Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo/Star Wars crossover redux.
Thank you all for your wonderful patience and support, I deeply appreciate it.
In this chapter, I've decided to give all of you a treat. For those of you that are Charlie Chaplain fans, there is a shout out to him in this chapter. I won't spoil what the shout out is, but I can tell you that it is a shout out to one of his more poignant and touching moments in one of his films. For those of you that find it, kudos to you and I hope you enjoy the shout out.
As always, leave a review, and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Star Wars franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Lucasfilms, 20th Century Fox, Disney Films, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to its original composers and/or artists. I do not own any speeches referenced in this chapter. Any speeches referenced in this story belongs to their original writers and any films that use those speeches.
Pantora
Pantoran Ambassadorial Apartment, Penthouse Suite
May 15th, 0BBY, 0830 Hrs (November 29th, 2558, 0830 Hrs)
In the penthouse suite of the Pantoran Ambassadorial Apartment, Melody was getting ready for her speech to the Pantoran Assembly. Brushing off her suit for the umpteenth time, she made sure that her makeup was on properly, while mentally going over the speech that she had prepared last night. Everything had to be spot on, otherwise she would give a fairly poor impression of the UNSC and UEG to the Pantorans.
It's a good thing that I can come up with a speech on the fly very quickly, she thought to herself. In addition, I know more than a few speeches that would work in this situation. However, I have made the choice that I have made, and I will stick with it to the very end.
Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard a knock at the door. Finishing the final pieces of her make-up and outfit, she was about to exit the bathroom when she heard her COM ping. "Ma'am, we have a Pantoran that wishes to speak with you," came the voice of a member of Blue Team.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"Chairman Riyo Chuchi, ma'am. We've conducted an identity and weapons scan. She appears to be clean."
"Send her in," Melody said. Walking into the living room, she watched as Riyo walked inside, her purple suit as immaculate as ever. "Chairman Chuchi," Melody said with a smile. "What can I do for you today?"
"Just coming to check in on you and see how you're doing," Riyo said. "It's not everyday that you get to see someone from another galaxy coming here. Plus, I wanted to make sure you hadn't fallen ill. Since you're from another galaxy, it is all too likely that we have diseases you haven't even heard of."
"That's understandable," Melody said. "When we first visited Coruscant, we had to wear facial masks to ensure that we did not spread disease nor catch any. However, that is no longer the case, thanks to our immunization program onboard the Infinity. I can now walk down the streets and not catch a cold."
"That's good to hear," Riyo said. "One the negotiations that will be conducted will be discussions on the sharing of vaccinations and the like. We don't want any diseases to cause trouble, nor do we wish to have yours cause trouble for us. It's why I'm staying more than six feet away from you at all times."
"Again, totally understandable, Chairman."
"Indeed," Riyo agreed. "In addition, the Pantoran assembly is likely going to expect you to give a welcoming speech explaining what the UNSC is about and why you're here. I already know, but I'm just giving you a heads up. The Appeasers and Expansionists might take offense depending on the speech you give."
"And I am more than prepared for that," Melody reassured Riyo. "Besides, I have Blue Team guarding my quarters at all times, and other people sweeping the room for bugs twice a day. Any assassin that tries to kill me will have to get past the Spartans first, and that's nearly impossible, given their capabilities."
"I see," Riyo said. "Well, since that is the case, we shan't be waiting any longer. One of my men will help you arrive at the Pantoran Assembly Building. Your bodyguards may be allowed to accompany you if you wish."
"And I would love to have them come," Melody said. "We've had enough troubles in the last war. We don't want a repeat of that here. See you at the Pantoran Assembly."
"And you as well," Riyo said. With that, Riyo left the room, while a Pantoran in a uniform came through the door after being checked over by the Spartans. Moving to the speeder pad, he quickly powered everything up as Melody stepped inside and sat down. At the same time, Blue Team advanced through the door and into a speeder designed to haul heavy cargo around. Once everyone was loaded on, the speeders took off and began heading for the Pantoran Assembly building.
The Pantoran Assembly Building was one of the largest buildings in the entirety of Pantora City. Built to accommodate the Pantoran Assembly, the building was quite large, with Melody noting that it was roughly the same size as the defunct United State's Capitol Building, which was built to house the entire Legislative Branch of the United States, the same government the UEG was based off of. The only differences were that the building followed the same architectural style as the other buildings around it, a columned lowermost section that housed an elaborately carved upper section.
As the speeders drew closer, they came towards a landing pad that was extended out from the building, with both speeders landing gently on the pad. As they did so, a s quad of eight soldiers from the Pantoran Defense Force marched forwards and surrounded the group. Once they had done so, the group moved inside.
As they did so, Fred-104 kept a close eye on the Pantorans and scanned the building as they moved inside. As the temporary CO of Blue Team, it was his job to ensure that, should the worst case scenario happen, he would be able to get Melody out of the area and back onboard the Infinity with a minimum of casualties to the UNSC and a maximum to the potential enemy force.
Should things turn hostile, we will need to eliminate our escort and any other hostiles that try to bar our way, he thought. The landing pad means that we can bring in a Pelican should the worst case scenario happen, but we'll also have to worry about enemy fighters attacking the ship. A flight of Broadswords will keep that from happening, but we also have to worry about the ships attacking the Infinity, though that should be a relatively easy problem to solve.
Oblivious to Fred-104's thoughts, the PDF soldiers continued to escort them down the walkway and into the building. Inside, Melody found that the interior of the Pantoran Assembly Building was also lavishly decorated, with carpeted flooring, columns made of woods she didn't know of, as well as paintings and marble busts at the walls. One painting caught her eye, with the painting depicting a pair of Pantorans shaking each other's hands with smiles on their faces. "Who are those two in the painting?" she asked.
"Those two?" one of the guards asked. When Melody nodded, he said, "Those are Pentontus Jundusa and Ligentor Hiventus. They, along with twenty other Pantorans, are the Founding Fathers of the Pantoran Assembly. They founded the current government over five thousand years ago. Records of their appearance, however, were kept, as were records of the founding of the original government."
Melody whistled in admiration. "Very interesting. Before the UNSC and UEG were founded, we had a government that was of a similar age."
"And that would be?"
"The Monarchy of Denmark," Melody said. "It was the oldest constitutional monarchy in the world before it was absorbed into the UEG following its founding. However, the picture reminds me of the Founding Fathers of the United States, who founded the United States of America in the year 1776, around seven hundred and eighty two years ago."
"Fascinating," the guard said. "I take it the United States of America was also absorbed into the UEG when it was founded."
"Yes," Melody said. "I also wonder if this building is fairly old if it has interior architecture like this."
"No," the guard said. "The original Pantoran Assembly Building was much smaller than this. As the times came and went, though, we realized that we needed a much larger building if we were going to have the Senators represent all of Pantora. The Supreme Chairman at the time, as a result, decided to make the building a cultural icon, and had the interior designed to exacting specifications. That was over two thousand years ago, and the building has since withstood the test of time."
Melody nodded in appreciation. Now that she knew more of the building's history, as well as the intentions behind its design, she had a much deeper appreciation of the Pantorans and their connection to the past. They made this building beautiful, while maintaining a connection to the future. She knew that the UEG could stand to learn a thing or two from the Pantorans as a result of this realization.
There was little conversation after that as they proceeded through the hallways of the building. Eventually, they reached a large double door that would allow them to proceed inside of the Assembly Chambers, the area where the representatives of the Pantorans would gather to discuss and debate various matters and the like. "It's a full session today," the guard informed Melody. "Once Chi Eekway gives everyone a speech on what the meeting is about today, we'll open the doors and allow you inside. Your bodyguards will remain at the doors, as will we. You ready for this?"
For a moment, Melody hesitated. Given the importance of this occasion, she knew that she had to go in and put herself at risk for the good of the UNSC and UEG. However, she didn't want to be without her body guards, especially after the events that had transpired in the past. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I must be, otherwise there will be naught but war, and war is something we do not desire. While I don't like the idea of going in without my bodyguards, I understand the necessity of it in this scenario."
The guard smiled reassuringly. "An excellent answer," he said, "one that I share myself. We are the thin blue and white line between peace and war, between order and anarchy." With that, Melody stood by the door, waiting to walk inside.
. . .
Inside of the Assembly Chamber, Chairman Riyo sat uneasily as she waited for Chi Eekway to arrive and announce that the Pantoran Assembly was now in session. Today is the day that decides whether or not we ally with the Empire, the slavers and smugglers, or with this new government. The tension she felt seemed to be so thick, that one could drag a lightsaber through it and cut it out of the air.
To take her mind off of those matters, she looked around at the interior of the Assembly Chamber. The interior of the Assembly Chamber was based off of the interior of the Imperial Senate at Coruscant, with the interior being akin to a half-bowl. Arranged around the interior of the bowl were numerous chairs where the Senators of the Pantoran Assembly would sit, with a podium at the bottom of the half-bowl where Senators or the Speaker of The Assembly would address the Assembly at. A pair of chairs with a large desk at the flat back of the room was where the Speaker of the Assembly and Supreme Chairman would sit at during a session.
The room was built to be as comfortable as possible, with the chairs being a warm burgundy color, while the floor was a dark red color. While most of the seats were made out of metal, they were designed to look like wood in a manner that was extremely convincing, though the desks themselves were made of actual wood. Either way, the Pantoran Assembly Building, and Assembly Chamber, was an example of the mastery of architecture that the Pantorans had achieved.
Currently, the entire Assembly Chamber was filled to capacity with the Senators of the Pantoran Assembly. Men and women were calmly seated in each of the chairs, each one dressed in resplendent clothes that showed their acknowledgment of the past, while maintaining a connection to the future. Of them all, only Riyo was dressed in an outfit that could be called 'modern.'
There was more to the room than most people thought, though, as Riyo could see for herself. A computer display built into the desk showed her the 250+ chairs that were in the entire room, with each one being colored a specific color depending on the political alignment of the Senator at the chair in question. Blue represented the Republicans, red represented the Appeasers, while green represented the Expansionists. Currently, 140 of the current Senators were aligned with the Republicans, while 90 were aligned with the Appeasers and the remaining 25 were aligned with the Expansionists.
While the Republicans had the majority of seats in the Pantoran Assembly, Riyo knew from experience that the balance of power could shift drastically. Before I became the Chairman, only 90 of the Senators were aligned with the Republicans, with an equal number of Appeasers and roughly 70 of them were aligned with the Appears. It's taken a lot of hard work for me, Chi and every other Republican Senator to get to this point. Time to see if all our hard work was for naught.
The doors opened moments later, with Chi Eekway walking inside of the room. Her facial expression was neutral and composed, while she walked with a dignity that only came with age and experience. Upon seeing her, the other Senators, who had been talking with each other in hushed tones, fell silent. All of them gazed at Chi Eekway as she calmly walked down the incline and to the podium that was set at the bottom of the bowl. At the same time, a holographic image of Chi Eekway was projected in the space above the room, allowing even those furthest back to see her facial expressions.
Once everyone was silent, Chi began to speak. "Greetings, fellow Senators. Is everyone present?" When everyone affirmed that they were through various means, she said, "Then we shall begin. This session of the Pantoran Assembly has begun. Supreme Chairman Riyo has the floor."
"Thank you," Riyo said. Once Chi Eekway sat down, Riyo cleared her throat and said, "As you all know, my fellow Pantorans, the events of the past few years have been nothing short of troubling. Slavers and pirates maraud our system, while events outside of the galaxy have left us in a highly precarious position. Many of us wish to ally with the Empire out of a desire for economic prosperity and security, while others wish to remain connected to the past and reject the Empire's totalitarianism for fear of losing what freedoms we still have."
There was a silent stir as those in the Republicans and Appeasers shifted, while those in the Expansionists looked at Riyo with silent glares of irritation. "However, we are here today not to reopen old wounds that have long since healed over. We are here to welcome an Envoy that has come here today to speak with us. She is the Envoy of a government that, much like our own, has faced significant hardship, and has not only survived, but thrived in spite of all threats to its existence, a government that has had to make significant sacrifice in order to preserve itself. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Envoy Melody Azikiwe of the United Earth Government and United Nations Space Command!"
The doors at the back of the room opened, with Melody Azikiwe walking down the incline and towards the podium. Everyone's eyes were drawn towards Melody as she walked down the podium, while the Spartans remained at the doors. Looking around Melody watched as a hologram of her walking down the incline was displayed, while the anthem of the UEG played for all to hear. The anthem ended by the time she reached the podium, whereupon she shook Riyo and Chi Eekway's hands, as they had stepped out of their chairs to greet her.
Once they had sat down, Melody placed a data-pad at the podium and put on a pair of glasses. The glasses were there not just for therapeutic reasons, however; on the interior of them was a miniature HUD that gave her important information on what was going on. It also included a TelePrompter that would show her the speech, while allowing her to maintain eye contact with the Senators in the room.
Once she was certain everyone was watching, she began to speak. "Esteemed Senators of the Pantoran Assembly, I would like to take the time to thank you, Supreme Chairman Riyo and Chi Eekway, the Speaker of the Assembly, for this wonderful opportunity. Long has the United Earth Government desired a peaceful contact with another civilization, an opportunity we were denied during the Covenant-UNSC War.
"Many of you, I am certain, are not aware as to who and what the UEG and UNSC are. To clear the air and ensure that no confusion remains, I would like to give all of you a small dissertation of what the UNSC and UEG is, as well as a brief lesson in history. After all, as American-Spanish philospher, novelist, essayist and poet George Santayana, one of the greater philosophers of our homeworld once said, 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'" The other Senators nodded at those words. Once they had stopped doing so, Melody continued to speak.
"The United Earth Government is the overarching government of Humanity in our home galaxy, the Milky Way Galaxy. A descendant of the earlier United Nations, the UEG was founded in the year 2075 on the Gregorian Calendar, which is equivalent to around three hundred and eighty three years ago according to the Galactic Calendar used by the Galactic Empire. The UEG was founded as a function of the UN Secretary-General's office due to the ever growing population of Earth, as well as the widespread settlement of our home system of Sol, as the complexity of managing intrasystem colonies was so great that normal governments were becoming increasingly unable to cope with.
"This, however, led to strife and division, as the colonies of the Sol System felt that they did not need to heed a democratic government. While most colonies remained with the United Nations, others broke away, forming the Neo-Communist Koslovics and the Neo-Fascistic Friedens. Eventually, in the year 2164, these two factions went to war with each other, while also fighting the UN Peacekeeping Forces that were sent to stabilize and end the conflict. Upon seeing that the fight was too much for the Peacekeeping Forces, UN Secretary-General Alice Jessica formed the United Nations Space Command as the main military branch of the UN.
"For over six years, the newly founded UNSC absorbed all other military forces on the planet, while fighting against the Koslovics and Friedens, before finally putting an end to the war on March 15th, 2170, with the signing of the Callisto Treaty once the leaders of both terrorist factions were arrested. This treaty also saw the expansion of the United Earth Government from a ceremonial aspect of the UN, to the overarching government of Humanity, with the UNSC having full military jurisdiction of the colonies of Sol."
Taking a breath, Melody allowed those words to sink in before she continued. "This peace, though, was fragile, as the population of the Sol System was rapidly growing. Without any way to escape the confines of the Sol System, it was predicted that massive famines would result, along with war after war. Thankfully, this dark and dreary prediction was stopped thanks to the work of our two greatest scientists: Dr. Wallace Fujikawa and Dr. Tobias Flemming Shaw. Working alongside one another, they created the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, the first method of FTL that our government was able to produce."
The hologram over Melody's head changed, allowing the Pantoran Senators to see the image of two men. One of them was a man of Asian descent, with black hair and kind brown eyes, while the other was a man that had blond hair with green eyes and was of European descent. "These two men," she continued, "were responsible for allowing Mankind to expand to the stars in our galaxy. As one of our memorials puts it, 'The Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine became a reality in April 2291 due entirely to vision, perseverance, and dedication of these two pioneers in quantum engineering and applied theoretical physics. They have opened a path to the stars for all of us.'
"For the next two hundred years, our civilization expanded, with new planets being found and founded all of the time, though there was a preference for planets like our homeworld. For that period of time, there was peace, with our species peacefully growing and expanding. By the time the year 2495 had arrived, we had over two hundred and ten Inner Colonies, while the rest of our colonies were known as the Outer Colonies."
She frowned as she continued to the next part of her speech. "Sadly, that peace was not to last. As our civilization expanded, many people began to become discontent and angry with the UEG, as they felt that they did not want to follow a government that was becoming increasingly disconnected with the realities of life on the frontier. These rebel groups began to work with each other, with heavy handed tactics and crackdowns from the UNSC continuing to cause further strife. This led to the start of the Insurrection, a brutal civil war that lasted from 2495 to the year 2525. Were it not for our heavy handed responses, which were due to flawed political analyses and theories, we might have been able to keep the peace."
The other Pantorans began to whisper to each other as she said this. Riyo could feel her heart sinking as Melody spoke. It seems as though they were going the same way the Empire was. Nearby, Chi was also frowning, while the other Senators began to frown as well. Did we make a mistake by having them speak to us today?
Melody then said the next part of her speech, which utterly shocked the Pantorans. "As bad as the Insurrection was, though, it prepared us to wage war against the Covenant. The Covenant, as we now know, was a religious union of numerous alien races who sought to achieve apotheosis. Foremost among them were the Sangheili, a warrior race that hailed from Sangheilios, and the San'Shyuum, an alien race that worshiped an ancient species known as the Forerunners as gods."
As she spoke, holographic images of the member races of the Covenant appeared. All of the Pantorans gazed at them out of curiosity. While they had seen many alien races that were quite alien to that of their own, they didn't expect ones that were alien, yet relatable, at the same time. "The Covenant," Melody continued to say, "came across our species in the year 2525 after encountering a hauler known as the Horn of Plenty. During this time, the San'Shyuum, known as the Prophets in the Covenant, discovered that the Forerunners, the species they worshiped, had designated Humanity to be the inheritors of their technology, calling our kind the 'Reclaimers.'
"In their rage at being overlooked by their 'gods' for an unknown race, the Hierarchs, the leaders of the Covenant, sought to destroy our civilization and any humans they found. They glassed one of our colonies, Harvest, with their weapons and began a war against our kind. As one of them said to us in a transmission, 'Your destruction is the will of the gods, and we, the Covenant, are their instrument.' For the next twenty seven years, our entire civilization and species was forced to fight against the Covenant for our very existence, our very right to live. Many lives were lost in the conflict, though there were also many acts of valor that bought Humanity time to advance and fight back against the darkness."
At this, footage of the Covenant-UNSC War was shown for the Pantoran Assembly to see and hear. The effect of seeing many human beings fighting and dying for their own survival had a marked effect on the Senators in the Assembly Chamber. Some of them began to weep as they watched innocent children being slain by aliens that hated them simply for their species, while some roared with rage upon seeing the destroyed cities and glassed worlds. Others, however, cheered as they saw footage of the UNSC's forces fighting like made, and achieving numerous victories as a result.
Melody smiled as footage of the Master Chief was shown. "It was during one of the many operations against the Covenant that we finally achieved victory," she said. "One of our foremost soldiers, the Master Chief, discovered a Forerunner installation that the Prophets believed would allow their species to achieve apotheosis. In reality, it was designed to destroy all life in the galaxy, for what reason, we do not know. In a daring act of heroism, the Master Chief destroyed the Forerunner installation when the Covenant attempted to activate it.
"Upon this event happening, the Covenant's religious fervor was irrevocably shattered. The Sangheili, discovering that they were lied to, broke away from the Covenant and began fighting them as penance for attempting to wipe out our species. Under the leadership of their leader, an Arbiter by the name of Thel 'Vadam, the Sangheili banded with Humanity and fought against the Covenant. In the end, despite the Prophet's attempts to wipe us out, the Covenant was shattered at another Forerunner installation, and scattered to the winds."
The footage that was shown next was doctored so well that the Pantorans wouldn't know the difference between what was real and what wasn't. All of the Senators, aside from a certain few, were cheering as they watched the Arbiter slay the Hierarchs, while the Master Chief prevented the Forerunner installation from activating. Smiling at the chorus of cheers, Melody waited for them to become silent before speaking once more. "Now, our civilization is rebuilding from the conflict. With many of the lessons of the Insurrection and Covenant-UNSC War learned, we have mostly resolved the differences that started the Insurrection and are now rebuilding alongside our Sangheili allies. While the Insurrection continues to be a threat, they have since lost their legitimacy, as numerous reforms have been made to make the UEG better and stronger. We have also built a memorial so that we will forever remember the war and ensure that peace continues."
Facing the Pantoran Assembly, Melody said, "Now, we find ourselves in another galaxy, far from home, cut off and on uncertain footing, just like your government. Many wish to ally with a totalitarian regime that cares little for the lives of its citizens, while others wish to ally with slavers and pirates in order to survive. Some even fear us, believing that we wish to conquer a vast swath of space and claim it for our own. Some of those people are in this room now."
The silence that followed those words was deafening. Taking the initiative, Melody put down her glasses and began speaking words she had memorized a long time ago. "To put those fears at rest, I would like to share with you the words of a man from long ago in our history, when our homeworld was facing the second of a series of wars that would forever change us. And to start off, I would like to say that we are sorry."
At that, there was confused muttering as all of the Senators looked at Melody as though she'd grown a second head. Eve Riyo and Chi Eekway were caught off guard. Why is she sorry, Riyo wondered. Is that fear a valid one after all? Her heart raced in her chest, even as she hoped that this wasn't the case.
What Melody said next shocked everyone. "We do not want to be Emperors or Kings. That's not our business. We don't want to conquer or rule anyone at all. We would like to help each other. Pantoran, Human, sacred, secular… everyone. We all want to help one other. Sapient beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We do not wish to hate or despise. And our galaxies have room for everyone and their worlds are rich, and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.
"Greed has poisoned our souls, has barricaded our galaxies with hate, has goose-stepped us into bloodshed and misery. We have developed speed, but have shut ourselves in. Machines that give us plenty have left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will become violent, and all will be lost.
"The HoloNet, HyperDrive, WayPoint and Shaw-Fujikawa Drive have brought us closer together than ever before. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal brotherhood and the unity of us all. Even now, my voice is being projected across all Pantora to the people of this world, to despairing men, women and little children. Victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.
"To those that can hear my voice, I say, 'do not despair.' The misery that is upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men that fear the way of progress. The hate of men shall fade, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people, shall return to the people, and so long as men die, liberty will never perish."
Turning her gaze to the other Senators, Melody continued to recite that speech, changing it as she needed. "Pantorans, don't give yourselves over to brutes! Men who would hate and despise you, who would regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think, what to feel, who would drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder! Don't give yourselves over to these unnatural men! Machine men, with machine hearts and machine minds! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity within your hearts! You don't hate! Only the unloved hate! The unloved and the unnatural!
"Pantorans, don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty! As one of our greatest religious works, if not our greatest religious work, says, 'The kingdom of God is within man.' Not one man, not a group of men, but in all men! In you! You the people have the power to create machines, to create happiness! You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure! Then in the name of Democracy, let us use that power! Let us all unite!
"Let us fight for a new galaxy! A decent galaxy, where men have the chance to work, the young a future and old age the security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie! They do not fulfill that promise! They never will! Dictators free themselves, but enslave the people! Now let us fight, to free the galaxy! Let us fight, to fulfill that promise! Let us fight, to do away with national barriers! To do away with greed, with hate and intolerance! Let us fight for a galaxy of reason! A galaxy where science and progress, will lead to all men's happiness. Pantorans, in the name of Democracy, let us all UNITE!"
As soon as Melody finished, there was an uproar of cheering as the Senators in the Assembly Chambers cheered. All of them, save for a handful, stood up from their seats and clapped as they cheered. Even Riyo and Chi Eekway stood and cheered, with the speech having made the UNSC and UEG's intentions loud and clear, in language that all of them could understand.
As the cheering faded, Melody cleared her throat and said, "That is why I have come to speak with all of you today. I came not to threaten the Pantoran Assembly and the world of Pantora with the fist of war, as a dictator or conqueror would, but to extend the hand of peace, the hand of brotherhood and cooperation. My proposal is that the UEG and Pantoran Assembly create a treaty to allow trade between our nations to grow and thrive, and an alliance so that we may protect one another from whatever threat comes against us. It is also my hope, and indeed the hope of the UEG, that out of the events that have shaken up the galaxy, a better galaxy shall emerge." With that, she stepped away from the podium.
More cheers and applause came from the gathered Senators, including some of the Appeasers, who had realized the impressive scope of Melody's impassioned speech. As the applause and cheers died down, Riyo said, "Impressively delivered and thought out. All in favor of opening talks with this representative of the UNSC and UEG, cast your votes now." There was silence as the Senators quickly filed their votes. "And those against, cast your votes now." Again, there was silence, though this one was shorter than the others.
Once all of the votes had been cast, Riyo looked at the total amount. 195 in favor of opening talks, fifty opposed to opening talks and ten abstaining, she noted. Excellent. We have a supermajority vote. Looking at the other Senators, she said, "The votes have been tallied in a 195-50-10 vote, the Pantoran Assembly agrees to open talks with the United Nations Space Command and United Earth Government. During the next four days, we will be discussing potential agreements and compromises with the UNSC and UEG that will take effect should we decide to form an alliance with the aforementioned powers. This meeting is adjourned." With that, the Senators in question began to disperse…
A few minutes later, Melody was speaking with a group of Pantoran Senators that had been particularly swayed by her speech. "That was an excellent speech," one of the Senators, Jortundus, was saying. "For a while, you had us all worried, then you showed us that there was nothing to fear. Most excellently done."
"Thank you," Melody said. "Would it surprise you if some of that speech was improvised?"
Jortundus smiled. "Not at all, Envoy Melody. In fact, the fact that some of your speech was improvised only shows what a way with words that you have. Keep it up, and you might even become an Ambassador, if all goes well that is."
"Agreed," Melody said. Looking to her right, she spotted Riyo and Chi Eekway walking towards her. "I would like to continue this conversation, esteemed Senators, but I have more talks with other people. Take care now."
"And you as well," Jortundus said.
As he walked away with a few other Senators, Riyo walked closer to Melody. "You had me and Eekway concerned there for a minute," she said. "For a moment, I thought you were from a group of marauding conquerors that had disguised their attempts to conquer territory with attempts to make peace. When you showed that the UNSC and UEG really wanted peace, we were both relieved not to have made a mistake."
"I'm glad that I was able to communicate that loud and clear," Melody said. "To be honest, I thought I was going to be booed out of the Assembly Chamber. Still, from the looks of it, even some of the Appeasers were cheering."
"They were," Chi Eekway said. "Perhaps your speech, Melody, reawoke the desire for democracy and justice inside of them. Still, is it true that you consider the Emperor of the Galactic Empire to be a brute?"
Melody was silent as she mulled those words over in her head. While Palpatine had tried to put on the visage of a kindly grandfather, her talks with Leia, combined with secret meetings with a few other Imperial Senators, had made it clear that Palpatine's kindly exterior was little more than a smokescreen. "Yes," she said at length. "I do believe that Palpatine is a brute and dictator. After all, why would an empire that promises peace and safety build a space station designed to destroy an entire planet?"
"Good question," Riyo said. "I've been wondering that myself for quite some time." Looking around, she leaned in closer and said, "You should be careful, though, now that you've made your speech. Some people might see you as a threat, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Expansionists tried to kill you as a result."
"I know," Melody said. "I caught a few giving me angry glances and death stares during the speech. Something tells me they might be in line with local pirates or even slavers, and that hearing that there's a nation that dislikes such practices makes them angry and even a little fearful."
"You're not that far off the mark," Riyo agreed. "The Expansionists have always wanted to make alliance with the slaving and trading worlds near us, rather than allow us to remain a sovereign nation on our own terms. Still, like I said, be careful."
"And I will," Melody said. As she walked towards a group of other people, she spotted a few Pantorans coming towards her. Most of them were in dark robes, though one was wearing a bright green robe that had gold embroidery on the edges. Be careful, a part of her mind whispered. Something is slimy about those people. Keep your guard up. Smiling, she said, "Hello there, esteemed Senators. To what do I owe the pleasure."
The Pantoran in the front, a large man with an impressive black beard and gold colored eyes, smiled cordially. "Envoy Melody," he said with a bow. "I am Senator Corthad. It is an honor to be meeting with the lady that gave such a fine speech today. I must admit, you had me on the edge of my seat all the way through the entire meeting."
"I'm glad I was able to rivet your interest," Melody said. "Is there anything you wish to know about the UEG?"
"Certainly," Corthad said. "During your expansion out into your galaxy, did you ever have any trouble with pirates or the like?"
Careful, Melody her that part of her mind whisper. There's only one reason he'd ask you that kind of a question. "Occasionally," she said truthfully. "However, we never did have much trouble with them. The only time piracy was a real problem was during the Insurrection, and shortly after the Covenant-UNSC War. Beyond that, we've had little trouble, mostly because most pirates are not suicidal enough to try and antagonize the UNSC."
"They fear the UNSC that much?" Corthad asked.
"Yes," Melody said. "When you're dealing with a military force that is more than capable of sending you to the Stone Age by tearing your ship a new one, you tend to respect that military force greatly. More so, in fact, when they've dealt with a foe that could cause significant trouble for anyone else."
"Ah, I understand," Corthad said. "Well, normally I would hang around just a little while longer, but I, regrettably, have other matters to deal with. Take care now." With that, Corthad and the group following him left.
As he did so, Riyo came over. "Are you all right?" she asked Melody.
"I'm fine," Melody said. "Why do you ask?
"Corthad is suspected of being the leader of the Expansionists. If he's asked you certain questions, then that means he was probing you. You might want to be careful, now that you know who he is."
"I am," Melody said. "I never told him anything specific that could cause trouble."
Riyo sighed with relief. "Good. Just remember, have your personal guard keep a close watch on you. It sends a chill down my spine to think of some of the things that could happen to you."
"I will," Melody reassured Riyo. With that, she proceeded towards the exit, where a Pelican was waiting to pick her up.
What Melody didn't know was that she wasn't the only one keeping an eye on her. One of the Marines that had also been assigned to her was standing near the door, though his attention was on more than Melody. After rounding a corner, he made sure no one was nearby before keying his COM unit. "Agent Daedalus reporting in. Are you there, Theta?"
"I'm here," came a woman's voice. "Do you have a status update on Envoy Azikiwe?"
"Yes," Agent Daedalus said as he looked around. "She's doing well so far. However, she had an encounter with someone that has been suspected as being the leader of the Expansionists, one Senator Corthad. Advise."
"Copy that. You are to continue monitoring the situation. If you can, plant a bug on Senator Corthad, an audio one that can destroy itself. We don't want the Expansionists to find out that we've actively bugged them and are monitoring them. Understood?"
"Of course," Agent Daedalus said. "Given that I'm on Melody's body guard team, it shouldn't be too hard to nail him with a self-destructing audio bug. I'll make certain that I have the utmost discretion."
"Good. Ensure the success of the mission. Agent Theta out."
"Solid copy. Agent Daedalus over and out." Closing the COM-link, he proceeded back into the room, whereupon he began to shadow Melody. As he did so, Corthad came along, forcing the man to do something. Tripping on one of his feet, he stumbled forwards, with Corthad catching him.
"Are you all right?" Corthad asked him.
"Yeah. I'm OK. You?"
"Just fine," Corthad said. "Did you trip on something?"
"Yeah, my own feet. Rather clumsy mistake on my part. Still, I'll be fine. Thanks for the help."
"You're welcome," Corthad said. As he walked along, the disguised ONI agent smiled. While it was true that he had tripped on his own feet, he'd managed to turn that accident into an opportunity. Corthad didn't know it, but now he had a little resident that had slipped into his robes while he was distracted. Mission accomplished, the ONI agent returned to the orders that he had: keeping Melody safe.
. . .
Onboard the Infinity, Vice Admiral Cole was closely monitoring the situation that was going on on the ground, courtesy of Dare keeping him in the know. He chuckled as he watched the ONI Agent down below being caught with Corthad, with the distraction allowing the ONI Agent to slip a disposable bug into his robes without being caught. Excellent, he said to himself as the two men talked before parting. They didn't even see that one coming. I have to admit, Captain Dare trains her agents really well.
His smile turned to a frown as he thought back to the traitorous ONI Captain that was now in the brig. Aside from gathering intelligence on the Appeasers and Expansionists, Captain Dare's other job was interrogating Captain Ferdinand to find out more about why he had done what he'd done, aside from following Osman's orders. Heading that interrogation was the Captain's friend, an ONI Major by the name of George King Glan. The thinking behind this decision was that since they were close friends, they might find out more about what happened.
Unfortunately, Ferdinand was still being uncooperative, as they hadn't managed to get a peep out of him for some time. The man's lips are shut tighter than a clam's at low tide, he noted. Typical ONI procedure. If captured, clam up and try to kill yourself. Good thing the latter hasn't happened… yet.
There was another matter that had his attention as well, though this was more due to the fact that he was still playing catch up. Reading one of the datapads in the flag quarters, he couldn't help but shake his head at the information that Cortana had gathered on the Rebel Alliance. Of all the rebel factions to ever exist, the Rebel Alliance is, by far, the most disorganized out of all of them, he thought. I'm surprised they've even managed to survive this far, especially after Lasky giving them a dressing down that they deserved greatly.
He was about to continue reading the datapad when his personal COM unit chimed. "Yes?" he asked.
"Sir, you have a priority call coming in," Lieutenant Reeds said to him.
"Where is it from?"
"According to Lieutenant Jespersen, it appears to be coming in from the Rebel Alliance," Reeds said. "They're requesting a meeting with Captain Lasky and Envoy Melody. From the sounds of things, they still think Lasky's the CO of the Infinity."
Speak of the Rebels… he thought to himself. Looks like they might want revenge for what happened at Yavin IV. "Inform them that he's on his way.," Cole said. "Do not inform them that I will be present. I want this to be a surprise."
"Very well, sir," Lieutenant Reeds said. "Shall I direct it to your flag quarters?"
"Yes," Cole said. "Inform Lasky that he is to head to my flag quarters as well. That is all." Closing the COM channel, he quickly made certain that he was in his dress uniform before heading to a part of his flag quarters.
Given the size of the Infinity, as well as the amount of amenities that could be brought onboard, it was only natural for the engineers of the Infinity to install a personal COM room into the Flag Quarters onboard the ship. Compared to the COM room inside of the Command Quarters, the Flag COM Room was larger by a full fifty percent, with a larger podium and various controls set into a railing.
As he advanced into the Flag COM Room, Cole could hear the door opening. Turning around, he watched as Captain Lasky advanced inside. Apparently, he had also realized what was going on, as he was fully decked out in his dress uniform. "Captain Lasky," Cole said. "I take it you know what is going on. Yes?"
"Yeah," Lasky said. "The Rebel Alliance High Command is coming to try and shame me for my dressing down. To be honest, I was expecting them to do it quite some time ago. I guess better late than never."
"Indeed," Cole said. "However, given your assessment of the Rebel Alliance during that time, I believe that your dressing them down was a much needed kick in the ass for them. Cortana's intel from the meeting there, combined with what Captain Dare was able to gather, painted a fairly messy image of their organization. Even the Insurrection, as ramshackle as it was, wasn't that badly organized. They make the URF look like a fully professional military organization by simple comparison."
"Tell me about it," Lasky said. "I'm just surprised that they've got the gall to try and complain about it to you and me. Actually, just me, given that they don't know about you yet. Still, thank you for the vote of confidence."
"Anytime," Cole said with a smile. "In your position, Lasky, I would've done the exact same thing that you did. Besides, they don't know that UNSC regulations forbid the assistance of an outside organization without explicit permission from HIGHCOM." Looking at the holographic projector, he said, "So, want to get this bit of bullshit over with?"
"Certainly," Lasky said. "I think it's about time that the Rebel Alliance gets to see what the Admiralty looks like."
"Then let's go." Keying the controls for the WAVE/SLIPSPACE COM unit, Cole quickly established a line to the incoming HoloCOM call. Once he had done so, he stepped back.
A moment later, the holographic image of Mon Mothma, as well as a man in robes with dark gray hair and brown eyes, appeared. Nearby, Lasky thought he spotted Nower standing to the man's right. Looks like Nower grew a pair and decided to rejoin the Rebel Alliance, Lasky thought. Likely to spite me. He also spotted Davits, who was standing just to the left of Mon Mothma.
It was then that Mon Mothma spoke. "Captain Lasky, greetings. We were wondering when you would be able to speak with us."
"I was busy," Lasky said. "What is this call about?"
"We will be getting to that shortly," Mon Mothma said. "Before we start, however, I would like to introduce Garm Bel Iblis, a former Imperial Senator. He is the one that wished to speak with you as he is now the leader of the Rebel Alliance."
"Garm Bel Iblis," Lasky said.
"Captain Lasky," Iblis said. Looking at Mon Mothma, he said, "So, this is the man that has everyone grumbling and snarking. I can see why they would: he looks more professional than most of the people I've seen so far."
"Again, with the comments?" Davits asked.
"Gentlemen," Mon Mothma said. Noticing Cole, Mon Mothma asked, "Who is that standing next to you?"
"Ladies and gentlemen, this would be Vice Admiral Preston J. Cole, one of the most experienced and brilliant UNSC officers to ever be a part of the Navy, and the new CO of the Infinity," Lasky said. "Vice Admiral, this is Mon Mothma, the former leader of the Rebel Alliance, and their primary recruiter, along with General Davits, their Intelligence Officer and Nower, one of the members of Rebel HIGHCOM and an Imperial Senator."
At that, both Mon Mothma and Iblis looked at each other. Apparently, they hadn't expected Lasky to find someone that was higher in rank than he was. "I see," Mon Mothma said at length. "Greetings, Vice Admiral Cole. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"The pleasure is all mine," Cole said.
"Where did Lasky find you?" Davits asked.
"Deep Core regions," Cole said. "As for how I got there, you will have to figure that you yourself. Now, as you were saying earlier, you wished to talk with Lasky. Why, if I may ask?"
""In a 30-20 vote, we agreed to lodge a formal complaint about Lasky's handling of the situation when he was at Yavin IV to his superiors when they were available. Now that we know you're his superior, we are wishing to share our complaint with you," Mon Mothma said.
"During his previous visit, Captain Lasky declined to join with us," Davits said. "While that would've been easy to handle, he proceeded to explain the reasons as to why he chose not to join. What has everyone irritated is that he criticized various aspects of the Rebel Alliance, including its leadership and refused to provide aid. In addition, a large number of people left the Rebel Alliance to join the organization you serve, the UNSC.
"As such, we were requesting that Lasky be demoted a few ranks due to his harsh criticism as well as his refusal to aid the Rebel Alliance. We also believe that he has an abetted war criminal onboard, or a relative that has a war criminal onboard. I'm certain that is all you will need to remove him from his rank."
Both Cole and Lasky shared a look with each other. It was clear that Davits and the others had done their homework, though if Rebel HIGHCOM thought they were going to have an easy time of things, they were sorely mistaken. "I see," Cole said. "I am aware of Lasky's actions in the previous weeks leading up to the present day. However, I find that your accusations of him, while accurate, are highly flawed, though he could've been a tad more diplomatic in how he went about criticizing your organization. In addition, he was right not to join the Rebel Alliance."
"Why?" Davits asked, shocked. "Should't he be required to assist us?"
"UNSC Regulatory Code, Section Delta, Subsection Charlie, Paragraph 3," Cole said. "'Under no circumstances are UNSC forces permitted to ally with an unknown faction unless stated otherwise by UNSC High Command.' That regulation effectively forbid Lasky from allying with you, though it was more than that regulation that forbid him from joining your organization."
"Why is that?" Garm Bel Iblis asked, his curiosity piqued. "I'm not saying that I agree. I just want to know why."
"For a number of reasons," Cole said. "For starters, he was right in criticizing your command structure. I've read up on the Rebel Alliance's command structure, and I have to say, I've never seen one so badly disorganized in my entire career. You make even the Imperial Stormtroopers look more organized, and yes, Lasky did note that. I can say, though, that it is true."
"Really?" Nower asked. "Because from the looks of things, we're more professional than the Stormtroopers."
"I have to disagree there," Cole said. "In addition to your command structure, which has no officer in charge of the Navy or ground forces, your rank system is among the worst that I've ever seen. Part of the problem comes from the fact that it is heavily biased towards the Army rank system, a result of the Rebel Alliance being formed from multiple insurgency groups. In addition, the lack of ranks above that of General or Admiral leads to confusion as to who is in charge of what and who is superior over the other. In addition, the current information I've received indicates that the rank of Captain is the highest rank in the Navy, aside from a rare few that hold the rank of Admiral as a ceremonial position, which leads to a major problem: who is in charge of those Captains? As such, having examined it, I can say that the Empire's rank structure is significantly better, while the UNSC rank system is far better than both.
"I also noticed that there were times were young teenagers or even children that were used as soldiers on the field of battle. This is a practice that is heavily frowned upon in the UNSC, even before our civilization left our homeworld. The use of such a practice indicates to me that there are numerous extremist elements in the Rebel Alliance that have to be dealt with.
"In addition, something that I noticed while watching footage of Lasky's meeting between you and him was that none of you saluted Mon Mothma. In the UNSC, this is considered a very serious offense, as it denotes a lack of respect for the individual and the rank that he or she holds, and if Mon Mothma is your civilian leader, then it is a very serious offense not to give respect or have faith in your Commander-in-Chief. On top of that, none of your enlisted soldiers do the same, which raises serious concerns about military discipline. The lack of standardized uniforms that can provide protection also raises a serious issue about military discipline as well, as the lack of uniforms can lead to confusion as to which general leads which part of the Rebel Alliance." Having said that, he looked at them and asked. "So, as a result, I have a question for you. Which General or Admiral is in charge of the Navy, Starfighter Corps, Army and Special Forces?"
Most of the others didn't reply, as they knew the answer if they told Cole the truth. Garm Bel Iblis, though, wasn't so reserved. "To be honest, all of your criticisms there are correct, Cole. We don't have an official Admiral, though Raddus is currently the 'Admiral' of the Alliance Navy. As for the Starfighter Corps, Antoc Merrick is in charge, though the Army currently has no General and neither does SpecForce. We'll need a new rank system."
"Exactly," Cole said. "In addition, none of your Generals or Admirals seem to be wearing rank insignia that would identify which particular rank they are. In the UNSC, the rank of General or Admiral isn't the highest rank. Above them are Fleet Admiral and Admiral of the Navy and below Admiral is Vice Admiral, Rear Admiral Upper Half and Rear Admiral Lower Half. For Generals, it's General of the Armies and General of the Army, which are above the rank of General, and below the rank of General is Lieutenant General, Major General and Brigadier General. Without clear insignia stating who is what rank, confusion is the end result.
"The greatest issue, however, is the fact that your Generals and Admirals have a questionable amount of... competence. Jan Dodonna, for instance, has been known to freeze in battle when he's been caught off guard. In addition, he, and many of your Generals and Admirals, have been known to make highly questionable decisions that have gotten people killed. In addition, your intelligence gathering methods are a joke, which explains why you have such little intel on what the Imperials are actually doing. That means that all of your generals are either incompetent or are complete frauds!"
"How'd you know about that?!" Davits demanded.
"Like I said, your intelligence and counter-intelligence agencies are a joke. I know everything there is to know about you. Wouldn't you agree, Iblis?"
"I agree completely," Garm Bel Iblis said. "However, I did just become the head of the Rebel Alliance. I was about to get to work organizing everyone when I decided to call. The others want to complain, but I want advice."
Cole smiled. "You're smarter than your compatriots in that regard. Personally, if you really want support, you should probably use our rank system. I'll forward information to you on the rank structure of the UNSC. Nothing classified, just a simple comparison system."
"All right," Garm Bel Iblis said.
"As much as I appreciate talking about that, we have other matters to diiscuss," Nower growled. "Lasky also criticized the fact that we do not have anyone that can take over for Mon Mothma or Garm if the two are killed or disabled."
"And he is right to call you out for that," Cole said. "When I examined information that we received on the Rebel Alliance, I found that there was no solid line of succession should Mon Mothma or Garm Bel Iblis be killed or disabled. So far, everything that I've found points to a complete disregard for organization, as well as internal division that threatens to tear apart the Rebel Alliance even now.
"In addition, there's the fact that you targeted Galen Erso, an Imperial scientist, for death when he was, in fact, a valuable war asset that should've been preserved at all costs. Again, this points to a complete disregard of the command structure, as well as a gross misallocation of valuable resources. Personally, if I found out that something like that happened without my knowledge, I would've stripped the individual responsible of their rank and court-martialed them."
"That is because Galen Erso was a war criminal!" Davits argued. "Galen Erso was a member of Saw Guererra's Partisans, which were a rogue splinter faction that committed numerous war crimes. I'm certain that Jyn Erso has already told you about some of the things they have done."
"Really?" Cole asked skeptically. "What evidence do you have of his crimes?"
"He was responsible for helping build the Death Star."
"Yet, he was responsible for planting a weakness inside of the design," Cole said. "In addition, we have evidence that suggests that Galen Erso was forced to comply with the Empire. Before that, according to an eye witness, Galen Erso actually fled the Empire in order to start a life as a farmer. Do you have any actual evidence?" When Davits didn't answer, he said, "I thought as much. Don't start spouting accusations without evidence."
"How could you side with Captain Lasky?!" Nower nearly yelled. "You ought to strip him of his rank at once!"
"Yes, about that…" Looking at Lasky, he said, "Hand in your rank insignia."
"Sir?" Lasky asked.
"You heard me, son," Cole said. "Hand in your rank insignia." As he said this, though, Lasky watched Cole make a few gestures with one of his hands. It wasn't long before he realized that Cole was saying, 'Trust me.' Realizing what Cole was getting at, Lasky pulled off the patches that had his rank of Captain. "Captain Lasky, you are stripped of your rank of Captain," Cole said.
"Good," Nower said. "The man deserves to be punished and -"
"However," Cole interrupted. "In light of your exemplary service record, as well as your actions after arriving in this galaxy, I am promoting you to the rank of Rear Admiral Lower Half." Handing Lasky his new rank insignia, he said, "Congratulations on your new rank, RDML Lasky."
It was then that the master work of what Cole had just done came upon Lasky. By appearing to strip him of his rank, before suddenly promoting him, Cole was thumbing his nose in the faces of Rebel Alliance HIGHCOM. He just pranked them, Lasky realized. Smiling, he took a hold of his insignia and pressed them against his shoulders with Cole's help. "Thank you, sir," he said.
"You're welcome," Cole said.
"WHAT?!" Nower and Davits shouted simultaneously.
Garm, realizing what Cole was doing, immediately burst into laughter. "Hah! Now that is a trick I can appreciate!" he shouted.
"I don't understand?" Mon Mothma said. "You stripped Lasky of his rank of Captain, but then promoted him to Rear Admiral? Why, if I may ask?"
"Simple really," Cole said. "Lasky's actions ever since he entered this galaxy with the fine crew of the Infinity have been in the highest traditions of the UNSC. As such, he doesn't deserve a demotion. He deserves a promotion."
"How could you side with him?!" Davits snarled. "How could you -"
"Oh, shut up, Davits," Garm growled. "Vice Admiral Cole has made his decision, and he is going to stick by it. If you can't get over that, shut up and leave." That, combined with the death glare he sent at Davits, was enough to make the General shut his mouth. Nower, in the meanwhile, continued to have his mouth flap open and closed.
"Is that all?" Cole asked the others.
"Not quite," Garm Bel Iblis said. "I also wanted to speak with Melody and ask for advice on how to organize the civilian government."
"That can be arranged," came Melody's voice as she walked into the Flag COM Room. "Ladies and gentlemen, greetings," she said. "Who might you be?"
"I'm Garm Bel Iblis, the new leader of the Rebel Alliance. As I was saying earlier, I wanted some advice on how to organize the civilian government, though the others just wanted to file a complaint."
"I see," Melody said. "Well, let's start with a list of things you should not do. For starters, I've read up on your 'Russan Reformations.' While I agree with a lot of the policy changes that were made during that time, I have to wholeheartedly disagree with the disbanding of the Republic Military and Republic Intelligence. A nation without a military is a nation that will either suffer massive internal strife, as was the case as the Republic wore on, or it will be easily conquered.
"In addition, having no intelligence agency resulted in significant losses of information that would've prevented a number of problems. What you should have done is to not only have kept the military around, but to have dedicated forces under the control of the Judiciary, which would have full police jurisdiction over the entire galaxy. A planetary example of such a system is the defunct Federal Bureau of Investigations that the defunct United States of America had as a law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the entire US. That way, the law could be enforced, which would've prevented incidents like the Blockade of Naboo and the Cestus Affair. They also didn't have a well regulated militia, like the National Guard, which could better protect planets that have trouble with piracy, and that militia would've answered directly to the Senate or Judiciary.
"Then there is the problem with corruption that the Galactic Republic suffered from. While I can appreciate the fact that they had an Internal Affairs department, that department was either so inept, or so poorly funded, that no one took it seriously and simply ignored it. Without a strong and competent internal affairs division, you're going to have massive problems with corruption, which was something the Galactic Republic suffered heavily from. To summarize things, the Russian Reformations hurt the Republic worse than they helped, and if you go down that same route, you will have the same troubles with the New Republic, if it ever gets that far."
There was stunned silence from the Rebel Alliance leaders as they heard all that. Nower looked like he was about to explode, while Davits looked deeply insulted. Mon Mothma and Garm, however, seemed to be genuinely interested. "I see," Garm said at length. "Well, that is excellent advice. Perhaps we can share information on how this 'United States of America' functioned and was organized. Perhaps we could learn a thing or two."
"That you could," Melody said. "Still, unless you make these reformations and changes to your civilian government, once it is set up that is, the UEG will not pledge its support to you. Even if we chose to do so, there is no guarantee that our weapons and equipment wouldn't be sold to criminal syndicates to be used in crimes, or even against us. Worst still, the Empire could get their hands on that stuff. As such we cannot join for political and law enforcement reasons. I also have one more question."
"And that would be?"
"Do you plan to use clone soldiers, as the Galactic Republic did in the Clone Wars?" Melody asked.
"Not if I can help it, no."
"Good," Melody said. "The use of clones was a highly controversial decision. In the UEG, cloning a full human being is forbidden. Still, given the issues that are ongoing, we cannot, in good conscience, ally with the Rebel Alliance. In addition, the regulation that Cole referenced would forbid the decision either way. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to tend to. Good day." Just before Alliance HIGHCOM could issue a complaint about Cole's prank, Melody left.
"Well said, Melody," Cole said. "Any other questions?" When the others didn't reply, he said, "Very well then. In addition, should any of you question my own competence, look at the files that we have just sent you, which is a summary of my service during the Covenant-UNSC, excluding the classified portions. Oh, and Garm Bel Iblis?"
"Yes?" Iblis asked.
"Look at the footage that I've sent to you in those aforementioned files. If Davits and any other Alliance Generals or Admirals have trouble believing my qualifications, that should be enough to silence them. Good day." With that, he cut the connection, with the holograms fading out.
Once they were gone, Lasky burst into laughter. "Hah!" he shouted. "Now that… is a prank! Nicely done, sir!"
Cole smiled. "They looked like they needed to eat a little humble pie. A little humiliation now and then is a good thing. Helps keep you honest. That being said, you do understand the responsibilities that come with the rank. I can teach you some of the administrative side of things I'll be along to help train you in that area at around 0400 hours. Beyond that, dismissed!"
. . .
Back at Yavin IV, Garm Bel Iblis and the others were carefully scrutinizing Cole's service record, as well as the footage of the battles that he had personally been a part of. True to Cole's word, there was no classified information in the files that they were going through. While somewhat disappointing, it was to be expected, with Iblis even noting that it was likely mandatory, given the events the UNSC had been through as of late.
And boy was it a rough road for them, he noted. Cole's service record speaks volumes to the man's competence as a Vice Admiral, as well as his brilliance as a strategist and tactician. Half of these strategies would be considered impossible over here.
Jan Dodonna, who was also looking through Cole's service record, shook his head in disbelief. "Unbelievable," he said. "Hal of the strategies he's pulled off seem like they wouldn't work, yet they did. Just who was this man? Their version of the ancient Jedi Revan?"
"I do admit, his record does seem to be quite exemplary," Davits said. "Still, the footage clearly showed the kind of threat they were up against. Alien ships that had shields that could block anything, even their so called 'Magnetic Acceleration Cannons?' No wonder they had such a hard time in the war: the Covenant was utterly relentless."
"I agree," Raddus said. "Still, his service record, combined with the footage that we are seeing, speaks volumes as to how excellent Cole is. I'll bet he could take on even the greatest strategists in the Empire and leave their heads spinning."
"Tell me about it," General Hera said. "He might even be better than Thrawn was, and you know how difficult of an Admiral he was to defeat."
Garm nodded in agreement. Having read up on Hera's dissertation of Grand Admiral Thrawn, he knew that Thrawn was nothing short of a military genius. The man could simply look at the paintings, listen to the music and read the books of a nation, including things that had seemingly no military connection, and still work out strategies that would leave an enemy force utterly humiliated and defeated. If Hera was impressed enough with Cole that she believed Cole could defeat Thrawn, then it showed just how excellent of an Admiral he was. Like I realized, he thought. We could stand to learn much from the UNSC. We have to, otherwise we will fall in a contemptible struggle for survival.
. . .
Walking down the hallways of the Infinity's Science Deck, Jordan whistled happily as he proceeded towards the Slipspace Research section of the Science Deck, the area that he was most involved in given his profession. The new findings and calculations should allow our drives to go even faster than before, he thought, and we can sustain those speeds for much longer now. I'm a happy man, and a happy man is the best kind of man.
He was about to take the turn that would take him to that part of the Science Deck when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking in that direction, Jordan was surprised to see Dr. Glassman walking down the hallway. Normally, that would't have been cause for suspicion; Dr. Glassman worked on the Science Deck as well. What piqued Jordan's suspicion, though, was that he spotted something in Glassman's hand. What's he up to? Jordan wondered as Glassman disappeared around the bend.
Deciding to follow his suspicions, he immediately went into a half-crouch and began following Glassman. Using the training he had received during his time as a former Marine, he shadowed Glassman, only stopping to take cover behind a corner or an object whenever Glassman looked in his direction. As he shadowed Glassman, he checked the maps of the area that were posted periodically on the walls. He's heading towards Dr. Halsey's lab, he noted. Why the hell would he want to go there? It wasn't long before Jordan got his answer.
Following Glassman around a bend, Jordan spotted the door to Halsey's Lab. To his surprise, there was no one guarding the door, leading him to check the time. Lunch break, he noted. Looks like the guards are having a much deserved meal. Why would Glassman wait until the lunchbreak to go to Halsey's lab? Keeping an eye on Glassman, his hands clenched into fists when he spotted Glassman using the device in his hand to open the panel undereath the door's control panel. Son of a bitch! He's hacking into the door controls!
As soon as Jordan's line of thought finished, the door opened, with Glassman slipping inside. After waiting a few seconds, Jordan followed, slipping inside just before the door closed. Moving inside, he noticed that Glassman was hacking into one of the laptops in Halsey's lab, which was connected to the holo-table. Eyes narrowed, Jordan watched as Glassman pulled up the schematics of what the hologram over the holotable identified as the 'Death Star.'
Damn, Jordan thought as he looked at the schematic. That's a big fucking space station. 160 kilometers in diameter? That's just under half the size of High Charity, before it was destroyed. The holo-table then showed footage of what appeared to be the station's main weapon. Jordan paled as he saw the particle beam the Death Star used as its main weapon fire, with the beam devastating a section of the planet in the footage.
Shit, Jordan thought. From the looks of it, Halsey had this info encrypted, as well as the Captain. While that is surprising, it does make sense. You don't want to destroy morale or cause a panic by letting news of a planet killer get out. Glassman must've been shocked too, as a muttered a silent, "Fuck!" under his breath. Shaking off the shock, he continued to try and hack into the computer.
It was here that Jordan made his move. Standing to his full height, he said, "I never took you for the peeping tom kind of person, Dr. Henry Glassman."
Jordan could swear that Glassman jumped half a foot into the air upon hearing his voice. Whirling around, Glassman found himself looking at Jordan, who wore a frown on his bearded face. "J-Jordan," he stammered. "I thought there was no one in here. How'd you get in?"
"I snuck inside, that's what," Jordan growled. "Still, I can't believe that you have the gall to hack into Dr. Halsey's personal computer. What the hell are you thinking?!"
"Just following orders," Glassman stammered. He knew he had to find a way to explain the situation. If things got ugly, Jordan had the advantage in a firefight, both due to his training, and the height and weight difference between the two. "ONI wanted me to keep an eye on Dr. Halsey while she was onboard the Infinity. Said that if I noticed anything out of the ordinary, I was to inform them immediately. They gave me the tools needed to get inside of her lab."
"So that's it?" Jordan asked. "You're just 'following orders?'" When Glassman nodded, Jordan frowned. "I don't know if you're being honest with me, or if you're being a fraudulent, lying, scumbag piece of shit. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slug you RIGHT NOW!" By this point, Jordan was yelling, and his hands had balled into fists.
Glassman was about to speak when the computer seemed to shut down. At the same time, a click came from the door as it locked itself. At that moment, a recording of Dr. Halsey played for the two to hear. "To the peeping tom that has attempted to access my files without authorization, this message is for you. At this moment, automated security measures that I put in place with the help of Roland and Cortana have just activated. The doors have been locked, and a team of Spartan IVs have been notified. If what happened was accidental, then you will be released without further trouble, and this incident will not be mentioned. If what happened was intentional, then you will be taken to the brig, whereupon you will be questioned as to your motives. Cooperate, and you might come out with just a warning. Resist, and you will likely be incarcerated. Good day."
As soon as the message ended, Jordan's face turned beet red, while Glassman's went pale. Just as the former Marine advanced to deliver a beatdown, the door opened, with four Spartan IVs advancing inside. "Hands in the air!" one of them shouted. "Spartans, cuff them and take them to the brig!"
Both Jordan and Glassman raised their hands. Neither of them wanted to be a pincusion, or a bullet sponge if they chose not to do so. Looking at Glassman as the cuffs were placed on his wrists, Jordan snarled, "Now there's another nice mess you've gotten me into, asshole! And don't say you're sorry, because you're not, fucker!" Glassman remained silent, even as the two were dragged to teh brig.
. . .
Unbeknownst to anyone on the Infinity, there was another meeting going on at Pantora. Fifty-odd individuals all filed into a room with enough space for twenty more to walk in. All of the figures were wearing robes over their faces to hide their identities, while their robes were practically identical. Once the door to the room they were in was closed, one of the robed figures asked, "Is everyone here?"
"Yes," all of the others replied.
"Good," the robed figure said. "Then it is about time that we discussed the greatest threat to our plans that has existed: the UNSC." Once the others nodded, the first figure said, "As you are all aware, Supreme Chairman Riyo and Speaker of the Assembly Chi Eekway, along with a hundred and ninety other Senators, have agreed to hear out Envoy Melody over the next four days in the hopes of forming an alliance with the UNSC and UEG. This cannot be allowed to happen, or Pantora will lose her independence, and we will lose our contracts with our lucrative business partners."
Looking at a second figure, the first figure said, "Chorkantay, you are to gather intelligence on where Envoy Melody is staying at, and how we can get past her security guard. Once that is done, you will deliver the information needed to the assassin that we hired. The criminal syndicate we've hired for this operation has been most willing to get the job done. Understood?"
"Yes," Chorkantay, the second figure said. "I will do what I must, even if it means getting blood on my hands."
"Good." Turning to a third figure, he said, "Vontay, your mission is to gather intelligence on the Republicans and the Appeasers that have defected to them. Once that is done, you are to gather some members of the criminal syindate that are loyal to us. Should our plan to kill Melody fail, you are to take the Pantoran Assembly hostage and broadcast our demands to the man identifying himself as Admiral Cole. Understood?"
"Yes," Vontay said.
"Good. I will gather intelligence on the Infinity's capabilities and work to assemble a task force to disable and board the ship. Should our mission succeed, Pantora will remain independent, and we will have another asset on our side. We will disperse now and begin our mission."
. . .
At the Science Deck of the Infinity, Dr. Halsey was leaning back in her chair in her office, her fingers drumming on her legs as she waited for that call to come in. The sensation of metal on her leg prompted her to look at where her left arm used to be. Where there used to be a stump, there was, instead, a metallic arm that was just as long as her other arm. The metal limb was a steel-gray color, while the joints were black motors and the like that allowed her prosthetic arm to move as though it was an organic one, or as close to one as they could get.
At least I can feel with this arm, Halsey noted as she moved it around. Thanks to studies of Covenant technology, limb prosthetics have come a long way from their original incarnations. It also helped that the limb was connected to her neural interface, which helped her brain determine where it was at in relation to her body. The connection was so good that she could use the limb as easily as her old one.
Still, you'd think they'd hurry up with the security interviews, she thought as she remembered Omega being escorted to the required section of the ship for interviewing. Still, they're a necessary evil, especially when the safety of the ship is required.
She was about to drift back into her usual thinking when the COM unit on her table chimed. Picking it up, she asked, "Yes?"
"Dr. Halsey, this is Vice Admiral Cole," came the reply
Sitting upright, Halsey asked, "To what do I owe this call, Vice Admiral?"
"I have some excellent news," Cole said. "According to Captain Dare, as well as a few others, Olivia, the person that her friends refer to as Omega, has passed the security checks needed to become the Deputy Science Officer of the Infinity."
"Excellent," Halsey said. "I had a feeling that I had made the right choice."
"You did. Her aptitude scores show just how good of a scientist she really is, and she's one of the best. You've made the right choice, Halsey. No one can debate that. She would make an excellent protege for you."
"Thank you," Halsey said. "Good luck to you, Vice Admiral."
"And to you as well," Cole said.
Once the call ended, Dr Halsey keyed another frequency, one that Cole had just sent to her via her datapad. "Dr. Omega, would you come to my office please?" she asked. Once she was done, she set the COM unit down and waited.
It wasn't long before Omega walked inside. Noting the cross expression on her face, Halsey asked, "Is there something wrong?"
"What?" Omega asked, then she realized what Halsey was getting at. "Oh, I see. I'm just… irritated that I had to go through so many security interviews even after I became a member of the UNSC. You'd think they were intentionally trying to cause me trouble, but for what I don't understand."
"I understand the feeling fully, and I do apologize for it," Halsey said. "However, Vice Admiral Cole made those security interviews mandatory for any UNSC members that wanted to take on more important positions. Still, have you considered why he was doing so?"
"I haven't had time to," Omega admitted.
"Well, it's simple really." Standing up, Halsey said. "After lengthy debate and consideration, Omega, I have decided to make you my Deputy Science Officer. You are now my protege, and I expect you to perform as such. Am I understood?"
The look of shock on Omega's face said it all, even as her mouth went from being just open to being a grin. "Completely!" she said. "I am honored, Dr. Halsey, to be accepted as your protege. That being said, a Deputy Science Officer has to have an office of her own. Am I right or not?"
Halsey smiled. She's a smart young lady, she said to herself. And that is exactly why I chose her to be my Deputy Science Officer. "Very correct in that regard," Halsey said. "Would you like to see your new office?"
"Sure!"
"Good," Halsey said. "Oh, and Omega?"
"Yes?"
"I've decided that calling you by Omega is too cold and clinical. How would you like to have the name Dr. Olivia?"
Omega thought carefully for a moment, then she said, "Well, it would be nice to be referred to by that name than as Omega. Count me in."
"Splendid. Now, let's go to your new office." As they walked towards Olivia's new office, she asked, "So, tell me, Olivia, what do you you want to be? Do you want to be a doctor, or a scientist?"
"Why not both?" Olivia said. "I want to help people maintain wellness, and the like, but I also want to make breakthroughs in the field of medical science and the like."
"I see," Halsey said. "I think that is very wise. However, you need to be able to show you can do the job. In addition, once we have the chance, we have to get you enrolled in a college and medical school in order to get you a degree. Even then, you have to choose which career path you want to have, because there are many more fields of science and areas aside from that. You can be anything you want, be it a astrophysicist or a geneticist, and so on, so forth. You need to decide what you want to do in the future. There are many degrees and doctorates out there, but each one is expensive, and people usually only have one or two. Plus, while the military does fund things like that, but I don't know if it applies for civilians. In other words, you need to go to college to earn your doctorate and to decide who you want to be. You understand, yes?"
Olivia nodded. It was clear to her that things were not going to be easy, though she expected that from the start. Wouldn't be worthwhile if it was easy, she thought. "I see," she said. "I'll definitely think things over and determine who I want to be."
"Good," Halsey said, with the two continuing on.
As it turned out, Olivia's new office was not that far from Halsey's lab; in fact, it was just around the corner of a hallway bend. Walking inside, Olivia looked around at the interior of the room. The office was arranged to where there was a desk in the back with a built-in computer monitor, as well as a keyboard inside of it. To the left and right were bookshelves, as well as a counter with cabinets. On the counter was a coffee machine, as well as some glasses and the like. The room was also large, and had a holo-table in the center, as well as lab equipment on another table. The room was lit with powerful lights in the ceiling, and there was a door nearby.
Moving through the door, Olivia found that it led to what she realized was her quarters. In one corner of the room was a bed for a single person, along with a end table and a light. Nearby was a wardrobe where she could hang up clothes, as well as a small door that led to a 'fresher, as well as a sink, mirror and toilet. A pair of towels were hanging up, ready for use, as well as some toilet paper.
Walking back into the office, Halsey watched as Olivia looked around. "Well, what do you think?" she asked
Olivia smiled. "It's wonderful!" she said. "I never thought I'd have my own lab to myself! I even wonder if I'll have my own Smart AI. I can't wait to try it out!"
"I'm certain you are eager to get to work," Halsey said. "However, there is one little thing I have to train you on."
"And that would be?"
"Paperwork," Halsey said.
Olivia groaned. "Really?" she asked. "I thought we could dispense with that."
"Unfortunately, no. Even in the 26th century, the paperwork must flow. Not entirely exciting, but it is necessary to get to the exciting stuff. As your teacher, however, it is my job to ensure that you are well trained for such a responsibility. Are you ready?"
"Yes!" Olivia said, regaining some of her enthusiasm.
"Good," Halsey said. "Your training there starts tomorrow." As Olivia went back into her room with a smile on her face, Halsey thought back to earlier times. She reminds me of myself when I was much younger, she thought. Young, energetic and full of potential. Now it is up to me to help her achieve that potential. Who knows? She could even outpace me, though I'm perfectly fine with that. Its time for someone else to pick up the reins.
She was about to leave when her data pad chimed. Looking at it, she found a single notification inside. Bugger, she thought. I have another mess to clean up. "Would you excuse me for a minute?" she said. "I've got a mess to take care of. Once I'm back, we will need to continue our discussion from earlier."
