[Disclaimer: Star Wars fanfiction is based upon the Star Wars movies of the same name. All characters and situations other than my own are the property of George Lucas, 20th Century Fox and whoever else makes a ton of cash with that outstanding evolutionary franchise.]
Chapter 12: Snake in the grass
Prime Minister Bannon stared in disgust at the conference pickup on her office desk. The Opposition Leader of the Albernon parliament had demanded an audience with her, but declined to meet in person or communicate through a standard video channel. The reasons were obvious. The Opposition Leader, often known as the Wild Boar, was not an eloquent or witty man. He was brunt and rash when it came to heated issues and needed a gaggle of political handlers to direct his aggression. He chose to berate Bannon over an audio channel because he had the best speechwriters on the planet. They could slip him catchy one-liners from the comfort of his office.
Her most powerful enemy in government and the head of the rival party demanded to know why she had ordered full-scale militia exercises so early in the year. Bannon knew exactly what he was going to say before he started spitting venom into the microphone.
"Volunteer reservists constitute the bulk of our planetary militia!" he stated over the channel. "These people have jobs! An unwarranted deployment will disrupt the commerce on every continent. Have you heard the news commentators from Osroland? They complain at length about the maneuvers. Even the provincial governors have expressed unrest. Your decisions are going to change the mood of your future voters, Prime Minister."
Bannon took a deep breath and waited for him to stop breathing. She could blow up in anger, but the Opposition Leader would want her to lose control. She preferred to annoy him with a long, unnecessary pause. It made no sense to charge the Wild Boar.
"Your protests are misguided, sir," she answered calmly. "I find it surprising that the underfoot Osroland media has even noticed a military deployment. Oddly enough, their reporters are citing anonymous sources in government. I seem to recall notifying your office about the maneuvers as a political courtesy. I wonder: have your advisors made any recent calls to the Osroland press?"
"Don't waste your ammunition with weak accusations, Bannon. You can't move a single soldier without my support."
"You may address me as Prime Minister," she growled into the audio pickup. "And as commander-in-chief of the Albernon militia, I can order any exercises at my discretion. That is clearly stated in our constitution. I don't require the support of my ill-educated colleague."
She glanced up as Avraus knocked on her office door. He was visibly excited. The man also looked disheveled, as if he had not slept in days. Bannon felt guilty about that. He would look worse by the end of this crisis.
She turned back to the audio pickup. "Pardon me, sir, but we will have to continue this discussion at a later date. My commanders will brief you when they have more details about next week's maneuvers. And would you reiterate to your staff that leaks to the media about militia actions are a capital offense? We don't want any public embarassments where our global security is concerned."
Bannon switched off the channel before the Wild Boar could fire back. She waved Avraus to a seat, then pressed a button that sealed the office for privacy.
"The Opposition Leader is a bloodthirsty hunter with special tastes," she told her minister. "He has always wanted my head first and my office second. I wonder if these trophies will be acquired in any particular order."
Her advisor took a deep breath. "I have disturbing news, Prime Minister. A junior manager in the Albernon data center on Mosetia has been identified as a spy. For the past five months, he has copied files from our global satellite relays and task programs. He carried out the data in a device which was hidden in his left shoe."
"His left shoe?" repeated Bannon. "Goodness, Avraus, what was he stealing from us?"
"Specifically, the fuel consumption and orbital patterns of our communication satellites."
"There must be hundreds of those satellites in orbit."
"Nine hundred and thirty-two, Madam," Avraus corrected her.
"Was he alone in his actions?"
"Yes, Prime Minister. When this suspect became known to me, I immediately checked the service records of all employees in the Bureau of Satellite Operations. Many are experienced military veterans that were cleared by my analysts before employment. No one could help him in this act. The junior manager used false credentials to acquire this information. Protected directories were hacked with a virus program."
"What did he do with the satellite data?"
"I cannot say at present, Madam. My people are working on it. The manager is still under surveillance."
Bannon sighed. "We have caught our first snake in the grass."
Avraus cleared his throat. "Perhaps we have caught more than one, Prime Minister. Your personal aide, Mr. Kelvin, has been monitored closely for the last two days at your request. I don't know why you asked me to investigate him, but it proved correct."
"What have you found about him?" she demanded.
"Each month Kelvin sends a letter to his grandmother on a moon colony in the Bespin System."
"What is wrong with that?"
"Kelvin has no living relatives. I have a contact on Bespin who confirms this. The letters are transmitted to an orbital messaging relay, but I have no means to see where they are directed. In all likelihood the relay is programmed to encrypt the messages and send them to their real recipient."
The Prime Minister clutched the arms of her chair. Ivos Maddaus was right! If it wasn't for the Jedi's mystical faculties, which she still failed to understand, her aide would be free to report her every move. And the alleged traitor was sitting at his desk just outside her door!
"Avraus, I'm going to send Kelvin to represent Albernon in negotiations with the Trade Federation. The position is not a critical one. See that the other spy is also reassigned to a nonessential facility."
"As you wish, Madam. I know an antennae construction project in the Osroland highlands that require his long-term attention. You have chosen a wise course of action. We can't arrest any spies. That might provoke the Sith into moving against us too early."
"I feel better, Avraus, knowing you've accepted the truth about our would-be conquerors."
The minister hesitated before answering. "I am willing to entertain that idea, Prime Minister, although the evidence is starting to support it. Nevertheless, we do not know that these men are true agents of the Sith. They may serve another enemy. But if I were to invade a planet, I would certainly plant operatives to watch the planetary grid. After pulling these snakes from the grass, I am not convinced that our defenses are fully ready."
"Ready?" Bannon shook her head. "Avraus, the Sith have slaughtered billions, and may live to slaughter more. When the Sith come to Albernon, will we ever be truly ready?"
"I will fight anything that touches Albernon soil, Prime Minister," remarked her trusted advisor. "We will survive."
Bannon cherished the wisdom and counsel of her defense minister. But it would take more than the knowledge of two informants to raise her confidence. The Sith conspiracy was bottled up. All the powers of a prime minister were strained to find a way to keep it in check, before her world was consumed and lost by violence.