Chapter Two
"I am sorry to intrude, Your Majesty, but when I heard of your little conference, I couldn't help but come and listen. It seems to me," He began to walk forward, his swagger slow but meaningful. "that you have a bit of a situation on your hands."
Bliss' chin raised slightly. "A situation, you say? Well, do tell...Emperor." She slowly sat down, indicating that whatever he had to say would bore her. Bliss smiled when she saw the grimness wash over his face. It worked. "You may proceed."
The Emperor licked his lips and then proceeded to speak again. "Your Senators support you in your decision to go against me. They trust you."
"As they should. They have trusted me for 12 years. Why stop now?"
"That, I do not know. Why don't you ask the ones...who don't."
"What?"
Senator Cho stood slowly. "He is right Your Majesty. Some of us oppose the idea of going against The Emperor. Some of us want to live while you seem to have suicide on your mind."
Bliss watched as at least 30 men and women stood. With more than half against her, her decision to go against The Emperor was going to be harder. It wasn't impossible; she was still Queen. But without the backing of her Senate, it could create more chaos and animosity between her and the people. Her brows furrowed as she was still; stone still. She couldn't believe it. Those who stood were her allies. Her friends. She was loyal to them and thought them to be loyal to her. How could they betray her like this? They were afraid. It was in their eyes. Fear. The Emperor put fear into them, washing out everything they had stood for. Her people were known to be fearless. But right now, the fear was so thick in the room, she would need a lightsaber of her own to cut through it. Very well. Then so be it. However, she wasn't going down without a fight.
Killiam tapped Bliss on her shoulder as he whispered in her ear. "What are we to do Your Highness?"
"Yes...what are you going to do?" The Emperor reiterated, his Stormtroopers falling in behind him.
Vader sat in the Throne room of his starter-ship, The Obsidian. He watched the whole incident in the Conference room via a power-cervision he conjured with the force. No other person could do this but then again, Vader wasn't any other person. The cervision allowed him to telepathically see anything he wanted within a reasonable distance. Some would call it spying but he called it...okay, so it was spying.
Vader's eyes narrowed on the Queen. Uriedor wasn't like Naboo, so she didn't wear the powdered make-up. He was able to see her face. And to see how beautiful she had become. He came to know her as Bliss when he first his Jedi training. The other padawans didn't care for him and he didn't care for them either. Bliss, besides Obi Wan, was the only person he could call a friend. Unlike Obi Wan, she wasn't a teacher. She was a confidant. Yes, she was younger than he was, but age didn't matter. He had fun playing games with her. He remembered even trusting her with the secret of his affection for Padme. Bliss never told anybody. Not even about Padme's pregnancy. Padme had once told him that her pregnancy was a little easier because she was able to talk about woman things with Bliss.
Vader's brow raised.
Padme had been missing for years; Yoda and Obi-Wan having hid her and their, children, in a place that even Vader wouldn't be able to find her let alone connect with her. But maybe...
Maybe Bliss knew where she was. Padme wasn't the type to cut herself off from everyone. She wouldn't be able to handle the isolation. He smiled.
All he wanted was his children. To hell with Padme. She'd made her choice. She made it clear, on Mustafar, that she couldn't support his decision on turning to the dark side and allying with The Emperor. Then he saw Obi Wan coming out of her ship. He could have killed her then. He wanted to, but for the sake of his child...children...he let her live. He fought Obi Wan on Mustafar but he got away. Anakin was only slightly injured as Obi Wan cut off his mechanical arm. Luckily, he was able to get a new one. A better one. He tried contacting Padme afterwards but she was no where to be found. Rumor had it that he had murdered Padme and Obi Wan in a rage and threw their bodies into the fiery depths of the planet.
It couldn't be more farther from the truth!
But when he does find Padme, he will make sure the falsities that have almost slandered his name become true.
He will kill her.
And he needed Bliss to help him.
His cloak billowed upward and around his feet as Darth Vader made his way to see The Emperor. He led the Stormtroopers to siege the traitor-citizens and declare victory upon the earth. The Emperor had set death upon Bliss and her handmaidens but Vader was going to stop it. He was going to convince The Emperor to let him keep Bliss as his prisoner. Then he could manipulate her into telling him where Padme was so that he could set out on his revenge and get his children back.
The door lifted open and Anakin walked in the Observance chamber where his Master was stationed. He knelt down on one knee, bending his neck. "My Master."
"Ah, Vader." His chair turned so that he could be face his most prized pupil. "And to what do I owe this honor?"
"I wish to speak with you, my Master."
"Rise....and speak Lord Vader."
Vader rose diligently, his posture straight and tall. "I wish Bliss Lazarus' execution to be put on hold."
"What?" The Emperor said with a scowl. "Oh what grounds?"
"On the grounds of her possible knowledge of Senator Amidala and Yoda, Obi Wan Kenobi's whereabouts."
"And you think...this girl knows where they are?" He paused for a few moments, getting his answer. "You are positive aren't you Lord Vader?"
Vader nodded. "Yes, my Master. The Senator and the Queen are allies. They are closer than sisters could ever be. I know for a fact that the Senator cannot isolate herself from that of humanity. She would go insane."
"And you feel she has kept in contact with Queen Aecara?"
"Yes, my Master. That is why I wish her execution be halted. Leave the Queen to me. I will keep her as my prisoner and get the information that I want. We get that information, we find where Senator Amidala is. And the Senator shall lead us to Obi Wan and Yoda. Finally we can kill them and the last of the Jedi will be destroyed. And I will have my children. I can raise them under the guidance of the dark side. They will become great assets to the Empire and a threat to any rebels and traitors."
The Emperor laughed, clapping his hands against each other once. This was good. This was very, very good. "No wonder I chose you to stand beside me Lord Vader."
"I am honored to stand beside you my Master."
"I know you are." He stood, walking to his pupil. "You have always been like a son to me Lord Vader. I know that I can always...always...trust you." He smiled. "Now, go. Tend to your prisoner."
Vader bowed again and stood. "Yes my Master." Turning, he walked out of the Observance room with a smile of victory on his face. His plan was intact. Now, all he had to do was see that it was carried out to the very end. He will find Padme and Obi Wan. He will have his children.
And once and for all...he was going to settle this.
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