Sohna - The Star Kingdom

Obi-Wan had arrived at Senator Amidala’s apartment, as requested by Senator Organa, freshly curious about what was going on. He was surprised to discover that she was in the late stages of a pregnancy (nothing like such a graphic reminder of just how long I was stuck in the outer rim, he thought), and pleasantly congratulated her, but she simply gave him an odd look, which made him wonder if he’d broken some unknown social taboo, and immediately got down to business.

“Senator Organa asked you to meet us here because Virginia is an exchange intern from Naboo,” she began.

“Oh,” he said, enlightened. “Then her message must have come from you?”

She gave him a rueful look and shook her head.

“I’m afraid not,” she told him. “I have no more idea of what she wants than Bail does.”

For a moment, he was completely lost, but it didn’t take long for him to remember that there was another very prominent politician whose home planet was Naboo.

“She couldn’t ...” he said hesitantly, “be working for the chancellor ...?”

The two senators exchanged glances, and Obi-Wan felt a chill run down his spine.

“We don’t really know,” Senator Organa explained. “But it seems to be a possibility.” He hesitated a moment before continuing, “There is a committee of senators - two thousand senators - who have drafted a ... petition. We are both members of this committee. Senator Amidala requested that the Jedi be informed of the petition’s existence and content, but at the time the majority of the committee members did not agree. However, in light of Virginia’s appearance, we - the two of us - have decided it might be best if you, at least, were informed...”

Obi-Wan held up his hand. “Please stop,” he said. “I am not in a position, nor am I of a mind, to keep any secrets that might concern them from the Jedi Council.”

“The petition doesn’t concern the Jedi Council,” Padme told him. “It concerns Palpatine.”

“Which would concern the Jedi Council, at least indirectly,” he corrected her.

Senator Organa waved his hand as if to brush away any lingering hesitation.

“If you decide they must know after we tell you, then by all means do so,” he said. “It may turn out to be entirely unnecessary for you to be informed, or it may not. But I, for one, would rather you heard from us what we have to say, if it comes to it.” He paused a moment, then continued, “The petition is to request the chancellor to relinquish his emergency powers and step down. We don’t feel a true state of emergency exists any longer.”

It took only a few seconds for Obi-Wan’s reaction to go from relief that the senate was finally taking action to shock at the realization that they had no real power left to act. But he was given no time to dwell on this as Senator Organa continued to speak. “The committee was against informing the Jedi as they now report directly to the chancellor’s office,” he said. “We feel that if Virginia is working for Palpatine, her message is at the very least driven by this petition, even if it doesn’t concern it directly.” At this statement, Padme gave Senator Organa a sharp look, but he ignored it and continued, “You received the message from Virginia this morning. Yesterday was Senator Amidala’s first day on the committee.”

“They had been hesitant to include me because the chancellor and I are from the same planet,” she explained.

“And I was the one who suggested her inclusion,” he finished.

Obi-Wan was silent for a moment. What they were suggesting was more than simply that the chancellor had overstepped his bounds. The implication was that he was fully willing to crush anyone who opposed him. But why, Obi-Wan wondered. He had full power already; the very fact that only a petition could be presented to ‘request’ that he step down proved that. Was it ... was it simply because the war was nearly over that he needed some additional excuse to stay on?

“Obi-Wan,” Senator Organa continued, “Neither Padme nor I plan to be signatories to this petition. We support it, but feel our interests will be better served by working behind the scenes to assure Palpatine steps down. However, if he is sending a message to the Jedi about it through this Virginia, then he must already know of our involvement.”

There it was again, he thought. They were afraid. And then a truly horrible thought came to him: Suppose ... suppose Palpatine ordered the Jedi to arrest those who opposed him? Would they do it? He didn’t think it likely. But if they did not ...

“Let’s call Virginia and see what she wants,” he said stonily.

The holovid chimed, not unlike a telephone call, Virginia remarked to herself as she lumbered out of bed to reach for it. She had all but given up on Obi-Wan returning her call, but now, as she examined the small, unfamiliar device for the button she’d been told operated it, she wondered exactly how she was going to approach him about the subject.

“Virginia, the phone’s ringing,” Wolf told her unnecessarily.

“I know that, Wolf, I’m trying to figure out which button to ...”

He pressed it for her and a grainy holographic image of Obi-Wan’s head and upper body appeared above it.

“Hello,” she said, then realized belatedly that he could undoubtedly see her too, complete with her nightgown and bed hair.

“Am I speaking to Virginia?” he asked. The voice could have been Ewan MacGregor’s or Alec Guiness’s; or it could have been someone else entirely (which it was) who merely spoke in a similar timbre.

“Yes,” she replied.

“I am Obi-Wan Kenobi. What is it you wished to speak to me about?” he asked politely.

She froze, unable to formulate the words. It hadn’t seemed that difficult when she’d rehearsed it to herself, but now that the moment had come, she was too conscious of the consequences of her failure. She thought about all the friendly people in the building where she sat who would be dead in 20 years, along with their entire planet. She thought of her trainer Janila’s retirement and the property she’d bought for her family generations to come who would never be born. She hadn’t known Anakin Skywalker - still did not know him, but she knew the people around her now and words stuck in her throat.

“Huff puff, Virginia!” her husband said from behind her. “Just tell him!”

His words jolted her out of her panicked hesitation, though she cast him an annoyed glance at the interruption.

“May I ...” she began, then changed it to, “Is there some place we could meet? It’s rather complicated.”

He looked away into space for a moment, as if considering, before answering.

“Would tomorrow around noon be all right?” he finally said.

“Yes, fine,” she agreed. “Where shall I meet you?”

“Do you know where Dex’s Diner is?”

“I’ve heard of it,” she said truthfully. “But I’m not sure how to get there. Will the taxis know if I ask for it by name?”

He seemed startled by the question, but replied, “Yes, they should.”

She thanked him and they broke the connection.

Wolf was, predictably, not happy with the delay.

“Ohhh, Virginia, you should have told him!” he declared.

“Tell him what?” she demanded. “‘I called to tell you that the chancellor is the Sith Lord, and that your friend Anakin is going to join the dark side?’ He’d just think I was some crackpot, and then we’d never be believed. I need a chance to persuade him that we’re telling the truth and I can do that best if I talk to him in person.”

“Ohhh...” he repeated, puckering his face. He was still unhappy, but didn’t argue. Instead he walked over to the window and fingered the controls that opened the blinds. The lights of Coruscant winked in at them, though the night sky was far from dark. In the distance, he could see some colored searchlights, and the beginning of what promised to be a laser show.

“Look,” he said to her.

She had already gotten back into bed, and wasn’t too inclined to get up again.

“What is it?” she asked.

“It’s a ...” he stopped, and she saw sudden alarm in his face. “Oh, no,” he murmured.

“What?” she asked, deciding she’d have to get up anyway. It took her a moment, but she waddled over to the window and looked out. “What is it?” she repeated.

“It’s the theater,” he told her. “The one with the ballet. Palpatine is telling Anakin the Sith legend right now!”

She squinted at the source of the lights.

“He can’t be,” she argued. “You said yourself that the whole thing took nine days, start to finish. That couldn’t have happened at least until day six or seven. They’re probably having a different showing, or some other performance.”

He continued to stare out at the light show.

“I don’t know, Virginia,” he said somberly. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Just because we’re in Star Wars, Wolf, doesn’t mean we have to use their cliches.”