The inhabitants of the moon Antar IV gave their senator credit for returning home immediately after the Vagaari attack to inquire about the fate of his countrymen. An escort of six was all that was needed for Ta'laam Ranth to escort him aboard the Vagaari flagship to seal a non-aggression pact between the Gotal and the Vagaari. The Miskara of the Vagaari people, Rumpsh, was also connected via holoprojector, who from an unknown location followed with interest the diplomatic custom of concluding written contracts, which was absolutely new for the Vagaari.

"And of course your people will also return any items they looted during their stay on Antar IV," Ranth demanded.

The commander smiled with one of his two mouths. "It was all stowed in the treasury of the fleet before we gave it to the stewards to distribute, but yes."

"I think it's remarkable that your raid didn't result in any fatalities, given past reports," the senator said.

"Well, you had the shield," the Miskara said from the holoprojector. "And we're more into looting than killing." He scratched his head. "But the looting will soon be over too."

Ranth frowned suspiciously. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

The Miskara smiled mysteriously - with both mouths. "The Galactic Alliance has finally found a new home for us."

༺═────────────═༻

Nom Anor's representative duty ship, which the Galactic Alliance had authorized for his diplomatic voyages, had just emerged from hyperspace over the globe of the planet Galantos when his comlink rang out in a harmonious melody. He ignored that and began the descent instead, but the caller persisted, and Nom Anor knew why. It wasn't Viqi Shesh's first attempt to reach him via intercom, but so far he'd always dismissed the calls as soon as the ringtone he had specially programmed for their calls played. A short time later, an unknown number tried to reach him, but he was too smart not to realize that Viqi Shesh was testing whether he would merely ignore their calls. And before he would allow the moody Kuati to be near him again, he still had to prepare and show her that his new position in the Galactic Alliance was not one he would neglect for her sake, even for a short while.

The landing field came into view and the Galactic Alliance envoy could see the natives, the Fia, characterized by chunky feet and a short, squat frame.

"Welcome to Galantos and the capital Gal'fian'deprisi," said Jobath Knox, the planet's primos, who was just waist-high on Nom Anor. "I hope you had a good journey so far. I've heard a lot about your activities on Coruscant and how you ensured with your Sentinel Drones that the attack on Antar IV by those pirates was quickly ended, so that the Gotal people can now live in peace again."

Nom Anor thrust his chest forward. "Our Sentinel Drones did indeed do a good job over Antar IV, allowing the Peace Brigade to intervene quickly."

"I know the entire galaxy hates your people," the host continued, "but we Fia on Galantos are different, Nom Anor. Because your Warmaster Nas Choka got rid of our worst enemy, those cursed Yevethans. I know, of course, that it's not very polite to speak ill of the dead, but the Yevethans were hated in this part of the galaxy as your people are throughout the galaxy," he rubbed his ear nervously, "well yes, was, since your race also joined the Galactic Alliance..."

Nom Anor switched to slack while the little man in front of him babbled on, mixing current politics, weather conditions, and personal affairs in a seemingly random way that made his sharp ears tremble. While Leia Organa Solo had prepared him for what a garrulous people the Fia were, the longer the Primos Knox's speech of welcome at the landing field, the more Nom Anor could help understanding the Yevethans who regularly wreak havoc on the planet had haunted.

An hour and a half later they had arrived in the white-tiled reception building for state guests and sat down around a low table to be served food and drink first. They were joined by a female Fia.

"May I introduce you to Persha, my deputy?" the Primos introduced his guest to the smaller Fia. "Persha represented me well when I was unwell during my visit to Leia Organa Solo two years ago. There were even rumors back then that I wasn't even alive anymore, but luckily I was able to dispel them because Persha regularly circulated holovid messages of me on the local network. In principle, we were glad at the time that your people only had a few peacetime brigades stationed here while Nas Choka dealt with more pressing matters. So the time of your occupation for us Fia was on the whole very tolerable and now our people naturally hope that it will stay that way now that you are working for the Galactic Alliance and can therefore now work on a larger scale for the benefit of all ."

Nom Anor nodded. "As you already know, the Galactic Alliance wants your world to become even more integrated into the economic and political network of the entire Farlax sector, which includes the reclamation of some devastated worlds."

Jobath Knox nodded gravely. "What devastated worlds were you thinking of specifically, Consul Nom Anor? Maybe the Gotoma system?"

"Or to the Kktkt system; your people attacked two planets there, too", Persha added with a smile and poured some water into Nom Anor's glass.

The envoy pondered the names mentioned. Both the Kktkt and Gotoma systems were some distance from Galantos, and it seemed to him that his hosts were keen to keep the reclamation of devastated worlds as far away from their home planet as possible.

"It's about the N'zoth system."

Persha suddenly began to cough and Jobath Knox covered his mouth with his three-fingered hand as if he had spoken the evil name.

"Do you perhaps want to settle your people there?" Persha asked cautiously and started to fidget on her chair nervously. "I mean, those who were scattered too far to make it to the right time onto Zonama Sekot, before the planet jumped away?"

"Not my people, but that people who have just signed a peace treaty with the Gotal, as Primos Knox mentioned when I arrived."

"The Vagaari? Right in our neighborhood?" Jobath Knox asked concerned. "With respect, envoy, you could have left the Yevethans there as well."

"If the Vagaari were like the Yevethans, they wouldn't exist either," Nom Anor dismissed. "But you will live with them in peace, the Galactic Alliance guarantees it. From now on, these people will have their hands full clearing this planet of debris and making it habitable again, so don't worry."

Persha touched her pointed, protruding chin. "And you say it so simply."

"Well, we all have unpleasant duties, too," Nom Anor admonished his hosts. "And the Galactic Alliance owes you a great debt of gratitude for the Fia's support of the Vagaari resettlement on N'zoth with agricultural know-how and earthquake-proof engineering."

Prime Minister Knox opened his mouth to object, but Nom Anor just kept talking. "The Galactic Alliance will take care of the rest, and Princess Leia Organa Solo will be personally present on N'zoth to get this reclaiming operation off to a good start."

Persha's features relaxed slightly, while the Prime Minister's remained hardened.

"In return, Galantos products are exempt from all import duties within Galactic Alliance territory," Nom Anor enticed.

"Do we then have to let any products from the rest of the galaxy onto the planet duty-free?" Knox asked pointedly.

"Do you import that much?" Nom Anor asked as if he didn't know, then flashed him a winning smile. "And Ryloth's Kellmer Institute will open a branch on your planet that will guarantee you a tremendous boost in innovation and cutting-edge research. Senator Cola Quis is extremely interested in your gelatinous seas."

"Yes," snapped Persha with a wry smile, "give our best regards to the Senator from Ryloth."

Nom Anor's expression brightened. "Yes I will. And in return, may I send you warm regards from Leia Organa Solo."

The rest of Nom Anor's conversations were extremely monosyllabic and taciturn, especially by Fia standards, and the envoy was ultimately happy to be able to board his spaceship again. His intercom buzzed again. He initiated the jump into hyperspace and the call was cut off without Nom Anor having to specifically push the unknown number away.

༺═────────────═༻

Meanwhile on Mon Cala

Senator Fyor Rodan sat down at his datapad to examine his electronic messages. There was a Senate meeting, a family reunion back on Commenor, and a visit to the ExGal society outpost that his now equally famous compatriot Danni Quee had had rebuilt.

And then there was a message from an unknown sender. Rodan was about to delete it as spam when he saw the many attachments above the short text. The senator stared at the red symbols of the attachments, the opening of which could potentially render useless of all the contents on his datapad - he would surely be ridiculed by the entire galaxy. He then considered forwarding the message to the Coruscant Police Phishing Unit, but reading the headline made him change his mind.

"This news will forever change the political landscape in the Galactic Alliance and you, Senator Fyor Rodan of Commenor, will be herald!"

That sentence didn't exactly sound like financial fraud or personal data snooping, yet Fyor Rodan hesitated to open the first of the files attached to the message.

A column of data appeared on aid deliveries to Vortex, whose senator Fyg Boras had gained tremendous influence and, above all, wealth after Cal Omas was elected head of state. Further down were the distribution points that had distributed the aid supplies to the needy. It didn't take Fyor's trained mind long to figure out the difference between the goods distributed free to those in need and the supplies originally delivered to Vortex. And all those deliveries and their distribution had taken place just prior to Cal Omas' election as head of state.

The next file contained a list of all the posts given to Senators Krall Praget and Quis Cola by Omas' choice, as well as a list of modified MSE-6 mouse droids and YVH1 droids used by Tendrando Arms, the armaments company that gave the former smuggler Lando Calrissian, had been delivered to said politicians – again shortly before or after Cal Omas was elected leader of what was then the New Republic.

The Commenor senator recalled how he initially had the most supporters back then in the campaign, until all the other candidates with far fewer supporters decided, for reasons inexplicable to him at the time, to recommend their followers to switch their allegiance to Cal Omas.

He hadn't been allowed to take the place that should have been his due. The election victory had been stolen from him, Fyor Rodan!

But that was once - now Fyor Rodan would hit back with the material fed to him. The only uncertain variable in this new game of his was the sender, whose Holonet address was a conglomeration of numbers and letters, suggesting that it was a second or third address of someone who was doing opaque things about disposable addresses .

He stored the explosive data on his datapad, then called Coruscant Report to speak with the green Twi'lek reporter who had already documented and commented so impressively on Onimi's arrest on Corellia.

༺═────────────═༻

Two weeks later

Nom Anor strolled with Cal Omas down the hallway in front of the Senate building, which was lined with an avenue of red-leaved Ch'hala trees.

"How would you rate Krall Praget?" the head of state asked the Yuuzhan Vong.

"Krall Praget is well aware that his office used to act as a spy nest for the Peace Brigade, and he's keen to offer political apologies." Nom Anor smiled obligingly. "You can count on Senator Praget, Cal."

"Senator Ta'laam Ranth sent me a holonet message of support, but he has refused to meet with me for a week and a half, or at least he always puts forward supposedly important reasons."

Nom Anor's expression turned worried. "Who can blame the Gotal for rushing to join his species on Antar IV when his constituents need him there?"

"Couldn't you ask him to appear at a press event, which I'm going to be at? That would be very good for the government's reputation."

Fine wrinkles showed around Nom Anor's blue eyes. You mean, for your reputation. "I'll do my best, but unfortunately I can't promise anything. Didn't Senator Fyg Boras also want to attend tomorrow's press conference?"

Cal Omas nodded sadly. "But by revealing his greed for diversion of aid supplies to his Vors, Boras' presence is far less helpful than that of Ta'laam Ranth, who is not suspected of corruptibility."

Nom Anor's expression became inscrutable. "So far not anyway."

The two men had reached the boardroom, and Nom Anor kept to the rear while Cal Omas made his way to the podium to open the Senate session. Nom Anor paid less attention to Omas' speech, but rather looked at the audience to study their attention or even facial expressions. A few journalists had also turned up and were eagerly snapping pictures.

"I can assure you that I had no knowledge of these material movements and arms deliveries," Cal Omas assured the House. "If there really was anyone who wanted to help me get into office, I don't know anything about it."

"Maybe you didn't want to know either, Head of State Omas," was the voice of Fyor Rodan.

After this heckling, Cal Omas finished his speech, then his adversary took the floor.

"You all know the flow of arms, material goods, and distribution of lucrative posts just before and after the election of Cal Omas as head of state in what was then the New Republic," Commenor's senator began in a combative voice. "I'm not saying that some of these shifts aren't purely coincidental, but it is precisely the accumulation over time and the concentration on certain groups of people that can be assigned to Senators Ta'laam Ranth, Fyg Boras and Cola Quis . It's a perfidious system administered by Lando Calrissian, known for his shady business practices since his de facto rulership of the Tibannagas facilities in Cloud City above Bespin, and whose arms factory is now more than thriving on generous government contracts." He let out a bitter laugh. "Please, ladies and gentlemen, do not misunderstand me. Calrissian will certainly find enough loopholes to justify himself, but this is not about Lando Calrissian, this is about politicians elected by the people to fight incorruptibly and justly for the good of this galaxy - and these politicians, including our former Senator from Alderaan, are guilty of bribery and corruption!"

Applause erupted from the back rows and swelled towards the front.

"Enter the zealot," Nom Anor said to Senator Cola Quis, who was standing next to him.

"Honestly," the Twi'lek whispered to him, "if you look hard enough you're bound to find irregularities in Fyor Rodan, too."

Nom Anor looked ahead as if he hadn't noticed Cola Quis' thrust. "Certainly not about the election of Cal Omas, but otherwise you may well be right, Senator."

"And that is why I hereby propose a motion of no confidence in the current government!" Fyor Rodan came to the climax of his speech. "We need a new leader, a strong leader who is unaffected by friendships with shady businessmen like Lando Calrissian, one who is not too involved with the Jedi - a truly neutral leader."

Rodan released the lectern and another speaker took the floor. Senator Narik of Rodia echoed his predecessor's notch, but avoided any charges against Lando Calrissian or the Jedi.

After the session was over, parliamentarians and press people poured out of the room. Cal Omas tried to catch up with Nom Anor, who was already halfway down the Ch'hala corridor, but too many people were accosting and stopping him, and he lost sight of the point of his conversation.

Nom Anor had reached the exit of the building and was waving for a speeder taxi to take him to his apartment when someone tugged at his sleeve from the side.

"Valdys Faa, what can I do for you?" the Yuuzhan Vong asked the Coruscant Report reporter graciously.

In response, the green Twi'lek held the microphone in front of his severed nose. "You were there too. Do you think Cal Omas will be re-elected in a new head of state election?"

"With all due respect, I am not a survey institute, and I am extremely reluctant to backstab a man who has done so much for the peace and cohesion of this galaxy with any unfounded speculation, as certain senators did earlier in the hall have done."

"That's a very decent attitude, Consul Anor," the reporter said. "Do you think Fyor Rodan now sees a chance to make up for his defeat in the last election?"

"Loss should be viewed as a sport and not attempted to undo it regardless of the cost," Nom Anor replied calmly. "Because through such diligence one may achieve the opposite of what one aspires to."

"Wise words from a former prophet," Valdys Faa said appreciatively. "Assuming there is a new election of the head of state: Who could you imagine as a possible candidate for the office?"

Nom Anor said nothing. Bewilderment at this irreverent question was written in his good eye.

"Except for the current head of state, of course, whose general suitability nobody will question here," the reporter tried to persuade his interlocutor to answer.

"I think it's still too early to name names," Nom Anor tried to wriggle himself out of the affair.

"Would you run for office if you were asked?"

Nom Anor blinked briefly. "I'm honored that you're the first to ask me this question, but I'm far too new in the ranks of diplomacy and politics in the service of the Galactic Alliance to qualify myself as a challenger to a renowned politician with otherwise impeccable performance like Cal Omas."

"But if you were asked officially?" Faa asked.

"If the Galactic Alliance needs me and calls, I stand by," Nom Anor assured, "but for now, my job is to oversee the settlement of the Vagaari on N'zoth. This is a task that should have been done a long time ago, and now it will be done." He smiled confidently. "And after that, the government of Mon Cala will move back to Coruscant, which will certainly be easier."

The reporter thanked him for the interview and turned off the microphone while the camerawoman unplugged and put away the holocam she had been using to date to stalk Nom Anor to generate the images to go with the sound.

༺═────────────═༻

At the same time in Kuat, far away

Viqi Shesh sat in front of the holoscreen, staring at the rectangle long after Nom Anor had disappeared from view.

"He has ambitions - without a doubt," said the mother.

"Maybe," Viqi replied boredly, "but maybe not."

Then she got up and went to her room to call Nom Anor again, only her former mate still wouldn't answer his intercom.

This chapter contains events from the book series "New Jedi Order", Vol. 14 "Destiny's Ways" by Walter Jon Williams and Vol. 15 "Force Heretic I: Remnant" by Shane Dix and Sean Williams (both 2003).