Interesting insight into Padmé's character, and Palpatine is wonderfully creepy.

Parker sure was smart. It's not so easy to get back to being peaceful when you're used to fighting almost all the time. I like this one-shot.

~Ani

It's the first paragraph and already I love this. Padme's thoughts correcting herself were perfect-very natural- and of course the man who designed Darth Maul would have an eye for symmetry.

I also like the bit about the wildness of the garden.

Picking the petals off the precious flower is a nice way to make Palpatine creepy.

Nice job extending the story chronologically there toward the end. I enjoyed this very much. I'm curious-is the quote at the bottom the only prompt the client gave you, or did she specify the characters as well?