Darth Vader: Hero of Naboo

Chapter 11

"There is no civility, only politics," Palpatine stated poetically as he paced the apartment before the Queen, the real queen at that. He paused for only a second to glance at the silently-breathing Vader, sitting in one of the red chairs. To a fool, the cyborg might even seem relaxed.

/"Die!" He snarled, lightning jumping from his outstretched fingers, zapping the third Sith Lord./

Vader's helmet moved ever so slightly, and all Palpatine felt from himwas a sense of underwhelming.

/Before he could raise his hands, Vader crushed his own digits into a fist, keeping Sidious's hand closed before he was sent flying across the room./

Palpatine turned to continue his uninterrupted monologue. "The Republic is not what it once was."

/He lashed around like a viper, drawing his lightsaber to slash against the durasteel titan./

Vader drummed his fingers.

/Another lightsaber blocked his own, unyielding as a wall./

"The Senate is filled with greedy, squabbling delegates," Palpatine explained as he paced to the other end of the room.

/And flung the lightsaber at the boy and his mother in the other room!/

Vader sat straighter than he already had been.

/The blade stopped in midair, being hurled back at its owner, who was acutely aware of the second blade coming towards him./

"There is no interest in the common good," Palpatine gave a heavy pause as he turned to the young elected monarch.

/With a sadistic grin, he made to behead the queen./

Vader tilted his head minutely.

/Vader did absolutely nothing, watching Sidious patiently, who sighed in a growling manner as he deactivated his lightsaber, for he still needed her on his side./

"I must be frank, Your Majesty, there is little chance the Senate will act on the invasion," Palpatine concluded as he abandoned the fruitless mental challenges going on between himself and his fellow Sith. There was no way to defeat Vader in this setting without using enough power to expose himself. Not to mention, he wouldn't really have time to use the Dark Side to properly warp the minds of all these people here without breaking their psyches.

And if he was being truly honest, he'd rather not destroy his apartment, modest though it was. Well, modest compared to how other people decorated a room in 500 Republica.

Vader, meanwhile, was enjoying his observations on Sidious. Pre-chancellor Palpatine could be patient, but hated to do so. He could act benevolent while seething with furious rage, but he needed an outlet. And he had a hatred for Vader that felt like the foundation of an obsession. He was also rather proud of himself for not lashing out abnormally at Sidious in those visions when his mother or Padme was targeted. He wasn't sure if the would-be emperor was already aware of Anakin's potential by now in the last timeline, but he was very unaware of it now. Shmi was of no interest to Sidious right now and Padme was too important to harm.

All in all, Vader could work with this. Work with in the context of "Destroy him and every dream he ever had before his very eyes."

"It is as I have come to fear," The Queen stated royally, oblivious to the telepathic-vision battles that just took place. This drew a raised brow from the senator. "On our journey here, Darth's council and the words of others has painted a rather uninspiring image of the Senate," she explained, nodding in said Sith's direction.