Grand Assembly II

[Citrine]

Citrine stood up from her seat as the Chancellor and Senator Duranara spoke to the crowd of politicians. Goosebumps ran up her arms as she rendered herself speechless to the news of Concord Dawn. Mandalorians, Sith, the republic faced war straight in the face, and yet no action had been taken until now. It was finally time to make a stand. She began to sweat as the booming voices rang through the hall, senators cheering, some snarling and mumbling under their breath. "Are you alright senator." Her aide as she leaned over to try and meet Citrine's eye. "Yes." She replied as she stared around the halls with her mouth open ajar. Citrine grabbed onto the railing at the edge of her hoverpod, tightening her grip to the metal bar.

Citrine stood as she tried to think of a way she could help, a help personally. Her world, she could no longer speak for. In the case of war, Citrine would've had supplied as much as she could from Dantooine for the military, but with the occupation she could not supply anything, only herself. The senator glanced around a few more times as the Chancellor and Senator paused. "Contact the pilot, we're going to speak with the Mandalorians as soon as this is all over." She spoke softly to her aide as the aide pulled out a small comlink in reaction to her order. The Senator of Dantooine had every intention to join with a committee and do was she did best, negotiate.

[Regnier]

So much for dinner. Well, damn.

Senator Terek leaned back in her seat and waited for both Duranara and the new Chancellor to finish, simultaneously absorbing and processing what they said and running her option through her mind. Once Baoont had stopped, she quickly activated her hover-pod, sending it floating forward, before anyones else could interject.

"Supreme Chancellor Baoont, with respect," She began quickly, inclining her head slightly at the man. "While I will not challenge your authority in holding us here, and before I say anything regarding the current state of the Republic's...situations, I feel compelled to inform you that Naboo is on the brink of tearing itself apart, and I must formally request that my aides be allowed to return to Naboo to at least attempt to keep my home stabilized."

She motioned behind her towards Ric and Parias. Both men's eyes widened and they shot upright in their seats. "Otherwise the Naboo government may not exist to vote much longer. My planet cannot wait for this session to end, and if I cannot leave..."

And with that, she returned her hover-pod to its perch and sat down in silence, awaiting a response as she turned her mind back to the issues at hand. Which, at this point, was the action to be taken with the Sith, as Duranara's other two requests already seemed to have been pushed ahead. Honestly, she doubted there would be a peaceful solution with the Sith, and would have likely tried to get Demila to lend aid to the Republic if her planet could afford it. As it was, the only thing Naboo could afford to lend was money, and getting the aristocracy to part with it would be...interesting.

Regardless, she had little else to say, anyways. The Naboo Senator's opinion wasn't typically held in the highest regard. It would be trampled under the voices of countless other Senators no matter what it was.

[Ardenator]

He shot a glare towards the Senator from Naboo. There was no circumventing the law. Ever. Aiden would have to make that known.

"May I remind you, Senator, that you are a Federal government official, as well as your aides, and that you hold no administrative power in Naboo, a planetary government, other than as its representative. If you truly wield the power to turn things around in Naboo like that then perhaps there is a serious misbalance of power in Naboo that must be investigated. And if your world is so badly off that it requires the presence of federal officials to avert total war, then perhaps it is not fit to have a seat in the senate and must be relegated back to the status of territory." He locked eyes with the senator. Don't mess with my decisions.

Finally, he spoke again. "My answer is no. The law is the law, and you are all part of the federal government. There are bigger things than any single planet at stake right now. You may return to your world when this session ends. And if things degenerate as much as you think they might, then we will also deal with your planet during this session."

He looked around challengingly. "Would anyone else like to add something to this discussion?" When there was only silence, Aiden continued.

"Then that is that. Back to business. My proposal on the Sith threat still stands. Opinions?"

[Corstar]

Nathan sat, motionless. He had yet to move since the short recess. Even through the recess, he had only taken a short drink of water. He stared at the new Chancellor.

"Sir..."

"I know." Nate looked over his shoulder at his aide before looking back at the Chancellor. The Corellian stood as the pod raised out into the chambers.

"Chancellor, may it be noted that not all planets of the Republic are nearly as well off as yours. Infact I believe the last census placed yours in the top ten percent. Most of the mid and outer rim planets can't afford production costs of their own defense corps, let alone supporting the Republic. Where are you planning getting the funding for your production of epic proportions? Deflation bills are all well and good but they still don't pay the REAL debts. Upkeep, career pay are on a continuous basis. More troops means more pay. Which means higher taxes. The last thing the people want are MORE taxes. Have you even CONSIDERED trying to find out what has caused the attack?"

The Senator's voice boomed across the room, echoing back slightly. All eyes were upon him.

"For some reason, diplomacy doesn't strike me as one of your strong points, after watching your exchange with the Senator of Naboo." Sarcasm riddled his words. The Corellian's dry humor was coming to light. "I suggest sending a party of diplomats. A communique. Anything is better than rushing into war headfirst. I will not waste the lives of the military personnel who have sworn their duty to the Republic, on a war that could've been stopped peacefully in the first place."

Nathan put his hands behind his back, looking around the room, waiting for a response. He was throwing his weight into the argument, making sure the Chancellor knew where his loyalties lie. Corellia was a major backer of the Republic and without their support the Republic would hurt for resources.

[Citrine]

Citrine sat in silence, her head boiling and rippling with feeling and thoughts. Comments she thought of throwing out, the friction of her unspoken words causing her irritation. She crossed her legs as she listened to the Corellian Senator speak. She turned her head down at the ground, her eyes rolling slightly as she kept her thoughts to herself. The Senator was becoming irrational, and an irrational opinion wasn't a wise thing to project in the assembly. Citrine's aide stared as she watched the Senator become tense and awkward.

"Sir, if I may, then what is the cost of war? Diplomacy isn't always an option, and I feel the aggression of the Sith cannot be changed at this point in time. This war has started, and as our troops thin, so does our control. If i'm not mistaken, I do believe some of the outer rim worlds would agree that a dept to the republic would be a fair trade for the protection they will be given. Fund the troops, take out the loans necessary, and protect those we promised to protect. When else is a better time? When the Sith nearly have control over the entire outer rim? When they've expanded and have our numbers three fold? If the people still wish to have their say in the galaxy, they will pay the taxes necessary to keep the republic from crumbling at the feet of the Sith Aristocrats. In one form or another, we will be paying for the situation, whether it be in taxes or star systems." Citrine bellowed, her face turning red. For a senator, the woman really despised public speaking. With every word she spoke, the Dantooine Senator felt the doubt in herself. Though, on the inside, she may have regretted speaking with such feeling and irrationality, the Senator stood up proudly. It was done with, her opinion was already announced, and there was no going back on her word.

[Ardenator]

(sorry for taking so long. lol)

Aiden listened to the outbursts of the Senators, and nodded in thanks to the Senator from Dantooine. It was good to have a friend out there. The situation was bad, and quickly getting worse.

He looked bac kto the Corellian Senator, and smiled. "Taxes do not necessarily have to be raised, my friend. Debt means that we owe money to someone, and that it is unpaid. As long as we aren't paying, there is no problem. All our creditors will fully understand that we will not be able to repay all debts until the settlement of this crisis, and by that time the revenues and economic stimulus from the extremely high industrial output required by this plan will be able to pay all debts off and more. There may not have to be any raise in taxes anywhere. And besides, as the esteemed Senator from Dantooine has already pointed out, these measures are much more preferable to losing more worlds."

"To tell the truth, Senator, I'm a little disappointed. I thought the situation was quite obvious. The Sith attacked us. They killed Republic citizens and took Republic territory without provacation or communication. The Sith invaded us. Invaders do not want peace, they do not want diplomacy. They want only to conquer."

He sighed. Why had it come to this? "But you are right, Senator. As a peace-loving society, we must make all attempts possible to avert total war. however, we do not have to sit here idly and wait to die. I move that we send a diplomatic mission to the Sith Empire, while at the same time continuing with the measures I have set forth. We will hope that peace can be reached, but we will be prepared if it can not."

Aiden stood back, hoping that this would help appease those who did not believe in him here. He needed the full support of the Senate if he were to get things done, and he would need it fast.