Best Intentions

[Keira Zale]

She had been more than a little nervous when she arrived on Vatol. She wasn’t the only Senator here, representatives having been sent by the Sith and other independent planets. She felt slightly out of place, but it was meant to be a peaceful gathering to deliberate on how to handle the tribal confederation - the Colonial Brotherhood - that often clashed with the beginnings of a democratic government system. The outside leaders hoped to work with the locals to offer aid and perhaps even politically influence the Brotherhood to see reason.

The planet was well known for its instability and anarchy. The warriors from here were prized fighters known throughout the galaxy. They were prime targets for rich Hutts that wanted to host arena games. Other than that, they were efficient mercenaries that could fundamentally help change the outcome of a battle.

Keira had landed a day prior, carefully picking out appropriate attire. She wore a form fitting dress that was business casual - she didn’t want to appear overbearing with full formal. She had been dropped off at one of the few buildings that didn’t look run down. Keira met with the local officials, leading to a hall with seats for representatives from each planet. She sat directly across a few Sith politicians, and she noticed they wore their expensive watches and suits worth more than people here could afford in a year.

After some small talk, they had begun discussing the problem with the Brotherhood. The discussion turned to a heated debate and voices were raised. Keira was normally quiet, but not when it came at the cost of the wellfare of the poor. She began to argue against one of the Sith when an explosion erupted somewhere in the distance.

People screamed and began to run in different directions. The Sith officials had two bodyguards, and one of them ignited a lightsaber which caused even more panic. Keira had no idea what was going on, and she jumped up from her seat and ran towards an adjacent room.

No one had any idea what had just begun.

@Darasaurus

 

[Koil Solus]

♠ THEME ♠​

Back in the hot atmosphere of the planet Koil felt simultaneously out of place and like he was returning to an estranged family member's home. He was wearing his normal beskar'gam inside the dropship. The War Councilor was glad that he was not in direct sunlight because his black armor would have been far less comfortable. The Silent Badger had since dealt with repairs on his armor. Occasionally he would reach up to his forehead where the damage had been done to both his armor and his head. He subconsciously expected it to still be there sometimes. But the cool hard touch of his protective helm was all he felt.

The VXN dropship came in low through orbit and flew relatively close to the canopy. There were only several mandalorians with him. In the past few days and weeks he had lost a lot of comrades. They were far from being at full strength. All of them were dark humored and grim to begin with. But the troop compartment was particularly quiet and somber.

It turns out that intelligence gathers said that the Empire had sent diplomats to Vatol. It was not much of a surprise to Koil when he heard this. The Empire had been poking and prodding their borders ever since they had laid waste to his home. It only made sense they would try any methods to try and retake the planet. They had held this world for a long time before the Mandalorians and Galactic Alliance had sent them packing years ago.

Ding, the light inside the compartment changed as the ship increased some altitude. The collective mandalorians got up from their seats and formed two lines. The door opened and howling wind met them swiftly after. Koil took a step first and then plummeted towards the ground below him as he had dozens of times before.

Activating his jetpack he made his descent to the building where the meeting was allegedly being held. A laser cannon fired from the dropship as it made a pass over the building ahead of them. Its light laser cannon taking out the clearly imperial vehicles the representatives had arrived in.

Smoke billowed, fire licked at the air, people ran as the squad of mandalorians arrived. They cut their jetpacks and kept walking with weapons raised, sweeping the angles for possible enemies. The War Councilor tapped his wrist to ignite his bulwark shield. This was far from his normal level of covert but that was part of it. He wanted the locals to see what happened to the Empire when faced justice. In his hands he had his two quickdraw blasters.

The emotionless V slit visor of his helmet turned to the side so that the warrior to his right could tell he was talking to him. With a following hand signal two of the marauders reactivated their jetpack and headed to the roof of the building to provide overwatch.

The room they were looking for was not right inside the building but was fairly close. The sound of the low flying craft, nearly a dozen jetpacks, especially the explosion and sounds of panic was all surely enough to attract attention. They got through the first door just fine but the actual meeting room was next. <"Breach"> An explosion would shortly follow as the front doors were busted wide open. Beyond, even through the smoke was clearly a red bladed lightsaber. He thought only of one thing as the saber's crimson light reflected dimly in his visor. kill

@Sreeya

 

[Keira Zale]

She didn’t have a bodyguard - as usual. Keira darted into the next room with several other politicians, all huddled together like scared little children. All of the dignified and poised demeanors went flying out the window as the reality of the situation set in. Several of them were bawling, some of them men. She could hear fighting in the next room, the distinct hum of a saber clashing against something.

Blaster bolts erupted, and several more explosions rocked the building. There was a chandelier in the room she was in that shuddered and moved consistently from the chaos outside. After a moment, the entire thing came crashing down, causing everyone to scream. It was at that moment that the door to the room was flung open, and Keira could catch a glimpse of a few bodies littered on the ground.

To her horror, she saw Mandalorian soldiers storming in, armed to the teeth and waving their blasters. Keira watched them come towards the diplomats and yank them up one by one. She said nothing as one of the Mandalorians harshly pulled her up to her feet and dragged her outside. Screams of protests were met with hits to the head, and she kept quiet and her gaze low.

Once outside, she felt the sun beating down on her. The situation felt surreal, and she saw multiple people lined up and made to kneel. There were several Mandalorians walking back and forth, loudly speaking in Mando’a. She recognized one of the Sith diplomats from earlier, his bodyguard nowhere to be found. He made a few snarky comments about genocide and the soldier across from him leveled a gun and shot him point blank in the head.

Screams erupted and Keira shut her eyes, biting her lip. She wanted to pretend this wasn’t happening, and she was on the ground next to the other politicians. The Mandalorians were scanning for Sith from the looks of it, but they also appeared to swarm around the planet officials as well.

@Darasaurus

 

[Koil Solus]

Perhaps the Sith had thought to highly of himself. Perhaps he just had some sense of duty to protect the diplomat he was guarding. Whatever the reason, an onslaught of violence followed the breach. Blaster bolts flew through the smoke, many of which were struck by the lightsaber. But shear amount of fire directed at the one Sith was too much for them to block all at once.

It felt like several minutes had gone by as the Mandalorian squad moved in and kept the Sith on his back foot for a few moments. Any other individuals that posed a threat were immediatly put down. Koil was in the mind set of shooting first and asking questions later. The sith went down as it took several blaster bolts simultaniously from the squad. The Silent Badger did not have any interest in taking the Sith's lightsaber. His comrades had plenty of reason to want it for themselves. Every pull of the trigger was reparations for Mandalore.

Securing the room and making sure weapons were not just laying around the Mandalorians busted into the next room. The sound of whimpering made it fairly easy to tell where the rest of the summit participants had gone. One by one each of them were brought out in front of the building. Koil turned and headed, not taking any particular notice of those apprehended by his squad.

The sounds of fear and stifled terror sounded behind him as he stared over the Vatol landscape. His armor was getting hot now under the direct sunlight. But this was how Leandros had done it.

A single blaster bolt echoed down the street. Koil turned to look at the smoking corpse which had fallen back. Its face was not visible but the smoke rising from its head told him enough. Taking a deep breath to center himself and return to the present he went down the line of the bowed heads. "Please, you have-" A wet thwak sound came as the back of the kneeling man's head by the butt of a rifle.

Koil did not stop walking down the line. He walked past Keira, her head was bowed and some dirt had collected on her. Perhaps it was also the fact that she looked so out of place. She was dressed beautifully and if it had not been for all this she probably would be breathtaking. The man stopped a step past her and then took a step backwards.

His skepticism rose and he scrutinized her. "What are you doing here, Senator?" There was a hint of warning in his tone. The gloved hands still held his blasters at his side. His blood was still pumping adrenaline despite his calm demeanor. Keira had been there on Mandalore to help, at least that was her claim back then. Right now he was thinking primarily of the safety of his troops. The whole time coming to Vatol he had been contemplating what he would do to the Sith. But now there was a surprise seeing someone he knew among the enemy.

@Sreeya

 

[Keira Zale]

Keira kept her gaze on the ground, entirely too afraid to look up. She saw several Mandalorians walked by her, watching their boots slowly cross by. Every now and then they would hit someone over the head that protested too much, always jabbering away in rapid Mando’a. Keira was covered in soot from the explosion inside, and her dress had dirt on it from kneeling on the ground. However, she was thankful to at least be alive for now.

She saw a pair of boots walk by her, but then they paused and came towards her. This was it. She was going to die now for one reason or another. She closed her eyes, but then she heard the owner of the boots speak out in Basic. Keira’s eyes flew open and she glanced up, spotting familiar armor. The voice registered as well, and she knew it was the Mandalorian leader she had met during her medical drive.

Keira gazed up at his helmet and couldn’t help but scowl, “I was here for a peaceful conference, War Councilor,” She said hotly, “Why are you butchering innocents?!” She felt hot tears beginning to fill her eyes. A few nearby Mandalorians abruptly shifted and pointed their guns at her. She lowered her gaze again, shaking her head.

“I don’t kriffing care,” She said quietly, “Just shoot me, splatter my brains across the streets. Nothing will change.”

@Darasaurus

 

[Koil Solus]

Koil's eyes narrowed further. His body turning to fully face her. "Do you always do peaceful conferences with tyrants? That Sith was probably what you'd consider a war criminal." It was not fair of him to say that, at least if what she said was true. The War Councilor did not know the dead sith or too much about the specifics of the targets. They had just come to show the Empire what would happen if they thought they could dip their toes into Mandalorian territory.

His head turned to look at the body of one of the diplomats. "He was hardly innocent." Such a casual tone. Like the fact the man had been killed was not of any real surprise to the jaded Echani. Behind his helmet though, his eyes drifted down as he had a thought. are any of us innocent really? I sure as hell am not.

Then her distressed voice pipped up again. This time making him furrow his brow and turn his head back towards her. Koil did not say anything immediatly. He was a bit taken aback by her readiness to be executed. He cocked his head to the side slightly as if she had said the most peculiar thing. "That's very defeatist of you. I'm kind of disappointing." Maybe that was not the best word for it. frustrating Without him realizing it he had hoped Keira was better than that. This is why I should not give people the benefit of the doubt. They will just let you down.

An audible sigh escaped his covered head. The sound of his cooled side arms being holstered followed. Koil had yet to decide on what to do with the remaining group. <"I want identification on all of them"> He said to one of his marauders. The warrior slung her weapon and quickly flipped open her techno-coffer without a moment's hesitation.

As his warrior gathered the ordered information he returned his attention to Keira. He had yet to make up his mind about her. Leandros would have pulled the trigger while whispering Kad Ha'rangir's name. But Koil was not Leandros. He was not Mand'alor the Crusader. "Do you know what different colored armor means for Mandalorians? Any of you?" His visor looked up and down the row of kneeling people giving any of them a chance to answer. His eyes though, would look primarily towards the downcast face of the woman he knew.

@Sreeya

 

[Keira Zale]

Keira glared up at him again, “He used his words in that discussion, not his weapons. The weapons only came out after you and your people barged in,” She rolled her eyes as he mentioned the man wasn’t innocent. Was he any better? This reminded her that she had been right about the Mandalorians. No matter how human they seemed, there was always war and bloodshed waiting around the corner.

When he expressed disappointment in her behavior, she simply sighed, “You’ve decided to make yourself judge, jury and executioner, so those of us without ways to defend ourselves have no choice,” She looked at the dead Sith politician, “He spoke with words and was met with weapons that took his life. There was no thought given to his family, children, why he did what he did. It was a simple black and white decision,” Keira looked up and gave a hard look into where his piercing red eyes would be, “And they say only a Sith deals in absolutes..” She said barely above a whisper.

She was getting sick of this. There had been a measure of peace for a moment, and then the Sith started things off with the genocide. The war was fully back once more, and she knew it would be worse than ever. The Mandalorians had no reason to show any mercy. Everything she worked for, everything she was hoping to accomplish - all of it slipped away from her fingers.

Keira was distracted from her thoughts when he called out what the different colored armor meant. None dared to answer, keeping their heads low. She was the only one not cowering at this point, and she looked around.

“Clans,” She said, “They are your clans. You are Solus,” She paused, “And each color has its own meaning,” She stopped there. That was where her knowledge ended.

@Darasaurus

 

[Koil Solus]

There it was. There was that fire. The way she talked back now was what he had expected from the get go. He listened patiently to her rant. They were fair points. It told him a lot about her and the galactic views she held. Koil wondered how her own planet faired when it came to civil violence. Perhaps blaster control laws were strict on Tirahnn.

He laughed. He actually laughed at her words. It was a short chuckle more than anything. "Weapons would have followed had he kept talking." Koil believed that somewhere down the line the people of Vatol would have suffered more from the Imperial presence than if they were without it. The Empire had done it before. As sure as the sun was going to rise the Sith would do it again. "Everything has consequences, Senator. He made his choices in life. He may have even had good reasons. But he's part of regime of mass murdering maniacs. There's no such thing as black and white. Not anymore."

"...But you're right. Usually we wear the colors of our clan. But the colors themselves signify the core motivation, the outlook, the quest of the mandalorian that dons it. Red..." He pointed towards one of his marauders with the Solus badger sigil on their shoulder. "...Is for family. Gold is for vengeance. But black...that's justice. Grey..." His thumb pointed towards the ashy grey hand print on his chest he had permanently painted on soon after he had first met Keira in Keldabe. "...that's for mourning." There were more but the man was not going to waste their time listing the color wheel.

Koil would get his justice one way or another.. He told himself it was not vengeance but there was a possibility that was just a lie he believed without realizing. "If you want peace you have to prepare for war. So tell me senator, what are you willing to do for peace? Would you kill a man to save hundreds, thousands, or even more? Would you hire someone to do it for you?"

The War Councilor had seen evils that Keira could not fathom. The corrupted nature of people, the reality of how harsh an merciless the galaxy could be. <"War Councilor"> The female marauder said and gave him a wave over to look at what she had pulled up. She would have pictures of who was who at this meeting and whether or not they were worth killing.

@Sreeya

 

[Keira Zale]

Keira closed her eyes as he mentioned that one needed to prepare for war in order to have peace. It was a saying she had heard countless times, and it grated on her by now. She said nothing about it, letting Koil speak his piece and finish. She opened her eyes again and met his helmet, always unable to tell exactly what expression he wore. Was he angry with her? Were those eyes narrowed and shooting into her as they did when his helmet had cracked?

“Not everything comes down to dealing death, War Councillor,” She didn’t miss that they had gone back to formalities, “I want to try and fight to at least let planets be empowered to make their own choices. To have their voices heard and for the best interest of the people put first above the personal agendas of any Sith or Mandalorians vendetta or stake in the war,” She explained, her voice getting bolder as she continued to speak, “Credit goes where it’s due. Raz Solus saw that, as did the Sith Varyn Rask. They were able to put down the foundations of the beginning of peace.”

Keira turned her head to look over at the unarmed people lined up next to her, “Would Mand’alor the Chosen have approved of butchering unarmed and defenseless people on the streets like animals?” The people next to her were trembling, and she was sure the man next to her had urinated in his pants as a dark, wet spot grew along his legs. There was nothing glorious about this, these were genuinely scared and terrified humans.

“But it doesn’t matter what she wanted, does it?” Keira sighed, shaking her head, “You select a new one, and now his views are law. All the work the Mand’alor did prior and her memory is nothing more than the lyrics of songs to sing to the children. The history books will only tell of her conquests and not focus on the fact that she sought peace.”

@Darasaurus

 

[Koil Solus]

She was getting angry. But he would be more surprised if she had not become upset. Unlike Koil he could see the expressions on her face. But his back was turned to her as she talked. He continued to listen as he scrolled through the pictures, occasionally looking over to see which dirty scared face belonged to who.

Raz Solus. She said her name. The Echani breathed in sharply through his nose, his body stiffened for a moment. He knew which of the remaining people were for certain Sith operatives and allied with the Empire. It was not all of them but there were still a few. For the time being he could do nothing as Keira spoke. His fists clenched at his side. Underneath his helmet he had begun working his jaw to the point that his molars were grinding against one another.

"NO!" He yelled for the first time in a long time. His head slowly shook back and forth. "Raz isn't dead!" He surprised himself when he said that. Koil took a moment before starting again a little bit calmer. The anger in his voice held back but still heavily tense as he strained to keep it in check. "She may have died but I'm not forgetting her. I won't forget or insult her memory by going against what she stood for." To him doing things differently than how Raz had was like forgetting her and letting go. I can't forget. I won't. Never let go.

Keira had said a lot of things that warranted his retort but all he could think about was Raz. He thought of the emp hardened cybernetic arm that he had acquired for her. He thought about the throwing knives he had brought her when she had first been in the hospital for losing her original arm. "Don't....talk about her like you knew her." The frustration had diminished further, replaced with hints of melancholy.

His hand raised to his forehead where the damage had been done to his helmet. His finger tips felt warm this time thanks to the sun that was being absorbed by the scatterweave. Things like what was transpiring now had happened under Mand'alor the Chosen but she had never outright approved. It had been Leandros who had done those things.

"You're right though. Raz....Mand'alor the Chosen would not approve of this." Turning his head he pointed out two of the people in the line. They were promptly moved separately from the others. <"Call the dropship back and tell them we have prisoners."> He ordered the same marauder as before. A simple nod and the order would be carried out. The enemies here would be left alive and brought in for interrogation. They were now prisoners of war. The rest, well he had yet to decide what to do with them.

@Sreeya

 

[Keira Zale]

Keira winced as he abruptly lashed out. The man next to her burst into tears and cowered. She remained looking at Koil, though she couldn’t help but flinch. She couldn’t pretend she wasn’t afraid. His reaction surprised her, and it was a blatant denial of facts. He obviously had strong allegiances to Raz Solus, and the very name was enough to put cracks in his resolve. Even the men around him paused to look at him, alarmed at seeing their Alor so shaken even for a brief moment.

She remained quiet as he kept speaking, lowering her gaze so it was obvious she hadn’t intended to insult him. She knew not to bring her name up. There was something odd about this Raz that had big impacts on both Koil and back when she had met Leandros. There was a fierce loyalty unlike anything she had ever seen before.

To her great surprise, he had called off the attacks and changed up their entire operation. The prisoners looked up confused, shocked that they weren’t going to be executed. Keira’s mouth hung open in surprise, even as she was hoisted back up to her feet. He had actually listened to her words, had actually heard her. Keira could only stare at him silence as she pulled towards a lockdown area with the other politicians not marked for interrogation.

She tilted her head to look at him as she walked by him, turning her head and not hiding the shock. Her hands were tied behind her back and she paid it no heed. Keira spoke out as she passed by him, “You can change this,” She forced out before the Mandalorian holding her smacked the back of her head and trained her gaze forward.

Keira and the others were taken to a holding facility nearby, a curfew announced for the local citizens as a state of emergency was declared. She was thrown into a small room with the other politicians, most of which were huddled and crying to themselves. She found a corner to sit down, hugging her knees to herself and pondering what happened.

@Darasaurus

 

[Koil Solus]

Soon enough the Sith allied prisoners were carted off. The others that remained were put into a holding facility for the time being, including Keira. Koil went with the others and his squad moved out. People had watched but stayed in doors and would continue do so as the evening grew late.

Things had become more complicated but Koil wondered if that was inevitable. Nothing but shades of grey indeed. He was a bit frustrated with himself for loosing his cool but what had been done was in the past and he could not dwell on it.

The Mandalorian and his squad were going to take shifts watching the prisoners. Another group had already come to take the Sith while those that remained would be watched by Koil and his marauders. Just a few hallways down he sat in a chair. Only four of the marauders were up. The rest of them taking what little time they had to get some shut eye.

Koil's eyes grew heavy. He needed to think of what to do with these prisoners. Keira's words rang in his head as he sat there staring into nothing in particular. You can change this she had said. The chin of his helmet tapped his chest plate as he had somehow begun falling asleep.

Clearing his throat the man got up. He was not going to sleep now. Otherwise he would have that dream again. In truth it was more like a nightmare. Instead he walked down the hall, greeting the marauders who stiffened and gave him the appropriate greeting before he just waved them off to return their previous standing. They had been acting that way ever sense his outburst.

One of the marauders was still doing a more in depth background check on all of them. Koil wanted to know anything and everything about the politicians. Plus he had to have his subordinate to all of the prisoners if he wanted specifically Keira looked into. Otherwise it would have probably led to some questions.

The War Councilor stopped in front of the cell where the politicians were being held. Peering in he saw them. Most of them seemed to still be afraid. The time so far had allowed most of their tears to dry on their cheeks. He saw Keira off to one corner huddled into a ball as she waited. This time he was silent because he was with holding words. This time he was not really sure what to say. "Change what?" It was all he could formulate at that time.

@Sreeya

 

[Keira Zale]

It had been some time since they had been piled into this room. The crying had stopped, but there was discussion about how horrible the Mandos were. Keira tried to explain that they had gone through a genocide, but that only caused more yelling. In the end she reserved herself to her corner, withdrawing into her own thoughts

After a while, one of the other women came over to talk and Keira consoled her. She sat next to the woman for a while, noticing that she felt ill. Keira called out for the soldiers to bring water for the others, but the only response was a slam against the door and a cry to shut the hell up. She had already been getting a bit of a reputation because of how she had addressed Koil, and she knew she was very unpopular with the soldiers.

She rested her head on her knees, wondering how much time would pass before they were released. She didn’t want to leave the planet without doing her job, but all of that became much more difficult when everything was under lockdown. She was surprised the Brotherhood wasn’t retaliating already.

Keira was jerked from her thoughts when Koil came by. The others in the room bristled and backed up, a few people whimpered and cried. She looked at him for a moment after he spoke, referring to the words she barely got out as she was taken away.

“How this story plays out,” She said, ”It doesn’t always have to be eye for an eye. Mandalore gets attacked, then you attack their civilians and then what? It continues as a vicious cycle. Then your children know to do that and their children. And no one experiences the beauty of peace,” She sighed and paused. She knew she sounded idealistic, but she had to try, ”You’re not a bad man. It’s very easy to be a bad man, and that much tougher to be a good person. You have the power to not be thrown into a vicious loop.”

 

[Koil Solus]

"You know that saying is bantha crap right? 'An eye for an eye makes the galaxy blind' thing. In the end there is one person left with one eye." Maybe he had meant it as a joke. Perhaps he did not have anything else to respond with, not at first at least. He waved one of his hands as if to request that she dismiss what he had just said. It had been stupid and did not matter. We don't attack innocent civilians. He thought but the two of them had already had that dance. It would not do any good to resume it.

Chances were the battle between the Mandalorians and the rest of the galaxy would continue far beyond Koil's life expectancy. Maybe that was why he was so focused on just her personal vendetta. Koil knew that the Mandalorian people would persevere and survive though not without loosing more. But as long as they were better off than they were before it might be worth it.

"I am a bad man, Keira. Those mandalorians, the ones in Keldabe. They were probably good men. I'm not." It was a statement since Koil knew it to be true. Terrible things had happened at his hands. Some things had happened that he had done nothing or not enough. Chief among them, saving Raz.

She had been the factor that had changed him from being the selfless marauder of his youth. Raz's very presence had motivated him to be better than he had been the day before. Without her he felt lost. Leandros did not have that affect. Leandros actually made him feel like he was turning more and more towards his older self.

"I've been thinking about what you said though. I need to carry on like she would have wanted me to I think. Changing would be...an insult." The man was slowly coming to realize that if he did not keep the tradition of being better, day after day then that was the same as letting her memory die. Regression was not an option for him. But that also meant his resentment towards his current leader, his comrade, continued. "Truth be told if you ever met Raz she would either punch you or laugh at you for your views. No offense." Raz would not have shot innocent civilians in the street. However that did not mean she would not tell them to shove it where the sun does not shine if they said as much as Keira had. Koil smiled, remembering a bittersweet memory of her putting him in a headlock, or that time she head butted him. Actually she had done that quite a lot. Especially when she had been drunk.

Jerking out of the silent aay'han he had a question to ask the senator. "If you were in my shoes though, what would you do?" His crimson eyes staring through his visor like it was not there. So far everything she had told him had been heart felt and honest. But he wanted to see her eyes as she answered.

@Sreeya

 

[Keira Zale]

Keira remained silent as he spoke, not offended by him brushing off the saying she referred to. She had thicker skin than when she first started this gig, and there was no going back now. When he addressed her by her name, she was more than a little surprised. She politely remained silent as he spoke, chuckling softly when he mentioned Raz would have punched her. Keira wasn’t the least bit surprised, “I still would have been honored to meet her,” She looked at him for a moment, “It takes some kind of person to have the kind of loyalty she has.”

His question at the end gave her pause, and she was put in the spotlight. She hadn’t thought to find herself in a position like this - one where he was actively listening. He had already changed up the original operation based on what she said, and now he was asking for her thoughts. Keira thought for a long moment, ignoring the grumbling and quiet muttering around her. She knew the others were looking at her for direction, and there was a lot of pressure.

“I can’t ever imagine to understand what being in your shoes is like, Koil,” She said at last, “I’m not going to tell you to stop this war, because you and your brethren have cause for it. I’m not going to tell you to pretend everything is okay and extend a hand of peace while the Sith have shown several times they have no intention of changing,” She was naive sometimes, but she wasn’t stupid. There was no way the Mandalorian people could be robbed of their ability to retaliate after losing their home world.

“I just ask you to weigh your actions and think on whether they would be actions Raz, your kin and any future children you have would look upon with pride,” Keira knew the other politicians were hating her for this. She wasn’t telling him to stop everything, and she wasn’t telling him to pick one side or the other.

“Your actions will pave the way for how the galaxy is shaped for generations to come,” She said quietly, “Make the choices with that in mind and where your gods, your heart, your true nature guides you. Your nature that isn’t driven by immediate anger. I think in the end you’ll make the right decision," She grinned at him, "After all, I'm only asking you to do what I myself plan to do."

She stopped after that. Keira managed a small smile again, “Did my shoddy stitching job on you turn out okay?”

@Darasaurus[/abox]

 

[Koil Solus]

Both of his gloved hands were on his hips as he paced back and forth. He would pivot slowly before taking measured steps before repeating the action as he listened to Keira. He was glad she was as observant as he had hoped.

She had a lot to say but it was not obnoxious or bothersome like so many others were when they spoke at length. Koil could hear the logical intent and thought put into her words. When he had first met her he had thought she was just some young senator who was idealistic to the point of ignoranance. But as he listened to her it became clear that she was better than that.

Koil had not thought very much about his actions affecting the generations to come. He only had thought about getting back at the Empire. His own redemption and self damnation had pulled him through these past few days. It was still there. But he was seeing beyond it a little now.

Unfortunatly the Echani was a stubborn man and it was not easy to let go. But Keira seemed to have picked up on that. Koil was not going to relent in his quest for justice. But he would have to admit that he had to think about more than his personal vendetta as he completed the promise he made to himself and the gods. As little as he thought of himself Koil had to face the fact that his actions had influence.

When she finished he took a deep breath and let it out, nodding slowly. Koil continued to think on it or at least would have if her question had not confused him. "Stiching?...oh, right." He touched his forehead. Underneath the scar was more or less gone by now. "Yeah, thanks for that again. You're leg seems alright." Seeing as how she had moved around he did not think it needed to be inquired about.

His eyes looked past her and towards the other politicians in the holding room. They did not look like they were injure or anything but scared. The sound of foot steps down the hall made him turn his helmet away from the Keira and her peers. The steps belonged to one of his marauders. <"War Councilor. I have the information you requested."> Over the past couple of hours they had verified that the people they had taken into custody were not a threat to the Mandalorians or the people of Vatol.

Taking the time to look over it he scrolled through the data-pad. Occasionally he nodded or let out a murmur before ultimately handing the datapad back. <"Alright. Let's get them out of there."> Turning back towards the room as the marauder turned on her heal and headed to give the message to unlock the door. "All of you are being released. Sorry for the delay." He was not going to expect thanks. In fact he probably would not be surprised if he had a few curses thrown his way or a glob of spit. It would not be the first time. In fact he wondered if he should thank Keira for staying his hand. Chances were he may have ended up executing all of them just a few hours earlier. That fact would add to things he would think about in the days to come.

@Sreeya

 

[Keira Zale]

She knew there was an internal struggle going on inside his mind. He was weighing her words and considering them. It was impossible to tell, but by now she began to read his body language cues. The pacing was a show that he was deep in thought and considering many options.

He didn’t respond to anything she had said, but focused on her last question. This had been on purpose by her - she didn’t guess he would want to have a philosophical debate on how his actions would ripple for generations to come. She simply nodded about the leg, watching a Mandalorian coming to address him. The others around her were visibly uncomfortable, and she ignored it. She heard someone mutter and call her a bitch and Keira simply sighed and shook her head.

After a moment, the door was opened and they were released. Keira looked over at the woman that had called her the name, smiling at the embarrassed look on her face now. Keira got up with the others, watching as they shuffled out. None of them had the nerve to say anything to Koil, simply happy to be leaving with their lives. They kept their heads down and whimpered if he so much as shifted where he stood.

Keira was the last one out, and she paused slightly to stay behind. The other Mandalorian was still leading the others out, leaving just Keira and Koil behind. She glanced over at him, ”Now it’s my turn to ask,” She said quietly, ”What are you doing here?”

 

[Koil Solus]

Koil was not trying to be intimidating or lording his prowess in front of the politicians. The only time he ever used fear was during interrogation or battle. This was neither was neither of those situations and so he remain still as a statue until they left. Keria remained behind for a moment though causing him to turn and look at her. A cocked eyebrow under his helmet would have given her a look that asked her why but her own question came shortly after.

"I was taking care of the Sith..." He looked down the hall as his sentence trailed off. For some reason things had become more complicated very quickly since he had arrived. Perhaps it had started before then even. "...I think I might stay awhile though. The people of Vatol could use with some more assistance..." Koil's head turned back towards Keira. "...with the kind of thing that doesn't require me to shoot anyone." Much of the planet was destitute by the galactic standard. The spaceport was generations behind in technology, medical facilities were poorly stocked, people mostly hunted for their food. It was a mandalorian planet alright, but it was getting by on its own with its fair share of struggle and he wanted to help them become stronger. They were mandalorians still in Koil's mind and he wanted his people to thrive wherever they were or else the Sith would return and one of these days the Silent Badger would not be there to stop them.

"What are you going to do now?" He closed the door behind Keira and began walking towards the exit. The Echani would not be surprised if she left the planet considering he had either killed the Sith operatives or taken them into custody for interrogation. There was not much left for her here. "I could use your help in helping the locals if you have nothing better going on." It was a bad attempt at trying to brighten the situation. He had just kept her in a holding room for hours among other things so he doubted she would take him up on it. But seeing as how she had helped in Keldabe she had more experience in that department than he did. Maybe there was another reason he asked her if she wanted to to stay.

@Sreeya

 

[Keira Zale]

She wasn’t entirely sure why she stayed behind. It was certainly much more peaceful without the other politicians calling her names or grumbling and whimpering. In many ways she was surprised at herself - not too long ago she’d be just as scared. Having been around explosions and having blasters pointed at her face had seasoned her in the face of danger. And so she didn’t feel too terrified standing next to the man that effectively held her life in his hands.

Keira shrugged at his question on what she planned to do, “I was here because I wanted to bridge the gap between the democratic government and the Brotherhood. There is no reason for the warriors to be treated worse, and they should be entitled to proper education and housing. Unfortunately, their methods of dealing with the people at the capital are more than a little aggressive,” It was an uphill battle. However, she had a feeling the warriors would relate more to Mandalorians than they would to diplomats.

She was more than a little surprised when he asked for her help. She couldn’t help but chuckle softly, “You hold me in a prison cell and then ask for my help?” She shook her head, “I’ll do it for the people, but you’re going to have to make it up for me. I had to sit next to a man that soiled himself for hours,” Keira was surprised by her own boldness, but she had a feeling Koil wasn’t going to switch to his murderous side around her.

@Darasaurus

 

[Koil Solus]

There were a lot of things going on for the Mandalorians at this time. Many things got lost in communication. Pieces of intelligence were prioritized for threat assessment and triage. But a planet's welfare might still suffer because of one piece missed. So far the Mandalorians had just allowed planets to more or less govern themselves and not interfere. But it sounded like things on Vatol were at a point of unrest regardless of the larger war going on.

Vatol sounded more and more like a Mandalorian planet the more he stayed on it. But it did seem like it was still further in the past, even by Mandalorian standards. His own political opinions were withheld for the time being. He was a warrior and knew whatever he said would come across biased even if he was not leaning towards any direction. She definitely had not meant he Sith Empire. He hoped she did not mean the Mandalorian government. It was probably far to loose for a strict laws and regulations type of woman Keira seemed to be. No blurred lines with this one...

Keira ended up accepting his offer, in her own way. Koil was glad to hear it and let one corner of his lips to curl into a grin for a moment. "I heard that is what most of politics is." It was a joke. A bad one. He wanted to smack himself in the face after saying it. That was *@#%ing lame you di'kut. Thank the gods none of your comrades were within earshot.

The man tried to play it cool as he always did and move on to the next subject hoping maybe it went unnoticed. "Anyways, what did you have in mind?" Preferably what she wanted was something that still allowed him to ask her questions. Koil was very curious about this plan of hers she had mentioned as well.

@Sreeya