The Trade Federation’s objective had been simple: to put a stop to the Sustainable Future Coalition and their foolish ideals. The Coalition’s relentless advocacy for environmentally sustainable practices had been gaining momentum, leading to an increasing number of regulations being imposed on industries that operated within the galactic trade system overseen by the Senate, which was too substantial for even the Trade Federation to neglect. The Coalition’s most recent efforts had been to lobby for renewable energy transitions that had the potential to do immeasurable damage to the well-established markets of fuel, gas, coal and other non-renewable sources of energy. Considering that a large part of the Trade Federation’s revenue was based on these highly profitable industries, the potential for regulations in these areas was disastrous. It had been time for the Trade Federation to take action to secure their interests.

   While the Coalition had numerous organisations supporting the movement, it only had five core member organisations that led the charge. Five organisations that had their headquarters in five buildings on Coruscant. The bombings had gone well enough, but ensuring that not one member of the founding organisations survived was the most effective way to put a dead stop to the Coalition. The operation had to retain some amount of discretion to ensure that the Trade Federation upheld decent relations with the Senate and continued to benefit from a number of favourable trade agreements. That being said, the Trade Federation had a non-negligible amount of resources that the Senate was in no position to operate without, so as long as their implication in the bombings couldn’t be proven, the Federation was confident they would turn a blind eye.

   The Trade Federation had not needed long to find most of the survivors. Some were hiding on Coruscant and a handful had made it off to neighbouring planets on transport vessels. Only a few had been clever enough to conceal their tracks and remained to be crossed off the list. To find the last of the surviving members, it had taken days for their equipment to run through Coruscant's surveillance systems. Starting around the Coalition buildings that had suffered the attacks, the search perimeter had needed to be increasingly widened as the hours went by. Cameras were everywhere on the bustling metropolis, but the general chaos caused by the explosions had made it difficult to have a clear view of anyone until the dust and the grime of destruction had settled. Eventually, an alarm had signalled not one, but two facial recognitions in the ship docks.

   Aleita Reidstar had walked intently to the monitor and zoomed into the frozen image for a clearer view. She liked to see directly into the eyes of anyone she was seeking, to read the thoughts written all over their face, to know them in an instant without them having to utter a single word. One face showed nothing but fear and confusion, an easy prey. The other was much more interesting, telling a story of recklessness but also tenacity, the same look she had seen on him the first time they had met. Aleita replayed the surveillance footage to review the full scene, revealing a woman in a jacket facing off with two tousled men, and behind her a light cruiser that would leave Coruscant minutes later. Tracing the ship had been straightforward.

   The day was setting on Jakku when the Trade Federation cruiser entered the system, Aleita at the helm. While they rarely ventured to the Rim and their ship would likely be noticed, the mission priorities had been set and Aleita was ready for action. She had dispatched cypher agents to take care of the surviving Coalition members in the Core, but she wanted to lead this hunt herself. Betrayal was not something Aleita took lightly, and those that regrettably crossed her never survived to have the opportunity to do so again.

   Aleita took a moment to savour the last sips of her avocado and mint smoothie as the cruiser settled into the planet’s orbit. The sharp taste of the lemon left a delightful tang in her mouth, splendidly complimenting the creamy avocado and the fresh flavour of the mint leaves. Putting the glass down, Aleita walked assuredly towards the front of the command deck where she had a clear view of the desert planet. There would be nowhere for them to hide this time. She crossed her arms in front of her and without looking away said to the nearest officer:

   “Ready my ship.”

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