32 BBY – Coruscant, Lower Levels
Darkness was thick in the undercity. Not the poetic kind—true darkness, the kind bred from rust, rot, and forgotten lives. Somewhere far above, Coruscant gleamed like a cathedral of power, but here, the Force simmered like a wound.
And Gareth now Palpatine was home.
The boy knelt before him. Red skin. Zabrak horns. Golden eyes aflame with devotion.
"Darth Maul," he said, his voice soft and smooth, "do you know why I brought you here?"
Maul bowed lower. "To test me, Master."
"No," Palpatine replied, walking slowly around him. "Tests are for students. You are not a student. You are a weapon. A blade I am sharpening to cut through the galaxy's illusions."
He let silence sit for a moment, watching the way Maul's fingers twitched for a saber that wasn't yet drawn. The boy was fury and precision, crafted through years of torment, but there was still something left inside him—loyalty.
That would have to be burned out in time.
"You've trained for years in secret," Palpatine continued, "but your purpose is not to serve me. It is to serve balance. Balance that only I define. Not the Jedi's. Not the Sith's. Mine."
Maul raised his head slightly. His lips moved, uncertain. "You… speak differently than before."
Palpatine smiled faintly. "Because I see the galaxy more clearly now. Do not mistake it for weakness. I have shed illusions of freedom, of morality, of destiny. I am power, and power obeys only itself."
He placed a hand on Maul's head, like a blessing.
"Your training is not complete. But soon, you will kill in my name. You will be the signal that war is coming."
Same Night – Galactic Senate Tower, Private Chamber
Senator Palpatine returned to the upper city with robes clean, posture relaxed, and a smile crafted with surgical precision.
The galaxy adored his grace. The Senate admired his tact. But behind the warmth of his Naboo accent lay a blade of infinite sharpness.
He poured himself a glass of lum and tapped a button on his comm panel. A blue hologram flickered to life: three Neimoidian figures. Cowardly. Greedy. Easily led.
"Ah, Viceroy Gunray," Palpatine said with silken delight. "I trust the council's vote went as I predicted?"
Gunray bowed, eyes twitching. "Yes, yes, Senator. I have been named the new Viceroy of the Trade Federation. Your… guidance was most valuable."
Palpatine's eyes narrowed just slightly.
"And now, Viceroy, you will repay that value. We will begin the next phase."
Gunray blinked nervously. "Phase?"
"You will apply pressure to the Senate through legal means tariffs, trade routes, disputes. But when the time comes, you will blockade a planet of my choosing. Do not worry. You will have cover. And in return… the Republic will be forced to show its fractures."
Gunray stammered. "A blockade? But the Jedi "
"I will handle the Jedi."
He leaned forward into the light.
"You need only follow orders. And in time, Viceroy, you will be wealthy enough to retire before the storm breaks."
Gunray hesitated. "And… if I refuse?"
Palpatine's smile deepened, but it no longer reached his eyes.
"Then I will name a new Viceroy. Perhaps one less... imaginative."
The call ended. Palpatine stood in silence for a moment, letting the city's hum return.
He did not enjoy threats. They were clumsy. But sometimes, clarity required fear.
Later That Night – Meditation Chamber
The chamber was dark and still. No lights. No sounds.
Palpatine knelt on the floor, his hands resting on his knees, eyes closed. The Force swirled around him—violent, volatile, beautiful.
He reached deep. Not to commune. Not to beg. But to command.
Visions came.
Jedi temples burning. A child with golden eyes standing above ashes. A mechanical mask breathing in the dark.
And beyond all of it, a shadow… watching.
Plagueis.
He felt the old monster's presence, faint and distant, but curious. Watching from the dark like a spider in its web.
Not yet, old one, Palpatine thought. Let me show you what real mastery looks like.
He opened his eyes.
"Clone Wars. Jedi extinction. A Galactic Empire," he whispered. "Yes… they must happen. But not to serve prophecy. Not for chaos or vengeance. They will happen because I will them into being."
The Force stirred.
Not in resistance.
In obedience.