Chapter 40: Humanize your enemies.

As I walked, the scribe noticed me an gestured at the podium at the center of the assembly.

"Will the defendant please take the stand?"

I turned to Anakin, with a raised eyebrow, only to find him confused as well.

"Defendant, eh?" I asked, scanning the room, spotting Mace Windu standing in a corner, shame and guilt clear on his face, as the announcer realized his mistake, and a grin spread on my face.

I was proven right.

This was a kangaroo court, made especial to pin the blame for this whole scandal onto me.

I shook my head.

Idiots. Underestimating me will be their doom.

I looked the now panicked scribe in eye and took the stand, confident in my ability.

"Commander Walker, you aren't in your military uniform. That is wholly unprofessional." Yarael Poof threw the first blow.

"I agree Master Poof." I shot back, "Letting a sith lord live right under your nose for over a decade is rather unprofessional. Shameful even."

Gasps broke out among the crowd, jedi scowling at me, while Ahsoka snorted in amusement.

Oh if looks could kill....

"Let's not get dragged into childish argument." Master Shaak Ti intervened, taking over from a fuming Yarael Poof.

"Now that you have breached the topic, why don't you explain to us why you didn't bother to inform us of this treachery earlier? Why didn't you go through the proper channels? You told Master Windu that you have had the data for months now!"

"And what would that have done? Had I gone through the proper channels, I have no doubts you would have launched an investigation first, alerting the senator.

Then, it would be over. Best case, he would have escaped once he caught wind of what was coming his way and machinate the war from the shadows.

Worst case? He would have denied the allegations, used his connections to escape justice and I would be rotting in jail right now for slander and treason!

No thank you siree!

I didn't know who I could trust, so I had to be careful. I researched the jedi, rumors, first hand reports, personality profiles. After all that I finally decided to trust Master Windu to do what was right. He had a reputation for righteousness and unerring dedication to his task. Admirable qualities for anyone, not just a jedi."

"And look where it led you? Master Obi Wan is dead!" She accused.

"This is war, master Shaak Ti. A war you started, need I remind you-"

"Jedi don't start wars!" She interrupted, "We are peacekeepers!"

"And we're just drowning in peace right now, aren't we?" I rebutted sarcastically.

"You don't trust the jedi?" She asked, as if I had just asked her to go stuff her grandmother like a turkey.

"Why should I? When have you ever given me or anyone else any reason to trust you? Just because you say you are peacekeepers, we should shut our eyes and believe you?

Let me remind you again, that Palpatine lived as a sith lord right under you watch and none of you were any the wiser!

A jedi who can't tell a sith lord from a banana is not the image of trust.

I would be fool to trust a jedi like that!

And that is just one of your many failings.

This war is another! You started this wa-"

"We did not start this war! The Separatists did! We only responded in kind to their barbarism, to defend our people! To defend the republic!"

"Oh that is rich!" I emphasized, "Coming from the likes of you!"

"What do you mean by that?!" Shaak Ti boomed.

"What do I mean? Look at your tongue!

Barbaric?! Look who's talking! Without even mentioning your home planet's culture master Shaak Ti, barbarism is not something you can use to describe the Separatists.

Do you think the Separatists want to fight you? Do you think they want to lead their people to their doom? Leave their families to slaughter?

Do you think them monsters without a thought for self preservation or love? Or are you just projecting?"

"You!" Master Shaak Ti growled, but I continued.

"It is easy to demonize our enemies, think of them as lesser than us. But it is the jedi code itself that teaches us, does it not? That all are equal within the force?

Why then are you so eager to forget that the enemies you are fighting are people too! People just like you.

People who have families, loved ones, friends, dreams and goals.

Did you not stop for but a moment and consider it?

What led these people to risk their lives, the lives of their kin just to fight you? Are they just that barbaric? If so, weren't they just as barbaric when they were part of the republic? Why then did they not show this demonic barabarism you mention? Why didn't they attack the republic earlier?

Master Shaak Ti, people do not just get up one day and choose violence, to fight for their lives!

In fact most species are ridiculously averse to war and violence, out of sheer profit and self preservation!

Why make war when you can trade and be rich?

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Would you make war, master Shaak Ti, if you lived a life of plenty?

I think not! Unless I have misjudged you to be a jedi?"

"You have not." Shaak Ti said, deep in thought.

"The separatist alliance is made up of planets where the people suffered from dearth of resources, where they watched their children starve or die of preventable diseases for lack of medicine!

And that among a thousand other ailments, was why they are fighting!

And tell me, would you not?

If you saw your people suffer, if you saw the republic only taking from you without giving anything back in return, would you not fight?"

"I would not!" Shaak Ti replied, "I would present my case to the senate, contact my local representative. Surely they would resolve our issue!"

"One would think so, wouldn't they, master Shaak Ti? But the reality of the situation is far from our desired ideals."

I turned to Padme in the audience.

"Senator Padme Amidala! You have recently been to Rodia haven't you?

They were about to secede from the republic to join the separatists weren't they?

Can you tell the audience why they would do something like that?"

Padme taking the hint, stood up and explained.

"My mission on Rodia a month ago was to convince them to stay with the republic as commander Walker has informed you all about. But when I reached Rodia, I didn't find a strong separatist outpost. What I found was a world robbed of resources. Weak and poor. Their people were dying for lack of medicine and starving due to the spoilage of their food.

They requested resupply and aid from the republic, but got no reply. They tried and they tried, to no avail, until they had no other choice.

They could choose to stay with the republic and watch their people waste away or take the separatist's offer of aid and survive. And they chose what was right, but at what cost? Thousands died, because we didn't reach them in time. And that I deeply regret!"

"Thank you, senator. Much appreciated.

As you can see now, it is through our failures that the separatists gained power.

They chose to fight, out of desperation!

And let me assure you this wasn't their first response!

I'm sure that if you looked back to some years ago, you would notice it too. The systems that now make up the confederacy, were once the same systems begging for a voice in the senate, to plead their case, only to be dismissed like petulant children.

They too were forced into a corner, and in desperation, could only choose - fight or die.

They chose to fight. They chose to fight because the compassionate jedi couldn't bother to extend their compassion to the poor and the downtrodden. And I don't expect you to understand this master Shaak Ti, given how the Togruta treat their weak and infirm, but here, in civilization, we help those among us who cannot help themselves."

"You disrespect my culture, my people and our civilization?! Do not speak of which you know nothing, commander!" Shaak Ti snapped at me.

"Civilization? Is that what you think the Togruta are?

A civilization that leaves it's old and injured to die in the forests, alone and scared, is not worthy of being called a civilization!" I shouted, "It is in fact the first sign of civilization, that a broken bone be healed, or a disease overcome and the person be helped to survive by the aid of others. Not writing, not tools, but rather empathy is the first sign of civilization."

Shaak Ti almost made to jump at me, her hands lingering on her lightsaber, angered beyond belief, when Yoda stopped her.

"Your point you should make, commander. Not sow hate in our numbers." Yoda said.

"My point master Yoda is that it is this empathy that the jedi were found utterly lacking in!

That's not all though. It never is. Nothing's that simple, as much as we wish it to be.

There are 39 million planets in the republic and yet to represent them, the senate boasts only 2000 seats!

When the separatist systems begged the republic for more representation, for years and years on end, they were rejected and ignored!

They chose to fight because the republic couldn't be fucked to add a few more seats to the already massive senate.

Is it any wonder that the separatists chose to do what they did?

The republic and the jedi made their own enemies!

And this is another problem I have with the jedi!

You create your own worst enemies!

Just look at General Grevious!"

"What about him? He is a monster that hunts jedi for amusement!" Master Mundi interjected, "I have seen him personally kill jedi for fun. He even liked to toy with us as we lay dying! He is a monster through and through!"

"Was, Master Mundi, was. I killed Grevious five days ago on Iego, earning myself a medal of Valor, for my service, which by the way has yet to be presented to me. Just saying." I shrugged, "But as much as you would like to believe that master Mundi, it was not Grevious that struck the first blow in this conflict."

"You cannot expect us to believe that! Grevious is the Butcher of Geonosis!

Everyone knows that tale!" A padawan shouted from the back.

"Well, why don't I show you then?" I said, switching on the transciever as documents flooded the holo screen.

"Let's begin with a simple question, shall we?" I said, amused.

"What sort of parents name their child Grevious?"

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