Final Chapter: Dinner and a Mission
The roast bird and vegetables they ordered were wonderful, and throughout their lunch talk centered on such every-day things as the role of religion in a society, the effects of persecution of the mind, and how a life-debt was different from slavery.
It was a typical conversation for Sophia, both mentally engaging and argumentative. Thrawn also seemed to enjoy himself, or did his eyes always sparkle so much?
"I believe we have run out of trivial topics to entertain ourselves with," Sophia sarcastically admitted after swallowing the last of some sweat yellow veggie.
"You call complex social behaviors a trivial topic? You must be very good at your little game to speak so lightly and accurately on such subjects. What are you after now anyway?" Oh, but he was slick.
"You mean, does it have anything to do with a certain Grand Admiral Mith'raw'norudo coming form an extended mission to salvage the remains of the Empire, and if so, what?" Sophia offered with a whisper to the suddenly white Chiss.
"What do you know?" he asked dryly.
"About everything, that's how The Organization works. I've been studying for months. Then I came here to observe the society of this planet, record a number of important discrepancies, and report them to my commander. This," Sophia lifted a large folder form her open pack, "is my data, to which I will add all my notes." Sophia produced a slightly thinner folder, and set them both in front of her. Lifting the cover of the smaller, she wrote next to Thrawn's sketch:
Lunch – 12:30 to 2:04
Overall quite enjoyable personal experience
No ties to mission. Strictly familiarizing with
local subculture.
"You knew all about me from the start. If this has no ties to any mission you are on why waste time?" Thrawn was flushed the color of his shirt in anger.
"The late Lord A. Vader told me so much about you I could not resist, and if you haven't noticed the flirting by now I figure it isn't worth the effort. Short tip: you're gorgeous, so use it. At the very least recognize the fact, it will make your life simpler." The short, grey bodyguard Sophia had noted halfway through eating stepped forward now.
A few moments of silence gave Sophia cause to continue. ""He's a great mind, Ms. Grey, and vastly informed," Vader said to me, "but I'd bet he hasn't heard of your Organization. He would not be interested unless he somehow got himself exiled again. Then again you can never hit him twice with the same trick." After hearing that, and taking a second look at that hair," Sophia pointed at Thrawn, "and those eyes, well, there was no more putting this off. He wanted me to let you borrow something of mine."
"How do I know you aren't lying?"
"I did not lie yet. I did make sure I was talking to the right man. I've only got this simple grey sketch and verbal description, and I don't just go about giving out books to enchanting blue men I meet at the café." Sophia pulled out a thick book with a white cover and the words:
DUH!
by Bob Fenster
First printed 2,462 years prior to
the founding of the Galactic Republic.
"A very old book Lord Vader allegedly wanted me to borrow from a mysterious woman who knows too much, talks too much, and just might be trying to kill me. I think I'll pass."
Sophia opened the front cover to reveal a long list of names. "Yes, they could be forged. On the other hand what harm can paper and ink do? The Stupid History of the Human Race is a good book, often added to, revised, and reprinted. This edition contains historical facts up to about midway through the Republic's rule and is a wonderful source of entertainment." Thrawn was only half listening as he looked over the list of names. On the top in a sloppy print was Sophia Maria Grey followed by a number of her friends, each crossed out. Then came names Thrawn might recognize. Qui-Gon Jinn, with the titles Jedi Knight and Master wedged into the tiny space before his name, crossed out neatly. Obi-Wan Kenobi, also crossed off but only the title Master wedged in. Anakin Skywalker, who's wiggly script was scribbled off. Lord Darth Vader's printed pen was broad and untouched. Sophia offered Thrawn a pen.
"What would I want with a human history book?" he asked, ignoring the pen.
"Read the first page," Sophia offered, still holding out the pen. The Noghri bodyguard examined the book for traps and handed it to his master, open to the suggested page. Within seconds, Thrawn was laughing.
"This is real history?" Thrawn asked in disbelief. Sophia nodded. "Then I'll be needing that pen." Thrawn signed Syndic Mith'raw'norudo, crossed off Vader, and stood.
"So I'm not an innocent woman… that does not mean I'm going to harm you. My missions are always trivial. A quarter-cred in a parking meter or the kicking of a tin can to the other side of a street. Precisely timed such tiny actions win the day. I've prevented a third planetary war that would have caused sterilization on my home planet this afternoon by altering a science fiction novel in a way that will never actually make it into the book. I've just added a dimension to the main character that will never be discussed outside the writer's own mind but greatly affect the believability and metaphorical meaning," Sophia explained.
"How can you know that?" Thrawn asked.
"Well, its like this," Sophia said as she wrote Mission Successful and Complete on a strip of paper with the heading Mission Report. "Vader said it best: with all those procedures and intricate connections, Time Travel must be more hell than putting on my uniform." Sophia quickly dumped her belongings into her pack and took off. Thrawn followed swiftly but she had ducked into an alley and activated her watch before he got here. All he saw was air.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well I hoped you liked it. This, for those of you who weren't sure, is the end. If you would like to continue this story (I've had offers) just give me a little credit in the A/N for the idea next to the standard "None of us own Start Wars" disclaimer and get down with your bad self. Though I'd appreciate a heads-up so I can read and review your story too. While I'm on the subject: I don't own the rights to Star Wars OR Duh! Both of which were written by people far more talented by myself. I own two used teabags and a stirring stick, for those thinking of sueing.
The roast bird and vegetables they ordered were wonderful, and throughout their lunch talk centered on such every-day things as the role of religion in a society, the effects of persecution of the mind, and how a life-debt was different from slavery.
It was a typical conversation for Sophia, both mentally engaging and argumentative. Thrawn also seemed to enjoy himself, or did his eyes always sparkle so much?
"I believe we have run out of trivial topics to entertain ourselves with," Sophia sarcastically admitted after swallowing the last of some sweat yellow veggie.
"You call complex social behaviors a trivial topic? You must be very good at your little game to speak so lightly and accurately on such subjects. What are you after now anyway?" Oh, but he was slick.
"You mean, does it have anything to do with a certain Grand Admiral Mith'raw'norudo coming form an extended mission to salvage the remains of the Empire, and if so, what?" Sophia offered with a whisper to the suddenly white Chiss.
"What do you know?" he asked dryly.
"About everything, that's how The Organization works. I've been studying for months. Then I came here to observe the society of this planet, record a number of important discrepancies, and report them to my commander. This," Sophia lifted a large folder form her open pack, "is my data, to which I will add all my notes." Sophia produced a slightly thinner folder, and set them both in front of her. Lifting the cover of the smaller, she wrote next to Thrawn's sketch:
Lunch – 12:30 to 2:04
Overall quite enjoyable personal experience
No ties to mission. Strictly familiarizing with
local subculture.
"You knew all about me from the start. If this has no ties to any mission you are on why waste time?" Thrawn was flushed the color of his shirt in anger.
"The late Lord A. Vader told me so much about you I could not resist, and if you haven't noticed the flirting by now I figure it isn't worth the effort. Short tip: you're gorgeous, so use it. At the very least recognize the fact, it will make your life simpler." The short, grey bodyguard Sophia had noted halfway through eating stepped forward now.
A few moments of silence gave Sophia cause to continue. ""He's a great mind, Ms. Grey, and vastly informed," Vader said to me, "but I'd bet he hasn't heard of your Organization. He would not be interested unless he somehow got himself exiled again. Then again you can never hit him twice with the same trick." After hearing that, and taking a second look at that hair," Sophia pointed at Thrawn, "and those eyes, well, there was no more putting this off. He wanted me to let you borrow something of mine."
"How do I know you aren't lying?"
"I did not lie yet. I did make sure I was talking to the right man. I've only got this simple grey sketch and verbal description, and I don't just go about giving out books to enchanting blue men I meet at the café." Sophia pulled out a thick book with a white cover and the words:
DUH!
by Bob Fenster
First printed 2,462 years prior to
the founding of the Galactic Republic.
"A very old book Lord Vader allegedly wanted me to borrow from a mysterious woman who knows too much, talks too much, and just might be trying to kill me. I think I'll pass."
Sophia opened the front cover to reveal a long list of names. "Yes, they could be forged. On the other hand what harm can paper and ink do? The Stupid History of the Human Race is a good book, often added to, revised, and reprinted. This edition contains historical facts up to about midway through the Republic's rule and is a wonderful source of entertainment." Thrawn was only half listening as he looked over the list of names. On the top in a sloppy print was Sophia Maria Grey followed by a number of her friends, each crossed out. Then came names Thrawn might recognize. Qui-Gon Jinn, with the titles Jedi Knight and Master wedged into the tiny space before his name, crossed out neatly. Obi-Wan Kenobi, also crossed off but only the title Master wedged in. Anakin Skywalker, who's wiggly script was scribbled off. Lord Darth Vader's printed pen was broad and untouched. Sophia offered Thrawn a pen.
"What would I want with a human history book?" he asked, ignoring the pen.
"Read the first page," Sophia offered, still holding out the pen. The Noghri bodyguard examined the book for traps and handed it to his master, open to the suggested page. Within seconds, Thrawn was laughing.
"This is real history?" Thrawn asked in disbelief. Sophia nodded. "Then I'll be needing that pen." Thrawn signed Syndic Mith'raw'norudo, crossed off Vader, and stood.
"So I'm not an innocent woman… that does not mean I'm going to harm you. My missions are always trivial. A quarter-cred in a parking meter or the kicking of a tin can to the other side of a street. Precisely timed such tiny actions win the day. I've prevented a third planetary war that would have caused sterilization on my home planet this afternoon by altering a science fiction novel in a way that will never actually make it into the book. I've just added a dimension to the main character that will never be discussed outside the writer's own mind but greatly affect the believability and metaphorical meaning," Sophia explained.
"How can you know that?" Thrawn asked.
"Well, its like this," Sophia said as she wrote Mission Successful and Complete on a strip of paper with the heading Mission Report. "Vader said it best: with all those procedures and intricate connections, Time Travel must be more hell than putting on my uniform." Sophia quickly dumped her belongings into her pack and took off. Thrawn followed swiftly but she had ducked into an alley and activated her watch before he got here. All he saw was air.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well I hoped you liked it. This, for those of you who weren't sure, is the end. If you would like to continue this story (I've had offers) just give me a little credit in the A/N for the idea next to the standard "None of us own Start Wars" disclaimer and get down with your bad self. Though I'd appreciate a heads-up so I can read and review your story too. While I'm on the subject: I don't own the rights to Star Wars OR Duh! Both of which were written by people far more talented by myself. I own two used teabags and a stirring stick, for those thinking of sueing.
