Sorry if this chapter is short I have been really busy with other things so here is the chapter I promised and I promise to get a new one up soon. And like I said this is fanfiction, I just have not gotten into the fanfiction side to this story yet.
One weeks later...
Coruscant 21 BBY (noon)
"It is lovely to meet you Chancellor," Lubov said through a false smile.
She had never trusted this man, as soon as he had gotten the emergency powers at the start of the Clones Wars she had lost all respect for the man. The war was more than likely an inside job to keep him in power, even though if she dared to say something like that she would be thought of as crazy and sent back to that mental asylum on Naboo. She was not going back there so she kept her opinions to herself. Besides that if he was using the war to his advantage she would have read something somewhere from one of the Senators reports... or maybe he was censoring those to?
Whatever the case was she did not trust the old man. He may be from the same planet as her mother, but she was not about to trust him just because of that.
"It is lovely to meet you as well my dear," He replied in a sweet voice, that was reassuring to her for some reason.
"I am very grateful for you accepting my interview request." She told him as she took a seat in front of his desk where he sat himself down.
She was just grateful that he had been willing to work with her schedule rather than his which included more campaigning and working with senators to get the war to last longer rather than end it shortly. The war had changed everyone and he was more than likely making sure that it continued to kriff up everything in their democracy.
"It is an honor to be able to interview you at my age," Lubov said. "It is very rare that the HoloNet lets the younger generation interview the ones in power."
"Well, they should have fresh faces to be honest with you," The chancellor agreed. "It makes the youth more interested in current events."
"That I will have to agree with, my boss is reasoning that our out look needs to be more youth oriented rather than just focusing on what adults have to say on certain matters."
The Chancellor simply nodded and had her bring out her datapad filled with questions. She had finally managed to get Artier to talk to her after what had happened the week before and had all of his questions ready to ask the Chancellor. The two had not made up per se but their relationship was headed back to hopefully what it had been before.
"Now, to begin this interview I have to ask you your name and what your position is otherwise my boss is going to have both of us fired." Lubov said with a smile on her face as she pressed the record button on her datapad.
"My name is Palpatine and I have the position as High Chancellor of the Galactic Republic." The Chancellor replied with a smile on his old face.
"Now lately all we have heard from you is that you are trying to end the war and yet there seems to be nothing done about it. Please explain this in simply terms so that the audience will be able to understand."
"It is not that I am not trying to end the war, the only thing I have been doing for the past year is focusing on negotiations and such with the Separatists." The Chancellor began. "What has been happening is that every time I think we are getting somewhere they go off and attack on of systems and cause all sorts of causalities? It is beginning to be quite repetitive. The Separatists seem willing to speak but they will not speak unless we lower our defensives, which I am afraid we cannot do without risking more lives. The decisions are beginning to tear the Senate and I apart."
Lubov cleared her throat at the notion that the Separatists were behind the war, but she could not help but feel that there was something else there. Something he, or any other senator was hiding. Someone was behind the war, and it was not the Confederacy.
"Now," Lubov said scrolling down to the question. "I have to ask whether or not you believe the political situations in the Confederacy are wearing down or not."
"It is rather difficult to say at this point though most of their resources are going to the way effort. Their economy is still weak at best which is never the best idea for running any sort of government."
"Agreed." Lubov nodded her head and moved on to the next question not feeling like having him elaborate on the situation with the poor economic choices of the Separatist movement.
The whole of the information they would discuss was already on the HoloNet from older interviews and new information that comes from the Separatist side of the war. Information and the news is what is holding the galaxy together by a thin thread though even that is being cut by the recent increase in propaganda to support the war. The ideas of Journalism were going down hill... just like the ideas of democracy being replaced by the ideas of war. Wars are fought by men who support ideas, they do not fight to fight, they fight simply because they are bored, they fight because they want to. If you give them a reason they will fight.
"What are your opinions on the recent rise of Anarchists in the Mid Rim?"
"I understand their concerns that the democracy of the Republic is being overthrown by the ideas that I have been put into power and will never return that power. Believe me I will turn my power over, this job is not meant for an old man like me for long." He said with a convincing smile on his elderly face. "And they have a right to protest, however, they must understand that if we do not keep this war up we are going to have more anarchist movements like these that will eventually tear this Republic though it's seams."
"It must be very difficult to realize that one mistake can ruin the entire future of the galaxy." She replied with a sympathetic look in her eyes. "I would never be able to handle that sort of power. I have to admit you are doing quite well for someone of your age with this position."
Lubov did not what had come over all she knew was that she suddenly felt more comfortable around the Chancellor and that she felt herself very open to him. She could not bring herself to understand these feelings and just tried her best to take control of her emotions while she could but she could not. What was wrong with her? Was she having another breakdown? No, it could not be another one of those there was something wrong with her... no, she did not feel sick. Perhaps she was over reacting to nothing?
"You are right my dear," The Chancellor replied with a new found smile on his face. "It is a difficult job and if not for the war we all know that I would have retired and gone back to my home planet and deal with the politics there."
"Naboo is rather peaceful," She commented. "Their involvement in the war has been minimal as far as the planet is concerned. Their former Queen, Senator Amidala seems to be the one who gets the planet in the spotlight."
"Yes," He said with a fond look in his eyes. "She is something special, though often I worry about her over working herself. She spends all of her time working rather than focusing on the more important things in life. I am sorry, but you must understand my point."
"I do," Lubov nodded in agreement. "I will say this though I came to interview you not the Senator."
"I understand that." He said. "Now what is the next question?"
"Yes," Lubov padded down to her questions Artier had given her. "Is it true that you are close to the Jedi Anakin Skywalker?"
The Chancellor smiled probably realizing that this was going to come up eventually. She was not sorry that she brought it up she was just curious herself and she had a duty to a friend, or was Artier still a friend? To get the interview done for him.
"I am sorry to bring this up, however, I must dive in on this, you understand ratings and such." Lubov explained sighing heavily. "To be honest I would be more interested in learning about your opinions on the recent military set back occurring in the Outer Rim and how this may affect us in the near future. Some are even saying that the Outer Rim will decide the outcome of the war do you agree?"
"To be honest, the Outer Rim is not a part of the Republic and if we were to gain that section it could be used to our advantage in the way of getting more resources. While helping the Outer Rim territories with medical aid and educational teaching. It could be useful to say the least to get a hold of the Outer Rim, however, my views on the issue is that we have to keep where we are for now and move on when it comes to us."
"Thank you for your opinion on that," Lubov said with a grin on her face. "Now like I said for ratings..."
"Don't worry my dear I do not mind speaking of a friend."
"Thank you, your excellency, you have saved my job!" She stated with relief.
"Well then, I have known Anakin since he was a little boy and have been like another father figure for the boy since then..."
Lubov unlocked the door to her apartment. Her day had been spent interviewing the Chancellor and getting the information Artier wanted, or rather needed to get his article done. And now here she was with all of this information and the beginning of what would become another three weeks work of doing nothing but focusing on the Chancellor and his past. If she was lucky she could get all of this done within two weeks, but the chances were light considering the fact she had to deal with Artier.
After what had happened last week their relationship had mended some, but not enough where she felt like having a chat with him of the com. She felt awkward just thinking about him and all the things she more than likely did to him. It still sent shivers down her spine just to think of those things. To imagine just being with him in the sweaty... No! She could not go there again, if she kept thinking about the worse it was going to get between herself and Artier. Things had to get better they had become partners and if partners can not work together than their jobs were ruined and it was back to Hapes for her.
As she got into the apartment she her com blinking with a new message on it. She had left it there in the apartment by mistake, and now here she was with another message from her mother about how she needed to begin to court Artier. It disgusted her on how her mother found out about these intimate details of her life.
She pressed the top button and managed to get the message to play for her. Strangely enough it was not her mother who had sent her a message but Artier. He looked around the room for a moment before he began to speak as if afraid to get caught doing something he was not supposed to do. Was his mother with him and had the same ideas as hers? If that was the case she knew that she could get her mother and his mother together for a happy marriage to each other.
"Hello Lubov," Artier began. "I would like to thank you for the help you have given me and by doing that I would like to meet over at dinner to discuss what you have gotten from the Chancellor on the Jedi. And then afterwards we should go on an adventure together, nothing sexual this time I promise! I just want to get around and explore the sights and maybe even go to Hapes and meet your family. I am kidding about that last part, I am sure your father would kill me if he found out that I was in love with his daughter."
Artier winked his, what some girls call "sexy", eye. She was repulsed by this and rolled her eyes at that. She was sure though that her mother would be more than pleased to see her bring home a boy that claimed to be in love with her. And her father would just ask him if he knew the Hapan culture and what that implied as far as his behavior around women.
"Anyway, I love you Lubov, and hope to see you soon." Artier said as he closed down the holographic image of himself.
What an arrogant prick he was? But why on earth did she even like to be in the same room with him while he caused her so much mental pain?
Good, bad, neither, review if you want I really don't care. Either way you know you want to and you just don't want to bother me with reading more things. Anyway, see you ladies and boys next time! :)