Intro
300 years ago, the glorious Empire under Emperor Palpatine consolidated and with the stabilization of his realm, he turned his eyes to a desolate quadrant of the universe where there was only one little inhabited planet. It was a blue and green jewel surrounded by 8 other empty planets and a star. The humanoids on that planet were laughably primitive and their weapons were ineffective against his invasion. As he negotiated the terms in which he accepted the planet into his Empire, the people sent a delegation of their leaders to go into space with him. For some undiscernible reason, he allowed the humanoids to attend the great space centers of learning. The humans as they called themselves quickly became renown for their variety of cultures especially the arts. The Emperor particularly enjoyed the ballet and 300 years later, he continued to watch the little pawns flit across the stage while he plotted behind a benign smile.
Chapter 1
Bold classical music marched through the air as the ballerina on the stage arched her back and threw her leg back into an almost impossible angle to hit the tambourine she held in her hand with her pointe slipper. With a ringing beat she quickly transitioned with bourees into the next series of glissades emphasizing each with a tap from the tambourine on the limb that moved. Shoulder, hip, left foot, the dancer twirled and gave the audience a smile. The Esmeralda variation was a difficult one due to a need for precision of the technique and an ability to act with coy flirtatious manner to convey the mood of the piece without speech but the dancer was the very best. She pirouetted and glided across the stage, living up to her nickname La Cygne.
Emperor Palpatine smiled, enjoying the performance immensely. Solaria Tarréga was the prima ballerina of the Gaia Ballet of Earth but Palpatine dearly wanted to add her to his Impérial Galactic Ballet Company but for some obscure reason, she politely declined every time. She had no close friends or family that his spies could find thus he was unable to pressure her to join. It vexed him greatly. What was the point of being the Emperor if he couldn't have the very best?
Palpatine turned to his apprentice sitting stiffly in his seat. Stars above, the boy was in the Imperial box with the most luxurious seating but he sat there as if a rod was inserted into his spine.
"Relax my young apprentice, enjoy the performance," he said.
"Sorry, Master." The young man murmured.
Through the Force, Palpatine could still feel the boy's impatience. Giving up, he turned and asked, "Lord Vader, tell me. Why do you have the inability to enjoy the finer things in life?"
Lord Vader stared straight ahead. "Master, this is irrelevant. This is not helping us defeat the Rebels. With every minute that we are distracted, they grow bolder."
The crescendo of the orchestra caught his attention and the Emperor returned his focus to the stage. Tarréga leapt into the arms of her partner who threw her 5 feet into the air, caught her and steered her into a complicated pas de deux. After a brilliant display of acrobatic skill, Palpatine joined in the applause. With a sigh Palpatine turned his attention back to the performance. "This is a goodwill performance that the Terrans put on for my honor. We need them to be compliant so we can gain access to their materials. Titanium, Platinum, Aluminum are rare throughout the galaxy but their planet is rich in it. This performance is all politics." Vader frowned and sat back into his seat, dissatisfied. Palpatine shook his head, the boy had much to learn.