The Loyalty of the Dark

Chapter 31

This time, it wasn't just the words that made Anakin frown, but also the Force. That misdirection feeling again, though this time it was more noticeable than it had been before. He could feel it warning him about another feeling that was trying to push him into believing Palpatine's words.

And then that sinking feeling he'd had in his gut all day suddenly transformed into a bolder.

"I wanted to spy on Sidious. You spy on Palpatine; you spy on Sidious as well," Zilla had said just after he'd been accused of spying by Palpatine.

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, eyes temporarily revolving around the area to double check what he already knew. They were alone. Palaptine's private chambers were empty.

"I wish for you to share with me your truth. It's quite simple in the end: Just break through the indoctoration and lies the Jedi have force fed you these many, many, years to your innermost desires and ask for what you want," Palpatine responded with a calm smile.

"I don't understand."

"I am offering you....anything," Palpatine replied. "Ask, and it's yours. A glass of water? It's yours. A bag full of Corusca gems? Yours. Just pick something, and it's yours."

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"The time for jokes is past, Anakin. I have never been more serious. Pick something. Anything."

"All right," Anakin replied, still as confused, silently thinking of the most ridiculously expensive thing that would pop into his head. "How about one of those new SoroSuub custom speeders—"

"Done," Palpatine said before the Jedi even had a chance to finish.

"Are you serious? Do you know how much one of those costs? You could practically outfit a battle cruiser—"

"Would you prefer a battle cruiser?"

What the hell is going on here? Anakin asked himself, more confused and unsure than ever. He decided to just test, see how far it would go before....

Before what, the Jedi didn't know.

"How about the Senatorial Apartments?" Anakin asked.

"A private apartment?" the Chancellor questioned, his voice mild.

The Jedi shook his head, watching Palpatine's eyes closely. "The whole building."

Palpatine didn't even blink. "Done."

"It's privately owned—"

"Not anymore."

"You can't just—"

"Yes, I can. It's yours. Is there anything else?"

"All right," Anakin muttered softly, trying to think of where the line had to be drawn. So far he supposed it was....more or less hypothetical, Palpatine couldn't be serious....

Then again, the Jedi had already had one too many hypothetical conversations that both he and the person he was talking to knew weren't hypothetical.... At least Anakin was pretty sure they weren't. Sounded like he was right when he talked to Zilla, but Starkiller had made a good few points in the other direction.

"Corellia. I'll take Corellia," the Jedi said. There. That had to be the line. It wasn't possible for anyone to turn over an entire planet just because they wanted too—especially when there was hardly any direct jurisdiction.

"The planet, or the whole system?" the Chancellor asked, not missing a beat.

Anakin stopped walking and could only stare in disbelief.