Private Blizzardfall

[Romul Saxon]

F L A M E W A R D
Kestri​

Tags: Yuri Maji

The Jidtr Terrace had been constructed at a vantage point from which one, at the edge of the platform, could see all of Tor Valum, the enormous mountain, the cavernous ravine that ran through the center of the city, and the rolling mountains beyond. Above it stood the Starfire Beacon, roaring bright and upwards as it signal cast across teh galaxy to all Mythos Fleet navigators. To its sides were hangar bays, defensive emplacements, and administrative sections, all part of the larger Crucible complex that had been constructed after the second battle of Tor Valum. It was a common gathering spot for Mandalorian warriors of the Iron Covenant, especially those often transient planetwide and beyond the Kestri System.

At night, when Kestri's sun dipped below the horizon and wind chills brought effective temperatures to far below freezing, few came onto the terrace. There were several small storyfires and heating lamps for those who would brave the cold weather, but most stayed indoors or in the city's lower, more hospitable levels.

Romul Saxon did not mind the cold. He valued the solace of the nearly-empty terrace, an ability to meditate and center himself after a day's worth of muster reports, strategic meetings, and planning of campaigns. He leaned on the railing as he watched the city below him. Smoke drifted up impossibly high from the hearthfires of Bannerfall, and audio-amplifiers projected the sounds of talk and laughter as Mandalorians sat around cookfires and trestle tables after a hard day's worth of labor. Romul observed it all in contemplative silence, accompanied only by the guards who stood posted at the various corners of the terrace.

Over three decades ago, he remembered the first time Mandalorians had stormed the city and retaken it. He counted many buildings that he himself had overseen the construction of. Yet despite all of its familiarity, Tor Valum was different now than it had been. Sectors had been renamed or repurposed, and the air crackled with new energy as the resurgent Mando'ade under the banner of the Iron Covenant made their preparations. He couldn't help but be reminded of a similar time, as the Enclave had prepared itself for the what-would-be disastrous crusades that ultimately brought about its ruin.

War and bloodshed were in Mandalorian blood. But was it possible to spare what had become Romul's home from the inevitable end of that cycle?

 

[Yuri Maji]

The beacon was a very new addition to Tor Valum's spectacle. Yuri had seen the light from within the ravine, it was impossible to miss, but he never took the time to actually check it out. Fixing up the Ironworks and training Vara took a lot of time out of his days, though sentimentality also played into it. He didn't like new things in his home town, it was hard to swallow when he knew every street and alley better than he knew himself.

But the change was there, whether he liked it or not. He couldn't pretend like the damned beacon wasn't there, so the trip to the summit was made when he couldn't manage to fall asleep. It was a long trek, but it did help to clear his mind by the time he reached the beacon. What he wasn't expecting was the old Warmaster to be brooding close by. Yuri clipped his helmet to his belt and struck up a cigarette as he approached. "Beacon looks like crap." He remarked with a gesture to the construction.

He never was the biggest fan of the old Saxon, but those thoughts felt like a lifetime ago. A lot of things changed since then.

He had changed just as much.

"If you're gonna jump, at least do some neat tricks." He joked with a chuckle, smoke rolling from his maw as he watched the man. He turned to regard the beacon and surroundings after a few moments, hoping that a closer look would help him to swallow the change a little easier.

It didn't.

"What's the idea behind this, exactly?" He asked with squinted eyes, glancing back to Romul.

Romul Saxon

 

[Romul Saxon]

F L A M E W A R D
Kestri​

Tags: Yuri Maji

"If you're gonna jump, at least do some neat tricks." He joked with a chuckle, smoke rolling from his maw as he watched the man. He turned to regard the beacon and surroundings after a few moments, hoping that a closer look would help him to swallow the change a little easier.

It didn't.

"What's the idea behind this, exactly?" He asked with squinted eyes, glancing back to Romul.

Up until he'd spoken, Romul had ignored the footsteps behind him. It was uncommon but not unheard of to see other Mandalorians on the terrace at this hour. But at the comment this Mandalorian made, Romul turned. He sized up the Shistavanen with an appraising eye. Too much spunk for his own good, perhaps.

"Do I know you, vod?" He rumbled. His voice was gruff but not hostile. Sarcasm did not wound the old veteran's pride.

 

[Yuri Maji]

Romul's question drew a chuckle from the Hound, he did have a good point. He was likely one of the very few people on Kestri Yuri never really interacted with, at least not directly. But there was a degree of light bruising to his ego that he displayed with a face of joking insult. "I'd hope so! Not that many mutts runnin' around Kestri." He remarked, turning his gaze back to the city outstretched before them.

"You knew my Ma at least, I'm sure of that. You and her didn't always see eye to eye if what she told me was true." He continued, turning to look at the beacon once again. It really was an ugly sight.

A silence overtook Yuri for a moment as he walked around it. He wasn't really sure of what to say to Romul, he was expecting to be alone on the mountain at this hour. But while they were at the summit, he could press the old warrior for a few questions if he wanted. The first of which was the one he already asked. "What's the point of this ugly thing? Did you drum this up?" He asked again, sparing a squint at Romul once again. "Name's Yuri, by the way. Yuri Maji." He finally answered properly, figuring the man was far too dull to piece it together himself.

Romul Saxon

 

[Romul Saxon]

F L A M E W A R D
Kestri​

Tags: Yuri Maji

Confusion turned to recognition as the Shistavanen spoke. He recognized the familiar tone, and the species resemblance was uncanny. Despite the years, Shai Maji was not forgotten by the once-Warmaster.

"What's the point of this ugly thing? Did you drum this up?" He asked again, sparing a squint at Romul once again. "Name's Yuri, by the way. Yuri Maji."

"Many did not see eye-to-eye with me," Romul agreed with the younger warrior. Many were right, he thought, though he did not say it out loud. He turned to look up at the Starfire Beacon alongside Yuri.

"Don't ask me how it works, I don't know," he rumbled. The Alor's voice was slow and somber tonight. Much weighed on his mind that he did not give voice to. "Its unceasing flame is a reminder of our strength. And the beacon is used by Mandalorian astronavigators to orient themselves in space. I'm told its transmission is strong enough that ships in the Core can navigate by it. With the hyperlanes in disarray, its utility is critical to the Iron Covenant." He remembered the young Forgemaster who had come up with its design, but her name escaped him, ironically.

He turned to look down at Yuri. "What brings you to the terrace at this hour?" he grunted. "Not sightseeing, I imagine."