“You ask me if we would start a war to maintain our grip on power,” the vizier said. “This is my answer: We already did. While you were obsessed with the Separatist conflict, we were doing battle on another front, capturing the love of the people of this galaxy. The Emperor won. Now we are securing our victory and reaping the spoils, while you seem to believe the fighting never began, let alone ended. I am here to correct your thinking.”
