CHAPTER II
It hadn't taken very long for Celis Organa's two young house guests to become friends. Different social positions meant little now that their current status was identical. In many ways,however,the young women remained opposites. Besantilier,called Bes by everyone, was quiet and even tempered. She was not,Celis was pleased to learn,the type who would sit around feeling sorry for herself. Bes was strong of spirit and informal of demeanor. Her whole life,all of her thoughts and energies were directed toward her family and the future. She delighted in shopping for things for her baby,preparing a nursery,planning things down to the last detail. None of which concerned Linaire at in the least.
The more ungainly her body became,the more impatient the young matron became. Linaire,everyone soon learned,was mercurial; not at all the demure mother-to-be she appeared. She chafed under the constant,solicitous attention of servants and droids and talked of her husband; something Bes never did. Both Linaire and Bes were left alone most of the day. Celis Organa's schedule dictated that she leave the Palace before sunrise and return late in the evening. Her days were filled with defense plans,conferences on strategy,military matters far from her own cultural interests. But Celis surprised Alderaan's ministers with her decisiveness and bold suggestions. She was determined that no effort be spared to defend the planet,despite a hail of opposition. Very few members of the court or the government could imagine Alderaan being threatened; furthermore, they could not think of a way to defend it on such short notice. What Bail Organa's wife had planned,however, was more than up to the job. It had to be; destruction, Celis knew, would come from the sky.
* * *
Obi-Wan Kenobi paced the campground's edge, peering into the darkness anxiously. Rydwin's death had staggered the entire company,but the Jedi were stunned beyond words. Each sat, staring into the sputtering campfire,considering faith, commitment,weaknesses.
It was General Kenobi's responsibility to foresee the emotional as well as the physical difficulties of his own men. Ikhimnwin's fault, if it could be called that even now, had been in his soft and gentle heart. Goodness had cost a Jedi his life. But it wasn't just grief that twisted Kenobi's heart;dread was festering there. He sensed danger,wafting all around like a vague odor on the wind. Formless,elusive. All senses straining could not locate the source. Just as he could not get a mental fix on Darth Vader. What he didn't want to believe was the possibility that the two had found each other. "General?" A tall,grizzled soldier startled him."The sentries report two men coming across the ridge." Kenobi was joined by Anakin,Corbett and Herridel. All eyes strained to see the figures as they drew nearer. Emerging from the darkness,tall and imposing,Vader strode toward the firelight prodding a stumbling prisoner before him. The man was battered and bloodied, his hands bound behind him.
"Master, this is the Colonel who led the attack on us." Obi-Wan looked from the kneeling man to the Jedi. The same hatred was on both. "What have you done,Darth?" Kenobi glared at the younger man."This is not the way we treat prisoners! Anakin, see that the Colonel is cared for and placed with the others." Vader's face blackened with barely-concealed rage. "Cared for? This 'humane' altitude will get us all killed. It's no wonder the Jedi are ridiculed throughout the galaxy. We deserve to be exterminated if we cling to such misguided..."
"That's enough!" Anakin's voice cut him off.
"He's an old fool!"Vader shot back. "You all are! Compassion isn't a virtue in war, it's a weakness!"
Herridel closed her eyes, seeing Rydwin's murder as proof of Vader's words. "Jedi scum!" The now standing Colonel spat in Kenobi's face. Corbett,Herridel and Anakin watched in horror as Vader,in one lightning move, ignited his saber and beheaded the enemy prisoner. All was deathly silent as Kenobi knelt,removing his robe, to cover the smoking corpse. He looked up at Vader with pity and disgust. "You're no Jedi, you're a common murderer."
Shaking with fury, Vader raised the lightsaber to strike. Immediately, three others sparked to life in the darkness. The Jedi stood ready to protect their Master from one of their own. "Have you gone so far,Darth?" Obi-Wan rose calmly, the blade of Vader's weapon millimeters from his face."Would you kill another man without looking into his eyes?"
Vader stood as if paralyzed; Kenobi staring hard into his eyes, searching,unwavering, trying to find the friend he had known within the stranger he faced.
"Shut up!" Darth rumbled, the hands that held the saber above Obi-Wan's head were trembling. "It hasn't won yet." Kenobi stared past Vader's darkening spirit, deep into his soul and at what lurked there. "Not yet. It can't make you do it."
"SHUT UP!" Vader screamed. Kenobi turned away sadly; turned his back to his former student. Overcome with the realization of what he had nearly done, Darth Vader whirled and ran back into the darkness.
Anakin Skywalker could not believe what he had just witnessed. Something had happened to his friend; something terrible enough to turn him against everything he had been taught. Against Obi-Wan! Skywalker followed Kenobi, who was headed toward the command post, past groups of stunned troops who had viewed the entire surreal incident.
"Master?" Anakin looked to the pensive Jedi General for some explanation, at least a word of encouragement. Kenobi had none to offer. "Master, please don't give up on him! Let me go...I can bring him back!"
Obi-Wan paused momentarily then looked at his student with such an expression of profound regret that Skywalker said no more. Kenobi merely shook his head and continued walking; leaving the Jedi to contemplate Vader's actions,his own reaction and the doubts within their own hearts.
* * *
Dusk on Alderaan fell slowly in shades of violet and pink that stained the sky from horizon to ecliptic. It would be another late evening session with the Ministers for Celis Organa. As she spent longer hours with the government officials, Celis became increasingly reluctant to discuss the details.
As the tension increased, Bes and Linaires' concerns mounted. Lady Organa's sudden silence. The general mood on Alderaan made them think there was much they weren't being told. This day ended for them just as all the days did; relaxing on the wide balcony with a light dinner and conversation.
"Your food is getting cold," Bes chided gently," you should try to rest more,Linaire. Get off your feet!"
"Do I still have feet?" The girl sighed as she took her friend's advice. "I haven't seen them in months! I,I don't know how much longer I can stand this,Bes."
"You only have a few weeks to go." Bes smiled as she sipped her broth.
"I don't just mean the baby." Linaire pushed the food idly around her plate."Don't you feel it too,Bes? Celis is keeping something from us. She knows more about the war, and our husbands,than she's saying."
Besantilier shifted uncomfortably. She had no doubt that was true, but she didn't want to know everything! The less she knew, the less she had to worry about. Linaire had a puzzling need to know absolutely everything; as though she could do something to change the war if she did. Bes didn't understand such intensity; it frightened her. Alderaan was safe. That was all that mattered now.
"Leave the war to the army and the Jedi." Bes suggested, placing a protective hand on her abdomen."Our babies come first,especially now."
"Yes, they do," Linaire agreed as she began to eat."But, do you want to know something,Bes? If it weren't for this baby, I'd be fighting alongside my husband. It feels like I've been pregnant forever."
"No," Bes shook her head,laughing," I've been pregnant forever! But it's' worth it." "Yes it is." Linaire answered. "Just remind me when I can't get out of this chair!" They both laughed.
* * *
Three stern faced Senators faced each other across a gleaming,grey table. These were serious men,confronted with a serious young man who would be brought before them in less than an hour presented them with a grave dilemma.
On the surface, it was a simple case of smuggling;but the laws were vague,open to interpretation. Especially in the Outer Rim Territories. Enforcement of any law there was sporadic. That fact alone made the arrest of Evann Sorens peculiar. The Corporate Sector Authority had it's hands full with the piracy and hijacking of supply ships outside the normal shipping lanes. One small cruiser,under private ownership and carrying a small cargo of energy rifles, should not have been followed and boarded. Furthermore,once boarded it would normally have been released. But these were not normal times,and the incident had the unmistakable air of a trap about it.
These two men were Tajerh Mothma's best friends. The three had served together in the Senate for over eight years. Rienstra and Naylor,the first a tall,thin black man from the Derra system; Naylor, a short stout man in his late sixties,represented the Ralltiir star system. Together, they were responsible for the welfare of two of the galaxy's largest sectors. They also possessed two of the finest political minds in the Senate. It was these two men,with Tajerh Mothma ,who steadfastly opposed Neiamas Palpatine's bid for the Senate Presidency. Others might be swayed or bought,but never Mothma,Rienstra and Naylor . "It's not too late," Naylor insisted,puffing thoughtfully on his pipe."The Council doesn't have to get involved in this,Tajerh."
"We are within the law to do so," Mothma objected."More so than the CSA was to treat such a minor infraction so seriously."
"But isn't that the point?" Rienstra observed."Why risk further dissension for such an unimportant pilot?"
"Because, if we do not, a precedent will be set. There will be others like Sorens; circumstances guarantee it. No,my friends, it is an insidious problem we face; not the arrest,but the reasons behind it. I will defend Evann Sorens. The Senate cannot be used to undermine the justice it represents."
Rienstra nodded solemnly,then looked to Naylor. "Then permit me to offer some advice..."
The discussion didn't last long. When it concluded,Evann Sorens had half the High Council on his side and-as far as Tajerh Mothma was concerned-all of the law.
* * *
While her husband handled the legal dilemma before him, Aerolone Mothma,her infant son and her mother landed safely on Eritria; ostensibly for a casual visit with old family friends. But there was a more important reason for the Senator's arrival on her home planet. The people she had traveled so far to meet were not just friends; they were the elected leaders of the Merchanters Guild. The single most powerful conglomerate in the galaxy, it was more deeply involved in the Sorens' incident than Marcea had led her daughter to believe.
Dozens of Guild ships regularly transported massive amounts of weapons and supplies to scattered groups of would-be rebels. The Corporate Sector Authority, in their haste to frame Evann, had missed the mark entirely. Had the CSA been doing it's job uninfluenced, much bigger game would have been entangled in it's net. They would have caught the Guild red-handed. The irony gave Aerolone immense satisfaction; as did the knowledge that so many were preparing to safeguard the light of freedom before it was extinguished entirely. She wasn't worried about Evann Sorens; he was in Tajerh's hands, and Aerolone's faith in her husband's abilities was unshakable.
* * *
The case against the young pilot looked formidable once the protagonists assembled in the Council Chambers. Tall,pale, staring straight ahead, nervous but defiant,Evann Sorens was escorted to a raised seat facing the Council. Armed CSA guards stood a three meters away,facing him. Tajerh Mothma watched the boy's face carefully as the charges against him were read.
He had panicked during a routine sector sweep,hauled jets and tried to push his little cruiser into hyperspace. A wide-placed shot to the ships aft thrusters eliminated that option. On the premise that he had acted suspiciously, the Sector agents boarded the ship. Sorens had tried to avoid routine verification; the CSA was reaching and they knew it.
The weapons found aboard Sorens ship were another matter, Not illegal in themselves, they nevertheless violated shipping and interplanetary trade restrictions which stated that a civilian ship could carry only two hand weapons per crew member. Sorens, alone on board, carried thirty. And he wouldn't say where they were going.
Following strict procedure, the High Council would listen to the agents who had made the arrest, the accused, and the Senator who represented the sector in which the alleged violation had occurred.
It came as no surprise at all to Tajerh Mothma that it was Neiamas Palpatine, and that he demanded full prosecution.
The small, pinched faced man was nearly swallowed by his voluminous robes as he took the floor before the Council. His yellowed eyes flicked from face to face, then fixed on the nervous young defendant with a look of sympathy that appeared almost genuine.
"Fellow Senators," He began." I ask you to make an example of this individual. The outer rim systems are barely governable as it is. If we are lenient with even the smallest of crimes, lawlessness will escalate.■
"Crime?" Mothma peered at Palpatine coolly. "Civil, not criminal, law is in question here; and, it is a first offense. Isn't it possible that this young man did not know the law as it applies to civilian spacecraft?"
"Is ignorance of the law an excuse?" Palpatine glared at Mothma." He knew he was guilty; that was the reason he fled the Authority sweep!"
"As would I!" Mothma almost chuckled. "We all know the Authority's tactics are rather, shall we say, unorthodox? It is encouraging to learn they now have the leisure time to harass civilian traffic."
Palpatine turned away from the Council to cast a withering look at the CSA officer. "If I may interject something, Senator," the man spoke up quickly. "We may have acted in haste, but we felt our actions were justified. There is every reason to believe that the weapons in question were being delivered to our enemies. With the Republic's Security Fleet scattered, the Corporate Sector Authority is insuring it's own interests by protecting those of the Senate."
A purple faced Rienstra could not stomach the man's condescending attitude. "Captain, the CSA's vacillating political loyalties are as undeniable as it's lack of ethics!" The Senator snarled.
"I demand an apology, sir!" The Corporate officer jumped to his feet.
"Sit down, Captain!" Mothma boomed. "One does not apologize for the truth."
"Gentlemen, gentlemen," Palpatine interjected. "The CSA is not on trial here. This traitor is!" He walked over to Evann Sorens, who sat wide-eyed on the stand, and leaned only inches from the boy's face. "Were you or were you not transporting weapons illegally?"
The teenager said nothing, but hung his head and slumped in his seat. "You see!" Palpatine crowed. "He cannot deny it!"
"Senator Palpatine, you know the law." Mothma had begun to see a way out of the charade. He knew where the boy had been headed; Tajerh was puzzled. The Merchanters Guild was not the enemy of the Republic, still the boy would not speak; and the why of it began to dawn on Mothma." He need not prove his innocence. It is your responsibility to prove his guilt, by act or intention."
Tajerh paused for effect and turned to the records droid manning the computer console. "I'd like to see the technical data on citizen's Sorens ship, please."
The small monitors before each Senator came alive with the requested information. No one but Tajerh Mothma knew where this was leading. "Before we begin,son," He said kindly," Let me ask you for the record-did you intend to give these weapons to the enemy?"
Evann Sorens only hoped that Aerolone's husband would understand what he was trying to tell him. "Which enemy, Sir?"
"He mocks us!" Palpatine exploded.
"Silence!" Naylor brought his gavel down several times on the metal table. "You are dangerously close to contempt, Senator!"
"If I may be allowed to proceed," Mothma continued evenly." Citizen Sorens' ship is a Class B pleasure craft, correct?"
The CSA agent looked to Palpatine before he answered. That look, and the obvious fact that the boy was willing to accept imprisonment rather than implicate anyone else. "Yes" The Corporate officer replied.
"Maximum range for a Class B ship is 5 to 6 parsecs."
"Approximately."
Tajerh paused momentarily to examine a document handed him by Rienstra; then regarded Palpatine with raised eyebrows. "Within that area, there are exactly eight habitable planets. Is that correct, Senator Palpatine?"
"Yes, Senator Mothma." Neiamas whispered toxically.
"And, of these eight," Mothma continued," which support known 'enemy'activity?"
"We have reason to suspect at least." Palpatine was on the defensive now, but Mothma cut him off.
"No! you must have proof Senator! Absolute, irrefutable proof before we convict a man. So you have it?"
The entire Council's attention was now on the squirming Neiamas Palpatine. "Can you show one documented case of activity detrimental to the security of this Republic in the area in question?" Mothma pressed. "Can the Authority produce such a document? Do you have access to information that this Council does not , Senator Palpatine?"
"No." The enraged Senator rumbled, barely audible.
"I thought not!" Mothma said with satisfaction. "This has been a miscarriage of justice and a waste of this Council's time. I apologize to you, Citizen Sorens." He turned to the astounded boy. "I hereby recommend that the Council vote to return this citizen's ship and cargo and dismiss all charges against him."
The vote was taken, with the majority agreeing with Tajerh Mothma who looked to a tight-lipped, grey faced Neiamas Palpatine.
"And you, Senator? Do you agree that this was a just decision?"
"Yes." Palpatine replied politely; but his eyes glittered with hatred and there was murder in their depths.
The Organa palace was so quiet and empty that Linaire could hear Besantilier snoring softly as she passed her suite. Padding carefully up the hallway, Linaire was being solicitously trailed by a bronze protocol droid; a gift to her from Celis Organa. Bes had been offered one as well, but she had declined saying droids made her nervous. Perhaps she should have declined as well, Linaire thought. This particular droid, at least, could be quite exasperating.
Following her usual morning routine, Linaire had risen at mid-morning, dressed after a light breakfast, and headed for Celis' suite. Bes was sleeping later as her baby's birth drew nearer, but Linaire hoped she would feel up to the shopping trip they had planned. Quickening her pace, the girl turned into the Organa's private wing when the baby kicked so hard that a sharp pain twisted in her back, nearly doubling her over.
"Ma'am, are you alright?" The nervous droid hurried up beside her. "Yes...yes." Linaire was breathing hard, but smiling. "This little one is getting impatient. I'll be fine."
Girl and droid continued up the corridor, a little slower this time, and entered Celis Organa's sitting room. It was empty, only the former queen's personal droid greeted them. "Her Highness has gone to her offices, ma'am." The silver 3PO unit said, bowing politely.
"But she had no appointments before this afternoon," Linaire said, puzzled. This was so unusual for a strictly scheduled person like Celis that every nagging suspicion Linaire had been struggling with was instantly magnified." Did something happen?"
"Not to my knowledge, ma'am." The droid answered helpfully." She said she would contact you later."
Putting anymore questions to the 3PO unit would be pointless, but Linaire had a dozen or so for Celis. Now they would have to keep until evening. She had turned to go when a tall, handsome man in a rumpled uniform nearly collided with her. It took a moment, but Linaire recognized the Republic Navy's field dress. He must have just landed and he clutched a transparent message rod.
"Where is Lady Organa?" The man asked anxiously, his dark eyes scanning the room." I have a message, an urgent message."
"She isn't here," Linaire replied, her tone authoritative." Perhaps I can be of some help, Captain?"
"Antilles, ma'am." He straightened, the bowed formally." No . This is a personal message for Lady Organa."
Celis' droid stepped forward efficiently. "I will see that she gets it, Captain."
"Have you seen any battles, Captain?" Linaire's eyes followed the rod as it changed hands.
"Yes," Antilles answered grimly. "I have been with Admiral Organa in the outer rim for most of the war."
"Is the Admiral well?" She tried to keep the fear clutching at her throat from her voice; not daring to ask about her own husband.
"He was when I left him," Antilles answered," but we have lost half of our men, and a Jedi."
Linaire suddenly paled, clutching her abdomen. Both Antilles and her droid helped her to a chair. "Summon the Court Physician!" The Captain ordered Celis' droid.
"No!" Linaire looked better now. The baby was settling down. The last thing she wanted was to be confined to bed." I'll just rest here a moment. I'm not due for weeks yet; it was just a sudden turning, the excitement."
"I remember!" Antilles' handsome face softened a bit." My wife had quite a time of it too. If you're certain you're alright, my lady, I must report to the Secretary."
"Of course, Captain Antilles." Linaire gave him a dazzling smile." It has been a pleasure. Thank you for your concern. I hope we will meet again."