"There's only one pilot's chair," Buffy said turning to the Jedi and Sith Lord who were standing behind her. It was the first thing she'd noticed when stepping out of the elevator. In the large circular space on this deck, only one sad and lonely pilot's chair sat in front of the controls.
"The Zabrack most likely worked alone," replied Obi-Wan, his robe hanging off his shoulders as he sauntered past her. He'd taken hands from his robe pockets in the elevator and he now examined the inside of his old enemies ship, his face open and curious.
"That's because Maul didn't have an apprentice," Palpatine explained, a small smile twisting his mouth. "According to our Galactic Font of Wisdom, Master Yoda, the Sith only come in pairs. An apprentice and his master."
His eyes flicked to Buffy. "Or her apprentice, of course. There's been plenty of female Sith over the years – or so I am led to believe. We can't leave the girls out, can we?" He rubbed his hands together at the thought of a certain Sith girl, before schooling his features into one of commiseration. He gave a small and obviously fake sigh. "Sadly, for the Jedi, they've never been able to discover the identity of Maul's master." A note of glee crept into his voice, "It must really worry them."
Buffy hid her eye roll, Palpatine could be such an obvious villain at times. She looked across at Obi-Wan to see how he'd take the insults to the Jedi Order. He appeared to have lost his filter and was now saying whatever came into his head. That was so not like Obi-Wan. Was it the effect of being so close to a Sith? Or was the ship affecting him somehow? She was relieved to see that the Jedi appeared more interested in investigating the various toggles and switches than becoming aggravated by Palpatine's comments.
"Maul's master is not our problem," Buffy replied firmly. Obi-Wan didn't look about to freak out but it was as well to remind him of that. It was one of the reasons why she'd brought up the chair. She walked across to the pilot's chair and leaned over the controls, looking out the rose-tinted windows. Chairs were a safe conversation. She'd run with that. "It's the lack of chairs that bothers me. I need two, one for me and one for Obi-Wan."
Sensing the Jedi hadn't followed her, and still feeling uneasy after his peculiar behavior, Buffy looked over her shoulder to see what he was up to. The Jedi was now on the opposite side of the room to her and Sid. That section of the deck had been set up as a 'lounge' area, presumably for any passengers or for the ship's owner to relax in.
Obi-Wan pressed a button on the arm of a chair and a panel slid back revealing a hidden control panel. A flick of one of the switches caused a table to rise from the floor. From what Buffy could see, it wasn't a normal caff table, this one came fitted with a multitude of technical gadgets. There was even a holoprojector in the center of the table.
Had Sid appeared as a hologram message to Maul on that very table? The Zabrack most likely used that area for both working and relaxing in. She got a sudden mental image of the Dathomirian drinking tea and lounging across the seats with his boots on. That reminded her, had the upholstery been cleaned recently?
"There's no need to fret, my Sweet. I'll have a second pilot's seat installed immediately," replied Palpatine. Never wanting to be far from her when they were in the same room together, he'd not only followed her over to the controls but settled himself in the pilot's seat. Cold blue-grey eyes regarded her thoughtfully, before turning to regard the myriad of controls set in front and above his head.
"Buffy, let me show you this. It's rather fun." He began flicking a row of buttons. "These release and raise the prow cannons, and this lever controls their direction. The button to fire them is on top. You'll also be able to use the neural transmitter headset since you're Force sensitive."
"I'm not Force sensitive," replied Buffy. No matter how hard she tried, she still wasn't able to control the Force like the Jedi could. "Well, not in the normal way of being Force sensitive."
Sid gave her one of his tucked-in, knowing smiles. "Of course not. Let no one ever suggest you're normal or a Jedi," he said smoothly. His hands reversed the sequence to lower the prow cannons before moving over to a different set of controls. "This is the sequence to activate the Stygian cloaking crystals. I'm sure you'll have fun with this."
Buffy leaned over him, trying to remember which controls were used with the cloaking mechanism and which were for the cannons. It wouldn't do to get the two mixed up. She felt a wave of panic at being faced with so many complex sequences.
She was concentrating so intently on the ship that she didn't realize her face was so close to Palpatine's until the Sith Lord spoke directly into her ear. The puff of his breath blowing down her neck. Buffy shivered, and not in a good way.
"Are you having anyunusual urges?" Palpatine asked. He'd been wanting to ask her since they'd come on board ship but, as usual, the Jedi had been shadowing her. Now with Kenobi busy playing with the holoprojector, and trying to access the history stored on its data chip, it would be the best time to ask her.
Buffy pulled her eyes from the confusing array of screens, buttons, toggles, and levers to look directly into the dark and knowing eyes of the Supreme Chancellor.
"Huh?"
"I asked if you were having..." he licked at his lips, "... strong unusual urges?"
Her mind still on launch sequences, weaponry, and cloaking crystals it took a couple of seconds for Buffy to figure out what Sid was asking her. He wanted to know if she was having any unusual sexual urges! That explained why Obi-Wan had made a suggestive comment when he'd spotted the bedroom on board the ship. She'd known it wasn't like Obi-Wan. She gave the Supreme Chancellor a disapproving look. He and Maul must have booby-trapped the ship with a Love Spell. No wonder it was called a Sith Infiltrator!
"Does it make you want to go off and do .. things?" Sid's voice had dropped to a low growl. His tongue darting out, licking at his lips.
"Err..." stammered Buffy. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. Across the room, Obi-Wan sensed the direction of her heightened feelings, he stopped fiddling with the table, his blue eyes meeting hers. He raised his eyebrow and Buffy felt her cheeks go even redder.
Palpatine grabbed her arm. He held it, his eyes boring into her. "You can feel it, can't you? You feel the call of the ship." His face close to hers, practically cackling.
"I knew it!" Buffy yanked her arm from his grasp. "You've put some sort of sex spell on this ship haven't you?"
"What?!"
Both Sid's eyebrows rose up with astonishment and his mouth dropped. "Vader, as if I'd even know a sex spell! That type of thing was never part of my education – unfortunately." He cackled softly to himself before his look became more speculative. "If you're feeling frisky, you know I'll always be up for whatever you have in mind."
Obi-Wan stopped trying to slice into the holoprojector and straightened up. Unable to hear the softly spoken words but feeling the spike of Buffy's panic through their bond. She met his eyes.
~ I'm fine.~
The Sith's eyes also slid in Obi-Wan's direction. "The Jedi watches us. If we're heading to one of the bedrooms I suggest we ditch the Jedi first. His face is rather off-putting." A devious grin lit up his face. "Unless we tie him up, gag him, and force him to watch. What do you think? That might be fun."
Buffy stepped back, her lower back hitting the control console. She'd known Palpatine was a creepy guy before coming here, but she hadn't realized he was such a perv.
"I don't want to go into a bedroom," she hissed. She didn't add the important part to the end of the sentence - with you.
The com-link in Obi-Wan's pocket pinged. He turned his back on them and took the call using the silence projector so that the caller's conversation was limited only to himself.
"It was you who brought it up," snapped Palpatine peevishly to Buffy. "All I asked was if you felt the ship's Dark Side calling to you."
"What does the Dark Side even feel like?" asked Buffy, genuinely interested. The way Obi-Wan described it was almost like a voice inside his head, luring him and offering him the power to accomplish all he wanted. The only thing she'd felt in the presence of the Dark Side was a tingle on the Slaydar and the urge to rip her stake out and impale something.
The Sith tutted. "Yes, yes, of course. Neither of us knows, do we? They say it makes you feel... strangely empowered and invigorated?"
"Oh."
"Well? Does it, or does it not?"
"Not really. The only urge I'm getting is the one to visit the 'fresher. I'm feeling the effects of drinking two cups of caff this morning." The Sith looked scandalized, so she added apologetically, "I was in a rush and forgot to go before coming out."
A sudden tug along her bond, made her look up.
Obi-Wan approached them, his call finished. ~We need to go.~ He didn't explain why, his face gave nothing away, but she knew he felt uneasy.
He gave Palpatine a very small bow. "I'm sorry Supreme Chancellor, but we need to cut this visit short. Buffy and I have several things we need to do before leaving Theed. We don't want to be late for the shuttle we've got booked."
Buffy wondered who'd been on the com-link and what the call was about. She guessed she'd need to wait until they were on their own before finding out.
A/N:
Any mistakes please drop me a private review and I will alter.
Not had a great week, ill and a mountain of personal stress. Musey is not happy. She forced me to write this before going on to the next section.
Thanks to those who took the time to review the last chapter.