I don't own Star Wars or any of the Characters. They all belong to George Lucas
Anakin's Risky Proposal
Lord Vader sat once again on his throne surveying yet another youth before him. It was Anakin Solo, his namesake. Anakin had always been Vader's personal favourite, though he had tried to hide that. He had been so happy when his daughter had named her second son for him. So of course, when Anakin had a problem, the least he could do was grant Anakin an audience and try to solve it.
Anakin stood calmly in his grandfather's presence, ignoring the fussing of the various attendants telling him he was disobeying any number of protocols by not immediately bowing and doing the various required obeisances to his Grandpa. Honestly, don't they have anything better to do then rant all day about that? I've never been shy around Grandpa and I'll be condemned to the ninth hell if I'm going to start now.
His Grandpa's voice broke into his thoughts. "Agreed Anakin. These men really must find better things to do."
All of the attendants cringed as a black-gloved finger brushed a dull metal switch. Admiral Crix Madine entered the room and bowed before Lord Vader. "You summoned me, Milord?"
"Yes Admiral. These men…" he pointed vaguely at the shivering attendants, "…have been wasting my time unnecessarily. I would like you to reassign them to a more useful role within the Empire. Assign them to the Shuttle Baradium on its next run."
"Yes Milord…"
The attendants, thanking Vader profusely for his kindness, left his presence as quickly as possible.
Anakin's eyebrow arched. "You just reassigned them?" His voice held mild curiosity.
Vader nodded. "Yes. The Baradium is bound for Kessel. I think be assigned there permanently will give them plenty of time to allow them to think about why wasting my time is a bad thing."
Anakin grinned. "I should have known."
Vader chuckled mildly. "Now, Anakin, what can I do for you?"
Anakin's face grew serious. "Well… you see Grandpa. I'm in love…"
Not again. This is getting just a tad repetitive. Lord Vader loved his grandson, but dealing with Jaina and Jacen's romance issues today had tired him out. Still, Anakin was his favourite, and he would do his best. "Really, Anakin? Then how can I help?"
"Well, you see Grandpa, I want to marry her and I'd like your blessing."
"Really; you just want my blessing?" Finally! Something easy. Maybe I can get some dinner after this…
"Yes Grandpa. All I want is your blessing."
"Well, who is this girl?"
"Her name is Tahiri Veila…"
"…And?"
"She's from Tatooine…"
Ah good, a homeworld girl. She should be good for him. "And who raised her?"
"A tribe of Tusken Raiders."
Vader went cold. Tusken Raiders? Rage built within him. This boy has the audacity to ask my blessing for a marriage to one of the people who killed my mother? It took all Vader had not to strike him dead right there. "Why would you want a Tusken Raider, Anakin? There are far nicer girls in the universe. The Tuskens are savages…"
I knew he'd react this way… "Tahiri was born to a pair of moisture farmers, Grandpa. She was only raised by them."
"And thus has been indoctrinated into their savage ways…"
"She really polite…"
"That's unimportant…"
"Her parents were very wealthy farmers and she's actually the heiress to a small fortune…"
"I don't care…"
"She hates sand and shoes and everything the Tuskens love…"
"That's all very well but you can't marry her. I forbid it."
Anakin sighed. "Okay Grandpa, then I guess I'll have to tell Tahiri I can't marry her…"
"You do that."
"And then I'll have to marry the only other woman who interests me…"
"Fine…"
"Alema Rar."
"What?"
"Alema Rar. She's a dancer from Ryloth. She works at the Starlight Café. She's really quite pretty…"
A non-human… This is bad… This is very bad… And she's a Café dancer? What kind of job is that for the woman who will marry a Sith Apprentice of Anakin's stature? "Ummm…"
"I guess I'll go and tell Tahiri…"
"You don't have to do that, Anakin."
"Yes I do Grandpa. She's a Tusken Raider, after all, and I wouldn't want someone to marry into the family who would upset you…"
"Well… You said she's polite and has a good dowry and hates virtually everything the Tuskens love…"
"I may have overstated her dowry a tad, Grandpa…"
"That's quite all right Anakin. I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll be happy to give you my blessing."
"Thank you, Grandpa." Anakin bowed slightly and left.
A black-gloved finger brushed a dull metal switch. Agent Myn Donos of Imperial Intelligence entered the room. "You sent for me, Milord?"
"Yes I did, Agent Donos. See to it that a dancer by the name of Alema Rar is never seen again… And then make preparations for my grandson's wedding."
"Yes milord."
Vader sighed in relief. Crisis averted.
As Anakin left Vader's antechamber, Tahiri grabbed him and pulled him into a secluded side-passage. "How'd it go?"
"Great. We've got his blessing." Anakin smirked.
Tahiri's jaw dropped. "I thought you said his mother was killed by Tusken Raiders. Didn't that count against me?"
Anakin's smirk widened. "Yes, it did. But you just need to know how to talk to Grandpa…"
Tahiri glared. "What did you do, Anakin?"
Anakin shrugged. "I just suggested that my alternative was to marry a non-human who is even poorer then you."
Tahiri's eyes widened in horror. "You've probably condemned her to death, you know?"
Anakin shrugged again. "Don't worry. Remember that Twi'lek that kept coming on to me at the restaurant last night? The one who was so annoying that we had to leave?"
"Yes…"
"That's who I said I was going to marry."
Tahiri smiled wickedly. "You know what, Anakin?"
"What?"
"There are times you are such a dummy... And then there's now…"
Anakin laughed. "I love you too, Tahiri."
For the record, Vader is not racist, he merely knows that Palpatine is and that having his favourite godson marry a non-human would be a good way to get the kid killed... :p
Jasper
