We stepped back up on the stairs in front of the Kommaden City council chamber and watched as two Kommadenian citizens carry Captain Karus's body. Another Kommadenian comes from behind them with his severed head. I watched them with a bitter feeling of grief as they took his body away into a small building. I looked back at the citizens of the city as they stared at me and Rakine.
"Attention citizens of Kommaden," Rakine tried to get all their attention. "The Imperial threat on this system is no more. The Imperial captain and guards were all destroyed in the explosion in the sky. And their Inquisitor has been vanquished in the metal tower forest. You are all safe."
"But what if the Empire comes back?" A young Kommadenian woman asked us. She stared at us with her bright yellow eyes, from her green, diamond-shaped head. "What if they find out and they come back to liberate this peaceful system?"
"We'll make sure they won't invade in the future," I took one step down toward the crowd. "Rakine and I make it our duty to fight for the Rebel Alliance, bringing peace and justice to the galaxy. We will stand up against the oppression of the Empire, and as it expands, we of the Rebel Alliance will do what we can to stop them. Stop them from attacking peaceful systems." I remember how they killed my family, and the rest of the population of Randin Village. How they left our village to rot, and decay, and leave a tragic legacy to Zant. "I have seen it before. My people back on my home planet Zant were mercilessly killed by the cruel, evil Empire. My friends who lived there, my family-" I have a small flashback of when I saw my mother's dead body slouched in a chair. She held the baby bump of her stomach as she received countless blaster bolts to the chest and stomach. Both of them were killed in the shooting. My mother. My future sibling. Both taken from me, and and the hands of the Empire. I wipe the tears off my face and stare ahead, in anger, with hatred for the Empire. "They have killed my family. My mother, who was too weak to take care of herself anymore. The child she carried. They never stood a chance." I wiped my face again and muttered to myself quietly, staring angrily, down at the stairs below me. "I never should have turned by back. I never should've left them."
Rakine stepped closer to the crowd of Kommadenians.
"Now you have heard about how evil the Empire is. They take over systems, they take many innocent lives, they kill anyone who steps in their path, anyone who says "no" to the Empire. They truly are the greatest danger, the greatest threat to the galaxy. And what is it what we fight for? Freedom. Justice. Restoration of the Old Republic. Peace throughout the galaxy." Rakine stood straight and proud. "The Rebel Alliance will grow strong and wipe this Empire out of the galaxy. We will not stand the oppression or the hatred they will give to the systems. We will fight back." Rakine walked down into the crowd, looking at each of the Kommadenian individuals. "Will you help us and our cause? You have some of the most advanced technology I have seen in my many years of traveling the galaxy. Your weapons, your transportation, all of it. It will greatly help us in our fight against the Empire. We ask you now, will you help us? Will you help us fight back? By lending us your weapons and providing for the Rebel Alliance, you are proving your loyalty to galactic peace and justice." He spoke calmly to them. "Will you help us?"
The Kommadenians started to shout in approval and applaud to me and Rakine, many of them whooping excitedly. Three of the council members walked to us and nodded.
"We will join your cause against the Empire, we will provide weapons and transportation for the Rebel Alliance. Just tell us where your rebel base is and we'll begin communication with the Alliance, to tell them that help is on the way."
"Yavin 4, the fourth moon in the Yavin system. We have a large rebel base present. It remains hidden from the Empire."
"We will inform them that the Kommaden system has agreed to join the Rebellion against the Empire."
Rakine and I bowed in respect to the council members.
"Thank you, council." Rakine and I walked down the stairs and through the cheering crowd of Kommadenian citizens. They continued to applaud to us as we walked through, back to out ship, just outside the city. As we got through the crowd and reached the ship, Rakine opened his communicator and Mon Mothma answered.
"Rakine Cerivian," Mon Mothma nodded. "So good to see you again. Lord Venison had us worried."
"Well, I'm alright. There is nothing more for you or the Rebel Alliance to worry about. The Kommaden council has agreed to join the Rebels against the Empire."
"Excellent." Mon Mothma grinned. "Now, Lord Venison told us that Karus is-" Rakine and I turned to the building where Karus' body and head were taken, and two Kommadenians came out with his body and head, laid down on a hovering stretcher, his body was decorated in Kommadenian flowers, meant to pay respect for him. His head placed at the neck and his neck was covered, to conceal the slash that took his life. His face and body were cleaned up, the blood on his hairy face cleaned off, his eyes and mouth closed. He looked almost like he was asleep. But I felt no pulse in his body. And Rakine and I knew he was dead. Rakine pointed the communicator to Karus' decorated body and Mon Mothma gasped and covered her mouth as Karus's stretcher hovered to us.
"He is gone," Rakine nodded and lowered his head in sympathy. The Kommadenians took Karus's body to the ship and left it at the door. They walked past us, lowering their diamond-shaped heads in sympathetic respect, and they walked back to the city.
"I see," Mon Mothma nodded slowly. "Please come back soon. We have much to talk about."
Rakine nodded and Mon Mothma's image disappeared. He closed the communicator and walked to the ship. One of the council members walked up to us and spoke in a quiet voice.
"I will come with you. If Kommaden agreed to joining the Rebel Alliance, it would be best we go to discuss the situation." She looked at us with her bright orange eyes as she walked to the ship.
Rakine and I nodded. The ship's door opened and I brought Karus' body and stretcher on board. After Rakine and the Kommadenian council member entered the ship, I closed the door, sat down in the pilot's seat and started the ship. The two sat down in the other two seats.
"Now, dear council member, what is your name?" Rakine looked at the Kommadenian.
"I am Rulus Knil-Wean." She looked at Rakine, and he nodded in response. "I hope now that you know my name, you are satisfied."
"Your system is very wise to join us against the Empire. We are fighting for peace, and-" Rakine stopped and Rulus raised a hand to him.
"You already said that," The council member chuckled and looked out the front window of the ship as it took off the ground and headed out of the Kommaden's metal forest.
The Nightmare flew past all the large towers and beams, and sailed straight through the planet's atmosphere. I activated the ship's sails and the ship flew toward the Yavin system, where we would go back to Mon Mothma to discuss our next plan. As the ship sailed smoothly through space, Rakine and Rulus watched the stars sail by and I turned to Karus' body, lying still, on the hovering stretcher. I lowered my head and closed my eyes. I never knew how hard it was to lose a fellow Rebel captain. A friend.