Slvr & Irn

[Connor Harrison]

Abandoned Imperial Outpost
Vaal, Vaal System​

The dust was starting to settle over the whole Korriban situation, but it didn’t mean things had been forgotten. That was a long way off. Connor had only been back for a day when he had received a message on his com

”Vaal. The Outpost. We need to talk.”

It was a protected signal but his gut had a feeling who had sent it. It came with the precision bluntness and that commanding order from Kiera Ticon; the only one who would be so blunt to contact him so soon after.

Vaal was neutral between Silver and Mando territory, so at least this wasn’t going to be a long trip. The Jedi had things to do. He had an Order to salvage and a criminal to capture.

He had made quick work of leaving the planet for the few kicks out to Vaal and the abandoned Imperial Outpost station on the crest of a large cliff. The defunct radar looked up to the skies and the bunker was plastered with the cracked logo of the Empire. Connor stood at the base of the radar station looking out as the peaceful, grassy world.

A few hills in the distance, dotted with few small farms and mills, caves to the far right and a ship on the horizon looking like a vicious dagger speeding to the coordinates. She was right on time.

He stood and waited, wondering how this…talk…would go down. There was certainly no air of nicety about it from her message. This was business.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

It was unforgivable, and the both of them knew it. No matter what apologies had been put forth profusely by the Jedi, none of this would be smoothed over by the capture and execution of the culprit alone. There was no doubt that would help ease the consciences of everyone, but it wouldn't repair the rift that had been summarily torn between the Silver Jedi and the rest of the galaxy. It would be awhile before public opinion would change, but as always everyone would come around. The galaxy would be long in forgetting just who was responsible for the civilian deaths on Korriban, but in the face of greater evils they would all learn to trust the Silver Jedi again. Inevitably individuals came around, and this would be no different.

But this wasn't that very likely future. No, this was the present, and in the moment none of that mattered to her. What did was setting the story straight, and right now that meant convening with the only one among the Silvers - and perhaps the Jedi as a whole - that she could call friend. The message dictating the time and place of meeting had been short and to the point, and based on both the scanners of her ship and her ethereal senses he was awaiting her arrival. It was like him to be early, and Keira hadn't expected anything less. That didn't mean, however, that she would rush herself to meet him. As always she would do things her own way at her own pace, inconveniencing herself for no one.

When the ship settled she stood before the entrance for a few moments, sighing quietly and hitting the button to lower the ramp, descending at an even pace. Her dress was casual unlike their numerous other meetings, both lightsabers on one hip and her tomahawk on the other, Kalso's Revenge holstered on her left. That was all she had bothered with, not wanting to manifest herself as an inherent threat, but neither as one willing to concede to what had happened. In all of this she was a neutral party as far as galactic politics went, but on a personal level this concerned her just as much as it did the Silvers. These were the individuals she had accredited her redemption to, but in that perhaps she had been wrong.

There was no real animosity in her eyes when he came into sight, and everything about her form was for the most part relaxed once they stood across from each other. "I don't even know what to say." Her tone still held an air of disbelief, but there was a certainty behind it that was undeniable. "You know what all of this looks like to the rest of the galaxy. What it looks like to me and my people." Whether she liked it or not, she was here as a representative of the Crusaders just as much as she was an old friend. "I saw the broadcast your Grandmaster put out, and quite frankly it seems like you're making excuses. You and yours might not have given the order, and you can pity the dead and ask for forgiveness all you wish, but that doesn't mend this. The dead can't hear your cries for forgiveness, nor would they care. It's time you all come to terms with what's happened as being the ones solely responsible."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

His crimson cowl was billowing softly on the cliff, hands behind it with his navy tunic on show. Lightsaber on his brown belt, a relaxed expression on his face. As the ship rested, Connor just licked his lip slowly and waited for as long as it would take.

Eventually she came out, and she looked, for all words, rather incredible. She looked like a leader; a warrior. It was like she had found a calling where she wasn’t conflicted or confused. The smallest curl of a smile formed on his lip as she came closer. But they both knew there were here as Silver and Iron, not Connor and Keira.

That was a shame.

”Oh, don’t preach. You don’t have to tell me that, for god’s sake.”

Nothing less than a warm greeting; perfect.

”Look, you know I won’t mince words with you, ok? Here’s how it is. Some idiot commanding a ship bombed the hell out of that city. That’s it. We didn’t authorise an attack on the city at all. Now, I’m in charge of bringing her in for questioning. We’re not going to execute her sadly, but she will answer to us and tell us why she did what she did. Only that way can we go forward knowing what the hell she was thinking.”

He exhaled and shook his head and looked out over the planet that was so peaceful under such tragic circumstances around them.

”We are to blame. She was working with us. I know that, but we have to understand why she did what she did first. Don’t think for a second we are passing the blame; there is blood on all our hands, but we need answers.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he looked to his long-time on/off/on- friend/fantasy/frenemie.

”You and your people, hm? Keira Ticon, you’ve grown up. I’m proud of you.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

A solitary blink was her only immediate response, as he had ended what began as some kind of lecture and explanation with a compliment she neither anticipated nor was entirely capable of appreciating in the moment. A dryly mirthful laugh escaped her, one that didn't seem to hold amusement for any of the right reasons, and she shook her head. "You're a real piece of work, Connor Harrison." Only he would weasel in praise when this was an otherwise wholly serious meeting, but somehow she hadn't expected anything less or more of him. If he had proven one thing to her through the years, it was that he was capable of being just as unorthodox and playing just as close to the fringes of morality as she herself often did.

"You're hearing what I'm saying, but you're not listening. It doesn't matter whether your people authorized an attack on the city or not. No one knows or cares if that's the truth. What matters is what everyone sees, and right now what they see is a group of Jedi doing their best to cover up their tracks and avoid tarnishing their reputation any more than it already has been by this. I'm not telling you this to provoke you, I'm only being honest in the hopes that you understand." Out of the two of them he might have been the proper Jedi, but Keira had been playing the game of galactic politics for just a bit longer it seemed, or maybe her tenure as an embassy between the Mandalorians and Republic had rubbed off on her more than she liked to think.

That the Jedi had outright refused to execute the offender didn't surprise her in the least, though she couldn't help but sigh and do her best to restrain a roll of her eyes. "It's a bit late to be adamant about saving face, wouldn't you say? At this point putting a bullet in her head is the best way you can prove to the galaxy that you don't condone the actions of the offender. By keeping her alive you're saying in fewer words that you somehow empathize with her, and that's the last thing you want anyone to see. Whether you like it or not she's better off dead, and if you lot don't kill her then I'm sure someone else will be more than happy to finish the job, and that includes me."

For a moment she seemed far more interested in something in the distance than the man at her side, but eventually she glanced sidelong at him. "I don't think you quite understand the gravity of this situation. The Crusaders were strongly considering striking at your capital as a sort of retribution for what happened. I only stepped in because this wasn't our fight, and because we can't afford to instigate a war with you and yours at the moment. There are going to be people that won't be so lenient. All of you have karked up far worse than you think, and none of you are doing chit to fix it."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

See, this is what happens when two charged atoms collide at speed; reaction.

Connor rolledhis tongue over his bottom teeth as he listened, and everything made sense, but he noted yet again Keria was doing what she always did around him. Made out she knew better. Like she was the eyes and ears of everything and Connor was walking around like a moth to a light; bumping into things as he did in an attempt to reach his “light”, so to speak.

He nodded as she finished. And clapped his hands together in front of him, resting his mouth on his fingers for a second. He was trying to keep himself calm.

”Mhm. Mhm, ok, good. Now, listen to me? Take your head out your arse for one second and listen to me, ok? Listen. Right. We are doing all we can without becoming warmongers. End of. If we start to use more violent ways than necessary, when will it stop in the eyes of those judging us? Jedi never act like barbarians, war criminal or not. She has to face the law and answer for what she’s done. We put a bullet in her head, then yet again we’ve done it all wrong. ”

He scoffed a little.

”In fact, if we execute her we will be labelled as no better than Sith using violence as a means to an end. Jedi become above the law. We lose any thread of what we are. If we don’t execute her and let her stand trial and rot in jail, we look like we support her and we are cowards. You know me better than most, Keria, and to say we aren’t doing anything to right this hurts. If that’s what you assume from a holo-message then bring forth your dogs of war and we’ll show you how serious we are at putting this right.” He shifted a little closer to her, eyes fixed. ”If anyone comes looking for a fight, we will fight them. We will not be bullied into caving, or made out to be something we are not. I will defend this Order with my life as you would defend yours. All those morons out there who want to take the Order and Jedi apart using this incident as an excuse are no better if they do than the real enemy out there. The fact nobody is willing to allow us to do this the right way is making it all the more harder.”

Connor sighed and shook his head, running a hand across his neck as he looked back out for some peace on Vaal.

”If she dies, she dies. I personally hope she will be executed or something happens to her on the way back to the Order but I can’t become something I’m not, otherwise I’m just as bad as her.”

Suddenly, it felt like the weight of the planet’s gravity was pushing on his shoulders.

”The last thing we are doing is covering our tracks. Give us some credit at least in trying to fix this mess.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

"I said nothing about following through with an execution before whatever trial you decide to put in place. But you and I both know that those proceedings are going to be nothing but show anyway, don't we? She'll be found guilty of gross incompetence or some other offense, and life will go on. Better to sentence her to execution and end things rather than keep her alive and risk future complications." The Jedi could advocate to preserve life all they wished, but sometimes in order to maintain the well-being and relative peace of the many singular lives had to be lost. It may not have been the preferable course of action, but when it came to war such a thing rarely existed in the first place. There were simply slightly better courses of action to take.

Her gaze remained steadily on him as he spoke, dark eyes never once breaking from his own even as the two traded threats of war and violence. "I've learned long ago to assume nothing. But that doesn't stand true for the rest of the galaxy, and you know that damn well. Everyone goes off of what they see at face value, and right now that of your Order isn't looking all that great. Whether you like it or not you've all damned yourselves somehow in the eyes of the galaxy, and there's not much you can do to fix that other than ending the problem permanently." The muscles of her jaw were taught, her form having shifted halfway between the persona of a warrior and something a touch less deadly.

"Believe me, you don't want a war with the Mandalorians." This here was something more akin to the posturing they both knew all too well, a sort of dance both had partaken in over the years and never quite broken away from. "It has never ended well for you and your people in the past, and I can promise that won't change anytime soon. My people and I helped bring the Republic to their knees on Kashyyyk, and our strength has only grown since then. This is a fight that all of you would have to bleed for, and something tells me that with such a dire focus on preserving life, you aren't willing to throw away your own so readily. Watch where you're treading, Jedi, because you won't like the consequences if you step too far."

In her mind this resembled far too closely the beginning of the end for the Republic that Keira had once known and defended with her life, and she didn't wish the same upon the Silver Jedi. After all, Hadrix had pulled much of the same when it came to the killing of civilians, and she had stood for a fair trial just as he was pushing for this woman. When it was all said and done the former Supreme Commander had been free to go her own way, and that had only come back to hurt the Republic in the end, as she had lashed out in later conflict. History always somehow came back around to repeat itself, and of course it fell to the Jedi to be too blind to see it.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor didn’t waver as she spoke, but, because it was Keria, and because of what they were, he didn’t like her tone. He didn’t like the threat, or being compared to a Republic that fell apart from the inside out.

"Don’t threaten me, Keira.” Was it now that they would fall apart? After so long? Leading this merry dance of duelling to help the other, trying to understand the pain the other felt and even holding each other when comfort was needed after all hope had gone? Now this?

"And don’t compare us to the Republic. Please. It’s insulting. We aren’t pulling ourselves apart from the inside out. And trust me, when Chorzan is found guilty, I’ll see things are done for the greater good.”

He didn’t even know what he meant – well, he did, and so did she, but he didn’t dare say it aloud. Connor glanced up and down her, checking out the weaponry, the markings and colour that made up her attire and stance as a Mando leader.

"We have no desire to fight the Mandos. At all. We aim to quell the Sith Order rising from the dark ashes. Because they are rising, Keira. I’ve seen them. They’re waiting for the right moment to make their move, and with Korriban they’ve just let us make the first move for them. They’re watching. Waiting. You know - ”

Connor blew out a breath and looked away, before shooting a glance back to her.

" - you know how we both think. You know we think the same. We are the same, Keira and we want the same thing. Don’t let what happened drive the Silvers and Mandos to war. When the Sith come, we will need to take a stand. Together. And not for the benefit of the Silvers, but your clans too and everything we are trying to work for.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

A sharp exhale hissed between her teeth, and immediately Keira turned, taking a few steps away so as to distance the two of them before either lashed out and did something they would both regret later. Her fists clenched, a part of her more than ready to strike and join yet another destructive sparring match between them that wouldn't find end until first blood, and perhaps not even then. "Mandalorians don't make threats, Connor. We make promises. But I have no real reason to wish war upon the Silvers. Not because I don't want to kick your teeth in, but because I don't want to have unnecessary and excessive bloodshed in the name of a Sith world that housed civilians that weren't our responsibility to begin with."

With her back still turned she listened to him speak, looking up at the sky as if in contemplation of his words and what they held for the both of them and their respective nations. "I know. I know the Sith are rising again, but it was only a matter of time before they did. But if half of this goes the way I want it to, they won't be returning with their full strength behind them. The Crusaders are aware of the rising threat, and we would have struck already if we had the numbers to do so." It was no secret that their influence had quieted vastly in the past months, and it was that she was hoping to remedy as time went on. The Crusaders had been founded on the thought that the original incarnation of the vode weren't doing enough in the galaxy, and she wasn't about to let them fall so completely into that same stagnation.

"This won't drive us to war, but it has made the Silvers a target to keep a close watch on. Whether you like it or not you've raised concern with your neighbors with all of this, and it's not something let go so easily. No one will instigate a conflict just yet, but you're being observed on all sides, including ours. If something even close to this scale happens again, I can't guarantee that peace will be maintained for much longer." Most of the bite had left her words, replaced instead by a simple understanding as to how these events often proceeded. The Silvers would have to tread carefully if they wished to remain in good favor of the majority, and at this rate they were already more than walking on eggshells.

Finally she turned around to face him again, stepping forward so they were once more directly across from each other, looking up into his eyes with a ferocity and determination he knew all too well. "I would advise your leadership to call a council with the other heads of the major galactic powers so as to discuss things. It doesn't need to be anything extensive, but everyone needs to know where each other stands on this so as to best decide the next course of action. I don't want to see this escalate any more than you do, but the only way to stop that is to take preventative action. Make the call yourself or suggest it to your Grandmaster, but discussion needs to take place."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He didn't say anything, or try to invade her space. When Keira turned away when being spoken to, then it was wise to leave her. He knew her well enough when to simply let her be. Besides, this wasn't a meeting just for fun.

Time paid off, and she turned back to him, looking a little softer in those sharp features.

"I will contact him straight away. I would like to call council with your clan first as you are our closet allies - neighbours, whatever you want to be right now - but I can assure you, Keria, and you know I wouldn't lie to you, that we are taking this more serious than you know. We are fully aware of what the eyes of galaxy are doing, and we are taking steps internally to make sure nothing like this happens again. The fleet will be under question.”

He nodded to himself, and to her, to try and convince the pair of his words. This was when the galaxy stank. It was rotten. It pained Connor to have this conversation with her.

"We aren't afraid to meet with others to discuss where we stand, but we are more than confident we can rise from this and show others we are still the same allies defenders of the Light we have always been. At the end of the day this is nothing more than a horrible incident, but we will not let it destroy it. I won't let it destroy us.”

Connor held his hand out to her. She may take it, she may not. He was ready either way.

"Trust me.”

[member="Keira Ticon"]