Senator and Soldier

Friends and Enemies

Mon Cala: 19 BBY
Mon Cala City
Riyo Chuchi

    Their ship touched down on a landing platform that rose above the crashing waves. Already, a water speeder was waiting to carry them to Mon Cala City. Riyo stood to the side, along with Padmé and Mon Mothma, while their few bags were loaded into the speeder. Bail joined them a moment later and gestured towards the speeder.

    The four of them piled in and a clear dome sealed over their heads. Riyo peered out as the pilot submerged the speeder. Dozens of buildings rose from the ocean floor. She could faintly see speeders and people swimming among them.

    They continued to go deeper. The natural light grew darker, but the lights of Mon Cala City illuminated the water. At last, the speeder docked at a large building. The hatch opened and they filed into the hallway.

    Two Mon Calamari were already waiting for them. Padmé dipped her head towards the younger of the two. "Your Highness, I hope we haven't come at an inconvenient time?"

    King Lee-Char shook his head. "Not at all. I've been waiting for you. Let's move into my conference room so we can discuss things in private." He turned and led the way down the hall.

    "Who is the other one?" Riyo whispered, leaning towards Padmé.

    "That's Lee-Char's most trusted general, Gial Ackbar," she replied. "He was a captain during Mon Cala's civil war and Lee-Char promoted him for his loyalty and courageous acts."

    Riyo inclined her head. Lee-Char led them into a long room, with a table situated in the center of it. They all took their seats and pulled out their datapads.

    "When Senator Amidala told me about what all of you had been doing, I knew I needed to learn more," Lee-Char began. "Mon Cala has fared better than many planets and systems within the Republic, but our own civil war has brought hard times upon us. With the added strain of the Clone Wars, I believe implementing some of your ideas may be helpful for my people and the Quarren. I'd like to know what each of you have been doing and how it has helped your people."

"I can start," Padmé volunteered. She hooked her datapad up to the projector in the center of the table. Several images and graphs appeared. She began to speak once more. Riyo pulled open a new document on her datapad and typed up a few notes. They would be useful to add to her own organizations on Pantora. Bail went next, followed by Senator Mon Mothma.

Gradually, Riyo found herself feeling tired and dizzy once more. It was a struggle to keep her focus on the meeting. She blinked swiftly, trying to wake herself up a bit.

This is so odd, she thought. Have I really been that stressed out lately? It doesn't feel like it, but maybe I have.

Mon Mothma sat down and all eyes turned towards her. Riyo pushed her thoughts to the side and hooked her datapad up. "Rather than showing you statistics, I thought I'd let my people and those running our fundraisers speak to you themselves," she said. Riyo opened up a recording of Kyri and a group of Pantorans. Laira and Nok hovered near their mother.

The recording started and Kyri appeared rather nervous. "I'm not really sure what to say," she began. "All of these new organizations have helped our people tremendously. We started with the original plan of fundraisers. Those helped us give funds and provide food and necessities to those who had previously gone without. Companies, schools, and individuals began to involve themselves and helped us grow."

Riyo ended the recording. "Now, many companies and people freely give out whatever they can afford to and not just to fundraisers. They are giving out services, goods, and more."