Chapter 22: Confession
Thinking about her embassy room and this grand hall, she couldn't help but nod slightly, “I haven't seen much, but it's nice.”
The Admiral nodded and elaborated, “You could say it is a trait of your bloodline to admire things of beauty. If you have the time, I recommend traveling to Naboo and visiting your ancestral home. Its collection of art is truly splendid.” Rey shivered at this, realizing the man was talking about the House of Palpatine; she avoided eye contact, feeling irritated. Primidian sighed, adding, “Your ancestors don't define you, but it's foolish to believe you can fully sever yourself from them.”
Rey pondered this but felt irritated and even a little frightened. She asked in a small voice, “The Emperor, am I like him.”
Primidian's eyes grew surprised, then soft; he spoke in a caring tone, “You are in some ways. You have his drive and his passion. You both have a similar ambition and... A willingness to take risks.” After considering, he added, “And a similar thirst for knowledge.” At this point, he nodded to himself before finalizing, “Yes, you are like him, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing.”
Rey considered this and nodded, feeling weary. She had never wanted to be a Palpatine but couldn't escape her blood. After a moment of silence, she grumbled, “You said you would tell me more about my parents.”
The Admiral nodded happily at this, “Of course…” He closed his eyes with a happy, reminiscent expression for a few seconds. After this, he spoke, “Well, I'll start near the beginning. Your parents were childhood sweethearts. They grew up in close contact and went to the Imperial Academy together. Your mother’s status was a bit lacking, but the son of the Emperor wanted his friend at school, so he got it. The Emperor was not a very good father material and would only check on your father, Cain, a couple of times a year. Rather, he was raised by his relatives. Sadly, they viewed him more as a political tool than a boy, so he did not care for them much. On the other hand, your mother, Samantha, was smothered with affection, and her parents did a great deal of raising for your father. After graduating, the Emperor felt Cain was an eyesore and sent him to exile with my fleet, and a few strings were pulled so Samantha could come with.”
During this talk, the current song stopped, and dance partners separated. Rey was too engulfed in the story to notice until a woman's voice called, “Rey dearest, come with me.” The Jedi turned and found Minerva walking over smoothly. Once united, the woman interlocked their arms gently but tightened her grip so the girl could not escape. Looking at Primidian, she smiled and chimed, “I hope you don’t mind us leaving early. Rey just got in last night, and there's too much she needs to get caught up on.”
The Jedi felt reluctant for a moment, wanting to hear more of the man’s story, but quickly returned to her senses. Primidian smiled and shook his head slightly, “Not of all, there are truly too many preparations that still need to be made.” He slightly bowed and added, “I hope the two ladies will have a productive day.”
Minerva smiled and curtsied back, “And you as well.”
Rey awkwardly bowed, unsure of what gesture to demonstrate her courtesy. Before she could get any other words out, the Vice-Chancellor led her away as they quickly made their way towards a side exit. No one interested them as they left this time, though Rey couldn’t help but wonder what the Admiral had in store for her. The script she read discussed speeches and key events, but this still left many gasps in her schedule. At the same time, she was worried about how Minerva would take the upcoming news.
Once outside the ballroom, the woman let out a deep sigh of relief and blurt, “Thank goodness we got out of there; that man terrifies me.”
Rey looked over and started to hear Minerva could actually be intimidated. Concerned, she asked, “Was the Chancellor that bad.”
The vice-chancellor blinked at Rey and responded, “Oh no, Marcus is a sweetheart when you get to know him. I’m talking about the Admiral.”
The Jedi blinked likewise started and repeated, “The Admiral is scary.”
Minerva shivered slightly and nodded, “Absolutely, you don’t know, dear. That man is the boogieman of galactic politics. No one knows the depth of his connections or influence. The rumor is even the Emperor couldn’t do anything about him and could only banish him to the Unkown Region.”
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Rey swallowed at this, realizing she might have gotten into deep trouble. Hesitantly, she asked, “But he does want peace, doesn’t he.”
Minerva nodded adamantly, “Certainly, more so than anyone…” Looking tired and conflicted, she added, “I’m just frightened by the lengths he’s willing to go to achieve it.” The two women fell into silence, only disturbed by the ambient music from the ballroom.
The Jedi felt nervous as they moved towards the exit; she finally mustered her courage and said, “Minvera, I have something to tell you.”
The vice-chancellor looked at her companion and grew nervous, singing how pale she was, “Oh my, it’s not that serious... Is it?”
Rey’s complexion grew even more complicated, mixed between nervous, frightened, and ashamed. She only managed to nod and add, “We’ll have to be someplace private.”
The old woman was naturally aware that the term private had long become a code name for a location without any prying eyes or potential spies. From experience, she also knew Rey had a terrible poker face and could judge the severity of the news by the severity of the Jedi's exasperation. Like so she could tell the news she was going to be presented as something of incredible significance. Protective instance overcame the woman as she put an arm around Rey, responding, “Of course, dear, don’t worry about a thing. Well, work it out together.”
Rey smiled weakly at this and nodded, though inside grew even more ashamed for not confessing sooner. She was worried her choice in allying with the Admiral was shellfish and unknowingly supporting a radical movement beyond her understanding. On top of this, from what Minerva had informed her, she was also frightened that this Admiral may not be so accepting of her wanting to back out as he had let on. Unknowingly, she had wandered into a political abyss where one false move could spell war through the Galaxy.
The two quickly arrived at a transport in which Minerva gave a unique wave, resulting in guards leaving and the windows being sealed. On top of this, I retrieved a small cube-shaped device from the cabin and placed it on the floor. A red light lit up on its own and began to release a quiet buzzing. Only after a few more seconds did Minerva nod and turn back to the young Jedi, speaking softly, “We're safe, dear, go on.”
Rey nodded, mustering her courage, and began, “The Admiral wants me to work with him during the peace talks…” She hesitated before adding, “And I agreed.”
Minerva's expression grew dark as gears turned in her head at astounding speed. After a moment, she commented: “Isn’t it not like you to make such a rash decision? You only just met.”
Rey avoided eye contact and sheepishly informed the vice-chancellor, “I met him before.”
In a sudden burst of extreme anger that caused Rey to recoil, the usually sage-like woman began cursing, “ That stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder! I told him to leave you alone.” Her eyes blistering with anger, they seemed to pice space back towards the ballroom they had just left. She recollected her composer, but anger was still present in her voice, “What did that old bastard promise you?”
Shocked, Rey blurts, “How did you…”
The Jedi was cut off as Minerva stayed a step ahead of her, “Because that’s how he always gets you. First, he gets you off guard. Next, he entices your curiosity and finishes with an offer you can’t refuse.” The woman stopped raising an eyebrow, to which Rey nodded in agreement. Following this exchange, the vice-chancellor inquired once more, “So how much did he put on the table.”
Rey was silent momentarily, collecting her calm, and responded defeatedly, “Pretty much everything. Jedi archives. Temple locations. A list of Force-Sensitive bloodlines.” Realizing she had fallen into a masterfully prepared trap, the Jedi felt more guilty than ever. With her voice growing weaker, she finished, “Everything I need to rebuild the Jedi Order.”
Minerva took in this information with a calculating gaze, then let out a deep sigh. Her anger transformed into happiness and pride, “Great job, truly excellent. That old fox values those old relics more than his own life. I’ll love to see him cough it all up.”
The Jedi blinked, astounded, and blurt, “What? Isn’t this bad? Didn’t I mess up?”
At this point, Minerva looked much more relaxed and shook her head, “Oh dear, you were played like a fiddle, but luckily, it was Primidian and not someone else.” Her eyes then grew serious once more, and asked, “Now, what was his price.” Rey again looked momentarily surprised before the older woman added with a surprisingly weary expression, “When you deal with that man, there is always a price.”
The Jedi could feel the woman was speaking from personal experience and swallowed. She managed, “He wants me to apologize publicly for…” She hesitated to try to find the right words but gave up and finished bluntly, “Blowing up stuff and then announce publicly the Emperor was not reborn. It was all Snoke's lies.” She hesitated and finished, “He also wants the Jedi to retire from Galactic politics after the peace talks.”
Minerva released an even deeper sigh of relief, “Oh, thank goodness if that's all we can manage.”
Rey blinked and couldn’t help but ask, “This really isn’t a bad thing.”
The vice-chancellor shook her head earnestly, “I had hoped to protect you from the political battlefield as much as possible, but it seems to no longer be in my hands.” Her eyes glistened angrily, but quickly continued, “Rather, I should congratulate you, dear…” She reached over, took the Jedi's hands, and finished, “Welcome to the Peace Seekers Alliance.”