Campaign The Knife's Edge | Galactic Alliance

[Marina DeVoe]

SENATE BUILDING​

Location: Outside the Senate Auditorium
Ship: Mariner IV
Tagging: Faith Organa
Post: 4

Becca had left to attend duties, serving their queen whom were within the senate assembly.
Marina had no current clearance to accompany her friend Becca and sit by her queen who currently were representing her beloved Alderaan.

It had been her choice...Marina;s choice not to pursue her hereditary title of Duchess for House DeVoe. Then again, her elder sister Katie had taken up such a title under their mother Duchess Sansa DeVoe.
Marina had therefore not been pressed to follow suit. She had been given time...time by which to follow her heart. And that always seemed to be the stars.

But she had agreed to intern under their queen Faith Organa
Only she seemed to be falling short on many duties...including somehow developing some friction between herself and Theo, the queen's own son.
And as for standing there alone outside the senate auditorium staring at one of the many closed doors, she understood her place... wait.

As late as the hour was on Coruscant this time, there were still senators arriving. She took note in recognizing the Senator from Aargau, Aerarii Tithe
So it appeared she weren't the only one to arrive late on Coruscant.
marina observed the senator entering the chambers with the doors once more closing behind his person.

"Sigh.." Oh how she wished she knew what was in session. after all, her queen was representing her beloved Alderaan. Marina felt the need to know. It stemmed from her very core as it would indeed involve her people. But she trusted her queen...no, loved her queen. Marina would be patient and wait till the session were over.

It were then that she noticed others too that were outside the main auditorium in the great hall which for the most part nearly wrapped around the closed auditorium.
She wondered from which system they were from, if not Coruscanti themselves... Lucien Dooku and Auteme whom like her, were seemingly waiting for the session to adjourn.

Being a very social open person, Marina were about to take a walk over and strike up some conversation with either of them. But before she took her first step, the young man beat her to the punch.
"Hmm.." She wondered if the two knew each other, as she halted in her step and remained where she were.

Well, what else were Marina to focus on, waiting alone out there in the hallway?
It weren't like she were prying or anything...she were just no used to standing there alone when there were other people about, s'all.
But she figured maybe she would be imposing, if the two knew each other, or... or..

"Gah..." She rolled her eyes. Not at the two, but at herself for letting her mind wander like that. It weren't her business to wonder about other people's business. Then again, thinking as to what was going on behind closed senate doors was nerve wracking to say the least.
"Marina, Marina, Marina...you should have brought your holo-tablet along... " She muttered to herself.

Berkana (God) , she was bored just standing there waiting....

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku | Marina DeVoe
​

Auteme turned to face the young man as he approached; just as her gaze focused on him, her other senses focused as well. It was like dipping into a dark lake and being surprised to find it warm. His grin, his humor, his presence in the Force -- without missing a beat she returned the smile. "Haha."

It was easy to forget to laugh in times like these, so she used his comment as an excuse to relax. Things these days were always so serious. She attributed it largely to the fact that she was 'growing up', but maybe the senators could use a joke or two. She'd started to take herself too seriously. Everyone took themselves too seriously.

Not Luc, though. Wandering around wearing street clothes, telling bad jokes... exiting the Senate chamber...

Auteme's eyes narrowed for a moment before she spoke. "Auteme. A pleasure to meet you, Luc," she said. "I'm a representative in the Senate, for the New Jedi Order...

"But you aren't a representative, much less a Senator." The more she looked at him, the more she thought he looked and sounded familiar. One of Ryv's friends, maybe? Spending most of her time on Coruscant clearly wasn't helping her worldliness. "Why were you in there?"

 

[Lucien Dooku]

[CAN'T BELIEVE IT]
Auteme

---

---

"A Jedi, eh?" Luc chimed back, not missing a beat. It wasn't his first interaction with the Jedi of Coruscant, but it was safe to say that he wasn't expecting to meet their represent within the halls of the Senate building. "I've been to the temple here once or twice before. Chill place, but not my style." He trailed off, chuckling off the memories that flooded the moment prior. That visit in particular had ended with him leaving a patrol of Coruscant's finest beneath the dust of his emergency-landed Starfighter.

He'd keep those details to himself, instead choosing to settle his eyes upon Auteme once more. With the laughter dying down and a sanguine expression covering his visage, he leaned against the wall even further as he stood by and let her speak. He was satisfied that his corny joke had managed to remove the somber look that she had from before, but of course it didn't take long for her curiosity to set their sights upon the mysterious figure that exited the Senate doors as if he owned the place.

A shrug of the shoulders followed her question. "Oh you know, just visitin' a friend of a friend." The response was clearly in jest. Even if he were attempting to be serious, the mischievous grin that curled to his lips would give up the ploy in an instant. Luc paused for just long enough to see if she'd take the bait, but pushed himself off the wall before any words could exit her lips.

"Just kidding, of course." He spoke up, a hand pressing onto his chest, just over his heart. "My friends call me Luc." He casually gave the woman a half-bow, channeling just enough of that hidden nobility within him to gracefully pull it off. It'd been forever since he'd displayed that level of courtesy to another, but in that moment it seemed rather fitting. "..But officially I am Lucien Dooku, Prince of Serenno, and Warlord of the Province of Nirauan. But like I said-- my friends call me Luc."

Despite the prestige that his position afforded him, it wasn't in his character to not just wave off his titles if the situation allowed for him to do so. He was a spacer at heart, and that much was evident from one look at his favored choice of attire. "I decided to let one of your senators bring me here so I can judge the severity of the situation myself. Oh right- I was supposed to give a testimony to that gathering of stuck-up geezers you folks call Senators." Luc shrugged again, offering up a wink as his eyes trailed away from her momentarily, settling upon the Blonde who lingered nearby. "I'm guessing they didn't like my testimony."

His gaze lingered onto Marina DeVoe , her presence having caught his attention mid-way through their conversation. She'd find herself the recipient of a similar grin, his eyes only breaking away after he was certain he'd caught her eye. She seemed a bit stand-offish, or perhaps she simply didn't want to intrude. Either way, the inviting smile delivered her direction was the best Luc could do given the circumstances. Those circumstances being the pretty young woman who'd caught his attention first.
​

​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku | Marina DeVoe
​

"Well, I suppose we've got to be friends now." She smiled. If he was an independent Jedi, spending a bit of time to get to know him would be good. Those types tended to be resourceful and good contacts. With her position in the Jedi Coalition she needed to continue gathering allies. Plus, he was friendly-

Her eyes widened with his more formal introduction. Now that was unexpected. The surprise subsided after a moment; her tone cooled and smile thinned. She didn't like withholding information or being unkind, but the recent events on Yinchorr, the exchanges in the media... "Ah, I see," she said. "I suppose, being a representative myself, that makes me a stuck-up geezer too? Perhaps you should give me your testimony as well, to see if I like it."

Deep breath. Find the flow. Her senses reached out again. Yet, there was no change -- she looked at her feet, taking a moment to reset. Her gaze and smile returned a moment later. "Kidding. I'm not cleared for that. At least, until they release a statement."

She tilted her head. "So... the severity of the situation. How'd you judge it?"

 

[Lucien Dooku]

[CAN'T BELIEVE IT]
Auteme

---

---

He expected a bit of a mixed reaction upon the revelation of just who exactly he was. With the recent events of Yinchorr having clearly stained the relations between the two allies, the presence of one of the Order's finest within the Core would come to a surprise to just about anyone who was privy to his identity. One of the Order's Warlords had found their way to the Core, his intentions unknown and his loyalties seemingly not as question, given the lackluster testimony he provided to the Alliance in the first place.

A sad state of affairs- well, it would be had the individual not been none other than Lucien himself. He refused to draw lines in the sand where they weren't needed, and his loyalty to the Order had no bearing on his desire to seek an amicable ending to this growing narrative of conflict that seemed to echo across the galaxy.

His smile seemed to never fade, even as hers thinned out momentarily and her tone shifted ever so subtly. A thumb jabbed towards the entrance behind him, despite his eyes never breaking contact with her own not once. "Unless you've got clearance to enter that room, I wouldn't consider a pretty lady like yourself an old geezer in the slightest~" He gave her another playful wink, shifting his weight off the wall and folding his arms lazily across his chest.

"And I don't mind tellin' you exactly what I told them." He continued on. "I was on vacation when the artillery decided to land on my hovercar." The words flowed from his lips with no hesitation, but clearly such a tale was far-fetched at best. Still it was the narrative he was sticking to, and it wasn't as if the Alliance had any proof that he was there in any official capacity otherwise. "As for the situation...tch." A sigh escaped his lips, the smile simmering just enough to match her own. "Doom and gloom, i'm guessing. I can tell you based off my own knowledge and what I was able to read off the room, that there are parties on both sides who'd like nothing more than to see our alliance shatter."

It wasn't in his nature to sugarcoat his words. Auteme wanted his opinion, and Luc had no qualms with giving her his perspective. "The Third-Imperial Civil War is winding to a close, and with it a growing desire for both sides to...let's say, consolidate the remainder of the border regions between our space." He shrugged. "It's part of why I volunteered to let that Tithe guy bring me here in the first place. I wanted to read the room in your senate before I ended this mini-vacation and went back to Imperial space to see what I could to stem the tide on my own." ​

​

 

[Seto Du Couteau]

Seto Du Coutaeu
Location: Senate Chambers
Action: Listening and Attempting to Understand
Attire

Seto stiffened a yawn as he relaxed into the couch behind him, these Senate hearings and Government bureaucracy were never the highlight of his days. Seto would even go as far as to say it nearly drove him catatonic in some instances. He had been pulled away from his chance of escaping Coruscant to return home, apparently these Senate proceedings were rather more so important than anything else from earlier in the day.

Though slightly annoyed his aide hadn’t provided him some form of warning, Seto accepted the urgency and listened patiently like the other Senators around him in the Chamber. New age imperialism was what Seto had coined the discussion point thus far, not that there was anything new or different about the growing imperialism within the borders of the Alliance, more so it was to help Seto differentiate between the Imperial ideals from past, present and the future.

The redeployment of substantial military forces was brought up and this certainly perked Seto’s ears. While it wasn’t unheard of to posture added defensive forces towards the borders with the most tension, to relocate the majority of the Alliance military away from the New Imperial Order space seemed excessive to him. If the NIO worried so many senators, and many probably had just cause, Seto figured the better route would be for an increase of military spending per system or sector.

Increased military presence will soothe the more malignant emotions of fears over, and keeping our forces within the NIO would provide greater strategic value should conflict arise.

Seto figured that such conflict wouldn’t grow past the skirmish reports he read coming from Yinchorr. Perhaps the NIO thought themselves able to withstand both the Sith Empire and the Galactic Alliance should these tensions grow to something truly terrifying. And if the Silver Jedi find our war unjust in their eyes? It almost caused his lips to stretch into something akin to a smirk. Almost. A war benefits no one?

Keeping himself tied to his own seat, Seto leaned forward and listened further. Thus far he had no intention of speaking, for as it stood his words weren't needed at all. Nor did he believe himself capable of swaying anyone's mind. No one comes into these chambers to have their minds changed.
​

| Spirit of Patience | Faith Organa | Marina DeVoe | Adhira Chandra | Julius Loghain | Felipe Valiente | Kryo Adab | Reginald Orian | Brama Tagge | Otto Shule | Auteme | Dracken Pryce | Aerarii Tithe | Lucien Dooku |

 

[Reginald Orian]

Location | Coruscant
Objective | Attend Emergency Session
Tags | @Adhira Chandria | Faith Organa | Marina DeVoe | Julius Loghain | Felipe Valiente | Kryo Adab[/USER] | Brama Tagge | Otto Shule | Dracken Pryce | Aerarii Tithe

Denzul watched as the Session went on as Senators and GADF Officials made their suggestion slowly growing concerned with Senator Shule and Tithe's Suggestions on taking steps against Imperialism on the Homefront , in which concerned Denzul due to Byss' standing as a Traditionally Imperialistic Planet. Byss itself had no love for Democracy seeing it as a carrier for Chaos and Destruction and the Planet itself had thrived during the times of the Galactic Empire , Dark Empire and Frozen Hand. Every time Democracy ever touched the planet , chaos ensured and this was exactly what the Cold War would do to Byss if he couldn't prevent the Alliance from moving against his World.

Denzul then considered the other options various other senators presented to the Board. Senator Tagge of Tepasi had already suggested a special redeployment of Troops in the Northern Dependencies , in which itself could complicate his cousin's Operations in the Region. If anything this Cold War was an unnecessary escalation of tensions as it would bring drastically change the political landscape of various worlds and bring conflict to planets that have been at peace for centuries at best. Denzul did not understand why there was any need to pursue any actions against the New Imperials in the first place after all the True Enemy was the Sith and there was literally a Sith-Led Superpower to the Alliance's Galactic South holding atleast 20 Star Dreadnaughts with the ability to blitz the Core if they wanted as shown with their Past Invasion of the New Republic almost a decade prior.

If anything the Alliance was wasting it's time fighting Imperials when the Sith Menace was lurking in the Shadows, the same mistake their forerunners in the first Galactic Alliance had made when fighting the Fel Empire only to face a Sith-Led Galactic Empire in the aftermath. This was exactly the same path the Alliance was heading for , and Denzul did not like how they were treating both New Imperials and Confederates. They were essentially digging their own grave.

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku | Marina DeVoe
​

As far as she knew, that was the first time she'd ever been called lady. Or pretty. There was a brief moment of hesitation from her when he folded his arms oh so lazily and winked so playfully. Oh, she thought. Oh.

She forced herself to stay focused; listening to his words wasn't a chore like it was with some people. Auteme prided herself on being a good listener, but with Lucien she could see the charisma and charm that might make him worthy to rule a planet as culturally rich as Nirauan. Probably helped that he was young and handsome. Certainly not bad with a saber, either.

The Force alerted her to a sliver of falsehood when he gave his story about how he'd arrived, but she had little else to go off of. It was in stark contrast to the honesty she felt in his voice when he spoke of stemming the tide on the other side. "So you want peace?" She sounded surprised, only to feel that she shouldn't have sounded surprised. "I imagine that'd be difficult. I've heard about COMPNOR, some of the Imperial hardliners..."

Again she was struck by how easy it was to fall into factionalism. Us and them -- two homogenous groups that all agreed all the time. That couldn't be further from the truth. They were standing in the Senate building, after all. Why should she be surprised that there were those who sought peace among the New Imperial Order?

Then it clicked. This was her action. No one came here to change their minds. If they'd decided on war -- or even defensive action -- it'd be impossible for her, someone without a vote in the Senate, to change things. It followed that it was better to go someplace else. Lucien probably wasn't going to stay long. If she went with him, saw the worlds of the New Imperial Order, pushed for peace, then came back with enough evidence of good intentions to renew their peace or even form another alliance...

Her gaze changed again, a quiet determination seeping into her eyes. Even though she'd already decided, she wanted to know a little more about what she was getting into. "I can't imagine you'll have much support among the other warlords. What do you plan to do?"

 

[Lucien Dooku]

[CAN'T BELIEVE IT]
Auteme

---

---

He found himself thinking back to the meeting between himself and the Warlord of Prefsbelt once the topic of peace had entered the conversation. As rational as the man had been, even he did not foresee things in the same light as Luc when it came to the status of the alliance with the GA. War was inevitable, in his eyes, and in the eyes of Compnor and plenty of the other Warlords too. The flames of Imperialism had burned bright all across the Braxant, and with it came the growing desire to let the Imperial warmachine continue its unending march across the regions of space that the Empire's borders spread out and touched.

True peace was a lie.

As much as he wished to maintain peace and stability between the allied governments, there was no misunderstanding that on other fronts, conflict was brewing with each passing day. The influence of Nirauan only extended so far past the province under his control, and if he had even a semblance of a chance to reverse the course which Compnor was attempting to guide the Empire down, war between it and himself would be inevitable. Perhaps it wouldn't be in the following weeks or months, but eventually the metaphorical rubicon would have to be crossed.

Him and whatever allies he had would have no choice but to act, eventually, if their goal was to ever put an end to the extremism that dominated Imperial ideology and thought. The bastion of peace, justice and prosperity that he established would forever be threatened if all he wished to do was appease his rivals, or battle them with words. His enemies had the ear of the Imperator, and the influence to match the voracity of their movement's zeal. It was only a matter of time before the a spark lit the fuse, and the die was eventually cast into the open.

Settling his gaze onto her eyes, his smile softened as he quietly listened to her words. Like a moth to a flame he found himself drawn to hearing her speak, finding it slightly amusing that this Jedi seemed genuinely curious about the state of internal politics that dominated the Order. "Didn't realize you were that interested in knowing all about me. And here I thought all of you Jedi from the Core were the same~" He teased playfully. Luc leaned in closer to the Jedi, his lips curling further into a smirk as he shrugged his shoulders at the woman once more. "Well... I'm hopelessly outnumbered if we're talkin' about allies, and currently outgunned as well. That being said, i'm the best chance the Order's got to atleast dampening the flames that certain elements are hoping to spread into the border regions. With a bit of luck, and a hint of the force, perhaps the scales will tip into my favor."

For all his faults, Lucien had never been one to back down from what he believed in. Even when the odds were so far stacked against his favor, he was resolved in fighting for what he believed was right. Even if he truly didn't believe that he was the beacon of hope that he was painted out to be, he'd do his best to not let the idea of what he stood for fall to the wayside.

"Sometimes you must take what you're given, and that must be enough." ​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku
​

"You're wise for your age." As soon as the words rolled off her tongue she realized that was an odd thing to say. She didn't know how old he was, anyways. And if she was anywhere near as wise as she thought she was, she shouldn't have been surprised when others were too. Alas, wisdom and reason were not always enough. Certainly not enough to sway the entirety of the New Imperial Order. Nor the Galactic Alliance.

She looked to the floor, biting her lip as she rehearsed the words in her mind. Maybe she didn't have to. Maybe there was another way. Maybe he'd refuse. Yet, the Force told her to step forward, look up, say what she needed to say.

"What if I went with you?" She kept her voice down. There were always people listening, but this felt important. A little discretion was needed in important matters.

"Back to Nirauan, I mean, when you leave," she said. Something told her that would be soon. "I mean, I know- well, I don't. I don't know. I don't know how NIO operates, I don't know the political climate, I don't know the people but I feel like I should. It just... seems like you could use some help.

"Call it a hint from the Force."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

[CAN'T BELIEVE IT]
Auteme

---

---

He'd been called quite a few things other the years, but wise had never been one of them. It was partially refreshing to hear a perspective on him that didn't begin or end with naive, or better yet foolish, but Luc didn't know if he could accept the compliment at face value. Truthfully his ideals had always made him an outsider among the Imperials of the Order.

His perspective on life had been shaped by not just his upbringing, but the years which followed his exile from his homeworld as well. The rough life of a spacer taught him to appreciate those you kept close, and the nearly two years of constant warfare had forced him to abandon his far-sighed ambitions in favor of what was presently to his front.

Serenno was no longer such a far away place, but the Prodigal Son of the Empire was still not a step closer to liberating his homeworld from the clutches of the Sith. The idea of leading the forces of the Order in a valiant crusade for his home had finally been abandoned. Nirauan was his focus, as was the direction to which the Order would move in the future. He hadn't fought the Sith with everything he had for the Order he served to simply fall to the extremism that rapidly grew in dominance. An Empire which fostered such ideals would face the same fate as those which came before it, and the New Imperial Order would be no exception to this rule either.

His attention remained on Auteme, even as his thoughts drove him deeper into the recesses of his mind. Words left her lips, lower in volume than before, and he blinked in return as he took in what she said. A brow raised in response, Luc shifting slightly against the wall as she continued on. It was an unexpected turn of events, but his poker face remained strong in spite of the surprise that was veiled behind his grin.

She called it a hint from the force, mimicking the slip of the tongue that Luc had commented to her earlier. He had never been a firm believer in the force as an omnipotent thing which guided one's destiny. On the contrary actually, Luc did everything he could to fight destiny at every turn. The force was nothing more than a tool as far as he was concerned, and from this belief came his disdain for the traditions and teachings of the various force cults of the galaxy-- Sith and Jedi included.

He'd keep this bit to himself, of course. Luc had gotten better these days at not being so judgmental, but the occasional comment did manage to slip through the cracks. Luc pushed off the wall after a brief moment of contemplation, his hands lazily moving to his sides. "Potential, and the will to deploy it." A hand extended out towards Auteme. "That's all the force is in the end." An insight into how he thought, and a comment meant to correct what he'd previously said just moments before.

It would quickly find itself overshadowed by the fact that Lucien had extended a hand towards the Jedi. "Luckily for you, a certain Jedi had caught my attention right before I planned on leaving this world." He nodded towards the other end of the hall, returning his gaze back to her without once parting with that mischievous grin.

"Let's get out of here before those geezers inside decide to revoke my immunity. That might be the worst case scenario-- but it wouldn't be my first time needing to take a pretty Jedi hostage to make a clean getaway~" No need for a poker face there, but he suspected the Alliance wouldn't mind if one of their finest took a spur of the moment trip with him. He did it all the time, much to the chagrin of Irveric Tavlar and his advisors back on Nirauan.​

​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku
​

They could debate the nature of the Force later -- which, of course, they would, and Auteme would definitively disprove Lucien's view, but he'd probably go on believing it anyways -- but it seemed that it was time to leave.

There was one last moment of hesitation as she stared at his outstretched hand. As usual the doubts and worse-case scenarios crept in. What if she was needed here? What if she was missing something? What if she ended up being unable to change anything, unable to help, trapped among people unfriendly to the Jedi?

She took his hand and the doubts washed away, falling to the flow of the Force that told her there was something there for her. While so many of her Jedi companions were used to the danger, adventure, unknowns, Auteme was exhilarated just taking his hand and agreeing to this insane idea. Lucien was right, in a way -- if Auteme was more willful and didn't allow the Force to guide her, she'd probably be much more rational, logical, intelligent. If she didn't allow it to guide her she wouldn't have chosen to go with him.

No, not a hint from the Force. Just a feeling. A good feeling.

The flush of excitement was clear on her face, only broken for a moment as she thought over his last comment. "Do you... take Jedi 'hostage' often?"

 

[Adhira Chandra]

Location | Coruscant
Objective | Brief the Senate

Spoiler: Senators

Reginald Orian
Reyes Sutherland
Sssar Taszzn
Seto Du Couteau
Ce-Pas-Ton
Aerarii Tithe
Faith Organa
Seth Saaliche
Taega Vrav'lan
Skawn Kru
Ordon Trozky
Urban Dreyson
Maou
Otto Shule
Hinter Staakten
Donavon Arturo
Kryo Adab
Julius Loghain
Ulrich Sardion
Felipe Valiente
Brama Tagge
Greeble the Hutt
Jasol Dorsian
Dracken Pryce
Carolina Tevinter

Adhira continued to listen, albeit a little exasperated by the imperialism apologist rhetoric, with a solemn expression. Yet even as she watched she longed for a point in time where her word would have been all it took to see things done. Though the office of Chancellor had grown more powerful under her voting bloc's majority, her power was still constrained by the counterweight of the Senate. The thought made her smile. Even as she sat victim to the cumbersome and inefficient machinations of government, she knew in her heart there was no place she would rather be. For all the trouble it seemed to be giving her at that moment, to Adhira, it was worth it to defend their democracy.​

As the High Admiral, Dracken Pryce stood to offer his opinion she turned her full attention to him. He was the highest-ranking member of the armed forces and of Alliance High Command so his recommendation held great weight. When he mentioned the Startide, she nodded and stood at the conclusion of his remarks.​

"Senators," she called their attention to her once more, "it is clear that paramount among our concerns are securing the lives of our troops abroad and preventing an escalation in the tensions between our Alliance and the New Imperial Order. Your wisdom has enlightened me greatly on what I believe will be the best course of action moving forward."​

"I propose that High Command begin to strategically and inconspicuously begin redeploying our troops to new mission points that reduce the concentration of our soldiers in NIO territory, I am sure our officers can find any number of credible reasons for doing so," Adhira nodded in the direction of the High Admiral, "this may not be the strong message I wanted to send, but we must put the lives of our people first."​

"In the meantime, as Admiral Pryce suggests, our best option for deterrence is to speak softly... from the vantage of a Startide," she always did love those hulking beasts, "the strength of our navy is nothing to balk at and the mere presence of a dreadnaught would likely deter military activity in their vicinity. Just as we plan to covertly reassign our troops, we can find perfectly legitimate reasons to send our ships to patrol neutral waters."​

"Given that this will not be a full exercise of military power, the matter does not require a vote, however, I would like to know that we have your support to move forward," Adhira did not sit this time, but paused to allow for further input.​

 

[Lucien Dooku]

[CAN'T BELIEVE IT]
Auteme

---

---

Luc smirked, her hand entering his and a light squeeze being given as he began stepping away with his newly-acquired friend in tow. He took a moment to look back as she commented on what he'd previously said, a finger moving to his lips in unison with a "Shh." being given in response. A wink followed, Luc turning back around to once more peer at the blonde who'd been lingering near them ever since the Prince had exited the meeting.

"Only once-- but for the record, it was her idea." He spoke up, his voice just quiet enough for Auteme to hear his response. As much as he liked flexing his uniquely brazen attitude towards those in positions of power, he figured a bit of discretion would go a long way from stopping any interested parties from keeping him a hostage in the Core for longer than the few days he'd already been.

A devilish grin was delivered towards Marina DeVoe for a final time as he walked past the woman with the pretty Jedi in his hand. She received a final smile from Luc, along with a few polite words once she was within earshot. She hadn't beckoned his invitation- Luc figured he wasn't direct enough or that she simply had no interest in conversing with the two. Either way, the time he'd spent meandering from his goal of leaving the Core had been well spent indeed.

Luc shifted his head slightly, an eye peering back at Auteme now that the two were on their way out of the building and free of any distractions. He wasn't sure if bringing the woman back to Nirauan was the smartest play he could have made. She was walking into a lair of wolves, and many of his enemies wouldn't hesitate to use her presence against him. But much like herself, Luc had a feeling in his gut that steered him into accepting her request. For better or worse, he'd weather the storm to come once the two had finally arrived on Nirauan. ​

 

[Brama Tagge]

TEPASI // TAGGE ESTATE
ADDRESSING: Adhira Chandra // Faith Organa // Julius Loghain // Felipe Valiente // Kryo Adab // Reginald Orian // Aerarii Tithe // Seto Du Couteau

​

Brama’s brows knitted. These were fancy words being tossed around. Absently, she rubbed one of her ears, as if to clear sand from clogging it. She’d been spending the past few months on the Outer Rim hunting Krayt’s..and the moans and roars of Sand People were a stark contrast to the flowery diction being exchanged across the podiums.

“If the Imperials suspect fourberie, it will be difficult for them to condemn our actions without revealing their designs.”

“That’s not a word we know. Look it up, would you Elden? I think he’s agreeing with me, I can’t tell. Everyone else was so obvious.” At this, the attendant nodded dutifully and tap-tapped through his datapad. Within seconds, he had the explanation and divulged it to the Tepasi Senator, who nodded and pocketed the word away for another time.

The Chancellor’s words seemed to sum up the discourse up to this point, and Brama hmmm’d to herself, deepening her recline in the plush seating of her home.

“Who was that interloper?” Brama asked of her attendant. Someone had been escorted out.

“A captive with immunity from Senator Tithe.”

“The fancy word man.”

“The fancy word man, yes.”

“And this captive...is being called back in?”

“Unsure.”

Thin lips pulled into a taut line, the corners becoming heavy with distrust. This session was closed, but surely important players would always be given the opportunity to speak?

"Find out who he is. If he's not given the chance at the floor, I'd like to hear what he meant to say."

Envious of the attention the Corellian hound was getting, Gido stopped gnawing on the bone he’d been fascinated with for the last handful of minutes and let out a low growl that started at the bottom of his throat. Boyce was unbothered by this subtle aggression and continued to revel in the scratches against his nostrils from the huntress.

"In the meantime, as Admiral Pryce suggests, our best option for deterrence is to speak softly... from the vantage of a Startide," ​

"the strength of our navy is nothing to balk at and the mere presence of a dreadnaught would likely deter military activity in their vicinity. Just as we plan to covertly reassign our troops, we can find perfectly legitimate reasons to send our ships to patrol neutral waters."​

"Given that this will not be a full exercise of military power, the matter does not require a vote, however, I would like to know that we have your support to move forward," ​

The idea of shining a flashlight in all the potentially dark corners of the Core seemed a bit Imperialistic in nature to the elder Tagge, who removed her hand from the hound’s nostril and wiped it against her sleeve while considering the repercussions of all these suggested actions. They all ended with war.

But for now...

<You have Tepasi’s support. >

 

[Marina DeVoe]

SENATE BUILDING​

Location: Outside the Senate Auditorium
Ship: Mariner IV
Tagging: Faith Organa
Post: 5


Hurry up and wait...
That was pretty much what politics seemed to be about outside of Alderaan. Especially this late hour.
marina had not hear a peep from Becca since she had gone in to assist their queen, Faith Organa

marina were left outside the senate assembly chambers to wait, as she had no immediate authority to enter. It were a closed session and only pertinent assistants to invited senators were allowed inside.

As thus idle mind did wander about. Staying close to where she and Becca last parted, Marina had little choice in the manner of keeping her mind occupied. So she took to observing the few delegates or senators passing through. Took to occasionally look over to the two young couple not too distant from her. She had had the notion of walking over to them before, but had decided not to crash their little interlude. It seemed the two had gotten acquainted, telling marina that they had just met here in the senate building.
of course she couldn't hear but a word here or there echoing through the hallway...laughter...a chuckle..
For the most part, it were obvious three would have been a crowd.

And her intuition (Marina had no knowledge of her potential hereditary connection to the force) proved right, as it seemed the two had made some kind of connection and were leaving the premises together.

"Nite..." were what she replied, reflecting back a smile to Lucien Dooku and Auteme as they passed her.

 

[Seto Du Couteau]

Seto Du Coutaeu
Location: Senate Chambers
Action: Showing Support
Attire

The discussions continued forward in the general direction Seto had figured, but he was interested for the moment how their military power would be exercised. After all, what’s the point of purchasing large starships if you don’t use them? While never the one to instigate violence, or call forth for aggressive action, Seto wouldn’t stand in the way of anyone who believed in aggression. Though what the Chancellor was suggesting was not an actively aggressive stance, but with increased military presence, Well. . . one doesn’t need the Force to see the future at that point.

One nation’s strong national defense is another nation’s strong military build up.

Seto stood up, his hands carefully smoothing away the creases from sitting. “You have the support of Empress Teta.” His voice rang out as he sat back down, undoing his previous work of clearing away the wrinkles.

Perhaps. . . Seto kept his smile as he mused on the new item on his agenda, it was all careful planning to stack one card on top of the next. He had to be quick before a gust of wind knocked his house of cards, But then again, it’s not just my house of cards I need to worry about. . . Seto knew how delicate governments can be confronted with difficult choices and decisions. Would this situation with the New Imperial Order cause the bulwark of the Galactic Alliance to crumble back into dust?

Such a question was posed to the last few governments that attempted to control the core, and for the moment it was the Alliance’s turn to respond.

Perhaps I should check on the bakery before I had home. . .
​

| Spirit of Patience | Faith Organa | Marina DeVoe | Adhira Chandra | Julius Loghain | Felipe Valiente | Kryo Adab | Reginald Orian | Brama Tagge | Otto Shule | Auteme | Dracken Pryce | Aerarii Tithe | Lucien Dooku |

 

[Faith Organa]

Location: The Senate
Tags: Marina DeVoe | Adhira Chandra | Julius Loghain | Felipe Valiente | Kryo Adab | Reginald Orian | Brama Tagge | Otto Shule | Dracken Pryce | Aerarii Tithe |

It was true it did not require a vote. So...how did Faith feel? How was Alderaan affected...a popup from Becca told her that Marina was in the hall.

Faith paused, was her meeting with Marina this week? She could have sworn her calendar said next week ....lord was she losing her mind?

Goodness gracious...a message to Becca to give to Marina, Let her know I will be out shortly she can meet me at the Embassy and we can discuss her role here on Coruscant. Alderaan was in need of a junior senator and Marina had enough skill to do the job but she also was at times rash and that could lead to issues. So...they would need to discuss before Faith gave her that position.

Meantime Faith considered the Chancellors words, pull out slowly, keep a strong presence....was this terrible? It would protect the Alliance and their military, and keep a slow pace allowing them to continue to learn what the NIO had in mind.

Faith stood, "Alderaan seeks recognition"

She looked at the Chancellor, "Alderaan supports the proposition put forth. But I will restate I feel there is an opportunity here for the Alliance to learn more about NIO plans, and to look like the negotiator not an aggressor" She nodded, "Alderaan relinquishes the floor"

Faith sat down she could leave...maybe she would....

 

[Marina DeVoe]

SENATE BUILDING​

Location: Outside the Senate Auditorium
Ship: Mariner IV
Tagging: Faith Organa
Post: 6



"Thank you kindly, but I will remain." She replied to one of the Senate security personnel.

Marina had for the most part been outside the Senate Chambers for quite a few hours while the assembly of senators were in session. Her queen, whom was representing her home world of Alderaan as Senator Faith Organa were inside.
marina had not spoken, not had come into contact with her queen, only Becca whom were currently at Faith's side within the closed senate session.

Needless to say, marina had been in the great hall outside the chambers for many hours and had gotten the attention of the attending administration, whom had sent over a security personnel to offer the young lady in waiting, an alternate option as to where she could wait in comfort this late hour. There were several private chambers where a senator, delegates and attending personnel could wait instead of in the Great Hallway.
But Marina couldn't think of it, as she didn't wish to not be there outside when her queen came out.

"Senator Faith Organa, queen of system Alderaan..." Marina then replied to the senate sentry when asked as to whom she were waiting for.
Naturally, marina flashed her security clearance, satisfying the sentry. he left the offer open, then bade her a fair evening.

"Thank you, you too." She replied, then went back in biding her time and wait for her queen....