Private Caucus [COMPLETE]

[Cecily Demici]

It was midday when Cecily finally returned to her office in the Senate Building after a full day of private meetings with various interest groups and Senate caucuses regarding the upcoming arrival of her new friend to the Senate. A few weeks ago, Cecily had held impromptu talks with the leader of the Hutt Cartel about the possibility of opening negotiations for a mutual defense treaty against the One Sith.

The Hutt Cartel was what is sounded like, a group of criminals and thugs. They were by no means the exemplification of moral purity, but as loathe as they were to admit it, the Republic faced a constant threat from invasion by the One Sith. It seemed like more and more their efforts to restore peace and freedom to the galaxy were thwarted by the onslaught of terror that was the Sith. She found it incredibly unsettling how many of her colleagues were resigned to sit back and watch as the Republic crumbled into the sea.

Cecily would not allow it. Something had to be done, progress had to be made. The Galactic Republic Military could make no gains if they were not supported by a strong Senate, willing and able to take action. That is why Cecily had called this meeting, she was appealing privately to her friends and colleagues in an effort to secure the swift passage of a mutual defense pact. Hopefully then the Republic could gain a foothold against the Sith.

Cecily sat in the circle of chairs and waited for the group of Senators whose presence she had requested to discuss this in private before they brought it before the full Senate. If they refused her here, her efforts there would be pointless.

[member="Faith Balor-Organa"] [member="Ordon Trozky"] [member="Max Rumor"] [member="Arcana Adasca"] [member="Ater Notechis"] [member="Persephone Callas"] [member="Alyssa Onasi"] [member="Lionel Roux"] [member="Aliannah Sophia Filia"] [member="Macharius Solaire"] [member="Max Rumor"] [member="Ned Rostu"] ([member="Veriks-Kel"]) [member="Aurelia Volcata"] [member="Amelia Isadora"] [member="Valen Cerezo"] [member="Cade Lee"]

 

[Natasi Fortan]

A dull, throbbing headache was Aurelia Volcata's only companion as she sat back in a club chair in her office. A few members of her staff were busy straightening up the office after the conclusion of their daily policy meeting. The drafting of legislation was a painful process, Aurelia reflected, but this was beyond ridiculous.

"Aspirin," she told one of her staffers over her shoulder, not looking up from her notes. "And seltzer." The staffer dutifully bowed out and returned a moment later with the requested items. "Senator, Senator de Demici's office?"

"What?" Aurelia paused, the pills between her teeth, glass paused halfway to her lips. "Of course, of course. I'm starving, can you order me something from the cafeteria before it closes? I'll eat it when I get back." She raised a hand to ward off any questions. "Just whatever is on special is fine, I'm sure."

Thus, seven minutes later, the Senator from New Holstice was standing in the outer office of the Senator from Onderon, telling some bureaucrat or another, "I believe she is expecting me."










[member="Cecily de Demici"][member="Faith Balor-Organa"] [member="Ordon Trozky"] [member="Max Rumor"] [member="Arcana Adasca"] [member="Ater Notechis"] [member="Persephone Callas"] [member="Alyssa Onasi"] [member="Lionel Roux"] [member="Aliannah Sophia Filia"] [member="Macharius Solaire"] [member="Max Rumor"] [member="Ned Rostu"] ([member="Veriks-Kel"]) [member="Aurelia Volcata"] [member="Amelia Isadora"] [member="Valen Cerezo"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Amelia sat quietly in her quaint, relatively modest luxury home on Nubia near the spaceport. By her side, the datapad she used for her official business as a Senator of the Galactic Republic, and to the side of that, the unregistered, encrypted datapad she used for more scrupulous work she had been conducting on the side, things that would remain a secret, in part because of her well hidden identity as a shapeshifter, and her extra cautious undertaking when performing her more discreet affairs.

A buzzing sounded off and she lifted the device to see an invitation from the senator of the Republic's capital seat. She glanced down at it, noting that an impromptu meeting had been called and the coordinates left behind. The woman quickly scampered out of bed and made way for her personal ship that would take her to the location indicated, where it seemed that once she had arrived, two members of the Senate had already been seated and were awaiting the others.

Amelia stepped forward, nodded to the pair and said "Good day, senators." before taking a seat that was provided.

[member="Cecily de Demici"] | [member="Faith Balor-Organa"] | [member="Ordon Trozky"] | [member="Max Rumor"] | [member="Arcana Adasca"] | [member="Ater Notechis"] | [member="Persephone Callas"] | [member="Alyssa Onasi"] | [member="Lionel Roux"] | [member="Aliannah Sophia Filia"] | [member="Macharius Solaire"] | [member="Ned Rostu"] | [member="Aurelia Volcata"] | [member="Valen Cerezo"]

 

[Ater Notechis]

Her latest appointment kept her at the capital and so when she received an encrypted communique from the Senator of Onderon to attend a meeting, she gave it some attention. Because no details were included about the nature of the meeting, only that it was of grave importance.

Which meant it was probably something unpalatable. Or boring. Or both.

So she attended on time - as was her way - and took a seat. She was still officially a Senator until the paperwork was processed and so she knew she needed to give this her full attention. She bypassed any pleasantries and instead opened up a datapad, ready to record any relevant information - like who showed, who did not...stuff like that.

And while she was waiting, she pulled up her files on those present. Old habits died hard...

 

[Cecily Demici]

Cecily had started to twiddle her thumbs impatiently as she awaited the arrival of her fellow Senators. This was perhaps the single most important thing the Senate would be considering for many years and could turn the tide of the war against the One Sith.

Finally, the door to her office opened and Senator [member="Aurelia Volcata"] was ushered into the room, soon followed by Senators [member="Amelia Isadora"] and [member="Ater Notechis"]. As startled by the sudden appearance as she was elated at their arrival, she nearly jumped to her feet to greet them. "Senators, I thank you for coming," she began, trying not to sound too eager, "there are several others who will be joining us shortly... please have a seat." She gestured to the circle of chairs before settling back in.

[member="Faith Balor-Organa"] l [member="Ordon Trozky"] l [member="Max Rumor"] [member="Arcana Adasca"] l [member="Persephone Callas"] l [member="Alyssa Onasi"] l [member="Lionel Roux"] l [member="Aliannah Sophia Filia"] l [member="Macharius Solaire"] l [member="Max Rumor"] l [member="Ned Rostu"] ([member="Veriks-Kel"]) l [member="Valen Cerezo"]

 

[Persephone Callas]

Persephone gave a cordial smile as she took to her seat. She was in full regalia, of course one never took a step out of the Hapes Consortium without looking their finest. She had a reputation to protect after all.

That lace fan, ever familiar, would snap out as she would continue her seemingly pleasant expression. Tiny tendrils of auburn hair would lightly fan over her shoulders with each wave of the fan by her face. Cool aquamarine eyes would pan across her fellow Senators in office, some familiar, others not.

Well this was going to be quite the interesting little tea party, she would internally muse...

 

[Vhaeri]

Aliannah had received a word of a meeting held by the Senator of Onderon and of course she had to be there. As a definite supporter of the capital planet's senator, she couldn't miss the private meeting, no matter what the reasoning behind it was.

Although she was about to leave the Senate building, she decided to stay for a while longer to attend the meeting and see what was going on. She had already changed to her traditional clothing she had to wear as the royal adviser, but that was OK. She wouldn't be changing clothes again just because of that.

She made her way to the room where she already saw a few other senators. She carefully took a seat amongst them while she said, "Hello and good day, my fellow senators!"

 

[Cora Passek]

The senate was still something that felt knew to Aylssa. She'd only been there a short time, and still she found herself adjusting to general chaos that seemed to revolve around the Senate building.

One of her aides knocked lightly on her door. "Come in." She said softly, motioning her forward as they stepped inside.

Her eyes moved to the girl's hands, seeing the datapad. "What is it?"

"There's a message we've received from Senator Cecily de Demici, encrypted. So, I thought best you open it."

"Of course. Let me see it." Taking the datapad from her aide, she skimmed through the message before sighing softly. "What's my schedule look like for the afternoon?"

"It's fairly open. There's only the meeting with the Loronar Corporation." At that Alyssa frowned. They weren't people she liked to put off when she didn't have to, but the message she'd received was interesting enough that the Loronar Corporation just might have to wait. "Reschedule them for the morning. It seems right now, there is another meeting I'd like to give priority right now. I'm also not entirely sure how long it will last. So, let's just move the appointment to prevent them from having to wait on me."

"Of course ma'am, I'll see that it's done."

"Thank you Quin." With that she rose from her seat and quickly pushed her chair in before she headed down to Cecily's office. Stepping inside, she made her way to the circle of chairs and took a seat. Her eyes moved from person to person, curious about the nature of this little party now that she took note of each senator present.

"Afternoon Senators."

[member="Aliannah Sophia Filia"] | [member="Persephone Callas"] | [member="Cecily de Demici"] | [member="Ater Notechis"] | [member="Amelia Isadora"] | [member="Aurelia Volcata"]​

 

[Faith Organa]

[SIZE=12pt]A day of rest was something that Faith rarely got. Today, this one single day where nothing was scheduled Faith found herself sitting in a parlor to have a pedicure and manicure. One of life’s simple pleasures. She loved the foot rub it, relaxed her until she almost fell asleep.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]But.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]That wasn’t to last a single ping told her she had a message. She pulled over the datapad from her bag. Faith looked an encrypted message, this was not uncommon but it also was not an every day event.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Sliding a finger across the datapad and watched the message open. Reading it carefully she wondered what it was that the Senator wanted. She looked down at her feet, they were almost done.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“Afraid the manicure will have to be rescheduled, sorry” Within the hour Faith was at the offices of Senator Cecily de Demici. She nodded to the receptionist who let the Senator know Faith was coming in.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]Faith opened the door slowly there were a lot of faces here, she smiled but it was an uneasy smile. What was going on.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“Hello everyone” She moved to find a seat, Quite the gathering [/SIZE]

[member="Alyssa Onasi"] [member="Aliannah Sophia Filia"] [member="Persephone Callas"] [member="Cecily de Demici"] [member="Ater Notechis"] [member="Amelia Isadora"] [member="Aurelia Volcata"]

 

[Valen Cerezo]

Valen was coming to the meeting more out of curiosity than anything else. He hadn't had much interaction with Senator Demici, but he had heard of the woman's fervor to help strengthen the Republic. That was fine by him, they needed more passionate people to raise their voices in support of building up their nation.

Slipping into the room quietly, he nodded at their hostess and sat down with his datapad out. He recognized several of the Senators currently present, many of them were more or less for the goal of building up the Republic and not bolstering their own pockets, something he couldn't stand.

"Senator," he said, his deep voice echoing in the room a little, "thank you for the invitation. I'm curious at just what exactly you have in mind for this meeting."

[member="Faith Balor-Organa"] [member="Alyssa Onasi"] [member="Aliannah Sophia Filia"] [member="Persephone Callas"] [member="Cecily de Demici"] [member="Ater Notechis"] [member="Amelia Isadora"] [member="Aurelia Volcata"]

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Aurelia watched the other Senators arrive, canting her head to the side in that trademark Aurelia Volcata way, equal parts haughty, coquettish, and mild interest, an enigmatic half-smile as she inclined her head in recognition of her counterparts as they entered. As they came in, she wondered what each of them had in common. Until the most recent guest she thought she had it figured out; they were all women. The arrival of a gentlemen made Aurelia mentally scratch her head and go back to the drawing board.

She shifted in her seat, glancing across the room at Senator [member="Cecily de Demici"] for a moment before turning her body to face the center of the ring of chairs, folding her arms across her chest and settling in. Since her recent kidnapping attempt, where she had been so hampered by the ornate robes she had favored since her election, she had switched her wardrobe to more utilitarian (but no less stylish) clothing, so she felt slightly underdressed in the same room as the Member from the Hapes Consortium, but she suspected that that was a common feeling.

[member="Faith Balor-Organa"] [member="Alyssa Onasi"] [member="Aliannah Sophia Filia"] [member="Persephone Callas"] [member="Ater Notechis"] [member="Amelia Isadora"]

 

[Cecily Demici]

[Any additional senators tagged to participate just GM your senator was already in the room when Cecily began to speak]​

Cecily sat patiently, one leg draped elegantly over the other as she awaited the arrival of the additional Senators and it didn't take long for them to file in. As the last few members of this esteemed gathering filtered through the door she nodded to the two Senate Guards outside the entrance to her office and with a quick salute they closed the doors and latched them.

"My apologies, Senators, but given the sensitive nature of this meeting we will be jamming frequencies for its duration, communication from your personal devices will be temporarily disabled... not even the Senate's security system will be monitoring us," she said gravely and waited a moment as her handmaiden on the balcony switched on the shade that blocked all view of the outside. She looked down at her communicator and fiddled with a few buttons in the attempt to make contact with an assortment of people and seeing no response she was satisfied that the room was secure.

"I am sure you are all wondering why I have summoned you here," she began, standing near the focal point of the rings of chairs, "as you all know the One Sith has recently made advances against the Galactic Republic and have been doing so for quite some time. We have lost battle after battle and we can no longer promise our member planets that the Republic can protect them." Cecily seemed, for the first time in her life, quite nervous to be speaking to her fellow Senators. She took several brief pauses in an attempt to maintain her steady breathing and she fidgeted nervously.

"No more," it was sudden, but her voice grew in authority and she seemed to be drawn up to full height, no fidgeting, no longer unsure, "recently I was contacted by... Sempra the Hutt, leader of the Hutt people." He was well known to at least a few here, she was certain.

"He expressed to me his desire to appear before the full Senate, unprotected, exposed, to speak on behalf of his people," she pressed on, "to propose a treaty with the Galactic Republic... that could help us turn the tide against the One Sith. A mutual defense treaty. Should the One Sith assail any of our planets, the Hutts and their allies will come to our aid and launch a counter attack against the One Sith... and on behalf of Onderon, I have asked you here to gain your support of this measure."

"Not for the Hutts... or for me, but for the safety and security of your own planets and of the Galactic Republic." As Cecily finished, she merely stood before them awaiting someone to respond.


[member="Aurelia Volcata"] [member="Valen Cerezo"] [member="Faith Balor-Organa"] [member="Alyssa Onasi"] [member="Aliannah Sophia Filia"] [member="Ater Notechis"] [member="Amelia Isadora"]

 

[Natasi Fortan]

It was only with the greatest self-control that Aurelia managed to keep her jaw in place, when its natural impulse was to drop several centimeters. A treaty - with the Hutts? Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the Senator for Onderon, trying to puzzle through what was surely a logical puzzle. The notion of making an alliance with the Hutts reminded her of the fable involving the frog and the scorpion. One couldn't suppress one's nature, which was doubly true for the Hutts, if reputation was anything to go by.

"While I can certainly appreciate the need to think outside the box in terms of our war with the Sith," Aurelia began, frowning gravely. "I cannot believe it is wise to throw in our lot with the Hutt Cartel, of all groups. I have my qualms about trusting any faction, but the Hutts? Their name is synonymous with treachery, betrayal, and self-serving."

Aurelia noted that this sounded rather harsh; she moderated her tone. "That being said," she said through gritted teeth. "Perhaps you can explain what leads you to believe that in this instance the Hutts can be trusted? Surely there must be something."

[member="Cecily de Demici"] [member="Valen Cerezo"] [member="Faith Balor-Organa"] [member="Alyssa Onasi"] [member="Aliannah Sophia Filia"] [member="Ater Notechis"] [member="Amelia Isadora"]

 

[Valen Cerezo]

[member="Cecily de Demici"]

"Indeed, I agree with Senator Volcata," Valen said, his voice measured and calm even though internally he was feeling disgust. If there was one thing he hated, it was corruption and the Hutts and their ilk were the definition of corruption.

"What exactly makes you certain that they will help the Republic when push comes to shove, they look out for themselves first?" he asked.

 

[Cecily Demici]

Cecily knew they would be unhappy at first, but she also knew that times in the Republic were desperate. If democracy was to be defended, compromises would have to be made, deals struck, and moral absolutes abandoned. "Peace, Senators," she raised her hands.

"Let us not forget that the One Sith is not merely a threat our Republic, but to the entire galaxy... the Hutt have just as much reason to fear their conquest as we do," there was much truth in these words, "too often we forget that this war is not just us and them. The One Sith assault every people, every government, every race that dares to question their absolute authority and for years each of us has stood alone." Cecily had, without realizing it, raised her voice, not from anger, but passion.

"The Hutt Cartel is not the pinnacle of morality, I will give you that, but I do not ask you to lay with them, to trade the values of the Republic with theirs, this treaty of mutual defense would assure that should either faction be assailed by the One Sith the other will come to their aid," she was primarily addressing the concerns of Aurelia and Valen at this point, but directed her words to all assembled, "this was not a deal proposed under threat of violence or coercion, the Hutt Cartel themselves asked to come before the full Senate and lay the terms for this agreement because they are just as afraid as we are and they are willing to do what it takes to protect their people, their children... and so am I." Her eyes pleaded that they see the sincerity of her efforts

"For those of you with reservations, know that this treaty is negotiable and that the Cartel is willing to accept any additional terms put forth in this caucus," she added.

[member="Valen Cerezo"] [member="Aurelia Volcata"]

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Aurelia canted her head to the side, a smirk crossing her lips. This wasn't a proposal to open negotiations with the Hutts, she realized; the negotiations had already begun. She gathered that this meeting fell more under the 'asking forgiveness' column than the 'seeking permission' one, in the hackneyed old phrase. "Senator de Demici - forgive me for speaking bluntly, but outside the Senate chamber may I assume that we are free from the requirements for parliamentary address? Excellent," she went on without pausing for affirmation. "To what extent have you already discussed this treaty with the Hutts?"

She straightened her back, her fingers flexing in her lap, her knuckles going white. "Certainly it has been discussed to a degree, for you are already referring to it as a treaty. May I inquire, Senators, as to under whose authority you have undertaken this diplomatic mission? I don't recall a vote to commission such an endeavor, but then my memory isn't what it was. Or more likely I suspect from the clandestine nature of this meeting, that you are seeking for the treaty to be a fait accompli before you presented it to the Senate as a body?"

It all seemed very underhand, Aurelia couldn't help but observe, but whatever she thought of the Hutts, she had to admire the Senator for Onderon's gumption. And it was clever, too. The members in this room, if they agreed, would likely be able to swing the vote if it ever came before the Senate. She wondered what [member="Cecily de Demici"] would do to secure their votes. This could get interesting.

 

[Cecily Demici]

Cecily rounded on Aurelia, her lips were little more than a thin line of irritation. While negotiations had not yet commenced between the Republic and the Cartel, conversations had been held at length with the King and Queen of Onderon about their intentions, conversations that Cecily was privy to.

"Aurelia," Cecily had abandoned any pretense of formality, but had centered herself and spoke with the precision and the calm of a sage, "negotiations on behalf of the Republic have not taken place. However, a treaty is what the Hutts intend to propose and at the behest of my King that is the only sort of deal that Onderon would freely support."

"I invited you all here out of respect, not only to inform you ahead of the Hutt request for an audience, but yes... to secure your support for such a proposal," she was not ashamed of her intentions, it was normal practice for Senators to hold counsel before going into a vote, "we are the only people in the Republic who can make this decision and I did not think it wise to wait until the Hutt Delegation arrived to start deliberating on our response to their request."

[member="Aurelia Volcata"]

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Aurelia leaned back two degrees -- maybe three, but that was the limit -- and stared thoughtfully up at [member="Cecily de Demici"], her glassy green eyes narrowing slightly at the Senator from Onderon. She wondered just how long the King and Queen of Onderon would retain their crown once their association with the Hutts was galaxy-known.

She wondered the same for the Republic Senators who pursued a similar association. Still, it was something worth considering. The One Sith lacked entirely in principles, and if the Republic had a choice between being viewed as pragmatic and being destroyed, the choice was obvious.

"Have you any information on their numbers? Their resources? How many ships have they got? How many soldiers? How many of them are slaves? How many of them are children? How many of them have the weapons and armor and materiel they need?" The Senator from New Holstice stood and paced away from the group, fingers knotting anxiously.

"In other words, before we even approach the question of whether we should bind ourselves to the Hutts, I think it prudent to determine whether they're worth being bound to. If they're going to be a drain on our resources, frankly I don't see the point." Aurelia turned back and approached the circle again, resuming her seat primly. "Have you engaged anyone in Intelligence to... ah... reconnoiter?"

[member="Cecily de Demici"]

 

[Cecily Demici]

"We know that they are steadily growing in numbers and their wealth is staggering compared to most," Cecily too retook her seat at this point, "and we do of course know that the Cartel employs the use of slaves, something we cannot nor do we have to condone." She was not a fool, she saw the flaws in this alliance. It would not be the most popular deal ever struck by the Republic, but she knew it would benefit them greatly in the war effort.

"The Hutt are self-sustaining people, they do not seek our resources or our sovereign terrioty, this is an attempt to defeat an ultimate evil," she said as Aurelia asked about the utilization of the Intelligence Committee. She shook her head.

"No, this is all strictly off the record until the Hutt request an audience with the Senate, at that time if the Prime Minister deigns to have this matter investigated she will do so," she waved her hand dismissively, "let's at least discuss.. in the HYPOTHETICAL.. what terms we might all require to make an alliance agreeable, shall we? Aurelia?"

[member="Aurelia Volcata"]

 

[Natasi Fortan]

"Mutual defense, for a start," Aurelia replied. "Free trade, good for goose and gander, but -- ha, rather paradoxically -- with limitations. I know you're a woman of convictions, Senator, so I believe it goes without saying, but in a matter of such considerable import, I think it should be said. It is absolutely non-negotiable that we forbid any slave trade whatsoever within Republic borders. If that's a dealbreaker for them, then we must consider the deal broken."

The Senator frowned thoughtfully and glanced around at her colleagues. "As far as other terms... extradition requirements, perhaps? If we're going to get the Hutts to the table, we ought to try to get as much as we can, don't you think?"

[member="Cecily de Demici"]