Private Gotta Get a Gimmick

[Verity Stuyveris]

​

Verity stood in the conference room off her office, watching the news.

To say that conditions on Alderaan had deteriorated would be an understatement. This was tragic, not least of all for the Alderaanians, but just as importantly to Verity in this instance -- in this private unguarded moment where she was unobserved but for her closest adviser, the man who knew her well enough to know that she could care about two things simultaneously -- it could prove disastrous for Verity's own political career. She had championed Alderaan's entry into the High Republic, partially because it was an old and prestigious Core world which would only serve to add more legitimacy to the Sith Covenant if it slipped into their dark grasp, and partially because it would serve as a bulwark against those self-same Sith when they inevitably turned their attention south.

Then the Organas had comprehensively defecated the bed and done a bunk, and now Duke Denrin of House Serrus' murder left a power vacuum in Alderaan and the future of their entry into the Republic in question. And if it all went south, Verity knew that it would be she that would be the one left holding the bag, because she had been the loudest voice pushing for it. In other words, if things went bad, it was the end of Verity's political ambitions -- and possibly the end of her political career.

"This cannot continue," Verity told Lucian Varencourt, her Chief of Staff, without raising her head or turning to look at him. "We need to find a horse to back, and we need to do it now."

Varencourt approached from the side, shifting a dossier from the table into her field of vision on the table, a photo of Osiris Thul clipped over a barebones biography of the man. "Thul's claim is impressive, Senator."

Verity frowned and finally allowed herself to straighten. She thought she heard crunching in her neck as she raised her head, and she reached back to massage her neck. "Thul's claim is impressive," she agreed. "But as far as I can tell he is not overly keen on binding himself to our interests. And I want more information about who's supporting his claim before I reach out to him. There will be worse than egg on my face if we schedule a meeting he rejects us -- and worse, still, if through an act of desperation we support someone who will hinder the Republic's aims."

Varencourt made an unsatisfied noise and proffered another dossier. A bland ginger looked up from the photograph clipped to the front. "Panteer is an ancient name, ma'am. The claim, if she were to press it, may well rival Thul's."

"The wallflower?" Verity mused, skeptical. "Has she even responded to our inquiries?"

"Not her," said Varencourt cautiously. "However, her husband has expressed an interest."

She huffed and shook her head. "Expressed an interest. Gods, these people." She frowned and took the file from Varencourt and settled into the chair behind her, studying. Halfway through Verity looked up at Lucian. "Is she more interesting than she looks?"

"Unclear, ma'am," said Varencourt. "Her reputation is one for propriety, steadiness, and a generalized reluctance to engage in politics." His eyes met her pale blue ones. "We can do something with that. Not avaricious, not grasping for power. Staid. Settled. If she rises to the occasion now, it is for conscience."

"Is that how she feels?" Verity asked.

Varencourt straightened and smoothed his necktie. "Does it matter, ma'am?"

Verity was quiet for a long time. "Bring them in." She handed the folder back and Varencourt took it. She paused, keeping a grasp on it. "Quietly, Varencourt," she murmured, finally releasing the folder to him. "I don't want people thinking we've made a decision before we've made it."

* * * * *
​

Two days later, Verity returned from a voting session on the floor and shrugged out of her pale blue blazer, exposing the satin ivory blouse below. Varencourt was at her elbow, as per. "There's going to be blood in the water if we don't get something together and fast," Verity said irritably. "I managed to put them off for now, but if we don't have anything next week, I won't be able to answer to it again. We have, ah -- what is it, the Panteer woman?"

"Your next appointment, as a matter of fact," he said. "Shall I send him in?"

"Him?"

"The Duchess is not with him. I'm sure Lord Alde will be able to explain."

Verity looked over her desk at her Chief of Staff, her face briefly appearing uncertain, almost haggard. She recomposed herself into the vague pleasantness of a politician, looking like she had only missed two nights of sleep, not two weeks, and nodded. "All right," she said, not sounding especially convinced. "Then I'll see him now."

Theron Alde​

 

[Theron Alde]

Verity Stuyveris

He had already spoken with Jocelyn Panteer and she had agreed, but she had terms.

One of them was that she wanted him to scope out this Senator Stuyveris and see if she was a person worth working with. Theron knew his wife. She didn't mean in the sense of if Verity could make things happen. If she was a powerful ally. If she had the ear of the Chancellor. Jocelyn wanted to know about the character of Verity.

Was she someone they could trust? Someone who was good at heart and honorable? Who would not abandon Alderaan because it might fit her political ambitions?

Squeezed in between the Covenant and the Republic, they could not afford to make an overt move without being sure. Sure that it would not hurt Alderaan, that there would be no blowback that would erase innocent lives.

And so Theron came without big fanfare, not wearing his or Panteer's house sigils. Tasteful black, unobtrusive gray, ensuring that if pictures were snapped his face was hidden by shades and a hat. He entered and took in the office of Verity before even seeing the senator. An office could tell you a lot about a person's character.

Only then did steady eyes meet Verity as he took off his shades.

"Madam Senator, I am glad we could make this meeting happen on such short notice." He inclined his head towards her. "Alderaan is thankful to have a voice so loud speaking for its safety and prosperity."

 

[Verity Stuyveris]

​

Verity looked up as Lucian saw Theron Alde into her office. She stood and offered a smile. "Of course," she said. She rounded the desk and offered her hand for a handshake. "Call me Verity. Please, take a seat if you like." She turned to Varencourt and gestured for him to take a seat as well before going back around the desk. She didn't sit down, instead touching the intercom. "Kira, caff, please."

The Senator then came back around the desk and took the third chair, rounding out the informal sitting area.

"I'm surprised Lady Jocelyn was unable to accompany you," Verity said. Her voice was not pointed, but there was a certain edge to it. Uncertainty haunted her glacial gaze, a wariness that she was not eager to showcase but which she could not entirely hide. "Particularly if the aim of the conversation is to... shall we say, garner support for a claim to the Alderaanian throne, hm?"

She paused a moment as the door opened and Kira entered, efficient as you like, wheeling a cart with coffee and little pastries in. She left it near Verity's chair and excused herself. "Coffee?" Verity asked Theron as she stood and poured a cup. The first she passed to Lucian before looking at Theron expectantly. When the question of coffee had been settled, she smoothed her skirt and sat again. "I suppose I should offer my condolences first. Did you know Duke Serrus well?"

Theron Alde​

 

[Theron Alde]

Verity Stuyveris

Theron sat down where indicated, but primarily paid attention to Verity.

Her expression, her tone, the edge in it. It was clear she had been expecting his wife, alone or together with him, rather than this switch. But that was understandable, a senator from the High Republic couldn't be expected to know all the dynamics at play. She wouldn't know that it had been Theron pushing Jocelyn Panteer into action and that he felt it was his responsibility to see things through.

The more pressure and stress he could take away from the decision he had forced on Joy, the better in his eyes.

"Travel to and from Alderaan is dangerous these days." He nodded and murmured a thank you when Verity offered him a cup of caf. "And one noble traveling draws less attention than two."

There were lists upon lists of reasons why Theron was here alone.

And yet he missed Joy.

"I suppose I should offer my condolences first. Did you know Duke Serrus well?"

"The Alderaani circles of nobility are tight, Verity. I have known Serrus for most of my life." His brows furrowed, expression troubled. "I always knew him to be ambitious, but I did not anticipate how quickly he'd move and how... aggressively." It had troubled him greatly, because it had clearly been an opportunistic attack before anyone else could react to the sheer insanity that had happened during the parade and beyond.

But Theron still remembered a different Serrus. Who smiled easily and could shoot a clay dove further than anyone else in class.

"All that to say... thank you for the condolences, but I do not recognize the man who ended up using military might to seize control. And I thank the Balance that we did not have to find out just how far he had fallen."

He accepted the cup of caf and sipped from it softly, breathing out when it turned out to be too hot.

"You must be in a tricky situation yourself. You supported the Organas forcefully. And now House Thul is rising in regard." His expression clouded at the thought of House Thul. There was no evidence that they had Sith support, but decades of experience taught him to distrust that House. They had always been corrupted, dark, opportunistic to a fault.

Alderaan would not be in a good position with them in charge.

"My sympathies... the Galaxy is in a dark place right now, so are the people within it." Tone with empathy, leaning in slightly. Verity would see exactly where his reputation came from.

Hardly knowing her, she'd feel like he cared about her after only a few sentences exchanged.

 

[Verity Stuyveris]

​

"I supported the Alderaanian government, who expressed an interest in membership of the High Republic on behalf of the people of Alderaan," Verity murmured in response. The truth was she didn't give a damn about the Organas on a personal level. She had been impressed by Liana Organa, and had admired the way Queen Amani kept all the plates moving in the King's absence, but as far as their governing philosophy? She didn't feel strongly one way or another. "And I still do."

"I will admit," she went on after a sip of caff, "that my life would be easier and more straightforward were the Organas still in firm command, but -- where we are is where we are." Verity frowned thoughtfully. "What do you know about House Thul's claim? My understanding -- and forgive me, my Alderaanian history is barely conversational, let alone fluent -- is that they were quite the rivals to House Organa. That could prove to be a gift and a curse, given what's become of House Organa, hm?"

She had to agree with his assessment about the darkness the galaxy found itself in. The question was whether there was something to be done about that. "Where does House Alde fall in all this?"

Theron Alde​

 

[Theron Alde]

Verity Stuyveris

Something told Alde it wasn't as simple as that.

Sure, Verity supported Alderaan because the Organas had asked for the support, but nothing was ever as cut and dry as that. Especially now after they had been removed from the world they had ruled in such catastrophic fashion. But Theron knew better than to try and draw more out of Verity in this matter.

It didn't really matter anyway.

"House Thul has always been opportunistic." Theron says, trying to remain neutral in his assessment, but failing practically immediately. "They will side with whatever side gives them the cleanest path towards the throne."

Morals didn't matter, neither did duty or the law, or anything in between.

They'd stab anyone in the back. Climb over any corpses. As long as it ended with them on the throne. This part he did not voice, because even as biased as Theron was, he knew he wasn't being completely fair.

And his feelings didn't belong in this conversation.

"From House Alde came the first King of Alderaan. We have seen ourselves as stewards of Alderaan ever since. We do not covet the throne like some. We take the long view, whatever is good for Alderaan, is good for us as well. In this capacity, I have already spoken to my father and my older brother. They will support my wife's claim to the Throne. House Panteer has brought as many Kings and Queens to the Throne of Alderaan as House Organa."

Brown eyes calmly studied Verity.

"Some would say House Panteer has the better claim to the throne than even House Organa. Though I suppose that point is moot right now."

 

[Verity Stuyveris]

​

Verity studied the Duke over the rim of her coffee cup.

"That tracks with what I've heard about the Thuls," Verity confessed. "I don't typically like to paint with broad brushes, but there simply isn't time to observe carefully in a natural environment. Already we know that the Sith Covenant is beginning to exert its influence in Great House politics. And with the throne empty, they will certainly have their eye on it."

The hypocrisy was not lost on her.

Here she was, eyes firmly fixed on the Alderaanian throne, and for political reasons as much as reasons she could point at as altruistic. But her hypocrisy was, at least, sanctioned by what was the most recent legitimate government of the planet in question.

"I'd like to return to the topic of House Panteer's claim in a moment," Verity said cautiously. "But first -- what's your angle on what Alderaan wants? I'm not sure of where the power truly lays on Alderaan, but you're closer to both the other Houses and the people. What's the pulse like?"

Theron Alde​

 

[Theron Alde]

Verity Stuyveris

"But first -- what's your angle on what Alderaan wants? I'm not sure of where the power truly lays on Alderaan, but you're closer to both the other Houses and the people. What's the pulse like?"

"Alderaan wants what Alderaan always wanted. What people always want, across planets, dynasties and regimes, Verity." Theron says calmly. "They want a soft winter, a calm spring. They want certainty for the future so they can plant the seeds only their children will see for trees." The noble leaned back as he watched Verity in return.

"As for the Noble Houses, they are divided. Everyone was shocked at what happened at the parade. Few of them are natural allies to the Sith, but none quite expected a whole city block to be glassed just for a handful of Sith."

Tone in distaste, because there were limits to what you should let your own people suffer. Evacuation was one thing, as far as Theron knew, no civilian lives were lost. But what about the houses, the infrastructure, the livelihoods of people? It was all fun and games to scream ra-ra violence, until it came towards the actual calculation of what it meant to people.

He sighed there.

"The Organas were the natural claimants. It tempered everyone else's ambitions." The irony wasn't lost to him in this case. "Some are looking to Panteer and Alde for direction, because beyond the Organas our claims are the strongest. But there are opportunists who will look to House Thul, because they want more than has been allotted to them."

His hands spread in an apologetic fashion.

"I wish I could give you an easy answer as 'Everyone is behind us, only you need to join the train', but sadly the reality is more complicated than that."

 

[Verity Stuyveris]

​

Oh, brother.

Verity glanced at Varencourt enigmatically, and the look that passed between them was inscrutable. The answer was unhelpful; whether it was unhelpful on purpose or unhelpful on accident was unclear at present. She decided not to press the issue.

"Very well," she said. "I gather if everyone else was behind you, we wouldn't be having this conversation." The observation was wry, but not derisive. It would be better for all parties if the Alderaanian succession could be resolved without inside influence. The Sith had already broken the seal on that issue. So there they were.

"Assuming that Duchess would want to press her claim -- what would you and she need from the Republic?" Verity asked, but then held up her hand to interject: "To be clear, I am not offering support, nor am I endorsing the Panteer or Alde claim on behalf of the Republic or anything else. I am merely gathering information. Anything involving forward action will involve a discussion with Dominique Vexx ."

She paused a moment and smiled. "The good news is that the Chancellor is an eminently reasonable woman. I would like to provide her with as much information as possible ahead of any such conversation."

Theron Alde​

 

[Theron Alde]

Verity Stuyveris

He watched her carefully and inclined his head, acknowledging that this was just a discussion.

Whatever they said here would first need to go through the Chancellor to actually be solid.

"Your formal backing. If the High Republic makes it clear that their preferred candidate is Jocelyn Panteer of House Panteer, some of the stragglers will come over to our side." And that would be enough to push the dial right towards them and away from House Thul. "Any support the High Republic can muster. I suspect that if House Thul doesn't have the Covenant's backing yet, it will have it soon enough. The Sith will not hold back to squeeze their grasp around Alderaan, Verity."

Theron leaned in there a touch.

"They will bring over their spies, their Sith, their corrupt officials and money. If we stand alone, even if we have the other Noble Houses of Alderaan with us, we will not be able to push back against the tide of the Covenant alone."

It was a lot to ask for, but it was what it was.

"I wish this was easier, ma'am, I truly do."

 

[Verity Stuyveris]

​

Verity observed the man as he spoke. It seemed like the right ask, and what would have been offered to the Organas if they had stayed in the game. "Before we go further, talk to me about the political implications of the High Republic involving itself openly in the contest for the throne," she said, picking up her stylus so she could take notes on his answer.

"For instance," she said quietly, "will we be making your lives harder by openly starting a preference for the Panteer claim? There are some cultures where outside influence is resented as meddling, or worse, imperialism."

The Senator from Druckenwell wasn't necessarily opposed to appearing this way if it meaningfully stymied the Sith Covenant, but she wanted to understand fully what the lady of the land was before presenting all the options to the Chancellor. Dominique Vexx wasn't one to be pushed into a decision without knowing all the angels.

"And then there is the question of your wife," Verity ventured. "Does she want this? Will she follow through? She will need to be present to meet with the Chancellor, there's no way around that. If she's not committed, if she's doubting even a little, we need to know now."

Theron Alde​