Next quarter is new business!

[Shia Kryze]

Shia had carefully planned this encounter, to avoid... the child.

It was really hard to have a business chat with your best friend and sister when her daughter was giving you the evil eye, after all.

She wasn't quite sure where Adara was, but she suspected a jackal-headed bodyguard with an unfortunate nickname might be involved.

"Hey Yash." She paused thoughtfully. "If I'm 'Shi-Shi' thanks to your mothers influence, how come you're not Ya-Ya?" She asked teasingly, before seating herself opposite the Mandalore. As was her custom, Shia wasn't in 'armour' - although anyone putting a bullet into her catsuit might be surprised when it bounced.

"Uh. Anyway, I've finished speaking to the Clan elders and we've agreed on a proposition - the Empire is still short of money, right? So are we. But this whole new neutral stance might just be taking off, as long as the Sith let it. So - the Clan is willing to offer a ten percent tithe of all profit after expenses directly to the Empire, in return for the Empire's indirect backing and supply of our mercenary endeavours - nothing anyone can point to and say 'well Yasha sent Shia there' - just, you know... food and bullets."

[member="Yasha Mantis"]​

 

[Yasha Cadera]

“Guess you could try and get your Ya-Ya’s out.” Yasha smirked, passing [member="Shia Kryze"] a mug of stimcaf before taking a sip from her own. There in the safety of her Palace, Yasha walked around barefoot with her armour weave jumpsuit open to her belly button, sleeves tied in front. She fixed her tank top and plunked down with one leg up on the chair, her hair bundled up in a messy bun atop her head.

“How many heart attacks you think we’d get a day if you did go ‘yo Ya-Ya! How’sits!?’” This was Shia, her beloved Vod, and since [member="Kaden Mantis"]’ death, Yasha was brutally reminded that she hadn’t given Shia near enough attention.

“Food and bullets, eh?” The truth of Yasha’s constant attempt at separation and reconciliation with the galactic powers was a well hidden one from many but her inner council.

“Our economic position is loads better than it was when the Undying began our Empire, but we’ve concentrated too much on trade with Commenor, and I don’t enjoy the foreboding sense that the bounty won’t last. Could our finances be better? Absolutely. Are we bleeding creds? No… but one bad month could shove that devo into the bin.” She stopped to sip her stimcaf, glad ‘Sloobieboo’ had Adara at hand.

Someday Yasha would figure out what to do about Shia and her little girl.

“I have no guff with this. It’s a solid idea. Let’s work it through, what happens if your people did get captured… or worse? I’d have a hard time not swinging in hammer blazing.”

 

[Shia Kryze]

"One woman gets that privledge, Yash. So if it's all the same I'll leave the Ya-Ya to, uh... someone else."

Shia dropped into a seat with a boneless lack of grace.

"We've lived that life for eight hundred years, Yash. My family know the risks - a lot of them actively want to get back to travelling, they're, uh, bored. But seriously, the Supercommando Codex is quite clear - you're free to offer ransom for us and I'm going to shove a big notice that we're worth more handed back than we are dead, and that people who end up torturing and killing my people end up on the end of a kad. You don't need to come in swinging, even if it's me I'm sure Mishel will either arrange for some angry Jedi to help, or if I'm in Jedi jail, come visit me and say nice things before breaking me out."

Not, she didn't add, that there were many Jedi jails to get put in - the Silver Jedi Order being about the last. Maybe this Republic Remnant had a chance.

"I'm not picky on contracts that don't involve Ronan's style of violence - that might rule out the Sith, Carnifex has his pet Mandalorians, although I think Ronan's a lot less tame than he believes. But the First Order aren't so bad and the CIS..." She shrugs. "So I'll make sure to make it clear I've fought for as many sides as I can."

"As to the 'well, it was obviously backed by the Empire' - I think we're just up front. We've done this for centuries, with the collapse of the Alliance, we might be in the perfect position to do it again. The big unknown is how Carnifex will react, and you seem to manage to keep him happy."

[member="Yasha Mantis"]​

 

[Yasha Cadera]

“Hah! I wasn’t thinking about that… happiness looks good on you, by the way. I'm glad you found her.” Yasha shook her head, letting a soft smile stroke upon her usually serious face. Her Panathan accent faded in the intervening years, she was careful of every pronunciation when around the others. But this was [member="Shia Kryze"].

“Shia if you got captured, I don’t care who did it, I’m swinging. And hard.” She sipped more of the stimcaf and played with the mug’s handle. “Carnifex has his Mandalorian marauders, he doesn’t need us too. Not in that way, at least.”

Pursing her lips, Yasha tapped at the table and nodded. “As long as you’re here when I need you, I’m okay with this. I can allot food, bullets, repairs on your armour, ships and weapons, and safe berth. I have no desire to whinge against what makes our culture strong, and I want our warriors to be constantly in practice. Our only true loyalty lies to the Mando’ade and to Manda’yaim.

All others should convert, or tremble.”

About to take another sip of stimcaf, Yasha let the mug linger back to the table top, leaning her elbow upon it and wringing her fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck.

“Manage to keep him happy.” Yasha’s chin sunk toward her chest. “Kaden’s not dead a month, and Carnifex is licking his lips to call me his daughter-in-law. I know it’s a mechanism of control. Something to keep Adara and I under his shadow… I’m prepared to do whatever will bring safety to our People, Shia. War or peace, I will live how the Mando’ade require. Regardless of my feelings.”

Rubbing at the back of her neck, Yasha hissed out a tense sigh.

“How is it his son can be so… gentle? Strong and easy to be around? I don’t know what’s worse, knowing Carnifex has it in to be the grandfather to my kids, baptize Adara in some black water or finding that Alvarex is a respectful and honourable man? If situations were different, and he was simply a warrior I met in Manda'yaim, Alvarex would get more than a few tertiary looks. He's... fetching. Not that I'm anywhere near ready to consider taking any lover. The fact Alvarex respects that is... mmh.”

 

[Shia Kryze]

"Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la."

Shia replied bluntly.

"Now, with that family you apply a grain of salt - they're aruetise after all. So enjoy your time with him with caution. He may very well not be his father, and even his father remains human for the moment. Even mortal, as much as he pretends otherwise. As to what the people require... I'd venture we require safety, and for all his cunning and intelligence Carnifex is easily tamed. If you sacrifice what makes you Mando'ade to preserve the Mando'ade, then it's a futile gesture at best - you're ruined before you begin. That's what Ronan doesn't understand."

She settled back in her chair.

"Kryze will always be loyal to our people and to manda'yaim, even when we are away from it. Your political ideas are commendable, even if you do occasionally listen to Kaine's war drums a little too often. The old man has his heart in the right place, but he likes to test his toys. We'll do our best to be here when you need us, at least some of us. I can't and won't promise the impossible, but we'll always answer your call or I'll tell you to your face why it's wrong and call for the challenge, you know that."

Was now the time? Kark it.

"Adara... Adara isn't whole, Yash. You've constantly told me to make nice. But the girl wants to kill me because half of what I am screams to kick half of her screaming back into the underworld. I don't know what was done to save her and I don't want to know. But she's still one of us, just... one of us who's very in danger of becoming Sith, or worse. Carnifex sees that. You need to keep her away from him, you need to let... someone, anyone, look at her. I have no doubt he'll preserve her existence at any cost. Because she just might grow into one of those creepy witches he keeps around to ruin worlds with but a word of power. Or she might not - I doubt he knows that any more than I do, even if he thinks he's all knowing. Karking Sith. Some days, they're more sanctimonious than your average Jedi."

She spread her arms.

"How do we beat them? We out think them. So now's the time to start out thinking him in regards to Adara's future."

[member="Yasha Mantis"]​

 

[Yasha Cadera]

“Death eventually comes for us all. Eventually even the strongest Master is taken by it, even Ember will fade with time. I don’t want to sell my body for peace… I told Carnifex and Alvarex as much to their faces. The onus is on Alvarex and I to prove our worth to each other, or not at all. I do see us requiring safety, I’ve given it to us thus-far the best I can. The tidings of Commenor hit me ill. Do I sell Commenor’s salvation for ours? They won’t survive, I know this. I know it.”

As she sat and listened, Yasha pulled her other foot onto the chair, too, hugging her arms around her knee and pressing her cheek against it.

“At least I haven’t gotten us into too many wars, despite Kain’ik’s council to the otherwise. Alright, Shia. You have my support.” Yasha smirked, thinking on the Warmaster who right now was taking Adara to the meadows.

“Adara has nightmares about you, Shia. You’re the monster hiding in her closet that’s going to take her to the Netherworld. She’s terrified of you. But she’s also my daughter. You know better than anyone how Kaden and I dealt with terror. Is she that different to the way I was, when you first met me?” Still hugging her legs, Yasha looked the fellow Mando’ad over.

“Am I so different? You know what part of me resides in the Netherworld, you’ve seen it. Others keep telling me my daughter’s a monster, what else was she going to be? Kaden and I were barely out of the Netherworld a week, when she was conceived.

Adara’s a Mantis, and we’ve never been the most… normal. What do you want me to do, treat my daughter like a weapon? Sorry, Shia, I lived that. I won’t treat my daughter like a piece of artillery, I won’t be my parents… you’re right, I don’t understand your universe, I don’t feel how she makes others feel. All I know is… I love my daughter and I want her to survive without a gun in her hands. She’s all I have left of Kaden… but what do we do?

Must I look at everything which stems from me and see it's wrong? The way Kain’ik looks at her… I know she’s capable of giving and receiving love. The… the day she… the day it happened, it was something called Midichlorian Manipulation. That’s what did it. The will of someone to refuse to give me that message of grief. I don’t know how that works, but that’s what was done… apparently it had something to do with the Bral, too. It’s why I’ve never reinstated them around the Palace, the paediatrician confirmed that Adara was dead, and then there was a transfer of energy, and that she was searching for more. It’s all I understand.

... as strange and potentially evil as it sounds, the first time I saw Adara thrive, Carnifex was squeezing the blood out of his palm and letting it drop on her face. Her skin absorbed it, soaked it in and my little sickly baby became healthy as any kid. Healthy as one of his. Alvarex held Adara in his arms, and... and she relaxed. There was a peace and a joy there I'd never seen, like she was finally getting what she'd been crying for all those weeks. Crying and crying... I don't know, Shia. I don't understand any of this, it's all... mysticism and spiritual.

Maybe it's the piece that's missing from me that makes this so hard to understand.”

 

[Shia Kryze]

"Haat, Ijaa, Haa'it."

Shia nodded in response to agreement of support from the Mandalorian Empire for her clan, relaxing for a moment - if that hadn't gone well... then she tensed up at Yasha's words, sat up straighter, then sighed slightly and tried to release the tension.

"Okay. Hard talk time then, right. You remember when we met? When you were just a confused kid who's parent didn't really understand what was going on? Everyone expected you to be a Mando'ade, but you didn't know what that was. Well... Adara's sort of in the same place, and I think you've got slightly warped expectations as to a normal childhood."

She frowned, clearly searching hard for the right words.

"You say I give her nightmares? Well, two's company because she terrifies me into sleepless nights with what she... with what she does now, never mind what she could do when she's older. She died, Yash. That first spark that kept her alive? It's off somewhere in the Manda. I don't know what happened, but I do know that what's sustaining part or all of her now is the dark side of the Force, pure and simple. There's a world of difference between that and what happened to you. She's feeding off anything and everything around her, because without it she'll die - maybe the process is incomplete, maybe that's the only way the dark side can sustain someone. I know it's a Sith trick to extend your life through similiar means."

She rubbed her forehead.

"Does that mean she's a bad kid? Or evil? No. She's five. She should be playing with kids blasters and playing bolo-ball in the streets. It means... I guess it means she's hungry for something dark, because that was how she was brought back. But 'the Force' is a lot more than the Jedi or Sith claim, I doubt she's stuck on one side of it. You say she was at peace when Carnifex 'fed' her - I say to you that 'Peace is a lie, there is only Passion' - Carnifex lives that, remember that. And if I put aside everything for a second - Adara would make a great Sith when she grew up, if she wanted to be. But if you want to raise her Mandalorian, then she - and you - need to understand what she needs and why, at the very least."

After a moments thought, she hurriedly added.

"You're right... she's not a normal five year old any more than you were - and it was people treating you like you were that was really hard for you. So don't make it hard for her. She's sensitive to the force - far, far more so than I am. She's potentially so powerful it scares me, and that potential rests with the side of death, of conflict, of chaos, of power - right now, anyway."

[member="Yasha Mantis"]
​