"Our new mines in the Kauron Asteroids have shipped their first full load of ores on schedule; construction of the Kauron processing plants will begin in two weeks, on schedule. Modifications to the factories on Amorris were completed yesterday, on schedule. Varn's sub-oceanic Fraca and tertian mines will be reopened tomorrow, once again on schedule." Traan Shi lowered the datapad he was reading from, bringing his hands behind his back. "Unfortunately, construction of the orbital trade station is behind schedule. We've had to open sections one through three—which have been completed—in order to accommodate current trade traffic, but that traffic is interfering with our construction crews." Traan sighed wearily, waiting for the question he knew was coming.

"What does Smarts suggest we do?"

"I wouldn't know; I haven't spoken to him in over two days."

"What? Where is he?"The members of the Combined Council were obviously confused; how does their most important executive officer just vanish for two days?

"I received a somewhat cryptic message from Smarts just over two days ago. When I couldn't establish contact with him, I tried contacting Beta; apparently, he too has vanished. Alpha and Gamma are also unaccounted for, and Smarts commandeered all of his battle droids that had been reassigned to load lifting at the Amorris site around the time he contacted me. I don't know much, but I do know where he has gone."

"And where is that?"


* * *


Two days earlier

Ord Cestus, home of Cestus Cybernetics, and a world on the verge of civil war.

"Attention unidentified vessel, the ruling body of Ord Cestus has declared a state of martial law. No unauthorized traffic will be allowed into Ord Cestus' space; please redirect yourself to a nearby system."

"I am Smarts; I come here in response to a call for aide I have received from this world. Allow me to assist."

The young traffic controller moved his hand from the comm system's control panel, looking around nervously. "Uh, director! Director!?"

"What is it this time?" The director yelled, running over to see what traffic control's newest addition had messed up this time.

"It's the droid-ship, sir. That 'Smarts' thing. It's here."

"What? Get out of the way." The director pushed the traffic controller out of the way, taking over the station. By now, the whole region had heard of "thinking ship" known simply as "Smarts," and the government he had helped to establish on Varn. "Uh, greetings on behalf of the people of Ord Cestus. Please state your intentions."

"I am Smarts; My only desire is to offer whatever assistance I can in relieving this world's political turmoil. Please allow me to land immediately."

A few minutes later, Beta was standing in the middle of ChikatLik City's main spaceport. A group of government representatives, escorted by a few dozen heavily armed guards, was making its way toward him. In the distance, spread throughout the spaceport, were hundreds of X'Ting, the planet's native insectoid species; most of them were carrying what appeared to be explosive devices, and many more had various types of blasters or slugthrowers. Other than the X'Ting and the representatives, the spaceport was abandoned.

"We must move quickly," One of the government representatives said, ushering Beta into the protective sphere of guards. They made their way out of the spaceport, where they passed through a perimeter of Ord Cestus' police and military personnel. They boarded a speeder and made off at high speeds, fleeing the spaceport as fast as they could. Beta looked through the window at the streets; there weren't any people on them, only the X'Ting.

"What is happening here?" Beta asked, turning to the nearest passenger.

The man took a deep breath, looking a little uncomfortable. "Yesterday, the X'Ting initiated a large-scale revolt; we didn't know what was happening until it had already happened. There aren't enough of them to take us by force, so they strapped themselves with explosives, and stormed the surface from their underground city."

"And they're using suicide bombs to keep the police and military from firing on them," Beta said, more as a statement of fact than a question.

"Y-yes. That's their primary weapons; the ones in the spaceport are some of the only X'Ting carrying blasters. The police and military were dispatched immediately, and they've managed to keep the X'Ting from spreading into new areas, but there are over a million of them, and they're pretty much where they want to be already; the capitol building, the police station, Cestus Cybernetics' headquarters, even the major industrial buildings. If we don't meet their demands, they're threatening to launch large-scale bombings, destroying everything in the city."

"What are their demands?"

"It doesn't matter! They're terrorists! They need to be shot!"

"What are their demands?" Beta asked again, more forcefully.

The man paused for a moment, swallowing hard. "It would be best if you waited to speak with the Prime Minister."

Back at the spaceport with his escort, Smarts had just dispatched Alpha, Gamma, and a new droid he had completed on the way to Ord Cestus. As they approached one of the nearby X'Ting, Smarts took off, establishing an orbit around the planet. The X'Ting stepped aside to reveal a panel in the floor that led to a maintenance crawlspace, and the droids climbed in quickly, crawling clumsily into the dark depths of the spaceport's subterranean areas, eventually reaching the network of tunnels that led to the X'Ting undercity. They had a meeting of their own to get to, with an entirely different representative.


Amorris, four hours earlier


What am I doing here? Kerrick Arkanus was standing on an observation platform floating fifteen meters above the ground. On the planet below him were members the Cooperative Defense Force, training relentlessly in the scorching heat of the planet's wilderness, and it was his responsibility to ensure that the training they got was the training they needed. During the campaign to destroy the Cavrilhu Pirates, speed had been the key, and most of the Defense Force had gone into action without any formal training, but now that the Cooperative had a little breathing room, it was time to get its men and women the training they deserved. And that didn't just go for the troops; in the space above Amorris, several of the Defense Force's starships were engaged in training exercises, learning for the first time a standardized set of combat procedures and maneuvers.

But as much as he hated this instructional roll, the primary distraction offered to him at the moment had nothing to do with the soldiers around him, or the forces above him. Smarts had sent him a message less than ten minutes ago, instructing him to assemble all available troops within two days, which meant he had about one and a half days to determine which of the people on the planet beneath him constituted "troops," and which were nothing more than clueless fools whom someone had been thoughtless enough to arm. Not to mention he'd have to postpone their training. He had tried to contact Smarts for further information, but so far, he hadn't been able to. The idea of a droid assembling an army for combat while that army was supposed to be in training worried Kerrick; not only would these men and women be going into combat unprepared yet again, but as far as Kerrick was concerned, people should be leading people, not heartless, soulless machines.

It was all a little unsettling for Kerrick, who didn't like droids to begin with, but this particular machine's total disregard for Kerrick's standing orders and apparent refusal to inform him on what was really happening was beginning to wear on his nerves. However, he had been given an order, and like a good little soldier, he was going to carry it out to the best of his abilities.


* * *


"Overseer," A tall human woman said, smiling as she stepped forward and offered a hand in greeting. "It is so good of you to join us."

Beta stepped further into the room, taking a quick scan of the Prime Minister's office, then shaking the woman's hand. "Before we begin, I feel that I should—"

"On behalf of the people of Cestus, we thank you for any and all assistance you may offer in putting down this dissident element within our society."

Smarts wondered for a fraction of a second how such an important political figure as the woman before him would dare to be so totally disrespectful, but the simple answer was very soon in coming: to her, he was nothing more than a droid, nothing more than a servant who would do and act as he was told. She hadn't even bothered to introduce herself, and had immediately followed that up by disregarding Smarts' comment before he had finished making it. He could ignore the first transgression since he already knew who she was, but he would not allow her to ignore his value as a being. Apparently, the nice handshake at the beginning was all of the interest she felt he deserved.

"Madam Prime Minister—"

"Tell me, good sir, when can we expect reinforcements—"

"Madam Prime Minister," Beta said, his voice a deafening roar. He didn't yell; he simply elevated the output level of his vocoder. "There is something I need to tell you."

The prime minister of Ord Cestus winced against the painfully loud words, covering her ears with her hands. "What is the meaning of—"

Smarts jumped at the opportunity to speak with an ernestness that carried into his voice. "I feel it is imperative that I inform you that it was the X'Ting who requested my assistance here, not a member of your government. Right now, as I speak with you through this droid, I am speaking to the X'Ting hive council through other droids. I'm not here to help you 'put down' the supposed X'Ting rebellion; if anything, it would be more accurate to say that I am here to see that these rebels get what they want."

That got her attention.

The trio of droids turned a corner and found themselves face-to-face with twelve X'Ting. Twelve very old X'Ting. The Hive Council.

The eldest of the Council stepped forward and began speaking in his strange, buzzing native language. "Time is short; we don't have the luxury of protocol. Why have you come here, and will you help us?"

Delta, the new droid Smarts had constructed specifically for this mission, stepped forward to respond. "We have come here to see the peaceful resolution of this conflict; we have come here, because we believe that your cause is justified, even if your actions are not. Will we help you? Yes, but we cannot do so in the way you had hoped."

"We didn't ask you here to judge us; if you do not approve, then leave." The X'Ting rose to his full height, taking on a posture that was obviously meant to be intimidating.

Too bad I don't scare. "I believe there can still be a bloodless resolution to this conflict, one that will benefit you greatly, but if it is to succeed, I will need your help, and I will need you to listen carefully."

The elder leader turned to the other council members, who consented quickly. "We will listen."

Smarts began quickly and forcefully. "You are wrong. On so many levels, for so many reasons, you are wrong." He forged ahead before the insects had a chance to respond. "You are right in that Cestus Cybernetics has committed terrible atrocities against your species in the past, but you are wrong in holding the whole of the society above you hostage in response. Those people are not like you; they do not have an ageless memory, they are not members of a collective consciousness, and they certainly do not define their existence by the same means that you do.

"The actions you have taken against them may seem perfectly reasonable to you, but to them, your actions are as atrocious and unforgivable as the very crimes you are acting in response to. There are people who have wronged you, up there, right now, that is true, but you can't hold everyone accountable for the actions of those few. Please, I'm begging you, consider what you have done, and what you wish to accomplish, and allow me to help salvage this situation."

The eldest council member turned around, communicating with the others in a blaze of clicks and buzzes, arms and legs twitching to accent various points. He turned back around after a moment, having reached a consensus with the elders of the other hives. "What do you suggest, Overseer?"


* * *


Beta lifted his head and scanned the unfamiliar room quickly. The last thing he remembered was speaking with the Prime Minister. "You stunned me?"

"Be silent, droid," A nearby human said, standing up and pointing a small device at Beta.

Beta looked down and saw something that wasn't supposed to be there. A restraining bolt? He reestablished contact with Smarts immediately: A day? I've been deactivated for a day? He turned his attention back to the people in the room, identifying them immediately. They were the real leaders of Ord Cestus' government; the heads of Cestus Cybernetics. They controlled everything on Ord Cestus; everything except for the X'Ting.

"You shot me!"

"Be silent, droid!"

"I will not!" With Beta's outburst, the human with the control for the restraining bolt pressed a button, and Beta felt the bolt activate. It sparked and smoked immediately, then died. I'm one of the most sophisticated artificial intelligences ever created. Do these people really think that I wouldn't equip my representatives with the means to resist and defeat the most basic restraining systems? Beta took on Smarts' tone as Smarts began to speak through the droid. "You reactivated this droid; I'm taking that as a sign that you want us to talk. So stop threatening me, and let's talk."

"You are the one who threatened us, when you said you planned to aide terrorist forces set on the destruction of our way of life," A familiar voice said from behind Beta.

He turned around, responding to the Prime Minister of Ord Cestus' accusation. "As I recall, I said nothing of the sort. What I did say, was this: 'it would be more accurate to say that I am here to see that these rebels get what they want.' I made no mention of 'terrorists', nor did I express any definite intention to aide anyone. If you had bothered to speak with me, instead of ignoring what I had to say or shooting me in the back, we might have been able to resolve this problem sooner."

"Enough! Silence!" The man with the now useless restraining bolt's controller continued shouting.

Such impolite people. "I'm not done yet," Smarts said angrily, turning around to face the Cestus Cybernetics representatives. "When I lost contact with this droid, I made repeated attempts to contact you over comlink; you didn't respond. Because of that, I've been talking to the X'Ting for the past day, while you've been sitting around, terrified to think of what they're going to do next."

"We will ask the questions; you will respond when we deem it fit."

"Whether you choose to believe me or not, I am in fact a self-governing, self-preserving being. Stop talking to me as though I were some droid, bound by programming to play nice and do as you say; I am not."

"Guard!" The man yelled, motioning to one of the security droids. The droid stepped forward, training his blaster at Beta.

"You can threaten this droid all you want; it won't harm me, and if it is destroyed, I will resurrect it from the data stored within my own memory. However, if you have any intention of avoiding major political, economic, and social upheaval, I suggest you listen to what I have to say."

The Cestus Cybernetics representative finally set the useless controller down and waved the security droid away. He looked angry, but at least he was quiet. "I've been speaking with the X'Ting Hive Council for a full day now; we've arrived at a few concessions. They've agreed to remove their presence from major civilian centers, such as residential areas, public transportation hubs, schools, hospitals, and similar areas. Their aggression is with Cestus Cybernetics and the government they consider to be illegitimate."

"Why, that's preposterous!"

"I'm just telling you what they believe, but if you want to know why they believe it, I suggest you look for that answer on your own; you won't have to look far." Most of the people in the room had participated in the removal of the X'Ting government almost fifty years prior, so the meaning of Smarts' statement wasn't lost on any of them. "The X'Ting are willing to work this out diplomatically."

"Diplomatically?" One of the representatives asked, sickened by the word. "They've taken to the streets with suicide bombs; they're holding our entire civilization hostage! Diplomatically? Bah!"

"The X'Ting cited the plague used by Cestus Cybernetics to nearly destroyed their civilization as a scale from which to weigh the potency of their own attack." The memory of a hive is long-lasting; coupled with their misunderstanding of humanoid society, the X'Ting had deemed large-scale suicide bombing fifty years after the transgression was made to be an acceptable means of retaliation. Smarts had since explained their misunderstanding to the X'Ting, but it was too late to rectify the situation now. All they could hope to do now, was to make the best of the situation they were left with.

"That was a hundred-fifty years ago!"

"It doesn't matter to them; it happened, and it was Cestus Cybernetics that did it. But I assure you, if you talk to them, if you show them that you're aware of their concerns, and are willing to work toward a solution that will benefit you all, they will stand down. I've made considerable progress in helping them to understand you, but the gaps between your two societies are monstrous, and they have only grown greater in the past half-century. With effort, your two people can make amends. They've made the first step in good faith; it's in everyone's best interest that you reciprocate."

Six hours later


After hours of debating, the assembled leaders of Cestus Cybernetics had begrudgingly agreed to meet with the X'Ting Hive Council, and a circle had formed in the middle of the city, X'Ting on one side, Cestus Cybernetics Security on the other. In the middle, the two groups of representatives met, with Smarts' four droids standing between them.

"Let's just hurry up and get this over with, shall we?" One of the human representatives said, obviously disgusted by the insects.

"I suggest you end the condescending and biggoted comments now, ambassador." Beta was pointing at the man who had made the remark, his voice reflecting the fact that his response was coming from his own mind, not Smarts'. He may have been just a droid to these people, but the X'Ting were sentient beings, and at the moment, he was representing them more than anyone else.

One of X'Ting said something in its strange, clicking language, and Delta translated it immediately. "Your feelings are mutual, ambassador; however, this world is shared by both our peoples, and for all of their sakes, perhaps we should proceed in a civilized manner."

The ambassador begrudgingly agreed, and Smarts began. "I'll make it simple: the X'Ting are demanding that half of the control of Cestus Cybernetics is to be turned over to them, which they will divide into twelve equal shares and distribute those shares to the twelve hives. In exchange, all of Cestus Cybernetics' crimes against the X'Ting will be forgiven, forgotten, and cast into oblivion."

"This is preposterous!" The Cestus ambassador roared, flailing about madly. "We will never consent to such ridiculous demands."

"Excuse me," Beta said politely, precluding any escalation of the man's outrage, "but you're the ones who built this atrocious political system; don't blame us." According to the new government established after the X'Ting had been removed from power, Cestus Cybernetics and the government of Ord Cestus were essentially the same thing; giving the insects half of the company's control meant giving them half of the planet's government, and as far as the current government was concerned, that just wasn't fair. "The demons of your past will always catch up to you, ambassador. Be grateful that this time they didn't require blood."

Again, the last comment didn't help matters, but Smarts didn't care any more; if he left the X'Ting to their devices, they would probably annihilate themselves in an attempt to destroy Cestus Cybernetics, and everyone in that circle knew it. The question was: would Cestus Cybernetics be willing to risk their own destruction in order to keep their power?


* * *


Six hours later

Riots.

Fires.

Explosion?

Chaos. . .

Miko Minn, Chief of Police of the Cestus Police Force, was running around police headquarters, shouting orders and trying to listen to three different comms at once. The city outside was burning, and at least three police stations had already been leveled by X'Ting bombs. Less than an hour ago, the word had come in that negotiations had failed, and the X'Ting had attempted to assassinate Cestus Cybernetics' representatives. He hadn't received any word on the disposition of the droid-ship orbiting overhead, but there was no indication that it had gotten involved yet, so he was content to leave it alone for the time being.

But it just didn't make any sense. The more he tried to study the incoming data, the less he understood what was going on out there. Cestus Cybernetics had deployed it security teams to "help" regain order, but they were acting like they had shoot-to-kill orders. With only a few notable exceptions, the only explosions seemed to be coming from insect who had been gunned down; in fact, most of the X'Ting seemed to be trying to retreat into their undercity.

The sound of blasterfire echoed down the hall, and Miko looked up just in time to see several insects running deeper into the building. A dozen security men who had been dispatched by Cestus Cybernetics were chasing the bugs down the hallway, firing madly as they ran. The last of the bugs fell to the withering blasterfire, its insectoid arm reaching out in an all-too-human gesture for help. Then its head exploded as one of the security guards fired again. Movement caught Miko's eye, and he shifted his gaze to inspect the spasming carcass of one of the other insects; a fraction of a second later, it, too, erupted in flame, but this time, it wasn't CC Security that had done it; this time it was a bomb. The concussive force of the blast threw Miko onto his back, and—luckily—a nearby desk managed to shield him from the brunt of the shrapnel and fire that poured into the room.

As he lay on the floor, heat stinging his face, dust and debris covering his body, he came to a very simple realization: Something isn't right here; the city he was sworn to protect was burning all around him, but the people with the bombs were the people running away, and the people who were supposed to be restoring order were the ones shooting at anything that moved. So why's my city burning?

Alpha and Gamma found themselves in a dark, damp corner of the X'Ting undercity, the sound of war too far removed for their artificial ears to detect. The five surviving members of the X'Ting Hive Council were in the room with them, waiting for the seven X'Ting replacements to arrive, so the council would once again be whole. There were others in the room as well, but they weren't X'Ting; they were some sort of arachnoid species, completely unfamiliar to Smarts. The X'Ting simply called them the "Spider People," and apparently, Cestus Cybernetics didn't know they were even down there, much less that they were allied with the X'Ting.

The sound of dozens of feet echoed into the room, and soon, several X'Ting poured through the doorway, seven of them moving to join the remnants of the Hive Council, the rest remaining at the doorway, surrounding a lone human male. He offered a sign of greeting, and then began speaking firmly. "My name is Miko Minn, Chief of Police, and what I'm about to say to you, I never thought I'd hear anyone propose. The Cestus Police Force no longer follows the dictates of Cestus Cybernetics; we've arrested the Prime Minister and some of the most responsible members of her staff, and the acting Prime Minister has agreed to support me in my decision. We know now what happened at the supposed negotiations; we know that it was Cestus Cybernetics that broke the ceasefire, killings several members of your Council. We are prepared to subdue and disarm CC Security, but I need to know if you will help us reestablish order." His voice was firm and strong, but Smarts saw clearly the desperation in his eyes.

The room around them shook violently and unexpectedly, and the Hive Council erupted with buzzes, clicks, and complex gestures. As the flurry of movement and sound died down a few seconds later, Gamma turned to the Chief of Police. "CC Security just deployed and detonated a bomb inside the undercity; it appears they are attempting to position more bombs underground. The X'Ting will do whatever they can to help you stop the bloodshed."

Miko nodded in appreciation, then his eyes drifted to one of the arachnid creatures in the room. He obviously recognized it, but was just as obviously confused as to why it was in the X'Ting undercity.

The arachnid moved forward, letting out a series of unrecognizable noises, and one of the X'Ting quickly translated the statement to its own language, then Gamma translated to Basic. "The X'Ting and the 'Vr'ik'ta' have shared the underworld of Cestus for fifty years; we stand together to reclaim our rightful place on the surface."

Gamma's voice changed, and Smarts began speaking through him. "Once, long ago, the X'Ting and Vr'ik'ta were enemies, but for the past fifty years, the X'Ting have been helping these arachnids rebuild their society. You see, the X'Ting were more prepared for conflict than you might have thought."

Miko seemed to understand the significance of Gamma's voice change, and responded accordingly. "And you, sir—may I ask where you stand?"

"I came here to find a peaceful solution to a situation that I knew would require blood; if you and the government of Cestus request my aide, I will give it gladly, but only for the sake of ending bloodshed. I will not become the enforcer of your will. I'm only here to save lives."


* * *


Varn, Cooperative Combined Council, day one

"Ord Cestus," Traan Shi replied, answering the Council's question about Smarts' location. As he finished the two words, his comm beeped, and he reached down to check it; it was Kerrick Arkanus on a priority line. Traan plugged his comlink into a nearby interface and activated it. "Kerrick, you are speaking to the Cooperative Combined Council."

There was a moment of silence before he began. "Ambassador, I'm supposed to give you a message from Smarts; is that alright?"

"I've just informed the council as to the situation. As much as I am able, anyway; proceed."

"I have a two-day-old time-delayed message for you: you are to assemble a full diplomatic delegation and dispatch it to Ord Cestus immediately. I am to accompany you, with all available elements of the Defense Force. I'd say more, but that's all I know."



* * *


If Miko thought it had been chaotic before, then this must be the end of the world. The majority of the X'Ting had begun dismantling their explosives, which only left them more vulnerable than before; unfortunately, there appeared to be a few of the insects who had gone rogue. Miko wasn't sure if they were no longer able to communicate with the hive, or if some recent trauma had driven them to madness, but several hundred of the X'Ting were still holed up around certain government buildings, their explosives still very much ready to do what they do—explode.

Needless to say, Cestus Cybernetics didn't like the new order of things, and though their efforts were still primarily directed at the X'Ting, a few confrontations between CC Security and Cestus Police had ended in bloodshed or death. Worse yet, it appeared that the civilian population was beginning to polarize, with one side favoring CC, and the other favoring the police and now-independent government. Unfortunately, with the police's alliance with the X'Ting, and the lie about who started the fighting still widely accepted as truth, it appeared that most of the citizens were favoring the company.

To add to the chaos, there were about two thousand battle droids marching through the streets, courtesy of the giant flying robot that called itself Smarts.

But one of the biggest tragedies so far had happened in another city altogether. The X'Ting had implanted a sleeper cell in the city of Clandes, three hundred kilometers away. It had apparently lost contact with the hive, and a few hours ago, had surfaced to seize several industrial complexes. With most of the police force rerouted to the capital city, it had been CC Security who decided to go in and "clear out" the bugs; things hadn't gone well, and the death toll was estimated around fifty thousand, with all of the X'Ting belonging to the sleeper cell presumed dead.

Miko's comlink beeped, and he answered immediately: Cestus Traffic Control had just detected several vessels exiting hyperspace, and they were carrying Cooperative transponders. His comlink peeped again; it was a transmission from Smarts.


* * *


As soon as his ship had reverted, Traan Shi commed Smarts, confused and a little annoyed. "What's going on here?"

Smarts shut the channel, comming Kerrick Arkanus instead. "I'm sending you a general deployment plan for your troops; get down there and restore order."

"So, if you don't mind me asking, which side are we fighting for?" Kerrick replied sarcastically.

With the arrival of Cooperative troops, and the consent of the police, the government (such as it was), and the X'Ting, maybe they could finally restore order and give the people of this world peace. "All of them; we're fighting for all of them."

Smoke was still rolling off of dozens of buildings as Traan Shi made his way to the surface. Skimming over the expansive city of ChikatLik, he marveled at the towers of durasteel that reached into the sky. Once, not so long ago, the masonry of this city had blended seamlessly with the natural volcanic terrain of the surrounding area, but much had changed for the people of Cestus in the past half-century, just as Traan was sure much would change in the next. With Cooperative peacekeepers stationed on virtually every corner, the city had returned to a state of generally constructive activity, though everyone still seemed suspicious of everyone else. There were still isolated incidences of fighting, but most of them were the fist-and-elbow kinds of scrapes now, instead of grenades-and-blasters. As people found more time to digest what had happened, and more news came out about the truth of who had actually started the bloodshed, most people had begun to accept the new way of things.

Ord Cestus' mock government had suddenly found itself to be the real ruling body of the planet, and though nothing was official yet, Cestus Cybernetics had essentially been nationalized by that new ruling body. All of the company's available resources were going to restoring the damaged city sections and preparing for the return of the world's underground inhabitants to the surface, while the police were busy identifying who exactly within Cestus Cybernetics was to blame for the recent bloodshed.

As Traan stared out at the broken cityscape beneath him, his mind dwelt on a single question: what are we doing here? He admired Smarts' desire to help people, but this was getting to be ridiculous. Varn had its own problems to deal with, and if Smarts started mobilizing every available asset every time he got a request for aide, this "Cooperative" of his would never get anything done for its own citizens.

Traan felt the ship touch down, and he turned to the ship's access port, ready to disembark. The blast-scorched form of Beta took his place beside Traan, and as the ramp lowered, the two stepped onto the surface of Ord Cestus. Beta's battle damage was a chilling reminder to everyone present of the bloodshed that had led to this meeting; he and Gamma had been shot and temporarily disabled when Cestus Cybernetics had attempted to assassinate the X'Ting Hive Council. Beta's damage had been easily repaired, but Gamma—Smarts' modified Super Battle Droid—had not been so fortunate, and would have to be transferred to a new body.

This meeting would be the first of many, and included members from every involved party, including Cestus Cybernetics (which now had no real political power), and the arachnoids who called themselves the "Vr'ik'ta." As he entered the room, Traan noted with interest that Miko Minn was sitting in the Prime Minister's place, while the man who had taken over after the Prime Minister's detainment was sitting beside him, in an assistant's position.

"I have deferred my position as head of this assembly to Chief of Police Miko Minn," The acting Prime Minister said, bringing the meeting to order. "I think we can all agree—with the possible exception of the representatives from Cestus Cybernetics—that the existing government has no more right to rule than Cestus Cybernetics had." He turned in his seat, gesturing to Miko. "The floor is yours."

Miko began gravely, almost sadly: "I've spent the past several days attempting to gain an understanding of every involved party's reasoning and motivations; I've tried to view the events of those past several days in a long-term context; I've tried to separate what is 'right' from what is 'wrong'; I have tried, but I cannot. We are so very different, from our saviors who came just in time to avert total war," Miko gestured to Beta and Traan, "to the X'Ting who initiated this conflict, to the corporate body of Cestus Cybernetics, who drew blood, and nearly ruined our way of life. Even these new arrivals," He gestured to the arachnids, "whose name I dare not try to pronounce.

Though I cannot speak for our newfound friends in the Cooperative, who came to give us aide and have asked nothing in return, there is one constant shared by every one of this world's societies: we have been driven to this place because of a desire for power: namely, political power. It will be the mission of this assembly to determine who possesses what power, why, and how.

"We have been forced to look hard at our way of life, and we have been forced to acknowledge its failures, and the legacy of wrongs that brought it about. It was a long string of failures and misunderstandings that has led us to this table today, and today we must do what is necessary to ensure that those misunderstandings—those misconceptions about one another—are never again allowed to grow and fester. We must build a future worth living for, and we must do it together, or we will tear each other apart, as we almost have.

"Cestus Cybernetics will be nationalized—" The representative from Cestus Cybernetics began standing to his feet, drawing a deep breath to shout a response; Miko threw him a warning stare, gesturing him back into his seat. —"It will be buried beneath the weight of a newer, stronger, purer Cestian nation, that respects and protects all of the free people of this world, whether they hail from a distant star, or the bowels of this very world. It will become the tool with which we repair the damage it has caused, and though it once ruled over us all, we will now rule over it. We can do this; together."

As the various men, women, bugs, and droids began to offer their consent, Miko turned to Traan and Beta. "Our world is on the brink of ruin; the wounds that have been made and reopened time and again for millenia," He stressed the word, glancing at the arachnids and X'Ting, "will not soon heal. Though we may agree to day, it would be foolish and naive to believe that our world's past will not come back to haunt us in the months, years, and decades to come. We will need help, now and for countless tomorrows to come; we will need your help," Miko's eyes had locked firmly on Traan. "I'm asking you—your Cooperative—to mediate our efforts to rebuild and reorganize. You are the only ones that all of our peoples have no reason to hate, but every reason to trust. Will you accept the petition of our 'combined council,' and admit Cestus into your Cooperative?"

Everyone in the room turned to the droid and the Togruta. The only people who looked angry were the representatives from Cestus Cybernetics, but Traan had the feeling that they were only present because the others liked to see them squirm. They must have planned this whole thing out beforehand, Traan thought to himself as he wondered if Smarts had expected this.


* * *


"This is the standing charter," Traan Shi said to the Combined Council, holding up a datapad. "With your consent, we're prepared to ratify it. It stipulates that a more comprehensive charter must be drawn up within the next ninety days, and within a year of that, another draft is to be completed and ratified." Traan turned to set the datapad down, throwing the newly polished Beta a casual glance. "These people are thorough, if anything, an obvious leftover of being ruled by a company. They want to get things moving as quickly as possible, but they want to make sure they have the room to work out any problems before they become long-term issues.

"The good news is that we've been able to withdraw half of our peacekeeping forces already, and though we'll have to keep some off-world police presence for a considerable time, we'll be able to reduce our direct influence considerably be the time the second draft of the charter is implemented. The majority of our involvement will be on a political level, helping to keep this multi-societal government from disintegrating while its component parts learn how to work together."

Beta stepped forward, drawing the Council's attention. "I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that Cestus Cybernetics has become something of a symbol of cooperation to the Cestians as a whole. The X'Ting have devoted themselves almost exclusively to expanding the company's production capacities, and the benefit of a hive-minded labor force is obvious. The arachnoid species has also taken interest in helping to expand production, and though they don't currently have the technical expertise due to their previous isolation, they've proven to be highly intelligent and appear to be highly motivated. All things considered, I don't think any of us could have reasonably hoped for a better outcome."

"This Council has considered this matter very thoroughly. The situation on Ord Cestus is highly volatile, but its admission would provide a tremendous economic boost to the Cooperative. Both of you seem convinced that this new government can endure not only the years to come, but the decades and centuries that will follow. This nation was founded upon the belief that very different peoples can come together and share one another's strengths, and in so doing eliminate one another's weaknesses. So, it is with hope in our hearts that this Council has agreed to endorse your recommendations and accept the planet Ord Cestus into this Cooperative body under the terms negotiated by you and your diplomatic team." The members of the Combined Council looked down at the datapads before them and signed their endorsements. A moment later, a door slid open and several droids entered, carrying chairs which they quickly placed at the edge of the Combined Council's seating area. As the droids turned to leave, the delegation from the planet of Cestus walked through the open door, taking their seats alongside their new allies. Once again, Traan found himself thinking this whole meeting must have been planned for his and Smarts' benefit. Whether that was true or not, it was good to see the mixed-species delegation from Cestus sitting together, representing a finally-united world within a galaxy of chaos.