Intuition - Book 1 - Captain Rex

[Chapter 37 - Tipping Point]

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It had been several rotations now, and Kix and Lenora had been able to remove a total of ten chips. Rex, Lenora, Kix, Jesse, Tacky, and about five other clone troopers that they trusted had had their chips taken out. So far there had been no complications. 

Padme, Chuchi, Bail, and Mothma were all preparing their statements for the senate, the only problem being that they would have to do it when the Chancellor wasn't there to shut them down. 

Lenora and Rex were waiting for an important gathering to commence in their apartment. It was Fives's first time coming out of the storage facility since he had gone in almost half a cycle ago, he was lazing about on the couch, with Kie'sha sat up behind him, trying and failing to put braids in his only just too-short hair. Over in the kitchen, Kix and Jesse were locked in a heated arm wrestle, while Tacky loudly egged them on. Lenora and Rex were situated on the other side of the couch to Fives and Kie'sha, the pair were resting peacefully when there was a knock at the door.

Lenora stood up to get the door, opening it to find General Kenobi stood in the door.

"Hello General." Lenora greeted with a smile.

"Lenora, please, how many times have I told you we're on a first name basis by now." 

"Dunno, haven't been counting. But it's definitely been a few years." Lenora smiled cheekily. 

It was then that the Senators began to file in. Lenora turned to Obi-wan to fill him in before their meeting.

"I take you know roughly why you're here?" 

"Kie'sha has been kind enough to fill me in with all the details." Obi-wan smiled tiredly.

Lenora laughed, knowing full well that Obi-wan would've had to endure one of Kie'sha's unhinged rants. 

With the debriefing over, Lenora turned her attention to the room- "Let's get this meeting started shall we?" 

"Wait- what about Anakin?" Padme asked, concerned for her 'secret husband'.

The others all looked around a bit awkwardly, before Lenora went to explain.

"Well, given the main concern of this case surrounds the Chancellor... and well, Anakin is particularly close with him..."

Padme nodded in understanding- "You don't want him to make a rash decision based on his bias towards the Chancellor? I understand." 

With that, the meeting began.

"We've gathered a total of ten chips, all of which are at full functionality. We've downloaded a record of every single function onto a holopad, and made sure to back it up on several burner ones. Given intel we've received from our sources, we can be almost certain that the Chancellor is a part of this."  Lenora explained.

"I also have some information." Obi-wan spoke up- "Kie'sha would've given you the pieces of this information that I happened to let slip-" he shot her a look- "but I have the full picture. The Jedi master Sifo-Dyas was the one who commissioned the creation of the clone army, but we not only have reason to believe that he was in leagues with the Sith, but also that he may have become disillusioned with the Jedi Order. There is also a connection with the clones and a man called Tyrannus, who is otherwise known as Count Dooku." 

"Wait- so you're saying that the production of us clones was a trap from the beginning?" Jesse questioned.

"It looks to be that way, yes." 

Everyone in the room became unsettled for a moment. The meeting continued nonetheless.

"With all of the information gathered, we have been able to pull together a plan of action." Bail informed.

"Let's hear it." Lenora prompted.

Padme stepped forward- "The Chancellor is going to be absent from the Senate gathering in a few days, as he has some 'important meeting' to attend. While he is absent, the other Senators and I will bring forward our case to the Senate, and hopefully our evidence will be enough for them to depose the Chancellor. While we do that, Lenora, Rex and Fives should be ready on stand by to be summoned to the Senate as 'witnesses' so to speak. Obi-wan and Kie'sha, you'll both need to warn the Jedi council of the possibility of an attack in the case that something goes wrong. Once the Chancellor is out of the picture, we should be clear to begin removing the chips from all of the clones. Then we can begin the search for the Sith mastermind behind this." 

"And hopefully in the long term we can finally give the clones the rights they deserve." Chuchi added. 

The group nodded sadly. Kie'sha however, had a grievance to air. 

"What if the Chancellor catches wind of the plan? We need a contingency plan." 

Lenora thought for a second- "You can pass off as a fangirl right?" 

"I mean yeah..." Kie'sha looked down abashedly, embarrassed after her awkward encounter with Chuchi the other day.

"Why don't you distract the Chancellor? It shouldn't be too hard, if he wants to keep his cover he'll have to act normal right?"

Everyone agreed, and after a little further discussion, they had a plan. Three rotations.

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The three days passed in a blur. Lenora, Rex, and Fives were now situated on the couch in Lenora's apartment watching the holoprojector as it displayed a view of the Senate. They watched as Padme stepped forward first, presenting the thesis statement of their argument.

"Senators and representatives, we have summoned you here today with distressing news. We have reason to believe that there is a plot in the works against the Jedi, and by proxy the Republic as a whole." 

They watched as the whole Senate erupted into suspicious whispers. Bail stepped forward to press the point further.

"We have received intel, and much evidence to support it, that the inhibitor chips placed in the heads of the clone army have been engineered not to inhibit violent behavior as the Kaminoans stated, but instead to control their actions in the interest of their superiors." 

There was a murmur of confusion, and a Toydarian Senator stood up- "I do not see why the control of the clones is a concern. Are we not the very superiors that are supposed to control them?" 

"It is a concern because many of the contingency orders programmed into these chips, are violent, and would bring only harm to the Republic. We will display now the most pressing of these orders." Mon Mothma announced.

The orders appeared on the projection, with order 66 at the forefront. 

Padme stepped forward once again- "You have no doubt noticed how many of these orders there are, how unjust they are, and just how many happen to include the Chancellor." 

A Trandoshan minister stepped forward- "Surely you are not implying that the Chancellor has something to do with this?" 

"We are." Padme said darkly.

The entire Senate erupted into chaos. It was then that Padme was seen picking up a comm from Kie'sha. She looked horrified.

"Senators and representatives. I have distressing news. We have just discovered a horrible truth about the Chancellor." 

Lenora's comm suddenly blinked to life, with Obi-wan's voice crackling through- "Lenora, I need you to stay right where you are. Don't try to come help." 

"What's going on?" 

"There's been an attack on the Jedi temple." 

Lenora felt sick to her stomach- she hadn't even fathomed something like this happening. The group then turned back to the holoprojector to listen to what Padme had found out.

"Senators and representatives. We have just been informed that Chancellor Palpatine- is a Sith lord." 

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We're getting so close to the end! I'm actually gonna miss this book so badly. Remember to vote and comment, peace and love <3