| abstract | - Dark and foreboding, this wide alley used to be a thoroughfare between Bottom End and the eastern edge of Treasure Ship Row. The overhang of multi-story buildings shade this alley in levels of darkness ranging from dusk to pitch black, depending on the time of day. Even the occasional lantern hanging outside many of the seedier storefronts offers little illumination. Smaller alleys branch off of this one, leading to darker, even more dangerous looking areas of this underground section of Bottom End. Tarshyyk's hood is drawn up over his head, which actually makes for a somewhat comical sight: A Wookiee trying to stay unnoticeable. He slowly shuffles down the alleyway. He makes a point not to look around, but to simply stare down at the pavement. His droid his hidden beneath that heavy, dark brown cloak of his so as not to draw attention from any of the seedier passersby of this alley. The shrouded Wookiee looks around quickly, trying to make out any sign of Alistair's approach. He does not like it here one bit, and his shoulders tense up as he stops near a particularly shadowy area to await his colleague. Alistair moves more confidently, apparently more accustomed to these types of environments. His large hood is not drawn but his face is covered by a mechanical looking mask. His lekku are covered by the typical black balaclava and every inch of his blue hued skin is covered in some form or another. Trailing him by about four or five meters is a single agent afforded him by the New Republic when sent on dangerous foreign relation missions. The Twi'lek appears before Tarshyyk within a matter of moments. A gloved hand goes up in greeting as he slows his gait. "A fine day for a Corellian sunset.." His voice is mechanical and garbled as he utters the first half of the security phrase. Tarshyyk simply snorts and shakes his head, peering around nervously before looking back to the Twi'lek and growling as quietly as possible. The droid shouts loudly beneath that large cloak of his, "May I come out now? /Honestly!/" To which the Wookiee responds by smacking it hard. A peculiar sight to others who may not know that a droid was hiding beneath the large garment, it would appear as though the Wookiee just hit himself. The droid slowly peers out and quips, "No need to be rude!." He turns to the disguised Twi'lek and says pompously, "My /master/ wants to know who /he/ is." Dark gloved hands reach up and disengage the mask revealing a grinning Alistair. Glancing over his shoulder the twi'lek speaks in a virtual gleeful tone. "Protection. Senators are granted a single agent when dealing with dangerous foreign affairs. He's one we can trust - one of the soldiers who escorted me off Dac." The twi'lek touches a hand to his ear and mumbles an order to the distant soldier to make sure no one else enters the alley. A particular sense of adventure overwhelms the twi'lek. It had been nearly six months since he had experienced any real excitement outside of Dac. In a way it re-energized the young Senator like nothing else could. "Good," quips the droid after a grunt from his master. Continuing, the droid translates, "What do you know about the current situation? The whispers are growing louder with each passing day...Quite honestly, Senator, it seems as though Corellia is finally going to be liberated." "At the moment they are just that. Whispers. A few Nobles dissatisfied and disgruntled. They are so minor and muffled that the Empire has yet to catch real wind of it. As far as they are concerned it's a meaningless vie for power, they don't completely grasp the extent of the Independent movement." The twi'lek folds his hands out comfortably before him, going on in his hushed voice. "Liberation at this point is still a far off dream. I've made arrangements to meet with several of the nobles in hopes of finding the best to support." The Wookiee listens intently to the information Alistair gives him before nodding and grumbling quitely. His growls are muffled from beneath the thick cloak. The droid says quietly, "Yes, hopefully the Empire will not catch wind of it for quite some time. What do you need from me, Senator, to make sure these people get what they need? I leave for Dac soon, but surely there is something we can do." It is a bit twisted, but eventually Alistair /does/ want to get the Empire's attention. If they are forced to blockade Corellia because of significant uprising and rebellion then that is a portion of the Empire's fleet that they cannot directly threaten the Republic with. Alistair's face grows serious for the first time since he's removed the mask, "I do not know what the nobles will want. But I know what it is I want to achieve and on some level it falls in line with theirs: A Free Corellia." "Things are going to change, Senator. Soon the dice will be cast. The Republic is still reeling from the Imperial Blitzkrieg and I feel Dac symbolizes the turning point. If whispers of Independence and freedom succeed on Corellia, imagine the standard that would set for the rest of the Galaxy. Imagine what courage other planets would get, the ideas that would begin turning in their minds. I don't know if we can succeed in delivering a free Corellia, but in simply by aiding the movement we'll cause damage to the infrastructure of the Empire." Alistair's tone seems different from his normal passive and introspective self. He sounds empowered, his voice conveying confidence and determination. "I imagine once I know more, and there is a specific Noble to endorse, they'll likely want weapons, medical and food supplies in case things turn especially ugly." The Wookiee closes his eyes and allows his mind to wander for a moment. Could it be possible that the Corellian people will once again show their valor to the rest of the galaxy? Could the galaxy once again see the unmatched courage that the prospect of liberty affords? He sighs heavily and nods before his droid translates amidst that series of low, gutteral growls, "I agree. We will aid them in whatever way necessary. It ought to be done in secret, of course. At least for a while. Then when significant movements begin to take place, the Empire will surely know we have helped them. It will be as if it were a Republican victory as well as a Corellian...the galaxy will see what happens when the Republic regains its resolve. We must use this. I will make sure things on Dac are dealt with. You remain here and continue gathering information so that we may help the Corellians completely. The galaxy will see that resolve can rebuild a planet and liberate another. Call upon me when you need assistance. I will lend whatever aid necessary to ensure the successes of these operations. I'll commit my own Senate gaurds if I have to." Alistair puts up a hand to stop the Senator from Kashyyk. "At present time the only help we can bring to the table is purely material in nature. It won't immediately be drawn back to the Republic. They are wealthy nobles, it's not impossible that they would get their resources from a number of sources. For the time being all we can offer are materials - there is too much the Republic is currently dealing with." There is the reconstruction of Dac and of the secret shipyard. Then there is the business of the new Sith Threat in which part of the Republic navy is currently deployed against. After a brief pause the twi'lek continues, "Anything more than that would require heavy deliberations in the Senate. We would have to gather more support, to see just how far the Republic is willing to go to help Corellia." "But first we must demonstrate that the odds are worth it. It is easy to play the imperial plight, we've all experienced it in the last four or five years. There are tens of millions of refugees on Ord Mantell alone. The difficult part is managing it so that victory is a real possibility. At best I'll see what I can come up with and work will begin from there. If the ball can begin rolling on Corellia, it may begin popping up on other planets. Then we could make a serious bid to the Senate to endorse aggressive action against the empire." The twi'lek is speaking in months time, years even. The Shipyards are still under construction. What Senator Al'Dira describes is the big picture. "Like I said. Call upon me whenever you need aid regarding this situation. I will go to Dac and make sure everything is taken care of. Can I trust you to make sure your allies in the Senate will support allocating more resources to the rebuilding of the Dacian shipyards?" the droid says after Tarshyyk finishes his growling. "It's already been taken care of, my friend." Senator Al'Dira says. "The majority of the resources have already been pledged by the Caspians. In fact the ship yards are probably already under re-construction, we just haven't heard about it because their new location is a secret. Even to me, and that is saying something. " Alistair smoothes out the purple and blue robes he is wearing as a disguise. "The moment something new develops I will be certain to contact you and let you know where we stand." The Wookiee turns about slowly, holding the droid closely to his chest as he shuffles away. He walks a few meters away before growling a bit louder so the Senator can hear him. After he finishes speaking he turns and begins walking away, while the droid lingers behind, bobbying up and down merrily before saying, "You'll notice I did not rip your arm off when you stopped me earlier...consider it a gesture of friendship." After he finishes, the droid zips around quickly and hovers after his master.
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