The Final Judgment/Part VIII: The Leader

"I submit Cheff to the governance of the Golden Empire," former Governing Judge Wispin Osrikkar said, bending his seven legs and bowing his long neck as he joined seventeen of his brethren.

Last was Gooforcht Hoowh, who advanced slowly. He felt he had aged a decade in the short time since the Queen and her alien Empire had found the remnants of the Exoi Kritocracy, but he bent his legs and bowed his head as he said, "I submit Toriafas to the governance of the Golden Empire."

Seated on her throne, fiery Phoenix wings spread out on either side of her, Rin Sakaros nodded down at them all, and Gooforcht could feel the weight of her gaze through the golden veil. "We accept your submission and assume you and your people into the embrace of the Golden Empire," she said formally. "All that is yours is now ours, for the benefit of all. But all the enemies who are yours are now ours, and the enemies of our people will submit, or they will be destroyed, along with all who would aid them.  All the sufferings that are yours are now ours, and we will see them alleviated."

She paused, then added, "You come to us with a long and storied past; we come to you with a glorious future. Rise."

They rose, and the crowds of Exoi turned out for the event cheered. The approval was far from universal, Gooforcht knew, but the upswell of hope, optimism, and sheer curiosity had drowned out the religious despair and xenophobic resentment these past weeks. The news had spread to all nineteen remaining Kritocracy worlds, most of which had already taken votes of their own; all of those had been only too happy to have a government willing to invest in them for a change. Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Integration Saktati had spent long hours speaking to each of the former Governing Judges, learning what he could about the worlds, the poor protocol droid trailing after him all the way.

The band played a roar of horns, and the fireworks began in the sky as the Royal Guards levitated the Queen's throne and turned it back into the Convocation of Law, where she had set up her base. The former Judges moved off to rejoin their attendants and guards, but Gooforcht did not follow them, instead turning toward the Convocation himself. The burly soldiers called Massassi allowed him to pass, and he reached the door in time to see Queen Rin rise and step down, her four faithful sentinels surrounding her.

"Your Majesty?" he called. She beckoned him forward and he stopped a respectful distance away.

"Former War Judge Offastup has spoken…quite admiringly of your forces," he commented with the hint of a smile.

Prime Legate Sorrik had already offered the erstwhile War Judge a place in the Royal Navy; they seemed to butt heads every time they spoke, but Hoowh thought that might be good for Offastup. "We're pleased he has found a role in the Empire so quickly," the Queen replied. "But it's been our experience that a good soldier will always find a way to serve."

Hoowh nodded, and the queen tilted her head slightly to one side. "What troubles you, Judge Hoowh?"

The Exoi chuckled; her supernatural perceptions no longer amazed him. "Merely Hoowh now, Your Majesty. The Empire has given my people a future; my role belongs to the past."

"The Governing Judges belong to the past," Rin corrected. "But you can still serve."

Hoowh's smile faded. "I dissolved the Exoi Kritocracy, Queen Rin," he reminded her, and he felt his hearts clench as he actually spoke the words that had dominated his thoughts since the moment he watched the God-King die. "I championed the end of our civilization after thousands of years. I think it best I fade into the past with it."

"And what do your people think?"

"They are divided," he admitted. "Faith is shaken in some places, shattered in others. Some insist we are lying, that we conspired to murder the God-King and overthrow the faith for our own ends.  Others think we have all deceived them, Judges and Acolytes alike."

The Queen studied him. "These views are universal?"

"No," Gooforcht admitted slowly. "Many…I will not say they suspected this, because it seems none knew more than we did. But they are…unsurprised.  As if they knew the Kritocracy was sick, and have only now identified the disease."

"The Kritocracy was terminally sick," the woman observed. "But in letting it die rather than preserving it through artifice, you've given new life to all its worlds. An old thing dies and a younger, stronger thing is born to succeed it.  We have some familiarity with that."

Gooforcht could see the smile on her lips as she gestured to the flame-colored wings attached to her throne.

"I hope our rebirth will be so glorious," the old Exoi replied, then gestured with two hands over his shoulder. "Shall we go to the feast, then?"

The Queen opened her mouth, but then grew still, her features relaxing into vacancy. Hoowh frowned as the short Royal Guard, Tarzg Sav'lir, stepped to his queen's side and took her elbow gently with one hand to steady her. Hoowh was stepping forward, wondering how he could assist, when the woman shuddered and seemed to come back to herself. "No."

Gooforcht pulled his long neck back in surprise. "No?" he repeated, confused. There was to be a banquet, with all the lead officers of both sides in attendance—although they were now one side, he supposed. It had been the Empire's idea. "Your Majesty…"

"Come with us, Judge Hoowh," she commanded, turning abruptly and marching off through the Convocation's concourse. Hoowh thought he heard Tarzg Sav'lir sigh faintly as he followed, taking a comlink from his belt and speaking into it. Hoowh drifted after them curiously.

The Queen led them down several levels to a service door opening on the street. Waving it open, she strode out with her four Royal Guards hovering anxiously. Exoi were crowded into the square outside, and all of them turned in baffled surprise at the appearance of their new ruler in their midst. She moved out among them fearlessly, taking the hands of one and saying in Exhacte, "Don't worry. We'll find work for you now."

"I…" he said, clearly stunned and struggling for words. "I…thank you, er…Your Majesty…"

She moved on to a woman whose younglings held onto her skirt. The woman bowed her long neck, splaying all six hands. "Your Majesty."

"We're proud to have you in the Empire," she said, then leaned forward to the children; they were not much shorter than she. The Royal Guards hovered anxiously, but the Queen smiled and asked, "You'd like to go see other planets, wouldn't you? Out there in the stars?"

Gooforcht had no idea how the woman had gathered that, but the younglings both nodded; he decided it was yet another aspect of this mysterious Force. The girl said, "I wanna be in the Navy!"

"You do?" the Queen asked brightly.

"Yup!"

"Well, we have a Navy, and we'd be happy to have you in it."

The little girl giggled and scuttled forward before her mother could stop her to hug the Queen with all six arms. Hataphri twitched, but the Queen laughed and hugged the girl back until she pulled away. "You'll be a brave spaceman, won't you?"

"I will!"

The Queen rose, and an old Exoi ghosted forward, bowing more slightly. "It's a hard thing, Queen Rin," he said darkly, "seeing what's become of our faith."

"It can't be otherwise," she agreed seriously. "But to surrender all faith is to surrender to darkness. Have faith in us now, and give us the chance to show you what Toriafas can be."

The Exoi's mouth made a grim line, but he nodded and stepped back. Another came forward, glanced at the old one, and said, "We had nowhere to go. You've saved us."

"Not alone," the Queen replied, and she reached out to touch Gooforcht between his second and third arms. "Without Gooforcht Hoowh, Toriafas's future might still be in doubt."

Gooforcht was conscious of many Exoi eyes on him now, and he drew himself up. He had yielded up their homeworld to the aliens and dissolved the Kritocracy; for better or worse, he had best face the consequences of that now.

The nearest man placed all six palms out in a gesture of respect. "Most Learned Gooforcht."

"Thank you, Judge Hoowh," another called.

"Judge Hoowh!" another cheered.

They began to applaud, and Gooforcht looked down to see his new queen smiling up at him.

"Your time isn't done yet, Gooforcht Hoowh."

"If I can serve my people," Gooforcht found himself replying, "then I will, until I can serve no more. Do you have a plan for me after all, Queen Rin?"

The Queen smiled. "Gooforcht, I always have a plan."