Private Skepticism

[Julius Loghain]

DAYS AFTER THE CONFEDERATE QUESTION,
CORELLIA

The ratification of the Confederate Deal felt as the final nail in the coffin. Over his tenure as the Lord-Regent of Kuat, Julius Loghain's watched as his trust in the Alliance eroded; the vision of the union of states seemed less and less as the way forward for Kuat and her people. The Kuati Transitional Council was in disarray, torn between those hounding for secessions and those seeking further alignment with the Alliance. No one had expected that even the thought of an exit would be brought up ever, let alone this soon. It was only a matter of time the instability within the council, a council made of the most influential Kuati and his co-belligerents in the coup against the Ten, would trail down to the streets of Kuat.

And that was why he was here today, on Corellia, to prevent that.

A fellow politician, the Honorable Kaito Kyoshi, had completely rejected the notion of any mutual alignment with Confederates basing his reasoning on the nation's Sith leadership. Certainly, the thought of getting closer with Sith while Alliance soldiers bled to fight this evil along with the New Imperials seemed catastrophic. Nonetheless, Loghain had a more moderate view on the situation compared to Kyoshi - he had proposed a renegotiations to a deal he saw as terrible and appeasing; alas.

Tightened security measures were expected considering the Corellian had recently been disfigured by a gruesome attempt on his life by a Rogue Jedi. Julius had left his protection squad behind while Corellian security escorted him to the meeting with Kaito.

The doors slid open, he stepped in with a nod at the Corellian representative and spoke, "Representative Kyoshi, a pleasure to meet you personally."

He didn't mince words, "I had hoped we would make acquaintance for a less gloomier turn of events." The Lord-Regent carried on forward limping with the aid of his walking cane. If offered a seat he would take it and add, "As the minority of this terrible vote, I believe we have a more common view to..." a brief pause. "...where the future of our nations lie."

Maou​

 

[Yularen Nova]

Kaito was staring out of the massive window of the office space they were meeting in, his eyes following the sky cars as they crossed the Coronet skyline.

"It is good to meet you as well, though I too wish it was under better circumstances." He turned to face the Kuati senator and leader. He was a powerful man in his own right, with ships supplying the New Imperial war effort and a strong takeover of his world for his own interests...Yes, Logain could be a powerful ally for the resurgent Sith indeed...Under him, not those silly mystics of the Keepers.

"I wanted to introduce you to someone a little higher on the totem pole though," he said and motioned to the door. On cue the doors hissed open, a pair of Corellian Darksaber troopers exiting followed by the Diktat himself, Yularen Nova. He was clad in his trademark blue and orange military-style suit, clan regalia hanging over his breast, and honorary general pauldron displayed proudly on the opposite shoulder to his regalia. His orange eyes stared hard at Loghain as he entered the room and his security detachment took up strategic points. They milled about the room, scanning with a device on their wrist, its green light shining over random objects. Yularen looked to Loghain and gave him a warm smile.

"Sorry," he said, "Can't be too careful in this day and age. Spies are everywhere." He walked up to Loghain and extended a green hand. "Diktat Yularen Nova, it is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Regent. I've been keeping up with you in the Senate. You are making waves and asking the questions most are too afraid to ask or answer honestly."

Julius Loghain

 

[Julius Loghain]

The introduction to the Diktat was a surprise, albeit a pleasant one. As the guards scanned the room, so did the Lord-Regent scanned Yularen Nova. A small smile crawled on the veteran's face as he shook the man's hand.

"I agree, Diktat." Loghain jerked his head at Yularen's escort. Matters of security had always been one of the Kuati's top priorities. "The pleasure is all mine." the handshake ended, then "Someone has to, Diktat but unfortunately my warnings have fallen on deaf ears."

"It is due to that reason, unfortunately, I have sought to make yours and Senator Kyoshi's acquaintance. Should the skies have been clearer and the seas calmer, we would've been discussing matters of prosperity..."

"Sadly, we must discuss matters of survival." he offered the man a seat beside him. Sure, he was not the host, but the walking stick could only help him as much before his legs grew tired. "While the New Imperials sweep through the Sith up north we are locked south between a deceitful Jedi Concord under the thumb of the Confederate Sith Lord. The latter which have promised to cede rightful Alliance worlds in return for...well, as I see it, a pacified Galactic Alliance."

"Whether a coincidence or not, the Federalists have risen, along with the appointment of Adhira Chandra , the sovereignty of our planets looks threatened." Loghain paused, looked down at the ground musing, almost lost in his own thoughts before he added, "Corellia's history has always been a rally for independence and preservation of our worlds' sovereignty."

"I believe that should we not take more decisive steps soon, it will all be too late, Diktat."

Yularen Nova