[Senators only] Gathering Allies

[MasterTyvokka]

Suh stood at the in the beautiful foyer of his grand estate on the coast of Chandrila's ocean. The foyer was full of a myriad of blues and aquas, bringing the ocean into Suh's home. Hanging from the ceiling of the two story foyer hung a large chandelier imported from Mon Cala and made of glass in hundreds of shades of blue and aqua all arranged in a stunning manner. The esate was not like most costal estates, either built on a cliff overlooking the ocean or along a beach. Suh's estate was built partly over the ocean; fitting more a Mon Calamarian. A hall led off from the foyer an into the main public living and entertaining rooms. The main room had a transperisteel floor and reefs and fish could be seen underneath ones feet. The other room had a large buffet table laid out with a bar along one side.

Suh had made sure to turn down the humidity so that none of his guest would feel too uncomfortable. He greeted each guest as they entered and beckoned them into the main room from which pleasant and live music drifted. Milling about in the main room were a number of waiters and waitresses ready to attend to the guests' every need. Once everyone arrived Suh would join his guest in the main room.

 

[Green Ranger]

Senator Malmourral of Dathomir was one of the first of the guests to arrive. Entering the foyer dressed from neck to toe in a deep crimson, full-length dress inlaid with luminescent patterns invoking the arcane designs of her homeworld, she held a similarly designed satchel in one hand. Her white mane of hair was worn in its usual style - swept back and draped behind her shoulders, highlighting her distinguished features and strong jawline. As she approached the Mon Calamari ambassador, she lowered her head in a slight bow bow, her lips curving into a polite, yet diplomatic smile as she approached.

"Ambassador, I must confess, I find myself once again...impressed with the demonstration of your people's appreciation of the art of nature," she said, an eyebrow raising slightly as she gave the Mon Calamari a coy smile. "Tell me, is it in the nature of the Mon Calamari to spare no expense on every endeavor they pursue, or is such a display merely for the benefit of the Senate?"

 

[Aren Krass]

Senator Aren Krass of Corellia stepped inside the doorway to Suh's home, glancing around as he did. Preferring sleeker harsher designs himself, he was still impressed by the near organic curvature of the home and everything within it, as well as the aquatic blue-greens that colored the home. He took off his long coat and hung it beside the door before continuing into the home. Aren heard Senator Malmourral's comment and spoke up,

"I too have to agree. The scenery couldn't be better either. I have to thank you for adjusting your humidity settings. As someone who has been to Mon Calamari myself and experienced the natural conditions there, your thoughtfulness for our comfort is much appreciated."

 

[Malmourral [old]]

"Ha! Speak for yourself, Senator Krass," Malmourral replied, turning her head to acknowledge the arrival of the Corellian. Her violet eyes flickered with a hint of playfulness as she assessed the man - a hard and somewhat gruff exterior, to be sure, though it was somewhat lessened by his light frame and wearied eyes, and though their heights seemed not too far apart, the height of the woman's heels left her somewhat towering over him. "A little humidity is vastly superior to the dry air of Dathomir, I can assure you."

"Alas, it seems I will have to make do with settling for a drink," she said, sighing with a slight air of melodrama as she waved one of the servers over to her. The young Mon Calamari woman lightly balanced a tray of champagne flutes, and with one hand the Senator took one of the glasses. She leant forward slightly to the server, keeping her gaze on the woman's large eyes. "Fifteen credits if you return with a neat gin for me," she said, her voice low and soft, yet with an edge of authority, before flashing the young girl a light-hearted smile.

 

[Tan Prestor]

Probably a Rim-World, he thought has he read the name of the Ambassadors home-planet. He tried to hide a smirk as he stepped into the room, spying several of his Senatorial associates already here. Malmoural, he noticed first, a freak to say the least, he chuckled inwardly, but Hell maybe that does it for some people, he added mentally, giving her a once over as he walked over to a Senator more in-tune to his own way of thinking.

''Krass, buddy!'' he said, taking the mans hand and slapping him on the back ''Hows life on that industrial sinkhole of yours?'' he joked, for that 'Industrial Sinkhole' was the envy of many Republic Worlds. Finally, as he took a drink from the passing waiter, he turned his attention to the Ambassador for Mon Cala, the confusion clear upon his face.

''Senator Tan Prestor, Hapes Consortium.'' he offered by way of greeting. ''So, Mon Cala - never heard of it. Tell me more?'' he said brashly, caring little for the offence he may have caused.

OOC: As a note, I love you all. My dude is just a massive douche.

 

[Aren Krass]

Aren issued a chuckle at the woman's words. "I've never had the fortune of visiting Dathomir, I may have to make a journey there soon. As someone who can hardly stand a hot humid day in Coronet, I appreciate a drier, cooler environment." He too offered his credits to the servant and requested a Corellian ale, a beverage he had grown to love while growing up on the core planet.

He shifted his attention to Tan Prestor as he entered the room "Ah Tan, how lovely for you to show up." He pursed his lips into a witty smile and fashioned his reply "Life on the sinkhole is well. We still clear a higher GDP in the darkest slum of Coronet than you do in the entire Consortium."

He watched as Prestor moved on to introduce himself to the Mon Calamari and resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the man's bluntness.

 

[Adèle-Luisa Palliser]

Adèle was taking in the sights, she usually rarely leaves the Core and even then, only for small sojourns to some of the more wealthy planets. Yet it goes without saying that she would not do her research on the world. Mon Cala, is, without a doubt a beautiful world and she finds the style of their buildings to be inspired.

Dressed in this, wonderful dress, she walks in with authority just as her son-in-law goes to talk with the senator of Corellia and their gracious host in his usual crass manner, one that he created to hide his quick mind. With a sigh she calls out in a loud clear voice. "Our dear Prestor, We ask that you show some semblance of respect to Our gracious host and fellow Senator*." With that she turns to the Senator of Corellia and with a light smile, she says this. "We ask your forgiveness, his tongue generally out-paces his tact."

"We have heard much about Dathomir and wonder if the rumours are true? Perhaps we can discuss your home in detail later in the evening?" She cocks her head slightly to the side and raises a single eyebrow. Finally she turns to the host and does a curtsey, "We have the pleasure of being Archduchess Adèle of Castermaine, Senator of Kuat and We are truly pleased to attend this gathering and we hope to discuss with you many things about this wonderful world that you call home."

(OOC: *Kuati Nobles use royal pronouns to refer to themselves).

 

[Malmourral [old]]

"You'll have to be a little more specific, Senator Palliser," Malmourral said, taking a sip of her champagne, and taking a moment to process just how god awful the wine was. Why on earth would an aquatic world serve drinks fermented from grapes, she wondered. If she didn't know better, she'd have to guess that the Mon Calamari had contacted the Supreme Chancellor's office for recommendations of an appropriate vintage - not entirely the wrong move to make, but still a rookie mistake. Zeltronians' appreciation for fine wines was...sub-par at best - due to their unique biology, the species usually just graded the quality of a drink on two criteria - the first being how sweet it was, and the second being the alcohol content. Unsurprisingly, the wine was less of a champagne and more..well, Moscat mixed with ethanol came to mind, but then the Senator considered that the description didn't quite do this particular vintage justice.

Still, such events required a certain degree of protocol, and so Malmourral continued to hold her drink and appear to enjoy it, though her thoughts wandered to the young server and, hopefully, the gin she would bring to the Senator upon her return. However, there were more pressing matters, and the flow of conversation at such parties was vital, lest Malmourral accidentally offend one of the many representatives of the Senate. "This is Chandrila, after all...and I'm sure you're well aware of just how much the Senate seems to appreciate...shall we call it idle speculation?" She said, flashing a polite smile at the Kuati Senator.

 

[MasterTyvokka]

"It’s a pleasure Senator" Suh said returning the senator's bow, his voice characteristically gravelly sounding. "Thank you. It is in our nature to do our very best at what we set out to do. If that means there is a need to spare no expense, then so be it. But I would be lying if said there were no political motives." Suh chuckled as he lowered his voice a bit for the last part and returned Malmourral's smile as best he could given his anatomy; it showed more in his eyes than anything else.

Suh then turned to his next guest who had just entered. Suh round eyes caught site of the Senator of Corellia. "I am glad I could make things more comfortable for you, welcome to my home. I hope you enjoy yourself tonight."

The arrival of Tan Prestor caught Suh's attention. Suh and heard of the Senator's crassness and he wasn't caught completely off guard by the bluntness of his question. He was however slightly offended but he had enough political savvy to hide it. "Welcome. Mon Cala is a beautiful water world far on the outer rim. But I will not boar you with the details of our history. Oh, I almost forgot, I made sure to stock the finest of Hapan's liquors for your enjoyment."

Another guest had arrived and Suh turned to great her. "Archduchess it is a pleasure to meet you. I hope you are doing well. I would be happy to tell you about my homeworld. For now I must be a good host but when I can get away from my duties I shall come and find you. Please enjoy the refreshments." Suh turned back to the door to await the arrival of other guest. He would wait a little while and if no one else arrived he would join his guests in the main room.

 

[Adèle-Luisa Palliser]

Senator Palliser gives the Senator of Dathomir a slightly apologetic smile before turning to their host. "That will make us glad."

She turns back to the Senator from Dathomir. "Well, mostly we were wondering about your stance on the Border Alliance. Rumours reached our ears that the leadership of your planet did not wish to join and it is a known fact that you were amongst the last to join. We are simply wondering why this was so? Perhaps we can find a table and discuss this in comfort?" She cocks her head slightly to the side and raises an eyebrow.

(@Green Ranger)

 

[Malmourral [old]]

"It's no rumor, dear," Malmourral replied with a smile. "Dathomir has been quite vocal about this in the past...but I will sate your curiosity. Please, join me," she said, turning her head and nodding towards the Mon Calamari. "Ambassador, I do hope you will be able to join us later. Don't spend the entire evening in the doorway - the air outside can be quite unforgiving after dark, even to those of us who are used to it." Not waiting to see if any joined her aside from the Kuati Senator, the Senator invited the rest of the gathering party to join her in the main room with a sweep of her arm.

As the pair walked along the hall, Malmourral began to continue the previous discussion with the the Kuati. "To be perfectly honest with you, Senator, the truth of the matter is that Dathomir only aligned ourselves with the Border Alliance for purely economic reasons. Perhaps before the rise of the Old Sith Empire we would have had more options, but the Republic never truly recovered from the last war. Many neighboring systems still remain distrustful of the Republic and never rejoined the Senate, and so Dathomir has vastly limited trade options in these modern times. In order to ensure our continued prosperity in these troubled times, we came to the realization that we would have to align ourselves with the Border Alliance, in order to maintain a positive diplomatic and economic relationship with our neighbours."

As the group walked into the main hall, the Mon Calamari server returned, a tumbler of gin in hand on a tray. Gratefully, Malmourral discarded her only half-drunk champagne before reaching into her satchel and handing a credit chit to the girl, then proceeding to take the fresh drink from the tray. Flashing the young server an appreciative smile, she returned her focus to the Kuati. "The Border Alliance is well aware of our position, but ultimately we both got what we wanted, so for now at least it seems to be proving a workable relationship. In galactic politics, as I'm sure you're well aware, 'workable' seems to be as good an outcome as any of us can ever hope for," she said with a sly smile, taking a sip of the gin. Delicious.

 

[Jira]

Late as always, Tycho approached the grand estate, wiping the perspiration away from his forehead. He stood in front of the grand staircase for a moment, admiring the estate's architecture which seemed to meld gracefully with Chandrila's roaring seas. Remembering how late he was, Tycho briskly jogged up the steps towards the main entrance, where the ambassador stood waiting.

Tycho bowed deeply in an almost apologetic gesture, "Greetings from the people of Taris, Ambassador. I am their representative, Tycho Drayson."

 

[Jason Vaiken]

"We agree in the sense that such is politics and admire the independence of your people. Perhaps a deal can be arranged, in which a mutually beneficial trade agreement can be struck. But this is a celebration and a show for the Ambassador, it would be rude if we were to ignore him to iron out a deal amongst ourselves. Now, may we inquire what you are drinking?" She has a polite smile but to the woman sitting across from her, she could tell that what she said was genuine.

(@Green Ranger)

 

[Aren Krass]

"It’s a pleasure Senator" Suh said returning the senator's bow, his voice characteristically gravelly sounding. "Thank you. It is in our nature to do our very best at what we set out to do. If that means there is a need to spare no expense, then so be it. But I would be lying if said there were no political motives." Suh chuckled as he lowered his voice a bit for the last part and returned Malmourral's smile as best he could given his anatomy; it showed more in his eyes than anything else.

Suh then turned to his next guest who had just entered. Suh round eyes caught site of the Senator of Corellia. "I am glad I could make things more comfortable for you, welcome to my home. I hope you enjoy yourself tonight."

The arrival of Tan Prestor caught Suh's attention. Suh and heard of the Senator's crassness and he wasn't caught completely off guard by the bluntness of his question. He was however slightly offended but he had enough political savvy to hide it. "Welcome. Mon Cala is a beautiful water world far on the outer rim. But I will not boar you with the details of our history. Oh, I almost forgot, I made sure to stock the finest of Hapan's liquors for your enjoyment."

Another guest had arrived and Suh turned to great her. "Archduchess it is a pleasure to meet you. I hope you are doing well. I would be happy to tell you about my homeworld. For now I must be a good host but when I can get away from my duties I shall come and find you. Please enjoy the refreshments." Suh turned back to the door to await the arrival of other guest. He would wait a little while and if no one else arrived he would join his guests in the main room.

Aren nodded, "It is much appreciated ambassador. Now tell me more about Mon Calamari. I visited once in my youth but my stay was entirely too short, and I was deprived of a good education on the planet." The last part was half a lie. He hadn't been educated during his trip there as a youth, but he had self studied on the world before coming tonight as to not be left in ignorance.

"And do you have any intentions of joining the Republic, Ambassador?"

 

[MasterTyvokka]

As the Senator to Dathomir left to head toward the main room Suh overheard something about "for purely economic reasons." He filed the information in his head for further reference. Suh then greeted the Senator of Taris, "Welcome Senator Dracen, I am Suh Resalbin. Its a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Suh turned his attention to the Senator from Corellia next. "Walk with me." Suh requested as he beckoned and began down the hall to where the rest of the Senators were gathered. Suh didn't think any more guest would be arriving but just in case he stationed one of the waiters at the entrance to greet anyone else who might come.

Suh led the Corellian Senator into the main room and as they walked Suh told him of Mon Cala. "Our world is a beautiful one. It is an ocean world and most of our homes and building are underwater, although we numerous builds above ground as well. Not to mention our art and culture and even ship building capabilities could rival some of the core world. Present company excluded. I don't see us matching Corellia anytime soon." Suh remarked. They had now reached the main room and the sun had finally set. Now that there was no natural light from the sun the white interior light was a bit harsh for the current atmosphere. Suh changed the with the flick of a switch on the wall. The upper lights dimmed significantly and below the guests feet new lights came on. The new lights were in shades of light blue, aqua, and muted pink. The lights brought out the beauty in the coral and fish below but were specially filtered so as not disturb the reef's night cycle.

Senator Krass was straight to the point, Suh had to give him that. "I do wish to bring Mon Cala into the Republic, yes. We are too close to the Sith with too little protection and it worries our leaders. Plus while we do trade with many Republic worlds, membership would open new doors. Are you offering you assistance Senator?" Suh matched Senator Krass's frankness with a bit of his own.

 

[Aren Krass]

As the Senator to Dathomir left to head toward the main room Suh overheard something about "for purely economic reasons." He filed the information in his head for further reference. Suh then greeted the Senator of Taris, "Welcome Senator Dracen, I am Suh Resalbin. Its a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Suh turned his attention to the Senator from Corellia next. "Walk with me." Suh requested as he beckoned and began down the hall to where the rest of the Senators were gathered. Suh didn't think any more guest would be arriving but just in case he stationed one of the waiters at the entrance to greet anyone else who might come.

Suh led the Corellian Senator into the main room and as they walked Suh told him of Mon Cala. "Our world is a beautiful one. It is an ocean world and most of our homes and building are underwater, although we numerous builds above ground as well. Not to mention our art and culture and even ship building capabilities could rival some of the core world. Present company excluded. I don't see us matching Corellia anytime soon." Suh remarked. They had now reached the main room and the sun had finally set. Now that there was no natural light from the sun the white interior light was a bit harsh for the current atmosphere. Suh changed the with the flick of a switch on the wall. The upper lights dimmed significantly and below the guests feet new lights came on. The new lights were in shades of light blue, aqua, and muted pink. The lights brought out the beauty in the coral and fish below but were specially filtered so as not disturb the reef's night cycle.

Senator Krass was straight to the point, Suh had to give him that. "I do wish to bring Mon Cala into the Republic, yes. We are too close to the Sith with too little protection and it worries our leaders. Plus while we do trade with many Republic worlds, membership would open new doors. Are you offering you assistance Senator?" Suh matched Senator Krass's frankness with a bit of his own.

Krass nodded as they walked "I visited one of the above ground cities during my visit. I would love to return and visit an aquatic one. Perhaps you could provide me a tour of your planet sometime?"

As they entered the main room Suh had switched the lights from standard white light, to a moody blue and green light that gave the feeling of underwater habitation to this organically curved architecture. When the Mon Cal replied frankly, Krass nodded. "Indeed I am. The more planets that entire the Republic, the better our economy can become, especially heavy hitting worlds such as your own. The better our economy is, the better we can defend ourselves. I would be willing to put a bill through the senate to grant Mon Cala into the Republic. "

 

[MasterTyvokka]

"I would be delighted," Suh responded as Senator Krass asked if Suh would be able to give him a tour of Mon Cala. If Suh had to be honest and the Corellian Senator did make it to Mon Cala it would likely not be Suh giving the tour but some other Mon Calamarian. Krass's theory about the Republic automatically being better with each new world was an interesting one and was probably true 90% of the time. Regardless Suh couldn't argue with the logic and he was happy to know that the Corellian would likely be on his side.

Suh was even happier when the Senator came right out with it and offered to sponsor the bill which Ambassador Resalbin hoped to push through. "I would be very grateful for that Senator. I will see what I can do about getting a trade agreement established between our two great worlds. I am sure we could come to something mutually beneficial for the both of us." Suh replied. "If you'll excuse me Senator I must attend to all my guest. I am glad we were able to discuss things though." Suh have the Senator a slight bow of respect and moved on into the main room.

The Mon Calamari made his way to a pair of Senators who were in conversation; the Senator to Dathomir and the Senator of Kaut. "I thought I would keep my promise to you and discuss Mon Cala with you." Suh spoke to the Senator of Kaut first as Malmourral seemed to be enjoying her gin for the moment. "My world is a beautiful one of water. We try to blend nature with modern technology and it seems to have worked quite well. We also have shipyards of our own, although unlike yours we produce no combat vessels at this time." Suh remarked.

((@The Star of Chaos @Aren Krass ))

 

[Adèle-Luisa Palliser]

Adèle smiles warmly at the ambassador and Senator as they walk in. The Mon Cala ambassador seems like a good host, trying his best to meet the customs and expectations of the various races who have attended the party and she appreciates this highly.

"We thank you for remembering us, please sit, enjoy yourself. We heard that you had shipyards and that was what mostly brought you to our attention. But at the same time, We are curious to know exactly what you mean by saying you blend nature with modern technology? In Kuat, we have a few terrestrial cities, yet, most of our people live above the planet. A legacy of when Kuat was barren and uninhabitable. Eventually, after our shipyards started to boom and our merchants started to travel all across the Republic and we grew in influence and wealth, we terraformed the planet and stocked it with more peaceful fauna and animals. The people of Kuat live in orbit in facilities outside the shipyards, except for those living in the cities, but the vast majority of Kuat is used for the various estates of noble and merchant houses."



"The reasoning behind our tangent was not to bore you to death, while if it did, We apologise profusely, but mostly to muse with the contrasting history of our worlds." She gives him a smile and continues, "While you utilised nature to enhance the beauty of your world and aid you in many ways, we were forced to change our world's nature to allow it to be inhabited and thus allow it to sustain us. Now let us move on, I heard that there are two main races sharing the world, will you be the sole Senator for Mon Cala, or will you send a joint-delegation, should you apply for entry into the Republic? What are your main industries, imports, and exports? And finally, should you be interested in joining the Republic, are you in search for a sponsor?"

With that she shuts up and grabs a glass of champagne from the server and tastes it and decides she really doesn't like it, but for the sake of politeness she takes another sip before placing it on the table.

(OOC: @MasterTyvokka)

 

[MasterTyvokka]

Mon Cala's ship yards did seem to attract a lot of attention some times. The problem was that they often attracted attention from the wrong sources. Mon Cala wanted to avoid attracting Sith attention for as long as possible and part of their reason for wanting to join the Republic was to make sure they were doing everything they could to defend themselves. It seemed some from major industrial world just didn't understand how technology could be blended with nature. But there were also many things Suh didn't understand. So he didn't hold it against the Senator from Kaut. "Like this" Suh said with a way of his hand, indicating the room they were in. "When do you ever see sharp lines and corners in nature? Everything is got a curve or a odd shape to it." Suh explained.

"When we build everything from our ships to homes we try to keep to this. Our designs have flowing lines and curves. Furthermore we try to use colors and accents to bring out the best nature has to offer visually." Suh finished his explanation hoping that the Archduchess understood. The Senator then went on an explanation of her own world. Suh listened, genuinely interested. "You did not bore me at all Archduchess. I enjoy hearing about other's worlds." The conversation continued on for a bit until the Senator got to the crux of the matter.

It was certainly a good question from the Senator. Mon Cala was inhabited by to different sentient species. They both had their own unique ways of life even though they were so interrelated. Most of the time they got along without issue. "I am representing both the Mon Calamari and our brethren the Quarren. Of course I will have aids and advisers who are Mon Calamari and Quarren so that everyone's interests are represented." Suh answered. And then the question got a bit boring. While Suh had no problem answering questions about imports and exports they bored him more than other topics. "We import quite a bit. Mainly medicines, building materials, and foodstuffs. Our main exports are seafood, ships, and technology of various types uniquely produced by us."

The Archduchess then asked Suh whether he was looking for a sponsor. It seemed he had already found one in Senator Krass. However another on his side couldn't hurt. He would just have to be careful as he made each connection and hope there weren't go to be too many Senators who would vote against his measure just because another was voting for it. "I am looking for sponsors yes. Quite frankly I need as much support as I can get. Are you offering to help support Mon Cala's entrance into the Republic?"

((@The Star of Chaos ))