Chiss of the Dragon

[Cryax Bane]

After being assaulted, abducted, and hauled to a planet light years away from home, most of the fight had simply gone out of the Chiss. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, pain thrummed in his midsection, and Azrael’s manhandling was working his last nerve. Although the Chiss crime boss wanted to get this blasted charade over and done with, he wouldn’t have been Cryax Bane if he made things easy for the Mandalor. As Azrael shoved him down the corridor, the young crime boss stubbornly dallied, shuffling his feet, cursing in Cheunh under his breath, and letting out long, dramatic sighs.

When he saw Anastasia Rade standing there with her halo of silky blonde hair and big blue eyes, a world of mixed emotions flooded his central nervous system. Even though Cryax had a new love, he still cared about the Mandalorian witch. She had loved him unconditionally, turning a blind eye to all to his criminal activities, protecting him in battle, and forgiving him for his erratic outbursts after his torture on Kessel. She’d stuck with him faithfully through the Red Ravens dangerous operations on Makeb and Orrazerus and protected him from getting shot in the face by her own Vod on Barab I. She was his first relationship beyond a one night stand and would always have a place in his black little heart.

He found himself pushed into what looked like a meeting room and quickly forced down on his knees in front of both Mandalorians, hands cuffed behind him. His red alien eyes were gleaming with irritation. On the one hand, he knew he owed Ana a real apology. On the other hand, his atonement was, in essence, being extorted out of him by pure humiliation, an act he deeply resented.

Avoiding the hard eyes of the Mandalor, he turned his glowing red eyes to Anastasia, who was staring back at him with an unreadable expression. Just rip off the bacta patch already, Cryax. Instead of spitting out a quick sarcasm-laden apology as he’d planned, his worlds held unexpected candor.

“I’m sorry, Ana.” Cryax admitted with genuine remorse in his voice. “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out between us.

I’m also sorry for the stupid way I ended it. It’s no excuse, but I was confused about some things, and I didn’t know how to express myself to you. I'm merely a Chiss, and I make mistakes."

He paused, and took a deep breath. "You should know the reason I broke it off, which is that I prefer the company of men.” Then the crime boss shrugged and audibly swallowed. "I didn't know how to tell you so I took the easy way out, and I'm sorry I hurt you. You didn't deserve that."
Whether it was believed or not, there it was. No sarcasm. No bravado. What else were they going to do? Make him dance around like a monkey until they thought it was enough?

Once he was finished, the Chiss turned to Azrael, and with dagger eyes said, “Can I go now?”

[member="Azrael"] [member="Anastasia Rade"]

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Seeing him again brought all those emotions that she had been hiding deep down inside to the surface again. There was even a part of her that wished to cry but she wouldn't. Not here in front of [member="Azrael"] or [member="Cryax Bane"]. Ana was much stronger than that. She had been through worse.

As she listened to his apology she stood arms behind her back. He wasn't telling her anything that she hadn't been told before by others. Once he finished she stayed silent for a good five minutes pacing back and forth as if deciding what to do.

"I never expected you to be perfect," she stated softly as she stopped back in front of him. Her voice grew sharper as she continued. "I expected you to be honest with me and talk to me about what was going on. I can accept that I'm not the one and that you want another. We could have ended things amicably, you could have been a decent person."

Ana could accepted that she wasn't his fairy princess and he not her Prince Charming. It was clear though now that he never truly cared about her. He had used her and than thrown her to the side as if she was a rag doll when finished. That was what cut the deepest not the break up but the way he gave no thought to her but took the easy way out.

"I knew what was in store for me when it came to my masters but you made me fall in love with you before ripping my heart out. You made me think that you cared for me but now it's plain to see that was all a lie. You never did care."

Crouching down in front of him she reached for his face to squeeze. "I'll let you in on a little secret though. You didn't break me, you can't break me. I will not allow someone like you hurt me anymore." As she stopped speaking she shoved him down hard away from her.

"I wonder if Azrael hadn't come to collect you if you ever would have apologize. I doubt it, your too much of a coward to even be decent and give me closer."

Ana wanted to punch him, kill him but what would that solve? She would still be hurt at the end of the day and sad. It wouldn't take her pain away and he wasn't worth it. She wasn't a monster and was wasn't going to allow him to turn her into one. It was fun watching him squirm though.

 

[Azrael]

Only feet away from the kneeling frame of the wounded but still arrogant Chiss, Azrael felt somewhat detached from the scene before him - almost as if he were watching this episode unfold while looking in through the window. He played a part in this, but at the end of the day, the outcome was not his to decide, and he had made peace with the fact that in reality the decision on what happened to Bane rested squarely in the woman before him. Anastasia was a woman he trusted and loved, she had shown such strength and conviction as her allegiance to the Mando'ade was an unwavering and unflinching as any of his trusted brothers and sisters in arms. She held the heart of a warrior, and yet still there was a deep compassion and an ability to love that confounded his own logic at times. He didn't understand fully how a slave who had been treated as she had her whole live still had the capacity to love and be loved by others. It had taken a very singular person to allow love to flood his life, and only recently had Azrael discovered that he could find that again. Anastasia had no reason to logically trust anyone, and yet she had - almost blindly in the case of Bane and it was a hard thing to watch, but he would watch.

The consequences of this meeting were on a pivotal thread, not just for the Mandalorians, but also for the Red Ravens. Here was the president of the organization, the former secretary who had taken power shortly after the former president stepped aside. He'd been taken right off the Raven's home planet without even an escort fighter trying to bring the both down. By now the Ravens knew of his vanishing, and had witnessed a Mandalorian taking the president hostage. Azrael personally suspected they'd mount an assault. However, much like in the insect world, you didn't attempt to destroy the kidnappers while the leader was in their thrall. You risked losing them. No, if they were intelligent about it, they'd attempt to circumvent the warrior nation and wait until they could strike with purpose and vigor. Still, this didn't worry the salvager, all he was concerned about at the present is that Bane came clean, and Anastasia had the opportunity to close this chapter in her life.

A smirk touched his face as the blonde went into dialogue and shortly thereafter put hands to practice in squeezing the Chiss' face. He'd already delivered a mule kick to his ribs, wrenched his arm into some very uncomfortable positions and dropped him from a sky scraper onto his ship. Anastasia was being gentle with him as far as Azrael was concerned. Arms crossed, his head tilted some as Ana'ika continued to inform the cowardly boy before her that he was not in control, that he was not going to be the cause for further grief. This was simply the right thing to do, albeit the fact that he was forced and coerced into this apology. The sting of it was still evident, and he watched it on her face before his gray gaze shifted to Cryax with his impromptu question directed at him.

"That is entirely dependent on her, so I'd wager you get use to grovelling, because your life is in her hands." Raising his chin, and staring towards his sister, a small nod of his head was given towards her. That was all Anastasia needed from her brother, just the respect and authority he placed on her, whether this man lived or died. She was to decide his fate, and he wouldn't question her decision, at least not out loud.

[member="Anastasia Rade"] | [member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Glowing red eyes stoically watched Anastasia pace the room as she addressed him. As she closed the distance and bent down to squeeze his face, Cryax’s alien eyes looked directly into hers. He did not let his eyes stray, nor did he did not try to wrestle himself from her grip. Let her have her moment of triumph. If it gave her closure, then good for her. He had no ill will towards the woman. It was Azrael and his Mandalorians who drew all of his vengeance. She roughly shoved his face away, and he let his head hang where it had landed, his blue black hair falling in his eyes. Then he raised his face to both of them, looking back and forth between the siblings.

In response to the Manda’lor, Bane scoffed. “Grovelling? How much more grovelling do I have to do? I just gave her my apology. Would you like a pound of blue flesh? Should I cut off a finger for each of you so that you’ll have a souvenir drink stirrer to mark the occasion?” He let out an offended huff of air and muttered in Cheunh under his breath. “To k'ir viz vuct'icu'asi.”

His eyes never wavering from Azrael’s, the crime boss added. “I think it would be wise to get me back on the first shuttle to Antecedent. Better do it soon, before the Mandalorian sky is darkened by a storm of Red Raven battleships.”

[member="Anastasia Rade"] [member="Azrael"]