Pairing: Valorum/Mace
Rating: R
Summary: Who provided comfort for Chancellor Valorum after he was
voted out of office?
The honor guard left me at the door to my quarters, their presence outside the now closed portal a familiar, accepted part of my life - one that would not be there much longer.
Shedding my cloak without bothering to wave the lights on, I walk to the window, staring out at the vista spread before me. Coruscant. City-planet, central seat of the Republic, a place of infinite dreams and nightmares, many of them my own.
The sun is beginning to set, bathing the buildings and the artificial canyons between them in a fiery glow that somehow suits my mood. Prophetic? I think not. While I can claim a finer grasp of the Force than most, I have no Jedi training, only a passing knowledge of the Code and it's tenets.
The Republic will not end with my leaving office - it would be insanity to think otherwise and I am not that vain. I am also not humble enough to ignore my fervent hope that my time as Chancellor will be remembered for other things than today's unfortunate events.
Queen Amidala of the Naboo. Who would have suspected that her arrival would have been the catalyst of such upheaval in the Senate? Already factions are dissolving and reforming, the players maneuvering to support their chosen candidates in an attempt to gain more power for themselves. I was shocked by her call for a vote of no confidence but I cannot condemn her for the action. She is concerned for her people - a concern that I share - but my hands were tied in dealing with the Federation. Now it will be another's problem.
Bail Antilles of Alderaan, Ainlee Teem of Malastare and Palpatine of Naboo. One of these men will be voted into office, one of these men will help guide and shape the destiny of the Republic. Whoever it is I wish them well and pray that the Force guides their actions for the good of all.
It is growing darker now. How long have I been standing here lost in thought? Lights below me deny the approaching night, bright beacons that drive away the encroaching shadows. It is never fully night here on Coruscant, no matter the time on the chronometer, life still teems below oblivious to all else.
Raising my gaze, I look to the uppermost portion of the tallest spire of the Jedi Temple. It too is lit; a signal that the Council is in session. A late meeting regarding the situation Master Qui-Gon spoke to me of earlier? It is not my place to wonder at the workings of the Jedi, not any longer.
Perhaps that will be the part of my position that I will miss the most. The Jedi are a diverse lot, but the one constant in my dealings with them has been their unwavering honesty and solid backing. Yoda and his mysterious, all-knowing ways, Ki-Adi Mundi with his unique perspective on matters, Oppo Rancisis whose military tactics are without match, Adi Gallia and her information gathering skills, Mace Windu and his blunt way of cutting to the heart of the matter no matter how complicated it might be.
I shall miss them all when I leave...the thought strikes me then that I have no idea where I will go; not back to Pholerad although it is my birthplace. Between my terms in the Senate and my time as Chancellor I have not considered it "home" in many years. Diplomacy is my strength, though I doubt any government would have use for the disgraced ex-Chancellor of the Republic.
_Do not wallow in self-pity Finis, it is not dignified._ My father's voice, a memory from my first visit to Coruscant and my first glimpse of the Jedi. A knowledge-hungry teen, I had heard the stories of them and of how they had wished to take me to the Temple for training when I was a babe - a request that was refused. I was my father's eldest son, I was meant to succeed him in his seat on the Senate just as he had done when his own father had retired.
Fascination with their ways, their Code, was inevitable I suppose. The life they led seemed so much more interesting than the dry debates of the Senate and I found myself using every possible excuse I could come up with to visit the Temple as often as possible.
By chance I met a young Knight of near my own age and we struck up a friendship, one that survived our aging and the many changes that life pressed on us. My father's death and my subsequent election to his seat threw me neck deep into the storm-tossed sea of Republic politics and many a time it was that I bent his ear as I worked through my positions on weighty matters.
There never was a time that he failed me and never did he force his opinions on me, simply nodded or teased me if I was getting full of myself - his acerbic wit is enough to deflate even the most pompous delegate with a single wry comment.
I, however, found myself having to make far too many compromises, especially when I was elected Supreme Chancellor. Nomination had come as a shock and being told I had been chosen to lead the governing body of the Republic... To say that I felt overwhelmed is an understatement. Thankfully he was there to keep me grounded, to provide the reminder that I could do this, that I had been elected because it was the will of the Force. (Though I did give him a skeptical look at that - one that he promptly kissed away, silencing all further objections.)
Our relationship is discrete out of necessity and preference. In both of our positions loved ones are viewed as targets by our enemies and as bargaining chips by those seeking to curry favor. Public displays of affection are not in either of our natures and the time we spent together could easily be explained away by our long-standing friendship.
Now however...I feel the magnitude of the situation still has not fully reached me, perhaps that is why I feel I am about to break into hysterical laughter. Free. Free from the constraints of the Senate, free from centuries of family tradition.
Finis Valorum, deposed Chancellor of the Senate. I suppose my name shall become something of a legend in the family. Mothers will threaten their children that if they do not behave that they will end up like old Finis.
A bark of laughter escapes my lips, or is it a sob? Before I can decide by indulging in another one, the door opens and he is there, a familiar solid presence behind me, gathering me into his arms. A shudder wracks my body and I lean back against his wide chest, drinking deeply of the quiet strength he so freely offers.
A cool goblet is pressed into my hand and he waits until I have drained it to speak. The taste of the alcohol is rough, but that is welcome. This is not a time for flavors designed to refine the palate.
"They do not know what they have done."
I have to chuckle at that, the sound tearing at the burning in my throat left by the potent beverage. "Of course they do my friend, does the Senate ever do anything on a whim?"
He goes silent again at that and I can feel the faintest edge of his displeasure both at the situation and my attitude toward it. "Queen Amidala has gone back to Naboo."
That news comes as a surprise to me. "May the Force be with her. I wish her luck in regaining control of her planet." Saying this I turn and look into his dark eyes, knowing he will see the truth of my statements in mine.
"Finis..." he begins, his Jedi composure cracking enough to let a hint of his seething emotions show on his normally collected features.
Shaking my head, I reach up with my free hand and stroke his cheek, the warmth of the drink now beginning to penetrate to my extremities. "Can we talk about it later? Once I've gotten my equilibrium back?" A silent nod brushes his face against my hair and he places a gentle kiss on my temple.
The goblet falls unheeded to the tiled floor as I spin within the circle of his arms, our mouths fitting together as naturally as the first time we acknowledged our mutual attraction. I remember a comment he made back then about enjoying the fact that we were of a height, that he was tired of straining his neck as he had with past lovers. My response to that had been, "I suppose that means we're destined for one another then," and it had brought a wistful smile to his strong, handsome face.
"Duty may keep us apart at times, but I will treasure that which we do have all the more for that fact," he murmured as we began to explore the newness of each other's bodies.
So many years ago but still I can taste that kiss, feel the smooth slide of his skin under my palms and the careful glide of his hands over my own body. Suddenly I hunger for that again, for the rush of oblivion that accompanies our joining. I want - I need - to lose track of everything except for him if just for this moment. He sees the silent question in my eyes and an answering hunger sparks in his gaze. Turning as one, our arms still wound tightly around each other, we make our way to the bedroom and the ecstasy that awaits us there.