Matthew Wetsel’s Reviews > The Mask of Fear > Status Update

“Now let the tyrant fall” - Bail Organa after his Imperial Rebirth Act speech.

Spoiler alert - yeah, how is this going to end?!?
😂🤪

Bail’s speech to the senate on the merits of the Imperial Rebirth act comes across as a way to rebuild the Republic and Confederate planets equally and an opportunity to (foolishly hope?) keep more power in the senate (pgs 408-409)
(although think of Episode IV - the senate was dissolved and the regional governors were given direct control. “Fear will keep the local systems in line.” - Governor Tarkin).

Interesting…..Soujen has self destruct words
(Pgs 396-397) Mon already snuck in “oubilette” while in the speeder on the way to “help”
Soujen assassinate Palpy. Can she sneak in the second word?

Haki survived after all (pg 317)!
She just pretended to drown after being blasted.

My big question - why in the world did Bail just take her word to be a security escort for him?
Some random older alien lady appears and he is ok with accepting this without a thorough vetting?!?

Ok, so Chemish seems to be a different character than Haki as I initially wondered
(Pg 282 - questioning scene with Imperial Intelligence).

Haki seems to have been killed by clone troopers while taking aim at Soujen from a distance
(294).

Mon is taken into custody by three uniformed
(presumably Imperial) officers for her connection to Bail Organa (pgs 297-298)

Interesting how the Chemish character doesn’t use he/she pronouns (them)

The dialogue between Haki and Bail in chapter
33 is interesting. Is there truth to what Haki says - that Bail’s fascination with redeeming the Jedi against Palpatine’s smear campaign will only lead to inspiring more terrorists like Saw?
Kinda Batman-like dilemma - freedom fighter vs vigilante.

This has been a slow burn book by my standards but it looks like “business is about to pick up.”
Strongly hinting that Bail, Saw, and Soujen’s paths will cross soon at the Separtists’ cache
(part of Bail’s journey to clear the Jedi’s names and accuse Palpy of malfeasance)
(pg 206)
Haki might have to interrupt his progress.
What is Haki’s true endgame?

Soujen has some of the most interesting murder fantasies (pg 198). Dreams of wiping out all of Saw Gerrera’s team including Karamara and
Nankry while they are in a vulnerable state in the cache.

The uneasy alliance between Soujen
and Saw Gerrera is slowly piquing my interest.

On a related note, I watched the last episode of Andor Season 1 while on the elliptical earlier today. Tsk tsk, Perrin (hubby of Mon Mothma) for shaming Mon with your gambling on Coruscant!
Go to Canto Bight if you have to waste credits that may or may not be yours to waste!