Too Many Jedi In The Senate... (Halen/Ijet)

[Josh Dragovalor]

This was it. Philip J. Halen had run himself into the ground to try and get elected... And he had done it. Vice Chancellor. He may not have gotten the leading role, but the position he was in was pivotal to the future prosperity to the Republic, and with that he was satisfied.

Happier still, the one who beat him was the former Jedi Master Aleidis Ijet, the woman who he hoped would be one of the two winners. He had faith in Ijet's abilities, and knew the girl would do a good job...

And he had heard rumors of her bringing around peace treaties to boot... This brought a smile to his face as he thought about it. He knew the Republic needed a peaceful Chancellor, the opposite of Ardak... And Aleidis not only fit the bill, but already the Ghostling has worked and proved her mantra.

And here he sat in her office, waiting for the Supreme Chancellor to arrive. Aleidis had arranged a formal meeting between herself and her new Vice, and Halen looked forward to meeting the young woman... Believe it or not, they shared a common ground, and not just their ideals...

@[member="Aleidis Ijet"]

 

[Aleidis Zrgaat]

@[member="Philip J. Halen"]

"Go~od evening, Vice Chancellor." The Ghostling chirped as she stepped into her office in her new blue-and-white veda cloth robes. She'd been a busy girl, lately. Busy laying the groundwork for Galactic peace, fufilling her campaign promises, busy cleaning up after Metalorn and proving her worth in spite of her age and experience. So busy, in fact, that she'd hardly had time to sit down and talk to the man that was supposed to be her second-in-command, Philip J. Halen.

Intellectually, Aleidis knew she was supposed to delegate some authority to her Vice-Chancellor, to keep her from losing her gorram mind with all of the millions of things that needed to be done to keep the bureaucracy of the Republic from stagnating into endless red tape and in-fighting. But Aleidis was all too used to taking steps on her own, and her nature was pre-disposed to handling things herself. That changed today.

The teenage president of the Republic stepped around her desk and offered the man a warm smile of greeting, picking a hard candy out of a small dish she kept for such purposes. "I'm sorry that it's taken us this long to sit down and speak. I was impressed with your speech, you know." She admitted, sitting in a chair that was much too large for her slight frame.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He chuckled, smiling as the young Ghostling came in and spoke. It took all he had not to show a large grin as Aleidis looked dwarfed by her chair.

"As is the life of the Supreme Chancellor, Miss Ijet..." he said. "It is no problem. I understand completely. There's been so much going on since Metalorn. Both for the Republic, and for the Jedi, as I have been hearing" he said.

"As well, I thank you for the kind words Chancellor. I was quite impressed by yours as well. You were the only one who showed that passion, that drive to REALLY want to help the Republic... Who REALLY wanted this position... And the others? Well, let's just say it was quite obvious that they wanted candy canes, golden beach chairs and a slice of Republic Chancellor Power Pie" he said. "Again, it is nice to finally meet you in person" he added.

@[member="Aleidis Ijet"]

 

[Aleidis Zrgaat]

@[member="Philip J. Halen"]

Aleidis snickered and nodded. "Don't discount yourself, Mr. Halen." She pointed out cheerfully, leaning forward to fold her arms on the desk and lace her fingers together. "If you hadn't had gotten the job, I would have been very surprised!" The Ghostling chirped.

"I will admit, the chambers of the Supreme Chancellor are a nice perk - even if I don't get to spend as much time in them as I'd like." Aleidis admitted with a sheepish smile. "I just wish there wasn't some unspoken law that the Chancellor can't wear trousers, because I'll tell you honestly, I'm getting very weary of robes. No matter how soft and comfortable they are." She added, smirking.

"More to the point - I'd love to know more about you, Mr. Halen. Your ideals, your plans for the Republic. We're partners, you know - so I should learn all I can about you." Aleidis explained good-naturedly. "I browsed over your dossier earlier today, but there's nothing quite like learning about a person right from their own mouth."

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He chuckled a bit. "And here I thought you would be comfortable in robes" he joked, smiling faintly as he linked his fingers together, his elbows on her desk as he looked at the Ghostling.

"There isn't much to say about me that the dossiers have not" Halen said. "I've been in the Senate for 16 years, and what I want for the Republic is, quite frankly, the same as you do Miss Ijet" he added. "Peace. Prosperity. I have said for so long that the Republic will get nowhere with a leader that loves war and battle more then the Republic... And for that I have been relatively ignored in the senate boards until I ran for Chancellor" he said, sighing. "Hopefully, with someone with a more even head, and someone who, like me wants peace in the Republic instead of destroying everything in sight... All respect intended to Ardak, he was a fine Chancellor even if misguided... The Republic can be what we set out to be again"

"And my my, you've already started by what I hear Miss Ijet... A cease fire on Metalorn, peace with many of the factions here... Already working on repairing relations with Omega Pyre after Ardak's incident that led to his termination... And by what I've heard... A peace treaty with the Sith Empire?" he said, raising an eyebrow at the last part.

"For that last part... You are very.. And I mean VERY bold Chancellor Ijet..." he said. "It hasn't been done in thousands and thousands of years... But you are probably the best Chancellor to attempt it with your ideals. And I have a feeling that you could be the one to finally do it" he added.

"It's insane... It's crazy... But it could work. And that would be a massive victory for the Republic and the galaxy as a whole"

@[member="Aleidis Ijet"]

 

[Aleidis Zrgaat]

@[member="Philip J. Halen"]

Aleidis flushed slightly and smiled, unable to help but be proud at his glowing praise. "Well, you know. I won't live forever, Mr. Halen. Anything I'd do, I'd like to to matter to the Galaxy once my term has passed." She explained. "That's why I'm so intent on laying the foundations for Galactic peace, you know? There's been endless war in our stars for ages and ages, and people think that it's just too big a task for any one person to bring an end to that war."

"I, personally, think that that's nonsense. Somebody has to take the first steps, you know?"

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Halen nods in agreement. "Absolutely. Its completely possible, and you fit the criteria" he said.

"And what of you?" He asked. "What is your story?"

He had taken a liking to the Chancellor. If he had a son, he'd convince him to be married off to her. Why? Because if they're a kid of Philip J. Halen... SOMEBODY would have to keep them in line.

@[member="Aleidis Ijet"]

 

[Aleidis Zrgaat]

@[member="Philip J. Halen"]

"Public knowledge." Aleidis said with a sly smile, sitting back in her oversized chair. "I was raised on Datar, which is very primitive. I was a Jedi from age eight up until I couple of months ago, and pretty good at that by all accounts." She listed, folding one leg over the other. "Aside from that, I fear I'm terribly boring. Lots of meditation, healing, studying, and tending plants. Gardening is my like, primary hobby." The Ghostling explained with a warm smile. "Stay on my good side, and I'll be sure to spoil you with fruits and veggies! I can't go around handing them out in the temple anymore, after all."

Aleidis' datapad chirped. She checked it briefly, then smiled and slipped it back into a drawer.

"Mister Halen, it is shockingly close to too late to order decent food - which is my standing plan for the evening." Aleidis admitted with a tiny smile. "Are you planning on keeping me company long enough that I should order you something to eat, too?" The teenager asked good-naturedly. "My treat."

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Halen laughed at her statement. She seemed incredibly good natured, and easy to get along with. No wonder everyone, idiots and Liam Neeson fans aside, had voted for her.

"You don't seem that boring to me, Chancellor Ijet" he said with a slight smile. And it wasn't as if he were lying.... Halen could never get a word in with Ardak. It was "do this" that and "leave me alone" that if he spoke, even if it was a meeting. Always was buried in his warroom papers, that man... He thought to himself. But this was a new day, a new Chancellor who just in a few months was doing extraordinary things for the Republic. And she was a fine woman to get along with as well. "You just might be the most... Interesting Chancellor I have met" Phil joked with a slight goodwilled smile.

And then he heard the datapad of Aleidis go off, and she asked the question on if he would be staying to eat, his first instinct was to politely decline as to not want to disturb the Chancellor on her off hours. But she did seem to want him there, and it was better then studying old holocrons in his quarters as was his spare time hobby... A hobby one might find weird, but he had found many over the course of his life before he became a Senator... His usual answer to questionings about it were that he was an Adventurer as a lad, exploring unknown worlds, plundering its riches, getting to see the sights and find amazing things.

"I would be happy to keep you company, Miss Ijet" Phil said with a smile.

@[member="Aleidis Ijet"]

 

[Aleidis Zrgaat]

@[member="Philip J. Halen"]

Aleidis smiled and stood up. "Wonderful! I hope you do not mind stir-fry. I've been craving a good plate of veggies ALL DAY." The teenager admitted cheerfully, rubbing her hands together. In short order, she'd called for delivery - picking up the tab with little hesitation. After living a rather ascetic lifestyle for most of her life, she was still adjusting to having a salary. And not just any, but one of the more generous ones that the most prestigious position of public service had to offer.

"So, Mr. Halen - we're going to be partners from now on, so I guess I'll start by asking the hard questions I've had bouncing around my head since I took office." Aleidis admitted. "The first of which is kind of the rancor in the room. Omega Pyre." She explained with a small frown. "What do you think we should do about them? We can't be seen as letting them dictate policy in the Republic, even if it somewhat looks like it considering the catalyst that removed Chancellor Ardak from office was our conflict with them at Poliss Massa."

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Phil mulled over the situation for a moment, scratching the stubble of a beard on his chin.

"Well..." he began. "You're right. It does look like they're walking over us after what happened with Ardak. As I said in the meeting with the Senate, Miss Ijet... We need to be gentle, but firm" he explained. "We need to get it through that they are our allies. Very valuable allies... But we are equals. Nobody will be walking over the other. We got rid of the whole reason that we had these issues, Ardak is no longer in office, the monster is gone" he said. "They have no more reason to be mad at the Republic... But if we're not gentle but firm, they will walk over us, or consider us at war" he said.

This was a tricky situation indeed...

@[member="Aleidis Ijet"]

 

[Aleidis Zrgaat]

@[member="Philip J. Halen"]

"To be fair, Mr. Halen, there was fault on both sides at Poliss Massa." Aleidis pointed out quietly. "And wheras we impeached Chancellor Ardak, from what I've heard, Ayden Cater recieved not so much as a slap on the wrist." She laced her fingers together and frowned slightly. "Granted, Chancellor Ardak wasn't impeached as a part of some punishment pact or anything - that I know of - but still. It shows a bit of inconsideration, and a lack of self-awareness in the consequences of Galactic politics."

"Omega Pyre has it's roots as a mercenary company, so it stands to reason that those who take decisive, if brutal, action in tense situations would rise to power and be rewarded for that behavior. Their ways are not ours." She summarized simply. "On it's own, that's not a dealbreaker. More to the point, I'm trying to guide Republic politics away from war. Ours, and others'. Do we really want to climb back in bed with a military dictatorship so quickly?"

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He sighs, mulling this over in his head. This certainly wasn't going to be easy...

"What are your top suggestions and ideas for handling this situation then, Chancellor Ijet?" He asked. "The LAST thing we want is war... We just made peace with the Empire and others. How in the world are we going to settle this with OMega without shedding more buckets of blood?"

He scratched his stubble, trying to think of an idea... OP was a rather... Violent party. And it was true that they were as much at fault as they were. Still, the fact that their leader only received a slap on the wrist urked him... How did they know that OP didn't do this on purpose in some bloody psychotic, sadistic way to gain more benefits from the Republic, or worse yet, have an excuse to declare war and be seen as heroes in the process? It was a very dangerous political game they were playing..."

@[member="Aleidis Ijet"]

 

[Aleidis Zrgaat]

@[member="Philip J. Halen"]

Aleidis shrugged helplessly. "I'm not sure, Mr. Halen. That's why I asked my second in command." She pointed out with a small smile, brushing her dark hair back with one hand. "It's a problem we need to address, but I suppose that there's no point in hypotheticals when it's up to the Senate whether or not we make friendly with Omega Pyre again." She explained. "With any luck, they'll have some interesting and novel ideas on how to go about doing that. They ARE the best and brightest that the Galaxy has to offer." Aleidis remarked with a helpful smile.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Phil sighed. "Somehow I think that won't be the case" he said. "Hopefully they'll prove me wrong, but I haven't seen many who have put in much of an effort in recent years"

"Maybe they'll pull out a miracle for this Omega Pyre case? Who knows. All I know is that when we can, we need to meet with the authority and arrange something. A way to put this behind us mutually, because the problems are on BOTH sides... And we've done MORE then enough to make it up to them"

@[member="Aleidis Ijet"]

 

[Aleidis Zrgaat]

@[member="Philip J. Halen"]

"I couldn't agree more, Mr. Halen. We should remember that they broke off the treaty, and pressured the Senate to impeach Chancellor Ardak." Aleidis pointed out. "I plan on making sure they remember that, too."

"...but, regardless. Food's here." She stated as an aid came in with their ordered take-out. "Anything else you wish to discuss? I'm hoping on making our military slightly more...robust, but I'm a little inexperienced in that field. I was hoping you could lend some insight." She explained with a warm smile. He WAS an old soldier, after all.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He smiled a bit as he watched the takeout come in, before looking back at Aleidis.

"I believe the dossiers are incorrect, Chancellor Ijet" he corrected. "I've been a Senator for 16 years. I was never a soldier. I've seen my share of scraps, but..."

He scratched his stubble a bit. "Perhaps spread recruiting out a bit farther? With our more peaceful standpoint and our new allies, more kinds of people may want to join the cause if we get it out to them" he suggested. "This is a good time for it, where the Republic seems to be raising it's stock, and it's the talk of many all around the galaxy"

"Speaking of the talk of the galaxy... If I may ask, Miss Ijet... And I do mean if I because it might be a sensitive subject for you... How have the Jedi fared in these current days? I haven't spoken to anyone of them in the last 20 years" he admitted, smirking a bit. "All I've heard is that little rascal Ben Watts is Grandmaster now. He almost looped my head off when he accidentally threw his lightsaber during training when he let it go, while I was passing by on a visit to speak with the Council" he added.

"I've heard... Grave rumors of them, but I figured it'd be easier to ask someone in my profession who would know them better then anyone"

@[member="Aleidis Ijet"]