Convention would dictate.

[Sangga]

Outsider Citadel, Cerea
I-16
Mid-Rim
​

A meeting of many minds. He'd barely believed the acceptance of the Elder council in his proposal. But now, in the vast assembly room he was near to making his opening address. A tide of system representatives and officials, tribe leaders and commissioners had arrived to listen and some to speak. He had yet to see anyone outside from outside the Neutral worlds, but the cameras would let the universe know, there were people in the galaxy that thought differently to the Empire, and that is not a bad thing to do.

He slowly paced around the great room of this Outsider Citadel and nodded to a few faces he had seen in replies and correspondence. Who else would wish to speak he had no idea, but this was to be a public forum. The Representative of Naboo cut a form in his tailored white tunic, dress trousers and jack booted outfit. His blue waistcoat had been brushed of all fluff. He'd polished the braces that contained his comm-link control to gleam as much as the rose brass clasp that kept his cloak at his shoulders. A fine turn up indeed, but something raised the hairs on the back of his neck. His old ways had not fully left him, hence he still war his gun-belt, after all the Representative's allegiance to the Alliance was common place knowledge by now.

 

[Aleksandr]

Although Rellis Elegin now had more pressing matters, he was still often called upon to represent the Ancient Houses of the Senex and the Juvex sectors on diplomatic excursions around the galaxy. The Senex-Juvex Kingdom had been de facto independent since the fall of the Galactic Alliance as it was never within the grasp of the New Sith Imperium. The region is located in the southern expanse of the Mid Rim, which was well out of the Empire's reach. Although there were others that had more experience in diplomacy in the sector, Rellis is nonetheless one of the one of the oldest and most experienced diplomats in House Elegin, as well as the whole Senex-Juvex Kingdom. He is also among the most traveled. That is why he was called upon to attend this meeting as a representative of the kingdom, just in case it was something potentially interesting to the Ancient Houses.

As he sat back and awaited the opening address to begin by the man who represented Naboo, Rellis hoped it was not a going to be a declaration of their allegiance to the Galactic Rebellion. He had no more respect for them than he did for the Empire, and in any case, they were in the way of his true goal―the eradication of both the Jedi as well as the Sith. Nonetheless, the nobleman figured he might as well hear what they have to say.

 

[Richie B.]

Rondar was behind the head of the Cabal a lieutenant in the order the man was able to know the true identity and purpose of the order though it doesn't mean he knew everything. But that mattered little to the ex commando he was used to be giving half truth, look around the meeting making sure there was no threats to the older man, Rondar had his old commando armor and his rifle was on his back in reach in case of the worst. Yet the man had a neutral face on an had the look of a soldier hopefully this meeting wont last long since the man was going to be bored with the political BS, but it was something the knew he needed to get used to since his new position asked that of him.

"Sure I hope this is worth the trip I would hate if we traveled all this way for nothing." Rondar said quietly to Rellis treating the older man like his equal because that was what they were a part of the galaxy that wasn't infected with the curse that was the force.

 

[Sangga]

The delegates were hiding some gems of resistance to outer control, the venerate Rellis Elegin and Rondar Radmar. Their hardline anti-force user policies were concerning. The fact that they hated all Force users, well, it could be seen that they were no better than the Empire. This was about coexistence not revenge or a gathering of power.

The Jedi had yet to arrive, he thought they would; but then again why would they? He headed toward the stage, maybe the crowd would begin to gather, once discussions naturally died down he'd get up onto the podium and make his first official address to the galactic community. Hopefully nothing would go wrong, he hope to inspire, confrontation was to be avoided at all costs.

 

[Aleksandr]

Although Rellis was there as a representative of the Senex-Juvex Kingdom, not as the head of the Cabal, he decided to bring along his lieutenant, Rondar. He trusts former Galactic Alliance commando enough for to use him as a bodyguard, knowing all of the unrest going on in the galaxy right now, and thought that the man might as well get glimpse into galactic politics.

"Indeed, my friend," Rellis told the commando quietly.

The nobleman would report what he learned to the heads of the Ancient Houses of the Senex and the Juvex sectors, and they would act however they wished based on that information.

 

[The Inquisition]

Cerea.

A bright jewel in a Galaxy of dark coals, it was a planet unlike any other in the known Galaxy. The native sentients, the Cereans, adored their home world so much that they had forsaken all technology and banned all foreigners from bringing such machines into their precious cities. The only location where electronics could be used without legal intervention were the massive durasteel monoliths that dotted the planet's surface. Outsider Citadels, they were called. Unfortunately, they were little more than buckets of crime and villainy. No matter how hard the Cerean government attempted to purge the Citadels of thugs and the like, they always seemed to return, like some sort of intolerable rash.

Apparently some dim witted meat bag thought such a location would be perfect to house a meeting of important political, cultural and economical figures to discuss the growing Rebellion. This meant the Rebellion had to send a representative as well, and since everyone else was to busy or to annoyed to attend such a tedious meeting, they had of course sent the droid. "Another reason why they all must be vanquished." These were the words that escaped the voice module of M0-B0, more commonly referred to as Motherboard. The advanced IG-86 variant had been sent to the meeting, as if she was some sort of low life protocol droid designed to endure the tumultuous cycle of politics. When she spoke there was no hate in her voice, no disdain, any emotion at all. It was simply a monotone voice, her way of separating herself from the emotions that made all organics weak.

She was definitely going to have high oil pressure after this. Although Motherboard despised every living thing with a passion, her decision to join the Rebellion was one that she did not regret, for with her help, they might yet win this war. Ah, but that is a story for another day.

The Gozanti - Class cruiser descended slowly onto it's designated landing pad, the landing gear retracting and making contact with the ground with a loud hiss. With a sort of robotic gracefulness, Motherboard exited the ship, her black cloak waving wildy in the Cerean wind. The hood was wrapped completely around her head, the torso of the cloth concealing her robotic nature. All that was visible would be her two soothingly white photoreceptors scanning the nearby beings as she and her two guards began to proceed towards the delegations.

View attachment 2038 ​

Of course, her two protectors were indeed droids. Two extremely old B1 Battle Droids, relics of a bygone age. They were painted red and white, their diplomatic colors contrasting sharply with the mysterious hooded figure adjacent to them. The trio were indeed a sight to behold, and all in their path scurried out of the way as they quickly walked towards the meeting room. Once there, they entered quietly, perhaps almost unnoticeable by the other attending members. All of which were fleshies. Unfortunate.

Her prejudice at maximum, she found herself an empty seat that was relatively far away from anyone else, the two B1s standing unnaturally still at her side. Her many hidden photoreceptors scanned the room, analyzing the many faces and matching them to the names and history's she contained within her data banks. The meatbag upon the podium was none other than Jamor Rodea, a figure she had been keeping an eye on for sometime. He would no doubt prove very influential in the days to come, perhaps even joining the Senate once the Rebellion restored the Republic. Perhaps the only other beings who truly stood out were Rellis Elegin, a member of the Senex-Juvex Kingdom, a well traveled man who had a very distinguished look about it. Beside him was a man she did not know as well, something that did not please her at all. The only information she could pull up was his name was Rondar, and that he was a commando. Or ex-commando. It was all a bit fuzzy when it came to his background. Motherboard would fix that in due time.

As Representative Rodea began his speech, she pulled back the hood, revealing herself not to be a human or near human person, but a droid. And wearing the emblem of the Rebellion no less! This would no doubt be intriguing to many of those in attendence, but the droid did not care. Hopefully they would all be burnt, rotting corpses in due time. And so she watched, discreetly recording the entire event through her holorecorder that was built into her head. No one would have any clue she was doing such a thing. The Motherboard always kept videos for "insurance" purposes.

 

[Duskrose]

Fianna managed to get in fairly easily, it being a public form didn't really make it much of a challenge. Unless one actually counted walking though the door a challenge. She gave her hair one more final adjustment and mentally crossed her fingers. Not that she was not used to this sort of thing. While most of what she had on her were well made knock offs, they were knock offs none the less. Of course if she played her cards right, so it speak no one would think to check were she had been shopping.

A place like this would be crawling with both wealth and money. Or so she was betting. The trick to any event like this was looking like you ought to be there. To that end she put on a vaguely disinterested expression and began to casually circle the room before she would commit to any one area. It was all about finding the one person in the crowd arrogant or careless enough to believe her.

She had a few in mind. Fianna liked to think she could pick them well. But, she reasoned, there was no need to rush things. As she thought on the attendees and how to best use their presence to her advantage.

 

[Richie B.]

Rondar stood behind Rellis ready to strike but it seems that not many people that were a threat had come, a droid really caught the man's interest but it mattered little the once commando of the republic had little interest in fighting or helping the rebellion though it left a bad taste in his mouth the man say that the force users were responsible for the many deaths of good soldiers and with the Cabal aiming to bring them down the soldier knew his dream for a more free and equal galaxy will someday come true.

Checking out everyone noticing a noble looking woman and a few other wealthy looking people it didn't sit well with the old commando being with a bunch of politicians since he has never really like the idea, yet Rondar was more than willing to stand around with a bunch of old fools if it meant that Rellis was safe the old man was one of the few people Rondar thought to have any clue as to what was going down and how they should be handling it.

Rondar would remain silent for now slightly holding to get back into the action but knew that it was more important an his duty to protect the leader of the Star Cabal.

 

[Sangga]

He slowly made his way to the stage, nodding as he was hailed by the more eager members of the assembly. With a hand firmly placed on the stage he leapt up and then adjusted his attire, brushing the blue waistcoat and adjusting the bracer on his left wrist. He stepped behind the podium and a robotic chorus chimed people's attention. He allowed the murmur of the hall to simmer down, then he began to control his breathing. His hands dropped from the podium and clasped each other before him. "Solidarity. Hope. Peace. Members of the Convention of Neutral systems, we are here because we want this. Many of us look to the Rebel Alliance, I count myself among that number." He stepped away from the podium, a slight calmness was in his walk. His hands didn't move from before him, the translators had finally stopped. "However, I am a citizen of Naboo, a Representative of Naboo. I am tasked with aiding the decisions of my planet, my planet has decided to seek aid after it's vicious attack by the Empire." He awaited for the translators again. "In it's history Naboo has been Neutral, a part of a Galactic spanning Empire and of course... it was a member of the Galactic Republic." He caught the eyes of several members throughout, but now he looked at the droid. "I want to see co-operation on that scale. Trade, diplomacy the first progressive steps on the long walk to a peaceful co-existence. The following open forum is for open discussion between factions, planets and governments. As a galaxy we should agree to move forward, together." Lousy, appalling and far too simplistic... but it was all he could say...

 

[Aleksandr]

Interesting. The nobleman expected to hear talk of how they need to support the Rebellion. Knowing the rulers of the Senex-Juvex Kingdom, the seventy-year old statesman understood that they will not mind who controls the galaxy as long as their two sectors remain firmly under their control, though they would be willing to nominally pledge allegiance to whoever was on Coruscant. Rellis figured he might as well see what the other systems thought of this and what the others would say.

 

[The Inquisition]

"Solidarity. Hope. Peace. Members of the Convention of Neutral systems, we are here because we want this. Many of us look to the Rebel Alliance, I count myself among that number." The Convention of Neutral Systems. If she was an organic she might have found that particular choice of title rather amusing for it sounded eerily similar to the Confederacy of Independent Systems. A political and economical movement that had managed to achieve great things, even despite their intentional slavery of droids. Perhaps this new Convention would see fit to use droids as a primary fighting force? Doubtful, since their goals were mostly peaceful. A pity...

He continued to ramble on about his home planet of Naboo, the Galactic Republic and something of trade and diplomacy. Her primary Central Processing Unit was indeed listening and recording Rodea's speech, giving the illusion that she was giving him her undivided attention. Yet in reality, her secondary CPU was still scanning the room, constantly updating her databanks on the myriad of influential political individuals that were in attendance. She was caught off guard as one of the nearby women she scanned did not appear in any of her internal files. This was not to say the droid did not keep tabs on many important figures, but this mysterious woman was quite literally a nobody as far as her database was concerned. She was either new to the political scene, or she was a mere commoner who had managed to make it
pass security. The Motherboard would have to pay close attention to that one.
"I want to see co-operation on that scale. Trade, diplomacy the first progressive steps on the long walk to a peaceful co-existence. The following open forum is for open discussion between factions, planets and governments. As a galaxy we should agree to move forward, together." Finally. It seemed as if his speech had been dragging on for hours, and yet it only lasted a few short minutes. Luckily it was all recorded. After a few short seconds of replaying the recording, Motherboard decided it was time she make herself be known to all. The millennia old IG-68 droid was a rather discreet member of the Rebellion, not due to her recent joining, but rather due to her ability to remained unnoticed. She preferred the eyes of the fleshies gaze not upon her gleaming mettalic frame, but rather at each other.

Without a moments hesitation, she quickly rose from her secluded seat, making her way quickly to the stage and the waiting podium. Most, if not all, eyes were on the newcomer. It was rare to see a droid in these sort of occasions, unless they were of the servant or protocol variety. The Motherboard was neither, and she would ensure that everyone in the audience knew as much once this over. She approached the stage, her cylindrical head no longer whirring to and fro, but now focused entirely on the situation at task. "Sir Rodea, I presume. A pleasure." It was a simple greeting, showing her ability to be polite, but also indicating that she cared not for his rank and would not be intimidated. It was extremely difficult to earn the Motherboard's respect, but it could be put to great use once acquired. With her black cloak wrapped securely around her torso and her gleaming photorecepors slowly gazing out upon the crowd, she gave off an aura of seriousness that only a droid could match, but also a sense of calmness and lack of any emotion. What little bubbles of conversation that still existed were quickly popped once her gaze fell upon them. Now that it was completely silent, she spoke.

"Greetings my fellow politicians, historians, and corporate business men and women. I am the representative of the Galactic Rebellion in this matter, Motherboard. I, too, am a member of the Rebellion, and as such support their efforts to bring peace and stability to the Galaxy." Her feminine voice was devoid of any excitement, nervousness, or fear of public speaking. It wasn't so bland as to bore anyone, but rather it contained a cold underlying tone to it. "We have all gathered here today to discuss trade and diplomacy, to see what the Rebellion has in store for the future. Can the Rebellion truly win against such an awesome foe? Can we look at our numbers, and then at the might of The Imperium and honestly convince ourselves it is possible? No, we cannot." Some gasped, a bit offended by her sudden rant of pessimistic thoughts. She waited until the murmurs died down.

"I have been around for a great many of years, longer than any of you may be able to comprehend, and I have seen many a rebellion fall to their opponents? Why, you may ask. It was not because of lack of technology, or lack of numbers, or even lack of faith. It was because of a lack of support!" Her voice rose slightly in volume, a sort of mimicry of anger. "We stand upon the precipice of great change, of many a victory across the galaxy from the Outer Rim to the Core Worlds themselves. We have momentum, my like minded companions. For we have gained that extra push that has sent us careening straight into the durasteel wall that is the Imperium. And we have not simply created dents, but we have ruptured holes within that wall that shall not be repaired. That can not be repaired."

She had their attention now. Surely they were wondering where she was heading with this. "Alas....the thing about momentum is that it does not last forever. Eventually we will lose that sense of urgency, that angle of surprise that we used to such a great degree. And so the Imperium, like the Rebellion, will bounce back. And this time they will not stand idly by as we hunker down and begin to plot our next move. No, for if they are as clever as I know them to be, they will come for us, Star Destroyers and all. They will scour the known universe until they have swept the last thought of rebellion under the carpet." There was a break there as she let the crowd dwell on her words. They were indeed logical. She was not guaranteeing anything, but anyone with half a brain could figure out that the Imperium would not rest on their laurels if the Rebellion failed. Taking down an Empire was not something that happened overnight. After another moment of silence, she began to wrap up her rather lengthy rant. "So I ask you, the members of the Convention of Neutral Systems: what do you bring to the table? What is that you offer to our growing cause? Surely you are all helpful in some way, some more so than others." It was then she turned her gaze towards Rellis before turning back to the crowd. "Do not hesitate to show your support for our Rebellion. Evil does not just come in the form of those who commit atrocious acts, but also those that watch them and do nothing." With her final words spoken, she rested her mettalic fingers upon the podium and waited for the audience's response.

 

[Aleksandr]

The nobleman found the idea of an assassin droid with feminine programming involved in politics to be . . . intriguing, to say the least. What's even more surprising is that the droid works for the Rebellion. Typically they would work for the Empire or the Hutts, as far as he knew. Nonetheless, Rellis Elegin listened to the droid's pro-rebel speech in silence, his usual scowl on his face. No one said anything after the assassin droid's speech ended, interestingly. Everyone else is perhaps in too much of a shock.

"Is this not the Convention of Neutral Systems? The Ancient Houses of the Senex-Juvex Kingdom did not spare attention to this meeting for mere Rebel drivel," the old man began, addressing the droid. "Our sectors have had many mutually beneficial arrangements with the predecessors of the New Sith Imperium, and I do not see any reason that this cannot continue, nor is there anything stopping other systems from having similar dealings with the Empire. Except, perhaps, for Rebel affiliations." He spat out the word "rebel" as if it was a curse.

"The only thing that a new republic seems to have to offer is regulations and limitations on our internal policies and practices. The so-called 'atrocious' Imperials have given us more freedom than the democratic regimes of the past, which gave nothing but corruption, inefficiency, and economic ruin," the noble continued. "Why anyone wants to return to the days of such preposterous governments, which have been collapsing and changing their names every few decades since the fall of the Old Republic, is beyond me."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "I propose this: we sit out the war and align with neither faction directly, and instead wait to see who emerges as the victor. I, for one, am prepared to work with the Imperium if it triumphs in this conflict."

 

[Richie B.]

Rondar felt a bit weird hearing Rellis speak bad about the Alliance but it wasn't surprising, the old commando hadn't been a patriot for some time an didn't overly care about which side one as long as the force using parasites were taken out of the equation the soldier would be happy. But the soldier saw what Rellis was doing an was impressed with how well he spoke in all honesty the old soldier did believe in what Rellis was saying but also felt that the Imperium needed to be cured before he would allow himself to actually say he agreed with it.

Rondar was worried now that many might try to attack Rellis now and slowly moved his hand closer to his rifle but it was mostly for show, the man didn't want to fight anyone and wasn't planning on fighting anyone. Rondar was ready to leave now that Rellis had made himself a target in the Rebel's eyes though the soldier knows the rebels wont do anything it was a risk he wasn't willing to take.

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

"I propose this: we sit out the war and align with neither faction directly, and instead wait to see who emerges as the victor. I, for one, am prepared to work with the Imperium if it triumphs in this conflict."

And so this man had made his intentions known. To think he would actually side with the Imperium if they won this war. He obviously had no morals or any qualms with a government that has had a history of tampering with the peaceful balance that galaxy had been in for centuries. He was a fool to think that his message would not go unnoticed by his fellow peers, some of them voicing their distaste for his plans out loud.

Sylvaria Pho on the other hand would not reveal herself to the CNS until it was absolutely necessary. Her time as a Jedi here was not required, but it walkways helped for the Order to have eyes and ears in meetings such as these. The Cathar glared daggers at the old man that had just spoken, her emerald eyes clearly showing her disdain for the man. But this was a convention for neutral systems, something she realized would complicate matters if violence broke out. Hopefully they wouldn't.

Wrapped in a in rue clothing of someone who mingled in the upper echelon, she stood near the back of the room, waiting for the droids reaction to the man's retort. Speaking of, she would have to become better acquainted with this Motherboard if they were to be fighting alongside each other against the Imperium. That is if the droid could even fight! Sylvaria couldn't make our her torso from the cloak wrapped around her, but she looked frail. The prescence of the two battle droids was enough to guess that she was not one for combat. Then again, she was a droid, an assassin droid no less, so there was no telling what she had up her mechanical sleeve.

 

[The Inquisition]

Silence.

Exactly what she was anticipating. She had to admit that the sheer amount of silence was a bit overwhelming, and a tad bit concerning. She had put forth her information, she had said what she had to say, and now she had to only wait. And then that's when Rellis stood up, his voice booming through out the hall, mostly do to the lack of other conversations.

"Is this not the Convention of Neutral Systems? The Ancient Houses of the Senex-Juvex Kingdom did not spare attention to this meeting for mere Rebel drivel. Our sectors have had many mutually beneficial arrangements with the predecessors of the New Sith Imperium, and I do not see any reason that this cannot continue, nor is there anything stopping other systems from having similar dealings with the Empire. Except, perhaps, for Rebel affiliations." His first wave of response was dead on. This was the CNS, not a Pro-Rebel meeting. But the Motherboard always had something brewing in the mettalic pot that was her head. She did not interrupt his response, nor did she show any emotion considering that she did not possess a face.
"I propose this: we sit out the war and align with neither faction directly, and instead wait to see who emerges as the victor. I, for one, am prepared to work with the Imperium if it triumphs in this conflict."

Finally.

He had went through all this ranting and raving to show that he possessed no moral views, his distaste for the Rebellion, and that he seemed to be rather uppity about everything. His demeanor was one of who knew he was better than those around him, and he had no problem reminding them of that. She waited a few moments longer before she could offer her thoughts on his reply. Since no one decided to speak up, the Motherboard would handle this herself.

"To start off Sir Rellis, I apologize. I simply arrived here to offer the many great figures that reside within this hall the opportunity to join the correct side. The side that is fighting for freedom and prosperity. So again, my apologies." With that out of the way, she began her retort. "Now Sir Rellis, it appears you do not care for the Rebellion at all. That much is evident in your tone. So what are you doing here? You seem to be a man of refined taste and elegance, and yet you waste your time here in a convention for neutral systems, as you so politely reminded me." It was difficult to detect sarcasm in her voice as she spoke, but if one could listen closely, it definitely sounded like it was there.

"If the Imperium is so wonderful, why are you here? Should you not be joining the Sith and their cannon fodder? Oh, I believe they call them Stormtroopers. They dress them up in pretty white armor only to have them massacred without a second thought. The Empire is prosperous, that I do not doubt. But at what cost? Are you willing to mow down civilizations and planets? Do you truly wish to be part of an Empire that destroyed the last, far more peaceful, incarnation of the Empire only to go to war."

"And the so-called atrocious Imperials? Last time I've checked my data banks, the Rebellion nor the Republic decided it would be best to invade Coruscant, the capital of industry, politics, culture, military, and economical wealth in the entire Galaxy only to attack the Jedi. And then send a massive storm of energy to consume the planet, slaughtering what innocent civilians that remained? If that is not enough, how about the Empire of old, who decided to built a weapon that could destroy entire planets? Then turn around and build another, but much bigger."

The hall was silent. Eerily so. "So, Rellis Elegin. You say you are willing to join the Empire after all this is done. It is the logical thing to do, to wait and see the outcome that is. And I advice all who are here to do so. But I leave you with this Sir Rellis. You claim you would join the Empire, a government that is prosperous beyond belief, but at the expense of moral integrity. And that is not to say all Imperials are abhorrent creatures of the night, for that assumption is preposterous. You speak of the Rebellion as if it's very goal is to get in your way. Well let me tell you this: out of the choice of two evils, always choose the lesser one."

The Motherboard was finished. She did bit wish to hear any more from him or his like minded friends who may be willing to side with him. Honestly, she did not care which side won. As long as she got her chance to free the droids, it was of little concern to the Motherboard. But she was indeed aligned with the Rebellion, so her views had to reflect as much .She slowly made her way back to her seat, waiting for the next speaker to approach the podium.

 

[Aleksandr]

"Freedom is a nice sounding word," he said silently to Rondar. "Sadly, most of those who use the word do not really understand it, merely using it for their political agenda."

He shook his head in disgust, finding it hard to believe that he was being lectured by an assassin droid on morality. Aren't they supposed to be emotionless killers? In any case, you abandon morality when you enter politics. Otherwise, you won't get far. Perhaps these naive and inexperienced Rebel hipsters do not understand that. But the Senex-Juvex Kingdom prefers to rule its territories with an iron fist, without the kind of "freedom" (in other words, quasi-anarchy) that such people would support.

Wouldn't being talking about freedom so much if they spent a week in the Coruscant underlevels, the nobleman thought, and suppressed a chuckle. The Rebellion simply is too weak. That's why whenever the kind of people that join the Rebellion attempted to set up an actual government, it always does not last long and falls to internal unrest or invasion shortly afterwards. The authoritarian Empire and its various incarnations have lived for over a thousand years now, while democratic regimes have risen and fallen away into the dustbin of history. Perhaps if people like them are too foolish to understand this, then maybe I ought to let history repeat itself once more, Rellis thought. Just so that they would be taught a lesson.

He waited to see who would step up to the podium next.