Common Strength of Conviction

[Kay-Larr]

Kay stood in the press gallery at the Royal Palace. She didn't look her usual cheery self, but that was to be expected. Multiple members from various holo-news outlets from Commenor, CSA territory and beyond were there. This wasn't a happy day. With her hands resting on the podium, she began:

"Afternoon and thank you all for coming. I have a few things that I'd like to go over with and I won't be taking any questions at this time.

First of all, I'd like to thank the brave men and women that gave their lives during the recent attack by the Dark Jedi Order. This attack was spurred solely as an effort to free their leader, our former King [member="Veiere Arenais"] . I was...unprepared for such an occurance and I promise you that it will not happen again. Right now our teams of engineers are building a deflective shielding system that will not only protect this building and the Senate Hall, but all of Chasin City as well. The shields will be so powerful that they can withstand bombardments by even those brought by Star Destroyers. And if their main supplies are cut, fear not! Their batteries can maintain the shields for an entire day, giving all of us a chance to get to safety while our military and navy beat our enemies.

For those that watched the trial, you'll be quick to remember that Veiere Arenais was exiled from Commenor as well as our Systems Alliance space. I know that many of you feel as though I was giving him a free ride, and after consulting with some of my staff, as of this morning, there is now a million credit bounty on him. Now he will be hunted down and brought back here for trial. This time, justice for Deneba and here at home will be served.

Thank you."

Kay left the podium with confidence in every step as she made her way to the adjacent room. Already she could hear the murmours and shouts of questions at her back. Earlier in the day, she had sent messages for [member="Connor Harrison"] , [member="Ultimatum"] and [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] to come to the Palace and meet with her following the press conference.

In the near empty meeting room sat a bunch of comfy chairs, with tea and other refreshments on a side table. Kay went straight to the tea, looking to her new assistant [member="Rys'sya"] as she poured herself a cup. "Well, how did that sound to you? And could you send a message for [member="Adron Malvern"] to come here straight away, please? He'll need to be here when the others arrive." The man was her advisor afterall.

 

[Rys'sya]

The Miraluka, having recently acquired a position serving alongside the Queen as her personal assistant, stood at rapt attention while [member="Lady Kay"] gave her speech. In her clutches was a datapad that contained the information Kay was referencing from for her presentation. She had assisted the monarch in compiling and preparing the rough composition of the message she just finished giving. As the Queen stepped away from her podium, the Miraluka set about getting Kay's iconic glass of tea prepared. The aroma was definitely growing on her, that small crinkling of her nose as a smile graced her delicate lips as the scent invaded her olfactory center.

Placing the glass before her Queen, the young Miraluka continued to smile. "You were far more eloquent than I could have hoped to be in the same situation, your majesty." she stated, before letting her fingers dance across the screen of her datapad. Looking at the visual receiver of the datapad, the Force directing her sightless gaze, the Miraluka sent the following missive to [member="Adron Malvern"]. "Advisor Malvern, her majesty requests your presence in the Conference Hall's meeting room." Enclosed with the missive was a list of expected participants, including [member="Connor Harrison"], [member="Ultimatum"], and [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"]. She was still learning all of the proper vernacular and protocol of serving as a Royal Assistant, but she felt she followed the request appropriately.

Putting the pad down, and fetching a glass of tea for herself, the Miraluka sat near Lady Kay. What kind of personalities will these men all possess.... the young woman mused quietly, cup of tea pressing against delicate lips.

 

[Adron Malvern]

​Making his way down the halls, Adron stood with his arms clasped behind his back. All of his recent ventures had put the man in a rather pleasant mood. A calming smile upon his face, he paused when he heard his datapad beep. The two Imperial Sentinels standing to either of his side paused with him, their vibropikes creating a soft tap as they set them on the ground.

​The face that addressed him caused him to arch a brow.

​The Queen has a new assistant? He mused, before offering the Miralukan a polite nod of his head. "I am on my way." He assured.

​Appropriate. He was making a round of the palace. Partially out of boredom and a bit for his own ulterior motives. Yet if the Queen had summoned him, he would answer.

​The path to the meeting hall was short, and upon approaching the entrance he waved off his men. Silently they took their places on either side of the conference hall main entrance. Opening the door, Adron's eyes were greeted by Kay and the unfamiliar Miralukan she now kept in company. "My Queen." Adron said, inclining his head respectfully.

​His slate suit was accented with a deep blue tie. A matching pin on his lapel that bore the emblem of Commenor showed he was in a rather eccentric mood. "We have a lot to talk about." Adron declared, making his way over to the Queen.

[member="Rys'sya"][member="Lady Kay"]

​

 

[Jaster Awaud]

The door to the meeting room opened and he talked into the ear-com that was in his head. He wore his Grand Moff Uniform and had a Tablet in his hand. "I don't care what it takes Commander, secure our mines on Jedha, we have a quota to meet."

Tapping on his ear to end the conversation, he was still holding his Data-Tablet. Once he finished what he was doing he pulled up to a seat with Kay and sat down. "Sorry for that Kay, the Empire is still building and a man never gets to sleep or take a breather," Placing the Pad on the table and placed his hands on the table. "Now what was so important you needed to meet with me, I swear the material you requested for your generator are on their way as we speak."

Jaster like many of her allies offered whatever they had to the construction of the Shield Generator. Jaster offered rare crystals and raw metals to be processed by Commenor and fed their ever growing industrial sector. It was not an easy task with many of their mines still being under construction. But he offered the help none the less.

[member="Adron Malvern"] [member="Rys'sya"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Connor Harrison"] @Ultimatum

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay took her tea, nodding to [member="Rys'sya"] in thanks before taking a sip. The young woman learned rather quickly how to make a perfect cup. The liquid soothed her throat and warmed her up from the inside. These were difficult times and she needed all of the comfort that she could get. Her tea was always a reliable source for that.

"Thank you, Rys. Though I've had a lot of practice with speeches. Maybe a little too much." It had been a while since she had such an attentive assistant. Hopefully it won't get too much.

[member="Adron Malvern"] was the first to arrive, as expected. She bowed her head to the man. "Indeed we do." She tilted her head to the side a bit, towards Rys. "I've recently gotten a new assistant. Olivia is determined to stay within the Palace and put more efforts into her role as Head of the House. So, this is Rys. Rys, this is my Royal Advisor, Lord Malvern."

She sipped her tea the moment that [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] walked in. "Thank you Jaster. And I'm sorry for pulling you away. Did you see my press conference? I just finished it minutes ago." [member="Connor Harrison"] and [member="Ultimatum"] had yet to arrive, but she knew that they would arrive soon enough.

 

[Rys'sya]

The young Miraluka sensed each of the two men a few moments before each of them entered. The first, leaving two guardians outside of the meeting, a precaution Rys'sya was familiar with from her days amongst the Sith, and the second arriving mid-dialogue not long afterwards alone.

As the Queen greeted the first gentleman, who had cast what almost felt like an appraising glance, Rys'sya felt the impending introduction, and prepared accordingly. The glass of tea was lowered, and a small napkin was brought up to gentle brush delicately painted lips. This action was done, timed almost too perfectly, to rise from her seat at the same moment that [member="Lady Kay"] stated the truncated form of her name. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Malvern. I am Rys'sya, or Rys, if you prefer." she introduced herself with a polite curtsy, before returning to her seat at Kay's side.

When Jaster would enter, she refrained from rising to introduce herself again, the man seemingly in an elevated state of distress. She managed to restrain herself from reaching out to the man in the Force, an instinctual desire to sooth one in a state of stress rising in the woman.

Others in stress worried her. Stress lead some to violence. She logically knew that the Queen would not intentionally confine herself into an enclosed environment with naught but her assistant to protect her with easily violent and aggressive individuals.... but ones past paints certain traits in certain lights, and those are hard things to unlearn....

[member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] | [member="Adron Malvern"] | [member="Ultimatum"] | [member="Connor Harrison"]​

 

[Connor Harrison]

On the fringes of Confederacy space, Connor received and watched the message from [member="Lady Kay"] - he watched it a couple of times. Once to gauge the words, and the second to gauge the woman reading them and her inner feeling. He was pleased this situation was now escalating. So began the familiar route across to Commenor, North-East of his position.

The journey was swift, and all the way there he kept a steady speed. His mind ping-ponged around what would happen next, who would be involved and what the fate of Commenor and it's Queen would be.

He touched down, guided in by the ground control unit and they secured his ship. A few other craft he noted were in proximity of the royal grounds; he was either very late or equally early.

He walked from his ship into the grounds, and then was escorted to where the congregation was waiting in the comfortable surroundings.

"Your Highness," Connor said with a slight bow of the head. Yes. He was late. "I came as soon as I got your message."

There was one face he recognised from the First Order ball; the Imperial [member="Adron Malvern"] to whom he gave an equally small bow of the head.

The others - [member="Rys'sya"] [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] - he wasn't sure about but they were here, so obviously important.

[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ultimatum]

The sound of metallic footfalls resonated through the hallway as he was led to the assembly. He feared, rightly so, that he had arrived late. It could not have been helped, a chance meeting with an expedition from the Unknown Regions had awakened hopes of Ultimatum discovering what it was that he had been searching for out there. Many might have thought it funny, or pitiful, that a droid was attempting to put together memories from a 'memory-wipe.' It was, however, Ultimatum's way of finding a purpose. He was unaware of any calling to some higher purpose, all he knew was that he existed. Merely being was not a purpose, or at the very least it did not settle well with Ultimatum to be his purpose.

But now he was here, meeting a friend, who he did recall after having sorted through many older files. He remembered the exploits they had achieved before, and he remembered the friendly bond they had yet shared, or so the previous him has believed. The droid stood before them in his Vizier suit. Thus it was not just Ultimatum who was here, but his compatriot Upari the Shard. The two were bonded mentally while Ultimatum was within the suit, their thoughts shared as openly as if they were one mind.

The robot took in the area and noted several other figures. Only [member="Lady Kay"] herself was recognizable immediately, though it may have been an oversight on his part. He spoke to Kay with a bow, "Apologies for my tardiness. I have arrived as soon as possible."

Spoiler

[member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"]
[member="Rys'sya"]
[member="Adron Malvern"]
[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Jaster Awaud]

Looking to [member="Lady Kay"], he did see the most of her speech, though he received a call from his Military Commander about Chiss outpost that were a threat to national security. The man wished to suspend the infrastructure build up to focus more on military build up which Jaster was against. They needed to jump start their economy in place of depending on Weapons Development that could only dig them deeper into the arms of his opponent.

When the women finished he found his opening to speak, "You did not take me away from anything, thanks to you my nation is able to place its feet on the ground so I can spare the time," he felt a pit in his stomach that normally warned the man of a Force User, but he ignored such a thing to the account of Kay, "As for your Conference I did see it, and the initiative to build the shield is very important indeed."

It was at this time that the other two individuals entered the room and Jaster just nodded to [member="Ultimatum"] and [member="Connor Harrison"]. Though there was something familar about the droid leading the two that entered. He could swear he knew it from somewhere, but it looked different then the one he was thinking of. None the less he continued to sit and wait as the others introduced themselves. "Seems like a party, I hope I did not forget an important day." He looked over to Kay with a sly smile, knowing that he was joking.... He hoped.

[member="Rys'sya"] [member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Following [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] was [member="Connor Harrison"] , [member="Ultimatum"] and his...companion of sorts. It was going to take a while before she grew accustomed to the latter's new appearance, not to mention the fact that he wasn't quite himself yet. But all of that will come in time. And she had plenty of patience.

Now they were all assembled. Kay placed her hand on [member="Rys'sya"] 's, noting quite easily her anxiety. Yes there was plenty of tension lately, but most of that fell on the Queen's shoulders.

She let go of her hand and folded her hands on top of the table. "Most of you saw the press conference. Good. As I noted in it, a deflective shield system is well underway, with help from our allies." She gestured towards Jaster to prove her point before folding her hands once again. "The bounty placed on my husband stands at one million. Is that enough, do you think? Or should I add more of an incentive over time?"

And lastly, Kay chewed the inside of her cheek a little, not quite sure of how what she was going to say was going to be received. "I had to place this bounty because...Veiere came to see me a few nights ago. Not here, but in the forest. I went to see what he had to say and he gave me more warnings. What happened at the trial shows our weakness--shows my weakness. There are plenty out there that will exploit it. So we must prepare for war to come to our doorstep. And what's worse is that it could come from any side. Remaining neutral kept us safe, but it has also pitted us as a target by everyone." That was all something that she tried to avoid. And for the longest time she did.

But all good things come to an end. Perhaps now, their time was up.

"What are your thoughts?"

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Rys'sya]

The young Miraluka had made every effort to keep her mounting anxiety in check, ever since she heard that a man going by the name of [member="Connor Harrison"] would be in attendance. Certainly the name couldn't be that unique, right? Then she felt his presence. She had never encountered the man directly in her years among the Sith, but she had felt that unique energy indirectly through the memories of those who were fortunate to survive his decade-plus career campaigning against the various Sith factions over the years. The horror that man could be in combat was not lost on the young woman, and the faintest of tremors was taking her hand as he reached the door.

As he entered, the sheer magnitude of the difference in their strengths over-took her senses, evoking a mostly strangled whimper from the small woman. The only thing that reigned her growing fear in was the reassuring touch from her Queen. A nervous gnawing of her bottom lip was the only outward sign of her heightened state of stress, as she began preparing the data-pad before her to start recording this meeting for [member="Lady Kay"] to examine later at her convenience.

Busying herself with the this task enabled her to steady her concentration, to better take stock of the last member of the meeting. A droid, a very unique one. She could sense the Force radiating from his outer shell.

A shard, perhaps? she mused, thankful for the distraction, taking her mind off of the Dark Jedi Master in the room. I've heard of them, but have never encountered one.... perhaps they will indulge my curiosity after the meeting....

As Kay began speaking, Rys'sya went to slide the data-pad to the monarch. Then, the assistant recalled her Queen informing her to refrain from recording such meetings, should said information fall into the hands of the public and be corrupted for nefarious purposes. As her words actively being recorded on one window, and notes she had requested for the meeting provided on another, the Miraluka quickly disabled the recorder and deleted the fledgling file, before sliding the data-pad over, only the notes Kay had requested visible upon the screen.

It was at this point the young Miraluka would finally take up her tea-cup again, bringing it to delicate lips for a slow, soothing draw.

[member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] | [member="Ultimatum"] | [member="Adron Malvern"]​

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor had a neutral look on his face. Right now, he was here for the Queen and Queen alone. Since the fiasco of a trial had highlighted severe weaknesses in the security of not just the planet but also the royal house, everyone was a suspect in his eyes until he felt otherwise.

The A.I [member="Ultimatum"] would be a tricky one to pin-point, radiating nothing that a sentient being would. Still, they were less prone to lying and deception and they were very down the line when it came to serving. Hopefully this one would be on the right side.

[member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] was of a military mind it seemed, with ties to the Queen and quiet confidence with her. Positive things, but still could easily be an insider for outside activists or parties wanting a piece of Commenor. Yet his stance and words resonated some conviction, and that was admirable.

Then a Miralukan - [member="Rys'sya"] - who was the darkest of them all it seemed, but also the most timid. Was this simply her trying to shrug off a dark past, or was there something more sinister she was hiding? A pawn in Veiere's game, now close to his target?

"I for one am glad you called this meeting. This shows strength which is what people need to see in you." He walked into the room a little more to be part of the conversation. "The bounty is enough for now. Just be sure to show conviction in what you are doing. Not an ounce of regret, worry or fear from it. You've taken the first step to a new redeeming chapter for your people."

He didn't say Commenor, because Commenor couldn't be the place her heart was. It was her people; the ones who would follow her wherever she went. Commenor was a place, and could be easily replaced if it became a target.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

​Clasping his hands together over the table, Adron watched as the others came into the room.

​Kay began to speak and it caused Adron to arch a brow a bit. Going silent as Connor spoke, Adron had decided against biting his tongue. After Connor had spoken his piece, the Advisor decided to speak as well.

​"Your Grace.....You have enacted your past two decrees dealing with Veiere with no counsel, save for the man who made himself your enemy. I understand your feelings towards Veiere, and I do believe he is not beyond redemption for his actions. However, you were quick to banish him, and now you are quick to place a bounty on his head. As Queen it is expected you will make many decisions in the moment. But the more you make in that manner, the more room there is for error." He explained.

​"As far as the bounty on Veiere. Have you considered what this means? If he is actually caught, I mean?"

[member="Rys'sya"]@Connor Harrison[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum was interested in hearing what the others had to suggest. As [member="Lady Kay"] believed, this was a complex political situation. Ultimatum has appreciated the concepts of neutrality, but it was seldom a long-term solution. In a galaxy that was fractured beyond any hope of complete, or near complete unification, there was little chance that neutral states could avoid being dragged into others' conflicts. While peace was preferable, war was inevitable.

"War is not a flattering subject, particularly for those who have enjoyed the peace while others fought. They will probably not like the necessities for survival, but it is required."

Ultimatum agreed with Upari. Perhaps others would have found his focus on that aspect of the conversation narrowminded. War was not the only problem in this situation; it was merely an effect of the actual issue. Ultimatum was not a creature of politics; he was only acceptable in questions of morality. He knew war; he had fought in it, he had built machines for it, he had studied it. War was a subject he was intimately familiar with and thus what several issues became apparent, he turned to what he knew. In this case, that was war.

"If you believe that conflict is certain, then perhaps it is time to adopt a new strategy. Neutrality has served its purpose well for quite some time, but now it seems to threaten your safety. Maybe it would be advisable to ally yourselves, or at the very least come to an understanding with some other galactic power for additional defenders." Ultimatum did not enjoy suggesting such a course of action. He feared that the nature of most sentients would lend itself to Kay and her people being taken advantage of. "Alternatively you could find volunteers or mercenaries to help should war become a definite outcome. There would probably be many who could and would come to your aid if requested, some for more prosaic reasons than others."

As far as the question of a bounty, Ultimatum was unsure if the use of a bounty to try to apprehend a criminal was the best idea. Indeed, it would give many an incentive to capture the target. On the flip side, a bounty often implied that the creator was unable, or unwilling, to catch the individual themselves. This was understandable if the person had retreated into another power's space, but then it still begged the question of diplomacy. Of course, it seemed that diplomacy was becoming less a solution in the galactic conflicts. Especially when the attempted diplomacy was with an opposing force. The likelihood for extraditing a criminal from enemy territory was unlikely, to say the least. Ultimatum decided not to bring such suggestions to the conversation yet. He felt it would be better focus on more positive aspects at the moment. This was a rather difficult time for his old friend.

[member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Adron Malvern"] [member="Rys'sya"]@Jaster of Clan Awaud

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded a little as [member="Connor Harrison"] seemed to agree with what she had done so far. Of course she knew of the man's distaste for her husband. So having hunters chase after Veiere was something to his liking.

She then looked to [member="Adron Malvern"] as he spoke his peace. The banishment idea didn't come from Veiere, but the bounty idea did. Kay dipped her head ever so slightly. He was right in his remarks, of course. "I'm sorry for making such rash decisions without speaking with you first. I'm not trying to undermine you...And as for if Veiere's caught...He'll be brought here, be locked up and we'll have to prepare for his people to come after us again." Whether or not Adron figured there'd be some other conclusion, she wasn't sure. But she didn't want to put execution on the table.

Her attention then went to [member="Ultimatum"] and his companion. "We have many allies and trading partners on both sides. But I will reach out to them. There's some damage control needing to be done. The Minister of Foreign Affairs position still remains empty...We should put a call out for candidates and go through them. This way...I'm not going to take care of it all myself." Delegating tasks was difficult for her at times. If the government fell, she didn't want to have the blame put on anyone else.

[member="Rys'sya"] [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"]

 

[Rys'sya]

The assistant had remained silent all throughout, pointedly avoiding her sight through the Force lingering for any length of time upon [member="Connor Harrison"]. Her note-taking was stilled, as naught had been said that was outside the parameters of what [member="Lady Kay"] wanted undocumented.

But, the Minister of Foreign Affairs position needing filled.... that was notated upon her own data-pad, the inclusion of the bullet-point generating on a shared file upon the data-pad Kay was using at present. While awaiting the next notation-worthy statement, Rys'sya began compiling a short-list from Commenor's public database of potential candidates for the Queen's layer perusal.

All the while, the sightless gaze observed those within the room, keeping keenly aware of any tells any may let slip to the surface... other than, perhaps, the horribly intimidating Harrison... Non-invasive, of course. Much like watching an individual's face, though it was typically difficult for naught but a true Master of Mentalism to be able to mask their surface thoughts completely, versus maintaining ones physical 'poker face'.

[member="Ultimatum"] | [member="Adron Malvern"] | [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"]​

 

[Jaster Awaud]

It was strange to see her majesty asking for other opinions in this matter. Jaster supported [member="Lady Kay"] just like she supported him in all he needed. He would sacrifice his rank and Empire if it meant assisting her dream of a peaceful way of life. Though he did have to agree with what others were saying as well, her neutrality was coming to a crossroad that needed to be decided where she stood. Though she had the support of both the Galactic Empire as well as the Mandalorains so much so that there was really no need to pick.

None the less he spoke up, "Kay, the trouble that was caused by your husband did not cause the rest of the galaxy to see weakness, you are surrounded by allies and no nation has shown any interest in making war with the Alliance." He still intertwined his fingers and leaned a little forward, "These rouge Jedi however, do need to be put down and the bounty should also include information on anything about their whereabouts, and as one of your allies, I know the Fel Empire would stand with you in arresting these insurrectionist."

He knew that calling them such would implicate her husband as a terrorist, but she needed to realize that the man was not who he once was. Even the never-ending reach of his Intelligence Network could not find the location of the Dark Jedi, but he knew there were places outside his reach.

[member="Rys'sya"] @Ultimatum @Adron Malvern [member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay looked to [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] while he spoke up. She had hoped that others didn't see any weakness in her government as a result of Veiere's attacked, but until nowshe could only guess. She nodded a little, hoping that they had no enemies still outside of Veiere's Order.

She clenched her jaw at the thought of anyone having to be 'put down', let alone people that looked up to her husband. Kay had no idea of who they were, if there were any more that were CSA citizens or if they were from elsewhere.

"Insurrectionists? Has it really come down to that?" She looked over to [member="Rys'sya"] ."Please make a note for me to adjust the bounty. I'm sure that such a thing is possible." Others had done it, she knew.

Kay readjusted her posture in her seat. She wasn't entirely comfortable in this situation. To have to call one's husband an enemy of their people was a difficult thing to deal with. There wasn't exactly a strict protocol to follow for it. "Thank you, Jaster. I appreciate your support, as well as that of the Fel Empire."

She looked to the others; [member="Adron Malvern"] , [member="Connor Harrison"] , [member="Ultimatum"] and his companion. "Is there anything else that I need to do? I'm open to your ideas...even if I don't like to hear them. But that's just my heart getting in the way. So...you'll have to forgive me for that."

 

[Connor Harrison]

[member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] spoke sense, and Connor nodded gently at his words. Hearing an outsider to the situation and one of her allies, it was good to see them coming together.

"I agree with our friend here," he indicated with his hand as the Queen spoke. "I always said the heart can be the worst obstacle to cross, the very crux of it defines what it means to be human, but right now you can't let this blind you when it comes to that man. That traitor and coward. Raise the bounty if you need to, because he will not stop until he knows you are making a stand."

He looked to [member="Rys'sya"] for a moment, as she seemed to be doing a lot of looking and not much talking. Was she here as a mole?

"Where you go, your Highness, others will follow loyal to your name and your cause. Veiere risks destroying that, and he knows you are bending to his will with his hold over your heart. The only way to show resilience is to break this bond. To show no fear doing what you need to do, and standing by those truer to you than he, to protect all you have worked for."

[member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Ultimatum"] | [member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay looked to [member="Connor Harrison"] as he spoke. While it was clear that she didn't quite like everything that he was saying, she was listening to it.

Maybe she was looking at this all wrong. Always, she reminded herself of the man that she fell in love with, the man that wasn't capable of such horrible acts. And yet, she had to focus on how others viewed him. Were there times when [member="Veiere Arenais"] scared her? Yes. Once at dinner after the Yutan incident, and then again at the trial when he had ordered her not to defend him. Did he ever show her cruelty? Yes. But it was more of words than anything else.

All of that was what she should focus on, and how it made her feel. Maybe then she'll have more clarity of thought. She started to spin the wedding rings on her finger, rings that were specially made to further enhance their Force Bond. "If a bounty hunter manages to catch him and bring him in...his incarceration will have to be somewhere that I don't know. For if he somehow escapes, you can be sure that I'll be suspected of being involved."

Kay then did what she never thought that she'd do. With her movements slow and deliberate, she removed her wedding rings and placed them on the table. Her eyes then turned to [member="Rys'sya"] . "Please send a message to Olivia to meet me at my office later." Her old assistant was the best person to look after the rings for her. She was the most trusted.

Already Kay felt less whole. The connection between her and her husband was still there, only it was lessoned. Hopefully such a feeling won't make her become bitter.

[member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] [member="Adron Malvern"] [member="Ultimatum"]