CHAPTER 13
She felt strange getting up that morning. After sleeping in the woods for four years, finding herself lying nicely in a bed left Nikki in utter confusion for a good thirty seconds. She was still in her regular clothes, the covers were wrinkled from being slept on. The walls were plain white, the floor bare, the dresser swept clean and even the mirror unblemished. Surprisingly, it was in its own way comforting waking up to a clean and clinical atmosphere. There was an aurora of security and order, something you don't find in the woods very often.
But what happened? Rogi was dancing, he yelled. there was the lieutenant, Bobo Fett, and the battle. It all began when Vader found me in a cave, I saw a spy at a cantina, the spy was shot, I went to sleep, I'd talked to the South Gal tribe, Vader probed my mind. Ugh, don't want to relive that again. Why did he do that? He wanted information, quickly, that's what. Okay, that nice, but what's going on now?
Nikki's first reaction was to find Rogi, but that wasn't possible: he was nowhere in sight. Should she escape? At the very thought every muscle seemed to contract and her violet pupils glanced pointedly at every nook and corner of the room.
Rise and shine, Nikki
What the. how'd you, you're talking in my head! Where did you learn that?
I forgot you're not a morning person. You obviously don't remember
I asked you where you learned that trick, Rogi
From you. On our way to the Death Star, when we were running in the hallway, you called out to me telepathically. Why do you ask; you're doing it now
Gosh he's right, how stupid do I sound now!
Rogi, where are you?
I'm nearby, in another room. I don't think you realized how tired you were last night. You sat on the bed when that officer escorted us and you were out cold! I thought you were faking it, but Vader said you weren't.
Nikki bristled at that. Rogi was warming up to Vader like a pet dog, and it was sickening. It was one thing to be open minded and be willing to take risks, like this training or whatever, but to act like some fan club member, he was too trusting.
Be careful, Vader's a Sith lord, he can lie
So can everybody else
Ughh! That's not what I mean and you know it, Mr. Sly Cheeks!!!
Mr. Sly Cheeks?
Did I say that out loud?
Oh, you're just being too trusting, forget about that. Promise me you'll be careful, 'kay?
I'll be careful, and I don't need to promise you that, you ought to know that already
The connection was abruptly cut off, as if in a hurry, and Nikki was left alone once more. As she was combing through her hair with her fingers, the door swished open.
"You have thirty minutes to eat breakfast, Lord Vader is expecting you afterwards."
The same lieutenant from the night stood with excellent pose at her doorway, and when he pivoted, a silent motion for Nikki to follow, she saw Rogi was there as well.
In the secluded corner of the base's cafeteria they ate a silent meal of eggs, bran, and milk. The lieutenant discouraged so much as a peep from the two inferior juveniles, lest they make his job any harder. But even he couldn't keep the two quiet for long.
The clash of voices, silverware, and boots dulled and clouded Nikki's senses in a familiar, musky sort of way. For the first time in a while, she felt almost at home. Her violet eyes caught stuck to the boy sitting across from her. She rested her head on her palm and spoke.
"I don't think the dark side is that strong. I mean, sure Vader is stronger than us and stuff, but if he were really powerful, why isn't he emperor? That guy is a breathing corpse, surely a Sith lord to defeat him!"
Rogi carefully poked his fork at the eggs, as though he were rearranging the wires of a malfunctioning comlink.
Jahi la-Hali, look at me when I'm talking to you!
"I don't know, I don't see what's wrong with free training."
"What the hell is going on in that head of yours? You do realize we're captives, we're his prisoners."
Nikki tried to pluck out more reasons. She didn't think she'd need one. It was disturbing how difficult it was to find a valid one.
"Do you realize, Rogi, that if Vader all of sudden decides that maybe he doesn't to train us, maybe he decides he doesn't want apprentices, a bunch of annoying little kids to take care of and, and, and train, he could just kick us out, he could just kill us! Kill us!"
Confidently, Nikki snapped her fingers to emphasize 'kill' and leaned back in her chair, like the outlaws in the holovids.
"Alright, now you're just making excuses." He didn't even look up.
Now that's just plain rude.
"Look, buster its true!" She kept her glare, thought it only drilled Rgoi's falling bangs.
Keep confident, be drastic.
"Lieutenant, surely you know that Vader is a ruthless person?"
Nikki evil-eyed Rogi and turned, exasperated, to the officer, only to find where should have been a gray Imperial uniform was a black metal chestplate.
Sometimes having a military extinct is a bad thing, Nikki thought, her back on the floor and legs slanted ever so elegantly on her chair after she had violently pushed herself away from the Sith lord without thinking. The cafeteria was now eerily quite, it was like a cantina right before a fight, and Darth Vader had now stood up, staring, glaring at her.
"It is a shame we do not share the same views regarding the dark side," exclaimed Vader.
As if on cue, she felt the familiar cold steel feeling of the dark side. Wait a minute, had Vader been the lieutenant all along? How'd he do that?
Vader noticed the girl was gaping like a fish now. This would be easier than expected.
"Perhaps you have changed your mind?"
Vader held out his leather-clad arm to the girl. Her eyes went like two stars at the gesture, blinked harshly and opened sharp. She grabbed the Sith lord's hand and pulled herself up forcefully. Darth Vader was physically unaffected by the strong gesture, though one can only guess what he was thinking.
Nikki was looking herself over, the Sith lord looked round the cafeteria at the Imperials.
"Return to your business."
He faced Nikki and Rogi, who was still sitting yet now alert.
"If you are done with breakfast, we'll be beginning your training."
Past the whispering throngs of diners Nikki and Rogi followed Vader left the cafeteria, and soon enough, into a wide, wood paneled room with mirrors covering the walls.
Well, what do you think? PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!! I'll give you a cookie! ( Seriously, reviews are awesome and they let me know what to improve on, and where the plot should go. It only takes 5 seconds. Thanks!
She felt strange getting up that morning. After sleeping in the woods for four years, finding herself lying nicely in a bed left Nikki in utter confusion for a good thirty seconds. She was still in her regular clothes, the covers were wrinkled from being slept on. The walls were plain white, the floor bare, the dresser swept clean and even the mirror unblemished. Surprisingly, it was in its own way comforting waking up to a clean and clinical atmosphere. There was an aurora of security and order, something you don't find in the woods very often.
But what happened? Rogi was dancing, he yelled. there was the lieutenant, Bobo Fett, and the battle. It all began when Vader found me in a cave, I saw a spy at a cantina, the spy was shot, I went to sleep, I'd talked to the South Gal tribe, Vader probed my mind. Ugh, don't want to relive that again. Why did he do that? He wanted information, quickly, that's what. Okay, that nice, but what's going on now?
Nikki's first reaction was to find Rogi, but that wasn't possible: he was nowhere in sight. Should she escape? At the very thought every muscle seemed to contract and her violet pupils glanced pointedly at every nook and corner of the room.
Rise and shine, Nikki
What the. how'd you, you're talking in my head! Where did you learn that?
I forgot you're not a morning person. You obviously don't remember
I asked you where you learned that trick, Rogi
From you. On our way to the Death Star, when we were running in the hallway, you called out to me telepathically. Why do you ask; you're doing it now
Gosh he's right, how stupid do I sound now!
Rogi, where are you?
I'm nearby, in another room. I don't think you realized how tired you were last night. You sat on the bed when that officer escorted us and you were out cold! I thought you were faking it, but Vader said you weren't.
Nikki bristled at that. Rogi was warming up to Vader like a pet dog, and it was sickening. It was one thing to be open minded and be willing to take risks, like this training or whatever, but to act like some fan club member, he was too trusting.
Be careful, Vader's a Sith lord, he can lie
So can everybody else
Ughh! That's not what I mean and you know it, Mr. Sly Cheeks!!!
Mr. Sly Cheeks?
Did I say that out loud?
Oh, you're just being too trusting, forget about that. Promise me you'll be careful, 'kay?
I'll be careful, and I don't need to promise you that, you ought to know that already
The connection was abruptly cut off, as if in a hurry, and Nikki was left alone once more. As she was combing through her hair with her fingers, the door swished open.
"You have thirty minutes to eat breakfast, Lord Vader is expecting you afterwards."
The same lieutenant from the night stood with excellent pose at her doorway, and when he pivoted, a silent motion for Nikki to follow, she saw Rogi was there as well.
In the secluded corner of the base's cafeteria they ate a silent meal of eggs, bran, and milk. The lieutenant discouraged so much as a peep from the two inferior juveniles, lest they make his job any harder. But even he couldn't keep the two quiet for long.
The clash of voices, silverware, and boots dulled and clouded Nikki's senses in a familiar, musky sort of way. For the first time in a while, she felt almost at home. Her violet eyes caught stuck to the boy sitting across from her. She rested her head on her palm and spoke.
"I don't think the dark side is that strong. I mean, sure Vader is stronger than us and stuff, but if he were really powerful, why isn't he emperor? That guy is a breathing corpse, surely a Sith lord to defeat him!"
Rogi carefully poked his fork at the eggs, as though he were rearranging the wires of a malfunctioning comlink.
Jahi la-Hali, look at me when I'm talking to you!
"I don't know, I don't see what's wrong with free training."
"What the hell is going on in that head of yours? You do realize we're captives, we're his prisoners."
Nikki tried to pluck out more reasons. She didn't think she'd need one. It was disturbing how difficult it was to find a valid one.
"Do you realize, Rogi, that if Vader all of sudden decides that maybe he doesn't to train us, maybe he decides he doesn't want apprentices, a bunch of annoying little kids to take care of and, and, and train, he could just kick us out, he could just kill us! Kill us!"
Confidently, Nikki snapped her fingers to emphasize 'kill' and leaned back in her chair, like the outlaws in the holovids.
"Alright, now you're just making excuses." He didn't even look up.
Now that's just plain rude.
"Look, buster its true!" She kept her glare, thought it only drilled Rgoi's falling bangs.
Keep confident, be drastic.
"Lieutenant, surely you know that Vader is a ruthless person?"
Nikki evil-eyed Rogi and turned, exasperated, to the officer, only to find where should have been a gray Imperial uniform was a black metal chestplate.
Sometimes having a military extinct is a bad thing, Nikki thought, her back on the floor and legs slanted ever so elegantly on her chair after she had violently pushed herself away from the Sith lord without thinking. The cafeteria was now eerily quite, it was like a cantina right before a fight, and Darth Vader had now stood up, staring, glaring at her.
"It is a shame we do not share the same views regarding the dark side," exclaimed Vader.
As if on cue, she felt the familiar cold steel feeling of the dark side. Wait a minute, had Vader been the lieutenant all along? How'd he do that?
Vader noticed the girl was gaping like a fish now. This would be easier than expected.
"Perhaps you have changed your mind?"
Vader held out his leather-clad arm to the girl. Her eyes went like two stars at the gesture, blinked harshly and opened sharp. She grabbed the Sith lord's hand and pulled herself up forcefully. Darth Vader was physically unaffected by the strong gesture, though one can only guess what he was thinking.
Nikki was looking herself over, the Sith lord looked round the cafeteria at the Imperials.
"Return to your business."
He faced Nikki and Rogi, who was still sitting yet now alert.
"If you are done with breakfast, we'll be beginning your training."
Past the whispering throngs of diners Nikki and Rogi followed Vader left the cafeteria, and soon enough, into a wide, wood paneled room with mirrors covering the walls.
Well, what do you think? PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!! I'll give you a cookie! ( Seriously, reviews are awesome and they let me know what to improve on, and where the plot should go. It only takes 5 seconds. Thanks!