GA DEFENSE FORCE COMMAND COMPOUND, CORUSCANT
Everybody knew that an official meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was a big deal. They were scarcely called, and the Joint Chiefs hadn't met regularly since the Second Civil War. So when Admiral Bwua'tu had called them together for a special conference, it was clear to everyone at the Command Compound that something big was about to happen. But the call to meet had been no surprise to those on the Joint Chiefs. They'd been expecting it.
Gavin Darklighter, recently returned from Humbarine, had known that Bwua'tu was going to call a meeting since his recall to Coruscant. It hadn't been a matter of if, it had been a matter of when. He'd been in his office when the call to assemble had come through, and he'd quickly rushed to the room where the Joint Chiefs met. Located at the top of the Command Compound, the room was filled with tactical equipment, and was defined by a circular table that lay in its center. The walls were made of the same transparisteel used on the bridge of Star Destroyers, giving them a great view of Coruscant's cityscape. It was midday now, so natural light filled the room.
Gavin entered to see that most of the Chiefs were already there. Chief of Army Operations General Sunto Merris stood speaking with Naval Operations Chief Admiral Ada Salazar, while General Pash Cracken of Starfighter Command was seated at the table in close conversation with Admiral Bwua'tu. The only Joint Chief not yet present was General Garik Loran, who headed Alliance Security. This wasn't surprising, as Loran was often busy dealing with Intelligence matters.
Pash looked up from his conversation with Bwua'tu to see Gavin moving to sit next to him at the table. "Admiral Darklighter," he said curtly, keeping things formal. "It's good to see you."
"And you, General Cracken. It's been far too long."
"Indeed. We'll have to speak more after the meeting."
"Agreed." Gavin and Pash were longtime friends, going back to the early days of the New Republic. Both had been members of Rogue Squadron during the Liberation of Coruscant, and though Pash would go on to mostly serve with his A-wing group, they'd remained friends over the years. Pash had joined Fleet Command earlier than Gavin, but both had only recently been appointed by Chief Dorvan to the Joint Chiefs.
"Admiral," greeted Bwua'tu, his gray fur shining in the sunlight that shone through the room. "Any idea where General Loran might be?"
Gavin shook his head. "No idea, though he's been very busy lately. Apparently coordinating security for Dorvan's upcoming funeral has been- difficult."
"So I've heard. Wish he would communicate that with me, though."
At that moment the door to the room opened, and the holovid star-turned Alliance general strode into the room. Garik Loran, known by the nickname 'Face' during his younger years, had been appointed as Head of Alliance Security following his uncovering of a conspiracy involving the last man to hold the position. Although the details of his investigation had been kept under wraps, Gavin was one of the few to be apprised of what went on. Loran had once led Wraith Squadron, the legendary New Republic starfighter unit that had been instrumental in the fight against Warlord Zsinj. They had been transferred to intelligence after Zsinj's death, where they'd remained through the Swarm War, although they were still used for starfighter operations in desperate situations. Daala had disbanded the unit when she first came to power, and officially they'd remained disbanded ever since. Secretly, however, Gavin knew that Loran had reassembled the unit, and had used them to route out the last members of the Lecersen Conspiracy. Although they weren't an official unit in either the Alliance military or intelligence, Loran had held them in his pocket for dire situations. Gavin wondered if what was happening with Corellia might just be one of them.
"General Loran," Bwua'tu greeted. "Glad to see you got my message."
Loran grimaced. "Sorry, I was late. I had some last-minute issues to take care of regarding Dorvan's upcoming funeral. We don't want a repeat of what happened on Corellia."
"Is there a legitimate concern of another attack?" Pash asked.
"No, but all of us are still on edge. The last time tensions with Corellia flared political violence became commonplace. The funeral will be a large event, and we want to make sure we're prepared."
"Fair enough."
Loran took a seat at the table, and Bwua'tu called for Admiral Salazar and General Merris to join them. Once everyone was settled, Bwua'tu began. "I'm sure you all know the reason why I called this meeting. Tensions are rapidly increasing, and the Senate is facing growing calls to authorize a military blockade of Corellia. While that prospect may seem far-fetched, given what happened the last time we tried to blockade Corellia, the Chief of State has informed me that the senate seems increasingly poised to vote in favor of it."
"Gotta hand it to the senate, forgetting history that's only a decade old," Loran bit out. "Maybe next time they'll make it two decades!"
"You can't completely discard the senate's reasoning," Merris said. "They have to respond to Dorvan's death somehow, and given the lack of action on the part of the Confederation, what choice do they have?"
Gavin shook his head. "That doesn't mean it isn't reckless. The last time we tried to blockade Corellia it led to a massive escalation of conflict. What's to say the same thing doesn't happen again?"
"The last blockade failed because of variables that could not have been seen when it was first implemented," Salazar reasoned. "While it may not be the perfect solution to the problem we face, proper planning would ensure that we don't fall victim to the same mistakes we made last time."
"Which is exactly why I called us together," Bwua'tu interjected, nodding. "I both understand the senate's reasoning behind a blockade while agreeing with Admiral Darklighter that it could lead to further conflict. So what we need to figure out, as leaders of the military, is how to implement such a blockade without further escalating conflict with the Confederation."
"Simple; we make it clear to Corellia that we are not there to fight," Merris said confidently.
"Okay, say we do that. How does Corellia respond? Probably not by just telling us 'Okay! Just park your ship in orbit and block trade, no problem!' Of course not. No matter how we try and spin it, a blockade will be seen as a hostile escalation, and will likely be met with force," Loran countered.
"You assume Denjax Teppler is bold enough to strike back," said Salazar. "If the blockade is strong enough, say two fleets worth of ships, he may just concede to our demands."
"Teppler himself may not be inclined to respond, true," Loran conceded. "But there are those in his government that will absolutely push for a response. General Phennir was the one who pushed us out of Corellia the last time we tried to blockade it, after all."
"And remember, the Confederation is more than just Corellia. We could send enough ships to trounce the Corellians only to be ambushed by any of the other member states," Pash reminded.
"No matter how we try and spin this, it's difficult to imagine a world where a blockade does not escalate tensions," Gavin said. He sighed, "The way I see it, we have two options. Option one is to go ahead with creating blockade plans, knowing that sending ships to Corellia could very well lead to war, or we go the Defense Commitee and try and convince them not to pass any legislation calling for a blockade."
"What is the Chief of State's position on this?" Pash asked, looking at Bwua'tu.
"While I haven't engaged in direct conversation with Chief Lor on this topic, she has seemingly signaled that she will support a measure for a blockade."
"That's ridiculous, Dorvan never would've gone through with something like that," Loran bit out.
"Probably doing it for political reasons," Gavin noted. "The public and senate are both calling for it at this point. It's hard for her to ignore their calls, especially when she's hoping to be elected."
Loran shook his head, saying nothing.
"Circling back around to what Admiral Darklighter said earlier," Bwua'tu said. "I think he is correct about our options, although neither is particularly appealing. Therefore, our best course of action is to implement both of them." He looked to Salazar, "Admiral, I'd like you to begin drawing up blockade plans. Be thorough, and do your best to minimize potential flashpoints for conflict."
She nodded. "Yes, Admiral."
"Meanwhile, I will speak with the Defense Commitee on this matter. I doubt they'll be receptive to what I have to say, but it'll at least be worth a shot."
"How soon do you think a blockade order could come down?" Merris asked.
Bwua'tu shrugged. "Not till after the funeral, at least. But it could come down anytime after that. As of yet, though, no bill has been introduced. Although I would expect that to change within the next day or two." When nobody said anything, the Bothan continued. "I think that's everything, then. Thank you all for coming, and I suppose I'll see all of you at the funeral, if not before. Let's hope things don't get any worse before then."
They all stood up in unison, with Salazar, Merris, and Bwua'tu all briskly exiting the room, leaving Gavin, Pash, and Loran still inside.
"Things are just going swimmingly, don't ya think," Loran said sarcastically.
Pash shook his head. "You always manage to inject humor into the most serious of situations."
"I can't help it. I may be General Loran now, but I'll always have a little bit of Face still left inside."
"That's good," Gavin said, "I'm sure we all wish we could have a bit more of our old selves back."
"Tell me about it." Loran agreed.
"It's interesting how we remember our days fighting the Empire as the 'good ol' days' now. Back when we were putting our lives on the line on a daily basis, not knowing if we would make it home in the morning," Pash said.
"Back in those days I didn't have to sit at a desk, dealing issue after issue," Loran said.
Gavin laughed. "Ah yes, the classic, 'damn, I wish I wasn't one of the highest ranking members of the Alliance' statement."
"Let's be honest, we've all said it."
"Absolutely," Pash agreed.
"And not just us, I remember hearing Wedge and Tycho complain about it back in the day, too. It's the curse of command," Gavin said.
Pash glanced down at his chrono. "Looks like it's time for me to head out. Got a meeting with some Incom reps in twenty minutes."
Loran nodded. "I'd better head out too. Still some stuff to go over in regards to the funeral."
"Well, good catching up with you guys. We'll need to hit a tapcaf sometime soon," Gavin said before they parted.
"Definitely," Pash agreed. "Let's just hope we aren't at war with the Confederation when that happens."
"Let's hope."
Then they exited the conference room, the hope of avoiding conflict hanging over their heads, no matter how little hope there truly was.
MONUMENT PLAZA, CORUSCANT
On any normal day, the crowd that gathered in Monument Plaza was there just to experience the sights. Tourists came to see the Galactic Museum, touch the peak of Mount Uvalde, or eat at the exquisite Manari restaurant. But today, the crowd that gathered in the plaza was there for a different purpose.
Standing at the forefront on the temporary stage that had been erected by his campaign, Gage Kendall spoke to a crowd that he figured numbered in the thousands. Many carried signs championing his name for Chief of State, while others flew Alliance flags and wore Alliance colors. While there were the rare few that wore Imperial memorabilia, Gage tried to pay them little attention. He'd instructed his guards not to let anyone into the rally who carried Imperial flags, specifically because he knew that would only bring bad press. Nevertheless, he hoped his caution wouldn't alienate them from voting for him.
He'd been speaking for half an hour and had spent most of that time reiterating his campaign promises. Further funding the military, cracking down on crime, and expanding Alliance borders were just a few of the topics he'd glanced over. But he knew that most in the crowd weren't here for that. They supported his plans, sure, but they wanted to hear him criticize his political enemies. And fortunately for them, that was what he was about to do.
"So," he said, a devious smile on his face. "What are our thoughts on our current Chief of State?"
A chorus of boos rang out from the crowd.
"Yeah, I don't blame you for booing. Desha Lor has only been in office for what, two weeks? And she's already showing this much weakness? Just imagine how bad it'll be in a month, let alone a year. By the end of her term, the Galactic Alliance might become the not-galactic Alliance, if you know what I mean."
Laughs echoed through the crowd.
Gage raised his hands up. "But let's be fair. She did never intend to be Chief of State. She's never even been a senator, after all, only ever serving as Wynn Dorvan's assistant."
More boos came from the crowd when he mentioned Dorvan, but Gage quickly motioned forward with hands for them to stop.
"Oh come on, Dorvan was a fine Chief of State. We disagreed, yes, but he was an honorable man. It's a tragedy, what happened to him." Gage allowed himself to frown, even though he was very proud of the way he was about to spin this. "Maybe if we had someone stronger as Chief of State, we could get to the bottom of how Dorvan was able to be killed. Someone stronger could stand up to the tyrants on Corellia, who refuse to allow us to conduct our own investigations." He sighed, shaking his head. "Hopefully Desha Lor will do the right thing and support the bipartisan effort to install a blockade over Corellia so that we can force them into accepting our demands. Of course, doing that won't win her the election, but it'll at least allow her to be remembered as only the second worst Chief of State in history."
The crowd once again laughed, as others began to chant his name
"Let it be known, that when I am elected Chief of State, no foreign government will be allowed to strong-arm the Alliance. We will reestablish ourselves as the supreme power in the galaxy, and bring the Confederation and the Imperial Remnant back under our banner!"
The chants continued, growing louder.
"I will lead an Alliance that is not whittled down by internal squabbling and political strife, an Alliance that brings everyone together, humans and aliens alike. Nobody will be left out, as we all come together to create the strongest, most unified government the galaxy has ever seen!"
The chants grew deafening, as Gage's already wide smile grew wider.
"I promise you a galaxy where you don't have to go to bed worrying if war will break out tomorrow, where you can live the life you want and be with the people you want! A galaxy where nobody lives in fear, where everyone lives in peace and harmony together! We will be so strong, that if another Yuuzhan Vong invasion began, we'd annihilate them without a single planet lost. That's how strong we will be, but we will only get there together. And I promise to be the one that gets us there. Thank you."
Cheers roared from the crowd as Gage left the stand, waving and pumping his fist in the air. Two Alliance Security officers escorted him backstage, where Drak Bengaal was waiting. The cheers had begun to die down, but Bengaal still spoke loudly as he shook Gage's hand.
"An excellent performance, Mr. Kendall," the Umbaran said, his pale white face shining in the evening sun. "I couldn't have imagined it done better."
Gage blushed. "Thanks."
Bengaal gestured towards the line of airspeeders, beginning to lead Gage towards them. "If you're interview with Needmo hadn't already captured the media's attention, I can assure you that after today's rally you'll be a star. Desha Lor'll be wondering why she's even bothering to try and run against you."
"Oh she'll have her supporters, I just doubt there'll be enough of them to win her the election. Even members of her party are doubting her."
"True," Bengaal said as they stepped inside one of the speeders. "No Desha has no real chance. Her only real pull is that she's Dorvan's heir, but that won't be close to enough."
The speeder began to move as Gage looked at him inquisitively. "It amazes me just how confident you can be when we are still over a month out from the election. If Desha somehow manages to defuse the situation with Corellia this election becomes an all-new gravball game."
Bengaal shook his head, his blue eyes flickering. "Trust me, Desha can't defuse the situation." He stopped, appearing to consider his words. "Even if it does, it would almost certainly be the result of a successful blockade. A blockade that was proposed by you, and was only reluctantly agreed upon by Desha. We'll be able to spin it as a win for your policy goals, not hers."
Gage nodded. "That's true, I guess." He smiled at the Umbaran, "This is why I have you on my team, Drak. I doubt I'd be able to run as successful a campaign without you."
Bengaal smiled back. "I'm glad I can be of service," his expression slightly darkened, "and trust me, by the end of next month, you'll be Chief of State. I promise you that."