Im tired of these games

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren's grip on the brim of his helmet tightened underneath his arm, the blood stained fist plate tightened over the top of his hand as he stood behind the grandmaster. He began to wonder if calling for 'Miss Kitra' was a bad move on his part. People like this mercenary would usually already be dead by the time most got back from their wrecks when it came to his time in the Republic marines, especially when it came to those units who didn't care about the standards and 'laws' of war.

He was never a part of those units, always by-the-book. Times had changed.

He stared the mercenary down with practical lifeless eyes, his mind a mess when it came to the situation that unfolded...But Valkren had lost men, and at was risk of losing even more if they didn't find the true source of the mercenary group's client. If they could narrow down the recipient of the their fighter group's service, they could very well find out the reasoning behind the small attack on such a strong installation, and end many more to come.

Now, this merc was trying to side-line him from his own operation. Valkren had to keep his cool though, his stare cutting directly through Jethro as he bottled up the feelings of rage and revenge. All he could do now was wait for the Grandmaster's next words.

[member="Jethro Rekali"] | [member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae watched as Jethro stood and let his bandages fall free. She winced upon seeing his face still colored black and blue. It seemed that Valkren’s presence was causing their captive some unease, Valae did intend to find out exactly why. However, for the moment she wanted to have a dialogue with Jethro. The Grandmaster had always trusted the Colonel; he had been a close friend and colleague. But now, as her gaze cut to the side at him… she wasn’t sure.

No matter her personal relationship to the Colonel, she had a duty as Grandmaster. Even if this man had been captured and taken as a hostile prisoner, she loathed the thought of more needless violence. The Rangers were a different breed than the Jedi, but she certainly didn't like the image that Jethro was painting. Needless to say, she would review all of the information concerning this event. She pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment as she thought, and then looked back to Jethro.

“I can assure you that I will be completing an investigation of my own into this situation, Mr. Rekali.” She said, nodding. “You have my word.”

Even though the Grandmaster wasn’t much of a fighter, and had even come into the room unarmed, it didn’t mean she was completely defenseless. After all, she did have the force on her side. She got the feeling that Jethro was the type that wasn’t afraid of a fight. But she would put her trust in a stranger today, and she hoped that he wasn't going to push her down a path she didn’t want to go.

Heaving a sigh, she turned to face Colonel Calderon. “Please wait outside, Colonel. I’ll be okay, I’ll holler if I need anything.”

She glanced over to Jethro, waiting to see if this would be enough to satisfy his request for now.

[member="Jethro Rekali"], [member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Jethro Rekali]

[member="Valkren Calderon"] [member="Valae Kitra"]

Jethro let the bandages fall and slid down to sit with his back against the wall.

"Sounds like a deal to me. I'd like you to stretch out to the Force and get a sense that I'm telling the truth as I understand it. I'd get comfortable.”

He waited until the colonel was gone, no matter how long that took.

“I'm an independent contractor, a merc. Most of my jobs are private security, but I'm not above staging a raid when that's what the client wants. Last week, I met a masked man on the Tion Trade Nexus. He hired me and eleven other mercs to take a swing at an Antarian Ranger base on Kashyyyk.

“He showed me three lockboxes at a bank on the Nexus. Each one had a real nice durindfire gem. One box was the advance. I sold it on Nar Shaddaa on my way to pick up a modded B-wing at Void Station.

“Box number two is what I’ll get once I get out. We didn't do much damage, but enough to meet the client's needs.

“Pretty straightforward, right? Box number three is when it got interesting. I don't know if all of us got this offer, or just the ones flying ships most likely to take fire. Box three had a nice durindfire, same as the first two. I'll get box three once the client gets my report on how the Silver Jedi Order treats its prisoners of war. Maybe that'll take a few years, but so be it. I'm fairly sure the client was backed by the Sith Empire, and they tend to honor their debts. So I geared up to earn my hazard pay, and your Antarian Rangers didn't disappoint.

“The beating started when I asked for legal counsel. It got worse when I started cooperating. Your colonel made it clear that he wasn't interested in learning much. Apparently someone in my squadron killed two of his soldiers. The beating got personal. Others tried to stop him, but he wasn't interested in stopping. So I let him thrash me across the room to the one-way mirror, let him smash my head against the glass, slipped the cuffs, scored the panel, and out I went. Along the way, I got a sidearm and immediately stunned myself. The goal was to trigger protocol and wake up in someone else's tender loving care.

“I'm a Vahla, Grandmaster. Your people have known that since I gave my last name to General Med-Beq and your colonel. Vahla bones break easily under the right conditions, like a no-holds-barred beating. I had every reason to believe I would die if I didn't get out of that cell, so I did.

“The Wookiee people have a long history of enslavement. Their laws, like what you find on most other civilized planets, don't look kindly on torturing compliant prisoners. So, Grandmaster, I'm going to sue the Silver Jedi Order, and the private security firm known as the Antarian Rangers, in Wookiee court. And I'm going to win.”

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren couldn't believe his ears, he really was being sidelined.

The young special forces officer would take a glance over to his Grandmaster, then back to the mercenary. Was he really losing this battle already? Calderon offered a nod, and then exited the room, waiting for the doors to slide shut behind him before rubbing his left hand across his face, then through his short-cut hair. As he'd pull the hand away, the colonel would see that Lieutenant Harris and both the guards in the hall were looking right at him.

"So, what's the word?" Konrad questioned his superior, obviously curious at how the situation panned out after the glass-shattering experience.

"Who knows. The worse thing that could happen? Maybe court-martial. We'll see." His responses were quick and to the point, as his mind was in another place.

"There wouldn't be this much red tape if they knew how much of a threat this is. The Temple could have been an obvious target like Rekali stated, but the base wasn't so much as 'public knowledge.' Who knows where else they could have info on."

"It will be fine..The Grandmaster might have moved me further from this one but I trust whatever her next move is. We'll just have to let other facilities know to be on the lookout. Just hope she makes the right choice on the merc."

[member="Jethro Rekali"] | [member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae gave the Colonel a nod as he left the room, and once the door was shut behind him, she settled against the wall with her arms crossed gently. “Alright, Mr. Rekali…” She said, reaching out with the force as his story started to unfold. A brow perked slightly upon hearing that he believed his client was backed by the Sith, but truly that wasn’t much of a surprise. The Silvers had previously been neighbors to their space and had entered into conflict with them shortly before their move to Kashyyyk.

What did come as a surprise was the recounting of the interrogation itself.

Valae’s gaze remained on Jethro as he spoke, her eyes occasionally sweeping over the wounds suffered. This didn’t sound much like the Colonel that she called a friend. The Grandmaster knew that he was going through a difficult time; the loss of their friend on Mirial had hit him hard. Of course, her mind may have been looking for any kind of reason to attach to his current attitude. Perhaps he needed a break from all of this – and that would likely come in the form of a brief suspension while she conducted an investigation of her own into this incident.

“I do apologize for the treatment you’ve had here,” She started, uncrossing her arms. “It’s not what I’d want for anyone – even prisoners.” With a small sigh, she continued. “I can assure you that I will be dealing with this situation accordingly.”

If Jethro wanted to take this case to court, that was his right.

Even if he had been paid to do so, he had initiated a hostile attack on Kashyyyk. A fact that wouldn’t be taken lightly. But of course, his case against the Silvers was quite strong.

“Since you’ve made your intentions clear, I’ll be transferring you to the care and custody of the Wookies.” Valae cracked the door open and looked to the Colonel and his men standing outside. “Please make a call to the local authorities and have them come to collect Mr. Rekali.” She spoke to them before closing the door once more.

“Is there anything else?" She asked, canting her head to the side. “If you’d like, I can take care of those wounds for you.”

[member="Jethro Rekali"], [member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Jethro Rekali]

[member="Valkren Calderon"] [member="Valae Kitra"]

"Thanks for the offer, Grandmaster." Jethro stood. "All things considered, though, I'd rather be treated in the Wookiee prison system. Records, you understand."

He smiled faintly. "You know, General Med-Beq had the right idea. Catch more flies with honey. This was just another job to me, and a little conversation, some wheels greased, this could have turned out differently. I've got no loyalty to the Sith, none at all. My clan doesn't normally work for them. But the money was good and the target was straightforward enough. If I could go back, I'd probably take a different contract - maybe even sign on with your mercenaries out there."