The Galactic Alliance [ Mando'ade, Sacred Lotus, Free Worlds Coalition, Galactic Empire, Iron Empire

[Malok]

"This is the MAV Concordia, requesting permission to land."

The voice of the communication's officer sang louder than the rest - but the whole Bridge was abuzz. Some were nervous. Others were excited. Regardless, no one knew what the end result of the day would be. What the Mandalorians did know, however, were certain facts. What remained of their culture was a long way from home...they were a force, but small compared to the Galactic stage. They were alone...but hopefully, not for long. There were several nations in the Stars much like their own: several movements whose presences only encompassed a few worlds.

They were small, and should the full wrath of one of the Giants rain down, the odds were not in their favor.

Unless.

"Gogi, ETA three minutes."

From beneath his helm, a small smile began. Isley Verd stood amongst his people once again, hands folded patiently behind his back. For his "performance" on Alderaan quite some time prior, he had been selected to ferry the desires of his people to the conference on Monastery. The native Jedi - the Sacred Lotus - were gracious enough to offer their Sanctuary as a neutral ground for negotiations. For this, the Ram was grateful. "Alright lads." He began. "If any of you scratch this ship I swear on my dear aunt's grave, I'll beat you."

"Your aunt retired ya sheb!"

And thus, with a Bridge full of chuckles did Isley depart for the Conference. Upon drawing near to the appointed place of meeting was he stopped by a duo of white-clad Jedi. They asked, in the most polite way possible, for any weapons on his person to be relinquished to their care. Now, any Mandalorian would flinch at the notion of being naked at a meeting, but Isley got over it. He promptly handed over his sidearm, knife, and lightsaber before stepping forward. Before him laid a table, wrought of marble, that formed a neat circle. Stone chairs had been prepared, enough to comfortably seat at least three from any participating nation. There were refreshments available as well.

But the thing that made Isley feel at ease were the trees. They were more than alive. They sang a soothing song through the Force, placing an aura of calm about the conference. If nothing else, this would help keep heads level and tempers tamed. And that was something the Mandalorian could live with. Coming to a halt before the table, Isley couldn't help but half-chuckle. These Lotus folks ain't half bad... he thought, gingerly touching the Mythosaur skull that had been engraved into the marble. ...They really pulled out all the stops.

Here's hoping it goes well.

[member="Isamu Baelor"], [member="Aster Rose Baelor"], [member="Bethany Kismet"], [member="Draco Vereen"], [member="Vilaz Munin"], [member="Lady Kay"], [member="Veiere Arenais"], [member="Tanomas Graf"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

ELSEWHERE
BUT NOT TOO FAR

Mara Merrill did not, as a rule, like Mandos. After she'd written a couple of incendiary books on the evils of Mandoness, most Mandos didn't like Mara either. Therefore Mara was not invited. As a somewhat peripheral associate of the neutral party hosting this conference, it had been made clear to her that she should keep her distance.

In a garden maybe half a klick from the conference location, Mara meditated on Denirel's Theran and Chalactan exercises. She neither expected nor wanted to be disturbed. Her goal was to be available in case the Order of the Sacred Lotus happened to need backup.

 

[Chip]

Meanwhile, Chip floated about the place with active camouflage hiding him. He so very much enjoyed observing organics gather and interact. At this very moment though, Chip was staring at [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] as she meditated, wondering if the young female was napping or constipated. She had a very odd look upon her face. Probably constipated.

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Darth Metus"]

The hologram screen erupted from her bare forearm as she gently walked down the hallways towards what her father had described as a ‘potentially worthwhile moment to attend’ with the added bonus of a small rant about how it could easily be a great historic event in the making. While Nora didn’t necessarily share his excitement — or rather, the belief that it was as big as he made it sound — she still thought it was a good idea to by the very least attend the meeting since the option was open for her, but only thanks to an apprenticeship under a contact of a contact of a contact of a friend. Quite honestly Nora had gotten herself lost in the loop so many times that she had given up on counting the laps of who knew who at this point and simply called herself a ‘scientist for one of the smaller branches of research in the Sacred Lotus. Basically nobody.’ Sometimes she followed on expeditions as backup to her handler but most of the time she was given free reins and for today she had been chosen to attend in their absence.

She read the message on her holo-device before hiding it under the arm of her lab coat again. There was no doubt that she could have attended this meeting in something a bit more fancier than the standard-issue lab coat, but if truth was to be told it was one of the fanciest things that she owned. At least for now. She still had whole boxes of clothes in her childhood room on Arkania but until she had a room of her own she wouldn’t be bringing them to Monastery any time soon. Her mother had made it a thing to remind her of them in their weekly conversations along with frequent reminders of how young she still is and how it felt just like yesterday that Nora learned to walk. Really, it was quite sweet. Nora had always considered herself blessed by her upbringing and the joys she had known and still knew.

She entered a room and saw the trees as well as a man touching a marble surface before the realization struck her. She was one of the first people to enter the room. A mute murmur of panic parted her lips as she covered her mouth and rushed her way out of the room again and to wherever ‘not here’ was.

Dear gods.

 

[Keira Priest]

The last time Keira and her elder brother had attended a negotiations together, they had been on opposite sides of the table. It seemed only fitting that this time they would attend together, of one mind rather than in opposition. Her departure from the transport had followed shortly after that of her kin, and she relinquished her weaponry just the same, tomahawk and pistol both finding themselves under the care of the local Jedi. She had packed light for that precise reason, knowing that any armament would be relieved at the door. It was for that reason she had removed any of the additional arms from her armor prior to her arrival, well aware those hosting the meet wouldn't have granted her entry otherwise.

Her next few steps forward left her standing next to her brother, and she still stood just a few stubborn inches shorter despite his new body. Reaching up with both hands she released the clasps that had since then kept her helmet sealed to her armor, removing the helm and holding it under one arm. The cool breeze on her face was welcome, and for a few moments all she did was drink in the feelings of peace and serenity that seemed to emit from the planet itself. Dark eyes turned themselves to her family, and finally she spoke, "It's good to have you back, ori'vod."

[member="Nora Lithos"], [member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

There's never a dull moment with the Sacred Lotus...

It was a thought that seemed to always cross Hazel's mind lately, especially whenever she found herself back on Monastery. Whether it be something happening within the Order, or if they were heading off planet to assist another group. And now apparently, the Sacred Lotus were holding a conference, or negotiations or whatever the term was given when she had been informed. Either way, there was going to be representatives of several other groups all coming to Monastery, and the Order's role was to act as a neutral middle ground for them all. Hazel's thoughts on this were mainly about how interesting this event was going to be. It had been one thing to have the Knights of Ren present in their medbay, but that had been a small group, nothing compared to the amount that was likely to show up for this meeting.

Hazel sighed. There were going to be many heads, and many differing mindsets and temperaments all of which could potentially result in many skulls being bashed if things got heated.

As such, she had made a note to prep the other doctors incase anyone was in need of medical attention, over the course of however long the negotiations would take.

Despite how hectic things had been Hazel was happy, as odd as sounded. She had always thrived on keeping herself active and busy. And the past month had certainly been no exception. After returning from her brief absence from the Sacred Lotus due to personal matters, she had almost immediately left again to go and help on Coruscant with [member="Amaya Verd"], which had coincided with them meeting an Echani Jedi by the name of [member="Nylea Apollodor"] who had taken an interest in the Order in the wake of that situation. They had only just returned a couple days ago, enough time to get her situated with the Order before this all began. It was definitely one way of being introduced to it.

During of which, [member="Bethany Kismet"] had spoken to her about a number of things, but mainly to ask if she would attend the meeting with her. And well, she would've been remiss if she didn't help after being gone for a while.

Fast forward to today, and Hazel was currently walking towards the meeting place, with Nylea at her side. The Hapan was dressed in her usual professional outfit, black slacks, a long sleeved, high collar blue tunic and her white doctor coat over it, unbuttoned. She hadn't been given specific instructions on what to wear, so she opted for what she generally used for Order business.

"We should be nearly there." She spoke softly to Nylea, as she led the way. Though, as they were about to reach it another white haired woman suddenly ran into Hazel.

She let out a small 'ooph' from the impact, but managed to remain standing. Then looked to see who it was that had seemingly ran from the meeting area.

"Nora?" She didn't know the Arkanian all that well, enough to know her name after rather ironically ran into her previously before she had departed for Coruscant.

[member="Nora Lithos"] | [member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

An introduction to the workings of the Lotus this certainly was. Representatives of different groups had come to Monastery to negotiate, with the Lotus acting as the neutral party to keep things from heating up. Being the mediator was some a role Nylea had found herself in often back on Coruscant between fighting parties, but this was definitely another beast altogether. She had taken up part of the responsibility of keeping tempers in check today, hoping that previous experience would help her.

The Echani wasn't entirely comfortable, however. Althought the fact she had been here for only a few days definitely didn't help, but it wasn't the main cause. It was the presence of the Dark Side that some of the guests carried that put her on edge, feeling the slightest feeling of dread creep over her. Her past with the Dark Side was definitely something she would never want to live through again and her trust in followers of the Dark Side was on very thin ice. She had seen them kill in the most horrendous of way and even though she knew not all Darksiders were the same her psyche wasn't having any of it.

The normally reassuring weight of her lightsaber on her hip was also missing as she recalled the request to not carry it. Although she understood the reason why, Nylea often relied on the weapon to protect herself and others, and if things were to go wrong it would most definitely be a detriment. However, having people with weapons around would certainly raise the tension and so she had no rebuttal to the wish.

The woman was dressed in black pants that hugged the skin and a light grey blazer, with her silver hair tied up into a knot on the back of her head that was a bit too messy for the rest of the outfit. She hoped it was formal enough for the occasion, but taking a glance over what [member="Hazel Zanteres"] was wearing, who was leading her towards where the conference would be held, the Echani was given a slight bit of confidence she wouldn't be the odd one out.

A nod and a "Mhm." answered Hazel as she explained they were almost there when Nylea saw someone accidently run into the doctor. She jumped slightly but recovered quickly, now chuckling a little at the spectacle. The turned to the newcomer and gave her a smile. "You definitely know how to make an entrance."

[member="Keira Ticon"] | [member="Nora Lithos"] | [member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Ria Misrani]

There are days where Amaya wonders what led to the fateful encounter between a Naboo noble and a Mandalorian warmaster. Then there are the days where she wonders what motivated the noble's decision to keep her child, instead of aborting it. How did she feel when she gave birth, only to give the squealing infant away. And then there are the days where she thinks of none of this except that perhaps it was as Ashin said, serendipity. Hands glided her prototype starfighter down toward Monastery, Monastery... Another planet she would have never heard of if her adoptive mother had never passed. That woman - that woman was a saint, in the aspect of she took a child and raised her... as her own. Without question, without want just took the baby and left Naboo heading for Taris.

Years of swoop bikes, scavenging and learning how to survive on your own with a wrench in one hand and a blaster in another...

C'mon, boot, hand - pull.

The basics of scaling many of the larger, dilapidated structures that threatened to crumble the moment you touched them, but time had cemented its hold. They would not budge no matter how hard they complained, straining beneath the weight of one another. The sounds of gangs bickering over territory, rakhgouls prowling the night above and the war of the galaxy. A war that never ended, a war that could not end as far as Amaya could see. Jedi, Sith, Mandalorian, Criminals and all that laid in between sought to wrest control of this life, extend their ways across all the stars.

Hold the hypospanner here, and pull with your hammer.

And as the stars passed her by, her hands gripped at the controls. All that she could have done with her life, all that she could have been changed the moment she was taught how to build. How to create and in that moment she could understand Lady Ajira Cardei's motivations... For there had been so much evil in this world that Amaya was the one good thing she could put into it. Even if that meant she would never see her child. Or maybe it was simply because she was a noble who couldn't afford such a scandal, an inconvenience. Amaya would never truly understand Ajira's motivations even though they plagued her. All she knew, all she hoped was that somewhere within the woman's soul that there remained a bit of it for Amaya. As selfish as it was, the child only wanted to know that she had been loved, wanted to know that she was more than just poor decision making, more than just a mistake.

"Keira, dad I should be there soon. I'm on approach to Monastery now."

Monastery wasn't too far from Naboo, come to think of it. Maybe, maybe when this was done, she could pay the place a visit, maybe...

[member="Keira Ticon"] | @Darth Metus

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5_gkn3iLP0[/media]​

 

[Nora Lithos]

[member="Hazel Zanteres"] // [member="Nylea Apollodor"]

Her pale skin was starting to turn into something more akin to a bright shade of pink or quite, possibly even red. She was non-essential yet ahead of the ones that were essential by far and in her rush to evacuate the area she raised her wrist by her face once more to let the device project its octagonal surface. Fingers sifted through the screen’s surface in order to let the clock re-calibrate, and sure en-

“Oh!” Nora exclaimed as she stumbled to the floor where she remained for a few good seconds before she slowly got herself back up again one knee and elbow at a time. Eyes wide shut she scrunched her nose and tidied her hair up as best as she could with a sweep left and right to make the worst of the situation go away. Her eyes opened ever so slowly and simply kept on pushing for her hairline until she remained staring at the doctor like a deer in the headlights of on-coming traffic.

It was her. It was Hazel Zanteres, they had met once before but Nora had never thought that the blonde doctor would remember her name. There was a woman with her, white hair like hers but with eyes that boasted of irises. Echani. The girl was embarrassed, dumbstruck and starstruck all at once.

She had to respond, she was being spoken to.

“Thank you.” Her voice trembled and broadcast her mood for all to see. “Doctor Zanteres.” The girl looked at the doctor. “I was- there was- yes.”

Nora took a step back to refocus and to take a deep breath.

“I was going to attend the meet in Doctor Raem’s place but it seems I was early.” She raised the HoloPad for her face again and recalibrated the clock. “Fifteen minutes ahead of time.”

“I had a test the other day, must have forgotten to reset the clock.”

Her feet shuffled, her eyes staring at the blonde doctor before her. There had never been a dull moment with the Sacred Lotus...

 

[Vilaz Munin]

For one, Vilaz wasn't too fond of alliances or pacts with other factions. Too many the Mandalorians had been into these situations and always ended up with the short, inferior stick from the bundle. He remembered the alliance both the Republic and the Clans had against the Sith. A dumb decision that the Clan partook in. How many warriors fought, bled, and sweat for a corrupt government that couldn't even say a simple 'thank you' to show their gratitude.

But their debt was paid off when the Clans, before dissolving, brought war, famine, death, and conquer to them. And it was a memorable event that he would not forget.

While he did have a mutual relationship with the Sith, it was one he was caution about. They did mercenary work and were paid handsomely with not just credits, but weapons, technology, ships, and other prosperous rewards. Yet they did not submerge themselves into the greed of that pact. Too much of it and it would bring bad omens to them all.

With Keira and Isley came the Sole Ruler and, hesitantly, gave up his weapons to the cladded warriors of the light.

They would've been dead by now.

He indiscriminately disliked Jedi despite what order they came from. But he remembered how the Sacred Lotus came and calmed down the cataclysm of Mandalore. An act that Vilaz appreciated, but really conflicted with his honor of attacking the Sacred Lotus Jedi.

He was silent and his helmet concealed his face, hiding away his emotions to all but to Isley and Keira they knew how exactly he felt about all of this.

[member="Nora Lithos"] [member="Amaya Verd"] [member="Nylea Apollodor"] [member="Hazel Zanteres"] [member="Keira Ticon"] @Chip @Mara D'Lessio Merrill [member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Bethany Kismet]

The buildings that made up Sanctuary had been built by hand, white brick by white brick, carefully moved and lovingly laid. The colonnaded court yard where Bethany had arranged for the summit to take place had only been recently finished. Open breezes moved beneath wide archways, letting in the bright but hazy light of Monastery's sun. The roof arched up over one half, offering both shade and sunlight to the gathering below. The vibrancy of the mountain valley could be seen, smelled, almost touched from the courtyard- and planted at the inner base of each column were Ch'hala trees, gifted to the order from Cularin. As people began gather, the colours shifted across the trunks of the trees in response to murmured words. An errant touch would send a shudder of rippling hues across the bark.

In the center of the court yard was a large, white marble table. Round edges swept gracefully, surrounded by chairs cut from the same stone. Each faction represented here today would find its seal carved into a section of the table- with room, perhaps some day, for others who had yet to join them.

Refreshments, light and airy, were available beneath the overhang- Iced water, local juices, tea, wine and ale but not in a quantity that made it likely someone would become a public embarrassment.

Off to one side, speaking in quiet tones with an elderly Ithorian, the diminutive form of Bethany Kismet was unassuming at best. Dressed in a pale grey tunic and dove leggings, she smiled, laughing softly at something Sorin said.

Others had been assigned to greet the delegates arriving. She was not a shy woman, but she had no interest in taking center stage in any fashion if she could avoid it. She had offered Monastery as a neutral ground for these discussions, yes, but her intentions stopped there. Hopefully, these varied and at times suspicious groups could find a commonality that could lead to a certain peace.

She certainly hoped so.

Spoiler

[member="Nora Lithos"] [member="Hazel Zanteres"] [member="Nylea Apollodor"] [member="Darth Metus"] [member="Isamu Baelor"] [member="Aster Rose Baelor"] [member="Draco Vereen"] [member="Vilaz Munin"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Veiere Arenais"] [member="Tanomas Graf"] [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] [member="Chip"] [member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Amaya Verd"]

 

[Tanomas Graf]

The Imperial Grand Moff took a deep breath, savoring the cool, clean air of Monastery. For one reason or another, it reminded him fondly of his homeworld of Carida. He hadn't been to the planet in years, having taken his then-infant daughter to the planet to take part in a festival, they had both enjoyed it.

He wrinkled his face smiling at the memory, before turning around to face the two people that were a part of the Imperial delegation with him, High Moff [member="Thurman"] and Grand Admiral [member="Lucien E. Irridius"].

"Gentlemen, I will only warn you once. Save your bickering and power plays for Imperial meetings. I will not have our part in this organization felled because one of you couldn't keep their trifling opinions to themselves." Tanomas darkly stated, darting his eyes between the chiss and the human.

The sound of polished black uniform boots against stone would radiate while the trio made their way to the central courtyard. Graf stopped at the refreshments table, grabbing himself a nice cup of tea before taking his place at the head of the Imperial side, losing interest in what his subordinates were doing until they were next to him.

His eyes would gloss over one man, the Mand'alor, perhaps he was wise to bring a special gift for the man, only time would tell.

[member="Vilaz Munin"] | [member="Bethany Kismet"] | [member="Nora Lithos"] | [member="Amaya Verd"] | [member="Nylea Apollodor"] | [member="Hazel Zanteres"] | [member="Keira Ticon"] | [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] | [member="Chip"] | [member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Other Space Kaiden]

[member="Tanomas Graf"]

It was a pleasure to watch Myrkr burn, an even greater pleasure to stand beside The Grand Moff and smile at those he had burned. He may not have been able to let them know how little they meant to him during this meeting, but he knew his presence was going to put a fire under a certain savage who would more than likely be at this meeting. Of course, he would show only the...utmost respect for the Ticon at this gathering. As much was expected of his, at least.

"Your faith in my ability to lead should be stronger by now, Grand Moff." Irridius remarked with an upturn of his nose, "Regardless, these savages have no right to be meddling in Imperial affairs, to begin with. Speaking of internal affairs before them would be an insult to civilization itself."

With his thoughts put forth, Irridius returned to his silent march beside his Imperial cohorts. Even the shine of the Grand Moff's boots likely paled in comparison to the obsessively cleaned and shined uniform of the Grand Admiral. His military boots were shined to a sparkle and his uniform pressed so sharply that every seam and corner could cut stone.

Irridius looked over the refreshment bar, watching as the Grand Moff took his tea. He couldn't help but internally groan in disgust. This man had no sense of hygiene obviously. Taking his seat beside The Grand Moff, Irridius reached into his uniform chest pocket and pulled from it a small cannister that resembled an Imperial data rod. Turning the top, he turned it toward the surface of the table and sprayed it down with an anti-bacterial concoction of his own design.

The liquid quickly dried as Irridius returned the canister to his pocket. Without word or explanation, he folded his gloved hands onto the table and looked over to Keira with an insidious smile.

 

[4ND-R0]

[member="Tanomas Graf"] | [member="Lucien E. Irridius"]

A fourth member of the Imperial entourage loomed in the shadows behind the Moffs. Cloaked in black robes and staring through a crimson visor, Honos viewed the almost serene world of Sanctuary through an uninterested lens. Like the Jedi, he felt too much Light abound on the planet. They did not seem to regard the balance of the Force as he was taught. Yet, it did not matter. For whatever reason, he was assigned to the dignitaries representing the Galactic Empire in this gathering. The only thing needed at his moment was a watchful eye and a readied grip on his pike.

The sound of the elongated, phrik handle tapped metallically against the path way. The plasma blade was deactivated at the moment. Like an ancient knight protecting his lords, he would not draw his weapon unless someone deliberately made physical threats towards his Moffs. Which, at the moment, was doubtful while they stood on Sanctuary. These Lotus people were almost sickly in their devotion to pacifism, in his opinion. Honos was a man of pragmatism. He logically would not believe threats were present in the moment, but it was foolhardy to believe threats could not occur in such a close gathering of highly influential people.

 

[Olivia Dem'adas]

Olivia Dem'adas stood upon the surface of a worthless Aruetii world whose name she had already forgotten. Helmet clipped to the waste of her Beskar'gam, a deathstick danced it's way from between her lips to between her fingers as she exhailed a plume of toxic smoke into the canopy of the tree she leaned her back against. Olivia knew the Jedi thought the species of tree sacred (or some such nonsense), and she made a point of not caring. She wasn't here to make friends or form alliances. She was here because the coward Mand'alor that had abandoned Manda'yaim was looking to make some sort of deal with the other weak and shattered galactic powers.

Normally she would do what she had always done. Which was anything and everything necessary for the security of her clan, and let the fools that followed the Exile continue marching blindly into the abyss. But Mand'alor Munin's actions had left Manda'yaim vulnerable to an attack that should have never happened. An attack that had struck far too close to the place of her birth and had threatened the safety of what little remained of her family. An attack that had only happened because some weak and foolish clans had aligned themselves with heathens they had barely understood.

Exhaling another lung-full of toxic spoke at the green-ish leaves of the jetii's stupid tree, Olivia shot a glance at the trio of unmistakably Imperial men that marched towards the meeting point. <Barely understood heathens...> Olivia thought to herself as she put the deathstick back between her lips and enjoyed the burning smoke that filled her lungs.

Olivia couldn't help but to notice that each one of them was disarmed, with the minor exception of the black-robed escort that was dragged by the wake of the other two men. A keen ear recognized the sound of Phrik as the honor guard tapped his cane upon the stone walkways of the temple. Most likely a 'formal' weapon. Probably hiding a retracted blade. About as much for show as for use.

<Kark the Jedi.> Olivia thought to herself as a cruel smirk framed her pale-skinned face and a rifle shifted upon her back. Peace or war, she'd keep the odds in the Mando'ade's favor and kill any fool that threatened Manda'yaim with their diplomatic blunders, Mand'alor Munin included.

With a last, remorseful inhail of harsh smoke, Olivia flicked the butt of her deathstick towards what she hoped were dry leaves and donned her helmet. Leaving the shade of the tree, Olivia returned to monitoring the perimeter of the monastery.

Fully armed and armored, Olivia had refused to make herself vulnerable in the face of her enemies. Instead she chose to monitor the situation from afar.

Not that the lot of cowards would have listened to her had she attended the meeting anyway.

She couldn't help but to miss the days of the Alor Council.

 

[Kay-Larr]

The Free Lady arrived, perhaps a little later than the others. The diplomatic vessel carried Commenor's Queen, as well as it's future King. Although Kay and [member="Veiere Arenais"] had already been wed in secret, a public ceremony event was going to be held later. With Commenor expanding her reach, now was not the time for a party. There were many things that needed to be accomplished first.

Veiere hated politics, Kay knew that. Yet upon receiving the invitation for this peaceful negotiation, she knew that it was important that he come along. He was a great negotiator and had a way with words that at times exceeded her own. The tone in his voice had a way of calming others, including herself.

After The Free Lady touched down near the Sanctuary, Kay stepped out of her quarters in a light blue gown. It wasn't anything too fancy, yet enough to showcase her nobility. A small silver tiara rested on her head amongst a series of wavy curls in her dark hair. Contacts hid the fading signs of corruption in her eyes. And as always, her Force signature was shrunk down to that of a small tree nut. They were going to be in the company of strangers, so she needed to be cautious. That was another reason to bring Veiere with her. For a time he was her bodyguard.

She smiled to her husband when he joined her in the corridor. "Let's hope that the negotiations are short. If everyone is on the same page, then it should be." Kay hooked her arm in his and walked down the ramp. She took in a few deep breaths of the fresh air. In some ways, this reminded her of Commenor, with the vastness of nature and pockets of civilization. A lot of care was taken to build this place. Hopefully it would remain that way for centuries to come.

Kay bowed her head to those that greeted them and were led to the courtayrd. Quite a few people were also in attendance, though she didn't recognize any of them. She hoped that it wasn't another slight of her memory. The round table was something that she didn't expect. The Commenori seal looked beautiful on it. Kay turned to Veiere. "Should we get ourselves some tea and a bit to eat? It doesn't seem as though we are the last to arrive, however I could be wrong."

Spoiler

 

[WolfMortum]

Unlike [member="Lady Kay"], Veiere had not come especially dressed for the occasion, choosing to remain in an attire more befitting of his previous role on Commenor, he looked in part that of a Jedi yet held some few casual differences in his style, better suited for the life of one distanced as he was from the old ways. Given the nature of this meeting, he had seen fit to leave his lightsabers upon the Freelady, taking nothing with him but what was seen, keeping his datapad and commlink attached to his material sash tied around his waist in the form of a belt that held his tunic together across his torso, over top of that the hooded and sleeveless vest of which he kept back so not to disguise who he was from their hosts out of courtesy to their generosity in involving the Commenori.

"I don't suppose you caught a glance at the guest list..."

He spoke quietly under his breath in response, raising the subject of whom they were expected to be associating with this day. Among some of the names were those he recognized through the recent re-emergence of the old Imperial remnants, the remains of the Galactic Empire having recently grown back into strength in the south-eastern quarter of the galactic charts. Another name of great interest to him were their hosts, the Order of the Sacred Lotus of whom Veiere had heard were Jedi or at-least those who had distanced themselves away from what seemed to be the common perception of the Order, hoping to follow a path more akin to the ways of tradition as he himself had for so long; this of course was rumor and none of which he had confirmed of yet though if true, it was an admiral dedication despite his own eventual choice to walk away from the path. Finally there were the Mandalorian Clans of which Kay was far more experienced with than he himself. Veiere hadn't yet had the pleasure (or displeasure depending on their mood) of associating himself with the Clans, though Kay herself was affiliated by a sense of adoption to the Clan Raxis; whatever that meant for those that were to join them today, if anything, could prove intriguing.

"I might look for something a little stronger than Tea, though we should take our time before the conference begins. Get a bit more of a feel for the others..."

The Force in this place was strong, possibly a location often inhabited by those practiced in its use; Veiere took a moment to reach out to it in order to extend his senses to the room they would soon enter, hoping to gain a larger idea of what awaited them. In these times you could never be too careful, especially coming without the company of his lightsaber and with so many influential people being involved, these types of settings often raised a view eyebrows to the prying interests of outsiders.

[member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Olivia Dem'adas"] | [member="Honos Strakh"] | [member="Lucien E. Irridius"] | [member="Tanomas Graf"] | [member="Bethany Kismet"] | [member="Vilaz Munin"] | [member="Nora Lithos"] | [member="Amaya Verd"] | [member="Nylea Apollodor"] | [member="Keira Ticon"] | [member="Hazel Zanteres"] | [member="Chip"] | [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] | [member="Darth Metus"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

Hazel smiled at the young Arkanian, biting back the small laugh that was threatening to escape her lips, in order to not further embarass her. This was the second time she had ran into the younger woman, Nora certainly knew how to make an impression on someone. Hazel went to help her up, but Nora was quicker and was up on her feet in a flash.

She watched Nora with a soft expression, as she stumbled over her words until finally took a step back to collect herself. Hazel had sympathy for the young woman, seeing and knowing the emotions that were likely running through her, which if she were to guess nervousness was near the top.

"It's alright Nora." She spoke softly, taking a step forwards and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I hope the test went well."

Hazel was reminded of herself, especially around tests. Even near the end of her degree studies she still ended up stumbling a few times when it came to fretting over the latest one, and inevitable messing something up in the wake of it because she had been too focused on the one thing.

Then a brief, but sour expression flashed over the Hapan's face as she remembered her recent trip to Maena. That had been an agonizing wait for test results, though it was a much more serious matter in comparison. Then again, the time between waiting hadn't been too bad.

She mentally shook her head, now was really not the time to be reminiscing about that. Instead she turned her attention to something that occured to her; introductions.

"Ah right. Nora, meet Nylea. She's recently decided to join the Order." Hazel stepped back again, a brief gesture of the hand between the two women. "And Nylea, meet Nora. She's one of our students here in Sanctuary."

She gave them a moment to greet one another, before turning he attention to Nora once more.

"Do feel free to join us Nora, we're about to head into the courtyard, so you won't be as alone and in the open as before." Hazel gave her an amused smile, before pushing onwards to their destination. After a small greeting to the Lotus Jedi that were stationed just outside the courtyard, Hazel led the way forwards.

Her eyes immediately flickered around the area, trying to see if she identified any familiar faces. Unfortunately there wasn't really that many, as they were still here before a majority of the others had arrived. Though there was for one face that Hazel saw, one that was a common sight in Sanctuary. As Hazel walked, she took in everything around her, the trees, the table. They had certainly hadn't held back when arranging all of this.

Finally she reached the Jedi Master standing to the side, giving both her and the Ithorian a nod.

"Bethany. Serin."

[member="Bethany Kismet"] | [member="Nylea Apollodor"] | [member="Nora Lithos"] | [member="Darth Metus"] | [member="Vilaz Munin"] | [member="Amaya Verd"] | [member="Keira Ticon"] | [member="Olivia Dem'adas"] | [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] | [member="Chip"] | [member="Tanomas Graf"] | [member="Lucien E. Irridius"] | [member="Honos Strakh"] | [member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Veiere Arenais"]​

 

[Ria Misrani]

Amaya Verd had landed, cleaned and changed for the event. The brunette adjusted her gown and cleared her throat whilst she looked herself over in the full-length mirror. "Amaya Verd of House Verd," she began and then sighed. "No, no, okay what about Lady Amaya of Nab- no, no one knows that really, I mean a few do, but no. Okay," she put her hands together and took a deep breath and exhaled. The young woman looked at herself again and recalled the words of her father. She need only to look in the mirror and there she would see her mother, Ajira Cardei and then studied her reflection, "who am I?" She asked aloud, "I am the daughter of the Warmaster, I am the daughter of a Noble. I am descended from warriors, from voyagers, from diplomats and nobles..." Taking another breath she exhaled and held her head high, squared up her shoulders. "My name is Amaya Cardei-Verd, I am here on behalf of my people."

"My people," she put a hand to her lips and sighed, "c'mon..."

"No, okay, I am, I am Lady Amaya Cardei-Verd and I represent the Mandalorian people. We seek to extend our hand in peace, kark c'mon peace? Mandalorians?" She threw her hands up, Amaya wanted to go home. There was no way she could do this and as she turned to leave the mirror, she swore to void stars she saw Ajira's image. And she stopped, she went back to the mirror and studied it again. She extended a hand toward it and closed her eyes. She would always have questions, just as any child might, who might wonder where they come from deprived of the opportunity to seek the answers out directly. The Mandalorian noble would have to make due with an ideal. In her mind, she recalled the words of Ashin with regards to Ajira and how bemused she was and then her mind turned to the words of her father. And as she opened her eyes she no longer saw the image of her mother, but rather her own reflection. "I am Amaya, daughter of Lady Ajira Cardei and Warmaster Isley Verd. I come to extend a hand in the name of peace and prosperity."

It was going to have to do, as she checked the time on a chronometer above the mirror. Amaya put her hands to the hem of her dress and carefully walked out of the makeshift powder room and headed toward the courtyard where the negotiations were to take place. She stopped just short of the pathway there, and examined the white brick that laid out before her. The young Mandalorian noble looked up at the archways, the roof's arch and the sight of the mountain beyond. And as the breeze set through the courtyard a pair of honey brown eyes took in all who were here, and as nervous as she was took her first step on that white brick path. Her posture (thank you Ashin and Artemis) spoke of her pride, the pride of being descended from warriors, diplomats, voyagers and nobles. A beautiful white and gold gown complimented her darker skin tone and she gave an elegant smile to those already present in the courtyard. "Vod, why do you conceal such handsome features behind a helmet?" She asked of [member="Vilaz Munin"] with a bit of a cheeky smile, and then turned her attention away from him and to a pair of ladies. "Excuse me," and with that she departed his company and headed toward, [member="Nora Lithos"], [member="Nylea Apollodor"].

[member="Bethany Kismet"] | @Darth Metus | [member="Keira Ticon"] | @Olivia Dem'adas | [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] | [member="Chip"] | [member="Tanomas Graf"] | [member="Lucien E. Irridius"] | [member="Honos Strakh"] | [member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Veiere Arenais"] | [member="Hazel Zanteres"]​

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

An amused chuckle escaped Nylea's lips as she the similarly white-haired woman get back on her feet. She simply listened as the other two talked. There wasn't much for her to add, so staying silent was the only thing she could think of doing. Hazel referred to the other as Nora, which the woman kept in mind. As the blonde of the three introduced Nylea to Nora the Echani offered a handshake and a warm smile. "Nice to meet you. Hazel and a group of others ran into me on Coruscant a few days ago, so that's how I got here. I'm still new to the Order like she said, so it's good to get to know the people around here."

Hazel invited Nora to come along, to which the silver-haired woman nodded. "Mhm, the more the merrier. Maybe let the fresh air cool off your mind." She could feel it was something that would've been good for her, not to mention the fact Nylea was getting curious about Nora. She followed Hazel towards the courtyard and looked to the side for a moment. "So, what do you study here? And, of course, I hope your test went well too."

The sunlight met the Echani as she took her first steps into the courtyard, enjoying the glowy warmth. Hazel had taken off towards Bethany and an Ithorian, making the group a duo. "I still can't get over how beautiful Monastery is. I mean, Coruscant isn't terrible if you know where to find the nice spots but here you don't even have to look. It's such a peaceful place..." A place like Monastery was something the Jedi had needed for a long time. Coruscant had always a stressful place for her, giving her very little time to calm down. "Sorry, I'll stop myself before I get too rambly." Nylea chuckled for a moment.

Another soul came over, and it was one she remembered. "Oh, hello! It's good to see you again." It was Amaya, part of the group Hazel was also a part of when she first came in contact with the Lotus. It was during a particularly bad riot where people were getting injured left and right, something Nylea couldn't handle on her own. The help of the doctors in getting the wounded back on their feet was something that she had an incredible amount of respect for, which was the reason she had joined forces with the Order. "Given your state of dress I see you are going to take part in the negotiations? I'm sure you'll be able to help deliver a message of peace." She gave the Mandalorian a broad smile. She felt the nerves coming off of her, but it didn't take a Force sensitive to notice. Nylea's words and posture were aimed at calming her down a bit and putting her more at ease. "Oh, I don't know if the two of you have met before, but in case you haven't, don't let me be in the way of introducing yourself."

Spoiler

[member="Amaya Verd"] | [member="Hazel Zanteres"] | [member="Veiere Arenais"] | [member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Olivia Dem'adas"] | [member="Honos Strakh"] | [member="Lucien E. Irridius"] | [member="Tanomas Graf"] | [member="Bethany Kismet"]| [member="Vilaz Munin"] | [member="Nora Lithos"] | [member="Keira Ticon"]