Private Long to Reign Over Us

[Renata Westaway]

NEW STERANDEL, AEGIS
CAPITAL OF THE RENASCENT HEIRATE

the Efficient & the Dignified​

The motorcade was a modest one: a single towncar speeder bearing two of the dark cerulean and gold flags of the Renascent Heirate, flanked on two sides by speederbikes and escorted to front and back by a police speeder, lights flashing but sirens silent. It would not be uncommon for the residents of New Sterandel to see this particular motorcade taking this particular route through the city on this evening every week, from 10 Alderney Square, through Highgate, along the Mall, though it had been irregular for awhile now. At the far end of the Mall, the guardsmen at the gate to the River Palace opened it to admit the motorcade, which drove through the courtard, easing to a halt with the towncar beneath a covered carport. A footman in dark blue and gold livery approached the door and opened it. Another man in a dark suit greeted Renata Westaway as she emerged from the back seat, leather portfolio in one hand, handbag around one forearm.

"Prime Minister," he said politely. "How nice to see you again."

"Likewise, Kenat. Not very often she's here, so we must take advantage when we can, hm?"

"Of course, Prime Minister." He gestured back the way he'd come from, into the building. "If you'll follow me, please."

Renata knew the way by heart, but there was protocol to be observed, so she simply smiled her thanks and nodded her assent, following Kenat into the palace.

It was smaller than the Imperial Palace in Avalonia. There hadn't been the resources here that the First Order could bring to bear, Renata realized, but she also thought that the Sovereign probably preferred it this way. No brutalist tower signaling dominance more than strength. River Palace was grand, in its own way, but also more personal. Closer to the city streets. Populated by people whose faces and names Renata recognized and remembered. It had the feel of old Galidraan, if Renata understood it correctly. She had never been, having always assumed it would disappoint in comparison to the way the Sovereign and others from her homeworld would describe it as some sort of Nirvana in the mortal realm.

The walk did not take long. Along galleries and corridors, past state rooms and ceremonial chambers, until at least Renata paused at the door of the audience chamber. Kenat might observe that she was nervous, though that wasn't true exactly. Renata Westaway was never particularly overawed by the Supreme Leader nor the trappings that came with her. But today was going to be a difficult meeting. The two women would have to discuss things that were going to be difficult. Unpleasant.

Not to mention that it was likely to cause a constitutional crisis. But all countries had to have their first one, right?

Kenat glanced at her. He had no idea, bless him. "Are you ready, Prime Minister?"

The Prime Minister took a breath, inclined her head, and nodded. Kenat stepped forward, rapped at the door briefly, and then led Renata inside. While Kenat bowed at the neck, Renata executed a curtsy. "Your Majesty," she said as she rose, and Kenat turned to leave the two women alone. Natasi Fortan stood at the other end of the room, statuesque and slender in a dark green dress and blazer The Sovereign extended a hand, at which signal the Prime Minister crossed the room and took it, curtsying again before releasing it. "I believe I speak for all your subjects when I say how relieved I am that you made it off Coruscant safely, ma'am. When we lost communications with your Senate office, we feared the worst."

​

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi usually enjoyed the weekly audience with the Prime Minister. It had been too long since the women were under the same roof, with Natasi's dual role as Sovereign and Senator often keeping her away from New Sterandel. With any other Prime Minister it might have been impossible, but Renata Westaway knew more about the Renascent Heirate than anyone, Natasi included. The care of the government was in strong hands. Still, it felt right to be there together once more. The Sovereign extended a hand, inviting the Prime Minister to cross and take it, executing a curtsy as they shook once. "Please," Natasi said, gesturing to the pale gold upholstery of the armchair opposite the twin behind Natasi herself. Natasi settled into her chair and watched as Renata did as well.

Was it her imagination or was the Prime Minister distinctly less comfortable today than usual?

Natasi had the good grace to look somewhat abashed by the Prime Minister's commentary. Natasi had a general sense that it was -- perhaps -- irresponsible. To stay on Coruscant after the Senate fled to Fondor meant that resources had to be dedicated to protect her. And yet, Natasi's presence and the security it brought meant that she could spread that security around, to the refugees that the Alliance had huddled under its protections. The Balance only knew what would have happened had a Senator not been present.

"I appreciate your concern," Natasi answered after a moment's hesitation. "I worry that -- it may be unavoidable. These Imperials have the most damnable habit of getting into places they oughtn't to be. How the Core could be so easily usurped, and Coruscant itself so apparently ill-defended as to be invaded twice in just over a year." The Supreme Leader shifted in her seat a little, her elbow coming to rest on the upholstered armrest. Delicate, but uncharacteristic for Natasi to lean during an audience.

Evidence of the toll the last few days had taken on her. "Inquiries will be made, of course," Natasi said, in the manner of assuring the Prime Minister that she was on top of things. "And with the Galactic Empire -- what a name -- popping up next door... well, the Senate will need to demand answers. We will need to be assured of our defense posture."

Natasi paused and then she cleared her throat. "Apologies, Prime Minister. This is your time, I ought not to be setting the agenda. Please." She gestured generously toward the space between them, inviting Renata to take the floor.

Renata Westaway​

 

[Renata Westaway]

Renata settled uneasily into the chair, reaching up to tuck her blonde hair behind one ear as she fixed her glassy blue-green eyes on the Sovereign. The Supreme Leader was chatty today. Did she sense what was coming? Was she looking to head it off at the pass? Renata was about to interject when Natasi censored herself and turned the meeting back to its purpose. Renata's smile was brittle. "Not at all, ma'am, though of course there are some matters of import that I feel we should discuss."

She set her handbag down at the side of the chair and unzipped her portfolio, letting it rest open on her crossed legs. She did not consult the pages inside, not in this moment. "Actually, it's the Senate I'd like to discuss. In fact, it's the only thing that's on my agenda for this evening." She paused, swallowed audibly. She froze a moment, prompting Natasi to lean forward encouragingly.

"The thing is, ma'am," Renata began again. "The thing is this."

And yet, she found herself grasping for words to explain what the thing was.

"Prime Minister?" Natasi said softly.

Renata cleared her throat and looked up, blue-green eyes meeting the dark ones of her Sovereign. "I apologize, Your Majesty. This is, I suspect, as easy to say as it will be for you to hear. But it must be said. And it must be heard." Renata noted the Supreme Leader's eyebrows lift in the same way they usually did when the women were sharing a private moment of unspoken humor.

"The time has come for you to return to Aegis on a permanent basis. That means -- stepping away from the Galactic Alliance and the Senate. It is simply too dangerous for you to remain abroad when the Alliance seems to be ineffectual at protecting its institutions and its most closely-held territories. I cannot in good conscience allow it to continue."

And then Renata got to experience the very first time being fixed with Natasi's gaze in that famed moment when they went from deep, melted chocolate brown to icy, frozen Galidraani mud, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as the Supreme Leader's lips subtly turned down at the edges.

Natasi Fortan​

 

[Natasi Fortan]

The pause was subtle at first, pregnant, and finally awkward.

I cannot in good conscience allow it to continue, the Prime Minister said. Allow it? Natasi's lips pursed slightly, then turned down a little at the edges. Not quite a frown. Natasi squared her shoulders and straightened subtly, her fingers twisting together in her lap, and she clamped her hands together as if to tamp down on those movements. "While I appreciate your kind concern," Natasi said, her voice indicating that she did not particularly appreciate the Prime Minister's concern, nor did she find it kind, "I cannot -- in good conscience -- leave my position in the Senate in this moment. The Galactic Alliance has just suffered a catastrophic, humiliating defeat. What kind of message does it send to Alliance leadership that we disengage now?"

And before the Prime Minister could respond, Natasi continued on, raising a solitary finger to forestall interruption.

"I have no illusions about my own personal influence on the workings of the Senate or the Alliance at large -- minimal, I would suggest, despite my best efforts to the contrary -- but I am a member of the Senate. I sit on the Defense Committee, and the Senate Select Committee on Refugees, two the committees most implicated in this very public, very embarrassing failure. I feel that failure and mortification deep in my very bones. It would be seen as shirking my responsibilities and ducking accountability for my part in this catastrophe. It is simply not possible."

Natasi took a slow breath as if to steady herself and lowered her hand.

"May I remind you, Prime Minister, that it was your insistence -- your very strong insistence -- that led me to taking the Senate seat to begin with? You argued that I needed to be a public face of the Renascent Heirate, to show even the most skeptical of my detractors that I had nothing to hide. My prominence, as a result, has led to some significant discomfort on my part -- discomfort that I was content to bear because you asked me to do it." Her detainment and interrogation by the Strategic Intelligence Agency came to top of mind, following her impromptu dinner with Carlyle Rausgeber. "And now you want me to abandon this position? I cannot see the benefit, Prime Minister."

Renata Westaway​

 

[Renata Westaway]

Renata met the Sovereign's gaze, trying to walk a fine line between compassion and steel resolve in her voice and in her eyes. "I am not without empathy for the plight of the Galactic Alliance, Your Majesty, no for your part in it," she said quietly. "But I am not in a position to allow that empathy to override what is my primary responsibility. My obligation -- now, and as long as I am Prime Minister -- is to the Renascent Heirate and its people."

The Prime Minister snapped shut her binder; she clearly recognized now that nothing written within it was going to provide assistance to her now. This would be an argument won or lost on moral conviction, not on facts and figures. "If I can be frank, ma'am, you are over-estimating your responsibility for this crisis. In fact, I would argue that under the measures that you championed in the Senate, you have done more than a singular Senator could be expected to do. Proposing the reinstatement of SELCORE to guide resources to the plight of refugees allowed the Alliance's defense forces to focus its energies on defense. And volunteering the land and resources of the Renascent Heirate for the settlement of refugees was a pressure relief valve that took the strain off their resources."

Renata withstood the cold silence of Natasi's returning gaze, the unspoken but? evidenced only by an elegantly arched brow.

"But as I said, my responsibility -- my only concern -- is for these people." She gestured toward the window with one hand. "Your subjects. And right now they need you and I working together, full time, to facilitate the defense of our borders, to expedite the construction of our defenses, and to settle important questions here."

"I asked you to sit in the Senate because it was important that the galaxy see you. You were one of the most famous women in the galaxy at a time, which has its advantages and its drawbacks. Your reputation, good and bad, preceded you and it preceded the Renascent Heirate. The galaxy has seen you, in turn, as a First Order governor, as a conquering Grand Moff, as a martyr, as a risen Supreme Leader. It needed to see you as a conciliator and a leader for compromise. You were the only one who could have fulfilled that role for us. But now it's time for a different approach. We don't need a conciliator in the Senate today. And that's to say nothing of your safety being a serious concern. The Alliance is, at best, grossly negligent as far as the safety and security of the Senate and you specifically."

"I am not asking you to abandon the Senate. Nor are we. We will appoint a replacement in due course. I am asking you to refocus your efforts here."

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi levered herself out of her seat with an energy that even alarmed her. She was honest enough with herself to know that it was anger the fueled her in that moment, more than principle. She strode to the window, stretching her arms behind her back as she stood ramrod straight. Her dark eyes scanned the skyline across the river.

"It's cowardice, Renata," Natasi said quietly, her voice trembling with fury. "You are asking me to send someone to stand in my place where it is too dangerous for me to tread myself. It is cowardice, plain and simple, and I won't be a part of it. How would it look?"

She took a breath, inclining her head, and tried to ignore the niggling doubts that the Prime Minister had raised there. She wasn't entirely wrong, after all. There was important work to be done here at home, and Natasi had always felt a strange push-and-pull straddling the throne and a Senate seat. But this was a matter of principle, and she wasn't ready to concede to the Prime Minister just yet.

Was there pride involved?

Perhaps. But that didn't mean Natasi was wrong, necessarily. "I'll tell you how it would look, Prime Minister. It looks poor. It looks like we are retreating from our obligations as a member of the Alliance community. Whatever your reasoning -- whatever your internal rationalizing -- it will make me look terrible. And it will make the Alliance look ineffectual, at a time where they most need to be supported."

Renata Westaway​

 

[Renata Westaway]

The Prime Minister rose to her feet when Natasi did; after all, when the Sovereign stood, nobody sat. She did not make to follow her toward the window, instead staking her ground out near the chairs, a strip of hardwood marking out the no-man's-land between their entrenched positions. "It is prudence, Your Majesty," Renata countered coolly, turning to face Natasi's back.

"If you've said it once, you've said it a dozen times in my hearing: discretion is the better part of valor. Perhaps it is more courageous for you to continue to sit in the Senate. Perhaps. But it is neither prudent, nor a good use of your time and energy any longer." She paused a moment, then folded her arms over her middle. "You've also told me that His Royal Highness Prince George -- impressive as he may be, well-intentioned as he may be, principled as he may be -- is not ready to wear the Renascent Crown, to sit the First Imperial Throne-in-Exile." At this Natasi glanced to the side, just enough that she could fix Renata in her peripheral vision. "So quite frankly, you are the essential piece here. I cannot have you running around Hell's creation when the Galactic Alliance either cannot or will not protect the very heart of its territory. I apologize if that reflects poorly on you. I apologize if you feel that we will be sending the wrong signals to the Alliance. But unless we can rely on the Alliance to safeguard our borders -- to keep the Renascent Heirate strong and prosperous and free -- then I am not particularly inclined to care about the signals we are sending to them. They should spend more time worrying about the signals they are sending to the people of Kuat, and Balmorra, and Humbarine -- to say nothing of Coruscant and the rest of the core, which they have now allowed to be wrested from their control. And to us, and the countless other systems that are now under the direct threat of the Empire."

There was a glacial pause between the two women. Natasi's head turned imperceptibly back to the window, to the darkening skyline. "Your Majesty, I hesitate to point out to you that while this is Her Majesty's Government in capitals -- and I govern in your name and for the duration of your pleasure -- I am the head of this government. You are the head of this nation. Who represents this nation in the Galactic Alliance Federal Assembly is a matter of government policy. That is to say: my policy."

This drew a sardonic smirk that Renata could barely make out in the mirror. Renata paused a moment. "If you are prepared to push this issue, Your Majesty, I am prepared to request appointment to the Sapphire Hundreds."

Natasi Fortan​