Shu Mai clenched her fists, her mind spinning wildly.
I've heard from Sidious… she thought tensely — unaware that Sidious and Palpatine were the same man.
Jin-Woo… he's the master of opera and deception. This… this must be another act. Just a small monster, puffing himself up… surely.
She forced herself to speak, her voice edged with tight suspicion.
"How… how will I sign it?"
Jin-Woo gave the faintest smirk, his voice quiet and sure.
"Use your own blood," he murmured smoothly. "I will use mine once you finish."
Without hesitation, Shu Mai pulled a small concealed dagger from her sleeve, her hands trembling only slightly as she dragged the blade across her palm. Crimson welled up, trickling down her fingers before she sharply flicked her wrist — splattering blood across the glowing contract in the air.
Jin-Woo followed with calm, lazy precision, drawing a small cut across his fingertip, letting a single drop of his blood fall onto the Pledge. The moment it struck, the floating contract shimmered, then burned itself into thin, vanishing light.
Jin-Woo tilted his head slightly, his voice soft.
"Rey, your turn."
Rey, grinning wide, sauntered forward, her green-glowing eyes flickering with mischief.
"I rob from someone and give the loot back to the victim… it's called a waste of time, Jin-Woo,"
she teased with a laugh, dropping a heavy bundle of encrypted credit cards into Shu Mai's stiff hands.
Jin-Woo gave a chuckle, sliding the remnant of Chronos — the spinning time-gear — back into the depths of his shadow inventory.
"Just watch," he murmured, a quiet promise. "You'll see."
And then, like a snapped thread, the frozen air shifted.
The time-stop effect faded.
Palpatine blinked sharply, his body loosening as movement returned. His smooth voice, laced with diplomatic charm, broke the quiet.
"Presidente Shu Mai… is everything fine?"
Jin-Woo, unfazed, turned his gaze lazily to the side, seemingly uninterested. But his next words slipped out with the deceptive ease of casual conversation, binding to the Pledge of Tentsui's power.
"Shu Mai," he murmured softly, "I'm going to book you for the whole day. You'll accompany me. And… please don't talk too much, especially about what we've dealt with today."
Shu Mai stiffened faintly as the binding sank into her soul. But the moment passed, and her greed, her arrogance, rose back up — the true face of the Commerce Guild Presidente.
"Tch… go to shit hole, third-rate merchant," she spat, her voice sharp and venom-laced.
She turned, flicking her furious gaze toward Palpatine.
"Senator, I'm leaving. Escort me to my ship," she snapped coldly.
Palpatine gave a smooth nod, offering his arm as they exited together, leaving the tension of the room behind.
Jin-Woo, Morgan, and Rey stood alone now in the quiet, empty restaurant.
Rey let out an exaggerated sigh, crossing her arms with a huff.
"What a waste of time, Jin-Woo. You should've let me brand Shu Mai and make her your slave."
Morgan chuckled softly, her eyes narrowing with a hint of fondness as she spoke.
"Rey… even though you sense Jin-Woo more intimately now, you don't understand his methods," she murmured smoothly. "But I'm more curious about this Fall — this Tentsui (転墜, Tentsui) you invoked. What exactly will it do?"
Jin-Woo's sharp gaze flicked toward them, his voice low, laced with quiet finality.
"The penalty will be… very severe," he murmured. "Severe enough that the victim would probably choose death over enduring it."
He gave a faint smirk, his fingers tapping idly against the table.
"Don't worry," he added calmly. "In the next thirty seconds… she and Palpatine will return."
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
At the streets of Theed, Shu Mai strode briskly toward her shuttle, her robe dragging slightly behind her, one trembling hand clutched tightly around her still-bleeding palm — the wound Morgan had given her earlier throbbing with a sharp, raw sting. Beside her, Palpatine played the part of the calm, ever-diplomatic senator, hands folded behind his back, voice soft and full of false concern.
"Senator," Shu Mai hissed under her breath, her voice sharp and panicked, "report this fraud to Queen Amidala. Make sure that Jin-Woo is fired from Naboo — do that, and I'll give you half of my earnings."
Palpatine inclined his head smoothly, a gentle, practiced smile tugging at his lips.
"Of course, Presidente. I will report to Queen Amidala… and ensure Jin-Woo is out of Naboo," he murmured, his tone like silk — though behind his eyes, a flicker of calculation stirred.
As the two continued walking, their pace brisk, a sudden flicker of blue light burst into life above the street. Holo-screens — public displays scattered across the Theed plazas — blinked on, casting their glow over the cobblestones.
A crowd of Naboo civilians, drawn by the sudden broadcast, began gathering, their murmurs rising in curiosity. Shu Mai slowed, frowning, and turned her gaze upward. Palpatine, too, paused, his face turning smoothly toward the light.
The screen showed a female Togruta news reporter, her striped montrals flicking slightly as she spoke into the camera, her expression tense, eyes wide.
"Just in — breaking news from the Castell system," she announced breathlessly. "We are receiving reports of widespread riots across the planet. Chaos has erupted in multiple cities."
Shu Mai's breath caught in her throat. Her chest tightened, her heart pounded painfully.
Castell…?
The reporter continued, voice urgent, images flickering behind her: fires raging in city streets, mobs of workers storming Commerce Guild offices, elite villas burning in the night.
"The ruling elites — the governor, high officials of the Commerce Guild — are reportedly on the run. Many have gone into hiding or are presumed dead. Former underlings, laborers, and local planetary minorities have risen in open rebellion, seizing control of major sectors. Communication lines are down. The planetary treasury has been seized by rebel leaders. As of this hour, Castell's government has effectively collapsed."
Shu Mai stood frozen, her mouth dry, the blood draining from her face. The familiar skyline of her homeworld, once glittering with wealth and industry, now showed only smoke, ruin, and chaos.
Her fingers dug deeper into her injured palm as the words sank in.
My planet… my home… Castell … it's… gone?
"Uh… w-we're receiving… another urgent update," the Togruta reporter stammered, the crowd around her beginning to ripple with rising panic. "The planet's geological systems… have become unstable. Reports confirm hyperactivity in the tectonic plates — massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, magnetic storms… all emerging within mere seconds across the planetary surface…"
Shu Mai's knees buckled. She collapsed to the cobblestones with a hollow thud, landing hard on her knees as the sounds of panicked civilians echoed faintly around her.
Her breath came in shallow gasps, her eyes wide and glassy as the words inside her head screamed like a thousand knives.
If Shu Mai disobeys, defies, or resists the commands…
then the binding shall unleash The Fall — Tentsui upon her.
-The first penalty is a warning strike upon her surrounding family or planetary holdings.
-The second and subsequent penalties will enforce destruction directly upon her body and soul without reprieve.
Her shoulders trembled violently, silent tears streaking down her cheeks.
Is this… what you meant, Jin-Woo…? The Fall…
My fall… The first warning… to strike what I hold dear…
The image of Castell streets cracking open, the volcanic plumes rising in deadly blossoms of ash, the tremors shaking entire cities apart — it all slammed into her heart at once. And , Shu Mai wept openly, the sharp sound of her crying breaking past the hum of the gathered crowd.
Beside her, Palpatine tilted his head slightly, his calm, polished smile never faltering.
"Presidente," he murmured smoothly, "might I offer you a refreshment? You seem… very pale."
Shu Mai's lips trembled as she tried to form words, her voice nothing but a weak, breathless whisper.
"Take… take me to Jin-Woo…"
Palpatine leaned in slightly, one hand cupping his ear in mock confusion, his polite mask gleaming.
"I'm sorry… could you repeat that, Presidente?"
Suddenly, with a strangled cry, Shu Mai threw her head back, her voice breaking into a desperate scream.
"TAKE ME BACK TO THAT, JIN-WOO! GOD DAMN IT!!"
Palpatine's eyes glinted faintly in the light of the burning holoscreens. He gave the faintest of smiles.
"Ah," he murmured , "that's clearer."
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
At the empty restaurant, Jin-Woo, Morgan, and Rey sat scattered where they pleased—Jin-Woo relaxed in his chair, arms resting lightly on the table, Morgan seated elegantly with one leg crossed over the other, and Rey sprawled out sideways on a bench, legs swinging carelessly as her green-glowing eyes shimmered with restless energy.
Rey tilted her head, a sly smirk playing at her lips as she tapped a finger against her chin. "That's horrible, Jin-Woo," she murmured with mock sweetness, though a gleam of dark amusement flickered in her gaze. "Practically anyone who gets hit by that… they'll be reversed to what they have, huh?"
Jin-Woo's eyes remained calm, his voice quiet,. "That's why I said," he murmured smoothly, "you'd better choose death. You don't want to see what your pathetic self would become… or in this situation—what a stable, peaceful planet turns into when it's flipped into chaos."
Morgan let out a low, thoughtful hum, a small smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. She brushed a lock of silver hair back, her eyes glinting with wicked calculation. "Hmm…I should implement this on my backstabbing little fairy people," she mused softly. "So they learn… there's a position far worse than death."
Jin-Woo fingers drumming lightly on the tabletop, the soft tap-tap-tap echoing through the quiet, half-lit restaurant.
Suddenly—
The entrance doors slammed open with a sharp CRACK, rattling the glass as Shu Mai stormed in, her robe disheveled, her face pale and slick with cold sweat. Palpatine followed behind her, smooth as ever, hands folded calmly at his waist, his eyes flickering with polite curiosity.
Without a word, Shu Mai threw her holocommunicator onto the table with a clatter. The small device sparked to life, projecting a flickering holo-image into the air.
The scene it showed was unmistakable.
Planet Castell—her homeworld—was falling apart in real time.
Cities torn by earthquakes, molten rivers splitting across the land, magnetic storms lighting the sky in violent pulses, volcanic eruptions blasting ash columns miles high.
Screams, emergency sirens, collapsing towers—an entire world unraveling at the seams.
Shu Mai's voice cracked with fury as she slammed her hands on the table, eyes burning with desperation.
"How did you do it?!" she choked out. "Why—why must my homeland suffer?! Why?!"
Jin-Woo tilted his head slowly, a lazy, almost playful glint in his half-lidded eyes.
"About what?" he murmured softly, his tone light, innocent—like a merchant caught in harmless confusion. "I'm not sure what you mean, Presidente."
Shu Mai's lips twisted, her fists clenched. She opened her mouth to scream—to accuse—to hurl every curse she had…
But then, like a sharp blade through the fog, his earlier words flashed in her mind.
"I'm going to book you for the whole day. You'll accompany me. And… please don't talk too much, especially about what we've dealt with today."
Her breath hitched in her throat.
One wrong word—one defiance—
And Castell's tremors would rip open fully, its final death sentence sealed.
For a long moment, the room hung in tense, suffocating silence.
The holo-screen crackled softly, showing Castell trembling on the edge of annihilation. Shu Mai's chest rose and fell rapidly as she stared between the screen and Jin-Woo's quiet, waiting face.
Finally—her shoulders slumped in defeat, her voice a hollow rasp.
"Fine… fine."
Her fists loosened slightly.
"I'll accompany you… for a day."
Jin-Woo didn't say a word. He merely gazed at her in calm silence, the faintest flicker of a smirk playing at the edge of his lips.
Palpatine, standing slightly off to the side, let out a quiet, puzzled breath.
"Can anyone," he murmured smoothly, a hint of dry humor slipping into his voice, "tell me why the problem that was supposed to be settled… suddenly came storming back here?"