Part 40: Eligere.
Elections. Palpatine had come to view the word and the period in the year as one of the foundations of his long, illustrious career. Votes had seen him rise from a lowly government post on Naboo to Senator, then Chancellor, and finally Emperor of the Galaxy. He was a master of campaigning, charming people to his whims until they regarded him as a god. Which, in a sense, he was. The dark power of the Sith was strong inside him, he held the life and death over every creature within his grasp. Now that he had risen to the highest position within his universe, he need never hold such polls again, nor run for something he had already earned.
The underlings below him though, held no such luxury. For them, government positions came in cycles, determined constantly by the will of the subjects they served. Life appointments did not exist for them, no godly powers could determine the length of their reign. If he deemed such action necessary, Palpatine could intervene on the Senator's or Governor's behalf, manipulate their planet's citizens into believing he or she was still capable of representing them in the Senate. But rarely did the Emperor find such action justified or necessary. Afterall, that body of politicians had little impact in the grand schemes of things now, not since they handed him executive powers during the Clone Wars. They were the last vestiges of the Republic. Relics, long past their time, even their symbolism.
Perhaps not however, their illusion. While he held names like Organa, Mothma, Bel Iblis and Valorum in contempt, the subjects who voted for them in droves still believed that the persons who bore these names could work miracles. Even Amidala, firmly entrenched as the voice of his propaganda, was still loved and adored by the Naboo. Five exceptional names who could possibly hold their positions for life, just as he intended to rule long after they faded away into the ashes of history. Despite their questionable ideals, they were as canny as the political despots they secretly loathed, rarely putting other names forward for contesting their seats when that time of year came round.
As a matter of courtesy, Palpatine was given a list of every seat up for re-election, along with the names of the persons who considered themselves eligible for the positions. Usually such a document would barely hold his attention for more than five minutes, as most of the aides were in his pocket, enabling him to obtain the names before they announced that they intended to run. Today, however, he had reason to for his yellow Sithly eyes to suddenly halt midway down the piece of flimsi, as he read the words which were liable to cause considerable shock to his beleaguered brain cells.
Senator from Naboo.
Their existence within the document caused Palpatine to blink in disbelief, for he had no idea that Amidala had decided to retire from the Senate. Despite being a favoured citizen of Naboo, her aides, along with those who names he held in contempt, were not in his pocket; invulnerable to all of his attempts at bribery or corruption. When had she determined to withdraw? What possible motive could cause her to take this piece of action?
Hurriedly he ran his eyes down the names considered as likely candidates to run for that office in contention. One caught his eye. Leia Skywalker. Leia Skywalker? Palpatine blinked, convinced he read the flimsi wrong. But no, a second, then a third examination revealed the same name. Who was Leia Skywalker? He had never even heard of her before. Letting the flimsi fall to the surface of his desk, he leaned back into the confines of his chair and considered. Skywalker was not a Nubian name, though Leia certainly was. The conclusion was obvious. At some point, without his knowledge, his late protégé mated with a Nubian and begot a daughter. Darth Vader's heir was contesting the Senate seat for Padmé Amidala. It was almost too good to be true.
Was she aware of the legacy? Palpatine concluded that she had to at least know of her father's heroic efforts during the Blockade and the Clone Wars, though obviously not Vader's dark end on Mustafar. Turning to the holo centre on his desk his wizened hands tapped out her name into the search engine. Moments later her likeness stared back at him from the frame beside her brief bio. Fourteen, the same age as Amidala when she began her career. Varykino, her county of origin. Mother unknown, father, Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight. Palpatine grinned at the opportunity which this presented him with. If Leia inherited anything from her father, the Force was sure to be strong within her. His search for a suitable apprentice might now be ended.
For a time his eyes were drawn to her likeness, as he noted the strong resemblance she bore to Padmé Amidala. One of her handmaidens could be a plausible contender for the girl's mother, as Anakin would have met them during the Blockade and when he protected the Senator ten years later. Palpatine wondered how Vader had found the time for such a secret relationship, right under his nose and without he or the Jedi Order getting wind of the union. But then Kenobi found the time to marry Amidala, so perhaps it was not so inconceivable that his apprentice had secretly followed his example.
Returning to the flimsi, the next position under Senator of Naboo caught his yellow eyed gaze. Sovereign of Naboo. How time flies. Since Amidala illustrious' reign, her successors rarely won a second term, the Nubians still searching for a worthy monarch to continue her enduring legacy. He ran his eye down the list of contenders. Again, one name caught his attention, though unlike the last, it was by no means a surprise.
Cordé Naberrie.
Now the reasons for Padmé's retirement were no longer so mysterious, she intended to help her daughter when she took the throne, as being of Amidala's blood, she undoubtedly would. Sixteen was no barrier to the post, but he was puzzled as to why this had not occurred earlier, after all her mother had served two years in that office when she was the same age.
The timing of these elections was fortuitous, as it gave him the perfect excuse to visit his homeworld, officially to preside over the election and ceremonies which would follow, unofficially to seduce the daughter of his protégé into the ways of the Sith. Whether Leia won her seat in the Senate or not, she would become his apprentice, and a force to be reckoned with throughout the Empire.
She would join him, or die.
Having ensured that the governing of the Empire would continue despite his absence long ago, Palpatine departed from Coruscant the moment the Senate closed for the election recess. Deciding not to travel directly to Naboo, he stopped off at the Imperial shipyards to hear from his Hand how construction of the Death Star was progressing. Since his decision to use Mara Organa as his overseer, the levels of system failure and power shortages had lowered considerably. There were still some difficulties, the occasional problem cropping up now and again, but otherwise work on the small moon was proceeding smoothly.
Palpatine gazed at the half finished space station now, hovering amidst the Imperial Star Destroyers and Battle cruisers; presently half their size yet infinitely superior in both fire and man power, when she was fully operational, that is. Smiling at the depth of evil concentrated in just one small sphere, he recalled the moment when the plans were presented to him, as the Republic welcomed the clones which would signal theirs and the Order's end. Count Dooku paid for the role of the courier for such plans with his life, but then that apprentice was only a stop gap in the wait for Anakin's fall. Palpatine had been fully aware of Dooku's desire to switch sides if the opportunity was presented to him and made worth his while. If Master Kenobi had been a little more clear headed on Geonosis his insidious scheme would have collapsed before the Clone Wars ever began.
Turning his gaze upon his red haired young apprentice, the Emperor allowed his thoughts to drift and settle on her, admiring the way she carried herself, the authority she conveyed despite her youth, the passion contained behind her lithe form and beautiful features. Looking at her often made him regret that he did not find the time during his younger days for a wife and family, thereby ensuring his succession. Of course, if he had, his offspring might have betrayed him before he reached the role of Senator. It was the way of the Sith, and he would have expected no less. Just as he would welcome the day when Mara decided she was strong enough to challenge him.
The girl was feisty, a formidable warrior with an intelligence to match and a grace about her movements which turned every lightsaber duel into an elegant dance. None of that could be suspected from her current position, as she stood talking with one of the many engineers assigned to construction. She had already learned the ability to mask her skills, her devious nature almost a match for his own. Palpatine contemplated what her reaction would be if she knew that one of the first planets he would threaten to use the Death Star on was Alderaan. Despite all her training she was still steadfastly devoted to her family. Bail Organa, for all his public loyalty was a constant thorn in his side that he would not hesitate ridding the Empire of, and his daughter would learn a vital lesson.
Before him stood his greatest creations; his apprentice Hand and the Death Star. Both half completed, bursting with potential, and unfinished evils eagerly waiting to be let loose upon an unsuspecting galaxy. Palpatine could feel the anticipation within the Sithly Force, a strong tingling sensation, highly addictive and equally intoxicating. The temptation to let them loose upon his Empire, to delegate the ugly tasks upon their shoulders was almost overwhelming, but he had not got where he was today without patience, one of the most difficult skills for a Sith to master.
No, he would bide his time, wait for the moon to be finished and invulnerable, only then would he unleash it upon an unsuspecting galaxy. How many planets would remain after his launch, he wondered? Silently he ticked off the ones he planned to destroy purely on principle. Alderaan, Mon Calamari, Kashyyyk, Hoth, Dagobah, and all the other worlds full of insignificant creatures, inferior to humans. The citizens of the Empire would learn from the past mistakes of the Republic, or their planets would risk similar destruction.
"Are you pleased, Your Majesty?" Mara asked him as he came down from the dais to join her at the construction view port.
"You have done well, my young Apprentice," Palpatine replied, clasping her slender shoulder with one of his wizened hands.
He stood admiring the small moon for a moment longer, watching as one of the outer armour-plated durasteel panels was fastened to its neighbours, concealing the vulnerable internal structure from space.
"I must go," he murmured, causing her to turn. "I have a meeting to attend on Naboo. I shall see you in a few days."
Mara dropped gracefully to one knee as his hand left her shoulder to caress her red hair in benediction. Discreetly, she watched him walk away, remaining still until the doors hid her from his presence. Then she rose to her feet and walked to the workstation nearby, where she called up the monitors covering the departure dock. Silently she watched his ship exit the Imperial yards.
"He's gone," she murmured into the small comlink concealed about her wrist. "Prepare yourselves for his arrival." She waited for the thanks and farewell reply, then uttered her own blessing upon the journey. "May the Force be with you."
She turned from the workstation and called the chief overseer to her side. "Begin evacuation," she ordered, and he inclined his head in acknowledgement. "I want everyone off this station and all the cruisers departed from the nearby shipping yards before this thing self-destructs."
And this time, Force willing, there would be nothing left of the Sith to report news of this fatal sabotage to.
Across the galaxy, Naboo emerged from the brilliancy of space, as if it were a precious gemstone enclustered by thousands of diamond stars. Before the large Imperial Battle Cruiser which had just exited hyperspace, it appeared dwarfed and vulnerable. Home world of the Emperor, it was one of the few planets guaranteed survival from the Death Star, despite the existence of the Gungans. Yet still it felt the danger others experienced, the fine line between life and death, loyalty and rebellion. Naboo had never been indifferent to the suffering of others, it was not her way or nature. Blessed with the gifts of wealth, health and an ecologically sublime weather system, it endowed its citizens with generosity and compassion, with the need to help other worlds less fortunate than they.
Palpatine was the exception to that rule, his nature was generous only so far as his own needs were involved. He'd often wondered if those who gave him life were not native to Naboo, but research proved otherwise. A mutation was he, set apart from the rest, to lead his people into a better way of life. The next spark on the evolutional chain, endowed with powers which if used well, would enable him to rule the galaxy forever.
He used his personal craft to breach Naboo's atmosphere, the small, sleek silver skiff, spearing the clouds and blue sky like the crest of a wave upon a limitless sea. Despite his advanced ageing, a result of his last but one battle with the remnants of the Jedi, he was a capable pilot, requiring no one, not even his bodyguards to escort him about his homeworld. Signalling the hanger controls, he waited for the entrance doors to slide back, then flew into the landing dock of Theed Palace.
There was no ceremonial escort awaiting his arrival, no sign of a welcoming committee. But then his visit was unexpected, a surprise for the hopeful candidates for the role of Princess of Theed. Still, a part of him had wanted some notary to suddenly enter the hanger, coming to a breathless halt, bowing and apologising profusely, exclaiming what a pleasure this visit was, how honoured the people would be by his presence.
Exiting the craft, he descended the boarding ramp and touched the stone floor of the hanger, his eyes surveying the yellow ships clustered around his silver craft, and the larger craft which belonged to the Queen. One of those carried his apprentice once, when his brave actions in destroying the control ship of the Trade Federation brought him to his attention. Palpatine indulged his emotions for a moment, searched and found the signature remnants Vader left behind.
He wondered if the daughter would be just as impressive.
Turning from the ships, he walked towards the doors leading the numerous corridors of the Palace. Abruptly, before his feet had even neared the proximity, the wooden barriers slid apart, to reveal a cloaked figure.
Instantly his senses went on full alert, as his yellow sithly eyed gaze rose to meet those of the cowled figure.
A man he whose funeral he thought he had attended fourteen years ago.
With a wave of his hand, Kenobi let the brown cloak fall from his shoulders, pooling into a circle around his booted feet. A small cylinder of durasteel slipped into his hand, the saber igniting into a shaft of brilliant blue.
Palpatine had to admire the boldness of this trickery, the years of deceit and deception this Jedi endured until this moment. But Kenobi was no Windu, nor was he Yoda's equal.
This would be an easy victory.
He stepped forward, and a brush of wind ruffled his cloak from behind, causing him to turn. From the corner of his gaze he caught the arrival of another figure, also attired in desert Jedi shades, a long thin plait gracing one side of his features, which were a stunning combination of his mother and father.
"And who are you, young one?" Palpatine murmured aloud, though inwardly, his quick mind could already guess the answer.
"I am Luke Kenobi," the youth replied. "A Jedi. Like my father before me."