Chapter 48: Gavin Azi'skar

Bothawui-4

In a particularly snarly session of the Bothan combined Clans, the majority of the Clan Leaders voted on sending the Marshal fleet to Krant, along with a contingent of envoys from the Diplomatic Corps as observers.

The harsher bill, one of which would have levied a trillion Zav on Botha'ahir, as well as hefty fines for anyone Bothan doing business with them, was rejected. Azi'skar's fur fell flat when Nezir Mi'trek brought the bill to the floor, glaring at Azi'skar as she did. Shtak she's mad that I am letting Botha'ahir build a base on Thellus!

Clan Onel's representative proposed a bill that demanded restitution from the Aean Bothans. It further demanded that Clan Aean disarm and allow Botha'ahir peacekeepers to deploy into the streets of Agolshtarn (the town where the Botha'ahir Marines had been captured); all to restore order. The bill did not get enough votes in support to even be brought to the floor. Not even Azi'skar was brave enough to support it.

Zoc and Azi'skar were amongst the first two to leave the Combined Clans Floor. Azi'skar was walking briskly to get as far away from those Bothans as possible, with Zoc trotting along behind.

"Dad, I don't think I wanna be Grum," Zoc growled nervously after the session.

Azi'skar snorted. "Right now, I don't want to be a Grum either. This is the worse I have ever seen things," he added in a grim tone, then took a sip of water from his hip flask. His throat felt very dry.

The father and son continued walking through the third level corridor, towards the staircase to the main entrance hall. At this time in the evening, the sun had already set.

Several Kothlis clan leaders emerged from a door further down, spilling into the hall. Azi'skar and Zoc squeezed past them.

Nezir emerged into the hall and turned, facing Azi'skar as if she knew he would be there the entire time.

Azi'skar's fur swirled nervously as he stared into her bright red eyes. "Nezir," he said curtly.

[Gavin, I've been meaning to speak with you,] she growled in Bothese.

[About what?] Azi'skar asked.

[I am very pleased that you did not co-sponsor the Botha'ahir peacekeeping bill,] Nezir said frankly. [Have you finally come to your senses?]

[Well isn't that a loaded question,] Azi'skar snarled, brushing her off as he continued towards the stairs. She is still kriffing following me!

[YOU ARE BEING USED!] Nezir yelped, chasing Azi'skar and Zoc down the stairs. [Botha'ahir is just using your asteroid as part of an expansionist agenda! Clan Otrek and Bothawui have done nothing but help!]

[Yeah?] Azi'skar snarled, staring up at her one step above, fur standing on end. [Only after helping the Republic wipe us out.]

[The situation was unfortunate, but—]

[BUT WHAT?!] Azi'skar snarled, turning around and walking away from her. [Zoc, come!]

A few dozen other Clan Leaders gathered at the top of the staircase and balcony, looking down with ears perked up. The Marshalcy guards stood still stoically, ignoring the snarling argument that had spilled from the Combined Clans floor.

[You can't just hold grudges—]

"—Nezir! That's not what I am angry about!" Azi'skar snarled in Basic.

"Then what?!" Nezir demanded, following them out the door.

"Your Clan—you put that bumbling derelict husband of yours in charge of the kriffing Marshalcy field office!" Azi'skar snarled into the sky as he walked, not bothering to turn around.

"Leave my husband—"

"—You know what's worse Nezir?" Azi'skar snarled turning around to face her on the sidewalk. "Tav is kriffing right! One of you, I don't know who, but one of you interfered with his investigation. I know it wasn't Botha'ahir! No, it had to be either Mandalore or one of you! One of your people in the Spynet, the Marshalcy, or the Bothawui Navy did it, I am almost certain. They helped Tarkin. KILLED YOUR MOTHER! You know what I think? Someone's gone rogue in your Clan."

Zoc's ears were perked up as he looked at the two arguing Clan Leaders.

Nezir's fur swirled nervously. "I have thought this myself, but this isn't something we should just discuss on the street Gavin."

"No, you know what Nezir?" Azi'skar growled, a bit more calmly.

Nezir sighed. "No, no I don't."

A few Clan Leaders and Marshals emerged from the building, chattering quietly amongst themselves.

"I don't know if I can trust you," Azi'skar sighed. "And what do I have to lose by letting Botha'ahir share in your military occupation of my station?"

"Gavin, you are playing with fire," Nezir muttered.

"Indeed," Azi'skar agreed with a Spacer shrug. "But, if someone decides to play with fire again on my station, they will be facing not only Bothawui's forces, but Botha'ahir's—"

"—It is dangerous—"

"—If you have nothing to say other than how much danger I am in, then this conversation has ended its usefulness. Now Zoc! Come!" Azi'skar said firmly, walking away from the Combined Clans building faster than ever. "Oh, and Nezir, one more thing…" he said, pausing to turn around.

"What is it?" Nezir growled wearily.

"If I find out you had anything to do with the attack on Thellus—"

"—My children were attacked!" Nezir snarled. "My mother was killed! How dare you! I fought with my bare—"

"If I find out you had anything to do with the attack on Thellus," Azi'skar continued. "I will tell everyone!"

"—Tell them what?!" Nezir yelped, her fur flat.

Tell them that you are a Shishtavanen, Azi'skar thought with a smirk. "You know! Your bumbling husband knows, I hope…"

As Azi'skar and Zoc briskly walked away from the Combined Clans building towards the Botha'ahir embassy, Nezir stopped following.

o.o.o.o.o

"Okay Zoc, now you are going to learn all about… controlled escalation."

The two Askars were escorted into the embassy by Botha'ahir Marines. At every security checkpoint, they were saluted.

"Controlled. Escalation," Zoc growled, pronouncing each word as a whole sentence. "Dad, I am getting tired."

"Me too Zoc," Azi'skar sighed as they arrived at a set of wide durasteel doors labelled Крайиск Покадиж [War Room]. He scoffed at the name. That name… So many better names… 'Defence Chamber,' 'Situation Room.' War Room? Really.

The durasteel doors slid open automatically, revealing a busy room filled with mostly heterochromats. Busy chattering erupted on every side, in both Basic and Bothese, using jargon Azi'skar did not understand. His ears perked up as he approached the main viewer.

[Grum Azi'skar, it is extremely agreeable to have you here,] a heavyset muscular tan Bothan growled, wearing a Botha'ahir Marine uniform. He extended a hand, which Azi'skar took. [I am General Faf'nel. And you are?] he growled cautiously to Azi'skar's son.

[Oh, that's my son Zoc. He will likely be filling my shoes someday,] Azi'skar replied.

[It is nice to meet you,] Zoc growled, fur swirling nervously.

[Well, I daresay, this is the perfect place to learn,] Faf'nel growled proudly.

"Sir! We have a tracking solution on the Clan Aean column out of Westernos!" a Bothan yipped, his fur neck fur dancing with excitement.

"Very good, put it on the main viewer," Faf'nel ordered.

The main viewer was suddenly illuminated with a daytime display of a highway Azi'skar assumed was on Krant. Dozens of tanks rolled down the highway, tanks of a make Azi'skar was unfamiliar with. Two vehicles hovered over the formation—vehicles almost anyone in the Galaxy could identify, however.

"Basilisk War droids…" Zoc growled, fur swirling nervously.

"Indeed," Azi'skar said proudly mussing Zoc's hair. Good. I was half-worried he wouldn't even know that.

"ETA nine minutes to the Hera Fjord!" another Bothan growled.

The display on the main viewer zoomed out, showing a red line going from the Clan Aean formation to a body of water—a Fjord dividing two peninsulas ten kilometres ahead.

"You see Grum," Faf'nel growled. "We've been searching for that formation for the last hour. Clan Aean is moving to reinforce Agolshtarn go make rescuing our Marines and getting them out alive, impossible. Captain Uk Biad'tannen is on standby—"

Oh, that's easy. "—Kriffing shoot the bridge," Azi'skar yawned.

Faf'nel's fur twitched with annoyance. "Sir, we already thought of that. We were going to shoot the bridge, but wanted to see if you were okay with that, since you are a part of the Spacer Coalition and—"

"Well, thank you for keeping us informed General," Azi'skar growled in his most consoling tone. "Now, let's see a bridge get shot."

"Very well," Faf'nel muttered. "Lieutenant, zoom in on the Hera Fjord Bridge."

"Zooming in now sir!" a red and grey furred Bothan growled, mashing buttons on her keyboard.

The main viewer zoomed in on a lone green suspension bridge in the middle of nowhere. There were no structures on either side, other than highway, typical for a remote area of Krant. No traffic was moving on it yet.

Hopefully, these stupid Aeans will just turn around, Azi'skar thought to himself.

[Lodestar to Melan Actual?] Faf'nel said into the comm in Bothese.

[Melan maintaining position and readiness.]

[Good,] Faf'nel sighed. [You have authorisation to take out the bridge, over.]

[Copy that, lazing the target now,] the voice on the comm replied.

"There is a four second hyperspace delay at this distance," Faf'nel explained. "So—"

—A stream of red and green turbolaser blasts rained down from the sky onto the multi-billion Zav suspension bridge. The deck cracked and cratered as turbolaser blasts pocked it. The metal wiring on either side unravelled, sending loose cables in every direction as the bridge deck collapsed into the ocean.

The ocean began to steam as fiery hunks of metal and ferrocrete rained down onto its surface.

"Casualties?!" Faf'nel barked.

"None sir," one of the Bothans yipped excitedly. "Just some wounded ego for the Mandalorian wannabees!"

"Excellent," Faf'nel beamed, fur dancing with excitement.

Well, that was easy and did not require us being here, Azi'skar thought as he casually yawned. Galaxy saved… time for bed.