Star Wars: How to Become a Galactic Emperor

Chapter 25 | The Father & the Two Sons

Fex barged into the cockpit, holding her cup of tea with both hands. She was thrown to the side as the Emperor made yet another sharp turn. Palpatine's eyes darted to the back camera where the Azure Gale was in hot pursuit.

He knew the prudent decision would be to open a channel to the Azure Gale to apologize for bumping into their ship. However, he was a teenager running solely on unfocused rage with a serious mood problem.

The droid maintenance line was blaring with alarms due to the Emperor's and Azure Gale's unauthorized presence in the droid control lane.

"In the name of—" Fex cut herself off when she saw the scene before her, yet she tried to remain calm. "Sir Palpatine, may I please—"

With one hand still on the controls and without turning his focus away from the display Palpatine angled his right hand towards Fex. The Force surged from his soul to his right hand. Palpatine didn't plan the action. His eyes fully open without having to visualize it, threw Fex out of the cockpit and into the hall with the Force. A feat he had very little time to process.

Palpatine hit the controls to the back door and the cockpit door sealed shut. He knew it was against his better judgement, but he had waited far too long. Palpatine had one mission: get to the vineyard. He had spent too much time in traffic, and he lost whatever sanity he had left.

Fex pounded on the cockpit door. "HEY! LET ME IN! JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE FORCE POWERS DOESN'T MEAN YOU KNOW HOW TO FLY A SHIP!" Palpatine scoffed at that.

She was right but Palpatine refused to hand over the controls.

Palpatine lacked that sense of controlling a much larger mass than himself and he kept scraping into the side of space stations. He leaned heavily on the Force to guide him and even then, he was no star pilot. Palpatine knew how to memorize star charts and handle computers but when it came to ships, that was a whole different level.

The Azure Gale was now side by side with the Emperor. Hearth's hand lingered over the controls about to slam into his opponent's ship, but he faltered.

Predune had always tried to be the level-headed one in every situation whether it be with his family or his husband. Today, however, adrenaline was high and his anxiousness for being late to his sister's wedding was dire. "What are you waiting for, Hearth? Ram it!"

Predune could see Hearth was starting to withdraw from the sky-rage. "I don't know, Predune. I think the Naboo Sky-Police are onto us. I've already done enough damage."

"Come on, Hearth." Predune said with a certain playfulness. "Do it."

Hearth grinned to himself. "What the blazes. Why not!" He took a hold of the controls and drove the Azure Gale into the Emperor.

Palpatine was thrown forward in his seat and he stared wide eyed at the Azure Gale. Blood rushed to his cheeks and a new sense of rage took hold. "WHY YOU!" he muttered angrily to himself.

Without hesitating, he slammed the Emperor into the Azure Gale. The durosteel of both ships groaned and became dented. Hull against hull, the two ships sailed on into the Naboo atmosphere. The Azure Gale hit back. The Emperor did so too. It was an endless cycle of damage exchanged back and forth. Palpatine swore under his breath and Fex continued banging on the door.

That was until a number of Naboo police droids swarmed his viewing screen and the Emperor's channel flashed red and blue, an incoming message. Palpatine groaned as he caught sight of the droids and saw what was most likely a Naboo sky-police officer opening a channel with him. He ignored it and zipped past the droids. The Azure Gale seemed to agree with him.