Asatyyl thinks about that for a moment. "Yes, I've defiitwly run across that notion. My species is rather longer lived than most. You'd think if they considered death such a great evil more of them would avoid getting in lethal fights, but they don't. Just following their instincts, I suppose. I'd like to see how much life I can manage to enjoy, personally. How much of the galaxy I can learn about, how many friends I can make."

As they continue speaking, another door will open.

As he had said, Plagueis has been trying to align his apprentice so that he's willing to help Plagueis enhance the greater good of the galaxy, and this has mostly worked, especially when it comes to the pursuit of immortality. But for all of Plagueis's attempts at swaying his apprentice, there are still a great many domains in which they do disagree. And when it seems that his apprentice's power might be at risk... well, that's sufficient cause for them to turn against each other.

Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo, Sith Apprentice to Darth Plagueis, steps through the door into Milliways.

His eyes narrow. "What is going on here?"

"Lord Sidious," says Plagueis. "Good to see you. Asatyyl, this is my apprentice. Lord Sidious, this is Asatyyl, an ambassador from far outside our galaxy, and indeed our universe itself. I've been explaining the ways of the Sith to him, in the hope that - "

"You've been what."

"Explaining the ways of the Sith. His worlds don't have anything in the vein of the Sith, nor even the Jedi, and ideally Asatyyl can expand our cause, help not only the peoples of our galaxy but those of an entirely different universe."

"Very pleased to meet you, Lord Sidious. Yes,  I've been learning a great deal about the philosophy of the Sith and how I might apply it to the problems of my own universe. Plagueis has been quite helpful in explaining how he's gone about it in your own galaxy, and I've found it amazingly thought-provoking to look at things from such a different point of view." He notices that Sidious is possibly displeased with some part of this situation, but he's going to remain polite and hope things can be de-escalated if necessary.

He's being polite? To Palpatine? Well, either he legitimately doesn't know that a Sith can only have one apprentice, or he's a very good actor. Palpatine reaches out with the Force, to try and sense Asatyyl's mind, and...

He's shielding himself. Palpatine can't even feel him at all in the Force; that takes more control than even Palpatine himself has. This one's hostile, and also probably powerful.

But if he's able to make his mind entirely blank to Force-users, that probably would stop him from simultaneously using the Force himself, meaning that he won't be able to touch Palpatine's mind. Meaning Palpatine can pretend he's fooled, and then strike when Asatyyl isn't paying attention.

"Evidently my master has failed to mention several of the more important aspects of the Sith traditions," says Palpatine. He subtly turns so that he'll hopefully appear to be hostile towards Plagueis, but not towards Asatyyl; if he knows how to read combat stances, that might fool him. "For all your devotion to the ways of the Sith, master," he snarls, "you seem not to remember that there is to be only one apprentice. We had a deal."

"Oh, I would't really consider myself an apprentice. I do intend to try and make use of these teachings once I return home, but--"

The Christmas tree, along with several assorted pieces of furniture, rocket towards his back. Obviously, he'll use the Force to deflect those, so Palpatine is already rushing at him, with one of his hands shooting blasts of lightning and the other drawing his lightsaber.

Through some combination of Sidious's body language and Asatyyl's own sense of the situation, he recognizes the danger and dodges low and to the side, just managing to avoid being struck by any large objects.

He does not dodge the lightning. Ow this sucks, is about the extent of his conscious thoughts.

Plagueis steps in the way, blocking the energy with his lightsaber, and uses the Force to shove Palpatine to the side. "Asatyyl's not a Sith," he growls. "He doesn't even have the Force. I was trying to fix another universe and you might have just ruined everything because you were so jealous you couldn't even wait to learn what was happening before you had to attack an ally."

Napkins pile up on the table. Nobody seems to be reading them, but if they were, they would see warnings of increasing urgency that combat is not allowed at Milliways.

Asatyyl really feels like just lying on the floor and not moving, but recognizes that he might regret it if he doesn't take advantage of his current state of not being Force-lightninged. He uses a fallen chair to pull himself more or less upright and looks around for a safer place to be while Plagueis and Sidious work this out. Maybe behind the bar?

He doesn't even have Force powers? What?

"You revealed our identities to someone who isn't even a Sith," says Palpatine. "You swore that I would benefit from all of this, you swore that I would be one of the ones who got that utopia you're trying to make, and now you're throwing away my safety for someone who isn't even useful - that's enough. I'm killing this one, and if you insist on meddling with this universe then we will find a safe way to do that with my input." Palpatine jumps over the fallen tree and the bar to reach Asatyyl, and lightning emerges from his fingers again -

- and is blocked by Plagueis's lightsaber, ricocheting back and letting one of the bolts strike Palpatine himself -

- Palpatine leaps at Asatyyl with his own blade, trying to cut through him before -

When Plagueis and Palpatine wake up again, they're back in their own universe. A napkin is pinned to each of their robes, reading We do not tolerate fighting at Milliways. You will not be allowed to return.

No.

No, that's not - that can't happen. He can't just - Palpatine, you little bastard, you might have just killed everyone in an entire universe.

Once he's managed to turn off his emotions, which takes longer than it almost ever has, Plagueis puts Palpatine into an artificial sleep - he'll decide whether to kill him later. And then he thinks.

Asatyyl's not a Sith Lord. Not even close. Plagueis only told him a few things, the basics of utilitarianism, nowhere near what he could have -

But is it enough? Asatyyl had seemed genuinely intelligent. Curious enough that maybe he'll be able to rederive the rest...

That's just hope blinding him. Plagueis can't actually assign any higher than... 10%... that Asatyyl will actually be able to accomplish anything on a galactic scale.

But if he somehow manages to figure it all out... if he actually turns out to be motivated enough, to care enough, to really figure out what's right, and do it...

That's not going to happen, is it.

Asatyyl's not a Sith Lord, and so a universe is gone.

Eventually, after enough minutes of silence, Asatyyl peeks out from behind the bar to find himself alone once more. He reads through the napkins that have piled up--apparently the bar objects to violence and has the power to enforce that preference.

He appears to have had a brush with another sort of follower of the Sith teachings, the type that he only suspected of in between the cracks of what Plagueis was telling him. Well, in his experience, the level of power Plagueis was trying to wield always came with risks.

Still, he did find it an interesting philosophy, and there still may be parts of it he might see if he can put into practice. Oh--he hopes his gift from Plagueis survived the scuffle.

He looks around the bar. That encounter may not have ended exactly as he'd prefer, but he couldn't deny it was both stimulating and educational. And apparently he has at least some guarantee of safety. Who might come through that door next?

He thinks he'll stay here a little while longer.