Chapter 17. Senator Palpatine
"The time has come my apprentice…" Plagueis said to Darth Sidious. They were on board his personal star cruiser, the Infinite Wealth on their way to Kamino. "You have been out of circulation long enough…" sidious had been studying under Plagueis for the past ten years. He was thirty-five years old.
"You must resume your old role as Palpatine…"
'If I must… I must… You taught me that a dual identity allows me to interact with the Jedi and other people of the Senate… when the time is right I shall reaval myself as Darth Sidious…"
"We shall reveal ourselves and have our revenge…" Sidious just smiled, "I am going to tell you this because I can tell you haven't given up on the idea of trying to overthrow me… Your predecessor Darth Mantus failed to see the era of his ways… He died in his foolishness… You see I made him and I destroyed him…"
"Tell me the entire story… We have time…" Sidious wanted to hear the details as he was looking for a weakness in his master's thinking. He also wanted to see if he would embellish the story.
"At any rate…" Sidious said after he finished the tail, "I am giving you a free hand… Your ultimate goal is to become Senator of Naboo… and by the time you become Supreme Chancellor it will be time to start the war…"
"And how will this war start… The Ruusan Reformation Act prevents the Republic from creating an army…"
"Tisk… tisk… My young apprentice… Listen and learn… This plan has been in the works for the past one thousand years…" So as they traveled to Kamino Plagueis educated Sidious on the ins and outs of the grand scheme to turn the republic into an empire and the downfall of the Jedi. Naboo would be the spark that starts the fire to consume the galaxy.
"The trade federation is the key to all this, but we must control both sides of the war…"
Sidious smiled, "We need to control the senate as well…"
"That is where you come in… As Senator you will be able to gain control of the senators by manipulating their emotions, but be weary of the Jedi…"
The Infinite Wealth finally came out of hyperspace and Tin'sar Demask and Palpatine shuttled down to the planet to meet the Prime Minister Lama Su and Chief Biologist Taun Li.
"Welcome to Kamino Chief Magister…"
"Thank you and may I present Palpatine of Naboo…"
The two Kaminoans took them on a tour of the facility, "Have all the workers been cloned?" Tin'sar asked.
"Your order is waiting ad ready to go…"
''How about your battle training programs?'
"We have perfected every aspect of our warrior programs…"
"What are the workers for…"
"More sparks to start the war… and build the separatist movement… You will be going to Naboo alone as I have other things to attend to… I shall contact you when I think necessary…"
"As you command master…"
Naboo:
Palpatine's personal cruiser flew out across the great plains towards the city of Theed. He didn't know how long he would be on his own but he would enjoy every minute of being on his own. His thoughts immediately turned towards becoming Senator palpatine.
At present Tou Remart was King of Naboo and Palpatine had invited him to his estate for dinner to discuss his political career. The Governor of Naboo was invited as well along with several prominent members of royal houses of Naboo.
"Jarius… I mean Palpatine… It has been far too long…" The man's name was Berson Gell Director of Nubian Commerce. "We thought you had abandoned Naboo for the private life.
"I have been touring the galaxy learning other cultures and sampling the treasures of the Galaxy…"
"Orson… You remember young Palpatine…"
"I do… I remember him goading me into a fight with four others and leaving us in pain on the ground…"
Palpatine smiled, "Apologies… I was quit a handful in my youth…"
"No apologies needed we were children… Though you have been gone from Naboo for quit some time…"
"I intend to rectify that… Excuse me gentlemen there is someone I wish to speak with…"
"Palpatine! This is a pleasant surprise…" Josen said, Josen was the present day Senator of Naboo.
"You surprise me Josen…" Palpatine said.
"How so…"
"I am surprised to find you Senator and not King of Naboo…"
"Actually I have my eyes on the Chancellor's seat… My advisors tell me that in next election I am a favorite to beat Valorum…"
"Really… The Valorum family has a long history in the Chancellor's office… No one has ever beaten them when they run for office…"
"Yes but ever since Naboo started selling its plasma on the open market… Naboo's influence in the senate has tripled…"
Palpatine's mind was racing and his force power gave him glimpses of how to manipulate the situation to his favor. "Even so going up against a member of the Valorum family… Your advisors must have arterial motives for telling you that…"
He laughed taking an appetizer from a server droid, "You psychic now Palpatine…"
"No… How are things with the Gunguns…"
"Fine actually Boss Nass allowed us to mine the plasma in exchange for giving them some at no cost…"
Palpatine excused himself making his presence felt among his guests and plotting Jarius' decision to run for King and not Chancellor. He also got a chance to speak with Reena Amidala of the House of Amidala. "You have been out of circulation for a long time Palpatine… something many call political suicide…"
"My absence from politics was necessary after what happened to my family and all…"
"Yes I remember Cosigna… He was good man… A trouble maker, but a good man…" The King sighed, "I seem to also remember that you have a talent for making the impossible possible… No one has forgotten what you did as Dzeen's junior Senator…"
'Even so there are those who will wonder if Palpatine still has the gift…" The King's advisor said.
Palpatine just smiled at the man, "Try me…"
The King made sure no one else was listening, "The house of Othmel is trying to convince the Senate to change the laws of Naboo… As you know I am King for life unless another family can prove to the courts that I am unfit to be King… Deena Othmel has a small but growing group followers… Now she took me to the Nubian courts and they ruled in my favor now the witch is going to the senate… I can't stop her but you can…"
Palpatine smiled, "How…"
"Aren't you still friends with Tin'sar Demask…" Palpatine hesitated. "Don't deny it… even if you aren't… You know the saying once a friend of Demask always a friend of Demask… Ask him to use his connections to shoot down Deena Othmel's proposal…"
Palpatine's mind was working at the speed of light, he had free reign from his master on how to handle placing himself as senator of Naboo and this situation offered him that opportunity. If Palpatine employed the force properly he could be Senator within the next year…"
"And what will you give me in return…"
"Name your desires and see then fulfilled…"
Palpatine smiled, "I have my eye on the Senator's seat of Naboo…"
"We have a great Senator already…"
"Who has expressed a desire to run for Supreme Chancellor in the next election…" Seeing the look on their faces Palpatine continued to say, "He expressed as much to me when I spoke with him…"
"Even so it will be some time before that happens… As for becoming Senator… Do this for me and I will have you placed on his staff and eventually you will be senator…"
Palpatine sighed, "Can I think about this…"
'Take as much time as you like, but the clock is ticking…"
After the party Palpatine contacted Deena Othmel, "Lady Othmel…"
"A Palpatine contacting an Othmel… Your father must sending shockwaves through the force may he rest in peace." She said through her hologram.
He smiled, "My father was always too closed minded for his own good… I hear that you are going before the Senate with a new bill…"
She smiled, "I am… I intend to ask the Senate to change Nubian law… If I succeed a monarch's reign will be reduced to two terms and the people will be empowered to vote on their rulers…"
"How you like to get your bill passed and become Queen of Naboo…"
She smiled, "Don't make promises you can't keep…"
"Why so little faith in my abilities?"
"You have been far too long out of circulation…"
Palpatine smirked, "Everyone keeps saying that… I tell you what… I will make your bill pass and get you elected as King… In return you will name me as Senator…"
She sighed and looked off to the side as someone said something to her. "Alright Palpatine if you can make all that happen then yes I will name you Senator of Naboo…"
He smiled, "I will hold you to that…" The moment the transmission ended Palpatine had his ship readied for a trip to Coruscant. When he arrived on Coruscant Palpatine had a meeting with Neimodian Senator. He explained why he was there, "If you convince your friends to vote in favor of the bill I will convince the new queen and the Nubian director of commerce to open up plasma sales to all members of the republic and all the federation's clients outside the republic… I also can ensure a commission to all the new clients you bring us…"
With a grunt Palpatine had convinced the Senator to side with him without using the force. An emergency meeting of the Senate was called and Deena's bill passed by a land slide. Josen was there and spotted Palpatine sitting with the Neimodian Senator, he knew what had happened. He immediately called Naboo and told the King what happened. An election was held on Naboo within the next six months and Deena Othmel won the election for Monarch of Naboo by thirty percent.
"I Palpatine do pledge to serve and protect the interests of the sovereign system of Naboo as Senator…" Deena had kept her word although there was a lot of angry people to answer to when she removed Josen from the seat as Senator.
As Senator Palpatine was given the Senatorial star ship Nubian Two to travel in. He immediately chose his staff and set up his offices on Naboo. He took an apartment in the Gala district on Coruscant. Over the next six months Palpatine familiarized himself with the other Senators so that he could take control of them via their emotions. After two months Palpatine held a Senatorial party inviting all the major players of the senate. The Supreme Chancellor was there and the Twi'lek took a holo-pic with Palpatine.
"You have done well…" Plagueis said to him three days after the paty.
'Thank you Master, but where are you?"
"The Yelma system… The Yelmen workers I had cloned are about to riot and take over the planet because of unfair wage trading among the large corporations… I want you to get in touch with your old friend Tarkin… He is the prefect person to head up the The Republic's Military commission…" Plagueis explained that he wanted the Droid Army Formation act amended so that the Republic could have a Military command structure.
"I shall get to work on it right away…" He hesitated, "What about the Jedi… They will be too busy looking into rumors about a possible sith sighting on Dantooine…"
Tridaria:
A lone star ship entered the atmosphere and was escorted by four nova class Tridarian star fighters. The ship landed in the royal hangar where a Tridarian Noble named Dzeen was waiting. Dzeen had retired from the Senate. From the starship emerged a Dug, Bothan, and a stocky human.
"Welcome to Tridaria…"
"No time for small talk sir… We need to get down to business…"
They met in Dzeen's private study, but before a word was said the Bothan scanned the room for bugs. "Its clean…" He declared. The Bothan started the meeting, "I was hired by Neldo here who is a descendent of a Dug named Lok… He was leader of the Black Sun…"
"What does all this have to do with me…"
"You were chosen to be a patsy in a plan by Cosigna Palpatine to blame an uprising on you…" The Tridarian's wings stopped flapping. "Was Palpatine in on this plan?"
"No, but we believe his friend Tin'sar Demask was behind it… or connected in some way… Every time we get close to the truth it slips away from us… but we believe Palpatine is the key to learning the truth… My people examined the remains of his family's ship… That was no accident…"
"Are you saying Palpatine killed his own father and slammed the ship into his family estate…"
"Yes… We need your help in kidnapping him…" They told him more and showed Dzeen holopics of Tin'sar and Palpatine together.
The Dug Neldo interrupted, "We all want revenge and the best way to get at Tin'sar Demask is by his human lacky Palpatine…"