For My Second Act....(RE and Commenor)

[Kay-Larr]

Kay sat at her desk in her office at the Presidential Palace. It was an office built for a man and she had yet to put her own feminine touch to it. More than likely she wouldn't, as it held it's own kind of charm. The only things that were clearly hers were the tea kettle and tea cups. And that was pretty much her trademark. So maybe there was nothing more to be done.

Earlier in the day, she had sent word for [member="Gray Raxis"] to come and meet with her. He had missed her election, her speech and the celebration afterwards. But that was okay. Not everyone showed up.

Now into her first week, Kay was trying to do whatever she could to keep Commenor safe. War was all around them, and although they had a great military force, their numbers and their ships were not enough to defend them from large forces. The population of Commenor wasn't as high as many other worlds.

If anyone could help them and would be willing to do so, it would be her friends, her family and the Raxian Empire.

 

[Gray Raxis]

Gray had immediately set out to meet with [member="Lady Kay"] after he had gotten the invitation to meet with her. He was unable to attend the ceremony of her taking office due to other affairs keeping his attention at the time. So off to Commenor he went in his ship as fast as he could. He figured it was nothing too immediate or life threatening from the tone of it, but Kay always had a way of attracting the worst kind of attention. Trouble just seemed to be drawn to her like iron to a magnet.

Gray stepped into the office dressed in a nice set of clothing. Blue and dark gray, both his signature colors and the official colors of Clan Raxis. Blue for reliability and gray to honor lost loved ones. He smiled as he looked to his adopted sister. She was as busy as always doing everything she could for the sole sake of others. He said in a friendly tone, " Greetings Kay! I expect to hear your life is in danger, again, over a freshly brewed pot of tea. Try and tell me I am not right in some way." He smirked and gave her a wink as he finished talking.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Yup. That was [member="Gray Raxis"] for you. He had gotten through security easily enough as Kay had a list set up of names and pictures of those that she knew posed no threat to her.

She laughed a little as she got to her feet and approached him, gesturing to the tea and the two comfy chairs by the coffee table. "Well you're certainly right about the tea." Kay poured them both a cup each and handed him his. She would have hugged him, but something told her that it wasn't quite appropriate. Maybe it was because she had a lot on her mind. And with both of them having high positions, it might no longer be proper. Hard to say with these things.

Kay sat down in one of the chairs, cradling her cup in her hands as she tucked her feet underneath her. She was dressed in a light summer dress in various shades of blue. Her eyes drifted from the coffee table to her brother as she tried to figure how to begin.

"My life might not be in danger so much, but the lives of Commenor could be. With the recent attacks in our sector, and the recently announced crusade against the Republic, I'm afraid that we could be an easy target. We have a good military, don't get me wrong, but our numbers aren't as great as those that would attack us. I'm drafting up the legislature and permits required to get our shipyards fully running again. But building ourselves a large enough fleet will take time..." She had a sip of her tea. "...The First Order had sent a couple of their people to offer protection. But I fear that they have ulterior motives that wouldn't bode well. There was a lack of details as to what they wanted in exchange, but I have been given time to...think it over."

It was a lot to take in, but she wasn't sure how up to date he was on her affairs. She didn't even mention the Crime Lords, but an operation was already underway to hopefully solve that internal issue.

 

[Gray Raxis]

Gray wouldn't have minded getting a hug, but he could also understand if she didn't. Appearances needed to be made and proper procedure followed still. It was hard to say who had first come up with all of that stuff, but it seemed sort of a waste of time and energy when more important things needed to be done. No matter his thoughts on the matter, he now had a cup of tea to sip on. He took the cup and began to swirling the tea around in it slowly to cool it off. He blew on it at the same time as he did. He listened to [member="Lady Kay"] as she spoke while he took his first sip. It was good tea, which was not unexpected for her.

Gray waited until she had finished speaking then gave her a smile. He set his cup down and said, " The Crusade against the One Sith and the Galactic Republic by the Mandalorian people is what is bothering you right? Also this mysterious offer of help from the First Order where they aren't telling you what you will owe them. The First Order deal sounds like something a hutt would be doing. Say they will loan you some credits then when you can't pay it back in full with half or more added on in interest they sell you on the slave market. Likely a similar situation but worse with the First Order." He leaned back as he paused for a moment. He laid his right ankle on top of his left knee as he added, " I imagine you are telling me this because you need help of some kind right? What kind of help did you need exactly though?" He just kept smiling to her as he waited for her reply. He didn't mind doing whatever he could for her, but he needed to know what she was looking for first.

 

[Kay-Larr]

She nodded as [member="Gray Raxis"] mentioned which crusade she was worried about. Of course it bothered her. With her former position of being a Republic Senator, it was easy to assume that she had a lot of contacts within it. But she didn't. For most of her time since she was fired, she kept away from Republic space.

She sipped her tea and furrowed her brows a little as Gray asked her exactly what she wanted. Wasn't it obvious? Formalities probably dictated that she voice her wants instead of him just assuming. So she obliged.

"We need protection, an extra fleet to help while ours are being built. I'll pay of course, so there's no need to worry about that."

She took a moment before continuing. "I contacted the Manda'lor and tried to arrange a meeting. I reached him and he asked me what I had to offer them. So I told him what Commenor has available to him. He was silent for a while, I just heard his breathing. Then he said Mandalor Remembers and disconnected the call....That has me worried, Gray, especially if the Republic gains this sector and especially after what happened the last time that I gave the Mandalorians all that I had." She traced her thumb along the rim of her cup as she went back to staring at the coffee table.

 

[Gray Raxis]

Gray listened to everything that his adopted sister [member="Lady Kay"] had wanted. It was what he figured it was, but he still needed to hear before he made a decision or move. He thought it over for a moment on how he could handle this. She wanted troops and ships to help guard the planet while she worked on getting their own fleet up and going. They would be paid for it, but it felt too temporary for him. What the planet needed was something a bit more flashy. Something that had more impact behind it. He got an idea that might do both of those things.

Gray looked at Kay with a serious look on his face. He said, " Fly the Raxian flag." He left it at that. He just continued to sit there looking at her with that serious look on his face. He wasn't joking or brainstorming here. He had said what his idea was and just waited for her to respond. She had been told Mandalore remembers, so he was giving her something for them to remember. This was her chance to make that saying mean something more than just bringing up old insults and fights.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay met his gaze. His statement gave her a bit of a sense of foreboding and that made her a bit uncomfortable. His seriousness and his shortness with his words didn't help either.

She remained perfectly still, her eyes holding his. When did she become so fearful recently? Kay used to march headlong into enemy territory and rescue slaves from them. She would debate with some of the best of them and not back down. And now? She was timid and uncertain, hardly the qualities of a good President. Perhaps the growing hostilities reminded her of how things were becoming just before her husband was killed. Back then she only had her small family to look out for. Now she had an entire planet. And the last thing that she wanted was for them to die out of spite. This could be her best option to prevent that.

"Alright. I will fly the Raxian Flag. But I don't want to be kept in the dark about anything that happens here or nearby. I need to be included in the decision making and not just be made to be a bystander. Agreed?" The last thing that she wanted from [member="Gray Raxis"] or anyone else was to lose Commenor's sovereignty. Sure the planet had switched sides throughout the centuries, but for the most part it had retained neutrality. She didn't want her people to feel as though they were being taken over or occupied.

 

[Gray Raxis]

Gray watched her debating in her head as to what to do or why she should do it. He was sure she would come to the right decision for her people, and then she did. She began to speak and agreed to his solution. The only problem was she didn't exactly understand why he had told her to do that. This was a political move, but he was not looking to do what she thought. He kept up the serious look as he said to her, " I am not looking to dominate the planet Kay. I am saying to fly our banners and we will have our forces here. Honor your word with the Mand'alor by offering what you said you would, and run continue to do things business as usual. Get your ships built, train more troops. And in the mean time we will sit out here like a guard dog just waiting for anyone to try to invade. Be it Republic, Sith, or First Order. No matter who wants to come in, we will warn them against the action and if they over step we teach them a harsh lesson. The banners are to get the point across that this planet is not for the taking, and our fleets are here to see to it that it doesn't happen. Pay us for being here like you planned to do, and we can open up an Embassy for the Raxian Empire on world."

Gray smiled to her by this point and reached down to pick up his cup of tea. He took a sip from it then said, " You stay under full control and retain your sovereignty. We get an embassy helping to solidify our claim as well as get paid. And the rest of the galaxy gets to know that this planet is neutral. How does that sound? Good deal right Kay?" He took another sip from his tea. It was up to Kay to say yes or no to this negotiation. He hoped she would say yes, but it was not his choice to make.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded as she listened to [member="Gray Raxis"] speak. He was her brother, afterall, and she was a part of his clan. That had to count for something. He wasn't like a politician, he wasn't a liar in that way. Gray was someone that she could and should trust. His intentions were always for the best, as was her own.

"That sounds wonderful, Gray. Thank you." She smiled a little and sat back in her seat a bit to let herself relax. "I'm sorry for doubting your motives. There is just so much going on and everyone seems to want a piece of the pie. I've been trying to pick up the slack from the last administration and people seem to want to try to take advantage of me." She took a sip of her tea, letting it calm her down more. The taste was always soothing. "But I guess it could be worse. It isn't as though they are trying to marry me off or something." She laughed a little to herself, imagining a line of suitors vying for her hand and all of them getting waved away with a firm 'No'.

 

[Gray Raxis]

Gray listened to everything [member="Lady Kay"] had to say to him, and was pleased to see she was willing to do as he asked of her. This was the best move she could make right now in the middle of the chaos that was political disputes between multiple factions. The One Sith, the Mandalorian Crusaders, the United Clans of Mandalore, the Galactiv Republic, and even now with the completion of the invasion of Coruscant the Galactic Alliance were all near Commenor. They were all looking to expand their territory with Commenor in the middle of it, and even the First Order were looking for something from the planet.......or just Kay. Either way, it was better she show she was not connected to any of them and make a firm stand of neutrality by lining up with clan Raxis.

Gray smiled at her last comment she had to make. He cleared his throat and said, " Well now that you mention it Kay, there was one last condition we had. You won't be marrying anyone, but we are offering you up as the pretty slave girl of a Hutt crime lord. I hope you like skimpy outfits, because that is all this one seems to put his female servants and slaves in." He then smirked at her mischiefly and winked. He wasn't serious, but the comment alone was sure to get a fun reply out of her.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked and spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Oh of course. Anything you order, I will do." She stuck out her tongue at [member="Gray Raxis"] and then had a sip of her tea. "But then again, I am WAY to busy getting myself into trouble..." That was of course one of her gifts.

Her thoughts went a little darker for a moment as she wondered if the other Mandos would keep their word. But then again, she wasn't entirely sure if she had it to begin with. Ra was so cryptic.

"So...where can I get the flag? Probably the sooner, the better."