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The Sith Lord and the Scientist Section B - Part 2

DAY 3

Morning comes all too soon. I just lay in bed considering what I should do today. Sing some more, I guess. At least it passes the time and there is not much else to do other than sit and brood. Tossing the sheets off myself, I head for the ‘fresher and a bath. Careful to conserve my water supply, I allow only a few sips. Next it’s back in the bedroom and into the practical tunic and pants again. Now what?

Warm-up, I decide, then just practice technique. That should drive the Sith Lord nuts if he chooses to listen in. Hours of various vocal attacks, trills, and slow and fast runs through different types of ornaments later, I realize that he has been occasionally checking to see what I am up to. The comm active light only stays on for a short time with each attempt at eavesdropping though. I was right. He can’t stand listening to the more boring aspects of what is required to really be a good singer.

The next time I see the light flashing, I tease him, ‘Can’t stand to hear me practice the boring technical stuff, can you? Maybe some more Mozart today?’

Off goes the light and I start to laugh. Teasing him this way is great fun. Time to try a proper piece or two. What to do? French composers? No, I decide, not today. German then. Mozart, Strauss, and of course, more Wagner. An hour later I have had enough and the Sith Lord, judging from the blinking light, has had his concert for the day. What to do now?

I could meditate, I suppose. That doesn’t require the Force. Hovering about Vader, though, might make him angry, so I will just stay here in my own body and use it to relax myself. Decision made, I pull myself into a cross-legged position and focus myself inwards. Settled in my mind, I am curious to see just what sorts of memories I ripped out the other day. Anything to do with a specialized knowledge of the Force, I quickly discover, is gone and I must have known quite a bit, too, judging from the large gaps I keep finding.

Looking about very carefully reveals that everything else which is missing is either connected to the Dark Lord’s distant past or to future events. That’s bizarre, I think. How would I know what his history is or what is supposed to happen twenty-five or thirty years from now? And it was obviously quite accurate and detailed knowledge, too. Weird.

It must have frustrated him to no end when he realized what I had once known and so effectively removed. No wonder it took so long for him to make the repairs. He must have spent most of that time trying to find any traces of what I had ripped out. Well, like he said, it will either come back naturally some day, or not at all.

Satisfied with my evaluation of my memories, I drop out of the meditative trance. It is now quite late again. I must have been deep in my mind for many hours. Time for bed, I decide. Another trip to the ‘fresher for a drink, a quick change into my nightgown, and I am curled up under the covers.

Too awake to fall asleep right away, I lay there brooding a bit. I still love the man, and I know this will always be true no matter what he does to me. You can do whatever you like to me, I think to myself, it won’t change how I feel about you. Lying there quietly, I just keep my mind empty for a while. Somehow I know the Sith Lord is near, in his office, working. He must be staying awake all night or maybe sleeping in his meditation pod. It can’t be very comfortable in there, I decide, and he needs to recover from the exhaustion of the other day still. My belligerence is making us both miserable. I try to send a quiet thought his way.

***

I hear her mental call and respond to it immediately, ‘Maybe he is just as unhappy about having to punish you, as you are in receiving it.’

There’s that voice in my head again, she thinks. Either stay and talk to me, or go away and leave me alone.

Maia hasn’t realized who she is communicating with. This could be most useful. I might be able to hasten her surrender.

‘If you act like an adult, I will stay,’ I answer back.

Oh. Well, I can be civilized, she replies. It’s just when I am pushed too much that my stubborn streak comes out.

‘You need to control that or abandon it altogether,’ I suggest. ‘He won’t put up with it from you.’

I feel her stubbornness gathering and smile to myself. How predictable she is. Tell her not to do something and that is exactly what she does.

Alright, she admits, yes, I can be stubborn. It was the only way I survived the misery of my high school and university years. And no, I won’t abandon it, not a chance. As for winning, well, I can and have out-stubborned the best.

‘That was on your homeworld, child, not against a Sith. You can’t win here, and you will only harm yourself if you try,’ I warn, hoping she will realize there is no point in continuing to fight and will just give in.

We shall just see about that then, now won’t we? She thinks defiantly back at me.

I don’t answer. More stubbornness on her part, but I have given her something to think about. It is only a matter of time, now. I can wait, she will give in.

Griff’s daily report is waiting. I return my attention to it. They are close to tracking down the technician who supervised the energy damper installation. Major Fervis should have him in custody soon.

***

DAY 4

Morning I guess, as I wake up. I listen to my stomach growl and take the time to convince it to shut-up. There will be no breakfast for me again today. Knowing that I will need to conserve energy, after almost two days without food, I decide to lie in bed and sleep a bit more.

After a few minutes, I give up. The comments from that weird mental voice last night have my mind busy trying to sort things out.

I start to muse. The Sith Lord had told me I could do what I wanted in here and when I did so, punished me for it. No, Maia, I scold myself, that’s not entirely true and you know it. You pushed further than he would tolerate from you. He obviously needed to be elsewhere and you tried his patience one too many times. Be glad he didn’t do any more than flood your mind with his emotions for a few minutes. Throwing a sulk after he did that was stupid.

‘Yes, that was rather childish of you,’ the voice observes, back again. I ignore it. I want to sort myself out without any comments from elsewhere.

My juvenile need to touch and be in physical contact with him is going to cause me grief, and learning how to deal with my newly awakened emotions is going to be quite a nuisance. Even he knows that. Otherwise, he would not have offered to stay in his quarters with me, for the next two weeks, so that I could work through the giddiness and mood swings that accompany first love.

***

I hear her comment on first love.

Ah, yes.

I remember that.

The mood swings, the light-headedness, the thrill of needing, wanting the other person and knowing your feelings are returned - all the things youngsters deal with which Maia has so carefully avoided - then there were the internal fights both Padme and I waged endlessly with ourselves before finally giving in to the inevitable. But my angel was far more emotionally mature, far more experienced in that respect than Maia is.

My Favorite is like a child, feeling love for the first time.

Her silliness, her need to constantly touch me, while I understand where it comes from, annoys me.

At her age, she should be able to control herself, at least a little bit. She should have behaved herself instead of throwing this sulk. Now, the days I could have stayed in here with her and let her work it from her system are slipping away.

I remind her of that.

***

‘That was rather generous, don’t you think? He doesn’t have to do that for you.’

Another comment from that odd voice. Must be my conscience, I decide, as I continue on my previous train of thought.

Do I really think he wants to punish me if I slip up in public and do something stupid? Darth Vader is the Emperor’s military commander and he can’t afford to have me undermining his authority with any sort of childish nonsense. He spoiled me on Earth, I decide, by being extremely open about his feelings in public, something he can never, will never do here. The sooner I accept that the better.

***

Do I want to punish her publicly?

No.

I don’t want to do anything to hurt her, but I can’t let her behave foolishly or in an inappropriate manner, either.

She needs to learn this, and soon. I make a mental note to arrange a suitable lesson for her in the consequences of public defiance.

As for her homeworld, well, I thoroughly enjoyed that. Nowhere else have I managed to be seen as one of the crowd, just another person out for the evening.

‘That was at a costume ball where no one really knew who he was, and those who did could be trusted completely,’ I admit. ‘How often does he get to be incognito like that? He could afford to relax his guard and maybe he enjoyed that evening as much as you did.’

***

True, I nod mentally at those words. Very true. He did seem to thoroughly enjoy himself at the party and he got along quite well with Rick and Bill, too. Tossing Nigel in the pool amused him as well, even if there was that nasty scene with him earlier in the evening. The Sith Lord must have liked those four days with me, away from the pressures and worries of his position. How often does he get a holiday like that anyway?

***

When was the last time I had a holiday? The last time I did something frivolous to enjoy myself?

So long ago I can’t even remember the circumstances.

‘Almost never,’ I admit to her.

I will be sure to do a few purely recreational things with her.

***

As for being locked in here, I brought that on myself. He wasn’t mad about the mathematical barriers I had put up, he was more curious about that than anything else.

***

Those clever shields she erected. Yes, they had me puzzled for a moment or two, but I can get through them easily with our bond if I need to.

‘It was very clever of you to figure out how to layer mental shields, do you know that?’ I tell her. ‘Only a few Jedi Masters could manage that as well as you did.’

***

It was only when I became defiant, belligerent, and rude, and told him off that he became angry with me.

‘Yes,’ the voice comments, ‘all too true,’ then abruptly falls silent, leaving me alone again, and I wonder where it went to.

***

The comm signals an incoming Holonet transmission.

Damn.

I don’t need this right now. Not when I might be able to persuade her to give in.

I pull my attention away from Maia and answer it.

***

I consider what I had said to the Sith Lord. Has he treated me like a child? Well, no, not really, not unless I said or did something that justified it. And I did deserve the chastisement he gave me two days ago. The remark I made about being a compliant concubine. That was maybe a bit closer to the truth, I suspect. My stubborn temperament probably irritates him since he is used to being obeyed instantly. And he needs to have me obey and be respectful to him in public. Maybe he is just trying to get me used to that in private where my resistance won’t cause a scene and force him to do something about it.

Maia, my girl, I tell myself, you have really done it this time. You acted in haste, spoke without thinking, and now you are paying the price for it.

***

I hear the capitulation in her thought as I head to my shuttle.

So close.

She is almost at the point of giving in.

And now I must go, ordered back to Teyr for the meeting I missed by my master.

‘Yes, child, actions and words have consequences and you had best learn that now, in private, where he can afford to be lenient, rather than in public where he may have to hurt you, perhaps quite badly, to make a point of it,’ I remind her.

Well, she thinks at me, I don’t feel up to dealing with a formal apology to him right at the moment. I will spend the morning sorting myself out, maybe sing a few things for him. He liked that even though he wouldn’t admit it.

Like her singing? Whatever gave her that idea?

I only had the comm on so I could monitor what she was up to, not torture myself.

And it sounds like she will give in this afternoon. Good. My meeting should be finished by then. I will be here to accept her apology and let her out.

I pause as I enter the hangar.

She needs to know why she must behave herself. I will force her to work that out for herself as a lesson. It won’t be as vivid and long-lasting in her mind if I simply tell her.

***

The voice is silent in answer, and I know it is gone again.

I drag myself out of the bed and into the ‘fresher. A few mouthfuls of water and I feel better. Time for a hot bath. Whatever he had added to the water tastes horrid, but it doesn’t smell or affect the soaps I use. Wrapped in towels, I go back to the bedroom and debate what to put on. If I am going to apologize, I want to do it properly. The dress with the neat gold trim on it should do just fine. I pull it out of the compartment. This is the dress I like best of the six. Nice fitted bodice, cool looking flowing, filmy, medieval style sleeves. My bracelets will be visible through them and I can use a gold button on each shoulder to pull them back to make it into a sleeveless gown with sheer drapery instead of sleeves. I especially like the gold edging around the full skirt and round neck. A moment later I have it on me. There is no way to put my hair into ringlets so instead I divide it into a dozen tight braids which will produce waves instead.

Preparations finished, I warm up my voice again, thinking of how to apologize as I do so. Maybe in song? I run through my mind the various pieces that I know. Turandot, Liu’s plea from the first act will be perfect if I change a few of the words in the first part and completely alter the second. This is going to require some work. Sitting down at the table, I select a blank sheet, and write out the Italian first. Signore, ascolta! Ah, signore ascolta! Liu non regge piu, si spezza il cuor! ... Then the English, changing things as I need to, My Lord hear me! Oh hear, my Lord! Maia can bear no more, her heart is breaking! Alas how many miles have I traveled ... and if my fate today be decided ... Maia can bear no more. Rather melodramatic, I think, and alter a few more things.

I set the stylus down and sing the Italian version. Good. I have that correct. Now to check the English phrasings, but how to do it without the Sith Lord hearing? ‘Fresher, I wonder if the comm will pick up in there? Probably not. I start giggling. There’s no way I can see that he would ever let anyone eavesdrop in that room. Ten minutes later, locked in the ‘fresher, I have managed to get the words and music to work together. Now, when to sing it to him? I will need to make sure the comm light is on, and I want to give him a bit of a concert first. A few sips of water, and I go back into the bedroom.

The comm light is on, so I sing Almirena’s aria to him. The light stays on and blinking as I finish up. Good, he’s happy with what I chose to sing to him.

‘Liked that, did you? Should I try the battle aria again? Maybe my voice will behave today,’ I tell him, before launching into the Broschi piece. To my total shock, I do hit those blasted five notes, and perfectly in tune, too. Haven’t done that since I was an undergrad. Wow. Guess three days with three or four hours work during each does pay off.

What next? More Handel, I decide, since he seems to prefer it.

‘I think you prefer Handel,’ I state, ‘who was a brilliant musician and quite a character. One time he ended up in a duel and the only thing that saved him was when his opponent, his best friend and a musical rival, had his sword break on one of Handel’s metal buttons. He used to get into purely musical contests with some of the other great composers of his time, too.’

With that I start singing Cleopatra’s love song. He should recognize that one since I sang it to him once before. Five other arias from Handel’s Italian operas follow. Maybe I should try the modified piece from Turandot now? Gathering up my nerve, I close my eyes and start into it. Once finished, I see that the comm light is no longer blinking, but glowing solid. When did that happen and what does it mean? Did he hear me or not? Not sure what to do, I take a few steps over and look at the console. No clues there as to what the solid light means. Rats. Now what do I do?

Well, I could just call him mentally and tell him I am ready to apologize.

Ani? I ask. I want out now.

***

I hear her call to let her out, but don’t answer. She doesn’t know about our bond so there is nothing I can do which will convince her that I am the one she is hearing.

And I foolishly left the comm in my quarters running in record mode so I can’t tell her I will be there in a few hours that way either.

All I can do is hasten the end of my meeting with the Sector governor and return to Fondor as quickly as I can.

***

I wait almost an hour with no response at all. He must intend to keep me locked in here a while longer to drive my punishment home. Cruel, I decide, that’s really cruel. Knowing there is nothing I can do about my situation, I take a few steps towards the table, with the aim of sitting in the chair and trying to write a letter in Aurabesh to him. In my usual clumsy fashion, I end up tripping over myself and down on the floor. Typical, how typical of myself, I think. I will just stay here on the floor for a while, then, and unbraid my hair.

Two hours later I am still on the floor, all alone.

‘Alone,’ I say aloud, talking to myself and making no attempt to keep the misery from my voice. ‘I am completely alone. No Rick to run to for a shoulder to cry on, no Bill to tease and chase around the salle, no brother to joke with or anyone else I can go to. The only person I know here is a cranky Sith Lord who obviously wants to drive his point home and make me as miserable as possible. I want to go home. I don’t belong here, I don’t fit in, and I miss my friends and family.’

I start singing Almirena’s aria, but in English this time, not caring what he thinks about it as I do.

Let me weep over my cruel fate and sigh for freedom. May my grief mercifully break these chains of anguish.

No answer or response of any kind, so I give up and just sit on the floor, crying. You’re wasting water with that, I scold myself, and you are going to make yourself sick if you keep up these hysterics for much longer. I decide I don’t care. Eventually I slump to the floor, exhausted and feeling quite ill. No point in moving or doing anything else, so I let myself fall asleep where I am.

When I wake up, I am still on the floor and badly chilled because of it. He’s leaving me locked in here all by myself. Alone. I start shivering. That old claustrophobic nightmare from my childhood begins to haunt my thoughts.

No one to hear or care.

No possible way out.

No way to escape.

Trapped in here.

Locked up.

Alone.

I begin to panic.

Lock it down, I scold myself, get yourself under control. It does no good. I just lay on the floor, shaking like a leaf.

Let me out of here, I plead, terrified, please, please, let me out.

No answer, and with that what little control I still had over myself shatters.

Fear. Terror. Panic.

My mind is held by these three emotions and something inside me snaps. I hear the chair move, hurl across the room to smash against the wall. The table follows. Pieces of paper and broken furniture are tossed about in a wild whirlwind with me at the center. I stay where I am, too exhausted and confused to understand what is happening and with no idea what I should do about it.

***

I bolt from my shuttle, using the Force to fuel my speed.

Her fear and terror have reached her shatterpoint. Maia has just panicked and created a Force storm. If I don’t hurry, she will tear the ship apart without knowing what she is doing.

The door unlocks at my touch, revealing a room in complete chaos, with Maia sprawled across the floor, the center of a cyclone of papers and destroyed furniture. I rip off my cloak and throw it over her, protecting her from the debris which drops to the floor the instant I shove her mind into unconsciousness.

The sudden silence and calm is unnerving.

I look down at my Favorite. She is pale, motionless, her hair a tangled halo spread about her head.

Little goddess, this is my fault. I should have found some way to delay that meeting, some way to put my master’s orders off.

I should have been here, watching over you, protecting you.

She stirs a little, not quite aware of what has happened.

I kneel by her side, touch her forehead. She is disoriented, so I gently center her mind before wrapping my cloak around her. Maia will be in shock. Few recover quickly from an experience like what she just had.

I know. I have been there myself.

Gathering her into my arms, I carry her over to the bed and bundle her up. A touch to her temple and she is asleep. I will get in with her, warm her up, stay with her.

Maia will need all the reassurance I can give her when she wakes.

***

I hear the door open and footsteps running towards me, feel a dark blanket drop over my senses. A touch to my mind and I am, mercifully, rendered unaware.

Dizzy, I think as I come to, I am horribly dizzy. A hand touches my forehead. Balance follows but I won’t open my eyes. I am gathered into someone’s arms and picked up, carried a few steps only to be set down and wrapped in warm cloth. Letting myself fall over sideways, I feel two hands guiding me as I go, keeping me from harm. A pillow is under my head now. Another light touch to my temple and I am asleep.

DAY 5

I wake in darkness and silence. Alone, I think, feeling rather miserable, I am totally alone.

‘But I am here,’ the voice answers.

You are just a voice in my head, my conscience, I think at it. You aren’t real.

‘But I am,’ that baritone voice I know so well tells me.

‘Ani?’ I ask. What’s he doing in here? I thought he was still mad at me.

His weight shifts beside me and I am quickly wrapped in his arms. A hand brushes the hair from my face. I am held tight to his chest now, and he doesn’t say a word, just continues to stroke my hair.

‘I need to get you out of that gown you have on,’ he finally tells me, ‘and under the covers where I can warm you up.’

I don’t complain when he brings the lights up to a low level, nor put up any resistance when he removes the dress from my body, pulls a nightgown down over my head, and tucks me under the blankets. There is no fight left in me anymore. If his aim had been to break my will, he has succeeded thoroughly. Curling up beside him, I simply let him move me about as he wants to. Even if he decided to make love to me, I would not protest. After a few minutes, I can sense his concern with my lack of life. Well, Sith Lord, I think, not caring if he hears, you wanted a nice, compliant, obedient little concubine and now you have one so you ought to be rather pleased with your handiwork. I feel him draw back from me in response, shocked, but I don’t care any longer. Ignoring him completely, I shut out the world and let myself fall asleep.

***

I have broken her completely, I think as I pull away in shock.

This is not what I wanted.

I wanted her to yield to me, obey me, behave as my wife should.

Not this.

Not this limpness, this hopelessness, this despair.

Where is the fiery determination that I so admired on her homeworld? The keen intellect? The joy I felt from her when she discovered I loved her?

Gone.

It is through my carelessness that this has happened.

And I have no idea how I am going to repair the damage I have done to her spirit.

***

When I wake, the Sith Lord is gone from my side. Alone again, I think, sadly, I am all alone. The door is shut and I can see that the smashed furniture has been neatly swept into one corner of the room. He must have done that while I was asleep. I curl up under the covers, too tired and weak to move. No food for almost three days, I realize, and no water since yesterday afternoon. Maybe I should get up and drink something, but I am sure he has left nothing to chance and removed my meager water supply.

My mind is wide open again, the mathematical shields having shattered during that weird fit I had. I need to put them back in place, and this time I will make sure there are enough layers that there will be no way for him to get in. Starting with the same six sets of equations, I begin creating variations until I am satisfied with what I have.

Before I can begin putting them in place though, Vader returns. He stands in the doorway for a long time simply looking at me. I can sense him debating what to do.

Either go away and leave me alone, I think at him, or come in here and talk to me.

When he takes a step back and disappears, I am sure he is going to stay away. Instead, he reappears a moment later, jug and glass in hand.

‘Drink this,’ he orders, handing the filled glass to me, ‘slowly. I don’t want you to get sick.’

I am careful to do exactly as I am told. A second glass follows the first, and I sip at this one, not wanting to shock my deprived system too much. The Sith Lord watches me carefully and when I am finished, takes the glass from my hand. He sets the jug and glass on the floor, then shifts me over on the bed before sitting down beside me. For another minute, he just looks at me.

‘I was ordered away by the Emperor yesterday,’ he reveals, ‘and there was nothing I could do about that except obey him.’

What can I say to this? I know what his master is like. If Vader had defied him, the punishment would be far worse than anything my Lord might inflict on me.

‘You understand, then,’ he notes, picking up on my thought.

My answer is a nod.

‘Maia, I heard your mental call, but could do nothing about it from where I was,’ the Dark Lord admits.

‘Why didn’t you just contact me on the comm and tell me that then?’ I quietly ask.

‘Because I left it recording what you were singing,’ he tells me.

That’s what the solid light meant.

‘You didn’t leave me in here deliberately then,’ I realize, and he had no idea that I would react the way I did.

‘No, I didn’t, and when my shuttle returned, I had just enough time to run from there to here before you could start tearing the ship apart.’

‘Say what?’ I blurt out.

‘You do have odd expressions,’ the Sith Lord comments, amused. In a more serious tone, he explains, ‘When you panicked, you subconsciously tapped into the Force and created a storm in here. Fortunately, I arrived before it could go any farther.’

‘Oh, so that’s what that weird fit was,’ I decide.

‘Yes, and you must learn control today. I don’t want a repetition of that.’

I can tell he is looking at me closely again and I wonder what he is thinking. If he left the comm on the entire time he was gone, then everything I said and did was recorded. He has probably played it back, too, and heard my miserable soliloquy, the song in English, and my hysterical fit after that. How embarrassing.

‘I can’t take you back, Maia, even if I wanted to,’ the Dark Lord admits. ‘After we arrived here, I had Astrogation check the route with a drone and discovered that if we had left even an hour later my TIE would have been destroyed in transit by a star that just went nova. That path is effectively, permanently closed now. There is no way for you to go home.’

I stare at him, horrified, as the implications sink in.

‘No way back home? Not even for a visit? Not ever?’ I question ‘Then I really am stuck here.’

‘Yes, and with a ‘cranky Sith Lord’ as you put it,’ he teases, trying to cheer me up, I guess.

My eyes shut. I am not going to cry, I decide, no way. I will just have to accept the situation and learn to live with it. At least I am with someone who cares about me which is better than nothing at all. His hand touches my face in reaction to my thought, then is withdrawn. When I open my eyes a few seconds later, I can see he is still watching me.

‘Before I let you sleep for a while longer, there is some unfinished business between us,’ my Lord flatly states.

I know exactly what he is talking about and while I want to avoid it, he will insist on dealing with it.

‘You want me to apologize?’ I ask.

‘What you sang was adequate for that,’ he decides, then orders, ‘You will explain to me why I did what I did and why you will not provoke me in the future.’

This is not going to be easy. I stare at him, but know there is no way he will let me escape this. Biting my lip, I run the various arguments I had with myself through my mind.

‘I was disobedient,’ I start, ‘and I defied you when I knew I should do as I was told.’ Silence from him, so I keep going. ‘Instead of accepting what you were willing to allow, I tried to push for more.’ Still no response. ‘You were in a hurry and I was being a problem?’

What does he want to hear from me? Maybe he isn’t referring to the earlier incident at all. I stop and think for a few minutes. Oh, I realize, that’s what he wants to hear.

‘I can’t disobey or disrespect you in public. You can’t afford to have me making scenes by being stubborn, defiant, or indiscrete.’

The slightest of nods from him. Good. I am on the right track here.

Another think later and I tell him, ‘You don’t want to hurt me in public, do you? And you would have no choice but to do that if I did something to deserve it, and you can’t show any favoritism in how you treat me.’ Well, that was an odd way to put it, given my title of Favorite, I decide. ‘If you let me misbehave in private,’ I conclude, ‘then there is a much greater possibility I will do it in public. You want to make sure that it doesn’t happen.’

Not a word from him in reply. I guess I missed something, so I reconsider my answers, then add, ‘I was rude, spoke in haste, and questioned what you had already decided was an appropriate punishment for my earlier behavior when I should have simply accepted your decision in the matter.’

Another hard think with my logic circuits. Inappropriate behavior in public, in particular anything giving any indication of personal attachment, he was extremely concerned about that, and it was the one thing he emphasized back home. Then there was his reaction when the Inquisitor walked in on us. I give a start and look at him.

‘It has everything to do with behavior that reveals some sort of attachment, doesn’t it? You are afraid that if anyone realizes what you really feel for me and I for you, it will make me even more of a target for someone trying to get at you, and it will undermine your authority and reputation, too. If there is no hint of that, it will be safer for both of us.’

I run some of his comments through my brain. Oh. That’s part of it, too, perhaps the only reason even.

‘You told me love was forbidden to you. If the Emperor ever found out ...’

I must have hit the bull’s eye dead on from the break in his breathing pattern, so I shut up instantly and shiver a bit. My mind keeps working away at this. Sith Lords aren’t supposed to feel love or affection of any kind. His feelings for me are a weakness, a vulnerability he can’t afford to have, and they probably affect his connection to the dark side, too. If his master were to ever realize what his apprentice really felt for me, he would do something about it and it would probably be nasty and painful to him, to me, or both of us. At the very least I would be taken away from the man I love.

‘True,’ the voice quietly admits, ‘all too true.’

I continue to think carefully. While he might be able to hide his emotions from the Emperor, I probably couldn’t do the same with mine. Not yet anyway, and maybe it doesn’t matter that I love him.

‘True again,’ the voice answers, ‘you can love him as much as you like, and even very discretely show it in certain situations, but he can never do that in return.’

I know that the risk of my slipping up and letting the Dark Lord’s feelings become known is much, much greater than that of him doing so. This must be what he is so worried about, why he is so determined to get me to behave properly and obey him, even in private. The price if I don’t in public is just too high.

‘Ani,’ I quietly tell him, ‘I promise I won’t misbehave ever again.’

No way. Not if he could be hurt just because of me. I won’t let that happen. Myself, I don’t care about, but the man I love, I could never harm. Never. If giving up my stubborn streak and being obedient and well-behaved is the only price I have to pay, then I will do it gladly.

Sensing my complete surrender in this, the Sith Lord beckons me over and I happily curl up next to him, arms about his waist. He’s forgiven me, I think, as I feel his hand in my hair, and I won’t be alone anymore.

‘No, you won’t be,’ that voice chimes in.

My Lord’s hand rests on my temple now, and I feel him slip into my mind. I don’t resist, just wait to see what he is going to do. There is a feeling of disorientation and something hidden away is revealed. Another odd wrench and he has partially removed a barrier. Then he withdraws his presence, easing me into sleep as he goes.

***

I ease her into sleep and hold her close to my chest, relieved that her spirit is unbroken. My little goddess, I won’t make that mistake again.

With a finger, I trace her cheekbones. Maia is still stubborn, still full of fire. But she now knows what the price could be for her inappropriate behavior and won’t challenge or defy me a second time.

It is a start.

Now if she will only face that foolish fear of hers.

I let out a sigh.

Her resistance to my advances is my own fault. I should have been more careful and never hurt her the way I did. And by being aggressive, I only made her fear stronger.

There is no choice for me now.

I will have take on the role of a suitor and woo her.

‘Little goddess,’ I tell her, ‘I am too old and set in my ways for such games. But I will play them if I must.’

She stirs in my arms so I settle her back under the sheets.

Our bond will eventually pull her to me, regardless of her resistance, just like it did with Padme. No one can fight a life-bond once it is acknowledged. Not even a Sith Lord.

I will tell her about our bond when she wakes. Maia won’t be alone ever again.

And neither will I.

***

When I wake, I find that he has tucked me in again. He is still there, to my surprise, sitting beside me on the bed. Did he watch me sleeping, I wonder, or has he come back from wherever because he knew I was going to wake up?

‘No,’ the voice tells me, ‘I stayed.’

Ani? I ask. You were that voice? How did you do that through my shields?

Life-bond, he admits, Can’t be blocked or eavesdropped on, and is completely unaffected by distance, so it could be very useful to us. I can talk to and hear you from my end, but I had to hide it from you until the pathways in your mind could better tolerate my presence there.

I blink at him in surprise.

‘Didn’t you tell me that’s the sort of connection I had with Michael? So, when and how did you end up bonded to me? And why didn’t I notice it happening?’ I start babbling at him.

‘You ask too many questions,’ he scolds, ‘but you will need some answers in order to deal with this, so I will tell you what is necessary, no more.’

Settling myself into a more comfortable sitting position, I make sure I am paying close attention to him. This is important, I tell myself, no daydreaming.

Once he sees I am ready to listen, my Lord explains the situation to me. ‘During the party, when you had your first dizzy spell, you lost your mental focus completely. I could not touch your mind with the Force to help you and I did try to. There were two choices; let your awareness drift until I could get you back here where I might be able to do something for you, or anchor it back in place immediately. The first would have been far too dangerous. Your friend would have had to help get us back to my ship, and leaving things as they were for more than two days might have resulted in irreparable harm.’

I nod at this. This makes sense to me.

Seeing that I have understood thus far, he continues, ‘I had to get access to your mind somehow, and I knew that you had been bonded to your brother. When a bond like that is suddenly severed, the paths often stay intact rather than closing naturally. They are also easy to find when one knows what to look for, so I used them as a means of entry. What I didn’t anticipate was your mind refusing to let me go when I tried to exit. You are a stubborn person, Maia, even subconsciously, and you didn’t want me to leave. To rip my presence out would probably have killed you. I had no choice then but to reciprocate, so I pulled part of your self into my own mind and permanently anchored it in place.’

I stay silent for a minute, thinking about what the Sith Lord has just told me. Very quietly, I tell him, ‘I love you, and if I knew you were in my mind, I wouldn’t have wanted you to leave.’

‘Yes, I know that, o stubborn one,’ he teases.

An impulse to hug him hits me, but I restrain myself. Need to behave, I remind myself, best start practicing that now. He tips his head and laughs.

‘Come over here,’ he orders, ‘I can be indulgent in here now that you understand and will behave yourself. There is nothing to call me away for the rest of the day. I saw to that earlier.’

No need for a second invitation. A moment later I am once again curled up next to him, ready to hear some more about this weird link we have.

‘Ready to hear more?’ he asks, repeating my thought aloud.

I nod my head against his shoulder.

‘Judging from what I found in your mind, your brother had a very strong light-side presence,’ my Lord reveals. ‘I am certain that if he had been born here, he would have been an extremely powerful Force-sensitive, close to myself in strength in fact, and perhaps a very great Jedi given his expertise with a foil. The paths in your mind were formed, shaped by his potential. When I pushed my way in, they had to cope with the same strength but from me, a Sith Lord, instead. I knew this would be a problem so I hid the life-bond from you until your mind could adjust itself without you disturbing the healing process.’

‘Michael would have been a Jedi?’ I ask, totally surprised. My brother would have liked that idea, I sadly admit to myself.

The Sith Lord is silent, and after a minute, I realize that if Michael was alive, here, he would be one of those the man I love would be forced to pursue. Not a happy situation at all. Perhaps it’s for the best then, that my brother is not here, but somewhere else, maybe part of the Force now? I like that thought, so I am careful to file it away.

To let him know I want to hear more, I snuggle closer. His hand touches my temple again, and I know he is looking at the spot where part of himself is permanently set in my mind.

‘The pathways in your mind still need time to heal,’ he warns me, ‘and you must leave the bond alone, Maia, not touch it unless absolutely necessary. If you are in danger, you can call me with it and I will hear you, no matter the distance between us. That is the only thing you may do until I tell you otherwise. In several months, if all is well, I can start to teach you how to use our bond, but I am no expert in this. We will have to learn what is possible, together.’

He calls the jug and glass to his hands, fills the glass, and hands it to me. ‘You need to rehydrate yourself and get your strength back. Finish this, then another. Once you are dressed, I will teach you control.’

With that he is gone again, on a short errand probably. I am careful not to drink too fast from the glass, remembering his warning about getting sick if I do. Setting jug and glass aside when I am done, I head to the ‘fresher. After a quick bath, I am dressed and waiting for the Sith Lord’s return. When he doesn’t show up in a few minutes, I realize that something must have delayed him. No matter, I will just settle myself with meditation until he gets back. I plunk myself cross-legged on the bed and drop into a light trance.

A bit later my Lord returns, and when he does, I open my eyes and move to get up from where I have been sitting.

‘Stay where you are,’ he tells me, ‘I will join you in a minute or two.’

His hand waves at the door and the control panel. As soon as the environment has been adjusted, and his helmet and mask removed, he seats himself, in the same position as I am, facing me on the bed.

‘You already have a fair amount of natural control, Maia,’ he comments. ‘I suspect that is a result of your experiences when you were bullied as a child. It is also apparent that you know how to deal with negative emotions with breath control and relaxation techniques. What you need to learn is how to use these abilities in tandem with the Force to filter what you are feeling, decide what is useful or not, and control your reactions. ‘

I can’t help smiling at some of his observations. Not letting my childhood tormentors know what I was feeling was something I learned early and well. The ways of dealing with stress, nervousness and panic, I picked up when I had to start lecturing and get up in front of large groups. Now, I wonder how the Force ties in with this?

‘First, you need to learn how to shield your mind,’ the Sith Lord tells me, ‘and I don’t mean with one of your mathematical constructs, clever as they are. You can’t change one of those as you need to, and if I can figure out how to get around them, others can as well. I could spend hours discussing theory with you, but it is simpler to demonstrate the technique and then have you learn by repeating it. The theory we can cover later. It’s far more important that you learn the practical applications right now.’

He touches my mind after he says this, does something, then pulls the Force inside, wraps it around my thoughts in what feels and looks like, to my mind’s eye, a perfect, unbroken sphere. I watch everything he does, curious, and sure I will be told to do the same for myself next. Sure enough, he takes down the shield and reestablishes it a few times before leaving my mind and waiting for me to copy what he had just done.

I reach for the Force, feel it move around me, and pull on it, dragging it into my mind, just as my Lord had done. A few careful touches later and I have a rather thin shield in place. Well, at least it didn’t collapse on me at my first attempt, I think happily. I sense Vader’s presence checking on what I had done. With a sharp rap from him, my shield buckles, then fails.

‘Again,’ he orders, ‘you will repeat that until I am satisfied you can create a proper shield.’

Two hours later, I am tired, frustrated, and wishing that I had never acquired Force-sensitivity in the first place. I reach once again for the Force, and spin it into a shield, this time ensuring that I am mentally centered as I do so. For once, it doesn’t fold under the pressure the Sith Lord exerts on it. Surprised, I carefully consider what I did different. Oh. So that’s what the problem was with the other ones. I won’t make that mistake again.

‘Good,’ he praises, ‘very good. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever figure out what you were doing wrong.’

‘You could have just told me,’ I grumble.

‘And you would not have learned the lesson as well as you need to then,’ he replies, amused. ‘Now demonstrate that you can control the thickness of the shield you have.’

This is much easier. By adding and removing the amount of Force in the shield I can change it. Curious if my layering technique will work, I try setting up a second shield outside the first, and receive a sharp mental rap for my disobedience.

‘Do only what you are instructed to,’ my Lord scolds. ‘You can experiment later, once you have learned the basics to my satisfaction.’

‘Yes, Ani, I will behave myself,’ I respond, knowing I will obey so I don’t get scolded again.

‘You won’t be able to eliminate your emotions entirely or completely control your thoughts - that is not what you want or need to do,’ he starts lecturing me again. ‘What is important is that you filter out what you don’t want to reveal or set aside feelings to deal with later. In a situation where you have to be focused, removing potential distractions can be critical. It can take a lifetime to become truly proficient at control, so don’t worry if it takes you a while to become competent at it.’

He looks at me critically for a moment, then adds, ‘What I want you to do is quickly analyze what your emotions are, then decide what to show or set aside. Your ability to control your physical reactions is tied into this since you will use that knowledge to help mask what you don’t want to show or settle yourself as needed. It also works in tandem with what you will be doing behind the shield you now have. Remember, control is not the same as just suppressing what you are feeling.’

The Sith Lord gets up off the bed and I watch him, curious as to what he is up to.

‘Control, Maia,’ he reminds me.

Oh. I am not supposed to let on what I am feeling or thinking. I can do this. Tucked behind my shield, I consider what to do, then set my curiosity aside for later, keeping the look on my face neutral as I do so. What is he up to? He walks over to one of the storage compartments and opens it. I know he is keeping an eye on what my reactions are so I am careful not to let anything show. A moment later he has pulled my poetry book, photo album, folders with music cd’s, and case with the small cd player in it out of the bin. It is all I can do to rein in and control my surprise. The Sith Lord must have gone back to my apartment specifically to get those for me. That, I think, has to be one of the most generous and caring things anyone has ever done for me. He brings these treasures over to me and sets them down beside me before resuming his seat.

I pick up the photo album and hold it to my chest.

Thank you, Ani, I tell him in a thought, this will make it easier to remember home.

You’re welcome, he replies in kind. I knew you would want to have a few things to remind you. If I had known there was no way back, I would have taken more.

There is a touch of regret in the last part of his thought, and I know without being told that at some point in his past he must have left his own home behind, like me, never to return.

‘Lesson’s done for today. You just need to practice now. Tomorrow I will let you try to layer your shields.’ He gives me a serious look, then adds, ‘There are two things you may do without my supervision. The first is to practice control and shield your mind, and you must learn how to do this automatically and well. I cannot take you to Imperial Center until there is no possible chance you will let something slip. The other is to meditate. If you want, you may come looking for me, but you may not use the Force when you do so. Do you understand, Maia?’

‘Yes, I understand,’ I reply.

Practice control. That sounds simple enough, and I like the idea that I can go find him if I want to. I wouldn’t have panicked yesterday if I could have done that.

The Sith Lord reaches down and fills the glass for himself, and once finished, offers another to me. After his third, the jug is empty. Time to go do something else, I guess, but it is getting into the evening part of our day and I have no idea what he does for entertainment or to fill idle hours. There is no response from him to my speculation and it takes me a moment to realize that my new mental shield must have kept it from him. Cool. I can have a few private thoughts now.

‘What would you like to do now, Maia?’ he asks me.

Do? He wants me to decide what we are going to do? I carefully think of what I might suggest. Curling up with him would be fun, but I can do that later. Maybe go to the observation room and watch what is happening in the shipyard? Nope, I decide, not right now. I would like to see the command deck, yet he might refuse to take me there. Watch him practice ‘saber forms? That idea I do like.

‘Could we go to the salle for a few minutes?’ I ask. ‘I like watching you practice.’

He chuckles in response and I see a small smile which is quickly hidden. While he replaces his helmet, I store the treasures he took from my home in the compartment with my dresses. I will have to get the music copied from the cd’s into another format since I only have a limited number of batteries to run the player with. Something to ask about another day, I decide.

The trip to the salle the Sith Lord practices in is a much shorter journey than the one to the observation room. I am careful to behave myself as I walk beside him, giving him no reason to worry or reprimand me. Once at the salle, he keys the door to open for me in the future and then ushers me in. There are a number of dueling ‘droids stored at one end of the large room, I note, as I eye them suspiciously. No way am I going anywhere near those things. We stay in this room only long enough to enter another, smaller, mirrored one. This is better, I think, no ‘droids to worry about and I can watch how he moves from several angles at the same time.

I settle myself on the floor well out of the way and watch carefully as he runs through several different forms. With proper access to the Force, he can move much quicker than he did on my homeworld. He’s also moving considerably faster than what I remember from those few times I saw him duel against Jedi, too. I give a small start. Where did that thought come from? A quick prod at my memory reveals nothing more than that. Weird. No matter, I think happily, I could just stay here for hours, watching, but he will probably get tired of entertaining me sooner or later. When he finishes the next form, I clap to let him know it has been enough. As at home, he gives a graceful bow, then offers a hand to pull me to my feet.

‘Tomorrow you will be spending some time in here with me,’ he tells me. ‘I want to see just what you can do with that rapier of yours before deciding what I will need to teach you. A lightsaber is not the same as your chosen weapon, Maia, and it may be weeks before I let you work with one.’

My Lord goes over to the wall next and opens a compartment. A moment later he has pulled from it the bag that Rick had given me the night we left.

‘I have no idea what that friend of yours put in here, other than four of the type of blade you prefer,’ the Sith Lord admits. ‘I have had too many other things to do to bother checking into it. Why don’t you have a look and see for yourself?’

I happily take the bag from him, sit on the floor and open it. He watches me intently as I start taking things out of it. Right on top is a letter from Bill and Rick which I set aside to read once I see what they have put in here. Next is the light wood box I keep my special statue in. Oh. They must have gone into my office to get that from my desk. I won’t open that box here, no way. Later, in private maybe. One of the photos from my office wall with my grandfather, Michael, Rick, and I practicing in it is also in the bag. A copy of Shakespeare’s plays? That must be from Bill, the Tolkien is definitely from Rick. What else is in here? A bundle of old letters from my family which was in the same drawer I kept my statue in, the prop lightsaber that Jamie gave me, and a small package of pictures from the party. Rick or Bill must have got the memory stick from someone with a digital camera and printed those off before we left. The only other things in the bag are a few pennies and safety pins, three dueling blades and my heirloom rapier.

‘The rapiers can stay here,’ I suggest, ‘but everything else should go back to your quarters with us.’

I hand the bag back to the Dark Lord, put the pennies and safety pins in my pocket, and gather up the presents from Rick and Bill before standing up. It’s so little, I can’t help thinking, and it is all I will ever have from home. Thank you dear friends, I send in a thought, hoping they might somehow hear it.

The walk back to Vader’s rooms seems to take much longer, but I know that’s just because I want to read the letter from Bill and Rick. Once back, I hurry into the bedroom and set my load down on the bed. The Sith Lord follows me in, and I can sense that he is both amused at my reaction to what was in the bag, and curious about what my two friends had put in it. Since the broken chair and table haven’t been replaced yet, I sit on the bed and my Lord joins me. He picks up the books, and flips through them for a moment before setting them down again.

‘They gave me copies of what is considered to be some of my world’s finest literature,’ I explain. ‘The one is a complete set of plays by one of our greatest writers, the other is an adventure story by a historian and expert in languages. Maybe I should read it to you. You might like it.’ And, I think to myself, his reactions to it could be very interesting.

I pick up the stack of photos. The top one is the two of us on the dance floor. Cool. I was right that it would look neat with his cloak and my dress swirling around us. I hand this one to him and wait for a response. He looks over at me, and I can feel his surprise.

‘Someone had a digital camera, and either Bill or Rick managed to get copies of the pictures,’ I admit. ‘Hopefully there aren’t photos of anything too incriminating back home.’

A quick look through the rest of the pictures reveals nothing to worry about. I like the ones of Rick and the Sith Lord dueling, and there is a nice one of me seated in my chair with the Sith Lord standing beside me. This one I also hand over to him.

‘An official portrait of the two of us will be required at some point,’ he comments, ‘COMPNOR and other such groups tend to use them for propaganda and publicity purposes.’

I give him a worried look, then ask, ‘Don’t you think people will considered it odd that, after all this time, you have finally decided to take a concubine? Given who you are, and your reputation, I am sure that many will wonder what is going on.’

‘Most who know are already assuming it is a match I have arranged purely to ensure I have an heir or two,’ the Sith Lord calmly admits. ‘This is what I told the Emperor and what I will encourage everyone else to think as well.’

I wonder, ‘Just how are you going to do that?’

He answers, ‘It’s quite simple actually. Have you sign a lifelong, binding contract with a very specific set of terms and see that it is leaked to the news media. The uproar will settle down in a few weeks and by the end of the year it won’t be commented on by anyone. The press and population at large will only take notice again when our children’s birth announcements are released.’

My mouth drops open, then snaps shut.

‘You’re already planning for when we have kids?’

‘You did make it rather obvious that you wanted children, Maia, and I have no objections. I want an heir from you, and I know I will have one, in time, when you are ready to give him to me. There is no need to rush this,’ my Lord tells me, amused by my reaction, no doubt.

I pick up the letter from my friends while I try to figure out how to respond to his last comments. Obviously he still intends to let me chose when I will be his. Using my newly learned control, I keep my relief from showing. No need to prompt a lecture or upset him about this. Control, I must admit, is a very useful thing.

‘Let’s see what my two mischievous friends wrote to me,’ I decide.

I carefully open the envelope and pull out the piece of paper in it. They wrote in English, of course, to keep anyone else from finding out what was in it.

I read the short letter aloud to the Dark Lord beside me once I have looked through it quickly myself.

‘Old Friend,’ Rick had started. ‘By the time you are reading this you should be on his flagship and happily married to that Lord you love so much. Bill and I will look after everything for you here, so don’t worry about anything. His Lordship left me with a few things to do, too, including dealing with your family. You can just imagine their reaction and so can I. Bill is going with me in a few days to give them the news. Good thing your grandfather and brother are no longer with us or it might be a rather dangerous experience. Your folks will not be happy you didn’t bring your new husband over to meet them, but I can explain things to them and smooth that over for you. If you ever get back here, dear friend, you must visit, and be sure you bring your kids with you. We want to see what sort of brilliant and talented offspring you two will have. Rick and Bill. P.S. We won’t tell you to think of us often because we know you will without the reminder. P.P.S. Remember, old friend. He is going to need your help in about three and a half years. Make sure you are where you have to be in order to do so.’ I don’t read him the last postscript since I am not sure what it means.

Do I ever miss those two. If I could only talk to them once more, I think sadly to myself, I would let them know just how much they mean to me. I carefully refold the paper and put it back in the envelope. Tears are threatening so I remind myself, control, Maia, control, you don’t want to cry here. Good practice for you.

‘Sometimes,’ the Sith Lord tells me as he pulls me over into his arms, ‘it’s best to ignore control and just let things run their course.’

I bury my face in his robes and let myself cry a bit, thankful that he understands, and knowing that he will always be there if I need him.

I miss home and my friends, I send in a thought, but I love you too and I can’t have both. If I still had a choice, I would stay here with you.

He rests his hand against my hair and doesn’t say a word, just sends soothing thoughts to me, something he hasn’t done before now. I stay where I am, content to let him hold me. Sleepy, I think, I am getting tired so it must be very late in our day. The Sith Lord must be exhausted, too, since he hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in days, mostly due to me.

‘We should get some rest,’ I suggest. ‘You must still be exhausted.’

His answer is to close the door and start the environment cycle. I busy myself with putting away Rick and Bill’s gifts. Too shy to watch him taking his armor off, I duck into the ‘fresher to wash my face and put on a nightgown. A few minutes later, I am curled up under the covers while the Sith Lord has taken my place in the other room. He’s having a shower, I guess, from the sound of the water. Ten minutes later, I am happily wrapped in his arms, tracing his features with my fingertips to relax him. There is a roughness, scratchiness, to his scalp, and I discover that he has let his hair grow out a bit over the last few days. Cool. Maybe I will get to see what color it is.

‘Blondish-brown with touches of silver in it,’ he tells me, amused, ‘and I have to keep it either this short or remove it completely. It gets too hot and uncomfortable in my helmet otherwise. If you like, I will let it grow a few more days so you can see, but when it starts to bother me, off it will come.’

He gives me a slight mental tap and I discover that my new shield has thinned considerably. Oops. No wonder he picked up on my thought. I start to reinforce it, but then decide it can wait until morning.

‘I will let it go for now,’ he scolds, ‘since you are so tired, but you will need to maintain it at all times.’

Chastised, I shore up my shield then continue to run my fingertips over his face. Sleep and contentment I send through them. I can feel his body relax completely and know he is close to falling asleep. A quick kiss to his forehead and I decide it is a good time to curl up with him. As I shift myself around, I feel his arms settle into place about me. A moment later, he pulls me tight against his chest, kisses my neck and we are both asleep.

DAY 6

***

She’s asleep and I don’t want to wake her yet.

Today her lessons start, and from what I have read, she should rest as much as she can when she isn’t busy learning what she needs to.

I have, at most, a month to get her to yield to me. An early seeming birth can be explained, but not if I let too much time pass. And there are other things to consider. It will be about one and a half months before the signs of her pregnancy will start to become obvious.

Then there is the task of locating a suitable doctor for her. None but the very best will do. Price doesn’t matter - I will gladly pay whatever they demand.

I won’t lose her and my son the way I lost my angel.

Pulling my Favorite a little closer, I kiss the back of her neck a couple times. Hopefully she won’t become too sick. My poor Padme was terribly ill for weeks when I was away. At least I can be with Maia through most of that.

I won’t let anyone or anything come between us.

I won’t send her away to Bast Castle.

I want to keep her close to me.

I have had enough of living alone.

***

I feel happy and content when I wake up. My love is still next to me, and I can tell he is wide awake from the pattern of his breathing. This is one of the few times I have slept longer than he has when we have been together. Guess I was more exhausted than I thought I was. A quick check on my mental shield reveals that it has thinned again, so I look after it immediately, not wanting to get scolded for not properly maintaining it.

With my use of the Force, the Sith Lord finally notices that I am aware, and rolls me over from where I had been lying on my side onto my back. He props himself up on one arm, drapes the other over my waist, and looks down at me. I meet his gaze with a smile.

I love you, I tell him with a thought, then reach up and pull him down to me for a quick kiss.

A look of amusement, quickly hidden, flashes across his face when he pushes himself up and out of my arms.

‘Time to get up, Maia,’ he tells me. ‘We have both slept longer than we should have, and I don’t want to rearrange the lessons I have organized for you.’

‘Lessons?’ I question, puzzled, then remember he had said something about this a few days ago.

‘You will find out soon enough, now up with you and into the shower,’ he orders. ‘There’s no time for a bath today.’

I hate showers, but will obey him nonetheless. Dragging my feet a bit, I head to the ‘fresher.

My reluctance prompts a teasing threat from Vader, ‘If you don’t hurry, I will be joining you in there.’

That speeds me up a bit. Hiding behind my shield while I get washed up, I wonder to myself if he was serious or not. I am too shy to even think of sharing a shower with him. It’s not as if he hasn’t seen me before and he did get me out of my dress the previous day. I worry away at my feelings with the logical part of my brain. It’s not being close to him, I decide. We have shared a bed enough that his close proximity no longer bothers me at all. The nudity and setting, that must be it. Much too risky and it could lead to something I don’t want to do yet.

There is a tap on the ‘fresher door, so I abandon my musings, and pull a towel around myself. When I open the door, he is standing there, wrapped in his robe, waiting for me to finish, and looking a bit irked at me too.

‘Sorry, Ani,’ I apologize, ‘but I hate the feeling of water hitting my face. I washed my hair under the tap instead. Maybe you should go first next time.’

An eyebrow goes up at my admission and offer, but he makes no comment, just steps past me and closes the door after himself. I quickly change into my practical clothes, pull my cloak and boots out of the bottom drawer and wait for him to reappear. He will be putting on his armor next and I don’t want to appear rude by staring at him. Maybe I should find some reason to keep my eyes elsewhere while he does that. The book Bill gave me should do it, so I retrieve it from where I stored it and flip to Henry V. Nice historical play, I think, and military in character too. Within minutes I am engrossed in the text and the Sith Lord has almost finished getting dressed.

He watches me for a moment, then comes over to the bed to sit down beside me. I look up, surprised. Wasn’t he in a hurry a few minutes ago?

‘Your shyness might be appropriate for a young girl or a woman who is not bound to me in some way,’ he tells me, ‘but you are my concubine, my Favorite, and there is no need for it. I will not be offended if you look at me.’

I feel myself start to blush, so I do my best to relax and control it. My reaction produces a short laugh from him and the comment, ‘Very well, be shy, but I expect you will get over it sooner or later.’

Not a chance, I think to myself as I go a bit redder in shade. No laugh from him this time. Instead he moves closer, takes the book from me and sets it aside. His hand tips my face up and then I am being kissed rather thoroughly. This feels good so I slide my arms around him, and yield to him when he eases me backwards on the bed. When he shifts his lips from mine to run them down my neck, I wait for the bite which I am sure will follow. This time though, the nip is a gentle one, one which shouldn’t leave a mark. He only has enough time to take off my belt, open my tunic with the hand he isn’t leaning on and slide it inside along my waist before the comm goes off.

With a growl, he answers, ‘What is it, Admiral?’

‘Incoming transmission from Imperial Center, my Lord, highest priority,’ Admiral Griff informs him.

I can tell that the Sith Lord is not at all pleased with the interruption or the prospect of dealing with this particular communication, whatever it happens to be.

He shoves himself up and off the bed, gives me an annoyed look, then tells Griff, ‘Code the transmission to my private Holonet station in two minutes,’ before shutting off the comm.

‘The Emperor,’ my Lord says, ‘checking on what progress I made two days ago. No doubt he felt the disturbance from your loss of control as well. Stay in here until I come and get you.’

With that he quickly puts on his helmet and gauntlets and leaves the bedroom, closing the door after himself as he goes. I have no desire whatsoever to have anything to do with his master since the Emperor is one individual I truly am afraid of. I do as I am told. To pass the time, after I redress myself, I retrieve my book and keep reading.

A moment later, I hear along our life-bond, ‘Get into a gown, now, hurry, and come in here.’

I drop the book and do as ordered, putting on the Greek style dress since it is the simplest and fastest to get into. Since he wants me there quickly, I leave my feet bare. As I run to the other room, I enforce my shield and start some of my mathematical ones as well. Somehow I know I am going to need them. Sure enough, when I step into the room with the meditation pod and Holonet pad, I see the Sith Lord kneeling on the latter in front of a hologram of the Emperor.

***

My master’s insistence on an introduction disturbs me, but I give no hint of my feelings.

I hear Maia’s bare feet as she runs from my living quarters. Good. She’s been quick to obey me and not dawdled about like she did in the ‘fresher this morning.

‘Come over here and kneel beside me. Keep your eyes down and don’t say anything unless I tell you to,’ I instruct, again using our life-bond.

I want to keep our communication undetectable.

Once she has complied, I introduce her to the Emperor, ‘My new Favorite, my master. Her name is Maìá.’

I can feel her discomfort as my master examines her like she is some sort of prized and pampered pet of mine on display for his pleasure. Maia finds it quite disconcerting, though she gives no outward sign, and I personally don’t like it one bit. She’s mine, I fume. He has no right to look at her like this.

Palpatine laughs as he finishes his evaluation.

Is that ever creepy, I hear my Favorite think.

‘You have excellent taste, Lord Vader,’ my master compliments, ‘beautiful, brilliant, and gifted with the Force. A most appropriate mate, but see to it that she doesn’t lose control again. I dislike it when my meditations are disturbed by childish nonsense.’

Flattery designed for her ears, not mine. But his rebuke was aimed more at me than her. Maia didn’t know what she was doing and I should have prevented it from happening.

‘As you wish, my master,’ I respond.

I hear Maia silently promise me she won’t have a fit like that again. She doesn’t want me punished for her failings.

‘You may train her as much as is required, no more,’ the Emperor orders, ‘and you will bring her before me when you are satisfied she will give you an acceptable heir. If she cannot or will not, dispose of her and I will find you a more suitable candidate.’

I see Maia cringe. My master is completely ruthless. That warning was to her, not me.

‘I will do as you command, my master,’ I answer, a bit relieved.

Her training will be with his approval. I won’t have to hide what I am doing.

‘Good, very good, my friend. Now there is another matter we need to discuss,’ the Emperor states, then falls silent, waiting.

‘Go, Maia, stay in the bedroom until I come for you,’ I order, sending her away.

She carefully gets to her feet, and I know she is making sure she doesn’t trip and make a fool of herself. I watch her go, half-dreading what I know will come next.

‘She is not exactly as you described,’ he observes.

I don’t reply.

‘My friend, you really should be more honest with me,’ my master says, ‘or are your feelings for her clouding your senses?’

‘She is a concubine, nothing more,’ I flatly state.

‘As Padme was just another senator?’ he slyly prods, looking for a reaction.

We are treading on very dangerous ground and we both know it.

I refuse to give him the response he wants.

‘She is my concubine,’ I repeat, denying the truth. ‘I chose her for her breeding potential, nothing more.’

‘Ah, yes, that,’ he notes.

I freeze inside. What is he planning now?

‘Five children she will give you,’ my master predicts. ‘Four sons and a useless daughter.’

That many? My breath catches a second. If he is right ... four boys. Four sons to be my allies. And the first is Force-strong...

His next words quash those thoughts, ‘The pick of your sons is mine. You may do as you wish with the girl. Keep or dispose of her as you please. It does not matter to me.’

‘Yes, my master,’ I intone automatically.

He won’t let me keep the child Maia is now carrying. Of that I am certain. Not once has he let an infant that strong escape his grasp.

I vow to find a way to keep my son from him.

‘Now, we need to discuss the results of that meeting on Teyr you were late for...’

***

I run back to the bedroom and close the door. That was one encounter I don’t want to ever repeat. A quick change into my tunic, and I am on the bed with my book again. After a few minutes, I give up on trying to read, too disturbed by what the Emperor said to concentrate.

Would the Sith Lord really get rid of me if his master told him to? I roll this about in my head, careful to keep it well behind my shields. He loves me, but that might not make any difference if he were forced to make a choice. Then there is our life-bond. How would that influence him? I know what happened to me when Michael died, and Vader did tell me that ripping his presence out would probably kill me. I won’t outlive him, I sadly conclude. We will both die when he does, orphaning any children we might have, and I wonder if he has realized or considered this yet.

Setting that last depressing thought aside, I continue to muse about our bond. What if I were killed, what effect would it have on him? Well, I decide, I have no intention of finding out the answer to that question. I will be a good, obedient little concubine and give him however many children he wants if that is what it takes to keep us together and the Emperor at bay.

My mind a bit more settled, I pick up my book again and resume reading. I am almost finished the first act when the Sith Lord enters the room.

‘The Emperor insisted on the introduction, not I,’ he admits to me, ‘I would have preferred to keep you out of his sight for a while longer. Unfortunately that storm you unwittingly created has drawn his attention to your potential. We must be careful in the future that it does not happen again.’

I wonder to myself if he means keeping storms from happening or getting his master’s attention, but decide not to ask since it is probably the latter. While I am curious about what else they discussed, I know better than to stick my nose into the Sith Lord’s business. And, I admit to myself, I really don’t want to know too much about what he does ‘professionally’ anyway. I might find it disturbing or upsetting.

‘A wise decision,’ he tells me, ‘since I do not want you involved in my work at all. You are my chosen companion, my Favorite, not one of my officers or agents.’

Checking my shield reveals that it has thinned again so I quickly look after it. If I want to keep my thoughts to myself, I had better keep it well maintained. Now that I can hide behind it again, my curiosity has me debating exactly what it is he does intend for me to do, but before I can ask, he beckons me to his side and we are hurrying out of his quarters towards the salle.

‘I had planned to spend an hour working with you in the salle, but there is no time for that now. We will do that tonight instead,’ my Lord informs me.

So that’s why he wasn’t too concerned about the time earlier even though he had been in a hurry at first. Rats. Too bad the Emperor called when he did.

He looks over at me, and I know he just heard what I was thinking. In response, I give my shield a nudge only to receive a sharp mental rap for it.

‘Don’t try to block me out, Maia,’ he warns, ‘I expect to be able to read you easily if I want to. You may shield your thoughts enough to practice control, but no more.’

I grumble silently to myself at that. Not fair. First he complains about hearing my thoughts all the time and now he wants to know what I am thinking whenever he wants to. I guess I can’t win this one at all.

No, he comments, amused, you won’t win against me, so don’t even try.

My stubborn streak starts up, and I ruthlessly suppress it. Behave, Maia, I scold myself, remember the consequences if you don’t. Don’t give him any reason to get angry or annoyed with you. You don’t want to be locked up again, now do you?

That was a most effective punishment for you. I will have to remember that for the future, Vader half-threatens, half-teases.

I have no desire to repeat that experience, so I again remind myself to behave.

By this time we have reached the salle, but instead of going into it, I am led down an adjacent corridor to another door which he keys to open for me as well. The room behind it is obviously a gymnasium. There is no one else in it, and I start to wonder what we are doing here.

‘Your second lesson each day, after a session in the salle with me,’ the Sith Lord tells me, ‘will be in here with Commander Thirsk, head of the 501st’s elite commando unit. He will be teaching you hand to hand combat techniques. You will obey him as you would me, Maia, and he will tell me if you do not.’

‘Why do I need to know how to fight like that?’ I ask.

I have no intentions of getting into a situation where I have to brawl with someone. Learning how to use a lightsaber I can understand, but this?

‘You admitted yourself that you will be a target because of me. Any time you are off-ship and away from my protection, there is the risk that one of my enemies or the rebels will make a try for you,’ he warns. ‘Knowing how to manage in close quarters could save your life or allow you to escape. Don’t argue with me about this. You will learn what I decide you need to.’ He emphasizes his last few sentences by pointing a finger and shaking it at me, so I know he is serious about this.

‘Fine, I won’t argue,’ I grumpily agree, ‘but there are other things I would rather be doing with this time.’

‘I know that,’ Vader admits, ‘but this is necessary. You must learn how to defend yourself.’ He looks at me for a moment, then comments, ‘I have been rather lax in how you address me. From now on, consider any place outside my quarters as public, even if we are alone. While the ship is not monitored yet, once it is closer to completion, almost all areas except private quarters will have recording devices in them.’

That bit of information surprises me. So much for privacy, but then again, this is a military vessel after all.

‘Even on Imperial Center, everything is recorded and monitored,’ he adds to his previous comment. ‘Ensured privacy, for us, does not exist except in my personal quarters here or there, at Bast Castle on Vjun, or in thought.’

So that’s why it is so important that my behavior gives no hints. I think a bit about this. Rick had said that the Sith Lord was unconsciously letting things slip from time to time. Maybe I am not the only one who needs to be watching what they are doing.

Another thought occurs to me, so I look up at his mask and tell him, You deliberately let people know what your feelings were at the party, didn’t you, even pretending to let things slip out, just to make a point of it and have a bit of fun watching my friends’ reactions, too.

Perhaps, he answers, and I know he won’t admit to any more than that.

While I am thinking of what to say next, the door opens and my combat instructor walks in. From the way he moves and his attitude, I can tell that this is one confident and dangerous man. He can’t be much older than Michael was, I decide, and to be still alive and a commando at that age says something about just how good he is at what he does. His short brown hair has a fair amount of grey, probably due to his job, I think, and the scars on his face are old ones. As I size him up, the Commander’s brown eyes are doing the same to me.

Is this the man who was stranded with the Sith Lord?

I glance at Vader, who I can sense is amused at my reaction to my teacher, but he says nothing, just hooks his thumbs in his belt and watches the two of us.

‘She’ll do, my Lord,’ Thirsk finally says. ‘Your Favorite is obviously no spoilt and pampered daughter of some Core World noble. There’s plenty to work with there. You must have found her in the Outer Rim somewhere, I would guess.’

Blunt and to the point. This man reminds me of my grandfather, and I suspect he will be just as strict a taskmaster too. I won’t be able to slack off or do any less than my best here.

‘You are willing to train her then?’ my Lord asks.

I must have missed something here.

You’re asking him to teach me?

The Commander has little time to spare. It is his choice to teach you or not. Be grateful if he agrees. Twice now he has turned down an instructor’s position at the academy.

He must be one of the best then, I reply.

There is only one I know of who is better, the Sith Lord confirms.

The Commander looks me up and down once again and gives a quick nod. ‘Leave her here for an hour my Lord, and I will give you my answer when I am finished with her.’

‘As you wish,’ my Lord replies, and I am left alone with Thirsk.

‘Sit down on the mats, my lady,’ the commando orders, ‘I want to find out just what you do and don’t know.’

I quickly comply and Thirsk joins me, positioning himself two arms’ lengths away, facing me and the door. He’s cautious even in here, I note. No wonder he has lasted as long as he has.

‘Tell me what physical and combat training you have had. Don’t leave anything out, even if it sounds trivial,’ he asks.

‘Gymnastics and dance as a child,’ I start, ‘At five I started training with my grandfather in foil and blade. My father insisted I have some basic self defense training before I was sent to university, and my brother Jamie tried to teach me some more codified martial arts. He gave up in frustration after a few months.’ I look down at the floor and admit, ‘I am more than a bit clumsy, Commander. My grandfather managed to train some of that out of me, but it tends to show up at the worst possible times regardless of anything I can do about it.’

He gives no response to my admission, yet I still get the feeling that my honesty impressed him. Well, I know that there is no point in hiding my klutziness from him. It will show up soon enough of its own accord.

‘Let’s see what you can do then,’ he finally states.

Almost an hour later and I am quite tired. The Commander was most thorough in testing me, I realize, and without leaving a mark on me either. At least he seemed pleased with how I blocked some of the blows he threw at me and my knowledge of how to fall without getting hurt. Too bad my clumsiness had to show up when it did. That was embarrassing, but I had warned him.

When the hour is coming to a close, Thirsk has me sit on the floor again. Here’s the verdict, I think, ‘too clumsy to do anything with’.

‘I won’t lie to you, my lady,’ the Commander tells me, ‘it will be hard work to get around your co-ordination problem, but I may have a solution for that.’

I stare at him in surprise. A solution?

He continues, ‘I will also treat you as if you were one of the new recruits. Your rank means nothing to me. You will do your best every minute and hold nothing back. No slacking, whining or complaining. My time is valuable and I have no patience for such nonsense.’

I was right. A younger version of grandfather in every way.

‘You have decided to train her?’ Vader asks as he comes into the room a moment later.

‘Yes, my Lord,’ Thirsk answers, ‘but I can spare only one hour a day for this.’

‘Then that will have to be enough,’ the Sith Lord states. ‘Thank you, Commander, I will see to it that my Favorite is here at the same time tomorrow.’

I watch Thirsk get up, give my Lord a quick military salute and leave the gym. For one hour a day, I will have to do my best to meet his standards or I will be in trouble with both him and the Sith Lord. Well, I will just treat the Commander as I would have my grandfather when in the salle and all should be fine.

The Dark Lord looks down at me and offers a hand. I am quickly pulled to my feet and we are soon heading out of the gym to another part of the ship. Now what, I wonder, my curiosity threatening to burst out.

‘Flying lessons,’ my Lord tells me. ‘You may need those skills some time in the future and I do not have the time to teach you the basics myself. My two wingmen will be responsible for that.’

I refrain from rolling my eyes. This ought to be entertaining to say the least. The last time someone tried to teach me how to fly was when Sam stuck me into one of the F-14 simulators. I was fine until he put me into a dogfight. Much to his disgust, I managed to hit everything but the enemy fighters. It was a total disaster.

There is a low chuckle from the Sith Lord and I know he has been eavesdropping on my thoughts again.

Stop that, I think at him, it wasn’t that funny.

Flying a TIE and flying one of your military’s atmospheric craft are quite different. You will be fine once you have the basics and spend some time in the simulator.

Right, sure, I think to myself. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

This thought produces another quiet laugh from him.

That’s it, I decide. I’ve had enough of his constant eavesdropping on me. I stop dead in my tracks, set my hands on my hips, and glare at his back as he continues past me for a step or two.

I WANT YOU TO STOP THAT, I yell at him

His reaction is instantaneous. The Sith Lord whips about and stares at me.

Now that I have his undivided attention, I proceed to let him have it.

My private thoughts are none of your business and I don’t like being spied on, I growl at him. If you are going to insist on hearing everything I think, then be prepared to either do the same for me or spend the next month being miserable sleeping in your meditation pod.

Silence from him in response, but I know he’s considering whether the conditions I have dictated for his free access to my mind are worth it or not.

Very well, your private thoughts are your own, he concedes after a minute or two, just remember that the louder you think about me, the easier it is for me to hear you through our bond, whether I want to or not, whether you are shielding or not.

I nod my acceptance of this. If I can’t keep my thoughts under wraps, it will be my own fault that he can hear me.

He offers his arm, almost in apology, so I take it and let him lead me along. As we walk, I try to keep track of where we are going.

The door we stop at is marked in Aurabesh with “TIE Simulators”. This is obviously the right place. Vader doesn’t key the door to me, but indicates that I am to comm in my presence instead. Guess I am not allowed to just wander into this room. He opens the door for me today, and the two men who are waiting inside quickly get to their feet. These must be his wingmen, I realize. Night and day, I decide. These two are nothing alike. One is a tall, blonde Norwegian type, the other stocky and with a dark complexion. Both are younger than I am though they probably think I am junior in age to them both.

Once again the Sith Lord watches my reaction to my instructors and theirs to me. I hide behind my shield and don’t let anything show, while the two pilots give me the once over with their eyes. The blonde raises an eyebrow and looks over at his companion, and I can just imagine what he is thinking.

Well, these two are a bit insolent, I note, but like Commander Thirsk, they are probably among the best there is. If they were not, they wouldn’t be your wingmen.

True, Vader tells me, they are two of the best pilots in the fleet. They can also be a bit disrespectful from time to time. I tolerate some nonsense from them because of their abilities, but they know better than to try anything foolish where you are concerned.

‘Commanders,’ the Sith Lord begins, ‘my Favorite, Maia. I will be back for her in an hour.’

With that brief introduction, he spins about and is gone, leaving me to his two wingmen.

***

I leave her with my two wingmen and go to my meeting with Thirsk. It’s important to hear his evaluation and find out just what Maia needs to learn.

‘Commander,’ I acknowledge as I enter my office.

‘My Lord,’ he responds.

‘Your report,’ I prompt, not mincing words as I pace the floor.

‘She’s in good shape physically, for someone who has spent most of her time behind a desk that is, and she’s smart and a quick learner,’ he notes, ‘but that clumsiness of hers might be quite troublesome or impossible to get around.’

‘Yes, Thirsk,’ I patiently reply, ‘I know all this already.’

‘In time, I could bring her up to my standards, but right now, she needs basic self defense more than anything else,’ he advises.

‘She’s had no training at all then,’ I decide.

‘A little. She can fall without injuring herself and knows a few simple blocks,’ the Commander reveals.

I stop instantly and spin about.

‘You were careful with her?’ I ask, letting him hear the warning in my voice.

He knows what I will do to him if Maia or my son have been harmed.

‘Of course, my Lord,’ he answers me, hiding a smile.

‘Thirsk,’ I growl.

My old friend raises an eyebrow and looks amused. I would not tolerate even this small show of insolence from any other officer.

‘It’s safe enough in the first month,’ he tells me, ‘and I will make sure she can protect herself with all the basics before it becomes a problem.’

‘Good. Now about her security when I am gone,’ I start the next topic I need to cover with him.

***

The three of us stare at one another for a moment or two. Finally the blond pilot gives his name, ‘I’m Black Two, my lady, but you can call me Rik.’ He nods at his companion, ‘Black Three prefers to be known as Torin.’ I nod an acknowledgment at them. Now what?

Rik takes over the situation quickly, and I discover that he is quite the chatterbox once he gets going. I am waved over to a desk with a paper copy of a control panel layout on it.

‘First you need to learn the controls, and his Lordship was quite specific about the configuration he wanted you to work with, too,’ Rik tells me. ‘This should take you most of the next hour. If you are faster at it, we could have a go in the simulator and see how you do.’

I look carefully over the sheet in front of me, making note of what is where and only having to ask once what one of the labels in Aurabesh says. Rik is very patient with my questions and Torin adds his own quiet comments from time to time. The minutes goes by quickly, and once I am confidant I know what and where everything is, I find that the hour is not yet up.

‘Let’s see how you manage in the sim,’ Rik says, obviously pleased that I finished before he thought I would.

He hands me a helmet and shows me how to properly secure it. I am then shown into the simulator and told how to strap in. This ought to be fun, I think, well, at least until I do something stupid. A moment later I hear Rik and Torin’s voices over the helmet’s comm-channel.

‘Start her out in space,’ Torin suggests, ‘we can deal with take-off and docking another day.’

‘Good idea,’ Rik agrees, then instructs me, ‘We won’t do anything too complicated at first. Just try to follow us so you can get a feeling for how the controls work.’

Follow the leader. Alright, I can do this. They start out slow and I easily keep up. This is simple enough, I decide. A few minutes later, though, they are going much faster and starting to pull more complicated maneuvers. Somehow I manage to stay close behind, but I have to concentrate on what they are up to and use my mathematical gift to help predict their movements. By the time the Sith Lord arrives, I am totally focused on what his two wingmen are doing and keeping up with them. It is not until his voice breaks in on the comm-channel that I realize he must have been watching for a number of minutes.

‘That is quite enough,’ he tells the two Commanders, and I can tell he is rather annoyed with the two men.

I don’t hear their responses because the comm in my helmet is suddenly muted. Not sure what to do, I just sit in the simulator waiting to be told what to do next. A few minutes later, my Lord is ordering me out of the sim and when I climb out, I find that his two wingmen have already left. What was all that about, I wonder. The Dark Lord doesn’t enlighten me, so I can only assume that his wingmen weren’t supposed to put me in the sim today.

The Sith Lord sets my hand on his arm, surprising me with his action. He did say that was the proper way to do things and did this at the party, but this is one of the few times he has done so here. I am then led back to his quarters. He makes no comment along the way, merely looks over at me a few times. I can sense him speculating again, like he did that first day I was on the Executor. What on Earth is he thinking? It must be somehow connected to my session in the simulator. Well, I decide, I won’t ask. I must have been truly abysmal to produce this sort of response.

Once in his quarters, he takes me into his office and I am handed a printout. Time to practice reading, I surmise, so I settle myself in the chair next to him and get started. Vader busies himself at his data terminal, staying silent as he works. I look over the first few pages of my assignment carefully. A series of supply inventories and theft reports? Puzzled, I look over at the Dark Lord but he just ignores me. Alright, then, I’ll read these things even though I don’t know why he considers them important.

An hour later, I realize that there are some subtle but consistent anomalies in the reports I am going through. Something is wrong here, I think. Put your brain to work, Maia, figure it out. That’s why he gave these things to you. I carefully look through the pages again, filing everything I can think of that might be at all important into my head. Closing my eyes, I set to the problem. Half an hour later I am still working away at it. By the time I have a solution, over an hour has passed. I open my eyes and wait to be asked about what I have worked out.

Vader glances over at me, then spends another few minutes finishing his own work before asking, ‘Well, what have you discovered?’

‘A very efficient spy, I think. Someone with an excellent memory is getting into the storehouses and targeting very specific items. These are then stolen later with a minimum of time and effort being wasted since the thieves know exactly where to go for what they want,’ I tell him.

Not a word from the Sith Lord, but I can tell my conclusion has surprised him. He sits back in his chair for a moment, just looking at me. Finally he dismisses me with, ‘Go get the jug and a pair of glasses from the kitchen. I will join you in the bedroom shortly.’

I guess he isn’t going to explain things to me today so I quickly obey him. Once in the bedroom, I find that the mess from my fit has been removed and a new table with two chairs has appeared. Good, I won’t have to kneel on the floor or sit on the bed. Setting the glasses down, I fill both and wait in one of the chairs for my Lord to join me. He doesn’t show up for almost an hour, and when he does, he is obviously in a hurry. Darn. There will be no kisses from him today.

Fifteen minutes later, after we have both had our allotted drinks, I am left standing in his office to wait for my next teacher, a Lieutenant Keol, while Vader is off to a meeting elsewhere. I had heard this name once before, so I am curious who this person is. A few minutes later, she appears. Oh. One of the rare female officers. She gives me a wary stare. This woman is nothing like me. She is about my age, and quite striking, short, petite, dark haired and eyed, with an air of superiority and arrogance about her. I get the distinct impression that I have been measured by her and found lacking in every way.

Not sure what else to do, I start to introduce myself. ‘My name is Maia, ...’ but she breaks in rudely.

‘Yes, I know who you are,’ the Lieutenant snaps. ‘Lord Vader’s new Favorite. I do not have any time for this, but I will do as I am ordered to. Don’t bother trying to be friendly with me because I have no intentions of returning the sentiment.’

How rude can you get? I have no idea what she is so mad about. Stunned, I sit down in the Sith Lord’s chair behind his desk and just look at her. What is her problem? I have never met her before, so it can’t be that I have done anything to her personally. I try to be hospitable and wave her into one of the other chairs, but she shakes her head and continues to stand there, glaring at me.

Curious to see if I can pick anything up from her, I thin my mental shield and watch her carefully. Resentment, definitely there, anger, hurt pride, and, to my surprise, intense jealousy. She’s jealous of me? I thicken my shield instantly and hide behind it to have a think. Oh no, she wanted the Sith Lord for herself and I ended up with him instead. This is going to be a rather unpleasant situation. Well, I will try and make the best of it and be polite even if she won’t be.

‘Lieutenant, you are one of my Lord’s aides, aren’t you?’ I ask, though I am sure I already know the answer.

‘Yes, and you are his concubine,’ she snaps again. ‘Don’t ask stupid questions. It makes it far too apparent that you are a know-nothing from the Outer Rim.’

I narrow my eyes at this. Know-nothing, am I? Well, I can easily tell that she doesn’t like me one bit and the feeling is rapidly becoming a mutual one. Would the Sith Lord put up with rude and belligerent behavior from this woman? Unlikely, I decide, and neither will I.

‘Sit down, Lieutenant, and shut up,’ I order, trying to use the same tone of voice and choice of words that my Lord might do with this officer. ‘If you can’t be polite and address me properly, then stay silent instead.’

Her mouth drops open, but she doesn’t say another word before sitting in the chair I had indicated to her earlier. Good. Putting her in her place seems to have had the desired effect. I watch her carefully for a minute or two. She’s debating what to say or do next, so I keep my face expressionless, refusing to give her anything to work with.

‘It’s not fair,’ she finally states and resentment is all too apparent in her voice. ‘I have worked for years to get close to him, and then what happens. He’s gone for two weeks and comes back with you.’

I stay silent and wait to hear what she says next.

There is another glare from her and then the statement, ‘You won’t last any more than a month. He will soon tire of you and I will still be here. I’m the one he really loves, and you had better accept that.’

My only reaction to this is to raise an eyebrow at her. She sounds like a spoilt child who has been told she can’t have what she wants. How embarrassing for her, though she doesn’t seem to recognize this yet.

‘What does he see in you anyway? You don’t belong to a noble house and you aren’t worthy of him,’ the Lieutenant needles.

Good grief, she sounds like a female version of Nigel. This foray though, I refuse to let go by.

‘Oh,’ I calmly reply, ‘and how would you know that?’

Her response is a laugh, then another dig at me, ‘It’s rather obvious, my lady. Your accent is appalling, you have no idea how to behave, and how you move is a dead give-away.’

Now it is my turn to laugh a little. ‘I know of royalty, Lieutenant Keol, who have manners far worse than mine. My family is related to every noble house on my homeworld. For a thousand years we have served as the right hands, the military leaders, of our rulers. There is more noble blood in my veins than in yours, I suspect.’

True, every word of it, I note, if a bit poetically put. One of my ancient ancestors was the Conqueror’s chief knight and finest warrior, and Sam still fills a similar position today. I can claim direct, if distant, descent from every European royal house, too.

The Lieutenant’s mouth drops open, then promptly snaps shut.

‘My father is a Baron,’ she boasts.

This is going to be amusing, I decide, as I match and trump her claim, ‘My mother is the rightful heir of the house of Stuart, my father, the Plantagenet.’

Somewhat true for my first statement, if a slight exaggeration for my second. The descent on that side is from a daughter of Edward III.

‘You’re a Princess?’ Keol blurts out, just as the Sith Lord walks in.

He stops dead in his tracks. Blast. I have some explaining to do here.

‘By descent, yes,’ I admit, ‘by title, no. A war lasting almost a hundred years and a rebellion on my homeworld saw to that. Both my parents’ royal houses were nearly exterminated. Those who claim those thrones now have no true right to them.’

Really? the Sith Lord asks.

Yes, Ani, but those events happened hundreds of years ago. They are ancient history, now, I reply.

Even so, your family should have done something about it. I am surprised at this, he states.

There was nothing that could be done about it at the time, and my mother’s family spent two hundred years trying to reclaim their heritage and failed, I admit. I don’t really have a title, just a group of illustrious, displaced ancestors. I only told the Lieutenant what I did because she was being thoroughly obnoxious to me.

The woman in question is looking back and forth between Vader and I during our quick telepathic exchange. After a moment, a shrewd look crosses her face. She knows we are communicating with one another in thought and suspects that she is the topic of the conversation.

Open your mind to me, my Lord orders, let me see what she did.

I drop my shield and wait for his mental touch. A moment later he is carefully sifting through my recent memories. As he leaves, he throws my shield back in place so that I do not need to.

Maia, you must not say anything at all, not react to what I am going to do now, he commands. Do you understand?

Yes, I understand, I confirm. Then I consider what he just told me to do. Ani, what are you going to do to her?

Something I should have done years ago, when the Emperor forced me to accept her as part of my staff as a favor to her father. Do not interfere, Maia, he warns.

The Sith Lord steps past where I am seated behind his desk to where the Lieutenant is waiting for him. I thicken my mental shield as much as I can manage, suspecting I will need it and my control to deal with what he is planning to do. He stands with arms crossed over his chest, for a long, quiet moment in front of Keol, who watches him closely without letting anything show on her face. If I were her, I decide, I would be getting quite nervous about now. However, she has worked with him for years so maybe she is trying to bluff her way out of this.

‘So, you think yourself more worthy than my Favorite, my chosen one,’ Vader finally states.

The Lieutenant simply stares at him, refusing to answer.

‘When I ask a question,’ he snaps, ‘I expect an immediate, truthful answer.’

I see a flash of fear in Keol’s eyes, but she stubbornly remains silent.

‘You leave me no choice then,’ the Sith Lord warns.

There is a gasp from the Lieutenant as he exerts pressure on her throat with the Force. I refuse to watch any longer and keep my eyes glued to the desk in front of me. There is no way I can shut out the noises she is making or my Lord’s voice though.

‘I will have an answer from you, Lieutenant,’ he calmly tells her, ‘and I can do far worse than this to you if that is what is required to get it.’

She still remains silent, other than making gasping noises as he collapses her trachea.

Please let me leave Ani, I think at him. Having to stay and listen to what he is doing to her is starting to make me feel ill.

You will stay, Maia, the Sith Lord orders.

Keol has slipped to the floor, from the sound of the thump I just heard. Vader simply stands beside her, waiting and listening to her increasingly desperate attempts to breathe.

‘Well, Lieutenant,’ he prompts, ‘I am still waiting, and your time and my patience are running out.’

He’s torturing her to make her yield and answer him, and making me stay and watch to drive a point home with me as well. This is what he would be forced to do to me in public if I were to be overly stubborn or defy him.

Ani, I will behave in public. You won’t need to worry about that ever again, I promise him.

Good, you have learned your lesson from this, the Sith Lord tells me. I can release her now.

I hear a terrible gasp from the woman on the floor, then her breathing becomes more regular again.

‘You will stay with the Lieutenant, Maia, and see to her needs. When she is ready to go, you will escort her to her quarters and remain with her until she tells you to return here,’ Vader orders before leaving me alone with the stricken woman who is still sprawled on the floor.

The second he is out the door I am at the Lieutenant’s side. I carefully, gently roll her onto her side, making sure she will not choke. A cushion from one of the chairs goes under her head as a pillow and my cloak makes a good blanket, so I cover her with it. Checking her pulse reveals that it is strong and her breathing is clear if labored, so I sit beside her on the floor to wait for her to regain consciousness.

This is my fault, I think miserably to myself. I should not have told him how she had behaved. He would have left her alone if hadn’t done that.

No, Maia, I would have done what I did regardless, the Sith Lord tells me, obviously having inadvertently overheard my thought. The Lieutenant knew what she was doing and will tell you as much when she recovers.

I don’t have an opportunity to answer him because Keol starts to moan.

‘Don’t move,’ I tell her, touching her shoulder to keep her from moving too much. ‘Stay still for a few minutes longer. You need time to recover.’

Her eyes open next and she looks up at me, then smiles. Why is she doing that? I just about got her killed.

‘I think we will be good friends,’ she quietly tells me.

Too surprised to do anything else, I just stare at her, shocked, while she follows my advice and stays where she is for five or six minutes.

‘Help me sit up,’ she tells me next.

I lift her under the arms and hold her up until she can steady herself in a semi-seated position on the floor. Once she is settled, she waves a hand to indicate I should sit beside her, so I do as she wants and wait while she gets her breathing back to normal.

‘Lord Vader asked me to provoke you as a test, to see what you might reveal,’ the Lieutenant discloses, ‘and he needed to ensure you understood the consequences if you refused to behave appropriately in public. I volunteered to help him.’

They set me up? That was a nasty, cruel thing he did to her even if she did subject herself to it willingly. My expression must be speaking volumes judging from the look on her face, so I quickly exert some control over myself.

‘It was necessary, my lady,’ she tells me, almost as if responding to my thoughts. ‘His Lordship doesn’t want to hurt you in public and if you continue to be stubborn and defy him, he would have no choice in the matter. He told me this himself. That’s why I offered to help.’

‘He must trust you, then, to reveal so much,’ I state, a bit of my own jealousy starting to creep into my voice. I wonder just how much of her envy and resentment was an act, how much was real.

‘My lady,’ Keol says, grabbing my hand as she does, ‘I can talk freely to you in this room and in your quarters, but nowhere else on the ship. Now listen to me carefully. I have worked for Lord Vader for almost a decade. It has always been a strictly professional relationship, no more, no less. My statements were an act he designed to provoke you, and only that. He tricked you into believing the emotions he projected were from me as well.’

I watch her as she tells me this, and I know somehow that she has been completely honest with me.

‘I believe you,’ I finally admit.

‘That’s good,’ the Lieutenant tells me. ‘Now help me to my feet and into a chair.’

Once I have her seated in a chair, with my cloak wrapped around her, I take one for myself and wait for the next set of instructions from her. Instead, I am given a short lecture.

‘My lady,’ Keol starts, ‘you may call me Mia when we are in private here, or I am off-duty. Lord Vader has asked me to teach you how to cope with the cultural, technological, and material differences between your homeworld and here. I am going to assume you know absolutely nothing about our technology, society, government or anything else. That way I won’t leave out something important. Your first lesson will be tomorrow at the same time as today, in your private quarters rather than in here. I will start with the basics of how to survive on ship, since I suspect his Lordship has not covered much of that at all.’

I smile at her last statement, then divulge, ‘No, Mia, he hasn’t told me anything really. I don’t even know how laundry is looked after.’

‘That’s easy,’ the Lieutenant admits, ‘there is a bin in the kitchen for that, and one of my jobs is to look after it for you.’

She’s the laundry lady? I stare at her, surprised.

‘What exactly do you do?’ I ask her.

After an easy sounding laugh, she tells me, ‘Well, until a week ago, it was purely my job to look after his Lordship, but I guess some of my duties will be yours, once I have taught you what he needs you to do for him. I make sure his quarters are properly stocked and in good repair, retrieve whatever public files and documents he wants, keep the media at bay if he is on planet, those sorts of things. Basically I am a personal aide and do whatever he demands which doesn’t require one of his more specialized agents.’ She smiles at me then adds, ‘I hope to include being your friend in my list of duties. You will find it hard to live on ship with only Lord Vader to talk to, and he will never allow you to become close to any of the male officers or crew, or a female one even, if he does not approve of her.’

‘I knew this, Mia, before he brought me here. He warned me what it would be like,’ I admit, ‘but I do miss my friends from home.’

‘Then my lady, you will have to tell me about them,’ she suggests, then looks at her wrist, ‘but not today. His Lordship needs his office now and I will require your help to get back to my quarters. I am still a bit shaky.’

She hands me my cloak and I help her to her feet. It takes only a minute or two for her to become more steady, but I refuse to let her walk back to her room alone. Her quarters are not far from the ones I share with the Sith Lord, and once she is settled in a chair she quickly sends me back to his.

When I enter the room with the meditation pod, I can hear Vader talking to someone. He has left his office door open, but when he hears my footsteps heading towards him, the door quickly slides shut and is locked. Guess that’s one conversation he intends to keep me out of. Not sure what else to do, I go to our bedroom, stopping in the kitchen to retrieve the jug and glasses which I set on the bedroom table. Soon it will be time for something to drink. When the Dark Lord fails to appear in a few minutes, I steal his pillow, curl up on top of the bedcovers, and spend some time mulling over the last hour. I like Mia, I decide. She could be a good friend to me.

What I really don’t like is what my Lord did to her.

I am well aware of what he is capable of and didn’t need a demonstration. That was not necessary at all.

‘You didn’t need to do that,’ I tell him when he finally appears in the doorway.

‘Yes, I did. It was necessary,’ the Sith Lord scolds in return, sounding a bit irritated, ‘you needed a graphic and lasting reminder of what I would do to you if you did something to deserve it. Stop questioning my decision on this.’

There is no point in arguing with him about what he did to my prospective friend, so I let it go rather than annoy or anger him further.

Is it time for another lesson? Almost in answer to my thought, he steps through the door, locks it, and waves a hand at the control panel. A few minutes later, his helmet is off and we are facing one another, seated cross-legged on the bed.

‘You did very well at control when I had Mia provoke you,’ Vader reveals. ‘I did not expect you to be as civil in your responses as you were, so I will let you continue to practice control on your own. Today we will work with shielding techniques and I will let you try to layer your shields. I know you did this with your mathematical ones earlier today, but it is more important for you to learn how to do this with the Force.’

So Mia’s comments were yet another test for me to pass. I guess I will have many more of these in the days to come. No time to ponder this now, I scold myself, concentrate on the lesson in front of you.

‘This should be an easy lesson,’ I tell him.

‘Easy?’ the Sith Lord comments with a bit of disbelief in his voice. ‘Hardly. Since you consider it so simple then, go right ahead and try it.’

I lift an eyebrow at him. Alright then. Reaching for the Force, I make the shield I already have a bit thicker. A second pull and I am spinning a second one outside it. The third one I place outside the second. When I start to work on a fourth, Vader stops me with a tap on the third, outermost one I just put in place. It holds against him and I settle in to see what else he does. Seconds later, I feel him slam against it with the Force. I sway a little where I am sitting but my shields somehow hold. That hurt, I decide, as I give my aching head a shake.

He sits back and watches me now, an odd, measuring look on his face.

‘Good, very good,’ Vader finally compliments. ‘I gather you partitioned your mind to do that, using the same technique as for those mathematical constructs of yours.’

I allow myself a smug smile.

‘Yes,’ I admit, ‘I figured it would work with the Force, too.’

‘Obviously it does. Now drop your shields and do the same, but without using any mental divisions to do so,’ he orders.

What? Why do I need to do that? What I have will work well enough. Keeping my mental grumbling to myself, I set about doing as instructed. It takes me almost two hours to finally erect shields this way which satisfy the Sith Lord. No wonder he thought my comment about this being easy to be a foolish one. Keeping each shield in place is not at all easy when they are just stacked and not neatly separated like I can do otherwise.

‘After a while,’ he tells me, once I have met whatever goal he had for this session, ‘shielding becomes reflexive. I rarely think of my own defenses unless the situation requires it.’

He calls the jug and a glass to hand, then decides, ‘That’s enough for today. You may use your own shielding technique since it is easier for you to maintain’

Vader hands me the filled glass, then the second one is in his hand and he is drinking from it himself. He watches me closely, as he has done several times today, and I wonder what the problem is. Have I done something wrong? I consider the day’s events. We have spent little time together today, despite his promise to stay in his quarters with me. My lessons are going to take up much of my time. Perhaps he has done this deliberately, to keep me occupied while he is working, but I wish we could have at least a little private time to ourselves.

The Sith Lord gives no indication that he has heard my last thought, simply finishes his allotted amount of the drink in silence before replacing his helmet. I am then gestured to his side and led to the mirrored salle for the postponed session from this morning. Once there, he pulls my bag with the rapiers from the storage compartment and keys the bin to open for me. I remove the four swords and check each one carefully. My heirloom blade needs oiling, so I take the small bottle and rag from the bag’s side pocket to look after this immediately before replacing it in its scabbard. That blade I only use for forms. It is far too valuable to risk in a duel. The other three are my dueling blades. I have not used any of these in years, so each gets a close perusal to check for damage and flaws. As soon as I am satisfied, I set the lightest one aside for myself. The heaviest I hand to my Lord who steps away from me to try it out.

He is just as competent in single-handed fencing techniques, I note, as he is with a lightsaber. Pitting his Force abilities against my mathematical ones should be interesting. I watch him warm up for a minute, then get to my feet and join him, mirroring the form he has chosen. Three or four sets later, we are both ready to try a bout or two.

‘I won’t use the Force to find out what you are planning, Maia,’ he instructs me. ‘I want to see what you can do without using that advantage.’

I nod my acceptance to him. This is a rare concession, but then again, if he wants to make a fair evaluation, he has no other choice.

We both slip into ready positions. I watch him carefully to see if he will give any hints to what he might do. There is a slight shift to the right so I throw up a high parry to block the attack which I predict will come and immediately follows. I start a riposte to his left, then suddenly alter the angle mid-course so that it cuts low, only to have him back-pedal and block it. Darn. That always worked on Rick. He tries another high attack, this time to my left. I side step and let my momentum carry me out of its path, swinging my own blade high in return to again be parried. That one usually threw Bill off. I narrow my eyes. There was that trick I tried on my brother, but I will have to get him into a series where I can use it, and if my timing is off I will get a nasty cut at the least, skewered at worst.

I toss an experimental attack to his left, letting him parry it easily before binding our blades. Good. I step sideways again, freeing my blade and getting myself ready for what I have planned. A feint followed by a backhanded counter-attack are next, forcing him to step away from me, then a quick spin, changing my sword hand from right to left when my back is turned to him. As I turn to face him once more, my next attack comes to his off-side, landing low and hard against his blade, next to the grip. I have him in an awkward, difficult position for him to keep a hold on the rapier. When I feel his grasp start to go, I lean all my weight into it, only to have him somehow reestablish his grip and use my closeness to throw me backwards onto the floor. The edge of his rapier opens a cut on the back of my left hand as I fall. Well, that happened when I tried that on Michael, too, and I have a scar on my hand from it. Rats. That was my best move and it didn’t work.

I quickly pick myself up, ignoring the blood now dripping from my hand onto the floor, and step back into a starting position, waiting for the Sith Lord to take his place opposite me. To make a point, I leave the rapier in my left hand. Maybe I should try some of my grandfather’s left-handed moves against a right-handed opponent. Vader merely shifts his own blade into his left hand to match me. So much for my idea to use off-hand tactics. We start another bout.

About an hour later, I am soaked in sweat and have managed to land just two touches on the Sith Lord, and those only because I forced him to let me do so. Both times I did something quite risky, using tactics which relied on my own split-second timing and him moving to prevent his own blade from running me through. He’s far better than Michael ever was, I silently concede, since many of my attempts to disarm or score, which would have been successful against my brother, have failed here.

I pick myself up from the floor once again, and decide that I have had lots of opportunity today to practice falling down without injuring myself. Setting myself in position again, I wait for the attack to come. To my surprise, Vader steps back, lowering his rapier.

‘Enough,’ he tells me. ‘I have seen more than enough.’

I lower my own blade in return. Thank you, I think quietly to myself, I was just about to fall over.

‘You need to work on your conditioning and the strength of your off-hand,’ the Sith Lord decides as he puts his rapier away. ‘We will concentrate on those two things for the next few weeks.’

He turns to face me again, and I can hear his concern when he speaks his next words and see it in the finger he waves at me, ‘And no more risky maneuvers just to score a touch. I do not want to be taking you down to Medical if you try anything as foolish as that last move again.’

Thoroughly chastised, I answer, ‘Yes, my Lord,’ before putting my own rapier away in the compartment with the other ones and the blade he had just used. Nope, I won’t attempt that move again. He almost sliced my shoulder open when I tried that one.

Vader steps close in to me, then takes my left hand in his. He holds it gently while examining the cut he inflicted earlier in the evening. With one finger he traces the parallel scar beside it.

‘You tried that once before, I see, and with the same result,’ he observes, ‘against your brother, no doubt.’

‘Yes, my Lord,’ I admit, ‘and it’s my best trick move, too. I was sure it would work.’

He gives an amused chuckle. ‘You don’t have the physical strength required to have that work against me. Once I have taught you how to augment your skills with the Force, though, perhaps you would have a chance.’

My injured hand is released, and I am led back to his quarters with my other hand on his arm. Once there, though, he heads straight for his office, sits behind his desk and starts the terminal again. I watch him from the doorway, but he shoos me away with, ‘Go look after your hand and clean up. I still have work to do.’

I go back to the bedroom, enter the ‘fresher and pull out the medkit stored in the compartment in there. My hand needs to be stitched, but glue or tape can work as well. Ten minutes later, the cut is sealed shut, and my hand neatly wrapped. A hot bath follows, then I am propped up in bed with Henry V once again, picking up my reading at the end of the first act. Hours later, long after I have finished reading the play, the Sith Lord has still not come to bed. Too tired to wait any longer for him, I set my book on the floor and try to fall asleep.

I give up after a few minutes. My mind is far too busy to let me sleep even though I am physically exhausted. Time to get up and do something to make myself sleepy. I slip out of bed, pick up the book and return it to the compartment. My special wooden box is in there as well, so I take it out, sit in one of the chairs and open it. Michael had given me the statue which is carefully packed inside and it is one of the things I treasure. I lift it out, set it on the table, and look at Darth Vader in an action pose, cloak swirling about and ‘saber drawn. After a few minutes I put it back in the box and return the box to the bin I had stored it in. Why bother looking at a statue when I have the real thing a few rooms away?

Opening my bottom compartment, I take out my cloak and wrap it around me, draping it so that my nightgown is covered up but my arms are free to move. It takes a minute or two to work up my courage, but once I have, I am walking through his quarters back to the office. The Sith Lord is still at the desk, still busy at the data station. Not wanting to disturb him too much, I quietly settle myself on the floor beside him and lean my head against his side. A few minutes later, I feel his hand in my hair, but I stay silent, letting him continue his tasks uninterrupted.

At some point I fall asleep next to him, only waking when he lifts and carries me back into the bedroom. He uses the Force to pull back the sheets, then sets me down, takes my cloak away and tucks me in before leaving again. A moment later he is back, with the jug and glasses for the morning in his hands. I doze a little as he does this, only becoming partially aware again when I feel his weight beside me, his arms shifting me about as I am carefully drawn into his chest.

I love you, Ani, I tell him, as I pull his arm tighter around my waist and snuggle close in.

It has been a long day, Maia, go to sleep now, he orders.

So I do.

DAY 7

It’s been a week, I think, as I wake up, a week since the Sith Lord took me as his Favorite. He is still asleep, I realize, and probably quite tired given how late it must have been before he went to bed. I lay quietly beside him, listening to the sound of his even breathing. Many probably find the sound of his regulated, controlled breaths disturbing, yet I find that it soothes me instead. A quick check reveals that my mental shields have held during the night so I leave them alone, knowing that any use of the Force will wake him instantly.

I have some time to think undisturbed now, so I take advantage of it. Why was he acting so strange yesterday? There were quite a few times when he gave me odd looks, as if I had done something wrong. I worry away at this observation. Did I do something wrong? Or was it that I did something he did not expect me to? I carefully consider each circumstance. The first time was after my session in the TIE simulator. Maybe he figured I would do poorly against his two wingmen and was surprised when I could keep up with them. The second occurred after I puzzled out those theft reports. The third was when I layered my shields and he couldn’t push his way in even when he used a fair amount of the Force to try and do so.

Each time I had used my abilities as a mathematical and logical savant. That must be it then. He has no idea just how useful that talent is when practically applied or what I can really do with it if pushed. The next few weeks should be very interesting as I find new ways to apply my unique gift. I smile a little to myself. Be prepared for some more surprises, Sith Lord, I think to myself. He doesn’t stir, and his mind is still quiet so my thought hasn’t woken him.

Time for a think about something else then. We had almost no private time yesterday except when I went to stay beside him as he worked late last night. Even when we were alone together for his lessons he spoke very little, not much more than what was absolutely necessary. He must be rather distracted about something, I decide, perhaps something the Emperor said to him? Well, I am not going to ask. Maybe he will be in a more talkative mood today.

Enough thinking for now. He will be awake soon, so I wait for him to give me some indication he is about to stir. Five or so minutes later, I hear a break in his breathing as he gradually becomes conscious. A moment after that, I hear the pattern change when he increases his respiration rate to a more normal one. It’s time for a kiss, I decide. My Lord is going to get one from me every morning from now on. I spin myself about in his arms, turning to face him. His bright blue eyes are open, watching me, curious as to what I am up to.

Good morning, my love, I tell him, then kiss him on the mouth before he can react.

When I start to pull away, he holds me tight instead, keeping his lips on mine, and waits for me to make my next move. Alright then, since he is willing, I want a proper kiss, so I open my mouth to him and let him do as he wishes. There is that odd mental touch from him, then his emotions are in my mind again, but this time I can feel him sending them through our life-bond. So that’s how he did that. Rats. My Lord told me to leave our bond alone so I can’t do the same in return. All I can do is touch his face and use my empathy to send my love to him. It’s enough, though to prompt a strong reaction from him. He pulls me hard against his body and I can feel his physical readiness to do whatever I want from him. Gods, he would take me right now if I asked him to. I tremble a little in response, knowing I am not emotionally prepared for that yet. This must be torture for him, though, to have me beside him and be forced to restrain himself when he obviously wants me so badly.

Touch me, Ani, I ask, knowing that I can’t leave him in torment like this and that I have to yield a bit to him, I want to feel your hands and mouth against my skin.

He answers me by shifting me onto my back, then sliding his lips down my throat, biting me hard several times as he goes. My nightgown is quickly pulled open, slid down out of his way. I feel his mouth on my breasts, his hands on my waist. There is an urgency, a barely restrained passion behind his movements. His caresses and mouth feel good against my skin, and become more heated, more insistent with every second. My body starts to instinctively respond to his touch, and I start to want him, need him to do what he did to me in my dream.

No, Maia, restrain yourself here, I scold, you aren’t ready for that yet. When his lips return to mine, I realize that I had better cool things down and quickly, or I won’t be able to stop him or myself from doing what he wants to, promise or no promise to let me chose the time. I run my fingers over his cheeks, sending calming emotions through them. He responds by relaxing a bit. Continuing to soothe him, I stroke his temples and cheekbones, and run my fingers through his short, spiky hair. Eventually he eases himself away from me, rolling onto his back and closing his eyes for a minute or two. Not wanting to end things too abruptly, I curl up next to him, rest my head on his shoulder and wrap my arms around him. A moment later he is stroking my hair, running his hand from the top of my head down to my waist, then resting it on my hip.

‘You are a wicked woman, Favorite mine,’ he tells me, ‘but the torment now will make it that much sweeter when you finally surrender to me.’

‘Ani,’ I start an apology, ‘I didn’t mean to...’

‘I know you didn’t,’ he cuts me off, ‘but no more teasing me with your emotions unless you are prepared to give yourself to me right then and there. I won’t be able to restrain myself if you behave like that.’

Too chastised to say or do anything else, I just hold him to me and stay silent. I didn’t mean to tease him like that, just let him have a bit of fun that I might enjoy too. Better to do nothing at all, I decide, than risk having him totally lose control. His hand moves from my hip to my face at this thought.

‘I can control myself, Maia, as long as you keep your feelings out of my mind,’ the Sith Lord admits, ‘but I need to know where the boundaries are. So, my Favorite, tell me what I can and cannot do with you.’

I carefully consider his offer and what I should tell him.

Well, I like kissing him, and his touch did feel good. There’s only one thing in particular that I am scared of, so I guess anything except that might be alright if he takes things slowly and doesn’t rush me too much.

‘Anything except…,’ I start to tell him, then stop as my face goes absolutely red at what I was about to say.

‘Acceptable,’ he answers, having guessed what I was going to finish with. ‘We will take things slowly in the future. If you are uncomfortable with what I want from you, tell me and I will stop.’

His lips brush the top of my head, so I give him a tight squeeze around the waist.

‘Time to get up, Maia, but no lesson in the salle today. Your hand needs a day or two to heal. I also need to discuss some things with you and now is a good time to do it,’ he states. ‘Go have your bath while I attend to a few medical needs.’

I reluctantly let go of him and head into the ‘fresher. While the bath is filling, I have a look at my neck. Three nasty bite marks are on it. He must have been completely caught up in his emotions to have done that to me. Well, there’s no help for it now. I can just imagine the looks from my various teachers though. With a sigh, I slip into the water, careful of my bandaged hand. Washing my hair is a nuisance with only one hand to do it with, but I somehow manage. A few minutes later, I am wrapped in towels and stepping from the ‘fresher.

The Sith Lord is sitting at the table, and looks over at me when I take the other chair across from him. His robe has slipped open and I can see the red medical solution he has applied to his skin in the area around the cable leading from his chest to the remote. I am surprised he has let me see him this way, but he will only feel my love for him, nothing else. He gives me a measuring look once again, then sits back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, watching me. Finally, he seems to make a decision.

‘There are some very peculiar holes in your memories, Maia,’ he notes, ‘and you know things, even now, that you should not. Other than myself and a select few others, no one knows that the Emperor is a Sith, and I think only you and I know his true Sith name.’

I shiver a bit. This is one topic I don’t want to discuss at all.

‘So tell me, my Favorite, how did you come across this information?’ he coldly asks, ‘Or is it common knowledge on your world as some other secrets seem to be?’

I retreat inward at his questions. How can I answer them? I have no idea, no memory even of how I know what I do. Whatever I did to myself more than one week ago has erased that knowledge rather thoroughly.

You can’t run and hide from me, Maia, so if you have an answer, I want to hear it, now, before I am forced to drag it from you, he threatens.

I don’t know, I reply, letting some of my confusion and anguish reach him, If I did, I would tell you. Go ahead and look for yourself. I spent hours hunting for answers and found none myself.

With my offer, I drop all of my defenses and shut my eyes. He can roam around my mind as he likes if he wants to. I will put up no fight. Seconds later, he is in my head and quickly, systematically searching through my memories. It doesn’t hurt but is quite disorienting, so I retreat farther into myself and wait for him to finish. When he is done, I feel myself fall forward, towards the table. Vader’s hand catches me, though, and leans me back in my chair.

‘Nothing,’ he says, sounding rather disgusted with the results of his search, ‘absolutely nothing which will tell me where your knowledge came from, only traces that it once existed in your mind.’ He gives me an annoyed look, then admits, ‘I could try digging through your deepest held memories, but it would destroy your personality if I did that. I suspect I would find nothing there anyway since you were so thorough with those at the surface.’

I give him no reply, simply lay my arms on the table and rest my now aching head on top of them. He lets out an exasperated sigh, then brushes the top of my head with his hand. The headache goes away at his touch.

‘Then there is my death and your insistence that you know every detail about it,’ he tells me. ‘I can find no trace of that either, only a few memory triggers which I missed and will now leave in place just to see what happens when they do trip.’

What can I say about this? I remain silent with my head on my arms, wondering what he will comment on next.

‘I should have followed up on your statement that your world had been visited by travelers from elsewhere, this galaxy I assume, when you first made it instead of letting it go,’ he decides. ‘Perhaps I would have the answers I want now, if I had done that then.’ There is another sigh from him, then an offer, ‘Come over here, Maia. I am not angry with you about this, but if anything ever does come back to you, you will tell me immediately. No more hiding secrets from me.’

I look up from where I have laid my head and the Sith Lord beckons me over. Not sure how steady I will be, I carefully get up and start to take the few steps needed to reach his side. Sure enough, my clumsy streak turns up and I am falling towards him only to be caught in his arms as he gets out of the chair to grab me. The towel I had wrapped myself in, of course, comes loose, and is almost pulled off of my body as he picks me up. How embarrassing and, I have to admit, funny. I bury my face in his robe and try my best to not laugh too loud.

‘How anyone can be so uncoordinated and at the same time brilliant in the salle, I don’t know,’ my Lord comments.

I just laugh louder before admitting, ‘My grandfather spent months working on that, and I still trip up from time to time, even there. You just haven’t been around me enough to see me really make a fool of myself. Commander Thirsk thinks he might be able to fix the problem, but I will be very surprised if his solution works.’

A low chuckle is his answer as I am carried to the bed, dropped onto it, and the sheets tossed over me. What is he up to now? A moment later he is beside me and I am being most thoroughly kissed again. I slip my arms around him and pull us both backwards onto the pillows. Much better, I decide, and more comfortable, too.

Favorite, he calls me.

Sith Lord, I reply.

I have no time for this right now, he admits, but I can stay until the Admiral comms a reminder of the morning meeting and you will need to be on time for your lesson with Thirsk.

An hour then, is the maximum time we will have. I decide to make the most of it. When he pulls away from our kiss, I refuse to let go and draw him back to me for another. He allows me do this, and as I part my lips to him, I once again feel his emotions in my mind. I shiver at their intensity and he touches my cheek in response. His hands slide down from my face under the covers next to touch my waist, my chest. Everywhere he moves them tingles.

I wonder, Are you playing a trick on me using the Force?

No trick, he tells me, just your body responding to me as it should.

Well, it feels good and I don’t want him to stop.

Little hedonist, he titles me next.

My Lord, my love, I tease in response.

His lips leave mine and travel down my throat. A light nip lands on one of the nasty bites and I flinch. He stops, then studies the marks he had left earlier.

‘I did that?’ he asks, surprised.

‘You were not being careful of what you were doing, my love,’ I tell him.

A gentle stroke of his hand along my throat and I feel a low heat in each bite.

‘Fixed now, and our time is up. The Admiral will call shortly and I need to be in my armor by then,’ the Sith Lord admits. ‘Give me a kiss and then let me go, my Favorite. There will always be another time to indulge ourselves.’

I do as ordered and release him from my arms without a fight. He disappears into the ‘fresher, and I decide I had best get dressed myself. While he showers, I put on my practical clothes, fill the two glasses from the jug, and settle into my chair to wait. A few minutes later, he steps from the ‘fresher to start putting his armor on. I keep my eyes off of him for a minute or two, until the black bodysuit he wears under his armor is on, then decide to see if I can help in some way.

‘Ani, is there anything I can do to help?’ I ask.

He stops, and I can see his surprise at my offer.

‘Lost your shyness, have you?’ he teases. When I shake my head no, he laughs a little, then suggests, ‘You can hand me parts of my armor as I need them.’

I quickly step to his side and take his armor from the storage compartment as he asks for it. He tosses the cloak and robes from the previous day on the floor and fetches another set from a rack which appears at his touch in the corner. My silk gown is hanging with his spare cloaks, to my surprise.

‘So that’s what happened to it,’ I observe.

‘I removed it myself,’ Vader admits, ‘and saw to it that you were properly dressed before I let anyone in Medical near you. Your jewelry is in my office, locked away. I will get it for you later.’

‘No hurry,’ I tell him, ‘I don’t need it right now.’

He drops his tunic over his shoulders and I tug it into place down his back. The control panel was already on before I started to help him, so I carefully drape his robes around it and smooth the fabric so it lays flat. His belt goes on next, then his chest armor and pauldrons. He calls his ‘saber to his hand from the shelf above the bed and hooks it in place. With a quick motion, he tosses the cloak around his shoulders. All that remains to go on now are his gloves and head coverings. Instead of finishing up, the Sith Lord sits down at the table and picks up the glass I had filled for him earlier. I take the chair opposite to him and do the same. This morning he pours me an additional half glass once I have drained my first.

‘You will need about this much extra twice a day if you are spending two hours in physical exercise,’ my Lord instructs, ‘and more still once I increase the demands of your training. Unless, of course, I get you with child, in which case you will require a different diet from mine entirely.’

I hide behind my shields and control my reactions carefully. He is quite determined that I will give him an heir, and soon, too, from the number of times he has mentioned it in passing. It was also the one thing the Emperor really made a fuss about in my presence. Maybe this is what had him so distracted yesterday.

The Sith Lord gives me a quick, sharp glance. Have I hit too close to the truth in my musings? Obviously my thoughts were strong enough that he heard them. He doesn’t answer, just pours a third glass of juice from the jug and sips it slowly, still watching me as he does so.

Alright then, since you are curious about how my logic circuits work, I think at him, I’ll let them puzzle this out for you.

An eyebrow is raised to me at that thought. In response, I drop my defenses so he can get a good look at what I am going to do. Every applicable word he has said to me I drag out of memory, rapidly sift and sort through, then drop into the appropriate categories, the Emperor’s words, actions are next, then anything else I can think of that might be of use. With that I shut my eyes and set to work.

The solution, when it does come, disturbs me greatly. He wouldn’t go along with something like that, would he? I open my eyes to look across the table at him, but find that while I was busy and distracted he had moved to stand behind me instead.

I quietly say to him, ‘Ani, please tell me you didn’t agree to what I think you did.’

He doesn’t answer, simply sets his hands on my shoulders and slides into my unshielded mind.

I am sorry, Maia, he apologizes, but I can’t let you remember this. It would be far too dangerous for you to know the truth.

There is an almost physical wrench in my mind, and memories are ripped out, removed and changed. When I try to resist, he gives me a strong mental blow and I black out.

As I wake, I discover I am being held, cradled in the Sith Lord’s arms. He has carried me over to the bed and sat on the edge of it with me on his lap.

‘How strange,’ I decide, ‘I must have fainted on you like I did at the party.’

‘Yes, you did, but you have only been out a few minutes this time,’ he tells me. ‘Griff contacted me while you were unconscious, so I postponed our meeting for an hour. You should be fine soon, and then I will take you to Commander Thirsk for your lesson. I told him you have been ill so he will cover tactics today, nothing physical.’

‘Ani,’ I ask, ‘what’s wrong with me? There must be something seriously amiss if I am starting to have dizzy spells.’

‘Stress,’ he suggests. ‘Learning to cope with a new place where nothing is familiar is difficult enough without everything else you have had to deal with.’ He kisses me on the forehead, then holds me tight to his chest. ‘I am not the easiest person to live with either,’ my Lord admits. ‘You just need time to adjust.’

I rest my cheek against his shoulder and close my eyes. It’s nice and safe here with him, I decide, too bad I have a lesson to go to.

‘Five more minutes, then we must go,’ he warns me.

Rats.

Well, I would like a kiss if you’re willing. That won’t take very long.

Sure enough, my thought prompts what I want.

Thank you, Ani, I tell him as his lips touch mine.

My one last indulgence for the morning, he teases.

All too soon he lifts me to my feet and sets his helmet on his head. He offers me his arm which I happily take before we leave for my lesson. The walk is uneventful, but he does look over at me a few times, and I can sense that he is a bit worried about something or another.

I’m fine, Ani. I don’t feel faint or unsteady anymore, I assure him, assuming that’s what his worry is.

I will be nearby, practicing in the salle. If you need me, mind-call and I will come, he volunteers in return.

He must be quite concerned about me, I decide, to make such an offer.

Once at our destination, I am left at the gym with my rugged instructor while the Sith Lord goes to, I assume, duel with a ‘droid or two. The Commander has brought a box with him today, and once we are seated on the floor, he starts to remove things from it.

‘Tactics, my lady,’ Thirsk tells me, ‘can be taught, but my experience is that you either have an inborn knack for it, or are totally hopeless.’

He sets a series of colored sticks out between us. I watch carefully.

‘Mapping the layout of a corridor and adjacent rooms, Commander?’ I ask.

‘Very good, my lady,’ he answers, pleased that I have identified what he is up to.

Colored disks are taken from the box next.

‘Friends, foes, and neutrals,’ I tell him.

Thirsk sits back and looks at me, surprised.

‘My uncle is one of my homeworld’s finest military leaders,’ I admit. ‘I learned fleet tactics from him as a child and taught a few classes in historical warfare at the academy during the four month summer holiday when the university I held tenure at was not in session.’

A thoughtful look crosses his face, then he asks, ‘You haven’t told Lord Vader this, have you?’

‘No,’ I reply, ‘my Lord has never asked or brought the topic up. I think he has assumed I know little or nothing about it.’

‘Then you had best tell him, and soon. He doesn’t like surprises of that sort,’ Thirsk warns.

I silently agree with his observation. The Sith Lord is in a good mood today. Maybe I’ll tell him about this when he takes me to my next lesson.

The Commander returns his attention to the map he has created and starts placing disks on it.

‘Fleet tactics,’ he tells me, ‘and what you need to use in close quarters are both similar and different. In close quarters, there is no room at all for mistakes and your decisions must be made in a split second. I am going to go through a number of scenarios with you. Since a kidnap attempt is more likely than an assassination, we will concentrate on how you might be able to escape given the available options.’

The next hour goes by quickly and proves to be quite fascinating. I do my best to come up with as many solutions as I can for each problem Thirsk gives me. Some of them he finds rather humorous, but I do manage to surprise him occasionally.

As our time draws to a close, he looks thoughtful again, then asks, out of the blue, ‘When you taught those classes at the academy, was there a particular battle which was considered essential for study?’

Surprised, I sit back on my heels and think for a few minutes. Where did that question come from? I guess he’s curious about what is considered worthwhile studying at home.

‘Aruna Pass,’ I state, not noticing that we have been joined by a third party. ‘The First Battle for Megiddo, almost thirty-five hundred years ago.’

Reaching for the box, I pull out a few of the markers and a sand-sheet we had used earlier. I set a large ring at one end of the sheet and trace three paths leading to it in the synthetic sand with my finger. The foe markers I place in the ring, the friends to the south off the map. Satisfied with my layout, I give him the historical context.

‘When Hatshepsut died, she left a stable kingdom, one which had not been involved in a war for over twenty years. Her stepson and nephew, Thutmose, inherited the throne, but was untried as a military leader in battle. At that time, oaths sworn to one King did not pass to the next, Commander. The new ruler had to exert his authority by the sword or negotiation, and usually the former rather than the latter. The dead Queen had been a co-ruler with her father and husband so she never had to deal with this problem, but her successor did. When the news of her death reached the Chiefs of Palestine, they banded together under the Prince of Qadesh and rebelled. Fortunately, Thutmose had two experienced Generals, men who were able to raise an army, train it and see that the troops quickly got to within a few days march of the fortified city where the rebels were entrenched.’

I reach over and set the friend markers where the three paths join at the bottom of the sand-sheet.

‘The ten-day forced march across the desert exhausted Thutmose’s troops. When he got to this spot,’ I point to where I have put the markers, ‘he had a choice to make. We know what the discussions were between the King and his Generals because his war scribe was present and the records survived.’ I smile at Thirsk, then tell him, ‘I have read those accounts in the original language, so I know exactly what was said in those meetings. That’s one of the reasons I was asked to teach this to the cadets at the academy. The king was not pleased with his Generals’ advice and expressed it in rather rude language, too, so I won’t repeat it to you.’

Looking down at the map, I consider what to say next. ‘There are three routes to choose from. The southernmost has easy terrain, no obstacles, but is the longest and has the least cover; the northernmost is shorter, faster with some cover; the middle, Aruna Pass, is the shortest, but most dangerous because it is narrow and steep, passable only by men in single file. The first two choices exited at towns and were not only guarded, but watched along their entire length by spies. The Aruna Pass was not, but the King didn’t know that when he made his decision. Thutmose was running out of time. If he waited or took one of the longer, easier paths, he might lose the advantage of numbers and surprise. Ignoring his Generals, who argued with him quite vehemently against it, he chose to take the Aruna Pass.’

I pick a few more enemy markers from the box and hold them in my hand. ‘Thutmose had foot soldiers and chariots. He had the horses led by hand and the chariots carried through the pass. Being a bit reckless or maybe it was the foolhardiness of youth, he headed the march himself. When he emerged from the valley, there was not a single enemy in sight. The Prince of Qadesh never considered the Aruna Pass an option his opponent might chose. He split his men in three instead, keeping one group at Megiddo, while sending the others to the north and south to guard the exits to those routes.’ I place some of the enemy markers in my hand well to the north and south of the ring.

Looking in the box, I select a small square and put it on the map where Thutmose would have set up his camp. The friends markers go on top of it next.

‘Thutmose knew he had some time now, so he set up camp and let his men rest overnight while the chariots were reassembled and scouts sent out to see where Qadesh and his troops were. When the Prince realized what Thutmose had done, he panicked and tried to bring his troops by forced marches back to Megiddo.’ I move the enemy troops from the north and south towards the ring. ‘They were exhausted when they reached the city the next morning and could not prevent Thutmose from picking the best place to attack from.’ I take the friends, split the disks into three groups and spread them out in a semi-circle west of the city ring. ‘The King sent each of his Generals to lead the troops on either side of his position, while he stayed in the middle. He lured Qadesh into attacking him while keeping the two wings under his Generals in hiding,’ I move some of the enemy markers close to the center of the friend’s line, ‘and when the Prince was past the point of no return, Thutmose closed the trap around him.’ The two ends of the friend’s line are brought in to surround the enemy disks. ‘It was a complete disaster for the Prince of Qadesh who somehow managed to get back to the city, only to be hauled inside, over the walls with a rope. The troops left to guard the city refused to open the gates to let him in, you see.’

I sit back and wait for the Commander to say something. He looks past me and I turn around to see an obviously enthralled Sith Lord studying the battle I have mapped out on the floor. When did he come in here? And why haven’t I heard him?

‘Well, what happened next?’ Vader impatiently asks.

‘No one knows for certain, my Lord,’ I reveal. ‘The official annals claim that Thutmose’s troops broke ranks and started looting the battlefield instead of chasing after the fleeing enemy. I think the Generals lost control of the situation or made some tactical errors and were looking for someone to blame. Regardless, it ended in a seven-month siege. The King starved the city, and when it was over, he took the children of the rebellious chiefs as hostages. When their fathers showed any sign of resistance, he had their sons and daughters killed. The lucky ones, some of the boys, were raised to succeed their fathers and sent back as puppet chiefs; the girls went into the royal harem. Thutmose left nothing to chance - he was a brilliant tactician and an utterly ruthless ruler.’

I turn back to Thirsk who is studying the map as well. He knew the Sith Lord was going to come in, I guess, and decided to help me reveal my tactical knowledge to my Lord in a safe manner. I let a small smile play over my lips and raise an eyebrow at him in thanks. The Commander would be a good friend, if Vader were inclined to allow it.

‘I imagine you know more than the details of just one battle,’ the Dark Lord observes.

‘Yes, my Lord,’ I admit. ‘My thesis in ancient studies dealt specifically with the military tactics used by Thutmose and several other Kings of that time and region, and Sam taught me modern strategies as well.’ May as well own up to everything, I decide, it’s much safer that way.

‘And what else has that uncle of yours taught you?’ my Lord asks. There is no anger in his voice, to my relief, just curiosity.

‘Fleet tactics, but in two dimensions, not three, how to supply and support troops in the field, logistics, those sorts of things,’ I tell him. ‘I suspect that he intended me to be his successor, but as a child I had no interest in being one of my world’s military leaders. It was more a game to me than anything else.’

‘Then we shall spend some time in the tactical simulator. I want to see what you can do,’ Vader decides.

I groan inwardly. Not more lessons. What I have now is more than enough to manage. I pick up the markers and sand-sheet and return them to Thirsk’s box. The Commander gets to his feet, and takes the box from my hands. After a quick salute to the Sith Lord, he is gone.

My Lord looks down at me and extends a hand. I am careful to set my right one in his. My bandaged left one is still sore along the cut across the back of it. He helps me up from the floor, and we are off to the TIE Simulator room. We walk in silence for much of the way, then the Sith Lord stops suddenly and pulls me into a room off of the corridor, leaving the door slightly ajar once we are in it. When I start to ask what the problem is, he sets a finger over my lips and waits, somehow stilling his breathing as he had done earlier, and obviously listening carefully to something. I hear voices, but nothing distinct enough to make out what is being said. After a few minutes, it is quiet in the hall, so he relaxes a bit and we resume our journey.

What was that about?

Were you eavesdropping on some of the crew? I ask, being nosy.

I like to get a sense of the mood on the ship by listening in on what my officers have to say, Vader admits. They are still not sure what to make of you, my Favorite. Their opinions are proving to be rather entertaining.

I can just imagine. ‘Lord Vader’s found himself a stubborn, clumsy Favorite from the Outermost Rim,’ no doubt is what the majority think, I tell him.

Actually, no. My two wingmen have seen to that. You did very well against them yesterday and they spent a fair amount of time last night bragging about their abilities as instructors because of it, he reveals. Most are convinced you are from some obscure noble house which was desperate to form an alliance and you were the price I demanded for it, a few think the Emperor is letting me keep you as my ‘pet Jedi,’ and some of the female officers have mentioned a love-match, but no one else is taking that idea at all seriously.

They are all correct, to a certain extent, are they not? I ask, though I do not expect him to admit that the last speculation is true.

He glances over at me, but says nothing in response until we are at our destination. Perhaps some of the crew’s speculations are closer to the truth than others.

With that he opens the door and sends me in. Before he goes, I am told, ‘Lieutenant Keol will bring you back to my quarters once your session is finished. I will be in a meeting with Admiral Griff.’ He points a finger at his two wingmen next and warns them, ‘You two will behave yourselves today and address my Favorite properly. I will tolerate no more insolence from you. What happens in this room, stays in it.’

Their bragging has obviously stepped over the line and annoyed the Dark Lord, too. The two pilots try to look chagrined, but the minute the door is closed and my Lord gone, they start to smile instead. They are like two bratty boys who have been up to no good and just got caught by a parent. My two younger brothers in spades.

‘You had best behave,’ I warn them, ‘because if Lord Vader asks, I won’t cover for you.’

They just sport wider grins. So much for scolding them. If it doesn’t work when the Sith Lord does it, my words won’t have any effect either. I let out a sigh and accept the helmet that Rik offers to me. He looks at my injured hand then glances over at Torin.

‘So it’s true then,’ Rik says, ‘my lady managed to survive more than an hour against his Lordship and emerged with only a scratch on her hand.’

I stare at him, surprised. Is there nothing that happens on this ship which doesn’t become common knowledge in hours? Well, I am not going to supply any grist for the rumor mill. It’s a good thing that the Sith Lord looked after those nasty bites, though, or I would be the subject of even worse gossip. Keeping my face expressionless, I strap on the helmet, climb inside the simulator and wait for the two Commanders to do likewise.

Today we are out in space again. This time, though, there is an obstacle course to deal with as well. After a few rounds of the course, the two wingmen decide to make it harder and tell me to follow them through it. The second round in this manner, I dodge a barrier and yank the fighter hard to the left as I chase after Rik. He’s having great fun making it as difficult as he can, I soon realize. Narrowing my eyes, I consider what I might do to teach him a lesson. There is a ring ahead of us if I remember right from the last time we were in this section of the course. I shove the throttle up full and position myself right beside his ship before he can stop me. The ring is large enough for one TIE, but not two and I intend to play a game of chicken with him. My brain whips through the calculations I need to make and I force Rik to move sideways a few meters. He gives way, but does not slow down. Satisfied I am in position, I wait to see what the wingman will do. A moment later, the ring looming, he tries to scare me into slowing down or moving by inching his ship closer to mine. I refuse to budge from where I am. I know just how close I can get before there will be a problem. We continue to head for the ring and at the last possible moment, Rik pulls away, avoiding a collision and leaving me to happily speed through the obstacle. He eventually rejoins me at the end of the course, and then our time is done for the day.

I quickly pull myself from the simulator. Both Rik and Torin are giving me wary and respectful looks, I note. Maybe I should play chicken again sometime since it worked so well today. We quickly discuss my progress through the obstacle course and agree to another day of the same. My injured hand slowed my reflexes a little, and I should do better tomorrow.

Mia’s voice calls over the comm soon after, and then she is accompanying me back to the Sith Lord’s quarters. Once there, she leaves me to do whatever her job demands, and I start for my Lord’s office only to see that the door is shut. He must still be in that meeting with the Admiral. My feet lead me back towards the bedroom, now, so I drop onto the bed for a quick think while I wait for what will happen next.

That dizzy spell has me concerned. There was no reason for it despite what the Sith Lord told me. I had been working on some mental problem, that much I can remember, but other than that, nothing. I start looking through my mind to try and find what I was trying to puzzle out. It must have been important yet I can’t recall any of it. Frustrated, I finally give up and unwrap my injured hand which has been bothering me a bit. Once I have the dressings off, I can see that the cut is a nasty red color, so I pull out the medkit and put some of the salve on it that Vader had used to heal my close encounter with the cactus. Not sure what else to do, I curl up on the bed and decide to have a nap.

A pair of lips on mine wakes me up.

Ani? I ask, sure that it is him.

Who else, sleepy? he replies.

I open my eyes to find myself looking directly into his.

Oh. I must have slept long enough that it is now time for lunch. He would have left the mask and helmet on otherwise.

Still groggy are you? he teases. You don’t think very clearly when you first wake up.

I reach up and try to yank him over and onto the bed. No such luck though. He’s far too strong for me to get away with that. Instead, he pulls me up so that I am on my knees on the bed, my lips still hard against his. His arms are about me next and I am lifted onto my feet, so I grab a hold of his robes to steady myself against him. Not once does he let our mouths lose contact.

Yield, Favorite mine, he tells me, I won’t let you go until you do.

Knowing there is no point in fighting him and not wanting to anyway, I do so, opening my mouth to him, as he again sends his emotions into my mind. He likes kissing me this way, but his feelings are softer now, less intense.

You are happy and content, aren’t you, Ani? I ask him.

I have every reason to be, he admits, ending our kiss as he does and holding me to his chest. ‘No pressing business, no orders from Imperial Center, no rebels to chase in the immediate area, nothing to worry about except you,’ he reveals. ‘A rare quiet and peaceful day for me. I intend to enjoy it while it lasts.’

‘I have a lesson with Mia in a while,’ I remind him.

‘Yes, I know. I will be down in Engineering then, to make a final check on the repairs to the hyperdrives before they are tested again tomorrow. Once that task is done, the rest of the day is ours to do with as you wish,’ he offers.

Letting out a happy sigh, I lean into him, resting my head against his chest. An entire afternoon and evening to ourselves. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the time. His lips brush the top of my head and a short chuckle follows when I snuggle in tighter in return.

‘You are so very simple and easy to please,’ he comments as he has done before, ‘and a true prize in every way, Favorite mine, one I plan on keeping forever.’

He rests a hand against my cheek as he speaks and I pick up a fleeting sense of concern and worry from him which he quickly hides. Something is definitely bothering him today, even though he is in a good mood.

Ani, what’s wrong? I venture, hoping I can ease his mind somehow.

Old memories, Maia, of times long ago, he admits. Things I would prefer to forget.

***

They are so alike and yet so very different, she who was my first love, now long lost, and she who is and will be my last.

Fierce, stubborn, compassionate, each brilliant and beautiful in her own way.

A senator and a scientist.

What would one have thought of the other? A question never to be answered.

I could not protect Padme, not even from myself.

I must protect Maia and our son else all is lost.

***

I touch his face with my hand, send soothing thoughts to him, and stay quiet, letting him know I love him with my feelings and actions. He holds me tight, sets his cheek against the top of my head, and I feel his mood shift again to one of quiet contentment. Whatever was bugging him, he’s made a decision about it and settled his mind. Time for lunch then.

‘Yes, I have and yes, it is,’ the Sith Lord answers my thought.

Released from his embrace, I am led to the table and a filled glass set in my hand. We both take our chairs and finish our drinks in silence, not needing to say a word to one another. When I put my glass down, he takes my left hand in his and looks at the rapier cut across it. The redness is gone, but the wound will leave a scar. His eyes look up and into mine next, and he gives his head a slight shake.

‘No more foolish moves in the salle, Maia,’ he orders. ‘It’s one thing to have a cut from one of your rapiers, quite another if it’s from a lightsaber. That trick of yours would have cost you your hand if we had been using the latter.’

Chastised again, I promise, ‘No more tricks from me, Ani. They don’t work against you anyway.’

A small smile appears at my admission. He is in a good mood today.

‘Maybe a bit of fun once in a while will mellow you a bit,’ I tease.

‘Unlikely. How I act around you, my Favorite, in private, and on the command deck or in public are two different things,’ he flatly declares. ‘Don’t ever forget that.’

I smile back at him and raise a knowing eyebrow.

‘The crew know you are in a good mood today,’ I tell him. ‘You can’t conceal that for very long, just as you can’t hide when you are angry either. How you move and hold your body are a dead giveaway for both.’

He laughs at my observations. ‘True, most of the officers who have worked under me for a while know with a glance when to stay out of my way. They actually draw lots to deliver bad news if they think I am in a mood to punish the messenger.’ Vader refills his glass, looks over at me and adds, ‘As for the other, you are a very bad influence on me. I have been far too content of late, and it affects my connection with the dark side. Perhaps I should lock you away somewhere remote and only visit when I feel the need to.’

My mouth drops open, so I snap it shut.

‘You wouldn’t really do that to me, would you?’ I ask, a bit worried now.

‘No, but the thought is tempting, especially when you decide to be stubborn,’ he teases.

Careful, Sith Lord, I think, or I’ll tease you right back. The smile reappears and he sips at his drink to hide it.

‘Lock me up,’ I threaten, ‘and I’ll sing nothing but bad German operas to you. You didn’t care for some of the Wagner or Mozart, and I know lots more which is much worse than that.’

‘Torture by opera,’ I muse aloud. ‘Now there’s an interesting idea. Should break all but the hardiest of souls.’

 The Sith Lord gives me an odd look at that suggestion.

‘Well, it works on you from the way you complained about those divas,’ I tell him, ‘and how quickly you shut off the comm a few days ago.’

‘Maybe I should test your theory on the next prisoner I have to deal with,’ Vader suggests. ‘I can use some of your singing, too.’

He wouldn’t.

‘You recorded some of my singing?’

‘All of it, actually,’ he admits.

I stare at him, surprised. He did that? Really? Maybe he likes my voice after all. Not sure what to say in response, I reach over and fill my glass halfway as instructed to in the morning. The Dark Lord in return refills his own. We finish our lunch in silence, but before he leaves, he demands another kiss which I happily give him. Then he is gone, off to check on the repairs to the engines while I wait for Mia to arrive.

The petite Lieutenant shows up exactly on time, and we sit in the den with the screen to start my lesson. She looks at my hand but says nothing about the cut, so I do.

‘An injury from when we were trying a bout or two in the salle, Mia,’ I tell her. ‘It will be fine in a few days.’

A concerned look crosses her face, then she sternly lectures me. ‘My lady, you must never discuss anything which happens in private between you and His Lordship unless he has given you leave to. Not with me, not with your best friend, not with family.’

Too embarrassed and taken aback to reply, I quietly think about what she has just told me. Private life stays private, I conclude. A good rule to follow, I decide, since I have no idea who is trustworthy and who is not. I give a nod to the Lieutenant to let her know I understand so she can continue with today’s lesson.

‘Perhaps I need to go over what is considered proper and improper, first, before covering anything else,’ she suggests. ‘You do not want to do something which will upset Lord Vader and it is easy to do so if you don’t understand the rules.’

This sounds like a very good idea, so I again nod my agreement.

‘Let’s start with the basics, then,’ she begins. ‘First, what you do in private is not to be discussed with anyone. I am sure you will not make that mistake again. Second, his Lordship’s word is law to you, my lady. Don’t argue with him because it will only make him angry if you do, and yesterday’s demonstration should deter you from ever trying that in public. Third, he sets the boundaries for what is acceptable behavior in public and private. Don’t ever try to push beyond what he will allow because he will do something about it.’

I cringe a bit at some of her statements. She had been on the receiving end yesterday, not I, and I still feel guilty that she suffered in that way just so my Lord could make a point.

‘On ship,’ the Lieutenant continues, ‘you will be accompanied to and from Lord Vader’s quarters until he decides otherwise. In public, off-ship, he will never be far from your side. I suspect he will keep you secluded from public view as much as he can for your own safety. I will still go over how to act at formal gatherings with you since he will have to take you to Imperial Center eventually, but that won’t be a topic for today.’ She gives me a warning look before saying, ‘Most important of all is that you must always remember that outside these rooms your every move is watched, every word noted by someone, and many of those will use any opportunity you give them to cause trouble for his Lordship if you do or say something foolish or disclose information that you should not.’

‘Mia, you make it sound like I am a member of one of the royal families back home,’ I tell her, ‘and if I think of it that way, I should be able to manage.’

‘Good. Then you have some idea of what will be expected of you,’ she replies, obviously relieved, ‘I was afraid you would be completely ignorant of how to behave. Just remember to ask his Lordship if you are uncertain of what to do in a given situation. He knows how hard it will be for you to adjust and will be lenient if you tell him immediately when you have done something which might cause problems. And, my lady, he realizes you will inadvertently make mistakes at first because you don’t know everything that you need to, so don’t be too upset with yourself when it happens.’

She pulls out a datapad and I wonder what we will be discussing next.

‘There is something I need to do before we start your lesson. His Lordship has asked me to get from you all the information needed to finalize a formal contract between you,’ she reveals. ‘This is to protect you more than him, and he has told me I can tell you what the terms will be.’

The Lieutenant looks over at me, and I can’t read her expression. She is keeping it neutral, I decide, because she doesn’t want to give away her own feelings about what I am going to hear.

‘Lord Vader is being more than generous, my lady, and many would consider the compensation extravagant to say the least,’ Mia flatly states.

‘Monetary reward doesn’t interest me at all,’ I tell her, ‘the other terms are more important, so let me know what those are first.’

Surprise flashes across her face. So that’s what was bothering her. She thought I was the one who was demanding whatever the payment is that the Sith Lord has put into the contract.

‘Very well then, my lady,’ she concedes, ‘it’s lifelong and binding. You can’t leave Lord Vader even if you want to. He won’t allow it. There is a clause which lets you live apart, but only if he agrees to it.’ Mia looks up at me from the datapad and adds, ‘I should not tell you this, but as a friend, I will. You are his chosen companion, my lady, and the only woman he has allowed himself to get close to in all the years I have known him. He will never permit a separation.’

‘Yes, Mia,’ I quietly agree, ‘I knew that already. I will never leave him, so this is not an issue between us.’

‘The next sections deal with your children,’ she states, turning her attention back to the document in question. ‘He expects you to give him an heir, my lady, and at least two other sons and a daughter in addition to that.’

I stare at her in shock. At least four children? And he specified what he wanted too? That I know he can ensure happens simply because he can use the Force to predict what might result from a night of passion, but four kids is a bit much.

‘He can’t be serious,’ I blurt out. ‘Mia, I am not as young as I look. There is no way I can guarantee four successful pregnancies at my age.’

‘That’s been allowed for as well,’ she admits, ‘but he still expects an heir and a spare, so to speak, a son and a daughter at the minimum.’

That’s more reasonable, I silently decide.

‘The children will be under your care and authority until they are six years old, then all control over their education and upbringing is his,’ Mia continues. When I look puzzled, she explains, ‘He’s done that so when he is away with the fleet he can legally leave you in charge at Imperial Center or Vjun, at least until they are in school. Having family aboard ship, other than you, is not permitted, not even for his Lordship, and he won’t try to break that rule either.’

So he told me the truth about that. Having children means we will be separated much of the time. That’s not fair. I would want to be with both him and our kids, but I know that raising a family on board a Star Destroyer is neither practical nor reasonable. My expression must have reflected my thoughts because the Lieutenant reaches over and gives my uninjured hand a squeeze of reassurance.

‘It’s not that bad, my lady, some of the Grand Admirals farm their children out to family or trusted friends for a few months of the year so their wives can stay aboard ship with them,’ she tells me. ‘Perhaps you could make similar arrangements?’

‘Impossible,’ I sadly admit, ‘the only hyperspace route to my homeworld is impassible now. My family and friends are forever out of reach, and I would never trust anyone else with that task.’

Mia looks at me, surprised.

‘Your homeworld is that remote?’ she finally asks.

‘Yes,’ I answer.

I won’t tell her anymore about it, I decide. She might not believe me if I did, given the Sith Lord’s reaction that day in the Visitor’s Center.

She sits back and looks thoughtful. ‘You may have no choice then. His Lordship will never trust anyone other than you with your children.’ Her attention goes back to the datapad again. ‘The last sections deal with guardianship if your children are orphaned, inheritance, and your compensation for agreeing to these terms. He has designated several of his long-term associates as guardians, honest and trustworthy people, a rare thing these days. I have met them. They are not prominent in the government or overly wealthy, but your children would be well cared for and protected by them. I won’t go over the other sections unless you want me to. Suffice it to say, you are his sole heir until your children arrive, and the payment for your services is quite generous as I mentioned earlier.’

‘Thank you, Mia,’ I tell her, ‘you don’t need to give me the details of the last parts. Now, what information do you need from me?’

Ten minutes later, the Lieutenant has all the details from me that she needs to complete the contract and send it to the Sith Lord’s legal representatives for a final draft. I am glad that this task is done with, and wonder if this is the document my Lord intends to leak to the media. Certainly the sections dealing with children should cause a stir, but perhaps it is the payment, whatever it is, which he intends to cause the biggest uproar. It will be interesting, I decide, to see what happens.

Mia leads me into the kitchen next, and pulls open the bin where laundry goes. She also shows me where the supplement drink is stored, how to requisition supplies, and goes over the other various and sundry tasks required to look after the Sith Lord’s daily needs. My new friend seems relieved to give these duties to me. Her days must be quite busy with other tasks and it will be easier for her to concentrate on those without having these ones to deal with.

Going into the bedroom, the Lieutenant admits that she had put together my wardrobe at Vader’s request, and I thank her as best I can for it. Several of the compartments I couldn’t open do so for her and she keys them now for me as well. It will be my job to replace the cloaks and tunics on their storage rack and restock the medical supplies my Lord needs every day. The time flies by, and all too soon Mia is heading out the door to go to the office she shares with the Sith Lord’s other aides. She will be back tomorrow, I remind myself, and hopefully there will be time to chat as friends for a few minutes.

I settle myself in a chair to wait for the Dark Lord’s return. Time now, to figure out what to suggest we do for the rest of the day. If only I knew what he does to relax, I think to myself. He seems to like my singing so I could do that for a while, but what else? Fool around a bit? Can’t do that for very long or it might go places I don’t want to yet. Curl up and read to him from one of the three books I have? Another day perhaps. Maybe I should have asked Mia for some ideas before she left. Surely she knows what he does in his spare time, having worked with him for almost a decade. At a loss, I decide to ask him myself.

My decision made, I wander through the Sith Lord’s quarters and start warming up my voice, noting the acoustic qualities of each room as I go. I will sing a bit for him and then find out what he might like to do after that. Starting with the usual warm-up exercises, I rapidly move into a few songs, then become a bit braver and decide to try the battle aria again. Let’s be foolhardy today and push my voice to its absolute limits. I lean against the wall near his meditation pod, close my eyes and begin singing. The cadenza comes and I start the arpeggios lower and attempt to take them higher than what is called for in the score. Sure enough, the top note wavers, but somehow doesn’t break and I finish with an inverted trill before ending the piece as one normally would. Cool, I happily think, first time I’ve ever managed that trick. Too bad I don’t have any power behind it. Back home I could step on the stage if I did.

‘You still need to work on that, my Favorite,’ Vader comments, then adds in thought, and you should practice in the bedroom, not out here.

I open my eyes to find Mia, Admiral Griff, the Sith Lord, and another officer, a Captain who I don’t recognize all standing just inside the door, staring at me. Oops. Refusing to be embarrassed about it, I smile at the lot of them.

‘Then I shall go and do so, my Lord,’ I lightly reply, heading back towards the bedroom as I do. I can’t help but tease him, Ani, what exactly do you want me to practice in the bedroom?

‘Not yet, Maia, there is a document to be signed and witnessed first,’ he tells me and warns, Behave yourself. This is important.

Vader and the officers head into his office and I follow, a bit subdued after his scolding. Once everyone is seated, copies of the agreement Mia had gone over with me earlier are handed to me to sign. I quickly do so, using the Sith version of my name in the script I had been taught before returning them to the Dark Lord for his own sigil to be added. Both of the senior officers act as witnesses, and Mia the equivalent of a legal clerk. One copy of the document disappears into the Sith Lord’s desk while the others Mia takes with her when she leaves with the Captain.

The Admiral delays his departure, obviously wanting to say something, but reluctant to do so. Finally the Sith Lord asks, ‘What is it, Admiral?’

Griff’s eyes glance over at me, then back at Vader. I can tell that the Dark Lord is starting to get a bit annoyed with his officer when he prompts, ‘Well, Admiral, out with it.’

‘Your Favorite has a...,’ the Admiral starts, then pauses before completing his sentence, ‘truly unique voice.’

Flattery? Well, it sounds like a back-handed compliment to me. I don’t let my reaction show, just wait for my Lord’s response to his officer’s observation.

Vader rises from his chair, moves to my side and looks over at the Admiral.

‘Unique, yes, Griff, and it is one of the reasons I chose her,’ the Dark Lord admits. ‘Now is there anything else you want to say?’

There is a hint of warning in the Sith Lord’s last words, and the Admiral hears it.

He gives a curt nod, tells Vader, ‘No, my Lord, that is all,’ then beats a hasty retreat out of the Dark Lord’s quarters.

I watch him go and wonder why he bothered making his statement in the first place. Surely he knew that the Sith Lord might take offense.

‘Griff considers himself to be a cultured lady’s man,’ Vader tells me, ‘and he has a bit of a reputation in the port as well. If he ever so much as looks at you in an inappropriate way, I will kill him for it.’

From the fierce possessiveness in his voice, I know that this is one threat the Sith Lord would carry out.

He looks down at me next, and I sense his mood shift back to a more relaxed, contented one. A hand is offered and he uses it to pull me from the chair, only to slide his arm behind my back and guide me into the private section of his quarters. The comm chimes a message so he returns to his office to answer it and I wait for him where he has left me. A few minutes later he returns and the door to the den slides shut and locks behind us, ensuring no one will inadvertently interrupt the rest of our day.

‘The only transmission which can get through now is one from the Emperor,’ Vader reveals, ‘I saw to that earlier.’ He pulls a chair over to one side in the den, and seats himself in it before commanding, ‘Sing for me, my Favorite, I want to hear your voice for a while.’

I am not used to be ordered about like this, so it takes a moment to decide what to sing for him. An hour later, I am tired of Handel, and want to sit down and curl up with him instead, but the Sith Lord gives no indication he is yet satisfied with what I have done. If anything, he is becoming more annoyed.

After another hour, my voice is starting to show the strain on it, so I tell him, ‘Ani, I can’t sing much longer without causing damage. May I quit now?’

‘Will you promise to practice only in the bedroom from now on if I let you stop?’ he asks.

‘Of course,’ I concede, ‘I only went out there because the acoustics are better.’

He weighs my answer for a minute or two, then surprises me with his own concession, ‘If I am in my office and have locked off my quarters, you may practice out there, but only then. You will not make a public display of yourself again. I absolutely forbid it.’

I didn’t mean to, I think to say, then decide to simply remain silent on the matter. Yet another unintended blunder on my part. He must be getting rather tired of my mistakes by now. No wonder he threatened to lock me up somewhere out of sight. At least I wouldn’t embarrass him then.

‘I expect you to make mistakes, Maia, and you are less of an embarrassment than some of the daughters of the nobility I have had to fend off over the years,’ he divulges. ‘Some of those required a rather strong demonstration of the Force before they would cease and desist.’

The mental image of him chasing off women is just too hilarious, so I let out a quiet laugh before I can stop myself.

‘It was not amusing at all,’ he snaps, irritated with me now, ‘some of them were mere girls whose fathers gave them no choice in the matter.’

That stops my laughter cold. This is not back home, I remind myself. Some of those men were probably quite ruthless to their own children when their plans to ensnare the Sith Lord fell flat. I shiver a bit thinking of just how cruel their fates might have been.

‘You understand, then, why I have no patience with the Imperial court and no desire to take you anywhere near it,’ he coldly tells me.

His mood has quickly deteriorated, I note, from one of contentment to annoyance and now close to anger, and I have no idea what I have done to cause it or how to shift it back again. That was stupid, Maia, to get him riled up like that. He grabs my left hand with his own next, and yanks me down onto my knees to kneel on the floor in front of him. My chin is tipped up and held by his other one so that I am forced to look directly into his mask.

‘The Imperial court is a dangerous place, child, one you would last all of five minutes in,’ the Sith Lord flatly states. ‘You are far too innocent and naive to survive there. You could not manage a day off of this ship even, so far removed are you from anything remotely familiar.’

I stay silent at his comments, not wanting to say anything which might irritate him further. In response he tightens his grip on my injured hand and I refuse to let him see the pain he is causing me.

‘Staying silent can also be an irritation,’ he scolds, angrily. ‘For someone your age and as educated as you are, I find it amazing sometimes how childishly and foolishly you can think and behave.’

With this cutting statement he gets to his feet, shoves me aside and storms from the room, shutting and locking the door behind him. I stay where I am, sprawled on the floor, too shocked and surprised to react. He became extremely angry with me, deliberately hurt me, and I don’t understand why.

What did I do wrong, Ani? I ask, but he does not answer.

Getting shakily to my feet, I make my way back to the bedroom. The door slides closed after me and locks. What is he doing? Surely he doesn’t intend to lock me up again. I don’t think I could stand that for very long without having another hysterical fit. Is this another one of his cruel tests perhaps? So much for our quiet afternoon and evening together, I think sadly. He won’t come anywhere near me now.

I change into a nightgown and curl up on the bed after seeing to my reopened rapier cut. No point in doing much of anything else, I decide. Then I remember he gave me permission to meditate and go find him if I want to. Maybe he will notice I am near if I do that. I seat myself in a cross-legged position, slip into a trance and start to look for the Sith Lord. He is not in his office or nearby, I quickly discover, so I go looking farther a field, using his anger to track him. When I do find him, I can sense he is still on the ship, but completely occupied with some task. I slip closer to him and touch his shields.

Rage. Cold anger. Total fury.

My mind is caught and swamped by his emotions. A vision of a broken body fallen at his feet flashes in my head. I recoil in horror at what I find and feel. Not wanting to risk being caught, I flee back to myself and snap out of my meditation. But there is no escape from his feelings - my empathy with him has seen to that. I start shivering with the intensity of what I feel from him, then realization hits.

He was starting to torture someone.

The truth can be a terrible thing to face, and this is no fantasy, no daydream where I am safe at home. This is real, this is who he really, truly is. I put my right hand to my mouth and bite down hard on it to keep myself from crying out.

I thought I knew who and what he was long before I ever met the man.

I was wrong.

This is the man I am now permanently bound to.

The man I can never leave.

The man I love.

I spend some time just rocking myself back and forth, my knees held tight to my chest, in an attempt to comfort myself. The tears are silent ones; I refuse to make any noises that the comm system might pick up.

How could he do that to someone, how can he be like that? The man who gently kisses me and the monster I just discovered can’t be the same person, can they? I start to think things through carefully. He’s a Sith Lord, Maia, I remind myself, that’s who and what he is and you had better not forget that ever again, and while he loves you and cares for you, outside this room his feelings for you have absolutely no effect on what he does. He can never allow them to. Accept this as fact or you will tear yourself apart trying to reconcile the two.

The tears slow, but do not stop as my mind keeps working away. He wasn’t really angry at me earlier, I finally realize, he was just using me to get himself into the emotional state he needed to be in for what he had to do, and he didn’t want to tell me why he was doing what he did. It was cruel, extremely cruel to do that to me. I let the tears continue to fall. Eventually I exhaust myself, curl into a tight ball and try, unsuccessfully, to fall asleep.

When the Sith Lord returns shortly after, I make no move from where I am. I just keep my eyes closed, lie motionless, and wait.

***

I see her on the bed, curled up in a tight ball of painful emotions.

Little goddess. I felt your hurt, your distress, your suffering. And I can do nothing for it. This is something I cannot protect you from.

For a few minutes I watch over her, but she does not stir. Instead she keeps her eyes slammed shut and tries to keep herself from adding any more tears to the ones still wet on her face.

I pull my cloak off and toss it over her. She likes the feel of the fabric and it will soothe her a little. When she still doesn’t move other than to pull my cloak closer, I gently brush the tears from her cheeks. She will weep again when I go, and when I return to the detention level to do what I must.

I lock the door after myself when I leave, and pause a moment when I feel her control go, the tears flowing.

Empathy, I think as I walk back to where the prisoner is waiting. She is an empath.

On her homeworld, I knew this would be a problem and ignored it.

And now, she can feel every single one of my negative emotions at full strength. It doesn’t matter that I have thickened my shields, that I am tightly controlling my feelings. She still feels it, feels me.

My poor little Favorite.

You will simply have to endure it, I decide as I enter the cell.

I have no choice. I must wring an answer from the technician.

‘And now that you have had some time to think about your answers,’ I calmly tell my prisoner, ‘You will once again explain to me exactly how the energy dampers were installed incorrectly....’

***

He has left his quarters, I quickly sense, and gone back to wherever he was earlier, where he was... I cut off that thought. I am not going to think about that. A few minutes later his emotions flood my mind again and there is nothing I can do to block them out. All I can do is curl up and suffer through it. Finally it stops and I pull his cloak tight around me. Sleep, more sleep sounds like a good idea, so I shut my eyes and let myself drift.

***

She’s exactly where I left her, so I reach down and give her shoulder a gentle shake.

‘Maia, you need to drink something,’ I quietly tell her, ‘and wash up a bit, too.’

She stays where she is, eyes shut, refusing to move. I sigh at this, and sit beside her on the bed. This is an understandable reaction on her part. I run my hand through her hair to soothe her, then rest it on her cheek.

‘I should have blocked your empathy, Maia. If I had, you would not have felt what you did, but I am sure you will lose much of your ability to communicate with me telepathically if I do that,’ I admit, ‘so I will let it be your choice. Will you let me block it or not?’

No, I see her decide, as she shakes her head. I don’t want to lose that, she thinks, not being able to silently talk to him would be far worse than dealing with the emotions which flooded my mind earlier.

‘Then you will have to endure what you did today, from time to time,’ I reply to her thoughts. ‘I cannot set aside some of what my position requires me to do simply because it upsets you.’ I brush her cheek again, and tell her, with some regret, ‘If I had known before now just how easily you could feel my emotions, I would never have used you to provoke my rage the way I did.’

No, I won’t ever make her the focus of my anger again.

I lift her injured hand and look at the damage I inflicted earlier when I was too enraged to really control what I was doing. She has tried to reseal the cut, but it needs to be properly cleaned and repaired. I leave her on the bed and retrieve the medkit from the ‘fresher. Maia doesn’t resist when I pick up her hand again and start to pull the adhesive off of it.

‘This is going to hurt and bleed for a few minutes,’ I warn, ‘but there is nothing I can do about that. Your cut needs to be properly looked after.’

She puts up no resistance, makes no sound as I work. I know it hurts terribly when I pour the disinfectant over the wound, and the other cleaning agents are painful too, but all of the old bacta-glue must come off. Only when I am satisfied do I reseal and bandage the cut. The medkit is set aside on the floor when I am finished, and I wait patiently to see what Maia might do. When she stays motionless, I try to get a response from her.

‘Come here, Favorite mine,’ I coax, ‘there is still the evening to share, if you want, or I will go away and let you be if you prefer.’

***

My heart is divided on what to do. Is this the man I love? He has shown no signs at all of the monster I found earlier. I could send him away, lie here by myself and brood, but there will be no escape for me from him, not now, not ever. And I love him still, despite what I know and now understand all too well. No, I decide, I don’t want to be left alone - I have had enough of that in my life already. I open my eyes and look up at him.

He has patiently waited for me to settle my mind, make my decision. His arms are open to me, so I drag myself over and wrap my own around his waist, laying my cheek against his side. He pulls me up and closer in, holds my head against his shoulder, and says nothing, just sends quieting, soothing thoughts to me as he had done once before.

Stay with me, please, Ani, and hold me, I ask, I don’t want to be alone.

Then I will, my Favorite, but before we lock ourselves in here, it might be amusing to watch the news networks and see how they react to our contract.

‘What!’ I blurt out.

He couldn’t have leaked it that fast, could he? We only signed it a few hours ago.

A low chuckle rumbles in his chest. ‘The Emperor is quite efficient at having whatever information he wants distributed spread widely and fast. He had an official announcement made this afternoon, and within minutes the documents were in the hands of the media.’

‘What sort of announcement?’ My curiosity is demanding an answer.

‘Come along and see,’ he tempts, but instead of letting go of me, he picks me up and carries me into the den.

I am set in one of the two chairs with his cloak tucked around me. At a wave of his hand, the screen is on, and the Sith Lord is flipping through channels to find what he wants.

‘Let’s start with the official network, Imperial HoloVision,’ he decides, ‘I can get a direct feed from Imperial Center through the HoloNet terminal in the room next door so the broadcast will be current and in realtime.’ He selects a channel, then disappears into the other room for a moment, no doubt setting up whatever he needs to do to get the news he wants. Once he is back, he takes the other chair for himself, pulls it next to mine and settles in.

‘We need popcorn,’ I suggest, ‘or peanuts. Something to throw at the screen when they get everything wrong. That’s a tradition at home, and my brothers always had fun seeing whose aim was better, too.’

He looks over at me, and I know there is a small smile hidden behind the mask. A minute later he returns from the kitchen with the bag of peanuts I had given him what seems to be a lifetime ago.

‘I knew these would be useful for something,’ Vader teases, handing them to me.

After resuming his seat, he turns up the volume somehow, and we listen and wait for the start of the hourly news broadcast. I open the peanut bag and take a few out before setting the bag on the table in front of us. The Sith Lord, I see, has propped his feet up on it as he used to do back home.

He notices where my attention is, takes my hand in his and admits, ‘An old, bad habit I have never bothered to break.’

I turn my gaze back to the wall in front of us. A female news anchor has just appeared on the screen. She starts the broadcast with, ‘This is Ashii Nermani for Imperial HoloVision. Among tonight’s top stories is a rather surprising announcement from the Imperial Palace this afternoon. After almost twenty years as a confirmed bachelor, Lord Vader has finally taken a Favorite, and not a daughter from any of the Empire’s leading families either. The Princess...’

At that I toss a few peanuts at the screen, hitting it right where the anchor’s face is, before turning to Vader.

‘Please tell me you didn’t,’ I ask, trying not laugh too much.

‘Of course I did. You admitted yourself it was your rightful title,’ he calmly answers, then scolds, ‘Now be quiet and stop laughing so I can hear the rest.’

Nermani continues to drone on, ‘....obviously a rather obscure system. HoloVision has managed to obtain a copy of their contract and the terms are unusually stringent. His Lordship has made it lifelong rather than for a standard set time, with no allowances for a termination of the relationship. The payment is exceptionally high as well, and one has to wonder exactly what it is that his chosen Princess has to offer in return.’

‘Perhaps a beautiful face?’ her co-anchor suggests from off-screen.

‘No one knows, Epanna,’ the woman admits, ‘and I am not volunteering to go ask Lord Vader, either.’

‘A wise decision,’ the Sith Lord comments as he mutes the broadcast. ‘HoloVision tends to be a bit more circumspect in how they treat any story related to me compared with the other news agencies. I did not expect them to give all the particulars of the contract. The other networks, though, will quite happily do so.’

He starts flipping through the channels again, stopping at NovaNetwork and TriNebulon News, but neither of these have any stories related to the Dark Lord on them. Another wave of the hand and the screen goes blank.

‘Too early for the news to have reached the Rim,’ he suggests. ‘Perhaps tomorrow.’

‘Just don’t start calling me ‘Highness,’ I tease, ‘or I’ll ‘my Lord’ you all the time.’

‘That,’ he admits, ‘was Mia’s suggestion, and a wise one at that. None of the noble houses will recognize it, of course, as your family is a complete unknown, but since the Emperor has, they will treat you with more respect than they would otherwise. My rank takes precedence anyway and you will still be called ‘my lady.’

‘Good,’ I reply, ‘because if someone did call me Princess, I would be looking around to see who they were talking to.’

That admission produces a short laugh from him. I am helped from my chair next, his cloak draped over me, and led back to the bedroom. He starts to strip off his armor once the air matches his needs, and I wash my face while he does. When I emerge from the ‘fresher, I find that he is sitting at the table, wrapped in his robe, waiting for me, having dimmed the lights and poured out our evening meal. It is still early, so I wonder what he has planned for the rest of the day.

‘Nothing much, just time with you,’ the Sith Lord reveals.

He stretches a hand to me and I take it, letting him draw me close.

‘I did not intend to hurt you today, my Favorite, but what I did was necessary. There will be other times when I must do the same. You will eventually learn how to cope with it. For now, I will have Mia stay with you when I need to deal with prisoners,’ he tells me. When I look puzzled, he adds, ‘Mia’s presence will help to distract and calm you.’ His free hand reaches up to touch my face while he orders, ‘And you will never again try to contact me when I am in the middle of an interrogation.’ I am pulled tight to his side as he says this, and I know he must have felt my distress, my reaction to what I had found in his mind, what I experienced and saw through his senses.

You felt my reaction, didn’t you? I ask.

Yes, I did, he admits. That’s why I came back to my quarters. I could hear nothing over the comm and I needed to see if you were alright.

He releases me, and waves me over to the other chair. I sit and look in my glass. Something different tonight, I note. After a sip or two, I form an opinion. This juice is not one I care for at all, so I make a face as I put the glass down. Definitely not a flavor I will requisition from stores. Vader chuckles at my reaction, and pours his second serving.

‘Ky-Lessian fruit is an acquired taste,’ he comments.

I shove my glass in his direction. No way am I going to finish it. Crabapple juice tastes better than that stuff did.

‘Drink it,’ the Sith Lord orders, ‘I don’t care if you hate the taste, you need the nutrients in it.’

Nope, I shake my head, not a chance.

‘If you persist in being stubborn about this,’ he warns, ‘I will see to it that this is all that we have for the next week.’

I reluctantly retrieve the glass and drain it as fast as I can. A quick side trip and it is full of water from the tap in the ‘fresher to get rid of the taste in my mouth.

‘That’s not fair,’ I complain. ‘At least you like it. Maybe I should figure out what flavors you don’t like and requisition some of those.’

‘I like all of them, and since I am the only one on board who requires it, the flavors which are stocked are the ones I prefer,’ Vader tells me.

There’s no way he will ever easily let me win, but I am going to keep trying anyway. I watch him fill his glass a third time. While he drinks it, I wonder about what we will do for the rest of the day. I am not at all sleepy, having had two lengthy naps, and the Sith Lord doesn’t seem tired either.

‘Ani, what do you do in your spare time?’ I finally ask.

His glass is set down and he gives me a questioning look.

‘I could reply “what spare time,” Favorite mine, since almost every hour is occupied with something, but I do enjoy designing and modifying fighters and other ships when I have a quiet moment or two, or spending time in my workshop. Now, I can add you to that list,’ he admits.

He catches my right hand in his, lifts it to his lips, and stands, pulling me to my feet as he says the last.

Before I can protest, I am grabbed, lifted in his arms and carried over to the bed. A moment later he is beside me in it, holding me close and stroking my hair with his hand. He speaks to me in Sith now, soft, quiet words, all the while lightly touching my face and hair. When he falls silent, he kisses my forehead before turning me on my side and pulling me in tight. Is it time to sleep already? A touch to my face with his hand, a gentle caress, and the lights go dark.

Ani?

You asked me to hold you, didn’t you? You should go to sleep, Maia. It has been a stressful day for you.

Isn’t it a bit early for that?

Not tonight. Sleep now, my little goddess and I will keep you safe.

Part 3

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