Dominion Embers In The Ash | RNR & CIS | Dominion of Sarko VI

[Xazzex Xivar]

OBJECTIVE 3 - The Weight of Peace​

Xazzex strode into the chamber wearing a emerald green dress with a mixture of dark green and golden abstract designs woven into its silken fabric. The slits on either sides of her legs revealed strapped leggings that extended from hip to foot, while her bold green arms were bare. Zenva's gift, an Ebonsteel Handmaiden, kept pace with her a single stride at her back watchful for any threats against its master's life.

In her own time, she took her seat in the company of Vemric Keldra as the proceedings got underway. The people of the Royal Naboo Republic shouldn't think either the Speaker nor the Senator of Falleen stepped quickly for their sake. And nothing need be said of an Empress who would not waste her time coming here; if Falleen had something to say to the Confederacy it would be said directly.

Concerning the Treaty being proposed to replace the former, Xazzex found this assembly to be a farce of the highest proportions. It was the exact same treaty, but they wanted to shoehorn in militaristic and strategic 'safeguards' in the wake of the "incident at Dee'ja Peak." They'd even gone so far as to mentioned it in the treaty as if by expounding on why the section existed the Confederacy would be forced to acknowledge and accept its legitimacy.

And lo did the Assembly begin with Annis Riyaré beseeching the chamber as Naboo's representative.

During the call for silence, Xazzex kept her wine glass nestled between two fingers slowly and subtly swirling its contents.

Nothing had been meaningfully worth responding to until Nakatu Ee'everwest stepped forth. Everyone had been so busy appealing to their constituents and reassuring them this entire gathering had some purpose, Xazzex had feared they'd never say anything worth hearing. With that, her glass was set aside and her legs unfolded so she could fluidly, but slowly rise from her seat and step forward.

The Falleen Vice-Head of the Confederacy paused for a moment to scan all those in attendance. Let them wait on her first word. Let them ponder what she would say. It was important they knew her eyes were upon them -- she knew who was present and would would decide the shape of the future. "Senators. Representatives. Rulers. People of the Royal Naboo Republic and the Confederacy," she declared as her eyes turned toward the Speaker's position, "the substance of the treaty that the Confederacy signed in good faith with the Republic and the Foundation remains much the same before as it would now. Except with one very specific, very purposeful alteration regarding the securing of territory and people; and the annihilation of those that dare invade our homes."

"The Senator of Kooriva has already mentioned the most outrageous consequence of this seemingly minor and dutiful act, however." Xazzex paused to let people try to divine what that be for just a second. She began to call out the exact clause in the treaty deliberately, "Article Two. Section B." Here they would assume Paragraph One. "Paragraph Two. 'Pre-deployment plans will be submitted to the Southern Systems Defense Council for review, prior to any scheduled or anticipated operations involving shared territorial boundaries.' As Paragraph Three would mean little were 'shared territorial boundaries' not intended to apply to times when one member's armed forces occupy territory held by another member: to wit, this body might as well be ceeding authority of such external forces to the member under assault, and in such circumstances where communication is not possible dictating the rules of engagement are to either not engage in fear of being called a war criminal, or to follow standing orders that no longer be effective in controlling the situations that may result in the loss of countless lives -- and, again, such armed forces are labeled war criminals. In short, nullifying the entire purpose for which Article Two even exists."

Xazzex spread her arms out to the chamber. "What are we to do if we are caught between a foe that does not hold to the same articles of conduct that we here discuss, and between ourselves eager to denegrade our own troops? How can any member hope to avoid undue scrutiny, or plan effectively against a future that cannot possibly be seen? Turn to your husbands, your wives, your children that have set foot on the battlefield and ask them how often the best laid plans survive first contact. Hear the stories where even the most idyllic of battle plans go horribly awry. Recall, if you will, the abject terror felt during the invasion of Dee'ja Peak and imagine that for all those that fight. Adrenaline and sheer force of will keeps them moving when all others would cower. Brave and noble is their sacrifice to keep all others safe. And here we stand," she struck her chest with her hands, "speaking on their behalf and telling them that they might be held to account for doing what they feel needs done to save the most lives?"

The emerald woman shook her head slowly for a moment.

A lone hand lifted into the air. "The Confederacy is not without reason. Allies must coordinate their actions. We must know one another's thoughts to be effective on the field and not enemies of another kind. We shall do what is only proper for two armed forces on the same field of battle. If necessary, deny ourselves from certain weapons in tight quarters where collateral damage is too high. But do not, for a single moment, think that all possibilities, all factors, can be weighed before hand and that even in 'situations requiring immediate response,'" Paragraph Three, "the enemy will allow us the good graces to do always what we would otherwise wish. War is hell, Sapients of all Kinds. Best avoided when possible. Best kept short when unavoidable."

Another slow sweep of the audience followed before Xazzex nodded slightly. "Thank you for your consideration in these matters. May all our people, now and into the future, be kept safe." With that she stepped back.

Arcann Pehnataur | Aknagoak Jihuzi | Annis Riyaré | Aurelian Veruna | Nakatu Ee'everwest | Niki Priddy | Kalantha | Vemric Keldra​

 

[Aurelian Veruna]

Aurelian didn't clap.

He did, however, tilt his head like someone indulging a child explaining why they'd set the neighbor's shed on fire. Fascinating. Predictable. A little exhausting.

As Xazzex returned to her seat, radiating the smug assurance of someone who thought using the word sapient made her sound wise instead of insufferable, Aurelian finally lifted his gaze from his holotablet. The transfer order was complete. The bureaucrats on Plooriod III could fuss with the housing manifests later. Right now? Time for a little theatre.

He rose slowly, deliberately, and with a subtle flare of his dark cape, always the showman, never just the senator. He didn't speak right away. He took a moment, letting the room breathe, letting the tension coil, and maybe letting the Confederacy wonder what kind of trouble this decorative little noble from the Republic was about to stir up.

Then he smiled.

"Vice-Head Xazzex," he began, voice light, almost amused, "what a privilege it is to be addressed as a Sapient of all Kinds. So gracious. I'm sure the mothers of Dee'ja Peak will treasure that inclusivity as they pick charred belongings out of rubble."

He let the words hang, let them sting. No fire, no fury. Just... precision.

"I'm especially taken," he continued, pacing slightly, hands clasped behind his back in that lazy, almost bored elegance that always made his advisors anxious, "by your impassioned defense of the Confederacy's right to commit hypothetical war crimes in the name of theoretical efficiency. Stirring stuff. I imagine the Defense Council will be thrilled to know that 'terror' and 'fog of war' are now accepted legal strategies."

His smile sharpened, something cold beneath the charm. "We're not asking your people to fight with their hands tied. We're asking that when civilian lives are at stake, they fight with their eyes open. That they remember what they're defending. Because if your troops can't tell the difference between a city block and a battlefield, I suggest the Confederacy send them maps before it sends them munitions."

He turned then, not to the Confederacy delegates, but to the Republic's senators and especially, to the Queen. A calculated pivot.

"We don't build alliances on excuses. We build them on accountability. That's what this treaty is. Not a muzzle, not a chain, but a mirror. If you flinch at the reflection, that's on you."

Aurelian stopped, hands folding neatly at his front, posture relaxed, but unyielding.

"Or, if this all proves too complicated, I'm sure we can just issue every soldier a wine glass and ask them to swirl their contents thoughtfully before pulling the trigger."

He gave Xazzex a nod that was both polite and catastrophically condescending.

Then he sat, re-opened his holotablet, and casually resumed scanning logistics data, like none of this had ever really required his full attention.

Arcann Pehnataur | Aknagoak Jihuzi | Annis Riyaré | Nakatu Ee'everwest | Niki Priddy | Kalantha | Vemric Keldra | Xazzex Xivar​

 

[Xazzex Xivar]

"Prince Aurelian Veruna of Parrlay, representing Plooriod Three." Xazzex stepped forward again as she addressed the man that liked to get a rise out of an audience. "What an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance at these solemn proceedings. Your considerable battlefield experience and strategic oversight in defending Naboo and its surrounding territories no doubt graces you with much wisdom in these matters." He could wave around his time in the Defense Force if he wished. Yet, oddly enough, his rank hadn't risen to one of flag-staff in his time in the forces.

"Perhaps had we followed a pre-approved defense strategy authored by yourself that day we might have outwitted the Neo-Crusaders and their Supercommandos -- a people that live and breathe war. Warriors that tucked themselves between the homes, the businesses, and the places of worship of the people of Dee'ja Peak. The sort of soldier that knows how to exhaust an attacking force before surgically striking its command." Xazzex frowned in the man's direction. "That is precisely the sort of enemy you are demanding we fight by committee. Toward that end, we should collectively hire the services of Witch diviners and scryers to draft our battle plans for collective approval."

She turned her attention then from the man to the Queen, as he had. "To reiterate my closing statement, those Assembled and Queen of the Republic, the Confederacy is not without regard for your people or our own. If closer coordination is needed... if further discussion is required... if more wargames to practice the worst case scenarios would help avoid the loss of a single, innocent life, the Confederacy stands ready. But I caution -- I urge -- everyone consider the chilling and demoralizing effect it has on those that risk their lives every day for our freedom that would come from knowing their field commanders cannot make their own decisions because some over-zealous, even if well-meaning, beaucrat thinks they could have done better in their stead."

Aurelian Veruna | Arcann Pehnataur | Aknagoak Jihuzi | Annis Riyaré | Nakatu Ee'everwest | Niki Priddy | Kalantha | Vemric Keldra​

 

[Sentapoth Findos]

Xazzex Xivar Nakatu Ee'everwest Aknagoak Jihuzi Aurelian Veruna Arcann Pehnataur Annis Riyaré Niki Priddy Kalantha Vemric Keldra

For reasons unknown, Sentapoth consistently found himself entangled in various political crises, including the Hapan Wedding, the terrorist attack on the leadership of the Confederacy, and the Mandalorian Assault on the Royal Naboo Republic. He had chosen to distance himself from the Royal Assembly for an extended period to consult with the Trade Monarch, Lodd Grimmin , regarding how the Trade Federation could benefit from the prevailing instability.

The most prudent course of action he determined was to completely disengage from the Confederacy and align himself with the Royal Naboo by becoming the Senator for Affa to steer them towards further corporate integration.

He would no doubt be noticed by the Head of State Vemric Keldra sitting within one of the pods which only caused the Neimoidian more apprehension, betrayal would not be taken lightly but he was merely fulfilling the stereotype of the species.

He observed as others spoke within the chamber, such as Annis Riyaré , Arcann Pehnataur , Nakatu Ee'everwest and even the spat between Aurelian Veruna and the Vice-Head of State Xazzex Xivar .

"Senators, esteemed Representatives, and Officials of various ranks and statuses. I believe we are overreacting to the incident that transpired at Dee'ja Peaks involving the Confederacy. While it is possible that they violated the treaties' principles by deliberately targeting the city with artillery to repel the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders, we should refrain from diminishing their actions or placing sole accountability upon them." Sentapoth explained with a gentle tone, momentarily shedding his usual stutter to convey his message clearly.

He was not exonerating the Confederacy of Independent Systems from blame, but rather emphasizing that they should not bear the entire responsibility for the events of that day. "I believe the real concern of this Assembly and the Southern Systems Alliance should be the failure of its intelligence branches to predict and pick up signals of the Mandalorian Invasion Fleet moving towards Naboo in the first place. The Mandalorians had already attacked the Palace a few months prior and there was no concrete action taken to ensure they were too occupied to launch another incursion."

 

[Vemric Keldra]

KELDRA
ROYAL ASSEMBLY | NABOO
TAG: Xazzex Xivar | Aknagoak Jihuzi | Arcann Pehnataur | Kalantha | Aurelian Veruna | Annis Riyaré | Nakatu Ee'everwest | Niki Priddy | Everyone else in the Assembly

PALLADIO​

Placidity.

Vemric had never been one to idly waste lives. On the contrary. Yet never had he been a placid soul either. He had seen all war has to offer - the good and the bad. He knew what could happen if darker forces were left unchecked. The monumental loss of lives when that Worldship went down over Rhand still haunted is every moment. It had taken far too long back then for anyone to take action against the Maw and the Galaxy paid dearly for it.

And here, again, people were calling for restraint against more belligerent forces as if they forgot that the Mandalorians wreaked even more destruction on their people.

The Sephi had remained silent up to now, his marbled face belying nothing of what was going on beneath the surface. Xazzex Xivar had taken most of the Confederate stance, knowing full well how Vemric really felt about the situation. Her diplomatic stance was far better than his. He merely listened to everyone's raised concerns and the Falleen's stern yet cordial responses, delivering strategic counters to the concerns.

Yet, clearly, none listened to her more reasonable words.

And then Sentapoth Findos spoke up - from the Republic's side. Vemric's eyebrow twitched slightly. Of course His Cowardness would slink to the placid side. Yet the fool made a valid point - whether to placate the Sephi or a valid concern was unknown but it stayed valid. A pity that the one clear mind had to come from the cowardly General. The rest were still circling in their statements.

It was starting to raise his cold ire.

As the Neimoidian ended his statement, Vemric finally unfolded his tall frame from his seat. A pin could drop loudly in the tense silence as he looked Kalantha straight in the eye, yet his face remained set in marble.
"Is this a Treaty Adjustment or a Military Tribunal, Your Highness?" His bored baritone hadn't fluctuated all that much, yet there was a coldness to it that would definitely be felt by the target.

His icy gaze then turned directly to Aurelian Veruna .
"Senator." His voice had now changed even more, taking on a definitive icy edge. "Vice-President Xivar had answered you and your colleagues far more cordially, yet it seems to make no difference. Let me ask you more directly, then, young man - how many battles have you seen in your few summers? How many lives that you commanded have you lost on the battlefield with the restraint that you are championing now?" The Sephi then looked at the rest of the Assembly. "How many here have stared into the face of Death and beat it back time and again? Very few, by the looks of the many young faces in this chamber." Only one or two - like Arcann Pehnataur or even Niki Priddy , who had contracted her company's forces to the Confederacy especially during the Umbara assault.

He looked back at Aurelian. "We are not the ones flinching, Mister Veruna. It is the Republic doing the flinching. I have seen what happens when a chain like this is placed on a Treaty - when a more practical nation is schooled to be more peaceful on the battlefield. Scores of my own men lost their lives. I had to personally deliver each notification to their families as their commanding officer. The reason I had to give them - mercy and restraint on the battlefield. Entire worlds were wiped from the Galaxy or burned by forces like the Maw because of the very same reasons within this discussion."

His frame grew even taller and more straight as his icy gaze scanned the Assembly. "Tell me, Republic, have you forgotten the destruction the Crusaders wrought on your cities? The lives lost due to it? Your forces were not making headway against the Mandalorians - they did not even see any of the attacks coming, as Senator Findos so aptly pointed out. The Confederacy did what you couldn't - we freed your people from their occupation, helped treat the wounded and aided in the rebuilding of the destroyed areas and even launched a counter-offensive on the Crusaders, ensuring they wouldn't return here, yet received no gratitude and only accusations from this Assembly. Seems to me, Republic delegates, that you need our assistance far more than we need yours."

He looked back at the Queen, the edge in his voice the only expression on him.
"In the heat of battle, split-second decisions need to be made in order to minimize loss of life. A neighbourhood block of injured civilians is far less damage than the destruction of an entire city or a planet. Naboo was not ready in terms of military to face the sheer ruthlessness of Mandalorians. The Confederacy was. Red tape around military engagements going forward will not ensure the safety of your people, Your Highness. By all means, have a clause that would ensure proper conduct for pre-planned engagements - the Confederacy can bow to that. However, I suggest you re-evaluate your own house to ensure better military and intelligence action from your own forces. The Confederacy will not carry the brunt of the engagement in future when your people are attacked. We will send aid as is required by the Treaty, but we expect better response from the Republic in future. Your Jedi are your only redeeming quality regarding security at the moment."

He then turned back to the Assembly. "If we do proceed with the adjusted Treaty, I will make the following offer - the Confederate Armed Forces as well as the Confederate State Security would be willing to provide extra military and intelligence training to Republic forces to ensure a stronger joint operation on the battlefield. Then it might not be necessary for the Confederacy to compensate and use weapons that cover wider areas."

He raised his chin slightly. "The Confederacy will not accept all of the blame for the assault on Dee'ja Peak. Take the log out of your own eye first before picking at the splinters in ours, Republic. The Treaty will have to include measures to safeguard against both nations' faults, not just the Confederacy's." He stepped back and made his last statement before he would regain his seat.

"Only then will we sign." ​

Spoiler: TLDR

• Sentapoth Findos I h8 u but agree wit u
• Aurelian Veruna stfu boi
• Kalantha bish, fix your own army before bashing mine
• Assembly babies fix your damn treaty to include your own uselessness or we leave

 

[Aurelian Veruna]

Aurelian rose again, this time with far less ceremony and far more intent. Gone was the casual smirk. Gone was the lazy elegance. Now he stood with the posture of someone who'd just been told to sit down by an old man at a party and decided, in that moment, to take over the music.

He gave a soft, theatrical sigh as he straightened the hem of his jacket, then let his gaze slowly, very deliberately, sweep the chamber.

"Vice Head Xivar," he began, his tone sharp as glass wrapped in velvet, "thank you for the lesson in battlefield clairvoyance. You've painted such a vivid picture of Mandalorians hiding in places of worship that one could almost forget the part where your forces blanketed said worship with incendiaries."

He turned slightly toward her seat.

"And while I have so many questions about your proposed witch diviners and their operational utility, allow me to clarify something before we all choke on your sarcasm: no one here is suggesting that commanders shouldn't make decisions. We are, however, suggesting that those decisions, the ones that leave civilians burning, be answerable."

Aurelian's tone chilled. The showman was still there, but now wearing something far sharper under his smile.

"Accountability is not the enemy of effectiveness. But unexamined brutality? That is."

He barely gave her another glance before turning to Vemric and this time, the tension in the room thickened.

"And now we come to the great warrior himself."

He offered a mocking bow toward Vemric, not quite disrespectful, but certainly not respectful. The kind of bow one gives to an actor after a scene you didn't believe a word of.

"Head of State Keldra, I thank you for the resume. I truly do. You've seen war. You've made hard calls. You've buried soldiers. That matters. But if your battlefield scars have dulled your ability to discern law from vengeance, then perhaps it is not I who should be disqualified from this discussion."

"You ask how many battles I've seen, as though experience is the sole currency of truth. And yet, here I am, in this chamber, representing systems and people who expect that we learn from every war, not just survive them."

He stepped forward slightly, voice steady, clear, rising, not in volume, but in gravity.

"You delivered letters to the families of the dead. So tell me, what did those letters say? 'My apologies for your child's death. We forgot that civilians were in the blast radius?' Or 'We were just trying to save the city, shame about your street?' Because if that's the message you want written into this treaty, then no. I will flinch. Proudly."

"The Republic doesn't need your scorn, Head of State. It needs a partner that can wield a sword without closing its eyes."

A beat. His voice dropped, more measured now, more deliberate.

"As for the Queen," and here he looked toward Kalantha "Her Majesty doesn't need to answer your courtroom theatrics. This isn't a tribunal because she isn't here to punish. Though i'm starting to believe it should be.... She's here to lead. She opened this chamber in grief, not fury. The fact that you mistook mourning for weakness tells me more about your Confederacy than any clause in this treaty ever could."

He looked out over the chamber again, at the watchers, the waverers, the waiting. Then back at the Confederacy, eyes glinting.

"We all want safety. We all want strength. But if your idea of strength is making sure no one ever dares question you again after the smoke clears, then you're not offering us an alliance."

He took his seat again, slow, deliberate, unapologetic.

"You're offering us an ultimatum."

And that, Aurelian knew, was where things got interesting.

Vemric Keldra | Xazzex Xivar | Kalantha | Sentapoth Findos | Niki Priddy | Nakatu Ee'everwest | Arcann Pehnataur | Annis Riyaré​

 

[Aiden Porte]

Objective 1
Humanitarian Aid
Tags: Open

It didn't take to long after things got set up. Rations and supplies and all the like were being allocated through the area. His area for the goodies was well managed by the younger Padawans and even some younglings who were desperate to be out and about. They couldn't be confined forever, this was a good step for them to take. It wasn't just about waving a lightsaber around or being a hero. This was the best part of things in his own opinion. World would travel far and to various star systems, about who and what the Republic of Naboo stood for.

He was proud to be a part of it.

Aiden found himself assisting in moving of supplies and rations back and forth. Speeders after speeders came through, and some even came on foot, it showed a desperation and it hurt his heart. The Jedi arranged for those displaced to have a secure ride back. He noted that Balun Dashiell had arrived and was doing what he did best.

The Dashiell relief fund organized by Balun himself, it was good to see them here.

The Jedi Padawan reached for his canteen and took a drink of water before closing the top. A drink of water and back to work, the people are what mattered. It was going to be a good and long day.

Well worth it.

 

[Arcann Pehnataur]

​

.

Objective 3
The Weight of Peace

Am I in a governmental… Senatorial assembly… or one for a Primary School?

Arcann sat quietly in his pod, just watching all of the ridiculous arguments, the bravado disguised as “discourse”, Bravado masked as “debate”. It was insane.

I wonder if Thexann has to deal with this? Probably not. He probably has to deal with overzealous Padawans.

Between the exchanges between Veruna and Xazzex was entertaining, only in the reality that they just need to get it over with and kiss. The rest is just bluster, showboating and grandstanding for “holovid ops”. This is not politics, this is a vulgar metaphor of showing “who’s is bigger?”.

This is not what he signed up for, but this is one of those days he knew he would feel that. It made him miss the days of the military. They had an objective, they reached it, simple.

unlike kindergarten here.


Aurelian Veruna | Vemric Keldra | Xazzex Xivar | Kalantha | Annis Riyaré

 

[Vizion Trozky]

DELIVERING HUMANITARIAN AID
BASE THETA-AUREK
SARKO IV​

The number of times he’d been tasked with ferrying duty was something Vizion Trozky could count on one hand, but at least this piloting shift was nearly done. His ship, the Rising Star, was a fast one, but that wasn’t what he was at the controls for, today; this shipment of supplies and personnel was too large for that sleek, dark Naboo model, not that the speed would have been all that much of a boon, with the state of the hyperlanes and other smaller routes being as it was.

The situation at Sarko IV meant that by the time he arrived back at Naboo, further supplies and personnel were already staged to reload and send him right back. Transmissions were far, far faster than travel, for the time being. He’d had to get up at an ugly hour for the first trip, just like everyone else, and now he was good and ready to stretch his legs. There wouldn’t be much room for rest, but he was trained to operate like this when necessary: he had stamina for days, and knew how to draw on the Force when needed to keep himself going.

Once the bulky transport was brought in for a landing for the second time this morning, and set down a safe distance from the bustling Base Theta-Aurek along with other transports in the group, Vizion melted back into the pilot’s chair after powering down, closing his eyes to gather himself while the hatch hinged open at the rear of the ship, and immediately erupted into a bustle as medics and others disembarked, trading space with ground personnel coming in to offload the shipment.

He didn’t need to focus much at all to notice the overall weary energy coming from the camp, and in the surrounding region. There wasn’t any violent threat to it, only the reality of the aftermath of the Planeshift’s disruption to galactic shipping and travel.

Disruption seemed like an insufficient word for what had happened.

“Hey,” a voice and a pat on his shoulder broke his temporary peace of meandering thought, “shift’s over, bud.”

Vizion’s eyes slipped open, looking up at what must’ve been the replacement pilot, and settling into the other seat, a fresh co-pilot, “Oh, hey,” he replied with an awkward, sheepish smile, “yeah, sorry. Long morning already.” They shrugged as if to say that was a given, while he gathered up himself and his satchel, and vacated the pilot’s chair. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

He turned and walked towards the back, weaving between the ongoing unload, and out of the ship, found a loaded cargo speeder to hitch a ride the rest of the way into the main thoroughfare of the temporary base, and hopped off at the other end with a nod of thanks.

“Alright, where is…” Viz uttered to himself, peering in unfocused sight but focused senses, until that question was answered and his feet started carrying him towards the medical tent, ahead of the flow of others carrying supplies to the same place. “Here, lemme help with that,” he insisted, holding the tent flaps open, and giving the appearance of doing so with only a thought - there was at least a gram of focus involved beyond that, sure. But a young guy carrying a box of bacta patches nearly tripped on his feet at the sight of the tent flaps lifting away by themselves, and the guy behind bumped into the first one, though things quickly sorted out and they kept moving onward, into the tent.

That could have been avoided, he could have performed a gesture with that telekinetic pull, but even then there might’ve been the same outcome. He swallowed a laugh, as well as the humour that started to bloom on his face, and let his gaze wander, pretending he saw nothing. You had to take humour where you could find it on days like this.

Briana Sal-Soren​

 

[Kalantha]

EMBERS IN THE ASH
… a Royal Naboo Republic Story

"That is quite enough!" Kalantha's voice rang out as the young woman rose to her feet. The Queen's pod was already shifting, floating into the proverbial arena where words and accusations flew like daggers. She spoke on, right until her pod came to a stop - and when it did, she did not skip a beat.

"You would know if this were a military tribunal, Head-of-State Keldra, because you would already have been tried and prosecuted. You speak of experience and duty, of honor and practicality, but at the end of the day, it is clear that you have already decided within yourself that the people of Dee'ja Peak were expendable. I assure you that you were not the only sovereign who had to deliver the news of death to distraught loved ones, only the contents of my letters were much harder to write in good conscience - that the Confederacy's contracted paramilitary believed a decisive victory against the Mandalorians was worth the lives of the innocents they claimed in the process. Not the lives of soldiers, or Mandalorian Crusaders, or Geonosian rebels, but the lives of men, women, and children."

She paused for a beat, eyes boring holes into the Confederacy's leadership.

"Either your intelligence was aware of the civilian population and you chose to employ the use of chemical weapons anyway, or your intelligence was not aware and you did not coordinate your efforts with the Republic Defense Force, who, regardless of your perceptions, was and is the highest order of military command on this planet."

"The Confederacy's aid during a time when the Republic otherwise found itself vulnerable is not unappreciated, but that does not excuse your negligence at Dee'ja Peak. I would not only be doing my nation a disservice by remaining complacent, I would be a disgrace to the Royal House of Naboo."

Now, she broke her stare, looking upon the senators gathered. She made brief eye contact with Annis Riyaré and Nakatu Ee'everwest , with Aurelian Veruna and Arcann Pehnataur . "The people in this room have put me in power because they believe I am the greatest choice to keep them safe. All of them. If you are to be our ally, to put boots on Naboo and defend her people, then you must be held to the same standards that we hold ourselves."

"If you cannot find it within yourself to be amenable to the concept of coordinating with your allies and sparing the lives of civilians from chemical warfare, then I am uncertain that the Southern Systems Alliance should continue to exist. At least one of us must remain a pillar of civility and justice."

Kalantha blinked, slow and controlled. She eyed Keldra and Speaker Xazzex carefully, not with disdain but with hope - hope that they would see that Naboo's demands were not a leash, but an inalienable right of the populace to feel safe in their own homes.

"The treaty proposed shall stand. You either accept it, or you do not."

"On this matter, Naboo will not falter."

Tags: Aknagoak Jihuzi | Annis Riyaré | Arcann Pehnataur | Aurelian Veruna | Nakatu Ee'everwest | Niki Priddy | Sentapoth Findos | Vemric Keldra | Xazzex Xivar​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Briana came to full stop when it hit her, datapad dipping slightly, forgotten, when that unmistakable presence in the force, the one that could only belong to one person, woke her.

She turned.

It took a second for her eyes to find him at the mouth of the tent, just as the tail end of a near-disastrous scene, with two young unloaders nearly tripping over one another, played out. She noted the way the corners of Vizion's mouth twitched up in a near-smile, clearly swallowing a laugh and pretending like nothing had happened as the other two men bumbled onward, muttering.

The past month of his absence, and how much she'd missed him, crashed into her like a ship going full force in light-speed, and for a moment, Briana simply looked at him. It'd felt like so much longer than that, than a month. Dignified brows knit together in an effort to keep the sentiments welling up inside her, from brimming to the surface — though the curve of her lips betrayed her nonetheless, as a small smile, not fully formed but impossible to repress, bloomed over her features.

She drank in the warmth of his burnished brown eyes, the square contour of his jawline, the broad breadth of his shoulders and chest; there was no small part of her that didn't buzz with the urge to go to him — to cross the tent in the three short strides it would take to close that distance still keeping them apart, take his face in her hands, and slide her lips over his.

Had it not been for the audience, for the attention that action might draw, she might have let herself be so careless as to allow herself the indulgence of that whim.

But this wasn't the time, and it certainly wasn't the place. A proper reunion would have to be stolen, later.

Tucking the datapad beneath her arm, Briana crossed the space that separated them, mindful to step out of the pathway of the ongoing flow of med crates and bustling feet as fresh, and sorely needed supplies, filtered through.

"You guys made it just in time," she quipped, her voice a shade lighter than before as she came to stand in front of him, feeling the exhaustion that'd been shadowing her since earlier that morning, slowly replaced by something more warm and verdant. "I just finished my last loop and was getting ready to send another message to Theed...those supplies are going to be put to use immediately." She tucked a stray strand of hair that'd managed to come loose, behind her ear, voice dropping ever so slightly. "I didn't realize you'd be coming," she admitted, "After you finished the mission directive from the Assembly, I figured you would have wanted to stay on Naboo for a bit and try to catch your breath — not dive right back into the thick of it."

OUTFIT: XoXo | Vizion Trozky

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