Mrs. Meorrrei Goes to Bothawui - 10.000

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Two inches, Senator."

For emphasis, the Muun tailor held up his measuring tape, which drew a long look of disapproval from his employer. She pouted, scowled, and leaned closer to take a look at the offending instrument in exacting detail.

"jYourr meassurrjing tape jiss wrrong, Hurrval. Mjy meassurrementss haven't changed. The tape must be too sshorrt."

She stated this farce as matter-of-factly as if she were to proclaim that gravity existed or that the sky was full of stars, daring any idiot to challenge the unassailable.

Hurval withered under the conundrum before him.

"Madame Senator, it's just like the year beforre. My measurre hasn't shrunk, you have grown. If you want me to lie, that is one thing, but your hem lines will be eager to tell the truth."

They had arrived at a terrible impasse, and Taataani Meorrrei considered in that instant dismissing her tailor of the past five years. Instead she finished her scotch, set the glass aside in the waiting palm of a handler, and straightened herself once more, inviting the tailor to measure around her middle once again. Once more, the tape was lacking. Grumping, she sucked in.

"Would the Senator wish for a girdle? I could fashion one."

And suddenly the Cizerack Senator was faced with a conundrum of her own. Comfort versus image. The horror of it all. Vexed by the dilemma, she snapped her fingers at Kallum Romanoch, demanding wordlessly a slim cigarra appear in her outstreched hand. Her blue eyes caught enough of his face to know that her valet was enjoying himself a bit too much to be healthy. Glumly, her tail flicked.

"No, leave jit. jI mjight be made to fjilljibussterr, and jI sshouldn't fjind mjysself sshorrt of brreath jin that nexu den, sshould jI?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Do not fret, Madame Senator."

Kallum obliged his summons, producing a small silver case with an illusionist's slight of hand. A cigarra was plucked from the pack and lit the moment it touched the matron's lips. Indeed, sometimes he felt like a magician, capable of putting on a show or vanishing at a moment's notice, and he was certainly no stranger to being tied up from time to time. He didn't look like one, though, suited and booted as he was like some corporate tycoon. But then, a man didn't get to stand where he stood, looking like a cantina-dwelling wastrel. Presently, they occupied one of the finest suites in Drev'starn. It was assumed, at least on Kallum's part, that his employer settled only for the finest of things in all aspects of her life, whether it was food, transport, accomodation, and even personnel, naturally. It was a safe assumption to make, given his fine clothes, their luxurious surroundings, and the opulent view from the panoramic window; a mountain range of pearly white towers with sapphire domes and gold trimmings set against a pink marbled sky. No wonder she felt at home.

"It is but the sign of a life well-lived. Think of it as political ballast."

Elegant in disposition, Kallum circled the matron, chin high, hands clasped behind his back. Gone was the coarse hacking speech of the Smuggler's Moon gutter rat, replaced instead by a more refined tongue, evocative of Core World documentaries and high society dinners. Pitch-perfect in timbre and pronunciation, Kallum had discovered in himself a gift for mimicry, awoken after endless hours of doing nothing but listening to Taataani and her well-to-do associates. Over the years, he'd built up quite an arsenal of accents, spanning the galactic map of business and commerce - he could even manage a convincing half-breed at a push. In the past, it was a talent deployed purely for the sake of teasing Taataani, but he figured, what with her recent ascension to political power, it would see more frequent use. After all, the political arena was much like the world of fashion, in that image was everything. And Kallum always had a knack for speaking banthadren, now, to the chagrin of his boss, he sounded the part, too.

"Besides," he said, and with a mischievous grin he leaned close to one twitching ear, "The lady has never complained about an extra couple of inches before."

[Alli Tiawarrh]

Bothawui was vastly different than Krant, mused Alli as she wandered the halls of the new Senate complex. The office she had been assigned was near the other representatives of the Bothan Sector, and as the colony world was considered a minor entity she was considered a junior senator. Still, a voice was a voice, and former Governor Tiawarrh was pleased to have been elected to represent her people.

Her people were comprised of humans, Wookiees, and even Geonosians. It was a diverse group that called Krant their home, and she paused at a window to look at the view. The capital city was huge compared to Theenes, or even Peche, both of Krant's largest cities. They were mostly agricultural sprawls, and hard to compare to a nearly solid chunk of duracrete. And the trees - while the leaves had color they were generally hues from yellow to green, not the multicolored array that Krant boasted.

It was very alien. Alli refocused and looked at her reflection in the glass, her eyes darkened and skin lightened with makeup as was the current fashion on her planet. After a moment she turned away and continued down the hall, stopping outside the suite of offices for the Carshoulis Cluster. They bustled with activity, males with downcast eyes hurrying back and forth while females directed them, and she found herself drawn inside through curiosity.

Only one of the offices seemed to contain a Cizerack Senator, and Alli felt that it would be good manners to introduce herself and start doing some networking. There didn't seem to be a receptionist working at the moment, however, so she ended up poking her head inside quite unprofessionally and found a plump matron being fitted for new clothes. Alli was going to withdraw, but she was spotted, and so she stood straight and introduced herself.

"Alli Tiawarrh of Krant," she supplied, smiling. "I'm sorry if I am interrupting."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Kallum's quip earned the faintest of nods, a quirk of an ear, and a smirk as Taataani drew on the cigarra, it's cherry glowing bright as his well-heeled image let loose a bit of the original Nar Shaddaan bounder she once knew.

"Qujite to the contrrarrjy." came her cryptic affirmative, through a breath of purple smoke.

And if she wasn't feeling something like a species of whaladon at the moment, the Cizerack Senator might very well take the double entendre's bait. Hell, whaladon or not. That counted as exercise, after all. Her idle hand reached for Kallum's belt, using it as leverage to pull him a little closer as she eyed any convenient floor space where she might spread him about like a game-skin rug.

But before she could dismiss her tailor and entertain any notions of perverse fraternizations, she noticed a woman entering the suite. A mild look of irritation crossed her face at the notion that her receptionist had abandoned his post and was letting the hoi polloi drift through the front door like dried leaves. That look evaporated when the mousy creature identified herself.

"Ah! Not at all! Not at all! Do come jin!"

And just as quickly, the beckoning hand at Kallum's belt turned upright and went to his chest, giving him a brusque shove away as she liberated her pear-shaped figure from the tailor's snare a moment later. As an afterthought, she glanced back to her Muun.

"Hurrval, that wjill be all, thank you. Kallum, pleasse get..."

The few paces it took for her to move from Kallum to her unannounced guest gave her a much-needed moment to frantically speculate exactly who this woman actually was. And where, for that matter was Krant? The cut of her clothing didn't say a whole lot about her being important, but she'd spoken like someone with authority, so...

"...Ssenatorr Tjiawarrrh a drrjink."

Now reaching her guest, Taataani leaned forward to deliver a kiss to each cheek, and drew back again.

"Taataani Fai'sheea Igaarrai Meorrrei..."

She prepared to rattle off the honorifics she was normally accustomed to delivering when she figured someone needed to be reminded of her importance, but caught herself. Her station in life had changed in such curious ways.

"...Ssenatorr of Keppaa Brens."

[Alli Tiawarrh]

The cheek kisses were unexpected, but she managed not to flinch back. Cizerack were an unfamiliar species to Alli, though she had read what she could on all the member species of the Alliance. Well, she amended mentally, she had a datapad with all the information on it, but to read everything would take a month.

"I am pleased to meet you, Senator... Meorrrei." Alli hoped she had picked out the correct surname from the list she'd just heard. "Apologies for my abrupt appearance and poor introduction, I have my own office not too far from yours and was taking a walk." She rated a receptionist and one aide, and both were busy arranging said office to their liking.

"Your suite is quite impressive," she added. "The view is stunning." Small talk first. Making friends from your co-workers was a basic necessity, and from friendship could come that extra vote you need to get a bill through committee.

[Kallum Romanoch]

While the senators introduced themselves to each other, Kallum prepared the drinks. The mini-bar, a non-standard feature for a senatorial suite, was for the matron an essential commodity and extensive enough to challenge its prefix. He knew his boss well enough to pick her poison, but her fellow senator, on the other hand, was a mystery. Given the fumbled introduction, she seemed a ditsy thing for a politician, but she could certainly talk the talk: all P's and Q's and mind-numbing formality. In the beginning, Kallum thought the way in which Taataani weathered it all was nothing short of a feat of strength, it wasn't until much later he came to realised the disturbing truth: she actually enjoyed it.

And he enjoyed watching it. A game of cat-and-mouse in which the mouse was kept blissfully oblivious to the crushing fact that it was indeed a mouse. Then, one drink done, his gaze fell squarely upon the senator from Krant, and as he spoke, he pictured the ashen parts of her body he couldn't see.

"Senator Tiawarrh, there is a veritable stockpile of refreshments at my disposal. What may I get you, ma'am?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

There were already two chairs pre-arranged for exactly this sort of meeting, and Senator Meorrrei invited her guest to sit. They were chairs designed to be seen and not enjoyed, although at the expense, you could still reasonably expect a modicum of comfort. Any excuse to be off her feet.

"jI jimagjine ourr fledgljing goverrnment jiss havjing that experrjience all at once. Ssome of uss, we arre old frrjiendss, but now therre arre new frrjiendsshjipss too."

She still hadn't a clue about Krant, though. Hopefully her indispensable sidekick had that covered, along with the drinks. The comment about the view allowed her some more stalling time.

"The Bothanss ssparre ljittle expensse, and arre rreceptjive to ssuggesstjion. jI doubt thejy want to be derreljict jin thejirr rressponssjibjiljitjiess jin hosstjing uss."

At Kallum's query to the Krantian Senator, Taataani's facial expression kept the same warm and inviting tone, but her tail flicked in a motion lacking fluidity, and was an outlet for her annoyance. Just get her anything, but even in intrusion, Kallum's query was discrete. This wasn't a bistro, and he wasn't a waiter. He was a professional now, and he knew how to use restraint. Good enough.

She needn't worry about her own situation, either. Kallum's ability to retain knowledge both important and inane allowed him to seamlessly cater to whims, that is, whenever the Rrou'fai felt like sticking to the theme. With an unannounced guest, best not to upset that balance, and Kallum knew what libation she preferred when receiving company. It is blissfully kept simple to Chandrilan brandy with a splash of blood wine to add a ribbon of color. Neither as brusque as her previous scotch nor as ridiculous as a Bloody Feessarro. First impressions count. Best not to appear too simple, but also appearing pompous was right out as well.

[Alli Tiawarrh]

"Oh, just some," she'd been about to say water, but amended her thought before it came out. Her hostess was having a drink and it was the afternoon. "Some wine. Something white?" Alli smiled at the young man, though he was probably only a year or two younger than she was. "Thank you."

The Cizerack spoke heavily accented Basic, but it wasn't too difficult to understand. "The Bothans are good hosts," she agreed with Senator Meorrrei. "I represent part of the local sector, of course, but a colony world, no matter now long ago it was settled, will always be...rustic, to them."

[Kallum Romanoch]

White wine, that's what she said. White wine, outside of a meal. Kallum was beginning to think the senator was some kind of barbarian. It wasn't such a stretch to imagine either, considering the information he was pulling up on her homeworld. While one hand poured, the other danced deftly over datapad keys, summoning the most recent news articles to feature Krant. A choice few were left open to browse, and, with the datapad tucked securely under his arm, he glided over to the senators with their drinks. Once the tray had been emptied it was replaced with the datapad, which he handed to the matron.

"Your schedule, senator."

There was a message from him, beneath which was buried the news articles and finally Taataani's itinery, and it read:

Krant. A backwater world of farmers and tree-huggers. So lush and green even the Wookiees established a colony there. Strong ties with Bothans. Current ongoing dispute about their moon, Aereen: rich in minerals - good for the Alliance - but conflict of interests in the natives who want to make a profit and those who want to preserve the land.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Well, what betterr venue than a rreprressentatjive democrracjy to let colonjy worrldss be hearrd overr the djin of the Mon Calamarrjiss and Bothawujiss out therre, jI ssajy."

The contentiousness around the Bothans was certainly noted, as Taa diverted her eyes momentarily to her drink, and to scan the pad before her. She set both aside, screen-locking the pad as she reclined in her chair slightly.

"jI'm ssurrprrjissed jyou've found tjime to do me the honorr of a housse call, Ssenatorr. Krrant musst be bussjy wjith mjinjing contrractss forr the navjy."

If so, more the better. If not, it was time to serve Alli some food for thought. Either way, Senator Meorrrei couldn't resist a plaything. With Kallum within earshot to take note of the cues she might drop, she'd be well armed with whatever she needed to either extract material benefit from Krant, or to leverage them for potential use against the Bothans.

Not that she needed to. Not yet. The Rrou'fai simply adored maybes.

[Alli Tiawarrh]

"Ah," Alli said, "Well, yes - the current contracts are expiring and need to be renegotiated. No longer with the Rebel Alliance but with the Alliance of Free Planets. There is a lot of work to be done," she admitted, "but I needed a little air."

She sipped the wine appreciatively, and added, "Of course, Keppaa Brens is very similar in this respect, if I remember correctly. I assume your mining rights are all dedicated to the Pride?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Rrojyal Cana'darri conssumess whateverr meagerr mjinerral output on Keppaa. We actualljy jimporrt mosst of what we usse jin the foundrrjiess."

Again, leaving a few breadcrumbs for her colleague. Taataani's tail flipped lazily beside her as she swirled her snifter slightly.

"But jit jiss ljike jyou ssajy, we'rre all one extended famjiljy now. Therre rremajinss to be ssome haggljing overr detajilss, but the Prrjide'ss sshjipwrrjightss wjill morre than ljikeljy end up prroducjing all orr parrtljy forr the Alljiance Navjy. Morre rratherr than lesss, jif jI have anjythjing to ssajy about jit."

The Rrou'fai sipped her appertif, setting the glass aside as she leaned forward slightly.

"Perrhapss we can make an arrangement on thjiss, no?"

[Alli Tiawarrh]

Senator Meorrrei wasn't exactly being subtle, but Alli had to admire a woman who could turn an innocent conversation into one about mutual benefits with little to no preparation. "It is certainly within the realm of possibilities," she allowed.

"As I said, there is a lot of work to be done on the contracts. I am not writing them myself, but I could certainly bring the Pride's interests to the proper channel." Alli smiled, her wine glass sitting uncomfortably in her hand.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Pleasse do. Wjith Durro and Ssullusst jin ssuch sshape asss thejy arre, jI thjink jyou'll fjind helpjing to fjill the vacuum verrjy jinfluentjial. Cerrtajinljy enough to causse the Bothanss to take notjice."

No sense in bullying directly into matters of quid pro quo. Taataani smiled sweetly enough with a conciliatory nod. Besides, only a rube would rush into an agreement so quickly. With a government forming so quickly, everyone would have plenty enough to think about.

Senator Meorrrei drummed her fingers idly along her glass, setting it aside for the moment.

"jYou'll have to parrdon the djirrect apprroach Allji...majy jI call jyou Allji? jI'm afrrajid jyou'rre catchjing me at nearrrljy mjy fjirrsst dajy asss a poljitjicjian, whjich majy be an experrjience manjy of ourr colleaguess arre havjing. Werre jyou a parrt of the warr-tjime goverrnment jin the Local Clussterr?"

[Alli Tiawarrh]

"I was," Alli said. "The governor of Peche and Theenes - for the last year." Some called her a puppet for their "Bothan overlords" because of her young age, but she had worked hard and risen, meteorically of course, through local government to her high position. "Coming from a backwater planet with a relatively small population, this is certainly a much bigger pond than I am used to swimming in. Metaphorically."

She took a sip of the wine, and found it to be pleasantly sweet. "Representing smaller factions within a large and powerful contingent seem to be something we have in common, Senator." Alli smiled.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

She dismissed the humility with a gesture of her hand.

"Come, that jiss but a sstate of mjind. Wjith the rrjight amount of vjissjion and opporrtunjitjy, forrtuness arre malleable thjingss."

Taataani afforded her guest a conspiratorial smile.

"jI jimagjine thesse 'larrge factjionss' wjill ssoon be wanderrjing a bjit frrom thejirr perrch overr ourr sshoulderrss to ssurrvejy otherr new-found baubless, gjivjing uss tjime to become good frrjiendss. And jin frrjiendsshjip, let me extend the fjirrsst frrond."

A snap of her fingers, and her valet returned with another datapad. Taataani's warm expression didn't leave Alli until her eyes were upon the pad, allowing her to select the precise point of interest, which she in turn extended to her friend.

"jI beljieve therre hass rrecentljy been an outbrreak of the Carrrdoojine Chjillss wjithjin jyourr ssjysstem, hass therre not? Nothjing sserrjiouss, ne, but nujissance plentjy. jI've taken the ljiberrtjy of acqujirrjing a ssubsstantjial amount of vaccjine frrom a ssubssjidjiarrjy of mjine. jIt'ss jyourrss. Grratjiss, of courrsse."

[Alli Tiawarrh]

Alli gratefully set aside the wineglass in favor of the offered datapad, and scanned it. "That is... quite generous of you, Senator." Bothawui had prioritized the vaccine for this season to other systems in the sector, leaving Krant still waiting for their leavings. A shortage - she looked at the pad in her hand and amended -perhaps an artificial shortage of the vaccine had occured. Still, it was a good PR move to accept. Senator Meorrrei could, and would no doubt, let slip she'd offered the vaccine and Alli had refused it, which would be a nightmare, politically.

"I accept, of course." She smiled, and then looked at the chrono on the wall. "I am afraid I must return to my offices, my assistant will be wondering why my walk is taking so long. I am so glad we met, Senator."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Rising with her guest, Taataani placed a hand upon her arm as they walked to the door.

"jI am glad to have met a frrjiend sso soon, Allji. Do not wajit too long to make mjy acquajintance agajin. jI would be dessolated to not hearr morre frrom jyou."

Again, two kisses upon the cheek.

"Ja'irra korra nai. Thank jyou forr the vjissjit."

With goodbyes said, the Krantian senator departed, allowing the door to her suite to slide closed again. A bemused expression formed on the Senator's face as her valet returned to the room once more.

"What a moussjy ljittle crreaturre."