All Those Things You Did

[Lina Ovmar]

Military presence was high, t-visors glinted in the sunlight almost everywhere she looked. It was to be expected, they were at war again. Toe to toe once more with the sith. Some pathetic part of Mia winced every time she thought of it and pinned the blame for it upon herself. The rest of her relished in it. The sith needed to be stopped, their existence needed to be terminated and the mandalorian's were well equipped to do it. Not because their technology was better, not even because their culture was that of a warriors.

But because they had reason to.

Reason that went beyond politics and land grabbing. This was a personal vendetta for most. Her death, Gil's death and even Ordo's supposed death had simply sealed the deal for them. Her thoughts lingered for a moment on her brother before she picked up her glass and emptied it. A waitress appeared at her elbow and she dropped a few cred chips on the table top, shaking her head at the offer of another.

Tab settled, she slid from the stool, moving from underneath the awning that shaded the barfront and squinted slightly against the sunlight. Pausing for a moment to count the t-visors she moved down the street, ducking down an alley to cut across some of the busier paths and head towards a safe house.

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

He sat across the broad street in a hover chair beside anold grey man playing a mantellian violin. He was big for a cripple, wore no armor to mark him as the once Mamdalorian War machine and had grown or put on a brown scruffy beard. Tired grey-green eyes were closed and as the song began and he started to sing.

"Ohhh misty eyes of the mountains below." his deep voice haunted and sad as it rose above the crowd, "keep careful watch on my brothers souls." the man could have been anyone really the cut of his clothing that of a Corellian farmer but with a military neatness that gave away that he was at least something more at one time, "And should the skyy be filled with fire and smoke...keep watching o're Mandalorian son's..."

People walked by stopping for a moment to see the two men and drop credits in the musician's case. As the crippled man continued the words of the song. His deep voice cracking slightly showing that he felt the words all to strongly.

"If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together.
Watch the flames climb high into the night...
Calling out Manda oh stand by and we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side high"

The music quickened and the crowd stood by. His thoughts turn to his lost sister and the people he had failed so recently and even the daughter he loved like his own who had put him in the chair that now claimed his patronage.

"And if we should die tonight
We should all die together...
Raise a glass of wine for the last time
Calling outManda oh
Prepare as we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side"

A tear fell from still close eyes. "Desolation comes upon the sky" his booming voice raised and he sang on through the memories of a broken man.

"Now I see fire....Inside the mountain and I see fiiire. Burning the trees...And I see fire..Hollowing sooouls. I see fire... Smell Blood in the breeze... And i hope that yooooou'll remember me...."

His head hung for a moment before eyes opened and looked at the woman he felt more than knew.
"Oh, should our people fall then...Surely I'll do the same. Confined in beskar halls.. We got too close to the flames
Calling out Manfa oh! Hold fast and we will watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side."

"Desolation comes upon the sky"

He looked at a face that he didn't know and closed his eyes again thinking he was a fool for thinking he knew her. "Now I see fire burning Inside the mountains. I see fire Burning, burning the trees. And I see fire...Hollowing souls.Oh I see fire...smell blood in the breeze....And I hope that you'll remember me. And if the night is burning
I will cover my eyes. For if the dark returns then My brothers will die........" his voice lowerd again returning to the haunted sadness. "And as the sky is falling down It crashed into this lonely town. And with that shadow upon the ground...I hear our people screaming out."

"And I see fire. Inside the mountains. I see fire. Burning the trees. And I see fire. Hollowing souls. I see fire.
Blood in the breeze. I see fire (fire). Oh, you know I saw a city burning out. And I see fire (fire). Feel the heat upon my skin. And I see fire (fire)...Uhhhhhhhhh..And I see fire. Burn auburn on the mountain side"

People cleared and the man picked up his case to walk away. While the big cripple sat looking at his big lifless hands.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

The voice drew her from the alley and back into the sunlight. The presence she felt made her drag herself through the small crowd that had gathered to be at its front. Her breath caught in her throat, hands clenching into fists. At her sides as she stood motionless, taking in every detail of that haggard face she knew all to well. Eyes flicked to those around her. Did they not see? Were they so blind?

Tears blurred her vision and she closed her eyes against them. She knew. She knew all along he wasn't dead. Yet to see him, broken and breathing before her tore her apart. She wanted to close the gap to hug him. She wanted to pull the pistol from the holster on her thigh and break him even more. Joy and anger coursed through her veins and she stood rooted to the spot as the crowd dispersed, tears carving shameless tracks down her face.

"I see you, Ori'vod." she growled at him. Two steps closed the gap between them and her fist struck out to crack across his jaw.

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

It wasn't her voice...nor her face when he looked at the woman but those eyes...those eyes held something that he could never forget. The slight squint in the sunlight, the knowing soul piercing gaze. It was her...it was his sister...he looked away he couldn't think. He could hardly breath as she looked at his condition. Death was preferable to this. How he wanted to leap up and hold her! How he wanted to show her how much he had missed her and loved her. The torment he had suffered at not even being able to mourn her as he should have. However, shame, shame screamed for him to die. To have his wretched life ripped away again and forgotten as he should have been, as he deserved.

"You...you have the wrong man, miss." he said as he tried to lift his hand to guide the chair away. "I'm no ori anything. Just a dead man waiting for his body to catch up to his spirit."

His huge hand clawed at his leg but couldn't find the controls.

"Blast you" he growled at his fumbling hand, as tears fell on the unkempt beard.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia closed the gap between them, hands coming down on the arms of his chair, finger closing so tight the metal groaned beneath her grip as the force flashed through her. Hot angry tears burned her cheeks at his rebuke, at his attempt to avoid this. At him lying to her. It rose up like a cornered animal and sought to take control of everrything, of all rational thought, but she held on by a slither.

"Don't you dare." She hissed at him one, hand seizing the scruff of his clothes "Don't you dare try and run from me." she was trembling now, trembling with the effort to keep her fury at bay. "You bastard. I came back for you. Don't you dare lie to me." She let him go, giving him a rough shove and hitting the controls for him. She glanced around, feeling eyes upon her.

"We have a lot to talk about, Ori'vod. None of it should be done in public."

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

"Kill me." he whispered, "here or privately makes no difference."

He didn't look up. A murderer, traitor, coward and now a liar. He had no reason to pretend. Her eyes pierced to his core. She knew him for who he was. She deserved her anger to be satisfied. Her pain to find closure and he deserved to suffer. He wouldn't deny her this...she was right he had no right to deny her whatever she wanted to rip from him.

"I can't move myself." he said ashamed and thoroughly broken, "if you want me in private you'll have to push me...please."

How much lower could he get than asking someone who he owed everything to push him. It was disgrace itself.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia's expression softened somewhat at his whisper for death. She shook her head "I'm not going to kill you, Ori'vod." She said softly, moving behind him to take control of the chair, her fingers leaving dents in the chair where she'd held it fast. Wiping the tears from her face she toom the handles. "Killing you would be a mercy I'm not entirely sure you deserve."

Wheeling him away she remained silent for the journey to the safe house, her anger slowly easing as she walked, taking in his ragged state, broken body. He'd fallen so low. She almost pitied him.

Almost.

The safe house wasn't much on the outside, a simple palm scanner allowed her access to a cool room. The lights activating as she rolled [member="Ordo"] inside. The door slid shut behind them and a hologram came to life. "Welcome back, Mia."

"Can it." She snapped at the AI. "Now is not the time."

Rolling Ordo to a table, she left him there to rummage around the small kitchen returning with two tumblers and a bottle of whiskey. Still silent she poured thwm each a glass before dropping intonthe chair next to him.

She fixed him with a piercing gaze, taking a sip before speaking. "You look like shid."

 

[Ordo]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

He could only nod. She was right. He deserved this. Death was a mercy, a blessing that had been rightfully denied him. He closed his eyes against the memories of what he had done, and what the Dark Lord had used him to do. He could still feel the hungry arms around him, he could feel his hands on throats, his blade in innocent bodies, and he hadn't hated nearly as much of it as he wished he could. Somewhere deep down he had enjoyed parts of it. A dark part of him had enjoyed the power, the ability to raise and ruin lives on his whim and he hated himself all the more for it. He hung his head and wished for the blaster on the back of his head one more time. If it wasn't for the Nautolan thing and his poor riduur he would have been rotting in the dust and debris of Teta.

He looked up as she pushed him into the home and his analytical mind began filing away information out of habit before he closed his eyes and tried to not be who he had been. He opened them in time to see the bottle and tumblers. As she sat he looked at the glass nearest him and knew he wouldn't get to have the privilege of numbing this, he didn't deserve it. He deserved to feel it all, raw, clear pain is what she deserved to give him and he needed to feel it.

"I am." he said

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia gave a derisive snort and passed a hand over her face. Pain flickering across it briefly before she buried it beneath hard eyes. Her hand paused at her mouth and she stared unseeing at the ceiling for a moment. Where did she start? Where did anyone start?

"I came back to save you from your own stupidity." she said still unable to look at him. "When I got back, the attack had already been launched against Empress Teta. By the time I was fit and able to do anything. Gilamar was dead and so were you. So what did I come back for? Then I looked a little closer at the reports, about eye witness statements. I looked a little closer at who shot you down..." she looked at him then.

She could not keep the pain from her face, she tried to. She wanted to be angry, but the more she spoke, the more her pain overcame her anger. "I wonder," she said her voice cracking slightly "I wonder just how much of what you did was in your control. I know Aeten was out of your control. Force knows Anija is all over the place about that. But what else? Was she out of your control? Did you just standby and watch when that fork tongued--" she caught herself, stopped herself mid flow and brought the glass to her lips, swallowing half of it in one mouthful.

"I could sit here and spit accusations at you all day, maybe even all week. So save me the pain and start talking."

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

Ordo listened, it was about all he could do. He looked at his hands. How much would matter? How much did she care to know?

"Aeten...that was him...but the girl...the girl was my doing, her training wasn't but her life was my failure. I wanted you back...I wanted to have my sister that had been taken and despite what she was twisted into I love her still. She's as much my blood as yours, but I failed her too. Gilamar was my body but I couldn't touch it." He looked at her finally, "By the time you reached the palace on Coruscant I was already dead..."

He strained drawing deeply on the force and after a minute got his hand to the table, then with a sharp exhalation of tired breath he rested.

"How much do you want to know of what I've done to ruin myself? Do you want to hear more or are these sins enough for you?" He said, "Do I get merciful release yet? Do you need to hear about Anaya Fenn? Rosa Gunn? Isolda? Junra? hmm...You want to know of Odium What do you want to know Mia? I've no dignity left to protect...least of all from you."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

"You are an idiot."

She was quiet for a moment, contemplating the answer to that question. How much did she want to know? How much was enough to make a sound judgement? How much did she need to know? She refilled her glass, more for the need for something to do with her hands than her need to drink. She picked the glass up and rolled it between her hands watching the dark liquid swirl between her palms. What did she need to know?

One hurdle at a time.

"How much of my memory did you give her?" The was an edge of fear in her voice. If Mya knew about Rel, if she had even the slightest inkling, he was in far greater danger than they could ever imagined. "What does she know?" She didn't care about the knowledge she would have been given about Velok, or the force. She cared only about him.

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

"She got nothing more than she needed to be unattached." He said simply, he knew the man as Bard his real name mattered less than the content of his character, but Ordo knew the tone of someone who feared for their lover all to well. "She got nothing of the Bard."

He looked at the glass and decided to just let it lay there for now. For a moment he stared into the dark liquid and watched the small flecks of minerals dance in the glass.

"She knows tactics, the force, mistakes made and lessons learn but nothing of your personal life," He looked at the glass again, "I ruined it all didn't I?"

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Relief washed over her, and she closed her eyes, pressing the heels of her hands into them while she tried to sort through her emotions and find something rational. His self pity was infuriating. It made her sick to the stomach and her anger rose up to take hold for the briefest of moments as she uncovered her eyes to glare at him, staring so forlornly at his glass.

Where was her brother gone?

She lifted her leg and gave him a sharp kick under the table. "Di'kut." she spat "Look at me. I don't know what you've ruined. I don't know what damage you did save what rumors have told me, and I'm not a firm believer in rumors." Her expression softened slightly.

"What I do know, is that you are my brother, no matter what. I know you hate the sith. I know you hate him. And I know the rest of the galaxy will forgive you long before you forgive yourself, because that is simply the way of things." she reached forward, resting a hand on his.

"Ordo, tell me everything, because I need to know everything if I am to bring the One Sith to their knees."

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

"Their weak. The look and think they have power but they are simply numerous. On Teta if the Vode would have pressed the attack rather than retreated they would have been cut off." he looked at her hand, "I hurt a lot of people but as far as wide scale damage I did little. At least compared to...others. A few key people are dangerous the rest are overinflated coat tail riding, kids. Mierin, Junra are pack leaders pushing the others despite what they say about equality. Isolda is their seer and by far the most...passionate about their goal. They have a creature called Odium who is as dangerous to them as anyone else. Vornskyr, Helios, Janus, Orcus and a bevy of others. I know everything. Where should I begin?"

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia nodded slowly, ignoring the hairs that rose on the back of her neck at the mention of Mierin's name. Her time would come.

"Lets start with the influential ones. If we can take them out then the rest should fall apart. Lets start with the lesser evils. I recognize some of those names from the old Empire..."

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

Ordo nodded.

"It is the old empire. They just cut, ran, found a spot closer the the republic where they didn't have to go around us and jumped back together. It was a farce the whole thing. They cut the fat and relocated."

He shook his head.

"They have Rosa Gunn now too. And a hell of a poorly used fleet."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

"Rosa? Seydon's wife?" she pursed her lips, trying to recall if she ever met the woman. A memory flickered past her mind, a soft woman, being thrown around like a ragdoll by Mikhail Shorn. Padawan. The memory wasn't hers. "I don't know much of her." She filed the information aside and focused more on the fact that this was the old Empire, with simply less stupidity.

But the old Empire had enemies, she could count at least a dozen people's toes that the Empire had stepped upon. Enemies of the Old Empire meant that there were allies out there. Another slow nod. "The ring leaders...I've met Meirin." she paused, face curling as if she'd eaten something that didn't taste good, taking a breath she continued. "She's a snake, good at sewing confusion into your head. Her force barriers are almost impossible to get through." She closed her eyes, hearing the clink of the compartment on the woman's arm opening.

The glass in Mia's hand shattered and she opened her eyes cursing. She'd squeezed it too hard. Getting up she hunted round for a towel and fresh glass. "Tell me about Junra. She's the one who infiltrated the jettii is she not?"

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

He nodded his shaggy head an looked down thinking of the slip of a woman that called herself Junra.

"Yes Daella Apperine." He relied, "She was one of the ones who had been feeding the Sith information and trying to guide the Republic into a multi front war. She is hard to keep track of in a fight and is blindly devoted to the dark lord...she will do anything for him, anything."

He looked at her for a moment, thinking of what he knew and what she knew.

"I know you could take what you want from my mind and be done with me Mia," he said calmly, "I also know there seems to be echoes floating around helping young women find new bodies. I am working on that however."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

"Would it be easier for you if I just took it?" the question was spoken softly but her eyes were hard, narrowing slightly at his mention of Velok.

"That Echo has been with me since Yaga. He's not just wondering, he's with me. Always. And I learn from him." She examined her hands for a moment. "I hated Velok. Now?" she looked up at him "I am grateful for the knowledge he gave me. Its why I am alive. And it is how I will continue to grow in power. There was a time when Mandalorian's were only concerned with being the best of the best. Now we fight because someone stepped the wrong way on our turf. I'm out. I've got my own way to walk, but I need the intelligence you have to walk it."

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Mia Monroe"]

"Would it be easier if I had just gave it to you?" Ordo said as he looked at his sister his eyes distant despite himself. He could have been looking into her eyes or down the barrel of a rifle at a target a thousand meters away. Velok, the way she talked about him made anger rise in his chest in a way he didn't deserve to have.

"Is that so different from me using Sith?" Ordo asked, "never mind....I don't want to know. The answer would probably send me over the edge. The intelligence you want is jumbled up in with more junk than you might be willing to dig through if you have a datapad you'll want to take notes."