Borsk Fey'lya

"He lives in a world of shifting alliances. Borsk does what Borsk needs to do, at any given moment, to benefit Borsk. And he's so jaded by that personal philosophy that he thinks everyone else plays by the same rules."

- Luke Skywalker

Borsk Fey'lya was the Chief of State of the New Republic during the Yuuzhan Vong's invasion of the Galaxy. Prior to his election to the New Republic's highest office, he served as a Senator and was responsible decades earlier for bringing many Bothans into the Rebel Alliance. He was also considered one of the most polarizing members of the New Republic Senate, and in the eyes of many, was little more than a power-hungry, amoral traitor.

Early life


Borsk Fey'lya was born on Kothlis, a Bothan colony world, to the Fey'lya branch of Clan Alya. At a young age, he realized he had little aptitude in piloting and athletics, so he turned to politics. Since he was from "second-rate" Kothlis instead of Bothawui, he felt he had to push himself harder than others. With a few legitimate land deals on Bothawui, a number of Bothans latched onto him, and he found himself with great political support. Eventually, he was elected Chief Councilor of the Bothan Council. But Fey'lya feared the anti alien bias of the Empire and joined the Bothan Spynet.

Sometime before the Battle of Endor, Borsk Fey'lya was the leader of Deep Ear, a faction of the Bothan Spynet. The group was responsible for procuring the second Death Star's plans aboard the Suprosa but were later captured by Imperial forces on the planet Gellefon. Borsk managed to elude capture and met up with his alliance contact, a Mikoan known to him as Watcher, and informed her of what had happened. The two of them, along with a group of rebels who were sent to help, helped free the members of Deep Ear from Pinnacle Keep and escaped the planet to meet up with Alliance High Command at Keff Base in the Sullust system.

With the Bothan Spynet
Fey'lya quickly rose the ranks of the Bothan Spynet, championing his species' support of the Alliance to Restore the Republic by means of leading a delegation to meet with elements of the fleet shortly before the Battle of Endor. Operating out of the Tal'cara, Fey'lya was escorted by famed pilots Olin Garn and Ace Azzameen to the MC80 Star Cruiser Liberty, though his shuttle was attacked by mercenaries purportedly hired by the Sullustans. The ever cautious Bothan immediately suspected foul play, although he and his delegation were successfully defended. The attack was in fact a ruse to drive a wedge between the members of the alliance, but the Sullustans were exonerated when the treachery of the mercenaries was uncovered. Thus Fey'lya and the Bothan Spynet leant its full support to the rebel cause, with Borsk personally contacting Azzameen to bestow upon the pilot the rank of an honourary member of the Spynet. However Fey'lya's obssession with the bravery of the Martyrs, the Bothan spies who perished obtaining information on the Second Death Star, would still be utilized by him as a political tool long after the defeat of Emperor Palpatine at Endor.

The Provisional Government
"Borsk Fey'lya is quite persuasive...he has Mon Mothma's ear in many things"

- Admiral Ackbar



Rivalry with the military
"Oh, Wedge, you wouldn't believe how well Fey'lya has orchestrated things to work against Admiral Ackbar."

- Leia Organa Solo

Fey'lya came to power as a member of the Provisional Council of the Rebel Alliance, bringing the clout of his faction at a crucial moment after Garm Bel Iblis left the Rebellion to fight his own war against the Galactic Empire. Under the council's leader Mon Mothma, Fey'lya's power and influence grew, his natural cunning and ambition securing his hold on a Provisional Council seat. In preparation for the drive on Imperial Centre, Fey'lya advocated extending negotiations to Warlord Zsinj, subsequently criticizing the pilots of Rogue Squadron for allowing a freighter owned by the despot to escape. Ever quick to undermine and belittle the actions of the New Republic military due to the threat to his species' status as martyrs he felt it posed, Borsk would enter into a long-running feud with Commander Wedge Antilles and his squadron, though his quarrel truly lay with the charismatic Admiral Ackbar. Any action Fey'lya could take to bolster his and the Bothans' own prestige, he would, and this drive would reveal itself in the years to come. The Bothan senator saw his own personal gain as one and the same with both the gain of his people and the gain of the New Republic. Any other member of the Alliance he saw as possessing too much power or influence, such as the Mon Calamari, he would attempt to weaken. Fey'lya took constant steps to chip away at Ackbar's power base, exemplified during the drive on Coruscant, when he organized a Council meeting on the planet of Noquivzor; reminiscent of Bothawui, but extremely uncomfortable for his opponent, the Mon Calamari Admiral.

Prejudices
Along with a number of aliens, he believed the Empire was representative of a general human drive for power and domination, and tended to blame mankind for his people's sufferings rather than Palpatine's regime (though it's unclear if he actually believes this, or if he simply affects this position to attack his human rivals).

Behind the scenes, he was also a constant hinderance for Rogue Squadron. When a Bothan, Asyr Sei'lar, joined the squadron after the fall of Coruscant, Fey'lya tried to use her Bothan patriotism to manipulate her and use her to undermine his opponents in the military. Although this failed, he continued to pressure her, especially when she pursued a relationship with Gavin Darklighter, which he did not approve of. Eventually, Asyr faked her own death and resolved to return to Bothawui under a new identity, where she would work to change the system and prevent power-hungry politicians like Fey'lya from emerging again. However, Gavin, Wedge Antilles and the rest of Rogue Squadron never learned of Asyr's survival, and as a result, the antagonism between them and Fey'lya solidified into a lasting hatred, which still endured in Gavin at the beginning of the Yuuzhan Vong War.

Fey'lya reached one peak of his power during the depredations of Grand Admiral Thrawn, five years after the Battle of Endor. With Ackbar accused of treason due to false data planted by Thrawn, Fey'lya was able to acquire considerable support from various factions within the New Republic military. This pinnacle soon passed, however, when he was tricked into revealing his true (and less than favorable) opinion of the New Republic warrior on an open channel, evaporating his support among some of his staunchest defenders. Soon after, Ackbar was exonerated, and it would be years before Fey'lya recovered from this double setback.

He was also deeply suspicious of the New Jedi Order, which was at least partially understandable, as they had failed to prevent the rise of the the Empire and the fact that Darth Vader had once been a Jedi didn't help improve their image in his mind. He was hardly alone in his attitude toward them however-over an entire generation had grown up since the end of the Clone Wars and billions of beings across the Galaxy had no memory of when the Jedi were considered champions of justice and peace. Several other New Republic politicians voiced wariness toward granting them any special treatment or support, even those in New Republic service. The prospect of a state-sponsored religion, composed of individuals with abilities far beyond that of regular beings, was, in the mind of many, an invitation to disaster, especially in light of the Republics fall. A more simple explantion, though, might have been simple jealously.

Political recovery


During the Black Fleet Crisis, Fey'lya's political fortunes had risen to a level of influence, resulting in becoming Chair of the Justice Council and a member of the Ruling Council. When Krall Praget submitted a summons of no confidence against, Leia, Fey'lya opposed it, feeling that the time was not right. But when Doman Beruss submitted his after Han Solo's capture by the Yevetha, Fey'lya supported the Vote of No Confidence against Leia Organa Solo, and began whipping votes to secure his election as interim Chief. However, Leia declared war on the Yevetha before the vote came about, and the Senate supported her. After the crisis, Fey'lya was dispatched to Galantos, one of the Republic's new member worlds. Fey'lya was never known for his patience and the Fia's attention to detail drove the Bothan to the limits of his sanity.

Fey'lya's darkest hour was the Caamas Document crisis. Organa Solo had taken a leave of absence, and Fey'lya was not chosen as her successor. However, Ponc Gavrisom, Organa Solo's interim successor, was a close ally of his, and he served on the New Republic High Council. But the trouble was just beginning. Clan Alya, Fey'lya's Bothan Clan, was accused of complicity in the devastation of Caamas, and Fey'lya, as Chair of the Justice Council, was accused of letting off Bothans guilty of aiding the attack. Teaming up with Organa Solo and Gavrisom, Fey'lya managed to weather the storm, even briefly purchasing Leia's protocol droid C-3PO, so that 3PO could search Bothan bank accounts and look for those who were paid for the devastation of Caamas.

Later that year, Fey'lya was an invited guest at the wedding of Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade.

Chief of State


After the resignation of Leia Organa Solo from the position of Chief of State, Fey'lya was elected her successor with a three-fifths majority in the first round. The Bothan brought with him his own council, which found itself in danger as the threat of the Yuuzhan Vong emerged. Thrown into the balancing act of maintaining peace within the New Republic, attempting diplomatic relations with the Yuuzhan Vong, and keeping Luke Skywalker's Jedi under his control at all times, Fey'lya made many wrong choices, particularly in light of the Yuuzhan Vong's desire for all-out war. As the war began, Fey'lya initially refused to believe that the Yuuzhan Vong even existed, and saw the destruction of Sernpidal as an elaborate plot by the Jedi and human politicians like Leia to take control of the New Republic. In the face of overwhelming evidence, he finally relented and committed the Republic to war, but his antagonism of the Jedi and the military severely harmed the overall war effort. For most of the war, Fey'lya's primary concern was the preservation of his public image, not the New Republic.

Fey'lya also seemed willing to sacrifice certain worlds&mdash;particularly Yavin IV&mdash;to the Yuuzhan Vong as long as vital planets like Coruscant and the Core Worlds&mdash;as well as all of Bothan Space&mdash;were spared the invaders' wrath. At around this time, New Republic Intelligence Director Dif Scaur had begun working with the Chiss to develop Alpha Red, a virus designed to destroy the Yuuzhan Vong at a cellular level. It is possible that Fey'lya may have simply been trying to delay the Yuuzhan Vong until the virus was ready.

Epiphany and death
"They look on Fey'lya as a kind of minor hero." "Huh. They didn't know him like we did." "And maybe we didn't know him as well as we should have."

- Jacen Solo and Ganner Rhysode



Eventually, he realized the Jedi were the only hope for the New Republic. When Nom Anor appeared before the New Republic Senate two years into the war demanding concessions and the lives of the Jedi, Fey'lya made a complete political turn around by stating Luke Skywalker had his full support, and lashed out at Anor, calling the Yuuzhan Vong a race of cowards. But it was already too late, as the Yuuzhan Vong launched their attack on Coruscant, forcing its evacuation in the face of overwhelming numbers. Fey'lya asked his old rival, Leia Organa Solo, to rally the New Republic to victory. Believing that he had lost everything, and that he only had a life of scorn waiting for him if he lived, he stayed behind, attaching a bomb to a heart monitor and surrendering himself to the Yuuzhan Vong in hopes of taking Warmaster Tsavong Lah with him. The Yuuzhan Vong leader saw through his plan and sent Commander Romm Zqar, a subordinate, instead. Fey'lya detonated the bomb, killing himself and over twenty-five thousand Yuuzhan Vong Warriors, and destroying almost half of the Imperial Palace, including the data towers, thus preserving some of the Republic's most vital secrets. Whether or not this noble action redeemed him is questionable (indeed, some argued that he was irredeemable), but essentially Borsk Fey'lya died a hero. To both his people and the New Republic at large, he had become a modern day martyr, and his death inspired the Bothans, for the first time in centuries, to declare a state of ar'kai&mdash;total war on the Yuuzhan Vong by the Bothan people.

Behind the scenes
Borsk Fey'lya first appeared in the Thrawn Trilogy, though he is established in The Essential Chronology to have played a role in the Rebel Alliance since the defection of Garm Bel Iblis shortly after the Battle of Yavin.

While his character was antagonistic and greedy, Fey'lya should not be considered evil or corrupt, merely a typical Bothan. In truth, he always did what he thought was right, and always believed that the Republic would prosper under him. He also had at least one courageous moment during the Yuuzhan Vong War, when he took over communications for the New Republic flagship Ralroost during the Battle of Ithor after its previous communications officer was killed. However after the battle he found a way to blame the Jedi for the loss of Ithor.

Borsk is Bothese for proud, which could accurately describe him.

Appearances



 * Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Star Wars: X-wing Alliance
 * Black Curs Blues
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: Masquerade
 * X-wing Rogue Squadron: Mandatory Retirement
 * X-wing: Rogue Squadron
 * X-wing: Wedge's Gamble
 * X-wing: The Krytos Trap
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Dark Force Rising
 * The Last Command
 * X-wing: Isard's Revenge
 * The Other
 * Shield of Lies
 * Tyrant's Test
 * The New Rebellion
 * Specter of the Past
 * Vision of the Future
 * Star Wars: Union
 * Vector Prime
 * Dark Tide I: Onslaught
 * Dark Tide II: Ruin
 * Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial
 * Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
 * Balance Point
 * Edge of Victory I: Conquest
 * Recovery
 * Edge of Victory II: Rebirth
 * Star by Star
 * Dark Journey
 * Traitor
 * Destiny's Way
 * Ylesia
 * Force Heretic I: Remnant
 * The Unifying Force
 * Betrayal
 * Inferno

Notes and references
Borsk Fey'lya