Star Wars_ X-Wing 09_ Starfighters of Adumar - Aaron Allston [64]
“Liar!” That was a shout from a deep-voiced representative wearing muted greens; even his hair and beard were green. “You cannot unilaterally—” The rest of his shout was drowned out by the rising volume of applause and shouts from elsewhere in the audience.
Not one of these angry declamations was broadcast over the flatscreens on the walls. Wedge supposed that a directional voice pickup was being used so that the perator’s words, and only his words, would be broadcast.
Wedge glanced at Tomer. “Is what I think is happening actually taking place here?”
Tomer, confusion on his face, kept his attention on the perator and shrugged.
“You know what they call it when one ruler declares a world government and the rest don’t agree?” Wedge asked. He could recognize the anger, the taunting quality, in his own voice. “We get a war of conquest. Lasers and missiles fired on civilian populations.”
“Shut up,” Tomer said.
The perator finally raised his eyes to look out over his worldwide audience again, and a gentle smile returned to his lips. “Today is the last day of the old Adumar,” he said. “Prepare yourselves and prepare your children for a new age, a golden age, to follow. Tomorrow we will all be citizens of a new and greater world.” He nodded, and the flatscreens on the wall faded to a neutral gray.
Most of the audience burst out in wild applause. The foreign section did not. Some of its members were now at the edges of the perator’s retinue and being restrained by liveried guards.
The perator addressed them. “You must decide what is best for your own nations, of course,” he said. His voice was artificially amplified and carried over the shouts of objection and cheers of approval. “Return to your delegations. Call your homelands. Do what you feel you must. But trust me, simple acquiescence will be best. Tomorrow all nations will be one, and governed from this palace. You want to be governed as friends and allies—not enemies of the state.” His pose dignified, he turned and headed toward one of the side exits, a portion of his retinue accompanying him.
Wedge glared at Tomer.
But the diplomat did not look at all abashed. “You can’t blame this on me,” he said. “He’s taken our suggestions about a world government and simply sliced them into his own ambitions for rule.”
Wedge’s anger didn’t waver. “But are you going to press him to abandon this plan if it leads to war?”
Tomer shook his head. “This is a strictly internal affair, General. The perator might be using our presence, our organizational needs, as a rationalization for this move. But we’re not involved, and we can’t become involved.”
“Cartann and its satellite nations, if I read things right, are powerful enough to conquer the nations most likely to resist,” Wedge said. “So they form a world government, and it’s what you’ve seen. A state where human life is only valuable when it’s harvested for personal honor. You think the New Republic will want it? You think it will have anything in common with the New Republic?”
Tomer nodded, his expression confident. “We’ll be able to work it out. Speaking of which—”
“More diversion for the attendees,” cried the announcer. “Cheriss ke Hanadi accepts a ground title challenge from Lord Pilot Thanaer ke Sekae.”
Wedge growled out something inarticulate. To Tomer, he said, “Later.” Then he turned and plunged into the crowd, heading toward the open area already forming.
He spotted and reached Cheriss before she entered the circle. If anything, she looked more tired, more lifeless than before. He glowered at the men and women surrounding her until they retreated a step or two. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked her.
She looked at him, a sidelong glance without emotion. “I told you already.”
“You lied,” he said. “I’ll tell you. You’re committing suicide.”
“No. I can beat him.” Yet there was no anger in her voice, no emotion of any kind.
“Probably. If you do, will you accept another challenge?