Silver-Tongued Company Devil Ch.6 (Patreon)

[AN: What do you call a group of Jedi? A Force. A Force of Jedi.]

“Oh, it’s all so horrible! My people were represented by a hidden Sith for… for too bloody long! Damn him, damn him, damn him!” Padme alternated between pitiful sniffles and fiery rage, between standing up to pace and collapsing back onto the couch to cling to my side.

“There, there,” I soothed as she sat back into my embrace. “None of this is your fault. You couldn’t have known. Not even the Jedi realized that a Sith was hiding right under their noses.”

“It’s just not right!” Padme stood up abruptly and began to pace and rage once more. “To have such a man given so much power over my people? It’s deplorable! He’s likely the reason this crisis started in the first place! I swear, Sheev Palpatine will pay for his crimes!”

“He will,” I agreed. “Just like the Trade Federation will. And just like with them, I’ll help. I promise. But first, we need to focus on freeing your people from occupation. Only then can we direct our attention to additional justice and revenge.”

Padme fell back in next to me, “Oh, it feels almost hopeless. Having him so near to us will surely have critically damaged Naboo’s reputation. He was our Senator, for Force’s sake! Will the Senate even support us anymore?”

I was brutally honest with her, “No. Many of them likely won’t. After an event like this, the Senate will almost certainly go into reaction and damage control mode. Some of them might even lash out at innocents because of it. Like you and your people. They’ll have to be ‘seen doing something’ and unfortunately, the planet Palpatine was representing will be seen as an easy scapegoat.”

Padme built up into a rage again but I continued before she could leave my arms, “But some will still support you and Naboo, and more importantly, the Jedi will be on your side now. They have irrefutable proof that the Sith has returned. They won’t be able to sit idly by. They’ll lend their full aid in any fight against the Sith. The truth should be more than enough to strengthen your case before them.”

Padme paused to think with that beautiful mind of hers, “So… we can take the counter-invasion into our own hands! We don’t have to wait around for the Senate to debate and debate just to eventually settle on sending an observation team! We can petition the Jedi directly, take our suspicions of the Sith’s involvement in the invasion to them, and requisition a peace-keeping force of Jedi Knights and Masters! We could see Naboo freed in days instead of months or even years!”

“Thatta girl,” I praised with a smile. “Use what you have and what has happened to your advantage instead of agonizing over it. We’ll make a skilled and pragmatic ruler out of you yet.”

Padme rolled her eyes, not showing how thankful she was for the distraction, “I think I’m doing pretty well as Queen of Naboo, thank you very much. And I intend to continue doing so. I will lead Naboo through the largest crisis it has seen in centuries.”

“You will,” I agreed. “But you’re still young. So am I, for that matter. We have much to learn.”

Falling silent for a moment, Padme glanced at me and glanced away, “… How long have you known? About our ruse? That… I was the real Queen?”

I pulled her into my side with a sigh, “Who knows? Maybe I had something of a hunch from the beginning. Royalty recognizing royalty in kind and such.”

“I see…” Padme worried at her lip.

“However, knowing you’re the true Queen doesn’t matter to me. It certainly hasn’t driven my intentions of getting to know you. I wish to know Padme, not Queen Amidala,” I reassured.

Padme hummed, cuddling closer, “Hmm, good. I don’t have enough friends who care not for the trappings of my position.”

“Rest assured, you’ll never have to worry about that with me, Padme. Even at the height of my ambitions, I shall treat you as ‘just Padme’ first and foremost.”

As genuine as my words may have been, they were still layered with an unnatural Charisma. A promise and seduction that wiggled its way into Padme’s heart. It acted almost like corruption but I intended it to be anything but.

I’d get enough of dishonest manipulation in the days and years to come. But I’d still need confidants — true friends and found family who I could trust and be true to myself with. Social manipulation would always be in my nature but that didn’t mean I had to use it maliciously. I truly wished for Padme to trust me and for me to trust her just as much.

Padme’s eyes drifted closed comfortably, “Tell me of your ambitions, Dick.”

“Well… I suppose I want a place in the galaxy. A place to call my own. Something that could eventually grow to match my father’s empire,” I was surprised how easy it was to open up to Padme. “I’m sure that sounds rather selfish, doesn’t it?”

“A bit,” Padme’s lips quirked but her eyes didn’t open. “But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I certainly won’t judge you for wanting something I currently enjoy.”

“I want to rule. Truly rule. To lead a people into peace and prosperity,” I continued. “Like my parents before me. With them, I’d never get the opportunity. So in a way, it is purely selfish. But I hope that good things will come from my selfish motivations.”

“I believe that they can-… No, I believe that they will, Dick,” Padme said firmly. “Ever since I met you, I couldn’t help but feel like you’ll do great things.”

“So will you, Padme,” I replied with a squeeze of her shoulders. “If great things are in my future, they’re in yours as well.”

Padme’s eyes blinked open to look up at me, a light blush dusting her cheeks, “Is that so…? Why, Dick, it almost sounds as if you’re tying our futures together.”

I grinned down at her, “Well, I did promise to help in your crusade against the Trade Federation. The Sith as well, now. I can hardly do that if we part ways early.”

The smile that graced her lips was small and soft, “Thank you, Dick. For everything you’ve done. You’ve accomplished more than you could possibly know.”

“Oh~?” My expression took on a teasing tint. “Enough to be granted a duchy or so for saving the Queen of Naboo~?”

Padme pretended to sniff, putting up a seethrough haughty front, “Is the gratitude of the Queen not enough for you, Rogue?”

I played along, smirking, “Hardly. If the Queen was truly thankful, she’d reward me generously for my efforts.”

There was a slight hesitating pause. Then Padme leaned forward and planted a soft kiss right at the corner of my smirk. It was gentle and hesitant but it promised so much more. Her lips lingered longer than strictly necessary. When she finally pulled back, Padme’s face glowed beautifully with flustered color.

“H-How… How’s that for a reward…?”

“I think I’ll have to make saving your life a common activity for me,” My smirk stretched into a wide grin.

“I doubt I’ll be in life-threatening danger all that often,” Padme rolled her eyes.

I laughed, “I think you’ll be surprised. I can already tell you’ll be a magnet for danger and adventure, Padme.”

Padme turned her nose up imperiously, “I could say the same about you, Dick Jackson. I suppose you’ll just have to keep saving me until I can turn the tables and save you.”

“Was that a proposal, Padme~? Or wedding vows perhaps~?”

“Vow-! Prop-! Both! Neither! Oh, s-shut up, Dick! Don’t tease me like that!”

“I agree it’s a little early for us but who said anything about teasing?” I grinned.

Groaning, Padme buried her face in the side of my chest, “You’re going to be the death of me…”

“What a way to go though, right?”

“… What a way indeed.”

The silence that followed was comfortable. Padme relaxed against me and I relaxed with her in my arms. My Hail Mary hadn’t gone perfectly but it’d been pretty effective all the same. Palpatine was outed before it was too late. I now had room to breathe and work. For the first time since my insertion, I didn’t feel the weight of a vastly more entrenched enemy pressing down on me.

Still… I could do even more damage here if I wanted, “Hey, Padme? A thought occurs…”

“Hmm?” Padme hummed a question.

“Well, this is Palpatine’s 500 Republica apartment… In other words, we’re currently in the hastily vacated lai of a Sith… And we wouldn’t want him to find anything useful he left here if he ever returns, right? So how do you feel about ransacking and looting through the living quarters of the Sith who wronged you for a little bit of revenge?”

Padme drew back slightly. She looked up at me with barely concealed disbelief on her face, “Shouldn’t that be a job for the Jedi?”

“We can hand over anything we find,” I shrugged. That might give me a bit of initial goodwill with the Order as well. “I’m mainly suggesting this so you can vent your anger by ruining something Palpatine obviously loved. After the things he’s done to you and your planet, Palpatine doesn’t deserve any nice things.”

Her expression morphed into a wide, vindictive grin, “Oh, Dick, you say the most romantic things~!”

IIIII

The reactions to the day’s events were many and varied. While Padme and Dick comforted each other in the now-vacated apartments of a Sith, for the rest of Coruscant, the Republic was turned on its head. The Sith had returned. And one had infiltrated the Senate to such a worrying degree. Only through a seemingly freak coincidence was the threat revealed before it was too late.

Many of the Senate’s Senators sat in their offices, drinking with shaky hands. How many of them were about to vote for Palpatine to replace the role of Supreme Chancellor?

It seemed a no-brainer at the time. He was well-liked and respected. He had public support on his side and the moral high ground at that moment due to the invasion of Naboo, his homeworld. His writings and theories on political science were taught in many universities, for goodness sake! As far as anyone expected, he would have made a good Supreme Chancellor.

Then his true nature was revealed. The Senate as a whole reeled in shock. The kind, likable provincial Senator? A Sith?! It was practically unthinkable! If he was elected, who knows what damage he could have done to the Republic?! The Sith were sworn enemies of the Republic just as much as they were sworn enemies of the Jedi. And one of them had very nearly wormed his way into the Republic’s highest position of power.

As a whole, the Senate was stuck somewhere between disbelief and not-so-righteous indignation. Indignation, not from the harm wrought by Sheev Palpatine but from the fact that anyone — especially a barbaric and debased Sith — could think they were allowed to deceive and infiltrate their exclusive little club at the top of the Republic.

The worst part was that Palpatine had followed all of the standard procedures! He’d worked his way up from a simple provincial Senator to a candidate for Supreme Chancellor. He’d paid his dues as far as the Senate’s club was concerned. And if he hadn’t been outed, the majority of the Senate would be welcoming his position with open arms!

In any other group, this event might have been cause for introspection. Cause for the Senate to examine their practices and themselves. But these were politicians. Every one of them had secrets they didn’t want to be revealed, from simple backroom deals to the uncomfortable excesses and debauchery that came with so much power.

They almost couldn’t even blame Palpatine. He’d played the game and he’d played it well. Who among them could say they would have done any differently in his position? More than a few even thought that if his secret wasn’t so damning and the reveal so public, they would still be supporting him.

After all, were the Sith truly that bad? There hadn’t been one in hundreds of years! Sheev was a friend and an exceedingly competent Senator. He knew how to walk the walk and talk the talk. ‘Was a silly superstition really enough to make them condemn him completely?’ They thought, ignoring common sense and even the fact that the entire Senate had witnessed him kill a Jedi.

While most would stick to the party line and damn the Sith, there would be some that decided differently in private. There would always be those who went against their best interest in greed, blissful ignorance, or sheer stubborn contrarianism.

The Trade Federation already knew of the Sith, though it was certainly a shock to find out the man they were working for was also a Senator. They were already too deep in self-interest-driven opposition to the Republic. The other megacorporations in the Senate were in similar situations, each for their own reasons.

But the corporations were not alone. There were others, proper systems and Senators where Palpatine had planted the seeds of secession. And some of them did not immediately condemn Palpatine upon his Sith reveal.

Already, these burgeoning secessionists had plenty of rightful grievances with the Republic. For good reason. The Republic was a corrupt mess that ignored and exploited the majority of the galaxy for a few key Core worlds. And seeing a Sith of all things almost rise to ultimate power was just further fuel for their fires.

Chancellor Valorum’s position had been saved at the last moment by Palpatine’s Sith reveal. In this trying time, the Senate would decide they could not afford a change in power. But that did not mean Valorum’s position was in any way more secure than it was before young Padme called for a Vote of No Confidence.

The Senate was anything but agreeable, anything but unanimous on just about anything. Even with the Sith returning, that would not change. If anything, the threat of the Sith would only escalate the fractures. Factions would form, courses of action or nonaction would be debated until the Force ran dry, and just about nothing would be agreed upon.

Valorum was an old hand at the Republic’s game. He knew his position was still in question and that his gradually limited powers would show now more than ever. If he did nothing, he would go down in history as the Chancellor who balked before the freshly returned Sith.

Valorum was also a surprisingly good guy for his political position. He genuinely wanted to see the Republic and its people prosper and had fought for the rights of those on the Mid and Outer Rim frequently during his career. But he also knew more than anyone how constrained the position of Supreme Chancellor had become.

What he needed was an agent for him to act through to do what he couldn’t as Chancellor. He needed a figurehead. Someone young and idealistic. Someone beautiful and inspiring. Someone who could affect real change for the Republic. And perhaps… someone who already had a grievance against the Sith for the crimes and deception he’d committed against her planet.

Outside of the Senate, not many knew the truth about the day’s events. The vast, vast majority of Coruscant’s population would never know and they wouldn’t care even if they did. Only the planet’s highest spires, the ones centered around the Senate building, were likely to hear the real story of the Sith in the Senate.

Oh, the events of the day’s emergency session were broadcast. But how many of the galaxy’s trillions and trillions of inhabitants tuned into political broadcasts like that? The news would eventually spread, but it would be by word of mouth and hearsay, the story morphing into something unrecognizable over time.

That relative anonymity allowed Palpatine to flee into Coruscant’s lower levels. He fell back to one of his several bolt holes, kept in the name of a proxy’s proxy for safety. There, he crafted a new persona for himself.

Sheev Palpatine was dead, killed in his flight from the Senate building. He’d made sure his pursuers thought as much by throwing himself into one of the endless pits in the open sight of Jedi and Senate Security Forces. Of course, no one could survive the multi-mile-long fall into Coruscant’s lower levels. So Sheev Palpatine must have perished somewhere unknown.

And if Palpatine/Sidious saved himself with an almost negligible application of Force Flight? Well, surely, that was impossible. Sidious knew his ‘death’ would not fully fool the Jedi Council. But it would still throw enough doubt into the picture that — with the help of the Veil once again hiding him — they wouldn’t know the first place to start looking.

With Palpatine ‘dead’ and quite useless, Sidious pondered his next move. The element of surprise was already lost. The Jedi Order would know that in one way or another, the Sith had not been eradicated.

And Sidious was tired of hiding himself completely anyway. He was Sith! He should not have to bow to or even consider these cattle.

Could his plans continue with a more blatant touch? Yes, and it would be beneficial to have a figurehead for the darkness of the galaxy to rally around. Darth Sidious would finally step into the open, at least partially. But at the same time… Sidious would need a new public persona.

Something potent, influential, and flexible but not necessarily linked to the Sith. The lower levels of Coruscant offered a perfect solution to that problem. Crime ruled down here. Specifically under the iron fist of the Black Sun Syndicate.

Sidious was familiar with the Syndicate. Before, he’d only considered them a potential inconvenience. Enough of one that he’d ordered his apprentice to kill their leader. Alexi Garyn’s death was intended to have weakened the Black Sun for years. But now that Sidious was in need of a new base of power, it offered the perfect opportunity.

The perfect opportunity for… Shiv… Shiv Walpatine. Yes, it was perfect! No one would ever suspect a thing! In a pitch-black room miles from the sky, ‘Shiv Walpatine’ cackled madly to himself. Eventually, he fell silent. Then began to cackle again, this time planning the demise of his Force-damned master!

‘Plagueis, you contemptible fool! You cost me the Chancellor’s seat, I know you did! It must have been one of your experiments that caused the Veil to fail. You never could leave well enough alone. I will torment your very soul! Despite your mistakes, Darth Sidious will rise as the one true Sith’ari! Then that insufferably sexy fool of a prince and all the oh-so-tempting rewards he offers will be mine! Er-… that came out wrong… Oh, bother, there goes my manic momentum.’

On the other side of the Force spectrum, the Jedi Council dwelled on their mistakes. They lamented both their ignorance and arrogance. They realized how far their Order had truly fallen and how much farther still it could fall if nothing was changed.

They hadn’t moved fast enough to catch the Sith upon his reveal. He’d thrown himself into the depths of the planet, likely killing himself in the process. But after the reveal of a Sith so close to the Order’s seat of power, the Council was assuming nothing. Never again would they grow so complacent and careless.

The fact that the Sith was revealed to be hiding as Senator Palpatine was enough to shake the Jedi’s confidence in themselves ever so slightly. Many on the Council had interacted with him directly, never gaining even the inkling of a feeling that anything was wrong. It was a worrying prospect that even the Masters of the High Council were so blind.

But all was not yet lost. Grandmaster Yoda had gotten a glimpse past the Veil. To a lesser extent, all the Jedi had. But with Yoda’s skill, power, and wisdom, he’d seen a path forward in that brief instant of clarity.

The Shatter point Mace Windu saw was still active, still vulnerable to the right strike. How they responded to this new Sith crisis would be that strike. The Order couldn’t hope to hide the information of the Sith’s return. Instead, they were going in the complete opposite direction, using the returning threat as a way to get out from under the Senate’s thumb. The Jedi Order needed its independence now more than ever.

And there was still another Sith out there. Master Qui-Gon’s report was believed to the fullest extent possible. Anything less was illogical when all of the Masters felt the truth past the darkness of the Veil.

It was decided that a force of Jedi would be dispatched to Naboo. Considering Qui-Gon’s most recent mission, it was likely the Sith were focusing their attention there. The Order could do nothing but react right now but they planned to be proactive sooner than later.

Fresh precautions would be taken with every mission. Allies would be contacted, training would be increased, and the Temple would be secured. The Jedi Sentinels would scour the galaxy for any trace of the Sith. The Consulars would forge new alliances and agreements, not on behalf of the Senate but on behalf of the Order and the Republic as a whole. The Guardians would safeguard those who couldn’t do so themselves.

Even on an individual level, the Sith’s reveal rippled through the Order. These waves rocked one Jedi Master in particular. Dooku was shocked to realize he was being groomed and coerced by a Sith. As disillusioned with the Order as he was, he hadn’t fallen to the Dark Side. Yet it seemed he was already targeted for the Sith’s plans.

Lost and more than a little betrayed, Dooku was offered an out by the Force. His former Padawan Qui-Gon Jinn would be training the youngling he believed to be the Chosen One. While Dooku was skeptical of Qui-Gon’s interpretation of prophecy, he still felt that it was a good place to start to change things.

Anakin Skywalker was accepted into the Jedi Order under very special circumstances. He was too old to be interned as a traditional youngling but the Council was also wary of allowing such a powerful Force-sensitive to escape and potentially fall to the Dark Side. Qui-Gon solved the issue by taking Anakin as his new Padawan directly, putting his current Padawan Obi-Wan up for the Trials of Knighthood.

When Dooku learned of his former Padawan’s actions, he decided it was time he buried the hatchet. Their relationship had become strained with his disillusionment with the Order and the honestly poor teaching of his youth. This was a good chance for him to right his past wrongs and potentially change something for the future.

Perhaps helping to teach a new youngling — one with such potential for change — would help him reconcile his grievances and concerns for the direction the Order was taking. At the same time, the public reveal of the Sith would do the same to change the Order on a grander scale.

Anakin Skywalker would have two masters in all but name. With the young Skywalker, Qui-Gon would need all the help he could get. Together, Qui-Gon and Dooku would balance each other. Dooku’s hard pragmatism for Qui-Gon’s compassionate optimism. Qui-Gon’s maverick ways for Dooku’s traditional — if disillusioned — ones. Dooku’s skill with a lightsaber for Qui-Gon’s skill with the Force.

And so, the effects of the Sith’s dramatic reveal were both subtle and drastic. The Senate and Republic as a whole were pushed quite a bit closer to the edge. The Jedi began to prepare. For the coming fight and for the changes that would have to be made to keep the Order alive in these ‘interesting times’. The Sith stepped into the open — a rallying cry for all things Dark in the galaxy —, and stepped farther into the shadows at the same time.

The Force herself shifted slightly. A new path was forged even as it happened. Yet still, none knew who was truly responsible for setting this shift in motion. None but the Force herself. A portion of her seemingly infinite being swirled and swished around that oddly persuasive blank spot even she could not fully see. She could only see the space and time around him, like looking at the edges of a null void yet full of color at the same time.

This being was new. Interesting. Unique. His words whispered to reality in a way that was wholly unfamiliar and all the more fascinating for that fact. The Force was nothing if not curious. It was in her nature. If she wasn’t, life would never have sprung into being. If she never did anything new, nothing would change at all.

As multi-faceted and incomprehensible as she was to mortal minds, the Force took an interest in the not-so-blank blank who swayed her with his words. It was something she’d never experienced before. He commanded her attention so firmly that the barest spark of something high and vast and… fond… was born. In a mysterious ethereal realm between life and death, a family of ‘gods’ — including a distantly sealed Mother — sneezed as one.

IIIII

I turned the understated but elegant cylinder over in my hand, feeling how comfortable the grip was, ‘To keep or not to keep. That ’tis the question…’

On one hand, I had no real dedicated training with a lightsaber and the undoubtedly red blade would stand out rather unfortunately. On the other… It was a lightsaber. Darth Sidious’ lightsaber at that, even if I was pretty sure this one was a backup. If I came back from this universe without a lightsaber, Momma 21 would definitely laugh at me. And Momma Ruby would pout something fierce…

It was the prospect of facing my adorable weapon fanatic of a mom that made my decision in the end. Thankfully, Padme hadn’t noticed me finding the hidden compartment with the lightsaber inside. She was too busy trashing Palpatine’s bedroom and ‘rescuing’ all the fine art she found. So it was simple for me to slip the lightsaber into my pocket and act like I hadn’t found anything at all.

“This is a travesty!” Padme declared. “Why does such an evil man have good taste in art and culture?!”

My voice was thick with faux woe, “Truly, the galaxy is a cruel and cold place.”

“Well, the least we could do is free these poor beautiful darlings. Would you like to get away from the mean old ugly Sith, Mr-… My goodness, is that a John Star Wars piece?!”

My mind skipped and stuttered, “Excuse me…?”

“Good word, I think it is!”

“… Right, I think that’s enough looting for one day.”

“But-! But the culture babies!” Padme whined as I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder to get her away from the questionably sourced art.

“We’ll tell the Jedi to have all of it delivered to your ship, Padme. You still have a planet to liberate,” I reasoned.

On my shoulder, Padme gazed longingly at the apartment’s decor, warring with herself internally before she finally sighed, “Yes, you’re right. There are more important things to occupy our time at the moment. But I will be taking all of these pieces back to Naboo! They’re culture! History! They belong on display for everyone to enjoy!”

I snorted, “Whatever you say, Miss British Museum.”

The Liberation of Naboo ended up being a surprisingly simple task. Not to mention quick. Padme and I didn’t even have to plead our case to the Jedi. They offered their help before we got the chance.

We left Coruscant with a veritable fleet of Jedi Starfighters at our back. It was to the point of looking like we were leading a trail of ants through hyperspace. Then Padme got a clandestine message from the Supreme Chancellor.

The Senate was still stuck on arguing and debating whether there even was a crisis on Naboo. And that process was only hurt by Palpatine’s reveal and his close proximity to Padme’s planet. It was looking like the Senate was just as likely to endorse the Trade Federations as they were to condemn them.

Oh, Naboo and Padme still had some allies. The Wookies of Kashyyyk. Alderaan and her Queen. And most potently, Corellia. But their aid was hamstrung by the current public opinion surrounding Naboo thanks to Sith Palpatine.

The Supreme Chancellor, it seemed, didn’t agree with the Senate as a whole. Thankfully, he hadn’t taken Padme calling for a Vote of No Confidence personally. Instead, he seemed to be backing her. A strategy shown by his message, informing Padme that a Judicial Forces CR90 would be discreetly escorting our party.

Padme was ecstatic to have vindication from the Chancellor, even if it was only in private. It was just about the only thing at the moment that was keeping her faith in the Republic alive and well. I, of course, knew there had to be more to Valorum’s actions. This was likely the start of a calculated political move he couldn’t make on his own, something to put him in the good graces of a rising star like Padme, if I had to guess.

Still, the reinforcements were appreciated. And importantly, they were ‘insignificant’ enough to be written off as a routine escort and assessment mission. Questions about bias would still be asked but Valorum now had plausible deniability for when the megacorporations got all up in a fuss.

The Jedi would have to answer more questions. The Senate liked to view them as their personal attack dog. But with the Sith returning and so much changing even still, it seemed as if the Order just didn’t give a fuck what the Senate had to say. They were using this mission to Naboo as a stepping stone to regain more of their independence and autonomy.

Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin were traveling with us again. I’d managed to firmly implant myself in the Royal Retinue, perks that came with saving the Queen twice now. Diana never left my side, of course. Even Shmi was still with us, sticking close to me since she had nowhere else to go and still owed me her freedom. Basically, the whole gang was back together!

Most of us were gathered in the ship’s cockpit as we reached Naboo. We were greeted by a peculiar sight.

“Wasn’t there supposed to be an invasion?” Anakin asked. “Shouldn’t there be, uh, ships or something?”

“The blockade is gone…?” Padme wondered in her civilian clothes. She’d given up on hiding her position when I ‘discovered’ the secret. Now, she was dressed comfortably and practically. It’d certainly been an amusing reveal for Anakin, who now knew his ‘Angel’ big sister was a Queen as well.

“Not quite,” Qui-Gon said. “There. One ship remains. It must be the Droid Control Ship.”

“The Trade Federation likely abandoned the blockade in hopes of hiding their illegal actions if the Senate sent someone to check on Naboo,” I pointed out.

Diana scoffed a single word, “Despicable.”

Padme steeled her features, “Right. My people are still suffering. How do we do this? Preferably as quickly as possible.”

“We’ll need an army…” Panaka mused. He’d been one of the most shaken by Palpatine’s betrayal, only now regaining his composure with a set task in front of him.

I chuckled, “Will we? The Trade Federation doesn’t have an army.”

Padme looked at me queerly, “They do, Dick. It’s currently occupying the capital.”

I shook my head, “No, they have Droids. And that’s the Droid Control Ship. Alone. Undefended. We have a fleet of Jedi Starfighters behind us and a CR90 Corvette behind them. The Corvette will be able to outmaneuver the clumsy Lucrehulk and keep its attention. And the Starfighters are designed to kill big capital ships like this, especially when — and this is important — every single one of them is piloted by a Jedi.”

The cockpit fell silent as I pointed out the obvious. Panaka looked like a fish that’d been taken out of the water, even doing the whole ‘O’-shaped gape with his mouth. The Jedi looked considerate. Padme looked like she was on the verge of kissing me, practically vibrating with hope and excitement.

Qui-Gon came to the only logical conclusion, “… If we take out the Control Ship, the enemy’s occupying force will be disabled as the Droids fail to respond. And with Jedi as the main point of attack, it’s likely we could end this invasion without a single loss of life.”

“Bingo, big guy,” I smirked. “Why storm the castle until its defenders are asleep on their feet? Besides, either way, the real battle would be happening up here in orbit.”

“Oh, Dick, it’s brilliant~!” Padme exclaimed, throwing herself at me in a way that was entirely inappropriate for a Queen.

“Mast-… Qui-Gon…” Obi-Wan interrupted, stumbling over the new fact that he was a Knight-to-be and technically not Qui-Gon’s Padawan anymore. “What about the Sith? Surely, they will try to stop us.”

I shrugged, “Then stop him from stopping you.”

“If only it were that simple,” Obi-Wan scoffed.

“No, Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon shook his head. “Dick is right. We shall take this one thing at a time. There is no use worrying over what ‘might be’. We have a duty to liberate Naboo from the Trade Federation’s oppression. If the Sith does stand in the way of that duty, only then will we give them our full focus. And we will come down on them with the righteous force of the Jedi Order.”

“There,” I clapped with finality. “Plan set? Good. Our reinforcements from the Supreme Chancellor will challenge and kite the Lucrehulk. The Jedi will focus on taking it down for good. Then we’ll all retake the palace and make sure Nute Gunray sees justice.”

“Your contribution to Naboo’s Liberation will not go unnoticed, Dick Jackson,” Padme said, holding herself officially.

Qui-Gon nodded, praising me as well, “You would have made an apt Jedi Battlemaster, Dick.”

I waved him off, “I think I’ll stick to being able to have a girlfriend, thank you very much.”

Padme blushed and averted her eyes. Her formal bearing fell to reveal a flustered and embarrassed face. I could instantly tell where her mind was going. I’d be a fool to dissuade that idea.

“I can help! With the attack, I can fly one of the ships!” Anakin insisted.

“Ani… buddy… Not on your life,” I chuckled, kneeling down to meet his eyes.

He pouted, of course, “Why not?! I’m the best pilot on all of Tatooine!”

“I’m not denying that,” I soothed before raising an eyebrow at him. “So do you want to be the one to convince your mom to let her baby boy fly into a real space battle on his very first chance behind the controls of an actual starship?”

Shmi glared at him, “Anakin Miracle Skywalker! Don’t even think about it!”

Anakin quailed. I shot Shmi a questioning look. She shrugged, “He’s my little miracle.”

“Right… moving along… Is that plan good with everyone? Yeah? Okay. Let’s get this done then. Make sure not to die, everyone. I’m looking at you, Qui-Gon,” I gave the Jedi Master a pointed look.

He returned it with confusion, “I… hadn’t planned to…?”

I nodded, “Good enough for me. Now, c’mon, let’s get a move on, people! Naboo won’t save itself!”