Saga The Broken Hour (Part I of III: Pre-AOTC/Drama/Palpatine)

Title: The Broken Hour
Author: Darth Tarantino
Timeframe: Post-TPM, Pre-AOTC
Characters: Palpatine, Mas Ameda
Genre: Psychological, drama, introspection
Summary: The newly elected Supreme Chancellor of the Republic has secrets - now he must find a place to hide them.


I

The deep scarlet of the carpet blended with the golden sunlight pouring through the vast office window, creating a subtle shade of orange that reflected Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's mood at that moment. He had always associated such colours with sunsets on his homeworld. Many nights of his youth had been spent staring longingly into that sun as it died upon the horizon, surrendering to the enfolding darkness of night time. He always found the same strong feelings rise within him at such moments; the longing to shape the future, the need to be more than an ordinary man. As the darkness fell, his thoughts would turn to other desires, some far more dark in their intent. As he watched the refracted beams of light dancing upon the Chancellor's Office carpet he felt these wistful yearnings to make a difference in the galaxy come crawling steadily back into his mind.

And now he could. Now he had the position, the power, the authority.

It had been a long and steady process to rise through the political ranks. A lesser man would have found his patience worn very quickly but Palpatine prided himself on having nothing in common with other men. His was a mind that saw the greater scale of things. He would think nothing of spending a few hours simply sat in a comfortable chair, his eyes closed and his mind focused, dreaming of the things he would and could do. This was not wasted time; this was strategy. Even the simplest of plans can fail if little thought is given to all possible outcomes. Palpatine knew this to be true and had made it a point in the training of his mind never to accept the first idea that sprang forth. There were always potential failures, pitfalls he could miss, other factors that he might stumble blindly past. If the Chancellor had been asked to divulge his one major stength (though it was only one of many) it would've been his intelligence. The ability to be clever (a term that Palpatine secretly loathed) meant little more than being profoundly gifted in the field of digesting facts and figures and being able to regurgitate them on command. Intelligence is far less academic. Intelligence is a gift. It is the ability to see all aspects, to plan all eventualities, to delve into the farthest reaches of knowledge itself.

For Palpatine, intelligence was survival. Without it, you were merely prey.

That evening, he was due to make his first ceremonial visit to the local opera house, a place he had not visited since his early days in the Senate. A new play was opening and his attendance was expected. His last appointment of the day had ended reasonably quickly, leaving the Chancellor with a clear hour before he would set off with his entourage to sample the new show. He took a step down from the perimeter window, unconciously brushing his hand across the smooth surface of his work desk as he went. He looked toward the entrance to the office and noted the lack of decoration. No plants or statues, not even as much as a mural. Although no great lover of art, Palpatine found himself more easily relaxed in a well furnished space. The more furniture and art you had the greater the distraction to the visitor. This provided you with countless opportunities to read your 'opponent' while their concentration was elsewhere. Already he had planned to bring a sculpture from his private apartment on Naboo to decorate the walkway into the main office. Not only was it a fine piece of black marble, but it also held opportunity for concealment. And he was certainly in need of that.

No sooner had these thoughts gathered themselves in his mind than his ally Mas Ameda entered the office from a side door that led to private quarters. He carried with him a metallic case that shone when it pa

 

I haven't read any Palpy stuff before and thought I'd start here.

Interesting beginning.

I look forward to seeing where this is heading.