"Master, I have failed. The Jedi fled with the Queen", Maul spoke through the holonet.
Sidiuos was infuriated when he heard the word failure. He raised his hand, and Maul, who was kneeling before his master's hologram, started to levitate, choking.
Maul tried to free himself from the grip but failed.
"My dear apprentice, you should know that I hate the word ' failure', especially on a mission like this. The death of the Queen was supposed to become our stepping stone to our rise in this galaxy, but you failed to do that", Sidious spoke grimly.
After a second, he let go of Maul, "Since you have failed, I have to think of a way to make the queen return to Naboo before the Republic truly intervenes. When she does, make sure to end her and any Jedi escort that may follow her", he ordered Maul.
Maul, who was released from his punishment, sighed in relief, "Yes, master", he bowed.
After relaying the orders, the hologram disappeared.
"Jedi, I will kill you all for making me fail my mission", he cursed, but as ordered by his master, he left Tatooine and was on his way to Naboo.
When the Queen returns, he has to make sure that he won't fail the mission again. He knew that his master didn't easily give out second chances. If he fails again, that would likely be the end of his life.
---
Corsucant...
Two ships arrived at the landing site, where a lot of dignitaries were waiting for their arrival. Not just some politicians, but Senator Palpatine, along with Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum, were present at the landing site.
From one ship, Jayden and his master, Ayla, exited, but their ship took a side spot. The main ship, which was the Naboo ship, took the lead in landing. Many more people exited the ship. Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, alongside Anakin, then the Queen of Naboo and her maids, along with a few crew members, a few guards, and Jar-Jar Binks.
As the group approached the senator, he started to speak, "It's a great gift to see you alive, your majesty".
"With the communications breakdown, we were very concerned. I am anxious to hear the report on the situation", he continued.
While the senator was speaking, the maid looked at Anakin and smiled, and the boy smirked at her.
Jayden, who was observing everyone from a bit afar, couldn't help but lament that a boy younger than him in both physical and mental age has more rizz than him. He was better at getting girls than he was in either of his lives.
Palpatine then presented the chancellor, "May I present the supreme chancellor Valorum?" he spoke as he looked towards the aristocratic man standing beside Palpatine.
"Welcome, your highness", Valorum greeted the Queen, "It's an honour to meet you in person, finally".
They exchanged greetings and began to move toward a flying car, which was supposed to transport them elsewhere on the planet. Palpatine and the others from Naboo followed.
With how populous the planet was, it was not wise to fly ships here. It could disrupt the planet's traffic.
The Jedi stayed behind with Valorum to speak.
Anakin, who was saved because of Jinn, couldn't think where to go. Whether to follow the Naboo members or stay with the Jedi.
"Ani, come on", the maid spoke.
Qui-gon, seeing Anakin unable to make a choice, waved his hand indicating him to follow the Naboo team.
After others left, Qui-gon spoke with Valorum, "I must speak with the Jedi council immediately. The situation has become much more complicated".
Jayden observed how easily Qui-gon spoke with the Supreme Chancellor.
Typically, someone in such a position would be prideful. Even a Jedi can't speak with him casually, unless they are members of the council, which would mean they are on the same level.
'Hmm, it looks like Valorum is a good one, well, as good as the galaxy allows him to be. He wanted what's best for the galaxy, but everything he did was twisted into something disastrous, Jayden thought.
The Eriadu conference was intended to empower the galaxy, but it ended in disaster, leaving a black mark on his political life.
When he imposed taxes on Trade routes, the Federation, instead of directly retaliating, occupied Naboo, claiming that the world owed them a substantial amount of money.
Everything the man did, whether good or bad, came to bite him in the ass.
'If only there were no Palpatine, maybe he would have uplifted the galaxy a bit,' Jayden thought, but there was nothing he could do.
The Sith are closely watching Valorum. They were trying to turn every move of his into a disaster and create a vacancy in his spot. If Jayden tries to make a political friendship with Valorum, that can easily spell his end.
So, he didn't make any moves. He didn't even utter a word when Palpatine was present, not even after he left.
The only people outside of the Jedi and the chancellor are the Senate Guards. Who knows if there were any spies of the Sith, or maybe who works for Palpatine?
---
After speaking with Valorum for a minute, the Jedi, all four of them, returned to the temple.