Ask Belasco Just Another Brick in the Wall

Korre Belasi

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> Korre, I don't know who else to turn to. Can we talk?

Korre was not expecting to receive a random message from the senator of Gannaria, nor was she expecting it to be so vague or worrying.

Of course. I'll have the palace prepare for your arrival. <

Still, she would not deny the woman an ear, despite being in mourning herself. Upon arriving on Belasco, Victoria would have been brought to meet Korre in her study where the woman was waiting with tea and a small plate of scones. By then, Korre had heard the news: Celeste Stythani dead in custody. Some believed it was suicide, others believed that the Jedi had murdered the woman. The woman had held her own judgment thus far.

When the consul entered the room, Korre would stand, unsure of what exactly it was Victoria needed.

@Xorism
 

Victoria

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It wasn't like Victoria had ever really spoken with the former FWA Prime Minister about personal matters, heck it was even hard to remember if they had ever spoken at all. But that didn't matter with the way everything had gone down recently. For the first time since coming to into politics, the consul felt so very alone and just maybe, Korre would somehow understand.

Victoria arrived dressed plainly, solemnly making her way into the room with a face lacking any color but the reddish hues underlining her eyes. The pressures of being a galactic face were one thing, representing a planet that wasn't exactly supportive of your ideals in the first place was another and then there was this. The sudden news had hit her like a sack of bricks, without warning or time to prepare her worst fear had come true and now she sat wondering how to deal with it on top of everything else.

"I...I'm sorry to bother you." Victoria's speech limbered through as she drew on her own strength to continue into what just started to tumble out emotionally. "I keep making mistakes, it all feels so....overwhelming. Quitting before my time isn't something I've ever wanted to do, but you know...with everything...I just don't know if it's the right choice anymore."

The consul's face was distraught and confused, but never without an ounce of hope hiding away somewhere. Korre had found her own little place in the galaxy and Victoria hoped to glean something from her that might help her own journey, wherever that may lead her



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Korre Belasi

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Korre listened intently while Victoria ranted, her face passive but relaxed. She had never been good at this sort of emotional support stuff, but she could be an ear to listen to, a shoulder to cry on, or a voice of reason. Even in the midst of her own grief, she could manage that.

"Do you want advice, or do you just need to get everything out?" she asked, crossing her legs and leaning forward toward the Gannarian woman. Victoria's answer would determine Korre's approach. She secretly hoped she said 'advice', because there was already a lot on the Belascan's mind.

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Victoria caught herself at the end of her little rant, realizing that it had gotten a little rambling and sorry for herself. It was quite unlike her to have such an emotional outburst in public, but that just showed the difficulties that were weighing her down.

"I'm sorry, uhm yes. I was hoping to ask for your advice."

There were complicated answers to complicated questions and then there were simple answers to simple questions. The Consul was unsure which she had posed and which would be answered but for the moment she would listen intently.



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Korre Belasi

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Korre nodded. She hadn't paid a whole lot of attention to what was going on in the Free Worlds for some time now, but she knew enough to know that Victoria had not been very popular with her people for some time now.

"Sometimes it's important to recognize patterns and act on them," she began slowly. "There's a difference between quitting, taking a break, and looking to put your efforts elsewhere."

An attendant arrived in the room, and Korre paused. He set down a saucer with two teacups, a steaming kettle, and small saucers with milk and sugar. She thanked him by name - "Florin" - then turned her attention back to Victoria after he had exited the room. "Tea?"

She poured both of them a cup, then added sugar and milk to hers before continuing.

"I'm going to be honest with you - I don't know what's best for your people, or even you. That's something you're going to have to figure out yourself. Nor am I very good at comforting people, but I can help you try and look at things objectively. So let's start there.

"You don't hold a lot of support with your people. You don't share the same values. Do you think your time is better spent fighting them on this, or finding other venues in which to pursue your goals?"
she asked. She had more to say on the subject, but she wanted to hear Victoria's perspective first.

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Victoria sat there in consideration of what Korre had said. "Hmm." It was an interesting way of looking at things and one she had previously been ignoring. As the attendant arrived , the tension in her face briefly returned before slowly settling. Watching quietly as the man diligently completed his job until hie timely exit.

"Yes please." Taking the cup and adding milk and sugar herself, stirring as to avoid burning the milk.

There was something to be said about honesty. Sometimes you just needed to hear the hard truths that had been staring you in the face the whole time. What might she be holding herself back from by being so stubborn in trying to change Gannaria?

"I want to help people, and I guess that's easier when they actually appreciate it. I still have a huge soft spot for my little rock in the outer rim but what you say is true. Sometimes I feel like I was only elected because i wasn't my predecessor rather than I had any real support."





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Korre Belasi

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Korre could only discern what Victoria was feeling from the emotions she showed plainly on her face. She was not the type to pick up on subtle signs or details, but it seemed to her as if the senator was at least considering her words. In a way, it felt weird to consul and advise someone while her chest ached so heavily with grief, but the Belascan's soft smile never faltered.

"How do you want to help people?" Korre asked. She repeated herself, emphasizing what she really meant. "What specific changes do you want to make? What are your goals?" All she wanted Victoria to do was to really think - and she meant really think - about what she wanted to do. Korre had spoken with many senators over the years. Few of them she would label 'good people'. Victoria was someone she might consider a good person if she wasn't being deceived with crocodile tears and the Gannarian's heart really was in the right place. But change didn't come on the whim of wanting it really badly. It was work, and a whole damn load of it.

She would let Victoria think for a bit and come up with an answer before they continued, even if it was 'I don't know.'

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That was another hard question to answer and one that the consul had spent countless nights mulling over. The fact that she couldn't actually come up with a good answer to it should have spoken volumes, yet she could never bring herself to admit that she was stuck.

"Does one need specific goals or enact specific things in order to do good? I.." her words hung in the air momentarily as her mind wandered back to her youth. Victoria had been a troubled teenager, trapped in a cycle of abusive alcoholism and gambling before somehow finding the strength to get her life back together. One thing she had realized was that there were many more out there like herself, stuck and without a helping hand they would remain so.

"Does it make you a good or bad leader if the changes you want to enact are not popular? Of course, everyone would say that they would only want what's best for their people, but finding that line and not crossing it is a difficult path. I want to protect those who cannot protect themselves, I want to be the rock that they can build from, but I guess, right now this is what I'm looking for myself."

Victoria fell into a quiet contemplation before looking up and looking Korre in the eye and holding back a sniffle. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to be so self-indulging. How are you?" Was she trying to deflect away from potentially heavy-hitting questions? perhaps, but the discussion would soon turn to some very difficult areas and the consul was hesitant to consider how she would answer them.




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Korre Belasi

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Korre's eyes widened, evidence of her approval as Victoria began to answer. Did Victoria need specific goals to do good? Did it make her a good or bad leader if she pushed unpopular changes? The Belascan was more than happy to begin the debate; she was more than ready to push back at Victoria to challenge the Gannarian's point of view. It brought her back to her days on her university's speech and debate team, back when the goal was much different than any sort of political debate she'd spoken in since.

But Victoria paused for some reason, apologized, and asked about... how she was?

The answer was not good. Victoria would see it in Korre's expression first. Her smile faltered - the edges of her peachy lips falling just slightly - and her eyebrows lowered out of their attentive raise. Korre did not wish to talk about how she was doing. So she would make that clear with a bit of a morbid statement. "My best friend was murdered- " Victoria would've heard the news. The Belascan's friendship with the doctor was not widely known, but the two had collaborated on WHO together, and had been seen together multiple times. "- so, not well."

Moving on. "You challenged my question, so I offer this challenge back: which do you think brings results faster: concrete and achievable goals, or good, broad intentions?" She paused, allowing Victoria a moment to think before continuing. "To your second question: you're right. The definitions of 'good' and 'bad' are entirely subjective. But in order to make change, especially as a senator, you will want the support of your people, otherwise you're fighting them on top of fighting whatever you're trying to change."

Korre took a sip of her tea, uncrossing and re-crossing her ankles as she did. "What have you done to try and change your people's perspectives?"

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Nothing would have prepared Victoria for the sudden and sharp pang of guilt that hit her square in the stomach. When Korre dropped the metaphorical bomb that her best friend had likewise died, no, was murdered, her own problems seemed to fade away momentarily as concern for her new acquaintance kicked in. It seemed that they both shared a horrible moment together, knowing each other's pain in more ways than one.

Victoria tried to say something, but words failed her in that moment. It was a horrible feeling that she had felt, with the stories that had been told about Celeste but if the Jedi were correct, it had been by her own hand. Whereas Korre's friend had been robbed of her life. They were not the same in the slightest, yet both friends lived and ached all the same.

Korre wouldn't hear anything from Victoria but she would see that the consul clearly felt terrible, and wanted to say something, anything, that might help but nothing could be said. Instead the Gannarian took the subtle hint and moved along with the conversation, tensing up a little as they circled back to what now seemed like petty woes.

"Achievable goals, presumably. People respond better when they can measure their success whereas fewer can rely on trust alone. Although it doesn't hurt to have such intentions, if they cannot be implemented then they are as good as not being there."

Victoria nodded along with the second point that she made, agreeing with it entirely. It seemed like half her job was fighting the senate and the other half her people.

"Well, I had an incident some years back when a gang attempted to raise havok across the city. Between myself and a Jedi, we managed to push them out and tend to the wounded. I've worked hard to build relations with other planets for their prosperity, raise defense forces for their security but I'm still plagued by low support. I took a principled stand to defend the Jedi in public, and at the time the empire was at its height and looked poised to invade any day. I've been too scared to look at the polling data ever since, as I was almost thrown out for it."

She had been nearing the end of her term and had been wondering in the back of her mind whether to run again. Winning re-election would certainly raise her popularity, or completely sink it and be booted out. It was a risky move all things considering, but then again if she wasn't the senator from Gannaria, then perhaps she could move elsewhere, or try a private sector life ? her options were only as limited as her imagination.




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Korre Belasi

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Korre listened to Victoria speak, her unwavering blue eyes watching her, but she was fighting to keep her mind present. Ilana's death was encroaching on her mind, threatening to derail the Belascan's focus thus far. 'Focus, Korre!' What had Victoria just said? 'Something about her fear of looking at polling data?'

"Let's walk," the woman said abruptly, standing up and walking to the side of the couch Victoria was seated on. She would offer her arm to the Gannarian if she wished to take it and would then lead her out of the room that was becoming increasingly claustrophobic. "The gardens are closed off to the public today," she explained with a smile. "The change of scenery might do you well?"

On their way over, Korre continued the conversation. "You're frustrated because of what seems like fruitless labor," she stated, though the inflection hinted that it was more question than statement. "It is an unfortunate fact that support of the Jedi will always be a controversial, diving opinion." Korre's own opinion of the Jedi was a mixed bag. On one hand, she liked them for what they claimed their goal to be. On the other, she knew that hypocrisy tainted their ranks and that they often struggled to follow through with their promises. Recently though, she'd noticed they'd begun to change that little by little. She still wasn't the Grandmaster's biggest fan, though.

The two of them would be greeted by fresh, sea-breezed air upon stepping out into the royal gardens. Flush, green foliage and brightly colored flowers surrounded them on both sides. A pang of sadness cut at Korre's chest at the memory of walking here with Ilana not a year ago. 'Focus, Korre.'

"Perhaps increasing Jedi presence on Gannaria would help?" It was one thing to tell; it was another to show.

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Victoria happily stood up and took Korre's arm to get a change in scenery. Maybe that was a metaphor for them both in more than just a practical solution to their mutual trauma. Either way, once they did arrive outside the senator was completely taken in by the beauty and complexity that had gone into its care.

"I love it, thank you for bringing me here." Maybe someday she could return the favor and show Korre around Gannaria. It was quite a different planet to this one, but such a quirky little world had many beautiful spots to share. As they continued along, Korre spoke and Victoria listened.

"Well, that's true. I had tried to get some of their help before when the situation was desperate and they came. But just as quickly, they left on some important mission I guess." Victoria had a little experience recently working with a Jedi Councilor, by that fact and instead of calling on a mere knight perhaps there was a better chance of success if she took up Korre's idea.

"Hmm, it could be worth exploring at least, if the people see the good the Jedi bring and the receding of the Sith, perhaps they will change their minds. Although recent events even make me question who was right."

Her mind drifted back towards her lost friend, the connection to Korre's own loss bringing her back abruptly. "Oh, Korre forgive me. if you need someone to listen for your own needs, I am here for you too."



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Korre Belasi

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The Jedi were fickle. They might as well include it as a warning to others when they came to help. But again, Korre was not sure if this was a failure of character or a result of their small numbers.

"I appreciate that, Victoria," Korre responded to the woman's offer. Still, she did not find it in herself to place her troubles upon the Gannarian. She would not be comfortable with that, not at the moment.

Her blue eyes gazed out to the garden, making their way past the far arches and toward the great sprawling sea in the distance. Though she did not live here in the palace, Korre had set foot in this place many times since her childhood. It was comforting to see it remain a static sight throughout her life.

"Where did you grow up, Victoria?" she asked, changing the subject for now as she sought to better get to know the blonde woman.

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Victoria would keep the offer open but nodded quietly, knowing when not to push something like that. The pretty garden continued to impress her as they looked across it. There wasn't anything quite as impressive back home, something that the consul wondered about changing now that she thought about it.

"Oh, I was born on Gannaria actually. My parents had a small business working out of a spaceport which paid the bills and in good times, kept us quite busy. We were lucky one year to scrape enough together to purchase a small property just outside of the city, we were so very proud to be pulling ourselves out of barely getting by but the lean times were also harsh."

Victoria remembered her youth quite fondly, having worked for her parents for a number of years, the lessons she learned from them gave her strength even to this day.

"I remember one day my dad left the chicken coop open and we spent half the day chasing them around before finally getting them all back home. Oh, you should have seen the look my mother gave him at supper, it was soo funny but he didn't do that again. How about you? what was life like for you?"



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Korre thought, to some degree, Victoria's past was a reflection of herself now. She'd built up a way for herself and wanted to build up her planet as well. It was admirable.

"I grew up here, in Senta," Korre began, glancing behind them in the direction of the city. "I lived here, went to school here, and now I work here." Her mother was the duchess of the city, and her father, a former politician. She wasn't particularly close with either of them, but she appreciated them for the life they'd birthed her into. "It is a longstanding tradition that a member of the royal family serve as a senator to the galaxy, though when I first ran years ago, I ran against someone who was not."

"At first, there was some amount of talk about whether or not I - a STEM major - was qualified to serve as a senator." Korre laughed. "I think I did well to live up to the expectations."

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It was quite a pretty sight and the Consul fully intended to take in the tranquility and peace that came with it. Hearing a little bit about Korre's background, as she started to open up a little, was exciting, to say the least. Nodding along until she joined her in a chuckle.

"Of course you did, nobody could ask more of you than what you have already done. I do think that you have done quite well for yourself and you should be proud. I'd like to think that there is more for me to give, both in service to my community and the galactic. But that depends on whether what I do have to offer, is welcome or not."

Pausing for a moment of reflection, Victoria glanced over toward a small pink flower that drew her attention. "Do you think I have what it takes to be what is needed? I know that's a hard question to ask of you, considering how well we know each other but..."

A familiar smile returned to her face as she let the question linger in the air. "...I trust your judgment."



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