Vengeance

[Narir Solus]

Narir could only barely make out what was being said between the two War Councilors, and that only because he had been one of the first to arrive and take a place near the front. Moreover, he had known both of them for years. They had all been in this war since the beginning, and he knew their pain. The pain of loss of not only a people but a loved one.

Another Mandalorian next to him who he didn't recognize but his markings indicated he was Solus (@KinkyPrawn) asked what they were saying and the Field Marshal paused for a moment. It wasn't his place to repeat it, and he couldn't say that now was the time for such arguing. The blaming would come later. Narir already blamed himself for not being there beside Raz when she'd fallen, and he knew that coming to grips with it would take years... if he ever did.

They're mourning, he finally said after a moment. In their own ways they each were mourning loss and in the case of the War Councilors it was - unfortunately - a bit more public.

He was about to step in when it seemed to defuse... somewhat. There were cries from the crowd (some more productive than others), and the general energies seemed to be rising. There was a refusal to be defeated among all those gathered here. There was pain and sadness, but also a thirst for vengeance.

Narir moved toward Koil (@Darasuum) if he could reach him and would put his hand on the man's shoulder and squeeze, a sign of reassurance and support. The two of them had been Solus for years. They had fought side by side, and Narir considered him a friend. Narir didn't pretend to know what to say, but they had a brotherhood. Family. Clan. None of them were alone, though the pain welling in Narir's chest still wouldn't subside and the sickening need to vomit lurked at the back of his throat. He still hoped that this was all a nightmare that he would wake from soon.

He could only hope that the remaining brothers and sisters gathered in here could gather strength from one another. That they could find power in each other and repay blood for blood. They would either succeed or die trying.

That was when a voice began carrying over the crowd. It was louder and seemed to echo through the buildings. There was strength in the words and the tone. He owed those who had fallen. Leandros was right. They all owed the fallen. Narir would fight for Mandalore. His home would be protected from the Sith. They would destroy the evils of this galaxy, whatever the cost.

For Mandalore! Narir joined in the cry. He had no reservations. No concerns. No fear. The path of the Mandalorians was clear, and Narir wouldn't flinch away from his duty.

 

[Koil Solus]

Things had happened behind him in the crowd while his back was turned but his face was towards them now. He caught a bit of it before Leandros began his speach. To his side he was aware of Reyna's presence getting closer. He did not so much as even glance towards her. Instead he remained still, and tense with his hands clenched tight.

Over the crowd, down the street, past the blocked rubble, his eyes tared unfocused into the distance. His mind thinking forward to what sort of things he would be doing next. Koil knew that Leandros's speech would be great. Despite being wordy and loud for the Silent Badger's personal tastes he had a way with words and charming people. His speech would fuel the hearts of those here as sure as the sun would shine on them again tomorrow.

What he imagined was not returning to stability. It was not about seeing the families here returned whole. These thoughts were dark and brutal as he imagined the things he visit on the Empire. His right hand relaxed and maneuvered to begin cracking his knuckles one handed as he stood there. Index, he would find out everything he would about his specific targets. Middle, maneuver redundancies into place. Ring, slide pieces into place. Pinky, cause fear. Finally his thumb, exact justice.

Koil closed his right hand into fist again. His left hand opened and he began the same process until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He stopped for a moment, then his shoulder relaxed a tiny bit. The War Councilor finished cracking the joints on his left hand just out of habit, this time not thinking of those violent thoughts.

The remainder of the speech stayed out of his own headspace. The words Leandros spoke were moving just as he had known they would be. When everyone cried out in solidarity Koil just spoke at a normal volume. "For Mand'alor." Koil knew it had been said and for the first time in a long time, he hoped the gods did as well. It was a promise they would need to hear. It was one the Silent Badger would hold himself to.

 

[Sumas Solus]

Sumas glanced over towards Revy as she spoke up. He agreed with her. They needed a plan. This whole situation didn't exactly scream "OI WE GOT A PLAN" to him. But when another member of clan Solus (@Logan) berated her, it ticked him off. "Who put the karking nickel in you, girl? I've been here for over five years and I didn't see you in the field once. So drop the uppity attitude, will you?" he fired at her, walking over to stand beside Revy. He wouldn't let her get shoved around like this by no-show cowards.

Speaking of which...

"Speak for yourself, super no-show!" he fired at the bigmouth Rau (@Taz) off to the side. "You know you actually have to fight for those Eyes or rank, not just look on from the sidelines! Perhaps if more of you were here, this would never have happened." he accused not only him but half the people here. Sumas was never one for moping about and letting others see him at his low. He always kept up the uppity attitude, the jokes, the crazy ideas, all of it to help others. But right now he didn't have the energy for that. First their leadership is standing in a corner, pity-stroking each other, now the group was hurling accusations and insults around. Sure, he wasn't helping the situation but he didn't care. Not for any of this.

He had to admit one of the other Solus members(@vamp) had a point...they needed to chill.

He fell quiet when the booming voice of Leandros fell over them. He listened to the speech, but as it went on he got more and more tired of it. He started to fiddle with his wrist-computer as he listened to the speech. "If we're going with that, there's more than enough cowards in this crowd." he mumbled to himself, probably barely loud enough for Revy to hear.

By the time the speech wrapped up, the crowd was roaring. But Sumas wasn't. He was quiet. Ready to explode, flip everybody off and do a hyperspace jump right into Korriban down the Empress' chimney. He was shaking from anger and a lust for action. But he was quiet.

He looked up again towards his Alor, taking a page from his mute book. But the words weren't needed. "We going to stand around, cheering all day or are we going to put our money where our mouth is?" he asked Revy beside him.(@Caught in Strangereal)

 

[Revora Musana Kelborn]

Revora's sadness was replaced with a pure anger when that blockhead felt like she had to exude her selfish desire to hoard her loss. Arrogance it was, and really if she was nearly as fierce as her words indicated than she should of shone her karking face on Mandalore and been prepared to die defending Raz. Those words were hollow coming from her mouth and she couldn't help entertain what it would look like skewering Reyna with her 'virgin' beskad.

But those only stayed as thoughts. She was a Kelborn and stoicism was needed, she wasn't going to fall to the sloth of pointless squabbles. No she was going to put her mind on to more productive pursuits. What surprised her was Sumas speaking up to defend her. It was appreciated knowing someone seemed to get the point she was making. Still she felt another pain of anger seeing him lower himself to such pettiness. Didn't these karking blockheads get it? We got our asses handed to us and standing around competing in some stupid [REDACTED] measuring contest wasn't going to get them anywhere.

She instead focused on the speech letting the power of Leandros' voice carry and uplift her anger. Yes the Empire will burn. The Sith shall all die a gruesome dishonorable death. She settled her mind on one world she knew she wanted to bring the crusade to. A world she had glimpsed a few times. One that seemed to be the symbol of the decadence and depravity of the Sith Empire. "Coruscant shall burn" The Cathar mumbled to herself. during the speech right before she heard Sumas mumble to himself about the people here being cowards. She was probably one of the more level headed ones in the crowd and he was getting on her nerves. She remained quiet getting ready to smack him partly out of anger and partly to stop him from dying in a Mandalorian mob attack.

When Sumas asked revy about acting or standing she finally snapped. Before Sumas could respond she leaned forward onto his back to pivot him forward and then performed a leg sweep knocking him helmet first into the ground. She then knelt down onto his back and grabbed his head slamming it repeatedly in the ground. Then she would grab one of his arms and wrap it behind his back ready to break it if he resisted.

"I intend to raze the very foundations of the Empire to the ground and I can't do it if di'kuts like you get too fixated fighting each other to fight the true enemy. Her words were different they were cold and methodical. Everything seemed to fade away when she now had a purpose to go and fulfill that mattered more than almost anything else barring her family. Her eyes gazed over to Reyna staring her down with cold determination. I will prove you wrong on the battlefield sister. She thought to herself though chances are the look communicated that as well.

"It has been spoken, Let's go out today as one and avenge our loved ones. For Mandalore." She declared finally letting go of Sumas.

 

[Skylar Rook]

Skylar was beginning to feel out of his depth, to be honest. He had come here because he was resolved to fight, yet everyone here was...More Mandalorian than he was, in his opinion. The butting heads between the leaders, the women arguing, the man who had just been knocked off his feet, even when disagreeing they were active and full of drive and vigor. The Shistavanen's passion lay more with machines, the field he was truly skilled in, and he felt...out of place. He'd heard arguments from others nearby, asking where they'd been during the fighting, and he knew this could apply to him as well. For that he kept his voice down and tried to stay out of the attention of anyone, save for a cry of "For Mand'alore!" when called for during the speech.

As he stood apart from the others, his mind went back to his preferred thoughts. How to best tune up their equipment, get it repaired and make sure it didn't jam on them when they would need it most in the upcoming fights. He'd try to fight alongside them, somewhere, even though his combat was not nearly at the level of most here. He shook a little at the thought of death, the old feelings from his younger years bubbling to the surface. He had to prove himself, that he wasn't a coward, that he really did mean well for their society as a whole. It was just his skills lie in places some might not consider as valorous. He would try to prove them wrong. Or die trying. He looked around at the destruction, having seen the bodies. He had no right to hide in the shadows if these innocents had been slain just for living on this planet.

 

[Burkhart Kelborn]

Burkhart joined in with the cheering. "For mandalore!" He had heard the speech from Leandros. But he cheered again when he heard Revy speak. "OYA" He bellowed as he stood out among the crowd. Burkhart had arrived shortly after the two War Councilors stopped whatever it had been they had been discussing and heard everything. His clan mate's words were worthy of a following roaring laugh.

Considering he also knew how tough of a lass Spicy Badger was Revy had her work cut out for her. Burkhart had fought alongside @Reyna Solus before and she deffinitly was mandokarla. He would take part in the fights against the Empire purely just to watch them try to one up eachother. Hell, he could probably sell tickets.

He was proud in that moment of Revy. He had learned in the day following the battle that she had been on Concordia. The aftermath of his defense of the moon had been far from easy. But at least he had saved more lives than if he had done nothing. Since then he had been helping with evacuation and defenses on the moon until the Sith Empire returned from whence they came.

@Caught in Strangereal

 

[Dax Rau (TL8)]

Dax would give a half smile and a nod of agreement to his battle brother from another mother (@Drace Solus). His lips were then part, intending to put word to thought. Until some spiked headed piss ant of a marauder had the audacity to not only insult his own clan Supercommando but Dax as well. Daring even to dishonor their eyes and marking, a testaments to their bravery and skill in battle.

Dax's right hand quickly moved to his beskad. Thinking only of cutting out the man's tongue, and using the blood to brand him with the mark of Deathwatch. So that he might know just how the Clan Rau commando earned his eyes. But once again Dax would be cut off from his intentions. This time by the booming voice of @Leandros Solus. And Dax froze in awe. When the speech was done he joined his brothers and sisters

"For Mand'alor!" he roared, loud as he could.

Then the nameless piss ant vomited words once more. Dax returned to his thought of tongue letting, but noticed the fool's Alor was about make their fallen leader proud. Dax watched, a smile on his face from ear to ear as the piss ant's helmet kissed dirt and his limps were nearly thorn from the shoulder socket. Dax boot his left boot down on the man's helmet, pushing it further into the dirt as he leaned over. Resting his arms and most of his upper body weight on his knee, and looked down at @Revora Musana Kelborn before she could let him go.

"OYA!"

 

[Birdmando]

"For Mand'alor!"

The Birdmando shouted and squawked in unison with the others as the the Mando Birb hoisted his beskad upwards towards the sky. Mand'alor or Mandalore could be what people are saying as they sound a like, but this is for both all in the end. The Rishii mando elected to pay attention to Leandros' speech, ignoring the marauder Solus for more important things, although Parek did entertain the thought about blasting him with his wrist repulsor, but someone else he see is already being handled. Thank Kad.

With this, the Mandalorians are inspired by Leandros' speech and Parek is too. Parek would will gladly follow him in delivering retribution to the Sith. The Empire will fall, Kad demands it, the people demand it, and so do the many souls lost. It's only a matter of when, and with this the repugnant Sith have only fast-tracked their own demise. It's inevitable. The clock is ticking.

 

[Viladous Ordo]

His hands gripped tightly around the controls of his ship as he hurtled through space and even with all the training he had received throughout his life, he couldn't control the fear and dread that coursed through him, elevating his heart rate to something a sprinter might expect. How things could change a mans stars so suddenly, that he would turn back from the darkness he had succumb to for so long. A sharp flash out of the front of his ship, as the blurs around him merged into view of a... smouldering Mandalore.

Ripping his helmet from his head so he could gaze upon the devastation with his own eyes, his grip tightening once more. This time it was not nerves however, it was anger. What on earth had happened here? What on earth had happened in the years since he had thoughtlessly fled his people?

As his ship hurtled through the atmosphere he could see the thousands of bystanders scattered across the area. Addressing them, Mandalorians. This was not the sight of a defeat. Not in the usual sense anyways, this was a war cry... This was Mandalorians preparing to fight back, from whatever terror they had experienced before.

"I need to land. I need to land." He spoke to himself as his ship hurtled over the crowd, spinning around about two hundred meters behind the Mandalorians addressing the Army that stood before them. In his haste, he darted out of the ship, taking only his side arms with him. He did not run, but his pace was one of purpose... as he got closer he could see that the man was holding a banner and after several paces more, he began to hear the mans voice. The cheers and roars of the crowd getting ever louder, almost drowning out the sound of the fleet assembling amidst the smoke and dust in the sky.

Viladous got closer now. As he did, he managed to make out the last words that the man had said.

“This is our world! This is our galaxy! Say it! Say it! Cry it out so the bastards across the stars will hear our fury! Let them tremble in fear of our vengeance! Our world! Our galaxy!”

”For Mandalore!”

He reached into the gap between his armour and his underlayer, inside it was a flag. It was something he had always carried with him, a token of good luck maybe if you believe in that sort of thing. It was the symbol of his Squadron, it was a symbol of what he had lost and what he hoped to gain again... He broke into a run now, leaning down to pick up a large splintered stick. Just as he arrived at the back of the men he rammed the spikey end of it into the ground, upon its shaft was the flag of Berserker Squadron. They might not know who he was, but they should certainly remember this military emblem!

"This is OUR world! This is OUR galaxy!" he shouted, his eyes watering slightly.

As his hands brushed his side, he felt the handle of his horn. The last time he had blown this, was when his friends and comrades were ambushed that fateful day. His emotions taking over, he ripped the horn from his belt, running to up a small hill so that he could visibly see the whole crowd. Taking a deep breath he blew down the War Horn with all his might, the sound bellowing across the open space that held the warriors of Mandalore. He continued to blow, his banner placed at the feet of the men seemingly ready to lead Mandalores vengeance and rebirth! ​

 

[Leandros Solus]

Leandros continued to grip the banner as his people cheered, the passion they shared reinvigorating his spirit. Here was a broken people – a people who had lost everything, a people who had risen from the ashes of death time and time again – chanting and crying out to the heavens in righteous fury, demanding blood and fire as penance for the sins of the Sith. Here were people pushed to the brink, only to spit in the face of death and cry out against fate. They could not, would not, be defeated by an oppressor. They would never allow themselves to be chained up again. They would fight and die for Mandalorians a hundred, thousand years yet unborn, for a galaxy free from tyranny.

The wave of noise moved him. He laughed again at the heavens; his amusement drowned out by the cacophony on the plain. Mandalorians from every clan and planet shouted in unison for retribution, and all it took was one person, one man to bring them together to remind them that they could not be defeated. Leandros turned his head to look at Koil for a moment, wondering what the man was thinking of this display. He was hard to read, but Leandros knew it would take a truly callous individual to not be inspired by the emotion radiating from this crowd.

His mind briefly flashed back to when they had chosen Raz as their Mand’alor all those years ago. He could remember the pride he felt, the joy. She was chosen by the gods to unite their people and usher in a new era for the Mandalorians and that’s exactly what she did. Her success, though, came at a price. Where he felt joy, he also felt pain. Wyatt stood in her path and challenged the claim to the title and lost his life as a result. All of their conquests paid respects to his memory, to the memories of all Mandalorians lost in battle.

He let the cheering go on for some time, his eyes scanning the crowd to gauge reactions. A small fight had broken out but seemed to be handled, though most of the Mandalorians were too caught up in the moment. After a time, he let go of the banner and raised his hand, the other still gripping his beskad, to quiet down the crowd. Their shouting turned to murmurs and Leandros began to address them once more.

”It is a new era for the Mandalorian people,” he thundered, ”Mand’alor the Chosen fulfilled her gods-given duty of unifying us and spreading our culture across the stars!” His grip on the weapon tightened as he thought once more of Raz’s death. ”She has joined the Manda, and her fury fills our souls. The time has come for a new Mand’alor, one to carry on her legacy, to avenge her death, and to bring the Empire to its knees!”

He stepped forward and raised his beskad, his mind racing a million different ways at once. This was never a claim he thought he would make, but it had become abundantly clear to him that it was one that the gods demanded he make. They could not be led without a leader. They needed a Mand’alor.

”Mando’ade, I will take up the mantle of the Mand’alor. I will avenge the destruction of our home! I will force the coward Sith to kneel before us and beg for mercy! So long as I live, there will be no peace, there will be no forgiveness! The time of Mandalorian dominance is upon us! We shall rain blood and fire upon our foes!” He pointed his beskad at the crowd, sweeping the blade across and pointing at each and every Mandalorian gathered.

“The galaxy will forget the Empire, but it shall forever remember the children of Mandalore!”

His claim could only be validated by the people before him. So, he waited, beskad held high, chest heaving from exertion, for their reaction. They would decide who shall lead them. The gods would choose their avatar; he trusted in their judgment.

@Faster Than Light @Taz @Logan @Phoenix @Algarus @KinkyPrawn @Caught in Strangereal @vamp @Insalius @christhebarker @Tsunami

 

[Birdmando]

And there it was, he did it. Leandros has proclaimed he will take up the mantle of Mand'alor. Parek looked around to gage people's reactions. He didn't suspect that anyone would disagree with his claim, although if he figures if anyone would it would be Koil. Although he still didn't think he would contest his claim. Parek did listen whole-heartily at Leandros' speech. He was right, Raz is with the Manda, having done Kad Ha'rangir proud.

With his speech done, Parek would raise his beskad high again. "Manda'lor the Crusader!" he shouted. Parek believed in Leandros, in that he can lead the Mandalorians to rid the galaxy of the Sith once and for all. And once they do, the Sith's hundreds of years of the oppression of the Mandalorians will be avenged. And the vile Sith will be no more.

Parek did hope that more people would join in, otherwise it would be pretty awkward....

 

[Koil Solus]

Koil would twitched at hearing Leandros's announcement to be Mand'alor. It was not because he was doubting his capabilities as a leader. It was because Koil knew it was only the kind of thing he would do if Raz was surely dead. Leandros would not be doing this all if he himself still believed Raz was alive.

Some others had spoken cheers and declarations of vengeance. Koil was not particularly paying attention at this point. The darkened V slit visor drifted over towards one of his shoulders. The black scatterweave had been collecting grey ash as he had been in Keldabe. Now it had amassed to a more noticebale amount. His hand reached up to brush it off but his hand never left his shoulder. It stayed in place for a moment at the edge of his shoulder before he had pushed all the ash off. Slowly he pulled his hand back, the caked palm of his hand standing out against the black glove underneath.

Slowly he brought his hand up to the center of his chest, over where his heart was. Dropping his hand to his side he saw the grey mark stand out against the rest of his armor. He would get the added to his armor detailing permanently latter. This was the turning point for the Mandalorian people. He would bring back the shadow warriors of old, Werda Verda.

He squated down, grabbing a handful of the dirt and the ash around him and rubbing it between both of his hands. He did feel responsible for this. He had not done enough. It felt like the streets had run red with Mandalorian blood. But instead of blood, it was ash. Koil had to take responsibility and place the blood that was deserved on the his own hands. What was left fell through his fingers and back onto the ground with the rest of the ash that had collected during this speech. Mand'alore the Crusader. That's fitting.

The Silent Badger stood back up, glanced sideways toward Leandros and his motherless child. Underneath the helmet his pale cheeks had two streams of water running down them. Turning away from new Mand'alor, the crowd, and everyone else Koil would exit stage left and head down one of the other streets he had not come from. Anyone confronting him or asking where he was going would get the same answer. "I'm going to kill myself a little." He bet that would set people on edge given the cirmcstances. Then again he wouldn't mind making people uneasy and get some distance from him at this point. He would pull from his pocket a packet of cigaras. He needed a smoke after all this. The less people seeing his face the better. Koil hated an audience.

@Faster Than Light @Taz @Logan @Phoenix @Algarus @KinkyPrawn @Caught in Strangereal @vamp @Insalius @christhebarker @Tsunami

 

[Sumas Solus]

Before Sumas could realize what was happening, he was on the floor with his head being battered into the ground. If he wasn't wearing a helmet, his face would be a pulp right now. Thank goodness his good-looking mug would live to shine another day. Though the cracks across his visor wasn't very much appreciated.

As his arm was put in a lock, he tried to fight it but simply resigned. He knew there wasn't a way out of it. So instead he simply stayed down. It wasn't a bad choice, really. It gave him some time to cool off while everybody else was freaking out. In truth, the smack to the head was actually appreciated. It got him out of his fired up mindset, ushering him back into his usual mindset. Well for the most part...the pain shooting through his arm still kept him a bit worked up. A bit later he felt a boot on the back of his helmet, keeping his face down while the crowd erupted. Might as well join in from where he was.

"OYA!" he shouted from his spot on the ground, holding up a fist towards the War Councilor in a type of salute as he cheered with the rest of the crowd. When Leandros mentioned leading the Mandalorian people, he gave a thumbs-up in his direction. "He's got my vote!" he called out, his voice slightly muffled in the dirt.

"Now um...mind getting off?" he asked whoever was standing on him. He really didn't like getting stood on like that other pirate in that rum advert.

 

[Viladous Ordo]

As the cheers of the crowd began to fade, so too did the bellow of Viladous' horn. Jumping down from the raised ground he proceeded to walk towards the crowd, his head and eyes watching the man who had remained silent through the Mandalorians display of defiance in spite of their adversity. This was a world that so few in the galaxy would ever truly understand, a culture forged in war and one that Viladous felt was about to be unleashed upon those who sought to conquer them.

Before he could join the masses however, his eyes darted towards a man moving through the crowd towards him. Had it not been for their recognisable armour, it would likely not have caught his gaze.

"Could it... be?" he said to himself. His voice nothing more than a murmur among the huge army that was growing by the second. The man approached him, pushing his way though the last few members of the crowd. It was Viladous' old commander. "I see you received my message. If only I had got it out to you sooner..." the man paused for a second, his armour showing the blemishes and scars of a battle Viladous had not been there to see. "We understood. Why you left... You'd served well and we always knew that one day, that same drive that carved your path to us the first time. Would eventually bring you back once more." The mans voice began to hasten as the pair could see that another speech was about to be made. "Viladous. We are the last surviving members of Berserker Squadron. I have been re-assigned and so our legacy falls to you. I called you here, because despite all that had happened... You embodied the best of us. The best of us is something that Mandalore and its people sorely need." The man had continued, but Viladous' mouth remained firmly closed. He was the last of his squadron, and he could not help but once again feel the cold touch of failure shivering up his spine. Before the man turned and walked away, he pulled something off of his back... It was Viladous' Beskad. "You lost this that fateful day, all those years ago. I hope it serves as a reminder of your journey. Proof that even the strong and powerful fall, but also proof that they will rise once more. That is what this man will do for the people of Mandalore. I hope that you will serve him, as well as you served us before." The man turned and walked back into the crowd, his voice fading with his body.

Viladous looked at the blade for a moment, a faint glimmer of bad memories infecting his mind before his resolve returned and batted it away. He listened to the mans speech, as he spoke of all the things he wished to achieve. Viladous did not envy him... The tragedy of those titled Mand'alor was one of death, and any man could simply die upon a battlefield. However the legacy of a Mand'alor, was defined by his ability to lead and what he achieves before that death. From within the crowd a lone voice erupted.

"Mand'alor the Crusader!"

Viladous could not think of a more fitting title for the man and what he planned to do. "Mand'alor the Crusader!" He roared, raising his reclaimed Beskad into the air.

 

[Revora Musana Kelborn]

"Oya!" Revy declared as she grabbed supercommando's(@Taz) hand as tightly she could and pulled herself up from Sumas. The man had placed so much of his weight onto the poor Zabrak that he had been partially embedded into the Surface. She would use her foot to roll him over onto his back so he could get up. Hopefully this would be the only time she would have to teach him a lesson but she was definitely prepared to do it again. Hearing her Alor and a supercommando cheer her on had been electrifying, she now had so much energy in her as determination now mixed with an eagerness. She was ready to board the next troop transport to hell and come back asking for more.

Her mind now was setting to work on how to actually get to coruscant. Pondering now entertaining a plan of attack. When she had to smuggle from Corellia to the other side of the Inner rim she would often use the Deep core for the numerous independent worlds that were clear of imperial activity. They could use Corellia to stage an attack force and swing through the deep core like a massive sledgehammer aimed straight at Coruscant. The Cathar now having a sly grin form on her mind as she looked about the crowd. Hey they all were all eager to deal the Empire the bloodiest ass kicking this galaxy has ever seen and now she hoped to lead. They all were hurt and her eyes looked toward the man who was now declaring a new era for the Mandalorian people. A new era for her as well. No more hiding about doing smuggling runs to avoid a war. No more running away from the problems that beset her. It was time to grab the galaxy by the horns and she was going to do it with her brothers, her sisters and all that had been kicked down by the boots of the Empire. It was time to finally join the crusade. One that now felt truly righteous in her heart.

"Mand'alor the Crusader! May he lead us to victory!"

The Cathar cheered her voice dissappearing as it joined the chorus one that joined and morphed together into one singular voice, one singular people. The man had asked the people and the Manda responded with a roar.

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir would stand behind Leandros and his crusade. He hadn't been there when his people had needed him, but he would certainly be there now. Although he was glad for a new Mand'alor, it was mostly bitter in the bittersweet department. It meant the loss of a beloved leader to their people and a dear friend.

For that reason, he couldn't find it in himself to cheer or cry out again. With the declaration of a new leader the reality was solidified and couldn't be turned back. One by one he had watched members of his clan fall in death. Their names only continued to grow as this war tore on. Whatever naive hope he had had of coexistence was long gone. There was only the desolation of the enemy now.

Narir's arm came up across his chest once more and thumped into his chest piece in salute. His head dipped down for a moment as he acknowledged the new leader. Their new Mand'alor to lead them in the crusade against the Sith demons.

 

[Crystal Kryze]

It was a moment that Crystal would never forget, as her people welcomed the new Mandalor, their cries would echo across the world, as from the ashes of their world a new war machine would arise. A new crusade was coming to fruition, and she would be there to witness it. Clutching her one good hand, she rose it up in a fist, as she joined in the cries of her people, "For Manda'lor!". It wouldn't be an easy road, in fact Crystal had a long road carved out for her, as she needed to earn her place to be able to stand alongside her brethren in the coming war.

The will of her people had only been scarred, but not broken, as there was still a war to be waged, and now they had a new Mandalore to lead it. She could only hope if she lived to have child, of telling them how she was there when the call to war was given, when they washed into the Sith like a wave, and took out the rotten structure of their empire right out from underneath them. Of course, she'd have to survive long enough to get to that point. Only time could tell if she could manage it.

 

[Drace Solus]

Drace took in the speech, mind absorbing and analyzing as he formed an opinion—as if he was not already in full agreement. Leandros' words rang true and seemed to be resonating with much of the crowd. As he claimed the mantle of Manda'lor, he exhaled, not realizing how his body had tensed up in anticipation. His assumption had been correct, and Drace was pleasantly surprised.

Fist raised to the sky, he chanted along with the crowd, fully supportive of his comrade. There was no one more devoted to the cause and capable of leading than Leandros. There was no one else that would be able to raise the battered people up. "Manda'lor the Crusader!" came the shout, and the chant ended in cheers, scattered throughout the crowd.

Meanwhile, Koil seemed to retire from the gathering, murmuring something about killing himself that Drace barely managed to make out. It rubbed him the wrong way a bit, the Councilor's immediate exit upon hearing Leandros' claim. Without context, one would assume that Koil was not in support, but Drace had a feeling it was more than that. His mind searched for answers, but he ultimately settled on simply knowing that the Silent Badger was just mourning the loss of their home world and overwhelmed by emotion.

And then he was back to chanting.