Redundancies and a stint in administration made it something of an annus horribilis for staff at Brighton-based e-learning firm KnowledgePool.
So they must have expected the worse when Darth Vader gate-crashed their office Christmas party wielding a light sabre yesterday.
Luckily, the masked intruder with the whizzy voice and the black cloak turned out to be their boss- Tracy Capaldi-Drewett.
Tracy had told staff he would come dressed as the Stars Wars character if they reached ambitious November sales targets.
None thought it possible so it was a surprise when the Lord of the Darkside walked into the company's offices in Bond Street.
Marketing manager Rachel Lewis said: "We are out of administration now and looking forward to a much better 2005.
"I think everyone was surprised to reach the sales target but it bodes well for the future and means we can all enjoy Christmas."
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