I felt something

His entry was ominous, even to Darth Vader, who had been accompanying his master to these events for the past decade and a half. He took one step after agonizingly slow step, all the while balancing himself on his walking cane, until he reached the mammoth chair in the center of the Senate Floor.

It really wasn't a chair, parse, but a lavishly adorned throne, from which he sat to oversee sessions of the Galactic Imperial Senate from time to time. He remembered the days when Media outlets on the Capital World would focus in on that chair alone and ignore the debates going on in the chamber. They would refer to it as a symbol of the oppressive tax system that the Emperor had put it place. They were fools, Vader remarked in his own mind, the taxes throughout the Empire had been hiked up to pay for the Military and it's special projects, not to pay for the gaudy chairs his master sat in.

When his master was firmly seated in the chair, he turned to scowl at the Senate Clerk, whose job it was to announce him. Vader, who was standing directly right of the Emperor, threw in a menacing stance for good measure and that seemed to get the job done. The cowering human male coughed and looked up to the silent Senators, "Presenting, His Imperial Highness, Autocrat of all of the Stars, Emperor Palpatine. Joining him is the Commander and Chief of the Imperial Military, the Lord Darth Vader."

There was a tense round of applause and Vader actually found himself smirking in amusement. A majority of the Senators feared both himself and the Emperor and that was exactly what they wanted. This antiquated body of bureaucrats couldn't measure up to the final will of the Emperor. When the Emperor made a decision, it was executed immediately. It didn't have to go through the hours, upon hours of mindless, inane babbling back and forth, it was set, it was law and there was no mindless chatter.

Lives were saved that way and Rebellion was crushed that way.

If Palpatine had been Emperor instead of Chancellor at the start of the Clone Wars, odds were, things would have come to a steady, faster and more merciful conclusion. The Republic might have won the war faster, instead of a costly war that turned the two and a half thousand year old Government into a cancerous blight upon the Galaxy. But he couldn't cry over spilt Caf.

"Madam Doorkeeper," His master spoke in a painfully false royal tone, waving a withered old finger in her direction, "Please bring forth the Senators Elect."

The elderly looking human female with bright gray hair and withered frame had been in both incarnations of the Senate, the Old Republic Senate and this one. She had been the doorkeeper decades before Palpatine even had become Senator of Naboo. Vader shook his head in slight admiration for the woman, the history she must have seen, and to have survived the transition. She was certainly more formidable then she seemed, "She is an old friend Lord Vader."

"Master?" Vader turned with a curios inflection towards Palpatine.

The crinkled skin of the Emperor's mouth turned upwards into a faint, surprisingly fond smile towards the Doorkeeper. It was as if he was remembering a fond memory that he held of her. There must have been many, Vader supposed, they would have known each other for over thirty five years. "You are wondering why I have allowed her to stay. The answer is simple my apprentice, she had proved her loyalty to me, thousands of times over. I hold her in the highest regard. I would grant her every wish."

But he wouldn't get the chance to pursue the matter as the heavy doors to the Senate opened with a hiss. Since the Emperor had converted the Republic to the Empire, he had the old Senate Building torn down and built a slightly smaller and economically friendly, not to mention cheaper one built in its place. The days of the floating platforms and the majestic halls of democracy were gone and were replaced by this. The Senate was darker, it was dimmer and it had lost its majesty. It was now clear to anyone with a thought of Political and Historical sense that the Imperial Senate was a front, it was fake.

The man perched in the grand throne to his right controlled everything, from the Economy, to Trade routes, to the media. These Senators didn't control a thing and that's the way it was going to stay. It was the biggest open secret in the Galaxy that they were simply there for show. These four new Senators would learn that, and they would learn it quickly. If they came to the Capital to try and push an agenda, they wouldn't have to appeal to the Senate. They'd have to appeal to the Emperor.

And there were only a select few people who could do that.

Vader's mind refocused back onto the events at hand as the first Senator and their predecessor approached the throne. The first two Senators were from Alderaan. Senator Bail Organa was here to help inaugurate his daughter, Leia Organa to his position. He had never really met the Princess before, but he knew her father. Organa had been a never ceasing pain for the past decade and a half, taking every opportunity to undermine the Government and the credibility of the Emperor.

Looking back on that now, back on his old life, he supposed that Organa had always been that way. He should have seen that in his vote against the creation of the Military, but he hadn't thought much of it then. He simply bowed to the Jedi Masters and went where they sent him. He was blind, and he was also blinded to the arrogance that was Bail Organa.

To be honest, the only reason that he had ever tolerated the man back then was because his wife was good friends with him. Seeing as she wasn't there, and the Galaxy was a different palace, Vader was free to hate the man all he wanted too. But Organa would be leaving within the next few seconds and his daughter would be the new Senator.

There was something strange about Leia Organa, her brown hair, her eyes, her face, Vader knew that he had seen it before. And when he touched her in the Force, again, there was something there that he had felt before. When the girl raised her hand primly, and took on the posture of a natural born politician, a shiver ran down his spine. Yes, he had seen that somewhere before, "Senator-Elect Organa? How are you today?"

"Very well your majesty," Leia smiled uneasily and cast a glance towards Vader for a moment, and then he had no doubts that he had met this girl before, or someone related to her. He knew that the Princess, and now Senator was adopted, perhaps it was her birthparents, "How are you."

Palpatine smiled pleasantly at the girl, Vader knew that it was a thinly disguised smile, because if he could feel something radiating from the girl, his master could as well, "I'm doing well, so, shall we swear you in?"

Vader watched as the girl nodded and cleared her throat slightly. When she spoke the oath that would officially make her the Senator from Alderaan, he noticed something peculiar. It wasn't about the girl, she was interesting enough as it was, but it was from the girl's father. Organa was trying, and failing to hide his frequent glances towards him. It was almost as if the now ex-Senator was trying to gauge him. But what would Organa be trying to gauge him off of? Could it have been the girl?

Curious…

It was later that night, after all of the parties welcoming the new Senators and other Government officials were over and Darth Vader stood alone on the balcony outside of his personal quarters. His massive arms were folded over his chest as he stared out at the twinkling lights of the city that spanned the entire planet. The inauguration of Leia Organa had been several hours ago, but it had been the only thing on his mind. He couldn't understand why Bail Organa seemed so …fidgety while his daughter was near him. It was also killing him that he couldn't place where he had seen the girl before, or a relative of the girl. But he had seen that face before and had felt the presence before, if only he could figure it out.

"Something troubles you Lord Vader?" Palpatine's silky voice came from behind him. Vader knew that his master was directly behind him and making his way to join him from the slight click of his cane against the floor.

"Organa, and his daughter," Vader said, "You must have felt it as well?"

Palpatine smiled and nodded, "Yes, Viceroy Organa seemed hesitant to let his daughter around us, and the Senator, she seems …familiar to me, you as well?"

Vader nodded, "I know I've seen her face before."

"Perhaps she is a child of a Jedi," Palpatine offered lightly, he had no doubt that his apprentice had wiped out the vast majority of them, but it was entirely possible that a few had slipped through the cracks, "Organa was always friendly with them, perhaps Organa adopted the girl?"

"I do not know," Vader said softly, and then he turned to Palpatine, "With your permission Master, I request to explore this matter further. Call it a personal request, if you will, but I feel that there is something we're not seeing."

The Emperor stared long and hard at his apprentice until he nodded once in affirmation. Perhaps it was best for Vader to explore this, and his apprentice was right about one thing. There was something that they weren't seeing about the girl, and if there was someone who could figure it out. It was Darth Vader, "Very well, you are free to do whatever you wish."

Vader nodded once and bowed before turning on his heel and departing.

Palpatine turned back and looked out over the cityscape. There was something in the air, he mused as he took a deep breath in, and it was the wind of change. If that change was for the good or bad, he didn't know.

But he wouldn't fear it.

Nor would his apprentice.

A/N: I suppose that the last section was a little out of character for the Emperor. Oh well. Anyway, I've got a dozen more of these things ready, I'm on a serious role. Tell me what you think about it!