Ask AA Meeting

[Alexander Xerxes]

It had been some time since Alexander came to office and some time since he signed The Order banning the Jedi from Republic Space. Some might find it strange or perhaps a knee jerk reaction to what he was doing today, but this had always been the plan. Even before he took the first step in the Supreme Chancellor’s shoes this had been on the cards.

To the West of The Republic sat a black spot in civilization, a strange section of space that for some reason unknown to all scientists throughout the ages held no life. It was here, above a lonely Gas Giant, Alexander Xerxes sat within a private shuttle. The only living organisms on the ship were Alexander himself and two security guards, one also acting as a pilot. The two guards were utterly loyal to Alexander, coming with him from the Hynestian Royal Guard. They had to be, otherwise what was about to transpire would perhaps collapse his entire plan, his entire life around him.

As he sat waiting, the ship hovering in empty space, Alexander pulled on the cuffs of the blue shirt under his tweed suit. “Trust the Jedi to be late.”

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

A shuttle burst from hyperspace. Alex sat at the controls, her viewport showing the waiting vessel. She had received the strangest request. The Grandmaster had alerted only the Council to her travel plans before heading for the darkest edges of space. She was dressed as she always was. Armor, robes, with saber at her hip. Why had she come? Truly Alex did not know. Perhaps there was still a part of her that believed in goodness…believed the galaxy was kinder than it showed. The optimist she just couldn’t shake. She sighed.

Slowly, she piloted her shuttle to connect to the docking ring of the companion ship. The hiss of the seals filled the cargo hold. The boarding doors slid open, and Alex walked to the other side. A wry smile played on her face. What an incredible metaphor. She walked into the private shuttle to find the Supreme Chancellor and his guards. As if two security guards could match her but the Grandmaster was not an assassin. She was a Jedi. Despite the apparent vitriol those words induced in the Supreme Chancellor.

She nodded politely upon her entrance. She was exactly on time. “Chancellor. I assume there is no need for pleasantries.” Her face was smooth and her voice even. “You’ve brought me to the edge of the galaxy, I’m guessing you have something to say.” Despite all that had changed, Alex remained a blunt woman. “Get on with it.” Her desire for diplomacy with the Republic had long since vanished. There would be done with a political as corrupt as the crime they claimed to fight.

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

A solid beeping sound from the cockpit ahead signalled that the Grandmaster had arrived, Alexander made a further concentrated effort to close himself off from The Force. If anyone was going to sense his potential it was to be the Jedi Grandmaster herself. The women entered the private shuttle with purpose and aura that signalled she was not someone to trifle with. A blunt opening lines didn’t take the Supreme Chancellor by surprise, he knew this was not going to be easy.

“Grandmaster Voran, please take a seat.” He said gesturing to a chair across from him. He wasn’t sure if she would take it or not, whatever happened he continued. “I understand your hostility towards me and my government. But I also hope you understand that what I did was needed for the Republic. We were fighting a war that we were losing drastically. And to be honest, even by some miracle we hit such a blow to shatter the Sith Empire, the Republic would receive nothing but the broken bodies and minds of the soldiers and sailors that we had sent to the front.”

“It was, I am sorry to say. The only way at the time.”

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex did not sit. She stayed standing and waiting for the Chancellor’s explanation. None came. “You were fighting a war? How many Republic worlds fell to the Empire? Outside Emil’s misguided assault on Denon, how many times did the Republic wade into the fray?” Her voice deadpanned. “None, Chancellor.” She shook her head slowly. “You have made your choice and I have made mine.” She would not change whatever inner working drove the Chancellor. She could not pretend to understand what he did. Greed and power motivated the political class. That she knew.

“If there is no reason you have asked for this secret meeting to hide you sat in the same room as an undesirable…you are wasting precious time.” Time was the one thing she did not have. She could not afford to have her thrown away like yesterdays trash. She needed every spare moment she could find.

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

“Our worlds may not have been conquered but we suffered in other ways. The war and everything that spiralled from it crashed the New Republic economy, poverty was rising massively, unemployment was doubling by the half year and what little food we could import was increasing at double the price on inflation. Yes we did not see turbolasers in the sky, but we saw death and despair all the same. War is not all about ‘Glory’ Grandmaster.” He said with a spiteful tone he had preferred not to use during this conversation. Too much of this Galaxy was filled with prideful war mongers.

Alexander took a deep breath, he needed to bring this back on track before the Grandmaster huffed her way back out the airlock. “Grandmaster, just because I made peace with the Sith Empire. Does not mean I do not understand their threat to the Galaxy. I called you here today to discuss how in what means we can assist you in your fight. Without calling obvious risk to the Republic citizens.” He was hoping for a little more civility before he got to the meat of the conversation but needs must.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex remained silent. Once, she had prided herself on control. She was Alexandria Voran…she could look the Empress in the face and find forgiveness. Her emotions belonged to her and the patience to match. The galaxy had worn her down. The path she was forced to walk all these years slowly peeling away those layers. Her patience was thin. Spit, bile, and vile only further stripped away the razors edge of her polite behavior. The most dangerous part was no one would ever know. Her mind was a fortress, unable to be touched by any but the strongest. “You don’t know me, Chancellor. But why would you? We don’t understand each other, and the fault is equally mine.” She took a step forward.

“If you think this is about glory…there is nothing that will ever make you understand us. It’s not glorious to watch your friends die. Watch innocent civilians put to the sword or the man you love beheaded for the holonet to see.” The conviction in her voice rang clearly. “We don’t do this for glory. We fight because no one else will. The Empire invades, whatever world they have chosen fights alone, and only we stand with them. It’s not glory…it’s our duty…as painful as it may be.”

Alex’s voice became soft for a moment. “So, you must forgive my skepticism when you offer us aid in the shadows. We take the risk, we lose our lives, and the Republic risks nothing at all. If we fail your peace remains until the Empire grows tired of it. If we win, you are free from fear the Empire will come for you next.” It was the bargain so many asked. Benefit and reward without sacrifice. “What is it you offer us Chancellor?”

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

Alexander was tired of the argument, he had spent all of his campaign arguing on the war and much of his term since had been surrounded in continued arguments about it. But an argument here would only make things worse and not allow him to reach his goal. “If you were not sceptical of this, then I would ask you to return to your ship and be on my way. I have a habit of not risking my life or that of my people on foolish people.”

Alexander lent back in his chair and crossed his legs before continuing. “And I would say we are risking a great deal in choosing to help the Jedi. Even me meeting with you right now, if leaked could lead to a war with the Sith Empire we could not hope to win. I would prefer if you sat, I don’t want to get a crick in my neck looking up the whole time.” He reiterated. “In terms of what I offer, it's simple, ships, materials and information. All items we do not give to the Sith I might add. The pieces of the Galaxy that follow you are strong but do not have the industrial capacity to combat an Empire on the scale of the Sith. I can help fix that.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex finally did sit. She had agreed to come here, and despite her dislike of the Chancellor, it would be a waste to not see the meeting through. Her mistrust and her frustration remained. She slowly placed her hands on the table between them…listening to the proposal. Hmmm. What was she to do with this? “A generous offer, but why?” Alex raised a questioning eyebrow.

“You have your peace, why help us?” No number of flowery words or offered good would bury her distrust of the Republic politics. “How would you purpose any of this would work?” She would not open the Order or the Resistance to hidden Republic stooges. She had enough corner and unreliable elements over which to worry. They could not afford to become a vessel for Republic intelligence officers.

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

“Thank you.” He said as the Grandmaster took her seat opposite him. Although she retreated from her aggressive posture of standing, she soon reestablished it as she sat. Placing her hands on the table for him to see, for unlike most of the galaxy those hands were weapons that could snuff out a life in an instant. “I sought peace, as peace was the best thing for the Republic and its Citizens at the time. However, having a large and powerful Sith Empire is not in the best interest for the Republic.” Alexander was confident he could hold the Empire at arms length for a number of years, but there were too many unknown factors within its ranks to be one hundred percent certain.

“If it makes you feel better about accepting my help, I am not doing this for you or the Jedi. I am helping the Republic in any way I can, that is my duty. I like yourself, take pride in fulfilling my duty to its utmost. In terms of how this would work, it will be simple but your hands and names may be dirtied slightly in his application, do not worry there will be no blood. Is this something you would be willing to do?”

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Her hands were already dirty…filthy with the choices she was forced to make. She carried that burden so the Order would not. “I’ll do what is required but I will not have the Order further dragged through the mud.” What could he possible be asking? “As you said, I take pride in my duty. My responsibility to accept the burdens others cannot.” Alex would not trade the Order’s reputation for supplies. She had seen the damage when the perception of the Jedi was tainted.

“Despite what some think of us, the Jedi are overwhelming good people simply trying to do what is right. I won’t have their reputation sullied for material goods.” They needed supplies, both military and otherwise. She knew everything came with a cost, but some costs were simply too high. The Order was in this mess because they had not been careful with their public perception. She would not compound that mistake.

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

She, like the rest of her order, was stubborn. She had no quarm with affecting the mind of the Chancellor to further their goals or strapping helpless Wookiees to the outside of shuttles when they did not think people were looking. But ask them to dirty their hands in the eyes of the public they become prudish and proud. “Well, I can’t just hand over warships to you, even if in secret they would be found out. Look at what happened with our dear Senator of Kuat, whatever help I give you is purley from myself no other members of the Republic can know it. Otherwise it will leak and all will go to ruin.”

“I cannot offer you the newest and best ships around, but. We are currently going through a modernisation of our fleet, as such many older vessels are being decommissioned. These decommissioned ships are piloted by droids to scrap yards, the Hyperspace Lanes they use are top secret with only the upper echelons of the Republic Military given access to them. I propose that the Jedi use a leak within the upper echelons to take these ships for your own fleet?”

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex felt the wave of revulsion. The Chancellor clearly had some mental defenses, but he appeared to make no effort to hide his disgust. He was exactly the man she suspected. Alex smiled politely. “No thank you.” She pushed away from the table. Subtly, the Force beat in her chest. She had no idea what kind of man the Chancellor was, and she suddenly found herself deeply troubled by his actions. How could this be anything but a trap? Steal Republic ships and find the Order even more deeply shamed. For it was stealing even if the Chancellor gave them to tools to do it.

“We’re not stealing your ships.” She took a few steps from the table. “As I have said, we will always be there for the people of the Republic should they ask for us. If you change your mind, and wish to fight with us, we will welcome you with open arms.” Alex shrugged. “Until then Chancellor, there is nothing further for us to discuss.” She turned to head back towards her shuttle…shooting one last look over her shoulder.

“May the Force be with you.” The seal hissed as the door opened and she walked into her shuttle. Alex shook her head sighing. The galaxy was a complicated place, but some choices were easy. The Chancellor was not their friend, the Republic was not an ally. In that moment she did see a truth. The people of the Republic would be won for their leaders certainly did not serve them.

OOC: Alex Exit

@Braden