Public They're Building a Castle on Mandalore!

[Korso Rook]

"You question the honor of my clan's song, worldbreaker?"

Korso tightened his grip on the mythosaur axe. He knew just enough about Ijaat Mereel and Mia Monroe from the sagas to be wary. Whispers of sorcerous powers made the cultist uncomfortable. Civil wars had been fought amongst their kind over such unstable aberrations.

"Udessi... The past is the past. Cin vhetin. We work together now, whether we like it or no. Too much at stake otherwise..."

"As you wish," he growled.

Whatever grudge existed between their clans, Korso heeded the words of an armorer. As negotiations with Jerec Asyr continued however he grew more and more tense.

"We trade one sacrilege for another. Those caves are our people's last dream of the future. How can we trust their secrets to these...scavengers?"

 

[Akar Rhonvogg]

Mandalore
Tags: Ijaat Mereel , Jerec Asyr , Korso Rook , Mia Monroe , Julz

"Oh dear, I seem to have arrived whilst things have become heated."

Mandalore had been on Akar's mind since he had spoken with Ijaat Mereel and provided him with a handful of his people's environmental reconstruction units. It was only a matter of time before he would want to visit himself. So here he found himself a strange structure, one scouted from a distance by his organization. The musings of mythosaur eggs and 40 tons of dung was certainly enough to draw his interest. It was prime material for environmental reconstruction.

"Ah, Mr. Mereel," he noted. "I came to investigate this fellow's store of dung, but it seem's you've beaten me to the punchline. I suppose I my intel must be fashionably late then."

The tusken's mask shifted to Korso, tilting his head a little.

"You know, son," the director remarked, "I find an appropriately allocated meal plan can help remedy access stress and anger."

And from there he stepped towards the rest of the group.

"Akar Rhonvogg, director of the Phoenix Initiative," the man greeted. "My organization has an express interest in environmental reconstruction on the planetary scale. Mr. Mereel here has already employed some of my tech, so I figured I'd come planet side and get myself more properly involved. Whatever proceedings occur here, I would very much like to be part of them."

Jerec Asyr was on the shadier side than he would have liked, but the PI dream was planetary reconstruction first and foremost. By any means necessary. He was willing to dabble in the underworld a little.

 

[Ijaat Mereel]

"You question the honor of my clan's song, worldbreaker?"

"We trade one sacrilege for another. Those caves are our people's last dream of the future. How can we trust their secrets to these...scavengers?"

"Are we so different, Korso?"

He left the challenge ringing in the air, unclear if he meant to counter the words to Mia, or to Ijaat himself. Both would serve, and it was clear he had little patience for the line of thought at the current time. The only further move he made was a slight shift of his back foot and bodyweight, ready to intercede should either Mia or Korso broke the peace he had insisted be forged between the two. They didn't have to like each other. Or even get along. They just had to work together for this purpose.

"Akar, welcome. We could use your mind presently. As to the locations and eggs, Jerec that would be helpful. I can also entrust some old objects and curios made from the beasts in reference that you might be able to join us in producing, and thus fill everyone's coffer and bring Mandalore to prosperity."

Turning for a moment, he eyed Korso, and spared his final thought for the hardened survivor, speaking in a low bit of Mando'a...

<<"We can use the outsiders, as always, to become strong and prosperous off their ignorance of our ways and purposes. Nothing more. I will not see us become soft like them, brother.">>

Mia Monroe | Jerec Asyr | Korso Rook | Julz | Akar Rhonvogg

 

[Mia Monroe]

"You question the honor of my clan's song, worldbreaker?"

Mia took half a step forward, hand twitching, itching to reach for her blade. Her daughter had died at the hands of the Rooks, she'd break another world if it meant she could take an ounce of their blood for it. Ijaat knew her anger, and stepped in close. Tearing her attention from Korso to look at him.

Ijaat

"Udessi, kar'taylir darasuum. Vi an jorir tal..."

"Fine." The word came out as a half growl. She moved away from both of the, finding a console to lean on and watch the proceedings and the world beyond. Beneath her helmet, Mia was chewing the inside of her cheek with thought.

"We trade one sacrilege for another. Those caves are our people's last dream of the future. How can we trust their secrets to these...scavengers?"

<<"We can use the outsiders, as always, to become strong and prosperous off their ignorance of our ways and purposes. Nothing more. I will not see us become soft like them, brother.">>

<<"If our people's dreams of the future are locked into items within a cave, then our people are doomed to fail. We need to look beyond the past and the curios that come with it if we are to move forward. Some secrets are not worth holding onto.">>

She added, as an afterthought in basic. "We need all the help we can get. And we won't get it from our own while their crusading"

Jerec Asyr Julz Korso Rook Ijaat Mereel Akar Rhonvogg

 

[Jerec Asyr]

"We trade one sacrilege for another. Those caves are our people's last dream of the future. How can we trust their secrets to these...scavengers?"

"My organization has an express interest in environmental reconstruction on the planetary scale. Mr. Mereel here has already employed some of my tech, so I figured I'd come planet side and get myself more properly involved. Whatever proceedings occur here, I would very much like to be part of them."

"Akar, welcome. We could use your mind presently. As to the locations and eggs, Jerec that would be helpful. I can also entrust some old objects and curios made from the beasts in reference that you might be able to join us in producing, and thus fill everyone's coffer and bring Mandalore to prosperity."

"We need all the help we can get. And we won't get it from our own while their crusading"

"Now to me," said Jerec with the kind of satisfaction that hopes to turn anxiety around, "it sounds like we've got the first little whiff of a consensus. And you know what goes best with consensus? Tye-hurr."

He held up, as sacred talisman, a flask containing Mandalorian tihaar.

"Got it from a Mando at a trading post."

He sloshed a little in one side of his neck and tossed it to someone.

"Take one down, pass it around. This is me solemnizing: I'll pay more attention to Mando voices when I'm sorting out my business here, I'll get out of the egg business right now, and - AND - I'll only middleman the genetic stuff to Ithorians involved in fixing up this real nice planet of yours. Now we should probably wrap this up: I got places to be and dung to haul."

 

[Korso Rook]

"More scavengers," he growled back at Akar Rhonvogg with venom, "I give thanks to my ancestors after every hunt. Perhaps you've feasted too long in comfort."

Korso's pulse quickened when it looked like Mia Monroe might strike him. Fingers clenched the heavy mythosaur axe he still carried a little tighter. She obeyed the armorer for now. Shouldering past Ijaat Mereel the nomad gazed down upon Jerec Asyr with contempt veiled by cracked beskar.

"You talk too much, hammerhead."

He caught the flagon with ease but did not remove his helmet. Lifting just enough beskar to take a careless swig, Korso then tossed it behind him at the others. Not terrible even if distilled from some offworld berry. Perhaps if these scoundrels kept their bargain he might once again taste genuine varos fruit tihaar.

"Leave the wastes to my people," Korso brandished the axe at Jerec, "Or I'll cut your thread."

Threats of bloody reprisal seemed like a Rook's version of consensus.

 

[Akar Rhonvogg]

Mandalore
Tags: Korso Rook , Ijaat Mereel , Mia Monroe , Jerec Asyr

"I give thanks to my ancestors after every hunt. Perhaps you've feasted too long in comfort."

"A tusken does not feast," Akar snapped back, though calm rather than heated. "He feeds his people and eats the scraps. I shall feast when their bellies are full, should the spirits allow it. Mistake me for many things, but a scavenger will not be among them."

His people raided for no reason more than they were allowed the resources of their home. It was very often that those folk were gangsters and slavers, folk who brought death and debotchery to their home. It was retribution, and no tribe was ever to let anything go to waste. After all, the Jundland Wastes were an unforgiving place. They provided only what you needed to survive and little else. Director Rhonvogg was a scientist, sure, but he was also a warrior.

He would prove this if he must.

A flask would be thrown back over the man's shoulder, to which Akar caught it off of reflex. He studied the bottle for a moment before lifting a part of his face wrap, taking a swig in a manner to which his face could not be seen before passing it off to Ijaat Mereel.

"I am eager to get to work."

At the very least he would be positive. Life was too short to brood so often.