[Short Stories] - Dark Emperor 4(9)

“Sate Pestage, as Grand Vizier to the fallen Emperor, you are accused of treason to the Empire. You used you position of intimacy with the Emperor to shield him from any views that may have dissuaded him from his path to destruction. The advice of Palpatine’s advisors, such as myself, fell on deaf ears because you deafened them, because you kept our voices from being heard.”

And here Mara Jade saw the emotions of the crowd shift firmly against Sate Pestage. It was a masterstroke by Dangor, for in truth, many of those gathered hated Pestage for that very reason. Whenever any of them were commanded to contact Palpatine, or desired to speak with him, they often had to wait for hours, on bended knee. And the only face they saw, the only voice they heard during those humiliating vigils was that of Sate Pestage. Pestage, who passed on his Master’s wishes to them, and who guarded his Master’s time by deciding who would gain his ear and who would not, became the natural focus for the hate born of that humiliation. The advisors, the Moffs, and the COMPNOR officials could all share in the feeling evoked by Dangor. And, truth be told, their shock at seeing Palpatine so old still coursed through them, and they focused their distaste for that vision of decrepit weakness upon the similarly aged form of Sate Pestage.

Angry mutterings began to sound out everywhere, and Dangor allowed them to grow. Then he turned on Sate Pestage and channeled the accusation of the assembly at him. “Do you have anything to say in your defense? You have been accused of treason, and the penalty is death.”

Pestage slowly stood. Mara marveled at his dignity and bearing as he faced Dangor. He must have seen how he was being set up, how he was being eliminated as the one person who might have claimed executive power in Dangor’s place. But he didn’t show any signs of anger on his suddenly serene face. Pestage spoke softly, so that most of the audience couldn’t hear it. The security microphones picked up his words, however, and Mara heard him say to Dangor, “You have betrayed our Master. One day, you will pay for your crimes. I will not deny your accusations, for I did indeed seal the archive. The Master’s secrets are not for such as you to know. Nor will I accept death at your hands. I choose exile from Imperial space, as is my undeniable right under law. I shall never return to your Empire.” Then, Pestage walked out of the great auditorium. As he reached the door, he was joined by waiting CompForce soldiers who took his arms. He did not resist.

Dangor was disoriented. His “script” for the proceedings was disrupted. He watched Pestage go with troubled eyes. Then he seemed to come back to himself. He faced the gathering once more. “The traitor has admitted his acts with his own voice. He has chosen exile from the Empire, never to return.” Voices of protest rose up to him. Chief among them was the loud cry of Tarn Gemillian, the advisor from Hadden Four. He clearly wanted Pestage to face execution, and he was trying to rally others to press the issue. But Dangor could not allow distractions from his main purpose. Those who wanted an execution, including Ysanne Isard, would have to be satisfied with an exile.

“No! Listen to me—it is his right under the law. That will be enough justice. Let us give no further thought to him. Now we must turn our minds to the future! Despite the worst Palpatine and his Vizier were able to do, we still have a chance to preserve the Empire. We need a new leader—a strong leader who can run the Empire well—who is known and respected—a leader who can be trusted not to hide in the shadows in this time of crisis. There is no heir! One among us must be chosen. The time for that choice is now.”

Dangor waited. All depended on the next few moments. He had revealed the truth to them, alerted them to danger, rooted out a traitor from their midst, and stood before them like a vision of the Emperor they had thought they knew, and had believed in. Would they accept him as Palpatine’s replacement? Then, several of the advisors stood, and one of them called out, “Will you lead us, Ars Dangor?” Dangor still said nothing. Several more advisors rose. They began to call to him, “Dangor, you must lead us! You are the only choice!” The advisors were the easy part. He already led them. But then the Moffs and the Grand Moffs began to stand. Perhaps they realized that if one of them were to try to claim power, the others would fight him for it, no matter who he was. They added their voices to a growing chant, “Dangor! Dangor! Dangor!” The number of standing people steadily increased. Then, even the COMPNOR officials stood. Their loyalty was, after all, to the New Order, and they would go along with any means of preserving it. Before long, the entire gathering of several thousand people was standing and chanting. It was deafening.