Before - Legends Wicked - Sheev Palpatine - Spring Bingo Challenge

Title: Veiled
Author: Vek Talis
Length: very short story
Timeframe: 74 BBY
Genre: Dark, twisty, angsty
Characters: Sheev, Cosinga Palpatine, Coquette Palpatine
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars and never will.
Note: This is for the Springo Challenge. No, you don't have to refer to it thusly. Words I've chosen: Awakening, Thaw, Hay-fever, Buds, Berries - Word count = 724

Trigger warning: This will get very deep, very dark. This WILL go down a rabbit hole. Be warned to stay away if you don't like:

Spoiler: Notes

Implied (very vaguely implied) incest & other child abuse

Young Sheev enjoyed the early spring thaw. It allowed him to get out of the stuffy old manor and explore the buds and berries that began growing around the estate. As he frolicked in the newly tall grass - not as tall as it was last year, or so he thought, not yet realizing that he was growing into a young man - he felt a chill wisp of air tickle the back of his neck. It drew his gaze to the manor for a moment. He watched the distant figure in the window, watching him.

Then, the figure drew back from the frame, purple curtains fluttering against the pane. Sheev's shiver had nothing to do with the cool spring breeze. He quickly turned away and resumed his awakening to a new year, trying to shrug off the image. His mother would be watching, no matter where he frolicked.

As he trudged back to the manor, minor hay-fever making him sneeze, mud covered boots tracking muck behind him, he caught sight of Coquette at the top of the stairs. Her icy stare found him for a few moments. Then, she turned her back, disappeared up the steps to the second floor.

The servants all fawned over Sheev, getting him out of his boots in a tearing hurry. He had no idea of the tension in the house - the mud he'd tracked would have to be cleaned before Cosinga returned home - it was all fun and games for him, at least when the servants were around.

At dinner, Cosinga sipped from a glass of fine wine. When he took the crystal down from his lips, he fixed Coquette with a rakish grin. "I know you delight in thinking you can poison me slowly, my dear," he said. He applied his monogramed napkin to the corners of his mouth daintily before setting it down on the table.

Opposite him, Sheev's mother smiled sheepishly, drew her hand to cover the gesture. "I have no idea to what you refer, my love," she said quietly. To all around her, she played the non-entity, obedient to Sheev's father. But Sheev knew better. He was only ten. Defenseless. Weak.

"Your lover will fall into my clutches sooner or later, my dear," Sheev's father said quietly. "I know he waits here, hiding in this, my manor, to strike when I least suspect it. I assure you, he will be disappointed." He left his plate full, stood from the table. He rarely ate, only picking at his food, sipping at his drink.

He tousled Sheev's blond hair as he passed the boy. "Grow up strong, my son," he said. "Never let a feckless woman think she can best you, mentally or physically. Always expect to be betrayed, for a woman is a fickle beast." He paused only long enough to say those words - a few of them still didn't make much sense to the ten year old, but Sheev was beginning to learn. Oh, yes, he was learning.

"Come, Sheev." The words of his mother were soft, gentle to the casual listener. She was skilled. Her voice gave just a hint of what was to come, though. It made Sheev's right thigh twitch to hear it.

In his chamber, she dressed him in his night clothes. Her face was placid, lifeless, empty. But Sheev could feel the hunger within her. "You father will be pleased when you grow up a fine, upstanding man," she said with a wan smile, though her voice didn't match the softness of her face. Her features changed for a moment - hard lines, teeth bared, a flash of red at her eyes - Sheev felt the chill tickle his neck.

She tucked him into the bed, knelt by his side. "Tell me you love me, Sheev," she said as she touched his arm. Alone, she was anything but directionless, empty. She gripped him, not with hands, but something inside - in his mind - that cut him far deeper than any knife. He was only ten.

"I love you, Mother," Sheev said. His mother approved. She loved him very much. Her touch - not just to his mind - told him so. Her smile now was... predatory, like the sharks Sheev had seen vids of.

"And I love you, dear," she said quietly as a shadow came down over her eyes.

He was only ten.

~fini

 

Sheev sure has a wicked family. No wonder he became Darth Sidious

 

NO KIDDING!

This was so creepy on every level that it literally left a bad taste in my mouth. From the very first appearance, or I should say non-appearance, of the mother behind a curtain, I had a terribly bad feeling about this, and then it got worse every step of the way: the moment we actually see her, waiting for her son up the stairs, the "tension in the house" with the servants hurrying to erase any trace of anything that may displease the father, the ominous dialogue between the parents over dinner (the father sure seems to be a nasty piece of work too), and then that final scene with all its implications, yikes!

Is it my impression, or are you giving Coquette Force powers here? Somehow this reminded me of the mother earlybird gave to Dooku, but at least Dooku's father seemed to be kind of, sort of okay. Here... holy cow, there's just no one to redeem this family!

 

lol - that is very true, @earlybird-obi-wan Evil begets evil. Unfortunately, good doesn't always beget good. It's much easier for people to do the expedient thing, than the right thing, unless the two happen to be one and the same. Thanks for reading!

Hey, no one can say I'm a liar.

Then my job here... is done.

Like earlybird said, it's no wonder Sheev turned, with that kind of upbringing. As to Cosinga, he's just a plain ol' paranoid nutter, lol. As to Coquette - I looked her up and she's unnamed, what I could find was that she just gave in to whatever her husband said, so I named her Coquette, as per Merriam-Webster:

1: a woman who endeavors without sincere affection to gain the attention and admiration of men

And yes, they are a fine couple... who have raised a fine son... who will truly represent his family.

Mmm, could be. Or you could have just given me that idea...


More to come - another Springo post arriving shortly! Same characters, same theme... BE WARNED!

 

Title: Emergence
Author: Vek Talis
Length: Short story
Timeframe: 74 BBY
Genre: Dark, twisty, angsty
Characters: Sheev, Cosinga Palpatine, Coquette Palpatine
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars and never will.
Note: This is for the Springo Challenge. Words I've chosen: Awakening, Migration, Red & white yarn, breeze, hymn

Warning: Same as before: none of it is right there out in the open - all implied - but man, I don't blame you for stopping NOW and turning away from this dark tunnel. Ok, I'm done now. On with the fic.



*

"You will learn a measure of how my revenge will swiftly erase your pathetic lover, my dear." Sheev heard his father's voice coming through the door to their bedchamber. It wasn't often Cosinga spoke loudly enough to be heard through a door. It intrigued the youth so much that he dared step closer.

Carefully, he opened the door on quiet hinges. "He hides here, only daring venture out after nightfall; he creeps through the shadows for the scraps of food you leave in the corners," Cosinga said. He and Coquette lay on the bed together, his father sitting up on his knees, arm extended to Coquette's neck. Sheev had never seen them together on their bed. They moved with a strange rhythm that drew Sheev closer.

==That is power over one, boy. Your father is weak, but he provides a lesson for you to grow strong. Watch and learn.==

Sheev didn't hear the newest voice with his ears. It was as though someone spoke in his head. It was a man with a hissing, raspy voice. Sheev wasn't sure he liked the voice itself, but what it said made a certain amount of sense. So he obeyed, watched and waited. His mother moved, or tried to move, a faint gurgling sound emanating from her mouth, Cosinga's hand near her throat. She absently knocked a spool of red & white yarn from the bed. Sheev watched it roll along the floor.

"You should be proud of me, my dove," Sheev's father said as he stopped moving. "I have taken your advice and made a new friend amongst my hunting club. His name is Hego. He finds my stories of your faithlessness... amusing."

"You do me too much honor, my love," Coquette said, her voice hampered and choked.

"Yes, I do," Cosinga said. "You deserve little but the back of my hand for your repeated and failed attempts to poison me."

"Who would possibly want to poison you, my love?"

"We shall sing a hymn for your fallen 'love', the moment after I uncover him, my dove," Cosinga said. After that, neither of them spoke. They resumed moving together, Sheev's father holding Coquette's neck, as if in a tender caress.

*

Once again, Sheev stepped outside the manor. Autumn was beginning to replace summer. The leaves on the trees tinged a rusty red and a cool breeze wafted down from the north. Many birds flew overhead, beginning their migration to warmer climes. The fields surrounding the manor were full of Gungan and human servants taking in the harvests.

==With time, you will come to know me, boy.== It was that voice in his head again. ==This has been an awakening, of sorts for you. Power awaits. More power than your pathetic father can ever dream of.==

Sheev liked the idea of power. It might make his parents respect him more. He often felt they ignored him too much. Except at night when his mother would remind him how much she loved him.

==Use her connection, boy.== The voice was persistent.

Sheev stopped frolicking in the now withering grass. He turned back toward the manor, tried to picture his mother, standing at the top of the stairs. A flash of red at her eyes. Bared teeth. Pain. Sheev fought the pain in his head, fought to get it under control.

==Connect to her, boy. She has the key to unlock your full potential.==

A picture tried to form in his mind's eye. Coquette at a feast. Tall chairs, ornate goblets, the back of his mother's hand coming to cover her laughter, a stain of red, red wine at the corner of her mouth. His father's presence was there, too, though Sheev couldn't see him clearly. Serving trays sat on the long table, a delicious repast centered around a large roast. Skeletal hands reached to tear tender flesh from the carcass.

==Yes, boy. This is but a taste of true power.== Sheev still didn't understand. But he was beginning to.

When he returned to the manor, his father had left for Theed and his hunting club. Mother greeted him at the top of the stairs. Her nod was hesitant, appraising. Her brow furrowed and Sheev felt her presence in his mind.

==Yes! Now you recognize it for what it is, boy. Use it.==

Sheev had never truly understood, then. Now, his mother's eyes went wide. Quickly she turned, hurried up the stairs. Was she... fleeing him?

==Pursue. Not with pathetic feet.==

All at once, he felt taller, fuller. His mind began to open, expand. He could hear the servants in the cellar as they complained about having to clean up the mess Coquette made every month in the secret room. His mind was everywhere at once, and then it drew in on his mother. The door to her chamber stood open, nightdress fluttering as she hurried toward a cabinet. A door flew open, she frantically reached to the back, unlatched a secret panel.

==Yes, boy. Break down the walls.== The voice was hungry. It filled up Sheev's head with longing.

Coquette clenched something crystalline in her hand. Red light surged into and through her body at the connection. It bled crimson through the walls of the manor. Sheev watched the bright colors in wonder as they oozed and slithered about. If the crystal did that for his mother, what would it do for him?

What would it do to him?

 

Yes Sheev get it and be like your mother and father. Hego, (Darth Plagueis) a new friend, scary. A Sithly family from the beginning.

 

Oh dear, this keeps getting creepier...

Yeah, I gathered as much, although he may just be sensing that something is off about his wife and expressing it in the most antiquatd macho way too.

That's going to end well, isn't it?

Such vivid imagery here! I could picture this banquet scene perfectly, and then that spooky image of skeletal hands, which I'm assuming is a metaphor (but knowing you, I should probably refrain from making assumptions!)

The mental bond between Sheev and his mother and the description of how he begins to use it was supremely chilling. This bit in particular:

... revenge is on the way, methinks.

And now, he's truly intrigued and ripe for the taking. If Cosinga had the slightest idea of what he did by befriending Hego, he'd be banging his head against the wall!

 

lol, he's getting there, @earlybird-obi-wan - He's getting to know a new friend even as Hego comes into the picture.

That's music to my Sithly ears, lol.

What? Hego? Nah, he's just a fellow hunter. He likes trophies and being in at the kill, as it were. What?

Yes, a metaphor... or not. Mwuhahaha! That banquet scene will give up its secrets... eventually.

Little Sheevie is growing up fast and strong. Pretty soon, none will be able to stand in his way.

Heh. Cosinga's got his own... skeletons in the closet to deal with. Again, that's the only clue you're getting.



Got another step in Sheev's downfall in the works.


Happy holidays everyone. (Gosh, now I feel like a Charlie Brown cartoon )

 

Title: Lessons
Author: Vek Talis
Length: Short story
Timeframe: 73 BBY
Genre: Dark, twisty, angsty
Characters: Sheev, Cosinga Palpatine, Coquette Palpatine, Sidious
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars and never will.
Note: This is for the Springo Challenge. Words I've chosen: Egg, Colours, Sacrifice, Buds, Butterfly




The cellar of the manor had always terrified Sheev. His father had told him never to go down there alone. On the rare occasions he'd disobeyed, it hadn't taken long for haunting shadows cast from dim, flickering lights to send him into nightmarish fits. His little feet dared not push him farther down the cyclopean walkways. What unknown quantities awaited beneath had been enough to keep him at bay.

His new friend, the one who spoke in his head, not his ears, however, was always encouraging him to seek new alleys of discovery. Ever since that first day, when the voice had told him to follow his mother and he'd seen her with the crystal, felt her power, he'd had a constant companion.

Sidious, he'd said his name was.

This evening was different. Cosinga was at his hunting lodge, no doubt telling his friend Hego all kinds of stories about what happened at the manor. The Muun had come to the manor on a few occasions. For some reason, those were times when Sidious didn't come out to play. Sheev wondered why.

But tonight, again, was different. Father was away and mother was in the cellar. Sheev wondered why he'd never known where she was, once a month, when she'd disappear. ==You were weak, Sheev; you lacked passion. Your fear and ignorance drove away your passion. Now it buds within you, directing your focus. Passion is necessary to turn your fear against your enemies.==

Most of the lights were off in the manor, the servants all safely locked away in their quarters. Pale moonlight stained the tiled floor and wall. Shadows of dangling bodies clung desperately to the wall, dancing to the deathly tune of some unheard rhythm. When Sheev turned, he saw only barren branches of sullen trees outside, their dark knot holes like mournful eyes gazing down at him through the eldritch gloom.

Carefully, he picked his way down the stairs, a glow guiding him on his path through the winding catacombs of the cellar. A pale palate of decay wiped all colours from the halls. Only the dim, flickering light remained - that and the eerie glow which beckoned him.

==Keep your passion, your focus, Sheev.== Sidious spoke softly in his mind this evening, almost as if he was trying to hide from someone or something. ==Passion is the key, boy. Always remember: Peace is a lie; there is only passion.==

Sheev steeled himself, creeping along, feeling along the walls for stability. Anger began to well up inside him. No fantastic beast would dare confront him down these sinister halls. He was learning to harness this power and no one would take it from him.

==Yes! Through your passion, you gain strength, Sheev. Use it.==

Sidious was a good friend. Always encouraging him. On he went, toward the glow and the door at the end of a long hall. Squeaking stole his attention. Gazing up, bats clung to the ceiling. A moment of panic threatened to breach his calm, but his friend was there.

At last, reaching, grasping hands touched the door. More lights were on within the room and now Sheev heard jovial laughter. The door opened on creaking hinges. Abruptly, the laughter took on a maniacal tone; other sounds in the room: tearing, gnawing of teeth on bone, became more chaotic to his ears.

==Through your strength, you gain power, Sheev.== Sidious wanted him to go forward. ==The sacrifice will be worth it, boy.== He was hungry, wanted some of the tantalizing smells which wafted Sheev's way.

The young man took one step, then another. There was a commotion, though he couldn't see where it came from. A high backed chair, ornate, ghastly designs crowning it, slid back, screeched in the sudden emptiness. There was Coquette, turning, a crazed grin vanishing from her face, mouth stained with rich, red wine. An ample feast was spread out across the table behind her. When her eyes found his, they went wide with... terror? The air about Sheev began to close in around him. His lungs had a hard time working.

Sheev gasped for air, sat up in his bed. It couldn't have been a dream. Where was Sidious? The cellar? The room?

And then, he felt his mother's tantalizing whispers. ==Come to me, Sheev,== she beckoned, a siren song melodic in his head. Once again he ventured from his room. Not even the wan light from a full moon could penetrate the central upstairs of the manor. Sheev's eyes adjusted to the lack of light, however, and vague, twisted shapes met his vision. A dark butterfly, illumined by a ghastly mote of light danced briefly across the stale air before flying through a wall and disappearing with a dim flash.

He crept toward his mother's door as plodding boots clumsily ascended the stairs. "I know in this twilight you lurk, my usurper," his father's voice climbed the stairs faster than his boots. Sheev had never heard him so angry and unfocused.

==His is the call of the weak will, boy. The shell of his pathetic egg is about to crack and crumble around him. Your mother defiles him with her power, but she cannot match your power, your focus.==

"I shall exact my vengeance upon you, you scalawag, you cad." Cosinga was at the top of the stairs. Sheev froze in place, his fingers nearly touching the knob of his mother's door.

"That shadow, that grasping shadow," Cosinga said feverishly. "I have you now." He surged forward, his rage masking the terror he felt down in his core. Sheev would never have picked up on it were it not for Sidious, his friend.

==With your power, you will gain victory, Sheev,== Sidious shouted in his head as his father's fists lunged toward him.

Sheev was afraid, too, but instead of surrender to it, as his father did, he braced himself, gathering his thoughts and feelings - his passion - to him as if it were a physical thing. Before Cosinga's fist could find its first mark, energy poured from Sheev, stopping him in his tracks. A red light suddenly filled the hallway, Cosinga glared at his son, only to arch his back, his sagging, drunken face contorting into anguish as he rose slightly from the floor.

==And in your victory, your chains are broken, Sheev.== Sidious was proud of him. ==In time, you will come to know this mantra. You will be whole. You will be strong. And I will be your guide.==

When the moment was gone, Sheev relaxed. His father dropped to the hallway floor, gasping for air and shaking all over. He gazed up, that red light only just beginning to fade. Sheev saw the animosity in Cosinga's eyes as a flame. Behind it, however hot it wanted to burn, was fear - like ice - cooling the fires, bringing a chill to his father's spine.

Quickly, Cosinga rushed past his son, opened and then slammed his bedroom door shut. Inside, Sheev could hear his tirade at Coquette. Gingerly, he approached the door, his fingers reaching for the knob.

==No,== Sidious said. ==The next lesson is for another day.==

And it would be. For Sheev was beginning to understand. Power meant nothing if he was still stuck in the same place, a place of less than ultimate victory. And ultimate victory could never be, so long as there was even one being to stand in his way. All must be cowed, defeated before him, or there would always be fear lurking behind his eyes. Sidious is my friend, Sheev thought. He will help me get there.

Spoiler: Psychology

In case anyone is confused, what I'm inferring here is that Sidious is a different 'personality' within Sheev's mind. A 'living' and separate entity that can upon occasion assert or insert his will into Sheev's conscious mind. Not in the traditional sense of split personality, now I think it's called Dissociative Disorder [but I'm old so I remember the old way, lol] but perhaps in the GFFA with different brain chemistry, etc, Sidious IS a completely separate identity. Anyway, that's all I have. No soup for you!

 

All the evil. Hidden in Sheev, being a part of him. Scary knowing what he will become

 

I'm back!

And yes, our little boy is growing fast

This was such a grand reveal! Sidious as an imaginary friend, I just love it – especially when that imaginary friend is acting as a mentor and a protector, and getting little Sheev to grow into his own, and soon he begins to convey his hungers and desires to Sheev who happily goes along.

Now this was very interesting. In the previous entry, I expected that the voice in Sheev's head was "Hego" However, there still appears to be a link of sorts between the emergence of the Sidious personality and Darth Plagueis, and I'm curious to see how that will work out.

Ugh. Just everything you need to know about what is wrong with that household, in half a throwaway sentence.

All the visuals of the walk down to the basement, and the scene in the cellar itself were supremely creepy – but then, it was all a dream? Or maybe not quite. It's becoming difficult for Sheev himself to tell the difference between reality and visions inside his head.

And then, the real-world confrontation with his mad father, and we get to see the moment when Sheev actually uses his power, the power he shares with Sidious – and with his mother. Again, interesting that Cosinga decides to take his anger out on his wife; I'm guessing that either he doesn't really know what she's capable of, or he trusts her to maintain control of her emotions more than he trusts his young son. Either way, ultimately, that man is toast

 

Some kids are just born with 'it', that certain... special... something.

*waves* Nice to see you again!

lol

Sheev is more than willing to engage - his mommy taught him that.

Perhaps Sidious doesn't want to play with Hego, or vise-versa? Or could it be that Hego doesn't need Sidious to help when he's around young Sheev?

Tee-hee.

What is reality? Really? When we dream, there are times when most of us believe that the dream world is the 'real' world. And when we're awake, there's more of a consensus that 'this' is the real reality. But who knows for sure?

Toast... or roast.


Waiting for inspiration to arrive so I can do another of these and advance Sheev's place in the galaxy.

 

I probably should have heeded the multiple warnings you gave along the way, this is not a story for the feint of heart.
But it certainly gives an... interesting context for Sheev's decent into psycopathy.

 

@Vek Talis: I simply love this. Dark, gloomy, sinister! So different from my daily, usually cheery routine at work. Thank you, I needed this!

About the Dissociative Disorder: if my brother-in-law keeps throwing any more "D&D" champaigns with dozens of new characters at me, I might develop one. Argh! Why can´t we finish what we started? And why can´t I be just one character per champaign?

 

Good heavens. And I was worried about posting a somewhat run-of-the-mill Palpatine sex scene in here.

This was an awful house to grow up in. Interesting look at what might have been. Having been raised by a victim of incest, however, I don't know that it would induce the specific character pathology we see in Palpatine. Maybe. I'd have to do some research.

 

OMG. So he's actually schizophrenic!!!

This is one dark and tangled tale ... he's like A Beautiful Mind, where Nash learns to distinguish what's real and what's not, only his schizophrenic mind works for him.