Private Life on canvas

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre's smile brightened a little at his encouragement.

"Thank you." she said sincerely. "I hope so too."

She glanced down at her painting before looking back up.

"And I'm sure you'll have that chance, Nolan." Her voice carried a quiet confidence. "Life has a way of surprising us when we've stopped looking for it."

A faint laugh escaped her.

"As I said..." She smiled warmly. "If things continue the way I hope they will, then I'll have my second chance."

She gave him an encouraging nod.

"There's no reason to think yours isn't waiting somewhere ahead as well."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“Well thanks I do hope I’m able to settle down with the right person someday”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre smiled warmly.

"I hope you do too." She glanced toward the half-finished painting before looking back at him. "I have a feeling you'll know when you've met the right person."

A thoughtful expression crossed her face.

"Tell me something instead." she said. "What was your favorite assignment during the Clone Wars?"

She laughed softly.

"Not the most important one. The one you still catch yourself smiling about."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“I liked the second battle of geonosis the whole time me Anakin and ahsoka were bickering on who would get the most droid kills” Nolan chuckled “and before that we were routing grevious fleet away from dorin and even then we were all showing off and trying to one up each other”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre smiled as she listened to the story. She could almost picture the three of them trying to outdo one another in the middle of a battlefield.

"I see." A quiet chuckle escaped her. "It certainly sounds like you enjoyed yourselves, despite the circumstances."

She tilted her head thoughtfully.

"You don't think that was an important assignment?" she asked. "Geonosis was a major campaign."

Her curiosity remained genuine.

"What was the most important mission you ever undertook?" she asked. "Not necessarily the biggest battle...the one that mattered most to you."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“Nah it was definitely important but it was the importance was overshadowed by our friendly rivalry but despite that we completed our mission” Nolan sighed “as for the most important mission is one I’ll never forget I was with Anakin and his legion the 501st on the dark world of umbara and everything had gone right until Jedi general pong krell showed up to relieve anakin cause palpatine called him back to courascant and needless to say it was the worst krell constantly sent us into death traps that ended in disastrous casualties and even sent the clones to kill each other finally i had enough and went to confront krell luckily I was able to beat him but I was heartbroken at how many men died carelessly”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre's expression shifted from curiosity to confusion.

"Were you Pong Krell's Padawan?" she asked. "I thought you mentioned him as your Master earlier."

She folded her arms lightly, trying to piece the timeline together.

"How were you serving alongside Anakin and the Five-Oh-First?" Her tone remained gentle, genuinely trying to understand. "Were you attached to his command for that campaign, or were you transferred there before Krell took over?"

A sympathetic look crossed her face.

"Either way..." she said quietly, "Umbara left scars on everyone who survived it. I've heard enough accounts to know there were no real victors there."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“After i completed my training under krell that’s when I was assigned with Anakin and ahsoka krell wasn’t the best master he was very hard on me and that’s how I was able to see through his charade and realized he fell to the dark side”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre listened quietly, her expression thoughtful.

"That would explain it." she said with a small nod. "Sometimes the hardest teachers also show us exactly who we don't want to become."

She was silent for a moment before another question came to mind.

"How did he die?" she asked gently. "I know he didn't survive the war, but I've never learned the details."

Her gaze remained steady.

"Only that his story came to an end."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“I killed him” Nolan got a bit tense but relaxed immediately “anakin’s clone captain Rex was about to do it but he hesitated so I did it myself not to spite Rex but because he just couldn’t stand letting krell live another second”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre didn't recoil or judge him. Instead, she was quiet for several moments, allowing the weight of his words to settle between them.

"That couldn't have been an easy choice." she said softly. "Taking a life rarely is...especially when it's someone who once wore the same robes you did."

Her gaze drifted toward the painting before returning to Nolan.

"From everything you've told me, it sounds as though Pong Krell had already chosen his path." She sighed quietly. "If he'd escaped Umbara, countless more clones and perhaps even Jedi might have died because of him."

She met his eyes with quiet compassion.

"I don't envy the burden you carry." she admitted. "But I also don't think you acted out of hatred. You acted because you believed there was no other way to protect the people still standing beside you."

A faint smile appeared.

"Those are the decisions I never wished upon anyone our age."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“Even though I was angry that he betrayed and murdered my brothers I didn’t kill him out of anger”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre studied him for a moment before giving a slow nod.

"I believe you." she said simply.

She folded her hands together, her expression thoughtful.

"Anger can exist without being the thing that guides your hand." she said quietly. "A Jedi isn't expected to feel nothing. We're expected to decide what we do with those feelings."

Her eyes met his.

"From what you've told me, you were angry." She nodded once. "But you acted because Krell remained a threat to everyone around him."

A faint, understanding smile appeared.

"There's an important difference between killing because you're consumed by hatred...and doing something terrible because you believe it's the only way left to protect others." She sighed softly. "Neither leaves a person unchanged, but they are not the same choice."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“Many believe that they should do bad things for the greater good but it often ends in the person turning evil”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre smiled faintly, a quiet chuckle escaping her.

"To borrow a Mandalorian saying..." she said, "This is the Way."

Her expression grew thoughtful.

"Doing the right thing is rarely as simple as choosing between good and evil." she continued. "Sometimes every path before us carries a cost. The danger comes when we convince ourselves that the end always justifies the means."

She looked at Nolan steadily.

"The moment we stop questioning our own actions...the moment we decide we're incapable of being wrong..." She shook her head gently. "...that's when the darkness begins to creep in."

A small, knowing smile returned.

"The fact that you're still asking yourself whether you made the right choices tells me you haven't lost sight of who you are."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“I never would forgive myself if I ever sight of who I was” he chuckled “I’m curious where did you hear our motto”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre laughed softly.

"When I first woke up in this era, I spent a surprising amount of time watching documentaries." she admitted. "It was one of the fastest ways to catch up on nine hundred years of history."

She smiled at the memory.

"I learned quite a bit about the Mandalorians that way." she said. "Their history, their clans...and, of course, their motto."

A playful glint entered her eyes.

"I even learned enough Mando'a to avoid embarrassing myself around them." She chuckled. "Not enough to hold a conversation, mind you, but enough to understand a few phrases."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“I don’t even know Mando’a which is a shock to most people considering I’m a full blown mandalorian”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre couldn't help but laugh.

"You know..." she said with an amused smile, "I don't think that's nearly as shocking as you think it is."

She gave a small shrug.

"Languages can always be learned." she said simply. "You're only twenty-two, after all. I imagine there are plenty of Mandalorians who would be happy to teach you."

A playful smile crossed her face.

"Besides, I suspect they'd be much happier teaching a fellow Mandalorian than correcting a wandering Jedi who only knows enough Mando'a to greet someone and accidentally order soup instead."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“I haven’t come across any mando’s in a long time”