The Liberator/Part 11

Day 19 of the Liberation of Milagro

Aldayr had experience bulling his way through crowds, but for once he had no need to do any more than advance. He was wearing his Jedi robes, and as soon as those closest caught sight of him, they scrambled out of his way, tugging those beyond aside as well; before he had taken five steps there was a corridor with sentient walls twenty meters long. Smiles and even tears surrounded him as he walked on, and he adopted a smile as he nodded in return.

"Thank you, Jedi!" some woman called; Aldayr nodded.

"We owe you so much, Aldayr," a man said, offering a hand; Aldayr was so startled to be addressed by name that he shook on reflex.

A few of them even broke into applause, and Aldayr wasn't sure what to think of it. He had been part of the hero treatment before, but usually only as part of a cluster that surrounded Mali, other Jedi, and their troops. It was a little disconcerting to be the center of attention, but as Aldayr made his way down the path, he found himself flattered; it was weird, but pleasant. He grinned and raised his real hand in a wave to the crowd and was met with a chorus of cheers.

The last time he had been in this stadium, he, Mali, Tirien, Narasi, Slejux, and Master Kadych had bunkered down for a night along with all the Milagroan refugees they could round up. The stadium had been repaired in his absence, though it had suffered some new damage during the Liberation; Aldayr was given to understand that Prime Minister Bevrelles had ordered the restoration. He had seen a variant of the same philosophy in the northern campaigns; Valin Aresh evidently believed that keeping his Human subjects well-fed and entertained would help them forget the death camps for aliens just a few kilometers outside their towns—blue milk and swoop races, Mali had remarked—and more than once Aldayr had been confronted with the evidence that he was right.

As he moved through the rebuilt turnstiles and into the corridor than funneled toward the field, Aldayr heard his own name again. "Aldayr! Hey, ALDAYR!"

He turned, expecting a security officer, but saw instead a girl a few years younger than him running toward him. She had light brown hair and a broad smile; she was missing one of her teeth, but it did nothing to sap the gleam in her eyes. She threw herself on him in a hug; he patted her with his cybernetic hand, mystified.

"Omigosh, it's you!" she announced, stepping back and holding him by the elbows; her left hand squeezed his cybernetic elbow hard as she felt the metal. "Oh, right, it's not real. But it's so good to see you!  What happened?!"

She brushed the lightsaber scar over his left eye. Aldayr tried not to twitch away from her touch. "Lightsaber. I was fighting the Dark Vanguard."

"Wow, that's intense. I know how you feel," she added, pulling her lip back and pointing to her missing tooth. "And I have a scar on my back too. I wanted to stick with the Resistance, and they let me, but sometimes it was really rough."

Aldayr vetoed half a dozen responses in his head before he worked his way around to, "I can imagine."

"So how have you been?! I mean, aside from the Dark Jedi and the war and stuff.  It's been a mess here, but we made it through!  And you came back!"

"Of course we did," Aldayr said. When you don't have confidence, project confidence, Mali said. And it was important that the Milagroans have confidence in the Jedi. "Mali gave his word."

"Is Narasi here?"

Aldayr hesitated; Mali had shared the scraps of news that Tirien had given him, though Aldayr had no idea what was happening on Darkknell, and Narasi had not replied to his beacon. "No. She and Tirien are doing something else."

"Kark," she said, crossing her arms. Aldayr raised an eyebrow, and the girl blushed and grinned. "Yeah, sorry. Spent a year 'in the trenches', y'know?  Hanging out with soldiers and rebels!"

Now that Aldayr looked, he noticed she had a pistol holstered at the side of her belt; he had gotten so used to small arms—and felt so unthreatened by them, with his lightsaber at his side—that he suspected he had seen it without seeing it. Mali wouldn't like that, he was sure. "Well, I'm glad you made it through." And then, because he could see no way forward without it, he surrendered and said, "Sorry, remind me of your name?"

"Oh!" She looked disappointed for a second before she covered it with another grin; the hole where a tooth should have been was distracting. "Right, sorry. I'm Kara, Kara Rynt.  I'm a friend of Narasi's."

"Kara," he repeated, wondering if Narasi remembered her any more than Aldayr did. He heard the bhum-bhum of someone tapping a finger against a microphone for a sound check and said, "Well, I need to get in there. But when I see her next, I'll tell Narasi you said hi, Kara."

"Thanks!" Aldayr extended a hand, but she either missed or ignored his intent and hugged him again. He returned her embrace this time, and when she stepped away she said, "I'm glad you and General Darakhan made it through."

"Same to you, Kara," Aldayr said, quirking a smile. He pressed his way on through the tunnel and into the stands, making his way up the stairs until they ended and taking a Forceful leap up onto the lip of the stadium. A few soldiers were already patrolling in fire teams; those nearest nodded respectfully.

"Nikodon: I'm in position," he said into his comlink. "Team leaders, check in."

"Ground Leader, good to go."

"Stands Leader—team ready."

"Exterior North Leader here."

"Exterior South Leader, good to go."

Aldayr circled the stadium until he found a good vantage point, looking down at the stage that had been erected at center field. A mix of Republic soldiers and Resistance fighters stood guard around it, but they were spread wide enough to avoid the appearance of oppression. A Republic sergeant at one end of the dais raised a comlink to his own lips, and Aldayr heard from his, "Dais Leader, we're all set."

"Keep me informed." Aldayr did not bother having his fellow Jedi check in, though they were scattered throughout the stands; he could feel their preparedness.

Last year he had stood here on watch for Anzati or Sith soldiers; now the precaution seemed all but formulaic, for the crowd below radiated only interest and excitement or, at worst, reserved judgment. But the cheers were louder than Aldayr had ever heard for a sporting event when Mali strode out of one team's locker room and led a group of beings to the stage.

Aldayr saw signs proclaiming T HANK YOU R EPUBLIC, R UFOS R UFOS R UFOS , L ONG L IVE THE R ESISTANCE , and D ARAKHAN THE L IBERATOR. The applause went on so long that Mali had to raise his hands for silence. A soldier offered him a microphone, but he waved it off, and Aldayr chuckled as his master called on the Force to fill the stadium with his voice.

"People of Milagro—the Sith have fallen, Halicon Karzded is slain, and Milagro is free!" More cheers and applause. "I'm Mali Darakhan, Jedi Knight and General of the Republic. These are Baron Obveluus Gonzed IV, of House Cadriaan in the Tapani sector, and Admiral Malran Sukaz of Duros.  Above us in orbit, in command of the fleet defending us as we speak, is Admiral Saikra Vaskolt of the Republic, and Commodore Essely Kalliot of Corellia has led our forces to ensure Vedya Gasald and her Sith will never gain a hold on Milagro again."

Mali garnered most of the applause, though there was at least a smattering for all of them. When it had tapered off, Mali added, "We came here because I made you all a promise, and a Jedi Knight keeps his word. But every day I was gone—every day the Sith and their lackeys held dominion over Milagro, and persecuted innocent people for standing up for their homeworld—brave Milagroans stood up and made Karzded and his minions bleed for the wounds he inflicted here.  Many of you here fought that fight, and I honor you for your courage and your strength of heart."

He ignited his lightsaber and held it to his face in salute. On impulse, Aldayr drew his own saberstaff and activated a single blade; around the stadium, a few more lightsabers blazed to life, and the crowd cheered. Aldayr saw faces smiling up at him, hands waving to him, and he grinned down in return. It felt good to finally win one cleanly and get the chance to take in the results.

Mali called, "Many more should be here with us, but gave their lives in the struggle against the Sith and their evil—citizens of Milagro and warriors of the Republic alike. We honor their sacrifice and commit it to memory."

He deactivated his blade but touched the hilt to his forehead, and his fellow Jedi copied him. Then Mali replaced the weapon on his belt and said, "And at the core of that fight—the leaders who carried the Resistance through the darkness—are the beings here with me. Major Zemma Rufos…Doctor Nissi Enkolfo…and Member of Parliament Tago Tafen."

Each of them rose amid sustained, thunderous applause; when Mali could make himself heard, he said, "There's a lot of rebuilding to do, but all of us are committed to working with all of you to make that happen. And to that end, until elections can get Milagro's government up and running again, on behalf of the Republic I've asked Major Rufos to serve as Acting Prime Minister of Milagro."

This one got a standing ovation, which went on so long that Aldayr prowled around the edge of the stadium, looking out onto the streets. Last time, the entire stadium had been kept dark to avoid attracting attention, and the Jedi and soldiers were wraiths on guard; tonight, giant holoscreens had been set up to broadcast the speeches to the throngs packed in around the stadium on all sides. Someone down on the ground waved; Aldayr waved back.

Major Rufos needed the microphone, but she had just as much authority as Mali in her voice when she said, "I've agreed to accept this position to keep serving the people of Milagro. I promise to restore the traditions and laws our people decided on, and to make the government of Milagro for Milagro.  The time of Resistance is over; the time of Rebuilding is here."

Once the applause had died out, Mali called, "This meeting is for you—to answer your questions and address your concerns. Microphones will be available at the landings…"

Once the logistics were coordinated and explained, Mali took a seat among the other leaders. Milagroans flooded the microphones, and the first man said, "Hello General. Mokan Ossoree.  I want to begin by thanking you for everything you've done here to help us."

"It's a privilege to serve," Mali called back. "What's your question?

"Is your fleet going to stay?"

"As long as it's needed," Mali answered. "I've personally spoken to the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, the Diktat of Corellia, the Chief Representative Officer of Duro, and the High Lord of House Pelagia—we have the forces we need as long as we need them."

What Mali had actually done was beg, cajole, argue with, and badger all of those individuals for hours on end until he had finally wrangled them into compliance with his vision. He had only asked Aldayr to lightsaber him to death and put him out of his misery twice, though, which Aldayr took as a sign of growth.

"What about Bevrelles?" the next questioner asked. "What's going to happen to him?"

A chorus of boos and hisses—most of them affected, but a few, from Cathars and Togorians, genuine—met this question. Aldayr almost commed the Stands Team before Mali waved it down, then said, "All those who collaborated with the Sith regime will be tried and punished accordingly."

"We're making plans now to constitute tribunals," Zemma Rufos added. "The enemies of Milagro will face Milagroan justice."

Aldayr started to tune out the cheering and applause, and he paid more attention to the crowd in the Force as questions followed about food, medicine, and restoration of public utilities; Aldayr really only tuned back in when a woman asked, "Is Milagro joining the Republic?"

Murmuring broke out at this, and Aldayr could feel the crowd was no longer of one mind. Perhaps that was why Mali let Zemma Rufos tackle that one. "Under the circumstances, we're in no position to effectively defend ourselves against further campaigns by Lady Gasald. The provisional government has embraced the protection the Republic has provided."

"But long-term," the woman pressed. "Are we part of the Republic?"

"As Acting Prime Minister, I don't feel I should make that decision now," Rufos hedged. "After the elections—"

"Will it be on the ballot?"

Many voices rose, all offering opinions and suggestions. Sharpening his vision, Aldayr saw Baron Obveluus lean over to Mali, whispering something in his ear. Mali listened, then nodded, and the baron got to his feet.

"People of Milagro!" he boomed, using the same Force trick as Mali; the tumult died to quiet rather than silence, but after a few seconds he settled for it and continued. "It is a great privilege to stand here and address a free people rather than captives of Sith greed, and to see that people already preparing for the first exercise of that freedom. In two months' time, the Tapani sector will celebrate its centennial anniversary of membership in the Republic—a decision we undertook after great consideration and deliberation.  You'll soon be electing an entirely new government for your world, which requires the same consideration.  I advise you to ask all your candidates for office their positions on the Republic question, and ensure you elect officials who will make the best decisions for the future security and prosperity of your world."

There was some scattered applause and, mercifully, the next question was about HoloNet access. Sifting out the ninety percent of unnecessary words, Aldayr focused on the remaining ten percent over the span of a few questions and ultimately realized it was a fancy way of saying no, you can't vote on it; vote for members of Parliament and they'll vote on it. Obviously Milagro couldn't be allowed to declare independence—the Republic would never foot the defense bill for a planet that didn't want to join the Senate—but the baron had made it seem like voting in Parliament was the real exercise of freedom for the people. He wasn't Aldayr's kind of Jedi, but Aldayr had to hand it to him, he was smooth.

Things went on until someone asked, "What about Pastor Jeh-Kro?"

Aldayr sensed some anxiety about the question, and he stopped beneath a stadium light to watch. Nissi Enkolfo took this question, and she said, "As many of you know but some of you may not, the Milagro Resistance wasn't a single organization, but many, spread over Milagro. We worked toward a common goal of defeating the Karzded/Bevrelles regime, and we coordinated and collaborated whenever possible, but we didn't always agree on means and methods, and so we each carried on the fight in our own way.  But all Resistance groups have been invited to help us form both the transitional government and the permanent one our elections will establish."

"Will the new government respect freedom of religion?"

"Of course," Zemma Rufos said. "That's a staple of a free society."

"The Galactic Constitution includes freedom of religion among the Rights of Sentience," Mali added. "As a Jedi Knight, I place my faith in the Force, and I'm sworn to defend the right of all sentient beings to choose where they place their faith."

Questions followed about the nature of the impending elections, housing assistance, the presence of Republic troops on the surface, and the possibility of a Sith assault. Mali, as a Republic officer, fielded a question about Milagroans joining the Republic military. Paying more attention now, Aldayr noticed the way the Milagroan leaders and even Mali worked around questions they didn't want to answer directly, although Tafen and Enkolfo were far better at it than Mali or even Rufos. The town hall stretched well into the night, and Aldayr noticed many children and quite a few adults nodding off in their seats. By the time Mali and Rufos were clearly wrapping up, Aldayr was yawning too.

"We'll have more of these meetings," Mali pledged. "Maybe in smaller venues—"

There was a rumble of laughter from the crowd, and Mali gave them his roguish smile.

"—but we want to hear from you. And if you're interested in running for Parliament, don't wait to get on it, and don't hesitate."

"Milagro can only be rebuilt with the hard work and commitment of Milagroans," Rufos added. "Milagro's future is now. Be part of that future."

"Exterior Leaders, get ready," Aldayr called over his comlink as the masses got to their feet. "Let's keep the flow smooth."

"Yes sir."

"Roger sir."

Aldayr followed the crowd down the stands as they flowed toward the exits. He saw the new Prime Minister conferring with a group of well-dressed beings while Mali shook hands with anyone who came close—and many did, pressing in for a chance to touch the Liberator. Aldayr thought he might need to use a Force jump just to get to his master's side, but by the time he reached the field the crowd had thinned just enough for him to worm his way through.

"See anything suspicious?" he asked Dais Leader.

The sergeant shook his head. "Negative, sir. They're a pretty happy bunch."

Mali clapped him on the shoulder when he came in reach. "Aldayr! Another hero of the Liberation."

Aldayr found himself beset by handshakes and even hugs, and it was a few minutes before he managed to extricate himself from the last of his admirers. When the space around them was clear, he gave Mali a narrow-eyed grin. "Thanks a lot, Master."

"Not enjoying your newfound fame?"

"I'd be enjoying it a lot more if I didn't know you were just trying to share the hugs."

Mali laughed, but then, without taking the smile from his face, he stepped closer and asked, "Any trouble?"

"Nothing," Aldayr reported. "The people love you."

"Let's hope they love the Republic as much," Mali muttered. "We've bought ourselves some time, but in the long—"

He trailed off as Zemma Rufos approached, and Aldayr aped his master as Mali bowed. "Prime Minister."

"General," she replied. The stress lines showed in her brow. "A successful event…"

"You don't seem pleased," Mali observed.

"The last year has taught me not to expect too much of the future from a single victory."

Aldayr had learned that same lesson on a dozen battlefields against Aresh's forces—so many victories that seemed to amount to nothing more than trading soldiers' lives back and forth. He was sure Mali felt the same, and yet his master said, "But better for a campaign to begin with victory than defeat."

"I was afraid there might be some demonstrations from the other Resistance groups."

"No incidents," Aldayr reported with a shrug.

"Well, that's a start." She crossed her arms. "I still feel Tago, or even Nissi—"

"They defer to you just as much as I do," Mali said. "You and Jossi led the largest and most influential resistance group, with some of the biggest victories against Karzded. And Jossi's gone.  So people look to you to lead."

Rufos nodded, then straightened, and at once she looked like a commander again. "Until the elections, anyway."

"Don't count the vote tally before the people have had their say," Mali advised. "Sometimes we don't serve where we want to, but we're put to use where we can serve our people best."