Star Wars_ The Dark Lord Trilogy - James Luceno [198]
“The dark side—”
“Oh, yes, yes, certainly, the dark side. Listen to me: if this ‘Darth Sidious’ of yours were to walk through that door right now—and I could somehow stop you from killing him on the spot—do you know what I would do?”
Palpatine rose, and his voice rose with him. “I would ask him to sit down, and I would ask him if he has any power he could use to end this war!”
“You would—you would—” Anakin couldn’t quite make himself believe what he was hearing. The blood-red rug beneath his feet seemed to shift under him, and his head was starting to spin.
“And if he said he did, I’d bloody well offer him a brandy and talk it out!”
“You—Chancellor, you can’t be serious—”
“Well, not entirely.” Palpatine sighed, and shrugged, and lowered himself once more into his chair. “It’s only an example, Anakin. I would do anything to return peace to the galaxy, do you understand? That’s all I mean. After all—” He offered a tired, sadly ironic smile. “—what are the chances of an actual Sith Lord ever walking through that door?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Anakin said feelingly, “but I do know that you probably shouldn’t use that … example … in front of the Jedi Council.”
“Oh, yes.” Palpatine chuckled. “Yes, quite right. They might take it as an excuse to accuse me.”
“I’m sure they’d never do that—”
“I am not. I am no longer sure they’ll stop at anything, Anakin. That’s actually the reason I asked you here today.” He leaned forward intently, resting his elbows on the desk. “You may have heard that this afternoon, the Senate will call upon this office to assume direct control of the Jedi Council.”
Anakin’s frown deepened. “The Jedi will no longer report to the Senate?”
“They will report to me. Personally. The Senate is too unfocused to conduct this war; we’ve seen this for years. Now that this office will be the single authority to direct the prosecution of the war, we’ll bring a quick end to things.”
Anakin nodded. “I can see how that will help, sir, but the Council probably won’t. I can tell you that they are in no mood for further constitutional amendments.”
“Yes, thank you, my friend. But in this case, I have no choice. This war must be won.”
“Everyone agrees on that.”
“I hope they do, my boy. I hope they do.”
Inside his head, he heard the echo of Obi-Wan, murmuring relations between the Council and the Chancellor are … stressed. What had been going on, here in the capital?
Weren’t they all on the same side?
“I can assure you,” he said firmly, “that the Jedi are absolutely dedicated to the core values of the Republic.”
One of Palpatine’s eyebrows arched. “Their actions will speak more loudly than their words—as long as someone keeps an eye on them. And that, my boy, is exactly the favor I must ask of you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Anakin, I am asking you—as a personal favor to me, in respect for our long friendship—to accept a post as my personal representative on the Jedi Council.”
Anakin blinked.
He blinked again.
He said, “Me?”
“Who else?” Palpatine spread his hands in a melancholy shrug. “You are the only Jedi I know, truly know, that I can trust. I need you, my boy. There is no one else who can do this job: to be the eyes and ears—and the voice—of the Republic on the Jedi Council.”
“On the Council …,” Anakin murmured.
He could see himself seated in one of the low, curving chairs, opposite Mace Windu. Opposite Yoda. He might sit next to Ki-Adi-Mundi, or Plo Koon—or even beside Obi-Wan! And he could not quite ignore the quiet whisper, from down within the furnace doors that sealed his heart, that he was about to become the youngest Master in the twenty-five-thousand-year history of the Jedi Order …
But none of that really mattered.
Palpatine had somehow seen into his secret heart, and had chosen to offer him the one thing he most desired in all the galaxy. He didn’t care about the Council, not really—that was a childish dream. He didn’t need