The Galactic Republic was witnessing an unprecedented phenomenon.
A cross-era gaming competition, boasting the highest viewership since the Republic's founding, had been announced.
The catalyst? Absolutely exorbitant prize money.
The promised rewards were so immense that mercenaries, bounty hunters, and various ne'er-do-wells across the universe temporarily abandoned their trades.
It wasn't that they'd turned over a new leaf, the sheer scale of the bonuses made the usual criminal enterprises seem trivial.
For a while, the entire galaxy held its breath.
Troublemakers went quiet, each holed up in their ships or dens, furiously training for the internal qualifiers.
The qualifier rules were simpl,: compete in any game you like, and a point conversion system would determine who advanced.
The qualifiers would then lead to the preliminaries.
From those, a random ten percent would be drawn to proceed, where the competition expanded to four games.
To move forward, a player needed to win three out of four or accumulate the highest total points.
This system would continue, round after brutal round, until only ten thousand players remained.
Only then would the 'real' competition be considered to have begun.
In the early qualifier stages, Garfield had his personal TV network broadcast a few select matches, but the true spectacle was yet to come.
With tens of billions of players whittled down over three months, the scale was mind-boggling.
The top one thousand would earn a free passage on a warship, specially modified by Garfield, waiting in the outer space of Coruscant.
Finally, the one hundred finalists would be brought to the largest competition venue on Coruscant itself for the grand finale.
The one million credit sponsorship from Garfield was so substantial that it even persuaded a fifth of the Jedi Knights to temporarily set aside their galactic peacekeeping duties to help maintain order.
Yoda, recognizing the event's potential to channel restless energy into healthy competition, agreed.
Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Palpatine saw an opportunity.
Through his extensive media channels, he voiced his opinion, he should be elected as a judge, or perhaps even the host of the opening ceremony.
It was a power play wrapped in a public request.
Garfield saw through the little trick instantly.
He refused without a moment's hesitation, issuing a public statement that he would handle the ceremony himself.
Palpatine was incensed.
He felt he was due a certain measure of respect and visibility.
Yet, he found himself utterly stymied by Garfield.
The Jedi, with whom he usually maintained a careful rapport, seemed to naturally gravitate towards the charismatic cat, not him.
Frustrated but ever pragmatic, Palpatine turned his mind back to his schemes.
His apprentice, Darth Maul, was gone, presumed dead. He needed a new one to help execute his grand plan.
Then, he received supremely good news, Count Dooku had left the Jedi Order.
With his extensive, secret files on nearly every Jedi, Palpatine knew Dooku intimately… his disillusionment, his political influence, his formidable abilities.
If he could lure Dooku to the dark side, his plans would accelerate exponentially.
Dooku would bring not only his own power but also his connections, from the disgruntled systems of the galaxy to potentially even the Trade Federation.
Uniting these factions under a single, Sith-led banner would create a new era, a shadowy empire to challenge the Republic.
As he fantasized about this glorious future, a single, jarring image disrupted his thoughts… an orange, four-legged cat.
That cat. The one who had unwittingly, and then deliberately, foiled so many of his carefully laid plans.
A flicker of pure hatred crossed Palpatine's face before he smoothed it into a mask of serene ambition.
Garfield… are you my destined archenemy? he mused silently.
I am Palpatine. Darth Sidious. The Sith'ari. One day, I will find a way to step over you.
He gave himself a mental shake. Focus. You can do this. The game is just beginning.
With renewed purpose, Palpatine logged into the competition to begin his own gaming journey.
He was determined to win, to prove his superiority, and to use this platform to further his image.
He was a master strategist, after all. How hard could it be?
But unknown to Palpatine, for a good cat like Garfield, the sight of a schemer like the Sith Emperor joining a competition meant for fun was unacceptable.
He couldn't allow such a spoilsport to ruin the children's and everyone else's game experience.
And so, Garfield decided to take a personal interest in one particular player's journey, ensuring his path to victory would be anything but smooth.
So, the match begins.
He spawns in, immediately hunts down "Palpatine's account" on the mini-map, and closes in for a 1v1.
He unloads a devastating flurry of punches, finally knocking his foe into a destructible environment box.
A bomb drops, annihilating the zone and him with it.
Waiting to respawn, a stray shot from a random passerby finishes him off again.
He respawns, tries to help a crippled teammate, only for the enemy to be executed right as he arrives.
Frustrated, Palpatine queues for a massive 1000v1000 battle.
He tries to rally the troops, fails the Commander election, and in the chaos, leads a brave but doomed charge straight into an ambush.
He's mowed down.
He respawns, sees a clear shot at an enemy, charges forward, and is instantly taken out by a stray bullet from across the map.
Palpatine, finally fully taps into the dark side.