Ask Naboo Fields of Gold

[The Gatekeeper]

The royal retreat was located deep within the countryside of Naboo, far from the hustle of the city and located on private land both for security and privacy. Press were not allowed to be on the property and it was hard to come by an invitation either; the current Queen of Naboo had to find a reason to invite you for you to attend the summer home.

Still, several dozen members of the royal guard were on hand and a couple of fighters were ready to be scrambled from the private hanger that had been built into the existing structure so as not to compromise it's facade. It looked as it had always looked even hundreds of years ago, hiding the true extent of the armored structure and the shield generator that had been carefully constructed to take the form of an expressionist statue.

To the mind of the current Queen?

It was all so very unnecessary but Lancer, her head of the guard, insisted. After the attack on Emryc in Theed and the troubles on Tatooine he had managed to convince her that she needed to have more security than before. She had allowed it at the time because he had been insistent but now she was beginning to regret it as there was only so much teasing of Theo she could do before she got bored.

Speaking of Theo, he was the Guard waiting for Emryc to land in the hanger that had been mentioned earlier. He was waiting in a crisply ironed uniform, slightly at attention, as the controllers confirmed Emryc was cleared to land. At confirmation that the young man was arriving, Theo reached into his belt pouch and quickly squirted some breath-freshener.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

While Tatooine had turned out to be a PR headache, the Queen did ultimately get to witness firsthand Emryc’s efforts to build new factories. Supply chain and logistics were being fine tuned and new administrative roles would call for entirely new work for the locals. It all looked glossy, and no one needed to know how closely Emryc was working with the local Hutts to make it all work. It was never going to be easy to gain a foothold on Tatooine without having some sort of ties to the Hutts and criminals that had taken root for centuries.

Emryc was thankful this particular meeting was more private, and Derna had done an excellent job as usual in piloting him over. She was always perfectly happy to either wait in the ship or explore whatever planet they traveled to. As long as she was available when he needed, Emryc didn’t really care.

The half Sephi was dressed sharp as usual in a suit and polished dress shoes. He left the tie off for now, though he did wear his favorite chrono on his wrist. Emryc spotted that familiar guard Theo from Tatooine.

“What compliment have you been asked to pay me today?” He teased the man with a grin. Emryc took a moment to take in sight of the location here. It was certainly nestled away from everything else, and he had only seen it vaguely referenced in historical books. No details about the interior had been revealed.

Emryc focused his attention back on the attractive guard, waiting to be led to the queen. The half Sephi generally spoke more with his eyes than with words, and the silver gaze was piercing as much as it was tinged with amusement.

@Nefieslab

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Theo hadn't been expecting the slightly new look on Emryc's part - it looked like he had stylized his stubble even more and his eyes stood out even more than before. Was the man using make-up to achieve that effort or was it all the result of those flawless cheekbones of his? Getting distracted by such a sight was, usually, something that no Royal Guard would allow but Theo had been selected for a reason... the Queen enjoyed teasing him.

Something Emryc seemed to have picked up as well.

The guard flushed bright red as he realized that he had gotten himself caught up in watching the young politician rather than actually checking him over for weapons or presenting a professional welcome to him. His cheeks aflame, Theo bowed his head to Emryc and tried desperately to get his cheeks to stop acting like storage heater units.

"A-ah Mr Thorne - a pleasure to see you again." he greeted the young man before straightening up and trying to think of a reason why he could run and hide without being rude, failing, and deciding he could just wish for the ground to swallow him up later, "Um... well her Majesty left it up to me this time. She said that, well, that she was sure I had ideas of my own for compliments for you."

If it was alright to have treasonous thoughts inside the safety of his own mind where Lancer wasn't able to hear them? Damn the Queen and her sense of humor! He wouldn't go so far as to say that being told to spend more time with Emryc was bullying but she knew he was grossly under-prepared for something like this. Instead he half-mumbled the compliment that had come to mind as soon as he'd seen the politician.

"... do you mind me asking how it's possible that you, somehow, look even better than the last time we met?"

Kark he was going to get ribbed for this by the Queen for weeks... still, Theo led Emryc through the corridors of the summer palace towards the study that Queen Parnelli had moved to take advantage of the way it opened up onto the lake beyond. Reaching the door to the study, Theo hesitated a little bit before knocking on the doors loudly.

"I think she wants to see you alone so I will be... around outside the doors. Just shout if you need anything Mr Thorne."

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc watched the guard all but turn into a puddle before his eyes. The man was imposing otherwise, which made seeing his face flush red and his body awkwardly fidget in his ornate armor all the more entertaining. The half Sephi politely stared at him, though the grin was back on his face when the guard stammered out a compliment.

“Perhaps you’re taking a much closer look this time?” Emryc watched him freeze up and quickly begin to lead the way. However, the half Sephi remained standing where he was, lazily calling out behind the man, “Aren’t you going to check me for weapons?”

To say that Emryc found this thoroughly entertaining was an understatement. He allowed the guard some measure of dignity by purposely looking off while he was frisked, his perfectly muscled frame layered just beneath the suit. Emryc followed after the guard when it was clear there were no weapons - he only had a comlink and datapad on him.

Emryc flashed him another grin before stepping through the doors. The grin eased off to a more formal visage when he spotted the queen. Instead, he offered her a polite smile upon seeing her. He bowed his head in respect.

"Queen Parnelli," He said as he looked up again, "I'm honored to be here today."

@Nefieslab

 

[The Gatekeeper]

He was.

Theo was definitely taking a much closer look this time around. The last time he'd be distracted and he had been stood out in the heat long enough that stunning an annoying reporter had seemed like the best idea at the time. Now though? There was air conditioning and it was his job to look him over. Wasn't his fault that he was able to enjoy that part of his job, right? Didn't really matter if it was or not, he was still red in the cheeks to a level that he was worried he'd get confused for a particularly nervous tomato.

Check him for weapons?

There was a scanner for just such a purpose by the door but... the look in Emryc's eye seemed to suggest something else and Theo felt his willingness to use the scanner evaporate. Scanner? Oh no, he was going to need to get hands on... in order to provide a thorough and complete search!

"R-right you are, Mr Thorne." Theo agreed, hands shaking slightly as he started to frisk the politician, starting high up on his shoulders and working his way down, "Got to be... thorough and firm - for security of course."

Which was totally why he knelt down to use both hands to squeeze his way up Emryc's left leg from the shin up to the knee before his courage fled. He should check the other man's strong... muscular... thick... thighs for weapons. But he was beginning to think that if anymore blood rushed to his face, he was going to end up fainting. Theo pulled his hands away from Emryc's thighs and he swallowed thickly once.

There was an awful lot of heat going on down here - was it all from his cheeks?

Pulling himself away from Emryc's thighs, Theo tried his best to act the part of the professional Queen's Guard member. He had to escort Emryc to the Queen and not waste time feeling him up, no matter how much he wished he'd had the courage to be even more thorough in his searching. Gods above he needed to get this under control before he got Mr Thorne complaining to the Queen about his conduct!

Though the grin from Emryc did make him worry less about that... though not enough to stop him from slumping against the wall in relief as Emryc stepped into the room without him. Gods he needed some water to cool down his cheeks before he burned up or something.

@Sreeya

 

[Queen Parnelli]

Emilia had decided that today was a day for her to focus on the business that Emryc and his collective could bring to Naboo. It was half the reason why she had swapped her regal dress to a rather more practical suit that she had had tailored to better fit her frame. The other half of the reason was much more practical - the summer palace had air conditioning and a lot of staircases and she really didn't want to be constantly watching the hem of her dress just because she wanted to go for a walk.

Standing beside a large desk that she barely used to actually sit and write at, the Queen turned to greet Emryc with a wide smile and a slight hint of mischief in her eyes. Theo hadn't really been visible from the open doorway for long but she had caught sight of how red his face was. She didn't doubt that Emryc had done his part to tease her poor guard.

"Mr Thorne... Emryc..." she greeted him, crossing the distance between them to meet him by a pair of elegant sofas, a long table between them set up with a variety of refreshments, "In private you may call me Emilia - we know each other well enough to be at least that familiar I should say?"

She would gesture for Emryc to take a seat before seating herself opposite him with a small smile.

"Today is much less about honor and much more about mutual benefit I think we can agree. But first..." she smirked ever so slightly as she raised a teacup to hide the expression with a feigned sip of tea, "I trust your escort carried out my instructions just as well as the last time?"

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

“Emilia,” He liked the way the name rolled off his tongue, “Can’t say I ever thought I’d be on first name basis with the Queen of Naboo,” Emryc said with a smile. He walked over to take the proffered seat. They had met a few times by now to where he began to get a good read on her. Emryc revealed as much as he wished, though he recalibrated his usual stoic persona a bit. He knew his normally withdrawn and detached personality likely wouldn’t gel well.

Emryc watched Emilia raise her cup as she asked her question, catching the faintest hints of smile that she thought he couldn’t catch. The sight drew out a grin of his own, “You show him no mercy, my Queen,” He said simply with a knowing look on his face. Emryc poured himself some tea, glancing down, “I’ve grown fond of tea more since our meetings,” He looked up at her again, “Admittedly it tastes far worse on the backwater planets I normally visit.”

He took a sip from his cup as he leaned back slightly in his seat. Silver eyes were always piercing and calculating. They were parts of him that he couldn’t change or control willingly, and they always came across frosty despite however else his expression appeared.

“You haven’t told me entirely the reason for this particular visit,” He said after a moment, “I confess I’m less prepared than usual.”

@Nefieslab

 

[Queen Parnelli]

Such a pleasant way to hear her own name said - she was glad she had been forward enough to push Emryc to use it. Her political advisors would lecture her about how it was a subtle loss of power in the relationship dynamic they had but she didn't much care. The way he said it made her want to smile so she was glad of it. She laughed a little bit at the follow up about being on first name basis with the Queen of Naboo.

It was true enough that the young man had had quite a whirlwind ride to the top. Unlike some he hadn't been born with any advantages and he had pulled himself up to the same level as those who had in a few short decades of life. She could respect that and found that she did respect the man more than she originally thought she might do.

"Well then I'm sorry I've ruined the mystique around royalty for you." she teased with a sly wink, "I'm afraid you'll have to see me as Emilia rather than as a Queen when in private."

She smirked a little more.

"Only because it pushes him to be more darling - surely you've noticed him growing somewhat more confident?"

Or perhaps that was merely something she saw because she saw him so often? She did wish her little Theo would grow up a little bit more. He was a wonderful guard but so easily thrown whenever anything emotional came up.

"I shall have to send you on your way with a supply of some." she offered, taking another sip before setting her cup down as she moved to more serious matters, "Why, Emryc, today we shall be discussing the very reason you sought me out in the first place."

Her eyes met his own, her own level of craft not quite at his level perhaps but still enough that she was able to play the game well. As much as she had grown fond of Emryc Thorne, she was very aware that he had always had an agenda. Through their meetings she saw little of it but she had seen his others works and drawn her conclusions from the two. Even their first meeting, which she had arranged, seemed in keeping with the plan she had summarized from his actions both with her and outside of their time together.

"To what degree Naboo shall be engaging with your Independent Systems Consortium." she smiled a little bit wider, eyes sparkling with mischief again, "You've done everything but ask yourself, Emryc. Will you do so now?"

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc remained silent for a moment, watching her as he drank from his tea. He had been waiting for her to arrive here, though he was in no rush for when it happened. He did, however, find her approach endearing. She had flipped it back to him, inviting him to ask what he desired. The half Sephi slowly set his tea down and straightened up to address her.

“I wanted you to get a measure of who I am as a man before you decided anything,” He said, “Wanted you to see me in settings outside of just official diplomatic chambers, places where I don’t always put on the persona I would otherwise,” Emryc had been truthful so far, his eyes never shifting from hers.

“I would have you join the ISC,” He said very clearly, not dancing around the topic,“A voice like yours would be integral to driving the cause that underrepresented planets can have a place in the galaxy as well. In turn, your policies and practices of putting the lives of citizens first are virtues I would like to extrapolate across all planets within our borders.”

Emryc offered a smile and added more after a few moments of silence, “Regardless of your answer on the offer, I’d admittedly like to find excuses to keep visiting you, Emilia.”

@Nefieslab

 

[Queen Parnelli]

Emilia idly smiled and reached for her tea cup again, taking a spoon to stir. She didn't have anything within that needed stirring since she had sworn off sugar and had donated the palace's budget for sugary goods and treats to local relief efforts for the virus that was running rampant through the Galaxy. It was true enough, what he was saying. During his appearances in an official capacity he was a lot more focused and a lot, well, colder during those times.

She wasn't naive in any way however, she knew that such a face was necessary when facing political opponents.

"Well I should say you've accomplished that goal rather well, Emryc." she agreed as she took another sip of her tea, "You've presented a lovely face to me. I'd like to think it is truer than the one you show the Senate but, well, I wouldn't be too disappointed if it were a mask made just for me."

If he was showing more of his true self? Wonderful. But she was a big enough girl to realize that politicians were seldom more than a series of masks atop of masks - herself included to an extent. Even if this was just a more personable mask he wore for her, she appreciated it.

But back to the matter at hand.

"Some of the policies of your Consortium are less than ideal." she countered with a small smile, not dancing around the issues she felt either, "It is not an exaggeration to say that you are not merely any elected official, Emryc. Currently you hold a monopoly on power within the Consortium - your current governors are in no position to deny you anything, especially the potentially disgraced former senator... and I am not a woman accustomed to being told that I won't have an actual say, nor will I entertain the idea of that ever changing. Should I join your consortium I will expect some assurances."

Her lips quirked up however even from the most serious of topics. There was something about seeing him again that appealed to her that much was true. Even if nothing ever came of it, it was just so incredibly refreshing to speak to another ruler like they spoke to one another. And if something did ever come of it?

Well she would have to see how the mood took her at the time...

"With the Galactic Senate setting up shop within my city, I think you'll be around often enough." she smirked a little bit, "A reason to come in person rather than send a holo; some things are much better in person after all."

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc’s eyebrows rose at her words, “Then I will have to point out that you are mistaken,” He stated flatly, “It is, indeed, an elected position. It comes from the trust and faith others have placed in me and it’s one I take very seriously. The planetary rulers still have direct authority over their planets and the planets within their sector. I’m wondering from where you’ve been drawing your conclusions and hope you will consider having your advisors cross-check facts before bringing them to you. If a Governor wanted to leave the ISC and they convinced their sector to do so, I can’t stop that. Nor can I mobilize any sort of great military action without a full quorum and the consent of the council.”

It was clear that he hadn’t taken her assumption lightly. His face was lacking in the lighthearted nature that existed there before, his eyes back to being as cold and sharp as they were in the senate chambers. Emryc didn’t like games, and either she was playing them or she genuinely didn’t understand how the ISC operated.

“You will have autonomy as you do now,”He explained, “And will gain an official seat at the Galactic Senate. You will be expected to work with the others within the ISC to help establish trade policies that benefit the Rim Worlds instead of keeping everyone isolated as they are today.”

Emryc managed a faint smile, “But it appears you haven’t truly taken the time to understand how the ISC works to begin with, so I can’t expect you to wish to be a part of it. Regardless, as I have said before, I have enjoyed your company and will be happy to visit when I arrive for Senate meetings if permitted.”

@Nefieslab

 

[Queen Parnelli]

He had taken her words poorly - good.

She was not here to pat him on the back for a job well done and fall meekly in line. Certainly he had done incredibly well and the ideals he had for the ISC were well-intentioned but she was not blind and neither was he. The ISC as it stood right now turned on his word, through the sheer force of his charisma and his work with every member. It was impressive to say the least but it was something she needed to test in him rather than the institution itself.

"Peace, Emryc, peace." she spoke with a soft smile as she set her teacup back down, "I was merely testing your aversion to using your position to advantage only yourself. You are aware, I'm sure, of my planet's own history with men of unparalleled vision and ambition bringing the Galaxy together - and the abuse of said virtues by one man in particular to pervert true governance within the Galaxy as a whole."

Emilia smiled as she looked him in the eyes.

"Right now the ISC only exists because of you. It moves forward because of you - yes, it's members contribute as they always will, but right now it is in a suggestible state. The leaders of every world hang on your every word, inspired by you as they are. So I am not testing if the ISC is suitable for my planet, as it's advantages speak for itself and we would stand to lose virtually nothing by joining. No..." She sighed a little bit, fondly, as she tilted her head to the side slightly, "No I have to test you. I know you as a man and I like you an awful lot; but I need to know you as a political animal as well if you are to be my President."

She leaned forward ever so slightly in her seat, ever so slightly closer.

"And when I tested you? You bristled at the very idea that members of the ISC would have to fall in line with you, that you would take control from them. I do believe I am coming to like you as a political animal quite as much as I like you as a man." she smirked ever so slightly, her eyes darting along him for a split second, "Well - almost as much."

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc’s eyes narrowed slightly to convey his displeasure at games. While he had no overt or aggressive reaction to it, it was clear he had little desire to play. Nevertheless, he humored her as she spoke without interrupting. The tone shift near the end was a surprise he hadn’t anticipated. The Queen proved to be far more complex than he could have calculated for, and it intrigued him in many ways.

His features softened slightly, only just enough. Emryc picked up the cup of tea again and took a sip, looking away briefly, “They do look to me as a leader. I did start this. It needed to be done, there needed to be someone to uphold these values and take appropriate action. There will be times where it appears as if they are falling in line and it will be because I’ve lived what they have lived and I know what to drive forward,”He turned to look at her then, “You know my origins. You know I worked menial jobs to get by. You know I even have some dealings with spice that would be illegal in your world,” Emryc had released controlled dirt on himself into the public - days from when he had been in spice rings as a teenager. However, because he led the narrative on it, there was little that could be done to use it aggressively against him.

“I will always be the loudest voice in the room because I am passionate and that’s who I am. I’m passionate in every aspect of my life that I grow to care for,” His gaze lingered on hers for a few moments before he looked away down at his tea, “I’m hoping with you joining me, I won’t have to be that voice alone. You are far more well versed at this than I am,” Emryc glanced up with almost a sheepish grin on his face, “I was driving clients around to parties while you were receiving critical political thinking lessons. There is a lot that the ISC and I can learn from you, Emilia. You would be its most powerful ally and help fundamentally change how the rest of the galaxy looks at Rim worlds.”

@Nefieslab

 

[Queen Parnelli]

He wasn't pleased with her for her deception and she would not hold that against him, naive as she believed that made him. Certainly wise in the ways of the Galaxy but naive in terms of politics if he found such tactics used against him to be displeasing enough to show. Masks were required when dealing with politics on a Galactic scale, unfortunately, but she was certain that she could shore up those seldom-seen cracks.

Perhaps he only reacted in such a way because it had come from her? A thought that was not at all displeasing nor, in her humble opinion, entirely without basis. It was sweet to think that the handsome, willful, Emryc Thorne had taken a liking to her - something straight out of one of the teen romance novels she had tried to get Valeska into when she was younger. Before she was whisked away from her sister more and more in the name of duty.

Still, she smiled as she focused on Emryc, on the way he spoke with such understated passion even now. Did he know, she wondered, just how magnetic he was? The way he looked her in the eyes when the thought crossed her mind assured her that, yes, he most certainly did. A mischievous smirk tugged at the edge of her lips.

My how dangerous he was indeed.

"Emryc I don't lack for passion myself for the right cause, and yours has my full support." she assured him with that same smirk, "I do not believe it to be an exaggeration when I say this so, please, take a moment to fully embrace it and understand it because I will only say it aloud once..."

Emilia leaned in a little closer, eyes still firmly on Emryc's own as she spoke privately, intimately, in a near whisper.

"You are going to change the Galaxy, Emryc Thorne. Not just a sector or a rim or even a Consortium - but the entire Galaxy. And I want to be there when you do."

She leaned back and sat naturally once more with a more pleasantly contented smile than her previous smirk.

"Emryc I do believe that Naboo will be joining your Consortium today, unofficially, and as soon as the more formal documents are signed to make it official."

@Sreeya