Despite memorizing the layout of the Youth Senator Ship Academy Complex, Palpatine still found it a bewildering place to be in. Jaxious guided him along as they had similar schedules.
His classes currently were: Public Administration, International Relations, Political Science, Economics, Leadership & Ethics, History of the Galactic Republic, Diversity & Equality, Power & Corruption, HoloNet/Media Literacy, four language classes, and of course, Sith Mythology. Today, he only had seven classes.
Diversity & Equality was by far his least favorite. It was a class required to be taken by sectors with either different species or a planet divided by different cultures. All in all, it meant that Palpatine had to speak in excruciating detail with the Youth Gungan Representative, Moran Lamro. No matter how many problems the Naboo and the Gungans had with it each it did not compare to half of the other systems in that class. Two fist fights broke out within minutes of the class beginning and it ended with a teacher holding an icepack on two of his twelve eyes.
Yes, it was quite the morning. Palpatine's face hurt from the strain of wearing a wide smile all. He had a terrible headache from the traumatic encounter. At least in Public Administration he was able to calm down by having a screaming match with Ovirelt.
Palpatine and Jaxious sat towards the back of the lecture hall. The hall was more crowded than he had anticipated. Practically all of the seats were full. The hall also was incredibly dim, the shades on the windows drawn close, and it had a chilly air to it.
There was a small disorderly desk at the front, a HoloBoard set against the wall, and bookshelves lining the walls in an unorganized fashion.
"So, this is the Sith Mythology lecture hall?" Palpatine remarked. "What was the reason this is a class?" he asked Jaxious.
Jaxious shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she'll tell us." Palpatine turned to see an Arkanian woman entered the room. The Arkanian had colorless hair, solid white eyes, and clawed four fingered hands. Her face was drawn into a grim expression and her stride had a certain aloof quality.
Palpatine had the Diversity & Equality class only ten minutes ago, but he already felt on edge with the Arkanian in the room. The Arkanians were known to be reserved but one couldn't help but hear those terrible rumors about them. Tales of mad Arkanian scientists and unspeakable experiments, especially ones with cloning occurring on their home world for the sake of knowledge.
Palpatine leaned his head towards Jaxious slightly and spoke quietly. "Is that the apostate Jedi Master?"
"Yes." Jaxious whispered back.
The Arkanian dropped a pile of dusty books on her desk and placed a small green box atop the pile. She snatched up a HoloPen and scrawled her name in the top left corner of the HoloBoard in faint blue glowing letters.
"I will be your Sith Mythology teacher for this semester." The Arkanian drew away from the HoloBoard and faced the audience. "My name is Ms. Murda."
The Arkanian glanced at a mindless Bothan who was scrolling on his HoloPad in the first row. The Arkanian sniffed indignantly. She outstretched her arm, an invisible Force wretched the HoloPad from his hand and flew into hers.
"Hey!" the Bothan protested.
Ms. Murda went on with a frostiness in her voice. "I have a strict no HoloNet devices policy. If you are discovered using such devices, I will confiscate them, and you will be not able to retrieve them until the school day ends. No exceptions." The Bothan was about to speak but Ms. Murda cut him off. "I said…no exceptions."
The Bothan huffed and crossed his arms. Palpatine heard his fellow classmate grumble and complain quietly to each other. Unlike many of his classmates including Jaxious, Palpatine did not shut off his HoloBand.
Ms. Murda wrote on the HoloBoard: Sith Mythology then underlined the words with a flourish. She tapped the course name with her HoloPen as she spoke. "The Sith have fascinated scholars and scientists and all sorts for generations. No doubt most of you are here for that reason as well. But…this isn't a course meant to satisfy fascination, I am afraid. It is a warning…"
"The Sith are the evilest of the evilest. The ones who brought the galaxy more tragedy and woe than any other. They are the rawest beings of the world. They are the core of evil and therefore, are the fundamentals of wickedness."
Ms. Murda sighed deeply. "That is the very reason I teach you this course. Politics is the birthplace of corruption and dishonesty. It is an evil that we are hoping to rectify, so therefore to rectify evil we must first understand it. And to understand evil, we must understand the Sith."
Palpatine tried to restrain his laughter. It was frankly hilarious to watch. He was a Sith, well, since eight hours ago. He had a feeling this class was going to be pointless. After all, Plagueis was going to teach him all about the Sith…eventually.
And who is to say the Sith are evil? Using anger as power is a tool. Using one's emotions as a tool is not evil. Is it?
Someone was rapping the classroom door with their sharp knuckles. Ms. Murda sighed before wrenching the door open. "Hi, Ms. Murda. Sorry I'm late." Ovirelt stood there in her ostentatious grandeur.
This will…be humorous. Well, mostly because this teacher was renowned for her strictness. At least from what he had heard and seen thus far.
Ms. Murda glanced down at Ovirelt's necklace which had her House symbol engraved upon it. "Aren't you Kidria Ovirelt? Kiltas Ovirelt's daughter? You've grown quite a bit." Ovirelt nodded. "Hmm…well, come on in. Next class if you arrive late there will be consequences."
Ovirelt beamed at her. "Thank you, Ms. Murda."
What? This is absurd! She should've been penalized!
Ovirelt climbed the stairs and was getting uncomfortably close to Palpatine's aisle. Palpatine hoped she would turn into an aisle lower down, but she reached his aisle then entered. Ugh…
Ovirelt sat down next to Jaxious. Palpatine was on Jaxious' other side. Jaxious greeted Ovirelt. "Uh…hi, Kidria."
"Hello Jaxious." Ovirelt purred. She threw Palpatine a dirty look. "I see you're still associating yourself with this failure of a human being."
"Always a pleasure, Ovirelt." Palpatine told her wryly.
Palpatine cleared his throat. "You see, Ovirelt, I do not care if you come to my sister's wedding or not," he did care. "But I want you to know this. You'll be wasting your time and your money on people you neither know nor care about. And I guarantee you will not be staying in my house, and you'll have to pay for your own expenses."
Ovirelt scoffed, "I have more credits than any of your family members could have possibly ever earned in ten lifetimes. Don't worry, Palpatine, expenses are the least of my worries." Palpatine gritted his teeth at that comment. She paused and considered. "I've always wanted to go to Naboo anyway. Beautiful countryside, dazzling seas. Hmm…"
Jaxious turned to Palpatine. "Yeah…Naboo is truly a charming planet, and it has charming people, like your family. I mean, I only met your mom but…I get the sense you've got a really, you know, nice family. Right?"
Palpatine nodded. "I suppose so." He spoke softly. "A nice…boring family." It was true. Apart from his cousin Bratte, his family was…sweet, friendly. Everything he was not.
Jaxious grimaced ever so slightly. Ovirelt interjected. "A nice boring family? Are you seriously distressed about that?" Ovirelt scowled. "You're so ungrateful."
"Ungrateful?" Palpatine's voice hit a note of indignity. "I'm ungrateful? You're the one tossing your credits about without a care—"
"Sheev Palpatine, is it?" Palpatine's neck swiveled towards the cool sounding voice. It was Ms. Murda. She stood with her arms crossed and glowered at him. The Arkanian pointed at the HoloBoard where a picture was displayed. "What is the name of this Sith and why is she an important figure in Sith mythology?"
Palpatine recognized the golden cloaked woman in the painting. It was the one he had faced in the Sith Shrine and the same one Plagueis had shown him in a similar painting.
Palpatine answered swiftly. "Her name was Darth Vayne, and she was known as one of the greatest Sith to have ever lived."
There was a flicker of surprise on Ms. Murda's face. "Correct…and incorrect." Ms. Murda paced across the floor. "Her name was Darth Vayne, that is correct. However, she is not known as the greatest Sith to ever live. What she is famous for is…being the first to pursue eternal life."
"Very little is known of her but what do know is…she lived 4000 years before the Sith-Jedi War occurred. Darth Bane, the leader of the Sith Order, attempted to install the Rule of Two but of course, he died before he could ever see it through. And all the Sith died with him." Palpatine let a smirk cross his face. Ms. Murda paused. "We will cover that subject later in the year but—yes, Palpatine?"
Palpatine inquired cordially. "What was the Rule of Two?"
Ms. Murda took a deep breath. "Very little is known about it but recently the Jedi excavated a Sith Shrine in the Unknown Regions. And well, they found a Sith Holocron made by Darth Bane. The Rule of Two was an idea drafted when the Sith Order began to fall apart from the inside."
Ms. Murda swiped through her HoloPad and relayed a quote from the HoloCron:
"Two there should be. No more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it." She tutted to herself. "We hypothesis that the Apprentice will eventually challenge the Master for the power. If the Apprentice wins, they become the power but if the Master wins, they retain their position." She scoffed at it. "It seems to be a very illogical system. However, the Sith are known to be that way."
Rule of Two? Plagueis didn't mention that.
"May someone tell me why this rule is illogical?" Ms. Murda asked. Ovirelt, Jaxious, and Palpatine raised their hands simultaneously. "One at a time. Tell me one reason."
"With only two Sith, if both were to be killed at the same time, the Sith would die out. And two could never survive with so many Jedi against them." Ovirelt answered.
"Good. Jaxious you may go."
"There would be constant conflict with the Master and the Apprentice. The Master may not teach the Apprentice all their knowledge. When the Master dies valuable knowledge will be lost."
"Excellent, Jaxious." Ms. Murda marked something on her sheet and turned to Palpatine. "And you, Palpatine?"
Palpatine was unsure. Was Plagueis using this rule, perhaps? As far as Palpatine knew Plagueis was only teaching him. Palpatine had never given it thought, how did the Sith survive? They somehow did. He was one and so was Plagueis. There was two, a Master and an Apprentice.
"The Rule of Two is designed to ensure the downfall of the Master. Why would the Master ever comply with that kind of system where the Apprentice he is teaching may turn on him and kill him one day?" Palpatine answered.
"Good. Good. Everyone." Ms. Murda's gaze swept across Ovirelt, Jaxious, and finally Palpatine. "Very, good, indeed." Ms. Murda went on. "Now…Darth Vayne…"
Palpatine tried to listen. His mind was wandering, for the last few hours he had barely paused to think. Back on Naboo he had all the time in the world to ponder, to dream of the life he was living now. But now that he was here, it still didn't seem like enough.
There was something missing.
Palpatine was on the road to becoming a successful politician and was already delving into the supernatural with Darth Plagueis. He now had two lives, the Politician, and the Apprentice. It was exciting, thrilling, the very thing absent on Naboo.
"…betrayed by her lover. It is said that she was left to die on the world she had ravaged with her lightning. And that…is the end of her tale." She glanced down at her HoloBand. "I believe we are out of time."
"Thank the Force." Ovirelt exclaimed. She alongside Jaxious and Palpatine gathered up their materials. They began the very slow shuffle down the lecture room left staircase.
Ms. Murda announced. "There will be a quiz next Benduday." Her students grumbled. She put the green box she had on her desk into a bag of hers.
As Jaxious passed the desk he quietly inquired. "What's in the box?"
Ms. Murda let a small smile cross her face. "You'll see if you come next class." Then her face stiffened again. "Now, shoo, shoo. Go to your classes." She slammed the door after the trio exited.
Jaxious scrolled through his schedule and looked at Palpatine. "I think we have Economics next."
Palpatine griped, "Economics…splendid."
Ovirelt chimed in. "What a shame…I have HoloNet Literacy. Fascinating thing isn't it, learning about propaganda and political manipulation. Scandals of the HoloNet." she said dryly to Jaxious and Palpatine. "Good luck in Economics." Palpatine ignored her comment.
"We're going to need it." Jaxious laughed nervously.
Ovirelt leered at Palpatine. "Next time I will see you Skeeve, I suppose, is at the wedding." Before Palpatine could respond, she turned to Jaxious. "Bye, Jaxious." Then she disappeared into the crowd and went on her merry way to HoloNet Literacy.
"Bye, Kidria." Jaxious said softly.
Palpatine scoffed. "She's no good for you. You must know that?"
Jaxious' locked eyes with Palpatine. He opened his mouth but then he clamped it shut again. He spun around facing away from Palpatine. "Let's just go to Economics."
It was true that Ovirelt spelled bad news for Jaxious, but Palpatine would turn out to be…far, far worse.