Negotiating Aggressive Negotiations

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen stood calmly, his hands placed before him as he resided just outside of the meeting room, waiting to be invited in. Behind him was a full squad of his men, each armed with their designated sidearms and coated in their respective armors. However, due to the nature of this meeting, they did make sure to leave their various main weapons in the Vixen. Dignitaries and negotiators tended to get itchy when you showed up prepared to kick the ass of everyone within a two mile radius.

For months, the Vitae had been tracking a certain duros thug anmed Grel Veen, a murderer with about twenty names under his belt. It was the kind of man that the Alliance paid attention to, and aimed to take down as fast as possible. As such, when they had heard that he'd run to the planet of Iridonia, Vulpesen was quick to reach out to the planetary leader, who in turn, set up a meeting with a smaller branch of the royal family in order to set the rules of engagement. Of course, Vulpesen would need to be present during this meeting and his men had decided to join him, so that they could show just what the iridonian government could expect in this minor operation.

 

[Asajj Novar]

"Come in." The expected voice of the King of Iridonia was not what [member="Vulpesen"] 's heard to give him entry. What's more, when he would enter the room the king was no where to be seen. Instead, a young woman sat behind a desk, dressed in similar leathers accented by red and blue signature to the Iridorian Royal family. "Have a seat, Valde." She extended a hand towards a multitude of seats for the Wilder and his men.

"Time is short, correct?"

 

[Vulpesen]

Slipping into the room, Vulpesen rose a brow at the sight of [member="Asajj Novar"]. While certainly not the imposing Zabrak he was expecting, he took no offense to the king's lack of presence. This was after all, a comparatively small matter, one that Vulpesen would have likely delegated to another as well. Walking over to a chair, he lowered himself down, smoothing the creases from his coat as he did so while his men did the same, following their leader. "Thank you for having us. And I suppose short would be one way of putting it. We'd rather not risk missing our opportunity."

 

[Asajj Novar]

"I understand. Then, fill me in on the trip." As soon as [member="Vulpesen"] sat the Dathomir stood, lightly dusting off her clothing. She gave a quick nod to the Fox with the faintest of grins before stepping past him and right out the door she had asked him in on. There was some kind of game with this it seemed. "After you reported where he was we had one of our scouts get eyes on. Last I heard, the scumbag was still hiding away none the wiser, though the scout thought he saw the guy working on something behind one of the windows. What ever it might be, I'd rather not let a mass murderer finish their pet project, yeah?"

She'd lead the Wilder and his men down the hallway they came in through, but out a door opposite theirs. A dropship waited for them, geared and ready for take off. "Hit him fast, hit him hard. Any objections?"

 

[Vulpesen]

His head tilted as she rose and strode past him, his head following her. Voicelessly mouthing her words, it took him a moment to fully understand what she was getting at, but as it finally dawned on him, he turned to see his men looking expectantly at their leader, a few of the more clever ones even large grins at the way she had fooled him. Still, he said nothing as he stood up, simply deciding to roll with it as he followed her out.

Hearing her plans, Vulpesen grinned and looked at the drop ship, his tail flicking behind him. "We'll need to take a quick stop so my boys here can pick up their gear. But fast and hard sounds like just what we had in mind?" He motioned for his men to mount up, his tail flicking in anticipation. "I take it this means you intend to join us? I didn't think the iridonians would be sending one of their diplomats to work alongside us."

[member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Asajj Novar]

"You'll find that all in Iridonian culture know how to fight. Some know more, some focus elsewhere, but we all can kill as needed." She paused, glancing over her shoulder to [member="Vulpesen"] as she climbed onboard the transport. "And I have specialized in combat." Once on board she waved a hand to an armory on board, smiling. "I've taken the liberty of learning your mens weaponry and have gathered the most appropriate arms that the Iridonian army has to offer to each of them. I'm afraid I must insist on using it, as we plan to show the galaxy Iridonia will not allow any criminals to hide on our world. And of course, show our allies why we were once so feared."

 

[Vulpesen]

"I'm well aware of your militaristic ways, Miss. The Iridonians are a race with quite a reputation." Peeking onto the ship, Vulpesen's eyes narrowed a bit as he observed the weaponry. "I don't wish to sound insulting, but we'd much rather prefer to use our own arms. These men were trained to know those weapons inside and out. Not to mention, we aren't here to inspire fear. Your arms are known for brutalizing and being rather deadly. We aren't here to kill our target. We're here to arrest him. He's a serial killer, not a genocider." Vulpesen did his best to make it clear that his preference didn't come from a place of thinking that Asajj's weapons were inferior. Rather, he was concerned they might be too potent. And if needed, he and his men would resort to using their sidearms for the operation. The code came before all else. And the code championed the preservation of life.

[member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Asajj Novar]

"Iridonia does not tolerate any sort of murderer on our planet. And our law, Valde, is not to be ignored by any who travel here. You're code does not usurp Iridonian law." Asajj kept her tone civil. She understood [member="Vulpesen"] 's position, but he wasn't on his world. He should at least understand that when working with another government on their world their laws overrule any code.

"However, as he hasn't killed any Iridonian citizen, you are welcome to capture him alive. Just remember for any future joint operations you follow our rules on our world. Likewise, we follow yours on your planet." She nodded over to the pilot. "Tell him where your gear is."

 

[Vulpesen]

"And its law I'm concerned with miss. He needs to be arrested to stand trial. A field execution should only be acceptable in extreme circumstances. I find it hard to believe that your laws would force us to use lethal force to apprehend a man, or endanger ourselves with foreign equipment." Turning to the pilot, Vulpesen motioned for his men to board up, doing so as well. "We're at the docks a lil north of here. It'll be a YT-1930." Walking over to take a seat, Vulpesen lowered himself down, waiting for them to get moving.

[member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Asajj Novar]

"You speak smugly of a culture you are visiting. You came with evidence that this man is a murderer of many people. More than enough for his death to be warranted. Remind yourself you are a guest and will follow our laws just as you would expect others to follow yours." There was no room for negotiation on that part. Asajj glared at [member="Vulpesen"] now, clearly displeased with his blatant disrespect of a foreign powers culture.

She'd move to sit by the pilot, ending any further conversation as they flew to where the Valde had said his ship and supplies were. Once they finally did arrive the princess left the cockpit to once again dress the fox.

"Get your men's gear and we'll be off."

 

[Vulpesen]

"We didn't ask for help. We appreciated it, but we were fully content to deal with this quietly with you never having to bother yourself with it. I will happily follow your laws until they start to harm my people. You said that in the future we must follow your rules of engagement and use your weapons. Being forced to kill under any circumstances when there is a non-lethal alternative can have a rather dramatic effect on a Zorren's psyche, and none of my people would do it in their right minds. You can have your culture, but respect our biology and the fact that if we followed your rules, you may very well break the minds of these fine men who I work with. If you were on my planet, I would not order you to forsake the core beliefs of your way of life, or risk your very sanity to simply flaunt my power." Looking up from the cockpit, Vulpesen watched the docks rise above him, his own ship coming well into view.

"I apologize if I seemed rude. We respect your efficiency and ferocity, but brutality is something we Zorrens cannot replicate without risking more than you can imagine." By nature, Vulpesen was a protective person, like all sane Zorrens. He bristled at the idea of being rebuked for protecting those that he considered friends, men who had pledged to lay down their lives for him. The least he could do was ensure that another's rules didn't break them as they had his own mother. He didn't even know who this woman was, or even her name. Her sensibilities were thus, far below the health of his men, and the way of life they had pledged to give up their lives for.

Once his men had exited the ship and grabbed their gear, the silently boarded back up. For the most part, they were a picture of professionalism, though a few did pointedly adjust their weapons, some flicking their weapons to stun with an audible flick while the grenadier swapped an red explosive with a purple canister.

[member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Asajj Novar]

"Ah, that's where the misunderstanding was. No, I'm not requiring you to use our weapons. No, I'm not requiring you to kill this man. All I meant was if this man was wanted by Iridonian authorities for murder and you were here to assist, you would be following our rules for engagement. Which would lead to his elimination." That would be the last the Dathomir would say on the subject, though she was sure [member="Vulpesen"] would have some sort of counter. He seemed the type to need the last word. She smirked faintly as she turned away from him.

He could have it if he so wished.

The princess once again went to the cockpit, nodding to the pilot to begin the takeoff sequence. Once they were in the air she returned to the Valde, glancing around his men. "To make up for my mistake of intentions I'll be assisting you as if I was one of your own. Unfortunately, my weapons are all meant to kill. You have anything I could use to better assist your goal?"

 

[Vulpesen]

Listening to her explanation, Vulpesen nodded. He ignored her use of the word 'insist', thinking perhaps he had simply changed her mind. Either way, there was no use creating a political stink over semantics. As she spoke as to how she would be joining him, he rose a brow. For a moment, he thought about denying the request to join them, but considering her political position, and the ways of her people, he decided against it. Reaching into his coat, he removed a fennec pistol and adjusted it to stun before handing it over. "Use it when you can, but you are not a Vitae. You aren't beholden to our code. If you need to use whatever rifle you have, then use it."

[member="Asajj Novar"]

 

[Asajj Novar]

She took the gun, holding it in her hand with practiced ease. "We, Iridonians that is, love our weapons. But that doesn't mean we don't know how to handle other weapons. Asides, the only other thing I'd use is a lightsaber." Asajj idly patted the smooth cylinder on her hip before giving a quick nod to the Valde. They were getting close to the drop. "For now I follow your lead. Give what orders you need to, and I will follow them."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"The Fennec isn't a hard thing to use. You point, you pull the trigger. Just don't shoot a stun mag while its set to lethal." Glancing at her saber, Vulpesen grinned and moved his coat to reveal is own. "Our code champions life. I have no qualms with you maiming those that would attack you." Walking towards towards the back of the ship, Vulpesen turned to face his men, then [member="Asajj Novar"]. "Do you know how to slow your descent with the force?"

 

[Asajj Novar]

"So long as they breath it matters not what state their in?" That, for a rather specific reason, annoyed the young Dathomir. She glanced down at herself, her cybernetics. Her prosthetic. While she was healing she certainly felt like it would be better to be dead then to suffer through how much she had lost of her body. "If you're going to champion life, you should at least take into account what state is actually worth living, and which isn't." She was really trying to work with [member="Vulpesen"] , but this was a rather specific to how she had been only a couple months ago.

"No, I can't say I do. I was mostly trained in how to kill quietly and efficiently."

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen could sense the distress in her, and his eyes turned to look over the woman as she rebuked his philosophy. Of all the things he might have held against her due to their differences in beliefs, he had to admit that at least now, she had a point. However, it was something he hadn't spend thie thinking about himself. "People can be repaired. Limbs can be replaced. Memories can be overcome. Death is permanent, and it cannot be changed. Death is immutable. That is why we hate death. Do you truly think it would have been better to die? You haven't taken your own life yet. And if you had, you wouldn't be around to help me now. There would be so much lost opportunity." His words, particularly at the end, might have been slightly harsh. However, he didn't meant to come off as cold or unfeeling. With every word, the Valde spoke softly, doing his best to bring about his points as gently as he could. He could see this diplomat had been hurt, quite viciously in fact. But that didn't mean he could waver in his beliefs.

Realizing that he would have another to catch, Vulpesen walked to the back of the ship, asking that the ramp be lowered Behind him, each of his men lined up, straightening in their posture as they looked down at the city scape below. "You might need to trust me a bit, unless you have your of means of keeping from going splat. We don't really like to land ships around our AO's. It's too noticeable."

[member="Asajj Novar"]