Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 86 - Votes, Storm

At the heart of this chaos, Mina Bontri sat motionless, like a rock in a storm.

Her gaze was fixed on the slowly rotating holographic image of General Griffiths.

Similarly, Avi Singh remained seated motionless, like a silent boulder.

As Baker watched the chaos unfold, his gaze met that of Senator Singh, and they both guessed each other's intentions.

Postponing the vote will only make the proposal less likely to pass.

Parliament was in a state of high spirits, and Baker didn't mind using that sentiment to advance his goals.

"Silence! Please keep quiet!" Baker's voice suddenly rose, drowning out the argument in the room, and even startling the councilors closest to the podium. "This matter is urgent and cannot be delayed any longer. According to the regulations of the Independent Star System Confederation, the confirmation of the Supreme Commander's nomination requires an absolute majority of votes... Now, let's begin the vote."

Some lawmakers immediately bent down to operate their control panels, possibly choosing to abstain.

But many more people gathered in small groups in the hall, discussing the contents of the file intensely, their fingers hovering over the panel, undecided.

Baker stepped down from the speaker's platform and noticed that MP Singh was waving at him.

"Baker, what do you think the outcome of this vote will be?" Avi Singh asked in a low voice, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily as if searching for something. "Will you vote in favor?"

“I will vote in favor,” Baker answered definitively, with a hint of anticipation in his voice. “I feel the result will be good.”

“That might be good news for you,” Avi took a deep breath, leaned closer, and lowered his voice, “Count Dooku is downstairs.”

Baker immediately turned to face him, alarmed, and asked incredulously, "When did this happen? How did you..."

“Just now,” said Senator Avi Singh of Laxus Sub-Star, with a knowing look on his face, “one of my aides just informed me that he’s going upstairs to watch the vote, that’s all.”

"That's all?" Baker almost laughed out loud, then realized the seriousness of the situation. "His mere presence is enough to influence the voting results, even determine the outcome!"

Avi nodded slowly, his expression unusually serious: "I know."

“You’ll vote against it,” Baker instantly understood Avi’s position and pressed, “Why?”

“Friend, this has nothing to do with personal principles.” Avi’s gaze suddenly went past Baker’s shoulder and landed behind him.

Baker immediately turned around and followed Avi's gaze.

Count Dooku appeared on the mezzanine floor, sitting down in the empty seat directly behind the speaker's podium.

The hardships of war had etched deeper marks on his face, and for an eighty-year-old human, he still retained a sharp and fierce temperament that came from his Jedi days.

Several members of parliament quickly gathered around him, speaking to him in hushed tones with expressions of awe.

As more and more people noticed Count Dooku's presence in the council chamber, the noisy room gradually quieted down.

This quiet first spread among young lawmakers and warmongering lawmakers.

Despite the possibility that her agenda might fail, Mina Bontri leaned back in her chair and calmly awaited the vote amidst the anxious discussions of her faction members.

"Dooku himself got involved."

Renn leaned forward slightly, his sharp eyes fixed on the imposing figure on the screen.

The Earl's appearance was a strong signal that he was determined to secure Grievous's nomination.

This only strengthened Rennes's belief that the league must proceed with caution.

He quickly glanced at the alliance's internal communications; a short, encrypted command had already been issued: "Vote according to the original strategy. Remain calm."

……

"How do you think the league will vote?" Baker asked Avi in ​​a low voice.

“I overheard some of their conversation,” Avi replied, also lowering his voice. “Their opinions are wavering. Many people, out of an urgent need for unified command, want to vote in favor, but… General Trench’s comments about General Grievous in the media are mostly derogatory.”

Avi was unaware that the league's final decision did not depend entirely on Trench's attitude, but rather on a long-planned scheme.

“Can you blame him?” Baker admitted. “If it were General Tann, Trench might have accepted, after all, he is a recognized strongman, but Grievous… this guy seems to have appeared out of nowhere.”

“Trunky knows that Pantora man is a respectable opponent,” Avi agreed. “From that perspective, Griffiths seems like a usurper. To be honest, Baker, I hadn’t even heard of him before today.”

"I think... you're not the only one who feels this way..."

Baker seemed to be deep in thought.

"I wish you good luck in your vote."

Avi suddenly spoke, extending an arm toward Baker.

"You too."

Baker shook hands with Avi, then turned and walked steadily back to the speaker's podium.

He saw Representative Jane Harfa walk quickly to Dooku, bow deeply, and whisper something in her ear.

In response, Count Dooku nodded slightly.

Seeing this, more members of parliament began moving toward Duku.

“Fellow members of parliament,” Baker’s stern voice rang out again, “please return to your seats! Let us proceed strictly according to parliamentary order.”

After exchanging brief glances or nods, the members of parliament reluctantly dispersed, some with excited smiles on their faces, while others looked worried.

“Count,” Baker greeted Dooku, “you don’t usually attend these kinds of meetings in person.” “If I let myself get completely bogged down in administrative affairs, I’m afraid I’ll never see the sunlight in the parliament hall,” Count Dooku, the head of state, gave a slightly bitter smile. “I feel I desperately need a change of pace, and it will give me a more direct understanding of the current state of our parliament.”

As Dooku uttered the word "understand," his deep-set eyes were sharply fixed on a section of the row of parliamentary seats below.

That was the seat of the Kolumex Star Councilors, while the Peremian Alliance Councilors had just hurriedly returned to their assigned seats.

Dooku's gaze was so intense that it put immense pressure on the league's senators.

“I believe your nomination will be approved,” Baker said cautiously.

Dooku simply gave a noncommittal hum.

Baker finally reached out and solemnly pressed the vote button on the control panel in front of him.

After all the necessary internal discussions, the main voting data began to flood into his console.

The proposal requires 154 votes out of 306 members to pass.

"How are the votes going, Speaker?"

After a while, Dooku's voice came from behind, calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

Baker stared intently at the constantly changing numbers on the screen.

Votes in favor, votes against, and abstentions.

123 / 97 / 16
“123 votes in favor,” he reported, “and 70 more votes are yet to be counted.”

"It needs 31 more votes to pass."

Dooku's voice was calm and composed.

The numbers kept changing.

129 / 104 / 17
Baker nodded slightly.

The numbers continue to be updated:

136 / 111 / 17
138 / 118 / 17
Baker discovered that a group of people were deliberately stalling.

His gaze swept quickly across the room, and he noticed that only the members of the Peremian Alliance were still standing, huddled together in hushed tones, and had not yet submitted their votes.

Baker could clearly feel Count Dooku's burning gaze behind him, pressing down on the Kolumex Star Councilor and other Alliance members as if it were a physical presence.

Then, as if drawn by an invisible thread, the senator from Kolumex bent down, clicked on his control panel, and then silently sat back down in his seat.

Immediately after this precise signal was sent, the other coalition members seemed to receive an order and completed their voting.

Baker forced himself to look back at the vote count on the control panel.

The final numbers came into clear view.

149 / 140 / 17
He sighed silently.

"Voting is over!" Beck announced loudly, his voice echoing in the now silent council chamber. "The nomination received 149 votes in favor, 140 votes against, and 17 abstentions. According to the rules, the number of votes in favor did not reach the threshold of 154. This nomination failed to pass by five votes."

Parliament erupted in a cacophony of reactions.

The peaceful lawmakers seemed to be injected with energy, bursting into enthusiastic applause and uncontrollable cheers.

The war-loving lawmakers roared angrily, waving their fists and shouting.

"This is manipulation, this is betrayal."

The members of the Peremian Alliance exchanged complex and meaningful glances, some of them revealing bewilderment and uncertainty about the vote results.

Ryan looked at the final vote count.

149: 140.

He also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Despite Count Dooku's personal presence and the aggressive stance of the war faction, the alliance ultimately withstood the pressure.

“I’m sorry, Count Dooku,” Baker’s voice boomed over the commotion as he turned to the head of state behind him, “it seems that luck is not on our side today.”

Count Dooku's reaction was unusually calm, even with a sense of expected understanding: "No... I expected this. This meeting accurately reflects the current mood of the council... General Grievous is indeed a new face in the military, and many people lack understanding and trust in him."

He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dome of the parliament building. "I believe he will soon prove his worth with his actions, Speaker. Then we can hold another vote."

"You... really value this general that much?" Baker couldn't help but ask. "And what about General Tann? Her abilities are obvious to all."

“Griffiths has made a very deep impression on me,” Dooku said in an unquestionable tone. “As for Tann… she is more inclined to pursue her own goals. Thank you for your guidance, Speaker.”

“It is my duty, Earl. This is your government.” Baker bowed slightly.

Count Dooku slowly rose to his feet, his deep eyes fixed on Beck, and said, word by word, "Please always remember this."

The elderly but still dignified head of state steadily rose from his seat and walked toward the exit.

As his tall figure passed over the debate table, the shadow he cast seemed larger and heavier than ever before, carrying a silent sense of oppression over the still-unquenched clamor in the council chamber.

The storm has only just begun.

(P.S.: The next chapter will begin the crucial battle between the Allied Fleet and the Republic Fleet in Raine, a battle that will lay the foundation for the future direction of the story.)
(End of this chapter)