Palpatine watched the discussion closely, inwardly grimacing — a small incident threatened to become a much bigger problem. Although Amidala had lived up to his expectations — as soon as she heard about the "suffering of peaceful people" and the "trampling of democracy," the Naboo senator pressed the Jedi Council for intervention. However, the Chancellor felt she was placing those reasons above a mountain of ore, and he was extremely disappointed with the Council's posture. What could one Jedi do, even with an entire clone corps? There were over a million Nationalists on Jabiim alone, and no one knew how many battle droids the Separatists had deployed.
"Is there anything else we can do?" Palpatine asked.
"At the moment, the general's troops are the closest and most available units in the sector, and the most experienced, I might add. But in a short while we will be able to send more Jedi to Jabiim. Most likely they will include Obi-Wan Kenobi and the young Skywalker."
"What about those elite clones? We were going to distribute them across the sectors, weren't we?" Windu asked.
"Yes. Some of them should already have reached Coruscant," Shaak Ti said.
"Let's send them with the fastest ship. They'll make it to Lantilles in a day — I doubt Knight Vikt will finish before then," Kit Fisto suggested.
A new hologram blinked into being.
"Chancellor. Masters," the clone liaison saluted. "General Vikt has arrived at headquarters."
"Excellent. Connect him immediately."
Palpatine looked at the new hologram that appeared beside the others. The man who appeared looked to be about twenty-five, carried himself with a confidence beyond his years, and stood with a young Togruta at his side — clearly his Padawan. Strange, I don't remember this Jedi. His personality intrigued the Sith—with his excellent memory, he could say with certainty that he had never met this Jedi before. But judging by the reaction of the Masters, the man had proven himself to be a capable general.
Meanwhile, the Jedi's gaze swept over those present. Seeing the Chancellor, he regarded him strangely before beginning to speak.
"Chancellor. Honorable Council. I have prepared a report on—" Meanwhile, the Jedi began to perform the ceremony, but was interrupted by Master Windu.
"General, you have a new assignment that cannot be delayed. You need to replenish your troops with recruits and equipment as soon as possible. We'll send the relevant orders to Sector Headquarters. You're granted broad authority."
"And… where are we being sent?" The Jedi tilted his head slightly to one side.
"Jabiim," replied Plo Koon.
"Jabiim…" The Jedi paused for a heartbeat, then burst out in a tirade in Huttese. The Chancellor translated it as, "Fucking Toydarian asshole! I'll skewer it on the central pin!"
From the reactions of those around him, Palpatine realized the Jedi's words hadn't gone unnoticed. Still, the Jedi quickly switched to Galactic Standard.
"Are you seriously going to stick us in that hole?"
"Why call it a hole?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked, surprised.
"Are you kidding?" The Jedi shrugged. "With ion storms tearing through the atmosphere, it'll be a miracle if we don't lose a ship during the landing—and we can forget about air cover!"
He waved his hand, and Palpatine noticed that the Jedi's left hand was a prosthetic.
"Not to mention the endless rain and mud! Most of our equipment will simply get stuck in the mud, and a proper base can only be deployed on the plateaus—and there are barely a couple of those!" the Jedi continued in one breath. "Moreover, if I remember correctly, there's a civil war going on down there! Are you sure it's worth sending us to that planet?"
"And yet, General, it's an order," Windu replied sharply, earning a disapproving glance from Shaak Ti. "Jabiim has rich deposits of valuable ores and minerals. The planet is under Separatist control. I don't need to explain to you what that means—or what could happen."
The Jedi snorted, and Palpatine struggled to suppress a smile.
"Oh, wonderful. 'Clones die for metal,'" the Jedi said, his voice thick with sarcasm. "That changes everything, of course."
Senator Amidala joined the discussion.
"Knight Vikt, as a Jedi, you have a duty to intervene. People are suffering there—it's your responsibility to help th..."
"With all due respect, Senator," the Jedi emphasized the last word, "I can accept that you know something about politics, but I have my doubts about your knowledge of militarystrategy." His tone dripped with sarcasm.
After that, giving everyone a meaningful look, the Jedi added:,
"And anyway, getting involved in a civil war is fraught with…" He flexed the fingers of his prosthetic hand. "Trouble."
Amidala shot him a withering glare.
"Isn't it a Jedi's duty to protect the defenseless people of the Republic?"
"Where do you see defenseless people there?" Vikt retorted. "Jabiim's an inhospitable place—only the strongest survive."
Hmm, that's interesting. When did our 'queen' find time to get involved with this Jedi? He's quite something himself—so openly challenging the Council and seeking confrontation. Yes… this is getting more and more interesting.
"You seem rather well-informed about the situation on the planet," Palpatine observed, watching the Council's reactions to the Jedi's words. The dark-skinned Korun was clearly frowning; Masters Ti and Plo Koon appeared sympathetic toward the Jedi, while the rest remained neutral. As for Yoda—his expression, as always, was unreadable.
It's a pity I can't use the Force.
"Oh, I've picked up a few things here and there—nothing more," Vikt replied casually. "My teacher told me some things, and I learned a bit more on my own."
"Knight Vikt," Windu said, folding his hands together. "Will you carry out the Council's orders?"
"Of course." The Jedi nodded. "I'll beginpreparations immediately. I'll need… yes, at least a day to get everything ready."
Before the hologram faded, the Sith's sharp ears caught a muttered phrase—barely audible but unmistakable:
"Where the hell am I supposed to go from a submarine?"