Every Day I'm Quagglin'

[Tefka]

Aboard the Dawning Memory - ][ Approaching the edge of Fondorian Space ][

Tefka approached the bridge, waddling up the steps to the dais of the holocommunicator. The unaccompanied frigate had just entered Fondorian space, yet remained on the outskirts until instructed otherwise.

"The comms officer, please."

A blue hologrammed face flashed onscreen.

"Lieutenant Qwagsta, please inform the Protectorate's port authority that the diplomatic mission from Coruscant wishes permission to land."

The screen lay silent for a second.

"Permission granted."

Tefka nodded at the Captain. Landing procedures had initiated. The Jedi Master looked back at the Jedi Knight accompanying him.

"The Omega Protectorate's on high security alert. Keep your head low, Knight. Should they detain us, allow them to do so. It is only a precautionary measure."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana looked around her ship was Tefka began to ask her officers to do things for him. She nodded at them all slightly as they gave respectful answers and did as asked. Most of the crew of the Dawning Memory were greenhorns. They were completely brand new off the line and this was their first assignment. The Ship itself was at the opposite end of the spectrum, it was an ancient husk almost four hundred years old. It was of course repaired and refitted to new specs, but one could still tell the age of the ship when one walked through it. The ship itself was painted Green and red, the Republic diplomatic colors and Diana's own.

Still the ship belonged to Diana, it was hers to command and no one else. She smiled as her crew worked quickly and efficiently, paying attention to the small Jedi Master as he wandered over to her.

“Yes Master.” Diana replied. Tefka was one of the few Jedi Masters that Diana could respect. When she had decided to leave the Order he had not been there, he had not been one of the ones to stand by and do nothing. Just the opposite, he had spurned the Republic into a new frenzy against the Sith, taking the Jedi with them. She smiled at the aging little Alien.

She and her ship would comply to the wishes of the Omega Protectorate. They may have been green, but they were good men all of them. They were here to make friends, not enemies. “I'll follow your lead.”

She said to Tefka with a confident nod.

 

[Ayden Cater]

@[member="Tefka"] @[member="Diana Moridena"]

"Well now -this- is unexpected..." Ayden mused, sitting behind his desk. As far as he could remember, the Jedi hadn't ever sent an entourage to Fondor to meet with Cira. Sure, there had been the Corellian Conference, but that seemed informal compared to this. "Grant them landing access and make sure we have a diplomatic escort waiting for them." A pair of soldiers were dispatched to greet the Jedi and escort them to the Prex Tower. First the Fringe, then the Confederacy, now the Jedi were seeking an audience. Clearly the galaxy was curious about the Protectorate's new leader. Ayden hoped that this meeting would fair better than the others, though he had doubts considering the last interaction he had with the Republic had nearly led to a war between the two powers.

By the time the Jedi arrived outside his office, Ayden stood with his back to the door, in the middle of pouring himself a drink. He could feel them on the other side of the door easily enough. On the upside, they didn't -feel- like they were intending to harm him, but then again the Jedi were rather excellent at masking their intent and feelings. He wondered how they'd react when they saw that rumors were true and that the Republic's most infamously wanted Corellian had indeed assumed leadership of the Protectorate.

 

[Tefka]

The doors opened, and in walked Tefka and Diana, alone. The old Jedi had a bad back, or he would've bowed.

"Grand Exarch of Fondor, Jewel of the South, beloved leader and Lord Protector of the Omega Protectorate. I bid you good afternoon." Tefka had never met Ayden before, he had only heard whispers that the man used to be something of a scoundrel. His rise to power was almost overnight, and now this man sat the throne of the second largest government galactic south of the Tingel Arm.

"I am Jedi Master Tefka Efreet of the Jedi Order, and I come to be speak to you on behalf of Grandmaster Halcyon and Supreme Chancellor Harkness."

Tefka looked to Diana behind him and to the guards at his side, then back to Ayden.

"Permission to approach?"

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana followed alongside Tefka, her face a model of stone and absolute calm. Her nerves seemed to be made of steel as she looked around the beauty of Fondor. The industrial buildings seemed to have a menacing appeal that some would call beautiful, Diana was among them and as they made their way to the Lord Protectors Office she couldn't help but appreciate the massive shipyard world. She smiled slightly at the aging Jedi Master as they finally reached the Lord Protectors floor, knowing that the old Alien was taking quite a risk coming here.

Ayden Cater was not known for his pleasant personality. In fact he was not known for many things. All Diana knew of him was that the Republic had labeled him a War Criminal. She had no idea why or what the man had done, though she had been told by the Grandmaster herself that the man was labeled as such under the same regime that originally had kicked Selena from the Council. This had caused Diana not to pre-judge the Protectorate leader, instead deciding to wait and see.

Slowly the pair of Jedi made their way to the office, Diana having left all of her weapons behind on the Dawning Memory as a sign of good faith, something she had refused to do for the Black Sun.

As they entered the Lord Protectors office Diana took a bow in respectful greeting, though she did not voice it as such, instead letting the more experienced Jedi Master speak first.

 

[Ayden Cater]

@[member=Tefka] @[member="[/FONT][/SIZE][FONT='times new roman'][SIZE=14px]Diana Moridena"]

"Master Efreet." Ayden smiled and set the glass down. "I knew your brother." He paused and seemed to correct himself. "Well, it would be more accurate to say I knew of your brother. He was a fine Grandmaster for the Order. The Galaxy became a darker place with his passing." Raising his glass in a toast for the fallen Jedi, Ayden took a moment to collect his thoughts before he waved the escort off. With a wave of his hand, he shut the door. Another wave and it locked. Despite the gesture, Ayden remained unaggressive. If anything, he seemed more relaxed. "The room's soundproofed and shielded. We're free to speak candidly now."

What exactly he meant was something of a mystery until he gave Tefka a bow. "I'm glad to see that you survived the Plague, Master Efreet. It was bad enough, losing so many Jedi during those centuries of darkness. With Teferi's passing, I had almost given up hope on the Order." He walked over to one of the cabinets in the room and opened it, revealing a number of bottles. "I believe I still have a bottle of spiced wine from before the Plague." Pulling out a bottle, he gave it a quick inspection before turning back and setting it on the table. "Last time I heard from the Republic, they had just finished labeling me a war criminal. And last time I heard from the Order, it had been just before the passing of my children and wife." He smiled thinly before sighing. "At least least work to erase myself from the Jedi archives seems to have been successful. So tell me, Tefka, what is it that has the Jedi and Republic coming to me?"

 

[Tefka]

"Don't mind if I do," Tefka said with a wink as the doors shut and the bottle of spiced wine was placed on the table. Tefka grabbed the last glass on the table and poured himself a cup as well, smiling at Diana and turning back to the Lord Protector. The green Jedi carried the air of one who had nothing to fear.

"Tides are changing, Ayden." His words echoed those of familiarity, but nothing had been hinted at beyond the Lord Protector acknowledging that he knew Efreet's younger brother. "These times are chaotic. Things change so quick, as you know. One day you're an enemy of the Galaxy, the next you're all shaking hands. If you ask me, this blasted galaxy can't make up it's mind whether it wants to stay in or get out of this so-called 'darkness'. Thank you, though, for the kind words about my younger brother. Joined with the Force now, he is."

The brazen old Jedi Master raised his glass and took another swig.

"Politics," Tefka took a swig, looking at Diana. "Who needs 'em. Still, though. Surprising to see yourself here, Lord Protector, given what I know of you." He replied, evading Ayden's question.

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana listened intently to the two force titans, paying attention to their every word as though they were precious jewels dug from the earth. It was easy to pinpoint that the two of them knew of each other, perhaps even knew each other personally. The Disarmed Jedi Knight listened intently, her expression remaining at a calm ease.

Her silvery shinning eyes drifted from one man to the other as they spoke, paying close attention to everything. She felt absolutely no thread coming from either of them, and in fact the two seemed to be jesting with one another. As quiet as a mouse Diana remained still, not moving for a glass of alcohol or even water. To her it was enough to simply listen and pay attention.

She could learn much from these two.

 

[Ayden Cater]

@[member="Tefka"] @[member="[/FONT][FONT='times new roman']Diana Moridena"]
"You didn't answer my question." Ayden chuckled and swirled the liquid within his glass while considering. "Things are pretty bad though. I'm still consolidating power within the Protectorate. There are those who think that their dealings with Cira ended with her disappearance, or that I should not be Lord Protector. Add to that shadow threats from the Fringe, the Atrisians, the Confederacy, and the Sith, and it feels like I'm trying to seal a bantha-sized hull breach with a Jawa." He sighed and shook his head. "It really does seem like madness shrouds the galaxy some days. I nearly choked to death when I read about that peace treaty with the Sith some months ago."

"But like I said earlier; you didn't answer my question, Tefka. What is it that brings you to Fondor, especially with what you know about me?" His curiosity shone through with his intonations in the last bits of speaking. Clearly he was more interested in what Tefka knew, or claimed to know, than he was why the Master Jedi had come.

 

[Tefka]

@[member="Ayden Cater"]

The Jedi Master turned around, a brief moment of sincerity passing by his normally placated brow.

"A rise to power as fast as yours brings many enemies, Lord Protector..." He paused. "..and also many friends. The Grand Republic wishes to reinstate its faith and loyalty in it's ally, the Omega Protectorate. I hold here..." He lifted a parcel from his robes. "...a hand-written message from Chancellor Harkness. Through the formality, you will see the full extension of an apology in it's most sincerest form for past actions garnered, by yourself, from the Republican officials. Furthermore," Tefka stepped forward, taking another sip from the glass of wine and laying the parcel on the tabletop. "In this parcel is a full pardon, a copy in carbon form, for you from the Republic for past crimes. A formal gesture from the Republic that, though it may not be particularly important to you, it is very important to the Supreme Chancellor so that we may take the next step forward."

The green alien leaned his cane against the table's counter, his bright green eyes meeting Ayden's.

"Troublesome tides spill on the galaxy's floor, and the new leadership of the Republic wishes to take a more heavy-handed stand against those who seek to destroy it. The bond of the Omega Protectorate and the Republic was the strongest in all the Galaxy not even a year ago - I come before you to renew that bond, to show the Galaxy that the powers that be will not stand idlely by while innocent worlds are sacked and corrupted."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana simply watched and waited as Tefka presented his political move to Ayden Cater. There was nothing she could really add here until she was asked. However whenever she was looked at she flashed a smile. Knowing that niceness won even the largest of battles.

She found that her own thinking was in line with Tefka's. The Jedi Master knew what he was talking about, and a new age was about to dawn. If Ayden Cater chose to side with the Republic, if he took this opportunity and forged a new bond between the two factions it would create a powerful force for good in the galaxy.

 

[Ayden Cater]

@[member="Tefka"] @[member="Diana Moridena "]

There was no hiding the look that passed over the Corellian's face when he heard those words and read the letter. 'Pardoned', as if he had done some great crime against the Republic. "I'm sure you'll forgive me, Master Efreet, if I done fall to my knees at this exceedingly generous gesture from the new Supreme Chancellor." Ayden let the word roll off his tongue without any attempts to hiding the venomous sarcasm. "I'm sure the thousands of Protectorate men and women who died as a direct result of Ardak's mad act will be comforted to know that the Republic forgave me." He unceremoniously tossed the letter onto his desk and rummaged in his desk for his preferred bottle of Corellian whiskey.

Briefly, Ayden looked to the other Jedi in the room, a young woman from the looks of her, but said nothing to her. "As much as it pains me to say, Tefka, this is not a matter that can be solved by a letter. I cannot even publicly acknowledge I received it. At best, it looks like the Protectorate serves the Republic's beck and call. At worst, it's a public statement from me saying that I killed those six thousand men and women personally." He shook his head apologetically and sighed. "I'm sorry, Tefka, but it's going to take more than this to repair things between the Republic and the Protectorate. The Senate obviously felt strongly enough to impeach Ardak based on his conduct and the logs I forwarded. What I need from the Republic is not a pardon, but an apology."

 

[Tefka]

@[member="Ayden Cater"]

Tefka took a swig from the bottle.

"If a public apology is what you wish, we can provide. But keep in mind, Ayden." Tefka tossed aside using the man's title as the conversation had tossed aside formality. "That was a different Supreme Chancellor, and this is a different Republic. Only so much can be done to relieve the pain of actions past before a Lord Protector's requests become apparent demands. Something that doesn't serve either nation, save for one man's ego."

The Jedi Master placed the glass down upon the Lord Protector's desk.

"Is a public apology for the actions of Chancellor Ardak all you wish?"

 

[Ayden Cater]

@[member="Tefka"]

"I don't wish for an apology for my sake, Tefka. Ardak already paid for his actions. To want anything more would be to want revenge, and that just leads to a cycle of hatred. No, the apology is for the families of those who were killed. All this time, they've gone without any acknowledgement from the Republic that what had happened was a mistake. They need this last bit of closure." Ayden seemed to suddenly grow quite mournful. "I visited each of them, you know? The families. Gave them a choice to vent and punish me, since whether or not I feel I did anything wrong, it was still my actions that ultimately allowed for Ardak's madness to peak. Some struck me, but most were just confused and upset. 'How could the Republic do this us?', they asked. Put to rest the shadows of the old Chancellor and the people will happily embrace the new."

 

[Tefka]

A solemn face masked the sadness behind the Jedi Master's eyes.

"I understand loss, Lord Protector." Tefka bowed his head. "...I understand your pain for your people. It is the same pain felt across the Galaxy. Echoes in the Force, screaming in anguish, defiled by the corrupt and evil. To ask this of us, to bask in the sorrow of our brethren in the Protectorate... we will meet this request. But you must understand."

Green, glowing eyes raised to meet Ayden's.

"Even now, Yaga Minor is desolated by the Empire. A thousand Mandalorian mothers mourning their lost sons. A million Mandalorian fathers who won't ever come home to read to their daughters. Barely a month ago, the attack on the Senate. Our capital world, terrorized. Our Jedi, kidnapped and pursued through the streets of a criminal underworld known only as the Black Suns. Your families will get their apology, Lord Protector."

His fist slammed down on the table.

"But you are not the only one suffering loss."

 

[Ayden Cater]

@[member=Tefka] @[member="Diana Moridena"]

"I understand, Master Jedi. It is a time of grieving for us all. Better that we stand and grieve together than let the darkness divide us." Ayden raised his glass in a toast. "To fallen friends and family." Drinking deep from the bottle, the searing amber liquid shot through his body and sharpened his senses. "Let's move on then to talks of aid." Ayden set the bottle down and underwent a marked shift in demeanor. "Any civilians fleeing from devastation will be granted asylum within the Protectorate should they wish it." He tapped into a console and brought up a map of Protectorate space. "There are a number of agricultural worlds near the intersection of the Corellian Trade Spine and Sanctuary. Mostly unpopulated. We can set up refugee centers there, far enough away from any possible warzone."

"Beyond that, we'll begin stockpiling medical supplies and food supplies, prepping emergency supply drops. If the Republic needs room to engage in training missions and mock combat scenario near the border to ensure security, the Protectorate won't take it as an aggressive action. We're prepared to give the Republic ever measure of assistance short of military aid." He hoped that the Republic hadn't come expecting that. "As much as the troubles in the norther quadrants of the galaxy trouble me, we are not without troubles here in the south. The Fringe Confederacy has launched an invasion of the Atrisian Empire. I recently uncovered a plot to invade the Protectorate between the Empire, the Fringe, the Confederacy, and the Sith. I'm afraid if we committed to joining the Republic's war efforts, it would leave us open to an invasion ourselves."

 

[Tefka]

The Jedi Master regained his senses and seemed to calm.

"Chancellor Harkness is prepared to declare a military alliance, Lord Protector." Tefka said with full confidence. But his toned then changed, ever so slightly. "But we are not willing to declare such publicly. Discretion is of the utmost importance here. Only the three of us, the Supreme Chancellor, and the Grandmaster will know. The Supreme Chancellor considers the Protectorate a shield to our sword. Should we move against our enemies in the galactic north, I can assure you the Protectorate will be utterly alone. Aid cannot be promised while a full campaign is enacted."

War. They were talking about war.

"However."

Tefka paused briefly, then continued.

"Should the Protectorate falter in it's defenses, The Republic will cessate all hostilities and the Grandmaster will personally answer the Lord Protector's call for aid."

 

[Ayden Cater]

Ayden nodded in understanding. "That won't be a problem. I do not honestly expect the Confederacy to grow so bold as to attempt an open attack on Protectorate space, and the Fringe and Atrisians will be busy with each other. Do not concern yourself with our defense; we have practiced border patrols to handle any brushfires and our military has not slumbered in waste in this uncertain peace. My concerns remain on the Sith. They continue to grow emboldened with each passing month. I fear their war machine will soon be unleashed on the galaxy in a tidal wave of death and darkness." He paused and considered for a moment before turning to the woman that had, as of yet, not uttered a single word. "Tell me, Master Jedi; what do you make of these dark times? What would you see the Jedi do?"

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana looked at the Jedi Master, and then at the Lord Protector. For a few seconds she said absolutely nothing, and his titling of her as 'Master Jedi' had confused her for a few moments. When she finally realized that he was speaking to her however she took on an expression of stoic defiance. She had fought the Sith before, and would continue to fight the Sith.

“What would I see the Jedi do?” She paused for a moment. “I would see them fight. Just as they were meant to do.”

Diana paused for a second, deciding to expand upon her words to be more...broad. “Just a few short months ago I would have told you that the Jedi were failing. That we were falling apart and losing sight of what we once stood for. I myself left the Order, unwilling to stand by those who would not fight against greater evils.”

Diana was referring to the somewhat famous tale that now revolved around her, the Jedi Knight who had helped the Chancellor of the Republic kill the famed Sith Lord Velok and had then subsequently left the order.

“But now, things have changed. The Jedi will stand against the rising tide of the Sith. We are more than a barrier Lord Protector. We are both shield and sword to the Republic and it will be us who lead the charge against the Sith and their Empire.” Perhaps her words were a bit overzealous, but Diana spoke as a true believer in the things to come, as one who truly had hope.

 

[Tefka]

Tefka nodded in understanding.

"Selena Halcyon is who we owe much of the Order's restructuring to, and it will be the Grandmaster who leads us against the Sith."