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Amaer Kre Fey

1 3:33am 20/06/03

Dropping from hyperspace, the Bothan Assualt Cruiser Subterfuge was as smooth as silk, its large mass disturbing in only the slightest as it engaged its sublight engines, and began manuvering toward the planet that lay before. Crewed completly by Bothans, from the command staff to the fighter pilots down to even the matinence staff and other non essential workers, the Subterfuge was the current pride of Bothuwai, the first of many ships for a newly revitilized species.

The sight of the furry crew in crisp new unifroms moing about the bridge was something to behold, at least to Amaer Kre Fey's eyes. The entire crew was of his fellow Bothans, something which brought joy to his heart. For to long, Bothans had been working under the thumb of a larger force, be it the Rebellion, the New Republic or at some points even the Empire. For too long the Bothans had submitted to their secondary place in the galaxy, using their unique services for others and supressing their own ability to flourish. Thi attitude was no longer. The clan leaders on Bothuwai had changed, a newer, younger generation was coming into power, and althougth the traditions that had been around for centuries would continue on Bothuwai, the Bothan stance toward the galaxy would not stay static.

The new bothan outlook would be progressive- a united Bothan race, an expansionist group that would colonize and push its boundries, one which would have enough power, but visible and secret to stand alone, devoid of help from any alliance or governemtn who merley wished to use the Bothans talents for their own purposes. No, this situation was different, and the ball was rolling, the wheels in motion, the begginnings of the new Bothan society lay ahead.

Kothlis While Bothuwai may be the homeworld of the Bothans, Kothlis was the key to Bothan prominence. The homeworld of the late Borsk Fe'lya, Kothlis had been purchased by the Combind Clans from a mining company whose estimates on Kothlis's ore had been a bit too optimistic. 3 high clans: the Alya, the Balya, and Ilya had been chosen to colonize the world, and it had been restricted to members of these to fill the population of Kothlis. It was on Kothlis where the Bothan spynet gained much needed information, as they ran an enourmous and advanced slicing operation from this world.

It was for those reason and more that he, and his comrades were here today. While the progressives had control of Bothuwai, and the populace was behind them, Kothlis had not yet embraced the new style of thinking. Their mission was simple, yet expectingly difficult- Bothan politic were the most dangerous and advanced form in the galaxy. The Subterfuge had been sent, for fear that members of one of the Kothlis Clans would attempt to destroy anything smaller, killing the ambassadors then blaming it on a rival clan, to gain political power. And this scenerio involved merely getting to the semi-tropical colony world.

"ETA in 25 standard minutes"

The computerized voice was articulated and smooth but decidedly Bothan, another feature of the Subterfuge complete Bothan assortment.

25 minutes, then it all begins.

It would be a simple moment, but one that much further down the line would have shattering consequences. Bothans had a way about them, getting involved in things. changing the course of the galaxy- and this new Bothan style would hardly be different...

Askar Vrikre

2 2:40pm 23/06/03

The Subterfuge was indeed a beatiful ship, especially when compared to the ugly, angular vessels used by the Imperial Forces, or the hammerheaded Corellian Vessels. Possibly the only vessels in the galaxy that were more graceful, more beautiful, were those created by the Mon Calamari, long acknowledged as the builders of the most elegant ships in the galaxy.
Askar reflected upon this as he sat upon the bridge of the Subterfuge, slightly behind and to the left of Amaer Kre Fey, in deference to the other Bothan's seniority. Silently, he read over the reports on the military forces on Kothilis, provided, as one would expect, by the Bothans under his command in the Spynet, before comparing them to the reports on the current status of the military forces on Bothawui, his homeworld. He had no doubts that someone would be doing something similar down on Kothilis, the planet was, after all, inhabited by Bothans, and their method of operating was the same as that of their cousins from Bothawui, even though they were seperated by the vast darkness of space.
Like his leader, he too was considering the possibility oh an ambush once the Subterfuge dropped out of hyperspace, but he was quite sure that the Subterfuge would be more than capable of handling anything that the clans of Kothilis had in their possession. With a quiet sigh, he placed the datacard containing the military reports down, before consulting a screen displaying the ETA of the Subterfuge. Another twenty minutes until we arrive. Excellent, I can use that time to review the current political situation on Kothilis once more. These reports on clan Alya's leader trouble me. Stroking his whiskers thoughtfully, he sorted through a stack of datacards in a holding rack by his side, before selecting one labeled simply 'Salin Tre'vey' and entering his personal enryption key. Instantly, the datacard began to display the entire database record on Salin Tre'vey, current leader of clan Alya, complete with holo-representation. I suspect that if we have any major problems, they will come from this one. He seems to have a strong dislike of Bothans from clans other than Alya, Balya and Ilya.

Traest Fey lya

3 5:45pm 23/06/03

Admiral Traest Fey'lya, unlike Amar and Askar was moving about the bridge constantly, his fur a unique silvery grey compared to the more common tan and cream colors of the Subterfuge's crewmen. It currently rippled in a way showing his content to make sure everything was running as it should to ensure that there was no foul play that would happen due to the Kothlis Bothans and their chunk of the Bothan Spynet.

Traest's soul purpose for being here was to ensure that he could convince the Kothlis military forces to support the union between the two Bothan worlds to bring their species closer together. Traest had to ensure that the Kothlis military would accept and if necessary help him in coup to remove the current Clan Chief who ruled Kothlis so as to bring them into the fold of a united species.

Influence was everything to Bothans and Traest was a pure example of that. His family was currently stomped upon by others even in his own clan because there was no powerful presence left since the death of Borsk, but the Fey'lyas were permitting this to happen so that they could get into positions other Bothans would not, mainly the military. Most Bothans usually preferred much more secretive ways, but the NEW Fey'lya family was out to gain influence militarilly, a way few Bothans had ever thought of before. So far it worked well since Traest was currently in charge of Combined Bothan Military Forces, which put him in a position of great influence, even over Amar.

"Status report," Traest demanded from his second in command, Captain Resh Fey'lya, a fellow member of the Fey'lya family.

"We will be arriving at Kothlis in Ten minutes, sir."

"What do we know about the Kothlis military forces, Captain?" Traest asked as he now turned his attention to Resh.

"Mainly craft of alien build: Corellian Corevettes and such. Nothing as large as a Bothan Assault Cruiser. They probably know of this ship but can't manufacture it."

"Good, this will cause them to have fear and we'll use that fear to our advantage. They won't touch us while this ship is here since they don't know what it can do," Traest said as he turned his attention to other reports that were coming up on the screens. Everything seemed to be running well right now and he needed to be ready to go down to the world once they arrived, so as to address the issue of unification as well as pulling the Kothlis Defence Force into the CBMF.

Askar Vrikre

4 8:04pm 24/06/03

Askar glanced up at Traest with casual irritation, finding the silver-furred admiral's constant movement to be distracting when he was trying to concentrate on the information regarding the clan leaders down on Kothilis. For a moment, he pauses, trying to determine whether it would be best to wait on the Subterfuge's bridge until Admiral Traest had confirmed that no threats were awaiting them in orbit, or if he should procede down to the shuttle bay so that he could depart as soon as they reached the planet.
It didn't take him long to decide, for he quickly realised that even if the Clans of Kothilis had an ambush prepared for the Bothawui delegation, he would be of little use on the bridge - a feeling that Admiral Fey'lya would undoubtedly have agreed with if the cream-furred Bothan had bothered to ask him. Slowly, Askar rose to his feet, before turning to an aide, a female of his own family whom he had personally seconded from the diplomatic corps, who stood patiently by the turbolift and speaking, his voice revealling none of his concern about how this mission would fare,
"Karin, gather up these reports and have them moved down to my personal shuttle. And tell the pilot to prepare for launch as soon as we reach Kothilis."
The female bothan nodded with a respectful smile, before moving to take hold of the datacard holder and the few lose datacards near Askar's chair, while Askar himself walked slowly over to Admiral Fey'lya. Once he was within five paces of the admiral, Askar stopped, then spoke, keeping his tone respectful, as befitted a guest upon the admiral's flagship.
"Admiral Fey'lya, I am going to prepare my shuttle for launch now. Keep me informed of any developments that might ffect our mission."
With that, he turned, inclining his head slightly in a respectful nod to the silent form of Amaer, before continuing on his way to the turbolift that would take him down to the shuttle bay. As he approachesd it, the doors slid open with a quiet hiss, allowing him to enter before sliding shut again. He half-smiled as he remembered the sorry state of the Bothan Navy until Admiral Fey'lya had taken command of it. Back then, the Botahn military had been ridiculed throughout the galaxy, for almost every system had a more highly developed defense force than them Even the Wookies had a better defence fleet that us back then...but now....things have changed now. No longer can they laugh at us. Soon we will show them that the Bothan Race is worthy of their respect!, his face darkened as these thoughts ran through his mind, reminding him of the oppression and prejudice he'd encountered while travelling the galaxy.
However, as the doors to the shuttle-hanger hissed open, his face was calm once again. Afterall, he was trained as a diplomat and a spy and if there was only one thing that each of those professions taught you, it was how to hide your emotions. Silently, he walked through the bay, examining the few shuttles in the bay with indifference, only truly concerned about the one that would take his team and himself down the summit that had been arranged many days ago.
"Over here, Arbitrator."
The familiar voice caused him to smile, before turning to regard Karin Vri'kre as she strode towards him from a shuttle located near the centre of the hanger bay. Shaking his head slightly, he ran a hand through his cream-coloured fur, before speaking again, in slightly reprimanding tones,
"I could almost be certain i told you not to use that title. It's nothing but a relic of the past anyway, strictly honourary, with no real power behind it."
"Sorry sir, but if you don't have an official title, the Kothilis clans might have less respect for you."
"Very well then...but make a note to find out what an Arbitrator actually did when we get back to Bothawui."
Ignoring Krin's amused smile, the young Bothan turned slightly to look at the shuttle that would take him down to Kothilis, before nodding. It wasn't the most extravagent looking shuttle he'd ever seen, but it was probably comfortable enough. Besides, it wouldn't do to get too comfortable. That might result in his muscles getting lethargic or cramped, a problem which he really didn't want to deal with on the short shuttle flight. Silently, he began to walk towards the shuttle, checking his commlink's time display as he did so. Less than 5 minutes until arrival...

Amaer Kre Fey

5 12:13am 30/06/03

Bothan politics even among clan members, "friends" and especially enemies is an intense game of cloak and dagger parinoia.

That statment is the epitamey of an important bothan's life. No matter who you are, you think your the most important, and that everyone else is out to get you because your the most important. This is possibly the reason why the Bothan have never before developed into a major 'power' in the galaxy- despite their superior intellegence on their enemies- political standing often paralyized the Bothans, and allowed their less informed opponents to have time to recover and win- whether it be in military conflict, a building contract or any other competition.Hopefully, if Amaer played his cards right, that would change.

A military man himself, Amaer had hated being dependent on subsidies from larger groups to keep the Bothans protected. He saw the potential in the race that he was apart of, yet he saw the many stumbling blocks to their greatness- and it made him come up with an idea. Rather than attempt to change Bothan nature, which would be impossible- why not channel the secrecy and hatred away from internal politics and out toward galactic politics. Although he hated to call it "bigotry" the main idea was that to make the Bothan Race strong by channeling internal conflicts into external conflicts. Hopefully, over time, a sense of "nationalism"- or rather "specisism" would develop, where Bothans could be wary of influences from outsiders, such as power hungry humans, and channel their considerable "hatred" in that direction- while "promoting" species who helped the Bothan cuase. Cruel if you were being hated- but better than the constant internal strife that was always splitting the Bothans apart.

Of course, if this thing falls apart here...

Snapped back from his ideological thoughts, Amaer heard the Bothan voice of the Subterfuge's main computer speak,

"Holding course outside of Kothlis defensive net- hailing defensive clans and preparing to launch diplomatic shuttle."

So it begins.

If something went wrong here, Amaer would not be in danger for his life. Traest was a suberb tactican and Subterfuge a much more deadly ship than any thing the Kothlis clans would have, but his progressive bothan movement would be ruined, and the chances for a powerful Bothan controled regoin which affected the galaxy on its own would be lost forever.

Amaer mumbled,

"Don't screw up Askar."

Askar Vrikre

6 8:31pm 30/06/03

Even as Amaer mumbled these words, Askar's shuttle was departing from the main shuttle bay, far below the Subterfuge's main bridge. Almost immediately, a pair of X-Wings, probably surpluss Republic stock, shot past the Kothlis defense perimeter on a course that would cause them to intercept the shuttle close to 250 metres away from the Subterfuge. Inside the shuttle, the flight crew worked quickly, but without panic as they attempted to contact the approaching X-Wings, completely ignoring Askar, until he rose to his feet and took the com from the young communications officer. Frowning in irritation, he began to speak, addressing the two incoming pilots and any other military forces in the area,
"This is Dr. Askar Vri'kre, ambassador from the clans of Bothawui, aboard the shuttle 'Fey'lya Pride'. I am aware of your approaching fighters and demand to know what their purpose is. If you do not respond, I will have no choice but to order the Subterfuge to fire on them."
This was a bold statement, especially as he could, of course, do no such thing - the continued good relations between the clans on Bothawui and Kothlis was more important than the survival of one shuttle full of Bothans...even if one of them was the head of the Combined Clans of Bothawui's R&D division, as well as a powerful operative in the Bothan Spynet. Fortunately for him, and the rst of his crew, however, the commanding officer of the two X-Wings apparently didn't feel like seeing if Askar was bluffing, for he responded quickly, his tone pleasant, yet authorative,
"Dr. Vri'kre, this is Captain Laryn Reo'kyn of the light escort carrier Pride. The X-Wings have been assigned to escort you down to the planet's surface, since it is..dangerous...to drift off course when trying to land at our primary spaceport."
A hint of a threat was noticable in the Captain's words as he explained why Askar's shuttle had been assigned an escort without the Bothawui delegation being consulted or even informed before hand. If the inhabitants of Kothlis had been of any other species, he could have dismissed it as a mere oversight, but Bothans didn't overlook things such as that, so Askar had no choice but to consider the possibility that the X-Wings had been sent to intimidate - or eliminate - the primary delegation, including Askar himself. Sighing inwardly, he turned to the shuttle's pilot before speaking quietly,
"Follow te X-Wings, but if they try anything, I want you to break formation and contact the Subterfuge immediately."
"As you wish, sir. Will you be remaining here or returning to the passenger section of the shuttle?"
Askar detect a hint of bemusement in the pilot's voice, he obviously was more used to passengers who sat back in the passenger section and did nothing more than occasionally complain, rather than ones such as Askar who spent most of their time in the cockpit trying to solve any problems the shuttle encountered. For a moment, Askar deliberated upon this, before smiling thinly and answering,
"I believe I shall return to the passenger section. I have some more reports to read before I meet with the council of clan leaders."
"Very well, sir. I will keep you informed of all developments."
Askar caught the hint of relief in the pilot's voice as he exited the cockpit and stepped into the passenger section of the shuttle, where Karin sat patiently, the case containing the datacard reports balanced carefully on the chair beside her. As she caught sight of the Bothan diplomat entering, she smiled sweetly, before enquiring,
"Are you ready to continue studying these reports, doctor?"
pausing only to run a hand through his cream-coloured fur, Askar walked quickly over his adjudant, before sitting down next to her with a sigh,
"I always thought that I'd be more willing to read these reports as I got older. Unfortunately, it seems that was as much an illusion as some of the things the sith create."
With that, he took a datacard - this one containing data on the likely opposition to the merging of the clans of Bothawui and Kothlis - and began to study it, while his shuttle continued through the serene darkness of space, heading inexorably onwards towards the planet Kothlis.

Amaer Kre Fey

7 6:55pm 03/07/03

A tannish Bothan officer in millitary uniform coughed softly from behind Amaer, getting his attention. Amaer turned and looked up at one of the many new Bothan naval personale, crisp brand new uniforms and a ridgid stance that stoked the "speciesism" in Amaer's heart. Active in the new Bothan navy, Amaer saluted and his salute was returned- not a usual gesture on a ship where formalities were usually shunted- but Amaer had felt pride and thought Bothan in front of him deserved such respect.

The Bothan spoke,

"Arbitor Virkre's shuttle has departed the Subterfuge and is being escorted to Kothlis. He has asked that the ship stay on alert in case hostile action be taken against his shuttle."

Typical- and sad. When a diplomatic shuttle couldn't descend to the surface of a planet of the same race without fearing for its saftey, yet it was so commonplace in Bothan Space. This was what had to be refocused- Bothans could be wary of each other, but open hostility was something that need to be avoided. That hostility should be reserved for other creatures, such as humans, or hutts, or other undesirable species who had such terrible motives.

"Inform Admiral Fe'lya about the Arbitors request and have him take the nesseccary steps to ensure that we will be in optimium position to deal with any of our kothlis relatives who's motives are not pure."

The bothan saluted and went off to do his duty, and at that sight Amaer smiled...

Askar Vrikre

8 8:48pm 05/07/03

The journey down to the planet's surface was short and uneventful, yet Askar found it impossible to relax and pay full attention to the diplomatic reports after the initial contact with his 'escort'. Of course, this was to be expected, for Askar had been serving in the Bothan Spynet and Diplomatic service for over a decade and was well aware of the fact that when you became complacent, you became easy prey. Because of this, he spent much of his time aboard the shuttle glancing at his chronometer impatiently, rather than listening to Karin's final briefing. He'd heard it all before anyway.
As such, it wasn't surprising when he sighed in relief as the shuttle finally came in to land at the main spaceport on the planet Kothlis. From the spaceport, it was only a five minute hovercar drive to the conference center, but Askar wouldn't allow himself to relax before the conference was over. After all, Bothans were master of subterfuge and it was common practice to cause 'accidents' that incapacitated or even eliminated their opponents. Even so, getting off the slightly cramped shuttle came as a relief to Askar, for he had never been truly comfortable in the cramped interior of diplomatic shuttles...or any other shuttles for that matter. Perhaps this is where we can learn something from the Hutts. Their caravels are apparently quite comfortable...and they are generally well armed too. Much more preferrable than these irritatingly weak and outdataed Lambda-Class shuttles. As he made his way down the ramp, towards the waiting reception party comprised of representatives from each of the three major clans on Kothlis, he made a mental note to inform the clan council of his thoughts.
"Arbitor Vri'kre, I am Councilor Rel'yas. Welcome to Kothlis."
"Thank you, Councilor. It is a pleasure to be here."
"I turst your journey was uneventful?"
"Appart from a...slight...misunderstanding regarding my escort, everything went smoothly."
"Ah, that's excellent, Arbitor. Our transport will be here shortly, if you'd care to have a drink or something to eat while you wait...?"
"No, thank you councilor. I ate on the shuttle."
Perhaps the councilor thought Askar was a fool, or maybe he thought he was dealing with a rookie diplomat who had yet to learn the tricks of the trade, it was hard for Askar to decide, but the dissapointment on the older Bothan's face as Askar turned down his request was all the information Askar needed about the contents of the meal or drink he would have been served. Apparently the Bothans of Kothlis had continued the tradition of attempting to poison unwanted diplomats. It is a fine tradition, Askar reflected, Though somewhat expensive in terms of paying compensation to the governments of the dead ambassadors when performed on your own homeworld.

Askar Vrikre

9 9:33pm 08/07/03

As Askar's ever-so polite host had promised, the Bothawuian Delegation's transport did not take long to arrive at the spaceport. However, their departure was further delayed by my Askar's Bodyguard's refusal to allow the Bothan diplomat to enter the vehicle without it being thoroughly checked by both himself and another Bothan who had accompanied the delegation down to the planet's surface. Of course, they were both following orders Askar had given to them aboard the Subterfuge, for though he didn't trust his hosts, he had long ago learnt that insulting your host was almost as stupid as trusting them, especially if your mission was to persuade them to join you. As a result of this, his bodyguard had been tasked with examining everything on Kothlis that he was supposed to touch, often in the face of strong 'protests' from Askar. After all, it was often far easier to get people to forgive your servant's bad manners than it was your own.
Once the hover-cars had finally been declared safe for the Bothawuian delegation to travel in, the small party of Bothans from the Bothan homeworld divided themselves among the two vehicles, with Askar, his bodyguard and Karin taking the first vehicle and the rest of the delegation crowding into the second one. Councilor Rey'las quickly joined Askar in the first vehicle,a fact that reassured Askar more than any amount of scans for explosives ever would. While the Kothlis government probably would kill one of it's own councilors to ensure the removal of someone it percieved as a threat, it wouldn't be very likely that they would sacrifice someone as influential as a councilor. That could lead to economic or political repercussions that could cause severe problems for the remaining council members.
However, the councilor's presence did little to put Askar's bodyguard, Laryn Tre'sal and Karin at rest, though their reasons were very different. Laryn was constantly suspicious, that was his job, and at this point, he was wondering what the councilor's motive in riding in the same vehicle as Askar was. He would have contemplated the possibility that Rey'las was going to try and kill Askar, but for the fact that Bothan politicians always considered murder to be messy, especially when you had the option of getting an assassin to do the work while you sipped cocktails at a party half-way across the continent. Karin, on the other hand, was nervous because she had intended to give Askar his final briefing in the car, where he was unable to avoid her, but since Rey'las was there, she was unable to do so, a fact which would probably have pleased Askar if he'd known it. However, he didn't know this, and would have been unlikely to comment upon it in the presence of councilor Rey'las even if he did, so instead, the Bothawuian diplomat/spy made small talk with Councilor Rey'las, enquiring after the older Bothan's immediate family, before moving on to asking questions about his clan, questions that Askar was already fully aware of the answers to. At first, Rey'las seemed surprised by Askar's interest in his clan and answered defensively, but soon, he began to relax and talk freely, taking the cream-furred Bothan's interest as nothing more than friendly chatter, though in truth, it did have a purpose - to persuade the councilor that the Bothan from Bothawui was a friend instead of someone who wanted to take his power from him, which was what the councilor had originally feared. 'By the time we reach the conference center, this fool will be convinced that I'm his greatest friend and ally. Hopefully all of the council will be this easy to persuade', thought Askar, smiling inwardly as he half-paid attention to Councilor Trel'ith Rey'las reciting a story about when he brought his eldest son to the council chambers for the first time. 'Correction; they're easy to persuade, if you can stand listening to these pointless anecdotes.'

Askar Vrikre

10 3:20pm 13/07/03

Askar had rarely felt so bored as he did during the short journey between the spaceport and the council chambers. Compared to being trapped in a hovercar with Councilor Trel'ith Rey'las when he was in a storytelling mood, attending a seminar on the geology of Tatooine or some other barren rock was a exciting experince comparable to your first hyperspace jump. Because of this, Askar was tremendously relieved when the council chamers came into view, though his relief quickly turned into amusement as he saw what awaited him outside the council chambers. Almost two hundred Bothans, their furs a mixture of creams and tans, blacks and browns, even the occasional silver, had gathered outside the council halls to greet the delegation from Bothawui. And greet they did, for as soon as the first of them noticed the hovercar moving towards the entrance which they had so carefully blocked off, they began to chant, shout, below and sing, all the while waving placards and banners carrying messages of varying length and politeness, though all of them basically said one thing - 'Go Away!'
As he watched their almost frantic overacting, Askar could barely stifle a low chuckle, for it was incredibly obvious what was truly going on here. 'I wonder how many of these actually object to our presence', thought Askar as he continued to regard the protestors with a faint look of amusement on his face. 'More importantly...I wonder which of the Councilors paid the rest of them. Salin Tre'vey? He certainly stands to benefit the least from the merging of our cultures.' With a sigh, he pushed that thought aside, before turning to Karin and commenting dryly,
"The security teams don't seem to be too bothered with clearing them out of the way for us, do they?"
Karin rolled her eyes and smiled wryly, before glancing out the window, trying to see where the security teams were. It didn't take long to find them, of course, because they were fairly obvious in their blue and white unifroms. As Askar has commented however, they weren't even trying to clear a path for the delegation, instead they were just standing near the edges of the crowd of protestors, with stupid, arrogant smirks on their faces. 'This is ridiculous. They aren't even trying to be subtle.', thought Askar witha frown, before turning to Councilor Rey'las and muttering,
"Councilor, you had better do something soon, because if you don't, my security team may grow concerned and there's no guaranteeing they won't end up hurting some of the protestors if that happens."
The older Bothan gulped nervously at this, before nodding and activating a switch to slide down the hover car's window, letting in the almost deafening noise of the chants and jeers coming from the crowd. Askar ignored these however, concentrating fully o Rey'las as he motioned over a guard, before ordering him to clear a path. The guard hesitated before nodding, confirming Askar's feeling that someone other than Rey'las was behind the protestors. However, this didn't really matter now, for as soon as the guard began distributing Rey'las orders, the other guards began dispersing the crowd witha well-drilled efficiency. 'It's amazing what someone can do when they have the correect incentive.' thought Askar with a sly smile as the hovercar continued into the council chambers. 'Now it's time to get down to business...'

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