A Stately Visit

[Darth Chagrin]

"Sir, we're approaching Commenori airspace," the pilot announced.

Jerolme briefly looked up from his datapad, then cast his head back down to study the rundown it offered on [member="Lady Kay"]. Like any prepared man, Jerolme liked to read up on the people he would engage with. With heads of state being the most important of the lot, it was a given that he would have to read up on their history, their mannerisms, and conduct several plans for how their meeting could play out.

The impending meeting would be one of first contact; as Jerolme understood, the Galactic and Commenor Alliances had not had any serious engagements yet. Commenor was home to a great many embassies — in fact, even the First Order had one — but the Galactic Alliance was not among them.

Jerolme's primary objective in this visit would be to an agreement to establish one, and to that end he had brought along a number of diplomats who hoped to become the ambassador for the new embassy. Jerolme smirked slightly as he wondered if any of them were hoping to gain plenipotentiary powers. He might, at best, grant them the illusion of it. Any diplomatic agents he appointed would serve as an extension of his will. He alone possessed autonomy, on the backs of the people's votes. Political autonomy would come only from an election; government appointees were merely instruments.

Glancing out the window to see the world of Commenor growing larger and larger, Jerolme noticed the plentiful space traffic. It almost reminded him of Coruscant. He cast a look to his right, where his secretary of state was reading up on Commenori history and studying the sorts of trade deals that could be arranged. It would certainly be a much appreciated bonus if productive trade agreements could be negotiated along with the embassy's opening. Turning back to his datapad, he allowed himself to bask in the exhilaration of his impending meeting with the Queen of Commenor.

I do oh-so-love state visits. Official business of the highest order, mano-a-mano with another head of state; a contest between peers; a meeting of equals. The next election won't be for so long... and apart from that, what better way to stiffen up the sinews and summon the blood?
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The ambassadorial shuttle landed outside the Royal Palace in Chasin City. The City had historically been famed for its food, but Jerolme knew that two recent developments meant that his political interests lay here: the recent refurbishment of the Presidential Palace into the Royal Palace and the construction of the Senate Hall nearby.

The Coruscanti delegation began to head for the exit ramp. Moving along with them, Jerolme leaned over and whispered to his Chief of Staff: "Pay a great deal of attention to everything that goes on here. And most of all, to Lady Kay. She's a shrewd woman — the model of political success out here. Pick up anything you can about the way she does business. It may be useful in the future; if not in general diplomacy, then when I next have the chance to meet her."

Leading his delegation down the shuttle ramp with his security detail flanking him, Jerolme wore a disarming smile and tipped his hat to the Queen of Commenor and her own delegation that was waiting for them. He had a hunch that this would go well.

Approaching Lady Kay first, Jerolme offered first a bow then a solid handshake to the Queen, accompanied with a warm address. "It is a great honour — and pleasure — to finally meet you, your majesty. Thank you for offering to extend an olive branch to us. Rarely could I pronounce a more historic day for Coruscant and the Alliance." He continued to greet the other delegates, offering them a flurry of handshakes before returning his attention to Commenor's Head of State. "You've a lovely home, milady. It's a great tragedy that I've never had the opportunity to visit here before. An even greater tragedy that the Alliance's Minister of Foreign Affairs hasn't bothered to approach you yet, but I do look forward to rectifying his negligence." Jerolme maintained his warm smile as he added a lighter, more joking tone to his final words.

He could feel the blood in his veins warming up delightfully. This was going to be a good day.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay stood outside of the palace near the landing pad. She was dressed comfortably, yet still it maintained a bit of a regal flair. Two Commenori guards dressed in uniform rather than armour flanked her. Only her assistant Ophelia stood next to her. It was a small delegation on her part, but her Ministers were elsewhere.

The Galactic Alliance. They were one of the biggest governments in all the Galaxy and just as any other, they had their faults to go with their attributes. Being neutral, she couldn't side with one or the other, except for when it came to the worlds under her care.

As the shuttle landed, Kay smiled and watched the entourage disembark and approach. She smiled warmly, bowing her head and giving firm, yet soft shakes of her hand to [member="Jerolme Moore"] and his people.

"The pleasure is all mine, Governor. Welcome to Commenor. I hope that your trip was a delightful one. Please, won't you come inside? I have some tea and refreshments ready and waiting." Kay gestured towards the Palace and turned around, leading them down the path to the entrance. "So this is your first visit? Well I hope that it isn't the last. There is much that I can show you which cannot happen all in one day.

How is Coruscant fairing these days? Still a bustle of economic activity?"

 

[Darth Chagrin]

Jerolme noted the comparatively paltry delegation accompanying the Queen, but kept it to himself. If she wanted to be outnumbered at the conference table, the choice was hers alone. At present, he wasn't sure if this was a matter of considerable inconvenience on her part or if she was supremely confident in her diplomatic skills. Whichever it was, he would learn quickly.

"Please, won't you come inside? I have some tea and refreshments ready and waiting."

"Thank you, I'd be delighted," Jerolme replied, still maintaining both his composure and his smile.

As the two heads of state and their entourage walked towards the palace, [member="Lady Kay"] quipped, "So this is your first visit? Well I hope that it isn't the last."

Jerolme gave a cheerful laugh. "Oh, no, after I've seen this, I couldn't bear to live without this view for long," he said as he took a good look at the Royal Palace. Escalating the flattery, he continued, "Already, this is my most exciting state visit yet."

"There is much that I can show you which cannot happen all in one day. "

"I don't doubt that, milady. I'm rather excited at the prospect of seeing all that you have in store for me." As he spoke, he attempted to study Lady Kay, who bore an uncanny resemblance to his own wife. He was equally excited to see if her way of thinking and talking was similar to his wife's. He was aware of course that this was simply cursory banter.

"How is Coruscant fairing these days? Still a bustle of economic activity?"

"Quite, despite the fact that our pride and our economy have both suffered, milady," Jerolme said with a graver voice and more serious expression. He elaborated: "In these dire times, the notion of corruption in government is abhorrent to the people. And it has been to me. I've taken great steps to weed it out, milady, but sometimes I wonder if my efforts are but in vain." He was terribly tempted to wink at his chief of staff, who knew the truth behind the matter.

Corruption had long been embedded in Coruscant's political arena. During the occupation of the One Sith, corruption was especially rampant — the puppets that sat in high office then all personally benefited from duplicitous business. The departure of the Sith was a stroke of luck for someone as opportunistic as Jerolme, who simply generated scandals by publicising long-running corruption. In addition with ruining the incumbent governor's chances of being re-elected, it afforded him a great popularity with the people.

Jerolme maintained his reputation as a man of virtue by selectively exposing the scandals of politicians and businesses he disliked — since virtually everyone was corrupt in some way — and watching their careers slide into oblivion. Jerolme hadn't even needed to fabricate stories to win election as governor in a landslide; all he had to do was make sure nobody could discover anything suspicious about his own dealings. That was easy enough... by ensuring that that the one or two people who knew too much were met with an unfortunate "accident".

Recalling his adept handling of the situation on Coruscant returned the smile to Jerolme's face, and the blood in his veins flowed with redoubled energy. Resuming his present conversation with an added touch of warmth in his voice, he said, "But we're undertaking a significant reconstruction program, and I'm pleased to say that establishing trade deals with other states has played, and is to continue playing, a great role in that."

The comment foreshadowed his intention to get a favourable trade arrangement out of this encounter, but he said no more on that. As they reached the entrance of the Royal Palace, Jerolme took the opportunity to redirect the course of the conversation. "Magnificent building."

Then he started again, but on a different topic. "I could only hope that our potential embassy here would look half as magnificent. Speaking of which, in these rather pressing times it's equally expected of me to procure some positive diplomatic relations with other systems. I should think that establishing good relations between our two worlds is a mutual interest, your majesty?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled as [member="Jerolme Moore"] flattered her with regards to Commenor's architecture. However she wasn't entirely certain of how genuine he was. In politics, the art of banter was quite the game. Insults and shaming are often hidden in polite sentances. It was all in the manner of how they were spoken and in what context. She knew that well enough. For the moment, the two were just trying to feel eachother out.

He spoke about Coruscant next, answering her questions on it. Corruption was almost everywhere. Even Commenor wasn't without. Kay's own ascension from President to Queen was done under questional circumstances, but she kept her secrets close. Even her husband didn't know the details. Some have inquired about it, yet she had kept investigations from delving into it and looking too closely.
"I hope that your efforts are successful in the end. I was often met with the same skepticism when I used to run missions to free slaves in Hutt Cartel territory. People told me that it was pointless as no single person could rid slavery from the Galaxy. But to those that I saved...it meant the world to them. For them, slavery was over. That was more than enough to satisfy me and give me a sense of accomplishment."

She was glad that Coruscant was getting on it's feet again. It was often the powerhouse of the Galaxy. If it wasn't, then so many wouldn't of fought over it as much as they have. Their economy and population easily dwarfed Commenor's. Sustainability was the main thing.

"You'll get to choose your own plot of land and how you'd like your Embassy to look, should everything go well today. And yes, positive relations is of great mutual interest to me."

The doors opened before them and they stepped inside. It took Kay a few moments to adjust to the lighting. The hallway was constucted with polished stones and fine woods. It was old and not to everyone's tastes, but Kay felt that it held a certain charm to it. A short walk was all that it took to get to the meeting room that was full of various dark woods for it's decor. The side bar contained the tea kettle and cups, as well as a couple of bottles of Commenori Brandy and glasses. A pitcher of water was also available. Trays of various finger foods were neatly arranged alongside fine plates and cloth napkins.

"Please help yourselves to whatever you'd like." Kay herself headed over to the tea kettle and poured herself some Sapir tea, as well as a frw savoury treats. Afterwards she sat down on one side of the table.

Ophelia followed suit, having been quietly conversing with some of Jerolme's entourage before getting her own tea and refrshments. She sat herself down to the right of Kay.

"Once you're all ready, we can begin."

 

[Darth Chagrin]

Jerolme suspected that [member="Lady Kay"]'s experience was sufficient in enabling her to determine the fact that their current conversation constituted nothing more than typical political speech. Still, she was biting, and it didn't hurt yet.

"I hope that your efforts are successful in the end. I was often met with the same skepticism when I used to run missions to free slaves in Hutt Cartel territory. People told me that it was pointless as no single person could rid slavery from the Galaxy. But to those that I saved...it meant the world to them. For them, slavery was over. That was more than enough to satisfy me and give me a sense of accomplishment."

"Pleasing to hear, your majesty, but one can only hope that I manage a similar breakthrough with the situation on Coruscant. Merely dabbling in the issue isn't quite enough to satisfy me, I'm afraid. I need to crush it, wipe it from the face of history. No true leader could ever be content with such a broken system..."

He said the words with such conviction and surety that he almost forgot he was simply feigning.

"You'll get to choose your own plot of land and how you'd like your Embassy to look, should everything go well today. And yes, positive relations is of great mutual interest to me."

"I'm flattered that I alone am deciding the nature of the embassy for the entire Alliance..."

In truth, hardly so. The Alliance hadn't bothered with Commenor yet, so as with Coruscant, it was simply a matter of taking the opportunity. It was right that he was making the decision alone, for he alone had bothered to perform the simple errand of extending an olive branch to Commenor.

The doors opened to reveal an antiquated hall. Rays of sunlight reached in through the windows and tickled Jerolme's skin, though what he noticed most was that Lady Kay seemed to struggle with the surge of light for a few moments. Apparently the Queen of Commenor preferred to work in the dark.

The meeting room proved more to Jerolme's liking — it was covered in wood, but there was a cosiness to it all. Tea and food trays lined the desks. Had he not been especially conscious that that this was foreign territory, Jerolme might have thought this was his own home.

"Please help yourselves to whatever you'd like."

"You're too kind, your majesty. Much too kind." After the Queen had done so herself, Jerolme took a plate, a napkin and some of the food. He poured some tea and sat opposite to Lady Kay.

Face-to-face. Mano-a-mano.

Jerolme took a sip of the tea. "Sapir," he remarked, adding an impressed tone to his voice. He had other preferences but sapir was enjoyable nevertheless. It was a lively breed of tea, and its warmth travelled straight from his lips to his blood.

Observing that the room, like the hallway, had a strong bias towards darker tones, Jerolme said, "We seem to share our sense of taste, your majesty. I too, find white rooms... disturbing. It's a bit difficult to work in an area of falsified perfection." That wasn't quite true but then, it was only a white lie.

As the rest of the delegation took their seats and the offer to begin the talks were made, Jerolme produced another smile and complied. "With pleasure," he said. "You are doubtless aware of the chief matter of my visit to you — I'm simply performing the overdue task of offering the Alliance's hand to the people of Commenor. I've always had an interest in the Colonies, and it always pained me to see that our Foreign Minister completely neglected you while you built relations with the First Order and so many other groups. Unfortunately, it is only now have I been in a position to do anything about it. My proposals to the Galactic Alliance government have only been worth a womp rat's tail since I became Governor. My proposal for Commenor was, of course, to set up an embassy for the Galactic Alliance here."

There was, of course, more to this than he intended to let on to Lady Kay.

Since the Foreign Ministry itself has made no official effort to do such a thing here yet, I cannot assume that they are particularly interested or prepared in providing the diplomatic agents to manage such an embassy. And as Governor of Coruscant alone, I do not have the ability to call upon official Alliance representatives. As a consequence, I've been "forced" to assign only Coruscanti agents to running this embassy...

Jerolme took a look at some of the "Alliance" delegates and basked in their palpable excitement.

If anything, I'm rather glad that the Alliance itself hasn't stepped up to the plate here. This consulate will be more of a Coruscant embassy than a Galactic Alliance embassy. Until the Alliance catches up on this and decides to place a stake in Commenor with official Alliance agents, I will hold all of the Alliance's cards in their dealings with Commenor. Such an exciting prospect...

Perhaps by portraying Coruscant as the only world in the Alliance that cared about Commenor, Jerolme might be able to get a skewered deal in favour of the ecumenopolic world. Even if not, he had a feeling that slipping running a Coruscanti-exclusive embassy for the Alliance would pay off one way or another in due time.

To the Queen of Commenor, however, he betrayed no inkling of his deeper thoughts. He simply smiled and continued the discussion by saying, "I've brought along a diplomatic team I consider to be capable of managing this embassy. They will constitute one half of the new relationship between the Galactic Alliance, and the Commenor Systems Alliance. Of this, I ask nothing more than your cooperation in ensuring that the embassy is built on time and managed well."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow ever so slightly as [member="Jerolme Moore"] touched on wiping out corruption from the face of history. At least that's what she had assumed that he had meant. It was a bold statement to make, regardless. Wiping anything off the face of history was a dangerous thing. Some had tried to do that with the Jedi, while others tried with the Sith. Those efforts alwaus ended up in failure.

She gave a half smile as he was flattered over getting to pick out how the Alliance Embassy will look. "You are the first to approach us here, our first communication with anyone from the Alliance, so the honour is yours to make it look however you'd like it to look."

Kay sipped her tea as Jerolme complimented the decor of her Palace. As she had stated to others before, it held a certain charm."Thank you. I hadn't the heart to change it much after I moved in." And besides, a lot of the wood panelling hides the doors to secret passages.

She nibbled at her food while he touched on the start of their talks. Kay lowered her head slightly as he spoke of the First Order. She knew that the two were at war, most especially in the region where theur two borders meet. Thankfully Bakura, a planet in First Order territory where Kay gets her Sapir tea leaves ftom, had not been damaged by war. Who knows...an Embassy and trade agreement with the First Order could be in order to maintain her tea supply. Laughable for sure, but with her addiction to the tea, it could be partly true.

"When I first became President of Commenor, it was the First Order that reached out to us...well, first. They valued our trade routes and as we were so small, it wasn't wise for me to turn down peaceful relations with such a super power. Now I understand that you two are at war and may even be seeing my alliance with them as choosing a side. But Commenor is neutral. Your people will be protected here. There are other governments at odds with eachother here, yet no trouble has ever started in our territory. We merely ask that everyone respects our laws and leaves their grievances towards their enemies outside of our borders. So far such a request has been respected and followed, even among the Sith. We have not participated in any of the Galaxy's conflicts as we cannot spare the men and women to do so, nor have we been asked for aid. That could change in the future if we are forced, but given that Commenor has no enemies due to our neutrality, I'm hoping that it doesn't happen for quite some time." She paused to have another sip of her tea. "Your Embassy will be built on time and on budget, I can assure you. There is no need to worry about that. And just as your proposals don't mean much to the Alliance, so too does Commenor's existence mean so little to the super powers. I know where our value lies, don't get me wrong. Our hyperspace lanes and trade routes running in and out of the core are rather attractive for booming economies. I just hope that it's enough to keep us safe."

She couldn't rely on her allies to help them if they were in trouble. When she was abducted and her people were searching for her for many months, none of their allies offered to help, none of them gave any information. Commenor was left to find her on their own. So it made Kay believe that should they ever be attacked by an invading force, no one would give them aid if asked. Yet with so many having stakes in Commenor, it was a little far fetched that anyone would attempt a hostile take over.

 

[Darth Chagrin]

Jerolme drank his tea quietly while [member="Lady Kay"] explained the nature of Commenor's relationship with the First Order... and all outsiders. Putting down his cup, he replied warmly, "I assure you the Alliance has no intention of disrupting the... tranquility that Commenor has been blessed with in these trying times. It is a rare fortune in today's galaxy, and it is in nobody's interest to take that from you. We respect your neutrality — in fact, we value it. The galaxy needs its neutral places. Only in a neutral arena could we hope to have any diplomatic engagements with the First Order."

"I'm sure you simply happened to establish relations with the First Order first by chance, or if anything, my own government's neglect. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about others in the Alliance; I have no power to stop them from viewing this as you taking sides — except by equalizing the field by establishing relations with you myself. If you accept our diplomatic and economic offers, I'm certain my people will understand that you have no explicit preference for whoever emerges victorious in this war."

He looked around the table at the seated delegates for a moment, taking in their expressions. Then he turned back to the Queen. "Still, I hope you understand how foolish it'd be of me to set up relations with you without knowing how our rival in the First Order operates its business here. Tell me, milady, is their presence here purely diplomatic, or have they supplemented their embassy with troops... "guards", perhaps?"

Jerolme took a bite as he waited for her answer. Then he moved on. "You need not downplay Commenor's importance, your majesty. No cog in the galactic machine is too small to play a part, and Commenor has great potential to do great things." He breathed slightly more heavily and sagged his shoulders somewhat to signal the turn of the conversation into less comfortable territory. "I suspect however that you would rather Commenor not be dragged into the mess that pervades the galaxy. A reasonable stance to take about all this. The safe areas of the galaxy need not be blemished by spreading the war to them. The Alliance will make it a priority to avoid extending the war to Commenor and its allied systems. If the First Order decides to take military action here, we will respond accordingly. But unprovoked, we will not disturb the peace here, unless you call for our aid. Any action we take will be purely reactionary — either to the provocation of the First Order, or to your requests for aid. That is the first promise that our embassy will symbolise."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded, politely nibbling on her food as she listened to [member="Jerolme Moore"] praising her neutral stance and the importance of such a place. Not everyone saw it that way, but it was nice to come across someone that does. Using Commenor as a mutual space for the First Order and the Alliance to hold talks was a very good idea, one that she was sure that her husband [member="Veiere Arenais"] could get behind. So if the opportunity ever arose, she wouldn't turn it down.

She sipped her tea as Jerolme moved onto gathering a bit of intelligence of what business the First Order conducted here. It wasn't as though Kay was privy to any of their plans. In fact all of Commenor including herself were completely unaware that the First Order knew of Kay's kidnapping and where she was taken, as well as by whom, and did nothing to stop it or help. They wanted it to happen. "They have a small unit of troops to guard their Embassy, as most do. The First Order makes use of our trade routes for their goods. Other that, we see their representative on occasion." Such as the time that Kay was assaulted by one of the Knights of Ren. That matter was never resolved.

Another couple of bites of her food were taken while Jerolme took his turn to speak. "I want to keep war away from Commenor for as long as possible. It won't be forever and I realize that. In the meantime we prepare for the inevitable time when we are attacked again. But as I have said, our numbers are small. More men and women will be trained as more worlds have come under our care. But each world is soverign too. If one of them, like Yutan for example, wishes to give you aid, I won't stop them from doing so." She picked up her tea and had a sip as she leaned back in her chair. "My problem is how blurred the perception of good and evil have become. Both sides have commited war crimes for the sake of their cause, crimes against innocent people that are unable to get out of the way or are merely targeted because of who their government supports. Embargoes are imposed, at times making innocents suffer. Trade is important, so we keep it going." She bowed her head to him for his offer for aid. "Thank you for the prospect of aid. I just hope that we won't be needing it. But it provides a comfort in knowing that help is available to us."

 

[Darth Chagrin]

"Then I suppose it'd only be fair that we equip our own embassy with guards as well. Are you aware of any other operations that the First Order has around or near Commenor?" Jerolme did it find it hard to believe that the First Order was sitting here complacently, devoid of any suspicious activity, but then, it was just as possible that they had simply managed to conceal such activity from the Queen.

All the talk of war and the ever-declining safety of the galaxy was setting a sombre mood, and the other delegates were surely feeling left out. As he listened to [member="Lady Kay"], he sought opportunities to change the course of the conversation, picking one up when he heard her speak of trade. Like a kath hound jumping on its prey, Jerolme seized the opportunity.

"Quite," he said, putting down his cup of tea. "And we would be very happy to establish greater trade with you. The Colonies and the Core have had a long history of trade together, and I have no intention of allowing that to disappear. We've no interest in embargoes or tariffs, I assure you, only mutually beneficial trade. My interest remains expressly concentrated on providing both of our worlds with the economic security and growth they both need and deserve." His words carried great conviction; they possessed the comforting surety that had been injected into everything he had said tonight.

"The businessman in me is terribly tempted to present himself, but my secretary of commerce would be more suited to handling the technicalities of our trade agreement." Jerolme nodded at the man he was referring to, two seats away from him, who offered a brief bow of respect to the Queen. Inclining his head back towards Kay, the Governor of Coruscant said, "I think you'll find that we're investing in each other's futures, milady. I'm sure you'll find we have much to offer you, and equally that you've much to offer us."

Jerolme knew that Commenor's greatest offering aside from its neutrality was its economic value. It was not simply a matter of what they produced; few trade routes in the galaxy were truly neutral. The diplomatic promise not to bring the war to Commenor provided its trade routes with a rare exemption from the danger associated with some other routes that lay directly on the path of war between the Alliance and the First Order. A trade deal with the CSA promised security as much as it did growth. And it would be foolish for the Alliance to freely allow its enemies to attain a monopoly on Commenor's trade routes...

 

[Kay-Larr]

"You're free to have as many guards onhand that you'd need for your Embassy. And I wouldn't be foolish enough to have you select land close to the First Order either." She tilted her head to the side a bit as she thought about any operations, then shook her head. "I'm not aware of any First Order operations, neither here or anywhere. I think that they provide information on a need to know basis." But she was able to go into their capital during the battle over Hoth freely. An advantage that she wouldn't forget, in case she needed to rescue someone or butt into their affairs.

She took another nibble of her food while [member="Jerolme Moore"] spoke of trade, touching on what they'd expect and the importance of the flowing of goods. It was vital to most worlds, she knew that. Not all have the right conditions and population to be able to fully sustainable society.

Kay's attention turned to the Secretary of Commerce. She bowed her head to him in return and gave her proposal. "Given that we are neutral, I am obligated to give you the same deal as I have given everyone else. A 15% tax on trade. But..." She held up a finger and leaned forward as she spoke to the Secretary in a hushed tone, "...Given that you are at war, it is clearly within our laws for me to provide humanitarian aid at no cost." Humanitarian aid was so vague of a term that it could be nearly anything. Except for weapons, of course. And should the First Order find out and take issue with it, well, Commenor has donated at their fundraisers on more than one occasion, something that she hasn't done elsewhere.

She sipped her tea as she leaned back in her chair. "We of course will sign a non-aggression pact. We won't attack you, unless you attack us. Of course it isn't in our best interest to attack anyone. Also we can offer scholarships to any of your students wanting to learn at our University. It's one of the best in the Galaxy, endorsed by Senator Padme Amidala all those years ago."

 

[Darth Chagrin]

"You're free to have as many guards onhand that you'd need for your Embassy. And I wouldn't be foolish enough to have you select land close to the First Order either. I'm not aware of any First Order operations, neither here or anywhere. I think that they provide information on a need to know basis."

She seemed to be telling the truth. That didn't mean much, of course. The First Order may well have elected to operate without her knowing. Still, it was clear to Jerolme that the woman was like a squeezed lemon. It would not be possible to squeeze further information from her. "Thank you for the information. I ask only that we keep pace with the First Order in all their developments on this world, and similarly that I be informed if they do something."

The conversation moved onto economics. "Given that we are neutral, I am obligated to give you the same deal as I have given everyone else. A 15% tax on trade. But..."

"Ah," Jerolme said as he picked up his cup of tea. "But if we were to offer more than the others, would you consider lowering such tariffs?" He said the words with a genial softness but found little such feeling inside him. Protectionism is an outdated economic practice. In the modern galaxy, it represents nothing more than distrust. So in trade negotiations, the objective is to win their trust...

The Queen finished: "...Given that you are at war, it is clearly within our laws for me to provide humanitarian aid at no cost."

Jerolme smiled at the wording. Ambiguous as it was, it was clearly an offer, and he responded to it accordingly. "If you have workers willing to travel to Coruscant, they'd be greatly appreciated and handsomely paid for contributing to our reconstruction efforts. Of course, it would not be fair of me to not extend you the same offer. Are there any exceptions to your offer? You may be hit with some rather big asks at times." He wouldn't ask her directly to verify the terms — if she wanted to, she'd have done it herself. The ambiguity served to cloud Jerolme's response as much as it did her offer. All he needed to know was if the offer had any holes in it.

"We of course will sign a non-aggression pact. We won't attack you, unless you attack us. Of course it isn't in our best interest to attack anyone. Also we can offer scholarships to any of your students wanting to learn at our University. It's one of the best in the Galaxy, endorsed by Senator Padme Amidala all those years ago."

"Splendid," Jerolme replied as he finished his tea. Setting it down, he returned his gaze to [member="Lady Kay"] and said, "I would happy to reciprocate those terms. I think the people of Coruscant — and the Alliance as a whole — would greatly enjoy the opportunity to study and work here. I can only hope the people of Commenor will find our counteroffer nearly as appealing."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Of course [member="Jerolme Moore"] would want to know everything that the First Order does. The two governments were at war. But Commenor was not. Nor was she a spy for any side. Doing that could do more harm to her people than good. Revenge was often a dish better served cold. Both the First Order and the Galactic Alliance could beat Commenor easily in battle. So it was better to not test the waters with how far she could go with either of them.

She raised a brow as Jerolme suggested offering Commenor more, in a bid for her to lower the taxes. Most are fine with it and don't care to negotiate it at all. But they may be hit with some pretty big asks? Kay was curious to find out what those were. "None of our aid will be military. Our forces are small and they are needed to protect us here. Anyone sneaky enough could use your war as a means of splintering our forces to leave my territory underprotected so that they may swoop in. I can't afford that right now. Anything else is fair game."

She nibbled on another light snack while Jerolme spoke, seemingly very pleased with this meeting so far. Kay gave him a smile. "I'm sure that I have plenty of people here that would love to visit Coruscant. It was largely off limits while it was under Sith control. I'm sure that your work in restoring it to glory is working out rather well."

She picked up her tea and had a sip, her own questions in mind. Jerolme was the first person from the Galactic Alliance that she's ever met since it's creation. There was hardly anything that she knew about it at all. "So tell me a bit about the Galactic Alliance. Do they have a Senate? Or do they operate more like the First Order? News doesn't travel here very quickly, I'm afraid."