The small Captain and the Senator stood toe to toe, her lips tightly pursed in frustration and anger. Luke now understood Justiss' comment earlier about how she and the senator hated each other. He could feel the tension through the force, it was nearly unbearable – her determination not to appear weak, and his hatred made for the atmosphere to be heavy. No one to dare speak a word. This was between the Captain and the Senator. And if anyone intervened, it was obvious that they would regret it. After a few moments of intense hatred be exuded, she began the argument.
"You say that I am biased because this man helped my father during the Civil Wars. That is what you said?" she suddenly decided to circle around the Senator. Her hands clasped behind her back in a true position of authority.
"Yes, I would say that is my belief" Dreadnaught replied, following her with his eyes.
She sighed, "Well, its true, he did, he was loyal to Liboria as any Tyrnian on this side of the river. Yes, he has, in some respects, gained my trust. However, that is not evidence of what you are implying, which is that I am keeping him alive because of my father." she explained.
"Implying? I made no implications, I was clear. You yourself just said that he has gained your trust, when he has made it clear that he will go against every law of Liboria. It is the way of the Vogelfrei, that is why they don't live in Cairn Corness." Dreadnaught countered.
"True, but you don't live in Cairn Corness, which does not prove you are a criminal – unless perhaps there is something you wish to share with us?" Ariadné mocked.
The other senators snickered, Dreadnaught fumed. He was being mocked by a girl not even half his age, he was definitely not pleased. "Do not get off the topic" he spat.
"I am staying on the topic, I was simply pointing out the flaws in your thinking. And your thinking is flawed." the Captain retorted.
"You have interrupted this Therizo from going to the Palace of Justice three times previous; you found a way to get a hold of him before we did, and therefore sent him to the Jubilee. You were the one who sent him off with only a warning the last time, weren't you?" Dreadnaught shouted.
"Yes" Ariadné replied calmly.
"So you admit it!" the man exclaimed.
"Certainly, I don't think I ever denied having mercy on the less fortunate. Though the definition of 'fortunate' has always had the problem of being subjective" she joked. Organa shook his head with a smile, her wit was perhaps too sharp for her own good.
"And you say that I have a bias? You allowed him off! And no doubt, you will place his wife somewhere nice and cozy until her husband breaks out of his confines. Then you will be sorry" Dreadnaught said, his voice dangerously low.
"Sorry? For what? If Therizo breaks out, then you will get what you want. I will send him to the Palace of Justice, and you will finally have your way. Until then, you will have whatever authority over him that you wish. If he is as bad as you say, then he shall do that, and you have nothing to worry about. In fact, you should be cheering him on, wanting him to break out. Because then you will be able to do what you wish and call it 'justice'" Ariadné stated.
"He will cause havoc throughout the entire land." Dreadnaught forecasted.
"Perhaps he will, and perhaps he won't. But you are basing your beliefs on what he is, not who he is. Therefore, Dreadnaught, I shall ask you again: are you not biased against Therizo because of his race?" she inquired.
"Of course I am, he was raised to be as he is" the Senator spluttered.
"You were raised to be as you are, yet you have no mercy on another victim of consequence?" she spat.
"And I suppose you do?" he accused.
"I have a certain point of view which causes for me to make the decisions I do. Think of it this way," she said, her tone calming to a point of reasoning, "A Vogelfrei, is rarely painted as anything else. He is defined by his station as my title, or yours, defines us, yet it is not necessarily who he is. Our differences lie in our upbringing. You and I were born to privilege, and with that comes specific obligations. We follow those obligations out of a sense of responsibility which was seeded in us as children – the Vogelfrei were not raised as us. Though if they were raised as we were, I believe that even you would not be ashamed to admit them into your house"
Dreadnaught scoffed, "Never" he said.
Ariadné shrugged and sighed, "Well, I tried to reason with you. Make you understand my thoughts behind the ordeal. You obviously have no desire to see past your own feeble closed mindedness, and therefore there is no debate. We are both intelligent human beings, and you are stooping to a level lower than your capabilities. I have nothing further to say to you" she announced, turning to Senator Organa as if asking for confirmation.
"That's not good enough" Dreadnaught declared.
"It won't have to be" the Captain replied.
"How's that?"
"Because I don't have to justify my actions to you."
"Indeed?"
"Indeed"
The Senator turned to his comrades, "You see why women should not be in such positions of power" he said, earning a furious wide-eyed look from the Captain.
Her voice went dangerously low as she spoke the next words:
"Be wary Senator, your forget who our regent is. I may not mind if you insult me, but if you dare speak of Her Majesty in such a manner-"
"Protecting the Queen? Or are you protecting yourself? You seem to have forgotten your place Captain" Dreadnaught taunted.
"Senator," Organa interrupted, "I believe that a short meeting between ourselves should take place. Your attack of the Queen is a definite issue which should be addressed"
"I am not speaking of the Queen, Organa," Dreadnaught replied, "I am speaking of this upstart here" he motioned toward Ariadné as he said this.
The young woman chuckled, "Upstart?" she parroted. "Yes, I suppose you would call me that." she began walking toward the windows, she sighed, holding her hands behind her back. "Well, Dreadnaught, you have insulted me in every way possible and must have nothing further to say. I must respectfully request that you leave." she said.
Dreadnaught sighed, "Is that all, Captain?" he asked.
"Did you expect something else?" she replied, "For I am a woman, and I cannot in any way get through your head. Therefore, sir, I humbly ask you to please leave me to myself. I shall come up with a solution to your problem with my . . . as you have called it – inability to lead due to my lack of testosterone." her voice was subdued, but there was a note of finality in it.
Organa quickly took Dreadnaught by the arm, "Come Senator, we have disturbed Her Highness long enough" he said, leading the senators out of the room. "Xavier, come with me, if you don't mind." he called back. Justiss looked at Luke once, and then with a resigned nod, followed the senators out of the throne room. Leaving Luke, Ariadné and Adriané alone.
A few moments passed before Ariadné turned to face her sister and the newcomer. She sighed, looking at Luke once more. "Now, what are we going to do with you?" she asked no one in particular.
Adriané looked at the Captain, "Might I make a suggestion, Aria?" she said.
Ariadné nodded, bringing her hand over her eyes, "By all means. I'm afraid I'm too exhausted to think of anything more" she said. "Dreadnaught is right, my position is more for a man than a woman."
"Then perhaps you should have someone help you? A man" Adriané suggested.
Ariadné laughed humorlessly, "Who?" her tone was sardonic, "I can't trust anyone. After all, what man would want to work under a woman? They're all like Dreadnaught, believing that we cannot manage anything" she looked at Luke. "But back to you, what is your background, Starkiller?" she asked him.
What could he tell her? What would she do if she knew he was part of the Alliance? He was torn. She thought he was not Luke Skywalker, and that had gotten for her not to want to kill him instantly. But if he lied, and said something very benign, and she found out – it might be worse for him than if he just told her the truth.
"Well, speak apparition!" she exclaimed in impatience. She suddenly began coughing, her small body shaking furiously. Adriané moved to her side, and tried calming her bout. A few moments passed before she stopped, her face red with blood. "I'm alright" she told the healer, breathing deeply. She shook her head, "Forgive me. When I speak with senators, my tone becomes rather short in general. I did not mean to be rude. Please..."
Luke decided just to tell her, it would work better in the end, no doubt. "I was born on Tattooine, I lived with my aunt and uncle on their moisture farm." he began.
"Very hot place, Tattooine. Though I can't say I've been there, but from what I hear its not that desirable a planet" she commented, "I'm sorry go ahead."
He chuckled, "You haven't missed much. There is not much that is desirable. I worked with the Alliance as a pilot, and have for the last five years" he said.
"Quite a short biography. Is there nothing else which would define you?" she asked.
"Not really, no." Luke replied, he wasn't sure if they knew he was a Jedi, but he wasn't so sure that it would be a good thing to mention.
Ariadné looked at him for a moment, contemplating something. "What was your rank, in the, uh-" she paused, "-Alliance" her tone somewhat disgusted by the word.
"I was a commander." Luke replied.
She looked at him in surprise, "A commander?" she repeated, he noticed she liked repeating the words of others for further comprehension. "I'm impressed" she continued with a smile, "A commander, you must be ambitious." she muttered. She thought a moment longer, "Do you like working in the military?" she asked.
"I don't like death. I fought to bring about peace in the galaxy, but when it came to fighting I wasn't particularly thrilled" he answered.
"I admire that, Starkiller" she replied softly, " I'm afraid not many would have answered me like that, as they cannot understand that belief. They think that war is something to be wanted. They admire a hero, but do not understand the penalty for being a hero. Most who like war have never had to endure the pain and suffering that it causes" she said her mind distant.
Adriané sat by listening, "Aria, may I speak with you?" she asked, walking a few steps away from Luke. They spoke in hushed tones in their language, and Ariadné seemed to be pondering whatever it was that her sister suggested. Luke wished he knew the language, but resolved himself to having to simply wait until they spoke in a language he could understand.
They looked at Luke, and spoke to each other again. Ariadné then approached him, looking him up and down, "I don't know Adri" she said, "My sister suggests that you work under me. Seeing as Dreadnaught brought up that rather painfully irritating subject of my femininity. She thinks that it might be good, seeing as you are accustomed to working in a military position, that you become my assistant. A Commander is just under my rank, and the senate might respect you more than it obviously does me" she told him.
Luke was astonished, "But you know so little of me" he said.
Ariadné laughed, "Tis too true. And that was my argument with her, but she does hold a point. Being as you are from the Alliance, and the senate respects that particular organization, and the fact that you have leadership qualities and qualifications – they should allow this." she said, "Not to mention the fact that I could use some help." she looked to her sister, then back to Luke, "It is your decision. What do you say?" she asked.
"If you think that it would be a wise choice, and if you are willing to trust me, then I would be honored to serve under you." he replied. "Though my ways and yours may conflict, Your Highness" he said, using a title which was used by the senators.
She shook her head, "I think not. I think that you will do well. I am very trusting, though, and I will not like it very much if you betray me." she warned.
Adriané smiled, "I think that it will be a good thing, you need rest. You're no good to Tyrn if you're half alive. You're no good to anyone, especially if things go wrong on the other side of the river" she said.
Her sister grinned, holding a hand to her throat, "Very well, it is settled. Adri, have someone set Starkiller somewhere close to my quarters. It would be good to have him nearby." she turned to him "You and I will have a chat as soon as you are released from the ward, and we shall discuss various things which you will be handling in my stead."
"Very good, Aria" Adriané said, "For he is still not completely well. You may have him in the next few days, I still wish to run some tests" her sister nodded and waved her off.
"Take him then, I shall see you soon, Commander" she said, "May the Force be with you both, I am going to rest until my next meeting with the Queen. I shall see you later sister, Starkiller" she then left the courtroom, presumably to sleep.
"Well, that's settled" Adriane stated with elation. She was happy from the decision, and couldn't help but put a bounce in her step as they left the palace.
"Why did you suggest me working for your sister?" Luke asked the healer when he was placed back in his bed at the ward.
Adriané was silent, "You observed the senate's opinion of my sister, she has very few allies. Mostly because of the fact she is a woman, and not respected amongst the men of the senate. She is not taken seriously." she said, pouring him some medicine.
"You also observed one of her coughing fits." she said after a pause, "My sister has not been well for seven years, and even more unwell since my brother went off to fight in your Alliance. Her illness was one of my influences in my being a healer. She is a leader of mind, not of body. If we went to war, I don't believe she'd be able to fight. Don't tell her I said that, though. She doesn't like it if I tell anyone of her weaknesses" she said.
Luke was puzzled, "But why did you suggest me?" he asked.
"The Force is strong with you, and you are a man who has not been tainted by the opinion of the senate against my sister. She needs someone of strong will to help her, someone who will not make her take everything upon her own shoulders. Someone who will help her with the senate, for they are most of the reason she is so sickly. She will kill herself by work and worry if she continues down the way she's going now. In addition, I don't trust anyone around her, but I think we can trust you." she said.
"I warn you though" she continued, "Harm her, and you will wish you had never set foot on Tyrn." she threatened.
"I will only do what is in her best interest" Luke assured the healer.
Adriané smiled, "Goodnight Starkiller, get all the rest you can. You will be released to my sister's care tomorrow" she said, leaving his room.
Luke sat in the dark for a while, pondering the events of the day. "Oh, Ben, what have I gotten myself into?" he asked, but received no reply, for no one was there.