The months passed swiftly, as the struggle for life faded, and their ambitions were given room to grow. Their school, a couple of warehouses given the security of a few guards, flourished as dozens of orphans took up the opportunity to find gainful work and earn a living. It was hardly the hundreds that the Lucky Orphans had feared it might become, but the Boss was unwilling to judge their successes against what still remained to be done, and treated each child who earned employment and learned enough to begin their own lives as a success.
In the years to come, the Lucky Orphans would grow, splinter, be renamed, and transform into a thousand different forms, and the agency and its founding members would be lost to the history of the galaxy. But each time an orphan went through one of those agencies, and came out with their lives enriched, it echoed the simple, heartfelt struggles that those small children waged against the a world much larger than themselves.
Such small acts can change a galaxy, eventually.
But only a few months after they began, news arrived, that would herald an intervention from the wider world that would change everything they knew.
"Quiet down, let me whet my throat first!" A man said, basking in the sudden excitement his attention had garnered. "It's a good story, don't make me rush it!"
The Boss smiled, and made a gesture from his corner when the bartender nodded. The bartender poured the traveller a drink, leaned forward and whispered 'compliments of the Boss, who would like you to get on with it.'
"Right, right." The traveller said, and raised his mug into the air. "To the Boss! Charitable to the weak, kind to the honest, and downright nasty to those who deserve it!" He said, with a cheer that was taken up by everyone else in the room.
The traveller drank deeply from his glass, while the others settled down into stools and chairs. It took only moments for the boisterous crowd to settle into near silence, one which took up an ominous note as the traveller started his tale.
"There's a new Lord on the Obsidian Throne." He said, quietly. His voice was hardly more than a harsh whisper, but everyone in the room heard it as if it were told only to them.
No one spoke, stunned into silence. For as long as anyone could remember, the Obsidian Throne was synonymous with only one name, one person, who sat on it.
"Someone killed Iniquitus?" Someone asked, as if afraid to voice the thought.
"As far as I know" the traveller replied. "almost nine months ago, the newly constructed fleet laid siege to the capital. It took four days before a strike force slipped into the palace and killed Iniquitus in a firefight. The city garrison surrendered right after it happened."
"Impossible." The Boss said, to himself. Almost a whisper, just loud enough for the two boys to hear.
"Why do you say that?" Marius asked the Boss, who put a finger to his lips and pointed to the traveller.
"Who did it?" Someone asked.
"Who was brave enough to kill Iniquitus?"
"Who else? His own apprentice!" The traveller answered.
"Amar? General Amar, the bloody bludgeon?" Someone asked.
"The very same. They say he stopped Iniquitus' lightning with a red sword that can cut through compounded armor plating." The traveller said.
Murmurs of incredulity permeated the air, and the ambiance took on an ominous note. The Boss turned to the boys, and said "Amar was Iniquitus' apprentice, and number two man. He's commanded armies, and committed atrocities, when he was hardly older than the two of you are."
The boys' eyes widened, and they turned back to hear what the storyteller had to say next.
"Right off the bat, and he hadn't sat down on that throne yet, he rescinded the Treaty of the Burning Republic, and ticked off Din'Alos enough that they revolted. All of them, every city, within a week of one another. They stormed the military compounds, hung the regional governors, and sent a nasty edict to the new Lord Amar declaring their independence.
Needless to say, he wasn't very happy about that, and sent the armada to Itamus. Let me tell you, they did a whole lot better than the Capital, because they managed to drop every single ship. Every one of them, burning on the ground almost overnight. There's a few vacancies in the admiralty right now.
They're mobilizing the army, and it looks like we're going to have another war of the Confederacy. For the first time in forty years, the Confederate flags are flying in the city-states again."
The incredulity wasn't limited to murmurs after this news, and a number of patrons already began cheering the successes of the Confederacy. The call seemed a popular one, as most of the bar was cheering before long.
"Verre." The Boss said, in an awe struck whisper. The boys barely heard him as the room began singing. Marius, years form now, would recognize it as 'Preserve the Confederacy to Preserve Us."
"Who was that?"
"A man who saved my live, forty years ago." The Boss replied, and didn't venture to explain himself any more. The boys knew better than to press the matter.
"Off world trade has stopped, and any foreign ship in the planet's airspace will be shot on sight. It's a bad time to go back there." The traveller finished, and many of the patrons applauded.
Much of the tavern turned back to their drinks and companions, and the quiet that had hung over the bar was suddenly drowned in voices. The Boss took the moment to turn back to the three boys, and said "I'm going to have a lot of business to deal with for the next little while. I'll talk to you in three days, early in the morning. We'll discuss finding a couple of teachers for your school then."
"Really?" Beriven asked. "You're seriously considering it?"
"Of course. The more the orphans of the city are working for me, the less you're stealing from me." He said, with a smile.
Mystery stood up, and said 'thanks' with a smile on his face. Even the boss seemed a little surprised, but shook the hand Mystery held out. He did the same with Marius and Beriven, and shoed them out the bar.
Marius turned back, as the others left, and walked back to the Boss. "Sir?"
"What is it?" The boss asked.
"As far as I can tell, the news at face value means Coruscant won't be in a position to intervene here for decades. This should be good news, but you're worried. Why is that?" Marius asked.
The boss smiled, and gestured for Marius to sit back down.
"You and Beriven, it's almost as if you're preternaturally perceptive. But the difference Marius, is that you care about things for their own sake. Beriven is just as brilliant, but he's more focused on the things he cares about. You bring more things into your concern. It's a great strength, one I remember from those parents of yours." The Boss said, as Beriven and Mystery slipped through the door and stepped outside.
Marius said nothing, only waited quietly while the Boss weighed how much he wished to speak. Eventually, he sighed, and said "My concern is that this will bring the attention of the Obsidian Throne to this moon."
"How so?" Marius asked. "It sounds like this new lord has a lot of problems at home."
"I don't think Iniquitus is dead, and frankly, I'm not sure if his apprentice knows if his former master is dead, either." The Boss admitted.
"Oh." Marius' eyes widened at the news. "So I guess you think Iniquitus will come here, if it turns out he's not dead?"
"It's the most likely place for him to go. It's a good place to hide, this moon, and if you want to find a place that no one on Coruscant has ever heard of, it's the place to start asking for hyperspace charts." The Boss mused. "And if Therran even suspects his master isn't dead, he'll send troops here. He's not subtle, Therran Amar, and he'll send a battalion to get answers, rather than agents."
Marius nodded hard.
"But that's my problem. I'll let you know if it looks like it's going to be yours." The Boss said, in a gruff tone. Marius smiled at the attempt at reassurance, but was bothered by seeing the Don of Vos Ma'ar so shaken by any news.
"Well sir, I'll be heading home." Marius said, waving casually as he walked away.
"Be careful." The Boss said, "And look after each other."
Marius stepped through the doors and into the street, to find Mystery and Beriven leaning against the wall, waiting for him.
Beriven, spotting him first, asked "Find out anything more?"
Marius nodded hard, and said "He thinks Iniquitus isn't dead. And he's pretty sure that if he's not, he'll come here."
"Iniquitus? The Lord of the Obsidian Throne?" Beriven asked, his face turning a little pale. "He can't be. Not here to the middle of nowhere."
"He's pretty sure of it." Marius replied.
Mystery didn't say anything, but looked a little puzzled at the thread of the conversation. Eventually, he turned and started walking towards their home, leaving Marius and Beriven to follow a little ways behind.
Beriven dropped his voice, and said "That dark cloud I've been seeing, on the edge of my sight. The one that's been there ever since that day I first saw it?"
"Yeah." Marius said. "You kept wondering what it was."
"I think it's him." Beriven admitted.
"Who? Iniquitus?"
"Yeah. I think it's a person. It's not a candle, a small light like most people are, but neither are you." Beriven pointed out. "And it's been getting bigger."
"Bigger like it's growing? Or getting closer?" Marius asked.
"I can't tell. Neither way is good, though." Beriven replied.
Marius nodded solemnly, and nervously, they made their way back home, to relay the night's discussion, and the hope they still had for getting real teachers in their school. It would be hard, but for a little while, they could again put news and portends away from their minds.
No one was particularly energetic that evening. Marius and Beriven were too nervous, Thema and Bug too tired, and the others too weary from their various labors to keep themselves awake. By the time the sun sank behind the planet they orbited, and the long darkness of the lunar eclipse began, nearly all of them were fast asleep.
Except perhaps for Beriven, who law awake in a cold sweat, staring at the deep and unsettling darkness that now surrounded the world. His hands shook at his sides, and his eyes were wide open, greedily taking in any meager light that could be found.
All of this, in an effort to avoid looking to the west, where a deeper darkness seemed to grow. For months, it had lingered on the edge of his sight, its nature a mystery. But for the past few nights, it had grown, and now the barest edges of that darkness were as close as some of the small lights at the edge of town.
Beriven rolled over, and quickly tapped Marius on the shoulder.
"I'm awake already." Marius whispered quickly. He sat up and slithered out of his sleeping bag, and even in the dim light cast from the street, Beriven could see his friend was already dressed.
"Can you see it too?" Beriven asked.
"No. But something's bothering me. I'm hoping it's just the darkness." Marius admitted.
"Then why are you dressed?" Beriven asked. He pulled himself out of his sleeping bag completely, and reached for his shoes.
"Because you are. I thought you were gonna slip out and go looking for whatever is out there." Marius admitted. "Think I'm right."
"Clever." Beriven grinned, despite himself. "The thing is, Merry, you know how I can see him, right?"
"Yeah."
"I think he can see me. Probably you, too."
"Do you think that's why he's here?"
Beriven didn't answer, but started to tie his shoes. Marius did the same, and the two of them slipped out of their warehouse, and started down the street.
As they walked, Marius noticed his friend's pace slowing, as if his feet hesitated in carrying him forward. He decided not to mention it, not wishing to voice the fears and acknowledge them. Better to try to hide his shaking hands.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, noticing the eerie quiet that seemed to fall over the streets. The wind had died, the clouds lingering above the city lights were unnaturally still, and no one, even those who had no other place to be, were not in the streets.
Beriven stopped, his eyes wide, and he backed away a step. "He's here, in the city."
Marius whirled on him. "He? Iniquitus? You're sure?"
Beriven nodded. "I can see him, or something of him." Beriven pointed to the west, where they had been heading to. "A figure in that black, like seeing someone in the dark when lightning flashes."
Marius sighed, and said "I wish I could see him."
Beriven shook his head. "I wish I couldn't. He terrifies me. But we have to face him, Merry. We might be why he's here."
"You think he's here for us?"
"It's possible. But I'm pretty sure if I can see him, he can see me. And if he sees like I do, I know he can see you." Beriven pointed out to Marius. "You stick out as powerfully as he does."
Marius squared his shoulders, and reached into his clothes. From them, he drew a small, familiar looking device that had been carried, a few months ago, by the leader of a group of boys that had tried to kill them.
"You kept it." Beriven said, simply. He eyed the blaster, and Marius, with a small grin.
"The Boss' goons didn't take it with them. I thought it made sense."
Beriven nodded, smiling. "I don't think I could face him without you."
Marius grinned in response. "Nor I. What's the plan?"
"Sneak up on him, and you shoot him in the head. Repeat as necessary."
"I've never killed anyone before, Berry." Marius said.
"I have. I will again, if I have to." Beriven responded, strongly.
Marius sighed. "So will I. But we don't know if we have to."
Before Beriven could respond, both boys caught sight of shifting shadows in the distance, and they both scrambled for cover, cowering behind a small pile of boxes on the side of the street. Holding their heads just high enough to see, they stared, breath held, as fleeting figures in the shadows sprinted through the dark.
Despite their stealth, it seemed to the boys that speed was more important for them.
"The Boss's goons?" Beriven asked.
"No one else moves like that." Marius affirmed. "Do you think the Boss knows who it is?"
Both boys looked at each other for a long moment, the started sprinting after the soldiers.
They rounded a corner, and spotting a ladder, elected to climb the rooftops and take the high roads.
The rooftops were a perilous route for even the sure-footed, in daylight. At night, wet with condensation, the narrow paths between rooftops were treacherous and uninviting. Beriven and Marius were slowed to a slow walk as they crawled along narrow beams set along rooftops, and had to double-back to find an alternate route.
So it was that they were still blocks away, when the first crack of thunder roared not from the skies, but from the streets ahead of them.
Men screamed, and blaster fire punched through the air in bright red flashes in the aftermath, clearly visible until another blast of thunder ripped through the night air.
Beriven shrieked, and covered his eyes. Marius, for his part, knelt on the cobblestones on the flat roof, and held his hands steady.
"Berry, I feel something, anger, so much of it, but it isn't mine." Marius panted. "Why do I feel that?"
Beriven shrugged, and said "It's lightning. I can see it. It's coming from Iniquitus."
"Lightning? Are you serious?" Marius asked. The impossibility of it made him brave, as if he could face it knowing it couldn't possibly be real. "It could be some kind of explosive, a grenade or a plasma charge."
"I didn't see it normally, Merry." Beriven said. "I know what I saw."
Marius swallowed, and nodded. "Okay."
They continued on, exchanging speed for stealth, as they clung to the shadows. Both boys tip-toed along the edge of a roof, until Beriven dropped to a crawl. Marius followed, until they lay behind a tall, cement lip in the roof almost as tall as they were. Beriven turned to Marius, and said "He's just below."
Marius nodded, and drew the blaster. Slowly, both of them rose up, and peered over the ledge.
There were six figures in the dimly lit street below. Two law sprawled on the ground, coughing weakly. Smoke rose, in lazy tendrils, from dozens of spots along their bodies. Weapons lay at their sides, as badly burnt as their owners.
Two more crouched in cover, weapons poised, both pointed at one of the last two figures almost directly below the boys.
Of the last two, one was now very familiar. Short, unremarkable looking, he stood with hands in his pockets, his body tense. His head was tilted forward a little, and the gaze he leveled at the last, unknown figure, was one that would likely have cowed anyone else in the city, even if they didn't know who he was.
The last, who loomed over the boss like an adult to a child, had his hands pointed to the two armed soldiers, fingers splayed like he was resting his hands on some instrument. Though all they could see was the back of his head, it was impossible to avoid noticing charcoal black bandages, wrapped fully around the head, with small tufts of hair protruding at odd angles from a few sides. Below that, the bandages continued down the neck, and disappeared beneath a black cloak.
"You're not welcome here." The Boss said, quietly. It was unlikely anyone heard besides Iniquitus, and the two boys just above them.
"Do you welcome every traveller like this?" The bandaged figure asked, his fingers flexing a little. The two soldiers flinched as he spoke. His speech was quiet, would be difficult to hear if the night was not so hushed. His voice was soothing, surprisingly so for someone with Iniquitus' reputation.
"Only you, Iniquitus." The Boss replied, still speaking softly.
The bandaged figure tilted his head slightly, as the Boss spoke. "Where did you come by your courage? Your minions are too professional, and you are far too calm, for what you just went through."
"I've seen it before. And I brought soldiers, not minions." The Boss responded.
"You've seen it before? Lightning? And you live?" Iniquitus asked, bemused. "Your accent. The Confederacy. There was only one city during that war I intervened in, personally. Itamius. You were one of Verre's makeshift militia." He laughed a little, a rumbling chuckle that sounded like the crackling of a fire. "For such a large Galaxy, it seems so small at times."
"If you've seen it before, soldier, you know that I will do to this place, if you interfere with my wishes. Worse still, since you know who I am, we need to come to an arrangement. I'd prefer to retain anonymity, and slaughtering the local magistrate doesn't serve my interests."
The Boss nodded, slowly. "I have no interest in bringing your apprentice and a brigade of troops here. You can't stay, you'll attract too much attention, but I can spare supplies on a regular basis." He paused, and asked "But what drew you here? If you were after a way to reclaim your throne, surely another developed world would have served better. Corellia, or Duro."
"There is a presence. Two of them, powerful disturbances. I need allies, or tools, if I'm to reclaim my throne, and an ally or an apprentice would mean more than a battle fleet to that end. A single adept in this power might tip the balances of a battle. A trained apprentice might steal me an empire, just as it was stolen." Iniquitus said.
"He's here for us!" Beriven exclaimed, whispering into Marius' ear. "Kill him!"
Marius didn't wait for another word, and setting the butt of the blaster pistol on the ledge, using the solid surface to help him aim. He set his eye behind the sights, and lined them up carefully.
Iniquitus' bandaged head was set between the gap in the back sight, and lined up perfectly with the nob in the front. Marius took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and began to pull the trigger.
Iniquitus didn't move, didn't gesture, didn't even interrupt his conversation with the Boss, as the blaster was snatched out of Marius' hands, and whirled in an arc towards the former Lord of Coruscant.
"No." The Boss whispered, as he saw the blaster clatter onto the cobblestones, and looked up to the roof to where it came from.
"These are my terms. For my restraint, since I haven't killed you when you offered ample provocation, I require a moderate assortment of supplies, delivered to a location I give you, at regular intervals while I reside on this moon. Foodstuffs, medical supplies, a small financial stipend. No great burden on your resources. In addition, I require your silence, and the two boys who just tried to kill me." Iniquitus demanded, his tone quiet, almost gentle, though the menace was impossible to ignore.
"If you fail to meet these demands, one of two things will happen. I will either return to slaughter you and yours, and drive your town to ruin, or if I choose to reclaim my throne first, I'll bombard the city from orbit. Am I clear?" Iniquitus asked.
The Boss, his hands still in his pockets, shook his head. "I cannot accept those terms."
"Less patient men, with power less than what I wield, would kill you where you stand for such insolence." Iniquitus added.
"I'm aware of that." The Boss replied. "But I'm a don. A mob boss who has outlawed slavery in the city I claim. I will not compel the children to accompany you."
"Even if it means the death of you and yours? And the ruin of everything you have built here?" Iniquitus asked, softly. The boys shuddered as he spoke.
The Boss nodded, and one hand drifted to the holstered blaster at his side.
"Verre left quite the impression on you. For most men, principles are small channels dug in the sand with a stick. Easy to draw again, easier still to step across." Iniquitus acknowledged. "However," and there was a smile in his voice. "They did just try to kill me. You cannot object if I compel them.
The Boss grit his teeth and looked up at the boys, still staring down as the former Lord of the Obsidian throne negotiated with the only power that still separated them from the sorcerer. His gaze was pained, the apology as clear on his face as if he had said it out loud.
"Will you still help the Orphans?" Marius asked.
The Boss smiled. "Of course. So long as they work to help themselves."
"They will." Beriven assured him.
"Then I have no objections. You are owed recompense." The Boss said, supplicating by throwing his hands in the air.
Iniquitus turned, and set his gaze upon the boys for the first time. The eyes glowed, a sinister, faint red glint that made those eyes easy to see, despite the darkness. "Come down."
The boys obeyed, and started to climb down, awkwardly, from the rooftop. Beriven dropped almost twice his body length to make it down, and Marius landed awkwardly, rolling on the cobblestones before standing and brushing himself off.
"Boys. You tried to kill me. An insult I won't take kindly. Your lives are mine, to do with as I wish." Iniquitus told them, and both boys were shaking with fear. "To answer for this, I am going to make use of you. You will serve me, as I teach you skills and powers to make you strong. I will then use that strength, to regain something I have lost. I demand this of you, in answer to the offense you gave me when you tried to kill me."
"I can make this demand because I'm stronger than you. Stronger than the ruler of your city, who I've made other demands of because his soldiers threatened me. You will comply, or not only you will die. I will tear down everything you have found to love.
The boys nodded, in understanding.
"If it helps, think of what your doing as protecting them, from me."
Marius spoke first. Gulping more than he needed to, and the hands at his sides still shuddering, he said "I accept."
"So do I." Beriven answered, only a moment later.
"Good." Iniquitus said. "Meet me at the eastern end of town, in one hour. The don will have people pack supplies for us. You will need nothing except what you're wearing. Use the time to make peace with who you need to. We are unlikely to return in a hurry."
The Boss turned to them, and said "I'll walk you back. We have things to talk about."
"Then I'll meet you all at the eastern end of town. One hour. You know the price of failure." Iniquitus warned.
It was in dread silence, that the boys and the Don of Vos Ma'ar set off back to their home, all of their lives changed.