Daydream Believer Chapter One
Bail Organa finds Padmé's apartment to be strangely quiet. Her children, mostly Rori, have an aversion to silence. He wonders if Threepio took them out to the park for the chatty droid wasn't there to greet him. Padmé returns with a tray of black tea and sets it on the wide arm of the long couch; he notices the circular stand by the arm is empty of its wish globe. The wish globe is one of the decorations she brought back from Lake Country and supposedly generates light forever.
"Where is your wish globe? Did it break?"
"Oh, that." She gives a little wave in its direction before handing him a porcelain cup. "Gallo has it for now. Lately, he's been attracted to anything that glows."
"Aren't you worry that he'll swallow it?"
"If it was Rori, then yes. He's far too adventurous not to." Bail recalls his first visit when Rori somehow managed to get his comlink and decided to use it as a pacifier. "But Gallo is so gentle."
"And quiet. I think Rori does all the talking," he teased lightly.
"Gallo talks just not in a human way," she replied cryptically.
"Where are they?"
"They're with their godfather." She takes a measured sip from her red cup. Bail can read the tension from her stiff body language.
I know it's the way of the Naboo to keep family matters, particularly disagreements, private. However, I get there's something more going on here. Perhaps, she's noticing that the Chancellor has gained more and more power and looks unlikely to relinquish it.
"Speaking of whom, he's why I'm here. I take it you have caught up with the reports."
"Yes, I did this morning." She sets her cup back on its saucer. "Bail, I want things to go back how they used to be, but I have doubts it ever will."
"Do you think he will listen to reason?"
"Of course! If we gather enough senators and speak plainly, I'm sure he'll listen." Her brown eyes burn as bright as when she's rallying people to a worthy cause. There is so much faith and hope in those eyes.
"That is a sensible plan, but none of us had luck in arranging an audience with him." Sly Moore glibly states that the Chancellor is far too busy for last-minute appointments and doesn't even offer any alternatives.
"I can do it, just make sure we have enough senators."
"Mothma and I will make sure of that. I do hope he will listen."
"I know he will."
She waits patiently for Palpatine's personal guard to finish checking her bag. When she and Palpatine were having their affair, the red, faceless guards never bothered to search her belongings or even checked her identichip like the clones do at security checkpoints. However once Padmé became adamant about atoning for her marital sins, the guards treated her like everyone else.
When this war is over and he's no longer Chancellor, I hope he doesn't keep these guards around. I can't imagine o—my children not finding the Crimson Sentinels frightening.
The guard gives a wave, and Padmé is finally allowed admittance into the Chancellor's penthouse. Though the art is distinctly from more obscure parts of the galaxy, his taste in colors is distinctly Naboo. Red is the color of passion and love; emotions that often elicit violence and should be seldom employed, but it's all over the walls and carpet. She theorizes that Palpatine is so fond of this color because of the violent emotions that he must deny himself; if he was more like Anakin, then he wouldn't have made it to the chancellorship.
The crimson zigzag leads her into his grand living room with the best view of the city, especially at night when the blues and silver eclipse the dying light. He is there in his understated, brown robes and messy hair that look like it was licked by a shaak; she stifles a giggle. Right now, he's lazily playing tug-of-war with Rori on the baby's playmat, while Gallo is in the bassinet with the wish globe and Shmi the angel-bear Anakin so lovingly made. Her lookalike babe tugs with all his might on the stuffed Jar Jar Binks plush. Someday, she would like to introduce the twins to the Gungan when they are older and unlikely to confuse him with the toy.
"Gallo has only been playing with it for a few minutes," Palpatine answered as though he can read her mind. She staves off an embarrassed blush and heads up to her men. Rori looks at her for a few seconds before returning to finally snatch the plush out of Palpatine's hands. "Yes, you are victorious, my little zalaaca."
"I thought he was your little prince," she teased in sibilant Naboo.
"He was until he decided to pull my hair during his bath," he replied dryly while watching Rori happily gnaw on the Gungan's head.
"He's worse than a Loth cat!"
"While Gallo takes to water like a quadduck," he remarked wryly.
"They're such opposites, even when it comes to eating." Rori has no problem drinking his entire bottle and then some, while Gallo is picky with the milk. I even tried formula with him, and he reacted with the same reluctance to drink it. I guess the lack of appetite is inheritable.
"Gallo did finish his bottle after some bribery."
"How did you bribe him?"
"By reading The Courtship of Eternal Princess Veré while feeding him."
"Did Rori fell asleep to it?" She smiles, knowing full well that was the case.
"Right around when The Bard gets into describing each of Veré's thousand hair pins, but Gallo stayed awake." She looks to Gallo playing with the wishing globe. The light emanates faintly from the smooth, polished orb yet it holds Gallo's attention much like Shmi.
"He loves it when people talk to him, I think. Rori gets so much of my attention with his mischief that I wonder if Gallo feels left out," she admitted.
"I believe he understands that you can only do so much." She looks back at Palpatine. His blue eyes are gentle as his smile; she's reminded of the days when she was a young queen needing his kind words. Oh, how she longs for those uncomplicated days between them.
"He's just a baby, Palpatine."
"Is there something else on your mind, Senator?"
"I need an audience with you, Chancellor."
"I believe I have some space in the schedule to fit your group in for tomorrow, but, please, keep it to the point."
"I'll take it," she agreed and then noticed the worry look in his eyes. "Is there something else you wish to discuss?"
"May I keep Gallo overnight? I'm almost done with part one, and he seemed quite engaged. It would be a shame to rob him of confession scene."
"Of course, I'll pick him up tomorrow then."
"Thank you, Padmé."
Darth Sidious anoints the child with red ash. Gallo whimpers in his hold, not liking the coldness surrounding him in the Force. The Dark aches to consume the Light within the boy, to devour it until there was no more. As the Master of the Sith, he does not allow the Force to control him and uses it as he sees fit. Gallo twists violently in his hold like a frightened nuna chick.
"Oh, I know it's unpleasant, but it's for your own protection," he told the child and waited for understanding to dawn in those brown eyes. The child lets out a low cry and continues his resistance like a true Palpatine.
He is a baby, but he is my son. Given his less than subtle bond with Anakin, I cannot let Kenobi learn of the child's Force-sensitivity. Not yet anyways. The scroll promised he'd be shielded for two days, but it'd probably be two hours considering Anakin. My Chosen One will do anything to make sure his little bird is safe.
Finally, the child goes quiet as the Dark becomes as familiar as the Light.
You were never part of The Grand Plan, just a result of impulsiveness on my part and loneliness on hers. I could've smothered the life growing in her, but the Force stayed my hand with a promise of the future. My champion at my side, while my sons expanded the Empire beyond our galaxy.
He rewards the child by putting him down in his bassinet with his beloved bear and wish globe. The child watches him with those innocent brown eyes. Sidious goes to his 'refresher and quickly washes his hands of the ritual and then returns to the bedroom. He picks up the worn, golden tome from his bookshelf and returns to the child. He opens the centuries-old book right where he left it:
"Set foresaw the future with a lover's eyes. Their wedding shall be in the Sacred Forest under the light of Shiraya's full moon. It will be just them and their priest. One day, they will bring their children to the very spot they first met and later wed. And they will bring their children and their children's children to recount this tale of true love. Now, all he has to do was tell her that he loves her…"
Author's Comments- Here are the links:
I modeled Palpatine's penthouse on his smaller senatorial apartment just made it bigger and filled with more art because Palpatine has a Fine Arts addiction to go with his wine and books: a href=" . "Link/a
Here is an image of Palpatine's brown outfit that I remember from the Lost Missions season (or season six) of CW. I'm not a huge fan of the color, but I do like its slim down design; I presume this outfit is to visually tie him into Dooku since RoTS was on the horizon and that's why it's brown because Dooku has a lot of browns in his clothing, particularly in his cape: a href=" . "Link/a
I am using James Luceno's Labyrinth of Evil as a basis for the next two chapters which will lead right into the beginning of RoTS, but I'm only using chapter ten and the senators on Coruscant chapters, so it's highly condensed from the book to say the least. Also, The Courtship of Eternal Princess Veré is a play on The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton, which I just checked out from my local library and plan to read soon.
Next chapter: The twins are separated.
