The State of the Commonwealth

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

​

If there was one thing that Shoma could have lived without, it was press conferences.

Unfortunately, they were something of a necessary evil at times.

It seemed as though the Moff Council of the First Order had instituted new policy. A policy that seemed isolationist. In that regard, it was intimately familiar. Atrisia could go toe-to-toe with Csilla and several other of history's largest isolationist worlds for its long history of closed borders. But the planet was still reeling from the political shift that they had undertaken, from Galactic Alliance to First Order member world.

The young prince stepped inside of the Atrisian Parliament to a fanfare of applause. Control of the Diet had shifted back to the Imperials, which were the political faction that Shoma himself hailed from. As such, his approval rating was actually higher now than during the time that Atrisia had served as part of the Alliance.

Of the opposition, the delegates of Quan'Lo and the planet Kilea rose to their feet, but kept their arms folded by their sides while the young prince made his way to the raised dais that overlooked the Parliament.

At least the declaration of the so-called Fortan Doctrine was close enough in time to the usual annual State of the Commonwealth address that Shoma was able to respond immediately to the questions that were circulating about the impacts of this new First Order policy to Atrisia without resorting to calling an additional press conference.

The teen raised a hand to signal for the applause to come to a close. "Thank you, delegates, representatives, and esteemed ambassadors," the youth intoned, as the last notes of applause were fading across the room. "I stand before you in awe of all that we have accomplished in the last year. And I have hope for the future that the coming year will see even more growth for our people."

Another wave of applause.

He waited a moment before speaking again. "Many of you here today have expressed concern about the First Order's newly declared security, trade, and border policies," the youth remarked, shuffling through the notes in his hands for a moment. Laying those flat on the lectern, the teen looked up as he declared, "First and foremost, I want to be clear that Atrisia's ports remain open to trade..."

He had to make an unscheduled pause, as the Parliament broke into another round of applause.

He took advantage of the time to shuffle back through some of his notes. Once the opportunity to be heard again presented itself, he continued on. "Not only this, but we have recently participated in outreach toward the Sith Empire, Alderaan, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems..."

Just how many times were these people going to applaud?

Another pause. When the noise had died down again, the teen continued with the planned remarks. "The First Order is taking the right steps at this time with regard to our national space security," the youth stated, noting a subtle change in the room as he did. Another necessary evil. While the Treaty of Bespin gave the Atrisian government a greater degree of autonomy from most First Order worlds, that breathing room was finite. And Shoma had no desire to exhaust it. So it was necessary to walk back the declaration with a clear message of support for First Order. "And our own Atrisian Self-Defense Forces will continue to provide support to the First Order Security Bureau and other parts of our Supreme Leader's government. And I believe that the trade policies that we have been working toward will bring prosperity to both the First Order and Atrisia."

A quieter moment of applause, but at least they weren't calling for him to commit seppuku just yet. In the current political environment, he'd take that as a victory.

Whether [member="Natasi Fortan"] called for him to commit seppuku... remained to be seen.

"The shipyards in orbit of Frisal have resumed operation," Shoma remarked, recapping just a few of the economic successes that had triumphed of late. They had starships back in production. "Our tourism industry is beginning to recover. Job creation is higher now than during our time in the Alliance. There is a lot that we have to offer, to the First Order and our future trade partners."

Another round of applause.

The teen paused to draw in a breath. He was talking a good game. But then, that's what he did. It's what he'd been doing even since he was a youngling.

This was a gamble, to be sure.

Only time would tell if it would pay off.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

It was the end of a long day of governing in Avalonia, a time when Natasi found an opportunity to relax and unwind. Normally she would have had her daily video call with Pierce and the children, but he had convinced Natasi to allow a visit to Pierce's estate on Galidraan for winter holidays, so instead the Grand Moff retreated to her quarters in Number 10 and turned on the holovision. She switched to a news channel and went to fix herself a drink as she listened. Responses to the new foreign policy were good, and while that was to be expected in the media controlled by the state, it did reflect the private polling that she had commissioned. Natasi poured some scotch into the glass and then put a dash of soda and two ice cubes in before going to the sofa.

She switched to FO-SPAN 2, which covered local and regional proceedings. The newscaster announced that they were going live to Atrisia with [member="Shoma Ike"]'s State of the Commonwealth address to the Atrisian Parliament. Natasi sat on the sofa and tucked her legs up under her body, cupping her drink in both hands as she watched. Democracy was such a quaint, charming tradition, Natasi thought. She had never engaged in it herself, but she had to admit to some admiration to the principles at play.

Atrisia had the capacity to be a sticky wicket if the Atrisians wanted to make a fuss. So far things had been reasonably smooth sailing, but there was always the opportunity, so Natasi watched with interest, reaching for the remote to turn up the volume. She listened intently to his explanations. There was plenty to be uneasy about there; relations with the outside galaxy were never what one would call 'warm,' and while Natasi had always felt that free trade was not only beneficial but essential to the health of free economies. The Fortan Doctrine did not levy any additional tariffs or import penalties, but isolationism might have impacts on trade from a psychological perspective. Her jaw tightened as she considered this and possible solutions. Perhaps Atrisia could serve as the First Order's doorway to the rest of the galaxy where trade was concerned. The Atrisians seemed to be viewed favorably by the outside galaxy, after all...

Natasi settled against the back of the sofa and nursed her drink as she continued to watch the broadcast, but the ideas swirled in her head like the ice cubes in her scotch.