Star Wars_ The Black Fleet Crisis 02_ Shield of Lies - Michael P. Kube-McDowell [111]
“Whereas Viceroy Nil Spaar has freely and openly admitted to responsibility for grievous crimes against the inhabitants of Morning Bell, Polneye, New Brigia, Doornik Six Twenty-eight, and other legally constituted settlements in and near Koornacht Cluster—
“Whereas these crimes include the unprovoked wholesale slaughter of the inhabitants of these worlds, and the illegal and immoral seizure of their homes, goods, and territory—
“Whereas these acts grossly and wantonly violate the fundamental rights of sentient beings and peaceful worlds everywhere, as well as the fundamental principles of moral conduct—
“Whereas these are rights and principles to which the New Republic is wholly and unswervingly committed in both law and spirit—
“I do thereby instruct and advise Viceroy Nil Spaar and the ruling authorities of the Yevetha to immediately relinquish and withdraw from the systems you have seized, surrender any and all property confiscated, and release unharmed any and all prisoners now held. If you fail to do so in a timely and responsive manner, you will leave us no choice but to enforce this directive by every means available to us.”
Her gaze burned into the lens of the holorecorder. “Do not misjudge this—our will and determination in this matter are unwavering. Withdraw from those worlds you illegally and immorally seized, or be removed from them. Those are the only choices. The New Republic will not allow you to profit from acts of such unbridled barbarism.
“Ordered and recorded this day and before these witnesses at Imperial City, Coruscant, by President Leia Organa Solo.
“End transmission.”
When the technical staff signaled the recording was over, the gathering dispersed with surprising speed. Ackbar, Behn-kihl-nahm, and Han all came to her with words of support, but only Han lingered.
“Sounded great from where we were, Leia,” he said, catching her up in a quick hug. “If it was me you were talking to, I’d know you meant business. Now—how long do we wait?”
“I hope we don’t have to wait very long,” she said. “But there aren’t any deadlines. We’ll give them enough time to work through their decision. I’m sure we’ll hear from someone at that end before long.”
“What if we don’t?”
“Then everything centers on Doornik Three Nineteen,” she said. “It’s the one site we can monitor closely enough to know whether the Yevetha are packing up or still moving in. That’s where we’ll be watching.”
Waiting was hard.
An hour came and went, with the excitement of the moment making it seem like only a few minutes. The next hour lasted a day. The first day lasted forever. Anticipation became anxiety, and anxiety restlessness. Soon restlessness became impatience, and impatience a gnawing distraction.
The second day was even longer.
And nowhere was the waiting harder than along the Koornacht perimeter. All 106 principal vessels of the Fifth Battle Group were on round-the-clock combat-level alerts. Flights of fully armed fighters and interceptors came and went from the launch bays of the carriers as the defensive screens were brought up to full combat density.
At the end of the second day, the ultimatum was made public, along with selected still images from the Alpha Blue intelligence. The response was surprisingly muted and, overall, supportive.
“It is comforting, but illusory,” Behn-kihl-nahm warned Leia. “The Senate is holding its criticism until there’s some sign—in the form of news from Farlax—to tell them which side they want to end up on. In the meantime, they can nobly posture as loyal supporters of the President and defenders of the Charter. And the public response—I suspect you will find that most casual observers are applauding the principle without grasping the risk. They enjoy the show of strength, and it seems right and good to them for us to dictate to outsiders. They expect the Yevetha to meekly comply, and for