It was hard not to feel patriotic on a day like Empire Day. The capital building had been closed for business that day -- not that that stopped Natasi Fortan -- but it was a natural rallying point for the citizens of the capital city, with its wide plazas. The Home Office had arranged to have large screens erected in the plazas, carrying coverage of events across the First Order, including marching bands, concerts, parades, addresses, and fireworks displays. But at the moment, they showed a picture from a balcony only a few stories up at the front of the plaza, the picture of Lungor Kitlern, the Commissioner of Dossun. He was a handsome, trim figure, and a popular personality in the First Order especially at Dosuun -- but not so popular as to overshadow Natasi Fortan, if he knew what was good for him. He was a good speaker -- but not so good as to compete with his boss, again, if he knew what was good for him.
Kitlern was completing his introduction of Natasi, and Natasi stood in the room just inside the balcony, studying her appearance in the mirror. She had chosen a white dress, as opposed to black, for this joyful holiday, adorned only by her rank badge and her usual Cosmic Balance emblem, this a brooch at her breast, a reproduction of the much more valuable one she had given to [member="Ludolf Vaas"] in her will. Her makeup was finished by a young woman from the Ministry of Information, and was somewhat more than she would have normally worn, but Natasi had been informed that this was necessary to translate well to the large screens and into the audience in the square below. Natasi thanked the makeup artist and made one final adjustment to her brooch, just as she heard Kitlern make his final introduction: "Ladies and gentlemen -- without further delay, I give you, your leader and mine, Moff Natasi Fortan of the Home Territories!"
Natasi waited a beat, took a breath, and then emerged from behind the red curtains. A camera-droid hovered just over the railing, taking in the Moff's look of being overwhelmed by the tumultuous applause offered by the citizens in the square below -- the surprised, widening eyes and the breathless upturn of her lips -- as she raised a hand to wave modestly. They love this stuff, Natasi told herself, and they did. The more uncomfortable and surprised by their adoration she seemed, the more they sent her way. The chant grew naturally, in scattered groups, until it rolled through the crowd as the Moff approached the podium: "Nah-TAH-see! Nah-TAH-see!"
She had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed by this as she took to the podium. Her right hand found Kitlern's left, and she raised both their fists in the air in a gesture of triumph. The crowd erupted again, and Kitlern took this cue to disengage himself and step back into the crowd of other minor officials applauding the Moff. Natasi stood alone at the podium, the media droids hovering over her line of sight, or below, capturing her features and the speech. Natasi raised her hands in a universally-recognized gesture asking for quiet, and the crowd -- eventually -- calmed down. "Citizens," she called, her voice amplified and echoing off the stone structure. "Citizens! We are all soldiers on Empire Day!" The crowd erupted again, but Natasi persisted. "On this great day, we recognize the contributions of all of those who have worked and toiled, fought and bled, suffered and triumphed for the glory of the First Order!" She raised her fist in salute; the crowd followed suit, cheering. "And on this of all Empire Days, we have much to celebrate. The completion of this magnificent city."
More applause.
"The expansion of our eminent empire, and all the benefits that come with it: more trade, more jobs, more security, more opportunity for you and your families." More cheers. "And perhaps most of all, we may be thankful for the brave men and women of our armed forces, whose hard work and dedication have now met with remarkable success: the end of the vile Resistance!" This was the cue for the crowds to erupt again, and this time the ovation went on for a full two minutes before Natasi stepped forward to the podium again. "They have brought the treacherous reign of terror of the Resistance to an end, and in so doing, have safeguarded all of us against their violent oppression. We have much to be thankful for on this Empire Day, and we have much to look forward to for the next Empire Day."
This was it; Natasi Fortan was unable to make a mere propaganda speech, she simply refused to do it. And so, she had prepared to lay out her agenda for the coming year to the citizens. "By the time we meet again next year, we will have expanded the First Order's territory threefold. We will have expanded exports from First Order member worlds fivefold. In one year's time, the capital city of Dosuun will be a financial capital, not just of the First Order, but of the region. In one year's time, the Dosuun will play host to a new, state-of-the-art shipyard, bringing with it high-paying and stable jobs." She inclined her head; the camera droids caught a glimpse of her looking lovely and flinty at once, thoughtful and determined. It would make a great propaganda photo.
"But we are not reinventing the wheel entirely," she finally said, her voice softening. "Some things will remain the same next year, and the year after. In one year's time, we will still have the greatest, most disciplined armed forces in the galaxy, under the command of the magnificent General [member="Ludolf Vaas"] and Supreme Commander [member="Aram Kalast"]. In one year's time, the First Order will still have the single greatest collective of scientists and engineers in the galaxy, working around the clock to make life better for you and me and all of us. In one year's time, the First Order will still have citizens like you, who live every day not only to benefit from the security and prosperity that the First Order provides, but to contribute to it, to pay it forward, so that you and your neighbors, your children and your children's children can live in the kind of galaxy we all want: where people can pursue their greatest potential without fear of disorder and chaos, without fear of becoming pawns of destructive warlords or squabbling politicians. More than any general, or politician, or industrialist, the lifeblood of the First Order runs in you -- in all of you who get up every day, who work hard, who raise your families in our shared ideals. And that is what we celebrate most of all on this Empire Day, and the next, and every Empire Day into the future. Thank you! May the Force bless you all, and may the Force bless the Supreme Leader. Thank you! Good night!" The speech over, the crowds returned to their cheering, and again the chant of her name rolled over the plaza. She stood at the podium for several minutes, waving and saluting, even joining the crowd in an impromptu recital of the national anthem.
In truth, she didn't want to leave the podium. In this moment, Natasi Fortan was loved, and manipulated as it was by propaganda and public relations, it was a profound feeling. The holocameras captured the genuine emotion in the Moff's face as she leaned over the balcony, waving at the loyalists in the crowd below until she finally bowed her head in a silent show of gratitude for their hospitality and retreated back into the building, where she wiped tears from her cheeks. Sioux Chambers approached and asked if she was all right. "No -- it's just -- it's the wind," Natasi said, tucking her kerchief away. "What's next?"
"Reception with the bigwigs," Sioux reported. "Shall I bring the car 'round?" Natasi agreed and gave one last look to the crowd through the open door before following her towards the turbolifts.
