Chapter 3

Early Republic Chancellor Uueg Tching once said "politics is like playing sabaac with the mindset of dejarik." To anyone who'd served anytime in the Republic Senate, no statement ever rang more true. You had to strategize like a dejarik player fully aware that the cards in your hand were going to change abruptly. Woanosa's original plan was to defeat any attempt to send a peace delegation that would invariably sign away even more Republic lives, failing that she was sure she only had to stall that delegation until the Empire declared war. Her opposition was trying to do just the opposite, even going as far to stipulate to the Jedi's sworn statements, rather than use his allies on the Intelligence Committee to call an inquiry. While he could hope to find some holes to punch in the Jedi's story, he was also operating under the assumption that the Empire would declare war any day. The deafening silence from Dromund Kaas was the unexpected change of cards every politician had to prepare for.

She checker her visage in the wall length fresher mirror again, before running the static brush over her dark blue and red wrap dress, the family akk was shedding. A quick knock on the door startled her a bit. The door opened a moment later with her husband's handsome face following it. "Ride's here Woa," he said with his best holo-vid smile, which in this case wasn't a euphemism. Acamar Quasarblast was nineteen years her junior. That caused no problem for her, it was fairly usual for an alpha female to date or marry a younger man. The problem was actually for him. As a Coruscanti actor he was expected to tow the company line, which fit far more comfortably in in Senator Sculpatta's "Peace and Reconcilliation" caucus. But like any good native frontiersman, Acamar has never lost sight of where he came from, which happened to be a beautiful little planet in the Far Rim called Naboo.

His goofy smile right now was his way of lightening her mood on inquiry days. Woanosa loved her work. Not just the debating and drafting legislation, but the work other legislators called the grind; committee work, shaking arms, meeting people. But with the Defense and Intelligence Committee currently in the timid grasp of Sculpatta's lackeys, she was not looking forward to this all day affair.

"I heard one of the exiles gave an impassioned speech against sending a delegation here?" the disguised voice said in a tone that still sounded patronizing to the spy.

"Smokescreen, nothing more. Once the truth of the Desolator Project comes out in the inquiry, they will fall all over themselves to give away sectors. The weak-kneed still outnumber the few with true fire in their gut here," he answered in his most confident and disgusted tone.

"What about the card they haven't played yet?"

"They won't play it, they can't afford to."

"Make sure that they don't. If needs be we're always ready to take what is ours by force, but the Emperor would much rather have them simply keep giving it to us." With that the comm went dead, and the spy pocketed the encrypted cylinder and walked into the senate building to watch the show.

Woanosa sighed under her breath. She risked a glance to her left only to see the Committee Chair, Senes Solargold, an elderly senior senator from Aram in the Outer Rim, was flashing a none too inconspicuous smile from her position at the center of the U-shaped raised committee bench. We can't all be perfect can we? Woanosa chuckled despite herself. The hearing had started with perfunctory interviews of the special operations personnel involved in the operation to rescue the kidnapped scientists. Nobody expected them to add much, but they were important for setting the scene. The first real test had come with the Rodian who had just left the witness table. No doubt to incur a professional ass chewing from his boss. Major Tardonomeedo of the Republic's Strategic Intelligence Service had not performed well under the bright lights. Woanosa pitied him. The Major was an analyst, a number cruncher, he had neither the experience of the politicians grilling him, or the command confidence of a fleet admiral or army general. The unprecendented crowd in the viewing gallery didn't help. Not only was the press section on the bottom floor overflowing, there were regular citizens sitting on the steps in between rows in the two public balconies above.

The bailiff, wearing his customary red and yellow uniform, stepped forward. "This committee calls Jedi Knight Kai-kwon Deo".

Woanosa cringed at the mispronouciation of a person's name she held in such high esteem. De-o! she thought, like day, with an O at the end. Her mood immediately brightened as the blue armored Senate guards opened the double doors at the back and admitted the young human. He moved gracefully past the surging press, without so much as a glance either way. He may have been chronologically young but he had the poise of the more seasoned generals this committee had interviewed.

She also couldn't help but notice he carried a striking resemblance to her husband; tall, well-built, wavy blonde hair and hazel eyes.

"Thank you for joining us Jedi Deo" Chairwoman Solargold said with barely contained contempt.

The Jedi leaned forward into the old fashioned voice amplifier/translator, which was wholly unnecessary in this day and age but was kept on the witness table in a bureaucratic attempt at traditionalism.

"I wasn't aware I had a choice" he said earnestly, but it still elicited a wave of laughter from the galleries behind him.

"It was a formality" Senes rasped unamused.

The young Jedi took the reproach in stride with a simple nod.

"Now your colleagues in the RSO (Republic Special Operations) have led us to the point of the assault on the Black Sun compound in the Crimson Corridor. We would like you to fill in the rest," the Chairwoman said, steeping her hands under her mouth as she finished.

The young Jedi proceeded to tell the committee how they began looking for who they still believed was the missing lead scientist, Dr. Largna, while the Masters Cal Cometa and Bella Kwiiks waited for the transport to take the captured Black Sun members and rescued science team back to Defense Command. He told them coolly how they found Dr. Largna on the public square leading to the old Jedi Temple. How he told them he had his personal hover droid carry his work on the Desolator Project to the Jedi Temple.

At the mention of Desolator Senes and her allies perked up from their disinterest at the rescue of Republic scientists from an Imperial spy and honed in like akks on a nerf bone.

"-excuse me Jedi Deo", Woanosa was sure now she was mispronouncing his name on purpose, "what is this project? I was unaware you had information regarding the work this secret team was doing."

Woanosa knew very well that Solargold and her allies knew exactly what the Jedi knew, which is why they called the youngest and most inexperienced members of the team, Jedis Deo and Carson, first and second, hoping to elicit this exact slip.

For his part, the Jedi didn't seem to know he had slipped in anything. "I don't know the details ma'am, only that it was a secret defense project being developed by Dr. Largna and his team."

"But you know what it does?" Solargold ally Marek Althas chimed in.

"Vaguely sir?" Jedi Deo replied

"So then you just lied when you said you didn't know anything about it", another ally, a Duros named Tarla Tacema, added immediately in their well-rehearsed chorus.

"He didn't say that and you know it senator" Woanosa's good friend Chetall Sadira from Coular Peen, barked from her left.

The committee bench erupted into a momentary row before the Chairwoman began hitting the order chime repeatedly.

"I apologize senators. I should've chosen my words more carefully. I know that it is a gravitational weapon designed for planetary use. But to its schematics, funding, and uses, you would have to ask General Var-Suthra," Jedi Deo said somewhat meekly over the quieting senators.

"You can believe by the Force that we will young Jedi. We're through with you," Senes snapped the rudest dismissal of a witness the committee chair can offer, her breathing quickening at the political smashball that she thought just landed in her lap. Only Woanosa, the Jedi standing and bowing before the committee that had treated him like a wealthy tax cheat, and a few others, knew the truth about what Senes Solargold had jumped on.