Phase 6: Lootforce One Part 1

Part 1

"Another unlikely coincidence happened shortly after the Naboo Accords were signed giving birth to the Mid-Rim Alliance. Two events happening thousands of light-years apart on the eve of general Veil's Rim Campaign persist as a source of controversy and conspiracy theories. Twenty years later, people all across the galaxy still believe that there's merit to the idea postulated by one Iler Renola from Kuat.

On the face of it, there was a perfectly good and reasonable explanation for what happened. Interrogation of captured ONI agents in the closing years of the Clone Wars reveals the reasons behind the accident on Coruscant used by Renola as a proof for his theory. It was not hard to figure out why Jedi Remnant forces led the raid on Kuat. A bit of hindsight and knowledge unavailable at the time was all it took to understand the reasons behind that attack. It wasn't until the conflict's resolution that it became clear that the Old Republic Remnant used to be short on manpower and supplies. While they did expand through recruitment and training of people dissatisfied with the Republic all across the Rim, their material situation was much harder to fix. That's why the ORR leaders turned to the time honoured practice of capturing enemy hardware to turn against one's opponents. In hindsight, the only surprising thing about their actions was the chosen target and the sheer audacity of executing such a raid in one of the best defended systems in the galaxy...

All the above led to the Rim Campaign and admittedly the parallels are startling. Some historians go as far as to call those events the greatest example of grand theft and piracy in the last thousand years. Others hail the same events as a benchmark for successful raids, sabotage and improvisation in the face of supposedly impossible odds.

Taken in separation and context, each of these events makes perfect sense. Coruscant – it was an attempt to capture bleeding edge Republic armour prototypes being shipped for extensive testing; it was a distraction too, meant to give an opening for two other ONI operations.

Kuat – the ORR faction allied with the CIS needed more capital ships of their own. They weren't satisfied with what the Confederacy could provide them with, nor with capturing ordinary Republic cruisers. Jedi Master Perrion led multiple strike teams made of what little active Jedi and special forces he had left after Kamino augmented by a battalion of Commando Droids in what remains to this day one of the most famous operations of the Clone Wars.

Last but certainly not the least – the Rim Campaign, an operation spanning thousands of ships on both sides, fighting across more than a dozen sectors all made possible thanks to supplies the Republic forces under general Veil seized from the enemy. The campaign came awfully close to disaster multiple times and continues to be held as the example for the fact that sometimes insane military risk do pay off...

At the time of the Clone Wars, those operations were seen in a different light. At least part of it is the lack of hindsight and information, combined with the first confirmed instance of Jedi Master Jerod Perrion fighting in person. To someone living through those events, it would appear that a series of escalations happened and they had a lot in common, perhaps too much to dismiss it as merely a coincidence. It's easy to see where Renola came from, especially when it became clear what the long term effects of those operations were – the Republic, various groups of rouge Jedi and traitors, not to mention thanks to the ORR, the Confederacy were in somewhat better position to continue the war, despite various setbacks suffered by each group. However, it wasn't until the climatic clashes in the Core and Mid-Rim on the eve of the Black Rebellion, we would see the true consequences of the raids and Veil's Rim Campaign..."

Commodore Firmus Piett,

Modern Naval Warfare Magazine,

Sponsored by Kuat Fleet-yards

=RK=

LAAT flight 035-BJ-97

en route to Shan Industrial Zone

Coruscant

"Why did I agree to this..." Mace Windu muttered to himself.

"Temporarily insanity. Though in your case I'll say its permanent." Dooku smiled pleasantry at his one time friend.

"If you want we can still drop you off and let you find your own way away from the Clones." A female voice chirped. It came from an ONI agent clad from head to toe in a Commando armour identical to what Republic Special forces wore, making her gender hard to determine from a curious visual examination.

"That won't be necessary." The count politely declined. "You still haven't told us the extraction plan."

"It's above my pay-grade. My team will be going out with the goods. You're supposed to go with Beta off world, that's all I know." The operative shrugged.

"Alpha One, Insight. Target comms are compromised. There won't be a distress call coming out for the first five to ten minutes. Make sure you're in an out before the window closes. Heavy cloud cover and reflected thermals from the industrial zone will mask you from orbital surveillance in case you have to go loud. Over."

"Insight, Alpha One, we'll do it quiet as long as our credentials hold." The woman responded. Over."

"Alpha One, Insight. That's why Beta's playing overwatch. Just get the package, make the transfer and be out in ten at worst. Insight over and out."

"Get your helmets on and don't play with your lightsabers or Jedi tricks unless everything goes to hell." The operative ordered.

Windu glared at her before catching himself and frowning. He took a series of deep breaths to calm himself before sealing in his helmet making him outrwardly indistinguishable from the other occupants of the vehicle minus Dooku who smirked at the Jedi and only then covered his head.

"You do know we can't really pass for a group of Clones, right?" The Sith asked.

While the arms and armour everyone wore was right, the differences in their height was a dead give-away.

"There are enough non-clones authorized to wear this equipment on Coruscant. Even more after the bloody tank-born went rogue." The operative intoned. "Alpha Team, put your game faces on. We're beginning final approach in thirty."

=RK=

The two LAATs carrying one of ONI's Direct Action Units flew towards the industrial plant where some Republic experimental equipment was produced. Air control challenged them, but let them pass after receiving the correct authentication and recognition codes. It was just another in the aftermath of the Jedi Coup – GAR was going crazy with unscheduled inspections, last minutes additions to security details and whatever else troublesome brainstorm their little minds could cook up to show they weren't exactly useless.

In a time honoured tradition it was too little too late and only happened after the damage was done.

At least that's what the night shift air controller at Victor Industries plant thought after going through the same damn thing for the third time that week alone. There was a whole company of those useless Clones to augment the Corporate Security crawling all over the place. What more two LAATs worth of people could do, he had no idea.

Well, besides more paperwork for him, because he had a bunch of forms to fill because the fools didn't bother to clear their arrival in advance. At least they were the real deal – all the codes said so.

The controller sighed in exasperation and went to refill his caf. The paperwork could wait.

=RK=

Part 2

Victor Industries facility

Shan Industrial Zone

Coruscant

Alpha Team's insertion went in smoothly. Their credentials and pass-codes were enough to land and reach the loading area without trouble. They even got a bored guard to escort them there.

Finding their target was easy too – there were only two light freighters docked inside and only one had heavy security – a platoon's worth of Clones were stationed around it facing outwards. There had to be another platoon as a QRF nearby with the rest of the company playing perimeter security.

"Identify yourselves." A corporal flanked by a pair of troopers intercepted Alpha on their way to the transport. He barked his demand after glancing their way and determining that there was no way they could be Clones.

"Major Winter Hoch, Corellian Security Force on secondment to Military Intelligence. We're here to make sure certain cargo reaches its destination unmolested." Alpha One spoke in a bored tone and slowly uncapped a data-pad from her harness.

The Clone stared at them for a few seconds before picking up the device and examining its contents.

"This is the first time I hear of this. Wait here while I check with command." The corporal gestured to his men who took a step forward to face the operatives.

"As long as it gets done before the freighter leaves." Alpha One shrugged without a care in the world.

"Lieutenant, we've got another bunch of unscheduled visitors." The corporal began speaking in his comm. "LT, do you copy, over? Sir? Check your comms." He ordered the privates.

They did as instructed and couldn't get through.

"Alpha One, Insight. You've got company. We detected an intrusion and had to kill their comms before the alarm went up. Five to ten minutes at best. Secure the objective. Beta's moving in. ETA three mikes. I say again, go loud. Reinforcements ETA three mikes. Insight out."

Before Alpha One's mind could register what was happening the heads of the privates snapped back in synch and the back of their helmets exploded in pink mist. The corporal stood frozen for a moment, before dropping the data-pad and diving for the floor.

"SNIPERS! Take cover!" Alpha One snapped an order after she jumped to kiss the ground.

She couldn't hear the shots over the cacophony of the working machinery in the loading area, however the operative had a front row seat of the corporal's death. A bullet slammed into his chest-plate with enough force to shatter it and another hit him in the neck producing a shower of blood.

"They aren't shooting at us." Dooku intoned over the team's comms. "I don't sense any direct danger or hostility. Do you want to tell us something, 'commander'?" The Sith asked.

"Pop smoke. This isn't part of the plan. Into the transport, go!" Alpha One snapped and followed her own orders.

"Halt!" A Clone raised his blaster at the advancing operatives.

Alpha Three took him out with a double tap.

"Good thing they don't have proper armours."

"The QRF has them." Alpha One hissed.

"This QRF?" Dooku asked mildly.

A side ramp on the freighter went down and a squad of heavy troopers charged out followed by a great many well equipped soldiers.

"Kriff the plan!" Alpha Four grunted and dove for the questionable cover provided by a nearby stack of crates.

Windu lasted no time. He let go of his blaster, summoned his lightsaber and jumped at the charging Clones. Dooku shook his head and merely raised a hand and unleashed a torrent of purple lighting at the soldiers.

"So much for keeping low profile." Alpha One snarled and went for her grenades.

=RK=

ONI safe-house

Coruscant

"Insight, Gamma One. Diversion is a go. Slicers in place. ETA four mikes, over."

"Gamma One, Insight. Well done. Make sure all primary packages make it. What about the secondary objective, over? Beta One, Insight. Code Black. Alpha needs immediate extraction. Go loud. We can give you five minutes of silence at best. Insight out."

"Our new friends are on overwatch providing cover. They have their orders. We're recording everything and... Secondary is a go. Our old friends are engaging. Gamma One, over."

"Good. Carry on, Gamma One. Insight, out. Operative Thelmak, Insight. Status?"

"Insight, I'm in position. No sight of the objective."

"Hold tight, Thelmak. Service the objective if it appears in the next fifteen minutes otherwise exfiltrate. Insight out. So far so good. Now let's see what's going to go horribly wrong tonight." A supposedly dead man whispered to himself.

His eyes darted over multiple monitors where he could see the status of three separate operations he was coordinating that night. While very much real, the raid on Victor Industries was a grand diversion that with a bit of luck would make the other two missions possible. Even if they didn't pan out, this night's work already paid off – once the footage taken by Gamma got uploaded to the holonet, what little support the Jedi had in the Core would be dead and buried bar that coming from fanatics who simply wouldn't be swayed. If only the efforts to draw and quarter that Sith in the media over whatever happened at Kamino panned out, then it would be a very good week indeed.

The intelligence operative sighed. Perhaps he should do something about Kenobi too – it was that man's support and need for proof that provided Veil a friendly voice that people would listen to. Perhaps drumming up the Mandalorian connection between the two of them? Besides, they were brothers-in-law now so Obi-Wan supporting the Sith should be expected and his word shouldn't have as much weight it otherwise might...

"Insight, Beta One. We're in and loud. We've got eyes on Alpha, they're getting into the freighter. We're going to escort them out, then cover their tracks. Do I have permission to sanitize the evidence?"

"Beta One, Insight. Permission granted. Just make sure all primary objectives are secure before the fireworks. Extraction variants three to five are still valid. Make sure the primaries leave Coruscant before sunrise. Insight, out. Gamma One, Insight. Be advised, Beta is going to drop the hammer shortly. Status?"

"Slicing in progress. ETA one mike and we're exfiltrating. We'll transmit the data before going to ground. Gamma One, out."

=RK=

Part 3

"Warfare is based on information, intelligence and thus deception. The failure on that front was one of the, if not the, the greatest failing of the Republic at the beginning of the Clone Wars. That state of affairs is at least partially understandable. The Confederacy wasn't an outside threat where the intelligence agencies should have concentrated their efforts. A lot of systems only joined the CIS shortly before or in response to the Republic unveiling its Clone Army. The nature of the conflict is another reason. As years pass, people tend to forget that when the Clone Wars began, they were a Republic civil war between the central government and a secessionist movement. There's a reason why the Confederacy of Independent systems is to this day referred to as Separatists by both official documents and the common citizens.

When the war began, the CIS military and budging intelligence services knew more about their Republic counterparts than any outside enemy ever could without gross incompetence and grand treason rearing their ugly heads. Up until Coruscant and Naboo, the Confederacy persisted in having multiple high ranking sympathisers within many branches of the Republic government – from the Senate to GAR HighCom to intelligence agencies.

That state of affairs shifted briefly in the aftermath of the bio-weapon attacks. ONI, SI and other branches of Republic intelligence services were purged of proven or suspected Separatist agents. There were all indications that the agencies were at least moderately successful in their efforts. We know for sure that various Republic intelligence agents were critical in uncovering Confederate build-up at Geonosis, their plans to lay a grand trap for the Republic military and neutralizing the planetary shield generators, which allowed a successful campaign to cripple the CIS industry there for the rest of the war.

Yet, most of the damage was already done. Even before the war began, many Republic intelligence agents had their identities compromised, the Separatists knew of safe-houses, procedures, often even up to date codes... That regrettable state of affairs persisted up until the end of the conflict. While the intelligence services of individual Republic members would often distinguish themselves, the official Republic agencies suffered setback after setback...

The Jedi Coup and its aftermath broke ONI, SI and most other Republic intelligence agencies. A significant number of high placed agents, at least one director and multiple special operations groups went rogue and did their best to ensure the success of the coup. Their efforts are credited with making the assassination of Chancellor Palpatine possible in the first place by crippling GAR response and giving enough time to former Jedi Master Mace Windu to cut his way through the defenders of the Senate and accomplish his murderous mission.

The consequences were predictable – neither GAR nor the surviving Republic government could trust any intelligence agency bar the army's Military Intelligence. While it was suspected that the majority of agents were not traitors, no one could afford the risk. All known ONI and SI sites were raided as soon as practical and their agents hunted down either as traitors or for interrogation to determine their culpability. In the first days after the coup attempt many of those people on Coruscant resisted believing false information fed into their system that a GAR backed coup was into effect. A significant number of agents were convinced that was in fact the truth after the Clones went after them..."

"How the Republic lost the Intelligence war"

Leinna Marcel, Eriadu Military Academy

=RK=

Kuat Broadcasting Corporation Yacht "Starlight"

thirty light minutes from Kuat

"As you can see, we're well protected here even without Republic naval forces in system." A spokesman for Kuat's government smiled affably at a group of journalist from all over the Core. "We're just about to pass besides the Pride of the Core, the flagship of our invincible defence fleet." He continued.

The human spokesman looked slick, so perfect that Denii couldn't help it but feel he was a fake. She had seen many people like him back in the real Republic. They all promised victory in the war, that a state rotten to the core like the Empire could never triumph over a free democracy.

It was a nice sentiment. One Denii used to believe in until reality intruded. As a young Padawan she fought in multiple battles. She even killed Sith who were hell-bent on killing her and destroying everything she stood for. For a time, Strum could hope that the enemy could be beaten. She knew the Sith could die just like everyone else. The Jedi was aware that they weren't some invincible juggernauts.

Yet... The Republic lost. She hard the reports – of failed desperate counter-offensives. Sith onslaughts that couldn't be held back. The Navy stood its ground and died. Tried to run only to be hunted down. The situation on the ground wasn't much better. Only worlds with newly deployed theatre and planetary shields could hold in the face of Imperial orbital superiority.

Denii knew that the fleet she was part of was recalled for Coruscant along with the bulk of surviving military for one last desperate attempt to stop the tide.

They didn't make it and had to learn from history books that the outcome they feared materialized – the Republic lost. It fractured as consequence and only the Sith turning on each other in a time honoured fashion prevented them from claiming the whole galaxy.

At least the Republic eventually reformed. It might have been glorious one, once centuries ago. However, the Republic Denii and the rest of the remnant found in this forsaken future was anything but. It was as bad or even worse as the Sith propaganda of her time accused it to be. Corrupted, inefficient, not really democratic... An oligarchy at best.

The revelation that their Chancellor was a Sith when it came... A sad smile sneaked its way to Denii's face. The Sith had won and no-one seemed to notice. Or care. If it wasn't for the Separatists – themselves led by another Sith, she doubted the Remnant would have found a way to change this rotten galaxy for the better.

Her smile grew and she beamed at the spokesman. Two of the Sith were removed from power, another was suspected to be dead or at least heavily wounded. Only that monster from their own time remained on the loose and he would be hunted down in due time so he could be made to pay for all his crimes.

Today, Denii would make sure the Jedi would be a step closer to stopping that madman. The time was right. She could see the Pride of the Core coming into view in the window behind the Kuat PR specialist. Denii opened her mind to the currents of the Force and through it her perception became impossibly clear and vast. She could sense everything living on board the yacht. She pushed further and the Mandator they were approaching was within her awareness. The Jedi Knight gathered the Force within herself and blazed like a beacon. She pushed everything she could perceive through her connection with her new master, Perrion and looked at the spokesman. The Force sang through her and all she could feel was euphoria at her feat.

"Sir, Denii Strum, ORR. May I ask you a question?" The Jedi asked in an excited tone.

"ORR? I'm afraid I'm not familiar, young lady. Please, do ask, but quickly. We're almost on top of the Pride." The spokesman gave her a condescending smile.

"How secure do you really think you are? Do you believe that your navy could protect Kuat from justice?" Denii asked of the cameras and everyone looking at the live broadcast.

"Of course we are!" The affable smile never left the man's face but his eyes narrowed at Denii. "We've got all seven Mandator Star Dreadnoughts deployed in system. The Separatist threw their worst at us and bounced. They hadn't made any further encroachments in the Core ever since our navy evicted them!"

"Is that so?" Denii smirked and pointed at the window.

A hundred short ranged assault transports piloted by Jedi exited hyperspace on top of the Mandator. In an impossible feat of piloting and coordination they flew at the gargantuan battleship and landed before its defence systems could be released to engage them. They landed into open hangars or next to access points that Denii managed to divine and send to her new master along with the precise location of their target.

"I'm not convinced." Denii smiled. Her connection with the Force faltered and she stumbled to her knees. The Jedi didn't really feel the strain of doing what many would call impossible while she was busy actually making it happen but now that the assault teams were in... Denii felt something wet on her face. She raised a hand to her cheek to touch it and the looked at her fingers.

They were red with blood. Huh. She didn't feel pain. Her eyes rolled back and Denii collapsed on the deck.

No one really noticed. Everyone in the compartment was too busy starring through the window and making sure their cameras were catching everything.

=RK=

Part 4

Republic Star Dreadnought The Pride of the Core

thirty light minutes from Kuat

A pang of regret lanced through Jerod Perrion's heart when he felt his new apprentice lose consciousness. That emotion was immediately swallowed by a wave of pride Denii's achievement and anticipation. She did it! His strike groups were hitting their targets thanks to Strum's sacrifice and he was going to make it all count. The assault transport slammed into the Dreadnought's hull with a dull clang and its ramps were blown off by carefully placed charges to ensure fast disembarkation.

Perrion walked out into open space on the heels of his soldiers and the Force was with him. Her power pulsed in tandem with the beat of his heart and her soothing caress made the pain of losing his wife a distant, bearable thing. Even arranging Denii's part into the operation no longer stung – it was merely what had to be done to bring down the corrupt twisted image of the Republic that mocked the sacrifices of everyone who ever fought, suffered and died in the name of freedom.

Now Jerod had to simply ensure that the sacrifices of his own people counted. That much he could do. The will of the Force was his will, her might – he could wield it for as long as his body could handle it.

The Jedi Master raised his hands and his power surged around him obeying before he could even finish the gesture. Ten GUARDIAN turrets were swinging around and aiming to erase him and his men from the face of the universe.

There was no sound in space, yet Jerod could swear he heard the screech of tearing metal when his telekinesis tore the weapon emplacements from their cradles and let them drift pass the slowly moving Star Dreadnought. A though was all it took and the heavily armoured hatch providing maintenance and DC access to this part of the outer surface was assaulted by his telekinesis. Mere metal, even the unnaturally tough alloy making a capital ship's armour was no match for the might of the Force. The hatch followed the turrets example and flew away in a heap of crumpled metal.

Perrion's men were already jumping in using their armours in built repulsors to propel themselves into the ship. He simply walked after them taking a moment to check how the initial assault was going. Jerod smiled when he could vaguely sense all his Jedi, even Denii though her presence was very faint. If she survived the backslash of overstraining herself, he vowed to go back and retrieve her no matter what.

Then there was no more time for such sentimentality. The Jedi Master was into the Pride of the Core and he had a ship to hijack.

"No alarms yet?" The oldest member of his strike team asked incredulously.

"No?" Jerod paused for a heartbeat once his armoured feet touched the deck. Indeed, there were no alarms blaring within the Mandator. The only doors which were closing were the comparatively light bulkheads meant to contain atmosphere, not the much thicker armoured ones.

That oversight was immediately corrected by the crew and red lights began to flash the length of the corridor the strike team used for insertion point.

"That's better." Another commando nodded.

Even if this Republic was the enemy, seeing any kind of sloppiness by the people sworn to protect it grated to those who spent decades fighting the Sith to preserve their way of life. It was almost as bad as figuring out that this Republic was a democracy in name only. Why the people of this time couldn't see the truth and raise against those who took their voice, Perrion would never know.

"Enough." The Jedi Master snapped as much to himself as to the troopers surrounding him. This wasn't the time to think about what ifs. They had a job to do.

The Force signalled her approval with a cool caress that helped Jerod focus his mind. Perrion sheathed his will within the endless ocean of power at his disposal and jogged in the direction of the CIC. He didn't need to make a single gesture to help himself channel the Force. She simply obeyed Perrion's intent and every pulse of power passing through his body strengthened his determination. The first set of armoured doors simply tore apart at his approach as if they were made of wet rags. A group of witless crew had just a moment to stare at the running apparitions before vacuum sucked them along with the precious air and warmth keeping them alive. They bounced off invisible barrier and flew above and around the intruders without hitting or even slowing them down.

Three hundred meters and two more armoured doors later, Perrion met the firs real resistance. A squad of lightly armed Kuati tried to stop his advance. The Jedi Master glared at the obstacle. The Force pulsed after reading his intent and they were all crushed against the floor.

Jerod had forgotten how good it felt to be in combat. The only regret he had was the lack of worthy enemies. These poor bastards crewing the ship? They had no concept what he unleashed upon them. Perrion and his Jedi were done hiding. No more holding back. This was the war for the Republic's, no the galaxy's very soul and they had to win, no matter the cost.

=RK=

CIC

Republic Star Dreadnought the Pride of the Core

thirty light minutes from Kuat

"Captain, we've got intruders in all hangars. Multiple breaches one thirty of the outer decks."

"We just lost contact with the fleet. Jamming devices attached to our hull are compromising communications. Attempting to compensate..."

"We've lost sections of the GUARDIAN network. We can use that information to pinpoint the insertion points of the boarders..."

"That's what I want to hear! Secure all critical compartments. Dispatch security to all suspected breaches. Lock down my ship!" Admiral Berd Jillian hissed in a passable Basic – a respectable achievement for a Bith. His species was infamous for usually being unable to properly talk the language, if they were able to pronounce most of the correct sounds at all. "Comms, burn through the jamming. Find out if there are other ongoing attacks. Keep the GUARDIAN up and make sure we don't get any more uninvited guests. This has to be a distraction. A few thousand soldiers at worst – they have no prayer in hell of capturing this ship. Look for enemy reinforcements. If you have to, dispatch small craft to raise the rest of the fleet!"

Jillian's words finally shook his command crew from the stunned disbelief that someone had the sheer nerve of boarding the Pride of the Core in the middle of their own home system. It took them precious moments but soon everyone was acting with the efficiency the admiral drilled into them in the past six months since taking command after the Mandator's refit.

"Sir, you need to see this! The intruders are Jedi!" A disbelieving voice rang clear across the CIC.

"Jedi? What are those madmen doing on my ship?!" Jillian's own tone wasn't much better. Wasn't the mess they did on Coruscant and Corellia enough? Did they come here just to make sure Kuat felt included or something?

The admiral walked briskly to the console where a marine lieutenant was overseeing the status of the ships internal security. Multiple monitors showed pictures of the boarders. They all wore sleek advanced looking armour of unfamiliar design, carried heavy weapons as if they were toys and each group was led by a lightsaber wielding maniac. What's worse, they were simply tearing their way through anything standing on their path. Reinforced blast doors were either cut through by energy blades, breached with heavy duty shaped charges or worse – here and there a Jedi simply raised a hand and the armoured allow was torn asunder by invisible force.

Three marine platoons converged on an enemy force a quarter of their number and fifteen seconds later they were either dead, dying or sent running. Only a single intruder was left behind and another seemed to move a bit slower than the rest but that was it.

"Make sure security breaks out the heavy weapons. Pull up a schematic with their progress." Jillian ordered.

A dull sound echoed through the CIC.

"DC what did they do to my ship?!" The admiral growled.

"That's... that's impossible..." The commander in charge of coordinating damage control stammered.

"I've got them on camera, sir." The marine LT whispered. His tone was a mixture of awe and disbelief.

Jillian was sure he heard a hint of fear in the young man's voice.

Another rumble echoed and the admiral felt the slightest of tremors below his feet. Then another. He looked back at the monitors in front of the lieutenant and stared. There was a large jagged hole in the deck. The image changed, another corridor, another pit torn into its floor.

"Sir, that's right above us – seventeen decks." The lieutenant swallowed dryly. "Sixteen now."

"Security to the CIC." Jillian's voice was hollow. This was surely impossible! Even Jedi couldn't possibly...

Thuump. A metallic shiver followed by a quiet scream of alloy being torn apart.

"Transfer control to the bridge, captain Hokings has command. Have the secondary CICs ready to assume command if necessary. Lieutenant Aler, find us a safe route to evacuate." Jillian found his voice, though it was a dry, parched thing.

"Admiral, we need to leave, now!" The lieutenant exclaimed.

The deck below them shook and all Jillian could hear was abused metal screaming. The lights flickered then went off only to be replaced by dull orange emergency...

A deafening screech of tearing metal made the admiral and everyone else grab their ears and collapse in pain. The ceiling twisted as if it was made of jelly and something was funnelling it away.

Jillian's hands went for a side-arm he no longer carried with him and he was left to helplessly watch as armoured figures simply jumped through the brand new hole in the ceiling.

One of them made its was straight for the admiral and he suddenly found himself suspended in mid-air. The monster raised a hand and placed its armoured gauntlet on Jillian's face. The admiral felt as if he was submerged into a freezing pool. His awareness narrowed until he could only perceive the figure standing in front of him.

Jillian tried to speak, to scream his defiance. His efforts were met by grim amusement that was shortly replaced by cold, pitiless anger. The admiral felt something cool touch his mind but that was surely impossible.

Right?

The touch turned into a thousand stabs that sent pure agony through his very being. Jillian tried to scream but he found out that he had no voice to scream with. He felt his very being unravel. Secrets he was sworn to protect unto the grave were torn off from his mind. Command codes, procedures... everything this monster needed to take over Jillian's ship. The admiral struggled. Tried to fight despite feeling such agony that even thinking was almost impossible.

It didn't help. The pain increased. Jillian felt something within his very soul wrench apart... The admiral silently keened in horror at the pitiless violation and then he could think no more.

=RK=

Perrion discarded the empty shell that used to be admiral Berd Jillian, noted that his people had exterminated the CIC's crew and were securing all entrances and nodded in approval. He closed his eyes and knelt to the floor. It took him few moments to centre himself after tearing through the admiral's mind, even longer to achieve equilibrium with the Force after all the raw power he channelled to get to the CIC this fast and only then he could muster the concentration for what had to be done next.

Controls on multiple stations began moving as if on their own accord. Command codes entered the Star Dreadnought's systems and slowly but surely the Pride of the Core network was compromised from within. The bridge was physically cut off from the network leaving it with access to just its surrounding decks and thus mostly harmless.

If only engineering could be secured before someone could scuttle the main reactors or primary engines... Perrion smiled in relief. He guided the Force around himself and spoke into an open channel to engineering using admiral Jillian's voice. He had the correct codes. Those who could contradict his version of events were cut off from engineering one after another. There were multiple strike teams racing to secure the main reactors and Jerod hoped he bought them enough time.

To his relief, the Force surrounded him in a soothing cool embrace. He did all right, surely?

=RK=

Part 5

Senate chamber

Senate building

Coruscant

There was no luck. There was the Force, competent enemies and treacherous allies, Obi-Wan thought. In the past ten hours everything his wife and political allies worked for during the last couple of weeks went out of the airlock.

The raid on Victor Industries, which culminated in a ground detonation of a capital grade concussion missile in the heart of one of Coruscant's industrial zones was bad enough by itself. Leaked footage of Jedi and what might have been a Sith leading the attack – if the colour of their lightsabers and the use of lighting was anything to go by, was a disaster on all levels. The public was going insane, the Clones demanded orders to tear apart Coruscant so they could continue with Order 66... For a few hours things actually looked up despite the disaster at Shan. The Senate looked like would finally act and elect a Chancellor thus allowing Kenobi to do his job.

That was the purpose of this emergency session. Then, only an hour before they could begin, news of the disaster at Kuat reached Coruscant. A Mandator, the flagship of the Kuati Defence Fleet no less was boarded by Jedi led special forces, captured and spirited away in the direction of Corellia. Military speaking, that mess was a mixed blessing. The Kuati finally appeared willing to listen, however they were gathering a Task Force to send after the Pride of the Core. A mistake in Obi-Wan's mind. Despite aggressive scouting and daily skirmishes, the Republic didn't know enough about the enemy disposition at Corellia and most other worlds they captured in the core.

Kenobi grimaced. The GAR, the whole Republic really, was too busy chasing ghosts to concentrate on the real enemy. He could understand it, intellectually. The sheer scale of the betrayal stung. The damage caused by ONI and SI treason cut deeply. In the long term it could cause as much damage as the loss of Corellian industry. In the short term – it was actually worse.

For once, Obi-Wan could command the Clones to go after the Confederacy. They were eager to chase the Jedi who took the Pride of the Core. Depending on what exactly the Senate decided, Kenobi might be forced to do it anyway even if doing so wouldn't be the best military decision. He suspected that a trap awaited whoever went after that hijacked Mandator. Springing it might turn either way. The risk might be worth it if not for a simple fact. Obi-Wan suspected that the Republic couldn't handle many more military disasters.

"I call general Kenobi!" The Senator from Anaxes, Mariah Lindon, shouted loud enough to be heard over the noise of his arguing colleagues. "We need to hear the truth about our military situation before voting. No more evasions, security concerns or half-truth. Perhaps that would be enough to make things clear to some of our esteemed peers!" The regal woman thundered, earning herself a lot of scowls and angry shouts.

Obi-Wan frowned. She was one of those who actually knew better than to demand classified information in such an open setting. She was a retired naval captain before coming into politics so she certainly knew better. What was her ploy? Or did she simply consider the situation so dire that revealing certain operations details might be an acceptable risk? If doing so got the Republic a Chancellor it might even be worth it.

Kenobi activated his pod after the acting speaker gave him a sign to come up. Perhaps... There were too many lies and secrets. The truth might work, besides telling it in this building would be a novel concept.

"What are your questions, Senator?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"Every day we hear how dire a situation we find ourselves in. Here in the Senate, at briefings in the Security council, in the media. What we haven't heard stated plainly is why the Republic hasn't lost the war already if the situation is as bad as you claim." The Lindon raised a hand in a forestalling gesture as her colleagues began whispering furiously. "I'm not accusing you of lying or overstating the danger, general Kenobi. I merely want to hear the situation described in terms that people not familiar with the military and its jargon could understand."

That was actually a fair enough question. Obi-Wan thought furiously. His perception was that the Senate was still very much divided. If he handled this properly he might be able to push some of those people into actually doing their bloody job. If he explained the truth in a way they could understand it... Would that work? Or would they continue to care more about their petty political agendas more than they gave a damn about the Republic as a whole?

In the past month, in no small part thanks to his wife and her expert navigation of the murky waters of Coruscant's politics, Obi-Wan learned more about the dirty side of the Republic that he ever wanted to. What he saw frankly disgusted him, unfortunately the alternative was even worse. At least the Senate and most of the Core were restrained by the trappings of democracy and whims of public opinion – something that could not be said for the Separatists.

"I'll do my best, Senator. To put the situation in perspective, for the past month the strategic situation between us and the Separatists shifted and resembles a mirror image. When the war began, we were forced to cover the width and breath of the Republic, stretching our forces thin. The Confederacy not only had more ships than us, a situation that is still true, they could freely concentrate overwhelming numbers at locations they deemed important enough. That accounted for a great deal of their early victories, a fact made worse by the simple truth that the Republic wasn't ready for a war, much less one on this scale." Obi-Wan paused so his audience could digest his words.

"How things changed? We're still outnumbered and the traitors hold important Core worlds! This isn't a mirror image! If it was we would be safe!" A Senator Obi-Wan didn't know shouted and a lot of people voiced their agreement.

"I'll answer that right now. At this moment the Separatist control most of the explored galaxy, true. That however means they are the people who have to hold a tremendous amount of territory. That was anticipated when GAR High Command planned how to respond to the enemy's offensive. While we don't have reliable avenues of communication with large tracks of Republic space, we do know what orders were given to all Republic forces in what is now Separatist controlled space. A sector fleet equivalent was ordered to disperse in the triangle. That's what we began calling the sector of space between Malastare, Naboo and Kalinda. Those ships were to avoid action in the initial weeks of the enemy offensive when practical, do their best to disrupt enemy activities in the region and eventually converge at Naboo and Malastare from where they were to do their best to cut off enemy supply routes through the region for as long as possible."

"You abandoned most of the Republic and now try selling that as a feature!" Kalinda's Senator snapped to thunderous applause.

"We did. It is a feature of the plan. The cold truth is that when the Separatist offensive began, we had few viable options to chose from. We could either completely abandon the Rim and concentrate everything in the Core, try protecting everything and risk a crushing defeat in detail or get creative. We did the last. It was a risk, true. For all any of us knows, those fleets we left in the Mid Rim were annihilated for no good gain. We do know that general Veil managed to link with our forces in the Western Quadrant before the holonet was cut. We know that thanks to ordering our naval elements there to avoid combat they were available when he arrived and that's what made it possible for him to destroy multiple Separatist fleets on his way to relieve Eriadu. I admit then things become... nebulous. We know he intended to gather as many ships as practical and go to Kamino next to reinforce that system. What happened there..." Obi-Wan shrugged. "All we have to go on is a Separatist propaganda and thus to be suspect. Even if all the forces we had gathered at Kamino were destroyed, that would have happened at heavy price for the enemy. We had some of our best commanders out there. Say what you will about Veil, he knows what he's doing as a military officer."

For the next few minutes Obi-Wan had to answer angry questions about his brother-in-law. Most were innate, some stupid, others were already answered – multiple times. Kenobi crushed his frustration and continued verbally fencing with the Senate. Lately he found himself living up to his moniker, the Negotiator. Curiously, no one mentioned how many nerves one had to waste while dealing with the Senate.

"Yes, the man could be considered to be a monster... No, he's our monster... That's why we keep him around – he is very good at the whole killing people and breaking things job... Killing as many enemies as practical is merely the hallmark of a competent commander..." Again, Obi-Wan found himself defending Veil despite his misgivings about his... what were they really? Relatives? Sure. Colleagues? True enough. Perhaps even friends. None of that prevented Kenobi from seeing Delkatar for what he was and that was a highly functional, often reasonable monster who was on their side. The man needed managing at the best of times.

However, in a war like this... There were few peoples in the Republic that were more valuable than that bloody irritating Sith.

"Can we get back on topic?" The Anaxian matron snipped at her colleagues.

When the speaker managed to mostly calm down the menagerie masquerading as Senators, Obi-Wan could continue.

"As I was saying, the Separatists are forced to cover a great amount of territory with forces that would be better used elsewhere... if they could afford it. "As far as we know, the Confederacy needs to defend its border with our holdings in the western part of the galaxy, perhaps dedicate fleets for further strikes in the region and especially Eriadu. The same goes for the Triangle. Another staging ground was supposed to be Vergesso but we know little about what happened there. Veil and our forces at Kamino were either destroyed or are still a threat the Separatists would have no choice but to honour. The same goes four our holdings on the edge of Hutt space. The last we heard, Rishi, Manda and Pastil are still holding and most of our naval assets in that region converged there before the Separatists could annihilate them. Old Padron is another stronghold that held as of two weeks ago when we last heard from Hutt space. In the central region of the Mid Rim, everything we have left – about half a sector fleet is divided between Lantos and Lorahns. They're cut off and ordered to hold out as long as practical and if the opportunity present itself – make a break for Pastil if its still in friendly hands. In the east, the lines have stabilized. With the exception of Kashyyyk and Mandalore, where we've got expeditionary forces cut off and out of contact, we're holding the line. While there are raids ongoing in both directions, we're confident stopping any new enemy offensive before it could break through to any vital strategic systems. We're fairly confident that baring another major disaster we can contain the enemy for the time being. Having the Clones ordered to cease their fascination with Order 66 by the next Chancellor would allow us to actually go on some limited offensives while preparing to push the enemy out of the Core."

"Why would the Separatists wait?!"

"Confederate and GAR forces in the Core are at a rough parity. We do have the advantage of multiple System Defensive Fleets ready to counter any enemy advance that aren't a part of the nominal Republic Navy. If they were, combined with the Clones receiving a direct order by the Chancellor, our situation would improve tremendously. As I said, the Separatists can't freely concentrate their superior numbers without leaving their rear areas exposed to the forces we've got outside of the Core and the east part of the Rim. As long as those units exist and their supplies hold they tie down numerous enemy ships. More than would be damaged or lost if we had simply ordered those ships home or a futile last stand." Kenobi gladly noted that at least few Senators were actually listening to what he was saying and not dismissing his words outright.

"How can we replenish our troops without Kamino's Clones?" The Senator from Hok demanded.

"New volunteer formations coming online has helped a lot but it would be at least two to three more training cycles before we could begin to fully replace the source of Clones we lost when Kamino was cut off with regular soldiers. At this time I can't promise a swift resolution of this war. With the loss of Corellian industry and a source of ready reinforcements, I can't with a clear conscience even guarantee an ultimate victory. Our estimates are that currently the Republic and Confederacy are roughly equally matched economically. While we still do have larger overall industry, the Separatists have a huge advantage of easily accessible resources in the regions they captured which equals things in the medium to long term. What I can promise is a reasonable chance of victory, if the Republic stands together and allows us to do our jobs."

"Thank you for this summary, general Kenobi." The woman from Anaxes smiled wryly at him. "Can you tell us what happened at Kuat?"

That was a thorny question.

"The accident is still under investigation by Kuat's navy. At this time we have a limited amount of information to go by. My professional opinion is that the Pride of the Core's crew was caught off guard and overwhelmed by Jedi led commando units. I still haven't received a satisfactory answer why the ship wasn't intercepted and its way physically blocked to prevent it from entering hyperspace once control was lost. The few reports we received at GAR HQ on the matter are contradictory and incomplete. As you know, currently our intelligence services are crippled. While we're doing our best to restore lost capabilities and mitigate any damage caused by the traitors, doing so takes time, time which we may not have as the raid at Shan demonstrated. I'm not comfortable in speculating without having access to better information on what exactly happened at Kuat."

"This would be all, general. I call for a short recess to think about what general Kenobi reported before voting for a Chancellor..."

=RK=

A few minutes later, Obi-Wan was sitting in a secure room besides his wife with Senators Organa, Amidala and Mothma in attendance.

"Do you think they will finally do it?" Kenobi asked. He certainly didn't whine to Satine.

"Before Kuat got one of the most powerful ships in existence stolen from under their collective noses? Probably. Now? Confidence in their power and competence is less certain. This would shift people's perceptions. Some would see them as a less of a threat and thus support their Senator. Others won't because they believe we need a somewhat competent Chancellor and this mess reflects badly on our Kuati friend." Satine explained.

"Those accidents stripped even more of my own support and gave additional ammunition to the radicals. I've heard a rumour that they might make their own nomination later today." Bail said.

"Since when are those lunatics important enough to do something like that?!" Obi-Wan asked. This was the first time he hard of that particular madness. So far all he knew of the more radical factions in the Senate was how good they were in making themselves fools in front of everyone. That included the small but growing Sith fan-club who apparently thought that turning the Republic into an Empire would be a great idea, because certainly then the war could be won more easily.

"Don't be so hard to dismiss them. I've heard some disturbing rumours. It turns out that certain powerful families are behind the clique suggesting Imperialism as a panacea. What's odd is the fact that we've heard nothing about contact between them and Veil. Perhaps they're a group of desperate opportunists or it could be something more sinister." Mothma cautioned.

"Let's not forget the crazies blaming everything on the Jedi and everyone who could use the Force. Did you hear about those rallies demanding the 'purification' of the Republic of unnatural elements?" Padme grimaced.

"That brand of crazy was brought to my attention." Obi-Wan admitted. They could be trouble, but hopefully only a minority of people would ever agree to their madness.

=RK=

An hour later, five people were nominated for Chancellor. Senator Danu from Kuat, Senator Organa from Alderaan, Senator Mariah Lindon from Anaxes, Senator Barda Hill from Scipio, who was in the pocket of the Intergalactic Banking Clan and electing him might be considered a capitulation to the Separatists in all but name and finally Kot Ilmo from Bilbringi. The debate raged for hours, various radical groups tried to push for their own candidates too but those didn't get enough support to make the final cut.

Finally, the vote was called in. Everyone eagerly waited for the speaker to announce the results and Obi-Wan knew even before the man spoke that it was another bust. The human's expression told it all. Danu got forty percent of the Senate to support him – a far cry from the majority he needed to be elected, much less the support he would to actually rule effectively. Ilmo came a distant second with twenty five percent followed by Lindon with eighteen and Organa with fifteen. The only high point was Hill getting a meagre two percent of the votes. Still, the mere fact that he got nominated in the first place unnerved Kenobi.

He barely paid any attention to the speaker who called for another session in two days time barring any more unforeseen events.

"General Kenobi, I have a message for you from minister Praji. He needs to speak with you about security concerns and a friend of yours you've misplaced." A Rodian aide intercepted the Kenobis when they were leaving their pod.

"A friend of mine?" Obi-Wan repeated. A Jedi who avoided the madness of the Coup perhaps but then why would the minister protect them? "I would meet the minister at his convenience."

"Now would be convenient. Perhaps ambassador Kenobi should join us too?" The aide suggested.

Well, wasn't that interesting! The first thing that came to mind was that Praji had news of Veil but how and why?! What was the old Sith playing at this time?!

=RK=

Part 6

Minister Tannon Praji's office

Ministry of Ingress

Obi-Wan's first impression of the minister was that of a plump, jovial man. Despite few unpleasant rumours the former Jedi heard since the war began, the feeling he got through the Force simply reinforced that impression. Praji didn't feel like the uncaring heartless monster who put a halt of refugee immigration to Coruscant in the wake of First Geonosis because he supposedly didn't give a damn about the suffering of the displaced beings.

The office on the other hand resembled closely what one might imagine when thinking of a rich tycoon playing politics to pass the time. The room was large and well lit, richly decorated too. Kenobi saw many stands holding pieces of art from all over the galaxy, from incredible sculptures and portraits to twisted piles of what appeared to be junk.

Tannon Praji raised from behind his wooden desk and smiled pleasantly at his guests. He seemed relieved to see them, however his eyes bore into them with an intensity betraying keen intelligence. There was more to this man was much more than the rumours indicated.

"Ambassador Kenobi, general, it's good to finally meet you!" Praji gave them an impeccable bow and jovially waved them towards a small caf table in one corner of the office. It appeared to be sculptured of a single piece of crystal that gleamed in the light. "Please be seated. We have a lot to talk about." Tannon straightened up and his bearing shifted a bit. "I had the office swept a few minutes ago and there are multiple jammers on. We can talk."

"Minister Praji, it's lovely to meet you." Satine put on her best smile and gushed at the man. She commented some admittedly impressive art that Obi-Wan failed to recognize and with the bit of small talk that protocol all but demanded out of the way, they set up to talk business.

"Minister your man indicated you had information of an acquaintance of mine. General Veil I presume?" Obi-Wan went straight to the crux of the matter. The latest session with the Senate had his significant reserves of patience all but drained.

"I do. An acquaintance of my family specializing in quietly delivering sensitive items arrived in Republic controlled space a few days ago. It took that long for my father and House Praji's allies to make their mind about the contents and send it to me along with a message that's addressed to you in particular, general Kenobi."

"That's certainly resourceful." Obi-Wan allowed. What was Veil thinking? More importantly, what game was he playing? Was this him being a Sith or simply acting in his position as Mandalore?

"You didn't arrange this meeting just to deliver a message to my husband, minister." Satine stated. "What did Mandalore suggest to you and your allies?"

"That the Republic needs strong, competent leadership. General Veil has been out of the loop since the coup. While he indicated his hope for a swift resolution of the current political crisis, he and allies he made at Eriadu suggest that you general Kenobi would be suitable in such a role." Praji's eyes bored into Obi-Wan.

"I see..." Kenobi trailed off. So this was his game at least on the surface. "I'm a former Jedi. Despite my long service to the Republic I don't believe I have a chance of assuming such a lofty position."

"Not without allies, true." The minister agreed.

"Does House Praji propose such an alliance?" Satine inquired. Despite her light tone, the tension in her voice was obvious to Obi-Wan. She was worried and excited.

"Houses Praji, Draal, Motti and Tarkin among others are ready to offer their support in exchange to certain concessions. The same concessions we had arranged with Chancellor Palpatine." Praji didn't waste any time by mincing words. It was probably Kenobi's new status as a Mandalorian and supreme commander of the Republic combat forces.

"This, while certainly unexpected is a pleasant news, minister. Mandalore hasn't been discarding his duties to his people I see." Satine said.

It took Obi-Wan too long to register his wife's words. His mind was busy processing what Praji just told them, especially the bit about deals with Palpatine. Despite evidence that the former Chancellor was in fact a Sith, a part of Kenobi had hoped that he had been somewhat similar to Delkatar – not necessary out to get power and crush the Jedi as a matter of course. No evidence had been recovered yet to indicate that Palpatine had been anything that he appeared to be – a Sith hiding in plain sight in order to avoid Jedi repression. Even his dead man's switch could be explained as a gift intended to fix the corruption in the Senate if he was removed from power. Obi-Wan did suspect that Palpatine might have been the Sith behind the war, yet he had no evidence to support such bold claims. With Veil, Dooku, those other Old Republic maniacs running around... Kenobi didn't know what was true any more. Yet, Praji's words indicated that Palpatine wasn't as nice as he presented himself to be.

"Would it too bold of me to ask what deals House Praji had with Chancellor Palpatine? After all you do want the same concessions that he offered, do you not?" Obi-Wan had to use every trick he learned in his years of negotiations all over the galaxy to keep himself outwardly calm and collected.

"We expect increased autonomy, trade concessions and security guarantees when you reform the Republic. Places in the government for at least few competent members of our houses. A voice at the table when important policy decisions concerning us are made." Praji explained.

That... The Jedi in Obi-Wan was spluttering in outrage. Doing so would be nepotism, corruption and subverting democracy itself.

"That might be possible." Satine said before Obi-Wan could formulate a denial. "Please enlighten us about your deal with Palpatine. What did he hope to achieve with your support? Let's put our cards on the table, minister."

Obi-Wan shot his wife a glance but kept his expression carefully blank. He needed to hear what Palpatine had been up to. He had to know what price he might have to pay if he wanted the deadlock in the Senate broken, even if it meant that he became the next Chancellor. If Obi-Wan was honest to himself, his faith in the Senate was all but destroyed lately. He found it harder and harder to find reasons to keep following their barely existing lead or acknowledging their authority. That was very dangerous state of affairs and a slippery slope he was sliding down upon. Unfortunately, Kenobi couldn't see good alternatives that wouldn't make things even worse.

Veil, Praji and the minister's clique of allies... Obi-Wan might have to make another deal with the devil in order to protect the Republic from itself. He wondered for how long that would be enough. How long before he lost himself. He was figuring out that the way to moral ambiguity and darkness didn't necessary lay at a single crucial decision. It could be cheerfully walked by doing small compromises with the best of intentions, because the alternatives were much, much worse.

"After the Naboo Crisis, the first one, Senator Palpatine began approaching various power blocks with feelers. He wanted to prevent such a disgrace happening again and found out the truth." Praji spoke after pondering Satine's request for a few seconds.

"And what truth did he find?" She asked.

"The deadlock forced by the Trade Federation wasn't a failure of the Senate. It wasn't a subversion of the system as many still claim." Praji frowned. "Ambassador, you're from Mandalore. I hear that most of your closest allies since arriving on Coruscant are among the more... shall we say idealistic crowd except Amidala. How much do you really know about how the Senate and the Republic for that matter really work?"

"I'm well versed in the legalities of the matter. I'll admit that my familiarity with the various factions in the Senate and government aren't yet as good as they should be. A significant part of my information is now obsolete after so many Senators were removed from power either due to Separatist actions, the coup or investigations. However, I find it curious you don't include Padme Amidala with the idealists. You could argue that I'm one too." Satine smiled demurely.

"You wanted me to speak plainly. Do you really want me to believe that Queen Amidala, now Senator Amidala wasn't on in and backing Palpatine?" Praji made a great show of rolling his eyes.

"I think we've got a failure of communication here, minister. I'm getting the suspicion that Palpatine did a great many things that Senator Amidala wasn't aware of." Obi-Wan intoned. There was no way Padme supported Palpatine if she knew he was a Sith. She had been one of the opponents of him gathering so much power in his hands. This was the first time Kenobi figured out that most Senators wouldn't see it that way. Did they really perceive her actions as a mere act to gain popular support and sympathy? Perhaps even get an in with Palpatine's political opponents?

That theory actually made a great amount of sense...

"If you want to play it that way. Let's pretend that the former Senator from Naboo and the Chancellor for the past decade worked around his own government and without their support." Praji snorted at a notion he clearly saw as ridiculous. "Palpatine has been making deals with every important government in the Core for over a decade. How do you think he got all those amendments and laws increasing his power through the Senate? At the very least he aimed at a reformed Republic led by a very powerful Chancellor. For that to happen, he needed support and not just the Senate but the people whose interests the Senators represent. This comes back to my earlier question. Ambassador Kenobi is from the Rim and you general are a former Jedi. You might well know the legal way the Republic is supposed to be run. I didn't ask about that. I'll repeat myself, how much do you really know about how this government works? Why it works?"

"I'm inclined to believe that whatever we think we might know won't align very well with reality." Satine said in a thoughtful tone. "I'll admit we're aware that there are currents bellow the surface that baffle us about the way the Senate has been acting for the past month. What we know of the factions and people involved... A new Chancellor should have been elected couple of weeks ago at the very worst. The Senate simply isn't functioning and good enough reasons as to the why escape us. Is the Republic that rotten and corrupt?" Satine asked bluntly.

"I expected the last question from the general." Praji smiled briefly at Obi-Wan and shrugged. "To answer your question – it depends how you look at it. You see the current situation in the Senate and assume the obvious, that the system is broken and needs fixing. The same is true for what happened during the Naboo Crisis. The truth of the matter is different. The Senate, the whole Republic – they work as designed. There are no tools for a quick and clear resolution of certain issues and that is intended. The why, well that should be obvious. So obvious that people often miss it."

"I'm certainly missing it." Obi-Wan frowned.

"You'll have to do better than this if you want our continued support, general Kenobi." Praji chided gently. "Perhaps it couldn't be helped given your sheltered upbringing. The answer is simple – the local governments, the important ones with real say in the Senate would never allow it under normal circumstances. For most intents and purposes Naboo was and still is an insignificant Rim world. It's only their location and the cheap plasma they mine that made it possible for them to be relevant. They crossed the interest of certain Core worlds and got invaded in response. It wasn't a coincidence that the Senate failed to respond. The truth is that the Republic is dominated by the interests of the Core. The Core has the industrial, economical, political and military power along with more than half the population of the whole Republic... and our Republic is a democracy when all is said and done. The Senators represent the interests of their governments if not necessary those of their people. Ever since its establishment, the Core worlds were the ones setting the tune so to speak. They built the Republic, their representatives vote for laws that guarantee their interests, you see the pattern, right?"

"Then how was Palpatine able to gain so much power? What did he get from the deals he made? What did he offer?" Satine shrewdly asked.

"Power. Many worlds in the Rim had been growing in all respects over the thousands of years since their establishment. It was still some way off, perhaps decades, perhaps few centuries, but when the general demilitarization of the Republic, coupled with distance and the need of the worlds of the Rim to build up their forces to fend off outside threats an unpleasant trend made itself known. Dooku and his Separatists merely jumped the gun so to speak. Palpatine proposed a reformed, powerful Republic. He offered more power to both individuals and governments, the continued primacy of the Core over the rest of the galaxy. The first attempt to do something about the perceived danger was the Katana fleet but when that disaster happened and separatist tendencies increased, people suddenly became quite interested in what Palpatine could offer them."

Just as Palpatine intended. Listening to Praji, Kenobi had no more illusions about the former Chancellor. The Naboo Crisis, everything that followed – it had been arranged by Palpatine in order to consolidate power. He played on the fears of the Core, offered members of their governments power and security, through Dooku helped engineer a threat that would make it all possible in his lifetime... Oh, Palpatine's actions still could be a response to the Trade Federation's invasion. There certainly was no proof of the contrary, but something deep in Kenobi refused to believe it.

"Too many powers made deals with Palpatine." Things were falling into place and Obi-Wan hated the picture that was emerging. "All those amendments and laws the Senate passed to increase his power – they're very much on the books. Very real and whoever's the next Chancellor would have near dictatorial powers from the moment they are voted in. The people you represent, the rest of the Core's governments – they won't have deals in place to ensure the Chancellor keeps their interests in mind."

"Yes. Danu for example – with Kuat's backing he'll be practically a dictator and could act freely without restrain. At this juncture, I can guarantee that the majority of Senators have firm instructions what kind of Chancellor is acceptable. A powerful independent one who can actually run the Republic doesn't meet that criteria." Praji confirmed Obi-Wan's fears.

"You want my husband to replace Palpatine. To make the same deals, give you what you were promised." Satine concluded.

"That's what your Mandalore suggests. He wants control of the military and offers you the political reins of the Republic. With our support that could happen. You will get a working Senate, the tools you need to win this war. We get what we want too." Praji nodded.

"And kriff the rest of the galaxy." Kenobi whispered.

"The Republic is democracy and we in the Core represent a clear majority of the Republic citizens. Do you really expect us to act against our own best interests? Look, I don't like what I have to do to protect Coruscant. I hate the necessity of this war but its very existence proves our fears. The Republic must remain the dominating power in the galaxy otherwise there will be more conflicts like this one, more senseless slaughter and destruction!" Praji pleaded. "The Core worlds would accept nothing less than a dominating position – and don't particularly care about what happens with the most systems beyond the Inner Rim."

Obi-Wan was stumped. Praji felt genuine through the Force. He really loathed the decisions he had to make as a minister. He was speaking earnestly and honestly about the situation. Kenobi closed his eyes and thought furiously. Technically Praji was right about the Core at least in economic and population terms. It didn't make things right but did it really matter? How much did good intentions matter? Perhaps as a Chancellor he could do something about this appalling sate of affairs. And perhaps once upon the time, before he became a Sith, Sheev Palpatine had similar idealistic intentions.

If he accepted the offered deal... Could he somehow change the Republic against the wishes of the Core worlds? Praji was right about the power they wielded. With the state of the galaxy right now, for all intents and purposes the Core was the Republic. The Senate would fight tooth, nail, claw and tentacle to prevent another Secessionist movement from becoming a threat and as consequence that would consolidate even more power in the Core. In order to prosecute the war, Obi-Wan would need to make it so at least in the short term anyway.

His mind blanked and he had an epiphany. Was this why the Council went for a Coup and damn the consequences? Was this the reasons Director Ivon Fell and so many high level operatives backed the coup too? Did they know the truth behind the façade the Republic showed the ordinary citizens?

Of course they did. It was their job to know the dirty little secrets and make sure they remained buried. Was the Republic really beyond salvation? Were they right? Did Obi-Wan need to destroy the Republic before he could save it from herself?

If what Praji obviously believed was in fact mostly true, that very well might be the case. If Kenobi went in this scheme, his actions might be the death knell of democracy. He would be a dictator in all but name, he would have the power to change things, just not what truly needed to be changed to fix the Republic.

Perhaps Veil was right. Was a benevolent Empire the answer?

Obi-Wan froze. Where did that thought come from? He was a Jedi. He was sworn to protect the Republic. Freedom and democracy. The fact that the Council in their infinite wisdom kicked him out of the Order didn't change that fact.

Frustration and anger grew within Obi-Wan. Did this kind of democracy was worth of his protection? What good did it do the galaxy? But that was the rub of the matter, wasn't it. It wasn't about what was good of the galaxy, nor the whole Republic.

Where did his allegiance lay now? The Republic? Mandalore? His wife, certainly. The people under his command who he vowed he wouldn't fail again after Ryloth...

Things were supposed to be simpler. He was a Jedi. Figuring out what was right shouldn't be this hard! What was happening to him?! Was the Council right? Did Veil corrupt him already?