Motives
Chapter 36
Rydonni, one year later
Leia stared out of the window of her fourth floor office, absently nibbling at the end of her stylus. When time and project status allowed, she spent her time on Rydonni. Val had afforded her and the rest of her small group with nice apartments and an entire floor of an office building in downtown Ryell. It wouldn't be long that the first buildings would be finished on New Alderaan and then she would move there permanently. But it had been a nice gesture and she couldn't say that she missed her small, modular home much.
The plans that Han had set into motion had mostly gone as expected. Rumors of the Princess and President's renewed affections had begun in earnest after that first press conference. And there had been other public appearances. Han had visited New Alderaan a few times, they attended the voting session together on Coruscant and she had been back to Corellia. But alone time such as they had enjoyed when Han surprised her on the presidential yacht had been few and far between. Leia's love had not cooled, but her patience was waning.
There was a knock at her office door. "Come in," she called.
Eliza Orakzai opened the door and stuck her head in. "They're setting up for the status meeting," she said, "You ready?"
Han's daughter was spending a few months with Leia accompanying her in her duties between Rydonni and New Alderaan and acting as her aide. The young girl was fifteen, nearly sixteen now, and was growing into a very mature, level-headed young woman.
Leia stood, gathering up her datapad and the various folders and briefs. "Yes," she replied, walking around her desk and toward the door. "Let's go."
The Weekly Status Update Meeting of the New Alderaan Planning Committee
"We should begin advertising for the grand unveiling of New Aldera," Grant Ulgo was saying.
They had covered all of the standing agenda items and were moving on to the speciality items.
"Have we completed the final discussion on the capital city name?" Myniah Panteer asked. "Before we can advertise, we need to ensure we're finalized the names." She flipped through a few folders that were in front of her. "The capitol building, the university, the lake and the square. I show several important points of interest that have not gone through official vetting."
Leia ran her hand across her forehead. "I think we were stalled on discussion the last time this came up and decided to defer."
"Well, we're running out of real estate, so to speak," Myniah replied. "The festival is just a few months away. Shall we open up the discussion again?"
Leia sighed. She had hoped this meeting would not run late, as it was usually known to do. But, as Mynia said, there was nothing to be done about it. They had to start making some hard decisions.
"I believe if we would come to a conclusion on future leadership," Damalia Windrider intoned, looking pointedly at Leia, "then these arguments would be easier to settle."
"I wouldn't call them arguments," Leia replied. "And this committee has already agreed to wait on the vote for New Alderaan's future leadership once we have the entire council available."
"Which won't be until the unveiling," Grant Ulgo said with an aggravated sigh. "We've already let this serpent eat its own tail." He added, alluding to the circular nature of their discussion.
"The proper homage to our lost families and noble houses should be considered," Damalia said softly. "Our Queen and her Viceroy could easily make these decisions."
"As could this committee," Leia replied.
It didn't take a crown and seated congress to name a few buildings. It aggravated Leia when members of this committee utilized these council meetings to push their own agendas. Damalia was firmly for the reinstatement of the traditional hereditary monarchy and felt that Leia should be eager to pick up that crown. Meanwhile, it had wholly escaped the old dowager's attention that with her background and proclivities, Leia would much rather hold the Viceroy position than that of the queen.
"Let's not lose sight of the topic at hand," Nyson Thul cut in. "We're already calling the capital city: New Aldera. Is that the name that we have agreed upon? As well as the University of New Alderaan?"
"Isn't it a bit...redundant to continue putting the word "new" in front of everything?"
All eyes turned to the new voice in the conversation.
Eliza, who had been sitting quietly behind Leia taking notes like the other aides, blushed at the attention. But, ever her father's child, she shrugged off the initial embarrassment and continued, "I mean to say," she stumbled, "that I've heard this committee over the past few meetings, declare that their objective and the purpose of the new planet was not to replace Alderaan but to provide a future for its survivors and other like-minded species that may share their values and want to settle and put their roots down among them."
"That's true," Leia replied, smiling encouragingly at Han's daughter. "Do you have some ideas?"
"Yes, well," Eliza looked down at her notes. "The University of New Alderaan, for instance," she began and Leia's interest piqued. Her mother had been The Minister of Education and Alderaan's premier university had been near and dear to her heart. "Couldn't we, I mean this committee, pay better homage to its...lost by naming it: The Breha Antilles University of the Arts? Or something similar?"
Leia's heart swelled. Antilles was her mother's family name and having just been thinking of her mother, Eliza's suggestion seemed so obvious. She smiled at the young girl. Sometimes it took a new set of eyes that could look at the problem without any preconceptions to find the simplest of solutions laying in plain sight. "I think that's a wonderful idea," Leia replied and when she looked around the room she saw the others nodding their heads. And perhaps none of them wanted to be the first to put forward their own family's name as a suggestion, Leia thought.
"And the royal palace," Eliza continued. "House Panteer has placed more kings and queens on Alderaan's throne than any other Elder Family. Perhaps: The Panteer Palace might be appropriate?"
Myniah Panteer appeared to be as moved as Leia had been by Eliza's suggestion and she nodded while placing her hand to her chest and saying, "Very appropriate, I think. Thank you."
"I have more," Eliza said, raising her eyebrows in a question of permission to continue as she looked at Leia.
"By all means," Nyson Thul bellowed, leaning back in his chair. "Although, I do hope your research into our history included that of House Thul."
Eliza turned toward Nyson, who was an intimidating man to most, and lifted her chin. "House Thul," she said. "Your family founded the oldest trading company on Alderaan. Perhaps: The Thul Spaceport?"
Nyson raised his chin and looked down his nose at Eliza. "Perhaps you should scoot your chair up and join us at this table. I, for one, would like to hear what else you have on that list."
Eliza scooted forward and said, "For the last Elder House: Ulgo," she said, looking toward Grant Ulgo, "in homage to your family's devotion to Alderaan's military: the Ulgo Department of Defense Building?"
Grant Ulgo nodded solemnly in approval.
"I've also thought of other...tributes New Alderaan may want to pay," Eliza said eagerly, looking around the table.
"Go on," Damalia Windrider encouraged.
"Should we not forget the role that Rydonni, the planet we currently sit on played in the formation of New Alderaan? Perhaps for the capitol square: Ryell Square?" Eliza asked. "And Corellia," she added hurriedly. "Lake Coronet might be nice."
"I see your ersatz daughter has inherited your mastery of diplomacy," Damalia mused, looking at Leia.
Leia turned and looked at Eliza who was beaming from the compliment. "I think she indeed has," Leia agreed, winking at Eliza.
The meeting and conversation continued on from there. With Eliza's ideas opening the door to other suggestions, several additional buildings and landmarks were favored with new monikers, including the Bail Prestor Civic Center, and many others.
"I'm very proud of you," Leia said to Eliza after the meeting. "It isn't for the faint of heart to present one's ideas to such a formidable committee."
"They're only people," Eliza replied, shrugging. "Grandfather always taught me that no matter how self-important anyone became, we were all equal in terms of rights and potential."
Leia smiled, pleasantly surprised that the old president had imparted some degree of wisdom onto his granddaughter. "And he was absolutely right," Leia replied, placing her arm around Eliza.
As they walked home for the evening, Leia thought back to Damalia's comment and the way she had called Eliza: Leia's 'ersatz daughter'. If things progressed the way Han had promised, the young girl would soon be her real step-daughter. Her adopted daughter if Eliza would agree to it. The thought warmed Leia's heart. She had been taken in by Bail and Breha, adopted and loved and raised as their own.
She squeezed Eliza tighter to her and kissed her on the side of the head. Even though Eliza was nearly grown, it pleased Leia to think that she would continue another legacy that her adopted parents had given her. It was yet another way that their memory would be honored. And that made Leia very happy.
A/N: Okay, I am totally finished editing and writing and can officially tell you that there are 2 chapters left plus a potential Epilogue (that part isn't written yet - but I'm pretty sure I will have one).