Lance looks behind himself for a quick second to make sure a chair is behind him.
Then he sits in the one nearest to him.
He sits and adjusts his lightsaber to sit at his side so it doesn't dangle off of the chair.
Once that is completed Lance sits patiently with his ears ready to listen to whatever this great Chancellor has to say.
"Well, first of all, of course, I have to thank ALL of you for what you did on Damagran. First Minister Verlaine was very communicable to us all because of the rapport you established with him. As you know, it was very important to me personally that not one part of the Republic give way, even in these... difficult times. I was saddened to hear about Argentis, of course... but I read your report, there was little to be done."
"I believe that Kuylen and his followers should be hunted and brought to justice," he says rather un-Jedi like. "I...uh...tried to hunt them myself to no avail. No one has seen or heard from them for the past three months!" Xeth continues. "The Minister of Taloraan is busy with his debates with Shareth the Hutt, so he hasn't sent anyone to look for them. Also he fears that the Dark-siders will come after him if he goes after them."
Xeth seats himself in a chair next to Lance. "Why would you be so interested in our opinions, Chancellor? After all, the Council has said that the subject has been laid to rest. I, of course, am sort of a Renegade, so I go by the Council very little."
"Perhaps you are unaware, Chancellor, that I had engaged in a sabre duel with Kuylen on a mission prior to the one on Damagram. I was fortunate to have come away with my life." She leaned forward in her chair and looked straight at the man behind the desk. "His power is stronger than I or any of my comrades could have even guessed at. I was very specific about this in my report to Master Windu." It appeared she had the floor at the moment, so she continued. "The Jedi are spread thin enough as it is. To expend our depleted energies in a vain attempt to locate, let alone engage or destroy Kuylen would be a waste. A foolish endeavor at best. These continuing separtist movements evolving across the galaxy are taxing every resource the Jedi Order utilizes in order to keep the peace in the Republic." She gazed around the room at the rest of the group. "I shall abide by the Council's decision as is my duty."
"Yes, yes, I see..." says Palpatine. "And far be it from me, of course, to disagree with the wisdom of the Council but there are in fact some other circumstances here that you should be ware of. First of all, of course, the Council's concern is, as you say, Master Gundark, the difficulty in tracing Kuylen and the danger involved. Of course, were we to actually KNOW where Kuylen is, that danger would be avoided, yes?"
He leaves that one hanging rather tantalisingly, before moving on.
"But I will return to that in a moment. First, I have something of seriousness to tell you all. You are aware, of course, of the recent crisis on Naboo and the sad death of Master Qui-Gon Jinn, yes? But tell me... are any of you aware HOW he died?"
"Yes, yes, of course..." says Palpatine. "Though I understand rumours have been spreading, which is why I asked.
"Well, it appears that shortly before his death, Qui-Gon reported an encounter with a being he said was 'well-trained in the Jedi arts.' As this being was never a Jedi, his only conclusion was that it was... a Sith."
A cold chill passes over you.
"The Council were sceptical at first but it was this Sith that Qui-Gon met again on Naboo, and this Sith who killed him before his apprentice Obi-Wan managed to catch it off-guard and destroy it, for which we may all be thankful. After this fight the Council became convinced indeed that this was a Sith and that this great evil has returned. I am sure you can appreciate why they have not let this information slip.
"Now, Master Yoda tells me that the only way the Sith can exist in these modern ages if there are only two... a Master and an Apprentice. The difficulty was in working out which one was dead, but to my mind it is simple. Qui-Go reported before his death that this Darth... um... ah..."
One of Palpatine's aides whispers in his ear.
"Ah yes! This Darth 'Maul' was a being at the height of its powers and quite lethal. It seems reasonable to assume, therefore, that the being that could best one of our greatest Masters in a straight fight must have been the Master itself. In which case, we have an opportunity, for the hunt is on for the Apprentice. If he can be caught and killed then this new Sith threat will be stopped in its tracks
"Do any of you see where I am leading?
"I do. You think that Kuylen could possibly be the Apprentice to Darth Maul, seeing that he is more powerful than we imagined. But where did you find the name Maul? I heard some rumors that the Jedi Council nor Obi-Wan Kenobi himself knew the name of the attacker." Xeth waits for a reply from the Chancellor.