Junari Point (Senator meetup- open to requests)

[Sivaprasad]

Andre sat waiting in the bar at Junari Point, a settlement just a few clicks from Hanna City, Chandrila.
The person he was expecting would likely be surprised that a Senator would even consider sitting down in such a dilapidated, mold-ridden establishment.. let alone sharing a meal with someone there.
Andre felt at home, though.
In the town that he was raised (Shaketown, Gorse) this place would be like a five-star restaurant.
A protein drink or a pint of ale in a filthy glass was the best you could hope for in a bar in Shaketown.
And if someone asked whether you would like one lump or two, they sure as hell weren't asking how much sugar you wanted in your caf.

He had invited this person in order to put them in an uncomfortable situation and see how they reacted, also to discuss a matter of great importance to him.
Andre wasn't worried, he could handle himself if trouble broke out. The blaster pistol concealed in a holster on his hip could be used to ward off any thieves and criminals, or at least it would do once it was inserted up their nostril.
As a lovely Pantoran waitress walked past with a plate of what looked like slime covered in Bantha butter, and a Beslalisk started yelling at and shoving another man for no aparrent reason, Andre leaned back in his chair and sighed wistfully.
This was almost like being home again.

 

[Darasuum]

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For starters he was being nagged by his sisters of the annoyances going on back home. Concord Dawn was busier than usual do to the recent changes of the Mandalorian Dominion and now the Sith Brotherhood had changed to become the Sith Empire. There was a great deal of work that was pushed up and added onto by others and being Vice Chancellor and Head Speaker for the Senate didn't help matters.

Now the man had been invited by another senator over a few drinks. Donar was on Chandrilla for the time being anyways and hopfully his fellow politician wouldn't be unpleasant. the Senator of Corsin didn't want to be brought down by another event today but the promise of libations was something he looked forward to.

The man parked his Swoop bike and almost removed his helmet. the custom blue MK II mandalorian armor had been through many trials and travails with him. Normally his work called for suits and other formal wear but he knew this was a rambunctious part of the planet. In truth he just felt more comfortable with it and since he hadn't brought a helmet for his swoop bike aside from the one for his armor he wore the whole set.

He didn't hide he weapons as he walked into the drinking establishment. the Concord Dawn native had a knife, and two blaster pistols. Few people questioned a mandalorian especially when armed to the point that he was. In this instance he actually was carrying less weapons than he normally did. He saw the man he was supposed to meet and went past two the two rascally beings who stopped to look at him amidst their squabbles before Donar sat down opposite Andre.

"Sorry I didn't come sooner." he spoke sincerely and removed his helm. when the server came over he asked for a simple ale. this hadn't been his first time in the dregs of society and wouldn't be his last.

@Sivaprasad​

 

[Andre Flux]

Andre nearly fell off the chair he was leaning back on when he saw the Mandalorian walk in.
He had never seen a Mandalorian in the flesh before (or in the suit of armour, even) but their trademark armour was well known throughout the galaxy.
But what sort of business could a Mando have here on Chandrila?
Managing to control himself long enough to not reach for his hidden blaster, Andre still fidgeted slightly with nervous apprehension as the Mandalorian sat down opposite him.

As soon as the Mando removed his helmet, though, everything fell into place in his mind.
He visibly relaxed and smiled broadly.
"You did startle me there for a moment!
Welcome, Mr Skirata. Or should I call you sir? I never was too good with formalities...
I am glad you could make it. I like the suit, by the way. You must be a real hit with the ladies!"

He then asked for another ale for himself, and mentally went back over everything he knew about this man from Concord Dawn.
Andre knew that Donar Skirata had represented the Mandalorian people's interests in the past, and that he was Head Speaker of course.
He inwardly kicked himself for even for a moment thinking that a man who grew up on a Mandalorian world, in the Outer Rim, would be put off his stride by meeting in a seedy bar outside of Hanna City's safety and comforts.
He would have to try and be as diplomatic as possible, an opportunity like this didn't come along every day.

 

[Darasuum]

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Seeing the tell tale signs of anxiety and anticipation of his presence Donar didn't make any moves towards his weapons despite the potential violence any preemptive action one might act upon. He smiled somewhat at the apologies of his peer and simply nodding. "Doctor actually if you must put a title on it. Otherwise just call me Donar. Do you prefer your first name or last name for yourself?" amongst the mandalorian people few rarely expected a gentlemanly individual. The was why he had become accustomed the to the surprise of other people when they learned he was of the warrior heritage. The few that knew him first from such a famous roots were almost equally surprised when he performed in a civilized environment.

"Thank you, though I don't wear armor to keep my bed warm." He said taking the complement as well as nodding his thanks after the drinks were served. He promptly handed over a few credits the moment his beverage was set down so there was no bothersome wait for exchange of payment.

@Sivaprasad​

 

[Andre Flux]

Andre took his drink from the waitress and paid, before bolting it down in one go.
He had been drinking alcohol more and more often since the incident on Gorse, what he had seen, and he felt the need to drink now, at least to steady his nerves.

"So, Doctor... How are things going for you at the moment? Certainly better than they are going for the families of all those people killed on Gorse, I would imagine. People that the Republic didn't protect...

Oh well, so much for being diplomatic.
But the pain he was feeling, and the alcohol that had built up in his bloodstream over the previous days, drove him to this.
As Andre spoke, the smile he had put on withered away, and an edge crept into his tone. He snapped his fingers and called to the waitress to bring another couple of ales. Andre didn't say whether they were one for each man, or just for him. Whatever the outcome of this meeting, it was time to tell someone about the situation in Gorse. Andre was not going to be afraid to speak his mind, even to the Vice Chancellor.

Spoiler: note to Darasuum

You may want to suspend this thread until 'Sabotage on Gorse' is completed. It's up to you, though;)

 

[Darasuum]

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This felt it was going to be a tiresome meeting. Andre seemed to be inebriated or soon to be at least. The man's emotions also seemed to be on the rise as well. Donar simply inhaled deeply in a passive manner before exhaling calmly leaving a period of silence between the two for Andre to fill. He didn't have anything to say in response to the words the senator had said at this point.

Instead of speaking he just looked at the head of his drink and took a sip. It was not particularly good and perhaps watered down or at least cooled, changed to room temperature and re-chilled along it's transportation to the drinking establishment which tended to change the flavor of some brews. Still it filled the silence as he waited for Andre to continue on with whatever he wanted to say

@Sivaprasad​

 

[Andre Flux]

Andre recognised that he had gone too far. The Doctor's silence spoke volumes.
He had to get himself under control, or this opportunity would slip through his fingers. This wasn't like him, the drink he had consumed was obviously sharpening his anger and allowing him to direct it outwards like a weapon. If he didn't reign himself in and put aside his deep-seated contempt for wealthy and powerful people who seemed to do nothing whilst the lowly suffered and died... All would be lost.

Remembering a meditation technique his mother once taught him, Andre calmed himself as the waitress delicately placed the two drinks onto the table. She looked slightly nervous, maybe she could sense the anger rolling off Andre like a cloud of steam surrounding them. His darker moods could have that effect. Before she left, Andre took her hand gently, flashed her a quick smile, and placed enough credits into her hand to cover a weeks wages.
Her eyes lit up, and as she started to speak, Andre simply put a finger to his lips and winked. Getting the message, that he didn't want her to make a fuss, she nodded and went off to serve other customers.

Andre silently slid one of the ales over the table to stop in front of Donar. He forced a rather weak smile onto his face, and looked at Donar, hoping he would understand that this was an attempt at an apology for his disrespectful tone a moment ago.
After checking the notes on the personal data pad he had brought with him, taking time to collect his thoughts, Andre looked at Donar as he spoke.

"The ale's yours, if you want it. Look, I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. You aren't the one who set off those bombs on Gorse. You didn't kill anybody.

But.. If you could have seen it down there in Gorse City... There was this one little girl. In the hospital, you know? Caught in the blast. One of the few that were lucky enough to get taken in the ambulance. Her face..it was barely recognisable. I wasn't sure at first that she was even a girl. When I introduced myself as the Senator of Gorse, her parents looked at me like...like I should have done something. I know, I know there was nothing I could have done to stop this atrocity from happening.

But is there something we could have done? The Republic, I mean.
Some people died because there were only a few ambulances and one hospital without even the latest medical equipment. The government has been requesting funds from the Republic to build more hospitals, to buy better equipment, to train more staff. Those requests have so far been ignored, tied up in damned red tape and bureaucracy... Same with their requests for extra military defenses. On some worlds there are soldiers guarding every spaceport, intelligence services watching for any terrorists or Sith activity with all their surveillance equipment.
Gorse has no defenses, no military protection, no equipment or funding for the local police force even.

Oh, and please don't try and tell me it wasn't a Sith that caused all of those incidents. You must have read my report by now.
The coincidences are too great.
And even if there was only that one incident with the refinery on Gorse that a Sith was responsible for?
Don't tell me those hundreds of people who were murdered that day were not enough to act upon.

Look at what happened on Coruscant. The Sith are coming for us. They are not going to wait until we are all nice and ready.
We need to act now, to start building up our forces. Before it's too late, too late for any of us to stop them."

Andre stopped and sighed deeply. He consulted the notes on his datapad again. Hoping that Donar would let him continue this speech that was partly prearranged, partly straight from the heart. His eyes burned with intensity as he spoke, and a touch of compassion that had not been there before.

"Doctor... I am sorry for laying all of this on you today. Maybe there is nothing you can do. But it seems as though, since that attack on Gorse, every time I see a politician, every time I look in the mirror even, I just see that little girls face..and the contempt in her parents eyes..asking me why the Republic were not there to help them.
Why they were not even able to catch one Sith saboteur.
How can people go to work on my world and feel safe?
We need to bring forward a motion in the Senate that will show the people of the Republic that we will not just stand by whilst the Sith murder and destroy.

We also need to show that we can provide the infrastructure that is necessary to deal with disasters and threats to planetary security, not just barely getting by on minimal equipment and defenses.
With Gorse being in the news right now, many around the Republic will see this as a sign of things to come.
If we act to protect Gorse against any future atrocities, we can send a message to the people of the galaxy that we can take care of our people...that we do care for our people."
Finished with the reading of the outline he had prepared on his datapad, whilst quoting a few parts of his report on the Gorse incident and speaking from personal experience along the way, Andre turned the datapad off and waited to see how the Vice Chancellor would respond.
He prayed that his earlier outburst did not sully any chance of Donar listening to the points he had raised.

@Darasuum

 

[Darasuum]

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Donar cocked an eyebrow at the man's charity. Though it was probably with good intent he didn't feel it was a smart action. flaunting that much money in a such a location would label Andre as being a mark for theft or even a mugging. If they didn't go after Andre then it could be assumed that somebody would take advantage of the normally unassuming waiter. But he didn't say anything only kept the same look of indifference as the man started to speak.

As the numerous questions were asked and the monologue continued Donar took just a few sips of his first drink patiently giving the man the attention and respect he would want given to him. Even though he was clearly emotional it was hard to not be detached when hundreds of one's own people had been killed. Seeing him look at notes the man took another sip and continued to wait and didn't answer until all was clearly stated.

"Senator, the status of Gorse is not taken lightly. I understand and accept the attack on Gorse was heinous and offensive. There are many things to factor in the likes of which are not easy to hear and i wish weren't the case. The emergency response vehicles are provided by in part by government funding. While Gorse receives funding it is hard to supply all worlds with expenditure that would make them ideal at this point. That's why things from the Border Alliance days haven't changed. While under the banner of the GAR the army branch itself enforces the planet on which they primarily defended before. That's the planetary defense force essentially. Having served personally I can tell you that there are military operations and logistics you may not be aware of and the likes of which I can't really discuss due to their sensitivity. Still I can talk to a few people and see what can be done to maybe bolster defenses around Gorse. But Senator, they will likely be temporary. In the future you may want to focus on using profits from Thorilide mining and maybe start a campaign of reinvigorating the medical side of the community. I can also try to help with talking to a few people who are eager to gain some positive public opinion and suggest they donate or participate in charity events for Gorse and the community of those who lost loved ones."

@Sivaprasad​

 

[Andre Flux]

"Thank you very much, Doctor. I really appreciate your offers of help. Truly, I do. Anything you could do to boost the defenses around Gorse. Of course, raising funds for the medical side of things is also a fine idea.

It won't bring back those who were lost, but I must do something. The time to act is now, whilst the public still care about what happened. Please can you forward the details of the people who I can get in contact with to my office? When you get time to? Thank you Doctor. If there is nothing else, I won't take up any more of your time.
Andre moved as though he were ready to get up and leave. He had finished two pints of ale already, and wanted to get a head start on making the necessary arrangements for the next trip to Gorse. Starting the campaign as soon as possible was vital to its success.

@Darasuum

 

[Darasuum]

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After he was thanked Donar simply nodded and said his farewells. He took another sip from his ale but had otherwise not drank a substantial amount of the libation and left payment before walking back to his bike. There was more business to attend to which the armored man would do so promptly.

@Sivaprasad​

 

[Andre Flux]

As he left the bar, the Senator reflected on what had been accomplished here. Andre was grateful to the Vice Chancellor for his advice, as well as for showing such patience in listening to what he had to say.
Although it still felt as though there were a heavy weight of grief and depression weighing him down, he now felt a renewed sense of purpose after this meeting. Andre would not rest until he'd made a difference to the poor people on Gorse. The campaign that Donar had recommended would only be the beginning...

-End of Thread-