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Chapter Two: Finis coronat opus.
— the end crowns the work.
Coruscant was called the Empire's gem, and not without reason - she lived up to that name. The former Supreme Chancellor, now Emperor Palpatine, stood at the view port in his throne room and observed the majestic buildings with pride bubbling in his chest. The light that hit the skyscrapers made them shine like the Rainbow Gems from Gallinore, almost like a king's crown. His crown. Worthy of an Emperor.
But this, where he stood now, was different. This place once was the headquarters of the Jedi, the Jedi Temple. Palpatine ended their reign of thousands of years and finally, once again, the Sith ruled the galaxy. Where the Temple one stood for harmony and peace, the Imperial Palace was now symbolic of their downfall. Pure irony. Oh, how he loved irony.
And it was all his achievement. Years and years of playing both sides of the chess board, orchestrating an entire war, billions of lives lost; all worked out in his favor. While seeing people suffer certainly tied him closer to the comfort of the Dark Side, nothing fueled his gloating joy more than the end of the Jedi.
Oh, how much he'd give to see the look on his face again; the arrogance engraved in Mace Windu's face being replaced by horror as he fell towards his pathetic end in Coruscants lower levels. Sidious had to admit, he was rather surprised that the Jedi Master did not survive the fall. Though it wasn't only his blade that had struck him down- them would it be, he was busy introducing the new regime to the galaxy. No, this had been a job for his apprentice.
The ruthless and enormously powerful being that crawled out of Sith's Hell, just in time to establish the Empire to its current glory and strength. The Jedi had figured out that it was indeed a Sith Lord who was behind the war. Their arrogance however had blinded them so much, Vader wiped them out before they could even remotely begin to understand who this new force user was.
Amused, Palpatine mentally went over the Jedi Code. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Well, little did they know. Unfortunately, while the Jedi at the temple were taken care of by Darth Vader, other Jedi survived the Clone Attacks from Order 66. Such as the ancient swamp creature he despised so much. Master Yoda was a powerful Jedi, perhaps he shouldn't have underestimated him.
His musings were interrupted as the temperature in the room dropped and the sound of a respirator mask filled the air, an unmistakable force signature entering. "What is thy bidding, my master?" came the baritone voice of Lord Darth Vader. He did not need to turn to know he was kneeling with his head bowed to Palpatine.
Their surroundings reeked of sheer power, and the other Sith didn't know just how much. Palpatine intended to keep it that way. As soon as Maul brought a certain blonde child from Tatooine to him, his training had begun. Forced into submission until he forged the perfect apprentice.
Vader by no means was the perfect apprentice in the Sith way to anyone who saw Master and Apprentice side to side. Darth Bane's rule of two said that the apprentice would take the master's place and pass their knowledge onto the next, an eternal cycle of darkness.
For someone as strong as him, he would've expected some signs of treachery, or intentions of betraying his master in the future, if not now. He showed none. Palpatine was no fool, though. His own master, Plagueis the Wise, got himself killed in his sleep by letting his guard down. He would not make that mistake.
"Rise, my old friend." he spoke slowly, turning around with sickly yellow eyes trained on the other. He watched him stand, face hidden from prying eyes under the shadow of his heavy hood. His thoughts wandered off to the man in front of him yet again.
Vader was smart, cunning. He had been watching his master since the beginning, mastered the art of shielding his thoughts perfectly so that even Sidious himself could not see his true intentions. Trust was the farthest thing they would ever have for each other.
Palpatine felt his apprentice's hidden gaze burning holes through his skull as he reached out into the force, nudging against Vader's mental shields. The action made the already tense Sith clench his fist, barely concealed anger simmering just below the surface. And oh, how much anger he had.
Vader could almost see the gears in his mind turning. It was unnerving, feeling the nudge against his mind as the old man once again attempted to read him. His hands were tightly clasped behind his back as he stood tall, unmoving and patiently waiting for the older Sith to continue.
"You are hiding something from me."
No response. Out of everything, this is what the old man had to say? Of kriffing course he was hiding something, he was hiding quite a lot of things, to be specific. However, Vader knew better than to give him the pleasure of punishing him for his lie so he kept quiet.
An awkward moment passed, neither of them speaking, one waiting for a response that the other refused to give. Quite plainly, the answer was obvious.
Palpatine nodded dismissively after the moment passed, not sensing any threat from this apparently minor incident Vader did not want to share. His apprentice felt as close as a Sith could come to relief. Palpatine happened to be in a good mood today, normally Vader's body would prepare itself for the inevitable punishment, force lightning being the least worrying one on that list.
Instead, he slowly strode over, motioning for him to join him on a walk. "Lord Vader, come, come. There's much we have to discuss."
On the other side of the district, Amidala moved across the veranda of her apartment, carrying her important belongings towards the open suitcases that rested on the long, expensive couches.
It had been Padmé's second term as an imperial Senator, her second term since the assassination attempt on that fateful day, on the very place she was standing. It was rather obvious that it was all to keep Padmé from being present just moments before Palpatine claimed full control, not wanting her to ruin his plans.
The media, of course, brushed the incident off as an attack from the Jedi and Jedi sympathizers, especially because of her close ties to the Chancellor.
She didn't know what disturbed her more; the fact that whether her and Dormé lived or died didn't matter much during the assassination or how easily the public believed that Padmé was close to Palpatine.
She supposed it was fair, given their journey from their home planet to the heart of the Republic; to the public, their relationship looked like a father-daughter one, with mutual respect and trust. Her father's smiling face flashed before her eyes and suddenly she felt utterly disgusted at the thought of Palpatine ever taking that role.
She shook her head, closing the first suitcase out of many and walked out to the stairs on the edge that descended towards the endless dept of Coruscant's levels, sitting down at the top. Her eyes followed the length of the buildings, most of the traffic blocking her view to the pit below. What was down there anyway? Living in Coruscants upper levels meant you were privileged, but Padmé realized she never gave much thought to the other 90% making up Coruscants population.
It disturbed her deeply, she figured it was something she would have to look into as soon as she's back from her trip. She knew what was down there, of course, but only through what she had heard, never seen with her own eyes. Hell, she hasn't even properly conversed with anyone she knew wasn't from the Federal District of Coruscant.
As of now, though, her mind was on the matter at hand. Now only Typho had to arrive so Padmé could return to the Senate building to finish up her paper work, which of course was much less compared to the Clone Wars since the Senate had a significantly less important role in the Empire now, let alone an impact.
But Padmé would fight until her last breath.
Afterwards her preparations would be finalized so she could leave Imperial City for her Refugee Crisis Conference that Palpatine approved, much to her surprise. Perhaps to keep her off-planet, but at least both of them got their way.
Not much later, her Head of Security Gregar Typho, nephew of Quarsh Panaka, arrived at 500 Republica. They went back a long way, ever since before the Invasion of Naboo, when his uncle was responsible for her security as Queen.
Glancing sideways to her companion in the speeder ride, she felt nostalgia settle on her. Careless evenings of them simply being teenagers flashed before her eyes. Padmé, of course, was never the typical teenager, letting lose and living life had always been out of the question. She was bound to immense amounts of responsibility to her duty and her people from an early age. Still, her friends made sure to keep her happy through all the tough times.
One certain night came to her mind, a small smile playing at her lips. She had just become Queen, and a nervous wreck. She had to admit, her handmaidens gave her much more credit than she felt she deserved in her first few days in Office.
Eirtaé, being the ever so cautious girl she was, had been against the idea from the very start. In the end, they had been able to convince her to join them in their night of stargazing and board games. She remembered her first attempt at Dejarik and the joy she felt when she won. "Beginners luck." a young Gregar Typho had grumbled, nevertheless amused seeing their Monarch breaking into a wide grin over a game of Dejarik.
The five handmaidens, Queen Amidala and Gregar sat on a silk blanket on the palace's balcony, little Yané holding an old Nubian flimsiplast book out on Astrology in her lap. They'd follow the direction Yané was pointing to, connecting the stars into images, constellations that told ancient stories of beings that lived among the skies.
Their idyllic time under the sky of Naboo only lasted so long, however. It wasn't much later that Captain Panaka had noticed the palace was oddly quiet, and soon received notifications from the guards that the Queen was not inside. Being the Queen, even though she was much younger than the Captain, gave her certain privileges, so she was far from being in trouble. The rest of their group however got to experience the wrath of Quarsh Panaka, who did not get his nightly rest because of certain teenagers experiencing nocturnal wanderlust.
If the situation hadn't been so hilarious with only half of them actually listening to the mans rants, Typho's eyes wide in horror and Sabé not hiding the roll of her eyes, she might've been able to keep a straight face.
Sabé. Her heart ached even more now. The woman she considered even closer than her sister, not even Sola knew her the way her loyal bodyguard did. She trusted Sabé with her life, and that of her loved ones. Oh, how much she missed her. The war took many things from Padmé, one of them being her sister by heart. Sabé always had a rebellious streak, a love for adventures and danger, but her heart was at the right place. But that recklessness is precisely what had Padmé worrying that every goodbye could be their last. Given the amount of attempts on Amidala's life however, she supposed the feeling was mutual.
When she meant to contact Obi-Wan, she had assumed Sabé was with him judging by how they left together the last time she saw them. Dormé informed her that hadn't been the case, and now she couldn't reach either of them.
A warm hand on her shoulder made her blink out of her little trance, looking into Typho's brown eyes instead. "Everything alright, Milady?"
She replied with a soft smile, speaking more to him than her words could and Typho nodded, retrieving his hand. They arrived at the Senate building, and Padmé accepted a Stormtroopers hand to help her off her transport, careful with her elaborate Senate gown.
Artoo close behind her, she walked through the busy senate halls, spotting a lot of falsely smiling faces, some of the staff and guards. Then, one Senator she recognized immediately made her want to leave and come back later, but it was too late, she had already been spotted.
None other than Senator Fema Baab was walking her way, a huge smile stretching her glossy lips. "Amidala, my beautiful friend." There went her arms, open and ready for an embrace as she gracefully glided towards Padmé.
Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, Padmé plastered on her best attempt at a returned smile, letting the other wrap her arms around her in a hug. "Senator Baab, it's so good to see you."
Was it really? She felt her rude little astromech droid Artoo bump against her leg as they held each other's hands, Fema giving them a squeeze for good measure. "Off tomorrow, are you?"
Padmé would've asked how she knew about it but figuring how close this Senator was to Palpatine, she supposed it was fairly self explanatory. "Indeed. There's quite a few problems the war left behind, the Refugee Crisis being one of them."
"Oh, of course. I understand, dear." she waved a dismissive hand with an audacity that made Padmé internally fume. Fema Baab was a beautiful woman, elegant in everything but her unveiled arrogance, especially towards Padmé.
Even during the Clone Wars, it didn't take someone with good observational skills to see that Baab didn't think much of Padmé more than a naive, idealist Senator who saw the world through a child's lense.
That little mental reminder was all it took for Padmé to gather herself, raising her chin ever so slightly as the smile morphed into her political mask once again. It seemed Baab decided to drop little charade as well.
"Tell me, dear...what is it that makes you so interesting to the Emperor?" she drawled, her false interest dripping with venom, adding a little chuckle for good measure. "I mean, we all know about your little... activities outside of your office, how come you're still standing here?"
"Quite straightforward today, aren't we. Not the only thing you're straightforward about, I've heard." Padmé shot back in the same manner, the grip on her hands tightening as she watched Fema Baab try not to scowl, lips twitching as if she was a malfunctioning droid.
"Senator Amidala, ...Senator Baab."
The familiar voice of Bail Organa brought Padmé out of her gleeful, uncharacteristic moment, hands snatched back as if she had touched a burning stove.
"Bail. Mon." she was genuinely smiling now, turning on her spot to embrace two of her closest friends.
"Padmé, my dear, I hope you're doing well." Mothma replied in her soothing voice, eyes flickering back to Fema who was not hiding her disgust, wiping her hands on the side of her figure hugging black dress as she walked back to where she came from.
"Was she troubling you?" Bail asked, also watching Fema's retreating figure.
"Oh, only the usual. Powerplay to get back into Palpatine's inner circle."
Her friends nodded as they continued walking towards Padmé's office. "You're leaving tomorrow, then?" Mothma spoke as she took Padmé's hand and placed it in the crook of her arm affectionately.
There was more she wanted to say, Padmé felt it. Naturally, the Senate was hardly the place to talk about what Padmé knew she wanted to. There were eyes and ears everywhere and Senators and other important figures of the public disappeared everyday. She didn't press it, and replied with a yes, going on to tell them about the Conference, similar to the one she had held in the Clone Wars. Back when her biggest worries were the banking clan and diplomatic affairs.
Today, it's ending an entire regime. But no one needed to hear that.
They finally arrived at the office, bidding farewell to her friends who shot her worried glances but nonetheless let her go. Artoo entered first, Padmé right behind him.
His series of loud whistles made Padmé look twice into the room, now spotting not one but five people in her room.
His highness, the Emperor himself comfortably sat in her chair, flanked by two red guards and, Oh, moons of Naboo, the Emperor's shadow himself. And in the chair on the opposite, a more than uncomfortable looking Palo Jemabie. Could this day get any better.
She remembered her own security stood outside her room and Dormé would be here any moment, but none of that mattered with these people in her office.
She stopped in the middle of the room, hands clasped as she straightened her back. "Your highness, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Ah, Senator Amidala, please. Please enter, I arrived only a moment ago." he cackled, gesturing towards the chair on the other side of Palo. With Artoo still glued to his spot, Padmé took a seat and patiently returned the Emperors gaze. "How are you, my child."
"Perfectly well, your excellency, thank you. I wish the same for you." she nodded, thinking of ways to get him out of here if all he wanted was small talk. "And I thank you for approving my trip to Mandalore tomorrow, it truly means a great deal to me."
She emphasized the second part, trying to make him think there was much work to do and that she, with all due respect, needed him to leave.
"Oh, you needn't worry about that any longer, my dear." he waved a hand, almost uninterested, eyes gleaming with something Padmé wasn't quite sure she liked.
"Your highness?"
"There have been...rumors. Plots." he started, watching Padmé's reaction closely. Years of training made it easy for her to keep a neutral face, pushing all treacherous thoughts far back into her mind. She returned his gaze as a sign for him to continue and elaborate. He stood, slowly walking around the large table. Somehow, having Fema Baab here instead seemed like a much more appealing situation now.
"These rumors consist of you betraying the Empire and assisting our friends in the Rebellion." he all but spat. Despite it being a rather obvious fact, her blood almost ran cold.
You don't say. "I've heard of them, unfortunately. In fact, Senator Baab had the audacity to openly accuse me of such a thing earlier." she spoke, raising her chin slightly even as he came closer. She felt Palo's worried eyes on her, making it more difficult to keep her gaze on the Emperor.
He nodded as if he understood exactly what she meant, reminding her of a vulnerable grandfather with the best interests at heart for his grandchild - the thought repulsed Padmé. "Not to worry, I have never doubted you."
She didn't dare exhale yet because there was more to this, he didn't come to let her convince him that she isn't a Rebel. Palpatine was many things, but not stupid.
"However," he started, his bony hand on her shoulder and she felt her lip twitch which seemed to amuse him greatly. Now he'd drop the big news, the reason he came here in the first place.
"I doubt your friends and their intentions, surely you understand?" his expression turned worried. "And surely you understand why I want you to distance yourself from them?"
Say no. Think of Bail and Mon. Think of everything you stand for.
"Yes, of course your highness." she nodded.
"Good, good." he grinned, and Padmé didn't dare look onto the row of teeth. "Then, for the safety of the Empire and that of my most favorite and important Senator, I place you under the protection of Lord Vader."
Now she was scared shitless. "W- What?" she breathed, gaze trained on the disfigured face staring down at her.
Her eyes flickered onto the tall, unmoving Sith Lord in the back, radiating darkness and evil beyond Padmé's imagination. A shiver ran down her spine, a very unpleasant one to say the least. She was certain she looked uncharacteristically speechless but this turn of events was more than she ever counted on. Hell, even getting sentenced to death would've been less surprising.
"Protection? Whatever from?" she asked once she found her voice again. She was surprised her tone was similar to that of her real Queen's tone. Then again, it had been the tone she spoke with for a good part of her life.
He looked at her as if he thought she was a brainless Shaak. "Why, to keep you safe from the Rebellion, child. Unless you have a reason for me to believe you already are safe from them."
There was a thread in his tone and Padmé wasn't foolish enough to not heed the warning. She allowed herself to look at Palo for a split second, almost immediately regretting it and then nodded, apologizing even as every fiber of her body screamed that this was wrong. But she had no death wish.
"Sincere apologies, your Majesty. You're right, I thank you for the thoughtful protection."
That seemed to please him, his grin only widening now. "None of that, Senator. Now, I've heard you've been packing your belongings for the trip, already."
Of course he heard. She nodded.
"Perfect, Lord Vader's troopers will come to pick you up then." he gave her shoulder a squeeze, then made his way out of his office as she stared at the spot where he stood.
What did that mean? She fought against shrinking back when Darth Vader started walking behind the older Sith, seeing him move for the first time since she entered. His surroundings reminded her of death, of every being that lost their life to this... creature. His yellow eyes, the only thing she could actually see from under that hood, didn't even look her way once.
She didn't know whether to be afraid or relieved over that fact. His long strides carried him out of the room faster than she felt she could blink and then, silence. Save for the loud exhale coming from Palo.
Padmé, too, let out the breath she knew more than enough she was holding, her eyes finally moving to her friend.
"Well...that was something." he decided to speak, and Padmé moved from the spot she was glued to and towards her desk.
Seeing her expression he cleared his throat, arms on the surface of the desk. "It can't be that bad, can it? I mean,"
He paused, turning towards the large panorama window in her office. Padmé studied his profile, stunned that she never paid much attention to him before. Palo was an attractive individual, no doubt. His eyes were a deep green, skin tan and the soft curls on his head a shining black. The artist in front of her looked more like art than his art did.
"He'll be protecting you, that's all... Even if protecting won't be the correct term, more like stalking and making sure you don't talk to your friends."
Her brows furrowed. "Do you truly think that? I feel as if... You know Palpatine, it's never this simple when it comes to him."
He nodded in agreement, something else in his gaze that he returned to Padmé. "I... don't want that thing around you, Padmé. He's a coldblooded murderer, a tyrant. Everything that speaks against your very nature."
Her features softened at his worry, reaching over to hold his hand in between her smaller ones. "I'll be okay, whatever happens. There's a reason Palpatine still has me around. Until I figure our what that reason is, I should be okay."
"I'm more worried about you and the others." the more she thought about it, the more it terrified her. "Palo, please. These are uncertain times... Whatever happens, do not come for me. Please, promise me."
"Padmé..." he started, but she didn't let him, holding up a hand.
"No. Promise me you'll stay out of this. The galaxy can't lose more people, not in a time like this. I can look after myself, you need to trust me and do the right thing." she gave his hand a squeeze, eyes pleading. She meant every word, it would destroy her if any of her friends, or anyone really, died for her. After Cordé, Padmé vowed she would give her own life if that's what it took.
Palo looked conflicted but eventually nodded, looking every as displeased as Padmé felt. His jaw was clenched but he stood, wordlessly motioning her over. She obliged gladly, letting his open arms draw her into an embrace. Why did this feel like they were saying goodbye? The thought only made her hug him closer, feeling his chin on top of her head.
Later that day after having dinner with Dormé, she decided to look over some of the current topics of discussion in the Senate. Her mind was elsewhere, though.
She had the entire day to think about what Palpatine said. Her plans and dreams were destined to be destroyed by the man, there was no other explanation. Her heart ached for the Refugees she had meant to fight for, who lost their families and homes because of this senseless war. Once again, Padmé felt the Universe would never work in her favor.
Artoo let out a series of whistles, making Padmé turn around from her usual spot on the veranda, placing the datapad aside. She smiled affectionately at the droid's worry. It was astounding, how an astromech could not only convey emotions but pick up on them as well. Her little companion had been by her side for more than a decade and she hoped it stayed that way for many to come.
"I'm fine, Artoo. Just working a bit more. I'll go to bed after."
He replied rather angrily, making Padmé laugh, holding her hands up in defeat. "Alright, Alright. I won't. Now go ahead, I'll be inside in just a moment."
A smile lingered on her lips as she watched the droid's retreating form. It touched her how much he cared about Padmé. The feeling was mutual, though. Artoo was irreplaceable, more than just a droid. He was a friend.
The datapad now laid abandoned as she watched the speeders again, her worries all forgotten for the moment. Something inside of her told her things were about to change again, for better or worse.
This felt oddly familiar, but this time she was more uncertain. Something big was about to happen, and Padmé knew she would be part of it.
She felt cold, all of a sudden, deciding that perhaps going back inside was a good idea after all. She pulled on her silk robe and stood, datapad in her hand and walked to the stairs that would lead to her bedroom.
Hold on, Coruscant had artificially maintained weather, there was no such thing as a fresh, surprising and cold breeze out of kriff knows where.
Padmé was trembling, and it wasn't the temperature, it couldn't be. She halted in her tracks, brows furrowed as she took in her surroundings.
No one was there.
Her hand went to her thigh, holding her breath. Her arms were shaking at this point, but not out of fear, another feeling she couldn't quite place. It was anything but a comforting one, though. She knew someone was here, she could feel it, feel someone watching her. How, she did not know.
A minute or two passed by and Padmé stood absolutely frozen. She saw something move in the corner of her eye and her throat constricted, knowing what it was before she could even see it.
Her blaster was out before she knew it, held out in front of her as she turned to her left, ready to pull the trigger on the figure.
It all happened in a blur, she fired, it was bright and she saw smoke. Then, her hands felt empty and her blaster was no longer in her grasp. And the black figure stood just the way she saw him a moment ago.
She stopped breathing. She felt fear, cold fear that made the bones in her legs feel like they could crack under her if that creature took as much as a step towards her.
"I'd say I'm impressed, Senator," came the deep, baritone voice from the creature who had his gloved hand stretched and held the silver blaster she had just shot at him with, blazing golden eyes keeping her glued to the ground.
Padmé instantly knew this was her last hour and that was saying something.
"but I'd be lying."
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This turned out shorter than I originally had planned but oh well, still setting up the story! Otherwise, I hope it tuned out okay despite half of it being written at 1am :)
I loved seeing the reviews, they genuinely made me happy beyond words. You guys had me grinning like an idiot! Reviews, be it ideas or criticism are very welcomed, as always! x