The plains of Naboo stirred with a howling wind. Theed loomed in the distance, while squadrons of V-Wing fighters poured into the skies. Garrisons of clone troopers descended upon the peaceful city of Theed in AT-RT and AT-TE walkers. Acclimator-class vessels landed upon Theed while LAAT transports moved higher level officers into the city. One of the LAAT transports contained the commander of this operation; a fire-brazened woman in her late 20s garbed in a bland gray uniform, trimmed of raven boots and gloves. Fires raged across the countryside, Theed Palace crumbled in a flurry of bombs and explosions. Citizens of Theed ran for safety only to be rounded up by the dozens of clone troopers casing the town.
Rité Jaderrie's LAAT landed in the courtyard of Theed Palace. She disembarked the open door vessel as the craft lifted off. Another LAAT descended upon the ground; exiting Teek Epilani; a commanding officer of the clone trooper garrisons. His raven hair buckled in the artificial winds from the ascending LAAT. Fires engulfed their surroundings, while clone troopers saluted the pair; bringing forth Sio Bibble and Queen Apailana. The clone troopers shoved the prisoners to the ground….
"GAAAHH!" Teek Epilani jerked from his sleep; his jumpsuit drenched in cold sweat. He wiped his brow with his blanket and placed his legs off his bed. Ohma-D'un's reflection from Naboo's star shone into the bedroom window lighting an abnormally ghastly chamber; giving an even more startling, unnatural glow to the room. He stumbled over to his wash basin, dipping his hands in the water to splash on his face. Liquid rushed onto his face, he repeated the process only to hear a voice from outside.
The template-like voice of a clone trooper echoed into his mind like a piercing vibroblade through the heart.
"Are you alright, sir?" The trooper outside his door asked.
No fear. It was only a dream. They would never show malice toward the innocents of the Republic. They serve the citizens of the Republic, in the same manner as the Chancellor…or do they serve only the Chancellor?
"I'm ok, just a bad dream." Teek responded.
He couldn't tell the clone the truth; after all, they show no emotion or compassion. As well, he couldn't just wander around the Chancellor's Palace back to Rité's quarters during the night lest he be questioned by the trooper garrison stationed here. He had to wait till morning to tell her of this dream.
Crisp morning air echoed into the courtyard of Palpatine's retreat on Naboo; the sun shown brightly as it made its journey across the morning sky. Soft fog rolled up from the lake over the horizon. From up here, Teek could see flocks of birds leaving the lakeside by the Naberrie family retreat, which from this vantage point seemed infinitesimal. Rité and E3 made their entrance into the courtyard, her Academy suit freshly pressed the night before.
"Look at this view, Teek. Isn't it just romantic, being able to overlook the lakeside and the Naboo plains?"
"I guess, if you're female," Teek joked.
An interruption to their conversation as a Theta-class shuttle roared away from the landing decks below them into the distance. Teek made his way to the edge of the courtyard; below him he could see the landing platforms and the lake immediately below that. How one makes it here without ships, he thought. But, he figured that was the whole point. Palpatine seemed a very private man.
The door leading to the courtyard slid open again, this time to reveal a raven protocol droid carrying a tray of food. The droid waddled his way over to the courtyard table to where Rité had made a seat. Teek looked around towards his friend and motioned in her direction. The protocol droid began to place plates of Naboo food onto the table; fruits, breads and other assortments. E3 chirped toward the protocol droid to attempt conversation. The serving droid replied in a masculine, binary dialect that E3 interpreted as a rude reply.
Teek took a seat across from Rité.
"I don't like this place anymore, Rité. I have a bad feeling about this."
"What could be wrong? We're the Chancellor's special guests for this week. We should be honored, "she soothed.
"I don't know… there's something, I can't place. Almost as if our stay here is scripted. We can't go anywhere without troops watching us."
"They're not with us, currently, are they?"
"Well, no," Teek stated.
"See."
The courtyard door slid open again, this time revealing Sate Pestage and his lavender attire. He made his way toward the couple with two clone troopers, trimmed in red.
Teek sighed, whispering, "I guess I spoke too soon."
"I'm afraid that the Chancellor has important matters to tend to the rest of the week, and he would only be scarce to visit you. He hopes that your stay here is quite lovely, a transport vessel has been arranged to take you back to Theed at the end of your tenure."
Sate Pestage spoke with a pleasant voice, almost calming. Teek returned the pleasantries with a nod and sipped from a glass of juice the droid placed at his seat. He felt uncomfortable in the Palace, and the plasteel chairs of the breakfast table only aided in his uneasiness. Rité ingested her provisions without concern. Mountain air wisped her hair into a slight movement. Sate Pestage shared a smile with the young couple as he removed himself from the courtyard. The pair of red-trimmed soldiers escorted, their armor clunking as they proceeded away.
"I had a dream, Rité; a dream I can not describe."
Rité ceased eating for a moment and glanced up at Teek.
"What do you mean," she asked calmly.
"I…I… I've never been scared from a nightmare my whole life. I also don't understand what it meant."
E3 blurted a whistle.
"Can you try to remember?"
Rité provided a calming voice, Teek would always comfort with her. Their youths were different spectrums. They fought their struggles and aided one another. After Rité's loss of her parents, Teek took to her as a sister. The pair entered Academy at the required age of twelve; studying in different courses all the while maintaining a special bond.
"I…I…I can't. I'm going to relieve my mind of these thoughts."
Teek rose from the table, continuing toward the courtyard entrance. Rité murmured to herself as her soft lips smirked a concern of puzzlement. She didn't pursue Teek; doors closing as he exited the courtyard. E3 whistled.
"E3, I wish I knew what bothered him."
Rité gazed across the open courtyard onto the lake horizon below as she finished her meal. Pristine hills of green sapphire rolled opposite the lake. Majestic birds soared in the distance, swooping into the water to catch prey. Chilly mountain air reinvigorated the woman's senses as a rush of lake scent echoed into her nostrils. Palpatine certainly understood the beauty of his home world by installing his retreat at this particular precipice.
The protocol droid returned for cleaning duties as Rité excused herself from her seat. E3 followed, chirping toward the protocol droid while returning the droid's previously rude behavior.
The training bag snapped with a thud, jerking violently away from Teek as his leg retracted from the placed kick. Two well-timed punches hammered into the sack, forcing the training device to retract again. Beads of sweat glittered off Teek's brow; his jumpsuit echoed a similar notion around his collar. Palpatine's retreat offered a quaint, yet sizable training room to anyone who desired to use it. Vibrostaffs set for low were lined upon the walls. Training sticks similar to those used by Jedi were mounted on an opposite wall. Teek wondered what Jedi training sticks might serve in the function of Palpatine's presence.
His exhausting workout began to wear him down. Pacing toward a work bench, he lied on the floor, rested his feet underneath the bench, locking onto the edge with his toes and began to pull his upper body to the bench. Repeating a few repetitions, he erected into place, grabbing a soft cloth resting on the edge of the bench to wipe his face.
Soft drizzle from the water spout lunged onto Teek's body as he stood in the cool liquid rinsing him. Teek finished his rinse, wiping down with a towel, and clothed into a clean jumpsuit from his supply locker.
Doors opened to reveal the raven-robed Chancellor enter the training facility.
"Young Teek," he began, "I hope I'm not interrupting your commitments?"
"No sir," Teek stumbled upon his words. "I was just finishing."
Palpatine seemed to float as his garments veiled his feet. The salty-topped leader glided around the room, seeming to intake the devices that had been installed. It was as if the Chancellor had never seen these items; yet, Teek realized, Palpatine would have personally commissioned the odd assortment of training gear. Palpatine reached for a Jedi training stick, but retracted as if to contemplate what it was for. He turned back to the lad.
"Such a committed example of a soldier, your services would be very well accepted into the Republic I would imagine. We could use such a skilled man in the ranks of the Republic, to command the armies of clones, or perhaps, for other more, secret assignments."
"I thought that's what the Jedi were for?"
"Ah, yes, the Jedi. There are only so many that we can send to battle. Non-Jedi commanders have recently begun to be used on less important skirmishes.
"Tell me, young Teek," Palpatine took a seat onto a workout bench, "I sense that you don't trust me, why is that?"
Palpatine formed his fingers into a tent, aiming toward the young soldier.
"I only have the interests of the Republic in mind," he continued, "Surely such a brilliant young mind can see that. Your friend seems to place her trust in me."
"I've heard stories, stories of liberties and freedoms being removed in the name of security."
Palpatine raised a finger as if to stop him, "What makes you think that it was my doing? This war was not my plan. Nothing was committed without the approval of the Senate. I believe it was your Naboo senator, Jar Jar Binks that authorized the Military Creation Act. I can only act within the confines of the Senate. I assure you, that once the war is over, these powers will be relinquished back to the people."
"And if the war doesn't end? What then? What if the Jedi and your troopers can not capture Dooku and his Separatists?"
"The Jedi are only so limited by their numbers. Surely, if you would like this war to end sooner, you can see where your assistance as an officer in the Republic is needed. In time, your service will be rewarded and you may return to Naboo.
"Young Teek, I have a vision of a New Order, a new Republic full of intelligent, willing and devoted men like yourself to oversee the duties of the Republic where the Senate votes on the matters at hand but authority is mandated and enforced by these regional governors.
"I also need eyes, ears and especially hands, Teek," Palpatine rose from his bench.
"The days of the Republic have come and gone in this state of perpetual war brought on by the rogue Jedi, Dooku. The Jedi can not be everywhere at once; I can not be everywhere at once. I need devoted followers to serve for the greater glory of the Republic; personnel that answer to a select few, so as to bypass the corruption in this democracy."
"This sounds closely to empire waging!" Teek could not believe his ears. Could his suspicions about Palpatine be true?
"Teek, understand that the Senate is not the body it once was. The Confederacy has infiltrated the Senate enough to shut down many of the measures proposed against it. The Quarrens from Mon Calamari, the Neimodians of the Trade Federation, they are all in league with this Jedi, Dooku. Many suspect this war was created by the Jedi to usurp the duties of the Senate and collapse our grand democracy.
"With dedicated men, we can end this betrayal of justice befallen upon our Republic."
"The intrusion and removal of freedoms, your unlimited checks and balances, all of this…"
Palpatine halted Teek, "A necessity of war, a war that came upon us when the Republic was unprepared. A war against the people, and if the rumors are true, a war waged by the Jedi. If the Jedi are the perpetrators of this war, I will need commanders to take their place so we can continue the search for their leader, Dooku."
"What would become of the Jedi?"
Palpatine paused, searching inside for a reasonable answer.
"Hard to say," Palpatine comforted, "They will be brought before the courts, disbanded perhaps, imprisoned. Then my hands will be placed upon more capable persons; men and women much like Rité and yourself to carry the duties of the Republic."
"I don't believe this! The Jedi couldn't pull this off! I believe in this Republic." Teek remarked.
"The Republic, as you know it, is dying," Palpatine moaned, "It is up to me to preserve it from this treachery. If the Jedi truly are the perpetrators of this war and in turn find out about this secret residency on Naboo, it is only a matter of time before they send their Separatist fleets to ravage this planet in a vain attempt to undermine and possibly assassinate the Chancellor. That I do not doubt. My life, your planet will be in danger."
Palpatine's words echoed through Teek's mind. Questions raced as he began to wonder if the Jedi were behind this war all along, but why he wondered. Palpatine smirked at the lad as he felt the boy's thoughts. He wanted to find out more, Palpatine had given him a taste of the demise of the Republic, but he wasn't certain.
"Your friend, Rité understands the Republic is a just and civilized rule of law. What would you have to serve if the Republic, if Naboo, or worse, she dies?" Palpatine's voice deepened, "The Senate does not see this corruption because they are accomplices to it. I am only one man, but I need help in preserving democracy."
"I don't know… Is there more?"
Palpatine's voice regained its pleasant composure.
"In due time, Teek, I will tell you more. But, I want to see your strengths. Your skills are superb, unmatched by anyone on Naboo. I'd like to see how they fair against one of my more experienced combat technicians. Come with me, I have arranged for a sparring match with another young cadet, much your age."
Palpatine escorted Teek into a hallway leading to another courtyard. Statues representing ancient warriors of a battle long ago adorned the hallway much in the same manner seen throughout the rest of the Palace. Palpatine glided across the floor in a steady gait, Teek by his side. A gateway opened into the courtyard where a couple pairs of men dressed in crimson jumpsuits sparred with sparring sticks. Teek recognized that these men must be part of Palpatine's security detachment, honing their combat skills. Another man approached the Chancellor carrying a vibroblade in each hand and addressing the ruler with a bow.
The man heaved one of the vibroblades toward Teek, the reverberations echoing through the courtyard like a podracer's engines through Beggar's Canyon. Teek caught the blade with his right hand as the combatant challenged him to a spar. Palpatine gave him a fatherly coax to challenge the man as the blades were non-lethal. Palpatine spied the early parries and lunges, a glimmer of smirk crossed his face. Two red-trimmed shock troopers entered the courtyard behind Palpatine. The Chancellor pivoted toward the guards motioning them in escort.