An Open Secret

A Star Wars fanfiction by Andrew Joshua Talon, Mandemon and others

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan based parody. Star Wars is the property of Disney and Lucasfilm Ltd. Please support the official release.

This takes place in the midst of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith...


"Anakin? A whole second wedding?" Padme asked in disbelief. Anakin chuckled.

"Well, technically it's just a reception ceremony... We never got one, after all." He made a face. "Unless you count that meal Threepio prepared."

"He was so proud! Come on, you had to give him that," Padme said teasingly. Anakin sighed.

"Yeah... I was proud, too." He gave her a kiss, and Padme happily returned it. He broke it and gave her a smile.

"Besides... There's a very special guest we'll have at the ceremony?" He suggested. Padme made a face.

"Ugh... Palpatine?"

"What? He helped us get to where we are now," Anakin said.

"That's hardly comforting," Padme muttered. "Seriously, we'd have probably ended the war diplomatically by now without him."

"And lost it before then," Anakin reminded her. Padme sighed.

"All right..." She smirked. "But you get to tell him."

Anakin sighed. "Joy," he muttered.

Still... It might be a good chance to clear the air about certain things regarding the Force. The tale of Darth Plagueis, at least...

Nah, maybe for a later time.


Palpatine's day had started so promisingly. The final stages of the war were proceeding almost as planned: General Grievous's location was known to the Jedi. Obi-Wan Kenobi would soon be offworld and unable to help Skywalker, who already had the first temptation towards the Darkside. Already, everything was coming together.

Anakin had even come to his office, right on time. Yes, soon he would have everything he needed. Everything he wanted...

"Chancellor, I wanted to invite you to our official reception at the Jedi Temple," Anakin said cheerfully.

Everything he had wanted... Had gone right down the drain.

Anakin continued to talk excitedly, and outwardly Sheev Palpatine was pleasantly surprised. Inside? Darth Sidious raged.

He had counted that the Jedi do the one thing they were very good at doing! Dogmatic following of their fear of passion, and they failed that! All those carefully made plans, years of preparation, it was all going straight into the bantha poodoo!

"So, you will attend, correct?" Anakin finished. Palpatine's smile grew, just a bit more while inside he screamed.

"Of course I will attend," he said. "I will be honored to be representing Republic in your second wedding, even if it's merely to make the existing one official! I am glad hear such a happy news in these hard times."

"Hopefully, now that Dooku is dead, Confederacy will lose its focus and we can start to truly push them back," Skywalker said, as Palpatine's thoughts raced. He had no idea how difficult it would be to maintain control of the Separatist Council now that Dooku was dead. Sidious had planned to quickly eliminate them before they decided to go truly independent, but now... He would not have his assassin. After exchanging few more pleasantries, Skywalker left, and Palpatine stewed.

"Bloody Jedi," Sidious muttered under his breath. With Anakin having recreated his trust and connection with the Jedi Council, with him having found new way to protect his wife... There was no longer an angle. Sidious had planned hundreds of contingencies, but none of them were up to date, everything had been going so well. He should have prepared for this, but he been so close. Just little bit more, and he could turn Skywalker and activate Order 66.

Now? Now he needed something else. He could, probably, still manipulate the Jedi into attacking him, but his victory was no longer guaranteed.

He still had enough pieces in place to ensure that the Jedi purge would go through, as well as formation of the Empire, but there was no longer guarantee that the Jedi would be crippled beyond measure. Skywalker would most definitely survive and he was not ready to face a committed Anakin. Not when he was still a Jedi.

Could he threaten his wife? No, Skywalker would just counter-attack, not bend his knee. Perhaps he could trick the Jedi into attacking her? No. The Jedi would realize very soon they were being played. One of his plans had consisted of manipulating them into thinking Amidala was the actual Sith Lord, but that would take far too much time now.

Could he drive a wedge between Amidala and Skywalker? Perhaps the use of... No, Tano had left the Order. He could not really bring her back and manipulate her into having a crush on Skywalker. Even then, Skywalker would probably treat her more as a little sister than viable candidate for romance.

The child? Perhaps, but risky. He needed a new plan. Separatist were going to lose, very soon. Grievous could pose a threat, but without Dooku to keep the Council off his back, he would need to either submit to the Council or take the Council out. Grievous alone would eventually be defeated, as the droid army relied heavily on the Techno Union and Banking Clans to keep it running, and without Grievous Separatist didn't have competent enough commander to truly challenge the Republic.

Damn Jedi. How had they found out? He had spent so much time clouding their vision, to make sure they would not realize what was going. Had he forgotten something? Missed something? In any case, his long crafted plan was starting to unravel and he would need to move quickly to salvage it.

But what did he have? What could he use? He needed more time...

Palpatine's eyes widened... And then narrowed.

Yes... Yes... That would do nicely...


This was her life now: cold white walls, the false serenity of the exercise yard, and above all else: The eternal loneliness. Normal guards would not do: Her Force abilities could turn them to her side, even with her powers suppressed. The Temple Guards wore masks, and hid their feelings perfectly: Nothing there. Where there were not guards, there were droids. Programmed to be helpful, even friendly... But not enough.

This was a true prison for a Jedi. The life around her muted to dull whites and grays. Everything held at a distance.

Nothing in here but Barriss Offee, and her regrets.

So it was small surprise that the Chancellor's visits were the one thing she looked forward to. She didn't know why the old man came to see her personally, and frankly, she didn't care. Even an hour just talking with the kindly Palpatine was a relief from her torment. Just sitting in the yard, the only splash of color in the entirety of the sealed compound his dark red robes and his kind blue eyes.

It was on one such visit, as they sat on a plain bench, simple tea steaming in cups in their hands, that he cleared his throat.

"So," Palpatine began, "I would hope you might have heard the news...?"

Barriss shot him an unamused smile. He chuckled.

"Of course not... It seems that Senator Amidala is expecting..." He sipped his tea, and Barriss waited impatiently.

"And?" She asked.

"And the father... Is someone you are intimately familiar with," he chuckled. He looked directly into her eyes. "Anakin Skywalker."

Barriss' eyes shot wide open in disbelief. "I... They went public with that?!" She gasped. "What is to become of them?!"

"Nothing," Palpatine sighed. "Absolutely nothing."

Barriss's hands shook and she looked down at her mug of tea. She trembled, anger and resentment bubbling up.

"I suppose it just goes to show you how far they've fallen," Palpatine said. "Their own codes are conveniently ignored when they need to. Their own rules... Their honor..."

"Chancellor, I... It's not fair," Barriss hissed. Palpatine shook his head.

"No... No, it isn't. But life so rarely is," he said. Barriss glared at him. At Palpatine, so calm, so unperturbed.

"How... How can you just sit there?! How can you just... accept this?!" Barriss raged. "They imprison me and yet they-when he flagrantly disobeys-!"

"Accept this? No, I don't," Palpatine admitted. He sighed, looking aged. "After all... I had to accept that I could never show my... Abilities to them. My parents made that clear... Or else I would have been taken away from them. Like you were."

Barriss's anger still remained, but shock overrode it. She stared at Palpatine, the cup dropping from her fingers. Palpatine waved his hand... And the cup of tea floated right back up. She stared at it, and then back at Palpatine.

"Y-You... You...?"

Palpatine nods. "I have studied the ways of the Force, Barriss. Things the Jedi feared to see, because one challenge to their orthodoxy... And it would all fall apart. They couldn't have that, could they?" He looked over at Barriss, eyes narrowed. "But you... You're different. You've seen past their lies, their deceptions. And for that, they imprisoned you."

"I... Can you free me?" Barriss asked softly. Palpatine sighed.

"As long as the Jedi Order exists... I am powerless," he said. "The 'defenders of the Republic'... Until it is in their way. I cannot stop them... Alone." He looked over at Barriss. "But... With an ally, who understands...?"

Barriss very slowly nodded. "What must I do, Chancellor?"

Palpatine smiled, an icy glint in his otherwise warm eyes. "Please... Call me... Master..."


To be continued...