Well, you're not going to believe it, but I worked really hard on this post
and made it really long, or at least, compared to other chapters! I'm very
happy, and I hope you will be happy too!
When his new apprentice had finally found her way out the door, Vader sighed in relief. At least there was one sensible one.
CRASH!!!
At the slightest hint of disturbance Vader's razor-sharp reflexes aimed him to the source of the noise. A pile of mini training droids lay on the floor beside a broken shelf, the red blade of a lightsaber and the feet of the 'sensible' one.
"I didn't do it."
Strange as it was, Vader couldn't get angry at the kid. Still, this Rogi had to learn discipline.
". but since I'm such a nice guy, I'll pick it up anyways."
The Sith lord stepped closer, calculating.
As Rogi heard the heavy clicking of boots a trickle of anxiety creeped down his spine. But not for long. He put 110% of his concentration on picking up each circular, geometrically-designed device and placing them along the wall.
"I thought you would be a better liar," the Dark Lord mused.
The boy picked his head up from cleaning and grinned mischievously. Only a Sith could even think he was nervous as heck.
"Who says I'm a bad liar?"
"Your master."
Rogi's eyes meekly narrowed for a second, then sprang.
"Can my master teach me to be a good liar?"
Only loose strands of blond hair separated Rogi's full attention on Vader as he nonchalantly raised the lit lightsaber with the Force to his gloved hand.
"Your master is currently appalled by your audacity in using a weapon without his permission."
Keep your cool, Rogi. Everything's A.O.K. It's all fine, kid! Smile, Buster's got your back! Just like they used to say at Mikey's, right? Yuh- huh! That's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh!
Vader switched the blade off. Rogi blinked.
"Which is why your master will be especially harsh if you do not do exactly what he says."
"And what will that be?"
"Tomorrow we will be boarding the Executor. However, only a select group of beings in this base are to know of my exit. Yet again, you and your companion are in need of uniforms and training aids. As you can see, I am faced with quite the dilemma. That is why you will be going to the head of supplies on this base and bring me these materials without arousing suspicion. To do this you will have to practice the opposite of audacity, discretion."
Rogi blinked again. He had caught on every word, but it still seemed like an alien message. When a small ache crept on his leg he realized that he had been crouching in the same position for two full minutes and stood up straight.
"And how will I do this, exactly?"
Darth Vader, with the Force, set the lightsaber on the highest shelf, some 4 feet above the boy.
"That is for you to decide."
Vader turned to leave. Rogi went to follow him, thoroughly confused but ready to do whatever this was. To his astonishment, the Sith lord left him on his own. He breathed in deeply, then began this task.
"I don't like it."
Rogi rolled his eyes.
"Its just a uniform. Who cares?"
Although it was only her second day at the base, the feeling of clinical efficiency she had felt her first night in the Imperial chamber had completely been replaced by a refreshing sense of ownership. It was 'her' room. Unfortunately, she didn't feel the same way about the black jumpsuit that lay formidably on her cot.
"You don't get it," she grounded. "I don't. wear. jumpsuits."
Rogi sat on the trunk at the foot of Nikki's bed, trying different positions with his limber body like a yoga-di instructor, sometimes raising his body several inches with his experienced arms.
"It's probably better for running, doing gymnastics. I had to look all over the place for that. Besides, lazy brat, all the agents wear them, you know."
Nikki now rolled her eyes and sank onto the mattress, sighing her frustration out. "That's it. If you're wearing a jumpsuit you might as well say, 'Hey, I'm a secret agent on a top-secret mission. You should follow me 'cause I probably work for an incredibly rich guy that I will eventually lead you to. And better yet, chances are that I have a huge bounty on my head 'cause I'm so important that I need to wear a jumpsuit!'"
By now Nikki had closed her eyes. She was tired. Laps around the ship, running, dodging glances, keeping her cool. terse self-control drifted away and a shallow yet comforting sleep nourished her, like a gulp of cold stream water. The smell of cotton and thread wafted in, cheap and manufactured yet with a hint of 'her' scent. She breathed deeply through her nostrils and brushed the rough fabric against her cheek, her hair making unexplainable sounds as she dug her head into the bedcover. Her heavy conscience took an ungraceful dive into the cooling pool of sleep. She swam deeper still until a hideous screeching sounded.
"Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep baby Nikki."
Arms folded over her eyes, shielding her from the cruel world outside of the pool.
"No lullabies! Shut up!" she whined.
"Are you going to start putting the jumpsuit for training or what?"
Despite it all Nikki saw in her head the detestable jumpsuit, a tight leather thing that she wouldn't want to be caught dead in. Give me loose capris and a tank top any day. Who needs all that fancy stuff? Its so professional and grown-up and warped and serious, this is me, I'm Nikki, not some full-blast crazy assassin! Even Kela wouldn't wear that!
"What do you have to wear?" she suddenly countered.
Nikki guessed he shrugged. She heard a thump on the floor to her right, near the trunk.
"Pants, shirt, kinda like what the officers wear, but nicer 'cause I'm the special one and they're just dumb-dumbs."
Nikki snorted, remembering the scores of expressionless men during her jog that got all panicky or snotty at anything not normal, like herself.
"Dumb-dumbs indeed. What did you do at Vader's?"
"I had to get our stuff by finding the supply head, the Imperial Base Center for Basic Necessities, blahblahblah."
"Why?"
The blond boy smiled as he saw his friend finally get up to see him.
"I kinda broke something."
"You broke something? What?"
"Why don't you ask him?"
Nikki resigned.
"You're the dumb-dumb. Are you ready for the Executor?"
Strangely, his eyes fluttered. Nikki didn't miss that for a nano.
"Fortunately, yes. I'm the one that had to all the work, getting you, the Brat, all your things. You're obviously not."
"What are you talking about?"
"What do you mean what am I talking about? You refuse to put your jumpsuit on. Vader told me to tell you that we have to have our uniforms on when we go on the Executor."
"What about you? You still have your regular clothes on!"
"Yeah, but I'm actually going to do that and not be suicidal."
Nikki scoffed.
"I don't care what anybody says. I'm not putting that thing on."
An hour later the real lt. Rusk came (you can be sure Nikki checked with the Force on that) to lead them to the hangar where Vader was waiting. Rogi and Nikki both walked confidently, daring eye contact with everyone on the way, though Nikki had a rebellious attitude to hers. Come-backs ran though her head as she walked, keeping her chin up and her pace strong. As she approached Vader she sucked her breath in to keep from breathing hard.
Vader was speaking to the commander at the foot of the shuttle when Nikki and Rogi came behind the lt. As they neared he broke the conversion and looked at the two, his helmet staring down then at Nikki.
"Why didn't you change into your uniform?"
"I don't do jumpsuits," she countered, rather well if she said so herself, glaring right into the black eye sockets. Oh man.
"I don't care what you do, you will dress as a proper Imperial."
Nikki pushed the words out.
"I'm not putting that thing on!"
Seconds magically stretched into hours and the minute movements of the Sith Lord suddenly zoomed-out as Nikki waited for an answer.
Well!?! Do you like it? What do you think? Please please review! Like I've said many times, only 5 seconds!
When his new apprentice had finally found her way out the door, Vader sighed in relief. At least there was one sensible one.
CRASH!!!
At the slightest hint of disturbance Vader's razor-sharp reflexes aimed him to the source of the noise. A pile of mini training droids lay on the floor beside a broken shelf, the red blade of a lightsaber and the feet of the 'sensible' one.
"I didn't do it."
Strange as it was, Vader couldn't get angry at the kid. Still, this Rogi had to learn discipline.
". but since I'm such a nice guy, I'll pick it up anyways."
The Sith lord stepped closer, calculating.
As Rogi heard the heavy clicking of boots a trickle of anxiety creeped down his spine. But not for long. He put 110% of his concentration on picking up each circular, geometrically-designed device and placing them along the wall.
"I thought you would be a better liar," the Dark Lord mused.
The boy picked his head up from cleaning and grinned mischievously. Only a Sith could even think he was nervous as heck.
"Who says I'm a bad liar?"
"Your master."
Rogi's eyes meekly narrowed for a second, then sprang.
"Can my master teach me to be a good liar?"
Only loose strands of blond hair separated Rogi's full attention on Vader as he nonchalantly raised the lit lightsaber with the Force to his gloved hand.
"Your master is currently appalled by your audacity in using a weapon without his permission."
Keep your cool, Rogi. Everything's A.O.K. It's all fine, kid! Smile, Buster's got your back! Just like they used to say at Mikey's, right? Yuh- huh! That's the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh!
Vader switched the blade off. Rogi blinked.
"Which is why your master will be especially harsh if you do not do exactly what he says."
"And what will that be?"
"Tomorrow we will be boarding the Executor. However, only a select group of beings in this base are to know of my exit. Yet again, you and your companion are in need of uniforms and training aids. As you can see, I am faced with quite the dilemma. That is why you will be going to the head of supplies on this base and bring me these materials without arousing suspicion. To do this you will have to practice the opposite of audacity, discretion."
Rogi blinked again. He had caught on every word, but it still seemed like an alien message. When a small ache crept on his leg he realized that he had been crouching in the same position for two full minutes and stood up straight.
"And how will I do this, exactly?"
Darth Vader, with the Force, set the lightsaber on the highest shelf, some 4 feet above the boy.
"That is for you to decide."
Vader turned to leave. Rogi went to follow him, thoroughly confused but ready to do whatever this was. To his astonishment, the Sith lord left him on his own. He breathed in deeply, then began this task.
"I don't like it."
Rogi rolled his eyes.
"Its just a uniform. Who cares?"
Although it was only her second day at the base, the feeling of clinical efficiency she had felt her first night in the Imperial chamber had completely been replaced by a refreshing sense of ownership. It was 'her' room. Unfortunately, she didn't feel the same way about the black jumpsuit that lay formidably on her cot.
"You don't get it," she grounded. "I don't. wear. jumpsuits."
Rogi sat on the trunk at the foot of Nikki's bed, trying different positions with his limber body like a yoga-di instructor, sometimes raising his body several inches with his experienced arms.
"It's probably better for running, doing gymnastics. I had to look all over the place for that. Besides, lazy brat, all the agents wear them, you know."
Nikki now rolled her eyes and sank onto the mattress, sighing her frustration out. "That's it. If you're wearing a jumpsuit you might as well say, 'Hey, I'm a secret agent on a top-secret mission. You should follow me 'cause I probably work for an incredibly rich guy that I will eventually lead you to. And better yet, chances are that I have a huge bounty on my head 'cause I'm so important that I need to wear a jumpsuit!'"
By now Nikki had closed her eyes. She was tired. Laps around the ship, running, dodging glances, keeping her cool. terse self-control drifted away and a shallow yet comforting sleep nourished her, like a gulp of cold stream water. The smell of cotton and thread wafted in, cheap and manufactured yet with a hint of 'her' scent. She breathed deeply through her nostrils and brushed the rough fabric against her cheek, her hair making unexplainable sounds as she dug her head into the bedcover. Her heavy conscience took an ungraceful dive into the cooling pool of sleep. She swam deeper still until a hideous screeching sounded.
"Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep baby Nikki."
Arms folded over her eyes, shielding her from the cruel world outside of the pool.
"No lullabies! Shut up!" she whined.
"Are you going to start putting the jumpsuit for training or what?"
Despite it all Nikki saw in her head the detestable jumpsuit, a tight leather thing that she wouldn't want to be caught dead in. Give me loose capris and a tank top any day. Who needs all that fancy stuff? Its so professional and grown-up and warped and serious, this is me, I'm Nikki, not some full-blast crazy assassin! Even Kela wouldn't wear that!
"What do you have to wear?" she suddenly countered.
Nikki guessed he shrugged. She heard a thump on the floor to her right, near the trunk.
"Pants, shirt, kinda like what the officers wear, but nicer 'cause I'm the special one and they're just dumb-dumbs."
Nikki snorted, remembering the scores of expressionless men during her jog that got all panicky or snotty at anything not normal, like herself.
"Dumb-dumbs indeed. What did you do at Vader's?"
"I had to get our stuff by finding the supply head, the Imperial Base Center for Basic Necessities, blahblahblah."
"Why?"
The blond boy smiled as he saw his friend finally get up to see him.
"I kinda broke something."
"You broke something? What?"
"Why don't you ask him?"
Nikki resigned.
"You're the dumb-dumb. Are you ready for the Executor?"
Strangely, his eyes fluttered. Nikki didn't miss that for a nano.
"Fortunately, yes. I'm the one that had to all the work, getting you, the Brat, all your things. You're obviously not."
"What are you talking about?"
"What do you mean what am I talking about? You refuse to put your jumpsuit on. Vader told me to tell you that we have to have our uniforms on when we go on the Executor."
"What about you? You still have your regular clothes on!"
"Yeah, but I'm actually going to do that and not be suicidal."
Nikki scoffed.
"I don't care what anybody says. I'm not putting that thing on."
An hour later the real lt. Rusk came (you can be sure Nikki checked with the Force on that) to lead them to the hangar where Vader was waiting. Rogi and Nikki both walked confidently, daring eye contact with everyone on the way, though Nikki had a rebellious attitude to hers. Come-backs ran though her head as she walked, keeping her chin up and her pace strong. As she approached Vader she sucked her breath in to keep from breathing hard.
Vader was speaking to the commander at the foot of the shuttle when Nikki and Rogi came behind the lt. As they neared he broke the conversion and looked at the two, his helmet staring down then at Nikki.
"Why didn't you change into your uniform?"
"I don't do jumpsuits," she countered, rather well if she said so herself, glaring right into the black eye sockets. Oh man.
"I don't care what you do, you will dress as a proper Imperial."
Nikki pushed the words out.
"I'm not putting that thing on!"
Seconds magically stretched into hours and the minute movements of the Sith Lord suddenly zoomed-out as Nikki waited for an answer.
Well!?! Do you like it? What do you think? Please please review! Like I've said many times, only 5 seconds!