"These vile Separatists have launched an attack on the Republic!" the Supreme Chancellor said, from the rostral platform in the centre of the Senate. "Their droid armies, bolstered by a force of millions of clones, descend upon our worlds!"
Palpatine turned to the observation pod where Masters Windu and Rancisis were standing. "Masters of the Jedi Order, we have no-one to turn to in our hour of darkest need but you. You must defend us from this attack!"
Mace Windu stood, and the eyes of all the senators were on him.
"In my considered opinion," he said, quietly but forcefully, as his voice was rebroadcast across the senate chamber. "You all done kriffed up."
Palpatine blinked.
"...Master Jedi?" he said. "The Republic is in danger! It is under threat!"
"Then agree to their demands!" Mace replied. "They don't want to conquer the Republic. They want to leave. Let them leave! But I'll tell you this, Chancellor."
He folded his arms. "The Jedi are not part of the Republic. The Jedi have been here for a long time to try and prevent war, but now you've got one. I told you already – Jedi aren't soldiers, and if we were there wouldn't be nearly enough of us to do what you need… ten thousand knighted Jedi and about the same number of trainees, apprentices and padawan won't go far."
"Then what do you suggest?" Palpatine demanded. "You're going to leave the Republic to be conquered?"
"They won't conquer the Republic," Mace replied, implacably. "Or if they do, it's going to be the same as if they hadn't seceded – the government structure might be different, but the population won't be."
Oppo Rancisis gave a little wave, to reassure everyone he was still there.
"The Jedi Order will ensure that, whatever happens, your worlds will not face tyrannical rule from an empire," Mace told the Senate. "In order to do that, it is vital to our survival and our mission that we refuse to take a side in this war."
"To refuse to take a side is to take a side," Palpatine said. "Is this really how the Jedi want to be remembered? As cowards?"
"Excuse me?" Mace asked. "You've got a navy. The planets of the Republic have armies and navies. What we're refusing to do is to fight your war for you."
Palpatine simmered, trying to think of a way to get the Jedi involved in the war.
Perhaps having Dooku steal the Clone Army on top of all the droids from the great industrial concerns hadn't been such a good idea. He wanted a long, grinding conflict that would wear out the Jedi, rather than leaving them in one piece.
(...so it occurred to me that, actually, the Jedi found out about the Clone Army by pure random chance and the Sith put in a lot of effort to prevent that...)
