Private Lost in Translation

[Eloise Dinn]

Shouldn’t this kid be in school?

The thought had plagued Eloise from the moment she decided to accept the mission. Not that she’d had much choice in the matter—Amani had more or less drafted her, insisting that her daughter needed an escort. And who could be more perfect for the role than Amani’s apprentice?

She probably thought it was gonna be some great bonding experience between them. Instead Eloise had spent the majority of their time en route staying away from Liana, all while seriously questioning her master’s parenting. Who sends their teenaged daughter on a diplomatic mission? So what if she was the daughter of the King and Queen of Alderaan—

Her grumbling was interrupted by a sudden bout of stomach-turning turbulence. Liana’s corvette, the Lao, had just entered the atmosphere of their destination: Pylos Satnik. Located in a system just beyond the edge of Sith space, the Pylantians were very concerned about the possibility of invasion. With the GA having collapsed, they had decided to pursue an alliance with Alderaan, homeworld of the former Chancellor and one of the few planets in the galaxy which could lay claim to being a superpower on par with Naboo or Coruscant.

At least, that was what Amani said in the debriefing. Eloise had never heard of these people, despite her master insisting that the Chief Librarian of the NJO had been a Pylantian. Needless to say, the Padawan had not been a frequent patron of the Temple archives.

The ship continued to lurch and shake. Eloise reached over and slid up the visor covering the nearest viewport, trying to see what was going on. They were flying through a storm, it seemed—a bolt of blue lightning forked across a green-hued sky. The planet's surface below seemed weirdly featureless, save for the dark rivers cutting through the landscape like strokes of dark oil paint. This was definitely an alien planet, its biome utterly unknown and strange. They were lucky the atmosphere was breathable for humanoids.

"Hey, Liana!" she called to the princess. "We're almost there. You better be ready to go!"

Liana Organa​

 

[Liana Organa]

Eloise Dinn​

The mission to Pylos Satnik was supposed to be a gimme. That's why Liana was given the assignment as a chance to flex her diplomatic know-how. The Pylantians were a peaceful, idyllic people, with little worry or even concept of the many strifes that plagued the rest of the galaxy. If any people would be gentle with a first time ambassador, it would surely be them. Besides, Liana had Jaynine and Eloise for backup. Jaynine could help smooth over the talks. Eloise was there just in case any fresh trouble arrived. Pylos Satnik was, ultimately, a little too close to Sith territory for Amani's comfort. So of course she trusted her apprentice to keep them safe.

"I'm ready, I'm ready!" Liana assured, walking out toward the cockpit with her head in her datapad. Her attention was split between researching the people she would be dealing with and… typical teenager distractions. She glanced up just enough to see the surface below from the transparisteel windows, "Huh. Looks weird."

The protocol droid shuffled in a few moments later. He huffed impatiently, as if he had somewhere else to be, "Let's hope this doesn't take all day." He looked to Liana, "And I hope your mother is right that you can handle this, Princess Organa."

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise continued to peer out the window, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Unlike some people, she hadn’t thought to do any research beforehand on Pylos Satnik or its inhabitants, and so was going in completely blind. After all, she was just the hired muscle, not a diplomat.

I wish I was getting paid for this, she thought glumly as Liana entered the room. The teen had her head up her datapad’s ass and didn’t even look up until she was right by the window.

"Huh. Looks weird."

“You gonna talk like that around the Pylantians?” Eloise muttered. “I’m sure they’d appreciate you saying that about their home.”

Hot on Liana’s heels, of course, was Jaynine. The protocol droid was never far from the Princess’ side, having been assigned to serve as her translator and aide. Dude lowkey seemed to absolutely hate his job, despite having been literally made for it. Eloise wondered who had programmed that aspect of his personality.

“What, we aren’t staying for the whole week?” Eloise held up her hands in mock dismay. “But I was gonna go sightseeing!”

Although as they descended closer to the planet’s surface, it only got less appealing. The topography of Pylos Satnik was even more bizarre up close, as bubbling mud pits, oily rivers, and fungi the size of skyscrapers came into view. Finally, the Lao circled around what appeared to be a modern city rising out of the muck. At least it’s not some wild jungle, Eloise mused. She may have grown up on a primitive world, but she wasn’t afraid to admit she much preferred the creature comforts of indoor plumbing and Holonet access.

Just before they landed, the intercom buzzed to life. An alien voice spoke in what Eloise assumed to be the local dialect. Jaynine was quick to translate: the Pylantians had prepared a welcoming party to greet them at the starport. “We better not keep them waiting, Your Highness,” Eloise said, smirking at Liana. “Don’t want to make a bad first impression.”

Liana Organa​

 

[Liana Organa]

"N-no!" Liana stammered, "Just making an observation, jeez…" Eloise was probably right, but she seemed to have quite the stick up her ass about this job, which just served to make Liana more anxious. She thought her mother's padawan was pretty cool in her youth, and on some level she still did. It was this fact that probably made it all the worse when her trademark crabbiness was suddenly directed at Liana.

"Oh Master Eloise, I am sure no one aboard would cavil about marooning you here for an extended holiday," Jaynine droned, "Unfortunately, we cannot risk sabotaging our rapport with the Pylantians so deliberately."

Liana stood at attention when the intercom buzzed as if whoever was on the other end could see her. The Pylantians were merely confirming their clearance to land, and designating a dock for them to take, "Right." She muttered, smoothing out her dress.

The exit ramp opened, and immediately flooded their alien senses. Liana's nostrils flared as the atmosphere's musty, fungal fragrance entered uninvited, "What an incredible smell we've discovered," She mused, thankfully before entering earshot of the welcoming committee. She stepped down with Jaynine close behind, blinking as she bore witness to the vivid colors and exotic, non-euclidean architecture of Pylos Satnik. It was undoubtedly strange, but in a way that inspired wonder more than distaste.

The first delegate Liana saw was a conventionally handsome humanoid man, then right behind him was a roiling mass of pseudopods, which blubbered welcomingly in spite of its alarming appearance. Liana stumbled on the last step, but recovered convincingly enough.

"The delegate graciously welcomes you to Ry'lyeh, capital of Pylos Stanik. They are most pleased to make acquaintanceship with the Princess of exalted Alderaan."

Liana looked at the eclectic party laid before them, and smiled awkwardly, "...Hello." There was a pregnant pause, and Jaynine's head swiveled in her direction, as if to say 'Is that it?'

"Um… I am honored… to be the first to grace your homeworld on behalf of my people." She dipped her head in polite greeting, "You may call me Liana. With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking today?"

Jaynine translated accordingly.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise headed for the airlock with a confident smirk on her face. Despite the inconvenience of having to babysit Liana, at least this diplomacy stuff would be easier than some of her other recent adventures. Misadventures, really.

The smell that wafted in when the airlock slid open almost wiped the smile from her face, but it was what she saw which had her gawping. She had read the boring dossier about Pylantians, so she kinda knew what to expect. But reading about their bizarre sexual dimorphism can’t compare with seeing it in person. How does that even work?!... On second thought, maybe don’t think about it.

The roiling mass of pseudopods introduced herself as Yselda Ungoliant, the delegate from Ry’lyeh. Pylos Satnik had no central planetary government, but representatives from each of the world’s nations would be in attendance at the meeting.

It was hard to look away from Ms. Ungoliant, but Eloise’s gaze was inevitably drawn to the handsome male standing in front of her. Dark haired and strapping, with a medium olive skin tone and green eyes, he was obscenely hot. He bowed respectfully to the princess. “Welcome, Your Highness,” he said in perfect unaccented Basic. “I am Mylak Cthylla, Ms. Ungoliant’s aide and translator.”

Eloise observed the exchange of formal introductions, mostly staring at the hunky aide. I wonder if I look like a man to him, she thought. But just in case he was into that, she stood up a little straighter and gave him what was supposed to be a flirtatious smile.

Mylak seemed either oblivious to her antics or was deliberately ignoring her. He turned to Liana and gestured toward the door. “If you would please follow us this way…”

An explosion of color and sound awaited them in the starport entryway, where a large crowd of civilians and reporters had gathered behind partition ropes. Eloise blinked in surprise. On virtually any other planet, taking such a route through a throng of random people would be dangerous. But the Pylantians were among the most peaceful species in the galaxy and apparently unconcerned about security breaches. She nonetheless positioned herself between Liana and the crowd, just in case.

With all the cheering and cameras flashing, Eloise felt like she was escorting a holo star rather than the daughter of a government official. People were dancing and singing and smiling. Wreaths of pungent smelling fungi and cube-shaped candy—though upon further examination, they appeared to be flowers that just looked like candy—were looped around the necks of the Princess of Alderaan and her companions. Even Jaynine got one.

Liana Organa​

 

[Liana Organa]

Liana acknowledged Mylak with a gracious smile and nod. Jaynine took the liberty of introducing himself, interrupting Liana just before she could do it for him, “And I am J9-L5, aide and translator for Junior Ambassador Organa.” The two exchanged a sharp glance, then Mylak invited them toward the exit.

The welcoming party, it turned out, was much larger than the primary delegation. An entire crowd had gathered around the starport to welcome the Alderaanians to their home. The throngs of Pylantians were loud and excited, but held themselves to a degree of restraint that kept things from becoming too overwhelming. Liana sensed the barrage of camera flashes before they even stepped out into the crowd, and took to the scene naturally. She wasn’t unused to the attention, given her youth as a royal child of House Organa. The princess dipped downward to let one of the Pylantians drape a wreath around her neck. She lifted the cube-shaped flower to her nose for a sniff, determining that it was indeed not candy.

For Jaynine’s part, he could hardly resist the forced decoration, though he scoffed like an aristocrat whose hand accidentally graced a peasant. In spite of his huffing and puffing, he enjoyed the attention where it was given, “The Pylantians are certainly an… ebullient people.”

“Where are we heading?” Liana asked Mylak and Yselda.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

The diplomats were brought via speeder to the Agora, located closer to the center of the city. Like most of the architecture of Ry'lyeh, the building had a fungal shape, albeit with an unfurling flower or star-like shape at the top of the spire. That was their destination, for at the center of the flower was a large meeting chamber full of various Pylantian representatives. Camdroids hovered around the table, recording the meeting and broadcasting the raw unedited footage far and wide. For the Pylantians were a guileless people, and very curious to see what would happen during this unprecedented visit from Alderaan.

Eloise sort of zoned out as each Pylantian introduced themselves. She stayed alert enough to do her job, of course, but much of her focus was on Mylak. Was he single? She hoped so.

"Now, let us begin the discussion," Yselda said, letting her words be translated by Jaynine. "Pylos Satnik has never been visited by a galactic faction. Our planet has few resources of use to offworlders, nor does it possess any particular strategic significance. Yet we have been told by our Jedi advisors, Masters Oukranos and Kassogtha Cthylla , that a faction known as the Sith Empire is expanding their borders, and will soon likely attempt to add us to their list of owned worlds."

Oukranos and Kassogtha were present at the meeting, albeit via hologram. As one might expect of Eloise, though she had no recollection of Kass, she definitely recognized Oukranos. He had been disgraced by his actions on Hapes and went into exile - which apparently meant he had simply returned to his home planet. He was also, much like Mylak, extremely hot. Wait a second... they both had the same last name. Were they related? Did that mean Kass was Mylak's mother?!

"What exactly would happen if the Sith were to own us?" another Pylantian representative asked, directing his question at the Princess of Alderaan.

Liana Organa​

 

[Liana Organa]

Liana became a bit more self-conscious when she realized the meeting was being openly broadcast. The Pylantian people thought little of it, but realizing just how many eyes were on her was a big change for the junior diplomat. Hopefully they didn't need to discuss anything private during this meeting.

The discussion began with a familiar name, which at least gave Liana an in, "My mother, Queen Amani Organa, worked closely with Master Cthylla during their shared time in the New Jedi Order. She is wise in her judgment of the situation." Liana didn't much know the woman other than what she knew from her mom, but it was a connection nonetheless.

"What exactly would happen if the Sith were to own us?"

Liana opened her mouth, and froze for a moment. It was setting in truly just how little these people under stood of the wider galaxy's troubles, "Uhhh…" She glanced at Jaynine before continuing, "Well. The Sith certainly have need of resources like anyone else, and that no doubt drives their philosophy of expansion. But the Sith are also conquerors, who will lay dominion over a planet simply for the sake of said conquest." She nodded affirmingly, awaiting Mylak's translation and the subsequent response.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Mylak interpreted Liana's response, but it took longer than expected and he seemed uneasy about the result. Clearly something was getting lost in translation. The word conquest did not exist in the language he was speaking, so he was forced to elaborate as best he could.

"I have tried to answer questions like these," Kass said in the Common Tongue. "But we do not have truly accurate terms in any of our languages for what would happen if the Sith came to our world. Our word for war does not even begin to encompass what war means for the rest of the galaxy, and concepts like massacre, genocide, enslavement - we do not have words for them at all." Though she was speaking another language, Liana and the rest of her delegates would catch the italicized Basic terms she used.

It caused something of a stir among the Pylantians. "Are you implying that we lack the faculties to understand?" one of the representatives asked.

Kass hesitated before answering, wanting to be as clear as possible. "I am saying that most Pylantians have no frame of reference with which to understand what the Sith will do to our world," she replied. "That is all."

More murmuring. By now even Eloise had stopped ogling Mylak, her interest finally drawn to the proceedings. She found it hard to believe that the Pylantians could be so utterly different from every other species in the galaxy - though maybe it was just that they were completely alien to her own way of thinking that made them seem so strange. She had grown up knowing nothing but violence and conflict. It was part of who she was.

"Could we not speak to the Sith? Reason with them?" Yselda suggested. "Surely they could be convinced not to... do these things of which you speak."

Eloise, who was probably the closest thing to a Sith representative in the room, awkwardly shuffled her feet.

Liana Organa​

 

[Liana Organa]

"Could we not speak to the Sith? Reason with them?" Yselda suggested. "Surely they could be convinced not to... do these things of which you speak."

Hoo boy. This was going to be harder than she realized. Liana adjusted awkwardly in her seat. "Um… no. I would tell you that is very unlikely. The Sith will take a lack of resistance as a sign of weakness, and they will exploit it simply because you let them."

"What is 'war' to you, exactly?" She asked for clarification.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

The Pylantians listened as Mylak translated Liana's question. They deliberated amongst themselves for a moment, seeming to come to a consensus on the definition of war.

"War is a disagreement or misunderstanding between two or more groups that could not be resolved in a day. It causes strife until all parties involved can resolve their differences and forgive each other. Our longest war lasted three weeks. It was caused by a person who was sick - that is, someone suffering from mental illness. We do not understand how Humans can fight a war for years, or go to war again and again within a single generation. It does not seem healthy to us. Perhaps treatment should be administered to the ones who insist on fighting, or they should be put somewhere where they cannot harm others."

Eloise's eyebrows kept rising as Jaynine translated. Yep. This planet is screwed.

"Can you tell us the meaning of the terms Master Cthylla mentioned? Genocide, massacre, and..."

Having forgotten the rest, Yselda glanced at Kass, who provided the missing word, "Enslavement."

"... Enslavement?" Yselda asked, her many eyes focusing on Liana.

Liana Organa​

 

[Liana Organa]

"...Perhaps treatment should be administered to the ones who insist on fighting, or they should be put somewhere where they cannot harm others."

"Well, you're not wrong." Liana muttered. The Pylantians requested proper definitions for these terms, trying to grasp the scale and scope of the wider galactic perspective. The naiveté was almost admirable, if not for how concerning it was too. Liana exhaled, mulling over how to break it to them.

"Okay, well uh… Enslavement," She started with the last term they mentioned, "or uh, Slavery, same thing. It's where you basically force people to do work for you. Slaves don't get paid for doing the work, and if they refuse or they try to escape, they get harmed for it. They basically have to stay slaves for life, and they're treated like tools, or property, rather than living beings. Sith really like doing that to people." Liana swallowed and nodded as if to affirm what she just said. Here's hoping her explanations didn't turn into some kind of horrible Pandora's Box for Pylantian society.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

The reactions from the Pylantians were heartbreaking, piercing even the callous emotional hide of Eloise. Some of them still appeared confused, unable to truly wrap their minds around the concept even after it was explained to them. Others had a creeping understanding dawning on their troubled faces, their body language and auras in the Force radiating distress.

It's like trying to explain these things to children, Eloise thought grimly. An entire planet of innocent kids, just a few systems away from the Sith border...

"Prior to first contact, we did not have a system of currency," Kass explained, both for the Alderaanians' and Pylantians' benefit. "Credits were introduced to us as something we could trade in exchange for goods or services. Many of you have never been paid with credits, but you know to expect something in return for your work, even if you receive only gratitude."

Yselda pondered the idea for some time. She seemed noticeably deflated, perhaps even afraid of the answer to the next question she asked, "And what is genocide? What is massacre?"

Mylak waited patiently for Liana's response. His expression was passive, the only indication of his anxiety being that he was fidgeting with his stylus, pressing the sharp end into the pad of his thumb. Eloise's attention was drawn to his hand, noticing for the first time that it was prosthetic. How did he lose a hand? she wondered.

Liana Organa​

 

[Liana Organa]

They didn't even know what money was until meeting the galactic community? The Pylantians had a really good thing going here. Shame they had to achieve spaceflight.

"Well, a massacre is where you kill a bunch of people. Um— You know what killing is? Forcibly depriving someone of life? Yeah. And genocide is where you do that to a specific group of people on a very large scale. Like, say, an entire species." Liana gave her definitions quickly, like she were trying to get through this unpleasant conversation as soon as possible. Her lips zipped shut as soon as the last word exited her mouth, her hands clasped together anxiously in wait. She studied their reactions, then followed up with a meek, "…Any questions?"

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

The confusion finally gave way to uproar. Many voices rose, Jaynine's posh robotic voice screening their sorrow, anger, and terror.

"We have welcomed the outworlders, yet they have brought so much sickness to our world."

"Can you even call this sickness? The Sith are a people of many worlds. It is not a sickness to them, it is their culture, their way of life. They are not sick, they are..." The female Pylantian struggled to find words harsh enough, finally settling on "... Rotten! Garbage!"

"We'd be better off if first contact had never happened," another bemoaned.

Mylak observed the shift in tone in the chamber, still fidgeting with his stylus. "At the risk of derailing this meeting, I think it would be wise not to ask the delegates from Alderaan for the meanings of any more Basic terms," he said to Yselda.

She bobbed in agreement. "We have enough information about the Sith to conclude that they cannot be reasoned with. All that remains is to find a way to keep our planet and our people safe." Gesturing to Liana, her many orange eyes seemed suddenly weary and uncertain. "I... confess that I don't know what to do. We do not have..." She glanced at Jaynine for a moment, before speaking in careful, accented Basic. "Armies, fleets, bombs..." She shifted back to her native language. "Or anything else to do with wars. We asked you to come here in hopes that a deal could be made. Alderaan's protection in exchange for something of ours." Though what Pylos Satnik had to offer, she didn't say. Perhaps she was hoping that Liana would suggest something first.

Liana Organa​

 

[Liana Organa]

The Pylantians were practically having a meltdown as the Sith's horrors became more and more apparent. Not that Liana could blame them. Just about anyone would probably react the same if they were learning about all this for the first time in their lives. The Princess felt secondhand shame being the one to convey all of this to them.

"I... confess that I don't know what to do. We do not have..." She glanced at Jaynine for a moment, before speaking in careful, accented Basic. "Armies, fleets, bombs..." She shifted back to her native language. "Or anything else to do with wars. We asked you to come here in hopes that a deal could be made. Alderaan's protection in exchange for something of ours."

"Yes. Well— Alderaan is always committed to stemming the tide of the Sith. We would be compelled to help you out of shared ideology alone, though it would do good for diplomacy to have something we could take back." Liana shrugged, "It needn't be weapons or ships. Natural resources of some kind, perhaps? Something we could use to benefit our people, or make things of our own?"

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Yselda didn't answer immediately. There was a brief, hushed exchange between her and her aides, before she finally said, "I'm afraid I must ask that we table this meeting for today. We will need time to consult in private and... muster our resources."

Eloise's eyebrows rose. It was a weird place to stop, but then the whole meeting had been kind of crazy. Listening to Liana give definitions for various atrocities to a bunch of pacifist aliens wasn't what she expected. At least it had been entertaining.

The others turned to Liana, awaiting her response to the Pylantians' request.

Liana Organa​

 

[Liana Organa]

​

Eloise Dinn​

Liana blinked slowly, "...Okay then? Um, sure." She was pretty sure such meetings usually didn't end like this, but the Pylantians weren't exactly operating on the same wavelength as the rest of the galaxy. "Let me know when you're ready to resume negotiations." The princess stood up and offered a bow in departure, linking up with her entourage as they prepared to leave the hall.

"Well, that was an enlightening experience," Jaynine was right back to speaking freely now that he was no longer having to translate.

"You can say that again." Liana muttered.

"Well, that was an enlightening experience."

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise waited until the Alderaanian delegation had reached the privacy of their quarters before speaking her mind.

"That was... painful," she muttered. "I didn't think I'd end up watching you explain war crimes to a bunch of aliens as if they were five year olds..."

She rested her fists on her hips and started to pace. Despite her careless attitude, she had been affected by it all. This was a sad, desperate situation involving people who were like innocent children to her way of thinking. Her protective instincts were in full swing.

"Even with our help, I don't think the Pylantians know the barrel of a blaster from a hole in the ground. They'll need training as well as weapons and starships. This is like... a crazy, titanic undertaking." She looked at Liana. "Can Alderaan even do this? Aren't you guys worried about your own Sith invasion?"

Liana Organa​