"There is no civility, only politics," Palpatine stated poetically as he paced the apartment before the Queen, the real queen at that. He paused for only a second to glance at the silently-breathing Vader, sitting in one of the red chairs. To a fool, the cyborg might even seem relaxed.
/"Die!" He snarled, lightning jumping from his outstretched fingers, zapping the third Sith Lord./
Vader's helmet moved ever so slightly, and all Palpatine felt from himwas a sense of underwhelming.
/Before he could raise his hands, Vader crushed his own digits into a fist, keeping Sidious's hand closed before he was sent flying across the room./
Palpatine turned to continue his uninterrupted monologue. "The Republic is not what it once was."
/He lashed around like a viper, drawing his lightsaber to slash against the durasteel titan./
Vader drummed his fingers.
/Another lightsaber blocked his own, unyielding as a wall./
"The Senate is filled with greedy, squabbling delegates," Palpatine explained as he paced to the other end of the room.
/And flung the lightsaber at the boy and his mother in the other room!/
Vader sat straighter than he already had been.
/The blade stopped in midair, being hurled back at its owner, who was acutely aware of the second blade coming towards him./
"There is no interest in the common good," Palpatine gave a heavy pause as he turned to the young elected monarch.
/With a sadistic grin, he made to behead the queen./
Vader tilted his head minutely.
/Vader did absolutely nothing, watching Sidious patiently, who sighed in a growling manner as he deactivated his lightsaber, for he still needed her on his side./
"I must be frank, Your Majesty, there is little chance the Senate will act on the invasion," Palpatine concluded as he abandoned the fruitless mental challenges going on between himself and his fellow Sith. There was no way to defeat Vader in this setting without using enough power to expose himself. Not to mention, he wouldn't really have time to use the Dark Side to properly warp the minds of all these people here without breaking their psyches.
And if he was being truly honest, he'd rather not destroy his apartment, modest though it was. Well, modest compared to how other people decorated a room in 500 Republica.
Vader, meanwhile, was enjoying his observations on Sidious. Pre-chancellor Palpatine could be patient, but hated to do so. He could act benevolent while seething with furious rage, but he needed an outlet. And he had a hatred for Vader that felt like the foundation of an obsession. He was also rather proud of himself for not lashing out abnormally at Sidious in those visions when his mother or Padme was targeted. He wasn't sure if the would-be emperor was already aware of Anakin's potential by now in the last timeline, but he was very unaware of it now. Shmi was of no interest to Sidious right now and Padme was too important to harm.
All in all, Vader could work with this. Work with in the context of "Destroy him and every dream he ever had before his very eyes."
"It is as I have come to fear," The Queen stated royally, oblivious to the telepathic-vision battles that just took place. This drew a raised brow from the senator. "On our journey here, Darth's council and the words of others has painted a rather uninspiring image of the Senate," she explained, nodding in said Sith's direction.
/Both Sith Lord's facepalmed over her mistaking the title of Darth for a name./
Outwardly, Palpatine looked to Vader with a curious interest. "A warrior and politician?" he asked in a successful endeavor to sound impressed.
"Politics are not what I would consider my realm of power, but I have seen enough to know a system that is breaking," he answered solemnly.
"A sentiment I share," Sidious agreed honestly with a nod. "Was there some route through this ordeal you both theorized on, or shall I continue?" he inquired, looking to the Queen questioningly.
"None. Lord Vader?" Padme prompted evenly.
"Is the Supreme Chancellor still stunted by falsified rumors of corruption?" Vader questioned knowingly.
"Amazing how quickly that developed once he took office," Palpatine agreed with humorless mirth.
"Are you saying the Chancellor is corrupt or just powerless, Senator Palpatine?" Padme questioned, raising a delicate eyebrow.
"Powerless, I'm afraid, Your Majesty," Sidious assured with a look of resignation. "I fear our best option would be to push for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum, in hopes to elect a new, stronger Chancellor."
Despite the excellent control Padme had over her facial expressions, it wasn't hard to tell she was taken back by the recommendation, even without the Force. "Turn on our strongest supporter?"
"I doubt he will receive it harshly. His final term has less than a year remaining as it is and his popularity, I know, is at an all time low," Vader commented. Growing up looking up to Chancellor Palpatine in many ways, he had researched a bit on Valorum in his youth. Plus he had been curious about the entire Naboo situation that ultimately changed his life forever.
"A...fair assessment," Palpatine hesitantly agreed. All in all, Valorum might be happy to finally be out of his position. But that Vader was not deterring his plan to manipulate the queen was unexpected. He had suspected he'd be trying to use his experience as a senator and being of Naboo himself to keep the Queen from siding against his plan. "The only other recourse would be to take it to the courts, unfortunately."
"My experience on Coruscant may be lacking, Senator, but even I know that would take only longer. I've heard tale of how certain...issues tend to just disappear on paper amongst the courts," Padme stated with an obvious dryness added to her regal tone. "Our people are dying now. We must find a timely solution, not a lengthy one."
Palpatine took on a resigned, apologetic face, shoulders slumping ever so slightly to sell the image. "To be realistic, Your Majesty, I'm afraid we might have to accept Federation control for the time being."
"That is something I cannot do," Padme concluded firmly.
/"Darth Vader,"/ Palpatine and Sidious addressed as one, eyeing the black monolith carefully. "Forgive my curiosity, but how did you come to be aiding my Queen and home?" he inquired curiously, noting the Queen's peaked interest as well. The subject hadn't been broached before then.
"Much in the same manner we made leave of your planet," Vader answered skillfully. "My hyperdrive malfunctioned and I was forced to land on your planet. The damage was to the extent that I wasn't even aware of my location at first. I trekked through the forest briefly before finding Theed being invaded," he elaborated, technically speaking the truth. He just left out the time-traveling...and that he had no idea where his ship was.
"And this just happened to occur during the invasion?" Panaka asked, skeptical despite the trust he felt Vader had earned.
"The Force works in odd ways, Captain, especially the Dark Side," Vader affirmed.
Sidious shuddered beneath the mask of Palpatine. Vader had pulsed his own power ever so slightly at the mere mention of the Dark Side. His own dark powers always clawed to break loose, to do away with this petty rabble and become like a storm of death. And never had it been so hungry as now, standing before a mighty Sith Lord basking openly in his own power.
His scowl almost showed as he realized he had just acknowledged Vader as a mighty Sith Lord.
"Thank you for the advice, Senator. I need time to consider the options before the Special Session begins," Padme finished firmly.
"Of course, Your Majesty. I've already arranged a set of quarters for you and your retinue in my suite," Palpatine assured magnanimously, turning to Panaka. "I trust you have already made sure it was secure, Captain?" he asked good-naturedly, getting an unamused nod. "Good. Please lead the Queen there. I will be there shortly, as I have some paperwork to double check," Palpatine explained apologetically.
"Thank you, Senator," Padme gave as she stood from the couch, her guards and handmaidens practically in sync as they moved towards the door.
Vader followed suit, pausing a moment as he passed by Sidious...
With a screeching hiss in the Force, the student of Plagueis gave a point blank assault on Vader's mind, grasping for something, anything that would help him understand-
/"You useless old fool."/
...What? That was his voice. And, that sound...who was choking?
/Who forged the most powerful Sith Lord ever known,/
Wait, he could see now, was that...Plagueis?!
/"And yet who forgot to leave a place for himself;"/
A mixture of twisted glee and primal foreboding swelled in his gut. This was what he wanted most, and yet...
/"Whose pride never allowed him to question that he would no longer be needed."/
Vader knew. Which meant...which meant that...if he was with Plagueis...
/"Rest easy in your grave, Sidious."/
He was violently expelled, almost physically recoiling as he realized Vader had expected that, had let him in.
Vader was mocking him.
It was all he could do not to scream, not to roar, not to tear this entire building own to the very foundation of the City-planet.
And if he had been any more aware, he would have noticed a former slave boy trailing behind, staring through the glass door at him briefly.
"Skywalker," Vader called, breaking his younger self out of his trance.
"Oh, sorry," Anakin said as he made to catch up to the group.
"Apologize to your mother, not me," Vader instructed, making sure the boy didn't trail behind and risk getting noticed by the seething Sith Lord.
Meanwhile
Obi-wan had made the conscious decision to not consider Darth Vader a monster simply for being a Sith. That said, he still hated what had happened to the Jedi Temple because of the man.
Oh, it looked the same, no one had died, and any who might be a frequent, non-Force sensitive guest to the Temple might just think the Jedi were simply having a busy time lately; What with the rushed paces and haggard expressions that might be misinterpreted as a sign of exhaustion.
But any Jedi, who had grown in the tranquility of the Temple, could tell otherwise. Walking through the Temple had always felt to Obi-wan as if traversing through omnipresent lights of pure clarity. There was a path, even if it wasn't always easy to understand the directions, but it gave off a certainty that all would be well. It was a building of calmness, of peace.
Yet the metaphoric lights had dimmed, almost physically to his own eyes. A weight was there. Not a harsh weight, but enough to notice. Enough to never NOT notice it. The Masters handled it best, he knew, simply forcing out the ambient tendrils of the Dark Side. The Knights and older padawans like himself had to tread carefully. He wouldn't dissuade blame by saying his fruitless attempt to attack Vader was purely because of being overcome briefly by the dark influence, but he would claim it as a factor.
It was the younglings he worried for. He heard that none had been outside the temple since Vader had revealed himself. They were tired from night terrors and confused by this new...thing they sensed, and ultimately scared from both. They were children and instinctively fascinated, if not outright afraid of both Vader's presence in the Force and the Dark Side, which Vader acted as a figurative window for. Or a gateway, he was sure the council members already believed. He wasn't sure he didn't believe it either, but he at least hoped that if so, it was an unintentional gateway.
He pushed such thoughts from his mind as his master came to a pause in the story.
"...and that was when my padawan believed I had been killed and thought it would be a good idea to try to hold Vader at lightsaber point," Qui-Gon paused with a mental smirk as Obi-Wan stiffened while the Masters looked to him in confusion.
"Well, I assumed that, if he killed Master Qui-Gon, I was next, so...given that we were stranded, it seemed like the best idea at the time," Obi-Wan explained with obvious embarrassment.
There was some brief looks and feelings sent through the Force around the council room, Yoda and Dooku looking almost amused. "I believe we can accept that as a suitable reaction for a padawan, given the sheer absurdity of the situation," Dooku mused with a soothing voice, the only council member standing. An obvious message that he didn't plan on staying long-term.
"After that, we left without issue and arrived on Coruscant," Qui-Gon finished up.
"Anything to add, you have, Young Kenobi?" Yoda prompted, leveling the boy with an interested gaze.
The entire conversation he had with Vader flashed through his mind in an instant. "There is one thing, Masters, but I'm not sure it is significant," Obi-Wan cautioned.
"There is no such thing as insignificant information, Padawan," Mace Windu instructed, stern yet wise. "What do you wish to share?"
Obi-Wan paused to collect his thoughts. "You recall when Master Qui-Gon mentioned us sensing Vader dueling with another Dark Sider, possibly another Sith?" he directed, getting a raised eyebrow from Qui-Gon as the council members nodded and murmured affirmatives. "Master wasn't there at the time, but Vader did return to the ship after that, covered in blood. He claimed that the other Dark Sider escaped because of Kryat Dragons," Obi-Wan explained.
"Plural?" Oppo Rancisis asked in surprise, having heard of these creatures as mostly solitary.
"Two. I assumed a mated pair," Obi-wan answered with a helpless shrug. "He went on to say that he unleashed the dragon he didn't kill on a tribe of Tusken Raiders."
"...What are Tusken Raiders?" Eeth Koth questioned with a scowl. Tatooine was one world he hadn't been to before, despite his many missions in the outer rim.
"A savage race of native humanoids that often kill and torture those they raid," Ki-Adi-Mundi supplied in distaste. "I tried reasoning with them on a mission to the planet. If I couldn't sense their sapience, I would have thought them more animal than anything."
The words surprised some members, but they knew there were races and societies like that.
"And he did this, why?" Dooku asked, confused by the point of that, unless it was to cause terror and death.
"To steal one of their Banthas...should I have mentioned he rode back to the ship on one?" Obi-wan supplied with the corner of his lips turning up.
"...The Sith rode in on a Bantha?" Kit Fisto asked, trying to keeping his amphibian face neutral, lest he burst out laughing. "Why?"
"Because the Kryat Dragons broke his speeder," Obi-wan answered simply as the Nautolan snorted, nearly bursting into laughter to the chagrin of his colleges.
"Oh, I don't care how serious this is or if that's all true: THAT is funny," Kit Fisto said shamelessly as most of the Jedi rolled their eyes. Yoda, Dooku, and Qui-Gon were among the few amused by this information.
"In fairness Masters, it does show that Vader doesn't find something like riding a Bantha beneath him if it suits his needs," Obi-wan pointed out carefully.
"An excellent point, Padawan," Dooku acknowledged, looking proud of the pair before scowling in thought. "Still, this Darth Vader does appear to be quite the adversary."
"Skilled with a lightsaber, powerful in the Force," Mace Windu listed off, leaned forward in thought. "Cunning, patient, ruthless and already has the leader of at least one planet supporting him," he paused to look up with a scowl. "Am I forgetting anything?"
"He hates Tatooine with a chilling passion?" Obi-wan supplied.
"He's also a mechanic that hates the Trade Federation for their lack of quality alone?" Qui-Gon added in amusement.
"The Sith has a hobby?" Kit Fisto asked, amused yet surprised.
"The Sith has a hobby," Qui-Gon supplied.
"And you just allowed him to come aboard without restraint or assurance? Aboard with the Queen, might I add?" Mace asked sternly.
"At what point should we have stopped him, Master of the Order?" Qui-Gon questioned with a scowl of his own. "When he was saving the slave boy that helped us repair the ship? Or destroying the droids to get to the ship? Or how about when he was making sure the blockade's turrets didn't shoot us down?"
"That's enough," Dooku spoke up strictly, silencing the tense exchange. "Both of you," he aided, turning his glare to Windu, who privately admitted that the old master was still no less imposing than he was in Windu's early memories, thirty-some years ago.
As a powerful, wise master trained by Yoda himself, Dooku had been an idol for many Jedi over the decades. Windu never dreamed when he was a boy that he would be Master of the Order, but he never could have even imagined how at odds he would be with one of his figurative heroes.
"I obviously didn't train my former padawan to be openly and overly disrespectful to the council," Dooku continued, glancing back at Qui-Gon who could see the hundred and one meaning that sentence had. That was before Dooku had been so disillusioned with the Order and he never said anything about secretly or subtly. But most of all, that was before Vader. "But I also never sat on a council that starts reprimanding Jedi for completing their mission," he added on to Windu. "The Queen is here, safe. The Sith, that we know of, is here as well rather than having disappeared back into the void of space."
"Destroying the Sith is the mission of the entire order," Windu reminded sternly.
"Perhaps," Dooku acknowledged vaguely. "But the fact remains that Vader was never the aggressor in this mission and had the Queen's favor by the time they joined with her. Just as he made his own arrest a legal impossibility, he positioned himself in a manner that would make us appear to be the villains if Qui-Gon and his apprentice struck first, even if they prevailed. Dying would have left us further in the blind and the Queen completely alone with the Sith, if the infighting didn't just lead to her demise or cap-"
*TAP!*
All heads turned to Master Yoda, having tapped his wooden staff rather firmly on the floor. "Enough, my turn to say, it is, Dooku," he instructed firmly, holding Dooku's gaze for a moment before turning to the council. "Correct, Dooku is though. To blame for the Sith, Qui-Gon and his padawan are not. Unfathomable, this situation was. Who should have done what, squabbling over, we must not. An advantage we need not give, our disunity, it is," he advised.
Mace took a deep breath before nodding. "I apologize, Master Qui-Gon. Given the situation, your course was the best," he admitted as he reclined in his chair.
"Thank you, Master Windu," Qui-Gon accepted politely.
"This still begs the question," Mundi redirected. "What are we to do about this self proclaimed Sith?"
"Bringing him in officially would be seen as unwarranted and illegal," Eeth Koth summarized.
"Well, while I've had my share of laughs, I did have a thought," Kit Fisto spoke up. "Ignore that he's a Sith, what is Vader?"
"Intimidating, cyborg, and possibly asthmatic?" Obi-wan tried uncertainly.
"Ha! True, but no. He's a Force-wielder that was present while this Trade Federation invasion took place," Kit Fisto reminded.
"Hmm, he could be behind that," Oppo Rancisis pointed out idly. "Playing both sides to obtain an outcome in either's victory."
"Again, maybe, but not what I'm getting at," Kit Fisto stressed. "We don't have reason to arrest Vader, but we have plenty of reason to question him. Between whatever he might know about the Naboo incident and his knowledge with the OTHER Dark Sider? The Dark Sider that Vader admitted was after the queen?"
Yoda's ears perked up at that. "Wise you speak, Master Fisto. Question Vader, we may. Obtain more information, perhaps."
"And if he lies, we may still learn from what those lies do tell us," Yarael Poof reasoned, raising a finger to stroke his chin passed his long neck.
"We will have to question him soon, and not at the temple. Otherwise, he may vanish," Dooku mused before turning to Qui-Gon curiously. "Master Jinn, any final words you have to share on this Darth Vader?"
Qui-Gon took a deep breath as he felt Obi-wan internally wince. "Darth Vader is by far the most dangerous being I've encountered. I'm confident that there are few Masters in the order that could stand against him successfully. By that alone, is he a threat? Very possibly. However-" he paused as his lips came into a firm, narrow line. "I have doubts of if he is an enemy."
Even a pin wouldn't dare make a sound to break this silence.
"You actually believe this Sith is an ally?" Windu questioned with something that went beyond skepticism and bordered on sheer disbelief.
"Oh no, not to us," Qui-Gon clarified with a small smirk. "He certainly has no love for the Jedi Order. I'm beginning to suspect he simply doesn't care about us enough to be our enemy without being provoked."
"Are you suggesting we do nothing, Master Jinn?" Mundi asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, I'm saying treat Vader like a powerful neutral party. It'd be unwise to provoke him. Because, so far, I'm of the mind that if he is our enemy, he wants us to make the first move against him."
"To provoke him," Dooku summarized.
"For your report, thank you both, we do," Yoda gave with a nod. Obi-wan bowed and made to leave, but paused when he realized Qui-Gon hadn't moved from his spot before the council. "Master Qui-Gon, more to say have you?" The small green being questioned curiously.
"On Vader, no, but there is another matter I wish to bring to your attention," Qui-Gon stated firmly.
Yoda and Dooku shared a look, wondering why they were both reminded of that time when a young Dooku asked if he could keep an adolescent spine-wolf as a pet.
Meanwhile
Hanna Cosinga
Maul winced as a phantom pain shot through his arm. There was always some echoes of such after his Master...disciplined him for his failures. This one was a particularly severe session if he blacked out completely. Sidious had ordered him to prepare to return to Naboo, and oversee the Trade Federation's occupation. But he had some time before that. Time to heal, and time to investigate those words, those names.
It hadn't been too hard. While the Sith lair on Coruscant wasn't exactly a thing of luxury, there was no shortage of datapads and devices to access the holonet. After all, even Maul had to research new planets he would have to venture to for one mission or another.
He had no idea what the name "Hanna" referred to, but he did find the name Cosinga...Cosinga Palpatine, who mysteriously died with most of his family, leaving Sheev Palpatine as the only surviving member of the household. And they just happen to be an important family on Naboo, and Sheev was the current senator for the planet- and as such, wouldn't be on the planet, but here in the heart of the Republic.
None of this on its own bothered Maul that much, but the implications were what had him frothing. Sidious's rage had been towards Maul knowing this information, not any inherent failure in his mission. Meaning he likely had no intent to share that with the Dathomirian male. Which proved Vader's point: Sidious didn't consider him a true apprentice, a true Sith. But what else was the other Sith speaking the truth of? Was Plagueis still alive? It'd have to be someone much older than Palpatine was, who was already getting old himself.
It was a train of thought he didn't have the time or patience to pursue yet. Still, the grand question was, what to do with this knowledge? Sidious was hiding things from him, yes, that's what Sith did. But...if he was truly just being used as a tool, than all his training was for nothing and everything Sidious told him was a lie. A fact that made him nearly destroy the holonet device in his grip. If he wasn't even the apprentice, he'd be a fool to keep following Sidious to the letter. He couldn't beat Sidious in a head on fight, he knew that...
But he also know that Sidious wasn't reacting well to Vader's existence. A rival or former apprentice of Plagueis? Maybe, but the important point was that Sidious was not at his best and was getting tunnel visioned on Vader. If he waited for the right moment...
He'd have to leave tomorrow, when the senate was in full swing. Any further delays would be suspicious. The plan, as he knew it, had been to get a true puppet of the Sith elected as Supreme Chancellor. More likely, Sidious had planned to take the position himself. Still assuming Plagueis' continued life, where would he be when Civil War broke out? Playing the role of the rebel leader? Maul knew that he himself was meant to be an enforcer and big figure in the war, or so he'd been told.
For now, he'd just have to go to Naboo and bide his time for a chance. A chance to know the truth...or a chance to kill. Either would do. Both would be excellent.
Meanwhile
"I have the impression you have an opinion on this advice of the Senator, Darth," Padme commented, now in the guest quarters Palpatine had given to them. That said, they could be mistaken four a mini-suite all their own given the size and luxury, as expected of Republica 500.
"And I am under the impression you desire my opinion, Your Highness," Vader retorted in kind as he looked out the window. By the Force, had Coruscant traffic really been this light all these years ago? "You do see the flaw in his plan, correct?"
"You mean besides that we have no assurance that the next chancellor will be more effective?" The Queen questioned idly.
"Swearing in a new chancellor will take a good deal of time before he can exercise any power, and even then, those actions will take time," Vader pointed out, glancing to her. "You do see that he intents to use this situation to win the election himself?"
"I suspected as much, but is that truly a terrible thing?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.
If Vader could name a few things: Clone Wars, Order 66, Alderaan. But he couldn't. "Just as I told you coming here was wise for the long term, so too is what Palpatine suggests. If you don't desire similar incidents on other worlds, a change in leadership must be made. That said, your world will not helped in the short term, which is unacceptable to you," he admitted.
"What will help then?" Padme questioned, wondering just what sort of wisdom Vader ultimately had for her.
"Do as you please in regards to the Chancellor," Vader admitted. Either now or within the year when the next election happened, Sidious would still pull the strings needed. "But if you wish to aid your world, you should try looking closer to it."
"I don't understand," Padme admitted with a scowl.
"The Republic is not Coruscant, Your Highness, it is a collection of worlds. You may find there are worlds willing to stand with Naboo, or if not that, then at least stand against the Trade Federation," he advised.
"Interplanetary military alliances would violate about seven different laws, Lord Vader," Padme pointed out with a scowl.
"And yet, the Trade Federation is occupying your planet with an army of cheap battle droids with the goal of forcing you to sign a treaty to make the entire event legal," he reminded bluntly. "I understand the desire to fight with only words and laws. I don't agree with it, but I understand. However, civilization has never truly changed. There will always be those willing to fight to take what is not their's. One must be willing to employ...aggressive negotiations if they wish to truly protect something."
"...Do you think I am naive, Lord Vader?" she asked as she gazed out the window with him.
"No," he answered without hesitation. "If you were naive, you would journeyed here expecting all your problems solved. You came here hoping to find support in this one issue, a way to remove a threat from your people. You are, at worst, inexperienced and idealistic. Time will remove the former and temper the latter," he assured before turning about. "Regardless of what you choose to do and what you accomplish here, merely tell me when you wish to go home, Queen of Naboo."
Padme blinked, her apathetic royal mask broken as she looked up at him peculiarly. "You have a plan?" she asked in interest.
"Your Highness, I am a Sith. I have a plan for everything."
End of Chapter