Chapter 7

7. A Gaze from the Other End of the Galaxy

The Galactic Republic, a colossal entity that has ruled over tens of thousands of star systems for over 25,000 years, has been jointly governed by the Galactic Senate and the Jedi Order since its establishment.

In the year 25018 of the Galactic Republic, 35BBY. Coruscant, the capital of the Galactic Republic, is the most developed and prosperous planet in the entire galaxy.

The Jedi Temple, one of the most magnificent structures on Coruscant, stands alongside the Galactic Senate. The main building, a massive trapezoidal structure over a thousand meters tall and more than 500 meters wide, is crowned by five towering spires, symbolizing the supreme authority of the Jedi Order, the guardians of the Galactic Republic.

An elderly man with white hair and a vigorous spirit, standing in his seventies, stood inside one of the temple's spires, reporting in a somewhat cold tone: "Master Yoda, Senator Palpatine has agreed to provide support in the Senate to push for the Judicial Fleet to directly intervene and relieve the siege on Niele."

Standing by the window in the hall, facing away, was a green-skinned, diminutive old man, less than a meter tall, with long ears, resembling a goblin, leaning on a cane and overlooking the entire city of Coruscant.

Master Yoda, the supreme leader of the Jedi Order and a highly respected elder, did not turn around upon hearing the report. Instead, he nodded and said, "Thank you, Master Dooku. Very important, Senator Palpatine's support is."

His speech was peculiar, always placing the subject at the end, forming awkward inverted sentences.

Master Dooku's response was equally cold. He merely nodded slightly and turned to leave. As he reached the door, he turned and said coldly, "If we need to use personal connections to push through a bill in the Senate to rescue a planet besieged by pirates, then tell me, where is the future of the Galactic Republic? How should the Jedi Order position itself?"

Yoda, still facing away, took a while before slowly replying, "Call me Master, you should."

Dooku's face twitched, and he abruptly turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

After a long while, Yoda took a deep breath, turned to look in a certain direction, his gaze becoming profound. He gently shook his head.

In the corridor outside, Master Dooku, suppressing his anger, walked quickly. He encountered a master and apprentice dressed in rough clothing, a middle-aged man with disheveled hair and a spirited young man with a buzz cut.

Seeing Dooku approach, the middle-aged man quickly stepped aside and bowed deeply, saying, "Master."

Dooku, though troubled, nodded in response and walked out of the Jedi Temple.

The middle-aged man maintained his bow until Dooku was far away, then entered the room Dooku had just left with his young apprentice.

"Master Yoda, you summoned me?" the middle-aged man entered the room and bowed deeply to Yoda, who stood by the window.

"A disturbance in the Force, I sense," Yoda said.

The middle-aged man was taken aback, his gaze sharpening, "Is it the power of the dark side?"

"Not the power of the dark side, this is. Chaos, I see only," Yoda closed his eyes, feeling the Force.

"Chaos? Where? Why is this happening?" the middle-aged man frowned.

"Unknown," Yoda shook his head, "Growing stronger, the disturbance in the Force. With your own eyes, you must see. To the Moddell sector, Master Qui-Gon Jinn, go."

The middle-aged man asked again, "What should I look for?"

"Unknown. May the Force be with you," Yoda sighed, falling silent.

"May the Force be with you," Qui-Gon Jinn bowed deeply again, then turned to the young man beside him, "Let's go, Obi-Wan Kenobi. To the Moddell sector."

"Yes, Master," the young man nodded in response.

...

Master Dooku returned to his quarters, activated his communicator, and a holographic projection of a man in his forties, wearing a senatorial robe and slightly bald, appeared.

Dooku nodded slightly and said, "Thank you for your help, Senator Palpatine. Otherwise, the millions of residents on Niele would have suffered greatly under the Biscaralan pirates' siege."

Senator Palpatine smiled and said, "It was my duty, Master Dooku. I am also glad to meet a Jedi Master like you, who dares to break tradition and is full of righteousness, in such a corrupt era."

"But this is not what I want," Dooku shook his head, "This issue should not have been resolved this way."

"Given our environment, this will not change with the efforts of just one or two individuals. We should be grateful that this issue was resolved. More serious matters, such as the recent conflict between Malastare and the Trade Federation, are beyond our capabilities," Palpatine said.

Dooku agreed, "I concur with your view, Senator. This is not a problem that one or two individuals can solve. We need more allies."

Palpatine nodded approvingly, "That is exactly what I mean. But I believe that as long as we remain true to our初心, the opportunity for change will eventually come."

"I hope that day comes soon," Dooku's tone turned cold.

"It will, eventually," Palpatine said meaningfully, "By the way, I've heard that there might be some issues in the Moddell sector recently."

"That's a desolate area in the Outer Rim, filled with hyperspace anomalies and, as far as I know, a massive black hole. It's beyond the control of the Galactic Republic. Is an issue there important?"

"Not particularly important, just something I'm concerned about. If you could help me by sending someone to investigate, that would be best," Palpatine said casually.

"I'll send a few Jedi apprentices... No, I'll send some bounty hunters from my homeworld, Serenno," Dooku initially thought of using the Jedi Order but quickly changed his mind.

"Thank you, Master Dooku," Palpatine smiled meaningfully, bowed slightly, and ended the communication.

"Why did you ask Dooku to handle the Force disturbance in the Moddell sector?" a deep voice suddenly came from behind Palpatine.

"Like training a cyberian war dog, it only becomes accustomed to your commands through frequent use... Eventually, it will obey orders," Palpatine smiled.

"Do you have only this in mind?" the voice asked again.

"Of course, my Master," Palpatine bowed slightly, hiding his expression well.

"Very well. Since that's the case, the conflict on Malastare still lacks some intensity. You should stoke the flames a bit more," the voice in the darkness said.

"As you wish, my Master," Palpatine maintained his flawless smile, backing out of the office.

---

Note 1: In the Star Wars universe, the year is recorded based on the Battle of Yavin, the event in the first Star Wars film, "A New Hope," where the Death Star was destroyed. BBY stands for Before the Battle of Yavin, and the year of the battle is 0BBY.

After the Battle of Yavin, the years are recorded as ABY, meaning After the Battle of Yavin, which this story does not cover.

The Galactic Republic was established in 25053BBY and was destroyed in 19BBY, lasting for 25034 years. 35BBY corresponds to the 25018th year of the Galactic Republic, so according to the Galactic Republic's calendar, this year is 25018. This is the starting point of the story.

New readers can understand it this way: BBY is like BC, counting backward; ABY is like AD, counting forward. That's all you need to know.