King of Naboo
Location: Frego System
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Aurelian listened without interrupting, his expression carefully neutral as the list of titles kept coming. One brow crept upward despite his best efforts. He tried to keep track. Jedi Master. Sentinel. Mystic. Grandmaster. Founder. Leader. By the end, he had given up on all of them except the last. Leader of the Wild Space Rebellion. That one mattered.
He studied her openly. Cathar, poised, eyes sharp. She looked capable, certainly. Dangerous, if pressed. But she did not wear rebellion the way the holovids had taught him to expect. No scars on display. No bitterness hanging off her like smoke.
"A treaty," he repeated lightly. "I'll admit, that's not where I thought this conversation was going."
His smile sharpened, mischief slipping through. "Should the High Republic be concerned that your rebellion plans to rebel against us next? I'm struggling to imagine what we could have done to deserve it."
Flattery, he thought. Or a warning. Either way, interesting. He held her gaze for a beat longer, then inclined his head. "Jokes aside, you've found the right person."
Aurelian gestured with two fingers. The guards peeled away without comment as he turned and walked, expecting her to follow. He led her into a small conference room set into the hangar's upper level. The viewport dominated one wall, offering a clear view of the evacuation in motion. Aid ships drifting in clean lines. Fighters weaving tight patterns. Order, holding by a thread. He felt no urge to rush back. His crew had this. He had chosen them well.
Aurelian rested his hands on the edge of the table, eyes flicking once to the stars before returning to her. Curiosity stirred again, bright and alive.
"So," he said, tone easy but attentive, "Jedi Master. What can the Republic do for your rebellion?"