So....Now That The Secret Is Out....

[Kay-Larr]

The time had come much too soon. Kay wanted to hold it off even longer as she had lots of work that she was still doing, but observing the reaction of [member="Auru Taff"] when she touched him, she knew that she couldn't wait any longer. Her secret was going to be let out one way or another. She might as well tell him herself.

Kay approached the office door of the newly elected Supreme Chancellor, [member="Jack Sparrow"] and held up her hand, pausing in motion as she was about to knock. Her satchel hung over her shoulder like always, though it was a little fuller. And in her other arm she held her datapad. She stood there, still focused on keeping her Force signature down to that of a small tree nut, yet trying to calm her breath. The last time that she had gone through such a talk, she was handcuffed and nearly put on trial to face possible execution. Hopefully that wouldn't happen today.

Finally, after another minute, she knocked on Jack's door.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

The muffled voice of the Supreme Chancellor carried through the large, ornate doors of his office.

"The lock's broken!" he called. "Can it wait? I've got someone coming!"

As if on cue, a violet-furred Squib turned the corner and approached.

"Pardon, Senator," said the Squib, reaching into the bag at his side.

"Is that you, Sly?" called Jack.

"Aye, it's me, pirate!" shouted the Squib. Leaning forward, he squinted at the digital lock on the door. "Five hundred credits if'n ya want out!"

"I can kick the door down myself and it'll only cost three hundred to replace it!"

"It's reinforced! Ye'll break your foot! Four hundred!"

"Two!"

"Two fifty, and I'm cuttin' me own throat!"

"Done!"

The Squib rubbed his hands together before unscrewing the metal plate below each of the two doorknobs. Because he was just over three feet tall, his head was nearly eye-level to the doorknobs, making this easy work. He hummed to himself as he worked, allowing himself a nod and a smile at [member="Lady Kay"]. "Won't be a moment, Ma'am."

"Hurry up!" shouted Jack.

"Shut it, you!" hollered the Squib, "Or I'll keep ya there until yer bladder bursts!" He winked at Kay. "No I won't," he whispered, running a series of wires from the electronic door lock guts to a black metal box in his hand. "And three, two, one." Sly pushed a button on the box, and was rewarded with a click as the doors unlocked. "Fixed!" he called without opening the doors.

"Fine! Get out! I'm expecting someone!" replied Jack loudly from somewhere in his office.

"Two hundred and fifty creds and no less, or I'll be settin' fire to your coat, Jack Sparrow! With you in it!"

"Captain Jack Spa...Supreme Chancellor Sparrow, ye mangy, big-eared rat dog! And best to your wife and new daughter!"

"Thank ye, sir!" Sly finished replacing his tools and gave a slight bow to Lady Kay. "Ye can go in now, Ma'am," he said. "Hopefully he's got his pants on."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay watched and listened to the exchange between [member="Jack Sparrow"] and the Squib. It would have been a lot more comical had she only been visiting for visiting's sake. But that was not the case this time. She bowed her head to him. "Thanks. I....hope that he has on all of his clothes too." Yes, all of them. She had already had a man attempt to seduce her by not having his shirt on before, but he was rebuffed of course. She was still loyal to her late husband and didn't want to have any one night stands with a playboy.

She opened the door and stepped into the office, closing the door behind her. Seeing him made her nervous. People get angry when she tells them her secrets and the last thing that she needed was for Jack to draw his blade, especially as she wasn't armed. "Afternoon, Supreme Chancellor. I.....That is to say.....I....feel as though I should resign my seat in the Senate. I have done wrong by it, and rather than letting there be a public scandal for the Republic, I felt that this was the best thing. I have lots to give you, some incomplete work." Kay held out her datapad for him. "There's an amendment in there, for the Sentient Equality bill. I promised Commander Lusk that I would include a mention about the clone army in there. So many of them want to try what it's like to live a normal life. I also have a contract in there by LOOM which is owned by Ultimatum, that's ready to be signed. He's going to help with supplies and schooling for the clones, as well as droids to help construct buildings and housing for them. He's not asking for anything in return, but possible business contracts in the future. There could even be another shipyard by him that would be available to us. Justice Shipping is also willing to help us with supplies, ships, whatever we need. And also Sasori Research is offering help by the way of agriculture, medical and other supplies."

For the moment she left out everything about her being a Force user, as well as the Sith. Afterall, she didn't want him to get angry.

 

[Minna Balin]

Senator Auru Taff sat in his room, careful to avoid moving anything. The energy flowed best this way, a little trick taught to him by his godfather. He assumed this was the way the Force worked, ebbing and flowing with the energies of the cosmos. He had recently learned that Lady Kay was a force-user, and the revelation had rendered him silent in thought, ever since they had gotten back from the diplomacy mission. Taff was shocked, and felt a bit betrayed at first, but that feeling had long passed. Now, as he sat in his chair, he thought about it all in the big picture. Being Force-sensitive wasn't a choice, neither was it inherently evil. Many were Jedi, the bringers of order and peace. Should not everyone have the chance to be a senator?

Auru had dismissed Alic as he thought. Kay had deceived them all, this is true, but her trickery benefited them all. Senator Kay had done marvelous work for the Republic. She deserved to have power in the senate, even if what she was born with would usually prevent that. Taff would keep her secret. But, the first chance he got, he would like to talk with her about it.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Jack Sparrow"]

 

[Jack Sparrow]

Jack pulled the datapad closer to him with two fingers.

"Ah yes." He met the senator's gaze levelly, not looking at the information before him. "Saved me a bit of bother, actually," he told her. "I've already been made privy to your whys and your wherefores and your whatnots. You do, of course, need to go."

He spun the datapad on the desktop.

"The question is, of course, to where?" He tapped the pad. "Where do your loyalties lie, soon-to-be-former Senator Kay? I ask because I've already given this some thought, and discussed it with [member="Faith Balor-Organa"], who, as you know, is the Republic Minister of Intelligence, and is very good at her job. How do you feel about leaving the senate? Are you at peace with it, or are you angry? Is your plan to go back to the Sith you've associated yourself with in the past? I ask because I have an idea. A brilliant idea, in fact. One that I think you'll find both interesting and awful." He gave her a smile that was all lips, no teeth, and didn't reach his eyes.

[member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Auru Taff"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was rather surprised that [member="Jack Sparrow"] didn't look at her work, didn't comment on it. It was as if her accomplishments were nothing. She remained silent as he spoke, a mix of emotions running through her as he continued. That smile however was disturbing. It reminded her of [member="Thraxis"] . Though it couldn't of been him in disguise again, could it?

She took a moment before she answered him, trying to collect her thoughts as she tried to figure out what he was getting at. "I've already packed my things, sir. I just need to go to Commenor now and collect my things from there. As for where I'll go after that? I don't know. I don't want to leave the Senate as I thought that I was doing a good job. And I never, ever used my abilities to interfere with people's minds. I don't even know how...But back to the Sith? I don't know what you've been told but I am not a Darksider. A few Sith helped me free slaves, yes, but that's about it. I have never been in their Order or any Order. I would rather my abilities be kept secret, if I may. I resigned so that there wouldn't be a scandal for you and the Senate to deal with. If I leave quietly, there's less chance that it could be made fun of on the holo-news.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

Jack listened intently to Senator Kay's words. He was an excellent gambler; superb, even. He could spot a tell from three tables away. Kay, in his estimation, wouldn't be able to bluff her way out of a speeding ticket if she were in third stage labor. Still, he thought with a mental shrug, it couldn't hurt to ask.

"Here's my proposal, then: I would like you to resign from the Senate voluntarily. I can even have one of my staff write a draft letter if you'd like. Said resignation will be leaked to whatever news channels report on such things, and I imagine your home planet will want to know as well, so that a replacement can be found. Assuming Commenor isn't planning on joining the grand parade away from, what I'm told, is a disintegrating Republic, that is. 'Whence then?' you ask?" Jack held up a finger and gave her a sly look. "Ah well now, love, this is where it gets interesting. I've heard rumors of trouble in Sith paradise. A civil war, or near as, in the One Sith circle of influence. How would you feel about reaching out to your Sith contacts and re-establishing connections? I'd like for you to tell them you resigned because of the new administration." Jack pointed to himself. "I am, after all, a joke and a sham, terrible for the ongoing welfare of the Republic, a charlatan, a rogue, and quite possibly a traitor waiting to be exposed." He winked. "I am, on the balancing side of the scale, in possession of a callipygian figure, however, and surely that must hold some value somewhere. You would then, once firmly ensconced, funnel useful information back to the Republic, and specifically the aforementioned [member="Faith Balor-Organa"]."

Jack paused to gauge [member="Lady Kay"] 's reaction.

[member="Auru Taff"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay didn't want it all to be leaked out, most especially for such a petty reason. That just wasn't her style. If it was, then she would have left a while ago. And then came the kicker. [member="Jack Sparrow"] wanted her to be an informant, a spy. Or at least, that's how it appeared. Their former Prime Minister threatened execution or life in prison for what she had done, even though she had caused no harm to the Republic. She had set it up that way, as Agent [member="Fixx Kearney"] had pointed out, so that if her plans failed, she alone took the fall. Afterall, why should others pay for her mistakes?

"Perhaps a more believable excuse to leak to the Republic is...well, maybe you figured my recent attempt at negotiations to be a failure? Or perhaps you tried to seduce me as other playboys have and I turned you down and left because I was uncomfortable?"

Kay knew a couple of high ranking Sith, or at least she did. The others weren't that high on the list. But perhaps that had changed. "I will...do as you ask. But what about an income? As per the negotiation with the Mandalorians, what credits I have left is going towards the funeral costs for those that lost their lives on Roche and Manaan."

[member="Auru Taff"]

 

[Jack Sparrow]

"Let's go with the former. I may have an undeserved reputation as a lothario, or somewhat undeserved at any rate, well, be fair, rather deserved. I deserved that. But I'd prefer not to feed into the public's perception that I can't be trust with politicians of the female persuasion. As to income, that is an interesting conundrum." Jack pondered. "I have several investments in companies here and there. What else are you good at? I can't honestly see you continuing to draw a salary from the government, but a well-paying private sector job that requires a good deal of travel and allows you access to the Sith might be considered. How would you like to start your own tea company? Everyone likes tea. Well, I don't, but everyone else like tea, I imagine."

[member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Auru Taff"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay just stared at the datapad. She just couldn't believe it that there was no place for her in the government or any of the ministries. She spoke quietly. "I was really good at rescuing slaves. I...I was hardly ever caught by our enemies. Thank you for the offer for selling tea, but that would just not allow me to help anyone....I'll find something with our allies or at least with mine. I have been granted asylum if I need it."

Kay was at a loss. The Republic didn't want her anymore. All of her accomplishments meant nothing at this moment. "Before I go...the terms that the Mandalorians are laid out in the datapad too. I only agreed to show them to you and the Senate. I kept pressing them to allow for a full investigation into the Roche incident, but they hardly budged. Anyways, it's in there for you...May I have your leave Supreme Chancellor?"

The notes concerning the negotiations read as follows: a non-Republic tribunal for Hadrix and her co-conspirators, and that's a concession. Hadrix to be removed from any position of authority pending the outcome of the tribunal. A binding pledge that the Republic will not interfere with armed force if its member worlds choose to secede. Removal of all non-defensive forces from the regions adjacent to Roche~

[member="Jack Sparrow"]

 

[Jack Sparrow]

Jack glanced down at the datapad, then paused to read the concessions. "This is very good work, Miss Kay. I'm sure you can appreciate why my hand is being played the way it is, or that you can come to understand it in time." He met her gaze. "I'm sorry that your choices have led you to this place, but you know what they say: when life closes a door, it generally means it's a trap and you should start screaming." He pursed his lips and wrinkled his brow. "Is that what they say? Perhaps not. Something about a door." He rose and extended a hand, offering up a small smile. "May the wand-wavy magic be with you, milady," said Jack by way of dismissal.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded her head a little. "Yes sir, I understand. I don't like it, but I understand..." She took his hand and gave it a soft shake. It wasn't a weak one, just gentle. Without another word she turned and left his office. Now to find [member="Auru Taff"] 's office. She needed to speak with him about her secret before anyone decided to call security to escort her out. Once she found it, she knocked on the door.

[member="Jack Sparrow"]

 

[Minna Balin]

Auru Taff was sitting in his chair, surfing Republic channels with his datapad when he heard the knock on the door. The door was unlocked. With an absent-minded hand, he waved to nothing in particular. "Come on in." Taff didn't know who was there, but if they wanted to talk with him, he would oblige.

He respectfully turned off his datapad, and turned his chair 180-degrees. Who would be visiting me? I have no appointments today. Do I? Oh dear, did I forget to have dinner with that Duros security chief again? No, that's tomorrow...

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay held her breath and then let it out slowly. She had to try to contain her emotions, though they threatened to flood through. Giving herself a few seconds more, she stepped into his office and closed the door behind her. "Senator Taff. I was wondering if I could speak with you for the moment..." Of course if [member="Auru Taff"] had something pressing to go to, she'd make it short.

 

[Minna Balin]

When he heard the voice, Senator Taff immediately frowned in thought. He hadn't really thought of what to say to the Force-Sensitive Kay. Thinking about each of his words, he stood up from his chair, and bowed cordially. "Ah, Senator Kay. Please sit down." The little Caamasi gestured to a plushy sofa.

"I had wanted to talk with you eventually about... what happened at the Peace Summit. I assume that's why you're here?" Auru didn't know where to go from here. Politics, he could handle. The occasional riot, he could handle. Confronting an equal about a secret, not so much.

"Before you say anything, know that I'm not mad with you, or hurt, or... anything like that. I'm just curious."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay closed her eyes for a second or two. Probably the last time that she'd hear that title associated with herself. Another chapter in her life was ending. She walked over to the sofa and sat down, removing her packed satchel from her shoulder and placing it on her lap. So he wasn't mad or hurt. That was a good thing. Everyone else tended to be that way. But [member="Auru Taff"] always seemed calm and at peace with himself, like a Jedi Master. It was strange, but not unwelcomed.

"Thank you...Thank you for not being mad. And I'm sorry for deceiving you all. But I'm sure that you can imagine why I did. I never used my abilities on anyone in the Senate or during negotiations as I spent a lot of my focus in trying to keep it all hidden. But regardless of all that and regardless of everything that I've done for the Republic and for Commenor, I have been let go. I am not allowed to stay." She gave herself a moment to swallow a lump that was rising in her throat. "There will be a message leaked out to the media about my resignation and basing it solely on my failed negotiations with the Mandalorians. I ask you, Senator Taff, that you please keep the real reason a secret. I broke the law, willfully, and as such I am not allowed to work in the government again...So please, keep my secret safe, and continue to do great things. Make sure that this government steers the Republic into the Light. Don't let it falter in the face of our enemies both within and without.....Please."

 

[Minna Balin]

Auru Taff sat quietly as the Lady talked, arms crossed in front of his chest, golden eyes trained on her. A beat passed after the former senator was done talking as the little Caamasi thought. He let a shadow of a smile grace his lips.

Standing up slowly, the Caamasi walked closer to the woman. "Are you familiar with memnii, Lady Kay? We Caamasi are all blessed with this. We are able to share our memories with each other, share experience, share feelings, share... All through physical touch." Gently, he took the woman's hand. He wasn't being romantic, if anything, the Senator was showing a sign of friendship. Feeling her cool, smooth skin, the Caamasi closed his eyes, and let a memory wash over them both.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Taff was around 12 by the time he had learned that Alic was a former Jedi. The taller, older Caamasi had been friends with the Taffs for years, so far that Alic was Auru's Godfather. He had been laying in the grass by his side. The older Caamasi looked at the young one with a smirk. "Do you want to see something cool, child?"

"Yeah, Uncle Alic," squeaked a young Auru.

Alic stood up slowly, and pulled a small cylindrical thing from the folds of his robe. The older Caamasi turned the lightsaber on in a flash of light, revealing a pale green blade. "Woah... How did you get that, Alic??"

Alic laughed, bright sunlight dancing around him. "I was once a Jedi in the Order, child." Alic twirled the blade around in an impressive show of Ataru flourish. "It was quite the experience. I traveled the galaxy, solving disputes and creating peace."

"Why aren't you a Jedi now? Did you do something wrong?"

"Haha, no. I simply felt the need to leave. The Jedi had become too focused on battle, and had lost sight of what being a peacekeeper is all about. One day, Auru, you will become a great peacekeeper, Jedi or no."

The memnii ended with Auru laughing brightly in the glade, asking his Godfather more questions.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Auru let his memory wash over them both, and he ended it. Looking the Lady in the eyes, Taff gripped her hand softly. "I promise on my vow as a keeper of the peace, that I will do my best to keep the Republic safe, free, and just. And... Don't worry about your secret. I'm quite good at keeping those."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay closed her eyes as [member="Auru Taff"] 's memory was shared. He had a great childhood it seems, full of laughter and love. Just the way it should be.

Once it was over she reopened her eyes and placed her hand over his as he did his best to reassure her. "Thank you, Senator Taff...It really means a lot." Kay looked to the door. "I should go before they think that I have lingered too long. I need to pack up my office on Commenor and then find somewhere to go from there." She let go of his hand and bowed her head. "I can't offer much, but if you need me for anything, I'm sure that someone would be able to find me."

 

[Minna Balin]

"Of course, Mi'lady. May you make many memories of your own." Taff sat back down at his chair, and closed his eyes. Sharing felt good. Auru sat calmly like that, meditating in his chair, feeling the brisk air-conditioning of the room flow around his fur. He had just made an acquaintance of Lady Kay, and felt sad that she had to depart so soon. I seriously doubt this is the last time we meet, the Caamasi thought pensively.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay had wanted to stay longer, but she didn't want the embarrassment of getting escorted out. She gave him a brave smile before stepping out of the door to his office. She had plenty to do, but then she didn't. Her future was now a mystery. Hopefully her time in the Senate didn't fade away as quickly as her term in office did.