Open Galactic Senate Talky Talky Time

[The Storyteller]

Open to all members of the Galactic Senate​

Chaos had descended upon the Galaxy since the last time the Galactic Senate fully convened. The rise of the Killik threat has taken much of the Galaxy's time and effort to contain but after some narrow victories it was once again for the great Governments of the Galaxy to meet and discuss its future. This sessions speaker had been chosen from the ranks of the New Republic, being that today they were due to convene in the Government's capital world of Coruscant A portly Gungan by the name of Pallu.

The great heff of a creature stood up from his seat, the strain and effort evident in his face as he waddled forward towards the microphone. “P-p-p-peoples, of our G-Great Senate. Please, take your Seatsss. The f-first topic will be called in ten minutes.”

 

[Ceris Odrosess]

A couple of years have flown by since the last time Ceris stepped foot on Coruscant. It was refreshing to be back. From the bustling city streets, intricate night life, diverse crowds, to the occasional smell of garbage and sewage that leaked from the lower levels. Due to the death of the previous chancellor, and the attack on Jakku which injured Chancellor Xerses, it was obvious that security needed to be improved; Ceris was here to take care of that.

All visitors were to be thoroughly scanned and inspected before entering, regardless of who they were or were from. Soldiers would stand posts all throughout the building and outside. Everything within 50 miles was completely shut down. "Hey!" Ceris exclaimed to one of the guards "Stop fiddling with your thumbs and pay attention." The soldier immediately straightened himself away as Ceris continued to patrol around. Was the security a bit too tight? Sure, but god forbid would she let anything even come close to happening.

 

[Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl]

Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl arrived, waiting somewhat impatiently while he and his aides- a couple of Wookiees, a human, and a Miralukan- passed through the increased security on their way to the Senate chambers and up to their assigned pod. The Senator from Kashyyyk would've preferred to join via holocall in order to avoid a potential repeat of the events of Ruusan, but it was important that he be physically present in order to show the galaxy that the FWA was not intimidated by the Sith.

Although Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl had fought hard to keep the Sith from gaining membership in the Galactic Senate, the silver lining was that the Sith were about to find out the hard way how truly awful these Senate meetings could be... the thought was almost enough to make the old Wookiee smile.

Almost.

 

[Victoria]

Victoria arrived early, not long after Aezz in the hope to avoid any last minute rush into the senate chamber. There were a wide range of topics to discuss and one in particular that she planned to raise herself, likely in the latter part of the day. A boring day of office politics would be a breath of fresh air compared to the events that occurred on Ruusan, a sinister event that still haunted her any time she saw a bug.

Taking her time to get a real view of the chamber before making her way down to her assigned seat, Victoria could only hope the substantive work for the day would be as promising as it sounded.

 

[Sandé A Veruna]

She had never intended her attendance at the Galactic Senate to become frequent. Yet, as she walked in and assumed her place in the Naboo delegation pod within the Consortium's 'seats', Sandé felt a sinking feeling that these tedious meetings would rapidly become a fixture in her life.

Nobody had warned her that being Queen could become dull.

Sandé was well dressed for the occasion, as ever was the case. An overdress of purple, with hand-embroidered hem and cuffs, showcased the best of Naboo's craftsmanship. A tunic, worn beneath the overdress, was set in violet; a collar projected upwards on either side of her neck, making it challenging for her to move her neck quickly. She had braided her hair into four sections, a beaten copped headband supplanting her brow to signify her position as Monarch.

Behind her stood a single red-robed handmaiden, whilst a Senatorial attache from the Naboo Diplomatic Corp positioned themselves to her right. A young man, fresh from the academy and still filled with the youthful delight of politics - of 'doing something', he was barely into his twentieth year.

She smiled as she listened to the speaker, a native of her homeworld, call the chamber to order, and request that everyone take their seats. Palla appeared nervous, and the Queen could understand why. With the recent disturbances at similar events, security was tight, and Palla was ultimately the one who would answer for any failures. Even her security chief, a dour-looking man from the Naboo royal guard, had been hesitant about her attending in person.

Yet, she had insisted. It would not do the image of the Naboo any good for their Queen to be seen hiding away from the Galaxy's woes. Finally, however, after a great deal of haggling, she had agreed with her team that the royal yacht would be kept on standby in the Senate landing bay, with a wing of N-1 fighters and a detachment of guards ready in case she needed a quick escape route.

Sandé felt her guard captain should have a little more faith in the Senate's new security regime. She took her seat in the pod and waited for the proceedings to commence.

 

[Sibyl Lassiter]

While she walked toward her pod in the Senate building of Coruscant, Sibyl contemplated how strange it was for her to be back at this place. The Brentaalan never thought that she was going to return after Brentaal had decided to join the ISC. She had so many memories about her time working here.

“What are you thinking?” Dongwa, her faithful protocol droid, asked. “You seem to be deep in thought since we arrived.” he wasn’t wrong, the Governor really was thinking about several things. Mostly being how the Senate of Coruscant stayed the same after several years.

“Nothing in particular. I’m only admiring the Senate, it has been so much time since we were there.” if it wasn’t for the new dress that she was wearing, Sibyl would have thought that she was back at the session that elected Emil as Chancellor. “The only thing that changed was that it doesn’t have the smell of wet dog, now that Ro is dead.”

When she entered her pod, Sibyl noticed that the Senile Senator of Kashyyyk (@SlagathorTheUnknown), SSK to make things short, had also arrived. She refused to even think about his name. It was so absurdly long and difficult to say that even her brain refused to do it. “Unfortunately it seems that we are going to have another smelly thing here, this time a dirty wet carpet.” she whispered to Dongwa, while her pod started to move toward the others of the ISC.

Sibyl wondered if something interesting was going to happen during this session. By revising the topics of the day, she saw that there was one proposed by the Sith. Maybe with it the members of the FWA and Empire would try to kill each other during the session. It would be glorious if half of the members of these two groups ended up falling down from their pods during it. The wet carpet could even be among them.

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

Charlotte had never attended a Galactic Senate session before. By all accounts they were dreadfully boring, but she was tired of being spoken for. The same old voices, shouting the same old concerns. If there was one thing said about Charlotte Le’Anna…she was dramatic. There would be a little extra spice this time around.

The Queen Mother strolled into the Senate chamber looking extremely professional. She was flanked by her Chume’doro. All putting on a very good show of seeming tough and scary. Well, they actually were tough and scary. Her Royal Guard were trained second to none. Charlotte smiled. Yes…this was the appropriate tone. A position of strength from which to appear. She slowly took her place on the Free World side. That beaming smile still on her face. Her gaze flipping around the room. Yes. She was going to enjoy herself.

 

[Galek Ordalos]

It had been quite a while since Galek had last stepped foot on Coruscant, and it was only for the latest session of the Galactic Senate that the Induparan bothered at all to make the journey to the capital of the Core. Despite their routine nature, he knew that this session in particular had the potential for fireworks - not least of all due to the new members from the Empire. After all, much had occurred since the institution had last convened. The Kilik’s had emerged as a dire threat to the Galaxy, Galek himself had been elevated to Vice President of the Consortium, and a ceasefire had been agreed to - and promptly broken - between the Jedi, FWA and Sith.

Not that he particularly cared about the latter issue. As consistently as the sun rose in the morning, the two governments found ways to trade blows with one another - and the Consortium was only better off for it.

Galek arrived not long before the session was scheduled to behind - stepping out of his private speeder and proceeding to make the short walk into the chamber. He was flanked two aides on either side, one of which was in the process of reading the agenda from a datapad in her hands. The Induparan walked with both hands clasped against the small of his back, the scent of his signature cologne permeating the path he walked.

As per usual, he was dressed to the nines - adored in a embroidered, gold Sherwani with a crimson dupatta draped across his shoulder. His black hair was neatly combed into place and his beard trimmed, while his outfit was accessorized with a chrono and an assortment of rings that glittered on his fingers.

It didn’t take long for Galek to find his Senate Pod nestled amongst the rest of the ISC delegation - taking his place amongst his peers. As he sank into his seat, the Induparan gestured for the datapad and promptly swiped to his own two proposals for the Senate, hazel eyes flicking across the contents once again. With any luck, the session would prove to be more substantive than the last.

@Braden

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

Jasnah felt more alive than she ever had. She had finally made it, no longer sitting in the back taking notes for the fools who thought themselves good enough to actually be where she was now. But here she was, not only given a seat at the table, but actually presenting a proposal of her own. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this buzzed, it was like being on spice, or like the time she had stepped up to randomly perform with Altair. But that had been his stage, and she had been tagging along. This though, this was her stage, and she had finally made it.

She got a few weird looks, and a few polite nods as she made her way towards her pod, but on the whole people mostly ignored her. Sure, this was an important day for her, but to everyone else she was still very much a nobody. A small fish, in a very big pond. What she did today would cement opinions, and she had every intention of creating a good first impression. Not because she cared what they thought about her, but because in this game of thrones she could use what they thought about her. It held power, and she wanted power.

 

[Trina Kalist]

While she had made appearances in Senate sessions before, she had never attended an official Galactic Senate gathering before. Despite the nerves, her outward appearance presented nothing but confidence. She wore an elegant dress and respectfully nodded to everyone in the room, flashing a warm smile. If she had any reservations about Sith being in the room, she certainly didn’t show it.

Trina made her way over to the New Republic section of the chambers, taking a seat near where her fellow Senators would sit. A quick glance told her that the ISC President was already present, though he tended to be quieter during these meetings. She reminded herself to greet Galek Ordalos and congratulate him on the appointment to Vice President.

For now she looked over the agenda items, keeping to herself.

 

[Yominne Brigairid]

While technically not a governor or senator, Yominne was still a Sith politician; and more for her own political agenda, she had deemed it necessary to show up at the Galactic Senate. Governor Di of Glee Anselm had mysteriously reported in sick; so sick in fact, that she was unable to pull herself together enough to make it to the Galactic Senate. Yominne graciously volunteered to fill her place. She took a little satisfaction at the "Ambassador Brigairid" in small, typed letters on the roster of attendance she had pulled up on her datapad. She saw many other bigger, more well-known names, but did not let it deter her.

Looking at her datapad, Yominne saw Di had a few items regarding trade and other items she had wanted to bring up, but Yominne had already done her research and concluded that Di's "agenda" was corrupt. She figured for this meeting she would merely sit back and observe; chiming in when she felt necessary.

Yominne arrived at the Senate building on Coruscant with her assistant droid, N2, in tow. A pair of security guards followed behind her as she made her way to the pod designated for Glee Anselm in the section with other Sith representatives. She got many strange and confused looks; the other Sith politicians had been expecting to see Di, and Yominne could tell that they were already judging her. She wore a light pink dress that hugged her figure and matched the ends of her head-tails, which she had not tied back.

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

One day the headaches would go, possibly when this war was over and the constant pressure of the New Republic crashing down upon his lonely shoulders. But until then they persisted, as did the vertigo, fainting and seizures. Luckily the later two had only taken places in private away from the masses of the people and the press and only a select few knew the ailments of the New Republic Chancellor. Alexander pulled a small bottle from the inside of his jacket, medication for his seizures and threw back the liquid, it was sour, thick and clung to the back of his throat.

“Whiskey.” He said, snapping his fingers at the nearby server. A moment later a glass was placed into his hand. If anyone wanted to say anything they didn't, they had seen the toll the Chancellorship had taken on the man, his weight had dropped the more prominent lines of his face evident for all close to see. Bags constantly hung under his eyes hidden from the public by layers of expertly placed makeup by his team. And his temper had vastly increased along with the illness, yet there were none within the Republic who could or would take the seat he sat in. Fear that the Republic would collapse if he left kept him and all those around him from suggesting he leave.

A silent signal told him it was time for him to make his appearance. His private chambers under the main senate room allowed him quick and easy access into the chamber proper. Unlike a Republic meeting, he did not take the central pod, instead one collected him from the bottom and raised him up to the mid row, in line with the portly speaker. Alexander gave the man a nod before he settled back into his chair. This unlike the previous Senate gathering was not about his desires to change the galaxy, no they would come in time.

 

[Arcturus Alkaios]

Arcturus Alkaios, the Sith Governor of New Alderaan would be attending this meeting. Things on New Alderaan are running smooth. Wheels in motion, always moving. It is time, the first formal/regular Galactic Senate the Governor has attended was the irregular, informal emergency meeting regarding the Killiks.

Speaking of that, the issue of the ceasefire being broken needs to be addressed. It will be addressed in time. The rest of the agenda looks like it's all trivial mundane affairs besides that, although there is the resolution regarding Thyferra and anti-Killik research to consider.

The Governor would be in his pod where the other Sith representation would be situated. With his golden eyes, he would look upon the others that have gathered so far, waiting for the session to start. Arcturus will be biding his time. Arcturus has seen some of the other senators in action in the meeting chambers before, familiar with some especially a certain walking carpet. Maybe there will be new voices, older ones that will speak up.

Arcturus is ready.

 

[Alyrra Adasca]

Alyrra Adasca arrived to her first official meeting as the senator of Arkania, hands clasped reverently in front of her, and dressed stunningly. For this occasion, she was adorned in light silken fabrics, dyed with the most expensive lavenders to be found in the New Republic. She also wore her mother and grandmother's rings on her fingers, a good luck charm in a place where good luck rarely abounded. But though she dressed loudly, she spoke more softly still.

First meetings are for observance, her grandmother was fond of reminding her. Take in everything, let no detail escape your gaze, no words escape your hearing. Through seeing and listening, you might find words to say.

Her grandmother's wisdom had always been cryptic, but rarely did it miss the mark. Lyra took her pod quietly, without remark, glancing over the day's agendas. She had barely any time to introduce herself to her New Republic colleagues, but perhaps that was for another day. The Galactic Senate was for grander matters, and if her information was correct, the nature of today's meeting was particularly serious.

Now, more than ever, she would have to lean on her grandmother's wisdom and trust that the old woman's foresight would see her through.

 

[Ryssa Kalayli]

As Ryssa made her way into the Senate building, the layers of extra security didn’t escape her. It was just as well, considering the growing threat of the Killiks. No one wanted something like Ruusan to be repeated. She walked through the scanners followed by an aide, ready and looking forward to the day’s events.

After greeting a couple familiar faces in the hall, ISC or not, she would head to her assigned pod in the main senate chamber. Many of the other delegates were already here, looking as elegant and proper as such a meeting warranted. For her, she had a white and gold embroidered dress.

It was strange to think about how the last time she’d seen some of the beings here, they had been running for their lives on Ruusan. But there were other things on the agenda today that spanned more than the bugs, and she was more than willing to discuss those proposals too.

 

[Amira Din]

This was the first time Amira Din had set foot in Republic Space since its Supreme Chancellor, newly elected at the time, debarred all Sith and Jedi from its borders. She probably never would have returned, simply on principle, if it weren't for the congregation of the Galactic Senate. Today they reconvened in person, for the first time since the events of Ruusan, and were joined by Sith delegates. That was also a first. The Sith sat amongst them now, allowed to walk the halls and enter the chamber alongside senators and governors from all three major branches of government.

No longer the ugly ogre the galaxy turned a blind eye to, too hideous to be beheld with the naked eye. No longer he bogeyman that parents warned their children of, the ineffable monster only spoken of in hushed tones and behind closed doors in the hopes that it would retreat back into the darkness from where it came. Today, in this chamber, they were equals. They had a voice. A vote. It was a start. A big start, and the Sith did not intend to squander it. Amira wasn't the only Sith presence here today, and her amber eyes passed over her colleagues when she arrived.

She only recognized one (@The Good Doctor ), the Senator of New Alderaaan. As soon as her gaze landed on him it did not stray. Amber eyes remained fixed on the man, swirling with a rage that the other Sith would be familiar with, given his profession, were he not preoccupied. Amira had not forgotten the face of the man that had abandoned her at the first sign of danger on Ruusan, and it wasn't in her nature to forgive. She lurched forward, and then, remembering where she was, threw herself into her assigned pod instead, teeth grinding against each other. He would have to wait, for now.

The Tieflingwore a sleeveless black and white jumpsuit, an outfit she had chosen because it allowed her arm to move freely. The skin above her right elbow was still bandaged, where tissue had been burned all the way down to the bone. She was fortunate that it had not completely severed, fortunate that she had made it off of Ruusan alive. Had it not been for Altair and Soleil she probably wouldn't have. These same politicians, that shouted their virtues from the highest spires of Coruscant while indulging in every vice known to mankind away from the eyes of the public and the press, that believed themselves to be the conscious and saviors of the galaxy, never would have stopped to pull her from the wreckage or help her to a waiting shuttle.

In her left hand she gripped a small black clutch, a flask of Cheedoan whiskey tucked inside. Even though she was looking forward to the day's proceedings, she had a feeling that she would need a pick-me-up. Between the Consortium senator ( @LouJoVi ) dressed like Big Bird and the speaker that spoke as if he were a spluttering cat, it wouldn't take much for today's proceedings to spiral downward into the comical. She would have found the man's spit radius impressive had the proximity of Arcturus Alkaios not put her in a foul mood.

 

[The Storyteller]

Mostly everyone had arrived, as always there would be a few stragglers shuffling late into the room, but that did not matter to Pallu. This was his time, his moment to shine in the Galactic forum of politics. A big fat grin spread across his face as he once again pulled his bulk to the floor. Most of the lights around the great cavaneress room dimmed, apart from the light that shines down upon the Speaker. Adding grandeur to the occasion, this was it.

“Gr-r-reatings, my Comeradesss. The f-f-first topic, today is brought by our es-s-stemmed, colleague Govenour…” A cough broke through the Gungan’s speech. It was loud and forceful causing the man to falter before looking in its direction.

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

Alexander sighed as the portly Gungan stood up, his selection as the New Republic’s choice of Speaker was a political gain. Pallu had supported Alexander’s military reforms, the price of such was his seat in the middle of this great room. But the Gungan annoyed him, his slurred and slow speech quickly advanced down Alexander’s patience and threatened to tip off the edge, along with the big man’s body.

Plus there was more important things to discuss than human trafficking and trade taxiation. He doubted half the people within the room cared about either subject, they were here to talk about war. That’s all politics was, war on the verbal front. As Pallu began his immensely irritating introduction, Alexander stood up, through the darkened room only those closest to his pod would see his thin form hover next to his microphone. A raise of the hand and one of the chamber’s monitors activated his microphone. Raising his hand to his mouth he let out a loud cough which caught the Speakers attention.

The Gungan turned to look at him, a moment later the lights around his pod lit up. “Gracious Speaker, thank you for your introduction to this meeting. However, excuse me Speaker, Governour Vanguard, but I believe we have more pressing matters that should be brought forward to the senate chamber today, whilst we are all still fresh, awake and wholly within our senses.” He began with a grin towards the speaker and a polite nod towards Governor Vanguard.

Raising his voice took effort in his strained state but he pushed through that pain, allowing it to fuel his vigour and zeal. “Both the Sith Empire and the Free World Alliance have today, brought to the table accusations of who broke the ceasefire. A ceasefire I remind all here, was agreed on unanimously by all members of this great chamber.” Alexander turned his finger raised pointing towards all edges of the room before continuing.

“So I, along with members of the New Republic Senate and citizens of our Government and, well quite frankly all free sentient life within this Galaxy demand an answer! An answer as to who broke this peace, and freely chose to make war?

To make war whilst every man, woman and child within our borders and beyond, lives with the threat of the Killik’s hanging over their heads. Chose to turn the blasters, starships and soldiers away from that front and onto their own.

We. The people in this house, the people of Coruscant, of the New Republic, the people of the Consortium, the Alliance, the Empire and beyond, demand to know who chose petty ambition over the safety, prosperity and freedom of the entire Galaxy! And to bring justice to those who threaten those rights and ideals.”

 

[Jasnah Atreides]

Jasnah couldn't say she was surprised when the Republic Chancellor spoke up and asked for a shift in the order of business for the session. After all, this was the key matter at hand. The star attraction, the reason everyone had dialed in. Well, she was glad for it. More eyes on her, more opportunity to make sure no one forgot who she was once this day was over.

"Honorable speaker," she interjected as she got to her feet, her pod's mic switching on as her pod rose up so that everyone could see who spoke, "Mr. Chancellor, the Sith Empire is more than willing to answer any and all question you might have regarding the breach in the cease-fire this very body had agreed upon. I am sure our friends in the Free Worlds have their own interpretation of things, but that is all it is, an interpretation. It is not the truth. The truth is that the Jedi, and only the Jedi, were responsible for this breach in the cease-fire, and the Sith were forced to respond to defend our own."

She pressed a button on her console, and an image would pop up of a conflict on Nixor, showing a Sith and Jedi facing each other.

"The Free Worlds will tell you that the Sith attacked Nixor, that it was this act of aggression that broke the cease-fire. But there is much wrong with that statement. Let's start with the simple fact that Nixor is a neutral world, and the Sith in question was there in breach of no treaty between the Jedi and the Sith. Yet it was a Jedi," the image would zoom in, showing the face of the late Councilor Fynn Tarrell. "who came to pick a fight, and fight they did. Yet, if this was a breach of the cease-fire, there was no response from the Jedi. Was anyone in this body informed of this incident? Was anyone asked to step in and intervene? This was one Sith, one message to the Empire was all it would take to ask if a breach of the cease-fire was the intent behind his presence on Nixor. Yet, we heard nothing from the Jedi," at this point she turned to look at the Free Worlds representative who had put up the counter proposal, "nor from anyone in the Free Worlds."

She would click another button, and the image would chance to show the interior of a Star Destroyer orbiting Dantooine, showing a resistance fighter boarding and attacking the Sith vessel. "Soon after there was a resistance attack on an Imperial vessel in orbit above Dantooine. No neutral world, no questionable motive, a simple attack on the Empire. Were it not for the ill planned nature of this attack, who knows how many lives might have been lost? And it didn't stop there."

She clicked once more, and this time the image moved to Mustafar, showing the same resistance fighter leading an attack. "A second attack, see something familiar? The same man, once more leading a blatant attack against an Imperial facility. And, he wasn't alone." She clicked, and the image showed two Jedi, and zoomed in one of them to show a familiar face.

"This is Fynn Tarrell, he accompanied the resistance fighters who attacked Mustafar. Fynn Tarrell, the same Jedi who was present on Nixor, the same Jedi who had a connection with the resistance cell that attacked Dantooine, and till his death during the attack on Mustafar, a member of the Jedi Council." She paused, to let that revelation sink in, to let it marinate. "Three instances of aggression since the cease-fire came into effect, and a Jedi Councilor was linked to all three. The Empire did not seek this, we did not invite the repeated attacks against us. It was the Jedi, acting under the purview of their Council, that broke this cease-fire."

 

[Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl]

Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl had been surprised when he'd seen the Supreme Chancellor in person- clearly, Alex's physical health had deteriorated since Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl had last seen him on Ruuzan, and the Wookiee was beginning to wonder if his mental capacity had, as well. No, that wasn't it; Alexander Xeres had made a career out of pretending to speak for everyone else, and he was about to find out that there were other voices outside of whatever echo chamber the New Republic was these days.

"Chancellor Xeres, you may be accustomed to speaking for the whole of the New Republic, but do not presume to speak for the entire galaxy" Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl said, eyes narrowing as the man claimed to give voice to humanoids far outside his borders. "There are other representatives in the room" he added, drily.

"This meeting may be on New Republic soil, but the honorable Speaker runs this meeting; not you." The Wookiee wouldn't put it past the Supreme Chancellor to have appointed someone he knew he could push around, and to take full advantage of being on New Republic soil in the process. "The topic of the ceasefire is later on the agenda; the first agenda item is to be presented by Governor Vanguard." (@Charles @Braden) This blatant breach of protocol made the whole thing feel like a political stunt, and Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl couldn't see the ISC liking the fact that not one but two of their proposals had been blatantly skipped.