The Ultimate’s Mask (Gray, ME PM for Invite)

[Yasha Cadera]

The Throne Room of the Sundari Palace resounded with the sound of chatter, as another colonization organization meeting came to a close. Mand’alor the Infernal stood shaking hands and making small talk, as the people exited for their various shuttles and ships, off to the reaches.

[member="Gray Raxis"] would come soon from [member="Kurt Meyer"], to see his daughter, hopefully with an artifact which had been gone far too long from Manda’yaim. Running her hand over her hair, Yasha picked up her son Reyn, Ram’ika to her family. The boy was just past three, and nuzzled his head under his mother’s chin, a couple of fingers popped in his mouth.

She looked over at [member="Teagan Stoirm"], who had been part of the meeting, speaking from an engineering standpoint on colony ships and necessary equipment.

“Ba’buir will be here soon, ad’ika. How’re you holding up, Teag? Thanks for talking at the meeting. You saved my shebs, this time... the Mask. Was I distracted? It’s just... it’s a cultural icon!”

The Mask of the Ultimate. It belonged to Mandalore, to the people. Soon, it would again.

 

[Gray Raxis]

Teagan​

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These colonial meetings were kind of boring. It involved a lot of people talking about resources and politics and cultural stuff. Teagan was use to resource talk, it was half of the engineer game after all, but the politics and cultural talk just went over his head. How did [member="Yasha Mantis"] withstand it? She had to have some serious patience. His eyes mostly stayed on her and her little boy throughout the meeting. When the talk was on ships or equipment or anything else his expertise could be helpful with he would give his input. Mostly it was about environmental hazards and how to protect from them. Thankfully it ended fairly quickly.

Teagan was ready to head off as well, since he wasn't sure what he would or could say to Yasha right now, when she spoke to him. He perked up a bit and just looked at her with a bit of a goofy look as his mind wheeled away from what he would do next to what she said. After a moment he responded, " Oh I'm fine. Always happy to help you out Yasha. You know that. How many times have I told you now? I think every time." He had to clear his throat a bit. Why was he feeling so nervous right now?

" Alor Gray will get it back if anyone can. He is good at talking to people. Not like me. I'm terrible at that. All I'm good at is working on tech and ships and vehicles. Oh and getting sent to bacta tanks all the time...." Teagan said before blushing a bit. His eyes diverted away from Yasha's face and began to idly scan the room. Great idea Teagan. Bring up the bacta tanks. That makes you look great in front of her. Who wouldn't have nothing but respect for the guy who can't seem to keep out of the things? Idiot....

Gray​

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It seemed a meeting was going on for Gray's daughter as his ship arrived planet side. He walked down the ramp with his seeing eye strill at his side. He wasn't exactly in the best mood as he headed for the room his daughter was waiting in. His faithful companion could sense it and rubbed against his hand and leg as they walked. A gentle pat and rub would follow. It did help him feel a little better about things. Soon enough he arrived at the palace and was greeted by an attendant. They began to lead him where his daughter was waiting for him.

As Gray followed, word of his arrival was sent ahead to Yasha. She would hear that he was on his way and would arrive in a couple of minutes. There was no other word than this for her as Gray hadn't shared anything else with them. The crucial moments were quickly approaching.

 

[Yasha Cadera]

“Bacta tank... right.” Yasha cleared her throat. How many times had she carried him into one of those? Ploo, Khorm, Colla IV, Sundari... no matter how she tried to protect the engineer, he continued to find his way to danger.

“You’re better at more then that, Teag. Trust me on this? I’m... I’m sorry I haven’t been able to protect you.” Even if that danger was closer to home. For a brief moment, with the others out of the room, Yasha held Reyn tighter and her face softened.

Hard amber eyes widened and turned kind, full lips pouted. She was for one moment a beautiful young woman holding her second born child.

“You talk to me fine... or... you did.” Casting her gaze to the table, Yasha breathed deep. Tuulu mentioned [member="Gray Raxis"]’ arrival and the general distinction on his face.

“Here. Take Ram.” Yasha passed her son to Teagan’s arms and rushed toward the entrance. Reyn popped his fingers out of his mouth and peered up at Teagan, not quite sure what to make of his predicament.

“Dad? Did you get it?”

 

[Gray Raxis]

Teagan​

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Teagan's eyes went back to [member="Yasha Mantis"] after she responded. She mentioned something about not being able to protect him. An awkward, genuine smile crossed his lips as he walked over to her. He put a hand on her arm and said, " Don't let it bother you Yasha. It wasn't your job to protect me. I was doing my duty to our people and fulfilling my missions. If anything you saved my life every time, which I'm very thankful for. Honestly it is the reason I'm willing to offer my all to the Mandalorian Empire. I know you will do what you need to for our people, even if it is as simple as picking up a guy in armor who took a few too many blaster bolts."

A soft squeeze and his smile becoming warm rather than awkward followed Teagan's words. It was still a little strange to him to see the shift from Mand'alor the Infernal to Yasha in her. It was like he was seeing two different people. Was he like that too? He didn't think so. All he could do was be Teagan regardless of the situation and he knew it. Her next words about him being able to talk to her or use to being able to got him to rub the back of his head. A light blush was on his cheeks. He said a little nervously, " Well considering things can you blame me? I always look bad in front of you and don't want to. I mean you always look good and are fun and easy to talk to and.... And I'm rambling. Oh geez. How long has it been since I did that to you?"

It wasn't long after Teagan finished speaking a message came through for Yasha. She suddenly handled Reyn off to him and then headed for the door. What was going on now? He just looked down at the young boy and gave him a smile. Holding a little kid wasn't new to him. Doldur and now Mandalore had been filled with kids interested in what he was doing. Something about working as an engineer was just fascinating to little kids. Too bad that interest disappeared for most as they got older. He went over to a seat and sat down. He began to play with Reyn while Yasha spoke with Gray.

Gray​

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As Gray got to the door to the meeting room, his daughter was already waiting for him. The first thing that came from her mouth was not unexpected, even if he would have preferred a hello or I love you buir. Oh well, this was Yasha after all and not Baiko. Daughters were never as focused on letting their dads know how they felt as a wife was with their husband. He just gave her a slight smile and said, " We should sit down to talk."

With that said, Gray began to find his way to the table. Once there he got himself seated and waited for Yasha to be doing the same. The sound of Reyn and Teagan being in the room with them reached his ears. He would rather they had been alone, but at least it was just Teagan and not someone he would have to worry about. The young man was a rare talent with tech and had a good heart. He also had a good head on his shoulders. Why his daughter was so close to the young man though was beyond him. He never would have thought the two would make such good friends.

Turning his attention back to his daughter, Gray said to her, " I didn't get the mask. It seems there has been a major complication. From what I have heard, Kurt has been having others messaging him none stop since he acquired the mask. He is a cautious guy from what I can tell too, so it might be why communication with him has been in the dark since I met him." He had to pause here so what he said could sink in. It was obvious how she would feel about that news, but it wasn't the end of things sadly. After a bit he went on. " Out of respect for approaching him, he has told me that he is going to offer the mask as a reward to whoever wins a pod racing contest he will be sponsoring soon."

 

[Yasha Cadera]

“I wasn’t about to leave you behind, wouldn’t be a Mando left if that’s what we did to our vode. I was glad to carry you, you’re too important to lose.” Yasha gulped, eyebrows twitching. “For engineering! And techie things and... and to Clan Raxis.”

Yet again Teagan rushed into the conversation without considering where he was going with his words. The young Epicanthix couldn’t help but giggle, he was such a fop! An adorable, yet self-demeaning fop. “Easy, champ. Breathe. Guess I can’t blame you for it, but... try and... gosh I don’t know. It’s just me right now, nobody else.”

[member="Gray Raxis"] came in heavy, and at first Yasha thought he came with the gravity of one who held a sacred relic.

“Sit down? Dad, what’s...” Her face fell as Yasha sat down beside Gray, looking briefly across the table at her friend. They were as awkward as teenagers, a past which reflected poorly on her conscience, but Teagan had a mind and heart to him. Far be it to deny his opinion, when Yasha was a lofty and distant woman, and Teagan was the epitome of the common, intelligent man.

“But we would have paid for it. We would have given him near any price for... a podrace.” Yasha whispered, hand splayed on the table as Gray said more.

“Do you mean to tell me [member="Kurt Meyer"]s has in his possession one of the most important cultural artifacts in thousands of years of our history, and he’s laying it on the line for.... for..... for a game of chance?!?!” Mand’alor the Infernal’s voice built into the room until it became a terrifying howl.

The Mask of the Ultimate, within grasp of the culture which by rights claimed it as their own property, was ever so far.

“That Mask doesn’t belong in the hands of a private collector or... or some serendipitous pilot! That Mask belongs to the people of Mandalore! How dare they make a mockery of our struggles and our history by creating a flimsy game for it?! A mere race’s prize?! No! Dad, no! I don’t accept this! How can I?! We cannot allow this dishonour against our culture to stand! What is stopping us from taking what is rightfully the Mando’ade’s?”

Heavy laden fists pounded at the round wooden table, causing an echo to respond through the hall. Reyn yanked his head up, whimpering and looking up at Teagan.

“Bang? Teebbess, why Buir go bang?”

 

[Gray Raxis]

Gray​

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There was little that Mandalorians cared for as deeply as those that had past on. Only the living and the instinctive need to protect them was more so. When [member="Yasha Mantis"] began to get outraged, Gray couldn't blame her. An important piece of their history from a legendary member of their culture was being treated like a mere object that could be replaced as easily as a datachip. It infuriated him too. He would gladly do whatever it took to get in back.... But he knew they shouldn't and couldn't.

There was more at stake here than just their history. As much as Ra the Undying was glorified, the gurlanin had caused more problems for their people than fixes. Thanks to him the rest of the galaxy just saw their people as warmongers who would betray and turn on you in a moment's notice if they could get more bloodshed from it. People thought they only cared about fighting and nothing else. It was far from the truth, but it was how people saw them. They expected violence and betrayal. It was up to the Mandalorians to fix that perception even if it meant doing something they didn't like. The present and future were more important than the past.

Gray just continued to sit with his head facing his daughter. In as controlled of a voice as he could manage he said, " We can't take the mask by force. We compete for it and be as respectful as we can about it. Either we win it or we know who to approach next. Going around just taking what we want because we are upset isn't going to help. We have a bigger problem than the mask. The galaxy sees us as bloodthirsty savages who can't be trusted because we will betray them. Do I need to explain why that is a problem?" He hoped not, but he might. Not every Mandalorian liked the idea of having to watch the bigger picture of the galactic game. They thought they could just keep to themselves and do whatever they wanted without worry. He wished they could as well, but it was sadly not true. It was hard to say if his daughter was being informed of things outside of Mandalore or not. If not then he could let her know.

Teagan​

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With Alor Gray here, Teagan had made sure to get him and Reyn as out of the way as possible. He could tell this wasn't going to be a happy conversation from the way his alor moved. He had pulled out his holopad and got an educational game for little kids going. This was his way of entertaining the boy without anything to work on around. He also needed something to keep his attention on and away from the very serious conversation going on between Yasha and her dad. Games worked really well for that. Not much caught their attention more. He just hoped it stayed that way.

While Teagan was trying not to listen in, it was impossible not to given the room. It was about that mask that Yasha was obsessing over lately. Gray hadn't been able to get it and it had turned into a pod race prize. Not surprising. He had heard of this [member="Kurt Meyer"] and a bit of his exploits. His combined engine and hyperdrive in particular was fascinating. Teagan would love to get his hands on one and take it apart. Yasha took the news as well as could be expected though. She began to yell then banged the table hard with her fist. He knew first hand how much strength she had too....

Reyn's attention was grabbed by it and he asked Teagan a question. How was he suppose to answer it? The topic was extremely complex and he didn't even fully understand all the nuances of it. Being a first generation Mandalorian sure was a problem at times like this. He just smiled as reassuringly to Reyn as he could. " Grampa Gray just told your mom that her favorite snack was all gone and she couldn't get anymore for a long time. She isn't happy about it. I wouldn't be either. They have all of your favorite snacks still though. How about if you can get a new high score on your game then I will buy you a new toy and all the snacks you want?" He prayed that got the young boy's attention back onto the game.

 

[Yasha Cadera]

Yasha’s fist once more pounded on the table, as her chair scratched upon the floor. The Infernal paced the room, growl rising unbidden out of her throat.

“Respectful with the people shebbing on our national history!? Bow our heads and play the aruetise’s game like some meek little dogs on a leash!? Father, all I’ve done in my career as Mand’alor is put out the flames of conflicts! I’m tired of this! We’re Mandalorians, the Galaxy should be looking our direction and backing their ships out of our space because it’s ours. They should be giving us our cultural heritage back, not wheeling and dealing it for a peasantry who cares more about the next finger flipping avian that clucks by their beer addled throats!” Yasha exhaled with a huff and ran her gauntlet-clad hands across her braided hair.

“Dad, I just… if I handle this too lightly, the Mandalorians will begin losing faith in me to rule. I know how this works, I’ve spent so many months, heck, years doing nothing but rebuild and reacquire trade routes that there’s so many who think I’m incapable of leading us into battle. That I’m a peacetime bit of sparkling wrapping paper bumbling my way through this. I know more than anyone what the Undying’s actions have done, I was there.

I’ve been the one to clean up those messes, and I’m still permanently attached to the dang brooms. My business is not the perception of my People, it is my People and their best interest… no, that’s false. Our outside perception matters. It does… but the Mask of the Ultimate, just… flippantly thrown in a winner’s grab bag… How can I let that stand? How do I let that stand?”

A crisis of conscience became of the Mask held by [member="Kurt Meyer"]. Yasha shut her eyes and rubbed at her face. “Let our people compete for a priceless cultural relic, while other creatures cheer and jeer and get drunk off the entertainment of our desperation… sounds a lot like prostrating oneself for the will of another… do you really think that is the best way to go?

What do you think, Teag? You were aruetii, what would you do with this?” Yasha nodded to the man holding her son, and felt a tightening in her chest.

There Reyn was, settled on Teagan’s knee playing a game. The boy dove into the playing of it, a bright and concentrated smile on his face. So like his father… or so like she thought his father to be.

Yasha’s little mystery. A relic of her own wild days.