• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

The meeting dragged out for three more fractious hours. At the end of it, Leia was forced to settle for a compromise that pleased no one in the room, least of all herself and the chairman. The plan was too bold for Deega, too hasty for Marook, too interventionist for Cundertol, too far short of what Behn-kihl-nahm had thought possible, and too timid for Tolik Yar and the rest of the Council.

But all eight were willing to support it when they left the privacy of the hearing room, which made it the best Leia could hope for.

“Thank you, Chairman,” Leia said after the consensus vote, pretending to a dignity far more elevated than the process deserved. “I’ll give the Council advance notice of the announcement. I’ll need to consult with Admiral Ackbar and notify General A’baht. But it should only be a matter of a few hours.”

The preparation took longer than the execution.

“Here’s a question for you, Princess,” Han said, scratching his head as he peered at the holorecorder’s reference screen. “How exactly will we know that Nil Spaar has gotten the message, since he’s officially not talking to you?”

“We have three different holocomm codes from his visit here—two for Aramadia and one for the viceroy’s staff,” said Leia. “It’ll go to all three.”

“We’ll be using Channel One to notify all the home governments,” added Minister of State Mokka Falanthas. “Since the Yevetha used Channel One themselves for Nil Spaar’s last address, we know they can monitor it—and if they can, it’s likely that they do.”

“We will also have prowlers broadcasting in high-band and laser directional from along the Koornacht perimeter,” said General Rieekan. “Those signals will reach the Yevethan pickets in eight hours or less, and Doornik Three Nineteen thirty-four hours later.”

“And if for some reason they willfully manage to ignore all that, they cannot fail to notice two days from now, when we repeat this message and allow the grids to carry it to the general citizenry, to prepare them for what may come,” said Behn-kihl-nahm. “I have no doubt that the Yevetha still have spies on Coruscant. They will know what has transpired.” He shrugged. “Indeed, they may already know.”

Leia finished fussing with the drape of her robes and looked up. “Where is Ackbar? Has anyone seen him?”

“I did,” Han said. “He was heading for his office with a big bundle under his arm, muttering something about too much ormachek. I think maybe he was having trouble with his dress uniform.”

Leia’s face relaxed into a smile for the first time in hours. “If he went all the way back into his closet for the Mon Calamari battle tunic he wore at Endor, this may take a while.”

Tugging uncomfortably at his own uniform, Han said wryly, “I could have used a tailor myself. I hope we don’t look more silly than scary, standing behind you.”

Behn-kihl-nahm patted Han on the shoulder. “Don’t worry—the right message will come through. And your presence is as much for domestic eyes as for Yevethan ones.”

At that point Ackbar arrived, resplendent in his white admiral’s tunic.

“Is that everyone now?” called the young consultant from Nanaod Engh’s staff. “Can I have everyone but the Princess here by the banner?”

The consultant quickly arranged the extras along the wall behind where Leia was to sit—Han, Ackbar, and Rieekan all in uniform to the left of the banner bearing the gold-trimmed New Republic insignia, Engh, Behn-kihl-nahm, and Falanthas all in diplomatic dress to the right. Then he brought Leia in and sat her down in the cupped-hand pedestal chair, which effectively vanished behind her robes. Backing up, he studied his handiwork, then peered at the tableau on the reference screen for a few seconds.

“That’s all I can do,” he announced. “Princess, you can go ahead whenever the technicians are ready.”

The technicians were ready in short order. Then, at last, it was Leia’s room, and Leia’s moment.

“I am Princess Leia Organa Solo, President of the Senate, Chief of State of the New Republic, and Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Force. I address myself to Nil