Felucian "Spirits"

[Robert Abbotangelo]

Felucia was never a place many would go to for anything resembling leisure, but there were a few cantina's and bars dotted around the sparsely populated cities and spaceports, as there always were. The bugs were swarming, the sun was beating down and the humidity was sweltering. Everyone seemed to be dressed lightly, the local thuggery enjoying themselves in this particular cantina, the Jungle Fever, were all being quite civil all things considered, though they all stank and were sweating like a Gamorean on a bad day.

And yet, one particular man seemed nonplussed by the heat, the prevalent insects and the sweltering humidity. Ol' Bob Abbotangelo was laughing boisterously as he regaled the entire cantina - whether they had been listening or not - about his younger years as a soldier.

"So there he is, lying on the ground both arms blown off, and this man growls to me, 'Hand me my knife.' And so I do! I flip the ruined blade over and hold it out to him, and you know what he does? He takes it in his mouth and charges again!" The Abbot laughs, downs one of the mugs of miscellaneous alcohol placed in front of him and slams it down before yelling loudly "A toast! To my late great friend, Johnny Two Hands!" And with that, he picks up another mug and slams it back as well, looking like the toxic substance doesn't even affect him while the rest of the enraptured audience all made their own toasts.

@Pyrenees

 

[Beldan Bray]

Felucia. Beldan had visited the planet during his younger years, but never while on duty. He considered himself lucky as the insects never seemed to bother with doing whatever it is they did against him. The humidity and warmth, however, that was a truer enemy to the Gran who preferred the more temperate or even colder climates. Regardless, here he was and seeing as the planet proved to be utterly indifferent towards his complaints, Beldan's daily routines only consisted of working, grabbing some food and sleeping.

Finding himself on the second step of his routine, Beldan had already been eating at the Jungle Fever for a period of time. Any kind of social contact was no real interest of his, something which was rather clearly marked as the three-eyed alien was the lone occupant of a booth in the otherwise busy cantina. Without anything else to do while eating, listening to the old man's tales was rather hard to avoid. But then, the tales which were told did interest the lonesome eater enough to throw the elder a few glances from time to time - even raising his glass in a toast along with a few other guests.

The Gran picked up his food and drink and walked over to the story teller's table "Mind if I have a seat?" His speech was slow and the question blunt. Beldan had figured that he might as well listen to the tales from up close, but seemed to regret the move as he awaited the old man's response, arms holding a half finished plate, a glass and some cutlery.

@Shax

 

[Robert Abbotangelo]

With another belly laugh that put grins on the faces of the local yokels, Bob took a few moments to chew some food that had been placed in front of him without his request. He was fairly confident it was as a thanks from the establishment for his boisterous tales! Either that or he was eating someones food, but no one seemed to bother him about it so he payed it no mind and continued to chew happily.

He was in the middle of his second bite of some anomalous bug like creature when a young Gran approached his table and spoke clearly to him, asking to take a seat and seemingly already prepared to move. The language was a little halting, but the portly man payed it no mind as he looked up and smiled immediately, pushing the food to the side of his mouth as spoke with a muffled volume thanks to the delectable food in his mouth. "But of course my boy!" He nodded to a seat directly adjacent to him, swallowing his food in order to give the Gran a wide smile.

Once the Gran was seated, Bob pulled out a flask from the many folds of his robe while simultaneously grasping the Grans mug once he put it down, flinging out the contents over his shoulder before filling the glass halfway with his own brew. A homemade beer he had been perfecting for years. "Here drink this, better than whatever Swillian Ale is that they are always harping on about. at outrageous prices might I add!" He said, huffing out a chuckle.

 

[Beldan Bray]

The joyous elder certainly seemed friendly as he welcomed Beldan. It was not every day he was called boy, especially not by other races where many found it difficult to decipher the age of a Gran - but then, the storyteller did look rather old, it wouldn't surprise him if the man thought of everyone as youngsters. The table manners of his new neighbour was not of the most civil kind which Beldan appreciated as he wouldn't have to think of the social game so much himself. "Thank you" the Gran said as he sat down and planted the plate and glass on the table. It took both one and two moments before Beldan mustered a stale smile, confirming his appreciation of sharing the table with his new neighbour.

The Bray simply watched as the elder emptied his mug, a million thoughts floated around his head - this was, for sure, a new experience for him. The Gran stretched slightly to view where the contents of his glass went: No damage done, but someone would have to clean the floor at some point. With a neutral expression on his face, the Gran watched as the contents of the flask were transferred to his glass. He didn't have much time to react to it all, but it was far from certain that he would've reacted even if the man was slower. "The prices are indeed higher here than at the other establishments in town." he noted as he picked up the glass. He had considered whether his new neighbour's offer was safe to drink and decided to wait for a few moments, just to see if anything would happen if he let the liquid rest. "I am Beldan Bray. Who are you?" The statement was monotone but at least the Gran, master of small talk, managed to imbue the question with some sense of curiosity.

 

[Robert Abbotangelo]

Noticing the new friend seem a little hesitant to drink his homemade brew, Bob nonchalantly took a swig out of the flask he had just used to pour the drink. Just to make sure Beldan knew it was safe. Besides, if he really wanted to poison someone, there is no way he would do so in a manner like that! If he were to do it, he would most certainly be much sneakier, maybe add a few drops of window cleaner to whatever mixture he makes just to make it extra fun.

Bob nodded to Beldan when he introduced himself, replying with his trademark good cheer. "The names Robert Abbotangelo! You can call me Robert, or Bob, or even Bobert! I'm not too picky." He chuckled. He took a swig of his own brew, having taste tested most of the miscellaneous drinks that were available here at the Jungle Fever - While he was regaling the dispersing audience with the tales of his youth, and the infamous Johnny Two hands, known for having less than two hands. - And found them most unpalatable, so he was just sticking to his own dear favorite for now.

"So my dear Beldan, what brings you here to ferocious Felucia? Treasure hunting? Pining after a lost Lover? C'mon tell me a story my boy!" He said with a good natured smile, elbowing the Gran energetically to try and get him to open up a bit.

 

[Beldan Bray]

Gazing upon his new table-mate, Beldan didn't think it would be very likely that the drink was poisoned. After all, the human drank from it himself and didn't seem to be puking blood or anything of the like yet. Still, the Gran very much enjoyed finishing started experiments, even when their results were already rather clear. With a still hand, he kept the glass static while listening to his neighbour.

The three-eyed alien mumbled the different versions of Robert's name while considering which one he liked the best. Finally, he locked eyes with his, soon to be, drinking partner "It is a pleasure to meet you Robert Abbotangelo. In that case, I will refer to you as Bobert, I already know a Robert" The Gran struggled with Bobert's family name but other than that, his words came out in a rather formal manner. They had, however, just met and Beldan knew how pleasantries like these were supposed to be faced with some kind of enthusiasm or optimism. Just like before, he provided his neighbour with a delayed smile.

There was no real secret about why the Gran was on Felucia, but he was not one who was quick to respond, barely managing to get out a short "I.." before feeling the elbow of his relatively grand mate hit his side. Regardless of Beldan's good balance and quick reflexes, the drink he held was put into violent motion inside the glass from the impact. Looking down at the glass for a few moments, Beldan raised it close to his nose to have a smell - now that his experiment was no more, he might as well just taste it. The brew did seem to have a fine aroma to it but before drinking, he once again made an effort at answering the question. "My primary objective here is to gather statistical samples, analyze them and monitor trends. Mostly in regards to population, but I recently found certain parts of the fauna to be interesting too."

After finishing the sentence, Beldan raised the mug a little to have a sip from its contents. Lowering the mug slightly, the Gran almost seemed to be frozen for a couple of seconds as he enjoyed the brew thoroughly. After a blink of his eyes, a low "mm" could be heard before he once again raised the glass to have a few more clunks.

@Shax

 

[Robert Abbotangelo]

Bob nodded happily, not often people referred to him as Bobert and it was always funny when they did. He particularly enjoyed the name even if some other folks often used it as an insult. Thinking in their small tiny little pea brains that the blending of the diminutive version of his name and his actual name was somehow an insult. It wasn't, because Bobert was a funny name that Ol' Bob could laugh at.

He listened intently as Beldan explained his purpose on the planet, and while it wasn't necessarily the story he would have hoped for, Bob accepted it without comment. "I see, I see. Very similar to myself in fact!" He laughed, as he tends to do. "Yes, I was sent here by our oh so benevolent bastards in the government to 'test' some substances myself." Bob looked happy that Beldan enjoyed his drink, and filled his glass back to the top with his seemingly endless supply of flasks.

"So!" He started, with a slightly tipsy shout. "You want to get the lay of the land here in whatever this planet passes as a jungle, you just stick with Ol' Bobert. He'll make sure you are all spic and span by the time you are ready to leave this gods forsaken baby jungle. Yessiree."

Suddenly, Bob leaned in again to talk to Beldan. "You know, I knew a Gran once, when I was a soldier. Best damn engineer this side of Kuat. Had a penchant for explosives and really awful luck. Now you would expect this to be a sad story but his awful luck only translated to the enemy. Yep, thats right, my friendly Gran managed to have such bad luck, the enemy couldn't do anything about him. That was until he blew himself and the rest of his target up with only a grenade, but I digress. Perhaps there is some relation between you two?" He said, his eyes a little glossed over with the memory.

@Pyrenees

 

[Beldan Bray]

Beldan was rather glad about the steady supply of brew and enjoyed the drink thoroughly. He was no quick drinker and tended to take his time savouring the flavours, which is exactly what he did this time to. The Gran wanted to ask further about Bobert's job but was a tad to slow since his newfound mate started talking about traveling. Beldan was mentally preparing a response as the jolly old man suddenly leaned in to speak to him again, prompting the three-eyed alien to recoil slightly in order to enlarge his personal space.

The Gran felt like he owed his neighbour some responses as he never took the chance to do so before Bobert went on to the next topic. Setting down his glass on the table and taking out a datapad from his pocket, Beldan started writing down several notes in order to better remember what had been said and to structure his answers.

"I do not think I know the person you speak of, Bobert. Judging by your advanced.. uhm.." he begun, but paused for a moment as he considered whether it was a too blunt to bring up his neighbour's age or not. Finally deciding that it was acceptable, he continued "..age, this Gran might have been from before my time. Regardless, none of the Gren I know deserve the title 'best damn engineer this side of Kuat' although I do know of someone who was blown up by a grenade. But it couldn't be him - it was a particularly adventurous fellow who blew himself up during my initial year in the academy" Giving himself a satisfied nod, Beldan struck a few lines from his notes and went on to the next part.

"Getting a better sense for the local landscape would be good for me. Although some of the local wildlife might not be very good for me. Still, a tour would be most appreciated." The three-eyed alien once again looked down at his notes and concluded that he had said what needed to be said about the matter. With another nod, he struck a few lines before moving on to the final matter. "How interesting that we're working within similar fields. What is it that they have you do?" he asked and after a short glance at his notes, the Gran once again nodded before finally putting the datapad away.

@Shax

 

[Robert Abbotangelo]

When Beldan mentioned his age, Bob guffawed. The monotone delivery was perfect, and the mildly inebriated man just had to laugh. Though the Gran may not be exactly socially competent, he was still a joy to be around. At least he was different from the other riff raff that Bob tended to consort with. And to think, he was working on the sciency stuff too!

"Cheers to Gran's and grenades!" Bob said, raising his glass in a toast to the Gran in Beldan's story. Always happy to hear stories of stupidity, making him feel better about his own intelligence. He continued to chuckle as Beldan spoke about a tour. Bob could show you how to survive in the jungle with nothing but a loincloth and a paperclip, but he hadn't had the time to go exploring on this particular planet, so they would really just be wandering around, lost, looking for interesting things. Never a bad thing, but not too productive.

"Well personally I'm'a workin' on the medicinal application of the various plants that can be found here. I haven't started yet, because I've found good company here!" He took another swig, somehow in no way affected by the copious spirits he had consumed over the last several hours. "So I've postponed my wanderings for a bit. Get a better lay of the land so to speak."

"Really what I'd like to be doing has nothing to do with my task, yet here I am. I'd much rather be somewhere coreward, maybe setup a distillery and retire. But! This aint' that kinda galaxy my friend, so I've got to make the best of it. What would you want to do if you could do anything you wanted?" Bob said, watching Beldan intently.

@Pyrenees

 

[Beldan Bray]

Beldan weren't sure if Bobert had horrible work ethics or if he just recently arrived to the planet as the man elaborated on his reason for not having started his work yet. After a moments reflection upon Bobert's profession, the Gran threw a quick glance at his drink as he wondered if it contained anything out of the ordinary. The concoction did taste rather good and without too much concern, Beldan kept drinking.

The jolly old man kept speaking and introduced the Gran to what he hoped to do in the future. "What prevents you from retiring? I have not studied medicine but Kolto seems to be the solution to most things." he asked. Despite his interest in the matter, the Gran's voice was still relatively monotone and his face was stale - his interest did, however, show as he lean his head forth towards Abbotangelo while listening for an answer. It didn't take long for Beldan to remember the second part of what his companion said.

The three-eyed alien pondered upon the matter for a while before finally raising his hand, showing all six fingers. "I would like to create galactic prosperity." Taking hold of the first finger, he begun "First of all, the Empire needs to defeat her enemies and subjugate more planets" Beldan appeared to be making a list as he moved on to take hold of his second finger "Then we need to establish a functioning and fair justice system under which citizens feel justly treated." Moving on, he grabbed his third finger "Thirdly, we need to expand our trade networks as the lanes are too dangerous and the trade obstacles too many today." It might've appeared as if the Gran had thought about this matter before as he speedily moved on to his fourth finger "It is also important to have a strong system which can curb crime, whether it is done through fear, or good intelligence doesn't matter much." With only two fingers left to go, Beldan moved on to the fifth one "And we need to reinforce the meritocratic system of ours to ensure that the Empire will always be served by the best people available."

Beldan regarded his sixth finger for quite some time - he hadn't thought of more than five points. Instead of making up another point which needed to be done in order to create galactic prosperity, he slowly lowered the sixth finger before taking a long sip from the jug.

"What about you?"

@Shax

 

[Robert Abbotangelo]

Well, he couldn't really say that his research wasn't exactly for the traditional medical fields if you catch his imaginary drift. A lot of what he did involved the creation of drugs that weren't really intended to heal anything, more so to find information as an example. Well, he couldn't really talk about that in public, in private maybe, but not in a busy cantina.

He listened intently as Beldan listed off his points, and while he disagreed with a few of them, others he was more than on board with. "Well galactic prosperity is all well and good, but we should really rephrase that to Imperial prosperity. As long as the quality of life is good within our Empire then domestic crime is ultimately a non issue. Therefore we have the time to overhaul our justice system if need be." Bob took a sip of his brew, letting himself process the rest of the question. "Trade should in my eyes be heavily monitored. We need to become denser as a state, consolidate what we have, and make the rest of the Galaxy reliant on our exports."

Bob took a breath, he knew he wasn't exactly spouting off the common Imperial propaganda here. "There would be no need for war if we control the lions share of trade. If we had free internal trade, planets would simply apply to be annexed so as to get rid of external tariffs. No need for conquest, and that in and of itself strengthens our meritocracy by forcing us to think instead of fight."

"The Mandalorian's though?" Bob huffed a disgruntled chuckle. "They've got to go. No place for them in a peaceful galaxy." Bob wasn't a racist, he only hated two things in the galaxy, people intolerant of other peoples cultures and the Mandalorian's.

@Pyrenees

 

[Beldan Bray]

Social interactions, small talk, chatter in general - those things never appealed much to the Gran, but this conversation was turning towards something he found rather interesting. He couldn't help but to feel quite fortunate as the old man next to him elaborated on his own ideas. Beldan listened patiently while finishing up his plate. Naturally, he also brought up his datapad to take a few notes as Bobert spoke. If there was one thing he knew about conversations, it was that structure and order could only improve things. And putting it all down on print worked to remove unnecessary emotions and non-important messages conveyed through the other person's way of speaking.

With a dismissive waving motion of his hand, Beldan started brushing off the Mandalorian matter "As for the Mandalorians, I will refer to step one". The three-eyed alien forcefully struck a point from his notes but soon looked up and added "Which was for the Empire to defeat her enemies and subjugate more planets. Many more planets might be a more appropriate expression" He was still talking slowly, but it was noticeable how he was picking up the pace as his eagerness and investment in the conversation increased.

Bray looked down at his notes again, putting his finger on one of the notes before looking back up at Bobert "As for your point on galactic prosperity versus Imperial prosperity, I would once again like to refer to point one which will make the two synonymous." He struck another point from his notes, and making the same consideration as last time, he once again repeated what the first point was.

The Gran seemed a rather interested as he considered his next note. "Bobert, you are as wise as you are rou..." Beldan stopped right in the middle of the word as he realized that he was about to make a grave social mistake. With a sigh, he 'corrected' himself "... as you are intelligent. There was an error in translation" The alien looked down at his notes for a while before resuming "It is important that the people feel like they are treated justly, but you are right, of course, food, housing, prosperity comes first. Point two and three should switch places in the order." With that, he wrote down a comment among the notes and struck another one before once again realizing that it would be nice of him to remind the man of the steps. Without even looking up from his datapad, Beldan repeated point two and three before moving on.

Then, he read all the remaining notes at once and soon raised his head to speak "I agree that making the rest of the galaxy dependent on our trade would be a good move towards increased stability, and perhaps even long term annexation. But while wit and skill in the academic fields should be valued, it must also be important to value the Sith." The Gran's monotone speech could make a rodian at the Lusty Lekku fall asleep, but Bobert was no Rodian and Beldan didn't care much as he finished his last sentence "Without the Sith and the rule of the strong, the state would loose all sense of direction. Chaos would ensure. No, we need to keep the Sith in power." With that said, Beldan struck the last notes on his datapad.

@Shax

 

[Robert Abbotangelo]

Bob was listening intently. Most other Imperials spouted off what was just the word of the government, just said what they were told to say. And to an extent, Beldan seemed to echo those sentiments. However, the key difference between the many Imperial stooges and Beldan, was that Beldan actually seemed to enjoy talking about the state of the Empire and how it could be improved. It gave Bob a surge of hope in his old bones to see the younger generation so engaged with their society.

He was however, disappointed with the young gran's stance on the Sith. "My boy, the Sith are not the only beings in this galaxy that can lead. And it is my personal opinion, that a religious group of generally angry, murderous, and tyrannical people is not the group I want to follow. The Sith may have had their moments, and have had their great leaders just like everyone else, but the vast majority of them are... lacking."

"In a perfect world, I would like to see an election of an Imperial Dictator rather than the appointment of a Sith Emperor." He took a drink to consider his words carefully. "Recent history has shown that blood and strength isn't enough. Many of our recent monarchs have been weak leaders. They may have been powerful Sith, but they were not powerful men and women."

"If we truly wanted a meritocracy for those in our government, then the selection of Dictator for life from amongst our best and brightest would be a far greater boon than submitting to someone because of their family."

@Pyrenees

 

[Beldan Bray]

The old man was proposing some radical changes to say the least. The thought of replacing the Sith Emperor with a Dictator, seemingly without a requirement for them to be a Sith, sounded treasonous to the Gran's ears. But, a loyal servant of the Empire shouldn't have too much to fear as long as they served faithfully and kept a good judgement about where they spoke and how they spoke about it - at least that's what Beldan hoped. Regardless, there was no doubt that he felt a little uncomfortable with these drastic ideas, but as was often the case, his facial expressions and tonalities could be hard to decipher for someone not very familiar with the Gran. The conversation seemed to be going rather smoothly as he no longer felt the need to note everything down.

"First of all, I want to clarify that I haven't advocated any form of dynastic state." he said as a reaction to Bobert's comments about bloodlines and monarchs "But rule of the strong however, that has worked. Just look back at our first Drast who gained her power by traditional means and entered our Empire into a golden era which lasted for centuries. All golden eras come to an end eventually, and this one primarily ended because we moved away from the rule of the strong. But now, things are turning around, with Emperor Vrael - very competent, who was succeeded by the Emperor who have already proven himself." The Gran smacked his lips a couple of times, feeling a little dry after speaking.

After taking a few clunks from his glass, he continued "Now, to the idea of opening up the highest position to those who aren't Stih" he said before trailing off. After wandering about in his own thoughts for a while, Beldan finally returned "No, I think keeping the strongest in power is for the best. They will keep the stability much better, as could be seen when comparing the Old Empire to the Imperial Republica." Beldan's distaste for the latter faction could be heard, despite his tendency to be relatively hard to read. "There may be those more qualified in statecraft or other areas which the ruler might need, but they can still make use of their knowledge by advising those in power. And I would like to note that it is rare for those lacking in brains to rise to Emperorship with the current state of things."

"Besides, a singular dictator might not even be the best choice if we decided to move away from the rule of the strong. A board of directors might be more appropriate - the ones who grow old and dull could be replaced without too much difficulty and we could instead have directors specialized in their own field. The board would be less vulnerable if a member was suddenly taken out of action compared to the singular dictator. The advantages in regards to stability could be maintained as the board would work as a similar constant."

 

[Robert Abbotangelo]

Bob conceded Beldan's clarification with a nod. Usually most conversations like this tended to revolve around the seemingly divine mandate to rule that the Emperor had, and whether or not such a thing actually existed. Often Bob ended up being shouted down as anti-Imperial, which was most certainly not the case. He just didn't see the actual position of Emperor as necessary for the Empire's survival.

Bob was a little surprised with Beldan when he advocated for the Sith. It was pretty obvious the Gran valued strength, but the Sith were little more than men and women who had the powers of magic. They weren't any more difficult to kill than your average veteran soldier. It was a little surprising to hear him speak with such vitriol - though it seemed that 'such vitriol' was merely a slight tightening of the eyes and a bit of a growl. - about the Imperial Republica. Now Bob was no big advocate of the democratic process, he actually saw it as inefficient. He would much rather deal with the tyranny of the few than the tyrrany of the masses.

His suggestion for a board of directors however was a good one. "Instead of a board of directors, maybe a small triumvirate? Thinking about that now actually, we basically have that. What with the Emperor, the Dark Lord, and the Grand Moff..." Bob finished with a contemplative 'hrmm' before looking back up at Beldan. "I guess ultimately I find that having Sith as our only option for high leadership to be foolhardy. They are good at conquest, but not governance and stability. Such is the result of preaching the cultivation of anger and the pursuit of power to literally anyone who would listen." Bob chuckled, though he didn't find much humor in his own words.

"Alright, how about a council of seven members? At the top, or the seventh member would of course be the Emperor, next would be the Grand Moff and Dark lord, and the next four would be members from all walks of life in the Empire? Folks like one of our generals, our intelligence director, one of our admirals, and perhaps even an elected representative for the people? A man who wouldn't necessarily hold power with the council beyond a vote, but would serve by keeping the council aware of the average person's needs?"

@Pyrenees

 

[Beldan Bray]

Beldan decided not to delve further into the topic about saying yea or nay to the Sith. He was already discussing a form of government which was not his first choice, and wasn't even sure if the rule of the strong would actually be good if the went for something similar to a board of directors.

"A triumvirate or a council of seven?" Beldan asked rhetorically - not to make a particular point, but rather to list the options he just heard. "I haven't thought about the optimal number but I think it could even work with twenty members as long as they made their decisions efficiently - which can be hard with too many members. Too few members, might lead to greater power struggles. What saves us from that now is the clear hierarchy among the roles you listed" after a short pause, he amended what he had said "rather clear hierarchy".

The Gran nodded slowly "The board of seven could work but calling anyone within that board an Emperor doesn't seem right. Chairman or President perhaps? Now with those details out of the way: I think your ideas of bringing people in from a wide array of roles is interesting. But why not let the board choose a director freely? There may be a risk of corruption, which could be countered by a larger board, but if it worked, we could truly gain leaders of merit - all working to further the Empire's spread throughout the galaxy. Having someone elected could give the people false hope or plant the seeds of evil in their minds. I would like to avoid that and hope that another member could keep track of normal people - perhaps the director of intelligence if he happened to be part of the board. What functions that needs filling should ideally be decided by those with the greatest understanding of the Empire and her situation - which should be the board."

@Shax

 

[Robert Abbotangelo]

Beldan, as always, brought up good points. Though Bob didn't think that calling each member of this hypothetical board an 'emperor' was a good idea, much like his three eyed contemporary. He was a little disappointed that Beldan thought a member that represented the people would somehow poison the rest of the boards minds.

"I figure we would have only one Emperor who has purview on all matters, maybe go back to its root word and call it Imperator. Basically they would be head of the board and therefore head of the state. They would be the tie breaker, and would have authority over everyone on the board, but could still be outvoted by the other 'directors.'" Bob nodded to himself as he went along, forming the thought as he spoke.

"And the person appointed to represent the people wouldn't necessarily have any power or special privileges beyond a vote, he would simply be the representative who would bring forth problems that the common man would face. Things we could improve on for daily Imperial life." Bob took a deep swig of his brew until the glass was empty, though he didn't bother to refill it. "Simply put, I don't think government should be purely military. I think it should have the largest part, as its whole point is to facilitate the day to day life of the common folk to its safest and happiest degree, but it should only be a part. The common man should have a say, but the tyranny of the masses is far worse than the tyranny of one or several men."

It was strange to be having such an entertaining political discussion, when surrounded by various aliens in a bar on a jungle world. Though you had to take these conversations where you could get em' as they wouldn't come around all the time.

@Pyrenees

 

[Beldan Bray]

Speaking to Bobert was a thoroughly pleasant experience as the man came with well thought out responses and seemed to appreciate the actual discussion, not just wanting to get into a lighter topic like simpler beings. Beldan nodded as his new mate described the role of the Imperator. They might've had different ideas of what the title should be called, but they had the same idea of what it should mean - and that was what mattered the most to the Gran.

He shrugged lightly as the elder spoke of the elected representative again. "Are the people truly the ones who are the best suited to decide on who it is that knows their issues? I don't think so. Just look at the Republic of old - when lucky, they picked brilliant minds and competent leaders - when unlucky, they picked actors, artists and buffoons. The risk would be reduced if the rest of the board got to decide on what person they needed." he said while thinking back of an age far gone. He also took note of how Bobert didn't seem to counter his point about elections and thought that it would be prudent to counter the argument. "And let me reiterate my earlier point: I am afraid that the people, the masses, could have a seed of democracy and rebel secessionist ideals planted in their minds if they got to choose one of the board members."

After thinking for a while, Beldan nodded at the final part of Bobert's comment "Yes. Having someone oversee sectors such as finances, justice and education, separate from pure military interests could be important, but there might be a point to keeping the civilian representatives in a clear minority. But then of course, it might be even better if the board got to appoint new members themselves. And as for the tyranny of the masses versus the tyranny of the few - well, you are correct of course, Tyranny of the few is a far better way. Both in regards to prosperity and peace."

@Shax

 

[Robert Abbotangelo]

As the conversation shifted more into a philosophical discussion about the nature of tyranny and the voice of the common man, Bob was forced to put his thinkin' boots on. There were quadrillions of beings in the galaxy, and each thought they knew best how to live their own lives and govern their own peoples. They were of course wrong, because if they were correct, they would be governing themselves right now, instead of subsisting an existence underneath the boot of the Empire or the Mandalorians.

And for those planets who lauded their independence as some sort of birthright, Bob held little but contempt. They would be absorbed soon enough, unless they banded together, there is no way they could hope to withstand the might of the Empire. Or even the ridiculous Mandalorians, and their pseudo-culture.

"No I do not believe everyone should have a voice in decisions my friend. Simply put, there are enough people in this galaxy, or even in the Empire, that are so stupid or sycophantic, that nothing would ever get done. I do think there are some who should have a voice. Maybe institute a system where service in the military guarantee's a vote on your homeworlds planetary governors. Therefore only men who have experience could rise to these positions."

"As for rebels, we already have them. They will be a problem as long as people believe that they know better than someone else. They are simply a pest we will have to deal with as time wears on. Our expansion has already resumed after the recent year's struggles. And the people I've spoken too seemed quite pleased with this fact. Methinks the average Imperial is proud to serve the Empire, and it is a vast few who want to rebel."

"Regardless, a board is a fanciful idea. Neither of us are in a position to institute such a radical idea, and I've got a sneaking suspicion that our good Emperor wouldn't like dividing his executive power up amongst several others." Bob said contemplatively, wondering how his good buddy Beldan would respond.

@Pyrenees

 

[Beldan Bray]

Beldan gave his friend a nod, it was good that Bobert didn't feel like arguing for widespread democracy. "If we would elect to have a voting system.." he begun, finding his choice of words to be rather amusing. "..I agree that it would be a good idea to limit which people can vote. Although a broader scope than the military might be warranted, both if we go by the percentage of fools in different groups and if we go by the idea of letting the needs of common people to be brought to the table." His next point would fit in rather well with the talk of rebels which the old man continued with.

The Gran was surprised by how vastly their perceptions of reality varied and hoped that it was only a misunderstanding. He thought for both one and two moments before stating "Well, there are the Mandalorians, and the Galactic Alliance. I don't think there needs to be a overwhelmingly large population which wants to revolt in order to create a movement against Imperial interests and creating a system to counter anti-Imperial sentiments would be good. That includes preventing people from falsely thinking that they should have a say in how the state is ruled by allowing them to participate in elections. It also includes working for and achievement of stability and prosperity. But back to those who want to rebel: I too, think that the vast majority are glad with the current state of things, but a small minority can achieve a great deal of damage and then inspire others to join them."

Shaking his head, Beldan agreed with Bobert's guess "You are probably right, Bobert. I suppose I am lucky to like the system then. As long as the system of the rule of the strong is truly maintained, I believe that we will be alright. The strong are often sensible enough to either heed the words of experts or even delegate some of their powers to subordinates." he said, ending with a nod as he finished the sentence.

@Shax