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crack_van2005-06-27 12:04 pm
lakester.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2005-06-27 12:04 pm
Entry tags:
Refractions of the Truth by LLL (G)
Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Gen
Author on LJ:
Author Website: Her SW fic can be found here
Why this must be read:
For the sheer joy of watching Palpatine turn a political opponent on a dime. This is the man who could manipulate on a galactic level and make the people who oppose him think they are in the wrong.
LLL takes Valorum - the ex-Chancellor ousted in TPM amid allegations of corruption - and shows a good, if weak, man still serving as a senator. This is a confrontation between the two about the actions during the trade blockade some time later. Told from Valorum's point of view there is a sense of palpable confusion and betrayal from one whom he mentored, while Palpatine remains almost entirely inscrutable - save for a barely discernable distaste for the Jedi. And despite knowing Palpatine's part in both trilogies the author makes his arguments so eminently reasonable that you almost believe what he's saying.
Valorum's heart beat with odd little jerks. "What I did was entirely proper," he rasped. "The Jedi are the most reliable means of managing such a conflict ... have always been, for hundreds of years!"
"Well, see ... what ... happened!" snapped Palpatine, enunciating each word very precisely. "You, my friend, failed to study your opponents, failed to understand them. We have the best negotiators at our disposal here, hostage specialists, psychologists, xenopsychologists. Did you make use of any of this professional expertise before you made your decision? Did you consult with someone who had? No. This failure was predictable, utterly predictable."
The harsh words struck the shattering blow to Valorum's fragile hold on his confidence. Now it was his turn to crumple, sagging over Palpatine's desk.
"Utterly predictable," the Chancellor repeated, his tenor vibrato croaking in the low register.
At last, Valorum accepted it. The terrible weight of his own failure and guilt descended over him, pinning him helplessly down. He bowed his head, blinked back tears. What to say? There was nothing, nothing he could say.
"Palpatine ... " he managed at last. "You're right. By the Force, you're right." He stood, staring down at his own guilty reflection in the polished desktop, struggling against impending tears.
Refractions of the Truth
Pairing: Gen
Author on LJ:
Author Website: Her SW fic can be found here
Why this must be read:
For the sheer joy of watching Palpatine turn a political opponent on a dime. This is the man who could manipulate on a galactic level and make the people who oppose him think they are in the wrong.
LLL takes Valorum - the ex-Chancellor ousted in TPM amid allegations of corruption - and shows a good, if weak, man still serving as a senator. This is a confrontation between the two about the actions during the trade blockade some time later. Told from Valorum's point of view there is a sense of palpable confusion and betrayal from one whom he mentored, while Palpatine remains almost entirely inscrutable - save for a barely discernable distaste for the Jedi. And despite knowing Palpatine's part in both trilogies the author makes his arguments so eminently reasonable that you almost believe what he's saying.
Valorum's heart beat with odd little jerks. "What I did was entirely proper," he rasped. "The Jedi are the most reliable means of managing such a conflict ... have always been, for hundreds of years!"
"Well, see ... what ... happened!" snapped Palpatine, enunciating each word very precisely. "You, my friend, failed to study your opponents, failed to understand them. We have the best negotiators at our disposal here, hostage specialists, psychologists, xenopsychologists. Did you make use of any of this professional expertise before you made your decision? Did you consult with someone who had? No. This failure was predictable, utterly predictable."
The harsh words struck the shattering blow to Valorum's fragile hold on his confidence. Now it was his turn to crumple, sagging over Palpatine's desk.
"Utterly predictable," the Chancellor repeated, his tenor vibrato croaking in the low register.
At last, Valorum accepted it. The terrible weight of his own failure and guilt descended over him, pinning him helplessly down. He bowed his head, blinked back tears. What to say? There was nothing, nothing he could say.
"Palpatine ... " he managed at last. "You're right. By the Force, you're right." He stood, staring down at his own guilty reflection in the polished desktop, struggling against impending tears.
Refractions of the Truth