The Bitter Twist of Dark 8

The worst thing about coming back to my flat was not facing the destruction of my things, or the fact that I was alone trying to clean it up with one working arm but the strange sense of violation I felt. That Jyrki had broken in and done all this and no one had been alerted, no one had heard or seen anything amazed me. When I had expressed this thought to the security agent in charge of my case he had merely shrugged.

“The older part of the Palace isn’t as easy to protect, Miss.” He had said. “I would suggest you request accommodations in the new residence wing. We have much better security and better surveillance systems there.”

I had nodded but I knew that was the last place I wanted to move. I had seen the new residence wing and it had reminded me of a prison not a place to live. Too many locks, too many security guards and far too many holo vid recorders keeping track of every little thing a person did. Plus I hated the design and the more modern style of architecture. It was a trade off, safety versus privacy.

By mid afternoon I was tired and the pile of destroyed clothes and things to be thrown out was far larger than any of the other piles I had started. I was furious at the wanton destruction of my material life but there wasn’t much I could do about any of it. I was taking a break with a cup of tea when a soft knock at the broken door interrupted my feeling sorry for my self.

“Hey, Rim Girl!” Shiv said as he walked in. “I heard you were here thought you might want some company.” He motioned for me to stay seated on the couch and came to me. “What a bloody mess.” He whistled.

“This is tidy compared to three hours ago!” I told him.

He gave me a hug and did that kiss kiss thing. “You poor thing. Maintenance says they’ll have the new door by tomorrow afternoon and security said there will be a better lock system in place. I came by to see how you were holding up?”

“I’m doing okay, just tired.” I said.

“Well I don’t imagine you would get much sleep after this.” He agreed. I had to bite my tongue. “I heard a rumour that it was Admiral Thrawn who saved the day?” He was digging but I didn’t mind.

I nodded. “He happened to be with me when I discovered this mess.” I said.

“I heard he took you in, ‘protective custody’?”

I made a face. “Oh for goodness sakes!” I swatted his arm. “You are so nosey!”

“Well…?”

“He has a place away from the palace and a spare room. He was kind enough to offer it and I was too much of a mess to think twice about accepting. It’s not what you think!” I said but it was exactly what he was thinking and I was pretty sure he could read that on my face.

“Uh huh!” he nodded giving me a grin then his expression turned more serious. “Are you really okay? I mean first that,” he pointed to my shoulder, “And now this, you don’t have much luck.” He said.

“I don’t know about that. I was lucky I wasn’t here when the break in happened. I mean it’s not as if I am in the best of shape to be fighting at the moment.”

“When you put it that way…” he looked around the room and caught sight of the pile of wrecked clothes. “I guess we need to go shopping soon?”

I grinned. “Yeah, they didn’t approve of my wardrobe I guess, every single one of my dresses was shredded.” I sighed. “The girl at HR said to provide a list of everything that was damaged or destroyed. Apparently news of this break in reached the Emperor and he was ‘most distressed’ to hear about it. They said they’ll replace everything but I’d have to shop for my own clothes. Cati will have something to say about the destruction of her works of art I am sure.”

There was a moment’s silence and then Shiv looked at me seriously. “Why would someone do this to you? Does this have something to do with that fight thing that almost killed you? I heard rumours that someone put a contract out on you.”

I sat back. “No, this is a different thing, not related.” I said wondering if the part about the contract on me was true. If it was, things could get awfully interesting and awkward around here pretty fast. I hoped it was just gossip doing what it usually did, running wild.

“So put me to work and maybe we can go out for Corellian cheese cake afterwards or does the Admiral have you on a strict curfew?” he grinned. I rolled my eyes and with Shiv at my side began to finish the job of cleaning up and sorting out my wrecked home.

By the time we had done as much as it was possible it was later than I had thought. I turned down Shiv’s invitation for late night tea and desert at our favourite café and went back to Thrawn’s. While I wasn’t under any sort of curfew, I was reasonably sure that something would be said about me staying up all night sorting out my flat, doctors orders to rest and all that, I didn’t need that sort of grief. The apartment was empty and silent. I glanced at the chronometer and sighed. It seemed that late nights were the norm rather than the exception when one worked for the Empire. I washed up, changed into night clothes and made myself tea. I was bone weary but not tired and I knew that lying in bed would be futile and annoying so I curled up on the couch with a book.

He came in well over an hour later. He glanced at me but said nothing and the look on his face told me to leave him alone so I did. I knew that look well enough because I had worn one just like many a time after a normal day with Lord Vader. I went to the kitchen and poured us both a brandy. I handed him the glass wordlessly when he joined me on the couch twenty minutes later. He had showered, his hair was still wet and he smelled like spice and soap. He had changed out of his uniform and, wrapped in his robe, he was ready for bed. He sipped his drink thoughtfully and then reached over and kissed me on the forehead.

“Thank you.” He said.

“Were you in meetings all this time?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes, if there is one thing the leaders of this Empire love to do it is to listen to them selves talk.”

“I take it they weren’t productive meetings?”

“Sometimes I have to really wonder how this Empire can run at all. It is no wonder there is a Rebellion brewing. If the bureaucracy and self interest of the majority of the advisors and High Command doesn’t destroy us, then the megalomania of the Emperor will.” He told me with an angry shake of his head.

“I thought you were involved in budget discussion?”

He nodded. “That was this morning. Military spending is out of proportion with the money that needs to be assigned to infrastructure and support systems, especially for some of the Outer Rim planets. The way these people talk you would think that nothing exists beyond the Mid Rim. It is no wonder that smuggling is out of control and the petty thugs who run the Outer Rim planets have more control over the populations than the Imperial garrisons and outposts do.” He shook his head. “Zaarin’s new TIE designs were also unveiled. Very impressive, but the costs of producing these ships will far out weigh any advantage they will give us over the X-Wing designs the Rebellion is using. It will be very interesting to follow this project and all its possibilities.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “To top it all off, I heard the most ridiculous thing I have heard in a long time this afternoon. The Emperor has started building an improved design of battle station, to replace the original one that was destroyed at Yavin.”

I blinked at him, it was the most critical I had heard him speak in a long time. “Why does he want to build another one?” I asked in disbelief.

Thrawn shrugged. “Ego or perhaps he didn’t like it that his last toy was broken, I have no idea.” He said. “Vader not was overly impressed and made no bones about showing his displeasure. Sparks were flying between him and Palpatine.”

I couldn’t help the short laugh. “Lord Vader is rarely impressed with anything like that. He was against the first one as well; he thought it was a total waste of time and money, man power and technology. He wasn’t quiet about it then so it doesn’t surprise me that he hasn’t changed his mind.”

He nodded. “Yes, I am well aware of how Lord Vader feels on this subject. We have often discussed it.” He said. “At least he is honest about his opinion on this matter and not a weak minded fool, nodding his head in agreement to further his career.” He sipped his drink. “The problem is that in order to pay for this monstrosity taxes will have to be increased and there is a new demand for slaves to construct it.” He spoke the word slave with utter distaste. “How Palpatine and the rest of his yes men think this will hold the Empire together, is completely beyond me. Fear will only serve to drive the already growing unrest further rather than quiet it. Hate and fear are not good motivators, despite what most people seem to think.”

I sighed. “Maybe you should run for Emperor.” I joked. It earned me a slight smile.

“I have no interest in ruling an Empire, sj’iu tekari; I wish to see law and order in place but that will not happen if the current government insists on following this narrow minded path. You cannot marginalise the alien and Outer Rim populations and expect them to cheerfully tow the line.”

“Can you change anything?” I asked.

“That will remain to be seen.” He said. “It is not going to be easy with the likes of Tigellinus, Zaarin and the rest of the council of twelve, along with the Moffs, bickering over how gets more power and rights over territories. It is a waste of time. These men who are supposed to helping run this Empire efficiently are effectively driving it deeper and deeper into debt.” He shook his head.

“It doesn’t make you very happy, being here on Coruscant, does it?”

He looked at me for a moment, reached over and caressed my face. “Forgive me, I am tired. Normally I would not let these matters get under my skin.” He sipped at his brandy thoughtfully. “I usually enjoy watching the political dance that goes on at these meetings but today it was just tedious.” He said. “I apologise, here I am burdening you with all this nonsense and I have not even asked you how you are?”

“Well, I am fine.” I said with a smile.

He finished his brandy and nodded. “You look exhausted and I’m tired so let’s go to bed.” He said. I didn’t see any reason to disagree. After cleaning my teeth I joined him and curled up into his warmth. I lay in the dark of the room, in the circle of his arms with a billion things on my mind but no words to express them. I sighed.

“Stop thinking and go to sleep.” He told me, stroking my back. Surprisingly enough, under his hypnotic touch, I did but it didn’t last long.

I woke with a start, sitting straight up in the bed gasping for breath. Whatever had brought me out of my sleep did not linger in my waking mind long enough for me to remember, but the fear it left behind was enough. The disorientation receded slowly and as I remembered where I was I realised that I was alone.

I got out of bed and pulled a blanket over my shoulders then went in search of Thrawn. I found him on the balcony dressed in nothing more than the loose pants he slept in. He was seated in a chair with his legs stretched out and crossed one over the other and a cup of tea in his hands. I wondered how he could sit out in the cold of the pre dawn wearing next to nothing. Without the blanket I had slung across my shoulders, I would be shivering.

He looked up at me when I stepped out onto the balcony. “Did I wake you?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Is there more?” I asked pointing at his cup. He nodded so I went back inside to fetch myself a cup of tea.

“So why are you not asleep?” He asked.

“I might ask you the same question.”

He laughed slightly. “Yes, well sometimes I need to think, to meditate more than I need to sleep. What is your excuse?”

“Bad dreams, but I don’t remember what they were about.” I told him.

“They will pass.” He said gently.

I just nodded then asked. “What is on your mind? The meetings?”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, sipping at his tea and staring out into the never sleeping city. “Partially, mostly I am trying to sort out my next moves within the confines of my time here.” He said. “I have certain goals I wish to accomplish. I have to work out the best way to achieve these things. I find that sitting in the quiet of the night often aides me in my thinking.”

“It’s too chilly out here to think, but then again you don’t get cold do you?” I asked.

He grinned and shook his head; we had often had this conversation. “Not like you do. I find it quite refreshing actually, but then I don’t come from the giant ball of sand with an over abundance of solar power.”

I shook my head at his teasing. I was leaning with my back against the balcony railing, the soft wind tugged at my hair. “I like my sandbox home!” I said.

“Mmm, I know.” And we looked at each other and smiled. We came from opposite ends of the galaxy, from planets with climates that could not be more diametrically opposed and some how we still managed to get along. I marvelled at how comfortable I felt with him, here in this place. It should not have surprised me really; we had known each other for a long time and had shared a lot. Perhaps the fact that actual time spent in each other’s company was limited and precious made these moments together more remarkable. I didn’t know and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know either. Just like some secrets, some mysteries were not meant to be unravelled. When I truly thought about it, aside from my family, this man knew me better than anyone else in the galaxy, perhaps even better than my family.

“When will they get your flat sorted out?” he asked breaking me out of my thoughts.

“The door will be done tomorrow, I mean today, and the cleaning crew is scheduled for the day after. I have to be there to let them in because the new door comes with a new, high tech locking system. Then if I understood the HR girl right they will deliver new furniture to replace the damaged stuff in the afternoon after the cleaning crew is done. So I guess things will be finished at the end of the week.”

“So you will stay in that flat and not move some place else?”

“The alternatives are not all that appealing. The new residency wing is more like a prison and off palace living is expensive.” I said. “Besides, I really like living in the older part of the palace and all my stuff, well what’s left of it now, is there.”

He nodded. “How do you feel about it?”

I sighed. “Honestly?”

“Honestly.”

“Scared.” I said.

“Then why stay there?” he asked.

I sighed. “Because if I do leave then Jyrki wins and I lose by giving into my fears. I won’t do that. I just don’t really know how to live this way. It is starting to feel as though I am waiting for him to make his next move rather than live my own life.”

“So you will choose pride and fear over safety and peace of mind?”

“You make it sounds as though I have a choice.” I snapped.

He drew a deep breath. “A’myshk’a, I have a proposition for you. One I have been considering discussing with you for a long time.”

I nodded, listening.

“I know that you want to move back into your own home, maintain your independence and I understand that but I want you to keep the key to this place.” I went to speak but he held up his hand to silence me. “I am more often than not off world and this perfectly good apartment, which I own outright, is empty and unused for long periods of time. After your kidnapping I thought about it carefully then I had your name added to the papers on this flat. Should anything ever happen to me, ownership will be transferred to you.” He said.

“Why would you do that?” I asked very quietly.

“Partially because I want to know that you have a safe place to go that is away from the confines of the Imperial Palace and secondly I would feel a lot better knowing someone who truly loved art would be looking after mine.” He said. “And I wanted you to know that you are welcome here, any time whether I am here or not. This place is as much yours now, as it is mine.” He said and then watched my face carefully.

I had no idea how to respond to this.

“Is this a good silence or a bad silence?” he asked after what seemed an eternity, beckoning me with his hand to come closer.

I took a deep breath, put down my cup and came to him. He took my hand in his and pulled at me to sit on his lap. I just rested my head on his shoulder. His fingertips brushed the wind from my hair and I could feel the beat of his heart as I leaned against his chest. No one had ever given me what he had, the beautiful books and treasures. My hand went to the pendant I never took off. Now he was giving me a safe haven and I had no idea how to put into words how I felt. He watched me carefully, waiting.

“Why did you wait until now to tell me?” I asked. “It’s been well over a year since that delightful little event.”

He nodded. “I wasn’t certain you wouldn’t see it as interference and then you left the planet for Tatooine. I felt you would be safer there than on Coruscant. Telling you wasn’t necessary, but now,” he shrugged slightly, “well, the situation has shifted somewhat.”

“The situation?”

“You and I. This situation.” He said looking at me as he lifted my chin up to make sure I got the full meaning of his words.

“Oh.”

“I am reasonably certain had I made this offer some time ago it would have been very politely refused outright. Lack of independence is not one of your problems and I suspect you would have felt awkward about co habitation in what you would see as my space.”

I nodded. “You’re right about that. So why now?”

He shook his head a little and smiled. “The desire to keep you chained to a desk under the watchful eye of storm troopers is starting to become overly tempting. This seemed a better compromise.”

“That’s not really an answer, you know.”

“Of course it is, it’s just maybe not the one you expected to hear and, for the record, you have still not answered me.”

“Because I don’t know what to say.” I told him after a moment. “Thank you seems too small for something so huge.”

He stroked my hair. “Will you consider the offer then?”

“Yes.” I nodded, yawning. “But you won’t mind if I chose to stay in my own place?”

He shook his head. “Of course not, I merely wanted to give you a second option.” There was just a hint of untruth in his words but in this case I didn’t mind.

“Options are good to have.” I nodded. “Now, will you come back to bed with me? It’s freezing out here and I don’t need to watch the sun rise for a third day in a row.” I asked getting up.

His answer was simply a smile.


***


“Can you move it slowly?” the Doctor asked.

My shoulder immobilizer lay on the examining table beside me and the doctor was man- handling my arm and shoulder.

I moved it and had to bite down on the squeal of pain.

He nodded and then man-handled it some more. I gritted my teeth. “Well, it is much better than I thought it would be. Taisto Kjestyll has informed me he will be involved in your physiotherapy.” He said.

“You spoke to my master?”

The doctor nodded. “He came to me. We have discussed the best course of action for the quickest path of healing. Now with bacta injections and the pins holding the bone fragments in place your shoulder socket is healing nicely. I think you will recover fully but it will be painful for a while yet. When you smashed the joint back in place you not only smashed the bone but you damaged the muscle and ligaments, even bacta can’t heal everything quickly.” He told me and after easing the terrible stiffness out of the muscles that had not been used since the Bunduki fight, he then stuck two very long and painful needles of bacta into my shoulder. I just gritted my teeth and shut my eyes. I figured that my session with Master Kjestyll later on would be ever harder. I wasn’t wrong.

The new training room was perfect but I wasn’t. Master Kjestyll spent two hours trying to teach me how to breathe while he was manipulating my arm and my shoulder.

“Breathe out, child.” He said as he move my arm in a way that made me gasp.

“Ow!” I finally complained.

He stopped and looked at me. “This pain will pass when the ligaments and the muscles relearn what they are supposed to do. You need to stop fighting it and breathe as I showed you along with the movements.”

I sighed.

“Now concentrate.” He said and the torture continued for another hour.

My day had been mostly about sifting through paperwork, sorting out my flat and waiting for people to come to do the things they were supposed to do and pain. So when I returned to Thrawn’s flat, I was grateful for his gentleness and good supply of excellent wine. He had cooked and after dinner we sat on the couch, the holonet babbling in the back ground. My arm was now in a small, removable sling. Everything was much easier without that horrible brace, even sitting was more comfortable. He listened as I told him about my day, trying not to exaggerate the agonies and failing miserably. He just smiled.

“So, I can go back to work and I can move back to my own flat tomorrow. Then I’ll be out of your hair.” I told him.

“You are not in my hair.” He said. “You have work at the moment? I thought you were still under rest orders and that Vader was off world?”

I made a face. “I always have work to do, it’s the Empire. We’d drown in bureaucracy given half a chance.” I sighed. “It doesn’t matter if Lord Vader is around or not. In fact it’s often worse when he’s not here.” I explained. “And yes, he’s off-world. He got called away suddenly to Mimban. The governor of the planet contacted him saying that the rebel he’s been looking for was being held in custody. He went off like a shot. I have no idea when he’ll be back. He’s incredibly focused on finding this boy.” I said.

“Well, that doesn’t surprise me.” Thrawn said.

“Oh?”

“Luke Skywalker is his son.”

“You know this?” I asked after a moment's pause.

He nodded.

“How?”

He gave me a slight smile. “This is the Empire, there are few secrets kept here from people like me. So, yes I know. I have done for some time now.”

“So much for secrecy.” I muttered, not arguing the fact that he had not actually answered my question.

Thrawn raised an eyebrow and for some reason I found this hilarious and I started to laugh and I couldn’t stop. My laughing jag turned into a short unexplainable crying jag followed by more laughter completed by spending the rest of the night in bed with the most amazing man I knew. For the fourth morning in a row I was awake to watch the sun rise. It was a good thing I could go back to my own apartment, there were far too many distractions here and I desperately needed my sleep.