Vanquished Souls

[Wedge Draav]

https://soundcloud.com/christopher-leaptrott/star-wars-jedi-theme-the-light-side-of-the-force​

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Naboo, Warrior's Rest​

A few miles outside of Theed...​

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The calls had been made, fires had been lit, and black was worn throughout. The Alliance was grieving and memorializing the heroes of Velga. It was orchestrated and organized by the Rohn family- or what was left of it after Kaiden's tragic death.

The Rohn family Patriarch stood silent, his hand on his son's casket. The procession was fairly large, given his influence on the planet. He gave a somber nod, and the carriage began to push forward, drawn forward by two sturdy beasts of burden. Inside, lay the remains of his son. A wave of guilt washed over the Rohns, both Kaiden's mother and father. They felt guilty for chastising their son for so many years about joining the military, and here was an entire procession dedicated to him. Former Republic troopers, Alliance soldiers, and a handful of Jedi, and a healthy amount of the planet's residents came forth to pay tribute to Kaiden Rohn. The Rohn family would like to have said that this was all for Kaiden, but that was a lie. They were going to lay Kaiden down at Warrior's Rest- a monument to the Republic and Alliance soldiers who had given their lives in defense of them. The cost of the monument robbed the Rohn family of being permanently wealthy, but it mattered little to the aging Rohns.


They would join their son in a few years, and they felt that the credits that were hopefully going to their grandchildren, would sit until they too, passed on. They preferred a love of modest living, if it meant that the memory of their son and men and women like him would be forever remembered, in tranquility.

They reached Warrior's Rest after a long, solemn walk, and it fell silent among the people gathered when they approached the memorial. Only the sound of a cough, or the soft breeze across the Naboo landscape could be heard, or the gentle calls of the birds. It was dusk, and night would soon envelop the landscape. Naboo was more peaceful than any place Wedge Draav had ever been. Wedge never wore his dress uniform before. It was issued, but he had never thought to use it, or the time would come that he would have to. They sat idle in his closet, until now. Wedge blinked as they began to lower Kaiden Rohn into the ground.

He had never known the man, but his feats were among something he heard in stories. He had a storied past, and a military record that would make most veterans he knew pale in comparison. He survived nearly every incursion with the Sith, and even helped to defend Coruscant. Wedge was a child when Kaiden Rohn was fighting Sith on his homeworld. Kaiden Rohn died as he lived, violently. He died, however, in the service of people he would never meet. Wedge stood among the denizens gathered, here to pay their respects to those fallen at Velga.

In the distance the Rohn family stood especially silent, two parents and a scholarly sister who never shared so much as a holiday greeting with her brother in the last decade. Guilt weighed heavy on the surviving Rohn family- and it could be seen just on their faces. Wedge rubbed his hands together, looking towards the monument, towards the crowd gathered. He knew no one here, at least, he hadn't seen anyone he knew. There was a small podium, made of marble and adorned with the insignia of the Galactic Alliance by a banner over it. Perhaps there was a chance for people to say their pieces to the fallen here, and recall the gallantry at Velga displayed by the Alliance- and to forever remember those that died, their names written in stone upon the side of the marble structure. Kaiden would be entombed in the center, under a

But Wedge was no public speaker, and he felt as if he only did a small part in the battle. However, he mused- perhaps someone else could speak on the behalf of the fallen. He felt oddly out of place to speak for men he did not know, and only saw from the air. He felt disconnected, although people praised him for his actions. He felt as though he did very little, truthfully. He only did what he thought was right. He kept his hands folded, and stared towards the podium, illuminated with both the moonlight, and the torches lit around the memorial.

He waited for someone to take the podium, wondering if he would be the one to take the podium first. He hopefully wouldn't have to. Someone who knew Kaiden, or was there on the ground should have spoke first. Wedge watched as Kaiden was lowered into the tomb, and then turned to the podium, awaiting a speaker, or maybe, his chance to speak. He let the silence take hold for a moment, let the people contemplate and grieve in their own way. They didn't need someone to speak right away. It was better to have a quiet moment of reflection, than someone with a long-winded speech.

Wedge blinked and stared at the tomb in which Kaiden was laid into. A flag was draped over the memorial, with ropes at either side. He knew what was on the other side. The names of the fallen. He just didn't want to see it for himself. He hoped they never took the flag down. He hoped that this would never happen again. But he knew it would. He knew it would happen again. Not the exact events of Velga- but there would be more dead soldiers. More dead pilots. More dead, innocent people. More fathers without sons. Mothers without daughters. Families with missing seats at the table. But they died in the defense of others. Not many could say that. They didn't die as conquerors. They didn't die as villains, as victims in a brutal game of political chess. They died fighting an enemy that would see them all dead. They died in the defense of others. They died as heroes.

And he would make sure that for the rest of his life, the heroes of Velga would never be forgotten.

[member="Kiyron"] l [member="Kana Truden"] l [member="Willa Isard"] l [member="Kitt Solo"] l [member="Jamie Pyne"] l @Hazel Zenteres l [member="Gna Grimwasp"] l [member="Decker Willo"] l @HK-36​

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[Kiyron]

A man made his way through the crowd, slipping between the quiet mourners as noiselessly as he slipped through enemy territory. It had been a long time since Kiyron had been in Alliance space, let alone in uniform. Yet here he was- in a very old Republic uniform with a few special unit patches ironed onto a much battered leather jacket. The first was that of the Wildcards, but the second, now that was for Havoc Squad.

As he slipped through the crowd, he heard quiet murmurs from the older veterans as they saw him. A colonel's rank bar and Havoc insignia? There weren't too many of those left around, as as far as the public knew, they were all dead. Kaiden had been the last of the openly living ones, at least as far as Kiyron knew.

But he stopped at the front of the crowd, watching as they lowered down the person who had been with him the longest. His fists clenched, servos whistling as the mechanical hands squeezed against themselves.

Perhaps he could have been there and things would have been different, but no. That was the gamble they all took when they swore their oaths. Al things came to pass as they would come to pass. The role of the SIS made it impossible for him to appear in Alliance uniform or on many Alliance operations, except as a contractor.

Nobody spoke yet and Kiyron stood watching as the dusk settled over the horizon, shading his battered face. Finally, after some moments, he stepped forward to the podium and cleared his throat to speak. Words failed and he paused, planning his words more carefully.

"I knew Kaiden from a long ways back." He gestured to his uniform, the uniform of a government that had long since collapsed on itself. "And while I am not at liberty to discuss much of our history, I can say these things about him. He cared- about his soldiers, his cause, and those he fought for. He cared more about these things than many others that I have met since. And it drove him to greatness, to give those things he cared about his very best and the best that the galaxy could offer, through whatever he needed to do."

A smile flickered across his grim face as he remembered an incident where Kaiden personally ignored the Supreme Chancellor about reforming Havoc.

"And not only that, but he cared far more for others than himself." He gestured to the memorial as evidence. "And I shall miss him dearly, but I know that he fell with honor, as all such men would prefer."

With that, he gave a nod and stepped down from the podium, slipping back into the crowd.

 

[Kana Truden]

[member="Kiyron"] // [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] // [member="Wedge Draav"]

They were feeling regret or even guilt. Amidst the grieving crowd that was all Kana could think of as she stared at the family that had been the closest to the soldier. Kana had seen him pass to the fade in her immediate presence on Velga, yet she did not know him. Part of her would hope that the man didn’t die in vain, an even greater part of her hoped that she too would have her family regret their inaction on her behalf, but with her own errors and mistakes she knew the likelihood of that was more than just nonexistent. It was unrealistic of her to assume a family would feel guilt over the death of a child who had murdered their patriarch. Eyes swiftly moved from the family to the man stepping up to the podium to deliver a speech.

Old friend. Knew Kaiden from ‘a long ways back.’ It was a speech about the man that Kaiden was, and how he inspired those around him. Kana would muse that the same went for his sacrifice. Had she been able to heal him? No, and that was what bothered her the most with this entire funeral. Had it been a year prior she would have felt the guilt of knowing her role as a healer hadn’t been fulfilled to save this man, but now the guilt was merely an acceptance that she too had her limits. She was a healer, not a god. The man had been too far gone for what she was able to commit and do at the time.

Then she turned to look at the rest of the crowd. Some crying, others holding it back. Jacen was here. Kana turned to give him solemn nod and a look towards the podium. He had been the last man to speak to Kaiden, the one who had heard his last words. If anyone was to feel obligated to hold a speech it was him and Kana would make a subtle head gesture towards the open podium to entice him to do so.

“For his sake.” She whispered. “Do it for him.”

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Wedge Draav"] [member="Kiyron"] [member="Kana Truden"]

Kana was right to give him a nudge. Jacen felt he would be out of place to take to the podium and speak about a man he had barely known. Yet he had been there, right at the end. They deserved to know what had happened. He gave Kana and appreciative smile and moved from his seat, walking for the front of the crowd in his Jedi robes. There were several fresh marks across one side of his face where a thud bug had skimmed past him, wings body and legs shredding skin.

"I don't know what makes an enemy decide to attack those that are the most helpless," he spoke up. "Yet time and again it will happen. It is men like Kaiden that step up in those darkest times not just because of duty, but because they know it has to be done. He paid the price for it, but he saved a lot of lives with that sacrifice.

"I was with Kaiden when he became one with the Force. With his last words he asked me to ensure the safety of his men and those vulnerable souls we were trying to save. On that day Kaiden didn't just follow orders, he chose to lead the charge that ultimately bought all those people who escaped the time they needed. He made that decision. If it is of any comfort, in the end he knew what he had achieved and I think it brought him some peace in his final moments."

Jacen stood there for a few seconds uncertain if there was more he should say. With a slow nod he stood back and turned to return to his seat. As he sat he tried not to let another death weigh him down. He gave Kana a questioning look, unsure if he had done the man any justice.

 

[Cathul Thuku]

The whole arc against the Vong began with casualties. So when she was invited to this funeral, Cathul knew that these scenes were being played out in many different places all across Alliance space, Karfeddion, Velga, to name a few. She couldn't attend each of those funerals for the dead refugees, even though, in her heart of hearts, she would have loved to. So there had to be something special about Kaiden's bravery to compel her to come all the way to Naboo after the engagement on Lujo. Once again she had to be mindful of the others in attendance: on the one hand, she could talk about the problems with High Command that did not allot her sufficient resources to perform that mission of evacuating refugees. On the other, it might be seen as a lack of respect for the deceased. That, even though eulogies for military personnel are nothing new to her: she had to do so in the wake of the Atrisia campaign, and more importantly post-Kaeshana. She arrived a little late because she was not familiar with Theed; her main dealings on Naboo were in Moenia and Rellias. None of the people she did spot among the audience, that is, [member="Wedge Draav"], [member="Kiyron"], [member="Kana Truden"] knew her that well, and maybe [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] might have known her a bit more but even then she couldn't gauge how well the people in the attendance know the deceased, other than being there on Velga for Kaiden's final moments. Nevertheless she had to find the right words before delivering her eulogy.

"On behalf of Therapy Command, I cannot help but grieve the numerous casualties of this attack by the Vong. As the commanding officer of the main medvac command of the Galactic Alliance, I have seen this scene play out on several occasions, in fact, in every campaign I fought at its head, and even before I assumed command, where the brave people of the Alliance, regardless of race or gender, finally breathe their last in battle. As Jacen said, Kaiden led the charge to allow others to escape to safety, so his ultimate sacrifice has not been in vain. Today I've taken the liberty to invite a few of the refugees whose lives can be owed to his actions"

Even though Cathul knew none of the refugees by name, other than from a manifest made on Karfeddion as to who was effectively rescued from the camp, she would probably think that the weight given to the statements made by the previous speakers would be made clear to the family of the deceased as well as the other attendees. That is, if there actually were people who escaped to safety and whose survival could, in fact, be credited to him. That ought to prove clearly out of doubt that his heroics were substantiated. Although what surviving refugees from Velga there were in the audience, may not have known the hero personally, he died a hero, that much was clear to her.