A lot of things happened in a short time. First, I found out exactly who had put me up for a bounty. The way bounty hunters work is usually straightforward. They are independent contractors paid a commission for the capture of their target.
This is where it gets complicated. If the target has broken the law and offered bail to gain freedom and then skipped on the bail, then a small percentage of the bail is paid to a successful bounty hunter. That could not apply to me because I had never been arrested.
Then there was the type of bounty that was issued by a private corporation that has filed litigation, won, and is now claiming damages. They could send in bailiffs to claim property or, if they were feeling lucky, a bounty hunter to claim a person.
However, neither of those applied to me. I found out using investigation and cold hard cash that something unexpected was coming my way.
"Unit 5," I asked, looking at the data pad. "Are you sure this is correct?"
"The credit trail is undeniable, Master Bee," the droid replied. "The funds for the Gen'Dai hunter were transferred from a holding account that is directly linked to the Office of the Supreme Chancellor."
The second big thing was that I was being offered a seat on the Galactic Senate. Owning a chunk of the galaxy and being a leader of many glassed worlds and successful corporations had led to a seat being offered. It turned out that the Supreme Chancellor or someone high up tried a little scare tactic. They wanted me to be afraid of constant attacks from bounty hunters and look for safety in the Galactic Senate.
That was why the Gen'Dai bounty hunter was sent. It was probably not to kill me but to capture me and use a little torture just to push me in the direction of a senate seat. It was a government plan. They made a problem in the form of a bounty and then tried to offer a solution in the form of a seat.
"It is a terrible plan," I muttered to myself. "They were so lazy that the offending party didn't even outsource and cover their tracks. If it was me, I would bounce the funds through at least three different government agencies from across the galaxy and shell corporations just so the water was well and truly muddied."
They issued the bounty, paid for it using funds held by the appropriate accounts, and signed the right paperwork with the right seals. It was set up for me to desperately join the Senate. I was beginning to think that someone was setting me up so I would attack the government and be declared public enemy number one. It was only after I got a visit from an official that I realized that the Galactic Senate was just lazy.
The visit was what I expected. A Jedi Consular with her apprentice and an official of the senate followed by a parade of droids arrived at my docking bay. The Jedi Consular had an unmoving face that reminded me of a well-made marble statue. She was a no-nonsense kind of Jedi, and judging by the emotions rolling off of her, she was in total control. Even the padawan had good control over his emotions.
The official from the senate was different. He had the facial control of a well-established politician, but his mind was swamped with fear, curiosity, greed, sadness, and all kinds of micro emotions.
We met in my main reception hall. I sat on my reinforced chair while they stood before me.
"Mr. Bee," the official began, bowing slightly. "I am Representative Hux. This is Master Elara and Padawan Jace. We come bearing an invitation from Coruscant."
After the introductions and the pleasantries, a vast amount of paperwork in the form of treaties, laws, and straight-up political bollocks was handed over to my droids. There was no way in hell I was going to deal with that, and so my droids met their droids to argue the details in the corner of the room.
The official's curiosity soon outweighed his fear of me, and he started to ask questions about my Eden ship. He looked specifically at the massive patch job on the wall where the hull had been breached.
"I must ask," Hux said, pointing a trembling finger. "Why is there an escape pod embedded in the side of your vessel? It looks like quite the accident."
I could feel the thoughts rolling off his mind. He knew exactly what had happened. His emotions also had a hint of mirth and smugness. It was something that was quickly wiped from his mind when I pressed a button on my console. A section of the floor rose up, revealing my new prize.
It was a fresh, new carbon-frozen statue of the Gen'Dai bounty hunter. The block was gray and cold, capturing the monster in a pose of agony.
The fear from the official was shared by the apprentice, but not the Jedi Consular. Instead, she pointed at the slab of metal and spoke for the first time.
"Is that an alive Gen'Dai?" she said in a dull voice.
"No," I answered back. "That is my newest statue. It cost me a lot of wealth and a few fruit trees."
"Gen'Dai are a protected nomad species under subsection of the Republic Rights Act," the Jedi Consular stated. "Holding one against their will is a violation of..."
I interrupted the Jedi Consular before she could waste any more of my time.
"The Gen'Dai do not need any protection from the Galactic Senate," I said, my voice dropping an octave. "And this is the Grove. Here, the law is me, not the Galactic Senate. I laid down the law, and the law is me."
The Jedi Consular seemed to know better than to question me. The Jedi were meant to follow the law, and in this sector of space, I was the sovereign power. But for the first time, an emotion rolled out of the Jedi's mind. It was annoyance.
I was getting increasingly suspicious. The Jedi I knew would not control themselves like they were doing. Might makes right, and even though the Jedi would not admit it, they too followed this rule.
"We can discuss the legality of your art collection later," Representative Hux stammered, trying to get the meeting back on track. "We are here to offer you a seat on the Senate. It would provide you with immunity, protection, and a voice in the Core Worlds."
"Protection from what?" I asked, leaning forward. "Bounty hunters?"
Hux paled. "Well, the galaxy is a dangerous place. A man of your wealth is a target."
I looked over the official's mind. Emotions and thoughts passed through his mind like water through a sieve. Unfortunately, a troubled mind would not focus on the things I wanted, not without going in further. I brought my attention to the young and inexperienced padawan. His mind was well maintained and orderly, strong with a youthful flexibility, but it was not complex.
I could sense a slight flutter of emotions. It was nothing I would take notice of usually, but my gut and the Force were edging me to push further.
I tested the padawan by calling one of my droids over.
"Unit 5," I said loud enough for them to hear. "Give me an update on the contract analysis. Specifically the clauses regarding resource allocation."
A small flicker of doubt rushed through the padawan's mind. If I was not looking for it, I would have missed it.
A further test was needed. I tapped the digital copy of the contract in my palms and tutted to myself.
"There is a big problem here," I said, shaking my head. "A massive inconsistency."
I vaguely shoved the contract in the air and watched as three pairs of eyes focused on it.
"What is it?" Hux asked, his voice cracking. "Our legal team assured us it was standard boilerplate."
The Jedi Master's mind was like a steel trap. Nothing was coming from it. But the official's mind had focused on the contract intensely. He was worried. Something in the contract had him on the edge. This confused me. How the hell did they hide anything in the contract that my droids would not find?
I sighed to myself. This was politics. Not the politics I knew, where I had to balance the needs and wants of my people against the criminal galaxy. That was easy. No, this was the worst kind of backstabbing and double dealings where it was not guaranteed to even work. It was governmental politics.
The worst thing was that it was all legal. If some kind of two-bit criminal backstabbed me and stole from me, I could send killers to sort out the mess. But the contract was legalese and needed to be fought in court. It would take years and even more money than a simple assassin to take care of it. Working with the government legally was slow and painful. The rewards would be insane but inefficient.
I rubbed the bridge of my eyes and tried something.
"I get the feeling that something isn't quite right," I said slowly, watching the boy. "Something that might hurt me. I am going to go over this contract personally, line by line. And if I find what I hope isn't there, then a lot of people are going to suffer."
It was at this point the padawan and the official both had a brain stumble. I could feel that they wanted to say something, but their minds had gone blank in shock.
"Mr. Bee," Master Elara said, stepping forward. "We have been patient. The offer is generous. The Senate needs a strong voice from the Outer Rim."
"And I need to know why the Senate is so desperate for my voice that they would try to blow up my ship," I countered.
"I do not know what you mean," Elara said smoothly.
"Of course you don't," I smiled. "But your friends here do."
I stood up and walked down the steps of my dais, the floor vibrating with my weight.
"You want me to sign this," I said, holding up the data pad. "You want me to become a Senator. But my instincts tell me that the moment I sign this, I lose something. Is it my independence? Is it my fleet? Or is it something more subtle?"
I looked at the Padawan. "What is it, boy? You know. I can feel it in your chest. It's tight, isn't it? The lie is heavy."
"I... I am just here to observe," the boy said, looking at his Master for help.
"There is a clause," I guessed, watching Hux's eyes widen. "Hidden in the referenced sub-treaties. Something that grants the Republic emergency powers over my assets in times of crisis. And knowing you lot, you probably have a crisis scheduled for next Tuesday."
The silence in the room was deafening.
"Politics," I spat the word out. "Get out of my sight. Leave the contract. I will read it. If I like it, I will call you. If I don't, I will send the statue to the Chancellor as a gift."
Hux looked like he was about to faint. "You can't send a Gen'Dai to the Chancellor!"
"I can if I put a bow on it," I replied. "Now go."
As they retreated, I sat back down. Something was off, and I would get to the bottom of it. They were trying to trap me in a cage made of paper, and I had nearly walked right into it.
"Unit 5," I said once the door closed. "Scan that contract again. Look for the words 'Asset Forfeiture' and 'Emergency Wartime Act'. I think our friends in the Senate are planning a war, and they want me to pay for it."