And then there was Burryaga, Nib’s Padawan and possibly the kindest, sweetest soul she had ever met. Sensitivity radiated from the Wookiee like light from a glow lamp. Even now, as they entered the chancellor’s office at the very heart of the Coruscant Dawn, Burryaga stepped aside to let Rhil and T-9 pass, an act of kindness that didn’t go unnoticed by his Master.

“Burry,” Nib said softly, keeping her throaty voice down so as not to disturb the chancellor who, as she had suggested, was in session. “Ms. Dairo is supposed to be observing us, which includes you. We’re to act as if she is not here.”

The Wookiee’s head sank slightly, and Rhil’s hard reporter heart broke all over again.

“It’s okay, big guy,” she said, resisting the urge to reach out and pat his long hairy arm. “I appreciate the courtesy. The galaxy could do with a few more Burryagas if you ask me.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Nib commented, sharing a smile with Rhil. Perhaps that’s how she would get through to the Jedi Knight. Through the Padawan.

A glance from Gios told them that they should be quiet. Rhil indicated for them all to continue, sending a command to T-9 via the neural link to kill the sound until she knew how sensitive the chancellor’s conversation actually was. Lina Soh was standing in front of a vidwall, the screen split into a grid of feeds displaying various senators from across the Republic. Rhil immediately recognized the noble brow of Senator Noor of Serenno, the main representative for all matters concerning the Outer Rim. Now, there was a man who was all too aware of his own importance, forever plumped up in the thick Carannian furs he insisted on wearing no matter the weather. The next square showed Senator Vaadu of Phindar, his yellow eyes rendered a sickly green in the flickering light. The rest of the wall was taken up by a dark-skinned woman with long red hair—Samera Ra-oon, the Valon tasked with organizing the Republic Fair on her home planet—and a face no one on the frontier could fail to recognize, the Hero of Hetzal herself, Avar Kriss. Master Kriss was the marshal of Starlight Beacon, the famed space station that acted as the center of Republic activity in the Outer Rim. Of all the images, Kriss’s was flickering, and Rhil could see stars behind the woman’s head, distorted slightly as if behind transparisteel. Was Kriss broadcasting from a starfighter?

At their approach, Norel Quo, Chancellor Soh’s primary aide, turned to face them, his Koorivarn eyes widening as he spotted T-9. He started for them, wagging a scaled finger, and Rhil prepared to be ejected from the chamber forthwith. The decision was taken out of all of their hands when the chancellor apologized to her holocommittee and indicated for her aide to stop.