Chapter 9
Some things are simply not to be born. Padme Amidala was not a person who could sit by and let things happen to her. She wanted to be doing things. She wanted to be in control of a situation. She had been staying in her comfortable villa in the lake country of Naboo doing nothing. Now she sat in her plush secret chambers on Corusant doing nothing. It simply wouldn't be born!
Padme sighed and took her empty platter to the food prep and placed it into the W-D, a droid that specialized in washing food utensils. She had been in these rooms for two days, and, as she had promised Anakin, no one knew she was there. She walked back into the living room and slumped onto the couch. She smiled to herself as she realized that this was probably the first time since she was fifteen that she had done anything for herself. Well, unless you counted the short time that she had been on Genosis and Tatooine. She hadn't had a handmaiden to do everything for her then. In some ways she wished she lived a normal life. She wished that she had never entered a political academy, that she had never become queen, that she had never agreed to be a senator. She wondered what it would have been like to have grown up in her parents' home and got married, and then had her own home. Someday she would have had children. She would have been able to choose the decorations for her own house. She would have made meals for her husband and children with her own hands. She probably never would have had a maid. She would have never met Anakin. As she remembered this she smiled. Yes, there was good in the path she had chosen. She helped people every day.
Thinking of her work in the Senate reminded her of the warning she had received from Kran Solo. He seemed quite certain that there was corruption in the Senate, and he apparently held no great love for Chancellor Palpatine. Padme wasn't sure about him any more. At one time she had greatly admired him. He had helped her planet during the Trade Federation siege. He had moved himself into the position of Chancellor so that he could help. Yes. that was true. he had been very clever in getting himself in. It was quite coincidental that the siege on his home planet allowed him to become the most powerful man in the galaxy. Wasn't it? Padme wasn't slumping anymore. She sat up straight and tried to think. Things she had never even thought about suddenly surfaced. Palpatine's sorrow about his planet's predicament had been very evident, perhaps he was too sincere? Perhaps he knew about the Trade Federation and had even ordered the siege to give him an opportunity to oust Chancellor Vallorum. But, if he was in league with the Federation then, what was to stop him from being in league with them now? Why shouldn't he still know their plans? Padme began to pace her rooms, thinking to the point that it was almost painful. The Trade Federation had created an army, the Trade Federation had joined the Separatists. The Separatists had started a war. Palpatine was given emergency powers for the duration of the war. He immediately built an army to fight for the Republic. Except, the army had been started ten years before, almost as if someone knew what was going to happen. How interesting that it was started at the same time as the siege on Naboo. What if Palpatine had ordered the creation of the army and the siege on Naboo, knowing that it would allow him power? But what good would it do him? The Senate was already very confident in his leadership. The war wouldn't benefit anyone.
Except Palpatine.
"He's not going to give up his emergency powers! He's going to become an Emperor!"
Some things are simply not to be born. Padme Amidala was not a person who could sit by and let things happen to her. She wanted to be doing things. She wanted to be in control of a situation. She had been staying in her comfortable villa in the lake country of Naboo doing nothing. Now she sat in her plush secret chambers on Corusant doing nothing. It simply wouldn't be born!
Padme sighed and took her empty platter to the food prep and placed it into the W-D, a droid that specialized in washing food utensils. She had been in these rooms for two days, and, as she had promised Anakin, no one knew she was there. She walked back into the living room and slumped onto the couch. She smiled to herself as she realized that this was probably the first time since she was fifteen that she had done anything for herself. Well, unless you counted the short time that she had been on Genosis and Tatooine. She hadn't had a handmaiden to do everything for her then. In some ways she wished she lived a normal life. She wished that she had never entered a political academy, that she had never become queen, that she had never agreed to be a senator. She wondered what it would have been like to have grown up in her parents' home and got married, and then had her own home. Someday she would have had children. She would have been able to choose the decorations for her own house. She would have made meals for her husband and children with her own hands. She probably never would have had a maid. She would have never met Anakin. As she remembered this she smiled. Yes, there was good in the path she had chosen. She helped people every day.
Thinking of her work in the Senate reminded her of the warning she had received from Kran Solo. He seemed quite certain that there was corruption in the Senate, and he apparently held no great love for Chancellor Palpatine. Padme wasn't sure about him any more. At one time she had greatly admired him. He had helped her planet during the Trade Federation siege. He had moved himself into the position of Chancellor so that he could help. Yes. that was true. he had been very clever in getting himself in. It was quite coincidental that the siege on his home planet allowed him to become the most powerful man in the galaxy. Wasn't it? Padme wasn't slumping anymore. She sat up straight and tried to think. Things she had never even thought about suddenly surfaced. Palpatine's sorrow about his planet's predicament had been very evident, perhaps he was too sincere? Perhaps he knew about the Trade Federation and had even ordered the siege to give him an opportunity to oust Chancellor Vallorum. But, if he was in league with the Federation then, what was to stop him from being in league with them now? Why shouldn't he still know their plans? Padme began to pace her rooms, thinking to the point that it was almost painful. The Trade Federation had created an army, the Trade Federation had joined the Separatists. The Separatists had started a war. Palpatine was given emergency powers for the duration of the war. He immediately built an army to fight for the Republic. Except, the army had been started ten years before, almost as if someone knew what was going to happen. How interesting that it was started at the same time as the siege on Naboo. What if Palpatine had ordered the creation of the army and the siege on Naboo, knowing that it would allow him power? But what good would it do him? The Senate was already very confident in his leadership. The war wouldn't benefit anyone.
Except Palpatine.
"He's not going to give up his emergency powers! He's going to become an Emperor!"