The Duchess of Kraiz's ship was already descending when the three Jedi stepped onto the landing pad. She was a rather beautiful young woman who, despite her young age, was already a skilled politician and wise ruler of her people. Strangely enough, she was not at all worried about her life, believing that the enemy was not so stupid and short-sighted as to kill her in front of everyone, especially on Coruscant. The woman thought only of how her people would suffer at the hands of the separatists. Satin glanced at the window and caught her reflection. Thick blonde hair, styled in a sleek hairstyle, large green eyes shining with love for the world and her people. But most of all, she loved one man, whom she hoped to meet right now. But he belonged to the Order, and that could not be changed, for belonging to the Jedi never went hand in hand with personal happiness. Satin understood this and was quietly sad. Day after day, immersed in the affairs of the government, the woman gradually began to believe that her youthful infatuation was just a dream, but now, knowing that she would soon see this man, her heart froze in tremulous excitement. And then the ship began to descend, Satin put her datapad in her travel bag and began to prepare for departure. Three Jedi dressed in black uniforms were waiting for her on the platform. A tall Kel Dor, a slender and very young Togruta, and him. A young man of medium height with golden-blond hair and a neatly trimmed short beard. The ship landed, and the slender figure of the duchess, dressed in a luxurious floor-length emerald gown embroidered with unknown flowers from a tropical planet, descended the gangway. Her head was adorned with a golden crown that complemented her beautiful high hairstyle.
"There you go, you were all worried for nothing," she smiled at the pilot and the girl in a white jumpsuit who followed her out of the cabin. "There was no danger.
But as soon as she stepped off the last step of the gangway, a deafening explosion rang out behind her and her slender figure was thrown aside, along with a large amount of debris. The pilot was hit slightly less severely, and only one maid remained unharmed. It was painful to look at the duchess when the smoke from the terrible explosion cleared. Obi-Wan approached her, but she was already breathing her last breaths, her crown had fallen from her head, and her hair was stained with blood, which was also flowing in two streams from the corners of her lips. Her face was pale, and her misty eyes were full of tears. The maid also approached and bent over her dying mistress.
"Grace, I'm so sorry," she said, wiping a tear from her cheek.
"Forgive me, mistress, I... I think... I have failed you..." whispered the dying woman with her last breath and passed away.
Obi-Wan was now looking at both of them and seemed to understand nothing. The maid clarified the situation by removing the scarf from her head and wiping her face with it. Kenobi and the others immediately saw thick blonde hair falling onto her shoulders and fair skin revealed by the bright makeup.
"Lady Kraiz, it's me," the girl explained immediately. "This is my friend and my bodyguard. She agreed to take my place. Forgive us for the deception.
"See, I told you to be careful," said Obi-Wan, hurriedly leading the duchess away from the exploded car.
"I think it would be better if you spent the day in your official residence. I don't think you should show up at the Senate," advised Master Plo, looking worriedly at the young woman. Asoka, not participating in the conversation, thought to herself:
"Well, well! Just one hour as a Knight, and I'm already in such a mess!"
"Thank you for your concern, Master," Satin said politely. "But I must attend the meeting to vote in favour of creating a Republic army. My people believe in me, and I cannot let them down."
"Your people are unlikely to appreciate you dying for them," Asoka interjected. "My former teacher speaks the truth. You'd better wait at least a day."
"But the vote is scheduled for today, I must be there," Satin remained adamant, and it became clear to the Jedi that even if they locked her in a room on the top floor of the skyscraper, she would still vote. To ensure the woman's safety, they decided to assign guards to her.
"Let's get acquainted first," said Obi-Wan, taking the lead. This is Master Jedi Plo Koon and his former Padawan, Knight Ahsoka Tano. And this," he said, addressing the two specifically, "is Duchess Satine Kryze, ruler of Mandalore. She is the one who almost managed to uncover the identity of the new leader of the separatists. At least, she found the direction in which to work.
"It's very nice to meet you," Plo bowed politely and glanced meaningfully at Ahsoka, hinting that she should do the same. Ahsoka blushed to her montralls and hurried to correct herself:
"Hello, Duchess, it is an honour to meet you," she bowed, looking at the young woman. When the ceremonies were finally over, they began to hastily consider what to do next. Of course, the threat was expected, but no one could have imagined that the assassination attempt would happen so soon.
"I suggest we assign guards to you. We will take turns every three hours," Obi-Wan offered. "I assure you, you won't even notice the escort.
"I'll agree to anything, just to find out who's really behind all this," said Satin in a low voice. The assassination attempt and the death of her beloved friend had clearly thrown her off balance and were a heavy blow even for someone as strong and courageous as her.
"So, we have an agreement," said Plo with satisfaction. "What do you intend to do now?"
"I'll go to the Senate. The vote will begin any minute now," replied Kraiz almost calmly. Even at a moment like this, her work was the most important thing in her life.
No one argued, they just decided that Obi-Wan would go to the Senate with the duchess, while the other two would report to the Council on what had happened so that it could appoint someone to investigate the assassination attempt and verify Kraiz's suspicions about the identity of the leader of the separatist movement. The fact that it could be a former Jedi led to certain thoughts; he was very adept at noticing human weaknesses and skilfully exploiting them. So it was decided, and the duchess, after quickly tidying herself up in her official apartment, left for the meeting.
"Nevertheless, I believe that hiding is not the answer," she shared her thoughts with Kenobi as they were leaving. "I believe that criminals should hide and be cautious, but I am only doing what I must, helping my people while I am able. Is that a reason to kill me?"
"The reason is not that you are helping your people, but that you have crossed paths with someone who has a goal that is opposite to yours," Kenobi said calmly, trying not to look at her. "Therefore, sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice one's pride and do what is expected of us.
"Just like you did fifteen years ago?" asked the duchess in a stern tone, her gaze becoming as cold and harsh as Obi-Wan's.
Obi-Wan remained silent. There was nothing to hide; he already understood that what he had done to this woman back then was, at the very least, dishonest. Although, it depended on how you looked at it. Fifteen years ago, he was not yet a Master, but only a Padawan apprentice, and together with his teacher, he was helping the people of her planet deal with raiders. Against this backdrop, Satin and Obi-Wan became friends and even almost lovers, although she was not yet eighteen at the time. However, when his teacher found out about this, he hastened to remind young Obi-Wan that personal relationships were unacceptable for a Jedi. In other words, he gave him a choice: either the Order or his feelings. Kenobi gave in and told the then novice ruler that it would be better if they forgot about what had happened between them during those days. Even now, after so much time had passed, if asked whether he regretted the choice he had made back then, Obi-Wan could not answer, preferring to remain meaningfully silent, which said much more to those in the know than any words could ever say. Just like now.
"Let's go, you'll be late," was all Kenobi could say before turning towards the door, making it clear that the conversation was over, if it had been a conversation at all, and not just another attempt to protest against something that had existed for thousands of years and had caused controversy many times before, even if it always ended the same way. Either expulsion from the Order, or like Obi-Wan. It's hard to say which is better.
***
Everything was ready for the vote in the Senate building. With each passing year, the Republic was sinking deeper into political intrigue, and by now the situation had become almost critical. More than a dozen systems had already expressed their desire to leave the Republic and join the separatists who had seized the Trade Federation formed on Keto-Naymoidia. Initially, the Neimodians had never been aggressors, being only peaceful merchants, albeit not always honest, but everything changed when they became involved with the separatists. Now, strengthened by their influence, the Federation had grown to an indecent size, and to counter it, the Republic needed a stronger army. The Jedi simply could not cope with this. Some were strongly opposed to this, believing that the enemy should not be fought using their own methods, but rather that peace should be negotiated, but there were still more who saw the only solution in repelling the enemy.
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do," declared Senator Scipio Rush Clovis, hinting that the enemy should be treated as they treated them. And this really seemed to be the most correct decision.
"While we try to negotiate peace and seek ways to compromise, peaceful people will continue to die," echoed Mon Motma, representative of the Chandrillo system.
"But we are not soldiers, we are politicians, it is not our job to fight," Orn Free Tao, Senator of Rilot, said tediously.
"He's right, the peaceful population is to blame for not knowing how to negotiate. Our job is to teach them, and then let them figure it out for themselves!" Someone in the back rows shouted, who, upon closer inspection, turned out to be Jar Jar Binks, appointed senator from Naboo instead of Palpatine, who had become chancellor.
"He's partly right, but nevertheless, as a famous politician, Brian Barty, once said, good must be accompanied by force," said Bail Organa, a serious and level-headed representative of Alderaan.
In general, opinions were divided in the most predictable way, and the chancellor was forced to announce a vote, which was to begin immediately. Everyone had already gathered and settled on the stands surrounding the stage, each of which was at a different height. Only one seat, on the upper left edge, slightly closer to the centre, remained empty, and all the opponents of the upcoming debate stared at it. Soon, the Chancellor answered the unasked question, beginning his usual welcoming speech with sad and tragic news:
"Comrades, senators, this morning a terrible thing happened. Our beloved and respected Mrs. Satin Kraiz was the victim of a daring assassination attempt. An unknown villain planted an explosive device in the cargo compartment of the duchess's ship, and it detonated on our landing pad. And now I am forced to inform you of the tragic death of your colleague. Let us honour her memory with a minute of silence.
The senators rose as if on cue. Some remained silent, clenching their teeth in an attempt to hold back tears, others wiped them away surreptitiously, and some, not particularly shy, sobbed openly, wiping their noses with the sleeves of their senatorial robes and clapping their long leather ears in time with their sobs. Can you guess who was being referred to in the last part of the sentence? The point is that each of them loved the kind duchess and considered it their duty to express their grief at her untimely death. And when there were only a few seconds left before the end of that minute, the door to the Hall opened and a voice familiar to all of them rang out: "Greetings, esteemed colleagues, please forgive my unexpected delay," everyone took as a personal insult to their sincere grief and desperately refused to believe that the one they were now mourning was alive and unharmed, standing at the door. Palpatine was the first to recover:
"Mrs. Kraiz," the chancellor smiled broadly, "What a joy it is to see you in good health. I am very glad that you were unharmed after the attack on you. Rest assured, the Senate will not ignore this incident and will certainly find the culprit. Please take your place at the podium, we must begin the vote.
***
Meanwhile, in the lower levels.
"I hope you don't miss this time, Zam," said a tall man whose appearance was completely hidden by armour.
"You can be sure of that," said the skinny blonde in a helmet confidently, holding out her hand.
"Here, take it, but be careful, they're very poisonous," warned her companion, handing her a small transparent container with two fleshy caterpillars with thin legs spread out to the sides.
"Will do, commander," said the mercenary, carefully placing the container in her belt bag. "This time she'll definitely die!"
***
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