Breaking of Bread, Sharing of Wine. [DH/SJO]

[Edward Thane]

In the void of space a single star ship dropped out of hyperspace. A transport ship, nothing notable about it beyond meager armaments and effective shields, drifted in the sea of stars. Waiting.

At the helm stood a blonde figure which flicked through the screen of a datapad as he audibly ordered the pilot and co-pilot. "We have arrived," Thane called over the comms, taking the moment to dust off his pristine imperial dress. Despite having departed from the Iron Empire's military, he kept to the dress code, including the identifying wolf coin.

The new, lofty, position he held was unfamiliar. Both as a politician and as a commander of the few combat worthy vessels in the Hand. Merely cycles ago he was a former ensign, struggling to get by. Edward did not earn it, but he would prove himself capable, starting with diplomacy.

The coordinates of this location had been sent out to the Silver Jedi Order in hopes that the two parties may break bread and start a healthy relationship in an unhealthy galaxy. The two organizations were different, one a system spanning faction in possession of jedi, the other a collective of like-minded individuals all with a similar goal in mind. Curtailing unfavorable influences through any mean.

Adjusting his cufflinks the Commander opened a public channel.

[member="John Locke"]

 

[John Locke]

It had been a...cryptic request to be sure, a meeting with the entity known as the Dark Hand that sent the Helios dancing through the cold darkness of space. Still, if you were going to travel this was the way to do it...not that he really got much of a chance to enjoy the amenities offered by his yacht. A small smile touched John's lips as she stared up at the holographic displays that surrounded him, displaying feeds of Data from his companies various holdings and the Silver Jedi's records all mixed together, responding to the motions of his hand. Numbers scrolled across screens onto to be replaced by blueprints and reams of text that cast a flickering light in the darkened room as he reached for the mug of caf resting on his desk, taking a sip of the drink before he pulled a face as the taste of the cold liquid settled on his tongue.

"See, you do that every time don't you, forget all about your caf till it's cold and horrible, and don't think I'm getting you another one."

"Fine mom," the man side-eyed the droid who'd slipped through the doors, glaring at him and then down at the caf in his hands, "I'll just get it myself."

"No you won't sir, we're arriving at the coordinates now."

"You know EX...that's the kinda thing that you lead with."

"And where would the fun be in that sir?"

John made a dismissive gesture at his droid, both dismissing his argument, which he hated to say really did carry the day, and dismissing all the screens he'd been using, leaving just one still standing. "Zeus, keep the holonet link open and encrypted and pull the data. I don't envisage anything going wrong but if it does..." "I'll avenge you." The voice that came booming out of the speakers had EX glaring at the empty room, "Showoff." "No, no avenging, just let them know you're not happy and you'd like to have us back. Like I said, these are the good guys." "but it pays to be careful." "Exactly."

A safety net established John dismissed the last screen and nodded at EX, "Have the captain contact our guests and invite them to come on over."

[member="Edward Thane"]

 

[Edward Thane]

Acknowledging the invitation, Edward gave the order and soon after the ship sailed towards the Helios to dock. "Alright, now let us not embarrass ourselves," Thane spoke, perhaps more to himself than anyone else. With a sense of security the man pat his lone blaster pistol, he slid a datapad into his other hand, prepared.

Interacting with those of higher stations was something he was unaccustomed to. On Ariondight he was once invited to a formal ball, filled with nobility and officers, but instead of spending the time in conversation he keep outside of the perception of others. Thane preferred to be felt, not seen. Let his actions speak for himself, not his words.

One the ship rested, docked with the luxurious yacht, his face soured. Jedi, accustomed to asceticism and meditation, and holding a meeting upon a yacht? Or was this someone else.

The back entrance of the ship let out a hiss as the shuttle filled with the atmosphere of the other, allowing him and anyone else step out. With tight, mechanical, movements he stepped from the starship to meet their envoy, exchanging his dour disposition for one of straight-laced seriousness.

[member="John Locke"]

 

[John Locke]

Bickering, teasing, poking fun, the relationshp came easy to the man and droid as they took the elevator down to the docking ring on the lower deck, John shrugging into a jacket as he straightened his collar for a moment, using hte reflection in the wall of the elevator as a mirror. Satisfied with his appearance the man nodded at EX as the two of them took up positions by the doorway, the droid wirelessly sending a message to the ship's computer as the doors rolled open as John took a step forward, a relaxed smile tugging his lips up.

"Commander Thane?" The cyborg's hand came up as he nodded his head at the man waiting there, "a pleasure to finally meet you. Please, come on board, I've got a conference room all set up...unless you'd prefer something a little less formal?"

[member="Edward Thane"]

 

[Edward Thane]

Thane looked to the man and his hand before nodding. "Formal is fine," he said flatly as he walked towards the man holding out his own hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Sir. I also have a bottle of the finest red I could get my hands on, if that is of your interest." The morose human said, drawing a fine durasteel case which rested just next to his standard issue blaster pistol. "Best to start things off right."

[member="John Locke"]

 

[John Locke]

John let a smile pull his lips up as his metallic fingers closed around Edward's with a soft whir, "Commander, if you start all your talks this way then I think that you and I are going to get on just fine." Letting go and taking a step back as he gestured at the elevator, "I also have a chef waiting if you're feeling peckish. If I'm going to host a meeting, then I'd rather do it properlly."

[member="Edward Thane"]

 

[Edward Thane]

"I appreciate the offer, if this goes on long enough I will make use of the luxury," he said dipping his head. The former ensign stepped into the elevator and turned back to the door letting out a sigh. "A good way to throw your guests off-guard. I have not seen luxury as this since I left Ariondight and its aristocratic castles and lavish parties." Folding an arm behind his back he slid into a somewhat militant, but relaxed, stance.

[member="John Locke"]

 

[Decker Willo]

Decker was aboard [member="Edward Thane"]'s vessel, he had asked to come along. Why? Because he wanted to make an attempt of diplomacy, see how it went down. He was all 'blast them out of the sky!' and 'shoot it!' rather than sit down and talk things out. He was a fighter pilot, so seeing how things went down on the other side of the spectrum as he saw it, it would no doubt quite interest him. So then, here Decker was. Of course, he had waited a bit for Edward to exchange his greeting with [member="John Locke"] as he stood back a distance, just listening in for now. It seemed to be going well, at least he thought so.

Then Edward stepped aboard the elevator. Decker remained behind. "I shall look after things here. If you need me...I'll be here, Eddy." And if he were honest, he had just come up with the nickname then. Even smirked to himself with having said it.

 

[John Locke]

John smiled, one hand tapping lightly against the side of the elevator, a metallic clank echoing around where his arm tapped against the smooth metal of the wall. "I designed the Helios as a home away from home, a mobile office for CEOs and diplomats," the engineer admitted, "We don't make many of them, but the whole point is for it to be both comfortable and to...well as you say this level of luxury can knock a few people for a spin, and that's never a bad thing when you're trying to establish an advantage." It could be any number of small things that could finally give you an advantage over people, and a good businessman took advantage of every advantage they could get, only this wasn't exactly a business negotiation. Holding the lift open John glanced back at the other man who had been waiting, "If you want I'm sure we can get any information from your ship sent up to you so you can keep an eye on it from up here?"

[member="Decker Willo"] | [member="Edward Thane"]

 

[Edward Thane]

"Indeed, join us Decker," he spoke in a slightly more casual manner before turning back to their host. "This is Decker Willo, another of our small but capable navy. A very capable pilot." Returning to his straight-laced demeanor he folded his arms behind his back. "A ship such as this could compare to the castles of Ariondight in comparison of luxury. An enterprise could be made of these for those with enough credits to purchase one."

[member="John Locke"] | [member="Decker Willo"]

 

[Decker Willo]

The mention of his name by [member="Edward Thane"] had him grinning over at the pair as he approached and boarded the elevator. And with them he stood, tapping his hand against the side of his leg to pass the time. "Yep, pilot. I help train fighter pilots and me and [member="Edward Thane"] here work with each other quite a bit." Decker adjusted the collar of his outfit a bit. One thing he couldn't exactly handle most of the time was formal appearance. His piloting outfit on, all except his helmet. "Closest I have gotten to luxury is a bar" he managed a confident laugh at that.

[member="John Locke"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh knew that this was likely in part his doing. It was he who had suggested to his close friend [member="Riamah"] to work to build trust with the Silver Jedi Order while she sought their aid in dealing with her own personal demons. It was he who had told her that her former Dominion ties might make her experience an awkward on and that he was sure she'd be able to figure it out. What he hadn't expected was for this faction of hers to come knocking on their door. Was this due to his machinations? Or had this been a plan all along? He wasn't sure, honestly. But just in case it was...

When the public channel went up, he knew it was his responsibility to answer and serve as both an emissary for the Silver Jedi Order... And potentially a mediator if need be. This was a public channel, after all.

He listened to the first bits of conversation for a little bit, deciding not to intrude right away. [member="John Locke"] appeared to have things under control. But eventually he decided to make his presence known.

"This is Josh DragonsFlame, Master Of The Order. Greetings to you all."

 

[John Locke]

The man smiled, stepping out of the lift as he gestured to the conference room that lay behind the Jedi. "I don't know if you're aware of Master DragonsFlame, the Master of the Order of Silver Jedi? He's volunteered to join us here today. Why don't we all take a seat and we can get started? Would anyone like a drink?" As he spoke the cyborg had moved into the conference room, settling himself comfortably in one of the chairs arrayed around the table. A discreet holographic screen had popped up at his elbow, a few touches enabling a new screen which floated just to the side of [member="Decker Willo"] vision. "There you go, I've requested the data from your ship there, so you should be able to keep an eye on your ship from here, not that I can think of anything that could go wrong. We chose to meet out here for a reason, very few pirates or really any other ship tend to ply these space lane. It gives us a little privacy and security to talk."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"] | [member="Edward Thane"]

 

[Riamah]

It wasn't only Edward and Decker that had accepted John's invitation to meet on this lesser used space route. Ra found it quite interesting he even knew of it. As a member of the Metal Lords, she had access to many more lost and forgotten lanes, but she wasn't going to reveal any trade secrets. Glad the Silvers were willing to sit down with her people, she had decided to join them at the last minute.

When Josh was introduced to the others, they might actually remember him being present on Veradune. They had never been introduced before a rather nasty situation had surfaced and they had taken themselves away from the party for a time. Once they had both calmed down, she and Josh had returned, but kept pretty much to themselves for the duration.

Pleased at the reception they had received so far, she gave Josh a warmer smile that what she would normally have done under normal circumstances.

"Thank you for inviting us here. I am very aware of Master DragonsFlame."

There was no need to go into just how aware she was of him and Ra left it at that.

[member="John Locke"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Decker Willo"] [member="Edward Thane"]

 

[Edward Thane]

"Master Dragonsflame," the officer dipped his head,"A pleasure." As they entered the conference room the officer drew forth the durasteel case, removing the bottle of vintage wine as he passed it to [member="John Locke"] for his inspection. Of finest grade, and of an age preserved in such a way that it did not turn into vinegar, but remained pristine.

"Thank you for your consideration. I hope this will go smoothly, and once we're done we shall get out of your way." He motioned for [member="Decker Willo"] to sit as he himself ran a hand along his wrist. Politics. Neither his expertise nor his upbringing, he was like a fish out of water.

"And once again, thank you for your willingness to meet us. Our order of individuals seek to grow our reach and make strong but agreeable allies." His first statement came out somewhat blunt, as if testing the waters to gauge Locke's response. "The galaxy is always in Chaos, stability is no where to be seen, yet your Order has stood at least some test of time, where republics, alliances and empires have fallen."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"] | [member="Riamah"]

 

[Decker Willo]

Decker Willo followed out of the lift then he sat down at one of the chairs. It looked rather nice, clean and pristine. Once he was seated and got into a comfortable position, he looked around to the other faces. He was about to thank just as [member="Edward Thane"] did when something appeared next to him, and he almost jumped. "Well...uh, thanks" he said, looking at the screen. That was one way to keep guests happy and calm. To know their ship was safe. "This is real neat..."

He was distracted a bit longer by the screen till he tuned into the conversation, and then began listening. Though every now and then, Decker looked at the screen.

@Riamah @John Locke [member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[John Locke]

John smiled at the expression on Decker's face as the man glanced down at the window of data, he had never even considered this use of it, but like all good inventions, it seemed that his technology had surprises in store, even for him. The inventor's brief moment of gloating passed as quickly as it had come and he turned his attention to Edward again.

"It's true, the order has stood the test of time very well...and will I hope to continue to do so for many many years." His fingers thrummed on the surface of the desk for a moment, "Perhaps we should go back one step, what is it you seek these allies to do. It's a large and wide galaxy full of groups of individuals, I would be hasty in saying anything without first knowing where you are coming from, and perhaps more importantly where you want to go. I'm pretty sure the grandmaster would strip me of my diplomatic privileges if I did, and trust me shes not someone you want to get on the bad side of." The man nodded his head in Riamah's direction, "The Dark Hand is an ominous sounding name, but you're not what I had in mind, I thought I'd be dealing with assassins or something similar so, what is it you'd like the Order's help to do?"

[member="Decker Willo"] [member="Edward Thane"] @Riamah @Josh DragonsFlame

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Ah, yes, right, the conference room. He had gotten used to doing communications from his datapad. Nodding his head toward [member="John Locke"] the Jedi would make his way into the conference room, and the two would soon be joined by [member="Edward Thane"] and to Josh's surprise and joy, [member="Riamah"] who was a close friend of his. Growing a little more comfortable at Ra's presence, the Jedi had a bit more pep into his step as he took a seat.

[member="John Locke"] though continued to take the lead on the discussion and he did not interject for now. He was happy to allow him to lead. He would shoot Ra a smile instead, letting her know she was free to speak up if she felt the situation would merit it.

 

[Riamah]

She had requested Edward to set up this meeting and was pleased when it had happened. This was a step the leader wanted to make and hopefully more alliances could be made in the future. However, she wanted to allow her men to speak before putting in her own voice and ideas.

Her officer pointed out the rise and fall of governments and how the Silvers had maintained a strong force. Their desire to make an alliance with them and his gift of wine might be appreciated. His words of thanks hopefully did not fall on deaf ears and Ra nodded.

When Decker spoke and stated the technology was neat, she let out a small mental sigh. John was a great person to show off his technology and she had worked with him before. Lifting an eyebrow slightly when he mentioned the Grandmaster and not getting on her bad side, she almost laughed. There was no intention of doing that and the purpose of the meeting was establish ties with the Silvers.

It seemed John had picked up on who was really in charge here and directed his question in her direction over that of her men with her. Now she felt almost obligated to speak and she sat up further in her chair before breaking the small silence after the question was posed.

"Mister Locke, I also say thank you for agreeing to this meeting and bringing Master DragonsFlame along."

Nodding to both of them as she spoke their names, she looked back to John as she finished to answer his question.

"It isn't so much help we are seeking, Mister Locke, but a non-aggression treaty. At the heart of my life, I am also a merchant. So perhaps some trade agreement could also be agreed upon?"

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="John Locke"] [member="Decker Willo"] [member="Edward Thane"]