“Now,” Narb said, folding his hands and looking at the both of them across the table, all traces of concern gone from his face. “It appears that poor Daak was unable to raise the funds he needed in order to assuage the concerns of some very, very powerful people. And since he did not do that, we have to move forward with a few...unpleasantries.”
“Gangsters,” Dav blurted out, realizing the truth. “My father became a councilman on his own merits. But at school people said you needed the backing of gangsters. Somehow Father found out, or maybe he learned something else about them. And they told him to pay, like a fine. And we’re...” Dav looked at his mother.
She looked surprisingly unconcerned.
“You were leverage, young Dav. It’s quite sad, really. I really do like you both. However, there are realities one must face if one wishes to advance in this galaxy.”
“Do you do your own dirty work, Narb?” said mother, “or will we be turned over to these glorified assassin droids of yours?”
“My dear Layda. With all we’ve shared through the years, why would you think me capable of harming you? Or your son?”
“Having four armed men in my dining room contributes substantially to that impression.”
Narb smiled, pulling the loose folds of flesh on his face back into a smile completely without humor. “That’s a crude way to put it, Layda. My associates aren’t all that interested in seeing your blood spilled, either on the floor of your home or on the sidewalks a few miles down. No, dear, dear Layda. I have something a bit more...useful in mind.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Narb slid his datapad across the table. The screen no longer showed Dav’s father, but now instead held a full length picture of a tall, muscular blond man dressed in the gleaming white armor of an un-helmeted imperial stormtrooper. A lovely, dark haired woman dressed in the crisp grey uniform of a staffer on a star destroyer stood by his side. Both smiled while looking out at Dav, extending their hands in friendship while an inviting vista of stars stretched out behind them. “ADVENTURE IS UNIVERSAL,” said the caption below in large, friendly white letters. “Join the Imperial Navy!” read the rest of the message, written in slightly smaller type. A blinking arrow pointed towards a small circle in the corner, just large enough for a thumbprint.
“You, Dav, need to be protected for a spell. Contrary to what you may think of me, I have no real desire to hurt your family. Not even your father. I’d much rather see him humiliated. Your father’s enemies, however, won’t rest until they are certain he is no longer a threat.”
“How do we know they won’t kill him?”
“Because at the moment he’s too visible, Dav. You’re actually quite fortunate your father knows how to work the media effectively. If not for that, he may have found a bounty hunter’s dart in his back weeks ago. As it is, if you will place your thumbprint on the red dot on the advertisement, you’ll be in a place where you will be...protected. Where could you be safer than in a place surrounded by soldiers? And no one is stupid enough these days to try and harm the property of the Empire.”
“I have to go into the military? In the Navy?”
“Not good enough for you, little Councilman’s son? Such a shame. But I assure you, your thumbprint will be on that datapad in the next minute. Otherwise...”
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