The Mirror within the Mask 6

Fete Week began with its usual bang. Galaxy News Service broad waved the opening ceremonies from Coruscant and I watched it from the comfort of my couch. I wasn’t feeling very celebratory and the last place I wanted to be was in the middle of happy, cheering crowds that had been plied with too much liquor, egged on by fireworks and news nets.

It had been a particularly stressful week. Lord Vader had been alerted to the fact that the Rebels he was searching for may very well have been on Coruscant and had then escaped to a base thought to have been established on Cheeyoom Matee. Needless to say this news didn’t make him happy. I had been surprised that any of these people who were wanted criminals would actually dare to even venture onto Coruscant but Lord Vader had merely shrugged when I had mentioned this during one of our lessons.

“Sometimes,” he had said, “The best place to hide was in plain sight.”

“Will you go after them yourself?” I had asked.

“Only if incompetence dictates I must.” He said tartly. “Now, if you have finished wasting time with your idle chatter, perhaps we can continue?”

And we did. He had been using small combat training remotes and I had been forced to wear a blind fold. The little remotes had a nasty little charge which they shot out at me and if I wasn’t quick enough with the lightsaber to block it I was stung painfully enough to remind me I didn’t want to get stung again. The lessons learned were slow and frustrating. But even I had to admit I saw improvement when, as a reward, at the end of my lessons I was allowed to remove the blindfold and spar with Lord Vader. I some times thought, watching him, that using a lightsaber was a little akin to dancing with light.

For all his temper and tantrums, he was a surprisingly good teacher when it came to this weapon and I enjoyed the time I got to spend with him. Using a lightsaber was not like a combat staff, for one it was a lot shorter and secondly, I only had to worry about one end, not two. He talked about the various styles of lightsaber techniques there were and explained to me in great detail about the styles he was teaching me. I think he almost enjoyed these lessons, although he would never admit it. Usually by the time we were done I was exhausted and he was just getting started. I would often sit and watch him practice against specially designed droids and far more advanced combat remotes. Sometimes my master would join us. I was surprised that he too was able to use a lightsaber and delighted when he asked to borrow mine. It was an amazing sight to watch them practice against each other.

Fete Week meant that many of the non essential departments were closed for the duration of the holiday. I was not so lucky. Stuck in my office wading through the lists of things that Lord Vader needed done and the never ending sea of internal memos was not my idea of fun, it was made even more unpleasant when unexpected visitors barged their way in.

“Grand Admiral Tigellinus, what can I do for you?” I asked as he stormed into the office looking, for all the galaxy, like an enraged Rancor in a glass shop.

“Where is he?” he asked leaning with both hands on my desk so that his face was just centimetres away from mine.

I looked up into his eyes and smiled sweetly. “Could you be a tad more specific?” I asked.

“Vader! Where the devil is he? I have been trying to reach him all morning!” he snapped.

“I’m sorry Lord Vader is not in his office at the moment, perhaps if you’d care to leave a message with his secretary droid and make an appointment?”

“Pah!” he spat and spun away from the desk to start pacing about the room. “I know he’s here! I demand to speak with him now!”

I folded my hands on my desk and stared at him evenly. “Lord Vader is not in his office.” I repeated. “Perhaps if you would care to elaborate on the nature of your ….problem, I could pass the message along?”

“Elaborate!!! You of all people should know what the issue is!” He shouted.

I sighed. “Grand Admiral Tigellinus, I may be many things but a mind reader isn’t one of them. Unless you let me know what the problem is I cannot help you. Lord Vader gave strict instructions that he was not to be disturbed.” Which was the truth and usually meant he was in serious meetings with the Emperor. There was no way in the galaxy I was going to even consider bothering him of that was truly the case.

“That alien, Thrawn, is the problem!” Tigellinus finally spat. “Have you really not heard?”

I raised an eyebrow in response and waited.

“He is to be inducted into the Order of the Canted Circle and this is unacceptable! He is not nearly suitable and he is not even human! I want to speak with Lord Vader and ask him to talk to the Emperor about this!”

I nodded. I was quite certain I could tell Tigellinus lord Vader’s reply pretty much word for word, but I rather liked my job and didn’t want to push it by being needlessly rude although it would have been fun. So instead I said. “I shall inform his Lordship of your problem and try to arrange a meeting for you with him as soon as is possible, but I have to warn you Lord Vader is extremely busy at the moment.”

Tigellinus grimaced. “You had better tell him, young lady.”

“Are you accusing me of not doing my job?” I asked.

He sneered. “Everyone knows that you have an interest in Thrawn, if he becomes a member of the Canted Circle then he becomes even more powerful. That would be most beneficial for you would it not?”

I smiled at him and he didn’t like what he saw in my smile. “Grand Admiral Tigellinus, my personal life is just that personal and my interests wherever they lie are also my own. If you have an issue with how I do my job then I suggest you take it up with Lord Vader himself. I will do the best I can to arrange a meeting for you with him at his earliest convenience but make no mistake; he will not appreciate you wasting his time with trivial matters such as these. If I am to understand how the system for induction into the circle works, it is the Emperor who has the last say and makes the choices. If this is the case then I doubt very much Lord Vader would wish to interfere with this process.” The little tilt of my head said ‘Do I make myself clear?’

He regarded me for a moment then in a swift motion he rounded on my desk and once again leaned into my face. “Zaarin was right about you, you are nothing more than alien loving Outer-Rim trash. It is people like you who will cause the downfall of the Empire!” he hissed.

I blinked at him, my own anger boiling away in my gut. Then I just smiled again. “What century did you say you wished to see Lord Vader?”

Tigellinus made a noise of disgust and stormed out of the office. I counted to ten and when nothing else happened I got up to make spiced coffee. Just as I was pouring a cup for myself Thrawn walked in.

“I don’t suppose there is enough in there for two?” he asked. He sat down in the chair near my desk and accepted the cup I offered gratefully. He looked tired.

“Welcome back.” I said with a smile. “You just missed Tigellinus.” I added rolling my eyes.

“Thank the stars for small mercies. I suppose he gave you an earful?” Thrawn said, stretching his long legs out, crossing one ankle over the other.

I smiled. “Well, he wasn’t happy.” And I repeated the Grand Admiral’s last words to me.

Thrawn just shook his head. “He’s furious about this development. He sees it as an affront to his own induction. He hates me with a passion which would be funny if it weren’t for the problems it creates. I only found out about the news last night when I returned. I would have told you but you were not home when I got there.” He said. I searched for recrimination in his voice but found none.

I nodded. “I had a very long work day and then a very long training session and then Shiv dragged me out to a late supper because he’s convinced I am going to starve to death. I stayed at the flat here, less distance to get into work this morning. Lord Vader scheduled a five am meeting.” I said. “I guess congratulations are in order?”

Thrawn shrugged. “We shall see. The Emperor has pushed my name through and many people are very unhappy about it. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, to say the least.” He ran a hand through his hair. “The ceremony is in six days. Will you be there?”

“Probably.” I grinned. “How long are you planet-side for?”

“At least the next couple of weeks.” He said. “I can accompany you to the art exhibit if that’s what you are asking.” He smiled as he looked up at me.

“The Emperor spoke of it again yesterday, you know, in passing.” I said repressing the desire to shudder at the memory of that meeting. “Asked if I had mentioned it to you.”

Thrawn shook his head. “Of course he did.” He muttered.

“More fuel for the rumour mill, people will start to assume something is going on between us.” I said with a little smile.

“And they would be right.” He replied tartly. “The social-political dance of this place never ends.”

“Tigellinus is going to fight your appointment tooth and nail you know.” I said.

Thrawn nodded as he stood up. “Yes,” he said, “I am counting on this.”

I just looked at him. “Okay.” I wasn’t going to ask; asking why would lead to a lecture and a lesson which would mean me spending the rest of the morning trying to figure out Thrawn’s motives for this statement. I couldn’t be bothered to play this game so early on in the day. I changed the subject. “So to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“I wanted to know if I should arrange food for two or just one tonight.” He said.

“Gosh I don’t know…eating my terrible attempts at cooking in my unsecured flat all alone with only the holonet for company or a decent dinner I did not have to cook with you in your lovely home, followed by some interesting indoor activities.… tough choice.” I said giving him a look.

“And you have no lessons this evening?” he asked dryly, ignoring my bad attempt at humour.

“No. Lord Vader is busy and Master Kjestyll is away for the next two days. I think my lightsaber techniques scare them.” I said miming a swishy poke motion with a pen.

Thrawn laughed. “I can only imagine. I should be done by six, if all goes well. I will pick you up then.” He said. “We can talk more tonight.”

“Talk? Is that what they call what we do nowadays?” I asked cheekily. I was glad to see him back. I’d missed him.

He just cocked an eyebrow at me and shook his head. “Be careful, Miss Gabriel, one day that tongue of yours is going to get you into trouble.”

“Ooh, something to look forward to.” I said.

He shook his head. “Hopeless.” He sighed, but there was a twinkle in his eyes. “I shall see you later, my dear.”

“Not unless I see you first.”

He gave me the ‘okay okay you win’ gesture and escaped my office before I could say anything else, smart assed or silly.

I sighed and went back to work, hoping that was it for visitors for the day, looking forward to the evening.