Private The Sands of Kashyyyk

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Jenn Kryze

Another day, another Mandalorian and Jedi coming to blows.

Gatz thought he was done with Mandalorians, after the war had come to a close and the Enclave had dissolved. He hadn't heard much about the Protectors, other than the fact that the Council had been considering some sort of alliance with them. Frankly, he didn't care as long as they weren't coming to blows. Except, now they were, and to make things worse: it had been an independent Mandalorian who couldn't be held accountable by any body of government.

And it had happened on Kashyyyk of all worlds. What was a Mandalorian warrior doing on the Wookie homeworld? The Jedi Knight involved in the altercation was at least there as a liaison and to counsel the local clans—which Gatz considered to have been a failure, if they were getting into fights and getting themselves detained. As much as Gatz wished he could blame the Mando for this one... he genuinely didn't know what had happened, why, or who had started it.

Not yet at least.

The skiff ferrying him coasted over shallow ocean waters, and Gatz could see the beachhead rapidly approaching. As this altercation had happened on a neutral world—not one part of the Alliance—Gatz was not legally a peacekeeper here, even if the Wookies of Kashyyyk had always held Jedi in high regard. So, as the Jedi representative for this dispute, he had been asked to approach unarmed and unarmored. He had agreed—so long as the Mandalorian representative met those same requirements.

The skiff hit sand, and Gatz stepped off of it. He carried no lightsaber, nor a blaster—the only things on his person were the dark clothes he wore, and the dark cloak draped over his shoulders. Figuring he probably looked a little too intimidating to be a diplomatic representative, Gatz reached up and pulled his hood down.

 

[Jenn Kryze]

Beskar'gam
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| Location | Kashyyyk
| Objective | Peace-making

"With all due respect", began Karrys over the squad's comms, "don't we have better things to do than round up strays?"​

​

Impetuous as she may sometimes be, the pilot wasn't exactly wrong, and Jenn knew that much. She already had enough to worry about without chasing after unaffiliated, clanless Mandalorians who managed to get themselves in trouble without anyone to bail them out... but she had been one of them, once, alone and aimless. So, when word reached her of a diplomatic incident on a world who had known the fury of the Mando'ade all too often, the Alor went out of her way to try and extend her hand and resolve the situation. Not only would it reflect well on her in the eyes of her prospective allies in the Galactic Alliance, but it might very well just get her the approval of those warriors left leaderless after the fall of the Mandalorian Enclave.​

​

"Sure we do", came the siren's response as her old friend brought the dropship around to the rendezvous point, making a show of disarming herself as the side-doors opened, leaving blasters and blades on the ship's weapon racks - hesitating only when the time came to part from her lightwhip. "But you better get used to it. We're putting fires out everywhere these days."​

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Karrys gave no answer to that, opting instead to give her a flippant two-finger salute from her seat in the cockpit, sending her off with a grin Jenn knew to be there, even with the helmet in the way. Humbly did the Alor present herself to the skiff that would bring her over to the place where negotiations were to be held. Being so close to the ocean was both a blessing and a curse; the peace it brought her was tempered only by the desire to forget about her responsibilities, if only for a day, and sample the waters for herself - plunging head first into its depths, far away from the intricacies of politics and peace.​

​

Although disarmed, the Mandalorian remained clad from head to toe in the armor her people were so renowned for, the scratched-on look of her helmet somewhat intimidating for some; the dehumanization inherent to the pitiless Y visor a tactic she was all too glad to lean into. When she found herself faced with a cloaked figure, she suppressed a sigh. Given the nature of the incident in the first place, it stood to reason that the Jedi Order would send one of their own to sort things out... but the familiar presence she felt around that figure only left her more guarded than ever before.​

​

"Hail", spoke the Alor, a little more imperiously than she normally would. "I take it you are the emissary sent to sort this mess out?"​

​

Gatz Derrevar ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Jenn Kryze

Even if her armor was a tad different than what he remembered, Gatz had felt whom he'd be dealing with long before her ship touched down. He was tempted to step back onto his skiff, and order the oarsman to take him back to his ship—but Jenn made a display of disarming herself in good faith. She could still break him with her body, or hypnotize him with her voice and her eyes...

But he had more than a few new tricks up his sleeve too. Even without a lightsaber, a Jedi was never unarmed. Jenn knew that better than most, and still had willingly ditched her blasters and blades. Gatz wasn't sure he could let bygones be bygones—she'd tried to drown him and it had been genuinely traumatic.

For the sake of not igniting another war, however, he decided that he could put that aside. A pit of anxiety birthed itself in his stomach, but he ignored it.

"Hail", spoke the Alor, a little more imperiously than she normally would. "I take it you are the emissary sent to sort this mess out?"

He had a choice to consider: how to approach this whole mess. Formally? Or... or should he just skip the bullshit formalities, pretending to be civil, and just talk to her the way he always had?

"Skip the formalities, Jenn, they don't suit either of us," Gatz dropped his hood entirely, "I've seen you topless and you've tried to drown me. I figure we know each other well enough to skip introductions and get straight to the bad jokes."

In spite of everything... some part of him was glad to see Jenn. And that part was somehow larger than the part of him that was afraid. Oh he might complain and moan about how she'd pushed him into that lake, but she'd also saved him from it too, and he couldn't overlook that. Plus... if she'd been here to finish the job, Gatz strongly suspected he'd already be bleeding out on the sand.

"How have you been, Jenn?"

 

[Jenn Kryze]

Beskar'gam
​

| Location | Kashyyyk
| Objective | A hint of the familiar

Jenn's body language and presence in the Force gave nothing away of her thoughts on such a sudden revelation. If there ever was a way to describe the siren who now stood before the smuggler-turned-Padawan, it would be through the old adage of still waters run deep. The fury of the tempest and the passion of a hundred conquerors lie beneath the placid exterior, the depths of her patience seemingly boundless... until the tide finally shifted, revealing a creature both beautiful and terrible to behold.​

​

But, for now, there was only silence in the face of the padawan's words, the pitiless gaze of the Y visor as intimidating as ever. If for but a moment, she considered him cautiously, wondering just how far-reaching the rift between them had become. Their last encounter had not been a civil one, and she still felt a rush of anger rising within her at the sight of his face... but, for all of his stupid words of provocation, his hypocrisy, his lack of grace- yes, for all of this, the young man had been right. It was not long after their last encounter that she would leave the Mandalorian Enclave behind, her heart heavy with grief, yet resolute.​

​

Gatz had been right, and she had been wrong, frustrating as the notion was. The uncomfortable silence finally ended when she gave him but a cant of her head, her voice rising once more - calm and collected, but not quite as soothing as it once proved. It would not do for her to conduct diplomacy and slip into her siren's song, after all.​

​

"I've treated with kings and queens since our last meeting. Formalities are not that difficult to grasp. As for drowning you... I've never tried to drown anyone. I find that I have succeeded whenever I set out to do so." There was a hint of coldness to her voice, then, as she spoke of the circumstances behind their last meeting. It was only when the would-be Jedi asked how she fared that she finally gave some measure of a reaction beyond calm; a hint of surprise, in how her helmet-clad visage tilted to the side.​

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"Burdened with leadership. Trying to find a place for my people in this galaxy - perhaps you've heard about our charge on Onderon. Stars willing, the peace my Clan enjoys with the Alliance will outlast me."​

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Another bout of silence - this time, mercifully shorter, however. There was a hint of surprise behind her words, giving texture to what was indifferent before.​

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"I see you've decided to make something of yourself. Few paths are more worthy than that of a Jedi. You ought to be proud."​

​

Gatz Derrevar ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Outfit | Lightsaber
Tag: Jenn Kryze

There was an argument to be made that, yes, because Jenn had saved him she hadn't actually tried to drown him. She'd still knocked him in, of course, after her fellow Mandalorians had tied a brick to his ankle. And she'd taken her sweet time saving him, but that was so the others thought he was dead. Gatz still had a few bones to pick with that whole situation... but wasn't that kind of pointless?

The Enclave was no more, those Mandalorians were likely dead, he was alive, and that was due to Jenn's intervention. Maybe he couldn't be over it, but he could look past it.

"I haven't heard much about your people, actually," Gatz admitted, "not since the Enclave dissolved. But I've also been neck deep in Dark Empire troops, so I haven't really been looking at headlines that aren't about the war."

Tense reunion aside, this assignment was actually a breath of fresh air. No lightsaber needed, no one dying by his hand. Just a simple investigation and an attempt to put an end to hostilities before they began anew. That was what Jedi were supposed to do. End conflict before it boiled over, not go dashing off into a war lightsaber first.

"I see you've decided to make something of yourself. Few paths are more worthy than that of a Jedi. You ought to be proud."

"I'm not so sure." Gatz admitted, "I've taken far more lives as a Jedi than I ever did as a smuggler. So far, the only thing I've made of myself is a killer."

Gatz shook his head. Most days, he just didn't feel like a Jedi. Not when he was cutting down soldiers and cultists and calling it 'peacekeeping.'

"But today is different. I don't know who started the fight, but I'm sure we can resolve this whole ordeal peacefully," Gatz's lips quirked in a smile, then, "assuming we don't strangle each other first."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

Beskar'gam
​

| Location | Kashyyyk
| Objective | Negotiations

"A surprise", remarked the Mandalorian sharply. "After I handed over my hostages to the Alliance in return for suits of armor, I took my Clan and left the Enclave. We prowled on the edges of known space, and I considered... leaving. Valery and Alicio talked me out of it, and so I brought the full might of Clan Kryze to bear in the liberation of Onderon. Her Majesty, Queen of Onderon, gave us land to settle in return for our deeds, and I have been doing my best to enshrine our position ever since. Lots of diplomacy work, and not many chances to cross swords with the Dark Empire after we kicked them off of Onderon, but needs must, I suppose."​

​

Gatz's words almost claimed a scoff out of her. Oh, she had met staunch pacifists during her time interacting with some of the Padawans of the New Jedi Order (and still thought of Shan Pavond and Colette fondly, the memory of their impassioned words a beacon of light in dark times), but she remained steadfast in her own beliefs, more fiercely so when it came to the threat posed by the loathsome Sith.​

​

"You've graduated from a smuggler to a purifier", chided the Alor. "Killing the Sith and their servants is righteous work. Holy work. You may not realize it just now, but for each of these loathsome dogs you destroy, lives are saved." ​

​

Even now, her thoughts went back to Mandalore, and the siren tasted only ashes in her mouth. Her people, pushed to the brink of genocide; methodically exterminated by an implacable foe. A staunch ally she may be to some, her thirst for the blood of the Sith remained unquenched, even after so many years to digest the fall of her home. Hers would be an eternal vengeance; a ruination without limits, until she finally breathed her last.​

​

There was a cant of her head, then, as Gatz spoke of the here and now. A good chance for her to ground herself in the moment, rather than lose herself to violent dreams of blood, and fire.​

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"Who started the fight isn't relevant - frankly, I doubt this Clanless warrior was without blame. What is relevant is what it will take to satisfy the Jedi Order - ostensibly, this warrior must face some measure of consequence... without staining his honor. If I can take him with me and show him the Way among my Clan, all the better, mh?"​

​

Gatz Derrevar ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Outfit | Lightsaber
Tag: Jenn Kryze

"Wait, that was you?" Gatz blinked, "I heard about Mandalorians on Onderon, but that was about the extent of it. I didn't realize it was your clan, giving the Dark Empire what was coming to them. Not bad, Kryze. Not bad at all."

Not that Gatz was surprised. Jenn was a bred warrior, through and through. And a respected leader, even when the Enclave had still been skulking about. He was relieved to hear that she'd taken her clan and left them, but he figured it was better to leave that unsaid. There was no point in digging up old wounds, especially when the war and the faction that had made enemies of the two of them were both long gone.

Gatz considered Jenn's next words. She was right: the Dark Empire and its psuedo-Sith leadership were a blight upon the galaxy. Eradicating them only served the people he was meant to fight for. It was just... Gatz didn't like the idea of being the kind of Jedi who relied on their lightsaber. He didn't want to be a soldier, he wanted to be a peacekeeper.

But the Galactic Alliance was constantly at war. And war had no place for peacekeepers.

"Who started the fight isn't relevant - frankly, I doubt this Clanless warrior was without blame. What is relevant is what it will take to satisfy the Jedi Order - ostensibly, this warrior must face some measure of consequence... without staining his honor. If I can take him with me and show him the Way among my Clan, all the better, mh?"

"As far as I'm concerned, Jenn, you can have your fellow Mandalorian," Gatz agreed easily, "I'm not here to take them into custody over a brawl. I just want to know what sparked the conflict, and see if we can't ease tensions before they flare up again. And maybe apologize to the Wookies for causing trouble."

He shrugged. Gatz wasn't here to mete out punishment.

"If the Council doesn't like that, they can bite me. I won't be their attack dog."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

Beskar'gam
​

| Location | Kashyyyk
| Objective | Talk things out

"Who else?" asked the Alor simply, keeping the pride she felt at the thought of her actions reaching far enough for Gatz to have heard of their repercussions. Stars only knew the burning wound she had inflicted on the pride of the Dark Empire's commanders on Onderon, her sudden arrival turning a bloodbath into an even fight in the palace courtyard. "The Mandalorian Enclave still exists... a shadow of their former self. They bit off more than they could chew with the Crusade. I hear they only have a hold on Kestri these days. As for the Mandalorian Protectors - I don't care much for them, seeing how they only ever care about themselves. Sure, that pretender to the title of Mand'alor may have unified most of the Alors, but not me. I will never break bread with those of my people who chose fire and fury over doing what is right. Not anymore."​

​

Calm and composed as she was, there was no denying the slightest touch of frustration behind her words. Oh, she had tried to involve herself in the affairs of the most recent movement claiming to represent her people, but when she heard talk of conquest, the oceanic ruler of Clan Kryze could not keep herself from condemning the notion, leaving soon after. With no intention of setting foot on that dead world her kin were obsessed with.​

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"Sounds like a plan", agreed the siren easily with a nod. "Stars only know the Wookies got... well. A hell of a lot of reasons to be angry at Mandalorians, as of late. Clan Saxon attacked them and the Enclave didn't really care to punish them back then- I hear they've been hit by a combination of Mando'ad and Trandoshan raiders recently too? It's a mess, and I'd rather they don't think me and mine will let that fly." ​

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Gatz's words on his own lack of deference from the council claimed the slightest lift of her brow, hidden behind the helm. "Do we have some measure of testimony to work form, footage, anything of the like?"​

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Gatz Derrevar ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Outfit | Lightsaber
Tag: Jenn Kryze

Hearing Jenn explain Mandalorian factions and politics was... well, it sounded like it would be really tiring to have to deal with all that. A bunch of different Mandalorians throwing their allegiance to a bunch of upstart Manda'lors, and starting a bunch of different wars that always ended with a bunch of dead Mandalorians. Gatz didn't say it, but he wondered how Jenn's people had survived the centuries, when they were always warring like this.

Then again, how had the Jedi survived the very same?

"Do we have some measure of testimony to work form, footage, anything of the like?"

"We have eyewitness accounts," Gatz explained, "and we have a... I wouldn't call it a confession, but the Jedi Knight in question gave their side of the story. Your, uh, kinsman has been tightlipped."

Was that a Mandalorian thing, to not answer questions in containment? Or just the stubborn nature of this particular warrior. For all the times he'd encountered Jenn, he still knew so little of her people. Other than their attachment to their helmets, and the fact that most of them could probably kill him with their thighs.

He did his best not to think about that last part. Gatz didn't think Jenn would be very accommodating to that particular fantasy.

"From the briefing I was given, they got into a fight at the Wookie equivalent of a hotel room. They got into a heated argument in one of the rooms, late at night, and it turned into a brawl." Gatz continued, "the Jedi maintains that the Mandalorian is the aggressor, but I don't want to accept their side of the story without hearing the other half. And questioning our witnesses. And questioning the Jedi for myself."