Saga - Legends "Rage, rage, rage against the dying of the light" (drama about Palp´s niece, a mix of legend & canon

Nope, dear Sith, she has not. Like I would never, ever discuss my work at home. And in this case, Nagina knowing what can happen to Force sensitive children around her uncle, she certainly would not.

Dear bird, there is more tonight and you see for yourself. Wait, we are in the same time zone. It is 1:44 am and you are asleep. Well, you will see in the morning, if the fever grants me sleep at last.

Dear Nyota, then I will try to write on with more stuff to beta edit for you, if you have time. Anyway, thanks for being so quick! I am so grateful to you.




Chapter 3:

Around lunch time I am totally worn out and I am glad when my colleague sees me off to a thirty minute break. I sit down in the office, which is also the meeting room of our team for the weekly team discussion.

Clinging on to a mug of tea I pray to Shiraya, the Moon goddess, by sketching fan hairdresses on a piece of paper. It is quite relaxing and totally meaningless. My mind is so much in turmoil that I would anger any deity with my gibberish.

My boss, Jessica Reidia, sneaks up behind me. “I knew it, you are from Naboo after all. Or you just love that Naboo senator. What is her name again?”

“Padmé Naberrie,” I prompt and looking at her confused face. “That is her real name. Her official title is Senator Amidala.”

“Ah! She goes undercover like you.” Jessica winks at me.

“You think me to be some kind of undercover agent?” I frown.

“You came to work for us three years and one month ago, Nagina.” She wraps me up in a strong embrace. “I do not care who you truly are and what planet you are from. Fact is: you are an enrichment for our team. I cannot imagine this kindergarten without you.”

As much as I am relieved to hear that, something is up. I can feel it as clear as day light.

Jessica lets go of me and I cling on to the steal frame of my chair for a heartbeat.

“I had this strange HoloNet call from the head of the Senate kindergarten. She wants you very badly. Can you imagine why that is?”

I shake my head.

“Has it anything to do with the Chancellor visiting today?” Thoughtfully, Jessica narrows her eyes. “He was very smiley when he walked out of here.

I break out in laughter. “You imply I have an affair with an older man?”

“Nobody could ever walk in Barin's shoes.”

“Because my husband was 4ft 5in tall?” I joke.

Jessica cannot help but to smile at me. “But he had most intense eyes ever and was totally hot.”

At the thought of him my heart skips a beat or two.

“I miss him, too, because he was a good person. The kids loved him as well. Life has not been fair since this blasted war broke out, Nagina.”

We gaze at each other for a while, our fingers intermingled.

“Thanks for being honest about the job offer.” Jessica gives me a brave smile. “We would hate to lose a brilliant teacher as you, even the Senate pays their kindergarten teachers better than we ever could.”

I rise from the metal office chair to be at her eye level. “Politicians are a hard lot. I could never work for them. You know I love this place and cannot imagine myself anywhere else.”

Visibly pleased with my loyalty, Jessica blows a kiss on my cheek and is off again.

********************************************************************

Of course my uncle is inside my flat when I come home after work. As a powerful Sith lord he has his ways.

A cloak hangs at the over-door hook of my hallway. It is black as midnight hour itself and has a large hood. My fingers touch the soft fabric, even though I know better than to play around with his belongings.

Careful, I check the small entrance hall.

No Red Guards hang around. I cannot spot Sly Moore or any other obedient servant of his. My uncle is completely on his own tonight. This is a private call.

I take off my shoes.

He has my LCD screen on. A classic music score is playing. The choir in the background actually sings lyrics in a language from a world long forgotten by the human race. But not to followers of Shiraya, the Naboo moon goddess.

“Korah Matah Korah Rahtahmah
Korah Rahtamah Yoodhah Korah
Korah Syahdho Rahtahmah Daanyah
Korah Keelah Daanyah
Nyohah Keelah Korah Rahtahmah
Syadho Keelah Korah Rahtahmah
Korah Daanyah Korah Rahtahmah
Korah Daanyah Korah Rahtahmah
Nyohah Keelah Korah Rahtahmah
Syadho Keelah Korah Rahtahmah
Korah
Korah Matah Korah Rahtahmah
Korah Daanyah Korah Rahtahmah
Nyohah Keelah Korah Rahtahmah
Syadho Keelah Korah Rahtahmah
Korah”

“Fancy that!” I snort. “The language of the Elders.”

The general meaning of all the Sanskrit words is: ‘All the dread is mainly in the head.’

“Fancy that!” I snort. “The language of the Elders.”

The tempting scents of his cooking fills my flat.

My mother Mandré, his half-sister, taught Sheev a lot. Mutual respect was at the core of their relationship. Of course, she knew him for what he was, but did not hesitate to let him into her life. Her instincts told her that she could trust him with me. The day I was born, she placed me into his arms. By ancient tradition he recognized me as family and named me. Grandfather Cosinga was not to be told about me.

“Dinner is almost finished,” Sheev calls out. “I love you being punctual, Nagina.”

Despite all, I have to smile.

I love my uncle so much that it hurts. And I am wise to fear the man he has become. He is more withdrawn than ever, I cannot quite access him in the same way that I used to. He acts much fiercer, madder than he used to. And he is less reliable.

I stand in the door frame like an anxious child.

Sheev turns around, the cookery spoon still in his hands. The smile he gives me makes my knees weak.



It is my uncle who rushes towards me, not the other way around. He holds me for a very long time.

“Do not be afraid,” he finally whispers.

“Because fear leads to the dark side?” I ask back.

“No, because you are safe with me. Never, ever forget this, little star.” His embrace strengthens, but stays comfortable.

“Is Sly Moore still alive?” I dare to say.

“Always this care for others.” He chuckles a bit. “But then again, you are a care taker. You simply cannot help it.”

“You always took care of me,” I mumble into his robe, that is somewhat covered with one of my kitchen aprons.

“Be precise, little one! You are my caretaker. I had no chance.”

Sheev blows a kiss against my hair. It is soft and endearing. Around me he acts still like a human being.

“Let us set the table together as we used to,” he says in a hushed tone.

I nod and he lets go.

Obediently, I take out plates, glasses and cutlery. While I do I notice a bottle at the far end of the kitchen sink. It has a scarlet ribbon around it and the cork is already off.

“Blossom wine from Naboo,” I smile.

“Of course. You are the only niece I have. So you deserve but the best.”

As I search for the decanter that I have not used since Barin's death, I say, “Is this why you mangled with flight control today?”

My uncle frowns. “Pardon me?”

If he does not know about the incident with my public transport, than the problem is by far worse than I thought.

“And you did not order the senate kindergarten to win me over into their teaching staff?”

As if in deep pain, Sheev closes his eyes. “It already starts. And I have not even begun to fulfil my destiny.”

My voice is thin. “Now I am the one who is lost.”

His eyes snap open. There is a tinge of yellow in them, but I stand my ground. He rushes towards me and touches my shoulders.

“I want you to remember if anything unusual has happened today.”

“Apart from the public transport thing and my boss receiving that HoloNet call?” I enquire.

My uncle nods eagerly, his eyes genuine blue again.

“I bumped into Prince Xizor, literally.”

********************************************************************

(To be continued!)

 

you are writing this in the middle of the night? Whew. Beware of Palps Nagina

 

It is wonderful that Nagina is appreciated at work but running literally into Xizor - this has been an eventful day.

 

With the chills I had trouble falling asleep, dear bird. Which made me come up with more writing.

Well, Xizor is always bad news, dear Nyota.

 

Hmm,so is someone else pulling strings to get Nagina nearer the senate? I guess Palps didn't hide their relation well enough then?

heh, nice way to mention that 'oh, yeah, forgot about it, ran into Xizor' This relationship between these two is a bit creepy, but intriguing.

 

Xixor & Nagina? Or Palps & Nagina?

About strings being pulled, no spoilers. You have to wait an entire week.

And, since Uncle Sheev stands in front of cookery pots in this update, thanks for all the cooking and cleaning, while I sleep a lot these days. I know I am not easy to handle when ill at home, you brave man.

 

What relationship? Either, I suppose But I meant the second.
And you are welcome

 

Family is not creepy. Most of the time it is a given fact. You can turn away from it. Or accept it for what it is.

 

Family can be creepy. Most people at some point assume that their own experience is universal, but that is not the case.

 

This explains Kylo Ren or Palpatine!

But well, after having read the biographies of men like Frank McCourt or David Bowie I fully believe you. The galaxy is full of unhappy, dysfunctional families. But there is always a new hope...



********************************************************************

I, of all people, know what an angry Sith lord is capable of. The fury of the dark side has been a companion to me all my life. But at present my Sheev's anger is cold and well-tempered. His time with Count Dooku served him well. Any teacher can learn from a student in return.

“Xizor,” he slurs. “That slimy reptile! I should have foreseen this.”

My uncle sweeps me back into his arms. Even though he keeps himself under control to protect me, I can feel the abyss within him. He has indeed become the king of beasts.

“I am sorry that my ambitions intermingle with your life, Nagina. This should not have happened.”

Being Force-sensitive I feel his regret and all that remains unsaid. I snuggle closer into his embrace, closer towards the abyss. “Why are you really here tonight?” I sniff. “Just for my company?”

A shiver goes through his body. Deep in the unsettling depths of his mind a door opens. The thickest one. It is the room in which he keeps the frightened boy that he once was. A child that had to experience too much violence by the hands of his own father. One who never came to know the unconditional love and protection of a mother.

“It is okay,” I whisper as one of my hands travels upwards towards his head. Soon my fingers move through his thin, pale hair. I can still remember the lively red colour it once possessed.

“No, it is not,” Sheev protests and the door within him is bolted again. “I should console you and not the other way around.”

“You are too harsh with yourself.”

His laughter is as withered as the rest of the man that stands in front of me. “You are the luxury that I should not cling to.”

“But I am not afraid,” I speak up.

“You should be, Nagina!” He plucks me from his chest and stares me straight in the eyes, while framing my face with his long, thin fingers. “For your own sake.”

“So this is the end game?” I inquire. “The Sith will rise again to take what they think is theirs by right?”

He blows a kiss against my brow, waking so many innocent memories of mine. “Let us have dinner first and talk later!”

“So there is much to talk through?” I narrow my eyes.

“My sweet, clever girl!” my uncle praises me, wicked glee all over his haughty features.

********************************************************************

(To be continued!)

 

Short and sweet; The last supper?

 

Bravo on the imagery and comparison - of an abyss. Nagina is sentimentally recalling her fond uncle of long ago and yet he is far different than that now. She is like his anchor to the sane side of things, but is it enough?

 

Even Palps has something hidden deep inside that has made him who he is

 

Hum, honey, I really should paint the two of them if I find the time. But it will not really look like a last supper scene then.

As I told you already in a PM a certain proverb of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is in the back of my mind these days: "And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." (I simply love the "Criminal Minds" series for always begins and finishes with a quote.)

Blame the (kindergarten) teacher in me. I always search for explanations. But in the end, character is also formed by choice. Not only by nature and nurture. There is this Chinese proverb:

"Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny."

For Palpatine all is lost. He embraced becoming a monster. Nobody can help him.

 

Early update for I am without internet the entire weekend:


********************************************************************

During dinner we pretend that everything is normal between the two of us. It is not the first time we act like that. Back at Convergence, the ancestral home of House Palpatine, it had been our way to cope with the tyranny of Grandfather Cosinga.

Trying my best to keep the dark memories at bay, I cut my shaak steak. It is perfectly done. I sigh with pleasure when I take the first bite.

The vegetables are also a dream. I wonder what Sheev will serve for dessert.

Benevolently, he smiles at me. “I love the way you appreciate decent food.”

“Decent?” I laugh out loud. “You are kidding. This is gorgeous. Any five star restaurant would love to have you as their chéf.”

Mirth reflects from his clear blue eyes. “Alas, I am already Chancellor.”

Digging into my cauliflower from Chandrilla, I reply, “You should reconsider.”

Instead of reprimanding me that I talk with my mouth stuffed full, he smirks, “To be in charge of an entire galaxy is a bit like cooking. You stir the fate of so many beings and you add secret spices.”

Despite the Xizor affair my uncle seems to be in a good mood, enjoying our evening to the fullest. We both know that shared quality time is like an air bubble. It can cease to exist at any given moment.

“We still need a toast, Nagina.”

I grin, carefree. “Because you could take some time off tonight?”

“No, my toast goes to a very dedicated kindergarten teacher.”

“I am glad you noticed,” I joke.

“If there were more women like you out there, I would have extreme difficulties to restore the order of the Sith to its former glory.” He looks smug, but that is not what really concerns me about his statement. “Today I watched a lot of happy, bright children. You do a good job. They are all very clever, social and resilient. Especially...”

My fingers wrap more around my cutlery, almost bend the steel.

“...this little red head, what was her name again?”

“Mara,” I breathe.

“Do not worry!” my uncle grins, but he has the teeth of a predator now. “I was a little Force-sensitive red head once upon a time, too.”

“So... you see a familiar soul in her?” I suggest to keep the matter light.

“Not many children her age pity a beast like me,” he growls in a friendly manner.

“I did,” I object hastily for I want him to focus only on me.

“Ah but you were always special.” His eyes cloud. “You were so tiny in my arms, such a fragile bundle of skin and bones. When your gaze locked with mine, I was done for.”

“You say it like it is a bad thing, this bond we have.” My heart feels too small for my chest now.

“Sometimes. I cannot live with you, but I cannot live without you.”

“You seem not to be in great agony about it, uncle.” My tone stays light and playful.

“I try my very best.” Sheev winks at me, but I know he keeps his true feelings at bay. “Did you know that it was actually your dear mother who taught me how to properly gauge when a steak is cooked?”

I remain silent and manage a brave smile.

Sheev takes a sip of blossom wine. “She was a fine woman. And believe me, she deserved better than having her head bashed in by that old monster.”

I bite my under lip, hold my tears in. “It was unbelievably kind of you to take care of her funeral.”

“Mandré was my sister after all.” He puts his glass down again, slow and reflective. “More than those painted, brainless dolls that my mother had given birth to.”

My uncle never had arranged the traditional Naboo funeral for any of his siblings. The ship they had been on had simply disappeared. And with it all the corpses on-board.

Sometimes I still dream about it. “Dies irae,” I whisper. The Day of Wrath.

“We wanted to forget about it!” He sighs reproachfully. “But what want you to keep in mind is: Xixor is already on your tail. And I have other enemies that lurk in the shadows.”

A terrible thought crosses my mind. “You cannot control what you have unleashed any more!”

“Of course I can!” Defiance is written all over his features. “But I want you to be away from the core worlds as much as possible.”

“What have you planned?” I pipe up.

“I could tell you,” Sheev replies, his voice menacingly soft, “But then I would need to kill you.”

This I believe without any doubt. I am flushed and annoyed by all means. “What ever it is. I will not leave the children that I am taking care of. Nor this flat where I used to be happy with Barin. You cannot demand this from me, Sheev.”

Using his birth name in a conversation is a dangerous thing to do, but I cannot help it. It is the name of his true self he is so eager to leave in eternal night.

He gets up and walks right behind me.

“You will like Lothal.” His elegant hands come down on the back of my chair. “It is very much like Naboo, grassy plains, spine tree forests, farmland, mountains and seas. It is more arid and less lush, true. But it has no Gungans on it or a hollow planet core.”

Bitterness sings in my voice when I speak up. “This is your master plan? You want to store me away like a precious Kyber crystal?”

“Things will get very ugly soon, believe me.” My uncle leans his chin on top of my head, not minding my hair. You deserve so much more than a bloody battlefield again.”

Soundless tears roll down my cheeks as I remember the shores of red in which House Palpatine drowned.

“There is a kindergarten much in need of you. They have a newly founded group with children in crawling age.”

 

Wonderful chat about food which I love always to indulge in - followed by a nervous moment when Mara was mentioned. Then Nagina's world turned sideways and upside down. She has to pull up roots and start somewhere else. Somewhere not home, and what will she tell her kiddos?

Sheev, I still feel that's more an adjective than a first name.

 

Actually, his birth name reminds me of Shaun the Sheep. Do not ask why? Sometimes I think the wires in my brain are strangely done.

About the actual text, dear Nyota, thanks that you and my husband appreciate it so much. And work hard on it to turn it something more ripe, something much better.

These days writing means a lot to me again. To be honest, I write against the dying of the light. And it helps that the two of you believe in me and take time to comment.

I am off-line until Sunday evening. There is no internet in the mountains & tomorrow night is a special night. One that I will face alone...

 

I really do like the title, and enjoy enunciating it aloud, whenever I navigate past it, Rage, rage against the dying of the Light.

So, onto the update.

Good prose, with interesting insights on their personal histories, with four special moments:

What an excellent and incisive view. I do not have the words to describe how I feel about that descriptive.

So much for not discussing the kids, but I guess he would have pulled the girl's name some other way; that was the priority threat the moment he turned up at the nursery, and that boot has now been dropped. Mara did not help her own cause, climbing into his lap like that.

Good to see Nagina's cutlery abuse while the bombshell was being deployed.


The whole scene as he steered the conversation towards getting her away from her nursery was excellent, though I cannot see how Nagina "remained in her seat" if she earlier rose out of it. Wouldn't remained in that context normally imply that she had not budged? Or was the earlier move supposed to be like those cinematic visuals where a character takes action, and then you see that they really had not budged, the action only in their mind?

****. Well, doesn't that paint a visual image? Hold onto that one in case you ever start writing vampire fiction.

Oh, and

 

I stumbled over this poem when watching a brilliant SF movie recently and it made me change my fan fic story title immediately.

Due to also have watched all the "Hannibal" episodes of Season 3 in one go some weeks ago, I needed Palps in front of a cookery pot and have a hobby one would not expect of him.

As for the Mara Jade back story: I wanted it to be innocent and tragic alike.

The whole scene as he steered the conversation towards getting her away from her nursery was excellent, though I cannot see how Nagina "remained in her seat" if she earlier rose out of it. Wouldn't remained in that context normally imply that she had not budged? Or was the earlier move supposed to be like those cinematic visuals where a character takes action, and then you see that they really had not budged, the action only in their mind?

This one I changed. Thanks for pointing it out. I made a mistake here.

About vampires: I do like the "bad" guys like Spike, Lestat and Eric but I would never write a story about them.

Okay, here is my new update. I wrote it partly on my mother´s i-pad and my mobile phone. I am grateful to my brave beta to have made sense out of it:



Chapter 4:

“So what's the big deal?” I growl, staring at our empty wine glasses. “The apocalypse?”

There is no response. I simply hear my uncle put our dishes and the cutlery into the dish washer, that works with a sonic device like my shower.

Water is precious on Coruscant. The city planet has no resources on its own and is fully dependent on other planets. Like I am dependant on my uncle's sanity.

“You mistake me for a lunatic,” Sheev comments from the kitchen. “To you I am always gracious, Nagina.”

“Please stay out of my thoughts!” I complain as I clench my hands into fists.

“You think too loud and too clear.” He glides back in, looking almost harmless with my kitchen apron. “I was never able to ignore your feelings.”

I gaze at him, tears shimmering in my eyes. “Let me stay!”

My uncle shakes his head in honest regret. “Enemies like Xizor show me what the price for my greed is.”

“I am no one's price, Sheev.”

“Yet you are priceless to me.” Tenderness conquers his haggard face. “And there are things that even I cannot foresee.”

“Then let go of your hate, your anger and your fear.”

“I am one with the dark side, Nagina. It is too late for me. The events I set in motion cannot be stopped. I will be the ultimate ruler of this universe. They will fear me and despair.”

There are so many things I could say, but instead I choose to ask about his mortal enemies. “What about the Jedi?”

His grin is that of a skull. “They will be taken care of.”

My overheated brain lines up the possibilities. “The clone army, that poor General Kenobi found for you. There is something wrong with the clones.”

“There is?” His keen eyes remain fixed on my face. “I should contact Kamino at once. But on the other hand, I have no proof. Just a niece that is too clever for her own good.”

My chest heaves up and down. I feel dizzy.

“Let us have some more blossom wine,” he offers. “You seem to need it.”

While Sheev fetches the decanter for us and refills the glasses, I hide my face between my palms. “You will wipe them all out.”

“I bloody hope so”, he agrees heartily. “Their trust in their loyal troops will be their downfall.”

There it is, the core of his evil plan. Sheev has revealed it to me like the heart piece of a Chyntuck, an onion-like vegetable from Kashyyyk.

I stare at the table cloth which is so white and shiny. “Now that I know your master plan, will I be shipped off to Lothal immediately?”

He looks hurt. “You are not a piece of cargo that I want someone else to take care of. Or a loaded gun that I need to discharge.”

I raise my chin proudly. “And if I walk straight into the Jedi temple to warn them?”

His chuckling makes my ears ring. “Be my guest, Nagina!”

Now I am painfully aware that my chances to reveal his evil deeds are zero. The Jedi Order has become arrogant. They will turn a blind eye.

My uncle taps my shoulders enthusiastically. “Please go ahead! Show me that you are right and I am wrong!"

Either way I will sin. And be doomed. “I cannot believe that you are doing this to me.”

Carefully, he cups my chin. “This is exactly what this old monster hated about you and what I learned to love. You inspire people to believe, not to lose hope. Even I want to know what you can do to stop me.”

“Can there be no mercy?”

“Not where my shadow will fall. But perhaps where you blissfully walk, my little star. You will always keep a light on for me.” His dry lips kiss my brow as they did a thousand times before. “I am a Palpatine. Due to your mother Mandré you are a better person.”

I reach up for his face, but he stops my hands mid-air. “Don't!” he begs.

After all this time Sheev is still afraid of human touch, of real affections.

“When I will plunge everything in darkness, please try to keep the balance. The light side and the dark. I am not a fool. I need a bright soul like yours. Otherwise there will be never-ending night.”

I dare a last attempt. “Can you not at least try to rule the universe in a different way. Must it be... sithly?”

My uncle laughs relaxed and happy. “I must say you are extremely funny. If I would have you around me on a daily basis it would endanger my mission.”

“Because you would learn to look at life itself with much kinder eyes?”

Gently, he puts my wine glass into my right hand. “Go to Lothal while you still can. Oppose me from there Do your best. But remember, I do not play fair.”

I smirk, remembering our holographic chess battles throughout the years. “So you mainly want to protect me from the beast you will become.”

“Xizor is but a young prankster, full of himself. A reptile that I can easily smash with my boots.”

“But not right now”, I object. “Not before you have reached the hight of your powers. You said so earlier on.”

“You pay more attention than all those jerks in the daily senate debates.” Our glasses shatter together. “I cannot cloud your mind like anybody else's.”

I leave my drink untouched. “So it is the Jedi order first and next you want to smash democracy itself.”

“Oh, Nagina”, he whispers happily.

“And you came here tonight because you are bursting with pride. Because you are not able to keep your excitement in. And since Darth Plagueis is dead and Count Dooku such a bore, you need me. For company, for sharing, for...”

Sheev narrows his eyes. “This is why you are so dangerous. You make me feel like an old Tom-cat who wants to share the trophies of his hunt. No matter how gruesome they are.”

********************************************************************

After dinner, we retreat to the living-room suite. We take our wine glasses and the refilled decanter with us. My uncle decides to put on some music again. His choice makes me hope for the future again. It’s jazz or swing. Light and playful the tunes bounce around.




A lot of people know my uncle as a patron of the arts. He owns a private viewing box in the Galaxies Opera House, which has a premier view of the performance arena. His service accommodation is literally scattered with art work from all over the galaxy, mostly sith artefacts that are hidden right in the open.

But sometimes, he goes for a much lighter indulgence. Something less dark with a down-to-earth informality: milk shakes at street-corner diners, having popcorn while watching holo dramas at the movies.

To maintain his well protected privacy and ensure my safety while I am with him, my uncle displays a strong aptitude for acting and disguise. To appear as a tea drinking, friendly gentleman in his golden years is just one of the roles that he plays. Like a Clawdite, a shape shifting species, his change goes bone deep.

I stop my pondering for a while and simply drink in the sight of my uncle. The way he moves through the room, holding on to his glass and making some forlorn dancing steps, I can tell that he is about to take me somewhere.

Since he has been elected Supreme Chancellor, due to his own cunning plans, we have not been out together in public. He either meets me here in my flat or I am ushered inside his official residence.

“Let us have a ride!” he announces in between two music scores. “Like in the old days.”

“A ride,” I repeat. “Are you desperate for trouble with traffic control?”

His laughter roars through the room. He looks like a much younger man now. There is a happy glow around him.

“It is like waving a red banner, yelling: This is the sith lord you are looking for,” I scold him.

He shrugs off my misgivings. “We will just cruise around in the sub levels. No big deal.”

I rub my temples. “No big deal? Drinking and driving are never a good idea.”

“The alcohol is not the real problem here.” He sets his shoulders, looks more imperious now. “Your attitude is. I should help you to reconsider.”

“I need to get up early tomorrow morning,” I insist.

“You have the late shift, Nagina! I checked your duty roster today. You are not due before 9 am sharp.”

Now it dawns on me. He seriously visited me this morning to learn my schedule. My boss always has copies of the actual spreadsheet, but she writes the times down by hand and pins the roster on to an old fashioned memo board. His spies could not find out about my working week. And so he, the spy master, decided to check for himself.

Poor Mara got discovered by a mere inconvenience of his.

My uncle tuts, playing the disappointed one. “I should find this lack of faith disturbing. But then again, I am a true believer when it comes to you.”

I am not sure whether he refers to my Force-sensitive ward or to his flying skills. So I go for the latter, telling myself he is out of my thoughts again. “You are a fine speed racer.”

The shadow of a smile dances at the corners of his mouth. “Am I, indeed?”

His offered hand is an invitation that I cannot reject. I do not wish to be a disappointment to him, no matter what he does to the Republic. “Just do me one favour...”

“I did not kill off anybody on purpose when the speeder crashed,” he interrupts me short tempered, reading me like one of his sith scrolls. “Your life was at stake back then, Nagina!” His gaze softens. “I could hardly concentrate flying with you almost dying on me.”

There are whispers on Naboo that young Palpatine has been a ruthless scoundrel, a traffic offender of the worst kind. That Cosinga has paid a lot of compensation for injuries suffered. Shush money.

The sad truth is, all that innocent blood is on me. I effectively murdered those two pedestrians who were not quick enough to escape the vehicle of my uncle.

“It was the only occasion the old monster ever got to you.” He clasps his hands together and wrings them. “I felt like killing himfor what hiscursed whip did to you. You were but three years old. Instead I choose for your safety and well-being.”

“You told the attending physician in the ER that you had done the deed,” I murmur.

“Indirectly I did.” He flushes to his hairline. “I was not careful enough hiding your existence. If I had done a better job, his anger would have never struck you down like it did. It was alright for me that he hated me for ever being born. For my unnatural powers. My constant disobedience. But to have hurt you like he did, Nagina,...”

His voice breaks as he squeezes me against him, even though he is the one who suffered most of us. His own father emasculated him like he would a misfit Shaak bull, deeming him unfit stock.

If the Jedi order only could have found him right after birth. He would have grown up somewhere safe and kind. There would be no pact between the dark side of the Force and him. His soul would be righteous and not such a tangled affair.

“You won!” I say, barely above a whisper. “I even let you fly.”

********************************************************************

(To be continued!)

 

Great contrast there with Nagina's convictions and steadfastness in the Light as opposed to Sheev's slimy scheming You can tell she grounds him in a very fascinating way but yikes, it's not enough to alter his grand plans.

 

Yes, dear Nyota, sometimes love is not enough to help another human being to win the fight against inner darkness & the past.

 

Palps is lost forever

 

And yet he is still worth a story, because I wanted to give him a slightly different back story and some nice character traits despite all the darkness in him.

Blame the Vader fan girl in me who believes in redemption.

 

Sorry, double post; probably due to bad connection in train between Osnabrück and Bünde, Germany.

 

Yes, as I mention below, all isn't lost, though things look very bleak around Sheev.

It can be difficult to give a figure who was conceived as the pure evil a good back story, showing him to be a being with feeling and reason as we all have, without losing the intense menace of him. GL managed to turn Vader into an epic tragic figure with the OT. It reads as if you can do it, in a very different way, with 'Sheev'. Maybe not redemption for him, but I look forward to reading where he and Nagina go from here.

No, it has to be that humans' own decision. And even when hope is lost, as long as there is life, hope can be rediscovered


Well, you story certainly has become a thriller, very interesting dynamic between Nagina and 'Sheev' (I'd feel like becoming a monster too, with such a silly name). The terror, and dread Nagina must feel to be made into a knowing spectator to his great plan coming together, without seeing a way to stop it from happening.

And yet, Palatine isn't playing with her, baiting, like he was with Luke on the 2nd death star; he is telling her there is hope for her, for the galaxy. But not for him, and not much, not yet.
I found it a thrilling and chilling read.