Kyp Durron let his brown eyes narrow. He was tired of being held in this
ceremonial stateroom on the obscure rim world planet of Ziost. Luke
Skywalker had sent him to the planet to run negotiations with the high
queen of the planet about the impending Yuuzhan Vong crisis that was about
to hit her world. So far, he had seen nothing of the queen, or Ky as they
seemed to call them here.
Kyp started pacing. Confined spaces and nothing to do were not a good combination for him. He couldn't leave and that chafed at his soul. He always wanted to be doing something, to never slow down. Slowing down meant he had time to think, and that time inevitably led to thoughts of guilt over his past. If he didn't meet with the Ky soon, he might leave, orders or no.
Suddenly a massive door at the end of the room slid open. A young woman and a man both dressed in military uniform of the Ziostians walked into the room.
"Master Durron," the woman said, giving a clipped bow, "we're sorry about the wait, but this meeting required the clearing of a large bit of our schedule."
Kyp looked rather irritably at the two military officials. He was in no mood to have to get through them to see the Ky.
"I was rather hoping that I would be able to speak to the Ky in person," he said with a barely controlled sigh.
"You are," the woman said with a wry smile.
Kyp started at the new information. The woman in front of him was barely five foot three. She had curly golden brown hair that was barely controlled by the jeweled clasp at the back of her neck. That seemed to be the only ornamentation on her plain black military uniform. Nothing about her would suggest that she was anything other than a normal soldier. The man standing next to her was probably about twenty years older than the woman. He had a good-natured face and close-cropped brown hair. On closer inspection, Kyp noticed a large number of military bars on his arm and chest. This man was obviously a high-ranking official.
"I'm Ky-Ra," the woman said, extending her hand to the Jedi Master, "and this is my father, High General Stratus Mallorven."
Kyp smiled ruefully.
"I was expecting something a bit more formal, I must admit," he said.
"You'd be thinking of my wife," Stratus said with a smile, "Cobra is now acting as senator for our planet and our daughter as taken the title of Ky. The pictures you saw of Cobra-Ky were probably a bit more formal. Unfortunately, this isn't much of a time for formality."
Kyp nodded. He looked closely at Ky-Ra. There was a definite similarity to her eyes that echoed her father's, but there was little else to suggest relation. She was nothing of what he expected the notoriously wealthy and formal Ziostians to be. Ziost's core was made of precious stones, leaving the planet as one of the wealthiest in the galaxy. It was also an ice planet, making existence a metropolitan affair.
"We need to discuss you're planetary defenses," Kyp said finally, "the Yuuzhan Vong don't have much interest in your planet right now, but that doesn't mean they won't very soon."
"We have the best military in the galaxy, Master Durron," Ky-Ra said bluntly, "what exactly do you have in mind."
From what Kyp knew of the planet, the Ky wasn't speaking proudly, she was just stating facts. While Ziostian warriors claimed no Force ability, they were highly trained in Jedi fighting style, or something closely linked to it, and were capable of 'doing things' as old New Republic military men claimed. Whether those things where simply an exaggeration of what was a powerful military force, or if the Ziostians really were capable of using some sort of power, Kyp didn't know.
"I don't know how your defenses work, I have to admit," Kyp said, "but the Jedi and the Ziostians might be the only two forces left in the galaxy that the Yuuzhan Vong might have trouble in fighting against."
"True," Stratus said, "but we already know that they're planning attack."
Kyp started pacing. Confined spaces and nothing to do were not a good combination for him. He couldn't leave and that chafed at his soul. He always wanted to be doing something, to never slow down. Slowing down meant he had time to think, and that time inevitably led to thoughts of guilt over his past. If he didn't meet with the Ky soon, he might leave, orders or no.
Suddenly a massive door at the end of the room slid open. A young woman and a man both dressed in military uniform of the Ziostians walked into the room.
"Master Durron," the woman said, giving a clipped bow, "we're sorry about the wait, but this meeting required the clearing of a large bit of our schedule."
Kyp looked rather irritably at the two military officials. He was in no mood to have to get through them to see the Ky.
"I was rather hoping that I would be able to speak to the Ky in person," he said with a barely controlled sigh.
"You are," the woman said with a wry smile.
Kyp started at the new information. The woman in front of him was barely five foot three. She had curly golden brown hair that was barely controlled by the jeweled clasp at the back of her neck. That seemed to be the only ornamentation on her plain black military uniform. Nothing about her would suggest that she was anything other than a normal soldier. The man standing next to her was probably about twenty years older than the woman. He had a good-natured face and close-cropped brown hair. On closer inspection, Kyp noticed a large number of military bars on his arm and chest. This man was obviously a high-ranking official.
"I'm Ky-Ra," the woman said, extending her hand to the Jedi Master, "and this is my father, High General Stratus Mallorven."
Kyp smiled ruefully.
"I was expecting something a bit more formal, I must admit," he said.
"You'd be thinking of my wife," Stratus said with a smile, "Cobra is now acting as senator for our planet and our daughter as taken the title of Ky. The pictures you saw of Cobra-Ky were probably a bit more formal. Unfortunately, this isn't much of a time for formality."
Kyp nodded. He looked closely at Ky-Ra. There was a definite similarity to her eyes that echoed her father's, but there was little else to suggest relation. She was nothing of what he expected the notoriously wealthy and formal Ziostians to be. Ziost's core was made of precious stones, leaving the planet as one of the wealthiest in the galaxy. It was also an ice planet, making existence a metropolitan affair.
"We need to discuss you're planetary defenses," Kyp said finally, "the Yuuzhan Vong don't have much interest in your planet right now, but that doesn't mean they won't very soon."
"We have the best military in the galaxy, Master Durron," Ky-Ra said bluntly, "what exactly do you have in mind."
From what Kyp knew of the planet, the Ky wasn't speaking proudly, she was just stating facts. While Ziostian warriors claimed no Force ability, they were highly trained in Jedi fighting style, or something closely linked to it, and were capable of 'doing things' as old New Republic military men claimed. Whether those things where simply an exaggeration of what was a powerful military force, or if the Ziostians really were capable of using some sort of power, Kyp didn't know.
"I don't know how your defenses work, I have to admit," Kyp said, "but the Jedi and the Ziostians might be the only two forces left in the galaxy that the Yuuzhan Vong might have trouble in fighting against."
"True," Stratus said, "but we already know that they're planning attack."