Chapter 36
'The End of the Blind Admiration Society'
'This is Not a Dry Town'
'A Shot in the Dark'
'It Always Starts with Children'
There is a curfew for all first-year interns. The program allows for a social life outside the confines of the Galactic Senate facilities; a boarding house is located on the plaza with easy access to public transportation. The interns utilize their free time to take in the sights of Galactic City, in downtown Coruscant. They are, however, encouraged to travel in groups.
After several intense weeks of work and training, the interns decide they deserve a night on the town. They would use their modest intern's stipend on a night of indulgent entertainment. A limo taxi awaits them. Axel and Sheld look out at the city through the sliding sunroof. The cool night air feels good on their faces. The driver drops them off in the middle of town.
Evan notices flashing holograms that light up the street. They are in the infamous Uscru District. They are eager to explore this part of town. This is also new for Dantius, and unheard of for Sheld. The others were excited. They are all drawn to the bustling crowds of young people and theatregoers. Axel wants to experience big-city life. The challenge was to see if they were 'hip enough' to get pass the velvet rope. They had to choose a club that would not give them a difficult time, ; not sleazy but not too high-end either. After all, their group is dealing with a 'coolness' deficit. They finally set their sights on a place. Two burly men guard the entrance. Pavia steps away for a moment and grabs Axel by his arm.
"We're never going to get in there. I hope you realize that."
Daring Way and Vos Gesal Street is relatively safe when Dantius first experiences it. It proved to be a dangerous area 20 years later when the club shut down. The establishment is rebuilt under a new name and management. For now, it is known as 'Skylab66' - the trendy place for the college crowd.
The interns watch from across the street as the 'who's-who' of Galactic City enter without complications. Faleen Halcyon, one of the female interns gives the rest of the group a last-minute once-over.
Faleen is a dark-haired beauty from Corellia. Her mother is Hapan and her human father, is a wealthy vintner from Corellia. A product of two attractive parents, she is fortunate to inherit perfect eyesight from her father a trait her mother does not possess. She is intelligent and a born leader with a cutting wit. She was selected into the intern program for her excellent academic record but the committee probably would have accepted her anyway because of her striking beauty.
She makes fast friends with Ava'la who is from Hapes. As a Hapan, Ava'la suffers from poor night vision. She occasionally wears corrective eyeglasses but convinces her parents to buy her contact lenses. She is equal in beauty to Faleen but is somewhat naive and eager to please others. She is excited about her first big night in Galactic City. Unfortunately, this particular evening, Ava'la forgets to wear her contact lenses.
She and the other girls in the group would easily gain access to the club. Sheld was okay but he was dressed too conservatively for such a venue. Faleen runs her fingers through his dark brown hair and opens the collar of his shirt. She and the other girls do a similar quick fix for the rest of the young men in the group. Most of the males in the group are thrilled to have someone give them a five-minute makeover. When she looks at Dantius, a long, woeful sigh escapes her beautiful lips.
"You need work, hon." Faleen fluffs up his hair and lifts his collar. Suddenly, she takes out her compact and powders his face before he has a chance to protest. He thinks she wears too much lip color but does not have the nerve to say it. Apparently, his opinion is in the minority by the looks she is getting from the male patrons standing on line. She decides she has done all she can to improve Dantius' appearance. "Now you look like a badass. No one's gonna mess with you. Let's go."
Dantius rethinks his assessment of Faleen. After all, she did pay him a compliment…sort of.
After passing muster, one of the guards lifts the velvet rope and the team of 'badass interns' are soon inside. The pulsating music beats with the rhythm of their hearts. Despite the non-stop music, no one is dancing. The next hurdle is to get refreshment without a hassle from the bartender. The team moves across the nightclub floor en mass. Faleen glances at the male patrons. They are immediately drawn to her. She turns to her intern colleagues.
"Okay…here it is…you're moving like cells in a petrie dish. You people need to spread out. I mean, seriously, I cannot score a cute guy with all of you shadowing me. Well? What are you waiting for? Go away…disperse!" She waves them away.
The girls are successful in meeting young, single men in the club. Faleen decides to take Ava'la under her wing when she sees her smiling indiscriminately at every man who passes by.
"Stay with me."
They sit at the bar and immediately men who wish to buy them drinks surround the girls. Faleen shoos them away. These are not the sort of men she is looking for.
One of the bartenders serves Faleen and Ava'la Pink Nebulas. It is a sweet cocktail popular with college-aged females. The Pink Nebulas served at the Skylab66 are garnished with sugarcoated pink hibiscus from Felucia and a candy straw. The club version of this drink tastes like pink lemonade but carries a kick after three glasses.
The bartender is a tall, handsome man in his 30's. He is used to the amusing 'cat and mouse' games between the male and female patrons. If he gains an extra gratuity for arranging a 'match-up', he is all for it as long as no one gets hurt of course.
He refuses any money when Faleen tries to pay the tab. Instead, he tilts his head towards the end of the bar.
"I believe you ladies have some admirers."
Two attractive, well-dressed men smile and raise their glasses above the crowd. Faleen raises her cocktail glass to acknowledge them. She nudges Ava'la to do the same. Faleen whispers to her friend.
"Ava, we have prospects. They're coming over. Smile."
"Oh my God!" Ava'la blushes and giggles nervously. She quickly removes her glasses and hides them in her purse as the men make their way through the crowd.
"Hello ladies. Are you having a good time?"
"So far. Thanks for the drinks."
"The pleasure is all mine. You're new here."
"Then you must come here often."
"Touché! You caught me. I assure you, our intentions are honorable. My friend and I were mesmerized by your beauty."
"Everyone is mesmerized by our beauty. What's your next pick-up line?" Faleen smiles and gently stirs her drink with the yellow candy stick straw.
"I'll introduce myself. I'm Gil and this is my schoolmate Adam."
Adam smiles and shakes hands with the girls.
"Hi, I'm the nice one." He laughs.
Gil waits for the girls to introduce themselves. He sees he has to finesse the introductions out of them.
"And you are…"
Faleen puts down her goblet.
"This is Ava'la and I'm Faleen."
Gil grins.
"Are you sisters? You look so much alike."
"No, we're not sisters; we're friends."
"I was just wondering because you both have green eyes and gorgeous dark hair. Are you angels?"
"What?"
"I must have died and gone to Iego. You two must be angels."
"We're interns at the Galactic Senate."
"Ohh…impressive. You're smart angels. Adam and I attend Coruscant School of Law. Maybe we'll work together someday."
"What are you studying?"
It is becoming difficult to hear in the crowded club. Gil leans in closer but he also wants to take in her beauty and to smell the perfume on her neck.
"What?"
"Law school…what is your specialty?"
"Oh! intergalactic contract law. We want to have our own law firm someday."
Ava'la stares at Adam. Adam thinks it is weird but she is so beautiful that it does not matter. He does not realize that she can barely make out his features in the dimly lit nightclub. She speaks to him.
"That would be awesome."
Faleen checks to see why Ava'la is staring; she then looks at Gil.
"So, where are you guys from?"
"I'm from Sulon and my friend Adam is from Coruscant."
Adam raises his hand and smiles broadly.
"I'm a hometown boy; guilty as charged! Heh-heh!"
Gil continues to flirt with Faleen.
"So, would you like to go out sometime…you and your lovely friend… who's not your sister?" He laughs at his attempt at a joke.
Ava'la is mesmerized and responds enthusiastically.
"Sure!"
Faleen kicks the stool that Ava'la is sitting on. The stool wobbles a bit until Ava'la grabs onto the edge of the bar to steady herself. Faleen speaks for herself and Ava'la.
"Maybe…it depends…we don't just go out with the first guys we meet. You have to impress us."
"Whoa, I like that. You ladies have standards." Gil summons the bartender. "Hi, Doug, Refill for the ladies, please." He slips Doug a generous tip.
"My pleasure, mate. Cheers."
Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the crowded bar, things are a bit more challenging, especially for Dantius. Axel and Evan suddenly disappear after they meet a couple of girls from the Coruscant University fencing team. Evan comments that he likes the idea of a woman who could 'Kick some major ass.'
Dantius cranes his neck above the crowd but his colleagues are gone. He catches a glimpse of Faleen but she is too far away for him to get her attention. Dantius is drowning in the crowded nightclub. He can barely move. After a few minutes, he manages to push his way through the throngs of people. Someone taps him on the shoulder.
"Where are we going?"
It is just now that Dantius realizes he has a 'hanger-on.' He turns to find Sheld almost breathing on the back of his neck. This is not how he wanted to spend his evening. Dantius forces a smile, then suddenly waves for Sheld to follow him. Perhaps the evening will work out for him after all.
They get a place at the bar. Dantius looks up at the drink menu as it scrolls across the screen like a cinema marquee. A bartender waits for them to place an order. Dantius looks to see if Sheld is still with him. He is.
Sheld is a different person in this place. He is not the serious scholar that everyone knows at the Galactic Senate. He is like a child on Befana Eve. He spins in the barstool to get a better look at his surroundings. It is amusing to watch. The place fascinates him.
Dantius checks to see what the other patrons are drinking.
The bartender grows impatient. These types of customers are the worst and they do not tip. Out of towners on business and first- time tourists make terrible customers. If they order something, it is never alcohol. If they do drink, they order the cheapest rotgut available. Skylab66 stopped stocking the bar with the cheap alcohol two years earlier. The only other problem is the complimentary snack bowl. The idea is that the saltier the snacks the more alcohol is consumed. The out of towners, however, would order the least expensive drinks such as spritzers or soda while emptying the snack bowls.
"What's your poison, big shot?"
Dantius barely makes eye contact with the bartender, a blond surfer type and shorter than the tall affable Doug. His name is Griffin, or as his regulars endearingly call him, 'Griff.' Griff's razor sharp sarcasm is a bit off-putting if you do not know him or if you waste his time. Dantius is wasting his time.
"Uhm… I'll have a rummy tonic."
Griff is suspicious of Dantius already.
"Got ID, sport?"
"Sure!" He reaches in his pocket for his data card."
"What about your happy little drinking buddy? He looks a bit young for a pub crawl."
"Oh, he works at the Galactic Senate like me. He's okay." Dantius taps Sheld to see if he wants to order a drink but Sheld nods his head 'No;' something else has his attention.
The bartender shouts across the bar to Dantius.
"Well, he's not 'okay' if he doesn't have proper ID. Ten credits, Pal." He sets the drink on the bar.
Dantius looks at the glass. It seems small in comparison to the drinks served on Hoth. He forgets that he is in the big city. Everything costs more.
"Ten credits? Wow."
The bartender rolls his eyes.
"Yeah…wow. You want the drink or not?"
Dantius hands him a twenty-credit note. The bartender hands him a five and five 1's. They stare at one another as Dantius reaches for his change. He notices another patron leaving cash for another bartender. Dantius relinquishes a one-credit note.
"Gee, thanks, Your Highness." The bartender snatches up the cash and dumps it into an acrylic tip box near the register.
Dantius grabs his drink. He watches Sheld, who is fixated on a cheering crowd in the corner. It is too far to figure out what is happening from where they are seated but Sheld already has an idea. Dantius is curious now and gestures for Sheld to follow him.
They finally make their way through the crowd to a section of the club called 'The Blaster Shot Corner.' A petite, scantily clad woman wearing a cobalt blue bustier and a silver metallic mini-kilt roams the crowd. Around her curvy hips is an elastic utility belt decorated with metallic squares studded with gemstones. A holster rests on each hip sway with every step she takes. She is wearing a chrome hardhat over her long auburn hair and chrome-plated riding boots. A burly bodyguard shadows her as she moves through the crowd, just in case an inebriated patron gets too frisky with her.
Dantius watches as patrons hand her tickets. In exchange, the blaster-wielding vixen hands them a blue globule, the size of a large gumball, nestled in a tiny cup made of rice paper. The cups are edible but most people prefer to let the quivering globules drop onto their tongue. They want the vodka-filled energy drop to burst in their mouth. It looks like a fun way to consume alcohol. A small crowd cheers every patron who buys one.
Sheld watches with childlike wonder as each person waits his or her turn. One of the lucky patrons screams joyously after slurping down a shot.
"Wooo-hoo! It's like an explosion in your mouth, man!"
Sheld is curious but it looks painful!
Two bartenders work behind the bar mixing the edible holocron crystal powder, sugar, gelatin, tropical fruit juice, and vodka in special blenders. The line is endless. Dantius yells back at the man over the cheers.
"Where do you purchase one of those?"
"You have to buy a ticket at the main bar. They're five credits a shot. Better hurry before she has to reload."
Dantius pushes through the crowd again and returns to the bar. He is facing the crowd when he hears a phrase he heard before.
"What's your poison?" When Dantius turns, both he and the bartender are surprised as well as disappointed. "Oh, it's you again. What do you want this time, big spender? A straw? They're free."
"I…uhmm…would like to buy tickets for some shots."
"That's five credits a pop."
"Ten tickets, please."
"Wow, you're ready to party…unfortunately, sport, the limit is four shots."
"Oh, I'm buying for myself and my friend."
"No can do; this is not part of a 'friends and family' plan…see the sign?"
The bartender points to a small sign posted above the hard liquor dispensers. He comically gestures like a game show host showing a prize; his hand makes a circular motion around the sign. Dantius leans across the bar to read the fine print:
4-drink Maximum
on all Holocron Shots
Regulated by the Coruscant Liquor Control Board and Department of Health
"Ten…please."
Dantius' voice is firm but calm as he presents Griff with five $20-credit notes. Griff gives Dantius a blank stare then takes the money. He hands Dantius ten tickets then continues to serve other patrons as if nothing has happened. The typically snarky bartender has no comment after the transaction.
Dantius pushes through the crowd and finds Sheld. He hands two tickets to the Blaster Shot hostess. He turns to Sheld and offers him one of the shots.
"Here you go."
"For me? I don't know if I should…"
"Come on…you only live once."
The crowd cheers him on.
"Go…go…go…go!"
"Have some fun! You're free!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, it's a student special."
Sheld hesitates but the cheers of encouragement from the crowd are overwhelming.
"Okay…Here goes nothing." Sheld pops the holocron shot into his mouth. The jelly-like texture glides along his tongue and the roof of his mouth. He can feel it dissolving slowly. Suddenly his mouth feels warm and he begins coughing. The patron who has been cheering him on gives him a hearty slap on the back.
"First timer, eh?"
"My mouth feels like it's on fire."
"Relax. Next time it'll go down easier."
"Okay."
"Tell your friend to join you on the next one."
Sheld agrees.
"Dantius, aren't you going to eat your holocron shot?"
"Uhmm…oh…sure! Well, here goes nothing!"
Dantius pops the shot onto his tongue as the crowd watches. He winches as the alcohol and holocron gel dissolve. A tear runs down his cheek as the shot erupts in his mouth. It feels like a thousand lightning bolts piercing his palate. The eruption subsides and all he tastes is the sweet fruit juice.
Sheld laughs. This is the first time Dantius has seen the 'boy wonder' laugh and have a good time. Sheld is eager to try another holocron shot. This time the effect is not so bad. He has prepared his brain for the shock.
It is soon midnight. The group of interns had agreed to meet at half past eleven to return to the Galactic Housing complex. Evan and Axel find Faleen and Ava'la near the entrance with Gil and Adam, the law students. Pavia and two other interns join them.
"Did anyone see them leave?"
"No. We thought they were still inside."
Gil agrees to go back inside with Evan and Axel to search for Dantius and Sheld. It is almost half past midnight. After deciding that the two probably left ahead of them, they decide to return to the complex.
Dantius and Sheld did leave ahead of the group. Sheld is back in his room. Although both he and Dantius had more than their share of alcohol, Sheld seems to have recovered quickly and drinks some cold Bimmisaari tea that he left on his desk earlier that day. He is just tired. He kicks off his shoes and lies on his bed. Someone exits the bathroom. It is Dantius. He looks haggard as he dries his face with a towel. Sheld looks at him.
"Are you okay? You were going to help me and instead I had to help you. You're a terrible drunk." He smiles.
"I am a terrible drunk. Sorry about that."
"I have never seen anyone vomit for fifteen minutes straight. I thought the taxi driver was going to throw us out. Your head was hanging out the window like a dog." Sheld does a silly imitation of a dog hanging out of a speeder window. A playful smile creeps across his face.
Dantius takes a seat across the room at Sheld's desk. He was wondering how they made their way back.
"We will never speak of this."
"No. No one would believe us."
"Hah! I suppose not. What a pair we are." Dantius looks around the room. He notices a door across the foyer. "This is nice. Who is in the next room?"
"My mentor. Don't worry. He's dead to the world and his wife is away. He takes vitamins all day long and then he takes sleeping pills at night. Strange fellow but he's okay. He would have freaked out if he caught me returning home so late. I'm precious cargo to them."
"Thank heavens for sleeping pills, eh?"
They laugh. Dantius notices a portfolio on the desk.
"What's this?"
"Oh, that. My new pet project." He gets up and takes the folder then sits at the foot of the bed facing Dantius. 'It's my treatise.' My mentor says it is a masterpiece. He has never seen anything like it."
"May I read it?"
"It's not complete. I still have to write my last argument."
"If you need help…I would be most willing to spare some time."
Sheld slides back onto the bed and rests his head on the pillows. He holds the portfolio as if it were a small child, protecting it from harm. Sheld is visibly tired but fights to stay awake for his guest.
"Can I tell you something, Dantius?"
"Of course."
"I want to thank you for being such a good friend. I am so ashamed for being so boastful and forgetting those around me who are only looking out for my wellbeing. I thought that you did not like me. I can see that I was wrong, especially tonight. For the first time I had real fun."
"I don't know what to say…I am humbled. My offer to assist you in the completion of your treatise still stands. I can stay up all night. I'm feeling much better now."
"It's late and I am tired. Do you mind? I need to sleep now. You are free to leave. Just close the front door gently. My mentor is a sound sleeper but the pills sometimes lose their effectiveness." He yawns. You can crash on the chaise in the foyer if you're not well enough walk." Sheld drifts off to sleep.
The evening for the interns does not go as planned.
Meanwhile, Evan, Faleen, and the others all try to ring Dantius on his mobile phone. Their messages go to his voicemail. Faleen sits on a bench just outside the housing complex. She is worried. Sheld does not have a phone and the interns are afraid to contact Sheld's mentor in the middle of the night.
"I wonder where they could have gone."
Evan turns as they stand on the sidewalk. He looks up and down the plaza walkway hoping to see the two wayward interns strolling up the street.
"Are we sure Dantius was with him?"
"Not really. We left. Maybe Dantius thought he was with us and left early himself. Something is not right."
Pavia makes her feelings known. She never trusted Dantius from the first time they met during orientation.
"He's the type to save his own hide. I can't see him helping anyone else."
Axel lets out an exasperated sigh.
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
Dantius had turned off his mobile phone that evening prior to hailing the taxi. It is in his jacket pocket hanging on Sheld's bathroom door. Dantius remembers to take his jacket before leaving Sheld's building in the dead of night. Not a soul is on the grounds of the complex. The portfolio is tucked securely under his jacket as he returns to his building across the plaza. He manages to distract the guards in the lobby as he spirits in, taking the stairs. The elevator has monitors and is too much of a risk. He can easily avoid the stairway cameras. He knew all the blind spots and timed the movement of each camera for a week. It became a game for him.
No one has a clue what had transpired over the last eight hours. Dantius is in his bed asleep.
The mentor's wife had arrived home earlier than expected. The alarm kept pulsing loudly. The door at the end of the hall is ajar. A streak if sunlight travels from the door and across the dark blue runner in the hall. This is unusual because Sheld was the perfect houseguest. He folded his clothes and was quiet. He hit the alarm each morning a second before it started so as not to disturb the sleep of his hosts. This is the 'dream child' every parent wish they had. The door is never open this early in the morning.
Inga had purchased breakfast pastries for Saturday breakfast and set the box on the chaise in the foyer. It was one of Sheld's favorite things to eat in the morning. There was a bakery in the spaceport mall. The fresh-baked aroma wafts through the apartment. Sheld was always wide-awake at the smell of sugar rolls. It was strange that this did not wake him. Inga was not prepared for what she found when she walked in the room. This beautiful boy with the thick dark hair and beautiful grey eyes, eyes that are now wide open as if staring into a void, was dead.
Nils Faas did not wake easily, especially after taking his evening sleeping pill. He had been having restless nights prior to the arrival of the new interns. He mentored many interns during his tenure as junior senator, but, for some inexplicable reason, he was anxious about this group and Sheld in particular. He protected Sheld as if he were his own and remained in close communications with the boy's parents. He made a vow to watch over him.
Sheld was a child prodigy. He progressed through school levels rapidly. Sheld was most happy becoming a teenager because then he would not get so many questions about his age. He was a studious and handsome 'nerd'. He knew it would be awkward dating university students once they discovered how old he was. The girls would start treating him like a younger brother. Best to keep is nose in his books until he could manage these 'older women'.
Inga's screams could be heard on the entire floor of their building. Nils stumbles out into the hallway and hurries to Sheld's bedroom. Nils' pallor is telling as he cups his hand over his mouth. He drops to his knees after trying to revive the boy. Sheld's body lay limp as Nils cradles him in his arms. Inga paces and sobs uncontrollably.
Across the complex at the student's residence, Dantius slept soundly through the morning. He does have a flashback of that night when he pressed the down pillow over Sheld's face. The boy barely struggled. It made the moment easy but Dantius was disappointed that Sheld did not suffer enough. It seemed as though the Force spirits took Sheld before he could feel any pain. That is when Dantius woke up to a skull-splitting headache. He had a hangover.
Someone is knocking on his door. There is whispering in the hallway. The voices belong to Evan and Pavia.
"I thought we were going to wait until Ric or another supervisor arrives."
"Do you really want to wait? It could be too late. The guard is here. We have a witness."
The security guard opens the door.
Dantius feels someone poking him. It is Faleen. Dantius opens his eyes and he sees her. He rolls over and falls out of bed.
"What are you doing here? Wha…" Dantius looks up and sees Evan, Axel, and Pavia standing over him."
"Why didn't you answer your phone last night? Where were you?"
"What are you talking about? I was in bed…asleep."
Evan steps ahead of Faleen and angrily questions Dantius.
"Where did you go last night? We searched for you for two hours. You were supposed to meet us outside the club."
"I don't know…I just came home. Why?" Dantius is defensive. He resents Evan questioning him.
"You don't know? Sheld is dead."
"Wha? What do you mean?"
"He died last night. He wasn't with us so he had to be with you."
"I told you! He had too much to drink…I helped him get home, that's all."
Faleen sees something on the floor. Dantius' reflexes are too slow to stop her as she grabs the portfolio. She studies it then looks at the cover.
"This is Sheld's…what are you doing with this?"
"He asked me to help him. He was tired so I said I would study it so I would be prepared to assist him."
"That's rubbish! Sheld never collaborates with anyone on his work."
"But…"
"This is not your property."
Faleen closes the portfolio and takes it with her.
"But I did nothing wrong. Sheld was my friend."
"Screw you! Liar!"
The guard stands in the doorway. The interns leave. Dantius stands as someone else walks through the door. It is Finis Valorum and a Coruscant police detective. Dantius appears confused and disheveled. He immediately sweeps his hair off his face.
"Good morning, Sir."
"This is not a good morning. Wouldn't you agree, Dantius?"
The interrogation takes several hours once Dantius is taken to Coruscant Police headquarters. The evidence is incriminating, unfortunately, not enough to hold Dantius accountable. The cause of death of possible suffocation is inconclusive.
The interns blame themselves for not taking better care of the youngest member of their group. They are surprised and incensed that Dantius is cleared of any wrongdoing. They do gain one victory. Once tempers subside, they meet secretly with Valorum and the committee members. It is decided that Dantius should not attend the memorial service.
The memorial is held at the cathedral near the Jedi Temple. It is a terribly somber scene. Sheld's parents Mattahias and Kajsa Qel-Droma attend supported by host parents Nils and Inga Faas. All four adults appear emotionally broken.
Sheld was the only child Mattahias and Kajsa would ever have. It took ten years for them to be blessed with a child. It took one dreadful night to lose Sheld, barely 15-years old.
The interns comfort one another; even the law students, Gil and Adam, join them. It is a defining moment for all of them. They form an unbreakable bond from this day onward, promising to look out for one another, no matter what the circumstances.
As for Dantius, the committee permanently assigns him to Senator Vidar Kim. The move to Senator Kim's office works out well for the other interns. He was glad to see the 'Blind Admiration Society' brought to its knees. They rarely see Dantius unless he is in the senator's box during an open session in the Galactic Senate Hall.
The Qel-Dromas' try to recover from their tragedy. Inga Faas writes them about her husband Nils. Nils is guilt-ridden and tries to take his own life. The only thing that pulls him from the brink is when Inga announces that they will soon become parents. Therapy helps him and he no longer needs the sleeping pills. Mattahias and Kajsa offer forgiveness and support. The two couples remain close friends.
Dantius returns to Naboo after the semester break. He has papers to write and final exams. His father writes to tell him that he will attend the commencement ceremony. Dantius sits at one of the tables in the campus library as he reads the letter. An old acquaintance stops by to speak to him. It is a female voice.
"Hello, Dantius. Studying for finals?"
Dantius looks up from the three-page letter with the Palpatine family crest.
"Hi…uhm…yes."
"I could use a study partner for the political theory class."
Dantius hesitates for a moment then slides his books aside to make space.
"Have a seat."
Fern sets her book bag on the table.
"Thanks. What have you been up to during semester break?"
He stares at her and thinks about his answer: "I murdered a child."
What he actual says is, "I started my internship on Coruscant and I learned a great many things. It was fantastic!"
He appears to be happier than she has ever seen him.