XXI: From an Old Friend

“Rebecca! Come down here this instant!” Elsa demanded, standing at the bottom of the stairwell. She tapped her foot impatiently as her granddaughter slowly came downstairs.

“Yes, Nana,” Rebecca asked. She took notice of her grandmother’s expression. “I’m in trouble again, aren’t I?”

“You tell me.” She responded, holding up an envelope. “This arrived in the post today…from an ‘Aria Brisard’. Who is this woman?”

Rebecca returned a confused glance. “I….I don’t know.” She thought for a moment. “A family friend, I guess? It...sounds slightly familiar.” She sighed and held out her hand. “It’s addressed to me, may I have it?”

Elsa looked at the letter for a few moments, as if trying to read its contents through the envelope. Finally, she laid it in Rebecca’s hands and then returned to the parlor to finish her tea.

Once Elsa was out of sight, Rebecca turned back upstairs and returned to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her and lay down on the bed. She opened the envelope and to her surprise, pulled out not one paper, but two, one folded inside the other. Unfolding them, she began reading the letter on top:

Dear Rebecca,

You may not remember me, but our families go back a long way. I am writing to express my condolences over the loss of your mother. Cesera Okins was a Corellian lady of the highest caliber and a true friend to my mother Aurelia. She was easily one of the most compassionate and caring people I have ever met...indeed the galaxy has lost much of its light with her passing. I pray you might take up that torch and carry it in her memory...that you might touch the lives of others, as she has touched my own.

My name is Aria Brisard, and I command a star destroyer in the Imperial Navy. My father, Terin Brisard, was Commander of the Corellian Royal Navy. As I said before, you likely won't remember me, only know that there was a time in our lives where the Brisards were respectable people...we lived our life in the open, and maintained our place in the Corellian High Courts. A cruel twist of fate cost us our way of life and sent us into the spice trade...had things not shifted so dramatically, I can say with certainty, you would have known me well. 

As I stated before, I preside over a star destroyer in the Imperial Navy. What I have waited to reveal to you is that my primary line of duty is as an Imperial Reconnaissance agent. I handle top-grade assignments, and report directly to His Imperial Lordship, Darth Vader. That said, my introduction was just long-winded enough to fool your grandmother into thinking that my letter to you was merely to send my condolences. That in itself is not entirely true... 

Rebecca smiled to herself and continued,

I work alongside your father, Admiral Deroh Okins, and I can tell you with certainty that a finer commanding officer, aside from Lord Vader himself cannot be found. He is the reason I find myself writing you now. He has informed me about the increasing difficulty in communicating with you, and I wish to help in any way I can. Corellians are a people founded upon principles of honor and loyalty. We honor our oaths, our ancestors, and our own. As the last of the Brisards, I write you these letters to disguise your father's own, and pass his words along to you...only know that in doing so, I wish to honor the ties our families have forged, and extend to you the hand of friendship and camaraderie.

I hope this letter finds you well, and that the message passed along will dampen the pain you now wrestle with. If you wish to return my letters, I would greatly welcome it, however, I also understand if you are not open to the idea of establishing a rapport with a stranger. Nonetheless, I shall continue to write, if only for the sake of passing your father's words along. 

Doaba ol'val tru,

Aria Brisard, Cmdr.

ISD Exactor

She moved Aria’s letter behind the second one and glanced at the page before reading, easily recognizing her father’s handwriting.

Becks,

Hopefully, this got past your Granny’s crazy filtering eyes. I hope you don’t mind me asking Aria to send this to you. It seemed like the only option left. You two met each other way back when, but I think you were too young to remember it. The Brisards were friends of ours for years, and if anything, I thought you could use some contact with someone you used to have connections to. Aria’s an exemplary officer, and a good friend. I hope you will feel the same way about her as I have.

I know this one is short, but I wanted to make sure this got through to you. My next one will be much longer. I promise.  

Take care, sweetheart.

I love you.

Dad.

Rebecca smiled, hugging the letters closely to her chest. “Thank you, Aria Brisard.” 

*Aria's letter written by @ariabrisard

XX: Proposition

Commander Brisard arrived at the seventh floor of the Naval Headquarters and walked to the secretary’s station in the center of the room. She stopped at the desk and waited for the secretary to acknowledge her. The woman was leaned back in her seat reading a tabloid magazine with her back facing Brisard. 

“Excuse me.” 

Irma snapped out of it and swiveled around in her chair. “…Can I help you?” 

“I’m Commander Aria Brisard,” she paused and showed Irma her ID. “I’m here to see Admiral Okins.” 

Irma turned and pointed to Okins’ office door. “That’s his office there,” she said in a borderline-annoyed tone, “You’ll have to wait outside. The Admiral is in a …meeting.” 

“Thanks.” Aria moved towards the office and sat down on a bench just outside the door and waited. While she sat there, she could hear vague parts of the commotion going on within. Suddenly the normal chatter turned to shouting, which went on for a good several minutes. Once the noise seemed to have died down, the door flung open and a young officer raced out with a frightened expression on his face. He stopped when he saw Aria waiting on the bench. 

“Y-you have to see him too?” He asked, motioning with his head to Okins’ door. 

“That’s right.”She said calmly.

“Good luck…!” he warned, and then hurried to the lift. Once the man was out of sight, the admiral stormed out of his office and went down the hall to the break room without acknowledging Aria. 

“You can go in now.”Irma said, smirking to Aria. “He’ll be right back. Not sure what you’re in for, but considering today’s track record…you’re in for some hell, hon’.” 

Aria glared. “That’s “Commander” to you. And I haven’t done anything wrong.” 

Irma chuckled. “That’s what that last boy said, too…” she swiveled back around and went back to her magazine. 

Aria rolled her eyes and stepped into Okins’ office and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk, waiting for Okins to return.

"Commander Bri-dars...is waiting for you, sir." said Irma in the hall.

Aria waited as Admiral Okins entered his office and shut the door behind him.

"Thank you for coming Commander, at such short notice."

"Your message was deemed urgent. I couldn't keep you waiting." Aria replied. "Admiral...am-"

"No, you're not here to get your soul chewed out." He interrupted, sitting down in his chair. "At ease, Brisard. You're not in trouble."

Aria leaned back in her seat. "But it is an urgent matter..."

"Well, I tell Irma that so my commands are actually followed. She's a new hire, and lazy."

Aria nodded. "I see. Am I being reassigned, sir?"

Okins shook his head. "No, I called you here on a more personal matter. If you're willing to do a favor for me, that is."

"What is it?" Aria asked.

"You know we go back a long ways, Brisard. Our families have always been tight. Your father Terin was one of my closest friends for many many years."

Aria nodded. "Yes. I remember. Our doors were always open to you, during rough times and of course, formal affairs," She smiled.

"Well Aurelia and Terin knew how to throw the best parties." He chuckled. "And you know Cesera-- all you had to do was mention wine and she'd be halfway to the speeder in a heartbeat. If that wasn't a good reason not to pop in, I don't know what was. From what I can tell, you've taken up that family tradition quite well yourself." He paused for a moment. "It was a terrible tragedy when we received news of what happened to them. Cesera and I kept you in our prayers for a long time. Losing Terin and Aurelia hit us hard as well..."

Aria nodded slowly, her smile fading. "It's still very painful even now, thinking about them...what they suffered through before...you know." She sighed. "Sir, this isn't why you called me here, is it?"

Okins shook his head. "No, it isn't my intention to purposely cause you pain like this. But you're not alone here. I too am going through a great personal loss. I'm sure you're well aware that my wife had passed on several weeks ago..."

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir. I wasn't aware..." Aria said softly. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm managing...I'm managing." He replied. "You remember my daughter Rebecca, correct?"  he stood and began pacing the length of the office. "She's been....well, stolen away from me-"

"Rebels?!" Aria interrupted.

"Oh far worse: my mother-in-law...Rebecca's grandmother." He replied. "She felt it was my fault Cesera had died in the first place, so she dragged me to the courts for a ridiculous custody battle...which I lost. The woman has essentially arranged that all connections between my daughter and myself be severed indefinitely. She even had Rebecca's name changed."

"She really must hate you, sir." Aria said.

"Oh trust me. She does. To put things into perspective, Lord Vader's hatred for Jedi doesn't even come close to my relationship with this woman. I've tried writing several letters only to find they've been destroyed before Rebecca could get to them." He stopped his pace and turned to Aria. "...and this is where you would come in."

Aria turned to Okins. "I'm listening."

"Would you be interested in postmarking my letters with your name and information to see if they get through? You can send your own messages along with mine if you wish. I'll pay for any and all supplies you'll need. But anything resembling me gets destroyed. You're a friend of the family after all, and I'm pretty sure even the "all high and mighty Elsa Everon" has had a decent, though brief, encounter with your mother at some point. There's a good shot it'll get through. Interested?"

Aria stood and turned to Okins. "Of course." she said. "When should I start?"

"I'll send you my next correspondence within a week, along with supplies. You can use Exactor as your return address or a location on Corellia. It makes no difference to me, so long as only your name appears on the envelope. Then we'll wait and see what happens."

Aria nodded. "Understood, sir. I'd be happy to assist you and Rebecca in any way I can."

Okins grinned and shook Aria's hand. "I appreciate your help with this Brisard. I can't thank you enough..."