Star Wars_ The New Jedi Order 21_ The Unifying Force - James Luceno [33]
Again, Shimrra ignited the lightsaber and waved it about, as if to emphasize his remarks.
“This is the greater war, Prefect—the Yuuzhan Vong against the gods.”
Nom Anor gulped. “War, August Lord?”
“Nothing less! Because the gods guard their power jealously. But surely you recognize this, Prefect. Would you go quietly into retreat, or would you fight to the last to preserve your status? Abandon all the consuls who now answer to you? Murder even High Prefect Drathul if necessary to hold your ground?”
“I would fight, Dread Lord,” Nom Anor said, more forcefully than he intended.
“And I would expect no less of you. But there is a problem inherent in all this, for we find ourselves surrounded by true believers, and to some extent they pose a greater threat to the future of the Yuuzhan Vong than that posed by the gods themselves.”
Nom Anor smiled inwardly. “The gods have their place, Lord.”
“Indeed they do. Religious ritual keeps the priests and intendants busy; it keeps the shapers from becoming too ambitious; it keeps the warriors at bay; it keeps the workers from discarding the caste system; and it keeps Shamed Ones from rising up in open revolt. Therefore, if I am to remake this world, I must tread carefully.”
Shimrra’s words only reinforced Nom Anor’s belief that faith was an extravagance, and that true believers were the easiest to manipulate.
“I must tread carefully,” Shimrra repeated, almost to himself. “When faith is under assault and the social order is cracking apart, the weak do not want explanations; they want reassurance and someone to blame.” He laughed quietly. “Ah, but I’m telling you what you already know. Look what wonders this worked with the Shamed Ones who have turned to heresy on Yuuzhan’tar and our other worlds. Do they want explanations? No! They cry out for my blood.”
Despite his best efforts, Nom Anor began to quiver.
“I see that my remarks frighten you, Prefect. Perhaps you think they smack of heresy, such as the Prophet preaches to his blind following. Would you lump me in with our own Mezhan Kwaad and Nen Yim, or Shedao Shai and his sad devotion to the Embrace of Pain?”
“I know little of those things, Dread Lord.”
“Naturally.”
Nom Anor didn’t like the sound of it. Executions came easily to Shimrra, who was easily displeased. He had had shaper Ch’Gang Hool killed because of Hool’s seeming failure to govern the World Brain and prevent the itching plague. He had also executed Commander Ekh’m Val, who had discovered—or rather rediscovered—Zonama Sekot. Nom Anor himself had been targeted for execution because of his gullibility regarding Ebaq 9.
In the days since, his dreams of power and glory had been fulfilled, but what if Shimrra should decide to safeguard the secret of Zonama Sekot by having Nom Anor killed—just as Nom Anor had killed Nen Yim and the priest Harrar to safeguard his secret?
Shimrra was contemplating the lightsaber.
“A curious weapon, is it not? It requires the wielder to close with an enemy in personal combat. Were it not for their misguided beliefs, the Jeedai might actually be deserving of admiration. There may yet be a way to incorporate their doctrines into our religion. We must be careful not to repeat past mistakes. Perhaps we need to look for ways to conquer the hearts and minds of the species that dominate here.” He looked at Nom Anor. “Have the Jeedai never been defeated, Prefect?”
As Nom Anor recounted what he knew of the Jedi Purge, he considered what killing Shimrra might have meant for the Yuuzhan Vong. By assassinating Emperor Palpatine, the Rebel Alliance had unleashed decades of turmoil with local warlords, and incessant battles with hostile species …
“Tell me of the young Jeedai who learned the True Way, only to betray it,” Shimrra said.
“Jacen