(Star Wars) To Love A Slave

Chapter Two - Plan and Search

The following evening, the officials met Vader in the conference room where they gathered the day before. Today, they were meeting to decide the details of the first annual Imperial Ball.

"Prett," Vader acknowledged the man. "What's on our list of unmade decisions?"

Prett scrolled through his holopad, his eyes skimming the long list. "In short," He responded. "We need to discuss the design, menu, entertainment, times, guest list, attire requirements and ceremonial protocols, seeing as this is in his late highness' honor."

The four men groaned, all dreading the fact that this was going to be a long meeting.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Vader leaned back in his office chair, placing his feet up on the table. The five of them had been planning the ball for about two standard hours.

"Admiral," Cody inquired, rubbing his eyes. "Can you go over what we have so far?"

"Of course Commander." Prett scrolled back up to the top of their list.

"Times?" Vader asked.

"18:00 to 23:00."

"When will dinner be served?"

"19:00, sir."

"Menu?"

"Coruscanti House salad will be served as an appetizer. Nubian shaak steak with Mandelorian kale and Felucian potatoes will be served for the main course. Tatooinan moon cakes will be the final course, served as desert. For drinks, each guest will be given a glass of red or white wine and a glass of water."

"Design?"

"Classic Black Tie with Silver Linings."

"Guest List?"

"All imperial officials, elite commanders and captains from the army and all unmarried woman from the slave district."

"Attire requirements?"

"Black Tie."

"Ceremonial Protocols?"

"You, Lord Vader, will give a very brief speech as well as the rest of us after a moment of silence. A moment of silence will occur at the beginning of the ball, before and after the meal, before the royal waltz and before the ball ends."

"Entertainment?"

Prett dropped the holopad on the conference table. "It is still undecided."

Tarkin perked up, a slight smirk tugging at his chapped lips. "I know a wonderful Twi'lek slave that is wonderful at dancing."

Vader chuckled inwardly, clearing his throat as he sat up. "Tarkin, it's a ball; let's try to think of something entertaining." Rex and Cody looked at each other, silently speaking in their 'clone code' as they called it. "Live music," Rex muttered.

"It's a ball and there will be dancing so why not live music? Perhaps we can pick a slave girl or a few of them to sing for us at the ball." Cody spoke a little louder, voicing his brother's thoughts.

Then it hit him; Vader remembered the girl from yesterday at the creek. "I heard one girl singing yesterday down at the creek."

"Do you know who she is?" Tarkin raised a thin brow.

A golved hand went behind Vader's neck, scratching lightly as he sighed. "No but if we can pull the holocams from last night up, we may be able to get an ID on the girl. If she didn't have such an angelic voice, I wouldn't bother trying to find her but gentlemen, her talent is worth the hastle."

Rex stood up and walked over to the projector screen behind Lord Vader while Cody was pulling the files from the table's built-in computer system. "What time frame are we looking for?"

Vader rubbed his chin for a moment, his blonde stubble scratching against his leather gloves. "Try during the last part of our meeting or right after it; she beat me to my spot."

Prett raised an eyebrow at Vader. "You sneak out of the capitol often, sir?"

"Only when I need a break." He confessed. "I go out through the slave district and about a quarter mile from it's border is a small creek with a large oak tree. I sit there just relaxing for a little bit then I come back and go to bed for the night."

"Sir, I think we found her..." Cody paused the security camera with a woman leaving with a laundry basket on her hip. "This is the only person that was caught leaving the slave district last night. Is this her?"

Vader nodded quietly, taking in her face as it was the first time he actually saw what she looked like from the front. She had flawless ivory skin and brown doe eyes with a beauty mark under her left eye. Her lips were heart shaped and the color of a dusty rose which complimented her high cheek bones and small nose perfectly. Her brown curls framed her face seamlessly; to say she was beautiful was an understatement.

To Vader, she appeared to be an angel.

"Run facial recognition on her," He softly commanded.