Location: Tynna Central Government Building
Objective: Meeting of Minds
A flutter of dull laughter rolled up beneath her breastbone. She could feel the vague sense of embarrassment as easily as she could feel the chill in the air. It was saccharine, sweet, and all too innocent. Many moons ago she would have never had the capacity to realize the subtle nuances of someone being frightened, or, feeling anything that might have turned their cheeks a pleasant shade of rose. Now…Things had changed. She felt. More and more. What was the world doing to her?
Why was her perspective changing so drastically?
“You may call me Srina. Lady Talon is my mother.”, she intoned lightly, though not unkind, simply in greeting. She had heard about the whispers that occurred with this young woman. There was a lot of mystery, though, most of it seemed to have been settled. Her memory seemed…Changed. Watered down.
“I have not seen you in quite some time. A trip to Castagne sounds…Better and better. Perhaps when all my work is through I will hide away in a small beachfront property.”
She missed the smell of fresh water. The sound of children laughing. The sight of an endlessly beautiful blue sky. She missed a time, when the sickeningly sweet scent of a corpse, didn’t haunt her dreams. A soft set of footfalls caught her attention and the ivory-haired Dread Queen glanced away from the window to see a rather silent [member="Scherezade deWinter"]. A Knight, a pathfinder, that always seemed to have a smile. Or a knife. What was with the buxom beauty and sharp objects?
Nevertheless—she returned the nod.
“Are you well Knight Antares?”
[member="Alkor Centaris"] was next to arrive. She could feel him, without sight, without any sort of preamble or announcement. The Exarch had learned all she needed to about him from the debriefing he had endured at the governing powers behest. He was the brother of [member="Darth Metus"]. Adopted or not his presence wove through her Master. She could not forget it. Srina would not send him away. Part of her anger wing him, for being part of the Mandalorian threat, still burned. Yet…What was once a blaze had turned to embers. He had killed Nemesis. Their most hated enemy.
For that—He could continue to breathe freely.
Her head turned slightly when the familiar voice of @Allya Vi’Dreya filtered to her ears. It seemed as if she had already hosted a smaller meeting with some of the scientists. It was good that they seemed to have found kindred spirits. Silver eyes turned back to the falling snow, where she had seen [member="Ryndrae Talon"] last. Echani didn’t get sick very easily, but still, it was far warmer inside. Thinking of her father’s brother again made her heartache. The loss of her aunt, a cousin, stole her focus.
With that in mind, she didn’t quite catch everything that Allya and Alkor were talking about. The conversation and innocent questions about her appearance logged themselves into her psyche though, and eventually, she was able to put two and two together. All of the littlest Vi’Dreya seemed to spill out of nowhere and the Echani herself, almost, thought to interrupt. She was softening, as evidenced by the ring on her finger, but even the Exarch drew the line somewhere.
Eventually, once the gossiping pair had their words spent, the Echani pulled away from the snow that drew her attention so fervently. Silver eyes watched Allya pull away from Alkor. Were she anyone else she might have found a soft amusement in the youngling embracing a man that knew only death. Destruction, and pain.
“You are both right.”
“And wrong.”
The Exarch rounded on them with an elegance that would have turned the most delicate of dancers green with envy. It was far from deliberate, but, the same grace could be observed in many Echani women. She reached for Allya and let her hands rest on the youngling’s soft cheeks. One on either side, she held her face as if she were delicate, precious, and unmatched. Her eyes gave nothing away. Her expression could have been equated to that of a barren wasteland.
“Danger comes in many forms. Everything about me is literally intended to draw others in. My voice. My face. It is a product of the unoriginal nature of my genetics. I appear as my mother does, and her mother before her. We are akin to the sweetest poison…Designed to kill. Likely, before the victim becomes aware.”
“Echani like to pretend that we are far removed from Mandalorian culture. We are not. We are every bit as bloodthirsty. Every bit as violent. We simply have the cover of soft features to maintain the illusion of aristocracy over savagery. With that being said…”, Srina trailed off, reaching up to brush a few strands away from Allya’s face. The gesture was gentle and would speak volumes. Affection from the Exarch was very reserved.
“You are perfect in your imperfections. Thousands of women have my face. I have never seen one quite like yours.”
“And you…Alkor Centaris…You will learn in your own time. Beauty, love, it all finds a way. No matter how we like to refuse to see it, or, feel that we are incapable…It will hit you in the chest like a lightning strike. You will know it when you realize there is something…Something you can’t bear to live without.”
The Exarch released Allya as the doors to the meeting room opened. Representatives of Tynna seemed to have gotten tired of waiting, though, the scientists that @Allya Vi’Dreya had been talking to seemed to have fetched them. The group cast knowing glances.
“Since It seems that the Confederacy is stunned with the sights of our world, we thought, we would bring our meeting and terms to you.”
The first one to speak on this was [member="Rath Exigo"]. A wolf pup of the Eternal Empire. Srina listened to what the Admiral had to say and pondered her own thoughts as well. The CIS typically didn’t ask for much from their member worlds. There was a general tax that was utilized to benefit the government, and, to support worlds that needed extensive aid.
“The Confederacy would be able to offer support in your system. Ships and personnel to patrol your spaces and ensure your trade routes remain uncompromised. Your business dealings would flourish even further if the sector was protected to ensure fair trade.”
“In exchange…We would ask that you work with our scientists to keep developing high-end technology. We also have an interest in your ability to gather intelligence. There are general agreements that would require your approval…But we have much to offer. You have very, very little to lose.”
Silver eyes turned to [member="Darth Metus"] to see if he had anything to add. Most of their requests had already been sent to Tynna long before their arrival. She truly wished that the Minister of Commerce was present to oversee the proceedings, though, she would do her best. Numbers, trading, and contracts...It was all over her head.
