The Galactic Queen Book 1: The Revolution

Chapter Seven: Despondency/The Underground Revolution Part 1.

The police car arrived at Officer Kevin Darkling's house where Katooni was introduced to his family. He had two daughters, Rebecca Darkling and Maya Darkling, who were both 15 years old. Rebecca had black hair and brown eyes and looked Japanese, while Maya looked more of the American type, with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Both girls excitedly greeted their father and Katooni, but she wasn't interested in them. She was depressed, knowing she let Clementine be captured by King Shadower's guards.

After Officer Kevin Darkling showed Katooni her room, she went inside and shut the door, laying on her bed and crying into her pillow, thinking of Clementine and how she failed to save Clem from her tyrannical uncle.

I failed as a daughter, she thought, Clementine was right. This was too dangerous for me. I didn't listen.

She cried for hours without end until Rebecca came in and asked, "Hey, Katooni, do you want to talk for a bit?"

Katooni nodded and reluctantly sat up to face the Japanese-American girl.

"Look," Rebecca said, sitting at the edge of the bed, "I'm sorry about what happened. You tried to save her. That's admirable. But already because of your interference, you've been labeled as an enemy of the state. It's on the news. I'm grateful to Dad for risking his job by agreeing to protect you. He told us everything. But please try to come out. It's not good to be depressed and cooped up for hours without end."

"I failed as a daughter," Katooni replied, "I lost my family in a raid by Shadower's guards and now Clementine, the person who reluctantly agreed to take care of me, has been captured. Why is it that ever since I left the Jedi Order, everything has been bad luck?"

"Katooni, I don't know," Rebecca answered, "But Maya, Dad, and I are very worried about you. Just try to-"

"You don't understand!" Katooni suddenly shouted despite knowing better, "I lost everyone I ever cared about and you're telling me to come out?! You don't understand because you have everyone and I have no one!"

Rebecca was taken aback, but said, "I lost my mother when I was just 4 years old."

Katooni immediately regretted her outburst, "Rebecca, I'm so sorry, I-"

"It's okay," Rebecca told her, "If you really don't want to, don't come out. But we're just very worried about you. I...I understand how you're feeling. I'll just go."

As Rebecca stood up, Katooni realized she didn't want to be left alone, "Wait. Could you...stay here with me?"

Rebecca nodded, "Of course. What do you want to do?"

The two of them told each other stories and then played some board games. This lasted for about a couple hours. Rebecca then showed Katooni the collection of books her deceased mother had.

Katooni realized then that she had a passion for reading the moment she picked up one of the books.

As she neared the end of Wings of Fire: The Poison Jungle, both she and Rebecca heard talking coming from beneath the floor.

Maya came into the bedroom, "Sis, something's going on in the basement."

The three of them went down the spiral staircase in their kitchen to the basement ground where they entered a big room and saw a performance stage facing a crowd of a million people.

Maya gasped, "Holy tooth of Zadar! Is that a play we are missing?"

"That's not a play," Rebecca whispered, "That's an assembly."

Katooni crept closer towards the stage despite Maya's warnings and saw Officer Kevin Darkling on the stage talking to the crowd.

"...and the Brotherhood has always stood for freedom," Katooni heard Officer Kevin Darkling say, "Today is the day that we must act for freedom! Clementine, the lost princess, is alive!" The audience gasped, "Yes! The true heir to the throne is alive. Randy and I discovered her on the streets of town today! She was walking with this girl here today."

Katooni gasped. How did Kevin know she was there? Cautiously, she stepped on to the stage and Kevin pointed towards her, "She is a close friend of the lost princess! More like an adoptive daughter, you could say. She is also, indirectly, the reason Clementine was captured this morning by Shadower and his minions, my colleagues. But she is our last hope to restore freedom to the galaxy. Katooni, this is her name, shall be our weapon!"

Katooni's heart filled with dread. What were they going to do to her? She wasn't going to be a slave to anyone.

"I'm not going to be your weapon," Katooni protested, earning a whip across the face from Kevin. Rebecca gasped in horror.

"Yes, you are," Kevin told her harshly, "If you want to rescue Clementine, then you're coming with us." She began to tremble all over as Kevin announced: "She is our weapon against Shadower! With her, we shall overthrow the corrupt king and instill Clementine as the rightful ruler of the galaxy! Katooni was once a member of the Jedi Order! She has been through the worst and convinced space pirates to join the Galactic Republic's cause!"

The entire audience went "oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!"

"She even escaped certain doom at the hands of the Royal Fleet!"

Katooni had to admit that even though Clementine was rough with her then, she did get to meet with her family. But she lost them too that day. She felt sad all over again.

"King Shadower's days are numbered!" Kevin declared, holding up the flag of the Everett Dynasty, "We shall restore the one true queen to the throne and embrace the sunrays of freedom! Because We. Are. GALACTICANS!!!!!!! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!"

Everyone burst into a battle song, all singing in unison so powerful it made Katooni nervous about how much outrage this underground movement had.