Trial of the Times

Chapter 29 - Freedom - Rewritten

Whispers are flying around the Senate, faster than the speed of light. The Chancellor has disappeared. Kidnapped, perhaps? It doesn't look that way from his office. Everything is showing signs of a fierce struggle. The Jedi did something, some people are murmuring insistently. Padme ignores them, as she always does.

She knows that the Jedi would never attack the Chancellor. Why would they? They are loyal to the Republic. They wouldn't betray them. Regardless, Palpatine is gone, and now the Senate is left leaderless. Even if they can elect a new leader, this will be a delicate time for the Republic. A time ripe for exploitation by the Separatists. She shudders to think of it.

"We must make efforts to discover the whereabouts of the Chancellor," argues Bail Organa, looking around at his colleagues.

"Of course," Padme agrees, "But we cannot let everything else come to a standstill until he is found."

"Excuse me, Senators," an aide steps into the room, "But the Jedi Council has sent two representatives to speak to the Senate about the most recent occurrences. Your presences are requested."

Padme exchanges looks with Bail, a feeling of foreboding twisting inside her. For some reason, this doesn't sound good. Why would the Jedi Council know when no one else does? She's heard rumors that Anakin and Obi-Wan had been spotted in the Senate building, but she's not sure if she should believe them. It could be a lie, especially in this tumultuous time. Are the Jedi really involved in everything after all? What happened?

She follows Bail and the other Senators to the main chamber. A pod containing Windu and Yoda is hovering in the center of the room. An air of solemnity is wrapped around the Jedi Masters in an almost tangible manner. "We have uncovered some troubling information which will severely impact the future of the Republic," Windu begins, his voice emotionless as it often is. Padme suspects that he'll do all the talking. Yoda is usually simply present to represent the Jedi as a whole. Besides, Yoda's manner of speech is often difficult for many to understand.

"Some disturbing revelations have recently come to our attention regarding Chancellor Palpatine's identity," Windu continues. Padme narrows her eyes as she listens, her uneasiness only growing. Something is wrong. "The Chancellor is the Sith Lord responsible for starting and prolonging the Clone Wars." He pauses when the entire Senate erupts into exclamations of shock and vehement protests. Padme can barely restrain the gasp that slips from her mouth. Palpatine a Sith Lord? How is that even possible?!

"That's impossible!" a Senator yells from the other side of the room. "The Chancellor is concerned about the good of the Republic!"

"The Jedi are trying to impose themselves on us again!" protests another.

"Who gave you this information?" demands a third.

When the Senators are finally quiet again, Windu doesn't speak immediately. He glances at Yoda as though quietly communicating with him. "Anakin Skywalker, formerly a member of the Jedi Order –" What?! "– betrayed the Republic when he allied with Count Dooku, head of the Separatist Alliance," the Jedi Master explains. "We currently have him in custody. Earlier today, he along with Obi-Wan Kenobi, who appears to have been coerced into helping, and Dooku himself launched an assassination attempt on Chancellor Palpatine, for such is the way of the Sith. Dooku is Palpatine's apprentice, and he wished to usurp his master's position."

The murmurs in the Senate grow in volume as the delegates express their shock and disbelief. "Escaped Palpatine did," Yoda announces. "Fled from the planet he has but search for him we will. Found he must be."

A surge of shock renders Padme incapable of feeling anything else. She's oddly numb as the realization sinks in. Was this whole war solely to destroy the Republic? Could Palpatine really be so devious? Yes, she realizes, he could be. He was. It's a bitter truth. The man she'd respected, who had helped her so much when she was still a young queen, is really a Sith Lord. It reminds her of the search that she and Sabe had begun doing, hoping to uncover some of Palpatine's past which might lead them to the truth. All they know thus far is that he may have been complicit in the mysterious deaths of his entire family when he was only a teenager.