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Palpatine [Archive] - The Galactic Senate

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Jacen Solo
10-20-2002, 09:29 PM
<span style="color:royalblue">Hi, everyone. I was at a friend's house awhile back reading the Episode I journals for Queen Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, and I thought, why shouldn't Palpatine have one? So I decided to write it myself. This is turning out to be a challenge so far, because I'm having to write one journal for two people with completely different motives ... yes, I'm one of those who believes that Darth Sidious and Palpatine are the same person. And ... this is the first Star Wars story I've attempted to write, so I might not get all the terminology correct. But here's what I've got so far!!</span>

<span style="color:orangered">Hey Emma Kenobi ... I made a reference to your story of Rabe in my story. I hope you don't mind! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif </span>

<font style='width=80%; filter:glow(color=pink)'>DISCLAIMER: The following characters and events are the property of George Lucas, the Master. I am not out to make money on this ... I'm just out to have some fun!! ~KG</font>

<span style="color:green">Most Sith Lords, upon turning to the Dark Side, completely abandon their past, and their humanity. They become instruments of evil, forever scarred by hatred and malice. I, however, am a different case. My name is Darth Sidious ... before my turn to the Dark Side, I was known as Palpatine, active citizen of the planet Naboo. Now that I am a Sith Lord (to accomplish this, I had to kill my own master), however, I am still Palpatine. As a matter of fact, I am Senator Palpatine of Naboo, serving under Queen Padme Amidala, recently elected ruler. I have not abandoned my past. My reason for this ... as both Darth Sidious and Senator Palpatine, I see tremendous potential for the future of the Republic.
Padme Amidala was elected Queen just over two months ago. At that time, I was serving as an advisor to the King of Naboo, King Veruna. I had the former King suggest to her that I be appointed Senator. If he didn't, I told him that my fellow advisers and I would have no trouble exposing his affair with one of the handmaidens to the people of Naboo. When all was said and done, I was a Senator in the Galactic Republic. Serving Queen Amidala as a Senator is a very unique opportunity. Padme is a good ruler with many innovative ideas. She wasn't the youngest queen ever elected, but when I think about it, I'm not sure she's old enough. She definitely won't be ready for what I have in store for the Republic.

**

I have just begun to set my master plan in motion ... the master plan which will insure me total control over the galaxy. One night as I was meditating in my chamber (in a tower in the old industrial section of Coruscant), my apprentice Darth Maul came to me and told me that he had received a transmission from Nute Gunray, Viceroy of the Trade Federation. I went to the communications area and tapped up the holographic transmission. There he stood ... the ugly, green Neimoidian and his second-in-command, Rune Haako. They told me about the new taxations of the trade routes and of how the Trade Federation resented them. So I suggested that they form a blockade on a planet and execute an invasion with their droid armies. Then, just to throw in an interesting twist, I hinted that they could blockade my peaceful home planet of Naboo. The Viceroy nearly jumped with joy at the thought of this. He and his counterpart then said that they would begin the blockade immediately.
I had finished in my role as Darth Sidious, for the time being. I now saw an easy way to rid myself of a few of the Sith's most bitter enemies -- the Jedi Knights. I left my dark tower and caught an air taxi to the Senate Chambers. I was greeted immediately by one of my friends and fellow politicians, Senator Bail Organa of the Alderaan system.
"Senator Palpatine, it is wonderful to have you back with us," said the Senator. "Did you have a pleasant trip to Naboo?"
"Indeed," I said immediately, though of course I had not been there for quite awhile. There are advantages to being able to use the Dark Side of the Force to shield your location -- when needed, of course. But I find that constructing misleading "half-truths" keeps suspicion out of the picture. I smiled. "Queen Amidala sends you and your new wife greetings." Senator Organa was in his early twenties and had just recently married. He was a very handsome man, with dark hair and such dark eyes that by looking into them it was almost impossible not to see what the man had on his mind.
"Wonderful. Tell her the same, the next time you meet her," said Senator Organa. "Do you have business to discuss with the Supreme Chancellor?"
"That I do, Senator," I replied. At that, both of us began walking toward the Senate building. As we walked, I told him more about Naboo, particularly of Queen Amidala's recent election. We finally reached Chancellor Valorum's office. Senator Organa rang the bell next to the door. Within moments, the door opened and we were greeted by a bronze protocol droid. "Greetings," the droid said in a somewhat feminine voice. "I am TC-4, at your service. This way, please ... the Chancellor awaits you." How annoying, I thought. When I become Chancellor, I certainly will not use protocol droids to do my work. But we followed Tee-See Four into the office of the Supreme Chancellor.
Chancellor Valorum rose from behind his desk to greet us. "Welcome, my friends, welcome. It is wonderful to see you in good condition, Senator Palpatine. What news do you bring from the peaceful world of Naboo?"
I decided not to beat around the bush. It was time to set my plan into action. "Naboo ..." I started. "Naboo has been blockaded by the droid armies of the Trade Federation in an attempt to resolve the matter of the taxation trade routes." Chancellor Valorum's blue eyes narrowed, and Senator Organa shifted uncomfortably at the news. I continued ... "I have evidence that the Trade Federation's blockade ships have been stocked with millions of battle droids and the artillery to go with them. It may possibly be an invasion army."
"I ..." started the Chancellor, then he shook his head. "The Federation would not dare go that far."
"This is not all," I said. "The Viceroy of the Trade Federation has contacted me. He acknowledges that this blockade is illegal, and he plans to force Queen Amidala to sign a treaty to legitimize their occupation of the planet."
"They would not dare," Valorum repeated.
"They have said it so," I said bluntly. Now, this is the problem with Chancellor Valorum. He would rather think than act, and that very fact has caused trouble in the Senate (and in the galaxy) on numerous occasions. Good though his intentions may be, the Chancellor is politically clumsy and has little real power in the Senate.
"May I suggest that ambassadors be sent to the planet Naboo to negotiate a peace treaty with the Trade Federation?" said Bail Organa, speaking for the first time.
"Yes," I agreed quickly. "Perhaps ... you could dispatch a pair of the Jedi Knights to resolve this."
"That may be an option," said Chancellor Valorum. "I know that Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi have recently returned from a peace conference on Bakura."
Yes ... I thought. Everything was fitting into my plan perfectly.

**

Not more than a week later, I was back in my Sith headquarters, speaking with Viceroy Gunray. He told me of the blockade on Naboo and of how the Jedi Knights had been sent there to "force" a settlement. Time for Phase 2.
"Very good, Viceroy," I said, adjusting the hood of my black cape. "Begin landing your troops."
"My Lord ..." the Neimoidian protested. "Is that ... legal?"
I could have Force-choked the Viceroy right then and there. Have patience, I told myself. The time for that will come. But not now. I needed these two stunted slimes for the time being. "I will make it legal, Viceroy," I told him.
"And ... the Jedi?"
He was playing right into my hands. "The Chancellor should never have brought them into this. Kill them immediately."
The hologram of Nute Gunray disappeared. Now it was time for me to pay a visit to Queen Amidala.

**

There she was, as a holo in my Senate office ... Queen Amidala, dressed in her regal red robes, her face painted white, the red scar of remembrance on her lower lip as a reminder of the hard times Naboo had overcome. In a way, I thought, that scar would become symbolic of the hard times that were yet to be encountered on that peaceful planet.
"Senator Palpatine," the Queen greeted me, "it is wonderful to see you again. I only wish we could have met under different circumstances."
"As do I, Your majesty," I answered with the air of an experienced politician. "May I ask Your majesty for a report on what is going on?"
Queen Amidala adjusted one of her robes, and then glanced briefly at one of her handmaidens. The Queen has five of them ... handmaidens, that is. They are named Sabe, Eirtae, Rabe, and there are two others whom I am not familiar with. I do not deem it important, as I'm sure the Queen does not, either. They are there mainly for her service. Also flanking Queen Amidala were Captain Panaka, her bodyguard, and the old Governor Sio Bibble. Sio had been around for as long as I could remember ... but to me, the old man with his graying hair was as clumsy as he was stupid. The only handmaiden I knew personally was Rabe ... I once, upon her arrival on Coruscant, arranged a private tour of the Jedi Temple for her, and her father and I have conducted business on several occasions.
The Queen then told me of everything that had happened. Without warning, the battleships of the Trade Federation had formed a ring around the planet, cutting off all trade. Queen Amidala, an advocate of peace, contacted Chancellor Valorum and asked him for help. (That was, of course, where I had come in with my suggestion.) Finally, Queen Amidala had contacted the Neimoidians themselves. From this meeting came some interesting and disturbing news ... the Jedi ambassadors were nowhere to be seen. "I know nothing of these ambassadors," Nute Gunray had told her. "You must be mistaken."
I feigned surprise ... what was a complete shock to Senator Palpatine was not a surprise to Darth Sidious. Everything was playing right into my hands. "The negotiations haven't started because the ambassadors aren't there?" I asked her. "How can that be? I have assurance from the Supreme Chancellor that they are on their way. They should already have been there by now." Then I realized that the holo of Queen Amidala had disappeared. Communciations with the planet must have been disrupted, I realized. Good, I thought. The invasion has begun.

**
</span>

I'll have more soon!! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/duel.gif

Emma Kenobi
10-22-2002, 05:18 PM
Nice beginning <span style="color:green">Luuke</span>!! Very cool! I like it when authors go into the backstory of what happens! I especially liked how Palpatine forced Vernuna into suggesting to Amidala to make him Senator, very cool! Very Palpatine-like style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

Can't wait to see what you have in store next! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

<span style="color:purple">~Emma~</span>

ps. It's fine if you use my stuff! I consider it a high honor! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blush.gif

Queen 'Onna
10-28-2002, 10:27 PM
<span style="color:darkblue">Cool start Luuke.</span>

Jacen Solo
12-11-2002, 04:13 AM
<span style="color:darkblue">Sorry this took so long ... I needed to do a lot more studying on The Phantom Menace before I went too much further.</span>

<span style="color:crimson">Thank you for your comments, Emma Kenobi and Queen 'Onna. We will turn Nute Gunray into a pop bottle yet!!</span>

<span style="color:teal">A few days later, I sat in my Senatorial office, just looking out the window at the busy air traffic of Coruscant and thinking about the situation. The Trade Federation had indeed invaded Naboo. It would be only a matter of time before Queen Amidala gave in and signed a treaty that would make the Neimoidians' occupation legal.
"Senator." I heard a familiar voice coming through my comlink, and the figure of Senator Bail Organa appeared in the holograph on my desk.
"Senator Organa," I replied. "Please, come in." Within a few moments, the Alderaanian senator was seated behind my desk. He was clean and well-dressed as usual, but there was a look on his face that was unmistakable. I could sense that something was troubling him ... something involving Queen Amidala, perhaps. "What is it?" I asked him.
"Queen Amidala is gone," the senator responded.
"Gone?" I repeated. "Gone where? How is it possible?"
"Gone, Senator," Organa replied. "I mean ... when she last contacted me, she was planning on coming here, to Coruscant, to petition the Senate for aid. But there is no sign of her anywhere. She should have been here by now."
"Aid from the Senate?" I said in disbelief. "What can the Senate do? They are too busy arguing over petty little issues. It is very unlikely that the Senate will take any action in Naboo's behalf."
"Then we must make it happen, Senator," said Organa. "The people of Naboo are starving. The Trade Federation is destroying their planet. And Queen Amidala seems to have dropped off the face of the galaxy." There was a moment of silence as he considered. "Where could she be?"
"There are several possibilities, Senator," I said. "Perhaps Her Majesty has gone into hiding. Perhaps Queen Amidala does not want to be found."
"Why would the Queen abandon her people in their most desperate hour?" the senator demanded. "I'm sorry, Senator Palpatine, but ..."
"If the Trade Federation should ever find her, goodness knows what they would do to her," I continued as if Bail Organa had not even spoken.
"Are you suggesting that Queen Amidala would put her own safety above the safety of her people?"
I sighed heavily. It was going to be a long and endless tirade with this man, and I could sense that he would be one of those who would stand in the way of my master plan. Not so, I told myself. I would do what I had to. "I don't know, Senator Organa. I hope not. I would think not. I too am worried about Amidala. I wish to hear from her; to know she is all right. I hate to think something bad has happened to her."
Bail Organa stood up. "I am sorry to have taken your time, Senator."
"No apologies needed, my friend," I replied. "We live in troubled times, is all."

**

~THE SITH TEMPLE, CORUSCANT OLD INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT~
There he stood -- the cowardly Neimoidian Nute Gunray in his robes and headress. My apprentice, Lord Maul, stood off to the side as we both listened to the Viceroy's explanation of what had happened.
"There must have been ten thousand -- no fifteen thousand battle droids to storm the city!" the Viceroy declared proudly. "And the Queen ... she was captured so easily." Nute Gunray had been rambling on now for nearly five minutes about the invasion ... how they had successfully blockaded the planet, invaded the city of Theed, and taken the people prisoner. If I had reason to, I could wipe out every last one of your flimsy, ugly droids without even blinking, I thought.
The Viceroy's voice brought me back to reality. "And then we called upon the droidekas to ..."
"Queen Amidala!" I yelled suddenly, and the Neimoidian ceased his tirade. "Has she signed the treaty?"
The coward seemed to shrink, and I knew the answer would be negative. "She has disappeared, my Lord. One Naboo cruiser got past the blockade."
"I want that treaty signed!!" I hissed. The more Republic systems I had under my control, the better. And having the Trade Federation do my dirty work ... the plan was so perfect that not even a Jedi Knight would see the logic.
"It's impossible to locate the ship!" Gunray protested. "It's out of our range!!"
I can't trust these Neimoidians to do anything, I thought. Looks like I'll just have to take care of this myself. I motioned to my apprentice, who came over and stood by me. "Not for the Sith," I said menacingly, and I could see the sudden fear wash over the alien's face like a droid after a memory erase. "This is my apprentice, Darth Maul. He will find your missing ship." Then, suddenly, I unleashed a short barrage of Force lightning that decimated the hologram, cutting off our communication with the Viceroy.
"Prepare yourself, Lord Maul," I said. "The day of our revenge is shortly at hand." And yet, I could sense something ... a disturbance in the Force ... coming seemingly from a very remote place.</span>

**

Jacen Solo
12-11-2002, 07:28 PM
<span style="color:deeppink">Within a few hours, I received a transmission in my office from Governor Sio Bibble of Naboo. "The death toll is catastrophic. We must bow to their wishes! You MUST contact me!!" the elderly man pleaded. Of course, Nute Gunray had been in contact with me concerning the whole situation. Things were looking very bad on Naboo. The people were indeed starving because of the oppression of the Trade Federation. Of course, the chief supplier of goods to the people of Naboo was the Trade Federation itself. All of this, because of a petty trade dispute, I thought. But of course, there was a lot more to it than that. The entire planet had fallen under a shroud of darkness. How much longer could it possibly be before Queen Amidala, wherever she was, finally decided to capitulate?
I was no longer concerned with the trouble of finding Queen Amidala. Unbeknownst to her and her royal train, I had ordered the Neimoidians to place a homing beacon on her Royal Naboo Starfighter, a device that would only be activated upon receipt of a transmission. And that transmission had finally come!! Leave it to the old governor ... I thought as I prepared to send a message to Lord Maul.
After I had sent the transmission, I sat back in my chair and began to meditate. As I did, my mind was suddenly opened to a vision of the future ... much like the Jedi would have, except I am no Jedi. I saw in my mind ... a sand planet, in a very remote region of the galaxy. I had never seen this planet before. Yet, there was something disturbingly familiar about it, and the Force seemed unusually strong here. I watched the planet for awhile, which seemed nothing more than a huge ball of dust, nothing at all like Coruscant, the bright center of our galaxy ... and then I saw something else. A boy, about nine or ten years of age, with blond hair and a very innocent face. I knew right off that this boy was strong in the Force. I could see more of the picture now. The boy was with his mother, and one could see little family resemblance between the two, save the love that existed between them. They were slaves, I realized. The words suddenly coursed through my mind ... "the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force." Interesting, I thought. Then, within a few moments, the vision of the boy and his mother was gone, and in its place I could see another planet. This one looked nothing like the sand planet I had seen just moments earlier. This one was a deep blue, with masses of cloud cover spread across the atmosphere. As I had before, I watched this planet for a few moments. And then, in a sudden flash of light, the planet was gone ... blown to pieces, by an unbelievably immense power. Alderaan, I whispered. The planet had been Alderaan.

***

The relationship between two Sith Lords is one based on fear, not upon trust. Who knows what the other Sith Lord's true intentions might be? One could never be trusted. As such, Sith Lords always walk side by side, never in front or behind one another. Later that night, my apprentice and I were walking outside the Senate chambers in our hooded robes.
"I have located the Queen's ship on the desert planet of Tatooine," said Darth Maul.
"Excellent," I replied. "Looks like the Trade Federation actually did something right, for a change."
"Tatooine is sparsely populated," Darth Maul continued. "If the trace was correct, I should locate them quickly, Master."
"Proceed with caution, Lord Maul," I warned. "I sense a great disturbance in the Force. Come against the Jedi first. You then should have no difficulty bringing the Queen here to sign the treaty."
We stopped and looked out over the vast cityscape of Coruscant. In the distance, we could see the five tiers of the Jedi Temple. Darth Maul turned to me, his yellow eyes glowing with excitement. "At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we shall have our revenge!"
"You have been well trained, my young apprentice," I told him. "They will be no match for you. Kill the Jedi Knights, and bring the Queen of Naboo to me."
"And what if she refuses to come?" asked Lord Maul.
"Do what you must, Lord Maul," I said. "You must trust your feelings." As an afterthought, I added, "you have not needed guidance from anyone, save only me. Use your anger! Your hate will give you power!!"
"Yes, Master," answered my apprentice.
It was no coincidence to me that Queen Amidala had been found on a sand planet called Tatooine just after I had seen a vision of a sand planet through the Force. And Darth Maul would find her, I told myself. That was completely certain. Destroy her, if necessary. For I would have this planet ... Naboo ... with her, or without her.

**</span>

Lord Laviathan
12-12-2002, 03:32 AM
Good work Luuke, I like where your going with this so far, hope to read the rest soon.

Jacen Solo
12-17-2002, 02:56 AM
<span style="color:blue">I appreciate your comments, Lord Lavithan. Here is the next segment.</span>

<span style="color:sienna">"It is a great honor to see you again, Senator Organa," I said politely.
"And it is always a pleasure to see you, Senator Palpatine," he answered. "May I present my lovely wife, Lady Viola Drusus Organa," motioning to the woman he stood with. "This is her first time on Coruscant."
"And my first time ever off of Alderaan as well," Lady Organa said amiably. "I must say, this is quite the city you have here."
"Senator Organa has probably told you that this city spans the entire planet," I said.
"Yes, he has," Lady Organa replied. "How, may I ask, though, did it come to be this way?"
"Thousands upon thousands of years of growth have made Coruscant what it is today," I answered. "And now since the entire planet of Coruscant has been home to this city and there is still a demand for growth, the engineers have no place to build ..." I motioned to the skyscrapers, " ... but up. But I do apologize, Senator and Lady Organa. I have invited you to dinner. If I wanted to tell you more about Coruscant, I would send you to a library. I'm afraid I do get carried away sometimes."
The Alderaanian senator, his wife, and I went into the restaurant ... the Coruscant Cafe. Located in the very underworld of Coruscant though it was, it was rather fancy, not run-down and trashy at all like most of the other places in this area. A silver protocol droid stepped up to us and bowed. "Greetings. I am TC-W9, at your service. I will be your waitress tonight. Please ... this way." The droid motioned for us to follow. I could not believe that a restaurant as fancy as this would stoop so low as to use protocol droids, or any droids for that matter, as waiters and waitresses. Looking back toward the kitchen area, I could see droids working the ovens and other machinery. When I'm Emperor, that will be the first to go, I thought.
The droid seated us and then took our orders. Turning to address the senator from Alderaan, I suddenly remembered the Force vision I had had in my Senate office ... the destruction of Alderaan. What did it mean? Surely the destruction of this planet must come to pass. It was a certainty. The young man seated next to me had to be a player in this vision somehow. Bail Organa was more and more showing how difficult he would be when I began steering the Republic to its final destruction. While the Force was an all-powerful state, many things still remained a mystery. "Senator Organa," I said. "I have good news. Queen Amidala of the Naboo is safe."
"Wonderful!" exclaimed the young senator. "Where is she?"
"Her ship was damaged by the blockading Federation starships as she fled Naboo," I said. "If it hadn't been for a brave little Artoo unit, they would never have made it out." I might as well make this interesting and give them the whole story, I thought. "They have landed on the desert planet of Tatooine, in ..."
"Tatooine?" Organa said suddenly. "That's hardly a safe ..."
I lifted my hand slightly, producing a small inflection in the Force. It had the desired effect. "I'm sorry, Senator. I did not mean to interrupt you."
"Apology accepted, Senator Organa," I said casually, and I could see the Lady Organa giving me a strange look. I smiled politely at her. Of course there was no reason why I should have done that. That was one of the hidden powers of the Dark Side of the Force ... one could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. "As I was saying, the Queen's ship has landed on the desert planet of Tatooine, in search of new parts for their damaged ships." I held my silence.
Once sure it was safe to speak, Organa said, "That could be time-consuming, Senator Palpatine, could it not? Tatooine is controlled by the Hutts. They are not easy to do business with."
"True," I conceded. "I have never in my life known such a thing as an honest Hutt. They are as rare as honest politicians." Organa smiled knowingly.
"There is much contention in the Senate lately," Senator Organa said, understanding.
"Yes," Lady Organa concurred. "Hardly a simple, civil debate is heard anymore without Senators threatening to take each other's heads off."
"I fear the Republic may not stand much longer if this continues," I said sadly. At that, both the senator and his wife turned and looked at me in shock. I held their gazes. And what would you do if I told you for certain that the Republic would be destroyed? I mused. But it was not quite time for this yet. It was the time to make Bail Organa a pawn on my gameboard. "What can we do to prevent this from happening, Senator?"
"We must not lose faith in democracy," Organa replied, and both he and his wife looked somewhat relieved. "This Republic has stood strong for one thousand years. We must not let petty differences split us apart."
Oh, you young, naive fool, I thought.

**

I received a transmission from Darth Maul a few days later as I meditated in my Sith chamber. I could tell immediately that the Dark Lord was on Tatooine. "Have you found Queen Amidala and destroyed the Jedi, Lord Maul?"
A shadow crossed Darth Maul's face, and I could sense fear. "They are gone, Master."
"Gone?" I said, disbelieving. "They have repaired their ship and left Tatooine already? Tell me what happened."
"Lord Sidious," he replied. "I have done the best I could. I sent the Sith probe droids to two major cities -- Mos Espa and Mos Eisley. As soon as I figured out where they were, I immediately took off to find them. I intercepted one Jedi Knight -- I believe he was Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, but Amidala's ship rescued him and took off before I had a chance to destroy him."
I could see that my apprentice was angry, very angry that he had failed to destroy the Jedi after having looked forward to it for so long. "Yes ..." I counseled him. "Hold on to your anger. You must hate the Jedi with all of your being. Use it!! For the time will soon come when we will come against these Jedi again -- and it will not be well with them."
"Yes, Master," Darth Maul whispered.
"I have said it many times, Lord Maul -- you are the most gifted apprentice I have ever had."
"Thank you, Master."
"Your hate will give you power!!" I told him, as I had many times before. "Give in to it, and soon this miserable excuse of a Republic will fall into our hands."

**

"Senator Palpatine?"
I could not hide my surprise. "Chancellor Valorum! Please come in. What news do you bring?"
"I have received word from Captain Panaka aboard the Royal Naboo Starfighter," the Chancellor told me. "Queen Amidala is safe and is on her way to Coruscant as we speak. Her Majesty would request some conference with you, and she has also requested a special session of the Senate to discuss the state of affairs on Naboo."
A special session of the Senate to discuss the state of affairs on Naboo? I thought. Hardly. "Permission to comment, Chancellor." Valorum nodded hesitantly. "I fear the Senate may not be able to resolve this matter." My words rang in my ears, for I knew that with Darth Sidious in control, the Senate would in fact NOT be able to resolve the matter. And though I couldn't care any less, I then said, "The people of Naboo are starving. Dying ... at the hands of Nute Gunray and his comrades. The Senate is so big, so bogged down with procedures nowadays, and a simple discussion never takes place anymore without a fight breaking out."
"I know," the Chancellor said sadly. "I do what I can to keep order, but with so many Senators ..." His voice trailed off, and I could see that he was in very intense thought. My own mind played back to a conversation I had had with Viceroy Gunray. I had told him that I (Darth Sidious) had the Senate bogged down in procedures, and that he should have little trouble getting Amidala to sign the treaty. Of course, the Neimoidians had failed. My apprentice and I had taken things into our own hands, and these pathetic leaders of the Trade Federation would have their reward. But not yet. I was not through using these fools.

**</span>

Dark Prince
02-04-2003, 03:31 PM
<span style="color:seagreen">Great storie!</span>

Lord Rocha
02-06-2003, 01:54 AM
<span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%">Excellent short story !. I hope Luuke Skywalker that you could visit my small scale biography of Palpatine in my page. www.the_galactic-empire_site.ontheweb.com the biography its located in the link to Imperial Leadership.

Thanks
Good Luck with your story.</span>

Jacen Solo
04-25-2003, 07:40 PM
BUMP.

I did read your biography, Lord Rocha, and I like it!! Very interesting ... there are so many SW characters yet we don't have backstories for!!

More of this story coming very soon!!

Lord Rocha
04-27-2003, 02:23 AM
Hey, I thought this thread was dead style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

Jacen Solo
04-28-2003, 02:18 AM
It was dead, but the clarinets are bringing it back to life!! ... that is, they will soon. I've been busy with school and what-not lately and haven't had much of a chance to work on this story.

Lord Rocha
04-28-2003, 02:21 AM
Oh. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/eh.gif

Jacen Solo
04-28-2003, 02:21 AM
<span style="color:purple">Within a few hours, Chancellor Valorum and I stood side by side on the outdoor platform and observed the Queen's Royal Naboo Starfighter's landing. I put on my best politician's smile and watched as Queen Amidala was escorted from the ship. At her side were Captain Panaka and the two Jedi, and following her were her handmaidens. There was also a small astromech droid, presumably the one that saved the crew from the blockade. There was also a Gungan, who was flapping his ears about wildly. But what caught my attention most was the young boy that stood by the Jedi Master. It was the young boy I had seen in my vision. "The Force is strong with this one," I said softly. Stronger, in fact, than any life form I had ever encountered ... even the Jedi Master Yoda. The two Jedi stood before me and bowed. I nodded my acknowledgment and turned to Queen Amidala, who stood tall and regal as ever in her gowns. "It is a great pleasure to see you alive, Your Majesty," I said. "We were greatly concerned, being as all communications had been cut." I gestured to the aging man beside me. "May I present Supreme Chancellor Valorum."
The Chancellor smiled and bowed slightly. "It is an honor to finally meet you, Your Highness," he said. Typical politician's greeting, I thought with an inward smile. "I must relay to you how distressed everyone is over the current situation."
Amidala spoke, her voice like ice. "What do you plan to do about it, Chancellor?"
If Valorum noticed her tone, he gave no sign. "I have called for a special session of the Senate to hear your position."
"I sincerely hope that the Senate will be able to intercede, Chancellor. It would be a step up," the Queen said, and this time there was no mistaking it -- Amidala was angry.
"Your Majesty," said Valorum. "I am doing everything I can to remedy the situation. Republic systems should not be invading each other. I am quite upset over this situation, as you are."
"I am grateful for your concern, Chancellor," said the Queen, her voice finally softening. Another endless debate in the Senate, I thought. It was definitely something to look forward to. Then I started ... this seeming argument between Amidala and Valorum had started me thinking. Suddenly I realized that my wait wouldn't have to be much longer. I could become the Supreme Chancellor within a few days. All I needed to do was show the Queen -- and the entire Senate - that Chancellor Valorum was no longer fit for office.
"Anakin," one of the handmaidens said suddenly. I looked up. The young boy had turned away from Qui-Gon and now stood beside the handmaiden. As he stood, I caught his eye and smiled at him like a loving father. For that was what I planned on becoming to this boy ... Anakin.
I began walking with Queen Amidala and her train. "There is a question of procedure, but I feel confident we can overcome it." Young Anakin glanced up at me with a shy half-smile. Valorum would soon be gone, I told myself. Everything was going as planned.
"Procedure?" asked Queen Amidala. "What are you referring to, Senator?"
"I have been in conference with the Senate concerning this invasion," I replied. "The Neimoidian senator is very adamant in this: the Trade Federation has neither blockaded nor invaded the planet of Naboo." Amidala's eyes widened in disbelief. "They are asking that an investigation be performed."
"An investigation?" replied the Queen with a short, mirthless laugh. We stopped for a moment as the doors to my senatorial apartment slid open. "Here I am," said Queen Amidala. She gestured to her companions. "Here are my handmaidens, who have been with me since the beginning. Here is the Gungan Jar Jar Binks, who was nearly killed trying to escape the Federation's invading ships. What more investigation do we need, Senator?"
"Please, Your Majesty, have a seat," I said, and Amidala took a seat on the plush sofa. "I understand what you are saying, Queen Amidala, but I highly doubt the Senate will see things that way."
Amidala's voice rose sharply in pitch again, as it had with Valorum. "There must be a civil solution to this mess," she answered.
I kept calm. "There is no civility," I told her. "There is only politics. I must be frank, Your Majesty ... there is little hope the Senate will act upon this invasion."
"Chancellor Valorum seems to think there is hope," Queen Amidala insisted.
I set the next phase of my plan into action. "If I may say so, Your Majesty, the Chancellor has little real power. He is mired by baseless accusations of corruption. The bureaucrats are in charge now." I thought of Mas Amedda and of how he always managed to have such an influence on Chancellor Valorum. I would soon have a use for him, too.
"What options have we?" asked the Queen.
"Our best option would be to push for the election of a stronger chancellor, one who could control the bureaucrats," I said to her. "You could call for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum."
"I can scarcely believe I am hearing this," said Amidala. "This is not a game, Senator. Our planet is dying ... our people are dying, Senator! Chancellor Valorum has been our strongest supporter."

TO BE CONTINUED ... </span>

Lord Rocha
04-28-2003, 02:25 AM
At least, it was time for the next part.

Jacen Solo
04-28-2003, 02:33 AM
Yeah, it pretty much follows the movie at this point, but I will take some license and throw in some new stuff ... especially when we get to the point after Episode I.

padmeamidala
04-28-2003, 08:33 PM
This is super-cool! I'm a huge fan of the whole split-personality thingy that Palpatine/Sidious has going on!
I can't wait to read more!
Also- do you have a banner, or an avatar for this fanfic, I'd like to display it in my sig if you don't mind....
Keep going, I can't wait to hear the rest!!

Jacen Solo
03-19-2005, 06:48 AM
Playing the BUMP game here ... I plan on continuing this very soon, given what we know of Episode III now.

Stay tuned!!