Home Fiction Adult Fiction Art Mail List Staff Links

The Sith Lord and the Scientist Section A - Part 3

After we swap places a second time, I dig out my passcard and shove it into the reader. The gates open obligingly, and once through, I take a moment to put an override on the system using the security station on the other side. No one else can get in now unless I let them.

Now, which route to take into the city? The longer one is a bit more scenic, but it goes through a few more built-up areas and towns than I would like. I turn right and head down the road. This way will be shorter and faster. We drive along the dry valley and through a draw. There is a golf course not too far ahead. I slow a little bit as we pass it, but no one is on the greens nearest to the road. Darn. It would have been amusing to describe that game to the Sith Lord. Maybe they play something similar in the Empire somewhere.

The road twists as we continue along, dropping considerably in elevation as we go. Next stop is at the intersection with the major north-south highway. Not much traffic today, so I quickly whip across and into the lane I want. Northwards now, through several small communities. For a holiday, I decide, it’s quite quiet. Finally we come out where the road overlooks part of the long valley and lakes in the valley floor. I pull off for a moment. May as well let him know where we are headed.

‘The city is to the north, about two hours drive from here. We need to go through the large community ahead,’ I tell him, pointing towards the flat flood plain between the two lakes, ‘then along the side of the lake. There is a bridge across the lake that we will have to take. Hopefully traffic won’t be too heavy today. The university campus is on the northern end of the city. If the highway is slow, I know a few shortcuts and back roads we can use instead.’

The Sith Lord makes no comment, so I pull back onto the road and drive in silence. As we get closer to the first large town, traffic picks up, but I manage to prevent anyone from getting too close and being able to look in at my passenger. Opting for the by-pass, I drive along the river channel, and note that some poor fool has been nailed for speeding.

‘Police force,’ I say, pointing to the cruiser with its flashing lights. ‘They always catch people along here breaking the speed limit.’

A few minutes later, we are clear of the first major town and are driving along the large lake. Time to have a bit of fun with the Sith Lord.

‘There is an ancient creature living in the bottom of the lake,’ I state, keeping a straight face, and even voice. ‘Every so often it pulls a boat under and makes a snack of some careless tourists.’

That prompts him to turn and look first at me, then out at the lake. This ought to be good.

‘Really?’ he asks. ‘Why hasn’t someone tried to deal with it?’

‘It’s too clever and fast. No one has even managed to get a good look at it. There’s a large reward simply for a clear picture of it,’ I continue on, somehow keeping myself from bursting out in laughter.

Vader turns and studies me intently.

‘You are incorrigible,’ he growls, and with that I do lose it and start giggling.

‘Got you, didn’t I,’ I confirm, happily snickering away.

‘Stop that,’ he warns, ‘It was not that amusing.’

Guess he doesn’t like having practical jokes played on him. It was worth being scolded though.

‘Fine,’ I concede, ‘No more jokes then, since you obviously don’t like to have them played on you.’

‘A wise decision, Maia,’ Vader tells me. ‘As my wife I will discipline you if you ever do something like that again.’

He really is annoyed at me. I wonder when he last had a good laugh at himself. Talk about humorless and cranky.

‘There really is supposed to be a monster,’ I confess, ‘and tourists do come from everywhere to try and get a picture of it. I think what people see are just the huge hundred year old fish that live in the colder parts of the lake and their imaginations do the rest.’

He gives a snort at that.

‘Sometimes, if the winter is extremely cold, the lake freezes enough that people can drive across it, but that hasn’t happened in many years now,’ I chatter away.

Another look from the Dark Lord.

‘I’m telling you the truth this time,’ I admit.

There is no comment from him, so I decide that staying quiet is probably a wise thing to do and concentrate on my driving.

Traffic starts to back up as we approach the bridge across the lake. Soon it will be impossible to avoid having other vehicles close to us. I glance over at the Sith Lord. Time to warn him.

‘My Lord, other cars will be within range where they can see you from now on. Just ignore anything that their occupants do,’ I instruct. ‘If you don’t pay any attention to them, they will give up eventually and go on their way.’

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a beat up station wagon full of kids is alongside us. Vader glances over at them, then looks straight ahead. The kids, though, are having a great time waving at him and trying to get him to respond in kind. I give my head a shake and try not to smile too much. If those children ever found out who they were really waving at, their reactions, I’m sure, would be priceless. There a few other encounters like that one before we are close to the bridge, but the Dark Lord takes it all calmly, never reacting at all to the various attempts to get a response from him.

Fortunately traffic control has two open lanes in our direction, so I take the outermost one to avoid another incident like the first one. I slow as we come off the bridge, timing my arrival at the intersection precisely. If I get things just right, I won’t have to stop at any signals all the way through the city. Luck is with me today, and we sail through the first light when I need to.

I take another glance over at the Sith Lord. He is busy looking around at the buildings, people, and other vehicles. Is Earth close to anything he has encountered before? Or is this just another ‘primitive’ planet to him? Surprisingly he has asked me very few questions about what he has seen along our journey.

It takes twenty minutes to reach the campus from the bridge, and the sight of the brick buildings brings a sense of relief to me. Driving back at night will be less stressful. The traffic will be much lighter and it will be harder for people to see into the car. I turn up the street leading to the Science building, whip into the parking lot, and pull into my reserved space. No looking for a place to park for me. A dig through my bag produces my parking permit, so I put it on the dash and hit the release on the safety harness.

‘We’re here, my Lord,’ I announce, ‘time to go to my office and see what emergencies there are. Then we will deal with the gas mix for your TIE.’

He raps the release on his own harness and waits for me to open the passenger side door. It was easier for him to get in, than out, I observe. Good thing I parked so there will be plenty of room for him to maneuver when we leave tonight. Once he is out of the car, I reach in and grab the dress and my bags, then lock the Porsche and head towards the nearest door. The Sith Lord quickly steps to my side, takes the dress again and slips his arm around me. Still possessive, I note, curious that.

I lead us up the stairs, through the door and down the hallway to the main staircase. The Dean’s office and mailroom are on the second floor and I need to see what is in my mailbox. At the top of the stairs, we run into a group of four students, who stop dead in their tracks and stare at Vader and I. Rats. I had really hoped we could avoid anyone until the party.

‘Professor?’ the one student I know ventures.

‘Yes, Curtis,’ I politely reply. I need to get him and his friends to keep my date’s identity quiet.

‘Who’s that with you?’ he asks.

‘My date for tonight’s costume ball,’ I admit.

‘I guessed that much,’ Curtis says with a laugh, ‘But who is he, really?’

‘You know better than to ask that,’ I scold him.

‘Oh, come on, Professor. Nigel’s been going on about your new boyfriend all day,’ he stubbornly persists in trying to get an answer from me.

‘You know the rules, Curtis,’ I state firmly, ‘so don’t ask again.’ I consider carefully for a moment, then add, making sure I address the other students as well, ‘If you lot don’t tell anyone I’m here or who I am with, I will tell you a story tomorrow. Now scram, I have work to do in my lab.’

The students hurry down the stairs and are soon out of sight.

‘Do you think it was wise,’ the Sith Lord asks me, ‘to lead them on like that?’

‘I told them the truth,’ I admit, ‘they just assumed which story I will tell them.’

Vader chuckles a bit at that, and I head into the mailroom with him close on my heels. My mailbox is overflowing, as usual, and a note indicates there is a parcel on the shelf for me. I grab an empty paperbox, throw the mail in it and search for my parcel. It’s from Jamie, I happily note.

I head down the hall to my office next, open the door quickly and usher the Sith Lord in. My university office I keep a bit tidier than the one at the observatory. If I don’t, the cleaning staff move the piles of paper on the floor around and then I can’t find things for days after. Taking the dress from him, I pull it out of the cover and hang it on the hook behind my door. The belt and shoes I set on my desk and my two bags quickly join them.

Mail next. I wave Vader into one of the chairs and settle myself in the other. As I work through the stack, I realize that most of it can be dealt with another day, so I toss it all back in the box and shove it under my desk.

‘That’s an unusual filing system,’ the Sith Lord observes.

‘Efficient,’ I admit, ‘when there is nothing pressing to deal with.’

I pick up the parcel from my brother and give it a shake. No clues there to its contents. There is a pair of scissors in my desk, so I dig them out and start to carefully cut through the tape. Jamie has overwrapped it, as usual, and it takes quite a while to get it open. Once I pull the flaps up, I take out the letter on top and the gaudily wrapped gift which I set on my lap.

‘Birthday present,’ I tell Vader, ‘from my brother. Let’s see what he wrote first.’

‘Dear Sis,’ I read aloud, ‘You have always said that you wanted one of these gadgets, so I got a few good pictures of one and talked the machine shop guys at the base into making it for you. Have fun with it and stay out of trouble. Jamie.’

I give my head a shake. No real clues in that to tell me what’s in the package. Puzzled now, I start pulling the wrapping paper open. Another box is inside. I cut the tape holding it closed and discover it is full of packing material. Time to root around a bit. There’s a metal cylinder inside. My bratty brother didn’t do what I think he did. I wrap my hand around whatever it is and yank it free of the Styrofoam bits. Not bad, I think, as I examine my gift. Pretty good actually for it not being an official copy.

The Sith Lord has watched me as I opened the gift, and his surprise is apparent when I pull out the lightsaber.

‘Where did your brother get that?’ he asks, obviously startled to see what I have in my hands.

‘Jamie had it made for me,’ I say, handing it over to Vader.

I can’t help smiling as he turns it about in his hands. A push on the switch produces nothing, so the Dark Lord presses down harder, then looks over at me.

‘It’s a toy, a replica, not real,’ I admit. ‘It will go well with my costume, I suppose.’

‘Why would he give you something which doesn’t work?’ he asks me next.

‘We don’t have the gems or compact powercells needed to make a lightsaber work,’ I divulge.

‘And...?’ he questions further.

Obviously he is curious why I might want it in the first place. No way am I going to admit that it’s because of him. I give a slight shrug.

‘Maia...,’ the Sith Lord warns, and I know I had better answer him this time.

‘Well, you have one, so why shouldn’t I?’ I blurt out before I lose my nerve.

That produces a chuckle as he returns my lightsaber to me.

‘Mine, my Lady, works,’ the Sith Lord states.

That’s just too good an opening so I take advantage of it.

‘Does it really?’ I tease.

‘Of course, you saw me practicing forms...’ he starts then stops abruptly.

I let out a snicker. Got him again.

‘Behave, wife,’ he growls at me.

Obviously that sort of innuendo is also off limits. Rats.

Well, I guess we should head up to the lab and deal with one of the last of the chores required to get his TIE functional again. I push myself up and out of my chair, and set my new lightsaber on the desk beside my shoes. A second or two later I am grabbed from behind. What is he doing? He hauls me around, backs me into the corner of the room by the door and pins me up against the wall with his body.

‘What are you doing?’ I ask him.

‘There is someone in the office across the way,’ he reveals, ‘ and I thought you wanted to stay out of sight.’

‘No need,’ I tell him, ‘the windows are only one-way. They can’t see in here.’

How did he know that someone was over there? I look up at his helmet’s lenses. He must be able to compensate for the polarized glass somehow. Now there’s a cool trick.

What to do now? The Sith Lord is flat against me, so I decide to be a bit bratty. I wrap my arms around him and wait for what he does next.

‘My wife,’ he warns, ‘you had better start behaving yourself.’

‘Why?’ I stubbornly question. ‘No one can see us. We can do whatever we like in here.’

He tips my face up with his hand, and rests his fingers across my lips.

‘Whatever I like?’ Vader teases. ‘Are you sure, my Lady, that you want to let that offer stand?’

He’s flirting again. I suppress a sigh. Keeping up with his rapid mood changes can be quite a challenge sometimes.

‘And what would my Lord like to do?’ I flirt back, kissing the gloved fingers he has resting over my mouth.

‘Anything and everything,’ he admits, ‘but this is neither the time nor the place for that.’

Oh. Well, rats. He’s apparently not going to take this flirtation any further. Time to go to the lab then. I try to get away, but the Sith Lord refuses to let go, holding me tight against himself instead. Alright, if he insists then. My arms pull him closer and I rest my head on his chest with a contented sigh.

‘Happy are you, my little wife?’ he teases. ‘You obviously prefer being in my arms to anywhere else.’

He is absolutely determined to role play my husband, even when we are alone. Why? There is no need to. Perhaps he is just amusing himself with me. Time to enjoy it then since he seems willing to oblige me. I snuggle in and relax a bit. A hand brushes down my cheek next.

‘My beautiful, fearless Lady. If only you had been born in the Empire, how much easier things would be for us. But I might never have found you then,’ he muses aloud. ‘The Force and fate act in mysterious ways sometimes.’

I stay quiet and listen carefully to what he is saying. This is no mere flirtation any longer. He is far more than simply interested in me, I realize, since he is at the point where he is thinking of the two of us as ‘us’. Time to think quickly here. If this is true, then he has not once played a game with me as I had earlier thought. All of his actions and words have genuinely reflected his feelings for me. Wow. Now there is something I would never have expected. Darth Vader in love with me of all the women he could possibly choose from.

‘No point in debating what if’s,’ he decides, ‘there is only ‘what is’ to deal with.’

Vader looks down at me and I smile up at him. Now that I am fairly sure I know what he feels for me, I need to decide what to do about it, and what to do about what I feel as well. This could be difficult and painful for both of us. Maybe I should just stay silent and leave things as they are instead. Why does life have to be so complicated?

What is, he had said. I will have only a few hours more with him. Time to make the best of it. He lets me out of his embrace, so I grab the notebook from my bag and steer him out my office door. From there, I guide the Sith Lord up a flight of stairs to the third floor and then down the hall, heading towards my lab. Luckily we avoid any more students along the way. Once at the door, I swipe my passcard through the reader, wave him into the room, and flip on the ‘Lab in Use’ light which is in the hallway so that no one will enter without warning me first. When I work, I don’t like to be disturbed, a fact which everyone in the building knows. We should be able to finish what needs to be done without anyone bothering us.

My lab is kept meticulously clean; there is no clutter anywhere. This is necessary as many of the samples I work with are priceless and contamination can be a problem. Students and fellow researchers have learned very quickly that the clean lab rule is one I do not bend much, if at all. Glancing about to check the state of things reveals that everything is in its place and that nothing has been left carelessly out in the way. My lab coat is hanging by the door so I slip it on and focus my mind on the task ahead.

‘You should have a seat, my Lord,’ I tell him, ‘it will take forty minutes to bring the ICP and mass spectrometer on-line.’

With that, I start turning on computers and equipment. The Sith Lord watches for a few minutes, then settles himself into one of the office chairs to silently observe me as I work. I am not used to having an audience for this, so I decide to let him know what I am doing to cover my nervousness.

‘Some of the equipment is completely controlled by the computers, but there are still a few things I have to turn on manually, first,’ I say as I duck behind the mass-spec’ to turn on the vacuum pumps. The flow controller and aridus gas mixer are next.

I drop into one of the chairs and start the programs needed to bring everything else on-line. Reaching over to the ICP, I slide the cover in place and send the commands via computer to ignite the plasma. It flares to life without any problems. Now I will just have to let the system settle down and stabilize while I deal with hooking up the various compressed gases to the mixer.

A quick look about reveals that the gases I had requisitioned from storage and the neon gas have been delivered. Good, I think, only the deuterium from Nigel’s lab to worry about. There is no need to move any of the bottles from where they have been set, so I start attaching tubing to them and hooking it up. The notebook I had brought from the observatory gives the volumes and flow rates I had calculated the other day, so I program these into the flow controller. So far, so good. Now I just need to raid Nigel’s lab for the missing gas, calibrate the mass-spec’, make sure the mix is correct, and fill the empty gas cylinder for the TIE.

Nigel’s lab first, I decide.

‘I’ll be back in a few minutes,’ I call to Vader, before heading to the lab next door.

My master passcard is programmed to open most of the labs in this building, and in the past it has worked on the door in question. Today, however, the door refuses to open. Irritated, I try it several times without luck. Blast. Now what am I going to do? I don’t know how to bypass the security system, and if I try, I might just draw more attention than is wise. Well, there is one sure-fire way to get in.

Re-entering my own lab, I walk to one of the windows and swing it open. Looking next door, I can see that Nigel’s student has once again left one of the NMR lab’s windows wide open.

‘Problems?’ the Sith Lord asks as he joins me.

‘Yes,’ I confirm, ‘security codes have been changed. I am going to have to do this the hard way.’

Ever since I fell from that outcrop while working on the Labrador coast I have had a problem with heights. Five broken ribs and hypothermia tend to do that to you. There is no way I would normally even consider what am I going to have to do: climb out on a ledge three floors up and inch my way along to the other window fifteen feet away. I have absolutely no choice in this though. The Sith Lord can’t do it because he is far too large to get through the windows.

I drag a chair over to the window, but before I can climb up, Vader stops me with a hand on my arm, questioning, ‘What do you think you are doing?’

‘Getting the deuterium out of the lab next door,’ I tell him, then explain, ‘The window is open over there so I can climb in, get the gas, and exit into the hallway. You can’t do it, so I will have to go.’

The Dark Lord looks at me for a long minute, then warns, ‘Be careful, my Lady. I can’t use the Force to catch you if you fall.’

He helps me up onto the chair and out the window. Once I am out on the ledge, I am careful to not look down. The ridge above the windows is just wide and deep enough to wedge my fingers in, so I move my hands along, inches at a time, hanging on as tight as I can. My feet I shift only when both of my hands are secure. The trip to the open window seems to take forever, but I am eventually there. There is no chair to step down on at the end of my journey, so I am forced to jump to the floor.

Nigel’s lab is a bit messier than mine, but it only takes a moment to identify the tanks of the gas that I need. One is not hooked up to anything and the gauge shows that it is full, so I roll it over to the door and out into the hallway, making sure no one is around to see what I am up to, first. A minute or so more and I am back in my own lab, hooking the purloined deuterium up to the flow controller.

First task done, I sit down and let myself react to the trip along the ledge. I watch my hands shake a bit and stop them by holding them together in my lap. Get a grip, Maia, I tell myself, you have too many other things to do tonight to indulge in a hysterical fit.

‘You are afraid of heights, aren’t you?’ the Sith Lord observes.

I just look at him and nod my head ‘yes’ while I try to get my nerves under control. That was one trip I don’t plan on ever repeating. Vader comes nearer to me, watching me closely.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ he asks.

‘No point,’ I manage to get out, noting that my voice is shaking a little, ‘you couldn’t do it and I could.’

Get yourself under control, I remind myself. A few deep breaths and I am more settled again.

Once he sees that I am in control of myself, the Sith Lord pulls his chair next to mine and returns to it, resuming his silent watch over me. At least he doesn’t chatter away, ask a million questions, or annoy me by hanging over my shoulder like the grad students always do at first.

I turn my attention to the computer beside me. Time to calibrate the mass-spec’, a finicky task at the best of times. Using the settings from when it was last run as a baseline, I spend ten minutes or so tinkering with how the cones and skimmers are oriented until I am satisfied that I can’t better optimize them. A click of the mouse and the mixed gases are flowing through the system. Another click and their precise concentrations are being measured, the screen filling with a graph of their millisecond-by-millisecond measurements. A couple of them need adjusting, I note, so I feed the corrected volumes into the flow controller and wait for the changes to work their way through the system. For the next half hour or so, I continue the process of fine tuning.

When I finally have the gas combination precisely where the Sith Lord had told me it needed to be, I stop the analysis, but still let the mix run through the system to keep its composition stable. I do not want to flood the lab with explosive hydrogen gas which would be the only alternative to this. An empty gas cylinder has been connected to the aridus’ pressurized outflow, so I now shunt the mixed gases over into it and wait.

‘Almost finished,’ I tell the Dark Lord. ‘The gas mix just has to fill the tank and we are done here.’

He nods in response, and when the gauge on the tank indicates that it is full, I quickly turn the valve, and flow controller off. Another minute or two and the rest of the equipment is either off or in the process of shutting down. Time to get out of here.

Vader easily picks up the tank of mixed gases and I lead him quickly through the building and out to the parking lot. Once the gas cylinder is safely stowed in the car, we return to my office. I must change and finish my hair and make-up quickly since the party has already started. Fashionably late, I decide is what we will be.

The Sith Lord follows me into my office, and stands in the middle of the room, waiting. What is he doing? I need to get changed and do not want him watching my every move. For a moment I consider chasing him into the hallway, but leaving him on his own is a very bad idea. Another tactic then, since his help will be needed soon anyway.

***

‘Turn around, please,’ Maia asks. ‘I would rather not have an audience for this.’

‘As you wish, my Lady,’ I reply, amused, as I comply with her request.

She does not want me to see her body, but I know what she looks like, every bit of her. Let her be shy if she wishes. It will not last.

I hear her moving quickly, see her folded clothes being set aside, and listen to the rustle of mothsilk as her gown is taken from where she had hung it on the door. She fights with the fabric, trying to get it into position. For a few seconds, I consider offering to help, but decide it would be best not to.

Finally, she requests my aid. ‘My Lord, would you assist me with this now?’

I turn and see that the sleeves still need to be buttoned tight against her arms. Somehow she has pulled on the lacings in back, managing to get the bodice somewhat in place and herself adjusted so that the bustline is correct. She could have waited, but her modesty stopped her from asking for my help before she did this.

I step behind her and catch the laces when she lets go of them. It is easy to pull them tight, so I work my way up her back, making sure there is no slack left in the cords as I go. Since I do not want to damage her dress, I use a simple knot which will not slip to hold the ties together. Before I can move in front of her again, she makes a few quick adjustments. I glance at her chest as I start hooking the loops over the buttons on the sleeves . The tension in the gown’s fabric has given her a bustline and cleavage. My wife is proving to be more physically attractive than I expected. Maia will look good in a properly selected wardrobe, one where she can’t hide under bulky and ill-fitting clothes.

Five minutes later, the sleeves are buttoned tight, and she has stored her keys and other necessities in the small pockets on her belt.

I suspect her final chores will be accomplished elsewhere.

‘You will have to stay here, my Lord,’ she warns. ‘I will be back as fast as I can. Don’t answer the door in case it’s Nigel looking to stir up trouble.’

Then she steps into her shoes and grabs the small bag she had brought with her. Maia is going to perform those esoteric rituals all women indulge themselves in when they are getting ready for an evening out. It will be interesting to see what the results of hers are. She closes the door after herself and I pick up her belt. There is something I can do while I am waiting for her to come back.

***

I go to the nearest bathroom, which is around the corner, about fifteen feet away from my office. First chore is to get my contact lenses in, something I am rather clumsy at, and it takes a few tries to get the left one in. Then, my make-up. I remember Vader’s comment about his wife not looking like a courtesan, so I keep it very light, not that I would slather it on anyway. A bit around my eyes to emphasize them, a touch of gloss and that’s it. My great-grandmother’s topaz necklace goes around my neck; the matching earrings in my ears. The last task is my hair. Off comes the scarf, and I proceed to undo my morning’s work, dropping the twists and curlers in the bag as I go. I spend a few minutes arranging the results.

I want to look like Padme for him tonight.

A quick glance in the mirror before I go, and I decide I have done my best. It’s too bad I’ll never see the Sith Lord’s expression, though, since it’s bound to be priceless once he gets a look at me.

I pick up the bag and walk the few paces back to my office. A few deep breaths to steady myself, and I open the door.

***

I dig through the drawers of her desk, searching for a few simple tools and something I can make a hook from. There is a small repair kit with the tools I need, but nothing which would be strong enough to hold her toy lightsaber. As I look around the office, I spot a metal hanger holding a picture on the wall. It is simple to yank out and put the photograph aside. A few minutes more, and her belt is ready to wear.

Lights and movement from outside catch my attention. Vehicles have been steadily arriving, but there are considerably fewer now. We are going to be late for this party if Maia doesn’t hurry up.

Then I hear her light touch on the handle of the door.

And turn, to see my wife transformed.

A necklace of golden stones is about her throat; matching gems in her ears. The hideous glass lenses are gone - there is nothing to obscure her shining eyes. And the scarf is missing as well. Maia’s hair falls in curls and ringlets around her face and down her back. Padme, I think as my breath catches a moment.

Maia is a beautiful woman when she wants to be.

‘Maìá, you are so very beautiful,’ I flatter her, before lapsing into Sith to say the things I dare not in Basic. Beloved, I call her, my precious one, my Lady, my wife. My little goddess.

I step towards her, caress her face as I speak, then draw her into my arms, never stopping my flow of words. Finally I fall silent, for there is nothing more I can say, and simply hold her. She sighs and rests her head on my shoulder.

So simple to please, I note, so easy to make happy. All I need to do is wrap her in my arms.

‘We are late for your party, my Lady,’ I tell her, ‘and I think most of the guests have already arrived, judging from the decrease in traffic outside. Now might be a good time to make our entrance.’

‘You aren’t going to tell me what you said just before that, are you, my Lord?’ she challenges me, her curiosity getting the better of her once again.

‘No, my Lady, of course not,’ I tease. ‘I was waiting for you to try to repeat some of it, to see if you would get yourself into more trouble.’

I release her with that but before she can step away, I set her belt around her waist, hooking the clasp shut in front. Her brother’s toy lightsaber now falls at her hip, as it would if it were a working model. I let my hands linger on her waist a moment, enjoying the feel of her firm body under them, then slide one behind her back and steer her out into the hallway.

Maia expects me to behave as if I am her husband.

I will leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that I am.

***

We walk through the Science Building, down the main staircase and head across the central courtyard to the Student Center. The reflecting pool has been filled and the fountains turned on for the occasion, and while the sounds of splashing and running water covers our approach, we are noticed nonetheless.

‘Maia?’ I hear a familiar voice call from behind us.

As we turn, I see that Rick, my oldest and dearest friend, a professor in the Anthropology Department, has dressed as an Imperial Admiral. For once his brown hair is staying out of his blue eyes, I note, and he has finally shaved off that ridiculous beard. Bill, his blond, baby-blue eyed partner is close behind in the same dress uniform, but with a Captain’s rank instead.

Vader stiffens beside me, so I reassure him, ‘It’s alright, my Lord. Rick and Bill are old and very good friends.’

‘Maia, it is you,’ Rick notes as he catches up with us. ‘I think we were the only two who expected Nigel’s story to be true. Everyone else assumed he was just setting up some elaborate joke or another with you as the target, well at least until the guest list was sent out this morning. No offense, my Lord.’

‘None taken, Admiral,’ is the Sith Lord’s easy response.

‘I should warn you both,’ Bill says. ‘Nigel has some mischief up his sleeve. He is wandering about as a Jedi Master with one of his grad students as his padawan. We are willing to run interference if it would help, and our own students have offered to keep him out of the way if they can manage it.’

Rick quickly follows with, ‘I persuaded our department and yours to use the Empire as our themes when we first heard Nigel’s story. Bill and I both figured he was up to something a couple of days ago. You will have plenty of cover if you want it.’

Their offer of help surprises me, and I guess it must show on my face.

‘We both owe you, Maia,’ Rick admits, ‘if you hadn’t forced Nigel to back off the time he decided to make our lives miserable with his incessant teasing, we would never have survived the experience. Consider this partial payback.’

Bill adds, ‘Trust us, thwarting whatever Nigel has planned will be a pleasure.’

I glance at Vader. It will be his decision whether or not to accept my friends’ help. He looks over at me, and I give a quick nod to let him know my opinion.

‘Very well, then. Admiral, Captain, I will accept your aid in this matter,’ he tells them, ‘but if this Jedi Master is foolish enough to confront me directly, do not interfere. I will deal with him myself.’

Rick gives me a knowing and perceptive look. He is far more attuned to people than I am, and he has just figured out some of what is going on.

Resorting to German, he turns to Bill, but addresses his question to me. //This really is him, isn’t it? I can tell by the voice that it isn’t one of your friends in a superbly done costume.//

I answer in a barely perceptible nod, noticing that Vader is watching the exchange between my friends and not me.

//Dear friend, what have you gotten yourself into?// Bill asks, facing his partner.

My response is to raise an eyebrow and slide my arm around the Dark Lord’s waist. He surprises me by doing the same, pulling me tight against his hip, his arm wrapping around my waist to let his hand rest low on my stomach. His attention is still focused on the two men in front of us.

//Serious?// Rick prompts.

Another small nod on my part.

//Make sure he takes you home with him then. You deserve some happiness in your life. His love for you is genuine.// Rick replies.

I stare at him in disbelief. So my conclusion about Vader’s feelings for me was correct. Well, if anyone would know how to read male body language, it would be one of these two. Now I will have to remember to ask Rick for details, later.

Realizing that we won’t be able to get away with our secret conversation for much longer, I order, ‘Knock it off you two. Why don’t you go see how things are going inside and let us know when would be a good time to make our entrance.’

‘My Lord, if you will excuse us,’ Rick says, taking his leave of us, with Bill in tow.

‘I have the distinct impression that I just missed something,’ Vader admits. ‘Tell me, my Lady, am I correct in my assumption?’

‘No, you didn’t miss much,’ I tell him. ‘Those two are horrid flirts and always resort to another language when they don’t want anyone to know what they are going on about.’

My statement is true enough, even though it doesn’t apply to this particular conversation. Luckily, Bill’s wave from the entrance to the Student Center distracts the Sith Lord and he doesn’t press me for further details.

‘Our cue?’ he asks.

‘Yes, and those two will have everything arranged for maximum impact, too,’ I admit. ‘They just love to put on a show.’

I set my hand properly on his arm, just as he had shown me days ago, and we walk side by side to the doorway.

In typical fashion, Rick has set up our entrance beautifully. The hallway to the large dining hall being used as a ballroom is empty. No one is around to warn the unsuspecting crowd that we are coming. I walk calmly beside Vader, only glancing up at him once to reassure myself, just before we step from the corridor into a large room full of people. He regally enters, cloak floating after him, with me at his side, stopping after we are a few paces inside to gaze about and survey his surroundings. There is not a sound to be heard from anyone; every eye in the place is on us.

Letting my own eyes wander about the room, I spot Nigel, who is staring at us, dumbstruck, sitting with his fellow chemists. Each department tends to pick its own theme and have their faculty, students, and alumni dress accordingly. Chemistry, Nigel’s department, have chosen to be rebels, senators, smugglers, and Jedi. That must be Nigel’s doing, I realize. Not good. I will have to be careful to keep my date away from them. Biology have a Medieval theme, Math has gone Roman this year, and History is definitely Civil War era complete with hoop skirts, Blues and Greys. My fellow department members are hanging about with the Anthropology crowd, I happily note, forming a considerable Imperial contingent. Good. We will have quite a few people looking to prevent trouble from the gang over in Chemistry. Hopefully Rick has thoroughly briefed them on the importance of keeping Nigel at bay.

The Sith Lord has obviously spotted my two friends and the rest of the Imperials because he starts to walk across the dance floor in their direction. Rick approaches us from the far corner of the room, meeting us almost exactly in the center. Perfectly in character, he has the military pace and demeanor down pat.

With a deferential nod, he addresses us. ‘Lord Vader, my Lady, I have seen to it that arrangements have been made for you. If you would be so kind as to follow me.’

‘Very well, Admiral...’ Vader begins, then hesitates, not knowing how to complete the sentence.

‘... Torsen, recently assigned to your command from the Invincible,’ Rick smoothly finishes for him without missing a beat. ‘Captain Mallan has brought some of your flagship’s bridge crew with him tonight.’

Rick and Bill’s graduate students, I realize as we follow the ‘Admiral’ to the area he has staked out for our group.

‘My new flagship is still under construction Admiral,’ Vader notes, ‘the Devastator is filling her role for the moment.’ I wonder why he has let that out, but assume the Sith Lord is trying to help Rick and his band play their parts.

By the time we reach the tables set aside for us, the background conversation in the room has become audible again. Even so, I know that our every move is still being watched by a few of those in attendance. When we stop in front of Bill, he jumps to his feet and prompts the others in the group to do the same. A quick round of introductions follows, and I am settled into a high backed chair. An identical one has been set aside for the Dark Lord, but he waves it away and stands beside me instead.

The students sitting at our table are quiet, and I know they are not sure what they can and can’t talk about. Knowing that one of Rick’s students is ex-military, I ask him a few questions about his study of World War II fleet tactics. Once the topic is broached, he easily falls into a long, involved conversation with Vader about how to transfer some of the more successful strategies from two- to three-dimensions. Good, I think to myself, that should keep my date happy and occupied for a while, and help the rest of our group become a bit more comfortable around him.

Rick takes advantage of the Sith Lord’s distraction to strike up a surreptitious talk in German with me, first asking //How on earth did you end up with him?//

//Engine trouble. Fixed now. He will be leaving tonight.// I reply

//And?...// Rick prompts, nosy as always.

I consider what to tell him. We have been friends since childhood and there is little we don’t share with one another. When either one of us has needed a shoulder, the other has always been there. He helped keep me sane when I was burned and my brother Michael died, and I kept him from suicide when the first great love of his life was killed in a car accident. Truth, I decide. He deserves to hear it.

//I love him more than anything, as you already know, but I am afraid to tell him that.// I admit.

//I wouldn’t worry.// my old friend reassures me. //He already knows that you do, but you need to tell him yourself, and soon. How is he in bed?//

Shocked, I just stare at my friend. Rick is being even blunter than normal, so I blurt out //What?//

//Don’t play coy,// he scolds, //it’s obvious from his body language. No one is that possessive without good reason.//

I still stare at him. Good grief. Rick must be reading more into things than there really is. Well, I guess I could just use what happened in my weird dream to shut him up about it.

Blushing a bit and hoping no one notices, I tell him, //He was kind, caring to me, and he was gentle with me. It didn’t hurt too much after the first bit.//

//Good,// Rick decides, //then I won’t have to kill him in a duel for causing you pain.//

The thought that my dear friend would even consider taking on the Sith Lord floors me. So I warn him, //Rick, don’t even consider challenging him. Doesn’t matter that you compete internationally. I watched him practice ‘saber forms this morning. There’s no one on Earth who comes within miles of him in terms of technique or speed. Not even Michael could have ... //

‘What are you two going on about?’ Vader snaps, breaking in on our conversation and making no attempt to be polite. He must have finished his discussion with the student without our noticing.

‘Dueling, my Lord,’ Rick smoothly answers. ‘Your Lady was describing some of the ‘saber forms you showed her this morning.’

Keeping in character, and knowing I have to help divert some attention away from what we were actually talking about, I add, ‘Admiral Torsen competes on occasion, my Lord, with all three blade types, both free-style and traditional techniques.’

‘A potential dueling partner, then,’ Vader notes, ‘practicing against ‘droids does get boring and predictable after a while.’

‘Captain Mallan,’ Rick calls over to his partner, ‘would you mind fetching my foils for me?’ Giving me a knowing look, he adds, //and bring my old friend’s rapiers while you’re at it. She will want to take them with her when she leaves tonight.//

No, Rick, I think to myself, don’t, please don’t do this.

My unspoken, yet heartfelt pleas go unanswered when Rick continues, ‘My Lord, the floor is clear for the next hour or so before the orchestra starts to play. Why don’t you warm up and we can try a bout or two before they do?’

Rick steps onto the dance floor to warm up with simple hand combat forms and to wait for Bill’s return with his foils. I know there is nothing I can do now to stop his recklessness.

He must be mad.

The Sith Lord moves from my side, intending to warm up himself, and I catch his hand to stop him. Drawing him back to me, I whisper, ‘The Admiral, my Lord, is very good, but you are by far the better swordsman. Try not to hurt him too much.’

In response, I am pulled to my feet and escorted to the center of the ballroom floor.

‘My Lady,’ Vader quietly tells me, ‘your concern for one of my officers is unseemly and uncalled for, as is your tendency to have private conversations with the man, in public and in front of me. Kindly restrain yourself from this sort of behavior in the future or I may be forced to discipline both of you for it.’

From the tight way he is holding his body and the barely restrained anger close to the surface, I can tell he is jealous.

Keeping my voice low and calm, and just as formal in my words, I tell him, ‘My Lord, my apologies if my behavior has offended you. I have known the Admiral since childhood, and erroneously assumed that a friendship of such long-standing allowed such liberties. It will not happen again.’

He regards me intently for a moment, searching my face for some sign of what, I don’t know.

‘Then why were you blushing, if your conversation was so innocent?’ he finally accuses.

The Sith Lord has dropped both the formal address and speech pattern, I note. He is far more disturbed and upset by Rick’s conversation with me than he is letting on, so I tell him as much of the truth as is safe, ‘He was teasing me, my Lord, as he has always done since we were children. I will not allow him to do so again.’

Again that measuring look from him, and then a concession, ‘Since I cannot touch your mind, I am forced to accept that you are telling me the truth, Maia. But see that you behave in a more appropriate manner in the future.’

Knowing what his reaction might be, I vow to do so for the rest of the evening.

Our isolation in the middle of the dance floor has started to draw attention. The Sith Lord unhooks his cloak and hands it to me. Waving me aside to stand at the edge of the floor, he ignites his lightsaber, sets himself into a starting position and begins one of the simpler forms I saw him perform this morning. There is dead silence in the room except for the hum of his blade, the sound of the fabric in his robes moving as he does, and his regulated breathing. Finishing the first pattern, he adjusts his respiration rate upward and begins a second one. By the time he is into the fourth form, Bill has returned with Rick’s and my own blades, and both he and Rick are staring at what Vader is doing. Since this is the same one he finished with earlier today, I know what to expect. The only difference is the speed. Having an audience brings out the show-off in him, I realize. He is moving far faster, if such a thing were possible, than he did this morning.

Final form completed, Vader returns to a relaxed stance and shuts off his ‘saber. He beckons me to his side and leads me to where my friends are standing. I am careful not to give Rick any worried looks that the Dark Lord might misinterpret, and allow myself to be led back to my chair. Before he returns to the dance floor, I am handed his lightsaber to look after so I set it on top of his cloak which is already in my lap.

The two combatants busy themselves sorting out which of the foils they prefer, and Bill wisely sets my rapiers to the side where Vader can’t see them. Good, I think. My blades are edged and tipped, unlike the blunted foils that Rick uses. While they are occupied with their preparations, one of the members of the organizing committee has made her way to my side, and I know this is the opportunity I need to put some restrictions on what Rick and the Sith Lord might do.

‘Your Majesty,’ I address her, for the Dean in question is dressed as Cleopatra.

‘Lady Vader,’ she acknowledges in return, ‘I sincerely hope that they know the rules and intend on staying within them.’

‘Of course,’ I reply, and raising my voice to make sure the two in question can hear me, I add, ‘but boys will be boys and if they don’t play nicely with one another, I’ll pick up my own blade and teach them a lesson or two.’

Rick’s jaw drops and Vader freezes in place. Good, they got the message. Just to be sure, I ask Bill, ‘Captain Mallan, Viggiani’s rapier, if you wouldn’t mind, please.’

Bill stares at me, shocked. ‘What?’ he manages to get out.

‘You heard me Captain, my blade, if you would be so kind, or must I fetch it for myself?’

Now Rick and Bill are exchanging looks, Vader is staring at me, and I am starting to get rather annoyed at the three of them. Blast it all, men can be such a nuisance. Setting the Sith Lord’s cloak and lightsaber on my chair, I walk over to the bag with my rapiers in it. It takes a minute or so to pull everything out, but I finally have the sword in question in my hand. I loosen the cords holding the silk cover in place and unwrap the scabbard. This is the first time since my brother’s death that I have picked up my family’s heirloom blade. With only a few seconds hesitation, I draw it, noting that it needs to be oiled soon or the edges will start binding on the scabbard’s lining. I unhook the replica lightsaber Jamie gave me and set it on the table. It will only get in my way.

I step away from the table, and walk to the center of the dance floor, knowing that the attention in the room has now shifted to me. It has been years since you have done this in front of anyone, I remind myself, don’t push it. A wicked thought crosses my mind, and I decide to indulge in it. Starting with the same simple form that the Sith Lord had, I begin warming up, repeating exactly what he had done earlier. The skirt of my gown is a nuisance, but at least it swirls out of the way if I move quickly enough. Having seen the fourth form he used tonight, twice, I have the pattern well ingrained in my mind. I know that I can’t match his speed, so I don’t even try to. Instead I concentrate on keeping the changes in blade direction clean and sharp, losing myself in the movements and rhythm of the patterns.

Finishing in the traditional stance I let myself relax and walk back to where Vader is waiting for me. I bet he never expected to see me do that, I think smugly to myself. Stopping a few feet in front of him, I wait for a comment. When there is none, I tell him, ‘My brother Michael was not the only one my grandfather trained, my Lord.’ Then I brush past him, sheath the rapier in its scabbard and return to my chair to see what happens next. Both Rick and Vader turn to watch me resume my place.

‘She hasn’t touched a blade in years, my Lord,’ Rick states in disbelief, staring at me, ‘and I don’t think it has made the slightest bit of difference.’

I let a wicked smile play over my lips. There is that beat up old foil in my closet which has seen a fair amount of use. Just because my practice hasn’t been in the university’s salle or in public doesn’t mean I have let myself get out of shape.

Turning his attention back to the Dark Lord, Rick motions him towards the center of the room, and suggests, ‘Shall we try a couple bouts, my Lord?’

I keep a close eye on the two duelists, my dearest friend and my dearest love. At least Vader seems to have got over his jealous spell. He is actually being rather friendly towards Rick, well, as much as he would be to anyone, I suppose. They reach the center of the floor, shift into starting stances and begin. Rick is being cautious, I note, as he starts with an indirect attack, easily parried by his opponent. Vader’s riposte to Rick’s off side is met and Rick’s counter-attack deflected. Neither man is working at his top speed. They are busy seeing what the other might do and feeling out the other’s technique. Relieved that they are behaving themselves, I settle back into my chair to enjoy the show.

After five minutes of short, simple phrases d'armes, Rick picks up his speed to where it would be during a formal match. I watch the two combatants closely now. Vader is by far the faster of the two, yet he seems content to let my friend set the pace. Good. They both are enjoying themselves and I decide there is no more reason to worry.

I let my eyes wander over the crowd. Everyone appears to be intent on watching the match in front of them and a few are carrying on quiet conversations in the background. My survey, though, fails to spot Nigel. Where has he packed himself off to? He’s probably up to no good setting up some sort of mischief or another. Well, I need to make a fast trip elsewhere and now seems to be a good time to do it. I don’t want to leave Vader’s lightsaber unattended so I hook it onto my belt, and slip out the nearest door into the hallway beyond.

Returning from the bathroom, I find a Jedi, back to me, blocking my route back to the door I had used to leave the ballroom. Who is this? Well, the short black hair could be Nigel’s, I guess, and he is about the right height. Best to be wary here. I take a few steps, letting my shoes click loudly on the floor as I go, then stop. The man whips around. Brown eyes, short dark beard, sharp angular features. Blast it all, it is Nigel.

‘Lady Vader,’ he begins, ‘I can’t wait until midnight to see who on earth you are here with.’

I am in no mood tonight to put up with any of his nonsense, so I order, ‘Go away, Master Jedi, you wouldn’t want to upset my husband, now would you?’

‘Ah, yes. That’s the other thing I am curious about. Those two friends of yours have you as much as married to him already,’ Nigel needles, looking for an opening. ‘The Ice Maiden, frozen solid for years, only to be thawed and her heart melted in mere days. Who would have thought it possible.’

When I refuse to answer, he tries another tactic, ‘I really am curious to see who he is, you know. I checked with CERN and none of their staff are outside Europe at the moment.’

He would go to the trouble of checking on my story.

I warn him, ‘Who he is, is none of your business or anyone else’s, Nigel, so get out of my way before I do something I might regret.’

‘Hit a nerve, haven’t I?’ Nigel starts in on me. ‘If I didn’t know you better, I would think you were busy trying to hide something. Tell me, my Lady, am I correct in my assumption?’

I just glare at him.

‘I must be, given your reaction,’ he astutely observes, ‘and I intend to find out just what it is you are so intent on keeping secret.’

Looking past him, I see the door which was my goal open, and Bill, Rick, and Vader stepping through it. The rescue party, I mentally label them. Nigel turns to check on what has drawn my attention, and I hope he will just leave things be and go away. No such luck though.

‘Well, Lord Vader, from your reaction earlier, I take it your wife never told you about her training or how competent she truly is,’ Nigel slyly states. ‘If you had really wanted to test yourself, you should have dueled with her, not your Admiral.’

He’s trying to stir up trouble between us, so I had better patch this up quickly.

‘The topic, Master Jedi, never came up, and my rapiers are stored here, not at the observatory, as you well know.’ Not entirely true - there is that beat up foil - but close enough.

The Sith Lord makes no answer, simply pushes past Nigel, offers me his arm, and walks me back to where my two friends are waiting.

Once there, he turns, and coldly warns, ‘Stay away from my wife, Master Jedi. This is your one and only warning.’

Nigel lets out a snort of amusement and walks away from us. He can’t resist making one last comment though. ‘The Sith Lord and the scientist. What an unlikely combination.’

Once he is well out of earshot, Vader orders, ‘Leave us, gentlemen. I wish to speak with my wife in private.’

I catch the exchange of worried looks between Bill and Rick, but they hastily comply, closing the door after themselves. Blast, I must really be in for it now.

‘How many other secrets have you kept from me?’ he accuses. ‘I can put up with your impertinence and insolence, even in public as you persist in doing, if I must, but not this.’

‘Secrets? I have kept nothing from you. You never asked me about it and I thought you already knew. Didn’t you see the pictures of my brother and I practicing together?’ I ask him. ‘They were quite prominently displayed on my office walls.’

He is silent at this. Heavens above, does he really think I planned to make a display of my abilities tonight? Grabbing his hand, I pull him over to one of the couches.

‘Sit down and listen to me,’ I order.

To my surprise he does so. I cover my nervousness by pacing a bit in front of him. Decision made, I start to talk.

‘My brother and I were very close. Twins almost as you commented the other day. We did everything together as children. When my mathematical gift emerged, he tried to keep pace with what I was being taught; when it became obvious he would be a brilliant swordsman, I followed him into the salle. I was only five when I first picked up a foil and my grandfather was a master of the old school. He made no allowances for my age or innate clumsiness, which he tried rather ruthlessly to train out of me.’ I pause for a moment, thinking of how to proceed.

‘I have never competed formally, my Lord. Outside of my family and a few others at the Admiral’s elite level, no one knows what I can do. My brother was the one who wanted fame and recognition, not I, and when he was killed, I felt it here,’ I reveal, setting my hand over my heart, ‘I knew the instant he died. No one had to tell me, and the pain of it nearly destroyed me.’ I stop again to consider my next words. ‘You wondered at the reactions of the Admiral and Captain to my demand for my blade, didn’t you? I haven’t lifted it in front of anyone since Michael died, and only did so tonight because I was afraid that one of you might do something foolish and injure the other.’

I turn away from him and silent tears slip down my face. If either one of them had been hurt, I don’t think I could have ever forgiven myself. After all, I was the one who brought the topic up with Rick in the first place. I hear the Sith Lord move now from where he is sitting and feel his arms slide around me. Unable to help myself, I turn about and bury my face in his robes. He says nothing, just holds me until my tears stop.

‘Maìá,’ he finally calls me. ‘I understand your concern. I do have a reputation for dispatching my opponents, but I would never have harmed your friend. That foolish Jedi, though, had best not push his luck.’

I smile a little at his threat. That would be funny to see. Nigel would just run away, I am sure. Vader senses my change in mood, and gently tips my face up so he can look at me.

‘You should go wash your face and compose yourself, my Lady,’ he suggests, ‘and when you return, I want you to tell me about your brother.’

After I return his lightsaber, he escorts me down the hall and waits patiently outside the door, guarding me, giving Nigel no chance to catch me alone again. Thankfully I had used very little make-up, and what I did was water proof. A cold towel to my eyes helps with the redness, and a glass of water calms my nerves. Settled once again, I step outside, to find the Dark Lord deep in discussion with one of the Engineering faculty about ion propulsion systems. Smiling and pleased that he is enjoying himself, I move to his side, and am drawn closer when he slips his arm about me and pulls me over to rest against his hip. Now if Nigel just stays away for the rest of the night, things should be fine.

Finally finished his conversation on engines, the Sith Lord guides me down to one of the alcoves off the main hallway. There is no one about, so we pull a couple chairs together and start to talk about my brother. I haven’t looked at these memories since he died - it was just too painful to do so. After fifteen or twenty minutes, Vader shifts the topic to my own reactions to Michael’s death.

‘Tell me,’ he asks, ‘exactly what happened, what you felt.’

I take a few deep breaths. This I really don’t want to discuss, but perhaps it is time to deal with it. ‘It was the start of the term, a few years ago, and Michael was flying home, returning with his unit from a stint overseas as a peace keeper. There was a problem with one of the engines - it caught fire - and the airplane crashed into the ocean. Despite days of searching, they never found his body.’ I stay silent for a few minutes, then continue on. ‘The first class of the day had started and I was just beginning my lecture when I felt him die. It was like having half of my soul ripped out; the pain was excruciating. I blacked out at some point and when I woke, I was in the local hospital with my mother waiting to tell me what had happened to him.’

‘Life-bonded,’ the Sith Lord concludes, ‘and quite strongly as well. Common between twins, rare between siblings otherwise. I don’t understand why or how, though, since the Force does not exist on this world. Strange, very strange.’

The sounds of an orchestra beginning to tune up make their way to us. Vader rises to his feet and offers me his arm, which I gladly take. We stroll leisurely back to the ballroom, resuming our places with the rest of the ‘Imperials’ while we wait for the more traditional portion of the evening’s music to start. I have grown quite thirsty by now, and two of Rick’s students have wisely anticipated what I might want. Glasses of different juices and water are lined up on the table, and after I make my choice, those that remain are rapidly distributed amongst the rest of the ‘bridge crew’.

There will be a few minutes still before the first dance is played, so Rick and the Sith Lord fall into a rather involved discussion about one obscure fencing technique or another. I follow their conversation for a moment or two then let my mind wander a bit. Time for a quick think while no one is talking to me. Rick and Bill are determined to have me leave Earth with the Dark Lord, have been rather persistent about it in fact. My mind clicks - they don’t realize he is here with his TIE and have assumed there is room for me to go with him. Not much I can do about the situation, since I know I can’t go even if I want to. And Rick’s insistence that Vader loves me in return has me puzzled. His possessiveness, yes, everyone can see that he has staked a very obvious claim on me. But love? How did my old friend figure that out?

I give Bill a sideways glance. Vader is occupied with Rick and I need to find out what is the give away for the Dark Lord’s feelings for me. One of Bill’s linguistics graduate students is with us, and I know she speaks several languages. If I am very careful I might be able to get what I want to know in a roundabout fashion.

‘Caitlin, how is your research proceeding?’ I ask.

A few minutes later I have drawn Bill and two of the other students into the conversation and the five of us are tossing phrases and different grammatical forms back and forth in more than a dozen different languages. The Sith Lord looks over at us, as does Rick, who simply shakes his head.

‘My Lord, be glad there are no mathematicians around. It would be far worse listening to their chatter than this,’ Rick flatly states.

Good, I think. He’s been following what we’ve been going on about. Now to slip my question in using a language I know Caitlin and the others aren’t familiar with. //Old friend,// I ask, careful to not give any hint I am aiming my words at him, //How can you tell he loves me? Answer indirectly. He’s very jealous of our friendship.//

‘Wrong form, Captain,’ Rick pipes in, then tells me, //Little things. The way he touches you, tone of voice when he speaks to you,// ‘and you have changed the tenses on that one as well Caitlin,’ //small hints in body language, how he tips his head when he looks at you, very subtle, // ‘can’t you guys get a simple second tense correct?’ //he’s hard to read, very controlled. I can only pick things up when he unconsciously lets something slip,// ‘well I will just have to give up on the lot of you as hopeless for now.’ //with time he’ll relax around you and it will be easier.//.

***

It is almost comical that she still thinks she can fool me, but I give no sign that I have picked up on their third ‘secret’ communication. From the reassuring tone of the Admiral’s voice whatever my wife wanted to know is nothing I need to worry about.

‘I think you are right, Admiral,’ Maia agrees, ‘they really have no idea how a second tense is properly constructed.’

I see her nod at what her friend said, but her comment is designed to distract from their real conversation.

‘Well, my Lady, perhaps you should instruct them, then,’ Torsen suggests before turning to resume his previous discussion about this world’s early fencing styles with me.

Maia gives him an annoyed look and then launches into a rather detailed description of how the grammatical form they were discussing works. I only half-listen to what she says because I find the history lesson the Admiral is giving me far more interesting. Once my wife’s lecture is finished, she looks over at her friend, daring him to make her do something else.

He ignores her and continues talking to me.

I hear one of the students ask Maia about her background. Curious, I eavesdrop a little, but only catch a few words referring to engineering, geology, and physics. No surprises for me there.

‘And you look so young!’ the student bursts out.

Maia gives her an irritated look. This must be a topic my wife does not like to hear comments about.

Torsen distracts me for a moment, so I don’t hear her answer or what leads to the next question.

‘That’s amazing, my Lady. You must have a really high IQ. What is it?’ the same student asks.

With this her reaction is quite spectacular. My wife glares at the Captain and scolds him rather loudly, ‘Don’t you tell these kids anything? At least make sure they avoid asking me those last two questions or I may have to chase you around the salle a few times to teach you a lesson.’

Her outburst finally draws the Admiral’s attention. Whatever prompted her to threaten the Captain, though, has both him and Torsen laughing at her.

The latter finally gets out, between chuckles, ‘Don’t ever change, my Lady. That was just too hilarious, seeing you on the receiving end of those particular questions.’

‘Think that was funny, do you, Admiral? Just you wait until next Fall,’ Maia threatens, ‘I’ll be sure to send a few of my new students your way, and I know just what to have them ask you too.’ To her other friend she directs, ‘And stop looking so smug over there, Captain Mallan, I know you put her up to asking me that.’

The student in question looks like she would like to vanish into thin air, but Maia’s words to her are ones of reassurance. ‘Don’t cringe, Caitlin, I know who is responsible here. Next time don’t let the Captain lead you on like that.’

‘Aren’t you going to answer her question, my Lady?’ I ask, curious to find out exactly what has her so annoyed.

‘No, my Lord, and no, I won’t tell you the answer either, so don’t ask,’ she firmly replies.

Stubborn little goddess. But I won’t put up with any public disobedience from you.

‘Oath, my Lady,’ I remind her, ‘you have to obey me, so out with it.’

She stares at me and shakes her head in refusal.

‘Give up on it, my Lord,’ the Admiral advises, ‘in the thirty years I’ve known her, your Lady has never let that secret out in public.’

Secret? Like her ability with a foil? This I refuse to let go by. Maia has to learn she can’t conceal anything from me.

‘Then this will be the first time, Admiral,’ I decide. Turning my attention to my wife, I order, ‘You will tell me, and tell me now.’

She fights the compulsion and throws it off. Very well, the hard way, then. I speak a few words in Sith and yank what I want from her mind.

‘Two hundred four,’ I calmly announce. ‘And next time, my wife, don’t force me to pull the answer to a question I ask from your mind.’

The students and faculty around us have all stopped their conversations and are now staring at both Maia and I. Apparently there is something important and unusual about that number.

‘Fine, you have your answer. Two hundred and four. Any more personal questions, anyone?’ she snaps, furious.

Her temper is in full boil now and I am its focus. I watch Maia get out of her chair, stalk to the door, and close it after herself with a resounding, and what must be to her, satisfying, slam.

The Admiral flinches at the racket, and the Captain is shaking his head.

‘Making that number public knowledge was a really, really bad idea, my Lord,’ Torsen notes.

‘How so?’ I ask.

The two officers look at one another. I am missing something vital here which is obvious to both of them.

‘You’re playing the Admiral tonight, so you tell him,’ Mallan suggests to his partner.

I turn and stare at the other man.

‘She’s going to kill you, my Lord,’ he quietly states, ‘and if she doesn’t do that, you can count on sleeping in your TIE indefinitely.’

‘Exactly what does that number represent?’ I want to know what the problem is.

‘A measure of intelligence,’ Torsen reveals. ‘The average is one hundred.’

It takes a moment to realize what the number I let out means.

‘Oh,’ I reply while I consider what to do.

After a minute or two of silence, I decide it would be best to see what has happened to my wife.

And to find out just how much trouble I am in.

***

Once the door is shut behind me, I stand there fuming for a few minutes. He had no business doing that to me. I have to work with these people and he doesn’t. After a while, I decide the best thing to do is go hide before the Sith Lord comes to find me and deliver another speech about how his wife should behave in public. With that in mind, I begin to hurry down the hallway.

I run promptly into Nigel.

‘Lover’s quarrel?’ he insinuates. ‘Must have been, given the spectacular exit you just made.’

I hear the door quietly open behind me. Nigel hasn’t noticed yet. Good. He is going to be in a heap of trouble in a minute or two.

‘Why don’t you just take a quick trip out the nearest airlock, Master Jedi,’ I snidely suggest. ‘That way you will save my Lord the trouble of doing something far more painful to you.’

‘My, my, nasty tonight, aren’t we, Lady Vader?’ he continues to push. ‘Whatever happened to your sweet retiring demeanor? Has a bit too much of the dark side rubbed off on you? Intimate encounters with a Sith Lord might just have that effect, don’t you think?’

Speechless at his speculations, I glare furiously at him. Why hasn’t whoever opened the door come out and shown themselves?

‘From your reaction and how Lord Vader is acting, I have obviously hit the mark again, dear Lady,’ Nigel needles. ‘I must have interrupted something rather special the other night.’

‘Stay out of my personal life, Jedi,’ I snarl, ‘or what I will do to you will make anything my husband does look like a kindness.’

With this I stalk towards him, furious, and fully intending to make sure he stays away from me for the rest of the evening. Whatever the look on my face is, Nigel has obviously decided that to provoke me further would be a very bad idea. He takes a few hasty steps backwards, then trips and ends up sprawled across the floor at my feet.

Satisfied that my act has given him a good scare, I turn to see who has been hiding behind me. The door is shut again, I note. Guess they decided I had the situation in hand.

Not sure whether I want to go back to the ballroom or not, I decide to find a quiet place to sit for a while and get my temper under control. No such luck though. As I start to head down the hallway, Nigel regains his feet and tries another angle to get at me.

‘I checked the master guest list in the Dean’s office,’ he admits, ‘You never put down his real name, just ‘Lord Vader’. Rather peculiar of you to do that, don’t you think?’

Blast. There was an oversight I didn’t pick up on. Better not let on about it.

‘Is there a point to your senseless blather, Master Jedi,’ I go on the offensive, ‘or are you just wasting words trying to annoy me?’

Ignoring my comment, he starts speculating out loud, ‘Incognito then. Most unusual. And that stunt you both staged just now about your IQ. One would almost think it was impromptu rather than a clever act. But of course we know that’s impossible, don’t we? Then there is his ability with that lightsaber of his. I would never have thought it possible to see someone whose talent exceeded that of your dear departed brother. Curious, most curious.’

He’s starting to get closer to the truth than is safe. There must be someway to get him off track. While I am trying to come up with something, the door opens wide, then swings shut. I don’t bother to turn and see who it is because the regulated breathing is clearly audible.

‘You, Jedi, have been warned. Now leave before I decide to do something about it,’ the Sith Lord coldly states.

For once Nigel gets the hint and beats a hasty retreat from the area, leaving me to deal with Vader.

‘Come here, my Lady,’ he orders, and I know from his tone that I had better obey him.

I don’t have to run, though, I decide, setting a reasonable pace. Once in front of him, I am pulled along to the same alcove we were in earlier. Here it comes, I think, another lecture on proper behavior and how I had better obey or else.

‘The Admiral explained to me why that particular number was important to you. If I had known, I would have left it be,’ Vader reveals, ‘and judging from the reactions around us, I have created nothing but trouble for you.’

‘That,’ I tell him, ‘is the understatement of the year. I never give that piece of information out to anyone. My mathematical abilities are bad enough, but when people learn just how far removed I am from them mentally, they can’t handle it. A few of my colleagues had some idea about it but only the Admiral and Captain knew the actual number.’ I pause. ‘Now I will probably be treated much the way most in the Empire react to you.’

I start to turn away. The next few months are going to be miserable, and it won’t just be faculty members who will be intimidated and treat me like an outcast. Word will spread all too quickly among the students. Damn it all. The last time this happened was in graduate school, and it was almost two years before people forgot and started acting anywhere near normal towards me. No help for it though, now that the damage is done. Letting out a sigh, I decide to once again do something reckless. Why not? The evening can’t get any worse and I want a bit of comfort.

Turning back to the Sith Lord, I step towards him and slip my arms about his waist. He makes no move to stop or shift me, simply pulls me close against his chest.

‘Thank you,’ I tell him and snuggle in tight.

‘You’re welcome,’ he replies, ‘It’s the least I can do, given the trouble I have inadvertently caused you.’

I wish I could just stay in his arms and not have to go back and face my fellow faculty members and the students in the other room. Rick’s advice plays in my mind. Should I tell the Dark Lord how I really feel? This might be a good time to do it. We are alone, with no one nearby to interrupt. Gathering up my courage, I prepare to tell him, but am stopped when he sets a finger to my lips and pulls the both of us back, farther into the room, out of sight of the two men who have stopped near its entrance.

***

‘I tell you, she’s hiding something and it has to do with whoever is playing at being Lord Vader,’ the Jedi Master states.

So, in annoying and harassing my wife, he has noticed how Maia has been trying to protect me by keeping my identity secret.

‘If you think I am going anywhere near either one of them to find out who he really is, Nigel, you are truly mad,’ his padawan replies. ‘Didn’t you see what he could do with that lightsaber? And she’s almost as good. Why don’t you just forget about it.’

Good advice. I wonder if he is smart enough to follow it, though.

‘Just go and ask around. Someone’s bound to know who he is, and if not, we’ll just wait until midnight and find out then.’ The Jedi lets out a laugh, his voice fading as he walks away from the room we are hiding in, ‘That is, unless he really is Darth Vader.’

Once the two Jedi are out of earshot, I look down at Maia and comment, ‘That Master Jedi is more perceptive than one would expect given his foolish tendencies.’

I see Maia considering what to say in answer.

‘My Lord, the Jedi in question is not the only perceptive one,’ she confesses, ‘the Admiral and Captain know who you really are.’

This is not news to me. I knew that the moment Maia and her friends had that first ‘secret’ conversation of theirs. She should have realized by now I am too smart to fall for that.

My response is a quiet laugh and an admission of, ‘I already knew that, my Lady.’

She stares at me, obviously surprised. ‘You aren’t concerned that someone else might figure it out?’

‘Not really, no. I do not intend to remain here long enough for anyone else to find out the truth of it,’ I assure her.

Music weaves its way through the air to us. The orchestra has finally started to play, I note, and a waltz at that. I release her from my arms, take her hand in mine and lead her back to the ballroom door. Once there, she tries to move her hand onto my arm, into its proper position, but I tighten my grip on it. From what I have seen other couples do tonight, a bit of public hand-holding is expected and I want to make a point or two with that nuisance of a Jedi Master. I open the door with my free hand and usher her back into the ballroom.

Ignoring the rest of the Imperial contingent as we enter the room, I bring her onto the dance floor. Then we are in one another’s arms, easily moving about the room in time to the music. I catch a glimpse of the Admiral’s and Captain’s faces. They look rather stunned.

Maia must have seen them as well because she starts snickering a little.

‘My Lord,’ she comments, ‘I think you have managed to completely surprise your two officers over there.’

‘I suspect, my Lady,’ I reply, ‘that it has more to do with you than me.’

She missteps at my comment, so I spin her around to cover it. While I dislike making a spectacle of myself this way in public, I am enjoying myself nonetheless. My cloak fans out behind me and her dress swirls about us, probably making quite the impression on the crowd. They are also ensuring that the other couples on the floor are giving us a wide berth. I feel Maia relax in my arms as I move her about wherever I want.

‘The waltz is almost finished,’ she whispers to me, warning me.

This is apparent to me because I can hear the theme of the music start to draw to its conclusion. I prepare to spin her about, and to Maia’s surprise, complete the dance just as we practiced it, down on one knee in front of her, cloak spread in a circle behind me.

The next dance will not be a waltz, but something else, so I ask, looking up into her face, ‘Shall we return to our table, my Lady?’

‘Of course, my Lord,’ she answers.

A moment later I am escorting her off the dance floor, one arm wrapped possessively around her. This is the first time I have done this in front of everyone here. In the next minute or two, I want to make it blatantly obvious how things are between us.

Reaching her two friends, I step back and wrap my arms around her from behind, taking her hands in mine and holding them tight to her body under my own. I feel Maia stiffen in surprise before she relaxes and leans in to me. The Captain raises an eyebrow at my action, and the Admiral, I note, is having a rather difficult time keeping a silly grin off of his face. The best expression though, is the one that Jedi Master is wearing, and since I am staring right at him, he should know that he is the one I am deliberately putting this show on for. The Jedi is looking at us with his mouth open and he is obviously rather flabbergasted. He is still trying to figure out exactly who I am and can’t believe that Darth Vader might actually act this way towards Maia.

Point made, I return my attention to the Admiral and ask, ‘A word or two with you in private, Admiral, preferably somewhere we will not be interrupted.’

‘As you wish, my Lord,’ he replies.

I let Maia go and lead her along after her friend. If I leave her behind in the ballroom, that Jedi will probably harass her again, regardless of my warnings to him. The Admiral enters a room, using a passcard to open the door, then deadbolts it after us, preventing anyone else from coming in.

‘I have several tasks for you to perform, Admiral Torsen, and important information to give to you, but there is something I need to do before doing so,’ I say.

Maia is curious, wondering what I want her friend to do, but this is one conversation she won’t be privy to. I pull her into my arms, speak a few words in Sith, using the suggestions I have already planted in her mind to put her into a trance. Her head sags against my shoulder, and I catch her in my arms, preventing her from falling to the floor.

‘What have you done to her?’ Rick asks, concerned.

‘Merely ensured that she will have no memory of what transpires in here. She will be fine once I release her from the trance,’ I reply, picking her up as I do so and settling her comfortably on one of the couches. Then I turn back to the Admiral and continue, ‘I know that you are well aware of who I really am, Admiral, and as you are her closest, most trusted friend, I will be completely honest with you.’

He seems surprised I knew that and at my offer of truthfulness, but I have no reason to deceive him and I need his help.

‘Somehow, my Lord,’ he flatly states, ‘I suspect that I will not like what you are going tell me.’

Maia’s friend is assuming the worst. I wonder how he will react to what I will tell him.

‘Like it or not, Admiral, I will tell you the truth,’ I affirm. After a pause, I calmly add, ‘Maia swore an unbreakable oath to me yesterday, one which could be taken as the equivalent of a marriage vow if I so chose. Last night I made the decision to do so.’

The Admiral is silent, staring at me in disbelief, so I look down at my wife and quietly admit, ‘By ancient tradition I am required to act on such an oath immediately so I did, using illusion and suggestion to make it easier for her to accept me. Maia is my wife in fact, Admiral.’ I switch my gaze back to her friend and tell him my plans, ‘All that remains is to file the formal contract and inform the Emperor I have taken a consort, both of which I will see to after I return to my new flagship with her. In a few days, when she has recovered from the journey, I will tell her what I have done and have Admiral Griff perform a short military marriage ceremony, if she wants a public wedding, though this is not necessary.’

He continues to stare at me, completely stunned by what he has just heard. I should have expected this reaction. It will be the same from many in the Empire when my marriage is announced.

‘She’s your what?’ he blurts out.

‘My wife,’ I repeat, then patiently explain. ‘She swore the oath herself, without any prompting from me, by foolishly repeating and changing the meaning of something I said to her in Sith. I gave her every opportunity to recant her words, but she refused, and was rather adamant that I not only accept her vow but act on it. Fortunately, I want her as my consort regardless of this, so it is not a problem.’

He must accept that Maia is my wife if he is going to be of use to me.

‘I think you are going to have bigger problems than whether or not you are happy about this oath she swore to you, my Lord,’ he warns. ‘Maia is going to be furious that you did not tell her what the situation was or ask her to accept you as her husband. You should be able to smooth that over without too much trouble by asking her to marry you, before undergoing whatever ritual you use to formally recognize the marriage, as is the custom here.’

Blunt, to the point of being rude, but he is being as honest with me as I am with him. And it is fortunate he has let me know what the customs here require. It should be easy enough to do as he has suggested. My wife’s anger, however she chooses to express it, I can manage.

‘Then I will ask her to marry me tonight, before we leave, and use the formal military ceremony instead of the shorter one. There should be more than enough ritual in that to satisfy her,’ I decide.

The Admiral nods in response and reveals, ‘My dear friend has been rather fond of you for many years, my Lord, kept track of every battle, every bit of available news about you. She told me tonight that she loves you, though I think you already know that. Maia will give you ‘yes’ as an answer. You have nothing to worry about there. As for your not telling her, well, knowing your Lady as I do, I would not want to be in your boots when she finds out the truth about that.’

Her feelings for me are old and deep-seated then. No wonder she has been so unshakeable in her loyalty and willingness to help me.

‘I can handle anything she might say or do, Admiral. Do not concern yourself about that,’ I reply, amused with his concern for my welfare.

I know Maia’s fury at the Jedi Master was only an act to scare him.

Rick looks at my wife, then smiles at me. ‘She has always wanted children and absolutely dotes on her niece and nephew and the many young cousins she has. Give her two or three of your own, my Lord, and she will be happy and content with you.’

Useful and accurate information, but this is something I had already suspected. I remember how her expression and voice softened when she showed me her pictures of her little niece and nephew, the longing that was there. Maia will be a good, loving mother to my son.

‘Good. I want an heir or two,’ I admit, ‘and she will have no objections to that. Now, Admiral, I have several things that I need you to do for me.’

‘I am yours to command, my Lord,’ he answers, and I can tell that he is amused that he is getting to play the part of an Imperial officer in reality.

I pull out the stack of neatly folded papers and Maia’s stylus. The second one I finished, I will need first, so I unfold and lay it out on the closest table. I turn the pages over until I reach the last one.

‘I have written out the formal marriage contract between Maia and myself,’ I reveal. ‘You will sign it as a witness as will the Captain. I tricked my wife into writing the Sith version of her name on it earlier.’

‘And what exactly is in this, if you don’t mind my asking?’ The Admiral’s nosiness is quite evident in his voice.

Is everyone on this planet cursed with curiosity?

It will do no harm to answer him, though, so I tell him, ‘It’s the usual marriage settlement. Transfers of property and funds from my holdings into her hands. There are provisions to safeguard her and our children if she is widowed. I am a wealthy and powerful man, Admiral, one with many enemies. If something does happen to me, she will need to be protected, legally.’

The Admiral quickly adds his name to the page, writing in Aurabesh, to my surprise.

‘You know Aurabesh script?’ I ask. ‘I thought no one on this world was fluent in it.’

‘A few are, my Lord,’ he admits, ‘and I am an expert in linguistics. The Captain is literate in it as well, but your wife has never had the time to learn so you will have to teach her.’

An easy lesson to teach if she is as adept with languages as she demonstrated tonight. And his admission means I do not have to ask someone else to do the remaining tasks I need done.

‘Then you can take this letter to her family for me and read it to them,’ I decide, handing him the letter I had left folded up.‘They will need to have some explanation for why she has vanished. I will leave it to you to convince them that she is alive and safe with me.’

I hold the last sheets of paper out to him. These are my proof to her family that what is in the letter is true.

‘They won’t want to believe that Darth Vader came here, decided to marry their daughter, and took her back to his flagship with him, so give these to her father to convince him that his daughter is with me. These are hand sketched blueprints of both an ion propulsion system and hyperdrive. You will have to help him by transcribing my notes into your own script.’

Her engineer father will accept this sort of evidence, once he realizes that the designs will actually work. I fold up the marriage contract and give that to the Admiral as well.

‘The last task I have for you is to ask the Captain to add his own name to this and then return it to me. That is all the errands I have for you, Admiral, and I am grateful that you are willing to do them for me. Now, I have two questions I would like to ask you about my wife,’ I say.

I see the odd look he gives me and know he is debating if he should answer whatever I choose to ask.

‘Ask away, my Lord,’ the Admiral concedes, ‘but if I feel it is something you should be speaking to your wife about, I won’t give you an answer.’

‘Just how good a swordsman was her older brother, and how does Maia compare to him?’ I ask.

I want a more objective evaluation than what Maia might give me, and I am curious to see what he might say.

After thinking for a moment, he tells me, ‘Michael, Maia, and I trained together for several years under her grandfather, until she was sent away to university that is. Her brother was a natural and phenomenal, even at an early age. In style and technique, at the time of his death, perhaps he was approaching your own abilities, my Lord, but without the edge the Force gives you, he could never have matched your speed. Maia on the other hand, is innately clumsy, and her grandfather was at times rather brutal in his attempts to rid her of that trait. She spent many more hours in the salle than Michael or I ever did. The only time she is not prone to tripping or foolish accidents is when she has a foil or rapier in her hand, so I guess that part of her training was effective if rather harsh.’

He pauses, looks down at my wife.

‘In all the years I have practiced with her, I have rarely been able to land a touch on her unless she deliberately let me do so. Her brother was the same. In technique, she has lagged behind him, since her academic career has taken up so much of her time, and she never could come close to Michael’s speed. Maia’s talent is her ability to put a blade exactly where she wants it to be every single time. She uses her mathematical gift to constantly calculate and correct every move she makes based on speed, angle, rotation of her body and so on. She also uses her gift to predict and anticipate what her opponent will do. You saw some of what she is capable of tonight, so you should be able to compare her with yourself.’

I take a moment to consider his honest, if slightly biased appraisal. Her brother, with the Force as an ally, would have been a formidable opponent. What a pity I can never test myself against him. And Maia. I know about her clumsiness, having seen the results of it several times. When I have the chance, I decide, I will test her in the salle and see what she can do.

I nod to him that his reply has satisfied me and ask my second question, the one I have wondered about for days, ‘Why is she completely unafraid of me?’

‘I don’t know if I really can or should answer that,’ he admits. ‘As I told you before, she has always been rather fond of you and closely follows what news there is from the Empire just to see what you have been up to.’

He pauses, debates what to say next, obviously uncomfortable with telling me anymore about my wife’s feelings for me.

Finally he reveals, ‘Before Nigel was hired she used to keep a small statue of you in her office, but he teased her mercilessly about it until she hid it away somewhere inside her desk just to get him to leave her alone. Michael was the one who gave it to her, when she was in the burn unit, fifteen or so years ago, and I would guess that her lack of fear goes back to that. Once, when she was in agony from the chemical burns, she told me if you could deal with far worse than that, then she would simply put up with what had happened to her. For years afterwards, she dragged that statue everywhere she went, though she would never let anyone know that she had it with her.’

She knew about my injuries years ago. And that statue meant a great deal to her, and not just because of who gave it to her. Idolized. My wife idolized and worshiped me.

Speaking on a different bent, he keeps going, ‘I suppose some of it is simply that she identifies with you and realizes your talent with the Force isolates you from people the same way her mathematical abilities do her. You saw what happened tonight once our colleagues and students discovered just how far removed she is from them in terms of mental capability. The same thing occurred years ago when she was a student, and that experience is why she is now so secretive about what she can do.’

True. We were both lonely and isolated. But no more. We will have one another’s company now.

‘If I were to be presumptuous, my Lord,’ he finishes, ‘I would say that she probably relates to and understands you far better than anyone else, and with that understanding and empathy comes her fearlessness.’

Empathy. Something warns me in the depths of my mind, but I brush it aside. Maia needs to be brought out of the trance and I have spent enough time talking to the Admiral.

‘Thank you, Admiral,’ I finally state, then turn my attention to Maia. ‘Time to bring my wife out of the trance I have kept her in.’

Instead of leaving Maia on the couch, I pull her to her feet and hold her in my arms. She will not realize how much time has passed if I am careful. A few words in Sith, and her mind will empty, the last half hour disappear as if it never happened. I tell her what I need to, but she does not wake as she should. Her body becomes rigid as she goes into a seizure, then she is completely limp, lifeless against me.

***

I hear the Sith Lord’s baritone voice calling my name and he sounds rather worried. His hand runs down my cheek, and I open my eyes to see him sitting close beside me, only to promptly shut them again. The room is spinning and I don’t like the sensation. He pulls me up into his arms from where I am laying on the couch next, and just holds me to his chest. What is wrong with me? I remember coming into the Faculty Lounge and Vader telling Rick he wanted him to do something for him, but nothing after that.

‘How is she?’ I hear Rick ask.

‘A very bad reaction, Admiral. My wife must have been partially aware and fighting against the trance the entire time we spoke. She will just have to work her way through it,’ the Dark Lord tells him, and I wonder what on Earth he is talking about. ‘I must stay with her until she recovers, but if you are needed elsewhere, you should go.’

‘Thank you, my Lord. I probably should go see what mischief my students have gotten themselves into,’ Rick replies.

I hear him walk to the door, slide back the deadbolt and leave.

‘Maia,’ Vader calls to me, ‘you need to center yourself, find your balance point. If you don’t, you will lose yourself within your own mind. I cannot touch your mind with the Force to help you with this. You must do this for yourself or I will have no other choice than to do something I would rather not.’

Too miserable and dizzy to do anything else, I just lay against him and moan softly. Does my head ever feel weird and I know if I open my eyes I will lose it completely. After fighting to refocus myself for what seems to be an eternity, I finally give up and let myself drift. Once he realizes I can do no more, the Dark Lord shifts me slightly in his arms, then leans back into the cushions, pulling me closer so that gravity now holds me in place against him. His hands cup my face, and I feel the sharp edge of his helmet’s brow touch my forehead. If I open my eyes, I will be looking directly into the lenses of his mask.

***

She can’t help herself.

And I can’t leave her like this.

I pull her near, prepare myself, and let my senses, my presence touch the place where her broken bond is located. Her mind grabs me instantly, drags me in, and I feel her pain along the paths I can now access her mind with. My darkness is burning her, but that will soon ease. I wait patiently for it to do so, then look about. What an organized mind she has. This is no surprise, given her chosen field of expertise.

With a touch, I locate her conscious self, pull it closer, anchor it in place. There will be no more accidents like this one if I can help it. I spend a few brief moments looking about some more, examining her thoughts and emotions.

Then I try to leave.

And find myself solidly, permanently bound to her.

Again, I have a choice.

I hesitate a moment, then make it.

As I go, exit her mind, I pull part of her self along with me, following long empty paths in my own mind. Paths my Padme once filled. The paths I heard her call my name along the moment she died.

Maia’s light presence hurts me as much as my dark one must have done to her. I cradle it close, wrap shields around it, use the darkness in my mind to hide it carefully away. My master must never know of this, must never discover what I have just done.

Love is forbidden for a Sith Lord.

***

Opening my eyes, I find myself looking straight into his through his helmet’s lenses. Rats. I wish I could see what color they really are.

‘My Lord, are you alright?’ I ask him, worried that he has done himself some harm.

‘I will be, my Lady, if you give me a few minutes and shift yourself a bit,’ he wryly tells me, and I realize that I have him trapped in a rather uncomfortable, slightly compromising position.

Oh. This is one situation I would not have expected to find myself in. Sprawled on top of Darth Vader with my hands pinned between us where they probably shouldn’t be.

I let myself slide off to one side so that I am laying next to him with my head on his shoulder and my right arm and leg draped over him. Better, I think. Curling up to him like this is quite comfortable, I decide. When I feel more like moving, I will, unless he shoves me aside first.

Curious about what he just did, I venture, ‘What happened to me and how did you fix it?’

‘You fainted and lost your point of balance. Don’t they teach you anything here? Someone with your mental abilities should know how to keep their mind centered under any conditions. I have seen to it that it won’t happen again.’ He sounds extremely irked, I decide, but I also know, somehow, that he is not telling me the entire truth about what just occurred either.

‘You aren’t going to tell me how you fixed it, are you?’ I challenge him.

‘No, and don’t ask me again,’ he scolds.

My stubborn streak kicks in. I know he did something to get into my mind. Looking inward, I lay quietly next to him while I try to figure out what he did. There is nothing on the surface, so I peer deeper. What is that? That shouldn’t be there; that’s where my brother used to be. I stare mentally at the cold, dark spot in my mind. He didn’t, he wouldn’t, couldn’t do that to me. Well, there is one sure fire way to find out. I lightly touch the dark spot and gently send my love for him through it.

There is no response, so I give the spot a much stronger nudge with the same emotion. The Sith Lord’s reaction is instantaneous. I am pulled into his arms as he rolls over on top of me. Once I am securely pinned beneath him, he keeps most of his weight off of me by leaning on his right arm while his left is lying across my chest. Well, Maia, you wanted a reaction and you most certainly got one, and this is an even more intimate position than the one you were in earlier. Now what are you going to do?

‘Don’t ever do that again,’ Vader warns me, moving his left hand to shake a finger at me before resting a fingertip on the end of my nose, ‘not unless I have given you permission to do so or your life is in danger.’

‘What exactly did you do to me?’ I ask again, though I am sure I now know the answer.

‘The only way I could get you centered was by forcing my way into your mind,’ he reveals, shifting his hand to rest it against my right cheek. ‘If you had not been previously bonded to your brother and the empty paths left intact after his death, it would have been impossible. Unfortunately, when I did that, I ended up life-bonded to you myself. Now, since you are so curious about it, I will let you feel something like what you just did to me.’

There is an odd prickly sensation in my mind, then I feel overwhelming desire and passion pour across our bond. My body involuntarily reacts to his emotions. I arch myself up against him and moan softly, pulling him closer to me by wrapping my arms around his back. One of my hands reaches for his belt, and I give a few frustrated tugs before I give up trying to removing it. I want him, need him, right here, right now. The Sith Lord merely laughs at my reaction.

Want me, do you? I hear him in my mind, teasing me, Shall I take you now, my wife?

‘Yes, I want you right now, my Lord,’ I tell him, not caring that I am behaving like a cat in heat, and not the least bit concerned or frightened that he might make love to me right here and now.

His hand caresses my face, and Vader abruptly shuts off the flow of emotions he had been sending to me. I lay trembling beneath him, trying to cope with the aftermath of having my mind flooded in such a way. If we were married and did that to one another, the experience would be incredible.

He chuckles again, and replies, almost in answer to my thought, ‘Life-bonds are extremely rare between those who are unrelated. Rumor has it that sex between those who are bonded and permitted to mate is quite the experience. Do you want to try it?’ His hand is waved towards the door and I hear the deadbolt lock. ‘No one can come in to interrupt now.’

I stare up at him, shocked. Darth Vader is propositioning me? Now? Here? Is he serious this time or not?

‘From the look on your face,’ he teases me, ‘I take it that you don’t know what to answer. Perhaps in another time and place, then, my wife, when I can ensure there is no possible chance we will be disturbed and I can do so properly, without my armor interfering with what I want to do.’

He really is serious. Speechless now, I remain where I am, waiting for what he might say or do next. We lay there for a few silent minutes while I try to make up my mind what to do. Forgetting his lectures, I reach up and touch the cheek of his mask. I know what I want now, but will he really go along with it or has he just been teasing me like he did before?

***

I pull her hand away and look at her for a long moment.

‘I know what your answer is, my Lady, and while I would enjoy making love to you, right here and now, you are not yet ready to deal with our life-bond or what I would want from you,’ I tell her, with some regret.

Her playing about with our bond has ensured that I am ready physically and she is more than willing. But she needs to heal still and I do not want to hurt her. I see a disappointed, but slightly relieved, expression appear on her face. Soon, my wife, soon you will have your wish fulfilled. I shove myself up and away from her, moving to sit next to her on the couch. Then I look over at her, open my arms and motion her into them.

What I must do next will cause her pain so I will let her relax a moment in my embrace once I am finished.

Maia happily curls up beside me, wraps her arms about my waist. There is no fear, no concern to be felt from her, only warmth and love and trust.

Little goddess, I did warn you about trust.

I move my hands to her face, and feel her pain as I push into her mind once again. A second look around and I find her feelings for me, despite her attempts to hide them.

How embarrassing, I hear her think, as she blushes in response.

You have no reason to be shy about this, I reply in kind. It pleases me to know you feel this way for me.

I begin to retreat, and with a deft touch, put a barrier around my permanent presence in her mind to keep my darkness from affecting her. The paths in her mind need to heal, to adjust to the presence of a Sith Lord, and they won’t if she can find and worry away at them, so I blend the barrier in, making it invisible to her. Maia will learn of this later, when all is well, and I can teach her how to use our bond.

No, she thinks at me, pleading when she realizes what I am doing. No, please don’t leave me alone again. I love you and I don’t think I could bear that. I will need to know that you are safe out there, somewhere, once you have left my world and I am stuck here by myself.

I hesitate.

Maia has spent three years without her sibling bondmate, three years with that emptiness, that loneliness and ache I know all too well. An adjustment to the barrier will soothe her, let her subconsciously know I am there, and give me easy access to her mind if I need it. I make the necessary changes, then fade her memories of our bonding away. With a sharp rap against her mind, I disorient her and wait for her to awake.

***

There is a moment of blackness, and then I am awake, held gently in Vader’s arms on the couch.

‘What happened to me?’ I ask him.

‘You had a nasty dizzy spell and have been unconscious for most of the last hour,’ the Sith Lord tells me. ‘I have stayed at your side while you recovered. The Admiral was here for a while, but thought it best to see what the bridge crew were up to. We should go see them, when you are ready, for a few minutes ourselves.’

Dizzy spell? I fainted? That is something I have never done before. Well, I guess the stress of the past four days and my irregular eating and sleeping habits were bound to catch up with me sooner or later. Checking on Rick and his gang can wait a few minutes though. Since Vader is already holding me, I intend to take full advantage of the situation. With a sigh, I pull myself in close to him. A moment later I hear laughter rumbling in his chest.

‘So easy to please, aren’t you?’ the Sith Lord teases.

I just lay my cheek against the soft robes by his shoulder and try to purr happily at him.

‘You are truly unique in your fearlessness, do you know that?’ he muses out loud. ‘If only I had found you years ago, my Lady. How different my life might have been with you at my side.’

Somehow I can feel some of his intense loneliness as he tells me this. How sad, I think, to be so alone, so isolated for all those years. It must be terrible for him to know that he can’t take me with him when he so obviously wants to do so. I try to send a few comforting thoughts his way, and as I do, he pulls me in tighter, almost as if he heard me, though I know that’s not possible. Responding in kind, I snuggle closer and try to send another thought or two his way.

I love you, I tell him, more than life itself, and I would follow you anywhere if you asked it of me.

The Dark Lord is silent after I do that, obviously deep in thought about something. I am content to stay where I am, but the evening is fast passing and there is still the long drive back to the observatory before he can leave.

‘My Lord, we should go see the Admiral for a few minutes,’ I finally say, breaking the silence in the room.

He nods, and rather reluctantly lets go of me before drawing me to my feet beside him. I notice that he is careful to keep a hold of my hand or waist, steadying me as I need it. My shakiness surprises me. Surely a little faint shouldn’t have this strong an after effect? We stand there, silent, while I regain my equilibrium. When I am sure I can walk without too much trouble, I take a step and the Sith Lord keeps his arm about me for support.

By the time we have returned to the ballroom, I feel a bit more secure on my feet. Vader, however, has not moved his arm from its position around me. I see that the orchestra has finished for the evening, and the band which will play for the next hour is busy setting up. Time to beat a hasty retreat since there is very little modern rock or pop music that I like. Before I can suggest leaving, though, I am guided over to my chair and sat down.

The Sith Lord heads immediately over to Rick and Bill, and pulls both of them to the opposite side of the room, out of my range of hearing. Those three have been up to something, I think, when I see Bill hand him some folded sheets of paper which promptly disappear somewhere. I am not the only one watching the exchange, though. Nigel is also staring at the three men.

When the Dark Lord returns to my side, I see Nigel’s expression change, become quite thoughtful. A moment later his eyes narrow and he gives a sudden start. He watches us intently, then seems to make a decision, rises from where he has been sitting and heads straight for us. Oh, no, he’s going to confront the Sith Lord right here in front of everyone. I tug on Vader’s arm, and when he bends over, reach up to draw his head down to mine by placing one of my hands on the cheek of his mask regardless of his lectures about over-familiarity in public. This is important enough, I decide, to break that rule.

‘Nigel thinks he has figured out who you really are,’ I whisper to Vader, warning him, ‘and he is going to try to create an uproar about it by provoking you into doing something which will make it apparent to everyone.’

The Sith Lord does not scold me for my behavior, just takes my hand from where I had laid it against his mask and holds it in his own for a few seconds before giving it a reassuring squeeze and setting it in my lap. He is completely calm. Good. Maybe he will give Nigel enough of a scare that my foolish colleague will finally get the hint and stay away.

When Nigel is fifteen or twenty feet from us, he stops, sets his hands on his hips and just stares for a moment. His progress across the room has drawn the attention of everyone in it. There is now dead silence. Here it comes, I think.

‘Well, Lord Vader, I do hope you have an adequate explanation for why you are here and not with the fleet hounding members of the Alliance. Surely the Emperor keeps you on a rather tight leash these days since you made such a mess of the Death Star’s defense at Yavin,’ Nigel prods, looking for a reaction.

There is no response from the Dark Lord other than to cross his arms over his chest and look at Nigel. I flinch a little at what the Master Jedi has said though. From what I have read, I know that Vader was punished by his master rather severely and painfully for that failure. Seeing that his first tactic has failed, Nigel decides to try another.

‘Perhaps a holiday, then? Tired and bored of chasing Jedi and rebels are you? The sights are rather dreary in our area this time of the year. Maybe you should try visiting some of the more scenic parts of our planet.’

This volley produces a snort of amusement from the Sith Lord, something he has not done before, but he still makes no move towards Nigel, just continues to stand calmly beside me. Rick and Bill, though, I notice, have moved to where they can easily tackle Nigel if the opportunity presents itself.

I see a rather sly expression make its way across Nigel’s face, and glancing a moment at me he says, ‘Or maybe you are out wife hunting? Surely you haven’t decided to visit our isolated world just to find a suitable mate. And to choose the Ice Maiden at that. You must be very good to thaw that frozen heart, and in mere days, too.’

That attempt to needle the Sith Lord was a very bad mistake on Nigel’s part. He is starting to push the bounds of what Vader will tolerate from him on my behalf. The Dark Lord stiffens beside me, but somehow restrains himself. One or two more statements like that, though, and he will be after Nigel. My departmental colleagues at the table next to us, I see, are starting to glare daggers at the Jedi Master as well. Good, Nigel, keep it up and you will have more trouble than you will ever be able to manage.

‘Hit a nerve have I?’ Nigel observes. ‘Perhaps it wasn’t that difficult after all. Everyone here knows your Lady has a rather ridiculous fixation on you.’

Glaring at Nigel, I let out an audible hiss of displeasure. That is just about the last thing I want Vader to know about me. The Sith Lord merely looks down at me and chuckles. Where did that reaction come from? I look over at Rick who simply shrugs and shakes his head. So, they were busy talking about me while I was out cold. Well, I hope my old friend is ready for a few matches in the salle since I intend to teach him a lesson or two about keeping his mouth shut.

Seeing that trying to get at the Sith Lord through me has failed, Nigel stays silent for a long moment. What is he going to try next, I wonder.

‘Have you told your Lady who you really are?’ Nigel asks and I freeze in place dreading what he will say next. Sure enough, he chooses to let the proverbial cat out of the bag, in saying, ‘It’s not every day one meets a fallen Jedi turned Sith, Lord Vader. Or should I say, Anakin Skywalker?’

‘That name no longer has any meaning for me,’ the Dark Lord snaps.

He takes several steps away from me, towards the Jedi Master, then stops. I can tell he has finally lost all patience with Nigel from the tight, controlled way he is holding his body. His anger is getting very close to the surface now. I give Rick a desperate glance and mouth silently at him, Get the Dean. Message received, I see Rick lean over, and pass it in a whisper to Bill who quietly backs up out of Vader’s line of sight before taking off at a dead run. Hopefully the cavalry will arrive in time.

‘Oh, but certainly the Skywalker part should, shouldn’t it? It was your son who destroyed the Death Star after all,’ Nigel reveals, ‘and he just happens to be the Alliance’s prized Jedi, too.’

Blast it all Nigel, he isn’t supposed to know that yet. The Dark Lord gives a violent jerk and I know he must be rather shocked at what he has just been told. He makes no further move towards Nigel and I suspect that he is busy trying to deal with this newly acquired knowledge. Good, that should buy me the time I need. Where is Bill and the help I sent him for? In a panic, I look over at the chemistry table. Sure enough, Trisha, my good friend in that department is there, and heaven be praised is playing Mon Mothma tonight.

‘Caitlin,’ I whisper, reaching over to yank Bill’s student to my side. ‘Go get Mon Mothma, she’s a friend of mine. I’m calling in every favor she owes me and putting myself forever in her debt. Tell her that and have her call Nigel off right now. I’ll explain to her why tomorrow. Go, hurry.’

Caitlin wastes no time, I note, rapidly arriving at my friend’s side. There is a hurried exchange between them. Once their conversation is finished, Trisha looks over at me, makes eye contact, and we both nod at the same time.

‘I want to know exactly how you came across that information, Jedi, and you had better tell me the truth of it,’ Vader threatens, taking a menacing step towards his antagonist.

Blast, I had hoped he would take a bit longer to recover from the shock he just had.

Mon Mothma turns to two of the graduate students sitting next to her who are dressed as Jedi. There are a few quick words, and the three of them rise as a group.

Nigel lets out a snort of amusement. ‘Don’t act so surprised, my Lord, that happens to be one secret that just about everyone knows.’

The Dark Lord again stops, shocked, but this time instead of remaining silent, he lets out an angry growl and moves to take his lightsaber in hand.

Trisha and her reinforcements are not going to arrive before Nigel does irreparable damage, or ends up in pieces, and there is still no sign of Bill and the Dean. The only way to prevent a disaster is to take matters into my own hands. I use the arms on the chair I am in to shove myself to my feet, and time seems to slow down. It takes all my concentration to manage a few shaky steps. Unfortunately I don’t reach the Sith Lord’s side before I stumble and feel myself start to pitch forward. Better let him know what’s about to happen to me, so I give a stricken sounding cry as I fall towards the floor.

I hear fabric snap and several rapid steps as my legs give way. Two arms catch me before I hit the floor, then I am lifted up and cradled tight into a chest.

‘Consider yourself fortunate, Master Jedi, that my wife is of more concern to me than you are. The next time, I will kill you,’ the Sith Lord coldly warns.

‘That will not be necessary, Lord Vader,’ I hear my friend Trisha, Mon Mothma, say. ‘Masters Garrett and Tomas will be in charge of this idiot for the rest of the night.’

I turn my head a bit from where it is resting against Vader’s shoulder and smile when I see Nigel grabbed by the two burly students and taken out of the room.

‘You have my most sincere apologies for his appalling behavior and outrageous statements,’ Mothma states.

With a graceful bow, she returns to sit with the rest of the rebels. Thank you, my friend, I think at her, knowing I will forever owe her for that.

The Sith Lord silently watches her go, and once she is at her table, he turns and carries me to my chair. Once I have been settled into it again, he resumes his place next to me, hooking his thumbs in his belt as he did before. From his body language, he has calmed himself down again, but I wonder what impact Nigel’s premature revelations will have on him. While I am trying to sort out the potential timeline implications, Bill returns, with the Dean, Cleopatra, beside him.

‘Sorry we couldn’t get back here in time, my Lady,’ Bill apologizes.

‘I have barred Nigel from the building for the rest of the night,’ Cleopatra states, pulling up a chair to sit beside me. ‘If there is any further trouble from him, I will see to it that he leaves the campus immediately. He has been allowed to behave this way for far too long, but this was the first time in such a public place. I will be able to deal with him formally now.’ She gives me a sympathetic squeeze of the hand. ‘I am sorry, my Lady, that you and your Lord were on the receiving end of it though.’

Too surprised to say anything, I nod in acknowledgment of her words. Nigel got banned from the party? Now there’s a first.

‘Now, tell me,’ the Dean asks, ‘Are the rumors true?’

Curious, I look at her, hoping for some hint of what she means. When I find no clues, I venture, ‘What rumors?’

She smiles at me now, and I wonder what people have been saying behind my back. ‘Oh, I just heard a few interesting things tonight,’ she says to me.

This is becoming frustrating. I look over at Bill who quickly hides the grin on his face. Rick is also doing his best to appear innocent. A glance up at the Sith Lord doesn’t help much, but he tips his head to one side, and I can just imagine the look on his face.

‘What exactly have you three been up to?’ I ask.

‘Nothing,’ Bill answers.

‘The usual,’ Rick admits.

‘Much the same as my officers,’ the Sith Lord states.

‘It wouldn’t have anything to do with those pieces of paper I saw being passed around?’ I ask, curious now.

Dead silence from the three of them and guilty looks on the two faces I can see. Well, they are obviously not going to own up to whatever they have been busy with, so I give up on getting an answer. Tomorrow, I decide, I will do my best to find out then.

‘It’s a good thing,’ I tell them, ‘that the three of you are not really stationed on the same ship. I can just imagine the mischief you would be into all the time.’

‘Then you, my Lady,’ Vader teases, ‘would have a full time job keeping us in line.’

I start laughing. That was just too funny. There is no way I could keep these three mischief makers out of trouble once they get started.

‘Maybe you should send a shuttle back to retrieve these two,’ I slyly suggest. ‘I am sure you would be able to use another Admiral and Captain, my Lord, especially ones you so obviously get along with, and it would give you two new dueling partners to practice against, too.’

The Dean merely appears puzzled by my statement. Rick and Bill, though, are giving one another concerned looks and I know they are wondering if I am being serious or not. Vader chuckles for a moment, making my two friends even more nervous.

‘I will take that under advisement,’ the Sith Lord tells me. ‘Now, since you have recovered from your dizzy spells, shall we go for a walk, my Lady?’

A walk sounds like a good idea, so I ask Rick, ‘Admiral, would you assign a few of the crew to keep an eye on a certain Jedi for the next half hour or so? I am sure he is still lurking about somewhere.’

As soon as the students are dispatched, I slip my hand into the Sith Lord’s and allow myself to be led outside, away from the noise of the party and the other guests. It is a clear and cold night, so I guide us towards the greenhouse which contains the small botanical garden. My master passcard opens the door and I pull Vader inside after me. The heat and humidity are welcome after the chill of the air outside. A quick look around before I shut the door after us reveals that there is no one nearby who might have seen us enter.

‘There shouldn’t be anyone else in here, so we can stay as long as you like,’ I tell him. ‘Nigel doesn’t have a pass which will give him access, as far as I know, that is.’

He makes no reply to me, just wanders leisurely towards the center of the garden, drawing me along with him. On occasion he stops to look at some of the more exotic plants, and I read the identifying labels to him and tell him what little I know of them. There are benches in the open area in the middle of this glass building, and when we reach them, I am firmly guided to sit on one before the Dark Lord joins me. From the tension in his movements, I get the distinct impression that he is warring with himself, that he wants to say something, yet cannot bring himself to do so. I stay silent and let him work through whatever it is that is bothering him. Eventually, he seems to make a decision, relaxes a little, and takes my hand in his.

‘My wife would be allowed to remain with me on my flagship, but our children would not,’ the Sith Lord tells me. ‘I would not leave her on Imperial Center if we had a family, but at Bast castle on Vjun, my private world. The Imperial court is too close on Coruscant, the danger to them would be much too great.’

I blink at him in surprise. Where has this come from? Curious, I remain quiet, and let him continue to talk since he is in the mood to do so.

‘It could be a lonely life for her, on my ship, with only me for company,’ he muses. ‘My position can demand long hours, and I am often away on business and errands which she would be forbidden to accompany me on. There are few female officers she could befriend, and I would not tolerate any over familiarity between her and the rest of the officers and crew.’

He falls silent for a moment. I hear the greenhouse door slam, running feet, and the excited voices of a few students reach us. We are not the only ones who have sought the solitude of this place.

Vader turns to me and quickly asks, ‘Would you be able to handle such a life, my Lady?’

Before I can answer, we are surrounded by a group of biology students dressed in Medieval costumes. Their department had chosen King Arthur as its theme this year. The student who seems to be their ring leader stares at us in surprise.

‘Oh. Sorry, Professor,’ he apologizes, ‘We didn’t know anyone was in here.’

I answer him with a shrug of my shoulders.

The Dark Lord makes no reply, but stands, pulling me to my feet beside him. ‘Shall we walk outside, my Lady?’ he addresses me, ignoring the students around us.

I move to lay my hand on his arm, but he slides his own around my waist instead and guides me to the door. The cool air is a shock after the warmth of the botanical gardens, and by the time we have reached the fountains in the courtyard, I am starting to get cold.

‘Come here before you get chilled,’ the Sith Lord orders, opening his arms to me.

I willing step into his embrace, and he is careful to wrap his cloak around me. He has adjusted the temperature of his armor, I note, and it is warm here next to him.

‘Now, your answer to my question?’ he prompts.

I carefully consider my response. If it was only my heart I needed to listen to, the answer would be an easy one, yet there are other factors I must think of as well. Vader patiently waits for me to speak, does not hurry me. My mind runs through the various possibilities, but, finally, I admit to myself that there is only one thing that really matters in the end.

‘Yes,’ I answer, ‘I think I could manage such a life, having spent so much of my own alone.’

‘And would you go with me, leave here, given the chance?’ Vader presses.

‘You know that’s impossible,’ I tell him, ‘your fighter is not designed to carry two.’

‘Even so, if it could be done, would you?’ he persists in questioning.

I stay silent in his arms, thinking at a million miles an hour. Where is he going with this? Would I want to go with him? Be honest, Maia, I warn myself, you know that this will only lead you to heartbreak. Don’t get your hopes up. You know you can’t go with him, but tell him the truth of it as if you could.

‘Yes,’ I whisper, ‘I would go with you.’

‘Then I have only one other thing to ask you,’ the Dark Lord states.

He does not speak, though, only holds me close, as if waiting for exactly the right time to pose his question.

Finally he tells me, ‘I have spent almost twenty years alone, and never once in that time expected to find someone I would want to share my life with or who would want to share their life with me.’

Silence from him next, and I know he is warring with himself again. Content to stay in his arms, I wait patiently for him to settle his mind and ask this question which has so divided his soul. At last, he relaxes again, and I hold my breath, anticipating what I will hear from him.

Before Vader can speak, the quiet peace of the moment is shattered by Nigel’s voice teasing, ‘So here’s where the two lovebirds have taken themselves off to.’

The Sith Lord freezes in my arms and I know that whatever question he intended to ask me will never be spoken now. I close my eyes and allow my head to fall forward, letting my forehead rest against his chest. Nigel, why, I ask myself, half-grieving, why now of all times? Vader lifts a hand to gently caress my cheek, then abruptly pulls himself from my grasp, and whirls to face my foolhardy colleague.

‘You, Master Jedi, have been warned,’ the Dark Lord coldly states. ‘Since you will not desist in your attempts to provoke me, you leave me no other choice than to do something about it.’

As he speaks, he stalks menacingly towards Nigel, who simply stands his ground with a grin on his face.

Nigel is relying on the party rules to save his hide. I motion to him to go away, to leave, but he just raises an eyebrow at me and refuses to budge. Where are the students or Rick and Bill? They were supposed to keep Nigel away from us and I need their help here. A frantic scan of the area reveals my two friends, running full tilt towards the courtyard from the Student Center. They arrive too late to save the situation and can only watch with me what unfolds.

Vader takes his lightsaber and ignites it. Nigel merely crosses his arms and watches him. He thinks it’s some sort of fancy replica, I think, horrified. Rather than swing it at my colleague, though, the Sith Lord spins about and neatly slices through the railing along the stairs next to the reflecting pond. A second later, the severed metal falls into the water with a resounding splash.

Point made, Vader returns his attention to the ersatz Jedi, who has now realized just what sort of trouble he is in and exactly who it is he is dealing with. My colleague quickly backs away from the angry Dark Lord. Nigel is trapped, I note, with nowhere to go except backwards towards the water.

‘Maia, do something!’ Nigel calls to me.

Rick has reached my side and whispers, ‘Nigel gave us the slip. Can’t you help him somehow?’

‘You will leave my wife out of this, Jedi,’ Vader warns Nigel, ‘and you will address her properly.’

I quietly reply, ‘Not now, Rick. He is in no mood to be reasoned with and it could be dangerous for me to approach him. How would you have felt if your proposal to Bill had been interrupted by Nigel?’

My old friend looks at me with a knowing smile. So, that’s what those three were up to. The Sith Lord must have asked my two friends for some advice on the matter, and judging from the Dean’s comments, everyone knew I was about to be proposed to except me.

Rick next blurts out, ‘Well did you say ‘yes’ or not?’

I shush him up before we draw Vader’s attention to us. ‘He was just about to ask when Nigel interrupted. I had no chance to tell him ‘yes’.’

The Dark Lord stops his approach towards Nigel now, blocking any escape route open to him. I watch Nigel’s eyes flick between me and his captor. Knowing that there is nothing I can do, I shake my head sadly and start to turn away. Vader is furious and there will be no reasoning with him about this, not after Nigel’s behavior in the ballroom tonight.

There is a long quiet moment, with the only sounds the hum of the blade, the water falling in the fountains, and the even regulated breaths of a respirator. The Sith Lord swings his head to look at me, then back at Nigel. A second glance at me, and he throws a hand up and towards the man he has trapped. My mouth drops open as I see my colleague hurled up into the air by an invisible force, only to drop into the reflecting pond directly under the fountains with a very loud splash. Obviously Vader has had more access to the Force than he has been letting on.

While Nigel thrashes about and splutters in the water, the Dark Lord shuts off his lightsaber and returns to my side. Rick and Bill make a tactical retreat out of earshot, but make no move at all to aid Nigel despite his repeated attempts to have them do so.

‘You, my Lady, are a very bad influence on me,’ Vader teases, making sure that Nigel and my friends can hear every word. ‘Any other place and time, I would have killed him on the spot as I said I would earlier.’ More quietly, he adds, ‘Perhaps it would be best if we leave, now. I have drawn far more attention to myself than is perhaps wise.’

‘I think you are right, my Lord,’ I agree with him. Raising my voice, I call to my friends, ‘Rick, Bill, we have to go now.’

My two friends quickly come over to where we are standing, and I find myself given two unexpected hugs. Oddly, the Sith Lord raises no objection to their familiarity with me. Maybe he has decided that the time to be totally formal is done with for the day.

//Make sure you tell him ‘yes’ and remember us when you are gone.// Rick tells me in German, adding in English, ‘Take care of yourself, dear friend.’

‘And don’t worry about Nigel. We are going to lock him in a storage room for a few hours once he has had a good shower and bath, and we haul him out of the water. You will need that time to make your getaway. Then we will let the Dean have him,’ Bill adds in a conspiratorial tone.

‘Now get out of here,’ Rick orders. ‘We’ll cover for you.’

I reach over and grab Vader’s hand. He uses it to bring me to his side, and, ignoring his two temporary officers, he tells me, ‘Very well, my most beloved Lady, my wife who is and will be, we shall go now and return to my flagship.’

My heart skips a beat at his words. Is he still playing within the rules of the party or not? I wonder, given his earlier questions and the one he was just about to ask me. No chance is given to me to find out, though, as he pulls me along at a rapid pace, guiding us unerringly back to the parking lot and our borrowed transportation.

Halfway there, I hear someone running to catch up with us. Turning to see who it is, I find that Rick has come after us and bundled four swords and a few small boxes together in my carrying bag judging from the lumps sticking out of its sides.

Handing it to me he states, ‘The best three of your dueling blades, the Viggiani rapier, and a few other things you might want. Bill and I gathered them up for you earlier. You shouldn’t leave without them.’

A quick peck on my cheek and he is off again, heading back to look after Nigel, no doubt. Too startled to reply, I watch him go, and then allow the Dark Lord to lead me hurriedly onward. Once at the Porsche, though, the Sith Lord leans heavily against it, exhausted. I quickly get the door open and somehow manage to maneuver his large and heavy frame into the seat.

‘What’s wrong,’ I ask, alarmed. ‘Are you ill?’

‘No, my Lady, I just used every bit of the Force I had available to deal with that idiot and have drained myself completely,’ he admits. ‘I will recover with time and rest.’

Since he is too tired to move, I strap him in and lean the seat back.

‘You can rest on the drive back,’ I tell him. ‘There’s not much to see at night anyway.’

By the time I have the car started and off the university campus, Vader is asleep.

The long solitary drive back gives me time to think, to review my situation. Much as I would dearly love to leave with the Sith Lord, I know that this is impossible, regardless of what he asked me tonight and what I want to do. Better to put the idea completely out of my mind. My place is here, on this world, and the last four days will become a happy memory to cherish for the rest of my life, no more, no less.

The future here, tomorrow, is where my concern should lie. I am going to be in a great deal of trouble, I soon realize. Sam’s research team is going to very quickly discover that my meteorite story was nothing but that, and I can just imagine how my uncle is going to react. He will never trust me again, a high price to pay, but one I will, happily, if it secures Vader’s safe escape.

My colleagues? That stunt the Dark Lord pulled on Nigel was witnessed by more than just Rick and Bill, no doubt, and I am going to be subjected to some intense and uncomfortable questions about just who was with me this night. Somehow I don’t think I am going to be believed even if I tell the truth about it and Rick and Bill back up my story.

Then there is the break-in and theft from Nigel’s lab. Perhaps I could pay for that one with my position and career, if Nigel really decides to pursue the issue, which he no doubt will given how thoroughly he has been humiliated tonight. That’s tomorrow, this is today, I remind myself. No point in brooding away the last few precious minutes I will have with the man I love and will shortly lose.

When I reach the observatory’s security gates, the Sith Lord stirs. He is completely awake when I pull up beside his fighter and seems to have fully recovered from his encounter with Nigel. Once we are out of the car, he removes and wraps his cloak around me to ward off the cold, and quickly attaches the pressurized gas cylinder to his fighter’s drive system. After sealing up the access panels and removing the tarps camouflaging his ship, Vader helps me to climb up the scaffold, then sets the computer to run the preflight checks. All is fine, and he starts the TIE’s repulsors and engines.

We stand beside his TIE now, waiting for the final readings to come back from its computer. He will be gone soon, and I can’t help feeling a deep sense of loss. The Sith Lord does not belong here on my world, nor can I go with him to his.

I turn away from him, realizing that if I don’t get myself under control, he will know far more about what I am feeling than I want him to. Why are goodbyes always so hard? And this one is worse, knowing that I will never see him again, never have any way to ever contact him. I know now what it is to have my heart broken.

The computer sounds several beeps and whistles.

‘Is everything working as it should?’ I ask.

‘Yes,’ is his terse response.

‘Then you should go soon. I will do my best to cover for you, perhaps I can even slow the pursuit a bit.’ I am trying to delay the inevitable with small talk.

‘Maìá,’ he speaks my name with that peculiar accent, then hesitates. ‘I have never thanked you for all that you have done for me,’ he finally tells me. ‘In another place, in the Empire, there would be ways I could reward you for your help. So, tell me, what would you want if I could give it to you?’

What would I want? I stiffen in surprise. Where did this come from? Be honest, Maia, what would you ask him for. It’s a simple question, and I know what my answer would be, but I don’t want to tell him. Definitely too embarrassing and I do not feel like being laughed at. Besides, he might be offended by it.

‘You don’t want to tell me, do you,’ he notes, ‘your body language gives you away.’

‘That obvious, is it?’ I reply.

‘Just tell me what you would want,’ he continues to press, and I know he will insist on an answer from me.

I steel myself for his response, and quietly admit, ‘You. I would only want you.’

Before I can say any more, I am pulled around and into his arms. I bury my face in his robes and cling to him, promising myself that I won’t let the tears out which are threatening to flow. This is hard, so very hard. Should I tell him how I really feel? There will be no other chances now. Somehow I gather up my courage and speak.

‘My Lord, I love you. I always have and always will.’

He turns my face to where he can see it and I can sense his eyes on me, as he tries to look into my heart, my soul. What does he think of what I have just confessed? Is he amused or appalled, or does he truly feel something in return? I have no way of knowing. The only sounds are his regulated breathing and the engines on his ship. When I can bear it no longer I attempt to pull away, but there is no escape. The arm he has behind my back holds me tight to his chest while his other hand slaps something against my neck. There is a sting and a burning sensation along my throat. What has he done to me? My legs give way and I am caught in his arms. Then I fall endlessly into blackness.

***

I catch her as she falls, this fiercely stubborn and fearless woman who has so freely offered of herself, she who dares to love me, a Sith Lord. Love, an emotion forbidden to me, yet felt for her all the same. Fool! a voice in my mind accuses, fool to feel, fool to love, fool to allow this weakness, this flaw. I ignore it. My decision has been made. I will not reconsider.

She is mine,
mine by word, bound to me as is proper with oath, with pledge, with vow;
mine by soul, as she is assuredly the other half of my own;
mine by heart, for she truly loves me and I, her;
mine by body, for I have held her in my arms and taken her for my own.

Every test I set her, she has passed; she is worthy to be mine, is mine, and mine alone.

I ease her to the surface of the platform. There are things I must retrieve before I go, and little time to do it in. My cloak will keep her warm while I run this errand and my prize must not be harmed.

I hasten to her quarters. There is so little I can take from here. Her picture book - yes! And the two folders with her music disks, the small portable device for playing them, her favorite collection of poetry left out on the table. What else? I look about the room and memories of a life being left behind haunt me. I had less as a child than what I now hold in my hands to remember mine by. It will have to be enough, I decide.

I return to my fighter, remove the bag with her swords from the car, stow the treasures I have taken for her in my ship. She does not stir when I lift her again, so strong is the hold of the drug I have used. A moment of careful maneuvering and we are inside, her head resting on my shoulder as I cradle her in my arms. Awkward, this is going to be awkward. No matter. I touch the controls, launch from the ground, and we are airborne.

She was concerned about pursuit. There is none of any significance, of course, as I easily evade their simple attempts to stop me. The stars beckon and I am free of this world, free to leave, free to return, yet I hesitate. Her offer of sanctuary replays once again in my mind; a life free of bondage, free of darkness; the chance to start anew with her at my side. But the call of the Force is too strong. I activate the nav-computer, the hyperdrive, and we are gone.

***

Continued in Section B

Home Fiction Adult Fiction Art Mail List Staff Links