Saga THE SENATORS; AotC; OC's, Palpatine, Mas Amedda, Jar-Jar; Post two of two, 11/20

This was written for the OC dueling circle.

Title: The Senators
Author: Rogue Pilot 2347
Characters: Ziv Tabi'anun, Aran Forge, Aik'n, Kael Amasso(OC's) Mas Amedda, Palpatine, a little Jar-Jar, and Yoda is mentioned.
Timeframe: Just before, to the middle of AotC
Disclaimer: Ziv, Aran, Aik'n, and Keal are mine. Lucas owns everything else. "Thank you for letting me use it!"
Notes: Meridi is pronounced, "MAIR-ih-dee"; Meridian is pronounced just like it looks.
The Challenge: A common goal links a group of OCs, and in the midst of trying to achieve their goal, a great confrontation awaits them; something that has less to do with the quest and more to do with the things that reside in their hearts and minds.

________________________________

THE SENATORS
_____________

ARAN
______

I walk confidently down the hall of the great audience chamber. Aik?n - King Aik?n, I suppose I should say - and I have been friends since both of us could barely walk. A fat lot of chance that has of changing now he?s king, and I?m a trained business woman. Most of the galaxy says seventeen standard years is too young to handle the stuff Aik?n and I handle, but here on Meridi, a seventeen year old who isn?t fully self-sufficient is frowned upon.

It?s odd seeing Aik?n in the throne where his father always sat, wearing the crown I?ve only ever seen on his father. For a moment, I?m worried. What if things have changed? But then I catch a glimpse of unruly brown hair, and glance at Aik?n?s sparkling blue eyes - two bits o? sky, my father has always called them, in his farmer?s dialect. Aik?n catches my glance and winks, flashing me a roguish grin for the barest sliver of a second.

Yep. Not changed a bit.

When I have made a respectful bow, Aik?n says, ?I?m sure you?re wondering why I?ve summoned you.?

?I am,? I confess. It?s not every day you get pulled from your job at the docking bays to have an audience with the king.

?You remember back when we were little, and joining the Republic was just a game??

?Yeah?? already, I don?t like where this conversation is going.

?And you always wanted to be the senator??

It clicks. ?Ai - your highness, I?m a new business woman. I couldn?t represent my company well, let alone all of Meridi.?

Aik?n rolled his eyes. ?Come on. You know you?re a good diplomat. Just look at all the fights you stopped between my brother and I.?

?That?s different. It?s -?

?Aran. You?re the only one on this entire planet I really trust to do this job right. You wouldn?t want to doom Meridi to the whims of some snobby bureaucrat, would you??

He looks at me pleadingly. Oh! Those eyes of his! He manages to make himself look so pitiful - like a helpless little kid. Doggone him! He knows I can never resist that look!

?All right!? I say, throwing my hands up in defeat. ?Fine. But don?t blame me if this crazy planet falls down about your ears!?

Aik?n grins. ?Meridi is forever indebted to you,? he says.

I roll my eyes. ?Save it for someone who wants it.?

I can?t resist smiling as the eyes of the various courtiers in the room pop out of their heads in shock. How many people dare talk to the king like that? How many actually get away with it if they do?

Even as I?m thinking this, a new courtier enters through a door I haven?t noticed before and whispers something in Aik?n?s ear. ?Wonderful,? Aik?n says. ?The other senator has arrived.?

I?m shocked. ?Other senator??

?Normally, each planet is allowed only one senator, but because we have two very different cultures on Meridi, Chancellor Palpatine has graciously allowed us one representative from each culture.?
__________________________________

ZIV
________

Phsht! Humans! I wonder, if they could smell themselves, if they would still retain their insufferable pride for themselves. I smell them long before I see them. Ten humans. One more powerful than the others. Eight smell of sniveling subservience. Idiots. No Shiri?anun would allow himself to be caught in that

 

Wow! You have created two very real characters here, and a very real planet with a very real history. I love both of the characters. I see a little of myself in Aran, and I admire her confidence (something I have little of). Ziv's hatred is very understandable and very based in logic. Aran's people hate his people, so he will hate them back.

I couldn't stop reading! Please post the next part soon! I already feel attached to these characters; I want to know what happens to them!

Extremely nice work!

 

A wonderful OC story! I'm looking forward to the next post!

 

Nienna_Narmolanya: Thanks. I like trying to create cultures. I really admire Tolkien for that.

VaderLVR64: Thank you.

 

And here's the next - and last - post:

______________________________________

ARAN
__________________

Chancellor Palpatine rarely stops smiling-with his mouth, anyway. His eyes are usually off somewhere else. In business school, they told us not to trust someone whose eyes don?t smile with his mouth right after they told us to study up on competition.

As I sit through yet another long meeting in the Chancellor?s office, I wonder if Ziv can read him as easily as he can read me.

The rust-furred felinoid Shiri?anun sits beside me, running his two and a half centimeter claws along the edge of his chair?s arm. Beyond him is the Alderanian senator, Bail Organa. On my other side sits the Jedi Kael Amasso. He is a young Bothan. He catches my eye and winks, stifling a fake yawn as Mas Ammeda drones endlessly about the agricultural problems of an obscure system in the Outer Rim.

I haven?t met many Jedi since coming here. I?ll admit, it?s a disappointment. They?ve always intrigued me.

Mas Amedda has finally ended, and Palpatine rises. ?Thank you, Senators, and Master Jedi. I?m sure you?ll give this issue due consideration.?

We?ve been dismissed. I walk beside Ziv as we leave; not because of any softening between the two of us, though. His kind were responsible for many deaths in my family, and, though I?ve tried, I can?t forget that. From what little he?s told me about himself, I gather he is in a similar situation.

However, he never goes out without me, because I need to translate for him. We?ve been exchanging language lessons, but he still can?t understand Basic very well. As unreadable as he says he is, I can tell it rankles him to have to trust me in this.

There?s another reason, also. The day we arrived, Chancellor Palpatine ?regretfully? informed us that some of the other senators were unhappy that Meridi got more than one vote. Therefore, though there are two representatives from Meridi, we will only get one vote. So far, there haven?t been any votes, but when it finally happens, Ziv and I are in trouble. We can?t even agree on a place to eat.

I open the door to our private transport and get in, all the while, giving Ziv the highlights of the meeting.

Amazingly enough, the house is quiet when we get back. We have the top two floors of a flat complex that have been refitted so that we can contact each other easily - almost like a house, in which Ziv inhabits the first story, and I, the second. We share an office on Ziv?s floor.

Usually, when we get home, the place is alive with people wanting an interview, or having bills they want passed. Today, though, it is silent. What a relief.
____________________________

ZIV
_________________________

Something is not right. The area is too quiet, and - what really has me on edge - I smell nothing from nearby. This is Coruscant - the planet-wide city. There should be smells.

Aran Forge is glad for the silence. She suspects nothing - fool that she is - or, the thought comes unbidden, perhaps she knows. The youngest kit in my warren could see she doesn?t like me. perhaps she has decided to do something about it.

My hand on the tiny blaster concealed in my pocket, I lead the way carefully into the building. The moment Aran Forge passes through the doorway, the door snaps shut with a metallic clang. I whirl, blaster drawn, ready to defend myself from the human murderer, but Aran Forge?s face is pale, and she smells of fear. Clearly, she did not expect this either.

She looks wide eyed at the blaster in my hand, and asks with admirable calmness, ?What is this??

?Apparently, we are under some kind of attack.? I speak Shirish, for she has progressed far enough in her studies to understand it well, though human vocal chords are not formed properly to speak it.

Distrust. ?You mean, this isn?t your doing??

?No. You man disbelieve me if you so choose, but I rather think the both of us will have a better chance of surviving if you do not.? Shiri?anun are predators, and masters of survival. Everything - even an ancient blood feud - is

 

Very interesting! I really loved your characters, and I'm glad the rift between their peoples is starting to finally close with one act of trust. All it takes is trust...

I like politics too, so this story pretty much had everything for me. But why did they have to vote 'yes'??? Arrrhh! If only they knew...

If you ever decide to write more about Aran and Ziv, please PM me! I feel so attached to them now.

Very nice work!

 

Great job Rogue

The suckers were taken in so easily, weren't they?

Good story.

 

Nienna_Narmolanya: Thanks. They figured if Palpatine was a 'Jedi' than he had to be trustworthy. unfortunately.


BrentusofGath: Thanks. Yeah, they were kind of suckers, weren't they? oops. didn't intend for them to turn out that way. Oh well...

 

I loved it. Great story, Rogue. Let me know when you post another.

 

I loved this!

Very innovative way of setting up the perspective changes between the two senators.
The scene in the flat was outstanding. Great job with the pacing.

And the way you tied it all into the Jar Jar's big vote was really a smooth wrap up.


B R A V O!!!

 

I really liked this story. The perspective change between the characters was very interesting as was the contrast between the cultures. I like how they gradually learn to trust each other. Interesting species and great action sequence too.

 

I liked the distrust relationship between the two senators, it made their ultimate agreement that much more interesting. The fact that the agreed to agree with Jar Jar Binks, oh my!

 

TERRIFIC story! I adored it! That was a thoroughly genius response to the challenge. Absolutely brilliant.