Political Ties

[Cassius Vhette]

[member="HK-36"] [member="Lady Kay"] (Any Metal Lords friends/CSA friends welcome to join)

LOCATION: CHASIN CITY
OBJECTIVE: ESTABLISH ALLIANCES AND TRADE AGREEMENTS BETWEEN BOTH GOVERNMENTS
ULTERIOR MOTIVES: INFORM SAID ALLIES OF THE CURRENT STATE OF MANDALORIANS.

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The Mandalorian Regime had fallen once again and was trying to pick itself back up - in order to rise from the ashes. Their home world was decimated and for the most part uninhabitable but there was still a way out of this horrible fate that had befallen the Mandalorian people and Cassius took it upon himself to begin the first steps towards a brighter future for his people.

The young Mandalorian had beamed across the galaxy requesting assistance from any faction who would be willing to help them in this time of need and two of the factions had responded. The Mando'ade still had an embassy here in Chasin City and it would be the perfect meeting point for the Mando'a and two other factions that had responded.

The purpose of this meeting was rather simple, the Mandalorians needed food and supplies to get their own forces up and running at full strength again. Typically for the most part with the majority of their own home space there was plenty for the clans to survive from via mining or farming; however, with the majority of their home world destroyed they were lacking severely in resources to survive from.

The shuttle touched down on the edge of the platform of the Embassy where Cassius removed his 'gam showing his face - yet he was still clad in traditional Mandalorian Armor and walked into the Embassy hall. He was the first one to arrive but that was fine it would give him time to get set up for the remaining parties that had still yet to arrive. He made his way into the meeting hall and began to set up the holo projections that he had prepared for the two factions.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Cassius Vhette"], [member="Lady Kay"],

"Eugh, such a posh place."

HK sounded out in mild disgust as he watched the sight of Chasin City grow larger and larger on the other side of the viewport he was sitting by. The droid was aboard one of the civilian transport shuttles belonging to Abregado, traveling in a civilian fashion without any exceptional escort although bringing along his suit of organic armor and some basic personal weapons, just in case. Fairly recently the machine received a notification from new Mandalorian elements popping up, seeking out allies who could help the faction of warriors get themselves back on their feet, it would have been pretty unusual if HK would miss or not answer the call, after all he was quick to notice Mia rallying the Mandalorians rallying her brethren on their scarred and mistreated homeworld. They were not off to the best start, after the whole thing with Mia confessing to taking part in destruction of Mandalore and HK swearing he would literally shove his ceremonial sword up the arse of whoever was responsible for the Mandalorian Cataclysm, but still the machine would hope that getting himself more involved with the Mandalorians this time around would let him guide them a bit more to avoid history repeating itself, plus he still considered himself to be Mandalorian even though the Clans had varied opinions towards that depending on how annoying they found him at the time and having more allies was always good.

So HK made his way to Commenor, not minding it so much since the planet was fairly close to the established Metal Lord space, although he still wasn't the biggest fan of the planet's pristine and "posh" state. Much like Alderaan, Commenor was a planet of beauty, of order and balance with the nature, planet for Kings and Queens, aristocrats, while in contrast Denon was busy and crowded, an immense metropolis-planet with little to no greenery pretty much anywhere on it, it was the planet of capitalists and industrialists, with new businesses and companies almost constantly dying and rising up again on its surface, and orbit now as well as the Metal Lords were making progress on their great project, a ring of stations and ships erected in the planet's orbit. The relationship between Commenor and Metal Lords was a bit of a weird one at the time, the two factions probably enjoyed quite a nice amount of commercial activity and trade between them, but while HK considered the two of them to be allies, Queen Kay could not stress enough that there was no military alliance between them, pointing out quite often to the droid that their small navy was going to remain for the most part in Commenor space, although it seemed that even she could not withstand the machine's charms/nagging forever as a Commenor expedition made appearance over Alderaan when the Imperial Remnant conducted a raid on the peaceful planet. Perhaps this difference of willingness to fight was at the core due to the different natures of the two rulers, for while Kay was a diplomat and tried to remain neutral with everyone, HK still followed old chivalrous codes of honor, if someone requested help in a fight against what he perceived as forces of darkness, he was not going to deny it to them. Plus the fact that the droid was more or less immortal, as was large chunk of his subjects, made him a bit more reckless.


Either way, soon enough Cassius would receive a notification that the shuttle with the Droid Lord was touching down on the planet nearby the embassy and the machine would come to speak with him in person.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Notifications were sent to Kay's office in the Palace. She was busy as always, almost glued to her desk as she worked on contracts, letters, bylaws, permits and the like. It seemed that once people started guessing that she was pregnant, they began to do what they could to keep her in her office and out of trouble. But there was only so much of that that she could take. So the opportunity to expand their economy and help others in the process was welcomed.

The arrival of [member="Cassius Vhette"] to the Mandalorian/Raxis Clan Embassy was a perfect excuse to get out of her office and get some fresh air. She sent word to [member="Darben Skirae"] to meet with her at the Embassy, given that he was more than likely at his store.


Kay soon arrived at the Embassy with a few guards. It had been some time since she was there last, having no real reason to do so. The Mandalorian Embassy was the second one built on Commenor since she came to power. It was erected when [member="Gray Raxis"] adopted her into his clan in a bid to protect the planet from harm during the Crusades. It worked. The planet wasn't touched, even after a member of the Raxis Clan attacked Ra and Gray was brought to trial. She was there when he was punished, threats to destroy her world were uttered by the crowd. Yet the inclusion of the other Clan members fighting in the Crusades kept Commenor safe. Kay didn't go to Mandalore to learn how to be a proper Mandalorian as she was told; she didn't even own a set of armour. Instead she stayed home, protecting her planet and expanding her influence. She was glad to not be one of the big players. There was a lot of protection in not being thought of or deemed as a threat. Neutrality was the perfect safety net.

She stepped inside with her guards stepping in behind her. Already she was being directed to the meeting hall by some of the staff. Once she stepped in, she spotted Cassius and bowed her head to him when met her gaze. "Welcome to Commenor. I am Lady Kay Arenais. I have my Minister of Trade arriving shortly as well."

One of her guards approached then and whispered into her ear, letting her know of [member="HK-36"] 's impending arrival as well. She nodded to him, letting him know that she understood. This could make things interesting.

 

[Cassius Vhette]

Cassius over all was a bit different from other Mandalorians he had met that were very brash and 'war-torn' individuals that considered themselves Crusaders. Vhette was born in a farming clan that enjoyed relative peace in their lives, that is until the Mandalorian Crusaders brought war and devastation across all of Mando'ade space. [member="Lady Kay"] was the first to walk in and she bowed her head in respect - on her own planet nonetheless - to the Alor'ad. To be quite honest this took Cassius off guard as he didn't respect any modicum of respect or honor; however, he also didn't know about Kay's past with the Raxis clan. Surprised or not - this was her planet and under her control Cassius was also not here to boast but instead to ask for help so he also bowed his head in respect to Lady Kay.

"Greetings, I am Cassius Vhette, of Aliit Vhette. It is a pleasure being here, and an honor that you would host this meeting for us."

At that moment he received the communication that [member="HK-36"] had arrived at the station and would be joining them soon. Cassius could only hope that the Metal Lords and CSA would be as kind to his kin as he needed them to be. Granted the Mand'alor and several others of his kin weren't exactly the most.. Kind people, they desperately needed the assistance of any factions they could get in order to help rebuild Keldabe and other outlying systems.

Even though the minister of trade wasn't there yet he went ahead and pulled up a view of Mandalore and the absolute destruction of the planet, pictures came across the screen of the horror that his planet had witnessed and pictures of entire families, entire clans dying out almost over night due to the destruction of their home planet littered the hologram in front of Lady Kay.

"I come to you today, with the utmost humility." His eyes fell to the ground as he left his pride at the door. "My people, are dying. Just now is our government rallying but there is turmoil even in that. We need food, and supplies. Humanitarian Aid is needed for the people of Mandalore, or i'm afraid that even with our tumultuous government forming it will simply fall back to the ashes once more."

 

[Kay-Larr]

"The pleasure us all mine, [member="Cassius Vhette"] . This is the Mandalorian Embassy, so in a sense, it is an extension of your territory, a small pocket, if you will." Embassies were always like that. However they were still to abide by Commenori law, they were free to add any of their own laws that suited their people and their culture. While here, she was their guest.

Her attention was turned to the images and videos displayed for her. Only concern and overall sadness was written on her face. She knew what it was like to have to live on nothing, but this was different. This was a case of survival in a harsh environment and many were losing.

"How much do you need? We can provide food and some medical aid, even supplies for constructing new homes. Once my Minister gets here, we can establish shipping contracts and timelines." She wasn't exactly going to turn them down. Despite the wrongs that many of their leaders have done, she knew that they weren't all like that.

 

[Cassius Vhette]

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="HK-36"]

Cassius listened to Lady Kay and silently watched her face as the pictures scrolled through and she was able to see the horror and devastation that had struck his home-world. In truth he honestly didn't know the exact numbers of what he needed or wanted, or what his Mand'alor would even be happy with as she didn't commission him to come here and request the aid of other factions; however, he did realize that his people needed help and that these two factions would be the most likely to help - specifically the CSA who at least in his mind held the highest moral standards out of any of the factions currently in play at the moment.

Her reply to seeing the devastation was to be expected - after all she seemed to be a woman, a queen, who truly held individuals no matter their class or rank in society in high regards. Nevertheless, it was still a humbling thing to hear how much she truly cared for people that were not her own.

Cassius immediately folded his right arm across his body and placed his flat palm over where his heart would be. He bowed slightly to her in a humble manner, and his face reflected the sincere appreciation he had for this woman's kindness.

"Your words are humbling Lady Kay, on behalf of all Mandalorians we sincerely appreciate this offer. I'm afraid I have nothing to offer you in return except for my deepest gratitude. I personally can offer clan Vhette to assist you in any matters you may need in the future; however, I do not believe Mandalore will be able to assist the CSA in anything as a faction for quite some time - at least until we've rebuilt."

He tried to be careful with his words, not wanting to give away that the Mand'alor hadn't actually commissioned this mission out of fear that it would scare her and any other faction away.

"To be completely honest with you, I do not have an exact number; however, any and all aid that you can afford to give I think would be appropriate judging by the current state of my people."

 

[HK-36]

[member="Cassius Vhette"], [member="Lady Kay"],

It would be at that point that the door to the meeting room would open and HK would be allowed in with soft rapt of his heavy feet falling against the stone and elaborately decorated floor as he moved closer through the opening towards the other two. The large war droid would be clad in what looked like black fleshy membrane, clad in thick chitinous armored plates that covered the initial organic layer and formed its protective layer. Even his head would be covered in the elaborate arrangement of thick chitin plates, assembled in a T-opening pattern of a Mandalorian full helmet.

"Cassius of Clan Vhette,"

The war droid addressed the Mandalorian man first in a greeting, seemingly knowing his name already, a soft bow from his tall but slender form, even in armor it looked somewhat sickly and skeletal, before looking to Kay,

"And Queen Kay, thank you for welcoming my ship into your capital, I am glad that for once we are not speaking with threats of darker presence or invading Imperial Remnant navies looming by our borders."

HK quipped, referring the other two recent times they spoke as the plates on his head shifted back and the black membrane peeled off of it, revealing the metal faceplate beneath. It was pale, like polished bone, and dull, Phrik to those who knew about metallurgy, fashioned in a weird style that combined a Khaleesh war mask with more traditional design of an HK droid head. And to those who knew about the arts of Vong shaping, the armor droid wore over his Phrik body was of Vong origins, a biot of sorts. All of that was wrapped in a thick black cloak that concealed most of his form beneath its heavy cloth.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay bowed her head to [member="Cassius Vhette"] after he made a humble bow to her, most especially as he vowed to help her should herself or the planets under her care need it. "Thank you, kindly. However as your people need to recover, starting out with a debt to be repayed wouldn't help you. So consider it all a gift. Our economy is strong due to our reach in all different parts of the Galaxy. We are a friend to many and an enemy to none. We started out small, but have grown. If we can help you to grow and live comfortably, then we will. There is no need for needless suffering to continue."

[member="HK-36"] walked in then. She bowed her head to him, raising a brow slightly at his comment. Did he not know that she had trade agreements and hyperlane routes with the Imperial factions? They were not invaders to her space, but trading partners, as were many others. Neutrality did wonders for their economy and more.

"You are always welcome. I will let Cassius explain his request." She let the Mandalorian take the floor while she pondered on the whereabouts of [member="Darben Skirae"] . He should have been here by now. Maybe he went to the wrong Embassy?

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben, being Darben, was always getting lost. He would either go to the right building, but be waiting in the wrong room, or end up in a different building nearby. No matter what, he was always lost. Yet always nearby. Once he recorrected himself on the location, he came in to find [member="Lady Kay"] with [member="HK-36"], and someone else. He gave a wave to Kay and a nod to the visitor and HK. He was always more formal toward visitors. "Kay, sorry I'm late" he said quietly to her. "I ended up in some restaurant, got the address wrong by a single number." It had been a nice restaurant, he would no doubt go there again for a long night of casual drinking. This time he did not have Mute by his side.

He had been informed lightly that they were meeting a Mandalorian, and that was someone he had not met before. This was the first Mandalorian that he knew was a Mandalorian he had set his eyes on. "HK" he quickly greeted, giving a little nod. "Safe trip, I assume?"

[member="Cassius Vhette"]

 

[Cassius Vhette]

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Darben Skirae"]

He first listened to the kind words of Lady Kay and her plans of humanitarian aid. While he expected her morality to guide her along this line it wasn't something profitable to her faction in any way, so he was glad that she chose to take this course of action.

"You have my eternal gratitude, and the gratitude of Clan Vhette on behalf of all of our people."

The massive war droid HK-36 walked in at that point, his entire visage seemed menacing; however, Lady Kay seemingly didn't see him as a threat, and nor did the Mandalorian. The War Droid addressed Cassius by name and clan which was some-what of a surprise to the Mandalorian; however, upon deeper thought for a moment he realized that it probably wasn't out of the droids abilities to have intelligence in all reaches of space. He gave a low respectful bow to the droid - though he had a lingering sense that those types of formalities really didn't matter to the droid only things outlined in black and white would truly matter to him.

"Greetings, Metal Lord-" He immediately corrected himself now having heard both Kay and Darben address him as 'HK'. "Greetings HK, it is an honor."

At this point he restarted the slide show that he had already show to Lady Kay. Pictures and Videos came up on the holoscreen of the absolute devastation of his home world. Families literally suffocating in their homes due to the atmosphere being toxic in some parts, Keldabe completely destroyed, visible for both HK and Darben to see.

"As you can see, my people are in desperate need of your help. I know that not everyone agrees with our current Mand'alor and at times, I don't either - but i'm not here on her behalf, she doesn't even know i'm here; however, my people are dying in troves and the infighting caused by the turmoil in our government is only killing more while more and more of our sons and daughters die."

 

[HK-36]

[member="Lady Kay"],

Kay probably knew by then that the machine was very stubborn, there would probably be never a point at which he didn't saw Imperials as invaders and tyrants. However the machine would not linger on the subject as [member="Darben Skirae"] entered next, causing the droid to bow to him softly first before nodding at the question,

"Of course, one of the perks of being arguably the most dangerous being in the sector."

HK quipped back, playing on the fact that he had a rather infamous reputation, especially after making his presence all the more public by setting up his holding over Denon.


[member="Cassius Vhette"],

His attention would focus on Cassius then as he addressed the droid and corrected himself, causing the machine to wave off his correction dismissively,

"Speak plainly and do not worry about the titles you give me, they are fleeting, and if I was so insecure to be insulted whenever someone misspeaks I would not make it so far."

The droid quipped again before falling silent as he watched the slideshow, letting Cassius speak about Mandalore's current situation. When he would pause after the line about more daughters and sons dying HK would finally speak up again in answer,

"Yes, previous Mandalore was a craven chit-head,"

It would be pretty clear that just as HK did not mind Cassius speaking plainly, the machine would not censor himself much either,

"and the fact Mia escapes justice after what she's done is a travesty as well, no matter her service to Mandalore before. It is curious that you still call her the current Mandalore when I heard that Ra Viszla is back and laid claim on the title as well."

The droid would look at Cassius then,

"Although I would rather kiss a Jedi's puckered up arse before I will support Death Watch."

HK waved the words away then before getting back on topic,

"But you have my support, when the Cataclysm came upon Mandalore and the cities crumbled I lead the Abregado fleet to provide aid as soon as I heard about it, I came down to the planet and I personally dug the patriarch of Mantis clan out of the rubble among many others. Whatever supplies you will need, whatever manpower and ships you will need to evacuate or protect the people of Mandalore caught in the middle of this war I will not hesitate to supply. There is also someone else you can contact,"

The droid pointed out,

"A humanitarian Jedi named [member="Rosa Gunn"], ironic name considering she is a representative of Boolon foundation, they contacted me when Metal Lords first set up their presence in Denon and Corellia sector to make sure we were not violating any rights or conducting mass murders, one of the effects governments run by droids have you see. I provided her with a company based off of Abregado which has capability of manufacturing and distributing large amount of foodstuff, if you are able to summon her she will make sure people of Mandalore will not go hungry, free of charge."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay bowed her head to [member="Darben Skirae"] as he finally arrived. As expected, he had gotten lost. It wasn't often that he was summoned to the Embassies, especially this one in particular. Usually she looked after it herself. But this was different. It wasn't often that their help was needed in such a way. Their close proximity however, made the CSA an easy choice, not to mention their neutrality.

[member="HK-36"] spoke up. She raised a brow at his proclamation of being the most dangerous being in the sector. Kay wasn't so sure about that. It was quite the thing to boast about, more of along the lines of many Sith that she had encountered and employed.

However when he mentioned Ra returning, she stiffened. He was back? That didn't spell good news at all. Wasn't he dead? Who in the Galaxy would want him back and why? No doubt people didn't think that there was enough death and destruction in the Galaxy, that they felt the need to add more. Hopefully her territory would be safe and overlooked by it all, as always.

Kay took a moment before she composed herself and looked to both [member="Cassius Vhette"] and Darben while she spoke. "Darben, I've offered Cassius food, supplies, construction and the means to help them to get back on their feet. This is a humanitarian effort so no tariffs or taxes or fees of any sort will be placed on them. Only when their economy is at a comfortable level should that change and be negotiated."

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben Skirae looked toward [member="Cassius Vhette"], looking him up and down as [member="Lady Kay"] explained the situation to the Minister. What he did not understand was why [member="HK-36"] was here also, but he did not exactly know of any ties that the droid had, he barely knew the droid at all. Of course, what HK-36 said told him why, even though he did not understand a word of it. He really did need to get out more, and hear more about the happenings across the galaxy. However, Darben could not see how he fit into this. He was a minister of trade. "Kay, may I ask, but what is it you need from me? I am a Minister of Trade, I can't think of what more I can do that doesn't have to do with economy."

Indeed it was his job to know of trade routes, and the types of trade that would help them, but surely Kay also knew of them as well. So, he could not think why he had been called. "Nevertheless, in whatever way you are thinking I can help in, I'll try."

 

[Kay-Larr]

She understood [member="Darben Skirae"] 's reason for asking. There were times when she handled everything herself. But now she couldn't afford to do that. There were other factors at play that were taking control of her life, such as bearing a child. She needed to delegate more. "This does deal with our economy, as well as theirs. Most especially in the future. I can't participate as much as I'd like, so I'll need you to help oversee it for me for our part."

[member="Cassius Vhette"] [member="HK-36"]