SW Chapter 9 (Patreon)

Anakin POV

Leaving the High Council chamber, I walked alongside Master Ti through a curved passageway decorated with historic, symbolic decor that emphasized thousands of years of Jedi history and teachings.

Our steps were a study in contrasts: mine thudded with a dull metallic clank, while the older Togruta Master moved with quiet, feline grace. Despite her loosely worn robes, her body radiated a trained dexterity and agility.

Togruta were an interesting species, with specialized organs for echolocation, an instinctive predatory nature, and unique tribal worldviews.

My head spun a little as I reflected on the Council's decisions.

I was a knight now.

This new status opened many doors previously closed to a Padawan learner. The most significant was the permit to come and go from the Jedi Temple as I pleased, along with perks like a commissioned starfighter or shuttles, and expense accounts with limitations.

Not that money was an issue; I had enough in a separate account.

Still, I had broken the vow of poverty for it—one of my many reservations about the current Order. But none of that mattered now.

Master Ti and I walked in silence until the hallway opened toward the chamber where the senators had been placed.

Loud voices could be heard even before we reached the vicinity.

"...jurisdiction—"

"—the Chancellor will want—"

"—you cannot simply keep a prisoner because a Jedi decided—"

"—the public already saw it—"

I contemplated asking Master Ti about our plan of attack. This was a delicate situation, and I had barely interacted with the older Togruta. My awkwardness in engaging her was compounded by her stillness and serene presence in the Force.

Sensing my hesitation, she saved me the trouble of initiating the conversation.

"Knight Skywalker," she began, "do you have experience with diplomacy of this kind?"

"Not at this level, Master," I replied honestly. It was the truth; most of my missions with Obi-Wan, even when unintended, had been resolved with a lightsaber.

A faint hint of amusement touched the Togruta woman.

"Then use this opportunity to learn."

I nodded in

assent. "How do we answer the fact that we will not be turning Tann over? They know I took her prisoner."

"We will reassure them that she now falls under the Jedi Order's jurisdiction."

I gave a sidelong glance. That was a typical Jedi answer, one that might backfire. I tried to broach the subject as delicatelyas I could.

"Will that be enough, Master Ti?"

"It will have to be."

I glanced at her again, matching her step. "Master... the Order does not have much in the way of public standing, at least not as much as we think. A great many people will look at us and at that footage and see Jedi fighting Jedi with different colored blades. That is all most of them will understand. And Tann—" I hesitated. "They will press us. Especially now that she is the Grand Master's Padawan. This is too high-profile for that to pass quietly."

Shaak Ti only hummed, thoughtful.

"Then we will not say that she is a Padawan." At that, I looked at her, surprised by her willingness to twist the truth.

"As for the attackers being the Sith, we will play it by ear."

She gave me a placid smile, revealing her knifelike teeth. Together with the akul-tooth headdress, it made her look exactly like a calm predator walking into its favored watering hole.

The large chamber, with various places to sit and high, arching transparisteel windows affording a gorgeous view of Coruscant's skyline, was filled with noise and accusations as various senators and members of the administration traded their unique views at the top of their voices, reminding me of every public Senate meeting.

I shook my head inwardly and looked around as Master Ti moved into the room with practiced ease, gathering attention without raising her voice.

There were more people than I had expected.

Padmé's group was easy to find. Bail Organa was with them—he must have reached the Temple after I had. Senator Mon Mothma was one more that I recognized, as was Senator Ask Aak, standing a little apart watching everyone. The Gran gave me a smile, or what substituted for it, as our eyes met.

I simply gave him a nod without reacting much; everyone with a brief understanding of galactic politics knew he was Palpatine's man. My thoughts muddled further. The entire attack was either orchestrated by Sidious or Dooku, or both of them.

I could not understand what their agenda was. If the idea was to kill or capture the anti-war senator, it could have been done without sending such a blatant attack force of Sith.

Was it to isolate me?I thought briefly. Sidious always had an unusual obsession with Anakin Skywalker, but I could not understand the need to out the Sith at such an early stage.

It seemed so unlike a Banite Sith...

I continued looking around but could not place anyone. Though I noticed quite a few judicial officers being present, at least the media wasn't here—a small silver lining.

Then my eyes caught the figure of Admiral Honor Salima.

She was someone I had met briefly during the brief scratch of fleet command and naval doctrine training I had done with Fallon at the behest of Master Kota.

Our interactions might have been brief, but the iron-willed woman had left a deep impression on me. The fact that someone like her was here simply gave the situation more importance.

This was not going to be easy, I thought, eyeing everyone, who in turn gave me looks.

"Guess who's famous... me," I thought dryly.

It took a while for the noise to settle. Master Ti did not raise her voice. She simply stood there until the room had to notice her.

"Please," she said. "If we are to discuss this, we will do so with order."

A senator I did not recognize recovered first.

"Indeed we must. We have been waiting long enough."

Master Shaak Ti ignored the barb as though it had never been spoken and calmly seated herself on one of the empty cushions. I and the others who were standing followed suit, albeit more hesitantly than me.

"The Jedi Order understands the gravity of what occurred at Rendili," Master Ti began. "The Jedi Order wishes to clear up a few misunderstandings before we proceed. The attackers were not part of the Jedi Order. One of the survivors was captured, as you know, and an investigation is underway. The Senate will be informed through the proper channels."

Voices began flaring up at Master Ti's last words. One of the more vocal Judicial officers loudly

proclaimed, "Proper channels!? Madam Jedi, an assaultwas made on Republic officials in full view of the galaxy. That is a crime, and all crimes pass through the Judicial Department. You do not keep a suspect because the Jedi Order decided it was convenient."

"The survivor is a practitioner of the dark side who cannot be imprisoned by ordinary means," Shaak Ti replied. "The Order has dealt with such threats for thousands of years and shall continue to do so."

"That is preposterous!" the man puffed up.

"And in those thousand years," another senator said, "the public did not know that the Jedi can rip apart starships. I believe there must be regulations, and not just for the attackers."

"There it is," I spoke up, not allowing such allegations to fester.

"I believe those are unfounded fearmongering. The Jedi have been peacekeepers of the galaxy and shall continue to do so. Please control yourself, Senator," I finished, staring down the man calmly.

Ask Aak's voice cut across the silence that had fallen across the room at my words.

"Now, now, we cannot blame the Jedi for actions taken in protection of Republic interests. We have all seen Padawan Skywalker here fight with his life on the line for our good senators. Let us move on from such topics and discuss what is truly important. Master Jedi, has the prisoner been interrogated?"

"Yes, a preliminary interrogation has been conducted, and there is a possibility," Shaak Ti said, "that Count Dooku — who now stands as the public instigator of secession — trained rogue Force-sensitives."

A hush went through the chamber at her words. I was surprised she gave away such information, but it was unavoidable and perhaps better for the Order.

A military officer near Admiral Salima spoke into a commlink. "Do we know how many of them there are?"

"That, I do not know," Master Ti said. "The Jedi Order will investigate this fully. Any findings will be delivered to the Office of the Supreme Chancellor through the proper channels."

The dissatisfaction in the room was immediate. They had come for blood, or at least for a body they could parade, but were effectively stonewalled.

Bail Organa, who had been quiet until then, rose.

"If I may." He looked over the chamber with the same regal calm he wore everywhere. "I believe the Jedi Order will fulfill its part faithfully. That does not excuse us from deciding our own. We must discuss the actions that were taken — and our response to them." He turned and looked at everyone.

"The Republic cannot pretend this did not happen," he said. "Nor can it allow a single attack to become an excuse for every power this body has spent a thousand years refusing to grant itself. If we answer violence only with more machinery, we will wake to find we have built something we cannot unbuild. But we must prepare countermeasures."

Admiral Salima leaned back in her seat.

"I am surprised, Senator Organa. I did not expect your faction to speak of countermeasures."

Bail's gaze hardened.

"I am opposed to senseless violence, Admiral. I am not opposed to the safety of the Republic."

Salima's mouth curved with satisfaction. "Then I take it your faction agrees with the Military Creation Act."

Whispers moved through the room. Even Ask Aak was listening intently.

"...Yes," Bail said. "We do."

"Wonderful." Ask Aak was already half out of his seat. "Then we must convene a general session immediately."

Srnk, I snorted in my mind, politicians, creatures that could change their stance with the flip of a hand.

A few others were already shifting with him, the original purpose of the meeting forgotten. After all, they had gotten something much better. But before their glee could take hold at their presumed victory over the Military Creation Act, Padmé spoke up.

"Before anyone agrees to anything regarding a military," she said, "understand that there will need to be stringent safeguards. I have seen what war does when it is given a free hand. I will not support the creation of an army that answers first to itself and only later to law."

Admiral Salima stiffened at that and stared hard at Padmé. But Padmé did not give an inch. Seeing the Nabooean woman unflinching, Admiral Salima spoke through gritted teeth that turned into a smirk.

"Are you certain those requirements are yours...and not the Banking Clan's?"

Padmé's face stilled at that. I noticed several people, including Bail, maintain neutral expressions.

Shaak Ti sensed the opening and rose.

"If that is all—"

"It is not." A senator near the window cut in. "What is the Jedi Order's position on the Military Creation Act? Do you support it?"

"The Order will accept the decision of the Senate," Shaak Ti said.

The questioner looked immensely satisfied with that, which told me he hadn't wanted an answer so much as the image of the Jedi figuratively bowing to him without resistance.

I stood up, intending to leave with Master Ti, but Admiral Salima wasn't finished with us.

"Will the Jedi join this newly created army?"

I kept my expression neutral as the room focused on me again. The Jedi joining the military had been one of the things that ruined them. I wanted to stop it, but realistically, I knew I could not.

"That," Shaak Ti said, "can be discussed at a later date."

She began making her way out of the room, with me following. Salima rose as well, annoyed that both of us clearly intended to leave.

"Masters Jedi, there are still matters that require discussion."

"What is it, Admiral?" Ask Aak asked, already impatient. His own agenda lay elsewhere.

"The investigation of the attackers."

Shaak Ti went still for a moment.

Then her voice spoke in my mind:

You wanted an investigation, Knight Skywalker.Tell them you will lead the inquiry into the Rendili attack. Keep the Padawans' current status a secret for now, until the winds blow over.

Proud at not reacting violently to her in my head, I calmly nodded to Admiral Salima.

"I will be leading the task force for this investigation. If you require it, I will keep you posted, Admiral."

The Admiral calmed herself and stared at my face for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well." With that, Master Ti and I left the chamber. I looked at the Togruta woman as we cleared listening distance and sighed.

"I'm not sure that—" I tipped my head faintly back toward the room behind us "—went well."

"Oh," Shaak Ti said, "it went much better than I expected."

I stared at her in disbelief, thinking back to how effortlessly she had used telepathy. It was a difficult discipline.Most Jedi only managed it between their own Master or a Padawan—someone they were bound to closely enough to reach. That she had done it so smoothly to a stranger

spoke volumes of how empathically close she was with the Force.

She's good, I thought.

Shaak Ti smiled, then grew more serious.

"Decide what this task force will be, Knight Skywalker. And inform the Council when you intend to move."

"I need to rest and meditate," I said. "I will inform the Council in the morning."

"Very well. The comms are open to you."

She turned toward the Council chamber doors as I made my way back toward my quarters.

What a tiring day...

A/N - I wanted to write more but got tired lol, Enjoy :)