The Liberator/Part 30

Day 106 of the Occupation of Milagro

"I don't deny that I'm sympathetic to the concerns the Army of Free Milagro has expressed," Sendray Beethar said, "but the Free Milagro Party stands on a platform of peaceful opposition to the continued Republic occupation. We are not a militia."

"And what connection does FMP have with the AFM?" asked an MP from Prime Minister Rufos's party.

"None," Beethar said. "As I say, I support their goals, but neither I nor any of my delegates is part of AFM or its leadership body or bodies."

The holo returned to the Human anchor, who said, "That was MP Sendray Beethar, speaking in Parliament today to allegations that his Free Milagro Party is sponsoring and abetting the terrorist activities of the so-called 'Army of Free Milagro', which began its campaign of intimidation nearly two weeks ago by attempting to assassinate General Darakhan and Administrator Khofin in a brazen public bombing. AFM has claimed responsibility for over a dozen incidents since, including the speeder bombing of a Republic Army recruiting officer and the sabotage of a wastewater treatment plant in a suburb of Tarbunt City widely believed to be pro-Republic."

"We go now to our press reporter in the Administrator's press pool, Deirgan Vanellote. Deirgan?"

Renata turned the news off, lying back on the couch and lifting her legs up. As she swung them in the air, she missed the more comfortable couches at the hotel. After the attempted assassination, Mali had ordered all Jedi onworld berthed in Republic barracks or other government housing. Since Renata's master was a tribunal judge, they had gotten a nicer place than a military installation, but it wasn't the suite, either.

Renata sighed, knowing how little her master would think of those thoughts. They were Jedi, she told herself; she needed to get used to hardship. She remembered the way Aldayr had looked at her when she had spoken of the brutality of the initial landing; she had felt small and embarrassed at his clear disbelief, like she was a silly little girl trying to fit in with the grown-ups. She didn't want to feel that way again; even as she thought about it, she deliberately got off the couch and lay down on the floor instead.

See? she told herself. ''Now you don't have a couch at all. Jedi don't complain.''

As she lay there, swinging her feet over her head again, Renata wondered how much longer they would be on Milagro. Baron Obveluus seemed like he might be staying for a long time; he and Khofin of Knylenn, also a noble, had hit it off, and now the baron was some sort of liaison between Prime Minister Rufos and Administrator Khofin. But Mali had sent Aldayr away to war, and See Klees was gone somewhere else too. Raven was still around, but he spent a lot of time with Mali, who didn't seem to need Renata to fill in at the front desk anymore. Renata still meditated with her master and Raven, and even Mali had made time for her to spar once, but more and more she felt like she was just taking up space. She knew her master's work was important here, but…

She sighed. All the Jedi in the Tapani sector had said being a Padawan would be tough, and they had been right. Nothing to do but tough it out.

Renata popped up to her feet, smoothing out her uniform and snugging one sock that had started to bunch at her ankle, then walked toward the door of her master's study. When she got close, though, she hesitated, listening to the raised voices within; when she focused, she could feel a disturbance in the Force.

"The government needs a win, Ray."

"They trusted me to do justice, not to serve the Prime Minister's agenda. I swore to bring about a just verdict based on all the evidence, and that's what I'm going to do."

"And who's being served if the people of Milagro don't see justice being done? The only beings they've seen pay any sort of price so far are dar Grosskis and Ssron, and Ssron was responsible for half of that!"

"Don't you dare suggest any of that was justice, Raven."

"You think Ssron wasn't guilty? That he didn't deserve to be punished for all the crimes—"

"Ssron was a monster, but if you think twisting the law to support an extrajudicial killing is any better…I still can't believe you supported it."

"Who just said 'I need to hear all the arguments before I made any rulings, no matter how clear the outcome might seem'? You made the choice to sit out the government business, Raina, and I get it, but you can't have it both ways—you're in the loop or you're not.  And if you're out, then be out."

Renata was listening so hard she jumped and squeaked when the door hissed open. She was afraid she had bumped the panel until she saw her master pointing a finger at the door and glowering at her.

"Don't eavesdrop at doors, Padawan," she snapped. "It's rude."

Renata's cheeks were on fire as she bowed low enough to study her toes. "Sorry, Master."

She didn't dare look up until Raina sighed. "Well, come in, then."

Renata straightened and entered the room, trying to will her face back to her normal complexion. Her master sat in the middle of the sofa with one arm thrown back over it; Raven was just taking a seat on the arm of one of the chairs, but something in his posture made Renata think he had been pacing. Renata had done the research and learned that fraternal twins, like her master and Raven, didn't actually look any more alike than any other pair of siblings, but at that moment she thought whoever had made that conclusion had never been on the receiving end as both twins stared them down with those same dark eyes.

"Well?" Raina asked. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I…" Renata scrambled for something better than an apology and a promise to improve. "I finished watching the news, Master, and…"

Raina raised an eyebrow. "And what did the news have to offer?"

"Another AFM mortar strike," Renata reported, trying not to look relieved; it was horrible, but here, at least, she was on firmer footing. "And they were broadcasting footage from Parliament. Some of the MPs in Prime Minister Rufos's party were asking MP Beethar about AFM, but he said he's not involved."

"He is," Raven said with a grimace. "We just can't prove it yet."

"The newspeople were saying something like that," Renata agreed.

"It's been a nightmare trying to root them out, and the loyalists could be just as bad," Raven reported. "Mali and I have spent the last three days visiting loyalist communities that have been hit, trying to reassure them about the Republic—and make sure they don't try to retaliate, which would only made things works."

"Will they?" Renata asked.

"Retaliate? If they feel like they're in danger and the Republic can't or won't protect them…yes, I think they might.  Some of these communities have spent the last year basically policing and protecting themselves; some of them are former Resistance guerrillas."

That sounded like a bomb waiting to go off to Renata, but she couldn't give it much thought when she saw the look Raven was giving her master as he added, "Yet another reason now would be a good time for a show of Milagroan justice…"

Renata shivered as Raina narrowed her eyes. "I will not serve up mob justice just to placate a mob."

"Isn't it a legal canon that justice delayed is justice denied?"

"The tribunals have been going less than two months! We're already in closing arguments!"

"But the first landfall was three months ago today! It isn't about a schedule, it's about how long people feel they've been waiting for an obvious result that seems unlikely to come."

"We're Tapani, Raven! Since when do we pander to the masses?"

Renata could see Raven's point, but she felt inclined to agree with her master. She had been raised to respect the nobles and trust in their judgment to guide the Tapani sector, and so she had no problem deferring to her master in the way some beings whispered Aldayr had with Mali. Just now, though, when two nobles were at each other's throats, Renata wished she could open a hole in the floor and jump in. Commoners weren't supposed to be privy to this sort of thing.

"The government has to serve the people."

"We are serving the people—they have to trust us to do it responsibly."

Raven frowned with one side of his mouth, and both siblings looked at Renata. Raina asked, "What do you think?"

Renata's eyes widened. "I…"

"Well?"

"Master…please don't fight about this! I know it's really serious stuff, but I don't want the dark side to come between you and…and make you…"

She trailed off, frowning in confusion, because Raven's grim look had softened into a smile, and even Raina gave a grudging smirk. She looked from one to the other, wondering if she had been set up for a joke but realizing neither of their humor really worked that way. "I…what?"

"Only child?" Raven guessed.

"Or much older than your siblings?" Raina tried.

"I…I have two little sisters, but they're a lot younger than me," Renata said, nonplussed. "Vecky's eight and Caella's seven…"

"And you got picked up to be a Jedi when they were still little, didn't you?" Raven asked. When Renata nodded, he said, "Siblings fight, Renata. Being able to sense each other's thoughts doesn't make it easier when we disagree, it's just more annoying, because we know the other one isn't deliberately riling us up."

"Disagreement, even fervent disagreement, isn't of the dark side, as long as it's anchored in mutual respect and compassion," Raina added. "I think there are things Mali Darakhan has done wrong here, and I think Raven is wrong to support them, but I love my brother and I know he doesn't choose any path because it's quick and easy, but after sincere reflection."

"We each want the other to see things our way," Raven said, "and sometimes debate is the only way to accomplish that. And even if we stick to our positions, at least we understand one another better."

"…oh."

Raina gave one mirthful exhalation through her nose and a half-smile, but she grew serious again as she asked, "So what is your view, Padawan?"

"I…on what, exactly?"

"Weren't eavesdropping for that part?" Raina asked. While Renata blushed, Raina added, "My brother feels the tribunal should declare verdicts and sentencing immediately following the trial, and issue written judgments at some nebulous date in the future."

"It shows the people that justice is done promptly rather than waiting for a bunch of law clerks to draft and re-draft opinions on a dozen defendants," Raven argued.

"And fails to provide the judgments needed for appeal to the Prime Minister's office, which is allowed," Raina said.

"But on a discretionary basis; she can deny their appeals and put them before a firing squad the next day if she wants to."

"Mali's not feeling up to any more?"

Raven's face smoothed over, all emotion gone. "That was nothing more than a personal attack, and not even on me."

Renata tensed, but Raina sighed and nodded. "You're right. I apologize, brother."

Raven nodded, then looked at Renata. "So?"

"Um…"

Raina said, "We both have strong opinions, Renata, but you can feel free to speak yours. I've tried to teach you to think critically, and this is part of why.  A Jedi needs to be able to assess a situation and give a just judgment."

"Okay…well…" Renata took a moment, thinking about their arguments. "I think…I agree with my master. It's not that the government should let them get away with all the things they did, but the people have to have faith in the government and be patient, right?  It's the same way at home; not everybody agrees with everything the nobles do—sorry—but we still trust you to lead."

"Milagro isn't the Tapani sector," Raven pointed out. "People here are elected or appointed to leadership, not born or raised to it."

"Well…well, the Jedi aren't elected or appointed," Renata said, rallying. "And we're leading the Tapani sector and the Republic, right?"

"The Supreme Chancellor is elected by the Senate."

"The High Council's not. And—"

Renata cut herself off, eyes widened as she realized where she had been heading. Raina chuckled again and said, "Let me spare you the discourtesy of being the one to say it, Padawan: and the High Council is the body that really chose the Chancellor."

Raven sighed and nodded. "True."

"If Milagro is going to be part of the Republic, it needs to absorb the Republic's culture, not just its resources," Raina said. "Trust the system and its processes. Victor's justice is nothing more than a repackaging of Sith rule: justice without principle, only emotion.  The tribunal will deliver justice, but at the right time, and not with a sword over our heads."

Raven sat down in the chair the right way and leaned forward on his knees. "Just…if you can, keep deliberations moving along expeditiously. Taking time is one thing, wasting it is something else."

Raina nodded, but offered no comment except to say to Renata, "If we've satisfied your curiosity, Padawan, you may go."

"Yes, Master. Sorry again."

Renata bowed and left the room with as much dignity as she could manage, closing the door behind her. Flopping down on the couch with a sigh, she turned the news back on; she was too keyed up to sleep or even meditate right away, and she thought it might ease her nerves back down.

She was mistaken.

"Master! Raven!"

It took only a moment for them to appear at the door, Raina filling it and Raven looking over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"You're gonna wanna see this."

And she turned back to the image of the raging fire and the caption: S UICIDE KILLER : "P ASTOR J EH -K RO MURDERED BY THE J EDI, WILL BE AVENGED ."