CHAPTER TWELVE
Coronet, Corellia
Thracken Sal-Solo had to admit that politics were a strange thing. There were some who lived by it, and there were many more who thought it accomplished nothing. In terms of likeability, politicians were definitely on the lower end of the scale. Admittedly, there were those who had won the hearts and minds of the people that they claimed to serve. People such as Leia Organa Solo.
Thracken felt his lip curl in contempt. Although he had never had anything personal against Leia, the fact that she was married to his cousin Han, a man whom he had always utterly despised, was enough to earn her a permanent black mark in his book. But when one added the fact that she was a Jedi… well, that was all the more reason to dislike her.
Regardless, Thracken had always held true to the belief that politics was power. Individuals such as Palpatine had been a prime example of this. From his position as a humble senator from Naboo, he had manipulated his way into becoming the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic; ultimately turning it into the Galactic Empire that had gripped the entire galaxy by the throat for many years. In doing so, he had managed to secure absolute power for himself, and played perhaps the greatest trick ever upon the unsuspecting galaxy.
Despite the fact that Palpatine had been a Sith; a dark version of the Jedi that Thracken hated, he had to admit that he admired the man for his intellect and cunning.
Now Thracken Sal-Solo found himself in the position to finally bring the worlds of the Corellian system into a position of power that they so rightfully deserved, but had been so cruelly deprived numerous times throughout history. And he had the ultimate trump card to ensure it.
Provided those miscreants he had under his command could get the damned thing working again!
Right now, Thracken sat back in the chair in Aidel Saxan's office - now his office, he liked to remind himself - and addressed the communication screen in front of him. His bearing suggested that he was not exactly impressed with the whole situation. He was absent-mindedly rubbing his fingers against his temple; a habit that many people did when they were feeling frustrated.
"What do you mean, the systems are not fully functional?"
The man on the screen was clad in the garb typically seen by those who specialised in science and research. His round face and thinning dark hair displayed the level of stress he was currently under.
"I mean that from what we've been able to tell, the station is in worse shape than we expected. We are reading fluctuations and discrepancies in practically every sector, and the firing mechanism is severely damaged. Further tests could determine –"
"Never mind your 'further tests', Doral!" Thracken snapped, rising out of his chair and bringing his face closer to the screen, as if that would help stare down the man. "Just tell me how long it will be before you will have the station operational again!"
The man on the screens, Doral, wilted slightly at Thracken's tone. "Well, given the damage that Centrepoint sustained in the battle, I'm afraid that it might take longer than we originally planned before we can use it." His hesitation was evident in his voice.
During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Thracken had used the ancient and deadly Centrepoint Station against the enemy forces. Unfortunately, his aim had been slightly off, and although it destroyed many Yuuzhan Vong vessels, it had destroyed much of those from the Hapes Consortium as well. In retaliation for the attack, the Yuuzhan Vong had launched an assault on Centrepoint, in the hopes of destroying, or at least disabling it. During the battle, the Corellians had asked the Alliance and Hapans to help defend the station. The Alliance had responded, but the Hapans did not. The battle had eventually been won, but the Yuuzhan Vong still managed to cause tremendous damage to Centrepoint.
This caused a bit of tension between the Corellians and Hapans afterwards, but relations cooled after a time. Most people came to the belief that, since Centrepoint Station was such a dangerous weapon, it was probably a good thing it had been taken out of commission.
And yet, there were still lingering feelings of resentment among some of the more extreme elements of the Corellian population. It was those feelings that Thracken and his allies had played upon, and would continue to do so in order to achieve their goals. Right now, however, they needed to focus on getting Centrepoint back online, which was why he had sent his top researchers and scientists up to the station. But one of those researchers was currently telling Thracken that the problem was worse than they had originally thought. That did not sit well with him.
Thracken leaned over the desk, bringing his bearded face as close to the screen as he could manage, his eyes blazing with fury. "You listen to me, you gutless wimp! I don't care if you have to cut any corners in order to get Centrepoint Station working again, I want it online very, very soon. And by 'very, very soon', I mean within the next few days, or a few weeks at the most. And if you feel that you are unable to accomplish that, then I am sure that I can find someone who will. After I arrange your… permanent retirment. Are we clear?"
At this point, Doral looked like he may very well be about to faint from sheer terror. If he had any more doubts about his leader's demands he swallowed them and nodded. "Yes sir," he managed weakly.
Thracken slowly sat back down, his gaze never leaving the terrified visage of Doral until he pressed the button to kill the connection.
"You obviously like to rule through fear," came a voice from Thracken's right. Leaning against the wall of the office was a man wearing a Corellian officer's uniform. The Five Worlds Liberation Front had many members who were serving in the military, and this is what allowed them to get the drop on their counterparts during the coup. The man's creased face and grey hair indicated that he was probably in at least his fifties, and the way in which he carried himself suggested that he had seen more than his fair share of combat.
"Fear is an efficient motivator," Thracken replied simply. "It reminds them who is in charge, and that punishments await those who do not perform admirably." He turned to the man. "I thought you would have been aware of this, Cavil. You spent several years in the Empire before you resigned and joined the Corellian military. The Empire ruled through fear, and that was what caused many planets to fall in line."
"Not enough," Cavil huffed as he pushed himself from the wall. "Otherwise the Rebel Alliance would never have gained as much support as it did."
"You sound resentful."
"In a sense, I am. The Empire would have been much better prepared to deal with the threat posed by the Yuuzhan Vong or the Kilrathi. Instead, the Rebels won, and billions more suffered and died because of it." Cavil stopped and fixed Thracken with a stern gaze. "I only hope that your motives are as pure as those."
Thracken sat back and fixed the other man with a steady gaze. "My desire is for no more and no less than the freedom for the entire Corellian system. To prove to the rest of the galaxy that we can stand on our own feet, and that we do not need any help to do so. We also need to ensure that we do not become tainted by outside opinions and ideals."
Cavil gave a simple nod. "A noble enough goal, I suppose. So why put so much time and energy into trying to fix Centrepoint Station? The Five Worlds Liberation Front has enough resources to protect all the worlds in the system, and it is probably just a matter of time before the rest of the citizens fall in line. For all intents and purposes, we can already stand against anything the Galactic Alliance can throw at us. Or any other faction for that matter."
Thracken held up a finger, as if to point out a vital fact. "Because, like I said, fear is an excellent motivator. Imagine that you have two people locked in a debate. One person's argument may make more sense, but people are still going to follow the other guy if he has a bigger and deadlier weapon. Palpatine knew this, and that was why he built so many superweapons; the two Death Stars, the Sun Crusher, the Galaxy Gun…"
"All of which were eventually destroyed," Cavil put in.
"True," Thracken admitted. "And I will admit, there is a chance that Centrepoint Station itself could very well fall to the same fate if we are not careful. But the point is that while those Imperial superweapons existed, the people were much more fearful of the Empire than they were at other times. And we have a weapon that has proven itself to be just as devastating, if not more so. So why should we fear to use it?" A smile came to his face. "We are already on the way of achieving independence for the Corellian system. The successful reactivation of Centrepoint simply ensures that nobody will be willing to risk total destruction in order to challenge that."
Cavil's expression had not changed, but the look in his eyes seemed to suggest that his mind was ticking over. "But still, why put so much effort into repairing the station so quickly? The Galactic Alliance is focused on their war against the Kilrathi, so why would a rebellion in a system far from the frontlines even be worth their attention?"
The smile vanished from Thracken's face. "Because the war will not go on forever. And even then, the Alliance considers Corellia to be an important system; if for no other reason than because of Centrepoint, or even the fact that many of their so-called heroes come from here."
"Like your cousin," Cavil pointed out simply.
"Yes, like my cousin," Thracken hissed distastefully, as if the very words were a disgusting poision. "My point is, it is only a matter of time before the Alliance, or anyone else, chooses to make their move against us, and I would much rather be prepared sooner than later." He leaned back in his chair again. "Consider it to be… prudent planning, if you will."
"If you say so," Cavil replied with a somewhat dismissive shrug of the shoulders. If Thracken had any semblance of being insulted by this sleight, he definitely disguised it well.
A sudden trilling from Thracken's desk cut off any further discussion. Leaning forward, he pressed a button. "What is it?" he demanded, wasting no time with any form of politeness.
"Our contacts on the other four planets are ready for the meeting," a female voice came over the speaker. Though the woman was not really a secretary, Thracken still needed someone loyal to keep him apprised of important events. The woman had proven herself to be a loyal member of the Five Worlds Liberation Front, and so Thracken had offered her the position. At least temporarily.
"Patch them through," Thracken ordered, then sat back again as four motes of light materialised in front of his desk. Thracken was the overall leader of the FWLF, but even he could not be in five places at once, so he would directly deal with the situation on Corellia itself, and these individuals would be put in charge of the operations on the other four inhabited planets in the system.
Two of the individuals were Human males, and they were overseeing of the operations on the Double Worlds of Talus and Tralus. The other two were a Drall and a Selonian, and they led the movements on the planets from which the names of their species had been taken.
Personally, Thracken would have prefered to use only Humans in his goals, given his dislike for members of any other species. Right now, of course, he did his best to hide this as he addressed his top commanders.
"How goes our operations?" he asked simply.
The Talus representative spoke first. "The situation on Talus has finally calmed down. We were still dealing with some residual resistance from the police and military who were still loyal to the previous government, but that has been dealt with." Thracken nodded, then turned to the other Human.
"The progression on Tralus has been surprisingly smooth," reported the other man. "We have received words that in some cities, local civilians have actually joined up with our forces. If nothing else, we see the potential for more recruits."
"Indeed we do," Thracken commented with a smile. "What about you?" he asked the next individual.
The next speaker, a short and stubby Drall, attempted to draw himself higher in order to make himself seem more commanding, or perhaps intimidating. "The ruling den has been overthrown. Resistance has been high, but many have also come to their senses when they realise that we are fighting for the good of all people in this system."
"Admittedly, we are still having the same problem," reported the Selonian. "Even though most of the planet is now under our control, we continue to encounter pockets of stiff resistance. But it is just a matter of time before they fall."
"Glad to hear it," said Thracken. "Now gentlemen, I have called this meeting to discuss a pressing issue." Here the other four paid their leader full attention. "In order to achieve all of our goals, we must show that the Five Worlds Liberation Front is a power to be feared and respected. Not just throughout the Corellian sector, but the entire galaxy. We need to show everyone else; the Galactic Alliance, the Imperial Remnant, the Hapans, hell, even those Kilrathi animals, that the Five Worlds can, and most certainly do, stand on their own feet independently from everybody else. And in order to do that, we need to show them that we have the ultimate trump card."
"You are talking about Centrepoint Station," the Talus representative said, not as a question, but as a fact.
"I am," Thracken answered simply. "For the past few days, I have been sending my top researchers to the station in an attempt to repair it."
"Are you sure that's possible?" the Tralus representative asked tentatively. "The Yuuzhan Vong did quite a bit of damage to it."
"I will admit that those freaks were definitely thorough in their job," Thracken conceded, "there can be no doubt about that. However, as long as we have control of the station, I believe it is unlikely that anyone will be willing to defy us head-on."
"What if several factions united together to attack us?" the Selonian pointed out.
Thracken turned to look directly at the hologram of the tall weasel-like being. "That is another reason as to why I called this little meeting." His gaze shifted back to address the group as a whole. "I think it is time to mobilise our fleet. Up until now, we have had them on stand-by, only to be used if the situation suddenly turned on us. But after hearing your reports and determining that we have effectively secured complete control of all five planets, I feel we need to gather our space forces together and put them all in a position where they will be needed more than anywhere else. And that position is around Centrepoint Station."
"You want us to put all of our space forces into one spot, leaving our worlds exposed?" the Drall asked incredulously.
Thracken's response was calm and collected. "If you feel the need to leave some of your forces in guarding position around your homeworld, then by all means, do so. But I would like most of them to be merged together into one major fleet under my command. If any attack is going to come at us from the outside, it will be large, hard, fast, and almost certainly aimed directly at Centrepoint. If we lose that, then we lose our edge, and our plan starts to fall apart. That simply cannot be allowed to happen.
"But if we manage to maintain that edge, then we can prove to the rest of the galaxy that the Corellian system is to be feared and respected. We can stand as an example to all others, and secure a positive future for every man, woman and child in the system." Thracken paused to let those words sink in.
"I'm hoping that by 'man, woman and child', you mean all of them, regardless of what species they are," came the smooth remark from the Selonian representative. "Your prejudice towards non-Humans is well-known, Thracken, and I am hoping that it won't be an issue. Fifteen years ago, the Sacorrian Triad did their best for all of us in this system, be they Human, Drall or Selonian. I am just hoping the goals of the Five Worlds Liberation Front is the same."
Thracken placed his hands on either side of the desk and leaned forward. When he spoke, it was in an icy tone. "I would advise that you do not concern yourself with such matters. Where the Sacorrian Triad failed, we shall succeed. All you have to worry about is doing your job. If you cannot do that, then I will find someone who will."
To his credit, the Selonian did not appear cowed by Thracken's demeanour. "Do not worry. We will do our job."
"As will we," the Drall declared.
"Good," Thracken deadpanned. "I expect you to start mobilising your fleets immediately." Not waiting for a reply from any of the four, he hit a button, and their holographic visages disappeared.
Thracken finally let the sneer he had been holding back curl his lip. Anybody who knew him would be well aware that he was a Human supremacist; he disliked any and all alien beings. He and Humans like him believed that they were the dominant species in the galaxy, and that they were well within their right to dominate, subjugate and even destroy any other species, which they viewed as all being inherently inferior. It had been a policy of Palpatine's Empire, and it was one that Thracken happened to believe in quite firmly.
Perhaps the only two species he would ever be willing to accept, or at the very least tolerate, were the Drall and Selonians, and that was probably just because they happened to occupy two of the five planets in his home system. If that were not the case, then Thracken would certainly have treated them with the same disdain he bestowed upon any other non-Humans. Still, if any Drall or Selonian was willing to do their part in liberating the Corellian system, then Thracken was willing to ignore his prejudices, at least for the time being. To him, his non-Human allies were little more than disposable tools; useful if they could be controlled, but not to be completely trusted.
Time would tell how useful they could be.
In case there are any Battlestar Galactica fans out there wondering, yes, the characters of Doral and Cavil were named after the Cylons from that show. This fic has a few BSG references. See if you can spot any more of them!
Years ago, when I was writing this, I consulted with a fellow SW fanfic writer on Thracken's attitude towards the Drall and Selonians. She believed that, given his xenophobic and Human supremacist attitude, he would probably tolerate them as tools to be used, but never fully accept them as true allies. I agreed, so I tried to include that here.
Like I said earlier, Thracken is one of those people with virtually no redeeming qualities. He's an asshole, through and through.