The Ruusan Accords

[Lord Mettallum]

Lord Mettallum listened to what he could only call an argument over the jedi orbital bombardment of a sith city. While Lord Mettallum would normally laugh at how the sith got the poor jedi to grandstand he wasn't laughing right now as he came here to try and help with the russan accords and not listen to two different faction argue about the orbital bombardment of Mirial. Going by the message HK sent to Lord Mettallum they both were annoyed by the organics arguing.

"I Lord Mettallum would have loved to get some clarification on the classification of droids in these accords but it seems to not be happening because you MEATBAGS just want to argue about mirial because some civilians died in a war. Now if you must really talk about what happened at Mirial lets talk about one of the warcrimes listed in the basic version of the accords we were all given and see how it says Orbital bombardments are classified as a major infraction which I Lord Mettallum find very silly as orbital bombardments are probably safer than a full out battle while causing more deaths short term it is no where near what a full out battle will cause long term. Now what do you organics think of this and of possible [member="Cedric Grayson"] or [member="Kei Raxis"] do you mind telling me the classification of droids in the accords"

Looking at [member="HK-36"] lord Mettallum decided to send him a little encrypted direct compact data message.

"Exile remind me again why i got us to come try and negotiate with organics since all i see is a turkey making a vermin grandstand rather then talk about the accords"

[member="Jorus Merrill"]
[member="Vilhelm Balfour"]
[member="Darth Saarai"]
[member="Stephanie Swail"]
[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Darth Vesper"]
[member="Derek Dib"]
[member="Tmoxin Temi"]
[member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Tmoxin listened to the verbal shockball game that seemed to be taking place among the delegates. She glanced to Viceroyal Dib and then cleared her throat, just the trace of a Hapan accent remaining, a linguistic spectre in an otherwise even-toned Basic:

“I thought this was supposed to be a summit of sorts, not a court of justice. While I believe there are accusations that likely warrant more investigation, we are under no legal jurisdiction here to provide neither defense or prosecutive arguments, nor are we here to convict or sentence. Obviously there will be presumptions, but…” A pause as her delicate fingers flipped through a flimsiplast dossier of the Accord Draft. “My understanding is that we’re here to define these term, not detain anyone. I also believe what is missing is the matter of how infractions become known and voted upon so that proper justice is done. Since the Confederacy is an umbrella organization which supports independent systems, these individual governments must also be allowed to weigh in somehow.”

Closing the dossier cover, she continued, “Unless I am under the wrong impression, I do believe we should discuss the Accord terms themselves, as our droid friend [member="Lord Mettallum"] has advised quite eloquently. And while all of your company is pleasurable, it will be an awfully long night if we do not begin."

Agreeing with the droids was a special kind of irony not lost upon her.

​

[member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Vilhelm Balfour"] [member="Darth Saarai"] [member="Stephanie Swail"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Darth Vesper"] [member="Derek Dib"]​

[member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Cedric Grayson"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Kei Raxis"]​

 

[Ras'kala'han]

For a while, Lord Vesper was content to watch, and mask his feelings behind a coy smile that quickly faded into a mirror of his accomplice's serenity - save for a slight upward quirk of the lips - as he watched things proceed largely according to expectations: rub salt in old wounds, bicker about matters of justice, discrimination, and petty morality. Before they began, as far as he could see, negotiations were failing. Oh, and how they all entertained.

However, the reason he even tolerated some measure of disrespect was because there was an art to these matters. That particular art had never involved being called meatbag by what he regarded as an appliance with delusions of grandeur. He curled his lip in visible disgust at the remarks.

"If we are to discuss the terms of the accords, and not the absent moral high ground being claimed falsely by this faction or that, we should indeed begin with the place of droids in the accords. As this treaty would bar ownership of," he gestured blithely towards his drug-addled servant, "certain property, shall we say, including droids as peers would be tantamount to recognizing ownership of heuristic droids as slavery. This threatens to throw that particular provision into disarray, and depending on one's view of A.I. and certain computers, the entire treaty would be cast into confusion. Moreover, to this droid, the deaths of 'meatbags,' as he calls us, are a matter of efficiency, irrespective of how bombing unduely targets civilians and property beyond the scope of war. This is no coincidence - when we include machines as our peers, we do not uplift another kind of life, but degrade ourselves to being no more important than inanimate property, even if said property has malfunctioned to show an illusion of sentience.

"No device can replace a life, nor be equivocated with it. To do so is to render this agreement meaningless. I suggest, therefore, that it be put to vote that the Accords specifically exclude droids from their language, as well as any cyborg whose entire brain has been replaced with machinery. If we do not assert the unique dignity of organic beings, then we all truly are nothing better than 'turkey' and 'vermin,' and no rights can exist."

| [member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Tmoxin Temi"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Vilhelm Balfour"] | [member="Cedric Grayson"] | [member="Kei Raxis"] | [member="Lord Mettallum"] | [member="HK-36"] | [member="Stephanie Swail"] | [member="Derek Dib"] | [member="Ryan Korr"] |​

 

[Derek Dib]

He had taken his seat leaned back carefully watching each representing and hearing what they had to say. Sadly, in his opinion, the meeting had begun to spiral out of control. Oh, it was a controlled speak filled with eloquence and irreverent remarks designed to initiate hostilities based on the personal history of each individual. Yet the fact that this meeting, that had potential, was going no where fast.
‎
Turning his as Tmoxin began speaking again he narrowed his eyes as things were beginning to refocus on the reason the meeting had been called in the first place. That was until Vesper, using the afore mentioned eloquence, began the spiral once again. Shaking his head he unfolded his legs and stood.

"As Lady Temi started earlier, I am Derek Dib, Viceroy of the Siskeen system. I believe there are two things we need, as a United delegation representing not ourselves but rather our unique governments, to discuss initially."

Clearing his throat he paused for a moment to look at each of the representatives. It was a pause to allow all to listen to his words and so he could see just who were truly here for the potential good that could be gathered from the accords .... And who was here to roll their eyes and be a disruption that could conceivably halt what could be a moments occasion of history in the Galaxy.

"First we should clarify they organic and non organic rights. The system I represent and the Confederacy do use droids, manufacturers droids, and have droids in many walks of our daily life. Many are sentient and are self aware. Currently I'm working, with the Council of Siskeen, to define when is artificial life equal that of an organic. It is a very different proposition. Some artificial intelligence will never be able to comprehend or understand what being an individual is. However there are instances where A.I. transcends the role they were created for and become something more then merely a machine. They become sentient life."

Derek gave a subtle nod to both HK and Mettallum before continuing.

"The Metal Lords are the governing heads of a substantial bit of space. The citizens under their rule live in harmony. A symbiotic relationship between organic and inorganic. It is also their choice, their free will. If we deny their individualism and right to the claim of sentient beings, then we have become as judgemental and criminal as those we wish to corral with these accords. My vote is that the Metal Lords and their unique representatives are given the same rights as others. If we start condemning others for being different, what says we don't start excluding other species that are different then more mainstream species within the Galaxy?"

Clearing his throat he poured water from the pitcher resting near him and took a sip, both to lubricate his voice as well to give several seconds for the others in the delegation to ponder his words.

"My second point is this. The Galaxy is filled with atrocities and horrors. And unfortunately every government had made mistakes in the past. Some more recent then others. But this about the future. We are here to set a precedent, a point in time that starts here. Starts now. If we continue to live in the past and the actions of the past we will never be able to move forward. I propose that the accords start their governing from this point on. I'm not saying that past actions will not have consequences. What I'm saying is that these accords must choose to move forward from this point. The laws we create, the accords we sign are from this point on. Individual governments may act on events in the past, cause and effect, yet this consensus cannot look to judge or make willing in events that occurred before the conception and birth of the accords."

Slowly he sat. And took another drink.

[member="Cedric Grayson"] I [member="Kei Raxis"] I [member="Ryan Korr"] I [member="Stephanie Swail"] I [member="Lady Kay"] I [member="HK-36"] I [member="Lord Mettallum"] I [member="Jorus Merrill"] I [member="Tmoxin Temi"] I [member="Darth Vesper"] I [member="Darth Saarai"] I [member="Vilhelm Balfour"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Jorus Merrill"],


"Oh, well I apologize that ability to remember and recognize others is suddenly beneath me."

The droid snarked back, assuming that Merrill was referring to how the droid recalled meeting Tai before and claimed he was a pet, which is pretty much what the Sith posed as in their past, since the really mean-spirited comments he kept to encrypted transmissions between him and Mettallum.

For majority of the ensuing discussions the droid would stay silent, rolling his head slightly as [member="Vilhelm Balfour"] protested what he called a "humanocentric" speech, since he couldn't exactly roll his eyes. The discussion about the Accords briefly started and sure enough it was already, at least to the droid, a very ironic evening, with an Imperial arguing for being inclusive towards non-human species, a Sith trying to witch hunt a Jedi, and a [member="Tmoxin Temi"], Confederate backing up the droid delegation, a faction which HK still affectionately called in private a "bunch of droid slavers who deserve to rot in a ditch".

HK would finally speak up a bit when [member="Lord Mettallum"] raised his voice, referring to those arguing about various crimes as "meatbags", putting his hand on Metallum's shoulder,

"Alright, easy."

He muttered to him to try and calm the other machine, although he knew nothing would calm Mettallum down like having his chin stroked by someone.


Either way HK would look away from his fellow machine when [member="Darth Vesper"] spoke up once more, causing the machine to internally wretch at the sound of his voice. Although interestingly enough Vesper used similar vocabulary in his argument targeting the droids as Mettallum did in the secret encrypted text messages the droids were sending each other silently. Perhaps great minds thought alike, or Vesper was as self-loathing as the droids were nettled towards him.

"The discussion about orbital bombardment aside for a hot minute, although with respect towards Lord Mettallum, I have witnessed and survived enough orbital bombardments not to agree with his opinion and actually support the Sith delegation in claim that they cause too much collateral damage for very little effectiveness. In recent history it was mostly used as a terror weapon or as part of scorched earth tactics. That said,"

HK would lean in on the table in front of them, looking towards Vesper as he put his elbows, covered in the black fleshlike substance and chitinous armored plates, on the metal surface,

"Listen, I appreciate in how you are trying to screw us over, I really do. These talks have been organized, however, to discuss the conduct of modern warfare and place ethical limitations on it. I did not came here to force other powers in recognizing droid rights, although there are many of us who could replace you in a variety of scenarios. I believe it is well within every government's right and power to determine what civil liberties and guarantees the beings within their territories receive. Even us Metal Lords have specific criteria which distinguish a sentient droid from a drone or other varieties of machines."

The droid would explain, looking over other representatives gathered in the conference look, glancing towards [member="Lady Kay"] especially,

"The Accords in my opinion should have their provisions written 'for all sentient beings' and what that exactly entails should be judged by each government independently or in case-by-case basis as there are machines out there who you might call 'a droid' but I would not refer to them as sentient. If the Accords would exclude all droids specifically, the way I see it, it would not only mean that droid armies would not be protected by the Accords, but they would not be restricted to follow them either, and I know for a fact that Metal Lords are not the only ones to utilize droids in their armies."

As he said that the droid would give a knowing look towards the Confederate delegation, just in time to hear [member="Derek Dib"], speak, falling silent to let the Confederate have his turn.

"Thank you, Representative Derek Dib, Viceroy of the Siskeen system,"

The quickest way into the droid's heart-equivalent was through petty flattery and stroking his ancient synthetic ego,

"I agree with the Confederate Representatives in that qualification of synthetic sentience is not always an easy process, so I stand by what I said, write the Accords in terms for all sentient beings, keep it broad, focus on discussion about military conduct on a contemporary battlefield."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay continued to watch and listen as the arguments, insults and posturing continued. Yet still there was no sign of their hosts [member="Cedric Grayson"] and [member="Kei Raxis"] intervening. No doubt the two could hear the others from wherever they were standing. It was hard not to.

Her attention turned to [member="Darth Vesper"] as he spoke up, indicating his views on owning people as property, as well as his views on droids. They vastly differed her own, yet she could see his point of view, regardless. That wasn't to say that she agreed with it, but in her government she had to be respectful to all sides.

"I don't believe that these accords are to tell anyone how to run their respective governments, nor how to govern their own people or how to view different lifeforms both artificial and not. But instead it is to lay out how we treat eachother during and after times of conflict with one another. It is obvious that what was written for the accords thus far has piqued an interest to those that have assembled here. So we should start from the top and work our way down."

Unlike everyone else here, her government hadn't fought against any other. It's neutrality and numerous allies on both sides had kept her people safe. A few other factors were a part of that too. But here in this meeting she was seeing the tensions from the other governments rise. It was no wonder that there was perpetual war in the Galaxy.

Respect for one another was sorely lost.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Lord Mettallum"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Stephanie Swail"] [member="Vilhelm Balfour"] [member="Derek Dib"] [member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="HK-36"] [member="Darth Saarai"] [member="Stephanie Swail"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Darth Vesper"] [member="Derek Dib"] [member="Tmoxin Temi"] [member="Lord Mettallum"] [member="Cedric Grayson"] [member="Vilhelm Balfour"] [member="Kei Raxis"] [member="Ryan Korr"]

Jorus cleared his throat during a pause. “All this is a lot of points for a lot of folks to agree on. Might still work out, but at minimum, let's get some basics down. Let's accomplish something.”

He pulled out a rusty little holoprojector and set it on the table. Interactive holos futzed to life, displaying multiple copies of the same short document in front of each delegate.

***

WHEREAS the conduct of war can bring severe harm to civilian populations;

AND WHEREAS the ultimate goal of any legitimate government is to secure the safety of its citizens;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT we commit to use no tactic which brings indiscriminate suffering or death to civilian populations, including but not limited to: bombardment of population centres; use of chemical or biological weapons; or any Jedi or Sith technique or object which produces comparable results, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT any signatory whose nation trespasses this resolution shall offer proportionate and voluntary reparations.

***

“Real straightforward: deliberately targeting civvies is off-limits. I think we can all agree on that for starters, yeah?” He and Beyyr scrawled their signatures on the holodocument. Their signatures and the ORC three-pointed star appeared instantly on the interactive copies hovering in front of everyone else.

“Who else gonna sign?”

 

[Vilhelm Balfour]

Balfour took a deep breath of cigarra, and then discarded the end of it unto a nearby ashtray before looking over the datapad.

"The Galactic Empire will not be bound to a partial treaty, nor will it be signing a completed one today. Whatever we negotiate will be brought to the Emperor and the Moff Council for final approval. However, Captain Merrill's initial proposal is a good one. Therefore I will sign it on my honor and my treatment in future combats, as a show of good faith."

Vilhelm Balfour

Appeared on the screen shortly after he spoke, indicating his personal signature to the measure.

"As for the matter of artificial intelligence, Metal Lord HK-36 gives an interesting compromise. 'Sentient beings' is a good start, but independant designations brings a bit of fuzz into the matter. Perhaps a line such as 'Sentient beings as defined by the ruling government of the system in which an event occurs'?"


[member="HK-36"] [member="Lord Mettallum"] [member="Jorus Merrill"] [member="Darth Saarai"] [member="Darth Vesper"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Stephanie Swail"] [member="Tmoxin Temi"] [member="Derek Dib"] [member="Cedric Grayson"] [member="Kei Raxis"] [member="Ryan Korr"]

 

[Lord Mettallum]

"Well I Lord Mettallum will state I Lord Mettallum somewhat agree with the sith as banning slavery outright will cause certain factions and planets to lose a huge source of income and production which could cause problems and if you put droids as the same level of power as you organics this would cause alot of problems as droids are used as slaves in pretty much every corner of the galaxy but then you have the problem of not putting us in the accords which as the Exile has stated would mean us droids are not affected by you laws allowing us to commit warcrimes with no way of us being charged."

Lord Mettallum then decided to take a brief break and read holo document Jorus gave everyone and after reading it briefly Lord Mettallum had to ask the same question about this as he said about the accords

"Jorus please put some clarification on whether droids count as civilians or not because I Lord Mettallum can't sign this if non military droids are not counted as civilians. Anyway one thing with the accords I Lord Mettallum won't allow is if the classification of droids in the accords means droids are not equal to organic civilians. Now you have two choices don't have us included in the accords which means us droids can orbital bombard as many places as we want or give us droids the same classification as sentient organics and cause many of your industries to have a loss of production and your rich civilians to lose most of their droid slaves."

There was a third option but it was an option that Lord Mettallum believed would not be allowed by most of the goodie two shoes factions in the accords.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

[member="Lord Mettallum"]

"That's why it says 'citizens,' Lord Mettallum - to respect each nation's definition. The language is designed to be inclusive and high-level; it's a statement of principle. Willya sign?"

 

[Lord Mettallum]

[member="Jorus Merrill"]

"Now if a faction doesn't recognise droids as civilians and they attack my home then nothing is stopping them from targeting all my droid followers. Now if the thing means they can't target my definition of civilians then i can just say my entire military are civilians and thus they can not hurt my army or they would be breaking your little contract. You organics need to fix your loopholes."

 

[HK-36]

[member="Lord Mettallum"],

HK tensed up as he heard what Lord Mettallum said,

"I believe what Lord Mettallum was asking for is just a clarification whether sentient droids who are not equipped or participating in combat would be classified as citizens, and that leaving the possibility of droids being excluded from this Accord would open up a doorway for other powers to potentially use droid armies to bypass these provisions, although the Metal Lords and Droid Space do not condone use of orbital bombardment on civilian populations, whether we would be part of these Accords or not, and we do not condone the use of slavery within our space."

He would motion with his head to [member="Vilhelm Balfour"],

"I agree with the Imperial that each government should decide on their own what constitutes as sentience in machines that serve within their military, there is really no way for anyone to enforce them to adopt one specific view."

The machine would then raise his hand towards @Jorus Merril as he proposed his own much simpler version of the accords,

"However!"

The droid begun,

"Before I will agree to sign anything there are some points, not exactly related to artificial intelligence or droid rights that I wish to bring before you and hopefully adapt into these accords. I also believe that Captain Merril's variant should clarify what types of chemical or biological weapons are and are not allowed by his proposed accords before I would feel comfortable signing them."

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Kei was perched at the head of the comittee with [member="Cedric Grayson"]. He'd remained completely silent as the discussion went on, listening to every side of the argument. He uncrossed his arms, resting them softly on the edge of his desk as he looked between everyone who had gathered. He could feel a mix of force signatures, Jedi and Sith alike and he was almost thankful that they hadn't murdered each other yet. Too much paperwork if someone died,

"Combat droids are soliders, they fall under the same banner as human soldiers. Droids who are the majority population of a planet are civilians. To me, that makes sense and it's a useful step to trying to get these accords signed"

He watched as the comitee all digested what he said. He'd studied the material that the Outer Rim leader had brought with him, that made sense to him. He added his own signature at the bottom. He wasn't representing anyone, but he felt that if one of the leaders, one of the people who'd brought this together signed it then it would have a domino effect. The outer rim guy had managed to propose extactly what he was trying to propose, just in better words.

 

[Placeholder 0128]

Words were spoken. Accusations were traded. Some representatives showed, others did not.

Cedric had chosen to regard the gathering with silent curiosity. Those that had taken his hand were given a respectful greeting, the rest a simple nod. Some of those present numbered among the unfortunate few his armies had clashed with at one time or another. Fortunately it seemed they had managed to set aside their distaste for the moment, though one being in particular drew Cedric's attentions.

An icy fury flickered in the youth's eyes as he looked upon [member="Darth Vesper"]. The face had changed, but the spirit remained decrepit as it had ever been. Memories of a darker time bubbled up from the depths of Cedric's heart, poisoning his mood and bringing violent words to his tongue. It took an extraordinary amount of willpower not to speak them aloud.

I vented you into open space. You should be dead.

Such was his disgust that he had not noticed the other delegates asking him to speak. A few more moments passed as Cedric battled with his sense of self-restraint until the discussions stole his attentions away. Common sense returned to the Jedi Knight immediately, and a brief expression of willpower forced his disdain to the corners of his mind. Antherion's presence here was a Sith tactic; he would not succumb to their desires.

"Master Merril's presented us with a solid base for us to build upon," Cedric drew in a deep breath. "The Accords were not called to dictate how you run your governments, only to give the galaxy a moment to breath. We have been at near constant war across the stars since the end of the Gulag Plague. Our galaxy's general population is far lower than it has been in any of the records we could find from the Old Republic. This much death has a profound effect on the Force, and the Force has a profound effect on us."

A hand gestured all around. "Kei and I are not foolish enough to believe that the Sith would give up their war effort because it was asked of them, just as we know that certain nations run on the backs of indentured citizens and the like. We do not wish to change you, only to better civilize these wars that we all seem to partake in."

"The intention of these accords is to avoid such tragedies as what may have happened on Mirial, or the scourging the Togorians were subject to. Defense of civilian population centers is a must, as well as the general protection of prisoners of war on all sides. I also believe it is important to make it clear that crimes committed before these accords are waived, otherwise inheritor governments of such criminal legacies may choose not to sign."

[member="Kei Raxis"], [member="HK-36"], [member="Lord Mettallum"], [member="Jorus Merrill"], [member="Vilhelm Balfour"], [member="Lady Kay"], [member="Derek Dib"], [member="Tmoxin Temi"], [member="Stephanie Swail"], [member="Ryan Korr"], [member="Darth Saarai"]

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

Throughout the proceedings, Ryan Korr occasionally nodded, or at other times thinned his lips in pursed disapproval. He said nothing, but watched the Sith delegates with the attentiveness of a hunting hawk-bat.

They could simper all they wanted about Mirial (an incident only caused because Arisa Yune had apparently attempted to conjure a Wall of Light without sufficient support and had seemingly lost control) but in the end they would go back to their corner of the galaxy, where they bowed to the wishes of a man who had slaughtered or turned more of Ryan's friends than any other, a man who enjoyed the monikers of Iron Tyrant and Butcher of Togoria. Many of the Sith present had no doubt wrought their own small atrocities, but Kaine Zambrano's canvas of woe was wide and his brushstrokes long and in red.

The bickering went on until Jorus offered a simple and concrete proposal, which almost got derailed by the ancient "droids are people too" argument.

Korr waited, reading and re-reading the document.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay glanced over to [member="HK-36"] , noting that he kept looking at her through the meeting as viewed through the corner of her eye. Why did he keep looking at her? Is it because their territories where right next to eachother? Did he have something that he wanted to talk to her about later? Or was he studying how she reacted in the face of seeing those at war with eachother to try to talk things out? In a previous meeting that the two shared, HK had insisted that the might of the Galaxy would come crushing down on her one day, but she didn't believe it, nor did she want to believe it. Just as her voice wasn't heard today, her people would be equally forgotten. If it meant their safety, then that was alright with her.

Now [member="Jorus Merrill"] had her attention, most especially the document that he provided. She read over it carefully, most especially the wording. If anything, people tend to interpret things differently and she hoped that that wouldn't be the case here. But it was hard to say. Mostly everyone was a stranger. She didn't know how they think.

But she did know what she, herself had thought. So Kay did what many others there were starting to do. She signed her name below.

~Lady Kay Arenais, Commenor Systems Alliance~

[member="Ryan Korr"] [member="Stephanie Swail"] [member="Cedric Grayson"] [member="Kei Raxis"] [member="Lord Mettallum"] [member="Vilhelm Balfour"] [member="Derek Dib"] [member="Tmoxin Temi"] [member="Darth Saarai"] [member="Darth Vesper"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Darth Vesper"] | [member="Vitor Avendahl"] | [member="Cedric Grayson"] | [member="Derek Dib"] | [member="Tmoxin Temi"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Lord Mettallum"] | [member="HK-36"] | [member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Stephanie Swail"] | [member="Ryan Korr"] | [member="Kei Raxis"]

Even now it was odd to the Thirriken.

How his fortune had risen throughout the years.

From a young birb with a meager shipping concern bought from selling off his entire inheritance to this. Sitting at a table dominated by humans, ready to make a decision that would have far-reaching decisions for the future. Saarai looked at the proposal, eyed it like a viper sneaking to strike... and he wondered. Where had this unified call for peace and reason been when the Sith were at their lowest? When Korriban City burned at the hands of the Silver Jedi? When Ruusan had been invaded with nonsensical pretext? When the Jedi had send tornados through Ahto City, when the Alliance had attacked a peaceful expedition of the Order on Kaeshana?

But now.... when the Sith were strong, at their apex and ready to strike back these nations suddenly found resolve within them. "No." The Thirriken calmly stated, before pushing the paper back with the swipe of a wing. "The Sith came here under the impression of professional courtesy. We believed there was merit. All I see.... is grandstanding, xenophobia and a disorganized waste of our time. The Empire shall not sign over its sovereignty as easily as this, gentlebeings. I thank those that stood with us against the sadly common humanocentric worldview and I regret that this was not .... better managed." Head tilted as he studied the young Grayson, full of idealistic hope, but sadly lacking in execution. "The Empire is open to bilateral dialogue for the betterment of all included nations, but this is not it."

A bow of the beak and the Thirriken slipped off the seat. "Farewell." He did not wait for Vesper, but the assumption was that Avendahl and him would soon follow.

Oh, what Merrill had proposed had been reasonable, even acceptable in the eyes of Tai. It was mostly senseless to target civilian centers- but there were two reasons (three) that Tai was walking out of the room.

He valued proper order before anything else and this disorganized meeting, where the hosts did not seem to be prepared at all? It left a bad taste in his beak.

Two other reasons, but that would be telling.

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Stephanie watched the others speak, weighing up all options from each individual and seeing how they composed themselves at certain moments.

When they were agitated, or hopeful, or insulted, or insulting. She didn't move very much, bar her fingers on the edge of the table and her eyes to each of those speaking. It wasn't a surprise how it followed. Some started to break away already, some signed, some didn't.

"It seems the truth hurts when faced with it," Stephanie said after a sigh, as the Sith Lord left with another representative in front. "We all were here to sign. If just one resists, then it cancels the rest out and we have not accomplished what was set out for, and that is a shame."

She didn't stand this time.

"I am sorry if I spoke out of line, and yes I am not worthy to be here in place of Grandmaster Kitra who has had far more experience of this than me. But I meant well, yet I don't feel this is right to follow through if others have not. It just divides us more, and whatever you think about me or the Silver Order, we do not want division and we will work with any or all of you to come to a more amicable and peaceful existance for our Orders and our citizens, be them sentient or droid. All just as important as the other."

[member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Vesper"] | [member="Vitor Avendahl"] | [member="Cedric Grayson"] | [member="Derek Dib"] | [member="Tmoxin Temi"] | [member="Jorus Merrill"] | [member="Lord Mettallum"] | [member=HK-36] | [member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Ryan Korr"] | [member="Kei Raxis"]

 

[Tydeus of Tion]

Gray eyes like burnished steel narrowed on the retreating Sith.

Korr got up from his seat and turned to the Alliance politico sitting next to him.

“I’m going for a walk.”

Then he followed the peacock out, through a different door.

[member="Darth Saarai"]

 

[Jorus Merrill]

<<Pannzzzzzzeezz.>>

“General Beyyr laments the modern paucity of moral courage and ethical vigour,” the droid twittered.

For his part, Jorus eyed the completed document. Not too bad a day's work. A little thing like this didn't bind in the same sense as a formal treaty, but it still might be the most concrete piece of interstellar law in years. Not a high bar to clear, admittedly.

***

Memorandum of Understanding: Ruusan, 851ABY

WHEREAS the conduct of war can bring severe harm to civilian populations;

AND WHEREAS the ultimate goal of any legitimate government is to secure the safety of its citizens;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT we commit to use no tactic which brings indiscriminate suffering or death to civilian populations, including but not limited to: bombardment of population centres; use of chemical or biological weapons; or any Jedi or Sith technique or object which produces comparable results, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT any signatory whose nation trespasses this resolution shall offer proportionate and voluntary reparations.

NATIONAL SIGNATORIES
Captain Jorus Merrill, Judge, for the Outer Rim Coalition
General Beyyr, for the Outer Rim Coalition
Lady Kay Arenais, for the Commenor Systems Alliance

INDIVIDUAL SIGNATORIES
Moff Vilhelm Balfour of the Galactic Empire
Kei Raxis of the Jedi Order