Ashes of Our Fathers: Chapter Three
"Are you aware of any recent disturbances?" Benan asked another resident of Level 487, receiving the exact same reply. Silence. Did nobody speak down here? Or were they just not speaking to him?
As he walked, he noticed a lot activity. Vendors lined the durasteel walks attempting to sell their junk. He didn't see anyone buying anything though. Most of the activity he did see would be considered illegal up top. There was a lot of drug trading occurring, and right out in the open. It wasn't like they were hiding it. Why would they? There was very little policing this far down. His father had washed his hands of the lowest levels long ago. He considered them beyond his influence or care.
Essentially, the residents were on their own and had created their own environment; which was deplorable, by the way. The only source of light was the neon glow of cantina signs, the air was stale and reeked of decay, and the raucous laughter and music bleeding out of every business was enough to put him on edge.
Benan turned quickly as a loud noise disrupted his thoughts. What he saw was as he suspected and he watched in disgust as piles of garbage obviously from higher up, tumbled down through a series of pipes. Some of it filtered through and landed in a heap and was immediately being rummaged through by local dwellers. The rest kept going down.
The stench near the garbage pile was overwhelming, and it wasn't much better the further away he walked. Benan quickly activated the oxygen filter on his helmet.
He wasn't sure what he was looking for, and since nobody was apparently going to talk to him, there was no point in being here. He was more than happy to leave and couldn't understand why others wished to stay. Who would choose to live in a place such as this? There were even younglings down in this filth!
Waste lined the streets, both solid and organic; possibly even hazardous. There was nothing, and he meant nothing worth living for down here.
He had failed his mission, but had seen enough. When it felt as if the grime was beginning to seep through his armor, he decided it was time to go. He couldn't stand another minute of it.
Benan noticed the stares as he traveled back toward the set of lifts which would carry him back to the surface where he belonged, but their concern was short-lived. He didn't understand it. They didn't seem afraid of him. It was more like they were indifferent to his presence. It was better this way, he imagined. They didn't care about him, and he was more than happy to return the favor.
Those were his thoughts until he happened upon actual disturbance. It probably wasn't the one he'd been sent down here to look for, but it required his attention nonetheless. He hated an unfair fight, and this one was obviously one-sided.
Just to his left, about six meters away was a young woman who was standing toe-to-toe with a Trandoshan who easily outweighed her by 200 pounds. She seemed to be handling herself fine and had already drawn a weapon. Benan would mind his own business were it not for the fact that her opponent was holding a ten centimeter vibroblade behind his back!
Benan approached quickly, drawing his lightsaber as he did so. It reflected a red hue in the surprised Trandoshan's reptilian eyes.
"Step away," he warned, twirling the glowing red sword in a show of confidence and intimidation.
The being eyed him cautiously, seemed to be considering his options before he huffed out a sigh of aggravation. He turned on his enormous heel and stormed away, tucking the dangerous blade in the back of his pants. Brenan watched him go until he was out of sight, making sure he didn't double back and attack either of them.
But when he turned his attention to the woman he had helped, she was gone.
"Not even a thank you?" He uttered aloud, rotating his head in several directions until finally seeing her walking down an alley between two rusted steel buildings.
"Hey!" he shouted, following after her, determined to at least see her face before he left. She wasn't paying him any mind, however, and he hastened his steps. Was she hard of hearing as well?
He applied his hand to her back to gain her attention, and she spun on him automatically, her pistol drawn.
"What do you want?"
She sounded aggravated when she should be grateful. Shouldn't she?
"A little gratitude, perhaps?" Brenan stood still and made no move to withdraw his lightsaber. Even though this young woman was petite, she was obviously fearless. And he couldn't help but also notice she was quite lovely. In fact, if it weren't for the rags of the Lowers she was wearing, he would say she was the most beautiful creature he had ever encountered. He was a little surprised to find such an elegant female down here, and was a stunned silent for a moment.
"I was handling everything just fine," she bit back, turning to steer the delivery skiff once again.
He wasn't going to let her get away that easily. There was something about her…
"You didn't see the vibroblade he was hiding behind his back."
"I knew it was there," she argued without stopping.
"Oh, really?" his tone was bordering on sarcastic, but he couldn't help himself. He had battled all across the galaxy, what did this girl know about self defense?
"Listen," she sighed, finally stopping to face him. "You're not from down here, so you don't understand. Being prepared for any possibility is a way of life. Unless you're looking for death. of course. In that case, you won't care. I'm fighting to stay alive, and alive I'll remain, despite the odds. So, go back to your lavish and spoiled lifestyle and leave the rest of us alone."
"Wait a second...I...but I..." Benan stammered. He'd never been spoken to like this in his life!
"That's what I thought." She stared at his face as if she were attempting to see through the visor of his helmet, her brows pinching together in concentration. He stared back, though she couldn't see, and would've probably been insulted if she could. He couldn't help it, but he wanted her in his bed; to gaze into the intoxicating depths of her dark eyes as he made love to her over and over again; to hear the tone of her voice change from one of irritation to one of pleasure.
His fantasies were interrupted by something impacting his back. Even then, it took a moment to pull away his attention from her face.
There was a crowd gathering, and they looked upset.
"Leave her alone!" one of them shouted before hurling a piece of metal at him. Brenan allowed it to strike him on his chest plate without moving. But when several more projectiles were aimed his direction, he chose to move out of the way.
A chorus of threats, and commands for him to go back to the Upper Level was filling his ears, but he managed to hear another from behind him. It was a different young woman's voice, and she was calling out to the girl he had been previously speaking to.
"MiLady! Padme! Come away!"
Benan curiously glanced that direction, spying another young woman about the same age as the first but not quite as beautiful. She was clothed in similar style and frantic to get the attention of her friend.
'Padme,' Benan breathed inside his helmet. At least now he knew her name.
He drew his sword and the crowd immediately backed up. Benan quietly chuckled to himself. He didn't mean them any harm, but they were easily intimidated, as his father's subjects should be. One thing he was sure of, was they should also be obedient to the throne and its court. After everything the emperor had done for them, he deserved their loyalty!
His teasing quickly turned to aggravation. "Don't you realize who I am?" He shouted back at them. "I'm Benan Palpatine, son of the Emperor, the Savior of Justice, and I demand your respect!"
That little speech bought him nothing but a furiously thrown piece of garbage, which struck him on the side of his head.
That would be the last thing that hit him he decided, and he brandished his lightsaber, preparing to bat down anything else which came flying his direction.
When the crowd began chanting for him to leave, however, Benan decided it would be best if he did as they asked. He was down here to establish peace, and obviously, his presence wasn't getting the job done. He switched off the saber, held up his hand to try and calm the crowd, and announced his departure.
He knew he was being watched by them, most likely to assure he kept his word. What he didn't realize was that there were two more sets of eyes studying him from more distant shadows.
"Is he really who he says he is?" one of the young women asked.
"I believe so, even though I've never seen him person." Padme answered. "At least I don't think I have…Unless…" she began, unable to complete the thought aloud until she made some sense of it. Her friend, Dorme however, prompted her to continue.
"What is it?"
The young woman stared toward the lift area even after the visitor had long since disappeared, the impossibility of what she was about to say giving her pause. The thought was disturbing to say the least. "I think I know him."