The elders are dead, long live the queen!

[Klesta]

Yula is back from yet another botched sortie in Void Station and she seemed a little disturbed by this turn of events: she was denied twice the chance to fight Sith in space. She still feels that she has something to prove in several warfare-related areas. And to think that she betrayed the Sith Order because of disagreements about the conduct of warfare! While her story on the shortcomings of the Sith Order on Midvinter was, in general, well-received in Commonwealth-land and, more generally, outside the Stygian Caldera and the Pacanth Reach, it was run alongside the special dossier where interviews were conducted with combatants on both sides. Perhaps this new lead on Commenor would prove interesting. Before she began her Sith training, she read a newspaper article on how Commenor was run as a system with a president at its head; now Commenor is a monarchy. She now proceeds to write a holomessage to the Queen of Commenor:

-----------------------------

ATTN: Her Majesty [member="Lady Kay"]

I would like to conduct an interview about the death of the Commenori elders and the transition of power between systems. Please let me know what works for you, between an in-person meeting and a Holonet interview.

Best wishes,
Yula Knezevic
Sith Inquisitor

-----------------------------

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow as the message from [member="Yula Knezevic"] arrived in her holo-mail. Since her return, she had spent much of her time focusing on Commenor, getting it's affairs in order after her transition in power, as well as working on gaining new allies. So the goings on with the rest of the Galaxy wasn't exactly on the top of her mind. In essence, she was really, really out of the loop.

First off; she had no idea that there was a new Sith Order. Ever since the collapse of the One Sith, Commenor had once again enjoyed the comforts of neutrality. There was no threat of war, only faraway rumours. And although some Sith have come to gain her as an ally, some were on a personal level while others were just to ally the planets for the benefits of trade.

Secondly; an invasion of Midvinter wasn't something that she was aware of. And from what the message reads, it had failed. So it seems as though the same mistakes were repeating, if in fact the same people were involved. Some people just never learn.

And lastly; Sith Inquisitor? Was it a holo-magazine, or was it Yula's position among the Sith? Whichever it was, she had to maintain her secrets at all costs. And depending on Yula's experience, that might be hard to do. But Kay would do her best as always.

She quickly typed up a reply:

~To Yula Knezevic,

The death of the Elders came as quite a surprise to all of us. You are welcome to the Palace in Chasin City. But should the travel be too great, then a holonet interview will suffice.

Thank you for your interest.

Queen Kay
Royal Palace
Commenor~

 

[Klesta]

[member="Lady Kay"] didn't suspect that, in fact, Yula betrayed the Sith Order over disagreements on military doctrine and protocol. She attributed the failure of the Midvinter invasion to serious deficiencies in ground protocol, whereby all they did was to just deploy Graug infantry. Sure they may have massacred some Valkyri settlements, sure they caused destruction, but Graug infantry armed with primitive weapons are grossly ineffective against the Rangers and the Silver Army. And... attack craft! Their fighters aren't up to snuff, and neither were the pilots. She was driven mad when all the evidence points at various areas of deficiency. And how they made some operation to deface a planet look like an invasion. Nevertheless she still had to grant them that, for all the deficiencies in their invasion protocol, they did amount to something. Still the very same monsters who make some operations look like invasions even when their objectives aren't those of an actual invasion. But Yula had to snap out of it and prepare to go to the royal palace in Chasin City on Commenor. May as well use the Neimoidian Yacht and pilot one of those things...

--------------------------------------

ATTN: Her Majesty Lady Kay

I believe it is best to go in person and get an audience to this end.

Best wishes,
Yula Knezevic
Owner, Sith Inquisitor

--------------------------------------

 

[Kay-Larr]

So she was going to have a guest. And a journalist, no doubt. That didn't happen often, but it wasn't unwelcome. An article such as this might help to get the Loyalists to reconsider going against her. Unless of course they had believed it to all be lies, then that was another matter entirely.

Kay whipped up a reply:

~To [member="Yula Knezevic"] ,

I look forward to your visit.

Queen Kay
Royal Palace
Commenor~

The reply was sent. Who knows how long it would take the woman to arrive. But no doubt she would be informed before she came to the Palace. In the meantime, she went about her usual routine. Leave it up to her staff to get things prepared for the interview.

 

[Klesta]

"All right, Daisy, we're going to Commenor"

"Any reason why I should be going with you? You seem better at close-quarters combat than I am"

"I'm not going to the royal palace alone: ladies shouldn't be out by themselves, especially since we're going to arrive to the royal palace by night. Oh and this has nothing to do with military business but with intelligence, so while you can wear the dress uniform in the cockpit, you might want to wear a formal dress"

"Roger, roger"

Daisy was someone whose skill with explosives was much better than Yula's. And her next big project would be to outfit magnetic signature guidance system with ECCM on it in a concussion missile; usually ordnance that could track a target's magnetic signature (or, as would she would herself say, an electromagnetic signature), would not have ECCM. Sith Hunter Squadron was a squadron that usually followed Commonwealth protocol; following protocol, they would arrive in Chasin City at night. Yula was a royal guest, and proper protocol would dictate that she would announce her arrival to [member="Lady Kay"]'s servants before the actual interview began. True, Yula was a little intimidated, but she had to contain her emotions if she has to have any shred of success as a Sith. But they got dressed so that they could actually have elegant clothing that would actually fit a function at a royal palace more than a military ceremony. And just in time for reversion. The landing sequence was a formality to be done and over with, and she used Drain Knowledge to get some information on Commenor out of some unsuspecting beggar, who got about 20 credits for his troubles, after being used Drain Knowledge on. And then she would arrive at the royal palace by mid-evening. The two of them arrived in front of the royal palace, where they are greeted by the valet:

"State your name and your business"

"I'm Yula Knezevic, from the Sith Inquisitor newspaper, I have an interview with Her Majesty about recent events on Commenor"

 

[Kay-Larr]

The Palace security spoke through the various channels to confirm [member="Yula Knezevic"] 's credentials. It took about a minute, their every movement watched and scrutinized until clearance was given. "An interview, huh? It better be a good one." He ushered them inside.

One of Kay's staff, a woman in mid-life that seemed to enjoy the occasional snack, was arriving down the hall to greet them. She raised a brow at how formal the two were dressed, almost as though they were going to a ball or were of Royal blood. Either way, it wasn't for her to say anything. "Right this way, ladies."

The two were brought down the hall to Kay's office. It was full of dark woods, comfy chairs, a fireplace, desk, spiral staircase, and a coffeetable whereupon tea was prepared. Kay was seated in one of the chairs in a black dress. It wasn't too fancy or heavy, but it was beautifully laced with silver. Her hair was drawn up in a bun, decorated with more silver, and there were contacts in her eyes to keep the yellow speckles from being seen. Her Force signature was also shrunk down to that of a small tree nut. It was her most closely guarded secret afterall. "Miss Yula Knevevic and her assistant to see you, My Queen."

"Thank you, Olivia, that'll be all." Kay looked at the two, studying them, their posture, but kept a polite smile. "Thank you for coming. Have a seat and help yourselves to some tea."

 

[Klesta]

"Well met, Your Majesty. It is a honor for me to be interviewing you today"

It is obvious that Daisy is a lot fatter than Yula was. Regardless, it was not going to detract [member="Lady Kay"] from the main business she went here for. All that she knew about Lady Kay's relationship to the power in place on Commenor was that she was elected by a landslide before the current situation happened. It would not make any sense for me to be questioning about the deaths of the Elders and how their deaths took the population by surprise without first knowing their role in Commenori government, she thought. Once their role is clear, then she can ask about how they died, and how their deaths had anything to do with how Commenor became a monarchy, and what kind of monarchy (constitutional or absolute; Naboo was a good example of a constitutional monarchy although it was almost seen as more of a presidential system than a monarchy). Plus she would not expect their readers to be familiar with Commenori power systems either, so naturally her first question was going to be on the Elders, their role and how they are appointed or elected.

"Please excuse me, but I am not familiar with how the Elders fit within Commenori institutions when they lived. Please, tell me about the role of the elders and how they came to be in office"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Olivia left the trio alone, although the door to the office remained open.

Kay poured herself some tea and sat back in her chair, taking a sip before cradling the cup in her lap. She raised a brow at [member="Yula Knezevic"] 's first inquiry. The Elders? How much of that event was known outside of Commenor? The woman in front of her hadn't been the first to ask about it as of late. More than likely she wouldn't be the last either. Kay made a note to adjust her strategy a little in the future.

She kept herself well composed while she spoke. "No one really knew how old the Elders were, but they helped to create this city a long time ago. Some speculate that they were around back in the days of the old Empire. But we never really knew for sure. Now we'll never know....They were the guardians of Commenor. They approved the candidates running in the elections. They stayed hidden from the public, but were always aware of what was happening. Perhaps they were Force Sensitives. I don't know. But that could explain their longetivity."

 

[Klesta]

"That seems to suggest that the Elders were some sort of check in the electoral system, or even in the power structure at large"

Much like in some constitutional monarchies, where the judiciary was to act as a check against the abuses of power of the legislature or the executive (provided the proper petitions) but was only effective as such so long as there was a clear separation of power. Now she may begin to interrogate about the deaths of the Elders: perhaps their roles had a connection with their deaths or the intrigues at the top of the power pyramid. But if they were hidden from the public, the public opinion was harder to gauge than that of any of the visibile branches of government. Usually in democracies, the leadership lives as if there was less and less privacy the higher someone is in the power structure, especially among the topmost rungs of the executive. Like [member="Lady Kay"]. Any question about the changes in the government system that resulted in the president becoming a queen will have to wait until later: I suspect that the death of the Elders may be related, she thought.

"The death of the Elders: any unusual circumstances surrounding their deaths? And how did their deaths come as a surprise among the population, if they were hidden from the population? I mean, it's entirely possible that the population lost confidence in the Elders or in their government at the time and decided to assault them in an attempt to enact change"

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Yes. Should the Elders not approve of the work of those in power, they called another election."

She had another sip of her tea. Unsure of how to answer the next set of questions. For her, what had happened wasn't so outlandish, but she knew details, even bits about the Elders that others didn't know. All the past Presidents had such access.

"The Elders would be viewed by everyone through holo-broadcasts when they chose. But only a select few knew their whereabouts. Other than....my kidnapping...nothing strange had happened. When I came back, I had to see them first so that they would know, but they died within minutes. I was beside myself with what to do. They told me that Commenor was mine, but I didn't want to be like them and hide from everyone. I will protect them all while being out in the open."

[member="Yula Knezevic"]

 

[Klesta]

"There seems to be a controversial event that happened a while before the elders died: your kidnapping. Any idea who kidnapped you?"

Rumors placed the Sith Order as responsible for the kidnapping of [member="Lady Kay"]. Then again, any knowledge she might have gained of her kidnapping up to this point was to do with her having previously used Drain Knowledge on a beggar to get as much information as she could. Of course, he was compensated for his troubles. Already the Sith Order has an extensive track record of atrocities. Even if they didn't somehow frame Midvinter as an invasion, the operational aspect of it was definitely planned, and executed, much like an invasion: as a faction they are monsters who only live for such things, she thought. Yula wasn't the best with Drain Knowledge but you wouldn't expect your average beggar to be a Force-user. Meanwhile, Daisy was a little disturbed by the sort of questions Yula were asking the Queen: once she obtained her information about the Elders, their deaths and the kidnapping, she could then move on to the transition from a presidential system to a monarchy.

"Do you believe the deaths of the Elders were somehow related to your kidnapping, or captors?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow at [member="Yula Knezevic"] and her statement. Her kidnapping was a controversial event?? What in the Force happened while she was away? Did some people think that she wasn't kidnapped at all, but ran away somewhere? How absurd.

"Controversial? Is that what people are calling it?...Unbelievable..."

She sipped her tea, completely bypassing the first question and answering the second one instead. "I don't know if their deaths were related or not. The Elders were very close. They finished eachother's sentences. That would creep a lot of people out, but I got used to it. I never had any problems with them. They were my guides, my advisors, the ones that I could go to when I couldn't solve a problem on my own. But now that's gone." Their final words were a warning to her. Kay wondered if they had foreseen something that her Master didn't. Worry began to tug at her.

 

[Klesta]

"What made the kidnapping controversial is because some people claim not so much that you simply ran away somewhere, but that the kidnapping may well have served the interest of your captors, if your captors were actually rebels or some external enemy of Commenor. But enough of your kidnapping or the death of the Elders"

As is often suspected when high-profile politicians are kidnapped, she thought. Then again, she knew that some Sith in political offices may have planned coups by staging their kidnapping, blaming it on their opposition and then hunt down said opposition before being released. She could sense that [member="Lady Kay"] had enough of being questioned on the Elders and their deaths. Back on Nubia, Yula was always one that excelled in social science, including civics and history, and was on the honors track every step of the way in school; she realizes by now that it was useful in journalism. Absolute vs. constitutional monarchy were one of the topics that were a little blurry to her: in a constitutional monarchy, the head of state has little real power; most of it is delegated to other people (in most cases, at least part of the power brokers are elected). In an absolute monarchy, the head of state has much more actual power, although it may or may not hold all of it in practice.

"Now, for the power transition: is Commenor now regarded as an absolute monarchy or as a constitutional monarchy?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Whatever reasons were behind my kidnapping, they hadn't been revealed to me yet."

And that was the truth. She had no real idea why it had been done. If it was to have Commenor under their control, then it wasn't going to work. Not long after she had returned, her Master left her alone. No instructions, no direction, nothing. Rumours were that he had 'collected' more apprentices, probably in the same way. Perhaps her worth had depleted once she was brought back. It was difficult to say. But it certainly wasn't the first time in her life that she would be abandoned by someone. Nor would it be the last.

Kay looked to [member="Yula Knezevic"] as she regarded her next question "Commenor is now an absolute monarchy. That could change in the future, but for now, this is the way that things will be."

 

[Klesta]

"How did that transition from a presidential system to absolute monarchy affect the perception of the population about government?"

One would think that keeping quiet about the motives behind the kidnapping would mean that it may actually have little to do with governance, and they may not even have left instructions either, in which case the captors have no political motivation: kidnappers that would seek to make their victims puppet rulers would leave instructions upon release, one way or another. Also, if political disengagement or discontent ran high, perhaps this new mode of governance could make the population... less bitter, but not entirely contented; I know that it is impossible to satisfy everyone beyond a pretty small scale, she thought. She knew that political apathy could undermine democracies to the point that several types of regimes that require little, if any, input from the population, may end up being perceived as better than a democracy. But was that the case here? Clearly Yula seemed to be pretty well-versed in political sciences for a starfighter squadron commander, and she knew that one's understanding of history - and journalism - needs to be grounded in a few other areas of social sciences: economics, sociology, political sciences, Without at least a basic understanding of those, one's ability to cover current events is limited, and she knew it; probably [member="Lady Kay"] did also.

"That is, are there issues that the population would feel would be more satisfactorily addressed under the current regime? Alternatively, did the population voice concerns about that shift in governance?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay shrugged her shoulders a little. "There will always be those that are unhappy, no matter what decision is made. There was a small fraction of the population that didn't approve of my becoming President at all. So any discontent is normal."

She had another sip of her tea. It is near impossible to make everyone happy. There would always be those that stir up trouble. Kay knew that first hand from past experiences.

"Only those that are visitors to Commenor have expressed their issues with what has happened. Though there hasn't been a lot of changes. But the changes made were done with the future in mind. Not the present."

[member="Yula Knezevic"]

 

[Klesta]

Daisy chuckled, while Yula tried harder to understand what was at hand. So Commenor's population was perhaps a little distant from politics, if there was no real change in overall discontent as lived from the inside aside from some shifts in the details... They both knew that, in democracies, low-information voters were common and often tend to either be fixed in feelings regardless of the decision made (happy or unhappy), to be, on the contrary, fickle in their opinions or to be interested in a single issue or a restricted set of issues. And yet [member="Lady Kay"] wasn't a populist by any stretch; populism was often characterized by a decision-making process more oriented towards addressing the population's immediate or short-term needs, or less scrupulously by using distraction tactics. Clearly Daisy feels out of the loop: she had an exemplary service record in the more groundside part of operating starfighter squadrons, and never seemed to have any kind of vested interest in the inner workings of politics or journalism.

"You said that the changes were made with a long-term vision behind them, so what are the long-term goals that are sought by implementing those changes being enacted?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked at Daisy's checkle and at [member="Yula Knezevic"] 's question. She sipped her tea and thought of what kind of answer that she could give. There was so many different avenues that she could take, including not giving an answer at all. But that wouldn't serve her purpose right now.

"A prosperous Commenor, of course. One where our economy is still strong and our planet unthreatened. Maintaining our neutrality helps to ensure that. It isn't foolproof mind you, but it certainly helps."

 

[Klesta]

It was obvious to Yula that no long-term political master plan was foolproof. All right, she would have to cross-reference local media outlets as to more details pertaining to these changes. Oh, of course, she would have to be careful not to cite her sources, which was in stark contrast to the schoolwork she had to do back on Nubia before she dropped out of it, where points would be taken off for incorrect formatting of citations. Yet, in journalism, she knew that form was just as important as the content, if not more so. At the same time, she knew that any in-depth discussion of changes would be taking up more of [member="Lady Kay"]'s time than Yula wished to take, or was allotted, so she had to take to other sources to get to the bottom of the story. While the change in regime was newsworthy, she wasn't necessarily one to cover live news: someone else had to do the work back on Midvinter. That was one tricky part of the work as she understood it.

"Were there any significant chnages in the population's civic rights in the wake of those reforms or these reforms are more of an economic or diplomatic nature?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay just blinked. Significant changes to civic rights? Sure she took out the role of President, leaving one less election for the Commenori to vote in, but there were still Mayors for the different cities and towns that needed to be elected. And if [member="Yula Knezevic"] and Daisy looked around, they wouldn't exactly see an oppressed population.

"They are more diplomatic and economic. The Commenori are still free to come and go, work and learn, or join our military. Crime is deterred and our industries are growing."