Faction GA | A Blood Red Carpet (Senators)

[Fal Gore]

​

LOCATION

Roxuli

Objective: Meet other Senators.

Fal leaned forward in his seat at the Mufflehouse, slamming some eggs and jawa juice down before grabbing his pad and heading towards the subpass.

"Yeah, forward them to my office," he said, touching his earpiece and sending off a message from his watch to his administrative asisstant. "Have them forward the bill to my quarters, but issue a stay with the judge. The Campaign will just have to take his head on, no stops. Yeah, that's everything, Alice, I look forward to reading the article in the morning. Every day is money when you're at war."

Clicking closed his holopad, he grabbed the bar rail as the shuttle moved off through the subterranean routes of Roxuli, towards the congressional hub. Some Senators had been using Roxuli to meet, confidentially, as the everyone was constantly shuttled around during the war effort. It was hard, these days, to meet up in secret. Harder still to get a larger gathering.

The shuttle stopped, and Fal was met with Alliance flags as he walked towards the building and the common room inside.

​

 

[Tiber Septimus]

"This is it?", Senator Tiberius "Tiber" Septimus III queried, glancing at his Chief of Staff, Marie. She grunted to the affirmative without looking up from her holopad, gesturing in the general direction of Roxuli. With a short nod, the Nehali boarded a shuttles, which shot towards the congressional hub with a lurch.

Tiber hadn't had time to come this venue; with the Fall of Coruscant, he had been all over the place, organizing a corridor for refugees streaming out of the Core, calling SIA representatives to the mat to better ascertain how (for the second time in as so many years) they had failed to pick up on the rise of another revanchist Imperial faction, and attempting to build coalition of democracies to battle the Empire.

Needless to say, not only was Tiber busy, he was looking for like-minded allies. And while he had never personally met Fal Gore, but Tiber hoped a sit-down would allow him to take the man's measure.

Tiber briskly strode into the common room, giving the man a bow before taking a seat.

"Senator Gore, a pleasure. I am Tiber Septimus, Senator of Nehalios; I don't believe we've had the pleasure."

Fal Gore

 

[Cressida Tolliver]

Cressida followed Tiber Septimus in only moments later. She greeted Tiber with a friendly incline of her head and then studied Fal Gore . The man who would be Chancellor. He of the -- it was rumored -- toilet tweets. Unlike Senator Septimus, she didn't bow. "Senators," she greeted them, all egality and fraternity. She was trying to get a feel for whether this meeting as more cocktail party or strategy session. As far as she was concerned, every moment where the Galactic Alliance was not preparing a counter-assault on the core and Coruscant was a waste.

But politicians would prevaricate.

Cressida resolved to use the opportunity to canvas support for a counter-attack.

"While we wait for the others, perhaps you could indulge me. Where do you stand in the discussion of whether to push back into the Deep Core at once, versus building a diplomatic consensus and rebuilding the fleets? I think I'm of the opinion that letting the Imperials settle even for a moment will make it all the more difficult to expel them when the time comes."

Fal Gore | Tiber Septimus​

 

[Fal Gore]

​

LOCATION

Roxuli

Objective: Meet other Senators.

Fal gave Tiber Septimus a firm handshake, perhaps too firm, perhaps even dragging his arm in and yanking him a bit, before nodding his greetings and then meeting Cressida Tolliver with a glance and a smile. "Senators," he uttered in his naturally gravelled voice before walking around the table to greet Cressida in the customary, less violent manner.

He didn't know much of these people, yet. He knew his status was that of a young upstart firebrand, especially from the days when he was kidnapped, so he maintained a bit of a celebrity status due to his very public, very well known kidnapping on the planet Mechus III by the the cyborg cults there who had used his politics to attack a previous election.

"The Deep Core is out of reach, though I'd be curious what the generals think of this. I've issued a subpoena for them to appear before us for a hearing, my office drafted it last night and it should be delivered today to a GADF.

I think there's a more pertinent question among us, though."

Fal Gore walked around the table, to his seat. It was a round table, there was no head to sit at. As was custom among peers and colleagues of equal standing.

"Election season is here, and we need to facilitate a new Supreme Chancellor. One that can lead us headstrong into this war effort, and hopefully back to peace. What have you heard?"

​

 

[Marek Bancroft]

"The Deep Core is out of reach, though I'd be curious what the generals think of this. I've issued a subpoena for them to appear before us for a hearing, my office drafted it last night and it should be delivered today to a GADF.

I think there's a more pertinent question among us, though."

A knock on the door preceded the entrance of the third senator to grace the room's presence within the last few minutes. He greeted the trio of senators with a curt nod before sauntering off to an open corner of the room, giving their host an uninterrupted floor to continue speaking on the topic at hand. Nonetheless, Marek would find a decanter of liquor and pour himself a drink in the meantime, and use the opportunity to discreetly greet his fellow guest before returning back to the area he'd chosen to stand.

"Election season is here, and we need to facilitate a new Supreme Chancellor. One that can lead us headstrong into this war effort, and hopefully back to peace. What have you heard?"

His eyes scanned the other two following Fal's open question to the group. A few seconds passed without response, and so the young Senator took it as his chance to let his voice be heard. "My sources have all but confirmed that our forces are struggling across multiple sectors in containing the Imperial expansion out from the Deep Core. It is not out of line to consider that our member worlds and interests across the eastern half of the galaxy may lose confidence in our Charter, if this trend keeps up."

He paused to take a sip from his glass.

"There are few and far between within the Senate whose worlds aren't at risk of Imperialist aggression. The next Chancellor will need to be active with the war effort, and not focused on the peacetime policies that have put the GADF into the position it's currently in."

Fal Gore Tiber Septimus Cressida Tolliver

 

[Annasari]

A conflict of interest, her lawyers had advised her, when Annasari was selected to serve as interim senator of Jakku. She had been content to put her old home behind her and embrace the new opportunities in the Rim. Incompetence foiled that hope. Saiz, the previous cochair of the Guild, had utterly collapsed under the weight of leadership. It had only taken months for his scandals to capture headlines. So the previous senator sat locked away in a meditative center, away from the galactic eye, receiving treatment on the Guild’s tab. No perception nor promise of oversight committee chastisement would stop Annasari from reclaiming her place amongst her dust ball to salvage the Empire she had wrought from scrap.

Roxuli was a low stakes event to meet her new colleagues. The landscape would have changed while she was in the Republic. Best to scope the new players before they hit the chambers. Dressed for success, she entered the room in time to catch the tail end of Gore’s inquiry.

“I’ve heard that Chancellor Chandra herself has risen from her grave to lead us back to the Core. That Aerarii Tithe is simply an undercover operative and will join her side when they arrive to Coruscant.” A chair squealed as she pulled it back to sit. “The holonet does love to talk.”

An aid reached of Senator Vahl’s shoulder to offer up a data pad. The woman accepted, surveying the latest graphs of market reports. They were… disastrous, with this business on Arkania. Mass panic had prompted unprecedented drops.

“The corporatist bloc still bickers about who to throw their weight behind, offer the bulk of their fundraising efforts.”

Annasari had her intentions, but would play them close to the vest, and see if the rumors about Gore were true.

————————————————————————
Tiber Septimus | Fal Gore | Cressida Tolliver​

 

[Cressida Tolliver]

Cressida's eyes narrowed slightly, glancing toward Tiber Septimus briefly, allowing the slightest quirk of her brow. This is crazy, defeatist talk, she sang in her head. Essentially conceding the Deep Core to the Empire was all but suicidal. One could not heal around a tumor; it had to be excised if the patient was to survive. But Fal Gore had more important things than the lives of billions of sentient beings to get to: politics. She didn't engage with the question. There was no natural successor to Alicio Organa. As far as she was concerned there was not one person in the Senate who would comfortably command the confidence of the body.

The next Senator to arrive piqued Cressida's interest. An opening gambit that echoed the demands of the Imperial Delegation to Fondor. Coincidence, she guessed before internally hedging, or not.

The latest Senator to enter spoke gossip that was at least a decade out of date but with the knowing good humor that made the joke plausible. Cressida allowed a brief huff of amusement from her nose. "If only," she said at the mention of Chandra. She had been but a mere junior attorney on Dosuun in the days of Chandra's Chancellorship, but towering figures cast long shadows, even then, even to her. She pulled out another chair and settled near to Tiber Septimus -- not an intentional drawing of lines, but she knew the man better than the rest, and she somehow suspected the room would end up arrayed along similar lines before the day was done.

"Does anyone have a betting table on how many new faces we'll see in the Senate now that the big chair is rumored to be opening up?" she asked conversationally as she unzipped her portfolio to lay it flat on the table. "An over-under, at least?"

Annasari | Marek Bancroft | Fal Gore | Tiber Septimus | Alexandra Feanor​

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

Alexandra's own arrival to the location had her delayed, always looking over her shoulder to ensure that no one saw where she was going all while disappearing through walls themselves to avoid being caught. It did slow her progress but it did mean that when she did arrive there was no threat of any having found her on her way to this place. It was Tiber Septimus and Cressida Tolliver that she expected to see there, certain individuals who had worked hard to ensure the Senate's funding of defense projects remained strong.

Which is why when she did arrive, she did so in silence. Allowing for those who had arrived before her to settle in and speak their minds. Her own hand going to hold her left arm that hung there at her side uselessly. The battle on Coruscant having claimed from her half of her body, the darkside corruption running through her stealing her voice even to a degree. But she would find a place beside the Senators she knew well before clearing her throat.

The mention of a new chancellor though was interesting. She had considered if that would come to pass, if there would be a vote to oust the Organa even though he was fighting on the fields himself at the moment.

Was it something she should still be doing even with her injuries?

She considered that for a moment but simply nodded in agreement with Cressida Tolliver for the time being.

There wasn't much for her to speak on as of this second, nothing solid to suggest when right now it was simply the words of emotion ruling things.

 

[Fal Gore]

​

LOCATION

Roxuli

Objective: Meet other Senators.

"There are few and far between within the Senate whose worlds aren't at risk of Imperialist aggression. The next Chancellor will need to be active with the war effort, and not focused on the peacetime policies that have put the GADF into the position it's currently in."

Fal Gore nodded to Marek, who had just joined the conversation.

"I agree, everything has changed. This new Enemy is running roughshod over our worlds, and we are abandoning them at every turn. No aid, no military. Forcibly ejected. At this rate, the Alliance stands on the brink of extinction, should we continue to bend over and appease these aggressors."

"Appeasement is for the weak."

Fal sighed.

"And it won't work with these brutes. We stand today on the tip of a knife, the very edge, a balancing act that words will not solve - but can illuminate. Our words can carve a path for action, and I think we are all in agreeance, we need to match this aggression with our own. I stand a Senator of the Galactic Alliance, clothed in all the military might and history of this great Alliance. It is not just an Alliance - it is the Alliance."

Fal paused to hear the others speak.

“I’ve heard that Chancellor Chandra herself has risen from her grave to lead us back to the Core. That Aerarii Tithe Aerarii Tithe is simply an undercover operative and will join her side when they arrive to Coruscant.”

"Does anyone have a betting table on how many new faces we'll see in the Senate now that the big chair is rumored to be opening up?"

Fal's fist slammed the table in anger, and he stood up.

"SENATORS,

WE ARE AT WAR."

The aura of the word seemed to break through the nuance, the repetition, the beguiling. The word "war" was used so frequent that it had lost much of its meaning in the Alliance bloc, but the gravity which Fal spoke it seemed to underline the seriousness of the situation.

"YOUR WORLDS STAND TO BURN UNDER THE WEIGHT OF UNCHECKED IMPERIALIST AGGRESSION.

YOUR PEOPLE PILLAGED, MURDERED.

Surely there is a better use of our time than idle quips and quizzical rumorings."

 

[Tiber Septimus]

Tiber merely blinked in surprise at Fal Gore 's ....rather aggressive handshake. An intimidation technique? A show of strength among his peers? Tiber let it wash over him like water. He was Niaheli, the foremost warriors of the Unknown Regions; a firm handshake wouldn't cow him.

He watched a stream of Senators enter the room, offering Cressida Tolliver a warm, genuine smile to her as she sat next to him, and a friendly smile to Alexandra Feanor as she sat down as discussions started in earnest. Tiber sat quietly, watching Senators offer their thoughts on the state of affairs- both in regards to the war effort and the upcoming Chancellor election, when Gore erupted in anger- presumably over the banter regarding whom would replace Chancellor Organa.

'Odd. He did ask our thoughts on "facilitating a new Supreme Chancellor".'

"Senator Gore, I think you're absolutely right- we are at war. I'm going to take the time to piggy-back off of Senator Tolliver's comments", he started. "I echo her sentiments- we must not let the Imperials consolidate their strength in the Core, lest it will be extremely difficult to expunge them without cost. Additionally, while the front against Imperial aggression going...dismal at best, we must not forget the Sith baying for blood on our doorsteps, or the rising influence of the Black Sun, or the Mandalorians."

"What are your thoughts on aligning and consolidating our assets to either deter and/or defeat these threats?"

Annasari | Fal Gore | Cressida Tolliver | Alexandra Feanor | Marek Bancroft

 

[Marek Bancroft]

Marek appeared unmoved by Senator Gore's outburst. He clutched the glass within his hand loosely, and took a sip whilst he finished speaking, then turned his gaze across the room towards Tiber Septimus , who responded with more tact and sanguine than the former. The glass made its way to his lips once more before he pushed off the edge of a bookshelf and let his voice raise up in speech. "The Imperials have already consolidated themselves within the Deep Core, Senators. That much is undoubtedly without question. Our Alliance is fraught with enemies on all sides, like our good Senator Septimus has just said, and it would appear as if our armed forces are not up to the task of completing the job of expelling those Imperial cultists to the fringes of the galaxy where they belong."

A long sigh escaped through hips lips as he shook his head in disappointment. "Consolidating what assets we have available is the logical move-- I agree with that fully. But if you all will allow me to play devil's advocate for a moment, what makes us confident that, given the sheer scope and size of our borders, that we could consolidate our forces in defense of our remaining Core worlds and simultaneously project the power required to defend those far-flung worlds to our north, west and south before they decide it is within their interest to leave the Alliance altogether?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Hard decisions... may be required, for the survival of our state."

Fal Gore Annasari Cressida Tolliver Alexandra Feanor

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

Sycorax entered the room during the brief, awkward silence which followed Fal Gore 's outburst. She paused in the doorway, scanning the faces of her fellow Senators, one brow rising in confusion at the unusual quiet, before one corner of her mouth curled upward in a smirk.

Oh, how she had missed this.

She crossed the room and took her seat, placing her datapad on the table. A few flicks of her fingers summoned a holographic list of her notes. Quite a lot had happened during her absence from the Senate, but she felt confident that she was up to date on most of the important bits. Quite a few of the faces here were unfamiliar to her; a few she recognized from when she had been a teenager. It was a mix of old and new, then, that sought to carry the Alliance forward in its time of need.

"I echo her sentiments- we must not let the Imperials consolidate their strength in the Core, lest it will be extremely difficult to expunge them without cost. Additionally, while the front against Imperial aggression going...dismal at best, we must not forget the Sith baying for blood on our doorsteps, or the rising influence of the Black Sun, or the Mandalorians."

"Mandalorian factions typically don't last long," Sycorax remarked. "But I digress. Black Sun has already conquered the Hapes Cluster, murdered its monarch and installed someone more useful to them in her place. Those Hapan rebels who killed Prince Astor and his bride two years ago have come out of retirement to take up arms against the new Queen Mother. In fact, they were the only ones who bothered to try and fight the Black Sun. Alliance personnel apparently bowed to the tyrants in the name of Hapan sovereignty. At least, that is what the reports say."

She turned toward Marek as he spoke. Playing devil's advocate? She sighed. "And what 'hard decisions' do you suggest we make, Senator Bancroft?"

Fal Gore Tiber Septimus Marek Bancroft Cressida Tolliver Alexandra Feanor Annasari​

 

[Fal Gore]

​

LOCATION

Roxuli

Objective: Meet other Senators.

"Senator Gore, I think you're absolutely right- we are at war. I'm going to take the time to piggy-back off of Senator Tolliver's comments", he started. "I echo her sentiments- we must not let the Imperials consolidate their strength in the Core, lest it will be extremely difficult to expunge them without cost. Additionally, while the front against Imperial aggression going...dismal at best, we must not forget the Sith baying for blood on our doorsteps, or the rising influence of the Black Sun, or the Mandalorians."

"What are your thoughts on aligning and consolidating our assets to either deter and/or defeat these threats?"

Fal settled back into his seat, resuming his composure.

"We're not a military body, nor should we be making military decisions. It is not in our power to "consolidate" assets, unless you mean to flee the breach and escape the Imperials. For that, I disagree. We fight here, in the best way the Senate knows how - we'll have to consult the GADF for a best way forward on that front."

"Consolidating what assets we have available is the logical move-- I agree with that fully. But if you all will allow me to play devil's advocate for a moment, what makes us confident that, given the sheer scope and size of our borders, that we could consolidate our forces in defense of our remaining Core worlds and simultaneously project the power required to defend those far-flung worlds to our north, west and south before they decide it is within their interest to leave the Alliance altogether?"

"And leave the Mid Rim unprotected? Surely the Alliance is not without allies, what friends have we that we could appeal?"

"Mandalorian factions typically don't last long," Sycorax remarked. "But I digress. Black Sun has already conquered the Hapes Cluster, murdered its monarch and installed someone more useful to them in her place. Those Hapan rebels who killed Prince Astor and his bride two years ago have come out of retirement to take up arms against the new Queen Mother. In fact, they were the only ones who bothered to try and fight the Black Sun. Alliance personnel apparently bowed to the tyrants in the name of Hapan sovereignty. At least, that is what the reports say."

"...How does this help us?"

​

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

"...How does this help us?"

"It doesn't?" Sycorax replied, casting a puzzled glance at the confused blue man. She decided to use simple, blunt language.

"If things continue like this, we're fucked. We need to fight back."

 

[Annasari]

Gore’s outburst failed to impress Annasari. Men would be men, and swing around whatever they could. The situation was not lost on anyone, but what did he expect of them? To take up blasters and join in the campaign to survive? Hardly. Septimus did lay out the full extent of the dire situation that needed no further explanation. The Alliance had let threats fester in every corner, and now they reaped the consequences. Bancroft’s statement was more interesting. Jakku’s proximity to Fondor put it in a rather favorable position if there was talk of defining new borders. Was it right for the rest of the member worlds? Hardly. But she was not their representative.

“If it is within their best interest, and they think the Mandolorians or the Diarchy could better protect them, let them go. Our sector fleets would do better with less ground to cover.”

Hapes had set the precedent, as Laveaux pointed out. She moved onto the topic of friends.

“The Republic would not be of much assistance- their fleet is drastically ill prepared for even the war that looms on their own borders. Their Jedi Order, maybe. The Diarchy could perhaps be convinced, but we risk isolating the Jedi should we ally with them, due to their purges on force users. They raided a member world just a short while ago, taking advantage of our vulnerable position, as well.”

There weren’t good answers. This would be their fight.

 

[Alexandra Feanor]

Alexandra listened, let the words of the others carry forward and address the situation that the Alliance had found itself in. She had those same thoughts and concerns that had been voiced, that this was War but that there would need to be hard choices made. They could not defend every world with a fleet, could not hold every inch of space and stop the approach of the Sith and their Imperial puppets. She had hoped that the High Republic may step up, that they may recognized the danger but they had not seemed to have found the threat grand enough.

She needed to take this slow, needed to conserve her strength and her words as she looked on at the others and took note of each point they addressed.

"The Diarchy, and the Imperial Confederation." She spoke up, clearing her throat as her voice settled in. It was still weak but she needed to ensure that the words reached those around them.

"The Imperial Confederacy was present for the Galactic Empire's ridiculous show, and while their government is antithetical to ours, they have been present in a previous wargame with our people and could be persuaded further. As for the Diarchy, they are a group that my own people on Veradune have interacted with before. While they are not as kindly as the Jedi, they have a severe and significant hate for the Sith and their ways. It is something that I think we could address and speak with their leadership regarding." She was calm, but even as she spoke her voice became uneven and when she was done her coughing came.

Crimson stains showed on the sleeve of her robes, the silver marred by the blood stained into it at this point.

"Aside from that, we ensure the GADF is funded, and we ensure that they can prosecute a proper war. We go to Kuat and tear down their shipyards, Anaxes and oust the imperials from our people's officer training complex. Coruscant and rescue those who had been used as human shields. We stand upon one of the most impressive navies in the Galaxy, and we advise the GADF to use it."

Fal Gore Annasari Cressida Tolliver Tiber Saal Sycorax Laveaux Marek Bancroft

 

[Marek Bancroft]

"And leave the Mid Rim unprotected? Surely the Alliance is not without allies, what friends have we that we could appeal?"

"What allies?" He asks, a bit rhetorical, but nonetheless. "The Mandalorians can be trusted as far as we can throw them. The High Republic is its own entity in which we have no history of cooperation militarily-speaking. These Lightsworn fanatics are not a state, but closer to a band of crusading fanatics who oppose the Dark Side. Useful, but not capable of prosecuting a campaign to the scale that we would need to secure all of our interests."

Bancroft addresses the lot of the Senators present.

"The Alliance stands alone, for all intent and purposes. We can not afford to reach out to the powers that be and request free aid, and expect them to come." He pinches the bridge of his nose.

"...And to add insult to injury, the Jedi Order abandoned us, during the time that we needed them the most. What's left are the scraps of what was once a veritable horde of Jedi who could have properly counterbalanced the Sith present within Imperial forces. This betrayal can not be understated. It can not be forgiven."

"Aside from that, we ensure the GADF is funded, and we ensure that they can prosecute a proper war. We go to Kuat and tear down their shipyards, Anaxes and oust the imperials from our people's officer training complex. Coruscant and rescue those who had been used as human shields. We stand upon one of the most impressive navies in the Galaxy, and we advise the GADF to use it."

"If we continue to work off this framework that the GADF has these phantom fleets of forces available, we'll get nowhere in actually securing a victory. Tell me.. where was this impressive navy in preventing the Imperials from seizing Arkania, let alone the Deep Core? I keep receiving reports from GADF sources regarding their perceived capabilities, their numbers, their materiel stockpiles-- yet we are still losing, Senator. Something is not adding up.

We can not in one breath speak of the casual dismantling of Imperial authority, while being consistently on the retreat, and beat onto the backfoot on the other. We're under a recipe for our own destruction if we don't surmise what is reality, and adjust our plan moving forwards accordingly."

Fal Gore Annasari Cressida Tolliver Tiber Saal Sycorax Laveaux

 

[Cressida Tolliver]

"As some of you may know," Cressida began, leaning forward. "The problem with the current situation is not one problem, but many, each layering with the others. I bring with me the instructions of Her Majesty's Government to offer to the Alliance a ten-fold increase in refugee settlement in the Renascent Heirate. Our worlds are as yet still largely unsettled, and there is plenty of space. This is, of course, at the Crown's expense -- it would result in no further expenditure by SELCORE or the Alliance treasury. My hope is that this may ease funding burdens and free up bureaucratic resources to focus on defense priorities, expediting replenishment of fleet resources, and weapons and equipment for the army -- or whatever else the Senate elects to do."

She cleared her throat briefly. "That being said, minimal resources to escort and transport refugees would still be required, and given the Heirate's proximity to the new borderline, I can concede that it may not be altogether wise to place so many displaced people there. Her Majesty's Government is perfectly eager to contribute financing and resources to a settlement elsewhere, provided strong oversight exists to ensure the funding is getting where it ought to be going."

She glanced at Alexandra, then to Bancroft, who followed after the Senator from Veradune. "I hope you'll forgive me for suggesting, Senator Bancroft, that we cannot afford not to reach out to these other nations. There is value in standing alone when there is no alternative. There is no value in not looking for aid when it is possible. And while we're on the subject of banding together, recall that nigh on the entire galaxy united in defense of Csilla and it is gone. In short, things happen. Don't, please, mistake my words for argument, but what is the relative virtue of these hard choices you have steeled us to make, weighed against a concerted effort at defense, even if it fails? How many thousands will live because of the time a fight buys them that would die if we upped sticks and left them to the tender mercies of the Empire? And a further question, if I might: if we aren't to spend taxpayer funds on defenses, what is a better use of them?"

 

[Sycorax Laveaux]

“If it is within their best interest, and they think the Mandolorians or the Diarchy could better protect them, let them go. Our sector fleets would do better with less ground to cover.”

"I strongly disagree," Sycorax said, brow furrowing. She sounded an awful lot like Aurellia. Did Jakku not stand for diplomatic ideals?

While Marek did not directly address her question, he more or less answered it in his next speech. She stared at him for several seconds, trying to figure out if he was actually playing devil's advocate, as he claimed, or if this was a genuine pitch.

The third law of politics: The simplest way to explain the behavior of any bureaucratic organization is to assume that it is controlled by a cabal of its enemies.

Before she could respond, Cressida beat her to the punch. She put into words exactly what Sycorax was thinking, albeit in a far more diplomatic way than the Senator of Necropolis would've phrased it. Probably for the best, though it wasn't going to stop Sycorax from adding her piece.

"I don't understand what is stopping us from mounting a counterattack," Sycorax said. "We are being invaded on multiple fronts by enemy factions determined to chip away at our territory. Should we not take back that which was ours? Do we not owe it to our citizenry to protect them from foreign powers? You say that our forces are stretched too thin, but would rather concede than seek the help of new allies?

"You're not playing devil's advocate. You're speaking treason."

Fal Gore Marek Bancroft Annasari Alexandra Feanor Tiber Septimus Cressida Tolliver​

 

[Tiber Septimus]

Tiber glanced at Senator Bancroft, a frown marring his visage.

"I echo Senator Laveux: what 'hard decisions' do you suggest we make, Senator Bancroft? It is one thing if a member-state chooses to secede from the Alliance- that is their constitutional right. It's is quite another to throw citizens to the proverbial meat-grinder, to the mercies of the Imperials. Hopefully, I am not misinterpreting your 'hard decisions'."

"Additionally, echoing Senator Tolliver: we cannot afford to not reach out to reaching out. We do not fight simply for the survival of the Alliance: we fight for the rights, diginities, and freedoms of every sentient being in the galaxy. The Alliance cannot fight this battle, not alone- we must marshall those who believe in freedom, in democracy, under the banner of our cause if we are to achieve victory."

Tiber paused to take a breath.

"And in the spirits of 'hard decisions': Perhaps we should look into the role of our economy, specifically, how we can put it's full might behind the war effort."

"We're not a military body, nor should we be making military decisions. It is not in our power to "consolidate" assets, unless you mean to flee the breach and escape the Imperials. For that, I disagree. We fight here, in the best way the Senate knows how - we'll have to consult the GADF for a best way forward on that front."

"And in our capacity as Senators, we also advise and consent the GADF- we must of course defer the military's expertise, but they are not the final decision-makers", Tiber pointed out.

She cleared her throat briefly. "That being said, minimal resources to escort and transport refugees would still be required, and given the Heirate's proximity to the new borderline, I can concede that it may not be altogether wise to place so many displaced people there. Her Majesty's Government is perfectly eager to contribute financing and resources to a settlement elsewhere, provided strong oversight exists to ensure the funding is getting where it ought to be going."

"As it happens, Senator, Niahelios and it's moon, Seydala, would likely have to space and to resettle refugees. And given our distance from the front, it should be quite a safe space for a fresh start. And I'm sure some assets in the Niaheli Navy would relish the opportunity to leave the Mundus System. We'll need to hash out the particulars, but I'm looking forward to working with you on this initiative", Tiber said, a smile replacing the frown.

Annasari | Fal Gore | Cressida Tolliver | Alexandra Feanor | Marek Bancroft | Sycorax Laveaux