Tentacle Covered Chaos Chapter 8: A Terrifying Encounter

Tentacle Covered Chaos

Chapter 8: A Terrifying Encounter

<<<Poppy>>>

She had to get the locks changed out, the hinges examined, and the window needed boarding up (to block the light), but it was… hers. A small apartment nearby the temple. Expensive, to be sure, but close to where she’d be working for the next long while and they were paying her very well, enough to sustain her in that location for two weeks even if she were summarily fired or let go for some reason.

That she could cook for herself would lower expenses more, and then having a lower caloric requirement than the human norm dropped them further. Really the only sticking point… she shivered in desire.

Were her other nutritional requirements.

But well… she at the very least had Barris and Luminara to go to and, well, she had found this galaxy’s equivalent to Tinder on the net… she was sure she could find someone willing to fuck for little to no reason. She hadn’t worked up the nerve to actually make a profile yet, but it was only a matter of time really.

Of course, writing down that she was in fact a tentacle monster would probably get questions and her profile reported for obvious fraud. The difficulties of being an abomination against man and nature never ceased.

“Maybe if I provided proof on my profile?” She doubted it would really work but it was a thought.

She hummed, eyes raking over the room. She needed appliances, which were going to eat into her funds a good bit and she was pretty sure her equivalent to a credit card had already been maxed out for the downpayment on the apartment…

The less said about decorations the better… Maybe she could sweet talk Master Luminara to let her bunk with her whenever she was on-world until she could get all the appliances and whatnot she needed.

At least the bed came with pillows and covers so that was something at least.

Her phone rang, Anakin on the other end according to caller ID. “There’s an option too…” She hummed as she picked up. “Moshi moshi, Lemuria speaking.~”

“What?” She asked from the other end. “Nevermind, did you actually break into the council room?”

Poppy giggled. “Yes, yes I did. Surprised you’re only hearing of this now, it was a few days ago. What’s up?”

Anakin just laughed. “Well, some of the Masters are wondering when you would be willing to get started,” She said, and Poppy could almost hear the amused smile on her lips.

“Oh, I’d like to get started as soon as possible,” She replied, “But it needs to be coordinated from the top down. I need, effectively, a budget and a license to use that budget on their behalf, or contact with people that can do that. And I need permission to look over the architectural plans they have…” She paused before grinning, “And a lecture hall so I can tell everyone, including you, how stupid they’re all being all the time without even noticing!”

That part was, admittedly, the most fun part of any high level job like this.

“Well, you’ll have to work it out with the council but I doubt you’ll get your way,” Anakin admitted, “Honestly I wish I could’ve got pictures of some of the more stuffy Masters when they realized you broke in.”

“I can be very persuasive when I want to be,” She replied, voice gentle and sage like before she shifted into a much more amused tone, “I just don’t care enough to try most times.”

“Oh I believe that, Snips has told me some stories,” Anakin said with a chuckle.

“That said, I’m also willing to run security for VIPs, coordination between groups and planning mostly,” Poppy ventured, “Offering to do such, for no increase in pay, would probably endear them to me. They’ll also appreciate my insistence that everything be jedi run in the temple; I know they don’t like the clones being around there. I wouldn’t.”

Anakin snorted, “Which is… understandable I guess. But they’re decent enough people in my opinion barring the circumstances,” She admitted.

“Oh, I’m not against them being alive,” Poppy clarified, slowly walking around the apartment, “Just involved in day to day activities in an organization they aren’t a part of.”

“And I believe many Masters would agree with you,” Anakin said, “Myself included. Anyway Snips and I are just arriving at your building, meet us in the lobby?”

“Oh, has something happened?” She asked, grabbing a bag she’d bought for just this situation before heading to her door, “I hope it wasn’t found I’m toxic or something, that would be rather terrible.” It was… slightly harder than usual to keep her voice jovial as she said that.

“Nothing like that, Chancellor Palpitine just wants to meet you actually,” Poppy winced slightly, she… rather hoped he wouldn’t ever notice her. Or, if he did, that he’d do it while she was on the other side of the galaxy.

“I see,” She replied, “Any reason he wants to do so? Like, specifically? Not everyday you meet the head of a state…”

“He didn’t say,” Anakin said honestly, “Probably heard about you in passing, he does visit the Temple every so often.”

“Be down in a minute,” She replied, suppressing a shiver of fear down her spine, “Do you have anything to drink?”

“If you’re not up to meeting him, I can make an excuse,” Anakin offered and Poppy mentally grumbled about the Force, “Not on me but we could swing by Dex’s diner to grab something for you.”

“No, no, I’m good,” The monster would just get suspicious, “just a little nervous.”

“It’ll be fine Poppy, the Chancellor is a good man,” Anakin said, “If anything I think he’d be interested in offering you some more security work.”

“He’s a politician,” She replied, “The amount of good men that share the trait can be counted on one hand.”

“Well, I’m not going to try and convince you otherwise,” Anakin said, “You’ll just have to see for yourself.”

A few buttons later and she was heading down to the lobby, on the way to meet a being that was, effectively, the Dark Side in the shape of a person. 

[hr][/hr]

Poppy sipped at her very, very strong drink within her ‘to go’ cup. It tasted enough like whiskey that she was able to show her companions how to make a drink from her homeworld, from earth. A whiskey sour wasn’t the most complex drink, but it was a good one.

The smell filled the automated taxi they’d been taking.

“Don’t worry, Poppy,” Ahsoka said, “I don’t feel too comfortable around the guy either.”

“I am not drunk enough for you to tell me that yet,” She drawled in reply, amusement in her gaze, “Trust me girl, when you accidentally become an illegal immigrant I will sympathise with your fear of meeting the head of a state.”

Ahsoka just rolled her eyes, while her Master just shook her head in amusement.

“You’re overthinking things, Poppy,” She insisted with a faint smile, “But I can’t say I don’t understand where you’re coming from.”

“Professional paranoiac,~” Poppy purred, downing the rest of her drink in one go, “Let’s get this over with. Though, I must say, if I were a Sith I’d avoid the direct war and try to get into the senate instead. Being direct is meeting the Jedi at their strongest, but in order to block a strike you hit where the stance is weakest…”

“You think there are Sith in the senate?” Anakin asked, glancing over to her, “That’s a serious allegation.”

“Besides, if there was a Sith in the senate wouldn’t the Master’s have already sensed them?” Ahsoka asked.

“Just like how they sensed Sith on Geonosis? Or Naboo?” She asked, “There are force suppressing techniques, I was reading about them in the temple, why wouldn’t Sith know those too?”

“Valid point.” Anakin said, “And… you’re not wrong. The Master’s have sensed a darkness in the senate,” She admitted.

“There you go then,” She replied, “Now I’m not saying Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith, but I am saying that you need to be careful in what you say to him because, if he doesn’t have the force, how could he know if he were talking to one?” Then Poppy paused for a few moments before leaning in, “Besides, being the main man would be stupid anyway, looking into his mind? Controlling him in key moments for key votes? Getting information from him through mental powers? That’s much harder to detect, much more subtle.”

Anakin didn’t say anything but Poppy could tell she was giving her words some consideration, even Ahsoka looked disturbed by the possibility.

“... I’ll bring it up to the Council…” Anakin said, and Poppy took it as a win, especially since she didn’t consider telling Palpatine.

“All I ask,” She replied, “So, what do you think he’ll want to talk about? Maybe my homeworld? That could be pleasant. Or maybe he wants a hit of some drugs only I can produce? I don’t judge, he’s old.”

Anakin laughed at that, “I have no idea honestly, maybe a little bit of both,” She said as she shook her head in amusement, “Force knows how many of my fellow Knights would kill for that relaxant you make after a difficult mission.”

“You said you wouldn’t tell anyone about that!” She whined. Sure, it was only knockoff THC but still, she didn’t want to get in trouble with the police over that!

“And I haven’t,” Anakin said, “You brought it up, and I just said maybe a little bit of both. I like the guy but I do keep my word.”

Her hackles, which she hadn’t realized had gone up, relaxed again as she coughed, “Sorry, just a bit nervous still.”

“Heh, did you know you resemble a nexu when you get all irritated like that?” Anakin asked, “It’s rather cute,” She added with a faint smile.

Ahsoka just rolled her eyes but didn’t seem to disagree with her Master’s statement either.

“I’m not cute…” Poppy sullenly replied, “I am, at best, refined.”

“... You do realize you’re proving her point right?” Ahsoka asked with a snicker, “And I think Barriss and Master Luminara would agree.”

“Liar,” Poppy hissed in reply, “Both of you are liars and I shant listen to another word you speak!”

Anakin just snorted and laughed lightly. “If you say so,” She said with some amusement.

“The wind is very loud today,” Poppy sniffed imperiously, a small grin struggling to break free of her lips. “Truly bizarre.”

Then she giggled and looked out the window to see if they were getting close.

Maybe if she was lucky the Monster masquerading as a politician was just curious. Or maybe he’d jump off the building and save her the trouble of trying to figure out how to kill the bastard by doing it himself.

If wishes were horses…

[hr][/hr]

When they finally arrived Poppy had ‘mostly’ gotten her nerves under control, at least enough to where she wasn’t constantly thinking of the worst possibilities. But that was more due to extreme amounts of THC than anything else.

Yes, she drugged herself to relax. And no she didn’t regret it.

Still as they entered the building and Anakin confirmed that Palpatine was waiting for them, they entered an elevator and rode up to his office or whatever floor his office was on. At least Ahsoka didn’t seem overly excited herself, though if it was simply because she just didn’t like politicians in general or because she felt there was something off about the guy, Poppy had no clue.

“Probably doesn’t really buy that… grandfatherly charm… or was it fatherly?” It’d been a long time since she saw the movie so she couldn’t really recall.

Half lidded eyes scanned the room as they exited the elevator, exits catalogued and mentally mapped as she counted the steps forward. Plagueis was a better illusionist than Palpatine, but that didn’t mean the Sith couldn’t pull tricks of that kind anyway.

“No proper windows,” Poppy mentally noted, seeing the shutters and tinting on them. “Privacy oriented fellow, ain’t he?”

So her jumping out the window, or throwing him out, weren’t viable escape or assassination options. Honestly the more she looked around, the more she realized that she wasn’t dealing with a caricature of a Sith Lord. She was dealing with someone very well aware that many would clamber for his death if the truth ever came out, and was very security conscious as a result.

She had no doubt the man had countless contingencies in place for even his closest subordinates, just in case they decided to feel a little treasonous. 

And, as a security expert herself, she had to give credit where credit was due. No matter how slimy it made her feel to acknowledge it. Why couldn’t he just be a caricature that’s coasting by with Dark Side stealth or something?

“Ah! Anakin!” The Chancellor said as he looked up from some paperwork, and she repressed the urge to shudder as his- its- eyes fell on her, “Is this the young lady that got the stuffy masters in a tizzy?” He asked curiously, his tone filled with a derisive amusement that was poorly hidden.

Probably just another layer to make him seem more approachable, more human. But Poppy wasn’t fooled for a second, she didn’t know if it was her new nature or the Force telling her but… she knew this man hadn’t been human in a long time.

“Turret panels in the ceiling, shield projectors to cut the room in half.” And those were just the easily visible protections, no doubt he had more. “Gas vents? It’s what I’d do. Fill them with contact poison, or acid, to avoid someone just holding their breath.” Probably both, why settle for half-measures?

“I am,” Poppy said aloud, “I must say, your security measures are prodigious.” A compliment, freely given, endears and distracts.

The man chuckled. “Thank you my dear, I feel it’s a tad much but well… politicians are hardly liked,” He said, “It’s only a matter of time before someone decides to correct me through violence.” 

She snorted. “Violence is the language of the desperate and insane.” A play on the old propagandistic statement to make it more accurate.

“But it is a language all the same, and everyone knows it despite their personal beliefs or creeds,” Palpatine said before shaking his head, “It will be a bright day for the entire galaxy when that language isn’t needed anymore.”

“It will always be needed in some form,” She replied, “The monopoly on violence is what allows governments to tax and enforce laws. If it was lacking such, companies could do rather horrible things.”

“But a man can dream, can’t he?” Palpitine said with a chuckle, “But let’s not speak over ideologies. I heard about your arrangement with the Jedi, and I was curious… would you be open to examining the security of a few important facilities? You’d be compensated for your time and energy of course.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed,” She replied before grinning, “But I hope you don’t want me to explain everything I’m suggesting to the temple, security through obscurity is terrible practice, but you should always obscure your security to catch out intruders.”

Palpitine just chuckled. “I’ve heard bits of that… well tirade, no offense intended of course. When you’re passionate about something it’s understandable,” He said, “Honestly, if the Jedi showed a bit more passion I think it would do them a world of good, myself.”

She laughed. “You would not be incorrect, but if you think security is what I’m passionate about you would be slightly mistaken.” Revealing a touch of her past would further convince him to keep his guard down… and he’d already revealed he had some level of knowledge on internal communications the Jedi had. Most would miss it, but she didn’t.

“Oh?” Palpinite tilted his head, “Oh please, have a seat… can I get you some refreshments?”

She took the offered seat with a smile, “Please, whatever you think is appropriate. And I was… an amateur game developer and author. Security was my day job, and I am good at it, but it isn’t exactly my passion. I can’t exactly… do the first anymore here, I don’t know the software languages you guys use, but… maybe I’ll write a novel here, when I get settled in and things are less busy.”

All true statements, she still had stories to tell after all, and the statements would further convince him she wasn’t a threat… assuming he misread her emotions and thoughts, anyway.

“A very worthwhile goal to have, young lady,” Palpitine said just as the door opened and a secretary walked in with a tray of drinks, “Please help yourselves,” He added kindly.

She nodded as she took one of the cups, a nice wine it seemed like. Passively, she noticed that Anakin and Ahsoka had left; not unexpected, but frustrating. “Thank you kindly,” Poppy said aloud to both the secretary and Palpatine. “What facilities were you thinking of having me look at, perchance? Military, private, or public?”

“Military mostly, but a few public facilities that make tempting targets for terrorists,” Palpatine answered as he took his own drink and sipped it.

“Well, I don’t need to worry about privacy rights for the first at least,” She noted, half joking, “The second will be more challenging of course. The biggest issue with public locations is that you can’t really keep people out, you can just harden them so if there is an attack it can’t hurt as many people as otherwise…”

“True,” Palpatine said, “But maybe one day…” Was that a hint of his dreams for the Empire, perhaps?

“Ambitious, aren’t you?” She asked with a grin, “Well, I suppose I could come up with something to stop the majority of terror attacks, but it would be expensive. I’m talking shield generators, metal detectors, chemical sensors, the works. And it still wouldn’t stop everything, even if people were doing their jobs, but it would make it a pain in the ass to attack.” It didn’t hurt to admit that much, but… explosives on the inside of someone’s body weren’t exactly easy to detect safely.

“I’m a politician, ambition is in our nature.” He said with a chuckle, “But of course. Some security is better than none.”

“Half done security is worse than none, at least with none you know things aren’t secure and can plan for that,” She countered, “You can’t do that with half assed shit.”

“Quite a conundrum then, I suppose I’ll bow to your superior knowledge on the subject,” He said before he looked at a chronometer.

“And, suddenly, you’re the smartest politician I’ve ever spoken with,” She replied with a grin.

“I’ll have you know that hurt me in my soul to admit,” He dryly commented, a smirk on his lips, “But I’ve got an appointment with some ambassadors, perhaps one day we’ll revisit this subject? It’s been rather interesting.”

“Of course, of course,” She replied, fishing into her bag to pull out a business card, “I’m not incorporated yet, tax office is taking a while on the paperwork, but it has my business number on it.”

Palpatine took the card with a chuckle, “Who knows what the future holds?” He said whimsically, “But give Anakin and his padawan my regards, will you? I enjoy their visits and well, I feel a bit guilty for ignoring them.”

“Happily,” She replied, “But, between you and me? I don’t think Ahsoka likes these meetings. She doesn’t seem to like politicians much and you are one of those.” Her hands went up as she whispered, “But you didn’t hear that from me, I would never call a friend a politician.”

And then she turned to leave, pausing for a moment, “Would you mind if I took this glass of wine with me?” She asked, picking it up off the table, “I’ve only now realized I didn’t drink any.”

“Feel free, and, honestly? I believe Ahsoka is the smartest of us all,” Palpatine said with a quiet laugh.

“Ha! Smarter than me at any rate, I’m voluntarily working for,” She gave a theatrical shudder, “the government. Terrifying thing, I know. Thanks for the wine, Chancellor.”

Even as she left she still didn’t drink the wine, she had a different plan for it.

“What did you spike this with, I wonder?” She asked herself as she reached the taxi once more, staring into the glass, “Or something in the glass instead? A microphone? I’ll have to dump it somewhere after examining things.”

It wasn’t paranoia when you were talking about Sith, it was just common sense.

[hr][/hr][hr][/hr]