Chapter 32: Common Ground
September 10.
The idea of going straight to Thrawn's detention place now seemed quite foolish to Jaral. She wasn't expecting to be overwhelmed with curiosity and a lot of emotions when she saw some of the many things that the Milky Way had to offer. The Mass Relays at first, which made travel between distant points of the galaxy a matter of seconds, and then to see Earth itself and the Citadel.
She had read about the giant space station, but she wasn't expecting to be mesmerized by it with a single glimpse. The Constantinople was made to dock at the station, where Jaral was first introduced to the Empress and the Council, receiving a welcome fit for a very important personality, then she, Darvos and Jordan were escorted down on Earth at the Imperial Citadel, the home of the ruling dynasty.
She was then given a tour in the thriving metropolis of Rome. She had never before experienced something like that. The dazzling lights, the streets bustling with life, but also the incredible sense of freedom that she could breathe in the streets. It was nothing like the cities she had visited in Andromeda, where the ever-present aura of terror of the Empire forced everybody to live in a constant atmosphere of suspicion, at least.
Then the incredibly expensive dinner that the Empress had offered them in the evening. She had met the other children of the Empress: Crown Prince Francesco, at first, but also the second daughter, Anastasia, and the fourth son, Federico.
She had also met the Emperor-consort, a man named Scott, around the same age as the Empress.
Jaral was a bit surprised to learn that, in theory, the monarch was allowed to engage in polygamy, even a woman was allowed to take consorts aside from the primary spouse, but neither Benedetta nor the two Emperors before her had made use of this tradition.
Finally, she and Darvos were accommodated in a room more luxurious than the Grand Marshall was ever able to imagine.
Now, though, it was time to get back to work. The Empress had already given dispositions to prepare the meeting between Jaral and Thrawn, and so, after breakfast, a shuttle of the Imperial Guard escorted her, Darvos and Jordan to an old tourist village a few km away from the capital.
Apparently, that was one of the various residences where captured imperial officers were hosted. In fact, the Bridgers were both surprised and amused to find Governor Pryce languishing in the perimeter of the comfortable prison.
There were also other officers from the Chimaera and the Seventh Fleet in general, among them Captain Palleon. They were allowed to get into the fenced courtyard three times at day and to speak freely in the parlors, but they were also under constant surveillance by the MI6. Microphones and cameras were pretty much everywhere, except for the bathrooms, which had only the mics.
First thing first, the three were brought into a small house outside the perimeter, where the listening room of the MI6 was, and they were welcomed by a Human officer, in the middle of the big hall where some operators were controlling and listening what was going on inside the villa.
"Grand Marshall, it's an honor to meet you." he said. "I'm Colonel Pandolfi, overseer of the complex."
The two shook hands.
"Greetings, Colonel." Jaral replied cordially. "I must say, I wasn't expecting you to treat enemy officers in such a good way."
"Most people tends to talk too much when they're in a comfortable environment. Most of the people inside that pen has given us precious intel without knowing." the Colonel replied calmly.
Jaral found that notion interesting and hummed impressed.
"Has it worked with Thrawn?" she then asked.
"Unfortunately not. That guy is really as icy as his skin color suggests." the officer replied. "Honestly, we've already tried to ask him about the super-weapon, but he hasn't been as cooperative as in other cases."
"Wait, he actually gave up information?" Darvos asked surprised.
"Positions of a few imperial shipyards and supply hubs, but no matter how much our agents poke him, we can't make him spill the bigger beans."
"Well, then maybe it's time to change approach." Jaral commented.
"You...you're not talking about torture, I hope." the Colonel said worried.
"Relax, Colonel. I wouldn't sink so low. I simply think that you guys never had the chance to fight him, while I did. It won't be easy, but I think I can trick him into revealing something."
Pandolfi just raised his arms. "Then allow me to wish you the best of luck, ma'am, because you're gonna need it."
"There is no such thing as luck, Colonel." Jaral replied with a tone reminiscent of her old Master.
Pandolfi wasn't sure if being confused or admired regarding such confidence from that young woman, but he wasn't up to him to discuss.
"Very well. Visoni!" he then ordered to a soldier in armor waiting next to the door.
The soldier stepped forward and snapped at attention. "Commands!"
"Escort our guests to meet the Grand Admiral."
"Yes, sir. Please, follow, gentlemen." the soldier replied before turning toward the door.
While Darvos remained in the building to assist from afar and record the upcoming meeting, Jaral and Jordan were accompanied onto an APC that then drove into the fortified gate of the villa, which was guarded by fully armed soldiers and had barbed wire, low-intensity electric fences and security mechs patrolling, plus guard dogs.
The soldiers had particular badges on their armors, signaling that they were part of the military police, the Carabinieri.
After a compulsory check on their IDs, Jaral and her father were allowed inside the village.
Thrawn's lodging was right in the middle of it, surrounded by another group of guards and, Jaral was told, sensors that would detect immediately if he got outside of the courtyard's fence. The Grand Admiral was forced to wear a bracelet that signaled his position and worked only when detecting heartbeats, so he couldn't possibly remove it without the guards being notified.
"They really don't go easy on security." Jaral commented, impressed.
"They have to keep Thrawn…" Jordan quipped.
"Good point. Let's go." she concluded.
The gate of the fence was opened and one of the soldiers escorted the two at the door, opening it with his badge.
Jordan materialized his armor, probably thinking that Thrawn might attempt something rash, and Jaral just let him do that, perceiving that he was mostly preoccupied for her.
The policeman escorted the Bridgers on the stairs leading to the first floor, and during the ascent, they started hearing music playing on a recorder.
They reached what seemed a small parlor, with a fine parquet as flooring, two armchairs and a small library with quite the assortment of paper books.
And on one of those chairs, still wearing his white uniform and reading a book about Cubism, was Thrawn, his legs overlapped to sustain his right hand and the book, while Jazz music was being reproduced by the small holographic stereo on the desk of the room.
"Still an appreciator of art, I see." Jaral calmly commented loud enough to be heard by the Grand Admiral, and also smirking at that image in front of her.
Thrawn closed the book with a simple movement of his fingers and smirked.
"You should be familiar with that, Grand Marshall." he said with his usual glacial voice.
Jaral made a half-smirk as well, signaled her father to wait at the threshold of the parlor while she stepped inside and used the Force to lift the empty armchair and put it so they could speak in front of each other, right next to a long chimney located beneath the shelf and closed by a special glass that let heat transpire.
Jaral sat down, also overlapping her legs and resting her hands on her belly in a completely relaxed attitude, while Thrawn put away the book and interlocked his fingers in front of his face.
"So, to what do I owe the pleasure, Grand Marshall?" the Chiss said with a smirk, but also a polite respect.
"I think you already know what brings me here, Grand Admiral." she replied with just a bit of sarcasm in her voice. "But first of all, how did these guys treat you?"
Thrawn simply extended his hands to show the comfy room they were in, before interlocking fingers again. "I don't think I have any reason to complain. Besides, the Empress has been a most exquisite host." he said, still retaining his pleasant demeanor.
"I can relate." Jaral replied in tone. "But I heard you returned her hospitality with some...reticence...to share intel." she added sarcastically.
"I'm sure you understand that I have my duties as an Imperial officer." Thrawn calmly answered.
"Do you?" Jaral asked without flinching. "Even if you joined the Empire for the sole purpose of manipulating it?"
Thrawn now made a smile, even if his eyes remained half-closed as always. "I see you've come prepared, Jaral Bridger."
The young woman smirked back. She wasn't able to use the Force to detect the Chiss' emotions, since his mental discipline was really something else, but she didn't need that to understand that she had managed to pique his interest.
"I didn't want to insult you by coming here without a proper plan." she said.
Thrawn now put down his legs and let his arms fall on the armrests.
"Very well, Grand Marshall. Let's play your game." he said in a tone that sounded always glacial, but also somehow thrilled.
Jordan could only watch, unable to understand what was going on in his daughter's mind. The first thing that had made him confused was the fact that she had renounced her uniform, and instead wanted to use her old blue civilian outfit to carry the interrogation, but was this really an interrogation?
Jaral and Thrawn seemed more like the protagonist and the antagonist of a mind-thriller, fighting with their words, and carrying a deep respect for each other.
While it's true that, in war, it's paramount to have such respect for you enemy and not underestimate his abilities, Jordan had never seen Jaral act in this way.
He couldn't help but wonder if she was simply acting up just because she was dealing with Thrawn, or if he had failed to notice that his daughter had changed her attitude in the last few months.
Only her voice had him refocus on the present.
"Father, would you please bring us that chess set?" she asked, turning her head for just a second.
Noticing the requested object on a small table on his left, Jordan took both with his hands and put them between the two high officers.
"Ah." Thrawn exhaled. "You truly are a sophisticated woman."
"I do my best." Jaral replied with a smirk, before they deployed their pieces. Jaral took the whites, Thrawn the blacks.
As Jaral made her opening move, she spoke. "I must congratulate, Thrawn."
"For what?" the Chiss answered as he made his own move.
"Because Iulius, the man you spent so much effort grooming into a fine officer, has recently been promoted to take your place." she answered calmly.
Jordan saw Thrawn look away from the chessboard and into his opponent's eyes, probably seeking if she was telling the truth.
When he refocused on the match, he answered as if that news meant nothing. "Interesting. That means the Emperor is as desperate as you are, but at least he made a wise choice."
"You truly respect him, uh?"
"Iulius is a rare talent. One I am genuinely proud that I had the chance to work with."
"Yes. He has become a hero after removing a threat in Wild Space." Jaral added as she moved a bishop.
Jordan honestly didn't understand why she was telling him those things. Was she trying to have a normal conversation and hoping that Thrawn would betray himself accidentally?
"I see." Thrawn whispered, and made his next move.
"Sadly, I don't think it was the same threat for which you joined the Empire." Jaral said nonchalantly.
And while Jordan was becoming even more confused, Thrawn made a light chuckle.
"I'm impressed you uncovered so much. Or you just realized that by yourself?"
"A mix of the two. Your species, the Chiss, is enigmatic, to say the least. However, most of the rebel recruits come from the Outer Rim and I had the chance to listen to many stories. Some of which hinted me about why the Emperor sent Iulius into Wild Space and left you alone." Jaral said with absolute composure, even though the match was going slightly in Thrawn's favor.
"So you can guess why I have no interest in assisting your Rebellion." Thrawn simply answered.
"I can." she replied, taking out a knight. "However, you have been replaced now. Do you still think you can trust the Empire to do what you hoped to achieve?"
The Chiss hummed, then made his next move.
"If the Empire takes us out, what will keep the Emperor to try and submit the Chiss in the future?" Jaral insisted.
Thrawn waited a bit before answering.
"The Empire is still the best chance the galaxy has to withstand the threats lurking in the Unknown Regions, and to divert them from my people."
"True. But I think our conversation has revealed a much more interesting scenario. One that will find us on common ground." Jaral calmly replied.
The eldest Bridger, even more confused, was trying to connect the dots he was able to see, but they brought nothing, so he listened the rest of the dialogue with renovated attention.
The Chiss chuckled. "Now you really have surpassed all my expectations for you, Grand Marshall Bridger."
He then won the match with a checkmate, but Jaral didn't seem annoyed at all.
Thrawn slumped back on the chair.
"All right, you win. But I warn you, my own knowledge of the Emperor's weapon is severely limited."
"It's still better than anything. Do you at least know its name?" the Grand Marshall asked quietly.
"Yes. They call it...'Death Star'."
Jordan was absolutely stunned. Why was he cooperating? Was something Jaral said...? But as his mind extended to its limits to find an answer, the two minds in front of him were still having their conversation.
"What do you know about it?"
"Supposedly, it's a battle station with a powerful weapon. Theoretically, it's meant to be able to destroy a planet with a single strike."
That notion left an unsettling silence in the room, broken only slightly by the fire of the chimney.
Still, Jaral didn't falter. "Any idea where it is?"
Thrawn shook his head. "Unfortunately, I was never meant to know anything about this weapon. I had to do my own digging, but even with my rank, I had no access to it." he said with a calm tone, one that indicated he wasn't lying.
"I see." the young woman concluded with a sigh.
Then she rose up, and Thrawn did the same. The two shook hands and exchanged a gaze of respect.
"Nice game. Perhaps one day you'll grant me a rematch." she said.
"I'll be looking forward to it." the Chiss replied with a smirk.
Then Jaral marched through the threshold with her hands behind her back, clearly heading downward, so Jordan and the policeman followed her.
"How did you do that?" Jordan asked.
Jaral, however, simply lifted a hand while she kept walking. "The explanation will have to wait. We need to contact Rebel Command, quickly. Let's get back to the Palace."
Still confused, but trusting that his daughter clearly knew what she was doing, Jordan shrugged and followed her outside of the house. They were escorted back to the listening post, where Pandolfi and Darvos also complimented Jaral, then the group was loaded onto the shuttle and they headed back toward Rome.
The Silver Bullet landed at its usual spot on Yavin, allowing the Specters to walk down the ramp.
"Of all the places we've seen, Felucia must've been the worst." Zeb groaned.
"You're just annoyed that the insects kept trying to make their homes on your fur." Rex said.
"Of course I am!" the Lasat replied before shuddering.
"Look at the bright side." Moreena tried to encourage him. "At least, now we have a direct route to the allied space."
Zeb considered that, then hummed. "I guess so."
Then she turned toward the park of the starfighters, where a young pilot waved at her. The girl smirked and turned toward Ezra.
"Hey, Ez, if you don't need me, I ask permission to be dismissed." she said half-joking.
Ezra smirked back. "Permission granted, Agent." he said.
So Moreena jogged away. The man who was waiting for her was named Silas, and the two had hooked up quite a lot in the last month.
"You too are dismissed, guys, take a break." Ezra said to Zeb and Rex as well, who nodded and went their separate way.
"What about you? Are you taking a break?" Sabine quipped to her husband.
Ezra chuckled but shook his head. "I'd love to, but there's still a lot of work until my sister gets back."
Sabine put an arm around his neck, since the other was holding the helmet and pouted a little.
In response, Ezra grabbed her waist and smiled. "Still, why don't we try to reach one of the other temples around here, this evening? I owe you a nice date after that disaster on Cantonica."
Sabine arched out her lips. "Nah, that was fun. But I wouldn't mind some time for us alone." she whispered.
"Great." he replied, then kissed her square on the lips. "See you later, cyar'ika." and they separated, with Sabine heading toward the main weapon deposit to see if there was something to help with.
Ezra headed toward the main turbolift so he could reach the war room, but he was surprised to see Semaj coming to him.
"General Bridger, your sister has just contacted us. Mon Mothma requests your presence." the man stated bluntly.
"Okay, lead the way." Ezra calmly replied.
To Ezra's surprise, Semaj didn't bring him to the war room, but to the one where the highest officers met. He had entered there only a few times, and was surprised to find Mon Mothma, who rarely took part in the planning of military operations.
"General Bridger." the Senator greeted him. "Excellent work at liberating Felucia with our allies."
"Thank, Madam." Ezra replied as he stepped in, while Semaj waited outside and closed the door behind him.
The Jedi then walked to get around the holotable, where Draven, Dodonna and other Generals and Colonels were waiting. "Has my sister called already?" Ezra asked, unsure as of why he wasn't seeing her hologram.
"We were waiting for you." Mothma kindly said, then nodded to the operator, who started the call.
Not long after, Jaral appeared, still wearing her civilian clothes.
"Senator Mothma." she greeted.
"Grand Marshall Bridger." the woman greeted back. "What news do you bring us?"
"Unlucky ones, I'm afraid. Grand Admiral Thrawn has revealed the existence of an imperial super-weapon." she said bluntly.
The other officers were stunned and preoccupied. General Draven's first reaction, however, was one of shock. "Wait! You managed to make him talk...in less than a day?!"
Ezra chuckled. "Come on, General, you should know that nothing can stop her." he commented.
"It wasn't that hard, actually. It all came down to know exactly what he needed to hear. But that's not the point.
"He has confirmed that the super-weapon exists, and, worst of all, it appears that it's able to destroy a planet with a single shot. They call it 'Death Star'."
The news caused a terrible mix of emotions among the officers. A planet-killing weapon was something that nobody ever heard about. Not even during the Clone Wars it was possible to conceive a weapon of such magnitude.
"Are you sure that he wasn't lying? Trying to scare us with an empty threat?" an officer asked.
"Believe me, Thrawn doesn't make empty threats, and he doesn't lie. If he didn't want to reveal anything to me, he would've refrained from talking at all." the Grand Marshall said without any doubt.
"It would also explain why the Empire is searching for kyber crystals all around the galaxy." Ezra added, remembering when he, Sabine, Jaral and Saw found that crystal on the secret cargo.
Apparently, that helped to dispel any possible doubts anyone could have about the veracity of the intel provided by Thrawn.
"So what do we do?" another officer asked.
"Isn't that obvious?" Ezra anticipated his sister's answer. "We have to find out the truth about this weapon. Where is it, if there is any weakness and, possibly, destroy it before it becomes operative."
"Well said, brother." Jaral added. "General Draven, put all the resources of the Intelligence into finding this thing." she ordered.
"Count on it." the officer replied.
Then Jaral turned toward Dodonna.
"General Dodonna, do your best to increase the relief expeditions for the populations under the Empire's oppression or mismanagement. The more popular support we get, the more are our chances that someone will come forward with even the tiniest lead."
The old officer nodded firmly. "I'll put my men at work."
"Good, the rest is up to you, Senator. Should we inform the other members of the Alliance, or we wait until we know more?" Jaral then asked, and every gaze turned toward Mothma.
The woman pondered for a while, then took her decision.
"I shall inform Senator Organa and the other members. It's useless to have an Alliance if we don't share information."
Overall, the others in the room found themselves agreeing with that statement.
"Good. I'll return to Yavin at once, expect me in a few days." the Grand Marshall said before turning toward her brother. "Ezra, I've read a report saying that you helped liberating Felucia, well done."
"It was nothing. Hey, how's Earth?" the young Jedi asked with genuine curiosity.
"It's beautiful." Jaral replied with a dreaming voice. "Once the war is over, we should all visit."
Ezra chuckled and decided it was better to close the conversation, for the moment. "I'll keep things in line until you come back. Send my regards to everybody."
"I'll do it. See you soon." and her hologram disappeared.
After that, while many left the room, Ezra met with Mothma, Draven and Dodonna.
"This is really bad news." Dodonna said. "If the Empire actually has a weapon capable to destroy planets, entire systems might be tempted to just surrender."
"I think that's the point." Ezra observed. "To strike a sense of unshakable fear into the populace, so they won't revolt. But that's all the more reason why we can't stop fighting. After all, the Empire doesn't know we're on this planet, and that gives us a chance to dictate some of the rules."
"He's right." Draven supported. "The galaxy is full of people who hates the Empire, and there ought to be someone who can send us in the right direction."
"Then let's not waste any more time." the Jedi concluded. "Madam Senator, help General Dodonna finding and organizing the relief expeditions, please."
"Leave it to us, Master Bridger." Mothma said resolutely.
And with that, they left the room and all went to their duties.
September 18.
Felucia had fallen. Now half of the Outer Rim was into enemy's hands and the so-called UACT was positioned on the Perlimian Trade Route.
That was the situation as Iulius could see according to the reports he received in his office aboard the Admonitor.
He also noted that Ezra Bridger had reemerged in the last days of the battle, and this meant one thing: that Felucia was important to the enemies, because it allowed the Joint Fleet to reach the main Rebel Base, something that had allowed him to narrow down the possible locations somewhere between the Gordian Reach and the Spadja Sector, but alas, they were far behind enemy lines, so it would be impossible to investigate, at the moment.
And, unfortunately, his fleet still wasn't ready. While the production of new ships was on schedule, he still had to wait for the Royal Academy to finish its last trimester and provide him with new cadets. In the meantime, he kept working on Coruscant, meeting with the other Grand Admirals, who, as expected, pretty much ignored him because of jealousy.
So he simply ignored them in return and focused on reorganizing the Sector Fleets left in the Outer Rim, using the authority granted to him by the Emperor to force the Governors to comply with his orders.
All the while he was living in his own apartment, though he didn't miss any chance to visit his mother, Sekta, in the evening, before reaching his own apartment.
And, of course, when he wasn't occupied commanding, he assisted at the lessons of the last-year cadets at the Academy.
Four of them had particularly got his attention: Thane Kyrell, Ciena Ree, Nash Windrider and Jude Edivon.
The first two were creative, quirky and enthusiasm, but there seemed to be a rivalry between the two. Iulius had noticed them since he assisted at the first lessons they were in. It was Cadet Edivon who told him that there had been a misunderstanding between the two of them during their first year of training, though Iulius immediately understood that it was all orchestrated by the Academy: Kyrell and Ree were both from the same planet, Jelucan, and the Empire didn't like when two cadets from the same planet maintained friendship, as that bond would, supposedly, weaken their loyalty to the Empire.
Still, he thought that they had to figure it out by themselves. After all, Iulius wanted officers who had a minimum understanding of imperial politics and backstabbing. And even if they did manage to resolve their issue, he knew that the Academy wouldn't let him take both of them because of their place of origin.
Now, Iulius needed a new Lieutenant, after Bolo's promotion had been officially accepted and he received his own Star Destroyer on Kuat, the Grand Admiral decided that he would seek to recruit Ree, since Kyrell was aiming to become a TIE pilot.
Besides that, Kyrell and Ree's marks were at the top of their class, so of course one of them would have to be assigned to the Death Star.
Windrider came from Alderaan. He was a diligent, competent and loyal man, and if only he put all of his forces into the Academy he would have probably rivaled Kyrell, with whom he was still a close friend. Nonetheless, he knew his limits and when it was time for him to take a break, and that, in Iulius' eyes, were important qualities that he was trying to introduce in his fleet, so he wanted him.
Edivon was among the highest-scoring cadets, as well. It seemed very likely that she was going to be one of the few who would get invited to the Ball at the Imperial Palace right before graduation. While she was a knowledgeable young woman, she was also the daughter of a rich family on Coruscant and the Director of the Academy had warned him that her parents wanted a position of relative safety for her career, so she was most likely going to be assigned to the Death Star.
Besides, Edivon was the leader of a small group of female cadets who always looked at the Grand Admirals with dreaming eyes, which made Iulius a bit uncomfortable.
Sekta and Qathora insisted on teasing Iulius that the white uniform highlighted his quite handsome face better than his old one, though the Grand Admiral didn't really care for that.
Even when he was a cadet he had a few girls running behind him, but none of them had ever impressed him, unlike Qathora, and inter-student relationships were forbidden inside the Academy.
The male cadets also had a sort of reverence for him, not stemmed by simple obedience, but because they were truly impressed of his achievements, often asking him for tips on how to be a good officer, requests that Iulius appreciated and was eager to satisfy.
There were still many other cadets who, while not shining like those four, Iulius believed had the potential to serve on the crucial vessels of his ships, so he kept updating his list any time he visited the lessons.
Iulius also spent some time analyzing the data about the Death Star, since the Emperor had granted him access to the specifics of the battle station, but not to its current position.
The new Grand Admiral wasn't still sure what to think about it, but the more he learned, the more he felt the planned uses of the Death Star to be questionable at best.
First of all, destroying an inhabited planet also meant killing millions, if not billions of sentient beings in a moment, and formalizing genocide as a strategy to keep the Empire's rule was only going to exacerbate the hate that many peoples already harbored toward the state.
Second, it was supposed to host quite the number of Moffs, Admirals and other high-ranking officials. So if anything happened to the station, it would almost decapitate the hierarchy over which the Empire depended on to maintain its rule.
Finally, since the Empire was now at war with the Federation, which was a state safely located in another galaxy and with an impressive military-industrial complex, the psychological effect of the Death Star didn't apply to them. On the contrary, the Federation would feel compelled to fight harder to prevent the Death Star from ever reaching the Milky Way. And since they already had impressive pieces of technology, like that super-dreadnought that vanquished the Mon Cala Sector Fleet months before, wouldn't they quickly develop a counter-measure to destroy the Death Star?
In Iulius' mind, it would have been better to use the exorbitant amount of money invested in the Death Star to instead research new weapons for the Armed Forces. Like his Dark Trooper project, or maybe even resume the production of the TIE Defender.
That, however, was a decision that only the Emperor could take. He was a soldier, and if his liege had ordered him to win with the resources he could have, then Iulius was going to do just that.
As he revisited the umpteenth report from the front, the door of his office opened, revealing Qathora.
"It's pretty late, you know? You don't want to leave the lady wait, I hope?" she said.
Iulius remembered what she meant: today was his mother's birthday, and he wanted to make a surprise visit to her.
Deciding that there wasn't any urgent issue, for now, Iulius sighed and put away the datapad. "Right. Let's go."
They left Imperial Command and took their land-speeder. After stopping to a bakery to buy Sekta's favorite cake, they reached her apartment. Iulius rang the bell, holding the box in his hands, and when his mother appeared he smiled and exclaimed "Surprise."
Sekta was delighted and hugged her son with a chuckle, inviting the two inside. At this point, Sekta had also grown fond of Qathora, and while they retained a certain relationship influenced by their social status, the two had become friends.
"You really shouldn't have had, sweetie." Sekta said, unable to stop smiling.
While Qathora took the box to bring it into the kitchen, Iulius replied to his mother. "Nonsense, I have missed too many of your birthdays in these last few years."
Sekta chuckled. "Come on, then. I'll se what we and Qathora can whip out of the fridge."
"I can help too, if you want." he offered.
"No chance. You have worked all day, I can see you're tired, Iulius." she replied with a half-joking tone.
Knowing that she wouldn't budge, Iulius conceded, yet persisted. "At least let me lay the table."
Sekta sighed. "Fine." and then she walked into the kitchen.
Iulius removed his gloves, put them on a small table, then got the drawers and started to set the table for dinner for all three of them.
Once he was done, his eyes inadvertently fell on a holo-picture, among the many in the living room.
It was a picture of him and Darvos, right before Iulius left for the Academy on Lothal. At the time, he was 15, Darvos 12. The two were keeping an arm around each other's neck or waist and smiled at the camera. Not because it was required, but because they were enjoying the few minutes they had left before they separated.
Iulius stepped closer and took the small projector in his palm. And started to think.
There they were, smiling and wishing each other good luck for their future.
After that picture, they had only met in person once, on Atollon...and they were pointing guns at each other.
"You miss him too, uh?" the voice of his mother startled him.
He turned his head around and saw Sekta looking at him with a compassionate look.
Iulius sighed and put the projector back. "Darvos made his choice, I made mine." he simply murmured.
Then he decided to change the argument, one that pressed him nonetheless. "Has father sent you a message, at least?"
Sekta timidly shook her head. "No. Perhaps he was just busy."
Iulius scoffed. "Right, busy sitting his ass off, or perhaps enjoying a slave."
"Iulius…" Sekta said firmly, her suspension implying that they had already talked about that.
The Grand Admiral, however, was not having it. While not yelling, he used a persistent tone. "I'm serious, Mother. Why don't you divorce him, I'm sure you can find a man who really deserves you!"
"He's an Admiral, and I'm just a civil servant. It would be a scandal and it would hurt your image, as well."
"The Emperor literally protects me, Mother! Do you really think I would care about something like that?!"
Sekta, however, raised her hand. "Enough. You have a war to win, Iulius, I won't put such a burden on you. That's all I have to say." she stated firmly.
Iulius sighed and rolled his eyes, turning them away.
Sekta then gently took his face in her hands and turned his head again to meet their eyes.
"Listen, you have gone beyond any expectation, already. I couldn't be prouder of you. Besides, I'm your mother, it's just normal that I would put my sons in front of my interests."
His will of complaining broken by such a show, Iulius relented and simply hugged his mother, who gladly returned the gesture.
When they broke the hug, they smiled, and Sekta added "Now, let's just enjoy a calm, friendly dinner for my birthday, can we?"
"Whatever you wish, ma'am." Iulius replied.
And right at that moment, Qathora came out with the pot. Iulius understood that she was just waiting, to give them their private moment, and was grateful for that.
Thus, they finally closed the evening by enjoying a calm, nice meal, something that Iulius treasured at his fullest.