Umbrous - Shadow of the Force
Part 1 - Awakening of Shadow
FYI: I use italics to depict speech in Ukian, the native language, to distinguish it from Basic.
Chapter 11
"You are watching HoloNews. My name is Daaru Pitahuhn and I bring live news of a Rebel attack on a major shipping lane."
Kaan and Bongo looked up from their lunch to see the view shift to a map of the Manda Merchant Route, closer to the Core where the Bothawui system was highlighted in bright red. Both of their interests were aroused when the Twi'lek news anchor continued,
"Reports have reached us of violent outbursts on Bothawui's surface and in its atmosphere, but no major firefight is occurring. The reason for the attack appears to be the Bothan information network, and the Empire is currently requesting anyone with information leading to the Rebels' base to come out and speak. Imperial Star Destroyers have been dispatched to deal with the threat, and to ensure continued trade along the Route. The safety of our Empire depends on this. We are still shocked by the tragedy of the Death Star, only four short months ago. All over the Empire, families mourn their lost loved ones on the Death Star and cheer the Empire's noble cause onward. Long live the Empire!" The broadcast flickered shut, the Empire's logo slowly fading off the screen.
"No mention of the casualties of Alderaan, huh?" grunted Bongo, his mouth full. Not as devoted to the Empire as Kaan, his loyalty to the Empire's cause was born more out of a belief that backwater planets like Ukio could be greatly benefited by the Empire, if only they chose to comply.
Kaan liked him for this, as it meant they could both vent their disagreements with certain Imperial decisions, without fear of repercussions. Kaan had particularly been troubled by the decision to destroy Alderaan without warning, with so many people on it.
Little information had been released about the event, and the few unredacted Imperial files would not easily reach the Imperial bureau of such a distant planet as Ukio.
Alderaan had been home to Senator Bail Organa, as well as the famous Alderaanian monarchy, of which Princess Leia Organa was the sole survivor. She had been named a Rebel traitor and was wanted by the Empire.
Kaan supposed that the Empire had wanted to prove to the galaxy that it could and would rule by fear, but the fact of the Death Star's destruction mere days later showed this may not be such a one-sided conflict as the Empire claimed.
"Alderaan was… a misjudgement by Grand Moff Tarkin," replied Kaan, "The massacre of innocents has never been the Empire's goal. I am fully prepared to believe that the decision had something, if not everything, to do with Darth Vader's presence on that station at the time of the order."
When Bongo gave him a curious look, he explained, "Dark side users of ancient times, such as the Sith, were known to commit acts of great destruction and massacre in order to imbue a place with the dark side of the Force. Places like Tatooine, which once hosted lush vegetation and oceans, and was spatially bombed by the Rakata until it became the desert it is today. Or, for example, the Sith lord Momin, who built a device capable of freezing a city right as it was being blown up, so he could use the Force to meld the people's fear and pain to his will."
Kaan recalled shuddering in horror at the parts of ancient galactic history which the Jedi had hidden behind holocrons, for fear of what they could mean, and the horrors they could inspire.
Just then, a troubling thought occurred to him in terms of the galaxy's more mundane affairs, and he blurted out, "What about the crime lords?"
"What about them? The Hutt clans seem to be fairly peaceful, especially after the massacre of the Hutt Council. They seem to be fairly neutral, just like they were in the Clone Wars" replied Bongo.
"But with the Empire's attention diverted, there is a pressing risk that the spice trade will grow. Already the Pyke Syndicate is expanding into the Outer Rim, and it looks like they're going to make a grab for the Arkanis sector. Think of how much they can make if they capture Ryloth. It's not like the Empire would step in, especially now that Cham Syndulla has joined the Rebellion and Orn Free Taa doesn't have to pretend to care about them in the Senate anymore. The Pykes could probably also do with a base of operations far from Oba Diah, like Savareen or Tatooine."
Kaan was speculating about this last part, but reports of criminal activity in the Arkanis sector had provoked his curiosity, and his imagination.
"Savareen? Tatooine? All right, calm down, Kaan." Bongo was good at discerning when Kaan overthought things, and never failed to reprimand him when he did.
"You know there's no way the Pykes are going to go anywhere near Tatooine. The Hutt Council may not exist anymore, but Jabba Desilijic Tiure still owns Tatooine. A single Pyke transport even flying into Tatooine's system and the Pykes would beg Jabba to just keep it and not retaliate. As for Savareen, after Crimson Dawn left the place, it's been a hunk of decaying rock. There's nothing there but some broken down refineries."
Bongo looked plainly at Kaan, whose gaze seemed diverted. "And besides, we're not in the Arkanis sector, we're in the Abrion sector. And this close to Kamino and Scarif, the Empire cannot afford to let it fall." His monologue over and sensing that Kaan was deep in thought, Bongo kept quiet and the two continued their lunch in silence.
With their final exams soon to come, however, Kaan and Bongo had no time to worry about galactic affairs. They themselves had no major worries, ace students that they were.
People joked that Kaan should be doing the test blindfolded, to even the odds for all the others. In front of Bongo, Kaan joked that he may even be able to do it; just by using the Force to see. Bongo had initially laughed, then stopped and stared at him, his jaw dropping, before Kaan assured him that he had not yet learned anything of the sort.
The pair had, however, noticed Bongo being surreptitiously trailed by their classmate Savarii Orballa. Kaan had long suspected her of having a crush on Bongo, and now began to suspect that she wanted his help in revising for the exams, given her typically below average grades.
"There she is again, Bongo. Hiding behind those trees" Kaan tended to speak to Bongo in Ukian near others, which gave them privacy since few human classmates spoke more than a couple words, and the other Ukian students were encouraged by their parents to keep their distance from Bongo, especially since the protest.
Right now, they were sitting on a bench within the university grounds, and Kaan had sensed movement in a copse nearby. He suspected that only a few months ago, he would not have been able to, not without his newfound heightened senses. Bongo himself had to turn around partially to look, lacking as he did Kaan's peripheral vision and hearing abilities.
"A creep, she is, following me around everywhere. And besides, doesn't she know that most species' brains are wired to only find their own species attractive? You humans are a weird bunch. Tell you what though, I'll have to take your word for it that she's there, I can't see a thing. Being Force sensitive really does come in handy now and again, eh?"
He gave up trying to find her and turned back to Kaan. "Tell me, once you're done with school, you gonna go out into the galaxy, studying the mysteries of existence?". Kaan had told him about his successes in experimenting with the Force but hadn't quite formed plans as to what to do about it.
He still had time until after the exams to make up his mind, however. Suddenly, he felt a tremor behind him, and saw a lock of loose hair fluttering out from behind a tree quite close to where he and Bongo were sat and smiled.
"She's moved closer. Can't imagine the look on her face when she finds out we're not speaking in Basic, huh?". Bongo chuckled to himself without turning around. That he hadn't openly rejected Savarii yet was a result of Kaan's machinations. He saw an opportunity in her, and he and Bongo stood to gain much from her.
This is my first and last attempt to talk about galactic politics, talking about various crime syndicates and the rest. I'm decidedly useless at it.
Part 1 will end soon, not sure how long though. I doubt I will be making more than, say, 20 chapters in Part 1.