In reply to Melveleh (msg # 244):

"So..he and the Senator Tarinna are not friends, then?" She hazards the guess as she sips her drink, "what about the other person? Is she another senator?"

 She comments to Wix.

She falls quiet as the Chancellor begins to speak, looking for signs that he might be the dark presence she felt..

"Measuring friends in politics is difficult. They've agreed on a few things, but there's also been some tense moments. The lady with her is an even bigger rabble rouser than Tarinna, from what I've heard. The leader of some informal group of Senators that call themselves Delegates, whatever that's about."

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Chancellor Khartoum began to speak

"Today's session has come to order, and with the approval of the parliamentary committee, the schedule for today has been so ordered to be delayed to address a dire situation. One of our fellow Senators has been attacked. An assassination attempt, against a representative of our New Republic, here in our own capital."

There were audible gasps and commotion in the halls, as the word had not spread far until this point.

"The last time such an event occurred was just at the dawn of the Clone Wars. Unfortunately, the similarities between that event and now are harrowing to consider. We cannot allow history to repeat itself. The Republic will do what it can to ensure that the cogs of government continue to function without threat of death, but to do that, we must first look deep within ourselves.

We succeeded against the Exagol crisis, but we still have more to accomplish to obtain final victory. We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by petty in-fighting. Only through unity of mind, with all constituent systems together towards the same goal will we be able to survive this conflict. There are strong disagreements in this body, but we must have patience. All can and will be deliberated and resolved, with decorum befitting the Galactic Republic, when the dust clears and our banner once again hangs over the Senate Chambers of Coruscant. The floor is now given to Senator Tarinna of Naboo, to speak of the events."

"Thank you Chancellor. To avail anyone of concern, although this sinister plot was intended for me, I was never in any immediate danger. Good friends, conducting a minor act on my behalf and behalf of the Republic, were the ones who were attacked. I am pleased to report from personal accounts of their Captain, that the crew was largely uninjured by the events, and are prepared to continue their work as scouts."

"The Royal Family and Senators from Naboo have become adjusted to these sorts of threats. As such, I will not speak at length about the attack itself. Instead, I choose to speak today of what caused it. Chancellor Khartoum's words of Unity, while well intentioned, are hollow."

The crowd of Senators and their entourages began to murmur at such verbiage "He wishes to avoid another event or conflict that tore this Republic apart, as do I. Unfortunately, the Chancellor believes that we must adopt a war footing at all times and at all costs. This cannot stand, and if this pattern of behavior should continue, we will not have a Republic, even if we succeed against the First Order. No problem has ever been resolved by pretending it does not exist, and to that point, there is no greater issue to this body than the systematic discrimination we perpetuate through the retaliatory measures put in place by the previous government against the former members of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, who are not even allowed to vote in this body. I relinquish my time to Senator Kuul Gunray."

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There was loud contention before the Senator rose to speak. The young Neimodian looked around the room nervously before speaking.

"Thank you, Senator. Kloxi has become a good friend in these trying times, and I am grateful for our partnership."

"I speak today because although Senator Tarinna shows the bravery that we have come to expect from the people of Naboo, I am terrified for her. This attack against her has come because she chosen to stand with me and my associates, to correct a wrong that has been put in place since the dawn of the Galactic Empire."

There was a dark pause "It is no surprise to anyone in this room, that my grandfather was Nute Gunray, the leader of the Trade Federation, that once blockaded Naboo, and swiftly lead other nations that were frustrated with the state of things to form the Separatist movement. He and others were deceived by two Lords of the Sith, into waging a war that would cost the galaxy more than any person or droid can measure, and lead us into the age of the Empire. My people have paid our debts to the galaxy for our mistake. We fought in the Rebellion, just as the others have. With Palpatine killed and his Death Stars destroyed, we had hoped our payments to the cause would be recognized. Instead, the retaliatory tarriffs, the surveilance state, the disenfranchisment continue, and have continued for so long, that most representatives in this Republic were not even aware that they existed before my recent election. An election that granted me a seat, but not a voice."

"This treatment cannot continue if this New Republic has any hope of reaching its goals. The Geonisians, among others, have already distanced themselves, showing no interest in rejoining the Republic. Senator Vin Dalto of Umbara is also one of a few holdouts from former Confederate Systems that wish to rejoin the Galactic Republic as full states, given all of the trust and fairness that comes with this. We in fact demand such things, less the divide that the Chancellor fears comes to fruition. We demand these things not only as a necessary part of reaching our goals of what a Republic should truly stand for, but as a recognition of a fact that too many in these halls refuse to admit."

"Sheev Palpatine, Darth Sidious, deceived us all. I return the remainder of my time to the Senator from Naboo."

The Senator from Naboo stood rigid and firm as she rose again to speak.

"Because Senator Gunray doesn't have the power to fix the problems of her own people, I must do so. I move immediately to propose the following so that we can return to a state of equity, hope, and justice.

Firstly, I am proud to co-sponsor a bill with Senator Zapala to grant the Republic's Medal of Honor to General Lando Calrissian, for his rallying of the Civilian Fleet that was integral in the Battle of Exagol.

Secondly, I call for an immediate rescinsion of all Imperial tarriff laws pertaining to the former Confederate Systems, and the disillusion of all agencies and departments tasked with the monitoring and surveillance thereof.

Finally, as the Republic moves towards justice and the return to an era before the rise of Emperor Palpatine, we must recognize this too as well. We are indebted to a singular force for the continuation of our Republic and way of life. There is a nascent, resurgent Jedi population within the Galaxy, and I make a motion that the New Republic embrace this New Jedi Order."

The floor swiftly erupted in volume of emotion, both positive and negative. The cameras swirly around the Senate chambers, capturing the events as the Chancellor tries to regain order but fails, and simply calls the session to recess.

"Lover of brambles and holy thorns.." Koi whistles in the Jawa dialect she knows from her childhood. It doesn't quite translate, but it has the intonation of Big Swear Words. "She can sow an acre from a single flower."

But Koi pushes her astonishment that Senator Tarinna has spun a botched bounty into galaxy-wide reforms, and searches faces of the Senators--particularly those that she recognizes from her vision. Surely even the best actor must reveal some turmoil in the face of such surprise!

"I don't think anyone noticed the Jedi stuff she sneaked in at the end.."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:28, Wed 10 May 2023.

"Oh, I'm sure they did. The Senator threw a lot of red meat out there. Whether that goes anywhere will be immaterial, but for a while she gets to control the conversation and get people talking about the Jedi when they haven't before. Not in any way that matters, at least."

There was a lot to look over, the cameras were often frantic as the newscasters tried to find some worthwhile commentary while waiting for the next meaningful event, whatever that might be.

You briefly see Senator Tarinna being verbally accosted by a fellow Senator, one that you recognize from the night before. She was Umbaran, wearing an intricate and precisely tailored shadow cloak. Torin was letting her speak, but interjected physically to maintain distance.

"Do you know the person Senator Tarinna is talking to now? Captain Ploon..he looks wary.." Koi asks, trying to scrutinize the Umbaran more closely. "With all the cameras, I'd expect everyone to be on their best behavior..do they have a reason to be angry" She comments idly. If she were present, she might sense that well-fed, festering anger that she felt from yesterday's vision.

But a holo-vid was less connected to the Force -- as far as Koi could tell, Captain Ploon's impeccable sense of diplomacy was more reliable than her own impressions.  And what she knew about Umbaran politics couldn't fill the smallest seed cap.

"That would be Vin Dalto, Senator from Umbara. She's made quite a name for herself; she was an aide for the previous Senator. She exposed him for rampant corruption and took his job in a special election back home. I don't know why she's cross, she has more to gain from this than most."

"Maybe the senator played a hand that she thought she owned?" Koi suggested doubtfully, feeling like she came into a play half way through. Koi pauses to translate for Tsareevah -- if the translator droid hasn't already.

"You think me and Wix should go down there? I'd rather jump in a volcano, but it's looking like a mob more than a press conference. The senator's security team must be sweating slugs right now."

"The Queen wouldn't let her younger sister go unprotected, and the Naboo Royal Security receive better training than most of the Resistance at this point."

"Either way, you'll get more answers there than here. Want some company?"

"Yes!" Koi agrees emphatically, she doesn't like crowds at the best of times. "Don't let me get pushed into making any speeches, alright?"

She adds, "I probably should look a little nicer if I'm going to the senate, right? I don't want to be stared at. Hang on."    She bangs around in her old cabin for about 5 minutes before coming out looking a little breathless, but respectably wearing a gracefully draping, long-sleeved tunic. The blue and gray, almost gauzy, fabric suggested feathers or storm clouds. The dark blue trousers had more discreet, if voluminous, pockets and her hair neatly contained in a opalescent comb.


"Do I bring the lightsaber?" She asks seriously, flicking her wide sleeves with a thoughtless grace. "I don't want to startle those Royal Security fellows -- even if they have likely been briefed not to shoot me."

She turns to Mel -- "We can take the speeder, right?"

"You kids have fun" Mel waved happily, perhaps sarcastically "just be sure to bring it back with a full tank and be home by bed time. In the meantime, I'm sure I've got maintenance to do on this ship. Got a sneaking suspicion we're going to need to leave in a hurry."

The conversation seemingly done, Mel already started moving, asking himself "where the heck did those tools go?"

In reply to Melveleh (msg # 258):

Koi slips her lightsaber in a pocket and shakes her head. "Oro, are you ready to go?  I don't know if security will let me in with this -- but it's worth a try."

She offers to pilot, asking Oro to give her directions..and keep an eye out for trouble. Because if there is trouble -- Oro is clearly the better shot.

"Sure. I'm not that handy with a hydrospanner, and don't do well just sitting around. If they don't let me in, I'll start taking laps or something."

In reply to Midichlorians (msg # 260):

Koi hides a smile as she bring the speeder out of the docking bay. "I have a feeling it won't be that boring."   She comments idly, pulling into traffic and towards the Senate. She is alert to the local, busy traffic patterns, but she doesn't try any risky maneuvers.  At least not yet.  "Do they have a local news channel? Otherwise I'm sure AG will let us know if I need to break some speed laws.."

"Go for it. Police are just an occupying army" It was a surprising turn for the indoctrinated soldier. He played it completely straight, and made no further statements that might hint at being humorous or serious.

In reply to AG-0525 (msg # 262):

Koi shoots Oro an "is he joking or not?" look, and shakes her head -- realistically, speeding is very unlikely to make a difference.  And being pulled over by a traffic officer will certainly be a delay.

Having to explain to the Captain that the speeder was towed...well, it's just unthinkable.

It's almost as though he doesn't have enough trouble.. Koi mutters, and looks for a route to the capital as she glides through traffic.  She is a decent driver -- good enough to outrun a stormtrooper anyway.  Not that AG needs to know that.  "Let me know when I should start to look for a place to park this thing." She asks Oro. "Do you think we should let Captain Torin know we're coming?  The senator probably has some assistants that can park for us."

Oro shrugged "We all just got tongue wagged for not communicating. On the other hand, if you're able to get a hold of him, he'd probably tell you turn back. Pick whichever problem you'd rather deal with. "

"I feel so..sneaky.."  Koi complains, but she doesn't press the communicator button. Whether it annoys her captain or not, she feels that she should be on hand when she -- or Jedi in general -- are being discussed.  At least until someone better comes along. Hopefully they will.  Soon. Very Soon.

"Oro, is there anyone that you'd really trust to be discreet and not evil? Someone who'd handle strategic information without being political?" Koi asks out of the blue, her hands moving deftly to pilot that speeder.  As though her hands were unaware of the fraught conversation she was having. "I see things in the Force. A big thing on a horizon, someone should know about. But I worry it'd be bad if it was waved about in some kind of political stunt. Normally, I'd tell the Captain.  But he and the senator have been..high handed."

"Well, I trust my sister." She starts "If she won't even tell me about what her mission is or even where she is, than I'm sure she'd die with any secret you have to tell her."

"In leui of her, the Strategic Information Service are the spooks responsible for keeping secrets and all that. There's Senatorial oversight and all that, but I'm sure there's several layers of bureaucracy before anyone would start to take notice of you."

"Our turncoat was involved in all of that kind of enterprise." Oro pointed out "If you trust him to not be a double agent, than maybe he can provide some insight. Beyond that Koi, I think we're on our own."

"I trust him, but..it would be difficult for him to hear."  Koi grimaces, "I don't want to put more on him than I already am.   Koi shifts smoothly, even if she is looking at their road with unnecessary intensity.

She adds with a cold unhappiness. "There are Sith -- or at least evil jedi on this planet. I think -- I hope -- that in my usual soft-footed way, I've caught wind of them before they've seen me.  But hanging around the Senator will blow my cover sooner than later. I don't want to give any of them a reason to look in his direction. He has been working hard to find his own mind, and evil jedi can use his hate and anger like a..lever..to pry into his thoughts."


She starts to look for some where to park.. "Alright, where do we put the speeder now that we're getting close?"

OCC: I'm happy to move on now that Koi's dropped some difficult ideas on poor Oro. :)

Finding a place to park the speeder was a challenge. The session had already expected most of the Galactic Senate to arrive, plus their supporting staff. The senator's display caused even more attention. Senatorial security was stretched thin, but was managing to keep people flowing in a suitable traffic pattern.

You enter the same area as the rest as a consequence, a large central lobby that press and casual onlookers wait for senators, the Chancellor, or others to come out and make addresses. From here, one could enter a central pathway in which to enter the Senate Chambers, though it is currently secured.

"Well, what ever will happen -- it hasn't happened yet." Koi looks for a familiar face, preferably someone on the Senator's own security staff. They might not recognize her looking like any other civilian.

"Alright -- let's find a seat with a good view of a holovid." She whispers to Odo. "The last thing this place needs is more dramatics."   The weight of the lightsaber in her pocket feels heavier than it ought.  If it comes to it, she could probably (maybe) cut the doors down.

 She definitely doesn't want to come in through the big doors -- she'd have to make a speech. And she'd have her first fight on holovid. Ugh.


I just want to get a look at this Sith, before they get a look at me..and stop any temper tantrums that might result in missing limbs.