Private More Closed Doors

[Ryv]

"Arms up, sir."

Ryv grimaced and raised both arms in tandem. "Is this really necessary?" he asked with only a hint of agitation in his tone. "I'm the Sword of the Jedi, for the Force's sake."

"Yes, well, concerning the recent attack on an acting Senator by a standing Jedi, we felt justified in heightening security around here," the officer admitted. After a brief pat-down of the Jedi Knight, the guard stepped back and nodded. "Clear," he motioned past him, towards the grand turbo-lift. "Sorry about this, Ryv, rules are rules," he smacked the Kiffar on the shoulder as he marched past.

"Don't worry about it, Slim, I know the deal," Ryv winked and made his way towards the lift. Some faces he recognized, others he didn't. It didn't surprise him all that much. Since Emmen stepped down and a new Chancellor was already established, a change in protocol and staff was expected. Chandra showed more compassion than he expected, as much of the political nonsense failed to bother the little guys scurrying about below her. Most seemed to work with a sense of purpose. One such employee, an assistant, maybe, carried a jumbled up mess of datapads from one side of the room to the other. Another chatted peacefully with a third over a cup of coffee. "Not a bad place to be," he brushed gloved fingers across the lift's access terminal and stepped in as the doors slid open.

The last time he visited the office, he met with Emmen. They spoke about the New Jedi Order and their place in the Alliance. Ryv fought tooth and nail for their opportunity to thrive within the Core as they did so long ago. It worked for the most part. Now, he came to discuss funding a Jedi-splinter movement in a proxy war against enemies of the Light.

"Well, Adhira, you wanted an Army of Light," Ryv declared just as the lift's door shifted and the Chancellor's office revealed itself to him. He stepped in and kept an even pace as he marched towards Chandra. The short distance felt far longer while trapped beneath the Chancellor's inquisitive gaze. Ryv couldn't help himself as he noticed the stark difference between the former and current Chancellors for the first time. Emmen had an almost fatherly aura about him. You never feared angering the old man, only disappointing him. It felt right when Ryv stood in defense of the Galactic Alliance beneath Tagge's direction. As if what he ordained must come to pass. Ryv couldn't place Adhira Chandra. At least not yet. He needed more time with her to allow his affinity for empathy to help understand the woman beneath the mask better.

"Good morning, Chancellor Chandra," he nodded alongside the typical greeting. "Thank you for meeting me so early in the day. Do you mind if I sit?" he motioned to the chair across from her.

Adhira Chandra ​

 

[Adhira Chandra]

Blame It On The Juice
​

The rise of Adhira Chandra had been meteoric. Shortly after Emmen Tagge's resignation, it was clear that she would be facing down Gat Tambor and she won the election handily with a majority of the Federalist coalition that she had spent so long building eager to cede power to a more centralized Chancellor who could wield the authority necessary to finally reclaim the Core planets that had long been set adrift. Since her inauguration, the Balmorran woman had set about doing precisely what she said she would. In the short time she occupied the office of Chancellor she had forged agreements with the Confederacy and Denon, and set plans in motion to see Hosnian Prime returned to their control from the Concord. Ironically, as a former Jedi herself, the one thing she had yet to do was meet with the nominal leader of the Order that she had thrown her full-throated support behind. The so-called Sword of the Jedi.​

Those circumstances would change soon, she noted, checking the time on her datapad.​

The woman was adorned in the finest aquamarine silks and studded with jewels of every color as, all around her, the newly appointed Council of Ministers debated her administration's approach to policy changes. Adhira sat at the head of the table, moderating the discussion, her dark eyes shifting between the diverse group of species she had appointed to head her major departments. At the precise moment that Ryv stepped into the room, several paces from the conference table where they were seated, a Rodian woman was making the case for invading the Sith Empire. They all stopped and turned as the Jedi entered the room.​

Adhira gave the man a withering glance before turning back to her cabinet. "Right," she stood in a whoosh of her robes as they spilled out of the chair, "I want a full report on this... proposal first thing tomorrow morning." The government officials hurried to their feet.​

"And... Mael?" ​

"Yes ma'am?" ​

"Keep it under 10 damn pages," she said in her thick Balmorran accent, to which the Rodian bowed. "Leave us." They were all dressed in muted tones and all moved as one as the Chancellor dismissed them, nodding respectfully to the Jedi or - in most cases, ignoring him completely. When the room was empty and the doors closed, Adhira frowned at him. "Master Karis..." she looked him over, "no... I suppose, not Master, is it? What the feth do I call you anyway?"​

She seemed genuinely annoyed by the lack of understanding of the procedure for the new-fangled configuration of Jedi hierarchy. Then she crossed the room in a sweep of seafoam and gold trim, gesturing but not instructing the man to follow her explicitly. She made her way to a small sitting area in the ceremonial office just off the dais where her desk overlooked Galactic City. As she lowered herself into a high backed red velvet chair, she made clear with her expression that the question of address was outstanding.​

Ryv ​

 

[Ryv]

After Ryv's practiced introduction, he blanched at the busy room. He straightened immediately and tried to make his jacket-clad self look even slightly more presentable before the Chancellor's staff. He held no illusions it worked, but his far too casual approach to life was bound to bite him in the ass eventually. His embarrassment wasn't enough for the Jedi Knight to miss the Rhodian's push towards invading the Sith. He stifled his grin and slipped his hands behind his back, clasped together as he waited patiently for the Chancellor's attention. The kiffar offered a nod to those who passed him; soft thanks for their hard work accompanied the gesture. While he didn't outright trust politicians, the importance of the work was not lost on him.

"Traditionally, it was common practice for those who dealt with Jedi to refer to them as such, regardless of their official rank in the Order," he followed Adhira into the sitting room and remained standing across from her. "Personally, I'm not one for tradition, but that's gotta be obvious at this point."

He motioned to the worn jacket strung over his frame. "Ryv is fine, Chancellor. I typically avoid the formalities unless I need to swing the mantle's weight around to make a point. Jedi are... a fickle bunch of folks. Most are trapped in the past, makes it a lot easier for a guy like me to make things happen. Being the Sword of the Jedi and all."

The Jedi eyed Adhira's silken robe for a moment. His attention was soon drawn from her dress to other facets of the space they shared. He couldn't quite remember Emmen having such, to put it lightly, extravagant tastes, but Ryv couldn't blame her. He poured a ridiculous amount of money into his swoop bike and starfighter, after all. To each their own.

"Anyway," he cleared his throat. "Like I said, I appreciate getting the opportunity to meet with you this morning. Emmen and I worked closely during the reunification effort. It made determining the New Jedi Order's place in all this a lot easier. I'm hoping you and I will have a similar relationship, given what's going on out there. War, death, all the usual shit, I s'ppose. With that in mind, I have a couple things I want to bring to your attention, Chancellor. One of the bigger ones being entirely Jedi based. Bit of a schism forming between the Silvers and the rest of the galaxy, but as of now, NJO has outright called em out on it, and we're going to continue our push against the Sith Empire. If it pits us against Silver Jedi? Well, we're probably just gonna arrest and send em home."

He fell silent and allowed her a moment to process that information. How informed she was about Jedi politics was beyond him, just as the Senate's affairs weren't at the top of his priorities list.

"There is also a matter of the New Imperial Order and their Sovereign."

Adhira Chandra ​

 

[Adhira Chandra]

Hair Toss, Check My Nails​

Adhira was in the middle of typing something on a datapad that she had pulled from deep within the seafoam robes that framed her body in a way that made her appear like a royal queen of old. The neck of the gown hugged closely, rising to her ears and giving her an even greater air of importance while the neckline itself plunged deeply ensuring everyone she came in contact with was reminded that a woman was in charge. Precisely how Adhira liked it. Truly, the Chancellor of the Alliance was a memorable woman, just as her predecessor Emmen Tagge had been a memorable man. She had often remarked that the the elected leaders of the galaxy had more gravitas, more substance than the fickle, quick-passing leaders of the numerous empires that now pervaded the galaxy. Like those little chocolate coins on Life Day - cheap, numerous, and not very impressive.​

"Ryv is fine"

​

The Chancellor's choclatey brown eyes shifted sharply to the Jedi and a notable smirk creased the corner of her nude-colored lips."You can call me ma'am,'" she retorted, the smirk not leaving her face, "or 'your excellcency,' if you prefer."​

"

Anyway, like I said..."

​

The old woman's lips drew up into a gentle smile as she listened politley to the Sword of the Jedi expounding on the reason for requesting a meeting with one of the most powerful people in the galaxy. At first, she bristled a bit at the mention of the Silver Jedi schism, but at the mention of the New Imperial Order's leader - Irveric Tavlar - her face melted into a deep frown. Adhira stood from the chair and walked a few paced to a cabinet built into the wall of the ceremonial office. Behind the ornate doors were several crystal bottles with amber and clear liquid in them. She grabbed a heart shaped vessel with an amber liquid and poured it into two cups.​

"You are aware, I take it, that the Silver Jedi, are - nominally - our closest allies," she spoke carefully now, the friendly timber of her voice disolved in a rumble of formality, "and the New Imperial Order, until recently, were reportedly planning to invade the Alliance." The woman thrust a glass of brown, acrid drink toward Ryv, still frowning down at him. And when he took it, she drank deeply of her own before resuming her seat.​

Ryv ​