Lord Sidious was having a much calmer morning. Master Dooku's visit to the bank still posed quite the riddle; but at least the specter of imminent death had left him.

Sereine, unfortunately, had not. As he stood before his fresher mirror, treating his beard with the light spectrum suppressor that discouraged growth, she came in, wearing one of his favorite negligees, placed her palms almost reverently to his back, and pressed a light kiss between his shoulder blades. The next instant, her arms snugged around his waist and she pressed herself against him from behind.

Now that she was obviously happy, she was becoming quite cuddly. Clingy, actually, and she was annoying Sidious no end.

"Sereine, do let me prepare for the day, please," he said, and politely disentangled himself.

"Oh." She sounded as if she'd sat on a pin. "I'm sorry." She kissed his shoulder gently and made herself scarce.

And then was very quiet again over breakfast.

He suppressed a sigh. "I see you're unhappy with me now," he said, doing his best to sound patient.

She glanced up from her plate. "No, I understand," she said. "Just let me know if I'm a little too much, and I'll give you some space."

He saw her again in one of the three Senate Office Building canteens, which were always full of low-level staffers and which he tried to avoid, except for an occasional fresh-brewed kaffe, if he happened to be walking past. Sidious was aware that Organa, Iblis, and even sometimes Valorum frequented the places, specifically to fraternize with staff, and the very idea made him shudder.

He got his kaffe and turned to find none other than Valorum there himself, gracing a table off in a corner, across from Sereine, whom he simply could not mistake with her decidedly green braid. Two tables stood empty in each direction around them, with several blue-robed members of the Senate guard at attention in a ring, signaling an impromptu meeting. Having a good idea what the conversation was about, Sidious dawdled behind a support column to observe. Dramatic as Sereine often was, she gestured and gesticulated with her hands, and Valorum frowned down at his datapad.

At length, Sereine got up and rounded his chair to stand behind him and look at something he was pointing out to her. And leaned down, much closer than she needed to, her hand on his shoulder.

What—?

Sidious watched as Valorum's arm traveled and reached to his right. Was she aware that his arm was around her?

Anger burned in his chest. Sidious glanced around, and, seeing no Jedi present, stretched gently into the Force to see what he could sense from his Chancellor.

He did not like what he perceived from that corner table, not one little bit. It wasn't nearly as bad as standing in the middle of that sabacc party—that entire room had seethed in the Force, with rank desire directed at Sereine—but it was clear enough to Sidious that this situation was far from benign. The only question mark was Sereine herself, blank in the Force as usual.

She stood with her head down, far too close to his face for Sidious's comfort, before rounding the table again and sliding back into her seat. Still, their heads were much too close together, and the sense from Valorum as he looked into her eyes—

Sidious spun on his heel and retreated to the corridor to avoid snapping entirely in the middle of the canteen. He loitered outside the door, and when she appeared, he grasped her roughly by the arm and drew her aside.

"Ouch!"

"What did I just see in there?"

"What are you talking about? You knew I was going to visit him about the situation with Mon Ane. I stopped in here for some kaffe and there he was. No time like the present. He asked them to clear a few tables for us, and I spoke to him."

Sidious glared at her and said nothing.

"Aren't you going to ask me how it went?" Sereine lowered her voice. "And you can let go of my arm. You're bruising me, and I'm sure people will stare."

Sidious relaxed his grip, but he didn't let go of her. An elevator opened across the hall, and he stalked toward it, pulling her with him.

They rode up to the Naboo Delegation in silence. He strode into his office and she followed him.

"It went well," she said. "He's going to sleep on it tonight and do a conference call with all of you. I'm not positive what he's going to do, but I got a good feeling about it from speaking with him."

"I imagine you did." Sidious narrowed his eyes at her, putting a silky note into his voice.

She blinked. "What?"

"You didn't notice him sliding his arm around you, Madiya?" The word was ur-Kittât, the Sith language, meaning belonging to me or mine own. She would never know that, but he did.

Sereine blinked again, showing him a blank expression; then she smiled and burst out laughing. "Sheev! Surely you don't think—"

She laughed again and shook her head. "Finis is married. And anyway, he isn't like that. He isn't interested in me. Five moons!"

"The same as all those slavering slime at your sabacc party weren't, either, I presume." Sidious had to work at releasing his fists.

Her voice took on a soft note. She brushed her greenish braid over her shoulder and stepped close to him. "Sheev, what is this?" She reached up and combed her fingers through his hair over his ear. "Ridiculous, that's what it is."

"The truth," said Sidious. "That's what it is. It amazes me you don't see it now."

She shook her head with another laugh. "I don't see anything because there's nothing to see."

He grasped her hand, hard. "You will one day. It's one thing when we're apart six months and you're somewhere on the Mid-Rim alone, Sereiné. But not at home, not here on Coruscant, and not in this building. And most certainly not with him!"

She sobered, her eyes searching his face. Clearly, she did not believe, but she realized he did. "Sheev, that's impossible," she said softly. "For one thing, I'll never be offered the opportunity!"

Fire burned in his chest. "But you would, if you did!" he snapped.

"Sheev, stop. What is this?" She reached up and stroked his cheek with her free hand.

"It's an addendum to our pact," he said as he ground his teeth. "Anyone else is fair game, as a novelty, if that's what you want. Not him."

"Why are you worried about this?" Her hand drifted into his hair again.

"Not Finis Valorum. Ever." He gripped her forearms.

She studied his face; then she reached up with both hands and gently smoothed his hair back. "All right. If that is what you want, that is what you will have." Her tone and her half-smile suggested she was just humoring him.

"'Reine." He raised an eyebrow.

"You don't need to worry about that, but I promise." Two sweet brown eyes held his.

After a moment he leaned down and kissed her.

Sereine had a very busy day planned the next morning. Work on the introductory video proceeded apace, and her first errand was to the office, to be sure the scene with the forty slaves being thrown out of the airlock had the right amount of shock coupled with at least some degree of good taste.

Then she dispersed some staff on an exercise they had named "Stop-And-Asks." The entire staff got together and brainstormed every question they could possibly think of that a holojournalist could throw at one of their Senators on the slavery issue. A staff member would visit Bel Iblis, Mothma, and Organa, and fire all these questions at them so they could identify any weak points and fine-tune their answers. Sereine had dispatched everyone with suggestions for sound bites, tailored for each Senator, as pithy and as stirring as they could make them.

Sereine would do Chancellor Valorum's session herself. Her assignment this morning also included his wife, Leida Valorum, as Chancellor's wives quite often got "stopped and asked" and a misspeak could prove quite problematic. She saw no need to do any more with Palpatine; they rehearsed right along, a bit each night. He would be the most prepared of any of them.

She arrived at the Chancellor's office suite promptly at the tenth hour and set to work, as Valorum only had an hour to spare. She noticed that he seemed distracted … off, somehow. "I think we're doing all right," she said as their hour drew to a close, "but I hope you can muster a bit more passion for the subject when you are, in fact, stopped and asked. What's the matter this morning, Finis? Haven't had your kaffe yet?"

Valorum looked up at her with haunted blue eyes. "Appropriate you should ask," he said. "I've just been made aware of a situation that I hope will not require damage control services … but I need to tell you about it in case the news gets out."

"What is it?"

"I've just discovered that Leida has become inappropriately close to a member of her security detail."

Sereine sank into a chair. "How close?"

Valorum answered her with a look.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Thank you for telling me. I hope you don't have to deal with that getting out … but I'll be ready to help you if you do. You have enough to deal with."

He looked up at her, his eyes turning red. She got up and went around the desk and slid a supportive arm around his shoulders.

She met her next appointment of the day struggling not to tremble with anger in front of her. Leida Valorum, mother of the couple's three sons, was almost as tall as her husband, regal, with black hair and dark eyes, and betrayed not a sign that anything was wrong. Sereine put her through her paces on the slavery issue, and then she took a few moments at the end of her hour for a private conversation.

"I'm informed you're a bit too close to a member of staff."

Leida's cheeks colored and her eyes narrowed. "And which member of staff leaked this to you?" she said.

Sereine stared her down. "It wasn't a member of staff," she said. "It was your husband."

The color drained from the First Lady's face as suddenly as it had arisen. She said nothing in response.

"I've handled this kind of thing before, and I can do it again," said Sereine. "But be aware that people talk. I would ask you not to make my job any harder than it has to be." She turned to leave, and then threw over her shoulder, "And you might consider your husband, as well."

Valorum's conference call with the Gang of Four was scheduled for midafternoon. Sereine had planned to skip it and go back to work on the film instead, but after this morning, she thought Finis could use her silent support, and if any more words arose between Mothma and Palpatine, she really should be there to help Bail referee. Valorum betrayed not a sign that anything was wrong; she was proud of him.

"Regarding the question of Senate versus the Office of the Chancellor, I do see the points raised by the three of you," he said, nodding at Bail, Garm, and Mon Ane. "I do agree the language should reflect that the Jedi Council should answer to the Senate as a whole, not just this office."

Sereine watched her Palpatine's face; not a twitch. She was proud of him, too. She remembered only too well the times when his facial expressions during a meeting like this were starting to garner him an unfortunate reputation.

"As for this language, proposed here by Senator Palpatine," Valorum went on. "I see the concerns on both sides, and I do sympathize, Senator Mothma."

Palpatine's eyes went stony, and Sereine held her breath.

"However, I believe Senator Palpatine is correct in this case. I do prefer the 'command and compel' version of the bill, although I think some qualifiers may be added to prevent an overly expansive interpretation. I have added, 'in matters of the public safety' and a bit of other language to the paragraph in question. Sending that to your links now so all of you can review that."

Four heads bowed and everyone read. "Discussion?" asked Valorum. "Objections?"

Silence.

"Senator Palpatine? Does this meet with your approval?"

Palpatine looked up. "I'm quite pleased with this version. Thank you, Supreme Chancellor."

"One last thing I might ask you, Senator," said Valorum, directing this remark to Palpatine. "I find this section to be a bit weak in terms of specific direction of the Jedi. It seems this is a fine place to legally require antitrafficking patrols by the Jedi over Alderaan, specifically, and it would seem that they could handle a few more. Based on your research, Senator Palpatine, would you propose twelve additional areas and add that to this second section of the bill? I would leave enough leeway in the language so that the High Council may plan these as they see fit, provided the most essential points that you see are covered."

A high compliment. Sereine saw that sparkle return to Sheev's eyes, and he gave Valorum a seated bow. "It's an honor to be asked, Supreme Chancellor. Thank you."

Sereine glanced at Mothma and saw the blue-green of her eyes go dull. Palpatine's eyes tracked her way, and Sereine reached under the table and put a gentle hand on his thigh.

Palpatine restrained himself until the meeting broke up and all had gone their separate ways, and then he practically pranced all the way back to his office. Sereine tried not to laugh at the self-satisfied smile on his face.

"You wouldn't be gloating, now, would you?" she teased once the doors closed behind him in his private office.

"Oh, I am. I most certainly am," he purred. "You'll have to excuse me for a few evenings. It appears I have some work to do."

"Well, I do as well," said Sereine. "I have a speech to write for you."

He fixed her with a stern look. "I thought you had promised me two."

"I know I did, but Garm and Mon Ane approved the script for our short film, and I want them to share the narration. They're going to be in the studio recording it this weekend. If I give you the opener and the close, that leaves Bail with nothing, and it's not fair that he not have a speaking part, since he spearheaded all this. He's Bail Antilles's new junior Senator, and Antilles will corner me about that. It won't be pleasant, even if Bail Prestor is gracious about it."

"But if you truly consider me the better speaker—"

"Trust me, I'd much rather give it to you. Your draft of the speech was done—I started with the film, then I did the closer, and I left my opener for last. Now I have to go back and rewrite the closer for Bail. As it is, I have to decide which error I would rather make—putting my weakest speaker at the beginning or at the end. I think I'm safest with you at the beginning and him at the end."

"You must write me something spectacular, Ederra."

Sereine raised her chin for a kiss. "I'll give you my best effort if you promise to give me yours. No griping about rehearsal, and no getting lazy on me." She turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Meeting with Bail Prestor. He's planning what to present between the two speeches. He's asking Master Dooku to speak in person, and he's considering asking Dooku's protegee Jinn, and the little ten-year-old Padawan of Master Vos that you saw, her name's Aayla. Turns out she herself was rescued from slavery."

"You don't say?" said Palpatine.

"I know, coincidence, right?" said Sereine. "He isn't sure if we should use Jinn or not, and he's asked me to listen in on a meeting. Which is in five minutes. So, I have to go." She bustled back to Sheev for a last kiss. "Work hard."

Master Dooku flew in tandem, escorting Sendy Veritine in his shuttle back to Coruscant, a long, boring, lonely flight.

It left him nothing to do but think. Eventually, reflecting on the boy Joven, he began to realize why he had felt so compelled to check on the child, why his welfare concerned him.

He landed at the Jedi Temple hangar with his mind made up. Old regrets and lingering sadness clouded his mind.

He needed to visit Jocasta Nu.