@[member="Jorus Merrill"]
That salute. There was an unmistakable gravitas to the gesture, the feeling that something significant and important had just occurred on a scale approaching 'Galactic'. Aleidis Ijet had been saluted many times in as many ways, but the bitter truth of it was that the people that'd afforded her the most respect had never been the people she'd governed. @Genesis Rotsu had treated her like a queen, @[member="Ashin Varanin"] had spoken to her as an equal, and @Tyrin Ardik had been wary of her disfavor. Aleidis had been to the table with names that shook the destiny of the Galaxy, but the simple respect of a genuine salute was enough to give teenager pause and rob her of words for a moment. He hadn't questioned 'why' or 'how' she was here, but simply saluted her and gotten right down to business.
Jorus Merrill's dossier - as spotty was it was and rife with anecdote & rumor - painted him as a man who had every reason to sneer at her arrival, or turn her in for one of the doubtlessly generous bounties on her head. His work for Omega Pyre was storied and extensive, and there were no good vibes between Aleidis and that august conglomerate. He was a career insurgent, with a psych profile that suggested a chronic need to fight against impossible odds and (encouragingly, in this case) against perceived tyranny. Aleidis had been, not long ago, the very face of Galactic control, however benevolent - weaving a net of treaties and implied threats that'd won the Galaxy a rare reprieve from constant warfare.
But any doubts she had regarding his potential as an ally flew out the window the moment his heels had clicked together and he'd afforded a teenager in shabby clothes the kind of respect usually reserved for dignitaries and rulers.
Sliding off of Jorus' desk, Aleidis turned to carefully consider his holodisplay while pondering his words. "This past year has been good to you, Mister Merrill." She complimented politely, before getting right to business. "The Republic has lost it's way." Aleidis explained bluntly, opening her hands.
"The wheels were in place before I took office - murmurs and whispers of coming war, people suddenly jumpy at their own shadows, as though Sith lived around every corner, waiting to attack. Terror gripped the populace, and it seemed that the entire Galaxy was on the border of plunging into the darkest age we'd ever seen. I am convinced that this tension is why Master Benjamin Watts asked me to take the seat of Chancellor, and I saw it as my duty." She explained succinctly.
"I did my best to forestall what felt like an unstoppable war while seeking the root cause. I thought that, perhaps, it might have been the work of Velok - but since his removal from the equation, it seems things have gotten worse." Aleidis sighed, standing upright with her hands on her hips. "Now, I realize that the threat was never from outside the Republic itself - but from within. A sleeping specter of destruction, an unstoppable dragon slowly waking. Have you heard it's stomach rumble, Mister Merrill?"
"Because I have. The Republic has been a military powerhouse for millenia, but this is - I feel - the first time since the Plague itself where it is marching in all directions at once, against any and all beings that stand in their way." Aleidis explained, producing her own mini holo display. "As we speak, the pressure of their holy war has all but plunged the Empire into complete anarchy. As we speak, they are mobilizing on no less than seven planets at a time - half of them only to serve as launching points and staging grounds against other factions. Their power runs uncheck, and they have become drunk on it. The Current Reublic-Powers-that-be have seen fit to destroy all progress I made towards Galactic peace, and the remainder of the Galaxy rests on their laurels, convinced that the ever-hungering monster will surely be sated before it comes for them. They are mistaken."
"Ardak Serifen held manifest destiny in check until it overwhelmed him, resulting in madness. When I wouldn't allow it to continue, they disposed of me. I have grown convinced that the position of 'Supreme Chancellor' is no longer one of patronage or leadership - the seat is that of a Warden. And without a Warden, the Republic will consume the Galaxy in neverending war."
"Mister Merrill, this must not come to pass." Aleidis insisted, passion emphasizing every word. "You have no reason to love me or my cause, but your sense of duty as a Citizen of the Galaxy is known far and wide, and I've nowhere else to turn. I'm begging you, please - help me save the Galaxy." The Ghostling pleaded, clasping her hands together above her sternum. "Help me reign in the engine of destruction my home as become. I don't know what, exactly, you can help with - but my heart and the Force tell me that if anyone can help me to fight an unstoppable force and wrangle it into check, it is you. I am in so far over my head that I don't even know where to start, but I know that I must take steps now. Before it becomes too late."