Common Stability

[Kay-Larr]

There was much that needed to be done. Recent events, most notably the attack of Chasin City by the Dark Jedi Order's fleet, had led to Kay needing to exile [member="Veiere Arenais"] from CSA space. He was still her husband, yet he was no longer King, having given up that title a while ago to form his own order. His exile felt at times to be not just a punishment on him, but a punishment for her as well. Hopefully it was enough to appease any opposition that was growing within her territory.

And now she had to appease the governments outside of CSA space; all of those that held various forms of trade agreements and non-aggression pacts. The First Order was one such government. Kay had only a couple of contacts with them, one being Samke and the other being [member="The Major"] . She mulled it over who best to reach out to and after some moments it was decided that the latter was better suited.

Reaching into her desk, she pulled out the datachip that had her contact information and plugged it into her datapad. Then she whipped up a short message:

~Greetings,

I hope this message finds you well. I wish to invite you to the Royal Palace on Commenor to discuss current events at your earliest convenience, and to disperse any rumours that you might have heard.

Please get back to me as soon as you can.

Thank you.

Lady Kay Arenais,
High Queen of Commenor Systems Alliance~

 

[The Major]

Curiosity beckoned even the most stalwart, and suddenly greedy as a journalist at the thought of having an exclusive interview with the queen of the fledgling Systems Alliance proved to be worth the traversal of dangerous Galactic Alliance space for a chance to hear firsthand in what condition the small empire of sorts was facing with their latest troubles.

Nothing was certain; duplicity ruled the day, and many a heart was broken in the ensuing carnage. At least, this was the vicious rumor painted by various new outlets reporting outlandish accusations to Queen Kay Arenais. Even the intel provided by First Order agents embedded within the neutral haven of Commenor seemed contradictory and prone to bias.

The Major, freshly minted Deputy Director of the Security Bureau, would confirm the state of an aptly placed nation with her own eyes and ears. And thus, she arrived as quickly as she could to the palace after a number of days of incognito travel. Once she had presented herself and passed the necessary security checks, she approached the good and honorable Lady at her office of choice. Bowing with all the grace and flourish of a dandy out of time and place, the Fallanassi came before the Queen with a bright smile, clasping her hands together in barely contained glee.

It had been a while, and she was quite excited.​

​

"Hello! I've come as requested. How are you, Esteemed Leader?"​

[member="Lady Kay"]​

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="The Major"] was smart and knew what would be acceptable for arms and what wouldn't. Afterall, she had been to the Palace before. However that was a middle of the night visit, her arrival this time was mid day.

Kay was inside of her office when the woman arrived, however she wasn't at her desk. Instead she was seated in one of her comfy chairs with a datapad in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Just what was written on that datapad was anyone's guess. She shut it off as soon as the First Order agent entered the room.

A small smirk appeared on her face at being called an esteemed leader. That was a new one. Of course there was a variety of other things that she could be called.

Kay bowed her head to her, tucking her datapad beside her on the chair before gesturing to the chair nearby. "I am as well as can be expected. Overall in good health. How are you? Did you want anything to eat or drink after your journey? And thank you for coming, by the way."

 

[The Major]

"Oh, I'm always learning -so in a word, well." She retorted to the head of state, moving towards a shelf adored with the type of items that she supposed Lady Kay found worth the precious space in her office.

"On the topic of sustenance: I am thirsty, however. I'll admit I've developed a penchant for hot tea since my last visit to your bastion and thanks to a rather idiosyncratic Master. Far be it from to come off as forward, but could I trouble you for more of your, frankly, mythic tea?" The Major turned briefly to bow politely at the request before removing her long coat. She took a moment to adjust the adored cuff-links on her shirt sleeves and sat down slowly.

[member="Lady Kay"]​

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded, glad that [member="The Major"] was doing well. And just like her, she was always learning too. It was a good distraction from everything that threatened to overwhelm her, gave her a better sense of control.

On her shelf were plenty of old books, most about Commenori architecture, mining and farming. Some on art, poetry and even mystery. Pieces of unpolished chrysopaz sat up there as well, arranged like a flower.

"Of course you can." Kay set down her tea and then got up from her chair, heading over to the side table where she prepared the Agent's tea. "I'm curious...Has news of my husband reached the First Order?" She had to get a feel for how tarnished their reputation was.

 

[The Major]

Any pretense of a wide smile or a vicious grin vanished without a trace upon the Deputy Director's face. Although it was well masked on behalf of the Queen's voice one could detect the slight remnants of pain. At least, the Fallanassi could imagine that there was an incredibly amount of duress when undergoing such significant turmoil.

“That’s the strangest part of it, M’lady. There are only rumors. And the tale gets more convoluted. He hasn’t been spotted in First Order space. There is a bulletin out for any information regarding his whereabouts: this, of course, is limited to my department.” She paused.

“The impression is that he is defected.”

[member="Lady Kay"]​

 

[Kay-Larr]

"In a manner of speaking, he has." Kay finished prepping the tea and walked over to [member="The Major"] , handing her her cup before retaking her seat and picking up her own cup.

After a sip, she continued, being careful to only give out the information that was public knowledge. "Veiere had given back his crown and stepped away from his position as King. I had figured it was just so that he could have less pressure and live a more normal life. Yet instead he attacked the Jedi Temple on Deneba that he had helped to rebuild. So I had him arrested and held before trial. Given that I was his wife, I couldn't participate, so we had a neutral judge brought in to oversee the case. However the trial never got to finish. Veiere's followers attacked Chasin City with their fleet and instead of having more of my people killed, I let Veiere go into Exile. That wasn't enough for my people, however. They want justice...So now there's a bounty out on him. They want the trial to continue." She didn't of course. All of this had been too much bear. Kay was barely keeping everything together. It was difficult to hold onto her sanity when it felt like everything was tearing itself apart.

She sipped her tea while she gaged the agent's reaction.