Chief of Staff for Senator Ayumi Pallopides
Spreading out as far as the eye could see below her was a vast, lush hilly grassland often broken up by the turquoise, sparkling lakes that gave this region of Naboo its name - Lake County. Melanie found herself momentarily frozen in awe at the sight. Even in the nicer districts of Denon, there was an order to the natural scenery, kept confined within walls and parks and often within reach of complex irrigation systems. In Naboo however, especially outside the major cities, there was nothing to contain the natural flourishing of wildlife. Perhaps Denon too had once been like this, many centuries ago. But now, nearly every biome on the planet was buried under kilometers of steel and concrete.
It was for that reason that Melanie found herself tasked with visiting the Kortu estate. Both her and her boss, one Senator Ayumi Pallopides, desired to prevent Denon’s ecological collapse and the resulting social calamity. While the original surface of the planet could likely never be fully restored, there were numerous urban districts that could be transformed into miniature ecosystems. In particular, Melanie was hoping to use local expertise to find crops in Naboo or elsewhere in the Republic that could be easily imported to Denon to create agricultural cooperatives. She was well-aware that local, organic food provided a variety of health benefits compared to goods processed offworld, while agricultural cooperatives in particular could give small landholders a new source of income and strengthen social ties between neighbors. And that was all without mentioning the role plants played as carbon sinks.
In the distance, a small group of buildings topped with turquoise domes came into view. The Kortu lakefront estate. As Melanie drew closer, she began to make out the scale of the estate - most of the buildings were several stories tall, with grand arches and balconies and embellished in finery. All under the control of a single family! Her outrage grew, as it did with all of the nobility who used their inherited titles and unearned estates to keep vast wealth out of the hands of the common people. At best, they worked no harder than the average dockworker or house servant, and did not deserve to be given privileges above them. At worst, they were little more than entitled leeches, hoarding trillions of credits raked in from exploited workers for no better reason than to show them off. Surely if the Kortus alone gave away even a quarter of their estate, hundreds could be lifted out of homelessness. With a quarter of their fortune, thousands could live a middle-class lifestyle.
Melanie took a deep breath in, then out. To give into her anger would be worse than unprofessional - it would reflect poorly on Senator Pallopides as well. She truly admired her boss’ dedication to creating a more just and equal Denon. As her chief representative in her absence, she would have to show at least the bear minimum of politeness and courtesy to the Kortu nobles. Even if they would have likely thought of her as little more than an unrefined commoner if not for her current position.
Melanie eased the engines as an open-air landing pad came into view, slowing down until she hovered directly above the pad. She then lowered the landing gear and carefully set the shuttle down onto the pad, letting out a sigh as the shuttle’s struts gently impacted the ground. The exit ramp opened in the hallway behind her with a quiet hiss, and Melanie departed the pilot’s seat to pick up her suitcase. Having travelled in a slightly modified troop transport, Melanie naturally stored her luggage in an empty weapons locker in the side of the shuttle’s central chamber. She methodically unlocked the locker and picked up her suitcase, slinging its strap over her right shoulder.
With everything in order, Melanie strode down the ramp and into the warm Naboo air, following a gravel path towards the estate proper.
