Ackbar moved out from behind the podium. “And it is a set of problems with which we have had very little experience. The veterans of the Alliance, whom Senator Marook so kindly praised, know all the secrets of fighting as an insurgent force-the roles of stealth, of mobility, of hit-and-run tactics, of disrupting the enemy’s lines of supply and communication.
“But a commando force cannot defend a homeworld, a system, a sector. A commando force cannot tie up its assets waiting to be attacked. A commando force cannot carry out an invasion. You should remind yourself that at no time in its history did the Alliance enjoy the resources to fight a conventional war. And the one time we were forced by circumstance to do so, at Hoth, we suffered a terrible defeat.
“That is why Etahn A’baht was selected to command the Fifth Fleet. He brings to that bridge all the hard-won expertise of the Dornea, an expertise which I cannot match. And it is his tactical plan which we are testing at Bessimir, ” Ackbar said, pointing at the screens behind him.
“Unlike my colleague from the Hrasskis, I do not question the qualifications of General A’baht. I am more concerned about the sharp end of the knife than I am with who wields it, ” said Senator Tig Peramis, rising from his seat near the door. “Admiral Ackbar, I have questions concerning the conditions of the test. “
Leia’s attention immediately perked up. Senator Peramis was the newest member of the Council on the Common Defense, representing the worlds of the Seventh Security Zone, including his own, Walalla. So far he had been a quiet member, diligently studying the Council records that his new level of clearance opened to his eyes, asking many thoughtful questions, and expressing few opinions.
“Proceed, ” said Admiral Ackbar, making a sweeping gesture.
“You chose to send the Fifth Fleet against a target which lacks a planetary shield. Why is that? “
“Senator, it is not possible to assault a planet which enjoys the protection of a planetary shield until that shield has been disabled. We would learn nothing about our new tactics from such an exercise. And there are far more worlds like Bessimir than there are worlds with the wealth and technology to sustain a planetwide shield. “
“But, Admiral, did you not warn the Council that it was exactly those well-armed worlds which the New Republic lacked the capacity to confront? And did you not promise the Council that if we built the Fifth Fleet, even the strongest of the old Imperial worlds would not be able to threaten us with impunity? “
Ackbar nodded gravely. “I believe that we are keeping that promise, Senator Peramis. The defense of Bessimir was designed in accord with our existing threat profiles. Operation Hammerblow represents a likely scenario for the use of the Fifth Fleet. “
“What, to overwhelm an underdefended world? “
“Senator, I did not say … “
“This is exactly the point that concerns me. An army fights as it trains, ” said Senator Peramis. “Did you build the Fifth Fleet to protect us against a strategic threat, or to strengthen Coruscant? Does the danger you saw lie outside our borders, or within them? “
He turned and pointed an accusing finger in Leia’s direction.
“Exactly who are you preparing to invade? “
Ackbar blinked, rendered wordless by surprise. The other officers in the room scowled and bristled. The other members of the Council were taken aback-by Peramis’s intimations themselves, or, like Senator Marook, by his temerity in speaking out of turn.
“I can only think that if you had been here when the votes were taken, Senator Peramis, you would not ask such questions, ” Leia said sharply, moving to the front of the room with a purposeful stride and a swirl of robes. “You unfairly malign Admiral Ackbar’s honor. “
“I do not malign him in the slightest. I am sure Admiral Ackbar is faithful in his duties and loyal to his superiors, ” Peramis said, looking purposefully at Leia.
“How dare you! ” bellowed Senator Tolik Yar as he leaped to his feet. “If you do not withdraw your words, I will knock you down myself. “
Leia sent a small, tight smile in the direction of her champion but waved off his assistance. “Senator Peramis, the Fifth Fleet was built to protect the New Republic, and for no other reason. We have no territorial aspirations, no hunger for conquest.
How could we, with ten
new applications for membership arriving every day? On the honor of the House of Organa, I give my word-the Fifth Fleet will never be used to invade a member world, or to coerce its will, or subdue its legitimate ambitions. “
Even before he spoke, it was clear that Peramis was unimpressed. “What weight shall I give a vow made on the honor of an extinct family-a family you have no blood claim with? “