Securing the Future

[Jiang Winters]

Spoiler: optional fluff

Much was new to the United Kushari Federation.

In five days' time, they had discovered a galaxy beyond their wildest hopes and dreams. A place filled with untold millions of peoples and planets, with technological wonders and riches beyond imagination. It held such promise for them, such hope; it would give the Kushari a future beyond the war-torn skies of their home system, and it would allow them to grow and expand as a people and as a nation.

However, they were by no means alone in the galaxy. Surrounded on all sides by states far more powerful than themselves and lacking a single advantage, their hand had been forced; they saw no choice but to side with a group older and wiser than they, a people who could aid them in the defense of their homes should push come to shove.

Their gaze turned first to the Galactic Alliance, one of their two immediate neighbours. Massive, powerful, and ruled by a democratic government that ensured freedom for its members, it was an ideal candidate for an ally. Their only other options were the warlike Mandalorians, who, while similar in culture to the Kushari, disgusted the race of felines with their violent ways. The Chiss, aggressive and greedy, likewise turned the stomachs of the Kushari, while the Empire utterly terrified them.

It was, therefore, no surprise that the GA had no difficulty bringing them to the table with the offer of an alliance.

A day had elapsed as the Kushari dispatched a courier ship back to their homeworld with the news. The Federation High Council ruled on the offer, it went to the Prime Minister's office, and then a decision was returned to Lord-Admiral Jun Sajuuk-Sjet of DSEG.

Negotiations were to be commenced, though caution was to be taken to ensure that the Kushari would be an equal member state within the Alliance and not a subject. Jun, delighted by the news, immediately set out for Coruscant aboard the Serenity, an advanced Corvette. Upon arrival, he and his personal guard boarded a Meadowlark dropship and were escorted to the Capitol Building upon Coruscant.

Upon landing, Jun was whisked inside after a brief security check while his guards stayed with the dropship. The Kushari wore strictly utilitarian clothing - a flat black combat jacket and pants, worn bloused into his boots, with a simple patrol cap with slits for his ears perched atop his head. Three gold rank bars adorned each shoulder, while a miniature version of the Kushari Flag was at the front of his cap, consisting of two deep red wings flanking their homeworld and its solitary moon. It was a simple, unassuming uniform, one that showcased the mindset of the species it represented.

He was taken to the Chief of State's office, where the guards paused to alert the secretary to his arrival. Jun was ushered inside a moment or so later.

The feline wasted no time surveying the office or the Chief. Instead, he introduced himself straight away - there'd by time to stare at the undoubtedly lavish office once names were exchanged.

He gave a short bow of his head and spoke, "Chief Lamartine, my name is Lord-Admiral Jun Sefu Sajuuk-Sjet, commanding officer of the Deep Space Expeditionary Group and representative of the United Kushari Federation. It is an honor to meet you, sir."

 

[Dread]

The Cheif's diplomatic skills must of been caught off guard because he could not quite conceal his shock when seeing the size of the feline. It was almost like the first time he had seen a Wookiee. It was a little different, though, as the shock faded away a feeling of enchantment settled in. It was truly a beautiful and majestic looking species.

What do the females look like? He thought inappropriately.

"Likewise, Lord-Admiral Jun Sefu Sajuuk-Sjet." Valafar put aside his glass of sunnydew water he had been filling up. His gaze remained firmly on the feline as he stood up and gave a formal bow of his own.

When Valafar sat down he retrieved his sunnydew water, took a sip, then began, "Please, have a seat." With his free hand he gestured towards a chair and continued, "Would you like some sunnydew water? It's quite refreshing. It has the slightest hint of the flowers flavor and bitterness."

This was always Valafar's favorite part of his job... the pleasantries.

 

[Jiang Winters]

The Kushari gave the offered seat a quick once-over; once satisfied that it would support his weight, Jun settled into the chair and draped one arm along the armrest, while using his free hand to remove his cap and lay it upon his
knee. "I'd like to try a glass, yes. Thank you," Jun replied cordially.

He was glad to find that Lamartine enjoyed pleasantries - it was a far cry from his own species. When Kushari conducted business, it was fast, efficient, and had a minimal of fluff and posturing. In fact, any pleasantries more time-consuming than a brief handshake tended to be viewed as unnecessary and, therefore, a waste of time! Not so with Jun; he enjoyed the little things and believed that they could make an otherwise boring affair into something quite delightful.

"You've a beautiful city, Chief," Jun complimented, He smiled, just widely enough to reveal a line of ivory from his teeth but not enough to show his wicked fangs, and continued, "It's a remarkable feat of city planning and macro-engineering. It reminds me much of K'sha'to, my home city, but on a far grander scale."

 

[Dread]

Valafar smiled across the table at the Kushari when he accepted the offer of a refreshment. He filled his spare glass with sunnydew water, to nearly the top, then picked it up and placed it in front of the feline. The marble inlay of the tabletop made a little clink as it came in contact with the glass.

There was no doubt in the Chief's mind that the Kushari would enjoy the water. Of course he was forgetting the fact that some disliked the bitterness of the flower, considering it's water an acquired taste. Several weeks back during a meeting, one dignitary looked like he gotten shot with a blaster pistol in the crotch after taking a sip of the water. It had upset the Chief then, but apparently not enough for him to stop offering the drink to his guests, or remember the incident at all.

"Ah, I'm pleased to hear you enjoy Coruscant's architecture." Valfar's smile grew warm. He sat forward in his chair, clasping his finger-long hands together well resting his wrists on the table.

After pausing for a minute, Valafar decided it was time to guide their discussion towards business. He prompted, "I was also pleased to hear that our first contact went so well with your people. And I hope we can continue negotiations with just as swift progress."

The ball was in Jun's court now.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Jun thanked Lamartine for the glass and raised it to his lips. He took a small sip to test it - as he'd been warned, it was a bit bitter, though no more so than some of the alcohol-spiked juices so popular in bars all across Kushaa'vo, the Kushari homeworld. He quite liked it, and was quick to take another sip.

He set the glass back down on the tabletop and reclined in his seat, ears perking towards the Chief as the man spoke. He mentioned negotiations, which instantly reminded Jun of the purpose of his visit.

The feline sat upright in his seat and nodded briskly. "I hope to continue swiftly as well, Chief Lamartine. I've already sent word to Kushaa'vo of our negotiations. The Federation High Council and my brother... Excuse me, Prime Ministor Sajuuk-Sjet have seen fit to give me the right to act in their stead, so I can act as a fully-fledged representative of my people's will."

A smile tugged at his lips. "And right now, the people's will favors the Alliance. I won't waste your time with posturing or unnecessary verbosity, Lamartine; that's not the way of my people. We believe that the Alliance, being a democratic nation, is the best possible ally that the Federation could ask for. The Empire, on the other hand..."

He paused a moment, smile disappearing, along with his formal vocabulary. "What we know about them spooks us pretty badly. Big, aggressive, ruthless; not exactly the kind of crowd we want to associate with. We've fought our wars, and we've spilled our share of blood. We want peace, and if we're going to fight, it's going to be in the defense of peace. We stand a chance of peace with the Alliance - we don't stand a ghost of a chance with the Empire."

Jun paused to take a sip of the water he'd been given, and continued. "Right now, our course of action is thus: We wish to seek membership within the Galactic Alliance. Our terms are very simple; we wish equal trading rights within Alliance space, we wish to retain our national and cultural identity including our government and military structures, and we wish to keep our military independent so that it may defend our home system. All we need to know is what the Alliance's terms of membership are. We suspect it's little more than a portion of tax revenue and military support - is that all, or is there more to it than that?"

 

[Dread]

Valafar tensed as the Kushari brought up the Empire, loosing his smile. His back straightened out and shoulders pulled back. When Jun finished detailing the Federations terms, Valafar let his chin drop, "There is one matter we need to discuss..."

"Due to your home planets location, Kushaa'vo, we would like to use the Kushari for an early warning system against the Chiss."

The Chief gazed into Jun's eyes and let silence fill the room for a few seconds, setting a serious mood between the two before continuing, "Some recent, and disturbing, events have been brought to my attention by the Jedi; we may need the Kushari's help sooner than later. These events, however, will be discussed in further length during the upcoming emergency Congress session, along with the Kushari's possible entry into the Alliance."

"If we can come to an agreement here and in Congress, the Kushari will be granted the right to call themselves citizens of the Galactic Alliance, along with being allowed to send a representative to Congress."

 

[Jiang Winters]

Jun slowly nodded. "The Yanir Nebulae. It sits right on the edge of our solar system, barely a light year away, right between us and the Ascendancy. A pre-Federation research station was built there beyond the black holes flanking our system, centuries ago. It guards one of only two hyperspace routes in and out of our territory. I doubt the Council would protest if the Alliance maintained a token force there to watch for the Chiss."

The feline folded his hands together in his lap and grew pensive for a moment. He knew the Council wouldn't like the idea of their home system being used as an early warning system, but the Yanir Nebulae was far enough from Kushaa'vo itself to avoid making their own home system a target. If the Alliance could be persuaded to put their early warning system there, then there'd be little risk of the Kushari being hung out to dry in the event of a Chiss invasion.

"An agreement... You already know our terms, Chief Lamartine. Unless you've anything to add, I can agree to the deal as it stands."

 

[Dread]

"I believe that would suffice." That was all Valafar needed to hear before accepting the agreement.

Valafar stood, holding out his hand to shake on it. "There's nothing else I need to add."

Jun's agreement to the early warning system should of made Valafar feel less tense, but it did not. Instead, it made him a bit sad. It was one of the many steps he would need to take in preparation for a potential war. War was a terrible thing he wasn't looking forward to, but he was remaining strong, as expected of him.

Even if Valafar could not completely hide his tenseness, he forced a smile. "When you leave," He paused, then continued in a softer voice, "Would you like to bring a few bottles of sunnydew water? I can have one of my assistants fetch you them."

 

[Jiang Winters]

Jun made sure to be gentle when shaking Lamartine's hand. As a Kushari, he had many times the strength of a human, and he knew from personal experience that it was only too easy to accidentally hurt a human. "Then our business is concluded, Chief Lamartine. It's been a pleasure," Jun replied warmly, despite being concerned by the possibility of open war.

Before he could depart, Lamartine offered him a bottle of sunneydew water. The feline pondered his offer for only a moment before accepting. "I'd like that very much. Thank you," he replied, smiling. "Perhaps when I return, I'll bring a sampler of wines from Kushaa'vo. Might find something you take a liking to."

 

[Dread]

"It diffidently has been a pleasure. I'm glad I got the chance to meet with you Lord-Admiral Jun Sefu Sajuuk-Sjet." Valafar said.

"Ah, I would love a sampler."

The large paw was certainly alien feeling to Valafar, but not in a threating way. The Chief found himself enjoying the softness of it. As he let go of Jun's paw his hand fell to his desk. He pressed down on a comm button and spoke, "Lisa,"

Lisa's calm voice crackled to life over the comm, "Yes, Chief Lamartine?"

"I need you to package a few bottles of my sunnydew water for Lord-Admiral Jun Sefu Sajuuk-Sjet to take with him. Have it ready for him by the time he reaches the front desk."

For a second only the fuzz in the background of the comm could be heard, then Lisa's voice pipped up, "Of course. Right away, Chief Lamartine."

 

[Jiang Winters]

Jun smiled and waited until Lamartine was finished with the intercom.

"Thanks again, Chief Lamartine. For both the water and for seeing me. I believe I speak for the Federation as a whole when I say that I look forward to a new age of peace and prosperity as a friend of the Alliance."

He rose to his feet, the feline easily towering over most everything in the office. He was a big man, of that there was no doubt. "I also look forward to meeting with you again!" he said cheerily, his smile warming. "But alas, it's goodbye for now. I've got to make my report to the Prime Minister and the High Council."

Jun produced a small data chit and placed it on the edge of Lamartine's desk. "That contains the location of the Nebulae I mentioned. If you wish to contact the homeworld directly, I'd suggest sending a holonet satellite there. The Navy will tow it into our home system, and communication will be established. It'll make dealing much easier, and your navy won't have to stick their necks out trying to navigate the black holes and asteroids choking our skies," he chortled.

After bidding himself goodbye one last time, Jun departed the office. He stopped to collect the sunnydew water from Lamartine's secretary - as well as thank her for gathering it - and then proceeded back to the Dropship. It was time to go home; time to make his report.