Black Hole Sun

Xizor had his toiletries lined up very specifically so he could always find them. Woe unto the maid that touched them while straightening his massive refersher and his disgustingly vast tub in the Imperial compound.

"Hello there, Guri. Why don't we take a break from program input? I have a special task for you."

The beautiful woman walked into the bathroom "Yes, my lord.“ She put down the chips and software on the refresher counter top nearly shattering them on the granite, almost dunking them in water.

"Careful, we don't want to ruin your chips. You'll need those to learn how to be a good droid." Xizor deftly grabbed dove for one of the chips before it hit the sink.

To anyone merely looking at Guri she appeared to be a rather vacant blond creature with too easy of a smile, but underneath it all she was the sophisticated Human Replica Droid money could buy. But apparently even that was not impressive.

Xizor looked at his HRD. "I'm going to be in the refresher, then in my bath room. I want you to make sure that no one gets in here to bother me. It will only take a few hours."

"Yes,my lord," Guri nodded.

"I mean no one. The universe will not explode if I am removed from it this afternoon," Xizor said slowly.

"No one shall enter."

"Yes," Xizor responded, and he quickly amended his command. "And no killing. I may want to speak to them after my bath. Kindly refer to your protocol programming and find a way to extract them."

"Protocol only. Disarming offensive tactics. Engaging Protcol Sequence 513a..."

"You don't have repeat the name of your subprocesses. Most humans and aliens don't say what they are doing. You just kind of relax."

"I am sorry master. I will not say anything like that out loud." The droid bit her lip muttering her subprocesses under her breath.

"That's my good girl," he said, walking in the bath. The droid still worried him. Nine million credits and she could still only do the simplest of tasks. She was supposed to be an assassin droid, not a washroom attendant. He could only process data into her positronic net for so long before she needed a recharge. She must have slept 19 hours a day and still she took very little initiative and followed him about asking for his specific instructions, like a little girl trying to brown nose her teacher. At least she was not entirely inhuman now, but he hoped she would become more... sophisticated. He had thought she could be a equal companion, not some little tag along who fell asleep, eating computer data.

He had no time to think about it, because he was in desperate need of a good scratch.

A good scratch was something that to soft skinned humans could never truly appeciate. Their skin so soft and delicate as a flower petal, it peeled off if they spent time in the water. When Xizor was away from Falleen, though, he had a wretchedly harsh acid skin treatment that made life bearable.

He sat above the tub scrubbing at his scales, dry and miserable like little insect wings. It would be obscene to ask a droid to help him peel his skin flakes off. The Galax did not design their bathtubs deep enough. His head and face always stuck out of the top. Outside of his Coruscant mansion and the Faleen baths, he had to use other means, like a retrofitted swimming pool. In the sterile depths there were no lovely Orixon rocks to really peel off dead scales.

Xizor let the exfoliants sink into his parched skin, scraping his back against a rough metal pool grate and luxuriously scratching. He took out his strigil to scrape off the stubborn flakes. It was so still and quiet underwater. Normally he would allow himself the complete bliss of sensory deprivation. He slept underwater a few nights of the week, illuminated by the hot tub jet lights.

He opened his eyes to see nothing, but something told him to swim to the surface.

He scanned the dark. Nothing appeared. He looked around. He could feel something oppressive and large behind him.

"I'm covered in Beta Hydroxy acid Granules. If you touch me it will burn that slimy white epidermis of yours right off."

He felt a hand on his neck anyway, quickly extracted. "Are you trying to give me a chemical burn?"

Palaptine wouldn't sneak up on him twice in one night. "I'm shedding!" he yelled pissily. "I warned you. How did you get in here? Guri Please escort the Emperor out."

"She has fallen into sleep mode. How much was your investment again? Nine million credits is not that much."

"How dare you make fun of her? You know a few more hours of programming she will be the deadliest... bathroom towel holder in the new Empire. Oh well,“ izor had to snigger at himself. "What do you want?"

"You made an offer of your company, earlier." The emperor came to the edge of the tub.

Xizor tossed hius strigil away."I was flirting."

"I have brought my favorite new concubine. She couldn't exactly hold onto consciousness long after our rendezvous. While I was seeing that she was cared for properly in the Medical bay, I saw your lovely bath servant."

"Go away. I'm shedding." Xizor swum away the the far end of the tub "You just want me to baby sit your Lord Vader, because he's too weak minded to take care of himself. And he fights like an old man. You don't care how I feel.“

"How do you feel?"

Xizor struck at the place he percieved the man, but he seemed to flicker like a shadow and Xizor could not strike him down. He grasped his hand, and kissed the acidic palm with his chapped grey lips.

"Your hands are so powerful."

"Leave me alone."

"I am not asking." Palpatine gripped his naked shoulders. His burning lips were wet and pliant for Xizor's mouth.

When the Emperor had finished his obnoxiously tepid "/Claiming kiss/" Xizor wriggled free, groaning at his melodramatic banter. "You have to do better then that."

"I'm not asking again. I'm not asking... Xizor!"

"Stop begging." Xizor slipped under the surface of the water.

"Xizor, you will return to my arms. I want you here right now."

He tossed the pumice brick at Palpatine's face.

Palpatine knew he could count on his Xizor to make things more amusing.

He snapped his fingers and the retrofitted tub turned icy cold. The thermometer cracked under the random shift in temperature and icy frost formed around the edges of the water. Ice congealed at the tub became slushy.

Reptiles always took on the temperature of their environment quickly. No wonder the Faleen took so long to leave their planet. Xizor's breath was shaking from cold. It was cruel for a poor cold blooded little thing like Xizor but he was getting uppity and there was no way he could boil the water hot enough so that a Falleen would come out. Falleen loved scalding hot baths.

Xizor let out a little shocked gasp he swum out of the tub.

Xizor gave him a splash. "You bastard! You ruined my bath!" The reptilian was completely helpless when exposed to the cold.

"Come under my cloak. I'll warm you up." He looked sweetly and mischeviously at the young man.

Xizor hissed and spat. "Perverted old Monkey King. You go to hell. That cost 7.5 grand creds to get it that hot."

"You are becoming so uppity and obnoxious. I am you Lord and Sovereign."

"You are mean and you have miserably small penis." Xizor tried to rub himself warm.

Palpatine looked down at him, "If you speak to me with such insolence again, I will kill you and I will destroy your homeworld."

"All the Faleen will live underground until the danger is passed. How are you going to destroy a whole planet?"

"I working on that, you brat." Palpatine came closer. "In the mean time I will kill your family."

"Some of them are stupid. I don't care." Xizor pointed squarely at the Emperor

"I'll kill your parents." Palpatine said coldly."

The boy ejected out of the tub splashing "I'll Kill YOUR Parents."

"Xizor what are you talking about?" the Emperor asked him.

"I don't know," Xizor pouted. "Your nasty prank froze my brain."

"Xico. Come here."

The Prince nodded and rushed to his side. Palpatine held his icy hands, placing his cloak over Xizor's shoulders, patting his dark head.

"Why aren't you trying to warm me up?"

"I am." Antone Palpatine looked at him, confused, gripping his hand.

"You are cold and dry." He pressed his icy green hand. "I know you are trying, but there is something wrong." /with you./ He couldn't finish his sentence.

"You always had warm hands."

"I am old," Palpatine said to him, fingering the coarse hair in the braid of his topknot.

Xizor rested his head on his shoulder. "You do not have long to live."

"I am strong with the darkside Xizor. I will not die."

Xizor felt his eyes grow tired "There is a difference between living and not dying." He held the Emperor's hand. "You used to have such warm hands."

"You're getting cold, Xico-baba. Let's go in the bed and turn on the heating blanket and we will get all warn.."

"Aya papi." He closed his eyes as Palpatine put a hand on his thigh.

They kissed deeply and softly.

Xizor was male and could not fake the effect that this human had on him. It was not because he was the Emperor, either. No one made love like Antone Palpatine. He moved you like he was under your skin, like he was in your head. Your lust bent to him alone, and whatever you were doing, you were consumed with desire. It was not fair. It was not even believable. Xizor always collapsed in his arms, like the cheapest of Nar Shadaa whore, saying things and thinking things he should not have.

Palpatine dug his long black nails into his buttock Xizor let out a cry as his squealing mouth was furnished with more fierce teeth filled kisses.

"Are you going to hurt me?" Xizor asked.

"I won't hurt my pet." Palpatinebrushed his face. "How could I hurt someone so beautiful?"

************************
In three minutes of their first meeting Xizor had torn Palpatine's shirt and had him lying on the floor. This was all in a less then interesting fashion, after all Xizor nearly thought him dead and needed to take his carotid pulse.

The image of the day is always very clear.

He was quietly trailing behind, minding his place behind the Senator of Faleen, Princess Xarmen Nina, Her Royal Majesty, the Queen of Albia, Grand Duchess of the Holy Falleen Empire. Now that woman could dress well. Xarmen waved her hand. "Valorum, what Palpion whatever his name is. It doesn't matter to Faleen who is the Supreme Chancellor. It's not like Naboo would be spared war if there was another Surpeme Chancellor. They have holding off the inevitable, with those plasma mines."

The blonde human shook her head. Her name was Parthia, a talented fundraiser and a pillow biter from the Planet Pendaire. She was an adequate specimen of the human female, with long blond hair with a blue pin where she hid a secret camera (that everyone knew about). She had been Xizor's current for about two weeks and he would dump her later that evening

She was prattling on and on to make Xarmen feel guilty. Xizor wasn't really listening to the blue clad human either. His sister was looking lovely dressed in a rare color of shimmersilk known as fire blood, a deep tone that matched her dark eyes and auburn forelock. Xizor had picked up a bolt or two himself to make three formal robes and a train, but it looked strange offworld for brothers and sisters to wear the same outfit. So he was in black and wine colored red. The sky was cloudy and grey that week.

Parthia was talking about some far off skirmish of the Trade Guild (or Federation) as they strolled the corridors of the Galaxies most beautiful building. Suffering, hunger and deprivation was in another galaxy from them.

"But didn't you heard of poor Naboo, Prince Xizor." Parthia held his hand. „Oh, it makes me sad thinking of that planet. And those revolting Nemoidian Federation. I dated one. They are most terrible. I couldn't stand it if they came to my planet. Disgusting bug eyes."

Amoung all this chatter Senator Parthia was pressing Xarmen for a donation to help "The Naboo Relief fund." A likely fundraising scam to fund useless art projects on the Core Worlds while the Naboo langoured and starved in mud huts. Xizor still couldn't appear sceptical and donated too much.

"My Lady Parthia you have such a warm and giving, heart." Xizor pet her cheek. "I will wire you the money immediately from my private Alderaani account"

"Thank you, my dearest love."

Xarmen grumbled, "If you want to commit your Imperial dowry to helping a bunch of silly frog men to eat. I doubt mother will approve."

"My sister, it is only money."

As Lady Senator of Pendair worked to appropriate capital for her "charity fund". Xizor noticed a man out of the corner of his eye staring out the viewport window, into the swirling megaopolis.

A human, of considerably late middle age. Xizor paused watching him out of the corner of his eye, learning how not to stare at someone who completely captivated you.

This man was trying to catch his breath. His eyes rolling and swirling in a tense pattern as if bug were crawling up his body, or if mynocks had crawled up the surface of the building. Xizor tried to ignore his terrible eyes, and had to look away.

Xizor saw a glint of gold as they opened into teary slivers.

He walked to his sister's side as if seeking protection. He was always running to his nest maid's skirts when he was a waddler, and to his Mother's robes when he was a boy. Women were safety.

The man covered his face as if he had a terrible headache. Soon his legs gave way. He had fainted in the corridor clutching on the railing before the glass.

Xizor ran to his side. "Sir! Are you alright?" he yelled in Basic. The young falleen prince ran to his side "Sir, are you alright?" He touched his neck. Xarmen followed close behind.

The Faleen are cool headed in crisis and as many of the crowd stood in dumb wonder Xizor checked his life signs. "He's not breathing.“ The Falleen prince searched around "Someone call a medic. Hurry." Parthia ran quickly Lady Xarmen staved off the observers.

The Prince crawled over him and placed his mouth against his letting out a single puff.

"He isn't breathing!" Parthia squawled. "What will we do? He is dead!"

Xizor was on his third puff before Xarmen in a very cultured drawl told the human nuisance to shut her mouth

On the sixth breath Xizor felt the mans lips pucker and close against his mouth. He puffed oxygen into his lungs.

His eyes opened as he woke. "Oh good you breath oxygen. For a second I feared you were a nitrous breathing alien."

Xizor took in a deep breath himself

"I feel dizzy." The man said.

"Oh my heavens. Prince SHI SHOR, you are a hero!" An alien in the crowd shouted. Soon the audience applauded his heroics. He had probably saved the humans life. Before anyone would realize it the handsome young Falleen prince would have his his own coterie of starry-eyed admirers. Xizor had always been attractive and charming and as it turned out rather brave when things became dangerous. Xarmen took Parhia away, allowing her young brother 'a moment in the noonsun' as the Falleen said with a smile on her face.

*************

On the couch of one of the private lounges the senate building. The human rested with a glass of warm water.

"There is no need for you to go to all this trouble," he said softly. His voice was lovely, with a slippery and playful quality to it.

"Nonsense, Human. We are obliged to help a being in distress," Princess Xarmen said, a picture of grace and perfect beauty, so different from her icy core.

"When I was young I used to faint under extreme duress. But usually only when I was interesting in dating and- about to talk to a beautiful ...." He looked at him while Xizor removed his glass "Xico? Thank you, Xico was it?"

The boy turned a little yellow "It is Xizor. Not Shishure like Mas Amedda mispronounces it. Zhi zjore. Xi- zor."

"I think I like Xico better." Palpatine said.

"Ai Xarmen why do you always call me my nickname in front of Galax?" Xizor said to his sister. "Half of the senate think my name is Hatchling or baby or pet," the long suffering young man lamented.

"Galax?"

The Princess took a long drink so Xizor would have to explain.

"It's a not nice word for aliens. Galactic alien." Xizor said.

Palpatine let out a pleasant good natured laugh. "Then I must call you Xico. There is no other remedy, my beautiful young friend. Are you of the Imperial line as well?"

Xarmen corrected him with a laugh. "Nonono. Prince Xizor is my mother's, basic says, bastard."

"Excuse me?" Palpatine said.

"I think that is a Basic insult. But I assure you that I hold my head up high and appreciate my Imperial nest.."

"Xizor is the Sovereign's favorite baby. He is the youngest of twelve of us. He is the last baby she will have. She had him when she was 173."

"She is a very powerful woman to be so fertile," Palpatine attempted a traditional complement. "May your lady see many more sunny and bountiful years."

"I understand that this is a difficult time for you and your people." SHe looked down at the Senator of Naboo gently and firmly. The Falleen Sovereignty and my own heart grieve your terrible suffering."

The Naboo Senator said bowing his head meekly. "Thank you, Lady Xarmen."

"The Trade federation is no joke," Xizor said. "They will stop at nothing to attain what they want. My own transport business has been suffering of late thanks to their self important piracy. They are animals."

Palpatine lamented, "They came to our world with their armies hidden. They murdered the Jedi Negotiators and set to destroy the entire planet. But those scoundrels wish to erase their crimes by forcing the rulers of Naboo to sign a treaty."

"A treaty?" Xizor asked.

"One that will say that the Naboo welcomed these bug eyed pirates. Only Queen Amidala will not capitulate. She will not sign the treaty to validate the occupation. I fear my young Queen goes to her death." He looked at the water. "I fear that the Federation will make her sign that treaty and all will be lost."

Princess Xarmen said, "Naboo will be lost in the worst of situations, but there is a whole galaxy in support of you and to avenge Naboo if that time comes."

"My lady has been lost. Even the Jedi Council does not know her exact whereabouts," Palpatine said "I feel responsible, somehow."

"You are far too unimportant to cause a war, Human," Princess Xarmen said to Senator Palpatine.
"I appreciate your support, lady," Palpatine said with a strange expression on his face.

"The Jedi aren't perfect," Xizor said. "They probably have everything under wraps so as not to worry the populace. Amidala is probably on her way. Naboo is so remote and the Chrommel sector is a very treacherous to navigate. I would have her arrive in one piece rather then swiftly."

"I suppose there is no harm in waiting." Palpatine closed his eyes.

"Perhaps a Faleen's patience will rub off on you. You must keep your mind focussed on how you might help your Queen and save your world," Princess Xarmen said.

"And if it is too late, what we must do next to avenge it, Palpatine replied.
*********

There was no time for a formal announcement of Amidala's approach, but forty senators and their spy networks had revealed a Naboo ship entering Coruscant airspace, arriving not at the air pad but by the Senatorial apartments. A huge assembly gathered there, waiting for her silver ship to touch down. There was almost applause when it did and there was applause when the door opened.

Two Jedi lept out of the craft looking official nervous and alert, like two guard dogs. Following them a storm of brown haired nymphs in orange dresses folowed them, all of them eager to be somewhere other then the ship.
A beautiful young thing dressed as a crow came out. He sighed and smiled. Her fetching sisters behinds her surveying the scene with dark eyes. Perhaps the one in the strange dress was the queen. He didn't know. It merely seemed that the ship was hemorraging beautiful young women.

"Who are all they all?" Xizor asked, open mouthed.

"They are the Handmaidens, hand chosen to serve the queen," Xarmen said.

"All of them. Do you think they would elect me queen?" He whispered to his sister. "I could use a few... I wonder when the next election is."

"Not any of them are older then sixteen, Xizor, for shame," Princess Xarmen said. "You should go to jail for thinking such things."

Palpatine was talking to the Head Handmaiden for several moments as the Senator's assailed the queen with questions and apologies and their support. Yet for some reason he ignored the queen as she was assailed by questions and the Holonet press, directing his attention on a mere Handmaiden. Very strange, considering how nervous he had been to see the Queen, that he spend his time talking to a servant.

The Head Handmaiden and the Queen gave each other a nearly telepathic look. They were like twins out of the same egg. The Queen turned to the crowd. "We thank you for your support, but my Handmaid informs me that the meeting is imminent. And I must prepare."

"My lady, you must not tarry. The Senate awaits your address."

The servant gave the camera a wink. "It will only be a quick change." The Head Handmaiden Padme gave a strange little smile. She all but grabbed the queen by the hand and they scurried off like little salamanders. He wished he could have one of his very own. And for some reason that Padme just struck his fancy. Perhaps he could buy one for himself for Vendrek Day.

The parade of strange misfits included a a young twitchy Jedi padawan with a grumpy hungry looking face, (revealed to be the future General of the Republican army Obi-wan Kenobi (I think this sentence is unnecessary. The reader can deduce who is who here)), a gungan which Xizor assumed to be amphibean life form like himself, (perhaps the way monkeys were related to humans), a blue Astromech droid with delusions of grandeur, and a scruffy illwashed human cub who raced after the handmaidens and tread on Xizor's cape.

"Outta my way, people, I gotta go see Padme." The boy gave a quick wave to the senators "BYE!"

Xizor looked at the muddy bootprints on both his sisters and his own robes. "Watch where you are going, child! This robe is expensive."

"Baska SLEEBO!" The little wretch shouted at him, with the noisy astromech trailing behind him.

“This will be an interesting day. One the senate will never forget." Xarmen said.

***************
But maybe it was only he who never forgot.

Prince Xizor and Xarmen dressed as smashingly as they could without breaking the dress code, but it was no avail. They still felt nervous and small in the panoply of small hover pods each containing voices from a thousand worlds.

One pod floated into the heart of the republic and truly something had changed for the first time in Xizor's some fifty years.

She was Magnificent. This woman. He looked at her with clean eyes, as did the whole world did. This survivor in her Proud Naboo style "The Ring of Eternity“ bearing weight down on slender red shoulders.

Xizor covered his mouth.

Xarmen held his hand.

"No confidence,“. Xizor cried out.

"I vote for no confidence!" Bail Junior and Senior from Alderaan shouted, and the Twi'leks of Ryloth.

Xizor watched the girl look out over the senate with ripples of descent. For once the whole galaxy could agree. They wanted change and betterment, they would not (preserve the status quo.) Xizor stood up.

"Lady Amidala! I, Prince Xizor of Faleen, support you aims. The Galaxy supports Naboo."

Palpatine touched her shoulders. "The galaxy speaks in one voice my queen. And it has listened to you."

"I wonder what it would be like to rule the entire galaxy." She spoke softly so no one heard under the rumbling thunder of a storm. Swallowing a single lump in her throat. Valorum had left the building.

"Don't be scared. It becomes easy from here on out." Palpatine smiled darkly at her.

Queen Amidala raised her hand in a sweeping gesture to thank the senate. She did not enter that building again for seven years, but no one could ever say she left the senate."
*************
Xarmen smiled. "It is good to see a powerful young human woman," she said. "You stood to address the Senate, Xizor, on Faleen's behalf."

"Yes. It was necessary, sister. You saw what was happening."

"You are not a Senator. You are the bastard son of a shiftless and weak minded atheist. You are a hedonist and a libertine who has never thought about anything of import in his life."

Xizor stood back, stunned, and closed his eyes. "You are a sleebo, sister."

His sister would have laughed had she been as free and funloving as the aliens of the senate. She paused. "You have been appointed Junior Senator of the Sovereign System of Falleen. In five years you will be groomed to take my position as senator."

"I'm going to be Senator?" Xizor asked, his face turning a shade more blue than normal.

"It is well. It is always awkward to reveal a pregnancy in a political arena." Xarmen said.

"Sister, you are pregnant?" Xizor rushed to her side and touched her belly.

"Well, no." She swatted him away. "But I wish to be. I will go home to my husband and start paying attention to him. The Senate is yours. The youngest Falleen in galactic history to become Senator."

"I will do my best, sister."

"I have done one important thing in my career as Senator to Faleen, my nest brother, Bearer of the Imperial energy, and that was to call no confidence against Valorum. It will be your first act to appoint a new Supreme Chancellor."

Xizor became big eyed, the boisterous cool green corrupting to a more mellow and uncomfortable shade of olive.

"I must... I must choose."

Xarmen took off her coronet. "Whatever you decide, the Empress will agree."

"But it seems obscene. I'm barely a hatchling and I will be the one decide something that will be part of the fate of our people." Xizor looked at the skyline. "The Galax world is so much larger and more powerful then ours." He said, and it would haunt his dreams for the rest of his life.

"I know that this is a time for change, Nestbrother." Xarmen pet his face. "For the Faleen. To be part of the Galaxy with the Galax. I know that you will do more. I hope that you are pure of energy and seek only to great things, and not those which make you great."

"Sister." He bowed and placed his hand on his shoulder attempting to hug her

His sister squawked and turned more citrine yellow then usual "Please Xizor. Save such displays for when we are home in our harem and we maybe our true selves."

Xizor took his hands from off her shoulder.

"You'll have weeping like a mammal without its baby," Xarmen shuddered

"Can I help it you are hot tempered?" Xizor smiled, classy and reserved. "We get it from mother."

She placed her hand on his shoulder in the parody of the joyful reunion they would have in Petra on Vendrek day.

**********************************
***********************

"You didn't hurt me." Xizor was still a rosy orange fading into an odd brown color by the time he could speak again. His beautifully lean body was so different from Anakin's and those flawless long legs of his swung back and forth as he spoke idly facing the exact opposite direction. The small tattoo on Xizor's scaly back at Palaptine's eye level now.

"What?“ Palpatine said from under the blanket. Xizor was stretched out so it was easy to use his finger to draw over the Black Sun pattern on the reptilian's back. The Galactic Emperor was repulsed when he could peel pieces of his skin off, yet compelled to continue for some reason.

"I'm impressed." Xizor looked at him breathlessly. "You didn't bring out the cane or the whip or those things. You didn't abuse my alien parentage and you didn't call out the wrong name when you climaxed."
It's been a long time." Xizor concluded. "I missed that."

"I missed you." Palpatine said softly and indulgently.

"If you really missed me, I would be in Byss suffering amoung all your simpleminded concubines. You wouldn't let me go where I wanted," Xizor said. "I wouldn't have a career."

He sat up. "You have earned your liberty with me."

"I don't have to earn my freedom. I've always had it. If you missed me that dearly I'd probably even start follow you around like your Darth Vader," Xizor said.

Palpatine took his hand off his body. "I-"

"Is he as pretty as me under his mask?" Xizor crossed his legs, sitting up.

Palpatine looked idly away from Xizor. "He is more beautiful then you can imagine."

"Is that why you keep him covered up?" Xizor asked. "Or is it some exciting reason? Everyone has such exciting stories about the Clone Wars and the Jedi Purge."

"We agreed not to talk about Vader." Well they hadn't spoke about it. Xizor had mocked the Emperor lightly, saying something juvenile about Darth Vader's mask and the Emperor put him in a coma for two days using a lightning attack.

"I fear I know why you do not wish to speak of him." Xizor said.

"Vader is not your business. You will stay out of it and keep your mouth shut."

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell me that Anakin was still alive?"

"Because it is dangerous information. You two never liked each other."

"You could not kill the one you love. And he is your faithful servant of the Empire. He makes me look like head of the "We Hate Uncle Palpy" Jedi Insurgents Fanclub.“ He will do anything for the Empire." Xizor said holding Palpatine's hands. "He has redeemed himself with his involvement with the Jedi. Nobody with a heart could deny you such a pittance for your service to your people. Anakin should be your consort, not your shameful secret."

"You will tell no one." Palpatine looked Xizor in the eye.

"Who else knows? Other then me." The Falleen asked.

"Captain Thrawn, The Moffs, Tarkin, Panaka, the Queen of Naboo, certain figures in Byss. My Hands. You would be astonished how few question Lord Vader."

"Jar Jar Binks."

"What?" The Emperor was caught off guard.

"He knows." Xizor said " Vader killed him at the Opera, I think. Or something"

"I wondered why Vader had taken to punching senators in the throat, ripping off their eye stalk and leaving them for dead."

"Is Binks alright?" Xizor said "His daughter is one of my dearest..."

"What do I know about Binks and his slutty daughter? I’m sure his wife is taking him back to Naboo." The Emperor shrugged. "I should have known a shrewd gossip as you would find out."

He gave Xizor a soft kiss on his shoulder "Now you are in the vast minority that know Darth Vader's secret."

"No one is going to believe such miserable old soul as Darth Vader used to be a Jedi. And the prettiest male Jedi you could find this side of Coruscant."

"Xizor."

"I hope that you two are happy.“ Xizor smiled at his longtime lover and friend. The man he was faithful and affectionate with. The only man he had ever willingly allowed into his bed.

Palpatine smiled at him gently.
***************