In the City that never sleeps 10

Lord Vader stood statue still, with his hands behind his back, watching the crowd. I stood at his side and waited quietly. He liked to make a dramatic entrance so he always paused before entering a crowded room. The buzz of voices in the great audience hall died to a dull whisper when he swept down the stairs to the grand foyer with me in tow, desperately trying not to step on his billowing cloak.

Lord Vader was many things but the life of the party was not one of them. As he passed through the crowd, people stepped back from him, giving him room to move through the crowd. He paid no attention to the hush and once the shock of seeing him had passed the conversation level rose back to normal. I watched as the momentary stillness was broken by elegant wait staff winding their way through the throng. They did not even stop doing their jobs for a moment. I was tempted to snatch a glass of what ever it was they were serving but decided not to. The drinks had that tell tale sparkle which let me know they had been laced with glow spice.

As he stalked through the room, with me trailing in his wake, several people stopped to speak with him, mostly Grand Moffs and members of the Admiralty. The conversations were dull and I stayed in the Dark Lord’s shadow, letting my mind drift. I nearly jumped out of my skin with fright when someone touched my shoulder from behind. I turned around to stare in to Grand Admiral Zaarin’s face.

“My apologies, I did not mean to startle you, Miss Gabriel.” He said with a pleasant smile.

“Good evening, Grand Admiral Zaarin,” I smiled back at him.

“Please Miss Gabriel, call me Demetri.”

We’d been through this dance before. I just nodded and smiled. “As you wish.”

“Will you be watching the ceremony from here or from the balcony with Lord Vader?” He asked.

“That depends on Lord Vader’s wishes.” I answered. “What about you?”

“As a member of the Council of Twelve I shall be with the Emperor as he gives his speech. It would, of course, be made all the more pleasant by your presence.” He punctuated his statement with a casual caress of my forearm. I moved so that the contact was broken. His smile slipped a little.

“I must admit I am surprised to see you here, I thought that you would be busy with your engineering projects.” I said. “I understand they are quite time consuming.”

“Ah yes, well the Emperor wished all twelve of his Grand Admirals be present for the dedication ceremony.” He said casually, “and of course we live to serve.”

“Of course.” I smiled. There was a lie underneath his words and he was not at all happy to be here. “So your projects are going well?” I asked again.

He gave me a tight smile. “The last time we spoke you did not seem terribly interested in me or my work.”

“On the contrary, as I recall, you discussed your work at great length ruining several fine linen napkins in the process. I am very interested in the newest technology the Empire is creating.” I said. I am just not interested in you, I thought.

“Ah yes, of course. Well, the designs I spoke of with you have been finalised and many new ones in various test phases.” He said.

“I heard a rumour that you were working on trying to cloak ships, that sounds very exciting.”

He paused for a second but I just gave him a smile. “It has been a project in the planning stages for a while but there is no real project to speak of, plenty of ideas and plenty of problems.” He said. I didn’t have to dig to even feel the lie underneath the words.

“So there is no prototype yet?” I asked.

“Not yet, but the conceptual designs are worth looking at. It is quite exciting actually; perhaps if Lord Vader is so inclined you would be permitted to visit the facility and you could see them for yourself, I understand your clearance would allow that, if not I am sure I could find a way to have an exception made.”

“I’ll try to catch him on a good day and ask.” I replied with a light smile.

He paused for a moment and studied my face then said, “You know you might want to consider changing jobs and working for a less … difficult member of the Imperial Navy.” He spoke casually but underneath his words was an anger I couldn’t quite place. “I am certain the Emperor would permit you to transfer to assist another officer, or department.”

“Oh, I don’t think I’d want to transfer. I like my job, it is always interesting.” I said sweetly.

As he leaned in closer to me, he said. “You seem genuinely interested in my work, you have the engineering skills to make you a useful assistant to me and I would enjoy working closely to you. Surely your skills are being wasted under Lord Vader?”

“Well, I think you would have to ask him about that, I cannot judge if he wastes my talents but I think he might disagree with you.”

He simply smiled. “I could provide you with an interesting job and I guarantee you it would not be so dangerous.”

I moved back from him just a step and gave him a polite smile. “Oh, I don’t know about that, believe it or not my job is extremely interesting and,” I said, “I imagine you can be quite dangerous when you wish to be.”

A shadow crossed his face as he sorted out the meaning behind my words but he hid it well. “I shall take that as a compliment, Miss Gabriel.”

I played with a lock of my hair and smiled coyly but before I could say anything else Lord Vader came to stand beside me and engaged Zaarin in conversation. While the two men spoke I listened with that strange inner sense but despite the impression Zaarin was hiding something, I could not tell much at all. He was very strong willed and not easily bent to the force. It was frustrating.

“Merlyn!” Lord Vader suddenly snapped in my mind.

I blinked up at him then realised that Zaarin had been speaking to me directly.

“Oh I’m sorry Grand Admiral, you were saying?”

Demetrius Zaarin smiled tightly. “I was just telling Lord Vader of your interest in my work and then I commented that you look quite radiant this evening.”

“Uhm, Thank-you. I have to give the credit to my dress maker, Cati, she really does create miracles.” I said, a little taken aback by his sudden compliment.

Zaarin watched us for a moment and then continued to speak to me. “I noticed that you did not accompany with Admiral Thrawn, although I saw that he arrived shortly after you did. I did not realise he had returned to Coruscant and I am surprised he did not require your company for this event.” He was fishing.

I shrugged, “Admiral Thrawn does not require my company for anything.” I answered coolly. I did not like the ripple of hatred that had slipped into the words Zaarin spoke.

“So you are here on your own?”

I smiled. “No, I am with Lord Vader.” The dark lord glanced at me but said nothing.

“Ah, yes, of course. Will your delightful assistant be accompanying you to the balcony to watch the Emperor’s speech?” He asked Lord Vader.

“I suppose she may join us and watch the festivities.” He replied. I hated it when men spoke about me as though I were not standing right in front of them.

“That’s kind of you, my lord.” I said a tad more tartly than I had meant to. Lord Vader said nothing but I felt the tiny Force nudge to behave. I knew that he wanted me to read Zaarin and if that meant forcing me to be near the Grand Admiral, Vader would play that game. I bit my tongue, I could get away with being a smart mouth with lord Vader in private but never in public.

Zaarin’s smile widened just a little. “Perhaps after the official ceremony is over we shall have more time to discuss my work.” He punctuated this statement with a brush of his hand on my arm.

“Perhaps.” I said lightly, moving back from his reach. I did not like that he kept touching me as though suddenly I was his property.

“Then I shall look forward to later on.” He said.

I was saved from having to answer by the announcement that the ceremony was about to begin. The speeches and the actual dedication would take place out on the huge balcony which over looked the main palazzo allowing the general public, who waited eagerly beyond the barriers set up by security, to see and hear the words of the Emperor. I followed Lord Vader up the stairs to the balcony where seating had been arranged. I felt the glances and heard the whispers that swirled about as the crowd moved back in to fill the space we had made. I wasn’t sure what the buzz was for this time and the attention I was being shown was a little more than I usually got but I didn’t mind. I was more than used to being the topic of people’s idle chatter and the subject of their gossip.

The new Assembly wing had been in construction for just over a year and contained a very large theatre style auditorium, a set of new conference rooms, a new daycare center for palace workers and a public access library. A great deal of fuss had been made about the new wing because it had been incredibly expensive to build and there had been several nasty articles on the HoloNet about the waste of tax payer’s money. The writers of these articles had all met with surprising and sudden accidental deaths.

The Emperor arrived with all his usual fanfare and entourage, including six royal guards. The guards never ceased to amaze me, they moved like red ghosts, silent and eerie. Standing in semi circle around the Emperor as he sat on the chair provided for him. Along with the guards were his advisors, pale, pinch faced men with beady eyes and a lust for power so great they seemed swallowed whole by it, and the beautiful courtesans who adorned the Emperor’s entourage like the pretty jewels they all wore. I noticed that Mara Jade was among them and sat close to her master. A great hush washed over the masses of people and while I was never sure quite how the Emperor managed to inspire such awe I was certain his use of the Force had a great deal to do with it.

Lord Vader, being who he was, did not sit but instead chose to stand directly behind me, freeing up a chair which Grand Admiral Zaarin decided he could take instead. I glanced at him and he gave me a sly smile. I sighed, wondering if my plan of using Lord Vader as a shield had backfired a little bit. I glanced around and saw that the entire council of twelve were present, but of Thrawn there was no sign. I guessed he had not been invited up to the balcony, after all, in theory, he was still in disgrace.

‘How long will this take, do you think?’ I asked Lord Vader silently.

‘How should I know?’ Came his cross reply. He hated these functions even more than I did and he was very unhappy that attendance for this one had been mandatory. ‘No more than half an hour, the Emperor has other things to deal with tonight.’

I turned around to look up at him. ‘Oh?’

I felt his scowl as he looked down at me. ‘For Sarlacc’s sake, girl, mind your own business, stay out of things that do not concern you!’

I turned back to sit straight and gaze out over the crowd of people. While the overall mood seemed festive enough the under currents were anything but. Recent battle at Hoth, general unrest and small skirmishes out on the Outer Rim had people in the core concerned. The Core worlds, which enjoyed the most Imperial protection, did not like disruptions in the shipping lanes and the effects of what had happened to Alderaan still lingered in people’s minds.

The Emperor stood as he began to speak; loudspeakers amplified his voice for all to hear. His speech contained a lot of words like great and glorious. He was an excellent public speaker, I suppose that came from his days as chancellor of the senate but as I sat with my hands clasped on my lap; one leg crossed over the other, I mostly tuned him out. I had heard a variation of this speech many times and I no longer believed it.

My thoughts turned to what Thrawn had talked about earlier. The Emperor’s dirty secret, he had said. I didn’t understand what he had meant by that. I had always been under the impression that Palpatine liked having Thrawn around and that the two worked closely together, conspiring to bring the vast Empire under tighter control but after our conversation I was not so sure any more. I was so deep in my thoughts that when Zaarin put his hand on my thigh I jumped in fright. He leaned over and whispered a comment about how glorious the new wing was.

I turned to look at him. The hand on my thigh moved in a slight caress. Even though there were people seated in front of us blocking any view of what he was doing I didn’t think causing a scene would be the smartest move. I took his hand in mine gently and gave him a sweet smile. He returned the smile with one of his own and I could feel his surprise. He was about to be surprised further. I let my fingers run over his hand until I found that tender spot between the thumb and palm and then I applied enough pressure to cause pain. Zaarin snatched his hand away with a hiss that made Lord Vader stir behind me. I felt the dark lord’s subtle warning to behave.

“He’s being a nerf herder, can’t you force choke him or something?” I asked by way of explanation.

“No.”

‘If he touches me again, I’ll have to seriously hurt him.’ I told him.

‘Behave yourself or I will deal with you!’ Came the terse reply. I was on my own with this latest problem.

I didn’t have time to reply because the Emperor had finished his speech and we were all expected to stand and applaud while he turned his back on the crowd, swallowed up by his royal guardsmen and was whisked away to the safety of some inner sanctum.

With a sigh I followed Lord Vader out, Zaarin walking behind me decided to push his luck by placing his hand on my back, a few centimetres too low to be polite but not low enough to be down right improper. I gritted my teeth as we left the balcony and used the force to shift one of the chairs we walked past just enough so that he stumbled on the leg. I quickened my pace to put enough distance between us so he couldn’t touch me again. It was a relief to reach the main hall and even more so when Shiv found me standing beside Lord Vader.

“Lord Vader, good to see you, sir.” Shiv said politely. “I trust you are well?”

I watched as Lord Vader regarded Shiv for a moment and then gave him a slight nod. “Yes.” He said pointedly and then walked off to speak with a Moff, whose name I didn’t know.

“He’s in a chatty mood, isn’t he?” Shiv said with cheerful sarcasm.

“Don’t be a Hutt-head.” I smiled.

“Listen, I have to go pick up Ynyth and Bobbyn. Do you want to come with me?” There was almost an hour to go before the private reception started.

I shook my head. “Not really, I was thinking that I’d go to my office, finish up some work and have a cup of tea.” The thought of negotiating Coruscant traffic with Shiv driving made me inwardly cringe. He was not the best driver I had ever seen and usually I spent any trip I made with him with my eyes half closed.

“Work?”

“I always have work to do.” I said. “But there is a last minute project Lord Vader wants done as soon as possible. I thought I would take advantage of the quiet time to get a start on it.”

“He’s such a slave driver.” Shiv said. “Hey, I see your Admiral is back on planet.” He commented nodding over in the direction of the main entrance.

I looked up and saw Thrawn speaking with one of the Emperor’s advisors. “Yes, he came in late last night.”

Shiv grinned at me. “Oh?”

“No ‘oh’ just good to have him back for a while.” I told him. Then I asked, “Why didn’t Ynyth come with you for the public part of this shindig? I thought we all had to be here?”

“Mandatory is just the Empire’s way of making sure some people come to these functions. No one really cares. She couldn’t be bothered to sit through all the speeches; it’s not as if we haven’t heard them before. No one important misses us minions at these things but they will probably ask about her at the reception so I told her I’d pick her up after the public dedication.”

“True enough. I wish I could have avoided coming though.” I said ruefully, glancing around to see Grand Admiral Zaarin staring at me in a way that reminded me of how scyks looked at prey. I glanced away from his gaze.

“Do you want us to stop by your office and pick you up or shall we all just gather at the reception?” Shiv asked.

“Oh at the reception is fine. Things won’t get going for a while anyway so take your time. You can comm me if you need to.” I said stifling a yawn.

Shiv grinned. “No sleep last night?”

I shook my head. “It will surprise you but actually, I slept the whole night through. The Admiral came back very late so it’s not what you think. This event is just dull.”

He nodded. “Well, you could go talk to Zaarin, I’ve noticed him giving you the eye.” Shiv teased.

I made a face. “Ugh don’t talk to me about that slimo. He’s all hands on tonight; I don’t know what’s gotten into him. It’s as if someone gave him the go ahead to feel me up at every opportunity.”

“Well, maybe the rumour that you and Thrawn broke up might have something to do with that.” Shiv said studying his nails.

That raised my eyebrows. “What? Where did that one come from?”

“He’s here, you’re here but you didn’t arrive together, you haven’t said a word to each other in public and I suppose someone figured he’d dumped you. It’s been a while since anyone saw you two actually together at an official function. It’s not as if you advertise your relationship with one another in the first place. That’s how rumours start and they spread like wild fire. So far in the last hour I have heard three variations on exactly how he dumped you. It was very dramatic and you are devastated by the way. There are two accounts on how you cheated on him with someone. No one is sure who it was you cheated with but good money is, of course, on Zaarin. According to one of the courtesans I spoke to, Thrawn is so heart broken he cannot even bear to look at you. And lastly, one very odd story about you being pregnant with Thrawn’s love child which he refuses to acknowledge. According to my source, you should start showing in a couple of months and it’s a boy.”

I shook my head. “I do so love this crazy place and its penchant for insane gossip, but that would explain why Zaarin suddenly thinks I am free for the taking and has been pawing at me since I arrived. Guess I am going to have to educate him on the error of his ways.”

Shiv smiled. “I take it that none of those rumours are true then?”

“Not even close.” I told him. “Things on the home front are good, I think. He’s only been back since late last night so we haven’t had much time to catch up yet, but so far things are fine.”

“Glad to hear it, you two are my faith in romance.”

“Oh, like you and Ynyth aren’t a solid, albeit secretive, couple.” I teased him.

Shiv just smiled. “Speaking of Ynyth, I suppose I’d better go so that I get back here in time to enjoy the wonderful canapés and dull conversation. The traffic will be hell with everyone who was watching the speeches trying to get back home from here.”

“Yep, not good to keep her waiting and you know how Bobbyn gets if he thinks he will be late.”

Shiv laughed. “And people think I’m neurotic.” He gave me a kiss on each side of my cheek. “Okay kiddo, we’ll see at the reception. If we get back before the doors open we’ll stop by your office.”

“Drive safely.” I waggled my fingers at him and watched as he sauntered out of the hall. I glanced at the chrono on the wall; I had about an hour before the private reception in the Tarkin room began. I turned to leave only to come face to face with Zaarin holding two glasses of some sparkly drink.

“I took the opportunity to fetch you a drink.” He said with a smile. “I thought you might be thirsty.”

I looked at the glass and shook my head. “That’s very kind of you, but I am afraid I cannot drink that.”

“Oh?” He asked. “Why is that? Is the drink not to your liking?”

I was about to answer when Thrawn suddenly appeared at my side. He saluted Zaarin who had to hand one of the glasses he had been holding to me so that he could return Thrawn’s salute. I had to fight the urge to giggle. The two men may have despised one another but that did not mean they did not observe proper courtesy.

“Miss Gabriel is allergic to glow spice.” Thrawn said as he removed the glass from my hand to place it on the tray of a passing waiter in one fluid, elegant motion.

Zaarin looked at us both but neither Thrawn’s nor my body language was telling him anything other than we knew one another. Thrawn was his usual cool, reserved self and I made sure I did not show my delight and relief at his sudden presence by my side.

“Oh, I see.” Zaarin said after a moment. “I was not aware of this. Is it a serious allergy?”

The lie in his words was so strong it felt like a slap. I simply nodded at him. “It can be.” I said simply. I didn’t need to go into details. He knew them intimately despite his words to the contrary.

“And how is it that you are aware of this Admiral?” Zaarin asked Thrawn coolly.

“I remember her telling a waiter of this fact at the Grand ball several years ago.” Thrawn replied in an offhand almost bored. “It was an usual allergy so it stuck in my mind, causes severe headaches if I recall correctly” He added looking at me. I nodded in agreement.

Zaarin nodded and sipped his drink. “Yes, that is unusual.” He said. “You have my apologies, Miss Gabriel, shall I order you something else not so detrimental to your health?”

I opened my mouth to say no but Thrawn interrupted. “I must apologise for being impolite but I would be grateful if I could have a few moments of your time alone, Grand Admiral. There are some items I would very much like to discuss with you. I have a meeting I must attend to in a few moments and I have no idea how long it will take, so I am afraid I must intrude upon your time here and now.”

Zaarin looked at Thrawn for a moment and then nodded, “Of course, Admiral. Miss Gabriel, if you would excuse us?” he said politely dismissing me.

I was only too happy to comply. “Gentlemen.” I said with a little nod of my head and turned to vanish into the crowd which was beginning to thin out. With the public dedication finished and some time until the private reception began people had either decided to go home in between or sit and wait in small groups, chatting quietly. I glanced about looking for familiar faces but there was no one I knew well enough to chat with and although a few people stopped me as I meandered through the crowd to make polite small talk I was, for the most part, left alone.

I glanced at the chrono on the wall and figured out that I had just enough time to go to my office, make myself a cup of tea and finish up on some things I had to do. As I took one last glance around the room I saw that Lord Vader and a few other key figures had left the main hall. I caught sight of Lianna, who was really called Mara Jade, coming to stand beside Sate Pestage. Their conversation looked tense.

As usual, she looked lovely and I wondered what Pestage was saying to her because surprise and suspicion crossed her face for a second. I watched them converse for a few moments longer and then she nodded at something Pestage had said and turned gracefully to leave the hall. I watched as Pestage walked to where Thrawn and Zaarin were having their discussion, interrupting them. As Pestage spoke, Thrawn glanced around the room, his eyes caught mine, I went to give him a little wave but an almost imperceptible movement of his head made me change my mind. He held my gaze for a few seconds longer than necessary and then at Pestage’s urging he too left the hall. I glanced back briefly to where Thrawn had been standing only to find Zaarin staring at me. I pretended I had not noticed and left for the solace of my office.