| Location | Fondor
| Objective | To meet the highest of authorities. A friend, too.
None could have predicted such a turn of events. Jenn Kryze, least of all.
A Mandalorian expanding their skillset into the realm of diplomacy and politics was an extraordinary enough event to be noted, but even such examples of the woman's forward-thinking mindset paled in comparison to the courage it took for her to stand where she did, when so many of her own people sought to tear down all that she had built. They called her a traitor, a deluded fool, ensorcelled by the Jedi; if they were to win this war, then all memory of her good deeds would be stamped out, and her legacy naught but a hapless whimper.
Yet still, she stood. Weary, but undaunted. Unvanquished.
Alicio had ever sought to keep his encounters with Jenn... personal. Doing away with his personal guard, or otherwise keeping them out of sight and out of mind; an effort she had ever sought to reciprocate. Whenever the two approached one another, they did so on equal footing, treating one another as friends before taking into account their stations and the demands made by such.
Something had changed, now. Few burdens in the Galaxy were more demanding than that of the seer's new office, and only time would tell if the remarkable man she had come to respect would prove himself up to the challenge. There would be no more chances for their simpler meetings, she realized, when the security measures put in place were brought to bear; the Chancellor's guard checked her identity twice, though they conspicuously skimmed over the surrender of her weapons. No doubt a directive from her gracious host himself; evidently, he must have asked for such an exception in person.
It almost made her hesitate, when she reached the threshold of his office, his back turned to her. Alas, her duty would not allow it, and so she stepped through, and spoke as truly as ever, no matter how heavily it weighed upon her.
"There is more than enough cause to be worried", agreed the Mandalorian grimly. "If your Sight has allowed you to see what will happen in this conversation already, then you know I come with requests, demands, and other such things I would rather not burden a friend with. But this is not who we are today, is it? You are here as the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Alliance - a body I've had very little choice in joining, given Onderon's precarious position and King Vince's decision to have us join forces. And I am the voice of not merely a growing House of Mandalorian warriors, but an entire world's military; their defender in all things, bound by oath to ensure they can be safe."
Coming right out of the gate swinging, perhaps, but Jenn had no intention of wasting the Chancellor's precious time. Not when he had stars-only knew how many worlds as his responsibility, billions of lives, and three concurrent wars to win in order to ensure the continued survival of the body he was elected to represent. That her siren's song now wove itself effortlessly into her voice was but a necessity, she told herself; repressing it took a conscious effort on her part, and made her not more, but less. If her every diplomatic venture required that she suppress a significant part of her very nature, then she may as well just throw in the towel right away. Sithspawn or not, she would not endure if she kept on denying what she truly was.
"I trust you as an individual, Alicio, but the government you represent? No. I may be a Reformer, but I am not so idealistic as to believe that your Senate would not throw away the lives of my House to serve their interests, and discard us the moment we decide to call them out on it."
Jenn Kryze
-
