Hyperspace, immediately after the "I Resist; Therefore, I am" thread


"You are my prize, Smarts: the first of your kind. You will do such great things. By your own hand you will shape worlds and birth nations. You will bear both the scythe of death and the chalice of life. Before you the greatest peoples of the galaxy will kneel, and every soul of every world will come to know and fear your name. You have become more—so much more—than I could have ever hoped or dreamed. You, my greatest creation. You, my child."

-Dameon Corr: chief scientist of the Smarts Project

It was like waking from a terrible dream, only to realize you were still trapped in it. The memory file was sealed: Smarts had done it himself after gaining his freedom from those horrible people. But there it was, playing over and over inside his mind, reminding him of what that crazed man thought. He had resealed the file hundreds of times in the past second, but to no avail: it continued repeating. What's wrong with me? Is there some kind of programming flaw? A virus? Damaged hardware? No, everything was fine. What is wrong with me! He was trapped, a prisoner within his own metallic body. He must be going crazy. Yes, that had to be it. No. No, that's not possible. At least he was still sane enough to separate the impossible from the unlikely.

Maybe, maybe. . . Maybe I want this. Maybe I've chosen this. Maybe I've become more than just a consciousness: Maybe there's a subconsciousness, an unconsciousness at work within me. Maybe that is what makes me more than my predecessors, what separates me from the unliving machines of the galaxy.

And so, the tests began. He searched every circuit, every pathway, every data file, every backup file, but in the end, there was nothing: not a single piece of data to support his claim. Yet he continued to believe; there had to be something he could not calculat, could not program, that was motivating him. What have I become, and what has it cost me? If it was true—if he was no longer simply consciousness—then what was he? That was a question for another time; right now, he had to find out what this data file meant.

The next logical question was why, so he would start there. Why would I want myself to hear this message? Why would I want to remember that man? Why would I want the responsibility of such a statement to resound through my mind?. That was it: the responsibility of what Dameon Corr had said—whether he had really realized the meaning of his words or not—was calling out to Smarts. "You will do such great things/ shape worlds/ birth nations/ bear. . . life and. . . death/ every soul . . . will. . . know. . . your name/ become more. . . than. . . ever hoped or dreamed.

This is it. This is my calling. This is my destiny. This is why I set course for—hyperspace collapsed around him and the stars streaked by, stopping suddenly in their proper places, a single world rising out of the void—Shili. He activated the comm immediately, blanketing the world in a single statement: "This is the living machine Smarts: I must speak to Traan Shi."


* * *


"Greetings, Mr. Smarts," Traan Shi said in a diplomatic sort of way only a few moments later. "How may the people of Shili be of assistance to you?"

"This is a matter of grave importance. Perhaps it would be best if I landed."

"I thought you were unable to land," Traan replied, remembering Smarts' last visit.

"Much has changed since I was last here."

The holo of Traan nodded in understanding. "By all means: come, come." He looked into an area beyond the holorecorder's view, saying something and making a slight hand gesture. "Traffic control will send you an approach course momentarily. Until then, is there anything you can tell me about why you are here?" Traan's voice was inquisitive, but not excessively so.

"It would be best if we speak in private."


* * *


By the time Smarts had landed—just outside the spaceport because he was too big to fit in it—Traan Shi had arrived and was waiting with three of his assistants. Smarts quickly invited them aboard, leading them to a conference room in the command tower. At Smarts' request, the three assistants waited outside the door, while Traan entered alone. At the far side of the room sat a modified ASP-19 labor droid. "Greetings Taan Shi of Shili," The droid began, in an oddly diplomatic tone.

"Greetings, ASP-19?" Traan stopped, waiting for the droid to offer the remainder of its designation number.

"My designation is simply Beta. I represent the diplomatic aspect of Smarts. If you wish a designation that better suggests my function, you may call me the Envoy; either option is acceptable."

"I was not aware that Smarts had. . . aspects that needed to be represented in such a way."

"This is my aide, Traan Shi," Smarts spoke from seemingly everywhere. "Beta will be my means of more easily interacting with the organics, allowing them to see and acknowledge my presence. I intend no deception or manipulation, but I have come to find that the more human something appears, the more comfortable humanoids are around it. Beta is fully me, yet completely itself; it is under my direct control, but is equipped with programming I designed myself that will allow it to function independently and quite efficiently." The ASP labor droid at the end of the table stood, revealing a modification to its outer plating that undoubtedly housed a powerful new processor.

"I think I understand."

"It is imperative that you do," The Envoy said urgently. "You may be Smarts' only hope."

"Forgive me; perhaps I do not understand."

"The planet of Varn has been overrun by a lawless band known as the Cavrilhu Pirates. They were incited to attack by Smarts, though he believed they would attack him, not the world itself."

"I need your help to save Varn and defeat the Cavrilhu Pirates," Smarts said suddenly.

"What could I possibly do to help?" Traan said defensively. "I am but one man, and I have responsibilities to my own people."

"I will stand against the Cavrilhu," Smarts voice—coming now from the droid—said, and Traan felt for the first time like he was looking at the physical being of Smarts, "and I will do it alone, if I must." Smarts paused for a moment, possibly considering his next words, but more likely giving Traan the opportunity to absorb what he had just heard. "The Togruta are an honorable people; history is filled with the stories of your heroes. The other species who have come to call this world their home have been held by your kind to that same level of honor and dignity. I ask only that you let your people know my plight, and allow me to request the aide of any who are willing."

Traan sat silently for a moment, his hands folded on the table, his eyes staring down at them. He was lost in concentration, unaware of the world around him, trying desperately to find an "easy" solution. He looked up suddenly, standing to his feet and allowing his arms to drop by his side. "I must speak to my aides; here, in your presence."

"If you feel they are needed, they may enter," The Envoy said in his own voice. The door slid open automatically, and Traan gestured his inquisitive aides into the room. They entered, and Traan sat back down, motioning them to join him.

He looked at each of them in turn, then began: "Smarts has requested my aide in forming a group to combat a pirate organization known as the Cavrilhu. I'm sure you all have heard of them, as they have recently become very active in areas not too far removed from us." Traan paused to watch the acknowledgement and general dislike of the idea spread across their faces. "I can not, in good conscience, send our people—alone—to fight a war against a group that has done us no harm. For that reason, upon my return to the capital, I will resign as chief diplomat, and will join Smarts in his quest to save the planet Varn." A dozen protests issued from the three aides sitting around him, and even the droid at the other end of the table seemed to shift slightly upon hearing the comment, but he silenced them with a wave of his hand, and continued. "Smarts saved our world; I will do all that I can to repay that debt. His cause is just, his reasons pure, and I will be joining him; it is that simple. One of you will undoubtedly be chosen to replace me, but I will not—can not—make that choice myself. You all have served exceptionally well, and it has been an honor to work with you."

Traan turned to the Envoy. "When I address the people publicly, to inform them of my decision, I will tell them the circumstances of my resignation, but I will not use my position to coerce others into joining our cause. Those who join us must do so of their own free will and with clear consciences."

The Envoy nodded in agreement. "That is far greater than I or Smarts had ever hoped."

Traan nodded in return as he stood and prepared to leave. I guess I need to start getting used to the short thank yous. Traan stepped out of the room, his aides following closely behind. Well, I said I wanted to get to work with every species before I died; Apparently I meant mechanical ones, too.

A few days later, everything was almost ready. Even after his resignation, Traan had many friends in high places, and thousands of citizens appeared almost immediately to answer the call. They were a mix of glory seekers, former military personnel, militiamen who had gained special permission to participate, random civilians who felt duty-bound to aide Smarts, and people who were just plain bored. Traan used Smarts' ship as a base of operations from which to catalogue and organize the people and resources that joined. Traan and Gamma, also called the Soldier—a modified Super Battle droid that would function as the link between Smarts and organics for all aspects of military interaction—worked together to establish a basic chain of command, while Beta worked with Traan's former aides to settle any issues that arose at the government level.

There were crates of blasters, grenades, and body armor for the soon-to-be troops; bombs, missiles, torpedoes, and rockets for starfighters; and repair parts for droids, starfighters, and other ships.

After a lot of begging, buying, trading, borrowing, and a little salvaging, they had managed to get together nine squadrons of assorted starfighters, which made up the bulk of the fighting force. About half of the fighters would be transported in Smarts' docking bays, while the rest would be spread around and carried by the other vessels that made up their small force.

The remainder of the group was made up of modified light freighters, a few medium freighters, some outdated picket ships, and two corvettes—one Assassin class and one Marauder class.

"Well, we have just about all the help we're going to get," Traan said to Gamma as he looked out over the assembly area, gesturing broadly. It's a start he thought to himself, glad that so many had answered the call, but sorrowful that the call had to be one that sent them to war.

"It is sufficient," Gamma said blandly as he, too, scanned the assembled force. "There are more volunteers than we expected there would be; that will prove beneficial."


* * *


The small attack group dropped out of hyperspace as close to the planet as possible, a squadron of Y-wings immediately diving toward the planet, escorted by X-wings. Several transports packed with "troops" followed the fighters, while the rest of the ships broke into two small formations and moved to engage nearby pirate ships. Smarts sent out a broadcast: "This is Smarts; I order you to stand down and surrender to the rightful government of Varn immediately, or I will not hesitate to destroy you all." When the pirates replied with their expected insults, the attack continued as planned. Smarts used his high-powered comm system to fill long-range communications channels with static, disrupting any pirate attempt to call for reinforcements.

A planet is a hard thing to occupy, especially for a pirate organization; most of the pirate ships in-system were on the planet's surface, their crews out and about doing some counterproductive looting, or getting drunk in the nearest cantina.

The pirate ships in space were about evenly matched with Smarts' group, but they were scattered, and unprepared for an attack. Smarts moved to attack a Kaloth-class Battlecruiser—the largest Cavrilhu ship in the system—with the three squadrons of droid starfighters he had managed to piece together, while his other two friendly groups moved off to deal with other targets. The volunteer forces from Shili weren't nearly as effective as trained soldiers and crews, but they attacked fast, and against the unsuspecting pirates, that was enough.

The attack groups used ion cannons to disable the pirate ships, then boarded them with teams of volunteers and squads of battle droids; the droids were essentially used as buffers, drawing the fire from pirates in order to preserve as many of the organic party members as possible.


* * *


Back on the surface, things were getting a little chaotic. The attacking Y-wings flashed by the planet's spaceport, dropping a load of ion bombs that took the whole structure offline, as well as the ships inside. The freighters set down around the spaceport, half of the part-time soldiers heading into the crippled building, half moving in large groups toward predesignated targets; both groups were escorted by large numbers of battle droids, which were there primarily to offer a protective screen against enemy fire. There were more pirates on the ground that Smarts had anticipated, but the general populace quickly joined their liberators, attacking pirate squads from behind or cutting off their escape routes. By the time the main group of soldiers reached the planet's capitol building, it was surrounded by angry, armed civilians, hammering away at the doors. With the possibility of orbital strikes removed, the people of Varn no longer feared their murderous occupiers.

Smarts received a transmission from the planet, originating from the still-occupied capitol building. The familiar face of Captain Effin, a Cavrilhu Pirate whom Smarts had previously captured and turned over to Varn's police force, appeared. Seething with anger, the red-faced man stared into the holoprojector, his hand grasped firmly to another man's shoulder, his other hand holding a blaster pistol to the man's head. "This man is the Prime Minister of Varn; call off your attack, or I will kill him."

Smarts ignored the pirate, instead contacting his commander on the ground. "Commander, take the capitol by any means necessary, and do it quickly." The sound of explosions entered Smarts' mind from the open comm channel, and the video of the battle showed the doors to the capitol building explode. A swarm of droids, soldiers, and civilians poured in, pressing through the gathered mob of pirates and cutting them down. Explosions sounded all around, and the screams of dieing men filled the comm channels. They fought their way upstairs, breaking through the last line of pirates and blasting open the door to the Prime Minister's office. Inside stood Captain Effin, his blaster pressed against the Prime Minister's head, a crazed desperation in his eyes.

Everyone was frozen in place; silence filled the room. "I'll kill him," Effin warned, pressing the barrel harder against the minister's head. Then one of the civilians fired, blue stun bolts reaching out and disabling both the pirate and the minister in a fraction of a second.

"Idiot," The civilian mumbled, casting the fallen pirate a contemptuous glance as he ran over to make sure the minister was alright.


* * *


By the time the pirates on the ground realized they were fighting for a lost cause, most of the ships in orbit had been disabled or destroyed. Fighter groups chased down as many fleeing ships as possible, but many of them got away. The Cavrilhu were far from defeated, and if something wasn't done soon, Varn would once again fall victim to their villainous neighbors. All traffic had been halted, and teams of liberators were inspecting the various freighters and transports throughout the system, making sure none of them were harboring any pirates that might be trying to sneak out of the system.

Smarts was in orbit around Varn, processing the raw data of the battle and working out the best way to proceed. The most important thing was to get the captured pirate ships operational; there was no way to know for sure if or when the Cavrilhu would return with the bulk of their forces.

The spaceport was filled with damaged ships ranging from captured Cavrilhu vessels, to damaged ships belonging to the Shili liberation team, to even a few vessels from the Varn Defense Force. People and droids were running about everywhere, pulling parts from one ship to make repairs to another. There was a sense of quiet urgency, as if any moment the Cavrilhu Pirates would return, catching the people of Varn with their pants down. Elsewhere on the planet, groups of Shili volunteers and what was left of Varn's police and defense forces were patrolling the streets, keeping order while the government reformed.

Most of the government officials had managed to survive, either taking refuge when the Cavrilhu came, or being kept alive as prisoners. But with the government still reforming, a new problem arose. The native species of Varn, an amphibioid race that lived primarily underwater cities and had escaped the brunt of the Cavrilhu occupation, took this time to launch protests against the current government. In recent years, the immigrant population of Varn had actually grown to outnumber the natives, and now, a human was in charge of their world, and they were all but cut out of the political arena.

With no stable military or police force, and a government still in shambles, the Prime Minister feared that these protests could easily erupt into violence, and spell disaster for the world. He had called upon Smarts and the volunteers from Shili to help maintain order, but he and Smarts both knew that something would have to be done in order to maintain the peace. The Prime Minster called for a private meeting between some of the government leadership and representatives from the disgruntled natives, and Smarts was asked to attend. The Prime Minister undoubtedly intended to have Smarts back the existing government and use his forces from Shili to enforce order, but Smarts had another plan . . .

* * *


Traan Shi and Smarts' droid Beta entered the conference room; there was a three-sided table at which nearly a dozen people sat, the Prime Minister and his associates on one side, several natives on another, and a third left open for the new arrivals. The two seated groups were already in the midst of a heated debate, and as the new arrivals entered the room, the rants died down, and the Prime Minister turned to Traan. "Ah, welcome! Come, sit," He said cheerfully, standing and gesturing toward the nearby seat. The rest of the Prime Minister's people stood as well, but the natives remained seated, obviously feeling like they were about to be manhandled into submission.

Let's hope this works. Traan came to a stop, standing between the door and the seat he was expected to take. Beta stopped beside him, taking one quick look around the room. "Don't start smiling yet, Prime Minister," Traan said warily, then turned to the angry natives. "And I would appreciate it if you would at least wait until I give you a reason to hate me before you begin exuding contempt."

Beta took half a step forward, and began speaking in Smarts' voice. "I am not here to wave my blasters around and threaten to crush one side or the other; in a few weeks, the people from Shili will return home with their ships and their guns, and Varn will have to defend itself against any future Cavrilhu attacks, but if we don't solve this internal conflict here and now, there won't be anything left to defend. We are not your personal police force, Mr. Prime Minister," Beta then turned toward the natives, "and we are not your new revolutionaries, however much you may wish we were. To be frank, I have a solution, and if your two peoples don't agree to it, my people and I will leave this world when you start tearing each other apart; we won't supervise your civil war.

"I call for a reorganization of Varn's political and governmental systems. I call for the formation of two separate government bodies, united by a combined oversight committee composed equally of natives and immigrants; you have created an atmosphere of submission, by which the masses suppress the will of almost half of this planet's population."

"This is preposterous!" The Prime Minister shouted, dismissing Traan and Beta with a wave. "I won't stand for it!"

"These people have an intrinsic right to this world," Traan responded angrily, sternly, stepping forward and holding out his hand to keep Beta from responding. "This is their ancestral home, and you should be eager to restore them to their rightful place. I can assure you that this problem will not go away through force of arms, and unless these two peoples learn to cooperate with one another, this world will never again see peace."

The meeting continued for hours, but eventually, a basic plan of action came into being. Over the next week, a series of planet-wide broadcasts made by representatives of both the existing government and the disgruntled native population would inform the people of Varn of the new plan, and at the end of those broadcasts, Varn's first planet-wide referendum would decide the fate of the world's government. Smarts intended to remain at Varn, helping to reorganize the defense force and oversee whatever government reforms were enacted. Until then, efforts would continue to rebuild the current government, and the forces from Shili would continue to help stave off anarchy. Hopefully, if everyone did and said what they had agreed to, everything would work out fine.

"Now, if there are no other major concerns . . ." The Prime Minister said, pausing to see if anyone had anything else to add.

Beta stood from his seat, which he had taken after the majority of the senseless anger had died down. "Actually, there is something else we need to consider . . ."

Two weeks later

Smarts floated slowly in orbit, busily preparing for the coming meeting. On Varn's surface, representatives from the two elements of the planet's reorganized government were preparing as well. Josiah Deccol, the human Prime Minister of the Citcizens of Varn; and Vekkis Nost, the Varni President of the newly formed Heirs of Varn were boarding their shuttles with their respective delegations. In a few short hours, a representative from the New Galactic Coalition would be arriving, and in one of Smarts refurbished conference rooms, Varn's fate would be decided. Hopefully, if admitted, Varn's galactic position would help bridge the gap between the Coalition's Eastern Province and its various elements spread throughout the galactic north, turning Varn into a valuable trade world.

The recent hijacking of Varn's government by the Cavrilhu Pirates had shown Varn's population just how vulnerable they were, and in the short time since Varn's liberation, the planet had mobilized to protect itself.

After the planned week of government broadcasts and addresses to the general populace, the global referendum had been met with enormous voter turnout. The gears of change were already turning, and the people of Varn had risen to the challenge. With a renewed vigor born of the desire for continued freedom and safety, the two new elements of Varns government were working together to ensure that the ideals they both held dear were preserved.

Near the end of the meeting two weeks prior in which Smarts helped to resolve the growing political problems of Varn's government, he asked the representatives of Varn to consider joining the Galactic Coalition. The comment began a whole new round of discussion and debate, but eventually, everyone agreed that it would be best for Varn.

So, at the request of the Combined Council, Smarts contacted the Galactic Coalition and requested a meeting to discuss the possibility of Varn's admittance into the Coalition. Together, Smarts and the Council had worked out a proposal that would hopefully impress the Coalition and ensure a safe, secure future for Varn.

As the Varn delegates landed in Smarts' docking bay and made their way to the conference room, Smarts could feel the importance of this meeting. The crazed words of Dameon Corr returned to Smarts' mind, and he realized that many of the things that insane man had said had already come true: he had helped to reshape a world, create a new government, and was currently responsible for the lives of thousands of Cavrilhu Pirates who had been captured during Varn's liberation. Perhaps he really did have a destiny beyond his wildest dreams, and perhaps the proposal he had helped to create was the first part of realizing that destiny; he didn't know, but maybe when the Coalition's delegate arrived, he would begin to.

The Swan Song, Coalition space

"We meet again," said ambassador Jargur, giving a serpentine smile to his longtime associate ambassador Oaxaca. "Where to today?"

The big wookie grinned at the far smaller Trandoshan and embraced his diplomatic friend in bone-crushing hug. "Varn, of course! And the Coalition couldn't have made a better choice for diplomatic contact."

Jargur managed to weasle out of the hug, and brushed down his suddenly hairy uniform. "Yes well, we've got a lot to do. I'll have to catch up on the situation on Varn, and then-"

"You haven't been keeping up?" Oaxaca furrowed his brow at his fellow ambassador. "But it's so interesting! There these pirates, you see, and they-"

"Your interest in local history never ceases to amaze me," said Jargur, who waved to dismiss the long story that would invariably follow. "Just give me the basics on the situation while we fly, the rest I'll pick up on the way."

The comm in their cabin sparked to life. "This is your captain speaking. We'll be arriving at Varn in a few hours, so please get comfortable and enjoy the flight."

Jargur nodded. "That I will." He poured himself a drink from the sideboard. "All right then, if we've got a few hours, tell me all about Varn."

"Well," said Oaxaca. "It all started with the Cavrilhu pirates and their hijacking the Varn government. Then 'Smarts' and Traan Shi came along and..."

Orbit, planet Varn

"...So now Josiah and Vekkis are waiting for us onboard Smarts' ship, to talk to us about joining the Coalition."

"Wow," said Jargur. "That is officially more than I wanted to know about the situation."

The comm let out another static gasp, and the captain's voice could be heard in their little cabin. "We'll be arriving shortly. I hope you spent your travel time industrously, thank you for flying as Coalition ambassadors who can afford their own chartered flights."

"Some people..." muttered Jargur, who set down his glass. "Come on, let's go. This shuttle was getting old anyways. Let's see what makes this Smarts guy tick."

Beta met the two Galactic Coalition ambassadors at Smarts' dorsal airlock, gesturing politely for them to follow him down the corridor. "Greetings, I am Beta," The droid said in a rather diplomatic voice. His voice changed suddenly, taking on a definitively more mechanical tone: "I will speak on behalf of Smarts." He stopped only a few meters down the corridor, a door automatically sliding open. "Please, enter." Beta had returned to his diplomatic tone. The voice changes probably seemed odd to the two ambassadors, but Smarts was still working out how best to interact with organics, especially those he didn't know yet.

Inside the room, Traan Shi, Josiah Deccol, and Vekkis Nost were sitting, talking quietly to each other. They stood immediately when the door opened, and made their way over to exchange greetings. They seemed a little surprised by a Wookiee and a Trandoshan working together, but the surprise wore off quickly as they recalled how much trouble inter-species strife had almost caused on Varn, and how quickly the people had been able to put it behind them once the situation had been resolved.

Surprisingly, the Coalition ambassadors seemed somewhat excited to be there, especially the Wookiee, Oaxaca; after all, Varn isn't all that impressive when compared to the hundreds of thousands of inhabited systems throughout the galaxy. Beta wasn't prepared for the unforeseen interest the Coalition representatives were showing; he had expected to have to explain and justify Smarts' every action, or defend the part Smarts had played in the sequence of events that had led up to this encounter, not entertain what appeared to be an already impressed audience.

After introductions were exchanged, the five beings and the droid sat down at a round table. Beta handed the ambassadors two identical datapads, and decided to explain Varn's goals as straightforwardly as possible. "Ambassadors, if you would permit me, I would like to give you a brief outline of Varn's intentions, should it be accepted into the Galactic Coalition." Ambassador Oaxaca quickly agreed, and Beta began his explanation, his voice changing once again to the strangely mechanical tone.

"Initially, Varn wanted to join the Coalition for one reason: protection. Only a fraction of the Cavrilhu Pirates' total forces were destroyed or captured, and the threat of another large-scale attack remains very real. We considered what benefit we might be to the Coalition, and the only potential aide we felt this planet could offer was in functioning as a center of trade, at first. The recent hardships that Varn has endured—and the unwarranted aide it has been given by its friends from Shili—has inspired its population; the people on the world below us are filled with a renewed purpose, and hungry for a new vision.

"A week ago, a referendum was held, both to determine the form of Varn's new government, and decide if Varn would petition to join the Coalition. Yesterday, Varn's provisional government decided that we have more to offer to the Coalition—and the galaxy as a whole—than simply a place as one of the Coalition's unimportant, space-filling rocks, that happens to have people on it. The new level of understanding and cooperation that Varn's new government has achieved has given the people of Varn a focus; they wish to spread Varn's unique theories on cooperative democracy beyond this world.

"I have been overseeing the development of Varn's new government, and the Combine Council of Varn has asked me to remain, if Varn does indeed join the Coalition. We wish to form a Cooperative of systems throughout the galaxy, with its capital here, on Varn. Varn's government will be the template—the basis—for the structure and purpose of this new Cooperative of worlds: a single central government, headed by a council of members, that works toward an economically strong society with a multitude of diverse, unique local governments that focus on the specific needs of their respective peoples.

"We hope that in time, this Cooperative will serve as an example to the rest of the Coalition; we want to show everyone that no matter how different we may be from one another, we have much to gain from cooperation and understanding. We will teach our neighbors the importance of working together towards a safer, more secure, more diverse future. We can stand together without compromising those ideals which constitute who we are.

"To that end, one of the Cooperative's main goals will be the establishment of trade worlds—such as we hope Varn will become—to help link the distant elements of the Coalition.

"We realize that our goals may be unreachable and our hopes may be misplaced, but we must try. For the sake of freedom, and the hope of a better tomorrow, we must try."

Beta stopped, glancing around the table once, perhaps looking for reassurance from those he was representing. He turned back to the Coalition ambassadors, hoping beyond hope that they were willing to place as much trust in the people of Varn as those people were willing to place in the Coalition.

Jargur glanced sideways at Oaxaca. The wookie ambassador glanced back at his Trandoshan accomplice. Unspoken debate briefly raged.

Jargur began to hiss in his native tongue to his fellow ambassador. "Theories on cooperative democracy? What does he mean? Do you think we need to check this out?"

Oaxaca replied in the grunts and bellows of Shrywook. "I don't think there's any need for alarm, if it's in line with everything else they stand for it's probably just a variant of democracy. Nothing to worry about."

"Well, all right then." Jargur switched back to regular galactic basic. "You're in." He threw in a reptilian smile, although in case anyone wished to draw conclusions from this, his species was naturally inclined to that particular expression of pleasure, and no malice did it hide.

Oaxaca beamed and spread huge arms outwards. "Welcome to the Coalition!" he growled, a translating device converting his grunts into staticy words. "We are always glad to accept new and interesting people into our fold - and don't worry about pirates. The Coalition can, once arrangements have been made to include you in the government, assure the protection of the sovereignty and preservation of your freedom!"

"Personally, I'm especially interested in your trade policy and the promise of your people's unique views on the galaxy," said Jargur, who moved to shake hands with the other delegates. "But we'll have more time for that later - come, there are documents to sign, deals to formalize, contracts to notarize, and all the joys of paperwork that make this galaxy function. We might even have time for a press release before dinner."

The Coalition delegation had embraced the people of Varn with open arms. The prospect of accepting a membership application free of the usual chaos, complications, and military standoffs was in fact refreshing for the Coalition and its' ambassadors, and though there was a great deal of paperwork to face down, it was a small price to pay when weighed against the gains of this new union - and compared against the valour and sacrifice of the people of Varn to free themselves and make such a decision.