The Alliance (Meeting of Republic and CIS representatives/leaders)

[Revenchent]

Sector Eight's command chambers were plain, dark, and well hidden. They controlled the atmosphere of Zenith Prime, the Confederacy's greatest military asset, and a symbol of it military power. The planet was a fortress in itself, able to withstand even the most powerful fleets in galaxy under its own resources alone.

Today, the Confederacy had invited Republic leaders: Jedi, Senators, Generals, all to meet in this important facility. The planetary shielding had been brought down, as had all defenses to ensure that the Republic trusted the Confederacy's motives. This was more than a simple play at peace.

This was an Alliance. A galactic standard to be set that would encourage cooperation between galactic powers throughout the galaxy. If things went according to plan, the two military powers would commit to joint operations on multiple worlds to strengthen bonds, reduce tensions, and solidify their defenses against threats to freedom.

It was as much an attempt at galactic friendship, not a simple alliance, but assurance that when the hammer came down, the two nations would have eachother's backs over all others. That was the idea, anyway.

The Grand Marshal of the Confederacy sat in one of the anonymous seats at the table. He wore the dress green of the Confederacy, a black suit with green strips running down the jacket and pant legs. Two chevrons showing his rank could be seen on his shoulder. He'd shaved his beard and cut his hair, today was important.

Let's hope everyone behaves.




@EVERYONE WHO NEEDS TO BE HERE

 

[Caulder Dune]

This was the second time this Umbaran would be involved in signing a treaty with the Republic. They would not remember him from the first. He had worn a mask then and on almost all other public occasions. It hardly mattered. Now he appeared much older than he had back in those days due to the warped energies of the Dark Side. He may as well not even bothered with the mask. His presence in the Force carefully masked like it was, they would have a hard time distinguishing him from any other elderly Umbaran male.

Gerion had little love for the stagnated, impotent Republic and its senate. He especially had little love for the Jedi, who were mostly like Templars except woefully inefficient and held up to ridiculous standards by the Galaxy at large. Today's Jedi were dealt a poor hand, but they played it even worse. It was almost pitiable. Almost. Now the Confederacy's High Council had elected to ally with the Republic; something Gerion staunchly opposed behind closed doors. He was of the opinion that the Confederacy had little to gain from this alliance, while the Republic had everything.

Oh well. Far be it for Gerion to interfere with the majority wishes of the rest of his colleagues. The Confederacy's Vicelord sat passively and emotionlessly next to the Grand Marshall, dressed in sharp attire befitting a man of his position.

 

[Vorhi Alestrani]

Vorhi stood up slowly and sipped his tea, nodding to the grand marshal. As Speaker, these diplomatic discussions were his duty, and he would be inclined to keep things advantageous to both parties. He didn't actually dislike the Jedi, despite his philosophical differences with them. He enjoyed working with them from time to time, it kept his life interesting. Besides, his Teras Kasi could keep any uppity brats in check, if they came to be a nuisance.

His wardrobe was less elaborate than the viceroy's rather lavish gear, his own clothing simple, humble and somewhat ascetic in it's style. His hat, however, was a nice lacquered one he brought out for special occasions. He adjusted his blindfold. He knew Gerion well enough to know that the secretive old Umbaran hated the idea of a Republic alliance, but he also knoew that he'd play nice for the time being, as he had done the last time they'd shaken hands on a deal.

Still, he was eager for this meeting. It would be nice to see the new faces in the Republic, and see how well they handled the realities of their situation. It'd be a good discussion, if nothing else.

 

[Feena]

The Archon lifted her tea cup to her pink lips. This was about the Republic. Feena's opinions about the Republic were... complicated to say the least. She was reluctant to trust them, and yet at the same time, eager to befriend the Jedi. That was certainly due to her own bias, of course. Having once been a Jedi herself was certainly influencing her opinion. She would not pretend it didn't. She even still had friends amongst them. Dear friends.

...But of course she knew better than to trust them. It was that very friendship, that history that made her so very aware. Not many knew how she had once served on their very own Jedi Council. Why did they think she came to the Confederacy in the first place? She had heard too many things that she did not like. Seen too many things.

Still, this was not up to her.

Archon Mason carefully pushed a black curl over her shoulder as they waited. She had dressed appropriately, yet still held tightly to the fashions of her home world of Naboo, although it had been many long years since she had set foot there. She wore confederacy green in her long sleeveless silk duster, over a white, lightly embroidered gown. The sleeves came to a point on her hand, and the neckline formed a U shape just below her collar bone. Around her waist, holding the green silk close to her body was a pretty silver chain belt. She wore no other jewelry, save for a emerald green crystal draped across her forehead, and her wedding ring, which, as always, she wore with such pride.

She glanced over at the man who had once saved her life, Vorhi Alestrani. She still had not found a way to properly thank him. Probably never would.

She set her tea cup down, and let her bright silver eyes scan the room, taking in the rest of the faces gathered. There was a tension. She could feel it.
And she truly did not like awkward silence.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

The last meeting she’d been at with the CIS on official documentation had been with Templar Daxton Bane. That had been one of more selfish pursuits, rather than for the good of both their organizations. As it stood, both factions were on temperate waters with each other. Not cold, but not hot. In an attempt to reconcile those relationships, Kiskla had reached out on a personal level and gotten herself involved with the Lady Archon’s personal affairs. To her, relationships meant more than across the table handshakes, and therefore felt more at ease when she entered the room an instantly recognized a familiar presence. The rest were unfortunately foreign to her, which was another reason the blonde mistress of the Force had decided to make an appearance.

That, and it was her job to maintain relations beyond the Jedi Order. The click of her heels was the first indication that another had entered the dimly lit room. As soon as the light, focused on the table, touched her features her blonde hair stood out like a sore thumb. With her, followed @[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] and @[member="Carn Dista"].

“Lady Archon,” The Jedi spoke out against the apparent silence. Not that she knew how long it had been quiet, she’d just arrived “Good to see you again. And the rest of you, pleasure to meet you.” She took a seat that was apparently set out for those of The Republic, as it seemed the CIS members had clustered together.

“As far as introductions go,” she crossed her legs and folded the lengthly fabric of her Jedi robe over her lap, before finishing her sentence “I’m Kiskla Grayson."
Where was everyone getting this tea from? Intently, she shifted in her seat to look for the source of the liquid.

@[member="Feena Mason"] | @[member="Vorhi Alestrani"] | @[member="Gerion Ardik"] | @[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

With @[member="Kiskla Grayson"] came the Grandmaster Of The Jedi Order, and the man who had personally reached out to the Grand Marshall Of The Confederacy @[member="Calico Tal'Verda"], with the blessing of Supreme Chancellor @[member="Jack Harkness"], who also came behind him, Master Grayson, and Master Of The Order @[member="Carn Dista"], in order to reach an agreement and alliance between the Republic and Confederacy and further strengthen relations. A galactic friendship, as they had mutually titled it.

Joshua DragonsFlame was young, he knew that, Grayson, Dista and Harkness knew this, and likely so would the members of the Confederacy. But if age brought nerves, it certainly wasn't the case for young Grandmaster DragonsFlame as his brown eyes scanned the room, before resting on the leaders of the Confederacy and their viceroys and advisors. He gave a small smile before taking his seat, giving a respectful nod in greeting.

"Grand Marshall Calico, a pleasure for us to finally meet" the Grandmaster, who with Jack's blessing had agreed to head the diplomatic side of this operation, spoke with an air of politeness. He almost sounded like a man who was happy to be here, a far cry from the coldness that had greeted the CIS and Templars last they were here under Grandmaster Halcyon, but of course... Daxton Bane could be considered to blame for that. This was a different situation altogether, one that pleased Josh greatly to be a part of.

"And of course, the lovely Archon Mason" he said, giving a friendly smile towards Feena. He'd heard many tales of the Archon... He'd held wishes to work together with the Archon once or twice, but the situation never merited it. Perhaps an alliance here would change things. Maybe it wouldn't. "A pleasure to meet you as well, Archon" he added politely.

"As well, greetings to the Viceroys and Advisors. Your presence here has not gone unnoticed, nor will your contributions to this meeting" he said, giving each one of them a look and a nod respectfully.

"As far as introductions go..." he began as he relaxed himself into his seat. "I am Grandmaster Joshua DragonsFlame" he said, his tone still polite and friendly, but carrying a seriousness as if he knew of the tensions, knew of the hot and cold relationship between these two governing bodies... He was taking this seriously, no doubt about that, but that gave no reason to not be courteous and polite to your fellow leaders. Something that had been forgotten in the last few meetings, which was something that Joshua wished to correct.

On his shoulder was a creature, as big as a newborn puppy, dark blue with wings and scales. The small dragon, John, sat upright as he seemed to sense the tension, yet as well seemed to sense the air of importance this meeting carried. It scanned the area around him, as well as the people in it. John knew Kiskla, he knew Carn... He KIND OF knew the man behind Joshua that John could almost swear (If dragons can swear) reaked somewhat of pheromones, sweat and... He didn't recognize the rest. He'd seen him once or twice, but he did not trust him like he trusted Joshua or the Jedi. The creature's eyes bore into those of the CIS Leaders, almost protectively. The bond between the Jedi Grandmaster and this creature was evident in the way it looked at each of them, as if on the watch for any sign of violence, anything that could come to harm the Grandmaster.

@Feena Mason | @Vorhi Alestrani | @Gerion Ardik | @Calico Tal'Verda l @[member="Carn Dista"] l @[member="Jack Harkness"]

 

[Carn Dista]

Carn walked in with the other Jedi, courtesy of Kiskla. He paused long enough to offer a courteous bow to his confederate counterparts. The political arena was something Carn kept out of on principle - politics were not for Jedi. However this was an important occasion, and thus his presence was demanded by way of duty to the Republic, and of course the Order. He made no effort to introduce himself, others would undoubtedly do that for the official notes. He also had some suspicion that his counterparts would be well informed. After all, he had taken to doing a little digging himself, and he wasn't the greatest of sleuths.


Of all the Confederate members that had gathered, it was the elderly Gerion Ardik that caught his eye. The finely dressed yet stern faced Umbaran had made a name for himself as an incredibly efficient, no nonsense individual - or at least that's what Carn's sub-standard research had shown him. Carn made a point of sitting directly opposite the member of confederate vice royalty. If there were blunt words to be had, he was certain that the man opposite him would be the source. With a little luck, this wouldn't turn into a heinous waste of time and resources. With a little more luck, nor would it turn into a combat zone - however even if it did, Carn was confident enough that he, and the two other councillors present would be able to form a savage enough wedge of lightsabers to force their way out of the room.

What Carn hadn't counted on was the Grandmaster bringing along his "pet". Carn frowned upon the lizard's near constant presence around the Grandmaster - it wasn't natural to keep an animal in such a way, and it seemed as though DragonsFlame was beginning to be a little too attached to the creature. It invited trouble. Carn resolved to bring the subject up at a later date.

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"] @[member="Gerion Ardik"] @[member="Vorhi Alestrani"] @[member="Feena Mason"] @[member="Kiskla Grayson"] @[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Revenchent]

((had to write this on the phone. Excuse any bad grammar please. ))

Political games were not something Calico knew much about. Sometimes they were necessary to bring about great change, and now was one of those times.

The Grand Marshal was a a simple, honest man. His time I'm the Confederacy had opened his eyes to many things. During his tenure in the GAR so long ago, he and his squad had fantasies of freedom. They were simple dreams that were seemingly childish at the time. They had even become true for a painfully short time, only to be ripped away by lightsabers and Sith Lords.

Attaining freedom of choice gave Calico purpose. He loved freedom, and he wanted it for all sentients. That was why he had agreed to host this meeting with DragonsFlame. The Republic and the Confederacy were the only places the Grand Marshal truly considered equal. He knew too little about the Protectorate to make a choice, and the other galactic powers seemed content to influence the lives of their citizens for their benefit. Those were the real threats.

Calico had been the ideal man to help head the meeting. In his short tenure as the Grand Marshal, he had proven that political games meant little to him. Border expansion was simply to help those who asked, and to protect the citizens the Confederacy already hosted.

He also had something no other leaders of the Confederacy had. He hadn't developed any real opinion of the Republic. He was openly atheist and as such, one's force alignment meant nothing to him. All were equal in his eyes until they proved themselves otherwise. He had learned not to associate the Repuvlic of this day and age to the Republic of the past. A certain Jedi had taught him that in her own way.

"Master Dragonsflame, I hope your little friend is house trained?" The soldier broke into a wide, genuine grin. "It is a pleasure, Master Grayson, Master Dista. Any imbecile knew to look into whomever was attending a meeting this important.

He stood up and offered a hand to any who would take it, and motioned for a technician to retrieve refreshments. "Before we begin, I would like anyone to take any predisposed thoughts about this meeting into a little box, and lock it away until it has concluded." His grin never wavered. "As Master DragonsFlame and I have discussed, we have come to the conclusion that the Republic and the Confederacy have need of closer ties."

Defuse the tension. Make this work.

"Where are my manners, I am Calico Tal'verda, Grand Marshal of the Confederacy. You'll have to forgive me, when Clones see the big world we tend to dislike the number designations. The technician arrived with a tray of assorted beverages and hot cakes. "Now, the Confederacy and the Republic have a lasting peace. I propose we make something more of it. Cut down the tension, the prejudice, and work together to secure our borders, and by extension, secure the freedom and security of our citizens."

The soldier eased back into his chair and clapped his hands together. "There are Empires forming, the Fringe is still a threat in its own right, and reports of Sith turning back up in small, organized groups. Master Dragonsflame and I would like to commit to joint military operations, and a mutual defense act." He paused to shift his dark eyed gaze over each member of the congregation. "Now, I think I've spoken enough for the moment."

@[member="Carn Dista"] @[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] @[member="Kiskla Grayson"] @[member="Feena Mason"] @[member="Vorhi Alestrani"] @[member="Gerion Ardik"]

 

[Feena]

The Archon smiled and responded appropriately to each and every person that greeted her, especially Master Greyson. She would not forget easily how she had taken time out of her life to help her. It was actually heartwarming.
Feena took a long slow sip of her tea, watching the Grand Marshal out of the corner of her eye.

Military. Not exactly her specialty. She was a healer. The only part she liked to play in military affairs was cleaning up after them. Still, she would sit and listen and give her two cents when it came to it.

@Carn Dista @Joshua DragonsFlame @Kiskla Grayson @Vorhi Alestrani @Gerion Ardik @[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The first to take the hand? The Grandmaster. A grin crossed the face of DragonsFlame as he shook it firmly. The man had a sense of humor. Good. He was getting rather tired of stuffy types and overseriousness, after all. Why couldn't these meetings have some humor and laughs for once? They didn't hate each other, force sakes.

"He didn't crap on my shoulder while we were fighting those guards, Grand Marshall, I think he's pretty much house trained" the Grandmaster jibbed with a wide grin as he released his grip. He sat back down, noting his mentions of a confession box and refreshments.

The immature side of Josh would have gladly wrote something for the box, if there really was one (Of course, we all know it's a figurative box). Something silly. Something mischievous. Something to brighten up the mood in the room and put smiles on the faces of everyone in it (Meany Grumpy Sith and Carn Dista aside). But regardless of his whims, this was a business meeting. He had no gripes with the meeting or the people in it, he had no misfeelings for anyone here, even if the darksider gave him a suspicious feeling.

He nodded along as he spoke. This was more for the others then anything. Josh and Calico had already discussed this in Holo-Call. He knew their intentions, they knew theirs.

"The Grand Marshal has said his piece, and obviously since we've spoken beforehand and have agreed with all this, as have I" he said, looking at Chancellor Harkness, MOTO Dista and Councillor Grayson, then at the men (and woman) brought by Calico. "The Galactic Republic And The Confederacy Of Independent Systems (If I messed that up, I'm sorry D: ). The Jedi Order and the Templar Order. All powerful, strong, moralistic and incredible organizations in their own right, and being on a united front, there isn't much that can tear something like that down. Having a working relationship between us is something that would prove very beneficial to both our sides, as well as to the galaxy as a whole. There aren't many organizations left out there that either of us can trust. An alliance, a TRUE alliance between us ensures that there is always someone at our backs"

"As the Grand Marshall has mentioned... The Sith appear to be returning, and have begun attacking in small groups. As strong as we are individually, that's still a lot of Sith for both sides to tackle alone. And while we do have peace with the Fringe currently, it's uneasy. It's tense. It's brewed into a cold war that could spill into something catastrophic at any moment. There isn't a lot of organizations or governing bodies the Republic can trust. And I assume the same goes for the CIS. Making something of the relationship that our governing bodies have and working together to secure the futures of ourselves and the citizens of our worlds would be a beneficial"

"Now I think I am finished speaking for now... If anyone else has a piece to say, feel free to speak it. We are all honest men and women here, I would like to assume, speak your mind, speak your concerns, speak your feelings on this idea of a working relationship, mutual defense, aid in securing our borders" he said calmly as he relaxed back into his seat.

@Feena Mason | @Vorhi Alestrani | @Gerion Ardik | @Calico Tal'Verda l @Carn Distahttp://starwarsrp.net/user/2601-carn-dista/ l @Jack Harkness

 

[Revenchent]

It seemed that no one had any opinions or any interjections on the matter. This was all fine and dandy for Calico, as it made this entire scenario much easier. "No one has any qualms about this?" The Marshal raised a brow. He wanted the dual forces of the Republic and the Confederacy deployed ASAP anyway. This just saved time.

"Then it's settled. The Confederacy will deploy supporting forces to current and future Republic engagements. The Republic will, in turn, provide the same support when asked upon. Our borders will be open to citizens of either government, and the Jedi will be permitted an embassy on Zenith Prime if they see fit."

He paused to glance over at DragonsFlame. It seemed they had this in the bag. "Unless anyone has anything to say, I believe we're done here?"

@[member="Feena Mason"] | @[member="Vorhi Alestrani"] | @[member="Gerion Ardik"] | @Calico Tal'Verda l @[member="Carn Dista"] l @[member="Jack Harkness"] | @[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Vorhi Alestrani]

"I'm sorry to bring up a small matter, but this does seem the appropriate time," Vorhi mused calmly as he gestured towards the jedi. "I am, for those who I have not yet met, Vorhi Alestrani, Speaker of the Council and Scholar of The Templar Magi," he said softly, tipping his hat. "First, it should be mentioned that the offer of embassies is reciprocal. If possible, we would like to allot a embassy on Coruscant, or, that being too difficult, a nearby core world, for ease of communication. If we are to truly stand together, then we must allow for an open communication between our various sentient populations, and especially the governing bodies that represent them."

"This brings me to another point," he said calmly. "In the past, Jedi have arrived on various planets here without former consent on behalf of the planet's viceroys and governing bodies, causing difficulties for both sides to patch up these issues." He smiled weakly. "To prevent any further incidents, it may be wise to have a single diplomatic station appointed within the Jedi Temple and the Roon Sanctuary, so that should we have things to settle in each other's spaces, we may do so without extraneous bureaucracy." He nodded to the person taking records of all this. He had to admit, this was a hard thing to discuss. But after the various times Jedi and Republic officials overstepped their bounds, some mutual oversight would help protect both of them from further misunderstandings.

He hoped.

"Keep in mind that these measures aren't meant as an indictment," he said with a nod. "But, well, as the others present can attest, the Council and its members want assurances that an alliance with the Republic has sufficient oversight to prevent any difficulties. Viceroy Ardik," he said calmly to the callous Umbaran, "would the Viceroyalty also desire a position on the CIS part of any oversight groups formed? And what groups would the Republic representatives wish to add to such a committee?" He asked, showing a friendly wave of the arm to his guests. "Oh, and do try the tea. It's an old brew from Ukio. Lovely weather there," he said with a nod.

 

[Caulder Dune]

@[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] | @[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

"I am not signing this into effect." The Vicelord said, quite simply.

"You are the Grand Marshall of the Confederacy. You are the commander of the military. Nothing more." Gerion said to Calico, before looking to DragonsFlame. "You are the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. You command the Jedi. Commendable, but you are no official of the Republic."

"You will both begin the process of explaining to me the exact terms of this treaty. You will present to me the document which I assume you have jointly written, since you have not done so already. Then you shall explain to me why I should recognize such a piece of legislation when it was not authored by the full governments representative of the Confederacy and the Republic. I find it completely troubling that there are no Republic officials present here. Only Jedi."

If that did not rectify itself soon, Gerion would depart.

 

[Serah Oricion]

Yusan watched this silently and his eyes studied each of those in the room with the utmost care. He had come in conjunction with @[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] but had let the Jedi speak while he remained silent and off to the side, he had wished to see the Jedi's abilities at being able to negotiate and so far he had mixed feelings. His head rested in his right hand while his left crossed across his chest while he studied them all. First there was @[member="Gerion Ardik"] whom was a former emperor and now Viceroy, a rather sufficient step down if Yusan would say, which he did in his head. Next was @[member="Vorhi Alestrani"], whom he had heard of several times before and had to say was someone that could be greatly respected for what Yusan had heard of his past in the end of things.

Joshua he knew well so that went without saying really, he was a interesting diplomat for the time and certainly one that would be nice to see even more involved in future events. @[member="Feena Mason"], @[member="Carn Dista"], and @[member="Kiskla Grayson"] he had seen before in the past but really held no observations of greatness for, though Carn there was a bit of respect for him in Yusan's mind, having seen him fight and speak. Thought this last figure Yusan did not recognize in the least and he wondered upon @[member="Calico Tal'Verda"] for a few full moments before heading Gerion's words. He would let Joshua speak first while he stood off to the side, as he did not help write the legislation so his outburst would not be completely needed but should Joshua reference him he would speak on behalf of the Chancellor and the Senate, but only if referenced.

(Cleared my being here with Joshua as i noticed that there wasnt someone representing the Senate, or Republic at all minus the Jedi thanks to Gerion's observation as well)

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh blinked at @[member="Gerion Ardik"]'s outburst before moving a bit to show Supreme Chancellor @[member="Jack Harkness"] and @[member="Yusan Fenn"], who had come with them.

"I had been asked to handle the diplomacy with y'all by the Chancellor, who IS here by the way.... Would you like me to change seats so you can see him better?" he asked curiously.