“How did you—” Jabba began, stung, then he subsided into silence. So what if he’d taken a few hours off to amuse himself? He’d been up at dawn, working with the clerical droids and scribes on Desilijic’s financial records, getting them in order so he could prepare a complete report on the implications of the new Besadii price hikes.
“I have my ways, Nephew,” Jiliac said. “But of course I don’t begrudge you your leisure time. All work and no amusement makes for a dull Hutt indeed.
However, in turn, I expect you to respect my need to be with my baby.”
“Yes, Aunt. I do. Of course I do,” Jabba said, seething inwardly.
Hastily, he changed the subject. “I believe Besadii should be called to account for these increases in the cost of their spice. It is possible that we may be able to rouse the other clans against them.”
“To what purpose?”
“Possibly official censure and a fine. I have heard enough grumbling among the other clans to suggest that they are suffering from this price increase nearly as much as Desilijic. It is worth a try. Aunt, can you request that the Hutt Grand Council call a meeting of the kajidic leaders?”
Jiliac nodded, evidently wishing to be conciliatory, too. “Very well, Jabba. I will request such a meeting before the end of the week.”
Jiliac was as good as her word, and three days later, Jabba, along with the Desilijic bodyguards, undulated into the huge Hutt Grand Council chamber. All representatives or leaders of the Hutt crime syndicates, or kajidics, as they were called, passed through multiple scanning and security devices in order to be allowed to enter, as did their bodyguards.
Nothing that could be deemed a weapon was permitted inside. Hutts were not trusting sentients …. Jabba took his place in the location allotted to the Desilijic members, and cautioned the other representatives to allow him to do the talking.
As Jiliac’s top lieutenant, he had that right, and they readily agreed. Jabba noted that even his parent, Zorba, had sent a representative. The two of them were not close, but it was comforting to know that Desilijic was well-represented, and that all of the Clan families had taken Jiliac’s summons seriously.
When the representatives of all the kajidics were present, the Executive Secretary of the Grand Council, a recent appointee named Grejic, called the meeting to order.
“Comrades-in-power, siblings-in-profit, I have convened you today to discuss concerns raised by Desilijic. I ask Jabba, Desilijic’s representative, to speak.”
Jabba wriggled out in front of Grejic’s dais and lifted his arms for quiet. When the other Hutts continued to whisper to each other, he raised his tail and brought it down against the stone floor with a loud slap.
Silence ensued.
“Fellow Hutts, I come to you today with some serious allegations of wrongdoing on the part of Besadii kajidic. Over the past year, their actions have grown more and more reprehensible. It all started with the Battle of Nar Shaddaa. All of us suffered because of that attack—except Besadii. We lost ships, pilots, cargoes, part of the Moon’s shield—not to mention how much trade we lost! And then there was the aftermath of the battle. The loss of part of Nar Shaddaa’s shield caused the destruction of several blocks of buildings from the crash of the Peacekeeper. Cleanup and reconstruction is still going on. And who has paid for it? Each clan lost property and credits–except Besadii. And they alone—they who suffered no loss, who could most afford it—they have paid nothing! We have all suffered and lost—except Besadii!”
The other Hutts murmured to each other when Jabba paused. He looked over at the section of floor reserved for Besadii, and saw that Durga had not deigned to appear. Instead he had sent Zier and several lesser members of the kajidic as his representatives.
“And what did Besadii do while Nal Hutta was threatened? They sold slaves to the very Empire that was attacking their homeworld! All of the clans cooperated in paying the credits for the exorbitant bribe of Admiral Greelanx—which proved to be the only thing that saved our world from a devastating embargo. All of the clans, that is …
except Besadii.”
The other Hutts murmured muted affirmatives. Jabba was proud of the way his speech was going. He was verging on true eloquence, he thought, and even Jiliac, acknowledged orator that she was, could not have done better.
He was actually glad that Jiliac had been too occupied with her baby to appear today. She wasn’t as versed in all of this as he was, and things didn’t affect her these days the way they used to ….
“And in the months since that battle, fellow Hutts, what has Besadii done?