Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 232, Section 224 - Political Games
Coruscant, the Coruscant Galaxy.

Korusa Sector.

Jedi Master Adi Gallia, despite serving as the Jedi Council’s official liaison to the Republic Senate and an observer on the Speaker’s Advisory Committee, disliked the endless, tedious political activities he did day after day in the administrative district.

Some might think that being the acting head of "Jedi Intelligence" is exciting, but in reality, the job is surprisingly mundane.

Of course, things weren't always like this.

Initially, Gallia's private spy network was indeed purely private.

She built this network using her family connections, even though it seemed to contradict the core doctrines of the Jedi Temple. Her initial intention was to create a secret organization to fill many blind spots in the Council.

Adi Gallia would not deny Master Yoda's brilliant leadership of the Jedi Temple, but it is an undeniable fact that Yoda himself was the root of many of the Jedi Order's problems.

When a core figure leads an organization for nearly four hundred years, the organization inevitably develops around that person, and for better or worse, it will bear the deep imprint of that person.

The Jedi Order is fortunate to have Master Yoda as their leader; among the long-lived Jedi Masters, it is indeed rare to have such a leader.

However, the drawbacks of this system are also quite obvious.

Even the highly respected Master Yoda, after holding power for so long, could not help but become complacent and self-satisfied.

Not only was the Jedi Order stagnant, but the Republic's various shortcomings were also taken for granted.

Master Yoda has lived in this atmosphere for four hundred years.

Adi Gallia was born into a diplomatic family, and her Force sensitivity was not "discovered" until she was old enough to understand her situation.

Unlike most people in the Jedi Temple who grew up in Yoda's shadow, she entered the temple with her previous experiences.

Her realization at that time was the origin of her spy network.

Of course, she wasn't the only one who noticed the Jedi Order's problems.

Hundreds of people had noticed this before the war, the most prominent of whom was Count Doocu at the time.

Yoda is almost a myth in the Jedi Temple.

Adi Gallia, in her youth, also remained silent on this issue, as she never revealed the existence of her network.

She knew very well that the Jedi Council, led by Master Yoda, would inevitably force her to shut down the network.

Therefore, she chose to keep a low profile, using planetary missions as a cover to quietly expand her network on Coruscant and then extend it to other planets, thereby winning the support of Jedi politicians and diplomats.

By the time of the Stark Hyperspace Wars, the Jedi Temple had developed a certain fixed pattern.

When Jedi are deployed for peacekeeping missions, the standard procedure is always to first negotiate and resolve the issue diplomatically.

If it fails, then use the lightsaber.

The method is simple and direct.

But behind the scenes, Gallia went even further, resolving the issue before it was submitted to the Supreme Committee, saving both trouble and energy.

By then, her intelligence network had become so vast that it could no longer be hidden, but at the same time, it had become an indispensable part of the Jedi Temple's operations, to the point that even the High Council could not openly acknowledge this open secret.

In the meantime, the uneasy Jedi continue to struggle in the shadow of Master Yoda, the power vacuum left by the Hyperspace Wars is filled by the Megacorporations, and the Republic continues to tolerate and even encourage the small, accumulated evils in the galaxy.

Until one Jedi Master could no longer tolerate it, he delivered a passionate speech in the capital of Lax and announced the formation of the Separatist Alliance.

Hundreds of apprentices, warriors, and masters answered his call and chose the alternative path he had pointed out—

They had been suppressed in Yoda's shadow for too long, and were just waiting for someone to have the courage to point out this stench.

It wasn't until the Clone Wars broke out that her private network expanded into the Jedi Intelligence organization as necessary.

This is especially true because the Republic's intelligence agencies have consistently been less proactive in sharing intelligence with the Jedi Order.

For Adi Gallia, this meant a mountain of administrative tasks, keeping him incredibly busy.

The days of on-site work in person seem to be over; back then, she had time to select agents and personally train future liaisons.

Master Tros's inner monologue was interrupted by the vibration of the communicator, the notification sound muffled by her flowing robe.

"I am Gallia."

"Are you alone?"

The first voice she heard was that of Bode Akuna.

Adi Gallia looked up at the bustling hall of the Senate building and used the Force to create a soundproof bubble around himself, isolating all internal sounds from the outside world.

"Go ahead."

"Trinm has just invaded the core system, and the Comeno Navy was unable to stop her."

“I already know,” the Jedi Master replied calmly. “The Speaker just convened an emergency advisory committee meeting, and I’m on my way.”

"What's the story behind the unclear situation of the 'Hydra Campaign'?"

The seriousness in his tone made Gallia pause for a moment. "To say the situation is unclear is an understatement."

"...I understand, I need to confirm one thing."

"What is it?" The Jedi Master skillfully moved through the crowd, making sure no one approached her Force soundproof bubble.

Where exactly was Anakin Skywalker during the Battle of Yagdul?

“What are you talking about? He’s in Yagdul, fighting alongside the ‘Opening Fleet’.” Adi Gallia lied.

In fact, shortly before the battle officially began, Anakin Skywalker reported to the Jedi Temple that he was pursuing Asaji Ventress.

Of course, if this news were leaked to the Republic's naval command, it would undoubtedly cause shock and outrage. A Jedi commander actually abandoned the battle because of a personal grudge?

Absolutely ridiculous!
If the Jedi Command attempts to justify its actions, it will only further deepen the rifts between the various departments within the Republic's army.

Therefore, it was considered more prudent to disclose this matter in the postwar report.

After all, everyone expected to win this battle.

Three battle fleets against a separatist task force?
To think that failure is possible is as absurd as to think that Anakin Skywalker fled before the battle even began.

However, Hydra once again demonstrated its terrifying power, and the Republic Navy suffered another defeat, on a scale comparable to the Battle of Christopher West.

Fortunately, due to the sheer scale of the failure, the news reached Coruscant relatively slowly.

General Brand and Admiral Jegerod were killed in action, and Governor Grant mentioned in his post-battle report that the three fleets lost contact early in the battle.

Finally, General Yularen's postwar report only emphasized the victory at the Lonne Nebula and the cleanup of the Battle of Yagdul.

There is no explicit information about Anakin Skywalker's actions.

Instead, the Republic's naval command focused on Octavian Grant's speculation.

He believed that the separatist Fourth Fleet's goal was to invade the southern core system.

This is not an unfounded prediction, as Carly Trilm has just broken through the crumbling fortress world of Comeno like cracking an egg.

At the same time, this is also an extremely terrifying prediction, because the southern invasion means that the monster known as the "Grave Slayer" is about to wreak havoc in the core region of the galaxy.

In any case, Admiral Yularen was clearly aware of the tension between the Republic Navy and the Jedi Command, and therefore decided to proceed with caution, avoiding any mention that might exacerbate the conflict.

This was undoubtedly a stroke of luck for the Jedi Order, meaning that only the Jedi Command currently knows Anakin Skywalker's true whereabouts during the Battle of Yagdul.

“…This time I need the truth, Master Gallia,” Bode Akuna said urgently. “I need to confirm whether we are facing a credible threat.”

Gallia pressed his lips together. "Is this information obtained by the Republic's intelligence services?"

“It came from an obviously reliable intelligence source, but I need to know if this poses a threat to us.” Bode emphasized the word “need.”

"The message says Skywalker is here?"

"...Long En Nebula."

"Can you destroy this report?" The Jedi Master was unusually calm, but this simple question had already made Bode Akuna understand the credibility of the intelligence source.

“…It’s pointless, the report has already spread,” Bode replied hesitantly. “Doing this would only arouse suspicion. Master…this means…”

“I know what this means…” There was irrefutable evidence that the Republic’s intelligence service had planted an informant in the Jedi Temple. “Tell me the code name of this threat.”

"The Republic's intelligence services refer to it as the 'Delta Source'."

“Understood. Continue surveillance, but do not attempt to intercept unless it is extremely detrimental to the Jedi Order. I trust your judgment.”

"Understood. In the meantime, I will do my best to uncover any clues about the 'Delta Source'."

She turned off the communication and rubbed her nose wearily.

In Coruscant, trouble always comes one after another.

But this added worry also means we're one step closer to revealing the truth about the Sith Lord.

At least Bode discovered the existence of the "Delta Source" before the information fell into the hands of the Republic Navy.

No matter how small, this is a kind of luck.

While not ideal, Gallia can now at least prepare for possible debates and build credible defenses so as not to be caught off guard during questioning.

What worries her more is how deeply the Delta Source has taken root in the Jedi Temple.

And whether it also knows the truth about the recent "terrorist attack".

Given that the Jedi Order has not been disbanded, it is likely unaware of this.

Therefore, the "Delta Source" was not in the funeral hall at the time.

It's good to know this.

She mentally identified the "Delta Source" as a key target for further investigation.

She walked along the winding corridors of the Senate building toward the Speaker's office, offering friendly smiles to the staff she encountered along the way.

She knew some of them and had brief conversations with a few others, but she was never able to infiltrate Slee Moore's staff.

The senior executive assistant's department was heavily guarded, and the Ubala man had informants everywhere.

Slee Moore seems to have a talent for seeing through people's hearts, and even the most senior spies cannot escape her insight.

This further indirectly confirms that their mysterious Sith Dark Lord is hiding inside the administrative office.

When she was ushered into the Speaker's office by Slee Moore's pale face, she was facing her prime suspect—

Supreme Council Speaker Palpatine met face to face.

Even she, who made this bold conjecture, found it difficult to fully believe this judgment.

Because Palpatine never exuded the dark aura typically associated with the Sith, and there was no evidence whatsoever that he was sensitive to the Force.

At the very least, Slee Moore can be confirmed to have Force sensitivity.

What about Speaker Palpatine?

(End of this chapter)