Private Your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

"Believe it or not," said Ashin, "I'm fine with being forgotten. Especially for reasons like that."

She shifted back against the wall and drew up her knees to her chest. She still wore the grimy clothes from the Drengir fight.

"Just remember not to all-or-nothing it. Think of a bad thing you might do to save someone you love. Draw a line between that and, say, killing the whole galaxy for them. Most people are somewhere on that line. The only question is where — how far you'd actually go if needed."

She gestured vaguely at the left side of the imaginary continuum from her perspective.

"You're over here." Now she gestured around the other end of the continuum, off to her right. "Killing a galaxy for what you care about most is nonsense, but let's say...a planet. Me, maybe I'm around the middle of the line somewhere. Where on that line are you, if you're being honest with yourself?"

 

[Julius Sedaire]

"I was willing to glass everywhere Verd touched for thinking he got my wife killed. I still might be up for it, if age doesn't claim me first."

Sitting in a rather uncomfortable plasteel like chair/stool so many places had, he looked at the former Empress in thought.

"When we fought to free Corellia... Vapaad is reflecting darkness, but there... I embraced it. Reveled in it. I used the Force to electrocute Sith for information. Torture them. All that mattered were people were suffering, and I could end it if they talked. Sometimes, you save things... And in doing so... They aren't for you anymore, not after who you become. That was that war... But... I'd do it again, without hesitation. So... Wherever that puts me on your graph, I'm comfortable being."

Thoughtful for a moment, Julius smiled and nodded as the next question came to mind. It was one he had wrestled with.

"Ever thought of settling down somewhere quiet and giving it all up?"

Ashin Cardé Varanin

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

"Did that," said Ashin promptly. "I've retired three, four times and only emerged when, say, someone tortured or killed my wife. For example."

Bad memories churned up a harsh laugh.

"You could say I'm retired now — I'm the captain of a ship. A special ship, to be sure, but just a solitary heavy frigate. No empire, no army, no throne, no interest in defending a title. And I've gone into full retirement too. New faces, new names, whole new lives. No, none of them involved conquest or war crimes."