Company On The Turbolift
Lieutenant Surlian was not happy. It had been a hard, long day. But then they were all long, hard days when you worked on the Death Star, the largest and most powerful battle station ever created. Yes, Lieutenant Surlian worked on the newly constructed super-weapon, a structure so large that there was always work to be done. Finally his long shift was over though. He had expected much better things when he heard he was being transferred to the Empire's newest, most secret project. Lieutenant Surlian was not a young man anymore. His skin hung loose around his eyes, not so much from old age, but from constant pressure to be the best of the best. His hair, graying at the sides of his head reflected this as well. He was no longer fit either. While not being noticeably fat per se, his girth had become enough to make his Imperial uniform tight, and uncomfortable. He shouldn't have been a lieutenant. Not anymore at least, years of loyal, faithful, unwavering service to the Empire, and yet… still a lieutenant. As he mulled over this subject his mood only worsened.
Lieutenant Surlian walked hurriedly towards the turbolift, eager to check into his quarters and relax. He had a lot on his mind and he needed to sit down, take a stress pill, and …yes, relax. Relax… relax… The word repeated itself over and over in his head and he found his sour mood was already dissipating. He hardly noticed all the other Imperial officers running around nervously, carrying out their business, the stormtroopers marching idly through the large corridors, trying to seem as if they had a sense of purpose in what they were doing (maybe they did, Surlian didn't really care at this point). Finally he reached the turbolift. He entered the level in which he needed to descend and with a slight jolt the lift swiftly moved downward.
He stood in the empty turbolift, thankful that he was alone. He hoped it would stay that way until he reached his destination. He slowly took in a breath of air. Then he exhaled loudly, feeling his troubles melt away. Maybe he wouldn't need that stress pill after all. The turbolift doors opened and Surlian noted with dismay that he was not yet on his floor. Someone would be joining him.
As the doors opened Surlian suddenly let out a gasp and noticeably flinched. He quickly regained a little bit of his composure as the huge dark form made his way into the turbolift. What little bit of his composure he had regained he quickly lost as the figure turned around to face the doors, his long cape gently flapping against Surlian's ankles. A mechanical hiss emanated from the breath mask attached to this sinister creature's face. Then another hiss… then another… with each breath that Darth Vader took, it seemed as if a breath of life was being taken from Surlian. Yes, lieutenant Surlian was now in a turbolift with the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, one of the most feared, no, the most feared man in the entire Empire. The frightened lieutenant's head became instantly coated with a fine layer of perspiration. He could feel a drop of sweat running down his forehead and into his eyebrow. He wanted to wipe his face. But he couldn't move! No, he could move he was simply petrified with fright. It would almost have been funny if it weren't so terrifying. He gathered all his courage and his hand, which he noticed was shaking uncontrollably, slowly began to lift towards his face. It was at that moment that the Dark Lord decided to shift his footing. Surlian's hand flew back to his side faster than he would've imagined possible and he gasped nervously. His body now was covered in sweat and stains began to appear in his otherwise spotless Imperial uniform under his armpits. Surlian shut his eyes hoping maybe the evil figure might simply disappear. He stood there with his eyes closed tighter than they had ever been before. They were closed so tight that he began to notice a slight headache. But that didn't matter. If they were closed it was just him and the gentle hum of the turbolift… and then a mechanical hissing sound… and then another… Surlian clenched his teeth so hard his jaw became sore… another hiss. He couldn't stand it anymore! He didn't realize until now that he hadn't taken a breath and as he opened his eyes he unconsciously gasped for air, the loudest noise he had made yet. Lord Vader's helmet turned ever so slightly in Surlian's direction and the pathetic man stepped clumsily back a step. He found his own movement disorienting and his vision blurred when he looked up at the massive figure… Was it his imagination or had Vader grown twice as tall since Surlian had closed his eyes? As his vision blurred even more he realized tears were welling up in the corners of his eyes. These mixed with the large drops of perspiration that seemed to be pouring down his forehead into his eyes. The mechanical hissing grew louder and louder and then… a quiet hiss came next. He took his eyes of the black entity before him and noticed the turbolift doors had opened. Vader calmly took a great step out of the turbolift… then another great step… then.. He was five feet or so away now… Did this mean Surlian would survive his encounter with the Dark Lord? The doors hissed shut in front of him… Vader was gone. Once again tears appeared at the corners of his eyes. These were not tears of fear however, but tears of joy. He raised his hand to his forehead and noticed that it was violently shaking. His whole body was shaking in fact. If his mind could have shook, it would have been doing so as well. He wiped his forearm across his damp forehead and noticed a slight stain on his sleeve. He let out a slight chuckle; his voice still seemed almost nonexistent. The turbolift continued to descend.
The doors opened and Surlian, as he stepped out, realized that he might need a stress pill or two after all. But he also realized that he was a lieutenant. Yes, a lieutenant! And he would probably always be a lieutenant! If he knew one thing in all his time as a lieutenant across the galaxy and even his time aboard the great Death Star… it was that lieutenants didn't have to deal with Darth Vader… Yes, things were looking up for good ol' Lieutenant Surlian. Things were gonna be all right. He entered his quarters with a broad smile stretching across his face.