This Time, You Are Invited

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Connor Harrison"] was one of those types that she wasn't quite comfortable with. Each encounter had him invading her personal space, grabbing her and trying to figure her out. That was no easy feat of course as she tended not to give him details.

But today was different. This time instead of just bumping into him, Kay invited him as a representative of the SJO, to the Presidential Palace on Commenor to meet up with her. She hoped that there would be no anger this time, no encroaching on her personal space, but there was no guarantee of that.

Instead of meeting in her office, she had instructed the guards to lead him to one of the meeting rooms where she had some Sapir tea and light snacks prepared. Who knows if Connor even liked tea? A bottle of Commenor brandy sat on the table as well, just in case. And while she waited for his arrival, she shrunk her Force signature down to that of a small tree nut.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor walked in his Silver Jedi garb, crimson cape to top it off, on what felt like another diplomatic mission. First there was the meeting on Vaal with Keira, and now this on Commenor with a woman he dind't trust or not trust. The bombing of Korriban had sure made the galaxy remember the Silver Jedi in more ways than one. Hopefully this was a meeting for the best, not the worst.

Walking behind the guards, the decadent place reminded him a little of Naboo, but it felt more in touch with the past than the present. Elegance, fine decor and attention to detail in every way.

After a moment, the doors parted in a large hall, a long table and chairs filled the room with generous light flooding in from the high windows. A figure was waiting at the other end as the guards stopped to let him walk the rest alone. He did so, slow, casual steps forward.

”Thank you for this invite...what do I call you? Lady? Senator? Queen? Rebel?”

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

As the doors opened and [member="Connor Harrison"] stepped in, Kay took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Already he was trying to get under her skin. To any normal person, those questions would be genuine. But Connor like to use sarcastic banter in their conversations. It was one of the things that she found annoying about him. But....she had to brush it all aside.

Kay put on a small polite smile as she poured herself some tea while she spoke, holding the pot over another cup. "Kay is fine. Though if you want to be formal, then I suppose that Madam President or Lady will suffice. Tea?"

Oh she couldn't wait to see what his reaction would be to that one. Of course he could always have no reaction at all, just so that he could irritate her more. There was plenty of things that she had done that she knew he wouldn't like.

 

[Connor Harrison]

He walked across the room slowly, in no rush. She certainly had made a place for herself, but he was suspicious. The first time he’d met her she was blowing up slave pens to rescue those held captive. The next she was on Bespin involved in some underground movement, with or without the First Order on side. He didn’t really know where she stood in the bigger picture.

Right now however she seemed to be in a comfortable environment. Madam President however? Yeah right.

"I’ll have some blue milk if you have any? If not, water will suffice, thank you."

Connor stood by the large window next to where Kay was with her drinks and looked out at the grounds, down on the floor and up to the roof – watching for any sign of trouble or surveillance.

"So. Kay. What can I do for you?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Of course [member="Connor Harrison"] would be a bit difficult. She didn't have an entire kitchen within this room. So Kay just simply poured him a glass of water. She stepped towards him, holding out the glass.

"Water it is, then. Sorry that it's a bit warm." She had it prepared for tea, afterall.

Kay could feel the tension, the same mistrust that they always had. But she had to brush past that. "I didn't call you specifically for anything that only you could do. More to the point, I wanted to know if your Order would lie an Embassy here on Commenor. We are a neutral planet."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Watching Kay move to the drinks, and the warm water than came out, he just looked at the glass as she brought it, and took it by the lip as not to burn his fingers. Really? Warm water?

"Thank you," he said, with a polite smile.

He placed it on the edge of the large polished table beside them as she talked.

"Do you read the papers? I trust you have heard about the Korriban mess? I am grateful for your invite, Lady Kay, but why the invite at all? I can’t deny having a stand with neutral worlds would be a good thing right now. "

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay picked up her tea, keeping herself out of arm's reach and leaving [member="Connor Harrison"] out of her personal bubble that he liked to burst. She had a sip while she spoke, raising a brow to his question. There seemed to be a bit of regret in his tone.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't been up to date with most of what had been going on outside of our sector. I've been in this position for a few months now, and you can imagine a lot of the internal and external politics that I've been having to deal with. Not to mention building up Commenor in a number of ways to be able to support and maintain it's neutrality, while keeping the Commenori happy."

A well rehearsed speech. She's had this question before.

"What happened on Korriban?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

He closed his left eye a moment, feeling the skin burn at the anxiety flaring up about Korriban. Why did she have to ask? She hadn’t heard? And she was a President or something? Why did he assume she knew.

Looking at the glass, he fingered it on the table and tried to laugh it off a little.

"Let’s just say the Sith Order tried to reclaim their world from the hands of the Silvers trying to rid it of the Dark Side corruption, and the Silver Jedi left looking a thousand times worse than the Sith we were trying to repel.”

His face fell stern and he knew that wouldn’t be enough. If the Order was to repair itself, Connor couldn’t hide anything as if they were openly guilty.

"A commander on the Silver fleet commenced a bombardment of Korriban City to drive out the un-dead army raised by a Sith sorceress. The city was wiped out. 10,000 people killed.”

His fingers started to draw small circles around the other.

"I’m in charge of hunting down the one responsible to stand trial for treason and genocide. As much as I want her dead, we are Jedi still, regardless how people see us now. We do not solve problems with a bullet in the back no matter how tempting it would be.”

Now, warm or cold, he took the glass and had a generous mouthful, holding it in his mouth for a second while looking at Kay and swallowing hard.

"That’s Korriban in a nut-shell for you, my Lady.”

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded, sighing a little as she listened to [member="Connor Harrison"] 's tale. It wasn't as though she was disappointed in him personally, it was just something that she has seen happen over and over again.

"The biggest casualty of war is common sense. I have warned the Republic and some of the Mandalorians that they would fall down that spiral and become worse than the enemies that they faced. There are no winners in war, Connor, and it's usually common sense and innocent people that pay the price. I can't prevent wars on my own, but I can certainly try...."

More than likely he already knew that. But she felt the need to tell him anyways. She sipped her tea, mulling over what to say next. Her personal issues with him forgotten for the time being. "The Red Ravens have an Embassy here, believe it or not. They are doing so in a bid to renew themselves and their image. They have also built a huge hospital and a library here in Chasin City......What are the Silver Jedi doing to repair the damage that they have caused?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

He cocked his head a little and turned to face her more now, feeling the conversation bridge them both.

"I know. We have no excuses. We went there to repel the Sith Order rising in the East, and some lone wolf went too far. It’s cast a dark cloud over us all. Right now we are trying to find the one responsible. Our Grandmaster is even debating whether to call truce with the Sith Order to aid the city and do what we can.”

He rubbed his brow.

"Problem is, in the eyes of many, if we do this to help we are labelled as pathetic and trying to cover our tracks and it’s all too late. If we did nothing, we’d be labelled as showing our guilt and cowardice.”

Another mouthful of the water, finishing it off and placing it down gently on the wooden table.

"I just know the Sith Order are rising, and this has worked so much in their favour to wait while the Jedi are pulled apart and then they’ll make their move The Republic has gone and it’s us and the Mandos in the East. If we go, then I don’t know how long things will last.”

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay knew exactly what [member="Connor Harrison"] was going through. She had been there, in a slightly different role, but she had been there. "Did you hear of the Roche incident? The Republic tried to defend it from the Mandalorians. In doing so, one soldier thought to open an airlock in a hanger and suck the enemy out. She thought that the hanger was empty of civilians, but it wasn't. The airlock was open and a small number of people, including a Jedi lost their lives. I wasn't there, but I did try to negotiate the aftermath. I paid for all of the funeral expenses, as well as the medical bills for the Mandalorians. It was their attack, yet I had to pay for them as though they were the ones that were attacked. I lost my seat in the Senate not long after that."

She took a moment for herself and had a much needed sip of her tea. "The deals that the Republic made with the Mandalorians wasn't enough for them to go on a slaughtering rampage. They started to target younglings and infants, slaughtering them in front of their parents, and then killing them soon after. These people had done nothing wrong, never harmed or spoke ill of their attackers, yet they were killed for nothing more than having gained the Republic's support.

Darkness has permeated all sides. What others must do, what I am trying to do is prove that people with different ideologies, different cultures, can coexist peacefully. So far....on Commenor at least..it's working."

 

[Connor Harrison]

He couldn't help chew his finger a little, listening to Kay's horror story. It was a disturbing outcome; one that hopefully would not become reality for the Silvers.

"That is one thing that if it happens, I'm out. That's not going to happen on my watch I assure you. I'm taking steps to bring the Mando clans to either a neutral pact or one of alliance because behind all this chaos, lies the Sith Order. They are on the rise. And couple that with the First Order behind them to the West, they've got the galaxy covered. If the Silver Jedi fall, then the Alliance will be too stretched to fight them both.”

Connor toyed with the table, and looked at her.

"Force knows we are doing what we can to help rebuild the damage done. It's just harder rebuilding trust.”

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded a little, chewing on the inside of her cheek. She had more faith and trust in the First Order than she did in the Clans. She First Order as far as she knew, didn't commit acts of genocide like they did.

[member="Connor Harrison"] and Kay were still tip toeing around eachother, still with a level of distrust. But at least Connor was holding back on his intimidation tactics.

"I cannot tell you or your Order what to do, but I would advise you to be careful with whatever deals or alliances that you make with the Clans. Both the Clans and the First Order have Embassies here, so I can't be too biased or let my personal opinions cloud my judgement."

She sipped her tea. "If your leaders agree and if Korriban wishes, Commenor can help in rebuilding, restocking and helping in getting things back to normal, and all for no profit. Only the expenses of the materials and people would suffice. Showing Korriban and others that you have governments that are willing to ally with you after such a tragedy might help in slowly rebuilding that trust. Continue to hunt for that lone wolf and bring her to trial. You have to prove to them that you are not all like her."

Hopefully her idea would work.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Nodding, Connor tapped his fingers on his chin.

"Yes. Yes, that may be an option I call upon. Thank you.” He let out a sigh. "And thank you for your concern. We are keeping the clans happy to prevent further bloodshed. If they want to fight, they will, especially if they think we are butchers. Which we are not. We need to drill some sense into them and have them listen, not act all gung-ho and what not. The First Order at least have a level of respect for the rules of war.”

He took the glass over to the tray with the tea and placed it back down.

"Putting Korriban to one side if I may, your Ladyship, why are you extending a hand to the Silver Jedi now of all times?”

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Keeping people happy to prevent bloodshed. That was a tactic that Kay was using too. She nodded to [member="Connor Harrison"] acceptance of her offer. It wasn't carved in stone, she knew, but it was a start.

She finished her tea and set her cup down on the table. "A fair question. I haven't been in office for long and I am doing what I can to help others and the Commenori with the time that I have. My term could be long or short, it depends on the Elders. Regardless, there are some Force Users here that could look to your Order for guidance. To have a place for them here would make it easier for them."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Another lifeline handed to him from a woman he didn’t know if he trusted or not – was it worth the gamble? He looked to Kay and then outside for a moment. Thinking. He had so much to lose but so much to gain – if he could help bridge the gap between the Silvers and the fragile hands of their allies and neighbours, it could be the making of the Rogue.

Slowly nodding at the thought, he turned.

”I’m interested in this. If we can help those who need guidance or support, we can be that as well as defenders of the Light.”

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded with a small smile, affirming that she was pleased with how things were progressing. It would do well for both Commenor and the Silver Jedi. She knew what they were going through and didn't want them to fall onto the same demise as the Republic.

"Wonderful. Let's get the process started. But please be aware that there are many different governments that have Embassies here. They could be with those that you have disagreements with and vice versa. But all abide by our laws. I would hope that should this work, it could be used as an example to the Galaxy that we can all coexist without constantly going to war."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He chuckled, the light of the discussion far easier than those in the last few days.

”I can assure you I am prepared for anything. Life never runs smooth and especially politics. I, and we, will be happy to work out anything and everything that comes up for discussion and show the galaxy that what they think they know, they don't.”

He gently licked his lips and went for the glass.

”So what do you want from us? What can I do to help? And, do you mind if I...?”

Thirsty work negotiating the future of a peace treaty!

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay waved her hand towards the kettle of water, indicating that he could just go right ahead and have some. "I don't mind at all, but you should really try the tea. It's rather soothing."

She folded her hands in front of her, interlocking her fingers. "Well I would love for your Order to have an Embassy or even a Temple here, so that those that are Force sensitive and wish for some training would have more people to go to. Also, we will be having a big celebration coming up that will officiate the opening of the Embassies. There will be podracing, fireworks, an airshow, a fashion show, concerts and fundraisers. Perhaps we could co-ordinate a charity auction as well with half of the proceeds going to help students here to go to the University and the other half for the rebuilding and aid for Korriban. What do you think?"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

As she spoke, Connor decided to throw out the rule book. He helped himself a tea for the first time in his 3 decades alive. What an occasion. Many things were changing now for him and the galaxy - maybe he had to try this…tea.

Pouring himself a cup, he noted some sugar so added two cubes and let it dissolve naturally, looking into the drink and blowing it gently.

He took a sip.

”Mm.”

The small pursing of the lips and nod gave the reaction it wasn’t the best taste, but he wasn’t repelled. Maybe it would grow on him? He took another sip. Rather refreshing.

”That’s a nice idea. I like that. Anything I can do to help those affected, then I will do it. I just find it amusing how a trigger happy rogue among our ranks does this one action, but it’s ok for Sith to burn villages and cities and worlds that get in their way but it’s ok for them because it’s in the name of something they call just.”

With a shake of the head he sipped again.

”I’m happy to work with you on this, unless you want a meeting with the Grandmaster himself? I know the unification of allies will please him, and the Order, and make us feel there is still light at the end of the tunnel. And this is not bad,” he said, raising the cup.

[member="Lady Kay"]