The Naboo Plasma War : Episode X

I woke up to the subtle whirring of electric motors. My eyes opened to the sterile white color common to hospitals across the galaxy. I hissed as flashes of a blood-red blade danced across the back of my mind. Still tired, I struggled to crane my neck and see where I was. The first thing I saw? Padme Amidala, flanked by Sylee and Madeen in their heavy armor. Qui-Gonn Jinn stood in the corner, arms folded, his expression unreadable.

"You're awake," she said tiredly.

I couldn't resist. "I noticed," I said dryly.

Padme smiled weakly, then looked downcast. She seemed... exhausted. Worn down in a way utterly alien to my memories of her.

"You were right," she said. "We took the palace, captured Gunray, and forced him to deactivate the droid army... and in one battle, more of my people died than through every other battle in the war combined. If only I had listened..." she trailed off.

I started to sit up. Madeen moved to help me, but I waved her off. A corner of my mind was telling me something was wrong, but I ignored it for now.

"You acted with the information you had, Queen Amidala. It's no use worrying about what you could have done. Had you listened to me, then yes, perhaps a carefully executed campaign could have minimized casualties... or perhaps the war would have dragged on until your world was in ruins, leaving you with a victory built on the ashes of a dead world. I gave you my recommendation with the best of intention, but just as your assault might have been more successful, my insurrection might have been less."

Padme looked at me, disbelief in her eyes. "How can you be so... analytical about this? So many people died."

I found the bed controls and began propping the headrest up to support my back. "War, my fair Queen, is a nasty, messy affair. Were it possible, I would see to it that it never happened again. Peace is a wonderful idea... one that is paradoxically worth fighting for," I said.

"I am analytical about it because a lasting peace, like any other worthwhile accomplishment, requires a solid, well-planned foundation. What foundation is a peace bought off the subjugation and enslavement of a peaceful world such as Naboo? What foundation is a peace bought by the civilized peoples of the galaxy quietly tolerating cruelty, slavery, and oppression? I am analytical, Queen Amidala, because sometimes one has no choice but to stand in defiance of the dark."

I looked her in the eyes as I spoke, daring her to look away. "Evil wins when good people do nothing, Amidala. Do not ask me how I can lay here without grieving for the dead. I grieve. No... ask yourself... was it worth it? Would surrendering and yielding to Gunray have been better?"

She seemed a little more lively now, straightening up with a more familiar resolve. "No. No peace is worth that," she said firmly. I nodded and laid back. I heard the teenaged Queen leave. It seemed I'd given her a lot to think about.

"There is much wisdom in your words, Captain Montoo. I would say it would be a shame you were not strong with the force, and able to join benefit the Jedi as a whole with your knowledge... except I suspect you would lack that wisdom as a Knight."

I opened my eyes to see Qui-gonn had moved to the side of my bed. My twi'lek bodyguards seemed tense, I suspected their first encounter with a force user had soured them to the experience.

"I find that sometimes if I'm stuck in a rut, what I need is an outside perspective, master Jedi," I quipped. I was promptly treated to Liam motherfucking Neesan chuckling.

Do not fanboy in front of the Jedi mind reader, do not fanboy-

"You can relax you know. You're hardly the first... Jedi enthusiast I've encountered. I can assure you, very few are so composed as you are."

God damn it.

"The Jedi Council is concerned about the force user you defeated. We have been unable to identify his origins... we know of a few isolated sects that could have produced such a warrior, but he bears none of their usual markings, and ordinarily, we would have at least heard of a force user of his particular talent before. Who would send such a warrior after you?"

I wanted to tell him everything, I really did... but I couldn't. So I did the next best thing.

"You did not hear this from me. As far as anyone is concerned, whether it be your council or your apprentice, I knew nothing."

Qui-gonn only hesitated for a moment before nodding firmly.

"Your old master is tracking them. He is closer than he knows. He will fail without you. He will fall."

Liam Neeson's cold, hardened glare was a terrifying thing to behold in person, I felt trapped in my own body.... the slow, stiff nod he gave me the most liberating feeling I had ever experienced. I didn't know if what I had done was right, but at least I tried.

Qui-gonn Jinn left without another word, leaving me with Sylee and Madeen. I sighed softly, trying not to think about that damned sith assassin.

"What am I going to see if I remove these blankets?" I asked the two. They chattered rapidly in their native tongue for a moment. Then, Madeen turned to me.

"The Jedi cut you down at the waist. The Naboo have fashioned you cybernetic replacements. They wished to provide it as a gift of gratitude, but... your ship insisted you would insist on paying for it."

Huh. Well okay then. I'd have to deal with that.

"Also, the group identifying themselves as the Emergency Trade Federation Directorate wishes to speak to you as soon as possible."

Fuck.

-----

The holographic conference was full of faces I knew only vaguely. CEOs and several influential lucrehulk captains. I did note however that none of the captains that had participated in the blockade on Naboo were present.

"I heard you had wished to speak with me. I take it Gunray's ill-conceived venture had made a poor impression on the Trade Federation's members?" I began.

Many of the projected faces seemed uncertain, looking at one another. One of them, a captain I did not recognize, spoke. "While extreme, Gunray's blockade likely would have succeeded had you not defected," the Neimoidian stated.

I inclined my head as if conceding the point. "Perhaps. While I find myself confident I took the right course of action, perhaps my support would have seen his invasion successful. Yet... do take note, the catalyst for my actions was Gunray's ships firing on and destroying an unarmed diplomatic vessel. It may have been a programming error in the ship's computers, but that in and of itself is a result of gross negligence. Had I chosen to follow Gunray's lead... even if Amidala had truly been on the ship, some of the escorts escaped. What happened would have come out eventually. My siding with Gunray would very likely have forced the Trade Federation to close ranks around the former Viceroy, else the Republic use Naboo as an excuse to cripple us. As it is now..."

The assembled Federation leaders began to nod and murmur in agreement.

"Your defiance of Gunray can be posed as loyalty to the foundations of the Trade Federation... in turn setting Gunray up to be a traitor... even better, while Gunray was found to be innocent of any... in involvement in the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the former Directorate... it is quite a coincidence that he was so well positioned to consolidate power..."

I shrugged noncommittally, I knew the real cause of the Directorate's deaths and given the number of Jedi I had been dealing with of late... half-truths and lies of omission was the name of the game.

"Of course, if we are to use Gunray as a scapegoat, we must fully commit," I interjected before they had time to continue down that line of thought.

"What do you suggest, captain?"

I gave a cold, empty smile then. "Call for Gunray's execution. Push for the death penalty as hard as we can. As much as that will upset some of the more... naive members of the Republic, no one will be associating the Trade Federation with Gunray."

The resulting shouting and outcry were almost painful to my ears, but at this point, I had already won. Just had to let them go through the motions.

-----

Senator Palpatine put frowned as he contemplated the image of the Neimoidian that had thoroughly upset his plans for Naboo. It wasn't an insurmountable setback, in fact, the unexpected turn of events provided quite a few interesting opportunities if he played his hand right. Still, there was the principle of the thing. It happened outside his design, his control, and that was anathema to a true sith.

Yet... a part of him was eager for the challenge, for what was a sith without an obstacle to overcome, a threat to crush, an enemy to test himself against? Oh, he would crush any who dared oppose him, to be sure... but there was an old saying from the ancient Sith Empire.

The greater the foe, the more satisfying the victory.

Darth Sidious turned to his new apprentice with a cruel smile.

"Your predecessor was slain by a Neimoidian of all things... clearly I was too soft in his training. You will not make that mistake... will you, Darth Vader?"