***Chapter Six ***
Padme was advanced in nearly everything she did. So, when Padme fell in love for the first time at 12, no one doubted it that is was true and genuine, if not fleeting. Her first love was a boy, also in the administrative youth program, but he had the heart of an artist. Padme needed a counter balance, someone just intense, but tasked with a very different passion.
The Life and Times of Amidala, the People's Queen, By: Softa Jiane, Oralist and Historian
Leia Organa rubbed the bridge of nose. She had been in with advisors for only half a day, but things were already turning out to be harder than expected.
"The Gungans are an amphibian species native to Naboo, they live in an underwater city, sequestered from the rest of Naboo and the galaxy in general." C-3PO recited a summary of the additional species.
"What do you mean there is a whole other sentient species with their own leadership underground?" Leia questioned.
Liv Gosermore, a Sociologist and geographer and one of the million world-less Alderaan nationals responded with a wince, her slightly graying braids flapping against her shoulders, "The Gungans have been sent notification of the negotiations of the New Republic. They have responded that any intergalactic alliance has little bearing on their people and will not participate, but that this should not preclude continued negations with the land dealers."
"But could completely derail the plants entry into the New Republic, we must visit and try to convince them to join, there refusal…"
"But Leia, they're not refusing to join, they're refusing to participate at all. And they have pretty explicitly told us we cannot visit." Liv explained.
"Legal precedent?" Leia turned to Hugh Tinsley, an attorney so tenured that has served the Old Republic, the Empire and several pseudo intergalactic managers, like guilds and federations.
"While there are just a few exceptions in which individual Gungan's have participate in an intergalactic level, The Gungans as a group have never formally nor informally participated in the Old Republic or the Empire, nor have they ever been a member of the federations and guilds that Naboo has been apart of over the last millennia. There are only a dozen or so documented minority species that coexist with another and do not play a part in intergalactic politics while the majority species does." Hugh replies.
"So, how do we, the New Republic, handle this?" Leia questioned.
"We continue negations with majority species. We add a clause acknowledging the Gungans, the communication they have written and leave it open for them to formally join the New Republic. Given that they live a life so separate from the rest of the world, I think it is fair. We can offer one more communication explaining this, giving them a few more days to respond."
Leia nodded, "I think that's the way to go." Privately, Leia hoped they stayed silent. If they opted to participate it would mean longer negotiations and could mean the end of the world's entrance in the New Republic. Leia instantly chided herself at the thought. This sort of thinking is how honest governments ended up corrupt.
"Great, uhhh, let's continue," Said Liv, who switched from the Gungans back to the majority species of the planet.
The discussion turned the lives of favttie bean farms. Sure, it would be important know later on. Regardless if Leia could eat them or not, the bean could provide a valuable source or protean for billions. They could be an important cash crop and if Naboo paid a portion of their taxes in beans, it could be big economic opportunity. But Leia zoned out, thinking about the adventures she had been allowed to have during her time with the resistance.
Leia thought about the fact that during the war, no one ever batted an eye when she picked up a blaster and ran head first into an altercation. No objected when she volunteered for the command team on Endor. For a short time, Leia had been a solider.
Now that the war was over, Leia had to fulfill other expectations besides her own. The senators that she severed with before the Empire had abolished the institution expected her to take roll in government, which she had. The world-less Alderaan nationals expected her resume being their princess. To lead them to some unknown promises land where they could rebuild their lost planet. Part of Leia, the Leia that grown up loving and serving Alderaan wanted to fulfill these expectations. Another part Leia, the part she unsure about wanted adventure. And even with this thought, Leia wondered what it meant. Was she channeling her Jedi relations? could the part of her that wanted the adventure also be the part of her that had the ability for an evil so pure, there was room for nothing else. Could this sort of evil be resting in Leia like a ticking time bomb, waiting for just the right moment to burst out.
This also lead to a well-founded fear, what would happened if anyone ever found out the truth of parentage. She certainly would no longer be called upon to lead New Republic, and certainly, the people she had served would no longer see her as their princess.
"Leia, what do you think about the trade situation on the planet?" Toula Tippion asked.
"Huh?" Leia was brought back to the meeting she was supposed to be paying attention to.
"The trade situation. The House of Madden, the fact that the House of Madden controls nearly 90% of Naboo's interplanetary trade. Really princess." Toula Tippion repeated, exhausted that someone would fail to pay attention to this sort of thing. Toula Tippion had been an economics professor on the prospers world of Larx IV and was probably the most honest person Leia knew, but often the honesty was to a fault. Toula, unfazed by consequences had written not one, but four papers on how Imperial economics policy was likely to drive to galaxy to bankruptcy. Luckily, the professor had the sense to escape the planet before Imperial troops found her. She joined the rebellion as an economic and business advisor, helping to keep the effort on budget and providing consultation on what would be needed to build a government. When Toula has been offered the position of interim Minister of Economic Development, she did it on the basis she would have the opportunity to travel the galaxy and see what has happening rather than just studying it.
"What do you mean, one house controls 90% of the planets trade?" Leia questioned, unsure if she had missed something when she drifted off, or if Toula had not yet provided the full story, wanting to make sure Leia was paying attention.
"Yes, the house started dealing in mechanical parts, mostly for household appliances and they expanded into droids, but in the last few years, their product line has expanded massively, they have purchased seven different large trading companies. It's really unlike anything I have ever seen." Toula continued.
"Potential Imperial connection?" Leia questioned, it could make sense, there were enough former Imperials looking for their next outlet. Something else should would eventually have to address, but not necessarily while on Naboo.
"Not anything we've been able to note. But obviously the Imperial sympathizers would go out of their way to cover their tracks." Toula responded.
"Anything else, any off-world money to trace, there must be something?" Leia continued to push.
"Again, nothing." Toula volleyed.
"And you visited, you actually talked to them?" Leia asked, but she knew the answer already. Toula was good at her job, but in a lot of ways, she was still an academic, content in sitting in one room looking at paper work.
Toula shook her head her.
"Toula, you've got to visit." Leia scolded, with the authority of someone 20 years her senior.
"Well, I requested everything I could." Toula defended.
Leia sighed, "Not everyone's as honest as you. Tomorrow, you and I are going to visit the House of Madden."
Toula gulped as if she were nervous, but nodded in agreement.
"It'll be fine, were going to a business, not to the Death Star, and you are the one that wanted to get out and see the Galaxy, and now you're doing that." Leia assured her and directed the conversation to the next topic.