Private After the Crop Shock | Sacorria

[Lander Stalwart]

Sacorria
Tags: Kaela Verrin

Lander's Blaster Pistol, Lander's Prosthetic Arm
​

What a first week to become the senator of a planet. Lander always knew that serving as the representative of his people was going to be rocky, but a food crisis was the last think on his list of expected surprises. Well, perhaps it was a fools game to expect surprises at all. Regardless, he had suddenly found himself thrust into the seat of mitigation. The Jedi had been quick to mobilize and ease the stress of his staff, which had offered them time to go in and gather what bio-mass they could, hoping to salvage something from the aftermath of the wind storms. All while he went to represent his people before the senate. As he departed from the rotunda on Fondor, however, he received an unexpected request. The aid from the senator of Anaxes had come to inform him that Senator Verrin wished to pay his office on Sacorria a visit. It was a matter of making alliances between planets, which Lander was all too eager to accept.

Amidst ecological disaster, making friends seemed to be a good call. Another possible avenue for aid was always good, and Senator Stalwart was always clear to any he came to be indebted to that he always made good on his word. It was, after all, right and good to stand on principles.

So the senator prepared his office. Nothing super over the top, merely a quick dusting to ensure the room was clean and the procurement of a bottle of Sacorrian Mead, the locally produced brew that was often overshadowed by the popularity of the system's darling Corellian Whiskey. Once he was certain that everything was in order and didn't look like a disaster, he turned to his aid.

"Right. You may see Senator Verrin in when she is ready."

 

[Kaela Verrin]

The office doors parted with a quiet hiss, and Kaela stepped into the room, her navy tunic still crisp from the journey, though a faint trace of dust from Sacorria's wind-swept plains clung to the hem of her cloak. A datapad was tucked under her arm, as always, but her free hand was already extended in greeting.

"Senator Stalwart," she said with a warm, clear voice, "Thank you for receiving me on such short notice. I know your plate is beyond full right now."

She took a moment to glance around — not judging, just observant. The room was clean, practical, and there was something genuine in its simplicity. Her eyes caught the bottle of Sacorrian Mead resting nearby, and the faintest smile curved at the corner of her lips.

"I see you're already putting your world's best forward," she added with a hint of good-natured humor.

Kaela stepped further into the space, her posture composed but not rigid, "It's good to be able to meet fellow Senators. As I'm sure you've learned, it's not easy to be a fresh face in the Senate."

Lander Stalwart​

 

[Lander Stalwart]

Sacorria
Tags: Kaela Verrin

Lander's Blaster Pistol, Lander's Prosthetic Arm
​

"I see you're already putting your world's best forward,"

"Old-fashioned diplomacy," he insisted with a smile. "Though I suppose that's more of a military thing..."

She got straight to the point on the matter of being new in the Senate. Lander was certainly learning that the hard way. Being the 'new guy' amidst a crisis on the planet he was elected to represent was sort of just the perfect storm of a first week. He hardly had any time to relax. It was all business.

Which he could handle, but it was a lot.

"Easy would be a generous description," Lander agreed. "But I happen to believe that true character comes out in the midst of adversity. If it's easy than you surely not engaged enough, no? I'm sure there's some variation of 'that which does not kill you makes you stronger' I could work into that if I was more creative."

He turned, pouring two glasses of mead.

"Ah, but dwelling on hardship isn't what you came for," he noted as he did so. "You've come to make friends in the senate chamber, correct? Likely wise to hedge your bets on linking elbows with someone else cut from a younger cloth with an adjacent political position. That's what I'd do, anyways."

 

[Kaela Verrin]

Kaela's smile deepened slightly at his remark about old-fashioned diplomacy, the kind of quiet charm that didn't rely on theatrics or theatrically loud speeches. She appreciated that, "I think the military has the right idea, then," she replied, easing into one of the chairs as he poured. "Sometimes a handshake and a bottle do more than three weeks of circular debate."

She accepted the glass of mead with a nod of thanks, pausing for a small sip — just enough to be polite. The taste was strong, but pleasant, "I think you're right," she said after a moment, her tone thoughtful. "Adversity does tend to sort the genuine from the ambitious… or at least those who can afford to pretend." She glanced toward the window, where Sacorria's soft light filtered in between metallic frames, casting subtle gold on the edges of her navy tunic.

"You've had trial by fire already, Senator Stalwart. You're handling it with more steadiness than many would." At his last comment, her expression softened into something almost playful — still polite, still composed, but wry enough to show a spark beneath the formality.

"Mm. Linking elbows does sound strategic," she said, tapping the datapad on her knee lightly. "Though I like to think I'm here for more than self-preservation. Truth is, I'm still figuring out who stands for what — beyond what they say on the chamber floor."

She lifted her glass slightly.

"So far, you've made a good impression. I'd rather take the measure of someone over mead than behind a podium any day."

Lander Stalwart​

 

[Lander Stalwart]

Sacorria
Tags: Kaela Verrin

Lander's Blaster Pistol, Lander's Prosthetic Arm
​

"Well, some people say a good first impression is worth a thousand credits," Lander noted. "Me personally, I am more interested in cutting through the noise. Sacorria has more to offer than crisis. But such a thing will take time... so this seems an appropriate way to start."

Lander picked up his own glass of mead, taking a sip. Aged a few years, so it was smooth with a little bite towards the back of the tongue. A good choice. Not that he had any worries about the quality. After all, it had come from his own family's farm. It was the fruits of his older brother's labor. If anyone knew quality, it was sure to be his own flesh and blood.

"I am curious..." he began again, "If you may be willing to share, what lead you to run for the senate chair of Anaxes? I recall previous representatives having a large hand in fleetcraft and the Defense Force. You seem to be a politician first and foremost."

Ice-breaker talk was sure to get the desired effect of getting a grasp of the other's character. After all, alliance between systems were built on these sorts of things. A fortress world and an agricultural world had two distinctly different resources, meaning they had something that they could very clearly share. The future could see the negotiation of a new route between the Corellian sector into the Deep Core with Anaxes in mind. Something to streamline their connection. Sacorria was in need of those sorts of connections right about now.

Of course, only time would tell.