The war council, as Sandarie had dubbed it, seemed to have a shortage of Zabraks considering it was their home world at stake.<\/p>\n
Halyn Sanshir sat at the head of the table\u2014the commander in chief of the Zabrak naval forces. To his right sat Anishor, the big Wookiee berserker and master of war. There was no one Halyn trusted more than the Wookiee.<\/p>\n
To the General\u2019s left was Zabrak space\u2019s last Senator to the New Republic, Ceikeh Alari. Next to him sat the Zabrak woman Nisia Eisweep, who to everyone\u2019s confusion insisted on calling Halyn \u201cJess.\u201d She had not been assigned a role, but was included in the planning nonetheless. Beside her was Lenn Kaman, the former Imperial TIE pilot who Halyn had put in charge of a small group of special operation pilots. Beside Anishor was Ryian Coron, the Corellian captain of the Dauntless<\/em>, and his wife Sandarie\u2014a blue-skinned Twi\u2019lek and freighter pilot. Halyn\u2019s starfighter coordinator, Kryi Rinnet, sat next to Sandarie, and Allanna Saret, captain of the Cyclone<\/em>, which was Iridonia\u2019s second heaviest-armed capital ship remaining, finished out the circle.<\/p>\n Halyn tapped a button on his datapad, bringing a hologram of Iridonia flickering to life. Clearly out-of-scale, the hologram showed the disposition of the Iridonian defenses\u2014a net of small capital ships anchored by the Star Cruiser Cathleen<\/em> and the newly-arrived Dauntless<\/em>, with the Cyclone<\/em> between them on point.<\/p>\n The Yuuzhan Vong forces had reformed themselves for battle on the far edge of the system. Heavier reinforcements had finally arrived, leaving them with six cruisers capable of matching the Dauntless<\/em> or Cathleen<\/em>, eighteen of the light mataloks which, individually, nearly matched the Cyclone<\/em> in firepower, and a host of smaller frigates and corvettes. The task force was anchored by a massive yorik coral vessel, bigger than anything any of the war council had seen in action.<\/p>\n \u201cReminds me of the grand cruiser they used at Ithor,\u201d Ryian commented, pointing at the yorik coral abomination. \u201cNothing like it in shape, but the sheer size and firepower it represents\u2026not to mention the number of coralskippers it\u2019s likely carrying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCoralskippers aren\u2019t our worry,\u201d Kryi interjected. \u201cWe have the starfighter squadrons we need to hold them at bay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat depends on what we\u2019re willing to commit,\u201d Halyn said quietly.<\/p>\n Heads turned towards the general. \u201cWhat happens if we throw everything we have at the Vong, and still lose?\u201d he continued. \u201cThere\u2019ll be nothing left to stop the Vong from taking every world in Zabrak space and destroying it, enslaving the survivors, and using what\u2019s left to grow even more of these things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut if you don\u2019t use all the forces you have available now,\u201d Sandarie said slowly, \u201chow would a smaller force fare better later on?\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn shook his head. \u201cI plan to ensure no Vong escape this system alive. But that also means we need to make the best use of our available forces, and I intend to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you going to use the starfighter trap again?\u201d Allanna Saret asked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t work a second time. Besides, the Vong have been sending a number of coralskippers at it to keep poking the nest. There\u2019s virtually nothing left of the droid starfighters that were out there, though they took down more skips than they lost.\u201d Halyn studied the tactical hologram. \u201cThat old Star Destroyer hulk isn\u2019t going to do us any good at this stage in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s our plan, then?\u201d Lenn asked.<\/p>\n Halyn advanced the holo. \u201cWe\u2019ve been doing a lot of simulations,\u201d he explained slowly as the Yuuzhan Vong warships began moving in. \u201cSimming likely responses, tactics, and the outcome of different stratagems. All of it boils down to this: given the forces allocated to both fleets, we cannot indefinitely keep the Yuuzhan Vong off Iridonia.\u201d<\/p>\n Silence reigned in the room. Most of the participants in the war council struggled to even breathe.<\/p>\n \u201cEven before the arrival of that big ship, which we\u2019re tagging \u201cgrand\u201d for now, we couldn\u2019t keep the Vong off Iridonia. Hurt them, yes, and kill a lot of them, yes, but we simply don\u2019t have the heavy firepower we\u2019d need to go toe-to-toe with their cruisers and win.\u201d<\/p>\n Nisia Eisweep frowned. \u201cJess, somehow I doubt you asked all of us to come here just to watch Iridonia burn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have no intention of seeing Iridonia burn,\u201d Halyn said grimly. \u201cBut I want each and every one of you to know what our likely outcomes are.\u201d<\/p>\n No one spoke for long minutes as the hologram showed the Yuuzhan Vong fleet approaching Iridonia. \u201cThe Wookiees\u2019 war cruisers are missing from the hologram,\u201d Kryi abruptly noted.<\/p>\n Halyn nodded. \u201cThey were recalled to Kashyyyk. What we have left are Anishor and his berserkers,\u201d he continued. \u201cSo we\u2019re down to largely standard tactics at this point. The Cathleen <\/em>and the Dauntless <\/em>will anchor our defensive line. Our smaller vessels are operating in groups\u2014frigates in trios, corvettes in quads. Their objectives will be to isolate mataloks and take them down with the help of their starfighter escorts. Each of them will have a fair amount of autonomy during the engagement.\u201d As he spoke, the defensive network around Iridonia came to life, holographic ships swarming their opponents. \u201cHalf the starfighters we have here will be deployed for this operation. A third of them will be participating in the \u2018hunt groups\u2019, while the rest are directly supporting the Cathleen<\/em> and the Dauntless<\/em>. The Cyclone<\/em> is fast enough to keep up with virtually anything on the battlefield, and will be in a swing position to support the larger warships and the hunters alike.\u201d<\/p>\n <And what is the goal of this defense?> Anishor asked.<\/p>\n Halyn smiled. The Wookiee already knew the answer\u2014they had discussed it before the war council. \u201cAlways good to have a shill,\u201d he murmured before raising his voice. \u201cOur goal is to cost the Vong ships and force them to rethink a direct approach. They can muscle their way through, but they\u2019re going to suffer hideous losses doing so\u2014losses that should make them rethink it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd if they don\u2019t pull back?\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn\u2019s smile was grim to Sandarie\u2019s question. \u201cThen we trap them against the planet and pound them into a bloody pulp.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the group began to disperse, Halyn and Anishor stood together at the head of the table and waited. When the individuals had spread out far enough that Halyn was sure that conversation was safe, he glanced over at the Wookiee. \u201cWhat\u2019s the status of your task force?\u201d he asked in a whisper.<\/p>\n The Wookiee\u2019s reply was so low as to be barely intelligible. <They stand ready a few hundredths of a light-year away.><\/p>\n The Zabrak general nodded. It was a calculated risk they\u2019d discussed and decided upon. Peace Brigade infiltrators were everywhere, and it wasn\u2019t unknown for even close friends and allies to betray each other in this war. Halyn knew every member of the war council intimately, but he had to know<\/em> for certain that each member was reliable.<\/p>\n If the Yuuzhan Vong kept forces back to safeguard against a rear-assault from the Wookiee battlecruisers and fighters, the chances of one of his members being a turncoat was slim; if the Vong committed fully to the assault, with no rear-guard, then the two of them would have to root out the traitor among them before it caused the downfall of Iridonia.<\/p>\n Assuming we <\/em>can root out the traitor in time<\/em>, Halyn thought. Everything\u2019s balanced on a knife-edge right now; the slightest bump could send it either way.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cKeep them ready to go at a moment\u2019s notice,\u201d Halyn murmured. \u201cEven if the Vong are ready for them, we may need them to beat the Vong back off.\u201d<\/p>\n <Of course,> the Wookiee berserker rumbled. <With the New Republic Fleet garrisoning Kashyyyk, their absence will not be noticed for now.><\/p>\n The Zabrak nodded again. \u201cThank you, old friend,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cI don\u2019t know what I\u2019d do without you.\u201d<\/p>\n <Make more friends,> Anishor replied dryly.<\/p>\n Halyn studied the hologram, which was replaying their best-guess at the Vong fleet\u2019s assault tactics. \u201cDo you think we\u2019ve got it right?\u201d<\/p>\n <Near enough,> Anishor said. <Their warmaster has some grasp on tactics beyond a straightforward assault, but few of their commanders do. They certainly showed nothing but animal brutality in the first push, and we can parry it aside easily.><\/p>\n \u201cAnd if one of them grows a brain?\u201d<\/p>\n <Then General Coatrack will have a challenge instead of a slaughter,> the Wookiee growled softly. <You can defeat them, old friend.> There was a long pause before he added, <I have known many Zabraks in my years. Your kind is stubborn to a fault and almost as warlike as the Yuuzhan Vong when they need to be. They are some of the most capable warriors in the galaxy\u2026off Kashyyyk, of course.> The Wookiee\u2019s lips stretched to reveal fangs. <But you have proven, time and again, that you are more than a warrior\u2014you are a tactician, a master of strategy. You are the best chance for victory.><\/p>\n Halyn shook his head. \u201cNo. The best chance was Argus.\u201d<\/p>\n <You are wrong.> The Wookiee\u2019s voice booked no dissent. <You are a greater leader than he. He chose to stay here and fight a war at home, while you saw the war on the broader scope\u2014you understand that as the galaxy goes, so goes Iridonia.> Both of them knew that Anishor was not speaking about the current war, but a war of two decades prior, when Iridonia was crushed under the weight of the Empire. <Your sister is a Jedi Knight and a boon to your family and world, but all of this depends on you<\/em>.><\/p>\n The Zabrak closed his eyes. \u201cThen I\u2019d best not screw this up.\u201d<\/p>\n <You won\u2019t.><\/p>\n Halyn opened his eyes and glanced around the room. Kryi Rinnet was speaking to Ryian Coron, while two meters away Sandarie and Allanna Saret were in close conversation. Lenn and Nisia were also engaged in animated discussion, while the Zabrak Senator Alari was merely listening to their conversation.<\/p>\n <How long until you meet with the Council?> Anishor asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re pushing to meet with me soon. I\u2019ve been deflecting them with the preparations for the next Vong advance, but I don\u2019t know how long that will work.\u201d Halyn hesitated. \u201cI overstepped my bounds with the recall, and there\u2019s enough politicians on the Council that don\u2019t like the Sanshir clan. If I can hang onto command through the next attack, and we can turn the Vong aside again, I think I\u2019ll have a chance of keeping it. If we meet before then, though, they might very well strip me of command and make someone else the Commander in Chief.\u201d<\/p>\n <That would be a disaster.> Anishor\u2019s voice was grim.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d Halyn allowed. \u201cThere are other commanders who could do this competently.\u201d<\/p>\n <Yes. Competently watch the fall of Iridonia.><\/p>\n \u201cDid it ever occur to you that you may be biased?\u201d Halyn snapped at the Wookiee.<\/p>\n Anishor\u2019s voice was even. <Yes. That does not change the truth. If you\u2019re not leading this war, it will end in disaster.><\/p>\n Halyn paused at that. Anishor was more than just an average Wookiee berserker. \u201cHave you\u2026seen something?\u201d<\/p>\n The Wookiee shook his head. <No. My talents don\u2019t work that way. I live in the moment, not on visions of the future. It\u2019s just an instinct\u2026and years of experience.><\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn Sanshir had no use for the Force. He was not Force-sensitive, and those who didn\u2019t know him well suspected he hated the Jedi Order. The truth was far more nuanced than that, of course\u2014as truth tended to be. But the Zabrak was not above looking for guidance or advice from all quarters, even from those whom he normally disliked and had no use for.<\/p>\n He shook himself out of that state and looked around the room. \u201cHow many,\u201d he asked quietly, \u201cwill still be alive at the end of this war?\u201d<\/p>\n <That is not for us to know.> Anishor laid a massive Wookiee paw on Halyn\u2019s shoulder. <This is what we are, Coatrack\u2014warriors who fight to protect others from the burden. We are fighters, killers, warriors so that others can stand in our shadows and live in peace. And with that burden also comes losses. You know this\u2014you always have.><\/p>\n \u201cDoesn\u2019t make it easier, Furball,\u201d Halyn said heavily.<\/p>\n <Nor should it.><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Halyn stepped away from the Wookiee when he saw Sandarie turn to converse with Ryian. His motion carried him beside Allanna Saret, the captain of the Cyclone<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cCaptain,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n The Zabrak woman turned toward him. Light tattoos decorated her face, with her blonde hair pulled into a topknot surrounded by her stud of horns. Her light blue eyes were clear, but to Halyn he could see the shades of pain in them. \u201cGeneral,\u201d she said quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t come to the wake,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were fighting the Yuuzhan Vong,\u201d Allanna said quietly, choking on the words. \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to be there.\u201d Halyn shut his eyes tightly to hide the shame he felt. \u201cNothing should\u2019ve kept me away from the wake for my own brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cArgus was a hero for everyone,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cThe funeral was horrible. Even on Iridonia, there were too many politicians there trying to make themselves look better.\u201d He could feel her eyes on him, even with his own still closed. \u201cIs that what we\u2019re fighting for, Halyn? Is that why our children are growing up without a father?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know he wouldn\u2019t have wanted it that way,\u201d Halyn managed. \u201cFrak, I miss him. I\u2019d give anything for him to be here right now leading this mess.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe, too,\u201d the captain of the Cyclone<\/em> said with a broken voice that jabbed deep into Halyn\u2019s hearts. \u201cI miss him so much.\u201d<\/p>\n Knowing it was inappropriate, Halyn pulled Allanna into a tight embrace. Several members of the war council who didn\u2019t understand gave them covert glances, but said nothing.<\/p>\n Allanna and Argus had been married years previously, not long after the battle of Endor. They had met when Allanna was a civilian chef, working with Sandarie to build a business that would make them both wealthy. Argus had been making occasional runs to the Alliance\u2019s Zephyr Base on Rori, commanded by his younger brother Halyn, to pick up relief supplies for Iridonia. There had been sparks between them even then, but Argus had been fully committed to the Iridonian Resistance and been unwilling to act on anything else. Allanna, in turn, had discovered a passion and skill for starfighter combat that had seen her transferred to the Alliance Fleet and becoming a consistent high scorer on the killboards for the Independence<\/em>\u2019s starfighter squadrons.<\/p>\n After Endor, with the Empire in retreat and Iridonia liberated from the Empire, the two of them had found each other and pursued what they had forgone previously. They\u2019d been married within a year, though their first child wasn\u2019t born until the reborn Emperor was struggling to reassert control over the galaxy. Six years had passed before more children were born: children coming of age on Iridonia even now.<\/p>\n And now the war was coming to them.<\/p>\n \u201cHalyn,\u201d Allanna whispered. \u201cIf something happens to me during the fighting\u2026\u201d her voice broke for a moment. \u201cWill you see to them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course.\u201d The words fell from his mouth without need for thought. \u201cWe\u2019re family, Allanna, even if you didn\u2019t take the Sanshir name. Family looks out for family.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn felt the slightest pang of regret as he glanced around. So many of my friends and allies from the war have kids, families of their own. Me, I never married, never had kids, never settled down. Even Anishor, who is utterly committed to warfare, found time for a mate and cubs. Argus and Allanna fell in love and had three kids. Kativie married Hakk and managed five little ones, even with her life as a Jedi Knight in Skywalker\u2019s Order.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And after all these years, I\u2019m alone.<\/em> A few memories flitted through his mind. It wasn\u2019t like he\u2019d spent the years during the Galactic Civil War, or even the years between then and now, all alone. There\u2019d been more than a few women through his life. A\u2019Lerris, Abi, Kelta\u2026<\/em> his mouth twisted into a small smile. And that\u2019s not to mention the ones that I don\u2019t remember the names for.<\/em><\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t a line of thought he usually allowed himself to follow. He had, by and large, made peace with his decisions in life. Halyn Sanshir\u2019s life had never been dull. Years of life had been spent in the thick of warfare; many of the remainder had been spend as the life of a smuggler and pirate, usually running some of the most dangerous and high-paying cargo anyone needed shipped.<\/p>\n Nowhere in any of those lines of work had been time or space for a spouse, a permanent home, a family. It wasn\u2019t until his return to Iridonia at the outbreak of the Yuuzhan Vong war that he had begun anything near a normal life, and even that was in preparation for the war he knew would eventually broach the safety of Zabrak space.<\/p>\n No peace for the wicked.<\/em> Halyn held no illusions about himself, after all these years.<\/p>\n \u201cAllanna,\u201d he said quietly, \u201cif I don\u2019t make it through this\u2026\u201d he shrugged, his shoulders rolling. \u201cDon\u2019t let them use my memory. I\u2019m doing this for you and your kids, for Katie and her family, for Iridonia. Not for the politicians. Just\u2026remember me. Flaws and all. I\u2019m no hero.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will,\u201d she said quietly. Her face was wet now, though Halyn didn\u2019t remember when that happened. \u201cI won\u2019t allow anyone to forget you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFlaws and all,\u201d Halyn added solemnly.<\/p>\n \u201cFlaws and all,\u201d she said, wiping the odd moisture from her face.<\/p>\n If I don\u2019t have kids to carry on my name, then at least I\u2019ll be remembered.<\/em> \u201cGood. Now, I just need to make sure Iridonia survives this war so that there\u2019s someone left to remember me.\u201d He smiled a bit. \u201cIncluding Clan Sanshir.\u201d<\/p>\n Allanna nodded. \u201cMy oldest was on Maria<\/em>,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cIt was how he\u2019d want to go.\u201d She finally smiled at Halyn. \u201cIn the finest Sanshir tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Halyn deadpanned. \u201cI think he took after his mother.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceikeh Alari stepped forward, interrupting before Allanna could reply. \u201cSir,\u201d he said, looking at Halyn. \u201cSir, you\u2019ll want to see this right away.\u201d He thrust a handful of flimsiplast at Halyn.<\/p>\n Halyn looked at it but didn\u2019t take it. \u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSir, you\u2019ve been summoned to meet the Council. Immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Treacherous wind shear rocked the shuttle as it descended into Iridonia\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n Halyn felt a bit nauseated. I wouldn\u2019t be this way if I were flying<\/em>, he decided. I hate being a passenger. <\/em>It was something about control. As a pilot, or as the commanding officer of Iridonia\u2019s military defenses, he was in control of his own destiny. He\u2019d never, ever liked being a passenger.<\/p>\n Trying to force away the nausea, he stared out the transparisteel viewport at the rugged landscape below.<\/p>\n Iridonia was one of the harshest inhabited worlds in the galaxy. Planets like Tatooine or Hoth were inhospitable, true\u2014they suffered extremes in temperatures and precipitation, leaving Tatooine a dustball and Hoth an ice cube. Other worlds, like Duro, had been polluted to the point of deadliness, while worlds like Ithor were so wild and untamed that it became dangerous to set foot on the surface.<\/p>\n Iridonia, though, seemed to have an ecology designed to kill the unwary. Or, for that matter, the inattentive.<\/em><\/p>\n The homeworld of the Zabrak race ran on the hot side, though not quite so much as Tatooine or Ryloth. It boasted vast oceans, though they were nearly all naturally-occurring acids. Halyn had heard theories when attending school as a child that some of the early creatures to evolve on the world had naturally processed water into acid, which had destroyed a large part of the ecology and the creatures themselves.<\/p>\n Free-standing water still existed, of course; it tended to be highly valued, as it only was found during precipitation. It would eventually drain into the acidic oceans again, where it would become unusable until evaporation pulled it out again.<\/p>\n Much of the landscape was barren. Harsh jungle exists in swaths, with very little grasslands-like conditions anywhere on the planet. The early Iridonians had lived in nomadic clans, hunting much moreso than controlled agriculture. Eventually, a handful of cities were built on the planet. The capital, Rak\u2019Edalin, was one of the half-dozen places on the entire world to boast a starport capable of servicing and refueling ships. Only two other cities were as large as Rak\u2019Edalin, though all the major cities combined accounted for less than ten percent of Iridonia\u2019s population.<\/p>\n Amazing how hard we fight for this world<\/em>, Halyn thought to himself with amusement. Our ancestors were so eager to find something better that they were among the first travelers.<\/em><\/p>\n As the shuttle continued to drop, buffeted by winds, he imagined for a moment what it must\u2019ve been like: the early Zabraks, with one of the first hyperdrives, choosing to leave behind a world that must\u2019ve seemed designed to kill them\u2014between the terrain, the oceans, the weather, the predators\u2014for the unknown promise of the stars. They were likely trying to provide a better future for themselves and their children. It\u2019s really not any different than what we\u2019re doing now. If we don\u2019t turn the Yuuzhan Vong away here, our children will lose everything\u2014there will be no future except slavery.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The same future the Empire wanted for them.<\/em> Halyn shuddered a moment before he controlled himself. We averted that once; we can do it again.<\/em><\/p>\n The shuttle finally dropped below the high winds and the ride smoothened. Halyn could see the capital city, Rak\u2019Edalin, stretched out before him. He closed his eyes, seeing the buildings in his mind\u2019s eye as well\u2014the towers stretching up like arms reaching for the stars, the squat starports, the smaller two and three-story structures housing Zabraks who had chosen a city life instead of wanderings, the patrols of starfighters even now, and the precious clear-water lake and cannels that cut across the city. Permacrete streets and sidewalks, landspeeders, airspeeders: all the trappings of a modern city.<\/p>\n The shuttle settled on its struts with a sigh, and Halyn opened his eyes. The door to the shuttle\u2019s cockpit slid open, and Senator Ceikeh Alari stepped through it. Halyn caught just a glimpse of the pilot, a pale-skinned Twi\u2019lek that Halyn had met on occasion\u2014Ceikeh\u2019s wife. What was her name again?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAre you ready, General?\u201d Ceikeh asked. \u201cThe Council is waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen we\u2019d best be going,\u201d Halyn said, unstrapping from the shuttle couch and rising to his feet. He straightened his uniform and checked the blaster on his hip, then accepted the traditional zhaboka that Ceikeh offered him.<\/p>\n He examined the weapon for a moment: the weapon of an Iridonian warrior. The shaft was a meter and a long half, with thirty-centimeter blades bound on either end. He smiled faintly and slung the weapon over his shoulder. The weapon of a warrior, for the warrior who leads the Zabrak nation into its greatest trial since the Galactic Civil War.<\/em><\/p>\n He stopped and closed his eyes for a moment, steadying his breathing. When he opened them again, he was the General, the last best hope for Iridonia. \u201cLet\u2019s meet the Council, Senator.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u201cThe Council isn\u2019t like the New Republic Senate,\u201d Ceikeh Alari warned. \u201cThe Senate is about politics\u2014re-election, posturing, and image control. The Zabrak Council cares about results.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn shook his head. \u201cDidn\u2019t I teach you anything, Ceikeh? All<\/em> government bodies are about politics, whether they\u2019re here on Iridonia or on Coruscant or even on Kashyyyk. Politicians are the same, regardless of where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n The two walked down the shuttle ramp. Ceikeh\u2019s wife\u2014Arraya, that\u2019s her name<\/em>\u2014had set the shuttle down a few hundred meters from the small round, domed structure that was built and used exclusively for the Zabrak Council.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can believe me or not, General,\u201d the Senator said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t change reality. I\u2019ve dealt with both bodies. I was representing them to the New Republic, so I know what both ends look like. That\u2019s a major reason for the poor state of the war throughout the galaxy: the Senate has chosen to supervise each step of the war, rather than letting the military fight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA military without oversight is a step away from dictatorship,\u201d Halyn replied evenly. \u201cThere\u2019s a reason most civilian governments have direct control over the military. A general can very easily lose his way and believe that his path is the best, and to hell with all the citizens who try to say otherwise.\u201d He smiled slightly. \u201cWhen the military operates without direct oversight and control, every problem faced by a nation looks like it needs a blaster bolt to the face.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you suggesting we find something else to do with the Yuuzhan Vong?\u201d Ceikeh asked.<\/p>\n Halyn snorted. \u201cSome problems need<\/em> that solution. Just not every<\/em> problem.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll keep that in mind,\u201d Ceikeh said dryly. \u201cAt any rate, the Council is far more interested in results than politics. Re-election doesn\u2019t matter to most of them, because they\u2019re like all of us. They lived under the Empire, and they don\u2019t want to see a return to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone covers their own ass,\u201d Halyn pointed out as they neared the door\u2014a rather small, wooden affair rather than some grand entrance. \u201cPoliticians just do it in different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n Without hesitation and waiting for invitation, Halyn pushed the door open and stepped into the dim chamber inside. Ceikeh followed him in, but stopped inside the door. Halyn slowed for a moment while he waited for his eyes to adjust.<\/p>\n The Council\u2019s chamber was small and sparse. There seemed to be no conference rooms or other amenities; the floor was bare stone, interrupted by rugs embroidered with names and crests of Zabrak colonies. The center of the room was open, with a double-ring of wooden benches and chairs circling the open space but broken at regular intervals. Torches lined the walls, rather than modern lighting, providing a gentle orange glow that seemed out of place in a modern city.<\/p>\n The benches were largely filled, and it took Halyn a moment to recognize the layout. The representatives with voting privileges sat on the inner ring; those from the non-voting colonies sat on the outer ring. The chair of the Council, who by law was the representative for Iridonia, stood waiting for him in the center of the Council chamber.<\/p>\n Halyn glanced up and saw very little decoration. A few tapestries hung with clan and colony\u00a0 motifs, but there was no elaborate artwork. As he crossed the ring of benches and approached the Council chair, he noted wryly that the center of the room was painted with the crest of the Rebellion, and later the New Republic.<\/p>\n \u201cVysht\u2019akhoi, it is good for you to come,\u201d the chair said.<\/p>\n Halyn frowned for a moment before he realized who it was: Elibet Dav, one of the earliest Zabrak representatives to the Rebel Alliance. As he stepped closer, he was startled to note she looked far older than he remembered: her features were weathered and wrinkled, and her horns were dull even by the standards of the torchlight. Like many Zabraks, she had no hair, though Halyn thought he remembered her with dark braids during the Galactic Civil War.<\/p>\n \u201cI always have time for the Council,\u201d Halyn lied.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure you do, Vysht\u2019akhoi.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn frowned. It was Council tradition to use Ul\u2019Zabrak\u2014the ancient language of Iridonia, rather than the more modern Zabraki or Basic. As usual, they used it for titles and solemnity, but not fully conducting the meeting. Too many colonial Zabraks did not understand the tongue for business to be conducted efficiently that way.<\/p>\n Why does she keep using my title and not my name?<\/em> Loosely it translated into basic as \u201cwar champion.\u201d It was given to the commander of the Zabrak armed forces.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure you wonder, Visht\u2019akhoi, why we drag you here when you are preparing for war. The Council understands well that your full attention is needed on fending off the approaches of these extragalactic invaders, these \u2018Yuuzhan Vong.\u2019\u00a0 We do not want to deflect your attention from our defenses; the consequences of failure could be disastrous for us all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe thought occurred to me,\u201d Halyn said before he could still his own tongue. Dammit, I don\u2019t need to be lipping off right now.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cVysht\u2019akhoi, you know as well as anyone how dangerous and critical the business of warfare can be. The Old Republic suffered loss after loss against the Confederacy of Independent Systems, in part because of its incompetent governance. Indeed, the war only began to turn when the Old Republic Senate delegated much of its power and authority to the Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn nodded now, not trusting himself to speak.<\/p>\n \u201cThe folly of a representative body governing a war had been demonstrated yet again with the incompetence of the New Republic in defending itself. With its forces hamstrung by the Senate, it has repeatedly lost ground, to the point now that it has given up the capital of Coruscant to these invaders.\u201d Elibet\u2019s voice rose in passion. \u201cThe failures of the New Republic Senate haunt us all and may be the end of our civilization, though,\u201d she shot at a glance at the door, \u201cwe do not lay fault upon our own Senator for the rampant corruption that has brought the New Republic to its knees.\u201d<\/p>\n Is there a point to this? <\/em>Halyn wondered.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter careful consideration these past weeks,\u201d Elibet continued, \u201cand with the events of the past week in particular, with the Yuuzhan Vong assault here, on Iridonia, we the Council have chosen to make you Ul\u2019akhoi.\u201d<\/p>\n Halyn\u2019s jaw dropped. \u201cUl\u2019akhoi?\u201d he repeated, not sure he believed himself.<\/p>\n \u201cAs per the rules of this Council, we have the ability to choose and appoint an Ul\u2019akhoi during time of extreme peril. The powers granted to you are yours to use as you see fit until the Yuuzhan Vong threat against Zabrak space has been ultimately turned aside, be that tomorrow or a year from now.\u201d Elibet\u2019s eyes hardened even in the dim torch light. \u201cWe are aware of the danger an Ul\u2019akhoi represents,\u201d she continued, \u201cas shown by the fall of the Old Republic and the rise of the Empire that followed it. Beware, General, for the Council has ceded you power, but will continue to watch you closely.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The war council, as Sandarie had dubbed it, seemed to have a shortage of Zabraks considering it was their home world at stake. Halyn Sanshir sat at the head of the table\u2014the commander in chief of the Zabrak naval forces. … Continue reading