Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 309, 313 - Fangs
Palpatine tapped his fingertips lightly on the edge of the table, actually trying to calm the turmoil in his heart.

36 standard hours have passed since Directive 66 began.

Since last night, the Force has been in turmoil, and an ominous feeling permeates the air, but Sidious is still unable to make sense of the details.

Is this a new tactic employed by separatist forces?
Is the Jedi stirring up trouble in the shadows?

Or is someone behind this?

This uncertainty made him extremely tense.

This is a critical moment. Corellia has been defeated by the Confederacy, and Quarter will soon follow suit.

Although Sidious had prepared contingency plans, there was one gap he could never figure out!

"What exactly happened, Captain?"

Palpatine reopened his eyes, striking his signature aged and annoyed pose, his tone carrying just the right amount of "confusion."

"The Titan Empress Star is on a diplomatic visit." The soldier shook his head, his tone becoming more serious. "Also present were remnants of the separatist Peremian Alliance fleet. The Senate ordered the Titan fleet to pass, but subsequently, the home fleet and the Peremian fleet engaged in aerial combat..."

"The Senate?" The Sith Lord raised an eyebrow, his expression turning icy, and interrupted the other person. "Who gave the order? How come I don't know?"

"Speaker!" The soldier hesitated for a moment, then said, "We couldn't contact you back then, and nobody knew where you were!"

Sidious fell silent.

Then a soldier said, "Speaker, there is another matter. Queen Titan claims to have captured the Confederate leader... Count Dooku. Now, they insist on seeing you and bringing prisoners with them."

"Ah, I understand." Palpatine smiled with a "sudden realization," but his heart instantly turned as cold as ice.

Dooku should have been imprisoned by the Confederacy, or perhaps he is already dead.

Even if they escaped, they would never attempt to attack the council, much less want to see Sidious in this building.

The speaker maintained his smile, his gaze sweeping over the security personnel in the room, already certain of his thoughts.

The Confederate Congress did indeed use underhanded tactics. They secretly contacted the Jedi and had long been in cahoots with them, which is why many Jedi were spared after Directive 66 was issued.

"Hydra... a Confederate admiral..."

Palpatine was flipping through the war reports of the galaxy when a name suddenly caught his attention, and he looked extremely puzzled!
Who is this?
Why do I have no recollection of this?
When did the Confederate Navy produce such a young admiral?
Sidious subconsciously immersed himself in the perception of the Force, his senses traversing the Milky Way, to a blank space in the endless depths of the Coruscant sector, like a bright star.

Unable to perceive.

Unable to investigate.

But upon touching this blank space, a very familiar aura of darkness overflowed from it.

"interesting……"

Sidious quickly realized that Dooku's appearance might also be the work of this Hydra.

However, there was one thing he couldn't understand: what was the purpose of Dooku being placed here?

Palpatine frowned slightly.

Palpatine walked slowly to his desk and sat down, deliberately straightening his back, but his shoulders slumped slightly, making him look like a weary old man.

Then, Sidious dropped his disguise, a sinister smile slowly creeping onto his lips as he let the energy of the dark side surge within him.

Palpatine's smile grew brighter, but it didn't last long. The Sith Lord could clearly sense the danger in the air, and his Force was filled with the expectations of the Jedi, nothing more. The dark side had obscured his insight into the future.

Is this what it feels like to be in Jedi?

Sidious had no time to appreciate the irony; now it was a matter of waiting for the Confederacy to walk right into his trap, or taking the initiative.

Both options carry risks... What if all of this is to force him to reveal his true colors...?

He rejected the idea.

His support is strong enough that even if he is exposed as a Sith, he can withstand the backlash. Moreover, the purge of the Jedi has already shown initial results.

Sidious sensed danger approaching, but inwardly he felt relieved.

After years of lying low, it can finally show its fangs.

He released his Force perception and sensed the growing fear in the room. He then noticed a familiar presence approaching, accompanied by unfamiliar Force signals.

This is normal, after all, he has always deliberately avoided using the Force in the face of the Jedi.

It's time to see if we can turn this little trap around and use it on our opponents.

Palpatine slowly rose and walked to the artifact shelf on the left side of his desk.

As he almost completely removed his disguise, and the darkness swirled around him like a vortex, the clone soldier's gaze suddenly locked onto him, and his pupils abruptly contracted.

"Is it just me who feels this way, or has it really gotten colder here?"

The clone soldier asked in a low voice, his hand unconsciously tightening its grip on the blaster.

"impossible!"

A human guard gasped in disbelief.

"What do you mean by that, Guard?" Palpatine turned around, his tone as gentle as if he were asking about a trivial matter.

If someone were to look closely at his face right now, they would surely be terrified by that greedy smile that stretched to his ears.

That was Sidious's thirst for killing.

His hand gently rested on the statue that concealed the lightsaber.

At that moment, he felt as if the weapon, like himself, was yearning for the impending bloody battle.

Of course, this is just an illusion; a lightsaber is ultimately a tool, no matter how useful it may be.

But he could clearly sense the restlessness within the dark side itself; it was time for the Sith to exact their revenge. Palpatine quickly wiped the smile from his face and turned to look at the Jedi, feigning confusion.

Several warriors stepped forward, instinctively standing between him and the clone troopers.

The security captain scanned back and forth between the enemy and the person he was protecting, his face clearly showing his confusion.

"Si... Si!"

Without any disguise, the guard pointed at the speaker, his voice trembling with fear.

"Is that so?" Palpatine frowned, his tone full of disbelief. "Even if you're right, what does it matter? We should all remember that being a Sith isn't a crime. We live in a free republic!"

He deliberately cast a disapproving glance at the young guard, as if accusing him of being "rigid in his thinking."

"What nonsense is this?!" the captain roared, pointing his blaster at the human guard. "Our duty is simply to protect the Speaker, nothing more!"

"Have you all forgotten?" Fear spread, enveloping the guard. "The fear of the... Sith...? They represent darkness!"

"Is there something on my robe?" Palpatine asked, feigning innocence as he looked down at his robe.

He tried to maintain a bewildered expression, finding the mortal's expression rather amusing, which made him somewhat regretful that they would all soon be dead.

A sharp, metallic screeching sound suddenly came from the entrance, drawing everyone's attention.

Everyone immediately turned and raised their guns, just in time to see the heavy metal door being slowly pushed open by an invisible force.

For experienced clone troopers, it's clear that someone is using the Force to force the door open.

"Halt!" the captain ordered sharply, and the safety on the blaster was fully disengaged, emitting a slight "click" sound.

"Stand down, soldiers." A steady voice came from outside the door. "I am General Peel. We are here to handle council matters."

“Traitors, I can’t let you in.” The clone soldier’s tone was unyielding. “Take one more step and we’ll open fire.”

“This is no longer your concern.” The short Jedi Master Pierre walked slowly into the room, followed by Kota and Luminara. Outside the door, the figures of a group of Jedi Knights could be vaguely seen, the hilts of their lightsabers gleaming coldly in the dim light.

"That's enough!" The captain stepped forward, blocking the path of the desperate situation, and said sternly.

"Speaker Palpatine, in the name of the Republic's Parliament, we are arresting you on charges of treason," Peel said firmly. "The charges include planning the Clone Wars, inciting and supporting a rebellion..."

"Utter nonsense!" Palpatine slammed his fist on the table, his face contorted with rage, and shouted at the accusers, "You are the traitors!"

“We have evidence!” Kota stepped forward, his voice booming. “Count Dooku has confessed!”

“I have serious doubts.” Palpatine scoffed, his tone full of disdain. “Otherwise, you could have used proper channels, at least to present the evidence in a plenary session of parliament, instead of barging in with a bunch of people and staging this farce that resembles a coup!”

“The courts and parliament will make the decision,” Obi-Wan’s voice came from outside the door, his tone icy.

He walked slowly with heavy steps, his hand always on the hilt of his lightsaber, ready to draw it at any moment.

"Before or after you took control of them?" Palpatine's tone suddenly turned sharp. "Forgive my bluntness, but I have lost all trust in the Jedi Council. You are traitors."

"Because of your Order 66, so many members of the Jedi Council were purged, not even the young apprentices were spared!" Obi-Wan's voice was filled with pain and his face with anger. "You owe them an explanation!"

“Is that so?” Palpatine slowly shook his head, his tone filled with as much “regret” as possible. “You killed countless clone soldiers, and then stormed here to arrest me… Who will answer for the lives of the clones? You’ve gone mad! Master Peer, Master Kota, I implore you, stop and think about what you’re doing! This is destroying the foundation of the Republic! For the Republic, die!”

“We have thought it through, Lord Sidious.” Peel’s gaze was sharp as a knife. “Before you plunged the entire galaxy into war for your own selfish interests, you should have thought about the consequences. You will be held by the Jedi until the Council and the courts review all the evidence and set a trial date.”

"Is that so? I know what you're up to!" Palpatine suddenly raised his voice, glaring at the Jedi before him. "You're afraid your dogmatic beliefs are threatened! You want to win back public opinion!"

The Sith Lord's chilling voice continued, "Have you ever considered that it was precisely those you consider to be Sith who, instead of plotting to destroy the galaxy, stepped forward to protect the Republic in its time of crisis, doing so more diligently than most of you? That person is me!"

His voice grew increasingly impassioned, each word sounding like an accusation: "You curse him, you condemn him, simply because he did better than you! Now, you want to arrest me in the name of the 'Sis' only because you fear I will shake your rule!"

"It's so ironic that a Sith would say such a thing!" a Jedi in the back row couldn't help but shout, his tone full of disdain.

“Your lies don’t fool anyone, Sith!” Peel glared back at him, his voice icy. “We know the truth… You orchestrated the creation of the clone army, ultimately intending to use it against the Republic after this sham war! It was you and your kind who started this massacre!”

"I have served the Republic for decades!" Palpatine's voice suddenly choked with emotion, his aged face filled with resentment and anger. "I did everything in my power to prevent the catastrophe of this war, because I had witnessed firsthand the devastation that conflict brought to my homeland, Naboo! When the seeds of war began to sprout, I did everything I could to prepare... I used all my abilities, sought out every connection I had built up since I entered politics, and made every possible promise and deal, just so that we could avoid repeating the mistakes of the Naboo crisis!"

He took a deep breath, his tone suddenly becoming heavy: "All this time, I have been forced to hide my identity! I have never uttered a single word about my beliefs, for fear of this moment! You are here not to protect the Republic, nor for its own good... You are here out of fear! Because your dogma dictates that all Sith must be eliminated like mad dogs!"

“We’re not speculating, Sith.” Obi-Wan’s hand tightened slightly, causing the hilt of his lightsaber to hum softly. “Your apprentices have all confessed. We have Dooku’s testimony, as well as your communications with the Separatists!”

"Confess I'm a Sith, forced to hide my identity to avoid persecution? I readily admit it!" Palpatine suddenly laughed, his smile full of sarcasm. "Don't tell me this is the cause of this war? I can sense who's behind you... Count Dooku, is he the source of your so-called 'truth'? No wonder most Jedi are incompetent commanders in wars! Have you been secretly supporting the Separatists all along, or were the Separatists created by you? Dooku never truly left the Council, did he?"

"Stop lying and making excuses!" Pierre snapped, his hand on his lightsaber, ready to draw it at any moment. "Surrender now!"

“I refuse.” Palpatine gave a sad smile. “I believe it would be tantamount to suicide.”

“Then we’ll arrest you by force.” Obi-Wan Kenobi stepped forward, his lightsaber suddenly lighting up.

The Speaker slowly turned to the clone soldier who was aiming his blaster at the Jedi, his tone full of regret: "I'm really sorry, Captain, you shouldn't have gotten involved in this religious conflict."

He perfectly portrayed an old man filled with helplessness, every expression was just right.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, sir. We were just doing our duty.” The captain’s voice came through his helmet, firm and steady. “General Kenobi, General Peel, General Kota, step down, or we will take coercive measures.”

“Thank you, Captain.” Palpatine nodded with a smile, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

“Get out of the way, soldier, this is none of your business.” Peel made one last attempt to influence the clone trooper’s judgment with the Force.

"Your actions now confirm the evidence of rebellion!" The captain's tone remained unwavering. "Stand back! Or we'll open fire immediately!"

Pierre shook his head, then reached out and grasped the hilt of the lightsaber, the "humming" of the metal being drawn echoing in the room.

“Then this is true treason.” Palpatine sighed softly, his voice devoid of any “old age,” only the coldness belonging to Sidious remained.

A powerful pulse of dark energy erupted from his body, instantly severing the signals from all recording devices.

The metal statue he had been touching shattered with a crash, and a red lightsaber fell into his hand. The moment the blade was drawn, a dazzling red light illuminated the entire room.

(End of this chapter)