Hostis Ij

"It sounds like you are on the wrong side of this conflict. I'm sure the Empire would be glad to have you, Hostis."

- Auxi Kray Korbin, to Hostis Ij, after the latter opposed the Military Disarmament Act

Hostis Ij was a Chandrilan male human who served as an adviser to New Republic Chancellor Mon Mothma during the waning years of the Galactic Civil War. When Mothma proposed her Military Disarmament Act on the planet Naalol, the site of a bloody battle, Ij vehemently protested the change. Later, on Liberation Day&mdash;the day of a planned treaty between the Galactic Empire and the New Republic&mdash;he was shot and rumored to be killed when a group of freed prisoners from Ashmead's Lock mysteriously and involuntarily shot key New Republic leaders.

Military Disarmament Act
"This is the price of war. It is not the Republic's fault, Chancellor."

- Hostis Ij, to Mon Mothma, after the Battle of Naalol

After the pivotal Battle of Endor and the death of Emperor Palpatine during the Galactic Civil War, a battle erupted on the planet Naalol. New Republic Chancellor Mon Mothma and her advisers, Hostis Ij and Auxi Kray Korbin, visited a war-torn village on Naalol to provide aid to the wounded and to assess the aftermath of the fighting. In reaction to the seemingly excessive bloodshed of the battle, the Chancellor proposed that the emergency powers that her office had retained since the days of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine be laid down and the power given back to the senate. She also announced the Military Disarmament Act, which planned to reduce the New Republic army by 90 percent.

Ij opposed both ideas, warning Mothma that a standing army and a strong leader were the only ways to avoid war with the remnants of the Galactic Empire. Kray Korbin disagreed with him, even going so far as to suggest he join the Empire, which offended Ij.

Secret meeting
"If we step up recruitment, we will have more soldiers to secure supply lines once possessed by the Empire&mdash;such resources are out there in the wind, and who knows who will possess them."

- Hostis Ij, suggesting future strategies for the New Republic's military

About two months later, Chancellor Mon Mothma called a meeting during which she iterated that the New Republic would give aid to those worlds with the greatest chances of joining the senate. Hostis Ij pointed out that the New Republic's resources were stretched thin, and suggested that the New Republic military step up recruitment and bolster its numbers to aid in the capture and occupation of former Imperial supply lines.

Liberation Day
Shortly thereafter, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane&mdash;de facto leader of the Empire&mdash;offered to make peace with the New Republic. Unbeknownst to the Republic's leaders, the peace talks were a ploy orchestrated by Gallius Rax, an Imperial Fleet Admiral. The peace talks were scheduled for a day dubbed "Liberation Day" by the senate. Sloane travelled to Chandrila, having been informed that the New Republic capital would be the target of an Imperial attack, planned by Rax. The "attack" came not in the form of a bombardment, but rather as a series of assassination attempts as newly-freed prisoners from Ashmead's Lock on Kashyyyk mysteriously and involuntarily attacked New Republic leaders, injuring Mon Mothma and Kyrsta Agate, and killing others such as Crix Madine. Hostis Ij, shot in the head during the attack, was rumored to be among the dead.

Personality and traits
"You cannot be serious."

- Hostis Ij, in response to Mon Mothma's announcement of the Military Disarmament Act

Hostis Ij and Auxi Kray Korbin often advised Chancellor Mon Mothma differently, each acting like an angel or demon on her shoulder. Sometimes, such as in the debate over the Military Disarmament Act, it was Ij who opposed the Chancellor, while at other times, the roles were reversed. Despite not always agreeing with Mothma, he was loyal to the New Republic and was offended when Kray Korbin sarcastically suggested the Empire would be glad to take him.

Behind the scenes
Hostis Ij first appeared in one of the many short-story interludes in author Chuck Wendig's 2015 novel, Aftermath.

Appearances

 * Aftermath
 * Aftermath: Life Debt