Star Wars - Black Fleet Crisis - Shield Of Lies

by Michael P. Kube-Mcdowell

  "Hospital," Mallar said in a croak.

  "Yes. You are in the New Republic Fleet Infirmary on Coruscant," said

  Ackbar. "And I am Ackbar."

  Plat Mallar's eyes widened. "Cor'scant? How? I was--what about

  Polneye--what happened--" "I will tell you everything, in time. Some

  of it is hard to hear," Ackbar said gravely. "But none of that matters

  today."

  "Thought--I was dying," Mallar said. Each word was an effort.

  "Today you start to live again. And, if you will allow me, I will be

  here to help you."

  Mallar raised an unsteady hand a few centimeters and pointed. "Who're

  you?"

  "I am Mon Calamari," said Ackbar. "And you are Grannan. I have never

  met a Grannan before today.

  Have you ever met one of my people?"

  Mallar shook his head slightly.

  "Then perhaps we both can learn from each other."

  "Uniform," Mallar said. "Were you? are you my doctor?"

  Ackbar glanced down at his battle dress. "I am just an old star pilot

  without enough sense to go home," he said, rising. "I 'll bring your

  doctor now. He'll have more important things to talk about."

  Poas Trell could not keep the frown off her face as she handed a seated

  Leia the stack of petitions. "Madame President, when you said that I

  could witness--" "Do you have a problem with that?"

  "Madame President, Minister Falanthas's aide alerted him to your

  arrival before I reached the office.

  He's on his way down now. Could I possibly impose on you to wait just

  a few minutes--" "No," said Leia. "There's nothing to discuss. I have

  the authority to grant these requests, and I intend to do so. Where is

  the endorsement tablet?"

  "My auxiliary is fetching one," said Trell. "It will be here

  shortly."

  Leia raised a questioning eyebrow. "It looks like we've received some

  additional petitions."

  "Yes, Madame President. There are twenty-three all told, eighteen from

  Farlax and five from elsewhere. The administrator and Minister

  Falanthas were discussing with Chairman Beruss a proposal that the four

  systems closest to the hostilities be placed in an accelerated approval

  process--" "I can accelerate that process considerably if you'll just

  get that endorsement tablet in here."

  Trell was openly squirming. "Princess, I'm very uncomfortable with

  this--" "Are you questioning my authority to act on these petitions?"

  "No, of course not, Princess Leia. I only thought you might see value

  to consulting with your senior ministers on your decision, and

  coordinate your timing with---" "The endorsement tablet, please," Leia

  said firmly.

  "Or I take these with me to my own offices and deal with them there.

  And then I inform Nanaod that he will need to find a new executive

  aide, since the last one has been dismissed for insubordination."

  Trell let her comlink slip down into her hand. Her fingers twisted the

  endpiece. "Faylee," she said evenly.

  "Have you located a tablet yet?"

  A moment later the door to the staff conference room opened, and a

  clerk entered bearing an endorsement tablet. Trell nodded toward Leia,

  and the clerk placed the tablet on the table in front of her, then

  excused herself.

  "Will you sit down?" Leia invited, indicating the chair opposite

  hers.

  When Trell complied, Leia placed the first petition on the tablet and

  activated its recording system. The prism-shaped bulge at the top of

  the tablet contained three holo lenses--one to record the document

  itself, one to record the signer in the act of signing, and one to

  record the witness sitting opposite.

  "President Leia Organa Solo, acting for the New Republic in the matter

  of the emergency petition of Ga-lantos for membership," she said,

  taking up the endorsing stylus.

  "Poas Trelt, senior aide to First Administrator Engh, witnessing."

  Leia signed the petition with a flourish. "Approved.

  President Leia Organa Solo, acting for the New Republic in the matter

  of the emergency petition of Wehttam for membership--" When Leia

  reached the fifth document in the stack, Trell hesitated. "Do you mean

  to approve all the Farlax petitions?"

  "I mean to approve all the petitions, period. Please continue."

  Trell drew a long breath, thought something she decided not to say, and

  folded her hands on the table.

  "Poas Trell, senior aide to the first administrator--" Minister

  Falanthas arrived just in time for Leia to hand him the stack of

  approved petitions as she left.

  "Good morning, Mokka," she said. "I'm sorry you were called away from

  your meeting for nothing. But since you're here, let me ask you to see

  that all the governments are notified as soon as possible. No,

  wait--do you happen to know if Councillor Jobath is still on

  Corus-cant?"

  "I believe he is at the diplomatic hostel."

  "Then you can leave Galantos to me--I'd like to inform the councillor

  myself."

  As she started to leave, Minister Falanthas looked down at the stack of

  documents in his hands, then up at Leia. "What should I tell Chairman

  Beruss?"

  "Tell him that we've done the right thing," Leia called back to him.

  "Tell him we can move on to the hard decisions now."

  "Dr. Yintal called you 'Admiral,'" said Plat Mallar as he and Ackbar

  walked slowly through the exercise garden in the courtyard of the Fleet

  infirmary. "He treated you like more than an old star pilot. He

  treated you like someone important."

  "Dr. Yintal is unusually respectful for a doctor," Ackbar said. "How

  does it feel to be moving?"

  "Better than it did to be in that bed," said Mallar.

  "Was I really in that tank for sixteen days?"

  "I was there when you were brought in," said Ackbar. "You were

  terribly, terribly ill."

  "Is a day here the same as a day on Polneye?"

  "Just the same, I suspect--one sunset to the next," Ackbar said, and

  chuckled at his own joke. "Does Polneye still use Imperial System

  measures and the decimal clock?"

  "A day here is fourteen hundred standard time parts long," Ackbar

  said.

  "You can adjust your expectations accordingly."

  "That's shorter," said Mallar. "The Polneye day is eighteen hundred

  ST. Still, sixteen days--" His expression suddenly changed to one of

  worry. "How am I going to pay for all that?"

  "You owe us nothing," said Ackbar. "Your care is a gift from the New

  Republic, one we are more than happy to give." He paused and gestured

  toward a nearby bench. "Would you like to stop for a while?"

  "No," Mallar said, nodding. "It feels good to be walking."

  "Then we will walk," said Ackbar, resuming his almost-shuffling pace.

  "Dr. Yintal said he didn't know anything about what's been happening

  at Polneye," Mallar said after a time. "If you are an admiral, does

  that mean you might know more?"

  "I'm afraid the last report we have from Polneye is yours," Ackbar

  said. "We have not been able to raise them, or to send a scout in."

  "In sixteen days? Why not?"

  "P
lat Mallar, you must try to prepare yourself for the idea that you

  are the only survivor of that horrible attack," said Ackbar.

  "But Ten South was still standing--and there was a transport on the

  ground--" "We have analyzed the recordings from your interceptor,"

  Ackbar said. "The transport was being loaded with droids and other

  equipment. I'm afraid there is little foundation for hope."

  Mallar fell silent for more than half a lap around the courtyard. "Who

  did it?" he asked at last. "Can you at least tell me who killed my

  family?"

  "The attack was carried out by the Yevetha," Ackbar said.

  "The Yevetha?" Mallar asked, indignant. "Who are the Yevetha?"

  "They are a species native to Koornacht Cluster.

  They were enslaved by the Empire but seem to have stolen the Empire's

  technologies, and perhaps a substantial battle fleet as well. Several

  other colonies were attacked at the same time. Our information is far

  from complete, but you are, in fact, the only known survivor."

  "What are you doing about them?"

  "We have taken steps to protect the other inhabited worlds near

  Koornacht," said Ackbar. "We are still looking at what we can do to

  respond to the Yevethan aggression."

  "What I saw wasn't aggression," said Mallar. "It was murder. It was

  nothing but calculated butchery."

  "Yes," Ackbar said, nodding. "It was."

  "Then I don't understand. Is what I've heard about the New Republic

  wrong? You deposed the Emperor because of the injustices under his

  rule. You stood up against the whole Imperial Navy over principle. Is

  that true, or propaganda?"

  "It is true."

  "And you still have a great fleet of your own?"

  "Yes."

  Mallar stopped and turned to Ackbar. "Will you use it?" ment," Ackbar

  said. "I do not know what they will decide."

  "Why is this so difficult?"

  "You may not understand this, Plat Mallar, but it is not easy to rouse

  a democracy to war," said Ackbar.

  "Not unless it has been attacked directly. Everything must be

  discussed. The provocation must be more compelling than the

  politics.

  And it always takes time."

  Ackbar shook his head. "Sixteen days is not enough time."

  "What do you think will happen? Tell me what you honestly believe,"

  said Mallar. "It's important."

  Ackbar nodded. "I believe that, in the end, we will call the Yevetha

  to account. But there will be an ugly fight here first."

  "Thank you," Mallar said. "Do you know when I can leave the

  hospital?"

  "Whenever Dr. Yintal is satisfied with your recovery," said Ackbar.

  "I would think another day at least.

  Do you have plans already?"

  "Yes," said Plat Mallar. "I'm going to volunteer to join your pilot

  corps. When you call the Yevetha to account, I want to be part of

  it.

  That's the only thing that matters to me now. That's all there is

  that's worth doing."

  By the time Leia reached the executive suite on the fifteenth level of

  the Ministry Center, Alole and Tarrick were standing and talking just

  inside the suite's reception entrance, inconspicuously positioned to

  either greet or intercept her. Alole's face lit up as she turned

  toward Leia.

  "Princess--we just heard that you were back."

  "I'll bet you heard," said Leia with a wry smile.

  "How are you, Alole?"

  "I'm fine, Princess."

  "Tarrick?"

  "Very well, Madame President."

  "Then is there any reason we can't go inside and get to work?"

  "None at all," Tarrick said, breaking into a smile.

  Once in Leia's private office, both the formality and the familiarity

  quickly passed. "So--how does the damage look from your end of the

  lifeboat?"

  "Better now that you're here again," Tarrick said.

  "We've been having some trouble with the steerage," Alole said.

  "Oh?"

  "A lot of people trying to grab the wheel."

  Leia nodded. "How long is my hot list?"

  "Manageable," Alole said. "We've been handling everything we could on

  our own. But Nanny is pretty insistent on seeing you at the earliest

  opportunity."

  "I'll keep that in mind," Leia s aid. "Alole, please call over to the

  Senate and see if Bennie has any time for me today."

  "Right away," Alole said, fading back toward the door. "Your hot list

  is on your datapad."

  "Thank you," Leia said, pulling the datapad toward her. "Tarrick, see

  if you can find Councillor Jobath and coax him in. Tell him I have

  news for him."

  "He's been calling us every morning for a fortnight," the aide said

  with a lazy grin. "I think I can get him here."

  Alole had paused at the door. "Princess--" Leia looked up from the

  device. "Yes, Alole?"

  "It's good to have you back."

  "Run a tally sheet," Leia said. "I'm betting yours is the minority

  opinion."

  Entering with a smile, Behn-kihl-nahm embraced Leia, then turned and

  closed the door to the President's reception lounge. "How are you,

  Princess?"

  "Better," she said. "How am I, Bennie?"

  Selecting the largest of the chairs, the chairman of the Defense

  Council made himself comfortable before answering. "You are safe for

  the moment. You still have the support of five of the seven Council

  chairs. There is no serious talk of convening the Ruling Council to

  consider a petition of no confidence."

  "That sounds better than I had reason to hope. Who are the

  contraries?

  Borsk Fey'lya." The opportunistic Bothan headed the Justice Council

  and had always been cool to Leia, not least because of her friendship

  with Ackbar.

  "Of course," Behn-kihl-nahm said. "There's no possible advantage to

  him in supporting you--but if the tide turns, he has positioned himself

  as the leader of the opposition.

  Since Justice has no real responsibility for either war or diplomacy,

  Fey'lya is free to play both the inside game and the outside game."

  "How so?"

  "For now, the malcontents of the Senate will gather around him, simply

  because he stands taller than they do. He need not even promise them

  anything, though they may end up thinking he has. And when the grids

  come looking for what they call balance, he can be as provocative as he

  pleases."

  "You're saying that I'll have to get accustomed to the sound of his

  voice."

  "Whenever you are the subject of the grids' attention, there he will

  be. In a month, perhaps two, if it should happen that you were

  removed, he will have acquired enough power and status to have a chance

  at becoming acting President."

  Leia nodded, frowning. "Surely you'd be in a stronger position than he

  would."

  "In this scenario, I would be fatally damaged by having been your

  champion in a losing cause," said the chairman. "If you are recalled,

  whether by the Senate or the Ruling Council, they will not turn to me

  to replace you."

  "And if I resigned now?"

  Behn-kihl-nahm wriggled his shoulders, settling de
eper into the

  chair.

  "There is no reason for you to do so--or even to contemplate it."

  "You wouldn't be tainted," she pressed. "And he wouldn't have had a

  chance to enlarge his power bloc."

  "We are already where we belong, you and I," said Behn-kihl-nahm.

  "There's no need to speak of change. It is an unnecessary

  distraction."

  "I'll try to remember that when Borsk Fey'lya speaks of it from the

  Senate podium," Leia said. "Who's the other chairman to side with

  Fey'lya?"

  "Chairman Rattagagech is the other, but I would not say he has sided

  with Chairman Fey'lya," Behn-kihl-nahm said.

  On hearing the name, Leia immediately understood the reason for her

  mentor's distinction. The scholarly, thoughtful Elomin, who headed the