| abstract
| - The city of Aldera was a quiet and peaceful city, the capital of the equally peaceful planet of Alderaan. On a typical day many different walks of life could be found going about their daily routine. Alderaan was the "Shining Star" of the Core Worlds of the Galactic Empire. A "Core World" indicated that a planet was heavily populated, well known and significantly developed. A planet that was renowned throughout the galaxy for its beauty, Alderaan was characterized by its lush fields, rolling hills, vast plains, steep mountains and deep gorges. Truly, it was a planet to behold. The planet itself was well known as a place of inspiration among poets, artists, philosophers, writers, and many others who delved into the more "sophisticated,” as it might be referred to, ways of life. However, everything must have its opposite, and Alderaan was no exception. The planet had a dark side consisting of weapons and slave trading, gambling, narcotics, and the favorite among those that had a preference, fight clubs. The planet also had a significant number of gangs, or "cliques,” as one might call them, particularly popular among Aldera's upper class. The strongest by far, were The Sons of Alderaan, a group consisting of Alderaan's most wealthy male children. The Sons, as they were sometimes called, ruled the streets of Aldera, and commanded respect among the planet's children. Those who did not show "proper" respect, were "made to.” As the sun set over the top of Organa falls, Alderaan's tallest waterfall, the bulk of Aldera's activities had died down to nothing more than simple footsteps of people returning to their homes for the night. However, the business sector of the city, which was home to the merchants of the planet, was still very alive with activity as store owners made the necessary alterations to their stands and shops as they prepared for their "other" customers. As one of the many shopkeepers was standing on a ladder to assist him in the hanging of signs, he noticed a group of children down the streets that seemed to be running. Ah, to be a child again, he thought to himself as he watched the children. However, as they got closer, he realized that the boy in front was running away from the others. The boy came speeding past, bumping into the ladder, causing the man to lose his balance. "Hey kid! Watch where you're going!" he yelled as he regained his footing. “Why cant I ever get a break? Why won’t they leave me alone!?” The boy said to himself as he ran from the other children. The boy was Epin Lanmaw, a nerf farmer, who lived in the farming district, on the outskirts of Aldera. Epin was a young boy of twelve, who had shoulder length dark brown hair and wore a black tunic, typical garb for a farm boy. This was the typical, almost every time he would be sent into the city by his father, Sadvo, the Sons gang would torment him. Epin would sell nerf hides that many stores in the city would use to make furniture, clothes and other everyday items. The lead boy, Arod Vekkar caught up to Epin, and tackled him to the ground. The two of them hit the pavement, with Epin taking the brunt of it. Arod flipped Epin over, and sat on him in a mount position. “What now, you nerf loving scum? I thought I told you to stay out of my city.” Arod yelled, as he struck Epin with a slap. Vekkar was sixteen years old, four older than Epin. He was the son of Darien Vekkar, Aldera’s chief of police, and thus could do almost anything he pleased, without any serious repercussions, and he routinely used this to his advantage. He was also the leader of The Sons of Alderaan, and along with the rest of his crew, wore the group’s typical uniform of black T-shirts underneath brown pilot vests, with black pants. “C’mon Arod, leave me alone!” Epin pleaded, as he tried to protect himself form Arod’s slaps. Arod slapped Epin across the face again. “Shut up punk! You’ll talk when I say you can, got it?” Epin gritted his teeth, growled, and tried to push Vekkar off. He may have succeeded had it not been for Otis Broxtin, Vekkar’s best friend, or so Broxtin thought. Broxtin was more of a lackey, a “gopher” of sorts, who did anything, and everything Arod said. Broxtin’s family wasn’t “upper class,” but they certainly weren’t poor. Broxtin was also somewhat naive, and could be manipulated fairly easily. He had short blonde hair and was also slightly overweight, and Arod would use this to demean Broxtin. Broxtin assisted Arod by kicking Epin in the side to stop him from struggling. While Epin was distracted, Arod took the opportunity to land a punch to Epin’s face, who then placed his hands up in an attempt to protect himself. Arod stepped off Epin and pointed his finger toward Epin. “Oh no, you can’t save yourself chump! Hold him Broxtin!” Arod said. Otis knelt down and took hold of Epin's arms, pinning them to the ground. Another boy did the same to Epin's legs. When Epin attempted to struggle, Arod stomped on his stomach, knocking the wind out of Epin. “What now tough guy?! Want to fight back now!? You were lucky last time Lanmaw, but this time, I’m going to beat you until my body hurts.” Arod said with a snarl. “Hey, Vekkar, leave him alone, you bully!” A voice called out on the otherwise empty street. Epin tried to see who it was, but his view was blocked by Arod and the others. Arod seemed to enjoy the interruption, as he began to take an arrogant tone. From the voice, Epin could tell that the person was female, though couldn’t place a face, as he was still recovering from Arod’s stomp, and was having difficulty focusing. “Well, look who it is boys? What brings you to our part of the city?” Arod asked. “Your part?” The last I checked, this city belonged to those who lived in it Arod.” The person shot back. By this time, night had fallen, and the glow from light posts began to illuminate the children on the empty street. “Get going if you know what’s good for you.” The girl said, with a demanding tone in her voice. After a short pause, Arod laughed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Heh, well, I think we got our point across boys. Let him go, we’re outta here. See ya later Epin.” Epin was released from Otis’ grip as the group ran into the night, disappearing down one of the alleys. He laid still on the pavement, catching his breath. Alderaan Affair Part II
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