Faction No More Negotiations | A THR Prologue

[Aurelian Veruna]

Aurelian stood before the Senate with an easy posture. He let the silence stretch. They needed to feel it. They had all been delivered information on what happened on Corellia.

"High Chancellor Vexx. Senators. Warlord Marlon Sularen entered the Corellian system without invitation, with a fleet positioned for occupation. Corellia was already in talks to join our Republic. He came to claim it before they could choose."

He folded his hands behind his back. Inside, his thoughts moved faster. If they hesitate, he dies in a cell.

"Lord Cynan Obaith , Ambassador to Corellia went to meet Sularen privately. He went to prevent bloodshed. He informed his right hand that if he failed to return, the Republic was to be notified immediately. That is exactly what happened."

A murmur rippled through the chamber. "Sularen declared his intent to seize Corellia and was willing to accept mass casualties to do it. Cynan argued for restraint. For diplomacy. For a lawful path. Sularen answered with a blaster shot and chains."

Aurelian's jaw tightened, just slightly. "Lord Obaith was shot in the arm and taken to an Imperial prison. We know this because his right hand can testify to the meeting's time and location. A Jedi investigator performed psychometry at the site. Sularen spoke the prison's location aloud. The Force confirmed it."

He let that settle. "This is not a rumor. This is not provocation. This is an act of aggression against a Republic ally and a direct assault on one of our own."

His gaze shifted to Chancellor Dominique Vexx . "I formally request that the Senate issue a demand for the immediate return of Cynan and the surrender of Marlon Sularen to stand trial in Republic space. If the Imperial Confederation refuses, then I ask you, Chancellor Vexx, to act."

Aurelian's smile returned, sharper now. "Corellia stood at our door. Sularen tried to burn it down, kill innocents. If we allow this, every system watching us will learn the same lesson. That the Republic does not act while its people are dragged away in chains."

He held the room with steady eyes. "We are a beacon. Let us prove it."

​

 

[Eadu Yittreas]

The background noise of the Senate transformed from a soft murmur to an intense buzz as King Aurelian Veruna finished his appeal to the Senators and Representatives. From his hidden vantage point, Eadu observed the man deliver a captivating performance, yet he recognized that in the realm of politics, a powerful display frequently masked a significant deficiency in sound judgement.

He looked down at the terminal briefly, his eyes sweeping over the document detailing the events that had occurred on the Planet of Corellia. With the Galactic Empire's fall, the planet found itself in neutral space, outside the reach of Republic Law. Asking the Imperial Confederation to surrender their Supreme Commander was a reckless demand that would inevitably result in conflict.

"The King's passion is commendable," He said as his pod detached from its clamp into the center of the building. "He speaks of Lord Obaith as a martyr of diplomacy. It is quite the stirring narrative but we must distinguish between a strategy and a consequence." Turning his head slowly to scan the growing crowd of senators and the flash of the holo-cameras floating around them.

"Marlon Sularen is not a mystery. He is a ghost of the Brotherhood of the Maw, a name synonymous with the mass-slaughter of entire systems and the institutionalization of sentient bondage. He is not a statesman but a monster of the old era." He leaned in, the dim light highlighting the sharp contour of his brow. The Brotherhood of the Maw instigated the dreadful Second Great Hyperspace War against the Second Galactic Alliance, leading to the enslavement of countless worlds at the mercy of Darth Solipsis.

"For an Ambassador to seek a private audience with such a man without a Republic escort or a military contingent, based on the naive hope of restraint is not diplomacy. It is a dereliction of survival. To walk into the den of a known slaver and be surprised by the sound of chains is, at best, staggering incompetence. At worst, it is a staged provocation." A murmur of discomfort rippled through the pods. Eadu's smile remained fixed and hollow.

"His Majesty, now asks this body to spend the lives of our sons and daughters to rectify the personal error of one man. He asks for a demand that he knows Sularen will ignore, followed by a call to action a sanitized term for war. Are we to burn a sector to rescue a man who chose to hand-deliver himself to the butcher? To attack the Imperial Confederation over a botched private meeting is to let Sularen dictate our foreign policy through our own impulsiveness." He looked directly at Aurelian, his gaze devoid of the polite nod he had given others. The Imperial Confederation was not at war with the High Republic, and the Planet of Corellia was outside of their jurisdiction to intervene.

 

[Aerys Mourn]

NOT AGAIN

Aurelian Veruna | Eadu Yittreas​

A brow furrowed over the eyes of the Echani as he looked out towards the senate floor, gasps and murmurs filling the room as King Veruna finished his speech.

Only a moment was given to ponder the speech before an impassioned response came from Senator Yittreas, his words washing over the rest of the room as murmurs and questions began to arise.

Rising from his pod, Aerys began to speak, his voice low and steady. Not booming, not theatrical, controlled.

"King Veruna, Senators, I cannot oppose the words from Senator Yittreas that the actions of Lord Cynan Obaith was foolish to not think a man of Marlon Sularen would be capable of such vile and underhanded tactics to get what he wants. But I beseech you to see what this whole senate is founded on. Democracy, and that everyone has a choice and a voice."

A breath as he looked out, his eyes scanning the faces of the senators around him as he spoke.

"Any one of us would like to believe in the best in someone, even though some have shown us time and time again that they are not to be trusted. I hope I can say that we all share that spark of hope that one day everyone has the freedoms in this galaxy that we share within our borders. That our sons and daughters have chosen to uphold our way of life, and fight against those like this Warlord, who only wishes to conquer and dominate all that comes beneath his reign. Do I claim that I am always the coolest head in the room? No. But I do believe that it is our duty in this moment to protect one of our own, and protect those who cannot protect themselves."

He felt his hands beginning to get clammy as the words echoed around the chamber, as he moved his hands to the corner of the console in front of him.

"All each one of us has to do is look around to see how many planets we have liberated from the clutches of darkness, and only have to look outward to see how many more are to come. Senators, I ask you this: Do you wish for everything we have come so far to do, to falter today? It is the choices in this room that dictates wether we continue forth in this galaxy, or stagnate like the other Senates that have come before us"

He let go of his grip on the console as he straightened his back and took one last glance out into the Senate floor, "I have no further comments Senators, I rest the floor."

As the words finished, Aerys slipped back into the chair, his hands finding their way to the glass beside him, lifting the cup as he chugged the contents. He took a deep breath as his shoulder slumped as his eyes glanced at the floor before composing himself to take on whatever the floor might throw at them next.

 

[Ayumi Pallopides]

Aurelian Veruna

Her eyes largely scanned the crowd while facing forward. To see the reactions while she stood in a simple business suit. Black shoes and pants, outer jacket in a gleaming obsidian while the under shirt was a crimson with a red over coat that went down to her ankles. The popped collar framing her neck for a moment as listening to the king he covered much of it. If they had to location though attained through psychometry was... something. Her hands remained in her pockets though as she spoke and her curtain of dark-honey hair curtained behind her. "By confirmation is it only from the force?" She said it as she looked and it wasn't in disbelief.

"As a force skill it is rare, its users skilled no doubt. What they see is true to a point hearing the name in a vision of the past. You can say anything and do another." Her eyes remained there but she wasn't against the action. "The ambassador being wounded initially may have happened but based on what we know of this person Sularen. He could just as easily have had him sent out an airlock in hyperspace. I am not against aid and rescue but if we are acting it should be decisive. It could just as easily be a trap for whoever comes to rescue the ambassador to either gain more hostages or just exploit the Republic for another purpose."

 

[Ravion Corvalis]

Ravion sat at the far side of the Chancellor’s dais, his posture measured, gaze steady as he fell into place beside Vexx away from prying ears. The hum of holo-traffic and murmured debate washed over them like distant static; but here, in the relative quiet, Ravion’s voice was low and unyielding.

“High Chancellor,” he began, leveling a thoughtful look in Vexx’s direction, “I’ve asked for a full green light from our commanders, and we’ve had the initial reports from Intelligence, the Bothan’s were remarkably quick. If this incident on Corellia has taught us anything, it’s that hesitation begets aggression.”

He paused, eyes narrowing ever so slightly, not in doubt but in resolve. “I respect the Republic’s commitment to diplomacy; I truly do. But peace must be the result of strength, not the expectation. You know as well as I do we can no longer allow border skirmishes and predatory advances to erode both our safety and our own deterrence. My fear is that if Corellia loses its Republic Candidate before it even joins because we failed to act, no senate resolution will ever repair that loss.”

His tone didn’t rise, he didn’t have to. He knew Dominique was on the same page, this was a gross offence against the High Republic and they needed to make sure a message was sent. His words were measured, strategic, and unmistakably firm. “You know as well as I do that Sularen’s incursion wasn’t a misunderstanding; it was a test. He thinks he knows exactly how far we’re willing to go.”

Ravion exhaled once, gaze shifting outward as holo-screens pulsed with senatorial chatter beyond the corridor. “It’s time the Republic stopped being pushed around. A decisive military response isn’t just justified; it’s necessary at this point. We just have to decide as to what extent.”

Dominique Vexx​

 

[Anet Raine]

Aurelian Veruna Dominique Vexx Ravion Corvalis Ayumi Pallopides Aerys Mourn Eadu Yittreas

Anet Raine, Senator from Belazura, has been monitoring the situation closely. Baffling, honestly, that the Supreme Commander of an Outer Rim autocracy would show up with a Fleet to kick around Corellia while sandwiched between two regimes that have proven to despise Imperial powers. Odd. Really, quite odd. And to hear he decided to take a political hostage?

Raine thought about it for a while and came to one simple conclusion, and so she spoke.

"High Chancellor - fellow senators... Your Majesty," she acknowledged in order, "Have we considered that this was an impulsive act?"

She pulled up some supporting data. "This is a man who is wanted for gambling debts, who has led two unsuccessful campaigns against the Sith, and now appears to have acted without due consideration at all... At least, the consideration you would expect from one at the head of a fleet."

She cleared her throat. "The fact that he can limp back to knowing safety says just as much about the Confederation as it does him. This is a failed commander from a failed state. I... despite my reservations towards empowering more militant elements within the Republic, believe a strong backhand is the correct move. If we try to address this with the dignity of a state, we suggest to the galaxy that the Confederation is a state worth dignity."

If she hadn't otherwise made that clear.

"It is not."

 

[Dominique Vexx]

Chancellor Dominique Vexx stood at the center of the chamber with her eyes turned toward the ruler of Naboo as he gave a recount of recent events. She stood stationary as Aurelian spoke. No effort was made to avert her attention as if unconcerned with the subject at hand. As usual -- when he wasn't knowingly being a pompous ass -- he laid out the details in a straightforward manner any should be able to follow. Not that it would sway certain elements, but you rarely could convince them all.

Eadu, for one, was not so eager to rebuke the Imperial Confederation even by proxy. Aerys was also beside himself at the 'reckless' actions of one man, but also empathetic to him and his reasons for doing so. Meanwhile Ayumi was cautious and skeptical of the circumstance they might be wading into.

"Thank you for bringing this grave matter before the Senate, King Veruna," the Chancellor intoned as a matter of fact. "In consideration for the victim's family, I am Sealing this Session in Shiraya's name." Dominique tapped a control to have the holobroadcast cut off and the doors to the Chamber shut and locked. Until the session ended, they were cut off barring an emergency. And while it was true that Obaith's family hardly needed to hear Senators speak ill of the man, Dominique's concern was altogether more strategic than that.

"Please," she lifted her hands to those gathered, "continue to work through your collective thoughts in how to best respond. I will present mine in due course."

After a moment, the Chancellor stepped off to the side with her closest advisors left to watch over the proceedings. If something demanded her return, it would be so. Barring that, however, there was someone else whose counsel she required given the very nature of the matter at hand.

Dominique strode back to the secluded confidence of her dais where Ravion lay in wait.

Her golden gaze met that of her Magistrate as he spoke of actions and consequences. Arms folded across her body, Dominique listened. She remain silent a few seconds after he'd finished; one finger tapping a bicep. Dominique turned to look at one of the holo-screens for only a second before she turned back toward Ravion.

"It isn't just a judgment of this Republic, but of this Chancellorship." A mirthless smile graced her lips. "I fully intended to disappoint them. I will return to the session to add my voice to theirs and seek to ensure a public pronouncement is made of our discontent. This will provide our enemies everything they expected -- a Republic that believes word alone will accomplish much. Whether they expect to then levy a high price for his return no longer matters," a dismissive wave of her hand brushed the thought aside. "Then I will contact the Supreme Commander directly, if he will take my call. No doubt he will express justification for his actions, but such overtures are expected." There was always the chance the Supreme Commander could acknowledge his crime and turn himself over. Almost nonexistent, but possible. It wouldn't hurt to ask, and it would buy them time to orchestrate their response.

"In the meantime, continue your efforts, Magistrate. I want to hear all military options available to our Command and the likelihood of extracting Cynan from their grasp alive. Let me be clear, I will hear all options and our Generals' thoughts about the price needed for operational success." Dominique's hands fell to her sides. "I do not wish to have a war on all fronts, but this Republic will not be mistaken for toadies and cowards. This endless assault on our representatives ends today."

Aurelian Veruna | Eadu Yittreas | Aerys Mourn | Ayumi Pallopides | Ravion Corvalis | Anet Raine | OPEN​

 

[Eadu Yittreas]

The electronic chime of the holorecorders dying by orders of Chancellor Dominique Vexx was the last thing that Eadu wanted at such an important session of the Republic Senate. The Citizens had to realize that recklessly rushing into a conflict with the Imperial Confederation could jeopardize not just their own lives but also those of their neighbors creating a strain on the economy.

He could do nothing but lean back into the velvet interior of his pod, his fingers interlocked in contemplation. Eyes scanned upward as the Naboo King Aurelian Veruna and Belazuran Senator Anet Raine were natural allies in this debate, both having similar forms of arguments that could sway the chamber that war with the Imperials was justified.

A sentiment echoed by the warmonger Ravion Corvalis , the Magistrate of the Republic, who stood to benefit greatly from being hailed as a war hero of the Republic. This is likely a tactic to protect himself from accusations that Eadu had previously leveled against the Magistrate, claiming incompetence in Senate Security, which resulted in the death of Senator Monaray Dod.

Aurelian and his ilk were too focused on the tragedy of the individual. They failed to see that Sularen, for all his monstrous history, was a convenient tool of attrition. If the Republic dashed its fleet against the Imperial Confederation's shields for the sake of one foolish ambassador, they would bleed resources Eadu's benefactors could use elsewhere.

He tapped a sequence into his private console, and his pod began its slow, mechanical retreat toward the docking clamp. He did not need to be in the center of the room to hear the rot; he only needed to ensure the rot stayed contained within these walls. Once docked in the senatorial ring, Eadu stepped out.

His senior aide, a gaunt Muun named Krell, was waiting in the lee of a heavy support pillar.

"The Chancellor has sealed the room," Eadu said, his voice barely a breath.

"She plans to confine us in this building to gain a much-needed boost to her reputation by confronting the Supreme Commander regarding the Corellia Incident. This incident can easily be portrayed as a calculated act of war, needing only her signature to launch a campaign."

Krell bowed his head. "And our interests, Senator?"

"Our interests require that the Chancellor's private communications remain...insufficient. Install this in the senate transmissions relay. If they try to contact the Supreme Commander, they will find nothing but static. Make it look like the Imperial has no interest in diplomacy so the Chancellor is forced to reopen the session on my terms " Eadu replied. He pulled a small, palm-sized cylinder from his robes then handed it to Krell. It was a high-frequency scatter-jammer, illegal in the Republic but easily sourced through the syndicates he tolerated.

 

[Liana Organa]

Eharl Sarn ​

So, the Republic was finally ready to have this conversation. Even with Alderaan the stakes were hypothetical (if exceedingly likely). But now an actual member of the Republic had been injured and imprisoned by an outside agency. And not only that, it was at the hands of that freaking Marlon Sularen chump Liana had the displeasure of meeting on Ukatis. Give how questionable the vibes had been in his presence, she could not say she was surprised to find this result. Maybe they needed to have a follow-up conversation about letting Imperial yahoos go on holiday in Republic territory. Regardless, the question was no longer a matter of 'if' or even 'when'. The question was how were they going to respond now that it had happened.

Opinions were strong on both sides, and the Chancellor had even decided to close this session off from the public eye. Liana's part in this meeting was merely to observe and learn; such was the lot of a junior ambassador. Today she was attached to the delegation from Enarc, led by Senator Sarn, who had already proven himself to be an ally of Alderaan and democracy writ large. "This is how it starts," Liana muttered so only the Ithorian could hear. "These Imps wanna see how much they can get away with. They wanna see if you'll try and dance around a confrontation." The High Republic needed to show that not only wanted to protect those under their care, but that they actually could protect them. If not… "There's blood in the water. And if we can't do something about it, it won't just be the Imperials coming in for a bite."

The Sith, she imagined, would be all too happy to press such an advantage if it were offered so willingly. Corellia, Alderaan, anyone too close to a hostile power was going to be up for grabs.