That First Spark

[Kay-Larr]

Spoiler

For all you thread stalkers out there, this thread takes place before the siege of Commenor.

The Sith blockade of some of her trade routes was not to be ignored. It was a dirty tactic by [member="Darth Carnifex"] to undermine their negotiations and enforce his will. That wasn't how negotiations were supposed to go! Or at least fair negotiations.

Kay clenched her jaw as she contemplated her next move. She needed to put an end to the blockade and to show the Sith that she wasn't so easily pushed over. It was becoming very clear to her that her governments neutrality was close to an end.

So many had warned her, told her that this day would come. Yet for well over a decade, and nearly two it never did. Her influence grew over those years, as did her territory, with mant seeking to escape the terrors of war and live in the sanctuary that was CSA space.

But dark days were on the horizon, and she needed to prepare for possible outcomes. If their allies didn't help, they would surely be crushed. And given that her people didn't fight another's battles, Kay didn't expect any of her allies to put themselves in danger for her.

So now she had to plan for the aftermath.

A few days ago, Kay had sent a message to [member="Cedric Grayson"] . She knew the young man when he was a child and was under the care of her estranged husband [member="Veiere Arenais"] . That didn't last long, however, with Veiere's desire to be near and support his soon-to-be wife, he left the young King for Commenor.

Was there bitterness there as a result? Probably. Over the course of many intergalactic meetings, both Kay and Cedric merely looked at one another. No words were ever spoken, but there was a lot of tension.

Now she needed to see him and talk. It was going to be unpleasant for her to be sure, but for the sake of her people, it needed to be done.

Kay arrived to the Chimaera's location on board her little freighter The Free Lady. Her pilot opened the comms, nodding to her when a connection had been made. "This is Lady Kay here to see Cedric. Please let us know where to dock and to let him know of my arrival. Thank you."

 

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Lingering on the edge of death was a humbling experience. There was little the ego could truly manifest itself to be in the face of oblivion, and the realization of that ego's fragility resulted in the humbling of the self, or the utter loss of it. That was as much as Cedric suspected anyway, though the return of Sith Lords from death rarely seemed to change them. Perhaps, he suspected, the afterlife was a wholly different experience for the followers of the dark side.

He wouldn't be surprised.

It was that humbling experience that kept him from drawing any sort of pleasure out of the [member="Lady Kay"]'s message. As the woman might have suspected, the young Cedric had been particularly displeased Master Arenais and his woman. Cedric had viewed it as the Jedi abandoning his duties for the sake of a woman, but really Veiere had only truly been abandoning him. That had hurt, of course, but Cedric was made of sterner stuff than most, and there were more important things at stake than childhood pains.

Commenor needed help, and Cedric had fortunately expected that might be the case in the future. He'd been careful to keep talks of the Commenori light among the men to deter any feelings of distaste of betrayal for Master Arenais. When a call for aid from Commenor from come, the Sons of Ession would likely have little trouble answering.

With the stage more or less set, Cedric waited quietly as the pieces fell into place.

He rested alone in his private medical chamber. Kay would be admitted by the flight control and then the guardsmen without trouble. Cedric awaited her on a medical bed with an IV jabbed into his veins. He appeared tired, but entirely lucid.

"Lady Kay," he nodded in greeting.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Clearance was granted and Kay's pilot guided the Free Lady into the correct hanger. After it was shut down, she allowed the crew members of the Chimaera to inspect it. There was nothing that she was smuggling on board, there was nothing to hide. So there was no reason to not let them in if they wanted to.

Kay walked quietly with the guards, half expecting to being led to one of the many meeting rooms that she had been to on this ship before when it was in Veiere's hands. More than likely her quarters on board were repurposed after her husband relinquished his command of it.

She was surprised to be led to the medical chambers, raising a browas she spotted [member="Cedric Grayson"] laying on a bed. What battle did he barely survive from? Kay hadn't exactly been up to date with current affairs from elsewhere. Her focus had been on her own territory, as well as the Core.

Cedric greeted her then, and she studied him for a moment before bowing her head in turn. "Cedric..." She needed to be as cordial as she could during this meeting. Kay clasped her hands in front of her, not yet wanting to pull up a chair. "I'm unsure as to whether or not you are aware, but the Sith Empire, after having destroyed the Galactic Alliance, have now turned their sights on us. They have began a blockade of our trade routes going in and out of the Core. And I'm quite certain that this will only be the beginning."

 

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The knight of Ession regarded the Lady Kay with silence. He'd heard reports of what was going on with Commenor, though details were difficult to come by. From what Cedric could tell, the Sith had made their move immediately after the battle of Gree. The alliance had done everything they could to halt the Sith's advance, but those sacrifices had meant little for those that had chosen to ignore their warnings.

Commenor had been chief among those that had chosen to view the Sith Empire as a nonthreat. Time and again, Cedric had counseled for resistance rather than neutrality, and time and again a dozen voices had ushered him to silence for a myriad of reasons. Some simply saw no reason for the Sith to assault them, other had feared angering the imperial war machine. Cedric had known then what he knew now, what he had always known - the Sith would never stop until someone forced them to halt.

There was the familiar temptation throw all this in the face of the Queen of Commenor. Indeed, the natural desire to simply revel in how right he had been was tempting, but temptation was something he had long since learned to cast aside. Whether Commenor had chosen to view the Sith as the enemy or not was irrelevant now; they had revealed their true colors as Cedric always knew they would.

What mattered now was maintaining the best defense possible.

"You're correct," his voice was strained, "The Sith fleet fleet jumped for Commenor shortly after the battle of Gree. We held them back from you and your people as long as we could," his tone was solemn, but not broken. Wounded though he was, Cedric remained stalwart, "The Rebel Alliance's purpose was to distract the Sith war machine long enough for the Republic and the other democracies of the galaxy to rally. We did the best we could."

He paused, stormy eyes narrowing as he looked into Kay's own. "My planet died for your people, Kay. I'm not sure there's much more we can sacrifice to help you now." It was an honest truth. 80 percent of the Essonian population had been slaughtered in the Sith's retaliatory attacks. They simply lacked the numbers to fight as they once had, "The Republic faces a war with the Mandalorians as well. Everything is going exactly as we predicted and none of you listened," there was a quiet bitterness in Cedric's voice, though it did not rule him. He reigned it in with a gesture of mental effort.

"I'm sorry. The war's made me tired," he relented, breathing a quiet sigh, "What would you ask of me Kay? How can we help your people?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"The Sith Emperor had us in his sights before the battle on Gree. He arranged a meeting between us as soon as the Galactic Alliance fell, seeking a non-aggression pact between our two governments. We negotiated back and forth for quite a while and his terms were steep.
Finally we put the talks on hold, to be resumed in a standard week. And that was when the blockade began.."

Kay had expected the daggers coming from the eyes of [member="Cedric Grayson"] as he narrowed them. She let his gaze and held it, however her own expression was one of calmness as she tucked her own feelings and rebuttals deep inside.

"I am the aunt to the Mand'alor. I'll see what I can do about them. Yasha said that she'd help me if we were attacked, but the Sith have too much leverage on her." Kay shifted her weight on her feet ever so slightly. "I'm not asking you to sacrifice yourselves for us. But I have old hyperspace lanes that are unmapped. They've already been checked out and I'll be bringing transport ships through them with Galactic Alliance refugees and goods from the Core worlds. I can't bring them to CSA space right now. So they need safe places to go. Would you be able to help them?" Fighting, war, it was always the last thing on her mind. She needed to plan for the safety of those being hunted.

 

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The Essonians could no longer fight, but they couldn't stand aside and do nothing either. Cedric affixed the [member="Lady Kay"] with a curious stare, and held it until she finished speaking. When she fell silent, he found his brow furrowing, and his mind racing to several dozen different solutions.

"We can transport the refugees to Republic worlds," he finally spoke, a light smile finding its way onto his features. "I can devote what resources I have left to moving the Alliance people. They'll want to help," the Jedi Master gave the queen a reassuring nod.

"What are you planning on doing now?" He asked quietly, a brow raised, "Commenor won't be able to hold off the Sith fleets. Were you going to capitulate?

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay bowed her head as [member="Cedric Grayson"] agreed to take the refugees. That was the important part. Trade routes were the heart of her economy. And now some of that was being blocked and squeezed. She needed to find a way to bypass it. "Thank you. The refugees would be in far better hands within the Republic than in Sith custody."

As for his question on what she was going to do, Kay remained silent for a moment. Part of that was attributed to her not having a complete answer. While part of it was attributed to her pondering over what to say to him. Cedric wasn't a friend. He wasn't even an ally. He was just an acquaintance. And one that she wasn't going to ask too much from. Especially as he was healing up from what was already an intense battle.

"I don't have an answer to that. There are too many variables. We do have some defensive measures that'll be utilized.
How long they will last, I don't know. It all depends on the strength of their attack, should it come. But Commenor will survive. It always does."

 

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Something in Cedric's gut told him that Kay was fully aware that the Sith would attack. She was not a naieve woman; successful rulers rarely were. Still, he chose not o bring up that uncomfortable reality. If Kay understood what was to come, then there was no reason to possibly upset her by forcing it out into the open.

"I'm not a full authority within the Republic, but I'm confident I can get the refugees cleared with the chancellor. He's a good person," he spoke quietly, whatever animosity he might have clung to fleeing from his voice.

"They'll burn your world to the ground Kay, just like they did mine," he added, his tone solemn. "You need to organize whatever resistance you can before they arrive. They'll overpower you in an all out battle, but if your people can stall them long enough to prepare for a guerilla war, they have a chance."

He paused, brow furrowing, "Assuming they don't glass the planet from space like they did Ession," he added, more for himself than the queen. "The Sith are and have always been the enemy of life. Their doctrine is the antithesis to peace and freedom. It's why the Rebel Alliance chose to try and slow them down while everyone else was content to see what they might do. We've always known their true nature."

He made a gesture with his hand, "The only way to stop them is to create a united front. Don't fight them alone. The Republic can help."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded as [member="Cedric Grayson"] reaffirmed that the refugees were to be safely taken care of. Some were soldiers, some were just families that had lost everything and wanted to get away from a hostile area. Not everyone adjusted to change very well. Some people preferred stability. "Thank you.
I hope that such a measure is only temperary, but..."

Cedric jumped in just then, the weight of his warning falling heavily on her shoulders. It was a possibility that she knew could happen. But Kay was a stubborn one. If there was a way around a mess, she would find it. "I'm well aware that they could overpower us, which is why we've taken multiple steps to avoid it. Destroying Commenor as a whole would accomplish nothing. In fact, it would be worse for them if they did. They would anger some of their closest allies and bring about a war that could topple them. My position and.... familial ties will keep Commenor from utter destruction."

Kay folded her arms across her chest while Cedric told her not to fight the Sith alone. "I'm quite certain that when push comes to shove, we will be fighting alone. I understand that and I must be ready for it. Our neutrality kept us safe from war for so long....And now?
Now we will see just how strong certain friendships and partnerships are. Now we will see where loyalties lay."

 

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"I hope you're right," Cedric muttered in a way that implied he most certainly didn't believe she was, but wished her to be all the same. "Loyalty is a rare commodity as of late. Still, it seems you've garnered a good bit of it all the same." He added approvingly.

Truthfully Cedric was unsure as to what he could do to help Commenor aside from providing refuge for the alliance's citizenry. The Sith would no doubt put the planet to the whip for nothing more than the value its people placed on their freedoms. Perhaps in due time some sort of force could be sent, but for the time being the best possible result for the situation would be Commenor's enthrallment under the Sith Empire. It was better that they might endure enslavement for a time so that they might be free another day, than face annihilation as so many others had.

"Carnifex is prideful. It's his greatest flaw in character," Cedric added quietly, "We've never met face to face, but we've played this game of dejarik for many years from the shadows. If you want to play him to your hand, use that pridefulness to your advantage. It makes him rash."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay wasn't entirely sure of who would remain loyal when push came to shove and who wouldn't. She had her hopes that all of them would be. But of course she knew that in reality, it wouldn't be the case. As simple as some may think of war to be, it was in fact quite complicated. And it was those complications that would keep people away.

She had to plan for the eventuality that no one would come. That way if anyone did come to help, it'd be a bonus.

Kay listened as [member="Cedric Grayson"] spoke of Carnifex. She nodded, in agreement with what he was saying. It was an observation that she had noted as well. "He's a fan of theatrics. Instead of coming to a meeting with me in person, he sends a droid that morphed into some kind of holo of him. It makes me wonder how fearful he is that someone would attack him. Even someone like me..." Of course she wasn't a weakling that could hardly hurt a fly. No. She had been trained by Prazutis and others after months of torture. But with Veiere's help and patience, she was turned away from that path.

"He'll use me as leverage against my niece to get her to do what he wants. I know that...Yet I'm unsure if I could stop it."