A Silent Party

A Peace Treaty With the First Order

As the only daughter of your planet's Senator, you were raised to carry your family's great legacy. You're expected to create valuable alliances and bring honor – power – to your house. A special way to accomplish such honor is through marriage, and you always expected it to be a remarkable event. You could have never avoid all the fear and apprehension that came with the idea of having your life, your name and your choices tied up to the ones of another person, but your father is a reasonable and wise man, so you trust him to make a proper choice; since your mother's death, he became your closest friend, the ultimate definition of the word family, and you have no secrets to each other. You always spoke freely about your expectations on your wedding day, and your father always listened to you. There was even one time when he promised you he'd only choose someone that you believe to be able to make you happy.

However, things not always come out the way we want.

One day, your father comes to your room, asking if he can talk to you for a minute. This is a strange request, and you both know it: he never talked to you just for a minute nor asked you if he could. Besides, you can tell that something is wrong just by his tone: you would not say he's afraid, but his dominant emotion is something close to fear. It's like he's worried about what to do in face of a great menace, or still deciding how to tell you that the hard task to stop it was just appointed to you.

You tell your father to come in and close the door behind him. You both sit on your bed and you ask him if he wants some water or caff to stay awake, for it looks like he's going to pass out soon. He declines the offer and looks at your face for a long time.

– I just wanted you to be happy, child – he finally says, his cracked voice too painful to your ears – I've worked so hard to assure that. But now I feel like I'm unable to do anything to protect you...

You see tears about to fall from your father's eyes as he touches your face with his old hand. You put your hand over his, and notices it's trembling.

– Who would respect a man who cannot protect his own family? Tell, my daughter, who?

He takes his hand off your reach and, hiding his face on his palms, he falls silent. You want to tell him that he still didn't say what's the problem, but you don't think it's appropriate to interrupt him, so you wait for a while, and that moment feels like an age.

Finally, he raises his head and you ask him:

– What's going on, father? – you take his hands on yours – You've always been a great lord of our people, and the best father a girl could wish. Why are you incapable of protecting me now?

Despite of the tension in his face, he doesn't take long to explain the situation.

– As you already know, our planet's circumstances were not the best for years, child, but now we are desperate. I am so sorry that I hid some terrible facts from you. It was wrong, and now... You will pay for my irresponsibility, you and all the citizens of our planet!

Your father is about to cry again, but you don't let him.

– Father, please, tell me what's going on!

– I... I've signed a peace treaty with the emergent First Order.

For a moment, you have no words to say about that. Your father lied to you. No, he didn't lie, but he also didn't tell the entire truth, which does not differ from each other at the end of the day. You always knew your planet was not the richest of the system, but the all information that came to you for the last years led you to believe your situation was under control; now, you understand they were all carefully selected, and you've been living in the middle of a big crisis, at the edge of a collapse. Not just your father, but all the people who've worked with you tried to hide the facts from you instead of being honest and concentrate their efforts on finding a way to get out of this situation. And now, because of that, you are all prisoners of the First Order.

The First Order... you never knew much about the organization, but the name always suggested unpleasant associations in your mind since the first time you've heard it, and you know that there's a considerable amount of people who share these feelings. But you always thought you were out of their reach, invisible to them, even when there were never a good reason for believing in it except for the fact that your planet is not powerful enough to be considered a temptation. But what we never think it is possible to happen is always what we got at some point.

When you regain your voice, you pour a thousand questions on your father's ears:

– How was that even possible?! Why did you do that? Why didn't you talk to me before taking any actions? Father, we barely know them! What are their values? Their political views? What can they offer to us? And what do they want from us as a tribute? What will happen to our planet now?! Tell me, father!

He tries to calm you down, but you won't rest until you have your answers. He then orders you to be silent. When he speaks again, his voice is a desperate whisper, as if he's afraid of being heard by something – or someone.

He's now speaking fast and in a whisper, and most of he's saying doesn't make any sense to you, but you keep listening anyway. In the end, all you can pick up from his conversation is:

– We were all in great danger, my child, and there was no other way. They... How can I tell this to you... Our intelligence service worked on researches about them and what they found out is... unbelievable.

The way your father says this last word sends chills down your spine.

– Why?

– Their military and technological power is something beyond imagination. I have no idea of how they could afford to develop such things, but they did, and our small planet can't think of having them as our enemies...

– But father, we are not alone, we can reunite with our partners and...

– No, we can't! – he cuts you – Even our strongest alliances are not enough to stand against them. Actually, some of our friends think the same, and they even started their own arrangements to sign peace treaties... We would have no benefits if we lose their support.

You two remain in silence for a long time. Then, you suddenly remember that, unlike most of your political pairs, setting an agreement with your planet requires more than just writing your name over a line.

To the Senator's family, it requires a marriage.

Your parents' brothers, sisters and cousins conquered the most advantageous alliances with close planets by marrying with important citizens of them, so everyone, including yourself, expects you to do the same.

That's it. That's why your father is so desperate. Whatever the circumstances of your marriage, whoever the person you would spent your life with, he never expected something like this. He never wanted his only daughter to unite with someone who is a part of an organization like the First Order, which seems to use fear to wrap system after system on their leash. How can his daughter be happy and proud if she has to leave her leave her home for an unknown and probably sinister place, among people she doesn't know and who are not to be trusted at all? Your father now believes he failed. Failed with his people, failed with you and failed with himself. He feels defeated, ashamed and scared. You've never thought there would be a day when you'd see your father in this state. And because you've always saw him as your greatest hero, you are now frightened.

But it's not the time to be blind by fears nor tears. You swallow your apprehension and ask him the question that has been wandering in your mind since you remembered the marriage's rule.

– Father... I know what it means. I know I will have to marry someone to validate this treaty, and we don't have the time we need to alter the laws – you hold his hands on yours – So tell me at once. Who will be my husband?