Umbrous - Empire's Shadow

Part 1 - Awakening of Shadow

In this chapter we meet Governor Matap, the chief representative of the Empire on Ukio


Chapter 4

Governor Wilhuff Matap was a short man with light brown skin, like Kaan. Kaan's mother Shara often joked that they would be good colleagues should he choose to join government, "looking like the head and tail of a bantha." Matap looked up as Kaan entered his office, and his worried face broke into a smile, spreading his absurdly large and bushy moustache across his face in a messy grey-white brushstroke. He had a few wisps of whitening hair still left on his scalp, and Kaan was tall enough to see the wrinkles on his aging head.

If they were a bantha, Kaan mused, Matap was definitely the bushy tail, a load of hair with no substance. For in truth, while Matap's wall boasted degrees in politics and military strategy from the University of Coruscant, he had no experience in being a governor, and took his advice from anyone willing to give it, and that included, apparently, 20-year-old political history students such as Kaan.

"Oh! Hello, my boy, how can I help you? Some jawa juice? Uko tea perhaps?". Kaan accepted the Uko tea made from the leaves of Uko plant which was the symbol of the Ukians, and of Ukio. Matap would have been so much better off as a butler, or a baker, he thought. Instead, he was a governor who came into rooms offering tea to people while discreetly asking them for help in matters he did not understand.

"Tell me boy, did you see those nasty protesters outside?". Kaan nodded while sipping the tea, as Matap scratched the edges of his moustache with his skinny, nail-bitten fingers. "Most terrible business, you know, and while we here have a solution for it, confidential you understand, I wanted to know what you thought about it. I know you want to enter politics, and dare I say you would be quite good at it. So, tell me, young man, what would you do in a situation like this. And mind you, I don't expect some ground-breaking solution, but I would like to assess your reasoning, see how well you understand public sentiment. Both important skills if you want to enter politics, you know."

Kaan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. How did this idiot not realise how blatantly obvious it was that he had no clue what to do? Kaan wanted so desperately to ask what exactly Matap's solution was, as he had on a previous occasion when it had come to fixing a broken water canal which ran through the outskirts of town. He distinctly remembered Matap turning red, spluttering, and then calling in the Vice-Governor to get Kaan out of the room, while excusing himself to go to the lavatory. Kaan had to fight to burst out laughing, as he had with his mother and Bongo later that evening.

But this, he felt, had the potential to become more than just a rowdy crowd on the governor's doorstep, or even the mess of the water canal incident, but an actual planetary crisis, one this government was entirely incapable of handling. Kaan considered mentioning the Ukian leader, Casto's possible connection with the Rebel Alliance, but decided against worrying the governor too much.

"Well, while I am certain that there are a number of flaws in this idea, I would begin by reducing taxes by a small but noticeable amount and spending some of the money we're essentially wasting on the now-defunct security measures for Scarif on subsidising farming, for say a month or so. That might calm down the protesters just long enough to forget how much they want the Empire gone," his voice trailed off.

He couldn't tell Matap too much, or he would rush ahead and not wait the correct amount of time before making each move. He also couldn't seem too much like he was giving advice to Matap, though he could see the Governor desperately scribbling notes on his planner. Matap was terrified of the Ukians, and there were not enough stormtroopers in the building or even the whole planet to stop a full-frontal revolt.

"Ah yes my boy, a very solid plan indeed, though I myself might be able to poke a hole or two in it." Governor Matap looked Kaan in the eye, and with an encouraging smile. Kaan sincerely doubted that he could find any error in this plan, even though he himself was worried that the decrease in taxes would not be significant enough. What was more, the corrupt security bureau might object to funds being pulled out of their sector. There was, however, little other government money on the planet, most of it holed up in exorbitant salaries and private savings, safely out of the Empire's reach. But then again, Matap was rather good at smooth-talking and making promises that he (with careful guidance from whichever cabinet member happened to be there in the moment) would later half-fulfil.

"Certainly, your reputation as the best student in your class is well-earned! I would strongly recommend you join the world of politics, and soon. I see a bright future ahead of you, and who knows, you might even find your way off this rock and into the Core Worlds, to Coruscant itself! It's almost a shame you can't represent Ukio in the Galactic Senate anymore, or I would have reserved the position for you. Now, I'm sure you must have a lot to do, so go along, but feel free to come by whenever you want to sit and have a chat!".

And with that, Kaan was accompanied out of the door and out of the building, though Matap stopped short of opening the door on the pretext of having forgotten something up in his office and scampered off. Kaan made a look of complete disgust behind his back before walking out to see that Matap didn't even have anything to worry about; it was getting late, and the crowd had all but dispersed itself.


A bit boring with the tax stuff, but I'm an economics student, and want to keep the politics realistic.

Big revelation next week though!