"Talerrus," Darth Sidious asked, "what do you make of Ryloth's 'Spring Thunder'?"
"The Mandalorians are just the fighters on stage. The Corellians are the directors behind the curtain. The corporations and politicians in Coronet City were deeply involved. With Ryloth as a forward base, the Corellians can reach Arkanis in three days, and Tatooine in five. My assessment is that Corellia's next target is Tatooine."
"After Bespin was ambushed by the Hutts, the Corellians have been looking for a chance to retaliate. Tatooine lies far from Hutt Space and sits on the outermost edge of Hutt influence. For Corellia, it's the best target for striking back."
"Bespin… Ryloth…" Darth Sidious let out a cold snort. "And what do you think of Corellia's ambitious Diktat?"
"He is our 'friend.' Corellia is a shipbuilding titan and a major transit hub. What Corellia does draws far more attention than anything in the Outer Rim. His showmanship provides excellent cover for our moves out here."
"Talerrus, your judgment is correct at the strategic level." Darth Sidious lifted his chin slightly, a sharp gleam flaring in his eyes. "But do not ignore details just because the direction is right. Tatooine and Ryloth are too close to Geonosis. Those two worlds must either be ours, or remain as they are—backwater and undeveloped. They must not fall into anyone else's hands."
"As you will, my master."
"Do not act immediately," Darth Sidious cautioned. "Wait until the noise dies down and no one is paying attention. And do not move troops from Geonosis."
"Yes, my master." Darth Talerrus bowed his head. "I will identify suitable candidates and, at the proper time, ignite a proxy conflict."
"Rise." Sidious used the Force to lift his apprentice. "And the young Vizsla—how did he perform?"
"He once again showed remarkable skill at creating opportunities and seizing them. But he seems… too influenced by the Jedi at the moment."
"Oh?"
"When the Zygerrian slavers used Twi'leks as human shields, Max Vizsla halted orbital bombardment immediately and ordered his forces to shift to ground operations."
"Hmm." Sidious snorted. "Soft-hearted. Sentimental. Very Jedi. But the tighter his bond with that 'Jedi flower' becomes, the closer he moves toward the dark side. The Jedi Temple will do part of our work for us."
…
On the evening of Galactic Standard Year 5, Month 4, Day 13, the Jedi diplomatic envoy—Master Phin-Law Wo and her Padawan—arrived in Lessu, capital of Ryloth.
Before the first handshake, Phin-Law Wo noticed Max glance at her apprentice twice. Smiling, she introduced her directly.
"Lord Vizsla—do you know this young woman?"
"Good evening, Lord Vizsla." The young human woman stepped forward confidently and offered her hand. "I'm Jedi Padawan Minas Velti. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure's mine." Max smiled and shook her hand. He was sure he'd seen her somewhere before, but he couldn't place it in the moment.
After releasing Minas's hand, Max turned to Master Wo. "Not an old acquaintance, but the more I look, the more familiar she feels. Maybe the Force is telling me Minas and I will end up as good friends."
"Minas is an outstanding young Jedi," Wo said, clearly proud. "When we return to the Coruscant Temple, she'll be promoted to a full Jedi Knight."
"Then congratulations." Max nodded to Minas. "Ryloth's at peace now. At least we didn't end up creating trouble for you two."
"Lord Vizsla." Master Wo stopped walking and spoke with measured gravity. "This is not peace. It's a ceasefire. You chose violence to solve problems, but violence doesn't solve problems. Violence met with violence only escalates—until it invites an even more violent retaliation."
Max waved a hand. "It won't. I trust the Jedi—guardians of peace—will prevent any retaliatory violence against Ryloth. Right?"
"I—"
"Let me finish." Max cut in smoothly. "The Ryloth government has formally submitted a request to the Jedi Order: to establish one or more Jedi outposts on Ryloth, to bring light and peace to this impoverished, struggling Outer Rim world."
"You're trying to use the Jedi Order."
"The Jedi Order once destroyed the Zygerrians' slave empire and freed countless beings. So why was Ryloth left out? Why were Zygerrian slavers allowed to prey on Ryloth for thousands of years? Is Ryloth unworthy of the light side's protection?"
"The galaxy is vast," Master Wo began, "and the Republic has thousands of member worlds, systems, and organizations—over a million inhabited planets within its borders. Yet the Jedi number only a little over ten thousand…"
Max cut her off again.
"So in the end, Ryloth isn't worth it, is that it? When the people of Ryloth were oppressed, the Jedi 'didn't have the bandwidth.' When the people of Ryloth finally stood up and fought back, suddenly the Jedi had time to send you two. Selective availability—what do you call that?"
"Lord Vizsla, please don't get worked up. Calm yourself."
Max's posture gave Master Wo a headache. Her team had another temporary task on Ryloth: to bring Aayla Secura back to the Coruscant Temple for review. The High Council suspected Aayla's role in the recent Ryloth crisis wasn't as clean as it looked.
If the Mandalorian in front of her learned that, things would get messy.
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