[member="Commander Lusk"] [member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Lady Kay"] [member="Auru Taff"]
"Thank you, Oren," said an old voice with some finality, out of absolutely nowhere. "I think I can take it from here."
Layers upon layers of delicate, pervasive White Current immersion peeled away, along with a decent amount of active camo, and suddenly there was one more person in the room. Tall, masked, hooded, armoured except for scarred bare hands -- he'd been standing in the corner, concealed by some of the best stealth in the galaxy. His Force presence rolled out, cold and deadly strong, generations of instruction older than Vulkan or Ticon.
The old man rested at hand on [member="Gilamar Skirata"]'s shoulder and took the seat that Vulkan had recently abandoned, as if he hadn't just appeared out of thin air.
"Commander Ticon, Senator Taff, Commander Lusk, Senator Kay, I'm Warmaster Ember Rekali. I served the Republic for many years." He interlaced his fingers together and rested thick beskar bracers on the edge of the table. "Jedi Master Aaralyn Rekali, the Martyr of Roche, whose presence you've just felt, is my daughter. But I've fought the Sith my entire life, and they took the rest of my family, so my perspective is this: I require recompense for our dead, but the Sith must fall.
"Tempers have burned hot. Well, I burn cold. So based on what you've already promised, let's talk about precisely what needs to happen next.
"Ali Hadrix must face an impartial tribunal without Republic connections. You have functionally agreed to this; we can move on. But understand this, ladies and gentlemen: I personally witnessed the orders she and her subordinates gave, the orders that ended my daughter's life. Full absolution is thus impossible. In the meantime, she must be removed from all positions of authority. That is non-negotiable.
"The Republic's leadership must sign a binding pledge not to oppose the secession of member worlds, or otherwise force worlds to remain. I'm speaking mainly of Alderaan, Eshan, and Manaan, but the pledge must encompass any world. That is non-negotiable.
"You must remove all non-defensive forces from the areas adjacent to the Roche System. Feel free to continue fortifying them if you see fit. That will appease those of us who call for your disarmament, while not leaving you helpless to the benefit of the Sith.
"You have pledged that the clone army will affiliate with the Mandalorians. I embrace you as brothers and sisters. Clan Rekali will provide you a world of your own, if you wish it. Any adult Mandalorian who willingly serves the Republic against his or her own people is dar'manda, but between your experiences with youth, programming, and loyalty chips, I see a good deal of leeway for your men and women to come to the right conclusion as they grow in agency and experience.
"The Republic will pay the funeral costs of every Mandalorian and Verpine civilian who died on Nickel One, as well as the one hundred twenty-seven civilians murdered by your naval subcontractor for his own convenience. Likewise, the funeral costs for my daughter, and all medical costs incident to your ally's release of rhak-skuri biological weapons. That point is non-negotiable.
"Now, to which of these terms do you agree, here and now? If we establish where your delegation stands on these points, and which ones you're empowered to accept, we can move on."
