Hi everyone! Profuse and profound thanks to all of you who have reviewed – it gives me a lot of confidence, which in turn gifts you with better chapters. Anyway, I'm really sorry about the length of my chapters, but to appease those who want them longer, I will be updating very soon. Just a warning: I will be changing the title and description of this story soon for the reason that it's rapidly heading down a different path. I don't own Star Wars, please review, etc etc.
I gazed around. The base was clean, almost as if by medical standards. There was a sterility about it, not unlike that of the inside of Vader's ship. It sent a shiver up my spine. Lined up in front of us were stormtroopers and the staff of the base. Hundreds of people...All to serve the whims of the Empire, namely Vader. To be frank, it scared me. Despite my upbringing as a member of the royal house of Alderran, I had become somewhat desensitized to formality during my three years living rough with the Rebellion.
Vader, taking little or no notice of my uncomfortableness, began striding from his ship to the doors of the base. I hastened to catch up. I trailed after him as he weaved his way through the base, cleaning droids scuttling to get out of his path. The base was as desolate a place on the inside as it had looked from the outside. We entered a lift as sterile of any color or emotion as its owner. Questions arose, unbidden, but I bit my lip and stifled them.
Vader's head turned a little bit toward me, then back forward.
"Proceed with your questions, princess," his deep voice rumbled.
Stang. I had to start getting better at hiding my thoughts. I recovered quickly and said, "First off, Master, where are we? And what is this place?"
"We are on the planet Khalis, the eighth planet in the Kha system. This Raze, my personal base. There is nothing but wasteland for miles around this place. If you value your life, you will stay within the walls."
I did my best to not to glare at him. He was anticipating everything I was going to say! A strange rumbling noise came emerged from Darth Vader's mask. A second later, I realized he was laughing at me! A chill trickled down my spine for the sound of his laughter was almost more chilling than his snarl.
The lift doors moved open. Vader strode out from the lift and down the corridor it had opened up upon. Without turning to look at me, he said, "Ask away, Princess."
My eyes narrowed, I said coolly, "Will you teach me how to shield my mind?" Even though I couldn't see his face, I felt his approval wash over me. "Certainly, Princess. That shall be our first lesson. But for now, rest and prepare yourself. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for you."
At those words, an...electricity filled the space between us. It was inexplicable. I found myself recalling all those times my Papa would tuck me into bed and say that exact same thing to me, from the night before my very first day of school all the way to the night before my first day before the Senate. The strange thing was why those words, his own words, had struck him.
Then as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Vader turned away from me and said in his synthetic monotone, "This will be your room, Princess. Should you need anything, use the building's comm system." I opened the door I hadn't noticed we'd come to and entered. I felt myself relaxing despite myself. It was tasteful and comfortable, with colorful hangings on the walls and a huge window occupying one wall. I turned to Darth Vader and (even though it injured my pride) bowed from the waist. "Thank you, Master." He inclined his head in reply and swept from the room.
I closed the door and surveyed the room. It wasn't big but wasn't small either, with double doors leading out onto a balcony and two simple armchairs near them. The color choice was a beautiful blending of blue and green that reminded me achingly of the lakes up in the mountains of Alderran. After a little bit of poking around, I discovered that this wasn't the only room that was mine – I had a whole suite! A smaller bedroom with another, considerably more comfortable armchair and a nightstand, a 'fresher of my own, and to top it all off, a walk-in closet. Princess, you sure as heck ain't considered the icon of the Rebellion here. Geez, you're an honored guest! And infuriating though it was to have to side with Han (even if he was just a voice in my head) I had to agree with him. I was definitely not 'Rebel scum' here. As I searched for a tunic and pants to sleep in, I mulled this new development over. What is Vader doing? But try as I might, I couldn't make heads or tails of it all. I climbed into bed and cleared my mind, opening myself to the flow of the Force. Soon I succumbed to dark oblivion.
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