UnCommon Emergency

[Kay-Larr]

"I did not order this, Captain Durrogh. Why would I? It's counter productive! Can't you see that you are being played?"

"Can't you see that you are? More than half of my cargo and passengers have been taken which means that I'll get less than half of my pay!"

"You'll be compensated, Captain. And I'll get this sorted. In the meantime, steer clear of those routes and hyperlanes. Even if it means that you have to take the long way around. It'll only be temporary. Trust me..."

"Yeah right. It better be, Your Highness." Captain Durrogh ended his transmission with angry sarcasm and she didn't blame him.

Kap propped her elbows on her desk and put her head in her hands. It has been 4 days since [member="Darth Carnifex"] had spoken with her, giving her some time to 'reconsider' his proposal of taking not only a percentage of the CSA's revenue, but to kidnap refugees coming from the wartorn planets of the formerly held Galactic Alliance territory. There was now a blockade of sorts, with Sith Empire maintaining fleets along all of the trade routes and hyperspace lanes that came into CSA territory from the Core. And the Sith forces were telling their victims to blame her for it.

Wonderful.

Her message boxes were starting to fill up with Captains and buisness owners giving her their grievances. It was time to do something about it before the sixth day. She needed to put a stop to it all and without bowing down to the Sith Emperor. And she needed to do it now.

Kay stood up from her desk and activated her holotransmitter. She needed a meeting and she needed it now.

~I need you all in my office ASAP. There is little time to waste and we have a grave situation upon us. So hurry.~

She shut it off, sent off her transmission and headed off to the side table to prepare some tea. She was going to need it. Commenori brandy was set out as well. After this was over, she might need it.

[member="Darlyn Excron"] [member="Bradshaw Ku"] [member="Caedyn Arenais"] [member="Darben Skirae"] [member="Rahn Haaku"] [member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Darben Skirae]

He had heard news of it. Of trade routes he was put in charge of managing on their end. Blockaded. It did not make things easy on him, or his job. Or those that worked under his position. Darben had been waiting for [member="Lady Kay"] to call him and soon he received the message. From his office he made his way over, and by his stance and how he walked, one would see how unhappy he was. But he did not blame Kay. He could not, he knew this was not at all her fault.

"I've heard that my trade routes are being blocked now" he said, greeting her with a bow before saying so.

 

[Tin'tinag]

Somehow Tin was not surprised by this outcome of affairs, heck if she was a Sith probably would have done the exact same thing without a second thought, but seriously, who in their right mind would trust Sith? Form what the Twi'lek saw Kay spend 50% of her time appeasing the First Order and Sith Empire, for what? their forces to use Commoner space how they wanted. Call it being pessimistic but Tin had a very tight nit ideal that once the Sith Empire reached the core worlds not ever the neutral CSA would be safe from it's grasps.

With the Alliance gone First Order approaching from one side, the Silver Jedi still licking their wounds, the Republic Remnant to far away and the CIS ME in no aggression pacts with the Sith Empire there was nothing stopping their expansion. Though she did have [member="Lady Kay"] credit for sticking to her guns, to bad it was now coming to bite her in the ass... okay now was not the time for sarcasm, now was the time for action, hopefully.

Stepping into the meeting room her eyes fell upon Kay as well as [member="Darben Skirae"], "seems I have arrived early for once, nice little pickle to be in now aint we".

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay looked up from stirring the Sapir tea leaves in the boiled water to see [member="Darben Skirae"] stepping through the doors. "Only some of them, but yes. Please come in and have a drink. We'll get this taken care of. It's just a--"

Her words were cut short the moment that [member="Tin'tinag"] stepped through her office door. Kay raised a brow as the woman was not on her list of Ministers that she had sent out her message to. Perhaps it was just a coincidence. "Early, yes...And forgive me, but I'm about to have a closed door meeting with my Ministers. All others will be addressed afterwards." Her Ministers were her Council and Advisors. They were her close circle. And of course she had invited both of her sons as well. [member="Veiere Arenais"] should have been called too, but his whereabouts were still being kept secret for now. However she did have a task for him too, if he was up for it.

[member="Darlyn Excron"] [member="Rahn Haaku"] [member="Adron Malvern"] [member="Caedyn Arenais"] [member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

The Sith Empire we're growing bolder. No, not bolder, they had always been bold. Now they we're simply growing in general. With the fall of the Galactic Alliance there was next to nothing to halt the Sith advance through the core and to the southern territories of the galaxy. Adron’s duties with The Confederacy had taken him from Commenor for a spell, yet he had recently returned to advise Kay on the shift that was occurring.

Making his way down the hall, Adron did not yet know of Kay’s visit with the Dark Lord of the Sith. He had, however, been kept privy to the many distressing reports of Sith vessels sacking Commenori trade routes.
Keeping a firm hand on his walking stick, Adron was clad in a jet black suit with a silver design running down his left pants leg. Nothing too flashy, just flashy enough. He made his way into the Queen’s office and gave Darben a brief glance before returning his eyes to the Queen. “You understand the severity of our situation, I presume?” As he spoke he would bow at the waist, holding his cane to the side as he gave a formal greeting.

“I assume this is about the Sith moving against Commenori trade routes.” He said, clasping both of his hands on the crown of his walking stick. “If not, it probably should be, my lady.” There was almost a playful tone to him today, as if he knew something someone did not.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Darben Skirae"]

 

[Rahn Haaku]

A life-sized hologram of Rahn Haaku materialized on a holoprojector within Lady Kay's office. Rahn's normally green skin and garish robes were now dyed a monochromatic blue in the light of the holoprojector. Many lightyears away near the planet Nubia, Rahn Haaku stood in his ship's conference room where his own holoprojectors rendered faithful visages of the Queen and her advisors. "Your royal highness, my apologies for not being near enough to attend in person. Your ministry is hard at work on the core-world borders assuaging fears and maintaining our commitments to the border worlds. The unease here is palpable, but there is great confidence in your majesty's government to resolve this to our benefit." Said Rahn, his voice crackling with static.

As a neimoidian Rahn could not honestly say he understood other sentient species' obsession with binary conflicts between "good and evil". In his experience the general consensus outside of the Sith Empire was that they were ostensibly "evil", however up until recently Rahn had never let such subjective opinions affect his pragmatism. However the inroads the Sith had made at the expense of the Galactic Alliance had been troubling, not least because it threatened to shift the balance of power. Without the Galactic Alliance to act as a giant target as well as a secure/friendly enough neighbor, Rahn calculated that the CSA was now in a much more tenuous position. In orbit above Nubia, Rahn reflected on the Brentaal meeting and how he had quickly dismissed their warnings of the fall of the GA at the hands of the Sith.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Darlyn rarely left Mandalore's armor these days.

The thick Beskar armor was oddly comforting, allowing him to focus in these ridiculous times on keeping everyone calm. A part of him felt this is what they deserved for trusting the sith to not be, well, sithy, but honestly it wasn't the time. Instead he had been debating with himself if they had the capability to pry open a hole into the Core and Deep Core worlds. At least without waging war. There wasn't much they could realistically do was there? He sighed and sat back in his desk, finishing off a bottle of Commenori brandy, before tossing it aside into the rather full trash bin by his desk. The call from Kay was almost welcome, at least getting him out of his seat.

He grabbed his lightsabers, whiskey, and blaster before walking out to the meeting, taking a drink from the bottle as he walked through the door. "For once it'd be nice to get called for something nice y'know. 'Hey come see what my daughter made me! Would you like a casual cup of tea? Game of chess?' Is that really too much to ask?" He made his way to one of the chairs in Kay's office, before taking a seat. Outside of a polite nod of his head to those present and Kay herself his professionalism seemed as present as his daughter.

For those keeping track at home, that meant far away from him.

[member="Rahn Haaku"] | [member="Adron Malvern"] | [member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Darben Skirae"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay looked to [member="Adron Malvern"] as he strode into her office and nodded in response to his question and statement. "Yes, this is about the Sith blockade. And I know that it's serious. The Sith Emperor trying to teach me a lesson..." She didn't get into it any further just yet, choosing to instead sip her tea. There was no reason to go into the situation in detail until everyone had arrived.

Or at least most of them.

Minister [member="Rahn Haaku"] appeared next. This time in holo-form. She bowed her head to him. "Thank you, Minister Haaku. I will have an important task for you once the others are here and if everyone is in agreement."

[member="Darlyn Excron"] appeared next. She smirked at his comments, which were of course true. Somewhat. "Hey now, I had you both at the celebrations, didn't I? That wasn't so much work related...But thank you for coming, at any rate." The celebrations did have sone drama, but it was nothing directed at her or involving her. For once ..

[member="Darben Skirae"] [member="Bradshaw Ku"] [member="Caedyn Arenais"]

 

[Garza]

"The Emperor may be attempting to teach a lesson, however it seems you have deaf ears."

Holding in my left hand, a simple kettle of tea. Sapir tea to be factual. While it may have been hot to the touch, my left arm had no feeling in it. Considering it was metallic, and created through alchemy, heat of boiling water was no affect. In my right hand, linked through my fingers were two cups. They were currently empty as I moved to the desk. Ignoring just about everyone other than Kay. Setting down the cups upon the table, I could feel the waves of nervousness, excitement, and even anticipation for what may come. Even if she herself knew not what was going to happen. Holding the cap of the kettle, I poured the two glasses of tea and with the beckoning of my hand, a small coaster flew into my hand. I gingerly placed the coaster onto the desk along with the still hot kettle upon it.

"While more may join us, I believe a cup of tea will help ease the situation."

Leaving one cup for her, and taking the second for myself, I found myself sipping upon the tea. Perfectly brewed. Ever since the first meeting I had with Kay, I had a hankering for this tea. While it may have not been as egregious as the need for the Queen of Commenor, it was still very much present. I stood instead of sitting. No need to when someone else could use it.

"With all of this fuss, I can see why you drink so much of the tea."

[member="Lady Kay"], [member="Darlyn Excron"], [member="Rahn Haaku"], [member="Adron Malvern"], [member="Tin'tinag"], [member="Darben Skirae"],

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben Skirae could see that this meeting was of utmost importance. And the Sith Empire, he had tried to make a dealing with them before. It had not gone so well. However, he remained silent while he remained quiet. Just looking about, every now and then looking over his datapad. He was looking over the trade routes being blockaded, seeing how the situation was for them and if it had worsened. He grumbled to himself as the last of them came in, and [member="Lady Kay"] got talking. Things were not looking up for his job, it made it a tad bit hard for him knowing this was happening.

[member="Atheus Voidwalker"] [member="Darlyn Excron"] [member="Rahn Haaku"] [member="Adron Malvern"] [member="Tin'tinag"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay looked to [member="Atheus Voidwalker"] as he stepped in, frowning slightly at his words. Yes, she was stubborn, but she could hardly say that she had deaf ears. And she had no intention of letting [member="Darth Carnifex"] or anyone back her into a corner. There were ways around this situation and she was going to do her best to implament those strategies.

She watched as he poured himself some tea, curious as to why he had brought his own supply. But it mattered little. And as it so happened, Kay had her own cup that she was still sipping from.

"Tea helps to give me comfort and keep me calm. This is our first blockade and it'll have to be dealt with swiftly." The economies of many planets could suffer a dent that would only grow if this continued.

"First off, I have to tell you that I had a...meeting of sorts with the Sith Emperor. He wanted a Non-Aggression Pact between us, but he wanted us to buy it from him. Our negotiations went back and forth for a while, and then he took his leave, giving me six days to think it all over. I should have known that he would enact his policies during that time." More than likely it was a show of dominance. But she wasn't going to let him get away with it.

"From what I understand, the Sith pirates are stopping and searching each ship coming from the Core to our territory, kidnapping refugees and stealing our cargo. Well I have an idea to deter them until I get another meeting with their Emperor." She paused to sip her tea.
"What if we assign CSA citizenship to all those refugees that board our vessels? We could have an immigration center on their ports or on the ships themselves. Then they'd no longer be refugees by the time that the Sith pirates stop them. Plus we have other routes from the Core for the cargo to take. It might be a bit longer for travel and more costly in fuel, but it would only be temporary. How does that sound for a start?" And it was a start. Just how she was going to deal with the Sith Emperor herself was another matter entirely.

[member="Darlyn Excron"] [member="Rahn Haaku"] [member="Darben Skirae"] [member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Rahn Haaku]

Rahn's shimmering blue hologram presented the Neimoidian as stoic, but his internal dialogue was anything but. A myriad of curses and self doubt rattled about in his head. Had he underestimated the Sith? He should have made diplomatic and personal relations with them a priority within his first few months as Minister of Foreign Affairs and now he had perhaps lost his chance to establish a relation on equal footing. The Sith's offensive into GA space had interfered with trade and commerce in the core worlds and now a deliberate blockade threatened to choke off a significant percentage of the CSA's commerce. It appeared clear this was done specifically to the detriment of the beleaguered GA, but it inadvertently hurt the CSA and Rahn suspected that few Sith shed tears on that account.

"You highness, a most compassionate and ingenuous proposal." Said Rahn through his hologram. "My only fear is what we will be forced to do if they continue to kidnap our soon-to-be citizenry. While they are still refugees we are under no obligation to respond, however if the Sith's arrogance compels them to continue their mass incarceration of refugees after we grant them citizenship... We will be forced to respond to defend the citizenry if the Sith call our bluff and continue their abhorrent behavior."

[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Darben Skirae"]
[member="Darlyn Excron"]
[member="Adron Malvern"]
[member="Tin'tinag"]
[member="Atheus Voidwalker"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"I can't say I'm sure it'll work. Sith aren't the kind to stick to the rules of engagement, in peace or war. The plan to move cargo routes will likely have a positive impact, at least for now, but the blockade may adapt before your meeting. As to granting citizenship so easily, while it may help or may not, such an underhanded tactic will inevitably upset the Sith. It may grant us a stronger chip to bring to the table, or it may make them draw the gun beneath the table. We are not dealing with rational actors in a traditional sense, the only advantage we may have in a worst case scenario is the possibility their allies may not be willing to risk damaging our capability for trade. Whatever our actions I feel things will only escalate." Darlyn lounged out a bit, resting his head on his metal covered fist, thinking as he let his opinion hang in the air for the Queen to take. This was a delicate situation in the best of times, and required patience and precise tools. But where it needed a scalpel they risked bringing a hammer.

And who would be to blame, but all parties? "I wouldn't know the correct course of action Kay, but we must be ready for the worst case to become reality."

[member="Rahn Haaku"] :|: [member="Lady Kay"] :|: [member="Darben Skirae"] :|: [member="Atheus Voidwalker"] :|: [member="Adron Malvern"] :|: [member="Tin'tinag"]

 

[Garza]

The proposed situation given to Lady Kay was quite... different. The Sith were blockading the core worlds. While there are so many routes that one couldn't control all of them, at best they would slow the CSA down in their shipments. We may even lose people who don't want to go against the Sith themselves. Kay proposed an action of having all refuges be given citizenship so that if they pass these blockades, they will not be taken. While this was a noble thought, I saw quite a few problems with it.

Darlyn spoke up about it. Making one of my concerns known. The Sith could easily just pull their own weapon out from under the table saying we were fighting against them. Thus easily wanting and almost lusting after war. I just shook my head as this one thought entered my mind.

"What will stop the blockade limiting who can and can't go through determined by how long they have held onto their citizenship? We may as well just make fake ID's to show that they have lived here for quite some time, and when they get here, actually give them the real deal."

Playing this game today, was like trying to defuse a bomb with so many cords, you don't have any clue at all which color sets the bomb off, or shuts it off.

​"This non-aggression pact is based upon aggression. He is making you buy it from him for fear of unleashing everything he has on us. This pact is set up from the start to be broken. It might hold, but I doubt it will be for long. The Sith are fighting against so many fronts at the moment, they just don't want our neutrality to play to their enemies strengths. If we hold a non-aggression pact, then not even a single member of our alliance, or people can aid those who they wish to do so. Otherwise, they attack us."

I shook my head. Taking a sip from the tea to calm my nerves a little. It was times like this that really tried my attempts to hold my anger. If they wanted to set this up as something for the actual benefit of our respective groups, then they wouldn't be pushing it with this blockade. This blockade was an attempt to force us to side with them, without actually doing so.

"As much as it may be the best route for us to just go around them, I don't know how this Emperor would react to that, or if we just called his bluff. Get in his face and tell him how we see it. He might back down, or he might attack us. This is a kind of bomb that is going to blow up no matter the decision you make. So the best thing we can do is control where the explosion is put."

[member="Darlyn Excron"], [member="Rahn Haaku"], [member="Lady Kay"], [member="Darben Skirae"], [member="Adron Malvern"],

 

[Darben Skirae]

Darben Skirae took out the flask he normally had with him, taking down a sip as [member="Lady Kay"] addressed the situation fully. He understood what the situation was, they were nearly being forced to accept the terms. Guilt-tripped, turned towards. It was only a matter of time that this could escalate. "Other routes will work fine. Our economy is stable enough to not take a dramatic drop." And he was agreeing with the others, there were ups and downs to this plan that Kay proposed.

As [member="Atheus Voidwalker"] said, they needed to control where. The Emperor could react in anyway. And [member="Darlyn Excron"], speaking of needing to be prepared. They would need to, even if Darben hated the idea of what the worst could be. [member="Rahn Haaku"] saying that they would be made to defend the refugees. "With routes closed, help from the core will also be lacking if it comes to needing help. While we do need to help the refugees, we also need to think of a way to push back on the agreement. Something to hold over them. As much as I dislike the idea..."

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay looked to [member="Rahn Haaku"] 's holo-image. He was the first to speak up, and so she took in his words. Of course he buttered her up with a compliment, as that was his way. But what he had said was true. More than likely the Sith would do just that, and they'd all be forced to fight. That was the kind of thing that she hoped to avoid for as long as possible.

[member="Darlyn Excron"] spoke up next. Kay looked to him, sipping her tea for whatever small comfort it gave. He seemed to agree with Rahn. So that was two so far that didn't agree with half of her idea. If there were any more, then she'd have to drop it. Which was fine. It wasn't as though all of her plans ever worked anyways.

Then came [member="Atheus Voidwalker"] with his thoughts on their current situation. His words held true. This was an aggressive move, a bullying tactic. Kay saw it and knew it. She just wasn't entirely certain of how to react to it. This was afterall, her first blockade to deal with. And of course it happened to be enacted by one of the most powerful governments out there.

Kay looked to [member="Darben Skirae"] as he voiced concerns over the situation. He seemed to be as puzzled and inexperienced in such things as she was.

She sipped her tea before speaking up. "The Sith Emperor had agreed to him owing me a favour of my choosing. So there's that....But I'm uncertain if he'll hold his word. He says that he doesn't break his word and to ask my niece [member="Yasha Mantis"] about it.
But this blockade and piracy just shows how dirty his negotiation tactics are. It could be that he never wanted a non-agression pact in the first place, and is just testing the waters with us, so to speak.
So how do we respond? Besides adjusting our routes, I mean. Do we send decoys? Do I put out a broadcast denouncing their actions? Regardless, we're going to have to have our fleets patrol our borders and be put on alert..." Kay wasn't so sure if getting into the Sith Emperor's face right now was a good idea.

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Livia Maddox]

“The Sith Emperor is making a show of his power to his people. Have you heard? The Rebel Alliance has been nipping at their collective heels for months. If Zambrano doesn’t assert his authority on someone, he would begin to lose their faith. If he has the chance to create an advantage, and a method of rooting out the rebels who attack his people, it behooves him to take it.” Captain Livia Maddox was a wild card in the Commenor Systems Alliance. A new and as of yet untested figure within the Alliance, Livia Maddox’s pedigree went back to the Army of Light, which helped take down the previous Sith Empire, and destroyed Dromund Kaas. An officer in the Chandaari Navy, she served under [member="Manu Xextos"], the now-sovereign leader of the Chandaari & Nelvaani refugees who inhabited the desert system of Sabarene.

While Livia attempted to come into the Commenor fold, this was, in her tactical perspective, the best way for her to do so.

“You are beloved of the Mandalorians. Emperor Zambrano would be most unwise to push too far. He’s testing, seeing if he can receive a favourable outcome from a connection which is, with the Infernal on her throne, a given.” Standing at prim attention, the career officer wore her uniform stiffly and proud. Her blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun away from her stern face.

“When my fleet and I fought the Sith before, we used smuggler’s lanes and hidden passages tangentially connected to the hyperspace lanes. Give me the word and I will send my navigators to disseminate these paths. We have teeth, although we are not want to use them liberally without cause. If you would take the advice of a novice to your people, your Majesty, call in your allies. Let them know of this. Let them put external pressure on Carnifex to eradicate this faulty course of action. If you allow me, I can call upon Sabarene and the fleets of the Echani present there… they have all fought Carnifex before. He pushes because he thinks you are a child from which to procure ‘lunch money’.”

[member="Darben Skirae"] [member="Atheus Voidwalker"] [member="Darlyn Excron"] [member="Rahn Haaku"]