Chapter 12: The Shadows of War

Republic Navy struck! With battles spreading across the Galaxy, the corrupt Republic is forced to contend with the will of the people in ever more theatres, losing thousands of Clone slaves and dozens of ships. And as the Republic suffers losses, the glorious Separatist forces secure victories and bring the promise of a new age. But the Republic will not surrender, and, unknown to all but a select few, agents within the shadows plot to ensure the war does not end.

It hadn't even been 3 days since the double Separatist attacks, and within the Republic Senate, it was complete chaos. Padmé watched from her portion of the chamber as the rest of the senators yelled at and against one another. The chambers were rarely…calm, at least, not in the true sense, but now it was especially turbulent, and she couldn't say she didn't know why.

“Order, order!” Mas Amedda, the vice chair of the Senate and right-hand man to the Supreme Chancellor, spoke, his voice, as always, cutting through the noise and tension as he gestured to someone. “Let Senator Saam finish!”

Senator Saam didn’t waste the chance, moving his platform forward so he could be seen by a larger portion of the chamber. “This isn't a matter of philosophy, but practical reality. Look at what has happened, we have suffered an assault on Kamino, and while repelled with little damage, the same can't be said for Kuat!”

Padmé didn’t like it, but she couldn’t deny it. News of the Kuat attack had spread far and wide across the Galaxy, with Separatist propaganda holding it up as a great victory, all while the commander of the assault, vi Britannia, was their golden child for it. Padmé knew that a fleet under Master Windu had arrived, but hadn't been able to render much aid, as they had sent only vessels to the sector due to the unexpected communication blackout.

When those ships also cut communication, they realised something was horribly wrong. Still, sadly, the Jedi forces only arrived in time to harass the retreating Separatist forces as they made their retreat. Now, they had a ruined shipyard, thousands dead, and the knowledge that the Separatists had access to at least one secret route into the core worlds, driving up panic as each day passed.

Saam was nothing else, observant, feeding off that tension as he rallied for action. “The Separatists found a means to strike at the core, and aren't above attacks on our homes, our families, and now we've lost our primary ship yard, hampering naval operations, and we can't afford to fix it sooner, that's insanity.” He decried it, though he hadn’t been one of the many who had demanded forces from the front lines join patrol fleets in the core and mid-rim due to this.

Slamming his fist onto his podium, he made sure to look around at other senators as he drove his point home. “More troops are needed! More ships are needed! We need more funds to be made available to repair our shipyards and increase the size of our forces, or should we wait till news hits of an assault on Rhodia, on Umbara, on perhaps Coruscant itself?”

His words, once, would have been as baseless war mongering and called out as such even by those who wished for further action. But now? Now, it only stoked the flames of tension as to who could say Dooku wouldn't make a play for another core world? Wouldn't launch blockades against critical way stations along major hyperlanes? Wouldn't strike directly at Coruscant?

But she wasn't the only one who saw danger in this new proposal, as a close ally of hers, Senator Organa, moved his platform forward to enter the discussion and take the spotlight. “What has happened to Kamino and Kuat is indeed a tragedy, but we can't move without thinking. The Republic is near bankruptcy due to the cost of this war. It's already straining our resources and finances to reallocate resources to both worlds. Still, it would shatter us if we ordered an increase of ships and troops.”

It wasn't popular, but it was hard facts even to the war hawks. The Republic hadn't been prepared for this war; they hadn't even had a standing federal army. If not for the sudden appearance of the clones, ordered by a Jedi over a decade prior, they would have been crushed mere weeks into the battle by Dooku's coalition.

Still, that 'gift' of an army and its equipment didn't come cheap. Even if you ignored that the Kaminoans were expecting payment for each batch of Clones produced and trained, those Clones needed to eat, they needed equipment, weapons, and ships, all of which had never been part of the budget and were running the Republic at an ever-higher debt.

However, while that was an issue, a certain senator and representative of the Trade Federation stepped up. “Bankruptcy isn't necessary, my friend. If we pass Senator Saam's bill to open new lines of credit, we'll gain the capital we need to handle this Separatist threat and force them to the table from a position of strength, or if need be, eliminate them.”

“Senator Saam's bill will indeed gain us much-needed capital for the war, but it would do so by repealing hundreds of years of regulations and laws imposed on the banks.” Senator Organa counted.

“Is that such a terrible thing?” Kamino's senator, the old but still politically savvy Halle Burtoni, asked, drawing on herself. "Those bills were passed during times of peace and prosperity for the Republic, but we’re not in such times, are we? Or should member worlds like my own be content with the pitiful defences the Republic offers and suck it up when we’re attacked and led to rebuild with barely any supplies and aid from this chamber.”

It would be foolish to pretend that Kamino wouldn't greatly benefit from another order for what could be millions of Clones. Still, it would be just as foolish to pretend like Kamino hadn't been shafted by recent moves, as while the attack on them had been repelled, their capital had still suffered considerable damage, and debris from the battle needed to be located and fished out of their waters.

Though Padmé dreaded the notion that this war could drag on so long that Clones ordered, even though every second, they could still serve on the front lines.

“Aren’t you the ones who produce Clone soldiers?” Senator Onaconda Farr asked, as if nothing else, the Kaminoans had been incredibly proud of their work on the Clones.

Burtoni glared at Far, but didn't take the bait; no, she had something better to counter with. “Senator, our product has more than proven its track record in battle. The issue is quantity, not quality.”

Watching all this, but keeping out of sight, was the young Jedi Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. She kept her silence, but hated how the Kaminoan talked about the Clones, as if they were nothing but tinnies like what the Seppies sent out in battle. They weren't; she had fought alongside those Clones, and many were worth more than most of the senators in the room.

“Members of the Senate, do you hear yourselves?” Padmé, done with just listening to herself, moved in to cease the debate. “More money, more clones, more weapons? Say nothing of the fiscal responsibility, what of the morality? Hasn't this war gone on long enough?"

Senator Saam looked ready to interject, but it wasn't him who spoke; it was someone she wouldn't have expected, and, by the faces of others in the room, neither would they.

“Senator Amidala, I respect your desire for peace, especially as more lives are lost each day this terrible war wages, but this is also a matter of principle.” Senator Giddean Danu, one of her closest allies, spoke against her.

She couldn't hide the shock or the outrage in her voice as she questioned him on this apparent change of heart. “What principle could call for the needless deaths of millions and for our government to drain its coffers?”

He didn't back down; instead, he went on the attack. “When the Trade Federation blockaded your planet, this body under the previous chancellor was too slow to act. The Trade Federation was made to pay for that, thanks to no small part, your efforts, and should the Separatists?” He reminded the chamber, though the Trade Federation delegate didn’t seem happy about that as Danu turned to the rest.

“How many of our worlds have they blockaded, invaded, and burned? How can we see all that, hear the cries of our people, and refuse to act as our constituents demand? That is the principle I’m talking about.” He finished, which added fuel to the fire.

“He’s right! We must ensure we completely destroy those monsters!”

“We must keep fighting till the Separatists are crushed!”

“Yes, they can’t be allowed to have any strength, else they’ll always threaten our world and trade!”

Before things could descend further into a shouting match, Organa cut in. “Members of the Senate, I propose we table any emergency bill till it can be determined if deregulation is indeed necessary.”

Palpatine, who often remained silent to allow the Senate to debate without his influence, glanced towards the man at his side, the same man Organa was looking at.

Amedda glanced towards the Supreme Chancellor, and seeing no contention from him, made his call. “Very well, we shall let calmer heads prevail.”

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With the session paused, the senators were free to leave, and Padmé wanted out, as she needed to get back to her office to properly vent. Joining her as she walked were Anakin, Ahsoka, and Organa. "I can't believe it. Why would Senator Danu speak against a peaceful resolution?" She asked, as she knew him, or at least, she thought he did. Was he another Clovis situation?

Anakin didn't see it that way; to him, there was a much simpler reason why the voice of a passionate pacifist would change his tune. "His word was attacked; that has to count for something, Padmé.” She reminded her that, as she might not like it, it was really easy for senators to have ideals when they rarely needed to defend them and felt safe here on Coruscant.

But that didn’t seem like enough of a reason for the chance. "Believe me, I know, but he's always been a principled man. He would have at least informed the rest of us of any political pressure from home." As she pondered, Organa got a call, which he took, and they could tell it wasn't a friendly one as his face dropped.

"I…don't think it's a political reason that made him switch," Organa told them, ending his communication with whichever source he had just listened to. "I just got word back from Kuat. His father and 3 other relatives were killed in the attack. Debris came down onto their district."

Padmé gasped at that, just as Ahsoka did, as Anakin let out a furious breath. He didn't know the man well, but he knew the pain of losing your loved ones.

His lover was much more connected to Danu and knew he loved his family dearly, even if work kept him mostly off-world and on Coruscant. His father was sickly, but had recently been allowed to return home where he could spend time with his daughter, his younger brother, and his granddaughter, the former being Danu's niece.

“What?” Padmé asked, as surely this would have been announced.

Organa also knew this would normally be announced, and Danu could have easily requested time off during such troubling family times, but it wasn't so simple. "I assume he only heard about it this morning. They're still trying to locate survivors and bodies; the latter is proving…difficult to identify, considering the condition of some remains."

Organa didn't say it, but debris from the damaged shipyards, along with portions of vessels in dock, had utterly ruined the more affluent sections of Kuat's capital.

"Well, I know the Clones are itching for some payback. We barely managed to secure the Fett DNA from Ventress, and I'm not against making Dooku groan a bit." Anakin added, as the Clones had fought harder than he had ever seen them during the Kamino battle, as one would when defending their home and family.

Hell, he would have let the Clones gun down Ventress if she hadn't escaped along with who he later learned was Grievous, the cyborg, a coward as always. And just as he and the rest were celebrating this victory, word came through from Master Windu of Kuat being struck and its vital shipyard being wrecked. Really, the only good news that came from it was that despite losses and his ship being boarded, Master Tiin hadn’t been slain, merely wounded.

“Anakin, shouldn’t a Jedi and the council be more invested in peace?” Padmé pushed, as she often did, and man, he loved her, he truly did, but at times she seemed like she didn't see the wall stopping him.

"After the stunts I've seen Dooku pull, I doubt he'll ever agree to anything. Our best play is to take him out, and maybe the rest would be willing to talk." Anakin voiced, as if he hadn't lost a hand to that traitor, his opinion of Dooku would still be lower than the depths of Kamino's oceans.

Dooku was a snake, a liar, and a monster. And anything Grievous did could be laid at Dooku's feet, as no way his head clanker could get away with half of what he did if not for tacit approval from the fallen Jedi master. Dooku might call the Republic corrupt and fallen, which it wasn't, but he acted like a true Sith, embracing cruelty and evil as if they were air and water.

Oragana had an issue with that. "Dooku is crafty, you know what. If we wait till we can capture or, heaven forbid, eliminate him, how many more people would suffer and be hurt by the fighting?"

“Dooku is…problematic, I admit. It makes things complicated.” Padmé sighed, to which Ahsoka frowned as she walked ahead of them, cutting them off.

“Why? Does Dooku really have that much power? Even the Supreme Chancellor can’t just order the Senate to do as he wishes.” She questioned.

“Dooku isn’t the chancellor, he’s a lot more of a rodent.” Anakin retorted, arms crossed.

“But shouldn’t we try? As Jedi, we’re meant to be peacekeepers, aren’t we?” Ahsoka kept on prodding, to which Anakin glanced towards Padmé.

“I’ll let you handle that part.” He told her, to which the senator and monarch raised an eyebrow at him.

“Aren’t you the Jedi?” She reminded him, but Anakin chuckled at the assertion.

"I don't think anyone would ever pick me as a negotiator. I'm typically sent in when the talking fails." Obi-Wan could attest to them, and probably remind Anakin to be more tactful, but hey, if it works…

“Well, I figured you’ll say something like that,” Padmé rolled her eyes, but she still had a fond look on her face. Before Anakin or Organa could speak, the Jedi Knight got a call.

Reaching for his communicator, Obi-Wan’s voice came through clear over the line. “Anakin, you're needed at the Temple; there's something you need to see from the Kuat assault.”

“I’ll be there soon, Obi-Wan,” Anakin replied, ending the call as he turned to Padmé and the rest. “Well, you heard them.” With that, Anakin bid them farewell and turned to leave.

“I'm afraid I also need to make my leave. I should try and speak with Senator Danu, pass my condolences for his loss," Organa added, to which Padmé nodded.

"Please, pass mine as well. I'll be sure to find time to properly speak with him." She asked, and Organa accepted, as he turned and walked back the way they had come, leaving the 2. "Ahsoka, why don't you remain with me? I can do more to teach you on the finer parts of being a Jedi, which don't involve a lightsaber."

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“Mina? Is something the matter?” Mina looked up, spotting Leila gazing at her in worry.

The day hadn't yet reached the afternoon, the weather was excellent, and so were the refreshments. But she hadn't been without work.

"I just got an interesting call from an old friend," Mina admitted as she sat on her couch, her son acting older than he was, seated opposite her. She would have laughed and reminisced about how it wasn't too long ago he would coddle up close, but now he would only do so with his special friend.

"You tend to have many of them. Is this going to be another trip?" Nunnally, who was strangely present, mentioned.

“I would hope I would be able to attend this time around.” Lux joked, as he was still somewhat upset he missed out on the Mandalore trip, but more worried he wasn’t present to help defend his mother from the attempted assassination.

"Quite the opposite, really, Senator Amidala," Mina told them, which had most of the girls confused.

“Whose he?” Yoko asked, as that didn’t sound like a big name to her.

"It's a she, and isn't she the senator for Naboo, a Republic world?" Lelila frowned, as she wasn't against it, but this was still odd. The Republic is making outreach. Why now? Why Mina? Was it just because of the Kuat strike days prior, or something else?

“She is, but do recall that it wasn’t that long ago that the Separatists were members of the Republic. Like you, Leila, I took her under my wing and mentored her when she was first made a senator.” Mina remarked, as Leila in many ways reminded her of a younger Padmé, young and capable, passionate and willing to fight for their beliefs. She just disliked that both were thrust into the complicated world of adults so young.

"But if you mentored them, why did she stay?" Anna, perhaps rudely, asked.

Mina chuckled at the question. “Just because I mentored her, doesn’t mean I indoctrinated her. She’s free to think and do as she pleases, even if I don’t agree with her sentiments that the Republic can be salvaged as it stands.”

"Still, it must have been an odd call. Any reason?" Lux questioned, as she might have been his mother’s former student, but she was still a willing agent of the Republic.

"She wishes to open up peace talks, though she can't do so officially because of the Republic banning it," Mina explained, as the call had been something of a surprise but a secret one, as her old friend couldn't let it be known she was making contact, else her enemies in the Senate would use it to delegitimise her.

In fact, she admitted she couldn't make the peace proposal, and that it would need to come from the Separatists, then Padmé could fight to endorse it.

Mina had shaken her head at the idea that the Republic was so determined to fight and force them back into the fold, they wouldn’t even listen to calls for alternatives from within.

“You would think that would be a red flag if they refuse to even entertain anything more than fighting.” Yoko took a sip of her tea.

Mina didn’t contest that. “Perhaps, but I’m sure she and others have their reasons to give the Republic grace. Either way, she's made the choice to speak with me; if all goes well, perhaps we can find a way out of this war."

“Shame for you, since it means less fun times.” Lux joked, shoving Nunnally a little.

She waved it off. “I’ll find rancor to ride around, and maybe brother will be able to focus on something other than gambling and combat."

“Honestly, that child seems to enjoy finding ways around my rules.” Mina sighed, even as the children all chuckled, amused by their eldest's almost unbreakable urge to gamble. Mina didn't care that he rarely lost; it was a terrible habit he needed to break.

“Well, should I make myself scarce then?” Nunnally asked, as she didn’t know much about this Padmé person. Still, she doubted that she would like to see her when she was part of why the Republic was too stubborn to accept peace talks, not till they gained some sort of victory.

Mina held up her hand. "Oh no, you don't, if I let you out of my sight, you're bound to head off and get into trouble."

"I wouldn't be here if my brother didn't make me." Nunnally pouted, angry that her ploy had failed.

"You had a fever and needed some time off. I agree it was the right move to let you rest while they returned to the front." Mina reminded her that Nunnally had woken that morning to a new deployment after they had a party for her, and the rest were rewarded and promoted for the Kuat operation, with a bad cold. “Besides, maybe you and the rest will be able to see how those on the other hand are…without a lightsaber or blaster being drawn.”

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Deep in space, as this conversation was happening and jokes were exchanged, Grievous was aboard his flagship, taking a call from Count Dooku. Some official from the Banking clan, the cyborg didn't care enough to learn or remember. “Have all the preparations been made?” Dooku asked.

"I'm about to deploy the infiltrators," Grievous confirmed, as he didn't know why he was being ordered to do this, but he was more than happy to carry it out, as they couldn't allow the war to end; if it did, he wouldn't be able to do what he wished.

“You must hurry, the Senate’s getting restless and I don’t trust that Amidala won’t tip the scales in her favour.” The Banking Clan official added, but Grievous didn’t care.

“I don’t take orders from you, only Count Dooku.” With that, he ended the call and walked to the side of the vessel's storage area/hangar. Waiting for him were 5 unique droids, each taller than him and quite robust looking, but unlike other droids he commanded, they weren't for front-line battle. Still, if things go as planned, they'll do more damage than even a commando droid raid.

“You have been designed for this mission. To be the ultimate infiltration unit, some of you may not return,” He addressed them, but paused before he corrected them. “In fact, if you do your jobs, none of you will. But don’t let that stop you, is that clear?” At his words, the droids confirmed they understood, though they didn't use words; they weren't built with them, as that would have been a waste.

Still, orders given and confirmed, the droids shifted and formed from battle units into more common-looking, cleaner droids.

As they rattled by, Grievous turned to one of the B-1s. “Get them to Coruscant, it’s time the Republic gets a wake-up call to what war means.” As the B-1 went to follow those orders, Grievous had his own business to attend to. Walking out of the hangar, he made his way back to the bridge of the vessel, his Magna guards already present. With the door closing behind him, the tactical droid activated its holo-projector.

The figure who stood there was one he hadn't worked with, but one who had made a name for himself, some even implying he could take the cyborg's place. “General, I was under the assumption that I was to have more freedom with my operations," Lelouch spoke.

“You might have favour with the parliament, and Count Dooku, but you’re still under my command, Colonel.” Grievous reminded him, regardless of optics, he was the commander of the Separatist army, and he wouldn't give that up so easily, besides…he doubted the young human had the stomach for some of Dooku's other operations.

Lelouch, having only recently been made a Colonel for his latest victory, bowed his head. However, his tone didn't shift, remaining strong and confident. “I have not forgotten; I was merely under the assumption that you wouldn't need me.”

"You can disregard those assumptions, as I have a task for you and your new fleet." Grievous started, and as he explained the otherwise normal plan to strike at a Republic convoy as it took a break from direct hyperspace travel, his mind focused on the real reason.

'I don't know why Dooku wanted you out of the way, but I don't care. I can use you to slaughter more Jedi.’ How the vi Britannia's presence couldn't be allowed on Raxus was beyond him, but if he needed to keep them busy, he would happily do so.

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And we have the final chapter of the story, though it's far from the end of it, but word limits exist for a reason. Naturally, this could become the first instalment in a series. Still, it would depend on whether a second story is commissioned. As for the chapter itself, I would say it was quite fun to write. Not as action-packed, but a lot of personality on display, I even watched an episode of Clone Wars, Spheres of Influence, once more to get a feel for the mood, along with Heroes on Both Sides, and man…Notluwiski packs heat and clearly moves like someone who knows his way around the criminal underworld, and with blasters. Almost made me want to see a younger him in that prequel Obi-Wan/Satine thing, just for the meme of learning he was a mercenary or something.