Chapter 7

Rotunda of the Senate, next morning

Senator Sona used to continue Mon Mothmas behaviour to let himself be accompanied by his aide while on duty in the rotunda. So Kimea Tachi sat beside him listening to the discussions that took place here. One of her duties was to make notes for the senator but that was forbidden since nearly a decade now. So she did what Mon Mother has once told her: "Listen careful and make inner notes. Palpatine may be ignorant, but he is no fool! He knows everything because he listens carefully all the time, although he seems to be asleep or apathetically. Never underestimate him!"

Oh, she did know Mon Mothma well. For some years now. Her parents had been in the rebellion since the uprising of the Galactic Empire. Her father had introduced her to the chandrilian senator when they have met at a meeting. Mon Mothma made friends with her although she was nearly double the age of the young Jedi but she realized Kimeas interest in politics and she was the opinion to offer Kimea Kenobi a mentorship.

Today Palpatine sat on his throne, in the middle of the rotunda, formerly the seat of the chancellor. Although the senate discussed the laws, it was Palpatine who decided everything on his own.


Kimea was impressed; he was barely 30 metres away from the chandrilian pod and hardly guarded. It might be easy to kill him at this place without being noticed at all. But…Palpatine was so self-assured nobody would dare to assault him in these holly halls of law.

Palpatine hold a very long speech; of course about the true nature of the rebellion whose leader had fled but would be found and executed soon. He told lies over lies, spoke in such a hate she didn't heard in her life before.

Did he really believe in what he is talking about?

Should she make him feel how near she might come to him without him taken notice?

Just a second…a single second…

The power of the force floated her mind, her body…he would feel her immediately.

Kimea watched him with interest. Palpatine was a very good speaker and of course eloquent but suddenly he stumbled in the middle of a sentence, looked around as he tried to search for…her!

Once again Kimea hide herself in the clouds of the force. The Emperor has followed his speech again but went on scanning the pods in the senate. Did he believe he would see a person wearing a Jedi outfit or someone holding up a poster with "I'm here!" on it? He couldn't be that naive, could he?

Nothing happened. His majesty went on, he hadn't discovered her.


The Jedi was here! Here! In the senate!

A cold shower went down his back. He had never thought the Jedi would dare to step into the rotunda. But although looking around and searching for new faces he wasn't able to identify the source of the disturbance in the force. He had no clue if the Jedi was male or female, an alien or a human, how old he or she was…he knew absolutely nothing!

Frustrating…

Absolute frustrating…

Am I the only one here who feel the Jedi? If Vader would have feel something disturbing he would have mentioned it, wouldn't he?

He decided to ask him when talking to him the next time.


Dexter's Diner

While studying on the university Kimea has already worked in the gastronomy service. At 2000 she started her shift at Dexter's Diner in the kitchen. She was well known to the stuff, because she was introduced to them the afternoon before. Some of the stuff members have already known Kimea when she was a little girl.

She liked this place for a meeting with Palpatine because Dexter's Diner was famous at alien species as well.

Furthermore Kimea was able to watch the diner via monitor. She would observe him without being seen by him. So she would not need to manipulate her face…

Palpatine was punctual. He wasn't wearing his Sithrobes, Kimea hardly believe what she has just seen, but normal and coloured robes as millions of individuals on Coruscant as well. He has manipulated his face with the force to be not identified but Kimea found out easily because he didn't clouded himself in the force but let her feel his presence.


Dexter's Diner was the kind of restaurant he feared it would be. The location of this restaurant was at the far end of the senatorial district but it was light years away from his world and his standard.

He has dressed himself in some older, more informal clothes than he normally wore. He hadn't dressed this way for many years, so he didn't feel very comfortable. Finding some of his older robes in the deep of his wardrobe he had decided to change for the meeting with the Jedi; furthermore he has manipulated his face to change into another man's face anybody wouldn't remember long at all.

The diner disliked him the moment he entered. Aliens were around here and today humans were a rare minority; and he among them.

So,…he entered this restaurant at last, looking around. Most of the guests sat at the bar or on several desks.

He guesses if someone was advising him to a free desk but after a few seconds he doubted and walked through the diner towards a free separee and settled himself.

Just in time the service droid WA-7 welcomed him harshly and asked for his order.

"I'd like to have the menu card, please…and what's today's special?"

"I ask the cook. Would you like something for drink?"

He ordered a glass of water and waited what was up to happen soon.

A few minutes there was nothing to happen. The service droid gave away his order and called someone called 'Dexter'; the owner of this establishment.This 'Dexter' murmured something to her. Then WA-7 rolled back to him, placed his glass of water on his desk and presents him an old-fashioned menu card.

"Today's special is Wampasteak; but if I were you I wouldn't order it!"

He thanked and was left alone again. He took a sip of water and looked around once more. The Jedi haven't shown up yet, but how would they get in contact anyway?

He looked upon the menu card.

Directly on page 1 there was a little piece of paper with a hand written note on it. A very well read note, written in an unknown handwriting.

"Ask Dexter how many of these menus are digestible for humans and order one of it."

Indeed this menu card was more questionable than informal to him. All of these menus were totally unknown to him and ordering something out of the blue could be like committing suicide… He then could just hope that surprising menu was eatable for a human. Above all he had no appetite for years. Once again he took a sip when WA-7 rolled to him, ready to take his order.

Carefully he asked for Dexter.

"Sweetheart!" WA-7 yelled out of her speaker in a sudden and through the diner, "Here's someone who'd like to talk to you!"

Dexter entered the diner; he has been in the kitchen.

Palpatine whitened a nuance when eyeing the alien striving towards him. Dexter was a four-armed alien, wearing dirty clothes and a smelly apron. Palpatine now asked himself when the public health office had been here for the last time when Dexter arrived and stopped just centimetres away.

"Yeap?"

"Excuse me,…I'd like to ask…which of these menus are digestible for humans?"

"There are 12 of them; written down at "humanoids". You should remember this."

"Pardon?"

"You should have this number in your mind. Please make your offer soon."

"Well,…thanks."

Palpatine sighed, bewared his anger to shown to the outside and watched out for "humanoids" in the menu card. The Jedi has made a fool on him!


Kimea observed the scenery taken place in diner while helping out in the kitchen. Out of the off she was able to hear some different voices…even his voice. Oh, and yes, she could feel his uprising anger! He was very displeased!

Dexter returned from the diner with a big grin on his face.

"I don't believe he like my menu card at all!"

He spoke a bit quieter than normal so Palpatine wasn't able to listen.

"I wouldn't hope to get the offer to become a caterer to the palace if I were you." She laughed and took care for two offers WA-7 should serve to the guests waiting for their food to come.

"Kimmy, although I love to make a fool of him, does Obi-Wan know what you're doing here? Does he learn about this paper chase with ol'Palpatine?"

"No, and you won't tell him!"

"Fine, but Palpatine got something that is yours. Go tell him and claim it!"

"Then I would be dead within the next few hours! No, I know what I'm doing! It isn't a paper chase at all…it's more or less a trip, connected to some enigmas. The salvation might be interesting for him,…if he think it over. It's about him, the Jedi, me…and about his so called Empire."

"Well, fine. And you're sure I shouldn't arrange a group of toughs to beat him up just around the corner when he's leaving?"

"Thanks, Dex, but that isn't necessary and not that suitable for my plans."

Her look returned back to the monitor. She saw Palpatine ordering at WA-7.


After a few minutes his order was served. It barely smelled tasty but looked indeed eatable. If he should dare…?

Once again there was a note. Same hand writing.

"May I make a compliment on today's speech? Very interesting indeed. By the way I'm sure nobody has listen to you passionately. I hope you like Dexter's Diner. After diner please go to the next shuttle station. In addition to your bill there will be given a key to you for a locker. At the station you will learn where we're meeting again and what's your homework is. I'm sure you'll love this kind of homework."

And yes, he got this mysterious key when asking for the bill.


Shuttle station, a few minutes later

He had found the locker easily and had opened it quickly. It was cold and he disliked this location; especially at this time of the day. The note was once again written on white paper. Pinning on this note was a ticket.

A ticket for an old holo movie theatre?

And then this spectacular homework: "Find out if your advisors and aides deliver you all the information they are given. If not, which ones are filtered out?"

This may be indeed very interesting! His lips formed into a little smile…