Sweet Nothings

Sweet Nothings
The Abduction of Psyche
The British Are Coming
The Broken Pitcher
I've always found the methods you recommend rather quaint, Vader." "They are efficient," the Dark Lord argued softly. "In the interest ofaccelerating the procedure, however, I am open to your suggestions." Tarkin looked thoughtful. "Such stubbornness can often be detoured byapplying threats to something other than the one involved." "What do you mean?" "Only that I think is time we demonstrated the full power of this station. Wemay do so in a fashion doubly useful." He instructed the attentive Motti, "Tell yourprogrammers to set course for the Alderaan system." Kenobi's pride did not prevent him from wrapping an old scarf over nose andmouth to filter out a portion of the bonfire's drifting putrid odor. Though possessedof olfactory sensory apparatus, Artoo Detoo and Threepio had no need of such ascreen. Even Threepio, who was equipped to discriminate among aromaticaesthetics, could be artificially selective when he so desired. Working together, the two 'droids helped Kenobi throw the last of the bodiesonto the blazing pyre, then stood back and watched the dead continue to burn. Notthat the desert scavengers wouldn't have been equally efficient in picking the burned-out sandcrawler clean of flesh, but Kenobi retained values most modern men wouldhave deemed archaic. He would consign no one to the bone-gnawers and gravel-maggots, not even a filthy jawa. At a rising thrumming Kenobi turned from the residue of the noisome business tosee the landspeeder approaching, now traveling at a sensible pace, far different fromwhen it had left. It slowed and hovered nearby, but showed no signs of life.