Padmé Amidala - her perspective

Chapter 9 - not my allied

The next day The Two Thousand Petition gathered again and this time it was at my place. Everyone was a bit more on edge than last time. More Senators were apparently ready to take a stand together with us, but the pace in which things moved now worried all of us. Later this day we had a meeting scheduled with the Chancellor and right now it felt like everything was depending on the outcome of that meeting.

"The situation has worsened considerably," Giddean said. "The Chancellor has received yet more powers from the Senate now, more than any person has possessed in the history of the Republic."

This was news to me, but not surprising. This time he must have been able to manage extended powers simply by administration.

"We will not tolerate this. Maybe we are in need of a little more aggressive methods if we want to avoid a dictatorship," a Senator suggested.

"We can not let this turn into another war!" I exclaimed, speaking for the first time in a couple of minutes.

"Absolutely, that is the last thing we want," Bail assured me and I tried to regain composure.

"We are hoping to form an alliance in the Senate that's stopping the Chancellor from further subverting the Constitution, that is all," Mon Mothma added.

I took a quick look around the room and gathered my thoughts, deciding to try and include Anakin in our plans. These were my friends, my allies. Bail was one of my closest friends, Mon Mothma was my role model in many aspects. They had to be ready for a change of tactic. Things were escalating and perhaps the position Anakin had at Palpatine's side, including him could be a huge advantage for us later today.

"I know a Jedi I feel we should consult."

But the reaction was not what I had hoped for.

"That could be dangerous," said a Senator and the others agreed.

"We do not know how the Jedi fit into all this," said Mon Mothma.

"I only wish to discuss this with one. One I trust ", I said.

Giddean leaned forward.

"Going against the Chancellor with the support of a Jedi is risky", he nodded.

Anger rose within me. This was supposed to be the people who defended the old traditions and relied on democracy. What would our system be like without the Jedi Knights? Who were we not to have faith in the true advocators for peace?

"The Jedi are not any happier with the situation than we are," I protested.

"Patience, Senator," someone whispered.

I struggled to calm myself down.

"We have so many Senators on our side, surely that will persuade the Chancellor," Fang Zar said.

"We introduce the Two Thousand to the Chancellor. Things will change," nodded another Senator.

"Well, let's see what we can accomplish in the Senate before we include the Jedi," Bail stated.

I realized that it was impossible to get them to change their minds, so I sat quietly. I had been involved in politics long enough to know that there was no point in arguing for a lost cause. Even though I trusted Anakin – as well as the whole Jedi Order – trust itself was not a given these days, and that was something I just had to accept. Who could blame these Senators for being on guard? The whole reason for this group's existence was our Chancellor's actions and the lack of trust it had created.

I wanted Anakin on board with this, but right now there wasn't any time. Right now, the meeting later this day was our highest priority. If it went well, getting Anakin on board would be a lot easier, and if it didn't... Well, then I could only hope that these Senators would dare to consider new options. If Anakin was even willing to join us.