A few moments later Dooku sat down in front of the Hypercom system, not calling the Jedi Council but a friend he had made on the Senate. "Senator Palpatine, do you have time to talk for a few moments?"
"I have been better my friend," said Senator Palpatine of Naboo, a man that Dooku had been introduced to by the head of the Banking Clan.
He knew Palpatine as a man whose thoughts on the senate dovetailed with Dooku's. Though looking back on it, Dooku was now certain the man who introduced them had his own reasons for his low opinion on that score.
"There is a bit of a kerfuffle in the Senate at the moment as you no doubt aware." Palpatine suddenly smiled, slightly wider than his normal politician's expression. "Especially considering that you caused some of it. Senator Ainlee Teem was very well-connected here in the Senate, the proofs of the allegation of slavery against him was damning to much of those connections, and when he was recalled, sacked and imprisoned, that acted much like a concussion missile in the Senate. The reverberations of it are still echoing here, not helped by all of the other issues covering at the same time of course."
"Unfortunately my friend I did not call you to talk about my own exploits, but rather one of those other issues, the Yinchorri. Can you tell me if the Senate is at all close to coming to an agreement on what to do about them?" Dooku asked.
"Between the two of us, I'm afraid that the Chancellor's position isn't strong on that issue." Palpatine scowled. "Many of my fellow senators cannot see the threat Yinchorri aggression would mean in the long term. They have too small a population, they are too technologically dependent on others to be considered a major threat, and of course, there is the problem of what to do even if we interdict them, all reasons that have been trotted out time and time again since this crisis began. The Chancellor is gaining ground, but it is slow going."
"Indeed? Then I will call him next, I have an idea on that score of my own, and one that might serve better in the long term than sending in a Republic Intervention Fleet." Dooku mused.
"You're being rather mysterious my friend." Palpatine asked, smiling conspiratorially and leaning toward the pickup slightly. "Care to let me in on it?"
"All I will say I am going to put my weight behind an issue that has been brokered about in the Senate for several months now, at least on a limited basis. You may wish to wait until this bit of excitement is over before deciding whether you want to be part of it."
"I see…" Palpatine frowned then shrugged a small smile still on his face. "Very well then I look forward to hear about how you happened upon the kidnapped miners by the way. Hopefully the next time you are on Coruscant we will have time to sit down and you can excite me with a tail of Jedi-daring do."
Dooku laughed. "We shall see my friend. Until then." With that the two men ended the communication, with Dooku immediately redirecting his call to the Chancellor's office, using a Jedi Code to bypass the man's secretary and send an ID to Valorum so he knew who was calling.
A moment later the Chancellor appeared looking harried. "Master Dooku, I am always happy to hear from a Jedi master of your eminence, but I have already informed the Jedi Council of that I am doing all I can to try to…"
"Councilor, I have no wish to add to your work, in fact I am calling to tell you to stop trying to put together a quorum on the Yinchorri issue. I am going to try to put together my own bit of alliance for that issue. However, later on, you may be called upon to back an addendum to a certain law passed about a year ago now…"
It took Dooku about an hour to talk Valorum around, but in the end the Chancellor agreed that Dooku's idea sounded viable, if he could put it together. The cost down the line might be big in terms of the old demilitarization plan that the Chancellor's office had followed for centuries, but that had already begun cracking, as Dooku had pointed out rather pointedly. And when told who Dooku was willing to bring in on this, Valorum acceded to his request quickly.
After that, Dooku set up a conference call to Khedive Candobar Inglet of the Sluis Van Congregate, and Governor Shrook'an of Dac. Inglet was the head of a family that owned a large majority of the Sluis Van shipyards, which in turn controlled 80% of the Sluis Sector's economy, which gave him directorship for the sector. The Sluisi owned and operated a large defense fleet entirely separate of the ships they sold the small Republic navy, something they had been able to get away with since the Sluis Sector was on the Outer Rim.
While Dooku had only ever met Inglet personally he knew Shrook'an was the head of the Mon Calamari and Quarren party that were the most leery of completely joining the Republic, and thereby being tied entirely to its laws. Specifically, the laws which would force them to open their planet to foreign companies which might wreck their economy and the laws which would force them to turn over the defense of their planet to the Republic, adding their defense fleet to that of the Republic. That was one idea the Mon Calamari and Quarren, who often butted heads on practically everything, agreed on: they did not want their home system only guarded by the small republic navy and the goodwill of others.
Before either being could speak, Dooku began his pitch. "Gentlemen. I have recently been reminded of a saying I first heard as a youngling: that for evil to win, good people must do nothing. To that end, I am leaving Malastare, where you no doubt you both know I have been… rather busy, to aid my fellow Jedi in dealing with the Yinchorri's militaristic expansion. For governments of course, it isn't that simple. You need to have something to show for every action you take, and there is one law which you both wish to see changed, correct, or rather enlarged?"
Both beings glanced at one another. The Mon Calamari and the Sluisi might be in the same business as it were, but they didn't really have anything to do with one another economically. While both sectors were on the Outer Rim, they were nowhere near one another in terms of their places in space. Nonetheless, their economies were generally similar, and one issue in particular they had brought up in the Senate sprang to mind immediately, as Dooku had hoped. "You speak of the Arming Rights allowed to the Trade Federation's merchant ships."
"Indeed. While I still feel that particular issue was badly handled, I think that we can all say that it is not just the Trade Federation's shipping that has run into issues from pirates." He waited for both his listeners to laugh as their species allowed, and then went on. "Both of your senators have pressed for the right to arm those of your own merchant ships that travel beyond your sectors, or for the right to provide security ships to such, correct? I believe that, in return for your aid in dealing with the Yinchorri crisis I can see the senate extend that law to include your own ships."
"Not enough," Shrook'an said. "I understand the threat the Yinchorri pose in the long term if left unchecked, but the Senate will not agree to it for various reasons, both self-serving as well as good and decent ones as they see it. The pacifistic segment in particular will not like it."
"They will, if your warships, not only your defense fleets, but the armed merchant ships once you arm them, can be called upon to aid the Jedi in our roles as peacekeepers. Even the Alderaanian government would like that idea. I had thought about calling upon Senator Bel Iblis of Corellia, and I will extend the arming rights to include ships of the Corellian government's own merchant ships, but they are too far to send aid against the Yinchorri. I believe, with Jedi backing, the Chancellor's aid, Corellia and even Alderaan and other planets which follow pacifism would back the idea."
The Sluis Sector was right next door to the sector holding Yinchorr. They could get a fleet there within a bare few hours via hyperspace. The Mon Calamari could use the Overic Griplink to get to the Perlemian Trade Route, then come the rest of the way more slowly.
It took several more hours to convince both leaders of that of course, Dooku had been right: they couldn't commit their forces without getting something out of it, no matter how good the cause. But eventually the two of them agreed, with reservations, to send their fleets in. The upside was too good, and Dooku's numbers when it came to the Senate matched up too, which had been the holding point.
At the end of the discussion Dooku sent off two copies of the agreement, as well as the addendum they would be pressing into the Arming Rights law that had so favored the Trade Federation. All three men smiled at one another, knowing they had just done something good, not just for their own people or even in terms of standing against the Yinchorri, but possibly going forward into the future. "Gentlemen, thank you. I look forward to meeting your fleets in the Shili system five hours from now."
Both beings nodded, and Dooku sat up, closing his eyes for a moment and sending his senses out into the Force. The sensation came back immediately that this action of his was what he was meant to do and he smiled, touching his lightsaber lightly before marching out of the room.
OOOOOOO
Sidious frowned, leaning away from the pickup. Thwarted by the chaos still rippling in both the present and the future around Dooku, Sidious had been unable to get any idea of what the Jedi Master was planning.
Yet even so, I was able to discern that it is not Dooku himself, but something connected to him, to his current work and his ousting of Ainlee that is the source of those ripples. I need to see what my agents on Malastare have come up with, I need to have an idea of what Dooku found, or perhaps who he found, to steer him away from searching for the Sith and to change him so much.
Several moments later while Sidious was still concentrating on the ripples Dooku's actions were causing he felt several of them solidify. He frowned, first in consternation, then after a moment with a sneer.
Interesting, and rather brilliant in a way. But, oh but…heheheh… there are several ways this can be manipulated to the Grand Plan's advantage, oh yes… heheheh, Dooku might not come to the Dark Side, but still, this, this can indeed be turned to my advantage. I think I can 'get behind' the resumption of that debate, oh yes. It might seem a good idea now, but later on…
Deep in the dark of his senatorial suite, Sidious began to laugh quietly, before shaking his head and getting back to work.
OOOOOOO
A bare day after deciding to aid his Jedi brethren Dooku's ship met up with the two fleets of the Sluisi and Mon Calamari. The two fleets combined numbered around forty-five warships, mostly heavy cruiser and frigate classes with a few dedicated carriers for space fighters. Ranma stared avidly at the screen in the observation sector of the bridge, watching as the ships flew past. At the same time Dooku was on the Holocom with the two admirals. "This is not going to be a standup fleet action, not unless we need to. Essentially what we are going to be doing is simply keep the attention of the Yinchorri fleet on us, while my Jedi brethren do their part."
He tapped the screen, and an image appeared, appearing simultaneously on the hologram projectors in the two admiral's command centers. One of them was a Mon Calamari, whose skin was pocked along one side. His name was Arikakon Baraka, a middle-aged, thoughtful and well thought of commander.
His counterpart, Tuvou Sitoris had served the Sluis Sector Navy as one of its admirals for many years, commanding dozens of anti-pirate actions. But neither of them had commanded a mixed unit before, nor a fleet on the scale that had been gathered here.
Dooku hadn't either of course, but he was well read and figured that between them their makeshift triumvirate would be able to figure out the correct tactics. "What I propose is for us to come in out of hyperspace at speed, cutting across the system like so." He said gesturing into his own hologram, which was faithfully copied by the hologram projectors on the other two ships.
"First will be the Sluisi, because your ships are faster, thus harder to hit. But you'll come out in such a way that you won't actually be attacking anything, nor will you be in any danger of becoming bogged down. Instead your task will be to skirt around the outer system for a few hours pulling as many of the Yinchorri ships after you as possible."
"Those ships in turn will be jumped by my fleet yes?" Questioned the Mon Calamari.
"Indeed. I have studied their psychology, and they are unused to thinking of themselves as anything but the alpha predators. The challenge of you fleet will bring the Yinchorri out to attack us, pulling them out of position and unable to affect what is going on around the planet."
"And our own tactics after battle is joined?"
"I will not be in any position to give advice or commands gentlemen, since I will be taking my own ship deeper into the system. I believe once in the system I will be able to sense where my fellow Jedi are, and thus where to go. Once my ship leaves the fleet, it will be up to the two of you to decide on your tactics."
The two admirals looked at one another than Arikakon smiled, his eyes swiveling for a moment. "You have seniority my friend, but if I may add some advice, my ships can take much more of a pounding than you might think. And whatever Master Dooku says, we should possibly think about destroying their mobile forces."
Sitoris closed his eyes his upper body moving sinuously from side to side in the hologram for a moment. Ranma watched his lips quirking at how much the motion made him look like a snake waiting to strike. Pretty damn apt right now.
After a moment Sitoris nodded. "Yes, that is true. We will need to also think about destroying the orbitals, if we are to make certain the Yinchorri do not attempt further military conquests. To that end, I believe there is a maneuver that could be used against creatures as aggressive as the Yinchorri…"
About an hour passed while Ranma sat silent, simply listening to Dooku and the two admirals bandying ideas around until they had an idea of the tactics they would use. The conversation wound down after a time, with all three of them happy with their strategy for the coming campaign. As they were about to sign off, Arikakon looked at Master Dooku. "Do your Jedi allies know we are coming?"
"I have been unable to contact them. I'm afraid that they are either in communications blackout prior to their arrival, or have already arrived." Dooku sighed faintly. "We will have to simply trust in the Force."