Deals of the Past

[Thalia Rist]

[member="Quietus"]

After the uneventful greeting she had shown the republic she had been more than excited to have that meeting that had been talked about with the woman whom Thalia had heard stories about and paced in the main hall of the palace as she looked at a datapad with the old laws on it. Problem was she had really no idea how best to think of them in the eyes of the beast tribes which is what made her so happy to know that the leader of those tribes was coming here to help her understand them from their viewpoint. If she could understanding it from both views she would be able to better keep the peace when it was her turn to take her place as queen... but that wasn't for many years and she was happy being a princess for now and for many more years. Right now though her head turned towards the door as she waited with the list still in hand.

 

[Quietus]

Though she'd not stayed for the Republic gathering, Beastia Blackthorne had not wandered far. A visit to the local Halcyon Temple - a place of worship established by her late Master Daritha several centuries ago - was long since overdue. She spent the evening there, reconnecting with her past and sating her curiosity for the changes time had wraught upon the place. Pleased at the very least that little other than the general aesthetics had evolved, she left without so much as a raised brow.

Arriving back at the palace the next day, the Beastia wasted no time in tracking down the young Princess. It wasn't hard - tracking [member="Thalia Rist"] through the Force with her faint and wavering heartbeat was no more difficult for her than tracking down prey in the jungles. In fact it was rather much easier than that.

Joining up with Volden in the palace foyer, the pair walked to the prearranged meeting place where she greeted Thalia with nothing more than a curt, silent nod.

Volden smiled broadly, "Princess, I understand the ceremony gala was an uneventful hit. Good tidings, perhaps, that the start of the Republic's tenure here will also be uneventful."

 

[Thalia Rist]

[member="Quietus"]

Thalia blinked and looked over as she caught sight of Volden and Quietus. With a smiled she gave the two a bow real quick after pulling the datapad to her chest and then putting it behind her back with her hands. "Oh, it wasn't that bad, just nothing exciting had ha- i mean of course except for you showing up... sorry, still a bit jittery." She went to look around and waved for them to come over to the side, a group of chairs left there as she inched into one herself. "Thank you, both of you, for coming. I have been reading over it but i still cant even come close to imagining how each law is seen in your people's eyes compared to mine. "

 

[Quietus]

Taking their seats, the pair settled into a bated diplomatic quiet.

Blackthorne watched [member="Thalia Rist"] with a deep intensity, a passing curiosity of the girl on more than just the words she spoke. Volden smiled good-naturedly, mirth in his eyes at Thalia's difficulties with the laws.

"May I?" Volden inquired to her datapad to see it, taking it gently and perusing the listed laws of Iziz. An amused smirk curled his lips, "Naturally these would translate poorly. What you must understand, Princess, is that once you leave the walls of this ... magnificent city, you leave the laws contained within. The jungles and their clans are a separate entity following their own laws. There are, of course, some that may overlap where basic human rights are concerned."

The man folded one leg over the other and settled back into his seat, datapad in his lap, arms set languidly on the rests of his chair, "We are our own empire, but do not let this revelation concern you. Our kingdoms have lived in relative peace for many generations now. But it has been some time since the Treaty of Iron Town has been assessed and likely it is in need of some...refreshing. Why don't we start there?"

 

[Thalia Rist]

[member="Quietus"]

She listened to Volden as he spoke for quietus and ran her hand over the datapad infront of her. In the lose of any chance at a physical lifestyle because of her heart she had spent hours focusing on the world around her and learning about cultures throughout the galaxy when she could. "I apologize Volden, i seem to not have the treaty in my personal files..." She sighed, not having been able to find a majority of the files on the past laws which irritated her as it was but she kept that thought out of her mind for now.

 

[Quietus]

"Then it is best, I think, to start from the beginning," Volden adjusted his seat to lean forward so that he might display his own holopad for the young Princess [member="Thalia Rist"] to see. Bringing up a revolving image of Onderon, he pointed to three particular areas as the holographic image spun.

"As you know, Princess, every year during Dxun's summer season, the sister planets share atmospheres for approximately three days, allowing the winged beasts of Dxun to migrate to Onderon for breeding. During the course of the three days, the shared zone passes over three noted locations of Onderon where the beasts congregate, these areas are called the Three Cradles. Luckily, most of these are far enough away from Iziz to pose much problem, however if we recall our history it was during the Gulag Plague that Iziz became overrun."

"Both Iziz and the Beast Tribes mourned the loss of many thousands from the plague alone, but when the beasts came Iziz was not prepared to defend itself. Thousands more were hunted and slaughtered by the beasts. Your then reigning King Omar called for the help of the Beast Tribes. Though the tribes were also devastated by the plague, they responded in kind to drive the monsters from your beloved city and protect it from further harm. When the migration ended, we returned to the jungles to tend to our own, aided with supplies and trade from the city and a promise that every year following, they would come back to protect the city during the migration and any other time the beasts should present a problem. Thus the Ironclaw Agreement was struck."

"Onderon was not one of the first planets to succumb to the plague. By some amount of luck, it was one of the last, but affected just as disastrously as the rest of the galaxy. We did, however, suffer less loss than many of the core worlds. Onderon's people are of strong stock. They live surrounded by death and danger, so this comes as no surprise. Over the decades, a trust re-emerged between the two groups. Talks lead by the Beastia secured further open trade and the establishment of Irontown was founded. Have you ever been to Irontown, Princess?"

 

[Thalia Rist]

[member="Quietus"]

She listened to the story intently, her eyes drifting over every bit of information as she read it and took it in. She could not imagine something so devastating that it would have broken apart the civilization of the city for a time. Would she have fared just as well had the Gulag plague come today instead of all those years ago. Would she have had the insight or the ability to think of calling the beast tribes and getting them to help in return for what was promised. She didn't know but her eyes lit up at the thought of her ancestors having needed to suffer through such a thing and coming out with their homes saved.

Then the last question came and she shook her head a bit sadly. "No, i don't get to leave Iziz other than to go to my father's own home on Alderaan during formal meetings. Its because of my heart, they are worried that if i go outside the city or outside alone my heart might kill me if i let it get too fast. My ma- i mean teacher taught me a way to keep it calm recently... after i snuck out and collapsed after i met him. So its not normal for me to leave the palace unless i sneak out or travel with father." She looked at the woman and Volden with an apologetic expression, feeling she was failing again to preform as many others in her position would have been able to.

 

[Quietus]

Volden rubbed at his clean-shaven chin thoughtfully, "Perhaps a word with the good King of Iziz is in order. One cannot grow stronger if they only stick to what is safe and what is comfortable. Rest assured, the Beastia would no sooner let any harm fall to you than she would her own ilk. There is no one safer to travel with than she."

Quietus gave a short, silent nod to this.

"Well," Volden continued, "let's not get ahead of ourselves. Where was I? Irontown, Irontown. As you may ... or may not know, I suppose, Iziz has always given its prison inmates who are condemned for life two choices: rot in a cell, or face their fate in the wilds of Onderon. As part of the treaty, those who chose fate are now sent to live in Irontown. It is, for lack of a better term, a prison encampment. One of the most secure, I assure you. Nigh impossible to escape - and those that do face the wrath of untamed beasts. They never get very far..." a rueful grin took his face at this, "but Irontown serves a second purpose. It stands as a buffer between the closest Cradle and Iziz. While it is also home to many Beast Riders, the majority of its civilians are former inmates trained in the art of hunting and slaying the monsters of our jungles. Everything from the maalraas to the mighty drexl. Reformed inmates have regained honor to their name through these efforts. As a matter of fact, the man that runs Irontown was once one of Iziz's most heinous criminals. He has a family now and more trophies on his shelf than he has room for."

[member="Thalia Rist"]

 

[Thalia Rist]

[member="Quietus"]

She listened to them and sighed as she shook her head and tried to explain out what she meant. "I just, my heart itself isn't ready for too much of one thing, the man that i had been able to convince to teach me what he knows in the force has been showing me how to keep my heart in check but i am not ready for if something actually gets dangerous and my heart speeds out of my ability of control. Ill pass out before someone can react and drop like a ragdoll, defenseless... but i guess if you two are sure that it wont come to that i could convince him to let me travel there... i mean i don't mean to say you would Bestia, Volden. But i just dont want to put myself in a situation i might not be ready for if you know what im trying to say."

 

[Quietus]

"War waits for no one to be ready, Princess," Volden replied curtly with a side glance to the silent Beastia whose gaze now bore into the Princess with a renewed intensity, "that is why we must always seek to be as ready as we can be. Learning all that you can about this planet and the people both within and beyond your walls are tantamount to Onderon's survival. You will one day rule the Capital city of the Republic's new Capital planet. You've already been painted a target by the Republic's enemies. It would behoove you and the King and Queen to take advantage of all the Beastia has to offer. Especially you..."

Quietus signed to Volden a short message to which he nodded.

"The Treaty of Irontown!" he exclaimed and clasped his hands together with a resounding clap, "Officiates the agreement of peace between these two Kingdoms of Onderon, that of Iziz and that of the Wilds beyond the walls of Iziz. It recognizes the rule of the King and Queen of Iziz over all aspects of economy, people, and commerce contained within the walls, and the rule of the Beastia, or Beasten, the High Leader of the Beast Tribes, beyond the walls. Neither Kingdom shall seek to gain power over the other, nor shall either Kingdom seek to interfere with the rulings of the other. Both Kingdoms shall maintain the presence of an Ambassador of the other, chosen by their rulers as a means to communicate and incite good will between the two. The Kingdom of the Wilds is tasked with the maintenance of the creatures beyond the walls, to keep their dangers at bay from the city of Iziz, and to help guard Iziz from the beasts during the great migrations. The Kingdom of Iziz is tasked with maintaining peaceful open trade and commerce with the Wilds, and in their times of need providing necessary aid to those that need it such as advanced medical supplies and services. Crimes shall be tried within the Kingdoms in which they are committed, regardless of who commits them, and the accused stands party to the punishments served without intervention from the other Kingdom. The Treaty recognizes that due process within each Kingdom can vary greatly, but such are the consequences that one imparts upon themselves by committing their crimes."

"The Treaty of Irontown recognizes that citizens of the Wilds may wish to further themselves by expanding their horizons to education and training not provided by their own, and that in exchange for allowing them to partake in educational institutions and employment opportunities within the Kingdom of Iziz, that the Wilds take upon themselves the burden of Iziz's guilty offenders into the establishment known as Irontown where those penalized with a life sentence may serve it out by learning how to hunt and kill the beasts that threaten the livelihood of the people they wronged."

"Are you still with me, Princess?"

[member="Thalia Rist"]