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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

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

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by AzureAngel2, Jul 11, 2014.

  1. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Mace should have believed her. He could have come with more Jedi to Palpatine
     
  2. DarthUncle

    DarthUncle Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 20, 2005
    For anyone wondering why AzureAngel2 isn't very responsive at the moment:
    no Internet & telephone, as a fire in one of the basements of the house where our apartment is, caused cable to burn through.

    Everyone is ok, neighbours bonded over cleaning 'Innenhof' today and sat down for drink there afterwards, but not yet clear when we'll get our connectivity back.

    And when I say 'we', ähm, that's Azure I guess , as I'm still in the Netherlands this week for business related reasons . With Internet. Feel a bit sorry about that, at present.
     
  3. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Darth_Furio: Well, before you throw your new Kylo Ren icon in my way to get your will, go ahead! ;) It is a famous quote anyway.


    DarthUncle: I am proud of you that you always get to the core of my texts.


    earlybird-obi-wan: If Master Yoda would have been the one to bump into her history would be very different, I guess.


    You can stop feeling sorry for things are almost back to normal around here. Except for the reeking smell from the basement & the fuzz with the insurance company. All our neighbours have the same kind of trouble. But here is my update:




    Chapter 7:

    With hanging shoulders I make my way to Coruscant Park, one of the few places of greenery in the entire city. Apart from the colourful spectacle up in space with all its explosions and debris raining down into the Coruscanti atmosphere, it is a quiet day. There is still no air traffic in this area.


    I wonder what my uncle has in mind. He lets himself be kidnapped by one of the most incompetent cyborgs that I know: General Grievous. At least Count Dooku can think straight. For a Sith apprentice he is relatively composed, having his feelings in check all the time.

    When I sit down on a public bench, a stone cubus, I notice a little bulk inside my uncle's coat. I fumble around for a while and finally get hold of a chocolate bar. It is in a side pocket. Attached to it is a flimsi note.

    Told you so before: nobody is interested in the truth these days. This is what makes it so easy. I am sorry about last night. We talk soon!
    Love, Sheev XXX


    I lift my gaze upwards into the sky. The battle field is too close to home. I hope that my uncle does not plan to blast the entire Senate building and the living-quarters of the government members into oblivion.

    With a deep sigh, I open the chocolate bar and start munching on it.

    I do not know much about warfare, but the ones responsible seem not to know about such things either. The pilots seem to fire at random at anything that flies past them, even their own people.

    “Nagina!”

    “Rorak!” I beam, recognizing the speaker at once. He is the elder brother of one of my current kindergarten children.

    “What's up?” the nine year old human asks, trying to play it cool. A typical CoCo town boy. Tough from the outside, yet a heart of gold.

    “A space battle above us,” I reply pointing upwards with my thumb.

    “I mean, what's up with you, not with the Chancellor.” He looks slightly flustered.

    “Oh, I am doing okay!”

    It does not sound convincing to him. Most children are the perfect lie detectors. Rorak sits down next to me, staring at my chocolate-smeared fingers. Then his gaze travels on. I can tell that he does notice that I am wearing a night gown underneath a coat that is atypically for me in style.

    I close my eyes for a brief heart beat, knowing that I am busted. When they snap open again, I ask, “No school today?”

    “You are kidding, right? Those separatists took down our government.”

    I wish I could tell him that my uncle is about to do that himself. But I am still not sure how. The extinction of the Jedi is one thing, but he needs more than that. A pompous space battle does not seem the right tool. There must be more to it. He likes complicated schemes, never goes for the obvious.

    Suddenly, I spot a treacherous object. It sticks out of a side pocket of Rorak's somewhat baggy trousers. It is a spray can.


    My gaze wanders on to the bag back he carries with him. It seems to be stuffed with more cans.

    I grin, because I just recovered the obvious.

    Rorak is a graffiti artist. The evidence of his art can be seen on a sitting cubus opposite to us.

    If the local graffiti scene would help me in making the devious nature of my uncle known, I still could turn the tables around. But then again, I would have the blood of innocent youngsters on my hands. It is not worth the price.

    I reach deep inside me, to play the last Sabbac card that I have. “Your uncle still has this interplanetary moving service, right?”

    He nods.

    “Do you think he could help me to get my stuff to Lothal once the battle above comes to an end?”

    Rorak is deeply shocked. “You want away? Just like this?”

    “After what has happened today, I cannot stay on.”

    The truth is that I need to make the move on my own. I do not need the notorious Red Guard to pack my moving boxes for me.


    A smile blooms on my lips.

    At least I can be one step ahead of my uncle with something so trivial. And it gives me the chance to be a person on my own account. This way I can defy his darkness most.

    Rorak insists on me calling him via HoloNet on my moving day. “You cannot vanish out of our lives without a decent good-bye party. Please give my mother and the other parents the chance to arrange something!”


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

    I make my way to the senate building, keen on confronting my uncle with my choice to do his bidding. Once this whole orchestrated drama is over, he will crawl back into his expensive flat in the 500 Republica building. But I would rather wait for him in his official residence and principal workplace inside the Senate Anex. I need to repay him his visit at the kindergarten anyway.

    To get into the Republic Office Building, also known as Executive Annex Dome, is all too easy. My Sith cloak does excellent work.


    Once I am inside, I take down the hood again, but this does not change my situation. People do not look at me. Office staff hurries past me, countless prominent senators discuss the kidnapping of the Supreme Chancellor.

    I pause to get some water from a public drinking fountain.

    There is a rustle of robes behind me. “Take you time!” says a pleasant male voice.

    When I finally turn around, I am faced with a tall human who has a neatly trimmed beard. His skin has quite a taint. Wearing wearing elegant and meticulous clothes, he holds himself with an air of true royalty.

    [​IMG]

    “Mistress Anil!” The joy of Senator Bail Prestor Organa is for real, even though it slightly startles me to hear the name of my beloved foster parents. “What a nice surprise! I have not seen you since the 'Resilience for Kids and Teens' campaign.”

    I am positively surprised. “But that is more than twelve years ago.”

    His smile is as sweet as caramel fudge. “I always remember a passionate speaker, Mistress Anil. Especially, when it is about child care and education. A subject that matters to my dear wife, too.”

    I blush deeply, not knowing what to answer to such an exhilarating praise.

    Always a true gentleman, the Alderanian prince wants to help me out of my misery. “Are you free this afternoon?”

    I am completely lost due to so much charm and friendliness, but I stick to one of the major rules that Boba once taught me nevertheless. The one that I need to execute right away when I ever fall into the hands of an enemy. “I had an appointment, but I fear it will not go through.” My upsetment is not acted, even though it has a different source. “The space battle above gave me an unexpected rain check.”

    “I had a meeting with the Supreme Chancellor scheduled in the morning. Alas, it never went through as you can imagine. General Grievous was quicker with his own day planner.” A boyish grin appears on his lips. “I am afraid his secretary never called mine.”

    I cannot help it, but I burst out in laughter until tears roll down my eyes. It is not his joke I laugh about though. We both are interested to see my uncle today. He cannot know that.

    Some passing politicians give me dark looks, but Senator Organa grins along and offers me his arm. “What about a nice luncheon together? For the sake of old times, Mistress Anil?”

    I am desperate to give him my husband's name, but it feels quite soothing hearing the name of a family that took me in as their own about thirty-three years ago. People, who formed me with their love and kindness.


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


    (To be continued!)
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2020
  4. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
  5. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Nice for her to meet Bail
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  6. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Woohoo. I love encountering Bail. He has the air of one who would be easy to confide in and is definitely a rarity among politicians [face_laugh] - you get what you think you see. :p @};-
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  7. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    I desperately needed him in my fic, earlybird-obi-wan. He always gives quality to a story.


    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha, I must confess that I have a slight crush on that character. They picked the right actor to portray him in the PT.
     
  8. DarthUncle

    DarthUncle Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 20, 2005
    Well you found a very good way, I think, to introduce him into your story. And Nagina is again very relatable, and injecting kids viewpoint remains a delight. I hope she managed to clean the chocolate off her fingers before shaking those of Bail though [face_peace]
    Hm, well okay then [face_plain]
    See you tomorrow evening when I'm back in Berlin; we might need to change our agreement! :vader:
    :p
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  9. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Mopperpotje!

    I am married to you, right? And not to Jimmy Smits!

    Plus you know that I am a crazy fan girl, having a thousand little crushes on actors now and again (for example: Benedikt Cumberbatch, Peter Dinklage, Matt Smith, Michael Fassbender and so on). But they all do NOT get a bag full of sweets from me, which I brought along from the allotment club feast today.

    It is also worthwhile for you to check your mobile phone for my latest what´s app messages! :*

    Anyway, thanks Kurisan for posting the following in the Fan Fic Index:

    Reader’s Choice – July 2016

    SAGA

    Kurisan recommends: Rage, Rage against the Dying of the Light by @AzureAngel2

    First, it’s well written, with lots of little embellishments that bring the story to vivid life. Second, the main character is an everyday “Mrs. Robinson”, and I like the unusual. The heroine is not a sporty supermodel, or a brilliant scientist, or a plucky princess. She’s a kindergarten teacher. These female characters are everywhere in real life and bring a strength to our society that somehow too often seems invisible to writers. Average Joes heeding the call to adventure and becoming heroes, yes. Mrs. Robinsons, not so much. Finally, it is an attempt to humanise Palpatine – explore a potential lighter side. Whether or not one agrees with such a notion, I think it is a brave endeavour!

    Yeah!

     
  10. DarthUncle

    DarthUncle Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 20, 2005
    another service announcement:

    So, our internet has been down since Thursday afternoon - apparently nothing to do with the fire, just 'a central network failure' that's been going on for days now. We can go online via the neighbours' hotspot (same cable/internet provider, but theirs works!? means at least some connectivity), though it is a bit clumsy - so Nicole hasn't been online. Though she could, if she put the effort in, I think :)
     
  11. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Still no internet. I am using my mobile phone which costs me dearly. My husband will ring the head of the company that gives us TV, a fixed phone line & internet.
     
  12. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Still no internet, no working telephone line & no TV.

    I am logged in at a hotspot and therefore have to hurry with my update.

    @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha
    @earlybird-obi-wan
    @DarthUncle
    @Lady_Misty
    @Darth_Furio
    @Sith-I-5
    @Kurisan

    Please tell me via PM if you do NOT wish to be on the update list for this fic! Also when you hate being tagged by me!

    Here we go:

    (Still Chapter 7)

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

    To my delight we do not end up in an office or the famous Cantham House, but in a private apartment at the 500 Republica.

    Senator Organa's smile is apologetic. “As of late I prefer to take lunch at home,” he explains. “The senate cantina gives me a headache. We have enough fierce discussions in the pitch already.”
    The pitch.

    I assume that he refers to the large, rotund Galactic Senate Chamber. It has indeed the resemblance of an arena.

    The memories attack me with no warning.

    The Petranaki arena on Geonosis. Dead bodies and parts of destroyed droids everywhere. A pale Boba holding his father's severed head in his arms, not wanting to depart from it. Me talking to the distressed boy in a sweet, soothing way, using all my hard won expertise in child psychology.

    I cannot be in that dark place for long. Instead, I fully concentrate on items of the Living Force such as the Alderaanian prince standing next to me.

    “May I have your coat?” he asks.

    Remembering, that I am wearing but a night gown under my uncle's loan, I kindly decline his offer. “No, thank you. I am a bit cold today.”

    He does not doubt my decision, leaves it for what it is. “Normally, I would invite my staff to join me, but today I have sent all of them on some urgent errands.” He peels out of his heavy office robe and hangs it up neatly. “And my wife has a doctor's appointment. Normally, I would have spoken to her via the HoloNet. Especially on a day like this, with the Chancellor missing and Coruscant under direct attack by the Separatists.”

    Under all his layers of confidence, I feel his loneliness and yearning for Queen Breha Organa.

    “It is just a routine screening. No need to worry,” he tells me, acting brave and unconcerned. “The Force itself sent you to me today, Mistress Anil. What can I offer you?”

    After my long walk, I need something vitalizing. Something to keep me going until sun set. “Tea would be very nice.”

    “Chianar lemon grass or Aldera rose petal?”

    “The lemon grass, please.”

    “Certainly.”

    While Senator Organa rushes off to oblige me, his movements and his stance hint at field experience in battle. He is more than a mere desk criminal.

    I start wandering around his large living-room, bathed in light and beauty.


    Several landscape paintings catch my eyes. They all mirror Alderaan's beauty: the proud mountain chains and the grass sea. After a while my eyes follow the flow of a painted river. The water races happily down-hill, sparkling and roaring.

    Reminded of Naboo out of a sudden, homesickness spreads. My breath comes in raggedy gasps, hurting my chest.

    The Lake Country has mighty waterfalls like that. In its lush, emerald fields I have had countless picnics with my uncle, unseen by prying eyes. Save at distance from Convergence I had learned swimming. He had read from my favourite children books, while I had been nestled in his lap. I had felt like a little princess, his princess. He had been my gallant knight.


    I give a little ratchety sob.

    My mind reels through the images of quality time spent together with my uncle. Back then he had been full of laughter and sunlight. I had be keen on touching his red mane continuously and he would let me. In those days of innocence, he had been obliging to most of my wishes.

    I wonder if he can forgive me that I am making a house visit to one of his greatest critics of late.

    There is a glass bowl on a side table, Rominaria blossoms swim in it. Their sweet scant brings up more childhood memories.

    I pick one of the blossoms up, hold it in my hands.

    The ties between my home world and Alderaan have always been strong. They date back thousands of years, straight back to the time of the inglorious Sith Wars.

    It was not wise of Sheev to turn the Alderaanian prince – current heir to the chalcedony star - into an enemy. History should have taught him, that House Organa will always remember the Sith Empire invasion. There is hope left to find an open ear for the things that I have to tell, need to get rid off.

    I stand very still and quiet, and can hear my treacherous heart thudding beneath my nightgown. New tears gather in my eyes, run down my cheeks.

    “Mistress Anil, are you okay?”


    Senator Organa puts the tea tray down, strides towards me.

    More tears drip down my cheeks as he gently pats my back. He seems professionally accustomed to offering comfort.

    “T-t-this painting here reminds me of home.” My shaking right hand points at a wavy grass sea.

    “You grew up on Chandrilla, didn't you?” he inquires softly, handing me a handkerchief with his family crest on it.

    “Partly, but originally, I am from Naboo.”

    My revelation makes him smile somewhat triumphantly. “This explains your Sanskrit family name. I always wondered how you came by it.”

    “Oh, my original family name is Dorje.” Now the krayt dragon is basically out of its cave. I might as well tell him the whole story, but in the short, processed version. “There was never a father, not in the birth certificate anyway. My mother was a free spirit. She died when I was very young. A work place accident, they say. The city of Theed found me a kind foster-family immediately.”

    “A foster-family.” The keen glitter in his eyes tells me that he has considered adoption. That he is willing to change some of Alderaan's traditions for his wife.


    “I have not been on my birth planet for decades,” I tell him. “Not since Chetan and Gita Anil had moved to Chandrila with me. I was five years old back then.”

    “Is this why you wanted to become a kindergarten teacher?” he asks, while he leads me to one of the comfortable looking sofas. “Because of all the good that you were allowed to experience?”

    “No, my uncle somewhat nudged me into the pedagogical world.” I still try a slow approach to the drama that is going on. Too hasty explanations would ruin everything. “He is
    twenty-three years my senior, even though he looks much older than me. I am forty by the way.”

    Senator Organa says nothing and looks somewhat lost. When I sink onto the sofa, he takes up a seat opposite to me.

    “You know,” I say and my voice is awfully hoarse, “The dark side eats my uncle up from the inside out. This is why he seems to be so much older than his actual
    sixty-three years. In a couple of years he might be looking as bad as Darth Sion, the Lord of Pain.”

    “Darth Sion,” he echoes, stretching each syllable. “D-a-r-t-h.”

    “A living nightmare in form of a zombie warrior.” I place a shivering hand on my fast-beating heart, the tell-tale traitor par excellence. “The Sith never stopped existing. After the explosion of the thought bomb on the battle fields of Ruusan Darth Bane recognized that infighting had destroyed the Sith. He found an orphan girl named Rain. Inspired by her, he created a new Sith philosophy. It is called the
    'Rule of the Two'. My uncle believes in it as much as his old master before him. There can be only two true Sith at a given time: a Master to embody power and an apprentice to crave it.”

    A confusion array of emotions rushes over his features. Finally, a hard line presses in his mouth. I fear that it is dismay.

    Even though I squirm and fidget in my seat, I find the courage to move on. Many lives depend on what I have to say. If I can only save a few Jedi knights, the darkness will not win.


    “I know your family remembers Darth Malgus and the pain he brought to Alderaan centuries ago. This is why I accepted your invitation.”

    Immediately, Senator Organa sits forward, his brow crinkled. “You seem to know an awful lot about the Sith and their bleak history for a kindergarten teacher.”

    Heat suffuses my cheeks. “I am the daughter of a servant girl, but my maternal grandfather was Cosinga Nero Ignatius Palpatine.” Now I have reached the point of no return. My hands cramp together in my lap. “I am here to tell you that his oldest son Sheev, my uncle, is the Sith lord who is responsible for the Clone War that tears us all apart.”

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

    After the first shock has ebbed away my host reaches over to squeeze my hands. “Normally, I do not drink any alcohol before dinner.” His gaze is warm. It holds but deepest respect for me. “But right now we need something stronger than herbal tea.”

    I watch Senator Organa getting up. He walks to a small cupboard, where he puts a fragile looking decanter and two elegant glass tumblers on a silver tray. He comes straight back to me. Fascinated, I stare at the golden liquid he pours for me.

    “Alderaanian whiskey,” he explains. “You need that right now.”

    This is an observation I cannot argue with.

    He pours himself a glass while I pick up mine. His toast is brief, somewhat restrained. “To honesty! And courage in dire situations.”

    While I savour the strong, yet comforting whiskey taste in my mouth, I let him do the talking.

    “First, I want to offer you my honest condolences.”

    I raise an eye brow. “You make it sound as if my uncle is already dead.”

    “You have lost him to the dark side a while ago. You know it to be true. Otherwise we would not have this conversation.” His hands, big and gentle, close around mine once more. “The monster that he turned into might outlive us all.”

    “To me he is no monster. He is just my uncle. A man who chose the wrong path.” I close my eyes, my voice starting to quiver. “I cannot help it. I... I love him so much. Still.”

    “Yet you mastered the strength to contact me. For which I am grateful. I promise that I will deal carefully with the information that you gave me. Most citizens of this Republic would not grasp the gravity of your accusations, but I do. And so will my secret allies.”

    I clear my throat, distance myself from my host. “So, what
    will you do?” I sigh. “What can your secret allies do? Even Master Windu was not willing to listen to me. I tried four times since the Siege of Naboo.”

    He gives me a crooked smile. “Mace is not the right Jedi for this particular matter. I will try to contact Master Yoda before he travels to Kashyyyk. He is more open minded.”

    The famous Master Yoda, an ancient Jedi knight from an unknown species. Each time I gaze at him on the HoloNews I am reminded of a pixie. Those mythical creatures of Naboo folklore are generally benign and short of stature. They are usually described with pointed ears, wearing dirty bundles of rags for clothing.

    “I tried to get an appointment with Master Yoda,” I confess. “But I never managed. He was either too busy teaching, in deep meditation or away on war business.”

    His broad smile makes me feel confident again. “This time your voice will be heard. I will make sure that the right Jedi will listen to what you have to say.”

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

    Within the next ten minutes Senator Organa gets in contact with a food delivery service. While we are put on hold a contemplative instrumental score plays in the background.

    “My friend Padmé is not a great cook,” he confides in me, which is rather unexpectedly. “Therefore she trusts this particular delivery service with all her heart. It is located in Level 3204.”

    The famous Level 3204. It is mostly occupied by original residents from Alderaan. Beautiful park landscapes and community centres thrive in their little corner of Coruscant. It is a lovely area. I have been down there with my current kindergarten group several times.

    The thought of my wards, especially of little Mara with her big jade eyes, feels like a light sabre blade stabbed inside my heart. I will not leave the planet before I know that she is alright. My uncle owes me some urgent explanations. If he will not indulge me, I prepared to play one of the dirtiest sabbac cards I have left: the Child Protective Services. I am not totally without connections.

    “Would you mind traditional Alderaanian dishes?”

    My host's question tears me away from all the sorrow and concern inside me. “Not at all,” I answer.

    “So it is flatbread and Alderaan stew with nerf meat then.”

    I nod to confirm his choice.

    “And starblossom with vanilla custard for dessert.”

    I smile, infusing as much happiness as I can into my gaze.


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

    When the door bell sounds, Senator Organa runs to answer it. Discreetly, he pays the delivery boy at the entrance door and returns to me with the food. The scents are familiar and comforting.

    My teaching years on Alderaan had been the best of my life. For
    five years I had lived in Aldera, the planet's capital, were all education is free. Even ordinary people volunteer to teach various skills or crafts just for fun. This dedication had reminded me so much of Naboo.

    We eat in contemplative silence, which does me good.

    Words carry too much impact at times. Besides, there is no need for my host to know all the secrets of my uncle. Most of them are closely linked to mine, such as my acquaintanceship with some of the galaxy's greatest villains and agitators.

    Outside the flat, Coruscant is still in uproar.

    I think it is unwise that Skywalker is in for my uncle's rescue. I do admire his bravery and battle skills, but there always seems a path of destruction around him. People end up broken in pieces or even dead. The past two years the famous 'Hero with no fear' has developed more and more into a brutal killing machine. War darkens hearts.

    An old poem comes to mind, one that my uncle always liked very much. As I savour my Alderaan stew, I quote the lyrics in my own head. Let them echo though my troubled mind.


    “O for a voice like thunder and a tongue
    To drown the throat of war! - When the senses
    Are shaken, and the soul is driven to madness,
    Who can stand! When the souls of the oppressed
    Fight in the troubled air that rages, who can stand?...
    When sin claps his broad wings over the battle,
    And sails rejoicing in the flood of Death;
    When souls are torn to ever lasting fire,
    And fiends of hell rejoice upon the slain,
    O who can stand? O who hath caused this?
    O who can answer at the throne of God?
    The Kings and Nobles of the Land have done it!
    Hear it not, Heaven, thy Ministers have done it!”


    At least I have one person in the galaxy who believes me. Who really considers that my uncle is the constructor of the Clone Wars and all the misery that goes with it. Senator Organa even grasps the fact that we are dealing with the resurrection of the Sith.

    Not before we reach our dessert, the star blossoms, he asks me casually, “Are you sure that you do not want to get rid of your coat?”

    I am uncomfortably aware that I am sweating like an ill-conditioned eopie. But my answer has to be negative. Underneath the Sith cloak I am wearing my night gown still and high leather boots.

    My host seems not willing to drop the matter. “When you left your flat today, you did not even bother to dress properly, did you?”

    I am dumbfounded. His power of observation scares me slightly. “It is not even my coat,” I whisper, my cheeks burning like fire. “Or my own night gown.”

    He does not question me where I spent the night. A fact that I am grateful for.

    “Here is what we do, Mistress Dorje.” He glances at his chrono. “You can use my bathroom for a refreshing sonic shower, while I have a word with my wife. When you have finished your morning toilette, there will be fresh clothing waiting for you.”

    I flush. “Your Serene Highness, I could not possibly...”

    He extends his right hand to me. “It is Bail.”

    Overwhelmed, I exchange a hand shake with him. “Nagina,” I squeak and shyly look up to him.

    “You need to be in a good shape for the things to come.” The kindness in his eyes makes my knees weak. “If Breha was here, she would agree with me. The secret of success on Coruscant is a decent wardrobe. At least here in the political arena.”

    If that is true, I ask myself why nobody has seen the metamorphosis that my uncle did undergo the past three years. To me it was more than visible through colour, ornament and texture. The advanced decay of his inner character had happened in plain sight, and nobody did ever take notice.
     
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  13. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    So, I've been criminally lax in keeping up - focusing on my own stuff. Sorry. Read the next part (which is also noted as chapter 4?) - Sidious' big plan reveal! I must give full marks to Nagina. She figured it out to be the clones immediately. That was a formidable piece of insight on her part - I start to see why Palps treats her with such respect. I'm kind of used to thinking of him like Hannibal now, so the use of "jerks" as an insult to the politicians seemed a bit out of character. Maybe something more like "buffoons". I like the odd (forgive the pun) jerk out of the expected dialogue for something stand-out like that.[face_peace]
     
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  14. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Kurisan: A quick word from work, where I have a lunch break. My Chapter 4 is split up in several parts for my readers like quick updates and once upon a time my old beta, SWpants recommended it to me.

    Yes, my Palps is a bit like a playful Hannibal. I am guilty of having watched all three seasons of the TV series and all the movies. Plus I read all the books.
     
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  15. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Love how she is meeting Bail and Breha and confiding in them
     
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  16. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    earlybird-obi-wan: I hope you did not find the last update too long. But with the flat building in severe peril & the cables still not working for internet, TV & telephone for a long time, I thought it would be better this way.

    Okay, here the next chapter:


    Chapter 8:



    Not even Alderaanians can be formal all the time, but they still aim for stylish even with their casual looks.

    I hope the house dress, lying on the bed next to me, will fit me. Its fabric feels nice between my fingertips. I wonder if it will be the same on my skin. But what I like most about it is the midnight blue colour.

    Flustered, I stand in front of the mirror.

    Due to my huge cup size, I was forced to put on a corset and hold-up stockings. This makes me feel like one of those night flower's of the lower Coruscanti levels. At least my breasts are back in order again and nicely pushed up.

    Once the dress hides my chubby figure, I nod to myself in acknowledgement. “Hi there, Nagina!” I say to myself. “Long time no see.”

    The last item in disarray is my long brown hair. I decide for a simple chinion. It is a quick and satisfying procedure.

    There is a polite knock from the door. “Nagina, can I come in yet?”

    “Of course you can,” I assure Bail.

    He steps into the room, smiling at once at my appearance. “If you do not mind, my wife would like to re-animate your acquaintance with her.”

    Nervously, I follow him into his small home office.

    Queen Breha, even though shrunken to a blue miniature holo, is a beautiful woman. Her kindness surrounds her like a halo. “Mistress Dorje, I am to understand that you sacrifice somebody who is dear to you for the sake of the Republic.”

    I bite my lip. Of course, Bail told her about my uncle. It would have been the first thing that I would have told Barin, if my husband was still alive. “Yes, Your Majesty,” I press out.

    “Call me Breha!” Her intelligent, brown eyes gaze at me from a distance of many light years.

    Like a supportive friend, Bail steps up next to me.

    “It takes extreme courage to stand up against a beloved person,” his wife continues. “Especially when you know this person to do something wrong and evil.”

    Of course, it is not that simple. When my uncle is involved, life stops being simple.

    Breha's smile is radiant nonetheless. It is the smile of true loyalty, of a saint. “I will pray for your well-being in the time to come, my dear Nagina.”

    Her prayers will achieve nothing for my fate, I am afraid. I am bound for Lothal.

    Suddenly, my mouth is dry and I feel it hard to swallow. It seems like I used up all my inner liquid through crying earlier on. “Do not worry for me,” I say in a low voice. “How do you fare these days?”
    Bail exchanges a noticeable gaze with his wife.


    “It was just a routine examination,” she answers.

    I hesitate before speaking. It is as if my life is on a hinge. I can push it one way or the other. Trust and go mad. Distrust and go mad. But in the end the Royal Family of Alderaan deserves nothing but honesty from me at this point.

    “Via his spies, my uncle has found out that you suffer from ostia-phromitia, a rare auto-immune disease that affects the bones. It forces you to live on strong medication for the rest of your life. A side effect of your pills are reduced fertility and, in case of a pregnancy, miscarriage.”

    Next to me Bail sucks his breath in, while Breha looks shaken.

    “You need to re-check your staff, re-think your communication channels,” I advise them both. My voice gets a feeble touch to it. “I am so sorry.”

    “Don't be!” Bail squeezes my left shoulder assuringly. “You cannot help that you are the niece of a power hungry, all consuming Sith lord.”

    “You confirmed to us that the Sith are back.” There is a hard edge in Breha's otherwise charming voice. “Alderaanians will always rage against the dying of the light. There will not be another Sith empire. Never again!”

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

    Whispering endearing words to his wife, Bail is about to finish the HoloCall. I can see love and worry struggling for mastery on his face. He does not move, but goes on looking at her.

    “Come on, hotshot!” Queen Breha casts a lopsided smile. “Cut the connection! At present Nagina needs you more than I do. Let us talk later!”

    He smiles back at her, a slow, rich curve of infinite promise. I blush and avert my gaze.

    “B, you are impossible!” she laughs.

    With that his fingers finally do her bidding. Her bright holo disappears. He clears his throat and switches back into a business like mood. “You and I should see some of my most trusted friends this afternoon,” he addresses me.

    I think of Senator Amidala of Naboo, who is too close to my uncle for these many years. “The less I know about your secret allies, the better. It will be bad enough if my uncle finds out that I was with you.”

    He chuckles. “This was an education conference, right? You are not happy with the new education reform and since we have known each other a couple of years, you visited me to rant about it.”

    His confidence calms me. Being an important and influential political figure himself, Senator Organa is not afraid of my uncle. Alderaan is among the oldest members of the Republic. Even for a Sith it is difficult to move against the popular leader of such an influential planet. The prince also possesses rhetorical skills that could humiliate any possible prosecutors.

    “Let's go, Nagina! I will lead the way, if you don't mind. There are short cuts throughout the building. Obi-Wan showed them to me.”

    I am stirred out of his apartment, but have enough sense left to take the Sith cloak with me. I tuck it under my left arm, feeling it against the rhythm of my anxious heart.

    Our walk back into the centre of chaos is brief.


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

    Today the Republic Executive Building is the busiest place on Coruscant. People, humans, aliens and humanoids alike hurry through its hallways. I feel like being inside a hive full of panicked honeybees, because their precious queen got stolen by intruders. Even Senator Organa, a man of great authority, has to watch out that nobody runs into him.

    “There is news, Bail,” a red-haired woman addresses him out of a sudden and drags him into an alcove of sorts. I bound after them.

    It takes me some heart beats to recognize Senator Mon Mothma, the official representative of Chandrila. Her simple hairstyle is in strong contrast with her outfit. She is adorned in an elegant robe of fleuréline weave, a shraa silk mantle, and a hanna pendant.

    “Have Kenobi and Skywalker saved the Chancellor yet?” Bail inquires, clutching on to her hands.

    “The command ship of Grievous is falling out of the sky,” the Chandrilan politician answers, her mouth a joyless line. “The HoloNet feed of the Senate says so. It seems like Skywalker does one of his unorthodox flight manoeuvres. Large parts of CoCo Town are supposed to be burning.”

    My hands are clutching at the front of my Alderaanian house dress, kneading the fabric.

    My uncle cannot, will not die. The dark side of the Force is a pathway to abilities that some consider unnatural. It always has helped him to bend the rules, lately all of them. He will trick death. In one way or the other he will prevail.

    Suddenly, I feel the cool gaze of Senator Mon Mothma on me. “Who is your companion, Bail? I am sure we never met before.”

    With a nod, he invites me closer, puts a supportive hand on my back. “This is Nagina,
    his niece.”

    The Chandrilan politician looks at me incredulously. “Palpatine has no family left. Everybody knows that. They disappeared in space, while they were on a holiday cruise.”

    I want to flee out of the senate building, even off this planet. Instead, I have to stand my ground once more. The more insight I will offer others, the better they can understand the danger that a Sith lord poses for his entire environment.

    “Sheev murdered the lot of them, starting with his father,” I state in a low voice, glancing along the busy hallway. I am glad that I sound steadier than I feel.

    Senator Mon Mothma shakes her head, refusing to believe me. In her eyes I am an imposter. “Neither the ship nor its passengers were ever found,” she claims. “There must have been a flaw in their navigational system and they came too close to a supernova.”

    “The only supernova at work was the dark side.” I look from face to face, feeling the space shrink around me. So many bad memories, buried under layers of shock. “My uncle always had a knack for it, but it was the tutelage of Hego Damask alias Darth Plageius that introduced him to the Sith religion.”

    “The Sith. Seriously?” Her voice takes on a compassionate tone. “Bail, do I really have to listen to this woman? This is like a history lesson in school.”

    “I fear you have to pay heed to Nagina.” His eyes are fuller and sharper now, illuminated by a light that seems familiar to me. The light side of the Force is with him. “The Jedi Order has wronged her many years, actually since the unfortunate embargo on Naboo. Please do show her more fairness!”

    His direct support is more heartening than I reckon and his kind gaze almost too much to bear.

    The Chandrilan politician shifts her body, flexes her fingers. “On your behalf I am willing to listen to her, Bail. Let us go to my office!”

    I notice a sign that reads 'Congressional Prayer Room'. The decision is an easy one. “No, your office will be wired as well,” I state.

    Agape, she stares at me.

    “My uncle never trusted you, Senator.” My gaze does not waver. “Like him you have red hair. He thinks that makes you too cunning, too resourceful.”

    Senator Mon Mothma takes a deep breath, but her expression does not change. “Is there a safe place anywhere in this building?”

    “There.” I point towards the Congressional Prayer Room. “We better get in there and talk.”

    Mirth twinkles in her eyes. “I reckon religion does not interest your uncle.”

    “Unless it is the Sith religion, no.”

    Right now it would be fatal to mention the Sith shrine right under the Jedi temple. There will be other occasions. I am sure of it. One thing at a time. I want them to believe me, not to bring me to a madhouse.
    ********************************************************************

    The Congressional Prayer Room is a place set aside for the use of senate members who seek a quiet place for meditation or prayer. It can be used by any Senator or Representative regardless of his or her faith. The interfaith design is integral to the vision of religious freedom. The simple furnishings include two prayer benches, six chairs, two candles, plants, and a flag of the Galactic Republic.

    Among scented candles and empty benches I tell the full version of my tale. Bail is shocked, but the sympathy in his gaze deepens with each word that leaves my lips.

    It is different for Senator Mon Mothma though. Her hands are shaking in her lap. I can tell that she is furious. It is not a story to her liking, because it forces her to see my uncle in a different light. The cunning villain is a victim of childhood abuse. That fact does not minimize the gruesomeness of his crimes, but it shows that he once was a human being. She would have preferred it to see him just as the pure personification of evil, a phantom menace really.

    When I reach the story part where I went to the Jedi temple and got rejected by Master Windu, the double door swings open.

    Three women walk in. Their dark cloaks help them to blend into the shadows. They move like one. I recognize each of them immediately, even though their faces are hidden by their hoods.

    “Mon!” one of them calls out. “Bail!”

    “What brings you here on this eventful day, my dear Padmé?” he prompts.

    Quickly, Senator Amidala pulls her hood down. Heirloom suspensas dangle from her ears. Her brown hair is done in an elaborate Naboo hairstyle that I would not want to wear in a thousand years.

    It takes her a bit too long to come up with a reasonable answer. I detect anxiety behind her cool composure. “I wanted to pray to Shiraya, the moon goddess of my ancestors,” she tells us, without really looking at me.

    Mon Mothma is not overly optimistic. “Prayers do not help against the evil that is unleashed up there in the skies. Many Coruscanti died today,” she says in a choked voice. “Hit by debris of the battle.”
    “Once I thought that Palpatine was to bring sanity and compassion back into our midst. Since his election the universe has turned upside down.”

    Saying thus, Senator Amidala passes me in her wake, still not acknowledging me. To her I am just another background person and I think it is wise to let her think that. The former puppet queen of Naboo might be still under my uncle's influence like so many in the senate these days.

    Suddenly, I am drawn to her hands. All features subside beneath the swelling. As a kindergarten teacher, who has to deal with a lot of females from different species, I can read and interpret the signs. They are subtle, but they are there.

    My eyes move on to her belly that is perfectly hidden in a stiff, formal frock.

    Shyly, I reach out in the Force, just to find silence.

    The power this child holds is either a threat for my uncle's reign or a key to success.

    Instead, the Force presence of my uncle flares in my chest like a star. I am the only being in the galaxy who can feel him, a dark shadow against the stars. Soon all beings in the galaxy will feel his existence, whether they want to or not.

    “So close,” I mutter. Aloud I say, “If you would excuse me. It is time for me to go home now. Thanks for your open ear about the education reform, senators. A good day to you!”

    Before anyone can hinder me, I slip out of the prayer room. From the corner of my eye, I catch a swirl of violet and gold.

    “That the two of us should meet again so soon!” a man's voice says, deep and silken.

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

    Prince Xizor smiles, showing white teeth in a dangerously beautiful face. His lavender eyes rake me slowly from head to toe, travelling with a sort of appreciation over my Alderaanian outfit. When he has finished his evaluation, he bows, hand over his reptile heart. “What a splendid surprise!”

    With all the willpower I can summon, I curtsy and make my voice cool, “Your Majesty!”

    He is not astonished that I know exactly who he is. “What brings you here on this day?” he inquires, while I bet that he allows more of his potent pheromones to seep into the air.

    I cross my arms protectively in front of me, afraid he might take my hands and kiss them. Right now, I will not have his lips anywhere on my skin.

    My time window closes in on me. I must make some concessions now or I will miss my uncle in the hangar area. “If being Captain for the Black Sun does not keep you too busy, Your Majesty, then you can take me out for dinner tomorrow night.”

    His grin flashes again. “You are full of surprises.”

    “It is a family trait, I suppose. My mother had it. I have it. And my uncle Sheev Palpatine has it, too.”
    Saying this saves us both the involvement of torture and DNA tests. “If you would excuse me now. He does not like to be kept waiting for me!”

    “No, he does not,” confirms Bail who is suddenly at my side and offers me his arm. “Let us go together, Nagina! I am sure the Prince knows where you live and what sort of food you like best.”

    We hurry away, a pair of considering reptile eyes drilling into our backs. Then I hear Prince Xizor laugh hysterically as if somebody has told him the joke of his life.

    “Dangerous individuals seem to gather around you,” Bail comments. “Your uncle should be more protective about you.”

    I shrug. “In my field of educational work fear is not even a consideration. I simply do things that feel right.”

    “This Falleen noble man is bad news, Nagina. As head of Xizor Transport Systems he has already become a trillionaire in the last years of the Galactic. He can buy almost anyone at any time.”

    The blood rushes through my head in a more normal pace again. “I am not for sale,” I say wryly.

    Bail tries to smile, but fails. I hear a long sigh shift through his nostrils. “Do not mistake him with the greatest rascal of your current kindergarten group. All that he wants is you and I do not know for what purpose. But it has to do with your uncle.”

    “Meeting Sheev seems to be a hobby of his”

    “His rise to power has not come unnoticed. Perhaps a hand offered in marriage is Xizor's aim.”

    “Mine,” I conclude.

    “I hope you have not considered it as an option.”

    “No,” I can assure him. “I am a widow and there shall be no man at my side ever again. Certainly not a lizard.”

    “I cannot help it, but the closer we come into your uncle's reach, the more rebellious you get.”

    I straighten slowly. A half smile splits my lips. “My trauma therapist would call it overcompensation. See, I have been silent all those years, accepting things for what they were. Since last night I feel like kicking...”

    We have reached the hangar hall, and I am surprised to see the seize of the welcome committee. So many political heads, all bedazzled by the greatest master of puppets alive. I should have chosen a political career instead of helping young children to develop into strong personalities.

    In the universe that my uncle is going to create, my former wards will struggle for survival like everybody else.

    “It is better for me to wait in his office,” I murmur, seeing Master Windu among the waiting crowd.
    “Are you sure?” inquires Bail and poses a kind hand on my left shoulder.

    “I am,” I state and search his eyes. “I am also asking you not to involve Senator Amidala in your plans. Excitement of any kind is bad for her at the end stage of her pregnancy.”

    “Padmé... pregnant?” he gapes.

    I put a finger on my lips in kindergarten style. “If she did not tell you, she wants to keep the father secret and perhaps the entire pregnancy. It is the right of every Naboo woman to act as she pleases with a love affair.”

    He ponders on that, before finally asking, “Does your uncle know?”

    “Sheev helped my mother, his bastard half-sister, to cover up her pregnancy about forty-one years ago. Of course he knows about Amidala's meek hide-and-seek attempts.”

    From the corner of my left eye, I see the current senator of Naboo sneak around the huge pillars. Her handmaidens are not with her. This is almost unheard of. They walk almost everywhere with her in public. They are her chaperones, her body guards, her beauty team.

    I must find out why Senator Amidala is here, hiding in plain sight but just eight feet away from me.

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

    From the moment my uncle shows up on the ramp of his transporter, Bail joins his fellow politicians. That gives me the opportunity to vanish behind one of the pillars as well and struggling into the Sith cloak. The black, non glossy fabric with its square waffle styled weaves engulfs me once more. I fasten the silver brooch. Now I am truly invisible.

    Sheev smiles nonetheless when he passes me. He can feel me in the Force. My heart beat is attuned to his. He does not send me a telepathical message, not regarding it as the most necessary means of communications between us. His order to me still stands. I am to pack my belongings for Lothal.

    When the welcome committee and their guest of honour are out of view, I notice that General Skywalker has not gone with them. He zooms towards the former queen of Naboo and rushes into her arms.



    I am to witness the worst kept secret in the universe. In plain day light they show their affection to one another. Anyone could walk into them at any given time.

    My stomach makes a total flip flop.

    It is known that a Jedi shall not know Fear. Or Hate. Or Love. It has been thus since the Sith empire had been literally crumpled to dust on Ruusan.

    'The Hero with no Fear', my personal crush since the past two years, is dangerously close to being expelled by the Jedi order forever more. An affair – passionate and intense for the time being – is one thing, but attachment is totally out of question. The way they hold one another even hints to the possibility of marriage bonds between them.

    I need to stabilize my weak knees by holding on to the pillars.

    The past ten years my uncle has groomed General Skywalker. He has also hinted out to me that his own son is but a waste of time. Would he dare to kill his true heir, brought into life in unnatural ways, for a more promising acolyte like the young general? He knows that he never can rule his Sith empire with me at his side.

    While more love vows and other sweet nonsense are exchanged, I grow unsettled. The only way to find out more about my uncle's plans is to go to him and ask politely. In that respect he is as vain as an eopie. He would consider it rude not to answer me.

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

    Of course Dar Wac, a male Rodian, works at his desk in the lobby that leads to my uncle's Executive Office.

    “A good day to you,” I greet him enthusiastically, trying to be as sweet as chocolate.

    His green skin turns greyish from sheer panic. Seeing me announced by his master is his equivalent for trouble. “I am sorry, Miss. He will not have any visitors today.”

    His concerns are not mine. “He is not even in yet.” I give my best to sound light and playful. “How can you know what his exact wishes are? Especially when they concern me?”

    In the background the usual suspects loom: two Red Guards, watching the formal reception area as much as the express turbo-lift runs adjacent to the room. It is not their meter-long Force pikes that make me feel uncomfortable, but those face-concealing helmets with darkened visors. I hate this Sith tradition to hide one's face behind a mask. It is worse than the titles with which they try to erase their former self.

    “I take this!” says one of the elite body guards and walks towards me, a red giant.

    “Do not ask me for today's password, Ved Kennede!” I hope my knees do not buckle. That they remain still to serve me properly.

    “The master told us to let you in at any time,” comes the dispassionate answer. “No questions asked. If you would care to follow me now...”

    Vede Kennede might be as old fashioned and creepy as Count Dooku aka Darth Tyranus, but he is as twice as loyal. To serve my uncle completes him as a person. It is his only goal in this life.

    “Any news from our kidnap victim?” I ask as innocent as possible.

    “Do I detect a certain amount of amusement in your choice of words, milady?”

    “I would not dare,” I prompt, keeping a straight face.

    “The master usually has all his affairs in good order. Each time you turn up at his door step, which fortunately does not happen too often, chaos breaks loose.”

    “Do you incline that I should reconsider my carrier in teaching?”

    “I would say that your students would benefit immensely from such a choice,” he says pointedly.

    “I am not the one who snatched him away,” I sulk. “Give out to Tyrannus and Grievous if they survive playing sabbac with him.”

    “You make it sound as if he wanted this havoc outside.”

    The lift door opens. In strange unison we step in together.

    “As his personal number one guardsman you should know by now that he always gets what he wants.”
    I cannot help getting cocky. There is this wild streak inside me that always throws every logic and healthy survival instinct off board. “Political influence, titles, war scenarios, drama. All those really lead up to the ultimate goal: unlimited power.”

    The lift drives upwards.

    Vede Kennede tilts his head very slightly. “I would be satisfied if the master would give you the beating of your life. You urgently need to be reminded where your place is. Correction will become you well.”

    “Oh, I will tell him that you said that.” I keep my back ramrod straight, glaring up.

    “Did I ever tell you that you have a very lovely neck?” Playfully, he moves his right index finger over my throat. The black leather of his glove is cool against my skin. “It holds up your head in such a special way. I would hate to de captivate you.”

    I find a grain of arrogance in me to be used as a fending weapon. “Do not make promises that you can keep. Even my kindergarten kids know this.”

    “But you are not in your kindergarten.” The mic in his helmet is not able to filter out his seeding anger.
    I decide to use another means of defence. “But I am in my uncle's place. A guest of honour not to be harmed. You said so itself.”

    “His niece,” he hisses as it seems to dawn to him how untouchable I really am. A silly concubine is one thing, but a blood relative a totally different matter. He cannot dispose of me so easily.

    “Oh, you did not know?” My acted concern makes his hands shake, especially the left one who clings on to the pike. “And I always thought that you were is number one. So we are both wrong. How embarrassing!”


    For:

    @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha
    @DarthUncle
    @Lady_Misty
    @Darth_Furio
    @Sith-I-5
    @Kurisan

    Please tell me via PM if you do NOT wish to be on the update list for this fic! Also when you hate being tagged by me!
     
    Chyntuck likes this.
  17. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Palps is kind to Nagina but on a firm path to what he wants; dominance over everybody
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  18. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Every sith wants the entire cake, earlybird-obi-wan. They are greedy by nature and this is why their influence is so destructive. Even on their loved ones.
     
    DarthUncle likes this.
  19. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    Good update with the young grafitti artist and Bail Organa.

    I'm assuming the boy seeing her is like kids being able to see ghosts and stuff, as Sheev's cloak seems to act almost like a cloaking device with everyone else; or maybe you can only see her when Nagina sits/stands still. The lad found her sitting on a bench; Bail found her at a water tap.

    Good tip from Boba, though I wonder she came to be on Geonosis to provide negotiate his Dad's head away from him.

    Tbc - food
     
    AzureAngel2 and DarthUncle like this.
  20. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    You are absolutely right about Rorak, but wrong about Bail Organa, dear Sith-I-5. Nagina takes her hood down after entering the senate building.

    About Geonosis: it was Ventress who got in contact with her about Boba. Palpatine was NOT pleased to hear about it later on.
     
    DarthUncle likes this.
  21. Kurisan

    Kurisan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2016
    Aha! I'm back! Finished an unnumbered chapter on p.3 or 4 - the one where they get on a motorbike. (I get the short entries, but it's hard for me to bookmark where I got up to if they are not neatly numbered). Anyway, more good stuff and I was surprised Palpatine is a speed freak!
     
    DarthUncle likes this.
  22. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Kurisan: Thanks for reading! With tonight's terror act in Munich, just days after the crazy happenings of Würzburg, I needed a kind comment like this very much. Blessed be!

    Wookieepedia & the "Darth Plageius" book both spoke of his love for racing.
     
  23. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Fantastic to see Bail and Breha :cool: Nagina's uncle is one big complication. Personality wise and to her life in particular. @};-
     
    DarthUncle and AzureAngel2 like this.
  24. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    Well, to Nagina old Sheev is different as the next update will show, but first let me do another check list:

    @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha
    @DarthUncle
    @Lady_Misty
    @Darth_Furio (?)
    @Sith-I-5
    @Kurisan

    Please tell me via PM if you do NOT wish to be on the update list for this fic! Also when you hate being tagged by me!


    Okay, now to the update itself. I am so busy rounding up the kindergarten year that you all won´t see me until next weekend!


    Chapter 9:

    My uncle's office chair is surprisingly comfy. I am snuggled into it when he arrives, four of his Red Coats behind him.

    Nagina!” he calls out, they get their energy pikes ready.

    Sheev,” I answer right back. “Imagine, Child Protection Service wants to call you back about Mara.”

    Leave us!” he orders his guards harshly. They draw back and out of his office as fast as they can.

    The silence between us falls like an anvil, heavy and unpleasant. But I suffer it with dignity.

    I can see that my uncle wears a dark grey robe. The patterns of the expensive cloth remind me of the scales of a reptile.

    Call your foster-parents if you are so worried about the girl,” he offers. “I placed her with Chetan and Gita soon as I heard of her misfortune.”

    I give a despairing laugh. “Why would you do that?”

    Because she reminds me of you.”

    If this is just another lie of his, it is a good one.

    There was no need for you to come here,” he explains to me, already rushing to the next subject before I can remark on the rough upbringing Mauly and Sly Moore had. “I was never in real danger. Every step was meticulously planned by me.”

    Even the crash?”

    Sheev shrugs. “Skywalker is always resourceful, when he is in full action modus. Collateral damage has to be expected.”

    You really do not care whom you erased today.” I am incredulous. “Or whose houses you destroyed.”

    He looks at me intently. I have the feeling he is weighing up what to say, how much of the truth I can stand. “I am afraid the kindergarten building was badly hit by some debris. It burned down to the ground.”

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

    I must have blacked out. When I regain consciousness I am lying on his expensive Alderaanian relaxa-bed. The room is dimly lit. I can see but the barest outline of a person standing next to me.

    This is what you wanted all along,” I slur. “Me, silent and unmoving.”

    You are wrong about so many things, Nagina.”

    Enlighten me,” I snarl.

    Be careful!” he warns me. “Anger has the bad habit of turning to rage, which itself turns into a desperate need for revenge.”

    My voice sounds thick and clotted with phlegm, when I speak up. “An advice like this from a Sith lord?”

    He glides down to his knees and catches my left hand, squeezing it. Something wet runs down my skin. Tears. He is actually crying, for I am certain that I have no tears left. “I am a weak man when it comes to you,” he says. “There is nothing I would not dare risking for you.”

    If you would love me, Sheev, then you would not have turned to the dark side,” I argue.

    You had the calling to be a teacher. Could I have stopped you becoming one?” he asks.

    You cannot compare this,” I disagree.

    Can I not?” He makes a noise deep in his throat. Toneless. Somewhat mournful. “If you could just be able to understand the glory of the dark side. The possibilities that it offers to a person willing to grow in power. But you never felt it, did you? The pull of the dark.”

    Of course I did. But I never listened in. I shut it out. Because this is not what I want to be, a mere slave to my own emotions.”

    His bitter laugh makes the hairs of my neck stand on end. “But you, serving the light side of the Force, enslave yourself to others on a daily basis. You care for children that are not your own. You run around constantly to make their lives easy, even clean their stinky nappies.”

    You did that for me, too.”

    We are blood of the same blood. Those little bastards are of insignificance next to our relationship.”

    No child is EVER insignificant. They all need love and true dedication as much as a decent education that helps them to define their way in this galaxy.”

    He shakes his head. “There it is once more, the impasse between us. I will never fully understand your world and you will never feel comfortable in mine.”

    This is because you enforce your life style on all of us!”

    His words come out in a gasp. “That is what being a Sith is about. Being a master of fate.”

    You should leave the fate of others in their own hands,” I complain. Then I pause for a moment. A horrible realisation hits me. “You want the old Sith empire back. With you at the top. But this time the people will not know what is going on. There will be no Jedi to warn them off. The senate will dissolve at some point, either by your hand or it will eliminate itself. Democracies always crash down sooner or later.”

    He kisses my hand. “If you only could be the Sith lady I need at my side.” A sigh comes out of his mouth. He breathes it against my skin. “My headstrong, wonderful niece. My greatest joy, my deepest sorrow.”

    I try to get up.

    No please, remain where you are! You hit the floor very badly, when I told you that your current working place is no more.”

    You could have caught me easily,” I suggest, only noticing now that there is a bacta bandage around my head.

    Even in falling unconscious you are stubborn.” He chuckles, before adding tenderly. “You gave me such a fright.”

    I was not aware that you can still feel fear,” I challenge him.

    When I held you in my arms for the first time ever, you taught me what the essence of fear is.” A shy finger moves over my left cheek in slow motion. “I had to give you back to your mother at one point. You were never fully mine. I had no power over you. That was scary, still is to a certain extend. You are a person of your own right and certainly of your own mind.

    What if I pledge myself to you fully?” I say, desperately. “If I would do all your bidding from now on?”

    I would not like that a bit, because that would not be you.” The finger entangles itself in an errant strand of my hair. “The only solution I see for us is: go to Lothal and stay true to yourself! My Empire will not catch up with you on such an uneventful backwater world that easily.”

    You already set the new education reform in motion.”

    Not to anger you, believe me. It was a bare necessity.” He releases my hair again. “I am busy forging an Empire that has to last a thousand years.”

    Look at intergalactic history!” I exclaim. “All Empires turn to dust sooner rather than later.”

    This is what they have in common with democracies, because people want to be ruled and taken care of. Even you enjoy being taken care of, being pampered now and then.”

    Our discussion starts to give me a severe headache in addition to the inner pain that I am already in. “I just want you to take decent care of me, not to set the galaxy on fire.”

    Evolution cannot be stopped, Nagina. And I evolve with each day. Like a krayt dragon in its egg. The shell can break at any time.”

    Even though he is right next to me, I feel lonely and empty inside. “Next thing is that you will tell me that you are treading on a golden path.”

    My hint to one of his favourite novels is recognized immediately. “But I do. It will simplify everybody else's life. Including yours, eventually.”

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

    We go on talking for the rest of the night, sitting on his bed. Our arguments move around like one another like two different planets on their ecliptic routes through space. Now and then there is a
    rendezvous point, but most of the time we are many light years away from one another. Barren, lifeless rocks.

    “I am proud of you trying to stop me, Nagina!”

    Sheev gathers me into his arms. Then he kisses my hair, careful not to come anywhere near the sore spot on my brow. “The expertise in betrayal that you showed today is inspiring.”

    My heart hammers against my chest. “Will you hurt the people I talked to?”

    “Mace Windu was on my personal death list already.” His eyes glow yellow in the semi-dark of his bed chamber. “As for Organa, in whose company you were spotted today, I guess that I will keep him around a little bit longer. Just because you like him and his pathetic wife.”

    He does not know about Mister Jettster and my letter to General Kenobi then. Or that Bail will try to contact Master Yoda on my behalf.

    “May I go back to my own flat now?” I want to know.

    “No, you stay here tonight. In my care.” His whisper is louder than any scream. “You need rest.”
    “Be truthful, uncle! You need company,” I scold him softly.

    He engulfs me in a hug that feels like coming home after a long absence.

    “You are a true child of mine, not that pathetic slave boy,” he mumbles into my hair. “He has no finesse, no imagination. The only thing he can do is to fight and to moan. You are much more worthy.”

    I feel my throat tighten more and more. He deliberately mentions this son of his once more. “What slave boy?”

    His chuckle is dirty. “A nobody really. You should not bother about that idiotic cousin of yours ever. I have been throwing hints in his way the past ten years and he never noticed any of them. Perhaps tomorrow at the opera house he will finally understand what he is dealing with.”

    Even though I do not know that relative of mine or have any idea who he might be, I feel like defending his honour. “You introduced me to the legends and beliefs of the Sith when I was five years old.”

    “You had to understand what I did on-board that ship. To the fat stock that called itself my family.” There is no regret for his dark, brutal deeds. “Besides, you were always a quick learner. That boy is awfully slow. Intellectually, he is no real challenge for you.”

    His praise leaves a stale taste in my mouth nevertheless. “Why do you hate your own son so much? Is it only because of me?”

    He looks distraught. “Children never turn out the way that you expect them to be. Unless they are clones like Boba Fett and his million of brothers. So many hopes, all crushed by reality. But you are my ward, my heart's desire. I adore the ground you thread on. That morning I visited you at work, I actually enjoyed myself.”

    “In what way?”

    “I enjoyed watching you doing all those thousand wonderful little things that you do. You glow and sparkle when you are with children. This is worthwhile to see.”

    “But it does not make you whole,” I sniff, somewhat crushed against his chest.

    “Nothing can,“ he assures me. “But at least you made me understand what love is and how it works. For this experience I am grateful. The love that I feel for you is the only untainted thing in my entire life.”

    My tears fall like rain. I cry entire rivers, but he does not criticise me for that. He holds me gently, strokes through my hair. His even breath tickles in my neck. He does not speak, but there is no need. All is said.

    At dawn he will continue to erect an empire of dirt on the scattered bones of the Jedi order. By tomorrow he will crush a Republic that has lasted a thousand years. My love makes no difference to him.

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

    When I open my eyes, bright light is filling the pompous bed chamber. My head is still fuzzy from crying all through the night.

    Sly Moore stands at the edge of the bed. Her arms are crossed in front of her chest. “You both sleep together? With your clothes on? How sick is that?” she pouts petulantly.

    With the elegance of a Nexus my uncle is out of bed, his eyes gleaming. He wants to punish her right here and right now.

    “You always have been a silly wench,” he coos into her pale face.

    His right hand clenches around her left upper arm in a grip so visibly tight that I wonder fleetingly if it is going to bruise.

    The tall Umbaran starts shaking like the leaves of a Perlote tree in the wind. “I was out of place, my master!” she speaks up.

    “My niece and I are not intimate with one another. It is disgusting of you to think that.”

    I watch her gulp. She runs a tongue along her bottom lip to moisten it before trying to speak. She starts a sentence, trails off. Her eyes are flickering down to break from his burning gaze.

    There is something primal, almost feral about their dynamic. I recognize it as the withered substitute for love that the dark side seems to offer. I am repulsed.

    “Master and servant,” I state face crimson. “This is what makes you complete, Sheev? Repeating your childhood trauma over and over again? But this time you are the master?”

    My uncle avoids my clear gaze, but Sly Moore turns her face to me. Battling emotions flit across her haughty features. Embarrassment. Desperation. Anger. Resignation.

    “I am out of here,” I state and glide from the mattress.

    “No, you are not!”

    His rich, mellow timbre does not do the trick for me. Not this time.

    “I do not feel like having breakfast after this display of...” My voice trails off.

    “You will not deny me a last meal together with you!”

    I sense his vulnerability underneath all the layers of pride and arrogance. “Say please!” I demand in full kindergarten teacher style.

    “Nagina! Please, please stop walking out on me! This is now the second time!” he complains. “I think you owe me some civility here.”

    I let out a long sigh. “And you owe me a sense of normality, Sheev. The past hours have been a complete nightmare. No cup of tea can put things right. Or you holding me like a father an upset child.” I glare at Sly Moore. “And you know what is the worst part? Once I am out of here, you will punish her dearly for being out of place. And she will cherish it. The humiliation. Your brutality.”

    My uncle regards me with hooded eyes. “Not everybody can have your cheerful, cuddly life style, Nagina. Look at your girl-friend Asajj! Or how your little mate Boba manages after his father's death. Oh, by the way, Dooku killed Asajj with Force lightening when she came for the rescue of Quinlan Vos.”

    I hang my head, beaten for now.

    “Stop wasting your energy in fights you cannot win!” he suggests to me, while he gives Sly Moore a violent push forward. “You can be such an appallingly bad speaker!”

    “But at least I have a point,” I whisper, heartbroken to hear about my friend´s death. “And by leaving right now, I will make it count.”

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

    I leave the apartment without looking back. Sheev has the decency not to have me stopped by his Red Guards. But one of them possesses the nerve to address me.

    “If you were my niece, I would make sure that you could not sit for weeks,” announces Vede Kennede.

    I give him a tired side glance, not willing to answer anything back to his callous remark.

    “There is an air taxi waiting for you,” he leers.

    “I will walk home!”

    “Nonsense!” tuts Vede Kennede. “He organized one of his best drivers for you.”

    “Very well then,” I grumble.

    If that driver creates a decent distance between me and the Red Guard, I will accept him.

    I let Vede Kennede lead me through to the private flight platform outside.

    The air taxi in front of me is a closed one, but once the driver lowers his side window a bit, I understand why that is.

    “Mister Bane!” I make a curtsy.

    A smile splits over his blue alien face. He touches his cowboy head in greeting.

    This Duros is a criminal of the worst kind, but at present I trust him more than my own uncle. “Boba wanted me to accept the job. He paid rather generously for it. I get double paid for the privilege to drive you around. Easiest money ever.”

    This is a straight answer I can live with.

    Without a fuss or a word of good-bye to Vede Kennede I get in. “I suppose you know my address?”

    “Of course, milady. A lot of us know where you live these days.”

    It is kyber crystal clear to me that he refers to the other bounty hunters.

    “So my life is not a secret for you, is it?”

    He gives me a careful, well measured side glance. “Your daily activities are known. But your relationship with the Supreme Chancellor remains a mystery. Most of us cannot figure out what binds the two of you together.”

    [​IMG]

    I shrug. “Love and hate really, the usual thing.”

    He nods to himself. “Attachment. Always difficult. At least the blasted Jedi have a point in that particular agenda.”

    “Are you single?”

    “Of course. That helps to stay sane and focused on my job. I admire you for not running to the hills. Children would not work for me.

    After that brief exchange a comfortable silence settles over us.

    He starts the engines.

    Our air taxi flies through the posh senate area.

    All the traffic is back to normal as far as I can tell. If it would not be for the monstrous form of the crashed star ship I would even go so far that none of the drama around my uncle actually had happened today.

    “Can you do a detour?” I pipe up, my eyes averted on my fingers that are cramped in my lap.

    “Today I got paid the ransom money for a queen.” His blue lips form a coy smile. “By two men who could not be more apart in life time, status and occupation. For this alone I would fly you to Tatooine and back.”

    Cad Bane can be impertinent and cruel, but around me he seems to be in a good mood. I have nothing to fear. Being a valuable part of two business deals that he made in one go, I have all the protection in the universe.


    “Can you get me to my working place?” I inquire.

    “Sure,” he answers with the ease of a person who does not know about the drama that has struck my life. He is not aware of the destruction site we are heading to. But I need to see the ruins of the kindergarten myself. This will bring me the closure that I need.

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

    The city is back to her normal self, loud and chaotic. But her metal skin has ruptures here and there. Wounds, my uncle has inflicted on buildings and lives. He is not the most empathic person that I know of. Even Cad Bane, notorious bounty hunter and criminal, manages better.

    “You should stay inside,” he suggests to me, a slight worry tingling his voice. Damaged goods are to be avoided. He has his principles.

    “I need to go to the portal,” I whisper, but loud enough that he can hear me.

    “Milady,” he warns.

    “Please!”

    The Duros looks at me for a while through his red eyeballs. “Go ahead!” he says. “But if you have a nervous breakdown, I cannot get out of the vehicle to support you. You must return by yourself!”
    There is of course a high price on his head. He might find it exciting, charming even, but he is not a fool to try his luck with Coruscant authorities. Not after the recent kidnapping of some senators to whom Bail belonged.

    Shaking, I leave the air taxi. Anger, disappointment and shock are a dangerous mixture in my overheated brain, that tries to sort out the impression it gets.

    All the education projects, the art work of the children, their toys – gone.

    Earlier on my uncle had sounded like this had been a mere clash of coincident, but with him one can never be sure. He has enough self-control not to hurt me or to seek my demise, but he wants to be sure that I leave for Lothal.

    Grim faced, I turn away from the ruins of the kindergarten building and its blackened garden.

    Cad Bane knows better than to address me right now, when I take my seat next to him again. Now and again he checks my features for tell-tale tears, but none will come.

    An abuse victim has to make difficult daily choices. Right now I am ticking off a lot of boxes in my mind. I am not going for revenge. That would not be me! But I will make sure that my uncle understands that there are frontiers which he should not cross. Especially when those frontiers guard my privacy and my sanity. I will double my efforts to fight back.
     
    Last edited: May 3, 2020
    Chyntuck likes this.
  25. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Nagina is strong in the face of all the sithly plottings and connivings. :p She remains untainted. :)
     
    DarthUncle likes this.