Dianna sat in the chair in her office and turned around to look at the empty display stand she'd placed on the mantle just moments before. She grabbed the velvet cloth and slowly uncovered the unique ceremonial blade her lover had given her the previous night. She held the aurodium dagger in her hands and marveled at the design of it. The jewels covering the small hilt were from the standard design, but most models did not have the glowing red jewel in the center. It was the unwritten rule that such a dagger has not made from synthesized jewels, and it gave her a warmth that belied the cold that the metal imparted on her skin.
Silly as it seemed, she was hesitant to place it in the stand until she was positive that was where she wanted it. Once it was in that stand it would seem so much more permanent. She wasn't sure if she could bring herself to move it again after that.
She pulled the object in her hands closer to her face and the smell of recently molded jewelry hit her. She could help but be reminded of the first time she'd seen a Tingel Governor's blade. She was five years old at the time, and her Father had just had one made. Knowing what she knew now, she had no idea how he'd afforded one, even a low grade replica was expensive. She'd hugged it to her body the way most little girls would hold a prized stuffed toy or pet. After several minutes, she gave the blade back to her father to present to her mother.
As she got older, she used to sit in her dad's office and stare at the gilded weapon, sitting on this same display stand, on the same mantle. When her father caught her eying the blade longingly, he wouldn't chide her for daydreaming as he was known to do. Instead, he'd get a twinkle in his eye and tell her one of his many stories. Tales of the various dignitaries and politicians who'd received one with their title, or of the large company mergers that used it to celebrate, even the celebrity weddings who'd been blessed with one.
Even with a holographic memory, she couldn't have count the number of times she'd been told of the origins of the first six Tingel Governors. The tale of how they had managed to come together for independence. The systems had started out as small settlements and trading posts, but had quickly gained notoriety for piracy and other less than savory dealings. The Republic tried to step in and intervene but a large amount of wealth, legitimate and otherwise, had come to the Tingel Arm of the galaxy due to trade. Whether it was through bribes, coercion, or through their own devices, the local governors of the six largest planets came together. Led by Bo-Len Den and Howsam Var, they each passed local legislation to loosen salvage laws among others, effectively decriminalizing much of the piracy in the system. When the Republic would not recognize their new laws, the planets in the Tingel Arm appealed for and was granted independence.
Looking back on the story as she got older, she realized that it was largely romanticized by groups like her Fathers'. This was most evident because part of the lore included the thermal detonation device in the hilt signified by the glowing red jewel in the center. In a treaty between adversaries or groups with no trust for each other, every party was carrying one of these weapons. They were each then capable of defending a small attack or cause an explosion that could destroy the entire room, so backstabbing became much less profitable for all involved.
The Tingel Arm eventually eased back towards more standard laws over the next several hundred years. Pirates and smugglers no longer received any legal protection on Den Var or the surrounding planets than they did elsewhere in the galaxy, but they were looked upon with a bit more sympathy. The smuggler and pirate groups still view it as one of the golden eras of the galaxy, and revere the symbol of independence even more highly than the inhabitants of those planets.
A quiet beep sounded from the desk. Dianna opened her eyes and returned from her reverie to find herself clutching her gift like the little girl so many years ago. She wiped her eyes and placed the dagger in her father's stand before hitting the button on her desk.
------------------
Dianna walked into Trychon's quarters and found herself amidst a few dozen floating objects ranging in size from credchips to luggage cases. After brushing aside a small collectible of some sort, which floated away harmlessly, she saw the two brothers in the back corners of the room. Each was sitting in mid-air with their legs crossed and eyes shut.
She walked over to the luggage case she'd seen amongst the other junk and pulled it out of their mystical grasp.
"Time to pack, boys. Short trip. Need you to come with me."
Raezyr stretched his legs out and then set himself down. "Trouble?" The redness in her eyes didn't escape his notice.
"The only trouble will be if you think you can say no." She tossed him the bag. "You must learn the art of acquiescence... if you're to come with me to Alderaan. We take off at thirteen hundred hours."
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