"—destruction of government property, physical violence, denigrating the Supreme Chancellor and the Vice Chairman, antagonizing fellow peers, causing either direct or indirect harm to other peers..." The Vice Chairman Jotruse droned on and on.

Palpatine and Ovirelt were sitting in the Vice Chairman's office which branched off from the Chancellor's suite. The Vice Chairman's office was composed of cool colors and luxurious furniture. Jotruse sat with his back to a glass window. Coruscant was brighter than ever.

The workplace had an air of frostiness. Perhaps it was the chilly choice of colors. Or it was the bitter feelings that were coming off Jotruse in tremendous waves. Palpatine twisted his ring and Ovirelt avoided any eye contact.

Jotruse set the HoloPad on the table, shaking his head and leaning back. Palpatine dared to glance up at the disgruntled Vice Chairman. Jotruse told them solemnly. "I'm going to tell you this straight: this is not looking good..."

Jotruse made sure he caught both of their gazes.

"...for either of you." The Vice Chairman steepled his hands and gazed up to the ceiling. "According to the inspectors the damages are going to cost a minimum of 66,000 credits each."

Palpatine's mouth almost dropped open, but he tried to restrain his surprise. 66,000? Can...can my parents even pay for that? I can't pay for that.

Ovirelt stood up and slammed her fists on the table. "That's outrageous. That's unfair! I refuse!" she refused.

Palpatine rolled his eyes. You have more than plenty of credits, you worthless credit squanderer.

Ovirelt jabbed a finger at Palpatine. "I shouldn't have to pay for this he should! He started this whole mess!"

Palpatine held a hand over his chest. "I did? You're one the one who tried to throw me off the pod!"

Ovirelt whipped around, "No, I didn't! It was an accident. Don't try to turn this on me! You're the one who started getting all uncivilized."

"Me? Uncivilized." Palpatine scoffed. "How amusing."

Jotruse stood and held up his palms trying to deescalate the situation. "It is final. There will be no negotiations over these terms." He folded his arms. "Next time think twice before you destroy a government facility."

A vein began to throb in Palpatine's neck, and his fist began to shake. Ovirelt appeared to share the same feelings. She seethed, "My mother will get you for this."

Jotruse told Ovirelt very flatly. "If you're mother is planning to sue the government, she will only be suing herself."

Ovirelt paused for a moment then shouted. "I WILL DESTROY YOU, JOTRUSE!" She spun on her heel and stalked out of the office.

Jotruse sighed deeply and held a hand to his temples. After a handful of uncomfortable moments Jotruse said to Palpatine. "Thank you, Palpatine, for being sane." He let out a mirthless laugh. "There should be more people like you in the political world. Thoughtful. Tame. Pleasant."

Palpatine nodded genially, biting back the words he was about to say beforehand. "My pleasure," he managed. Palpatine didn't know whether he should get up or stay.

Jotruse saw Palpatine's hesitancy and waved him away. "You're dismissed."

Palpatine scurried away and made sure to push in his seat unlike Ovirelt. As he reached the doorway, Jotruse stopped him. "Oh, I almost forgot."

Palpatine wavered as Jotruse sifted through his HoloPad and glanced up to the young Naboo.

Jotruse alerted him, "Ah, yes. Remember the payment is due in two days. Although the sooner the better. Thank you in advanced for your cooperation." A small smile split the Twi'lek's face.

Palpatine returned a charming but strained smile and then departed.

"I could have been at Canto Bight with everyone else but here I am scolding insolent children." Jotruse grumbled to himself. "What a great job this turned out to be." Jotruse took his HoloPad and started relaying the payment information to the Ovirelt household.

Jaxious had waited for Palpatine outside the Chancellor Suite. As soon as the doors slid open Jaxious asked him, "How did it go?"

Palpatine's lips thinned at those words. "Terribly." He left it as that. How am I supposed to...figure this out?

Palpatine and Jaxious took a speeder together to the Senate Apartment Complex where they both retired to their separate rooms.

Palpatine had purposely been avoiding the main lounge mainly due to Ovirelt. Also, because the Gungan representative was hanging around in there being a Gungan. Palpatine had no interest in being around most of the Youth Senators in general.

Palpatine sat by his window watching the speeders zip by as he gazed at the blue skies and sprawling city scape.

His scrape with death was a difficult phenomenon to process. Palpatine had been given scant time to reflect in the past twenty-four hours. One thing that he now realized was: he was mortal. Death would come for him someday.

The word "death" sent shivers down his spine.

Whether it be tomorrow or eighty years from now, he would drop dead, one day. You could escape vengeful pirates, family in-laws, or the monstrosities found in deep space but one thing you can never escape is death.

Death is the ultimate beast. It cannot be reasoned with nor bargained with. It has no feelings nor senses. It takes without a thought.

Death is final.

Palpatine shuddered. When Death knocked on his door, he would cease to exist. He would become a hollow corpse either to be burned or eaten by the vermin of the soil.

Palpatine's life continued to tick away, the moment drawing closer and closer. Someday his life would stop. He would stop laughing, feeling, speaking, reading, watching, thinking. It would all stop. He loved life, his life, and one day he would have to stop living it.

Palpatine had heard that for many people Death is comforting. They spoke of the comfort of having your loved ones around you as you faded away. They wrote of feeling accomplished and yet tired of this world. Palpatine could not understand when people expressed such nonsensical ideas.

In his opinion, no one was ever given enough time to accomplish something great and to live a great life. He would never grow tired of this world with its planets and its people, the possibilities presented to him.

But if I could cheat it? Can I cheat it? Palpatine shook his head. No, the idea itself is insane. People have tried and people have failed. It's a lost cause, a mystery that shall remain a mystery for millenniums to come. It was a nice thought, a hopeful thought. Perhaps too hopeful. After all, whoever figured out how to cheat death?

Thump. Thump. A knock at the door. Palpatine hopped off the window seat and pressed a button on his quarter door. The doors slid open "Yes?" Palpatine answered the knock.

Jaxious was at the door. "Oh, hi, Palpatine. Sorry to interrupt you." Jaxious fiddled with his fingers and began. "Oh yeah, my mom wanted to invite our group, you know, to the Opera House tonight at 1600." Jaxious pointed at the HoloDoc he has holding. The invitation was from Senator Formidas. "All the info you need is on the invitation."

Senator Formidas is his mother?

Palpatine glanced at the invitation. I do love operas...but I'm depleted. "I'll consider," he told Jaxious. Palpatine was about to shut the door when Jaxious put his hand in front of the door sensor.

"Please say yes. My dad runs the Opera House, and his new opera is going to be playing for the first time tonight." He paused and chuckled to himself. "You and I have almost died together so an opera can't be as bad as that can it?"

Palpatine sighed deeply. "Yes. Yes. I'll come."

Jaxious pumped his fist in the air. "Great!" He tried to restrain his excitement. "My apologies. It's just that none of my friends are ever willing to go. And none of group has said yes so far."

Palpatine told Jaxious. "I do love operas." Palpatine's eyes lit up. "Wait...you said your father owns the Galactic Opera House. Is your father named Bazaron?" Jaxious nodded. Now it was Palpatine's turn to contain his excitement. Like THE Bazaron? "Hmm...that's great." He moved to shut the sliding door. "So, I shall see you at the Galactic Opera House. I look forward to it!"

Jaxious asked. "Wait, Palpy, can you help me distribute the invitations?" Palpatine blinked two times. He ran that sentence over in his head again ten times, then turned back to Jaxious. Did he just call me...Palpy?

"Sure...as long as you promise not to call me that name, again." Palpatine bristled and paused to gather himself. "Just...don't call me Palpy. Is that clear?" The last thing I need is a nickname.

"Got it, Palpy." Jaxious snickered. Palpatine sharply breathed in. He was faced with a dilemma: slam the door in Jaxious's face and risk not meeting Bazaron or just go along, play nice and meet Bazaron.

He chose the latter option, the one he most despised but which produced a beneficial end result. At least he's not calling me Sheev. Why did my parents ever name me that?

Palpatine stepped into the hall and laughed sarcastically. "Har, har, har. Hilarious." He instantly regretted it. The number one rule to not encourage a behavior was to discourage it, ignore it. He had already failed.

Jaxious skipped down the hall with Palpatine lagging behind him. "Come on, Palpy. We haven't got all day!"