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"Always in motion is the future." – Yoda

Fathers and Sons

Chapter 2

Newborn.

A better word did not exist for it. He was truly alone now, the single Sith Lord of the entire galaxy, no longer with a teacher and no longer with an apprentice. In this, he knew he was vulnerable, much as he had been when he first released the Force against his father's sneering countenance so many years ago.

Caution was the order of the day. Palpatine sat alone with his thoughts in a small communications chamber just off the corner of the main passenger compartment of the shuttle, on his way to congratulate his queen on her fantastic success against the Trade Federation. He half-feared he might Force choke her instead, an act to which her Jedi protectors might take considerable offense…

The battle had been lost, something he had seen in the limitless futures of his visions but dismissed as improbable. Now he was quickly learning that when Anakin Skywalker was involved, the improbable became the possible.

Memories of his erstwhile master continued to plague him. The boy's actions already echo across the stars. And what would be the final result? The Munn was dead, undone and rendered insignificant by the cold rage of his apprentice. Maul was dead too, bisected and tossed unceremoniously down a reactor pit.

He repressed a frustrated snarl at the thought. He had warned Maul, but the Zabrak's lust for Jedi blood had overridden his common sense. His connection to the Dark Side had been too heated, too much like the Sith Lords of ancient times. No finesse, no thought, no ability to adapt to the situation at hand. Maul had been a mere tool in the hand of a Master who briefly forgot that all he wielded was a mindless blade.

He would not make that mistake again.

The shuttle pilot's voice filtered over the intercom. "We'll be landing in four standard minutes. Theed is looking bright with victory today! As we come in, you can see the famous Pillars of Justice on your left. Standby." The pilot's words fuzzed out.

Palpatine departed the small compartment and joined his companions in the roomy passenger bay. Beside him Janus Greejatus appeared, Palpatine's replacement as senator of the Chommell Sector and one of Palpatine's long-term acquaintances. A year older than Palpatine, with light brown hair and pale skin, Greejatus had moved through the political ranks with acumen that Palpatine could admire. He had an abrasive personality and an unfortunate tendency to speak out against nonhumans though, and for this reason the new Supreme Chancellor-Elect avoided endorsing him completely.

They had known each other since the days of Naboo's Legislative Youth Program, and Greejatus considered himself a friend to Palpatine. He leaned close and offered in a stage whisper, "She'll have no choice but to listen to you now, Sheev."

Palpatine smiled without showing his teeth, which gritted tightly together at the familiar use of his given name. "Our Queen continually keeps the best interests of our people at heart, Janus. As Supreme Chancellor, I must look to a wider audience, that of our beloved Republic. The individual concerns of Naboo will fall to your discretion."

Greejatus widened his eyes. "Spoken selflessly, as always."

They shared a look of meaning, deeper amusement. Palpatine spread his hands helplessly. "I do what I can, Janus. Our real work lies ahead of us, not behind. Keep that in mind as you work with our Queen to stabilize Naboo." His unspoken words rang through the air: Keep your non-human chauvinism locked up, or there will be trouble.

Greejatus nodded, more serious now. "Of course, she will require a delicate handling."

Coming up on the other side of the two men, Kinman Doriana snorted. "I wouldn't mind a little handling there."

Palpatine shot him a look of faint disapproval. Doriana, always the notorious womanizer and deeply enamored with his own self-importance, tended to regard women as objects who were only there for his taking. A simple, base mind. Simple, but useful. "She's too young, Doriana. Remember who you speak of."

"Of course, I was only jesting, Chancellor," Doriana paled a bit and bowed at the shoulders.

Greejatus laughed, stepped around the Chancellor, and slung an arm around the younger man's shoulders. "Wait about ten years, and perhaps she'll give you a second look. Then again, ten years and you might be too far gone."

Doriana brayed a sharp laugh and slapped his hand against Greejatus's back. Forty standard years old, ten years younger than his benefactor Palpatine, Kinman Doriana was clean-shaven and slightly balding. He had spent many years at Palpatine's side since the days of Palpatine's ambassadorship. Doriana was an able bureaucratic organizer, and he knew the underworlds of several planets very well, including Coruscant.

Unlike Sate, these two men knew nothing of Palpatine's true nature, and Palpatine had no intention of revealing himself to Doriana, but Greejatus… Palpatine strongly suspected that the man had a significant connection with the Force. In time, that could be useful. He would continue to watch these two men and use them until he no longer had need of them.

Speaking of the man, here came Sate, his lean, sallow face lined with excitement. The Force shifted in the Chancellor-Elect. Pestage moved close to Palpatine, and Doriana and Greejatus fell back, sensing a different focus of their leader's attention. Palpatine caught Sate by one arm and drew him further from the waiting dignitaries. Greejatus and Kinman would keep the others entertained. "What is it?" he asked softly.

Pestage was practically purring in delight. "The young Jedi apprentice, Palpatine. I received word that he was gravely wounded in the fight with the 'creature.'"

Palpatine stared deeply into his eyes, almost into his mind. Obi-Wan Kenobi? He felt genuine astonishment. "Kenobi?" At Sate's tight nod, Palpatine lowered his voice further until it was barely audible. "Why do you suppose the Council withheld this information?" The grubby worms lied to me… almost admirable.

"I suppose they didn't want to admit how close the situation truly came," Sate shrugged. "Saving face and all that. Does it really matter? We have a chance to tie up our loose ends."

Palpatine drew in a deep breath. "Where is he?"

"Here on Theed, in the Royal Hospital. The Queen would hear of nothing less after they found him with his dead master," Sate smirked. "He's in a bacta tank for several life-threatening wounds."

Palpatine lowered his head, leaned in closer to Sate so they might appear to be in deep conversation to curious eyes, and nudged against the Force, seeking confirmation. It opened like a floodgate, pouring into him and startling him with an intensity he had not felt since the death of Plagueis. A sign then, that all was proceeding as he had foreseen. A dark blessing, of sorts.

He looked up and saw Pestage grimacing. Palpatine realized his hands had become claws, digging into the thin cloth of his agent's shoulders. He quickly released him and straightened. "At death's door?"

The older man nodded.

"A door of opportunity," Palpatine breathed. He pulled his powers tightly into himself and composed his thoughts. "Could you do it?"

"It couldn't get much easier, if that's what you're asking," Pestage shrugged. "Bleeding idiots feel like the war is won."

"Untraceable?" Palpatine raised his eyes to observe the dignitaries in the passenger compartment. No other being was focused on them at the moment. Greejatus and Kinman were providing a perfect smokescreen of off-color teasing and laughter, and the other diplomats were either tittering in scandalized delight or pretending to be offended. Much too busy to notice them.

"Perfectly so."

"Well done, Sate," Palpatine admired the man's efficiency and his ability to guess his master's wishes. This was a man he could not afford to lose yet. "When could it be done?"

"Leave it to me, sir." Of course, plausible deniability. Their partnership had grown into a seamless blend of knowledge and purposeful ignorance, both quite content to let the other operate in his realm of expertise.

Sate's loyalty was unquestionable, for reasons that Palpatine did not fully understand. Since the beginning of his acquaintance with the man, Pestage had attached himself to Palpatine with whole-hearted devotion, never asking for anything in return but to serve. Thus the relationship had been mutually beneficial to the extreme. It was the closest that Palpatine might ever come to trusting one of his advisors, and for that reason, he knew he had to be careful.

"Should I proceed, sir?" Sate tilted his head, beady eyes completely focused on his master.

Palpatine reached into the Force, and it looked back at him. It was reaching out to him now, speaking with dark intent.

And…warning? He frowned, pulling himself as deep as he dared, again clutching at Sate to stay upright. This couldn't be…The currents flowed freely over him, shadows shifting over his mind and whispering. The Jedi could still play a role in the boy's downfall, somehow.

Wait…what was…the Jedi himself was important?

How? The vision slipped away with frustrating ease.

"Sir?" Sate said.

The order stuck deep in his throat, choked away by the darkness. He blinked rapidly and tested another possibility, tugging on the cloaked future. Like shifting sand in a fast-flowing river, the Force moved away from him. Yet, there was always another way, and Sidious had always been adept in changing with the tides. He tried again, his voice nearly breaking as he returned to the mortal plane. "Do you recall the formula you used on Senator Halil four years ago?"

Sate's eyebrows twitched up above cold eyes. "Extremely rare and exceptionally effective. He was in a coma for nearly six months. By the time he woke up, his bill had already-"

"Failed," Palpatine said. Sate nodded, the agent perfectly still under his hands.

"So should I assume you want him alive but out of action for the foreseeable future?"

It was Palpatine's turn to nod. "Something tells me he could yet be useful to us."

The grin that spread across Sate's sallow face would have frightened anyone else. "Then I'll make sure Jedi Kenobi has a very restful nap."

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Thanks for all your lovely reviews and follows/favs, folks. I love hearing your thoughts and feedback. I've recently finished a fairly large work commitment, so updates should show up more frequently.

In the novel Darth Plagueis, there is a point when Plagueis is on the verge of revealing Kamino's existence to Sifo-Dyas, but his voice is literally cut off by the Dark Side of the Force. I found that very, very interesting. The Force works in mysterious ways. :) It looks like Obi-Wan still has a part to play in this story, but will their diabolical plan go off without a hitch?

Leave a review if you could. I hope you've enjoyed the chapter.