STAR WARS: RETROSPECTION- Trials

Xavier senses the animals coming close. Just once he wishes they would attack, so he could measure their strength against his own. Still it was not to be he guessed.

Upon arrival he sees the ship, hoping things go better.

"How long will it take us to reach Almania?" Xavier asks.

"Not long," Jan says.

Almania, actually, as morning approaches, hangs above you in the sky.

In the starport, Jan greets the pilot that had brought the ship from Pydyr, then gestures for all to get inside.

Xavier goes inside the ship with everyone else. Unless Master Cabas wishes to speak to him about anything, Xavier will try and talk to the Senator alone.

This ship is far smaller than the Spearhead. It has a room between the cockpit and the passenger seating where the Senator is staying.

Cabas is speaking with Jan in the cockpit.

Xavier figures he will have time to talk to the Senator later. For now he will listen to the conversation between Jan and Cabas.

Jan is hammering out security details for passage to Almania with Cabas. Nothing too important.

Then Xavier will make his way to see the Senator.

Senator Wojaine is seated at one side of the room. He looks rather silly in his Senatorial robes, especially with how he's slumped over.

"Can I help you?" he asks, gruffly.

"I would like to speak to you in Private Senator, if I may." Xavier requests respectively.

The Senator looks about.

"This is about as private as we can manage, I think."

"Very true," Xavier says taking a seat next the Senator. "Before the attack by the Pirates I had been talking to your advisers. They told me that you were advised not to talk to the Chancellor. Why?"

"Politics," Wojaine says. "Informing the Chancellor of my dabblings in piracy and slavery would ruin my career as a politician and representative of my system. I have to be re-elected to the office in order to hold it, after all. The Je'har generally decide the outcome of elections, but they will not choose me if the people hate me."

"IF you were so worried about your political career, why deal with the Pirates at all?"

"Do I seem troubled by my political career?" Wojaine asks. "After all, I have bared all to the Chancellor. I cannot think of a more complete way to obliterate your career than to inform the leader of a galactic government that you consort with pirates."

"Good point," Xavier replies. "Why exactly did you get involved with the Pirates?"

"Fear and greed."

"A powerful combination indeed," Xavier says without much care. "Still my biggest question has yet to be answered so far. Why exactly did you break off your arrangement with the Pirates?"

Xavier wants to use Scan to get the Senator's general mood.

"It felt wrong. While I may be a selfish bastard, I knew what I was doing was harmful to my people. Try justifying condemning people to lives of hard labor to yourself at night. Plus, it began to get obvious. On Almania, the Senator is given command of the fleet, after all. The pirates strike and the Almanian fleet does absolutely nothing to stop them!"

He throws his hands up in despair, to accentuate his point.

"I do not want to be remembered as a tyrant."

He pauses, lowering his arms.

"And?" Xavier asks.

Scanning reveals that he is very depressed and upset. Also frustrated.

"And what?" he asks, sharply.