Xena

~o~

The General, the Commander, and their men had arrived with the utmost fuss and all her hopes for a subtle affair were destroyed.

The public response to their guests was lukewarm, not least because one of the strange leaders wore a Darth Vader costume.

Xena did all she could to make at least Hux seem a bit human but he was naturally so unlikeable and stiff that it did not help much.

When Lady Debra, her councillor for Public Relations, came in, datapad in hand and a grim expression on her face, Xena knew that something was wrong. "Your Grace. We need to talk about the most recent polls."

Xena had started the poll system. Her own father, King Rexon Zalderian, had been the least popular king of all times but he had only been the victim of a long period of declining public favour. His wife, the sweet and good-hearted Alessia Isidore, had saved him from open riots but the people of Voltrea were mumbling and grumbling all through his reign. When Xena had ascended the throne four years ago, barely seventeen, she had vowed to be different, to be better. And had started the polls. Each month, the people of Voltrea evaluated their Queen's political actions and their sympathy for her. The results had been excellent so far with a 98% approval rating. Now, results had sunken to 92. 92 was low, very low. Too low. Almost ten percent of her own people were not content with her actions. And the reason? The First Order.

"They think you have forgotten ancient Voltreen values." Lady Debra's face spoke volumes. She apparently thought the same.

"I will talk to the Order's leading officials. We will find a solution."

You will have to, Debra's eyes said but she stayed silent. Politeness was a key value on Voltrea.

~o~

"General, I do hope you are joking. These results may not be taken lightly. This is not only about the preservation of the Voltreen monarchy, it is also about the satisfaction of my people. And giving me men at arms will certainly not improve the situation."

Xena paced up and down restlessly.

"I am expected to give a speech explaining our special relationship. What shall I tell them?"

She was furious, not only at Hux but also at herself. Perhaps war would have been the better option after all. But now it was too late.

Will I go down as the last Queen, the Queen who bent the knee and destroyed Voltrea?

Hopefully not.

"You lie all the time. Do not pretend to have qualms all of a sudden. Lie some more. It is expected of politicians. Professiona ethics, if you will."

She had not even heard Ren enter. He certainly had not been invited.

"Thank you for your wise counsel, Commander", she snapped….but wasn't he right? She had lied to her own people to hide her weakness. Would the Voltreen appreciate her honesty now, in this case? Who am I to try and be the judge of that?

Yes. She would tell them the truth, leave nothing out. And they would decide whether she was still worthy.

~o~

Kylo Ren

~o~

It was a public affair: On a raised platform in Xanthos, she gave her speech, dressed in a gown of silvery grey, neither light nor dark. Something in between.

"Good people of Voltrea." She had a good voice, light and clear, feminine and strong. "Officially, I am here to tell you how much the alliance with the First Order means to us. That I entered into it out of free will for the best of my planet. That is but half the truth. I have been asked to lie to mine own people...but I cannot. I may not. Voltrea is small und not very significant in the great game of politics and power...But we have firm values, values that are set in stone because they made us who we are today. Values like honesty and diligence, respect and self-reliance. And therefore, adhering to our values, I will tell you the truth:

No, I have never reached out to the First Order. No, I never suggested this alliance."

Hux had gone white as snow, apart from two scarlet spots on his cheeks. Kylo was mildly impressed.

"Get her off that-" Hux started but Kylo raised his hand and no tropper dared to move.

"Let her talk. She is no idiot."

No, she was far more cunning that he had originally thought.

"The First Order came here and forced me to make a choice...a choice that was none in all truth. To make the choice between cooperation with an organisation that has nothing in common with us...or face destruction.

You must think me a coward. Perhaps rightly so. Yes, I chose cooperation over destruction, safety over ideals. Some of you say I betrayed our Voltreen values by aligning myself -ourselves, really- with an organisation that stands for the ethics of the Empire. But I think a peaceful cooperation is compliant with our Voltreen culture. I reached out to the Republic, to our allies of old. None of them replied. Our isolation that was often a blessing is now a curse. In absence of other options, I chose the compromise over the extreme. And for the better, I am convinced. The First Order has been very cooperative. We all know that we do not share the same values and that was my primary concern. To my great pleasure, we have been able to solve this.

I mean to build a future for our planet that sees us not as a part of something, but rather as an independent, voluntary member of a union. A planet with its own voice, however quiet and unobtrusive it might be. And the First Order has kindly and officially assured the Crown's Council and myself that this voice will be heard. Voltreen law applies here. There will be no trade regulations, no military build up, Voltrea will remain an independent planet.

We will stay who we are but with powerful allies at our side.

The days of the Republic are numbered. The First Order is the future, that is well known here in the Outer Rim. And we Voltreen stay true to ourselves.

I ask you now, all of you, because your opinion matters: Do you think we have made the right decision? Or do you feel betrayed? It is my duty and my priority to ensure the safety and satisfaction of my people. Have I failed, I ask you?"

Kylo felt the wave of affection rushing through the crowd. She was a natural orator, a spellbinder. She made these people feel like they were important, like they were a part of this political decision. She gave them symbolic power without really endangering her own position and that was obviously appreciated.

"Long may she reign!" The masses cried and hooted for their Queen. And she was a vision of delight, he admitted that much. Every single part of her appearance and bearing seemed effortless but Kylo had grown up as the son of a politician and he knew how much work went into appearances. He himself knew the effect appearances had. Before he had started wearing the mask, no one had taken him seriously, no one had feared him. With the mask on, he was their worst nightmare, everything could hide behind the black material. With the mask on, he was someone else. The Queen had not dressed to appear imposing or frightening. She had dressed to be appealing, accepted, beloved. Her silver dress was the perfect choice next to the Order's dark uniforms, not too much of a contrast, not too similar, elegant and majestic but simple enough to make her the Queen of hearts. She was beautiful. The dark gold of her hair went well with the silver of her dress and for this occasion, she had decided to wear it loose- a very natural, unpretentious style that complimented the message she was trying to bring across very successfully. Her face was not perfect but her vivid expressions gave life to her features and her eyes were expressive and fascinating. Hux's obsession with her was something Kylo had come to understand. She was intriguing. Not intriguing enough to tempt me. He had no interest in those affairs. In his youth, Kylo might have shown an interest in the other sex. Sometimes, there still was a woman that tempted him in a very primal manner. And as these instincts strengthened the Dark in him, he gave in to his desires from time to time, only to be disappointed again and again.

But she was no petty officer on the Finalizer and developing a desire for her would be very insensible. She can be Hux's pet for all I care.

Roxena was slowly making her way down from the platform, shaking hands and smiling.

She wins hearts wherever she goes. The Order took what they wanted by force, or rather by Force, but someone like the queen could come in handy, he had to admit. One of the main things the Order wanted from Voltrea was her and she was certainly not aware of that.

~o~

Xena

~o~

The speech had gone exceptionally well. The general reception was overwhelmingly positive and it seemed that she had succeeded in convincing the people of the advantages their new alliance had without actually glorifying anything.

She was putting on a good face on the matter but secretly, she was still looking for a way out. The Order was very secretive about their plans and none of her spies had managed to infiltrate the well-running engine of bureaucracy and hierarchy. Yet.

She was going nowhere with the General either. Despite his obvious attempts to flatter her and win her favour, he was tight lipped when it came to Order business. From time to time, Hux and Ren left the planet for a few days and had very secret and very important meetings with the ominous Supreme Leader. Those days were few and far between but Xena used them to try and find loopholes in the Order's system and also to contact potential allies of which they were only very few.

She achieved nothing and that frustrated her greatly. She was forced to be passive and endure, something she had never been very good at. At least as far as domestic policy was concerned, everything went well. She had made a few public experiences and had revealed long paragraphs of the contract between Voltrea and the Order and the Voltreen seemed pleased.

It was late and the two moons of Voltrea were already shedding their silver light on the dark palace. But Xena could not sleep. There was too much on her mind.

She did what she always did, what she had always done, even as a young child. She left the palace. At the far end of the royal gardens, there was the royal menagerie. Exotic animals lived in glasshouses and in the huge park that surrounded them. She left the sapiers behind her and the phlox, sleeping in their stables. At the end of the wide path, there was the korra pasture. Korras were one of the main sources of Voltrea's wealth. These animals were native to the planet and had splendid furs. They came in all colours, from red to blue, from black to white. The furs all had the same odd metallic shine to them, a glow that made them visible even at night. Most costly were the silver and golden furs but all were rather expensive.

Had the Voltreen decided to breed these creatures for financial gain, perhaps they would have overstocked the market. Instead, they had only taken the furs of animals that had passed away naturally and had created huge sanctuaries for these creatures that were soon hunted by smugglers and tourists. Not only had they protected these animals, they had also secured their own wealth. Xena had always been fond of Korras, majestic and beautiful, yet stubborn and wild. Many people had died trying to tame one. It took an expert to touch one. They would never be tamed and that was what Xena loved them for.

"Trouble sleeping?" She almost cried out in surprise, and then again in fear when she saw the shape of the speaker. Ren. What is he doing here?

"Yes." She looked at the animals in front of her, trying to regain her posture.

"Interesting creatures." He stood next to her now, too close. His presence alone was threatening and she had to resist the urge to run away. I am the Queen of Voltrea, this is my home. I will not run and I will not yield.

"They are. And I have always thought that their furs look better on them than on the wife of a Coruscant mogul."

The sound Ren made sounded strange. A rusty laugh, a pejorative snort? She was not sure.

"And yet, you have forced them into captivity."

"Protection. Not captivity. They are free. They are fed but that is all. They move freely, they are not tame." Nor could they be tamed.

"Free but surrounded by fences." Now there was a mocking edge to his mechanical voice. "This is not absolute freedom."

Xena had to smile at that. Leia had once said something similar and it had sparked a long discussion that had left them both unsatisfied with the agreement they had eventually come to.

"In my opinion, there is no such thing as absolute freedom. Even if I released them into the woods, why, sapiers will be their jailers, the safety of the forest their prison. Not to forget the smugglers and poachers that do not care whether blood stains their hands as long as it does not stain the furs. We are all inmates of our own prisons."

"How philosophical." Again, he was mocking her.

"Why, you should not have come out here in the middle of the night if you do not have a taste for philosophy."

Now, he was definitely laughing. It was the strangest sound she had ever heard.

"So there is no freedom and the universe is our prison?" If he hoped she would reply to his mockery, he was mistaken. She was not easily provoked.

No. We are our own prison." Xena smiled. "When I was a child, I used to run away a lot. When I was twelve, I managed to steal a tiny ship from my father's fleet and made it as far as our neighbouring planet. I was grounded for months. When I was fourteen, I did it again, only that then, I was wise enough to take a datatab with maps and manuals. I visited Coruscant and Chandrila, Naboo and Hosnian Prime. I even saw what was left of Alderaan." He had kindly reminded her of that only a few weeks ago.

"But once I had seen every planet on my list, I had no idea what to do. I was completely free to do as I pleased, and yet, all I wanted was to return to Voltrea."

Ren looked at her now, although of course with the mask, one could never be sure. "And how long were you grounded then?" A joke?
"Oh, I think I adopted the term "Golden Cage" for the palace in the years after that." Xena laughed, almost forgetting that it was Commander Ren she was standing here with, all alone, completely unprotected. And he still wore his mask.

"You are not very fond of your parents." His tone was inquiring and she wondered how he knew that. She was careful to praise her parents to the sky in public. He has the Force. Perhaps he can read my thoughts now, too. But why would he ask then?

"My father was difficult...at best. He tried too hard to be the king everyone wanted and saw only the future Queen in me. My mother was...meek. Weak. Spent more time in her own little world than with her family. It was difficult for a child to grow up in a household that had only room for an heir."

He replied nothing and after a long, tense moment, Ren turned around and walked back to the palace without another word.

The tension melted away now that he was gone but he also left her a tad disappointed. It had been a real conversation they had had, not just threats and violence. For a brief moment, she had thought him almost human until the abrupt ending had spoilt it.

He is not human. The stars know what he is hiding under that mask but I will never find out. Nor do I want to. I only want them to leave again, as soon as possible.