Disclaimer
George Lucas: owner of Star Wars
Me: Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.
See the difference? 'Nuff said.
AN: I just kinda realized (2 years later) that I never finished posting this, so I figured what the heck, I'll stick the rest up. Don't really care if it gets reviews or not since I don't write Star Wars anymore, but any that I do get would still be appreciated. Enjoy!
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Crixxin was growing bigger and bigger in the large viewport in the cockpit. Aro-Ken still sat in the copilot's seat, making sure the pilot didn't try anything.
"Aro-Ken?" a voice said.
He instantly turned. "Yes, Mattan?"
"You said I should tell you about my father while we were on the ship," Mattan said.
"You're right, I almost forgot! Hey, Dom?" Aro-Ken said, turning to the large man who had been idly standing near the doorway.
"Yeah?" Dom replied in a deep voice.
"Watch him for a moment," Aro-Ken said, gesturing to the nervous pilot. "I need to talk to Mattan."
"You got it, Aro-Ken," Dom said. The big black man grabbed his spear and held it so he was sure the pilot could see it as he allowed himself to fall into the copilot's chair.
The pilot whimpered slightly, but kept his eyes on the viewport.
Aro-Ken followed Mattan into a small side chamber, where they sat down.
"All right, Mattan, I don't think we'll be interrupted here. Now, what do you remember about your father? Just tell me anything you can think of," Aro-Ken said.
"OK… He was tall, really tall. He had green eyes that always shone when he looked at me. His voice… His voice was low and sounded mean sometimes, but never when he talked to me. Then it was nice. Uh… His hair was red, and he had a beard. A short beard, not a long one," Mattan said, pausing constantly to think.
"His name, do you remember his name?" asked Aro-Ken.
Mattan thought hard, his face contorted with intense concentration, but he sadly shook his head.
"No."
"Do you know if he was… rich?" Aro-Ken tried.
"Yeah. He didn't live with me and Mom. I can remember he'd come to where me and my mom were at night, and then he'd only stay for a while before he left again. He never said where he went," said Mattan.
"How about… His job? Do you know what his job was?"
Mattan shook his head again. "He never said. I'll bet Mom knows."
Aro-Ken nodded. "Is that all you know? Can you remember anything else?" he hopefully asked. He wanted to know everything about the boy, hoping he could find out why he had been on Jadda or who he'd inherited his Force talents from.
The young boy thought deeply. "I've got it! I think I remember his name! My father's name was-"
"Mattan!"
Both Aro-Ken and Mattan instantly turned to the door, and saw Dahna standing there. She did not look very happy with her son.
"Mattan, what were you telling him?" asked Dahna.
"About Father," Mattan quietly said.
"Didn't I ask you to never tell anyone about your father?" Dahna asked.
Mattan nodded. "But Aro-Ken won't tell anyone! He's nice!"
"Mattan, I said no. Come on," Dahna strictly said.
Mattan dejectedly rose and followed his mother.
Aro-Ken sat there a moment, and then jogged after them. "Dahna!… Dahna! Please, just listen to me!"
Dahna froze and turned around. "No, Aro-Ken, you listen to me! There are many, many people who would undoubtedly try to kill me and Mattan if they knew who his father was! I know you're not one of them, but I do know that there is a big chance that you will tell someone who will. I do not want anyone to know."
She firmly grasped Mattan's arm and kept walking.
Aro-Ken jogged and caught up. He ducked around Mattan, and positioned himself firmly between Dahna and the doorway she had been about to go through.
"Tell me, Dahna, did you really like your life on Jadda? Do you think it will be much better on Crixxin if Mattan has no father? Do you really want that for him?" asked Aro-Ken.
"It is better than being dead," Dahna flatly said.
"Dahna, I can help you much more than you think if I know who your husband is. Please, tell me," Aro-Ken said, looking into her eyes.
Dahna looked at Aro-Ken for a moment, and then down at her son, who was also gazing at her with an intense yet pleading look.
"All right. But come inside this room. I don't want anyone to overhear," Dahna said.
Aro-Ken instantly obeyed, jamming the door after he, Mattan, and Dahna were all inside.
"To begin with, I was not married to Mattan's father. He was married to another woman. Mattan's father's name was… Anjos. King Anjos," Dahna said.
Aro-Ken's eyebrows rose. Mattan's father was the king?
"I worked in the palace for several years. I was a cook, and often served the king his meals. After dinner, he would occasionally catch me in the halls and talk to me, and we would walk through the palace. After a while, I realized he loved me, and I felt the same for him, even though he was married all ready and had a son of his own.
"Anjos started calling me to his chamber when he needed nothing. We would sit on his bed and talk for hours. Each time we fell more and more in love with each other. It wasn't long before we saw each other all the time. And then after one night with him, I discovered I was pregnant.
"I told Anjos, and we both thought it would be best if I stopped working at the palace. He told everyone I was very ill and had to leave my job. So I bought a small home in the city, and Anjos sent me money and visited me secretly all the time. When Mattan was born, he came every night," said Dahna.
"I remember! He used to sit on my bed and hold me on his lap and bounce me on his knee and talk to me and you! I remember him!" Mattan cried.
Dahna nodded, tears in her eyes. "Yes. That's exactly what he did for three years. That's when the Prime Ministers grew suspicious. They had noticed him casually leaving the palace, making up an excuse each time. So they followed him. They saw Mattan and myself. They discovered I was an Atheist. They knew everything, and they blackmailed Anjos, threatening to expose us to the planet and his wife if he did not do as they wished. Anjos gave in to their wishes for a while, and then came and talked to me. I said that it would be better for him and the rest of the planet if I left, and he reluctantly agreed. So he paid off some guards and got Mattan and myself passage on a transport to Jadda. I haven't heard from him since," Dahna finally finished.
There was a brief moment of awkward silence.
"Thank you for telling me, Dahna. I promise you, I won't tell anyone," Aro-Ken said.
"Thank you," Dahna quietly replied.
"When we get to Crixxin, what are you going to do?" asked Aro-Ken.
"I don't know. I think it would be best for Anjos if I didn't live in Crixx. I believe my mother lives in Delbron," said Dahna.
"You don't want to see Anjos?" asked Aro-Ken.
"No. It would only complicate things," said Dahna.
"Dahna, things will work out. I promise you they will. I know that I can get you and Mattan inside the palace. You can see Anjos again. The only man you've loved," Aro-Ken said, desperately wanting to help. He felt that he owed it to Mattan.
Dahna stared at the ground for a moment. "I'll consider it," she finally said before rising and walking out of the room.
The instant the door closed behind her, a voice over the intercom said, "We're about to land on Crixxin, everyone. Aro-Ken, you better get to the cockpit."
"You can come with me," Aro-Ken said to Mattan as he rose. He felt closer to the boy after learning about his father.
Mattan followed Aro-Ken the best he could as he made his way through the crowd of villagers and to the cockpit.
"What will happen when we get to Crixxin?" Mattan asked over the bustle of the crowd.
"I'm not sure. Your mother said she was going to try and find your grandmother. But she said she might see your father first," Aro-Ken replied.
"Father," Mattan softly said. "I haven't seen him in five years. What if he doesn't remember me?"
"He'll remember you. Trust me," Aro-Ken replied.
"I trust you," Mattan said.
They entered the cockpit, and saw that they were flying above the city of Crixx, searching for a landing pad. Aro-Ken could faintly see the streets, which were deserted.
"That's odd. There's no one outside," Aro-Ken commented.
"This doesn't look good," said Dom, who still sat in the copilot's chair.
"Something doesn't feel right. Pilot, land away from the palace. This could mean something very, very bad is about to happen," Aro-Ken said.
He switched on the intercom. "Everyone, this is Aro-Ken. We're going to land in the capital city, Crixx. If you lived in another city, I can try and arrange for another transport to take you there later, but I can't guarantee anything. When we arrive, there may be a conflict going on. I advise all of you to stay out of it and seek shelter. Thank you, that's all for now."
He could hear people murmuring and talking from beyond the door. He looked out the viewport. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mattan pacing the cockpit, gazing with fascination at all the buttons and dials, but didn't touch anything. He was very controlled for a boy his age.
"Right there. That looks good," Aro-Ken said, pointing to a flat stretch of land. He assumed there had once been a building there, but had been bombed and destroyed.
The large shuttle touched down. There was a loud hiss as the hatch opened, and the sound of hurrying footsteps as the passengers hurried off.
As Aro-Ken turned to the door, he sensed the pilot rising. "You stay here. You have to go back for the rest of the villagers," he called over his shoulder.
As he opened the door, Aro-Ken found the Pair of Pirates, Sono and Sejos, waiting for him.
"We'll keep an eye on the pilot and get the rest of the people from Jadda," said Sejos.
"All right. Thank you," Aro-Ken said.
"Don't mention it," the twins said in unison.
Dom and Mattan followed Aro-Ken as he walked confidently down the metal hallways and out the hatch onto the Crixxin surface.
He found all the villagers at the bottom, milling about uncertainly, all of them unsure of what to do.
Aro-Ken took a deep breath. "Everyone, thank you for going along with this and making it work. I advise you all to get off the streets. If you have loved ones coming on the second transport, you can remain here. I sense a disturbance around here," he looked over the crowd. "May the Force be with you."
Instantly, the crowd began to bustle about. It seemed everyone wanted to go in a different direction. The transport lifted off quickly, and was out of sight in no time. Within a few minutes, the lot was empty except for Aro-Ken, Mattan, and Dahna.
"I have decided. Mattan and I will come with you to the palace to see Anjos," said Dahna.
Aro-Ken smiled at her. "Good. The palace is this way, as I remember," he said.
They followed him through the winding streets, trying to stay close to the alleys incase they needed to hide themselves quickly.
Aro-Ken would occasionally glance at the laser signs on the street corners for reference.
"It should be just up here…" Aro-Ken said at last as they rounded a corner. Instantly he froze.
They had found the palace all right. But so had hundreds of other people, who were all charging at each other the moment they arrived. They instantly became locked in furious combat.
The sounds of blaster fire filled the air, and the smell of smoke hung over all. People were falling left and right. In the huge mob, Aro-Ken could see blasters, vibroblades, electro-jabbers, and various other weapons. There were guards and civilians both.
Suddenly, there was a huge explosion to one side. They were using grenades now.
As he stared at the bloody battle with his eyes wide, Aro-Ken muttered, "This won't be good."
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