The Naboo Embassy was located below and to the west of Monument Plaza and the Senate Building, a grand and stately architectural achievement that mimicked the beautiful columns and domes of Theed.
Palpatine had never liked Theed.
It was too crowded and much too cold in the winter months. At least the embassy was not cold, though it held far more people than he was expecting with such short notice. Naboo was still riding on the emotional popularity from its blockade and Amidala's reputation. As he was announced at the door the majority of the attendees stood, faced him, and bowed.
Out of that motley collection came Padme Amidala, bright-eyed in a flowing blue gown, gloved hands stretched out in delight as she ascended the entry steps. "Your Excellency," she stopped just short of touching him. "I am honored you could take the time to join us."
"There is always a little time for Naboo, my lady," he replied as he inclined his head and carefully scanned the room with the Force. No Jedi were present this evening, a rare and blessed occurrence. The observation relaxed him somewhat, and he found himself looking forward to prying Amidala's political schedule out of her. Naïve and democratic though she was, the woman had some truly novel ideas at times.
The senator turned to look at his ever-present collection of Red Guards, and he spied the disapproval that flitted across her face. Palpatine immediately waved them away. They posted around the room at every entry point, standing at attention and drawing the stares of the partygoers. "I apologize…" he started to say.
"I understand. We can never be too careful with your safety, Chancellor," she nodded. "They're just so… imposing and unnatural." And unconstitutional, her gentle eyes reproached him.
Palpatine sighed. "I tire of them so quickly. I do so miss the simpler days of the Senate Guard. At least I managed to convince them not to follow in my every step tonight. I was never a fan of such stringent security."
Amidala's formal smile morphed into an authentic grin. "Yes, Chief Panaka had a lot to say about that when you were my senator. He was incensed at all the times you threw his undercover security team off your trail. He never could figure out how you did it."
"I liked my privacy," Palpatine said simply. "I still do, however as Supreme Chancellor, I would be in significantly greater trouble with my security if I 'threw' them." They laughed together, and he gallantly extended his arm. She took it and walked with him down the entry steps into the main reception hall, filled with colorfully dressed dignitaries of all shapes and sizes.
He was about to offer an inane compliment about her party, but Amidala appeared distracted. She was searching the crowd for someone. Palpatine studied the faces that surrounded them and noticed no one of significance. Ah, but there was Mon Mothma, a potential threat. His host passed her over and kept looking.
An older human woman approached when Amidala waved to her. She was gray-haired, aristocratic and stately in her rigid blue gown trimmed with heavy swaths of white furs. She might have once been beautiful, but now she made up for age with a dazzling array of jewels at her throat and in her hair.
"Hello, Senator Nean! I'm so glad you could make it," Amidala exclaimed, and Palpatine searched his brain for a reference point. Nean, Senator Le Nean of the Sordast system, a small-time senator who had run uncontested for seventeen years now. Also, entirely unconnected with the current dispute over Nute Gunray or the growing Separatist movement. Curious.
The only attention she had ever drawn to herself was a dispute over the care of the statues in front of the Senate building several years ago. She fancied herself an intellectual, a patron of the arts. He was not aware Amidala had known her.
What could Padme want with her in this political dance? Nean had reached them now and curtsied before them both. "Senator Amidala, it is my pleasure to attend such a gathering," she crooned. Palpatine glanced at Amidala from the corner of his eyes. She was beaming. In fact, they were both grinning like Veermocks in a baby Zalaaca nest. What in Koribban was going on?
"Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, have you have met Senator Le Nean before?" Amidala questioned.
He nodded and forced a genial smile to his face as he turned fully to the older woman. "Twice before, though I have noticed you in the Senate several times since. Your defense of our treasured historical landmarks was commendable." Commendable to the depths, that is. You came close to having the honor of being the first senator in many, many years to put a Chancellor to sleep.
She flushed bright red at his compliment and giggled. Giggled. He swallowed back the revulsion. "Oh Chancellor, I am honored that you remembered me!" she gushed and reached to take his hand in both of her meaty ones, and he had to physically struggle to keep the lightning in his fingers. He hated being touched by loathsome inferiors like her.
Palpatine almost gagged when she leaned in close to his space and the pungent perfume threatened to overwhelm his nose. Well, if he ever needed an air-born contaminant for his master plan, he had found it tonight. Behind the scented senator, Amidala looked insanely pleased, and he watched her wave to the musicians who started up a mid-paced waltz. The main floor of the Embassy's audience chamber filled quickly with eager dancers.
"I see more guests arriving," the Naboo senator suddenly exclaimed, though when Palpatine looked the same way he missed any such evidence. "While I'm greeting them, perhaps the two of you should have a dance and catch up," Amidala offered before launching herself away from the pair. She disappeared into the flurry of gowns.
Palpatine's eyes narrowed with frustration, but the senator's hands tightened on his own. Trapped behind a mask of open civility, he smiled at her. "I suppose one dance would not be out of order." One. Just one. There had to be a reason Amidala had placed them together.
She giggled again, an insanely high-pitched sound, and practically dragged him out to the floor. She was not a bad dancer at least, and as he swept her around the center of the room he became aware that Sate Pestage, quietly posted in a back corner, was greatly amused. Laugh it up while you can. Palpatine focused on the woman in his arms. If charm was required to find out Amidala's schemes, then charm he had in plenty.
"I have missed your insightful presence in the recent debates, Senator Nean," he commented and watched her face grow bright again. She reminded him of the plump red fruit that grew back on Naboo.
"I have little interest in them myself, but Chancellor, how in all the worlds do you manage to keep track of us all?" she asked as he dipped her in a slow spin. Thank the darkness there are no Holonet cameras here tonight, he thought.
"Certainly not all," he dropped his voice to a lowness that was perhaps not proper. "Only the ones worth noticing." She practically swooned in his arms then and there, and he stifled a harsh laugh. Putty in his hands. "Now, that must be our little secret, for I have most everyone convinced I know them on a first name basis."
"Excellency!" her eyes grew wide as he set her on her feet and stepped around her in quick sliding motions. She batted her eyes in what he supposed was an attempt to look seductive. Between her furs and her size, she resembled a dry-eyed Wampa instead. "And here you had us all thinking you were so good."
"Madame, I am good," he replied as he moved in close again, and he congratulated himself on never breaking the smile. "But enough about me. What about you? How do you know my esteemed Senator Amidala?"
"Well, I'm afraid I don't know her very well at all, not as much as I would like," Le Nean sank her claws in his shoulders. He struggled not to wince. "She invited me rather suddenly to this affair. I wasn't expecting it, to be honest, but now I'm very glad." She leaned forward and rested her jeweled head on his shoulder.
Palpatine stared over her as he tried to process the information. No deceit flowed overtly through her words. So this woman was worthless. She knew nothing of Amidala's plans for Gunray, and her presence was a mystery to him. What purpose did Amidala think to serve by saddling him with this one? He looked for Pestage, for a way out, but his aide was nowhere to be seen. Blast you, Sate.
The music ended finally, blessedly, and he extracted himself from her grip. Rather, he tried to. Perhaps he had overdone the charm (it had been some time since he had last practiced), because she appeared to feel entitled, pulling him back onto the floor and demanding one more dance for luck.
He was loath to use his powers in such a busy area, with so many eyes focused on him, and two dances turned into three, and he only barely managed to escape a fourth when he motioned to one of his Red Guards to pull him aside on "business matters." She watched him forlornly as he stepped out of sight into one of the side halls and released his bodyguard. "Keep her away from me," he ordered the hapless man. "At any cost." The things he did to rule the galaxy…
Ah, but it was good to have connections! In a few minutes, Senator Le Nean had been called from the party with news of a protest at her own embassy. Palpatine ventured back out into the crowd, eager to discover Amidala's reason for the whole affair. He found her quickly, or rather she found him, pulling another woman in her wake.
I have a bad feeling about this.
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Padme grunted with frustration when Le Nean was called away from the party. Things had been going so well, too, from the looks of it. Now she was back to square one but armed with the knowledge that Palpatine appeared to enjoy the dancing.
She had been ecstatic to find that her next choice on the list, Lady Shamila of Vistoy, had arrived at last. Padme had known the tall, elegant woman since the days of the Legislative Youth Program, and Shamila was always willing to invest in possible romance. Shamila knew why she was invited, and she looked the part, stunning in a floor-length pale green dress, her silky red-dyed hair piled high on her head.
"Sa, I'm so glad you're here at last," Padme whispered to the older woman as they moved deeper into the embassy in search of their quarry. He was proving elusive, moving just ahead of them, glancing back but never quite meeting her gaze. Did he see them?
Shamila grinned back. "This will be my finest hour, Padme darling."
Fateful words, for they cornered him at last between the punch table and a small crowd of Mon Calamari. "Chancellor Palpatine," Padme called out. "May I introduce a dear friend of mine? Lady Shamila of Vistoy."
"My lady?" Palpatine looked between the two women, eyebrows higher on his forehead than Padme had ever seen. "I do not believe we have…met."
"Only in my dreams, Chancellor," Shamila purred. Padme watched as Palpatine froze in place, hand clenching around the edge of the punch table. He couldn't be shy, could he? Sa Shamila was more forward than most Naboo preferred, but Palpatine had been an Ambassador before becoming Senator and Chancellor. Surely he understood how different things could be.
For the first time in a long time, Padme watched Palpatine stumble for words. "Erm, eh, how long have you known Senator Amidala, Lady Shamila?"
"A long time. In fact, I can't believe we haven't met before now," Shamila was entranced by her closeness to the powerful politician, and Padme watched with amusement as the woman sidled closer to their increasingly uncomfortable leader. He's shy! I can't believe this! Years of watching this man talk circles around every opponent he's ever faced, and he can't stand up to a woman.
Shamila reached out to touch his arm but jerked back with a small cry. "Oh!" she rubbed her hand and exclaimed, "It must be dry in here. That was some static electricity."
Palpatine smiled faintly. "Dry indeed. I think I may need a drink."
"Great idea," Padme smiled and guided them both over to the punch bowl. She snickered inside at the tenseness she felt in Palpatine's wiry arm. She doesn't bite, too hard anyway. "Allow me," she offered a glass to each of them and watched Palpatine take a long drink.
Shamila sipped at hers and batted her eyes over the top of her drink.
The Chancellor completely emptied his glass this time and cleared his throat. "You know, it has been some time since I have tasted such fine Nubian Southridge wine. What year is this, Padme? A One-Twenty?"
Padme nodded, "It is indeed! You have excellent tastes, Chancellor, although that one disappeared fairly quickly." Shamila offered a throaty laugh, and Palpatine guiltily held up the empty glass for inspection. Padme smiled, "Here, let me get you another."
Surprise and something suspicious crossed his face, but he took the drink anyway. "My thanks…" He stared out across the sea of attendees, which had grown considerably larger with gate-crashing senators and diplomats. Padme should have known that no party could be kept secret on Coruscant.
Is he thinking about the Separatists and Gunray, or does he know what I'm trying to do? Padme wondered. Lady Shamila took that moment to lean toward the Chancellor and murmur, "Do you have any other tastes, Your Excellency?"
"Eh?" Palpatine lost his concentration on the crowd and gained confusion when he realized how close she had come. He took a half step toward the punch table and downed another swallow of his wine.
"Hobbies? Talents? Skills?" Shamila shifted closer, and Padme smothered a canine grin. "They say you have no private life, but I don't believe it."
Palpatine subtly leaned away and rewarded her with a lopsided, half-gritted smile. "I knit."
At that, Shamila almost fell over. "What?" she gasped.
Padme steadied her friend and mock-scowled at the Chancellor. "This is how rumors start. Really, Your Excellency, you can say the most ridiculous things with the straightest face sometimes."
"I can," he took a deep breath and bowed to the older woman, "My apologies, Lady Shamila. My sense of humor can be disconcerting. The constant pursuit of politics affects us all."
"Oh…" Shamila adopted a pouting smile. "Then you were teasing me."
"The heavens forbid," Palpatine told her, and the fleeting expression on his face had even Padme convinced that he meant that. The darker look passed, and the Chancellor was now openly smiling, but Padme had known him for some time, and she also saw a gleam of impatience in those pale eyes.
Padme worried a little. Perhaps Shamila was too strong in her approach. Perhaps her old friend preferred someone more quiet or withdrawn. She tugged on the other woman's arms as a warning and tried to distract them both. "Chancellor, did you know that Sa has been appointed to the Galactic Relief Committee?"
Shamila did not know when to quit. "Oh, yes, and I suppose that means we'll be seeing more of each other this next year! How wonderful!"
Did Palpatine flinch, or was the alcohol getting to him? Padme noted the way his hand clenched white around the glass. She hoped it would not shatter. He followed her gaze to his own hand and quickly relinquished the pressure. "Ah, fascinating news, and congratulations to you, Lady Shamila. Regrettably, my duties lead me into very little contact with the Galactic Relief Committee. I am certain you will perform splendidly."
Shamila started to reply, but Padme reached behind her and pinched one shoulder. "Oh! Padme darling, whatever is wrong?"
Padme shook her head, "I was certain I saw a small insect. It must have flown away." She snuck a glance at Palpatine, who stood quietly in perplexed detachment. She should have seen the signs earlier. He was definitely not interested. "Your Excellency, would you excuse us? Sa and I need to speak about her new assignment."
"Of course," he bowed, never taking his eyes off her face, which was growing uncomfortably warm with embarrassment. She took Shamila's arm and fled that piercing gaze.
Part 2 of 3. Palpatine is starting to figure out that something's rotten in the state of Coruscant tonight, even though he can't quite put his finger on it yet. Poor guy is too obsessed with his evil plots to figure out when someone's trying to set him up with a date.
My big story should get an update one of these days; this one's getting posted because it happened to be the one that's already written. This is an extremely busy time of year for me.
Please feel free to leave a review! :)
