Nothing suspicious showed up on Daw Saetang's background check, which irked Fox. Life would be so much easier if he could just tell the Chancellor that Saetang had a drug habit, or was involved with the Pyke Syndicate. Then he wouldn't have to be here, haunting the dark corners of this pretentious restaurant while the Chancellor sipped tea with this sleemo.
Fox checked in with the troopers stationed around the outside of the restaurant, then scanned the interior again. The dining room was full of guests, but they'd searched them all for weapons before the Chancellor had arrived and Fox was reasonably confident the Chancellor was safe. The food had all been tested beforehand, too, and the staff cleared as well. He'd done everything within reason to ensure Chancellor Chuchi's safety on this "date," but still the crowds of unfamiliar faces and the public setting put him on edge.
Chancellor Chuchi's laugh sounded from across the room, drawing Fox's eyes. Daw Saetang leaned forward across the table from the Chancellor, and he grinned as he continued whatever amusing anecdote he was in the middle of.
Fox tapped his toe impatiently. Would this night ever end? Would Saetang ask the Chancellor out again and he'd have to suffer through this next week, too? Would he have to go through the nightmare of securing the Chancellor's dates on a regular basis?
Fox sighed and tried to turn his thoughts to more pleasant things. The food looked pretty good, at least. Fox hadn't eaten any, but he could imagine it was pleasant. The burgundy soup Saetang sipped looked especially good. He briefly indulged in imagining the savory flavor on his tongue and the warm slide of it down his throat. He'd set his spoon down and tell the Chancellor how delicious it was, and she'd smile and tell him how it was good, but different from what her mother made back home.
"Southwest corner, all clear," Aces said through the comm, pulling Fox from his brief daydream.
"Copy that," Fox said. Thank the Force for Aces and the many brothers he had keeping him on track.
The Chancellor laughed again and Fox returned his attention to her table. She was smiling and her laugh had sounded sincere, but the smile was one that Fox recognized—one he'd seen her use before when buttering up a particularly nasty diplomat. Fox couldn't resist the satisfied curl of his lips.
They finished the main course and the waiter came around to clear their plates and take any subsequent orders. Fox was too far away to hear their conversation—he'd thought the Chancellor would at least want some privacy on her date—but he could see the waiter ask about drinks or dessert, could interpret the Chancellor's regretful smile and nod of thanks. Finally, the end was in sight.
Daw Saetang paid their bill and helped the Chancellor into her coat. They walked together to the valet, and Fox followed a good twenty feet after them. Saetang gestured to his speeder as the valet pulled up, but the Chancellor shook her head apologetically. Good girl, Fox thought. They didn't have any security information on Saetang's speeder.
Saetang said his goodbyes and started towards the Chancellor for a hug. Fox tensed. They'd checked Saetang for weapons, but some were difficult to detect, especially small ones that could be employed at close quarters.
The Chancellor's face twisted and she held her hand out to him to shake, effectively halting his advancing embrace. Saetang's face fell, but he took it in stride and shook her hand, raising it to his mouth for a kiss. Then he got into his speeder and left. Good riddance.
Fox walked up to the Chancellor to wait for her speeder—a high-security model whose modifications he'd overseen himself. Shifter pulled the speeder up to the valet and Fox opened the door for the Chancellor, then got into the front seat.
The chatter of troopers leaving the restaurant filled his comms, but Chancellor Chuchi's sigh cut through them all. He looked through the speeder's rearview mirror at the Chancellor, but she seemed well enough. She leaned against the side door, a wistful look on her face as she stared out into the neon-lit city night.
"Shifter? How close are we to Shinyee?" Chancellor Chuchi said.
"Not far, ma'am. Maybe ten minutes."
"Take me there, please?"
Shifter shot Fox a look, then returned his gaze to the road. "...Ma'am?"
"Just for a minute. I want to pick up some dessert since I didn't get any at the restaurant."
Shifter looked to Fox again, as if Fox could contradict an order from the Chancellor. Fox silently inclined his head, and Shifter switched on his turn signal. "On our way."
Great. Shinyee night market. What a nightmare end to an already-stressful evening. Fox called for increased trooper presence in the area, but he'd have to go into the crowd with the Chancellor himself. The market was crowded, the streets narrow, and the traffic dense. He'd need to stay close.
Shifter pulled up to the loading zone in front of the market's entrance, and Fox got out and opened the door for the Chancellor. She emerged from the speeder and looked up at the bright lights, the neon brilliance reflecting oddly off of her broad smile.
"Thanks, Shifter!" she said, leaning back into the speeder. "I'll holo you when I need to get picked up."
She set off into the crowd and Fox followed right behind her, his eyes darting about the crush of people as she pushed heedlessly ahead. He nearly lost her at a particularly packed intersection, his panic nearly bursting until he caught sight of her at the edge of a brightly-colored stall.
"Cha-! Ma'am!" he said, switching to a less conspicuous title before he forgot. "That's where you got to."
Chancellor Chuchi looked back at him and had the grace to look abashed. "I'm sorry, Fox, I got a little carried away."
Fox dismissed her apology and got a better look at the stall she'd found. It was a modest store that only sold some kind of dessert—sticky-looking red orbs on a long skewer.
"We came all this way for this?" he said.
"Two, please," the Chancellor said to the Weequay behind the counter. She turned back to him. "Don't knock it till you try it."
Fox huffed. "It's hard to imagine anything worth all this trouble."
The Chancellor's face fell, and he regretted his sour words. She was the boss, and it was his job to protect her wherever she went, not to keep her in a durasteel box.
"I'm sorry to drag you all the way here. I just… It was a rather disappointing night. And since Maja went to the trouble of clearing my evening for me I decided I shouldn't let it go to waste."
"I go wherever you go, ma'am."
"Yes, well, that's very kind of you to say, but I really am sorry for the trouble. It's not your fault I had a bad date."
The corner of Fox's mouth turned up, though she couldn't see that from behind the helmet. He'd suspected that Saetang had been poor company, but it was satisfying to hear confirmation that he'd been right.
Then he saw the droop to the Chancellor's shoulders and regretted his unkind thoughts. He shouldn't be glad that her date had gone poorly. Chancellor Chuchi deserved to have a fun night with a handsome fellow if she wanted to. It would mean more work for Fox, but that was what he'd signed up for.
"I got two Jogan sticks here!" the surly vendor said from his stall, holding the glazed fruit out to the street.
"That's for us!" the Chancellor said.
She retrieved the skewers and handed one to Fox, who took it with ginger fingers. This was definitely going to get all over his gloves.
Chancellor Chuchi eagerly grabbed one of the fruits with her teeth and dragged it from the skewer and into her mouth. The red glaze painted her face like a child playing with her mother's lip tint, and Fox couldn't help but chuckle.
"It tastes better if you're not careful," Chancellor Chuchi said. "You try it!"
Fox checked his HUD and noted that there were plenty of guards around, now. Not visible, but they'd set up a healthy perimeter around the Chancellor to avert any major catastrophes. He unclicked his helmet and clipped it to his belt, then took a firm, decisive bite of the fruit.
All moisture drained from his mouth and his eyebrows shot up. It wasn't bad, but…
"That is so sweet."
"You don't like it?" the Chancellor asked, her golden eyes going wide.
"No, it's… It's good. But I don't know if I can finish it all."
Chancellor Chuchi's face fell, and she looked at her skewer with measuring eyes. "I see what you mean. And I suppose you generally eat very healthy, lightly-flavored foods."
Fox thought back to the ration bars and nutritional pastes that had gotten him through his short life so far. He hadn't eaten enough non-regulation food to form a very good comparison, but he was pretty confident it couldn't get much blander than his regular diet. "Yes, ma'am."
"Alright then, challenge accepted. I will find you something you like. Shinyee is famous for its street food, and I'm sure there will be something here that suits you."
"Ma'am, that's really not necessary-"
"No! I am determined to turn a bad date into a fun evening, and I won't take no for an answer."
She turned and marched off into the crowd, and Fox just stared for a few seconds before breaking out of his stupor and chasing after her.
"Alright, I'll eat whatever you ask," he said once he'd caught up, nearly knocking over more than one person on the way. "Just please don't run off like that."
Chancellor Chuchi smirked in triumph, then eased her way deeper into the crowd. "Let's start with something nice and savory, shall we?"
Fox dodged and weaved his way through the crowd, his mind struggling to process how after all his years of training and PT he still couldn't keep up with a tiny blue woman in a dress. After a moment of panic, he spotted her at the counter of another stall, this one blurred by a haze of sweet-scented smoke.
"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to stick closer to me. Crowds like this are difficult to handle," he said once he reached her side.
The vendor handed her two more skewers, this time with charred hunks of meat on them, and the Chancellor handed one to Fox with a chagrined look.
"I'm sorry. I'll stay close, I promise. Let this be my peace offering."
"There's no need to apologize," Fox said, but he accepted the skewer. The smell coming from it was mouthwatering, a funky combination of the weight and savor of meat with a sweat, smoky marinate. He bit down on the top piece and slid it off the skewer, and as soon as the meat touched his tongue his eyes widened.
"That is good."
The Chancellor beamed. "I knew you'd like it."
Chancellor Chuchi led him to a few other stalls and they collected a small, extremely unhealthy meal of street food: fried dough, bright green noodles, some kind of savory crepe, and honey-soaked fruits. Her shriek-hawk eyes spied a seating area crammed into one corner of the market, and she claimed a small table for them. The spoils of her hunt barely fit on the table.
"Ma'am, I don't know if we can eat all of this…" Fox said.
"Surely a man as big and strong as you can make short work of this."
Something thick seemed lodged in Fox's throat, and he swallowed several times to bring it down. "I'm on duty. If I'm stuffed too full I can't operate at full capacity."
"I suppose that also means you won't be indulging in any of the drinks I'm about to purchase?" the Chancellor said, pointing a dainty finger at a stall selling purple fluid in clear single-use cups.
"They're alcoholic?"
"Yes. You're allowed to drink them in the seating area, though."
"Sorry, ma'am. I have a strict no alcohol on duty policy."
"I guessed as much," she said, her face falling. Then she brightened and made a move towards the drinks stand. "I'll be right back with my drinks, then we can dig in!"
Fox watched her go, feeling disoriented by the strange intimacy of seeing her so relaxed. Then her words fully registered in his mind. "...Drinks?"
She came back in a few minutes with four cups balanced expertly in her hands. "Even if we don't finish everything, we can take the leftovers home. It's not quite as good cold, but it will still be worth eating."
"As you say, ma'am."
Her eyes flicked back up to his. "And you can call me Riyo."
Fox choked on the last piece of meat from his skewer. "Ma'am, protocol-"
"I understand you can't call me that in front of other people, but we're together constantly. Sometimes I need a break from being the Chancellor."
The ends of her eyebrows raised in pleading, and the glowing lights of the market glittered in her sunlight eyes. Whatever mystery object Fox had swallowed earlier clogged up his throat again. "Of course, ma- Riyo."
Her name felt strange on her tongue, like trying to speak Huttese, but not in an unpleasant way. He worried that now that he'd used her name once, he might never be able to stop.
Riyo's expression brightened and she folded her hands in front of her. "Excellent! Let's get started, shall we?"
"We already ate two different skewers."
Riyo waved her hand dismissively. "Those were just to whet our appetites. Now the real feast begins."
They dug in, and Riyo watched carefully for Fox's reaction to each food. He liked the crepe and the fruits the most, though every single item was leaps and bounds tastier than anything he'd had in the mess. Though Riyo seemed primarily concerned with Fox's dining experience, she clearly enjoyed the food herself. She made a soft groan of pleasure with each bite she took, and Fox forced himself to look away as heat rose up his neck.
"Really? The honey bliss fruits were your favorite?" Riyo asked after they'd demolished the meal. "I thought you didn't like things to be too sweet."
Fox shrugged. "It's growing on me. I think it was so strong, it caught me off guard at first."
A wicked smile grew on Riyo's face. "Am I going to be the one to lead you astray? To introduce you to the world of junk food?"
"I think that's what just happened."
Riyo laughed and stretched out her back like a tooka, then surveyed the mess left behind by their meal. "You were worried this was too much food, but look at us! We finished it, no problem."
"That we did."
Fox collected the packaging from their food and threw it away in garbage receptacles at the edges of the seating area. When he got back, Riyo was leaned forward across the table, a pensive look on her face.
"Which date do you think is better, Fox?" she asked, looking up at him. "A dinner at a fancy restaurant or this?"
Fox cleared this throat to buy some time before answering. This conversation felt like dangerous territory. "I wouldn't know, ma'am."
"Oh," she said, diminished. "You've never been on a date, have you?"
"No."
"Don't you have some idea of what a date is like, though?"
"The only idea I have of civilian courtship came from your evening tonight with Mr. Saetang, ma'am."
She wrinkled her nose. "It's Riyo. And that won't do. That won't do at all."
Fox crossed his arms and his lip curled. He didn't like the idea of anyone, least of all Riyo, thinking his experience wasn't sufficient. "My apologies, Riyo, but it's not as if Chancellor Palpatine was in the habit of taking women out for dinner and a show."
"Oh!" Riyo's brows raised in surprise. "That's not what I meant at all, Fox! I just meant, it's a shame that you've missed out on so many things that are a normal part of growing up for most sentients. And now that the GAR is reforming, there's nothing to keep you from entertainment, hobbies, a social life…"
Her point gave Fox pause. He'd been surrounded by talk of clone rights and bills granting citizenship and retirement options, but he hadn't really thought much about what he would do outside of the GAR. He planned to stay in the military, but even those who remained soldiers would have more freedom to a normal life outside of their time on-duty. It was strange. Fox had never even worn anything besides his cadet clothes on Kamino, his blacks, and his officers uniform.
"Never fear! It is never too late in life to learn. I can teach you!" Riyo said.
Fox gathered his wandering thoughts and refocused his attention on her. "Huh?"
She giggled, a bluish flush high on her cheeks, and Fox thought back to how many cups of that deep purple drink he'd thrown away.
"I said, I can teach you what a date is. It's very simple, really. You go somewhere, with someone you like, and do some sort of planned activity. It doesn't have to cost any money, but some common options are a meal, a show, shopping, a park, that sort of thing."
"And what made your evening with Mr. Saetang bad?" Fox asked.
Riyo grimaced, the expression pulling the gilt tattoos on her cheeks downward. "A quality date is determined more by the participants than the activity. Daw is… nice enough. But a bit self-centered. He talked about himself the whole night."
"I see." Fox narrowed his eyes and thought back to Saetang's background check. Had there been anything on there that would have tipped Fox off to what a poor companion he'd make?
"Now this," Riyo said, taking a sip from her last remaining drink. "This is a good date."
Fox's eyebrows shot up. "Date?"
Riyo giggled again. "You should see your face, Fox! Don't worry, I know it's not a real date and protocol and rules and all that sithspit."
Sithspit? Since when did Chancellor Chuchi swear?
"But this has been a nice evening," Riyo continued. "I talked with you, and you're very fun to talk to. We got delicious food, we walked around a fun location. It's all the hallmarks of a good date."
The blue hue was even more pronounced on her cheeks now, and Fox wondered if his own face was similarly flushed. He wouldn't have alcohol to blame for it, though.
He got to his feet. "It has been a good evening, ma'am, but we should get going. It's quite late already."
"Wait! I haven't told you about how a date ends yet!" she said, though she got to her feet.
"How does it end?" Fox asked indulgently, waiting for her to collect herself.
"If a date goes badly, you go your separate ways and ignore his transmissions for the next few weeks."
"And if it goes well?" Fox asked.
Riyo grinned, the smile almost predatory on her pastel features. "Then he takes you home."
Fox swallowed, the gleam in her eye making him nervous. Riyo laughed and swatted at his arm playfully.
"Well, it's getting late, Fox! Ready to take me home?"
What? What? Was that an innuendo, coming out of the mouth of the Chancellor? Fox was speechless. What did most people say when faced with bone-melting embarrassment? He cycled through years of senatorial interactions, searching for an acceptable response.
He laughed.
It was a stilted, high-pitched sound—less mechanical than a droid but more wooden than a tree. Riyo looked at him, brows high on her forehead, and her shoulders shook in silent laughter. Fox cut off the strange sound and turned from her, preferring to face the crowd than the mocking Chancellor.
"Come on, let's get out of here," he said.
They wound their way through the mass of people, eventually meeting Shifter at one of the side alleys. Fox helped Riyo into the speeder and was about to shut the door behind her when she grabbed his arm.
"No, Fox, I'm sick of sitting in the back seat alone. You're sitting back here."
"Ma,am, that's against-"
"If you say one more word about protocol I think I'll scream," she said. She tugged him down to her level and leaned halfway out of the speeder towards him, close enough that he could smell the fruity tang of whatever she'd been drinking on her breath. "I am the Chancellor, so I get to set protocol. And I say you sit in the back seat."
Fox shut his mouth and scooted into the speeder beside her. Shifter shot him a sideways look through the mirror, which Fox pointedly ignored. Chancellor Chuchi reclined in the seat next to him, but Fox sat stiff and upright, his hands clenched tightly in his lap.
"I know you had a good time," Riyo said. "Don't try to hide it."
"How would you know that?"
"You didn't put your helmet back on," she said, leaning back into the cushion of the seat with a satisfied smirk.
Fox frowned and reached for his helmet, but before he could get to it Riyo had grabbed it and stuck it on her head. Fox stared at her, the strange sight of her small form under his oversized helmet impossible to look away from. Silence filled the speeder for a long moment, then he reached out and tipped the helmet up by the chin, partially uncovering her face.
"You know it's soundproofed unless you turn the external audio on, right?" he said.
"No wonder you weren't responding!" Riyo's mouth said from underneath the red aerator. "So who knows what kind of stuff you might be saying behind my back. Or in front of it!"
"Only ever good things, Riyo," he said without thinking.
Then he froze. Riyo's mouth gaped slightly and Fox retracted his hand, letting his helmet fall back over her chin. He turned his head to look out the window, but he could feel the eyes of the Chancellor and Shifter burning holes into the back of his head.
What am I doing? I didn't accidentally drink any of that purple stuff, did I?
But Fox knew he hadn't imbibed. The truth was even worse.
They pulled up to the Senatorial Residences, and Riyo took off Fox's helmet, her expression calm and collected despite the scent of the alcohol that still lingered on her breath. Fox waited a beat, but Riyo didn't give him his helmet back, so he opened the door for her and followed her to the secure elevator to her apartment.
Fox stood at Riyo's side as the lift shot upwards. He considered asking for his helmet back for a moment but decided against it. Something weighty hovered between them, something infused with the knowledge of the kind of man he was and the kinds of things he did and did not say. Of the kinds of rules and habits that he'd broken today, for her.
The lift reached Riyo's floor and the doors pinged open. Fox waited for Riyo to exit first, then followed her inside. She halted only a few steps into her plush apartment and stood with her back to him, her fingers tightening over the helmet she still held in her hand.
"You'll be wanting this back, won't you?" she said.
"Yes, ma'am."
She slowly turned to face him, his helmet clutched to her chest like a small child's safety blanket. Fox stayed put, and she took several small but deliberate steps towards him, until the helmet in her hands thunked lightly against his chest plate.
Every muscle in Fox's body tensed like he was waiting for the starting gun to fire back in training on Kamino. His heart rate spiked and he fought valiantly to bring it back into line. Riyo's golden eyes were staring up at him, so close he could see the flecks of brown that brought layers and mystery to their depths. Her lips were parted, and he could see now that they were a slightly lighter, pinker color than the rest of her violet complexion. She was beautiful, which was something he'd always known but now truly felt.
"...Here's your helmet," Riyo said, eyes still trained on him.
He nodded slowly, then brought his hands up to grasp the painted plastoid. His fingers curled around the base of the helmet, but Riyo didn't let go. She crept her hands towards his and let her fingers brush over his gloved hands. She tugged lightly on his wrists, pulling him closer to her.
Fox felt like he was having an out-of-body experience. He'd never kissed anyone before. Never. He'd thought about it every once in a while, sure, but he was far too busy to think too hard about anything most days. It also seemed pointless to him, wasting time and energy on fantasies that would only bring him pain. But now… Now he wondered just what Riyo might taste like. He wondered what exactly it was about holding another being in your arms that drove some men to madness. He wondered if he was going mad himself.
"Fox…" Riyo said, her eyes flicking down to his mouth, then back up to his eyes.
He dipped his head towards her and she inhaled a tiny gasp of breath. The motion caused the gold earrings dangling from her ears to shift and glitter, the soft light of her apartment glinting off of the artful representation of the Republic Cog etched into the surface. It was appropriate jewelry for the Chancellor.
Fox straightened abruptly, and Chancellor Chuchi staggered with the abrupt removal of his helmet from her hands.
"Thank you, Madam Chancellor," he said. He put the helmet on over his head and it clicked firmly into place. "Mol should be here shortly for the night shift. I will wait by the door."
Chancellor Chuchi's face fell and she looked back at Fox with all the vulnerability of a wounded fawn.
"Ah… I see. Thank you, Commander," she said. Then she quietly disappeared into the depths of her rooms.
Fox stood at the door, back straight and feet shoulder-width apart, and waited for his relief to come. His eyes flitted to each vulnerability in the apartment, and his HUD flashed video from the various security cameras in and around the Chancellor's quarters. Other than that, his mind was blank, blissfully free of messy feelings and self-destructive dreams.
Nobody in the GAR would ever accuse Bacara of being soft, but even he was relieved to learn their last assignment before returning to Coruscant shouldn't involve any fighting. He and his men were tired, and the war was winding down. He couldn't think of anything less appealing than dying in battle during the cleanup period, after all the treaties had been signed. He believed in sacrificing lives for victory, but needless death was just a waste.
"It is good to see you, Master Mundi," Luminara Unduli said with a respectful incline of her headdress. "The Gungans will be pleased to receive relief."
General Unduli and Commander Gree welcomed Bacara and Mundi into the elegant residence Queen Apailana had provided for them in Theed. Bacara would rather be with his men, delivering emergency supplies to the underwater Gungan communities, but being a part of an army was understanding one's place in the whole. Right now, he was the meetings man, even if that meant grinding through logistics planning on emergency supply distribution.
"I am sure my men are pleased to use their amphibious assault vehicles for a more peaceful purpose, for a change," General Mundi said.
General Unduli gestured for them to join her and Gree at a long table in front of a breathtaking vista of greenery and waterfalls. Bacara had been all over the galaxy, but this must be the most beautiful planet he'd ever seen. He didn't trust it.
"I assume you received the most recent transmission from the Council?" General Unduli said.
General Mundi laced his fingers together and tilted his tall forehead to the side. "About the release of the clones, yes."
"I am pleased," General Unduli said. "I am eager for the Jedi to return to a role more closely aligned with our peacekeeping purpose."
General Mundi tilted his head to the side, the gesture swinging his tall forehead in a long arc. "I am surprised to hear this from you, Master Unduli. Without the intervention of the Council this war would have gone longer, would perhaps have fractured the Republic permanently. Chancellor Palpatine's treachery is only further proof that the Republic needs the Jedi."
A muscle in Bacara's jaw spasmed. A soldier didn't think of what the Republic owed him. It was about what he owed the Republic. General Mundi would never understand that. He glanced down the table at Gree and wondered if he ever had similar thoughts about his general.
"Yes, perhaps Darth Sidious would have been impossible to stop without the Council," Unduli said, "but that is a separate matter entirely from our service in the Grand Army."
"It's no matter," Mundi said. "I'll bring the subject up with Master Yoda once we return to Coruscant."
"You may wish to send him a transmission earlier. I understand that he and other Council members are meeting with the Chancellor in the next few days to discuss phasing out the Jedi's involvement in the Republic political sphere."
General Mundi's snowy brows knit together, his expression showing more consternation than Bacara had ever seen from his before. "I will be sure to message him right away. If the Jedi do not shepard the Republic, our fair galaxy will certainly go astray."
"With all due respect, sir," Bacara found himself speaking before consciously considering the act, "the Republic is a Republic because its member systems decide its destiny. The Jedi Council doesn't rule the Republic."
Generals Mundi and Unduli turned their heads in his direction, eyes wide and considering as if they had forgotten his presence. More words threatened to tumble from Bacara's tongue, but he bit his cheek and held them in. This was already bad enough. He didn't want to give General Mundi any reason to relieve him from duty—especially considering the new intel he bore.
"You are right, of course, Bacara," Mundi said, his voice amused rather than angry. "But the guiding influence of the Council affects many systems, far and wide."
"Master Mundi," General Unduli said, "We must always remember humility. The Jedi are fallible, and it was under the Council's watch that Darth Sidious infiltrated the Senate."
"I take no pride in myself, only in the Force—only in the Jedi way. An individual Jedi is fallible only insofar as he strays from the Code. But a true Jedi will always know the will of the Force. That is why it is our duty to guide the people of the galaxy who lack this direct access to the Force."
"I see your logic, though I cannot say I wholly agree with it," Unduli said. "Be that as it may, we all must be willing to accept the Chancellor's decision if she wishes to sever ties with the Council."
A stillness fell across Mundi—a terrible absence that reminded Bacara of the headless rebels who'd fallen to Mundi's blade only a few days before. "Well, perhaps she will remember that were it not for the assistance of the Council, she would not hold her current position."
An awkward silence filled the cavernous room, and General Unduli bobbed her head noncommittally.
Treason.
The thought dashed through Bacara's mind before he could catch hold of it, and General Mundi's yellow eyes flashed to him. Bacara emptied his thoughts, his face stoic as stone, and waited while General Mundi's brow furrowed at him.
"General Unduli, Captain Roil is waiting to hear our next steps," Gree said, blessedly breaking the tension in the room.
"Ah, thank you, Commander," Unduli said. "It has been too long since I've spent time with other Masters, you'll forgive us for catching up."
"Of course, sir."
Gree opened up a holo disc on the table that displayed the key points of relief delivery on the planet and outlined the logistics of their next task. Bacara dove in, eager to stuff his brain with as much safe information as possible, leaving no space for thoughts he didn't want Mundi to sense. He and Gree planned the kriff out of the second phase of the relief mission, but Bacara was beginning to realize that all the discipline and competence in the world couldn't stamp out the anger and fear taking root in his gut.
