Niathal got up and walked around the table, looking at the holochart from various angles. “And are you breaching the Verpine patents?”
“We don’t think so,” said the Senator. “But the products are very … similar.”
“You see, I’m not sure we should commit troops to trade disputes. This war is about the responsibility of member planets to commit military resources to common defense. That’s one reason why the former Chief of State is formerbecause he was ready to concede part of that principle.”
“As a member of the GA, we expect support when attacked.”
“Roche is a neutral world,” Jacen pointed out. “If you were attacked, we’d have to assess the situation, but I feel this has to be referred to the interplanetary civil courts first.”
“So you’re saying we’re on our own.”
Jacen would play the nice officer today. Niathal was doing a fine job of being the nasty one. “I’m saying that you should try to resolve this dispute by other means rather than escalate straight to saber rattling. But …” He thought about the talk of a new Mandalorian assault fighter. It was interesting enough on its own, but if it was a collaboration with the Verpine, the GA needed to get an idea of what
it could do. He decided to disagree with Niathal. “But perhaps the presence of a GA squadron and frigate might make Roche more willing to sit down and discuss the matter again.”
Niathal turned her head very slowly to stare at Jacen. He knew the risk he was taking.
“If we have spare resources, then we’ll consider it,” she said.
“Roche warned us that it’ll take direct action if we don’t cease production of the disputed products.” Ekhat looked at all three of them pointedly in sequence as if defying them to say the word no out loud. Then she stood and picked up her folio case. “So sooner rather than later, please, or you’ll lose another Rim world. And I don’t mean resignation.”
G’Sil watched Ekhat stalk out, then shrugged. “So much for the Mandalorian threat making the little planets rush to our protective arms, Cha.”
“They did rush,” Niathal said. “And that’s the problem. If we’re seen deploying a Star Destroyer every time some member state has a local disagreement, we’ll open the floodgates, not that they’re not starting to open already. Policy is to concentrate on breaking the big boys who won’t play by GA rules, or we’ll be putting out fires across the galaxy for decades to come.” Jacen braced for impact. “And, Colonel Solo, you will not commit fleet resources like that without discussing the matter with me.”
“I didn’t commit anything. I just stated the obvious.”
“And I didn’t agree to it, either.”
“Wouldn’t it be useful to have an excuse to wander out to the Rim and take a look at those new Mandalorian fighters?”
“If they’ve built any yet.”
“I say commit a couple of nights if we can’t spare a complete squadron. If we move one of the frigates out from Bothan space, that’ll bring it within range of Murkhana, at a stretch.”
“Are you sure you want to provoke Mandalore?” G’Sil asked. “It’s got that extra personal dimension now, and the last thing we need is Fett making this a vendetta against the rest of the GA. His neutrality has been a bonus, to be honest.”
“I’m well aware that Fett has neither gone away nor forgotten his daughter,” Jacen said. “But he’s far too smart to waste his troops to fight a personal feud.”
Mandalore was always a problem: always had been, always would be. It wasn’t big enough to be a galactic threat, but wasn’t small enough to dismissor remove.
Tough on chaos, and the causes of chaos.
It was being the third element in a universe of pairs that made Mandalorians disruptive. The universe was binary, bipolar, ruled by the balance between opposites, whether that was dark and light or action and reaction. It couldn’t accommodate that extra pole and remain orderly. Mandalorians were an inherently destabilizing influence.
“Are you still with us, Jacen?” G’Sil asked. “You look distracted.”
“Just wishing the Mandalorians would go away.”
“Pay them to stay at home,” said Niathal, gathering up her datapads to leave. “That’s the permanent solution. As long as they have the occasional therapeutic fight to work off their aggression, they’ll be happy. And that’s just the females.” She headed for the door. “I have fleet commanders to brief. Shame we can’t approach Fett to see if he’s changed his mind about staying out of the fighting.”