A Note: When I revise this I will be renaming it. I was going to go with "Demons of the Past" but there's already a story with that title on the board I want to post this on. So, I am asking for suggestions along those lines. Any assistance will be appreciated.
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Title: Inner Demons, Outer Evils
Summary: A tragic event sets Rogue Squadron on the path to the truth...and sends one of the Rogues on a collision course with himself.
Disclaimer: Star Wars is, quite clearly, not mine, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is not written for profit.
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Chapter 30: Conspiracy Theory
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Wedge was glad when Corran was one of the first to arrive. It gave him a chance to talk to him one-on-one and fill him in on what he and Jesina had gotten out of Cracken. "Come on back," he told the Jedi, leading him to the study he and Iella shared.
Once they were alone, Corran looked at him uneasily. "What? Is something wrong?"
"Jesina and I found something out that you should know. Cracken knew when you went missing and didn't tell anyone. He replaced you with a double – and that was the man who tried to shoo me down." He watched the Corellian carefully, looking for any sign of anger that might spiral out of control. He remembered clearly Tycho's account of Corran's initial foray into the Dark Side months earlier, and his own recollection of the man's slide on Hoth played out clearly in his mind.
Corran met Wedge's eyes briefly. "I'm not going to do anything, Wedge. I'm angry, but I'm not about to lose control."
Wedge frowned. "I'm sorry. I don't distrust you, Corran. It's just…"
"I know," he answered before Wedge could go on. He sank down into a chair, a thousand thoughts running through his mind, not the least of which was the – controlled – desire to cause Cracken the kind of pain the man had caused his family and friends. He rested his elbows on his knees and looked up wearily. "Where does he get the nerve?"
Wedge shook his head. "I wish I knew."
"Something has to be done."
"That's why Iella, Leia and I wanted everyone here. We want to do something about Cracken, once and for all. Leia's going to ask for his resignation, but she wants to figure out a way to ensure that he doesn't turn this around on any of us."
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Wes got Jesina more or less sobered up – she wasn't quite as intoxicated as he'd thought, which made him even more confused over what she'd said. But he didn't have time to worry about that right now. "Sorry we're late," he apologized.
"I was a little upset," Jesina said vaguely. Without thinking she'd moved a little closer to Wes, as if he offered her some sense of security.
Wedge took in her flushed cheeks and reddened eyes and had a few thoughts as to their cause, but didn't say anything. There would be time for that later. He just shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You haven't really missed anything. Mara was just about to tell us why she just had Leia assign armed guards to Tycho and Winter." He glanced over his shoulder and cast a frown at the redhead as he motioned the two inside.
"Mara's here?" Wes asked, remaining in the entryway for a moment.
"Yeah, she brought the Wraiths back from Zhar." He shrugged. "Guess she didn't figure there was much to worry about once our presence there was pretty well-known." He stepped back and closed the door.
"Who else is here?" Wes asked, keeping his voice low though he didn't know why.
"Iella and Leia, of course. All the Rogues and Wraiths. And Pash, and Kirney."
"Pash?" Jesina echoed. "Wedge, that doesn't seem…"
Wedge held up a hand to silence her. "He came to me with it. He was bothered by the whole thing and confronted his dad, not long after we did. Cracken told him everything."
"The man slipping in his old age?" Wes asked, skeptical. "He didn't used to be that easy." Something about this didn't sit right with him. He couldn't picture Cracken going soft. But neither could he imagine that, if he was going to lie to them, he'd have given Wedge this story.
Jesina shook her head. "I think he just knows he blew it this time. Not only did he play with us, he nearly got Wedge killed. If they wanted to push it, he could be considered an accessory to...something." She shrugged. "Sorry, I can't think right now."
"That's all right. Come on; they're probably wondering if I was kidnapped." He headed into the living room and they followed. Jesina sat on a recliner and Wes perched on the arm while Wedge returned to his stool by the wall.
Mara shot him a slightly annoyed look but started over. "I was saying, there's a new, for lack of a better word, organization called the Alderaanian Loyalists. Some of them are survivors of Alderaan, many of them aren't. They all lost family or friends when Alderaan was destroyed. And they all are loyal to the Empire and blame the Rebellion for Alderaan's destruction. And they specifically have a problem with you, Celchu, and his wife."
"Where have they been for the last decade?" Leia asked, frowning. "I've never heard of any such group."
"Nonexistent," Mara replied. "Everything Karrde has points to it being a propaganda machine for Hekrig. But, even if propaganda is their sole purpose, they do exist and they are something you have to worry about. Especially considering Karrde picked up on something suggesting that you three are their primary targets. And that they already have people on the ground here."
"This is unbelievable," Jesina muttered. "How can they use this against us after all this time?"
"Easily," Leia said. "They do have a point. If my father and I hadn't been so involved, Alderaan would never have been made a target. It would have been some other world. And while most of us see that as just as bad, a lot of people won't. It's the 'better them than me' mentality. It's just as prevalent today as ever before."
"So, what do we do?" Face asked. "And, on a slightly different note, is this the reason we're here?" He gestured toward the rest of his unit.
Iella elected to ignore his first question. "No, this isn't why we wanted you here. The reason for that was because of something that Jesina and Wedge found out. And Pash, as well, for that matter."
Face frowned and glanced at them each in turn. "What's going on?"
Leia started to reply, but the chime of her comlink interrupted her. "Excuse me," she murmured, rising. "Start without me, please."
Wedge had just finished relating the conversation he and Jesina had had with Cracken when Leia returned. "Wedge, Pash? Could I speak with you for a moment?" Her face was pale and she looked…stunned was probably the best word.
The two men exchanged uneasy glances but nodded and followed her out, leaving the others in an awkward silence until she returned a minute or two later, alone. She drew in a shaky breath as she slowly sat down. "Airen Cracken was found dead in his office approximately fifteen minutes ago. He'd been shot in the head at point-blank range."
Jesina's intelligence training kicked in a moment before her humanity and she and Mara asked at the same time, "Who's in charge over there?"
Most of the others shot them looks of confusion or annoyance – except for Iella and Face, who waited anxiously for Leia's response. "Joss Layfee."
Iella groaned, Face shook his head, and Jesina buried her face in her hands. Leia's frown deepened. "What's the problem?"
"Layfee hasn't been in the field in a decade," Jesina answered. "He's been admin, which is the last thing we need right now. Besides, he's not even the Deputy ID. What happened to Korlis?"
"Korlis ended up in a back alley on Antoinn V with a knife through his heart and a blaster bolt to the back of his head," Mara said. She frowned at their expressions. "You didn't know?"
Iella shook her head. "Cracken told us he'd sent him to deal with a sensitive matter. He was supposed to be the only one who knew where."
"He was. Until he ended up dead." Mara shrugged. "That's the kind of thing we pick up on quick."
"Wonderful," Face muttered.
"It gets better," Mara interrupted him. "Layfee's in Jericho's pocket."
"How do you know that?" Leia asked. She was starting to get a headache. Scratch that. The headache she'd developed the second Wedge and Iella had walked into her office. She didn't quite know how to describe the rather unique experience she was having right now. Mara gave her a pointed look and the Chief of State sighed. "Forget I asked."
"Who's Jericho?" Gavin asked.
"Irik Jericho is the President of Antoinn V," Iella said softly. She didn't like where this was heading. Not one bit. "It's in the Corporate Sector. They're nominally aligned with the New Republic."
"Not anymore," Mara said. All eyes turned to her once again. "He's scheduled a speech in the capital tomorrow. If Karrde and I are reading it right – and I'm fairly certain we are – he's going to announce that he's severing all ties with the New Republic and throwing his support to Hekrig.
Dead silence reigned for a moment until Wes spoke. "Anyone get the sense that there's just been a minor coup in Intelligence?"
Jesina nodded slowly and when she spoke her voice had taken on a sense of urgency. "Leia, you have to do something. You need to pull Layfee out now, before you lose all control of Intel."
Any response from Leia was forestalled by Wedge and Pash's return. Pash stood stiffly, his eyes red and his face pale but at the same time utterly void of emotion. Everyone shifted uncomfortably, suddenly reminded that the man who'd died had been more than just a political figure and now, it seemed, the target of a conspiracy. He'd been a father, too, and his son stood before them now, barely maintaining a tenuous grasp on his composure. "Pash," Wes began, but the A-wing pilot waved him off.
"Thank you, Wes. But not now." He looked at Leia. "Do you know who's responsible?"
She shook her head. "Although we seem to be on the way to discovering that."
He took a deep breath and Wedge was glad to note that a little color had returned to his face. Not much, but some, and that was a good sign. Slowly, Pash sat down and leaned forward, clasping his hands and resting his forearms on his knees. "What were you talking about before we interrupted?"
Wedge's eyes widened. He'd always had nothing but respect for the pilot, but the younger man's fortitude in the face of his father's death was astounding. He looked at Leia over Pash's head and nodded. He wanted to know what was going on, and he deserved that much. After all, his father had died because of it.
Haltingly, Leia explained everything the two men had missed, up to Jesina's entreaty that she remove Layfee. To which she replied, "And replace him with who?"
"Someone. Anyone you trust. Iella. It doesn't really matter, as long as it's not Layfee."
"Oh, no," Iella protested. "I'm in no way equipped to do that job. You are more than I am."
Now everyone's eyes were on Jesina. "She has a point," Face said. "You were the Regional ID for the entire Outer Rim. That's a lot of ground and a lot of agents."
"And you're one of the most seasoned agents we have, aside from Winter, and there's no way we can ask anything of her right now. Most of the others have retired by now," Iella pointed out.
"Except that you're forgetting one little fact. I'm not an agent anymore. I left Intel."
"Why?" Leia asked suddenly.
Jesina looked at her, confused and a little wary. "Why what?"
"Why did you leave Intelligence?" Leia spoke calmly, in stark contrast to the reaction she sparked in Jesina.
She was on her feet now, having begun to feel trapped. "Because of all the games. I got sick and tired of watching people get set up and stabbed in the back and left out in the cold."
"And all of those games started from Cracken on down, didn't they?" Leia asked.
She knew where Leia was going with this. "Oh, no. You aren't doing this to me. I'm not being guilted or tricked into anything. No. That's how Cracken got me into Intel in the first place, ten Force-forsaken years ago. No."
"Just temporarily," Leia pleaded. "You said yourself, we need someone we can trust in there. And there aren't many people I trust in Intelligence. Once this is over, you can go back to the Rogues, or stay on if you want to."
"I…I have to think about it." Abruptly, she turned on her heel and left the room.