Private A Wedding and a Funeral

[Ishani Dinn]

Nezamiyeh, Chaldea​

Of all the things that could've drawn her back home, it was the funeral of a friend.

Not that she and Arlo Renard had ever really been that friendly toward one another. They got to know each other out of necessity, thrown together by circumstance, and butted heads more often than not. He'd driven her particularly crazy towards the end, with his cynical, old-fashioned views. She could tell he thought she was a fool, a silly little girl chasing fog. Still, she had never wished him dead, had never dreamed that he would press a gun to his head and pull the trigger...

But here she was, standing outside the temple where prayers had been said for the dead. There was no body to bury, Arlo's remains having apparently disappeared shortly after his death was confirmed as a suicide. Rattattaki Roulette was truly a horrific game. That is, assuming it really was just a game, and not a political play, as she had suspected. A whole lot of money had been on the line, money which she knew Arlo had wanted for the defense budget, and with the future uncertain they could probably use a little more defense.

At least the ceremony was nice. The temple's architecture was quite eye-catching as well. Brass rings around the marble pillars shone in the morning sunlight. Ishani had tried to avoid any of the other mourners, but it was a little hard to not be noticed when you were a former political celebrity. Hell, half the guests were politicians in one form or another...

Across the street, she spotted the beginnings of a wedding at another religious building. She gawked at the well-dressed guests excitedly filing inside, music faintly echoing through the open doors. Then a smile touched her lips. Arlo had been fond of the saying, "everyone's always getting married in Chaldea", and here it was proven true to life in a profound way. It was just too bad she wasn't here for a wedding instead of a funeral.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

NEZAMIYEH, CHALDEA
TEMPLE GROUNDS
​

A dark form stepped into the temple proper.

The young man that entered appeared as if he were there to mourn. His form was draped in the onyx colors of his cloak and jacket. Gold trim decorated his shoulders, glinting in the dim lights. The man's dark hair was swept to the side, grey eyes underneath hard and steely as he surveyed the room, hovering near the entrance.

In all honesty, Alicio hadn't known he'd be going to a funeral today, having dressed up as he normally would when meeting with a dignitary. He had been across the street, the guest at the wedding of a Chaldean Potentiate, and quickly grew fatigued by the cheery atmosphere and merriment. Couple that with a splitting headache that hadn't left him since arriving in the city, and Alicio had needed a bit of space. He'd exited the holy place, and sat by the street, noticing another temple across the way.

Staring at the structure, Alicio felt the emptiness, loss, and regret coming from inside. So he entered, not quite sure what drew him away from the joy, and into the pain.

And he began to pay respects to a man he never met.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Someone crossing the street caught her eye. As far as she could tell, he was part of the wedding party—despite being drearily dressed. Ishani watched as the man entered the temple where the funeral was starting to wind down, mingling with the mourners in all-black.

Intrigued, she followed his path down the aisle, stopping a few feet away. She tried to appear casual as she leaned against a pillar, observing him from behind. He had piqued her curiosity enough that she pushed aside her usual shyness around strangers and approached him.

“Did you know him well?” she asked, figuring that was a good enough conversation starter for two people at a funeral.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

There wasn't a body.

The service was nearing completion, as folks wrapped in mourner's black said their final goodbyes to the empty air. Alicio stepped down the aisle of the temple lightly, as if treading on ice. He stopped near the altar, shifting his stance as he felt a pang in his heart. He hoped that whoever had passed could hear the kind words, wherever they were.

It was a sad thing to be absent for one's own funeral.

Alicio was roused from his somber mood by a voice behind him. The nobleman turned toward the woman addressing him, trying to keep the embarrassment from his face. "No, I don't know him. Just came in to... pay respects, I guess."

Alicio clasped one gloved hand in another, turning back towards the slowly-dispersing funeral. "Who was he?"

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

He didn't know Arlo, but had just wandered in here? Why? Was he one of those weirdos who liked to crash strangers' funerals?

"Who was he?"

"Arlo Renard," she answered. "A Chaldean Mystic. He was my master, or he used to be. Taught me how to ride horses and griffins, how to hunt dragons, how to safely traverse the lands of the dead..." She trailed off, heaving a sigh. "He was playing this game where the players have a slugthrower with one shot loaded in it. They all press the barrel to their heads and pull the trigger, tempting fate. There was money on the line, a lot of it, for the one who took the bullet..."

She chewed her lip. "When he died, the money was wired directly to our planet's defense fund. I guess he loved Chaldea too much."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio stared off into the middle distance, his frown ever-increasing as he listened to the other speak. He turned his gaze back on the woman as she mentioned something about dragon-slaying and 'the Lands of the Dead', with a surprised uptick of his brow, but continued to listen respectfully otherwise.

The nobleman forgot his momentary embarrassment, replacing it with sympathy. He hesitated speaking further, wondering what was his place to say, before continuing. "In the tales about heroes sacrificing everything for the greater good, they rarely mention the after. They focus on the glory. Not the hurt." Not to mention the type of sacrifice that Arlo made, but Alicio was unsure if he could unpack all of the connotations.

"I'm sorry," Count Alicio murmured, grey eyes focusing on green. "He seemed wonderful."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

He tried to meet her gaze, but her eyes were actually focused on his mouth, as she tended to do when faced with a stranger who was taller than her.

"He was a grumpy, curmudgeonly old man," she said with a slight shrug. "But he knew things."

She didn't mention that their master-apprentice relationship had already ended by the time he died, or the share of guilt she felt, wondering if her actions had prompted him to throw his life away for a lump sum of credits. Mostly because it wasn't any of his business. Speaking of...

"I saw you come in from that wedding across the street," she said. "I can't help wondering what would make someone want to leave a wedding to go to the funeral of somebody they didn't know. Was the food bad, or something?"

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio tilted his head to the side quizzically at the other's response. She didn't appear to outwardly care about her master's death. He'd known Arlo's name for mere seconds, and he had already said more positive things about him than the one that knew the mystic.

But Alicio heard that feeling that attracted him here, coming from her, if one could hear a feeling. Her regret rang in his ears as the Count pursed his lips. He had a sneaking suspicion this woman was affected more than she was letting on.

He didn't press further, instead meeting her inquiry with a sheepish smile. "It was a political invitation, I was gathering donations for a project. The vows were lovely, but after the ceremony..." It was Alicio's turn to shrug. "I couldn't stay."

Alicio looked back at a deafeningly empty space where a casket should be. "I'd rather remember the lost than pretend to enjoy a dinner party."

Alicio stuck out his black glove to shake. "My name is Alicio. Apologies for crashing the funeral."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“Gathering donations? At a wedding?” She smirked. “I thought you looked a little familiar, but I couldn’t place where. You’re involved in politics, aren’t you?”

She supposed people who weren’t disposed to socializing and couldn’t get away with dancing were a little lost at a wedding reception. Alicio didn’t look like the dancing type, but poor social skills were unusual in a politician. Then again, Ishani had managed to do it for two years, and she had yet to even make eye contact with him.

“Ishani.” She shook his gloved hand. Hers was bare. “Former Senator of Chaldea.” It hadn’t been long since she’d been senator, judging by her obvious youth.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio's eyes lit up with recognition as Ishani spoke her name. "I recognize that name. Ishani Sibwarra. You spoke on behalf of the Alliance Defence Enhancement Act. It was..." Alicio stopped himself, deciding to be a bit more tactful than his first thoughts. "It was a good speech."

When Alicio had seen the holorecording, he'd found it comforting that even senators stumbled over their words sometimes. They weren't all perfectly poised, like his cousin, or Senator Kobitana. It gave Alicio hope that eventually, he could be someone like that.

"Yes, I am in politics, kind of." Alicio seemed a bit uncomfortable as he talked about himself. "I help my cousin Faith with whatever she needs. Currently, that's organizing the creation of a refugee city on Alderaan. And refugee cities need donations."

Alicio still felt strange connecting himself to Alderaan so openly. He was used to Alicio Organa being a well-kept secret, for his own safety. Even now, the Count had difficulty saying his surname out loud.

"Former Senator? I hadn't heard you resigned." The unspoken 'why?' was obvious.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Upon being recognized, Ishani gave a little mock bow, then looked off to one side as she struggled to remember what the Alliance Defense Enhancement Act was. “Was that when… no, it wasn’t when I told the Senator of Epoch to go join the NIO if she enjoyed silencing people so much… uhhh, oh! I had just started out then, and I accidentally triggered the senatorial pod thing without meaning to.” She nodded. “Thanks.”

She knew it wasn’t a good speech. It had been an accident, after all.

Ishani had never been good at remembering the names of all the senators and planetary rulers in the Alliance, but something about the names Faith and Alderaan clicked together in her brain. Her eyebrows rose. “The queen’s your cousin?”

It was an intriguing piece of information, but she was soon chasing after something else he’d said that better suited to her interests. “A refugee city? A city for refugees?” Yes, Ish. That is what a refugee city is. “You’re building it on Alderaan? Well, you know, Chaldea’s suffered from a population decline. We’ve been trying to take in refugees for years, but a lot of them don’t want to have to deal with the Potentium…”

He clearly wanted to know why she’d resigned, and at that she turned shy again. “Oh, um, I, uh, well… It’s a little complicated, but…”

All at once, her face turned bright red. She could go one of two routes with her explanation; the “official” version, which was romantic and cheesy and made her look like a silly lovesick fool, or the “real” version, which made her and the entire Chaldean political system look nauseatingly corrupt. Either way, she’d look bad.

Tugging on her collar, she decided to do something novel: tell the truth.

“I should never have been a senator in the first place. The Mystics had a vision of the future in which someone came into power and brought destruction to the planet, so they devised a plan to put their own candidate in the seat. Someone they could control. I was that someone.” She sighed, looking down at the floor. “I went along with it for a few reasons. The best one was my kids—I figured I’d be securing their future. And in the end, my kids were what convinced me to walk away, when I realized that as long as someone else was pulling my strings, I was losing time I could’ve spent with them.”

All that was probably a lot more than he'd expected to hear. She was a bit surprised herself. But it was too late to take any of it back now.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio chuckled a bit as Ishani tried to recall the speech in question. "That was a good one too," he said, smiling genuinely. While he respected all viewpoints within the Alliance that sought to strengthen it, he didn't entirely disagree with the former senator's sentiment on the Imperialist Bloc.

Ishani quickly pieced together the Alderaanian's origin, and Alicio could only nod, eyes flicking around as he subconsciously checked if anyone else had heard. Thankfully, the temple was beginning to clear, albeit slowly. Her talk on Chaldea's attempt to bring in refugees was interesting to Alicio as well; it was a topic that the Count cared deeply about. They would have to circle back to that.

But for now, Ishani's retirement from politics had Alicio's full attention. As she spoke, his mirth from before had all but drained away, his smile replaced by a slight frown and soft eyes. He listened to her in her entirety, and paused a moment after, sweeping his multitude of thoughts into a neat pile in his mind, and pulling them out one-by-one.

"I'm... sorry you were used like that. But if it's any consolation to you, it didn't look like you were being controlled during your time in the senate. Your words were your own. Those speeches came from the heart, that was clear to see."

From his visits to Coruscant, Alicio had noted that some senators spoke on behalf of their constituents, and no one else. It was the rare gem that spoke from a place of sincerity.

"There is no shame in leaving a bad situation for your family. None at all."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“There is some shame,” she said. “I refuse to believe the fate of an entire planet rests on my shoulders, but…” She gestured vaguely toward the empty coffin. “Others did. My actions made them desperate and fearful of what the future might hold. It was a selfish decision.” After all, the only ones who benefitted were her and her children. Their happiness weighed against the doom of a world.

Her story had overtaken the conversation, drawing it away from more practical matters. “If Chaldea does get destroyed as a result, the survivors could use a refugee city.”

Damn, that was the best transition you could come up with?

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"You shouldn't be held responsible for the choices of others." Alicio didn't know the situation entirely well, but he felt he had a good enough grasp to say that much. "Not by them, and certainly not by yourself. That's a quick road to poor politics, and a poor mindset."

Alicio offered a comforting smile to the former Senator, resolving to research the situation on Chaldea more once off-world. Especially after she mentioned the government itself might collapse based on a prophecy. "You know, I am advising Senator Tiresh Kobitana-Draellix on creating a refugee city on Lujo as well."

Alicio voice grew in confidence as he talked about what he knew. "You can't simply invite displaced people into a pre-existing city, and expect them to thrive in a new environment. But if you build a place with them in mind, they will come."

"If you ever wanted to get back into Chaldean politics, on your own terms, that might be an avenue for you." Is that what she wanted? Probably not. But Alicio figured he would offer it anyways.

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“It was my choice.” But he was referring to Arlo’s suicide specifically, and perhaps the actions of the doombringer the prophecy had heralded. Eh, well… okay. Maybe she shouldn’t blame herself for those two things.

“Lujo?” She sounded out the word, obviously because she had never heard of the planet before. “Senator Tiresh Kobitana…” The name at least sounded familiar. “Is she the one who was recruiting people to form a coalition against Chancellor Tithe?” That had been her only interaction with Kobitana that she could recall. Ishani had declined, mainly because she was already on her way out, but also because she felt Chaldea couldn’t afford to get involved in any damned fool idealistic crusade against the current leader of a major faction.

"You can't simply invite displaced people into a pre-existing city, and expect them to thrive in a new environment. But if you build a place with them in mind, they will come."

“That’s true,” she murmured, nodding in agreement. “Didn’t turn out too well when Erakhis took in the Shi’ido refugees. They just herded them into camps…” Her visit to that planet had been… eye-opening, but far from pleasant. “In all honesty, at the rate in which planets are invaded these days, I’m surprised everyone hasn’t moved to space stations and starships. It seems a lot safer in the long run.”

He suggested she might go back into politics through the refugees. The offer made her smile. “Depends. How much public speaking and speech-making would I have to do? Or is it the kind of job that just needs someone to manage it all from behind a desk?” He’d mentioned coming here to gather donations, so probably somewhere in-between.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"The goals of the Free Alliance Coalition are a little more nuanced than that," Alicio muttered, still conceding the point with a tilt of his hands. "But yes, that would be the one."

He didn't know how much he should say, so he decided to drop that particular subject quickly. He was a representative of Alderaan, his words could be used as weapons against his world. He was happy, then, that the conversation moved along.

Alicio smiled, if a little sadly, at Ishani's comment about spaceships. "It would certainly be safer. But I could never do that. I care too much about building things that will last." He shrugged. "And many don't have that option."

At Ishani's last comment, Alicio's smile grew. "Hopefully, less public speaking than me. Every other week, it seems the council has me wax poetic at a grand opening. It's as if they enjoy my torture." The noble thought about her question, cradling his chin with his thumb and forefinger.

"It depends on how much you want to take on. If you were to pitch the idea to the Potentium of Chaldea, and they were as interested as I think they might be, there'd be a lot of work to do. Civic planning, meetings, squabbling with construction companies and accruing funds. But you could delegate."

Alicio gestured to himself, laying a hand just under his collarbone. "And I'd be happy to help nurture another refuge in the galaxy. If this is, indeed, what you want to do."

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Building things that would last, on a planet that could easily be glassed by an invading force? Ishani’s lips quirked a little, but she didn’t rain on the man’s parade. She supposed there were places that remained intact, and… well, did he know that Alderaan had literally been blown to space dust, then rebuilt with terraforming tech? She’d met a few people who didn’t know that was a thing that had happened.

“Eh, they’re all just overgrown kids using it as an excuse to have you read to them until they fall asleep,” she casually quipped. “It’s the Alderaanian accent that does it for ‘em.”

What? It’s a planet of pacifists, they probably all sound comforting and soft.

“Well, the Potentium will almost certainly require all refugees to convert to the state religion,” Ishani said. “That’s the way it’s been for the past twenty five years. Although at the rate we’re going, even that old sentiment may change in time. Not enough people, well, maybe we should take in some who may not be Potentiates, but at least we won’t suffer a population collapse.”

In time, many things on Chaldea might change. Especially if things went as wrong as the prophecy claimed they would.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"I'd hope my speeches don't bore anyone that much." Alicio felt a bit burnt by the comment, but took the joke in stride, playing up his offence to comical levels, before growing serious again. "Anything I can do to help them rest easy, I suppose."

Her description of how the Potentium conducted business on Chaldea gave Alicio a bad taste in his mouth. It was their planet, so he had no right to judge them for their governance, but it made planning a sanctuary city tricky. "That... does put a damper on any plans for refugees."

Times of trouble certainly made people hold dearly to their beliefs. It would be difficult to convince enough folks to give up their faith, and adopt an entirely new one, even if the reward was a hospitable planet to live. "That would be the first step, then. Convincing the Potentium to... not give up their traditions, per se, but to be more lax with the displaced population." Alicio hugged his arms.

"You know them better than I. Do you think that's possible?"

- Ishani Dinn -

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“Easy on the ears, easy on the eyes…” Whoa, okay, don’t take it that far. Don’t want him getting the wrong idea. At least her tone was complimenting rather than flirtatious, a bit like how someone would appraise someone else’s work or the clothes they were wearing that day.

Back to the very serious matter of refugees and the Potentium’s typical policy toward outworlders. “There have been cases in the past,” she replied. “But it was usually under special circumstances, and they still had to obey Chaldean laws, which tend to infringe on religious freedoms regardless. At least, ‘religious freedoms’ as the rest of the galaxy understands the term—using the Force the way the Jedi and other Force Orders do is prohibited, but I doubt there are that many Jedi refugees that would be looking for sanctuary here anyway.”

She shrugged. “You might get more traction if you framed it as a form of hospitality or charity rather than immigration...” You? She’d be the one doing all the work here, not him. “I guess the only real answer is ‘maybe?’ It'll really depend on who I talk to.”

She glanced surreptitiously toward the empty coffin. Arlo would’ve been all for it.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio certainly wasn't expecting... that kind of compliment when he entered the temple for a funeral.

The Alderaanian's hand traveled on it's own accord up to his mouth, and he coughed a bit, hiding his flattered, nervous chuckle behind his fingers. He wasn't the kind to blush, but if he were, he'd have turned beet red.

He was thankful when Ishani continued on as if nothing had happened. After composing himself, he was back in the moment, transitioning quickly into business mode. "Then, with a bit of self-selection, that would be the first road-block surmounted. If those 'special circumstances' can be reached again, and a plea for charity is well-received."

Suddenly realizing what she was saying, Alicio's eyebrows raised, and he smiled. "'Who you talk to'. So, you're considering it."

- Ishani Dinn -