#htbage

[darth-prequelist]

Palpatine Poll: Character wise (in your opinion)

I know this is too general of a question. What I mean what was his best version. Evilness/ability to manipulate and all. Like he either the most enjoyable/villainous. Let me know your thoughts!

[darth-prequelist]

Palpatine rant

Palpatine isn't talked about enough. This guy single handedly duped the entire Jedi Council, managed to get THE CHOSEN ONE on his side, orchestrated an entire war, became Chancellor of the Republic, almost destroyed the rebels

Also his whole Do you know the tragedy of Darth Plagueis wise was just...amazing. I get shivers whenever I watch that scene during Revenge of the Sith. Within like two minutes that Palpatine speech manages to paint such a ruthless and amazing picture!

He is also, of course, your typical campy villain. And he only successful manipulates Anakin in the prequels compared to Luke in original. It also fascinates me how he and Padme both come from the same planet yet are foils of each other. Both support Anakin, both are politicians, both are Naboo, and both try to pull him in opposite directions. While Palpatine plays a more parental figure and Padme is Anakin's lover, the foil still remains. Eventually Palpatine uses that foil to his advantage and uses Anakin's fear of losing Padme against him. I absolutely adore the writing of the Prequels, the corruption arc is just so cruelly beautiful but that is a rant for another time.

While I do enjoy Palpatine's appearance in the original he is much more fleshed out in the prequels. His role is simply different, in the prequels he is the secret villain and in the originals he's the big bad guy.

I have been endlessly fascinated about how this twisted mind came to be. So I, of course, wrote a fanfic. I did read James Luceno's book about Palpatine but it didn't hit me quite right. It seemed too distant and out of touch with Palpatine's feelings. I want to see him fall and I want to see him turn evil. It just didn't feel like that to me. I still enjoyed but I prefer a different approach.

The old and cunning Chancellor Palpatine gazed into the swirling orbs of the Space Opera. The young and reckless Anakin Skywalker was by his side.

Palpatine spoke with deliberation and purposely did not meet the young Jedi's stare. "Good is a point of view, Anakin... the Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way." Palpatine paused, "Including their quest for greater power."

Anakin pondered for a moment. His gaze shifted to the wise Chancellor. "The Sith rely on their passion for their strength. They think inwards, only about themselves."

Palpatine turned, his eyes wide, and looked upon Anakin. "And the Jedi don't?"

"The Jedi are selfless...they only care about others," Anakin spoke flatly.

Palpatine exhaled inaudibly. He took a long look at Anakin before slowly turning his head back to the Opera which had just received a polite smattering of applause. Less than five heartbeats passed before he lifted his head and began.

"Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?"

Anakin's eyes darted to the side at these words and turned his head to the Chancellor. "No." Anakin replied.

"I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you." A slight bit of mirth crept into the Chancellor's voice. "It's a Sith legend."

He continued, the mirth drained from his voice, "Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create..." Palpatine met Anakin's gaze, "...life."

A ghost of a smile crossed the Chancellor's face then he turned away from the young Jedi. "He had such a knowledge of the Dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from...dying."

Palpatine turned to Anakin who was gazing at the opera. The young Jedi's mind was lightyears away. Anakin came back to his senses.

Anakin's eyes alit with hope as he exchanged a look with the Chancellor. "He could actually...save people from death?"

Palpatine diverted his attention to the swirling orbs and spoke to Anakin in a slow, dramatic manner. "The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be...unnatural..."

"Wh—what happened to him?" Anakin stuttered, looking to the Chancellor.

Palpatine went on. "He became so powerful...the only thing he was afraid of was..." Palpatine glanced at Anakin. "...losing his power...which eventually, of course, he did."

Palpatine paused as he turned back to the enchanting oceanic orbs.

"Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep." Palpatine halted dramatically. "It's ironic...he could save others from death..." He held back a vicious smile. "...but not himself."

"Is it possible to learn this power?"

Palpatine's lips curled as Anakin spoke those blessed words. Anakin retained his façade of calm, but Palpatine could sense the conflict, the suffering within him.

He turned slowly to meet his eventual apprentice's desperate gaze. The Sith Lord coolly spoke. "Not from a Jedi."

[darth-prequelist]

How to Become a Galactic Emperor

Isn't it interesting how Palpatine is a pivotal character in the Star Wars series and yet he somehow isn't talked about enough?

I'm 84,000~ words into this fanfiction that I am writing that is focused solely on Palpatine's younger years (of course, deviating from Legend Darth Plagueis).

Should I continue it? Would anyone enjoy reading such a thing or is it simply me? It's campy Star Wars beyond imagination. And I think I'm humorous. Not sure if anyone else agrees. It has balance with serious moments as well. I truly tried to embody Star Wars within a novel.

A little snippet (for judgement):

(It begins as a healthy relationship and it will slowly corrupt over the course of the trilogy)

Crimson splashed the walls in an eerie glow. Two shadows danced on the walls in the hazy approaching dusk. Swords built of deadly lasers, sizzled, and burned with menace. One shadow wielded two dagger-like lightsabers moving much more gracefully than the second. The second was sluggish and slashed its lightsaber in sloppy arcs.

The Sith Lord warned. “Ant serjek!” Darth Plagueis swept his foot under Palpatine who failed to dodge. He held the two dagger-like lightsabers at his apprentice’s neck.

Palpatine had learned and failed to execute a dodge whenever the Sith Lord spoke those two dreaded words. Darth Plagueis sighed deeply, extending a hand to his apprentice. Palpatine took his hand and stood up with the aid of his master.

The new apprentice’s lungs were gasping for air. His head was pounding with a headache, and his limbs were sagging.

“Again,” Palpatine breathed and wiped a bead of sweat from his face. As versed, he held a stance, igniting his lightsaber but his arms drooped, and the lightsaber seared the floor.

“No, rest, my young apprentice.” Darth Plagueis insisted.

He thumbed the off switch for both of his lightsabers and clipped them to his belt. Plagueis rooted through his knapsack that was on a ledge near a shattered window.

“Here,” Plagueis tossed his apprentice a flask of water. Palpatine caught it but fumbled with it slightly. “And take off that cloak, it looks ridiculous. Its only slowing you down,” added Plagueis.

Palpatine restrained a glare and dramatically shrugged the cloak off his shoulders to the ground before taking a swig of water. The Sith apprentice took a seat on a metal bench against the north wall. Darth Plagueis took a few moments staring out the window overlooking the Works before sweeping back to his apprentice.

Darth Plagueis stood before Palpatine and put a hand to his head. “I believe I know what the problem is.”

“Problem?” Palpatine glanced up, a bit of worry etched into his features. He tossed the flask from his left hand and to his right hand in a continuous motion.

“I’ll explain,” Plagueis motioned for Palpatine to hand him his lightsaber. Palpatine hesitated but eventually handed it over.

The crimson light bathed the two Sith in its spectral glow. Plagueis ignited it making a few graceful swoops with the sizzling blade parallel to Palpatine. The Sith Master took a few moments to respond. “Rise,” Palpatine obeyed Plagueis’ command.

Plagueis disengaged the lightsaber and handed it back to his apprentice. Palpatine followed Plagueis’ prior lesson on form. He stood with his body at a 45-degree angle facing Plagueis. Palpatine made sure he held the top of the hilt with his right hand and the bottom with his left.

“Good…very good,” Plagueis remarked on his apprentice’s form. He ignited his lightsaber. “Now attack me.”

Palpatine stood stiffly in his position and jabbed at Plagueis. Plagueis effortlessly parried the slash and moved with the momentum towards Palpatine. The Sith Lord spun around using his other lightsaber and holding it a few inches from Palpatine’s chest.

Palpatine looked from Plagueis to the blazing lightsaber. “Do you see your error?” the Sith Lord asked.

Palpatine furrowed his brows, “I…I don’t know.”

Plagueis withdrew his two lightsabers and Palpatine withdrew his as well. “Sidious, you must never jab at someone wildly. It leaves you open for attack. Your arm is too far from your body, and you are unable to block the attack. Not to mention you are standing still. One must never stand still in a battle.” 

Plagueis took a deep breath, “You must move and flow with it. Keep the blade close to you and you must…despite how nerve wreaking it may be, be close to your opponent. You must always be in motion. If you stand still, you’re a dead man.”

Flow. Motion. Close. Palpatine repeated Plagueis’ words in his head. “Are you ready to try again?”

“Yes,” Palpatine ignited his lightsaber.

...

[darth-prequelist]

HTBAGE - Chapter 21 "The Mentor & the Mentee"

Palpatine has a meeting with his mentor, Evaxious Formidas also known as Plagueis' wife regarding the "disappearance" of his late guard: Nuvan Girris.

Palpatine had just finished his classes and as per HoloComm been called for a private lesson from Formidas’. Fex, the Formidas’ hired guard, escorted him to Formidas’ office. Fex stood beside him, she didn’t speak, she barely moved, she simply stood there eying the young Naboo coldly.

Palpatine had taken note that apart from Buddy there was a noticeable absence of droids. Even the cook wasn’t a droid. And hiring a living guard was rare when a guardian droid would be a more inexpensive option.

Fex pressed a button on the door, and she spoke into it. “Your mentee, Sheev Palpatine is here to see you, Lady Formidas.”

“Send him in,” an apathetic voice replied. Palpatine heard several lock mechanisms unlock themselves until the door finally slid open. Palpatine stepped in alongside Fex who stood by the door.

He found himself in a wide circular room with a low ceiling. The room was composed of red and white. The back wall was a glass window stretching from one side of the room to the other. A pair of glass doors lead out to a balcony which overlooked the smoldering Works.

At the center of the room was a circular section of the floor which dipped slightly and had odd groves in it. This circular section was directly before Formidas’ desk. A small but insistent feeling tugged at him. It was a feeling emanating from the Force he grew to recognize. He sensed it would be wise…not to stand over that spot.

Formidas’ sat at her desk. Her chair was swiveled opposite him speaking to a distressed person on the HoloComm.

“—yes, yes, do not be so frantic. It is simply politics, my dear Vor.” Palpatine heard Formidas’ voice callously say with amusement. “My apologies. I must be going now. And remember, if you breathe a word to anyone else, you’ll suffer a fate much worse than your brother I assure you.” Formidas signed off.

Formidas spun around with a smile on her face. “Ah, Palpatine, it is good to see you.”

Palpatine twisted his ring and asked hesitantly. “What was that?”

Formidas waved a dismissive hand. “It was simply a misunderstanding that was been rectified. Nothing of much concern.” She steepled her hands and told him. “Sit down, there is no need to be on edge.”

Palpatine did so but it didn’t ease his anxiousness. What did she do? Perhaps it was better he didn’t know.

Formidas leaned back and spoke. “So, it is my understanding that a guard of yours trespassed on my residence and was swiftly dealt with by my husband?” She remained calm and composed. “And apparently both of you are incapable of cleaning up your own mess? You’ve said yourself Girris’ family has been calling continuously. If you two could have staged a deadly accident rather than cutting of his head, perhaps things would be simpler!”

“Well, I’m not incapable—” Palpatine was interrupted.

She sighed deeply. “He promised me the next time he accepted an apprentice it would be one who could take care of themself. Must I do everything?” she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I thought my first lesson to you would be about how to sway a Noghri or how to make a deal with a band of Fiu pirates but no. It’s about cleaning up Bazaron’s messes.”

Palpatine squirmed uncomfortably. “Well, you can still teach me, can’t you?”

“Of course.” She paused, “At least you’re nothing like his last apprentice. A very unpleasant sort.” Palpatine perked up at that, but Formidas said nothing more. “Let us begin shall we.”

Palpatine nodded.

Formidas leaned on her forearms and asked him, “Tell me, Palpatine, what is the key to deceptiveness?”

Palpatine took a moment to consider. “Be sincere.” He continued, “Convince yourself as much as you can that you’re sincere. Then it appears believable.”

Formidas gave him an approving smile. “Good, Palpatine. You’re a natural born politician, aren’t you?”

“That’s what I’ve been told.” Palpatine told her curtly.

“Do you take it as a compliment?” Formidas raised an eyebrow. “Ah…well, anyway. All I wanted to say was…remember this. Always appear trustworthy. Appearances and mannerisms matter when it comes to trust. And you, Palpatine, if you play the game well, will make it far in life.”

“Thank you, Senator Formidas.”

Formidas glanced down at her HoloBand. “I would suggest you call Nuvan Girris’ family now.”

“Now?”

“Yes, of course, now.” Formidas insisted.

Palpatine sucked in a deep breath before he plugged his HoloBand into Formidas’ HoloGram Display. Palpatine glanced at Formidas and put on his best mournful face.

An older Mikkian woman flickered to life. “Ah, Ms. Girris, it is I, Youth Senator Palpatine. Your son was hired by my family to protect me.”

Ms. Girris waved it off. “Oh, yes, young Mr. Palpatine, I remember.” Her face creased in concern. “I’ve been calling my son continuously for the last few hours and he hasn’t responded. He’s alright, isn’t he?”

Palpatine let his face slacken, pretending to appear sorrowful, “I am afraid that is the very reason I am calling.”

Ms. Girris’ stared at him with bewilderment. “What do you mean?”

Palpatine exhaled deeply. “Ms. Girris, your son was a very noble and honorable, young man. Nuvan served me well and was a loyal protector.” He pretended to fiddle with his fingers with distress.

Ms. Girris stared at him. Tears brimmed in her eyes. She wiped them with the back of her hand. “W…was?”

“Ms. Girris, he died doing what he loved most, protecting and caring for others. The attack was unexpected. I tried everything in my power to save him, but I am afraid it wasn’t enough.” Palpatine’s eyes looked to the floor and then to her. “I am truly sorry.”

Ms. Girris was silent for a few moments. Her mind was far away, her eyes unfocused and her soul in disarray. “I…uh, I—thank you, for telling me.” She said quickly, the tears were about to spill from her eyes. “Who…who killed him?”

Palpatine made sure his fiddling fingers were seen on camera. “They came in the night…I’m not sure who, but he sacrificed himself to save me. I am forever grateful to your son, Ms. Girris.”

Ms. Girris stared at him for a few moments. “You don’t know? We should call the Coruscant police! Surely, they will find the perpetrators!”

She reached for something off screen. Palpatine told her calmly, “We needn’t call the police. The police here are a band of incompetent eccentrics. Anyway, droids are the main power in the force. Unfortunately, the droids aren’t effective either. No one truly respects them.” He paused, pretending to be struck with an idea. “I know a much more effective force.”

Ms. Girris furrowed her brows. “Well, my husband is in the Coruscant Security Force. He’s plenty capable and he’s an underworld cop. And I specialize in forensics. We’d be able to do it.”

“Yes, yes. I don’t doubt your ability, Ms. Girris.” He put up a finger. “However, I do have connections with the Jedi. Perhaps…you could put in a request for an investigation, and I would deliver it to them, safe and sound. How does that sound to you, Ms. Girris?”

Ms. Girris took a moment to consider his proposal. “I don’t know, Mr. Palpatine…”

Palpatine leaned forward and assured her. “Ms. Girris, my family and yours have been looking out for each other for a long time. Do you not trust me?”

Ms. Girris raised her eyebrows and appeared taken aback. “No, no, of course, Mr. Palpatine. Of course…yes, I’ll do that. The Jedi I am sure will be more thorough than I or my husband could ever be.”

Palpatine let a smile cross his face. “Yes, transmit the HoloGram and I will deliver it as soon as possible.” He leaned back in his chair and Ms. Girris signed off.

Formidas raised an eyebrow at him. “So far, so good?”

“Indeed.”

A few minutes later, Ms. Girris’ face flickered up in the HoloGram and a minuscule chip was transmitted to a HoloNet fax machine in Senator Formidas’ office. A grateful yet sorrowful smile dawned on Ms. Girris’ face. “Thank you, Mr. Palpatine. You are such a thoughtful young man.”

Palpatine smiled warmly. “I am simply a concerned citizen and friend, Ms. Girris.” He held up the chip. “You needn’t worry, the Jedi will surely discover who attacked Girris and I.” he wrapped up the conversation. “Until Mairda’s wedding I suppose, Ms. Girris.”

Ms. Girris nodded and signed off.

Palpatine stood up, and cleanly snapped the chip in two. He wretched open a small garbage chute built into the wall and threw the broken chip into it. The sound of the chip’s pieces clunking into the walls of the chute resonated in the room until it finally came to rest at the bottom.

It would become one with the many papers and chips entailing secrets that would never be told. A dispensary droid would come to pick up all the trash, all the confidential documents in a few hours and it would all be smashed into bits.

Palpatine took a deep breath as he sat down. He straightened his ceremonial shirt. “Did I do well?” he asked Formidas who had been watching the encounter.

Continued underneath...

[darth-prequelist]

HTBAGE - Chapter 20 "The Lost Nineteen"

A little peek into Palpatine's life as a Youth Senator. He is taking a class of "Sith Mythology" with his best friend, Jaxious Formidas (if one could call him that) and with his rival, Kidria Ovirelt.

(There are so little Palpatine gifs)

Despite memorizing the layout of the Youth Senator Ship Academy Complex, Palpatine still found it a bewildering place to be in. Jaxious guided him along as they had similar schedules.

His classes currently were: Public Administration, International Relations, Political Science, Economics, Leadership & Ethics, History of the Galactic Republic, Diversity & Equality, Power & Corruption, HoloNet/Media Literacy, four language classes, and of course, Sith Mythology. Today, he only had seven classes.

Diversity & Equality was by far his least favorite. It was a class required to be taken by sectors with either different species or a planet divided by different cultures. All in all, it meant that Palpatine had to speak in excruciating detail with the Youth Gungan Representative, Moran Lamro. No matter how many problems the Naboo and the Gungans had with each other it did not compare to half of the other systems in that class. Two fist fights broke out within minutes of the class beginning and it ended with a teacher holding an icepack on two of his twelve eyes.

Yes, it was quite the morning. Palpatine’s face hurt from the strain of wearing a wide smile all through it. He had a terrible headache from the traumatic encounter. At least in Public Administration he was able to calm down by having a screaming match with Ovirelt.

Palpatine and Jaxious sat towards the back of the lecture hall. The hall was more crowded than he had anticipated. Practically all of the seats were full. The hall also was incredibly dim, the shades on the windows drawn close, and it had a chilly air to it.

There was a small disorderly desk at the front, a HoloBoard set against the wall, and bookshelves lining the walls in an unorganized fashion.

“So, this is the Sith Mythology lecture hall?” Palpatine remarked. “What was the reason this is a class?” he asked Jaxious.

Jaxious shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe she’ll tell us.” Palpatine turned to see an Arkanian woman entered the room. The Arkanian had colorless hair, solid white eyes, and clawed four fingered hands. Her face was drawn into a grim expression and her stride had a certain aloof quality.

Palpatine had the Diversity & Equality class only ten minutes ago, but he already felt on edge with the Arkanian in the room. The Arkanians were known to be reserved but one couldn’t help but hear those terrible rumors about them. Tales of mad Arkanian scientists and unspeakable experiments, especially ones with cloning occurring on their home world for the sake of knowledge.

Palpatine leaned his head towards Jaxious slightly and spoke quietly. “Is that the apostate Jedi Master?”

“Yes.” Jaxious whispered back.

The Arkanian dropped a pile of dusty books on her desk and placed a small green box atop the pile. She snatched up a HoloPen and scrawled her name in the top left corner of the HoloBoard in faint blue glowing letters.

“I will be your Sith Mythology teacher for this semester.” The Arkanian drew away from the HoloBoard and faced the audience. “My name is Ms. Murda.”

The Arkanian glanced at a mindless Bothan who was scrolling on his HoloPad in the first row. The Arkanian sniffed indignantly. She outstretched her arm, an invisible Force wretched the HoloPad from his hand and flew into hers.

“Hey!” the Bothan protested.

Ms. Murda went on with a frostiness in her voice. “I have a strict no HoloNet devices policy. If you are discovered using such devices, I will confiscate them, and you will be not able to retrieve them until the school day ends. No exceptions.” The Bothan was about to speak but Ms. Murda cut him off. “I said…no exceptions.”

The Bothan huffed and crossed his arms. Palpatine heard his fellow classmate grumble and complain quietly to each other. Unlike many of his classmates including Jaxious, Palpatine did not shut off his HoloBand.

Ms. Murda wrote on the HoloBoard: Sith Mythology then underlined the words with a flourish. She tapped the course name with her HoloPen as she spoke. “The Sith have fascinated scholars and scientists and all sorts for generations. No doubt most of you are here for that reason as well. But…this isn’t a course meant to satisfy fascination, I am afraid. It is a warning…”

“The Sith are the evilest of the evilest. The ones who brought the galaxy more tragedy and woe than any other. They are the rawest beings of the world. They are the core of evil and therefore, are the fundamentals of wickedness.”

Ms. Murda sighed deeply. “That is the very reason I teach you this course. Politics is the birthplace of corruption and dishonesty. It is an evil that we are hoping to rectify, so therefore to rectify evil we must first understand it. And to understand evil, we must understand the Sith.”

Palpatine tried to restrain his laughter. It was frankly hilarious to watch. He was a Sith, well, since eight hours ago. He had a feeling this class was going to be pointless. After all, Plagueis was going to teach him all about the Sith…eventually.

And who is to say the Sith are evil? Using anger as power is a tool. Using one’s emotions as a tool is not evil. Is it?

Someone was rapping the classroom door with their sharp knuckles. Ms. Murda sighed before wrenching the door open. “Hi, Ms. Murda. Sorry I’m late.” Ovirelt stood there in her ostentatious grandeur.

This will…be humorous. Well, mostly because this teacher was renowned for her strictness. At least from what he had heard and seen thus far.

Ms. Murda glanced down at Ovirelt’s necklace which had her House symbol engraved upon it. “Aren’t you Kidria Ovirelt? Kiltas Ovirelt’s daughter? You’ve grown quite a bit.” Ovirelt nodded. “Hmm…well, come on in. Next class if you arrive late there will be consequences.”

Ovirelt beamed at her. “Thank you, Ms. Murda.”

What? This is absurd! She should’ve been penalized!

Ovirelt climbed the stairs and was getting uncomfortably close to Palpatine’s aisle. Palpatine hoped she would turn into an aisle lower down, but she reached his aisle then entered. Ugh…

Ovirelt sat down next to Jaxious. Palpatine was on Jaxious’ other side. Jaxious greeted Ovirelt. “Uh…hi, Kidria.”

“Hello Jaxious.” Ovirelt purred. She threw Palpatine a dirty look. “I see you’re still associating yourself with this failure of a human being.”

“Always a pleasure, Ovirelt.” Palpatine told her wryly.

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