SHEEV PALPATINE
"Are you sure you packed everything?" Palpatine asked, looking at his apprentice Trilla Suduri. She was currently walking next to him, carrying a bag containing all of her possessions on her back. It was actually quite heavy, but the conditioning she went through at the jedi temple most likely made her used to carrying such a weight.
"Yes master, I am sure" Trilla responded, rolling her eyes. It wasn't the first time they were having this conversation, so she was probably getting tired of these questions.
"And did you remember to say goodbye to your friends in the temple?" He inquired. He was sure other younglings would be quite sad if she left without saying anything. Not to mention it would be quite rude.
"I am not a child, master. I already did it yesterday" She responded, sounding a little irritated by the question. Well, he supposed she deserved a little bit of trust. She was his apprentice after all.
"I know, I know, you can take care of yourself. But I just can't help it. It's a sith master's duty to worry about their apprentices, you know?" replied Palpatine. Maybe he was acting a little overprotective, but there was a reason for that. After several weeks of learning under him, his adorable little apprentice was going to the board school!
That was why Palpatine was currently escorting Trilla to one of Coruscant's spaceports, from where she, alongside some other Sith hopefuls taken from the Jedi temple and various other places because of their predisposition towards the dark side, would journey to Korriban. After arriving there, his apprentice would start her education at the newly-opened, republic-funded Sith academy, led by Aloysius Kallig, famous Sith lord and the ancestor of Palpatine's friend, Adas Kallig.
Opening of the Sith academy was honestly a godsend for Palpatine, as he had no idea about how to teach Trilla ways of the Sith and the mastery of the dark side he heard so much about. Especially as he didn't have the slightest idea about how to use the force himself.
So far he was just ordering Trilla to attend lessons at the Jedi temple with other younglings, only instead of using tranquility and peace, or whatever Jedi used to control the force, she was supposed to use her emotions to achieve the same effect.
Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, she hasn't managed to achieve success in that field so far.
Despite his lack of arcane knowledge, he didn't think of himself as a bad master to Trilla though. After taking her as his apprentice he made sure to read a lot of books about raising children and nurturing their talent, so he knew it was very important to listen to the child's concerns and be patient with them. They needed to feel an emotional bond with their guardian, as it was a foundation of their future growth.
That was why he was spending a lot of time just talking with Trilla, listening about her problems and dreams, doing his best to be supportive of her goals. He was also regularly eating lunch with her and taking her to assist him with his work, allowing her to learn more about his job and responsibilities, thus bringing them closer to each other.
While he knew that it was a little different from Adas Kallig's methods, who was much more strict with his own apprentice, Maul, than Palpatine was with Trilla, he vastly preferred his own approach. If Maul was his approach, Palpatine would be much more patient and gentle with him than Kallig was. Taking it all into account, he believed he was doing quite a good job as Trilla's master so far.
His biggest problem was that he didn't know anything about the Sith part of the Sith master, which would definitely be detrimental to Trilla's growth. Thus the Sith academy.
"I know I probably don't need to remind you that, but remember to study hard, listen to your teachers and do your best. As an apprentice of the Sith lord you must give example to others. You will also show me everything you learned at the academy when you return for the vacation" Palpatine said, trying his best to look stern. He didn't actually doubt that Trilla would excel in Sith academy, she was a brilliant girl after all, but it was his job as her master to remind her about these things once a while.
"Yes, master" Replied Trilla tiredly, sighing. It seemed she didn't appreciate his reminders. Did that mean she was entering her rebellious age? He hoped it wasn't the case, as he didn't know how to deal with something like that. Though maybe it was because it wasn't the first time he said that. It wasn't like he was saying that for no reason though. His words were meant to support her.
Well, mostly. While he obviously wanted the best for his apprentice, there was also another reason why he wanted her to learn as much as possible at the Sith academy.
Trilla was an intelligent girl, so she would eventually return to Coruscant much more knowledgeable about the dark side. Asking her about her studies would give him a perfect excuse to learn some of the basic sith techniques without arousing any suspicions. He would just act as a wise master interested in his pupil's progress in sith arts. Palpatine would probably be even able to ask her some truly elementary questions about the dark side, using his interest in his apprentice's knowledge as an excuse.
If he was lucky, maybe he would be even able to attend some of the Academy's lectures while visiting Trilla. While he doubted it would be enough to let him use the force, it was better than doing nothing.
As Palpatine was plotting, he and Trilla reached the spaceport's landing site. The ship intended to take Trilla to Korriban was already waiting for her, with ship's guards looking at them expectantly.
Palpatine knew it was time to say final goodbyes to his apprentice. It was quite a sad thought, as he found himself enjoying these few weeks he spent as her master. His only consolation was that Trilla's education at the Sith academy was only temporary and she would soon return and become his apprentice full time.
"Okay, it seems we are on time. I know you probably don't want to hear any boring speeches from this old man, so I will try to be brief. I want you to know that I believe in you and I hope you will have a good time in the Sith academy" He said, looking at his apprentice, a little sad inside. Was that how every Sith master felt when they had to send their pupils to the academy? Maybe this was that whole negative aspect of the dark side he heard so much about? The fact that the Sith, who were relying on their emotions instead of tranquility, were much more sensitive and emotional then the jedi? It would certainly make some sense.
"Thank you, master Palpatine. I will do my best. And you should take care of yourself too. I know how much time you spend working. You should rest more" Trilla said, giving Palpatine a small smile. He was truly lucky to have such a caring apprentice.
"Haha, of course. I will try" Palpatine responded, knowing fully well that he wouldn't be able to do that, at least not while the war was still going on. Being a chancellor was a full time activity and the most he could do was to find an hour or two once a week to do some pod racing. It was nice to know his apprentice cared about his health though.
He thought about saying something more, but he could see that the ship's guards were looking at him impatiently, wanting to say that they needed to leave, yet not brave enough to tell that to the chancellor. That was why instead of continuing, Palpatine decided to say goodbye to Trilla with a traditional Sith farewell.
"Become one with the darkness" He exclaimed.
"May the shadows protect you" Trilla replied. After giving him the last little wave, she turned around and boarded a ship. A minute after she disappeared behind the ship's entrance, the ship took off and left the spaceport.
Palpatine stayed on the landing site for a while, waving in the direction of the ship quickly disappearing into space, before deciding it was time for him to leave as well. He had a republic to run after all.
He was a little sad that Trilla wasn't following him anymore, but he knew it would be beneficial for her. And he didn't know how exactly Sith academy worked, but he had no doubt Trilla would make him proud.