Disclaimer:
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.
See the difference? 'Nuff said.
I added TWO chapters since FF.N has been down for so long! You people are so lucky!
*****
CHAPTER EIGHT
Back on Crixxin, things were heating up in the palace.
There had been several furious debates between Prince Talno and King Anjos; Talno still wishing to wipe out the Atheists and Anjos opposing him. Prime Minister Darmick had sided with the prince. Queen Leckura was still deep in thought on the subject, but tried to stay on the same side as her husband.
The queen was still angry about the deaths of the Jedi. She had not spoken to Darmick since she found out. She could often be found walking through the garden, with a distant, pained look on her face.
Unknown to Anjos and Leckura, Prime Minister Darmick had told all his troops to feel free to arrest any Atheists they saw on the streets.
With the order known to everyone who was not in the palace, the crowds on the streets were greatly diminished.
Talno would often pull the Prime Minister aside and check on the progress of the Atheist Disposal Act as they called it, and Darmick would grin evilly as he gave the prince a list of numbers.
Unknown to the king and queen, their power over the situation was growing increasingly smaller.
The king and queen were not only losing their influence, but also their relationship. It had never been a very good one. They seldom talked to each other, and hardly knew one another to begin with. The only reason they'd had Talno was because the Prime Ministers had insisted they needed an heir to the throne.
Leckura and Anjos's marriage had been an arranged one. Leckura was the daughter of one of the most powerful Prime Ministers on the planet. Anjos was the heir to the Crixxin throne. The first time they had ever met was on their wedding day.
But both of them had secrets. Very similar ones, but secrets nonetheless.
Darmick knew both of these secrets. And the time had come for him to use them to his advantage. He wanted the Atheists gone. If they continued to oppose him, he would lose power, perhaps all of it. He had vowed long ago to do all he could to stop the rebellions before the Atheists grew too strong.
It was on one of her frequent long walks through the garden that Darmick caught up with the queen.
"Your Majesty, I have been doing a great deal of thinking lately," he said as he approached her side.
The queen gasped, startled. "Prime Minister! Forgive me, I did not hear you coming," she said.
As the Prime Minister looked at her, he almost felt sorry for what he was about to do. Almost.
"Your Majesty, I think it is in the best interest of the entire planet that the Atheists be destroyed. All of them," said Darmick.
"Prime Minister, I am sorry, but this discussion has been held on several occasions, always with the same results. Today will be no different. What do you hope to accomplish now?" the queen calmly asked.
"Because, Your Majesty, as I have been stated, I know what will make you agree with me now. I have a treaty with me," he said, pulling out a large durasheet from within the billows of his robes. "All I need is your signature and the king's to make this perfectly legal."
The queen looked the treaty over. It firmly stated several times that every Atheist would face death if discovered. There were several punishments for those who were caught aiding or hiding an Atheist.
"Prime Minister, I will not agree to such declarations. I am sorry, but I cannot grant your request," said Leckura.
"Is the king holding you back, Your Highness? You must not let Anjos interfere with this important decision," said Darmick.
"I am not letting him interfere, Prime Minister. I do not wish for any more bloodshed," Leckura said.
"Your Majesty, do you wish to jeopardize your Reward with such a foolish disagreement like this?" asked Darmick, speaking of the reward that all Crixxians believed they received when they died.
"Prime Minister, at the moment I am willing to risk even my Reward to keep this planet alive and peaceful," Queen Leckura said firmly.
Darmick sighed. He had really tried to stay away from this area. "If Your Majesty will not agree under the terms I have all ready suggested, I will have to move on to more drastic ones."
She curiously looked at him.
"Markaen."
This single word brought an expression of fear, horror, and a small bit of anger to her face. "No, Darmick, please do not involve him in this! Don't hurt him!" she cried.
"I assure you, my queen, I do not have him. But I will be forced to tell the world about him if you do not sign the treaty," said Darmick.
"Darmick, please! I beg of you! Not Markaen!" she was on her knees, and close to tears.
"Sign and I will forget this conversation ever happened," he coolly said.
She sobbed as she grasped the pen, and slowly wrote, "Queen Leckura," on the durasheet.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I assure you, you will not regret this decision," Darmick said with a small smile as he bowed, turned, and walked away.
The queen rigidly sat down on a bench near the fountain, and allowed herself to cry with her face in her hands for hours.
"No Prime Minister. I've had these arguments with you too many times, and my answer has not changed," said King Anjos, waving his hand to send the Prime Minister off.
Darmick did not move though. "Sire, think of your Reward. Think of your family's Reward. It will be destroyed if you do not do as the Gods would wish," he said.
"As much as I care for my family, I cannot let them stand in the way of such an important choice," said Anjos.
This little tug-of-war with the king was starting to get irritating. Darmick was turning slightly red with impatience and frustration.
"But Sire, both your wife and son have submitted their names," said Darmick, holding out the treaty for him to see. Before he had searched for Anjos, the crafty Prime Minister had sought out Talno and had easily gotten his signature on the treaty.
"Their decisions matter not to me. I have told you, I am going to prevent more war at all costs," said Anjos.
Darmick gave a sigh of false regret. "It seems such a shame to let the world know about your son."
"It is no great secret that Talno has a great dislike for the Atheists. Why should I care if you tell anyone?" asked Anjos.
"Not Talno, Sire. Your other son," Darmick said with a guileful, malicious smile.
Anjos's eyes grew wide. "You wouldn't," he said.
"You would be surprised at what I would and would not do, Your Highness," said Darmick.
"If you tell anyone, I will have you executed," said Anjos.
"I'm sure our fellow Crixxians would love that," Darmick sarcastically said.
"Now, Darmick, surely we can reach an agreement about this," Anjos nervously said, growing very uneasy with the topic of discussion. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"The choice is yours sir. And I would hate to tell the planet of your deception and betrayal," Darmick said.
Anjos angrily let out a breath. "Give me the treaty." He angrily wrote down his name, "King Anjos V."
"Thank you, Your Eminence. I assure you, you will not regret this decision," Darmick said.
Anjos did not reply.
Darmick bowed and walked out of the room.
A few moments later, Darmick stalked down the secret stairway to go alert the troops of the treaty, completely satisfied with his work. Everything was working out just the way he had planned.
*****
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews!
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.
See the difference? 'Nuff said.
I added TWO chapters since FF.N has been down for so long! You people are so lucky!
*****
CHAPTER EIGHT
Back on Crixxin, things were heating up in the palace.
There had been several furious debates between Prince Talno and King Anjos; Talno still wishing to wipe out the Atheists and Anjos opposing him. Prime Minister Darmick had sided with the prince. Queen Leckura was still deep in thought on the subject, but tried to stay on the same side as her husband.
The queen was still angry about the deaths of the Jedi. She had not spoken to Darmick since she found out. She could often be found walking through the garden, with a distant, pained look on her face.
Unknown to Anjos and Leckura, Prime Minister Darmick had told all his troops to feel free to arrest any Atheists they saw on the streets.
With the order known to everyone who was not in the palace, the crowds on the streets were greatly diminished.
Talno would often pull the Prime Minister aside and check on the progress of the Atheist Disposal Act as they called it, and Darmick would grin evilly as he gave the prince a list of numbers.
Unknown to the king and queen, their power over the situation was growing increasingly smaller.
The king and queen were not only losing their influence, but also their relationship. It had never been a very good one. They seldom talked to each other, and hardly knew one another to begin with. The only reason they'd had Talno was because the Prime Ministers had insisted they needed an heir to the throne.
Leckura and Anjos's marriage had been an arranged one. Leckura was the daughter of one of the most powerful Prime Ministers on the planet. Anjos was the heir to the Crixxin throne. The first time they had ever met was on their wedding day.
But both of them had secrets. Very similar ones, but secrets nonetheless.
Darmick knew both of these secrets. And the time had come for him to use them to his advantage. He wanted the Atheists gone. If they continued to oppose him, he would lose power, perhaps all of it. He had vowed long ago to do all he could to stop the rebellions before the Atheists grew too strong.
It was on one of her frequent long walks through the garden that Darmick caught up with the queen.
"Your Majesty, I have been doing a great deal of thinking lately," he said as he approached her side.
The queen gasped, startled. "Prime Minister! Forgive me, I did not hear you coming," she said.
As the Prime Minister looked at her, he almost felt sorry for what he was about to do. Almost.
"Your Majesty, I think it is in the best interest of the entire planet that the Atheists be destroyed. All of them," said Darmick.
"Prime Minister, I am sorry, but this discussion has been held on several occasions, always with the same results. Today will be no different. What do you hope to accomplish now?" the queen calmly asked.
"Because, Your Majesty, as I have been stated, I know what will make you agree with me now. I have a treaty with me," he said, pulling out a large durasheet from within the billows of his robes. "All I need is your signature and the king's to make this perfectly legal."
The queen looked the treaty over. It firmly stated several times that every Atheist would face death if discovered. There were several punishments for those who were caught aiding or hiding an Atheist.
"Prime Minister, I will not agree to such declarations. I am sorry, but I cannot grant your request," said Leckura.
"Is the king holding you back, Your Highness? You must not let Anjos interfere with this important decision," said Darmick.
"I am not letting him interfere, Prime Minister. I do not wish for any more bloodshed," Leckura said.
"Your Majesty, do you wish to jeopardize your Reward with such a foolish disagreement like this?" asked Darmick, speaking of the reward that all Crixxians believed they received when they died.
"Prime Minister, at the moment I am willing to risk even my Reward to keep this planet alive and peaceful," Queen Leckura said firmly.
Darmick sighed. He had really tried to stay away from this area. "If Your Majesty will not agree under the terms I have all ready suggested, I will have to move on to more drastic ones."
She curiously looked at him.
"Markaen."
This single word brought an expression of fear, horror, and a small bit of anger to her face. "No, Darmick, please do not involve him in this! Don't hurt him!" she cried.
"I assure you, my queen, I do not have him. But I will be forced to tell the world about him if you do not sign the treaty," said Darmick.
"Darmick, please! I beg of you! Not Markaen!" she was on her knees, and close to tears.
"Sign and I will forget this conversation ever happened," he coolly said.
She sobbed as she grasped the pen, and slowly wrote, "Queen Leckura," on the durasheet.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I assure you, you will not regret this decision," Darmick said with a small smile as he bowed, turned, and walked away.
The queen rigidly sat down on a bench near the fountain, and allowed herself to cry with her face in her hands for hours.
"No Prime Minister. I've had these arguments with you too many times, and my answer has not changed," said King Anjos, waving his hand to send the Prime Minister off.
Darmick did not move though. "Sire, think of your Reward. Think of your family's Reward. It will be destroyed if you do not do as the Gods would wish," he said.
"As much as I care for my family, I cannot let them stand in the way of such an important choice," said Anjos.
This little tug-of-war with the king was starting to get irritating. Darmick was turning slightly red with impatience and frustration.
"But Sire, both your wife and son have submitted their names," said Darmick, holding out the treaty for him to see. Before he had searched for Anjos, the crafty Prime Minister had sought out Talno and had easily gotten his signature on the treaty.
"Their decisions matter not to me. I have told you, I am going to prevent more war at all costs," said Anjos.
Darmick gave a sigh of false regret. "It seems such a shame to let the world know about your son."
"It is no great secret that Talno has a great dislike for the Atheists. Why should I care if you tell anyone?" asked Anjos.
"Not Talno, Sire. Your other son," Darmick said with a guileful, malicious smile.
Anjos's eyes grew wide. "You wouldn't," he said.
"You would be surprised at what I would and would not do, Your Highness," said Darmick.
"If you tell anyone, I will have you executed," said Anjos.
"I'm sure our fellow Crixxians would love that," Darmick sarcastically said.
"Now, Darmick, surely we can reach an agreement about this," Anjos nervously said, growing very uneasy with the topic of discussion. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"The choice is yours sir. And I would hate to tell the planet of your deception and betrayal," Darmick said.
Anjos angrily let out a breath. "Give me the treaty." He angrily wrote down his name, "King Anjos V."
"Thank you, Your Eminence. I assure you, you will not regret this decision," Darmick said.
Anjos did not reply.
Darmick bowed and walked out of the room.
A few moments later, Darmick stalked down the secret stairway to go alert the troops of the treaty, completely satisfied with his work. Everything was working out just the way he had planned.
*****
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews!