Runabout

[Lilaena De'Ville]

“Intriguing offer, Agent Kyris.”

Lilaena took a step toward her, down off the small platform the bench was placed upon. To her credit the agent did not retreat or flinch.

”Do you know why I hate the Empire? Why I made a name over the years with activities that brand me a traitor and a terrorist?

”It is because the Empire cannot be reasoned with. It cannot be parleyed with. It does not compromise its ideals, however monstrous they are. The Empire is a monolith headed by one person, one being with too much power and a penchant for planet killing weapons and genocide.

”I was fighting to avenge the death of the Jedi order, of which I was once a part, long, long ago when I was a child.”

Lilaena fell silent, her face somber.

“My aims have shifted in the last few years. But I still have no love for the Empire.”

[Nelaa Kyris]

De'Ville's fury seemed to barely be held in check as she described her hatred for the Empire in painstaking detail. Nelaa, for her part, remained passive, showing almost no emotion. There was no point defending the Empire's actions to De'ville. It was a simple fact of life: governments commit atrocities. When you boil it down to bare essentials, there was very little functional difference from one government to the next. Anyone who thought otherwise was deluded.

As De'Ville cooled down, Nelaa decided to cut to the heart of the situation, aware of how painful that could be.

"I understand why you hate the Empire. I understand why you carried out the acts that you did. And I know that you understand that those actions have consequences."

The fire seemed to be returning to De'Ville's eyes, but Nelaa pressed forward.

"You told me that you would protect these people to your fullest abilities, and I absolutely believe you when you say that. Understand, however, that your past puts them between you and that uncompromising monolith, and it won't have any qualms about rolling over them to get to you."

She could almost feel the anger that radiated off De'Ville, but maintained eye contact, easily within striking range.

"I'm offering a way to keep the Empire from killing your people, and in return you stop killing mine. If you won't take a path to avoid pointless bloodshed, then you're the greatest threat these people have ever known. What is your plan to protect them from you?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Nelaa Kyris’ words made Lilaena angry, and she felt angrier still because she could feel the cold hard truth in them. She clenched her fists, and had to purposefully loosen her hands.

“In return for this great favor what do you require in return?” Lilaena’s green eyes flashed.

[Nelaa Kyris]

She sensed the venom in De’Ville’s tone and chose to meet it with a confident calmness.

“Peace of mind.” She spoke matter-of-factory.

She sensed that she had moved through the worst of the storm, but now stood in its eye. One wrong step would find her back out in its fury.

”I don’t want to sit in a medbay listening to a terrified pilot describe how you and your people killed all of her friends. I don’t want to have to worry what your next target will be. I want it to stop.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She wanted to move, to stalk, to channel the energy that was building inside her into something, but she did not. Lilaena clenched her hands again, leaving them as fists.

”The battle we fight will not stop simply because we withdraw. Innocents suffer - those who did not sign up to protect a corrupt system,” she added. “True innocents.”

Lilaena tilted her head a little, studying the other woman. “If, and it is a big if, we come to an agreement, how could I ever trust the word of a woman who has trained for years to be a skilled liar?”

[Nelaa Kyris]

Nelaa looked away for a moment, her face showing no emotion as her mind kept turning. She spoke softly, still looking away.

"The same way I can trust a woman who would bomb a bacta facility just to spite the Empire."

She turned to meet De'Ville's gaze once again. "To answer your question, you can't."

Nelaa continued on, calmly and methodically, despite knowing that she was walking on very thin ice.

"What you can trust is logic. What you stand to gain by attacking the Empire doesn't even begin to offset the risk you will take doing it. If you're not attacking the Empire then I have no reason to waste resources coming after you. That's not to mention the prospect of mutual benefit down the line. It may be that we're both lying to one another, but I don't think either of us believes that to be the case."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Mutual benefit.

Lilaena narrowed her eyes, and looked past Nelaa toward the door she had entered through.

”Olaror o'r!” She called in Mando’a, and Hel immediately entered, saluting with fist over heart. “Hiibir kaysh at a taap she liser udes venjii kaysh munit ca'nara at ve'ganir olar.”*

She looked at Nelaa. “I require time to think. Food and a place to rest will be provided. Hel will remain with you, in case you need anything.” Lilaena looked at Hel, who stared intently back. “Our guest may walk around if she wishes.”

She turned and walked back toward the metal bench where her helmet lay, the other two clearly dismissed.


*Come in! Take her to a place she can rest after her long time to get here.

[Nelaa Kyris]

"Your hospitality is sincerely appreciated."

She was doing a good job of keeping up appearances, but the meeting with De'Ville had been emotionally and mentally draining. She still had plenty in the tank, but she found herself eager to see the sun again. Of course, that could have also been a product of her mood. More than once during their conversation she'd steeled herself for death. She turned to Hel, as she was called, and bowed her head slightly.

"Please, lead the way."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Hel nodded to Mand’alor, turning and walking back out of the longhouse as Lilaena waited for the pair to leave. When she was alone again, she headed to her personal quarters behind the audience chamber, cape swishing behind her.

Hel slowly walked Nelaa through the village. More than a camp, they had lived here for over a year now, and it was evident they had put down roots. She paused for a group of youngsters to run past, chasing a flying remote shaped like a disc, and looked at the Imperial agent.

”You have questions.”

It was a statement, not quite an invitation. Hel started to walk again, skirting around a communal fire where a group of men and women were preparing an evening meal.

[Nelaa Kyris]

"I do."

She got the sense that Hel wasn't quite in the mood for questions, and decided to at least figure out where her quarters would be before provoking the woman. They moved on past the men and women and soon found themselves approaching a small hut, set aside from the others but still nearby. Inside, Nelaa found a bed, a chair, and a table, but not much else in the way of furnishings. On the bed was a small bag, and when she opened it she found the clothing she'd been wearing back on her ship. Not wanting to shed her combat suit just yet, she pulled the shirt and pants on, hoping to blend in slightly more.

"Do you have a specific time and place for prayer or anything like that. I don't mean to take you away from something like that."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Hel looked at her curiously. “No prayers.”

She watched the woman pull on extra layers, but remained in the doorway. “Do you require food?”

***

In her private chambers Lilaena stripped off her armor and carefully placed it on its stand. Zipping out of the body glove she left it crumpled on the floor as she padded to the closet where more comfortable clothes were hanging.

What annoyed her the most about her visitor was that Nelaa Kyris was right. Without the governing body of Onderon to protect them everything they did could draw the attention of one of the larger powers. Dantooine was safe for now, but if they were found Lilaena wasn’t sure she could stop the Empire from slagging them from orbit. She would die trying, if it came to it.

The gravity well generator was needed, but had it been worth the risk?

The day was coming soon, when the orphans and underprivileged children from Naboo would be sent to Ossus. And she would still stop them.

I don’t have time for this.

Lilaena pulled a tunic and pants from her closet and began to get dressed, frowning the whole time.

[Nelaa Kyris]

"Food would be nice, thank you."

Truth be told she wasn't very hungry at all, but there was no telling when the next meal would come, and it would be rude to turn down hospitality when it was offered. Plus it would give her a chance to observe the village and the people more closely.

As they made their way back into the village Nelaa was thankful for the extra clothing. Temperate really wasn't an issue, but she found herself getting fewer stares and glances now that she was wearing clothing that was a bit more normal. The village itself was interesting. It was obviously run by the Mandalorians, but she noticed that some of the children didn't seem to belong. I wonder what the story is with the wookiee child that I saw earlier. It was being rushed inside, I probably wasn't supposed to see it. She pushed the thought out of her mind for now. It was a technique she'd learned early on her career. Don't get caught up on a single detail. Just take in the surroundings and process it later. It was part of what made her a good agent. As they walked, she picked up her stride a bit, getting side by side with Hel.

"Do the nights get very cold here?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"It is temperate enough, this time of year." Hel was careful not to reveal anything that might help the Imperial identify what planet they were on.

Arriving at a cookfire she called for a bowl of stew, and a eight year old boy brought one over. He had a scrape on his bare shoulder from battle play, and Hel grinned at it, giving him a gesture of pride. "You fought well?"

"I will do better next time," he said, blushing that she had noticed him.

"Ayy, I know you will." Hel cuffed him gently alongside his head to send him on his way and handed the bowl of stew to Nelaa, the smile instantly gone from her face. "It's good," she said, pointing to a smoothed log as a place to sit.

[Nelaa Kyris]

She thanked Hel for the stew and watched the young boy run off before taking a seat. She had to remind herself that the Mandalorians were a warrior culture and that early combat training was a necessity to survive in their way of life. She ate a bit of stew before turning her attention back to Hel.

”How early do the children begin combat training?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Hel raised an eyebrow at the question. “Usually around twelve cycles their formal training begins. Survival and battle play is encouraged, and by his age,” she nodded back to where the boy had scampered, “A child knows how to hunt for food. Their parents teach them at their own pace.”

She shrugged. She had never wanted children, personally, but they had their place in the clan and she would die to protect their future.

”When did you begin combat training?”

[Nelaa Kyris]

“When I was eighteen. I signed up for military service as early as I could.”

She took another bite of her stew and scanned the horizon. The light from the village made it seem earlier than it was. With her back to everything she started seeing the first few stars becoming visible in the sky.

”It’s peaceful out here. Most places I get sent to are in the middle of big cities where you can’t see a single star in the sky. I don’t know what decision your Mandalore will make or what my fate will be, but if my time is almost up, I’m glad for this little window of peace.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Hel seemed unmoved by Nelaa’s speech, folding her arms as she watched the other woman eat.

”Mand’alor is a dangerous woman,” she said at last. “Enjoy your peace while you can.”

[Nelaa Kyris]

She smiled at Hel.

”I hope to.”

She walked back toward the camp. Others were eating, and she noticed some were already finishing their food and dropping their bowls off near a large tub. She followed suit, noticing that this was one of the few instances of running water that she’d seen. she set back toward the outskirts of the camp. She thought to ask Hel how far out she could go but decided to just start walking. Hel wasn’t the type to be too shy to speak up if Nekaa was going out of bounds.

They were well outside the camp (though it was still very much in sight) when Nelaa came up on a small tree. She walked over two it and sat down, leaning back against it, looking up at the sky.

”Is it ok if we sit here for a bit?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Hel shrugged. “If you want.”

She did not join Nelaa on the ground, standing instead where she had a good view of their surroundings. This woman was strange, but perhaps this was her way of making peace with the upcoming end of her life.

After a few moments of silence they both heard someone walking toward them. Hel turned, then stood aside as Lilaena became visible in the growing darkness.

”May I join you?” Lilaena waited for the agent to nod, and then sat in the grass a few feet away. She was wearing leggings and a loose tunic, and the paint had been washed off her face, leaving a thin white scar where the jagged black line had been.

[Nelaa Kyris]

Nelaa looked up at the stars for a few more seconds. She mouthed a few words to herself, silently, before turning her attention to De'Ville.

"I'd like to thank you again for the hospitality. Your people are impressive..." She glanced over to Hel for a moment. "...and the food was surprisingly good."