Claudine Mellette

Claudine Mellette (b. 603 SE on Ghad) was a famous politician, advice columnist, author, and adult film actress. She served in the Ghadi Defense Force, the Ghadi Government, and wrote for the Empire's official news service before her disappearance and presumed death in 654 SE. Known for her exceptional beauty and commanding presence, she was the youngest sentient being ever to reach an Inner Circle position in the government of the Ghadi Empire when she was appointed Minister of Culture and Propaganda in 631 SE at the age of 28 (for the purposes of this statistic, the robot Vert-X 9000 is not considered a sentient being).

Early Life and Adult Film Career
Mellette was born on Ghad in 603 SE and attended the GDF Youth Academy until the age of 18. At that time, she accepted an appointment as a Corporal in the Ghadi Defense Force. She served three years in the military, all in non-combat positions, before her particular set of talents and interests changed the course of her life.

In 624 SE, Mellette applied for and was granted a Government Arts Grant to pursue "An arts project that will serve to bring together the various peoples, planets, and cultures of the Ghadi Empire." Under the terms of the grant, she would continue to receive a monthly salary equal to her officer's commission for a renewable three-year term to work on this project. While it remains unclear whether the selection panel knew at the time the exact nature of the project (much of the application form was redacted, like all documents relating to Inner Circle ministers), it is certain that the grant was later renewed twice.

Mellette quickly set out on a career in adult films, becoming the first human female actress to perform in true interracial sex scenes. She made a point of shooting scenes with the top pornographic actors and actresses on each planet in the Ghadi Empire, regardless of species or other characteristics. According to Mellette at the height of her pornographic career, "The Empire consists of many planets, many species, some of whom may feel disenchanted with human rule. My goal is to show that regardless of appearance or language or solar system, we are all one people. My goal is to bring everyone closer to Ghad." Indeed, many of the titles in which she would appear echoed this sentiment, the most notable of which was the 23-edition series Cumming to Ghad. In many of her videos, Mellette appears at some point in a GDF uniform, and all came with a stamp signifying that the feature was "Approved by the Ghadi Department of Culture."

Mellette's work quickly brought her great fame within both the Ghadi Empire and the galaxy at large. Even within the Zarakkanian Empire, with which the Ghadi Empire was at war for the better part of the Second Era, Mellette was hailed as uniting force for peoples of all species. Her willingness to perform a seemingly limitless variety of sex acts with members of any race made her perhaps the most popular pornographic actresses of any generation.

Political Career
In 631 SE, following the resignation of the Ghadi Minister of Culture and Propaganda, Mellette was offered the vacant office. Despite her young age (she was just 28 at the time) and relative lack of political experience, her immense popularity throughout the Ghadi Empire made her an excellent candidate for the role. Her previous position as "cultural ambassador" had brought her to every planet in the Empire multiple times and endeared her to their populations, giving her messages instant credibility when the government needed it most. At the time, the Ghadi Empire was continuing to deal with its extended war with the Zarakkanians and a relatively new threat from the Arcological Society.

During her tenure as Minister, Mellette continued to reiterate a theme from her time in the pornographic industry, stating, "My goal is to bring everyone closer to Ghad." She continued to visit outlying planets frequently, earning a reputation as a tireless ambassador for the government and endearing herself even more to the Empire's diverse population. Nonetheless, she was fierce in her defense of the government's workings. In 633 SE, just the third year of her term as Minister, the Arcological Society performed an unannounced citydrop on Ghad. In a famous speech, Mellette declared the Society a "Threat to the People" and said of it...

''...a pox upon the fair face of the Empire. The so-called Arcological Society spreads monoculture, blighting our free planets with the conformity of its design. Its arcologies suffocate local governments, stifle regional cultures and threaten the very diversity which makes our Empire so strong. They are ticks on the back of great planets, and like all ticks, they will be burned out of their holes and crushed against the ground.''

Despite her immense popularity and steadfast opposition to the Arcological Society, its continued growth and development proved to be a serious drain on the resources of the Empire. Ultimately, the cultural and military war against the Society diverted resources from the conflict with the Zarakkanians and has been cited as a cause of the Ghadi Empire's eventual dissolution.

Death
Mellette served twenty years as Minister of Culture and Propaganda, before resigning at age 48 in 651 SE. She continued to serve the Ghadi government in various roles, including writing an advice column for the empire's official new service. In 653 SE she published a book, Closer to Ghad: My Life in Porn and Politics. While the Ghadi Empire crumbled around her, Mellette's personal star shone brighter than ever. During an Empire-wide book tour in 654 SE her personal starship Mistress, an Aphid-class Transport Frigate, went missing between signings. Mellette was never seen or heard from again.

Legacy
Despite having no physical evidence of her death, the Ghadi Empire held a state funeral for Mellette in late 654 SE. The Zarakkanian Empire, despite its continued war with Ghad, also held an official period of mourning. Though her contributions to government tend to be less appreciated since the fall of the Ghadi Empire, Mellette remains a treasured figure throughout the galaxy. She continues to be celebrated as perhaps the greatest pornographic actress of all time, and is certainly the best-selling. Many of her films continue to rank near the top of galactic charts for pornographic video sales to this day.

Cable Sturn, current King of Adelphia, called Mellette his biggest historical influence in an interview following his coronation...

''It is inconsequential that Claudine Mellette lived hundreds of years ago and served a government that repeatedly waged war over our planet. She was the first woman I ever saw naked, and probably the first I ever fell in love with. As a boy, I watched and re-watched every one of her videos. As a man, I have read and re-read the tales of her time in the Ghadi government. At every stage in my development, from curious boy to hormonal young man to King of Adelphia, I have looked to Claudine Mellette. Never was there such a tireless ambassador for interplanetary unity, before or after her lifetime.''