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Chapter Two: Processing Problems
Marney and Lyna, together with their children Rixxi and Sal, had herded the various orphans together and had managed to convince them to overcome their fear of the unknown and take a chance on the planet of Mon Cala. There were a few elderly mon calamari and quarren people among them, and these elders were extremely helpful in calming the children by explaining to them what was happening and where they would be going. Many of the poor little ones thought that they were going to be put in another prison camp or worse, and they were very mistrustful.
Marney's adopted son Sal had managed to form a bond with them during the voyage—he had played games with them and had sung them some popular Galactic tunes on his Sonic Star Guitar. He encouraged them along their journey, singing gently to some of the younger ones. Raddek had to admit, the boy was excellent when it came to working with the youngsters. Sal's help had been invaluable to him, for he felt confident leaving the kids in the teenager's webbed hands while he commanded the vessel.
They paraded out of the ship and through the space-port, to the curious gazes of other travelers. Their progress was blocked at the gate, where people were showing their planetary passports in order to attain entry into the world through passenger shuttles which carried people back and forth from the home space-port.
"Who are these children, please?" the gate attendant asked, "I need identification papers on them before I can let them through...planetary regulations demand it."
"Damn planetary regulations!" Marney exploded, "They're orphans, by Thorus! I sent an emergency message alerting the Calamari Council that they would be arriving. I specifically asked for a social worker to meet us here so that she could begin processing them and finding homes for them. If you need some names to contact, try my sister, Senator Raidlen Marne; and if you're in the dark about how to contact a social worker, then call my daughter, Kyara Raddus."
Marney Raddek had no patience for this kind of administrative ignorance. What part of "emergency message" do these kelp-heads not understand? He thought furiously.
"We will of course take the mon calamari and quarren children immediately," the attendant answered, "the elders can accompany them to the planet...but the...others...will need to be properly vetted."
"Vetted?!" Marney exclaimed, enraged, "They're kids, for the love of the Gods! Call for Senator Marne immediately, and she will clear this up."
The gate attendant gave the troublesome Captain Raddek the same kind of look that she would give a misbehaving child, but she flicked a communication switch and made some inquiries nonetheless. The doleful stares of the children were no doubt shaming her into action, Marney thought to himself irritably.
As the attendant finished her conversation with the administrative geniuses, a young mon calamari woman with albino features ran over to the group.
"I'm here, Papa!" Kyara Raddus announced breathlessly, her red eyes sparkling like a glass of polar ice wine, "and I have the papers, Madam Arkris."
"I'll give you the mon cal and quarren kids, Kyara," Arkris explained to her hastily, "but I can't let in the others until their entire situation has been understood and documented. There are strict rules for unaccompanied youngsters—Mon Cala must not be seen in any way as supporting the slave trade, I'm told by a council rep. I've called for Senator Marne, but she's off-world at the moment, meeting with the Rebel Alliance."
"We may never understand their entire situation, Ark," Kyara pressed the woman, "They've been enslaved, and many of them have lost their parents...I'm afraid that our world's bureaucratic needs must be put aside. This is a moncalimaritarian crisis situation. The children will need care, at least until we decide which planet we're going to send them to instead."
"I'm sorry, Ky," Arkris responded sadly, "If it were up to me, you know that I'd gladly let them in, but it isn't...and so I'll have to ask Captain Raddek and his...er...companion to bring the non-native children into the interrogation room."
Arkris had given Lyna a rather scathing look as she spoke the word "companion", and it was enough to send Raddek straight around the bend. Lyna attempted to calm him before his big mouth got them all into trouble, but her efforts were to no avail.
"I'll have you know, you bureaucratic naggle-fish, that this "companion" happens to be my wife!" Marney shouted at the hapless attendant, his voice loud enough to resound throughout the entire space-port, "and I'll be lanced by a laser harpoon before I'll allow you and your numb-bots to interrogate these innocents!"
Arkris pressed a button, and he knew that she was calling for the space-port security forces.
"Madam Arkris, wait a minute," Lyna interjected, "There's no need to arrest Captain Raddek—he's only trying to look out for the kids. We'll do what you want, but...could you call it something else besides "interrogation room"? It's scaring the hell out of the kids because they've just come from an Imperial prison camp."
Before Arkris could reply, a group of security guards rushed in and put hand-clamps on Raddek. They were followed by a large polar mon cal male in an admiral's uniform.
"Grandpapa, I thought you'd never get here," Kyara greeted him, "Can you help us? We're trying to get these kids processed, but we're having trouble and they want to arrest Papa."
"Give the non-native children to me, Arkris," the admiral ordered her, "I'll take them aboard my flagship while you're resolving the processing problems with the council. And as for this pot-bellied slime slug, you can toss his great big ass in a cell and throw away the key."
Admiral Raddus directed this last part of his statement towards the disowned son once known to him as Radka Marne Raddus. The guards bobbed their heads in acknowledgement and proceeded to haul the troublesome "slime slug" away, much to the consternation of his wife and children.