Chapter 28: Shidar Zhol'skar

Coruscant

It was still three weeks until Shidar would begin her first term as the Junior Senator representing Bothan Space. The other Bothan Senator was Polo Se'lab, a cream-furred Bothawui-smelling Bothan with a blonde mane and ridiculously long whiskers. He was so concerned that the young Askar would have no idea what she was doing that, immediately after her first Junior Legislature Course ended, he led her out of the classroom and gave her a tour of the whole Senate Rotunda.

"At least your Basic sounds good," the Senior Senator growled in an extremely thick accent.

"Thank you," Shidar smiled politely.

"This is Sublevel Nine," Polo explained matter of factly. "It's where all of the building's—"

"—Sewage recycling, yeah," Shidar interrupted, a ripple of annoyance travelling down her neck fur. "Polo Se, we were showed this on the first day of orientation."

"Oh," Polo snorted. "I was… I was only joking. The last Senior Senator gave me a tour of the sewage treatment complex when I was your age—Well, older than you, but a Junior Senator. They really gave you all a tour of this?!"

"Yep," Shidar sighed sadly, looking down at the red carpeted floor.

"Huh, let's show you the… did they show you the outside of the Rotunda?"

Shidar wondered, for a moment, whether the only things Polo Se'lab had to teach her were building layout factoids. Returning her attention to the conversation, she growled frustratedly, "no, no we haven't seen the outside of the Rotunda."

"Good," Polo said with a smile, fur dancing with excitement as he led the way back to the turbolift.

"Uh huh," Shidar mumbled, following the eccentric Bothan inside. "So, what's on the legislative agenda?"

"Nothing much at the moment," Polo sighed. "The only matter of consequence, at the moment, is a bill to allow officers holding the rank of Admiral to use eminent domain to establish military bases on frontline worlds."

"No votes coming up on ending the war?" Shidar asked disappointedly.

Polo snorted in derision, yipping heartily. "You didn't think you'd be coming to the Senate, voting 'yes' on ending the war, and then it's over, did you?"

o.o.o.o.o

"How do you like Coruscant so far?" Polo asked as the two Bothans walked past the busy taxi terminal, taking the stairs down to the concrete courtyard below.

"I like it. My back aches, and everything is inconveniently heavy," she noted, remembering all of the new struggles she now has with packed bags. "But I feel like I have a lot more energy. The air smells really fresh!"

Polo snorted again, laughing so hard this time that he gripped the handrail on the stairway to avoid falling. "Hahah! Fresh! Oh Shidar, you are so funny!"

I wasn't joking, Shidar thought, thinking about how stuffy Thellus feels in retrospect.

"This is a Caamasi restaurant," Polo explained reassuringly as he suddenly disappeared into a mobile pill-shaped tapcafé hovering just off the ground level of the Senate Rotunda, amidst a series of other mobile repulsorlift restaurants that would float in around the Senate during their recesses.

The first sensation Shidar experienced was a spicy wooden smell assaulting her nose. Her fur swirled nervously as she looked around the restaurant. The patrons were mostly humans, but there was a noticeable minority of a species Shidar did not recognise. They were fluffy with floppy pointy ears, furless snouts, round eyes, and wore elegant robes.

"Sybil!" Polo yipped excitedly to a distant corner of the restaurant.

"Polo?" a female voice asked. One of the aliens Shidar reasoned was probably a Caamasi beckoned them over.

Shidar's ears perked up as she walked between the tables. With the smells of the food nearer, it was more obvious to her that the source of the dangerously spicy smell was not the food, but the Caamasi. By the time she reached the table where Sybil and two other Caamasi were seated, the spicy smell was positively revolting.

"Shidar, I would like you to meet Senator Sybil Cras'nu." Polo spoke again, looking to the seated Caamasi. "This is Senator Shidar Zhol'skar, the first Askar Senator in… Well ever," he chuckled.

"Pleased to meet you," Sybil smiled, reaching up while seated and shaking Shidar's hand. "Two Bothan Senators and… No bodyguards," Sybil whispered to Polo. "Is that really wise?"

"I trust the Senate Guard implicitly," Polo growled taking a seat across from Sybil and scooting in next to one of her bodyguards.

Shidar opened her snout to say nice to meet you, but seeing as Sybil and Polo were already chattering about something else, she reluctantly sat down.

"With the war, things are getting more dangerous." Sybil narrowed her round violet eyes darkly. "There are rumours that the Republic is losing."

"More than rumours," Polo snorted, opening his menu. "The Navy and GAR can't even hold the HoloNet! They want us to declare allegiance and support the Cloning project when they can't even secure the HoloNet."

While Shidar's fur rippled with unease, Polo looked relatively calm about the prospect of the Republic losing. Hmmm… If we lose, would there even be a Senate to go to?

Sybil nodded in agreement. "And you should know that Coruscant could become a frontline combat zone."

"All the more reason to… Order food quickly," Polo growled wryly, snapping his fingers in the air to get a waiter's attention.

"While you're here," Sybil muttered in a lower voice, "we should discuss the Yarua matter. I believe if we can get him on board with the Red Sigil initiative—"

"—Yarua again," Polo snarled, fur twitching in annoyance. "I wouldn't want that slimeball's near any of this."

"Oh," Sybil snorted, rolling her eyes. "Real rich for a Bothan to criticise someone's ethics."

Not knowing the context behind any of this conversation, or much about Bothan-Caamasi history, Shidar scowled, fur too twitching in annoyance.

"Senator Organa just needs to get his austere presence off Praesitlyn as soon as possible. We need a real leader on this, not just a tall gruff furball."

"Oh uh," Shidar growled nervously. "What is this, if you don't mind my asking?"

"That's Tselementés," Polo explained. "It's a type of Caamasi dish with potatoes on the bottom and a layer of cheesy gourds on top. Really nice, you'd like it."

"Pardon?!" Shidar gasped, completely dumbfounded by Polo's explanation. She turned her violet eyes downward and realised her finger was pointing to an item on the menu. "Oh, no," she chuckled, fur rippling with embarrassment. "I meant what is this… This Red Sigil Initiative."

"Oh that…" Polo growled. "We are trying to get the Red Sigil Initiative on the safety of civilians in combat zones ratified. If you want, I can send you a databurst later."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Shidar smiled, fur twitching in annoyance. Polo, you said no important votes were happening.

o.o.o.o.o

Like many things Shidar had eaten, Tselementés was bland of bitter. The components however, had a very exotic texture—A crunchiness and crispness none of the food on Thellus could really replicate.

Twenty minutes into their meal, Shidar's datapad buzzed. "Hey Shidar, I am at the taxi rink. Where are you?"

"Is it all right if my chief of staff comes?" Shidar growled nervously.

"Oh, that's fine!" Polo yipped. "I'd love to meet him or her."

"We Caamasi share a chief of staff," Sybil said with an eyeroll. "Far more efficient that way."

Shidar hmm'd thoughtfully, sending a response to Fyar Fey'lya, who had been promoted from Campaign Manager to Chief of Staff. It would be more efficient. It's not like I am at odds with Polo or want to undermine him. Why do we each need a different chief of staff?

As she thought about that, whether it would mean letting Fyar go, or letting Polo's chief of staff go, the mechanical door to the restaurant hissed open. "Fyar, over here!" Shidar yipped.

Her plump cream-furred campaign manager slowly crossed the room to their table, smiling apologetically as she pushed through a crowd of humans in line at the cash register.

"Fyar, this is Polo Se'lab, who you probably know of, and Sybil Cras'nu, Senator of Caamas."

"Pleased to meet you," Fyar said, enthusiastically taking the Caamasi's hand, then shaking the Bothan's.

"Fyar—You aren't an Askar?" Polo growled in surprise.

"Oh no. I am just Fyar Fey'lya," she replied with a toothy grin.

Polo's fur fell flat as his eyes went wide. "Oh," he whimpered. "Yes, I am pleased to meet you. I have always been a big fan..."

Not knowing that Fyar Fey'lya was a member of a notorious crime family, Shidar was completely mystified by Polo's reaction. "Polo, it's okay," she growled consolingly. "Do you—Do you know each other?"

"Only by reputation," Fyar answered, pulling a wooden chair up to the end of their table. "Now, what are we talking about?"

Sybil spoke with more than a hint of Caamasi arrogance. "We were just talking about how the Caamasi senators have merged the positions of chief of staff into one. I, and the other Senator, share a chief of staff."

"Huh," Fyar muttered. "What an excellent idea."

Polo took a huge sip of water, fur relaxing somewhat. After a few dramatic coughs, he croaked, "let's not get carried away Fyar Fey!"

Fyar smiled, putting a hand on Shidar's shoulder. "I like this one," she snorted. "He's brave. Speaks what's on his mind!"

Shidar's fur swirled with suspicion as she looked from Polo, to Fyar, then back again. Who is Fyar and why does she scare Polo?