jedimara77 | X-Wing: Knights of Plooma Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Hobbie rubbed his eyes and wearily stared at the communication terminal in front of him. It had been a long day, and all he wanted to do at this point was go to his room, lock the door behind him, curl up in bed, and hibernate for a few standard months. What he would give to be able to tune out his Jedi companions. No, not companions. Definitely not companions. Allies. Coworkers. Anything but companions. The last thing he needed was to get sucked into that particular bit of cultural misunderstanding.

Sleep would arrive before long, Hobbie told himself. Right after he reported back to the Rogues. He powered on the terminal and patched himself through to the safehouse on a secured, encrypted channel.

"Well good evening, friend," Wes Janson suddenly appeared on the display. Hobbie did his best to suppress an oncoming twitch of agitation.

"Where's Forge?" Hobbie asked. "Last I checked, she was the one handling communications on this shift."

"Patrol rotation was shaken up, so now you get to report to me," Wes beamed. "So, how was your day?"

Hobbie rolled his eyes. "Usual diplomatic sight-seeing. Saw a bunch of stuff that bored me to tears, listened to Skywalker and Jade bicker like an old married couple. Put up with Horn encouraging them to act that way. If it were up to me, those two would lock themselves in a room, light a few candles, and kriff each other senseless."

"Candles?" Wes mused aloud. "You are a helpless romantic, aren't you?"

"Shut up. Listen, I need you get Wedge to approve a credit trace. Valara Lissiri, director of Ploomian Security."

"It's PlooSec!" Corran shouted from the hallway as he passed by. This time, Hobbie couldn't quite manage to hide his annoyance.

"I'm going to kill him, Wes," Hobbie muttered. "At the very least, I'm going to ask the Senate to put Mirax up for some sort of citizen's bravery commendation for agreeing to marry him. Poor girl deserves some kind of award for that."

"Oh don't do that."

"Kill Corran?"

"No, give Mirax a medal. There's already too much ego in that relationship."

Hobbie waved a hand dismissively. "Can you get the credit trace approved or not? I want Karrde to run it as soon as possible."

"No," Wes said, shaking his head.

"Why not? And if the answer is 'you didn't say the magic word,' I will personally commandeer a speeder, drive to the safehouse, and pummel you to within an centimeter of your life."

"Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the hotel bed this morning," Wes said with a pout. "I just need you to give me some more details. You are about to implicate a rather prominent local authority in some sort of conspiracy by having us run a trace on her financials."

Hobbie took a moment to take a calming breath so he wouldn't berate Wes for being so juvenile. Again. Finally he told Wes of his suspicions about the Ploomian Security director, stemming from the unusually cold act despite the fact that the rest of the planet seemed to be overjoyed with the presence of three Jedi (and their oft-ignored fellow diplomat from Starfighter Command). He didn't need the Force to detect the animosity that Lissiri was directing towards the New Republic delegation. The tipping point had come during the drive-by of the mining facilities earlier in the day. The director wouldn't confirm it, but Hobbie knew that he had seen an Imperial TIE starfighter soaring away from the site.

"You're sure it was a TIE?" Wes asked.

"Absolutely certain of it," Hobbie confirmed. "I don't get it. The Remnant and Seinar Fleet Systems keep even surplus TIE craft heavily locked down. It would cost a fortune to snag just one that managed to slip onto the black market."

Wes rubbed his chin. "That does line up with some strange anomalies we've noticed. Engine signatures, almost assuredly some kind of twin-ion type. Not to mention Karrde's information that he briefed us with today."

Additional confirmation. Twin-ion engines had been the staple of Imperial starfighters for years for their incredible efficiency. If a craft left behind an energy signature like that, chances were good that it belonged to an Imperial craft of some sort.

"Lissiri claimed the ship I saw was being piloted by locals," Hobbie said. "I don't buy it for a second."

"Neither do I," Wes agreed. "So you think Lissiri is behind all this?"

Hobbie could only offer a shrug. "I can't know for certain, but there's a lot of evidence that seems to indicate we should do some cursory investigation work, at the very least."

"I'll pass this along to Wedge, then. Oh, one more question." A smile formed on Wes' face. "Is it true our old boss is playing the good husband role now?"

"It is," Hobbie sighed. "He has been since dinner, and it's thrown Mara for a complete loop. Wes, there's so much unresolved angst here you could swim through it. I trust you're saving recordings of those two on the security feeds so we can blackmail Luke later?"

Wes offered a toothy grin. "I wouldn't dare pass up a blackmail opportunity like this. Unfortunately, I seem to be getting more Corran playing matchmaker right now than dirt on Luke."

"Keep recording, I'm sure you'll get something before long."

Before his friend could respond, Hobbie shut off the communication terminal and stood, striding out into the hallway. In the distance, he could make out the sounds of Mara screaming at Luke. If that wasn't a cue to go to his room and shut out the rest of the Galaxy, he didn't know what was.

Looking dourly into the mirror that hung in their living area, Hobbie smoothed out the finishing touches on his dress uniform. He hated wearing the thing—every pilot did—but they all had to admit that it was usually very effective at impressing onlookers. That was, of course, when you weren’t trying to impress a planet full of Jedi worshippers. Hobbie wagered that the Ploomians wouldn’t even notice he showed up to the negotiations wearing Wes's Lieutenant Kettch doll.

Sighing at his reflection, he finished clasping the top buttons and called out to his fellow Rogue. “Are you ready?”

Corran sauntered out of his bedroom, hooking his lightsaber to his belt and adjusting his Jedi cloak. Hobbie narrowed his eyes at the Corellian, jealous that he got to wear something much more comfortable than the Starfighter Command dress uniform. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Corran said. “You heard from the two lovebirds next door?”

Hobbie rolled his eyes; this was only their third day on Plooma and even he was starting to get annoyed with Corran’s matchmaker comments. He began to wonder how long it would take for Mara to finally snap. He could only hope that he was around when it happened. Hobbie chuckled to himself; even with all his talents, Corran Horn wouldn’t stand a chance against an enraged Mara Jade. It wouldn’t even be a fair contest.

Hobbie pushed his devious thoughts out of his mind. “Not yet,” he replied, trying his best to sound polite.

“Well then, let’s go get them,” Corran suggested, heading towards the adjoining room. Hobbie sighed, gathered his belongings, and followed.

Mara was sitting on the couch, staring into space, and looking somewhat annoyed and very confused. Luke was at the sink, humming to himself while he cleaned some dishes. He flashed his fellow pilots a bright smile. “You guys ready to go?” he asked cheerfully.

“Um…yeah,” Hobbie answered, very aware of the awkwardness in the room.

“Great, I was just finishing up these dishes!” Luke said. Hobbie glanced around the kitchen area, wondering why Luke was cleaning, as neither Luke nor Mara cooked that he knew of.

Shrugging his shoulders, Hobbie glanced at Mara. “You ready to go?”

The smuggler quickly snapped out of her daydream and grabbed her datapad from the table. “Yes, please, let’s go.”

Before she and Hobbie could cross the threshold, the Jedi Master appeared next to them as if from thin air, holding the door open with a chivalrous gesture. “Allow me,” he said to Mara. Mara stared skeptically at him, rolled her eyes, and left the room in a rush.

They met Karrde by the turbolifts and as they all travelled downstairs together, Luke discussed in extremely pleasant tones the agenda for today’s negotiations and continuously asked for Mara's opinion and input. Eventually Mara snapped and yelled at him to leave her the kriff alone.

Once they got into Murray’s speeder, Hobbie couldn’t resist any longer. Leaning over to Mara, he asked softly, “Okay, what is going on?”

“I have no idea,” she murmured in reply. Turning her head so her mouth was directly in Hobbie’s ear, she whispered, almost as if she didn’t belief it herself, “He brought me breakfast in bed.”

Hobbie was so startled that he almost starting choking. He coughed to cover up, but thankfully Luke, Corran, and Karrde were still engaged in intent discussion on the other side of the speeder and didn’t appear to notice. “He brought you breakfast in bed?” he repeated incredulously.

“Yes!” Mara huffed. “And it wasn’t just some prepackaged meal and instant caf—this was an actual, home-cooked meal with the really exotic caf you have to press yourself.”

“Wow,” Hobbie said. “That was...”

“Nice?” Mara suggested. Hobbie grinned to himself; only Mara Jade would be so annoyed at someone being overly nice to her. “Yeah. I just—I have no idea.”

“Mara?” Luke called suddenly.

She turned her head slowly. “Yes?” she growled.

The sandy-haired Jedi flashed another brilliant smile. “You look very lovely today.”

Mara's brow furrowed as if she were trying to translate Luke's comment, and she opened her mouth a few times, seemingly unable to respond. Finally, she said, “Thank you?”

With a coy look, Luke turned back to the others and continued their conversation. Hobbie glanced between Luke and Mara, still confused beyond belief. Sure, Luke was a genuinely pleasant person, and while he had always cared for Mara, he had never acted this way around her. He was acting like she was his actual wife, and not just because he was trying to annoy her, as he had been the previous two days. Hobbie wondered exactly what was going on—

And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tiny smirk on Talon Karrde’s face. The smuggler must have sensed him staring, because he met Hobbie’s gaze and, when Mara wasn’t looking, casually placed a finger over his lips.

Oh no, Hobbie thought. He knew he shouldn’t think it…it only led to horrible things…but he couldn’t help it. He suddenly had a very bad feeling about this.

Hobbie's bad feeling continued all the way to the state house, and even while the two delegations exchanged salutations and prepared for the day’s negotiations. Unlike the opening ceremony/pep rally, only the eight delegates, along with several other planetary representatives from Plooma, were present in the large convocation chamber. Hobbie was partly relieved not to have to deal with a frenzied, Jedi-loving crowd, but also knew that he was more likely to be involved in the discussions with a smaller group present. He hoped that he was only called upon to address military-related questions. Those he could answer fine. With harsh memories of Adumar still in his mind, he decided to leave the actual diplomatic stuff to the others.

As the casual discussion in the room began to wind down, Valara Lissiri stood up from her place at the large, circular wooden table. “Shall we begin?” she asked without preamble. Not waiting for a response she thrust her datapad into Murray’s hands. “Take notes—and they better be more thorough than last time.”

“Yes, Director Lissiri,” Murray responded forlornly, refusing to meet his superior’s gaze. Hobbie cocked his head, wondering why the seemingly competent Murray had garnered Valara's wrath. Hobbie also noticed that Mara was narrowing her eyes at the other woman. Before he could consider that further, Ambassador Gemar began speaking.

Hobbie tried his best to pay attention the negotiations, he really did, but he found his mind wandering several times. He couldn’t help but think about his plans for when he got back to Coruscant. There was a new speeder he wanted to buy, renovations to make to his apartment, a holothriller he was dying to see. While Plooma was a pleasant enough planet, he was already eager to get off the rock, especially after becoming informed of an Imperial threat on planet. He did not want to run another gauntlet, be forced to dress in women’s clothes, or fight against overwhelming odds in an unfamiliar spacecraft. He shuddered—had that really been five years ago?

Finally forcing himself to pay attention, Hobbie listened as Luke and Gemar read through a list of Ploomian and New Republic requests for an alliance, easily coming to an agreement on all terms. Everything was going smoothly, and Hobbie began to wonder if perhaps they would be able to leave Plooma before the two-week period was over.

Of course, even as the thought went through his mind, his hopes were quickly dashed by Director Lissiri's piercing voice. “Ambassador Gemar, pardon the interruption, but I was hoping that our guests from the New Republic could shed some light on a question that’s been on my mind since our leaders agreed to open these negotiations.”

Gemar glanced at her sharply, but nodded in acquiescence. “Of course, Director Lissiri. Go right ahead.”

The black-haired woman smiled thinly before turning to Luke. “Master Skywalker, you have done very well in meeting all of our requests for an alliance with your galactic government. However, I still can't help but question exactly why Plooma should align itself with the New Republic.”

“Oh?” Luke asked calmly.

“Surely you can understand. We have been doing quite well as an independent world for many years, Master Skywalker. I don’t really see what exactly we have to gain from such an alliance.”

“Well, for starters, a say in the galactic government and a better military defense,” Corran answered.

“Ahh, yes, Jedi Horn, but why would Plooma need a better military defense?" Valara asked. "We have no enemies. There is no need to strengthen our military. My Ploomian Security Force does a fine job in keeping our citizens safe.”

Hobbie could no longer keep quiet. These discussions were starting to remind him of another very bad situation. And to think he had promised himself to stay silent… “Director Lissiri, if you want Plooma to remain a sovereign world, you will need better defenses for when the Imperial Remnant comes knocking at your door,” he advised. “Or do you think that your police force will be able to hold off a Star Destroyer and several squadrons of TIE fighters?”

A very devious grin spread across Valara’s face. “But, why would the Imperial Remnant suddenly become interested in Ploomian affairs?”

“Because if you join the New Republic…” Hobbie trailed off, mentally slapping himself, realizing the trap.

The room grew silent, and Valara’s cold eyes met each of the New Republic delegates in turn. “Exactly, Major Klivian. Plooma has nothing to gain by joining the New Republic except the wrath of the Empire. If I may be frank, I have to question why we did not open negotiations with them, as they are our neighbors, not the New Republic.”

“Director Lissiri!” Gemar shouted. “This is not the time for such a discussion!”

“That’s alright, Ambassador,” Luke said. “If we can’t speak plainly during these negotiations, there’s no point in having them.” He turned to Valara. “You’re right, Director Lissiri. Plooma would be taking an awful risk by joining the New Republic.”

Hobbie could hardly believe what he was hearing. Luke was supposed to be encouraging Plooma to join the New Republic, not pointing out the dangers inherit in such an alliance! He glanced around the room, taking in the others' expressions of disbelief. Fiolla stared open-mouthed at the Jedi Master she so admired. Murray had finally taken his attention from the datapad and was glancing fearfully at Valara. Corran, Mara, and Karrde merely gave Luke curious looks.

Valara herself seemed surprised by Luke’s words. “I beg your pardon?” she finally said.

“You’re right,” Luke repeated. “It is entirely understandable why you are hesitant to join us."

Valara looked at Gemar victoriously. “You see, Ambassador? Even the vaunted Jedi Master cannot provide adequate reasons for us to rejoin a galactic government.”

“I wasn’t finished,” Luke continued, his voice commanding even in its softness. Hobbie recognized the tone from when Luke served as Rogue Leader and later a general. It was one of the many reasons why people listened to Luke Skywalker when he spoke. Hobbie suppressed a grin, anticipating Luke’s next words.

Before he continued, Luke looked pointedly to the planetary representatives in the room. “Ambassador Gemar, would it be possible to ask for the two delegations to speak privately?”

“Of course,” Gemar responded, nodding at the others, who quickly left the room. Once the two delegations were alone, Luke stood from the table, pacing a bit before turning his gaze to Murray.

“Are you taking thorough notes?” he asked the young man.

“Um…yes?” Murray replied, confused.

“Good.” Luke turned to Valara, his blue eyes as hard as Hobbie had ever seen.

“Director Lissiri," Luke began, "you obviously know my history in the war against the Empire. I will not bore you with such soulless lists of accomplishments that the holopress love to dole out to their audiences. Instead, let me recall the actions and motivations of my fellow diplomats.”

He turned to the others at the table. “Major Derek Klivian attended the Imperial Academy and had a vaunted career in front of him until he decided to defect to the Rebel Alliance. He has served Starfighter Command for over eighteen years and is one of the best pilots I know. Major Klivian started out fighting for the Empire, but after seeing firsthand the horrors of the Empire, he decided that he wanted to risk life and limb—rather literally, I might add—to instead join the Rebel Alliance.”

Luke now turned to Corran. “Captain Corran Horn served as a security officer on his homeworld of Corellia before enlisting in the New Republic, knowing it was the only way to escape the threats of the Empire. He joined Rogue Squadron and later attended my academy on Yavin IV. He now serves as both a starfighter pilot and a Jedi Knight, and has made it his life’s work to defeat the Empire once and for all, fighting even though it takes him away from his wife and two young children at home.”

“Talon Karrde,” Luke continued, “spent many years struggling to remain neutral in the Galactic Civil War. It wasn’t until the emergence of Grand Admiral Thrawn that he found himself compelled to take a side, and he did so at great threat to his life and the life of his subordinates. Even now, Captain Karrde continues to assist the New Republic at his discretion. Even someone who strives to remain neutral cannot sit idly by while the New Republic continues to fight back the Imperial Remnant.”

Now Luke looked to Mara; he gave her a tender smile. “And Mara Jade has more reason than anyone at this table to be a part of the Empire, and yet she has remained a staunch ally to the New Republic—but most of all, to me.”

Luke turned back to Valara, who was staring at him, dumbfounded. “If that doesn’t answer your question as to why Plooma should not ally itself with the Imperial Remnant, I’m not sure anyone will be able to convince you, Director Lissiri.”

Luke once again took his seat, and Hobbie suppressed the urge to break into applause. From glancing at the others at the table, it looked like they were all struggling to do the same thing. Even Mara was regarding him with carefully masked respect.

After a few moments, Valara composed herself, tilting her head in tolerable acceptance of Luke’s argument. “Master Skywalker, it is completely understandable why you and your fellow delegates fought against the Empire. However, the Imperial Remnant is not the same organization as the former Galactic Empire. They do not follow the same policies or commit the same atrocities. It begs the question: why would the Remnant attack unless Plooma decides to join the New Republic?”

“Desperation.” Everyone turned to Hobbie, and he wanted to clap his hand over his mouth in disgust. He had promised himself that he would stay quiet!

“Excuse me, Major Klivian?” Valara asked scornfully. “Would you care to explain?”

Hobbie sighed. “Madame Director, the Imperial Remnant is mere light years from Plooma. You have an abundance of natural resources, including one that is used primarily for building weapons and starfighters. The Imperial Remnant is continuously losing battles and territory to the New Republic. Do you actually believe that they won’t soon come looking for any advantages in the war?”

“They have not done so yet, why would their interest suddenly change?”

“What part of ‘desperate’ do you not understand?” Hobbie asked exasperatedly. “The New Republic has been steadily conquering Imperial territory for years. Many of our tactical experts are claiming that the Remnant won’t last much longer fighting against us. Do you really think their leaders won’t do anything they can to gain an advantage? And let me tell you, when the Empire comes knocking, they’re not going to sit here at your table and acquiesce to a list of demands. They will come here in force and you can say good-bye to any sovereignty you may have once enjoyed. You can only pray that you’ll get a decent Moff, and not someone like Tarkin.”

“And I can assure that you plenty of Moffs like Tarkin still exist,” Mara added softly, glaring stonily at Valara. “Madame Director, you wonder why Plooma should not voluntarily join the Imperial Remnant? It's simple—the Moffs in charge were appointed by Emperor Palpatine, and to this day those individuals are still fighting to restore the Galactic Empire to its former glory. I served that Empire, and I have since learned that the Empire I loyally served was a horrible, despicable organization because it was led by a despicable, horrible man. Nobody in the Empire was free, least of all myself.

“You are correct—the Imperial Remnant is a much more moderate organization than when Palpatine ruled. But the fact still remains that those in charge want the old Empire to exist again. An Empire that was filled with deception and slavery and subjugation and the destruction of its enemies and entire planets. If you can honestly say that you want to ally yourself with men like that, then perhaps the New Republic does not want Plooma’s allegiance at all."

Now Mara gestured to Luke and Corran. "And you claim to revere the Jedi Knights, even going so far as to place their opinions above those of the New Republic's most decorated statesmen. Don't forget that the Empire sought to destroy those who you so greatly admire."

The room fell into silence again. "Thank you, Captain Jade," Ambassador Gemar finally said. He turned to Valara. "Were your questions answered to your satisfaction, Director?" he asked angrily.

"Yes," she replied in turn.

After a curd nod, Gemar turned back to Luke, and the two men resumed the scheduled discussion. The rest of the delegation chimed in when appropriate, but Valara remained silent for the remainder of the meeting. After several hours, the next round of negotiations was scheduled in three days time. Hobbie cheered inwardly; perhaps he could catch up on some sleep during their days off.

Then Ambassador Gemar asked if the entire delegation would be willing to tour some of Plooma's other mining facilities on the days in between their meetings. Of course, Luke graciously accepted the offer. Mara gave him a dirty look. Corran sidled up between the two and made a crass remark advising them to keep their hands off each other during the tours.

Hobbie mentally banged his head against the wall.

As the New Republic delegation waited outside the state house for their speeder, Talon Karrde couldn’t help but overhear an exchange between Luke and Mara, who were standing several feet away from the rest of the group. He, along with Corran Horn, listened to the conversation with feigned disinterest.

“You were very impressive today, Mara,” Luke praised. "I take back every doubt I had about your diplomatic prowess."

Mara shrugged her shoulders, dismissing his compliment. “Just earning my keep here.”

“Oh you exceeded it, I would say. I'll have to remember to commend Corran for thinking to invite you.”

"No, don't compliment him, that's the last thing the galaxy needs, Horn to have an even bigger ego. Besides, you were quite impressive yourself," Mara offered begrudgingly. "Must be all that Jedi Master diplomacy you have now, or perhaps just some proddings from the Force?" she added, somewhat dismissively.

Luke shrugged self-consciously. "Actually, the Force had little to do with it. I asked Leia and Mon Mothma for some tips before we left."

Mara gave him a sharp look. "You did?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

"No reason," Mara quickly replied.

After a moment, Luke said cautiously, "I was hoping I could buy you dinner this evening. There's a restaurant in the hotel that Ambassador Gemar highly recommended. It's supposed to be one of the best on Plooma. But if you have more important things to do, I completely understand. I know you are very busy. I can even bring up some food if you'd like—"

Mara cut off Luke's rambling before he could go on any longer. "Shut up Skywalker. Sure, you can buy me dinner. We might as well keep up appearances, right?"

"You're right, wife." Luke grinned at her, and she sighed and rolled her eyes in return. Just then the speeder arrived, and Luke held the door open for Mara, eliciting another annoyed huff from the redhead, but he ignored her and placed his hand gently on her back, guiding her inside.

Watching the Jedi Master at work, Karrde couldn't keep the poodoo-eating grin from spreading across his face. If his calculations were correct (and they always were), by the time the two weeks were up he'd have an additional crewmember back onboard the Wild Karrde.