The Chancellor calls a sudden, special meeting of the Senate. Despite my over-eight-months belly, I decide to risk a public appearance, possibly my last.
Esmé, Irdé and my head of security accompany me in my Senatorial shuttle. In the corridor outside the Senate chamber, we encounter Bail, who looks grim. He waves me over.
"Please, Senator Amidala, would you join me in the Alderaanian pod this evening? There is much to discuss."
"Certainly, Senator Organa." I follow him, heart pumping, and my attendants station themselves by the doorway as we enter the Senate chamber. The Chancellor has not yet arrived.
"Padmé, I must tell you something," Bail murmurs in my ear. "I have just been at the Jedi Temple, where I watched clone troopers pursue and kill a Padawan."
A strangled gasp escapes me. It doesn't make sense. Clones and Jedi have worked side-by-side for this entire war. The trust between them is vital. And the Temple…
"That's horrible, Bail. Were they after only this one Padawan, or does the issue go deeper?"
Suddenly, applause. The Chancellor's podium is raising from the floor, with a hooded figure in its centre. The wrongness of this whole situation seethes through my every taught muscle.
"Senators," the figure declares with Palpatine's voice, "an attempt has been made on my life by the very protectors we have long trusted. A group of Jedi ambushed me and tried to assassinate me. The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed, but I assure you my resolve has never been stronger."
An array of upset exclamations rings out across the chamber. Bail and I simply look at each other, fearing what comes next.
"This assassination attempt was part of a plan by the Jedi Order to overthrow this Senate," the Chancellor continues. "They have become power hungry as war generals. They sought to remove me and appoint themselves rulers of the Republic."
Shocked gasps now.
"Well that simply isn't true," Bail murmurs. "And such unsubstantiated claims do not justify the murder of a Padawan."
Palpatine gestures for calm. "Do not fear. The Jedi Rebellion has been foiled. The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated. Any collaborators will suffer the same fate."
The chamber erupts in applause.
"Really? Have they all turned on the Jedi so quickly?" I whisper.
"The war is over," Palpatine continues. "The Separatists have been defeated, and the Jedi threat has been vanquished. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning."
My gut churns. "Well, this is the moment we discover if he intends to return the Republic to a democracy." The look in Bail's eyes tells me he, too, knows which direction this will go.
"In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society which I assure you will last for ten thousand years," Palpatine announces. "An empire that will continue to be ruled by this august body, and a sovereign ruler chosen for life."
Somehow, this is met with applause. Raucous, enthusiastic, roaring. The Senate chamber is full of it, and I wonder if Bail and I are the only Senators who do not celebrate.
"So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause," I say, meeting my friend's eye.
He shakes his head, starts to stand up. "We cannot let this happen."
"Wait," I stay him with an unsteady hand. "We won't. But now is not the time, unless you would like to be labelled a Jedi collaborator. There is a more careful way to do this."
Note: Some of the dialogue in this scene is taken from the script of Revenge of the Sith.