Crom'nen
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Post by Crom'nen on May 3, 2013 6:31:23 GMT -8
The Senate Plaza, or Republic Plaza, was a large open area that surrounded the Senate Building on Coruscant throughout its history. Bisected by a grand avenue lined with statues of the original founders of the Galactic Republic from the Core Worlds; the plaza was dotted with potted plants, benches and access ways to the Senate Commercial District.*
*Constructed around the Senate Tower on Coruscant, the large Senate Plaza was a wide plain of stone dotted by potted plants, benches, stairs and landing pads. Bisected by the Avenue of the Core Founders, the avenue was flanked by the Gardens of Justice and Equality on either side.*
*The Republic Plaza also served as a transportation hub.
Belf'ima, Senator's aide and acting Senator of Ryloth, entered the plaza on foot, seeking to find more information on virtually any topic. She was a blue Twi'lek, who was born to slavery, though one would not know this to look at her. She kept perfect posture, and held an air of charm and nobility. Right now, she wore a conservative yet form-fitting orange dress.
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Dav Man'Sell
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Post by Dav Man'Sell on May 4, 2013 15:20:42 GMT -8
The small speeder that now approached was an old, low cost model, at least fifty years old. It was sensibly maintained, with good brakes and direction indicators, and precise controls. It wasn't a particularly fast or maneuverable vehicle, but it was practical, comfortable, and safe. As it pulled in to one of the small landing bays, it slowed to a perfectly sensible speed, making its final few maneuvers slowly and deliberately, and coming to land gently. And finally, after the pilot ensured all the safety and security features were engaged, the door opened, and he stepped out.
He was Georj Lorrimer, he was a sixty-something citizen of Osarian, and to look at, he was a thoroughly ordinary man. His hair, grey, was swept back in a thoroughly ordinary fashion. The large spectacles he wore, which gave his eyes a magnified appearance, were square, entirely plain, and unstylised. The suit he wore was just the blue side of grey, three pieces, none of which seemed to fit him particularly well. The legs of the trousers were too long, the chest of the jacket had too much girth, and there was too much volume to the body of the waistcoat. The suit was not cheap; far from it, it was tailored to the highest standard, from fine materials. The suit was just the wrong shape for the man - or, perhaps more precisely, the man was the wrong shape for the suit.
Georj was a stocky little man, round in the stomach, sombre faced, a man of slightly waddling gait as he meandered about his daily business. He was unassuming, usually quiet, spoke with a soft precision, a gentle voice in a world of loud-mouths.
But Georj Lorrimer was not soft. That was not a mistake it was wise to make. He was quiet, awkward, waddling, but possessed of an academic intellect and analytical mind that was perhaps best described as fierce. He was a decent man, a kind man, a good and honest man, but he could also be ruthless when the circumstance called for it. It wasn't a vicious ruthlessness, not borne of anger or hatred - no, it was a far more dangerous kind. It was a pragmatic ruthlessness, the simple, intellectual distancing of a chessmaster. It was the artistry of an Intelligence officer. Which was, in fact, what Georj Lorrimer had once been. An intelligence officer. A spy, and an exceptional one at that.
He was retired now, though. Now he played a much more dishonest game; politics. And it was in his role of politician that Georj Lorrimer came to the Senate building today. Tomorrow, a new session of the Senate would begin, and Georj, senator and representative for Osarian, had a lot of reading, and a little schmoozing, to do. And so he arrived for work promptly at ten to eight. It would take him six minutes, as ever, from this parking spot, which was assigned specifically to him, to his small, practical rooms on the fourth floor of the senatorial offices.
He gave a nod to the security guard as he pressed his identification card to the reader for security checks.
=Security Guard=
"Morning, sir."
=Georj Lorrimer=
"Mmm. Morning."
Fifteen seconds, the same fifteen seconds it always took, passed, and then the light went green above the door. He moved through.
The Turbolift came promptly when summoned. The pretty red-headed senatorial aide from Commenor was inside. He pressed his lips together tightly in an expression that was almost as smile, and offered her a small nod of thanks as she stepped aside to make more space for him. They rode the lift silently, side by side. Although he didn't look at her again, he thought on how pretty she was. In his youth, he might have pursued her. That was a long time ago now, though. The lift stopped on the third floor. She stepped out. The doors closed, and it slipped up to the fourth floor with near-silent ease. He, now, stepped out, and turned left down the corridor.
The outer office was, as it always was, clean, formalised, tidy. His two aides had yet to arrive, leaving just the protocol droid stood in the corner on stand-by mode, recharging. He didn't wake the droid yet. Too early for a Threepio unit. Instead, he passed straight through the room, and into his office.
Inside, the routine was as it always was; he prepared himself a cup of caff, powered up his terminal, and sat down to study his messages. So far, for this thoroughly ordinary looking man, it had been a perfectly ordinary day. Only time would tell if it remained that way.
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Jago
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Post by Jago on May 6, 2013 17:47:16 GMT -8
The morning light gleamed brightly off of a cherry red speeder gliding towards its predetermined spot. It was a new model; In fact, it was the newest model. The driver assumed that she had to be only one of maybe one hundred people on all of Coruscant to even own one. Its sleek, elegant lines portrayed it as a status symbol, and Senator Tam Flin was certainly a symbol of status.
She checked her features in the rear-view mirror, making sure the coppery down atop her head was in perfect condition. She frowned slightly: a feather was a smidge out of place. With a sigh of great exasperation, Tam carefully grabbed it by the tip and tucked it back into her "hair" before surveying her makeup. Her blush accented the sky blue skin of her cheeks, highlighting her high cheekbones and thin, elfin features. Subtle eye shadow brought out the deep, sapphire blue of her pupils, a glassy sheen giving a bird-like appearance to her gaze. She was dressed in only the finest of garments: a sharp, dark orange dress that hugged her figure, a necklace of silver and pearls from Manaan, and black stilettos that had heels sharp enough to be considered a deadly weapon on twenty systems.
A deadly weapon she was: the Omwati had been exposed to The Galaxy, seen its dark and light, and came out better than it all. Originally one of the so-called "Omwati Adventurers" from her homeworld, she had joined the search for the missing hundreds that Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin had stolen from the planet to design his twisted machines of death and fear. Like so many others, she refused to believe that only 10, 10, had survived such a travesty. The Empire had to have fudged the records. But after years of searching, beginning long after Omwat joined the nascent New Republic, Tam saw the horrible truth: their people had been abused and manipulated by a cruel, cruel figure, taking advantage of such a naive species and using their best and brightest to do horrible works. It was then that her political work began.
First she rose to prominence within the planetary government of her beloved homeworld, until finally, after the devastation of the Yuuzhan Vong War, she became a Senator in the reformed Galactic Alliance, bore witness to the Second Galactic Civil War, the dissolving of both the GFFA and the Jedi Order, and now the reincarnation of both entities. Throughout it all, she had made sure to take the measures to ensure another Tarkin never happened. Ever.
Because of this, several of her compatriots had a habit of speaking of Senator Flin as ... unsavory. So what if some of her sexual exploits had made the tabloids on the HoloNet? Did anyone really care about that scandal last year where she was accused of minor ties to criminal elements within the Coruscanti Underworld? And what was the major concern if she may or may not have blackmailed certain companies in the Corporate Sector Authority in order to secure a stronger Republic presence in the Outer Rim? Everything she did, she did it for The Republic. If they wanted to denounce her, let them. Her legislation and actions had secured the power of the Galactic Republic on dozens of star systems, bolstered the forces of the Republican Navy, and at least delayed enemies of The Senate until she could deal with them in a proper way. The news networks could have their "inside scoops": Tam Flin was a patriot, true and true.
In fact, there was a particular matter that called for her certain brand of political scheming: one she had been working on for years and was finally coming together. She didn't have every piece of information yet she needed, but she was close. So frustratingly close.
Assured that her appearance was finally in perfect check, Tam slipped out of her speeder, her lithe, willowy form looking like it could be taken away by the breeze. There was power in her stride as she approached the lifts, prepared and ready for the day. The Senate convened tomorrow: she would be ready.
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Crom'nen
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Post by Crom'nen on May 7, 2013 7:20:10 GMT -8
From the main plaza, Belf'ima watched as she received her caf. She nodded with respect at Senator Tam Flin. Unlike others, the Twi'lek had no simple moral qualms that seemed to make the humans uncomfortable. The Twi'lek even have a term in their language for the art of using seduction to achieve a purpose. In fact, she respected that Flin had overcome the simplicity of her people. Belf'ima headed toward the lift to board with the lady Senator. The two women stood next to each other, blue by nature and wearing orange.
Good morning, Senator. You and I have not met, but I am an aide to Senator Crom'nen of Ryloth. I am acting as his representative while he is away on Republic business.
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Jago
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Post by Jago on May 7, 2013 8:59:02 GMT -8
Senator Flin inclined her head out of at least politeness, if nothing else, to Senator Crom'nen's aide. Of course she knew the political representative of Ryloth: who didn't? Mr. 'Golden Tongue' himself. Tam had to admit that she rather approved of his methods, but that also made him a threat to her: a rival that understood the powers of wordplay and rhetoric. Did he instruct his assistant to meet with her, here, as a precursor to the Senate hearing? Find out what sort of agenda the Senator of Omwat had this time around?
She banished the thoughts of Crom'nen to focus more on the Twi'lek in front of her. She was pretty, that was for sure, though most female Twi'leks had a sexual appeal that encompassed quite a few species, Senator Flin's included. A 'Rutian', Tam believed was the term: one of the rarer pigments in skin color for the natives of Ryloth. Her sense of dress was ... a bit dull, but commendable. A good choice of color, Tam mused with a chuckle to herself.
" Good morning, Aide to Senator Crom'nen," Tam greeted her softly, tapping her fingers on her briefcase as she waited for the lift to finally descend.
" I would imagine that even social norms on Ryloth dictate introducing one's self with a name, rather than a title, especially one like 'aide' , hm?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, a teasing playfulness in her high, flute-like voice, but laced with the subtle insinuation that Tam would not and could not respect another sentient that would place niceties and meekness over empowering one's self in a social situation. She didn't give a damn if she was meeting the newest Chancellor himself: names had power, and evoked purpose. Meaning.
She removed one hand from the handle of her case, extending it to the Twi'lek. A common enough cordial gesture.
" Senator Tam Flin, of Omwat. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
She could still be amiable even if she'd much rather be dealing with the Senator himself than his servant, though Tam was open to ideas. Perhaps the Twi'lek would impress her: Tam had a certain fondness for ruffling people's feathers only for them to give just as much as they got. It pleased her to inspire some measure of passion: what was life without it, after all? A droll, sad, boring affair, that's what, much like that Senator from Osarian, what was his name ... Lorrimate, Lorriman, something like that.
" Shall Senator Crom'nen be returned for the convening of The Senate, or shall you be taking his place temporarily?"
Tell me if I have to watch out for you or not ...
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Crom'nen
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Post by Crom'nen on May 7, 2013 10:50:48 GMT -8
The grace that Belf'ima had perfected in years of slavery did not falter, even with the mocking nature of the Senator. She lightly grasped the delicate hand of the bird-like creature, and gave it a single pump. She knew that Crom'nen would not like such a move, but she felt the gesture was necessary to build report. Crom'nen saw people as things to be manipulated and used. Belf'ima saw more to people, and tried to act to balance Crom'nen's nature, which was every bit as harsh as the Brightlands of the world of their birth.
Forgive my lack of introduction. I believe that it is Coruscant protocol to acknowledge the higher ranking party first, is it not? The Senator is away from Coruscant at the moment, and I am afraid that I am not at liberty to discuss the nature of his mission or a timetable, only that it is on behalf of the Senate, entailing a committee there of which he is a part. As acting Senator, I have access to the records of the meetings, but I am not able to discuss such sensitive information with those that are not on the committee, and certainly not in unsecured chambers. I am sure you understand.
The Twi'lek smiled broadly as the Turbolift arrived. She motioned with his hand.
After you Senator.
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Jago
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Post by Jago on May 7, 2013 14:03:41 GMT -8
Tam returned the smile, stepping into the lift first and moving towards the side so that the Twi'lek would have more than enough room to join her. She was smart, that was for sure: knowing how to deflect direct questions and provide answers without giving too much away. Senator Flin made a mental note to try and encourage this one away from Crom'nen for her own, personal employ. She'd be ... quite handy, the Omwati considered.
" I understand perfectly, no need to explain yourself," Tam waved the subtle apology away, though inwardly wondered just what sort of "committee" Crom'nen had gotten himself involved in, and why she hadn't heard of it up until now. That raised her curiosity a bit too much Especially the fact that now, the Senator's personal aide would be representing him in the Rotunda tomorrow. Crom'nen wouldn't be one to miss a convening of The Senate. That he trusted his aide to watch over his and Ryloth's interests displayed a remarkable amount of faith placed within the Rutian Twi'lek. Tam filed such knowledge away for later use: perhaps she couldn't woo this one towards her offices, but she could potentially make a new ally.
She pressed a button on the panel near the door of the lift, shooting the elevator upwards before suddenly gasping as if she had made a terrible mistake.
" I'm so sorry, I don't recall what floor the Ryloth Offices are on," she apologized, her face clearly strewn with embarrassment for 'forgetting' such a detail. Even her cheeks managed to flush themselves with a dark, vibrant blue to complete the effect in its entirety. An actress, she positively should have been instead.
" I just naturally pushed the one for the Omwat Office," she explained, knowing that her homeworld based itself on one of the upper floors, " I do hope you don't mind sharing the ride up with me, hm?"
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Crom'nen
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Post by Crom'nen on May 8, 2013 6:50:20 GMT -8
Belf'ima stepped into to lift easily, a stood firm as the lift took off.
Not at all, Senator. In fact, I would have to admit, that I stepped into the lift specifically to make your acquaintance. There are not many female senators, and certainly fewer that are non-humans. I did not wish to miss the opportunity to meet you.
The Twi'lek was not sure as to how the Omwati Senator would respond to flattery, but she imagined she would respond well. While it was true that she wanted to meet the Senator, she also knew that this was an excellent chance to make an ally out of a potential rival. If they saw themselves as on the same side, then they could both use their influence to hold great power over the rest of the Senate.
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Jago
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Post by Jago on May 9, 2013 8:08:34 GMT -8
Specifically to make her acquaintance? It seemed this aide certainly knew how to make this nightingale sing. Tam allowed herself a pleased smile, noting that the Twi'lek certainly did bring up a good point: the Senate did seem to be rather dominated by humans, but, then again, they did have the advantage of being one of the most numerous species in the entire Galaxy, to say nothing of their plethora of off-shoots.
" Us girls need to stick together, hm?" she teased, a hand brushing over a crease in her dress to flatten it out. Blasted fabric.
" My acquaintance I believe you've already made, though I'm afraid I'm not one for interviews. For you, I suppose I can make an exception," Tam laughed.
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Crom'nen
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Post by Crom'nen on May 9, 2013 10:33:20 GMT -8
Belf'ima smiled.
Do not worry. I am no media personality, nor have such ambition. I was most interested in seeing if you had any advice for someone less experienced, if you don't mind.
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Jago
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Post by Jago on May 9, 2013 11:15:06 GMT -8
" Some advice, you say?"
Senator Flin considered her next words, wondering just what nugget of knowledge she should pass on to someone she barely knew. Was Crom'nen's aide trying to feel her out, see what sort of antagonist she would be to her Senator? Or was Belf'ima trying to learn how to become the representative to Ryloth herself? A million questions ran through the Omwati's mind, but she kept her grin on, shrugging as if to say her experience was meaningless.
It wasn't.
" Trust no one, kid," she said solemnly, nodding to the Twi'lek, " Not me, not your Senator, and especially not those damnable Jedi. Everyone is going to lie to you, and your best friends are going to plot your demise. The best thing I can tell you? Be aware. Of everything about you and around you."
Tam's voice went solemn as she spoke. Her own words reminded her of the work she had been doing behind everyone's back. An independent project that possibly held the future of the entire Galactic Republic inside it. A private hunt for the men and women who had dared to strike at the heart of civilization. The ones she knew had to have had some sort of inside help. Coruscant, Corellia, and Yavin IV didn't just happen to come under attack from forces that detested the Republic and The Jedi at the precise times it would be best to do so.
Someone was playing them all for fools. Tam Flin intended to find out just who that someone was.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2013 12:27:12 GMT -8
It was still early in the morning When the new senator from Scipio arrived at the senate. Figuring that at the early hour not even the security checkpoint staff were present, Orrin Schurz decided to take something dear to him, a restored Longspur STAP out for a spin in the glorious morning air.
As he arrived Back at the senate plaza, he noticed people had started to arrive, and so dismounting the craft, he walked it towards an area of the garage for personal speeders. stopping momentarily to pay his respects to those in the plaza
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Crom'nen
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Post by Crom'nen on May 12, 2013 6:58:08 GMT -8
Belf'ima, with her training, was not used to displaying emotion when caught off guard. She normally displayed what she wanted displayed. In this instance, she could not help but laugh when the comment caught her unaware.
Please forgive my rudeness. I did not mean to laugh. I do not take you nor your advice lightly. I can only think that you and Senator Crom'nen shall get along very well. But you are wrong about one thing. I can trust Crom'nen. Are you aware of his reputation, of why my people so love him?
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Jago
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Post by Jago on May 12, 2013 8:06:37 GMT -8
Tam tilted her head with hawk-like precision in the motion, her sapphire eyes looking over Belf'ima curiously. She trusted Crom'nen? The so-called 'Golden Tongue', a man that could sell mud to Jabiim for the price of phrik ore? Either the aide was incredibly naive, or ...
She honestly did believe in her Senator, and his vision for both her people and The Republic. Admirable. Perhaps a bit foolish to Tam, but she understood that trust was vital in fostering a positive future, whether or not everyone was trustworthy. It's what made The Republic even possible.
" All I know of Senator Crom'nen is what I have seen in the Rotunda. Enlighten me, if you will?" she asked, genuinely wondering why Crom'nen was considered a hero of Ryloth.
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Crom'nen
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Post by Crom'nen on May 13, 2013 6:52:49 GMT -8
Belf'ima smiled, this time with a distant look on her face. Over the years, she had grown to love him, even though that was not her first reaction. Her initial reaction when he freed a group of Twi'lek slaves. In seeing the cruelty of their situation, he apologized for not saving them sooner. While the rest swooned with gratitude, she told him off. While he was surrounded by "yes men," she was the only one who saw through him and stood up to him. He valued her intellect and ability to read people, as well as the acting ability she gained as a slave dancer, to make repulsive people believe you were interested, so that they would not beat you. Because he was impressed with her, he took her into his confidences. She was one of the few people who could tell when he was lying, two that she knew of. She even knew when he was lying to himself, which is why she laughed when he told her that he loved her. He tried to convince himself, but she would wait until it was true. In the mean time, she knew who he had the potential to be, and continued to push him toward it.
Crom'nen is a charming, ambitious being. People know that. But he is a hero. He's led teams of Jedi or Sith, soldiers and pirates, Mandalorians and politicians. On one such mission, an enemy whom he had convinced that he would work for in order to spare his life threatened to cut out his tongue and dip it in gold. He, of course, betrayed and killed her, saving thousands of lives, but he gained a nickname and his legend grew.
Over the course of his adventuring, he amassed great wealth. He did not keep his fortune for himself. He used it to purchase our people, which are valued as slaves across the galaxy. He has continued to do that. His ship, Rylothian Gold, is a gift from the Twi'lek Clan Council for his service to our people. He is a liberator. In fact, he was my liberator. That is why I know I can trust him.
Her story was factual, but she knew one thing, even if she could trust him, it did not mean that anyone else should.
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Jago
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Post by Jago on May 14, 2013 8:18:44 GMT -8
From her words and facial expression, Tam could easily tell that Belf'ima admired the Senator of Ryloth a great deal. Her 'liberator', the younger Twi'lek had called him. So, before playing the dangerous game of politics, this Rutian had been a slave? A witness to cruelty and injustice, much as Senator Flin herself had been. She had refused, outright refused, decades after the fact, to believe that the Galactic Empire had murdered hundreds of her species in their attempt to build a weapon of ultimate devastation. That the lost sons and daughters of Omwat had to be out there, somewhere. Years of searching had proven otherwise. It was only after accepting this fact that she came to understand why the word Tarkin had been added to the Omwati lexicon as the title for "demon". Her people had suffered, and Tam wasn't the sort to take that laying down.
Senator Crom'nen appeared, from his aide's description, to be along the same mentality. His allegiances seemed ... spotty, though. Jedi and Sith? Mandalorians? Tam made a note of this, wondering if perhaps another name needed to be added to her list of conspirators. Would Crom'nen outright betray The Republic to its enemies? She did not know for sure. What sort of motivation would he have for selling out Republic worlds like Corellia? Perhaps this was an oversight of hers, not taking the time to look more deeply into one of the more famed Senators that took the stand in the Rotunda. He was obviously loyal to Ryloth, but Tam wasn't quite able to make out Crom'nen's loyalty to Coruscant. It would be something she would look into once she started her work for the day. She wasn't sure if Crom'nen even had access to such things as the codes for the deflector shields protecting the Jedi Spire on Coruscant, let alone the positioning and movements of Republican Fleets that allowed the Sith Faction known as the Order Of The Eye to strike Corellia uncontested, or if he had contacts within the Jedi Peacekeeping Taskforce, Eastern Rim Battle Group, that led to a Mandalorian Blockade of Yavin IV when the moon was relatively undefended. For now, she tucked the small bit of information away within the recesses of her mind, ready to draw it forth once necessary. If Crom'nen actually was a secret enemy of The Republic, she'd be able to find out sooner or later. Preferably sooner.
As it were, Belf'ima spoke of the Twi'lek entirely in the context of one of the first words she used to describe him: A Hero. A Soldier it seemed, too. She wondered if he, too, had been in the military of the old New Republic and Galactic Alliance. From the diverse allies Belf'ima had mentioned, however, Tam had to assume that Crom'nen was more Mercenary than Soldier. Another tidbit of intelligence she filed away.
" My, it seems like Crom'nen had quite the career before he entered politics," she said, clearly quite impressed with such a diverse past, her other thoughts notwithstanding.
" You mention he worked with Jedi, though," Tam approached her follow up question carefully, her eyes narrowing a bit in curiosity at Belf'ima.
" He trusts them? The Jedi?"
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Crom'nen
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Post by Crom'nen on May 15, 2013 7:10:03 GMT -8
Belf'ima could read flashes of processing information through the bird-like Senator. Yes, the Twi'lek was doing her own research, using commonly known information to gauge the person. So for she was learning much. When the Senator asked her question, she again laughed.
Crom'nen trusts no one as a general rule, though there are exceptions. But to say that Crom'nen led an interesting life before politics is a misstatement, if you will excuse my correction, Senator. Crom'nen was born for politics. He was a Senator's aide by age 15, just a boy. Those many missions were under orders of the Republic, which he served faithfully, even becoming a Senator himself many years ago, before leaving to do his work in abolition. He did whatever service he was called upon to do, until he was called by the Twi'lek Clan Council to serve as Senator of Ryloth once more when we rejoined the Republic.
What about you, how did you enter politics?
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Jago
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Post by Jago on May 18, 2013 13:52:14 GMT -8
Senator's Aide by 15? A remarkable feat, Tam noted to herself as Crom'nen's own aide told the man's life story in brief. She wondered still, though, why The Republic would call the Twi'lek Senator to work with such factions as the Mandalorian clans and the Sith. Sith! Of all things! The one, true enemy the Galactic Republic had fought since practically its inception tens of thousands of years ago.
But, she supposed that was another story for another time, now that Belf'ima was turning the conversation towards the Omwati Senator.
" Me? Well, I started my 'career', I suppose you'd call it, when I was a teenager. I left Omwat originally as a spacer: an 'Omwati Adventurer', most of The Galaxy calls my kind. We took it upon ourselves to look for the children a Grand Moff of the former Galactic Empire stole from us, back when I was still just a babe myself. I refused to give up that they were ... That they were murdered, like Imperial records said."
It was a tale all Omwati knew, whether they came from their ancestral homeworld or not. The demon, Tarkin. What a twisted example of human deceit and cunning.
" I traveled for some time: in cases with companions, otherwise mostly alone. I charted new trade hyperlanes, voyaged through most of The Rim. That is, until the Vong came.
A day she remembered well. The first reports were ... unsettling, to say the least. Horrible, vile creatures and their sickening sense of 'honor'. It was a breakdown The Republic, nay, The Galaxy simply wasn't ready for.
" At that point, I offered my services to The Republic. I joined up with The Fleet, made my way up to Captain aboard a frigate, The Renaissance: an older Nebulon-Bee. I was there when Coruscant fell. We fought them every step of the way, the ships ... They blotted out the stars themselves."
Dark days, that. Tam Flin had seen what the end of all things would look like, when it finally came. At the time, she thought it was the end of days: the apocalypse itself. How the Yuuzhan Vong never stopped their advance, their usage of refugees to shield their own ships, the tangled mess of coordination in the Republic's defenders, the cowardly Senators that fled and left their own people to die.
She paused in silent reflection for a day of utter travesty. A day that held a much deeper, and darker, meaning to her.
" After the war's end, I was granted the privilege of retiring from the military. Most of us were. Many stayed. I, however, had seen enough of what self-absorbed cowards would do if they were still in control. I returned to Omwat as somewhat of a local hero, and then proceeded from there into our own, local politics. It was not long afterwards that I became our ambassador to the former Galactic Alliance, and finally a Senator shortly before its dissolution after the Second Corellian Insurrection. And here I am now: Senator of Omwat still, in the reforged Galactic Republic."
She smiled a bit too warmly for the tale she had just told.
" It's not a very interesting story," she shrugged.
" Was politics your first choice after Senator Crom'nen rescued you?"
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Crom'nen
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Post by Crom'nen on May 20, 2013 7:56:12 GMT -8
Belf'ima listened quietly, solemnly. The Omwati and Twi'lek had both suffered greatly, but even though both of the women had personal experience with the sufferings of their people, Senator Flin's experiences far surpassed her own. No wonder she behaved radically. In many ways, she was trying to forget the horrors she had witnessed first hand. Crom'nen might see this personal side of her as exploitable. Belf'ima knew only compassion for the women. Still in shock, she hesitated for a moment before regaining herself and responding.
No, no. Politics was not my wish. I did not know what to do with my freedom, at first. When Crom'nen offered me a job, I did not intend to have a career. But helping others gain their freedom is somewhat addictive. I assisted Crom'nen by doing research to discover slave rings as well as locations where we might find more of our people. Crom'nen intended to be done with politics and serve in other ways, but when he was called upon to return to the realm of politics, he asked me to come with him. She shrugged. I suppose you might call it destiny.
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Jago
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Affiliation: The Jedi Praxeum of Yavin IV
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Post by Jago on May 24, 2013 8:03:38 GMT -8
" A grand addiction, if ever there was one," Tam smiled at Belf'ima's drive to help the oppressed across the Galaxy.
It was a noble goal. One she could support. The young aide surprised her with each passing word, impressing the Omwati Senator. If only there were a way to coax her away from Rylothian interests, though Tam knew that to do so would be impractical and foolhardy. The young Twi'lek had found her place in the Universe, and that was something in and of itself to respect and be proud of.
" Destiny? My, what a Jedi term to use," she mused, the distaste for the so called Warrior Monks apparent in her tone on the word. Self-entitled usurpers, the lot of them, feeling themselves superior to "ordinary folk" like herself and Belf'ima. It disgusted her, to think that some quasi-mystical power gave anyone the right to tell another how to live their life. The Order should have spent far more time keeping their own members from becoming sociopathic murderers and tyrants than trying to advice The Republic on how to go about its business.
" There is no Destiny, my dear Twi'lek," the senior of the two informed Belf'ima, almost as if a parent imparting a grain of wisdom to her child, " Merely the choices we make, and the actions that follow them."
Destiny. What an ugly concept. Destiny for her died the same day that her pride and joy was ripped away from her in the fires of war. They tried to console her, that the lose had saved countless lives, that the sacrifice was for something greater, but at its core, that's what it was: A Sacrifice. A lamb given up, and for what? So that dissenters and politicians could continue to quibble over a religious faction while millions were slaughtered, and thousands more betrayed their own Galaxy? That was no Destiny, that was no Fate: if it was, to Hell with the Universe from stealing that most precious to her.
The lift finally came to a stop with a soft bell, the doors sliding open silently now that the ride was over. Tam made a soft wave of her hand to Belf'ima, shooing away the unpleasant thoughts of the past for a smile towards a brighter tomorrow.
" After you, dear."
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