[D1 EA] Grave Digging

[Sacha Ordo]

"They exiled us to that moon and claimed we were all dead," they replied, tone becoming flat. "I'd guess pacifism is the only reason they didn't just execute us. If that's not trying to get rid of your past, I don't know what to call it."

"I think there is a middle ground, but it would have to allow us to both remain warriors and interact with the galaxy nonviolently. There's nothing in our code demanding we behave as aggressively have in the past, anyway."

[Jurdak Surt]

Dak chuckled "well excuse me if I don't feel overly sorry for your people being pushed off their homeworld. It's not like you never did it to anyone else." He took a deep breath and lost control of his tail which flick angrily back and forth "Do you even know what your people did to my people? It was probably just another war to yours, just another show of strength. But to mine it was one of the greatest tragedies that befell our race."

[Sacha Ordo]

"What happened to the Cathar is a mark of shame on our people," they stated. "They initially defeated us, which we should have accepted and given respect to them as worthy adversaries. This is The Way."

"However, the Mandalore at the time bent his ear to outsiders, listened to them spin tales about battles that would be remembered for the ages. A mark on our honor for the ages is more like it. We slaughtered your people - it's the only word for it - in a surprise attack. Went after everyone, including civilians that were nowhere related to military targets. Those who objected were killed."

"It was meant to be the beginning of an invasion of the Republic, but our crimes against the Cathar are what cut that short in the end. It drove a brilliant leader of our old enemies against us, and we were left a scattered and broken people afterward. There are many lessons in all that that shouldn't be forgotten."

[Jurdak Surt]

His voice was quiet "well I'm glad the genocidal near extinction of my species at least merits such dedicated memory. We were, are, a proud people. I.....do my best not to hold it against every mandalorian I come across but it's hard to forget the people that decimated your population and forced your people off their planet for over a hundred years. You know we just recently stabilized to not be an endangered species?"

He took a deep breath and his tail calmed its agitated flicking "So far you seem ok, and at least recognize the horror of what your people did. Even if you seem kind of calm about it, a little cold." Though I guess it's hard to tell with that armor.

[Sacha Ordo]

"Such devastation has that effect. We have - had our own enemies that we remember well for similar reasons."

"I think the story of the Cathar shows how getting upset clouds one's judgement and leads to terrible things. It's better to acknowledge what happened, learn the lesson, and mover forward with clarity."

[Jurdak Surt]

He thought for a moment "I can see the logic there I suppose." He returned to searching the piles of scrap seemingly sated on that topic.

"So you people always wear that stuff? The armor i mean. I cant think of many times I've seen mandalorians without it, well traditionalists that is."

[Sacha Ordo]

They nodded as they worked. "Yes, we do. Some are willing to go without it occasionally in front of others, some aren't."

[Jurdak Surt]

"Is it a trust thing? Or why always wear the stuff if you arent in possible danger?" He asked curiously, his earlier reticence fading with their shared understanding.

[Sacha Ordo]

"A bit of distrust, a bit of efficiency, and a bit of tradition," they replied after some thought. "There aren't many things we do for just one reason. And one is always in possible danger."

[Jurdak Surt]

Dak shrugged "seems kind if paranoid to me but hey warrior culture tends to breed paranoia in my experience." He looked over to her "and what about you, are you an armor always on kind of person?"

[Sacha Ordo]

"Perhaps. I'm sure you'll be very pleased to know I'm more paranoid than most," they replied with a bit of amusement. "The helmet, at least, stays on around outsiders."

[Jurdak Surt]

"But everything else can come off?" He said in a playful and maybe slightly teasing tone with only a hint of flirt "and I understand paranoia, you dont survive being an operative with out a bit of it."

[Sacha Ordo]

She actually laughed at that. "I wonder?"

"Exactly."

[Jurdak Surt]

"Well I'm always down for some investigation." He said giving her a smirk as he returned to his digging sighing a but "I think this husk might be spent want to move on?"

[Sacha Ordo]

"Sure, let's go," she nodded and got up, dusting herself off.