Star Wars: The Alderaan Affair/Part V - Aldera Palace

“Look who it is boys, our good friend Epin. How ya been buddy?”, Arod Vekkar said as he strode over to Epin, who was exiting a furniture shop after finishing a sale.

“Hey Arod...”, Epin said, turning the other way.

Vekkar started after him, with his Sons gang following him. “Hey come on, where you going, it’s me, Arod Vekkar, your best pal.”

Epin ignored the group and slightly picked up his pace.

Vekkar noticed what Epin was attempting, and took action, “Get him boys!”, he yelled as Arod headed after Epin.

Epin heard Vekkar, and immediately broke into a run as he started toward the farmlands.

Arod tackled Epin to the ground and brought his fist back to strike.

But before he could follow through...

“Epin! Wake up!”

Epin opened his eyes, and noticed he was in his room. He looked around, he was leaning against the wall underneath the window. He must have sat down to rest and dozed off. He saw his sister kneeling beside him. “Rena? What is it?”, he asked rubbing his eyes.

Rena stood up. “Dad called you downstairs, I guess he wants you to help him load up Nerf or something. He’s out front waiting.”

“Oh man! I’m late!”, Epin said getting to his feet and rushing out the door to meet his father outside.

He opened the front door and found Sadvo was just setting up.

“You’re lucky boy, a few more minutes and I’d have come looking for you.”, Sadvo said as he stepped out of the cargo hauler he had just pulled up in. He shut his door and then went around to the back to open up the bay doors.

“Sorry dad, I overslept. I’ll try not to let you down again.”, Epin said looking away.

“A person doesn’t try anything boy. They either do it, or they don’t. There is no such thing in this galaxy as trying.”, Sadvo said handing his son a weapon that he called a Shod..

“Right, yes sir.”, Epin said as he took the weapon.

Shod’s were melee weapons that Epin had never seen anywhere, except on his farm. They were approximately twelve inches in length, and when a switch placed on the grip area was pressed, emitted a beam of what his father called, “concentrated energy”. Epin was taught to never touch this part of the weapon, or else their would be dire consequences. He knew better anyhow, as more than once he witnessed his father use the weapon on rampaging Nerf. As soon as the blade came into contact with a limb on the Nerf, it was instantly severed. Afterward, Epin could not find words to describe, as there was little to no bleeding from the animal, despite having one of its limbs cut off.

His mother also used the weapon, and each had a different color blade. His mother’s was green, his father’s blue, and he and his sister shared an orange one.

“Come on, let’s get the Nerf rounded up, and remember only use the weapon if you have to.”, Sadvo reminded Epin.

“Got it.”, Epin said nodding. Sadvo returned the nod and they entered the Nerf pen.

Epin and his father gathered and loaded all the required Nerf onto the hauler and shut the doors. Sadvo then took the Shod back from Epin and placed them inside his robe.

“Good work, where actually ahead of schedule.”, Sadvo said as he opened his door and stepped in, closing it as he sat down.

Epin instead leaped over the side and into the seat.

Sadvo glanced at Epin and let out a “Heh” as he started the engine and headed toward Aldera palace.

Alderaan Affair Part IV - Part VI