Leontyne Saresh - Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic
Supreme Chancellor's Office - Senate Building, Senate District, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Corusca Sector, Core Worlds, Republic Space, "The Galaxy"
11:30: 15 ATC / November 30th, 1968 - 16:00 / 4:00 PM
"Look, George, no one here is doubting your experience but your experiences are not intergalactic warfare."
"Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only sane person in this room."
What was supposed to be a conference of an hour duration had evolved into a three-hour shouting match between Patton and Malcom after the Chancellor unwittingly suggested a 'quick' campaign of liberation while the Empire was still licking its wounds and take advantage of the opportunity immediately but the professional military men instead decided to explore the overall bigger picture of ending the menace once and for all.
The Earthling advocated for something he kept referring to as 'planetary hopping', a strategy which was an intriguing concept based on the Pacific Theater of Earth's Second World War, never mind bold. It entailed bypassing fortress worlds and instead of targeting planets with only the value of being on the path to the main objective, using each captured world as a springboard toward Dromund Kaas.
However, it also necessitated a buildup and some reforms the General was implementing, which was estimated to take a couple of months yet it also still held the potential benefit of bringing a speedy conclusion to the war and keeping the enemy on their toes as they wouldn't realize the reasoning behind the unorthodox move until it was too late.
The Supreme Commander, on the other hand, believed it would be wiser to make a gradual push taking sector by sector until the Dromund System was all what remained to be swollen up, even if it meant a longer conflict due to caution, sticking with the conservative approach and one that the Republic in fact have been conducting before Earth entered the picture.
Personally, the Chancellor was leaning slightly to Patton's scheme as even though it was riskier, it also was something fresh in a state of stagnation and the Sith wouldn't know the exact targeted locations or there was a policy of skipping 'strategically vital' planets and keeping the flanks exposed until it was too late.
"Gentlebeings, I think we should have a fifteen-minute respite before getting to the main topic at hand."
"Agreed." Patton relented. "It should give us time to reflect as well."
After the council temporarily discontinued due to discontentment, Saresh massaged her temples and groaned. "You know, Evran, I'm honestly surprised by Patton."
"What do you mean, your excellency?"
"He's a handful." Leontyne clarified, exasperated. "I mean his bluster and straightforwardness can be quite irritating and if he was in the Republic Military with such an attitude, he would have been cashiered without a second thought."
"Well, from what I understand, part of the reason why he was chosen was to prevent any attempts of amalgamating Earth forces within the Republic Military as a precaution." Evran shook his head but the reasoning behind it nesciently interfered with part of his superior's plans.
"Not to mention being a potential hurdle to integration with galactic society."
"Speaking of which, your excellency, is there any news about the intruder and what he potentially unraveled?"
"SIS hasn't found the culprit yet but he did act like an Imperial spy on the holosecurity recordings." Leontyne sighed. "And it is unfortunate that the Jedi are currently overstretched but I'm sure we'll discover who's responsible."
Second Lieutenant John Robert Bolton - United States Army
Supreme Chancellor's Office - Senate Building, Senate District, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Corusca Sector, Core Worlds, Republic Space, "The Galaxy"
11:30: 15 ATC / November 30th, 1968 - 16:05 / 4:05 PM
"I don't get it, Bolton, I absolutely just don't get it."
The Maryland National Guardsman who was honored to be one of Bandito's orderlies alongside Tom Clancy was perplexed as the General of the Armies paced endlessly around the room, deep in thought. "What do you mean, sir?"
"This universe is still wacky with space wizards and other nonsense straight out of some tale like that show 'Star Trek' or even 'The Twilight Zone'."
"Permission to speak freely?"
"Granted."
"Sir, personally I believe it to not be a case of ignorance and unwillingness to adapt but a misunderstanding and stagnation. Before the Empire decided to target our planet, the Republic had been fighting this faction on and off for almost thirty years now. We're the new kids on the block just squeezing ourselves into the wedge and treated as such due to being seen as the new kids, not wise sages from next door."
Old Blood and Guts nodded at the assessment, aware that it was true to an extent but at the same time some of the strategic decisions were baffling. "That's a fair point, Lieutenant. These walkers for instance have been used for centuries before we became aware of each other but our tanks are mauling them due to the lower profiles."
"Not to mention our rifles." John smirked. "Their laser rifles are ineffective beyond four hundred meters or so."
"The boys who had competed at Camp Perry and Bisley sure are enjoying it." The old man chuckled heartily as the 'gravel bellies' were gratified at not only being vindicated but the situation has even officially halted any further consideration of possibly fielding a small-caliber, high-velocity rifle for the foreseeable future, possibly even never, especially with the after-action reports of the Israeli Commandos at Kuat dealing the final evidential blow against the proponents, nevermind Stoner's rifles having been less than worthy for consideration by any military for the past decade. "In any case, we certainly are the new kids on the block but until the Empire gets their house in order we are on top of them yet that also applies to our allies as well. They need to overhaul and it should have been done yesterday!"
Supreme Commander Jace Malcom - Commander in charge of the Republic Military
Supreme Chancellor's Office - Senate Building, Senate District, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Corusca Sector, Core Worlds, Republic Space, "The Galaxy"
11:30: 15 ATC / November 30th, 1968 - 16:05 / 4:05 PM
"I can respect Patton's cunning and I can understand his perspective but I wonder if he's getting overconfident?"
"What do you mean, sir?"
Malcom paused his pacing midstep and sighed. "Think about it. Patton hunted down Pancho Villa and launched the first American tank assault during Earth's First World War before becoming the spearhead for the downfall of these Nazis in the Second, approaching Berlin from the west. He was in the thick of it on Okinawa and led the armored thrust during the landings at Inchon. He's a living legend but at the same time he was out of uniform for fifteen years until he was reinstated and given command of the entire Coalition. He's surprisingly not that much out of touch and has advisers assisting with helicopters and whatnot but what I'm concerned about is him underestimating the Imps."
"Permission to speak freely, sir?"
"Granted."
"Sir, with all due respect, Patton's plan may be the key to ending this war for once and for all. His plan might be bold but arguably we have been too cautious and it still entails the invasion of Dromund Kaas."
"That may be so but the matter of the fact is the Empire will overcome its shock and begin withstanding the onslaught. The recent debacle involving Libyan forces under Gandalf gives credence to it."
"Umm, it's Gadaffi, sir. You're probably thinking about the character in that novel Tom, I mean Lieutenant Clancy gave you, 'Lord of the Rings'."
"Right but while that name doesn't matter now, the point still stands and unfortunately only a significant wake-up call will make the 'Unified' Earth Coalition truly realize what they're up against."
Supreme Chancellor's Office - Senate Building, Senate District, Coruscant, Coruscant System, Corusca Sector, Core Worlds, Republic Space, "The Galaxy"
11:30: 15 ATC / November 30th, 1968 - 16:15 / 4:15 PM
"So, where were we?" Saresh turned to the Director of the Strategic Information Service, Marcus Trant, who was planning to speak only for the debate to occur.
"I believe we should move on to the main discussion, namely a matter that should sound familiar." Trant uttered as he pulled up the mug of a being on the holotable. "Grotta the Hutt, wanted by the United States and Canada for murder and distributing narcotics. When he arrived, he soon recognized the opportunity to sell spice to this movement known as 'Hippies' and decided to set up shop in Chicago as the location was central enough and had the infrastructure for transporting it across the continent but he underestimated the resilience of the native underworld and the Federal Bureau of Investigations."
"His one task, one task was bringing material for the embassy in New York City, not causing a diplomatic nightmare." Sarsesh groaned, still wishing that the fiasco never occurred. It was by luck that Krasul and the diplomatic staff even managed to successfully sway the United States government that it was not sanctioned by the Republic in any way and the Hutt Cartel disavowed him, even placing some deathmarks on the overly ambitious upstart. Even so, after all this time evading capture or summarily execution, why pop up now?
"Chicago became a fucking warzone as Capone and Moran made an unlikely alliance to evict the bastard who sprouted from the anus of the decomposing corpse of an inbred, buck-toothed whore." Patton grumbled.
"We know George, we know and the Democratic National Convention a week prior was hectic enough per what heard about it."
Patton rolled his eyes and mentally cursed that sellout Abbie Hoffman to damnation before having a figure step forward.
"Agent Wescott?"
On cue, a man in a gray suit and wearing a fedora stepped forward, manilla folder in his hand.
"Agent Connor Wescott is an agent of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Security Service." Patton informed the gathered conference.
"Police? I thought he was a spy?"
"With all due respect, Director Trant, I had experience serving under the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. The Canadian government officially doesn't have a foreign intelligence service of its own."
"And unofficially?"
Connor only smirked. "Let's just say that Timothy Leary is no longer problematic."
Patton's eyes widened in surprise as Leary disappeared without a trace in Geneva while demonstrating acid to the locals only to be arrested by the Swiss authorities who were going to turn him over to the United States Marshals Service for being a wanted fugitive per the extradition treaty between the two governments but on the morning of his transfer it was discovered he wasn't in his cell.
"I see…" Saresh trailed, not expecting the confession revealed casually as if it was of no significance but underestimating Canadians seemed to be hazardous to one's health.
On cue, Connor began listing the makeup of his chosen personnel. "Chaos Squad and Agent Balkar need no introduction so I'll skip them over." The Agent mentioned as he pulled out the papers and handed each of the leadership a copy. "Masters Serena Ashak and Andrik Bizzle of the Jedi Order."
"Among the best lightsaber practitioners in the Order, outside of other notable masters like Master Therin."
"Not necessarily swordsmanship, Grandmaster, but because being a joint operation and their skills may come in useful in some circumstances." The spy justified. "Next is Alexander McAllen of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry."
"Looks like he was one of the foreign students who attended Ranger School." Patton noted.
"I'm sure his experience in rock climbing will prove beneficial to this as well." Wescott reasoned. "Finally on the roster is Corporal Hanzo Nilsson of the same unit and he's already quite familiar with another of the candidates. An interesting thing to note, he's a veteran from Vietnam, and served in the United States Marines to be exact, though we're finding some parts of his service records covered in black ink."
"He's obviously smitten with the kitten."
Patton wasn't sure how to react as while hearing about interspecies romance between humans and aliens, even awkwardly witnessing some public displays of affection and rushing by it, but seeing an instance of a subordinate being in a relationship with a Cathar even if it was through a photograph was another.
"Alright, so there may be more than one way of convincing him." Bandito stated while wishing to clear his mind of such images.
"May I suggest the ruse of a military inspection to throw off the attention of any Space Brits due to the fact that very important officials would be visiting?"
"Could work as any Imperial spies would be focused on us."
Kuat City, Medical Station - Kuat, Kuat Sector, Kuat System, Core Worlds, Republic Space, "The Galaxy"
12:01: 15 ATC / December 1st, 1968 - 18:45 / 6:45 PM
It was a long reflection, analyzing what he had learned during his time on Tython about this Galaxy, the adventures of Revan and the Ebon Hawk during the Jedi Civil War centuries ago, as well as thinking back to Vietnam that had brought unpleasant memories, memories of which still continued to haunt him.
But Hanzo's attention on his datapad was intercepted however when he heard the doors opening and a familiar face appeared through the doorway that brought a smile on his face.
"Hey Marala, you were able to get past through Nurse Sonnu I see..."
"I wasn't going to leave you hanging." The Cathar purred affectionately, approaching the bedside with an aura of both confidence and allure, causing Hanzo to chuckle as his partner was still the same woman as he remembered he had met during shore leave on Carrick Station, she leaned down and he welcomed the kiss from his attachment.
They pulled back a bit, she traced her hand on Hanzo's cheek, inspecting the scar. 'First a lightsaber across his face, now, stabbed.' She thought to herself.
"How are you holding up?" She wondered out of concern.
"Feeling much better than before, I'll say that much. Certainly looking forward to getting out of here with you." He smirked a bit as he traced his hand to her back, making her leaning down more of herself to him, pressing her chest against his as her forehead came to rest on his.
"I would give you a love tap for that remark but I wouldn't want to risk it." She jested.
"Well, if it makes you feel better, I'm cleared to leave here tomorrow morning, Marala." He stared into her green cat eyes, finding comfort in seeing the understanding in them that only a fellow soldier could, beyond the fact of their different species, he had never met any other woman quite like Marala that could actually understand what he had gone through in Vietnam.
Or that of his was harder life back home: There weren't many women he had known that didn't hold an interest in him or even were on friendly terms, due to being obviously of partial Japanese descent which usually made it clear of what the first impressions were going to be like, the reminders to him of the stain left behind by the atrocities committed by Imperial Japan during the Second World War. He had always done his best to be at least polite, be considerate, and he was damned if he was gonna be greeted by his father in the afterlife to be scolded for disrespecting a lady.
But still, he did it in knowing it wasn't going to be received back, even recalling times of when there were a few that had sought a 'crueler' means of telling him to back off, trying to manipulate him into positions where he would either be humiliated or facing their jealous boyfriends ready to try to defend their 'honor'.
That was about when he had started to admittedly develop a smartmouth in pissing them off, there was just something enjoyable in watching an overly confident person suddenly going red as a tomato as they struggle to find comebacks to his 'blunt' words, made them predictable too of what they were gonna do and how he responded back.
He also developed an enjoyment watching the ladies either sitting or standing there in complete shock, putting it further when he either refused their attempts to get with him to pretend to impress or still acting much as a gentleman he can as he left them there on spot. Others simply just were not worth the effort upon seeing they had attitudes that he didn't like or true value in themselves.
Though for the few women that he did meet that had tried to actually understand him… He didn't want them to be burdened by someone like him, someone still scarred from war or had little to offer to them beyond who that he showed himself to be. They deserved far better than him.
But Marala was different, it was almost hard to describe but there was something that felt far more comforting in being with her than he ever did with anyone else. He didn't want to rush this in the fears that their different lines of work could cause possible issues for their relationship, or dealing with what was growing apparent from the viewpoint that many of his fellow Earthlings were developing on 'interspecies' relationships.
He didn't care what others would make of it, but he was still thinking of what was going through Marala's mind. He was heartily glad to find that Marala was similar-minded on the subject as him.
She smiled as she looked into Hanzo's green-hazel eyes, tracing her claw finger on his torso. "In that case…"
The lovebirds however heard a cough and were astonished to see none other than the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order herself standing near the doorway.
Grandmaster Satele Shan
Kuat City, Medical Station - Kuat, Kuat Sector, Kuat System, Core Worlds, Republic Space, "The Galaxy"
12:01: 15 ATC / December 1st, 1968 - 18:45 / 6:45 PM
"I was going to release him in the morning anyways, Master Satele." Doctor Phoz declared."He's in the room down the hall, third door on the right."
"Thank you.." Without a beat, the Grandmaster began heading to the ward to recruit the Earthing of the Canadian tribe to the mission, coming to the door and waiting for it to open.
But upon doing so as she was about to enter the room, only to see though that the newest member of Chaos Squad laying her top-self on the man she had come to see, it didn't take long for her to sense the feelings coming from the tall Cathar, it brought certain memories back for her that she would've preferred to have kept buried.
Satele's arrival unexpectedly halted whatever that the two were intending on doing, she raised her hand to her mouth. "Ahem."
The couple were in a state of surprise at her unannounced visit but composed themselves due to having an unannounced visitor.
"Lieutenant? I need to speak to Corporal Nilsson alone, it shouldn't be more than a moment."
The Republic military officer nodded and stepped out of the ward to wait in the lobby, though in an apparent attempt to draw Hanzo's attention, her hips had noticeably sway with each of her steps though she kept herself in a professional posture as she left the room, throwing a wink at him as the door shut before her.
"How are you faring?"
Hanzo raised an eyebrow at the question as there has to be more to this than checking on his health. "Never been better, ma'am, with all things considering after being stabbed with a lightsaber.."
"Word has been going around that somebody took down a particularly murderous Sith with experience from the previous war with their bare hands."
"Well, it wasn't easy but I had to do what needed to be done. He would've kept killing more of us if anything wasn't done."
Satele accepted the response. "Your personnel file mentioned that you had some experience fighting in Vietnam with the Americans, some of which is interestingly blacked out."
"I love Canada and I'm proud to be a Canadian, but I needed to prove myself and the only conflict at the time where I was able to do so was in Southeast Asia." Hanzo declared. "As to the bits that I assumed are classified, suffice to say, there were spooks that wanted to make sure that I and my unit were gonna keep our mouths shut about a particular 'incident'. Unfortunately, unless you get permission somewhere, I doubt I'd be allowed to say without spooks coming knocking on doors. There has to be a reason why you came here, ma'am."
"The reason I'm here is because the higher-ups have something in mind and need you for this purpose." Satele handed him a datapad with presumably the information encoded into it. "I understand if you're still recuperating but be sure to read it before eleven hundred tomorrow."
Carrick Station, Core Worlds, Republic Space, "The Galaxy"
12:08: 15 ATC / December 8th, 1968 - 10:00 / 10:00 AM
"Atten-hut!"
Patton and Malcom acknowledged the snappy presentation of arms upon their arrival and began inspecting each trooper one by one personally, mostly seeing the maintenance of their equipment.
"This one looks a bit rusty here." Old Blood and Guts growled as he noticed specks on this individual's piece and it reminded him of the soldiers who neglected their appearance all those years ago, the time when he was given command of American forces in North Africa and to restore much-needed discipline in the ranks after the disastrous rout at Kasserine Pass, a time where he threatened to shoot any GI who wasn't wearing a tie just to restore the esprit de corps. "More than just piled with shit and left to rot. Did you think this was a fucking joke!? Where's your Sergeant, Private!?"
"That's paint, George." The Supreme Commander corrected, interceding on the subordinate's behalf as it was the truth.
"Well, I'm not familiar with blasters to be fair." Bandito snorted as he handed the rifle back to the Republic soldier. The said trooper was doing his best to remain composed but there was a detection of annoyance of being questioned for his professionalism as a soldier. "And it's still baffling that over two hundred varieties are all regarded as 'standard'."
Jace sighed and proceeded to inspect the next subordinate on the line with the barracks being soon enough.
Carrick Station, Core Worlds, Republic Space, "The Galaxy"
12:08: 15 ATC / December 8th, 1968 - 10:30 / 10:30 AM
"We better finish up sprucing the barracks before the two get here." One of the expectant voices reasoned as he walked into the room, the automatic door splitting to provide entry. "Polish our helmets as well-" The merc, however, paused when he noticed some completely unfamiliar strangers in their room, as if they were waiting for their return. "It seems like we have some uninvited guests."
"Sorry, I think we went to the wrong room by mistake." Connor apologized with a wicked and not so innocent smile."We're very sorry and my friends and I were about to leave."
"Right you are." One of the mercenaries growled as they drew their blaster pistols or rifles. "And it will be the last error you'll ever make."
"Alex?" Wescott requested. "You have the welcoming gift?"
"Sure do." The subordinate with the position of loader in a machine gun section smirked as turned the knob of the canister to vent out the vapors. "We're sorry, very sorry about this."
"Gas, gas, gas!"
The mercenaries attempted frantically to leave or grab their weapons to attack the intruders while the unwelcome guests placed their gas masks on but the automatic door was unresponsive as if it was purposely deactivated to provide a seal and trap the hired guns inside.
Carrick Station, Core Worlds, Republic Space, "The Galaxy"
December 8th, 1968 - 10:30 / 10:30 AM
"Thank you, Jefro." Balkar acknowledged the agent impersonating a supervisor of cleaning droids who were to place the corpses in capsules and covertly dispose of them.
"No problem, Jonas. These scum deserve to be vented out of an airlock." The other SIS Agent shrugged while the armor of the former owners was distributed with Major Lane holding silver Elite War Hero Eliminator armor and Lieutenant Jorgo getting the Verpine Med-Tech armor, which was painted in purple, the owner was unfortunate to have not been wearing her helmet or else it would've more than had kept her safe from the technology was amongst the most advance and best in the whole galaxy.
Hanzo, however, was given a set of armor that was a spare set owned by one of the now-deceased mercenaries, a customized TT-17A Hydra colored gold and red that was very clearly Mandalorian, the helmet was a dead giveaway with the famed T shaped visor. But for some reason, the Corporal suspected that this might be someone else's as none of the dead Howling Heathens were wearing anything resembling it as they were all clearly not Mandalorians themselves, being a mixture of humans and few aliens as he noted a dead Weeguay, Kiffar, Karkarodon, and Togruta among the bodies, the Karkarodon he guessed was female based on both his fishing experience back in Vancouver Island where he occasionally had to deal with the pesky dogfish or even the rare time that a salmon shark had attempted to steal his bait, and upon noting the female shaped figure that was a dead giveaway, some of it subtle but he was able to still make out the difference. It was harder to tell at times with some species who were far less humanoid in physiology as compared to the human similarities, he had already seen a great wide variety of them across the station that had left him almost overwhelmed by the reminder of how massive this galaxy was.
Yet at the same time, it was possible that it was a case of any one of them not being selective with appearances just as long as the armor was intimidating and functional for the purpose, the reputation alone has made the very sight of the armor could cause many to flee in terror than to learn how accurate the stories about Mandalorians were, to read that there was more to it than labeling the warriors as ones who do it out of only being available for hire. No, there were Clans that are more honorable than being mere mercenaries with traditions dating back millennia and labeling them as 'brutes' or 'thugs' was not only an oversimplification, it was bound to create falsehoods, a misconception which was just as wrong and tantamount to saying he was unworthy of being a Canadian because of his maternal grandparents were from Japan.
But on the other hand… He can see as to why many other of these stories were made, the Mandalorians were just as brutal as their honor was and it more than reminded him of his own ancestors, the Vikings, and even the Samurai as he thought of the brutality of their famed brutal raids across Europe or eras of war such as the Sengoku Jitai or the Imjin War that saw Japan while under the rule of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, attempting to become a Colonial Empire that would engulf Asia in the flames of war.
This current war has seen the Mandalorians as the Republic's enemies not seen since the Mandalorian Wars three centuries prior. Battles or engagements seen on such as Taris, Balmorra, and Corellia had done enough to remind that the Mandalorians are incredibly dangerous.
Hanzo, out of curiosity, decided to try on the helmet to see if it not only fit him but more of seeing what Mandalorians saw out of it and he was amazed. He noticed that there was a display of a 'floating' red crosshair that moved when his eyes moved, as if the crosshair was automatically aligned to a target and from he recognized as Aurebesh numerals, the range was automatically compensated for as well.
Concentrating on one of the bunks, the Canadian serviceman noted that the distance was registered as twenty-five meters and he switched his focus on a vase behind him, noting that it was five meters away.
However, as soon as he turned around, he noticed that somehow he could see whatever - or whoever - was behind him. 'Three hundred sixty degrees? This is good for tactical awareness'. Nilsson noted, aware of the possibilities presented with such capabilities, though he will need some time to properly become used to fighting with a suit of advanced armor like this.
"It seems like you're enjoying yourself, Hanzo." Marala commented half-jokingly, amused by the seeming, for the lack of a better word, playfulness by the Earthling while testing the helmet.
"Alright, cut it out." Connor interrupted, thinking the same way even though it was with a different conclusion. "McAllen, Nilsson, let's give the ladies some privacy."
"What's the matter, boys?" Enilly wondered cheekily. "Afraid to be around us?" She had her bodysuit's top zipper down which more than exposed some of her cleavage, obviously to get Alex's attention, to which it certainly did.
Major Lane herself didn't show any apparent discomfort of it either, though that can be more led up about her Echani heritage. "I would think at the least you and Marala wouldn't have any issue considering your 'activities'." She was already moving to remove her Republic Trooper armor, dropping her gauntlets on a table with her helmet before moving to do the rest with her armor, leaving her in a bodysuit that more than showed her curvy yet very athletic figure that was a testament of her status as a Special Operations soldier.
"Thankfully this is a two-room suite." Wescott muttered.
Erick Priest - Howling Heathens
Carrick Station, Core Worlds, Republic Space, "The Galaxy"
12:08: 15 ATC / December 8th, 1968 - 11:15 / 11:15 AM
The dark blond-haired, blue-eyed Mandalorian outcast was imposing in his TT-16B Master Powertech as he headed back to link up with the others at their temporary lodging and while the Dar'manda was not ashamed for what he had done, what was deemed to be immoral and dishonorable activities on Balmorra collaborating with a fellow Mandalorian, Monta Drai, a professional mercenary who kept a slavery business on the sideline, enslaving the local inhabitants and selling them off to the Empire for credits, nevermind burning villages for sport yet he never regretted his actions, he wasn't ignorant that it wasn't honorable but honor wasn't what drove him, he didn't lie to himself that he still had any honor after the things he did unlike the other Mandalorians within Monta's band.
Regardless of what his fellow Mandalorians across the galaxy thought of what he did, he still considered himself more honest than others would care to admit. He knew if he showed himself around any other Mando'ade, they would surely try to kill him on the spot without second thought or hesitation, he was just a scrorage who needed to be ended.
And therefore he only became one of the 'Heathens' not necessarily by choice but because of circumstances and he enjoyed the time on Alderaan during the Civil War, but the recent decision by the leader of the band to work for the Republic while profitable did also prove difficult to adjust and there were a few of the group who shared the same sentiment.
As a matter of fact, there was going to be a discussion after the Supreme Commander of the Republic Military and General Patton - a man he only heard about - inspected the quarters, a possibility of seeking employment elsewhere instead of charading themselves as some upholders of morality when to the contrary the Howling Heathens all had blood on their hands during the Civil War, even at one point massacring five hundred peasants just because they were toiling the land of the wrong house as that was how they operated, not be some do-gooders.
Approaching the door, Erick noticed a specific device laying on the ground. "Looks like Molin accidentally dropped her datapad." He chuckled before opening the door, only to see that no one was there and the place was almost like they left it, except for notably the personal datapad.
The discrepancy caused him to immediately have klaxons go off mentally, it was completely unlike the others to just neglect a task of any sort even if this one involved sprucing up a place for visitors. And scanning the room, he noticed something else was off - more like missing - from the otherwise 'untouched' room:
His spare set of Mandalorian armor was gone.
"Damned chakaars!"
Carrick Station, Core Worlds, Republic Space, "The Galaxy"
December 8th, 1968 - 12:00 / 12:00 PM
"Well, Han, I didn't expect us to be dragged for wet work." Alex sighed underneath the helmet after he changed into the armor back in the room, his being a 'TT-15A Powertech' - specifically the 'Republic' version - and the corpses of the former owners now being disintegrated in tubs of acid before the canisters were vented into space intermixed with the jettisoned trash just to get rid of their existence.
The team embarked on the star transport owned by the Alderaanian mercenaries, settling in for the trip ahead and the leader of the operation decided now was a good time to review everything.
"You remember the plan?"
"We're going to be posing as the Alderaanian mercenary group 'The Howling Heathens' and act as being hired on as security with rotations being one group on-duty at the front, one off-duty, and a third conducting surveillance on our target to figure out which location would provide the best opportunity to strike him down. Sometime in-between, we'll arrange ourselves to be hired as firepower to one of the warring gangs that are enemies of the Shadow Syndicate but not allies of the Republic publicly, and in order to keep up appearances, we're doing what needs to present ourselves as hired paid mercenaries. But otherwise, we do what's necessary and able for the mission and the cause."
Wescott nodded at Specialist Kovo's paraphrased recitation of the plan, the war criminals they were impersonating wouldn't be missed in the slightest, and the group needed to do anything to stay alive in the midst of the chaos occurring on the planet.
"Why did I have to turn my lightsaber to Master Satele again?"
"To keep everything sanitized." Wescott reminded the Twi'lek Jedi. "I'm not having any unnecessary risks here as a lightsaber attracts attention and narrows down who uses them rather quickly. Besides, none of our now departed 'friends' were former Jedi."
"He does have a point, ma'am."
"You know it would come in handy."
"We've been over this, Serena. If you disagree, you can drop out of this Operation right now and return to the Temple. Agent Balkar and I discussed in-depth the approaches and the only other one would be planting a bomb inside the casino that Grotta likes to visit and blow it to Kingdom Come. Unfortunately, a certain Grandmaster swayed everyone except Patton for it."
"Hey, don't look at me but all I'm going to say is he has his reasons to be overbearing." Balkar defended.
"You all don't need to gang up on me about this, you wouldn't like it either if you were being told to put away something that's your very life." Serena didn't expect them to understand the connection that a Jedi or Sith have with their lightsabers, particularly their connections to the crystal of their sabers.
Hanzo though had a better idea of it, his time spent on Tython had exposed him more to it and Serena herself had even shared the light with him on the subject. In fact, he still had Darth Goh's lightsaber somewhere. "Besides, this isn't the first time I've had to go undercover without it, besides… I was born on Nar Shaddaa, this will be me returning home."
Happy May Fourth, everyone!
I know it has been a while since the story was last updated but without further ado, I'll let my pal Mando have the honor of explaining the contexts here.
Mando?
Mandalore the Survivor: Thank you Jumper and Happy May Fourth as well. Essentially this is a story arc in hopes to further explore the characters that you see involved here and to give a deeper depth level of Earthlings exploring the galaxy by having them see what Nar Shaddaa is truly like and of its dangers. Hanzo's character in particular I hope to show as something truly different from the others and to present how Hanzo's experiences during the Vietnam War were different and provide a contrast to Jake's experiences and how Hanzo was affected by the conflict.
While I admit me and Jumper don't always agree with each other and we have different contrasting views from each other, we still learn to work together and it helps create other elements in the story here with our characters and their storylines. I, overall, hope to show something that's always shown more about Star Wars with my friend We'retheDesperateMeasures-ODST here.
We'retheDesperateMeasures-ODST: I got to give all the credit to Mando here as he was the one who came up with this and put the effort into making this arc reality, guys and I will continue to give the credit where due.
While we may respectively have some opinions that are, I won't lie, completely different and opposing, we don't let them be in the way of cooperation, an example of what is sorely needed in the current divisive climate, and I'm proud to declare that Mandalore the Survivor is one of the persons I know who I can always count on and I'm also grateful to call him a friend.
Mandalore the Survivor: And I as well.