Borsk Fey'lya was like a carnival mirror-how you perceived him depended on where you stood. To the general public, Fey'lya was a hardworking career politician whose tenure as Chief of State was cut short by the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. To his supporters, Fey'lya was a shrewd deal maker, always flexible when compromise would lead to a greater good. To his enemies, Fey'lya was a conniving, amoral traitor.

What's true of Borsk Fey'lya is true of Bothans in general. Some segments of the population actively mistrust the species for its seeming lack of scruples-not to mention its talent for espionage. But Bothans are a complex people with many motivations.

Born into the Alya clan on the Bothan colony world of Kothlis, Fey'lya recognized at an early age that he had little talent for piloting or sports. He worked to become a diplomat, for he felt that politics equaled power. The fact that Fey'lya lived on second-tier Kothlis, and not Bothawui itself, made him push himself even harder. As soon as he acquired wealth through business dealings, Fey'lya purchased a vast spread of land on Bothawui to solidify his image as a legitimate up-and-comer.

According to the "Bothan Way," weaknesses in others should be exploited in order to achieve greater goals. Fey'lya used the Bothan Way like a spleenadder wields its stinger-he kept undercover until the right moment arrived, then he struck without mercy. Fey'lya climbed the political ladder while his rivals fell victim to manufactured scandals and their own lack of charisma. Other Bothans latched on to this rising star, and soon Fey'lya had a faction at his command. At this point he set his sights on a much more ambitious goal-control of the galaxy.

At the time, Emperor Palpatine ruled with absolute authority, but Fey'lya was certain that even Palpatine could not rule forever. He began making overtures toward the Rebellion, and after the Death Star's destruction at Yavin, he felt confident enough to throw in his lot with the Alliance.

His Bothan faction gave the Rebellion an edge in espionage and made Fey'lya one of the most important Alliance figures, particularly after Garm Bel Iblis left the Rebels to fight his own private war. Ever mindful of the balance of power, Fey'lya stayed in contact with Bel Iblis, aiding him financially from time to time. Just prior to the Battle of Endor, Bothan spies uncovered vital information about the Emperor's second Death Star. Almost all the spies died in the process, and Bothawui's government lionized them as "the Martyrs." Nonetheless, Fey'lya made sure to claim the credit. Despite the fact that the information proved to be bait for a trap, the sacrifice of the Bothans garnered respect from all levels of the Alliance. When the second Death Star exploded over Endor, Borsk Fey'lya became one of the original eight signatories of the Declaration of a New Republic.

The eight individuals comprised the New Republic Provisional Council, and though Mon Mothma was the council's leader, Fey'lya held much of the influence. Always unobtrusive, Fey'lya shaped military strategies for the Trioculus war and the capture of Coruscant.

During Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign, Fey'lya felt the time was right for an outright grab for power. In what proved to be one of his rare miscalculations, he overplayed his hand by accusing Admiral Ackbar of treason, and by giving an order to retreat at the Battle of the Katana Fleet.

Disgraced among the New Republic Provisional Council, Fey'lya unsuccessfully attempted to shore up his power base with the Bothan people. For a while even his allies distanced themselves from him, and it was years before he climbed back to an equivalent level of power.

In the reconstruction that followed the war against the resurrected Emperor, Fey'lya rose again through the reorganized government. During the Black Fleet Crisis he served as chairman of the Senate Justice Council. The Hand of Thrawn incident could have been devastating for Fey'lya, revealing as it did Bothan complicity in the ruin of Caamas, but he positioned the news as ancient history, and saw that those involved were punished.

Fey'lya stewed when Pone Gavrisom became Chief of State following Leia Organa Solo's resignation, but vowed to bide his time. Organa Solo resumed service as Chief of State a few years later, but soon ran out her term. Finally, with twenty years' experience and a host of political contacts, Fey'lya became Chief of State in a landslide. At last, he ruled the civilized galaxy.

Less than a year into his term, the Yuuzhan Vong invaded. Scarcely believing that a threat of this magnitude should appear at the time of his greatest triumph, Fey'lya did little to prevent the enemy from taking bites out of the Outer Rim. But as the invaders swept toward the Core, he did what he could to halt their advance-while preserving such vital worlds as Bothawui. If that meant hanging the Jedi out to dry, he felt, then so be it. But when the Yuuzhan Vong seized his Coruscant, Fey'lya stayed behind and died with nobility. Fey'lya detonated a powerful charge in his executive office, killing himself and several prominent Yuuzhan Vong and destroying many of the Republic's most sensitive state secrets. For this sacrifice, even some of the Yuuzhan Vong have shown begrudging respect for the Bothan politician.

If Borsk Fey'lya were given an epitaph, it might read, "He did what he thought was right." Fey'lya saw even his most selfish actions as noble, for with him in power he believed that all citizens would ultimately benefit. Fey'lya did indeed achieve many positive things in his career, but many New Republic leaders will not mourn his passing.

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