Extending an Olive Branch. [GR Foreign Relations Mission]

[Alexander Sannes]

Galactic Republic Mission to Echolya​

​

Time, 1823 Galactic Standard Time​

​

​

Alexander drew a hand over the controls of the small diplomatic freighter, his eyes running their course and staring at the lines as the ship ran through hyperspace. He always enjoyed watching the lines streak out around him, seeing the stars appear as lines of color that reached around him and his ship. He had to smile on that fact, that this was all a mission he had designed to help end the little... war caused by the deaths of many. He would be negotiating a peace treaty, one he would put before the senate and hope calmer minds prevailed. He was sure that there would be resistance to this, and he was sure that things would no doubt be far worse if he couldn't do this today. No he was sure that if this continued, things would only get worse than ever before.​

​

"Dropping out of hyperspace in five Senator."​

​

The officer to his right spoke to him, is eyes turning to look at the officer before nodding and then turning his head back forward. With a shake of his hand to the comm's officer he held on soon after as the ship reverted from hyperspace, leaving his ship sitting there before a fleet of Mandalorian crusaders who was now staring with their guns probably aimed on the republic vessel.​

​

"Well... Patch me through..." He waited for them to do so before speaking to whoever would answer him.​

​

"This is Republic Diplomatic transport Peacebringer, requesting landing and a meeting with your Leader." He had heard of some recent developments, one among them being the very change in the Mandalorian leadership's title. Eshan was after all only a stone skip from the Mandalorian giants, he was privy to quite interesting rumors."​

 

[Keira Priest]

When word came through that the Republic had hailed the entirety of the Crusaders and requested a meeting with her elder brother - or whomever was immediately in charge - Keira was more than a little tempted to ignore it. After everything that had happened between her and that particular galactic power, there wasn't a reason for her to care in the least just what they wanted, regardless of their apparently peaceful intentions. Quite frankly, the idea of negotiating peace with yet another nation after what had come of her attempts to do the same when she still aligned herself with the Republic wasn't something she was looking forward to. But she would do it, if just for the sake of her vode.

Still, she was very much tempted to order the vessel to be shot down with the added specification of no survivors. It would have been easy, and given her standing within the Crusaders she could have pulled it off relatively simply. The Republic had no friends within their borders, and most would welcome the death of the Senator. Including her. But she would play fair, if just for the possibility of avoiding a long, drawn out war that none of them wanted. Karking Republic. She thought her affair with them had ended the moment she abandoned them for the Mandalorians and subsequently the Crusaders, but this was one ghost of her past that never seemed to leave entirely, and unfortunately so.

Stifling a sigh she pinched the bridge of her nose as she listened to what he had to say, absently studying the hologram of his form. Finally she ran a hand through her hair before activating the holoprojector on her end as well, revealing her visage to him as well. Clad in nothing more than a pair of worn jeans, combat boots, a white tanktop and her leather jacket, she was severely underdressed for the occasion. Thankfully she didn't care enough for the both of them. "This is Warmarshal Keira Ticon of the Mandalorian Crusaders. Permission granted to land in the nearest spaceport. I'll meet you there in short order, Senator." With that she cut the transmission. Short and to the point, as was the case with most of her interactions.

Already she was back to that same mindset she had retained during earlier negotiations, this time with a touch less restraint. Shaking her head and muttering a string of curses she took off for the spaceport, flexing her cybernetic left hand absently. Hopefully this would be over soon.

[member="Alexander Sannes"]

 

[Alexander Sannes]

[member="Keira Ticon"]

The moment he heard the name and saw who spoke, his eyes lit up as he knew the person. Sadly the woman didn't seem too... excited to see him, or at least the Republic as a whole.

'To be fair, there is a rather tense situation going on at the moment... especially if the Mandalorians are still aligned with those criminals.' He thought to himself as he sat there and listened to her as she gave him the all clear to land.

"I thank you for the greeting Warmarshal Ticon, Diplomatic transport Peacebringer will be moving towards the designated starport as commanded..." He waited for the holofeed to cut out before nodding to the officer who would be leading the ship down to the colony. He smiled though as they at least got past the ships themselves, so at least that was a benefit to all of this.

"You know, Lieutenant, next time we should name the ship something less... plain or at least a bit more exciting. Even Queen Varanin would be disappointed in the name of a diplomatic ship being 'Peacebringer'." He smiled as he thought about Eshan alot these days.

In truth, Eshan was in a weird situation when it came to its relationship with the Republic, as Alexander was more Representative and Ambassador than he was a Senator considering the distance that Eshan was from official Republic space. It made meetings much easier though as part of his position on the Foreign Relations committee being that he no longer needed to worry about finding neutral space. He was lucky that his queen had not spoken up when he continued to work for the Republic, but if she wanted them gone, he was sure she would say something.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alexander stretched as he walked out of the ship in blue clothing with a silvered half cloak draped over his shoulder. He in truth didn't care much for the outfit but it was insisted he wear it for formal meetings if he was to be serious about this so he swallowed and did so. In truth it was better than those clunky robes most of his fellow senators wore, and much better than that pirate get up the Supreme Chancellor wore, but all in all, it was still annoying.

He had more important things to focus on though, and that would no doubt be the woman who was waiting for him, his eyes peering out behind a pair of glasses on his face and his hair a bit more tidy than normal. The only items at his side would be his comm, a datapad, and a familiar cylinder that most would know as the battle staff that all echani seemed to have on them. Granted Alexander's had a very interesting modification but that was unimportant considering this was a peace meeting, not a battle... not that he would turn up a chance to have a good-natured duel with such a proficient people.

 

[Keira Priest]

Where he seemed to embrace more of a formal approach to these apparent talks, Keira eschewed such a thing altogether. There was a time and a place for that, one of those being when respect for one's potential ally was present. There was none but that of the most basic sort on her side of things, and she didn't intend to extend that offering any further. This was half to keep up appearances and half because she didn't want to waste their resources fighting an enemy that wasn't even worth their time. Besides, she had been on her way off of the station in order to travel to Voss and spend time with her family. That he had entered their space and docked beforehand was really just an inconvenience.

Given that this was the largest of Echoy'la's sky-stations - Little Sundari - there was a small meeting chamber nearby enough where they could talk things over to a hopefully peaceful resolution. Then this could be forgotten and they could all move on to more important things. When he came into sight she only nodded in greeting, offering nothing more. "Welcome to Echoy'la, and Little Sundari. The sky-stations are where we make house, given the planet's lack of atmosphere. There are chambers where we can speak privately not far off, if you'll follow me." Certainly she despised this proper etiquette, but all she had was her reputation, at this point. It was prudent she keep it at least semi-untarnished.

The walk through the halls was silent, and she didn't intend to make any conversation unless he did so first. There was nothing to talk about other than the matter at hand, and that could wait just a few more minutes. A few individuals gave them sidelong glances, a good portion likely wondering just who the white-haired man with her was, but she paid them no mind. With her rank among their number, there was no reason for them to question her. Finally arriving, she slid her hand across the sensors, doors sliding open smoothly to reveal a fairly nondescript room with a small table and chairs surrounding it, along with other minimalistic furnishings.

Taking a seat she gestured for him to do the same, watching him for a few long moments in what could be called a pensive silence, debating on just how to kick things off. For one, all precedence of true formality would be dropped. That wasn't needed, here. "Level with me, then." A beat passed before next she spoke, her tone offhanded and easygoing, a razor's edge residing just beneath the surface all the same. "What does the Republic want with us?"

[member="Alexander Sannes"]

 

[Alexander Sannes]

[member="Keira Ticon"]

He had been more than interested to see the station, and as she told him about it his eyes moved over everything almost like a child, though he would never admit that. This was a culture he had never sat down and spoke with or experienced, both of which he could do to help improve relations between this Mandalorian Sect and the Republic, just as he would with the united clans once he had returned to Eshan in the coming weeks. Something he would leave out when talking during this meeting for the simple fact that it probably would not be the best thing to bring up considering the information he had gotten.

From what he knew, the man who ran these crusaders, a call back to a force of Mandalorians from ancient times that fought for glory. While in truth that made his hand itch as he wondered off in the back of his mind if they still have ritual dueling circles like was detailed about their past. It was curious to him if he would be able to experience their culture more than the normal political figure would. That was the beauty of the echani people, they could adapt and fit what ever was best for the situation and while he was normally around the highers of the compact before this, he was certain that his less formal approach would be needed with a warrior people.

It seemed Keira had the same idea as Alexander smiled at the words. "I represent the republic in terms of foreign relations, and even more so my being here is of my own choice. I plan to present a bill before the senate in order to strengthen our external relations... but that would achieve nothing without approaching those that have been affected by the actions and conduct of my fellow Senators and those members of our military. In simple terms, Lady Ticon, i want to talk with your leader about creating some form of peace between our people while also showing that my people are interested in understanding your own."

Sure, he was speaking for a small group within the ranks of the military and the political world, considering that it had been hard to muster up any support, but that was how he preferred it for now. One could not make change without an idea, and that change cannot come without small steps, or a thunderous change.

 

[Keira Priest]

"Just Keira. The honorific isn't necessary. It's not 'lady' to you or anyone else." A bit harsh? Perhaps. But Keira despised being referred to with any frivolous titles or other monikers. The sensibility behind such a practice was lost on her, and besides, it was a waste of time when utilized outside of the senatorial chambers, and doubly so among the Mandalorians. Then came the issue of speaking with Isley himself, something she knew wouldn't come to pass. "Next to the other Warmarshals, I'm the closest you'll likely get to speaking personally with my brother." She wouldn't compromise, simply moving on from the subject to the matter at hand.

That he had come for the purposes of negotiating peace after all that had transpired recently between the Crusaders and the Republic was laughable at best. The last thing she or any of the Crusaders wanted was to deal with this particular power any more than they had to. But after how letting the others negotiate had gone, she didn't dare delegate this responsibility to anyone else. "You know, fighting a losing war is a cause that's only admirable to a point. And the Republic has long since passed that. Every major battle that they have taken part in has been lost, and often with innumerable casualties. That isn't a sign of a government ready to branch out to other nations. It's a sign that their focus needs to turn inwards rather than without."

Almost absently she leaned back in her chair, brushing brunette locks from out of her eyes. "Now, I want you to understand something. There is nothing the Republic could offer us at this time or any point in the future that we don't otherwise have or couldn't obtain through conquest. Furthermore, war with the Mandalorians has never ended well for you and yours, and I don't imagine that fact will change anytime soon. Even if this did come to a full scale conflict, I can assure you that the Crusaders would emerge the victors. Why else would you come here if you weren't certain of that fact yourself?

"I'm going to offer you a proposition of my own: a ceasefire. Nothing more, and nothing less. All fighting between our sides will end until further notice, but no further pursuits will be made to form any kind of permanent pact. Does that sound agreeable to you, Senator?"

[member="Alexander Sannes"]

 

[Alexander Sannes]

[member="Keira Ticon"]


"My apologies Keira, though i must say you being one of your... warmarshals is far from surprising. You have a knack of finding a place high up in militaries ever since i first learned of your existance... i cannot say though if you know me too well past that of a child considering the thoughts of the last senate meeting we were both attending." He smiled as she corrected him and in that moment his hand moved to run a finger in a pattern on the table. It resembled some kind of circular object as his hand moved but never seemed to create a shape that would be resembling of anything. He would continue to do this until her final words were spoken when he would stop with the smile still on his face as he looked up from where he was now sitting.

"Keira, do you mistake me for the same child that i was when you last met me, or even for a child back then." He waited for some simple form of recognition of the question before continuing. "The Republic lost in 6 years, land that had been acquired through deals with planets, intervention militarily, or worse off those events that created the hellhole that is Gratos. It betrayed its former deals, shattered alliances, sunk to make deals with those that were enemies, or associated with criminal elements that less than favorable. And as you know, and pointed out, is not in the position to offer anything that you do not have..."

"With all that said, you already figured out what it was that i wished to bring to you in terms of some sort of deal. The Republic's current leadership is incapable of honoring commitments and alliances, weak and will bend to the words of those that would incite panic if it provided them personal gains. I wanted to approach you with a plan concerning a ceasefire, though it seems you have beaten me to the punch. Im a bit concerned with the wording of the second part though, as times will be changing, but i understand your apprehension towards a permanent pact being promised in the future, so i will agree fully."

 

[Keira Priest]

Some part of her had been aware that she knew him the moment this meeting began, and after his comment had been made that feeling only solidified. It had been awhile, but she still knew him from her time in the Republic. Oh, how times had changed. "I never mistook you for one, even then. But I do know you as a politician first and foremost, and from my experience those in the Senate know nothing of the war they condemn their soldiers to. I know you're Echani, and I'm aware that you hold yourself as a warrior. I respect that. But you've never been on the battlefield. You've never experienced the true hell that war can be. And in that regard, to me and the other vode, you are a child."

His remark as to her position within the Crusaders was for the most part ignored, as she held rank secondary in all respects until it became precedent. Perhaps that was why she tended to make the wrong impressions, doubly so in settings such as this. "Don't take it the wrong way when I say that the Crusaders don't want much of anything to do with the Republic. We have no need of your government, your people, or anything else you hold as your own. That's the reason this won't extend past a simple ceasefire. We need nothing more than the knowledge that you and yours won't prove further issue. We've already proven capable of breaking you once before. This means we won't have to waste our resources and do so once again."

In her eyes, the entirety of this had been resolved in only a few minutes, and now there was nothing left to say. "Unless you have anything further to add, I would say this meeting has been resolved. I can escort you back to your ship if you'd like, or you can walk alone if you would prefer. Regardless, have safe travels. Ret'urcye mhi."

[member="Alexander Sannes"]