The Liberator/Part 35

Day 141 of the Conquest of Milagro

"Any chance Khofin called to postpone?" Mali asked his secretary without much hope.

"Negative, sir," she replied over the intercom. "But Senator Rose is here."

"Well, that's something. Send her in."

The door opened and closed at Mali's back; he was in one of the chairs on the visitor's side of his desk, and so he heard Jendaya Rose before her saw her. "That's something…just what every woman wants to hear…"

Mali turned. For the first time in he couldn't remember how long, she wore senatorial robes off the floor of the Senate, done in cream and green. A gold necklace gleamed around her neck and matched the gold and emerald earrings Mali had given her, and her strawberry blonde hair hugged the left side of her face and her neck in a side braid.

Staring, Mali said, "…wow. You look stunning, Jendaya."

"That's better. The tone of shock's a little hurtful, but…"  She smirked. "…it's something."

Mali plastered on what felt like a smile and got to his feet. "You didn't need to come all the way out here for this."

"I didn't," she explained. "If you're leaving, Corellia wants to make sure Milagro is worth its continued investment. You look very handsome, by the way."

"Haven't heard you say that in a while."

"Well, it'll have to hold you for another while."

Mali sighed. "So how's your investment looking?"

"It's a bit of a fixer-upper, but I think it'll be worth it. The Diktat's authorized me to negotiate a purchase-on-credit for those shield generators you wanted."

Heaping more onto Milagro's debt pile, Mali thought, but this one was non-negotiable; Gasald's occupation force had failed to have shields everywhere and paid for its mistake with the entire planet. Milagro the Republic world couldn't make the same tactical mistake. And at least Corellia had come through; Khofin's attempts to wheedle more shield generators out of the Republic Army had fared no better than his effort to sell the Admiralty on another Corellian commander.

"I appreciate everything you've done for me, Jen," Mali said. "I know I don't say it enough, and I'm sorry for that."

She smiled and patted his cheek in an affectionate way. "Hey, you're the one on the front lines; I do my fighting in subcommittee hearings and shoot interoffice memos."

"Yeah, well, all the battles in the galaxy wouldn't add up to much without all the politicking and dealing that backs it up, would it?"

Jendaya sighed and gave him a hug. When she stepped away, she said, "You're a hero, Mali, and don't ever let anybody tell you different. You deserve this."

He sighed. "Best get it over with, then."

They stepped into the outer office side-by-side, and Mali found his secretary, some of Jendaya's staffers, and a handful of other beings watching the news.

"—verdicts handed down by yesterday's conclusion to the Milagro Tribunals, including a sentence of death for collaborationist Prime Minister Deordis Bevrelles, haven't been enough to stem the recent outcry over the Republic's declaration of martial law in some suburbs of Tarbunt City last week," the newscaster was saying. Mali's secretary reached for the controls, but Mali waved her down; avoiding it wouldn't make it go away. "While General Mali Darakhan's office insists that the declaration is limited in scope and designed to protect civilians who have been the victims of what the General's office called 'a concerted campaign of terror and intimidation', AFM in a public statement claimed the declaration is a prelude to full-scale overthrow of Milagro's elected government, and multiple citizens have voiced concerns over the recent raids into private residences in search of illegal weapons, fearing that the state of emergency will be used to authorize executions without trial, of the sort Milagro experienced under Sith rule and saw briefly in the death of Lord Kysl Ssron. Although a number of weapons have been confiscated and arrests made, MP Sendray Beethar, leader of the Free Milagro Party, today denounced the continuing martial law in his sixth statement on the matter on the floor of Parliament."

"Milagro has always been nothing but a strategic base to the Republic," the holoimage of Beethar said. "Nothing has changed, except now General Darakhan and Administrator Khofin are losing what little shame they had that inspired them to hide it. The Prime Minister must immediately denounce the declaration of martial law; her continued silence is collaborationism of the most cowardly kind."

Beethar might have been in the trenches during the Resistance too, but it still made Mali's blood boil to hear him call Zemma Rufos a coward, after all she had done and sacrificed for Milagro during the Resistance era and since. And he knew how the words would wound her, the surely-deliberate choice of collaborationism the day after Raina and her fellow judges had finally issued their verdicts.

"Bad enough that the Prime Minister's government has sold Milagro into debt slavery to the Core for generations to come; now she asks us—"

"Okay, I think I've got the gist now," Mali said, and his secretary turned it off. "Let's go."

To no one's surprise, Khofin had not waited for them, but his chief of staff had, and Mali tried not to take too much pleasure when he sensed the other man's internal flinch. "Good morning General. Ah…the Administrator thought you might look best in Jedi attire so as to—"

"This is Jedi attire." Mali gestured to his formal, knee-length overtunic and the undertunic beneath, both shades of green with a bronze trim; Jendaya had bought them for him when they dated. His wide belt and boots were simple Jedi brown leather, but he had again opted for pants with his second-class Bloodstripes; together with Jendaya's Senate robes and the CSF dress greens Essely Kalliot was sure to be wearing, they were the picture of Corellian pride. "I'm wearing it; I'm a Jedi. Shall we go?"

Unlike the first Milagro Government Center that had stood on this spot, where Mali and Tirien had dueled Darth Vandak amidst the flames that had ultimately burned that edifice to the ground, Halicon Karzded's government center had only offices and barracks; the Sith had appointed Bevrelles Prime Minister and ratified the choice with a sham, one-choice direct election, so no space had been needed or made for a Parliament. Milagro's legislature was still sitting in a performing arts center rented out for the purpose while a new Parliament Building was erected. The speeder pulled through a crowd amassed outside, some cheering Mali's name while others, separated by a line of constables, chanted protests and hurled invectives; Mali noticed he had been hanged in effigy.

He led Jendaya to the anteroom of a converted theater where Khofin of Knylenn waited.

"Senator Rose," he said, bowing.

"Khofin." She offered her hand, and he lifted it as if to press it to his lips; she narrowed her eyes into a look Mali recognized with a touch of reflexive dread, a look that would have cowed sterner men than Khofin of Knylenn, and he stopped, bowed his head over her hand as if in some Kuati homage, and released her.

In the spirit of cooperation for their remaining weeks together, Mali opted to save him. "Under the circumstances, Administrator, I really think we should postpone this to a better time."

"As a matter of maintaining the proper appearances?" Jendaya asked. Mali heard an unusual lilt in her voice that suggested she was firing an easy deflection, so he nodded.

Khofin frowned. "Candidly, I think the point isn't without merit, but the current circumstances make it all the more essential to recognize your service and show the government will not be intimidated."

"Jedi don't serve for recognition, Khofin."

"But neither is the recognition solely for you. It inspires your people—their small individual contributions are part of your success, and so they feel connected to it.  Moreover, it reminds the people of all the good the Republic has done here at a time they seem somewhat forgetful."

Mali could tell more words would be wasted; Khofin wasn't budging, and even Jendaya nodded in agreement. He took deep breaths, centering himself in the Force to play out his part as befit a Jedi. When the doors opened, Khofin led the way, then Mali and Jendaya entered together. Many dignitaries had come in for the event—which had demanded an increased Republic Army presence to prevent terrorism, which had in turn drawn more vitriol from AFM. Baron Obveluus sat at the head of his Tapani coalition in glorious noble robes; both Kaivalts were with him, as was Renata, her big eyes wide as she beamed at him. Mali tried to smile back, but he wasn't sure what expression he had produced.

Essely Kalliot sat with several junior officers between herself and Saikra Vaskolt. Saikra showed none of her pleasure in being given the acting command of Mali's fleet until the Admiralty finally chose a permanent replacement; Mali had a strong suspicion that Coruscant would either delay the decision so long that the Echani would keep it forever, or just wind up giving it to her rather than make a real decision. Essely had been incensed at the idea of CSF ships serving under some random Republic admiral, and though she had been breveted to Republic flag rank and elevated to second-in-command after Mali had gone all the way up to Supreme Chancellor Thini to argue on her behalf, she still stared forward, determined not to look at Vaskolt. The rocket fuel in her blood had ignited behind her eyes; Mali dreaded the smaller ceremony he was organizing for his senior officers, fearing that if he accidentally pricked her with the medal's pin she would explode.

Tago Tafen, as Speaker of Parliament, made the first speech welcoming Mali to what served as the chamber. Nissi Enkolfo followed him, then the mayor of Rogeum followed her. Mali sat in a guest's chair just below the dais, surveying the audience and trying to look attentive for the cameras. Many MPs—most of the coalition Zemma and Tago had pieced together—watched dutifully, but some were at work on datapads, and Mali saw Beethar and his entire Free Milagro Party bloc with their backs turned to him.

The mayor gave him the Key to the City of Rogeum, and Mali put on his smile to shake hands. Zemma rose and, to Mali's eternal gratitude, made her speech short and to the point before giving him Milagro's highest decoration, the Order of Narcyran's Valor. She pinned the medal to his chest and they shook hands, and Mali saw a rigid, sham smile on her lips that mirrored his own.

Khofin spoke at length, and though Mali maintained the appearance of focus, his thoughts strayed. The Milagro campaign had taken up half a year of his life, and now, in less than two weeks, he would be back to the north front. He told himself, as Khofin suggested in his speech, that half a year could hardly be the measure of success or failure; Milagro had much further to go, and would get there if and when the people united. He reminded himself that it would be good to reunite with Aldayr and pool their talents to bring Aresh down; he told himself that Kenza had slain Eviar Seldec, and victory was now within the Republic's grasp…

It took him by surprise when Khofin wrapped up; Jendaya kicked him under the table. They went up together; Jendaya, as a representative of the Senate and the Chancellor, pinned the Chancellor's Service Medal to his chest beside the Order of Narcyran's Valor while Khofin read out the lengthy citation. After decades in and around the Senate, Khofin had developed a flare for dramatic speaking, Mali had to admit; Mali could almost believe things like "unparalleled personal gallantry" and "consistent sacrifices for the good of those in need" except that he had been there, and on reflection found himself wondering what he could have done differently to leave Milagro in better shape.

In the sustained applause that followed—Beethar's party did not clap, and a cluster of MPs of Zemma's Milagro Forward Party tried to start a standing ovation that didn't catch on—Khofin bowed and stepped back from the podium and Mali braced himself. He wished Jendaya had arrived earlier than this morning, or that he'd had a chance to run his speech by Tirien, or thought to ask Slejux or Raven for help. He stepped up to the microphone and deactivated it, then raised his hands until the applause died.

"A year and a half ago," he began, the Force carrying his voice to every corner of the room, "I left Milagro with a promise to return. It took me a while—longer than I had hoped—but I kept faith, and when I came back, Halicon Karzded paid for a year of tyranny with his life, and together we freed Milagro.  And now we're facing the same sort of trial—it's a long road to recovery without a quick reward, and anyone who says there's a simple solution isn't reading the whole field."

"But this is Milagro. You all bore the hardships of Karzded's rule without breaking, and since Gasald was driven from this world, in only four short months you've rebuilt much of your society.  There's more work to do, but I have no doubt every being on Milagro is up to the challenges that face them.  There's more that unites us, all of us, than divides us—we all want Milagro to prosper, free of the Sith forever."

"So keep faith—with the Republic, with the Parliament you chose for yourselves, and with your neighbors and fellow Milagroans. Keep Milagro strong.  And for everything you've done for us while I've been here—for my fellow Jedi, my comrades in the Republic military, my brother and sister Corellians, and for me—I thank you all.  May the Force be with you."

And he led the way out of the chamber to scattered applause and a sense of bemusement around him. Jendaya followed loyally, and when he passed the Tapani Raven joined them too; after a second's hesitation, Raina fell in step and Renata scampered after them. Neither Essely nor Saikra followed, but Essely stood at attention as he walked by, and when Saikra did the same a second later, their staff officers had no choice but to follow suit.

"I've heard worse," Jendaya commented in the speeder on the way back. "And from career politicians, at that. A bit short, but…"

Mali brushed the medals on his chest. "I'm a soldier; we don't really do long speeches."

Renata pointed at the medals. "Congratulations, sir."

"Thanks." He looked at the twins. "What will you do once I'm gone?"

"I'll stay at least until the sentences are carried out," Raina said. "The only appeal is to the Prime Minister's office, so I expect that won't take long."

"Master Bnodd's offensive in the north of Gasald's territory seems to be keeping her from pulling other forces to attack here, so we're probably not in much danger of an invasion," Raven reasoned. "But she might send Sith, and they could make trouble, so I'll remain for a while to make sure things go smoothly."

"You'll have to be wards of yourselves now," Mali said. "Saikra Vaskolt may be the fleet commander, but you're Jedi Knights; you only answer to the Council. Don't let her, or especially Khofin, push you around."

"I'll put in a good word with Khofin," Jendaya said, then smirked. "And make sure he behaves himself."

Renata grinned, then stopped, as if she wasn't sure she was supposed to; Raven humored Jendaya with a diplomatic smile, though Raina and Mali fell into their separate thoughts. The Kaivalts and Renata went their own way at the government center while Mali and Jendaya took the turbolift up.

Mali's secretary was talking to a young girl in what looked like secondhand dress clothes. His secretary stood as he entered and said, "Congratulations, General Darakhan. We saw the ceremony on the holo."

"Yeah, you were really great!" the girl added, springing to her feet with a wide smile; she was missing a tooth.

"Thanks…" Mali said, trailing off and looking at the girl.

"Oh, this is our new intern," his secretary explained. "It's a program Prime Minister Rufos came up with. Some of the kids are volunteering with the government for the upcoming school recess.  Kara, this is General Darakhan."

"Oh, we know each other from when I was in the Resistance," Kara assured her. "It's so good to see you again, General. How's Aldayr?  He hooked me up with this internship, but everybody said he's gone now!"

Scrambling to remember her, Mali tried not to stare. "Uh…he's good. Great, actually.  Got Corellian Bloodstripes for heroism."

"Really? Wizard!  Omigosh, tell him I said congratulations!"

"I'll…do that, Kara."

"You make quite an impression, don't you?" Jendaya asked when they had closed the office doors behind them.

"Apparently…"

"You have no idea who she is, do you?"

"Not a clue."

Jendaya laughed and sat on the edge of Mali's desk. He sat beside her in companionable silence for a moment, looking down at his medals.

"You really do deserve them," she said.

He shrugged. "I just…I feel like I could've done more, that I must've missed something—that this can't be the best result we could've hoped for. I wish I was leaving Milagro better off."

"Karzded isn't in charge; anything's better than that. Besides, you've still got a couple weeks; maybe—"

The intercom buzzed. "General? Master Cazars is on the holo for you."

Mali rolled his eyes. "Maybe I have a couple weeks; let's find out."

He called up the holo and bowed. "Hello Master. I'm here with Senator Rose of Corellia."

"Is anyone else with you?"

Her tone seized Mali's attention and he straightened at once. He could see tension in the Twi'lek Jedi Master's face, much as she tried to hide it. "No…"

"I can step out if you'd like, Your Grace," Jendaya offered, coming into view of the projector at Mali's side.

"No, you can stay, Senator; the Senate will be briefed soon enough anyway." Elata returned her eyes to Mali. "We've suffered a defeat."

Mali frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. How bad?"

"Bad. Admiral Trifon's task force was intercepted at Garqi; we thought we had Aresh tied up in the Lahara sector, Intelligence has no idea how he got there.  But he brought a full war fleet down on the task force; not much of it survived."

So much for hoping the Republic might spare more ships to defend Milagro against Gasald. Mali bowed his head, wishing peace on the many souls lost. "Two weeks and I'll be there, Master."

"And we need you, but…"

Hesitation was not like her, and a sliver of fear slipped between Mali's ribs toward his heart; the Force urged him to brace himself. "But what? What happened?"

She took a deep breath. "Mali, the Guardian was with the task force. Aresh caught it in low orbit and blew out half the ship; gravity pulled down what was left.  It crashed on Garqi, and all personnel are missing, presumed dead."

Mali remembered, only weeks before, a communication from the bridge of the Guardian… "And…Aldayr?"

The sympathy in Elata's eyes turned the sliver into a knife. "I'm very sorry, Mali, but he was aboard the ship when it went down."

Mali was distantly conscious of the Twi'lek offering more words of comfort and guidance, and of Jendaya's hand on his back keeping him upright, but the knife had found its target, and while he stayed on his feet, inside he was falling.