Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Star Wars movies, shows, books, comics or games. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not for sale, or rent. The Mobile Armors, and later Mobile Suits mentioned in the story are inspired by the various Gundam shows. They obviously belong to their respective creators, and, or copyright owners.

Chapter 8

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Part 3

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Home One

Coruscant System

It wasn't often that Han Solo found himself speechless. The most cynical part of him wasn't really surprised the New Republic suddenly wasn't living up to its promise, and politics were its bane. Another aspect of him that has been almost thriving as of late was disappointed.

It was always about power and money, Han should have remembered that. Why would the New Republic as a whole be different? The people most invested that way were seldom the ones who did the fighting and the dying. They weren't the idealists Han had to interact with most in his day-to-day duties as a General. The politicians and industrialists financed the Rebel Alliance and were now a vital part of the fledgling New Republic.

As a matter of fact… Han glanced at his communicator. Was it surprising that Doman Beruss contacted him? He had little interaction with the woman who was even now on Corellia, negotiating support for the New Republic. Yet, she spoke with him, urging Han to talk with Mothma and Leia about what was happening in the system. If that were all, it would be somewhat irregular but unheard of. The New Republic was still an ad-hock organization, especially the part of it that was the Rebel Alliance.

Beruss' request was a pretext, at least in part. When Han spoke to her, she wasn't alone. She was in a meeting room with the Corellian Council and the current Diktat himself.

Han briefly closed his eyes and grimaced. He couldn't get out of his head what Daclif Gallamby told him, much less the offer the de-facto rulers of Corellia gave him. He was supposed to be a smuggler, damn it! His current rank as a General wasn't quite a joke, however, it wasn't enough to make someone with Han's past respectable.

The Diktat didn't seem to care, and that had unpleasant implications. Han knew he wasn't even aware of what was happening below the surface of this mess, which made it worse. He had to speak with that bastard spy first and get answers before meeting anyone else.

"General Solo, I wish we could have spoken under different circumstances." The Diktat's words echoed in Han's head again. "We have a request and a proposition for you, General. As a Corellian, we want you to become our representative in the Coruscant system for the duration of the ongoing crisis."

That came out of nowhere and rang all alarm bells in Han's head. What followed had him speeding for Home One so that he could shake people for answers. Ironically, on the face of it, that was what the Diktat wanted from Han too.

"You're a Corellian in mind and spirit, General Solo. More importantly, you aren't entangled and tainted by our local politics. We need answers to chart Corellia's future course. We need to know more about the claims of a new Empire in what used to be the Unknown Regions. I won't feed you platitudes and lies, General. There was a good reason why Corellia stood aside during the Clone Wars and the transformation of the Republic into the Empire. Just like right now, we stand aside while Warlords and your New Republic fight for domination."

Opportunism? Cowardice? Greed? Han somehow kept his mouth shut and let the Diktat make his point.

"There are many reasons we look inwards and let the galaxy burn, General. At its core, there is one simple truth binding them all. My predecessors and this Council didn't believe that the Clone Wars offered a solution to the problems plaguing the Republic. They were a tremendous waste of life and resources. The Council hoped the Empire would offer a solution, and for a time, it did." The Diktat smiled bitterly at that. "Until greed and incompetence brought it all low. Now, we face the same choice our predecessors made during the Republic's twilight. We don't like the options in front of us. To the best of our knowledge, no active Warlord has a fix for the problems plaguing the galaxy. We are afraid that in the end, the New Republic would offer no solution either, just a repeat of the policies that led to ruinous war and the rise of the Empire. We want, no, we need a third option. All we ask of you, General Solo, is to help us find it if such an option exists."

Well, that wasn't quite a call for treason, considering Corellia wasn't a part of the New Republic. While Han was a New Republic General now, he was also a Corellian, technically and legally, which might muddy the waters.

In practice, doing anything but painting the New Republic as the best and only choice wouldn't fly well with the politicians calling the shots. That much Han was confident of.

His big issue was the implications of his brief, mostly one-sided conversation with the Diktat. Han knew that, in some regards, his education was not only lacking but practically non-existent. He could only guess about all the implications of what the Diktat told him. Part of him was ready to dismiss much of the man's words cynically. Another factor was cannier.

Sadly, Han was ignorant of many historical details that simply didn't matter to someone in his shoes. The same was true for the politics and realities the Diktat operated in. Given enough time, Leia might be able to explain some of that to him in a way that Han could easily digest.

Time was a luxury he didn't have. The worst was that from a certain point of view, what the Diktat said made sense. The existence of the Rebel Alliance was, in part, proof that the Empire didn't fix major issues that led to war. It made them worse and added more problems, which led to the galaxy being on fire for years now.

Sadly, Han wasn't sure if the New Republic had any answers for the problem the Diktat cared about. Well, beyond it, not being the Empire and intentionally making things worse. He knew which was the better option between the two. Han also had the nagging suspicion that some people would love a different option besides the Empire or the New Republic.

This Federated Empire that shouldn't exist? How many people might see it as a viable option now?

Han shook his head and kept searching. However, instead of tracking down his fellow General and dragging him into a private compartment to get answers from the man, he ended up being pulled into a compartment. Leia came from nowhere, dragged him into a storage compartment, and hugged him like Chewie, doing her best to squeeze his life out.

Thankfully, she was relatively short and small. Despite being in great shape, she didn't have the strength to begin to rival a Wookie's crushing hugs.

"I'm glad to see you too, your worshipfulness!" Han's mind defaulted to trying to make light of the situation.

"Han…" Leia sighed into his shoulder before letting go of her vise-like grip. "Everything went wrong…." She grimaced. "We all let our hatred and petty politics blind us, and I can't even feel remorse for it!"

Han grimaced when he saw and felt a shudder pass through Leia.

"Starting a fight under the current circumstances would be unwise…." Han trailed off. "I'm not saying it just as a General, Leia."

A pair of red, haunted eyes looked up at him.

"We might win military. We've beaten worse odds before." Han put forth his best roguish smile. "Even I am not blind to how the situation would look," he grimaced. "I admit I'm blind to all the politics involved. I would love a brief explanation about what happened between our political leadership," Han paused. "I also met their Anakin Skywalker, and let me tell you, whatever he is, he ain't Vader. That's the good news." He went on to explain his talk with the Corellian Diktat.

The way Leia first stiffened, then shook and went still while Han explained everything worried him a great deal. She suddenly slumped and leaned on the wall.

"I'm so angry I can barely think right now, Han!" Leia hissed. "Everything, it's just too much! I can see Alderaan die, Han! All I can think of is the Empire is responsible for it, and now we have another intact one facing us! Why?! Isn't there any shred of justice and decency left in this universe?!"

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Part 4

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Home One

Coruscant System

"This is why so many people respect you and listen to you, Princess. You are a genuine idealist," An unwelcome voice interrupted their reunion.

Han glared above Leia's head to see Madine. Granted, he had been stalking the man to talk with him, however he didn't appreciate the spy shoving his long nose in his private business.

"You won't find a shred of decency, much less justice, in the ruins of Alderaanor any of the worlds ravaged by war since the Clone Wars began." Madine bluntly stated. "We have to confront reality as it is."

Leia's head snapped up as if struck. She let go of Han and glowered at the other General.

"What do you want?" Leia demanded.

"Answers. Is our civilian leadership still determined to throw us into a war we don't need, and might be unable to win?" Madine demanded.

"Those people are the Empire. The same people who ravaged the galaxy under the Emperor!" Leia snapped. For a moment it appeared that she managed to claw herself back to a semblance of control, but that illusion shattered immediately.

"Different Emperor," Madine raised a hand in a placating gesture. "Different people, including aliens in high posts within their military and Jedi equivalents. They don't even need to be stronger than one of the more dangerous Warlords we are facing for a war against them to be disastrous." The General slowly lowered his hand. "They are of course extremely dangerous because of their very existence," Madine stared pointedly at Leia. "You are a smart woman, your Highness. Think."

When Han saw Leia shake with fury, he hurried to speak. "They're trying to be reasonable, or at least present themselves that way."

"Precisely. One of the New Republic's greatest strengths right now is that the Warlords are on average worse choices than us. Either that, or unstable elements like Zsinj. If there were more Imperials in charge like Kaine, who mind their own business instead of fighting it out all over the galaxy, we would be in a worse position." Madine spelled it out. "For all its atrocities and mismanagement, there are many people in the Core who benefited from the Imperial system. With the Death Stars and the Emperor gone, some of them don't really want to see the Republic return. They want to be one of the principal players in the Empire, with a grateful Emperor or Empress they helped get on the throne." He paused. "The Federated Empire offers a third option to those who want a saner Empire, yet aren't keen on following any of the remaining Warlords. We would have been the lesser evil until now."

Leia stood frozen at that lecture. Han could feel her fury at hearing Madine's worldview, or worse, educated guess about the Core.

"Princess, the Republic failed. The main reason I'm fighting for the New Republic is because the Empire became an abomination that spit on everything it was supposed to be. It is decidedly the lesser evil, and the only sane choice. The same is true for many former Imperials who joined the Rebel Alliance. Now…" Madine grimaced. "Everyone has a third option. Picking up a fight under the current circumstances would be politically and military disastrous no matter the outcome of the battle."

"Leia, he's at least partially right. I spoke with those people. I was face to face with them. Whatever they are, whoever they are, I am not convinced they're Imperials like we know and love to loath them." Han tried to break the tension, only for Leia to whirl around and glare at him. Was that a hint of yellow he saw in her red eyes. Her glare was something else as well.

"I refuse to believe that so many people would choose tyranny instead of freedom and democracy when offered the choice!" Leia spat.

"They did it when Palpatine's Empire rose. People do it right now, when they openly and fully back Warlords so they could be the major player if their side wins. The Republic was a great ideal, and it didn't live up to it. The same is true for the Empire. It's what people make of it that matters. Palpatine and his cronies ruined the New Order, turning it into a nightmare. Greed and lust for power did the same to the Republic. The same might happen to the New Republic, if we aren't careful… and to a large extent, its already out of our hands. The Federated Empire? It might very well follow the same path. However, by their actions and very existence, right now, they offer a third alternative, and that is extremely dangerous."

"We got the message, Madine. What do you want?" Han's own temper frayed. The last thing Leia needed was more of a lecture right now.

"I want reassurance that the New Republic is the right side to back. That we aren't already turning into a copy of the Republic that happily chose to become the Galactic Empire. Make no mistake, what happened on the bridge of this very ship early today was ugly beyond belief." Madine looked away from Leia and up at Han, then gave him a brief explanation of the political madness that occurred earlier.

"Leia, please tell me that this isn't true. Tell me that this paranoid bastard misread the situation?"

=FG=

Mandalore The Restorer, also known as the infamous General Delkatar Veil, and Admiral Tarkin made a peaceful and productive first contact with a faction from the changed parts of the galaxy. The Pentastar Alignment, led by a Grand Moff Kaine, is now in talks over trade and a mutual defense treaty with the Federated Empire as a whole, and the Mid-Rim Alliance and Mandalorian Freehold in particular.

GNN Morning News

Standoff above Mirror Coruscant! Fleet units belonging to the self-proclaimed New Republic blocked the initial attempts of the Relief Fleet to deliver desperately needed medical supplies and food to the quarantined world. Fortunately, shrewd diplomacy by the team lead by Senator Skywalker avoided hostilities so far. The last news from the Mirror Corsucant is that the Relief Fleet just began limited shipment of supplies to the poisoned world and its suffering inhabitants.

HoloNet News

The Imperial Senate is in emergency session to discuss the events in the provisionally called Mirror Galaxy. While news from the Pentastar Alignment are heartening, the same can't be said for the situation in their Core Worlds, where multiple Warlords fight for control of a fractured Empire, and an upstart Regime attempts to bring back the dysfunctional Republic.

Galactic City News

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