Note 1: This fic is AU. Star Wars and its affiliates do not belong to me, only the contents of this Verse.
Note 2: Thank you to my betas 9FingersAnnoyedWife and Young at Heart 21. You guys are great.
The Sith and the Senator
Chapter 7: Intruder
By WrittinInStone
Padmé Amidala
Rumors.
I cannot abide them. They are rife with half-truths and embellishments, with meanness and inaccuracy.
The rumors that abound about me are an indication of such a failing. Rumors thrive on hyperbole, on falsehoods and those who postulate them have no regard for the truth even when it is revealed.
Usually, rumors are pretty easy to avoid as I have few friends and the ones I do have, I spend little time with. Yet, despite this, I find myself unable to completely escape them.
Who are the rumors about this time? Surprisingly, not me. They are about a new senator, one who has shaken the normally traditional senate.
His name is Senator Anakin Skywalker.
I hate him already.
Everywhere I go there is a new tale about him, heralded by some cooing, fawning woman. He is a sex god, a hard-nosed cynic, a daring romantic, a charismatic rogue, an idealistic crusader… the next Supreme Chancellor.
This is blasphemy as Supreme Chancellor is a title that I covet for myself. To be the leader of the senate is to have true power, the very real ability to change the galaxy for the better. If I become Chancellor, then perhaps the old Padmé can yet live again; perhaps my hopes and dreams of a better, more peaceful galaxy are possible.
But now to have an upstart newcomer threaten my plans when I am so close to my dream? It's unforgiveable.
I will crush him, must crush him. It is not something I am proud of, but is unavoidable. There is no way he is more qualified then me; no way he is as capable as running the governing body of the known galaxy as I am.
It makes me feel strange to know that I have become one of those politicians, one who will destroy careers for their own gains, very much like the senators that I expose. But destroying Skywalker is necessary; it's for the greater good.
Thankfully or not, I have not had the misfortune of meeting him. Not yet, anyway. But when I do, my arsenal of insults and sharply witted derisions are ready.
And that's only the beginning.
He won't know what hit him.
#*#*#*#*#
I find myself on the veranda. Again.
The venue this time is the opera. I can't say that I'm a big fan of it although it has been known to amuse me at times. Tonight is not one of those nights, so after a few excuses and a moderate walk, I am leaning on a balcony, staring over Coruscant.
I love my home world of Naboo, I really do. I love the waterfalls, the fields and the natural beauty of the planet; it is paradise. Yet despite everything, even the nauseatingly mundane temperature, Coruscant has found its way into my heart. It is the complete opposite of Naboo, yet I love it here because it is beautiful in its own way with its tall buildings and its bright lights. It is a technological wonder.
It's why I always hide on a balcony, why I always escape to a terrace; it allows me to look upon the people, the recipients of my hard work. Just watching the traffic lanes and the twinkling lights of the buildings hardens my resolve. I will be Supreme Chancellor; there is no other option for me, because how many citizens live here and yet have no time to admire the beauty around them because they are struggling to survive, to avoid this war that is tearing the galaxy apart, to protect their children?
When I become Chancellor, I will end this war. I will bring peace. I will! The galaxy deserves nothing less—
The thought is halted as an echo of footsteps distract me. Frowning, I turn toward the noise. Moments later, a figure steps onto the terrace; it is a young man.
My eyebrows lift as he comes into the light.
He is handsome, very handsome with golden hair and indigo eyes. But beautiful people are a dime a dozen in the senate, indeed, it's almost as though it is a quality one must have to be in public service. No one wants an unattractive person to represent them after all.
My face turns chilly as I tell the trespasser, without words, that he is unwelcome.
"I'm sorry, but this terrace is taken." My voice is not polite as I address him.
He smiles at me but I ignore it, merely continuing to stare at him. "I don't mean to intrude, but I was passing by and saw the view and I just had to stop. If I could…?" he looks at me expectantly, his question clear.
I stare at him for a long moment, mentally hoping that he'll graciously bow out and find another terrace like most people. To my surprise, he merely holds my gaze, passively waiting for my answer.
"Very well," I reply less than kindly. "You may stay."
"Thank you," he says, amusement coloring his voice.
I frown as he moves to stand a respectable distance away from me.
It's then that I catch a whiff of him; he smells of earth and man. It's nice.
Annoyed, I turn away from him, losing myself once more in my thoughts.
Although I have cleaned much of the senate, it's difficult to wipe any organization completely clean. But it's probably for the best that the remnants are there; they fear me, so at the very least, they won't vote against me. I've already neutralized the current Interim Chancellor, appointed after the mysterious disappearance of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, so that won't be an issue. As of now, I have enough votes to win the election if it was cast at this very moment, but I have to be sure. I need more than what is required just in case some of my current supporters back out at the last minute—
"Hey! Stop it!"
I frown as a childish voice rips through the air.
"Where is that coming from?" Without waiting for an answer from my unwelcome companion, I lean slightly over the edge of the terrace to see. The opera house, like most venues of the obscenely wealthy on Coruscant, resides on a high level platform allowing the rich to look down on the rest of the world.
The level below the opera house is a museum designed for the children of Coruscant's elite. It is from there that the noise came, almost directly below us.
Three older males, who are obviously older—around 16 standard years— and much bigger, are cornering a young male child who looks to be around the age of 12.
I watch in disgust as one of the older ones snatch something away from the distressed younger boy.
It only takes a moment to absorb the situation before fury takes hold. Is there no one just in this world? Why is it that even the children display cruelty and violence?
Nose flaring, I turn to leave. I'll show those little animals to mess with someone smaller than them—
But suddenly, I am stopped as I feel a hand on my arm. It was the intruder.
"Wait," he begins. "I don't think—"
"Wait?" I say softly, dangerously, cutting him off and turning on him in glacial fury as I snatch my arm away. "For what? For them to seriously injure him?" My voice could have turned lava to ice.
"No," he replies with raised eyebrows. "I was going to say that I had a much better idea than going down there and confronting them directly. I have absolutely no intention of allowing anyone to be bullied while I'm around."
I tilt my head at him incredulously. "And what exactly do you think you can do without going down there?" I ask crossing my arms over my chest.
"I'm going to do this." Grinning wickedly he moves to one of the many plants on the balcony near the walls. It is big, heavy and I lift my eyebrows at his strength; he doesn't look like he could lift that much.
"What you fail to realize ma'am—"
"My name is Senator Amidala," I interject sharply, watching him closely for any signs of recognition, but he merely continues as though I had not interrupted at all.
"—Senator Amidala, is that in order to get rid of a bully, you have to stoop to their level. You'll never get rid of them until they realize what it feels like to be picked on." He methodically begins to remove the plants from the huge vase until nothing was left but muddy, fertilizer water.
I watch in disbelief as he balances the vase on the edge of the balcony.
"Wait!" I say, eyes widening, shooting him a disbelieving stare. "You're not really going to do this, are you?"
"Oh yes, milady," he says, indigo eyes gleaming. "I am."
With that, he tilts the water over. It was like time slowed down; I could only watch in amazement as the water flowed over from the vase, landing on its intended target; the three bullies below.
A horrified laugh bubbling in my throat I lean over the edge to see his handiwork. Quickly setting down the vase, my companion leans over as well.
The three bullies are looking up at us, their faces pictures of utter humiliation as they are now covered in shit water.
Suddenly I can't help it; a laugh bubbles up from my throat. A second passes before he joins me. It's probably wrong to be laughing at another's expense, but they deserved it. It's then that I realize that this is the very first time in a long time that I've laughed like that and it feels great; especially since I'm doing it with someone else. It disturbs me slightly. When had life become such that it was uncommon for me to laugh?
"What the hell?" The tallest bully exclaims, finally overcoming some of his shock. "Why did you do that?"
"Well," my companion calls down cheerfully. "You were acting like little shits so we decided that you should look like little shits too!"
They only stare at us aghast before turning and running away, shouting threats of what their parents will do to us in revenge.
The younger boy comes forward, turning to look at us. Even from our height I can see his adorable smile. "Thank you so much!" he calls up.
"No problem kid," my companion responds. "It was our pleasure."
The boy beams at us before scampering off.
Smiling, I turn to gaze at him, really looking at him for the first time. What he just did was unbelievable. I don't know one senator, not one, who would have done what he just did.
I am a proud woman; I admit that. But I have never been so proud that I could not admit when I was wrong.
"That wasn't too bad," I say as he turns to me. "You may not be complete bantha poodoo."
"Well… not today," he smirks at me, winking one very blue eye at me. "It actually depends on my mood."
"Duly noted," I say with mock gravity, surprised at his wit. "You can be shit when you want to be."
"Exactly," he says grinning at me.
I roll my eyes, turning from him so he couldn't see my smile; this guy is kind of funny.
"Thank you for what you did just now," I say quietly after a long moment.
"It was really no problem," he responds with an easy smile, his gaze remaining on the bright night-lights of Coruscant. "I was happy to do it."
"Why? Most senators wouldn't be," I reply shortly. "They probably wouldn't have even paid attention to it."
"Well, I know how it feels to be bullied," he says, a solemn smile stretching his features. "No one intervened for me when I was a boy. So now, when I see it, I step in; I don't want anyone to go through the same things I did."
Frowning, I study him with narrowed eyes, trying to discern if he was being genuine or not. It wouldn't surprise me if this were a fabrication; many have attempted to pull a stunt like this since I became the senate's watchdog; I don't take anyone's word at face value anymore.
Noticing my perusal, he smiles, showing perfect white teeth. Annoyed that I noticed the state of his teeth, I grit my own, continuing to stare at him.
"Well, it's only right that you feel that way if you were bullied yourself. Do you expect a medal for being a decent sentient being?"
"You're very defensive aren't you," he asks seriously, staring down at me as intently as I was looking at him.
"I've found that I have to be."
"Not everyone who meets you is out to get you or is seeking you for some ulterior motive," he says softly, shaking his head.
"You do live among politicians, the rich and wealthy, right?" I ask sardonically.
"There are good people even amongst them," he asserts, rubbing his arm.
"That's not my experience," I retort.
"Maybe you need to get out more," he replies glibly, smiling down at me.
I close my mouth, only able to stare up at him in confusion. I have met many different people from many different places and no one has been able to, for lack of a better word, handle what I throw at them. Yet this man is doing so easily.
"Who are you," I ask suspiciously, suddenly on guard. Was he a politician, one of the noveau riche, a wealthy performer? I really, really wanted to know because there was just something about him that was… off.
"So this is where you are!"
I frown and turn to the entrance of the veranda to the voice that interrupted me and shake my head in irritated distaste at what I see.
A small, elderly woman stands before us and she looks ridiculous. Her solid gray hair is piled precariously on her head and she has on enough makeup to fell a gundark. If that's not enough, it's loud, colorful makeup.
"Matilda!" he says, a smile stretching his lips. "Did you come here looking for me?"
"Yes, of course I did! The opera is over and you are my date!" She glares at me before batting her eyes at him and slowly walking forward, purposely emphasizing the sway of her hips.
The effort to hold my tongue nearly makes me choke. Contrary to popular belief, I do not rip into everyone I meet on a whine; I was taught to respect my elders, and when not in the political arena, I do… even if they do look utterly foolish.
"I'm sorry," he apologizes to her. "I deviated off course." He went to her, tucking her arm under his own.
"That's okay," she simpers, clinging to him. "We're together now and that's all that matters!" She gives me an evil look through the heavy veil of cosmetics, obviously viewing me as competition.
I'm actually glad she did; it's then that I'm able to see the humor in the situation and it helps me to release my frustration. She's obviously trying to recapture her youth; who am I to stop her from doing so?
"I was just on my way back, I was merely having a chat with my new friend here, Senator Amidala," he explains.
Friend? In his dreams. But the sound of my name elicited the response I've become accustomed to; instant fear. I usually don't care for that reaction, but this time, it'll be worth it if it gets grandma to go away.
"You… you're Senator Amidala?" she squeaks.
"I am," I say politely, firmly, eyes not leaving hers. "I hope you enjoyed the opera." It's an obvious dismissal and she took it as such.
"I did," she responds, her eyes darting between him and me. "Darling, why don't I meet you at our box, yes?"
He looks at her in confusion before nodding. "Yes, of course."
The haste with which she makes her exit would have been amusing if not for the questioning look he shoots me.
In response to his look, I give an indelicate, unladylike shrug.
"I guess you're pretty important?" he asks, cocking his head to the side.
"I guess so," I respond evenly, my gaze steady. I'm not trying to be mysterious; I simply don't parade my resume in front of everyone. If he wants to know who I am, he can damn well look me up.
Probably sensing that I was done speaking, he shakes his head and let out a small laugh as though amused.
"I can take a hint," he says, running his hand through his blonde locks. "I'll go. You might not reciprocate the sentiment, but it was very nice meeting you."
He moves toward me and before I can process what he's doing, he takes my hand in his and kisses it. The feel of his warm, moist lips only touches my skin for a moment, but it's enough.
I stare at him with wide eyes as he backs up slightly to gaze upon me again. "Goodbye, Senator Amidala," he says softly before leaving, his footsteps silent on the thick, lush carpet.
I stand there for a moment and stare at the place on my hand where he'd kissed me. It burned.
Frowning, I exit the veranda, wondering at the strange feeling in the pit of my belly. I had never felt it before, I didn't know what it was and I didn't like it. His kiss had probably made me sick…
I go home that night with Mon and Bail and although I engage them and smile at them, my mind is on him.
Who is he?
As soon as I get home, I sit at my desk and research him. After an hour of fruitless searching, I stop, leaning back in my chair, thinking.
This had never happened to me before; no matter who it was, I've always been able to find out at least some information about a person even without a name.
It confirmes my suspicions about this man.
There's something funny going on here and I will not rest until I find out what.
End of Chapter 7: I wrote and rewrote this chapter more times than I care to remember, sooo… tell me what you think.
Chapter 8: Second meeting: A coincidence.
A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed from the last chapter:
phantom-jedil, Starvingforupdates, Aira Skies, Lerithanei, Heart of Aiur, AJMontyBird, ebonyXivory777, Silent Jay, Whitetree-Nimloth, jokehead, angie, The-Death-Star-Is-A-Lie, Tixilein2, the157th, VenusStar2-com, narxxnes, tribune militum, Rookworm, Imperial warlord, Skatious, Glee Plane, ILDV, ragonen, MusicalHeartStrings, Master Esso Antos, badkidoh, Hunflaron, dragonball256, Pepper Jackson, Caleb, JourneyRocks13, Loteva, LordAedan, BANE19, PastaSentient, Anakin-Jason-Skywalker-Kenobi, Young at Heart21.
If I missed you or messed up your name, I apologize; charge it to my head not my heart because you are all important to me. Thank you again!
A/N2: Starvingforupdates: your review made me smile and made me determined to post tonight. Thank you.
