Faction Devil You Know | NEO

[Carduul Akahl]

“...What wretched talk is this? An alliance?” Came the derisive words from the Rally Master. Gaze had tilted to peer upon the other two, who seemed so very content to play nice with a group that would ultimately seek to engineer their downfall. If it was up to him to maintain a modicum of what was promised to the Mandalorian people, so be it.

“Have you both forgotten the cause of the Crusade? It is for Mando’ade to seize victory - upon its own sweat, blood, and fury. How many of our predecessors have been torn apart by mere ties, their very purpose completely tainted by the fact they received aid from an outside party?” He pointedly questioned. “How many of our own people have sworn to our Crusade’s cause for the sake of conquesting against foes such as the ones lurking at the top of the Dark Empire’s ruling body?”

The poleaxe tapped against the sleek floor, as he began to pace about the table to observe the change of its scenery. His words, cooled and tempered, nonetheless carried a subtle outrage at the circumstances with which he delineated. “I would not deign to betray the cause we stand for. These routes, this opportunity - it can be taken as a gesture of goodwill. Any further acts of cooperation as mere coincidence. This joint offensive you propose, is merely two individual factions doing what they believe is tactically sound for themselves, and nothing more. That they are not attacking each other, merely due to convenience. That is how it has been, and how it should remain.”

Drafts from conquered populace was already their prerogative. They didn’t need anyone allowing them to do so. They certainly don’t need it now. A final, loud, metallic tap resounded as he came to a halt and turned towards Antipater. “I mean no disrespect to thee, or the populace under thy command, but to associate with Sith of any kind is to be an enemy of the Mando’ade. I will not make myself one of them.”

Gaze tilted to his kin. “I reiterate; these ideas are sound. Pragmatic. But do not forget who we represent in this meeting. Such a public occurence will not only lose any element of surprise, but also be a betrayal of our own Crusaders.” Came the assertion. His mind was rather set - if this had any chance of working out, it would have to be framed it more carefully. It must must anything but a public alliance, that was all he could say for certain.

Sig Dryggo | Ninurta Slaabur'r | Feydrik Munin | Antipater

 

[Antipater]

When Carduul spoke again, it was nearly an outburst. Somewhat indignant but largely predictable. Mandalorian pride was another one of those universal constants. Antipater supposed it was inevitable it should come up, though the fact that the conversation had gotten this far before it reared its head was a positive sign, if nothing else.

Antipater’s blank gaze followed Carduul and his polearm as he paced.

The old saying was that a lion ought not to concern itself with the opinions of prey… But to be an alor was to be a lion leading lions - or at least those who thought of themselves as lions. All this to say that Antipater could appreciate Carduul’s concerns, even if they were alien to him.

There were no lions on Jaemus. Only livestock to herd. Gently and with care.

“I don’t begrudge your reluctance,” Antipater said smoothly, “I have little appreciation for the Sith. In these unprecedented times they serve more as a liability than an asset.”

Like in this very moment.

The droid continued, “Present circumstances have nevertheless compelled me to serve that empty throne. Duty, I suppose you could call it.”

It sounded lofty, but loyalty was a trivial exercise when it came pre-programmed into the very fiber of your being.

“You prefer an informal arrangement. Unstated. Unannounced. This is acceptable to me. There will be no treaties to ratify, no documents to pour over… We will not bore you with an exchange of embassies.”

His gaze panned to Dryggo.

“...And we would likewise not presume to fold you into any command structure. But I hope your distrust for the Empire does not extend so deep as to be opposed to any means of coordinating our forces.”

Sig Dryggo | Ninurta Slaabur'r | Carduul Akahl | Feydrik Munin​

 

[Ninurta Slaabur'r]

“...What wretched talk is this? An alliance?” Came the derisive words from the Rally Master. Gaze had tilted to peer upon the other two, who seemed so very content to play nice with a group that would ultimately seek to engineer their downfall. If it was up to him to maintain a modicum of what was promised to the Mandalorian people, so be it.

“Have you both forgotten the cause of the Crusade? It is for Mando’ade to seize victory - upon its own sweat, blood, and fury. How many of our predecessors have been torn apart by mere ties, their very purpose completely tainted by the fact they received aid from an outside party?” He pointedly questioned. “How many of our own people have sworn to our Crusade’s cause for the sake of conquesting against foes such as the ones lurking at the top of the Dark Empire’s ruling body?”

The poleaxe tapped against the sleek floor, as he began to pace about the table to observe the change of its scenery. His words, cooled and tempered, nonetheless carried a subtle outrage at the circumstances with which he delineated. “I would not deign to betray the cause we stand for. These routes, this opportunity - it can be taken as a gesture of goodwill. Any further acts of cooperation as mere coincidence. This joint offensive you propose, is merely two individual factions doing what they believe is tactically sound for themselves, and nothing more. That they are not attacking each other, merely due to convenience. That is how it has been, and how it should remain.”

The Falleen turn his gaze away apon hearing Rallymaster Carduul Akahl tone and preaching. Gently he shook his head to himself and rolled his eyes at the retort. Everyone understands the situation except for you, my vod. He thought to himself and pondered how flexible Mandalorian ideals could bend, no, not bend. Break. " Must you be so churlish, Carduul." He commented in a tone that suggested boredom.

"Vod, your words echo with the weight of the past, and we are not dismissing their worth. The blood of our ancestors cries out through the annals of Mandalorian history, demanding justice, remembrance, vengeance. But history is a graveyard, and the dead do not fight our wars." He licked his lips and turned back around to address what his serpent eyes have observed across the Crusade itself. "You, like many of our kind are ensnared by verbiage so easily." The beastmaster feigned a look of concern. "Words are as wind; they shift, they fade. Would you rather hear the words, well done? Or would you rather observe it before you? Don't be so naive."

"The galaxy remembers the banners that fly with the winds of victory, not the paths taken to place it there. Consider this, if we accepted this fully and then betrayed them in time, would it still be betrayal? Or would it be the culmination of the Crusade's purpose—a conquest against an enemy we have studied from within, dismantled piece by piece, and obliterated when they stood at their strongest. What fun is there in killing a wingless bird?" His trophied bone encased beskar'gam shifted as the Falleen leaned to one side telling a different tale than what was spoken. Various tokens of his past hunts swayed for all to see. Tokens that did not come by seeking glory or honor but by cunning and skullduggery. Both honor and glory were virtues to the mandalorian people and yet Ninurta could not comprehend such topics. They were beneath him to follow and to obey. The beastmaster stood tall, not as a beacon of preconceived virtue but as a predator of nature.

" Moff Antipater , if you would be so kind to indulge us, Share with us the probability that we use what you give us and betray you?" He asked. Not to actually hear an answer but to demonstrate that even their host was not above the point he was attempting to prove.

Feydrik Munin
Sig Dryggo
Carduul Akahl

 

[Antipater]

"I have calculated that your betrayal is largely inevitable... Barring a significant shift in rhetoric, ideology, or leadership, of course." Antipater relayed this with rote indifference, like it was a weather forecast. Cloudy skies. Light chance of rain. "My projections remain inconclusive as to when this would occur. If I believed it would take place before meaningful defeats were inflicted on the Alliance, this meeting would not be taking place."

Sig Dryggo | Ninurta Slaabur'r | Carduul Akahl | Feydrik Munin​

 

[Feydrik Munin]

​

Feydrik cocked his head.

"Perhaps consider it delaying a conflict if you so choose. But we will not break our word and our bonds, should you have all the intentions of keeping yours, Moff."

Feydrik said. He spoke more diplomatically than the others, to some degree.

​

"I see no reason, brothers, to not heed the Moff's words. Our heroes of the Old Republic allied themselves with many others during their Crusade, their wars. I see no reason why to stem from history and scoff at the enemy of our enemy."

Feydrik looked between the Mandalorians, the conversation veering away from the Moff. He didn't seem to hate the Moff- in fact, Feydrik acted as if the Moff wasn't there when speaking to the other Mandalorians present. As if only their words carried weight, only they themselves, mattered in that room, and the Moff was simply another piece of furniture.

And partly that was due to the Moff being a droid, but, even if the Moff was not a droid- Feydrik would have treated him the same.

 

[Carduul Akahl]

“I consider you wise, Ninurta, but you misunderstand the purpose of the dead if that is your thought. Graveyards, and those that reside in them, should serve as lessons to learn from.” Came a sharp retort. “You pose as if I speak from words alone, but I merely speak from history. The Indomitable, The Preserver, The Vindicated, Khamul Kryze and his wretched sister of the same Clan - there are countless examples as to why such partnerships are doomed to misfortune.” His tone remained even, yet nonetheless stern. The fact he had to emphasize these points at all was bordering on foolish.

The smaller visor refocused upon the droid when it came to their words of the Sith. “Yet they still lord over the Dark Empire all the same. They always will, and thus the Empire will merely be another vessel of Sith so long as they are in control. ‘Lest the Lord Regeant, or perhaps someone else, decided otherwise.”

He could concede that in the end, only to the victor went the spoils. In a galaxy like this, however, there could only be one victor. Betrayal and cutthroat deals where any side was liable to backstab the other at any point, would only leave one. But to go to one willingly proposing such an arrangement was simply asking for trouble unbefitting of the war they waged. It was only emphasized as Moff Antipater so generously calculated the odds of betrayal.

“You act as if they would allow for the chance for us to take the opportunity. This line of thinking is what resulted in Death’s Hand falling to the grips of the Sith’ari in the first place. Inevitable becomes too late, then never. How would we be different?” He was adamant upon his stance. He remained leaning upon the table, intently peering at Ninurta. Standing not as a predator, but as what he has always been to his people - a Rally Master, a living paragon of the Old Way. “Every Mando’ade who deals in these schemes and plots believes themselves free of strings in such dealings. They are not.”

Gaze tilted betwixt Feydrik and the beastmaster. They both seemed intent upon this arrangement. A soft sigh left his helm, briefly debating upon the logistics of such a partnership, if it was even feasible. The Dark Empire were dealing with problems of their own - this much he knew. With the Diarchy swiftly encroaching upon them, and the Galactic Alliance biding their time to retake the land they have lost, their prospects looked grim indeed. Still… his brothers were right. There would be no point to fighting them, nor ignoring such proposals. Vengeance could wait, for now - the Beastmaster’s point of waiting until a foe was of ample strength resonated. “The Alliance is too large, too fat on their own rotting complexes, to adequately deal with. Not without exploiting the fact they are fighting upon three fronts. But I will not allow that rot to permeate to my own clan, as it did before.”

He leant away from the table, his hand broadly gesturing across. “So, vode of mine, if this is the route you choose to pursue, then so be it. Failure will be upon your own heads. Success will belong to the Crusade.”

The Rally Master would take it upon himself to maintain a vigilant watch, as he expected the rest of his kin to. It was needed in order to avoid falling into the same path as Death's Hand, or the New Mandalorians. Carduul was not fond of compromise with such an entity. Alas, War required it. Demanded it. There would be no wisdom from the elders to draw upon in such times - new action had to be taken to beat insurmountable odds.

Sig Dryggo | Ninurta Slaabur'r | Feydrik Munin | Antipater