"Then no doubt you know the unenviable position in which my brothers and sisters of this world find ourselves," the regent said.
"For every ten men, four demand we side with the Empire, and four more demand we side with the Republic. The shouting from the streets is loud enough to reach the courtyard, at times."
...
Personally, I thought he was being overly dramatic. Most of the political activism was confined to one particularly large square. Only a single block away, people had been moving with absolute normalcy. Maybe the worst of the agitation had passed already? Or perhaps I had been lucky enough to find myself in a safe zone?
"If it is a solution Your Majesty seeks, I can offer suggestions," Darth Thur said diplomatically. Clever phrasing, that. Suggestions, not instructions or orders, allowed the preexisting power dynamics to be maintained while increasing the influence of the Empire.
"The Republic has a long history of peacefully handling civil disturbances," the lead Jedi put in. "No doubt we can leverage our own experience to find an optimal solution."
"Be at peace, my friends, for the will of this world has already revealed a solution to me," the regent said, cutting off any more arguments. Had this been some kind of test then? More importantly, had we passed in his eyes, or disappointed him? "Though perhaps the people who have seen the streets themselves have a thought?"
I'm sorry, what?
"The people seem to enjoy the spectacle of it more than anything," I said, trusting my mind to find a solution before my mouth was done talking. "In the square where the activists are preaching, there is a rotating crowd; The audience is trying to take it all in. Since Your Majesty already has a solution in mind, being decisive with its implementation and pushing it for all its worth would convince the people."
"A curious solution," the Little Jedi said, idly fiddling with a cup of whatever had been set out for us. Some form of coffee, judging by the smell of it. "Ignoring the problem in favor of empty gestures?"
"Those empty gestures still bring comfort to those receiving them," I pointed out, finally having found out what I was suggesting. In short, making the decision as over the top as possible, to show this world who made the decisions. "Hibal and Elcho accompanied me into the city; Plenty of people took joy in simply seeing us and talking to us. And that assumes there is a problem."
"Have you seen the news recently?" She asked, her voice deadpan.
"Have you seen the city recently?" I countered, both of us knowing full well that she had. "The people are doing as they're always doing. Taking in the spectacles of the city, going about their lives, and finding the time to do some much-needed shopping. Whatever tension exists is a fringe element."
The Little Jedi glared at me. I matched it from behind my mask.
A chuckle from my right drew my attention. As I should have been able to guess, it was the regent, having failed in his attempt to keep his amusement silent.
"I see now why they call you the destined duo," he eventually managed to say. "But Darth Thur, I must ask where you have been hiding young Nestor all this time. He's handling this better than some of my governors would."
"We strive to include only the best in our ranks," Darth Thur said, sending a meaningful glance my way. "Whether those ranks are Sith or allies, the sentiment remains."
"Well said, my friend, well said," the regent said, nodding gently. The palpable sense of authority seemed to have given way to grandfatherly indulgence again. He raised his hand, and the delicate chime of a bell rang out. Behind him, the doors to the ballroom opened gracefully as a small cluster of servants carrying trays trundled in. "No doubt this will be a lengthy discussion, so no doubt we'd all appreciate some more refreshments."
A few hours later, we were escorted back to our suite of rooms where we were greeted by the rest of our delegation. One of the techs marched over to me almost immediately, holding out a hand with narrowed eyes. Guessing at the meaning, I dropped my commlink into his palm.
Evidently, that had been what was expected, as the man retreated to a mobile terminal where he hooked numerous hair-thin wires into the little communicator and began fiddling with… something. No doubt he was looking for bugs or something similar; I had been in public with a known Jedi Shadow, after all.
"Nestor, I need you to clear something up for me," Hibal said, forcing me to redirect my attention. "Can you explain how you can blindly march into the most obvious trap imaginable, yet manage to win over a planetary ruler in the span of five minutes?"
"Are we not doing the covert speech thing anymore?" I asked, sending a meaningful glance at the woman in the uniform of the Imperial Diplomatic Service. A wasted effort, given my all-concealing mask, but it still prompted her to speak. Not that it kept her from typing something on her datapad.
"We completed our in-depth scans while you were in the city," she said, not even looking up. "And set up some sound-suppressing pads as well. This area is as secure as anywhere in imperial space."
Now there was a phrase that filled me with confidence.
"So?" Hibal prompted me to speak.
"I have my talents," I allowed. Said talents generally involved getting on the good side of people, a pleasant side effect of having been responsible for recruiting for extracurricular events back as a student.
"Then work on expanding them," Lord Egatio said from across the room. He stood with the other full Sith, who stood so close I could have mistaken it for them about to start a hushed conversation. "Or you may find your next task a touch more difficult."
"I would suggest you do as your master says, Nestor," Darth Thur said in his needlessly important tone. "But for now, we can enjoy this victory. Hibal, there were some refreshments in the lounge. Take Elcho and Nestor and help yourselves to some of them. Consider it a reward for a job well done."
What, already?
Of course, I knew better than to voice those thoughts. Or to think them in a language that could be understood. I ambled into the adjacent lounge, taking in the view of the inner gardens and the tastefully decorated balcony through the glass doors stretching from wall to wall. Behind me, the other apprentices did not appreciate views on offer, instead making a beeline for the counter that stretched along the far wall.
With a hiss, a panel slid open, revealing row upon row of pale bottles. Oh yes, now this was a reward for a job well done. Even if it was suspiciously early for break time. I could hardly remember a time Lord Egatio hadn't run me ragged when I was on duty. Off-duty was another matter.
"It's… what, late afternoon?" I asked, retrieving a bottle from the fridge. Even if the people had a different name for it, a fridge was a fridge. I was not about to call it a coolant unit, or a cooler, or something equally silly like that. "Seems a bit early to call it a day."
"It does," Elcho allowed, already popping the cap from his own drink. "Though I am not too broken up about it. An evening's leisure is an evening's leisure."
"So just take it easy," Hibal said, clearly agreeing with the other apprentice. "Who knows what tomorrow will bring, after all."
"A fair-" I began to speak, only for the rest of the sentence to falter in my mouth.
Something was wrong.
Something had changed.
Something had shifted.
I was missing something.
I could not see something.
I had lost something.
Lord Egatio was gone. I could not sense him.
And the apprentices were holding their hands awfully close to their lightsabers…
...
Hey guys I would really appreciate it if you could throw some power stones to help elevate the ranking.
...
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