Enroute to Salotai (Same time as other Divide threads)


A composition of blue and white coalesced over every surface of the darkened room as he lay on his bed and stared up at the ceiling with half opened eyes. Captain Zokolev...no Commodore Vaseli Zokolev, he had to keep reminding himself, lay on his back and thought about what had happened just 36 hours ago. Finally, after much time, he had been promoted in rank and given a new fleet to command for the time being.

Vaseli run his fingers slowly over the new rank insignia on his chest and was glad for the lack of ceremony that came with its reception. There had just been a holo communication from the Commander of the Imperial Naval Forces, telling Vaseli that he had been promoted and was being transfered from his fleet at Krant to another embarking on a special mission. Like a good officer, he had no questions, but only to follow orders. Within hours of the call he had packed his bags and departed by shuttle to a secluded staging area.

There he had meet his new command and subsequently received his mission orders. Apparently the TNO had adopted a new strategy against the Confederation, one that might actually prove quite effective. Not only that, but Vaseli was impressed that this new operation was one of mostly diplomacy and not assault.

He sighed softly and let out a thin smile as he watched the lights play against his ceiling. They calmed him and allowed him to think clearly, without any interruption. The thoughts in his head slowly drifted to his new command. A formidable task force indeed, one that had been highly trained by the former CO, and Vaseli counted himself luck to receive it. Even so, however, the Commodore could not help but wish for a permanent command. He had been transfered from one fleet to another ever since receiving his commission as a captain.

It was good working with new men and women all time, and it had taught him many lessons about command, but there was still something about having that one fleet to call your own. He hated the fact that each time he took command of a new fleet, he had to earn the respect of all the crews and officers. Sure they were all highly disciplined and would do whatever he asked of them, but you could tell just by looking at them that there was no trust between them and himself. Vaseli could not blame them of course, the man that had lead them and fought with them for three years had passed away and now this newly promoted Commodore was going to take his job.

Commodore Zokolev took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, letting the thoughts wash away from his body. He had a mission to concentrate on. A mission vital to the security of the New Order and a mission he would complete to his best abilities.

"Reentry in five minutes sir." Came the call from the communication speakers mounted into the cabin's ceiling.

No reply was needed and Vaseli Zokolev quickly slid off his bed and onto his feet. It was time once more to resume his duties and accomplish what was best for the New Order.

The bluish white tunnel shattered and collapsed just as the Ensign called out, coalescing into a star filled sky amid the blackness of space. Crews quickly went to work all over the bridge as soon as the spectacle finished, quietly fulfilling their tasks. These tasks quickly brought the ship into fighting shape, however, as per orders no weapons were brought online just yet.

Vaseli sat in his command chair and looked out the forward viewport. He felt the ship vibrate gently as the massive drives ignited, propelling the massive ship slowly through the emptiness of space. That was not entirely true, however. The space in this region was not empty at all, for Salotai was a busy little world. Even as he looked out, Vaseli could see that many of the glowing distant stars were in fact slowly moving.

Their destination soon revealed itself to be a small greenish planet. A planet that spun slowly and was dotted with large blue regions, which broke up the massive, green, planet wide landmass. Being at the close edge of the system's habitation zone, the planet contained very little ice and enjoyed relatively warm winters. This climate pattern allowed Salotai to develop a very diverse agricultural community, which was supported many other systems within the sector.

With its low iron core makeup, the planet was not blessed with many natural resources, leaving it with very limited options on how to be seen in the galactic community. What it was blessed with, however, was a foreseeing leadership and took advantage of the planets vital location. Being situated on the border of the Mid and Outer Rim, the leaders realized that with the galactic civil war expanding, the planet was in a perfect location to aid ships damaged in fighting within the outer Rim against the Rebellion.

Using much of its income in a risky gamble, Salotai invested in a large repair facility that would be able to service ships up to the size of Imperial Star Destroyers. The gamble payed off, however, as the Galactic Empire quickly moved in to use the facility extensively after many of its battles. While the population had not sided with one side or the other, the changed on a fatefully day when the Rebel Alliance attacked the repair facility. The attack caused the deaths of hundreds Salotaian citizens and within an hour pushed most of the population into the Empire's camp.

The collapse of the Galactic Empire scared the population of the planet, but the lost income was quickly replaced as the New Republic Navy moved into the vicinity. The NR navy, like the Empire, quickly found uses for the repair yards after pirate attacks in the area increased and other wars broke out all over the Mid and Outer Rim. Though, like the Empire, the New Republic could not hold power for very long and was defeated by the New Order. This defeat left the planet independent and on its own once more.

With the Navy departed, another economy depression fell upon the planet. This did not last long, however, as trade began to flow through the region, drawing groups of pirates with it. These preying criminals contributed heavily to Salotain's new economy as more and more damaged ships began to appear in the sector. The increased activity also precipitated the need for Salotai to field a fairly substantial naval force. Which provided assistance and security to the planet and more importantly the repair yards.

And now the Empire was back, Vaseli thought as more of the planet became visiable, as well as the large expansive repair yards in orbit around it.

"Commodore, sensors coming online now." The Captain reported, breaking Vaseli's thinking about the planet before them. "Receiving data now. Looks like we have three heavy units, designated Sierra One thru three. One Stellar Class Star Cruiser, one Defender Class Star Destroyer, and one Victory Class Star Destroyer. We have another medium group of two Nebulon B Frigates and one Starstreak Escort Frigate. Other naval contacts also on the sensors, mostly corvettes on patrols, howevers."

Vaseli nodded as he looked at the holodisplay, which was updating every second. More and more ships were registered and added to the Holo as sensor data was processed. There were many freighters in system, both heading for the planet and leaving it. This was not a surprise, though, as intelligence had indicated that the planet's economy was booming. Intelligence had also briefed them on the size of the Salotaian Navy and the assets in the system were only a part of that forces strength.

"Receiving transmission from the Force, sir. Captain Shaffer reports all units on station and holding for your command. The Delerhans, suffered engine troubles, however, and is undergoing repairs."

The Commodore sighed slowly, thinking that this operations had just started off on the wrong foot. He wondered what else could go wrong. The loss of a frigate was nothing serious, but it was still a loss.

Before he could answer and say something, the XO turn with his hand on his ear. "Word from the planet, finally."

"Very well Captain, inform them of who we are and why we are here. Request a holding pattern near the planet."

As the Captain went on with his new task, Vaseli wondered how long it would take them to raise the Premier and arrange a meeting. Their defense forces were probably not too pleased to have a fully armed Imperial IV class Star Destroyer in their territory. It did not really matter what they thought, however, they would just have to deal with the new reality.

The wait for an answer did not take as long as everyone had thought. It took only thirty seven minutes for a message to be received, letting Commodore Zokolev know he would have his meeting with the Premier of Salotai. This was an impressive response considering the time in the capital was 0230 and almost everyone was asleep.

The personal guard were already assembled as Commodore Vaseli Zokolev started his decent down the shuttle's ramp. He adjusted his neat dress uniform and straightened to the full of his height. In one deep breath Vaseli took in the cool air of a planet he had never been on. It surprised him how fresh the air smelt. Very much unlike that of the many industrialized Imperial worlds, on which one could alway taste the smell of pollution in the air.

It was not just the cool Salotaian winter air that was strange to the Commodore, however. The instant he started his decent, Vaseli quickly realized the difference in this world. With the lower gravity, he would have to try harder to control his movements. The change in gravity and his adjustment to it brought him back to days of his military training. Like the stormtroopers flanking him, his training had been in a multitude of different environments and gravities.

That had been long ago, though, and now after a lifetime spent in 1G, Vaseli felt as strong as ever. Each step he took seemed faster and lighter. It was as if his body was almost floating above the planet's surface. Being heavily trained, however, none of the discomfort was expressed on the Commodore's face or by his actions.

Slowly he looked around, running his eyes over the Capital skyline that stretched out beyond the Government Building. The city was like a wave of light. The further one looked the lower the buildings became and the less light shown from them. It was actually quiet beautiful, thought Vaseli as he eyes finally settled on the greeting party that awaited him.

"Commodore Zokolev, welcome to Salotai. Please forgive the small reception." Said the tall man in long flowing robes, standing in the middle of the small group that was there to greet him.

Vaseli quickly noticed that all of them, male or female, were quiet tall. It was just like the report he had read on the planet. Do to the planet's light gravity, the people of Salotai had evolved to grow taller on the average than most other humans living in the galaxy. Being a tall man himself, Vaseli noted that they were all taller than him, however they were not at all solidly built.

He paused before the leader and gave a slight bow. "It is I who must apologize for calling on you this early or late, as the case may be. My superiors placed my mission here at high priority, Mr. Premier."

The Premier put his hand up and smiled slowly. "That is quite alright Commodore. Please, come this way. A room as been prepare for us."

With that they all took their leave and together walked into the glass elevator that serviced the building's roof top landing pad. Inside the large lift, Vaseli could properly look out at the city below them. Noting at nothing was moving below. Almost all residents of the city must have been asleep, which was perfect fine with the man. As it was, he much preferred it that way.

"I think you know why I am here Mr. Premier." Vaseli stated gently as he looked out while the lift began its decent.

That was the start of their negotiations.

Pro-Consul Christina Thorn idly tapped her fingers on the conference room’s table, and spared a glance at the rest of the room. The Kashan woman shyly smiled at the rest of the room’s occupants; all members of the cabinet or leading members of the country’s political parties. Several of them smiled back at her. She glanced to her right at her special bodyguard for the mission, Kitty Hawk, who was posing as one of Thorn’s aides. The Jensaarai returned a slight frown. Christina felt Hawk’s voice enter her mind and prepared for the worse. It was an unusual experience, but Thorn was getting use to the use of telepathy by the Jensaarai infiltrator.

We have a problem, madam Pro-Consul.

Oh?

An Imperial has arrived, and the premier is currently escorting him down to this room too. His name is…Vaseli….Commodore Vaseli...

The Kashan woman noticeably frowned. I’ve never heard of the name.

Neither have I, but I’d bet ten thousand credits that he’s here for the same reason we are.

No doubt. The Empire used to the repair facility, and so did the New Republic. But am I curious why the Empire would bother to send a diplomat to a planet whose position is so isolated from the rest of their territory.

The repair yard?

They have repair yards and shipyards everywhere. Our scouts show that they have built a shipyard facility recently in the Echtabahn system. And intelligence believes they have other facilities on some of their newly conquered systems. They’d have to go out of their way to even use the yard.

Not unless they’re thinking of strategic positioning. It would be a perfect place to interrupt the newly formed trade lane.

And it would lessen one spot where our ships could get repairs from. Do you have any idea what he brought with him? Like perhaps an invasion force?


I…I don’t know…they’ve haven’t thought or spoken about any of that…

Well, at least we have Brailey and Task Force Swiftsure to intercede on our behalf if they try to.

I think the Star Defender alone should make him think about doing something that idiotic, never mind the Unity Project ships accompanying Costigan. Odd thing, the Imperial doesn’t seem to have even thought about the presence of our fleet.

That’s odd.

Unless he hasn’t seen it…which is possible if Salotai Control arranged the fleets to orbit the planet in orbits opposite of each other…

Is there any other explanation?

Not really.

Wonderful.

They’re here.

The doors opened to reveal the Premier and an unusually tall Imperial officer. Kitty fidgeted. Christina plastered a warm smile on her face.

“Ah, I see you brought another guest, Premier. Commodore Vaseli, my greetings to you as well…”

Vaseli's eyes hardened at the sight of Pro-Consul Thorn sitting in the room, already in dialogue with the government of Salotai. His face twisting into a sneer, he spat, "Premier, I was not aware that you were feeling so high and mighty! I was not informed that this...thing...would be here." He spat on the ground and continued. "I will not enter any negotiations with you so long as this blight on the galaxy remains on this planet, and certainly not as long as you continue talks with the galaxy's biggest enemy. In fact, as long as you remain in discussion with this piece of...crap...you can consider Salotai at war with the Empire."

Spinning on his heel, he strode away from the sputtering Premier and the Confederation representative, leaving them open-mouthed and speechless. How dare they! he thought to himself, mind whirling and jaw set. How dare they spurn the Empire like this? They have no right! We'll destroy them! We'll destroy them all! When we're done with the planet, there won't be two stones left standing on top of one another. Those repair yards? They'll be destroyed. I'll slag this planet into dust for resisting the Empire!

He would have, too, had he not been met by some of the Palace Guard. "Sir," one of them said, standing in his way, "I overheard what happened in there. Please, Sir, do not take revenge out on the planet for our leader's mistakes. We do not support him in this, Sir; there are only a few elites that like the Confederation. The rest of the planet would much rather be a part of the Empire. What I'm saying, Sir, is that if you chose to fight, the people of Salotai would be behind you."

This is new information, Vaseli thought, his countenance, which had been as dark as the storm that had been racing through his mind, lightened with the possibilities that now presented themselves. We could use this to our advantage. Vaseli had always been a smart officer; now his mind was working overtime. "I'm very glad to hear that, officer. Tell everyone you can what the Premier has said. I will address the planet shortly; they should be ready to do what is necessary to protect their interests. And I mean anything that is necessary, if you catch my drift."

The Guardsman nodded. "I understand, Sir. I myself was an Imperial at one time, a member of the New Order's Stormtrooper Corps before the Virus. I will do what is required."

Nodding, Vaseli returned the offered salute, one officer to another, then continued his march to the lifts. He hadn't walked twenty paces before a Salotai General barred his way. Vaseli's eyebrows scrunched together as his eyes narrowed, but the General's words relieved his mind.

"Sir," the general, his white hair indicating his age, said as he stood ramrod straight before Vaseli, "I too was an Imperial once; I served as a Lieutenant in Vader's Legion. Sir, I think what the Premier has done is a disgrace; most of the Salotai armed forces are behind me. We despise the Confederation and all it stands for; if it were up to us, we'd side with the Empire. As such, we are prepared to do whatever you ask. Order us, Sir; we are at your command."

Vaseli actually smiled at this one. "This gladdens my heart, General. Please, I do not need to order you. You know what you need to do. You have the military experience to lead this country into a war; if the Confederation forces itself on you, the best way to show your loyalty to the Empire is to fight back. I trust that you will do anything that is necessary when the time comes."

Exchanging salutes yet again, Vaseli felt that the situation had drastically improved. No longer was Salotai a planet in rebellion; only its government was. That meant he wouldn't have to slag the planet; the people here would do it for them. Actually, he wouldn't even have to be here. He'd let the Salotai people do the work for him. If they began to lose, he could always bring the fleet back.

Within minutes, he was back in his shuttle, heading for his Destroyer. It was a short trip; nevertheless, he had time on the way to order his comm officers to hack the Salotai holonet. As they began their work, he formulated his address to the people. Upon arrival, he grabbed the turbolift from the hanger bay and sped to the bridge. Striding in, the techs were just finishing their hack, and within a minute one of them turned to him and nodded. So he began to speak.

"People of Salotai," he said calmly, but with authority, "I am Commodore Vaseli Zokalev of the New Order. I come to you today with news that is sad but true. Your government has elected to enter negotiations with the Contegorian Confederation and had refused to negotiate with the Empire. This is an act of war against the Empire, and will be treated as such. We were prepared to offer Salotai full admission into the Empire, with all the rights and privileges thereof, as well as the right to self-government, if you were willing. It is my suggestion, therefore, that if you do not want the yoke of the Confederation on your heads, if you still wish to be a part of the Empire as representatives from your planet have said, then you will overthrow the government that no longer respects your wishes and will remove the Confederation fleet from your system by force if necessary. If you fail, go underground, resist the occupation, and I promise that we will return to aid you. Do not let the Confederation get ahold of your repair yards or your economic facilities. Hurt them in every way possible. If you do so, it is my promise that I will return and will liberate you."

With that the monitor clicked off. There was a short pause, then Vaseli said, "Get me a line to Grand Admiral Desaria. He should be in his flagship, at Yuri."

Desaria was the senior officer present in the area, and he was the one the Vaseli had been ordered to report to. Vaseli remembered the first time he had met the Grand Admiral; it was awe-inspiring and frightening at the same time.


It had been a long campaign for Captain Zokalev. He'd been rushed about the galaxy, mostly running as an errand boy for his superiors, and he was sick of the work. He had been assigned to a support role, and everywhere he was rushed the heavy work was already done. All that was left was the mop-up, which he did well; but there was no glory in it, no hope for promotion. Nobody noticed the guy who arrived after the battle to clean up. He was the Janitor of the Imperial fleet, and he didn't like it.

This last mission was to Rodia, to support Grand Admiral Desaria in the final stages of a campaign. As Vaseli's ship dropped out of hyperspace, the Admiral was already appearing on the holoscreen. He certainly was prompt.

"Captain Zokalev, you are late," the Admiral said, skipping the pleasantries.

Vaseli swallowed, his mouth suddenly drying out. "Yes, Sir," he managed to squeak out, his voice seeming to catch in his throat. He wasn't intimidated by many things or people, but the imposing presence of the Grand Admiral made him feel like he was two feet tall.

Desaria stared at him with a cold, appraising eye. "Punctuality is a virtue highly praised in the Imperial Navy, Captain Zokalev. You would do well not to forget that."


That had been an interesting meeting. Though the campaign had not required his presence, and he had been transferred again soon after, the lesson there had stuck with him. He had never again been late.

When the Admiral came on, Vaseli made his report. Desaria's face, though, stoic, gained that hard look that he seemed to have when he was growing angry. "The Confederation has meddled in our affairs one time too many. Such interference cannot be tolerated; this will be the last time."

With that, the Admiral signed off, and Vaseli ordered his fleet to go into hyperspace. As they disappeared into the stars, the first rumblings of war began to sound on the planet.

With the ending of Vaseli's announcement, the population stared in shocked silence. Then the rumblings began, murmurs against the Premier who would lead them to war against a government they favored. It wasn't long before protestors began to take to the streets. What was worse, they were carrying weapons. The Premier, still in negotiations with the Pro-Consul, looked at the growing crowd and said, "Pro-Consul, you had better leave. I still support your efforts here, but this mob could get ugly fast, and I don't want to see you caught in the crossfire." Soon, nearly the entire population of Salotai, apart from a few Confederation supporters (not numbering more than 10,000 on the whole planet) had taken to the streets. Those who did support the Confederation were either murdered, beaten, or had the good sense to stay at home.

But the mob wasn't the only problem. The military of Salotai had a number of ex-Imperials in it - actually, a lot of ex-Imperials in it - Imperials whose men had trained under them and had been instilled with the ideas of the Empire's virtues. They saw it in the running of their own fleet - the efficiency, the organization, the discipline. In fact, there were few individuals who didn't absolutely love the Empire, and those that didn't certainly didn't like the Confederation. And they also saw the broadcast. Their fleet, scattered around the planet, began to gather together. Half the fleet moved towards the repair yards, powering their weapons as a threat and sending messages for all those loyal to the Empire to leave immediately or risk being killed along with the traitors to Salotai. The other half of the fleet began moving towards the smaller Confederation fleet, shields up and weapons powered. Only one warning was issued. That was all the Confederation military would get. They would leave or be destroyed.

"Officers of the Confederation, the military of Salotai has declared this planet to be a member state of the New Order. As such, we are ordering you to evacuate Imperial space immdiately. We are prepared to resist your occupation to the last man. If you stay, you may win the battle, but rest assured that we will not stop until either all of you or all of us rest under eight feet of dirt or are floating as space slag somewhere. And we will leave you with a planet that is so wasted that you won't be able to grow fire grass. As you see, our ships already surround the repair yard. If you begin to win, we are prepared to slag the entire thing to keep your filthy hands off of it. You have two minutes to decide."

On the planet, the mob outside the Premier's palace had grown. Thousands, even tens of thousands, all well-armed. It didn't take much debate before the palace guard, loyal ex-Imperials all, threw open the gates and let the mob in. They swarmed through the palace, heading for the Premier's chambers. The Premier, alone by now after having dismissed Pro-Consul Thorn, sat with a blaster on his desk. When he heard the noise outside his door, he lifted the weapon to his head, and as the door crashed open, he pulled the trigger. The blaster fired, it's red bolt visible for just a moment before it struck the Premier's temple and exited the other side, splattering the traitor's brains and blood all along the far wall. The Premier slumped at his desk even as the General and Palace guard entered to arrest him.

Thus ended the rule of the worst premier in the history of the planet, the premier who decided to go against the will of the people. Never again would Salotai allow a ruler who enteretained ideas of an alliance with a people or government that they hated. From now on, it was the Empire or nothing. The entire planet was at arms, ready to resist the Confederation invaders if they came. If they did come, and they won, the people were prepared to burn everything, leaving the Contegorians nothing more than a burned rock.

At this point, the Salotai General who had spoken to Vaseli earlier opened a line to the nearest Imperial planet he knew of - Echtabahn. The person who answered was an underling and not qualified to take the message, so the call was redirected to Grand Admiral Desaria at Yuri. The Admiral came on the line, looking pleased; the government of Yuri had just surrendered without a fight.

The General said, "Grand Admiral Desaria, it is an honor to meet you. I am General Joren, commander of the Salotain Armed Forces. As you may have already heard, our former Premier decided to entertain negotiations with the Confederation. Well, due to a popular election in which the Premier met with an unfortunate but lethal accident, I am now the ruler of Salotai. Sir, I have declared our support for the Empire and have ordered the Confederation to leave the system. If they do not, we will fight them; they will not rule our planet. Sir, we are loyal to the Empire only, and we will fight and die to prove it if necessary. Should the Confederation sweep down out of the sky and descend on our planet, we hope for your support. Even if it does not come, though, know that the Confederation will win nothing but a burned rock, for we will leave nothing that they can use."

Grand Admiral Desaria's stoic face barely managed to hide a small grin. "Excellent, General," he said. "I must say, it is pleasing to know that the Empire has its allies. Too often we are described as this terrible government whose only aim is to suppress the people's freedoms and commit terrible, dishonorable acts. It is nice to know that there are those who do not believe such lies.

"General, your name sounds familiar. Were you in the Imperial military?"

The General smiled. "I was with the 501st."

Desaria nodded. "Excellent. Then you will see that the government is run efficiently. And know that if the Confederation does attack, you will not stand alone."

With that, the revolution of Salotai was complete. A new government was in place, and they were prepared to resist the Confederation no matter what the cost. The Empire had gained its foothold; all that remained to be seen was the Confederation's response.

And so it would have been; if Good men (and women) had done nothing. But they did act, not based on morality of their cause, but out of the very instinct of survival which teemed through all life. For if a rancor did not react, of what use was its strength? For if a Noghri did not react, of what use was his martial training? For if a Bith did not react, of what use was his intelligence? Everything is nothing without action, reaction. For those who do not react become evolutionary extinct by natural selection. But people were a successful race, they had seeded the galaxy over the millennia; led vast nations unparalleled throughout history; engendered the technological marvels. But at the heart of this grand civilization stood the beastial will of people; the tenets of survival engrained in people from millennia of their existence. They cared not for their beliefs in these trying moments, but survival. And they reacted.


The doors of the police skimmer burst open like a rocket, revealing the peaceful midnight sky of the capitol, and the furious mass chaos which rampaged throughout the city. Officer Tyrral Marisel, gripped the handle of his stun baton tightly.

“Go, go go,” shouted the lead police officer.

The riot police charged out of their vehicle fearlessly to protect their charges. A woman screamed, and Tyrral jerked his head to see a woman bravely fending of a pair of brutes with nothing more than a Contegorian flag. She whipped it at one of the brutes, and it hit struck him soundly, the man uttered a few choice words. The other man took advantage, and grabbed her from behind, stealing the use of her arms for her; the banner dropped to the ground. She screamed again as the first man prepared for an accursed act detested by peoples throughout the galaxy. He let out a yellow tooth smile and approached confidently. A thump resonated off the man’s head; the brute wavered, and collapsed to the ground; hit by a police stun baton. Marisel barred his teeth, staring indignantly at the criminal.

“You have some nerve, thinking that you can do as wish regardless of the rules established for the good of our people, no matter what their beliefs are in,” remarked the police officer, “and to do it in public. I see that you care about your fellow man dearly, the love of the Maker is clearly in your heart. That is what the necklace is for, right? Or are you member of the Citadel now? Hypocrite.”

Marisel lunged forward, promptly bashing the brute on the skull with the baton. The other man’s eyes bulged, but he still stood. The Salotain police continued the arc of the first blow and swung it around in a slashing movement to the brute’s face. It smashed into the brute’s nose, crushing it utterly in a bloody mess. The concussion did the thug in; he collapsed onto the ground unconscious. The woman scurried away from the streets, abandoning any reference to her thoughts on the Confederation. Seeing her safe, the police man pivoted about to see the rest of a battle between the police and the Confederation supporters, and the supposedly Imperial supporters, who acted more like the hard-hearted and desperate criminals whom the Empire supposedly brought justice to.

Marisel spied a bloodied Confederation supporter, who ducked underneath a series of punches from a brute which would have maimed almost any man. The Confederate supporter let a holdout blaster slide from his sleave to his hand, and fired a blue stun bolt. The brute collapsed to the ground, and the Confederate supporter gave a grim salute to the police officer. A loud speaker boomed across the impromptu battlefield.

“Everyone is stand down to the police immediately; resistance will be met with the just and impartial might of our police force.”

Marisel stared about the battlefield, seeing that the announcement was hardly necessary. Supporters from both sides were fleeing in all directions to safety. The Confederate supporters from the Imperial mob; the Imperial brutes from the police. Marisel saw one odd brute, unreasonably dressed in finery which suggested some wealth, try to jog away from the crime scene. His blue eyes narrowed in disgust as Marisel gave chase, quickly overtaking the older man.

“Stop!” demanded Marisel, pursuing the man like a Corellian Sandpanther after a Bantha.

The man continued to run. Marisel drew his stun blaster and fired a warning shot over the man’s head. The brute abandoned his fruitless endeavor, halting and raising his hands over his head. Marisel stared at the man in shock.

“Sir Hohenzollern,” questioned the police officer incredously, “…but why? You were one of us once. Now that you have everything you could possibly have wanted? Honour, power, wealth, friends among even your enemies. But why?”

The man coughed. “I do not deign to care to think about a new Salotai, under the shackles of Contegorian rule.”

Marisel shook his head. “No doubt, who ever said the Contegorians are ever going to rule Salotai?”

“They have invaded and usurped our greatness-”

“What nonsense is this? How are these Contegorians great? They are but average, common people. No-one that could dare challenge your greatness upon our people. How low you have fallen; to be fighting against an ideal with common thieves and thugs against the innocent? No mercy for pregnant women even? The Maker have grace on your soul, sir.”

Green gases began to flow across the battlefield; knocking out those hard-hearted peoples who continued to fight over Salotai’s allegiance into a void abyss; temporal exile from the living of Salotai. Their conflicting thoughts smashed into nothingness, remembered only by a few old friends; those who still lived and contributed to the beauty of Salotai.



One to Two hours previously...

Premier's Palace, Salotai

The doors of the conference room swished as the maddened Imperial Commodore exited. Silence permeated throughout the room. Some of the politicians faces had turned a ghastly white; for the threat of war with the Empire was not something to be taken lightly. Thorn offered a faint smile.

“Very diplomatic and eloquent, as fitting as most Imperial diplomats tend to be, because they apparently have none” noted the woman, “but I doubt the Empire is idiotic enough to declare war on Salotai.”

“What do you mean?” questioned the Premier, “it is not as if we have the open force to counter the Empire…”

“But you have enough,” replied Christina, “given the Imperial War machine’s strength, particularly so if yours is combined with ours. From what I understand, you do have some planetary defences?”

The Defence Minister’s lip wrinkled, “Nothing too impressive, we have some Defenstar theatre shields which can cover the city, and clusters of Oryn Engineering RAX-1s scattered around the area.”

“RAX-1s?” questioned the Confederate diplomat.

“Ground to orbit missiles,” delineated the Minister, “each missile is equivalent to a heavy turbolaser in terms of damage…but how is this going to deter the Empire?”

“Because they’re becoming far too overextended for their own good,” commented Thorn, “and I willing to bet that whatever passes as their high command knows that. There are Imperial forces trying to keep the Bothan Sector pacified, and frankly, the Bothans aren’t too pleased with their presence. An insurgency there is running rampant, killing off squads of men a day; and that can’t be good for morale. In addition, the Empire is literally having to shell out all of the money to keep those planet’s infrastructure running because the Bothan governments transferred all of their funds to the Coalition before they capitulated. They're also fighting off their traitor, Kris Enfield, and the forces of his True Empire, which is essentially a civil war between the two. And of course, there are a host of minor insurgencies running about from Thyferra to New Holstice. Each one by itself may not account for much, but in the end, they are draining a small army daily from the Imperial force and drawing down their troop’s morale, and the willingness of people to be recruited into the Imperial forces. And of course, they’re now trying to both simultaneously try to conquer areas in this region of space and the Onyxian Sector. Neither of which will be supporting the Imperial War machine initially. If another galactic government like the Confederation is thrown at it, they may be able to procure enough ships for their own defence and to send limited attack fleets, but surely not something to significantly outnumber Confederate forces. If they could, it would be defying common sense. The real question is though, are your people willing to fight?”

“Fight to join the Confederation?” mused the Premier, “probably not. But they will be willing to fight to keep their freedoms. If doing so requires membership into the Confederation, I think they’ll do it, perhaps hesitatingly though.”

“And what of Imperial support on the planet?” questioned the Confederate, “are they popular around here?”

The Premier snorted, “They have some supporters, though like the Confederation, not a lot. I am surprised, Pro-Consul, that an experienced politician like you would not see that. Think of it, if the Empire really had a lot of popular support here on the planet, why wouldn’t have we joined the Empire already? The New Republic collapsed years ago, and that has left us independent for that long; there has never been a significant movement to rejoin the Empire, and is there really any wonder why? Salotai was used by the Empire during the height of its reign. We built that repair yard to service and cater to everyone, but when the Empire came, they not only stripped our personal liberties, but those of our planet and government. We had to cut off hundreds of loyal patrons and partners because the Empire alone could use the yard. It was a ridiculous monopoly that the people didn’t have a voice in so choosing. Do you not think that brutal domination and overbearing inspires resentment? Do you not think that orbital bombardments, destruction of entire worlds like Alderaan endears the Empire to us? No, the Empire would be mistaken if they thought they have any significant support here.”

“Indeed,” added the defence minister, “during our independence and the reign of the New Republic, we invited many ex-Imperials to join us.”

Thorn raised an eyebrow.

“Think about it,” smiled the Premier, “they are ex-Imperials. People don’t leave the Imperial military without a reason. There are a lot of people who joined our defence forces simply because they saw the horrors which the Empire has committed; like the genocides of entire peoples, and they don’t want to see that happen again to another innocent planet. There are ex-Imperials here because their relatives were Rebel sympathizers, and because of that, they were going to be executed. And what better force could we ask for then? None of them would want to rejoin the Empire because they are traitors, and would be executed as such, and yet, we have troops with the best Imperial training now; far better quality than most mercenaries we could hire or native troops we could have trained…”

“What about the Wraith Virus?” questioned Thorn, “did that bring any Imperial troops into your forces?”

Defence Minister let out a nervous chuckle. “Why would it? Salotai was a part of the New Republic back then, there weren’t any Imperial forces or officers here to be absorbed into our local defence forces. What we did absorb was the New Republic forces stationed here. Most of our fleet is crewed by former New Republic navy crewmembers, and we still retain several old New Republic army units that have been absorbed into our forces.”

An aide walked into the door. “A sir, we are getting an announcement from the Imperial Commodore, it’s being transmitted world-wide.”

The Premier sighed. “Patch it through.”

"People of Salotai. I am Commodore Vaseli Zokalev of the New Order. I come to you today with news that is sad but true. Your government has elected to enter negotiations with the Contegorian Confederation and had refused to negotiate with the Empire. This is an act of war against the Empire, and will be treated as such. We were prepared to offer Salotai full admission into the Empire, with all the rights and privileges thereof, as well as the right to self-government, if you were willing. It is my suggestion, therefore, that if you do not want the yoke of the Confederation on your heads, if you still wish to be a part of the Empire as representatives from your planet have said, then you will overthrow the government that no longer respects your wishes and will remove the Confederation fleet from your system by force if necessary. If you fail, go underground, resist the occupation, and I promise that we will return to aid you. Do not let the Confederation get ahold of your repair yards or your economic facilities. Hurt them in every way possible. If you do so, it is my promise that I will return and will liberate you."

“This is a farce of diplomacy,” replied the Premier, “who do they think they are fooling?”

“Negotiations with the Confederation being a crime worthy of declaration of war,” mused Christina, “didn’t the SS negotiate with us at Valinor? Perhaps the Empire declared war on the SS after that…”

“Classic Imperial propaganda,” agreed the culture minister, “it may blind their own people back home, but it certainly isn’t going to blind ours. Our people have had access to open news sources. We tend to have a slight idea of what is going on…”

The doors to the conference room opened to admit a white-haired General with a pair of palace guards. He gave a mad smile and unholstered a pistol. The Premier frowned.

“What are you doing General? Put that pistol away…”

The General shook his head. “No, I’m afraid it’s going to be the opposite. For the three of us are part of the Imperial Liberation Front. Goodbye, Premier.”

The man flew into wall and groaned. His pistol clattered to the ground. Cursing, the former Imperial fell into unconsciousness. Kitty leapt from her seat towards the two traitorous guardsmen. A holdout blaster slid from her sleave into her hand, and she fired. A bright blue stun burst hit the first guard, sending him into unconsciousness. Her left had grabbed the carbine barrel of the second guard and yanked it forward. The soldier stumbled forward, right into an elbow smash from the Jensaarai’s left arm. He let out a sharp yelp of pain. Hawk’s right arm spun downward in a pistol whip that connected with the man’s crotch. It connected, and the traitor yelped in more pain. His carbine clattered to the floor. In the meantime, Hawk’s left hand fell downwards in a open palm hand to the base of the neck, and the man collapsed into unconsciousness.

Thorn dryly commented. “I think we will be safe for the most part.”

“But perhaps not our citizens,” replied the defence minister, “some of the Imperial supporters are taking to the streets, trying to disrupt a Pro-Confederation rally. I’ve dispatched the riot police…”

“A just got a text from our Supreme Commanding Officer,” replied the Premier, “Admiral Hyvard, formerly of the New Republic Navy. The armed forces are waiting for their orders. What do we do?”

“People cannot be won over by force, nor should your government act based on your personal beliefs,” mused the woman, “let the voice of the people determine their fate. If the voice of the people is to join the Empire, so let it be. If the voice of the people is to stay neutral, so let it be. If the voice of the people is to join the Confederation…so let it be. But of this I ensure you, the Confederation will always support the choice of the people, no matter what it may be.”

“You have a 10% chance of the last occurring,” muttered a Minister, “just like the Imperials. Currently, 80% of the populace is neutral…”

“Perhaps more than that,” replied the woman, “for I have one thing going for me.”

“Oh?”

“That I am an experienced diplomat, and the Empire has sent an arrogant and brutish soldier to try and accomplish that which needs subtley. And I will almost always guarantee you that a diplomat will best a soldier when diplomacy is the game…and besides, a people only support a government after much diplomatic work and even then only when it benefits them. And the Confederation can do that better than the Empire, for not only can we provide economic strength through the use of the repair yards at a negotiable rate, but can continue to protect the individual freedoms which the people of Salotai cherish, and even yet then, provide social and other programs for the benefit of the Salotain people that the Empire cannot provide for. For Imperial taxes almost all go to the military to satisfy their mania for conquest, where those of the Confederate member states go to benefit of its people. Sometimes to the military, sometimes to programs that can better a person in his or her every day life..."



Presently...

“People of Salotai,” announced the Premier, “You have heard the call for revolution by Commodore Vaseli of the Imperial Navy. It is a call for needless bloodshed. For even if it is your wish to join the Empire, it can be accomplished bloodlessly and without inhumane brutality. If it is yours, the people’s wish, to join one government or another, or perhaps best yet, remain neutral, so shall I and the government elected endeavor to make that dream a reality. Let us throw down our weapons and pick up our pens, for it is said that the pen is mightier than the sword, and so it is true. Let us talk, and let us debate this matter ourselves and let us make this choice on our own. Let us not fall to this fallacy of black and white, that one government is only right, and the other purely wrong. Let us debate this, let us see past the rhetoric and into the shades of gray to see which one, if any, is a government which we can support. Pro-Consul Thorn of the Confederation has offered us an oath that the Confederation will not force us to choose one side or another, but will protect our right of self-determination. I ask of the Imperial commander to offer the same oath, for the betterment of Salotai’s great people.”

Pro-Consul Christina Thorn gazed out of the crystasteel windows of the highest levels of the Premier’s Place, presenting her an expansive vista of the capitol city. The past few days had been a flurry of activity as Imperial, Confederate, and native forces restored order throughout the planet, often acting in conjunction with one another. With peace restored, the galactic powers and Salotai had turned to less violent methods of obtaining power; diplomatic negations, which through turns of manipulation by all sides involved, had resulted in the decision to let Salotai decide its own fate. Finally, the Imperial and Confederate delegations had gathered to hear the results of the voting. Premier Romero entered the doors, and everyone present took their seats around a large conference table. As the last of the people took their seats, the Premier started his briefing.

“First, I must ask both of you to make an ad amenum to our previous agreement,” stated Romero, “and that is an oath that the Confederation and the Empire will support the choice of Salotai’s people, and not attack Salotai regardless of the planet’s decision. Furthermore, both the Confederation and the Empire must announce publically that they will defend the planet from invaders, no matter what the planet’s decision is.”

“The Confederation has always supported freedom,” replied Thorn, “and would have done those things anyways even if it wasn’t proposed. We accept and will announce our intentions publically at the first chance.”

“The Empire too accepts and will announce this.”

“Then I am obligated to announce that the people of Salotai have come to a conclusion,” announced Premier Timothy Romero, “and that is that…they wish to continue their independence and neutrality. It is their wish that the Confederation and the Empire would leave the planet in peace. It is not a completely unanimous vote, however.”

Thorn raised an eyebrow. I can see not wanting to be caught into the crossfire between two possible enemies, but are they so naïve that they think they can maintain their neutrality forever? One day, war will come to their planet; invasion from an empire, if not the Empire, then the Dragons. And that is a day that I will not want to be here for. Christina spared a glance at Kitty.

And?

And what?

Any thoughts that are interesting?

The Commodore is hard to read to right now; I’m not sure why, perhaps it’s the overwhelming emotion flowing the Premier that’s blocking it. He is regretful, sad, maybe even despondent.

About the vote?

Yes, but there’s something else…a non-presence…it’s like he’s trying not to think about something.

I see.

The Confederate woman sculpted a puzzled smile onto her face.

“Which shows that Salotai really has embraced freedom, for rarely is any decision unanimous in a free country. I would be more worried if it were unanimous; I think that I and perhaps Commodore Vaseli here would lose trust within your government. It is a trust and openness that I cherish, and I am sure that Vaseli at least appreciates.”

If the Imperial commodore felt any emotion or any thoughts, he was concealing them well. The tall officer barely showed any signs of being present; as if he were in a different world. The Premier cast his eyes to the ground.

“But I am not being completely open with you, madam Pro-consul,” admitted the Salotai leader, “it is not because I have lied; for I haven’t, but that I have not revealed the full truth. Frankly, most of the Confederation supporters want to leave Salotai since our home planet will be remaining neutral; some of us are haunted by recent events; the riots; while others of us believe that we must be the change in the galaxy we want to see. If we want to promote freedoms throughout galaxy, we must join forces with likeminded individuals; like the citizens of the Confederation. It is my request as a leader of these factions, that the Confederation grant us haven; and perhaps a fresh start.”

The brunette nodded. “Premier, I think that can be arrange without difficulty…”

“But there is more,” added Romero, “and that the Imperial movement, led by Genton Drake, wishes to move away from Salotai as well, into the Empire, if you can arrange it, Commodore Vaseli. They believe that the Empire owes them for their loyalty, and I doubt given some recent events, that Imperial supporters will be too well received by mainstream society.”

Vaseli replied. “I can try and arrange something, but I think it best if I work with this Genton Drake directly. If you will transmit to me his contact information and that of the rest of his loyal supporters, I will make that dream a reality.”

“I will do so as soon as this meeting is adjourned, commodore,” replied the Salotain, “and I have but one last act then, as the Premier of Salotai. And that is the request for both the Confederation and the Empire to establish embassies on planet.”

“To what purpose?”

“To ensure that both sides will have no excuse in knowing the state of Salotai if it is attacked…”

Thorn nodded. A wise choice; and it at least gives Confederation merchants passing through a friend on planet if they need it. Especially since they won’t have many overly friendly trading partners…at least not until trade between Salotai and the Confederation becomes normalized after this cataclysm. Christina slightly leaned back in her chair.

“I can guarantee you that the Confederation will establish an embassy as soon as possible.”

“The Empire will as well.”

“Then this meeting is at end,” announced Romero.

And it was so. Within two weeks, the Confederation supporters had disembarked on a squadron of Confederate Merchant Fleet ships to a new life within the Confederation Proper. Similarly, the Empire arranged travel for its supporters to the Echtabahn system. Thus, Salotai found itself free of people trying to pull Salotai into galactic conflict, and adopted the standard of neutrality and independence which guaranteed a bloodless, if insignificant, life.