The Galactic Republic—a massive governing body that had ruled over tens of thousands of star systems across the galaxy for more than 25,000 years. Since its founding, it had been jointly controlled by the Galactic Senate and the Jedi Order.
In the year 25,018 of the Galactic Republic, or 35 BBY (Note 1), on Coruscant—the capital of the Galactic Republic and the most developed, most prosperous planet in the entire galaxy.
The Jedi Temple stood as one of the most impressive structures on Coruscant, rivaled only by the Galactic Senate building. Atop the massive trapezoidal main structure, over a kilometer tall and more than 500 meters wide, stood five towering spires—architectural symbols of the Jedi Order's supreme authority as guardians of the Republic.
Inside one of the towers, a white-haired but surprisingly vigorous man in his seventies stood with a grim expression, reporting in a detached tone, "Master Yoda, Senator Palpatine has agreed to back the proposal in the Senate to deploy the Judicial Fleet and break the siege on planet Niele."
Standing by the window with his back to the speaker was a small, green figure barely three feet tall, with long pointed ears and a wrinkled appearance reminiscent of a goblin. Leaning on a walking stick, he gazed out the window, taking in the sprawling cityscape of Coruscant.
This was Master Yoda, the highest authority in the Jedi Order and a revered elder. He didn't turn around at the report, but nodded slightly and said, "Worked hard you have, Master Dooku. Important Senator Palpatine's support is."
His syntax was distinctly odd, consistently putting the subject at the end—a peculiar inversion that made his speech instantly recognizable.
The elder called Master Dooku responded coldly with just a slight nod. As he turned to leave, he paused at the doorway and said with icy contempt, "If even deploying forces to rescue a planet under pirate siege requires personal connections to push legislation through the Senate, then tell me—what future does the Galactic Republic have? And what place do the Jedi have in it?"
Still facing away, Master Yoda took a long pause before replying softly, "Call me master, you should."
Dooku's cheek twitched slightly. He turned abruptly and slammed the door as he left.
After a lengthy silence, Yoda let out a deep breath, turned his gaze in a specific direction, and his eyes grew thoughtful. He shook his head gently.
Outside, Master Dooku strode through the corridor, barely containing his fury. Walking toward him was a pair of Jedi—master and apprentice—in rough-spun robes—a disheveled middle-aged man and an energetic young man with a buzz cut.
Seeing Dooku, the middle-aged man quickly stepped aside and bowed respectfully. "Master."
Dooku, though visibly irritated, acknowledged him with a nod before continuing out of the Jedi Temple.
The middle-aged man remained bowed until Dooku was well out of sight, then turned with his young apprentice and entered the room Dooku had just stormed out of.
"Master Yoda, you called for me?" the man said, bowing deeply toward the diminutive figure by the window.
"A disturbance in the Force, I have sensed," Master Yoda said.
The man froze momentarily, his gaze sharpening. "Has the Dark Side returned?"
"No, not the Dark Side. Only chaos I see," Yoda replied, eyes closed, feeling the currents of the Force.
"Chaos? Where? What would cause something like that?" the man asked with a frown.
"Unknown, it is." Yoda shook his head. "Stronger the disturbance grows. See with your own eyes, you must. To the Modell Sector, go you must, Master Qui-Gon Jinn."
"And what exactly am I looking for?" Qui-Gon pressed.
"Know not, I do. May the Force be with you." Yoda sighed, offering nothing more.
"May the Force be with you, Master." Qui-Gon bowed again, then turned to the young man beside him. "Let's go, Obi-Wan Kenobi. We're heading to the Modell Sector."
"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied with a nod.
...
Meanwhile, Master Dooku returned to his private quarters and activated a communicator. A holographic projection appeared, showing a balding man in his forties dressed in a Senator's elegant robes.
Dooku gave a small nod. "Thank you for your assistance in this matter, Senator Palpatine. Without your intervention, the ten million inhabitants of planet Niele would have suffered tremendously under the Biscalan pirates' siege."
Senator Palpatine smiled warmly. "It was the least I could do, Master Dooku. In these decaying times, I'm grateful to know there are still Jedi like you—willing to challenge tradition and stand for true justice."
"But this isn't how things should work," Dooku said, shaking his head. "This issue shouldn't have required this type of solution."
"We must deal with reality as it exists. One or two individuals cannot transform the entire system. We should be thankful that this particular matter was resolved. There are far more serious crises beyond our reach—like the recent dispute between Malastare and the Corporate Alliance," Palpatine replied.
Dooku agreed, "I completely understand, Senator. This isn't something we can fix alone. We need more allies."
Palpatine nodded approvingly. "That is precisely what I hoped to convey. But I believe if we remain true to our vision, change will eventually come."
"I hope that day arrives soon," Dooku's tone grew colder.
"It will. It always does." Palpatine said with a meaningful smile. "By the way, I recently heard rumors of some disturbances in the Modell Sector."
"That's a remote region in the Outer Rim, full of hyperspace traps and anomalies. There's even a supermassive black hole there. It's far beyond Republic jurisdiction. Are disturbances out there really worth our attention?" Dooku asked, puzzled.
"Not particularly important. Just... intriguing. If you could help me by sending someone to investigate, I'd be grateful," Palpatine replied casually.
"I'll send some Jedi initiates—no, on second thought, I'll hire some bounty hunters from my homeworld of Serenno," Dooku corrected himself.
"Thank you, Master Dooku," Palpatine said with another enigmatic smile and a slight bow before ending the transmission.
From the shadows behind Palpatine, a low, menacing voice spoke: "Why did you ask Dooku to investigate the Force disturbance in the Modell Sector?"
"It's like training a cyber wolfhound," Palpatine replied with a smile. "Only through consistent commands does it learn to obey... until obedience becomes instinct."
"Is that truly all there is to it?" the voice questioned again.
"Of course, my master," Palpatine said with a small bow, expertly concealing his true expression.
"Very well. In that case, the conflict on Malastare still needs to intensify. Go, add some fuel to the fire," the dark voice commanded.
"As you wish, my lord." Palpatine maintained his flawless smile as he backed out of the room.
Note 1:
In the Star Wars universe, dates are measured relative to the Battle of Yavin—the pivotal battle in Star Wars: A New Hope when the Death Star was destroyed.
BBY = Before the Battle of Yavin (years counted backward) ABY = After the Battle of Yavin (years counted forward)
The Galactic Republic was founded in 25,053 BBY and fell in 19 BBY, lasting 25,034 years. Therefore, the year 35 BBY corresponds to year 25,018 of the Republic Era. This is when our story begins.
Think of BBY as BCE (Before Common Era) and ABY as CE (Common Era), just inverted for clarity.