Amongst friends

[Nor'baal]

It always amazed David how one could stand so close to a star and gaze into it with impunity, in ages past such things would have been impossible. Indeed, on planets today many looked at the heavens through thick card glasses, hoping to catch a glimpse eclipses. David smiled and turned away from the viewing port, taking a seat at a black chair, simple in design - much like the rest of the ship. ''Are they here?'' he asked, the silver protocol droid behind him answering in an instant. ''Show them in.''

David fell silent, ignoring the droid as it poured him a drink. He stood from his chair and waved a hand, the onboard AI bringing up the holographic displays of the news feeds from almost twenty galactic sectors. It made for grim reading, as he clenched his fist at one of the screens, calling it in closer. 'Many dead in Moff Bombing....' read the headline, whilst a constant scroll of yet more morbid news from either side of the war poured in. Rubbing his eyes, he waved the screen back down to its normal size, as behind him the soft tapping of security droids approaching disturbed him.

''He is here Sir.'' came their monotone voices in harmony. ''Good, go by the door.'' came the mans reply. ''Mirror.'' he barked at the AI, summoning a mock mirror on demand, a simple holo camera appearing before him. He check his attire, a simple armour-weave body glove over which sat a black suit, no tie. Not bad, he thought to himself, waving the camera away and making a snapping motion with his hand to close the other screens. He sat down in his chair, facing the solar flairs outside the viewing window as his guest arrived.

The man had been provided with encrypted coordinates and a very very convoluted method of travel. At each jump, he would have been checked to see if he was being followed, mostly for his guests own safety. As far as David could tell, his guest was in a very safe place now - deep space, days away from anyone or anything that could cause him harm.

He was amongst friends.

OOC - This is a non-violent, PvP disabled thread between @Fyremage and myself only. The location, and occurrence of this meeting is entirely secret.

 

[Fyremage]

The unthinkable had happened. When he took his oath of office several years ago, the nascent government formed in his name made bold promises, and delivered on many of them. Yet, how would he be remembered? 'Corrupt.' 'Foolish.' 'Incapable.' 'The Chancellor of a fallen nation.' Indeed, he knew well the words thrown about regarding him. In fact, he hardly blamed those who uttered them. He had failed in every way to save the people he swore to protect. Worlds had burned, and near-innumerable souls were lost due to his arrogance. And now, the former head of state of the Galactic Republic was relegated to moving in the shadows. It had reached his ears that a bounty had been placed on his head for some bloated sum of money - likely done for his hard line stance on the terrorists who followed the Sith Brotherhood's teachings.

This naturally had meant he needed to be cautious as he moved about. At least he only had to worry about himself now. His wife and children... were at peace. Apparently his enemies thought they could easily kill him by moving on his home. Instead, they slaughtered his family while he was trapped at a safe house during the Sith attack. Why couldn't they have been saved too? If only he had been there, at the very least he would have died alongside of them as any father should in that situation. But no, instead he had to learn the news from his aide moments after they took off to safety. The pain was unbearable to say the least.

He felt empty - completely and unequivocally alone as well. Although some claimed to still be there for him, with one such individual arranging for a meeting with the fallen Chancellor even now. Gregory's craft docked with the station the meeting would take place within, with him moments thereafter disembarking to meet with this person. Normally, Chancellor Rhone would be the model image of dapper charm and style, yet today it was clear to see he had spent days without sleep. His navy blue suit was wrinkled, and needed a good steam press. His shirt's top button was undone and lacking a tie, with a distinct 5 o'clock shadow lining his jawline. He seemed very much worse for wear, yet this was the best he could do under his current plight. Upon docking, he was led to the meeting room where he would meet his mystery friend. As he neared the door, he held his breath until it slid open and he stepped through.

 

[Nor'baal]

Man, you look like shit.

The thought came to David unwittingly as he saw Gregory; the Chancellor, enter the observation deck. With a casual wave, he dismissed the two Sentinel Class Droids by the door and turned to face the observation window and the holo-projections. ''It's a frakking shambles,'' he said, shaking his head as he waved a hand to the screens showing various newsreels from across the galaxy ''he never managed to finish what he had planned, poor Dad. Instead, he left me a legacy I cannot fill.''

David almost muttered the last part, before facing Gregory once again. ''I can see the Universe from here Greg...Chancellor.'' he corrected himself ''In can witness the horrors of the war before anyone else, but I can do nothing to stop them.'' David looked somewhat defeated. waving a hand, he dismissed the screens, replacing them instead with a vast CNN, HyperMap, Chanzot Technologies, and Makr Foundation Logos. ''If those don't give it away, my names David, David Makr.''

He walked closer to the Chancellor now, and handed him a pack of stims ''Stim?'' he asked, not waiting for an answer ''What am I doing? I'm sorry Chancellor, I don't see people much anymore.'' he smiled, gesturing to the room around him as if to demonstrate that he and the Chancellor were probably the only organics for hundreds of miles. ''Look,'' he paused, clearly struggling to put this into worlds ''I want to help, more than I have done, more than just, well - money and gear.''

He stopped speaking. The Chancellor had benefitted from the financial resources of the Makr Foundation in the past, and the support of the Czerka News Network; but for the first time, David and Gregory had finally met, and the former hoped he could help the latter in ways that stepped beyond finance.

@Fyremage

 

[Fyremage]

Gregory hid it well, but David was possibly one of the last people he wanted to see at the moment. Publicly, David had forged a reputation for profiting from both sides of the war - establishing research stations in Sith space, manufacturing complexes in Republic space, and selling to both. Privately, they had a working relationship that had resulting in what was perceived as an edge for the Republic. Needless to say, it didn't pan out as expected. As his life hung in the balance, Gregory wasn't sure if he could fully trust David with his life. Men like him were as trustworthy as wild animals. They satiated their baser instincts, and typically only served themselves.

When he was offered a stim, Gregory politely declined, and proceeded to the subject at hand: "Why now? Haven't you grown rather comfortable straddling the fence?"

@Nor'baal

 

[Nor'baal]

David bit back the rather rapid retort he had in his mind, aware that Gregory's apparent anger was almost certainly justified; after all, his Father had grown extremely rich from the profiteering of warfare, and as such David had benefited from that. He spread his arms, palms out - a subconscious sign of not wanting to cause harm. ''I understand your reservations Chancellor, I understand them completely.'' he turned away from the man, stowing the stims in his trouser pocket.

''Bring up the screens.'' he said, the shipboard computer complying. Images of the Businesses and News for which his Father had been responsible became clear to see on the screen. ''CNN, Czerka Corp, Corellia - to name but a few of the phrases that you would associate with my father. Many assumed in his life that he was corrupt; and with good reason - but few saw deeper, few saw what he was up to behind the scenes,'' he added, pointing to one of the screens before him.

''Senator Krass, the Warfleet, operations on the Outer Rim with a man called 'Jett Nova'; all operations authorized by my Father to resist, and lay the groundwork for the fall of the Sith.'' he finished. ''It may be hard for you to believe, but he had dreams beyond he acquisition of mere money. He saw what was to come, he predicted the war that was to come Chancellor, and he sought to end it - before it began.''

David gestured toward another screen, one that showed Vore Makr in talks with several Senators ''He even had plans for your office before he died.'' he closed the screens. ''I understand the two of you did not get on well, but you both sought the same thing - peace. I am not my Father, Chancellor - I grew up in his shadow, I grew up the scion of a man who everyone hated; a man who failed in the one task for which he was born, a task I shall put to rights.''

 

[Fyremage]

Gregory stared at the monitors in turn as David spoke. Was all of this true? There was evidence to support it, but he could hardly believe it. It was true that Voren and Gregory had a tenuous relationship, but he had always taken the former CEO as a corrupt businessman who wanted to take office for his own personal gain. But with these facts in mind, it made Gregory look at him in a completely different light.

Or was this all merely a ploy to gain Gregory's trust? The Chancellor didn't know what to believe anymore, nor whom to trust. Talia had betrayed him, his family was dead - all of this and more scarring him more than he cared to analyze right now. But what were his options? The Sith wanted him, to pay for his alleged 'crimes.' He could only hide on his own for so long before he was finally caught. In his eyes, his life was forfeit anyway. What else did he really have to lose?

"Where do I fit in with all of this? Why do you care what happens to me?"