The Ukatian Appendices - I

Fabian stared down into his cup of tea. His watched his own reflection, faintly distorted in the amber liquid, shift as a gentle wind rolled across the veranda.

"Why...me?"

Sat across from him, Lady Corazona lifted a delicate ivory cup to her lips. She sipped, and the silence that settled between them suddenly felt a little less airy. Fabian Albinac was the grand-nephew of the late King Horace von Cholmondeley. Unlike his uncle, the young nobleman had a kindly, gentle demeanor. His uncertainty with her suggestion was worn plainly in his expression.

"You are the deceased king's next of kin. Those making their bids for the throne are doing so out of their own lust for power – Ukatis needs a stable king, not another greedy one."

The Sith, as always, had left quite a mess in their wake. They'd stirred rebellion and slaughtered the king. As the power vacuum on Ukatis began to twist and turn, the need for a new head of state became paramount. The advisors she'd worked with had expressed concern for her selection, but she'd argued that Fabian's good nature and bloodline would make him a palatable king.

That, and she sought to put an end to the tiresome bloody struggles that surrounded that cursed throne.

Fabian pursed his lips in a trouble manner and looked up from his cup. "Why not you?" he asked. "You were victorious in the rebellion. Everyone – the commoners and nobility – saw you end things and chase away that corrupted man."

Cora let her eyes drift over the nobleman's shoulder, out to the gardens. Lilacs, roses, and pansies blurred together in a pleasant gradient at this distance. "I ended the rebellion. That is not the same as victory."

She quickly brought her gaze back to Fabian. "Jedi do not rule. Moreover…" Another sip of tea, after which she hummed in thought. "I'd be seen as an extension of my father, yet another noble grasping for power. Especially after I ended him."

Marcel was an imperfect man, and she would mourn him in her own way. Cora liked to think that he would've wanted her to forge ahead for the security of their home.

Fabian sighed. "Do you truly believe that I can do right by Ukatis? I spend much of my time with my paintings. An artist would not make for a strong king."

"You have an eye for detail," she countered. "You always have, ever since we were young. You may not have liked to play knights with us as children, but you could always tell which one of us was going to get hurt. Patience and foresight are valuable traits in a ruler. Often overlooked, even."

Fabian chuckled, once, bitterly. "There are greater men than I who you would have no need to flatter." He took a cursory sip from his cup, and his attention wandered to the rolling hills of his country estate. Gradually, his disdain turned into consideration. "Before he passed, my father had hoped that I would become a diplomat. He believe that for Ukatis to be stronger, we needed to integrate ourselves with the rest of the galaxy."

"Do you believe that?"

"Mm, to a degree. Increasing the breadth and depth of trade would be beneficial. As would forging alliances with our planetary neighbors."

Cora hid a little smile behind the rim of her cup for a long sip. "Slow and steady, as it were."

The pair went silent as they watched the summer blooms sway in the breeze. They'd flowered a full two weeks earlier than usual, likely thanks to the heavy rains.

Fabian put down his cup. Elbows on the table, he rested his chin atop laced fingers. Corazona had a quiet intensity to her, one that he hadn't seen before. Unyielding and stalwart, but not unkind. "Will you leave? After the coronation?"

There was a thoughtful pause before her response. "Not right away. I've already informed the council that I will be planetside for some time, overseeing the reconstruction and ensuring peace."

Procuring a new king was a part of that peace. Someone pleasing enough to both the courts and the people, backed by what credit she'd gained in her own service to Ukatis. "You'll have aides," she continued. "You can appoint anyone you see fit. The Seers, however, will be undergoing evaluation regarding their methods. At least three witnesses reported that Father Erasmus used sacrificial dark magic."

Fabian grimaced. "You'll be seeing to that, then?"

Cora lifted a brow. "I will," she replied. "Remember that we are not our fathers. It's time that we cast aside greed and bring Ukatis into the light – for all of her people."