There was no word

[King Iedolas Solidor]

Built with tall towers, a palace that has its inner walls in colors that varies from black and red metal and stones. The building is built with a pale look. Huge, with great banners of the noble houses of old that ruled the planet for many years, the palace has huge black doors that take to a gran courtyard, where practice of weapons is often seen. The great stairs in the yard lead directly to the Great Hall where lies the Sun Throne, made of crystal, both fragile and royal. The palace glows with the light of its own shield that guards the seat of power in all the capital, deep within the palace lies the Sun Throne, where the Kings of Kaikielius of old, and now the Primarchs of the Interstellar Protectorate stay.


Audiences with the other Nine Houses was always a boring thing. Although they never came out their castles in the ring cities, Iedolas had a disliking about having to discuss every single matter with them first. They respected his authority, but money was always a horrible thought among the Dukes of Houses Juoni and Tyrell, always greedy elzeris thinking about their own pockets instead of the long term profits.

He had but one more meeting that day. A noble that once served as the Archmage of the Magisterium for more then fifty years, serving as one of the brightest scholars and tutors the order has ever had, the heir of a Great House in his own planet, now, by the birthright laws of his people, the apparent heir to the throne of his planet. A possible ally, one that he should deal with extreme caution.

In his personal opinion, he had no problem with the Dark Jedi and the Magi, but Roman Cadriaan was a man of great knowledge, cautious and that knew how to spare a life out of pity, instead of taking it in the name of justice itself.

“Send him in.”, Iedolas said in a harsh tone of voice to his personal intendant.

 

[Roman Cadriaan]

[SIZE=9pt]It wasn't his first time in Kaikielius, he had visited several times the old capital of the planet when he was a young man hungry for knowledge and then again as a Archmage of the Magisterium, guiding the Magis of the local Circle. Despite this, it was his first time visiting the great and old Palace. Back in Achillea, the palace was not so beautiful or old, but preparations would be made to expande de palace when he’s back with support. The first display of power and wealth.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]He was supposed to meet with Primarch Iedolas, the Head of the Interstellar Protectorate. Roman really believed that a alliance with the Protectorate would bring great wealth, culture and knowledge to the Cadriaan Provinces, and a more close and intense trade with the other houses would be good for the economic of the Provinces.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]When his name was called, Roman followed the two guards who escorted him to the doors of the throne room, where a young man awaited him and guided him inside the room.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]It was a very impressive room, just like the rest of the palace. Primarch Iedolas was in his great throne. He was a very old man, but Roman could see the in his eyes that he was a good ruler, but most important, a force sensitive. The weak aura around the man made Roman realized that the Primarch was not trained in the ways of the force. [/SIZE]Roman walked until he was close to the throne, and made a simples reverence that was only a signal of respect. He would not curve, since he was a Duke by right. In his hands, Roman carried a large book that would sense right for everyone connected with the force. A book so infused with power that would eclipse the mind of those unprepared who tried to read it.

[SIZE=9pt]“Primarch Iedolas.”[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] He said with his low voice, while his eyes stared the ground. His [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]connection [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]to the force gave him many powers, but not even the force could do something about his social skills. On his shoulder, a small bird watched everything with great interest.[/SIZE]

 

[King Iedolas Solidor]

As the man walked inside the throne room, Iedolas keep his eyes set on him. His face, dared not show any expression easy for others to read, his mind was always shrouded for other force users not to read his intentions, something he learned a long time ago so he could survive the ‘game of politics’ that was to live as a Noble in that part of the galaxy.

Long he had relations with the Cadriaans of Achilla, as he still remembered Duke Zog Cadriaan, his great grandfather, a human that married a elzeri for her beauty and fortune. He embraced the immigrant elzeri in Achilla, expanding their influence, adhering to their faith and customs, as such, that Roman became part of the Enclave when a infant, even achieving the respectful position of Archmage.

He left that one, recently, after his father, Tioberius, passed away in Achilla. Thus making him Duke of House Cadriaan and rightful ruler of Achilla, if it wasn’t for the Small Council from his homeworld. That denied him the right of ruling, because they were aspiring to achieve a democracy, or even become like Kaikielius or Naboo, and electing their queens and kings. In his opinion, those were just excuses for the ambitions one had in this game, the game of the thrones, ‘Lords from small houses with great ambition and status’, he thought about it, after all, the young Duke had no charisma and leadership skills that made him appealing for that. Slowly raising his hand to show that Roman had no need to bow any further.

“Duke Roman. A pleasure to have you in Enfer.”, as Iedolas knew, that was a opportunity, the boy elf was rich, really rich, but had no army, no great force to help him take half the Council out of their miserable existences and claim his throne. If he could make him join the Protectorate, then that would be the beginning of his fame among the other planets of the Inner Rim. “I believe your situation can be one that we can work a pleasurable solution.”

[member="Duke Roman Cadriaan"]

 

[Roman Cadriaan]

He was never meant for this kind of thing, Roman hated the politic games, he hated talk to people that he doesn't know. But what could he do? Achillea was his family legacy, since the first colonization attempt it was the Cadriaan house who rule the world. The Cadriaan house who ruled the system. The Cadriaan house who made the Cadriaan Provinces get rich. Always the Cadriaan house, and now they paid this with betrayal.

Roman looked to the Primarch again, he was indeed a very strong man in every sense of the word, and Roman couldn't stop thinking to himself that he was nothing like that, only a scared cat with only the his connection to the force back him up.

“The… pleasure is mine, yes. “ He said, looking to the floor again. He never could keep eye contact with other for long. He knew he was being used, but what can he do about it? There was no other way to press his claims, he had no support. “I am thankful for your assistance on this matter. What… what do you have in mind?” The small bird left his shoulder and disappeared inside one of the doors.

[member="Primarch Iedolas"]

 

[King Iedolas Solidor]

For a man that once belonged to the highest position in the Magisterium, Roman Cadriaan was quite something. In his life, Iedolas had met seven who held the position, eight if he was to count current Archmage Madylina Isurius, a elzeri strong in the Force, with that beautiful white hair and eyes that reminded him of a deep abyss. And he met, Archmage Qartojai the Kaleesh, cruel and tough as a bone. But this one, Roman, had the capacity of interaction with other sentients like a little child.

Fast to make assumptions, easy to turn away his eyes. Those were not signs of weakness, he knew that, those were the signs of someone not able to see the world around him beyond the pages of his books. In his blue eyes, Iedolas would seem a common king, one that held great power and authority, one that would have gotten over his head, but he knew that was not the case.

In the Force he was hidden, the Art of Small made him little more than sensitive, a small thing with a great last name. Once, he was the second son of his father, King Primus IV, and roamed the galaxy in search of adventures, knowledge, power and more. The Force was but means to an end, one that studied under the glare of deceased Jedi Masters and Sith Lords of old.

“Despair not, my equal, for you are among friend.”, he said, in that calm tone of voice he had, one that came naturally to him, “For what was taken, shall be restored.”, he had no need to say that Roman had to join the Protectorate for that deed, and that he would take a seat in the Sanctum, according to his position. “I believe proper negotiations shall take place. That Inner Council is nothing more than the product of human ambition, money shall be the currency for that deal.”, lying was also easy to him, for his allies, friends, servants and children. A master of lies, would be more precise to say, he have could claimed as a title for his youth.

“The Sanctum agrees with me. As they also believe your lordship has great interest in joining the Protectorate to ensure our mutual friendship.”, a moment took place after that, “A proper deal must be signed, I’m afraid, politics to guarantee ours and yours support.”, calmly he took his hand next to his chin, “Also, a grand ball is coming up.”

[member="Duke Roman Cadriaan"]

 

[Roman Cadriaan]

Roman could already feel the eyes of the old man judging him. He couldn't care less about what other people think of him, the only thing that matters was the force and the knowledge that the vast universe had to offer. And of course, the legacy of his family. A legacy that he would not seen broken and shattered to pieces.

“Deal?” Roman For the first time Roman look the man in the eyes without hesitation. His voice was not shaking anymore, it was pure and cold indifference. “The only currency of this negotiation shall be the blood of my enemies.” Roman didn't want to start his rulership with war, but there will be no forgiveness for traitors. “Do your deals with them, get them to surrender... but make no mistake, they will die.”

Right now he could think of several ways to kill slowly each one of the members of the Privy Council, the thought made him smile a little, he was not good at hiding his true emotions, and he also didn't care to try. Those man who usurped him started a civil war on his planet, forcing his people to kill themselves for the ambitions of a few. Unforgivable.

“A Ball?” Roman raised one of his eyebrows to the Primarch, was he really asking him of all people to go to a ball? He would rather die a painful death than go to the torture of having to attend to something so meaningless as a ball, when he had the Book of Many in his own hands ready to be explored. “Hm… i think i have other business that need my attention…” Damned be the universe, he just join this Protectorate and was already being required to participate in balls, when all he wanted was to lock himself in his tower and lost himself to the studies of the force, or teach what he learned in his travels to his younglings and apprentices that he leave behind on Achillea when he abdicated the title of Archmage. But now, just as when he was the head of the Magi, he had his responsibilities and needed to deal with them. The quicker the better.

“Everything shall be signed, of course.” He said with his voice lower than before, but more confident now.

[member="Primarch Iedolas"]

 

[King Iedolas Solidor]

For a male that used to follow a neutral code of how to view the Force, Roman sure sounded a lot more aggressive than he expected. Probably due to having his planet surrounded by a civil war, or something similar, Iedolas couldn’t possibly say a thing about it, after all, he didn’t knew Achillea that well to even care about the people. He did cared about the prospects of getting his hands in the resources and Dashades that lived in that planet, ‘What a place for elzeri and miralukan to live…’, a planet with so many species used to waging war among themselves, now the centuries of peace brought the old ways back into the peaceful lives they lived, although he had heard that were the humans that took control of the planet and the rebels were but a few human minority still trying to fight the xenophobic thoughts imposed by them.

“Our enemies, Your Grace.”, Iedolas calmly said, for Achillea was 'unofficially" already part of the Protectorate, at least that was the deal. Slowly standing up from the Suncryst Throne, a heirloom of his people. Now up, he could feel his body already tired of this conversation, it was tiresome to deal with other members of nobility, nothing like the outlaws he was seeing the past few days. “Peace is a precious thing and is best to try deal with things this way instead of rushing for conclusions.”, he had every faith that his proposal was going to be rejected by the Inner Council, that way he would have reason to deliver the hand of justice in Achillea, or at least allow his new subjects to have some fun.

“Do not worry. Soon Achillea will be back in your grasp.”, he said walking side to side with Roman to the window, watching the city of Mensonge spreading as far as the eye could see. His purple eyes set on the sun setting in the west, the mind thinking about his goal, his ultimate goal, his desire, his ambition, everything was moving fast and not as different as he had forseen. “Won’t be long now.”

[member="Duke Roman Cadriaan"]​