"Corellian Engineering Corporation's declaration of war?" Lom Pyke was stunned. "CEC is a commercial corporation, isn't it? Not a sovereign state. How can it declare war?"
"Hah—pretty professional." Max Vizsla immediately switched into full-on mocking mode. "Getting up at four in the morning to study political science? Before you manage to kill King Yaruba, stop overthinking pointless nonsense."
"Pyke—"
Lom Pyke was cut off again.
"The Trade Federation can declare war on Naboo—so why can't Corellian Engineering Corporation declare war on the Pyke Syndicate? Contract or declaration, pick one and sign."
Max had brought two documents. One was a coaxium purchase order worth 7.8 billion Galactic Republic credits. The other was a declaration of war submitted by CEC to the Pyke Syndicate.
The contract was nothing special: a standard procurement agreement, just with an unusually large number attached.
The declaration of war, though, was the interesting one. As Lom Pyke—ever the amateur political theorist—had noted, a "declaration of war" from a corporation was awkward, even absurd.
But taken together, the message in the two documents was perfectly clear. Keep selling coaxium and the Pyke Syndicate would be CEC's friend. Cut off coaxium and the Pyke Syndicate would be CEC's enemy. Friend or enemy—no middle path.
Lom Pyke felt like he couldn't breathe. It was usually criminals who threatened others; today, the head of the criminals was the one being threatened at his own doorstep.
"Mmm…"
He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, drawing in a deep breath as if it took his entire body's strength.
"Haa…" Lom Pyke opened his eyes, made his decision, grabbed a portable terminal, and began signing. "Pyke wants the order, not war, Plenipotentiary Envoy."
In front of a Jedi who "was not a Jedi anymore," Lom Pyke didn't dare seriously consider the other option.
"Good." Max stood and turned to leave.
"Please wait, Plenipotentiary Envoy!" Lom Pyke forced the words out, swallowing down his fear.
"What?" Max looked back, wearing the smile he thought looked like a cool, swaggering leading man—though to Lom Pyke it looked more like the chilling smile of a villain in a spy thriller.
"You're offering me a kickback?"
"Huh? Oh—yes." Lom Pyke snapped back to himself and flashed hand signals to his subordinates. "A small token of respect. Pyke prepared it long ago—only feared it might not satisfy the Envoy."
"Heh. No problem. I don't mind one credit, and I don't mind one billion credits either. I'm not picky."
"A mere one billion—nothing, nothing at all." Lom Pyke smiled thinly, fired off more signals, and pressed on. "The Envoy has traveled far. Why not rest a while, so Pyke may extend hospitality?"
"No need to rest. If there's something, say it."
"Plenipotentiary Envoy…" After dismissing his men, Lom Pyke hesitated, looking as if he wanted to speak but didn't dare.
Seeing that, Max put on a show—forming a hand seal like some mystic ritual—then said, "Speak. They can't hear us now."1
After glancing at the fully armed Mandalorians in the hall, Lom Pyke still instinctively lowered his voice. "Plenipotentiary Envoy… that matter…"
"The matter near the moon?" Max cut in immediately, to prevent Lom Pyke from asking about something else Max didn't actually know.
"Y-yes." Lom Pyke was sweating hard, nodding like his neck was hinged. "Pyke… Pyke…"
"Take good care of Envoy Silman. Do nothing extra. That will keep you—" Max pinched his fingers together as if calculating fate, "—safe for nine years." // (And if the investigators show up earlier, then it'll definitely be because you did something extra.)
"N-nine years… and after that?" Lom Pyke asked, wiping sweat.
"What?" Max raised an eyebrow. "Nine years isn't long enough for you to live? You want to die of old age?"
"N-no—please, teach Pyke."
"Master Sifo-Dyas was someone Tyranus specifically demanded. Without the Jedi Temple's protection, the weak Pyke Syndicate could not resist Tyranus's will. If you keep Envoy Silman alive and cared for, it shows the Syndicate's respect for the Temple—and it leaves a shred of dignity in this whole affair."
"Y-yes, yes, exactly." Lom Pyke steadied himself a little. "Then… will the Jedi Temple forgive Pyke's betrayal?"
"When the time comes, hand Envoy Silman to the Temple's people. Confess truthfully and apologize sincerely. You didn't take it all the way—so the peace-loving Jedi Temple won't take it all the way either."
"Good… good." Lom Pyke reflexively pressed a hand to his chest and exhaled.
Seeing the bluff—more accurately, the spoiler—land cleanly, Max didn't linger. With the Force, he flung the chair back into its original position, then raised his voice. "Move out."
"Understood. Step—step—step…"
"Plenipotentiary Envoy." Lom Pyke bowed deeply. "May the Force be with you."
…
(So powerful a Jedi… and he's still willing to be capital's dog.)
After watching the ship carrying both Jedi and credits lift off and depart the berth, Lom Pyke took a sharp inhale of refined spice and sank back into his chair.
He smiled—first a tight-lipped grin, then a wide laugh, then laughter so hard his whole body convulsed, turning into the classic villain's rasping cackle.
"The Jedi Temple has fallen… the galaxy is headed for chaos."
"Let it be chaos. Let it get worse. Chaos isn't a abyss—chaos is a ladder. It's Pyke's path to rise!"
PS: In Legends, Kessel is an irregular asteroid. In the current canon, Kessel is a regular spherical planet, habitable on the surface with a complete ecosystem. The Kessel royal family—headed by King Yaruba—is Kessel's legitimate ruler and holds the planet's northern hemisphere. The Pykes occupy the southern hemisphere.
The idea that the Pykes want to replace the Kessel royals and become Kessel's legitimate rulers is this author's own addition.
PPS: Envoy Silman is the assistant to former Supreme Chancellor Valorum. He is not Force-sensitive, and served as deputy envoy alongside Master Sifo-Dyas on Felucia during tribal mediation. He had remarkable luck and survived the Pyke ambush.
Because Darth Tyranus did not specifically demand his death—and because the Pyke Syndicate did not want to take things "too far"—they did not finish him off when they found him. Instead, they secretly imprisoned him.
Early in the Clone Wars, when Obi-Wan and Anakin visited Oba Diah to investigate Master Sifo-Dyas's death, Lom Pyke planned to return Envoy Silman to the Jedi investigators. However, Darth Tyranus arrived first and killed both Envoy Silman and Lom Pyke to eliminate witnesses.