The Emperor sat calmly in his throne. The lake before him was glistening in the sun. Quite an astonishing view, one that offered clarity for his thoughts, allowing him to think about the future and his efforts to gain complete control. He allowed a brief smile to appear on his face; the two contrasted. The beauty of the lake should not be used to give one a clearer glimpse on how to control the galaxy with an iron fist. Rather, it should be there for the purpose of calming individuals, allowing those in peril to come to terms with their situation. The irony was not lost to Palpatine. As he felt Shira arrive behind him, he swiveled around in his chair, facing the lady that echoed Vader in so many ways. She, too, was a cyborg of sorts, relying on mechanical appendages after having been injured severely in a fightercraft. He did not care too much about the specifics, but he had been a bit surprised when Vader had presented Shira to him. It lessened some of the suspicions that Palpatine held against Vader; why had the apprentice not taken her on as his own apprentice in an attempt to overthrow the Emperor? It was a situation that had taken up many hours of thought, and will require more. But, as it were, there were more important matters at hand. "Shira Brie," the Emperor said, his voice was slightly high pitched, raspy, and very intimidating. "Welcome to my favorite retreat. I do hope you have enjoyed your brief stay." He smiled in an attempt to give her a sense of confidence...a false sense of confidence. "I have a new task in which I expect you to complete. You are to travel to Yinchorr and oversee the training of my Royal Guards. These guards are the best of the best, and I expect their training to be exactly that. If they are not sufficiently trained, you are to report that to me." He swiveled back around in his chair, not caring for the reaction that Shira was sure to have. She was probably expecting something more dangerous, or having to do with the supposed Jedi on Correllia. That, however, was for another person. "Mara Jade," the tone in his voice did not change in the slightest. "I am sure you have undoubtedly heard of the reports of a lightsaber wielding individual on Correllia. You are to go there and investigate this matter. I want this issue taken care of, immediately." The Emperor quited himself now, not expecting any responses other than the normal, "Yes my lord," or something of the sorts. But, they were certainly able to do so. Hopefully, they did not make him mad with their responses.
Lando sat quietly in the pilot's couch, staring out the viewport at the brilliant silence of space. Such was especially evident here. In some places, even in-system it was crowded and busy. But here over this remote planet it was very calm, and Lando even reached out to cut even the navigation thruster power to the engines so the Falcon could just drift inside the planet's gravity well. Chewie had left to do work in the back of the ship when the Toydarian, Reti, had come in running his mouth about the ship they were getting on Tatooine from some used-up junk dealer. At least the Wookiee didn't have to contend with Reti's comments directly, as they were directed at Lando himself; the only other being able to speak Basic on board. "Yeah that sounds like a good idea...once we get to that dustball that can be your first order of business; getting those things slaved up. That Hutt will have plenty of guards in position, those turrets will eat right through 'em." Lando took a moment to open up a computer monitor-displayed catalog of local systems and browsed through them to pass the time. “Heh…what’s with him, eh?” Lando rolled his eyes. Reti was so tense. It should have been obvious why Chewie had left, even if you couldn't understand the language. "Nothin' he just tends to worry about his best friend considering he's being held by one of the worst gangsters in the galaxy," he snapped. "Worries me too..." Calrissian trailed off. He was confident that they were going to get their old buddy back, but until the time came to start cracking Gamorrean heads, it was best to not think about their missing teammate. "So Ret," he said as his face glowed every time he pulled up a new system catalog entry as he flipped slowly by them, "have you ever flown an LAAT before?"
Palpatine relished in the mixture of emotions that flooded the Force when the Emperor told the young Shira of her next assignment. At the foremost of those emotions were shock and hatred. The smile that crossed his face was unseen because he had turned his back, but his feelings through the Force would be felt by all around him. He could tell she wanted to act out against him, strike him down with a swift stroke. That is why he made his feelings so vivid through the Force, to encourage such a thing. For obvious reasons, she would not succeed. "Yes, my lord," she finally said, doing the smart thing and conceding to the Emperor's wishes. The smile on Palpatine's face faded, but he still had a sort of satisfying look on his face. Shira was not the only one who was disappointed by the assignment given to the cyborg woman. Lord Vader had let his emotions slip, emitting his anger through the Force. By Vader displaying his disapproval of Palpatines orders, it only strengthened the Emperor's suspicion of his apprentice. Vader and Shira had a bond, one that Vader did not often share, especially since the loss of his beloved wife. Palpatine made a not to have Shira watched more closely. Vader knelt down beside his master, doing the same as Shira did, conceding his emotions and obeying the Emperor. Palpatine turned to face the Dark Lord as he spoke. "What is thy bidding, my master?" he asked, as always. For anyone who had never seen this, it was quite the site. Darth Vader was so menacing - two meters tall, adorned in frightening black armor - yet he was bowing to a seemingly frail, old man who was just over a meter and a half tall. Again, the irony was not lost on Palpatine. "I have an important issue that needs taken care of, Lord Vader. The Death Star is far behind schedule. I want you to board the Death Star and persuade Jerjerrod to improve his work schedule." He let the assignment sink in. It would be quite boring for the Dark Lord, but he would do the task no matter what. "Ensure him that this task must be completed, for I will arrive shortly after to oversee the project myself." As if the fact that Palpatine would oversee the project, which was something he did not normally do, was not enough to stress how important getting the Dearth Star complete was, he reiterated the point, "This is of the utmost importance, Lord Vader, do not let fail me."
