“Nothing has happened yet,” Obi-Wan said. “Have a seat before you fall down.” A faint smile twitched at his mouth. Tyro’s excitability amused the Jedi, but Tyro’s vibrating nerves hid a political mind as sharp and cunning as a well-honed blade.
Tyro sat, sunk in gloom. He, too, was no fan of Sano Sauro. The Senator had attempted to take over the rich mines of Svivren for weapons development in a secret deal. The Svivreni were opposed to weaponry of any kind, and the deal was exposed before Sauro could complete his plan. He had covered his tracks well and they could not find proof to make an open accusation. It ate away at Tyro.
Tyro had worked together with Obi-Wan, making sure that they plugged every loophole. They had followed every item and sub-item of the procedure. They had notified, ratified, and petitioned. Obi-Wan had even enlisted the support of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.
Despite Tyro’s nerves, Anakin knew they’d prevail. He didn’t understand why Tyro and Obi-Wan looked so worried.
Tyro blinked his small, bright eyes. “Sauro is pulling something. I wish I knew what it was.”
Obi-Wan stirred. “I have a feeling we’re about to find out.”
Anakin quickly stood as the Speaker of the Senate, Mas Ameeda, strode into the room. He carried himself with his usual gravity, his hands clasped in front of him and his lethorns resting against the deep blue of his rich robes.
“Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has asked me to bring you this news,” Mas Ameeda said after bowing to Obi-Wan. “Your order to reveal has been denied.”
Anakin saw a flicker of anger in Obi-Wan’s gaze, but it was gone in a moment. “On what grounds?”
“Senator Sauro has succeeded in utilizing a little-known procedural item called a sitting Senator’s right of refusal,” Mas Ameeda explained. “This has allowed him to block the order to reveal for an indefinite period. Senator Sauro is on an important committee on redistributing trade routes, and he petitioned the Senate Procedural Committee on that basis.”
Tyro Caladian bristled. His fur stood out in sharp points. “I have never heard of a right of refusal,” he said. “This is outrageous!”
Mas Ameeda stared at Tyro. It was clear he did not appreciate being lectured to by such a young aide. “It is a little-known rule, rarely used. The Committee had to go back three hundred years into the archives to find it.”
“But procedural rules are discounted when they haven’t been renewed and ratified within the last hundred years!” Tyro Caladian sputtered. “This is a clear violation!”
“It is a gray area,” Mas Ameeda admitted. “Technically the Committee is in charge of interpreting all rules, so they have the right to enforce them. It is a… surprising decision.” He turned to face Obi-Wan squarely. “Senator Sauro must have wanted to block your order very badly.”
“I’m sure that is so,” Obi-Wan said.
Mas Ameeda inclined his head. “The Supreme Chancellor wishes me to tell you that he did everything he could. He regrets the decision of the Committee but cannot overrule it. He hopes that you will be able to track Granta Omega some other way. He realizes that it is in the best interests of the galaxy for you to do so.”
“Please extend my thanks to the Supreme Chancellor,” Obi-Wan said.
Anakin could not believe his Master could keep his composure. To have come so close, and to be defeated by such a petty rule! It was unfair. How could his Master accept this ruling?
Mas Ameeda bowed gravely, then walked slowly out the door, his heavy robe swinging.
Tyro’s fur was still raised, and his small eyes snapped with fury. “I’ll fight this,” he told Obi-Wan. “He won’t get away with it. I’ll draft an appeal.”
“Do what you can, my friend,” Obi-Wan said. “Yet I believe you will not succeed. My guess is that Sauro got to someone on that committee. I think that was what Mas Ameeda was insinuating.” Obi-Wan put his hand on Tyro’s shoulder. “Thank you for all your help. My Padawan and I will find another way.”
Tyro looked crestfallen. “If ever you need me again, Master Kenobi, I am here for you.” He raised a furred hand, fingers spread, in the Svivreni gesture of goodbye. Then he hurried from the room.
“Master, Tyro is right,” Anakin said forcefully. “This is outrageous. Can’t we break into Sauro’s files?”
Obi-Wan folded his arms in the way that let Anakin know that he had gone too far.
“If we were discovered, it would undermine the Senators’ trust in the Jedi,” Obi-Wan said.
“There’s got to be something we can do!” Anakin exploded. “We can’t let him win. He’s probably laughing at us right now!”