Riyo. She would start with Riyo. Oh, Padme would definitely get around to Mon eventually… the other woman was far too much of an idealist to leave out in the cold. But Riyo Chuchi represented an opportunity to refine Padme's approach and that… that couldn't be passed up.
As soon as she's sitting behind her desk, Padme shoots off a message asking the Pantoran Senator if she would like to meet for a cup of caf sometime. She's not surprised whatsoever when she gets an extremely affirmative response back in mere moments, likely from the young Pantoran herself.
They hammer out the details over a few more messages and with that, Padme has the date saved in her calendar. Ah, but even as she does so, an idea comes to mind and the Nabooian Senator reaches out and presses a specific comms button.
"Sabe, would you come in here please?"
Just a few moments later, the door to Padme's office hisses open and one of her oldest friends and most trusted subordinates steps into the room. It's been years at this point since Sabe played the role of handmaiden and body double, so they don't look quite as similar as they did when they were younger, but the other Naboo woman is still quite beautiful.
Padme leans back in her chair and lets her eyes roam up and down Sabe's form for a moment as her former handmaiden and now critical part of her security comes to a stop on the other side of her desk. Sabe, of course, doesn't fail to notice the lustful intent behind Padme's gaze, her cheeks flushing even as she stands a little straighter.
"You called, Senator?"
Once upon a time… Sabe had been her first in every way that counted. The only way in which she hadn't was that she wasn't a man, so she couldn't be Padme's first male lover. Even still, the two young women had shared everything with one another and explored each other in a way that Padme hadn't with any of her other handmaidens.
However… years and years ago now, Padme had driven Sabe away. Not physically of course, but emotionally and romantically. She'd come to realize that Sidious would only use Sabe against her given half the chance, so she'd done her damnedest to hide just how close they were, treating Sabe like just another subordinate… another tool.
Now though, Padme knew how foolish her younger self had been to think she was capable of hiding anything from her Sith Master. He'd known… he'd always known. His ability to read her deepest, most private of thoughts while she was in his presence meant that Padme hadn't been nearly as subtle as she thought. Not about her rebellious desire to eventually lay Sidious low… nor about her love for her former handmaiden.
Of course, her love for Anakin, now Vader, entirely eclipsed her love for Sabe. That would not and could not change. But… perhaps they could still make something work.
"I've missed you, Sabe."
The other woman's eyes widen at the admission, her lips parting but no words coming out. She understands full well what Padme is saying, but she doesn't know where to even begin with her response. That's alright, Padme has always been the one to take charge in their relationship.
Rising from her chair, circling around her desk until they're mere inches apart, Padme smiles as she takes Sabe's hands in her own.
"My husband and I have had an… open conversation about our boundaries."
Sabe knows, of course, about Padme and Anakin. She was there on Naboo at their wedding, in fact. She knows a lot of Padme's secrets, though not all of them. She doesn't know about Sidious. And now she doesn't know about Vader. But…
"He knows how close you and I have always been. That's why he doesn't mind… if it's you."
Her former handmaiden looks hunted… but also deliriously hopeful. As expected, really. Their love for one another had always been… lopsided. Padme had been trained in manipulation and domination and control from an early age by Sidious. Sabe hadn't.
Even if she had truly had feelings for her handmaiden, Padme had still instinctively and forcefully controlled their entire relationship from start to finish. Sabe, who had turned out to be naturally submissive, had enjoyed every last bit of it… save for the fact that it had ended.
Of course, eventually Padme would be pushing the boundaries she was establishing right now. Sabe would no doubt learn that it wasn't just her Vader was 'okay' with once Padme began seducing and dominating female Senators left and right. Still, so long as she navigated things correctly, it would be fine. And in the end, she would present Sabe to her husband, perhaps in old garb, with their makeup done so that they looked identical to one another yet again. Mm, wouldn't that be fun?
Padme lets a coy smile grace her features as she reaches up and caresses Sabe's face.
"I'm sorry for abandoning what we had before, my dear Sabe. Can you forgive me?"
At the direct question, Sabe finally finds her voice.
"Y-Yes! Yes, o-of course… my Mistress~"
A sigh leaves Padme's lips as Sabe falls right back into their old routine. Good… perfect, really. Placing a hand on the former handmaiden's shoulder, Padme gently but firmly pushes… and Sabe drops to her knees without a whisper of a complaint, fingers already moving towards Padme's dress.
As her loyal servant gets to work, Padme leans back against the front of her desk. After a moment, she lifts one of her legs up in a show of dexterity to give Sabe better access as she curls a hand through the other Nabooian woman's hair.
They wouldn't have to hide much longer. Together, she and Vader were going to destroy Sidious and his plans once and for all. But of course, they were going to need all the help they could get~
-x-X-x-
"You will keep the signal at Rishi Station active at all costs. The Republic must not know about our approach!"
"Roger, Roger!"
The transmission cuts out a moment later, leaving General Grievous feeling... satisfaction. The cyborg didn't feel such emotions as happiness or cheer anymore, but he could still be content. He could still be… satiated in some ways.
This, knowing that they were proceeding as planned and well on their way to successfully crippling the Galactic Republic's ability to continue producing clones… that satiated him like nothing us.
"General, we're receiving a secure transmission from our agent on Kamino."
"Establish the connection."
"Roger, Roger."
A moment later and a hologram of a hooded woman appears on the bridge. Asajj Ventress dips her head in a polite and respectful greeting before looking him right in the eye.
"I have finished preparing for your invasion, General."
She was the Count's plaything and technically only on loan to him. Even still, the woman had proven… useful so far.
"Excellent. Our fleet approaches the system now and remains undetected. We are almost at the rendezvous point."
"Very good, General. I will await your arrival."
Feeling vindication course through his being, General Grievous chuckles darkly.
"Yes… the complete and utter destruction of Kamino will stop their clone production for good."
And then what would the Republic do? What would the Jedi do? Grievous could hardly wait to find out.
The transmission with Ventress ends after that, and the Cyborg General is left to hurry up and wait. That is until one of the droids on his bridge suddenly looks up, its tone sounding… confused?
"Sir, I'm detecting an unknown lifeform approaching the bridge."
What? An unknown lifeform? On his ship? Impossible.
"Show me."
A moment later and a visual comes up, revealing a figure cloaked in black striding confidently down the corridor. Grievous' eyes narrow into confused slits as he regards the sight.
"… How did they get onboard?"
"That's the thing, General… we don't know. They only appeared on our sensors a few seconds ago about two hundred feet from the bridge. Until then, it was like they weren't there at all."
Ridiculous. And yet… it sounded like the sort of thing a Jedi might be able to do. Their powers could sometimes be incredibly varied, something that Grievous had learned through trial and error as he'd engaged in his favored pastime of killing Jedi and collecting their lightsabers as trophies since the start of this war.
The only thing is, the being approaching the bridge does not look like a Jedi. They usually went for lighter colors. Brown at most. Not… black. That was more the purview of Count Dooku or Ventress in Grievous' experience. But he knows this isn't either of them so… what exactly is going on?
He only has a split second to decide whether to have his droids lock down the bridge or simply meet this interloper full on. But truth be told, a split second is all he needs. Locking down the bridge wouldn't block a Jedi forever… and Grievous isn't afraid of a single sapient being anyways, be they Jedi or not.
And so he strides forward, standing right in front of the bridge doors as they open up and admit his strange… guest. Their features hidden by the shadows of their hood, they step onto the bridge without a single iota of concern in their form. Stopping before him, they stand silently for a moment, forcing Grievous to fill the space.
"Who are you? How did you get aboard my ship?"
Reaching up, the cloaked figure grabs the edges of his hood with hands wearing black gloves… and pulls it back. General Grievous rears back in shock before snarling and unfolding to his full height while snapping his arms into sets of two. He immediately drawing his lightsabers, all four snapping to life with a hiss.
At the same time, the bridge comes alive with activity, battle droids reacting to the sight of Anakin Skywalker somehow in their midst by leveling their own weapons at him.
"Jedi!"
Grievous' snarl is met… with strange apathy as Anakin Skywalker looks up at him with golden yellow eyes.
"No. Not a Jedi."
Of course, the General doesn't believe that for a second. This was Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, somehow on his ship just as he was on the cusp of victory! Grievous lunges forward… only to find himself frozen in place as Skywalker lifts a hand and catches him with the Force.
Count Dooku himself had trained Grievous in the Jedi's saber arts. He'd fought against the Count innumerable times before being unleashed upon the Galaxy, all in the name of being able to go toe to toe with not just one Jedi, but several at a time.
Unfortunately, the one thing that the General could not mimic were the Jedi's Force Powers. However, most of them were weak whereas he was strong, his Cyborg Body reconstructed to withstand powerful attacks. He'd had Jedi push him away with the Force before, but he was uniquely suited for 'rolling with the punches' so to speak. Even Jedi Masters hadn't been a match for his slippery nature.
So then why… why does Anakin Skywalker merely have to hold up a hand in his direction and he just STOPS?! Grievous finds himself frozen, held in midair, every fiber of his being fighting against an ironclad hold that should have been IMPOSSIBLE. Even Count Dooku had never been able to do something so humiliating to him.
Of course, upon seeing their General in such a disadvantageous position, the droids on the bridge don't wait for orders, as well they shouldn't. They immediately begin to fire on Skywalker, blistering red blaster bolts flying towards the Jedi Knight from all directions and-
Grievous' eyes widen in disbelief as the Jedi's lightsaber flies into his hand, coming alive with a snap hiss. With just the single red blade, Anakin Skywalker proceeds to deflect and in fact reflect every single blaster bolt away from himself. He neither has to move nor dodge… nor so much as loosen his Force Grip on Grievous to do so either. He-
… Wait. Red lightsaber? Blinking, the General takes in the details of the situation a second time and recognizes something… strange about his enemy. Now to be fair, humans were like cockroaches. There were too many of them and they came in too many variations for Grievous to count.
But Skywalker's saber being red clues Grievous into the fact that his eyes being a golden yellow was… unnatural. In fact, Grievous had only seen similar yellow eyes… on Count Dooku himself. Just as he'd only seen a red saber in the hands of the Count or Ventress.
'Not a Jedi', Skywalker had called himself. Belatedly, with a snarl, Grievous speaks up.
"Hold your fire!"
Of course, by the time he does so… things are already a bit of a mess. Skywalker is completely unharmed though and looks vaguely amused of all things. Meanwhile… half of the bridge is destroyed and half of the droids have been reduced to scrap. Interestingly enough, nothing vital was lost on either end, however. All of the damage to the room is cosmetic… and the only droids that were torn apart by their own blaster fire being reflected right back to them were the guards.
The bridge crew, despite drawing their own weapons and firing upon Skywalker, had been left largely intact. Was that… courtesy?
Finally, Skywalker lets him down, releasing that steel-like grip on Grievous' body that so deeply unsettled him. His eyes still blazing a golden yellow, the red lightsaber still held at his side, the 'Not a Jedi' tilts his head and chuckles in amusement.
"Ready to talk, General?"
This… this was not the Anakin Skywalker that Grievous was used to. He wore the Jedi Knight's face, but everything else, from his presence on the ship to his attire to his saber… none of it made sense. Unless of course…
"You are Sith. Like Count Dooku and Ventress."
Skywalker tilts his head to the side and for some reason looks more amused than ever before…