Shadows of Bankor

Ru'ni had come out here in a moment of frustration, he had seen the Razing first hand, had been there when it all went down. He decided to check out the aftermath of the attack against the Mandalorian Camp as well, to see how badly they were beaten to force them into the Sky Tree Sea.

Walking around kicking over scorched pieces of rubble, he was lost in his thoughts. He had sent a message to Astin, and to Viati about what had happened that morning, he hoped it would be enough, he hoped he wasn't being tracked or bugged, or any of the other things he saw in those old spy holovids.

Although he was confident that if they were following he would've spotted them out here in the open, in town they had the upper hand. Out here though, the playing field was a lot more even.

Astin had been about to kick it around town when he got Ru'ni's message, which was kind of a relief honestly. He didn't relish making his way into Rygor if he could avoid it.

Turning his matte black speeder towards the old mandalorian enclave he was there in no time, the bike was nothing if not fast. Coming to a halt he glanced around, hoping to spy the other man.

Hearing the speeder before he saw it, Ru'ni whipped around, his bow coming to hand with startling speed.

Thankfully he recognised the rider before he releases the arrow. "Astin, you scared me half to death, although it's more my fault than yours. I've been a little paranoid and on edge since this morning."

"Most folks are a bit paranoid and on edge now days, so I cant say I really blame you." The first question he wanted to ask is where the other man had been. He shoved it to the side fir now though.

"You mentioned a bit about that in your message, you ok?"

Ru'ni shook his head slightly, his braid bouncing around. "Went to the Bounty Hunter office this morning. Kriffing troopers everywhere, like fleas on a monkey lizard. I got caught in a sweep."

"Not a fun experience. They didn't recognize me though, so the records from that trip we all nearly made to Camp-14 must've been wiped good."

"That spy fellow really knows what he's doing." Astin offered with a slight smirk. "It's made a lot of our operations a bit easier."

"Glad to hear you made it out though. Still, if you needed some cash for something you could of given me a call. City isn't exactly safe for us."

"It's not for now." Ru'ni explains. "Bankor provides. I could live the rest of my days here and not need a single credit. But when the Coyote leaves...if I leave with it, then official papers and a way to pull my own weight."

"Well it seems only right."

"That's the kind of thing I can understand." Astin replied reaching down into the side compartment of his speeder and producing a pair of beers. One was tossed towards Ru'ni before he cracked open the other.

"On that note though, have you spoken to your lady and about thay?" There was a small pause. "If I'm not pryin."

"Hence the if," Ru'ni confessed as he caught the beer and cracked it open as well.

"We have...a lot to talk about." He adds as he leans against one of the few walls still standing as he waves his hands around.

"Look at this it's just not right. And I thought I was fighting with people who understood that, people who cared what happened. Then...then they just forgive the woman who did this to the Mando's? Who did worse to the Aznuri. And why? Because she said sorry?"

"I've always been the hot head in our relationship, always thought I knew best for both of us. Now I'm questioning my judgment. Questioning my morals. Questioning ME."

Astin knew a few things had changed, knew a few new faces were about. He hadn't heard about that though, the young man fell silent for a few moments trying to collect his thoughts.

"Hadn't heard about that, but it sounds like a damn fool thing to do.... Care to tell me a bit more about it?"

"It was a few weeks ago, the night of that mass execution." He started to explain, running through all the salient points.

"Then when we had her forces defeated, she surrendered. I expected a trial or a court martial or something. But no, she told Petrus that she saw the Light or some such bantha poodoo."

Ru'ni took a deep and long swig of beer. "And he kriffing bought it. Hook, line and sinker. Swore right then that I couldn't work with a group that would accept a genocidal mass murderer into their ranks."

Astin looked around the area. "You don't happen to have a wall or desk or something I could bang my head against do ya?"

Seeing the obvious answer as a no, Astin tipped back his beer and finished it. "I won't ask what made them consider that damn fools notion, or why in the hell they wouldn't consider the potential consequences of that particular action. Most of them are a bunch of optimistic fools, that believe hope and the force will deliver them from all evils."

He sighed softly. "I will ask what you want to do about it though, as you're a friend and a member of my crew until you say otherwise."

"What do I want to do? I want to kick all these interlopers off this planet. These Jedi brought the Empire, and this Empire killed my people."

Ru'ni let out a sigh. "It wasn't exactly prosperous before that Foundry set up, but at least we were free. Somethings are worth paying any price for. Now don't get me wrong."

Ru'ni tilted his beer can in Astin's direction. "I've got friends in that motley crew of meddlers too." He said, as a term of endearment. "But I think whoever is making management decisions needs a right talking to."

Astin shook his head. "I'm not the greatest fan of the Jedi either, they pretty much taught all their students how not to have a single grain of common sense I have to say though even without them, the Imps would still be here." The foundry was just one example of that.

"Though with the way the treated this situation, I could echo your opinion." He sighed softly, and pulled another can from the side compartment of his speeder. "I've been thinking the same thing for a while, and don't think it will change things. Maybe me and you should confront this terrorist in person, see if maybe she can see reason?"

"Maybe," Ru'ni agreed. "But I'm not going back to that base, at least not until the Coyote's putting out a final boarding call. I want her here, or at the Enclave, to see first hand what she has been a part of, to see what she has done. I'm not a merciless man, but it takes more than a hasty repentance in the middle of battle to convince me of her sincerity."

,"I can see if I can get her here or there." Astin mused thoughtfully.. "Though it's not like I have any great pull over the lady, and I'm not about to try and seduce a girl like her."

He frowned softly. "Even I have a line."

"You sure that's what you want though? I can always try to convince her to leave, she has more then enough reason to."

Ru'ni shrugs. "We all have a line, Astin, but for some of us it's drawn in sand and others carved into plasteel."

"If she won't come to meet me, then I think that action says more about her willingness to atone than her words, I just hope the others can see that. But as far as forcing her out? I...I don't know if that wouldn't be worse. If she is genuine and she feels forced out, are we just forcing her back to the enemy?"

That struck Astin as a bit odd, moments ago he had been speaking about how he could never work with a group that accepted a genocidal mass murderer into their ranks, and the next their was concern? Something there didn't exactly add up, he wasn't going to go down that fox hole though.

"Alright, get her to come out to talk. Honestly I think here would be the better place then the Enclave, less chance of the Imps interfering. What next though? If she sees this place and overs a heartfelt apology or something. Is that going to make things ok for you?"

"No." Ru'ni answered honestly. "Not for me, nor the bodies she left in Rygor. Someone has to pay the blood price for the lives that were taken."

He looked to the heavens and sighed. "The spirits of my people cry for vengeance, but does one punish the weapon or the one that wields it. I need to know which she is. It's....hard to explain, even after all these weeks it still festers inside me the pain, the anger. I need to cut it out of my soul, so that I can start to heal."

That was kinda what Astin was thinking was on Ru'ni's mind. Still after a thoughtful moment. "Alright, I'll chat with her for you, and try and get her to come here." It seemed a long shot to him though.

"I'll get back to you about how it goes."

Ru'ni nods. "My people's souls are tied to the spot of the Razing, but if she cannot go there, then I guess this will suffice." He replies, trying not to make a big deal of it, but taking one last stab at his preferred location before letting it drop.

"Oh, I don't suppose that rule on guests on the Coyote's been changed has it?" He asks, seemingly out of nowhere with a big grin.

"Well, we will see what happens." Astin offered in return. "I just figured you might not want a group of stormtroopers interrupting you. I'll be sure to state your preference for that place though."

"Guests? Well, I think we all said it depends on who the guest is. We aren't certain about one night stands. I reckon that's not what you have in mind though?"

"I think I'm going to be a father." Ru'ni blurts out, positively beaming.

"Well shit." Astin moved over to clap the other man on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Ru'ni!"

Ru'ni let out a small sigh. Telling someone had eased his personal stress over the matter, because what did he know about being a father.

"So if I end up coming along...after all this is done. Well, I wouldn't be coming alone so it might get a little cramped. I understand if that's a deal breaker with the rest of the crew, and I don't want to be the cause of too much drama."