As it was barely the beginning of fall and they were just past the Mason-Dixie line meant that it was still quite warm. The sun shone down full-force; loath to give up what remaining power it had over the uncomfortable New Englanders.
The rest of the crowd (larger than usual, most of the Roswell buffs had quit wandering around Nevada and come to see a real spaceship) around the cast iron fence looked at them strangely as the entrance actually opened. Several of the extremists tried to rush in as well, but the guards/sentries/futuristic-Gestapo or whatever they were pushed them off. Despite this (happy) reprieve in the endless 'repent or go to hell' chants employed by said extremists, being escorted anywhere by someone dressed entirely in white plastic while carrying formidable looking plastic weapons was just a tad bit daunting. Of course, the fact that neither of them had visible faces added to the effect.
They were escorted past the front lawn, through a clump of trees to the back garden. It was ringed with thicker lines of trees, through the middle had been cleared out for the ship to land in relative peace (and safety from the press's prying eyes).
It was here that Katie began to really feel nerves at the idea of meeting the ruler of the galaxy, and probably would have tried walking in the other direction if the 'escorts' had not been so insistent that they not keep anyone waiting.
One of them marched right up to the gleaming side, and began keying in a password on the multicolored keypad. The other stood there, managing to project an aura of menace without doing anything at all. Slowly, as the first one finish the sequence, the door began rising up slowly, and the walkway extending with a faint hiss.
"Oh god." Katie grabbed Mel's upper arm, trying to stand behind her friend without making it obvious that she was trying to hide.
"Relax," her friend shot back just as afraid but determined not to show it, at all costs. "Can't be that bad…"
She nodded back, and let go. Their escorts (looking even more like guards by the minute) gestured them inside.
The walkway made faint echo-y noises with every footstep they took on it. The entrance bay that it led to was quiet as well, empty and stark looking in all its whiteness.
They were ushered along a passage way to the left, up a ramp and to the right into a room as white as the rest of the ship had been. It was of a medium size, and the walls were ringed with cushy-looking chairs.
There were instructed by the androgynous, computer-sounding voice of the guard to wait there for someone to come to them, and not to leave or try to enter any other room on pain of death. Of course it didn't actually say that last piece, but that was the understood meaning.
As the two trooped out, Mel sat down in one of the chairs facing the two doors. "It's not too bad, so far. No needles, drugs, rabid animals…"
"You haven't seen Vader before breakfast. I'd take the mad dog any day." They both turned startled. Obi-wan had done his appearing trick yet again, and was leaning against the wall next to Mel's chair.
Katie shot Mel an accusing who's-being-sadistic-now? look, and went back to glaring at the speaker. "Really, if you're going to keep jumping in on us all the time, they least you could do is tell us your name."
"My name, or at least what you shall be calling me from now on is Master Kenobi." He'd put a bit of emphasis on the Master part; it was obviously a title he didn't get to lay claim too often.
Mel gave Katie a see?-its-not-sexy-flower! look. Her friend just made a face back.
"Anyway, I suppose we should be moving. This entire craft has been worked to repel the static forces, and I want to get a rough idea of how much you already know." He swept off down a hallway, obviously expecting them to follow obediently. Or, as would be the case, just plain follow.
This next room wasn't nearly as white, more of a neutral grey. It was very tall and open, but there were a few black metal platforms jutting out of the walls at random strategic points. The floor was uneven in places as well, with a few random ramps and stairs and platforms. There was also what seemed to be a random rack against one wall, filled with large (maglight-esque) flashlights.
He led them over to a table in the far corner, upon which was a pebble, a spoon and a square lump of heavy-looking rock. Pushing them into bench seats on one side he sat across from them, looking almost cheerful.
They blinked. He blinked back at them, overly pleasantly. Not a good sign.
"Now, I want you to move the spoon." He made it sound as simple as breathing. But, wasn't this supposed to be some sort of test?
Shrugging, Katie reached out for the spoon. "No!" He gave her a light smack on the back of the hand. "With your mind!"
Settling back indignantly, Katie rubbed her hand while glaring at the spoon. Mel tried to concentrate on it too, not really sure what she was trying to do.
The spoon hopped an inch to the right. Their eyes went wide, and their mouths dropped open. They turned to stare at each other. "Was it you…?" Katie poked her friend. "How did you do it?"
Mel looked a tad alarmed. "It definitely wasn't me! It must've been you then?"
Obi-wan's more sadistic grin returned. "No, that was me. I was just messing with you."
Katie frowned deeper at him. He was really making this so much less fun that it already was. Once she managed to get the hang of this spoon thing, she was going to throw it at his smug little grin. Or jam it up his nose.
Mel just sighed in irritation. How was one supposed to make a spoon move without touching it? It was madness. She tried to concentrate harder on the spoon, crossing her eyes in her effort. Please spoon, move. Move please. Now. Please? Oh great spoony? Pleeaaasee?
The spoon didn't move. It just sat there in smug spoony silence, mocking them with its godly spoon airs.
Katie's frown deepened. She'd been thinking along the same lines as Mel was, though she didn't know it. Maybe she was going about it wrong? After all, it was just a spoon. Spoon. Move. She thought with a bit of a vengeance, trying to bend her will onto the insolent piece of metal.
Apparently this worked, as the spoon went flying and hit the wall, narrowly missing Obi-wan's ear.
"Oh. So that's how you do it." She blinked again. Interesting. She'd never been able to do that at home, which was probably a good thing.
Obi-wan made a small, sarcastic clap. "Very good. I was hoping you'd figure it out." He waved two fingers in an airy gesture, and the spoon flew back to alight gently on the tabletop.
Mel couldn't help but feel slightly besieged. How the hell had Katie been able to do it? And He was acting like it was something really easy, which it wasn't or else she'd have been able to do it by now!
Trying not to look as panicked as she couldn't help but feel, she directed her gaze back onto the miscreant spoon.
Move, dammit! (There was a faint mental click as all her cogs fell into place.)
The spoon obliged politely, even more violently than when Katie had figured it out. This time it almost smacked Obi-wan square in the nose, had he not held up a hand to halt it in midair.
"Well, I can see we'll have our work cut out for us teaching you control, now, won't we?" He commented, looking genuinely happy at their newfound ability. "See, control is the difference between being able to pick up a boulder," He floated the pebble around for a bit. "And being able to grasp a grain of sand. Sure, you might be able to set a pile of papers on fire, but can you only burn the top one? Half of the top one? A layer?" He gently laid the small rock back down again. "It's also the difference between getting along fairly well, and actually mastering an ability. You will have no choice in the matter. 'Control you need, or burn this down you will' as one of my old and wise masters once told me."
Mel blinked back at him, absorbing the speech while mentally cheering. She'd done it! Woohoo!
Katie was paying attention in a superficial sort of way, she was much more interested in contemplating the possibilities this power provided. If she could throw a spoon, why not a chair? Or a person? Why not simply make everything come to her, instead of having to get up at all?
Obi-wan stopped, and looked at both of them. "Yes, I know this seems extraordinary by your terms, but its actually very low-level." He addressed to Mel, with the air of someone who could read minds at will. "And you won't be able to use it in your free time, only when supervised by a capable adult."
Katie sighed at him, while inwardly wondering how he knew what she thought. Capable adult? Him? No way.
"Enough wool-gathering. It's nearly time for takeoff, and I think you should watch. After all, you'll be learning to fly yourselves." Obi-wan waved a hand at them expressively. It was still debatable how he knew what time it was, being devoid of any watch or visible timepiece.
Mel's eyes went wide. "Takeoff? But… I thought…" What about saying good-bye?
"I am sorry, but there are Imperial Schedules that must be followed." He shrugged a bit, not looking sorry in the least. "Your bags have already been collected, and placed in your room."
"Room?" Katie was jolted out of her I-want-to-fly! reverie.
"There are separate beds, you know. Unless you're saying she smells." He couldn't help but grin. They were so much fun to toy with.
"No, that's not what I meant… It's just…" She couldn't help but be a bit flustered. He had a habit of twisting things, and she wasn't sure she liked him much at all.
"I know. Things are just moving a bit quickly, and are completely alien from anything you know." He clapped his hands together, sympathy (sincere or otherwise) gone. "You should settle in by tomorrow."
Tomorrow? They thought in unison after his retreating back. Tomorrow?
The cockpit area of the ship was large, smaller than the enormous room that had left, but at least as large as their living rooms back on earth. It had a curved wall, which was made up entirely (in the front) of large panes of blast-proof glass. The 'dashboard' or some hybrid thereof was almost completely covered in blinking, flashing or beeping LED screens or obscurely colored keypads.
At least seven or eight roughly human people (the ubiquitous techies, as they were to learn) bustled about these various monitors, clicking things or pressing things and muttering to each other in a local lingo entirely of technical jargon.
"I can't understand a word they say," Katie whispered to her friend, staying close enough to her side that it would have been plausible for them to be conjoined.
"Neither do I. But then again, this is only the beginning isn't it?"
"Of not understanding things? Hardly. I usually only understand half of what's going on." Katie shrugged, and got back to watching the highly entertaining keepers of the computers run around checking the various electronic items.
"But before you get to comfortable, I think you should be introduced to the Vader. That way, you still have a chance to run off before we get off the ground." Obi-wan sounded thrilled, just the way everyone does after they schedule a dentist appointment. He began ushering them towards a seemingly superfluous staircase off to the side, partly hidden by some random tower of wires.
But the techies didn't seem to notice; apparently getting this sort of steel behemoth off of the ground took way too much effort to actually pay attention anywhere else. Even if the entire process had already been mechanized, computerized, and filed away in three separate identical folders.
Katie realized that unless she started leaving a trail off different colored breadcrumbs, she was doomed to be wandering about lost for at least the first year. This new level didn't seem to be connected to the last one, or even have a way out. But it was also difficult to tell anything at all, the strips of light being set to the lowest possible setting. Through the dim orange glow they could make out a doorway, to which was a slightly brighter room.
"If I've told him once I've told him a thousand times… No one can see in this blasted hall of his. But does he listen to me? Even if that's what I'm here for? Course not!" Glaring at the plasma panel above his head, Obi-wan gently waved two fingers at it until it brightened sufficiently for them to make out details.
Now they could see, from their alcove across the hall, that someone had recently had the misfortune of incurring the wrath of this particular overlord. Or at least that was the impression they got as a rather white looking techy hurried out, brushing past them roughly.
"Obi-wan, you can bring them in now." The voice managed to have the same quality of that of a dragon issuing from his lair, with the same implied menace.
"Lucky you," Obi-wan muttered under his breath, pushing them forward. "Go on in… he doesn't bite. Not usually." He paused a second. "Besides, if you make him mad biting is the least of your worries."
- - -
They wandered into the room, looking around. It seemed to be ordinary, or as ordinary as anything could be any more. There was a rectangular wooden table with chairs set up around it, nice cushy ones and a smaller octagonal one with some sort of flat screen set deep onto its surface, obviously for the 'next generation' of teleconferences. It also led off into what they had to assume were his own personal rooms.
"I don't suppose I need to introduce myself, now, do I?" Katie openly jumped, while Mel just whirled around.
He was lounging on top of the octagonal table, as obviously these screens were built to withstand tougher use. He was wearing the dark Jedi ensemble, flowing black cloak draped elegantly around him and pooling onto the floor. There was something roguish about his grin, and he had the air of someone who could do whatever they wanted and was enjoying it. But he also seemed very calculated, as though every part of him had been chosen to project the same air, without seeming artificial.
Mel shifted uncomfortably as he looked them over unabashedly, she didn't like the appraising looks and nor did she like this entire meeting. He seemed to be waiting for something.
"They never did teach you manners, did they?" He commented to himself, before lashing out with tendrils of his own power.
Katie felt her spine wrench her forward into a low bow, and her head pushed down. Trying to straighten did nothing; her body seemed to be out of her own control.
"Besides being a protocol reminder, let this be an example for why you need to pay attention. If your mind is weak enough, or your control slips enough, any opponent can force you to do whatever they want regardless of what you want." He let them up, grinning sadistically. "The Force is all about willpower. If you want it enough, it will happen. I wanted you to bow, and you did. Rule number one."
Mel looked very irritated; she did not like the idea of someone being able to yank her about like a marionette on strings.
Katie did not like the idea either, but she had to admit that he had a point. Besides if she had enough power too, who was to say she wouldn't go about terrorizing people herself?
"Rule number two. I don't care what you call me, just as long as you use Lord, Darth or Master. I don't know if Obi-wan told you or not, but you are the only females currently aboard. Therefore, rule number three is that you are restricted to your own sleeping quarters, and there is to be no sexual activity at all." He was still grinning, obviously he considered himself above his own regulations. "Four, you can wander about anywhere and do anything you want, but you are not (I repeat, are not) to use the force outside of a classroom. It is dangerous enough when supervised, but before you learn control the risk is much too great. As for lightsabers, you won't be able to touch them until we deem you ready, and even then there will be no frivolous use."
Mel and Katie looked at each other, confused. What was a lightsaber?
"Rule five, you can get up and go to bed as late or early as you want as long as you are on time to where you are supposed to be." He paused for a moment, thinking. "As for classes, Obi-wan will work out times for you. In general terms, he will be covering saber work, planetary theory-" Here Mel hissed, hoping it was nothing like musical theory. "And the Code. I will be working on control, Force, and piloting and later will hopefully have the opportunity to take one of you as a personal apprentice. Once you settle in, one of the technical staff will be in charge of making sure you understand our more advanced technology. Of course you will be exposed to the political climate, and allowed to sit in on important meetings." Important meaning trivial, he added mentally. They obviously were not going to be permitted to meet the Emperor for quite sometime, until they had learned enough not to be completely bowled over. "The first planet we'll be touching down on next is Corsucant, to restock and to sort of gradually expose you to some of the more… alien aliens." His 'we' was less him and Obi-wan and more the royal plural, though they did not know that. He paused to take a breath, thinking of what he had left to say. "Ah yes. Before you are escorted to your room, you might as well tell me your names."
"Melissa Mahoney." Her tone was a bit overly curt, but it was polite enough.
"Kathryn Abell." She supposed there was no hope in hoping he'd be able to spell it, or even remember it. Mel'll probably end up more powerful, and he'd get her, and then I'll get stuck with Obi-wan, she thought. The irony of being more afraid of Obi-wan than the dictator did not occur to her.
"Right. Now, be sure to close the door behind you." It was an order, though a nicely phrased one.
Reaching the threshold, Mel turned and bowed. The submissive gesture was tempered by a mocking flourish, and it was clear that she did not mean to grovel. Ever.
Obi-wan was waiting for them at the top of the staircase. They must have caught him off-guard, as there was a weird expression on his face. It spoke of mixed emotions, a raging hatred countered by depression that recalled mourning in its deepness. "How did it go?" He commented lightly, taking impressive control of his face and hiding the emotion.
"It was rather well." Katie commented, looking as though she too would like to lapse into deep thought.
"Considering, that is." Mel added. They could, upon occasion, actually finish each other's sentences right. "No blood, murder or death threats." She shrugged, missing the look her friend shot her behind his back. Apparently this was one of the rare times they'd not been thinking the same.
"That's nice to know. Its such a bear to try and get all the blood off the floor when he does get angry." This was yet another branching, random hallway. It seemed to be on the same level as Vader's but didn't seem to have any connection. But it was hard to distinguish any good navigational details in all the white.
He stopped at a recessed doorway, and pulled the keypad out into better view. "This is going to be your room, and you should make sure to remember the code. The only others that will know it are myself and Vader, for security reasons."
It was difficult to make out what the different colored keys meant, as they were all marked with a foreign symbol. Instead, Katie hoped to remember the shape the sequence made. Mel went for the colors, muttering things like 'orange orange green blue' as she watched intently.
The door did finally swoosh open, to reveal the room. It was nothing very exciting, with a bed sunk into the wall on either side. There were also two different, deep closets at the foot of each bed, and a room at the back that lead to their own personal bathroom. Their suitcases sat on the beds, looking very forlorn and weirdly homey despite the fact that they were only ever used a few times a year.
"Do we get cool clothes like yours?" Mel tugged on the hem of his cloak, wonderingly.
He jerked out of her hold, almost convulsively. "Yes, you do, but-" It was obvious how uncomfortable he was, standing around in the girls' room.
She stopped listening about there, and almost ran to the closet that was near here bed. Yanked open it revealed its rows of neutrally colored layers in mostly lighter shades. Disregarding the clothes she already had one she began piling on random layers until she felt like they were enough. "Is this right?" She twirled around in place, feeling very special.
He tried to contain an exasperated sigh. "No. You have all the outer ones on the bottom and all the inner ones and top. And unless it's very, very cold, we don't wear twenty. We wear four."
"Oh." Mel shrugged, keeping them on. "But they're fun! Do we wear them all the time?"
Katie made a small, squeaky noise. "But I like my clothes…!"
"You wear them all the time, unless its some sort of extremely formal affair, at which you will wear whatever we decide is proper. Takeoff should be very soon, and after you change you can wander up to the bridge to watch or you can stay here. I need to go discuss something. I will be back later, and there's still more examination to be done so don't think you've gotten off just yet." He swept out, and the door swooshed back into place after his retreating back.
Katie promptly flopped down onto her bed, pleased at how comfy it was. Ignoring her suitcase she draped her legs over it, stretching out in a vaguely catlike pose. "So. What do you think?"
"Of what?" Mel stood in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to adjust her layers properly. She wanted to look as Jedi as possible.
"Of Vader. Of Obi-wan… Of everything." It was a typically vague question, as Katie tried to sort out her own feelings of said subjects.
"I like Obi-wan. He seems nice enough, and I find the sadism amusing." Mel finally figured it out, ending up with an outfit almost identical to Obi-wan's (this was, of course, how she managed to figure it out). The three underlayers were cream, with one a sandy red-brown over it. There was another creamy sash, over which she'd put the brown leather belt with its shiny buckle. Completing the ensemble with a dark, dark brown cloak, she swished about in front of the mirror feeling special. "Vader's evil, its obvious, and I have to say I'm strongly disliking him already. He seems just the sort to oppress a universe, and I bet he enjoys doing it."
Katie smoothed the edge of her plaid skirt, feeling the raised black threads of the weave. "I don't know, I have to say I don't blame him for being all arrogant. I mean, if you had that kind of power, wouldn't you be a bit full of yourself?"
"I suppose." It was Mel's turn to shrug. "But I still don't like him."
Katie nodded, closing her eyes. "It's all right. He'll probably turn out to be worse when you actually get to know him." She neglected to continue her questions, opting to maintain the comfortable silence.
"Are you going to get dressed or what?" Mel prodded her friend, impatiently.
"Or what. I think I'm going to take a nap." She replied without opening her eyes.
"Whatever. I'm going up to watch the takeoff, OK?"
"Yeah. Whatever." Katie waited until her friend had closed the door before sitting up. She was tired, but a nap was definitely not what she wanted. Instead, she was planning on wandering about a little… exploring, if you will.
Her closet held the same style clothing as Mel's, but in darker shades. Dressing, she surveyed herself in the mirror. Someone who was not Kathryn Abell stared back, eyes wide and dark in an overly pale face. Her three undershirts were in darkening shades of grey, with a black one as the outer layer. Her sash was dark grey, with a black leather belt to go over it. Her cloak was black as well, and she drew up the hood, admiring how very 'Gothic Riding Hood' she looked. Sighing, she turned away. To her delight, there was a pair of tall black leather boots, with a few very shiny buckles at the heel. They were surprisingly (and rather suspiciously), exactly her size and completed the outfit quite well. Drawing her cloak about her, she slipped through the whooshing doors.
The hallway was still deserted, as it seemed that this was one of the lesser-traveled areas of the ship. She cast a glance up towards the cockpit end of the hall, feeling bad for leaving her friend out of her excursion. But she was going to have to be brave enough to do something stupid on her own eventually, instead of relying on her friend's bravado to save the day. Suppressing a brief shiver, she began her wander.
It was hard to keep her path straight, as the many halls that lead from it looked just as inviting. But she tried to stay on one track; or else she'd never find her way back in time. Most of the other doorways she passed had forbidding locks, and none were open enough to peak through. She also passed few people, mostly the random patrolling storm troopers that didn't give her a second glance.
It was the oddest sensation. She stuck out like an ink blotch on white paper, and should have been suspiciously unknown by anyone passing her. The lack of any reaction from anybody was almost disappointing, though she supposed it was better than begin shot at. It did serve as a reminder that how every important or interesting she may be to these strange people, there are probably loads of others who didn't give a damn. It also ushered in a sense of loneliness. The sterile, violently white walls could never be thought as comforting, and the lack of color was already starting to kill her. White had always been such an impersonal color, to her at least. It showed the slightest stain that you got on it, and just served to make everything else look dirtier. At least black was emotional, a feeling opposite to its anemic, haughty cousin.
The white also recalled every movie ever made concerning the digital takeover; no hostile computer was complete without gratuitous white and silver metal. Preoccupied with these thoughts, she almost walked right past the only person to notice her.
"And where do you think you're going?" Vader caught her arm and spun her to face him. He looked a tad confused, as he had been going to meet up with the girls and Obi-wan in the cockpit not wandering random halls.
"Nowhere in particular?" She answered, with a sinking feeling. It was just her luck, to run into the very person that it was probably wisest to avoid. Despite this, she couldn't help noticing that he was only wearing one black leather glove, on his left hand. It was curious, but hardly out of place in this hive of curios.
"I don't think he told you could go wandering about." There was obvious displeasure in his voice but no actual anger. He sounded more annoyed at the inconvenience.
"He never said that I couldn't." She replied, trying to go for witty and amusing, as there really wasn't any other answer.
He sighed, with a hint of a smile. "That can go for now, but from now on understand that if you are not told you can do it then you can't. You might as well come along with me then, back to where you were supposed to be."
She hurried to keep up with him, though staying a pace or too behind and to the side. Its not like she had practice in the art of formal, Imperial manners, and it seemed like a good idea.
- - -
Mel pressed up against a window, watching intently. The ground was still where it was supposed to be, as the techies seemed to be having a problem with something called a 'stabilizer'. Eventually they seemed to decide that it didn't matter if a few people got slammed into a door, as there was a schedule of engagements they had to keep.
Melodramatically, with great aplomb and with the air of someone that has always wanted to do Shakespeare but has been stuck doing bit parts in a lame sitcom, someone pressed a large blinking red button.
Mel was thrown sideways as the ship gave a great lurch to one side. Obi-wan, balancing easily as though used to such malfunctions caught her shoulder before she managed to hurt anything. Setting her back on her feet, he gave a bit of a sigh. "Thousands of years later, and they still can't keep the blasted thing from trying to flip over."
She smiled at him, before turning away to politely ignore him in favor of the window. The ground was rushing away very quickly, what had once been a huge yard was now a small green blotch on the patterned landscape. It was the height at which most airplanes flew, and usually the limit on commercial flight.
"There's no need to look so amazed. You'll get used to it eventually; he keeps us planet hopping until you start liking space better. Some of them are quite nice, but there are others that I'd never like to go to again. Like Hoth, for example. Zero degrees all year round and not a decent coffee maker on the entire thing. Enough to make you go mad."
"That explains a lot." Mel quipped, watching in obvious delight as wisps of atmosphere went trailing by like pieces of thin cloud.
"Ha ha. Very funny. I can see that we have a long and amusing relationship to look forward too." There was a brief, comfortable silence. "Speaking of relationships, where did your friend get too?"
"She said she was taking a nap…" Mel trailed off as Katie came tripping down the hall, being towed by none other than Vader himself.
"And apparently decided that she'd rather wander about alone." He commented, while Obi-wan looked on with the air of someone who would have dragged her back by the ear.
Mel shot her friend a without-me? look, feeling suddenly abandoned. Katie gave her a shrug, and a I-didn't-mean-too which wasn't much help, given that walking around is a very deliberate act. She wasn't sure exactly why she did it, and what had been the whole point as it had turned out to be rather pointless. What ever she'd wanted to find, this wasn't the way to find it.
"Why'd you sneak off? I would've gone along." Mel hissed to her friend, as they followed the bickering Masters back to the evaluation room.
Katie shrugged defensively. "Just drop it. Its not like I actually found anything." She gave her friend a quick one-armed hug, though it was more for herself.
- - -
"Before we start grilling you in the basics of saber, we might as well give you a demonstration." Obi-wan declared, grabbing two of the 'flashlights' off of the rack. He tossed one to Vader, who caught it. "Of course we won't be actually fighting to kill, or even to injure, just to give you an idea." His words had a hint of steel, making it more of a thinly veiled threat towards his opponent than a reminder to the girls.
Vader nodded at him curtly, and they took their places about ten paces apart. With a flick of a finger (upon some sort of recessed button or switch) they powered up some sort of laser-sword-esque thing. It tapered to a point, and as surrounded by a halo of distorted light. There was also a heavy humming sound, apparently emanating from the laser things. Obi-wan's was a brilliant light blue, with Vader's a more clíched and sinister blood red.
The sparring started slowly, each circling the other cautiously much like predatory animals. The tips of the 'sabers, as they had been called, were up and out seeking for an opening in the other's guard. But before long they'd progressed to faster than it was possible to follow, lights whirling and flashing as it began to go beyond a mere demonstration.
To the spectators it seemed more like a futuristic fencing match, and hardly anything to get all bothered about, until Obi-wan almost got in a lucky shot…
With the buzzing point descending rapidly towards his leg, Vader did the most unexpected thing. He jumped an impossible six feet up onto one of the platforms, blocked a return strike, and somersaulted off to land (on his feet like a cat) behind his opponent.
Obi-wan fought back without blinking an eye, apparently that was a normal occurrence (that did explain the seemingly random platforms and ramps, though). It also made a lot of sense, when you considered the lesser impossibilities that had been possible on the static planet.
"I want to do that," Katie breathed, interest piqued.
Mel chuckled, watching with an air of someone who isn't looking forward to figuring it out because she is already certain of being able to do so. Though she was hoping that she wouldn't get left behind if Katie learned faster, which was ironically the same fear passing through her friend's head. Neither of them had ever had to directly compete with the other, and this was an entirely new experience anyway. As it would eventually come to pass, they were not wrong to worry about competition. However, it would not come from one to the other…
In the not-so silent silence that followed, Katie realized something. That the two duelists were not going to stop, because each was afraid of the other attacking while they were unarmed. This created a sort of Catch-22, and meant that it would continue until someone got hurt.
But it as Mel who actually did something, apparently coming to the same conclusions as her friend. "Are you two going to try to kill each other, or are we going to get a turn?" She commented offhandedly, but loudly enough to be heard over the frenzied buzzing and swooshing of the lasers.
Obi-wan suddenly halted, turning to face her with a flourish of blue light. The 'blade' (or whatever it should be called) was still 'unsheathed' though it was tucked at his side. "No, I'm sorry, but you'll have to master some of the basics before you actually get to touch them. Its far more dangerous than the simple swords you're used to, and can take off limbs easier than knives. Besides, you need to start meditation first."
As his companion extolled the dangers of the sabers Vader shifted slightly, though uneasily. He was flexing the gloved hand, and discreetly eyeing his opponent's unprotected back.
Obi-wan shut off his highly evolved flashlight, and set it back on the not-so random rack while giving Vader a pointed evil eye. "Now, if you two will sit down over here…" He gestured towards an empty corner.
Mel and Katie sat, cross-legged, wondering what this meditation would be all about. Of course, to their Americanized minds the first thing to pop into their heads was the cinematic Swami, and his legendary hum of 'umm'.
Obi-wan sat down across from them, though he was levitating about six inches off of the floor. "Now, I'm sure this seems simple. You just down, empty your mind and poof! You learn. But it's really not that simple. After all, when was the last time you sat for an hour without falling asleep? That's the first problem. Second, it's the clearing of the mind. Thinking of absolutely nothing sounds easy, but it takes practice. Of course, it's all well for me to lecture. I've been doing this for years."
Trying to get comfortable, they closed their eyes and tried to think of nothing. Of course, when you try not to think of something you do think of it, so all sorts of little things came flooding into their minds.
Katie snorted in displeasure, trying to filter her mind.
Obi-wan flicked her from his vantage point. "No. You want to try to breathe deeply and evenly. Start by concentrating on that. Breathe in for a count of seven, hold for a count of seven, breathe out for seven and hold for seven."
As his voice, gently counting, faded into the distance Katie tried to clear her mind. In, hold, out, hold. In, hold, out hold…
Suddenly an even harder flick to the forehead jolted her alert. "Hey! What was that for?"
"I said clear your mind, not fall asleep!" Obi-wan admonished. "That's defeating the purpose."
"That's defeating the purpose," She muttered under her breath, and received yet another hard tap.
"You know, I can do this all day if you want. So stop making it harder on yourself."
"It'd be easier to think if-ouch!"
"I don't want you to think. So stop." He grinned to himself. Teaching might actually turn out to be fun after all.
- - -
Katie curled up under the covers, trying not the think about her queasy stomach. Things had gone relatively well after the fruitless meditation lesson, but then it had been time for dinner. And dinner usually involves food. Only problem was this was food by the loosest sense of the word.
- - -
Mel looked down at her over-full bowl, giving the stuff inside a cautious look-over, as though she was afraid that it as either radioactive or about to explode on her.
"What Mel, is it alive or something?" Katie commented offhandedly, picking up a bowl of her own from the tray in the center of the table. This room was oval, and held a multitude of long wooden table where the entire contents of the ship ate. There was a large crowd of red, then an even larger one of white as the techies and storm troopers separated themselves. Along one side there was a table of blue, as the kitchen workers abandoned their post in lieu of some of what they made.
Unfortunately, the girls were considered somewhat special. They were situated at a long table on the dais, where Vader, Obi-wan and some of the other higher-ranking officials sat.
Anyway, so Katie picked up her bowl and looked in it. To her shock and surprise, it as full of a scummy-looking fluid, in which swam (yes, swam) weird-looking aquatic things. The most common were electric blue shrimp-esque fish, with some oddly pink slug-things at the bottom. "Interesting. It is alive."
Mel twitched. "Wonder where it comes from?" She was also wondering if she really wanted to know. Which was why she hadn't asked what it was.
Obi-wan laughed at the pair of them, from his seat across from Mel. "Kashyyyk. Not that it really matters." Spearing a shrimp with his fork, he chewed thoughtfully. "As most of the crew members are from different planets, we try to be diverse in our eating habits."
"Why do I think I won't be looking forward to dinner very often?" Katie commented, gently poking one of the pink things with her own fork.
"Its not that bad. Takes some getting used to, but its good. Tangy, but sweet." He swallowed. "Besides, this is nothing compared to some of the weird things we get served. Just wait till you see…" He cackled to himself, thoroughly enjoying making their meal even less fun. Hey, he deserved a little fun for having to put up with this place.
"So you chew them when you eat them?" Mel asked, still looking like she was a tad afraid of her bowl.
"Only if you want to kill them." He replied, with a straight face.
Shuddering, Katie poked Mel gently under the table. "You try it first."
"Thanks a lot…" Her friend grumbled, gingerly scooping one of the freakishly colored shrimp on to her spoon. Closing her eyes she popped in into her mouth, and chewed as fast as she could before swallowing. Slowly, she opened her eyes again. "Its… actually not that bad. Tastes pretty good." She went fishing for another one, a little less hesitant.
- - -
Sure the things had tasted all right. But now she was beginning to regret deciding that she'd brave seconds. Turning over, she faced her friend. Or her friend's bed, as Mel was curled up the other way and looked like she was already asleep. Lucky. Katie'd been having some problems in that department lately. Damn hormones…