Chapter 9: Diplomatic Plays
March 25.
A knock on her office's door. "Come in." said the Empress and the door opened, revealing the head of the Imperial Guard, who stepped in.
"My Lady, we have arrived." the Colonel reported with a quick salute.
"Thank you, James." Benedetta replied kindly. She closed the huge list of documents she was trying to read during the voyage, all were reports of what the various Ministers and the Parliament were doing, so she could stay updated on the issues going on back home.
She was already dressed with her white uniform, so she headed out of the door, with James following at protocol distance.
"Has my son called?" she asked.
"The Prince only sent a message saying that the audience will start in…" he checked the clock. "42 minutes."
"Let's hurry up, then." she said as she reached the access shaft, finding Howard already waiting for her.
The ramp of her ship opened, revealing the company of the Palaven Guard waiting to greet her in grand style. The Empress strode down and aimed a salute at the soldiers as was her custom, until she arrived at the end of the parade line, where waiting for her was Adrien Victus, Primarch of Palaven since the Reaper War, and who had announced since the beginning of the war with the Empire that he would like to resign his position and take back his position in the Armed Forces as General. With him was his wife Lisaria, waiting patiently beside him.
The Empress walked in front of the Primarch and they shook each other's hands.
"Your Majesty. Palaven is honored to receive your visit." said Victus.
"Greetings, Primarch Victus. I'm glad to see you're doing well."
After also greeting Lisaria and leaving the Consorts to chat behind them, the two Heads of State started walking toward the exit of the spaceport, where a convoy was waiting to bring them to the tribunal.
"What's the current situation for Admiral Edrix?" the Empress asked calmly.
"Your son has been...quite persuasive during these days. I'm impressed at how passionately he is defending the Admiral." Victus stated in admiration.
"Claudio rarely does favors to anyone. It's safe to say Edrix left quite the impression on him during their service in Andromeda."
Victus sighed. "Just by looking at the reports, it's clear that the Admiral should have already been given a second chance, instead of a court martial. But alas, our people doesn't take kindly a sound defeat."
They reached the convoy and mounted on the reinforced astro-car in the middle as they kept talking.
Victus was right: Turian would cover in honor and glory a victorious general, but harshly punish one if they failed on the battlefield, even if that defeat wasn't so catastrophic. Sure, Lantillies had been a hard blow, but Edrix had managed to pull out two thirds of the allied forces before he was forced to surrender, and those survivors had had the chance to regroup and halt the imperial counterattack toward the Outer Rim. It was a stain on the Admiral's career, but Benedetta found it excessive to have him court-martial.
At the same time it was incredible how Claudio vehemently asked to assist Edrix's defense at the trial. The Prince was a Human, and he had been just the second-in-command of the federal forces in Andromeda, so he had no reason to be there. Yet he decided to expose himself for the Admiral. Clearly, he must have seen the problems in this proceeding, as well.
Yet it wasn't for nothing: Edrix earned many merits in Andromeda, so it seemed like the court was still split between those who thought he should be demoted and those who were willing to give him another chance.
Now Benedetta had arrived to participate in the final hearing as a spectator, but her mere presence was in itself a tacit form of support for the Admiral that she herself had picked up for the campaign. But it was also her way to support her son, who would have to make the final speech to the court in defense of Edrix.
So when the convoy reached the military base where the trial was going on, Benedetta was escorted into the hearing room. Edrix and Claudio weren't there yet, as it was five minutes to the beginning. Turian military proceedings were much slimmer than those in the Alliance: there were two judges (a General and an Admiral). Since the two had to agree on the verdict, there was no jury: each of them had a respective advisor and finally there was the secretary transcribing everything on a terminal at the right end of the desk line.
The members of the commission stood up to salute her and Benedetta made a respectful nod before taking a placed in the stall. Aside from them there was a small public, all relatives and a few friends of Edrix who had come to see the verdict.
It was safe to assume that only his closes family, his wife and three sons, all adults and dressed in military uniforms, were there on emotional ground. The others were there because Turian culture saw the possible demotion of a member something that would have consequences on the reputation of those closer to him or her. Those guys were there to see if they stood to lose some of their own prestige.
The door then opened and revealed Septimus Edrix, accompanied by Claudio, who walked in escorted by two guards of the structure.
Claudio gave a quick glimpse to his mother, showing a complete control over his emotions, something that made Benedetta feel a little better. He seemed confident to pull this off.
As it was tradition, while Claudio and the Prosecutor took a seat, Edrix stood at attention in front of the commission.
The two judges stood up and the General spoke up. "We shall now continue the investigation over the conduct of Admiral Septimus Edrix at the recent defeat on Lantillies. Is the accused ready to answer all the questions of the commission?"
"On my honor, I will answer any question the commission will find necessary." Edrix replied with no hesitation.
"Let us proceed." the Admiral-judge declared, so he and his colleague of the Army sat back on their chairs.
What followed was basically a recap of what they had discussed in the last days. An investigation over the disaster at Lantillies and if there was a particular negligence from anyone, not just Edrix. The picture coming out of it was pretty obvious: Edrix had done everything in his power, but he simply had no way to know or predict that the Empire would deploy such a massive force for its counterattack, nor that it had built four dreadnoughts specifically to target the Protector. The verdict would most likely come down to a mix of politics and cultural tenets influencing the judges.
It came the moment for the closing statement. Claudio stood up and calmly walked next to Edrix, facing the commission.
"Honorable members of the commission." the Prince started in a resolute but composed tone. "I understand the reasons that brought you to set up this hearing, yet it is my opinion that condemning this man would be a huge mistake. It's true that the battle of Lantillies has been a disgrace, but if it wasn't for Admiral Edrix, things could have gone far worse. It was thanks to his caution that we managed to cover the retreat of our allies and most of our fleet in Andromeda. Furthermore, the Admiral is the only commander of the UACT who has ever managed to actually defeat our most feared enemy, Grand Admiral Iulius Tanis, over the skies of Lianna. He knows our foe better than any of us. If you condemn him now, that knowledge will most likely go to waste. And against an enemy like the Empire, knowledge is the best weapon we have."
He went back to seat, signaling that he was done. It was a simple and concise speech, clearly reflecting the military upbringing of the eldest Prince, but given the martial culture of the Turian, Benedetta knew that this was a good thing.
The prosecutor was offered a speech as well, but signaling that the Turian Hierarchy probably was leaning to forgive Edrix, the man said he had nothing to add.
At the desks, the judges and their counselors whispered for a few good minutes, until the General stood up to declare the verdict.
"Septimus Edrix. After reviewing all the proofs, we don't believe there was a negligence on your part in the battle of Lantillies. Instead, you acted with the necessary speed to save lives and ships of the Hierarchy when the situation became evidently unfavorable. You are cleared of all charges and may resume your service immediately."
With that said, the other judge took the small hammer and sentenced with a hit on the table.
April 1.
The Ghost received permission to land and headed straight for the Congress Halls of the UACT in the capital.
"Welcome back to Lianna." Hera said. "Are you getting fond of the city life, Ezra?"
"Please, nothing beats the peace of the prairies." the Jedi quipped back. "But alas, politics demand me here."
"Except this time you're the one who called this meeting. You're going to ruffle a lot of feathers." Kallus commented.
"I'm just going to state the policy of the Order, it's not like I'm declaring war or something."
Kallus made a silent sigh. "You still have a lot to learn about this field, my Jedi friend."
Ezra scratched his head in confusion. "Am I missing something?"
"You think Mothma asked that the Jedi ally with the New Republic just for the sake of old times? She didn't: it was an attempt to give the Republic much more influence in the UACT than it already has."
"I thought the President had agreed to share power?" Sabine asked.
"She might be, but a good portion of the Senate is not happy with the state of things. They believe that, the more the UACT stays fragmented, the more we will be vulnerable to the Empire, or even to our Milky Way allies."
"Oh come on, what's the problem with the Federation, now?" Zeb asked incredulous.
"It's not that I don't understand their fears. Even if we win this war and establish republic authority over the rich Core worlds, if the Outer Rim remains divided into multiple states, it will be harder in the future to exert influence over them. Not to mention, many of these Senators I told you believe that the Federation may turn into a rival some time in the future. In fact, they disapprove of the recent annexation of the Lothal Sector."
"It was the will of the people." Ezra calmly replied.
"Most politicians don't care about the will of the people, Ezra. You better understand it fast or they're going to manipulate you as they wish. Sure, some of them do care, but most of them has other interests." Kallus admonished sternly.
His body, his expression and his aura all told that Kallus meant every single word, and it was based on his personal experience. He was speaking with direct knowledge of the matter, so Ezra decided that he better take it seriously.
"Thanks, Kallus, I'll keep that in mind." Ezra said cordially. After that it was time for him and Sabine to dismount and head to the conference.
"Kallus does have a point, Ez. I also found it weird that the Republic asked for you, a group of powerful wizards, to join them while we're all part of a grand alliance." Sabine advised her husband.
"I see the point, Sabine. And I'm sorry to disappoint them, but it would be unfair to the other nations if we just align with one of them." Ezra calmly replied.
Sabine sighed. "Well, let's just hope they don't throw a tantrum when they hear this."
"If things start heating up, some angry mandalorian act might help cooling them." Ezra quipped.
"Who said anything about acting?" Sabine replied maliciously. "I can't let them ruin your best clothing." she added, referring to the fact that Ezra had decided to sport his elegant outfit for this occasion.
"You know, you could have put your own on." he added with a lopsided grin.
"I didn't want to get you distracted."
They both chuckled. Then they finally headed toward the small conference table that had been prepared for the conference. Presenting were not the Heads of State, unlike Ezra's last visit on Lianna, at the general meeting of the UACT, but Ezra still found himself in front of many Prime Ministers and generally very important members of the various governments, a signal that all nations took this request for a meeting very seriously.
"Thank you all for coming. Let's get straight to the point." Ezra said without hesitation once they had all taken their seats. Sabine was standing up right next to him like a bodyguard, with her armor and pistols in sight.
"I speak today as representative of the Jedi Order. Recently, we have received some...requests that led us to ponder over our position in the universe. You know, until a year ago, the idea of reestablishing the Jedi seemed like wishful thinking even for me and my sister. Even after we met Luke Skywalker. But here we are, and we stand among a new Republic and many nations who strive for their place in the universe. As such, We, the Jedi Order, would like to formally join the UACT as an observer."
The faces of the envoys couldn't hide their surprise before looking at each other with suspicion, but particularly gazes went toward the Republic ambassador, Lido Goss. Ezra had been warned about such a reaction, which meant that many suspected already that the Republic would try to bring the Jedi on their side.
The representative of the Mirialan United Republics stood up and talked graciously. "Of course, Master Bridger. We're glad to see that the Jedi are pursuing the path of being true guardians of peace. My government will be more than happy to grant you jurisdiction in our space."
Ezra was a bit surprised that the ambassador had dropped all pretenses right off the bat and brought the conversation straight toward the point where everybody knew it was going toward.
Goss stood up and cleared his throat intentionally loud. "It's a remarkable initiative, Master Jedi. I'll tell you, the New Republic is ready to grant you its full support in your efforts to build peace."
"Oh, so you can use them as your enforcers like the Old Republic?!" the emissary of the Raxus Conglomerate defied.
It didn't take long for a scuffle to erupt, Only the ambassador of the Imperial Federation remained at her post. Ezra was genuinely confused over what to do.
Luckily for him, he had Sabine.
"Quiet down!" she roared.
The diplomats, visibly alarmed, immediately shut their mouths and went back on their chairs.
Ezra cleared his throat. "As I was saying," he calmly resumed. "the Order wishes to take its place in the galaxy as the main protector of galactic peace. As such, it would be hypocritical for us to align to a single nation, if we are to give a contribution to ease future tensions, because there will be tensions. We will not join a side or the other, but we do ask for your permission to set up small outposts and academies around the freed territories."
Even if Goss or anyone else wanted to draw Ezra to their side, it was clear that they couldn't do it right now, and not in front of the other emissaries. So the conference went on smoothly. Everyone subscribed to the idea that the Jedi Order became an independent organization, free to establish its presence around the galaxy and intervene when a government or a community asked for their help.
After around an hour and a half, a first list of conditions for a written agreement were drafted, but it was going to take much more than a single meeting. Still, with that much, Ezra could walk out of the room satisfied at the end of the talks.
"Liked my performance?" Sabine joked.
"Couldn't ask for a better moderator." the Jedi quipped back.
"I beg your pardon, Master Bridger." a voice halted the Jedi and the Mando on their tracks.
They turned toward the direction of the voice and found a man with a formal wear, who walked up to them and talked to Ezra.
"Apologies for taking your time. I am Mordys, Senator of the Belderone Sector."
Ezra made a respectful bow. "Greetings, Senator. May I help you?" he asked, but he already had an idea of the issue at hand.
"I won't take too much of your time. I just wish to ask why it is that you and your brethren turned down our offer of integration inside the Republic."
"I stated that very clearly: there isn't just the Republic in the galaxy, and if we must act as guardians of peace and justice, then we can't be dependent on a particular side."
"Now, now, Master Bridger, you wouldn't be suggesting that the Senate will ever try to oppress the people?"
The boldness of that underlying statement was so revolting that Ezra stared directly into him and replied. "Yes. In fact, I do."
Mordys' shoulders stiffened, signaling that he wasn't expecting such a straight answer.
"Perhaps you have gathered the most honest individuals to serve in the Senate, but time changes everything. There is no guarantee that, in the future, the Republic won't have any crisis with her new neighbors. If that crisis will ever come to open confrontation, the Jedi Order will need to be seen as as neutral mediator, not as tools of a single party."
"Do you think that these nations will exist forever? Sooner or later they will realize that they can't do much on their own. They will all eventually rejoin the Republic, so why wait?"
"There are more than one way to unify the galaxy, Ambassador." Ezra replied unfazed. "Even if multiple nations will exist, all the Jedi care for is that the peoples of the galaxy are satisfied and live at peace. If anyone will try to force its authority onto someone else, then we will intervene."
The diplomat's mouth twitched, but he held up whatever bad remark he was feeling to add.
"An admirable ideal, Master Jedi. I hope you will be able to abide by it. Sorry again for interrupting you. Have a good day." Mordys concluded with a bow before turning around and disappearing inside the halls.
"That didn't sound very friendly." Sabine sarcastically commented.
"Whatever. I won't change my mind just like that." Ezra calmly said.
"And that's what I love about you." she said as she put an arm around his neck and slightly pulled him toward her.
The two smiled and headed back to the Ghost.
"There has been a surge of activity from the pirates in the Trailing Sectors." Bolo reported through his hologram. "We're cracking down on their traffics, but everywhere I go I also find that some of our officers are taking bribes."
Iulius hummed in thought, stroking his chin. "Any idea where they launch their attacks from?"
"I sent out Starkiller and Agent Jade to search their main bases. Though I can tell with a certain degree of safety that Zann's main base is somewhere around the Gaulus Sector."
"The one with Ryloth?" Iulius asked.
"Affirmative." Bolo answered. "Once I get enough intel, I plan to cripple their advanced bases with a series of strikes. Maybe we won't be able to retake the systems on the frontier, but if Zann's starts losing too much money, he might be convinced to tone down his arrogance."
"Good thinking, Admiral. Keep me posted. Tanis, out." the Lord-Protector concluded.
As he finished talking with Bolo, Ciena notified Iulius that Thrawn's shuttle had landed in the main hangar, so he ordered the Grand Admiral being escorted to his office, where they met a few minutes later.
"My Lord." Thrawn greeted. There was always of amusement and pride whenever he said that and made that elegant bow with his head.
Iulius smirked and waved for him to just come in. "How is the situation down on the planet?" he asked.
Thrawn replied as he sat on the chair in front of the desk. "There have been some minor incidents between our troops and the rebels. That aside, our ability to conduct joint operations is steadily improving."
"Is the FOB complete?"
"Indeed. We have made two separate compartments to lodge the troops, but the other structures are being shared without tirade."
Right after the experience of the terraforming towers, the Empire and the Coalition had decided to establish a joint military base to leave the Angara free of occupying their old settlements and the Kett fortress, while still sharing intel with their new allies.
It wasn't just to make logistics easier, though: the leaders of the Resistance had warned that the sudden arrival of the galactic powers had sowed unrest among some of the more radical angara. It seemed that, all around their worlds, a split faction calling themselves the 'Roekaar', a name taken from ancient warriors of the aliens' mythology, was forming up and wanted every non-angara out of the Haleus Sector. Therefore, separating the imperial and rebel forces from the angara was a safety measure.
"What have we learned so far about that terraforming tower?"
"As you know, it took our scientific teams days to explore it entirely. At least, the Remnant machines seemed to have deactivated after the tower has been brought back to functionality. Dr. T'Soni has also found a map of the Sector highlighting other similar structures on other worlds in the region."
"All terraforming towers?"
"Hard to say. They are on already livable planets, though it could be that they had served their purpose and the one here on Eos had only started to clean the atmosphere of the radiations before the builders disappeared, but this is just speculation until we can inspect another tower."
"You have the map?"
Thrawn simply replied by handing over a data disc that Iulius jacked into one of his desk's sockets and a holomap of the Sector appeared, highlighting in red the planets with Remnant structures on the surface. Among them were Havarl, the Angara homeworld, Aya and Voeld, an icy planet where Darvos was heading to right at that moment.
"One thing is for sure. These structures were built according to a scheme. All these planets are the only inhabitable ones in Haleus, according to our angara allies."
"That is what caught my attention as well." Thrawn concurred. "I came to wonder if Havarl, the angara homeworld, would have been able to host life without the tower on its surface."
Iulius hummed in thought. Indeed, that rose a doubt at this point: were the Angara a species that evolved naturally at a certain point, or where they engineered by the creators of the Remnants?
"What I'm most interested, right now, is unraveling why the Kett abduct people. The Angara said that the Kett prefer to make prisoners, rather than exterminate them, as we believed. Even their weapons seem made to incapacitate rather than outright kill."
"Yes, there wasn't any prison camp on this planet, though perhaps that is simply due to the fact that Eos was only a trading post with a minimal population."
"I agree." concluded the Grand Admiral. "Maybe my brother will find something more useful on this planet, Voeld."
"According to Evfra, that's the main front between the Angara and the Kett. Surely there must be a lot of activity to hint us."
"That's what I'm counting on." Iulius concluded before turning off the holo-projector and lights returned to the room.
"Iulius...if I may," Thrawn cautiously asked, but always using his cold tone. "what are your intentions with the Angara, exactly?"
"You mean, after we destroy the Kett?"
The Chiss made a slow nod to answer positively. "They could be useful proxies to survey this region. It would give the Empire a forewarning in case the Grysk attack."
The Lord-Protector grunted softly. "From what I saw, if the Grysks have the power to transform entire species into their own slaves and send them against other nations, I fear that, if they really decide to attack the Angara, these wouldn't even have the time to call us before they are completely wiped out."
"Precisely." Thrawn replied, seemingly satisfied that his pupil had arrived quickly at the same conclusions he had already drawn out. "Even the Carunoans, even if they're building up their strength quickly, are still in a very precarious position. Therefore, it is my opinion that we should consider expanding our list of allies in the Chaos."
Iulius didn't miss the fact that Thrawn had called the Unknown Regions in the way the species of said regions generally called them. 'The Chaos', meant that Thrawn was alluding to somebody he already knew.
"Got something on you mind?"
"What I'm about to say," Thrawn said in a suddenly much more serious voice. "my Lord, may influence our war with the New Republic and the Imperial Federation. Therefore, I need you to understand that it's very inadvisable for you to speak about this with your brother. He might be a temporary ally, but that is all: temporary."
The expression of the Chiss was much colder than usual. That deeply concentrated and calculating gaze in his red eyes were enough to make Iulius understand that his mentor was not exaggerating.
To his shame, for a moment, Iulius actually hesitated. Was he about to go behind his brother's back, right when he had just convinced him to go on this joint adventure?
But then the answer came as fast as the question: yes, he was. Darvos was still an enemy of the Empire, and Iulius' loyalty laid first with his nation, then to his family and friends. The Empire above all was the entire reason for him to be a soldier, that was unquestionable.
He assumed his most severe expression, as well, and put his hands on the table, clasped together in a calm and assertive position of command. "I understand that. So, what do you plan to do, Grand Admiral?"
The Chiss' mouth contracted into a smirk before answering. "With your permission, Lord Tanis, I would like to contact my people. For this plan, I need the assistance of the Chiss Ascendancy."