Blurred Sides (COMPLETE)

7.11.2

Anakin stood outside the door the Chancellor was behind. He had asked for Anakin to accompany him, but Palpatine had explained that the person he was speaking with would not cooperate unless all of the affairs were private and he wanted to respect his guest's wishes. Anakin didn't really mind as he had a lot to think about.

Now that he was with the Chancellor (more or less) all of the Sister's accusations were brought to the front of his mind. True or false, either way, they had Anakin's thoughts spinning faster than her lightsaber. The one that really stuck with him was probably the one about Cato Neimoidia's reluctance to join the Republic.

Anakin decided that he would let all of her other accusations be for now, but this one he wanted to ask about. What had Palpatine thought while he had negotiated for their allegiance? What was the incentive, if the citizens had everything they needed supplied to them by their planet? Those questions couldn't hurt to ask, could they?

The others were probably crossing a line. Surely, the part where she had accused him of doing nothing about the 'blood on his hands' was inappropriate to ask about. Her anger was more of a personal thing, anyways.

The Chancellor and his guest walked out of the room they had met in, not Palpatine's office for some reason, and Anakin put on a smile. "Should I escort you to your ship?" He asked the guest.

Palpatine rested a hand around his guest's shoulders. "I'm sure he would appreciate it, Anakin," and the guest nodded. The three of them walked silently to the visitation hangar, and the guest boarded without a word.

"He seems friendly," remarked Anakin. "A little quiet, though."

"I'm afraid he is a bit paranoid," explained the Chancellor as they watched his ship take off. "He refused to talk with anyone around, and he never hands out his name to strangers, although I hardly think you ought to qualify as one." Palpatine rested a hand on his arm. "I tried to explain that you were perfectly safe to trust, but he was even reluctant to have you standing outside the door."

Anakin shrugged it off. "I'm sure he had his reasons. He probably just thinks someone is after him. With the Inquisitor in play, it's possible."

"Not with you around, my boy," he complimented, and Anakin hid a grin. "Come with me to my office, if you will."

They walked back to the office wing, and Anakin looked around. He had seen most of the senators last week after the meeting with the Sister. He had been assigned to the Senate meeting, but of course, Padmé was out and could only be present through a hologram. Anakin had paid attention to the clapping, just like he had talked about with the Sister, and he couldn't help but laugh the first time it happened. After a few minutes, though, it was just as mind-numbing as ever.

"Have my ears deceived me, or did you meet with the Inquisitor recently?" Palpatine asked. Time to put the Inquisitor's efforts to good use.

Anakin tensed. He hadn't told many people about his mission with her, but he reasoned that the Chancellor could very easily have caught wind of the event. He needed to know things like this, after all.

"Briefly," he reported. "There was supposed to be a holocron hidden on Corellia, but I didn't end up bringing any back. I think it was just a move to throw me off." Not exactly true, but it very well could have been.

"Pity," consoled the Chancellor as they re-entered his office. "It would have been quite an accomplishment to reclaim one of those artifacts. What did the Inquisitor want?"

Anakin shook his head. "I'm not quite sure. She didn't say she wanted anything, but she ended up talking quite a bit."

"What did she say?"

"She isn't very fond of you. I'm afraid she intends to follow through with her threats from a few months ago."

"Ah, yes, I quite remember those. Lovely sentiment."

Palpatine chuckled, and Anakin smiled in affirmation. After a moment, he asked, "Chancellor, what do you remember about Cato Neimoidia when they joined the Republic?"

He hesitated, if only for half a second. "Why? Is it important?"

"The Inquisitor mentioned it. I was just wondering if you remembered anything big from it, like the...parade, or the celebration or something."

The Chancellor thought rapidly for a moment. The Sister hadn't mentioned anything about Cato Neimoidia in their conversation, but Palpatine supposed that she had used it as evidence for an argument. He had to reaffirm what she said in order for her logic to be legitimate in Anakin's eyes.

"Well, there was a parade, I remember that much. Negotiations had been interesting, I remember. It was difficult to agree upon the terms for their allegiance."

"Why did they join? Do you remember what reason they gave?"

"Oh, it was an invitation!" Palpatine sat in his desk and smiled at the memory. "Yes, we offered it to them."

"But why? Did they need protection, or resources?"

What kinds of questions were these? "Well, you see, that was why negotiations were so difficult. Their representatives argued that they didn't need anything we offered to them. We had to drive a hard bargain to find something we could offer that would benefit them."

"What was it, in the end?"

Life, Palpatine thought. We gave them mercy.

"I found some rare goods that they had been looking for, but hadn't found in a long time." Palpatine swiveled his chair so he was looking out the window, behind his desk. "I doubt any of the civilians ever knew it existed or knew that their government was looking for it. I heard that there were quite a few protests for the first few months of their allegiance. Why do you ask?"

Anakin followed his gaze out the window. "I looked through some of the old battle reports, and none of the battles of the Clone War got anywhere near Cato Neimoidia until after they joined. It kind of seemed like a win-lose situation."

Well, yes, he wanted to say. It's actually a lose situation for everyone except me and you. "Sacrifices must be made in order to win this war. You know this better than anyone, Anakin. I seem to recall that you have lost quite a bit."

Anakin didn't respond. Yes, he had lost a lot. His mother and now his Padawan.

Palpatine realized that he needed to change the subject. Luckily, he had one ready.

"While you are here," he started, turning to face the Jedi again, "there's something you ought to know. In four days, all of the Senate and the staff in the building are going to a gala down the street. It's being held at the Revan Hotel, have you heard of it?"

Anakin, whose ears had perked up at 'four days', nodded. "I have, I've been told it's quite a spectacle."

"Oh, it is, Ani. I'm sure you'll love it. Anyway, I'm sending a message to the Jedi Council this afternoon, as it were. I'm requesting extra personnel on duty that night as the entire Senate will be there with their companions. I would feel much safer if you were there, on guard."

Companion. The word rang in Anakin's ears, and he hoped that Padmé would be there. "I'd be honored, sir."

"Oh, there's no need for 'sir' among friends, Ani." Palpatine smiled, trying not to shout in triumph. "Four days, remember that."

"I will," promised Anakin, but his mind was elsewhere, racing silently. Palpatine said something about "the Jedi just called for you, you better go see what they want", but he barely heard it as he said farewell to the Chancellor. He walked from muscle memory, not from consciousness, back to his speeder, and started the journey back to the Temple.

Four days. Something else was happening in four days if his predictions had been right.

March 2nd. Four days.

Anakin, and the Chancellor, were running out of time.

Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter, but I'm trying to keep this moving. Lots of love! <3