Location: Offices of the Galactic Alliance's Chief of State
She got a certain indescribable rush, staring at her husband across his large ornate desk. The Chief of State's desk.
Many had, and would continue to write Wynn Dorvan off as a boring, passionless bit-pusher. But she knew the Truth. His well buttoned down exterior, housed the heart of a true pirate and a rogue.
Dorvan had, on many occasions, stood up to Admiral Natasi Daala, his former Boss. He had withstood weeks of torture by a Sith Lord, and had even defied, and eventually killed, one of Abeloth's Avatars. And who could forget the time Wynn had rushed up the stairs of the Jedi Temple to stand in between Jedi Raynar and an army of Mandalorians intent on blasting him down. She never would.
In fact it was this specific incident, that had drawn the eye of this powerful woman.
Knowing this man was now hers, her possession, was intoxicating. The fact that their courtship and marriage had been a closely guarded secret, had given the whole thing an air of forbidden pleasure.
It was like discreetly dissolving a piece of gourmet chocolate under your tongue in public, with no one the wiser.
Discretion had been paramount. Wynn had a grand vision for the alliance: A reborn republic!
And as innocuous as it seemed, their new marriage would turn out be the catalyst to these visions becoming reality. Timing, however, was everything. Once important legislation had been passed by the senate, the announcement of their marriage would serve as a symbol of a new age. An Age of Reason. An Age of peace.
So there they sat, lest than 3 meters apart; Meters that seemed like lightyears. Their time would come...
For now, they had business of state to deal with. With a tremendous effort, she dragged her mind away from the future, and planted it firmly in the here and now. And in the here and now, she and the others involved in this meeting had to come up with solutions to a concerning trend.
She tried to lock her attention on to the current speaker of the group.
"... If Master Tekli and her Jedi hadn't intervened we would have lost all six teams, not to mention a month's supply of Ryll..." said Garik Loran, head of Galactic Alliance Security.
The diminutive Chadra- Fan acknowledged Garik's assessment of the incident with a slight bow of the head.
Wynn, always the consummate bureaucrat, did not disappoint: "I'm sorry for the loss of your men Garik. Do we know who was behind it?"
"Spice Dealers who will, almost guaranteed, be traced back to Black Sun... That's the direction my investigation is leaning toward."
"Hijacking a government escorted armoured cargo hauler? Were they using a little bit too much of their own product?" Wynn asked sardonically?
"If they are, then they aren't the only ones" replied Imperial Head of State, Vitor Reige.
"In the last week, a dozen or so minor proxy wars have broken out... Mostly in sectors disputed by one or more Moffs. Mando's, along with other Merc groups are being flown in in bulk to blast one another for whoever's paying the bill." Up till this point, Vitor's summery of the situation had the stiff upper lip tone, that was quintessentially imperial. That tone was abandoned to a more, uncharacteristic, sheepish one, as he continued: "Master Tekli... I know we haven't technically joined the Alliance yet, but...Would you... or could we call upon the Jedi, to help bring some order to this chaos."
It was a milestone moment. The Jedi being asked to help maintain law and order within the imperial remnants borders!
The last vestiges of Palpatine's vision was truly being swept away.
"I must confer with Grand Master and with the rest of the council, head of state, but I can speak for myself in saying... We would honoured. Mind you...The Jedi are spread out thin right now, but we will help where we can. I believe Ben Skywalker is near imperial space, I'll see if we can send him."
Wynn glanced over at the 5th person in attendance at this exclusive meeting...
The Queen Mother Tenel Ka.
Both her and Vitor were on Coruscant at the moment for another round of reunification negotiations. Some minor details still had to be hammered out, but the end result was all but guaranteed. It was all coming together
Chief Dorvan, had used the Battle of Kesh, as a catalyst for change. He championed the Jedi and their Legacy of service. This was made clear by the Statue his office had installed on the steps of Jedi Temple, shortly after the Jedi's return to Coruscant.
It wasn't a Statue of an old Wisen Master. It wasn't a towering recreation of mighty warrior. It was of a diminutive young Padawan, Kani Asari. Her Face was graced with an expression of peace. Her hands were raised in the air to reinforce her intentions.
Kani had been Murdered on the steps of the Jedi Temple, while trying to negotiate peace between Admiral Daala and the Jedi Order. Her Death encapsulated the cyclical error, that allowed Evil to rise up time and time again. Hence the warning inscribed at the base: "Lest we Forget. Lest we remember."
The statue was just the start.
The corrupt senators, judges and officials that weren't scared away by Lando's act of vengeance, where weeded out by GA security. Fearing the return of the Sith and other unknown evils, the cleansed Senate was all too happy to support the sweeping changes Dorvan had introduced. Among those changes was a new initiative to educate the general population of the Jedi's History.
Emperor Palapatine, Colonel Jacen Solo, Admiral Daala, and the Sith of the Lost tribe were able to take control of the Galaxy, because of ignorance. The same lie over and over again:
"The Jedi are Power hungry!"
"The Jedi are the Enemy!"
The Pattern was clear. neutralize the Jedi, and the Republic was fair game.
By educating people about the Jedi's 25,000 year relationship with the republic, as guardians and protectors, he hoped to break that pattern of destruction.
He also had introduced a new law that would make it illegal for the government or any one else to take action against the Jedi council. History had proven that, while it was possible for individual Jedi Knights to stray from the path, the Jedi Council as whole had never betrayed the Republic.i
The Republic! That's what this was about. A return to the Glory of the Old Republic.
This would be his legacy.
With a voice and manner that betrayed nothing except for his skill as a professional Sabacc player, he continued to glance over at his secret bride and asked her
"Queen Mother, has the Hapes Consortium been effected by this uptick in crime?"
"Uh... Yes Chief Dorvan. We have seen a previously unobserved unity and boldness among the pirates groups. It seems that, Instead of being content with preying on ships that enter the Transitory Mists, they have been leaving the Mists completely and pillaging colonies and settlements."
Knowing what he was going to ask next, and wanting to spare him any conflict of interest, she continued: "Rest assured though Chief, the Royal Navy is more than equal to the task. I mentioned our Pirate problem because it's seems to fit a pattern emerging galaxy wide."
"That's what all our intel is pointing to." Added Garik Loran.
There was a brief pause in the discussion, while everyone silently tried to ponder the implications of this possibility
It was Vitor that broke the uncomfortable silence with an equally uncomfortable suggestion:
"Calrissian!"
The name hit the desk like a free falling Hutt
"Is it possible?"
More silence. Then he continued:
"Forgive me for sounding overly imperial, but between, anti government broadcasts and his recent subversive activities, I would think him a natural source for this recent chaos."
"Director Loran?" Wynn inquired
"We don't take anything for granted." answered Garik
"We have no evidence of Calrissian's involvement at this time. Our best lead on the source of this recent unrest was a short transmission we received last week from one of our agents on Nar Shaddaa.
The Transmission was a simple Text:
-"Major Players"
-"Meet up"
-"Surveillance"
"What about the follow up report?" Asked Master Tekli
"That's just it! There was no follow up. Lt Rogan's body was recovered on a roof top across from a cartel controlled casino. We don't know who showed up at the meeting, and we don't know what was planned.
What we do know is this: After this meeting, all Hell has broke loose galaxy wide!"
"Whether they are correct or not, my Intelligence service believes that what we are seeing is the lashing out of frustrated fringe element." Added Tenel Ka.
That's was everyone's hope. However, everyone sitting around the desk had a deep unquieted suspicion that there was something more. Something... Dark
After another 10 minutes, the informal meeting adjourned. Everyone headed toward the door except for Wynn, who remained seated behind his desk.
The Queen mother, who had taken up the rear of the group exiting, paused by the door as the others left the office.
"I realize you have a busy schedule Chief Dorvan, but I wonder if you could spare a few minutes to discuss matters of a more ... sensitive nature?"
"I always have a few minutes for the Hapes Consortium." He replied. With that she activated the doors control panel, closing the door... And locking it.
With her hand still on the panel, she slowly turned turned back to face him.
"Surveillance?"
She silently mouthed the word.
He silently shook his head in the negative, while clearing the desk and effortlessly clearing the distance between them. They kissed with an embrace that betrayed the unbearable length of the others absence.
It was true that their union would have, practical benefits for the galaxy, but it was also just as true that their marriage was not one of political convenience, or cold logic. The Love was there first! Any other practical convenances, were after the fact ones.
She was not a stranger to secret romances. For years, her and Jacen Solo had a clandestine affair.
Unfortunately, she had been in love with an illusion; a good hearted boy, who had really been dead for years. What remained after the war, was a personality that succumbed to the rot and decay... Of the Dark Side.
Keeping their love a secret always felt... Dirty, and dishonest.
This felt different.
It felt like... A trust... A confidence... Love: Utterly and simply, love.
As the displays of affection grew more intense she pushed him backwards onto his desk, her handless forearm stroking his cheek. "Tenal... Tenal..." he tried to break through her ravenous kisses.
"Tenal... We can't."
She pulled her head back ever so slightly without compromising the intimacy of the encounter.
"If you are about to suggest that this behemoth of a desk cannot support my weight I highly recommend you rethink that decision." She said with a daring grin on her lips.
He rolled his eyes and sighed. "It's the Alarm System, my dear. Any loud noises, and it's automatically triggered... I'm not that eager to share this moment with 12 GA Guards.
"We could be quiet." She said seductively.
"Uh... Not if history is any indication."
She pressed her lips together, and pointed her eyes upward, thinking about that for a moment. Then she sighed.
"Your right of course." She conceded.
Then, with a final kiss to his forehead, she rose, pulling him up off the desk with her.
He grabbed her by the chin and stole another kiss.
"This meeting was just an unexpected bonus. Don't forget we have that summit on Bastion in 3 Days. As I understand it, the guest rooms we have been assigned, happen to be beside each other."
He said
"Yes, indeed. And Hapan personnel will just happen to be providing security for the event." She said in a self contented tone.
"That doesn't mean I'm going to waste this gift of you and me here, alone." He reassured her, while walking around behind his desk and opening one of it's drawers. He hauled out a bottle of Hapan gold wine along with two flute glasses, setting them on top of the desk.
"Oh, I do like where this going." She all but purred
He ducked back down an brought up a metal box of some kind.
Placing it on the desk he pressed the small panel on the side, while explaining.
"I think you're going to like this. It's The Indigo Tower's new stasis platter. You can order days in advance and..." with a slight hiss, the platter's lid unsealed. Wynn removed the lid to reveal... The perfect alternative to a hot and heavy half an hour.
"You did good Wynn... Thank you for this."
They both, sat atop his desk, enjoying the meal, and the wine, and the simple pleasure of having their elbows rub up against each other, all the while looking out the window at a trademark Coruscanti sunset.