Glory to the Confederacy (Star Wars x Male Separatist Reader)

Chapter 88, Epilogue: The Master Speaks

Y/N POV

"I could kill you right now, you know that don't you?"

I spoke in a cold manner as I paced back and forth through my office. Stood in front of me with a look of panic was one of my aides. Upon my return to Corellia following the battle on Geonosis, I'd began asking around my aides to find out who was responsible for signing a deal without my permission.

I hadn't forgotten Clovis' words, I knew they'd gone behind my back and agreed to this factory while I was none the wiser. And as I should have guessed, all sources pointed me right back to the same Duro who prior to this was the one who'd advised I focus on the company matters.

That same Duro was the one stood before me now, bowing in respect as he stammered out a feeble plea. "M-minister. With all due respect, I only did what was best for the company. The others would agree with me."

I placed my hands behind my back "Oh I have no doubts about that. Well done on taking the initiative. However what really angers me is that you did all this without my knowledge. And just like the other investments, our credits have gone down the drain!"

I raised my hand in a manner similar to that of a Force Choke. As I'd said, I could have killed him then and there. However I didn't. I wasn't some rage-filled behemoth who just slaughtered his underlings for the most minor of inconveniences.

Instead I sighed in annoyance. My hand lowered as I commented "I believe something has been learned. Don't you?" The Duro aide just looked at me in confusion as I stated "It's fine for you to agree to investments on my behalf. But I expect to be made aware of this beforehand."

There was a pause before I said "It's just fortunate the Trade Federation, Banking Clan and Commerce Guild are still buying up ships. Otherwise we would have lost funding. But this will not keep us supplied constantly. We need a worthy investment and I'm leaving that up to you and the others."

The aide stammered out "Y-yes Minister! Right away." I gestured to the door and said "Very good, you're dismissed." With these words, the aide exited the room leaving me alone in the office. I sat back in the chair and gave a bit of a sigh placing my hand on my forehead to hold it up.

My attention was soon diverted when the communicator built into my desk began going off. The situation here mirrored when Dooku first got in touch with me regarding that initial meeting on Geonosis. The events that lead up to this war flashed through my mind.

The parallels only escalated as I hit the receive button for the communicator and the familiar hologram of Count Dooku now stood above me. I pushed my chair back and bowed in greeting as I said "Count Dooku, how may I be of service."

For a moment there was silence, before Dooku finally began. "I have received reports of the destruction of the foundry on Geonosis Y/N. And I must say, I was expecting better." My head shot up to see him looking at me with a strict gaze.

"Since this war began, I've seen a number of the projects your company has produced and one by one, I've seen them fail. I will admit, I'm disappointed." I instantly went on the defensive. "My lord, with all due respect, a large reason for my failures has been down to either the sheer dumb luck of Skywalker and the incompetence of the other leaders you've assigned me to. The deal on Rodia for instance, that could  have succeeded had Gunray not ruined things."

Dooku folded his arms. "You aren't wrong, I am aware of the incompetence of your allies. But I do not expect excuses from you. I expect results. And that is why I want you to take on a more DIRECT position in the war."

I tilted my head, asking "What do you mean by this my Lord?" Dooku explained "Everything you've done so far has been for your own gain. You only aided Gunray, Tambor and Poggle based off them being your own clients. The ships you've staffed were your experiments. I want you to cease that and take on a commanding position."

My eyes widened at this. He was right about what he'd said. While I didn't know if I would be confident with this. I knew full-well I couldn't decline a direct order from Dooku no-less. Bowing my head again, I said "Very good sir. I will do as you ask."

And that's when a voice sounded that made my blood run cold. "Gooooood..."

Dooku stepped aside as a hooded figure stepped into the hologram's view. Even though I'd never met them in person, I knew exactly who this was. This time I dropped down onto one knee and bowed, my eyes wide as I began profusely sweating.

DARTH SIDIOUS!

I'd heard about him, of course from Dooku and Gunray, both of which had interacted with him in the past. Sidious looked down at me, a grin spread across his face even as his upper face was hidden through his hood. He spoke, his voice chilling me to the bone.

"Minister Y/N L/N. I've heard many things about you. Rise now. It is high time we met face to face..."

Author's Note: And there you have it. A cliff-hanger ending for the first story in my Star Wars 'Confederacy' trilogy. I want to thank you all for the reads, votes and comments. I really hope you've enjoyed. I will be uploading a bit of an author's note after this to do a proper send-off to this story. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always, thank you for reading.