by James Luceno
you'd been to Belsavis, Malastare, Clak'dor, and Yetoom. How hard do you think
it's going to be for anyone else to track you? And I don't mean thugs looking
to hire on with you. I'm talking about judicials or Jedi." "I appreciate the
warning, Rella, but it won't matter now. I've got everyone I need. Unless, of
course, you want to sign aboard." She held his gaze. "I do." He blinked.
"No, I'm not kidding you, Cohl," she said.
All at once Cohl grew serious and reached for her hands. "Listen, kid, I
appreciate your finding me, but this operation isn't something you want to get
involved in." She appraised him. "I don't get it. A minute ago you were acting
like you had the galaxy by the tail." "Bluster, Rella, pure and simple." "Are
you saying you wish you hadn't taken the job on?" "Maybe I'm just feeling my
age, but, yeah, I should have stepped out of the life when I could. I mean,
moisture farming can't be all that difficult to learn, right? And there'll
still be exciting times..." Rella smiled broadly. "Of course there'll be
exciting times, Cohl. Just drop this thing. You can walk away right now." He
shook his head. "I gave my word. I have to at least see this through." Rella
studied him for a moment, then forced an exhale. "All the more reason for me
to tag along.
If you can't look out for yourself, then I'll have to do it for you."
world of rugged landmasses and slender seas, slate-gray Eriadu had long sought
to be the Coruscant of the Outer Rim. That goal had been furthered by dint of
Eriadu's choice location in the heart of the Seswenna sector, at the
intersection of the Rimma Trade Route and the Hydian Way.
But where Coruscant had confined most of its factories and foundries to
specific areas, industry held sway over all Eriadu, fouling air, land, and sea
with unrelenting outpourings of toxic by-products. Worse, while the planet was
prosperous compared to its neighbors, Eriadu's legislators remained more
interested in unbridled growth than in investing in the atmosphere scrubbers,
aquifer purifiers, and waste disposal systems that made Coruscant livable.
The planet's principal city was in the southern hemisphere. A thriving
seaport that had grown up around the mouth of a major river, it spread almost
one hundred kilometers inland, sprawling along the shores of a finger-shaped
bay to the west, and creeping up and over the once thickly forested hills that
rose at its back.
From the rear of the energy-shielded, repulsorlift limousine that had
swept him past crowds of demonstrators at Eriadu Spaceport, Valorum surmised
that the city must have been a scenic wonder, once upon a time.
Now it was a gloomy warren of tiled domes, narrow alleyways, lofty arches
and towers, and open-air marketplaces, thronged with turbaned merchants,
veiled women, bearded men drawing on the spouts of bubbling waterpipes, and
six-legged beasts of burden, heaped with trade goods, vying for space with
rusting landspeeders and aged repulsorsleds.
Valorum couldn't help thinking of Eriadu as a dusty and forlorn flip side
of Theed, the capital city of Naboo.
The din of voices and vehicles was nearly enough to overwhelm the tinted,
sound-cancellation windows of his limousine, though many of the city's streets
had been cleared for his passing. Traffic had been diverted, and security
personnel and droids were stationed at nearly every intersection. Citizens
were allowed to watch from the narrow sidewalks, but anyone caught peering
from an upper-story window or overhead walkway risked being shot by judicial
snipers stationed on the rooftops and riding in speeders above the Coruscant
delegation hovercade.
Earlier, Valorum had learned that several decoy convoys had been
dispatched from the spaceport, and that the route his hover - cade was
following through the city had been altered at the last moment, to thwart
premeditated attacks.
To the protective force of judicials, Senate Guards, and security droids,
he was known in code as "The Goods." After the decision to send half the
supplemental force of Jedi Knights to Asmeru, to deal with the crisis there,
the security detail chiefs had demanded that Valorum submit to wearing a
temporary locator implant, so that they would know where he was at all times.
It was ironic that he should find himself in the spotlight, when the
whole idea behind the trade summit had been to focus attention on the Outer
Rim worlds. Still, he was glad that he had had sense enough to listen to
Senator Palpatine about going through with the summit as planned, despite what
was occurring in the Senex sector.
An added irony was that the Valorum family had played a part in fouling
Eriadu's atmosphere, as well as in cooking it, courtesy of the enormous balls
of flame that spewed periodically from the factory stacks that dominated the
outskirts of the city.
The family's contribution was a space vessel construction and shipping
concern, based in orbit and in several downside facilities. In terms of
output, the company wasn't in the same league as TaggeCo and the other giant
corporations, and in terms of transport it was no match for Duro Shipping, let
alone the Trade Federation. But thanks in part to the Valorum name, the
company had never failed to show a profit.
Valorum's onworld relatives had offered their stately homes and mansions
for use during his visit, but once again he had followed a suggestion by
Senator Palpatine, that he stay at the home of the sector's lieutenant
governor, who was an acquaintance of Palpatine's.
The lieutenant governor's name was Wilhuff Tarkin, and his compound was
said to overlook the artificially blue waters of the bay.
Tarkin was rumored to be an ambitious man, with grandiose ideas, and, in
that, his manse by the sea did not disappoint.
Equal in size to those of Valorum's wealthy cousins on Eriadu, the house
was an ostentatious blend of Core Classic and Mid Rim Ornate, which declared
itself with huge, domed enclosures, gilded columns, and stone floors polished
to a liquid sheen.
There was, however, something impersonal about the great, high-ceilinged
rooms and stately colonnades. It was as if the costly furnishings and framed
artwork were there merely for show, when what the owner actually preferred was
the antiseptic gleam of a space-worthy freighter.
Valorum was ushered into the manse by a surround of Senate Guards. Also
under escort, walked Sei Taria and a dozen members of the Coruscant delegation
to the summit. Trailing them came Adi Gallia and three other Jedi, who had
assented to Valorum's request that they be as unobtrusive as possible.
Once inside, the guards allowed Valorum a bit of breathing room, but that
was only because every guest and every droid servant had been scanned, well in
advance of his arrival. The house itself had been gone over top to bottom by
the security detail, who had turned part of the estate into theirthe tactical
command and control headquarters. Snipers roosted in the trees and on the
parapets, and gunships patrolled the offshore waters.
Testament to the priorities o
f Eriadu's leaders, Seswenna Hall, where the
summit was to take place, was an even more elaborate structure. A dome of
enormous dimensions, it crowned a high mount at the center of the city and
rose in mosaic splendor to a height of some two hundred meters.
Valorum had expected to be feted, but he had not been prepared for so
sizable a gathering. With Sei Taria at his side, he was announced to a
ballroom filled with dignitaries representing worlds throughout the Mid and
Outer Rims. From Sullust, Malastare, Ryloth, and Bespin they had come; few of
them enamored with Valorum, but all of them eager to be heard on the matter of
taxation of the free trade zones.
"Supreme Chancellor Valorum," the man who had made it all happen said,
"Eriadu is honored to receive you." Lieutenant Governor Tarkin was a wiry man,
with intense blue eyes, sunken cheeks, and an expressionless mouth. His brow
was high and bony, and his taut face seemed to reveal the size and shape of
every bone beneath. Already receding at the temples, his black hair was combed
straight back and meticulously cut. He stood tall and straight as a military
officer and projected an air of aristocratic officiousness.
Valorum recalled hearing that Tarkin, in fact, had served in the military
when Eriadu was part of what had then been known as the Outland Regions.
"Did Senator Palpatine arrive with you?" Tarkin asked.
"He had some lingering business to attend to on Coruscant," Valorum
replied. "But I'm certain that the Naboo delegation will arrive in time for
the summit's opening remarks." Tarkin appraised Valorum openly as they stepped
down into the ballroom, the crowd parting before them.
"It's a rare occasion when anyone involved in Republic politics leaves
Coruscant," Tarkin continued. "Something of a prison, isn't it?
Should duty ever call for me to be confined to one place, I will at least
demand that I have ample space around me." He waved his thin arms through a
broad circle.
Valorum forced a smile. "The trip was short and pleasant." "Yes, but for
you to leave the Core, and to come here..
. It's nothing less than extraordinary." "Nothing less than necessary,"
Valorum said.
Tarkin arched a brow as he turned slightly.
"Necessary perhaps, but certainly unprecedented. And I believe it speaks
strongly of your desire to do what is best and right for the outlying systems.
" He lowered his voice to add, "I trust you weren't distressed by the riots."
Valorum frowned. "I observed no riots. There was a crowd of protestors at the
spaceport, but--was "Ah, yes. Of course, you couldn't have seen the rioters,
because your convoy was rerouted at the last instant." Valorum wasn't sure how
he was meant to respond.
"May I say how disquieted we were to learn of the recent attempt on your
life, Supreme Chancellor. But then, I suppose we all have our local troubles.
Ryloth has its smugglers, King Veruna of Naboo has his detractors, and Eriadu
has the Trade Federation and the possibility of taxation of the trade routes."
Valorum was aware of some of the less-than-welcoming looks he was receiving
from Tarkin's guests. "News of the assassination attempt doesn't appear to
have granted me much sympathy in this room." Tarkin gestured in dismissal.
"Our fears regarding taxation revolve around the potential for increased
corruption, as is ever the case when additional layers of bureaucracy are
positioned between those with power and those without.
"But that doesn't mean we favor separatism, or encourage open rebellion.
Like other worlds along the Rimma, Eriadu has many Nebula Front supporters,
but I am not one of them, nor are any of those in the governor's
administration. Threats of insurrection must be met with strong, centralized
power. One must seize the moment, and strike." Tarkin lightened his diatribe
with a self-deprecating laugh. "Forgive the ravings of a lowly lieutenant
governor, Supreme Chancellor. Moreover, I realize that it is hardly the
Republic's way to answer violence with violence." "I would have thought the
same, until recently," someone nearby interjected.
Disdain and provocation mixed in the genteel, feminine voice, and the
speaker was every centimeter a lady, from the train of her priceless gown to
her dazzlingly jeweled tiara.
Tarkin smiled thinly as he offered his crooked arm to the heavyset woman
and introduced her.
"Supreme Chancellor Valorum, it is my pleasure to present Lady Theala
Vandron, of the Senex sector." Taken off his guard, a flushed Valorum nodded
his head in a courtly bow. "Lady Vandron," he said without emotion.
"It may interest you to know, Supreme Chancellor, that the hostage
situation on Asmeru has been, shall we say, resolved." "Asmeru?" Tarkin said.
"What's this?" Valorum quickly regained his composure. "The Republic
dispatched a peace delegation of judicials and Jedi to confront agents of the
Nebula Front based there." Tarkin looked at him askance. "Confront or contain?
" "Whichever was deemed appropriate." Tarkin's face lit up in revelation. "So
that's why several judicials and Jedi were called away from Eriadu. Well,
either way, it appears that our policies are perhaps not so antithetical,
after all, Supreme Chancellor." "On the heels of an assassination attempt, the
Supreme Chancellor takes direct action in non-Republic space," Lady Vandron
said, looking at Tarkin. "We are obliged to commend him on his willingness to
venture so far from home in such difficult times." Valorum accepted the left-
handed compliment with wellborn reserve. "Rest assured, madam, and Lieutenant
Governor Tarkin, that Coruscant is in good hands." While Valorum didn't enjoy
universal support even on Coruscant, his absence was felt, especially in the
governmental district, where there was a hint of mischief in the air.
The members of the Galactic Senate awarded themselves liberal leave while
the trade summit was in progress. But a diligent few reported to their offices
in the senate building, if only to catch up on work.
Bail Antilles was one of them.
He had spent the morning drafting a proposal that would ease the trading
tension between his native Alderaan and neighboring Delaya. When he broke for
lunch, he had nothing more on his mind than a tall glass of Gizer ale at his
favorite restaurant near the Courts Building. But politics foiled his plan, in
the form of Senator Orn Free Taa, who intercepted him in the senate's most
public of corridors.
The corpulent blue Twi'lek was riding a hoversled.
"May I glide beside you for a moment, Senator Antilles?" he asked.
Antilles made a gesture of acceptance. "What is it?" he said, plainly
annoyed.
"To come directly to the point, some rather interesting data has found
its way to me. I thought to bring it to the attention of Senator Palpatine,
but he suggested that you, as chair of the Internal Activities Committee, were
the one to whom I should speak." Antilles started to protest, then sighed in
resignation. "Go ahead, Senator." Taa's thick head-tails quivered slightly in
anticipation. "As you know, I've recently been appoint
ed to the Allocations
Committee, and in that capacity I have been delving into precedents and
legalities for Supreme Chancellor Valorum's proposed taxation of the free
trade zones. Clearly, such taxation will have unanticipated consequences and
ramifications, but we're hoping to impede corruption by imagining scenarios of
what is likely to occur, should the proposal pass muster in the Senate." "I'm
certain you are," Antilles muttered.
Taa took the sarcasm in stride. "The Supreme Chancellor has stated his
wish that a percentage of those revenues garnered through taxation of the
trade routes - comfor all intents and purposes, taxation of the Trade
Federation--butevery allocated for social and technological aid to worlds in
the Mid and Outer Rim that may be adversely affected by taxation.
"This, however, presents a dilemma. If the motion is ratified and the
Trade Federation is forced to surrender some of its hold on the space lanes,
many smaller shipping concerns stand to profit--not only as a result of a
newly fashioned competitive market, but also from those tax revenues earmarked
for outer system development." Antilles allowed his puzzlement to show. "I'm
not sure I see the dilemma." "Well, then, permit me to illustrate a specific
case. The Allocations Committee database conducted a search for Outer Rim
corporations poised to benefit from taxation, and crosschecked the results of
the search with data on file with the Appropriations Committee, of which I am
also a member. Out of the compiled list of thousands of corporations, one
concern was singled out A shipping concern based on Eriadu that has received
a sudden and, may I add, substantial inflow of capital." "That doesn't
surprise me," Antilles said.
"Investors with their noses to the air are doing the same thing your
committee is doing, except that they're looking for financial opportunities."
"Exactly," Taa said. "Investor speculation.
But in this case the dilemma arises from the fact that the concern is
owned by relatives of Supreme Chancellor Valorum." Antilles came to a halt and
turned to the hovering Twi'lek.
Taa showed the palms of his big hands. "Let me make per fectly clear that
I am not suggesting impropriety on the part of the Supreme Chancellor. I'm
certain he is aware that anyone with privileged information about legislative