Chapter 60

I was easily able to make it back to the ship before Qui-Gon Jinn. As I took the place of my doppelganger I could hear the complaining of Obi-Wan. He didn't like his master picking up something "pathetic", Even Obi-Wan seemed to have elitism in his belief. In my opinion, Obi-Wan Kenobi was too young to become a Jedi and gain a student, he didn't have the even temper Qui-Gon Jinn has. Only time would curve that elitism to turn this brash Obi-Wan into the legend he will become.

New components were delivered ahead of Qui-Gon Jinn and installed by the crew. Next came Qui Gon with a little Anakin, closely followed by Darth Maul on a hoverbike.

What I once thought was amazing now turned into mediocre lightsaber fighting. Their moves were simple with no passion and quickly finished When Qui Gon jumped onto the ship as it passed by. The whole thing was quick and lacklustre and yet the biggest thing for me was the way both Qui Gon and Obi-Wan reacted to a red Sith force user like it was just a normal day. This was the first time the Jedi had interacted with the Sith in almost a thousand years and yet they treated it like it was common.

I couldn't even understand how Darth Maul found them, the crew were specifically told not to make contact with anyone because it would lead back to them on Tatooine. There was no way the Sith knew that our ship had been hit so badly we needed repairs, they didn't have the manpower, droid power or any type of power to search that many planets. Maybe in the future when and if Palpatine took over the Republic and created the Empire but not now. How did Darth Maul find us? Was it the force or just amazing good luck on their side, even my information network developed around my Labyrinth program would have taken time. A question I would have to ask if I ever met Darth Maul.

We contuined to Coruscant.

While there I wasn't needed as much. The queen and her handmaidens were being looked after by captains and a lowly Lieutenant like me wasn't needed. I watched as the queen was separated from me and took a meeting with the senate seat for Naboo, Sentate Palpatine.

My lip reading wasn't very good and it failed to pick up the stone-cold way the queen spoke, I thought it was a better idea not to read their minds just in case Palpatine picked up my power. There wasn't a good way to find out what was happening in the office but there was a way I could find out what was going to happen faster than most. I have a seat in the Senate.

My Seat was hardly ever used and a fake politician sat on it before leaving it empty. However, it didn't mean I held no power over the Senate, I owned a piece of the Galaxy that held several species that could freely vote for whatever as long as I allowed it. More than a hundred votes could be pooled at once under my command. The Gove Collective was a powerful piece of the Senate that could pass laws if they were united. I sat on my seat and listened.

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The true art of manipulation was to appear like you had done nothing and Palpatine was doing a good job of it. He stood up and claimed that Naboo was being invaded and didn't even lose his focus when the cries of the Trade Federation pleaded it wasn't so. It was a good piece of manipulation. Palpatine had ordered the Trade Federation to cause a blockade on Naboo and then argued in the senate that it was unjust so he could get a vote of no confidence and make a power move as a new Supreme Chancellor. If Palpatine failed then the Trade Federation would become stronger and he would have a better ally in the senate that could vote in his favour but if he succeeded then he would worm his way into the ultimate seat of power in the galaxy. It was a win-win for him. A good piece of manipulation.

Of course, the Supreme Chancellor needed evidence that the trade federation, one of the most powerful collections of votes in the senate had indeed invaded without cause but that wasn't enough for Queen Padmea, she needed action now to save her dying people and predictably she called for the vote of no confidence. What choice did she have, lots but she was panicking. If she was older she might have realised that a vote of no confidence on one of her greatest allys was a stupid move. She could have pleaded for the Jedi to take action or for them to speak to the Senate to verify what was happening on Naboo but she chose the nuclear option not understanding that it might weaken her political career and make passing votes like this for her benefits near impossible. No one wants to ally them selfs with an inexperienced Queen who will vote for no confidence at the drop of a hat, especially when the Queen of Naboo was an elected position that only lasted two years.

This was the start of a war that would engulf the Galaxy.

After the Senate settled down and the investigation into no-confidence started smaller and increasingly more boring laws and legislation would be held. Most of the Senate had gone to prepare for the benefits and losses of war and a vote of no confidence earned, however, I was still in my seat as well as all of the Gove Collection members.

As more and more Senate members disappeared and new, less important laws came to be voted on, what I was waiting for turned up. The Legislation of The Goves isolation and reinforcement. It was already incredibly hard for people to get past customs to the Grove but this Legislation would make it law for the Grove Collection to make it nearly impossible to enter. After this passed I could legally and without restraint do what I liked without permission, this included all of my hyperspace routes. I learnt in my other life that if you wanted a law passed that was unfair then do it on a day of great suffering. Everyone will be so busy with the war and vote of no confidence that they won't see what I'm doing. The fun part was Palpatine didn't even see it coming and by the time he took over the republic and turned it into the Empire my slice of the galaxy would be so reinforced with droids, mines and roaming spaceships that even the Death Star wouldn't be able to get near without suffering great loses. Of course, I would have reinforced the Grove Collection without the law supporting me but there's an extra nice feeling when it was all above the law.

The law passed easily with an almost empty Senate. Only the Gove Collection votes mattered.