The Three Moons of Tatooine

Clone Wars IV

"Is he trying to use the Skywalker good public image to get this mess dropped?!" Padme exclaimed in anger.

"Or is he trying to get close to you through her?" Obi-Wan pointed out. "Or to get Shmi to his side and then try to get to Padme on his through her?"

"Who knows? Maybe all three!" Anakin scoffed. "Mom shut him down nicely though. Rex was with her at the time and recorded the whole thing. The GAR had a good laugh at least."

"Ani, what is your issue with Chancellor Palpatine?" Padme asked him carefully. "Lately, it seems as if it's quite personal, this animosit you have with him. Though, you hid it with anyone else but as."

"He... he makes a lot of comments," Anakin winced, frowning. He took a second to think what to say and decided to go with half-truths like always. They worked the best. "When I came back from Hutt Space, he called me to his office for a report. Though, he did not ask anything about the front lines. He kept on repeating how aweful was the Counsil for sending me for so long, right after I've gotten married. And that me having issues bonding with you two after half a year away was normal. Especially, with all the time you both spent on your own... without me..."

"That sleemo!" Padme exploded, eyes burning with anger "What gives him any right to comment on our private life?! What is even his plan?!"

"To isolate dear heart," Obi-Wan deduced, displeasure leaking through the Force. "He wants him away from the Counsil and us, so he will be forced to relay on him. Unluckily for him, dear heart has a lot of allies and friends outside of us and the Jedi Order."

"His obsession is worrisome!" Padme glared.

"It is," Obi-Wan agreed. "I'll talk to the Jedi Counsil about being more careful around him."

Anakin hid his smirk on Padme's hair as his next plan was in motion. Nothing better than when your hard work plays on beautifully.

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"Commander Rex!" A worried Jesse rushed into the control room of th Command Center. "Look!"

Rex almost dropped the holo Jesse all but threw at him. Once he saw what had his vode so concerned, his face lost all colour.

General Skywalker arrested for wrongly use of funds?

"What the kriff?" Hawke cursed.

"So, this is how the Senate is trying to get rid off our General," Admiral Wulff sighed.

"What do you mean Admiral?" Rex asked him confused. "Our General brought them the biggest victory of this war and his inventions are what's giving us the advantage!"

"But it is his evedince that got one-third of the Senate arrested and their reputation in an all-time worse," Admiral Wulff explained. "Many want him out before he uncovers more corruption and goes after them."

"Kriff them all!" Rex growled in anger. "We need to turn this ship around! Our general needs us!"

"General Koon, General Skywalker's father, needs us," Admiral Wulff stood before him with a stern expression. "What can we do in Coruscant? We will get in the way more than help. General Skywalker needs us to aid his father and husband in the front lines, a husband who is there because General Skywalker had a premonition dream of General Koon's ship being blown. We have to do this, so General Skywalker can deal with the Senate in peace and unconcerned about the front lines. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" The soldiers answered, determined if unhappy.

Meanwhile, on Coruscant.

"Calm down, Senator Amidala," Bail whispered, having to hold on into Padme's arm to stop her from jumping down the pod and joining her husband. "This is Knight Skywalker, he will be fine."

"This is bullshit!" Padme hissed furious, glaring at Chancellor Palpatine.

"Not to mention, illegal," Mon added from behind them. "Many of us were not informed of this decision. They might have gotten majority, but without a full Senate vote this farce can't pass down."

"Which will be pointed out by Jedi Knight Skywalker," Bail assured Padme, who was calming down slowly. "If he does not, you have my promise that I will do it myself."

"Thank you, Senator Organa," Padme sighed. "You got this Ani."

"How do you plead General Skywalker?" Chancellor Palpatine demanded.

"First of all, it's Jedi Knight Skywalker," Anakin corrected with a raised eyebrow, making his wife snort in amusement. "Second, if this is a court, where's the judge? In any case of juridical decisions, the Juridical System and a Supreme Court Judge is needed. The Senate cannot make a ruling on their own. Third, you cannot, even with majority of the votes, try to arrest someone or make decisions without the whole Senate voting. Clearly a third of this Senate had no idea of what this is about. Who was in the blind about this? Please raise your hand!" Almost half the room raised their hands. "Wow... really?" Anakin turned to Chancellor Palpatine with a raised eyebrow. "You know this is ilegal, right?"

"Answer the question Skywalker!" Tarkin sneered, losing his patience at the disrespect.

"As I stipulated before, this is illegal," Anakin turned to Tarkin with a glare. Oh, how he hated that man. "So, no. I do not need to answer any question. Even if I did, I've done nothing wrong."

"How can you say that?" A neutral senator exclaimed. Until now she had been a fan and supporter of Anakin's, but now she clearly looked betrayed. She must have been lied to by Palpatine and his supporters, like many other neutral senators. "You took advantage of the seizing of the Hutt Space planets to push your agenda, using the funds of the Protection Corps to buy terrains. When it is illegal for Jedi to have possessions!"

"Ok... there are so many wrong things on that speech that I do not know where to start," Anakin shook his head with a tired sigh. "First of all Jedi are encouraged not to have material possessions. It is not illegal. Making it illegal, would be illegal. It would borderline with slavery. Second, the Proection Corps funds are donations that come from my own pocket. An emergency fund I started when I was thirteen. I can do what I wish with it and it would be legal, because I own that money and donated to the Protection Corps. The rest are donations in the form of technology from the Skywalker Corporation. Third, I did not buy any terrain with that fund. Skywalker Corporation did, using the royalties I gained during this war for my last inventions. I was tasked as the middleman between the Jedi Corps, Skywalker Corporations, and the planets."

"What for?" The same senator asked, this time calmer as the Senate's Hall was silent in shock. They could not believe that someone could own that much money and not use it for themselves, to donate millions, even billions of credits? Maddness!

"Well, these planets were razed down by slavery and war, there are a lot of orphans. So, the Skywalker Foundation is opening orphanages and schools with the aid of the Education Corps," Anakin explained. "Also, the various Jedi Corps will need places to stay as they go to these planets for relief efforts. Small temple branches will be opening there. Half of the territories Skywalker Corporation bought will be donated to the Corps."

"You can't do that without the Senate's permission!" Tarkin snarled, foaming from his mouth, earning startled looks from various neutral senators, that seem to have realized they've been used and lied to.

"They can," Anakin replied snarkly with a smirk. "The Jedi Order might be dependant of the Republic. But the Jedi Corps have never been tied to any government. They've always remained a free religious organization whose first mission is to help." Anakin's smirk grew, as he gloated. "They do not need your permission."

With that said, he turned on his heels and strutted out of the room, not before throwing Padme a kiss and a confident wink. Leaving the Senate to an uproar.

"He'll never change, will he?" Bail snickered, as Padme and Mon watched the senators scream and smile with satisfaction.

They deserve it.