School Days

[Orn'om]

He had never liked Sundari.

Even as a child when they would come to visit family and friends, Sundari always felt...Different from the rest of Mandalore. Maybe it was the rolling hills of snow white sand or maybe the tall, blocky buildings that many called home. This was "the City", and for someone that grew up riding jerry rigged swoops and wild Jacks as a kid he really didn't understand them. Few of them wore their armor in public, there weren't as many mercs and soldiers there, and they spoke with a weird almost Coruscanti accent. In short...

They seemed uppity.

Even now as an adult who was bougie as hell, Zeke still found their demeanor in the city to be off putting. Even the children, as one of the only cities on Mandalore with true private schools, seemed to look down on him when he came as a child. Their schools had always been funded by the ruling clans of Sundari and so as a place of business and credits their schools were quite nice. But he wasn't at a private school today.

Today he was at one of the several hibir'yaime that MandalMotors had helped fund. One part orphanage, one part rec center, and one part public school, they had seen relatively good success due in part to the funding coming from the Mandalorian Empire itself. Though they weren't as nice as some of the private schools in Sundari, they were state of the art and open to public enrollment which gave orphaned Mando'ade a chance to learn and do something with their lives.

Today Zeke wore his normal outfit, a black suit and tie with a beskar mythosaur skull pin on his left breast. He stood before several dozen students at an optional talk where he had just finished the pitch for some of the older students to apply for internships at one of MandalMotors facilities on Bothawui. Far away from home, they would intern in various positions with Daw Motors, one of MandalMotors' biggest subsidiaries that specialized in non-combat, civilian repulsor vehicles.

The crowd was bustling with noise as the students began packing up their bags and were chatting with teachers and peers about a million differnt things. Zeke stood at the podium, scanning the crowd with a smile on his face as he greeted teachers and received their thanks and shook a dozen different hands.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Education. Education has always been at the top of Cassiopeia's life. Her passion for education began when she was young, just a child growing up on Chroma Zed in the small village full of humans and the many Chroman who lived about the hills and mountains and various caves. It was a bit strange, at least to her, that despite her passion there was never a clicking moment for Cassiopeia. There was no single event that turned her into a promoter of education. Yet, here she was, promoting such in any way she could.

Plus, she herself had rejoined the teaching profession only a few months beforehand after several years break. She realized how much she missed to see the ideas, imagination, and more than flourished when promoted in an individuals mind. People were the future, after all. Her mind drifted to Lily. Cassiopeia had made the conscious decision to place Lily in the public school system in Sundari - mainly, to make sure the girl would be well rounded. Cassiopeia was born and raised relatively poor and while they were nowhere near that now, she wanted to make sure her own daughter interacted with people from all socioeconomic standings.

When she had heard that [member="Zeke Farthen"] would be at one of the several hibir'yaime that his corporation helped sponsor, she knew she had to formally meet the individual behind the name of MandalMotors. He had helped her inch closer to her dream where Mandalorians could have easy access to education, no matter their background or socioeconomic status. The hibir'yaime had been a successful project - helping those orphaned for whatever reason a home and place to thrive, learn, and grow. All in all, it gave them a better chance at a successful life. Plus, it probably gave MandalMotors a bit of money to use in other projects - and she was a huge promoter within the Mandalorian government to ensure they received as many funds as they needed.

Cassiopeia wore a light pink skirt and a black top with lace sleeves, her hair brushed straight. She had, shamefully, never been in one of the facilities despite the constant reports she had received of their success. She couldn't help but love Zeke's pitch to the students. And as the students began to pack up and either run off to do their own things. She made her way towards the podium but allowed the teachers to say hello first. After all, this was their moment to say thanks.

She smiled towards the man as she watched the last faculty thank him. She cleared her throat and approached the CEO for an introduction.

 

[Orn'om]

A blonde woman cleared her throat as the teachers began to slowly make their way and seemed to also want his attention. He saw her from the corner of his eye but when he turned to face her she was met with a face he'd seen several times in recap meetings with Dorn. He was sure she was someone from Yasha's council. Another military proposal? How many ships did he need to make for them?

He returned the smile, practiced and patient.

"How are you miss...?" He let the question trail off and extended his right hand, giving her time to introduce herself. The hand was painted in the same colors as his armor, red and gold and was very obviously an expensive prosthetic.

[member="Cassiopeia Australis"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Cassiopeia smile turned into a grin as the other instructors left and it was mainly her and students that were still chatting inside the room instead of leaving. Maybe they were done with classes and trainings for the day? In either case, they weren't her focus. [member="Zeke Farthen"], the driver behind the schools was. It was exciting to finally meet him! She could only assume he might have heard of her before - just as she had heard of him plenty as well. Granted, she didn't really know for sure, but still.

She reached her hand out and gave him a firm, yet gentle handshake. She noted the prosthetic but made no mention or reaction to it. There really wasn't a point - it acted just as any organic hand, if not better. "I'm doing well, how are you?" She asked in return. She retracted her hand back to her side.

"I'm Cassiopeia Australis, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I hope you don't mind, but I saw you were going to be visiting here so I thought I'd come and make a formal introduction."

 

[Orn'om]

Australis. The name pinched him like the spine of a Tortuga. The man that led the clan had recently designed a variety chocolate box of battlecruisers for the Mandalorian Empire, and while Zeke was no real fan of war he did enjoy good warship design and philosophy, both of which Zeke felt Australis lacked. There was no elegance, no consistent design philosophy besides the consistent fact that none of them were appealing to the eye. But Zeke had met that man, and this woman was not him and so he swept his petty ship builder's pride aside.

"Cassiopheia," he repeated the name to make sure he had gotten it right and nodded, pleased with the result. "A pleasure to meet you. You are part of Yasha Mantis' council aren't you? Just a pleasant introduction brought you out? No big surprise meeting with the Mand'alor or errand for your Alor?" It was...curious that she would come out just to meet him, but he wasn't about to say no to that. What was that saying about looking a gift horse in the mouth?

[member="Cassiopeia Australis"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Cassiopeia gave [member="Zeke Farthen"] a smile as he repeated her name to ensure he said it correctly. He wasn't someone that she would probably meet with in truth - an engineer for the Empire. A business owner. A leader. She wasn't exactly any of those things - she didn't know how to make ships, own a company (in the normal sense, anyway.) Maybe she could be considered a leader? But, she preferred biology & the sciences mostly. That was her passion in life.

In either case, she gave a nod. She was apart of the Wue'gi'vod, the Mand'alor's council. "Yeah, I am a member of it." She gave him a small, sly grin at his follow up questions. "Oh, no, no. Just an introduction. I was in town, saw you'd be here, and I had to meet the guy behind these schools." She chuckled quietly, "Although, I mean, if you'd like, I can see if I can get you one real quick," she said mostly playfully. She didn't come here on business at all and she assumed he had full access to Yasha, the Council, or Kaine at his own will anyway.

 

[Orn'om]

Zeke chuckled at her offer.

"No, that's fine, I'm fine," he sighed, the weight of the day slowly starting to set in. The students were all but gone now with all that remained of the presentation being untouched pens and pamphlets as well as the chatter just beyond the doors.

"Well, would you like a tour of the place? Its Mandalore's credits after all and if you weren't on the Council I don't think this would have ever happened anyways." He leaned in close and whispered with a wink, "To be honest I've only been in the main office and the engineering shops."
[member="Cassiopeia Australis"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Cassiopeia gave the man in front of her a small, playful grin as he said he was fine. It was mostly a joke and he caught onto it seemed. Pumping kids into excitement, especially overwork, and selling your company to them had to be a bit tiring. "Alright, awesome, I didn't really want to get them on the line," she teased playfully.

A tour? She'd love one, in truth. She hadn't been throughout the facilities at all, in truth. There had been so much going on that she hadn't exactly gotten a chance to take a tour of one of the schools. She was a huge proponent of the schools - she advocated on their behalf, and most education entities, during any Council meetings.

"I'd love a tour. I've always to check out the GravDome." She grinned at his wink, "I'll keep that a secret. At least we get to check it out together, though." In truth, she hadn't fully expected him to have been in all the areas of the campuses. He was the engineer - not chiefs of the schools, after all. In either case, though, she was happy to go on a tour with him - he knew the layout, the design, and could probably provide all sorts of cool information about them and how he designed it. "Let's get started, yeah?" She said as she began to walk towards the exit of the presentation room.

[member="Zeke Farthen"]

 

[Orn'om]

"I agree, let's get this show on the road!" Zeke took two steps down the steps from his little presentation stage and extended his red and gold hand to Cass. The Hibir'yaim was...Large, but only on account of it also housing an orphanage which did take up most of the land's space. This particular one was nestled in the heart of Sundari, which was only significant because outside of small construction crews fixing the odd building, it was the only reminder in the new capitol of the fortress world that these streets so recently had been slick with the blood of Mandalorians. While the building itself wasn't a reminder, the children who stayed here were. Entire clans were decimated from the Seven Day War leaving these children to pick up the pieces.

It was why he couldn't fight anymore, the horrendous reality of war. Some called him a coward behind his back, he knew it, but it didn't bother him as much now as it did in his younger days.

"I think they're closing some of the facilities down soon...But I know where we can get a key," he said mischievously.
[member="Cassiopeia Australis"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Cassiopeia smiled as she put one hand into [member="Zeke Farthen"] hand. She stepped off the presentation stage, "Thank you." She took another quick look about the room. The kids seemed happy, from what she could tell. Granted, they had a future where many did not. They had opportunities - whether to the Empire's service or to internships through Zeke's company and so forth.

They had a future where others were either killed, never heard of again, or still lived in the streets on various worlds. The horrible reality of war was cruel, especially to those most innocent. In truth, education aside, that was one of the reasons Cassiopeia supported these schools so much. It brought hope, joy, and community to children who were abandoned by society, their families were torn from them, and so forth.

She perked a brow. It was a bit late, but if he knew where the key was, then... Well, it was time for some mischief themselves! Man, it'd been what felt like forever since she last had some fun. "Closing hours are just a suggestion, anyway." She winked playfully, "Let's get that key." With that in mind, she'd follow him to wherever that key was!