The Liberator/Part 7

30 Days Before the Liberation of Milagro

A squad of Republic Marines led Mali and Aldayr from the Valor ' s hangar bay. Each wore a right shoulder pauldron marked with a green Ʌ, a mark of affiliation with—and, Mali understood, loyalty to—their commanding officer. Mali wore no outward indication of his rank as a Jedi General, but somewhere between his green robe and the glove Aldayr wore over his cybernetic hand, it seemed the Valor ' s crew got the message anyway; beings snapped to attention as he approached and held the position until he passed, no matter how many times he tried to wave them on about their business.

Most of the Republic's flagships were simply the largest or most powerful ships in their respective fleets; others, including Mali's own Coronet's Jewel, were the top of the line of whatever manufacturer produced them. But a handful were special, and the Valor was one of them. One of the largest craft in the Republic Navy and built by the Advanced Destroyer Division of Kuat Drive Yards, it was a custom ship, informed by Jedi designs and made for a single purpose: combatting Valin Aresh and his own flagship, the Purity. Mali had only tangled with Aresh's personal fleet once, and the Purity and the Valor had yet to come to the decisive engagement, but as he walked past station after station of troops so disciplined they might have been droids, tending to guns that could have reduced a city to slag, he hoped he might be nearby to see that battle when it came.

The Marines escorted the Jedi all the way to the bridge, where Master Elata Cazars stood over a tacmap with the Valor ' s captain and other senior officers. Like Mali, she preferred to command in Jedi robes rather than adopting military dress or even armor aboard her ship. Her Twi'lek head-tails were tied back with leather straps, and her ageless face looked thoughtful.

Without looking up, she asked, "What do you think, General Darakhan?"

Mali bowed and advanced to the tacmap, Aldayr looking past him. "Think about…?"

She pointed. Two different hyperlanes were highlighted in Republic red against the green of Aresh's territory. Elata's second-in-command, a Herglic admiral who dwarfed them all even though he was kneeling to get closer to the map, said, "We have the resources for one of these two pushes, but not both."

Mali tapped one. "Here, then."

"A drive toward Ciutric," a Bimm fretted. "We're sure to draw down Aresh's wrath if we pursue the line to Agamar."

"Agamar's a nothing world," said Aldayr, frowning above his crossed arms. "A backwater."

Mali would not have put it quite so baldly, but the Herglic, Admiral Bordoue, said, "Insignificant in its own right, perhaps, but it's at the junction of major hyperlanes. Aresh won't cede it willingly."

"Which is exactly why the Entralla Campaign is the most sensible," a Human woman declared—not for the first time, Mali sensed. "We take a large enough force and sweep from Borosk to Sartinaynian, leaving enough to safeguard each world and reinforce the others."

"Until Aresh brings his main fleet down on Borosk and cuts you off," Aldayr said, touching each system in the straight line. "Then you're stuck, and he picks each off one-by-one, without any hope of reinforcement."

"Like I said," a man with a pronounced Alsakani accent grumbled.

Elata held up a hand. "Aldayr, I see your point why not Entralla. Mali, why Agamar?"

Mali touched a system south. "It's not Agamar, it's Ithor. It's the end of the Mid Rim; we've gotten Aresh mostly confined to the Outer Rim, we shouldn't let him back in."

"And?"

"Aresh almost took Ithor once. The Ithorians are peaceful people; let him get a solid hold on it, and he'll slaughter the Ithorians and burn the Mother Jungle to the ground."

Some of the officers squirmed, but the Bimm said, "Aresh's war crimes are too numerous to count, we all agree, but sometimes, tactical sacrifices—"

"Not Ithor," Mali said flatly. "For the same reason not Caamas or Alderaan."

"It's difficult for the Republic to defend those who barely raise arms to defend themselves," Admiral Bordoue said.

"And that's why we have to. Because peace is a principle worth defending."

The officers wore a kaleidoscope of expressions, but Elata met Mali's eyes and he could tell they understood one another. "And because writing off those who preach peace is to say only the powerful and the violent are worthy of survival," she said. "That is the philosophy of the Sith, and that will never be the strategic vision of this fleet while I'm in command."

She did not raise her voice or even alter her tone, but the subject was clearly closed. Gesturing to the tacmap, she said, "Work on a strategy. General Darakhan, why are you here?"

Mali had gotten so wrapped up in protecting Ithor he had almost forgotten. "Er…could we have a private word, Master?"

She arched one of her tattooed eyebrows as she studied the pair of them, but led them from the bridge without a word; a pair of Marines who had been standing surreptitiously at the bridge entrance dropped their rifles to port arms and followed, taking up sentry positions outside a smaller conference room down the corridor. Elata waved Aldayr and Mali in, closed the door behind them, and sat at a chair, gesturing for them to do likewise.

"I didn't expect to see you here," she said.

"I left Captain Londenau in command of the fleet," Mali assured her. "And Kenza's there, and a bunch of others."

She narrowed her golden eyes. "Of course Kenza's there—I put her there. Then again, I also put you there, and look how that turned out."

Aldayr snorted once; Mali ignored him. "Master, I need to requisition some resources for a campaign."

"What kind of resources?"

"Ships, personnel, ground forces…Jedi, if I can have them."

"…if you need to draw from the theater TOE, General, there's a requisition process…"

"Er…yeah, not from your fleet," Mali admitted. "From mine."

She stared at him. "You want my permission…to assign resources from your own fleet…to a campaign against…?"

Mali nodded to Aldayr, who set down his imagecaster and called up a holo of the southern Slice and the Corellian Run. One darkened dot pulsed black, and Mali said, "Milagro."

"Milagro," she repeated, staring at the holo. "Milagro on the Corellian Run Milagro."

Mali tried a smile. "That's the one."

She didn't smile back. "The Jedi Council overlooked one unsanctioned excursion to Milagro, Mali, but if you think I'm going to sacrifice a campaign here so you can try again—"

"It's not—" Mali started. She stopped talking, but Mali winced. "I apologize, Master. But this isn't about settling a score.  There's more going on here."

She crossed her slender arms. "Maybe we should start there, then."

Aldayr tensed, knowing what was coming. Elata glanced at him, then back as Mali sighed and set his arms on the table. "I'm just back from Corellia."

"And what on Corellia was important enough to take you away from your fleet?"

"My former master called a little over a week ago to pass along some…concerns."

Elata's lekku twitched. "Allanteen?"

"Yes, Master. The Diktat…Master, have you ever heard of Contemplanys Hermi?"

She thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"It's part of the Galactic Constitution—basically, it says that Corellia can vote to shut the borders of the Corellian sector, recall its military forces, and suspend the Senate delegation without officially leaving the Republic."

"We can take our scramball and go home," Aldayr added.

Elata frowned. "I didn't know systems could do that."

"Systems can't; Corellia can," Mali clarified. "The other Core Founders tossed it in to get Corellia to sign the Constitution in the first place, but invoking it is rare. In the last twenty-odd millennia, it's been invoked…seven times?"

He looked at Aldayr, who corrected, "Six. This one would be seven."

"This one," Elata repeated sharply. "Which one?"

"That's the point," Mali said. "Corellia feels that its views have been ignored, and that it's been called on to contribute more than its fair share to the war effort without return. They're still not happy Master Arodion wasn't elected Chancellor.  And now Gasald has taken Allanteen, after she walked over Gamor unopposed.  Contemplanys Hermi…it's on the table.  It's being discussed, right now."

"The High Council hasn't heard anything about this."

"I'll bet they haven't," Mali grumbled. "And…well, no, you can't keep this to yourself, the Council needs to know, because I need this campaign to be authorized."

"Milagro," she repeated. "But we have fleets in the south. They haven't pursued a decisive engagement with Gasald, but—"

"And I don't intend to either." Mali didn't apologize this time, pressing, "But if she loses Milagro, she loses the manufacturing she needs to do anything with Allanteen, and Corellia doesn't feel quite so under the blaster."

She sat back, thinking. "You mentioned recalling the military. What exactly did you mean?"

"That's the big threat, Master," Aldayr nodded. "Corellia can recall all Corellians from Republic service, and any Corellian-owned warships."

"I don't know about your fleet, Master," Mali added, "but at least twenty percent of mine is Corellian cruisers and destroyers. Hell, my Coronet's Jewel is Corellian.  You cut that twenty percent off my operating force and I'm going to have much bigger problems than finding a new flagship."

Mali watched the realization dawning in Elata's slowly widening eyes. "Would Corellians actually obey that?"

"Not all," Mali said. "But enough."

"Corellia can't be serious about this. There has to be some political pressure Nulu can put on Senator Rose, some concession the Senate can make…"

It was a mark of her disconcert that she used the Chancellor's first name, though Mali tried not to let his understanding of that show. "And I think that's a great plan—he should get on that, right away. But all the politicking in the galaxy won't make Gasald disappear, and if she reinforces her fleet enough at Allanteen, she'll strike Denon.  And if she does, Corellia will strike back—and pull all its forces to do it."

"You're sure of this?"

"It's my guess," Mali admitted.

"For what it's worth, Master, I think he's right," Aldayr chimed in. "Master Arodion probably told you about the conclave…"

"She did." Elata grimaced. "Tyson Dumiel?"

"He's on the Diktat's personal staff now," Mali said. "He's all for this, I'm certain—it's a political equivalent of reestablishing the Corellian Jedi. And if the Republic doesn't get serious about Gasald, right now, then Master Arodion and I are going to go in one of the Diktat's ears and out the other.  He has to protect Corellia, and if the Republic won't…"

Elata sat forward, resting her head in her hands, staring at the table; Mali sensed her deep in thought and remained silent, setting a hand on Aldayr's shoulder when he sensed his Padawan's urge to speak. Periodically Elata looked at Aldayr's tacmap. After a moment she straightened and called up her own holo list—the tables of organization and equipment for the entire northern campaign. She scrolled through them, and other campaigns as well, before minimizing the data and staring him down. "What kind of force are you envisioning?"

"My Intelligence people tell me Gasald's main battle fleet is holding at Allanteen with just over a thousand ships—some in drydock, but most spaceworthy. I can't find a way to make the numbers match that, but everything we've ever heard about her says she won't strike unless she's sure she can win, so if I can get close…"

"How many, Mali?"

Aldayr held his breath as Mali took one. "No fewer than eight hundred capital ships, plus their ground and fighter complements."

"Eight hundred? Mali, your fleet here isn't eight hundred ships!"

"I know. We'd have to piece it together from across the Republic…"

"It's impossible," she said flatly. "Even across every campaign on every front, we don't have eight hundred ships to spare for an invasion fleet. Not for a single system."

It had been worth a try. "It won't just be the Republic providing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we're going to Corellia's aid, but that doesn't mean Corellia should just sit it out. I talked to the Diktat, and he and the Corellian Council agreed to match the Republic's contributions up to a limit."

She narrowed her eyes. "To what limit? We can't give you eight hundred ships even if Corellia had that many to spare."

"No," he agreed, "but what about five hundred? Corellia can spare three hundred."

She hesitated.

"I know it's a lot to ask," Mali admitted. "But if Corellia invokes Contemplanys Hermi and recalls its military to its own defense, we're going to be short a lot more than five hundred ships. To say nothing of what's happening to the people of Milagro, and Allanteen, and a hundred other worlds under Gasald's lash."

Elata grimaced, sitting back for another stretch before she sighed. "We can't lose Corellia, not now. But Corellia can't be allowed to think it has the Republic by the throat whenever it wants to make a demand."

"Agreed."

She sighed. "I'm telling you right now, even drawing from both our fleets, the northern campaign doesn't have five hundred ships to spare."

"Like I said, we can draw from across the Republic so nobody's really hamstrung. Master Narfulk—"

"We can't afford to draw down Gavhys's fleet now," Elata said.

Mali frowned. "I know Darth Saleej is pushing, but—"

"It's not just Saleej, Mali. We…"  She grimaced. "I shouldn't even be telling you two this…"

"Telling us what?"

"We still have a vacant seat on the High Council, Mali, and Kussam and I are pushing hard for Gavhys Narfulk to get it. He's an accomplished Jedi Master and a great Jedi General; he understands the fight at the front line."

Mali and Aldayr exchanged hopeful looks. Master Narfulk's command reputation indeed preceded him, but more to the point, he was a career Jedi Guardian. If the Council could get another voice of action in amidst the philosophers…

"Which is why it's critical now, before the Council votes," Elata added, "that Gavhys not suddenly start losing battles."

Mali tried not to sigh too forcefully. He could well imagine some of the Jedi Consulars on the Council seizing on such a convenient excuse to vote down Narfulk's nomination. He loathed politics a little inside as Aldayr gestured to the tacmap and said, "There are other fleets. Master Bnodd is supposed to be fighting Gasald anyway—"

"Kussam is fighting Gasald, Aldayr," Elata reprimanded. "Not the way you might wish, but his strategy of attrition through her outlying territories will bear fruit. You have to look at the whole board."

"We are," Mali insisted. "Raw materials from the heart of the Empire, refined at Milagro, turned into warships at Allanteen. Yeah, Master Bnodd can chip away at the outskirts, and maybe it'd work long-term, but Gasald is an existential threat to the Corellian Run now.  And if he can't spare enough, there's Anaxes's home fleet, or Coruscant's…"

"Worlds that must be protected, Mali! You're talking about weakening Republic worlds to liberate a world that left the Republic."

"To protect Corellia! Denon's a Republic world!  So are Byblos, and Loronar, and everything in the Corellian sector.  And Corellia's willing to step up and commit three hundred warships to this campaign, despite how many Corellian ships are elsewhere in the Republic.  It's the least the Republic can do to honor that commitment and help me protect Republic worlds."

They were all getting heated, and Elata seemed to realize it, for she sat back in her chair, closing her eyes and working through a calming exercise. Its soothing energy seeped into the Force, and Mali found himself copying her as Aldayr did the same. Master Cazars, Mali reminded himself, was not the enemy. He had come here to the Valor to plead his case because he trusted her, because she was a Jedi Guardian and a general too, and knew the realities of Sith incursions from firsthand experience, not perusing reports in the comfortable safety of the Jedi Temple.

"Mali," Elata said, and he opened his eyes. "I agree with this campaign in principle, but I can't supply your need alone. If we're drawing forces from throughout the Republic, I'll need to take this up to the Council."

Mali tried not to wince. "Any way you could approach the generals and admirals directly? Draw from their TOEs without—"

Elata raised a hand. "It would do more harm than good. You might get your fleet, but once the Council got word of it, I'd be there trying to convince them you're not a renegade, again.  And you need to ensure logistical support too; there's no point taking Milagro if you can't hold it, and we'll need to hold it indefinitely."

"Can you convince them, Master?"

"I'll take this to the Council, Mali, and I'll advocate for it hard. Kussam will too; as you say, the southern theater is his domain.  But five hundred ships…"

"And ground support and complements," Aldayr noted. "And Jedi."

She blanched. "And ground support, fighter complements, Jedi…it's a lot, Mali. A lot to spare when many worlds are in just as much danger as Corellia."

The whole board, Mali told himself, even as he remembered the warm summer breeze in Coronet City and the glimmering sunset on the sea. "Please do everything you can, Master."

"I will," she pledged. "But if you're holding any other cards, the time to play them is now."