The sleek black hovercar landed on a small pad jutting out from the tallest of the skyscrapers in the city's centre, and several servants waiting in the doorway hurried out to meet it. By the time Kayil and Nakiri had stepped out of the vehicle, their bags had already been removed from the trunk and the luggage pods on the sides and were already being carried towards the building. In moments, they were gone, disappearing back through the doors, leaving the Jedi with just three figures waiting for them by the doors, all wrapped in heavy, layered robes with high collars, made with some sort of smooth, shiny material. The Jedi exchanged a glance and walked towards them, the high wind whipping dust in their faces. Their armoured clone escort, helmeted now and moving in tandem with precise military discipline, fell in behind them.

"Honoured delegates," the centre figure called in a deep, masculine, strangely accented voice. He stepped forward to meet them and bowed low. "My mistress, Her Ladyship Zhu Elaiza, Queen of Everdawn, Duchess of Suryasta and the Wind's Edge Protectorate, Countess of the Orojin Belt, and liege of the House of Lords and the Umbral Knights would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience. Your bags will be taken to your room. Please accompany me." The figure straightened back up, his robes rippling in the high wind. The glint of goggles under his hood reflected the eternal sunset, and the rest of his face was obscured by a scarf.

"Thank you! Please, lead the way!" Kayil replied, raising her voice over the high wind and squinting to try to get a better look at her host in spite of the dust.

The figure bowed again, then he and the two figures flanking him turned as one and walked into the building. The Jedi and clones followed close behind into what looked like a large airlock. The outer door shut behind them.

As soon as the tone sounded, indicating an established seal, their three escorts all pulled down their hoods, and began loosening their scarves and pushing their goggles up onto their heads. Their guide was a young, tall, pale man, clean-shaven but with long dark hair tied back in a braid. A band of ugly pink scar tissue surrounded his eyes and stretched over the bridge of his nose. He looked the two Jedi over with a pair of clearly robotic, amber-coloured eyes, offered them a friendly smile and nodded in greeting. When Kayil glanced at the other two, (one woman, one man, both human; there didn't seem to be many aliens on Ranos, and Kayil wondered if that was the reason for two human jedi being sent to negotiate with them.) she noted similar features among the three: very pale skin, angular features, dark hair, all long and braided in the same way. The Republic clones did not follow their hosts' example. Their helmets remained securely in place.

A moment later the door in front slid open. "This way." Their guide gestured for them to follow, and led the Republic delegation out of the airlock and into the palace of the kingdom of Everdawn.

They walked out into a huge empty lobby that looked like it could double as a ballroom, under a pair of floating chandeliers suspended on countergrav rings. They crossed the huge chamber, the clicks of the clones' plasteel boots echoing on the hard floor. At the far side, their guide gestured them into a large and luxurious elevator. "This way, if you please."

The Jedi stepped in, still accompanied by their escort. Their guides followed them, and the leader pressed the button for the 143rd floor – the penthouse. The doors slid shut, and Kayil's stomach tightened as the elevator started moving.

"So. Your hoods," Kayil said to break the silence.

Their guide with the amber eyes looked quizzical, then brightened in understanding. "Ah. Yes. I suppose you wouldn't be familiar with that. Well. Surely you noticed the dust?"

Nakiri nodded. "We did, yes. It was deeply unpleasant. So it's to keep that out of your face?"

"More or less. That dust is constant, and irritates. It also tends to get stuck in one's hair. You were only out in it for a minute, but... well, I'll show you. Shake your head, if you please?"

Nakiri raised an eyebrow and hesitantly turned her head back and forth.

"No, no, like this!" He shut his eyes and vigorously shook his head, his long black braid flying out and whipping around in his enthusiasm. "Come now, Jedi, surely your order isn't that repressive! No need to be proper here. None of us are dignitaries!"

Nakiri shook her head, albeit still lacking some of the guard's forcefulness. A sheet of fine dust blew off her hair, and Kayil shielded her eyes amidst the guard's laughter. "Don't worry, you can shower later. In future, though, I recommend wearing a hood if you're going outside the tower. It reduces the amount of time and water we have to use for cleaning up. Your cloaks will likely be insufficient. You will be provided with more appropriate garb later. Ah, here we are!"

This last was accompanied by a quiet "ding!" and the doors sliding smoothly open, revealing another large empty chamber, this one with a high throne on a pedestal at one end and a glass facade revealing the breathtaking view of the dust being whipped off the tops of the mountains and being caught in the bright red sunbeams. The guides made no move to exit the elevator. Kayil and Nakiri stepped out, and their clone escort started to follow, but the amber-eyed guardsman reached out an arm to stop them.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Your guardsmen are not permitted on the upper floor." The clones looked at Kayil for orders, and she held up a placating hand. They glanced at each other, then took a step back into the elevator. The amber-eyed guardsman wasn't done yet, though. He stepped forward out of the elevator and held out a gloved hand to the two Jedi.

"I am, ah, afraid I will also have to ask for your weapons to be left here with me. They will be returned to you when you leave the upper floor." His smile was soft and pleasant. His mechanical eyes didn't blink.

Kayil and Nakiri didn't have to look at each other. They could both sense each other's unease. But, Kayil chided herself, we're here as diplomats. If they don't want us armed when we meet with their monarch, that's their right, and it's perfectly reasonable. Kayil reached inside her robes and pulled out the small, black cylinder, and she felt her Padawan doing the same. Both held out the hilts to the weapons, Nakiri showing just a tiny bit more hesitance than her master did. The man's smile never wavered. He reached out one hand to each and carefully wrapped his fingers around both lightsabers. As he did, one gloved finger brushed against Kayil's palm.

She felt his power then, and she wondered how she had managed to miss it before. This man was easily as strong with the force as most Jedi knights she had met. But at the same time, he felt different. Usually, touching another force-sensitive person for her was like dipping her fingers into a calm, cold pool. This man was more like plunging her hands into a rapid stream. His power wasn't just there, waiting to be used. It was rushing, surging, crashing against his resolve, having to be actively held back.

Nakiri snatched her hand away as if she had been burnt. Kayil withdrew far more slowly, not even letting a frown cloud her face. The amber-eyed guardsman's smile was just as courteous and friendly as ever. She bowed, mimicking the way that the amber-eyed guard had bowed to her earlier, and he returned the gesture.

"Thank you." The weapons disappeared into the layers of his robes. "Enjoy your meeting, Jedi." He turned and swept back out in a flurry of robes. The doors of the elevator slid shut, leaving the two Jedi alone in the huge, empty chamber.

Nakiri turned to her as soon as the doors were shut. "You felt that, didn't you, master?"

"Yes. Yes, I did."

"He was... he's..." she glanced at the elevator doors, and lowered her voice. "Sith?"

Kayil shook her head emphatically. "If I thought he was Sith, I would certainly not have let him disarm me. No. I suspect, Nakiri, that we have just met one of those Umbral knights that mister Adoran warned us about."

"But he's... he's a dark side user! You felt that! What difference does it make whether he calls himself Sith or not!? It's what he is! Are all the Umbral knights like that?"

"I don't know."

Nakiri's face was a mask of disgust and horror. "We shouldn't have come here. They're already gone. We're wasting our time, and jeopardizing our lives for a kingdom that has already fallen. Arguably fallen further than the Seperatists! With them, it's just Dooku. Here, they have a whole order of-"

"Nakiri!"

The Padawan's mouth snapped shut. Kayil glared at her.

"We are here as diplomats, and we are going to do our job. I don't want any more said about this for the moment, understood? I will not have this opportunity ruined by an impolitic accusation from you, and I will certainly not have you giving up on our mission."

Nakiri's voice was sheepish, genuinely apologetic. There wasn't even a trace of bitterness. "Yes, master."

"Good. Breathe. Centre yourself."

Another voice echoed through the chamber, loud, clear and perfectly crisp, showing off the room's perfect acoustics: "To the Republic diplomats: Her Ladyship, Zhu Elaiza, will see you in her quarters."

The two Jedi turned to face the dais and the woman who had appeared there. She was short, very young, perhaps around age 20, and somewhat plump, with a datapad tucked under one arm. She gestured for them to approach, and when they stopped in front of the dais she impatiently grunted and jerked her head, before walking around behind the throne. The Jedi hesitated for a moment, then as one they stepped up onto the dais and followed her around behind the throne, where they found the woman holding a door ajar for them.

The young woman looked the Jedi up and down, and, seemingly satisfied, began speaking very fast. "Her Ladyship is just down the hall; as always when meeting a noble, be respectful, but she has requested that you not stand on ceremony during this meeting; this is not an official introduction; for all legal purposes, you will not meet with Her Ladyship until you are introduced to the court in eighteen-and-a-half hours, and any claim to the contrary will be summarily denied; Her Ladyship is open to discussion of official matters and future diplomatic relations, but no promise made outside of the throne room is to be considered legally binding; one more thing; at present, she is tired and about to go to bed; she has been embroiled in exhausting political dealings with her courtiers for the past six hours, and requires her rest; Her Ladyship is too polite to dismiss you herself for her own benefit, but if you keep her up and it ends up affecting her performance at her royal duties tomorrow, I will know, and I will hold you responsible. Am I understood?"

Kayil blinked and stared. The servant stared right back at her, waiting for a response.

"Yes. Yes, that is understood. Thank you."

The servant nodded, and gestured them through the door.


The door of Lady Elaiza's study opened, and she leaned forward to place her elbows on the desk, greeting the newcomers with a smile over her laced fingers.

The first to enter the room was a middle-aged woman, flecks of grey just starting to appear in her hair. Her face looked strangely round and soft to Elaiza's eye, and her skin, a deep, chestnut brown, was almost as odd to her as the pictures of aliens that appeared in her books. But none of that surprised her overly much. She had read that humans in the rest of the galaxy were far more genetically diverse than the few initial colonists who had first settled Ranos half a millennium ago. She was dressed in a set of simple brown robes over a plain white, close-fitting outfit.

The second Jedi to enter the room looked very different: lighter, though not quite as pale as most of the people Elaiza was used to dealing with, and with hair so fair it almost fooled her into thinking the woman was very old and had gone fully white. In fact, given closer inspection she was much younger than the first, about the same age as Lin, a little younger than Elaiza herself. She was dressed in an identical outfit to the first.

"Welcome!" Elaiza unlaced her fingers only long enough to gesture to the chairs in front of the desk. "Please, come in. Have a seat. I'm sure we have much to discuss."


High Lady Zhu Elaiza was not quite what Kayil had expected from a queen. She had imagined long, ruffled skirts, thick makeup, an ornate crown, bright, colourful clothing, heavy jewelry... all the things she had come to expect from high-ranking members of feudal societies. She had been basing her assumptions off of the royal family of Naboo's human inhabitants, who she had seen in a parade when she was younger, visiting the planet with her own master.

Instead, what she got was a human woman of middling appearance, in perhaps her late twenties, wearing minimal makeup, her dark hair in a simple braid just like those of the Umbral knights outside, dressed in shapeless, practical grey clothing that was one step away from being simple pyjamas, and with not a crown or a piece of jewelry in sight. Kayil presumed that she put on more elegant attire when engaging in official business, but this still came as something of a surprise to her.

"Welcome!" Lady Elaiza's grin was warm and open. Her clasped hands parted for a moment to indicate a pair of upholstered chairs in front of the desk, before returning to their clasped position. Chairs which, Kayil noted, were exactly the same size and make as the one Elaiza herself sat in. "Please, come in. Have a seat. I'm sure we have much to discuss."

Kayil sat in one of the offered seats, and Nakiri followed suit.

"Your names?" The queen leaned forward and placed her chin on her interlaced fingers.

"Kayil Pexis. Structured as given, then family name. So it's Kayil."

"And Nakiri. Just... Nakiri. No family name."

"Very well. Welcome, Kayil and Nakiri. I hope the journey from Coruscant was pleasant?"

Kayil was the one who responded. She usually was. "For the most part. A bit cramped, perhaps, but a few days on a starship are certainly a nice change of pace after spending so long in the bustle of the core worlds."

"Well, you'll find Suryasta both spacious and quiet, at least as long as you remain in the Grand Tower. I'm sure you'll settle in nicely for the duration of your stay."

There was a moment of silence. Kayil glanced around the study, noting with some surprise the number of paper books in the shelves on the walls. She was just starting to consider mentioning the reentry procedure or some similar piece of small talk when she was saved by High Lady Elaiza speaking first: "Let's dispense with pleasantries. I said we have much to discuss, and I was certainly not talking about checking in and asking about one another's health. We are here to re-establish an official relationship between the kingdom of Everdawn and the rest of the galactic community. I think we should stop wasting time with frivolities and get down to business."

Kayil bowed her head. "I couldn't agree more, your ladyship."

Lady Elaiza made a most unladylike snort. "Please. It's Elaiza here. Even out in the kingdom at large, the most formal people usually get with me is 'my lady'. That's neither here nor there. To business." Her hands were still clasped in front of her, but they were no longer rigid. Her fingers began to twist and adjust, and her face took on a thoughtful look. "It's customary in Everdawn at the beginning of any negotiation for both parties to state, in clear and unambiguous terms, what their optimal outcome is for the dealings. So, with that in mind: I would like to establish a direct, continuous and official line of communication between my kingdom and the Republic. I would like a guarantee from you and your superiors that no Republic military force will ever occupy my kingdom, any of the lesser realms on this planet, any off-world holding controlled by myself or my vassals, or the orbital space of any system my kingdom has a claim on. I would like to establish a border that no Republic warship will cross, and I would like your guarantee of continued political independence, and that neither I nor any other noble on this planet will be pressured to join the Republic's senate against their will." Her fingers re-laced themselves and stopped moving. "Oh, as I'm sure Lin already told you, no agreement reached here is legally binding, so I maintain the right to add more demands later without repercussion."

"Of course, my lady." Kayil frowned in thought for a moment, then nodded decisively. "Those sound like achievable goals for the most part, yes. I'm sure we can come to an agreement. We can have our superiors offer you observer status in the Senate, letting you send an official ambassador but keeping you out of most of the official dealings..."

"Good, good. As long as it's possible and you agree that they're reasonable demands, I don't care for the moment what the specifics are. What I want to know right now is what you, and the Republic by extension, would like in exchange."

Kayil settled back in her chair, crossed her legs and stared into space, trying to piece together a coherent set of goals from the many complicated conversations she had had with senators and other Jedi before leaving Coruscant. Lady Elaiza continued to stare her down over her steepled fingers.

"One moment. Thinking."

"Certainly. Take all the time you need." One of Elaiza's hands moved again from its position clasped in front of her, reaching instead to pick up a tall pitcher full of a translucent green liquid. "I'm unfamiliar with the Jedi teachings, I'm afraid. Do you drink?"

Nakiri stepped in this time. "Jedi don't drink to excess, but simple consumption isn't forbidden. My master doesn't drink, I do."

Their host bowed her head, produced two glasses from under the desk, and filled the first nearly to the brim. She looked to Nakiri, the unspoken question in her eyes, and Nakiri, after glancing sidelong at her master, held her fingers just a small distance apart. Their hostess inclined her head again, and poured a splash of the green liquid into the glass, filling it with almost exactly as much of the substance as indicated by the space between the Padawan's fingers. She held out the glass, picking up her own in her other hand, and after Nakiri accepted the glass, the queen settled back into the cushions of her chair with a satisfied sigh.

"Emerald wine. Lovely stuff. We brew it locally, from kibiato fruit grown in our own orchards. Most of what you'll eat and drink here is produced locally. My family has tried for a very long time to remain prosperous while also being self-sufficient. With varying levels of success." She took a small sip of the wine, and Nakiri did the same. It was sharp, more sour than what Nakiri associated with the word "wine", and very, very dry. Its aftertaste was much more complex than the wine itself. Nakiri wasn't picky, as a rule. In her early years on 1313, she had learned that if you turned down a meal or a drink there might very well not be another. So in spite of the unfamiliar taste she took another sip without hesitation.

Kayil uncrossed her legs, and both of the other women in the room directed their attention back to her immediately.

"Keeping in mind that I also retain the right to alter these demands later, and that these are simply an optimal outcome, not an ultimatum..." Elaiza nodded impatiently, and gestured for her to get on with it. "The... Republic would prefer it if, by the end of these negotiations, your kingdom signs a non-aggression pact with us, opens your borders to trade, accepts future diplomatic missions and foreign aid, and strengthens its borders against the Separatists for the remainder of the war." She took a deep breath. This next part was one she knew was going to be in issue, but Chancellor Palpatine himself had insisted on it. She couldn't very well leave it out. "We would also like you to accept protectorate status, granting the Republic military access to-"

Elaiza made a disgusted noise. Kayil forged onwards.

"...Military access to your sovereign territory, but only under the circumstances of a foreign invasion or similar threat to your autonomy."

"Granting you military access is a threat to our autonomy. And many of my vassals will say the same thing about opening our borders to your trade fleets." She took a sip of her wine. "I don't believe that, but it's all I've heard from my court since I announced you were coming. 'My lady, don't let them plunder our wealth!' 'My lady, our economy is already struggling, don't make it worse by letting our resources leave our borders!' 'My lady, my belt holdings are already barely providing enough iron for our current purposes! Don't bleed the belt dry by sending it away in exchange for Republic goods at inflated prices!' On and on and on." She sipped again, savouring the taste for a solid three or four seconds before swallowing. As she spoke she swirled the emerald liquid around the inside of the glass. "What I'm saying is that even without that bit about protectorate status, this will be a very hard sell for my vassals. And with military access into the mix..." She shook her head. "Not possible, I'm afraid."

Nakiri leaned over to Kayil, muttering "Master, remember the Windu policy."

Kayil nodded with a sigh of resignation. "My Padawan has reminded me... there is something else I do need to ask for, and it's best to get it on the table now. I realize it will be troublesome, but..." Again, Elaiza gestured for her to get on with it, still swirling her wine with her other hand. "Right. Well. The Jedi order and the Senate have an agreement, formed a few years ago, after a Sith supported the Trade Federation's bid for control of Naboo, that any Republic world where there is suspicion of involvement from... practitioners of the dark side of the Force is to be subjected to an official investigation. A major aspect of this investigation being conducted by... us. The Jedi ourselves. And I'm sorry to say that the term 'Republic world' includes both planets with observer status and protectorates, in addition to the more obvious definition of planets and nations with full member status."

Elaiza went still. Her wine came to rest and became perfectly smooth and unmoving. "Go on," she said, her voice suddenly guarded.

"Well, the guards who were assigned to escort us through the palace to you were led by a, um..." She looked at Nakiri, who took over immediately.

"A dark side user. We both felt his power. We suspect that he is a member of your order of force-users, your... Umbral knights. What's more, we now believe that the Umbral knights are..."

Kayil laid a hand on her Padawan's arm, and Nakiri quieted down again. Kayil turned to their hostess and smiled. "We're not certain what is going on as of yet. That's why we will need to conduct a Perhaps it's a simple mistake. Maybe he slipped through the net and nobody else has noticed yet that he has fallen to the dark side. Or perhaps, without Jedi guidance, the Umbral knights don't realize that they're teaching their members aspects of-"

The queen interrupted, her voice sharp, and Kayil stopped speaking without even thinking about it. "You needn't bother investigating. The Umbral knights are very transparent about their practises, and I'm sure that if you simply talk to them you will be able to work all this out."

Something about her tone made Kayil suspect... "Did you... Already know about this?"

Elaiza waited a moment before responding. "I did. As I said, the Umbral knights are very transparent. And they have informed me in depth about their philosophy and their common usage of what you so reductively term the 'dark side'." She began swirling her wine again. Kayil was aghast. This woman had just outright admitted that she had knowingly allowed her subjects to be corrupted! She was letting an organized order openly teach the ways of the dark side to her citizens!

"Lady Elaiza, I must tell you that this is... reckless. By willingly allowing the dark side into your kingdom, you-"

Nakiri stood up with a jolt, nearly knocking over her chair. Her glass of wine, forgotten on the armrest, teetered and toppled off, shattering and spilling green fluid across the floor.

"Master, I think we had best take our leave." Nakiri's voice was flat, but Kayil the way her Padawan's mind was seething, and the way she was trying desperately to calm herself and pull herself back from anger.

Kayil continued to stare at the queen, who simply directed a mild look at Nakiri before returning her gaze to the Jedi master.

"Master?" Nakiri prodded.

Kayil stood, much more carefully than her Padawan had. "I'm sorry for the trouble," she said, bowing to the queen. Elaiza inclined her head in response, then turned her attention to Nakiri. Kayil could tell, though, that no apology would be forthcoming from her student. "I believe Nakiri is right, my lady. We should take our leave. Besides, your servant was concerned about you getting enough rest tonight."

"Agreed. I will see you in eighteen hours, when we meet in person for the first time." In spite of the situation, Elaiza's lips twitched with the ghost of a smile at the ridiculousness of the situation. Nakiri started to turn and leave, then stopped herself at the door, gave the queen a very stiff bow, and strode out and down the hallway back towards the throne room. Kayil followed behind her, stopping at the door to offer a much deeper bow. As she turned to leave, Elaiza spoke up.

"One last thing. I'd rather you found out from me. There will be a delegation arriving from the Confederacy of Independent Planets within the next few days." Kayil turned her head to look at the queen over her shoulder, but offered no other response. "I expect you and them to be civil to one another for the duration of your stay. There will be no violence in my court outside of officially sanctioned duels."

Kayil paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to centre herself, and then nodded.

"Good. You are dismissed."


The door of the study shut with a click, and Elaiza placed her glass carefully on the desk in front of her. She put her elbows on the armrests of her chair, and buried her face in her hands. "Damn it," she muttered. "It was going so well..."

She sighed and peeked out from between her fingers. There was a green stain slowly spreading on the carpet, and feather-edged broken shards of the crystal goblet were scattered on the floor. She groaned in frustration and opened a drawer, bringing out her datapad and tapping out a quick message to Lin. "Send up the cleaners. My study. Tell them it's broken glass. Thank you." She put the datapad on the desk face-down, then stood, stepped carefully around the edges of the dangerous area, and walked out of the study towards her bedroom.