Two weeks. He had two weeks of pure freedom to do as he wished. It was both lovely and terrible at the same time.
Lovely because he was practically married to his work. He had plenty of PTO hours saved up, but he'd never even considered using them. Not even on the days Vader was at his worst.
Because it was terrible to be forced to figure out what to do with all of his free time. He was a military man. He'd dedicated his life to the service of the Empire. What did one even do with their free time, anyway? It felt wrong to consider going to amusement parks or going bar hopping or…
What did grown men do with their free time?
He honestly had no clue. The other officers spent a lot of time drinking, but that seemed...unhealthy. And Eriadu wasn't exactly a vacation world. It was all either industrial factories, waste zones, or trade markets. He wasn't interested in factories, definitely not waste zones, and he could only do so much shopping before getting bored. So even if he'd had his pick of vacation spots, this would not have been his top choice.
But there was a bright spot to going to a university: they had the best library in possibly the entire planet. At the very least he could pick up a book, find a nice caff shop, and read for a while, maybe answer some holo mail.
He spent hours browsing and finally picked up a few books such as Being an Effective Leader and 101 Ways to Brew Your Own Caff. Perhaps he'd take up a new hobby, he figured, heading up to the front desk to check out.
A young Twi'Lek with olive green skin smiled at him as she approached. "Ready to check out?"
"Yes." He passed her the books and pulled out his ID card. "Will this suffice to check out?"
The Twi'Lek picked up his ID, frowning at it. "I'm sorry sir, this is a standard Imperial ID. We only take school ID to check out."
He frowned. Had Darth Vader received a copy of the school ID in his name? He tried to picture the Dark Lord getting a school ID with his own little picture on it, and failed. If he had, he certainly hadn't bothered to mention it, and he didn't know if he could convince him to send it. It seemed even more ridiculous that Vader would send him mail.
"But can't you use my name to look me up in the system?"
He knew the answer before she said it. "I'm sorry, sir. If you've lost your ID, you could always request a new one when the administration building opens tomorrow."
Even in school, the Empire only encouraged bureaucracy and all of the paperwork and hoops to jump through that came with it. With a heavy sigh, he thanked her for her time and left the books on the counter.
There was no way he'd ask Vader if he could have a copy of the ID. Perhaps he could go to the administration and request a new one like he'd lost the last one, but what if it nullified the one Vader maybe had and he needed it to get into the system? He had no idea how the portal worked, and it just didn't seem like something that he should waste time with. So, no library books for him.
At least there were still caff shops.
Before leaving the modest apartment that the Empire (or rather, Vader) had provided for him, he'd looked up the best shops in the vicinity. There was one across from the university that had high ratings called The Screamin' Bean . It was a silly name, of course, but all he cared about at this point was a good cup of caff to help him forget his troubles and relieve some of the stress the whole odd situation had put on his shoulders.
When he reached the caff shop, he was greeted with a sign on the walkway with a brightly colored hand-drawn notice on slate. It read:
"I need a hug….e cup of caff!"
Then underneath was a drawing of a caff cup with a smiling face on it.
He smiled a little and walked inside.
Given that it was mid-afternoon, most of the spacious dining area was empty, save a few obvious students who were glued to their datapads. Probably studying, like most normal attendees of the school. It was yet another reminder that the situation he was in was far from normal, and with a heavy sigh he approached the counter.
A young Torgruta stopped cleaning one of the machines and hurried to the register. "Hi! Welcome to The Screamin' Bean! How can I serve you?"
Well, she was quite chipper. She'd probably get along with Luke Lars, he thought as he ordered a simple black caff.
"Are you sure you don't want to try our rainbow sprinkle frapp?" She pointed at a holo of a drink that looked less like a cup of caff and more like blended candy and sugar. "It's our special right now!"
He grimaced. He was certain one swallow of that concoction would send him to the med center with instant diabetes. "No, thank you." He said politely. "Just a black caff."
"Suit yourself." She shrugged her shoulders, and he paid for the drink.
At least Darth Vader couldn't keep him away from a good cup of caff, he thought when he picked up his order and found a spot in the furthest corner, away from any windows.
He settled in, pulling out his own datapad to begin reviewing mail he might have missed in his absence. Though he wasn't on the bridge, he was still technically a captain with important duties. At the very least, he figured he could delegate what he couldn't do remotely.
And perhaps when he was finished, he could look those books up on the holonet and download them to his own device. Yes. That sounded quite lovely and relaxing.
He wasn't sure how long he sat in the caff shop, sipping away. As simple as his order was, it was quite good. Much better than anything they had on the Devastator. He made a mental note to ask the Torgruta what they were using before he left.
He was taking a particularly long sip, eyes glued to his messages, when a terribly familiar voice greeted cheerfully, "Hey Firmus! Didn't expect to see you here!"
Multiple things happened at once. He dropped the datapad to the table as he gasped, the cup of caff dropping from his hands to splatter on the floor. Unfortunately, gasping while still drinking was also not his most brilliant move, and he was choking and spewing caff all over the table and, therefore, his datapad.
"I'm so sorry!" Luke shouted, one hand going to save the datapad while the other began pounding on his back in an attempt to help him cough it out. "I didn't mean to scare you! Ellie! Quick, water!"
He could barely process anything beyond the need to cough out the caff he'd swallowed wrong and the fact that Luke Lars was suddenly here, hitting his back with surprising strength in an attempt to help.
"What," he managed to wheeze as the Torgruta (Ellie) rushed over with a glass of water. He quickly grabbed it and gulped it down before whirling on Luke. " Are you doing here?"
Seeing that he was no longer in danger of choking to death, Luke sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I work here...I just got back from my lunch and I saw you and...I'm sorry. Do you need napkins?" He frowned. "What am I saying, of course you do, hold on, I'll-"
"Stop. Talking." He was drenched in hot liquid, and so was the table and the floor. He was still trying to catch his breath, and the boy who apparently worked here was currently motioning wildly at Ellie to bring napkins while staring at him like he was a wounded Loth kitten. "Since when do you work here?"
Nevermind that this was his first time showing up to this place-
"Since the start of the semester." If Luke was offended, he didn't appear it. "Are you sure you're okay? That's really hot-"
"I'm fine!" He was not fine. The heat was burning through his clothes and onto his skin. But he wasn't equipped to handle Lars without Vader there to direct. If he said something that blew his cover, he'd be a dead man for sure. He quickly began grabbing his things. "I'm sorry for the mess, but I really must go. Good day, Mr. Lars!"
He quickly brushed past the boy, heading for the doors. By this point, he realized the rest of the patrons had stopped what they were doing to stare at the comotion. Ellie the Torgruta was chasing after him with enough napkins to supply a cafeteria on a Star Destroyer.
And to his horror, but not surprise, Luke Lars was following.
"I really think you should see-"
"I said good day Mr. Lars!" He was almost to the door and freedom. The boy was working, so he probably couldn't chase after him.
"But at least let me give you your datapad back!"
He stopped at the door, turned around, heart hammering in his chest as he snatched the still-wet datapad from the boy's hand. Then, for good measure, he grabbed the napkins from Ellie's hands...and fumbled. They drifted to the floor and he was far too mortified to bother picking them up. So instead, he yelped, " I said good day!" before turning and rushing out the door.
Vader sat listening to the lecture in Analytical Physics, minding his own business, when he received a private message from none other than Luke Lars.
He ignored it, of course. They were in the middle of class. He'd assumed Luke would pay more attention in class, but perhaps he'd misjudged him. But then the message turned to two, then three, and he inwardly groaned as he finally clicked the message bubble to bring up the private chat.
Luke Lars: Hey
Luke Lars: I wanted to apologize about yesterday.
Luke Lars: And I also wanted to make sure you were okay.
Vader frowned. What the hell was he talking about? He tried to think back to their class interactions the previous day, but it had been rather normal and professional. Luke had, as usual, made some comments on his own shared thoughts, but that had been it.
Firmus Piett: What do you mean?
The response completely stumped him.
Luke Lars: Well caff is a pretty hot drink to spill on yourself. You can't seriously tell me you aren't at least a little injured?
He stared at the message for a moment, trying to figure out what prattle the boy was on now...then realized perhaps it wasn't him he was referring to, and he pulled up his own inbox.
As Darth Vader, he got literally hundreds of messages in a day. He sorted by Captain Piett's name, and sure enough there was a new recording waiting for him. He pressed play and listened.
Lord Vader, Captain Piett greeted, his tone perfectly calm and neutral. Or at least, it mostly was. He could detect a note of anxiousness there.
I regret to inform you that I had a run in with Luke Lars at a caff shop. I had no idea he worked there and he surprised me. I ended up spilling caff on myself and choking on some. I knew it would be bad to be with Lars without you present, so I evacuated the premises immediately. But I am sure he will bring it up with you, so I thought I should let you know of the event just in case.
The message ended, and Vader snarled irritably. Not only had the captain run into Lars without him, but apparently he'd embarrassed himself as well-and therefore, him.
If he wasn't using him as his cover, he'd off him and chose someone less clumsy. But the boy knew Captain Piett's face, and he couldn't explain a total appearance change away, so he was stuck.
For now, though, he had to do damage control.
Firmus Piett: I am perfectly fine. I will not discuss it further.
Luke Lars: Okay, but thing is, I have to make sure, because my boss is worried you're going to sue the shop for everything they own. You're not going to sue, are you?
Vader tilted his head, considering. A lawsuit might be interesting...but no. That would only make the school situation more complicated than necessary, and Luke already had a tendency to make things complicated in the first place. He didn't need more.
Firmus Piett: No, that will not be necessary. As I said, I am perfectly fine.
Luke didn't respond for a while and Vader went back to listening to the lecture. But finally, he got the message:
Luke Lars: ...Okaaaay, if you're sure…
He let out a sigh. The boy would not drop it. Why was he not surprised?
Firmus Piett: If it eases your mind, I sought medical assistance. It was nothing a few bacta patches did not heal.
Considering he was the expert on burns, he was sure this was likely the captain's actual case.
Luke Lars: Okay, good! Just let me know if there's anything else I can do. Oh, and next time you come in, I'll give you a cup of caff on the house!
He pulled up Luke's file and in the comments section added, "Works at a caff shop and will likely bribe us to come back with cups of caff. Do not fall for this tactic."
Firmus Piett: I will keep that in mind, but do not hold your breath. I do not even like caff that much.
Luke Lars: Regardless, it's the least I can do for yesterday.
Firmus Piett: You can repay me by letting me listen to the lecture, young one.
Luke Lars: I'm not a young one, but fine. Let me know!
This boy was far too stubborn. But at least he could inform Captain Piett to avoid Luke's caff shop like it was full of hungry rancors.
He quickly sent a response message to the captain, and returned to listening to the lecture.
Now we know where Luke works! Did I just put a coffee shop AU within a school AU? YES I DID. It's AU Inception, I swear! :P
Also I love the enthusiasm this story is getting! I just love this brand of crack so much, and I'm glad others enjoy it too! Maybe I'll do more crack in the future! ^_^
I love ya'll!
Love,
LadyVader23