CANDEROUS ORTO:
So what?
I was one of Mandalor's generals. I still don't consider it a shame that my people were defeated, and in Mandalore's code, it was an even greater honor to fight alongside a former foe - especially the one who bested you. None of the people here are Mandalorians, so they won't get it. Expected, but still disappointing.
We got away with our skins. We live to fight another day against the worthiest of opponents. There's not much else to ask for. Yes, Bastila's sacrifice hurts the party, and this new revelation adds new factors to consider. Women don't normally become warriors where I'm from. I'm regarding this Seeria Jast woman with a little more curiosity - and far more respect.
Mandalor took our scattered clans and united us into a proud people. I had once considered him the greatest of warriors, a philosopher of combat, and master of its arts. One of his first teachings is that it is no shame to lose to a worthy opponent, and Revan proved to be the most worthy opponent of all, defeating Mandalor himself in combat.
Malak has proven a poor imitation. It would be an insult to lose to him. His Sith behave like overgrown crime lords, and devour each other at the same time they devour everything else. The only reason they succeed is not by cunning or because they are good warriors - but through sheer numbers and easy targets - no challenge. Their arrogance prevents them from innovation and stealth, and their practice of apprentice killing mentor to advance is equally beneath a Mandalorian. Why destroy a brother warrior when both can fight a mutual foe?
When a Mandalorian warrior has retired from battle, his cherished armor and favorite weapon are handed down to a son (or a grandson) and when a Mandalorian son is ready for manhood, he is taken through the trials as his father before him. When he returns (for we train our sons well), his father is waiting with his peers to present him with his armor. It is rare a youth does not return, and if he fails, it is an equal shame for the father for his lack of ability to train. The Sith turned on us in the end, my people reduced to petty raiders and scattered tribes - an embarrassment I'm glad Mandalor did not live to witness.
When I first saw the woman in Taris's Lower City, I wasn't impressed. Just another upper city idiot checking out the local wildlife or some Sith agent getting too big for themselves. Then, I keep crossing paths with her and Carth - in the Undercity, at the cantinas...started to get me thinking. These two were made of stronger stuff than most of these pushovers. Maybe they were stuff enough to work with me after all. Davik sure wasn't.
So, I let her in on the plan, and certainly wasn't disappointed. Davik kept tight security, nasty droids, and several traps - high odds for a party of three. To infiltrate, raid, and escape alive from a crime boss's estate was a challenge that made me feel like a Mandalorian again! The sheer joy of the battle sang through my blood, and the euphoria of knowing my companions fought like my equals...the Republic citizens apparently aren't capable of understanding. I pity them for it.
The best of surprises was that our raid of Davik's base was only a taste of what was to come. We're fighting no less than the leader of the Sith against impossible odds! These are the kind of battles that a Mandalorian lad dreams about. The less pleasant surprise is that I find the call of battle less appealing now. Seeira (that's what she wants to be called) has charmed my stories from me, allowing me to relive not only the thrill of my former exploits, but forcing me to remember the cost of them as well. Then, when my past caught up with me...a tragedy doubled and left a taint on what had once been among my proudest moments.
My journey with her has given me more than I could ever expect, and I find myself looking to the future again, wondering about my own path and that of my people. In the present, however, I fight under her banner, the woman who is now Seeria. She has been a worthy foe. Now she is shield-mate, councilor, and ally. Mandalor himself would salute her and envy my place.
