Corruption, Gungans, and Sleep

[Regnier]

Looking at the two seated in the meeting chamber, several questions may arise to an individual not knowleadgable in the members of the Senate. For one, one may wonder why two armed guards were seated almong the edge of the open room, and where exactly the one they were protecting was. For when one who was not knowleadgable of the members of the Senate were to look inside this particular meeting room, they would only see two Royal Naboo Security Force guards, one rather fresh-faced male Guard in his leather armor over top of a red jumpsuit, and one much older, somewhat tired, possibly even partially asleep, and annoyed, female Officer in a leather jerkin over top of a blue officer's coat. One with a little more knowleadge about the Senator's, however, would see the Primary Senator of Naboo, looking like she usually did after a flight from her homeworld and the usual hassling at the entrance, and one of her two rookie guards.

Sevrina Terek, Primary Senator of Naboo, you see, did not particularly care for space-travel, and the flight from Naboo to Coruscant wasn't exactly a short hop. Neither did she care for her cousin's view on Gungans; since he just happened to be the King of Naboo, however, there was little to do once his mind was set, and he was rather stubborn. Neither did she care for the three meetings she had been summoned to in her sparse six hours planetside, all of which had been spent in said meetings, especially since they were little more than attempts to sway her opinions on matters she believed strongly against. Neither did she care for a great deal of the recent events in her existance, but, as always, she simply continued along.

And so she sat in this particular meeting room, waiting for her summons to be answered, catching up on a small amount of lost sleep. She had recently requested the audience of a Senator she'd had a few dealing with before and had come to trust a little more than most Senators, as well as somewhat like, to come at his leisure if he had the time to spare, after she'd learned he was inside the Galactic Senate itself. The reasons stated was to ask his advice on a problem that he supposedly had good experience in, at least judging from the fact that he happened to be on a committee that dealt with such problems frequently, but also because she simply wanted to see a friendly face before plunging into the highly corrupt world of politics head first once more. The Senator was a native of Bothawui and a representative of the planet in the Senate, a rather noble, and furry, Senator by the name of Kaio Duranara. The man that was delivering these summons: Royal Naboo Security Guardsman Ric Terek, who was, in Sevrina's mind, probably already lost inside the building and asking a Senate Guard to show him the way.

[Jenno]

(Gonna do just the slightest bit of NPC controlling here, but it's all according to guidelines you set, so I hope it's ok.)

Days like today had a special name in the Galactic Senate. Days like today, when Senators were formally informed of the next General Assembly, were known as Race days, due to the fact that, when one came along, each and every senator instantly began preparing for the assembly to come, checking their information, arguments, looking over their allies and opponents in certain arguments, and, above all else, frantically trying to determine what this next assembly would even be about.

Senator Duranara had been woken immediately upon his aides recieving the news. The assembly was two weeks away. Senator Duranara decided he would sleep in. Race days never did seem to concern the Bothan, who never spent time preparing for the assemblies. Actually, he rather preferred improvising entire speeches and debates. "No need to waste time before a fight grooming." he always said.

So, while he did intend to go over his platform, as he did everyday, he wasn't too worried at all. In fact, he decided to take a walk through the Senate building's halls, which were usually fairly quiet on Race days. Well, almost quiet.

As he turned a corner, the senator could hear, as well as see, a man, obviously not from Coruscant, asking for directions of some sort. Sadly, he had made a slight error and, instead of asking a guard, he had begun questioning a tourist from Iridonia, a Zabrak woman who could not speak Basic for the life of her. Senator Duranara decided it would be best if he stepped in.

Moving towards the inquirer, the Senator told the Zabrak woman that she could go and not to worry, before turning, an eyebrow raised, and asking simply.

"Can I help you, sir?"

The Security Guardsman informed the senator that he was searching for a senator by the name of Duranara.

"Well, then, you've certainly got some luck about you. I am Senator Duranara, what is it you require?"

What followed was the awkward realization of the Guardsman's folly, the explanation of the summons, Duranara's acceptance, and the two making their way to where Naboo's senator awaited them.

As he stepped through the door, the furry politician grinned and spread his arms at the elbows in a welcoming guesture.

"Senator Terek! Not a hair about you has changed! How have you been, and what's this about these summons? You know surely that I require no such pleasantries. Come now, what can a Bothan do for you?"

[Regnier]

((Works for me, I kinda left that open intentionally))

Senator Terek blinked and focused her gaze upon the Bothan. She gave him a smirk that radiated sarcasm as she rose and inclined her head in greeting. Telling someone directly related to Naboo royalty to loosen up a bit was about as effective as trying to get a wookie into a business suit. "Hello, Senator Duranara, I see my nephew managed to locate you afterall. I hope he didn't cause too much trouble in the process. It is good to finally see a face I don't have to worry about trying to bribe or coerce me. I believe the most truthful answer to your first question is...managing. I'm not sure whether I argue with Senators or my own politicians more these days. But as always, I manage. How has life been treating you?"

She motioned the somewhat small table in the room, which she seated herself at, adjusting the pistol that had been called 'so unbecoming of a politician' as she did. Not that she minded much what anyone said anyways, but she also found it to add a little to her persausion. She'd actually been asked to remove it temporarily after a rather heated arguement once. Or twice, maybe. "Please, have a seat, my friend, and then we can discuss the business at hand. It will be nice to discuss something with someone I can see eye to eye with, for once. Can I offer you a drink first? I'm afraid there's very little worth drinking here, but they do have a few."

"But, unfortunately, I didn't call upon you simply for small talk. I do need your help." Sevrina sighed slightly and rubbed her forehead, placing her officer's cap on the table as she did. She looked into the Bothan's eyes tiredly before continuing, showing only the slightest hint of desparation, one that quickly vanished. "My cousin, Valen, has become increasingly distrustful, and even aggressive, towards the Gungans of Naboo. I'm afraid he may do something drastic soon, and as King of Naboo, there will be little I can do to stop him. I've tried to convince him of a more peaceful co-existance with the natives of our world, but...I don't know. I just don't know what to do anymore, and I don't want to see another needless conflict. I'm running out of ideas to stall him."

((Trouble on Naboo ))

[Jenno]

(Trouble? On Naboo? But who cares about Naboo? I mean, it's not like anything that happens there is going to result in some sort of incredbily massive galactic event, or anything like that. lol)


"Such propriety, as always."

The Bothan said, halfway between a sigh and a smile. Though he had never really cared for the upscale nature of the Senate, Senator Duranara certainly understood its worth to the governing body. He placed his arms at his sides, bowed his head, and proceeded to sit down as he listened intently to what his colleague had to say.

Throughout senator Terek's speech, the Bothan kept himself mostly silent, though he did give a sharp intake of breath upon hearing the word "Gungan" mentioned. As an avid student of languages and alien cultures, Kaio had long ago come across these most interesting species, though he had never found much information on their great society.

And, upon hearing the rest of the story, he could barely contain his excitement. Luckily, it is somewhat difficult to tell when a Bothan is excited, as, instead of fidgeting, they will become rigid and stare directly ahead. If this problem of her's meant a chance for him to interact with and study the Gungans, then he could accomplish two things at once.

"I understand the problem. It is actually quite common on worlds with more than one sentient population. It's a phenomenon known as Specism, but I can explain that at another time, I think? I have a few ideas I think could help you with your problem. But, there are two conditions: Firstly, I will accompany you back to Naboo. And Secondly, we must be certain to return before the next Grand Assembly, or we shall both find ourselves out of the loop."

[Regnier]

"Mmm, nature of the beast, I suppose." Sevrina said with a slight shrug. "You try two decades of having 'proper behavior' drilled into you. It doesn't wear off, unfortunately."

The Senator gave a wry grin. Even a few years of trying to stop being so tightly wound and proper paled in comparison to a lifetime of the exact opposite, and that was just another one of her many annoyances. She preffered to be less formal, and had succeeded in many ways, as evidenced by the fact that she was wearing an officer's uniform and armed, but the little things were surprisingly hard to stop doing, mainly because she did them out of reflex. She actually had to think to not be formal.

She listened to Duranara's words, remaining silent briefly, nodding. Finally, a genuine smile came to her lips. "I thought you'd have an interest in the matter. The chance to interact with a new species was just too great a prospect, wasn't it? Of course you may come to Naboo with my, it would be my honor to welcome you to my home. Yes, we must be back before the Grand Assembly, I agree, though that cuts our time rather short. You will find my ship rather fast, however. Who knows, perhaps even the King will not impede a meeting with the Gungans, if I have you along." Her smile turned slightly mischevious and her tone gathered a small amount of mirth. "You've never met my cousin, have you? He's quite the character. Very enigmatic, and even more stubborn than his father."

She motioned Ric over and told him to make sure the ship was ready for the return trip. "I believe that we may leave whenever you wish, Senator Duranara." She said as the young man nodded and left the room. She motioned the other Guard, who had, to this point, remained seated and silent. "You may make use of my Guard Pakera here if you need any messages delivered. Rest assured, he knows his way around a little better than my nephew."

"May this go better than the rest of this day has so far..." Sevrina muttered as she began to rise, dusting off her cap and holding it under her arm. She wandered over to a small stand against the wall spread with glasses and carafes and poured herself what, she hoped, was a glass of Corellian something or other.

[Jenno]

Senator Duranara shook his head no.

"I have no obligations, I require no messages sent, thank you. And, yes indeed, I would very much like a chance to meet with the gungans, if at all possible. Not to be unfair to the Royal family, but I do believe the Gungans are far outside of your ruling, am I not correct? If so, then this could prove to be somewhat difficult for us."

He said, standing and making his way for the door pacingly. Bothans were not a species that enjoyed waiting around when not necessary. The sooner they left, the better for all.

"We shall leave as soon as possible, then, for I am more than ready now for the journey."

He said, pressing a few small buttons on a pad attached to his wrist.

"All my necessities are being brought to your hangar, Senator Terek, we may leave whenever you yourself are prepared, of course. You have just gotten here yourself, have you not? Perhaps you require some time to prepare before we head off. If so, then, by all means, take all the time you need. If not, then I suggest we head out before there's too much orbital traffic."

(If we do leave, you can just say that I followed, and we can move, I'd prefer our characters discuss things once they reach Naboo, if you don't mind.

[Regnier]

"Of course, my friend. Six hours on this planet is more than enough for me, and I had intended on returning home after this meeting anyways. You may head to my hanger as soon as you wish; I will tell Ric to expect you. I won't be long behind." Sevrina said before she swallowed the contents of the glass. "Pakera, send word to Olen that I have finished with Senator Duranara, and will be leaving presently. Tell him to send anything he's turned up directly to my ship."

The Guard touched the brim of his cap and left silently. The Senator turned to the Bothan inclined her head slightly, before also starting for the door. "By your leave; I'll see you in the hanger shortly."

((Right then, moving this little party to Naboo.))