The Past

"... hope for a better tomorrow. The League of Nations doesn't just represent that hope, it is that hope- the last and greatest hope this galaxy has. And that is why I have come here today: because I know in my heart that hope can conquer despair and overcome tragedy, because I know that capacity to hope can sustain fortitude in the face of overwhelming odds.

Because, sometimes, hope is all we have.

Ladies and gentlemen, assembled representative of this august body, I would like to formally submit my motion, asking that the League of Nations accept into its membership the Republic of Ukio, with a full understanding of the obligations and requirements such a motion entails.

It is my hope that you will pass such a motion."


The image of Hilter Afdol faded quickly to blackness, and the shimmering hologram dissipated.

Hilter turned his gaze to the only other being in the room, who turned his head to meet the Ukian Overliege's eyes. A moment passed, allowing for the smallest hint of tension to creep into the atmosphere of the small chamber.

Hilter shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head to the side, returning the aura of calm to the room.

"Not bad. Pretty good actually. Plus, we have plenty of time to work out the small tics and such."

The figure nodded.

"I still hate the sound of my own voice, but there isn't much I can do about that. It's just that the emphasis sounds all wrong, the stresses off slightly- out of synch from what I'm used to in my head- but that’s hardly noticeable to a casual observer. Overall, it's certainly an improvement."

The other man didn't react. Hilter gave him a minute, hoping that perhaps a moment to collect his thoughts (combined with the semi-awkward silence) might elicit a response, but none came.

Hilter wasn't going to let him of the hook that easily. The man worked for him, not the other way around. (Though to be sure, the chain of command was somewhat convoluted, but if you followed it long enough it would lead to Hilter.)

"You have to have something to say."

The figure stood up.

"You know what I have to say, so why do I need to waste the energy it takes to verbalize it?"

At that, it was Hilter's turn to nod. He was right, though the lack of dialogue made this entire process stifling. One way or another they had the same conversation, like God or the Force or what-ever-power-that-be was watching his own hologram recording after Hilter finished his analysis of the most recent recording.

I had to ask for a perfectionist.

"Alright. Let's go practice."



Present
One Month From [thread=10301]INS Press Release[/thread]

The space over Coruscant is always awe inspiring to travelers who gaze out upon it for the first time. Small vessels, personal fighters and shuttles, zip in and around the mammoth superfreighters, cruisers and space stations that are perpetually in orbit over the capital of the galaxy. Debris is everywhere, yet for some reason seems more majestic than trash has any right being. The surface of the planet itself provides an interesting backdrop- far from the majesty of say, the green continents and blue oceans of Corellia, but awe inspiring in its own right- a sea of gray and black punctuated by dull orange, bright yellow and several small splotches of numerous other colors.

Hilter Afdol had traveled to Coruscant several times, and yet despite his experience, he still peered out of the transparisteel bulkhead of the Ambassador class shuttle he traveled in during official state visits to take in the view.

Hilter watched the planet and its surrounding until they dropped out of his viewport, as Coruscant's traffic control vector ordered the vessel along a counterintuitive vector that seemed to angle the shuttle to arch over the planet.

Hilter took the opportunity to pour himself another glass of the rare Alderaanian wine he had found in one of the numerous refrigerator units that dotted the luscious interior of the shuttle's common lobby.

Coruscant control had safely direct in trillions of transports and the Ukian pilots were assigned to chauffer the Overliege were the finest the planet had to offer. Perhaps no the second coming of Han Solo, but confident, disciplined pilots more than handling a luxury shuttle's descent onto the largest ecumenopolis in the galaxy.

He did turn his head as the unmistakable profile of several TIE models (Defenders by the look of them) swooped in from the starboard (planetside) bow of the shuttle- a reflex he was glad that had surfaced now instead of on the planet's surface. As the fighter's settled into escort formation, Hilter took a long draught of the wine and willed himself to relax.

He had a speech to deliver.

A mission to complete.

An image to uphold.

The fact that there was a high probability that he would be arrested as he walked into the rotunda (or maybe even in the middle of that speech) wasn't helping matters.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. The Ukians would raise some serious shit if their duly selected leader (he grinned as phrase formed in his mind) was snatched on supposedly "neutral" territory while he was on a diplomatic mission.

No, the Empire was much more likely to simply grab him as he walked down the shuttle's off-ramp - or better yet, slip him some poison and call it a heart attack or hyperspace related complications... whatever the hell the INS thought they could most effectively spin.

As that thought failed to assuage his fears, he downed the remainder of his glass and poured himself another.

Might as well enjoy the luxury while it lasted.

He chuckled, his mind drifting to the thoughts of the other man who had stood with him in that recording studio, and to what he might say if he saw him drink another glass.

The thought lightened his spirit as the shuttle's vector changed, framing the rapidly growing sphere of Imperial Center square in the middle of the shuttle's viewport...

As he looked at his reflection in the black yet mirror-like conference table, two thoughts struck him simulaneously.

1. He looked old despite the regenerative therapy he'd been taking in private and 2. whoever got the government contract for building black-glass-onyx-like-large conference room tables must have made a fortune. There were no end to these things found in rooms all across administrations and even Imperial starships.

All things being considered he sat back and reflected on the fact that he was extremeliy successful. He held an indifference to the Empire that, in itself, was unique for people typically could either be found on one extreme side or the other in their opinion of the galactic government entities. He had profited greatly from that indifference and knew that as long as the Empire remained, his fortune's future was also assured. He had raised a daughter as ruthless and as saavy as himself and felt no qualms about the future of his company (his entire company) being left in her capable hands when his time in this life was up.

And yet, despite his successes he felt something missing. He felt an emptiness he could not quite identify.

If he dug further, though, he would find a deep reservoir of hatred. A hatred of one man, the only man, who had ever exerted a control over the business mogul and who had ever held his life in the palm of his hand.

The man looking at his reflection knew two things:

He was old and that he hated Simon Kaine.


It was an ironic situation as he was also being used as an instrument in yet another grand plot by the Supreme Commander. Typically, he would not care one way or the other for he usually profitted from such schemes or found a way to squeeze an agreeable angle for his benefit.


But this time... this time it was different.


For the man he was to confront was, in fact, himself. Or, rather, himself if his life had taken a different route.

Hilter Afdol.

He had not actively thought of the name for years, since their days as young men attending a University for Advanced Business Application. Oh, the debates they would have as each worked to get "one-up" on the other. Sometimes one did and sometimes the other did.

He had heard of Hilter's accomplishments on the holonet and acknowledged them in some part of his mind but he was too focussed on his own agendas to really give it much thought.


But not now. No, now Hilter was all he was thinking about. Were they friends? No quite. Were they adversaries? Not that either. They had been colleagues but their paths diverged so long ago only to come together once more, now.


Hilter was coming to Coruscant to make a speech before the League of Nations in a petition for his world, Ukio, to enter the organization. Hilter was a businessman turned politician and he wondered if the former CEO of Agro Inc, now a Belgardi Univseral subsidiary, would find similar success in the political arena?

Perhaps he would.

Perhaps he wouldn't.

That is what he was here to find out.


The transport was given a different set of official landing coordinates and as the shuttle made a course correction away from the Rotunda Building, he knew a slight nervousness that surprised him.

Was what he remembered of Hilter going to complete or completely negate the actual presence of the man?

As the shuttle landed in a private area, he shook the nervousness away and waited patiently for the landing ramp to finish it's descent.

As the leader of Ukio emerged, he noted that the man's eyes were taking in everything at once.

The caution was not out of place and he appreciated it. The one thing he remembered most about Hilter, one thing he was glad to note that hadn't changed from his observation, was the man's intensity. Hilter Afdol was a force to be reckoned with indeed.

"You expect Simon Kaine to step out of the shadows and shoot you?" he spoke in an amused tone, his voice firm and strong as Hilter nearly finished his desent.


The man speaking was Seamus Arliss, CEO of Arliss Industries.

Hilter Afdol watched passively as the Senate (now called the Rotunda building) slowly began to recede in the shuttle's viewpoint. Having gained clearance to entire the planet's airspace" it had seemed logical for Hilter to direct his pilot to make a beeline for the ostensible home of the League of Nations from which his invitation to Coruscant had been received. The Empire (although, it should be noted, a League Member) seemed to have other ideas. Though he was not privy to the details, he had heard the muffled sounds of Imperial traffic control officers directing his pilots to alternate coordinates.

He made no attempt to inquire as to where his shuttle was headed, as he had deduced that there were only two plausible possibilities: Someone on the planet, of some importance, wanted to speak with him before he met with the League, or he was being led to a more discrete location, where the Empire could deal with him as they saw fit.

Having resigned himself to his fate when he accepted the invitation to speak on Ukio's behalf, he merely sat in silence and waited, the whole time staring intently out the viewport.

The shuttle landed on one of Coruscant's myriad skyscrapers, on a small landing pad that jutted out from the side of the building. There were no obvious identifying landmarks or signs that gave any clue to where they had landed.

The landing ramp extended with a hiss and a clank.

Hilter wasted no time, moving to the shuttles exit hatch and beginning his descent immediately. His eyes swept from side to side, then came to rest on the solitary figure of a man standing a few yards away from the shuttle.

His eyes rested on the man for only a second, as if the figure had gone unseen, and continued their path across the breath of the platform.

Blankness.

The eyes of Hilter Afdol, intergalactic dejarik champion, successful businessman, terrorist mastermind, Overliege of Ukio, were totally empty, devoid of their usual fire and lacking even the protective glaze that the man was so adept at raising to obscure his thoughts and feelings.

It lasted for only a moment, barely a second, but in this situation the second may have well been an eternity. Seamus Arliss had not become the second most important businessman in the galaxy (with apologies to Rico Belgardi and Rob Stellar, though the was no question that Seth Vinda was the undisputed king of the business world) by missing details, however fleeting and minute they may be.

"You expect Simon Kaine to step out of the shadows and shoot you?"

Seamus's comment gave Hilter all the time he needed to recover, and as he stepped off the shuttle's landing ramp and onto the duracrete surface of Imperial Center, his aura of intensity once again emanating in all directions.

Hilter grinned.

"Precautions were taken for that eventuality, though I'm not sure how effective they would have been."

At that moment a pair of Ukians, clad in sleek plates of combat armor, started to replicate Hilter's short sojourn down the landing ramp. Hilter turned his head, and with a wave dismissed them. As his bodyguards pivoted, and stepped back inside the shuttle, Hilter approached the head of Arliss Industries and extended his hand.

"It has been a long time, Seamus."

The handshake was brief but unlike most Hilter Afdol was involved in seemed natural and genuine. The firmness and nature of Arliss's grip reminded Hilter remarkably of his own.

"I didn't know they were holding the reunion on Coruscant this year."

Seamus looked at the provincial display of human body guard and smirked. If Kaine had wanted you dead, your shuttle would have been blown from the sky.

Of course, he had to admit that the two guards represented only the visible precautions his counterpart had taken and so decided to give the other man the benefit of the doubt. One did not rise to the level of Overliege of Ukio without brains unless the people of the world were utter fools to begin with.

Arliss' grin matched Hilter's in it's predatorial characteristics as he slyly remarked, "Where better than Coruscant? If anyone else were still alive from our class.."


The testing ground in the fall of the Old Republic had been viscious indeed. With the fall of the free market with the rise of the Empire, only the quick-witted entrepreneurs survived amid a tangle of alien perceptions on what good business was, those entrenched business lords (legal and illegal), and the lowering value of life (mostly human life).

The shattering of the Imperial's hold on the galaxy at Endor had sparked innovation on a whole new level. Not because the Empire surpressed such innovation but because they typically surpressed competition. With the upsurge on the competitive market scene new technologies were now within reach.

Now the Empire was back in power but the genie had already made the jump to lightspeed out of its bottle. Even in the face of the all-powerful Empire there were competing governments all being carried along by innovation and a desire to make their mark on the galaxy.

No, the galaxy had changed since the days of the Old Republic and Palpatine and Seamus reveled in it.


Arliss led Hilter to an ajoining room where an air limousine was parked. While the Empire, or specifically, Kaine may know of the meeting, he was damned if anyone would listen in. His private limousine was outfitted with the latest in eavesdropping countermeasures which he felt would hopefully put his counterpart at ease.


"Please," he gestured and as both men entered the temperature controlled vehicle, Seamus pushed a button completely securing the craft.


There were drinks prepared and as Seamus handed a glass to Hilter he asked, "Tell me, what do you hope to gain by coming here?"


Before the other could frame a series of lies, Seamus would know for he had framed enough in his time, he clarified, "Is this political move of yours to be an Overliege of Ukio true or is it merely the glove over the hand of your terrorism?"

It was a long time before Hilter answered.

Seamus didn't press the issue, just reclined against the plush seat of the luxury landspeeder, waiting for Hilter to respond. The soft sound of cool, refreshing air flowing from recessed vents was all that disturbed the silence of the cabin.

Hilter's head bobbed slowly up and down, the first noticeably movement he had made since situating himself inside the vehicle. He cocked his head, and started intently at the proprietor of the vehicle.

"It's not my terrorism, I only plan it."

Hilter shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"Ukio has nothing to do with the GLF. You may not believe that, but it’s the truth. My reasons for pursuing the position are my own, but I can assure you that I take the office very seriously. I sincerely believe joining the League is in the best interests of Ukio."

The words were vague, but the language of politics that Hilter had slowly become accustomed to using often were. Outside of their association in what seemed like a lifetime ago, there was nothing to ensure that Arliss was acting in good faith.

Seamus Arliss was a powerful man, one of the powerbrokers whose influence greatly outweighed their notoriety (was he not aware of the power that Estro Sabrino, the Chairman of the Union, could call upon Hilter might have considered Arliss the most powerful man no one really knew about).

It was time for a question of his own. The only question really, that mattered at this point.

Why?

Hilter was only slightly surprised that the businessman knew of his connections to the GLF. He certainly didn't advertise the fact, but ever since the incident on Garqi, he had assumed that his most powerful and well connected adversaries (especially those with Imperial connections) knew he was involved.

Of course, he wasn't ready to peg Arliss as an adversary just yet.


Which only made why that much more important.

Why was Seamus Arliss reaching out to him now, and what did he have to gain from the liaison? And even more importantly, why did he care about Hilter's intentions.

He couldn't come right out and ask, though, not if he really wanted to know the answer. The game just didn't work like that. When you had one piece of information holding your target in place, you didn't let go of it easily.

"How's you daughter, Seamus?"

"My daughter..." Seamus answered as if in thought. "She was born with her mother's sense of conscience that I have since driven from her. It was a painful process for her, moreso because she is a woman in a man's galaxy and that starts her off at a disadvantage. I cannot have my heir fall prey to that sort of disadvantage and so now she is ruthless and ready to take the reigns of Arliss into the next century."

He gave a look of annoyance, "So I imagine she's pretty peachy right now."


He took a sip of his drink to erase the irritating thoughts that were coming to him. "My question was not so much about Ukio, Hilter, as it is about you. Ukio may not have anything to do with GLF as you say. But then again, they may be simpleton pawns in your great game of blowing things up."


Before Hilter could manage a respectable show of indignation, Arliss waved it away with a flicker of his hand.


"Let me explain the situation, as it stands...


You were head of Agro, Inc. and a planner of GLF terrorist activities. The Empire got wind of this and rather than destroy you decided to use you. By 'Empire', I mean, Supreme Commander Simon Kaine. The Empire enjoys unprecidented preferred status with Agro. In fact, the Empire gets such a good deal they opt to protect their newfound asset by establishing a permanent fleet presence and 'Governor' on the planet. Agro, while perhaps not making the profit they could make, does get a boost of business that allows them to negotiate better rates from their suppliers. All in all, a nice arrangement until you fly away seeking a future on Ukio. The Empire, without you loses a powerful bargaining chip but it's not that big of a loss as Agro did fund terrorist activities. So their arrangement stands but you've become a wild card in play.

Next comes the rather foolish move by Belgardi Ltd. to purchase Agro and consolidate under the name Belgardi Univsersal. Perhaps there were mitigating business incentives to do this but, when a company has terrorist ties the rule of thumb is: Stay the hell away from them!

Now, perhaps Belgarid & company were just incompetent and didn't do nearly enough research as they should have before the aquisition or they already knew about it and went ahead with the purchase anyway."

Arliss paused, "That takes stones and it would have worked if the GLF had ceased to be."

"But they didn't as we have had new GLF attacks and so the funding is still continuing, only under the blanket of Belgarid Universal now.

All this, the Empire knows and yet, here you are... still out there as a wildcard.

You have separated yourself from Agro, Inc. but there is a Belgardi presence on Ukio, so the question is:


Have you separated yourself from the terrorists totally? Or are you drawing paychecks from Belgardi for your services rendered as the new Overliege of Ukio?"


"You have already gone on record denouncing the terrorist attack against Glee Anselm which, by the way, I hope was not you. Now, as you want to enter the League, if it comes out that you have ties to terrorists how long do you think Ukio or you will last?


Simon Kaine is setting you up to make a choice, Hilter. Continue your association with Belgardi, remove your application from League membership and go down with the lot of them if and when they go down or you can denounce your association with Belgarid and GLF and join the League as an equal, free of these chains."


Seamus sat quietly as Hilter absorbed his words.


"And so the question remains, Hilter: Is this political move of yours to be an Overliege of Ukio true or is it merely the glove over the hand of your employer?"

You can learn a lot about someone by the type of games they play.

Hilter Afdol's success as a dejarik player was highly publicized, which was something of a double edged sword- it certainly had given him notoriety and was useful as a public relations tool, but it meant that everyone knew he was capable of long-term planning, subtle deception and was a master of the maneuvering and gamesmanship that was necessary for professional dejarik success. Only a fool would take a move by Hilter Afdol totally at face value.

Seamus Arliss was no fool. Suggesting that Simon Kaine was laughable- a sign of a serious mental deficiency.

Of course, the same line of reasoning could be used on both Arliss and Kaine (assuming the man ever took time out of his busy schedule of embarrassing GC fleet admirals for leisure). Hilter had no idea what the two men did in their spare time, but if they did occasionally dabble it was probable that they played one of the galaxy's two most popular card games: sabacc or pazaak.

The history of the two games is murky- one of the few facts universally agreed on by historians is that the games are somehow related- and the galaxy was full of competing rulesets and variations that meant determining what "standard" sabacc or pazaak was nigh impossible. Despite their origin, and superficial similarity, sabacc and pazaak were very different games, won be different types of players.

Sabacc is the penultimate gambler’s game, as winning big required both considerable skill and a hefty dose of luck. Knowing how to work a table, protect the sabacc pot, what to discard, when to bluff and call others on theirs- that required skill and experience. But with a randomly dealt hand, and the "skifting" that could alter the game at any moment, luck played a major role as well.

In contrast, pazaak is more of a logician's game that focuses on preparation, deck construction, and mathematical skill. Luck certainly figures into the equation, but being able to calculate probability and knowing an opponent's tendencies were much more important in determining victory or defeat.

Hilter, with his fabled emotionless veil, was a fan of sabacc, and thought he was pretty good (though nothing near his skill at dejarik). On a few moments contemplation he pegged Arliss as a sabacc player as well.

Simon Kaine, though, was probably a fan of pazaak.

Hilter's moves, though certainly not random, had been unconventional to say the least. A series of calculated risks, balanced against possible rewards. With what Hilter had gathered from Union intelligence reports, Simon Kaine's masterful manipulations had been the result of sophisticated planning and extensive preparation that relied on a brilliant (nigh omniscient) understanding of his opposition's capabilities and options.

Though the analogy wasn't perfect, where Hilter was playing sabacc, Simon was playing pazaak.

Playing with information that the other "players" in the game could only dream about, courtesy of the galaxy's most ruthless and effective intelligence service. It was interesting, then, to note that (at least in the manner in which information was relayed by Arliss) Simon Kaine had somewhat misinformed.

Hilter Afdol had created Agro for the primary purpose of becoming independently wealthy. While it was true that his connection to the GLF had begun during his tenure as the company's CEO, and Hilter himself had personally financed some GLF activities, Agro had never been involved. In fact, the attack on Garqi had been designed to provide Hilter with cover- what sort of terrorist would attack his own enterprise? The Imperials had seen through that ruse, at least partially, and come to the arrangement that Arliss described.

At which point Hilter had divested himself from Agro and sold the company to fellow Union conspirator Rico Belgardi. (In the process manipulating the Ukian political process to become the planet's first human leader.) Kaine seemed to believe that Belgardi was funding the GLF following its acquisition of Agro, which was true, but the two thins had no cause in effect relationship: Belgardi had been funding the Union (and therefore the GLF) for a considerable period before they acquired Agro.

Still, the move had raised eyebrows.

Kaine also seemed under the impression that Belgardi somehow controlled Ukio, which simply incorrect. Belgardi had inherited (through its purchase of Hilter's company) the Annoo Licensed Foodstuffs Contract, won by Ukian companies that were taken over by Agro right before the merger. Unlike Pavo Prime and Bespin (worlds administered by the company) Belgardi held no official jurisdiction over the planet.

Calculated risks.

Seamus was waiting for his response, having posed the same question he had asked just a few minutes earlier in a slightly different manner. It was obvious that Arliss needed or wanted the answer to that question very badly.

But after a moments thought, it was not Arliss who wanted the answer at all.

"Simon Kaine is setting you up to make a choice, Hilter. Continue your association with Belgardi, remove your application from League membership and go down with the lot of them if and when they go down or you can denounce your association with Belgardi and GLF and join the League as an equal, free of these chains."

Hilter's own query had been answered. Arliss was speaking on behalf of Simon Kaine, the Vader to Hyfe's Palpatine.

"I wasn't aware that the League's application process was processed by the Supreme Commander's office."

Hilter started to grin, but saw the annoyance begin to show on Seamus's face. He stifled the expression, and it died instantly.

"And so the question remains, Hilter: Is this political move of yours to be an Overliege of Ukio true or is it merely the glove over the hand of your employer?"

Arliss's eyes met the man across from him and was met with the stoic gameface that had carried Hilter to victory in so many dejarik games.

"If Simon Kaine wishes to issue ultimatums, he can at least give me the courtesy of delivering them in person."

Before Arliss could reply to the barb, he continued.

"Seamus, what use would answering that question be? If I say yes, my motives are pure and true, it will only make you wonder what my real goals are. If I admit that my motives are merely the result of being some entity's cat's paw, you will question why I would admit to such an obvious political liability. If I say something cryptic, you will look for some hidden meaning in my words and if I speak the truth you will assume a lie.

There is no right answer."

Hilter folded his hands across his lap.

"I'm curious Seamus, what do you think about the situation?"

"I wasn't aware that the League's application process was processed by the Supreme Commander's office."

Then you are a fool, Seamus thought, rather annoyed and began to rethink his purpose here.

What kind of fool gets his hands caught in the proverbial Froozian Sweet Jar and then thinks that by simply changing his location no one will suspect another attempt?

Seamus stared at his counterpart and decided on another tactic. Hilter was a known for his interest in games of chance. Seamus didn't have time to play with holographic monsters set upon a table. He favored reality to the hollow satisfaction of seeing one holographic creature overcome another holographic creature.

Arliss did not have the patience nor, he figured, could he keep a straight face if seated across another adult watching their "pawns" destroy one another as customary in a game of dejarik. Hilter, however was noted for his facade of emotionlessness as his toys marched across the circular table to crush the imaginary creatures of his enemies.

It was not Afdol's face then that betrayed him but his voice.

"If Simon Kaine wishes to issue ultimatums, he can at least give me the courtesy of delivering them in person."

Petulant.

The same complaint or challenge Hilter might make to a fellow dejarik player. He then made a move that all gamining enthusiasts inevitably make when they think that there is something to win or lose.

He prevaricated.

"Seamus, what use would answering that question be? If I say yes, my motives are pure and true, it will only make you wonder what my real goals are. If I admit that my motives are merely the result of being some entity's cat's paw, you will question why I would admit to such an obvious political liability. If I say something cryptic, you will look for some hidden meaning in my words and if I speak the truth you will assume a lie.

There is no right answer."


It perhaps was a stalling strategy to find out just where Seamus was really coming from and given what the Supreme Commander had on the businessman, perhaps it was not out of line. Kaine did not come straight on typically but struck from the side. After experiencing such attacks, a straight on rather blunt approach probably threw the former CEO of Agro off balance.

Still, the man's equivocating was annoying. If he was going to have to endure this, he probably should have picked less expensive drinks.


"Hilter," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose, not caring to hold an emotionless face. "What I am telling you is not a revelation. Or, at least, it should not be.

When I say: Simon Kaine is setting you up to make a choice, this is not something that should catch you by surprise. You are clearly wrapped up in your own strategy in making this petition to the League of Nations for Ukio but if you think Kaine is going to pass up an opportunity to destroy an enemy without effort, you are a fool.

You, Hilter, not Ukio is the issue. You have been an enemy of the Empire through your terrorist connections, supported through your company Agro. I don't care if Agro was set up to provide housing for orphan children and solve galactic hunger, the point is, it was a tool you used to fund your activities against the Empire at the time! The fact that Belgardi owns the tool now and those terrorist activities still continue only proves Belgardi's complicity. This is a very simple train of logic, Hilter, and one you should have made long ago.

You wonder how one can link Ukio to Belgardi/Agro and thus, terrorism?"

Seamus sighed and drew out a datapad with an old article and highlighted a section: "Here, read:"

"..Afdol could not be reached for comment, but a spokesman said he had been asked to stay on as a consultant for the company he built from the ground up, and he 'would try to help as much as he could without detracting from his new position.'.."<!-- / message --><!-- message, attachments, sig --><!-- edit note -->

"Terrorism is still continuing under Belgardi with which you are a consultant. Kaine only needs to inform the League through the Imperial Representative of this and, with the situation still raw over Glee Anselm's terrorist attack, the least that would happen is Ukio membership be denied and at most, Ukio will be quarantined until the 'good people of Ukio' choose a leader who is not a supporter of terrorism."


Seamus leaned back in his seat and narrowed his eyes. "If you are prepared for this then by all means prevaricate more.

In my opinion, terrorism is untenable and therefore unbankable and unprofitable. You obviously feel differently. If you truly are ideologically opposed to Empire, then continue to fight it. Personally, I've banked my fortune, wealth and power on the Empire's continued existence and it does not look like there is a change in the winds, no matter how many transports are blown to bits.

What I have not banked my future on, however, is Simon Kaine. If you feel your terrorist cronies can defeat him then we are done here. Continue on your way to the Rotunda and plead the case of a terrorist leader to the Assembly for admittance.

I did not get to my position by investing in lost causes or foolish gestures of defiance.

There is no point in my interceding on your behalf for admittance if you are going to simply throw it away and support your GLF/Belgardi flunkies from Ukio.

So, I ask, not because I already have an answer I like, not because I am looking to have my ears tickled but because we are the last of our breed.
Because I may have use for you and Ukio, not in a business sense but in a political one. Because, this move by yours may simply be one more chain around your neck or... something more..

So, is this political move of yours to be an Overliege of Ukio true or is it merely the glove over the hand of your employer?"

Though the details escaped him at the moment, Hilter Afdol knew that in the mythology and fables of some culture (it irked him slightly that his usually superb memory was drawing a blank) some whimsical variety of sprite (off the top of his head he thought it was faeries, though it could very well have been elves or gremlins) was bound by an ancient convention of magic that forced them to answer truthfully any inquiry posed by a questioner three times.

Hilter certainly hoped his other-worldly analog was something of greater significance than a faerie. His ego briefly entertained the notion that he might be a demi-god, or at least some sort of lesser demon. (Of course, the latter implied he was evil and Hilter, while certainly no saint, felt he had planted his feet firmly in the amorphous moral no man's land that was the "shades of gray") Allowing from some realism (though the term seemed hackneyed, as he was considering a fictional world with imaginary characters) he decided he was more of a manipulative warlock, or necromancer. At minimum he would settle for a shapeshifting herald.

Seamus Arliss had not asked the question three times in an attempt to invoke forces of the arcane that would compel Hilter to answer his question. Still...

To any query thrice asked, a response without slander must be had.

"My political move to be Overliege of Ukio, and to petitionto the assembly for membership in the League is true."

Uttering the sentence was not revealing anything that he had not already said to the man seat across from him, though it was certainly much more direct.

What Seamus Arliss might not realize was that aforementioned sprites, knowing of their compulsion, had become masters at answering truthfully without necessarily telling the truth. Though it reinforced his mental image of himself as a daintly winged faerie, he given a response that he felt might become one of the imaginary creatures.

"So now that I have slipped, at least temporarily, out of Simon Kaine's noose of chains, tell me Seamus what political use you have for the human leader of an alien world whose inhabitants were once duped into surrendering their heavily defended world to a single Imperial Star Destroyer?"

Arliss was amused.


"My, what high expectations you have Hilter. To expect your non-combatants to come up with a strategy to thward the late Grand Admiral Thrawn himself. Nevermind that Thrawn had the advantage of planning, plotting and strategizing whereas the Overliege of Ukio at the time had only moments to react. Nevermind that what your people were experiencing was to them an impossibility. How could a single Imperator fire through fully charged planetary shields? Besides, if your people had stood firm against Thrawn, they planet could have been reduced to ashes. The fact that you actually have something to govern and lord over demonstrates the wise common sense thinking of your people back then."


He sat back giving a content sigh for the moment. "Your political value to me only comes from your entry into the League of Nations. I think that with work and with strategic diplomacy, Ukio has a prime opportunity to become very large, very influential part of the leadership in this organization. And should your views and desires differ from those of Simon Kaine's, he may try to discredit you and your leadership through your former GLF ties.

But if your petition, as you say, is true then the destruction of Belgardi will not only not affect you but discrediting you becomes far harder to accomplish. The one thing the League is extremely sensitive about right now is terrorist acts for one such act nearly destroyed the Anselmi.

If Ukio captures the leadership privilege of the League, it opens up a vast array of opportunities."

His eyes watched Hilter digest this...