Home [Geneviève Lasedri]

[Alicia Drey]

| [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] |

Alicia Drey was waiting at the Emita spaceport, to receive her most important contact to date. She happened to share something in common with Prime Minister Geneviève Lasedri. Both could call Chandrila home and through that, both would come to meet one another to join forces in Chandrila's recovery.

When Alicia had Chandrila Group post it's advertisement to the wider galaxy, she hadn't expected someone like Geneviève to get in contact. Her target had been in the lower plebeians of the galaxy. After all, Chandrila Group was only a tier one company. Perhaps Geneviève recognized the potential Alicia had seen.

Wearing casual clothes, Alicia paced backwards and forwards, arms interchanging between being held behind her back, at her sides and across her chest. She was nervous.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

While it had kept a relatively low profile for the majority of its existence, ECHO Esprit had been there for quite some time. A medical company originally originally founded by backers as a source of income and cover for abolitionist movements, it had evolved into something quite more. It had supported an upstart Rebellion, and had been established on the homeworld of Lasedri's in order to help it rebuild and invigorate the populace with a little bit of hope in this time of frightening war. Gen might do anything to keep Chandrila safe, and so she had begun to siphon off its earnings to people less fortunate and donate some of its medicinal products to others in need on Chandrila and abroad. Being the socialist she was, the Prime Minister hoped to one day leave everything to the public. When the time was right.

Chandrila Group seemed like it promoted a worthy cause, and Geneviève considered the possibilities of partnership between her gradually publicizing group and this one. Help her people.

With her entourage of bodyguards hidden within the folks in the area and the vicinity under heavy scrutiny, Geneviève felt largely safe from any threats. It would essentially be a one-on-one affair with this [member="Alicia Drey"]. She seemed a rather attractive (and unusually tall) woman and a little hesitant about the situation, judging by her repeated shifting of arm positioning. Perhaps something to keep in mind. Gen could possibly play things very straightforward and mold her, or she could be graceful--as graceful as was possible for Lasedri--and hope to win things smoothly. For once, she decided to be the nice Gen.

Easing before the other woman, Lasedri kept her hands before her, folded and relaxed against the black fabric of the formal dress she almost never wore. Dresses... "Hello, Alicia."

 

[Alicia Drey]

| [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] |

"Hello, Gene...Vie?" Alicia stammered the name. It was quite exotic and she wasn't sure how to pronounce. "Sorry, you have quite the name. I'm not quite sure how to pronounce it." Smiling awkwardly, she gestured beyond the hangar bay. "I have us booked in Emita for some lunch, if you are hungry? I thought we could conduct our meeting over something to eat. My car is waiting outside for us."

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

"It all depends on where you're from," she responded. It was strange how rarely anyone actually considered to ask her such an honest question. "Zhahn-vyev is proper, but Zhen-eh-veev is more common and what I'm accustomed to--though some simply know me as 'Gen'."

The Prime Minister nodded at the prospect of lunch. It was a social activity she rarely took part in outside of burdensome 'payments of respect' to this dignitary or that. Sure, this was still business in a way. But at least it was something of an occasion on her own terms. Besides, she was home. "I won't mind taking you up on that. Though you will have to excuse the parade that will be following us." Gen gestured towards the bodyguards skulking about the premises of the hangar. "I couldn't lose them if I tried."

[member="Alicia Drey"]

 

[Alicia Drey]

| [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] |

"Being the prime minster can have it's pros and cons, I assume." Making her way out of the space port, accompanied by Gen and her escorts, Alicia paused before entering the courier that was waiting for them. "This car is big enough to fit around five people, six if we include the driver. I'm not sure there is enough room for everyone."

Opening the car door, Alicia glanced at the guards that was accompanying the Prime Minister. There were several. Three would have to accompany her and Gen to Emita or Alicia would go ahead, whilst Gen and her entourage found their own way. The latter would be a little awkward in her opinion.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Geneviève followed after Alicia and stalled outside the car, finding herself amused by the woman's worrying over things. "I'd only need one up with the driver. The rest can follow in their own speeders. I can afford a little privacy sometimes, after all." She patted the back of her three-decimeters-taller acquaintance reassuringly and bade her enter first. No need for Alicia to show her all this extra courtesy. To Gen, they were just fellow Chandrilans for the day.

[member="Alicia Drey"]

 

[Alicia Drey]

| [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] |

Nodding, Alicia climbed into the car. As Gen and her guard entered, her driver closed the doors for them before getting back in. Already knowing where to take them next, the car set off on the trip to the resturant.

"We should be there in twenty minutes. It isn't too far from here and unlike the capital, there isn't much traffic out here in Emita."

"So, I have to say, I was a little surprised that the Prime Minister would reach out to me. What do I owe the pleasure, Gen?"

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

The rolling hills they bypassed en route from Hanna to Emita provoked emotion that rarely touched her mind. She was returning to the town of her birth. This was why she fought, no matter how detached she had become. "This is my home, in spite of the fact that I haven't spent much time here in the last decade. But there are some things one cannot entirely control--try as we might--and that was the way the chance cube rolled. If you believe in that sort of thing." Gen was, quite honest, a skeptic in nearly every sense; almost an atheist if not for her own personal encounters with all this Force crap. As there were some things one could not control, there were some things one would be utterly foolish to completely disregard. "Chandrila Group sounds like the community thing I have hoped for for so long. Though the question still stands on what you wish to do with it, of course.

"Are you aware of ECHO Esprit? It's my company, though I'm publicizing it as time and stability permits. It was started for the welfare of others. I felt we had something in common in that aspect." She held a knowing smile, acknowledging what might initially seem as irony to the half-informed. A 'progressive' woman touting her business? For shame, right? "I'm sure my detractors have made sure to point out my enmity towards corporatism. But one cannot change the system overnight."

And one could not repair the lost relationship with her father that had persisted even beyond death.

[member="Alicia Drey"]

 

[Alicia Drey]

| [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] |

Alicia nodded, listening as Gen explained.

She replied, "No, I haven't heard of ECHO Esprit before. But I assume I will learn more about as the day goes on. As for Chandrila Group, I begun it using the money I acquired from liquidating Chandrila DataTech. It was my families business, but I felt that the world could do without technology, at least for a while."

"Foodstuffs has always been our main export, but it has suffered for a long time. Our people have done okay to keep our fields to the standard that they did, but we risked losing our identity and I didn't like that. So I sold DataTech to a friend and used the money to reinvest in our dwindling market."

"I now own the lands surrounding Emita and Nayli. But I kept the locals employed. Effectively, the farms are still their farms. But on paper they belong to me. I gave them new harvesters, I cured their fields and I brought in new livestock for them to breed. I pay them to collect and harvest crops, grains and bring up animals, where I then sell them on."

"I'd say Emita is a lot better off since I began Chandrila Group. But I can't say the same for Nayli and Hanna City. I ran out of money, you see. So the lands around Nayli remain unused, as I haven't had the resources to begin development over there, unfortunately."

The car pulled up outside the resturant. The driver got out of his seat and went around to open the door for the two women.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

"So you come from the same stock of my own? My father's business was a competitor to DataTech." It was a small galaxy, and yet a smaller world. Too bad Daddy could not be here to see his company finally surpass all local competition. Too bad Daddy was not here... "Coincidentally, I share your sentiments for excessive technology. It's why I've had nothing to do with his company." Save leeching off of her inheritance from its profits in her younger years. How else had she afforded to start Esprit so long ago?

The car came to a stop not long into their casual discussion, and Gen stepped out and into the fresh air of her beautiful homeworld. What many people would never know... "I used to live here. Though we mostly spent time on Lake Sah'ot." The memories made her wonder about her own personal attitude about life past. Was she ungrateful; wasteful of gifts? Or had she been noble to disassociate with her privilege?

The Prime Minister waited for her host to step out, eyeing the separate squads of protectors as they made their rounds scoping the premises. Emita was small for such a big town and news traveled fast.

[member="Alicia Drey"]

 

[Alicia Drey]

| [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] |

Alicia listened to Gen, as she climbed out of the car. Together, they walked side by side towards the restaurant.

"I sold DataTech to an associate and used the money to create Chandrila Group. Your Dad's company won't have to worry about DataTech anymore, I think. Taeli hasn't done anything with it since she bought it out."

They entered the restaurant. After checking in, they were guided to a secluded table in the corner. From her seat, Alicia could see the entrance. Just the way she liked it. She turned her gaze to the woman that sat across from her.

"So, can Chandrila Group by of any use to someone like yourself? I'd like to know your thoughts."