Chapter 10: Three Things
A sudden wave of cold came from Primidian as his eyes blazed with fury; in a dangerous but calm voice he responded slowly, “Do not assume my service to the Emperor was because of belief in his rule. Not everyone had the luxury of fleeing to the outer rim.” His eyes locked onto hers without wavering, “ Some of us found the only way we could help end the tyranny of the Empire was dedicating our lives to changing it from within.” His anger slowly subsided as his expression grew tired, “I have spent my entire life hoping to one day see the renewal of a united and peaceful galaxy. So please, don't call me a hypocrite?”
Rey was more than stunned by these words. She had never even considered what the man just said possible. Resisting the Empire not by fighting but by reforming it from the inside out. It made sense; it sounded so logical, even too logical. She found her voice and asked, “If so many of you felt this way, then why did nothing change.”
Primidian rubbed his head, looking weary, and responded, “The Emperor ensured that. Most people who thought the same as me were killed or banished to places where we couldn't interfere with his plans.”
Rey began to view the admiral in a new light, dependent on whether his words were truthful. She sighed, “I can’t entirely agree with you, but it’s in the past.” After a pause, she added, “I assume if you’re bringing this up, then you have a plan.”
The Admiral nodded, “If there's one thing that can reverse the situation, it’s…”
He paused, waiting for Rey to fill in the blank, clearly trying to gauge her understanding of the situation. The Jedi Master, who has spent less than a year engaged in galactic political office, hesitantly answered, “The Force?”
Primidian looked exasperated and then corrected her, “Public Opinion.” He gestured to the map and continued, “None of this matters if we can convince enough people that peace is the correct path.”
Rey nodded, still a little lost but open to new knowledge. She inquired, “But people already want peace?”
The Admiral raised an eyebrow, “Do they?” He continued shaking his head, “Consider Didi. She could be considered a moderate within my faction. Consider your Rebel friends. If I put the average New Republic citizen in the same room as someone from the core worlds, the result would not be peaceful.” With a sigh, he finished, “The only reason fighting has yet to start is that the Corporate Alliance has acted as a barrier between these cultures.”
Not entirely without wisdom, Rey was able to find the hidden meaning in his words and clarified, “Has been, mean it won’t for much longer.”
Primidian appeared pleased by her intelligent conclusion, though his expression grew grim once more as he nodded, “Indeed. It's a poorly kept secret that the New Republic aims to build a fleet. Once the Corporate Alliance agrees to help finance it, their neutrality will be broken. They will fracture, and the last barrier to open conflict will be no more.”
The conversation thus far had been an emotional rollercoaster from the beginning. However, Rey still found herself shocked by the certainty of the admiral's claim. To her knowledge, the Corporate Alliance was as solid as a rock. Both the Remnant Generals and the New Republic had tried to woo them for two straight years with no signs of any bias. She couldn't help but blurt out, “Then why would they finance the fleet if it would destroy themself. Wouldn't neutrality make them more in the long run?”
Primidian sighed at this diversion from his original subject of public opinion, though held up two fingers, “Firstly, the Corporate Alliance may appear united, but each of the seven main companies still prioritizes their own survival above anything.” He lowered his hand and concluded, “As for why they seek their own destruction, it is because their profits are about to dry up.” Rey’s confused expression led the man to add, “As a sign of good faith, I'll inform you that the production capacity of the core worlds will soon exceed that of the Corporate Alliance. Once we no longer depend on them for resources, they will not be able to sustain their unscrupulous business practice.” The door to the dining room opened, and the R3 unit rolled in with a try upon its head, attracting the Admiral’s attention. Watching the food arrive, he finished, “Their ship is already sinking; the rats are just trying to escape with as much as they can carry.”
The tray was slid onto the table, bearing two plates, two glasses, and silverware. Rey ignored the food and objected to Primdian's statement, “Then it is your faction's fault that conflict is unavoidable.”
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The admiral took his plate containing a slice of mineral bead, a most simple and nearly tasty foodstuff. He then drank from his glass of water and responded to the indignant Jedi, “ Is it wrong for people to try and rebuild after a catastrophe. In the last year, we have not constructed any new weapon foundries or the like. We have expanded agriculture, construction, public medicine, and the like. I can’t stop people from trying to live better lives just as I can't stop the Corporations from being spineless weasels.”
He stopped talking to take a bit of his food as the Jedi eyed her plate and begrudgingly took it from the tray. Rey took her time slicing the pleasant-looking fruit while trying to gather her thoughts. After taking a bite, she finally responded, “I really don't see how public opinion can change anything.” Her expression grew sad and disappointed, “It seems war truly is inevitable.”
Primidian shook his head at this, “You’ve underestimated one thing...” Rey looked at the man with thoughtful but listless eyes. He smiled and then finished, “Hope.” He put down his silverware and elaborated, “When the resistance sent out its beacon at Exogal, thousands responded not just because it was for the right cause but because it was the right time. At these upcoming peace talks, we must achieve something several magnitudes greater. We must send out a message to every world of every system that peace is possible. If we all work together.”
Rey’s eyes lit up at this hope flickering in them, and asked, “But how? All communication channels are regulated. It is nearly impossible to get real-time or unfiltered news these days.”
The Admiral nodded and smiled, “Which is why timing is important.” He continued to elaborate, “It just so happens several significant events have foreshadowed these peace talks. The first graduating class of the New Galactic Academy. The end of the transition phase to New Credits. As well as the end of the first Galactic Science Expo in decades.” With an energetic tone, he continued, “Each event has set off waves in different communities, spreading a message of unity. Right now, momentum is on our side.” With a knowing look, he finished, “And due to the schedule being pushed forward. These peace talks just so happen to end on Empire Day. At that time, all the core worlds will tune in for the Honor Call while the New Republic will be celebrating the fall of the Empire. That's an estimated coverage of 70% of the galaxy.”
Rey’s eyes lit up as she began to realize despite how hopeless the situation appeared, there were powerful forces moving beneath the surface for the sake of peace. She smiled genuinely at this and nodded, “You said the Force brought us together for us to prepare. What did you mean by that?”
Primidian smiled back, “The result of the peace talks, for now, is already decided; everyone will obfuscate. What we must use this opportunity for is to reach the hearts of the people. If we succeed and with proper nurturing, these talks will be the seed that will one day grow and bloom into peace. My allies and I have already prepared a number of displays in hopes of achieving this, but nothing could compare to you.”
The Jedi blinked at this and asked for verification, “Me.”
The admiral nodded, “You are the most famous and infamous person in the galaxy right now. Everyone will listen to your words.”
Rey shook her head at this, “You can't be serious.”
Primidian chuckled at this and responded, “I'm afraid it’s true…” His expression now grew serious once more, “Which is why I need three things from you.”
The man paused, waiting for Rey to respond. She finished her fruit before nodding, “What three things.”
He sighed and spoke slowly, “I first need you to apologize.” Rey’s expression grew surprised, then focused again at this Primidian and continued, “Right now, my faction, excluding the radials, both hates and loves you. They hate you for defeating them and love you for bringing down the False Empires. To send an effective message, I need you to accept an unfair burden of blame and scrutiny. If you are the one that lowers your head first and offers the olive branch, then the foundation of our peace talks will be unshakable.”
Rey felt pain in her heart, though she tried to keep an open mind, “Alright, what's after this.”
Primidian nodded solemnly, “I need you to lie.” He breathed in, then explained, “ A united society can not endure two versions of the truth. I need you to agree publicly that the Emperor died on the Second Death Star. Push all the blame for the First Order onto Snoke and Kylo Ren. Vilify them and acknowledge the Old Empire as a benevolent government, imperfect yes, but ultimately only wanted peace and order.” Rey’s face went extremely sour at this, to which the man began to almost plead, “The truth is a small price to pay for what we seek. A 1000 years from now, will anyone care whose fault the war was… No, but if we can create a lasting peace like the Old Republic that stands for centuries by telling a simple lie, is it not worth it.”
The Jedi was now very tense and rescinded uncomfortably, “Ok, and your third need.”
Primidian sighed, knowing what he was about to ask was the hardest challenge of all. Slowly and meticulously, he admitted, “I need the Jedi Order to retire from politics.” In response to Rey’s blank face, he continued, “ Excuse yourself and your disciples from the Galactic stage and embrace hermithood.”
Rey lurched to her feet and blurted, “Impossible.”
The man looked helpless as he continued, meeting her eyes, “Isn't seclusion what you were seeking. A quiet place to build your temple and pass on teachings.” With pleading eyes, he begged, “So long as you help me, I can assure you the Jedi Order will rise again...” With a fervent gaze, he implored her, “Rey, together we can change the future.”