Loop Number Six (Closed)

[Southstar]

He glaced at his chrono... she was late, but that was her style wasn't it. He pressed his knuckles together and pounded his fist together against his lips.

"No." He said monotonously to the woman who approached to see if he was ready to order. She barely got a peep out.

I'm here. The voice seemed to come out of nowhere. First floor, be up in a minute.

[Nadja Storm]

I'm here. First Floor, be up in a minute. Nadja sent to Southstar as she walked into the lobby of the tall building.

"I'm here to see Southstar... he's waiting for me on the top floor resturant." She said to the receptionist but recieved only a blank stare.

"I, um, don't know who you're talking about." She managed to sputter out.

"The Sith?" Any signs of an understanding? No... Great. "Lives up at the palace with all those other scary guys... Southstar?" 'Southstar... what an unusual name."

"I don't think anyone here is named Southstar..." The girl flipped through a file o names. "Umm..."

"Never mind." Nadja erased the past conversation with the girl from her mind and walked to th elevator. Sometimes she didn't know why she bothered speaking to people.

The lift came to a stop and she walked out and let herself into the restuarant. Southstar sat against the giant pane of glass; the exposed city of Coronet beneath.

"I know what you're going to say. So save it." His comments were usually pointless anyway.

[Southstar]

Cram it. He thought in his guarded thoughts. She was a very talented telepath, but he could muster up enough skill to block her.

[Nadja Storm]

She had a vague idea of what he was thinking, but enough respect to stay out of his mind. Not to mention it could be dirty, to say the least, at some times.

"You should change your name."

[Southstar]

"What?" Was this how conversations were started? Must have been something he missed.

[Nadja Storm]

"The receptionist. She didn't recognize your name." She took off her jack and set it gentlt over the back of the chair and sat down.

"Just water for now." She said without looking back at the returning waitress. Poor girl.

"Ok, so..." Southstar responded, slight irritation in his voice.

"I'm just saying. You're a Sith Lord and your name is Southstar? For Force' sake at least put a Darth in there."

"The word Darth is overrated." He said as he picked up his napkin and toyed with it.

"I know. And how would Darth Southstar sound?" She said and locked eyes for a moment with him... A slight smile on her red lips.

[Southstar]

"Hmm..?" He was lost in her eyes for a moment that lasted years. What ever happened? They broke. "Too many syllables."

"And the th doesn't help." Her voice sounded like she dispaired. She wasn't even looking at him anymore, just the napkin on the left or empty space.

Southstar couldn't tell.

[Nadja Storm]

She pursed her lips as the twisted the napkin around her fingers. "Why'd you leave?"

His eyes had diverted now, focused on his own napkin, like it was out of order and needed to be set in its place. He didn't want to answer.

[Southstar]

"Life?" He said, he wasn't sure. It wasn't as if some event had happened that prevented him from returning. He wasn't scared. He just didn't want to. "Didn't we go over this?"

They had. Not too long ago when he was on Coruscant with Zereth Lancer.

"You're here for you're ship right?" Change the subject.

"You invited me to breakfast." She responded. Almost as if she was trying to provoke him.

He wasn't going to bite. "So what do you do now?"

[Nadja Storm]

"More than you can imagine." He already had an idea, he was there. She knew he just wanted off the subject. "I join the Sith, if not officially, then unofficially. A splinter group or something. The Dark side needs my talent."

That was his next line. She read it perfectly from his mind.

[Southstar]

He smiled. "It's true though. We're on the rise, we'll have the whole galaxy soon."

"And I suppose it'll be you be on top." She said returning the smile.

A grin revealed what he thought about that. "Of course. Well. Not alone. There will always be the Sith Order, my apprentices I suppose. Friends..." Toying with the napkin. "I'm not gonna be the Emperor. Don't want to. (What's the word?) Aristocracy! The best way to rule.

She smiled as she sipped the water. "You love being there." Not a question. A statement.

"Yeah. It's like I finally achieved allI wanted to. Power, Fame. The people here. They love us!"

"Now you're lying to yourself."

"I know. Propaganda and tricks. But sometimes I really believe it. There was this one time..." He glanced at her. He wasn't sure if it was story time, if he had her attention.

She smiled and raised an eyebrow. Go on... She didn't need to say it.

"Rivin, another knight, and I, staged this big ordeal. Like something from a movie script. Except I was the bad guy, the Jedi, and he was the heroic Sith. It was so-"

"That was you?" She placed her hands on the table. "I read that in the Corellian paper... The blown up hotel, the dramatic fight.."

"Yeah! Even the people got involved. They were throwing things at me!"

She laughed. "I-I get this mental picture of you hanging from that window sill! Food and garbage flying everywhere!"

"That was pretty much it... But I just remember being so impressed with the way people cheered for Rivin, the Sith..." His hand rushed to his forhead and slowly through his hair. His eyes dazed off into space. "God.. I wish I was him at that moment. Crowds cheering your name."

"And behind it all its just an act to prevent relinquishment of power..." Her face a little more somber now tugging again at the napkin.

"Snap back to reality." He said softly. "Is our waitress coming back?"

[Nadja Storm]

"I ordered for you. Trust me, you'll like it." She said.

"Really? I didn't see her.. stop... by?" He was looking around to find her.

"She didn't. But she thinks she did." He smiled.

"Ah." He turned his head back to face her. "You know, you're kind of a downer."

"Where'd that come from?" She said behind the glass of water.

"I mean, what you said about relingquishment of power. I was just thinking about it."

"Mm." She swallowed the water. "Well its true, isn't it"

"I suppose."

"Sooo..."

"Well, it is when you get down to it, that's all. I mean, I'm just saying: Wouldn't it be nice to be someone, I mean someone. Someone big, famous... loved and envied?"

"Everyone has their dreams of being a 'rock star.'"

"Well, its a little more than that. But... "Do you ever want to be someone?"

She looked up at him with an eyebrow cocked. "I've thought about it. But its overrated. So many peopel watching..."

"Well you let them watch only what you want them to."

"Well mayeb I should join the Sith then, hmm? Like I said, it's overrated. Whats the matter with an exciting close-knit life? I mean I see plenty of excitment and I don't have groupies 9or whatever) knocking down my front door when I come home."

"I'm supposed to have groupies?" A ligitimate look of mock seriouss concern on his face.

"You don't? I thought all those Sith lords had 'em. Didn't Vader?"

"Might have. That plastic can be a real turn on to some people."

"You're kidding..."

"No!" He raised his hands in defense. "Honestly! But in all seriousness, this girl (a hired hand I think) has books and books on the guy. Like the original too, none of this clone business. Posters, 3d displays, for Force's sake she has a replica of the man's mask!"

"Whatever! So maybe she's facinated with the power and the glory of the old Empire. vader was its figurehead, more so than even the emperor."

"Well yeah, but I peaked in this chick's mind once and-"

"Pervert."

"No! Not like that. Well, sort of, almost. But she dreams of Vader daily... passionately."

"Bull... Seriously?"

"Kid you not." He shook his head slightly.

She leaned back in her chair and thought about the entire prospect. "I don't get it." Closing her eyes and shaking her head. "I mean, it's not like you can see him naked then, right?"

"Hey, I don't make the rules. I'm just the messanger."

Her eyes wandered to the floor as she pondered the idea, still a little confused.

[Southstar]

"Eh, but anyway..." He discontinued what he was going to say as the waitress brought the food they had ordered. Nadja had done well in choosing for him. Or deciding what he wanted; whatever it was she did. "Looks good."

"I know." She said as she began to eat.

Silence endured the meal time as both were too hungry to talk. Finally he said something. "You know, I think food is one of the underrated pleasures int his galaxy, don't you think?"

She chewed the bite in her mouth before speaking. "I suppose so. It's interesting how you phrased it as a pleasure."

"Well I mean there are spices and alcohols and the pleasure is obvious from those. Even relationships and hobbies. They all are considered to be much more pleasurful than eating."

"Some have food as a hobby."

"Well there are those. But I think people consider food to be just a neccessary thing."

"Mmm." Swallowing. "Do you think people would eat if they didn't have to?"

"I don't know... Maybe. There's always someone who would eat for fun I suppose."

"Well if we all ate for fun I suppose we'd be fat."

"Still, a minor consequence for a pleasure."

"As opposed to spice, I guess. But you're still considering it a pleasure. I think its a neccessity."

"Well it is."

"So it can't be a pleasure, then."

"Well it could. Something doesn't have to be one thing."

"True. But neccessity is eating's primary function."

"It can go either way then." He said and took another bite.