who actually mattered. And with those connections, she was planting the seeds of a new movement, however unfertilized they may have yet been. She was telling tales of slavery, forcing actually important figures to confront that beautifully cruel truth of the galaxy. And she was speaking of loathesome hope as she did so.
Sidious devoted the barest sliver of his attention to squashing that movement, smothering it in its crib. It couldn't be allowed to grow too much. Sidious couldn't have the 'leading' sheep of the Republic getting… ideas that they could change something, anything, about the galaxy.
Thankfully, the mother's status and past played in his favor there. Only the most soft-hearted fools would lower themselves to listening to a slave. And while the mother was charismatic, she was no politician — not even used to the power games of the Rim, much less the Core. She could try all she liked to change and inspire… Sidious ensured she would find little traction, if any at all.
That fellow Nabooian junior of his was more of a problem. Amidala did know the games of politics and power. She was well-versed and well-connected. And it seemed she had new goals in mind now, new reasons to play. Acting as an extension of her mission to 'Gonk Space', she was rallying support, not for those interesting but relatively insignificant new players, but against the Hutts. And in that, Organa and his… troublesome resources were with her.
Sidious could work with that attempted shift of public sentiment, though. After all, the Hutts were the pinnacle, thequintessence, of Alien depravity and degeneracy. A few wondering words here and there, a bit of discreet direction, and the 'support' Amidala was rallying turned from anti-Hutt to anti-Alien, anti-Rim, and best of all, pro-Human and pro-Core.
It was a small coup. But Sidious wouldn't complain when Amidala and Organa were all but handing it to him. Other than that extension of their last mission, both of those influential figures returned to their focus on idealistic and naive pacifism.
The fools tried to lead the Republic and Senate away from the steadily rising tension for war. But they were as ineffective as they'd ever been, perhaps more so since they'd seemingly 'compromised' their convictions for peace by railing against the Hutts. The reality of the situation was still clear: War was coming. Anyone with half a brain and a bit of proper cynicism could see that.
Now would've been the perfect time for that attempt on her life. Successful or failed, either would've pushed the tensions in the proverbial room that much higher. It would've been just the kind of spark Sidious needed, and he patiently waited for it, already preparing his next move once it came.
It never did. His Apprentice was either terribly incompetent — that alone deserving of grave punishment — or… WORSE…
And as tensions in the Senate continued to subtly but steadily rise, Sidious was leaning toward the latter. His Chosen One's temporary Master had disappeared from Sidious's view. It happened without any real announcement, and while Sidious could easily guess the reason, he couldn't see the moment it occurred. Kenobi — hilariously dubbed 'Sith Slayer' — had been sent on the unspeakable sort of mission, the Jedi Order keeping it secret even from the Chancellor.
Yet Sidious couldn't raise the subject with the Jedi High Council or the Order's Senate Liaison without bringing unneeded suspicion onto himself. After all, why would the Chancellor care for a lone Jedi Knight, even if he was publicly friends with said Knight's Padawan? As Palpatine, all Sidious could do was hold his tongue. And as his true self, free to act, the most he could do was put out hidden feelers to find Kenobi and his secret mission.
Of course, Sidious wasn't blind in either persona. He could see things moving out of his control. By design, tensions in the Republic had long been on the rise. They were essential to the Grand Plan and its glorious next stage.
Unfortunately, it seemed his Jedi opponents were now acting to address those tensions, if secretly. Such a shame, when the sacrificial pieces on hisside of the board tried to act as if they had any agency at all. And at such a pivotal moment! The noble, complacent, Light-Side fools found half a brain and half a will to act at the worst possible time.
It was still perfectly manageable, of course. The Jedi hadn't truly changed anything in the galaxy for decades now. And they had no idea how predictable and limited they actually were, nor that their enemy was so close at hand. For all they were trying to act at the last and worst moment, they were still doing so for the Republic, and thus, for Sidious…
More important than the foolish Jedi and their secret acting… was betrayal. Weeks since his last conversation with his Apprentice, past the most opportune moment for him to act, Sidious was sure that Tyranus had gotten some ideas of his own into that decrepit head of his. What those ideas were, whether it was a full betrayal or only partial, Sidious couldn't say. So naturally, he had to proceed as if the worst-case scenario had now occurred.
Betrayal was no stranger to the Sith. Sidious was almost proud. Almost… But going against him so openly would still be the last mistake Tyranus made. It would be… troublesome to find a new Apprentice at this late stage in the game, but if he must, Sidious would.
Having a concealed ally in control of the other side of the coming war was ideal… but not strictly necessary. The Republic could still be pushed to the necessary breaking points by an earnestly fought war, and the final blow had always been intended to be struck from within.
Ultimately, Sidious's Grand Plans needed no one but himself.
Immediately upon realizing Tyranus's likely betrayal, Sidious began to look back, assessing their recent interactions. One of the troubles of having a competent Sith partner in evil was that they were just that: competent. Sidious found no prior sign of the betrayal he now suffered.
Tyranus had given nothing away, and in his arrogance, Sidious hadn't thought to probe deeper, to painfully test Tyranus with the Dark-Side Veil at his disposal. He was deserving of that arrogance, of course, and reveled in the power it brought him, but here, it had still bitten him. With a sour taste in his mouth and a commitment to more thorough paranoia going forward — though never less delicious, empowering arrogance — Sidious recognized the point where his Apprentice's loyalty must've shifted against him.
Free Nar Shaddaa. That 'Crucible of Potential'… As much as he tried since learning about it, that portion of space remained a blind spot in his Dark-Side Veil. Sidious had made no inroads there. Any Veiled tendrils of Force he set to creep in were shredded; Dark certainty was torn apart by raging undercurrents of pure, balanced potential. It was there, Sidious knew, that his solid, anchoring hold over his Apprentice must've been washed away.
That realization did bump the interesting but 'relatively insignificant' new players in the galaxy up a few levels in Sidious's estimation and attention. Not enough to suddenly set out and deal with the phenomenon himself; oh, no, Dark Side forbid. He was a very busy Sith Lord, especially now. But… enough that Sidious figured he could take a more active interest in the area and the developments there, perhaps even use it as a recruiting or proving ground now that he was in the market for a new Apprentice…
Those were thoughts and schemes for the future, however. What was done was done. His Apprentice had infuriatingly slipped Sidious's stranglehold. The necessary next moves he'd been anticipating now wouldn't come. His Grand Plan had had a large portion of its foundation cut right out from under it. And so, Sidious was left having to… adapt.
As troublesome as that prospect was, it was equally thrilling. Few things would test him — sharpen his skills and schemes — like betrayal from within. And let it never be said that Darth Sidious was not sharper than even the most vicious Sith ritual daggers…
The worst outcome of betrayal was yet avoided with a final tightening of his lingering grip on his now-former Apprentice. Contingencies in the Veil of the Dark Side — still entirely Sidious's to control — kept Tyranus from speaking his name. If the pretender Sith Lord wanted to match him, he would have to do so directly, not by spoiling the game and shattering the set board completely.
But that still left certain plans ruined by Tyranus's betrayal — plans that Sidious was counting on… There would be no attempt on Amidala's life, and Sidious realized that a touch too late to arrange for an assassination of his own. Amidala's actual survival was a minor thing at most, but Sidious had been planning for the attempt and following investigation to lead to much more productive places.
Without a trail leading to the hidden Clone Army on Kamino, their reveal would be left to Sidious. It was supposed to have fallen on the Jedi — just another useful bit of suspicion to cast upon them, for the army had originally been commissioned by one of their own, and if they were the ones to discover it, people would begin to ask: "What else is the Jedi Order hiding?"
Now, however, that suspicion would belong to Sidious as Palpatine… He would have to be the one to reveal the project in all its gray legality and oh-so-convenient timing. He didn't even have time to lay a new trail of breadcrumbs and choose a new patsy to follow it, not with Tyranus's betrayal and the coming, now-earnest war so close at hand.
There was no other way around it. Pressed for time as he now was, Sidious resigned to burning himself with the reveal of the Clones. It… would not look good for him politically, as Palpatine, but thankfully, it also shouldn't give anything Sith away to the Jedi.
He was under no significant suspicion as Palpatine, after all; he was just a politician — perfectly impeachable — just a man looking out for the good of the Republic. Some might disagree with his methods there, but none could deny the 'truth' that he cared, that he was doing what he thought was best.
It would be a controversy, but a mundane one, and that would make him more fallible, more Human. A touch more so than he would've liked… But 'for the protection of the Republic', Palpatine would be shown as willing to make the hard choices, even if it required sacrifices to his political reputation.
He would choose the most opportune moment to minimize those sacrifices, of course. It wouldn't do to fully disgrace himself at such an early stage of the Grand Plan. But he could feel that such a moment was fast approaching.
Tensions and worries in the Senate were reaching a fever pitch. The air in every session was now thick with debate from the various factions invested in the Separatist Issue. The Pacifists — led by Organa — tried and failed to keep a grip on the rising tensions and rapidly increasing calls for action. The Loyalists — led by Mon Mothma, Garm Bel Iblis, and Fang Zar — stuck to a more center-line stance, advocating for some action to maintain the unity and sanctity of the Republic, but not necessarily war. And the Militarists — led by Mee Deechi, Shayla Paige-Tarkin, Aks Moe, and Orn Free Taa — hawked for war, militarizing preparation, investments in defense, and even preemptive action.
Definitive voices from the Separatist side of the issue, however, were noticeably and unusually silent in the Senate. Their major players were elsewhere, and to someone with Sidious's highly informed view of the situation, that absence was telling. Tyranus was making his first move as a real player in the game. Sidious was already looking to preempt him.
His chance for that came when tensions all but officially reached a 'Crisis Point' in the lead-up to one of the increasingly intense Senate sessions. Said lead-ups were often more important than the actual sessions, for in politics, the real work was always done behind closed doors.
That day was no different; Sidious was already making the most influential people in the Republic dance to his tune when crisis arrived. The true shift there came (as all terrible, troublesome things seemed to…) from the lips of Jedi.
Before the coming Senate session, Sidious had been doing his usual rounds as Palpatine. His so-called 'peers' liked to see him moving amongst them. And Palpatine did try to keep good relations with those whose strings Sidious pulled. It was not only good for morale, but also simply productive for both him as the shepherd and for the sheep.
Closed-door deals were struck in those rounds. Problem children and their problems were seen to before they could boil over more publicly. And the mood in the air for the coming session was assessed and addressed by both of his personas for their unified ends but disparate means.
Thus, Palpatine's rounds were an essential part of his routine, and he dragged his council along with him as he made them. The Supreme Chancellor's Office stood united, visiting each of the major factions in the Senate to be seen looking out for the peace and stability of the coming session.
"-I assure you, Garm, I haven't blinded myself to the tension in the air," Palpatine said, his mask perfectly concerned but not yet resigned.
"At least it's not a kriffin' coup you have to worry about," Garm Bel Iblis grunted back.
"At least, indeed, my friend," Palpatine chuckled.
"Just something almost as bad," Garm bluntly added the punchline to his 'joke'. "Rest assured, Sheev. You'll still be in power for the start of this war. After that… we'll just have to see."
"Careful, friend. Some might consider that a treasonous threat," Palpatine cautioned.
"You don't," Garm shot back, either entirely confident or entirely uncaring of any consequences at all.
With Garm, one truly could never tell. The Senator for Corellia was a well-lived man, rising to power through Corellia's respectable naval tradition. That past made most assume he was a military man through and through. But Sidious (and Palpatine) knew he was just as much a politician as a general at this stage of his life.
That blunt, no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point persona of his was masterfully designed and executed. His approach to the power games of politics was to cut through even the most obscuring of political bantha-shit, and he wielded it like a blade. Garm was the type of player who, instead of sitting down at the board, preferred to bull straight through it. It'd made him no shortage of enemies… but no shortage of friends, either.
Palpatine honestly preferred Garm's straightforward approach, even if Sidious… didn't. It made the man predictable, yes, but also infuriatingly impossible to lead or control. Garm could be counted on to look out for Corellia's interests. But if one needed something else from him… good luck.
"You're right," Palpatine confirmed. "I don't consider it a threat. But only because I know your sense of humor, Garm. Still, I would prefer a vote of confidence from someone I consider more of a friend than most."
"You've proven yourself a good peace-time leader, Sheev," Garm said. "Prove the same for the coming war, and we'll see about that vote of confidence."
"War has not yet been declared, Senator Iblis. We may still avoid it if we're vigilant," Mas rumbled, his tone low and disapproving.
"Good frakking luck with that, Amedda. Either way, Corellia will be staying the fuck out of issues that don't concern us. We're loyal to the Republic, but I won't send my people to die in her war," Garm snorted.
"If the Republic calls, Corellia will answer, Senator Iblis. Or your system shall be considered just as seditious as the rest," Mas stared, imperious and demanding, straight into Garm's eyes.
Garm glared back. Mas was the first to 'flinch', not actually showing his discomfort but certainly looking away. The two of them had never gotten along. They were simply too different, with two different approaches to the games of power. Garm was a leader playing at following, and Mas was a follower playing at leading.
Of course, that very fact was why Sidious kept Mas Amedda around as Palpatine's Vice-Chair and de jure (NOT de facto) second in command. As a political player in his own right, Mas was usefully somewhat distant from Palpatine himself in the political climate. He was, perhaps not a full foil, but still a comforting counterweight within the Supreme Chancellor's Office as far as the sheep (and even Mas) were concerned.
Mas, for all that he thought himself an independent player, was perfectly controllable to someone of Sidious's skill. More importantly, he was perfectly corruptible, offering a subtle way into the Supreme Chancellor's Office for the ever-present corruption of the Republic. Palpatine couldn't be seen treating with such corruption, of course, but through Mas, Sidious could twist it to his every end.
Counterbalancing Mas's usefully corruptible counterweight was almost the whole rest of Palpatine's Office and Council. Armand Isard, Ishin il-Raz, and Sate Prestage were all completely loyal to Palpatine over even the Republic.
Armand was an intelligent, pragmatic, and dutiful man, the subtle kind of true believer who looked to Palpatine as the only one willing to do what was necessary. Ishin was the more fanatical kind of true believer, but still useful, especially when Palpatine needed to rely on dogma yet couldn't be seen to be believing it himself. Sate's loyalty, meanwhile, was more personal than the other two; his true belief was built on friendship. Actual friendship, too, for even Sidious found he didn't mind the brutally efficient Chairman of Executive Agenda who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty when ordered.
Jannie Ha'Nook was another usefully somewhat distant addition to Palpatine's Office and Council, but more in the sense that she could be trusted to look out for herself first and foremost. That selfishness was reliable enough to measure laws and decrees against. If something benefited Jannie, she would make it known, and thus, Sidious could be sure it would benefitleaders like her in the same way. Human leaders, to boot. The kind Sidious would build his empire upon…
Then, of course~… there was Sidious's deliciously, beautifully broken pet acolyte and Palpatine's public assistant, Sly Moore. Her absolute, darkly chained loyalty was perfect. Unimpeachable. An honest comfort in the face of Tyranus's betrayal. Better still, she was also rather useful as his Aide and Chief of Staff, giving him the perfect excuse to keep her comfortingly broken presence close at hand.
"Apologies, Chancellor," Sly spoke up, politely interrupting his meeting with Garm. "But the Jedi Liaison to the Senate has come to give you an emergency report."
"Who is it this week?" Palpatine asked, amused.
"Master Adi Gallia," Sly answered before hesitating slightly. "… But it seems this report is pressing enough to warrant a second Master as well. Master Ki-Adi Mundi has joined her."
Palpatine made a show of sighing in resignation, "I can't imagine this is good news, then. Show them in. All we can do is hear them out and react accordingly."
Sly bowed deferentially and did so. As always, Sidious reveled in the delightful feeling of pulling the wool over such learned and Light-Sided eyes. Jedi Masters, and yet, they didn't have a clue that the Sith of their nightmares was right in front of them.
"Master Mundi, Master Gallia," Palpatine greeted with a genial smile. "A pleasure, I'm sure, even in these trying times."
"Chancellor," Both Jedi Masters bowed slightly in return before Mundi said. "I'm afraid we have a grave report to share."
Palpatine made a show of sighing sadly, "Yes, trying times, indeed. Very well. Share what you need to, Master."
Mundi drew himself up and prepared to do just that. Internally, Sidious sneered at the not-so-subtle weaving of Force the Jedi Master mustered to add impact to his coming report. It was weak and amateurish. The current Jedi Masters couldn't do subtlety, as much a boon to Sidious's goals as it was a disgrace.
"One of our Jedi Knights has been assigned a mission in secret," Mundi reported. "The subject of said mission was one of our own, once. We felt it necessary to address him ourselves, as a result. And so, Knight Kenobi was tasked with investigating the former-Master-now-Count Dooku and his ties to the Separatist movement."
Confirmation, Sidious thought. Useless confirmation, at this point, but confirmation, still. Outwardly, Palpatine frowned ever so slightly.
"I realize I have no business knowing every assignment of your Order's every knight, Master Mundi… But I would have still liked to be informed about such an important mission before it brought what seems to be bad news right in front of me."
"Duly noted, Chancellor," Mundi nodded. "You're right, of course. Keeping you informed may just have been prudent, especially with the result of said mission. Our Order shall endeavor to do better in the future."
"That does wonders to soothe my worries, old friend," Palpatine chuckled.
Beneath the mask, Sidious grinned. Count on this Jedi Master in particular to further hobble the Order and tie them to the Republic's interests — Sidious's interests. The upstanding, politic-playing, Reformationist fool of a Master was perhaps the one most likely to outright hand the keys of the Order over to the Chancellor.
"That said," Mundi continued. "What is done is now done. Knight Kenobi has spent the last two weeks investigating Dooku, his ties to the Separatist movement, and another concern that the Order would like to keep close to its chest at this time."
"Oh? Another concern?" Palpatine asked curiously; Sidious already knew said concern well.
Gallia hesitated slightly, "… Chancellor, would you vouch for everyone in this room?"
"I dare say I would," Palpatine considered aloud. "Even Garm, for the friendship I believe we share, if not his outright security clearance. The rest of my Office and Council is, of course, privy to almost everything I know."
Mundi and Gallia exchanged silent communication with a glance. Mundi nodded. Gallia said, "Very well, then. I would ask that none of you share this with any others until the Order is ready to make an official announcement… But the High Council is rather justifiably concerned that our former peer has Fallen in the Force. We have good reason to believe that 'Count' Dooku has taken up a Sith mantle."
That reveal sent a variety of reactions through those present. None failed to take it as seriously as it deserved, from Armand's stony mien to Ishin's affronted murmurs. Jannie seemed morbidly fascinated by the idea and Sly kept her expression utterly unreadable. Palpatine furrowed his brows in a convincing show of concern. Mas outright shuddered at the prospect; Sidious noted his fear as something useful for the future.
Meanwhile, in the reveal's wake, Garm just snorted, "Wonderful. A Jedi-Fallen. A Sith-Rising. Just what the galaxy needs right now."
Mundi frowned, "Sith are no matter for sarcasm, Senator Iblis."
"Worry not, Master Mundi," Palpatine soothed. "I'm positive that Garm understands the true weight of such a concern. Sarcasm is simply rather essential to his personality."
Garm gave an amused grunt of confirmation, and Mundi, still frowning, continued, "Very well. Such was the more pressing portion of Knight Kenobi's mission. He was out of contact for his investigation… until just yesterday. Yesterday, the High Council received an emergency report from our Knight. He has been captured by Count Dooku and is now being held hostage.
"Thankfully, before falling into potentially Sith hands, Knight Kenobi prepared a contingency. The results of his investigation up until that point were included in his distress broadcast. Dooku's status as a Sith is all but completely confirmed by our reckoning. And perhaps more pressingly for your office, Chancellor, Knight Kenobi also managed to gather evidence of how far along the Separatist movement now is."
"And it's worse than we already know it to be?" Palpatine asked, resigned as if he'd already been expecting as much.
Gallia nodded, "The Separatist movement has reached its climax, Chancellor. They have moved from discussions to acting, planning to execution. Knight Kenobi reported that Dooku and almost all of the current Separatist leaders have gathered in the Raxus system. Based on his report, we are certain that they mean to secede from the Republic."
"Unthinkable!" Ishin exclaimed.
"Ill-fortuned news, indeed," Jannie worried aloud.
"My assets have reported much of the same," Armand admitted. "Senate Intelligence was not aware that the issue was being pressed so far just yet, however."
Mas's expression was thunderous, "That is where the Separatist faction is, then… Chancellor, this cannot be allowed to stand and proceed."
"It's treason, Sheev. Treason and sedition, blatant for all to see," Sate counseled firmly. "They bring the sanctity of the Republic under threat."
"A trial! They must be brought before the Senate to dissuade them from their unlawful actions!" Ishin declared.
Mundi, surprisingly enough, nodded in agreement to the most fanatical member of Palpatine's Council, "The Order would support such an example of justice. The Republic must persist. These Separatists, no matter how valid their issues may be, have taken their movement much too far."
Almost immediately, the mood in the room had grown tense. Not quite frantic, but close. Sidious was perfectly content to let such a mood continue to grow. The members of his Office and Council had great influence; if they marched one way, many would follow. Perhaps he wouldn't even have to be the one to push for war…
Then, the tension was broken, if only momentarily. Garm slugged back the rest of his drink, snorted and slapped his thigh, and rose to leave, "Welp, that's that. Saw it coming. Still, thanks for the warning. Corellia will look out for itself. Have fucking fun, Sheev."
He didn't even look back as he all but waltzed out of the room — his room in the Senate Complex… The message was clear. Garm and Corellia would be making themselves scarce as the climate in the Senate suddenly shifted to outright crisis. As much as Sidious fumed at losing a potential supporter in the critical current moment, Palpatine almost envied Garm. Truly, his blunt political persona served him well. No one else would be able to so blatantly walk out on such a crisis…
"Chancellor," Mas scowled. "I would mark him as just as effectively seditious as these Separatists."
"He's not, Mas," Palpatine sighed. "Selfish, perhaps, but not seditious."
"Can't fault the man for looking out for himself and his system," Jannie shrugged.
"I can, and I do," Mas growled.
"He's much too bold," Mundi agreed.
"Garm is Garm," Palpatine chuckled, shaking his head. "Nothing will change his mind but himself."
"Now," Palpatine continued, setting the tension to rise again with a humorous understatement. "I believe we have some work to do."
"How will you leap, Chancellor?" Gallia asked curiously.
"That…" Palpatine sighed openly. "Is a very good question, Master Jedi. How will the Order leap?"
"The Jedi are ever-loyal to the Republic," Mundi firmly declared. "Lead as you need, Chancellor; we shall follow, the strongest soldiers for the peace and unity of the Republic."
"Something like this can only be answered by action in turn, Chancellor! Action in force! Put down this rebellion before it can get off the ground!" Ishin pushed.
"What force, Ishin?" Palpatine pressed right back, preparing the field for his own coming reveal, for there would be no better time. "The Jedi alone?"
"The Judiciary Forces won't be nearly enough for a situation like this," Armand agreed.
"Seems to me that the Military Creation Act is your only option, Chancellor," Jannie drawled.
"Yet, even that…" Palpatine made a show of hesitating and then warily muttering to himself. "But… Perhaps that… They would be enough… oh, but at what cost? I'll be ruining myself, willingly ruining myself…"
As he expected, curiosity sparked at his barely audible mutterings. Mas asked, "You know of another option, Chancellor?"
Palpatine nodded regretfully, "A terrible, overreaching, ruinously costly one, yes. But now… needs may just must."
He made sure firm conviction was seen in his mask, "I will need support for this course of action going into this session and the announcement we'll be forced to make there. And we don't have much time to secure it."
"What are you planning, Chancellor?" Mundi asked.
Palpatine shook his head, resignation and determination in his face, "You shall see. All I would ask is that you — all of you — trust me in this. I will be burning myself here. But for the survival of the Republic, I shall gladly bear the heat."
Sidious sensed the curiosity and respect his 'honesty' had earned him. He'd be seen as reluctant but willing to make personal and political sacrifices for the Republic. It wouldn't remove the coming controversy, but it would mitigate most actual suspicion directed his way, even from the Jedi.
"Sly," Palpatine said, falling into the direct sort of leadership he rarely showed as Chancellor. "I need to meet with the leading members of the three major Senate factions in the next hour. We will be going to some, but others will have to come to us. Make it happen. I am counting on you."
"Your will be done, Chancellor," Sly bowed deeply. It was a testament to the crisis and the rare showing of direct leadership that no one questioned her almost feverish show of loyalty.
"Mas," Palpatine turned to his Vice-Chair. "Now is the time for unity. I need you wholly and firmly behind me. Together, we shall see the Republic through this crisis."
Mas stopped and stared at him, weighing his conviction and character. He didn't find his Chancellor wanting, apparently (not that Sidious would ever let a second-stringer see anything real through his mask in the first place).
"You have my support, Chancellor," Mas nodded. "In… whatever it is you intend to do."
"Jedi Masters," Palpatine turned once more. "Your wholehearted support will be similarly essential. My current plan concerns you and your Order in ways that even you cannot predict, I fear."
While Mundi looked ready to agree immediately, Gallia was less feverently tied to the Republic, even if she was still a Reformationist, "How so, Chancellor?"
"There is little time," Palpatine shook his head. "Walk with me as we talk, and I'll do what I can to explain. I'll be admitting to an unjust secret today, even if it isn't mine. I doubt I'll be written about kindly in the history books for it, but that is my sacrifice to make."
He walked with purpose out of Garm's now-abandoned quarters in the Senate Complex. His Office and the Jedi Masters followed. Sidious could sense the almost burning but still respectful curiosity beside and behind him. A very real part of him would enjoy this reveal, even with its consequences.
"There is a secret military project for the Republic that is off even the Chancellor's books," Palpatine explained. "I only found it by chance, looking where the money wasn't. It was commissioned, I'm sorry to say, by a now-deceased Jedi Master. I've kept knowledge of it for my mind alone, hoping to avoid scandal, hoping it would never be needed… Now, it seems the day I've dreaded has arrived."
"Chancellor, why would a Jedi be involved in the Republic's military procurement?" Armand asked, frowning sternly.
"I could not tell you," Palpatine admitted. "This project wasn't sanctioned by me as Chancellor or anyone in my Office, past or present. Yet still, it certainly exists, and it's certainly being funded by the Republic's coffers."
"That seems a grave overreach by this Jedi," Jannie noted almost academically.
"Not one we sanctioned, either, I'm sure," Mundi assured. "Do you know this Jedi Master's name, Chancellor?"
"One 'Sifo Dyas'," Palpatine answered, Sidious anticipating the fireworks.
They came as a reeling shock in the Force from both Jedi Masters. Sidious drank deeply of it without showing any sign externally. Dyas was infamous in the Order, even after his 'unfortunate' death. A Maverick Master tormented by dark visions. But this would be the first time the Order heard that he'd actually acted upon those visions.
"… I see," Mundi muttered. "As much as I'm ashamed to admit it, such a unilateral and unsanctioned act from Master Dyas does fit with his character. His visions inextricably predicted war in the galaxy's future."
"And so," Palpatine nodded. "He commissioned an army for the Republic. Now, unfortunately, it seems I must be the one to collect and use it."
With that reveal, their party walked on in silence for long, tense, disbelieving moments. Not all of that silent tension was for ill. Ishin was almost vibrating at the prospect of the Republic suddenly securing a fully commissioned army. Armand was already setting his mind to pragmatic planning. Mas was thoughtful, but not disapproving of the development. And Sly, on the sly, was reveling in her glorious Master's plans coming to glorious fruition, Sidious sensed.
The Jedi, however… Mundi sighed, "Know that we had no hand in this, Chancellor. Still, it is done. Since you are sticking your proverbial neck out for this plan, the least the Jedi can do is join you and take responsibility for the unsanctioned actions of one of our own."
Sidious cackled within the darkly cloaked privacy of his mind. The fools! The Light-Sided fools! They weren't even willing to denounce a fellow Jedi when he was well and truly dead! So good, so noble, and what would it get them but a portion of the fallout and blame?! They couldn't help but play right into his hands!
"I can see why you'd wish to secure support before revealing any of this to the rest of the Senate, Chancellor," Gallia commisserated. "The fact that the Republic already has a fully commissioned army waiting in the wings — sanctioned or not — without having signed the Military Creation Act… won't go over well."
"It will not," Palpatine confirmed. "Yet, needs must in a crisis such as this. Dooku and his Separatists have firmly forced my hand. And I would sacrifice everything I've personally built if it would secure the unified survival of the Republic."
The rest of the hour before the Senate session began passed in a blur of leaders visited and called upon to be swayed, their support secured. The leading figures of the Militarist faction were the first to be secured, almost trivially falling in line. They were getting almost exactly what they wanted in the sudden and already fulfilled militarization of the Republic. And Palpatine even 'let' himself be steadily swayed into using that sudden militarization.
"Just and lawful force is the only thing that will bring these seditious systems back in line, Chancellor," Mee Deechi, Senator for Umbara and a key Militarist, simpered, eager for war.
"Must it be so?" Palpatine asked, making sure to sound weary and regretful but not resigned.
"It must, Chancellor," Shayla Paige-Tarkin, Senator for the Seswenna Sector and a good, proper, Human leader, confirmed. "Know that we stand behind you on this issue."
"Even with this… deception, this… graft, this… grand subversion of the Republic's upstanding systems and laws that I'm forced to reveal and rely upon?" Palpatine asked.
"Even then, Chancellor," Shayla firmly nodded. "Your sacrifice, claiming responsibility for something you had no part in starting, when it's needed most, will be remembered. And not all for ill. I will personally remember you as just the right man for the job, for the crisis, willing to act when the Republic needs you most. You've stepped up here today, Chancellor. Know you've won a lifelong supporter in me, to Hell with whatever controversy might follow you going forward!"
"That is a relief for my weary soul, Shayla. Thank you," Palpatine smiled.
"This may spark criticism in those less… open-minded than us Militarists, Chancellor," Aks Moe, Senator for Malastare and one of the key Militarist leaders, chittered and chuffed in that Gran way of his. "But we are upstanding patriots. By our reckoning, this… reveal couldn't have come at a better time."
"The Republic needs a military, especially in times as tense as these," He continued. "You, Chancellor, are giving us just that, fully formed from the start. Amongst the Militarists, you will certainly be looked upon fondly."
"Unsanctioned and overreaching as it is, I can't deny that it is convenient, Senator Moe," Palpatine sighed. "The Republic will have what it needs most now, for the small cost of my political reputation. And with this show of force, we shall bring our fellow systems back into the fold.
"It hurts my heart to be potentially fighting our own countrymen, but if we must, we will. I can only hope that acting preemptively will let us avoid all-out war in the coming days."
"I'm sure they'll see reason, Chancellor," Shayla commiserated. "Even if they don't, I'm sure you will do what needs to be done."
Visiting and calling upon the Militarists first proved to be the correct course of action. It secured immediate, almost guaranteed support when it was most needed, and allowed Palpatine to begin building momentum. They joined his rushing procession through the Senate Complex and added weight to his cause with the next faction he visited: the Loyalists.
Garm could be counted as a Loyalist, but not one representative of the whole faction. He was most concerned with his home system, while the rest of the faction were most concerned with the whole. Palpatine expected the most criticism from them for the emergency powers he was now accruing. But he also knew they would stand with him, for the Republic.
"This… This isn't right, Chancellor," Fang Zar, Senator for the Sern Sector and a perpetually hungover-looking man, frowned when Palpatine revealed his plan.
He seemed surprised when Palpatine actually agreed with him, "You're right, Senator Zar. But what other option do we have at the moment? We are facing separation on its face. Sedition, my good man. And at the moment, we have little to no leverage capable of preventing it. Without a strong arm and military task force, we'll have no hope of putting a stop to this movement even somewhat peacefully."
Warily, Mon Mothma, Senator for Chandrila, nodded, "… Now, more than ever, the Republic needs to stand strong. For our unity, for our fellows, we need this army. I'm positive that Dooku and his Separatist systems already have a military of their own in the works. So while I don't approve of this… workaround to the lawful Military Creation Act… it may just be our only option to keep the Republic from plunging into civil war."
"We'll need oversight, then," Fang Zar said. "Checks and balances in place to prevent this newfound army from shattering the current running of the Republic. Will you be willing to submit to such, Chancellor?"
"I will, especially if it secures the support of you and your faction, my good man," Palpatine nodded, Sidious rolling his eyes internally.
'Oversight.' Bah! The creatures of the Senate would always have insisted on that. Even the Militarists, for none wished to be left on the outside of this new power's integration into the delicate balance of the Republic. That was simply politics. Everyone wanted the ability to place their weight on the levers of power — new power, even more so. 'Oversight' would give them just that… not that it would do them any good.
Sidious's hold over the coming Clone Army was already solid, hidden within the fodder's very brains. When the time was right, they would leap as he ordered. But until then, Sidious was willing to play the games of politics and arrange events for the best effect.
"Perhaps the Jedi can take up roles of oversight as well! Alongside official committees and systems, of course," Palpatine suggested, making it seem as if the idea had just come to him. "But can we truly ask for better leaders than that noble Order?"
"It… is certainly our responsibility and duty to the Republic to do so," Mundi agreed, surprisingly hesitant yet. "But I'm afraid, Chancellor, that I can't commit the whole Order to such a task at this time. However, you'll have my support for some kind of arrangement like that when the issue is raised in the coming days."
Sidious would have preferred the patriotic Light-Sider to do just that without thinking. But his support on the issue was still a victory, just a minor one. Sidious would ensure the Jedi led the coming war. They would plunge their unprepared selves into the crucible and come out much, muchworse for wear. The Grand Plan called for them on the frontlines. Tyranus's betrayal and earnest fighting of the war changed none of that.
The last faction the growing procession visited was the Pacifists. Said faction had been stretched to its limits by the rising tension, losing influence by the day as war became more and more likely. Sidious knew Palpatine would find no true political support from them. They would certainly oppose the 'conveniently found' army and the action it would immediately take. But with the Militarists and Loyalists behind him, Sidious didn't need to secure the Pacifists. They were loudly yapping but toothless pests.
Still, Sidious had been mentally preparing himself to deal with Organa and Amidala, preparing himself to 'regretfully' sideline them. Only Organa was present, though.
Actually a bit confused, Palpatine asked, "Where is Padme, Bail?"
"Oh, you know," Bail chuckled and waved. "Running off on her own adventures. The right of the young, and all."
Palpatine's brow furrowed for a moment, but he immediately put the pieces together, sighing, "She's run off to save her old friend, hasn't she? Knight Kenobi? And I'm assuming young Ani was the one to drag her along on such an adventure?"
"I'm sure I couldn't say anything for certain," Bail smirked. "But that does sound like her, doesn't it?"
Palpatine nodded, "Another reason to act immediately, then. Some will call me biased, but I won't have my junior held hostage in this crisis."
"Crisis?" Bail raised an eyebrow. "Ah… I see. It's come to this, then?"
"Indeed," Palpatine confirmed. "The Separatist movement has reached its climax. And thus, our hands are forced against our own misguided countrymen. There… is worse news, as well, my friend. I find myself having to work around the Military Creation Act before it is officially passed. This manipulation is not my own, I assure you, but the Republic already has a secret army waiting in the wings. I'll be announcing and integrating it in the session, and then, the Republic will be taking action to see our wayward peers brought back into the proper fold."
Bail took in his words silently, his eyes turning to every bit of support Palpatine had gathered behind him. Amedda, the Jedi Masters, the Militarists, and the Loyalists; Bail saw that any battle he fought now would be a losing one.
Slowly, he nodded, "I believe you, Sheev. I don't agree with you… But I believe that you believe your hands are being forced here. This all seems… a terrible thing, yet politics always are. As Chancellor of the Republic, it falls on you to make the hard decisions. I only pray the galaxy will forgive you for what you do here today."
"It won't," Palpatine sadly shook his head.
'It should, as I lead it into my glorious vision of tomorrow!' Sidious cackled within.
Outwardly, Palpatine continued, "But I shall have to live with that, my friend. In crisis, needs must, and we in power do our duty to those we lead."
Mere minutes away from the opening of the Senate session, the group Palpatine had gathered in support split off to their seats and the rest of their factions. The leading figures in each of them would give the marching orders. Palpatine was left with the core members of his Office and Council, and the responsibility to push the Republic into a new era.
"Oh, I wish we had the time to actually prepare a speech for all of this," Palpatine sighed.
"The truth, Chancellor. That is all the Senate requires from you," Mas 'wisely' advised. "Give them the truth, and they will see that you are leading them as best you can, no matter the cost to yourself."
"The truth in politics," Palpatine outright laughed, Sidious even joining him from beneath the mask. "Stars, what has the galaxy come to?"
Even stern and taciturn Mas cracked a smile at that, "These are indeed the most interesting of times."
With that, they entered the Senate's Grand Convocation Chamber. Palpatine stood in the center podium of that monumental, historic space, and prepared himself to add to its history. The rest of the Senate — minus the noticeably absent Separatists — lined the chamber's edges. No news spread quicker than rumor; the whole space sat on the precipice.
Palpatine stepped forward, Sidious hidden behind and within him, and began to shake the galaxy.
"The Senate's agenda for the day has been struck. Instead of business as usual, we gather here for crisis. The Republic stands on the brink of shattering. The Separatist movement has come to a head. Even now, our friends, peers, and allies aligned with it must be gathering… to go their own way, even at the cost of sedition.
"Count Dooku — a former, potentially Fallen Jedi Master turned to more worldly pursuits — leads our fellow countrymen astray. I have credible reports, from both the Jedi Order and Senate Intelligence, that he and the support he's gathered intend to officially secede from the Republic. The Separatists turn their backs on us. Unacceptable, no matter how valid their concerns may be.
"Thus, in this time of great crisis, I, as Supreme Chancellor entrusted with the sanctity and survival of the Republic, have decided to act. A force shall be sent to entreat with our wayward fellows and bring them, lawfully and forcefully, back in line if they insist on maintaining this unlawful, unjust secession.
"'What force?' Some of you may ask. For that, I must tell you the tragic tale of a tormented patriot. What he did was not right. It was not lawful or sanctioned. But it is done. And now, it may be just what we need.
"Sifo Dyas was a Master of the noble Jedi Order, plagued by visions of the future…"
Palpatine continued to spin the tale of Sifo Dyas as 'he knew it'. Sidious kept watch over the mood of the Senate Chambers as his public persona spoke, poking and twisting it for the best results under his Dark Side cloak. There was indignation and rising patriotism at the announcement of secession. There was both approval and disapproval at the announcement of immediate action. And as the Senate listened to Sifo Dyas's tale, there was a muddied mess of reactions, from sympathy to scandal to support, affront to honest approval.
But most of all, the Senate was forced to come to terms with the facts as Sidious had arranged them. The unlawful secession. The necessity of upholding the unity of the Republic. The unspoken inevitability of war if they failed to act now. The initiative that must be maintained, even at the cost of preemptive action. The realization that the Military Creation Act would now have to be posthumously pushed by their Chancellor, and that executing it would now cost the Republic nothing it hadn't already spent.
Palpatine gave assurances of oversight, accepted the inevitable censure that would be coming his way, and abjectly stated that his executive decision on the subject was made regardless. He closed his speech with a bang, a grand declaration to herald the revival of forgotten military traditions
"-And I so swear, here and now! So long as I hold the office of Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, our revived military arm will never be used for base conquest and oppression; it will be used for unity! For the Republic!"
Not that his declaration had much historical truth to it, of course. The Republic's military of old had often be used for just that: oppression, Core-driven colonialism, and conquest. But the declaration was received well by Senators who wouldn't know their own history if it bit them, and even some who did. And that was all that mattered in politics: perception.
The Military Creation Act was the first topic put forth in the rest of the session's newly cleared agenda. It passed almost unanimously, with even the Pacifists merely abstaining rather than voting nay. Then came the discussion of what action would be taken. Useless discussion, with ideas flying forth from a thousand mouths. Sidious let the Senate devolve into the illusion of military action by committee, sitting back as he did and planning what would actually be done with his Office and Council.
Even before the session let out, those plans of action were set in motion. A notable admiral in the Judicial Fleet, Wullf Yularen, was dispatched to Kamino with a full fleet, tasked with collecting the Clone Army and then proceeding to the heart of the Separatist movement in Raxus. Representatives from the Jedi Order were requested to accompany him to see what one of their own had wrought and to aid the pacifying strike that would follow.
Before the galactic week was out, the Republic's newly militarized, Jedi-accompanied task force would make contact with Tyranus's sedition. They were given orders to make lawful demands of the Separatists to cease their secession. And if (when…) those demands fell flat, the task force was empowered to return the wayward Separatists to the Republic's fold. War, Palpatine knew as he gave the orders, would be the only outcome.
Sidious, meanwhile, reveled in the first climax of his Grand Plan. Tyranus's betrayal had shaken it, and much would need to be changed going forward, but its core remained strong. Sidious had adapted, maintained course, and made the unexpected work for him.
The sudden betrayal and the sudden shattering of anticipated events were merely a setback. Sidious pushed ahead regardless. He alone would bring the galaxy to its knees, break it in his image. Ultimately, the glorious Grand Plan required no one, nothing… but his dark, powerful, and Lordly self…
IIIII
[AN: Just a heads up, but there's only going to be one public release chapter next week. I might've gone on a bit of a streak where every chapter I wrote was like 9k+ words (38, this one, 39, and then 40 is even longer at 13k lol). Which is great... except for my patreon backlog. I do that by chapter, not word count, so to keep it healthy, I need to stagger the public releases for a week or two. That said, they're far from disappointing chapters. You'll still be getting about the same 'words per week' with just the single releases, and 39/40 are both pretty action-packed. Just asking for a bit of patience. But of course, you can always read them early anyway on my patreon (patreon.com/dryskies_btb - been a while since I've done a self-plug lol). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this crisis point and Sidious's manipulation of it :]