Private Increment | Dracken

[Auteme]

Dracken Pryce ​

"And cut."

Auteme relaxed, took a few breaths, then waved over her aide, who was hovering at the edge of the set. Perav moves quickly to her side.

"You're trending."

"Naturally. Direction?" Auteme rose, looking at the datapad Perav had brought.

"Up. People seem to get it. Patriotism, but not fervour or panic. That's what I got, anyways. A few bots, but no real imperial presence, as far as we can tell."

"Well, I was hoping to cut to their core. Keep me updated."

"Yes, Chancellor. The Vice Chancellor is waiting for you in the conference room."

"Finally." She waved a hand, dismissing the Zabrak, and anyone else coming to pester her. Instead she beelined straight to the small conference room off to the side of the office set. A twist of her hand changed her outfit into something sharper, a poisonous green suit and pants, accented with black and gold.

She pushed open the doors, finding a familiar speech playing on repeat on a hologram at the far end of the table. She didn't pause, and approached the Vice Chancellor. Anger, cold and deadly, took her tone for a brief moment.

"If you abandon me while we are under attack ever again, I will have you replaced and sent to sweep streets on 1313. Am I clear?"

She paused, her expression softening, the green of her suit brightening. "I was glad to hear that your son was safe. I know what it is like to worry about loved ones in a war zone. But if that's all it takes for us to drop everything, we'll be losing more than our cool. We're in a precarious position, and I need your knowledge and counsel here."

She found herself a seat. "Enough of that. My address. Your thoughts. I want to hear them."

 

[Dracken Pryce]

Auteme

"If you abandon me while we are under attack ever again, I will have you replaced and sent to sweep streets on 1313. Am I clear?"

Pryce smirked and arched his brow at the young Chancellor. So much for a Jedi's serenity. The Fireside Chats had been her idea. When he'd known of her as a Jedi most would have said she was reserved, tended to stay away from fights, and was the voice of reason when it came to matters of state and the Order. Now though, after years in the Senate she had a fire much like his own. One that burned to do the right thing no matter what. It was part of the reason he'd agreed to be her second. But this? Was he rubbing off on her?

"Understood," he said lightly, "I'll keep that in mind for once we become the Empire, Chancellor." He stood from his seat and handing her a datapad. He had been rash in leaving for Ilum sure but he'd also left to take personal command of Night Hammer and lead the offensive. At least, that is what he told himself.

The datapad he'd handed her held a copy of her address with several sections highlighted, his messy handwriting scribbled beside them. They were mostly notes on being too aggressive, ways to potentially not alienate the 'Imperial Bloc' as their votes would be needed for many war-time measures to be passed if the Alliance began consolidating military strength under the Chancellor.

"I didn't much like the way you lumped Tavlar in with the rest of them," he said. "I know you didn't spend much time on the front lines in that war but he was an honorable man. If the Maw hadn't killed him," Well, if the Maw hadn't blown him up they wouldn't be in this situation. He was sure of it. "Tavlar was an honorable man trusted by the Late Sword and many other Jedi heroes. I could give you five generals and admirals right now that would swear Tavlar's men saved their hides more than once during the war. It's not good politics to hit him while he's buried six feet under. Especially not," He stopped. 'Especially not with you and the Lord Protector'. He had stopped himself but the meaning was clear, even if he didn't say it out loud. "Especially not when your military leaders see him as a hero." he said instead.

"You did good addressing the superweapon but-" he paused, pulling out his own kyber, "You probably could have done without attaching this to the Sith and mass destruction." It was more than just a tool for the Sith and Imperials and she knew it. The Kyber crystal was what powered the most powerful symbol of the Alliance. He tucked it back into his military suit. "Other than that, I think these will be good for the Alliance. We can't just do them whenever the Empire strikes though. That'll be too reactionary. Make you look like all you do is talk when the chips are down. Looking smart for the holocams only works when you've got an Idiot's Array and everyone knows it. And right now?" He grimaced. "We've only got the idiots." The military response to Ilum was abysmal. Somehow that fool of a High Admiral Hoid Hallafax came out looking the hero while seasoned field admirals were left to fumble the ball in the wake of an unprecedented attack on Alliance space. It was no secret that the Alliance had made several military blunders during their war with the Maw.

 

[Auteme]

Dracken Pryce
​

Tavlar. Of course. She turned to him slightly when he caught his tongue, and found herself once more reminded of her precarious position.

"I know. I know people liked him. Ryv -- I mean, they were close. And I know he was skilled in battle, had a loyal following. But we need to fight that, too, because he still represents the Imperial system. The best person in the galaxy could head the Empire, and it would still be an empire. It doesn't matter how good he was. He was an autocrat. A military man -- I can respect his effectiveness, but he is still the same as the rest. Where are his men now? Still serving this new Empire, I suspect. His successors glare at us, searching for weakness. And even under him, we had Yinchorr, we had tensions. All that power concentrated into a single man -- a terrible thing, magnificent, even, but a weight too much to bear, and once the cracks begin to show, there is no one to hold him back, no one who could check his power.

"People need to understand that. Our military leaders need to understand that. And if our admirals, generals, are still starry-eyed for a dead man so hard that they'll be pissed if I say he was wrong about some things, then we have the wrong people in those positions."

She took a deep breath, and held her tongue. "But, you're right. That's ancient history. I did not mean to simply... lump him in. They aren't the same. But the Empire is. That is our enemy; the institution, the worst impulses that ruin the people the Empire was meant to liberate. My focus was on that, not any one individual.

"As for kyber... yeah." She sighed. "Reclaiming what's ours. Our symbols. I'll keep that in mind."

Her eyes scanned through the notes he'd handed over. She bit back a comment about not really wanting the Imperial vote anyways. She suspected few of them were eager to consolidate power under someone like her.

"I don't want to do these too often, though. If I speak so directly at every opportunity, each address will lose its power. And- well, I'm sure you know how a few words can change the course of things. Still, you're right. Being reactionary -- we need to take initiative. Perhaps I was... to weak, in my response. Strong words are one thing, but..."

 

[Dracken Pryce]

Auteme

"Reclaiming what's ours. Our symbols. I'll keep that in mind."

"It isn't about reclaiming Chancellor," how did he say this? "You divulged too much information. The public didn't need to know that the same weapon that devastated our fleet was the same one in the hands of every Jedi." Besides, did anyone really claim Kyber? Well, he was sure that the Empire believed they did. "Not only that but you spent your time with assault after assault on the Empire without speaking about the ones the Alliance really cares about, our heroes." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We can't sit and vilify our enemies for twenty minutes, it makes us look childish." And with her response about her leaders, he wasn't sure this wasn't just a childish stunt from a young politician getting hot under the collar for the first time. It was probably best to leave the Tavlar discussion alone. He tried to give his best 'sorry' expression. "Maybe for the next one focus on building us up instead of tearing them down."

 

[Auteme]

Dracken Pryce
​

"Okay, but like, it's not. It's not the same weapon. I was making the comparison to the Galactic Empire in the time of, you know, the Skywalkers, all them. They took kyber. They did take something from us. And they used it to destroy planets.

"I wasn't about to start hyping up our heroes right after tearing into a system that is designed around hero worship. We are not the Empire. My goal in this talk was utterly divorced from the role of the individual. It does not matter who leads the Alliance, who leads the front; it is a collective effort, and that spirit should join the nation. For the Empire, it is every individual in power, every person given the incentive to abuse it because of the system they inhabit, that ruins the galaxy.

"I understand the need for symbols for people to unite behind, but I do not want to encourage idolatry. I want to educate. I want to encourage critical thought as much as I want to encourage unity." She paused a moment, as it suddenly occurred to her that if she hadn't gotten that across to Dracken, her words might not have been as effective as she'd hoped.

"Next one. Next one." Suddenly she felt exhausted. The thought of articulating a vision of the galaxy, so vast and complex -- its core simple, is application impossible. She could speak for hours and not cover its facets; over a few minutes of speaking, and her words would become ineffective. The systems of the galaxy were at once immovable to her, even at her most powerful. She slumped in her chair.