Uncommon Skill For a Common Queen

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Aryn Teth"]

Kay had to take the speeder to the Praxeum this time. More so because she was a month from her due date and the walk was too great. But at least she had transport available. Two guards came along with her. Given recent troubles, she couldn't be careful enough. Both her husband and her staff were very much on point about that. Soon she'd have to bow out of public life for a little while and she had no idea if she was even capable of getting away from all of the goings on. It was going to be very difficult.

The Praxeum library possible had an answer to that.

Once the landspeeder reached the courtyard, Kay stepped out while being aided by one of her guards. From there it was a bit of a waddle up the steps to take her inside. At first she just stood there, not quite remembering of where to go. But then it all came back.

Quietly and not wanting to make a fuss, she made her way over to the library, heading over to the section that specialized in meditation techniques. It was an easy enough cover, should anyone that not knew of her secret were to come by. Afterall, meditation was supposed to help during childbirth, right? But there was a specific type of meditation that she had in mind that had very little to so with childbearing, but all to do with war.

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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The Force Praxeum of Commenor, Commenor, Rachuk Sector, The Colonies Region​

Interacting With: [member='Lady Kay']​

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It still felt as though only a small period of time had passed since Aryn and Kay had spoken last, and he had been granted access to the Praxeum, yet he had needed to travel back and forth a great many times. With the growing Cold War in the Galactic Alliance, Aryn had been called on by many in the Alliance to take a more steadfast position, and considering the impression he had been left, he was now officially a minted Jedi General for the Alliance. Yet, the Cold War now threatened gravely to turn hot and to turn an era of relative peace within the Alliance and the Core into one of war, and so Aryn had returned to Commenor briefly in search of more knowledge. Indeed, the knowledge he sought was quite similar to that which Kay did, and he sat in the library, poised over a Holocron on the very topic.

His attention was diverted by the approaching sound of footsteps, his gaze shifting over towards Kay as she entered. He could tell from the way she walked that she was further along in her pregnancy and the birth was likely to be soon. When they first met it had not been of great importance to him, but now it reminded him of the kind of peace that was now threatened, the fact that her child would likely have to be born into a galaxy at war.

Standing, Aryn allowed the Holocron he had been studying to close and float gently down to the table before him as he bowed towards Kay. "Kay, it's been a while." He spoke politely, trying not to assume she had come to see him. Admittedly though, he was pleased to see her, he knew well that Commenor valued its neutrality, it had kept them safe during the long Cold War, but he had always remained unsure of its potential to remain safe. "It seems we can never particularly meet under the best of circumstances, hm?" He offered a smile, but there was a somewhat dire tone to his voice, betraying the grim events which had taken place over the galaxy. As Imperial, First Order and Sith fleets manoeuvred across the galaxy, anyone who was anyone knew that it had reached a point where war was inevitable.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was lost in her own world as she searched the volumes, or rather skimmed through the titles, that she hardly noticed [member="Aryn Teth"] until he spoke. She turned to face him and bowed her head. "Yes, it has been a while." It had been a few weeks, but was it longer? She wasn't entirely sure. At times days would go by in a blur, while others seemed to drag on.

She tilted her head to the side a bit in thought. Their last meeting involved doing some research into Ra and his return to life. Had Aryn gotten much further into that? She wasn't sure. "I have gotten in touch with an expert in the techniques involved in your research. He'll be coming by the Palace for a meeting with me. Once I have gained more info from him, I'll let you know."

Kay wasn't entirely up to date with what was going on elsewhere. Her focus had been on her family and Ra's threats to her people, all over some confusion as to whether or not she was trying to take his soverignty away. And with the SJO moving to be near her borders and her trying to get her adopted son to mature enough to handle diplomatic talks with them, well it was enough to make her worry about stepping away to have her children. Would it all just fall apart? With [member="Veiere Arenais"] taking charge of some of her duties, she knew that it was in good hands. But still, relinquishing control and stress was proving to be a very difficult thing.

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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The Force Praxeum of Commenor, Commenor, Rachuk Sector, The Colonies Region​

Interacting With: [member='Lady Kay']​

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Aryn gave Kay a gentle nod as she spoke. With all that had transpired in even the short time since they had last met, Aryn regretted that he had been unable to focus as much on the research the two of them had set out on as much as he would have liked. Indeed, Ra had quickly become among the least of Aryn's direct concerns, though he personally doubted that would be for too long. He figured that Kay may have further concerns about Ra as well, considering the Mandalore's rather aggressive message which had at least in part been directed to Commenor. Still, it was pleasing to know she had made some advances, regardless of the coming wars, their research was a worthy endeavour.

"I'm pleased to hear it, I will be sure to make the time to get back to Commenor for that meeting, should it occur. Unfortunately much of my time has been taken up recently, seems the Alliance has seen fit to name me one of their generals." The decision had been particularly recent, so Aryn would have been unsurprised if she had not heard as much. Indeed, he was unsure if she was even aware of the manoeuvres that the Imperials had been making, he was mostly privy to them as a result of his connection to the Alliance. "In fact, I'd be lying if I said my new appointment didn't have a role in my visit." He commented simply, clasping his hands behind his back. He had hoped to leave Commenor to its neutrality, to not even remotely relate them in the war to come, yet the Alliance needed help, needed allies, and Commenor was as worthwhile an ally as any.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow slightly. Of course she hadn't spent much time at the Praxeum to have even noticed that [member="Aryn Teth"] had left Commenor to go back home. It wasn't as though she was keeping tabs on the man. He wasn't a threat, so there was no need for her to have him watched. Her government wasn't like the First Order. "A General? I didn't know that your skills lay in the military."

What he had said next gave her the cue that she needed to sit down. So sit down, she did. Chairs were plentiful in the library, thankfully. Aryn was going into a formal posture now, which made her slightly worried. "And what role would that be? What was it that you were searching the records for this time?" He had turned off the holocron when she had arrived, so Kay was unaware of what topic he was looking into. She just knew of what she had wanted to search for.

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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The Force Praxeum of Commenor, Commenor, Rachuk Sector, The Colonies Region​

Interacting With: [member='Lady Kay']​

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Aryn couldn't help but chuckle at Kay's initial comment. "You and I both." Indeed, Aryn had never particularly expected to end up in the position of a military leader, but his exploits in the Rebellion had evidently gained him a reputation and support among key members of the Galactic Alliance Defence Force, and more or less fast-tracked his appointment to the role. He had yet to be properly minted and tested on the field of battle on anything more than pirates, but he was sure that was not likely to last much longer, however.

As she spoke up again, he glanced back towards the holocron, holding a hand out toward it as he let the small cube float into his hand. "Batttle meditation, actually." He said, as he looked over the object, shrugging as he glanced back over to her. "Admittedly, I don't think I'm the best practitioner of it." He explained with a shrug, setting the holocron back down gently, before turning his gaze back up towards her with a more serious expression. "However, I wish I was only here to ask for knowledge, I wish to ask for a lot more than that." He sighed, trying to think of his best way to put his request. He had not wished to involve Commenor, but it was growing necessary. "Soon enough I feel like the galaxy is going to be tested, and I'm unsure that anyone, even Commenor, would be able to get through this test unscathed, and without taking a side. War is coming to the galaxy, Kay, and the Alliance needs help. It needs allies."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay blinked. Battle meditation? That was exactly what she was looking for. Whether or not she wanted to tell [member="Aryn Teth"] of that remained to be seen. But perhaps the look on her face says it enough.

And then his stance changed. He sighed, gave himself a moment of thought, and then began speaking. His words were of the kind that she's heard before. The Galaxy was always at war, so that was nothing new. The only changes were of who was attacking who at any given point. Some favoured pre-emptive strikes as a good thing, while others saw it for what it really was; an act of aggression. Both Kay and [member="Veiere Arenais"] had managed to keep their people out of it and in doing so, it has kept them safe. Poking their noses into another's business wasn't a right course to take.

She chewed the inside of her cheek, giving herself the same moment of thought that Aryn had. "Our forces are small and are needed to protect our own borders. It may be seen as selfish, but the side that we've chosen is our own. I can't keep my people safe if a good portion of our forces are lightyears from home. We were threatened by Ra, you saw that, and all over a misunderstanding of a meeting that he wasn't even there for. I've had to take that seriously." Kay gave herself another moment as she weighed in on the variety of pros and cons. And there were plenty of them. "We are allied with both sides, each having various stakes invested in us. We can offer aid in the way of humanitarian efforts, giving refugees a safe place to stay, plus help with reconstruction efforts at no cost. But the Commenori stay home..." That last sentence was one commonly used, almost like the planet's motto. Commenor survives. It always had throughout the centuries. And she wasn't going to see it destroyed on her watch.

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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The Force Praxeum of Commenor, Commenor, Rachuk Sector, The Colonies Region​

Interacting With: [member='Lady Kay']​

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Aryn raised an eyebrow briefly as he saw the shift on Kay's face at his mention of what he'd been looking at. He was unsure of the meaning behind her very subtle reaction, he doubted it was surprise about him looking for it, she knew now that he would likely need it soon, though Aryn made no effort to question her reaction. When she began to speak in response to him, Aryn sighed, it was the reaction he had expected, he knew well enough that he was not the first to come to Commenor hoping to make the neutral state 'see the light' as it were. He did not blame Kay's focus on neutrality, in reality it was a commendable action on her part, to keep her people safe and prospering for so long, but still, dark times were coming, and he doubted that Commenor could remain as they had forever.

"I would never presume or expect you to send your people to fight our war themselves, Kay, as you say - you must defend Commenor first and foremost, but there are ways you can tip the scales without sending your people to the front lines." He urged her, sighing as he kept his hands gently clasped behind his back. "I understand that Commenor has agreements on both sides of this war, but I think you and I can both believe there are sides you would take on this war, between light and dark, empire and democracy, freedom and slavery, even." He pressed, watching her as he spoke. "Commenor could provide the Alliance with the assistance it needs through trade, or you could keep the agreements we have, and embargo the Imperial states who've begun this aggression." He allowed her a moment or two to consider his words, speaking up once more before she could respond. "At the end of this war, you may only be left with neighbours on one side of this war, it's up to you if you'd prefer them to be the free, cooperative people of the alliance, or the aggressive, expansionist Imperials."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow as [member="Aryn Teth"] expressed that she needn't send any of her people to fight. Well that was a new one. In the one time that she was asked by a different government, it had been to send in a fleet, send in soldiers. However in that situation, she had sent just a few vessels that observed the so-called 'attack' that ended up being over before it began. That was fortunate. It'd of been a pickle to have to engage with an ally.

"Every war is different, General. I have seen good guys do evil things and bad guys do good things. My own husband, a former Jedi Grandmaster had found himself having to defend a planet against the Jedi. Anyone that goes after innocent people for no reason other than who governs them are bad people in my eyes. One would hope that they'd learn from their mistakes and not repeat them." Why this war was happening, she had no idea. But it was history repeating itself. She found it to be similar to the last days of the Republic. It was ironic in a way, as the Galactic Alliance was formed when some from the Republic left and created their own government, and now they were on the course that could bring them to the same kind of end. It didn't surprise her that only now would they reach out.

Kay rested her hands on her tummy as she studied Aryn and his pose. He was certainly stepping into his new role. "We have no agreements with the Galactic Alliance, General, not for trade or anything. You are the highest ranking official to have ever come to our borders. Until now, we were probably just a fleeting thought, or didn't really exist. I can understand why, given that we are so small and in any of the inter-government meetings that I had been invited to, my voice, along with my husband's, was never heard." She paused for a moment, now realizing that she probably sounded as though she was on the attack, when really she was just stating her position in the grand scheme of things, which wasn't much of anything at all. "If I put an embargo on these 'aggressive, expansionist Imperials', as you call them, then that'll turn their aggression onto my people. And I can't have that. All that that would do is give you a small respite before they find out who ordered the embargo, and then they would come after your Alliance once again. We are a buffer to you as we are to them. And just as we won't put a trade embargo on them, if we were to create a trade and non-aggressive agreements with your Alliance, we would also not allow ourselves to be forced to put a trade embargo on you."

Another pause as she thought of his last comment. "The Imperials aren't the only ones that expand their borders. We do too, albeit in a non-aggressive ways. The more that we can do that, then the more worlds and the more people will be safe from the wars ravaging the Galaxy."

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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The Force Praxeum of Commenor, Commenor, Rachuk Sector, The Colonies Region​

Interacting With: [member='Lady Kay']​

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Keeping his gaze upon Kay, Aryn stood and carried himself with a great deal of confidence, stepping to his role had not been as easy as he had anticipated, and he had not expected it to be easy in the first place - yet Aryn had found that he seemed to have a knack for leadership, it was a natural ability of his, at that point, in more ways than he understood. He was vaguely surprised by Kay's comment that the Alliance and Commenor had no developed any formal agreements, he had not been able to find any record of such agreements, but he still found it absurd that the Alliance had no reached out to Commenor proper prior to his involvement with the government. Still, he did his best to avoid letting his surprise be visible on his face.

He nodded as he listened to her, there was a caution in her words, it was clear she was doing her best not to cause any undue offence to him, and her stance was admirable certainly, it was certainly clear to Aryn just how experienced and skilled in politics Kay must have been as he watched her. "Your devotion to the protection of those within your borders is admirable kay, and it's admirable that you'll continue to bring people and systems under that protection, but how long until one of these Empires believes you have something they want? Some system rich in minerals or history. You've said yourself that you can't afford that kind of aggression, and though the Alliance would endeavour to assist you if that ever occurred, we can't do that if we may not be here at all." At the very least, Aryn hoped he would be able to leave with some trade agreement for the Alliance, but still - convincing Kay and Commenor to take a stance against the Empires had been his goal, and he wasn't easily dissuaded from it.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay clenched her jaw. In some ways, [member="Aryn Teth"] was right. What help could they expect to get if only one side was left outside of their own? But then she remembered her abduction, when she was gone for months and no one answered [member="Veiere Arenais"] ' calls for help outside of their closest friends. They were on their own. And more than likely they always would be.

"Words are one thing. Actions are another. I can't trust the promises of others that they would be there. We never break our word and with many of our neighbours, we've already signed non-aggression agreements. Our interaction with others is none outside of creating our trade deals.

Perhaps you've hit the nail on the head. We have nothing and no one of value that can't be found elsewhere. There are no hidden treasures that some would choose to seek. As you've seen in this Praxeum, it's open to both sides of practicioners of the Force. Barring certain people from our borders will only create conflict instead of promoting peace. We would rather work with others than find reasons to fight them."

She chewed the inside of her cheek a little. "Keep in mind that this isn't a lawless society. We have our rules and all are expected to follow them, both visitors and citizens." Her focus drifted elsewhere for a moment as she lost hersef in a train of thought. "I don't expect that peace here will last forever. That can never be promised. Yet I have to expect and plan for the possibility that we would have to fight any aggressor alone. We are far too small for anyone to be concerned with, nor for them to spend their resources on. Experience has taught us that much."

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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The Force Praxeum of Commenor, Commenor, Rachuk Sector, The Colonies Region​

Interacting With: [member='Lady Kay']​

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Aryn let out a gentle sigh as Kay spoke. She spoke with the kind of conviction and determination one should have expected of a leader not prone to backing down under pressure, she had been in this position more than a few times and generally had gotten out of such a position with her goals met. Her comment on actions made sense to him, it was ambitious on his end to expect a full-blown alliance considering the fairly minimal history between the Alliance and Commenor, but progress would help that, and progress was what he was there to spark. He nodded his head in a calm, thoughtful manner, watching her as she spoke again and remaining silent as she finished her rebuttal.

"I would caution you not to underestimate what some would spend their resources on, size rarely factors into it." His tone was cautious as he spoke, and Aryn took careful measure to level his voice with the kind of polite tone that came with friendly advice, rather than any patronization. Before she could respond to his advice, he continued. "But you are right to a degree, the Alliance has not shown you the strongest of faith and devotion, so it would be foolish of us to assume the same of you. Perhaps, when you are better able..." He made a casual, but cautious motion to her belly as he continued. "We can organize some official discussions, perhaps surrounding a defensive agreement, by which any attack on Commenor would be met with Alliance assistance? Such a decision need not have any implications otherwise, but I'm sure we can agree it would make for a firm show of faith, hm?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay wasn't so sure that others would waste their resources on attacking them. But then again, the Mandos would do so just for a shot at the thrill of battle. Of the old saying 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer', the Mandos were ones to remain clear of altogether. Imperials, even some Sith she figured that she could handle. But the Mandos were a different story. At least her people had the tunnels to get to safety in.

[member="Aryn Teth"] didn't give her time to respond to his remark on her governments size and the significance of it. One could suspect that he just didn't want to give her a chance to argue. Still, he kept himself calm and didn't seem to show an air of superiority over her, which was nice to see.

A brow was raised however as he determined her pregnancy to mean that she couldn't handle any stately affairs. Maybe he just thought that it might mess with her mind too much. But then she did have her husband and staff members to deal with matters for her. "That is a possibility. I'm sure that I could get my husband and Ministers to attend. Yet such an agreement could put your Alliance in a bit of a pickle. We are a neutral government. What if we are attacked by one of your Alliance's allies? What would you do then?" No doubt they would try to act as a mediator. But there could be hostilities taken before then. So it was a fair question to ask.

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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The Force Praxeum of Commenor, Commenor, Rachuk Sector, The Colonies Region​

Interacting With: [member='Lady Kay']​

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A curious expression crossed Aryn's face at Kay's proposed scenario. Though he figured it was unlikely, what she suggested was at least a vague possibility in the long run, relationships could always change, and the Commenori relationship with the Empire could have always drawn disfavour among some of the governments that the Alliance chose to form their allegiances with. "A fair question. I suppose it would be fair enough to say that the Alliance would step in, in a peacekeeping capacity, to try and halt hostilities and serve as a mediator. Though I do believe the likelihood of any of the Alliance's allies attacking Commenor would be quite low." There was no patronization or dismissal in his tone, despite his final reassurance, Aryn understood clearly the necessity of questions such as this.

However, Aryn knew that he was somewhat on the back foot as he watched and listened to Kay. He was not a skilled negotiator, nor a governor or politician in any manner, Aryn was a Jedi, and a General, war was his area of expertise, and he knew well enough that the topic of war, at least in regards to Commenor's direct involvement within the one at hand, was unlikely at best. Still, Aryn made every effort to conceal these thoughts, presenting the same air of confidence as always along with a polite smile as he nodded his head. "Still, your husband and Ministers would be quite welcome to such a meeting, along with yourself. I would quite like to meet Master Veiere, I must say - putting a face to a name is always welcome."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded. Although [member="Aryn Teth"] might have more faith than whomever the Alliance was allied with, she just wasn't so sure. Wars were started for stupid reasons and she had no doubt that her neutrality was a problem in the eyes of many. She had been told as much before.

But to have someone to step in and mediate instead of fighting, now that was something that both herself and her government could get behind. Diplomacy benefits the people far better than war ever could. At least that was how she saw it.

"To act as a mediary. I like the sound of that. We don't have much of a voice at all, from all of the intergovernment meetings that we've been a part of, so putting us in those shoes would just be a waste." Kay knew that to be true. The super powers of the Galaxy ignored them at those meetings and elsewhere, so she was sure to not take part in them in the future. There was no point when her words fell on deaf ears with everyone involved.

"When my husband and Ministers are free, we shall arrange it. You can expect no hostilities from us, so meeting either here or a planet of your choosing is fine." Kay didn't expect hostilities from them either. But trying to find a time when [member="Veiere Arenais"] , [member="Darben Skirae"] and others were available together wasn't so easy to do. But it would happen eventually. She had no control over their movements like other leaders would have.