Chapter 3
Darth looked around, making sure all of the officers had gone. Than he thankfully sunk into his pod, and closed it's oval walls with a touch of a button. The large sphere rotated, and turned toward a window that looked onto the stars beyond. The soft humming of the equipment that set the Obliterator on its course sounded in the background, and Darth sensed that it soothed him.
He liked all that machinery, all the wires and the metal parts and the complex mechanisms that made things work. He began thinking about the project of the Death Star that was on the way. It was only beginning, of course, it would take another couple of years before it was completed, but the thought of working on it excited him. He realized that the he loved working with machines, drawing plans and watching them be executed, seeing how a heap of steel, metal parts and components turned through work and planning into a logical sequence, an equipment capable of performing all types of things.
Machines were fine, he thought. Building them was so impersonal. Now this job, it was not so. He agreed with the emperor that a war was nonsense, and that the planet had to be punished for its disobedience. If one piece of the patch was allowed to fall out of order, many others would soon follow, and at the end, order would be no more.
But still, he had to see the point of the lead planet of the system. It would be a hard thing on them, if a neighboring world was so devastated. What sort of peace and order was this one the emperor offered? That was not all that bothered him. This entire scheme involved extortion, menace, murder, betrayal. He felt that what the emperor had promised, a New Order, was all just a lie, and he felt betrayed too. But also, he felt too weak to think about it. The emperor was his master, and he would obey. There was nothing else to it, and there shouldn't be. He stopped thinking about what the mission meant, and began focusing on the particular details. The large imperial ship would arrive to Mecktross in a few hours, and everything had to be ready by then.
"Sweety, I am telling you, that shade so goes well with you lips!" Frissa said, looking at the receptionist and adding some more of the coral pink bush on her cheeks.
"You should so wear more. I mean, look at you! If you just add a touch here and a bit there, you begin to glow, oh, just like a star! And, hey, you might just catch the eye of one of these richoes that stay here!"
Tina, the receptionist laughed "Oh, forget it! I am not getting any younger, and if I didn't catch anyone by now, it sure wont happen at all."
"Oh, hence the blush, silly" Frissa concluded thriumphally, adding some more on the already sparkling cheeks of the receptionist. They were both standing on each side of the large, massive wood counter in one of the most luxurious hotels in Pescaval, the second largest city of Mektross.
The Royal Sun hotel was a huge 30 story building with an immense lobby, now filled with people, bell boys running about, rich tourists coming in, business man and government agents walking, or sitting on the large comfortable silk and wood sofas, staring at the holonews before them. There was a huge variety of aliens and humanoids walking around, and the sound of the four falling cascades of bright orange water hushed the noise a little.
"So, tell me, who do we have here?" Frissa leaned over to Tina.
"Oh, wait till you hear!" Tina giggled happily, approaching Frissa's ear " One of the maids told me that the girl in the suite royal was none other than her majesty, the princess Evertia!"
"You have got to be kidding me! Evertia! Well, the force be with me, what ever is she up to now?" Frissa said humorously
"How should I know?" Tina retorted " But she is here in the utmost secrecy. Took the secret passage up to the suite, and everything. Probably so as not to cause a turmoil with the press. Been up there for three days now!"
"Seriously, I'll never understand all those rich people! So, will you do it?" Frissa asked
"Sure, why not! And if you do see her, let me know how she looks! They say the new plastic surgery had her looking ten years younger!"
"Oh, I should be so lucky! But give it a shot. At least, we'll laugh about it"
Tina picked up the holophone line, and waited a few seconds. Soon enough, a male voice answered
"How do you do, sir." Tina promptly retorted, giving him her most serious "business only" look.
"I am the receptionist, Tina Packa. We here at the Royal Sun Hotel wish to provide our distinguished guests with nothing but the very best in services. Today, as part of our daily program, we have one of the most luxurious companies of delicate perfume and make - up products inviting our guests for a free trial. If you are interested, one of the vendors can, in the commodity of your own rooms, provide a spellbinding presentation of the newest daze in the make-up business!"
After a long silence, the male voice returned, and declared that the vender was more than welcome, as long as her ID checked out. Tina said that the girl would be there in five minutes, and thanked the man gracefully. When the com link turned off, Frissa could not believe it
"Oh my Force! Ill get to see the princess! Can you believe it! Oh my God, Tina, thank you, you are an angel! I'll tell you all about it, I swear! Oh, maybe I sell something! Oh, oh my God! I might get a promotion for this!" Frissa said all this while she hugged her friend, and arranged her hair, looking into the large mirror behind the counter.
She than ran to the large elevator, and pressed for the 25th floor, trembling slightly. This could be a major chance in her life! If she managed to sell something from the line to the princess, THE princess, the king's daughter, the heir, she could get a nice, cushy job in the internal vending sector, maybe with a office for herself, who knows. It was a great chance for someone like her, who was nothing but a make-up sales girl.
She never considered that to be her profession, it was more a manner to make some money till she found a real job, like a secretary, or a cashier, or even a receptionist, like Tina. A job in which her pay didn't depend on luck, and having to run around, looking her best, persuading people to acquire things they didn't need or want.
Darth looked around, making sure all of the officers had gone. Than he thankfully sunk into his pod, and closed it's oval walls with a touch of a button. The large sphere rotated, and turned toward a window that looked onto the stars beyond. The soft humming of the equipment that set the Obliterator on its course sounded in the background, and Darth sensed that it soothed him.
He liked all that machinery, all the wires and the metal parts and the complex mechanisms that made things work. He began thinking about the project of the Death Star that was on the way. It was only beginning, of course, it would take another couple of years before it was completed, but the thought of working on it excited him. He realized that the he loved working with machines, drawing plans and watching them be executed, seeing how a heap of steel, metal parts and components turned through work and planning into a logical sequence, an equipment capable of performing all types of things.
Machines were fine, he thought. Building them was so impersonal. Now this job, it was not so. He agreed with the emperor that a war was nonsense, and that the planet had to be punished for its disobedience. If one piece of the patch was allowed to fall out of order, many others would soon follow, and at the end, order would be no more.
But still, he had to see the point of the lead planet of the system. It would be a hard thing on them, if a neighboring world was so devastated. What sort of peace and order was this one the emperor offered? That was not all that bothered him. This entire scheme involved extortion, menace, murder, betrayal. He felt that what the emperor had promised, a New Order, was all just a lie, and he felt betrayed too. But also, he felt too weak to think about it. The emperor was his master, and he would obey. There was nothing else to it, and there shouldn't be. He stopped thinking about what the mission meant, and began focusing on the particular details. The large imperial ship would arrive to Mecktross in a few hours, and everything had to be ready by then.
"Sweety, I am telling you, that shade so goes well with you lips!" Frissa said, looking at the receptionist and adding some more of the coral pink bush on her cheeks.
"You should so wear more. I mean, look at you! If you just add a touch here and a bit there, you begin to glow, oh, just like a star! And, hey, you might just catch the eye of one of these richoes that stay here!"
Tina, the receptionist laughed "Oh, forget it! I am not getting any younger, and if I didn't catch anyone by now, it sure wont happen at all."
"Oh, hence the blush, silly" Frissa concluded thriumphally, adding some more on the already sparkling cheeks of the receptionist. They were both standing on each side of the large, massive wood counter in one of the most luxurious hotels in Pescaval, the second largest city of Mektross.
The Royal Sun hotel was a huge 30 story building with an immense lobby, now filled with people, bell boys running about, rich tourists coming in, business man and government agents walking, or sitting on the large comfortable silk and wood sofas, staring at the holonews before them. There was a huge variety of aliens and humanoids walking around, and the sound of the four falling cascades of bright orange water hushed the noise a little.
"So, tell me, who do we have here?" Frissa leaned over to Tina.
"Oh, wait till you hear!" Tina giggled happily, approaching Frissa's ear " One of the maids told me that the girl in the suite royal was none other than her majesty, the princess Evertia!"
"You have got to be kidding me! Evertia! Well, the force be with me, what ever is she up to now?" Frissa said humorously
"How should I know?" Tina retorted " But she is here in the utmost secrecy. Took the secret passage up to the suite, and everything. Probably so as not to cause a turmoil with the press. Been up there for three days now!"
"Seriously, I'll never understand all those rich people! So, will you do it?" Frissa asked
"Sure, why not! And if you do see her, let me know how she looks! They say the new plastic surgery had her looking ten years younger!"
"Oh, I should be so lucky! But give it a shot. At least, we'll laugh about it"
Tina picked up the holophone line, and waited a few seconds. Soon enough, a male voice answered
"How do you do, sir." Tina promptly retorted, giving him her most serious "business only" look.
"I am the receptionist, Tina Packa. We here at the Royal Sun Hotel wish to provide our distinguished guests with nothing but the very best in services. Today, as part of our daily program, we have one of the most luxurious companies of delicate perfume and make - up products inviting our guests for a free trial. If you are interested, one of the vendors can, in the commodity of your own rooms, provide a spellbinding presentation of the newest daze in the make-up business!"
After a long silence, the male voice returned, and declared that the vender was more than welcome, as long as her ID checked out. Tina said that the girl would be there in five minutes, and thanked the man gracefully. When the com link turned off, Frissa could not believe it
"Oh my Force! Ill get to see the princess! Can you believe it! Oh my God, Tina, thank you, you are an angel! I'll tell you all about it, I swear! Oh, maybe I sell something! Oh, oh my God! I might get a promotion for this!" Frissa said all this while she hugged her friend, and arranged her hair, looking into the large mirror behind the counter.
She than ran to the large elevator, and pressed for the 25th floor, trembling slightly. This could be a major chance in her life! If she managed to sell something from the line to the princess, THE princess, the king's daughter, the heir, she could get a nice, cushy job in the internal vending sector, maybe with a office for herself, who knows. It was a great chance for someone like her, who was nothing but a make-up sales girl.
She never considered that to be her profession, it was more a manner to make some money till she found a real job, like a secretary, or a cashier, or even a receptionist, like Tina. A job in which her pay didn't depend on luck, and having to run around, looking her best, persuading people to acquire things they didn't need or want.