Not So 'Commenor' Anymore - The Power of Industry Grows

[Kay-Larr]

She had another sip of her tea as [member="Jorvan Hatha"] spoke of dissenters. Dissenters? That's an odd word to use in this situation. Kay studied him. He had ways of convincing people to make the right decisions? Her mind drifted to some of the articles that Terrac had brought up. Extortion, bribery, all of those types of things. She certainly didn't want any of that tied to her name. The Elders would want the least amount of scandal as possible. "I think that I'll talk with those that don't approve of me. I'm sure that we'd be able to find a common ground and if not, well that's okay. It is their right to choose who they wish."

As he spoke of what method of transportation that they'd take, she thought it over for a moment. "I walked the whole way, yes. And if you wouldn't mind, I think that I'd like to walk and take public transport for the rest of the day. Soon I won't be able to do so as I'm sure that I'll have a security detail following me and escorting me wherever I go."

The waiter soon arrived. Kay took out enough credits from her satchel to pay for her portion and set it on the table. It wasn't as though this was a date.

 

[Jorvan Hatha]

[member="Lady Kay"]

"I think that I'll talk with those that don't approve of me”

That was the answer he expected from her so he wasn’t surprised. He looked at her curiously and wondered if she was the type that thought she could solve every problem with words and diplomacy. It was a noble mindset but it was counter-productive at times. There were times when you just needed to go forward by any means, but Kay had her way and he had his.

While he sipped the remaining of his tea, he understood why she had dismissed his offer. She wanted to run a clean campaign and he was still a variable to her at this point. She probably didn’t know what he meant by “convincing people”, and more important than that, she was probably aware that there was something he wanted from her, although he didn’t say it outright.

She had asked him about it before, but he had always denied it. “I just want friendship,” he told her, but in the back of his head, he thought she didn’t buy it yet.

But that was fine.

He would get what he wanted from her regardless. He was a veteran at this.

“And if you wouldn't mind, I think that I'd like to walk and take public transport for the rest of the day. Soon I won't be able to do so as I'm sure that I'll have a security detail following me and escorting me wherever I go."

He was slightly surprised by this answer. He didn’t think she would be comfortable walking around all day in a dress, but it was her decision and he would respect it.

“Well, if that’s what you want.”

And anyway, who didn’t mind being seen around town with a beautiful woman beside them? Made for good gossip. The type of gossip that he hoped would distract some of the reporters who were always snooping around him looking for a bigger story. Hopefully they misconstrued the relationship between him and Kay and started investigating, because he could certainly use a break from what they normally tried to investigate them for. Not that they would ever get any leads, because he was too connected and too careful for them to ever get close or sniff any evidence.

When she took out her own credits to pay for her portion of the meal, Jorvan didn’t argue with her. He just chuckled and accepted it, because he knew she would have her way on this, because she seemed like that type of person.

“After you,” he smiled, as he held open the door for her when they were leaving the restaurant. “You’re not going to insist on opening your own door either, are you?” he asked in a humorous tone.

Once they were outside, he would look around, unsure of which direction they were supposed to be heading in first. He looked at Kay, “So, Ms. Future Madam President, where’s the first destination? I think you mentioned something about going to the west side of Chasin City or maybe it was the east?” He scratched the back of his head and tried to remember her exact words. “Well either way, I’ll let you lead the way. I’ll be right behind you.”

And a few others, because he knew his men were still tailing them incognito for protection.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay headed to the door after him, smirking at his comment of her opening the door for herself. "Only if I get there first." She passed through the door and onto the street. It didn't surprise her that [member="Jorvan Hatha"] didn't remember which part of the city that they were going to. He had a bunch to drink that night, she was sure, so of course his memory would be a little foggy.

She laughed a little as he gave her a goofy title. "We are headed west, Jorvan. There's a few high rises that you could look into." Perhaps he was the type to let everyone else do things for him, for he certainly didn't seem to have done any research on Chasin City at all. Kay clasped her hands behind her as they walked. She had on comfortable shoes, so there was no worry there. One never knows when something would happen and she'd have to run. It was best to never wear heels because of the risk.

While they walked, she spoke of what she knew of the planet's history and historical buildings. Commenor had switched sides plenty of times, and would probably do so again. It was the kind of planet along the trade routes, where the surrounding space tended to switch hands all the time. With nearby Coruscant tending to always be the Capital planet for whomever held the most power in the Galaxy at the time, it was difficult to remain neutral or one-sided for long. She spoke of the University and of the peace rally that Senator Padmé Amidala made her famous quote, "Warfare is the product of cowardice; it takes bravery to forego easy answers and find peaceful resolutions." That quote was going to be part of the basis for her campaign.

Twenty minutes later they had reached the first of three high rises. It was the easiest to spot, but it could be too grand and too expensive for Lusha. There was no need for either of them to fight over who would open the door, as there was a doorman that did it for them. Kay bowed her head in thanks and then led Jorvan into the lobby. "So this is The Needle. It houses many different businesses, mostly trading companies and the like. There are also some condominiums as well. I believe that most of the highest floors are taken, but you can still have a look. Would you like to go to the top to the observation deck? It's indoors, so you don't have to worry if you are afraid of heights." She wasn't sure if he was scared of heights or not. At least she knew that he was nervous when she drove a speederbike. That was useful information for her.

 

[Jorvan Hatha]

[member="Lady Kay"]

"We are headed west, Jorvan. There's a few high rises that you could look into."

He smiled at her words but he honestly didn’t care what direction they were going in. Today was just about working on her defenses and getting closer to her. Finishing what he started yesterday and strengthening the connection that the two of them should have had. Strictly business, he thought, but when he looked at her from time to time it was easy to forget that. She was captivating, he thought. Not just her looks, but she had a way of speaking that drew him in occasionally and made him forget that he was playing a part.

It was her passion, he thought. Her love for Commenor was admirable.

As they got closer to the first high rise, she was still telling him about Commenor’s history, but he was starting to appreciate her lessons. There was a culture here that he didn’t understand and many of the things she told him about, were things that he thought he could use for later. Things that could help him maneuver around the politics of Commenor and make it easier for him to adjust and adapt. Make it easier for him to take over the streets and win over influential people to his side.

"So this is The Needle.”

The place she had brought him to was a place that he had seen often. Normally from a distance, but up close, it was much more imposing and majestic. There wasn’t a structure in District 9 like it and there were only a few in Coruscant that rivaled it.

“It houses many different businesses, mostly trading companies and the like. There are also some condominiums as well. I believe that most of the highest floors are taken, but you can still have a look.”

Something told him that this was out of his price range. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it, but Julia had already shaken the greed out of him. “Live within your means,” she would always tell him. A lesson that he struggled with from time to time, but as he raised Zuri and Aria alone, he realized that he didn’t want them to grow up like spoiled little brats who only cared for material things, and looked down on those who didn’t have that.

Instilling that in them, meant instilling that in himself first, although he had never been vain and egotistical when it came to money.

“Would you like to go to the top to the observation deck? It's indoors, so you don't have to worry if you are afraid of heights."

He looked at her amusingly because of the latter of her statement. Was she picking on him, he wondered? Was he afraid of heights? He snorted a little. “How couldn’t I be when you drove off us off a cliff last night?” He shook his head, still laughing. “Yeah, let’s go up. It seems a bit pricy, but it couldn’t hurt to look. And I wouldn’t mind seeing the view from the observation deck.”

He led the way towards an elevator and as they entered it, several more people entered it behind them. A few of them recognized Kay immediately and tried to drag her into a conversation.

“It’s a shame you resigned as senator.”

“You should run in the upcoming election.”

“Do you mind taking a few pictures with us?”

It only got worse the further they went up and the more people that got on. By the time, they got to the observation deck, Kay was literally swamped with people trying to ask her questions and get her attention. Jorvan wasn’t sure if he should pull her away from the crowd or just let it play out and be patient and wait for her to finish.

He tried to catch her gaze and see what direction he should take from her eyes.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay couldn't help but smile a little as she thought of scaring the crap out of Jorvan as she drove the speederbike off the cliff. It gave her a better sense of control that she still had today. She was leading him around, and not vice versa. At least for the time being she wasn't able to go to his headquarters on Coruscant. That would be just asking for trouble.

Then others started to arrive. Oh boy. She wasn't expecting this. Kay just smiled and greeted each one. At least she was patient. She thought it best to wait until after they were out of the elevator though. She took pictures with each of them. It was quite the spectacle. There hadn't been this much attention given to her since the coup of the Republic and even then, it wasn't the good kind of attention. And it was only going to get worse once she announced her candidacy.

"Thank you for your support and well wishes. I will think about your suggestions and if the Elders agree to it, then I could join the race. But we'll see. I make no promises with regards to how the Elders will think. Now I'm going to continue to do what the rest of you do; grow the economy and bring in new business."

Kay caught [member="Jorvan Hatha"] 's gaze and tilted her head slightly to the right, indicating that that was where he should be headed. She then turned her attention back to the crowd. "Have a great day, everyone. I'm going to go check out the view and show this man here the beauty of Chasin City and the surrounding countryside." One by one, they started to leave. Thankfully. She kept an ear out, hoping to catch any rumours that may or may not be starting. The last thing that she needed was for people to start speculating on her private life. But so far at least, there was nothing. She waited until most had left, before heading towards the observation deck, breathing out a small sigh of relief. "I'm sure that that was just a fraction of things to come. I'm not so sure if I'm ready."

 

[Jorvan Hatha]

[member="Lady Kay"]

While he waited to catch her attention, he wondered if she was ready to return to this lifestyle. He couldn’t imagine being in her position and having everyone mob him all the time with question after question. There had to be a point where she would get tired of it, but he thought she handled herself pretty well so far. She was smiling and she didn’t seem bothered by their questions.

When he finally caught her gaze, she tilted her head slightly in the direction of the windows. “Wait for me over there,” she seemed to say.

She continued speaking with the crowd around her, although her words caught his attention as he was leaving. She said, “I'm going to go check out the view and show this man here the beauty of Chasin City and the surrounding countryside." He thought those were peculiar words for a woman who wanted to keep her privacy. Saying anything other than “we’re just here for business” would most likely start rumors, but if she didn’t mind that, than neither did he. Then again she probably wasn’t thinking about it that deeply and he was, simply because of the fact that he was used to having his words and actions twisted and manipulated by the holonet. When Julia was alive, he couldn’t even take some of his female clients to dinner for fear of the fake scandals that were often thrown in his direction. Just thinking about it made him chuckle, and as he walked to the window and stared out at the city, he touched the spot where his ring would have been, and wondered if Julia could have built a place like this. She had certainly wanted to work on high rises of this scale, but there was always a project before it that required her attention.

When Kay finally rejoined him, his hands were in his pockets as he continued looking out the window. Thinking of his wife had left him in a somber mood, but he wasn’t a person he dwelled in negativity or depression for too long.

He found a friendly expression as he turned in Kay’s direction. “I thought you handled yourself well back there for what it’s worth. Like you said, it won’t get any easier but you’ve been on this rodeo before, right? Just think back to when you were a senator and remember how you coped with it back then. I’m sure they’ll be new headaches that come with being president, but you aren’t really facing these headaches alone really. You’ll have councilors and advisors and there’s always friends and family.” He gave her a playful nudge. “Relax. You’ll be fine. That’s just the hesitation talking. We all get that from time to time when we’re standing at a crossroad.” He looked back out the window and remembered how he first felt when he decided to join Flex in forming a criminal empire. He was as uneasy as Kay was right now, but he had a motive in going forward. There was something that he wanted to protect and taking control of the streets was the only way to do it. He looked at Kay with a peculiar expression. “Maybe this unease will go away if you remember why you’re doing this? Remember why you have to be the person to lead Commenor and not somebody else?”

He took out his small datapad and started to search the holonet for pictures. After a while, he brought up several images of Kay during her time as senator and there were several pictures of her with citizens, and the expressions on the citizen’s faces told enough of what they thought of her.

That she was a politician they could trust. She was a politician that they adored.

He put away his datapad and shrugged his shoulders. “You might not be ready for it, but I think the people of Commenor are ready for your return regardless.” He started to smile a little. “And I have to admit I’m looking forward to it too, because I wonder what kind of benefits come with being a friend of a president.”

He said it in a joking manner, but was very very serious.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay kept her eyes on the view while [member="Jorvan Hatha"] spoke. Sure she had to deal with some of this while she was a Senator, but not to this extent, especially when she was in the Republic capital. She was one voice among thousands and of a planet that played no huge part in the grand scheme of things. But as President, things will be vastly different. Advisors and councillors? She hadn't given it much thought, but he was right.

She smirked as he nudged her and almost pushed him back playfully, but then stopped herself. Kay glanced to the datapad and then out of the window again. It was hard to pick out the people below them for they were too high up. But they were the reason that she was here. They were the reason that she was running.

Again she smirked at Jorvan, following that with a smile as he questioned what benefits he could have. "I'm not sure....Second best table at Amanda's? First in line at the buffet's? A discount at the sporting goods stores?" She was joking of course,but it did make her think. How many people were going to come to her asking for favours? What favours would those be? Tax breaks? Luxury items?

"Come on. Let's go to the next building." As they went to the elevator and started down, Kay wondered if she was going to need some transport eventually. Maybe she should have chosen her clothing a little more wisely.

 

[Jorvan Hatha]

[member="Lady Kay"]

“Second best table at Amanda’s, huh?” Jorvan let out a laugh as he rolled his eyes. This woman had jokes.

While they headed for the elevator they had a little back and forth over what he expected from her as one of her day one supporters. There were things that he really desired from her, but he knew better than to tell her that. Instead he told her things that would only make her chuckle. “You can hook that up, right? I mean, I don’t have a thing for politicians, but have you seen her when she puts on a little make-up? Look, I’m not saying you have to talk me up to her, but just a little introduction will do.” He was referring to Councilwoman Bayo, although he wasn’t sure if Kay was actually acquainted with her. He was really just mentioning her to see if Kay would get jealous a bit, although he really wasn’t expecting that to happen.

As they returned to the lobby of the building, Jorvan looked at her clothes again and wondered how she was holding up. He still didn’t think she would be comfortable walking around all day, but it was her choice, her decision.

Once they were outside, he gave it another consideration in his head, and then he looked at a clothing store that was across the street. A thought popped into his head, although he wasn’t sure how Kay would take it.

“Before we head to the next high rise, are you sure you’re comfortable dressed like this? You look good of course, but it’s getting a little hot out here and you might feel sweaty in a few hours. There’s a clothing store right across the street, and if you want my hotel room is still within walking distance. We could head there and you could change if you wanted?”

He wasn’t sure how that came off to her, but at least for the time being, he had no ulterior motives in his suggestion.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked as [member="Jorvan Hatha"] joked about Councilwoman Bayo. There were plenty that did that. But she decided to play along and spoke in a friendly, yet sarcastic manner. "Ooooh of course I can get you two together. You'd make a fine couple. Though I'll have you know that she loves to arm wrestle people when it comes to making decisions, as opposed to the usual debates. And given that she towers over you, well, maybe you like that sort of thing?" She chuckled to herself at the thought of it.

Once they were outside, she paused, looking at both Jorvan and the store across the street. Was he a mind reader? Probably just a good guesser. But going to his hotel room? Oh no. She didn't want to get those rumours started. "I guess it doesn't hurt to look."

Kay waited until it was safe before she crossed the street to enter the clothing store. It had seemed like a long time since she had spent her credits on herself. Other than food, her credits went to her employee and her ship. So in this way, she felt a little selfish.

She searched the racks until she found something suitable, then proceeded to the changing room. A few minutes later, she came out dressed in a black pants suit. After seeing that the outfit was the right size, she had removed the tags and carried them with her, as well as her dress.

After paying for the outfit, and carefully rolling up her dress and placing it in a fancy bag, she indicated to Jorvan that it was time to leave the store. "Thanks for the offer, but there's no need for us to backtrack. So...shall we?"

Kay led him further west down the street. There was slightly less recognition of her now by those that they passed. Maybe she should have thought of this sooner? But how was she to have guessed that she'd of been swarmed in the Needle?

Ten minutes later, after some more banter about Amanda's choice of menu at her restaurants, they arrived at a trio of buildings. Each stood alone, yet they complimented eachother as well.

"Here are the others that are not as tall, but more reasonable in price.They are called the Three Fathers. Each one housing different businesses that are the basis of our culture: "Mining, Engineering and Trade."

 

[Jorvan Hatha]

"I guess it doesn't hurt to look."

Jorvan raised his eyebrow curiously. Well that was easy. He didn’t think she would admit her discomfort so easily, but he supposed there wasn’t a reason for her to front around him. It wasn’t like this was a date where it was mandatory for her to dress to impress, although he certainly didn’t mind that she put in the effort. While they crossed the street, he was still surprised that she was agreeing to head back to his hotel room. It wasn’t like he was getting any funny ideas, but he thought she was too proper to even consider it. Well, he wasn’t always right, he thought. Maybe she was just more comfortable around him then he originally thought?

While she went searching through the racks in the clothing store, Jorvan took a seat and took out his datapad, knowing this would probably take a while. Every time he went shopping with Julia, it always took hours, and even a stop by a single store turned into a mini-event of her trying on things, putting them back, trying them on again, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat.

Once Kay finally found something to wear, Jorvan nodded approvingly of her selection. “You look good in black,” he told her.

He was a bit disappointed when he realized they weren’t heading back to his hotel room, because he was thinking about slipping into something more casual, but he should have knew better with Kay. It wasn’t as if he could blame her though, considering they had only known each other for two days now.

They continued on to the next high rise and they joked a bit about Amanda’s overpriced menus, while his men continued to tail them from a distance. By the time they arrived at a place called the “Three Fathers”, Jorvan’s eyes were getting a bit blurry, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to take his pills in front of her. He had played it off yesterday as headache medicine, but she might ask questions if she saw him taking it two days in a row.

He decided to suck it up for now, although he started to rub his eyes frequently as if that could help him see better. “Three Fathers, you say?” He took out his datapad and took a few pictures to make it seem like he was serious about this location hunt. “Well not as appeasing to the eye as the previous place, but you caught my attention at reasonable price. I’ll have to give it a good look and see what some of my people say, although I can already tell most of them would push for me to lock up a spot in the Needle. They don’t mind wasting my money, you see.” He laughed a bit, although it was probably a serious problem he would have to correct eventually. But when it came to Lusha, he never really cut corners. It was whatever his people wanted, because seeing them smile was enough to get him through the day sometimes. It wasn’t as if he was making money for himself alone.

He brought his attention back to Kay and he said, “I’m not sure if I thanked you yet, but I really appreciate you helping me out like this. I imagine you must be busy with preparing for the upcoming campaign and all, but I won’t forget today whenever you need to call me for a favor. Speaking of which-” Jorvan paused to pull out a datacard and handed it over to her. “That’s for when you’re in office as president. Might help you keep Commenor a bit safe but you didn’t get that from me,” he winked.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay held in her smirk as [member="Jorvan Hatha"] told her that she looked good in black. Didn't everyone? Black was slimming afterall, not that she had ever cared enough to think that she needed it. Instead she merely smiled. "Thanks." And at least he didn't bother her about the fact that she used the store as her own personal dressing room.

She waited patiently as Jorvan took photos, feeling in a way as though she was a realtor. Maybe right now she looked the part. In any case it was better than being hounded by questions.

Kay took notice as Jordan had begun rubbing his eyes and seemed as though he was losing his visual focus. Was he tired? Maybe he wasn't used to all of that walking? She bowed her head when Jorvan thanked her, though she hardly expected to call him up for a favour. He did already sign up the teen and she hardly knew what else she would need a leader in the music business anyways. But maybe something would come up.

And then he handed her the datacard, raising a brow. "Oh? Well thank you. And you're welcome. But I think that we should call it a day. All of this fresh air and exercise has made me...a little tired. Shall I flag down a speeder taxi and return you to your hotel? Or did you want to be dropped off somewhere else?" Kay had no idea what his plans were after this meeting, but she was curious to find out what was on that datacard. She slipped it into one of her pockets. And she did have lots of planning to do.

A look over her shoulder showed her a couple of people that she had seen earlier in the day on the other side of the city. Did they have stalkers? Or maybe they were some of Jorvan's own bodyguards? More than likely it was the latter. It wasn't as though he was your average citizen. No. He was of a much higher status than that. His daughters were probably very glad that their father had protection with him. Kay thought about them for a moment and the fact that she was having his attention away from them. Hopefully he would go back to them soon.

 

[Jorvan Hatha]

[member="Lady Kay"]

She wanted to call it a day and Jorvan thought that it was a good decision. Already, he could feel the headaches coming on, which was symptom number two that he should hurry the hell up and take his pills.

He looked at Kay curiously and wondered if these two days had been enough to leave a good impression on her. He would be gone for a few weeks to handle some business in District 9, but he planned to come back eventually. There was things that he had to handle in this city, and the same went for Commenor as a whole, which soon be under the influence of the Red Wave if he had a say in it.

“Of course, I don’t want to hold you for too long," he said in response to her words. There was an understanding nod. "Like I said before, thanks for today and I’m sure I’ll be around if you ever need someone to talk to.” The mention of a speeder taxi made him look around, and he stroked his beard for a little while as he thought on whether he wanted to go home yet or linger around for another purpose. He looked at Kay and said, “I’ll think I’ll stay around here for a bit though. There’s a few places in this area that I need to visit anyway so how about I flag you a taxi instead?”

It really wasn’t a question, because he raised his hand towards one of the approaching taxi speeders, and as it stopped in front of them, Jorvan held open the door for her, “Well take care, Ms. Future Madam President. I’ll be looking forward to your campaign announcement and-” Jorvan looked at her with a humorous expression. “I’ll be looking forward to seeing what kind of Commenor that you’ll try to build going forward. I’m sure it will be difficult with the crime lords and Sith and all, but I’m sure you’ll manage.” He gave her a wink, and nodded for her to get in. “See you around. Let’s keep in touch.”

Once she left, the men who had been following him, made themselves visible.

“How it’d go?” Slim asked him.

Jorvan took his pills and shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll find out in the coming days. For now, we’ll just focus on business."

“So we’re going to war then?”

Jorvan shrugged his shoulders again. “That’s for the crime lords of Commenor to decide. Let's just wait and see."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow slightly as [member="Jorvan Hatha"] flagged her a taxi speeder instead and held open the door. Perhaps he saw some other buildings that caught his interest, or perhaps he had some clients to see. Regardless, it was clear that she was free to do her own thing and get back to the safety of her ship.

She gave him a small smile and a bit of a wave as the speeder taxi took off with her inside. Being a President was hardly going to be a walk in the park. She knew that. But she had plenty to back her up, family and friends to lean on.

Kay took the datacard out of her pocket and turned it over in her fingers. Wonder what was on it? She'll discover that later. There was plenty that she had to do with regards to the election. Hopefully she was ready.

--------- END --------