Queen Takes Pawn - Part 1
The transformation was striking. Gone were the curved machined columns, replaced by dark wood with gold carved edgings to cream panels, richly framed mirrors and paintings. It did remind Bail of Naboo as would be expected for the House of Palpatine, but some features were odd - a circle of stones surrounding a hearth of some kind in the far corner seemed out of place, as if part of a historical re-enactment village.
Bail was flanked by Mon Mothma of Chandrilla and Meena Tills of Mon Cala, the three leaders of the Delegation of 2000 – Senators who just before the Dissolution of the Republic had formally protested Palpatine's actions and demanded the return to the Senate the emergency powers he had claimed following the conclusion of the war.
Instead of rescinding such powers the Emperor and his designated heirs had accumulated even more in the Imperial Constitution ratified by a majority of Senators under the unsettling gaze of the Praetorians and Clones.
“Senators, welcome,” the Princess Mira smiled upon the only chair in the room, resplendent in red and black, adorned with golden laces. For more than a few moments Bail felt himself tremble under her Regal slight smile – no matter how many pictures of her adorned the streets and Holo-net to see her in person was somehow….overwhelming.
Bail bowed slightly noting the two body guards in the corners –almost invisible in the shadows.
“Your Highness, forgive me we were expecting to meet with the Emperor…”
“His Majesty, my uncle is indisposed at the moment, undergoing further treatment in relation to the injuries he suffered at the hands of the Jedi Assassins…” She paused as Bail felt Mothma’s glance the Emperor seemed to be indisposed quite often.
“…However you may present your petition to me and we may discuss your concerns,” she lifted a single finger and an additional four Praetorians he had not known were there appeared with chairs and a small desk for them.
“Please begin Senator,”
Bail swallowed and handed the Petition of the 2000 - Revised to a Praetorian who inspected it, passed it to a second who also looked it over then finally handed it to the Princess who scanned through it with much too much speed to be reading the 200 page product of the Cantham House meetings in any detail.
“Your Highness, under the previous administration, during the time of war the Chancellor accumulated a number of emergency powers to his office, many were understandable given the necessities of rapid executive decisions in a time of war, however following his accession the Emperor has retained and expanded these powers,”
Tills nodded for him to proceed as the Princess continued to flick through the Petition.
“We are concerned with the increasingly arbitrary powers accumulated to the Emperor – and your own – most exalted office” he added that point in off the cuff from the rehearsed speech
“And demand that some of these powers be rescinded in light of the end of the war having removed their justification. In addition to this the Delegation has over these last three months observed several troubling changes in policy, an increase in military output and spending, and military actions on Rep…Imperial Worlds that are not under threat from Separatists stragglers.”
She held up the document and a Praetorian swiftly took it away.
“It is,” Bail began to conclude “Our intention to table these demands during the next sitting of the Senate, but out of respect for your office we wished to present them to his Majesty first so he might have a response prepared.”
Her posture back to the Regal dominance displayed poise and certainty as she replied.
“Very well, We are happy to accede to demands 4, 5, 6, 11, 13, 22 and 23 immediately….”
Had he not been a seasoned politician Bails jaw would’ve dropped to the planets core – of 25 demands the Delegation had come up with, to immediately agree to 6 of them, relating to reducing restriction on the press, censorship, curfews and various summary powers.
“On Behalf of the Emperor of course…now item 8 that Clone forces not engage in military actions on ‘compliant’ Imperial worlds, We’re afraid this demand cannot be met as it directly contradicts the spirit of the Emperors most cherished desires to combat organised crime which We’re sure you’ll agree has flourished during the war,”
“Whilst we support the general principals of Operation Clean Up,” Mothma broke in
“We don’t think it is appropriate to use military forces to deal with what is a policing issue, additional resources should be provided to local authorities to…”
“The same local authorities that have been unable or unwilling to stop the Criminal Syndicates growing in the first place, a significant number of whom we have evidence have been taking bribes for a number of years? Senator, Chandrilla might be free of gangland slums, but Corellia, Taris, and Denon are not – even Coruscant is riddled with areas where you - a strong, intelligent woman would not walk alone – We will not tolerate this situation any longer”
Something about the emphasis on the word ‘woman’ struck Bail as strange
“And what better use for the millions of incorruptible, disinterested Clone soldiers than cleaning the streets of the Empire they fought to defend?”
There was undeniable logic to her position,
“That is no excuse for seizures, massacres, the wholesale demolition of vast swathes of low income housing,” Tills interjected in her gravelly voice
“I would not call the slums We have demolished low income housing…but you are correct Senator, unfortunately the Clones have been overzealous at times treating the operation as just another battlefield, that is why We have increased military spending, referring to your Demand 12…we need more Academies to train a new generation of non-Clone officers to provide a more…Sentient sympathetic command structure.”
She surveyed each Senator in turn,
“In the interim however…We are willing to place Senatorial delegates amongst the frontline forces, increase the number of embedded journalists and will support the establishment of an Operational Oversight Senatorial Committee – with powers to order a cessation of operations and prosecute criminal behaviour.”
“Powers to investigate and prosecute?” Mothma queried
“Absolutely, We don’t want to see crimes committed against Our Citizens by Our Soldiers any more than you do…and if they are We wish to see justice done. We are certain you can draft an appropriate motion to the Senate to establish such a committee, and We will ensure it is resourced according to your requirements,”
“I’m sure we can prepare something before the next session…” Mothma murmured across Bail to Tills, the Mon Cala gargling an affirmative
“Now Demands 20 and 21…Demand 20 that all Amendments to the Taxation System comply with the principles of the Non-discrimination Act…what are you referring to exactly,”
Tills took the lead “That the new Taxation regime penalises males…automatically deducting 50% of their income for child support if they are fathers, and 30% overall additional taxation for all males is excessively onerous”
“You don’t think men should pay child support? Or that this is the best way to reduce gender pay gaps…Males on average earn 30% more than females, hermaphrodite, mitochondrial and monogender species…isn’t it only fitting the be taxed 30% more?”
Tills gurgled a concession,
“That is true statistically, but the way toward a more equal society is not by taxing one group of people based on their gender – that is discrimination,”
“I prefer to call it affirmative action,” Mira replied dropping the Royal ‘We’ to express a personal opinion.
“These measures are needed to fund Our plan for universal Health Care and Paid Maternity leave, We will not compromise on those policies,” Mira’s voice was firm,
“But We are willing to negotiate on how they are funded…we might be instead willing to create a new income tax threshold…say 45% for Credits earned over 300,000…some 82% of earners are male anyway…and an increase the company tax rate from 35% to 37.5%...but We would require your support on strengthening measures to prevent Tax Avoidance,”
Bail could barely process the offer in its entirety all at once, it crossed multiple issues, he looked to Tills who was much more up to date on the new Taxation Regime being proposed to reply.
“That is…reasonable…perhaps if the compliance measures are strengthened, which we do support along with the goals of the maternity leave and healthcare schemes…we might only need a 1% tax increase,”
“Better to play it safe for now with 2.5%,” Mira replied, “I’m sure they will find loopholes no matter what and We don’t want to have to reduce the program because corporations are skimping on taxation.”
Not that Mira was overtly convened, the Aedile for Finance and Commerce already had a list of CEO’s, Presidents and Company Directors who needed to receive a ‘visit’ from a Praetorian to convince them of the benefits of paying their fair share of tax.
“Now demand 21 the rollout of the new centralized administration…’Demand that Centralization measures not be enforced as standardized but adapted to cultural and social needs of individual systems and regional,’” Mira recited despite not having the Petition with her anymore.
“The Republic suffered because it permitted too many wasteful paralleled systems of administration…We do not wish to repeat this mistake. But We can conceded some regional variation where absolutely necessary, and perhaps the Aedies have been over enthusiastic in rolling out the change…an extension from a two year deadline to three perhaps,”
“With an assurance of no system worth off in terms of administrative resourcing,” Mothma queried
Mira paused to consider yet somehow Bail suspected it was for show,
“No worse off…on current funding Credit value…we will make up savings from the increased efficiency by not supplementing for inflation,”
Mon looked to Bail then Tills, the Delegation did want many of the administrative reforms…it wasn’t a bad deal – he nodded.
“We can accept that,” Mothma nodded
“Excellent now…oh I’m afraid I have another appointment very soon – can we just address demand 3 and speak on the others later…let us say tomorrow morning?”
They already had far more to work with than Bail could’ve hoped for
“We can arrange that,” Tills agreed,
“Good now Demand 3…the Jedi…” Mira began “We have already rescinded Order 66…but allowing the reestablishment of the Jedi Order with all Ranks and Privileges…We are afraid We cannot accept that.”
“The Jedi play an important role in dispute negotiation and maintaining Galactic peace, ever since the Ruusan reformation they…” Bail protested
Mira held up a hand
“You needn’t remind me of their storied history Bail…can I call you Bail? But even now my uncle endures ongoing facial tics due to their assassination attempt – and even if it were not personal their time is past – the Imperial Army will take on the functions of peacekeeping and security, and We trust the Senate is more than capable of taking over dispute resolution,”
“Then what of the remaining Jedi, the survivors?” Bail queried, knowing very well he was currently sheltering over a dozen on Alderaan.
“We will offer an amnesty, they served well in the Clone Wars and deserve compensation, a pension, 200,000 credits a year for their natural life if they register and rescind their Oaths to the defunct Republic,”
Bail was not worried that Jedi would refuse, rather he feared too many would accept such a generous offer
“And if they wish I’m happy to accept them back into the Imperial Army as consultants or Officers,” Mira added
“And what of the Temple?” Tills added – rumours were it was to be demolished
“Jedi philosophy as I understand,” Mira smiled red and deep
“Eschews material possessions, and as they are no longer a military force, they have no need for a fortified facility…if they wish to establish a new Temple, then they are free to do so – the Empire is open to beings of all species and Religions,”
Bail felt his heart skip as Mira’s eyes fixed on him - and only him - as if speaking to his secret directly.
“They will enjoy all the privileges of being an Imperial Citizen so long as they abide by the Law and do not hold themselves above it as the former Jedi Order did.”
They remained silent for moment – what happened the night the Temple burned was still not fully explained, the evidence of a Jedi coup limited to the assassination attempt, no documents had been found or informers come forth about a planned coup – the official line was simply the Jedi covered their tracks and the guilty had gone into hiding.
“Well Meena, Bail, Mon I think that was rather productive!” Mira beamed
“I’m so glad you came to me with these issues, I well know the Empire is not perfect but together we can make it better…I am not averse to compromises or admonishments, I look forward to discussing the remaining items tomorrow, now if you will excuse me…”
They rose just before she did to offer slight bows to the Empress in all but name.
<<<<>>>>
“We should still table it,” Mon insisted as the core members of the Delegation of 2000 sat about Bails office in Cantham House in a mirror to the meeting they had held just before the Republic had fallen.
“That would be premature,” Bel Ibis replied swirling his drink, Corellian whisky from his own stores,
“The Princess has already agreed to a quarter of the demands, we’ve negotiated some reasonable deals for a third…it will look silly to table it now as is, we should redraft taking into consideration what we’ve already won,”
“Hardly won, this is a placating gesture,” Nee Alavar the Seantor of Lorrd
“I don’t think so,” Tills replied, she had been very impressed with Mira,
“The Princess could easily have simply refused, or delayed, instead she has moved swiftly to implement all the changes we agreed to,”
“I concur,” Bail finally added “We didn’t get all out demands, but the fact she was willing to compromise and negotiate openly, that alone should give us pause,”
He noted of the twenty Senators just over half were nodding along with him, a few indifferent, only three seemed set against it.
<We must not concede any of our demands!> Tendau Bendon of Ithor boomed
<This Empire is a farce, the product of war madness, the Republic must be restored and the Army disbanded>
The Ithorians sentiments might’ve held before the Clone Wars but now it was simply delusional, such outbursts were making him a pariah even among the 2000, and there were rumours Ithor wanted him replaced.
“I think that time is past my friend,” Dewell Bronk, the Kedorzhan said, always eager to help others, sitting in a small hover chair for he was at eye level to the others making up for his small stature.
“I must myself agree, negotiation is the better option, the Empire and its army are not going away, Palptaine seems far more amiable than during the war – the threat lifted and the influence of his niece have been positive…”
He paused his whiskers twitching slightly
“The Republic is gone, there is no going back – the people will be better off by us working within the new system than simply abandoning or decrying it,”
“A system that is their plaything,” Shea Sadashassa of Herdessa sneered in a rare display of emotion
“Come on Shea, it could be a lot worse,” Bel Ibis tried to soothe picking up a printed newspaper the Core Chronicle
“Look at this…” he opened to the editorial where there was a comic of Mira, caricatured to look somewhat like stripper in make up with her hand up a puppet of the Emperor, beside it an opinion column denouncing the new taxation policies as misandrist.
“This could easily be censored, the writer arrested, hell we could be arrested, but she hasn’t done that, she’s met with you Bail and Meena, delivered on every promise, and even done some things off her own back,”
“Because she is a dictator Garm, that is why she can do these things,” Shea retorted.
“We shouldn’t be thanking her for chaining her own hand, restraining her own soldiers – she shouldn’t have the power to do it in the first place,” Mon Mothma agreed
“Life isn’t perfect Mon, things are better than during the Republic…”
“Like the massacres occurring on Corellia?” Shea spat
Bel Ibis paused his mouth puckering as he worked through a response
“Corellia has struggled with crime syndicates a stone’s throw from Coronet city for years – without the Clones and Praetorians nothing would’ve changed – yes it has been bloody, yes it has been gruesome…” he paused eyes down this was an issue he had struggled with over the last month himself.
“…but it is change for the better, the Police simply didn’t have the resources or firepower to bring down gangs like the White Worms and Blood Knives,”
“And so the ends justify the means,” Mon leaned back seemingly victorious
“Let’s not get caught up in this, how Mira uses the army is secondary to the fact she is able to,” Bail intervened
“Now there remain three key demands that need to be addressed I think we can all agree on One – Imperial Decrees must be disallowable by the Senate, Two, the Emperor cannot declare a state of war or peace against a foreign power without reference to the Senate and Three the Admiralty and…other new officials,”
Everyone understood he was referring to the Aediles, Praetorians and a…being…seen in gleaming white armour known as the Lord Seneschal.
“…must be Answerable to the Senate – a select Committee if he matter is sensitive at least.”
Most nodded in agreement
“I think as regards the other 22 original demands…well she agreed to half and we have compromises on the other,” he held up a hand to forestall Mon and Shea’s protest.
“They are not ideal, but we need to be realistic …but as Bronk noted, we’re better off working with them than against them – the Emperor could easily disband the Senate and rule by decree – the new Constitution is not perfect, and frankly given I owe my own position to my Royal lineage, it would be hypocritical to denounce a Constitutional Monarchy”
“So you will abandon the principles of Democracy and freedom because some thug controls white armoured goons,”
“Democracy is not incompatible with monarchy, Alderaan and Naboo are both examples of this,” Bail countered
“We need to vote, to table the petition as is or rework it and attempt to negotiate, all hands or limbs to table,”
Only three raised theirs, Mon, Bendon and Shea Sadashassa – there was no need to call for the counter vote
“Then we are decided, we continue negotiations, I will redraft the petition to remove the demands that have already been met and send it for resigning.”
Shea shook her head in disgust
“Pathetic, you think you can negotiate your way out of a tusk-cats mouth,”
“What is the alterative Shea?” Bail bit back “The Emperor has the army and economy, Mira is getting more popular day by day, and they are not acting like tyrants – forceful yes but not tyrannical or suppressive – we need to work with what we have, use every peaceful means we have to get a better outcome…”
She stood up and crossed her arms,
“Do what you like, but anyone who wants to really make a difference and stand up to this Tyrant in velvet skirts, you have my number,” she stormed out.
<<<<>>>>