The Final Judgment/Part IV: The Dragon

Jinyx hung back next to Hataphri, not quite sure where she was supposed to be, but not wanting to be too far away from the Queen, either. Everyone else seemed to take matters in stride as if they did this all the time; the four Royal Guards had formed a loose box around the Queen, Selkee and Corr Shaasa stood on either side of her, the Massassi colonel and his two enormous warriors remained vigilantly close, and even Souv Tanake and the IAI minister seemed calm, walking on the far side of the Queen's party and listening attentively as some of the War Judge's staff answered questions tersely. Jinyx tried to pay attention, but she found Toriafas distracting…and not in the way she had expected.

Every world was a cornucopia of new sights, sounds, and most crucially, smells. The scents of food in the air, the natural smells of a variety of alien life forms, the slight changes in atmosphere inland or at the coast or on the seas. Of course, Toriafas was an ecumenopolis, which eliminated many of the natural odors that might have been present, but Jinyx had been all around Coruscant with Breek and down to the bowels of Mezlagob with Baylis, and even they hadn't been like this.

Toriafas was…stale. There really wasn't another word for it. Of course, the Exoi had unique smells, but as they passed along a skybridge which traversed a shopping district, Jinyx looked down and saw only a few Exoi milling about, and no open-air stalls of foods and exotic goods. The marketplace in Rykar's capital city, Rahxen, was always filled with the smells of fish, meat, fruits and vegetables, and the Drakonus and aliens milling about to buy them. Here nothing seemed open to the air, every shop walled up behind steel and glass.

She wanted badly to shift, to pull those smells in through her dragon form's nose and pick up what she thought she had to be missing, but the Queen had said no, and she dared not disobey. It made her uncomfortable again as she thought about it; a Drakonus showed deference with wings spread, and if it came to a fight—and if Selkee kept running her mouth, Jinyx was sure it would—she could do more damage with teeth, claws, tail, and several centimeters more of height and muscle mass. But the Queen was sure the Exoi had never encountered anything like a Drakonus, and Jinyx had to admit the ability to swell in size and ferocity in the space of seconds might have some useful surprise value.

So she trudged along with the Queen's party, feeling awkward, and tried to pay attention.

"You mentioned precedent," Corr Shaasa ventured as the War Judge led them on, and Jinyx looked that way. She had caught the word too, and had never heard it used in this context, just Zork's mind-numbing lessons about the Sovereign's Tribunal and its rulings on Royal law.

"We are a species and a society of laws, alien," the War Judge responded, the protocol droid still translating. Unlike many protocol droids Jinyx had seen, this one had only a humanoid upper half; its torso ended into a repulsorpod which allowed it to drift along at the same pace, rather than falling behind with the tottering gait Jinyx had often seen in other droids.

"Corr Shaasa," the Duros supplied, his tone pleasant.

Jinyx sensed a flicker of annoyance, but the War Judge opted not to respond at all, pressing on, "All of the Kritocracy is governed by law; that which is not within the law is not to be tolerated. Any other system is a breeding ground for the tyranny of individual whims and desires over the collective wisdom of experience."

Jinyx saw the Queen's veiled head turn in her direction. She lowered her gaze automatically, but the Queen was looking at Hataphri. A second later, the woman asked, "But you speak of precedent, War Judge. So you have common law as well as statutes?"

The War Judge glanced at her with the two eyes on one side of his oddly-shaped face. "Of course," he said. "No code of law can address all particularities. But we entrust the interpretation of law to judges trained for that very purpose, who make rulings in accordance with those made before them.  One law, consistent through history, never changing and never faltering."

"And never adapting," Queen Rin remarked.

The War Judge's eyes narrowed. "Precedent can be extended by analogy," he replied tersely. "That is part of why we are permitting you here with your…honor guard."

He glanced around at the Massassi and other soldiers.

"If the circumstances truly command something new, the God-King will bless us with new law," he added.

Jinyx frowned. The War Judge had mentioned God-Kings before. She had run into remorselessly logical aliens who seemed utterly devoid of emotion in their calculations; the Chiss came to mind. And she had seen religious fanatics here and there too. Rarely had she seen both in one being, let alone a whole species.

"The God-King?" Selkee asked…skeptically, Jinyx thought.

The War Judge evidently thought so too, judging by his expression. Or perhaps he shared the Supervisor of Sentries's distaste for Chiss. "Our government is led by the divine Chohwelk VII, the Lawgiver," he replied sharply. "His wisdom bestows upon us laws when our judges require them."

"Does he bestow them often?" the Queen asked.

The War Judge said nothing, turning back to their path, which was taking them toward a docking station. Tarzg took a step out of formation at the insult, but the Queen herself laid a hand on his shoulder, guiding him back. Jinyx chanced a look at her, and even through the shimmersilk veil she could see the woman's red face in an expression of deep thought.

"You're a real judge, then?" Souv Tanake put in after an uncomfortable moment. "It's not just a title?"

"Of course," Offastup said briskly. "All who lead in the Kritocracy must know the law if they are to apply it. Those who command our great military are schooled in the arts of war and educated in all the history, precedent, and nuance of military law."

Jinyx found herself wondering how much time Sorrik and Breek had spent studying military law. She thought about asking, then realized it might mean even more private tutoring with Zork and thought better of it.

"And the Governing Judges?" Souv pressed.

The War Judge stopped at a transparent turbolift tube which ascended a whole two stories to a launch platform. "The Governing Judges will adjudicate the matter of your presence here," he said. Gesturing with all three arms on one side, he said, "These platforms will take you to accommodations. Remain there until you are called for."

The dismissal seemed to irk some of the Royal Guards, but the Queen again laid a hand on Tarzg's shoulder. The Bothan growled, "We look forward to seeing them very soon in person."

Even as the droid was finishing its translation, the Queen turned and stepped into the turbolift before the War Judge could reply. Jinyx hurried along in her wake.

The repulsorcraft was the size of a small barge; the Queen's party, her "honor guard", and their Exoi escorts all fit with room to spare. Jinyx saw six large turbines, three on each side of the barge, but as the gate closed, the turbines rotated to point down rather than sideways, generating energy to lift the craft off the ground. Several of the armored battle suits took off on repulsors of their own to drift along beside the craft.

She darted to the edge, looking down on the cityscape below. They soared hundreds of meters above the majority of buildings, and some of the soldiers were steering clear of the railings. After the cramped Wanderlust, Jinyx found the height laughable. If she fell, she could shift a dozen times before hitting ground, and it might be worth the fall to stretch her wings, to soar on the currents of this alien breeze…

No. The Queen had said no. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to study the city instead. Analyze your enemy, she could hear Breek's voice in her head. If possible, before he becomes an enemy.

Most of the city was even less interesting than Mezlagob had been—durasteel and some stone, glass reflecting sunlight harshly enough that she looked away from the glare, bridges crisscrossing pedestrian walkways. Tiny dots that were individual Exoi walked along about their business.

The sight could not keep Jinyx's attention, but as she looked ahead, her eyes fixed on a change in architecture. Rising taller than the skyscrapers, reaching to the clouds, a group of structures lay before them. Centermost was a colossal tower shaped like a series of drums, each stacked atop the last, each smaller than the one below it. It reminded Jinyx absurdly of the cake at Shaydow and Gem's wedding, except substantially more ornate. Columns, flying buttresses, stained glass windows, balconies, reliefs and statuary, fountains and pools…

Looking at it gave her a headache.

An Exoi came up to her and gave a long, rambling cascade of Exhacte. The Queen had not seen fit to share the language with the rest of them while she was downloading it, so Jinyx focused more on the blaster in the Exoi's hands. It seemed to require all six of his hands, and it was much taller than it was long; the middle two hands held it steady, while the bottom two operated some sort of trigger mechanism and the top two manipulated a sighting system. A muzzle as wide as her face stuck out toward her, and Jinyx tried not to imagine what it did, and whether her lightsaber could block whatever would come out.

The Exoi stopped talking, and Jinyx looked up at him, shrugging. She could usually get the gist of a language in short order, but she had only heard Minnisiat now and then; she needed more exposure. She suddenly felt eyes on her, and looked to find the Queen in the midst of Corr Shaasa, Souv, and the IAI Minister. They were all looking at her, but the Queen herself looked from Jinyx to the Exoi and back, then said something to the hovering protocol droid and pointed. It drifted over to her side.

"May I assist you, ma'am?" the droid inquired.

"Er…" Jinyx wasn't used to being called ma'am, but she looked at the Exoi. "Ask what he said."

The droid relayed the question, then translated, "He says before you stands the Temple of Incarnate Glory, the pillar of wisdom and font of justice. It is the central temple of the Salbin faith—I presume that it their religion," the droid added blandly, "and the palace of God-King Chohwelk VII, the Descendant of the Gods Beyond Galaxies."

The God-King again. Jinyx frowned, studying the temple/palace. "He lives in a temple?"

The Exoi replied, and the droid said, "The God-King is ministered to at all times by his Acolytes, the order sworn to bestow the glorious light of Salbin on all the galaxy, for all are creations of the Gods Beyond Galaxies. From his home in the temple, he may both guide the Acolytes and summon the Governing Judges to receive his wisdom."

"Governing Judges?"

The Exoi pointed to a smaller building in the distance, though it still dwarfed most of its neighbors. It was pyramidal, but flat on top, and surrounded by circle after circle of enormous steel columns; Jinyx had to suppress a laugh as she imagined some gigantic being growing a pyramid plant, with several little fences around it so no critters came to dig it up before it grew its peak. "That is the Convocation of Law, in which the Governing Judges lead the Kritocracy."

"Governing Judges?" Jinyx asked again. "I thought the God-King was the ruler."

The Exoi took a moment to reply this time. "The God-King concerns himself with matters of faith and bestows law," the droid finally translated. "The Governing Judges apply that law to the worlds of the Kritocracy, interpreting the God-King's wisdom so that the almighty Kritocracy may flourish from its fruits."

"…right," Jinyx said, trying hard not to offend. Pointing to the Convocation herself, she asked, "What are the columns for?"

"Each represents a Governing Judge and his world—the worlds of the Kritocracy." The droid added nothing else, but Jinyx looked up at the alien face, frowning slightly. Something was off. She might not know Minnisiat well enough to tell hesitation, but she could feel discomfort in the alien's mind.

"There must be hundreds," she observed. "The Kritocracy has that many worlds?"

Was the Empire ready for that kind of battle? Jinyx felt rude thinking it; she had seen the Empire at war firsthand, had felt the Queen's power when she unleashed it full force, and she doubted anyone could stand up against that. But if so many worlds fed the Kritocracy, shouldn't it have a fleet large enough to contend with the Prime Fleet? Why were they so afraid?

The Exoi did not respond at first, and Jinyx felt his discomfort increase. As the repulsor barge banked to starboard, giving the Temple of Incarnate Glory a wide berth, the tall being finally pointed below them. "He draws your attention to the memorial pools," the droid supplied. "Each is a monument to a great victory of the Kritocracy's military."

Jinyx glanced down; what looked like a series of parks featured more pools than she could count, from small affairs barely larger than bathtubs to massive reflecting pools that mirrored the Temple of Incarnate Glory's climb to the heavens.

"And there," the droid added; Jinyx followed the Exoi's finger to a drum-shaped building with an arch over it. "A tomb of one of the great God-Kings. Sempestyusum V, he believes."

Jinyx studied the tomb, then looked around the series of monuments and memorials. "Are we going there?"

She knew immediately she had said something wrong, because all four of the Exoi's eyes narrowed and he drew himself up to his full height. She had gotten used to the Massassi, she supposed, but having this willowy thing tower over her felt odd. She thought she could sweep all seven of his legs out with even a glancing blow of her tail if she shifted.

"He says certainly not!" the droid translated, its metallic voice imparting a bit of borrowed indignation Jinyx could understand in the original tongue as the Exoi continued. "None but his blessedness the God-King, the noble Acolytes, and the wise Governing Judges may reside in the Toriafas Capital District. The Queen's party will reside in a disused embassy on the other side of the Capital District."

Jinyx frowned. "Why not just fly straight there, then?"

"None may pass through the airspace of the Capital District but the Acolytes, the Governing Judges, and the God-King," the droid said. Skin flaps Jinyx hadn't noticed on the side of the Exoi's long neck popped open, and air hissed in and out; she got the sense he was taking deep breaths to control himself.

"Why not?"

The Exoi barked something and skittered away, his seven legs propelling him like a fast-moving insect.

"He says it is so their great presences are not contaminated with the traffic of lesser beings and aliens," the droid said as Jinyx stared after the Exoi. Its tone going plaintive, the droid fretted, "I do hope I didn't offend him by mistranslating, ma'am. I have been programmed with various idioms of Minnisiat, but if something in the local dialect—"

"I don't think it was you," Jinyx assured him, frowning. She glanced at the droid and added, "Thanks. The minister probably needs you back."

"Oh, it's my pleasure, ma'am. I am so relieved to have been of use.  In a mission of such importance, that one droid could contribute…"

Jinyx let him ramble, turning to look down at the Capital District. She could see light in numerous pools—those not thrown into shadow by the towering mausoleums or the gargantuan Temple of Incarnate Glory—but not much movement. Even stretching out with the Force, she only felt a handful of Exoi below them, and they all seemed…

Immersed in the Force, she was intimately aware of the contained juggernaut of power approaching her, and she turned away from the view to bow her head respectfully.

The Queen walked to her side, leaning against the railing. Her four Royal Guards had tagged along, but they stopped a respectful distance away, facing out at the others on the barge. Jinyx felt deeply uncomfortable being more or less alone with the Queen, but the smaller woman seemed entirely at ease, looking out at the city as the breeze ruffled her veil and drew out one of the red highlights in her raven hair.

"Peace, Jinyx," she said in Huttese, and her voice carried the smile the veil disguised as the sunlight shimmered on the silk. Gesturing out at the planet below, she asked, "What do you see?"

Tentatively, ready to draw back if she was commanded to, Jinyx turned to look out over the railing too, a meter away from the Queen. Swallowing, acknowledging her anxiety but thinking past it as the Breek in her head commanded, she said, "It's…they're incredible achievements, Your Majesty. They must have taken a lot of time."

Queen Rin nodded, looking at the Temple. "Look at the architecture. You see the changes in style there, and there?"

Feeling very uneasy, Jinyx leaned closer still, all but looking over the woman's shoulder to follow her pointing finger. As she gazed at the Temple, though, she could see what the Queen meant; different ornamentation on columns, different styles in the glass. "Different God-Kings?" she hazarded. "Putting their own spin on the Temple?"

The Queen nodded again. "Yes, I think so too."

She looked up at Jinyx, and from what the Drakonus could see of her face, the other woman looked curious, as if she could sense the questions in Jinyx's mind. Taking a breath, Jinyx asked, "Your Majesty…why are they called God-Kings? Do you think they have the Force?"

"An intriguing notion," the Queen admitted, studying the Temple with her head tilted slightly to one side. "I don't know."

The words sounded bizarre, coming from Queen Rin, but she didn't sound particularly perturbed by the lack of knowledge. For her part, Jinyx was wondering what sort of power a being would have to wield to be hailed as a living god. She knew the Massassi, the Zeyote, and a handful of others thought of Queen Rin as a goddess…if the Exoi were ruled by a being that strong, and he didn't want them here…

"That would be interesting," the Queen said; she still didn't seemed concerned. "And memorable, I imagine. But I don't think so.  If someone like me was here—or someone like you or Selkee—I think we'd feel it.  Don't you?"

"I suppose so, ma'am," Jinyx conceded reluctantly. Certainly she could sense the Queen from anywhere aboard the Star, and Selkee anywhere in Breek's whole fleet, but Selkee couldn't conceal her Force signature to save her life. If this God-King was deliberately hiding from them…

"What do you sense, Jinyx?" the Queen interrupted her worries. At first Jinyx thought she had read her thoughts again, but she looked over to find the Queen leaning over the railing, actually up on the tiptoes of her glossy black boots to see straight down. Jinyx had to repress a frantic urge to tug the Queen back firmly onto her feet; nightmarish images chased each other through her imagination, thoughts of what Tarzg Sav'lir would do to her if the Queen fell in her company…she could leap and shift quickly to catch her…

"You're as bad as Tarzg and Jade," the Queen commented dryly, without looking. "Reach out with the Force. What do you sense?"

Jinyx felt automatic discomfort with the comparison—she was nothing like Jadian Star—but she knew better than to say it. Taking deep breaths to focus, she closed her eyes, stretching out her perceptions to the world below. She could feel a great deal of focus in the distant Temple, the single-minded dedication of piety and purpose. But below them, reaching out to the Exoi surrounding the Capital District, she felt a cascade of emotions she knew better.

She opened her eyes and found herself opening and close her mouth, sticking out her tongue a few times as if to let the wind bear away a bad taste. The Queen didn't laugh, just raising her dark eyebrows curiously.

"It feels…" She struggled for a word, but her first impression of Toriafas came back, and she admitted, "…stale.  The people in the Temple—"

"Ignore the Temple," the Queen interrupted. "The elite rarely represent the people, even less so when they purport to control their souls as well as their lives. Why stale?"

"I guess it's…boredom?" Jinyx hedged, but that didn't sound right. "No, it's more like…weariness? I mean, it's not that they're miserable, or anything…I mean, there's some happiness, too…"

She knew she was rambling, but the right word just wasn't coming to her. "They're…they just feel…"

"Settled," the Queen suggested, and right then Jinyx knew the word had found her at last. She nodded vigorously, and the Queen added, "Like dust."

Jinyx looked back out as they banked around the Capital District, and she imagined the millions of lives she could feel down there in the environs as little dust particles settled on the worldwide city of a planet. The image fit so well that she shivered uncomfortably.

"Breek has taught you to enhance your physical senses, hasn't she?" Queen Rin asked.

Years of training with Breek had taught Jinyx to respond seamlessly to bizarre non-sequiturs. "Yes, ma'am."

"Look down at the city, then," the Queen instructed as she did so herself. "Sharpen your vision, and look at those arches in the Capital District."

"Tombs," Jinyx supplied, and the Queen looked up. "The Exoi told me. And the pools are some kind of victory memorials for battles."

"Are they?" The smaller woman sounded very interested, looking down again. Jinyx followed her gaze, snugging her glasses a bit tighter to her face before she reached into the Force. Some of the smudges below sharpened into lines, lines turning into curves, squiggles becoming detailed reliefs and carvings.

"How many of them look new to you, Jinyx?" the Queen asked.

Jinyx looked from pool to arch to monument to mausoleum, but gave up after a moment. "They're very well cared for, Your Majesty, but the…"

She trailed off as something occurred to her, turning her still-enhanced eyes on the Temple again. It was clearly visible from any point. Looking back at the pools, she said slowly, "The architecture. It's like the older parts of the Temple."

The Queen glanced that way and back, then smiled, and Jinyx felt an unusual feeling of encouragement in the Force. It felt like a pat on her shoulder, like the feeling of receiving praise or a proud smile after a new achievement. It made her feel strong, and she smiled too.

"Very good, Jinyx," the Queen said, still smiling, but her tone was serious, and her smile faded after a moment. The repulsor barge started to dip, coming down to a point outside the Capital District. Jinyx saw a mildly ornate building ahead, nothing compared to the opulent glory of the Temple but clearly distinct from the buildings closest; it could have been an embassy.

"Tell me, Jinyx," the Queen asked as Corr Shaasa approached with the minister. "Why would a society devote such care and adulation to the memorials of its past and yet feel so…stale?"

Well, obsession with the past and tradition has carried Rykar along, Jinyx thought darkly, but she was confident that wasn't the answer the Queen was looking for. Pondering for a moment, she ventured, "Because the past is easier to think about than the present?"

The Queen gave her a smile that didn't touch her piercing eyes, her head dipping slightly. "Or perhaps," she suggested, turning to face their destination as the barge came in to land, "they can no longer see a future."