Interregnum/Chapter Two

Interregnum: Chapter Two

Amidst the scrubby grasslands and granite boulders of Dantooine stood the abandoned military base of Sulem. Decades ago, in the days of Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma, it stood as a vital military post in the Outer Rim and a vital vanguard against the pirates and other unsavory vagabonds who were common throughout the Outer Rim. Later, when the Galactic Republic was more or less victorious against Exar Kun's Sith Brotherhood, it still held importance as the primary military base and trading center on sparsely populated Dantooine. Inevitably; however, Sulem declined in importance. In 3,887, it was closed for good due to the fact that the Republic no longer needed a large military base on the fringes of its territories as well as the fact that Garang had taken over as the major commercial center on the planet. The once proud base fell into disrepair and negligence. For most of the last few decades, its only residents were laigrek and kath hounds.

But today, Sulem was receiving an unusual amount of attention. The door had been forcibly blown open and occasionally the sounds of battle flared up from within, only to silence a few moments later. Near the open door stood two men, both Humans, intently watching the opening as if at any moment something of great importance would occur. Both were clad in the regalia of the Dantooine Militia; the younger had on militia fatigues while the elder wore the simple armor and uniform of the Dantooine militia and had twin blaster pistols holstered on his hip.

The elder was man who seemed to be in his early thirties. He was a serious looking man in all regards. He had the perfect posture found only in well-disciplined soldiers and his expression was brimming with determination. Despite his austerity, every now and then he would start tapping his foot, almost as though he were anxious or energetic. Then, after several minutes of watching, there was the sound of fighting deep inside the base. The elder nodded once. "That's it. I'm going in there," he declared and began to walk inside.

"Captain, stop!" the younger called out. "You do remember that the Administrator gave strict orders for you to only go in if there is an emergency?"

The elder stopped and turned around. "I heard an explosion. That's an emergency."

The younger shook his head. "Please, Captain Zherron, just stay out. There are only rag-tag pirates holed up in there. We never even take injuries when we run these mop-ups."

The captain didn't seem pleased, but strode over to the side of the youth all of the same. He looked back to the base. Another one of the warm breezes blew by, and the captain's foot began to tap once more. As the captain debated whether or not to try once again to take matters into his own hands, a word rang out from inside the base. "Clear!"

The youth smiled. "See, Captain? Nice and easy."

The captain nodded, but didn't smile. "Very good," he said evenly, "We've secured the base. I'm going to go inform the Administrator."

At that, the youth turned. "You sure, Captain Zherron? I mean, we've just finished off the pirates. You know I hear that there's a lot of valuable goods in these sort of bases..." he said, grinning slyly.

The captain scowled. "Tell the men that there is to be neither looting nor loitering. Everything inside that base is the rightfully confiscated property of the Republic," he said forcefully, much to the youth's chagrin. "Clear up the mess inside and have the militia back at Garang by sunset. Those are your orders."

The captain turned and began to walk to his landspeeder while the younger soldier kicked a nearby stone. "Damnit. So much for my bonus... How did we get paired up with that disciplinarian? I haven't the faintest idea how the put up with him on Coruscant..."

-

Captain Zherron took a brief respite from his long drive to Garang about an hour later. He looked out over the vast plain and saw Garang in the distance. The afternoon sun bathed the surrounding grassland in light, making a dramatic effect on the golden grass. The planet was still hardly developed. Only the occasional settlement or ruin broke the uniformity of the never-ending grasslands and sleepy farms.

He still was a handsome man; he kept his face well-washed and he never had one hair out of line. He wasn't old enough to wrinkle or even have many blemishes, but there was no more youthfulness in his face. Indeed, the strength in his eyes came less from young energy than a smoldering zeal. He did not seem very pleased. When he surveyed the city of Garang in the distance, he frowned, but when he glanced into space he felt a much sharper pang of nostalgia. If he were a lesser man, he would have sighed.

At that point he heard the beeping of the console within his landspeeder behind him and looked back towards it. The screen was blinking rapidly. He quickly checked whatever sentimental expression he had on his face and regained his proper air of command. He walked back to his landspeeder and when he arrived he jumped into the driver's seat. Zherron touched a button on the screen and began to read.

REPUBLIC TO WITHDRAW FORCES FROM TWO SECTORS

''The question has been asked time and time again since the end of the Mandalorian Wars: what is the greatest threat to the Republic? Should we fear another uprising by a bellicose species, or perhaps worry over a new black tide rising from Korriban? According to the Supreme Chancellor, the answer is no - the threat is the Core Worlds!''

''On Primeday, Chancellor Cressa issued the new quarterly military goals, containing two unorthodox and surprising measures. The first is the proposed renovation of several of the decrepit military bases throughout the Republic, taking them from ruins to operating bastions of Republican might. The second is to recall roughly thirty percent of the armies from the Savareen and Gaulus Sectors back to the Core, a sort of order that hasn't been issued since the Great Hyperspace war.''

"This is an unbelievable command," states General Derred who leads the Republic Army on the planet of Rodia in the Tyrius System, "Order has been hard enough to maintain without this madness going on. With the recall of the armies from Pirdia and Toosma, my army is supposed to cover nearly half of the system. I just don't see how it's possible. We haven't fully recovered from our losses in the Bomu Uprisings, let alone the Mandalorian Wars."

''Stranger still is the apparent lack of reasoning behind these recalls. The Chancellor has said very little in regards to that matter, but rumors range from a massive military review to the beginning of a phased withdrawal from the Outer Rim. Recent unrest on Rodia in particular seems to support the latter theory.''

''"Republic forces have occupied Rodia for too long, and it's produced little benefit for both Rodia and the Republic," said Hyva Maldan, noted Rodian critic of the Galactic Republic. "The fact that the Republic is withdrawing from the these sectors should come to little surprise to anyone who has critically weighed the situation in both the Savareen and Gaulus Sectors."''

''Do these rumors imply the end of the Republic as we know it? Or are we just seeing a minor rearrangement in our military organization? Whatever the truth may be, one thing is certain: the eyes of the Republic shall be following these developments very closely.''

Captain Zherron shook his head disapprovingly. He had, of course, known this news for some time. Now that it was public knowledge; however, it would make the already delicate situation in the Republic worse. He gently pushed a button and turned the screen off. His gaze returned to Garang. He had wasted enough time already, he reasoned, and sped his landspeeder towards the city.

Savcus Zherron entered the Garang Administrative Center with a certain calm. He glanced around the high roofs of the center and at the administrator and senator. He was never exactly happy while he was here, but he was almost always relaxed. For a man who was often called fanatical, the newly acquired calm was appreciated by the administration. Zherron strode in confidently and stood before his superiors, saluting. The senator had never truly enjoyed the company of Zherron, a fact he never tried to hide while they talked. "Senator," Zherron began, "The militia has fully cleared Sulem of the pirates who infested it."

The administrator beamed. "Exceptionally fine work, Captain Zherron!" she said with a very amiable tone to the soldier.

"Yes," Senator Karcen said dryly, examining his fingernails, "Fine work."

"I live only to serve, Senator," Zherron said, his voice respectful yet reserved. While he always performed his duties admirably, there was always a lack of energy to his voice.

After a moment of silence, Administrator Adare renewed her smile. "Oh, do sit, Captain Zherron, we have important news to discuss."

Savcus Zherron sat. The administrator seemed to be in an especially good mood today, as she often was in the past few months, but her spirits were not infectious. "Now, Savcus," she began, using the soldier's first name to his surprise, "You well know that the Republic has fallen upon some hard times. The Senator and I have decided that the two of us should do our part to remedy the situation. We are going on a trip, you see: a diplomatic trip, to be precise. Soon we will be on Anaxes so we may speak to the Anaxsi. Because of the current political climate we've also found it prudent to speak little of the departure, keeping it a close secret. We leave on Primeday."

Zherron kept a stoic face, but internally wondered about this secrecy. He was the head of the militia. There was no reason that he should not have known about it. "I see. After your public address? Very good, administrator. I shall pack my things."

"You're not going Zherron," Senator Karcen said curtly.

This time the captain couldn't help but look surprised. "Not going?" he repeated, "May I ask why, Senator?"

"Dear, Savcus," the Administrator began slowly, "You have provided excellent service to us over the past year. You've been perhaps them most productive captain of the miltia that Dantooine has ever seen. In fact, because of your... unique proactivity, the Senator and I have come to a conclusion," she paused slightly, as if to collect her thoughts. "Savcus, we believe that you are... overqualified for this job."

Zherron stared blankly at the administrator. "Overqualified? For Captain of the Militia?"

"You see, the Republic needs you more than we," the Administrator began slowly, gesturing to herself and the senator, "In fact, your services have been personally requested by Minister of Defense Koa Delko. He wants you to help orient the newly returning commanders from the Outer Rim to Coruscant."

Zherron could hear his heart begin to beat quickly. He could return to Coruscant? No, he was thinking prematurely. He tried to sober himself back to reality. "Administrator, I... I could not possibly do such a thing. My place is at-," Zherron said, but was waved off by the administrator.

"I already told you, the skills you possess are far too important to be used solely by Dantooine. You are to return to Coruscant, present yourself to the Minister of Defense, and do some greater good. Anaxes is a very safe and calm planet, one where we need little protection. You shall return to Dantooine when we return but until then... You are an acting Captain of the Coruscant Security Force."

The administrator beamed again while the senator idly looked at a screen behind Zherron. When the administrator leaned over to nudge him, he sprang to alertness. "Oh, yes. Well, get a move on Captain Zherron," he said with the distinct air that he would rather be somewhere else.

"A-Administrator," he stuttered, slightly phased, but with his optimism growing wildly within him, "This is... I mean, thank you! Thank you a thousand times over! An acting captain?"

Administrator Adare nodded to the starry-eyed captain. Zherron took a step forward as if he were to embrace the administrator, but he checked himself. He saluted smartly to his superiors, "Thank you. I shall go gather my things."

Zherron turned and strode out of the chamber with a new found spring to his step, and one militiaman could have sworn that the captain had chuckled to himself. When he had left the room and the door had slid down down behind him, the administrator looked to the senator. "You see? Wasn't that far more agreeable than sacking the man? Look how happy he was."

"Terena, I believe being sacked would've been a good thing. It would knock his pride down a peg."

"Talant! How could you say such a thing? Why do you always such disagreeable things about Captain Zherron?"

Senator Karcen gave a dry smile to Adare, "We've had... differences of view in the past."

The administrator looked at him curiously. "Why, that is a lie and you know it, Talant," she insisted, "You never met Zherron before a month ago."

The senator laughed slightly, "Ah, you are right, Terena. You are right..."

Savcus Zherron broke out of the administrative center nearly laughing. He walked over to a nearby militiaman and slapped him on the back in an uncharacteristically boorish vigor. Before the confused soldier could even address Captain Zherron, he had beelined for his landspeeder. Halfway to his landspeeder he actually laughed loud and heartily and surveyed the sky. Even further he could imagine Coruscant in all its dazzling radiance. His planet. No longer was his homeworld a source of heavy nostalgia. The melancholy had dissipated to make room for a new found optimism.

He felt like starting a speech, but no words could come to him. He only stood by his landspeeder, letting the breeze flow through his hair. The very strange mood on Zherron's part was noted by the nearby pedestrians who looked at him with amused expressions. The captain was known to be despondent on Dantooine.

Zherron entered his landspeeder and sped down the street, paying no heed to the chuckling militiamen and inhabitants of the city. He was going to his apartment to pack his belongings. Tomorrow, he thought frantically, planning out his return to Coruscant. It would be tomorrow that he dusted off his old uniform. He would rent a ship! Indeed, for the first time this year Savcus Zherron's luck was starting to change. It was time for the captain to return to his homeworld.