#STAR WARS & politics

[writerbuddha]

Good evening. I would like to ask why the Trade Federation invaded Naboo? I know they created a blockade to protest the taxation of trade routes over which they have a monopoly, but why did they invade Naboo? What will they gain by conquering and dominating the planet?

Hello! :)

If you remember, Qui-Gon indicates not once, but twice in The Phantom Menace that invading Naboo "is an odd play for the Trade Federation" and that "There's no logic in the Federation's move here." If they can control and rule a planet as bountiful as Naboo it would obviously bring them considerable wealth, but their decision to invade Naboo simply makes no sense.

It's important to remember that the Viceroy - and therefore, the Trade Federation - is following Darth Sidious/Senator Palpatine's plan and instructions. So, the question you should ask: how Darth Sidious/Senator Palpatine benefits from the invasion of Naboo?

The invasion of Naboo exposed that, as Padmé put it, “the Republic no longer functions.” The reason for that is because, as Palpatine tells her, "There is no civility, only politics. The Republic is not what it once was. The senate is full of greedy, squabbling delegates. There is no interest in the common good" and "the chancellor has little real power. He is mired by baseless accusations of corruption. The bureaucrats are in charge now." He asserts "best choice would be to push for the election of a stronger supreme chancellor, one who could control the bureaucrats and give us justice," advising Padmé to move for a vote of no confidence against the Chancellor. When she does, he tells her, "Now they will elect a new chancellor a strong chancellor... one who will not let our tragedy continue."

There's a reason why he chose Naboo, his own home planet to be invaded: he was nominated to succeed the Chancellor. As he says, "I feel confident our situation will create a strong sympathy vote for us. I will be chancellor." Who else would be seen by the Senate as the perfect candidate to put an end to corruption and take control of the bureaucrats, than the Senator whose home suffers the most because of the failure of leadership?

The treaty that was supposed to legitimize the invasion of Naboo if Queen Amidala signs it and gets ratified by the Senate serves the same purpose. The treaty would totally violate both Republic law and common sense, but we must remember that the Senate is without a real leader and bureaucrats are in charge, and their priority is not to exercise intelligent judgment or to respond to situations or the needs of the people - they care only about procedural correctness. They would ratify the treaty, because on paper, it has all the requirements that makes it enforceable. It would've been the ultimate proof that the Republic doesn't function, the laws are no longer enforced, that there's just no compassion and sanity in the Senate anymore. This is why Queen Amidala signing the treaty is so important to them - it would have caused panic, just like the Separatist crisis did in Attack of the Clones, leading up to granting Palpatine emergency powers. It would've quicken the process of the galaxy descending into the mentality that Anakin expresses to Padmé in Attack of the Clones: democracy is broken so the solution is a strong, wise leader who will solve the problems if he is given the necessary power to do so.

[sinswearslaughter]

*New Republic politics being established*

Leia : -then we will implement taxes on...

Luke : Water? Oh I know that one, Hutts did that too. But we definitely don't want slavery, so what are we going to do with the children that people give us when they don't have enough water or money?

Leia : ....

Leia : WHAT

[mann-walter]

Anakin's Political Views

Remember that scene from Attack of the Clones, Anakin and Padmé were sitting in a grassy field overlooking a massive waterfall, Padmé had this flowery gold dress on, and everything was very charming and romantic? Yeah, the one where Anakin professed his preference for an authoritarian government?

I do think he really meant it and was a lifelong believer in it, how much Palpatine’s influence figures into this situation doesn’t really matter. He remained as Vader all those years because he had no other choice, and for so many reasons he was tied to Palpatine, but I do think there was a considerable degree of belief in the system of the Empire.

I personally think it was much better for everyone else that he died like he did because I think him living would spell thousands upon thousands of awkward dinner table conversations with Leia about politics. The daughter, wanting to revive a healthy democracy and suppress state-instituted violence, and the father saying basically “Oh yeah, Palpatine was evil, but the Empire itself was a great concept. You know, women felt safer walking at night and you can just leave things wherever and it wouldn’t move an inch” or “We may need a star destroyer and increased military surveillance over a troublesome (read: dissenting) planet”—Luke sitting there as the bewildered spectator.

Basically, I don’t think Vader’s choice to save Luke made him champion liberal democracy all of a sudden. I think had he lived, he might have had a soft spot for the First Order. I don’t think he’d dissent to that camp. He was much more loyal to individuals than to groups or ideas. But I think he’d work toward something of a compromise.

[yiliy]

In the few years she had been a Senator, Amidala had shown herself to be among the most loyal and powerful supporters of the Republic, a legislator determined to improve the system, but to do so within the framework of the Republic’s constitution. Senator Amidala fervently believed that the real beauty of the governing system was its built-in abilities, even demands, for self-improvement.

But Dooku had taken it to extremes, and dangerous ones, Obi-Wan realized. He had left the Jedi Order, had walked out on his calling and on his peers. Whatever problems Dooku must have seen, he should have recognized that he could better repair them by remaining within the Jedi family.

Star Wars - Episode II - Attack of the Clones Novelization

by R. A. Salvatore

Don't tear down what is good to fix a few bad things you see. Don't grow complacent, but don't focus on the negative either. Known flaws among known known strengths are something that can be fixed. There is never truly a one-time fix as long as there are forces a work that will abuse the system for their own benefit. And there always are. Good people need to counteract them continuously. The work never stops. Destroying a known system to replace it with an unknown one will bring unknown problems no one is ready to analyze all, let alone solve. Evolution, not revolution.

[darth-jess]

The day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it.

– Queen Jamillia

[bubblew0lf1]

The hardest thing with writing star wars fanfiction for me is the politics part. Like

1. English is not my native language and politics is hard enough to explain in Hungarian

2. Star wars politics is a whole other can of worms like what is going on??? Just when i think i understand, someone says something that contradicts everything i knew about star wars

My solution? I ignore writing directly about politics like a plauge (good thing my writing is character focused)

[professorscrooge]

Thoughts on Mandalorian Territory

Recent poll over at @tarre-was-right on Satine vs Jaster has me thinking about the New Mandalorian Government, what would be on their in-universe Manifestos, and particularly towards; how do they treat their territories beyond Mandalore itself?

In both Legends and Canon, we see other planets under the auspice of Mandalorian Space or otherwise controlled by Mandalorians (e.g. Concord Dawn, Krownest, Kalevala etc. they definitely control in TCW/Rebels era, but historically they conquered places like Vanquo and Taris and maybe they held on to a few, and Legends explicitly lists places like Ordo (of Clan Ordo) and Vora'ya) which presumably they've previously conquered/colonised as a byproduct of their many centuries as a warrior culture. It's probably one of the reasons Mandalore remains such a prominent Galactic power in that they control multiple systems. There's probably a lot of background history in how these worlds were 'acquired'.

I'm wondering now how that would have potentially changed under Adonai/Satine/New Mandalorian Government, who explicitly were trying to distance themselves from former warrior aspects of their culture. I could see that involving Independence or Reparations to former colonies, and maybe be a major aspect of policy and debate (which Death Watch likely capitalised on). Following the Civil War, maybe some planets are hold-outs for more traditionalists who can't get on with New Mandalorian society and secede. Or, maybe this was something Satine's government had to compromise on or were longer term plans amidst the other changes being made very quickly to Mandalorian culture (e.g. there's major Mandalorian shipyards and manufacturers like MandalMotors or Kalevala Spaceworks, who may have something to say on changes that may impact their profits by potential of tariffs and different governments to negotiate with). My mind goes to the breakup of the British Empire, Partition of India, the formation of the Commonwealth etc. but I'm not sure the allegory 100% works.

[havocdream]

Unheard and Unseen - Three

Summary: Vintra hosts a meeting between fellow senators in her office to discuss the most threatening issues ahead of the next Senate session, and her new security team is able to prevent two possible attacks. As Hunter evaluates both cases, he realizes that real danger may already be in motion.

Word count: 7.4k

Warnings: Mentions of bombs and sniper | Allusion to attempted murder | Threatening | Conspiracy | Some characters die

Notes at the end of chapter

Chapter Two -> Naive ideals

Masterlist

A bad feeling about it

It was past midnight when Hunter finished working out the general plan, so now he’d focus on that day’s arrangements. But before doing so, he brought his gaze to the door of the senator's room.

She had said, several hours ago, that she was going to rest. But Hunter could sense what was going on inside that room, even hear. The senator had been awake all night. He listened to keys of her laptop being pressed, felt the electric current on her datapad, even heard the senator's tired sighs.

The sergeant wondered what could take a politician so long for her day not to end when she left the Senate building.

Hunter looked at the hologram map of the central city of Coruscant. He already had the orders for each guard and for each of his brothers, and he’d lay them out for them in the morning. That night, the guards had been ordered to keep vigil on each floor. Tech, who was the one who would be sharing shift with Hunter in the nights, monitored the top floors using the cameras, sensors and listening devices.

Tech had already finished setting up everything needed in the building, but had yet to complete places like the surrounding complexes and, of course, the Senate building. He’d already gained access to Coruscant's security and was monitoring the cameras and microphones in the streets. The control room he had set up in one of the vacated apartments was huge, filled with screens with images, graphs, results from some sensors, and programming for key pattern recognition to identify suspicious activity.

From all that access, Tech could control crime on Coruscant. But they were Special Forces, tasked with a high-priority mission. They weren't there to be local cops, but, in Tech's eyes, to protect democracy itself. He couldn't focus on anything other than Senator Selana's safety.

“I don't like her,” Hunter told him over the intercom. The brains of the group was focused on the cameras in front of him, making sure everything was working in order. “I don't think she knows what she's talking about,” his brother added, sounding irritated, as if he’d just had a fight with Crosshair.

“I don't agree with all of her opinions,” Tech commented, as he mused on the list of times he hadn't sympathized with her speeches, “but I consider her one of the best senators in the Republic, along with Senator Amidala, Senator Organa, Senator Mothma...”

“Yes, well, maybe there are other things she must be right about...” mused Hunter with Tech, “but she should stick to those in her speeches and bills, not to war and military stuff,” Hunter wrote down more details on the report he´d brief later to the troopers, concerning the vigilance of the senator’s residential building while she was out.

“I assure you she’s one of the most competent politicians to speak about these matters. Senator Selana is titled in interplanetary relationships with distinction in politics and economics. Many systems in the Republic recur to her for efficient studies and projections, and bill proposals, to increase their domestic gross and population’s wellbeing.

She’s also responsible for the arrest of several mafia group leaders, corrupt businessmen and separatist spies. Has successfully exposed hundreds of money laundering enterprises, and in each of her cases she fights for compensation for damages to all those potentially affected by these crimes. Honestly, I find it complicated to dislike her,” defended clone with goggles, who could memorize thousands of Senate speeches, but almost all his favorites were those of Senator Selana.

Hunter let out a sigh. “Just because she champions other good causes doesn't mean she can´t be wrong. According to her, we shouldn't even exist,” the sergeant complained, still uncomfortable with the conviction with which the senator believed the clones were untrustworthy and the cause of more death in the galaxy.

“Hunter, I doubt that a senator who has put her life on the line to defend the lives of millions, who don't even know she's carrying the full political weight of their survival, wants an entire species to not exist,” Hunter furrowed his eyebrows, and pondered that a bit. Tech might have a point, but he didn't like to give in to it.

“I still don't like her,” the sergeant confessed, which, despite giving the senator the benefit of the doubt, he still found irritating. He found it hard to swallow someone who supported disbanding the military, and who lived by such innocent ideals as negotiations with separatists.

“You don't have to like her,” he heard Tech's voice in his ear, “you just have to keep her alive,” Tech reminded him. Hunter was about to respond, when he heard movement in the senator's room. Shortly after, the door to her room opened. The senator stepped out and was surprised to see Hunter on the business meeting couch, right where she had left him hours before.

Vintra was wrapped in her robe, ready to go get a glass of water, but stopped herself when she found the sergeant still awake. She hugged herself and hid as best she could her breasts behind her arms, as if she felt naked going in only her nightgown and robe.

Hunter looked her in the face, all makeup removed, and hair undone. In front of him, she didn´t look like a senator at all, just a woman wrapped in an inconvenient situation. Her surprised countenance reminded the sergeant of a hopeless deer that had just been spotted by its killer. Not at all the demeanor she projected earlier, that gave him the impression of someone that could never be crumbled.

“May I offer you some water?” suggested Vintra on her way to the kitchen. She watched as the sergeant nodded, a little hesitantly, but came back with an extra glass for him anyway. Hunter thanked her with an uncomfortable grimace, which made the senator feel even more uneasy.

A hush flooded the room, which at that time of night weighed quite heavily on the clone and the ederian. Hunter listened to the senator's nervous heartbeat. It wasn’t exaggerated; it carried the compass of discomfort.

Vintra bit her lip before letting out a sigh of defeat, and walked to the opposite couch, where she had been hours earlier. The curtains on each window blocked the view of the city, someone had unfolded them. Probably the sergeant, as a security measure.

Watching the senator take a seat, Hunter grabbed the macrobinoculars from the table and headed for the windows behind her. Vintra followed him with her eyes.

“My team sent me the rest of your requirements. I evaluated them all... they look good to me,” Vintra said, her eyes glued to the back neck of the clone, who, moving the curtains a little, was looking out the window at the buildings. She wondered if he was trying to ignore her.

“Fine,” was all that the clone said to her. Vintra relaxed her shoulders, as if to get rid of an annoying weight on her back.

“Look,” she started, but calmed down before continuing, not wanting to start an argument at that time of night, “I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for your squad or for you to be pulled off the front lines to come watch my back. I understand that following orders that involve giving your life or the lives of your brothers to protect someone you don't like isn’t the kind of mission you were created for, but here we are,” continued Vintra, who hoped to find common ground between her and the sergeant. “I know that, at the end of the day, you’re here to protect me and will do your duty, despite my reservations with the clones,” Hunter lowered the macrobinoculars and turned back to watch her, though not for long before turning again and looking out the other window at the city. “But I hope you understand my position as well. I don’t know the codes of honor that exist between soldiers, but I am aware of the law and how certain scenarios can disserve me. So, I will seek to negotiate with you those cases that seem inconvenient to me before the law, but I promise you my cooperation with your orders. The least I can do, if you’re here to risk your life for me, is to respect your decisions,” she concluded, and her passive voice aroused no desire in Hunter to incite another discussion.

“All right,” said the clone, who lowered the device with which he was observing the city and placed it on one of the pillar tables that divided the windows. The clone turned to look at the senator, and a slightly more smiling look greeted her. “I take your point.”

Vintra took a breath, satisfied with the resolution, and settled better on the couch. She could tolerate that, and she had to. They were there with orders, and she doubted they wanted to tarnish their reputation by failing to keep her alive, much less planning to kill her.

The senator noticed the hologram on the table, where several datapads and papers were scattered about. She saw numbers, letters and blueprints. However, what caught her attention the most was the hologram. It showed a 3D map of the area around the Savanta building. Her apartment was crossed by quite a few red lines connecting to other buildings.

“What are all those lines?” she pointed her index finger at some of them, unsure if it was a good or bad thing. Hunter turned away from the window and took some steps until he got behind the senator, who turned to look at him when her answer took a little while.

“These are all direct points where a sniper could shoot you, right at this very moment,” said Hunter, who took a stiff stance. “From here, I'm blocking at least nine of them,” the clone could see the senator's face soften the muscles, and he could almost hear her brain processing what his words implied. He’d already set to work, for he knew that every kind of danger didn’t rest, and thus he had to always be on his guard. Even if it was some inexperienced or stupid criminal.

“Okay... so... what's the plan?” was all Vintra could say, for the idea of someone pointing at her head with a big rifle at that precise moment hadn’t gone down well with her. Hunter folded his arms.

“The idea is to control as best we can any threat before an attack is carried out. Explosives, bounty hunters or assassins... with the recognition of everything around you, we can catch an attacker without the need for you to be in danger,” the clone explained to her. Vintra nodded and turned her whole body to look at him. “You’ll have four guards who’ll follow you everywhere, along with Wrecker and me. Your other eleven guards will be at specific points near your location to monitor and pursue, if necessary,” she wanted to protest, but found no argument to refute the sergeant's logic. Hunter noticed, but let it go. “The shock troopers will be responsible for identifying every person who enters this building, and absolutely no one will have access to your apartment without prior notice. Everything you eat or drink will go through me first, looking for poisons or explosives. Your windows will be reinforced with retractable iron sheets, although they will remain activated at all times.”

“Sergeant...poison? snipers? really? It all sounds like measures someone like the Chancellor would have,” Vintra suggested, not considering that a criminal expert would want to finish her off. “So far, all my attacks have been building break-ins, very failed attempts at explosives, or someone out of control in the crowd,” Hunter shrugged.

“It doesn't matter. If you don't know who it is, you don't know what might come next. I'd rather you’re prepared for anything rather than being overconfident,” there was no deception in Hunter's gaze, so Vintra didn't bother to contradict him. The truth was, she felt better knowing that they couldn't harm her in any way. “We will locate a specific place to transport you after any attack, and will remain there until we register and clean the surrounding area and your apartment. For sniper attacks, Crosshair has mapped out an escape choreography,” Hunter pointed to a piece of paper on the table, which Vintra picked up and looked at. It consisted of zigzag lines. “Ideally, Wrecker or I should be at your side, but if we’re not, you'll have to move on your own, it's not ideal for you to stay still under attack,” Vintra stood up and walked to the front of her room's door, where there was enough room to move around. Hunter followed her, always with his body interposed between all possible points of view from outside and the senator. He watched as Vintra began practicing Crosshair's steps. “You’ll carry a military grade parasol, in case of an attack that requires keeping you in sight, that way you’ll block thermal visions...” Hunter noted several errors in the senator's stride when practicing the zigzag escape, he’d remind himself later to practice them with her. “And, lastly, I need you to carry a weapon.”

Vintra stopped in her steps and looked at him a little surprised. Hunter anticipated the senator's rejection, but not necessarily because of her body's reaction, but because he’d already gotten an idea of who she was. He already knew she wasn't a proponent of violence, the last thing she’d want would be to carry a gun with her. But it was worth trying to convince her.

“Will it be one with a stun option?” she asked, to the clone’s curiosity. He narrowed his eyes.

“Yes...”

“Well, that's fine then,” Vintra confirmed, with an unsure tone that also made Hunter hesitate.

“I thought you weren't in favor of violence,” he provoked, but Vintra didn't sense annoyance, only inquisitiveness.

“Self-defense is not the same thing as a violent response. I know that negotiating with an attacker directly is almost impossible, it’s not the same when negotiating with the orchestrators behind a war. If someone raises their weapon at me, my only way out is limited to my immediate options, right? I lack the experience to disarm, and I'm not willing to kill... luckily, there are weapons that only stun... that's good enough for me,” there was still doubt in her tone, but Hunter didn't give it any more thought. He had what he wanted.

“Essentially, I'll tell you what to do in every situation that comes up, but those would be the general directions for the time being. They probably won't all be necessary in the end, but it's not my job to assume how high the danger is before I see it for myself,” Vintra noticed that Hunter was still covering her from any threats outside the window. She saw no trace of insecurity or doubt in his expression, as if taking a shot for her didn't matter in the least.

He expected it from ederians, for she was their senator. Her guard had sworn to die for her if necessary. But Hunter was a clone, a soldier for the Republic, and, especially, didn't like her. But there he was, carrying out his orders.

Or maybe he didn't think she was in danger at all.

“I appreciate your instructions, anything else?” she said, giving up on the zigzag choreography on the paper and laying it on the table. Hunter looked at her, and then the door of her room, that stuck out over her shoulder.

“I need to search your room, every night,” it was logical, her bedroom was the only place where she was completely alone.

“Okay,” she said in a whisper, and pointed to the door behind her, “go ahead,” she indicated the clone, who didn't wait for her to enter first.

Hunter was met with a stunning sight. That room, as he had assumed, was huge, but had very little in comparison to the rest of the apartment. From the entrance, the senator's bed was attached to the wall, overlooking the large windows covered with brown curtains. It was a wide bed, not very high, and with lots of pillows and stools on either side, adorned with night lamps.

In the opposite corner, close to the window, there was a gray sofa-bed, on which there were plenty of papers. And at the opposite end, to the left of the entrance, there was a desk. Bigger than the one in the living room, black in color and with hundreds of things on it, not just papers.

At the back, the bathtub area could be seen, as the partition was also made of pure glass. From his position he could see it and a blue sofa facing the city.

He assumed that the slight hallway in the background and next to the entrance to the tub area, was the one leading to the private bathroom and the closet. He approached to confirm and found two doors at each side leading to both, one behind the tub area, and the other behind the wall of the bed, with the senator's clothes and footwear on either side of the compacted room. A huge mirror reflected his silhouette on the far wall.

“My previous guard installed a bunker under the bed,” he heard the senator's voice behind him. Hunter perceived no threat inside the room, but he was concerned that the windows in front of the bed were not yet reinforced.

Vintra led the sergeant to the entrance of the small bunker she usually hid in when her guard alerted her to an attack. It was right on the wooden base that surrounded her bed, at the front of it and almost imperceptible. The senator hit the wood hard, and a piece of it destabilized. Hunter bent down and examined it.

There was an iron door behind it, which opened the second Vintra typed the key into a keypad installed in front. Inside, there was nothing, although he could see that it provided enough oxygen and could fit at least three people lying down. Hunter thought the idea was good, but didn't say so.

“Senator, if you are not going to rest tonight, may I ask you to work at the desk in your living room?” asked Hunter, for it was late and he sensed no intentions in Vintra of wanting to go to sleep. She’d probably continue her work there, so it shouldn't be a problem for her to do so from where Hunter could remain alert.

Vintra's alarm blared from inside her chamber, and the Ederon senator rose from the desk in her main hall to go turn it off. She glanced at the time stamped on her holo-alarm: five o'clock.

She hadn't been able to get any sleep once again, but her body didn't seem to demand that she did so. Occasionally she managed to get a short nap, and that was all she needed to stay active for another forty hours. After all, there was a lot of work to be done.

The senator returned to her room’s door and faced the sergeant. They had been practicing the zigzag choreography in her living room for some time, and both had managed, somehow, to make the other let out a chuckle thanks to her inability to keep up with him, and the sight of a Republic Senator tripping and falling.

A smile on her face couldn’t be avoided. The sergeant, despite the time and their initial collision, behaved nicely with her while teaching her that crucial information, as well as when describing more details of his general security plan. Although, Vintra wondered if that was the case because she didn’t talk at all about her job or her opinions.

Her smile faded.

“I'll be ready in two hours,” the senator said to the sergeant, who stood at some distance from the senator and blocked certain points of view from the outside with his body. Those were the first words Vintra had said to him in two hours, during which she had been immersed in reports and her computer.

Hearing her, the sergeant drew his eyebrows together and hurried to catch up with her. Vintra was about to close the door to her room behind her, until she was stopped dead in her tracks by Hunter's hand.

“What do you mean, two hours?” the clone demanded to know, not sure if the senator was actually serious. She shrugged, not understanding the confusion.

“I have to take a bath, dress, do my hair and makeup...what do you think that takes, half an hour?” asked Vintra, as if the clone's doubts were so stupid she couldn't believe he didn't know. Hunter folded his arms.

“Senator Selana, every second you're alone is vital, I'd like to keep it as short as possible for your own safety,” Hunter insisted, but Vintra’s face opted for the expression Hunter was already beginning to learn well. Eyes narrowed and hands balled into fists.

“I am a senator, sergeant, I cannot present myself to the Senate as someone who could be confused in the multitude of planets. I represent, at all times, cultures and the honor of an entire species,” her tone was harsh and gave no room for contradiction, different from what Hunter had heard so far, “I don't get into all of this just because it pleases me to look beautiful in front of everyone, I do it because it’s part of my duty as well, and I’ll take what time I need to get the best result every time,” and with that said, she closed the door in front of Hunter´s face.

“I'm beginning to think this is indeed punishment,” he heard Crosshair's voice behind him.

Hunter used those two hours to brief his brothers with the instructions he’d work on, examine the senator's routes, and think of any other measures they might need to take. The guards already had their orders and roles, Tech had the city under his watch and all that was left was the installation in the Senate Building of sensors, the location of the secret shelter, and the senator's iron shutters.

Until then, Hunter could give the clean environment order. Until then, the senator was still in unknown danger.

Crosshair had just retreated to go to the building he had chosen as a checkpoint, when the door to the senator's chamber finally opened. Wrecker and Hunter turned to see her, she was wearing a long velvet wine dress, which covered her chest and lower neck and molded to her figure, defined by the curves of her hips and breasts. Her bare arms were slightly covered by the cape that hung from the back of her neck to her heels, raised slightly off the ground by dusty pink high shoes.

Her hair was loose, though neatly lined and smoothed with gel behind her pointy ears, making it look neat and tidy. It was adorned with a gold piece in the shape of wings that encircled the senator’s head from the back until the front, where it didn’t end up closing. And with her makeup, it gave her an air of solemn, elegant authority.

“I'm ready,” the senator said, with a beaming smile that caused Wrecker and Hunter to share a glance, to confirm that they saw the same thing as the other, a splendid change.

Vintra was receiving many looks of confusion and concern as she made her way to her office, which was located on one of the top floors of the Senate Building. The main reason was because of his two bodyguards in peculiar clone armor, in addition to the four personal guards who were closing the parade. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the Ederon Senator had already suffered a variety of attacks. However, that didn't stop some senators from needing to comment on it.

“Well, Senator Selana, weren't you one of the main opponents of the law admitting the use of the clone army to suppress separatist attacks? Does this mean you will vote in favor of producing more troops?” ambushed her the Umbara Senator, Mee Deechi, an unfriendly white-haired man with grayish markings on his face. Vintra smiled cordially at him.

“I didn’t request a squad of clones to protect me, Senator Deechi, it was General Kenobi's suggestion that I'd accept this unit,” defended the Ederon Senator, who kept her countenance serene before the provocations Deechi might start. That was already a routine for a politician like her.

“Still, you could’ve refused,” suggested the man, who frowned as he pressed further on the hypocrisy he perceived from the young senator.

“I'm in no position to refuse, Mee,” Vintra replied confidently as she called him by his name. “If it bothers you so much, let them make an attempt on your life a couple of times within the same month and maybe you'll get an army sent to protect you,” Vintra boasted, and Senator Meechi stopped in his tracks to let her continue on her course, but not before offering her a grimace of displeasure and a not very pleasant insult for her haughtiness.

Wrecker and Hunter had visited many places, even on Coruscant, but that was the first time they’d seen the Senate Building from the inside. From their visors, they observed rooms and offices on either side of the circular corridor, and it was filled with individuals of every alien race carrying papers, devices or larger things that were hard to identify. But it was easy to pick out the senators, with their fancy clothes, pretentious hairstyles, and an air of authority and elegance that made them unmistakable. Senator Selana, of course, was no exception.

“Is someone waiting for you inside?” asked Hunter when Vintra finally stopped in front of a door, on which a title read ‘Senator Vintra Selana of Ederon’. His heightened senses allowed him to perceive activity inside the senator’s office, but didn’t seem to be hostile or hidden suspicious. Still, the clone had to make sure.

“No, is someone there?” the confused tone from Vintra was all Hunter needed to signal Wrecker to take up a defensive position as he drew out his blaster. Vintra blinked twice before deducing what might happen. “Maybe it's the other senators, we're in the middle of a—” but she was interrupted by the clone.

“That's for me to judge,” Hunter pressed the button on the door to open it. He quickly stepped between the senator and the interior of her office, only to reveal, in fact, a group of senators who turned to him. Their grimaces of anticipation transformed into ones of confusion. Hunter lowered his gun and stepped aside for the senator.

“Sorry for the surprise, my friends, I'm afraid the subject of my security has become a bit more demanding,” the senator explained once she approached the rest of her colleagues to greet them. Wrecker stood, on Hunter's orders, on the hallway side of the door as he and the senator's personal guard entered the office.

A group of six senators were in the room. Hunter knew three, human: Senator Amidala of Naboo, Senator Organa of Alderaan, and Senator Mothma of Chandrila. The other three were Senator Farr of Rodia, Senator Kelvos of Kaar Pa, and Senator Dugan of Hexcar. The first was a Rodian, with large eyes whose reflection resembled the image of the star-studded galaxy, with blue skin and average height. The second was a white haired with blue eyes human, and the third was a Hexcaran, with a grayish, almost pale, complexion, completely yellow oval eyes, and two ears on each side, one on top of the other, the upper one of a larger size.

Everyone was pleased to see the ederian senator.

“And clones no less... I remember your reservations, Vintra, but personally I am very glad to see that you’re in very good hands,” spoke Senator Amidala, a woman of fair complexion and brown hair, with a sweet voice and a honeyed gaze. She was, in Vintra's opinion, the most valuable senator the Republic had. She gave a smile to the clone who carried himself like Senator Selana's shadow.

“Thank you, Padmé,” was all Vintra said at her friend's compliment to the clones. “However, I think it’s inconvenient his presence for the discussion ahead of us, don't you think, senators?” questioned Vintra to the circle the others formed as they took seats on the couches in her office, which consisted of a large rectangular space, with a window behind the senator's desk overlooking the city. There were two chairs in front of her desk, and behind those a group of couches that could accommodate a group of six senators spread out with two wide white leather sofas and a rectangular glass table. There was a restroom on the left side of the entrance, and a bookcase full of folders on the right side.

The senators turned to look at Vintra and Hunter.

“Inconvenient, yes, but I don't think it's a problem,” said Senator Mothma, who agreed that the clone shouldn’t retreat. “He's here to protect you, Vintra, not to share his opinions on politics,” she reminded him, to which Hunter nodded and Vintra rolled her eyes.

The sergeant positioned himself in front of the window with his back to the senators, to observe any weak spots from there. Crosshair had been studying the near surroundings of the Senate Building and had also provided a holomap of the attack points. His brother was in a building he could see from there, diagonally to his left, one of the tallest. Crosshair could watch all the threat points he had marked from there, and Tech monitored the city's cameras and sensors. Any anomalies, one of the two would let him know.

Vintra took a seat in a chair at the end of the couches that faced each other. Padmé spoke first.

“Senator Burtoni plans to propose the creation of five million clones at the next senate session,” she brought up the snag. “Rumor has reached me that for the production of more troops, some have sold their vote in exchange to boost the profits of certain businesses of interest, so these can end up in their pockets,” the senator spoke quietly with concern. Senator Organa stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“It will have to be someone with connections to businessmen, or from planets whose greatest asset is factories,” he proposed, but Vintra extended her arm and unfolded a hologram with a map of information surrounding a specific individual.

“Yesterday I got the report from my informants with certain pieces that make me think it might be Urr Nad's Senator, Ercan Bibra,” the hologram showed the human with long black hair with sharp red eyes, and black markings under them. “I got pictures of a meeting he had three days ago with one of the owners of a ship factory, and two days ago he signed a contract to become a shareholder in it. Communication network records report that about twenty call signs came out of his apartment that same night, although his communicator doesn't show the records.”

“Maybe he used a private line,” Senator Dugan mused, annoyed by the reality Vintra was exposing. “Do you think you can use that information against him and confront him?” Padmé was alarmed at the suggestion.

“I think it's best if Vintra stays out of any confrontation against more senators, the last thing She needs is to make more enemies,” she suggested, to which Vintra sighed in frustration.

“As much as I like to stir the hornet's nest, Padmé’s right, but because at the moment I'm quite busy with the Druad case,” she confessed, and pointed to her desk so it was evident how much work she had with the pile of papers on top of it. “I still have to talk to several senators,” Senator Kelvos gave her a smile.

“No one said justice was going to be served easily,” her sapphire eyes sent a wave of calm to Vintra, as did her smile, laden with experience and mentorship that the ederian appreciated as much as a cool breeze on the hottest of days. Her white hair, which today was pulled back in a very elegant hairstyle and adorned with a silver tiara, made her look even wiser. “It fills me with pride to see young people like you, Senator Amidala and Senator Dugan offer such magnificent fierceness in your speeches, and that your determination holds a powerful key to an entire species to save them from extinction,” Senator Kelvos praised, and the three alluded received with much joy in their hearts the words of such an eminence in the Republic.

“I thank you very much for your confidence, Senator Kelvos,” Vintra said back, her hand on her chest to express how much she appreciated that.

“I’ll take care of Senator Bibra,” Senator Organa said. “Padmé... you, Mon and Onaconda concentrate on gathering the votes against Burtoni,” he gestured to the two women and the Rhodian. “Vintra, the information you receive please pass it on to me and Zan,” he pointed to the Hexcaran, “we will see that the votes are not altered by outside factors; you and Cilla concentrate on your cases,” she and Senator Kelvos shared a look and smiled at each other. It was partly disappointing to Vintra that she couldn’t be as much a part of that case as she’d like, but she understood that for the moment the fate of an entire planet depended largely on her alone.

Tech's voice came over Hunter's communicator. “Cameras near the senator's building picked up two unidentified individuals, and infrared detectors revealed an explosive. The west team has already taken care of them, and the bomb has been located out of range. I need Wrecker to neutralize it,” were Tech's words. The big guy's excited laughter was heard.

“Finally, an exciting job... I'm on my way!” he said as he saw on his holomap the coordinates provided by Tech. Hunter ordered one of the ederian guards to go out and replace Wrecker's position. He then took his finger to his communicator to speak.

“Right, have them questioned before the police arrive,” the sergeant ordered. Crosshair's channel input caught his attention.

“Hunter, I'm detecting movement in building three marked on the holomap of the Senate Building,” Hunter unfolded the device and building three flashed in front of him, it was one about the same size as the political building. “Thirty-second floor, supposedly abandoned,” his husky voice indicated. Hunter pulled out his macrobinoculars and focused on the spot Crosshair was talking about.

“Sniper?” the sergeant questioned. Crosshair made a groan of denial.

“It doesn't look like it, it's too low yet and would only be successful if the senator stood exactly where you are right now,” reprimanded the youngest of the siblings irritably. Hunter rolled his eyes and took a step back. “Besides, he's only peered out with one lens, looks like he's studying the angles,” Hunter frowned.

“Is it possible to get a good shot from there, could you?” the sergeant questioned his brother. Crosshair was slow to respond, for he had many more considerations to make to answer precisely.

“Are there any reflective objects within a six-foot radius?” Hunter turned around to look for something similar. He found a flower jar, albeit without one, on the floor next to the senator's desk. “There's a rifle capable of shooting fire that travels by reflexes. If focused well, that's all someone needs for the shot to end up in the senator's eyes,” the sergeant remained alert to every reflective object near the senator, including the eyes of all the senators. Hunter stepped between the window and the senators.

“Do you think that's the case?” asked Hunter with a frown, doubtful of such an option. He heard his brother sigh.

“No, it's a classified rifle and very difficult to use... but it's a possibility,” Crosshair commented with noticeable discouragement in his voice. He held out no hope that anything so interesting was going to be after the senator.

“A group of guards are already on their way to intercept him,” Tech said over the comm. The bespectacled one was in the control center of the Senate Building, keeping an eye on the cameras and sensors for anything he could access with military codes.

Hunter turned around as he heard several footsteps heading for the door. The senators were finally leaving, and Vintra gave a curious look, cloaked in a halo of fear, to the sergeant as she walked to her desk.

“Everything alright, sergeant?” she wanted to know, since she’d seen the clone move around with a vase and scan the room for something. Hunter nodded and took a firm stance behind her seat.

“Yes, senator,” he told her. He knew there was no need to plant ideas at the moment. Vintra skimmed around her desk a bit, as she thought she’d be able to notice whatever it was that had the sergeant on alert, but failed to do so.

At the end of the day, the people responsible for the explosive were some young men who were into blogging about thusten curiosities and wanted to scare the senator into withdrawing the proposal, and the suspect in the abandoned apartment, despite being a sniper, really thought he could shoot her from there. A pitiful rookie, Crosshair described.

Hunter, who was standing in front of the three captured men with his arms crossed and his helmet off, examined them closely. Although he knew they had told the truth, something didn't convince him.

“Have you met before?” he asked. The three questioned shared a glance, and immediately denied. “Yes or no? I want an audible answer,” the tone of voice was important to him, as he needed to rule out a theory that was beginning to unsettle him.

“No, sir!” replied one of the explosive boys. Hunter discerned no lie in his words, but it wasn't enough, though it didn't suit him to have them all there.

“Tech!” he called his brother, who was now in the control center of Vintra's residential building. “Research their online activity for the last month, tell me if you find anything,” Hunter turned to Crosshair and took the datapad the platinum-haired man was holding from him. Hunter typed in a couple of questions and pointed to the captured sniper with his head. “Take him, I don't care where, and ask him these questions. I want a report on it,” ordered him and Crosshair was quick to obey. Finally, he turned to the two boys with both hands on his hips. Seeing how they both made as little effort as possible to hide the fear on their faces, he decided to use it to his advantage. “You planned all this on your own?” the sergeant inquired with a warning tone, as if warning them that a single hint of a lie could cost them dearly. He heard how one of them swallowed saliva with difficulty.

“Y-yes, it was all o-our idea,” the terrified boy answered thinly. Finally, Hunter got what he was looking for, and at the disappointing response, he proceeded to unsheathe his knife.

Vintra was tapping her fingertips on the surface of her keyboard in her residence, focused on drafting her next speech to the Senate, when the sergeant finally appeared in her apartment. Wrecker, who was blocking the senator's figure from several vantage points from outside, turned to look at his brother.

“She says she won't go to sleep,” the big guy said a little reluctantly and pointed to Vintra, who didn't take her eyes off her computer. Hunter walked over to her and barely paid attention to his brother's complaint.

“Senator, did your previous security team ever inform you of non-threatening attacks around you?” the sergeant questioned once he positioned himself in front of the senator's desk, to cover more exposed points that Wrecker on his own couldn’t. She turned to look at him.

“My captain mentioned it once,” Vintra mused as he recalled a time when a speeder flew so close to them that her vehicle destabilized a bit and was derailed from the lane. “He said there were people unhappy with me who’d be willing to scare me, but weren't capable of actually hurting me...” Vintra watched as the sergeant's eyes shifted as if an infinity of events unfolded in front of him that he could barely comprehend. She frowned. “Why?” she asked, worried about his reaction.

Hunter looked at her for a second, but turned away and made his way to the middle couches as he pulled out a datapad and watched it. Vintra heard him mumbling, probably talking to someone over the intercom, but didn't bother to probe further. Still, she kept glancing over to him, anxious to know the reason of his behavior, suspecting that something was going on regarding her safety.

“You were right,” Hunter heard Tech's voice after asking him to let him know what he'd found. “There is a pattern. For four weeks in a row, there have been two non-direct attacks in the vicinity of the senator's residence and her office, followed by a direct attack that has left no survivors,” Hunter's brain gears began to work as he thought about what that might mean “They're usually explosives or armed robbery attempts—oh,” Hunter knew perfectly Tech's surprised tone.

“What?” the sergeant demanded to know. He turned to look at the senator, who looked quite focused on her computer.

Tech delayed a few moments before answering, he’d probably gone to confirm his data.

“Everyone who carried out a harmless attack is... dead,” Hunter had to stop his brain at that information. “Police reports state that they suffered an obstructed airway,”

“And there are no survivors from the more lethal attacks,” the sergeant mused to himself. If he put together the information obtained by the two vandals from the explosive that day, Crosshair's report with the sniper, and what Tech was telling him....

“It's likely that these sporadic attacks are part of a more elaborated plan,” Tech said aloud what Hunter was beginning to think, “or do you think we're losing sense of proportion?” the question Tech asked was one the sergeant had already asked himself a couple of hours ago, when he still had reason to theorize it.

But he no longer believed it. There was definitely a suspicious streak in those events, one that the sergeant had picked up on since the two attackers that day, aside from looking completely inexperienced, were meant to make the senator nervous for a moment.

“Someone is behind this,” Hunter assured Tech. He didn't have irrefutable proof, but identifying the trail of his prey was his specialty.

“Nothing in their online activity suggests they were contacted by anyone,” reminded Tech, who had found nothing to link the boys to the sniper. “Unless they received written instructions,” suggested the squad's mastermind.

“There must be some connection between everyone, can you take care of that tomorrow?” Hunter hoped that at least that suspicion would make them rule out the possibility of hidden intentions behind all the attacks, but until then he’d treat it as a matter of primary interest.

“I can do that tonight,” Tech complained. “I can't allow myself the luxury of resting on the possibility that someone has orchestrated such a meticulous and patient plan that’s likely to be carried out tomorrow,” he protested, as if Hunter's proposal was an insult to his job. The sergeant blinked once to understand what Tech was referring to, and then the reason jumped abruptly in his head. He’d totally forgotten.

“The audience,” he remembered from the Senator’s agenda for the next day. Tech made a sound of affirmation.

“The Supreme Court will notify the senator about the validity of her proposal. If accepted, the Druad and thusten situation will officially be a legal barrier in motion for thousands of parties of interest in the trade for it,” Tech said it in a way that managed to make Hunter feel like an idiot for not seeing it earlier.

The pieces fit together.

“Shit,” was all he said, for, indeed, they had no time to resolve that inconvenience before a serious attack began its operation. Hunter switched to Crosshair's channel. “Come here, we have a problem.”

Chapter Four -> I want to keep you from being necessary

Thank you for reading!! :)

Ever since I discovered what a fanfic is, wattpad and a page called potterfics (rip) were the only places I was familiar and confident enough to publish. In AO3 and tumblr I was just comfortable reading, but now that I’m posting I’m having a lot of fun🤩 I know I still have a lot to work on to build my proper space in both, but I value so much these moments. So thank you so much if you’re interested in keep reading😋

Next chapter tomorrow!!

[spectres-fulcrum]

I keep seeing stuff about Sister, the trans clone from Queen's Peril on my Twitter feed. I think she got official art? Which I could swear we already had art of her but maybe Johnston just commissioned art.

And I have complicated feelings about Sister that I want to get off my chest :/ Well not Sister. I love the idea of her.

I HATE that they let EK Johnston make Sister a big deal in universe. Like you're telling me we're 1000 years into the Republic, and had the Old Republic, and long before that and transgendered people weren't a big thing??? There wasn't a term for them???

In a galaxy of aliens, transgendered humans(And sentient beings) weren't a thing until Anakin Skywalker??? How fucking backwards is that???? Think of how advanced they are in the Star Wars galaxy and then say oh, human rights are set in the 90s.

Like I'm sorry. I hate it. I don't accept it. In my headcanon, the hot button topics of human rights of now(LGBTQ+, abortion, basic IVF, now is probably way more advanced fertility stuff etc) are the very foundation of human/sentient being rights in the Republic. Once in a while you'll find a core planet that holds pre-Republic views on a topic(Ie Tepsai is homophobic, Cassio Tagge's home planet-he is gay though, secretly, and someone ask me about him PLEASE) but overall LGBTQ+ hatred is seen as archaic and barbaric.

Especially given that canon established that several Imperial higher ups were queer and open so like. Homophobia doesn't exist but neither do trans people????

And so EK Johnston soured a great concept for a character and everytime I see mention of the character I'm just like ew why was it a big deal in universe. Out of universe YES. In universe? Aren't we trying for better?

One of the big reasons I never read Queen's Hope as a big Padme fan. (Also once I found out Padme and Sabe fell out I was like nope doesn't exist)

[stellanslashgeode]

Dooku's Acceptance Speech - The Clone Wars: Dark Disciple

From what I can tell he only tells two, maybe three lies in this speech. 

[totally-not-your-babe]

Star Wars Politics

Rant below

So I decided to write my Thesis about politics in Star Wars (I'm studying political sciences and it's my last year). My consultant (I don't know if that how you say it in English) said that I like to choose the hard way because it's not easy at all. It has very few sorces in my language (I'm Hungarian) and it's a hard topic because of the fact that it's not real word politics, the directors, the writers, change things as they please.

I really want to do it and we always get that "we should write things about what we love and find interesting" but he got me a little scared now if I'll have the right and enough sorces to do it. I have a lot of books, I watched everything Star Wars related and I will do it again focusing on the political parts, I'm watching videos about the topic and look for studies, still I got a bit unsure now.

I'm sorry and if you sit through my ranting I thank you very much!

[mann-walter]

Palpatine's Dictatorship: Did He Really matter?

In my opinion, Palpatine’s position in the Empire is very unique. In comparison to a few real-life dictators, Palpatine never really had a cult of personality nor could he be conflated with the state, which had a cult around it. The citizenry adored the Empire, not the Emperor whom they very scarcely saw—his public presence was so rare that he was thought to be dead and more-or-less forgotten. And yet, within the web—or pyramidic web—of authority, he is absolutely indispensable. He is a linchpin for the collection of constantly competing people, a fount of common goals.

However, even in that sphere, he seemed to still compete with the state (the ideology). I don’t think the imperial remnant that later turned into the First Order was driven by loyalty to Palpatine (that doesn’t mean there were no Palpatine loyalists on board). They were eager to restore the Empire without the hope of Palpatine’s spirit rising from the grave. It was “Long Live the Empire” they chanted, not “Long Live the Emperor”.

[skellymom]

Watch "How Liberty Dies: The Politics of Star Wars" on YouTube

A long watch/listen, but SO WORTH it!Kinda scary how The Republic crumbling and the Rise of The Empire does mirror some of the struggles on our home world.

[thedynamicworm]

If you’re ever writing a Star Wars fic where you have to plan out some sort of legal fuckery, don’t sweat the details. Why should you have to sweat the details when the writers clearly didn’t