Bec Lawise/Legends

"That is a lie! Remove this traitor immediately."

- Bec Lawise, on Lux Bonteri

Senator Bec Lawise was a Siniteen male who served as the Separatist Congress Leader of the Separatist Parliament during the Clone Wars. A vocal supporter of Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Lawise maintained a leadership role in the Parliament, presiding over congress sessions on Raxus alongside Dooku, the Head of State. Lawise was present when Senator Mina Bonteri secured the passage of a bill to open peace negotiations with the Galactic Republic, a move that ultimately resulted in the derailment of the proposal and her murder, both due to Dooku's machinations. Lawise later served on a three-member Parliament delegation at a peace conference on Mandalore, where they met with Republic representatives to pursue a diplomatic end to the war. The deliberations were interrupted by Mina Bonteri's son, Lux, who publicly accused Dooku of assassinating his mother and led Lawise to have the delegation's security droids arrest the young man.

Biography
"Why is Lux Bonteri here?''" "What could he possibly'' have to say?"

- Voe Atell and Bec Lawise, conferring in whispers during the peace conference on Mandalore

The Siniteen male Bec Lawise lived during the final decades of the Galactic Republic. Entering the realm of politics, Lawise disputed the Republic's rule over the galaxy and joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a separatist government formed by the former Jedi Master Count Dooku in the year 24 BBY. Lawise became a delegate of the Separatist Parliament, eventually being made Separatist Congress Leader and filling a leadership position in the legislative body alongside Dooku, who served as Confederate Head of State. In 22 BBY, the Confederacy initiated full-scale conflict with the Republic in what became known as the Clone Wars. While the Confederate military fought with the Grand Army of the Republic for supremacy in the galactic theater of war, Lawise presided over congress sessions at the Separatist Senate Building, which was located in a large city on the Confederate capital world of Raxus.

Around 21 BBY, the war's second year, Senator Mina Bonteri of Onderon, working with Republic Senator Padmé Amidala toward an end to the fighting, introduced a bill to open peace negotiations with the Republic Senate. With Lawise overseeing the debate of the bill alongside Dooku, who was present via hologram, several senators spoke in support of and opposition to Bonteri's proposal, including Kerch Kushi and Voe Atell, respectively. When Dooku called for a voice vote as per the By-Laws of Independent Systems, the bill passed by a majority, and the Parliament's offer for peace was extended to the Republic. Yet it ultimately failed due to the machinations of Dooku, who was secretly a member of the Order of the Sith Lords and sought to continue the war to further the Sith's agenda. To that end, Dooku sanctioned a terrorist attack on the Republic capital of Coruscant without Parliament approval, leading the Republic Senate to reject the offer of peace. Dooku also had Bonteri murdered and attributed her death to a Republic attack, using it as a reason to withdraw the Confederacy's overture for negotiations. Even without Bonteri, the diplomatic process continued. The Parliament eventually agreed to send a delegation to a peace conference with Republic representatives on the neutral world of Mandalore. Lawise consented to serve on the delegation with Voe Atell and a Gossam senator, and they proceeded to Mandalore's capital city, Sundari, aboard a C-9979 landing craft.

Duchess Satine Kryze of the New Mandalorians hosted the Separatist and Republic delegations at Sundari's royal palace. Though required to be unarmed per Mandalorian law, Lawise and his colleagues brought BX-series droid commandos as security droids, while Senate Guards served as bodyguards for the Republic deputation, consisting of Senators Mon Mothma and Bail Prestor Organa and led by Padmé Amidala. After Amidala opened the deliberations, Atell, speaking for the others, pushed for the Republic to confer political legitimacy on the Confederacy, a recurring issue since the latter's birth as a separate state. Though Amidala and her party hesitated to meet Atell's demand, the talks were then interrupted by the uninvited arrival of Lux Bonteri, who had succeeded his mother, Mina, as the senator of Onderon before recently resigning his Parliament seat. Kryze granted the young Bonteri permission to speak, much to Lawise and Atell's chagrin. Taking to the podium, Bonteri accused Dooku of having his mother murdered, a claim that was immediately met with opposition from Lawise. The Separatist Congress Leader denounced Bonteri's remarks as lies and had the security droids arrest the young man. Once Bonteri had been removed from the room, Lawise apologized on the Separatists' behalf for the interruption and reopened the floor to discussion. However, the negotiations broke down shortly thereafter on account of shadowy interests on both sides. In addition, Bonteri escaped from custody with the assistance of Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano.

Personality and traits
"I apologize for such a rude interruption. Please let us continue."

- Bec Lawise, following the arrest of Lux Bonteri

A wide-bodied Siniteen male, Bec Lawise had yellow eyes and pink skin. Being a member of the Separatist Parliament, he wore a set of long formal robes to congressional events, along with an accompanying headpiece. As a politician, Lawise opposed the Republic and became a leading senator in the Parliament, serving in a leadership capacity as Separatist Congress Leader. Like many of his colleagues, Lawise campaigned for Republic recognition of the Confederacy's legitimacy, agreeing with Voe Atell's demand for such acknowledgement during the conference on Mandalore. Lawise was a firm supporter of Count Dooku and immediately took offense to Lux Bonteri's remarks against the Head of State, shouting down Bonteri's portrayal of Dooku as a murderer without a second thought. He did not hesitate to meet Bonteri's words with force, having the young man arrested and removed from the room despite the evident possibility of Dooku having him executed for his defiant rhetoric.

Behind the scenes
The character of Bec Lawise was created for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series, first appearing in the third season episode "Heroes on Both Sides" on November 19, 2010. He was one of the first Separatist senators to be introduced into Star Wars canon, being distinguishable in his position as Separatist Congress Leader. The accompanying episode guide on StarWars.com first identified the character by name. He received a speaking role in the episode "A Friend in Need," which aired with the series' fourth season on January 13, 2012. He was portrayed by voice actor Corey Burton, who also voices Count Dooku in the series.