"Let me get this straight: your former radar technician is working for Toby's girlfriend's father now?" Thane chuckled, his hologram shaking with static. "Small galaxy, huh?"
"It's not funny! That man is using people's desperation to secure slave labor for his household."
"It's not legally considered slave labor if he's defending them in court. In the eyes of the law, these two are exchanging services in lieu of money." Thane argued, then frowned. "I agree it's skeevy, but things could be worse. Mr. Hastley got your ex-subordinate out of prison, didn't he?"
"You can still contact your family from prison. Varma had to beg me to mail a letter for him," Ciena fired back. "Mr. Hastley shouldn't be allowed to do whatever he wants to people just because they're awaiting trial for war crimes."
"And he's not. He would still get in trouble if he was abusing them. The New Republic grants basic rights to everyone, even prisoners. They know what Mr. Hastley is up to. They would know if he… wait. You mailed a letter for this guy? What did it say?"
Ciena crossed her arms. This call was not going the way she had expected it to. "I didn't read it. The letter was for his mother. Family matters are supposed to be private."
Thane covered his nose and mouth with his hands. "Are you sure Mr. Hastley's 'cruelty' is the real reason he asked you to mail that letter for him?"
"What are you saying?"
"This Varma person knows you, Ciena. He knows you're too honorable to refuse a request like the one he gave you. I bet he even knew you wouldn't read his letter. By appealing to you the way he did, he now has a line of communication that no one in the New Republic justice system knows about. That's dangerous, Ciena."
Ciena drew back at the implications of Thane's assessment. "Varma might know me, but I know Varma too. He's a pushover, not a schemer."
"Then someone else put Varma up to the task. You did say there were other Imps living in the house with him. You also said Varma knew about you living on Chandrila. I bet the whole house knows about you and sees you as their chance to-"
"Their chance to what? Reconnect with their families? Imperials have families too, Thane."
"I'm not saying they don't. I'm saying that even if what you did is completely innocent, it looks bad. You need to be careful when you talk to people like Varma. You spent too long wanting to leave the Empire. Don't let them suck you back into their plots." Thane put noticeable effort into keeping his tone even. "If Varma's 'mother' does respond to the letter you sent, you need to read it first. I know you gave your word to Varma, but you have a duty to yourself to ensure your own freedom. Please be careful, okay?"
Ciena forced herself to calm down as well. She may not appreciate the way Thane viewed the situation, but he was only trying to protect her. There was love hidden in his suspicions. "I should be saying that to you. You're the one fighting syndicates on Mimban."
"Please. Those criminals got nothing on me. Jaxon is still a jerk, but he makes up for his attitude in the air. We've been flying all our missions together." Thane smiled. "I'll be home on leave as soon as I can. I know Toby can be a typical rich guy sometimes, and I know that annoys you, but he's a good man at heart. Give him another chance."
"I… don't hold him responsible for Mr. Hastley's actions. If he asks to meet again, I will not refuse."
"Keep your head up for me, Ciena. I love you."
"I love you, too." Ciena disconnected the call.
Thane was bound to realize she hadn't promised anything of importance. He knew her well enough to understand this wouldn't be the end of the issue. Ciena wasn't content to walk away with her own freedom intact. Not when she knew there were people like her still in line for justice.
What Thane may not realize was that Ciena did not intend to wait for a reply to Varma's letter. Her next action would come later that day. After her shift ended at work, Ciena approached Dr. Cricklin with a newfound fire in her eyes.
Dr. Cricklin grinned at the development. "Did you have a good time going out last weekend, Mrs. Ree?"
"I saw more of the city," Ciena answered honestly. "Not all parts that I liked."
"Oh?" Dr. Cricklin gestured for Ciena to sit down in her office. The elderly doctor had been on her way out when Ciena stopped by, but now she was willing to stay a while. "What did you see, my dear?"
Ciena told her boss about the chancellor's assistant, his law clerk girlfriend, and her legal magnate father. She described their simultaneously kind and cruel attitude towards her. When she got to the restaurant the pair had taken Ciena to, Dr. Cricklin laughed in discomfort. "I know the place. Our university uses that restaurant to celebrate grant recipients. To dine there regularly while young… Mm. Your husband is truly blessed with his connections. So are you now, thanks to him."
Ciena's back straightened against the hard upholstery chair. "I wish I hadn't relied on connections to find my way to you, Doctor. It was not an honorable way to gain employment."
"Nonsense, dear. You applied for a position for which you were objectively qualified. Our prior meeting made you aware of the opportunity I had available. It did not guarantee you your position." Dr. Cricklin laid a hand on her plastoid desk. "You assume your new friends feel differently. You believe your new friends are dishonorable."
"I know they are dishonorable."
"How do you know that?"
"I have seen the way they treat the ones they consider beneath them." Ciena's cheeks flushed red at the memory. "They talk about equality while slaves pour their drinks in Mr. Hastley's mansion."
Dr. Cricklin's eyes popped at Ciena's assertion. Her red-rimmed glasses nearly fell off her nose. "...Slavery? In Hanna City? But how?"
Ciena summarized the conversation she'd had with Varma. This time, she left out the fact that she had mailed a letter for the man, focusing instead on how Varma was unable to contact his family without increasing his debt burden. She finished her rant with, "I was Varma's superior once. I know the sort of man he is. Whatever a later commander forced him to do, he doesn't deserve a life of servitude."
Dr. Cricklin pursed her lips. "The arc of history may bend towards justice, but injustice never dies on its own. So long as there are greedy individuals with power, exploitation will arise in any system."
"What do I do, Doctor? The difference between Varma and myself is our privilege in connections. Nothing else. I can't sit here and allow these things to happen."
"Dear, I wish I knew. I would send you to my colleagues in the law school, but I don't know how sympathetic they would be to your cause. I recommend you talk to a different lawyer, one who can navigate the details of this sordid affair with you. Once you know what's happening in the eyes of the law, you can match it to what's happening in reality. When the two pictures become one, you can expose the distortions for the whole galaxy to see. I know you aren't fond of your new friend, but he could still be an ally to you. No matter how dishonorable you find your privilege, I see no objections to using it to better those who lack the same benefits."
Ciena had an idea of who she should speak to next. "Thank you, Doctor. I will see you tomorrow."
"Good luck, dear."
When Ciena returned to her apartment, she had an energy she hadn't felt in a long time. Messes she'd allowed to accrue before stuck out like a sore thumb. Ciena wanted to clean up, but first she needed to get a hold of the only lawyer in the entire galaxy that she knew to be an honest man. Mr. Wright. Last she knew, the man was still assisting defendants on Jakku.
She called him there. The holocall took so long to connect, Ciena worried it wouldn't go through at all. Just as she was about to hang up, a haggard man in nightclothes stepped into the frame. "Can't this wait until morning?"
Ciena blinked in surprise. "Oh! I didn't realize the time difference, Mr. Wright. I can call another time."
Mr. Wright rubbed his eyes, then blinked rapidly. He zeroed in on Ciena like it was his first time seeing her. "Miss- Mrs. Ree! I never thought I'd hear from you again. Your story is legendary in my circles." He squinted, gesture exaggerating the wrinkles growing on his face. "Are you in trouble again?"
"No, Mr. Wright, but I do need your help. Can I ask you a few questions about war criminal proceedings?"
"Ugh… you aren't my client anymore. I should be charging for this consultation."
"Are you going to?" Ciena didn't have a lot of credits right now. If Mr. Wright demanded money, she would have to hang up until she had some for him.
"Mm…" Mr. Wright weighed his options. "You know, if I really cared about money, I wouldn't be a public defender. What's your question?"
"What can a defendant trade with a private lawyer in lieu of credits in order to obtain legal defense?"
"A lot of things. What do you mean, specifically?"
"Can a lawyer indenture their defendants in exchange for defending them in court?"
Mr. Wright grimaced at the question. "Hypothetically, yes, but it's generally not in the attorney's interest. Who wants a potentially dangerous criminal living under their liability? Anything the defendant does while under the attorney's custody must be answered for by not only the defendant, but the attorney personally. Since most attorneys don't have facilities as secure as a prison, it's not a good idea to put them to work anywhere. There are also restrictions on what kind of work you can ask a defendant to do, as only the court can sentence convicted criminals to specific types of labor." He waved his hand at Ciena's shocked expression. "All this to say, I would never pull that stunt, even if I was in private practice. You've met someone who does engage with this policy, I presume?"
"Yes."
"What's your concern about it?"
"It's slavery!"
"...Not legally, no. It's an exchange of services."
Ciena threw her head back. "That's what Thane said."
"Your husband knows the law." Mr. Wright yawned. "Hm… the most common abuse I hear brought up in arrangements like this is that the attorney deliberately stalls their defendants' court dates to prolong indenture. In that situation, the attorney is removed from the case and denied further payment due to conflict of interest. Defendant goes back to prison unless they can afford bail. It's hard to prove intent here, especially if the attorney has a lot of open cases, but it can be done. Do you think that could be happening in the case you're fired up about?"
"Yes. I think the lawyer is prioritizing his rich clients over his slave ones."
"It's possible." Mr. Wright stretched, forcing himself to stay awake. "A lot of people think private lawyers are always a better option for going to trial. They can move your case ahead faster if you have money, and they tend to have fewer open cases at a time, but they're not always the best choice. I wish more clients of limited means would realize that."
Ciena nodded. "You're a better lawyer than this man will ever be."
"Thank you for that vote of confidence. I'll put it on my wall. Is there anything else, Mrs. Ree? Or can I go to bed?"
Ciena inclined her head, trying to remain graceful. "You've been very helpful. Goodnight, Mr. Wright."
Mr. Wright's hologram disappeared from the screen. As Ciena returned to her apartment, she mulled over what her next move could be. She scrubbed her kitchen counters, the repetitive back and forth motion freeing up her mind.
Ciena didn't want to go back to Toby yet. She doubted he would help her if he understood what she was trying to do. No, right now, she needed more information. Not just about Varma's specific legal situation, but more about what other ex-Imperials were facing across the galaxy. What other sort of horrors had losing the war exposed them to?
Punishment was understandable. Ciena agreed that certain officers deserved to face penalties for ordering acts of cruelty to be carried out throughout the galaxy. Whoever thought building a Death Star (either one) would solve the galaxy's problems ought to be locked away.
Less clear was what ought to be done to regular soldiers. People who didn't decree cruelty, but carried it out regardless. Ciena saw enough of that at her job. Her answer had been clear from almost the beginning.
Ciena thought regular Imperial soldiers had suffered enough. No matter where they went, millions of people would carry the shame and humiliation of fighting for the losing side. They would get no pension for their service. Few would hire them for honest work. Most were on a path towards shame and poverty. There was no need to add prison time or hard labor on top of those burdens.
She could imagine what some New Republic soldiers might say, but not everyone had the chance to defect during the war. Whether the motive was money, fear, or obligation, some people had to stay on the side they started on. Not everyone had the privilege of abandoning the main source of income for their household. Having a family to care for wasn't evil. Not everyone was brave enough to risk an early death. Cowardice and evil were not synonymous. Not everyone was blessed with the ability to treat their oaths with such disregard.
Where did these convictions leave Ciena? She was one of the rare ex-Imperials to possess enough privilege to help others and an obligation as an ex-captain to care for them. Command wasn't just about giving the right orders. It was seeing her crew for who they were and what they could be. That duty of care didn't end after the ship went down.
If what the New Republic was doing to their defeated enemies was legal, then Ciena would change the law. Wasn't it Mr. Wright who once told her the laws surrounding war criminals changed every day? The provisional Senate was moving at a speed it would never match again. What might be upright one day could be scandalous the next.
Thane had changed the galaxy just to set Ciena free. Ciena would morph his example into a path she could walk. She was in Hanna City, seat of the New Republic. If the new world order didn't have a place for people like her, it risked persecuting a large piece of society.
Ex-Imperials could be wonderful New Republic citizens if given the chance. If they were always treated like enemies, then Ciena feared that's all they would ever be.
A/N's: Time away has give me some clarity for how I want this story to go. I apologize for the slow updates. I hope what you get is still worth it after all these months. Thank you to all my kind, patient readers for keeping up with me. I hope you enjoyed the update. In the honor of MLK day, I buried an MLK quote in this chapter as well.