So, I am back with another chapter for you all.

This chapter will be mostly set up, so do not expect anything exciting now.

Let us not keep you all waiting longer than we must.

So as per usual all credit for this idea goes to Worldwonderer, and a thank you to all those who given me your ideas to use in this story alongside your support as well. Also, as usual, all rights go to their owners as I own nothing!

Currently sitting just outside the office of the CEO of MandalMotars, a young woman sat nervously as her leg bounced uncontrollably with all the anxiety she felt.

'Come on Roroa, get a grip.' She thought to herself.

But despite saying that to herself, Roroa was finding it different to calm herself down and for good reason as well. She was here to close a deal between MandalMotars and Misriah Technologies; also adding to this fact was if she were successful in closing this deal then she would be given the position of CEO at one of Misriah's main partner companies as payment.

As to how Roroa had allowed herself to be talked into accepting that deal in the first place was still something she was trying to figure out.

"Shab," Roroa muttered to herself as she stood up and made her way to the only window in this room while she tried to once again figure out just how she had gotten herself into this situation.

It had started innocently enough, as Roroa had been laying low as the Master Chief's legendary crusade across Concordia. In which he had forced most of the major Clans located in the north hemisphere to knee to him.

Those had been the lucky ones, as her old man and her brother had defied the Chief.

Which had ended with their deaths, a fact that Roroa was still coming to grips with. As she had not been there when it had happened, having been helping one of her Clan-mates with some business.

But once word reached them, the two of them adopted a low profile.

That was until she received a summons, at which point Roroa knew that she had no choice but to go and face the person who killed her father and brother.

"How did I even get into this situation in the first place?" Roroa asked herself for what had to be the tenth time since she had gotten here.

As Roroa then gazed out upon the unobtrusive view of Keldabe, MandalMotors tower literally towered over all other buildings in the city. Still, despite her current situation Roroa could not help but be reminded of what any the truth was despite what dar'manda might claim.

For Keldabe would always be the true capital city of the Mandalorians and not Sundari where the dar'manda currently dwelled.

But as Roroa thought about Sundari, her mind enviably brought her back to her current predicament.

When she went to see what the Spartan wanted, she honestly expected the worst but was pleasantly surprised when he was merely recalling the Clans that he had bested to let them all know the rules that he expected them to play by now that they were under his protection.

The Spartan was merely happy to let them leave once he was done.

Still, it had come as an unpleasant surprise when she had called her. Roroa had known how she had gotten in contact with her, as strapped for credits as she was; Roroa had taken a survey that had offered a tidy sum for some basic information on her likes and dislikes alongside some personal traits.

Of course, Roroa had asked someone who had already taken this as to whether it was legitimate. Once she had done so she had taken the test, of course making sure to adjust some of her answers so as not to give away too much information about herself.

But obviously, Roroa had not changed enough, as she had gotten a Holo-call from the organizer of this survey, a being called Cortana. Needless to say, during their talks Cortana explained that she had skills that they were looking for in their company, to which Roroa responded politely to the flattery and asked where Cortana was going with it.

At which point, she dropped the speeder bus on her, as she said Roroa had all the skills that she felt were necessary to run a company and offered her the CEO position of an up-and-coming start-up called Mandal-Earth Arms Tech.

Of course, Roroa had declined Cortana's offer out of hand, as she had absolutely no experience running a company. Even if Roroa had handled most of her Clans' business dealings, that was nothing compared to running an interplanetary organization!

As she had not been trained to push paper, even if she was good at it. No, her Clan had raised her to follow the traditions of the old Mandalorians. Even if the financial situation had forced Roroa into the Clan's other side businesses to ensure they had a steady stream of credits, and through some crafty arrangements, most of the Clan business deals had gone through without any issue from the New Mandalorian, thanks in part to her good business sense that she felt was wasted on her.

Still despite that Cortana had pushed her a little more to which Roroa had offered her a deal.

A deal which had led her into the current situation that Roroa was facing. On the one hand, she did not want this meeting to go too well, while on the other she simply did not want to torpedo the whole thing.

Because Roroa knew better than to do that, besides, she also knew a botched negotiation with such a high-profile company could have bad repercussions even if she did not enter into the business sector again.

As word spread far and wide of such things in the business community, and oftentimes tricked down to other areas as either rumours or gossip.

Something that Roroa would like to avoid for obvious reasons.

'Still, why did I make that kriffing offer to her in the first place?' Roroa asked herself again even though she already knew the answer.

Roroa could already tell Cortana that she was not going to accept no for an answer. As to her reason, that was Roroa did not know. Even so, Roroa had felt that this little wager between them was the best option she had available to her at that moment in time.

Had she known that Cortana was kriffing tricking her into closing a deal between MandalMotars and Misriah Technologies, then Roroa might have saved herself a headache and skipped the system.

But deep down she knew that this was not an option. Partly because of the reason stated before, and also what her Clan would do to her once they found out what she did.

Despite being rather a progressive path, they had taken in recent generations they still held onto some of the older traditions of the past.

One of which was the idea of the collective Clan honour, which each one worked hard to uphold.

So, as you can imagine when one of the Roroa Clan failed to live up to that experience members of her Clan were expected to hunt down and kill those who had disgraced the Clans name.

This was not as common as it was beforehand, as some of the reforms from Mandalore the Preserver had seen the Mandalorians start moving in a direction that would probably have benefited long-term.

If not for certain events that had seen all that progress stalled and finally wiped away, returning most of the Clans to their nomadic roots. Thus, allowing this certain tradition to survive into the modern era.

But it seemed that Roroa had one thing to thank the Spartan for. Her father and brother had been the ones enforcing this practice onto her Clan. So, with them gone, hopefully, this outdated tradition would finally leave her Clan.

Even so, Roroa did not want to risk making a rift between what was left of her Clan, as she knew that it would be a while before the tradition was fully removed. Knowing this Roroa knew that it was best to act as if her old man was still alive, as much as she might hate it.

'I should've brought my helmet along for this.' Roroa then thought to herself as she continued to look out the window.

Roroa had originally not brought along her helmet with her as a sign of confidence, but now she was very much regretting that decision. She very much wished that she had, if only so that she could hide the signs of worry from her face. Roroa then nervously brushed away some of her chocolate-coloured hair that had somehow managed to make its way into her eye. But as she did so Roroa then heard a door open behind her.

"Roroa?" The man voice who she knew to be the CEO of MandalMotars called to her.

Taking a moment to compose herself; Roroa then turned to look straight into the T-shaped visor of the all too familiar helmet she saw whenever she walked the streets of Keldabe.

Standing in the doorway was Drsadvata, the current CEO of MandalMotars, his tall build put him at least a foot over her. Still, Roroa was not intimidated by that, as she was more worried about making a bad impression on him.

"Yes," She then stated a little too quickly for her own liking.

"Good, we don't have much time. So, if you would follow me." Drsadvata said waving her into the room behind him.

So, without another word from Roroa, she then followed him into his office.

When Roroa entered the office, she had not expected it to be so messy.

But then again, given what she saw it was not much of a surprise, as most of what was lying around the small office were financial records and business documents which could only mean one thing.

'I wasn't aware that they were in such financial trouble.' Roroa thought to herself.

She had been more than aware that MandalMotars was suffering due to the flop that was the Kom'rk-class fighter. The starfighter suffered badly from design restrictions and demands that the New Mandalorian government had made on the design teams.

Most of those who had quit after work were done in the Kom'rk and left to find work elsewhere.

The only reason why Roroa was even aware of this insider information was because she had done her research. Despite not being at all happy about being put this this position by Cortana, it did not mean that Roroa was not going to do her due diligence in preparing for this meeting.

Besides, if things did go well then Roroa might find herself the CEO of a company herself and working with Drsadvata. Still, that was something she could worry about later, as Roroa was still trying to wrap her head around just what she was seeing.

"Sorry for the mess, but this is something of an unofficial meeting," Drsadvata explained to her.

"Let me guess, the dar,manda?" Roroa did not even bother to hide her suspicion.

As Roroa was more than aware of just how much the business sector had changed since the New Mandalorian had taken power and other competitors from the Republic had flooded into the sector.

"The kriffing dar,manda control everything! They don't seem to care if the local business goes bankrupt, so long as their jetiise friends are affected." Drsadvata complained bitterly.

This was pretty much the truth as he saw it. The moment that the mega-corporations had entered into the sector, everything had gone downhill rather quickly for MandalMotars.

Despite Satine's office position on the matter, it seemed that the corrupt practices of the Republic were already finding their way here.

This was not much of a surprise, especially to anyone who paid even a little bit of attention to the Republic Senate knew that all the major corporations were paying off senators left and right, with only a few of them having the morals to not accept the bribes would often times have 'accidents' that would allow other who were more… agreeable to take their places.

But this was not always the case, as there would be the rare senator that had morals that were popular enough that they simply could not just kill them without causing an investigation, because that might actually risk having one of those moral senators the ammunition to move against them.

Which would be rather disruptive to their business if they let them be as there were credits to be made.

Drsadvata was more convinced that this was the reason why both MandalMotors and Mandal Hypernautics had been artificially handed capped, as to allow them to take over their market share.

But this was not Roroa's main concern at the moment, as she did sympathize with Drsadvata she needed to do her business with him. And that meant putting aside her feelings and focusing on the task at hand, which was summed up in one question.

"Just how long do I have?" Roroa then asked getting straight to business.

As she knew how rude this might seem, Roroa knew from Drsadvata's earlier statement they were on a timeline, and she for one wanted to make use of every moment of it. Especially considering what she would be proposing to him.

Roroa knew that the simple proposal would be a pain to get Drsadvata to entertain. Let alone getting him on board with it, as she knew that he would be asking him to take a significant risk.

Still, Roroa herself would not have even come here if she did not see a potential business opportunity that would have been worth Drsadvata's time.

"We have about a standard hour; unless something comes up," Drsadvata stated simply.

This was less time than Roroa would have liked. But if she were able to get him to accept her proposal then he and the representatives from Misriah could sort out the rest of the details.

"Also, sorry for my earlier outburst, it was rather unprofessional for me." Drsadvata then said as the two of them took a seat.

"You did say this was an unofficial meeting." Roroa reminded him,

To which she felt that had earned her a smile from underneath Drsadvata's faceplate.

"So, I did, so, Roroa what does Misriah Technologist have that would be interesting to me?" Drsadvata then asked her.

As he was going to let her do most of the talking. Because the CEO of MandalMotors just wanted to see what kind of person Roroa was as he knew that she would be reflective of the company she represented.

"That would be this," Roroa stated as she then brought out a small holo-projector and then turned it on. "As we were hoping to get MandalMotors expertise to help us get this onto prediction as soon as possible," Roroa said giving Drsadvata part of the sales pitch.

Drsadvata for his part did not respond to Roroa's proposal and merely continued to look over what was being displayed by the small holo-projector, as what she had shown Drsadvata had definitely caught his interest.

"An interesting design, as it reminds me of the YT-1300 in terms of potential modification potential," Drsadvata commented.

As Drsadvata was not a fool and knew a potential good design when he saw one. For he could tell that the Hilux-class starfighters were more or less meant to get around the New Mandalorian regulations regarding what craft could be armed within the sector. And with the failure that was the Kom'rk, which remaining stock was quickly being liquidated.

MandalMotars needed a solid ship to launch back into the market with, even if it was in partnership with a completely unproven company.

Well, Drsadvata could not say it was not completely unproven, as they did have the skills and the contacts to get a meeting with this office. Even so, a lot of credits could easily get that in this economy.

No, what would get Drsadvata to even consider partnering up with a completely unknown company. He got design proposals like this every month or so.

As such he needed to know what made this difference from all the other companies that had approached him. So, he asked probably the hardest question in the business world.

"So how do you plan to enter the market? As I'm sure you're aware of just how fierce the compaction is in the starship market." Drsadvata asked which Roroa already had an answer prepared for him.

"We have a two-pronged approach to this; one is to see if we can get a contract to supply the security forces in parts of the sector while also marketing to the local Clans and possible foreign buyers. Especially local PDFs near the Mandalorian sector." Roroa explained Cortana's plan to Drsadvata.

As Roroa suspected, whoever was providing funding for Misriah Technologies had those contacts. Which was probably a safe bet considering that they had managed to set up a meeting between her and the CEO of MandalMotors.

"I presume that's why you made them able to be modified to the extent where they can be anything from a simple racer to a top-tier starfighter?"

"That's pretty much the idea. We provide the base frame while they go out and add on what they want considering their needs." Roroa stated simply.

This was a simple yet robust business strategy, as despite the risks that Cortana and Misriah Technologies were taking with this it held many advantages given the current market.

Because Roroa could plainly see that the Mandalorian sector starfighter market was over-regulated, thus leaving a potential gap that they could fill.

Roroa was more than aware that many in the sector were in the market for starfighters that they could use for multiple roles; everything from a simple racer to a full-on attack craft, as with most local companies and residents struggling, most did not have enough credits to spare on new spacecraft.

"What about the regulations the New Mandalorians have been imposing throughout the sector? How do you plan to get around them?" Drsadvata then inquired of Roroa.

"As you know the Hilux are officially categorized as civilian starfighters. So, what our clinics do with them once they have position of them isn't any of our business." Roroa stated simply.

She knew that it was pretty much next to impossible to miss what she was implying to Drsadvata who then nodded his head in understanding.

"Nor is it mine what my clients do once they take the equipment out the door." Drsadvata then said as he started to catch onto just what they were proposing.

As he had a vague idea as to what Roroa might be suggesting. But after this Drsadvata was certain of it; as he then asked the obvious question.

"Just what are you proposing?" Drsadvata then inquired, even though he already knew the answer.

"Simply, we made a subsidiary owned between MandalMotars and Misriah that would allow all this to happen in one place," Roroa stated simply.

Even so, neither Roroa nor Drsadvata were fools, as they both were aware of just how complicated such an adventure would be. But at the same time, there were a lot of potential credits to be made if they could pull this off.

So, in the eyes of Drsadvata, it was worth the risk. Because if things kept going as they currently were, then MandalMotars might be looking at bankruptcy and ruin.

Still, there would be the issue of New Mandalorian oversight of the whole thing. Even so, Drsadvata did have some ideas as to how they could possibly deal with that. But he suspected that Roroa and her friends at Misriah had already thought of this as he merely asked this next question to confirm his suspicion.

"Where would this business be located here?"

"It would be located off-world, as there are obvious certain parts of the sector are better for what we have planned," Roroa said knowingly.

As Roroa was not so new to the business world that would suggest having the headquarters for their new business venture in the main Mandalorian system itself. As the whole sector had different laws and regulations wherever you went.

Knowing this Roroa was certain that between herself, Drsadvata and Cortana; they would be able to find a place to set up shop that would fly mostly under the radar of the New Mandalorians.

Even if Roroa suspected that this would require some of the first dozen Hilux starfighters would have to be handed over to the local security forces and Mandalorian Patrol in the area. As Roroa knew most of the equipment in the local PDF and Patrol were very much dated at this point.

Especially considering the economic consequences of Satine's current policies; Roroa had heard of some worlds in the sector having to sell off their equipment and downsizing drastically to be able to operate in these conditions.

This, if true, meant there would be a large market for this relatively inexpensive fighter craft.

So, supplying the local security forces with a couple of free Hilux seemed a small price to play when the possibility of creating a viable business outside of the suffocating regulations that the New Mandalorians; was something that even Drsadvata could see the value of having.

"I will help you build this joint company with you and Misriah. Though I do have one condition before I agree to this," Drsadvata stated.

There was only one condition that he had before he would sign the paperwork for this.

"Which would be?" Roroa asked as she got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"The condition would be that you would be the CEO of this company. Because if it goes down, I'm not going to be alone in it," Drsadvata made this clear.

To which Roroa's heart sank, as she had known that this might have happened, but she had rejected the idea. Despite dipping her toes into the business world, she was pretty much a nobody.

So, for her to from a nobody to a CEO of a potential high-profile company would be…

Roroa could not even figure out what it would be like, as she had no reference point in her life to draw upon because all she had been doing was training to uphold the tradition of her Clan.

Roroa knew that despite her seemingly nature business sense, it would have served her well in negotiations with her clients, ensuring that she had the best prices for her work.

Still, Roroa had not realized just how long she had been silent, something which Drsadvata interpreted as a mix of shock and surprise on her part, as it was not every day that someone was met with such a condition/offer.

"If it's any consolation, I wouldn't have asked you to do this if I didn't think that you were up for the task," Drsadvata said to her.

But despite those words, Roroa could not find any comfort in them.

As she felt rather uncertain as to how to respond, the teen knew that her next work would not only fulfill the contract but would also trap her in the position of CEO.

Something that if Roroa was being honest with herself, she felt unprepared for.

But at the same time, Roroa could feel a pull, something telling her to take this opportunity that was before her.

For a couple of seconds, these two feelings wrestled within Roroa until one of them won out. It was also helped by the fact that she realized what good she could do Mandalorian and by her extension her Clan by making this decision.

"Very well, I accept your offer," Roroa said as she could not help but suspicion that Cortana had set her up.

But that did not seem to matter now, as she had to follow through with her commencement. Not only because of the deal that had been placed in front of her but also for her Clan as well.

Despite knowing the difference, they might have in accepting it, Roroa felt that perhaps she would in time be able to prove to them that this was the right choice. That and to herself, as she and Drsadvata used what little time reminded to iron out the finer details of their arrangement.

"We're coming out of hyperspace," John commented as he watched space outside the viewport return to normal.

Once it had he turned into the only other being on the ship. As John saw Wamoshoool working the ship controls while he worked on navigation.

As the Spartan were still learning the controls starships, so until John got better familiarity with them, he would allow Wamoshoool to operate the ship for the time being.

Wamoshoool then growled something at him, which thanks to the translation software Cortana had installed into MJOLNIR; John was able to understand what he was saying.

"I'm aware of the planet's history. I want to get this done as quickly as you do." John admitted to the Wookiee.

Which was the truth, as John knew that this planet had a strong connection to the Jedi's main rival: The Sith.

In fact, Dromund Kaas had been the capital of their empire in times long past. A fact that did not sit well with the Spartan, as he could only imagine just what they might find down there.

Still, the Historian had asked him to take this mission considering what the old man had done for the Spartan. He had accepted it without question.

Even so once John had learned about Dromund Kaas's past he could not worry about running into any of these Sith survivors.

Which only made him want to get this job done as quickly as possible, as he had yet to actually create any strategies to deal with either the Sith or Jedi.

Something which John knew he had to do sooner rather than later. But for the moment he listened as Wamoshoool let out a loud huff and then returned his focus to flying the ship; the Wookiee knew this was probably the best answer he would get from the Spartan.

John for his part continued to work at his station and could not help but slightly shift to study Wamoshoool out of the corner of his eye; as the Wookiee's appearance had changed drastically since he had first met him.

As on the Blood Talon Wamoshoool had been obviously mistreated by his handlers on board the ship. With certain things such as food being withheld from the Wookiee to get him to work.

But now Wamoshoool had mostly recovered from that experience, and he showed it as well. The great beast looked a great deal bigger, thanks in part to the regular diet being restored. There was also the fact that he had a chance to have his injuries looked at and his hazelnut gray hair was once again groomed.

So now Wamoshoool looked very much the warrior that he was. Now clad in some armour that John had recommended for him. With a large shoulder guard and chest plate to make sure that Wamoshoool did not go down in one lucky hit.

Still, what was most impressive was the relatively new Bow Caster that was within reach of Wamoshoool. John knew full well all the effort that had gone into that weapon as he had actually helped Wamoshoool in constructing his new weapon, and in exchange, the Wookiee had offered his expertise in crafting Chief his own personal weapon as the Spartan had made it known to him that the standard weapons were not cutting it.

The results of which were two weapons that he was going to field test on this mission.

But the Spartan ensured that he had an emergency backup should both of them fail while out in the field. So, considering all this, John felt between himself and Wamoshoool, he felt more than certain that they could deal with whatever might be on the planet just outside their view-screen.

Still, there was just one thing that was bothering the Spartan about this whole situation.

As Cortana had not joined them on this trip. Despite John's attempts to get her to join them, as he could use her help on this mission, she declined his request and claimed that she had more important matters to deal with on Concordia.

This of course did not sit well with the Chief, as he was supposed to not let her out of his sight; leaving her behind on High Charity being the only exception to that rule given the circumstances they had found themselves in at the time.

So, when Cortana stated this to him, this naturally led to an argument that lasted for quite some time. Eventually, Cortana managed to convince Chief to let her stay behind. Even so Chief would not be without an AI for this mission, as Cortana had ensured that they would have some help with him in case they came across any difficulties.

As Cortana had paired with a Dumb AI of her own making, as it was called Battle-net Assistance Manager or B.A.M. for short.

An AI that Cortana assured him was on pair with most UNSC standard military Dumb AIs. But despite her assurances John still would've rather that she had come with him as the Spartan still felt uneasy about leaving Cortana unguarded; even if he knew that she was safe.

But then again given the world before them, John had to admit that Cortana had probably been right to say behind, as Wamoshoool then grunted and growled at the Spartan.

"Just find an area around the site," John stated simply.

He did not want to be on this world, and by extension Cortana alone for too long.

Giving a growl in confirmation, Wamoshoool began to bring the ship down into Dromund Kaas's atmosphere.

The duo mentality prepared for what possibly lay ahead for them in the former capital world of the ancient Sith Empire.

Mando'ade Dictionary:

Dar,manda - A state of not being Mandalorian - not an outsider, but one who has lost his heritage, and so his identity and his soul - regarded with absolute dread by most traditional-minded Mando'ade

jetiise - Jedi plural, Republic

That is all she wrote; I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter.

Anyway, this turned out to be one of those chapters, as I could not really figure out how I wanted to write this one out if I am being honest with you all.

Still, I do hope it does not take away from the chapter overall, as some interesting developments are happening in this. Such as Cortana finding a CEO for M.E.A.T. and Chief and Wamoshoool going to the Sith world of Dromund Kaas.

We'll have to wait and see what happens with both parties, also it's near the end of the year, so I'll add in a bonus bit as well, both to celebrate and to flush out somethings as well.

Anyway I hope you enjoy.

Roroa private journal:

When I was first forced into this job, I always thought I would crack under the pressure. The fact that I didn't surprise me, that, and the fact that I would leave my position in the Mandalorian sectors most successful company and take the first chair at the first central bank of the sector.

But in all honesty, what surprised me the most was that I never expected that I would come to care about those who were involved in it.

By that I mean, John, the person who started this all came to trust me enough that he told me his real name. The only other people I know that he's shared this information with is the old man with his idiotic museum and Cortana.

The one who started me down this path, honestly if she was a person, I'm not sure whether I would hug her or punch her in the jaw. Honestly given how she's going to send me to an early grave with all this work, I would say the latter.

There is also Ijaat, though he's currently on Coruscant, the rumour is that he's trying to get off the world. As the rot of the Republic is clear for all to see.

As from what report I've been able to see, it's turned into a full-on police state in all but name.

I hope that Ijaat gets out, as I would hate to see him getting himself killed in some dark corner of the Republic's jails. As with all the problems he's caused for them, it would honestly be the best outcome. Because they've ordered a shot on sigh order for him due to his earlier actions such as his actions to try and ensure that the Mandalorian sector didn't become occupied by the Republic. That and all the other activities he and his network have been undertaking on Coruscant.

I hope he gets back soon, as I'll need some protection now that my bodyguard is gone…

If I'm being honest, the biggest surprise was the relationship with that droid.

I know he would mock me for not referring to him correctly and that I am being too sentimental about him.

But in all honesty, I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for the kriffing droid.

Who after everything went off on his own and got himself killed.

That hit me hard, but what he told me makes me wonder about intelligence in this galaxy.

Finally there's my close friend Lisa.

Honestly I never thought that we would become so close, as she was acting as assistant for the representative to the Republic before taking over after untimely their death.

The funnies thing is we've only talked through holo-calls, but it's almost like I've known her for half my life. Which is why I can't help but worry about her, as she's made many enemies on both sides of this war…

But now with this war, and most of the dangers I face now, it isn't the fear of death that is most on my mind now.

No, what has surprised me the most is the fact that with everyone that I know in one way or another is on the front lines of this war, I now wonder if I will outlive them all?

Rorona, reflecting in a private journal months before the siege of the Mandalorian sector began.

Anyway that's all for now, so until next time, have a good one.