The Praetorians of Commenor

[Amelia von Sorenn]

For a moment the backdrop of the void was left untouched, stars twinkling and shimmering in the distance. The darkness and stillness of space only to be disturbed by the vessel that came tearing through the fabric of real space. Dropping from hyperspace, the large Cathedral vessel slowed as it approached its destination, its movement sluggish for a vessel its size as it stopped short, waiting quietly in the void of space.

Golden hues fell upon the world before them, the woman watching quietly as she smirked softly. Hands clasped behind her back, she kept her attention forward as she answered the soft rapping at her door.

"Enter."

The doors hissed to life, the dimly lit room inviting the individual into its confines as the woman continued to merely watch the world. Her eyes tracking the various vessels coming to and from before slowly pivoting upon her hind foot. Her attention now falling upon the individual approaching her, she held her hand out, gracefully taking the datapad given to her.

"Thank you."

"Ma'am."

The individual offered a small salute before stepping back, giving the woman her space. Looking to the datapad, she nodded to herself before looking back up.

"Please inform the Queen of Commenor that Countess Amelia Sorenn-Syrush of Alderaan is requesting an audience with her to discuss a business contract."

"Yes Ma'am."

The individual nodded before slipping from the room, leaving the woman alone once more. Looking back to the world, a small smirk crossed her lips as she waited now for the response.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was most often in one of either two places; her office in her Palace or her office in the Senate Hall . At this point it was the latter. There was still much to be done in the newly constructed Hall, as well as with the newly appointed Senate. Things weren't running as smoothly as she'd like, and that was due in part to the Senator of Yutan. But, it will work it's way out in the end, or so she hoped.

A message came across her datapad as she was working on the Senate's Charter. Kay raised a brow. "A Countess from Alderaan? What would she be wanting from us?" She didn't speak to anyone in particular, as there was no one else in the room. Her assistant Olivia was taking care of things for her at the Palace. Well, it was best to find out what the Countess needed. Kay wrote up a quick message, relaying the co-ordinates for one of the landing pads at the Hall, as well as security clearance from the orbital shield stations above them.

The message was soon sent and she headed out of her office, making her way down to greet the Countess [member="Amelia Sorenn-Syrush"] at the main entrance of the building. No doubt she wouldn't have long to wait. Two security personnel followed her, dressed in uniform as opposed to suits of armour. It gave less of an intimidating atmosphere and more of a welcoming one.

 

[Amelia von Sorenn]

The heavy doors of the hanger bay hissed as they slid open to reveal the waiting shuttle, the woman smirking softly as she stepped forward. Nearly at her heels were two others, though not members of her prestigious Sigma Praetorian, they would serve as bodyguards for the moment. Heavy footfalls rang out as her boots pressed against the boarding ramp, a nearly thunderous roar of the engines could be heard as the ramp slowly slipped shut with a hiss.

Leaning back into her seat, she closed her eyes, feeling the shuttle as it shuddered to life in the hanger bay, the heavy outer doors slowly opening before the smaller vessel slipped from its berth. The world below came into view as the shuttle slipped through space, the codes and permission to land being transmitted by the pilot to ensure that the shuttle wasn't intercepted or otherwise delayed from the meeting with the Queen of Commenor. Shaking slightly as it slipped through the atmosphere of the world, the woman's eyes shot open as she sat up in her seat.

Pulling herself up, she moved towards the cockpit, standing just within the door as they came into their final approach. Her golden hues falling upon the trio waiting at the landing pad, their appearance bringing a smirk upon her lips as she slipped into the back passenger compartment. Moving towards the boarding ramp, she motioned with her hand, the two armored individuals standing with her, each armed with a simple blaster rifle and sidearm.

"You will remain with the ship, I would hate for there to be a misunderstanding."

Each individual nodded as the boarding ramp hissed to life, slowly slipping down with a light thud. Steam billowed out from the hydrolic system, the woman stepping forward. Of course as she stepped out into the light her eyes fluttered for a moment, her hand shooting up to block her face. A soft hiss escaped her lips as the slight burn appeared, causing her to step into the shade of the shuttle.

"Your Highness."

She hissed out slightly before looking to the two armored individuals that stood at the bottom of the boarding ramp, each remaining quiet and still, though present in their duty. Bringing her golden hues back towards the woman, she offered a small smile, a hint of her fang being revealed.

"Shall we step inside?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay and her guards watched as the shuttle landed, the wind from it tosseling her hair about, but she made no move to fix it. The ramp lowered and two armoured individuals came out, which was half expected. War was in many parts of the galaxy, so it was only fitting that people came with protection. Especially a Countess.

She blinked, raising a brow as [member="Amelia Sorenn-Syrush"] stepped out and reacted in an odd way to...the sunlight, maybe? As the Countess greeted her and moved quick to the shadows. Was she burned too? "Are you...allergic to the sunlight, my Lady?" If that was the case, then waiting until sunset might of been a better choice. But instead the offer was laid out to step inside.

"Yes, we can go up to my office. I have tea brewing and some refreshments on hand. Right this way." She gestured to the door two hundred feet from the landing pad. It wasn't the main door to the Senate Hall, but she wasn't being picky. Kay turned on her heel and led the way, her two security personnel followed in behind her.

 

[Amelia von Sorenn]

A soft hiss escaped as she nodded softly, her hand coming to the portion of her chin that had burned, before motioning to her own bodyguards. Looking back towards them, she motioned towards the shuttle, one of the two nodding before slipping back up the boarding ramp. Golden hues fell upon the imposing Senate Hall, taking a moment to admire it before the woman spoke.

"It is an unfortunate allergy that my entire species shares."

She hissed slightly before looking back, a small smirk crossing her lips as the soldier returned holding a decanter in their hands. With a motion of her hand, she provided a small bow of her head, keeping her eyes upon the Queen the entire time.

"Please, after you. I do hope though that you will not be insulted if I brought my own refreshments, something needed for my species."

Amelia smiled softly, a hind of her fang being revealed once more as she stepped forward, following behind the Queen. Of course the sun was still a problem, and it seemed as though she did her best to spend as little time as possible beneath its oppression. She stuck to the shade where she could to keep herself from it, though with each touch upon her skin a soft hiss escaped as she held back the pain, only feeling the relief as she stepped into the corridor of the Senate Hall. Turning to her bodyguard, she carefully took the decanter in her hands, motioning with a nod to send the individual back.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow. An entire species allergic to the sun? How strange. They must come from a very dark place. It was impossible to know every species in the Galaxy, so it wasn't surprising that she didn't know.

She kept to the shadow side as much as she could, before stepping inside the Senate Hall. "It's fine if you have your own. Not everyone is trusting to take what's offered from strangers, so it doesn't bother me." There weren't many windows, most of them were in pockets throught the hallways, as well as in the offices and quarters of those that live and work there.

Kay led [member="Amelia Sorenn-Syrush"] over to her own office, one guard walking in with her, while the other remained out in the hall. She turned the lights on a bit brighter before walking over to the windows and closing the shutters. "There, that should be more comfortable for you." She then poured herself some tea and sat down in one of the chairs, cradling the cup in her hands. "Come and sit. To what do I owe the honour of this visit, my Lady?"

 

[Amelia von Sorenn]

Holding the decanter in her hands, she was glad to be out of the sun once they stepped into the long hall. Still though she seemed to avoid any beams of sunlight that she could before stopping at the door of the woman's office. Watching as she closed the shutters upon the window, she stepped forward, and while not too happy with the brighter lights, it was still bearable compared to the alternative. Offering a small smile, she took the liberty of finding a glass for herself, setting it down next to the decanter on the table.

Taking a seat, she carefully poured the sanguine liquid from the decanter, setting it down before holding up her own glass and offering a small nod. Taking a sip, she smiled and released a content sigh before setting the glass down.

"Yes, to business."

Amelia said with a slight smile, her hands coming up to pull the helm she wore off and set it upon the table. Her raven locks cascading down over her shoulders, and as she looked up to her hostess, the burn upon her chin began to slowly heal. Lifting her glass again, she took another sip, enjoying the liquid as she closed her eyes for a moment. Soon enough it was almost difficult to tell that there had even been a burn there, no scar or mark left upon her chin as her golden hues fluttered open and settled upon the queen.

Pulling out a small holoprojector, she set it down and activated it, two images showing, one set of ceremonial armor, the other battle armor.

"These are the Sorenn-Syrush Industries Praetorian Guard Ceremonial Armor and Praetorian Guard Battle Armor."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay sipped her tea, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly as [member="Amelia Sorenn-Syrush"] seemed to have healed herself. Either it was a trait from whatever species she was, or she was a Force User, or that it was from whatever the Countess was drinking. Regardless, it wasn't a bad thing to be able to do.

Her attention then turned to the holoprojector and the images that were put on display. She leaned forward a bit to study them more closely. "Impressive. That ceremonial helm though...how tall is it?" She wasn't sure if she had a lot of indoor space with high enough ceilings for them. But that all depended on how high they were.

 

[Amelia von Sorenn]

A gauntlet covered hand slipped across her chin, the sting of a burn no longer felt as she offered a small smile. Setting her glass down, she carefully unplugged the decanter before pouring more of the sanguine liquid into the glass before her. Leaning forward as she set the decanter down, her eyes fell upon the holoimage, noticing that the helmets had been rather liberally constructed.

"Each Ceremonial Helm on average is nearly 0.36 meters tall, just a little over a foot tall. Of course the helm can be designed to better suit the needs and aesthetics of the purchases as needed, that is merely the standard design."

Amelia spoke simply as she leaned back into her seat lightly, leaving the images to continue to slowly spin to show off the entirety of each suit. They were the pride of the company, some of their best work and she felt the quality of each would speak for themselves.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay's eyes didn't really leave the holoimages, her mind pondering over various ideas. "Perhaps a little bit smaller, maybe by half would be better. Some of my guards are rather tall. And what about colours? Could we put in the Commenori colours of grey and blue?"

She sipped her tea, looking at the images of the battle armour, pointing them out. "Some of these would be good. With more worlds wanting to join us, some don't quite have forces of their own, let alone armour to suit them with. What are their restrictions?"

Kay wanted the Commenor Systems Alliance to have it's own seperate force outaide of what each sovereign world had. But not all Senators were on board with that idea just yet.

[member="Amelia Sorenn-Syrush"]

 

[Amelia von Sorenn]

Amelia nodded quietly as she motioned with a hand, her attention upon the Ceremonial armor. As the image continued to rotate, her focus moved from the image back to the Queen as the question was poised. Of course it was a simple enough fix that could happen during the initial fabrication of the armor to fulfill her requested order.

"Each armor is capable of being modified to a limited extent, such modification includes the addition of colors, rank and unit insignia as you see fit. It would be of no problem or additional cost to have them colored to your needs. Likewise, the helms themselves can be altered to your specifications."

Turning her attention towards the battle armor, a small smirk crossed her lips.

"Their primary restrictions for the Battle Armor is cost and production. We would be able to produce a limit Commenor run, however it would amount to equipping no more than a Brigade of 3,000 individuals. They do have a weakness however, as testing has shown that heavy calibur slugs from slugthrowers tear through them with ease."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded as [member="Amelia Sorenn-Syrush"] made her well aware of the modifications that could be done to the ceremonial armour. "Wonderful. I am rather fond of companies that are flexible enough in their products to cater to the needs of the client. I think that a couple of dozen will do. The modifications can be layed out in the contract."

She sipped her tea as she turned her attention to the battle armour, again listening to the Countess reveal the restrictions of them. Luckily for Kay, Commenor had no enemies and no war yet, so protection from such weaponry like slugthrowers weren't a requirement. "I think that a thousand of the battle armours will do for now. I'll have to speak with my Minister of Defence, General Santiago first before I order any more. His knowledge far exceeds my own when it comes to what is required of Commenor's forces." Kay always went for the lesser amount, just in case Santiago didn't approve. His glares were bad enough when he was in a good mood. The last thing that she needed was a lecture.

 

[Amelia von Sorenn]

Amelia nodded in return as she set her glass down, her hand reaching into a pouch on her belt as she produced a datapad from the leather confines. Pulling it free, she lightly tapped her nimble fingers upon the screen, watching it come to life as she listened to the Queen before her. Another nod was followed by her attention falling upon the screen, making a note as to the order of the ceremonial armor. Leaning back, she crossed one leg over the other, her hand resting upon her knee while the datapad rest against her thigh.

"It is always sensible to find council in those around you."

She mentioned before her fingers slipped over the screen. A small smirk crossed her lips as she let out a soft sigh before setting the datapad down, showing the woman the exact list of what she had ordered. With a push of the button an additional piece shown upon the list. Pulling out an additional holoprojector and setting it upon the table, it began to show the images of a set of light armor.

"As a show of thanks, I've included a limited run of Hadur Light Armor for Commenor, free of charge. Test it, if you feel it would suit your purposes we can always talk over an additional contract. If not, please keep them as a gift."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded in agreement about seeking council. She didn't have any advisors, but she did have her Ministers. And then there was the Senate that she led on her own. It was trying at times, but somehow she was managing.

She blinked as [member="Amelia Sorenn-Syrush"] brought up another holoimage of yet another type of armour. It was far more simple than the others. Kay studied the image in between looking at the contract at hand. "Oh. Well thank you. We'll certaintly give them a try." Maybe they could be used for training purposes, or for some exciting theatre shows in the drama department of Commenor's University. They always put on the most entertaining stage shows that she had ever seen and that's without being biased.

Kay handed back the datapad and then sipped her tea. "It all looks good and if I may be so bold to ask, what is your species? And where does it hail from?"

 

[Amelia von Sorenn]

With a silent nod and a gentle hold, she reclaimed the datapad as it was placed into her hand. Looking over it for a moment before a small smirk crossed her lip, her fang revealed from it due to the question. Setting the datapad down for a moment, she looked up at the Queen. Her golden hues falling upon her as she carefully lift her glass up and took a small sip, permitting the sanguine liquid to dance across her lip for a moment.

"In common parlance your species would call mine Vampire. The monsters in the dark. Xenologist call our species 'Sanguinius Vampirika', though my kind merely refer to our own as 'The People' "

Amelia took another sip from her glass before setting it down, her hand moving to the decanter as she pulled out the stopper. The crystal of the vessel still cool to the touch as she carefully poured more of the liquid into her glass.

"And this is not wine."

She said before setting the stopper back into its place and lifting up the glass. Looking back to the datapad for a moment, she smiled.

"I take it that the contract is agreeable then?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay visibly stiffened a little at the mention of Vampire, though she had tried to hide it. Her late husband was killed by such a being over 15 years ago, one that was also a Sith Lord. He was old, very old and extremely powerful, able to change his form and voice to pretend to be anyone that he wanted. And to hear that there were more like him? Well, that didn't make her feel comfortable. There were so many questions that she had, yet she didn't really want to know the answers, just in case they revealed what she didn't want to hear.

She had a sip of her tea, wanting to focus on the comfort that the drink always gave her, always enveloping her like a warm hug. Afterwards she nodded in regards to the contract. "Yes, the contract is quite agreeable thank you. I'm sure that we'll be in touch." Kay had to remain polite. Her products seemed really good, so she didn't want to let her personal history get in the way of progress.

[member="Amelia Sorenn-Syrush"]

 

[Amelia von Sorenn]

Amelia, the ever observant, merely offered a simple nod as she took a sip from her own glass. Carefully rising as she finished the liquid within its confines before setting the glass down. Reaching into her pouch she pulled out a small capsule, dropping it into the glass after snapping it open. She slowly swirled it around, giving the contents time to break down the sanguine liquid that had been in the glass.

"It's a cleaning solution. A bit of scrubbing and a good rinse is all that should be needed."

Carefully she retrieved her various other items, setting the away as they were shut off before she looked to the queen. Offering a small smile, she gave a silent nod before carefully lifting up the decanter.

"I would hate that a previous run in with something claiming to be of my kind would sour any possible relationship. After all, we are not all alike, just as all Humans are not alike."

Amelia offered another small smile, this time a hint of her fang being revealed as she held the decanter closer, making sure that it was cradled in her left arm.

"It was a pleasure your highness."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded as she watched [member="Amelia Sorenn-Syrush"] clean the glass with some sort of liquid inside of a capsule. As to her sentiments of not allowing one individual to stand for an entire race, she had to agree. But how did Amelia know what she was thinking? More than likely it was through experience. "One person does not represent a whole. I understand that. If anything, meeting more can only help to paint a broader picture with a better understanding."

Kay got to her feet to see her out. "Thank you very much. Next time, we'll arrange for you to come by at night, so it'll be more comfortable for you. Until then, safe journey home."