Politics

[Aela Talith]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

“The Galactic Republic Senate has been here in Iziz for severa-”

The Tour guide droned on and on as they slowly walked through the halls of the now-senate building. Though Aela had known this place as something different in her early childhood, when the Republic had lost Coruscant, and then subsequently moved away from Anaxes, Onderon had become the Senates new home.

There was no bitterness or resentment in her for that. Aela had never cared much for Iziz.

The city had never been much of a destination for her, mostly because her grandmother rarely came here. It was Halcyon Citadel that she considered sacred. That was the place that she considered to be her second home, where Oma lived. This building, and the city around it, was nearly nothing to her.

Of course it did hold some interest, hence why she was here.

The children that surrounded her, or rather the young men and women, all belonged to a “Young Politicians” club. Members of the Iziz nobility that had dreams of one day becoming Senators and politicians, growing up to sit behind a desk. On a trip to Iziz, and just by happenstance, Aela had managed to squeeze her way into this group under the name Elayne Draevra.

Funnily enough, no one had questioned her at the time. Perhaps it was her bright blue dress, the way her hair was carefully maintained, and the stiff back that she carried herself with, but none of the other children or eve the tour guide had questioned why she was here.

Though now that she was here, Aela found this all to be entirely boring. While the Senate itself and politics were interesting, the building in which it was conducted was entirely without the same flare it contained within her novel.

So, for once, just this one time, Aela broke the rules.

As the tour guide and the rest of the group turned a corner, Aela began to softly vibrate. Her skin held a certain glow, and her eyes became a light, then suddenly she broke off into a sprint. She became a momentary blur, the force carrying her away from the group and past a security that had slowly been closing.

She dashed through the doors, coming to a full stop just as they slammed shut behind her.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Geneviève had never much cared for Iziz. Her military mind could not get past how strategically ill-advised the move of the capitol to this wilderness world was. And besides, the climate was not all that comfortable--even for a native Chandrilan. She had seen less humid days on Lamaredd.

Today was one of those days when she just wanted to take a stroll, though; get out of this bird cage. Cameras were almost everywhere in this building, and her office--one of the few places devoid of such security measures--could only stand so much musing and brooding from the Republic's leader before even she was expelled from the room by her own agitation.

It was hard to say whether she put her body through more stress as a politician or as an insurrectionist. Neither occupation had been soft on her personality. Not that she was ever the most amiable person in the first place. Daddy had not helped when he still had her. But he would be proud now. He and Mom could be proud from the balcony of their suite while all they got were the equivalent of postcards over the Holonet from their wayward and upward daughter.

Was that what she was doing to Miria? You knew you weren't up to that in the first place. Great job you're doing there, Gen.

Donning her white sunhat, Lasedri exited her office with datapad in hand and strolled for one of the restricted access routes, security and privacy always her highest priorities. Paranoia goes deep. But, then again, she had always chosen the worst professions if she wanted to play safe. At least she was still alive. Not that someone of her current status should need to count blessings to realize the privilege she was afforded. Blessings and curses, all of it.

Like the Young Politician's Club. She needed to steer clear of that little troupe if she wanted to avoid any more camera exposure than she was already dealing with. There was more than just one reason she always sported that wide floppy hat, after all. And so she took a detour from her normal 'escape route' and ventured into more public territory--a hallway that would not lead directly into the children.

Kids were fine. Sure. She had been a kid once. Now look who she was.

Frak. Spoke too soon. See, this was what she was talking about with her own--wandering into places she was not supposed to go.

The little blur of a younger girl practically crashed through the door Geneviève had been aiming for, and the Prime Minister stutter-stepped a bit before coming to a halt, brown eyes focusing on the little blonde. What to say? "How the he--" Language--she really needed to reduce that habit.

"Are you lost?" was all she could think to say in recovery, aiming for something more child-friendly.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

If she was at all startled by the sudden appearance of the woman in front of her Aela gave no sign of it.

Instead her bright orange eyes scanned the woman up and down, her force senses extended, and every fiber of her being seemed to analyze who exactly she had now encountered. Aela had always been a studious little girl. Since before she could remember she had always liked reading, or rather had always liked learning. Books, stories, every way that she could learn something she had loved.

This pertained to politics and people as much as it did to histories and the taming of animals. It was because of that studious nature, and because since the battle of Geonosis she had kept up with current events that Aela knew exactly who she had just run into.

One didn't become the Prime Minister of the Republic without gaining at least a little bit of fame after all.

Recognition touched her eyes, but her face remained completely impassive. Her mother had taught all of her children how important body language was. Though her blood was diluted, she was at least part Lorrdian, and that offered her more control of herself than any regular human could hope for. So within the micro-second of recognizing the Prime Minister, and opening her lips, absolutely nothing changed about the way Aela looked.

“Yes.” She answered, her voice a calm and collected.

There was no need to panic. No need to be nervous. She was a lost little girl, a member of the young politicians club...even if she had sneaked her way in.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Something tapped her--an abstract, vibrant sensation that one simply did not feel everyday. Subconsciously, Lasedri triggered a separation from that otherwise seldom-used 'Force' that was apparently hers to toy with if she so endeavored. The promise sounded enticing, but she did not want to end up being some navel-gazing Jedi or whatever it was that had forged the monster known as Xiangu. She had learned her lesson once. The Force was not to be played with, nor was a connection to it to be flaunted--and, in her case, it was not to be revealed at all. She could not be felt; she could not feel.

Shivering the chill off, the raven-haired politician offered the best smile she could, considering how out-of-practice she was at that art. She was known as a warhawk to some--certainly obstinate in all accounts. Some might say she was a great leader. No one would say she was a great role model. But she would have to pretend to be one for the next however-long the girl was in her presence.

At least lost children were usually easy to pass off to someone. "What's your name?" Gen inquired, hoping this was some senator's kid. If not, then security was going to need a real crackdown. Security was paramount in everything. Thank goodness this was just a kid.

She almost felt compelled to kneel down and get on the young one's eye level--but why would she do that? The girl was not a dog. Still, Lasedri felt her knees bow slightly to reduce her height; appear marginally friendly to this 'guest'. Awkwardly, she offered her hand for the girl to take if she wanted.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

She observed the womans odd behavior. Noting the slight bend, the play on her facial expressions. They all told a story, a story of being out of her comfort zone.

Aela smiled slightly, something that was rare to even her family. Yet she felt compelled to put the woman at ease, and she realized that if she acted the way she usually did, the way she did around Mother, Father, and her siblings, this conversation would likely be very short and end up with her getting in trouble.

She didn't want that.

While Mother and Father let her get away with most things, being the filial child, Oma Qui was not so kind as to forgive trespasses. That was an important thing to remember, especially given that while she was on Onderon, Oma Qui was in charge.

So Aela played nice. “Elayne.”

There was no hint of a lie in her tone, nor was there any tell in her body language. That was another thing she had learned thanks to Mother and her Lorrdian tricks.

“Elayne Draevra, Ma'am.” She added the latter to be polite, her eyes softening and her lips turning into a soft smile that complemented the inflection of her voice. Perhaps there was something to learn here, one didn't become the Prime Minister of the Republic by being a fool after all.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Draevra. That name really did not ring any bells for her, and Gen wondered if 'Elayne' was a stray from that Young Politicians group. The timing hardly seemed coincidental, though it was not like the Prime Minister kept track of which senators had children or pets or anything of the sort.

The woman noticed that the girl did not take hold of her outstretched hand, and therefore pulled it back slowly with a turn of her head to glance behind her. Maybe someone would show up to save the day and let both of them be on their own ways. But no one else was to be found. It was just Geneviève and Elayne.

She supposed she needed to give the child a little more reason to have some faith in her. Elayne was just standing there--not with a look of fear or timidity, however. She just seemed to look at her with those young eyes and be content with just that. Stop that... The last thing Gen needed was feeling any sort of connection to anyone. No, the politician would hand Elayne off to someone who was more naturally amiable as soon as possible. She just needed to get past this social barrier--one that now seemed insurmountable, considering that Gen could not even initiate interaction with children comfortably.

A name usually helped increase trust, however, and might put them both at ease. Besides, she had been given a name already, so it was only right to provide one in turn. "I'm Echo," she said--and that was not a lie. Her middle name may have been seldom used (She was actually banking on that.), but it was still a part of her name. It just seemed more prudent to avoid identifying herself as anything more than just Echo. "Do you know where you're trying to go? I might have an idea of how we can get there."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

Aela didn't respond for a few moments, she simply stared with those studious little eyes. There was something odd to that bright orange gaze of hers, the set of suns that sat in her skull that had faced down everything from a Nexu to a Skreev. Now they fixed on the Prime Minister, as if trying to decide whether or not to ask her something.

Eventually she decided against it.

“No.” That same soothing tone as before. “I was with the Young Politicians club.”

Again, not a lie. “I got caught up in the architecture of this building and I...well I think I kind of just wandered off.”

Not technically a lie either. She really did like the architecture of Iziz after all, though again it was far more boring than what actually went on here. Politics were fun, architecture...not so much. Of course saying that was her intent would likely land her in trouble, so it was better to keep on digging herself out of her current situation, rather than start a new hole.

“Is that where you were going?” Aela probed. “I know the club was supposed to meet someone important from the Senate.”

She insinuated, but made no real accusation.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Ah, so she actually had not completely avoided the children's posse, ironically. And, perhaps humorously, this situation was undoubtedly going to hold her much longer than a parade of schoolchildren would have. At least this one had manners. She nodded to express her understanding of the girl's tale.

What was with those eyes, though, aglow like embers? They barely moved, and yet Geneviève had the strangest feeling that Elayne saw every little shift and twitch she made, some so subtle that even she was not consciously aware of. Perhaps it was a sign of recognition, though the girl had given no indication so far that she knew who she had encountered. She was here with the Young Politicians Club, so there was a high likelihood that the kid was aware. But if she was, she was doing a fair job of playing along.

"Indeed," she answered, standing up to full height. "I work in the Senate. Did you get to see the auditorium?" The politician wanted to hand this girl off to someone and be done with this partly. But, at the same time, she wanted to see where this would go. She could not avoid talking to people forever. It was just that small talk--or talking with small people--was not something she was particularly good at.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

Aela shook her head.

“No.” They hadn't gotten to that part of the trip when she left them, and she doubted they would have gotten much of a view anyway if she had stayed. The Young Politicians, like she, only really cared about the connections they could make here. Though Aela didn't really care about the connections, only what she could learn from them. This woman was no different.

Aela didn't care about her, only what she could learn.

That might have seemed cruel or even harsh, but for her it was simple logic. Not many people had anything clever to say and those that did were important. Of course that also didn't mean that those that didn't have anything to say weren't worth something. They were simply not worth learning from.

That was what her father had taught her.

“We hadn't gotten there yet in the tour.” Aela explained further. “Though I think some of the others were more interested in meeting the Senators.”

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Ah, so it might just be a simple matter of going where she was intending on going anyway. That would save a lot of trouble, for sure. But then she would be more-or-less obligated to give the 'tour' if she did that.

Still, what could it hurt? It would probably be more pleasant of an experience than dealing with the grinding processes of the Senate and those annoying, contrary senators. Even Geneviève Lasedri needed a breather from laying down condescension. "Would you like me to show you the way?" she asked after briefly checking her datapad's alert indicators. Nothing too urgent was on the board. She had time. "Or do you want to go home? There's no need to be scared." Not that the girl looked worried in the slightest.

"What would you like?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

She smiled again.

It was a softer smile, not one that told of victory or anything of the sort, but simple joy. Of course Aela did in fact feel like she had won, but showing that would mean she was smug, and that wasn't something she wanted to appear to be. Not in front of this woman, not when she had made the offer she did.

“Yes, please.” Aela said, her tone filled with warmth and more than a hint of delight. “I would greatly enjoy that.”

Home was far away after all, and Oma Quietus wouldn't be back at Halcyon Citadel for another day or so. She had plenty of time to do whatever she wanted, and Oma trusted her to do as she pleased, especially here in Iziz where things were far more safe than the wilds of Onderon.

The Republic ensured that, their military was nearly everywhere.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

The Prime Minister shifted her jaw slightly, not sure how to really return the smile. Her attempt was more like a creeping smirk, though her eyes were softer about it than their usual derogation. Elayne's demeanor was replete with delectation, and that was something not easily batted aside--not even by one as commonly stoic as Lasedri.

"Alright, then. Let's go." She approached the youth and extended her hand once more, this time so that she might 'claim' Elayne and make it apparent that she was her 'guest'.

It almost felt like a motherly thing to do, which, knowing Gen, one might find completely contradictory to her personality. Was she growing soft or something? Her thoughts on that were laden with ambivalence. Detachment was usually her aim in dealing with social interaction. Love and kindness were largely foreign concepts to her outside of what was naturally right and wrong. It mattered little how important she was; how successful. Some might measure her life as one of extreme significance, but this girl probably had more experience in living than the idealist who would now be escorting her through the capitol of the Galactic Republic.

"How old are you, by the way?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

This time Alea reached up and took the womans hand.

It was a friendly gesture, one that she understood. She could practically feel the womans pulse in her palm, and knew that she was oddly...nervous. Aela wondered if she was uncomfortable around children, or just with the fact that someone was back here. “Fourteen.”

It was the first detail about herself that was true.

There were enough fourteen year olds in the galaxy, and on Onderon for that matter, that she could tell the truth on that. Of course not many of them had Orange eyes, and she was sure that if Miss Lasderi and her ever encountered one another again she would be furious with learning the truth.

Taliths were distinctive, their heritage saw to that.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Fourteen. That was about Miria's age; about half of Gen's life ago. "Not much younger than half our senators..." she mumbled sarcastically, not really intending for Elayne to hear. While Lasdri herself was unusually young for someone given executive charge of a nation, the fact was that she was almost a decade older than so many of the squabblers she dealt with each week in the cavernous senate auditorium. Sadly, her body sometimes felt like it was older than it was.

But fourteen was not exactly an age of ignorance. "You know who I am, don't you?" The raven-haired woman glanced down at the blonde, right eye and its artificial iris not quite perfectly in-sync with her left. Her blindness in that eye had been repaired in the past, but it had never completely healed. And the scar that had traversed that side of her face was no longer obnoxiously evident, though there was a faded white line that yet remained. Look a lot different up close, don't I?

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

“Of course.” Aela said almost nonchalantly. “However...”

She trailed off for a second as they moved down the winding corridors of the Senate halls. She paid close attention to where they were, where they were going and everything around them. It was important to her, and followed the training that her father had showed her. Always know a way out.

“It would have been rude to point it out.” She continued on as she marked the location of several windows.

It was doubtful that she would need them, but it always helped to know. Either way she would know how to get out if she needed to, though with the current way the Prime Minister was treating her she did not think such a thing would be the case.

She looked up at the woman and smiled.

There was much to learn here still. Much to talk about.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

It would have been rude. Someone was certainly keeping up on their kid's manners. Kudos to that parent, she supposed. She was not sure what she expected from someone her age, but first thoughts were among the more annoying behaviors. Elayne reminded her of Miria in more facets than one, oddly enough.

Small talk, small talk... Why was this difficult? She needed not force herself keep the teenager 'entertained', but silence was going to be awkward for both of them. Passing a water fountain as they approached the currently empty hall designated for the press, Geneviève tapped the subject of her involvement with the political enthusiast club. "So, you're with the Young Politicians? What made you interested in this business?" she asked, eyes ahead and nodding to a security guard who cleared them both to proceed. Visitors like Elayne would usually need a guest tag, but this was the Prime Minister who was accompanying her. She could get away with a little more.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

Aela smiled.

It was a question that she had been waiting for, one which lead to a far more interesting subject, something she was interested in.

Ever since Geonosis. Ever since her father and her had been trapped upon that rock and fought for survival, ever since then she had taken to observing the galaxy. Father hadn't liked it, and mother had loathed it entirely, but it had seemed necessary to her. She knew that things larger than herself were going on, important things, things that needed attending.

“It isn't politics that interest me Madam Prime Minister.” She used the formal title, as she had been taught to do. “It is the galaxy at large.”

She would sound very intelligent, very adult. It was a trait that had stuck with her since early age. Her sister had nicknamed her 'Grumpus', her brother called her stuffy, and her parents worried that she was too caught up in grander affairs. Yet that was simply who she was, serious, stoic, concerned for the galaxy at large.

A large boulder to bear at her age. "Politics are simply a path."

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Externally, she was still walking forward; moving towards the looped walkway that encircled the Senate's 'arena'. Internally, she had completely stopped in her tracks. Wise words, spoken by a fourteen-year-old. "Indeed..." she uttered, still maintaining her gaze dead ahead. Suddenly, they were no longer engaging in small talk. One small step, and the girl had lurched them into Gen's territory.

"In the end, you'll find that all these words are meaningless. Action only solves the problems." Now she glanced down at Elayne, taking in those mysterious eyes. The girl was astute, that was clear. She had now caught the Prime Minister's attention. "Where did you learn to think like that, anyway?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"]

Actions, she supposed that was true.

How much action did anyone take? The war against the One Sith had all but stalled, and not in a favorable way. The Netherworld event had hit both the Sith and the Republic hard, though it was the Sith who were seemingly gaining ground from it. They had grasped more and more of the core worlds and had even threatened Aela's homeworld of Borleias.

Though the Republic had managed to recover many of its former planets, there had still been a massive loss in territory and manpower. Aela knew this because she had read about it, because she had watched it, and she had heard her mother and father discuss it.

Kira and Soliael tried to keep the war hidden from their children, but there was only so much one could do to hide things from a curious fourteen year old. “Books.”

She answered finally, again a half truth.

“I've been reading since before I could walk.” An exaggeration, but a near accurate one. “Ysanne Isard, Palleon, Luke Skywalker.” Old, old names of people long dead who left only scraps within ancient libraries. Textbooks and biographies, small written sentiments. “They are the ones who taught me.”

Of course she left out her greatest influences. Kira and Soliael Talith, Quietus, Silencia, Amorella and Dissero. All of the great people within her family that taught her how to think, act, do. They were what really guided her, but that was not something she could share, not ever.

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

A kid who actually liked to read about nonfictional things, and politics at that. Certainly this was a rarity.

Isard and Pallaeon... Well, Isard was a scary one--not one she would recommend a child learn from, except in a negative way. And both of them had been devout Imperials of some fashion, holding tight to an absolute oligarchy that had supplanted the Republic it once was. An Empire and a Republic. It seemed like that was the eternal conflict in this galaxy.

Skywalker? He was hardly political, but he was active--sometimes for worse than for better. "I'm from Chandrila," Gen informed the girl. "The culture is quite politically open, though all of us are taught of Mothma." To say she was not heavily influenced by the Republic and Rebellion leader of a former time would be a lie, though it went without saying that she often strayed from that historic figure's political principles.

"Who do you admire from your studies, though?" she inquired, staying on track for the auditorium's outer loop. A natural itch in the back of her mind was curious as to what Elayne thought of the current Republic leader, but that was nothing she would prompt. Gen could be something of a narcissist at times, but not blatantly so.

[member="Aela Talith"]