AN: The Original version of Chapter 3 had a bunch of code mingled in for some reason. This has been edited to fix that issue.

Chapter 3: Tell All the Truth, But Tell it Slant

Tell all the truth but tell it slant —

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth's superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind —

-Emily Dickinson

The assassin droid saw everything in shades of red, through narrow red slits in the center of its hull. It saw in heat vision and floor plans and blueprints and simulated futures that it calculated and recalculated in real-time. It saw people as labels: target, obstacle, commander, irrelevant, ally, enemy.

Countless rows of interlocking metallic rings, nesting inside each other allowed it to form and reform itself in countless shapes and reconstructions, imitating other droids, storage cabinets, control panels, or pouring itself into cracks and crevices. It could shrink itself to a nearly two-dimensional disc or inflate itself to rival the height of a Wookiee. It could form hypodermic needles to administer poisons, or tentacle-like limbs to strangle, or violent spinning serrated blades that sliced through blood and bone alike.

"The futures I foresaw have altered most distressingly," Palpatine told the droid. "Young Vader has retained a strong attachment to the light. I depend on you, A3-K3, to rectify the missing variable, my most loyal servant."

A deep, electronic rumble emitted from the droid, "Assign the target, Master."

Palpatine drew a small red vial from within his cloak. "You will administer this serum to the Senator Amidala, which will slowly overtake her system, in time to bare her offspring before she succumbs to its poison."

"It will be done."

A3 ran the simulation at the entrance with over three thousand variations. Puzzlingly, the most effective strategy was directly approaching as a nondescript sort of Astro droid. The white-clad clone guards simply stood aside and let it pass through the Senator's doors. A3's typical targets had more protection than this. But wondering why the plans had worked was not part of the droid's programming. A3 proceeded.

Past the front doors, there was a neat, sizable sitting room with several irrelevant droids milling about aimlessly. A3 immediately shifted some metallic links, becoming a stealthy mobile snake to avoid the idiot droids' attention.

Two heat signatures emanated from the Senator's private bedroom, but that made no difference. Most organic creatures were even less intelligent than the useless droids and idiot guards that had been so easily avoided. From the available intel, one of the heat signatures likely sat upon the Senator's bed at the center of the room, while the other sat at her desk against the wall to the west. A3 instantaneously filtered through thousands of simulations while approaching the door.

Thinning out even further, A3 slithered beneath the door, keeping to the corners, and inching along the floor against the wall.

The target sat at the desk. Ideal.

A3 collected itself beneath the desk, reforming into a short, dense cylinder with the serum at it's core, and growing a flexible, extremely narrow needle-like appendage, which wound its way slowly up the table leg.

Conversation had been going on between the two organisms, of course, but A3 took little notice of it until the speech abruptly stopped. A sudden buzz and flash of blue light severed A3's beautifully serpentine syringe and a drop of bright red serum splashed against the now-empty desk chair. The target had retreated. The other advanced with his blade. A3 recoiled, slithering into a nearby air vent.

A Jedi. This would require much more strategy.

She was protected after all.

"What was that thing?" Padmé panted, having jumped frantically out of the way as Obi-Wan had attacked her furniture.

"An assassination attempt," Obi-Wan replied through gritted teeth.

"Why would anyone be after me with all the chaos going on? Shouldn't they have bigger targets to contend with?"

"I can think of someone who might want you out of the way."

"Not Anakin." She stated, resolutely.

"Perhaps...more likely, though, his master," A slow smile touched the corners of Obi-Wan's mouth. "Which could, in fact, prove useful to us."

"I see what you mean," Padmé replied. "If that's the case, Ani might leave the so-called Emperor."

"Might even take him out of the picture altogether," Obi-Wan agreed.

*Back in the Emperor's rooms, Vader meditated on the theme of pain, as Palpatine had instructed.

Causing pain. Yawn.

His own pain. Shudder.

The Dark Side's capacity to create pain. Safe enough.

He couldn't say how much time had passed. Boredom and insight intermingled for…what, half an hour? Half a day? He couldn't tell. At last, Palpatine returned.

"Rise Vader."

He complied, silent and irritated by the prolonged absence. Some training!

"I have a mission for you, Lord Vader."

Vader inclined his head slightly, waiting for more information. This, at least, might interest him.

"We have reports of a rogue Jedi still in the city," Palpatine continued. "Seen last in the Senate Residence building."

Padmé! Vader bristled, gloved hands clenching at his sides.

"Find the Jedi traitor and bring him to me."

"As you command, my Master."

"He's in the building."

"You should go."

"Tell me when he leaves again. I don't want you alone after that attempt."

"I'll be fine. Just remember the plan."

They both heard the front doors slide open, heads subconsciously darting toward the noise.

"Go now!" Padmé insisted, "I'll be safe!"

Obi-Wan hopped lithely onto the windowsill, waving a quick goodbye, and dropping himself down to the next balcony before jumping (with the Force's help) down several flights, and onto his waiting speeder.

Meanwhile, Padmé quickly tucked herself beneath her thick duvet, breathing deep to calm her nerves, trying to imitate something close enough to sleep.

Her husband stormed in and she feigned startling awake.

"Oh, thank goodness you're home!" She began, but he cut her off.

"Who has been here?" He demanded.

"Nobo-"

"I asked you not to lie to me, Padmé!" He stomped to her bedside, hovering angrily over her. "It was a Jedi, wasn't it? Who? Obi-Wan?"

She sat up, looking him squarely in the eye, despite her frantic heart.

"If you must know!" She barked back, "there was an assassin droid, here trying to kill me! With no help from your armed guards, by the way!"

Vader took a startled step backward. "Trying to kill you?" He floundered, "But why?"

"I imagine they wanted me gone because I agreed to join with you!" She laid on a bit more anger than strictly necessary. After all the trouble he'd caused, she felt justified in making him stew. "Your Emperor has angered more than a few powerful people."

"Impossible!" He spat, crossing the room, and deflating himself into the desk chair. "No one knows any senators' loyalties yet. It's still too early."

"Apparently not."

"What is this?" He asked, still suspicious but no longer full of venom. He gestured toward the singed leg of Padmé's desk where Obi-Wan had slashed the droid's arm off.

"That…that's where I blasted the damn assassin droid!" She improvised. She hadn't noticed the mark before.

"Oh," he lost a bit more of his vigor, and they sat in silence for a moment. "I'm so sorry I left you alone to face that," He finally offered, standing again, and moving to throw his arms around his fragile, pregnant, brave, long-suffering wife. "Thank the Force you're alright!"

"I am," she cooed, gladly stroking his head as he hid his face against her shoulder. "I'm okay, my love. Everything is fine now. It's nothing we haven't faced before."

Satisfied that she had successfully diverted his attention off of Obi-Wan, she continued with her script.

"I just wish we knew who was behind this attack. And I suggest we find some more qualified bodyguards for me, Ani. These two are clearly incompetent."

"Don't worry, my Angel," He practically growled. "I will find this rebel assassin and put an end to it. You have my word."

"I know you will, darling. I've been counting on it."

She settled back into the covers, sleepy and contented. Finally, she could really get some rest.

But the babies had other ideas, and their entrance to the universe could not be delayed once they'd made up their minds.

AN: Thanks for reading this far! Please remember to leave a review and follow/favorite to help more readers discover the fic. I love hearing what you guys think. As you can see there are some exciting scenes coming up, so I'm excited to see how this goes, just like you guys!

Thank you all for your kind and encouraging reviews thus far! Until Next time, -Xx