This We'll Defend

[Adron Malvern]

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If our people are to see peace, if our families are to grow, and if our children are to discover a galaxy that we have never known, we must lead them into new times. ​

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The halls of the Viceroyalty were opened once again. As the delegates of The Confederacy came together, they would once again be deciding the future of The Confederacy. The Viceroyals had been called, from Naboo to Kamino they were assembled so they could be informed of the changes to come and their decisions to be made.

As the somber halls filled with the expecting Viceroyals, the High Speaker, a blue skinned twi'lek known as Orin To Kom stood before the main podium. Aged eyes gazed out over the gathering members of the Forum. Each Viceroyal was known to the man, to some extent or another, and as he watched them fill into the main hall he would greet those around him with the most minor of waves.

When The Vicelord extended his orders for the Forum to meet, Orin To Kom saw it done. His official dispatches found it's way to each and every Viceroyal with specific instructions on the date and time of the meeting. Although the Viceroyals were given little information on exactly why they had been summoned to this forum.

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When his Master commanded him to oversee the Viceroyalty's assembly he did not quite understand just what they were gathering for. It was not until the day prior that the Vicelord delivered his executive orders into the Exarch's hands that Adron understood exactly what was happening. Now the Exarch sat silently as the High Speaker prepared the Forum. He'd considered Darth Metus' orders more than once, wondering if his Master's decisions were the correct ones. In reality it was not his place to challenge his Master's command, nor did he feel a need to. His thoughts remained his own until the pale-skinned Twi'lek joined him, speaking softly to the Exarch. "Exarch. Shall we begin?"

Adron raised his eyes, his eyes flashing over to the Vicelord who sat nearby before taking in the sight of the Viceroyals who had flooded in while his mind was his own. He considered the older man for a moment before nodding at the Twi'lek silently. The High Speaker bowed his head respectfully, before turning back to the main podium.

The High Speaker, as always, had a deep voice that sounded out loudly through the halls of the Viceroyal chambers. Many believed the man did not even require the aid of a microphone to speak to the massive hall.

"Esteemed Viceroys. It is my honor to welcome you all to this Forum. This assembly has been called by order of our Vicelord, to be presided over by Exarch Adron Malvern." The High Speaker stepped to the side just as Adron rose. The Exarch smoothed out the suit he wore before making his way over to the main podium. Keen eyes danced over the hall as he looked out to the men and women who had gathered at the Viceroy's command.

The Exarch cleared his throat softly before standing before the podium, adjusting the microphone to better fit his height than the slightly stunted Twi'lek speaker. "Viceroys of the Confederacy. Thank you for gathering so promptly so we may attend to matters of the State."

His azure eyes scanned the room as he spoke, still his powerful voice came over the room with a certain tone. "Now, so not to keep you for too long we will try to make this assembly as brief as possible. There are two matters today that are in need of immediate attention."

"The Office of the Viceroy has determined that, due to recent events, it would be within our best interest to construct a number of surveillance posts on the edge of Confederate territory, as well as prioritize the fortification of some of our more undefended worlds. Due to this, the Vicelord has seen fit to extend over two billion credits from the government's Emergency Militirization Fund. This allows us to construct over twenty surveillance outposts and begin fortification on a number of worlds. If you would submit your would to host a surveillance outpost, please speak now. Otherwise, any worlds who would claim grevious state and are in need of special concideration for military aid may speak now."

 

[Valencia Hadley]

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It made good sense that following what had transpired on Eshan, the Viceroyalty would be called to congregate and disseminate over a good number of things - though in truth Valencia had not expected this.

Her trip to the capital had been a simple one. She'd been on Bestine IV with a good number of other members of the Confederacy when the call had come, and in all haste, she'd packed up and taken a transport as requested. It felt good to get back to some semblance of normalcy, and bureaucracy was a strangely comforting thing that was near meditative for her at times. This was a forum that was curated to her strengths far more than the battlefield that their recent excursion had found her on. It was unlikely Eshan would be the last battle she'd see, but it had been a particularly unsettling one to have been her first.

Seeing her colleges was heartening as well - knowing that most had made it back unscathed, at least physically. There had been so many that had not made it off that planet with their lives, and there was a good chance that was why they were meeting today. With that somber thought, she brought her focus back to the chamber where they all gathered, watching as the speaker approached the podium. Perhaps they'd been called to ask for their support with supplies or troops from their homeworlds to aid in the restoration and repatriation of Eshan? It seemed a likely reason to have gathered them all together... Though as the speaker stepped down and [member="Adron Malvern"] stepped forward, any thought of that motive was quickly set aside.

Her eyes moved from the still speaking Exarch to scan across the faces of her peers. Many here were long-standing members of the Viceroyalty, and as such their faces were practiced masks of bemused disinterest, a calm facade that she trusted her own face was trained to portray as well - but here and there she caught glimpses of fleeting emotions as those gathered heard out the Vicelord's plan. Emergency Militarization Fund. Well.

She turned her gaze forward then, scanning from where Lord Malvern stood speaking, to where the Vicelord was seated nearby. Her eyes lingered there a moment as silence settled over them following the end of the explanation for their summons. She took those quiet seconds to consider what they were offering; though in effect it was not an offer that was meant for her. Manda was well situated - perhaps not the most central, but it was close to Genosis, and her people were fortunate enough to be wealthy and well protected. There were many that were newer and far more distant or sat on borders that lay exposed to greater threats, and they would be in dire need, should the Vicelord's assessment of the risk be accurate.

As those around her mulled over the offer presented to them, Valencia stepped forward, using that warm voice of hers to easily carry her response about the chamber, "Exarch," she began, "Manda thanks you for this most generous offer. If there is a need to place surveillance outposts within our system, I would gladly offer Manda as one of the locations." She was also not foolish enough to turn down an offer of two million credits and the additional security that this outpost would offer. Not after she saw what the enemy was willing to do to its own assets only days before... Manda was densely populated - and an attack like the one Eshan had suffered would be devastating to her people.

 

[Malok]

Location: Golbah City, Geonosis​

Tag: [member="Adron Malvern"], [member="Valencia Hadley"]​

This would not be the end.

There were many within the Confederacy who were hopeful. They looked upon the Battle of Eshan and placed their faith in the idea of peace everlasting; thinking that this one, single operation would see the world free from Mandalorian tyranny evermore. But Darth Metus knew better. He was raised to know by the same, beskar-clad hands they had just defeated. One of the most esteemed mantras of his former people was Mandalorians have long memories. Vengeance for wrongs done on the battlefield was a desire that characterizes each and every of their generations. Because of this, he had no hope that the Mandalorians would honor the Exclusion Zone.

Thus, they had to prepare for the worst case scenario: an inevitable return to the Eshan territory by their enemy, and a strike against the Confederate borders.

Upon planning and launching the operation to liberate the Echani homeworld, the most tactically minded souls of the Confederacy poured over the possibilities. It was argued, in this very forum in fact, that there would be risks of additional battles to be fought. And, to top it off, there were thinly veiled questions of motive. Politicians were excellent in weaving their words with tongues of silver. Yet any who had gumption in this sort of sphere could read between the lines. Though the arguments centered around why should we even get involved? The real question was are we going to die because [member="Srina Talon"] is your apprentice

There were few moments when the Sith's agitations bled into his words as Vicelord. But that day was one of them. In the present, Darth Metus had seen fit to call together the Viceroyalty to discuss the next phase in addressing the current - and future - militant problems. The plans that he had for the floor today were twofold, with the first having already been introduced by his sharply dressed apprentice, [member="Adron Malvern"]. The Exarch presented his thoughts in expert fashion and the forum was opened to deliberate and respond. When it came to this portion of the plan, it was almost common sense to the Vicelord. The Mandalorians were well-known mercenaries throughout the stars, they knew how to sneak across numerous borders with ease.

Fortifying their worlds and seeing to diligent surveillance of their systems would put an end to that. Or at least stem the tide to a manageable trickle. The second portion of his plan was...much more direct, but he would wait until the Viceroyalty had discussed this first Act through first. He leaned back in his seat, setting his jaw as his muscles ached in protest. Though some time had passed between the operation and the present, the Sith was still not at one hundred percent. He would not show any signs of weakness however. And true rest would have to wait until after these matters had been laid to rest - much to the chagrin of literally everyone who remotely cared about him.

Nonetheless. His gaze settled upon the Viceroy of Manda as she rose to address her peers. Manda was the first to be volunteered to receive the additional surveillance measures in their system. She had been there, personally, during the battle of Eshan and had seen firsthand just how brutally the Mandalorians could fight. It was no surprise that his advisor was one of the first to volunteer - for she saw firsthand just what their adversaries would do to their own holdings. Gods above only knew what they would try within Confederate space. For a moment, his sulfuric gaze found hers, and he offered a polite nod.

Then, he proceeded to await the next words from his people.

 

[Chikako Liona]

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Normally any Viceroy meeting was always a welcoming event, it allowed her to keep up to date with most major decisions with the CIS and also gave her position some semblance of use outside the planet she ruled. Though this time things were different, unlike before the reason for this meeting was unknown to most, only a summon of importance being sent through to her residence. It was interesting to day the least, but also a little worrying, with how certain events had recently transpired between them and the ME and JE any number of talks could be brought up in today's gathering.

Like always she walked with a regal poise to her seat, accompanied by one of her loyal guards, donned in the bright red attire of the royal guard. Looking around many familiar faces could be seen, [member="Adron Malvern"] taking lead as always over the discussions and points to be presented to the voting cast, [member="Darth Metus"] their leader sitting off to the side, watching. Not far from his reach was the always present and loyal [member="Srina Talon"], still quite the mystery, quite but commanding respect from those around her.

Quickly taking statio the Extrach and his pale assistance finally addressed the assembled ministers and political leaders. Her silver gaze kept a close eye on him, ears digesting all the words spoken from the mans mouth, such was an interesting idea, though odd to implement in her sector due to certain border regulations of nearby world. While getting her through together the Viceroy of Manda spoke up first, being short and to the point, it wasn't really a suggestion that could be discussed in much length for most systems. Chikako's eyes kept focus on the women before she stepped down, waiting a few seconds before rising to address the crowd herself.

"This proposition while beneficial a planet like Tythe is a central world and I do not believe a surveillance post is necessary but our neighboring world of Nelvaan may want to accommodate such a facility". Such being ideal as such a system could watch over both worlds to some degree. "As for fortifying, Tythe is still under terrafomring and basic infrastructure construction, I do not believe now would be a good time for such actions until it's in-flowing population is settled and more permanent urban centers are constructed". An entire planted waste land plagued with toxic ruins, next to no vegetation and contaminated lakes wasn't the easier place to reform.

 

[Derek Dib]

Once more the call to the Viceroyalty of the Confederacy went out, summoning the leaders of planets and systems to the Citadel within Golbah City on Geonosis. And, like a flock of birds migrating south, the viceroys answered the bidding to congregate and discuss the future of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

And so Derek Dib, as Viceroy of Siskeen, found himself in attendance among the crowd of politicians and delegates. Cloaked in the anonymity afforded by the plethora of booths which held the other viceroys, he watched quietly and listened to the proposal made by the Exarch, [member="Adron Malvern"], under the silent, watchful eye of the ViceLord [member="Darth Metus"] What he offered for consideration made sense on the surface, with two billion credits not a small amount of funding. But spread among twenty systems dropped the monetary offering to only one hundred million, which was still a substantial amount of funding.

Leaning back into his seat he unconsciously flexed the fingers of his right hand, the ghostly feeling of his replaced limb clenching and releasing to the tempo of his heart. No trace of his grevious injuries were reflected on his form, though the psychological scars remained. The Confederacy was born in conflict and the vestiges of battle were never cast off, rather embraced which strengthened their nation in it's infancy and now made them one of the most powerful forces within the galaxy.

His eyes flickered from the Exarch to the Viceroy [member="Valencia Hadley"] of Manda as she accepted the offer. Immediately afterwards Viceroy [member="Chikako Liona"] of Tythe spoke of the uselessness of her accepting the offering, though she mentioned that the system of Nelvaan may appreciate the offer. Having met the Viceroy of Nelvaan and several of the citizens he found that unlikely, though he kept his opinion to himself. Instead he pressed the indicator button that put him in queue. When his station lit up he stood slowly.

"On behalf of my System I remove ourselves from consideration as we need neither the surveillance stations nor fortification as we have both already. But to add to the new defenses and surveillance outposts, Siskeen would offer an addendum to the current proposal. We can manufacturer, man, and field two different fleets to patrol the edges of Confederate Space while also visiting the newly constructed outposts and fortifications while patrolling. This would bolster the defenses of our conglomerate systems, add another layer of defense capabilities, and bolster the independent systems with optional paid leave that would add an influx to their individual economies. And this can be enacted without costing the Confederacy a single credit, technically."

He paused as he went to his explanation.

"All we would ask is to be tax exempt upon initial launch of the USC fleets, to be contractually continued each fiscal year upon new authorizations from our two parties. This would mean zero expenditure for additional defense fleets in exchange for tax exemption allowing Siskeen to allocate what would be paid in taxes, for direct distribution for the fleets."

He finished and sat, one leg crossing the other.

 

[Helly Reyne]

Tags: [member="Derek Dib"] | [member="Adron Malvern"] | [member="Valencia Hadley"] | [member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Chikako Liona"]


It was good to see the rest of the Viceroyalty with her own eyes, having never seen a gathering of the lot before then. Even though she knew that [member="Valencia Hadley"] was, in fact, Viceroyalty, it almost didn't register for Helly to be seeing her there. They had only met on wildly different circumstances before, none of which had to do with any grand political gathering.

On the other hand, she had to imagine that there would be plenty of surprise at Helly herself being there. She was more than willing to admit that she didn't necessarily fit the appearance of a politician and certainly not any kind of leader unless what she was leading was a rock band. And that was fair enough, considering she had shown up to this meeting with a green beenie on her head along with a denim jacket and bright pink sneakers. It wasn't as if she needed to dress up to appease any foreign delegations, after all. If the Confederacy had a problem with it, then she thought of that as more of a them problem instead of her own.

Likewise, she didn't put any formal spin on her speech like she had back on Iktotch. The proposition needed to be met with a human level of skepticism, she felt, and political jargon had a tendency of getting in the way of that. "So..." she began, leaning forward in her seat with both hands on the table in front of her. "If you had asked me if I wanted a surveillance outpost on Tatooine just a few months ago, I would have shot down the idea in a heartbeat. The more time I spend on Tatooine, the more I realize... these people don't give a chit about the Confederacy. I can try and pretend like the economy's changed for the better ever since my arrival, but the best thing I've done is provided more water and funding. If we put a surveillance outpost from the CIS on Tatooine, people are gonna question it. Some of them already believe that their world is headed towards totalitarianism, and no matter what I tell them, they're still gonna be worried that their way of life is at risk. Granted, their way of life is pretty shady and mostly illegal by galactic standards, but that's part of the... charm?" Helly bit her lip and shook her head, realizing she was getting off track.

"But that was before Eshan, and before Sith from the Jen'ari Empire had to be forcibly removed from Tatooine. The planet's got a history of violence and war, having been invaded in recent history. It's close enough to Geonosis, but I don't think that's going to be enough to protect it, especially not when it has hardly any self-defense measures put into place just yet. I think a surveillance outpost and the added defenses would be worth the potential backlash."

She hoped she was right. The last thing she wanted was for CIS to breathe down the necks of Tatooine civilians like an empire might. They probably still remembered being under Galactic Empire control. But, at the end of the day... desperate times.

 

[Aya Clarke]

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The burden of leadership. She had hoped to have fully settled into her role before great turmoil, before Eshan, but fate had other ideas. A stupid war, declared quickly and without hesitation. A war to bring peace to Eshan, liberate it. That was what she had been told, as she sat in her seat on Hoylin, and saw the reconstruction of a broken world. A war to bring peace.

The concept alone made her ill.

Peace through War was not a concept that she could ever condone. As a General she had not the luxury to question it before, never the luxury of enacting the tenants of a good Knight. The most valuable follower was the one who questioned you, and yet believed in your cause. Aya now questioned the Vicelord, she questioned the Confederacy, even as she followed them both wherever they would go. Their fates were entwined, unable to be separated. So she would do all she could to make the Confederacy survive, healthy, free of tyranny.

She could only hope her teacher would understand, if it ever became something she had to voice, though in her heart she feared the worst.

Today that burden was being called upon, bringing Lady Aya to this Forum, lead to her own seat by a personal aide. Unlike at least one of her compatriots, she had taken the time journeying to be fully presentable... her first appearance had to be well done. So with her saint armor donned, and her hair prepared just right to settle her headpiece, and a Confederacy flag bound around her banner, she made her presence at least... known. Even if none of them knew her (save, of course, Metus and Srina), she intended to show how seriously she took to her role.

And so she listened...

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... And listened well. Intelligence, fortification. She lifted a hand to her face, running her thumb down her jawline in thought. It was sensible, a smart move. Tactically sound. She admired to an extent the gesture to protect the Confederacy as a whole, assuming it all came from a place of goodwill. But the edge, that was her concern. Hoylin sat at the edges of the Confederate space, which meant such construction would undoubtedly include her still fractured world.

She let the others speak. Manda was delighted to accept. Tythe was in no position to accept. Siskeen opted out. Tatooine accepted despite difficulties unique to the crime ridden planet. What would Hoylin do? What was best for her new people?

She pressed the button to enter the que, and as it came to her, she stood herself up, using the banner as a staff to help rise to her feet. So tired, always tired...

"As a system near the edge of Confederate space, it would appear Hoylin would be of consideration for these installations. Truthfully it would be wise to put such forward intelligence stations within sectors such as my own, as well as the necessary defenses. However, I must express doubt as to Hoylin's eligibility. We make it no secret the suffering the planet suffered under the corruption of the Nothing has left half the planet in reconstruction. Even now we still struggle to rebuild the areas afflicted, to say nothing of the people. I do not believe my citizens are in any state to be hosting such constructive enterprises, between their own fierce sense of independence, as well as their recovery in progress."

"Had this come to the front before... recent events, I would similarly have opted out without question. Wining the hearts of a people unaccustomed to such a planet wide government is no small task. Despite all this, I would be remiss to ignore Hoylin's duty to the Confederacy, even as she is still licking her wounds. 'Tis quite the first chance to join in these joint duties of ours, between these factors. As such I would request that said intelligence outpost be not constructed on Hoylin herself, but rather one of her moons. I would also request that any military fortifications similarly be established off the planet itself. As much as I would prefer ten thousand battle droids and turbolasers to protect my people than what currently we possess, I'm afraid as of yet fortifying Hoylin would be akin to arming the still breathing body of a bisected soldier. When Hoylin is more whole, I would be more than willing to negotiate the matter of fortifying the planet itself, but as it stands she has greater issues internally before she is ready to make herself a more valuable target for much else aside from vacations."

She sat herself down quietly after saying her piece. She wanted, so desperately, to do more for the Confederates, who gave her this home so far away from home. But Hoylin still was too weak, and as she said, provided no real tactical advantages. Perhaps it was her own perception at play, but the belief that she would then be a part of constructing fortresses, bases, making Hoylin something of a castle, would only encourage others to attack the recovering people. Truthfully she was far beyond what she was accustomed to, and sitting in a realm of unknowns.


She almost preferred a battlefield, at least there things made sense.

[member="Helly Reyne"] :|: [member="Derek Dib"] :|: [member="Chikako Liona"] :|: [member="Darth Metus"] :|: [member="Valencia Hadley"] :|: [member="Adron Malvern"] :|: [member="Srina Talon"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

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The first to speak in response had been [member="Valencia Hadley"]. The Exarch tapped into his console for the briefest of moments before speaking plainly. "Viceroy Hadley of Manda, you have the floor." When the woman spoke, it was to align her planet with the goals of the Vicelord. The Exarch offered the woman an accepting nod while recording her planet and it's agreement to aid The Confederacy. "Thank you, Viceroy Hadley." He said, before another name came over his screen in a request to speak in the Forum. "Viceroy Liona of Tythe." He said, the name bringing the memory of the youthful Echani Viceroy to mind.

The Exarch's words rose to meet the Viceroy's of the Confederacy and he received their responses as they gave them. When it was time for the Princess and Viceroy of Tythe to speak up, the Exarch turned his eyes to meet her. The young Viceroy spoke with knowledge and confidence that was impressive for her young age. A sire of Eshan, she had some minor features that vaguely reminded Adron of his partner, [member="Srina Talon"]. When the woman spoke of Nelvaan, Adron fell silent n contemplation. Nelvaan had been without a Viceroy following the death of the Exarch's own brother, [member="Darth Tacitus"]. It had only been a few days prior when emissaries of the Eternal Empire had approached Adron, declaring him as Kainan's only living blood, therefore the successor to his Empire. The prospect was staggering, yet it had been something he was able to postpone for the time being.

Once [member="Chikako Liona"] had spoken, the Exarch nodded his head. "Thank you Viceroy." She had not actually offered him anything of note, yet courtesies existed to be observed.

When [member="Derek Dib"] called for the stand, the Exarch raised a hand to him in acknowledgement. "Viceroy Dib of Siskeen." While Adron did not know the Viceroy personally, he'd always found the man was, at least pubibly, a man of decent character. Even when his views were not in align with Adron's they seemed to come from a place of genuine care for his people. Still, the Sith Lord simply believed the man was adept in the arts of politics. When the Viceroy came forward with his offer to support the Confederate military, the Exarch drew his lips into a thin, ungenuine, smile. "Viceroy Dib. I appreciate your enthusiasm in the defense of The Confederacy. I will be sure to alert the office of the Minister of War and Command Staff of the Confederate Defense Force of your devotion. They will contact you shortly so they may better coordinate with you." When [member="Helly Reyne"] and [member="Aya Clarke"] came forward with their denials, as the Viceroy of Tythe had, the Exarch was slightly confused on why they would waste time with such statements.

Perhaps they wished to reassure the Viceroyalty of their loyalty, or maybe even they hoped to offer such assistance in the future. Not all planets were capable or willing to host The Confederacy in such ways and this was simply the way of things. As more and more Viceroy's volunteered their worlds, Adron recorded them before finally raising his hands for silence once again.

"Now. With that matter out of the way, the Office of the Vicelord has seen fit to pass an executive order. Due to aggressions with the Mandalorian Empire, certain measures have been taken. To present this new bill is the Command Adjutant to the Dauntless Commandos and representative of Clan Vi'Dreya, [member="Allya Vi'Dreya"]." The Exarch would turn expectantly towards the woman who had been given quite a hefty load. He would step back from the podium, allowing the woman to take charge of the Forum.

 

[Allya Vi'Dreya]

[SIZE=12pt]When called, the diminutive Mandalorian girl walked up to the podium. The girl was small, but looked far larger while dressed head to[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] toe in her beskar'garm, and wrapped in a purple hooded robe. The hood was pushed down, to show off her helmet, as she finally stood before them all. Her heart raced, as nervousness tried to overcome her. However, she took a deep breath, and slowly let it out and performed a brief moving meditation, that Jerek had tried to show her. Her heart calmed, her mind cleared.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Finally, the girl moved up and loudly spoke, her voice filtered through the helmet. “Esteemed Viceroys, your sacrifices in the last few months are worthy of song and story. With your help, we have pushed back the tides of Empires, both of the Jena'ari and the now the Mandalorians. As you know, many of us rejected the false rule of those who have created an Empire for the Mandalorians, and their strict rules, regulations, and as we can easily see, wanton violence and destruction that these false Mand'alors have caused. We stand by your side, against the common threats. However, we are not blind to the dangers that this new enemy causes. By culture, we wear armor, by culture we fight, by culture we have our own language, and customs that seem bizarre to outsiders. Our enemy has this same culture. To avoid giving them a way to enter our systems, and causing mayhem and havoc, the Vicelord, and Exarchs, with the backing of clan Vi'dreya, bring forth an order.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]She was vastly aware of her father's and her Uncle Adron's presence at this time. With them nearby, there was no choice in the matter, no option, no way out. She had to do her duty. Her voice continued and never skipped a beat. Besides, she had managed to talk her father down from a more irresponsible approach to this. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“As we are at war with the Mandalorian people, to keep them from being able to infiltrate our regions with negative intent, we will initiate a mandatory registration program for all incoming Mandalorian's to the Confederacy. We will take down the information of name, clan, social ranking, and biological details in order to create a census."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]She looked around at each viceroy. "Any incoming Mandalorian who refuses registration, or, who enters the Confederacy secretly are subject to being detained. Any that enter the CIS to visit, must register themselves, as well as have droid escorts, provided by the CDF. This executive order is to be applied immediately. I will personally oversee the registration procedure, as well as work with the CDF and Knights Obsidian to create effective ways to catch any Mandalorians attempting to enter our systems illegally."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Those who are already citizens of the Confederacy, who are part of our Mandalorian Protectors are not subject to this. Our end goal is simply to protect ourselves, as best we can, against the unknown. However, we will leave it open for the Alors of the clans to voluntarily register their clans and members, to help stop crimes from being perpetrated in their names, if they so desire.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]She stood confident before the Viceroyalty, and her arms opened wide. “Are there any questions?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt][member="Adron Malvern"][/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt][member="Aya Clarke"][/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt][member="Helly Reyne"][/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt][member="Derek Dib"][/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt][member="Chikako Liona"][/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt][member="Darth Metus"][/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt][member="Valencia Hadley"][/SIZE]

 

[Aya Clarke]

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It took a great deal of self control on Aya's part to not jump to her feet the moment she heard the word registration leave the young woman's lips. The verbiage was, it was not suitable for what the Confederacy was meant to be. This was the language of those they fought against, Empires that subjugated and destroyed those who spoke against them. As much as she was uncomfortable in her new role, awkward like a kid on their first day, she had long held a love of this place. She would die before she saw it turned into the thing it stood against, even unintentionally.

She held her tongue though, until the moment Allya finished. The smart girl, who'd inspired portions of Aya's own armor, had spoken well. A prepared speech no doubt, but well spoken. Spoken so well, Aya didn't hesitate a moment to press the button to speak when Allya asked for questions. To her surprise she was able to speak relatively quickly, and spent little time organizing her thoughts. It hadn't occurred to her to do so before she stood up, with all eyes on her. Well, with luck she wouldn't alienate herself immediately.

"This order, I understand the sentiment behind it, I agree it represents a task that needs be done. Allowing those visiting from a nation at war with us is a dangerous risk we must mitigate and monitor. However the verbiage as put forth is riddled with flaws that must be addressed, lets we too become an empire like those we stand against. If we truly are to not suffer an empire to live we cannot speak nor act as them. And yes, I will take issue with the words chosen, we speak for planets and nations. We must be aware how other kingd.. how others will view our choices."

"For one, it would be most useful to emphasize this order relates to citizens of the Mandalorian Empire, not Mandalorians. Otherwise by your own admission there is no reason for those such as yourself, proud citizens of the Confederacy, to be any more exempt. This also aligns us against a culture, not a government, and while there may be plenty who would be glad to be rid of Mandalorian culture there are as many who would view this as the first step to becoming a tyrannical empire. I'm sure the order's, official wording does so, but as it is put forth in reason and intent it would imply we are at war with you yourself, and the Protectors."

"Then there is the choice of 'mandatory registration'. I understand what you mean, however again it is perception I must address. Simply put, having this 'registry' be put as "a background check and CIS issued passport" we can readily identify with their picture included... almost certainly with a scan of cargo and personnel for safety. As you put, a 'visitor's census'. Forcing registration on a list on the other hand seems nefarious, even if it is for legitimate purpose. Not to mention the inclusion of a compulsory droid escort..."

"To which I propose my own questions. How many droids? Are we to mean starfighters, ground escorts, both? Are we escorting provable mandalorians or anyone from Mandalorian Empire space? If only Mandalorians, surely we cannot be so foolish as to believe a non-Mandalorian culturally can be loyal to their nation and do the things this is meant to curtail. IF anyone, again how many droids is enough? Two, five, ten for a single individual? Which droids? Perhaps simply codifying that each escort is considered case by case is enough, so we don't have thirty thousand magnaguards sitting around to escort every citizen coming to visit their second cousin."

"I believe that should cover most everything. This order is necessary, I agree with what it stands to do. But we must be careful to avoid verbiage that puts us on the side of a culture war, becoming an empire like those we swore to stop in the first place. And, the path forward must be feasible economically, total in scope, and properly worded to reflect the desire of the Confederacy as a whole. I would welcome your thoughts on these concerns, especially if I have misunderstood the official order's wording." Considering that was her main point, aside from cost and scope, it was a fair thing to be open to being corrected on.

She took her seat then, and her aide checked over her quietly. Aya's heart was racing, it almost hurt. She felt like.. like Metus was going to feel betrayed. Like they all would feel betrayed. She didn't know what was acceptable in the Forum, what amount of dissidence was allowed before accusations of traitorous thoughts came. She could only hope her love for this nation was clear to them all. Perhaps she had made the wrong career choice... Who had suggested she take this up again? She ought to fire them if she could. Though she'd have to fire herself too for taking it, and she couldn't in good faith do that.

[member="Helly Reyne"] :|: [member="Derek Dib"] :|: [member="Chikako Liona"] :|: [member="Darth Metus"] :|: [member="Valencia Hadley"] :|: [member="Adron Malvern"] :|: [member="Srina Talon"] :|: [member="Allya Vi'Dreya"]

 

[Derek Dib]

He leaned back in his seat, fingers drumming lightly on his thigh as he watched the expression on [member="Adron Malvern"] with a hint of curiosity. But as the voices of other Viceroyalty answered the proposal he filed the intriguing look for later dissection. While his fellow Viceroys answered in kind he glanced to where [member="Darth Metus"] sat quietly and wondered just what the other order of business was that the ViceLord deemed to be of import. And when it would be revealed to the masses as neither he nor his fellow leaders had an inkling of what it was.

They didn't have long to wait.

[member="Allya Vi'Dreya"] quickly approached garbed in beskar'gam to speak to the gathering in the amphitheatre. With every sentence that proceeded from her mouth he felt a frown grow upon his face in increments. His hand no longer drummed away at his thigh, instead it was clenched as he was regaled with an attempt to rationalize the Executive Order. The on a certain viewpoint he could well understand the reasoning. But in his opinion the order stemmed from fear, prejudice, and hatred.

Before he could respond the Viceroy of Hoylin, [member="Aya Clarke"] , spoke up. His finger pressed the queue button before him with perhaps a bit more pressure then necessary as he listened to the woman he knew of as soldier first, then politician. Once she finished he rose to speak.

"Why stop with Mandalorians? Why not add Echani to the list, for we fought against some of them on Eshan too. Why not add Sith to the list? For that is what the Jen'ari are and we've clashed with them just as much, if not more. While we're at it why not include the newly reformed and reborn Imperial Empire? They tend to be bigots and should be ostracized and marked out with clearly defined mandates to protect ourselves. All of these groups of people have been our enemy. Yet only one group is selected out of the many for persecution."

He paused to collect himself and keep his frustrated emotions in check.

"We have a Sith Lord former Manda'lor as our ViceLord. An Echani Sith as one Exarch. And an Imperial Sith as the other Exarch. We have a whole order of Darksiders as a religious Force base as well as a plethora of Darksiders in our Knights Obsidian. We have a branch of Mandalorian Protectors. We have Jedi, Sith, reformed Imperials, Ancient Eye Remnants, Republic allies, Witches. The Confederacy is a melting pot of cultures, races, ethnicities, checkered pasts, religious beliefs, and military backgrounds who have chosen of their own free will to come to the Confederacy, if for no other reason then to be free. Choosing to persecute a single entity out of the many possible dissidents reeks of a small mind and hypocrisy. Wouldn't you agree ViceLord Isley Verd, err excuse me, Isley Vi'Dreya?"

He planted his hands on the rests before him.

"Yes I believe we should protect ourselves from potential enemies and attacks. No, I do not believe that being so narrow minded in only seeing danger in a select group of people is the way. If this Executive Order stands as it does now we will be creating enemies out of allies and chaos from the order we have strived to create since the Confederacy began."

He loosened his grip on the railing.

"I move to propose a vote from the majority to overturn this ill thought out concept that persecutes a minority in the same vein of tyrannical empires that we have fought against. The Viceroyalty has the privilege, the responsibility, and the right to cast a vote to overturn this specific Executive Order as stated in our charter. As the Executive Order stands now, I vote to overturn it until such a time it doesn't needlessly persecute a people and culture for the reasons of their identity."

[member="Helly Reyne"] I [member="Chikako Liona"] I [member="Valencia Hadley"]

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Golbah City
Tags: [member="Derek Dib"] | [member="Aya Clarke"] | [member="Allya Vi'Dreya"] | [member="Adron Malvern"] | [member="Chikako Liona"] | [member="Helly Reyne"] | [member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Chikako Liona"]

Late. As always.

Srina had spent the last few days toiling away, catching up, with the proverbial mountain of data-dockets that had been left in her offices. [member="Adron Malvern"] had handled the majority of what she’d fallen behind on but there was still a lot to do. On occasion, she wondered, if she would have accepted this position if she had known at the time how deeply entrenched she would become in red tape. She arrived toward the end of her fellow Exarch’s words, but remained behind, and out of sight.

It was rude to interrupt.

One by one she listened to the group add their sentiments to the ideas that were being proposed. [member="Chikako Liona"] brought up the fact that Nelvaan might be better suited for some of it, however, Srina couldn’t help but remember one crucial point. The Emperor Eternal was dead. He’d died on Eshan and to her knowledge, this time, there hadn’t been any sort of miraculous recovery. If [member="Darth Tacitus"] was alive…If he had returned—Wouldn’t she feel him?

Nelvaan was in no position to do anything while their leadership was compromised by the loss of their Lord. She did not yet know that her fellow Exarch had been awarded custody of the remains of the proud military world.

From her spot in the back of the venue, she listened with careful ears. More and wore…She found room for error. A need for correction. These were not proceedings that she had been privy due to the fact that she had been increasingly absent. There was always a path that some could never travel. Always a path that held a differing of opinion. There were those that were faint of heart. Those that still believed that peaceful means were only ever achieved through negotiation and handshakes.

Silver tonged snakes that arranged those discussions were so often why gentler nations crumbled to dust and were lost to the annals of history. Peace was a lie.

War was an atrocity. Brutal, godless, and unfair. Yet, so was the indiscriminate orbital bombardment of her people.

Then came the notion of protecting themselves from their largest threat to date. The Clans of Mandalore. As the littlest Vi’Dreya spoke, clearly, having rehearsed she found dawning spread across her features. Turning her head she glanced at the escort that had been dutiful enough to walk her from the Ferocity to the meeting hall. She had requested to speak with [member="Alkor Centaris"] to find out how his assimilation into the Confederacy had progressed. Her Knight, [member="Naedira Darcrath"], could speak on many things but she didn’t always like to discuss her observations about a coworker.

“Would you not do the same?”, she questioned the Mandalorian beside her, honestly, and not because they were friends. Srina had spared his life. That didn’t mean she held any love for him. In truth…She recognized his face due to his connection to [member="Darth Metus"]. This man had been, or still was, his brother. Tearing his still-beating heart from his chest may have upset her Master. Ergo, restraint. “The rest of our adversaries do not have the might that the Clans do. They are so widespread…”

The more she listened, truthfully, the more she grew weary. Incredibly, weary.

Her head shook as she stepped forward, bringing the newly Knighted Centaris along through a delicate pull of the Force, whether he wanted to follow, or not. Her expression was silent. Her eyes were cold. There would not be an ounce of gentleness within the white-haired Echani because she had none left to give. The rest of her heart had been left in the ashes of Eshan City. “Do not resort to theatrics [member="Derek Dib"]. You’ve made your point. Enough is enough.”

There was no title accompanied with it. It wasn’t a sign of disrespect. She simply didn’t have the time or patience to worry about honorifics. Anyone who did? Hadn’t worked through the ashes and collective body parts for days on Eshan. Hadn’t sent home hundreds, thousands, or their own in cryo-boxes. Her gaze flickered, one toward [member="Adron Malvern"], and once toward [member="Darth Metus"].

“The arguments you presented were already made abundantly clear by [member="Aya Clarke"]. She was concise. Her concerns were distributed constructively. That is what we need. Not an immediate dictation of “Viceroy Privilege” and a knee jerk reaction. Understand that national security is at stake. Understand that our people, your people, are less safe with every moment that passes while we debate semantics.”, the Exarch spoke plainly, ever moving, and without hesitance. Her goals were always of the simplest nature. Protect. Sitting on their heels, waiting for the “Order” to be rescinded, rewritten, and reissued, was not an option. “If the wording so offends the ears of those present, we amend it. If the Order is unacceptable as written, we fix it. We do not leave this hall until it has come to an agreed upon state.”

“The biggest issue seems to revolve around the optics of the Confederacy turning into an Empire if we state that we are openly keeping an eye on specific groups of people. In that vein, do away with the word “Mandalorian” and simply run thorough background checks for everyone that requests admittance to Confederate Space. We distribute escorts on a case by case basis, dependent, on the threat level.”

It would cost more. A lot more. But, would it keep them safe? Perhaps. At any rate, it was safer than standing still, doing nothing, and twiddling their thumbs. Their citizens would hate it. But, at this point, some freedoms would unavoidably be curtailed no matter how this went. Passports, background checks, etc…It was all part of flowery wording that would try and make the Order seem like something it wasn’t. Gentle. Kind.

They all knew what the Order intended. Manure didn’t suddenly smell like roses even if someone dropped a few beads of perfume on it. It didn’t change what it was. It was a stressful, tedious, and a nearly painful security measure. No one wanted it. No one wanted to enact it at all—but while in wartime?

The Confederacy had no choice.

 

[Alkor Centaris]

He had a very small role to play as an escort, and he felt extremely out of place. There were many more qualified Knights that [member="Srina Talon"] could have called on for her escort, but she chose him. When he arrived, understanding came quickly. The topic at hand was how to handle Mandalorians, specifically, a sweeping measure to enhance security given the current galactic state of affairs. They were two warring states.

When she asked his opinion, he paused for a moment. What would he have done? What decision would he have made? Not so long ago, that might have been a real possibility. He might have had to make that call. After a moment of introspection, he knew his answer.

"Keira's stance is that Isley Verd is dead," he told her. "The position held by the Verd that remain is that [member="Darth Metus"] is, at best, Dar'manda and that he should be killed on sight. Mandalorians have long memories, and they are slow to forgive. That is the nature of the people who you have entered into conflict with."

He took a seat slightly behind her, leaned forward, and spoke quietly. "If it were my decision, as Warmaster, I would have any Confederates moving in or out of Mandalorian space monitored. Especially after a grueling battle where lives were lost on both sides and tensions would run high long thereafter, it stands to reason their motives for entering our space would be called to question."

After a moment, he added: "but Mandalorians are not a politically adept body. You have the Viceroyalty to appease, for the Mandalorians, it would have been enacted unquestioningly. I do not envy you in that, Exarch Talon."

 

[Chikako Liona]

​

Chikao continued to sit in a compose manner for the rest of the talks, noting each new speaker and their points brought forward. Many had much to talk about in this meeting, it was interesting to gain an idea on other system and the issues they were facing, to her own world the prospect of war and possibly fighting was a very distant ideal. They had neither the man power to support the overall war effort of the CIS, nor was Tythe close to enough to the border to warrant invasion, or anything of value to make it a possible target. Even such it was nice to attend these gathering, it helped the young ruler understand more about her position and how to go about certain tasks, slowly but surely learning from the more experienced members of the political class.

Her idle siting came to a rest as [member="Allya Vi'Dreya"] came forward with another proposition for the assembled members, specifically against the Mandaloiran threat that now came against the CIS due to the new war. She certainly made valid points, but why just Mando's? Also what about the Jenny Empire? Surely both factions would be more then capable of sending others into CIS space, bounty hunters, PMCs, that sort of thing. She could not help but see such a bill as not large enough to cover different sorts of infiltration that may be present. Thankfully it appeared that [member="Aya Clarke"] and [member="Srina Talon"] proposed ideas to fix such an issue, herself finding the possible changes proposed by both women acceptable.

Once again the young Echani took the stand to address the gathered members, "As stated by our extrach such a system to check everyone's identity upon entry into CIS space would be a more viable and effective option, we can't rule out the possibility of third parties operating on behalf of our enemy's". "My own world has already taken such measure into action due to the influx of refugees that make up its population", and the several attacks on her person in the past. "As such I am in support of this decision, more so if it's net is expanded to involve more then just Mandalorians". She gave a small bow at the end of her little speach, once again taking seat and listening to what others would say.

 

[Zentripoli]

Unequivocally unrecoverable time spent attending this function through this medium…

His small hoverchair floated in carrying the small Columi known as Zentripoli. While he had been in the chamber most of the time, he waited for a break in the speaking before floating to the spot designated for his small hover chair. The Viceroy of Hypori managed a small, apologetic nod to the Vicelord, he settled in and continued to listen. Zentripoli had only been a Viceroy for a small amount of time, but the Columi quickly got a lay of the land, studying the intricacies of CIS policy, the different political decisions made, the historical conflicts, the leaders, the economics, the list went on…

Self-control. Untoward behavior and impolite criticism is frowned upon…and above all most importantly, do not deign to label another Viceroy as an imbecile or as hopelessly incompetent…

The internal struggle for the Columi was real. While brilliant, his social graces were a “work in progress”. It took every ounce of a small portion of his enlarged brain to keep his mouth from moving.

Zentripoli listened to the concerns on both sides and the indirect sides taken in this debate on an edict that had far reaching and unforeseen consequences. Finally, Zentripoli could contain himself no longer, “Exarch Malvern…if it would be permissible, Zentripoli seeks to share words on this matter and introduce another perspective?”

Seeing that he was to be heard, the Columi nodded to the Exarch and began, “Perhaps concern in regards to the Mandalorians conjures a sense of vulnerability and an unnecessary fear of the unknown, especially when taken into consideration with the multiple cultures and sentients that comprise this Confederation. Zentripoli contends that the most prudent solution in regards to the Mandalorian ‘registration’ and the potential ‘registration’ of other sentients is in fact…to do nothing. Desperately, a situation like this can be remedied with vast improvement from within our own infrastructure and security protocols. In lieu of singling out any potential enemy, perhaps bolstering our own intelligence protocols and methodology gains the Confederacy more with our assets, credits, and time spent. When a proper assessment of our potential enemies has been conducted, then it is appropriate to allocate discreet resources to the faction, organization, or culture in question for proper intelligence operations to be conducted for our security...a strong intelligence infrastructure promises to keep topics of this vein from being considered in future assemblies. Just my humble assessment...”

The Viceroy of Hypori and owner of Zeralith Defense Technologies sat back.

Cease your rambling, Zentripoli. Your allotted time for vocalization has concluded at this juncture…