Capital Season Gala

[Kriel Firin]

Capital season was a holiday celebrated by the nobility of the galaxy – one that harped back to the olden days. Every year between Expansion Week and Shelova Week, the upper class would gather on a chosen planet to mingle and spy on each other. If a noble was to not be in attendance, their economic, social, and political status would suffer.

Nowadays there were fewer nobles – and few of them had wealth, so the majority of the attendees were socialites. The wannabe nobles that had all the credits in the galaxy but lacked the things that money could not buy – breeding and class.

Historically Kriel despised the idea of attending. He was too busy getting his adrenaline kicks through crime back on Bespin. But since the First Order came – and more specifically he’d joined the Knights of Ren, he saw things in an entirely different light. Money and status gave him access to people and places that could further his career with the Knights – in a way that crime-lords never could.

So hurried through the streets toward the Grand Reception Hall. The shadows thrown by the steep buildings were so deep that overhead the shuttles streaming through the spaces between the old buildings here were forced to keep their running lights on even in the daytime, creating a massive tapestry of light. By the time Kriel reached the Grand Reception Hall, the processional band was already playing an oddly mincing marching song, using janglers and deep woot horns.

The Grand Reception Hall was an enormous building, more than a thousand meters long, with fourteen levels for seating, but as he neared the entrance, he found that all of the portals were jammed with curious onlookers, eager to see the nobility. He hurried past the first five entrances before deciding they would all be like this. So he identified a protocol droid wearing a sash marked with the colours of the Naboo royalty and addressed it.

“Kriel Firin…” He said no more, the doid would no doubt be scanning him and would verify his identity.

“This way, sir, this way!" the droid led him back across a broad street and up a side ramp, past several guards.

As they climbed a long winding corridor, passing door after door, they rounded a corner and halted by a balcony entrance. Within, only a few people stood looking through the glass onto the procession below. Kriel didn’t recognise any of them. Even the immensely fat man who rested in a repulsor chair rather than try to carry his own weight was foreign to him. The nobles were all speaking softly and ignored Kriel, clearly deciding he was beneath their attention.

Kriel held the droid by the arm before he could disappear. “Take me down there,” he said, pointing to the huge dance-floor below. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt the ladies’ conversations.”

The protocol droid was about to interject that those in the balcony were all male but Kriel had already started to move back along the corridor. “Hurry, I wouldn’t want to miss all the fun.” He was beginning to regret his decision to attend already. It seemed fun was not on the agenda when the ball was planned. Well, if none was scheduled, he might just have to make his own.

Spoiler

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Oh Naboo. Home to so many wonderful and fantastic things. This year's nobility gala was not one of those things. Jamie detested them. So many snooty rich types with little to no grasp on reality parading themselves about like a bunch of fools. That was the nice way of putting it. Still, her family was part of this crowd, the politicians that were to be in attendance were important, and her family, including child, was expected to make an appearance. Jamie though, would see to making herself scarce, mingling with absolutely anyone except the uptight highbrows. The wait staff and cooks were far better company than any of the others that were in attendance.

The blonde had been at an odd age, technically an adult, though in the eyes of the others still little more than a child. She'd not taken up a role within the political arm of Naboo, and that was seen as a bit suspicious given her parent's prominence within the government.

"Jamie? Jamie Pyne? Is that you?" An elder sounding gentleman beckoned to the girl, eliciting a mild grimace as his voice rang through her mind. "Come here girl!" Again the blonde shuttered before slowly turning to see the face of the man she had come to know as Brulon Tyter. A slight bow of the head and dip of her shoulders was sufficient. "Good evening, Lord Tyter." For her parents sake she kept things cordial and proper. She was far from being one of them, but she could play the part like any other.

"You've grown up into quite the little lady!" The girl was practically cringing on the inside. The man was anything but crass, his declaration of her being on the more passive side of the scale this evening. "Look at you!"

The girl had on a rather vibrant purple dress that wrapped around at the base of her neck. While modest, it didn't stop the man from eyeing her up and down a number of times, enough to elicit a rather awkward look from Jamie, who promptly bid him farewell before turning to leave. "Enjoy your evening, Lord Tyter." Though as she turned to wander down the steps closer to the tables of food in an attempt to divert her attention and focus from the people who seemed more lifeless than a droid she tripped up, stumbling down a step, then another, before falling down the remainder of the steps with a resounding thud at the bottom.

Embarrassed beyond belief, she quickly stood up, brushing her dress off and attempting to calm the blood rushing to her cheeks to illuminate them like beacons while looking around to see who exactly saw that.

[member="Kriel Firin"]

 

[Kriel Firin]

She was a vision in purple. Or was that mauve? Or mulberry or dark violet or any number of colours that dress designers liked to call their creations without conforming to a name that might appear less than flattering to the woman wearing the gown.

And she was a vision on the move. He tracked her wandering around – brushing off the old man (for he knew a rebuff when he saw one) before tumbling down the stairs. He was oddly and unfortunately transfixed when he saw her fall – unable to intervene and save her landing on her rather attractive derrière. But the noise and the brightness of her dress caught the eye of all around and he was a distance away from her and knew he’d be beaten to reach her first.

He didn’t know what he did, or how he did it, but time seemed to slow and he was able to make the distance between them before anyone else had a chance to react. All eyes were on her, so his speed was not registering with any of the attendees.

As she stood, slightly breathless and her face flushed with obvious embarrassment, he smiled. It was one he’d only recently started to use. A genuine one of warmth and compassion – and something else too. Something he’d dare not expose just yet, given the circumstances. Instead he offered a hand, for the woman to shake or simply hold on to for stability if required – she looked shaken after all. “Quite an entrance,” he said, the smile never leaving his lips. But there was only positive emotions emanating from his lips – no criticism or joy at her misfortune. “You should probably step outside, for some fresh air. Please…permit me.” He offered his arm, so she could link him, should she wish. “I’m Kriel by the way. And if I’m honest,” he gave her a small conspiratorial wink, “This party needed livening up, but I won’t be disappointed to leave it if you wish.”

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde looked up at the man who had suddenly appeared before her. He was unfamiliar. She recognized nothing about him, his clothes, his face, his voice. Strange. She typically knew most if not all of the regulars that attended these sorts of painfully uneventful galas. Still, he seemed friendly enough, though certainly not without ulterior motives. Never did anyone venture to these without some type of motive behind their presence. Perhaps he was after credits, or land, or political gain. Perhaps it was something more personal. Perhaps it was even a bounty. Hits had been known to happen even if the swankiest of places for the right amount.

Still, she had played the game before, knew the talk. Her hand took his, blonde locks bobbing back and forth as she bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you, Kriel is it?" She offered the man a polite smile. "These gatherings need some form of entertainment, suppose tonight that spectacle happened to be me. I'm sure within moments all of them" She waived her hand, gesturing to the crowds. "Will be back to mingling and discussing things they would do, but never will do."

There was a doorway across the way that led out to a large balcony, Jamie took the man's arm as it were offered and walked towards it.

"I'm Jamie." Her voice was soft, cordial. Despite her inclination that Kriel was interested in his own agenda, she too was good at uncovering the motives that drove others to do what they did. After all, her parents were those same types, even if they claimed a bit more noble purpose.

[member="Kriel Firin"]

 

[Kriel Firin]

Kriel was entirely a fish out of water. A mere month ago he was sure of himself. To carry the analogy through, he was a massive fish in a tiny pond. His father’s wealth afforded him anything credits could buy – but that had never truly interested him. It wasn’t his money and things that could simply be bought rarely interested him for long. Which is why he’d taken to breaking the law and taken on bigger and bigger crime lords as his teenage years progressed – to the point where he had a reputation.

But once more he’d grown tired of the progress. His reputation preceded him and as useful as it was, it took the fun out of the game. So his home planet being taken over by the First Order was a blessing in disguise. Being found by a Knight of Ren was truly life-changing and even though his training to date was meagre, he knew enough to understand that his future lay in his own hands. Not that he wasn’t part of an Order that had a reputation. Rather that his learning to date suggested he would face significantly tougher opponents than he’d previously encountered. Jedi and Sith alike seemed to want a piece of the Knights of Ren. What had until recently been no more than a fairy-tale, was now being written with his name in the pages.

So why was he here? Because he could. Because it was not all about fighting and using the Force. Diplomacy was a necessary tool, as was an understanding of politics. And subterfuge too. And if he happened to chance upon a beautiful lady along the way, then there were fringe benefits in his learning.

He immediately understood she was part of this crowd – even if unwillingly. Her words spoke of understanding and perhaps contempt. “Jaimie,” he repeated, the name almost cooed in response. “A beautiful name…” he did not finish the sentence. That line was too hackneyed even for him. “You’re probably wondering why I’m here? Money in truth. My father has been insisting I attend for some time now. Connections, he said. His business empire needs them and he wants me to learn the ropes.” He glanced around the room with a look of disdain. “I’m probably offending your family and friends, but credits aren’t worth the sort of energy I’d lose, staying in that room any longer.”

He allowed her to guide him to the balcony, yet at the same time he gave the pretence to the crowd of leading. Outside there was a magnificent view at eye-level, although glancing down just saw a mass of people looking up. “A far cry from the views I’m used to. I’m from Bespin. Once you’ve seen one cloud, you’ve seen them all.”

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Money. Of course. It was always about credits.

The blonde ignored the passing comment of the beauty in a name. A name was a name, and nothing more. She was certain there were a countless number of other Jamies in the galaxy that were less than pleasant. Still, she offered him a pleased smile, some feigned reactionary pleasantry that would be expected of her among another man of power or wealth. "A pleasure." She said, quite plainly. "I'm sure you've offended them no more than they offend themselves." Her hand gestured back towards the plethora of people in attendance. "Hypocrites. The lot of them."

She pondered for a moment why Kriel had come to the gathering, rather than the father figure. It seemed odd that for a business mogul he was not in attendance for his own empire, instead sending an untested benefactor in his stead, even if it were his own son. "You're father must either be out of his mind, or have some sort of blinding faith in your prowess to send you here alone amongst the wolves." The girl laughed, wolves...How suitable a term she thought.

"Bespin? I've been there. Bad experience personally. I've always been quite fond of Naboo, though you may just find its' homeworld pride I suppose."

[member="Kriel Firin"]

 

[Kriel Firin]

He was struggling to understand her. She was polite but a lot of it felt feigned, as if she were used to giving pleasant responses without putting her heart into the words. He could be wrong of course, he was someone that was used to telling people what they wanted to hear to ensure he got out of the transaction precisely what he wanted – so he was neither in a position to judge her nor did he take offence if she judged him.

He smiled at the notion of hypocrisy. They were human, it was what they did. Her own pretend pleasantries? You could easily argue it was insincerity. But he wasn’t going to mention the fact. Not because he was a gentleman, but from his brief interaction with her, he valued not receiving a slapped cheek – or worse.

“Oh he’s not foolish,” he responded to her observation. “Maybe he’s sold his shares in the company and wants me to run it into the ground, so he can buy it back at a pittance? Or hates me enough to try to kill me through boredom? Or maybe he sees something in me I don’t see myself?” He doubted the last statement. Recently he’d found out plenty about his abilities – ones his father would never guess at.

“Bespin gets good press, better than it deserves. Naboo? It gets a bit of bad press. Lots of old decaying and boring ruins. And that’s just the attendees of this ball.” There was a smile on his face, but it was clear he was only partially joking.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Perhaps." She said plainly. Though the idea of that was a rather cynical one. One would have to be fathered by a rather cruel man to be setup in such a manner. "Though," she started. The game here was entertaining to her, even if it were a bit childish. "If you knew all of that, then why exactly did you come?" Jamie raised a brow. "Is it because you wanted to prove him wrong and took the gamble?" Holding up her hand she began counting on each finger, "Or is it because you want to fail so that he leaves you alone about this whole thing?" Another finger counted, "Maybe it's because you plan on taking him over yourself?" Once again, another finger. "Or maybe you're one of those types who just don't care what happens with your reputation."

At first the girl was a bit taken back by the declaration of Naboo being old and decrepit, but then laughed at the mention of the folks at the gala. "Every planet has dirt. You might have to do a bit of digging, but sure enough it's always there." That might have been her first clever comment of the night. "Not everything about Naboo is so bad. You just arrived in time for the dusty old antiques to be put on display."

[member="Kriel Firin"]

 

[Kriel Firin]

Kriel smiled as she listed the potential reasons for his attendance one by one. As she called them out and counted off her fingers, he had to reflect that he had no idea why he was here. Or at least, no obvious answer came to mind.

“Maybe all of those reasons or none of them,” he said, an index finger going to his temple as he clearly contemplated the truth. “I don’t think I have any interest in what he thinks of me any more. I’ve outgrown that notion. Revenge is certainly on my mind, but coming here was not part of any such plan. I may hate him, but whatever I do here, I do for me. Like talking to you. Perhaps I just wanted to see what I’d been missing all the time I turned these events down?”

He glanced around the room. “Present company excluded, I haven’t missed anything, have I?” He gazed out at the beautiful cityscape that was the nation’s capital. “Even beauty is not above some dirt. If you dig deep enough. But sometimes beauty is so special, you don’t want to find a flaw. You’ll even turn a blind eye to it.” He turned to face her now. “Like your favourite planet. Or person. Sometimes you have to accept things at face value and either go with it, or walk away. The fossils back in there? If I have to endure them to spend more time with you? A price worth paying I’d say.”

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie laughed, "What you're missing?" She turned back towards the inner chamber and extended her hand, waiving it from right to left as if displaying the crowd. "That's it. Right there. That's what you've been missing. Disappointed?" She laughed again, turning her eyes back to Kriel. "Not much to see aside from a sea of highbrowed folk that talk about nothing while conspiring against each other and bribing others to do the same." The blonde pointed outwards towards the horizon, the mountains, and the treeline off in the distance. "That out there, however." She looked at him, then to the direction she'd pointed. "That's the real beauty of Naboo. The mountains. The trees. The environment away from the cities. The Gungan cities are a marvel of their own."

The girl raised her hands to adjust both dress and hair, ensuring it wasn't tussled too terribly from the fall earlier. "My time is hardly valuable, speaking both in terms of influence here and in general, but I appreciate the compliment." Her tone was genuine. She really did enjoy the compliment, though she was wholly aware that she was of little importance at these types of events, and she was hardly a person of note, save for her limited ability to manipulate the Force, though that little tidbit wasn't something she flaunted about to just anyone.

[member="Kriel Firin"]

 

[Kriel Firin]

Kriel listened intently. He wasn’t sure if she missed the point on purpose or not. He suspected the latter, which made her company all the more valuable.

”You see,” he said, slowly and carefully and only when she’d finished speaking, ”I didn’t come here for money. I have more of that than I can ever spend. Nor power – at least not the sort these types trade for with their petty machinations and feeble attempts at power-gaming. And I’m certainly not here to curry favour with them or gain their approval or attempt to influence them. The more I see them, the more inconsequential they appear to me.” His cheeks flushed. ”I am sorry, I fear I got a little carried away there.”

“You see, money can but many things. Most things even, but never, ever good company. Those that are truly worth spending time with? Well they have no price. And do you know what the most alluring facet of a woman is? Not appreciating how special they are. It’s not about wanting the thing that money can’t buy. Not always, at any rate. There is an old saying on Bespin. Pity the fool that knows the value of everything and the worth of nothing. True loveliness? It is priceless and therefore worth more than any price that can be placed upon it.”

He smiled broadly, ”I trust I’m not embarrassing you?”

[member="Jamie Pyne"]