Darth Maul: A New Dawn (A Swtcw Fanfiction)

Chapter 9: Betrayed

A/N: This chapter is going to be centered around the Jedi as well as Padmé as they experience and witness the carnage of Palpatine's contingency plan— Operation: Armageddon. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

(Coruscant)

It was now nightfall in the Republic capital, however, this night would be a night that the galaxy would forever remember; this was a night that would change everything and would be the beginning of the end for Jedi and the Republic.

Within the Senate Building, Chancellor Padmé was inside her office along with many of her allies, they were discussing the possibility of extending a true, genuine offer of peace to the Separatist Senate. The last time that this happened, the Separatists had launched a surprise attack on Coruscant's power grid, and this only caused the Senate to vote for deregulation of the banks to purchase additional clones. Palpatine, for whatever reason seemed hellbent to deny peace from the Separatists, resulting in the longevity of the war. But now, Padmé and her allies saw an opportunity for true change to occur, and they needed to be brave and seize this opportunity for the good of the Republic and the galaxy as a whole.

Unfortunately, Padmé, her allies, and all the senators that made up the Galactic Senate were unprepared for what happened next. The Coruscant Guard stormed the Senate Building, and entered the office of Padmé, accusing her that she was unfit to rule the Republic and that she was to step down as Chancellor of the Republic or suffer a traitor's death. Outraged by the audacity of the clones, several of Padmé's allies tried to defuse the already tense situation, but they were gunned down by the Coruscant Guard, causing the respective bodyguards of each senator to return fire on the clones, killing them. Alarms in the Senate Building began to go off, Senate Guards soon entered Padmé's office, escorting her and her allies to the landing pad where their transport ships were waiting.

While following the company of Senate Guards, Padmé tried contacting her husband, Anakin, but judging by the harsh static she was receiving, the clones were jamming comms. "Sabé, you and the other handmaidens go ahead and make sure there are no clones heading in our direction!"

"My lady,"

Sabé acknowledged before taking the Haidmaidens of Amidala with her, armed with ELG-3A blaster pistols, the group of capable women scouted ahead to make sure that the clones weren't heading in their direction. The clones were going door to door, dragging out defying senators, and executing them before moving on to the next. When a group of clones had their backs turned and were moving on, Sabé beckoned Padmé and her allies to come. Moving swiftly to avoid detection, the sounds of alarms, blaster fire, blood-curdling cries of senators dying, and clones barking out orders were deafening, yet Padmé knew that now was not the time for fear, now was the time to stay calm and make it out of here alive.

Upon reaching the landing pad, several clones were standing guard, and upon seeing the chancellor from Naboo, her handmaidens, and her allies, they began to open fire, forcing the senators to take cover. Padmé pulled out her blaster pistol to return fire while Sabé and Handmaidens of Amidala along with the Senate Guard cleared a path for the senators to make it to their transports. One by one, each senator was able to reach their ships, and their bodyguards laid down cover fire so that their assigned senators could make it unscathed by this act of betrayal.

"Don't let the traitors get away!" One of the clone officers barked out to his men. "Call in the gunships to shoot those ships down!"

Padmé made a break for her J-type diplomatic barge while her bodyguards covered her. As blaster fire was exchanged, Padmé could hear clone gunships in the distance, and if those gunships were allowed to destroy her transport, then she would be trapped and at the mercy of the clones that were hellbent on killing her and the senators of the Republic. Senate Guards, armed with rocket launchers soon arrived and they took up positions as they raised their launchers to the sky as clone gunships loomed over the senator's transports, ready to destroy them. Volley after volley of rockets screeched through the sky, landing fatal hits to the gunships, causing them to spiral out of control and crash into the city or nearby buildings.