Author's Note: Sith are Sith. What can I say? :)
~ Amina Gila
Anakin senses it immediately, the sensation of a bond in his mind ripping apart. He... didn't even realize it was there, but he knows immediately who it is.
Palpatine.
He's – He's dead, gone.
He doesn't want to believe it, wants to believe that he's just imagining what he feels right now, because how could he have died?
He knows the answer to it, though. The Sith were going to go after him once they were ready. Apparently, that time is now. He just... he knew it would happen, but he hadn't known what to do about it.
Palpatine was a Sith, and he hasn't talked to him since before Felucia, but... Obi-Wan is too. Obi-Wan should know what he's talking about, saying that Palpatine was evil, but – He doesn't want to accept it. He can't.
He was his friend. He looked out for him for years, even when Obi-Wan only lectured him for his feelings. Palpatine always listened to him. He was –
The Jedi would have done the same, though. They would want him killed for what he was doing. He did start the war, though, with Dooku, and... Anakin can hardly say that's good, no matter what his reasoning was. But...
He... he needs some time to think about this and sort through his whirling mess of emotions and he doesn't know where to start. He excuses himself the first chance he gets, disappearing to his room.
It hurts. It hurts so much even if it shouldn't. Palpatine did start the war and the other Sith are trying to end it – so there is a difference between them. But that doesn't make it easier.
He knows what Obi-Wan would have said before. That he just needs to let it go, that he shouldn't be this attached to him in the first place, because he's evil and a Sith, and it's what Anakin's duty would have said anyway, but that doesn't help. It doesn't change that he cares.
He doesn't know how long he's been sitting here when the door suddenly opens and Obi-Wan appears in the doorway. "Anakin?" he asks.
He doesn't want to talk about this right now. He doesn't really want to talk to anyone right now, especially not one of those responsible for this.
"Not now, Master," he requests.
"I sensed it, too," Obi-Wan replies, and to his credit, at least he doesn't sound satisfied – like Anakin knows he feels.
Sidious was his Sith master and he can't imagine that was pleasant, so he can't blame him, but still. This entire situation is... He doesn't know how to handle it, and there's no one he can talk to about it. No one knows, other than himself and Obi-Wan.
He doesn't know what to say.
"I know he was your friend, but – "
He's evil and he deserved it. He already heard that and hearing it again won't make it any easier. "We spoke of it before," Anakin interjects.
"Yes, but I know you are... upset."
"If you are going to tell me it would have been my duty as a Jedi, I know that," he replies, bitterly. Or if he's going to tell him the more Sithly reason he had to be stopped. He quite frankly doesn't want to hear anything his master has to say right now.
"I wasn't," Obi-Wan replies, crossing the room – still stubbornly, and unsurprisingly, ignoring Anakin's request to be left alone – and taking a seat next to him. "How are you?" There's genuine concern there, he thinks, which makes it even harder to come up with an answer.
He doesn't know what to say. It would be easier if he wasn't talking to one of those responsible for Palpatine's death in the first place. How can he tell him this while knowing how Obi-Wan himself feels? He doesn't know if it makes it harder or easier that the same would be true whether or not Obi-Wan had merged. The Jedi would have found out eventually who Palpatine was, and they would have killed him.
"I... I'll be alright," he answers finally, though he knows that says nothing.
Obi-Wan sighs. "You can talk to me, Anakin."
How can he? "I don't know what to say."
He's quiet for a few long moments. "Alright." He doesn't speak again, and they sit together in silence.
***
This is the part Angelus has been eagerly waiting for from the start, and she's more elated that the time has finally come. The rumors are everywhere about how Palpatine was probably kidnapped and murdered by the Separatists, and the Senate and public are in uproar.
There's too much of a commotion about that, really, for people to pay much attention when she drops by to pay her counterpart a visit. Kidnapping her from near the Senate building won't be easy, but it's nothing she can't handle.
It's late in the evening now as Angelus waits outside the building, where she knows her younger counterpart will be passing shortly. She's watched for a few days, trying to get a better idea of her routine. She needs to know enough that she'll be able to impersonate her to the public.
Of course, it won't be nearly that simple once she actually does take up her role in the Senate, because all her allies will notice something is amiss. There's no way she could truly know what Padme's relationship with her Senate allies is like – or even who all of them are – although she's been able to figure out enough by snooping around and with Vader's assistance.
Of course, Padme's staff will definitely know that something's wrong, and she's already contemplating how to deal with that. All that matters is that she uses her new position to push the Senate into forming an Empire. With the help of the Force, most should agree easily, even if they wonder after the fact why they voted for what they did in the first place. Once she's the Empress for life, nothing else should be a major hindrance.
The news that she's not the real Padme will probably get out eventually, but so long as they've already gotten the galaxy to support them, it shouldn't be much of a problem. They've already considered many of the problems that could arise, and have plans for... most of them.
Finally, Angelus sees Padme walk into view. For a moment, she could almost think she was looking at a younger version of Sabe from how familiar it is. Now she knows how Vader feels when he's around Anakin. It's also a little... unnerving, even if she knows this Padme isn't her. It's probably what she would have been like, more or less, if Sidious hadn't decided to train her.
Athair had helped a lot with that – and she much preferred his teaching methods, but then again, any master would be better than Sidious – which was what enabled her to spend so much time around Vader when they were younger.
Angelus shakes the irrelevant train of thought from mind, stealthily moving forwards. Getting Padme before she gets to her speeder will be easiest, even if there's a risk of someone seeing. It would be far less visible than attacking her in her apartment or while she's literally in traffic. And at least this way she's alone.
For the moment. It's time to act now.
She moves out of the shadows, approaching Padme.
Padme looks up in surprise as she steps in front of her. "Hello?" she asks, a distinct note of wariness flaring into the Force around her. She obviously notices that something isn't quite right, even if she doesn't know what. Clearly, she's Force sensitive in this universe too, even if never trained.
"You're Senator Amidala, aren't you?" she inquires, pretending to just be curious.
A flicker of surprise crosses her face at hearing how similar their voices sound. "I am. Who are you? Can I help you?"
"Yes," she agrees cheerfully, "You can." She reaches out with the Force, manipulating the Force around her, forcing her abruptly into a deep sleep. She catches her before she falls, moving away into the darkness to where the others are waiting.
Now would be a good time to practice her first attempt at impersonating her. Once she's out of sight of any building, she hastily pulls off her Sithly robes, revealing her more... "Senate style" clothes underneath. (This would be so much easier if Vader had agreed that she could bring her clothes from the other reality. She still isn't happy that she had to give them all up, and no there is nothing childish about it – as Rapax claimed.)
With her hood off, she'd already prepared herself to look more or less how Padme does now, and then heads for her waiting speeder. The driver notices nothing, and she rides in silence as they head for the apartment.
Getting inside is easy enough, and no one pays her much attention. She just discreetly uses the Force to mind-read enough to figure out their names, and get a general impression of how Padme usually acted around them.
"What would you like to eat, milady?" Drome inquires.
"I already have at the Senate," she says, smiling ruefully, "At one of the meetings." It's late, so it's a good excuse.
She nods. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"No, thank you," she replies, "I believe I will retire for the night."
She excuses herself at that, heading to Padme's bedroom. Dorme comes along to help her – as if she needs it – but she thinks it would be weird to act otherwise. This is obviously normal.
She can sense Dorme's... concern, though. "Is everything alright, milady?" she queries, finally.
She isn't surprised that she noticed. There's no way she can impersonate Padme this perfectly when she doesn't even know her. "There is a lot going on in the Senate now, with Palpatine's disappearance," she explains.
"Yes, of course," Drome agrees, instantly side-tracked into talking about how that could ever happen and who could possibly be responsible. Just as she confirmed from the outside, no one has any leads, but they're thinking the Separatists must be responsible.
She ends the conversation as quickly as she can, and Dorme disappears from the room. The apartment is set up so she'll have a lot of privacy unless she calls someone, which is good.
Time to look into Padme's Senate documents. She has a long way to go before she'll be able to sleep tonight. Actually, she doesn't think she's going to get that far.
***
Hiding out in Sidious' home is not what Rapax had in mind for their stay on Coruscant, but at least he has a sense of style and fashion. She thinks it's the only thing about him that is even remotely human. But they shouldn't be here for much longer, so she can at least tolerate it.
For now, they have to deal with their very grumpy guest. At least they will when she wakes up. It's extremely awkward, because while she knew Angelus from another reality, Padme is an entirely different person. It will be extremely difficult to make her see reason.
A sudden movement catches her attention, and she spins around just in time to see a figure darting past into the shadows on the other end of the hall.
She doesn't even have to ask who it is.
Padme.
She escaped. Somehow.
Rapax instantly goes in pursuit. She gathers the Force around her to enhance her speed, catching up to her before she can get anywhere close to an exit. "Going somewhere?" Rapax asks, lightly as Padme spins around. Both exits to the room, Rapax could reach first.
Her eyes narrow at the hilts on Rapax's belt. "You're a Sith, aren't you," she accuses.
"What makes you think that?"
"You couldn't be a Jedi," she shoots back, "And I heard the rumors."
There's no use pretending otherwise. "And if we are?" she asks, flippantly. This is so weird. Angelus is much like a mother to her.
"What do you want with me?" Padme demands. "Taking a member of the Senate hostage right on Coruscant – "
"That would be a problem if someone noticed you were missing," she replies lightly.
"What do you mean?" she asks, narrowing her eyes.
Telling her about what's going on – to a limited extent, of course – shouldn't hurt, because there's no way she'd be able to escape. "We needed your seat in the Senate, for a short time," she replies.
From the flare of confusion, surprise, and alarm flares around Padme, Rapax is pretty sure she rapidly figures out what they did. She would have seen Angelus, after all.
"It won't work," Padme retorts, "Someone will notice." Though she doesn't sound fully convinced of her own words.
"Not when the one in your place is another version of you."
She opens her mouth to reply, then closes it again, her emotions raging in the force. "Who are you?" she demands, at last. "Ahsoka told me you looked like..."
"That I look like her?" Rapax finishes, "Because we are... from another reality."
"That's impossible," she protests, though she sounds... uncertain.
"You never learned the ways of the Force," Rpax replies with a shrug, "But don't worry. Your seat is in good hands."
"What are you intending?" she asks, suspiciously, somehow managing to sound authoritative even though she's the prisoner here.
"We want to help the galaxy, and the way the Republic was doing it isn't going to work," Rapax explains, "And I don't believe you would ever support the idea of an Empire."
"An Empire?!" she demands, half-hysterically, voice rising. "You can't do that! The Senate will never agree to it."
"I think they will," Rapax replies, "Look, the Republic is about to fall apart. It's only a matter of time. I know you're an... idealist, but you need to look at it practically. The only democracy that still exists in the Republic is a sham."
"That's not true," Padme retorts, "There are still those who do what's best for the people."
"Of course, there are," Rapax agrees, "But not enough. The system will never work. In the end, all democracies like that have fallen."
"All Empires fall eventually too."
"All governments fall eventually, but that's beside the point. There's so many systems in the galaxy that have monarchs. You were a queen too. What makes this any different?"
Padme seems to consider her answer. "I was elected," she replies, icily, "And those are only planetary governments. They aren't intended to forcibly control the entire galaxy."
"That is not our intention, either," Rapax retorts. Why do people always assume that an Empire is going to be an oppressive government? They didn't rule that way in their own galaxy – and even though many complained, they were just relieved to have someone other than Sidious in control – and there's no reason they would be oppressive here either. "But this discussion is pointless. I know you will not change your mind. That's why we had to do it how we did."
"The public will never support it," she warns again, though whether to make herself believe it or try to convince Rapax, the Togruta isn't sure. It doesn't matter, anyway.
She has no time or desire to continue this argument. They have what they need. They just need to carry it through to the end. And for that to happen – and make sure no one finds out – she'll have to take Padme off of Coruscant, especially after her near escape attempt.
***
The morning comes quickly, and before she knows it, Angelus is standing in the Naboo Senate pod.
Mas Amedda is leading the Senate in Palpatine's place, and she wastes no time in putting in her bill for the formation of the Empire.
And then she stretches out with the Force, silently suggesting the minds of the Senators to think in support of it. Vader and Rapax are here too, somewhere though she isn't sure where – she can feel it – helping in the same way.
The response is... favorable. It's almost a surprise, but she did put every reason she could find into the bill about why an Empire was a good idea. They'll be able to bring peace and effectively control crime, and that was good enough reasons, especially since she didn't outright say she would deal with... corruption. They need a new way to keep the Republic together and to reunite the galaxy now that Palpatine is gone. Everyone knows he was one of the... strongest leaders in decades, whether for better or worse.
And as soon as the Senators have agreed they want to go through with it, they start the vote for who the Emperor should be.
This is the extra hard part, because so many people considered Padme a radical, so getting enough votes for her to win won't be easy.
But it works.
In the end, it works.
The Republic has been transformed into the First Galactic Empire, with her as the new Empress.
She pointedly ignores any calls from definitely angry allies for the moment – there will be a time to deal with them later – instead focusing on what she needs to do most to stabilize her position as Empress.
It will take a lot of time, but they've been planning this for months. She's more than ready to handle it. It will be complicated when people start to realize she clearly isn't Padme, but they've... prepared for that. Still, she knows they still have a long road ahead of them before their rule will be firmly established.
Although what Angelus is really wondering right now is why there's so much Sith art right here in the Chancellor's office and none of the Jedi who come here all the time have noticed anything. Apparently they're stupider than she thought. Or has the fact that the Sith have been gone for so many years allowed them to become this complacent? Have they forgotten all of their history? Especially with how they found out the Sith returned only a little over a decade ago, she would have expected them to be more on guard for things like this.
Either way, it definitely makes things easier for them, since they clearly aren't as good as they used to be about tracking down Sith. And since she's the Empress, she can just order them not to go after any Sith in the Outer Rim Alliance or the Empire.
They probably won't take very well to the idea of an Empire, though, but there isn't much they can do unless they're asking to be accused of treason. They tend to be stupid much of the time, but she can hope they'll see reason when they realize that they're only trying to help the galaxy.
If not, well... they may just have to be dissolved as an official organization. She's going to look into a bit about the rules the Jedi do have already, though, because there's no reason all strong Force sensitives should be forced to join them. They're going to expand their own Sith Order too, eventually, after all.
If the Jedi do start creating a major problem, it will only turn the public against them. And, of course, there's the fact that the Empire has its own personal army, although she doubts they would ever turn against the Jedi since they've worked with them for so long. Speaking of that, from what she's heard so far, the clone troopers are literally property. Owned.
If they're planning to fight slavers and free the galaxy from them, they can hardly do it with a slave army of their own. She'll have to do something about that, too.
Yes, she has a lot of work to do.
***
"I wish we could have gone," Luke huffs for what has to be the hundredth time, pacing back and forth.
"You know what Mother said about that," Leia reminds. To be fair, she wishes she could have been there too, but they've heard enough about what happened last time, and their mother said their presence would probably just distract their father. He'd be too worried for them, and then, the operation could go downhill even if the fight would normally go perfectly fine.
"I know, but when will we ever hear what happened?!"
"If it... didn't go well," Leia says, fear flaring in her, "We would sense it."
"There's four of them there," Mara speaks up, "They should be able to do it."
But there were four last time too. No one mentions it.
It's been several days since they left, and there's no way the battle isn't over by now, right? They would have attacked immediately. She doesn't know, but nothing feels wrong in the Force. Quite the opposite, in fact. She can only trust in that the way she always has.
They've had more than enough to do while they're here anyway, because managing a still-forming Alliance is far from easy. Especially when people don't think they need to take a fourteen-year-old seriously, although that hasn't been a problem... for the most part.
It's right then that someone suddenly appears in the doorway of the room, reporting that they have a ship incoming. Hope flares inside Leia, and she jumps to her feet, hurrying outside with Luke close behind. Maybe the others are finally coming back now.
Sure enough, their shuttle is landing, though when the ramp descends, only Rapax walks off, followed by a very, very grumpy looking... someone who looks very much like their mother, just much younger.
"You're back!" Luke exclaims.
"For the moment," Rapax agrees, "I'll be leaving to pick up the others if you think you can... handle this."
"Why couldn't we?" Leia quips.
Rapax shrugs. "Maybe you've been too busy vacationing in the time we've been gone."
"Hey, you have no idea what kind of disasters we've been dealing with!" Luke protests.
"Nothing too serious, or I imagine you would have already told me. Or the palace would be on fire," Rapax retorts.
"So, this is where you've been hiding?" Padme asks.
"We've actually been living here quite openly," Rapax snips, "Now, unless any of you need my help, I'll be leaving. Keep an eye on her."
"Go ahead," Leia assures, "We can handle it." Probably.
She watches as Rapax boards the ship again, before turning to Padme. "Well... why don't you come inside," she suggests.
"Who are you?" Padme wonders, eyeing her, "You look..."
"I'm sure you already met our parents," Luke interjects.
"I met your mother... briefly," she replies. She does not look happy, and any politeness she's showing right now is mostly a front, Leia can tell. Although she definitely is also curious.
"You look just like me," Leia comments, hoping to move the topic in a... less hostile direction. She can tell how upset Padme is, and she... wants to make her feel better, even if she knows what her parents did was necessary for the galaxy. She is still another version of her mother, after all, even if Anakin's presence was more attractive.
"The... Ahsoka?" Padme begins.
"Rapax," Luke corrects.
"Sith name?" she wonders, and they both nod. "She said your mother was another version of me?" She sounds completely disbelieving.
"She is," Luke agrees, cheerfully.
"And your father is..." she hesitates. "Another version of Anakin?"
"Yeah," Leia agrees, "We came here for a different reality."
"Rapax mentioned it, but I don't understand how that's possible. What do you want here?" She sounds more business-like again.
Leia exchanges a glance with Luke. "We have things here we lost in our own reality," she answers, evasively, "But we stayed to help."
"Help?" Padme repeats, "By forming an Empire?"
"It's the only way!" Luke retorts.
"By their nature, an Empire will always be oppressive in the end."
"It depends on the ruler," Leia asserts, "Wouldn't you trust another version of yourself to lead properly?"
Her expression hardens. "I don't understand how she could ever think this is right."
"At least this way we can end the war, which the Republic was doing a very good job at on it's own," Luke insists, sarcasm unmistakable.
"And we'll have the resources to continue freeing slaves like we were before," Leia continues. Because simply put, if they want to expand any further, they need help. The resources on the planets are already very limited, and when they are trying to get the former slaves settled down, it's making things even more difficult.
Padme falls silent again as she follows them, maybe she doesn't know to continue arguing, or maybe she simply doesn't care too. She's taking in her surroundings with interest.
"This was Jabba's palace, wasn't it?" she inquires, "I was on Tatooine twice before."
"Twice?" Luke asks, interestedly, "Was the first when you met Anakin?"
She eyes him in slight surprise. "Yes."
"You and our parents met similarly," Luke adds, with a shrug, And then, Leia suddenly wonders something. Aren't relationships forbidden for Jedi? Could Padme and Anakin – Never mind, she does not want the answer to that question. It's known of her business and it feels inappropriate to ask, even if they aren't her parents.
"I know you don't want to be here," Leia says, finally, changing topic, "But I hope we can at least make you comfortable here."
"How long are you planning on keeping me here?" she demands.
"I don't know," she admits.
"Whatever our parents say," Luke answers.
Padme doesn't look happy about that answer, but she doesn't say anything else, as they lead her to where they're going to be staying. Leia doesn't mind the chance to get to know her, but she knows they'll have to keep a close eye on her at all times the same way they did Ventress. She may be another version of their mother but she could create an enormous problem for everyone if she escaped.
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