Sol Valorum was, for perhaps the first time in her life, alone. Her father wasn't there to whine about his wasted potential, her mother wasn't there to moan about the disappointment of her brother, and the multitudes of political advisors employed by the House Valorum weren't there to dissect every step she made or word she uttered. Of course, the latter group would probably find her soon enough.
All thousand repulsorpods of the Grand Convocation Chamber were empty except one, the seat belonging to the delegation from Coruscant. Sol, sitting alone in the pod, ran her fingers over the names of Coruscanti senators from the past 25,000 years engraved on the side of the pod and was unsurprised at the number of times her surname appeared.
As her fingers grazed the words "Finis Valorum," her heart started pounding again. Forty years. It had been forty years since the vote of no confidence that had kicked her grandfather out of the Chancellor's seat and her family out of the high-class social circles of their home planet.
Now here she was. Stressing out over vote counts in the Senate Chamber just like her grandfather probably had done a thousand times. This vote, however, was her own election, and the Chamber was no longer in Coruscant, but instead Chandrilla.
The second term of the New Senate was about to begin. Not only was it the day all seats would be filled, but the new location of the Capital would be determined as well. Sol couldn't even decide which campaign was more important to her: Valorum for Coruscant or Coruscant for Capital.
Two victories. That was all she would need to bring respect back to her family. A Valorum back in the Senate and the Capital once again only two blocks down from their mansion, and it would all be decided in two minutes.
The giant doors of the Chamber opened and the bustling noises of Hannah City flooded the silence Sol had been so desperately enjoying for those sweet few minutes. Rolling her eyes, she glanced down at the floor to see who had just come in.
A stab of anger burst through Sol's mind as she saw the elaborate headdress, white makeup, and familiar face of a young Naboo monarch. After a few seconds to cool off, Sol was no longer bothered by the presence of Queen Pooja Askansa (née Naberrie). After all, the ruler was the little sister of her best friend. Something about the striking resemblance Askansa held to her late aunt, however, brought the words "vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum" to the front of Sol's mind.
"SOL!" Askansa screamed to the top of the chamber where Sol was still perched. "Rafi just finished counting the votes! He's pretty sure he got enough senators to vote for Coruscant! The Capital is headed back!"
Relief washed over Sol quickly followed by gratitude for her senator friends. Senator Ryoo Naberrie was one of Sol's best friends. Her husband, Senator Rafi Knight, was also, and this relationship was probably more beneficial.
Rafi grew up on Jakku but moved quickly to the Core and established a successful trade business. Unable to settle, he travelled from planet to planet negotiating with monarchs and senators. When the Battle of Jakku erupted, he left his success behind to go lead the fight against the Empire on his home planet. As the only member of the New Republic's army that actually knew the terrain of the planet, he became a hugely important general. Years later, when Jakku was given a seat in the New Republic's Galactic Senate, it seemed only fitting to hand the seat to Rafi. His wife was elected Senator of Naboo and they were expecting, so he figured it might be alright to settle down into a stable job.
Now, with the connections the Knight family had made through trade, military, and government, the two senators — some of the youngest to hold the position — had whipped enough votes to move the Republic back to Coruscant. A move they believed would stabilize it, and of course it helped that it would also make their friend happy.
Her head in her hands almost crying with happiness, Sol barely noticed as Askansa tugged on her arm. "Come with me!" the younger was urging. "You have to be outside with all of us when they call the election."
Sol knew she was following Askansa but couldn't even fathom how her legs were moving to do so. Paralyzed by her recent elation and pending trepidation, she didn't even hear the newscaster on the loudspeakers call her name among the list of new senators.
It wasn't until she stepped outside the doors into Hanna City Square and saw Ryoo and Rafi beaming in front of a giant hologram reading "Senator Sol Valorum" that she realized she had won.
It had been forty years. A Valorum was back in the Senate.