Far From Home

[Krux Mullarus]

He rose a brow, staring over at them from the foot of his bed. "What do I want?" He asked as if the question was alien to him, like nobody had really ever asked him what he wanted. It was a sacrifice he made to pursue his ancestry in the order of the One Sith. What you wanted was rarely what the Masters wanted in the long run.

Though, when she brought up his butchered family being slain by the Republic, she made a good point. It made him think. Did he really believe his grandfather, who simply abused and nearly killed him after all of those years? Was it really the Republic...?

What am I saying...they were clearly Republic starships...I won't listen to their lies.

"I'll tell you what I want. I want to stand before the Jedi Council and tell them about how I, an evil, cruel Apprentice of the Sith, spared the life of a Jedi Knight on the battlefield of Contruum and prevented my fellow Sith from impaling her from behind as she knelt before me as a sign of respect. I want to show you and the rest of the Jedi that not all Sith seek to spill the blood of the innocent. Some of us have a sense of respect for our enemies..."

As much as he wanted to insult and spit at the soldier, Mullarus kept himself from it. After the past two battles he took place in, he had slowly begun to gain control of the emotions he once had no leash upon. He could think of many insulting names to call the soldier, but he sealed his mouth, and simply ignored his presence, favoring the more level-headed, free-willed one of the woman whom he takes his orders from.

[member="Commander Lusk"]
[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Commander Lusk]

[member="Mullarus"]
[member="Keira Ticon"]

Lusk looked at the Sith with disgust on his face, he was weak. He didn't have the guts to do what was necessary, mercy towards the enemy a Jedi knight even. No, Lusk would of put a hole in that Jedi's head then slept like a baby, this was war and in war you had to make the hard choices. If they took the Sith back to republic space there wasn't going to be a trial, there was going to be him coming off the ramp going inside and learning his identity then a bullet being placed into the back of his skull. The republic was well past the point of trials and Keira knew that just as much as Lusk did.

"There's another option sit. We label the Sith as executed, then we take him in secret to the Jedi temple on Ossus. See what they want to do with him, because if we take him to any republic facilities he's going to be killed within the hour of landing." He said to Keira giving her the last option.

Honestly if it were up to Lusk he'd shoot the Sith now and be done with it, then again maybe that's why he was only second in command to Keira. Regardless he was going to follow her orders and do what needed to be done, if it meant he had to bend the rules a little with the republic he would. After all he wasn't born with the inhibitor chip in his head like his younger brothers, he followed Keira not only because he wanted to but because she was a strong leader. Even if she didn't know it yet.

"On your word commander." he said once more.

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Mullarus scowled. He couldn't hold it any longer.

"Your dog needs a muzzle...he barks too much. I'm afraid if he keeps talking, he might get the feeling that he has a voice in anything beyond being a wretched, mindless servant kissing the dirt beneath your feet."

Hatred burned in Mullarus' eyes as he stared at the man.

[member="Commander Lusk"]
[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay breathed a small sigh of relief as [member="Mullarus"] was spared by the mere words of [member="Keira Ticon"]. She hated the Black Flag order. It left the Republic to lower themselves to a really bad state. No doubt it was done out of desperation. Yet desperate acts were never really viewed as anything but just that. It was cold and heartless, both things that the Republic never stood for. At least not the Republic that she knew.

Time to be sure that [member="Commander Lusk"] doesn't get a trigger finger. The Senator left the security office and headed down towards the prisoner's cell. But she didn't go there to lecture. Kay just went there to continue to listen and prevent a needless death if she had to. One her way down, she shrunk her Force signature to the size of a small tree nut. As she arrived, she stood beside the Commander so that she could get a better view of things.

 

[Keira Priest]

The voices of both were beginning to grate on her, and Keira would have lashed out with varying degrees of intensity on the ethereal plane had the Ysalamir not been present. As it was her brow creased slightly, jaw clenching for the briefest of seconds as she bled the stress away with a quiet sigh and the forceful relaxation of muscles. In previous years her self-restraint would have been null, but she had learned when and where to control herself, and the best ways to do so. It would do no good to snap as she had so often done in the past. The time for blowing off steam would come later, when she didn't have to worry about what impression she was making to the individuals present. Maybe another sparring match with [member="Connor Harrison"] was in order.

The cybernetic fingers of her saber hand twitched nearly imperceptibly, the only sign that she dangerously close to igniting the blade and carving out the throat of the Sith herself. That, at least, would put an end to this incessant squabbling and give her leave to return to friendly space with no further issue. It wasn't as if her presence here had been authorized in the first place, however. This wasn't her prisoner, and at the end of the day she didn't have much authority in terms of what would be done with him. She just happened to be the one to get here first. "You would do well to remember where you stand, Sith. His life is worth more than yours or those of your betters will ever be."

Maybe this hadn't been her best idea. Thus far, all it was shaping up to be was another imminent life-or-death situation that she once more held in her hands. The notion of this much responsibility was still very new to her, and she would never grow to fully acknowledge her place in these dealings. Titles and semantics had never been her strongest point, and she wasn't the greatest at understanding or respecting them, least of all those under her own belt. More like than not all of this fuss would only land them in trouble with the Republic, not that she much cared so long as it remained on a relatively minor scale. After all, much of her life had been spent belonging to a criminal syndicate. She had learned not to care.

"The only issue I see with that is the Sith attacking Ossus. The Jedi are fractured enough as it is. They can't afford any more losses." Nor would it do any good to brew further enmity between herself and that sect. What with the clone army business she knew a solid foundation of trust was far from being so much as forged, and she didn't need to further any developments by bringing a Sith onto the Temple grounds. It seemed that things were only destined to get more complex in her life. Nothing could ever be simple. "We don't exactly hold the most authority here as it is. In the end, the one primarily responsible for his fate is the Jedi that captured him. More like than not he was left alive for a reason." Yet another reason she would never understand them.

However much she blatantly despised politics, in that moment she had to admit that the arrival of the senator provided a much needed reprieve from the tension. The woman's presence was noted with a nod in greeting, her gaze briefly cutting to Lusk and the prisoner. "Senator. What is it you need?" Not the most formal, but there again was that disregard for titles.

[member="Lady Kay"], [member="Mullarus"], [member="Commander Lusk"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

The new woman, whom [member="Keira Ticon"] described as 'Senator' caught Mullarus' eye now. Slowly, he stood up. He did his best to shove the annoyance and anger he felt for the Republic Jarhead with an itchy trigger finger out of his mind. This time, assuming the woman really was a politician, he wouldn't have to worry about being scolded...hopefully. Most politicians, in Mullarus' eyes, were big bubble-blowing pushovers, so maybe Mullarus had someone new he could have a formal, non-lethal conversation with.

Come to think of it, Mullarus could make out the woman's appearance. He had seen it before... Ah, yes, she has a price on her head. He himself had never been interested in Bounty Hunting. It was just another of the many activities in this galaxy that fed the growing corruption that was beginning to plant it's seeds in the Empire and had already begun to grow within the Republic's politics.

Despite what many would expect, as well as being in the position he is in, Mullarus gave a polite bow to the Senator. He could not remember her name, just that she was an important figure. "Greetings, Senator..." Sure, Mullarus had a deep hatred for the Republic, but for a single Senator? This was another opportunity for Mullarus to prove that not every sith was cruel to everyone for the sake of 'Because I can'. In fact, maybe with enough manners, he could get these Force Shackles off and be on his way back home within a few days instead of years.

Speaking of manners, Mullarus faced [member="Commander Lusk"] once again. Hatred was pushed out of his head. He put himself in the man's shoes. A war hero. A soldier who threw away the comfortable life of a civillian to protect his friends, his family, and the people of the Galactic Republic. Though he fought for a government filled with corruption, he fought to protect those he loved. Just like Mullarus. "Yes...she is right. I am the victim here on the wrong side of the bars. Forgive me, sir. I will still my tongue...

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay bowed her head to [member="Keira Ticon"] in greeting. She wasn't too much for formalities either. Afterall, she'd only been a Senator for about a year. She considered herself to be one of the bottom feeders in the political circle. But that was just fine by her as it gave her the freedom to go about and go on her own missions. She was never needing to be stuck at the Senate hall to attend needless meetings nor to try to gain more power for herself.

As she was about to answer Keira's question, [member="Mullarus"] stood up and bowed to her. Well, that certainly was unexpected giving his recent outburst. But then again she knew what it was like to be locked up in a cage. Kay bowed her head to him as well. In her mind everyone knew had her respect. It was their actions and words that would strip it away.

"Greetings. Forgive me for interrupting, but I just wanted to be sure that the captured soldier was properly cared for. Was he injured? Had he been fed or had anything to drink? We are not savages, nor should we treat others as though they are. Even if they are our captives."

If he had been captured then perhaps others have as well. Which could mean that the Black Flag order was deeply unpopular, even in these dangerous times. If that's the case then perhaps it could be rescinded.

 

[Commander Lusk]

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Mullarus"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

"Senator." Lusk said addressing the politician in a high regard.

"Option B is still on the table." he said referring to having the Sith take a very short walk out of a very small airlock with a very low air supply.

"I will await your command, sir." Lusk said to Keira and quickly assumed a parade rest position.

The clone of Preliat simply stood back and watched the Sith, the senator, and his commander. It was a simple task and really he just wanted to shoot the Sith and be done with it. While he respected Keira as a warrior she was becoming soft in this situation, this wasn't a time for mercy. It was a time to take the Sith out back behind a chemical shed, put them on their knees, and then a blaster bolt in the back of their head.

If they let the Sith go then not only would they have to face republic law, but they would also be setting a dangerous enemy free, who would in all likelihood go back to the Sith. They would share any relevant data they had gathered, claim they had this big escape, be promoted, then go back to killing his brothers and sisters on the front lines. And that was something Lusk could not allow, so if these people could hurry up and make a choice then Lusk would appreciate it.