Iron Lord On His Iron Throne [Omega Protectorate Leadership and Promotions]

[HK-36]

Omega Protectorate,
Fondor,
The Day When Droid Was Given A Nation,

​

​

It was a time of celebration on Fondor and throughout the Protectorate, an event televised to every member of the Protectorate to witness, for one Lord Protector has stepped down and through decision of the Protectorate Leaders another was chosen to take his place, the next Lord Protector just happened to be an old synthetic being who kept his loyalty to Protectorate and fulfilled his service since he joined them once he made his presence in this Galaxy known again.

HK-36 was chosen as the new Lord Protector, and to make this known a ceremony of him making his oaths and taking the position was being held in the capital of Protectorate, he would do his speech on the steps of the Omega Towers in front of which crowds of spectators were gathered. Security was strict, of course, after all a public event and a good choice for bombing or assassination attempt, especially since such were attempted on Protectorate before, and besides, HK was a fan of restless secret droid police.


Anyway, the event would begin as crowds cheered and roared, and the machine would make his appearance stepping out onto a platform prepared before Omega Towers with his two Iron Company elite guards at his sides, he wore his usual heavy Power Defense Armor, polished and well maintained, his grey cloak trailing behind him as he stepped up to the podium and begun,


"People of Protectorate, I, Exarch of Abregado, HK-36, the Iron Knight, would like to begin by thanking all who held the office of Protector, Lord Protector [member="Ayden Cater"], Lady Protector [member="Tegaea Alcori"], and Lady Protector [member="Cira"], our nation was kept saved in their hands and throughout their service they were the image of what a paragon of a Protectorate Citizen should look like."

There would be more applause and cheers in remembering the previous dictators who held the office of the Protector, there would be more speech to come as the machine opened his TheDayIInitiateTakeOverOfWorldSpeech.docx file in his programming.

 

[Tegaea Alcori]

[member="HK-36"]
Sitting in her villa on distant Kaeshana, Tegaea watched the inauguration of HK as the new Lord/Lady Protector. It was late at night on Kaeshana, and she had slipped down out of bed to watch it, hopefully not disturbing Chesna and others.
She sighed, sipped from her glass, then raised it in a silent tribute to her friend.
"Well, here's to you, HK. You've proven that a droid can do it."

At least he mentioned her name. She had not been Protector long, but it rankled that some people had forgotten her. Indeed, there was still a twinge of jealousy that it was not her leading the Protectorate, and rather someone else. And then she remembered what it had actually been like and sighed again. No, life was better here on Kaeshana, running her business, having her family, enjoying her harem.

She reached out and turned off the holocam with the remote and rose, intending to head back up stairs to bed.

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Omega Protectorate​

Fondor System​

Sixth Moon of Mzeh​

Black Citadel​

​

They'd told him there would be important news to come. Ayden had already informed him of what was coming down the pipe; he'd prepared for it as best he could. That wasn't to say that he'd anticipated this. HK. In charge.

He frowned. Sarge had never actually liked the droid on any real level. For a droid, he was loyal, he did his job, but he was also surprisingly a bonehead at times. One need only look at Dagobah to see that. Whole unit wiped out. Not sure what else one could expect given the massive blockade he'd ran to get the men on the ground.

His brow furrowed, arms folding across his broad chest. His nimble frame was more corded than muscle than in the past, a remnant of the higher calorie diet he now had to ingest to keep up with his suits systems. That was the price he paid for its use. Instead, he was garbed in standard regulation fatigues in digitized greys and blacks, all the better to fit the void black halls of the base he was now in.

The annoyance that radiated off of him fed into the soldiers manning the communications room, the feed broadcast here and a few of the training rooms so that people could see who their new ruler was. They weren't going to interrupt training and ready work for something as simple as this. "Sir. Your foot." He stopped, casting a withering glance to whoever had spoken. There was a momentary pause before his features softened. "My apologies." He mutters.

His foot had been tapping in consternation, even as a frown had appeared on his face he'd not realized was there.

"You aren't happy." It was a statement, not a question.

Silence was his answer.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Tegaea Alcori"], [member="HK-36"]


Fondor, at the coronation.


HK had come far, proving among other things that not every assassin droid had to be a genocidal murder machine! Siobhan, the former Sword of the Protectorate, still remembered the day when she had first met the droid. Several years ago in the hangar of a Jaeger-class Star Destroyer that had been ambushed by a Bando Gora flotilla. She had impetuously led a boarding action to take their flagship, fighting through savage hordes of Reavers and their monstrosities. He had not even possessed armour then, but proving his valour by serving as the task force's Siege Tower, as Omega Pyre troops had come to refer to him.


It had culminated in a brutal duel between her and the Bando Gora God of War's Champion. A vicious fight that had ended with her triumphant and the Primarch slain, though her body had been broken. HK had ended up carrying her badly mutilated body away from the ship while it crumbled.


Unlike her wife, Siobhan was not on Kaeshana, but had come to Fondor. Truth be told, it had been a spur of the moment decision because frankly she had for long felt estranged from the Protectorate. Her wife had not been Protector long, but to Siobhan she was still the only Protector. When she spoke of the Lady Protector, she meant Tegaea. She had been a founding member of Omega Pyre, its CEO and second in command, then Exarch and finally the Protectorate's sole ruler.


Their joint time in power, a time of crisis and uncertainty for the Protectorate, had been short. During their reign the Bando Gora menace had been finally eradicated. That was the good part. But it was also a time filled with regrets, especially on her part. The end of it had come when a Sith attempt on Tegaea's life had forced her to step down due to her injuries. At least that was the version that the Protectorate media had spread for the benefit of the masses. The truth was a good deal more painful. Especially for Siobhan...if she had been smarter Kaelin would have never gotten the chance to torment Tegaea. Chopping Kaelin's head off after breaking the queen and saving her wife was no comfort, though Siobhan had gotten better at hiding the guilt she felt.


She cast these thoughts aside as she stood there, waiting for HK to begin his speech. Hopefully it would not be too long, for she did not like long, 'dramatic' speeches. Except when she got to give them. At least he could be trusted not to launch an ill-advised, poorly prepared offensive against Coruscant in order to death charge into the jaws of death. Today was a time for festitivities and celebrations, but the truth was that the clouds were darkening, as evidenced by the Sith onslaught in the core, though the Protectorate was finally shaking itself out of its long stagnation. That was good, for it could not rest on ancient laurels and expect the rest of the Galaxy would leave it alone.



Outwardly she appeared as weathered and indomitable as the media of the Protectorate had painted her during her glory days, as the press of Kaeshana still did when they were not gossiping about her scandals and various dalliances that so often made the headlines. For the occasion she was wearing a magnificient blue and silver dress, whilst her feet were tucked into elegant flat shoes. Small earrings graced her ears and she wore her favourite necklace with sapphire stones. Her face was as viciously scarred as ever, harsh lines etched into her features that showed just how she had earned her rank, whilst her dark brown mane was for a change worn long and allowed to fall freely. For weapons, she only had her lightsabre attached to her silver belt. Much to her annoyance she was still reliant on her cane, though at least leaning less heavily on it than before.


Countess Siobhan Kerrigan of Santaissa, former Exarch, had no desire to return to public office. Life on Kaeshana was happy. By her estimation she was actually a good deal happier than she had been during most of her time directly serving the Protectorate. Helping Tegaea run their business, having a family with her and Galina, enjoying her harem and training her students. However, HK, though eccentric at times, was a friend and she was willing to help the Protectorate, provided Kaeshana's and Firemane's interests were respected. In a sense it could be said that she was proud of him, though nonetheless she would not stop trolling him whenever she was in the mood. Word was that some people were expecting a speech, so she was shuffling through her notecards a bit. She had not made up her mind yet about whether she would follow the script written out on them.

 

[Aeron Kreelan]

Omega Protectorate
Omega Pyre Headquarters
Apartment of one Aeron Kreelan
Fondor


Thump.

Thump. Thump.

Thump.

The sound would be repetitive. A constant cycle of a ball hitting the wall. It was one of those fancy green balls used to smack with a paddle for some fru fru game, but for Aeron, it was just another practice tool. The telekinetic had been steadily juggling in her mind several of these balls back and forth against the wall, every five minutes or so adding another ball to the mix as her attention would fixate on keeping them bouncing back to it.

Thump.

Thump. Thump.

In essence, she was a telekinetic pong paddle.

In the edge of her hearing from the holo-array, the news and the subsequent speech would relay the news. So a new Lord Protector. Huh, fancy that.

They put the droid up in there.

Thump.

Wonder what do we call him now? Lord? Lady? Iron Protector?

 

[Antoir Setrrin]

It was then an old, and mad, merc took a moment to think about her time there. Years of her life had been spent working for these people. Once, she considered them nothing more than her coworkers. She still remembered the looks she had been given when she told them she had come from the Sith Empire. But time proved that she wasn't loyal to those bastards anymore. Instead she seemed to care simply for credits. Ven'Rain Sekairo fought for Omega Protectorate in exchange for money. It wasn't enough for her- or at least it hadn't been. Whatever free time she had had been spent doing odd jobs for others. That had lead to her romance with the famed War Criminal Circe Savan. A smile crossed her lips as she remembered being interrogated by [member="HK-36"] himself. That had started the best chapter of her life. She further bonded with [member="Ventasia Terana"], almost starting a relationship with her, and got her mental health back on track. The droid who now lead the Protectorate had, quite possibly unintentionally, changed her for the better.

An accident had shattered those changed.

A speeder malfunction severely damaged part of her brain, destroying her memories. Circe Savan was the first to try and put her back together. Everything Ven had learned about the woman had been forgotten. Once more she had been pulled into her web. They managed to rekindle their love... at the cost of the merc's loyalty to her brethren. After things inside the Empire went south she fled OP space, going to live with her beloved. Little did they know that the accident had caused more hurt than medical scans could show. Madness crept back into her heart, her mind, her soul. One personality split into three. This, as it turns out, would be the death of her. Sort of. Technically, of course, she was killed by Ashin Varanin. But only because her insanity caused the demise of others whom the overlord held affection for. After her untimely departure from our existence the Fringe named a ship after her. Why? Because once upon a time she fought for the Protectorate. And once upon a time she held her own against three Master-rank force users. Even managed to break most of the ribs of one.

Hence her title of 'Rib-Breaker'.
At a later point the woman re-earned that name.

Sometimes though... what is dead cannot die. Ven was brought back in her current form: That of a force-dead Sithspawn. Her mind had not been her own. She fought against the Protectorate, against the Republic (breaking their ex-Grandmaster in a fight), against innocents. Once she even fought HK himself aboard a merchant ship. As soon as she could think for herself again she escaped her bonds. Terana helped her in this, and the two finally made their love official. The mad merc evoked an old Sekairo tradition. They were pledged to each other. By extension that meant she was loyal to the Protectorate. Our rather large friend smiled again as she looked up at the new "Lady" Protector. This man was as human as they could get. Sure, that meant he made mistakes. But Ven knew better than anyone else that everyone makes mistakes... and more importantly that people can make up for them. Or at least get better. Her life- most of which had now been spent working for this faction- had been constant roller coaster ride. Yet as she stood there, staring up at someone who had always believed in her, she was happy. She was satisfied with how things had gone. How things were going.

"For the Protectorate!" Voices filled the air. It was impossible to tell who started the chant. Who lead the others in praising this government of theirs. Maybe it was Ven, with her soft smile. Or maybe it was one of the countless others crowded around the Omega Towers. What was clear, however, was that she was the first to display an old Sekairo symbol. A way of saying 'Thank you." For others it meant have peace. Some considered it a welcoming of change. Whatever anyone thought they were doing... the message was clear. They considered 36 to be a good choice for a new leader. Together they raised three fingers to their lips, smiled, and raised their hands into the air. Those gathered stayed that way for what felt like minutes. Across a dozen planets others were doing the same. What? The Sekairos were everywhere. Even some on Panatha were finding a way to catch the broadcast. They knew that they had family in the Protectorate. And now, for once... they knew that they were safe.

​

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="HK-36"]


Apparently the Protectorate had a new leader. Well, that was probably sort of a big deal. Presumably a droid being in power would piss off the conservative aristos on Kaeshana a lot. This state of events afforded Captain Kaida Taldir a small measure of amusement. Not that she showed much emotion because, well, that was not a Kaida thing to do. So she was, you might have guessed it by now, dear reader, looking stoic and impassive as she looked upon the massive crowd that had gathered to hail the Protectorate's latest benevolent dictator. Hopefully he would not force everyone of them to watch Ropo shows.



In any case, she stood there at the edge of the spectacle, clad in what amounted to the Angelii dress uniform, namely gold coloured armour and blue cloaks. With her lightsabre and sarix at her side, blonde hair tied back into a severe ponytail. A few of her battle sisters, bearing ceremonial halberds and like clad in impeccable suits of armour, had accompanied her and now served as an honour guard of sorts, though whether it was by choice was another question. Something about Kaeshana wanting to show solidarity and support for the Protectorate.


In other words political reasons. Kaida's own thoughts on the matter were decidedly neutral. She had no strong feelings on Omega beyond the fact that it had given her the opportunity to explore and see the Galaxy beyond the confines of Kaeshana. Of its past leaders, Alcori had been the only one she had really had any dealings with given her strong involvement with Kaeshana. She pointedly did not make eye contact with Kerrigan because she could not stand the woman. Hopefully she would not bore the Eldorai to death with a 'dramatic' speech. Force knew how much the woman loved to hear herself talk and talk.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Ven'Rain Sekairo"],


"For you,"

The droid answered the call someone made,

"For you, its people are the Protectorate, and I will be your servant, your Protector."

He would then return the gesture, bringing up three of his fingers to the slightly vaginal slit that was his vocabulator grill and then raised them in the air in a salute. As the people lowered their hands so did HK, continuing with his speech,


"Before the official part of my speech starts, I would like to say something from myself. When I first joined Protectorate as a soldier of the Pyre it was unheard of for a droid to lead organic soldiers into battle. But that did not stop me, it was unheard of for a droid to govern a planet within the Inner Rim, but now Abregado thrives from the prosperity I have brought them. It was unheard of for a droid to become an elected leader of a major galactic power, but yet here we are."

The machine scanned the crowds from his scene,

"So if there is anything you can take from my story, do not let anyone tell you what you can or cannot be. If you want to be an artist, be it, if you want to be a scientist, be it, if you want to be one of the Protectors, work the hardest you can and be the best you can, and you too can be a Protector, because if I did it, so can you. And if someone tries to stop you because of your species or because of where you came from, do what I did, you look them right in their eyes and you tell them, 'You can kiss my shiny metal ass' and then become their boss."

The machine paused for laugh or cheers the crowds woulds gave out, or boos for the droid's poor and eccentric humor, whatever they would deem worthy,

"I also wanted to thank all those who made my journey here possible, first of all my closest friends, [member="Doctor Stormson"], [member="Coryth Elaris"] and [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"], who became my strongest supporters and who always had my back, my brothers and sisters at arms from Iron Company where I started out as a mere footsoldiers, as well as [member="Noah Corek"], [member="Nyos Val"], [member="Ventasia Terano"], [member="Racket"], [member="Aeron Kreelan"], and [member="Kaida Taldir"] with whom I shared many battles and on whom I could always count on. I would like to thank [member="Ven'Rain Sekairo"] for letting me kick her ass from time to time to knock some sense into her and for being both a dear friend and a honorable warrior. I would like to thank [member="Knight"] for her continuing service as Exarch of Thyferra and [member="Lilicky"] for being the most intelligent Ropo around. And I would like to give a special thanks to man only known as Sarge (([member="Sarge Potteiger"])) for aiding me in facing and apprehending Dreadpirate RC 212 on Abregado-Rae, which launched my career to this point"

The machine would look into one of the nearby cameras directly,

"Truly if it was not for Sarge I would not be taking today the seat of Protector, I may not have even governed Abregado. Thank you, Sarge, thank you for making this become reality."


Although Cira should have a spot on the list of thanks given out into the members of Protectorate into helping him reach this point, HK has already thanked her for her service as Lady Protector. Besides, presumably she was still Vong-formed so her crashing the party would be a rather ill matter.

 

[Nameless Knight]

Knight looked up when she heard her name from the bit of food she had. She usually didn't fully enjoy ceremony as it could drag on but she was glad for it. HK deserved it for all of his hard work as she gave a thumbs up and a nod of her head. She was here to support him and make sure the protectorate in her sector ran smoothly before nodding with her head and taking another bite of food. "You know I am here for you."

 

[Veino Garn]

Veino stood in the shadows of the towers, watching the ceremonies from afar, dressed again in his simple black travelling clothes, with his hat pulled low over his face to hide his scars. Watching wasn't the proper word. He was feeling the ceremony. The exultation. The enthusiasm. Everything that he travelled to defend. This was a recharger of a moment.

His injuries after his duel with the cannibal Sith Lord had been more than physical, not counting he had had part of his essence drained away. It had been on Zeltros of all places. Why would they attack Zeltros? That and the sheer amount of destruction and senseless violence. The Sith claimed they wanted peace as they slaughtered millions. Yet they claimed the Jedi were hypocrites.

But now was the time for dark thoughts, though somewhere on the horizon, a tempest brewed. He didn't even have to Force Sensitive to tell that. It was obvious to anyone who paid attention. The question was how would this affect the storm?

He slipped away from his perch and slipped into the crowd as the speech went on, catching a few strange suspicious looks from passerby as he did so. Apparently they thought he was sketchy.

 

[Feena]

Well. She just had to be here, she supposed. It would be rude to decline an invitation to see the new Lord Protector make a fancy speech and mingle. Even if Naboo still had recontruction projects going on. Even if she had a pile of documents on her desk to look through. Even if she had a new law to pass. Even if she had to cancel thirteen meetings just to make it. Even if she had to ask her favorite pilot to return early from his vacation to take her here.
But this had to be important, right? Important parties. Important speeches. Important promotions. The Queen sat at her table, dressed in her finest gown. Only the best for the new Lord protector, and here she was representing Naboo. She wore deep red, a gown embroidered all over with the planets most abundant flower. On her head, she wore a gold headress, the Naboo royal seal cut into the center. And of course, she went nowhere in public without the makeup. That was very important.

"Graxin," she whispered, leaning in to speak to her 'escort' "be sure to applaud at the appropriate moments."

As if on cue, there was a lull in the speech. The Queen lifted her gloved hands and gently clapped. Not too loud.

"And if the Lord Protector makes his way over here, you will bow," she whispered again, "and keep silent unless you are specifically spoken to."

Force forbid her own son make a fool of her in front of her new 'boss'. It was bad enough that once upon a time, Feena had actually told their new lord protector to carry her baggage for her! The memory of it made her cringe...

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Omega Protectorate
Fondor System
Sixth Moon of Mzeh
Black Citadel

"Turn it off." There was a murmur of confusion going around the room at that. Why would he want to turn off the inauguration? He'd just been singled out! This was an honor. But that was the problem, it wasn't. You didn't make a secret base on a moon with oceans of methane, with no means of contacting the outside world aside from a single communications array, because you wanted to be called out. You didn't take said base built into a mountain astride aforementioned oceans of methane, line it with turbolasers and anti-air cannons because you wanted people to know what was inside.

And that's the sort of person Sarge was. Private. No one was allowed into the base, and no one was allowed into his world. Not without some serious vetting. He could count on one hand the number of people he'd truly opened up to, and most of them had wound up hating him shortly thereafter. After all, he was positively terrible at being a good friend. His bouts of selfish need fulfillment would be the stuff of legend if they didn't involve him, a deep hole, and no one talking to him ever.

"Turn it off." The man growls, waving a hand at the screen. They knew that voice. It didn't take long for them to comply. HK was screwing with him. Had to be.

With a snarl on his lips and murder in his heart, he left the comms room and made for the firing range. Once the crew was sure he was gone... they turned the feed back on. They were happy.

He wouldn't be until several hundred rounds had been emptied into an effigy.

 

[Placeholder 0123]

Graxin's link to the Protectorate was blood. His mother ruled Naboo, and if she desired his assistance in any matters, he would always make haste. This call was not about stopping assassins, or hunting down his wayward siblings. Today, he would bask in the Protectorate's celebrations with its usual folk. He would observe their sociabilities, shake hands when it was due, and congratulate all those ascending in some form or fashion. His purpose was to protect his mother, and the opportunity to get away from the military proceedings of the Reformation had been too enticing to pass up. The war in Ession space was small scale compared to the rest of the galaxy's problems, but it was the first step to cleansing the universe as a whole. It was a war that needed to be fought--that was irrelevant right now. He was here to spend time with his mother and observe the Protectorate. Eventually, the Reformation would come to clash with them, this he knew was a fact. The question was when that would come about.

Having niceties with their officials certainly didn't hurt though, and Graxin would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy a good celebration. His mother didn't need to know his ulterior reasons for attending, and it was beyond amusing to watch HK do his HK...thing. A droid leading a galactic power would have been a joke on the other side of the rim. Perhaps having the unorthodox lead the sheep was a good thing in the long run.

The Master shrugged to himself. He was clad in his Jedi Lord armor, minus the helmet and the pauldrons. The robes were still more durasteel than actual cloth, but he looked a bit more like the peaceful Jedi wandering the galaxy now.


"Of course." He whispered right back, his eyes narrowing as he stared up at HK. "...It is a he, right?"

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="HK-36"] [member="Aeron Kreelan"]
Fondor
Omega Pyre Headquarters
Outside the Apartment of Aeron Kreelan

Noah sighed as he pulled at the standard Pyre fatigues, a blend of gray and black into a digital camo pattern. Most times when the Colonel was on the town and wearing his fatigues, he would wear them informally, either without wearing the jacket or wearing the jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Even when he did have his fatigue jacket on, he tended not to wear any of the ribbons, marksman medals and even his velcro patch that went on the center of his chest to denote his rank. But today, he stood in full fatigue uniform. Ribbons, medals and the velcro patch denoting his rank as Colonel.

From the inside of the apartment, Aeron would hear a fist knocking against the door, not loud, but loud enough to get the tenants attention. "Hey Aeron? It's Noah, me and a few of the guys and gals from the Pyre were going to go get some drinks at a bar. Rumor has it that all drinks are seventy-five percent off for all Protectorate soldiers, both Pyre and ODF. I came over to see if you wanted to tag along." Came over was a stretch, Since Noah lived basically ten meters down the hall from her.

 

[HK-36]

Anyway, after the droid was done screwing with Sarge he would also add in,

"And I would like to thank Major [member="Mao"] for being able to punch a Dreadpirate in the most beautiful way possible."

With that the droid would straighten up before it started to get weird, he placed his right hand over the left side of his torso, where a heart would be,

"Before you, citizens and guardians of Protectorate, before my kin and friends, I accept the seat bestowed upon me, I accept position of Lord Protector, ruler of our glorious realm."

He would move things into the official business,

"And I vow before you that I will rule with sole intent of bringing safety and prosperity to people of Protectorate, I vow to be stern yet kind leader, I vow for my hand to be offered in help to our friends and citizens in times of distress, yet clenched in its iron fist when darkness infiltrates or endangers our realm. I vow to create a realm of equality to all citizens of Protectorate who wish nothing but the best for its people, whether they are men, women, or other gender and sex, no matter whether what species or race they are, no matter whether they are organic or machine. We will transcend any differences, we, the Protectorate, will show the Galaxy what true equality looks like. I promise to you this as your guardian, your servant, your protector."

The droid would raise his hands then,

"I vow this to you as your Iron Lord Protector!"

Then there would be cheers and clapping from the many people gathered to witness the speech. This is how the age of organics dies, with thunderous applause.


"And the first act as the Iron Lord is to bestow upon [member="Lilicky"] title of the Ropo Lord of Hoth, this title holds no privileges other than interstellar recognition as Protectorate's mascot and a small holding on Hoth and in the Protector's lap."

That would probably define what his regime would be about- Ropos.

"I would also like to ask the Queen of Kaeshana, [member="Anya Venari"], and the Queen of Naboo, [member="Feena Mason"] to accept titles of Exarchs of their respected planet and the duties that come with such a rank, Lady [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] to accept position as Adamant Adviser, and I hereby rename the Board of Control into Small Council, it will be from now on composed of Exarchs, Directors, Heads of Departments, and Advisers, their function will remain the same. Ladies, you have a week to respond."

With that portion concluded he would give a nod,

"Thank you, Protectorate, for choosing me for this seat, I will do the best I can. I believe some of our more prominent figure want to give a speech or two, so please welcome to the podium Lady Kerrigan."

The Iron Lord would give a slight bow then before concluding with,

"Have a nice day or night cycle, Protectorate, and may the Force be with you."

And with that he would finally step back, his portion of the ceremony concluded as he would be fared well with applause and cheers, stepping to the few chairs ready behind the podium, some more prominent figures there to shake his hand and congratulate, he would speak with Feena and Anya about their office but that would come after some speeches, or at least Siobhan's speech, she worked hard to prepare one after all!

 

[Feena]

"He," she answered her son, "...I think. Err, best to just address as Lord Protector. To be safe."

Awkward family moments. They were wonderful. Feena lifted a glass of delicate pink blossom wine to her lips...

"I would also like to ask the Queen of Kaeshana, Anya Venari, and the Queen of Naboo, Feena Mason to accept titles of Exarchs of their respected planet and the duties that come with such a rank-"

And nearly spit it out all over the table. If not for her incredible gag reflex (haha) she might have done just that. She managed to swallow, eyes watering. She nearly slammed her glass down on the table, hearing a tiny snap as the stem of the delicate crystal cracked.

"No..." His speech was over now. She'd found that she'd been staring into nothing for a little while. What else had he said after that? Probably more promotions and promises. It didn't matter. She didn't care. All she knew was that this... had put her in a foul mood. She opened her mouth, looking at her son sitting next to her.

"...Th-that is not right," she whispered, "This can't be happening. I-I was only two years from retirement. They can not do this!"

Her head snapped around to the podium, glaring at the new Lord Protector as if he had just handed her down a death sentence.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

[Khyon Drogo]

Kiffu​

Kiffu might have been an ancient planet, but it wasn't an entirely remote one. Stuck in more traditional ways did not cut them off from access to broadcasts -- especially ones that came from the capital planet, Fondor, of their overarching government. This was something that affected them, and resulted in the Sheyf, his advisors, and Khyon all collected together in the Guardians' communications centre. A collection of massive, broad men sitting in silence watching the blue silhouette of a droid talk was a strange sight to see. For the most part, they were silent observers until the duration of the acceptance speech ended.

Khyon was the first in the company to speak. "A droid." Lady [member="Cira"] had been the Protectorate's head when the Sheyf had shaken hands -- and Khyon himself had tussled with the former Protector, [member="Ayden Cater"]. Both were organic warriors who understood the complexities of being human and facing war. A droid was closer to immortality than any of them, how could one built from bolts and screws identify with the mental mazes of man?

Ha.

Rich thought from a brute. Khyon wasn't really thinking that (though he might have been taking notes about the shiny metal ass bit). He was mostly bewildered at the idea that something that could rust had just been entrusted with a nation. Still, he dutifully forwarded the message to the future kraliçe to notify her of the change; unsure of how abreast she kept of this side of her life when she was so involved with the other half.

 

[Nyos Val]

Dressed in his best suit, Nyos stood in the crowd as the new Lord Protector was named to be one of Nyos' oldest friends. Fighting alongside back on Mandalore away his first contact with the ancient droid. Then, Nyos was but an orphan with no family and no home. HK became his first friend and since then, has driven Nyos to become the successful businessman and doctor that he was today.

With HK ascending to leadership as he had done, made Nyos feel pride that such a good friend was now to become a great leader. As HK finished his speech, the cyborg sent a pinged-message to the droid...

"You bucket of bolts, I applaud your success and wish for years of great service under your Iron Guidance. Long function Lord Protector, HK the Iron Bladedancer."

[member="HK-36"]

 

[Anya Venari]

[member="HK-36"] | [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

"Your majesty! Majesty, I-" Maeve said, entering the room hurriedly.
The Queen sighed and held up her hand. Princess Ariane looked up at the new noise, and then went back to her meal. Maeve looked away quickly.
Anya sighed and pulled a shawl closer about her shoulders. "Ashira will not strike you for seeing my daughter feeding, Maeve. Now, what is it?"
Abashed, the aide composed herself. "The Protector...HK...is giving a speech. He mentioned you," she said.
Anya nodded, pointed to the holocom set on mute. The subtitles were following the Iron Protector's words. "I am now Exarch of Kaeshana, it seems. I suppose I should be grateful that no outsider has been sent to monitor us like we were a colony."
"Yes, Majesty. But...a machine, in control?"
Anya looked up at Maeve, thoughtful. "If I remember correctly you are just one year younger than I, yes? Tell me, Maeve, if you could go back to your parents and tell them now what will happen in eighty years they'd think you were mad. Well, and possibly surprised that their daughter would be travelling in time for such an inane reason, but I digress." She winced and shifted Ariane. Her daughter's teeth were starting to make themselves felt.
"Yes, Majesty," Maeve said cautiously.
"What I mean is that the galaxy is very different from what we think and believe here. HK has the potential to be a good leader, as good a potential as any human, Eldorai or whoever else. Draft an acceptance letter for me by morning, I'll put Ariane to bed."
"Shall I summon the nanny?"
"No, I can put my daughter to sleep. Thank you, and good night," Anya said, smiled. She disentangle herself from her daughter, gave her a kiss and rocked her. "Well, now your mother's Queen and Exarch. Not bad for the daughter no one wanted...." she said to her daughter.
Ariane seemed to agree, giggling happily. Then the baby went a bit cross-eyed, and a distressing smell started to emerge.
"Ah...Maeve...I think the nanny could come in handy right about now," she called. She wanted to be as much in contact with her daughter as possible, but she drew the line at nappies. She was Exarch now, and Exarchs didn't change nappies. Well, either way, there had to be some perks to being Queen!

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="HK-36"], [member="Anya Venari"], [member="Ven'Rain Sekairo"] ,[member="Nyos Val"], [member="Feena Mason"], [member="Knight"]



Siobhan did not like long speeches, unless she was holding them, which made her a hypocrite, but she had to admit that HK's speech was rather moving. Besides, she was mentioned in it and she was colossally vain! Anyhow, far as she was concerned he had priorities figured out. The speech was a bit idealistic with its notion of its equality, but then the public liked that sort of thing and it was something he believed in. Practical policy was, alas, not always the same. She brightened a bit when she heard about him elaborating on governmental reorganisation. That was good, especially if it meant no more nonsense such as forty-eight Exarchs!


Oh, wait, Anya was Exarch now! That was sweet. For the record, Siobhan did not want to have the job again. Her brief term in office had not gone well, in her opinion at least, and she was happier with helping her wife run their business. Besides, she could see it causing issues with Anya otherwise if she was put above her. So she was happy for her Queen and hoped she accepted. The Protectorate could use an Eldorai touch!




"Thank you, Protectorate, for choosing me for this seat, I will do the best I can. I believe some of our more prominent figure want to give a speech or two, so please welcome to the podium Lady Kerrigan."

The Iron Lord would give a slight bow then before concluding with,

"Have a nice day or night cycle, Protectorate, and may the Force be with you."


Oh, and she was supposed to become Adamant Adviser! Whatever that was supposed to mean. She wondered for a moment what that title meant and whether the droid was trolling her. After all, she had to admit that she had trolled him a lot in the past. Like during the Jedi and OP meeting on Corellia, something he was still sour about. Anyhow, it seemed she was supposed to give her speech now. Where were her notecards again? Ah, well, she did not need them! Not like she would bother to look at them anyway during her speechifying. Tegaea and Sio's secretary Maerys Medea had given her some advice on what to say and what to leave out. Along with editing some lines out that they believed would cause offence. Siobhan had not entirely made up her mind about whether to follow their advice, but supposed that it was best to play along. After all, her wife was a redhead and pissing off that particular tribe was...not smart. Well, as a matter of fact it was suicidal. Just go piss off [member="Coryth Elaris"] and see what happens - at your own peril!


In any case, Siobhan stepped forward and ascended the podium. She was still limping and forced to rely on her cane, though she did her best to appear indomitable and commanding, loathe to show weakness. Or the pain she was still in. As she passed HK she gave the droid a short smile before turning to face the crowd.


"Congratulations on assuming direct control, Protector, and thank you for your speech. Well, I was told that folks would like a speech from me. I'll try not to make it too boring!" This writer thinks Siobhan just declared that she wanted to hold one and no one said no, anyhow, on with the plot. Also it would not be Siobhan if she did not slip in a Harbinger quote!


"HK's always a good friend and trusted comrade in the arms, ever since we met during the first skirmish against the Bando Gora when I fought the Primarch. We faced hordes of Bando Gora Reavers together, Sith, Vong, we battled our way through hellish Gehenna and took down the so-called 'Machine God'."


In a rare moment of tact, Siobhan chose not to mention the part that HK got possessed by the spirit of the Machine God's champion and she had to beat him up in order to exorcise him. Aww, wasn't she nice?



"We haven't see eye to eye on every issue, but he's someone I've come to trust as a friend. The Protectorate has changed much from the time when [member="Cira"] founded it, when my wife, [member="Tegaea Alcori"], ruled it. We are awakening from a long slumber we have been in for months. In the dark times that are arising, we cannot be complacent and rest on our laurels, instead of facing the future.


The Sith and the savage Vong have arisen again. Doubtless there are some who believe that this is 'not our problem', they point to our often rocky relationship with the Republic, at Polis Massa, the Treaty of Chalacta, the fact that the Protectorate stood alone at Eriadu. That we have sacrificed enough on the field of battle. These are understandable views, but they are mistaken.


Any Sith Empire in the Core is like a dagger that will sooner or later go for the Protectorate's heart. They will seek to menace us once they have gourged themselves on the Republic. We may recall that the first One Sith attack on the free Galaxy was upon this very planet when they sought to sabotage a shipyard and make it crash upon Fondor's surface. Sith destroyed Donanyd and Rhommamool, a Sith assassin tried to murder Lady Alcori, we lost Cira and many good soldiers to Sith on Coruscant. With them there can be no peace, no compromise.


But this war must be fought intelligently and in concert with our allies, the Republic and the Mandalorians, our old friends. Instead of charging against the most heavily defended Sith capital worlds, because that's like knocking your head against a beskar wall," at that she would pause a for a moment, and take a sip from a glass of water before continuing.


"We don't want war for its own sake. War is hell; there is no glory to be found in it, but sometimes it is necessary to defend our people. We successfully defended Naboo against the ACA. It was cause for rejoicing, but the intentions of many of our neighbours remain uncertain. The sword is not our only means, but so are the pen and diplomacy, provided we talk from a position of strength and are not expected go give into foul blackmail. We remember the days of the Axis. My wife steered the great ship of state through the storm and no onslaught materialised, but we must be prepared. What we want is simple: Safety and prosperity for our worlds, a better, brighter future for our children, the extermination of the New Sith Empire. It won't be easy to get there. It will take blood, sweat, tears and toil. Sacrifices will be made along the way, but I believe we can succeed if we stand united The clouds may be darkening, but we are Omega and we are not afraid."