The War Is Over, We Only Want Peace

ANIMATED // have you met NUTE GUNRAY yet? THEY are a SIXTY-FIVE year old AGENDER NEIMOIDIAN. they’re originally from NEIMOIDIA and now show loyalty to THE SEPARATIST. they are best known for being a FORMER VICEROY OF THE TRADE FEDERATION/CHAIR OF THE SEPARATIST COUNCIL, and i hear they’re pretty PRAGMATIC yet also GREEDY at times; i hope they survive the galactic civil war. (Devin, 23, EST, He/Him/His)

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tension found its way onto her tongue, a razor’s edge of fury and indecision. in another time, she would have gutted this neimoidian in one swift move, and without drawing so much as one drop of blood. now, though, she was a student of patience (albeit an inattentive one). for now, though, this being in front of her was of more use alive than dead. besides, the dress she wore now had not been easy to steal obtain, and she rather liked how it looked without new scarlet stains.

her ears perked at the mention of her master’s name. so, they had information about dooku, after all…(something rare to find in an age of troublesome reporters and their convoluted narratives). she had heard of the sith’s death, but of nothing could she be sure anymore. after all, the dead didn’t rise in her timeline. well, not off of dathomir, at any rate.

information was what she had sought from this ridiculous affair, and information she was going to receive. perhaps this wasn’t the vessel she had expected such knowledge to come from, but– as she had learned on rattatak all those years ago– you take what you can get.

“yes, a real pity about the count.” she paused, biting the inside of her cheek before feigning a smile. the  serrated ends of her words drew themselves round, a farce of poisoned honey. “viceroy, forgive my hostility. allow me to buy you a drink, and perhaps we can discuss matters of importance.” she lowered her voice then so the assorted patrons could not hear her next phrase. “one separatist to another.”

  Gunray gave a slight shake of their head. Truthfully, the Neimoidian had no pity to spare for the Sith lord. He had tricked the Trade Federation into helping cause their own destruction and build a galaxy that was good for no one. Dooku in the Viceroy’s eyes had gotten exactly what he deserved. Waving his hand at the apology. “Please, I understand the source of your hostility. We were all betrayed, we all have a reason to be angry. Now though, I plan on using that anger to build a true Separatist government. Something that the CIS was meant to be.”

𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎

“that is certainly one word for it, viceroy.” she spat the last word like it was full of venom, a soreness on her tongue she wanted relief from. there was a task at hand, and this imbecile was a complication. (still, not so much a threat as an inconvenience).

“i assure you, if i had wanted to make you into an enemy, you wouldn’t live long enough to know.” 

but against her will, their comment about the sith lord did shake her. it was hardly believable, the fact that a darksider that powerful had tricked and betrayed an entire galaxy, just to achieve his end. 

“why should i tell anything to a prattling actor such as yourself? our last meeting was to rescue your pathetic skin from the mindless protocol of the republic. i see no prison this time, except perhaps one of your own stupidity.”

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did she even want to kill them? the thought was enough to spur another little giggle out of her lips, though truthfully she was far from the right state of mind to be able to process such a decision right now. the answer was probably somewhere along the lines of a yes –– better off dead, for herself or for the galaxy, that wasn’t so important. she had believed in revenge ever since the empire got its hands on her. “well, that’s stupid,” trilla blurted out without explanation. seeing him wasn’t enough to suddenly sober her up, but it did push her a step in that direction despite the fuzziness of the lights in the room. “that’s not how the force works,” she spoke in a sing-song voice. “you’ll all be gone again soon.” there was nearly a twinkle in her eyes as she spoke.

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   Nute’s brows pushed together as they listened to the other speak. Was she threatening him? Or was she one of the ones who had befallen the side effects of the drugged cakes. In this moment the Neimoidian did not plan to make any sort of scene or outburst, and he doubted that the one he was engaging in conversation would either. “I have never pretended to be an expert in matters relating to the force, though I have known...personally known men very powerful in the ways of the force. Though they betrayed me and my colleagues just as the Republic was betrayed.” Eyes moving over the other, Gunray considered their last remarks for a moment. “The galaxy works in mysterious ways, who is to know what will happen soon.” 

this was hardly a scene of comfort for asajj. actually, it was the furthest thing from. being stolen from one point in time to another was a big enough trouble, let alone attending an even sponsored by the new republic. she had scoffed when she first heard the term. though she certainly held no love for the separatists, ventress doubted she’d remained in good faith with the republic, mostly for the murders and assassinations she had completed in the name of pride and a now-lost cause. a jedi temple filled with rich patrons in their drunken stupor may not have been her idea of a good time, but it was certainly a wellspring of information. and if a few inebriated donors happened to lose certain valuables or credits…well, they weren’t likely to be missed.

she drew her dark hood and downed a drink, some scarlet liquor that shone black in the artificial candlelight. it was nothing compared to the traditional drink of her people, but it served its purpose well enough. she was scanning the room for anyone that would recognize her, any threats to the covert nature of her mission. so focused was she, that it was too late when the prattling fool caught her eye. 

“oh, for the love of fuck.” she muttered, making no effort to mask her annoyance. “not you again.”

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   When they heard the voice that spoke up in reply, even though what they had said exactly wasn’t the most appropriate thing, it was still a voice the Viceroy recognized. “Ahhh assassin, it seems as though we have both found ourselves here. Interesting how it has worked out like that.” Swirling their drink in their hand, their eyes looking over the separatist assassin. “The last thing the Separatist Council had been told about you is that you had betrayed the Confederacy, and were now an enemy.” Eyes narrowing, “Were you too betrayed by Sidious? As the rest of us were?” 

once upon a time, trilla suduri had been a good jedi. though she had not been perfect, always a little more confident than what was necessary, she had been good –– empathetic to those around them, always willing to help, and a fierce combatist when it came to her ability to utilize her lightsaber. the latter had never changed, at least. it was everything else that had been made difficult by the empire. but her memories of such a thing were not gone, and nute gunray was a hard face to forget for a multitude of reasons. they were certainly one that was better off left in the past, as far as she was concerned.

“a long and prosperous relationship?” trilla snorted with amusement, shaking her head. politics meant nothing to her now. everything tonight had been one big joke to her., even funnier now than it had been at the beginning. “next you’ll be a jedi, too.”

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   “Yes, a long and peaceful relationship. The reason the Clone Wars began was because many Senators of the Republic could not respect the autonomy of the Confederacy, of course we now know that we were all manipulated by one man, but I have faith that this New Republic will see the prosperity that exists when working with other governments rather than seeking to bring them into their fold.” A chuckle left the Neimoidian’s mouth when she mentioned Nute being a Jedi too in addition to looking forward to a relationship between the New Republic and the New Separatist Union. “I do not believe I have developed any Jedi powers since my return, though perhaps they will develop. I am simply hoping to keep peace between two legitimate governments who both suffered at the hands of Darth Sidious.” 

this was the most incredible thing fn-2187 had even been to, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. they were used to rations and sparse quarters, painted in black and chrome, but this … this was everything the trooper had never experienced, much less ever dreamed of. 

gazing up at the arched ceiling, draped in silks and sparkling with lights, he stood still near the entrance, mesmerized. so this was how the new republic spent their money. eyes still trained on the grandeur of it all, he turned, taking barely a step before colliding into someone. kriff. he should have been more aware, more focused. he was here on a mission, after all. 

“i’m sorry. are you alright?” 

@galacticsopens​

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   Nute had just about to begin walking away from a conversation when someone walked into them. Catching themself on a table, they could have cursed the other as a fool, but that would not be a good image on their first public outing since returning. Nodding their head, standing up off the table. 

“Yes, yes I am fine. These events are very crowded, and the Jedi...” Motioning to the temple around them. “They clearly did not ever plan on hosting any sort of event like this here or they would have made everything far grander in size,” 

“It is good to see the galaxy healing that we can enjoy such events, and that members of various different governments can gather under one roof in trust. I for one am looking forward to a long and prosperous relationship with this New Republic.”