Despite the fact that construction, courtesy of their droid labor force, was proceeding ahead of schedule, Governor Tarkin couldn't help but feel dissatisfied with the progress that had been made with the Empire's future weapon.

The majority of his displeasure had to do with the man who the Emperor had placed in charge of the day to day administration of bringing the Death Star to life.

While he had no doubt that Director Krennic was an enthusiastic and loyal supporter of the Emperor's policies, the fact remained that the man maintained an annoying habit of clinging to old ties, despite the fact that they were clearly hindering his work.

And it was precisely for this reason that he had been once again called from his other important duties to try and resolve yet another unacceptable delay.

"You know Director, even if current construction wasn't proceeding ahead of our earlier projections, I do believe we would still be forced to have this little chat. You should be grateful that the Emperor has ordered me to sort out your mess, for I suspect that Lord Vader would possess far less patient then I am showing to you now".

Though his face betrayed nothing, Tarkin enjoyed the irked expression that had come over Krennic's face as he proceeded to try and take control of the situation.

"Since the Emperor appreciates my visions Tarkin, I am sure that I have a degree of immunity from his executioner".

Give a noncommittal hum, despite knowing that Vader was the kind of person who preferred to seek forgiveness only after he had disobeyed orders, Tarkin decided to reveal the reason why the white uniformed director had been summoned.

"Be that as it may Director, the fact remains that despite the increased level of resources the project has received, Galen Erso's department remains well behind schedule despite our constant talks to try and fix this problem".

Offering an unimpressed glare at the man, the Imperial Governor was unsurprised by the response the slightly junior officer offered up in his defense.

"These things take time Tarkin. Its not as simple as welding a couple of kilometer long supports together into a sphere. We're talking about a weapon that was purely theoretical until we were given a chance to design it. Even with the additional power generator's that have been added into the design, it will still take some time for Erso to put theory into practice".

Rolling his eyes in annoyance as this was the same excuse the military director had used to defend his 'key asset' whenever his department had slowed, Tarkin continued the conversation.

"I'm afraid Director that the Emperor will no longer tolerate the excuse that Galen Erso is simply delayed by his genius. For it has come to our attention that the Erso family isn't as loyal to the Empire as we had been led to believe. A rather embarrassing oversight on your part, don't you think so Director"?

Allowing a barely noticeable grin of mockery spread across his face as he witnessed Krennic's infuriated expression, and seeing that he would soon be subject to yet another tirade if he didn't act quickly, Tarkin adopted a tone that he hoped would remind his fellow Imperial that there was a reason why he had attained his current rank.

"Rest assured Director, the issue is being resolved as we speak. While it will undoubtedly delay the final completion of the project, I am sure that the department's new supervisor won't be distracted by something as petty as a martial dispute. Now, if there isn't anything else to discuss, I bid you a good day Director Krennic".

Savoring the look of a man who knew his authority was threanted, but was in no position to anything about it, Tarkin turned his attention back to the 2 documents that Krennic's arrival had distracted him from.

The first one was a top secret notification from the Imperial Security Bureau that several naval taskforces would be passing through his sector on their way to the southern borders of Hutt Space.

The second dealt with some rather interesting reports from the Imperial Survey Corps. While they must have been rather confused with the sudden increase in their monthly budgets, these government funded explorers nevertheless relished the chance to expand their efforts to map out the previously unknown regions.

Knowing which one would more likely be of interest to the Emperor, Tarkin chose to continue his reading of the second document instead of the first. For while the military buildup along the borders of Hutt Space was important for the present time, the Imperial Governor was far more interested in the future.

…

Despite the fact that she was close to collapsing from pure exhaustion, the 7 year old girl was nonetheless proud of what she had managed to accomplish in 2 weeks.

Before, she wouldn't have been able to finish a third of the hellish obstacle course that the clearly sadistic droid had designed for her. But through sheer perseverance, not to mention 3P0's threat that Vader would dispose of her if she continued to be a "useless sack of human veal", Aphra had managed to finally get one up on the droid, though it still resulted in a fair amount of mildly painful blaster burns.

Thankfully though, Vader's palace was equipped with some pretty fancy medical tech, which thankfully remained open to her as long as her injuries were related to her new duties.

She still found it somewhat odd that Darth Vader, the 2nd most powerful man in the Empire, who literally had millions of soldiers at his beck and call, decided that a 7 year old girl was more capable of protecting his daughter than a battalion of clone troopers, but hey, she wasn't going to complain.

"What tremendous progress you have made Ms. Aphra. To think, 2 weeks ago you were just some snot nosed hooligan who couldn't even last 10 seconds in training. And now look at you. Blistered you might be, but at least you have successfully managed to complete your task. I do wonder what sort of injuries you'll suffer from any future endeavors".

Having gotten used to 3P0's odd combination of polite sadism, Aphra merely flashed the former protocol droid a smirk as she proceeded to apply some desperately needed bacta patches to her pain filled limbs.

"That depends 3PO. If I was to take away your voice box, do you think I'd have enough time to run away before your systems rebooted? Cause last time I did that, you barely managed to do more than graze my check with a sloppy laser blast".

Laughing at the sight of the clearly flustered droid, and once again grateful that Vader had forbidden the droid from harming her unless she was in the training room, Aphra took a moment to reflect on her current circumstances.

While forbidden from leaving the palace until Vader said otherwise, the black fist of the Empire had ensured that she would never be bored when she wasn't doing her best to survive her hellish training sessions.

She had access to all sorts of holo books, even ones that she knew would make her dad jealous, a food replicator that turned out meals that were far better than what her mother could ever make, and a fully functional workshop where she could assemble or improve various machinery.

It was actually this last bit that had managed to surprise her the most, for she was almost certain that no one knew that Darth Vader had a hobby in the mechanical arts. It had been quite an amusing sight to see the cyborg working like some common mechanic, at least until he had acknowledged her presence.

Then, she had to quickly explain that she had been looking for something to do, and that she thought that building a blaster from spare parts would have been a good way to past the time until her next training session.

She still remembered the very real feelings of anxiety that had passed through her as Vader silently, apart from his breathing of course, looked down on her without saying a word. However, that feeling had soon passed when he inclined his head towards a work bench and told her to show him what she could do.

Of course he had used his magic force powers to take the battery away from her so she wouldn't have a loaded gun, but she could tell that he was impressed with her finished product for he had seen to it that her list of reading materials included the blue prints for some antique, but no less impressive weaponry.

And while he was a man of few words, the longest sentence she had ever heard him speak after accepting his offer was at the most 7 words long, Aphra already held the man in higher esteem than her own father.

For unlike the idiot who chose to chase after some long forgotten sect of Jedi instead of looking after his wife and daughter, Vader at least acknowledged her abilities and sought to encourage them.

She realized that most people would probably call her crazy for her perception, but since that Imperial child psychiatrist had already told her that she had some behaviorally problems, that didn't concern her in the least.

…

Glaring at the new arrival with an intensity that had never failed to frighten those who dared to usurp her position as her master's favorite, Anaha's usually lovely face could only sneer as she proceeded to put the newbie in her place.

"Let's just get something straight you orange skinned bitch. You do anything to steal my position, then I don't care how much it costs. I will do whatever it takes to make your life a living hell. Understood"?

Receiving a calm nod from the teenage girl, something which only infuriated the buxom would have continued, but the unmistakable sound of her master's return forced her to merely whisper one final warning.

"Remember what I told you Fulcrum. Any funny business, and your back on the streets".

Once again receiving only a nod from the younger girl, and knowing that her human lover always liked it when he came home to an erotic surprise, the well-endowed Twi'lek adopted her most inviting pose, only to scowl as she noticed that her master wasn't paying her the least bit of attention.

Instead, his focus was entirely on the young Togruta whose blue eye's gained a look of determination as stared at his look of recognition.

…

ANNNNNNNNND I think this is a good place to end the Chapter :)

Happy with how this turned out...quite pleased with my rendition of Tarkin AND a 7 year old Aphra lol.

And for the first time ever in this story...and I confess that I have played around with this idea ever since I came up with the boy's reward XD...the introduction of a certain Torgruta apprentice :P So look forward to the next chapter where the boy is forced to interact with another Jedi. Doubt Palpy will be pleased XD.

As for those who are wishing for me to give the 'boy' a name, I confess that it had been my original intention not to. Point of this story, at least originally, was to have a character where any guy could picture himself as the one giving the spoilers. But due to demand...will be granting him a name soon...though I warn you that its not his orginal name :P.

Anyways, hoped you all enjoyed this.

Very pleased to see how many people Favorited/followed this story, as well as the number of reviews :).

SO KEEP THEM COMING :) it pleases me XD.