Populate Humbarine Epilogue | TSC Populate of Giju

[Anet Raine]

Nilira Vornix
​

"You still misunderstand the point," she clicked back. "Besides, when it comes to droids, there already is a debate on that point - artificial versus synthetic intelligence. Words matter. Context matters. Meaning matters."

Anet was not a nice woman by any means, and to Nilira's credit she was right on her last point. The half-pantoran was quite irritated by the conversation. However, she wouldn't show it much in her expression. No, she remained passively smug.

"Things to consider if you want to actually engage in Sth science. Otherwise..." Her eyes drifted back to the bag for a second. "... You're just a little freak playing with dead bodies. No different than a kid dissecting a rodent they found in the backyard."

She crossed her arms. "You know... I am about to ascend. I think that might honestly leave you and Kirie as the last of the first-generation acolytes." Anet grinned. "And trust me, she'll be leaving you behind soon, too. So maybe find some way to climb out of your pitiful hollowness."

She paused for a moment, considering. A finger pressed into her cheek as she watched Nilira.

"I could help you, you know... Take you under my wing. Teach you."

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Anet Raine

"Hm? Who said anything about artificial intelligence?"

As "curious" as she may have sounded, Nilira still had yet to look up from her datapad, continuing to work away at her tools. Before holding her finger up towards one of Anet's sentences, almost as if to stop her from speaking. Of course, it didn't work but that hadn't stopped her from trying at the very least.

"You are wrong. Nothing matters. Context. Words. Meaning. In the end they are all insignificant. As much as you and I are. Unlike you and that filthy thief, I don't have a grand delusion of how I shall ascend to be worthy of...something. Sith or Jedi. Human or droid. Ultimately everything is forgotten about."

Whilst Anet acted passively smug, Nilira just acted...passively. Neither anger nor joy. Sadness or contentness. Just a void. Though for the slightest moment, she lifted her head up from her datapad, to look over towards Anet out of the corner of her eye.

"The only person who was worthy to be my teacher is dead and to learn from you would be a shame on her memory."

And with that, Nilira focused on one of the techniques she had learned from the codex that had been left from her, letting a sense of unease radiate from her after the words, turning her gaze back towards the datapad once more, as if she hadn't even moved a single inch.

​

 

[Anet Raine]

Nilira Vornix
​

First, Anet merely rolled her eyes, ready to dismiss the poor girl.

But then she mentioned learning from her would shame some dead teacher's memory. Anet, of course, didn't know to whom Nilira referred - least of all their late Triumvir and headmistress at the Academy. No, she imagined the younger woman must have been referring to some middling instructor. They did tend to die quite a bit.

She scowled - ready to bark back.

But then Nilira decided to lash out at Anet with an aura of uneasiness. A technique she herself knew quite well. Just as the sickness rose in her stomach, Anet backed away, almost hissing in disgust. She reached into her robes and retrieved her mask, quickly fastening it to her face. In an instant, the acolyte's strength and presence in the Force returned. Emanating a twisted darkness that was violently proud.

"You... brat." She accused.

For a moment, Anet's hand went for the lightsaber on her belt, but stopped there. She stared at Nilira through the mask, the bottom half of her face still revealed, and scowling. Then, she shook her hand free from the temptation and scoffed.

"If not to learn, then why are you even here?"

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Anet Raine

"How quaint. You require a literal mask to mark your presence."

Her gaze flicked up, a slight smirk playing across her face, even as the sickness began to rise within her from the aura. She was well experienced in disguising herself with apathy. Of course, there was a small sense of pride in seeing the way Anet had reacted. Frustration. It was the best way to fight she had found. It had worked in a way, she had already learned more about Anet, discovered the mask and somewhat the power of it. All without even lifting a finger.

"I am here to learn. But only from those who are worthy to learn from. Those who are worthwhile."

In reality, she was here because she couldn't just die. No matter how much she wanted to. No matter how much she wanted to be able to be at peace, her body wouldn't let her. Her mind wouldn't let her. It had let "Neriah" die, but someone had to fill that void and it had been her.

"And you, are not worthwhile. Why would I want to study under someone I had to help heal? You could not even stand against the Thief. If anything, I would have thought you let her leave you like that. And you enjoyed it."

A small wrinkle of disgust came across her face at that, as the smirk faded from her face and instead she tilted her head to the side almost as if in thought.

"Perhaps I am a little freak playing with dead bodies, but at least I am not a freak who enjoys having pain inflicted on me. You forget Anet Raine. I have seen you bleed. And you bleed just like the rest of us."

​

 

[Anet Raine]

Nilira Vornix
​

"Of course, I bleed," Anet leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I am a rudimentary creature... Just like you... Mercy... Even that cybernetic freak. We're all creatures. We're all beholden to the natural order. Jedi would see themselves separated from that order, claiming a oneness with Life and the nature of the Force."

She fell to one knee, now looking up at Nilira from where the young woman sat. Her hand rested beside the acolyte's thigh.

"And yes... I enjoyed it. I love that Kirie demonstrated her gift on me. It was a... a blessing, wasn't it?" She chuckled quietly. "Yes, yes it was. She is beautiful and powerful - and one day... she will be without equal. And you did not heal me. She did. You were just... her obedient tool."

Anet rose and stepped back, hands on her hips as she looked down again.

"Is that what you are, an instrument?"

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Anet Raine

"Ah. But what is the natural order? To kill? To eat? To survive? You believe you know what the Jedi see, but you only see your own delusions."

Nilira gave a small dismissive wave at that, even as Anet put her hand on the Acolyte's thigh, she didn't even bat a single eyelash. Shaking her head for a moment, as the Ex-Padawan slowly felt as if she was discovering a weak point in Anet. A chink in the proverbial armour as she gave yet another dismissive wave.

"All rudimentary creatures have an equal, even that lowly Thief. I'm sure you could find her equal in a Coruscant womp rat. Equal in appearance at least."

This was fun. She would never admit it out loud, but Nilira was enjoying this as she continued to work away, tapping away different descriptions into her notes, a small frown coming over her visage as she tried to figure out how she wanted to word her notes.

"At the end of the day Anet, we are all instruments. We believe we have our own choices. Our own self will. But it is all a lie that we tell ourselves."

​

 

[Anet Raine]

Nilira Vornix
​

To Eat? To Kill? To Survive?

"Yes!" She expressed as if Nilira cracked a code. "Desire to eat. Anger to kill. Fear to survive. And I know more of the Jedi than you, abandoned Padawan."

For a moment, Anet was pleased with herself and wondered if Nilira was finally understanding. But then she called Kirie ugly. It hadn't crossed Anet's mind that the acolyte was trying to bait her. Why would she? Nilira was an acolyte with no desire for social mobility, while Anet suffered, trained, and worked her way higher. From her own perspective, the gap between them had only widened exponentially since Desevro... since even Coruscant.

An arrogance erupted from her, seething with all the petty emotions and sick mockery of Love she felt for Kirie.

"Oh. I am an instrument, and that is my choice."

The lightsaber flung from waist to hand with the snap of the Force, and ignited, spitting a hateful, unstable beam of crimson energy, with little flares of plasma breaching the containment field.

In a single strike, Anet brought her blade down across where Nilira sat.

 

[Nilira Vornix]

Tag: Anet Raine

Bingo.

A grin spread across Nilira's face, as soon as she felt all of the sweet, sweet emotions radiating from Anet. How much Nilira would have loved to try and feed off those emotions, but alas even she wasn't that insane to even attempt to drain them from Anet. Instead as soon as she felt the arrogance and pettiness coming from the woman, she flipped herself up and over the chair, kicking it out towards her attacker, letting the chair get sliced in half.

"You're right. You're my instrument, aren't you? Playing into my little taunts."

This. This was why Nilira didn't see Anet as someone worthy to teach her. Vestra would never have fallen for this. Even Arris would have been a better teacher than this. A haughty laugh escaped her lips, as the Acolyte felt more alive than she ever had in a long time, letting her voice echo as she threw her arms out wide.

"This makes up for me missing all of the killing and death that happened."

She knew the joy she felt would vanish soon enough. Emotions like that didn't last nearly as long as she wished but this was it. This was why she was here. Nilira might not have been the greatest fighter, but she didn't need to fight in this moment. She just had to survive.

​

 

[Anet Raine]

Nilira Vornix
​

The chair split and set ablaze - fiery splinters tore through the fabric of Anet's robes. Her attention snapped towards the direction where Nilira fled.

She turned to face her, and in an instant reappeared right before her, arm stretched out to snatch the acolyte by her collar. If successful, she'd lift Nilira off the ground and hold her eye-level.

Her blade stayed pointed low.

 

[Eurydice]

Eurydice didn't like the way that Astra laughed, and it might've showed in the faint tense of her brow. But that subtle tic to her expression was all the displeasure that she would show.

She watched quietly as the woman sipped her wine, then peered down into her own glass. Her own distorted reflected stared back from a deep burgundy surface. To embrace war and dictate your own future was a luxury she could never afford, a future that she didn't have the tools for. Eurydice told herself that she was alright with this, so long as she was alive and didn't have to live in constant discomfort.

The girl looked up suddenly, as if she was certain she'd misheard something. "What would I do with Humbarine?"

Her opinion was not often sought, even in a hypothetical scenario. If she still had her right hand, Eurydice might've drummed those fingers along the armrest in thought. What should she do with Humbarine, if she'd had the chance? An entire world with people and resources, a casualty of the Sith's arrogance and the Mando's thirst for their blood?

"I'd salvage the shipyards," she said quietly, hesitant as if that were the wrong answer. "I'd make Humbarine an official checkpoint along the Hydian Way. Build it back stronger to show our enemies that the Covenant can make things grow, not just destroy them."

Eurydice wasn't sure if she believe that, but it seemed like a nice sentiment.

Astra Sadow

 

[Astra Sadow]

​

"You know," Astra set her glass down on a side table, "there are other ways to contribute." Though it would still benefit the woman to toughen up a bit when it came to war, death, and senseless destruction. "Ones that don't require a flashy lightsaber or a mind for slaughter." The tips of her gloves caressed the side of her face and teased the corners of her lips for a moment. "I could use someone as useful as you, Eurydice . Manage the workers and criminals that might start to get 'ideas' or running wild. Provide them structure and direction in making that... intriguing concept a reality."

Might need to deal with the timid nature though. Could work itself out in time if she were put in charge of others. If it didn't then Astra would step in to help her realize her own authority. Unless Eurydice liked being a slave, constantly bowing to every whim -- if that was the case then Sadow would lose interest in her quite swiftly, and potentially not non-violently. Nothing worse than spineless fools. Didn't matter if they could use the Force properly or not.

Astra smiled. "What do you think, Eurydice? Sound interesting?"

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

​

Their conversation meandered on, neither rushed nor wasteful of their time.

"The Archive remembers forests that flourished after losing diseased branches and others that simply withered. I have found that history rarely reveals which outcome awaits until long after those living within it have become memories themselves."

She considered, hearing a sense of almost cosmic balance in the titan's voice. A'Mia generally didn't concern herself with right or wrong. Whatever happened just was, and quantifying it from a moral standpoint rarely interested the neti.

"True," was all she had to offer in turn to his observation.

As he continued, A'Mia recognized another reason she'd felt drawn to him. So many sentients thought about the galaxy and their place in it within the constraints of decades or a few sparse centuries. Neti were creatures with minds naturally equipped to process millennia — it seemed that Garza, or some part of him anyway, was equipped similarly.

The gargantuan creature didn't accept her offer of healing, though he didn't rebuke it either. A'Mia turned and began to reach toward him energetically as Garza ponderously wondered why she'd chosen him to spend time with, out of all the available options.

"Curiosity is my foremost drive — the acquisition of knowledge. You are largely unknown to me save for your legend and what little I've seen of you in moments of carnage such as Brosi or Humbarine."

A'Mia closed her eyes then and began to "see" him in a different way, via her senses in the Force, through the great Weave and how he made the very fabric of it seem to warp with his presence. The offer of healing hung silent in the air for him to either accept by bridging the gap, or declining so the energy would slowly dissipate back into their surroundings.

Very quietly, almost as an afterthought, A'Mia added a more vulnerable and introspective truth to her otherwise clinical answer.

"And… perhaps I sought you out because of a sense of kinship."

She didn't quite like that feeling, of vulnerability, but it had become more common of late as the arboreal woman had been enhancing her access to a greater emotional range. A sudden question cropped up but rather than speak it aloud, she tentatively spoke into his mind — provided that he allowed her to.

Do you have kin who yet live? Family?

Garza Inari​

 

[Vess Sadragen]

Vess's eyes followed Tamsin's down toward the sling before returning to her face. There was enough hesitation packed into those few sentences that she could practically watch the younger woman talking herself into leaving. For a moment she simply stood there. "I mean..." The word stretched slightly as she considered it. "I've been unconscious for most of the evening, so I feel wildly underqualified to comment on anyone's social standing." A faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what happened two hours ago." Which was true. The last thing she remembered with any confidence involved an Imperial mainframe, a cigarette, and an absolutely terrible idea. Everything after that felt increasingly questionable.

Vess shifted her weight slightly against the wall. "If someone doesn't want to see you, they'll tell you." A brief pause followed. "Or they'll shoot at you." She considered that for a moment. "Actually, most of the people I know skip straight to the shooting." The smile widened briefly before fading again. "My point is, you seem to be doing a lot of their decision-making for them." Her gaze drifted toward the hallway they'd come from. "And if I'm being completely honest, I have no idea what Lily thinks about any of this." The admission came easily. "We haven't exactly had a lot of opportunities to sit down and discuss politics." Most of their interactions had involved imminent danger, running, hiding, explosions, or some combination of all four.

Vess pushed herself away from the wall. "What I do know is that if people have been wandering around looking for me, I'd prefer to stop causing trouble before somebody starts checking ventilation shafts." She glanced toward Tamsin. "You don't have to come if you don't want to." The offer was casual, no pressure behind it. "But I don't think standing in an abandoned hallway, convincing yourself everyone hates you, sounds particularly fun either."

Then Tamsin mentioned Lily had collapsed and Vess stopped walking. Not dramatically. Just a single step that didn't happen, her attention shifting in a way that had nothing casual about it. "She collapsed?" The question came out quieter than intended. For a moment she simply looked at Tamsin, processing that, before something settled back into place behind her eyes. Lily was apparently upright enough to be worrying about other people, which meant she was probably fine. Probably. The word did a lot of work. "Right." She started walking again, and there was nothing unhurried about it this time. "Then I definitely need to stop wandering."

The trail was still there. She let it pull her attention back as she moved, the subtle electronic texture of it threading through the mansion's systems just as it had before, the rhythmic pulse of automatic doors cycling with no one near them. Patient. Persistent. Waiting for her to catch up. Vess adjusted her direction without breaking stride, following the current of carefully arranged noise back toward wherever it had originated, quietly appreciating that whoever was on the other end had thought to keep it running.

​

TAG: Tamsin Starfall Lily Rhodes Arris Windrun Lysander von Ascania

 

[Meya Liefi]

Varin Mortifer​

One dark eyebrow rose almost against her will when he started to answer.

"A pull that led you towards me." Meya settled one shoulder against the broad frame of the window. Dark fabric whispered softly as it settled around her legs again. "How unfortunate for you."

Despite the casual posture, there remained a rigidity to her bearing.

"I have never paid enough attention to wine to form a useful opinion on it." Her gaze drifted toward the glass resting between her fingers. Wine shifted in slow crimson waves as she idly turned the stem, catching scattered reflections from the city beyond the window. Flecks of light danced briefly across pale skin as she spoke. "Do I strike you as someone who would?"

Golden eyes lingered on the wine a moment longer before lifting to Varin. His towering reflection disappeared from the surface of the liquid, replaced by the man himself.

Nothing changed in her expression. If there was any reaction at all, it existed only in her eyes. The faintest flicker of understanding.

"I reserve time for that later, when I can properly meditate on it," she said, referring to his habit of revisiting battles. "So what now? Do you expect me to lead the conversation?"

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Lily Rhodes Vess Sadragen Arris Windrun Tamsin Starfall​

In hindsight, the smile should've been the first clue. She wasn't wicked, especially when compared to the monsters of the Covenant, but he'd caught a flash of temper, sharpness of tongue, and an opinion or two in recent memory. But her admission quickly found purchase in the mind when the name Marr escaped.

Looking down, his boots suddenly became the most fascinating objects in the galaxy. And when that failed, he settled for simply staring at the air beside them. That was a wound best bandaged with silence, and now it reopened. Since his journey into the Dark, Lysander had always looked out for others. For better or worse, it had become his nature. But Malum had been the first to look out for him. The older brother he’d always wanted.

"Truthfully," the sentence stalled as he searched for words. "I'm not sure how to navigate this.

The memory of Alvaria surfaced; he had stood there, his aid pitiful and insufficient against the Kainite horde. The Sith Lord had also been present when he assassinated Ukatis' king.

Breath went out slowly through the nose. It felt as though a ghost had drifted into the space near them. "Years of watching your family get smaller kind of leaves a mark,” a hand rose to the back of his neck before dropping, “So forgive me if I'm struggling to process the possibility that it isn't."

Then both hands found the small of his back. Force of habit, maybe. "Something tells me this isn't the whole story. If you’d like.. we could continue while looking for your friend?”

 

[Garza Inari]

Garza listened without interruption as A'Mia explained herself. Curiosity. The acquisition of knowledge. The answer felt immediately familiar. Entire civilizations preserved within the Archive had been born from that same impulse. Explorers had crossed oceans because they wished to know what lay beyond the horizon. Scholars had dedicated their entire lives to questions they knew they would never fully answer. Even wars had been fought because people could not tolerate the unknown. Curiosity had shaped histories, ended empires, founded religions, and inspired discoveries that altered the course of generations. In many ways, Garza understood it better than he understood most emotions.

As her awareness reached toward him through the Force, he felt the subtle shift immediately. The energy she offered possessed no demand, no expectation, and no hidden intent that he could perceive. It simply existed between them, gentle and patient, waiting for acceptance or refusal with equal ease. Such gestures remained unusual in his experience. Most interactions directed toward him sought something in return. Information. Protection. Answers. Strength. The offer before him requested none of those things. She had simply seen his wounds and considered the possibility that he might appreciate healing.

He found the thought... curious.

The rain continued to fall across his scales as he considered it. Some of the damage he had suffered during the battle had already begun mending itself. Other wounds remained fresh, though none were severe enough to truly concern him. Given time, they would disappear as countless injuries had disappeared before them. Yet time was not what she was offering. She was offering effort. A deliberate act intended solely for his benefit. The distinction was subtle but meaningful.

Without comment, Garza shifted.

The movement was almost imperceptible considering his size, one immense limb settling slightly differently amongst the rubble and rain. Yet it shortened the distance between them just enough. It was acceptance expressed in the only way that felt natural to him.

Warmth spread through damaged tissue and fractured scales as her healing settled upon him. The sensation was neither dramatic nor overwhelming. It simply existed, easing discomfort he had not considered worth acknowledging. He experienced it quietly, his ancient gaze remaining upon the ruined skyline of Humbarine while the city continued its slow process of becoming history.

For a long while, he said nothing.

Then his chest rose in a deep breath that sounded more like stone shifting beneath the earth than lungs filling with air.

"You have given your effort toward wounds that time would have eventually repaired,"

His voice low enough that it seemed to emerge from the city itself rather than from his immense form. He considered the thought further, searching through memories and customs preserved within the Archive before arriving at a conclusion.

"I believe the customary response is gratitude."

His gaze lowered toward her.

"Thank you."

The words were simple and carried no ceremony, yet there was sincerity within them. Garza rarely saw reason to speak things he did not mean.

Then her question reached him.

Do you have kin who yet live? Family?

Silence settled once more.

This time it lingered. The question reached far deeper than she could possibly know. Memories shifted within the Archive, not surfacing all at once but gradually, like old sediment stirred by gentle currents. He remembered ages so distant that no living civilization retained records of them. He remembered creatures born of his kind. He remembered descendants spreading across worlds and generations, changing with time and circumstance until they became things entirely their own. He remembered seeing fragments of himself carried forward in forms that no longer resembled him.

Eventually another long breath escaped him, the sound reverberating through his chest like a distant tremor.

"I did."

His gaze drifted across the ruined city rather than toward her.

"My children span the galaxy in forms too numerous to count. Their blood has moved through generations beyond measure. Some lines were shaped by war. Others by conflict. Some became creatures engineered by civilizations that sought weapons or servants. Some simply changed because all living things change. New branches emerged from old ones, and then new branches again, until their histories spread farther than even I have bothered to follow."

Rainwater traced paths through ancient scales while he considered the truth of what came next.

"They do not know me."

The words carried neither bitterness nor sorrow.

They simply existed.

"They do not know what they came from. They do not know where their lines began. Whatever truth once existed has become obscured by time, forgotten entirely, or transformed into myth. They know themselves. They know the lives immediately surrounding them. The beginning of their histories has long since disappeared beyond memory."

Another slow breath filled the cavernous spaces within him before escaping as a low, rolling rumble.

"I do not consider myself their father."

His gaze finally lowered toward her once again.

"A father teaches. Guides. Remains present. A father is known. I have done none of those things. I did not raise them. I did not shape the people they became. I did not walk beside them or witness the lives they lived."

His eyes drifted back toward Humbarine's wounded skyline.

"I am merely the progenitor of their lines. The first branch from which countless others eventually grew."

The city remained quiet around them save for the distant celebrations and the constant rhythm of rainfall. Garza watched water stream through shattered avenues and gather in the craters left behind by war. The scene felt strangely appropriate.

"It is the way of most things,"

he said after a time.

"Forests forget the first tree. Rivers forget their springs. Civilizations forget their founders. Blood remembers itself while forgetting where it began."

He fell silent again, watching rain descend through the darkness.

"I have observed this pattern many times throughout my existence, and I find that I do not resent it. It is simply another expression of change, and change has always been the companion of time."

Another pause followed, though this one felt different.

Quieter.

More thoughtful.

"But there are moments, when I find myself wondering what it would have been like had they known me."

He admitted at last, his voice carrying no sadness and yet somehow sounding older than before, Garza let the silence take hold. Finding himself almost wading through the thoughts of the Archive. Their thoughts of fatherhood, motherhood, children who knew now the full lines from which they were birthed. His head shifted. Turning to let an eye look directly at her frame. Unblinking but filled with a knowledge and wisdom of eons of generations.

"I wonder what form I would take were I a father to them."

Madrona A’Mia

 

[Eurydice]

Eurydice sat perfectly still during Astra's proposal. Eerily still, as if she were prey suddenly finding herself cornered by a predator.

In this moment, the girl reminded herself that she served Darth Nefaron above all else. The terrifying Sith Lord had instilled several cardinal lessons unto the meeker of his apprentices before loosing her on the core; the chief of which being that she would have no true friends.

Not because she was unlikable, not because her timid nature wouldn't attract curiosity, but because everyone would seek to use her to their own end. Sith were selfish by nature, and at least Nefaron was honest about his own.

Not like the rest of them. Kindness, even when genuine, could still be a trap.

Was Astra playing her? Possibly. Probably. Eurydice was technically a spy, and either the Covenant didn't know, or they knew and simply observed her for now.

"It…does sound interesting," she admitted slowly. Eurydice frowned in thought.

She wasn't forbidden from working within the Covenant. It was encouraged, even, and it would be suspicious if she didn't take every opportunity to strengthen herself and climb up the ranks like a typical acolyte.

The thought was nauseating, but she'd long since learned how to persist through discomfort.

"What exactly is it that you do?"

Astra Sadow

 

[Astra Sadow]

​

Astra smiled over at Eurydice for a moment. Then she lifted her chin as a gesture, "That wine? I own the land it was grown on. The winery where it was made. The bottler. The transportation company. The distributor. And perhaps even the store from which you bought it, and the bank where you store your credits." She paused there for a moment to allow the thought to breathe. "I'm one of the few people here that will take the time, invest the money, and set to task those that will keep Humbarine from becoming a desolate blemish on the face of the galaxy."

"No one special."

Most people didn't find keeping the lights on sexy, but they whined and cried and gnashed their teeth loudly enough when things fell apart. Wars and desolation were fun and memorable, but they had a bad habit of never lasting long enough -- or, at times, outstaying their welcome. Everyone thought the galaxy was run on blasters and lightsabers when ultimately it ran on credit.

The Triumvirate were the rulers, and she the diligent enabler.

"By the time you're done here, combined with your lessons in destroying your enemies with the Force, you'll have all the skills necessary to lay claim to whatever your heart desires."

Eurydice
Lysander von Ascania | Arris Windrun | Mercy​

 

[Tavi Corvask]

Vesper Thrace

Tavi didn't respond to her admonition besides with a cocky smile and an inclination of his head.

As if to say: As you desire, Captain, I would sooner cut my tongue off and present it to you than speak out of turn.

"It stands to reason that this is all ours," she said as she surveyed the debris field. "Don't want anyone getting any funny ideas. Bring our bulk haulers in. We can sort it out at the breakers."

Fucking aye. He wrote up a quick note, sending it off as Vesper ordered Martin around, making sure the bulk haulers would start to do their trick. It would be a long day, maybe even several days. Picking through the debris, bringing in the good stuff and then melting down whatever was left. They were certainly not going to leave anything for the vultures to pick over.

This was their opportunity to make themselves whole if the psycho warlord calling herself an Empress didn't keep her word.

Tavi didn't doubt Vesper and her ability to get things done, he just wasn't sure how realistic it was to expect anything from Mercy.

"I knew they would have some kind of ridiculous fuckoffium plating, but something that powerful... well, we will need something to meet or exceed it. Cowards," she punctuated with a hiss, banging her fist on the table hard enough that the coffee cup she had left there earlier in the day leapt up and landed with a clink. "They will rue the day."

"I reckon the bulk haulers will drag it all off the field and then back at Port we can start figuring out how to scrap it." That was the difficulty with fuckoffium plating. If it was good at resisting damage, it was probably also great at not being bendable when they need it to be. He had all the faith in the world they'd figure it out though.

Their crew was way too worried about Vesper's foot up their arse to fail.

"I'm meeting with the Big Woman later. She will pay for our services. What do you think I should ask? What do you want? We almost died, so I think it's basically pony-and-a-blowjob time."

A snort first but then reaching out, one bandaged hand attempting to curl into Vesper's.

They were in private now, it was different.

"Careful around her, yeah? These Sith, we have no fucking idea what to expect from them. Don't push her too hard... I don't want..." Tavi swallowed there and then smiled bravely. "Well, Captain, I wouldn't want to be in charge of the revenge mission, if you got yourself killed." The moment of genuine feeling pushed down as Tavi let go of her hand.

"Repairs of our ships, replacements for the ones we lost. Bucket full of credits. You know it's gonna be fucking tough to find recruits, once the stories start going. There are only so many crazies who hear 'diving through the Netherworld into another war' and go sign me up, boss. You know?"

Then a shrug.

"I wouldn't mind if she furnishes us a base. It's fine and dandy using whatever shadowport comes across... but having a Port of Call we can make our own, well, that would be the dream, no?"

 

[Eurydice]

Eurydice stared at the bottle of wine as Astra spoke. Perhaps she was searching the label for something that indicated this woman was telling the truth, and while she didn't intend to be rude, focusing on something other than the subject of conversation helped her words to land.

Was she really that powerful?

It tracked, honestly. The diminutive Seer had shared the battlefield with Lords who wielded god-like abilities and clout beyond measure. They took what they wanted and seemed to be living well. The fact that Astra hadn't given her a straight answer spoke to either the breadth of her influence, or its less than polished nature. Perhaps both.

Again, that also tracked.

"That's…quite a lot to promise someone," the girl mumbled, intrigued but not entirely convinced. "What would you get out of taking on someone as green as me?"

Astra Sadow