"John Gartler," the figure said, "the youngest genius in the history of the Galactic Republic to be promoted to detective."
John's hand went to his weapon. "Former Chancellor?"
Palpatine's face twitched slightly. If it weren't for that orange cat, he would still be Chancellor.
As for the current Chancellor?
The position was temporarily vacant. Many people thought Garfield was capable, but Garfield himself had made no comment.
Palpatine maintained his cool, mysterious demeanor.
"Young detective," he said to John, who had already drawn his gun, "are you also going to help those villains?"
John didn't fire. He wasn't stupid. He had been prepared the moment he found Palpatine sitting in his house.
He would follow up with questions, see what the other wanted to say.
"John," Palpatine said softly, "may I call you that?"
John nodded. "Yes."
Palpatine looked relieved, as if he had seen a long-lost relative. "John, you know I've been framed, don't you? There's a huge conspiracy at play."
John watched as Palpatine stepped closer, attempting a friendly gesture.
He took two steps back as a warning. "Please keep your distance, Former Chancellor."
"According to the data, at least a dozen murders and dozens of other cases, large and small, are linked to you."
Palpatine's expression hardened. "Nonsense! This is all a conspiracy by the Jedi Order and that treacherous orange cat."
"They're trying to overthrow our Galactic Republic. Did you know that?"
His impassioned, rousing speech gave John a fleeting illusion that he had truly discovered something.
But John wasn't easily convinced. He had reviewed those case files years ago during his police career.
With his photographic memory, he clearly remembered that the criminal records were from years ago… unchanged.
The connections between those cases were genuine. No fabrication.
"Former Chancellor," John said, "since you are innocent, why not use your power to clear your name?"
Clear what? Palpatine thought. Those records were genuine.
All police system data was centrally controlled by the Galactic Republic, an independent system accessible only to the Jedi Order and the police force.
Ordinary officers could access case files, but modifications required authorization from Jedi Elders, the Supreme Commander of Police, and system analysis confirmation.
Even as Chancellor, he had never been authorized to access or modify them.
Otherwise, Palpatine would have erased all traces of his actions years ago.
"Their power is too great, John," Palpatine said, his voice trembling. "I cannot do it with my own strength."
He looked very sad. Pitiful, even.
John looked at Palpatine's heartbroken appearance and sighed. "Former Chancellor, how about this?"
"If you trust me, I will take you to police headquarters and contact the media. We can confront your accusers in front of the entire galaxy."
"That will certainly clear your name."
Going there would mean certain death.
Palpatine covered his face and sobbed softly. "John, it's not that I don't want to. But you know how miserable I have been these past few months."
"Not only have I been starving, but I also have to find a way to clear my name…"
The sound of his sobs made John shudder.
They reminded him of his ex-girlfriends, the ones who had cried their eyes out after he chose his career over love.
He was so much like them.
John was somewhat moved. He said gently, "Former Chancellor, I deeply sympathize with your plight."
"But as a lowly detective, all I can do is take you to headquarters. Await the truth. Clear your name."
Going to headquarters would mean sitting on the rarely occupied death row chair.
Palpatine knew why… conspiracy, rebellion, the dark Sith warriors, and the evil he had accumulated over the years.
He shook his head. "I cannot go. Their power is too immense."
"My covert investigation has revealed they are plotting something. The data and evidence are hidden on the servers of the High Claw Group."
The High Claw Group's servers were renowned throughout the galaxy for their security.
Even the self-proclaimed hackers in the holodramas had tried, but they couldn't even penetrate the firewall, let alone engage the engineers.
John, a detective who had spent years on Coruscant, knew many such people. They all rumored that whoever could breach that firewall would be their leader.
But after all this time, no one had succeeded.
"I regret to inform you, Mr. Palpatine," John said, "that according to my information, no hacker on Coruscant or in the entire galaxy currently has the capability to breach those servers."
"If you wish to obtain data from High Claw's internal servers, you will have to go there in person."
Palpatine nodded. He had sent his own people to try.
As John had said, they couldn't even get through the firewall.
According to feedback from his computer experts, to enter the server's interior, to retrieve data or gain control, the only way was to physically enter the server room first, then implant a pre-made Trojan program.
Palpatine and his team had experimented with various methods.
Only a handful of people on Coruscant were qualified to enter that server room.
Besides Garfield and Jean, who occasionally came out, the rest of High Claw's internal staff consisted of only two engineers.
Palpatine had considered targeting them.
But they turned out to be two hardcore gamers who, apart from their daily work, spent the rest of their time holed up in High Claw's headquarters playing games.
Their external communication was practically nonexistent.
Even their own colleagues had never seen them, only knowing that they had the appearance of humanoid robots and were members of the game development team.
"I know I can only go to the site," Palpatine said. "But unfortunately, my identity prevents me from entering. You, however, are different."
"Huh?"
Palpatine pointed at John. "Look at you. Young. Handsome. Charming. Irresistible."
"You captivate countless beautiful girls. Especially Jean Grey, she has a strong liking for young, promising detectives like you."
"If you can use your charm to secure an invitation to visit… perhaps you will have a chance."
John shook his head immediately. "Former Chancellor, I think you are oversimplifying things."
"Even if I could enter the server room, I would not be able to complete the tasks you have described."
Palpatine smiled slightly. "You don't have the skills, but I can naturally find talent in that area. You only need to go in. Coordinate from the inside."
John tried to refuse.
But Palpatine raised his hand.
A surge of Force energy shot from his palm directly into John's brain.