Ask [Concord Dawn] Ear To The Ground

[Hauron Solus]

Spoiler: Music

Song

Rancor Squadron had received an emergency distress signal from one of their own, Rue Tepmuart. The signal was originating somewhere on Concord Dawn and thankfully Hauron Solus was already in the area. The Forge Master had postponed everything else and had a quick reaction force dispatched to answer the call with him at the lead.

The wintery fields of Concord Dawn passed beneath Hauron's ship. He did not think about how much it reminded him of Krownest or the frozen world of Contruum Six. The badger was more concerned with finding out what state Rue was in. The Armorer was a Lieutenant of Rancor Squadron and was considered one of their own. If she was in danger then he was going to make it a top priority that she was well taken care of. Hauron just hoped he was not too late.

The craft honed in on the beacon. The ship's scanners were focused on trying to detect any possible threats in the area. A flight of fang class interceptors flew as escorts to several Kom'rk transports and more of Rancor Squadron was on standby in the event of an enemy strike deep in Mandalorian space. But so far there was nothing to indicate a large scale invasion was imminent. Still, Hauron was well aware that this could be a trap.

Then he saw them. A pair of bodies laying in the snow opposite one another. One he recognized as Rue's and the other was a stranger's. The Forge Master's ship came in for a rapid landing that was only made smooth by the man's expert skills as a pilot. Once the doors of the ship opened he jetted off the remainder of the distance with his jetpack before coming in for a landing, pistols at the ready. Dozens of Mandalorians followed their leader and secured the surrounding area with a few of them coming to aid him with any necessary medical assistance.

<"Rue! Talk to me, Rue!"> Concern was evident in his voice. Hauron's hands worked to check for signs of life on the Armorer. Meanwhile weapons were aimed at the prone stranger with fingers on the trigger. A moment later one of the medics informed the Forge Master the other was deceased.

<"Secure their body and gear, separatly. We need to get the Armorer to the hospital in Sundari. Call Doctor Croncu."> He knew there were Rancor Squad ships that boasted bacta tanks and the medical facilities necessary to help keep Rue alive until she could be attended to by more experienced and specialized medical professionals like @M.D. Blec Croncu , if he was available.

@Hastur

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

..It was cold.. ​

It was lucky the forge master arrived when he did, as rues wounds were quite severe, the environment certainly did her no favors either, as the armorer's blade was still embedded into her dead assailant.

What seemed to be rues left arm was a few inches away from her body, severed cleanly off, and the rest of her wasn't in good condition either, be it the some saber damage, as well as the elements, though the tough daughter of a hut’uun still drew breath, mostly due to her hardy nature.

She stirred slightly as she was being lifted, she was in a huge amount of pain, likely suffering from some frostbite, she could barely see due to feifis now frozen blood blocking parts of her visor, and was hysterical as she tried and failed to extend her hand to feifis body, terrified that she was too late, that the flower was already dead, she begged to every single god that she could name that feifi was not the second one that she's lost in a row..

No, she refused to believe it, she would not accept it.. she tried and failed to cry out, only managing a small squeak, before exhaustion claimed her once more, and she drifted off again.

Next thing she knew, she was awakening in a medical bed, her entire body hurt like karking hell, the thought of feifi immediately drifted to her mind as she opened her eyes, she didn't know where she was and was more terrified for her nieces sake than anything.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

The trip had been nerve wracking to say the least. But Rue had stabilized once they got her on a ship. A few days had passed since she had been rescued from Concord Dawn but Hauron had remained close by around Sundari for when she woke up. There was plenty of work to do around the city since construction was still being conducted. There were other projects he could attend to but his mind regularly returned to the state of the injured Armorer.

The staff of the Sundari Mandalorian Hospital notified him when she woke up. The Forge Master returned to the medical building that was likewise being rebuilt to match its former glory. There were plenty of Mandalorians in need of care and just as many medical professionals that were attending to them. Hauron had not wanted to be in their way so he only now returned.

The Mandalorian entered the hospital room where Rue was laying. He held his helmet under one arm with his other hanging at his side holding the hammer he had recovered from the site of her last fight. <"You're still alive, sister."> The greeting had more meaning now than ever it seemed.

The badger walked towards her and stopped at the foot of the bed. He leaned the hammer against the frame with the head pointed towards the ground. <"How do you feel?"> Hauron could only imagine what was going through Rue's head. Her injuries might be the least of her concerns. The Forge Master had investigated the corpse and could draw some conclusions based off of the similarities their armor had with Cremek's.

@Hastur

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

Rue would look upon the forge master when he entered, nodding her head gently in greetings, part of a smile creeping onto her lips, before swiftly vanishing.

<“Despite it all..”>

she would look to her hand in thought, before she winced, she felt like complete utter shit, both physically and mentally, and the worst thing?.. She was alive, just her.. Why?..

<"Like shit..">

The universe just had to keep taking from her over and over, like it was a sick game, to have feifi so close, yet drift just out of her reach at the last second..

<“W-where is she.. Did she make it?.. Please tell me she made it..”>

Rue's hand closed into a fist, she already knew the answer.. She just couldn't accept it, she refused to, not until she saw for herself..

<“..She wanted to use me to find you..”

she gave a sorrowful chuckle.

“She couldn't let it go..as expected.. Unable to forgive, just like her father..”>

Rue would look at where her left arm used to be, wincing slightly. She could still feel the phantom pains, like this.. static.. like she could both move her fingers there, and like they were frozen, like one has slept on them all night..at the same time..

"Tenacious little wrymling.."

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron struggled to think of the right words to use. Rue was clearly concerned about their former foe. How Tepmuart responded made the Solus's heart twist into nots. He swallowed while searching for how to respond until he finally spoke. <"They...they're dead.">

The Armorer had warned him about Feifi before so he was already aware of the dead girl's identity even though they had never met. It hurt to think that he had some responsibility for what had transpired but he quickly absolved himself of any blame. This was not his fault. It was not Rue's either. The Mikkian did not know the family dynamic or its history as intimatly as Rue did and could only make assumptions.

Hauron's mouth parted, as if to speak some sort of consolation or blame but thought better of it and shut his mouth just as quickly. Instead of saying anything he took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. The badger's eyes drifted to the injured woman's arm. He could only guess at how she was feeling. It was complicated to say the least.

<"We'll be able to get you a cybernetic soon enough. But you'll need to rest and heal. Is there anything I can do for you while you take it easy?"> He was well aware she ran a business. Work tended to help distract one from mourning and the way she spoke said she was just entering the first stage of grief. Hauron knew the feelings all too well but it not something he could help her skip over or rush through.

@Hastur

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

Rue would inhale sharply at the forgemaster's words, feifi was gone.. she would swiftly move to wipe some tears away with her arm, forcing herself to keep together for the time being. She would try to sit up, which felt awkward, as she was left hand dominant, so she sorta flopped for a second before using her other hand to push herself up.


<“I can handle it, I'll just have to take it slower than normal.. “>

Rue would nod slightly, though rue was not one to ask for help often, she was far too stubborn, so she would cope in the only way she knew how, by steeling herself against it, after all, who was she if she couldn't carry it all?

<”Is she near?.. She should be buried at home, once I'm able to fly again.. I owe her that much.. But I would like to at least say goodbye.. And maybe see what the sith.. and what I.. did to her..”>

Rue would exhale, she may have been in extreme levels of pain, but she wasn't going to let that stop her for a second from seeing her family and besides, Feifi was just a young woman who clung to the only thing she had left, just like her, she couldn't hate Feifi for that, no matter how far she had fallen...

<“Those orders.. They really do twist people.. First Cremek, Now Feifi..hah.. you must think I'm weak, mourning a sith..”>

Rue would exhale, she was rarely one to display outwards anger, she rarely yelled, her anger usually was a silent rage, though it wasn't directed to the badger, but she certainly had the eyes of someone who was truly furious.

<“I can see now why you hate the sith so much.. To take someone.. Exploit their flaws..their hatred.. Turn them into something like her..who only takes, because they can.. what's worse is they work their way into your heart..poor girl.. to think what she had to go through..">

Rue would swiftly shake her head to banish the thought.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

A solemn nod came from the Hauron to answer her question. The body was kept in the morgue for the time being. The armor of Feifi had been examined extensively along with her belongings by the Forge Master both to pass the time during Rue's recovery and in order to identify as well as glean any information about where she may have come from since it became evident she was a Sith.

Two lightsabers, once belonging to Jedi by the hue of their blades. A pair of saber gauntlets were most recognizable as being akin to that of Cremek's. There was also the use of both songsteel and cortosis in her armor. All of these were confiscated and were held under Hauron's orders for the time being. But the body itself was free to be returned to Concord Dawn, her assumed home.

<"I don't think you're weak, Rue."> He spoke to the contrary and honestly. <" I see a woman mourning her family."> Whether Feifi died because she turned to the Sith or because she lost her life did not matter. She was lost to the Armorer and only now Rue had to face the facts that her kin was never going to come back. It was not an easy thing to come to terms with. He understood it would take time.

Hauron's father had fought men and women he had considered his own kin. It was something the Mikkian was glad to be spared the burden of experiencing thus far. But it was still something that could possibly happen one day. Dealing with the loss of a loved one, whatever form it took, was not something he took lightly.

<"It's not just the Sith. There is darkness in the galaxy." He stopped himself from calling it evil. <"It twists and corrupts even the best of us without even knowing it. It's easy to blame someone for doing the wrong thing but it's harder to understand them. It doesn't make what they've done right or absolve them for their transgressions. But it helps to make sense of it so that we, the ones that survive, can make the galaxy a better place. Maybe...to that end...we can hope to prevent such tragedy from repeating itself."> It was up to them to do better.

@Hastur

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

Rue would nod at the forgemaster's statement, even if she was bottling up her absolutely tempestuous emotions, she could agree with the rally master in these words.

<“Evil, darkness, whatever it is, I don't care.. I just want it to end, no more Feifis, no more Cremeks, I want to cut the head off the snake and watch the body wither.”>

Rue would look upon the body of her niece, sighing.

<”At the very least, she died a warriors death, even if it was for the wrong side.. Can't expect any less of her.. Didn't die on her knees at least, fought well until the end.”

Rue would shake her head, enough of this, she couldn't bear to see this longer, so she decided to change the subject, she would turn to the forge master, exhaling gently to calm herself.

<”Can I ask what you’re planning on doing with her gear? Not that I hold any sort of sentiment for it, but call me intrigued on it.. I could probably help melt down the songsteel bits of it, deliver the excess to foundlings, she probably would have wanted that if she could process just what was to happen to her.”>

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron was not sure if there would ever be an end to darkness. That was something of a philosophical subject probably better had with a Jedi or someone that had a degree in it. The Forge Master had experienced his fair share of evil. He still remembered what it felt like to be in the presence of Darth Raze and have his mind affected as a result. He could wage a war against slavery, drugs, the Sith but it still would not expunge the dark side or evil from the galaxy. History had periods of when evil-doers decreased in numbers but it was really just hiding. There was an undeniable, unstoppable balancing of good and evil that took place and trying to eliminate that was impossible. But Hauron said none of this. It would be of no comfort to Rue.

He would be silent as he helped Rue into a wheel chair and brought her down to the morgue. The body of her relative would be laid out on a cold table with a sheet draped over her. Rue continued to speak but Hauron could not find any words to respond. He had no love for the Sith and could not force himself to lie.

<"I was going to melt it down and recycle her armor. She was wearing songsteel, cortosis and durasteel. You defeated her so it seems right that you also keep her weapons as well. She had a pair of red saber gauntlets as you may well know."> Such things were a tell-tale sign of Feifi's association with Cremek. <"There was also a set of matching lightsabers, a jedi's perhaps. I can make use of anything you don't want to keep but they're yours' if you want them back."> Many Mandalorians took lightsabers as trophies when they defeated an enemy. Hauron did not feel like he had earned the weapon but there was a place on Dxun he may find a use for them. That, or he would give them to a Jedi he knew for them to purify. Otherwise they were just really good door cutters, good for breaching ships and walls.

@Hastur

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

Oh, how it stung her pride to have to be helped into a wheelchair, she grumbled slightly, but had little other choice in the matter..Rue would nod at the forgemaster's answer, an acceptable one, as Rue closed her eyes a moment to ponder it, with a soft inhale.

<“I'll take the gauntlets.. Could be very helpful with my line of work when it comes to cutting metal, or defending myself in a pinch…”> Rue would look to her late niece once more. "<They're both still with me..">

<“Well… I think you would probably make better use of the two lightsabers than I.. consider it a thanks for you dragging my ass off concord dawn.”> she lightly chuckled.

<“If need be, you can also return them to the jedi.. They probably would make use of it too.. But recycling.. That's fine… But make sure to contact me when you plan to, I would like to be there even if I can't help out with the process.”>

Rue would give a sly smirk.

<"besides, it would be fun to see if you learned anything from our lesson in the citadel.">

There would be plenty of time to come to terms with her actions later, she was going to focus on the here and now, for her sake, and try her best to honor both feifi's life and her fathers.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron nodded at hearing Rue's decision to take the saber gauntlets for herself. He had already examined thoroughly. <"They don't look to be compatible with other gauntlet systems. Just keep that in mind."> It was for that reason he would not want to use them himself. The Solus favored the utility of multiple wrist functions over a simple energy blade even if it could cut through most substances known to the galaxy.

When she offered him the other lightsabers, likely taken from a Jedi, he hesitated. <"I'll let you know."> He answered simply after awhile. The Mikkian had never wielded a lightsaber in combat before. He would need to familiarize himself with them if he was going to have a practical understanding of them. He was sure that it was not the same as wielding a beskad or any of his gravity hammers.

<"You taught me a lot. I've learned even more since then. Maybe I can teach you a thing or two."> Hauron quipped back, trying to lighten the mood and turn the subject towards the future with a positive outlook.

<"I still need help with talking to the Protectors of Concord Dawn. When you're up for it you could join me. I also want to set up a listening post somewhere in Mandalorian space to monitor communication traffic and hyperspace travel. That way we might have an early warning system in case we get people trying to invade. Interested?">

@Hastur

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

<"EXCUSE ME!? wachu mean show ME a thing or two? Mister forge master, you have what, I forgot, a short while of experience? I've been training with that bantha fodder since I was a small karkstain, show meeeee, Rue Tepmuart, a thing or two about smithing songsteel? I think not, but I welcome you to make such a outlandish attempt!">

Rue exclaimed in mock offence, chuckling, hell no, no way she was gonna let the badger best her in this field, nuhuh! Her pride wouldn't allow it, if he did, well, she would have to go and perfect her craft even further, no way she was gonna let it be that easy, at least, not without some effort!

<"Yeah, the sooner I get out of this place the better, count on me to always be interested!">

Rues signature fire would return, mostly to bury the pain, but she wasn't going to let it get her down for long, not when there was work to distract her broken heart with.

<"Just tell me when and where, and I'll get there asap! Bring it on!">

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron let out a chuckle. He was glad to hear the pride in Rue's voice. The Solus was not one to boast, at least not for a badger. Hauron preferred to let his skills speak for themselves. He was raised by a smith and had his own early experiences.

<"Maybe not songsteel...."> He was willing to let her be optimistic about out-forging him but Hauron still wanted to stoke the fires of competition. <"...but there's more than one kind of metal to forge with.">

Hauron would bring Rue back to her room where she could rest. He wanted to give her time alone to sleep. <"I'll let you know the time and place. For now rest up.">

@Hastur