Senator Avan Beruss had always known, deep down, that he'd follow the example of his father and take up a career in politics. It's what he was born for, the role Clan Beruss had fulfilled for Illodia for centuries. He'd never expected to inherit his father's role the way he had, ushered into office in a snap vote held just days after Doman Beruss, and many other representatives, had been killed in a terrorist bombing of the Senate hall.
His father's waning years had taken a toll on the family. The old senator had taken a stance opposing Leia Organa Solo during the Black Fleet Crisis, going so far as to submit a petition for her ouster. Doman's relationship with Leia had never recovered from that, despite all the time Leia had spent on the Beruss estate as a child and teenager. When forming her most recent government, Leia had offered Avan a cabinet position, perhaps as a way of making amends, and starting things off on a better foot. He'd felt a little ashamed of that, but also glad. It was important to have friends, especially in the messy world of interstellar politics.
He was grateful that Leia had tasked him with keeping her informed on the undercurrents of Coruscant politics while she was away, but he didn't take the responsibility lightly. He kept all his feelers open regarding Fey'lya, Pwoe, and Celch Dravvad, trying to find out what moves the other candidates would make while Behn-Kihl-Nahm was away on Bavinyar. He learned that Fey'lya had met with Senator C-Gosf of Gosfambling and Fyor Rodan of Commenor at one of Galactic City's most exclusive restaurants for lunch, and that Pwoe had visited the offices of Viqi Sesh, the new junior senator from Kuat. C-Gosf and Rodan had already been leaning toward supporting Fey'lya in the election, so that wasn't surprising; Sesh was still something of a wildcard and it wasn't clear if Pwoe had accomplished anything with her. Dravvad had already released a statement right before Leia left, a bland admonishment for restraint on all parties during the investigation on Pohl-Had-Narr's assassination.
He piped this information directly to the Millennium Falcon, and while it felt good to sidestep Nanaod Engh, Leia's persistent gatekeeper, he'd gotten no replies and could only trust Leia that was taking all this into account.
The memorial ceremony for Bavinyar's late prime minister took place early in the morning, Galactic City time, and Avan had gathered his aides in his office to watch the broadcast. It was being carried on all the major networks, something that would normally have been unheard of for one dead politician on one barely-populated backwater planet. He periodically cycled through the channels, trying to tell which network gave Behn-Kihl-Nahm and Gavrisom the most airtime, or which color commentators evinced certain opinions. He noted dispassionately that human ones tended to show more sympathy for Syne and Bavinyar's human population, while non-humans were more sympathetic to the Pohl-Had-Narr and the Cereans. It was predictable and depressing, but he'd grown used to it since joining the senate.
What he hadn't predicted was the sudden burst of violence that cut the ceremony short when it had barely begun. The moment he got a full grasp of the situation-Syne alive, Gavrisom and Bennie alive, BDF chief Kaice wounded, three BDF guards dead, six killed in the crowd, identity and number of attackers unknown- he dismissed his staff and dialed up the Falcon.
He stopped short of placing the call, because he had no idea what to say.
Neither, apparently, did anyone else. Many senators, including Dravvad and Pwoe, sent out blanket statements of 'grave concern' for the situation on Bavinyar and urged calmer heads on all sides. Fey'lya, notably, sent out no immediate comment, and that was enough to raise Avan's suspicions.
His statement finally came in the late afternoon. There was no warning; the news networks simply cut into their programming, which was already all about Bavinyar anyway, to show Senator Fey'lya, dressed in mournful dark-red robes, sitting behind his desk with his paws clasped in front of him, leaning forward slightly, speaking to the audience in the calm, measured tones of a parent reassuring his children.
"By now, I am sure that many of you have learned of the latest unrest on the planet Bavinyar. It is terrible that another tragedy had afflicted that poor planet in the space of days, and as other senators have already said, we must be mindful of their grief, and deeply concerned about the continuing situation there.
"However, I believe mere concern is not enough in a situation like this. I believe the New Republic should take a more active hand in settling the situation on Bavinyar. I believe that in a situation like this, where civil unrest is spiraling out of control, the New Republic has a duty to ensure the lives of its members. With that in mind, I will soon be introducing legislation in the Senate to muster a peacekeeping expedition to Bavinyar.
"I am sure many of you see this as a drastic step. Some of you surely call it too drastic. Why, you ask, should the sons and daughters of Corellia, Commenor, Kuat, and Bothawui put their lives at risk for a world like Bavinyar? Well, I can only say this. The New Republic is a union of planets large and small. We all owe a responsibility to each other, and violence on one world weakens all others. I am sure that, in light of today's events, President Organa Solo, Minister Gavrisom, and Senator Behn-Kihl-Nahm are already considering a peacekeeping expedition. Because none of them are on Coruscant at the moment, I will act in their stead and submit a motion to the Senate.
"I am broadcasting this information because I believe it is important that our government be transparent in its goals and motivations. The Senate is not some isolated body, locked in a tower, far from the beings who elect it. It exists to serve the people, and today it is important that all people be aware of the issues, the stakes, and the responsibility we all owe each other.
"There may be difficult times ahead, but I believe justice and order will prevail on Bavinyar. I believe that because I believe in the Republic. I believe in what the martyrs of Bothawui and so many other worlds died to create in the long struggle against the Empire. We prevailed then, and we will prevail tomorrow.
"Thank you, and good night."
Avan watched it all in his own office. When it was done he turned the holo-projector off, waved aside his aides, and went home.
The Beruss family estate on Coruscant was a city unto itself, vastly larger than the land the family claimed on Illodia itself. The Beruss family had, by some unspoken rule, occupied the role of Illodia's representatives on Coruscant for generations. Growing up, Avan Beruss had spent as much time in Imperial City as he had on Illodia, and he'd mapped everY square meter of the estate in his head twenty years ago, when he'd been a child seeking out every hidden room, ever secret tunnel under the gardens, every locked passageway.
Now he was an adult, and somewhat to his surprise, he'd fallen fully into the role of his father and grandfather. He'd wanted something more than that when he was younger, which was why he'd joined Rogue Squadron and flown in combat against the Empire. Once the war started to settle down, he'd accepted civilian life, and begun working as his father's aide in the recreated Senate, and later his successor.
He'd retained some that independent streak, though; Illodian tradition held for him to take multiple wives, typically from the other noble families of the home-world. Instead, and despite his father's objections, he'd taken only one: former Rogue Squadron wingmate Feylis Ardele, from Commenor. Feylis had stayed in the military, though now she piloted a desk at the NRDF's logistics office on Coruscant.
She arrived just after he did. Her long blonde hair was pulled to the back of her neck, revealing a sagging face and tired eyes. She dropped beside him onto the sofa of their personal chambers without turning on the holo-projector. Neither wanted to see any more news today.
"Have you talked to the Princess yet?" asked Feylis as she rested her head against his shoulder.
"No. Not since she left. I've been sending her messages, but..." He sighed. "Today caught me off-guard."
"It caught everyone off-guard."
"Even Fey'lya?"
"Fey'lya could scheme in his sleep. It comes naturally to him."
A long pause spread between them. Eventually Avan said, "He's staked a strong position now. Intervention. I'd have thought he'd wait for things to get really bad."
"He wants to put Behn-Kihl-Nahm and the princess on the spot. Did you like how he did that, make it seem like they were derelict in their duties? Behn-Kihl-Nahm almost got blown up today."
After another pause, Avan asked, "Do you think he's wrong? About intervention?"
The next pause was even longer. When he thought Felyis wouldn't respond, she sighed a long sigh and said, "I think we'll find out soon enough."
-{}-
The next time Iella and Asyr met it was in a different drinking establishment on the other end of Treasure Ship Row. This one was smaller, a little more seedy, and it felt more crowded when they met at the end of the day.
Wedge had come back to Coronet City by then, and Iella told him she was meeting up with an old coworker from her NRI days, one she hadn't seen in a very long time. It was, more or less, true, but it still felt like lying, and Iella still felt awful.
When she'd agreed, fifteen years back, to keep Asyr's survival a tightly-guarded secret, she'd known that would mean hiding it from people she cared about, including Wedge and poor Gavin Darklighter. By the time she got around to actually marrying Wedge years later, Asyr had drifted out of her life and out of her mind. She wondered now whether she could have made that promise if she'd been as close to Wedge then as she was now.
As for Asyr, she seemed even more edgy than last time. They sat in a dark booth at the rear end of the bar. Asyr must have dyed the normal white streak in her fur black, because now she seemed night-dark, like she could just dissolve in the booth's deep shadows. Nonetheless, her small bright eyes kept darting over Iella's shoulder, to the holo-projector next to the bar-counter that was currently re-broadcasting Celch Dravvad's speech. Iella had already seen it before heading out; it had had no substance in terms of policy and had clearly been thrown together after Fey'lya's surprise statement. Pwoe had put one out as well; as for poor Behn-Kihl-Nahm, he'd put no word out. Likely he had more to do on Bavinyar than just posture.
"Do you doubt what I told you now?" Asyr asked in a low voice. "The timing of Fey'lya's speech was too good."
Iella shook her head. She didn't want to come out and call Asyr paranoid; she had good reason to hate Fey'lya after what he'd done to her and Gavin. "Fey'lya is an opportunist. Besides, before you told me he was supplying the human separatists. It looks like this attack was done by Cerean extremists."
"Fey'lya is trying to sow chaos and embarrass Behn-Kihl-Nahm and Organa Solo. And it's working. There's been reports of more riots in Bavinyar's capital."
"I hadn't heard that," Iella said. In truth, she'd been trying to avoid more news from that world.
"I have to go to the planet," Asyr insisted, "And I need to find proof of what's going on."
"A Bothan's going to stand out no matter what."
"I know. But I had no desire to pass as a native anyway."
"I can't get you false identification codes. I'm not even with NRI anymore and even if I were they're impossible to manufacture."
"I was expecting that," Asyr said. If she was disap-pointed it didn't show.
Iella sighed and reached into her jacket pocket. She took out a datacard and slid it across the table. "I was able to get in touch with a friend who's still active. This is what I could pull about the team we just sent with Gavrisom and Behn-Kihl-Nahm."
Asyr's black paw swiped out and took it. "Confidential?"
"Nothing high-grade, but it's what she could get. Most of it is just from NRI's fact file about Bavinyar and its politics. Lot of stuff you could glean from the news nets, and some stuff you can't, including info on the BIL and CPF extremist groups."
"You mean their leaders?" Asyr asked. "Their suppliers?"
"Nothing about external agents. I don't think NRI was investigating them too closely before all this blew up." Iella added, "You should look at the personnel files for the three NRI staffers they sent."
"Anyone you know?"
"I knew their leader, Colonel Pakkpekatt. Big, fierce-looking Hortek. Some telepathic abilities. Don't get too close to him."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Have you arranged passage to Bavinyar yet?"
"I have a ship of my own."
"Any friends you'll be taking with you?"
Asyr stared and said nothing.
"I'm sorry." Iella waved a hand. "I didn't want to know anyway. There's one more thing, though." She took out a second data-chip and passed it across the table. "There's only one thing on that one. It's an encryption code. It routes directly to my personal comm. If you need my help, if you think there's any-thing I should know, if you just want to talk to a friend, call me."
Asyr took it and smiled softly. It was the first smile Iella had seen from her in fifteen years. "It's good to have friends."
"You can't manage without them. So just… keep in touch. Please."
Asyr pocketed the second datachip and looked Iella in the eye. "Thank you for all of this. But there's one more thing I have to know."
Her gaze wavered, softened, but didn't break. Iella said, "Gavin's all right. He's in charge of Rogue Squadron now."
"I heard that. I'm glad he doesn't have to fight any more."
"He's married," Iella added softly. "And he's adopted two children."
Asyr's gaze finally broke. Her eyes dropped to the table, where her claws dug into the black-painted wood. She whispered, "We talked about adopting, once. Back before..."
Iella reached out and squeezed her paw. "It's all right. He's happy now. And you'll be happy too, once you take down Fey'lya. You'll be free."
Asyr's violet eyes flicked up again. She blinked away tears and said, "Do you really believe that, Iella?"
"I do," she said, and hoped her friend couldn't see through her lie.
-{}-
They gathered on the roof of the Great Temple. The forest spread out in all directions far beneath them, while heavy wet clouds spanned the sky. They looked like they meant rain, but so far there'd been no water and no thunder.
But a storm was still coming.
"Given the news that just came in from Bavinyar," Leia told the Jedi around her, "I think I need to head there right away."
"Couldn't that be construed as showing a lack of faith in Gavrisom and Behn-Kihl-Nahm?" asked Mara.
Leia nodded. "It could. But if I don't act then I'll looked weak, and so will they by extension. Fey'lya's already made his move. I've talked to some people on Coruscant and they'll do their best to get his vote delayed. I don't think many senators are going to be eager to start sending in peacekeepers into a messy situation like this, so I think they'll be able to stop it."
"That seemed a little bold for Fey'lya," said Kenth Hamner, a former New Republic military officer turned Jedi. "He has to know that other senators are going to be wary of drastic action. So why call for a vote that probably won't pass?"
"Fey'lya is no fool," said Tresk Im'nel, who used to work under the Bothan senator in the New Republic diplomatic corps. "Most likely he expects his call for a vote to be blocked."
"I don't get it," Han said. "Why call it at all?"
"He's staking out his position," Im'nel explained. "If we can solve this problem without sending in peace-keepers then at least he's raised his profile before the election, more so than Pwoe and Dravvad, who've refrained from making clear policy statements on Bavinyar. And if things do get worse, well, I'm sure we'll be hearing lots of 'I told you so.'"
Leia nodded. "Borsk is a smart player. He knows he needs to stake out a position oppose Bennie since they're the two frontrunners. Bavinyar is probably going to push more votes away from Pwoe and Dravvad the longer they delay taking a stance. Borsk is just gambling he's picked the right one."
"And naturally he picks the opposite one as Bennie," Han sighed. "How do we know the little furball doesn't have a paw in this somehow?"
Leia said, I've known Borsk a long time, and he's never committed anything outright treasonous."
"There's a first time for everything," Han muttered.
"I agree with Leia," said Im'nel. "I've known Fey'lya even longer. He's a consummate opportunist, but he prefers to take advantage of crises rather than start them."
"Prefer," Han scowled. "Leia, I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Assuming treason against a New Republic senator without evidence is a big step," Luke admonished them.
"Ignoring it is just plain stupid," Han insisted.
"I never said I'm going to ignore it. I have people on Coruscant who will make sure the vote is blocked. And I'll be going to Bavinyar shortly."
"You mean we'll be going," Han said.
"Yes," Leia said, "We. I'd like Kenth and Tresk to come too, if they're willing."
The Bothan's ears flattened on his skull; Hamner said, "In what capacity? Some… Jedi negotiating team?"
"You're Luke's liaison to the NRDF, aren't you?"
"I am. Technically, they're holding me in reserve with a colonel's rank."
"Then your Commander in Chief orders you to come to Bavinyar with her to advise on orders of potential military importance. Understood?"
Hamner nodded. Im'nel asked, "What about me? I no longer have any official rank in the New Republic."
"Nonetheless I ask you to come as my advisor."
"To investigate Fey'lya?"
"To advise me. You're to keep your ears open and you're to help with the investigation in the Bavinyar militants who are behind this mess. If there is some link between them and Fey'lya- which I pray there isn't- I want you to find that too. Understood?"
"Very much so." Im'nel bowed his head slightly.
Leia reached out and placed a hand on her brother's arm. "And your job is to hold the fort down here, understood?"
"Of course," Luke nodded, "Unless you want to borrow more Jedi."
"Bringing two to Bavinyar with me will cause enough ripples through the political sphere. Bringing my brother the Jedi Master in to solve all my problems would be too much."
"I understand, Leia."
She squeezed his arm. "Thank you. I appreciate that, Luke, I really do."