Building a Foundation [Boolon Foundation & Friends] [Open to all]

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa studied him hard as he approached, drinking in every detail both visually and in the force. He moved like a predator, light footed yet powerful, his size only emphasising his power. She watched his face, noting the way they never remained still for long constantly assessing the scene around him. She'd have put him down as a hunter had he not stopped at such a distance from her. A soldier then.

He gave his name, eyes still roaming. Mandalorian surname. She remembered helping evacuate the temple on Yavin. Mandalorians were not exactly known for their love of Jedi. a flicker of a frown cross ed her expression and she unclasped her hands from behind her back, taking care to show him they were empty before closing the gap slightly between them.

"Help is needed, Preliat, and welcome. But," she tilted her head "Why are you here?"

[member="Preliat Mantis"]

 

[Preliat Mantis]

Her hands were empty, but with the force, a person was never truly disarmed. Though it was obvious that she had no intention of hurting him. Her question however, brought a flood of emotions to Preliat's mind. He heard the screams of the Dark Harvest, and the chaotic hell he'd been in ever since then. Gunfights. Wars. Invasions. Loss. Grief. It consumed him, his self-destruction. It was a never-ending series of events that never seem to get better for Preliat. He pushed on however, with the glimmer of hope that his life would eventually turn out for the better.

He couldn't answer her question, truthfully. It was a simple question, something that could be answered with either honesty, or ambiguity. Preliat decided on being as honest as strangers would allow, although Rosa could not read his mind- the sense of Preliat omitting the full truth was evident, and it didn't take a particularly gifted Jedi to see it, or rather, sense it.

"To help. What is needed of me?"

Of me. In a way, he was saying, what could a man who's only life skill was war, could do in a place where war was not welcome, or warranted. These people had enough conflict in their lives- they did not need the Wolf to bring more.

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Allyson Locke"]

There was a tension there, Kaili had felt it as they shared their kiss. She had just decided to put Allyson to the wall with a kiss, and the Corellian perhaps wasn’t sure to react. Kaili couldn’t blame her, if the roles had been turned it was likely she wouldn’t have known what to do either. As her eyes set on the floor, and as she uttered her apology Kaili felt the guilt grow for each passing second. She had been selfish, been uncaring for the mental safety of Allyson. What if she had rejected her? What if she was scared off? Kaili had pondered the questions in so many different scenarios at that point that she knew she should have known so much better than to go through with it.

But a weak voice, Allyson’s voice, called her name. Kaili looked up from the ground to see Allyson reach out for her. Thumbs gently wiping away the tears on her cheeks she couldn’t help but smile. Was she okay with it? Would the blonde’s moment of weakness not get in the way? So many questions, yet all of them muted by a gentle tug. Lips touched again, eyes widened in surprise for a moment before easing themselves shut.

This was what she had wanted. This was what Kaili had missed. It felt good, and it felt right. A hand swept along Allyson’s side on instinct. It struck along her shoulder until it found the Corellian’s hair and began to struggle for a grip. The kisses grew ferocious. There were so many things Kaili wanted to do, so manything she wanted to say but none of them were appropriate for the situation they had currently found themselves in. There were so many other places to talk about it, but not here, not in the open and not like this.

But she wouldn’t stop. The kisses were allowed to linger until finally Kaili parted with a gasp for air.

“There are so many things I want you to know.” She breathed in and then breathed out. “But not here. Once evening has come, and once all the guests have left, I will show you what I mean.”

The blonde remained within the Corellian’s embrace, cheek resting on her shoulder for comfort.

“I love you, I always have and I always will.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa's searching gaze never left his face. He was hiding something, that much was certain, still not malicious but she did not like it. "The truth." she answered simply. "I helped evacuate the Jedi on Yavin. I know Mantis is a mandalorian name. Armour or no armour, you do not go forward until I hear the truth." There was no accusation in her voice, no aggression or anything that might suggest this would get violent if he did not comply.

Rosa knew mandalorians were a shaky subject where Kaili was concerned. She was, after all, best friends with Mara D'Lessio Merriil and they had all seen that broadcast. Under normal circumstances, she would have just taken the answer and damn the consequences. But his blood prevented her from doing that, part of full epicanthix she didn't know, but it was definitely there.

[member="Preliat Mantis"]

 

[Preliat Mantis]

She saw through him. It wasn't difficult, that much he knew. He wore his heart not only on his sleeve, but his demons followed him. If his chains in life were visible, they measured enough to pull a moon from orbit. Preliat narrowed his eyes at her. He took a step forward. He closed the distance. And Preliat Mantis was known for a few things, and the ferocity in which he applied the crushgaunts on his hands was chief among them. He flexed his fingers, leering down at Rosa.

"You know nothing, Rosa Gunn."

He looked around the area, soaking in the damage that both time and the people of this world, and people from beyond it, had done. He turned his gaze back to Rosa. "My presence here is of a redemptive nature. Beyond that I wish to divulge no further." He gave the same sort of reply- no violent intent behind it, though Preliat had learned well to mask his presence and when he was preparing to strike, especially against Jetii and Dar'Jetii. But he had no such intentions here. He sought peace of mind and redemption. It was difficult to do so with bloodshed.

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa smiled. He might be an impressive warrior, clearly used to his stature warning people off but she didn't flinch as he drew closer leering down at her. She was not afraid of him, she'd met far worse in her past, herself included.

"That," she replied "Is something I can understand." She turned and began walking away. "Clear out the Akk dogs, or use your strength to help clear some of the rubble. If you deliberately intimidate anyone, or cause distress in anyway," she paused glancing back at him. "I will find you."

Rose herself had her own job. She needed to find a location suitable for the Sanctuary she was to build.

[member="Preliat Mantis"]

 

[Preliat Mantis]

"I have one more thing to offer you, Rosa Gunn."

He spoke softly and eloquently. He was not an educated man, but a learned man. He learned to speak Basic at a later age, and spoke with the same mannerisms as a poet, from his syntax to his pronunciation of certain words. He reached into his coat, slowly- as to not make the Jedi think he was offering not help, but a knife through her neck. He found that to be an effective way of dealing with Sith.

He produced a credit chit worth exactly one.

"I have ten million more of these that I do not need nor have a use for. I would ask you to relieve my coffers of them."

He did not say where the money came from.


[member="Rosa Gunn"]

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa stopped and turned as Preliat called out to her again, drawing a credit chip from her jacket. Rosa returned to him a little surprised by the offer. She wanted to turn it down, even hesitated to take the chip. Giving away money like this would not help him, she felt cruel taking it, like she would be the cause of his prolonged suffering. Gingerly she reached out, took the ship and stared down at it for a long moment, before looking back up and holding it back out to him.

"No." she said flatly. "Redemption doesn't work like that. Whatever you might think you'll gain by giving this money away, you won't. It's not that easy."

[member="Preliat Mantis"]

 

[Ugohr Poof]

"Yes, boss: the whole point of storing the materials in housing earmarked for reconditioning is to ensure that we wouldn't need the ship for the next day"

"All right, yousa win"

The rubble kept coming in, and derelict apartment buildings were getting rubble out by the truckful, using a rented truck or two, alongside other buildings. What Ugohr meant by "most damaged" is not in terms of how much in relative terms, as is conventionally understood in the industry, but in absolute terms. That is, the buildings that require the most materials and labor-hours to repair: they were the largest and hence apartment buildings were prioritized. Also, once the apartment blocks were finished, they would get to house the majority of the residents in the areas in which Ugohr is working. Meanwhile, work on said apartment buildings began in earnest: they began structural work, and then the utility work for the areas in their more advanced stages. Of course, the Gungan began to see that the ship was going to be filled with rubble to send to the Metrobig Salvagestuff Platform once the filling operation was completed. By nightfall, the AT-AT barge was filled with rubble:

"Now issa time for yousa to take off: wesa needen to set up camp for oursa organic workers"

"As you wish, boss" the foreman began assembling tents and, of course, the central oven.

 

[Preliat Mantis]

"My charity is for your foundation and it's purpose, not for my....reasons."

Preliat used both hands to touch his chest lightly, an empowering habit when he became passionate in his speech.

"I gained this money by removing the head of Dredge, not by any mercantile or otherwise...honest means. Take my blood money and put it to better use than reminding me of my violence."

Preliat began to walk, his distinctive manner of walking denoting who he was moreso than his name. He was slightly hunched forward, with hands at either side of his body, stiffened slightly. Preliat's body was forever positioned for combat, even in such a place as this, where there was no real threat. Akk dogs. If they wanted to send an animal to hunt animals, so be it. Preliat just had to procure weaponry first. He only brought a knife and his crushgaunts to the planet.

He stopped and turned to Rosa.

"I would ask where to find a rifle, Miss Gunn."

Ever as eloquent as he was violent.

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa's hand closed slowly about the credit chip he did not take back. Frowning slightly as he walked away. She was not what she expected, that much was for sure. She'd met a few mandalorians in her time, all very different, none quite as well spoken as this one. She'd tried, she supposed turning to watch him go, the credit dropping into a pocket.

"Try your luck with them." she nodded towards the supply ships that had lined up along the coast. "If anyone's got a rifle it'll be them. And Preliat?" she took a step after him, hoping he would turn around. "Thank you."

[member="Preliat Mantis"]

 

[Preliat Mantis]

He paused, and turned back to face Rosa. He narrowed his eyes.

"I deserve none of your thanks."

Preliat walked, fixing the braid to fall behind his left ear. The braid was the only one on his head, and intertwined at the bottom of the braid were threads from Aditya and Yasha's shawls that went around their armors. It was the only thing that they could recover besides their armor from the rubble. But not their bodies. Preliat had survived due to misfortune. Aditya wanted them to move to Atrisia. She pushed for it hard. Preliat lamented and so they stayed on Mandalore, out of pride for the Mandalorians.

And now- they were dead. Dead and never coming back.

The maelstrom of rage, sorrow and regret hung around him as he walked away. It was like a heavy blanket through the force, canvassing the very ground where he stood in maliciousness and a sense of dread. If anyone in the galaxy came close to a wound in the force, it was Preliat Mantis. The shipyard workers were taken aback by Preliat's appearance, and moreso his request for a rifle. After a few minutes of conversation, they agreed to give him a shoddy blaster to simply make him go away. They were noticeably on edge as he took it. It was a very long thing, partly wooden. Shoddy indeed. They seemed on edge as he inspected it. They handed him the powerpack separately.

He held the rifle by the receiver, walking with it slowly. Akk dogs wouldn't be hard to find. The dock workers mentioned it when he asked for the rifle. He'd answered only with a grunt. They didn't need to know everything. That, and he'd hunted them before. Preliat loaded the rifle and walked back past Rosa. He stopped, on his way to where the workers had mentioned they'd seen the last Akk dog.

"I would like to mention I was wrong about Jedi."

[member="Rosa Gunn"]