**Chapter 818: Fractured Senate**
**Scene 1: Senate Chambers, Coruscant**
The Grand Convocation Chamber of the Galactic Senate was a cauldron of tension. Thousands of senators filled the floating platforms, their voices rising in a chaotic din that echoed off the massive walls. Year 3, Month 2, Week 2 of the Clone Wars. The war had dragged on far longer than anyone expected, and the absence of Chancellor Palpatine for five months had only deepened the divisions.
"Order! We shall have order!" Mas Amedda's deep voice boomed across the chamber, the Chagrian Vice Chair slamming his gavel with authority.
Bail Organa's platform drifted forward. The Alderaanian senator's face was etched with concern. "It has been five months since any of us have seen Chancellor Palpatine. Where is he? The Republic cannot function without clear leadership in wartime."
Nhon Artu, standing at the central podium in his Jedi robes, maintained a calm exterior while internally calculating his next words. He gave a subtle nod toward the Wookiee delegation. Chewbacca stepped forward, towering and imposing, and began reading the prepared speech Dagon had carefully written for him. The Wookiee's deep growls and roars translated smoothly through the Senate's systems.
"The Chancellor is currently on a vital diplomatic mission in the Outer Rim with the Wookiees of Kashyyyk," Nhon announced once Chewbacca finished. "He is securing critical alliances and resources for the war effort. Rest assured, his work serves the Republic."
Nhon quietly exhaled in relief. Wookiees were fiercely loyal to Dagon after his interventions on Kashyyyk. No one dared openly question their word.
Still, the opposition pressed forward. Senator Mon Mothma's platform advanced. "The presence of the Chancellor is desperately needed. The power of the Jedi has grown too great. We risk trading one tyranny for another."
Her words were met with a storm of boos. The chamber's balance had shifted dramatically. Eight thousand senators now firmly backed the war effort. Only 1,300 remained in the peace faction, with roughly 900 still claiming neutrality. The tide had turned.
Padmé Amidala rose next, her voice steady but passionate. "Fellow senators, the campaign into Hutt territory is based on Supreme Commander Dagon's warmongering. As a Republic, we should seek peace. Haven't the Separatists been sufficiently defeated? Raxus and Serenno have fallen. Surely this is enough."
Senator Alloaz Field of Alsakan, a human woman whose world had suffered terribly under Crimson-71, shot to her feet. "No, Senator Amidala. Have any of the war criminals responsible for the biochemical attack on Naboo, the plague on Alsakan, the nuclear assault on Coruscant, and countless other atrocities been brought to justice under the Republic's heel?"
Padmé tried to respond. "No, Senator, but haven't our worlds been mostly spared—"
"Whose blood was spilled on our world?" Alloaz's voice cracked with emotion. "Dagon's blood! Who risked his life when the plague turned our people into monsters? Not counting the thousands still plagued by long recovery processes to heal their minds!"
An image appeared on the massive central holoprojector—Dagon collapsed on Alsakan's surface, bleeding out in a pool of his own blood as clone medics rushed in from orbit. The chamber fell deathly quiet for a moment.
"Our worlds have had heroes' blood spilled," Alloaz continued, quieter now but no less intense. "Jedi blood. There will be no peace. I say we end this war properly. No more slavers. No more criminals. Let the Dragon eliminate our enemies!"
Cheers erupted from the pro-war senators, drowning out the shrinking loyalist faction. Padmé's platform retreated amid the uproar. Nhon watched carefully, noting how the Alsakan senator's words had swayed even some neutrals. Dagon's sacrifice on Alsakan had become legend.
**Scene 2: Chancellor's Office**
The heavy doors of the Chancellor's office sealed behind Nhon as he entered. Mas Amedda waited at the grand desk, the room dimly lit and heavy with the weight of secrecy.
"That was an interesting trick you pulled with the Wookiees," Mas said, a faint smile on his blue lips. "No one ever questions their loyalty to Dagon."
"Yeah, yeah. Get to the point. How bad is it?" Nhon asked, dropping into a chair with a sigh.
"Well, while the Republic is no longer in deep debt—sort of—and the CIS is hemorrhaging funds, their war chests remain full thanks to the Hutts and criminal syndicates. We are winning on the battlefield, pushing back and reclaiming Republic space. But there is a problem with the Banking Clan. Scipio."
"Of course. Money problems," Nhon muttered, rubbing his temples. *I'm a Jedi, not a damn accountant.*
"As you know, Chancellor Palpatine wished for the Banking Clan and the banks to be owned by the Republic. That is no longer possible. If Scipio falls, our credit system becomes a problem. The seeds are already in place. All that matters is removing the key figures and keeping Scipio neutral," Mas explained.
"Sure. I'll get Dagon on it. He should fix the problem," Nhon said, already standing to leave.
**Scene 3: Triellus Trade Route – Zero-Seven's Command**
In the cold silence of a Lucrehulk-class command ship, Super Tactical Droid STX-07—Zero-Seven—rose from his command chair. He moved to the forward viewing panels, red photoreceptors scanning the starfield. In two days, he had fulfilled Count Dooku's orders: secure the defense of three critical planets along the Triellus Trade Route, sometimes called the "Hutt Highway."
Quesh. Riileb. Rorak.
He commanded 942 ships: eleven Starhawk-class battleships, five Subjugator-class heavy cruisers, twenty-nine Lucrehulks, forty-two MC75 cruisers, two hundred and seventy-four Recusant-class heavy destroyers, and five hundred and eighty-one Munificent-class frigates. Barely enough to form four unequal detachments—two main, one reserve, one rear.
The first main detachment guarded Carcellus with six Insurgents, ten Lucrehulks, fifteen Providences, ninety Recusants, and two hundred Munificents. The second, smaller force protected Pirin. Riileb's defense was the lightest: four Lucrehulks, twenty Recusants, and eighty-one Munificents. The remainder stayed in reserve at Sermeria, ready to reinforce Quesh or Rorak.
Ground forces were limited to five million battle droids, concentrated in the capital cities along with air defenses. Dispersing them further was deemed unwise.
Riileb, an agrarian world, was completely self-sufficient in food and even exported surpluses. This allowed them to purchase necessary equipment, though their variety—mostly root vegetables—lacked the diversity of worlds like Taanab.
Zero-Seven's photoreceptors flickered as new data flowed in. The latest upgrade to the Munificent-class—now designated as command, control, and communications frigates (C3 frigates)—had proven valuable. At 1,000 meters, these were true upgrades rather than repurposed banking clan vessels.
**Armament upgrades included:**
- Forward-mounted turbolasers (2)
- Forward-mounted long-barrelled ion cannons (2)
- Twin light turbolasers (26) – 13 port, 13 starboard
- Turret-mounted ion turbolasers (20) – 10 port, 10 starboard
- Medium flak cannons (8) – 4 port, 4 starboard
- Turret-mounted retractable light laser cannons (40) – 10 dorsal, 10 ventral, 10 port, 10 starboard
These enhanced C3 frigates provided superior fleet coordination, turning the Munificent screen into a more lethal and responsive force.
Zero-Seven calculated the probabilities. The Republic was coming. But with the new Hutt resources and upgraded ships, the defense would be formidable.
"Prepare all detachments," Zero-Seven ordered. "The Dragon will test us soon. We will be ready."
The war for the Triellus Trade Route was about to intensify.