Chapter: Illumination
Just now there had been days she hardly found a liking in her senatorial robes. Everything felt so new, so strange, unbelievable.
For sure, while being the Queen of Naboo she had worn robes much heavier than these ones…
It had been two months since she had been elected as Senator for Naboo, but just now she stepped onto the stages of politics since the vacations, the senate hold every year for a few weeks, had come to an end. A new season had just begun. She had used the last few weeks for getting known to her duties and the senatorial behaviours and a brief brain storming on the "Who is who" of Coruscants High Society. Both, senatorial and civilian society.
Now she seemed to be ready for the political floor, to any fight within the senats' rotunda.
High up in Republica 500 were her quarters, expensive decorated in the most exclusive area on the planet. Even the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, Cos Palpatine, had his quarters here, just a few stores above her. He had been a good friend, advisor and a teacher to her over the years, also after she quit her reign as Queen of their home planet a few years ago. But they hadn't seen or meet each other for years…; the last time had been when she was sitting in the formal ceremony giving her crone to the princess after two full terms of reign.
In those days she didn't know exactly what she would do, but when the new elected Queen Jamilia offered her a job as secretary in her council, Padme Amidala of course accepted it at once. Und then, suddenly, the job as Senator of Naboo got vacant…
Her formally servants did serve her now as guards and advisors. A perfect staff around her, to her opinion, as she needed her office running smoothly and her daily duties managed.
Padme took a deep breath, filled her lungs with freshly cleaned air, concentrating on her first appointment in her career as senator. An assigned appointment, every new senator has to get through: The first call in the Chancellor's Office. Indeed she knew Palpatine for quite a long time, but standing now in front of him as a senator, was something new and made her feel nervous.
In company with her guards, servants, she entered the Chancellor's reception area and checked the fit of her gown and her hairstyle for a very last time…she wanted…, no, she had to make a good impression unconditionally.
Calm down! He knows you for many, many years. Having now this kind of official appointment with him, is thanks to the protocol. It isn't so you want to make a totally faux pas, is it? A desaster?
A middle aged male went out from the Chancellor's Office and stepped to her. He was pale and somehow lightly unpleasant. But he introduced himself with a friendly warm voice as Sate Pestage. Easily Padme could identify him as one of the Chancellors many advisors, although she was of the opinion, she might had seen him then in Palpatines company as being senator. So she asked him.
"Yes, I had been indeed in his services. He awaits you already, Milady. "
With a charming smile on his thin lips he invited her with a gesture to the wide roomed office.
Palpatine didn't sit behind his heavy, dark desk. He had gotten off his seat even before Padme entered. But not just for looking out of the wide panoramic window but to greet her in the friendliest way the protocol allowed and to take a few steps into her direction.
"My congratulations for your election, Senator Amidala. I'm most fortunate to congratulate you in person than via HoloNet", he smiled warmly towards her and shook her hand.
"Thank you, Chancellor!"
Padme looked around his office interestingly. Since she had been her for the last time a few years ago nothing seemed to have changed. Designed in dark, but warm tones of red, his rooms had been added by some expensive antiquities. Heavy, golden statues lined the inner Office.
"May I invite you to a cup of tea?" he asked out of a sudden, while he guided her into a nearby room, a small well furnitured corridor that connected his office with his control room. On the wall of this corridor there hung a great relief plate with a mythological scene that had been found on some excavation on Yavin 4. Just under the relief a corner unit invited them to take a seat. Both sat down after Padme happily accepted his offer.
The young woman frightened for a just a single second as she got the change to study his features: The Chancellor aged a lot in the last few years; deep wrinkles furrowed his pale face, dark rings under his eyes showed how less spare time and how much stress he was faced to in his job. But his watery-blue eyes were clear, awake and full of life. They seemed to be much younger than all his outer appearance. The once dark blonde reddish hair was now completely white and thinner.
And still he is very attractive…
"Do tell me, Milady, how did you fare?" he asked curiously while they waited for their tea, "I've heard you got a secretary to your heiress?"
"She asked me because I didn't want to take a third term."
"Ah, yes, I've been told so. The Naboo even wanted to change their constitution, to offer you another term, didn't they?"
"Yes, but I laid down my duties none of the less. I was very fortunate to be a civil person again."
"Understandable. Actually I've always asked myself how a young person can stand such stress day by day. In youth spirit should roam freely."
"My family had given me to best back up I could get" she explained him with a shy smile on her full lips, "Without them I wouldn't have made it."
"Sadly our contact nearly petered out,…which is mostly my fault" he excused, "For years more and more problems got onto the duties of the senate, one case of corruption hunts the other and was discovered. There also had been two political motivated assaults on several senators."
"I've read about it."
„Unfortunately I wasn't able to visit our home planet very often, although I wished myself home a few times."
His secretary went by with a tray on which a pot made from expensive porcelain filled with tea was standing, supplemented by two cups of the same porcelain set. He laid them the table and hen left again quietly for not wanting to disturb their conversation.
Padme sipped on her cup. Though the drink was very hot, she already smelled the fine exquisite note and the herb aroma. An exclusive sort of tea she was sure about that. Palpatine was known for his exquisite taste, he normally didn't show to the outside. He liked it simple. Modest.
Modesty was a virtue or even a credit that lesser and lesser politians made their intention. She had seen several senators going for a walk on the corridor whose robes and jewellery would nourish a family for months or years.
But Palpatine seemed to have avoided all those kind of luxuries though he would have earned enough credits to live in all these exclusive and expensive possibilities Coruscants offered to its rich citizens. Nevertheless he actually didn't pay attention to it to this kind of wrong virtue.
"How did your family react on your new function as senator? Working for the government again? After all most Naboo quit their career in their late youth instead of go on working for the Queen on outer planetary tasks."
The Chancellor spoke out of experience. His life long experience. Becoming a secretary of state in his early twenties, he accompanied two kings through their terms, until he was elected Senator at the age of 32. Just after his 49th birthday he accepted his election as Supreme Chancellor to the Republic. An unprecedented career, if you bear in kind that the Chancellor had been born to a poorly family background. Padme on the other side came from a solid middle-class family; her family even approached some wealth.
"They weren't very excited, but very proud at the same time" she confessed, "I think they would like to see me marrying soon and bear child after child to my husband."
Both started to laugh.
"Oh, Milady, you've chosen the most family hostile job ever" with a wink in his right eye he smiled charmingly at her, "I hope you have not chosen this office to rebel against your parents' wishes?"
"Of course not", she assured him open hearted.
Strange that he is asking for my families' reaction; he seemed to be nearly worried about me.
"I'd like to assure you, Senator Amidala that you can come to me whenever you like, every time. I always have an open ear for you and a few minutes of conversation."
"Thanks, your Excellency."
"You're welcome, Milady" he took a sip, enjoyed the taste, the silence of the moment, "On the occasion,…I'd like to take my chance to introduce you personally to several important senators, you certainly will harmonize with."
Is this going to be a kind of invitation…?
"On Saturday afternoon I arrange an informal discussion circle in my quarters at Republica 500. I'd be honoured you would come by" he added invitingly.
He would feel honoured? I would need to feel that way because he invites me, introduces me to important beings,…even if I learnt some of them. But it is all about the gesture…
"Thank you for the invitation, Chancellor, I accept of course."
"Wonderful", his smile got even a frequency warmer than it had been before, nearly fatherly, but then, out of a sudden, he raised an eyebrow as if there had been coming another thought into his mind, "Do you still have any contact to young Skywalker, Senator?"
"To Anakin? ", stunned she focused the elderly man in front of her. Sure, sometimesshe had thought about the youngster for a few moments who then walked into her life without warning. His gift, a wooden self-made jewellery was somewhere in some little cist in her wardrobe. "No."
"Oh, excuse me, I've thought you have."
"He would be teached in the Jedi Temple I once was told then."
"That's true. Master Kenobi handled his talents since Naboo; both are according to my knowledge on a mission at the Outer Rim."
Padme was puzzled. She hadn't thought Palpatine would stay in contact to Obi-Wan Kenobi or even Anakin Skywalker. He barely perceived Anakin as he had wandered around the former Senators' quarters at the age of nine to not get bored and to wait for the invitation to come forward the Jedi Council for testing. Or had she been mistaken?
Palpatine nodded: "Young Skywalker is an exceptional human. I'm convinced he is going to be a great Jedi. On our way back to Coruscant I got several chances to have a word with Anakin. Since then we are,…uhm,…yes, we're friends. He visits me as often as possible in my office."
I didn't know he is so interested in Anakin's future, his problems or plans. He hadn't mentioned him in our conversations. Their friendship had to be tightened and intensified especially in the last years.
Padme forced a smile on her face. She wasn't interested in Anakin Skywalkers whereabouts at all. The boy was about 14, maybe even 15 years old. A child. With her early twenties she was a grown up woman. Between them were worlds.
For sure it wouldn't come to her kind to get into contact with him. Tough he had always been very friendly to her just from the beginning he had been somehow…scary. His behaviour, his charisma seemed…strange. Sometimes childish, sometimes even adult. At these days she thought to see, how much Anakin would nee a father, or a father figure in his life. A father he had never had in his life. According to his mother there had never been any potential fathers around.
There was no father…once she had meditated over Shmi Skywalkers words, about another meaning of them, but she hadn't found any. Easier would be to say the father had left them, but there had to be a producer. To name it exactly by the only meaning possible.
Palpatine changed their conversations' subject on his own; a decision, Padme felt mostly welcomed to. She thanked the force. It would have been suspicious if she would have started to talk about something else. Instead of Anakin Palpatine told her stories about several mishaps in senatorial sessions, funny non-sense discussions, blackouts while speeches, falling down papers from boxes in the rotunda. He told her about boring senatorial balls on which everyone awaited midnight to be finally allowed to leave, about data who regularly put the computer systems down and who often start to bring more chaos to everyone's schedule.
It sounded nearly as he would love to describe the senate as a kind of kindergarten, a chaotic bunch of beings. Once he had just explained the problem of corruption and nepotism to her…but…
Despite his many efforts he hadn't been able to end corruption at its roots. Unfortunately he had too many duties to follow, so he would need bodies to help him out. But more and more these bodies hadn't the capacity to act.
"It is sorry" he whispered deeply and a sigh left his lips, "that nobody seems able to fight against it,…and, that nobody feels unwell with the recent situation. Even the Trade Federation is back in the Senate, it is way too influential."
"But the trial…?"
"…has been closed. Justice is here slowlier than anywhere else. There were rumours in which some defendants had died while they had awaited to stand trial, and honestly I do believe that rumours!"
"Is there anything we can do to…?"
"A few colleagues have founded another body and try now to get the support from other senators to fix a few aspects; to look for elementarily changes. I really hope their efforts will be positive and effective for all of us. Senator Organa, for example, he's an idealist, but a brilliant politician. Maybe sometimes a bit stubborn, but isn't everybody stubborn at some time?"
He was amused, laughed about his little joke, and then he sipped again on his cup of tea. He liked the conversation with Padme Amidala a lot. Not only to have her under his control, but because she was an idealist as well and she was loved by the Naboo. Getting her under his influence would be easy, she was naïve. But although her naïve young nature he would take any risk. He would invite her to discussion from time to time and would make himself indispensable as her advisor, mentor and fatherly friend.
She had grown beautiful, certainly. A beautiful woman. A perfect pawn in my game of chess.
Finally Padme decided to leave and thanked him once again fort he conversation and for the cup of tea; as well for his invitation for Saturday evening.
"You're always welcome, Milady", he got up with her in unison, when suddenly he took her arm and kissed her hand. On old, nearly antique and strange gesture to her eyes, but while he did she felt butterflies flying around in her stomach, "Please be careful, Senator. I couldn't stand it if something would happen to you."
The intensity he used by talking these few words, made her shivering and irritated her mind. She felt physical attracted to him. The butterflies…? That hadn't been just nervousness! She felt nervous before their appointment, this here was something else. Something she couldn't understand at the moment, something she might not like to understand. Something bounded them, something that went far beyond their work. A friendship.
But does a friendship actually feel like this?
