Chapter 43: The Concord of Curasuant
In response to these solemn words, Fama grumbled, “I just hope nothing happens before I can get some food.” She looked up to see her master glaring and retorted, “What? I'm hungry.”
Rey shook her head hopelessly and considered whether it was wiser to start over with a new padawan before Fama turned into the next Kylo Ren. One could never tell when the next time a Sith might come wandering by, offering snacks if you would turn to the Dark Side, and at times, with the way Fama cared about food, Rey wasn’t sure the girl could resist such temptation. After a moment of consideration, the Jedi let out a sigh; worse came to worse, she would just bribe the girl with even more snacks.
Their small party was stopped by security as they made their way towards the nearest entrance, though after Emi showed some special ID, they were allowed to pass without being searched. Rey personally felt this was rather sloppy but was also glad that her keeping her lightsaber hadn't become an issue. Soon after this, they neutered the building answer guided by a protocol droid to the Hall of Representatives. It was the place where 1000 years of law was created by the greatest democracy in galactic history. That was until the Empire took over.
Both Master and Apprentice ogled over the building and its architecture while the Hall itself took their breath away. They ended up in a circular booth near the top of the cylindrical room and had a bird's eye view of thousands of other guests arriving on their own platforms. The droid had informed them that the booths could actually float around, but this system had been disabled.
Rey excitedly took a pair of binoculars and began to scan the audience for anything suspicious, but there were simply too many people. She counted well over two hundred different species, and the guests were constantly leaving her platform just to turn a little bit later with friends, food, or both. Everyone seemed to be in a happy mood or at least were good enough at faking it so as to not stick out. Inevitably, her attention was drawn to the center of the vast room, where a larger platform was suspended by a tall pillar. Here sat 9 regal-looking representatives of the three major factions.
From the New Republic, she easily recognized Chancellor Marcu Ultor, Vice-Chancellor Minerva Ogana, and Grenerel Poe Dameron.
From the Remnant Generals Faction, there was only one friendly face, Admiral Primidian. She recognized the other two but did not like one, Admiral Com’mu Vissar, and the other, Admiral Fasci Adolfus. They were two of the most hated men in the Galaxy but had nonetheless managed to burn any paper trail that connected them to their many war crimes.
The last three from the Corporate Alliance were a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces. She was pleased to see Diaz Zong, a fellow member of the Peace Seekers Alliance, but disheartened to see next to the Geonosian was the Muun, Az Tavuurd. She had become acquainted with his father and uncle at a luncheon but had come to learn the man himself was incredibly opportunistic. The third representative from their faction was a younger Neimoidian by the name of Nute Gunray III. She had heard his grandfather had been notorious back in the Clone Wars, and his family's reputation had not improved much since then. Still, their black market connections and cruel business practices had allowed them to survive and, in the era of the First Order, flourish.
Rey didn't know if having three members of the Peace Seeking Alliance at this podium of galactic power was a good thing or a bad one. Having three people from different factions dedicated to achieving peace was encouraging, but at the same time, three was much less than a majority of five, let alone nine. She could only assume that this gap would have to be filled in by that mysterious thing known as politics and negotiations.
Fama eventually grew bored of the booth and left with Emi to get food. Rey, on the other hand, meticulously scanned the crowds for anything that could be out of place. As she did so, she searched her feelings, trying to gain whatever knowledge from the Force she could without distracting herself from the discomfort of actual meditation. It was a fruitless effort, though. After spying on Admiral Primidian for a couple moments, he turned to look right at her and winked.
Whether or not she had been admiring his warm, golden eyes, even the wisest can say for sure. Just as how he had known she was looking at him may also never be truly known for certain. What was certain was that in response to this wink, the Jedi both blushed and scowled at having been caught. Additionally, it would go down in history that the Admiral leaned over to his neighbor, General Poe Dameron, and whispered something that caused the man to laugh and then covered this up with a slight cough before shaking his head disapprovingly. Mortified, the Jedi Master retreated from the edge and, although it wasn't the Jedi way, vowed to get revenge on both her Godfather and best friend.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Soon after this, a meeting was called to order.
Of the nine representatives, it was naturally Admiral Primidian who took the role of the speaker as the least universally hated. Rey had even heard wind during the social gatherings she had visited that day that if the Galaxy was united under one banner once more, it was Admiral Primidian who had the biggest chance of being elected the first Chancellor of the New Order as the ex-imperialists were calling it.
His short speech contained both a softness and a fiery spirit that filled the interior room with a hopeful fever, “Friends from afar, we are gathered here today to change the future. We are gathered to right old wrongs and lay the groundwork for a brighter future. It may not be a future we live to see, but it is one our descendants will thank us for centuries and millennia to come. We are stronger and more united than we could ever be apart; this is the nature of all living things. For too long, we have let our Galaxy, our home, be divided by ideological differences. It is time that we recognize our differences, time that we decide they will no longer divide us because these differences are not a weakness but rather our greatest strength as a united people. In recent decades, our societies have experienced many changes; many were necessary, many were right, and many were wrong. Rather than fixating on the minutiae of these events, it is time where we lay the past to rest. It is time we stop living for vengeance and start living for our future. In the coming days, we will all be tested in this regard. It will not be easy, but it is not impossible.”
He paused momentarily, scanning the vast crowd, before continuing, “I ask all of you to consider my words in the coming days and resolve yourself. Let us achieve peace not only for ourselves but for all who will come after. I ask you all, in the coming days, to be brave but cautious, righteous but merciful, and strategic but compassionate.”
A tension seemed to fill the room as it seemed everyone was ready to jump to their feet at any moment and cry out for the sake of peace. Hearing these words, even Rey felt a flame that had been slowly fading within her reignite; it was the flame of hope, and she could tell it was spreading. Spreading from the Admiral to the delegate and through the holo-net out to countless worlds beyond. It may have only been a drop in the bucket compared to what they needed to change the Galaxy's fate, but it was a start. The grey-haired man raised his glass of clear liquid and finished his speech boldly, “Tomorrow shall mark the beginning of a new era. Let us make it one of prosperity and peace. As for tonight, let us celebrate our differences and the passage of the past into history. I bid you all a safe and joyous evening…” He paused ever so slightly before raising his glass up higher and calling, “And may the Force be with us all.
The room exploded into thunderous applause as more than a thousand people rose to their feet. Many people's emotions were so intense they let out shouts and calls; the noise grew so tremendous, and several glasses thrown out of the room shattered. Rey, like everyone else in the room, could not truly tell if all the noise was out of approval or outrage. The voices were so numerous, and the combined sound was so loud everything blurred together. Although the mood could not be pinpointed, it didn't really matter. This collective noise was the outcry of thousands of hearts representing thousands upon thousands of worlds. For too long, the voice of the people had been suppressed or ignored and now, in all its raging glory, had been invoked once again.
Rey found the scene beautiful, though she couldn't help but giggle as she made eye contact with her padawan. They were both happy and similarly cupping their ears to defend against the noise. It took exactly half an hour for the noise to die down despite several other representatives calling for order. Rey was very pleased when Admiral Adolfus and Representative Gunray tried to quiet everyone down; the noise had only remained. Ultimately, after exactly 30 minutes, it was Chancellor Ultor who rose and managed to calm the crowd. He received some minor backlash from some Emperialloyalists, but as the majority of delegates began to grow silent, they did not have the courage to continue bellowing.
The Chancellor did not beat around the bush and declared that the Concord of Curasuant had now officially begun. Everyone was then dismissed to the lower levels of the building, where a massive ballroom existed. It was a space so large one could not see the opposite end of it and yet still had windows through which one could see ship lanes and other buildings. The space around the Senate building had never been built upon for security reasons, which allowed the building to exist a tier above others of similar size on the planet. It was even rumored that secret bunkers and even facilities were needed in the lower levels of the building to host interior armies should the need ever arise.
Rey and Fama were in awe once more by their room adorned with art and precious metals, though Emi broke their trance by quickly leading them through the bustling crowd. Like at the Yuloz Ball, Rey realized the seemingly normal layout of people carried great significance. Swifty, they arrived at the center of the room, which was surprisingly spacious for the number of delegates in the room. An invisible perimeter seemed to exist around this space, roughly 50 feet in any direction that people would enter but exit quickly after saying a few words or approaching but not crossing unless summoned by eye contact or nodes.
Rey didn't believe she had the qualification or political intelligence to be in this innermost sanctum, but when Emi led her to Minerva’s side, all became clear. The Jedi couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as the valiant woman dressed in an elegant white dress approached them with a smile. Rey was embraced in a soft hug as the Vice-Chancellor whispered to her, “We finally made it.”