Rain patters on the metal rooftop outside, as Palpatine strides down the long hallway. Behind him walk two Rodian senators, dressed in simple blue and green suits. On one side, ancient paintings of far off worlds line the wall, while on the other, glass windows stretch from floor to ceiling, revealing the towering starscrapers surrounded in great storm clouds in the grey Coruscanti day.

Outside, a flash of light sears the air, and thunder ripples through the building.

"As I was saying," the senators to his left continues, "I believe we just need a military presence in the system. I think General Loathsom would not dare strike so deep into the sector if he sees a few cruisers in orbit and-"

Palpatine raises a hand, cutting him off. "My sincere apologies, but all Clone legions in that sector are occupied at the moment. For now, all there is to do is to be vigilant, and wait."

"But we've been waiting for months!" the Rodian exclaims. "There's an entire fleet waiting, not two parsecs away. If you cannot send any troops it will only be a matter of time until Loathsom's forces invade Rodia!"

The explosion echoes through the air in a furious shockwave of hate and anguish. The very floor itself trembles as if the very Force around him is suddenly thrown into disbalance. Darkness rips through the air, like tremors in the sky, and thunder bursts through the clouds, causing the windows to shake. Palpatine freezes as echoes of darkness seem to reach out through the very stars, the likes of which he has not felt since…

"Supreme Chancellor, are you okay?"

"Ahem, yes, yes, I am fine," he says calmly as the door to his office opens on queue.

As they walk into Palpatine's office, the door shuts automatically behind them. Palpatine walks past the monagery of ancient Sith artifacts lining the walls, feeling the Dark Side emanate from each one, as if they too sense the strange disturbance. Reaching the main chamber, Palpatine turns to look at the two Rodians.

"As I have said already, the Republic will send troops to your world as soon as it can, but unless the newest military expansion act passes, we must continue to make due with what we have," his voice turns bitter. "I believe this war has just taken a turn… for the worse."

The two senators look at eachother, their minds clearly surrendering their unease as they stand there uncomfortably.

"Now then," Palpatine tells them. "This meeting is over."

As the Rodians leave his office, Palpatine sits down in a black leather chair, and leans back to stare out the window at the rainstorm, and meditate.

Palpatine closes his eyes, and reaches across the galaxy through shear force of will, trying to gain a glimmer of what he could have just felt.

Pain. Fury. Bloodlust. Betrayal…?

Somewhere across the stars he feels a deep shock and hatred. Palpatine concentrates, meditates on his own anger and tries to see deeper. All he can see is a great shadow, clouding Palpatine's vision, and fraught with raw power. Power, that comes from fear, but yet, from some greater source as well; power, which clouds everything.

Though at this moment, Palpatine knows he is stronger with the Dark Side than he has ever been before, he still cannot grasp the true nature of the disturbance he just felt. He reaches out, drawing from the pain, and suffering of his own past, Palpatine focuses until he is lifted from the chair where he sits. Sparks of blue lightning fly from his fingertips and the whole room is illuminated in a strange, eerie light, yet still, all he sees are shadows. Echoes of darkness.

And with that, on that dark and stormy day, for the first time in many, many years, the Dark Lord of the Sith, is genuinely, and truly afraid.