"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."
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