What the Eye Doesn’t See…6

After staring listlessly out of the view port in my office for what felt like hours I came to the conclusion that time was like a rubber band. It stretched out long and slowly, almost agonizingly so, only to suddenly fling itself forward as if in a mad dash to catch up with the time it lost elongating itself in the first place. Right now we were in one of the long stretchy phases.

It wasn’t so much that I was actually bored, life as lord Vader’s personal assistant did not allow such luxuries as boredom but there were moments when I wondered if time conspired against me because it seemed unending and, much like hyperspace, void of anything meaningful.

What had felt like forever and was in fact only a month or so that we had been meandering through space with no apparent purpose, or so it appeared. Lord Vader was as much on board as he was away doing things that were, in his words, ‘None of your concern girl, so stop asking and do your job or else you might find yourself floating back to Coruscant in an EV suit!’ To say he was a little foul tempered was a kindness.

I suppose that being the Emperor’s Iron Fist had its perks but for the most part his job as second in command of the Galactic Empire did not seem to bring him much joy and he delighted in taking his bad moods out on everyone and everything around him, including me. Although I was becoming very adept at circumnavigating his temper tantrums, I still felt the heat of them. There were days when I tried to avoid him like the Bandonian plague unless it was absolutely necessary to be in his presence but this was a tricky thing because through the force I was easy for him to find.

Since the very first moment I had ever laid eyes on him, he was not exactly the happiest person in the galaxy but as of late there were enough things to upset him further, including an unusual number of defections to the Rebel Alliance of some fairly knowledgeable people, making him almost unbearable to be around. To be fair it wasn’t as if the Emperor was very forgiving of mistakes made or even problems that had no immediate solutions.

On more than one occasion I had been present during an Emperor chewing Lord Vader out session and it wasn’t pretty. The Emperor was as cruel as he was powerful. He seemed to get great joy out of inflicting pain and uncertainty amongst the people who worked under him, looked up to him and for reasons I would never understand even actually liked him. I put this cruel streak down to boredom, after all when you have everything the galaxy could offer what else is there to do? Meanness was the playground of the powerful, cruel and elite.

My own work had not lessened with distance from Coruscant but rather had seemed to triple. The amount of correspondence, meetings and the general day to day organization of Lord Vader’s schedule had increased almost exponentially. The worst of the lot was Prince Xizor, who had astoundingly enough managed to worm his way into the Emperor’s inner circle and was now jockeying for power and position number three. I was not entirely sure why the Emperor allowed the Prince such liberties as he did but it was not my place to question anything the Emperor did. I asked Lord Vader about it but even he refused to speak about it out loud, his thoughts were another matter and over all he hated the Falleen Prince with a darkness that scared even me.

Most people knew very little about Prince Xizor, but I had a dossier on him larger than the story of my life and I had been expected to learn it off by rote. I suppose Lord Vader’s thinking was if I knew his enemy I could help in the playing the dangerous game of dejarik he had engaged in or perhaps it was simply a case of misery loving company.

My first experience with Prince Xizor had been at one of the Palace functions, I had stumbled into him by accident and he had been not merely forgiving but downright pleasant. I had felt as though there were bees in my belly and had fallen madly in love. It had been Shiv who had dragged me away, explaining that the Falleen had the ability to use pheromones to basically seduce members of the opposite sex. After that I had either kept my distance from the Prince or played the besotted courtesan in his presence. Like most powerful men it was the chase he desired not the end result. He went through more girlfriends than Lord Vader went through officers. But his social life was only the veneer on the surface of a man who was as complicated as he was devious.

Xizor came from Falleen, a planet in the Mid Rim in the Falleen system. It was a pleasant world with temperate zones, vast plains, rain forests and Ice covered mountains. It had also been the site of a Bacteriological Research facility under the command of Lord Vader. I had asked him once about this but he had told me it was none of my business. I couldn’t find much in the way of information about it and assumed, like most things Imperial, it was considered top secret and in the end I decided I really did not want to know.

Xizor, like most of his species, was tall, reptilian in appearance and vain. Although the Falleen were considered to be among the most beautiful and aesthetically pleasing species in the galaxy I would have disagreed. I found him repulsive when I was thinking straight. They were long lived, having life spans that rivalled the Hutts, with an average age of two hundred and fifty years. They were also cold blooded and semi aquatic, able to hold their breaths underwater for very long periods of time. They believed themselves to be superior to most other species in the galaxy and were as arrogant as they were self disciplined. It was an annoying mix of traits that only added to my utter dislike of the Prince.

Despite his fine clothes and elegant manners, there was a nastiness to him that, like the rotted core of teega apples, could not be seen from the outside, but you knew it if you bit into the fruit. In true current Falleen fashion he wore his long inky black hair in a single top-knot, the rest of his skull bald and dressed himself in the most expensive fabrics and designer clothes available. Cati had, on occasion, provided him with one or two of her exclusive designs. His skin, which was scaly, was normally a greenish hue but it changed with his moods, and he had the blackest eyes I had ever seen. Like most of the Falleen, Xizor was also one of the most patient beings I had ever met, able to seemingly bide his time with a calmness that bordered on scary. He was one of the wealthiest men in the entire galaxy and he lived an obscenely opulent lifestyle. He owned legitimate multi million credit firms such as Xizor Transport Systems and on the outside seemed every bit the refined, respectable business man. What most people did not know was that he was also the current Vigo of the Black Sun Corporation.

Black Sun was an enormous criminal syndicate which spanned the galaxy. It had been around for a very long time and had a Force like grip on the underworld which it ruled jealously. Dealing everything from black market weapons to illegal spice, Lord Vader considered the syndicate a thorn in his side, but the Emperor turned a blind eye to the wheeling and dealings of the crime organization and held Lord Vader on a tight leash when it came to anything to do with the prince.

None of this made Lord Vader very happy and despite the fact that the Emperor had more than once reigned him back from dealing directly with the problems that arose from the Black Sun Syndicate, as well as making him ‘play nice’ with the Prince, Lord Vader had other plans. I was never quite sure if it was simply jealousy on Lord Vader’s part which made him so averse to Xizor’s seemingly important place within the Emperor’s chosen few or if he really saw right through the Prince’s oily words and obsequiousness for what it actually was, an attempt to usurp him as second in command.

I wondered if that was actually possible for Xizor to do because while perhaps he was devious and powerful he was not force sensitive and would never be able to replace Lord Vader as the Emperor’s Sith apprentice. I wasn’t sure there was room at the top of that food chain for two second in commands but I never brought this thought up. The mention of Xizor’s name made Lord Vader tetchy enough that I knew better than to aggravate his already raw nerves.

I had asked Thrawn about it once, some time ago after a particularly volatile meeting with Lord Vader and Prince Xizor had turned into a furiously vile pissing contest. I had come home with a massive headache, full of spit and venom that was mostly transferred mood from Lord Vader, wanting kill something, anything. Thrawn, in his usual cool manner, had diffused my foul temper with a glass of wine and his practice of a Chiss meditation-relaxation technique called Tan’le’nwi, which mostly involved pressure points on the back and the neck. It reminded me a great deal of what Master Kjestyll would do to release the tension I seemed determined to hold on to in the muscles there. I suppose the names of the techniques differed but tension and the pressure points to release it never really did. As I sat on a foot stool, between his legs while he worked on my back, I had vented my wrath from the day’s aggravation. Under the almost painful ministrations of Thrawn’s strong, long fingered hands I complained bitterly about the endless hours of ridiculous back and forth discussion which I considered to be a stupid waste of time. I did not understand why the Emperor set these two men up the way he did. It was like adding fuel to a fire. My rant had earned me a fairly lengthy lecture from Thrawn about the Emperor’s love of games. It was not the first time he had tried to explain to me how and why the Emperor chose to do what he did, but it did not ease the annoyance I felt about it all.

“Surely this cannot be productive for the running of the Empire?” I had asked as he kneaded a particularly stubborn knot on my back.

I had sensed rather than seen his shrug. “There is a somewhat misguided belief that rivalry promotes productivity.” He had replied. “Palpatine feels that by pushing his servant, Vader, in a certain direction of hate and envy he will obtain more use from him as well as make him more pliable to suggestion. By allowing Xizor the position of power and favour that he does, Palpatine sends Vader the message ‘you are expendable; do not get too comfortable in your role in my life’, thereby, willing him to work harder to please Palpatine. There is something in Lord Vader’s make up that desires the Emperor’s approval, despite his utter hatred of the man, Palpatine knows this and exploits it.”

“Well I wish they’d go play these childish games elsewhere then, they really bug the sandjiggers out of me!” I had said crossly, almost petulantly.

Thrawn had chuckled, stopping his work for a moment to caress the back of my neck. “The Empire does not revolve around you, my dear.” He had chided gently. “And the Emperor loves an audience, a role which you play very well.”

“Why must men always prove they that they have the bigger…Ow!?” I had started to ask crossly only to finish with a squeak as he had dug extra hard into a particularly painful knot.

“If I had the answer for that, sj’iu tekari, I would perhaps be a god.” He had said with a laugh.

“You mean you aren’t? I thought you knew everything?” the retort had just sort of slipped out and considering the pain he had been inflicting with the Tan’le’nwi techniques I should have been more circumspect.

As he applied more pressure than I thought ever possible to a part of my back I hoped would just vanish he said. I exhaled loudly as I was told to do and felt the tension dissipate with my breath. “As much as I enjoy the thought that you believe I am not only all knowing but also infallible, this is sadly not the case. I assure you, my dear I am every bit as mortal as you are, the difference between us is that I don’t desire to test just how mortal I am every time I come into the Emperor or Lord Vader’s sphere of existence. I am well aware of my place in this universe and try to work accordingly. It is what it is.”

I had sighed and given up then, relaxing back into his hands, letting the topic drop momentarily. If the question was as old as the universe then I reckoned the answer was just as antique and three times as elusive. Still, it played on my mind. Was everything centered on huge power plays? Was that the ultimate truth of it all that what all beings wanted in the end was simply more power? If this was the case then my question always came back to what happened when you had all the power there was? What then? I had asked Thrawn this and after a very long and thoughtful silence he had told me he didn’t think it was possible to attain such a position. He had gone on to explain that the universe, according to Chiss scientists, was expanding, and as such so were the possibilities for power… it was therefore, impossible to have it all.

“Hence,” he had added, “the lust and drive to acquire more. It was a never ending circle, the more one has the more one wants.”

“Why are we never satisfied?” I had asked.

“You do ask the difficult questions.” He had said, his kiss on the back of my neck telling me he was finished de-stressing me and that he wasn’t going to answer, so I’d pushed.

“Surely you must have some ideas on this subject.”

He had sat back on the couch, beckoning me to come and sit with him. As I curled up into the circle his arm made for me, he said, “Humans are the most astonishing creatures.” He had said. “Your capacity for compassion and courage knows no bounds, by the same token neither does your greed or viciousness. I have rarely met such contradictory beings in my life; much less had the amount of time needed to understand all your unique talents and traits. You build great communities and draw many diverse cultures together while at the very same time devising the most appalling methods of destruction and tearing everything you build apart. If I were to sum it up I would say you are voracious in all things both good and bad. You are ruled by your passions and you are very much creatures of appetite. It is as much your strength as it is your weakness and ultimately your undoing.”

I had digested this for a moment and then asked. “So what does that make you and your people?”

“Extremely cautious.” He had smiled and with that smile had come the end of that particular conversation.

Now I stood gazing out at the inky blackness of space, these thoughts rattling around in my mind. Lord Vader was off ship and I was grateful for the peace and quiet. The moment he stepped off the Executor the sense of relief was so enormous it was as if the ship herself had sighed.

A knock on the door broke my thoughts and I turned around to see Jarack enter.

“Credit for them?” he said with a tired smile.

“Nothing worth a credit, I’m afraid, just enjoying the calm.” I told him taking the envelope from his hand.

“Ah yes, Vader is away. I noticed the distinctly festive mood when I came aboard.” He said.

“So how are things out in the Unknown Regions?” I asked, pouring him a cup of spiced coffee when he nodded at my offer. I dug into the drawer of my desk to hand him the return correspondence.

“Busy.” He replied. “I can’t talk about much, but the Admiral is very good at his job and he and his crew have accomplished much in a fairly short period of time. Of course he had laid much of the ground work down before this.” He said. “I’m sure he tells you about it, though.”

I nodded. Thrawn had spoken often of his work. “There is a communiqué from Lord Vader in the letters I gave you.”

Jarack nodded. “Right, I’ll see that it’s taken care of. Sorry about the short visit, things are a bit mad right now. See you soon enough I reckon.” He drained his cup and gave me a smile as he left.

There was a storm brewing in the galaxy. I could sense it. It buzzed at the edge of my senses making me edgy and restless. As I read the daily reports of the small triumphs the Rebel Alliance made against the Almighty Empire I could not help but wonder at the tenacity of the rebels. They reminded me of tiny rock warts, at first glace they were just a pest but upon closer inspection one realised they did immeasurable damage and could be deadly if not controlled. A shudder ran down the length of my spine. The balance of the galaxy, it seemed to me, was a very precarious thing.

I glanced at the chrono and decided that it was time to stop for the day. All I wanted to do now was to return to the quiet of my quarters and read Thrawn’s latest letter. This was a welcome respite from my normally hectic schedule. His words were a kindness in an otherwise cruel environment, balancing out the darkness and quiet despair that often threatened to over take me when I actually had time to think about things, which thankfully wasn't often.