You again?

[Lina Djo]

Mia woke with a start, clamping down on a scream that lingered in her throat. Every muscle in her body was coiled to act, heart racing in fear of an unseen attack. Slowly she began to count, checking her vitals as she did. Shadow? Check. Bolters? Check. Bekads? Check.Body working? She uncoiled her muscles and moved them, forcing herself to sit up. She was unharmed, though her face hurt terribly along with the throbbing of a hangover. She groaned, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes and trying to recall the events of the previous night.

Had Anija been there? She rubbed her jaw. Certainly felt like her handywork. "Kark." Swinging her legs off the makeshift bunk, she got to her feet and ducked out of the hut into blinding sunlight, uttering a stream of curses as it brought a fresh wave of agony after her. Moving blindly, one hand on the hut for guidance, she moved round the back and promptly emptied the contents of her stomach.

Head spinning, she stood still for a while, till Shadow moved beside her and nudged her hand. "I need some food, little one." she told him, drawing herself up "think you can handle it?" Excited at the prospect of a hunt, the hound rumbled happily before bounding off. Mia had chosen a spot just outside the main settlement, she liked her solitude. Even as a mandalorain, her home had been a good half hours ride from the main settlement.

While Shadow hunted, Mia followed a worn trail to a nearby stream and knelt at its bank. Removing her weapons one by one she laid them in a ritual fashion by her sides before pulling a flask from her hip and filling it. She was contemplating getting in, but something was off, something told her she was not quite safe.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

The breeze was cool and comfortable. It was a very nice replacement for the recycled atmosphere Asemir had grown used to after living aboard so many troop ships. The wind carried with it a hint of the blossoms of some alien flower, blooming off to the east. It was subtle, just barely noticeable, but the Ingr'Nysk was able to just barely grasp it.

He leaned against the trunk of the tree he was perched on, some ten meters above the ground. The branch gave him a great vantage point, allowing him to see across the Witch camp and beyond. It would be a great scout or sniper post, except the lack of heavy foliage meant that without camouflage, he'd be quite noticeable to those below.

His field of vision included the stream that ran just a few meters to the west, and he quickly caught movement. The woman from the night before, the same woman that had intercepted Night Terror before it could eviscerate Kaeda, stalked along a path towards the waters. Her pet beast trailed behind her.

Asemir shook his head. He didn't recall catching her name, only a title of "Liberator" or something. He watched as she sat at the stream bank. The Forgotten considered for a moment, and then decided.

"Hello!" he called just before he dropped from his perch. The Force bled away the kinetic energy from the fall, and Asemir landed with knees bent. "I am Asemir," he said. "I never did catch your name."

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Djo]

Mia's bolters jumped to her hands, levelling at Asemir for a moment, as she eyed him warily. Blinking, she slowly recalled the evening, the rescue of Kaeda and the drunk fury Anija had stopped in its tracks. She returned the bolters to their place among her line of weapons, she was too tired to fight. If Ember had seen fit to release him, then it was not her place to put him six feet under.

"Mia Monroe." She replied finally, before leaning forward and scooping the cool water onto her face. The cold chased away the grogginess and gave her the oppurtunity to think straight. "I know who you are." She replied bluntly. She rested her hands on her knees and looked up at him with grey eyes.

"I hope you don't want an apology."


[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

At that range, Asemir knew he'd probably be dead if those heavy pistols went off. Sure, he might escape immediate death, but the large bore weapons would likely inflict fatal wounds. It wouldn't have been a thing. Still, he had trusted in Mia's professionalism to keep him from harm, and she didn't disappoint.

"I'm not hoping for an apology," Asemir said. His pulse had quickened just a smidge at being a hairsbreadth away from being reduced to numerous messy chunks of meat. "Nor do I expect one. I figured, we met on less than ideal circumstances, so it'd be a good idea to introduce myself properly."

He took a seat at the edge of the stream, ignoring Mia's pet. The water was clear and cool, and it reflected the glow of his gold eyes. "You say you know who I am. What do you know of me?"

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Djo]

'Less than ideal' was an incredibly polite way of putting things. Mia smirked and shook her head slightly. For a moment Mia didn't answer, she didn't enjoy digging into Velok's memories. Lately it only served to worsen the nightmares, rather than to aid her. Instead she took a painstakingly long time to remove her boots, eyes glazed over.

"Your name is Asemir Lor'kora. You served in the Sith Empire while Varanin ruled." She looked up at him, slipping her feet into the water. "Had you served under any other, we would not be talking. Her rule collapsed at Roche, just as mine began." She smiled sadly. "A pity really, we could have done a great deal together.I'm blessed...or perhaps cursed, depending on your perspective, with Velok's memories. He gave them to me when we killed him at Yaga Minor." Gave was most certainly not the right word for it.

"I could delve deeper and find out more but I'd rather not. Your name is enough, that and he found you useful."



[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

"I'd forgotten that you share Velok's memories. While we weren't close, business partners is a close enough term I guess, I always took him as someone who makes an effort to know everything about those around him. So, if you really wanted to, you'd probably learn a lot about me." He shrugged. "And you know what? That doesn't really bother me anymore. The past is in the past, and if asked, I'd probably share just about anything."

Asemir looked away from the stream and back to Mia. "Anyways, I digress. For the record, I only served the Sith Empire because Ashin asked me to assist her with her claim. The Sith never really attracted me, and I had no desire to rule. Honestly, I was glad to leave the Empire."

He paused, thinking. Mia really had him at a disadvantage on the information battlefield. He knew nothing of the woman. "So, why'd you take the reigns of the Empire? And why'd you leave?"

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Djo]

Mia laughed at the question, realising that she had given him the wrong impression. "You think I ruled the Empire?" She shook her head. It said a great deal about the impression she gave off. Chuckling and shaking her head again.

"No, Asemir, I was Mand'alor. And as for why I left," she looked round as Shadow nudged her, her hand going to his head and scratching behind his ear. "Velok came back, and Imwas a loose end to be removed. Had I stayed in my seat, millions would have died and I wasn't prepared to are that sacrifice for the sake of a seat of influence."

Her eyes were glazed over as she stared unseeing into the waters of the stream. It was odd to talk about a past life, she felt so detached from it, from the passion that had once driven her.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

"I can respect that," the Forgotten said. "I'd have made the same choice had I been in your shoes. It's a bit funny, now that I think about it. I was trained from birth to kill other people. To view others as nothing more than an obstacle to overcome, as objects. If their death was required for the success of the mission, then death came without thought. If death was not required, then they lived. But after so much killing, so much death and destruction, I've come to see that lives actually matter." He shook his head ruefully. "I don't think my superiors would believe that I'd be capable of compassion."

Asemir dipped his feet into the water, letting the stream play over his armored boots. The nanomachines kept out the liquid, but the water was cold enough that he still felt the chill. "So what brought you to this world? What's the connection with everyone else, with Ember Rekali?"

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Djo]

"With Dathomir? Personally, I have very little connection. I was part of the party that came here to bring it under mandalorian protection. I came here seeking help from Rekali when Velok first invaded my brain. Other than that, my own connection is limited. As for the people, well..." she smiled a hand going to the now purpling bruise on her jaw and rubbing it gently.

"Ember and I have fought a few battles together. Anija, the little sweetheart that gave me this, is my niece. We've a somewhat...broken relationship, unless you hadn't already guessed." She shrugged "She'll give me faster than I'll forgive myself."

She wasn't prepared to delve into what drew her here, it wasn't exactly wise to admit that the reason you dragged yourself out of a bar was because while drunkenly rummaging through your own brain you recalled just how much a sith in your brain liked it here. Who was she gonna find? Velok, or herself?

"What about you? How did you wind up not staked to a wall after yesterday?"

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

Asemir shrugged. "Pretty much Ember, or at least my connection with the Rekalis. I don't really know Ember, but I knew his son Rach. He actually employed me as a bodyguard way back when. He must have spoken to his father about me, or else other people did. Ember must have liked what he heard because here I am, not dead."

The Forgotten rolled his shoulders and willed his armor to disperse. The nanomachines peeled away from his hands and arms and chest, revealing the body glove underneath. He cupped some water in both hands and took a sip to clear the staleness in his mouth. "This whole place, being here at the right time, it pretty much describes my life. I used to think I was in control, but then, well, too many coincidences have happened. Meeting Rach led to meeting Ashin which led to helping save the galaxy. Saving the galaxy led to meeting Ashin again, fighting at her side, and that led to the Sith Empire. And here I am, in the employ of the elder Rekali. I've come full circle.

"Anyways, so, now that you are or were Mand'alor, you've led men into battle, you've done great things, what now? What's next for Mia Monroe?"

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Djo]

Mia chewed the inside of her cheek, lost in a myriad of her own thoughts as she pondered the answer to his question. She'd taken one step in her plans for what was next, she just had to wait for what followed to fall into place. The thought of seeing Rel again brought on a fresh wave of nausea she blamed entirely on her hangover. She snapped her attention back to the Ingr'Nysk before her, grey eyes studying him intensely.

"Life has a funny way of repeating itself, when it comes full circle the best you can hope for is to not make the same mistakes again." She slide her feet from the water allowing the sun filtering through the trees to dry them, she didn't consider her achievements as Mand'alor as great. She'd led an attack against Mon Calamari, she'd expanded their territories. She was in the seat when half of Keldabe was nuked, had watched helplessly as thousands had died. Surely to achieve great things, one was supposed to feel good? Everything left a bad taste in her mouth.

"The next thing for me is simple enough, find some food and a strong drink to wash it down with. Beyond that?" She gave a half smile "Well, I'm sure that Ember will find a use for me. Someone has to."

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

Asemir glanced at the former Mandalor. "A strong drink at this hour? Breakfast would be nice, but the thought of alcohol this early makes my stomach churn." He shook his head. "Speaking of food, how is it with these Witches? I haven't had a chance to sample their culinary talents, but it's got to be better than what the mercenaries were serving."

OOC:
Sorry, it's been a stressful work week, and my muse is sorta dry right now. Unsure what to post. I'll get back into the swing of things.

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Djo]

Mia let out a snort of laughter. "Anything is better than mercenary food. There's only so much you can do to make a ration pack taste good." She shoved her boots unceremoniously onto her feet as she spoke and began collecting her weapons one by one, checking them off in her head in much the same way she'd done when she'd woken up. A never ending war had taught her to be prepared for anything, paranoia had made it into a ritual to calm herself.

"Come on." She said climbing to her feet "I'll show you around the settlement, pretty sure it hasn't changed much since I was last here."

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

"I've found a few ways to make rations palatable," Asemir said as he watched her methodically gather her gear. It was an impressive assortment. "Mainly it comes down to either plugging your nose so you can't taste the stuff, or eating it as fast as you can so the torture doesn't last quite as long."

The two started back on the path that led to the settlement. Asemir didn't say anything at first, just enjoying the peace of the morning, but his thoughts ran back to the events of the other night. The escape, the duel, the intervention. It was almost surreal, with everything that had happened. But, perhaps, most of all, was that sucker punch. That came out of nowhere. And it had been oddly funny, come to think of it.

"Anija," Asemir said after a moment. "The woman who sent her fist into your face. I thought the situation quite amusing, but I would have expected you to pounce on her, kick her ass for that. But you didn't. What's your connection with her?"

[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Djo]

Mia tensed at the question, surveying Asemir out of the corner of her eye. He asked a lot of questions, not that she was overly worried. Mia had nothing to hide anymore, it was just interesting, almost like he didn't know there was such a thing as boundaries. Perhaps it had more to do with the fact that she was answering them, than his own inability to know he was crossing a line.

She dropped her gaze, her thoughts drifting to Anija, to the torment she'd been through and the words Mia had spat out in a drunken rage last night. "Kark it all." She muttered, knowing that she would have to reach out to her, to apologise and attempt to mend something of this shattered relationship. "Her father was my brother. Not in the true sense, but family is more than blood to mandalorians. He was one of the very few people I trusted...perhaps the only one for a time. That in turn, makes Anija my niece. We were close once and while I'm not against kicking her ass when it's needed, last night was a deserved hit."

The trees were starting to thin out as the got closer to the settlement, the smell of hot pots and stews permeated the smell of the woods occasionally, making Mia's stomach rumble. Shadow bounded away ahead of them and in the distance, Mia heard the squeal of children as he made his appearance. "You have family, Asemir?" She asked.



[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

"Not in any real sense of the word, no," he replied, and it surprised him that there was a hint of pain in his voice. It was a fact of life that he had come to grips with a long, long time ago, but even so, her question touched something within. "I was taken away from my parents immediately when I was born. My people test all newborns for Force sensitivity because we have a long history where untrained Force users end up killing civilization. So, all infants are screened, and those that have any significant talent in the Force are immediately taken away and trained to become death commandos. Or terminated, if there's no hope for rehabilitation."

Asemir looked towards the children as he continued. "So, I guess my squad was the closest thing to a family I've ever had. I've known them since we were all kids. But, of course, they're all dead now. Just part of the job, to go on suicide missions and sell yourself for the good of the Xedael Empire."

He glanced at Mia. "It's a bit funny. None of us were afraid of death. We all prepared for it, expected it. Desensitized to it. But now that Nycha, Shyd, Untai, Lycis are all gone, I'm actually quite sad. I'm alone, and even after all these years, it's not the same. You grow up with them, live with them, and love them." He almost winced at those last two words. Nycha and Shyd came to mind. "I often think it would have been better if I had died along with them."

The Forgotten shrugged. "But, anyways, no, I don't have family, and I don't see that changing. It's my lot in life and I've come to accept it."

[member="Mia Monroe"]