Common Practice

[Eddak Manod]

[member="Lady Kay"]


Bermann had arrived early to the Royalties Palace. He had his proper clearance and authority to show he was allowed here and was requesting to see the Queen. However, he urged the assistant or secretary not to rush the Queen. Bermann was very soft spoken and respectful, at some points kind. He almost whispered as he told the secretary only let the Queen know he was ready to see her once she was prepared. It was very early in the morning, with dew still on the grass and birds just waking up. Even if Lady Kay did wake up early, Bermann hadn't really slept.

He told the secretary he was a high ranking military official of the Commenor Military and political member of the Royal Family; no relation. It showed on his credentials that his background was indeed classified, but it was cleared with the Commenor security system. Berman had decided to rest in the welcoming hall or sitting room. Out of the way, like an old man napping. Her held his cane firmly with both hands as it rested against the floor between his legs. He did not snore, he did not twitch, but everyone could tell the old coot was still alive, just taking a small nap until the Queen was ready.

Queen Kay, when she was available in her office, would be notified of an old man wishing to see her, claiming it was somewhat important, but not critical. Quoting the man said "oh, it's quite important, but she can take her time. I'll be here." Even if she was away from the planet doing whatever business she was dealing with, Bermann would occassionally grab a bite to eat, but otherwise, he would return and sit and nap in the same place. He was here for the Queen, and only the Queen. He only answered to her and he needed to know what his orders would be here in Commenor again.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was indeed awake early in the morning. However after a bit of breakfast, she had gone off to her isolation chamber to relief her stress and clear her mind. She floated in the heavily salted water for well over an hour, letting her thoughts drift as they would. It always made her feel as though she was floating in space, and perhaps a part of herself was as she opened herself up to the Force instead of focusing on shrinking her signature down. By the end of it she had gotten so relaxed that she actually fell asleep.

Coming to with a start, Kay opened up the lid to the chamber, grabbed her towel and wiped her feet before walking over to the shower to wash off all the salt. This was starting to be a weekly routine for her. And that gave her something to look forward to.

It wasn't until after she had gotten dressed and was curled up with her tea in her chair that she saw that there was a message for her. Apparently Kay had a visitor. Military too. Oh boy.

She got to her feet, with her tea in hand and walked over the door of her office. Her thoughts went from person to person as she tried to guess who was waiting. As she opened the door, she looked to see who was there. Bermann was someone that she didn't recognize. Kay cleared her throat as the man seemed to be asleep. "Excuse me, sir? I'm ready to see you now. Sorry to have kept you waiting."

[member="Eddak Manod"]

 

[Eddak Manod]

[member="Lady Kay"]


Bermann was rustled suddenly as he heard a voice slightly louder than an indoor voice, one intended to get the attention of another. Shaking up like an old man would, he blinked his eyes and looked up, looking around. Once he saw Queen Kay, he smiled. He slowly stood up from his seat and pushed up with his cane. Limped on his cybernetic leg, he leaned on his cane to approach her. "Hello, Lady Kay," he said as if he knew the woman, "You didn't keep me from waiting. I know the duties of a Monarch; they can get quite restless. Sometimes, they need a little R & R," he chuckled under his breath, limping on his cane as he continued walking. He approached the Queen until he was only a foot a way, putting his hand out as if to shake it, and tricking her, as his niche, and clasped her hand. He raised it, and kissed it on the back, just like always. He didn't do much more with that interaction; releasing her hand, he went back to leaning on his cane and continuing into her office. Instead of sitting down, he leaned against the wall instead of leaning on his leg. He wiped his forehead and down his face, trying to wipe away the stress of the new life, and also his face ached just a little. He declined any tea or food.

"I hope you are well," he turned to look her in the eye out of respect instead of talking to a wall, "I know things are a little different but I can't just blurt out the obvious, you see," he chuckled, using his hands to convey his expressions. "But you know me, Lady Kay," Lady Kay being his nickname for her, even though she was a Queen and should be addressed more formally. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out very slowly with his free hand. He then flicked it towards Lady Kay onto her desk. It was an Aurodium coin, one with the Galderra symbol on it. When she would look back at him, he winked, still having that twinkle in his eye as he always did.

"Now comes the part where I ask you where you want my services." With his free hand, he idly reached into his jacket and pulled out some paperwork. Paper. Classy. And then tossed it onto her desk. He'd be more polite and reached over to place it, but that would unfortunately require more movement with his new leg which he didn't want to. Both his right leg and left arm were obviously cybernetics; he didn't get them covered in skin. The document was his credentials, history, and 'past' services he had done with Commenor Systems Alliance. It was made to sound like he was a secretly reactivated operative for CSA. He of course, came with an extensive background of clearances that justified all that, which was actually true. Extensive experience and knowledge in slugthrowers, blasters, he knew engineering, how to control ships, fix them, and command fleets. He had everything his old face had, and a little more under his belt since they last met.

"Now it's time to put my life debt to use, Lady Kay. Ignore my limp, I'm still getting used to this mechanical contraption down here. I can be a soldier, a naval officer. I could be a... an intelligence officer, a secret agent," he chuckled. He didn't have the same sound of Eddaks voice, but it was now the same tone. "But... I've heard you need an Admiral. I'd enjoy helping you fill that role. If you need a shipwright, I can do that do. But I understand if.... I don't think CSA and I, well I was really in it big with the royal family, or the government. So if Fleet Admiral is out of the question, I literally have all the time in the known universe to talk to you, Lady Kay." He nodded, smiling. If at any time she said his old name, he would put a finger to his lips and quietly shhhhh her.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was indeed tricked with the handshake that turned into a kiss. Her brow was raised slightly as he didn't seem the sort to do that. But...first appearances weren't always the correct ones.

And of course she offered [member="Eddak Manod"] some tea after she closed the door behind him, but he was quick to refuse. That was all the more curiouser.

She sat down at her desk when he began speaking, sipping her tea before putting it down. Kay raised a brow at the coin that landed on her desk, her eyes moving upward to meet his. "Eddak?.." Right away she was shushed. But she recognized that twinkle.

It was him.

Perhaps he thought that this room was recorded, for he continued to act in this new personna of is. Or perhaps he was merely practicing, getting more of a feel for the new part that he was to play.

She studied the paperwork that he layed out before her, looking through the various skills. "And Admiral...yes, I think that you'll fit nicely there. We have some trouble brewing near our borders, so it'll be good to bolster our forces there....Just in case." She wasn't sure if he had heard of the blockade at all.

 

[Eddak Manod]

[member="Lady Kay"]


He was truly happy to be back, and to be honest, he was happy not to have a kingdom with questions and stress to wake up to every day. He would miss it, but it was a good trade off. It made him smile when Lady Kay picked up on his antics, and figured out who he was. Still, he wanted to keep the secret, a secret, as best he could. He was interested, however, in the inner workings of the CSA. Not to infiltrate it, but he wanted to feel important. Not that he deserved it, but he wanted to feel useful, and not just an ordinary soldier. But that thought ceased for the moment, as he heard that trouble was brewing. Jojacks hadn't known anything that was going on. His smile went away as he looked more intently at Lady Kay. "Just call me Jojack. Now, tell me what's going on.... I want to know everything you're willing to tell me. No one better be making any trouble at your door, unless they want to answer to me."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow. "Call you Jojack?
That's a weird name...or is it a nickname?" She wasn't so sure. It just sounded weird.

She let go of the paperwork and cradled her tea in both of her hands, comforted by the warmth of the liquid. "The Sith Emperor came to me not long ago, wanting to negotiate a non-aggression pact between our two nations. However he was steadfast in his demands, hardly yielding at all. We reached a bit of a stalemate of which he requested a week's recess. Little did I know that during that time, he'd enforce a blockade between our borders and the Core, kidnapping Galactic Alliance refugees and stealing some of our cargo. I can't let that go on of course. So later today I'll be holding a meeting with my advisors and Ministers to decide the best course of action to take."

[member="Anweald Bermann"]

 

[Eddak Manod]

[member="Lady Kay"]

"Call me Bermann, as a usual name. But Jojack is my middle name, use it when you need to... address Eddak, or when you need to be serious with me..."

"The Sith," Bermann muttered under his breath. He gritted his teeth, looking angry. His grip on his cane changed as it made a throwing motion. Upward her tossed it so his hand could grab it at the middle. "Of course it's the damned Sith," he turned to Lady Kay and approached her desk. With the hand that held the cane, he raised it and tapped the index finger on her desk. "Lady Kay," he said, shaking his head, "do not take their gesture of a non-aggression pact as a sign of a peaceful Sith. It is a prelude to war." He urged his thoughts on Lady Kay, begging her to take heed of his suggestion, "don't just continue ship construction, but double it. During the time that I supported you with my Kingdom, I researched the potential enemies of the galaxy. The Sith.... we could argue all day about their hypocrisies, but what they want is Sith rule of the Galaxy. And for that, they need control, and to control, they need resources. We both know the kinds of resources Commenor has. There is a Dark Age coming in our life time, Lady Kay, I'm thankful I was here to help you before it happened. They want you to feel that the Commenor Systems Alliance is loved by everyone and has little to fear, so that they can catch you off guard." Bermann sighed, his robotic arm curling up and the fist balling up to rest on his hip. "You might already know of all this. But I promise you, the CSA will not be off the target list when the Sith get close."

 

[Kay-Larr]

"I'll try to remember that." she spoke in regards to his nickname. It was weird enough with Eddak taking on a different look and personna. Yet she knew that he was in there.

Kay sipped her tea while [member="Anweald Bermann"] spoke, letting her know of his concerns in regards to her currect predicament. It was pretty clear that he had no love for the Sith. And he was right. The Sith wanted her resources. It wasn't her fault that the Sith destroyed each planet that they gained. They should learn to be more careful so that they'd still have resources to use.

Of course she wasn't sure if they even thought that far ahead.

"I plan on doing what I can to avoid a war, but not at the expense of my people, nor those that wish to make their lives here." Again she cupped her mug with her hands. "We have allies to help, regardless.
I can tell that my schedule will be full of meetings for the near future. And as for the ships, I'll have their production continue. Not too fast though asI don't want corners to be cut."

 

[Eddak Manod]

[member="Lady Kay"]

Bermann shook his head, "no, no, don't cut corners, just produce them as fast as possible. I'll get them shipped out and get training procedures increased. I don't want to have to prepare for a war but we have many people who can defend this great nation, I intend to have them all ready in your honor, my Queen." For a moment, Bermann took a breath. He had not taken a breath since his pod came into the Commenori system, this whole time he was starting to feel the effects of exhaustion and he was still pushing. He slowly put his cane back to the floor and tapped it once. "Goodness, Lady Kay, I'm already itching to get back into a fight. This might be harder than I thought... Galderra really changes you when you're so isolated, becoming a military society. I think I'd like to take a day, before I take on my responsibilities. If that is okay? And, if it's not inappropriate, do you think I could treat you to a dinner, as thanks again, for saving me?"