Obroa-Skai--A victory in the making

What was that?

The Governor’s head snapped up from the computer screen, glancing around wildly at the darkened corners of his office. Seeing nothing, he breathed a sigh of relief and let his shoulders slump, but the uneasy feeling remained in the back of his mind. Turning his attention to the screen once more, Governor Frayen re-opened the message that he had received mere minutes ago, the one that had his hair standing on end.

Someone’s going to die here tonight.

He shuddered. Anonymous death threats were nothing new to him; in fact, he had a full-on rebellion on his world of Obroa-Skai going on right now, and many were unhappy with the way he kept taxes high and had silenced his vitriolic opponents on the radio. He just didn’t understand it; so what if the crime rates were soaring and his thought police were cracking down? So what if the unemployment rate was through the roof because of his heavy taxes on businesses? The taxes went to a good cause: the people no longer had to care about providing for themselves; the government did that for them. And the schools had improved; sure, there were claims of indoctrination, but they were quickly…dealt with.

He had given them all they had ever asked for, and, while he was at it, secured a little more power for himself. And they responded with a rebellion and death threats! It’s no wonder he had declared martial law and sent the military in. He had to, just to defend himself, and to make sure his changes stood in place. And he had survived because of it; survived several attempts by the rebellion to take the capitol, survived a coup attempt by one of his generals, and survived several assassination attempts…he shouldn’t have any problem with this threat. It was almost laughable to think that someone could get past all of his guards.

But there was something different about this message…something deep and foreboding…something that had made him call for more guards. This message had come to his own private computer, not his government computer. That meant that the sender had access to high-level security clearance that included the codes to his personal contact information…which meant that he was either an extremely capable slicer, or a highly-placed traitor. Both were highly worrisome, the latter more so than the former.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his comlink, about to page the captain of the guard…and then he froze, his ears perking up and trying to focus on what he had just heard…and then he recognized it.

Blaster fire.

And it was coming from inside the building.

His heart pounding, he raised his comlink and shouted, “Captain, status report! What is going on?”

The voice that returned chilled him to the bone. “The captain’s not here anymore, Governor. But we’ll be up there in a minute, don’t you worry.” A guttural laugh, and then the comlink shut off.

Fearfully, Frayen dropped his comlink and crushed it under his foot, so that it could not be traced to lead his enemies to him. Glancing towards the door, he realized that the blaster fire was closer now.

It was practically knocking on his door.

He rushed over to lock all possible entrances, then returned to his desk and his computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard. He didn’t have much time; they could blow apart the door any minute now. First he locked his computer with a password only he knew, then he input a special code into his personal computer. They would not get him, not now. If there was one thing he had learned from the attempts on his life, it was to always have an escape route. And now was no exception.

He finished inputting the code and breathed a sigh of relief as he pressed ENTER…and that sigh turned into a gasp as the door burst open and blasterfire poured into the room. Frayen ducked and grabbed his own blaster pistol, returning fire, and his attacker ducked back behind the door frame. This gave Frayen time to start down the hidden staircase that had opened in the floor with the input of his code. He heard a voice swear, and then call out, “Erdo! He’s getting away!”

Frayen ignored it. If he could get down the stairs, he could lock his attackers out of his personal underground bunker, which was reinforced so heavily it would take a concussion missile to break through. There he could sit tight and wait until the military generals sent troops to reinforce him. Despite himself, he smiled. He was going to make it.

The smile died on his lips with the sound of a new, filtered voice. “Don’t worry. I got him.” The sounds of running footsteps echoed above him, and he quickened his pace. Risking a glance back, Frayen caught a glimpse of a hooded, cloaked face and the barrel of a blaster pistol, a nearly impossible shot at the angle of the weapon. There’s no way, he thought. No one can make that shot. I’m home free.

No sooner had he said that when, just a few steps from the bunker, a sharp pain burned through the back of his right leg. Impossible! he thought as he fought to straight upright, ultimately losing the battle as his legs buckled and he tumbled down the stairs, slamming into the bunker door.

He lay there, disoriented, for a few precious seconds, then scrambled to pull himself up to do the eye scan for the door. The mechanism recognized his eye, and his fingerprint, and the door slid open…and the filtered voice rang out menacingly behind him. “Oh, Mr. Governor, we’d like a word with you.”

Snarling, Frayen brought his own blaster around, then stared in disbelief as the weapon was blown out of his hand. Glancing up, he got his first good look at his attackers, the hooded figure with the smoking barrel and tall, muscular human, a look of outrage mixed with triumph on his face. The latter stalked forward, blaster in hand, as the hooded form looked on, and Frayen shied away from the imposing figure.

The man grabbed Frayen by the front of his gubernatorial robes with his free hand and lifted him completely off the ground, slamming him against the wall. Through clenched teeth, the larger man growled, “Governor Frayen, you’ve utterly devastated this planet, and your day of reckoning has come. Any last words?”

Frayen coughed and nervously shook his head. “I meant no harm! I just did was what best for the planet!”

The man slammed him against the wall again, and Frayen cried out in pain as his wounded leg came into contact with the hard surface. “NO! You did what was best for yourself!” the man screamed. Then, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Your policies have hurt more than you know. Your thought police have destroyed any semblance of liberty on this planet. They killed my son, you know that? Just for speaking out against your disastrous tax policies. Well, now my son can rest easy, because his murderer will receive his due. Governor Frayen, I am placing you under arrest for your crimes against humanity.”

Frayen gazed into the man’s fiery, angry eyes and saw no hint of mercy there. He had no illusions about his chances of survival; for him, to be arrested meant to be executed, and the only reason they didn’t do it here and now was because they wanted to make a public spectacle out of it. He had only one chance.

He bowed his head as if sorrowful about his deeds, but as he did so he grabbed the hold-out blaster pistol from within his sleeve. He brought it to bear on the large man, catching movement out of the corner of his eye…

He felt the fiery pain in his head, more excruciating pain than he had ever felt before, for what seemed like an eternity…but in reality it was only seconds before the sweet relief of death, the eternal sleep, consumed and enveloped him, and he felt no more.

The large man shook his head and dropped the Governor, the charred head staring up at him. He turned to the hooded figure. “Well, it’s over, Erdo. We did it.”

Erdo nodded slightly, then turned and began the trek up the stairs. As the large man followed, Erdo said, “This battle is over, but I think our job is far from done. We may have killed the Governor, but we still have a ways to go before Obroa-Skai is completely liberated. The Lieutenant Governor escaped and will almost certainly assume power. We have to find him and bring him in before the military will listen to our demands.”

“Yeah, it’s too bad that we couldn’t take the Governor alive. Now he’s a martyr more than anything.” The large man shook his head. “But there’s nothing we can do about that. That was some excellent shooting, as usual, Erdo. You’ve always been the best shot in the rebellion.”

As they reached the top of the staircase, they quickened their pace, hoping to escape the building before reinforcements arrived. “What can I say? I guess I’ve got a natural sense of timing,” Erdo responded lightly.

“That much is for sure.” The large man brought out his comlink as they ran and began to give his report to his superior.



“Ah, Erdo, I’m so glad you decided to stay on this planet when we found you here eight years ago!” the rebel general said, slapping Erdo on the back.

Erdo nodded his head and laughed, removing his hood to reveal a leathery, orange-skinned Kel Dor face. “Where else would I go? I don’t know where I came from, and you were kind to me. Obroa-Skai is the only home I’ve ever known.”

“Well, we’re glad to have you. And the timing couldn’t have been more fortunate!” the large man said, grinning. “I don’t know how we would have pulled off most of those commando missions without your instincts and shooting skills. You’ve truly been a blessing to the freedom fighters of Obroa-Skai.”

“I do what I can,” Erdo said, as he headed out the door and onto the street. “We’ll win this thing yet!”

Erdo wandered throughout the streets of the city, quickly leaving the secret meeting place behind as he moved through the crowd. He had long since changed from his dark cloak into less conspicuous street clothes...but his mission for the day was not yet over. He had one more task to complete tonight before heading back home.

The Kel Dor was a common sight around these parts; he waved hello to many on the streets, friends, neighbors, acquaintances. Some of them he had known since he arrived on this planet, while others were recent acquaintances, either from the rebellion or just in general. Still others had no idea who he was at all, and some gave him strange looks. He didn't blame them; while other species weren't uncommon on Obroa-Skai, there tended to be few Kel Dor, which was why when on missions he had to conceal his face. He would be an instant fugitive if anyone discovered that a Kel Dor was taking part in the raids.

Erdo came to a large cantina, and immediately upon entering he was struck by the intensity of the din. Reflexively, he took a booth in the corner and sat with his back against the wall, facing the gigantic holoscreen that was hanging on the wall. It was strange, he thought, how easily he had taken to the cloak-and-dagger game; sometimes he did things without realizing it that ended up being of strategic value later. The skills that took weeks for others to learn he had picked up in hours, almost as if he had done it all before.

Erdo watched the holoscreen intently and focused as the hand of sabacc shown on the screen was replaced with the image of a newscaster. His attention was not focused on the news, however; he knew what that would be about, anyways. Rather, he searched the faces of the people within the bar, trying to gauge the reaction of their victory upon the average person. He studied facial expressions, posture, and nervous movements, and he listened intently to the whispered conversations and muted gasps around him. This was another of the strange skills he had discovered he possessed; he had the ability to look at someone and get a sense of what they were thinking; sometimes this manifested itself in him actually hearing the thoughts of the person. This he put to good use as the news broadcast:

"This is Mara Bostra from OSNN reporting with breaking news! I'm standing here outside the capitol building, where it appears there was an attack just a half-hour ago. Apparently two assassins broke into the main building and shot their way through to Governor Frayen's office. We're receiving reports of eight, maybe nine dead guards. So far, no confirmation on whether or not the assassins were successful in taking out the Governor. Standing by..."

Erdo noted that while many of the people in the cantina were disgruntled at first because of the interruption of their game, but now all attention was focused on the screen. Even the bartender was frozen in place, staring at the screen, a beer bottle and a shot glass still in hand.

"We have confirmed the report of Governor Frayen's demise. Apparently the two assassins caught him just before he entered his private bunker, shooting his legs out from under him and inflicting severe blaster wounds to his neck and face. Stand by for a statement from Lieutenant Governor Farriman."

The image of the Lieutenant Governor appeared on the screen. He was an imposing figure, tall and muscular, much more fit physically than the pathetic Governor Frayen. He appeared to be sorrowful yet defiant, but Erdo knew it was an act. He knew Farriman was elated to be elevated to the post of Governor, especially now that Frayen had expanded the role's power to dictator levels. Farriman had always sought after that post but had never been able to get it, and with Frayen's iron grip on power and relative youth he must have thought he never would get to the top. Erdo could tell that the man's expression was fake; Farriman was the consummate politician, cool, conniving, and ruthless, as well as an effective and inspiring speaker.

"I am deeply troubled by the untimely death of my comrade and friend Governor Vendo Frayen. Ruthlessly gunned down in one's office without mercy and without restraint is never a good way to go, especially not when he was so young. My pledge to all of you is that these murderers, these enemies of democracy and purveyors of destuction will be tracked down, and justice shall be dispensed upon them! In honor of our beloved Governor, I will continue his benevolent governing style, and together we shall reach our goal of equality for all! We will not let these traitors discourage us. Do not lose hope. Do not fear. Governor Frayen may be dead, but his vision is alive and well. I pray I have the wisdom to carry it out."

The news reporter returned, but Erdo was not paying attention. He was focused rather upon the patrons of the cantina. Some of them applauded the Lieutenant Governor's words, but Erdo caught many shaking their head or twitching their lips as the man spoke. And now, as they turned to discuss this unexpected news with each other, Erdo caught wayward statements, many of them to the tune of "Well, it was a little too extreme...but I'm glad that guy is gone." The Kel Dor smiled to himself, then drained his drink and sauntered out of the cantina.

The people were still on the rebellion's side, still in favor of overthrowing the tyrannical reign over the planet. With their support (or rather, their lack of support for the government), the rebellion's chances looked high indeed.

Tired and drained, Erdo made his way home, but his thoughts were low when he realized what awaited him at home. Still, he had to return, and wanted to return, because despite the awkwardness of the situation to come, the good parts of his home far outweighed the bad. There would be a time, he thought, when the scourge of tyranny was removed from Obroa-Skai, and a good government was in place, and his time at home would not feel like such a tragedy. But until then, he would have to weather the storm and do all he could to make that a reality.

He sighed as he beheld the door to his house, and, after a brief moment of hesitation, went inside. Setting his coat down, the Kel Dor turned...and was instantly enveloped in a warm hug. "Hello, dear," he said, fondly returning the hug as he felt her tremble against him. They held that pose for a few minutes, and then she pulled away.

"Have you seen the news?" she asked, with a quaver in her voice. Erdo nodded slowly, solemnly, masking his elation at a job well done. Ellana may have not been a huge fan of the governor, but she sharply disapproved of the methods of the rebellion and thought they should place their trust in their leader. If she were to find out about Erdo's role in the rebellion, well...it was best that she didn't find out. "They killed the governor. Killed him, Erdo! Just blasted their way into his office and shot him." Tears formed on the outside of her Kel Dor-style goggles, and Erdo's heart nearly broke. "I don't know how it came to this. How did it go this far?"

Erdo enfolded her in another hug, softly stroking the top of her head. "I don't know, Ellana, I don't know...but whatever happens, I'll always be here, and I'll make sure that we stay safe and get through this."

Wiping away her tears, she removed her mask as the house pressurized, keeping the precious Dorin gas inside and the oxygen outside. He threw his arm around her and said, "It's going to be alright. Everything's going to be fine. Trust me." She nodded, once, and together they headed upstairs to their bedroom.

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