From Tactical Badger to Tactful Badger

[Narir Solus]

Prompt: The work being done on world has not gone unnoticed. Meet with the Governor of Bandomeer to discuss an arrangement of protection in exchange for allowing Mandalorian operations in the area.

The Mandalorians had been hard at work on Bandomeer, and it hadn't gone unnoticed. What had started as doing odd jobs turned into true government and law enforcement contracts, and now here Narir was about to sit down with the planet's governor. That was going to be a bit odd. Narir wasn't a diplomat in... pretty much any version of his hypothetical selves, and he could scarcely believe he was in this situation. But he also knew that this was a massive opportunity, and he was determined not to blow it. That was his responsibility as Al’Verde and the one heading up this whole campaign. Put him in front of a dozen armed hostiles and he was right at home, but here... not so much.

After much internal strife, he'd finally convinced himself that showing up with a rifle and sword to this meeting probably wasn't appropriate, but armor and a sidearm still couldn't be put aside. It was partially to be expected of anyone who was meeting a Mandalorian. The governor would know not to expect anything else. Especially when one considered the primary component of this contract was about providing security and peacekeeping for Bandomeer.

As if all of that weren't bad enough, he'd been reached out to by a reporter who was saying he wanted to... what was it? Help? Record? Narir wasn't sure, but it just put that extra bit of edge into the situation.

The Mandalorian made his way up to the conference room, being led there by a pretty young woman. The governor will be here soon, she said, and walked briskly back to her desk. Narir took a seat facing the door, and checked his chrono. He was about five minutes early, and no doubt the governor and reporter would be making their way to meet him soon and be led here when they arrived. @Lucid @Braden Drake

 

[Jacob Tagger]

Jacob zipped up his pants, adjusted his tie and flattened his hair as the pretty young assistant he had just had a brief...encounter...with straightened her dress and checked her hair and makeup in the mirror above the sink. They had hit it off the moment Jacob had reached the government buildings. The young lady, Monique, had the sort of wild and crazy eyes that he was always so helpless for. He had long sense accepted that weakness as well as others...one didn't achieve six failed marriages without some sort of critical flaw.

The Journalist had arrived a few hours early to the Bandomeer Government buildings and had promptly been assigned Monique as a guide. They had chatted about things as she showed him around the offices, explaining the situation and bringing him up to speed. It had been a grand time as they went round, flirting back and forth as Jacob explained that he had reached out to the Mandalorians to see if they would be willing to bring him along. Monique had seemed rather taken with this, perhaps being a political aid on a backwater neutral world wasn't the most thrilling job in the galaxy, and after a few more flirtatious exchanges and choice innuendos from the both of them she had led him directly to an executive bathroom.

And that's where he found himself, making sure he looked professional in the same mirror as some wild young lady. So far, a pretty good day. The brief tryst had taken some of the edge off the nerves he felt about actually meeting a Mandalorian. They had quite the reputation after all.

"We should be going, Jacob," Monique said as she reapplied her lipstick, making sure it was perfect as he straightened his collar. "Your meeting is in 10 minutes."

"Yes, I suppose we should get going," Jacob replied sadly. It had been a fun time indeed.

"Don't worry, honey, I'll still be here when you're done you're meeting," she said salaciously, sticking her head out the door to make sure the coast was clear.

It was. She led him to a turbolift, up a few floors and down a tastefully appointed hallway that broadened into a large circular waiting area outside the conference rooms. There was a large man in distinctive armor sitting by the doors across from the desk of a secretary.

"The Governor will meet you shortly, Mr. Tagger," Monique said. "Looks like your friend is here too. I'll be here to lead you back out when your meeting is done." She gave him a cheeky wink and made her way back down the hall to the turbolift. For the millionth time, Jacob had never been so taken with a lady in his life.

He wandered over to the armored soldier and offered him a hand with an honest smile. "You must be Narir Solus. I'm Jacob Tagger. It's a privilege to meet you, sir. Thank you for accepting my request, this is more than I ever could have expected."

@Phoenix @Braden Drake

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir was generally fidgeting in his seat, glancing occasionally at his datapad as the time ticked by. In reality, it was only about 3 minutes, but to Narir it felt like he'd already been here an hour. This was the epitome of a place he didn't belong, and he felt like even the chairs were telling him as much. Thankfully, his fidgeting was interrupted when the door slid open and Narir's head suddenly snapped up. It wasn't the governor, but the odd reporter who had asked to do a story on Clan Solus. Narir wasn't exactly sure why, and he wasn't totally convinced it wouldn't backfire, but he'd ultimately decided it was worth the risk.

He stood and took the offered hand, speaking in slightly accented basic. I am. Pleasure to meet you, he said, shaking hands firmly. Now what was he supposed to say? "How odd that you decided to do a story on Mandalorians?" Actually... that wasn't the worst idea with a little tweak.

I'm glad you could come. I was a bit surprised when I received your message, he said, trying to take something more akin to a tactful approach to the question. It was quite the curious situation, and Narir couldn't imagine the Empire as a whole would be happy about it. I imagine many in your government don't appreciate you... interviewing with enemies of the state, he said. Some might have said it was unwise to bring up the question, but it wasn't like Mr. Tagger hadn't considered that already. He had an angle, though Narir wasn't totally sure what it was yet. @Lucid @Braden Drake

 

[Jacob Tagger]

"Oh, of course they are. But that's the risk you run, isn't it?" Jacob was being remarkably flippant about a rather serious situation. It wasn't as though he hadn't been through it all before. "While I'll be the first to admit that some of the stories I have published over the years haven't been the most impartial, they have certainly been some of the most influential." Jacob shrugged. "Besides, even if I make enemies, it's not like I'm without the ability to defend myself...Sith or otherwise." He shrugged, leaving that particular point vague. It just wouldn't do to have the Mandalorian know everything.

"Why would you be surprised that I'd be interested in Clan Solus?" Jacob said honestly. "The galaxy as a whole has come to see my broadcasts as famously anti-imperial. That, however is not exactly true. I'm not anti-imperial, I'm anti-inaction." Jacob's face turned distant for a moment as he thought of how he had little in the way of ethics. Ethics didn't make for a good story. The Badgers, however, did.

"I thought to myself, maybe we just don't know about the Mandalorian--let alone the Clan Solus--position on the galactic politics. You and your clan have done a number of very great and noisy things recently. Terrible for the people involved, no doubt, but great nonetheless. It's an honor to see how you work and learn just a little more about the people behind the badger."

@Phoenix @Braden Drake

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir supposed it all made sense to some extent, if you managed to sprinkle in a hint of crazy with your perspective. But then, he had to wonder what recourse the newsman would have if a Sith came for him in the middle of the night. He knew dreadfully little about the man besides the few broadcasts he had watched before this meeting.

Anti-inaction, he repeated quietly. That was close to home. Narir was the Mandalorian word for "to act" or "to do" and he'd always been exactly that: someone averse to sitting by and doing nothing. You and I might get along then. My mother was borderline prophetic when she named me. Narir means "to act" in Mando'a, he told the reporter.

If action was what the man was after, there would be no shortage of it with the Mandalorians. They had grown sick and tired of the complacent behemoth of a leach that had swelled up in the galaxy. The Empire needed to go and now.

Perhaps we can speak more later, he said. No doubt the governor would be arriving soon, which hardly left them with enough time to discuss politics - or whatever other topic Narir was unsuited to address - in such a brief amount of time. @Lucid @Braden Drake

 

[The Storyteller]

Serena Winter, had worked her way from the bottom. Well near the bottom, her family had never been powerful, either politically or militarily but they had money. And Serena loved to spend that money on the one thing she wanted above all else. The power her family had never had. Some said she brought the role as Governor, others that she killed for it. The truth was a little of both, those who could be brought were brought and those who stood in the way were moved aside. Nothing would stop her rise. Her political career to that date was abysmal to say the least, only a small turn as a town mayor proceeded the de-facto ruler of the planet, but here she was sat in her white office, waiting for the Mandalorians to come knocking.

Serena pulled on the sleeves of her long blue jacket, positioning them correctly before clapping her hands together, her back straight a position of strength. The table before her was long, the closest seats at least three away than on a normal table. The distance giving her the power over her guests. "Monique, show them in." She said to the assistant, through the comm link next to her desk. It took only a few moments for the doors to open and her guests shown inside. She waited a moment for them to see her in that position before standing to meet the pair. She strode up to the one in the armour, the true Mandalorian of the pair and held her hand out to shake it, she made sure that it would be a hard grip, no weakness shown. "Welcome to Bandomeet, I am Governor Winter."

@Lucid @Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

It was only moments later that "Monique" the pretty young assistant he had met earlier return to the room to wave the pair into another room. Well, that was fine, then. He wasn't sure how these things usually unfolded, so he rose and followed the assistant down the hall to meet Governor Winter. Her reputation proceeded her, and Narir could respect the climb she had had through the ranks. She picked herself up by her own bootstraps and became governor. He wondered how many necks she had had to step on to do that.

It was a hard alarm to be aware of what she might be doing. That meant he'd need to make this as much about her benefiting as the planet and the Mandalorians. It's a pleasure to meet you, he greeted the governor with an equally firm handshake, noting that she didn't seem to be intimidated by him in the slightest. It was a good sign, and he supposed he should have expected it. She hadn't gotten to where she was by being shy.

I'm Narir Solus, he said, in his slightly accented basic. He motioned to the news anchor to let him introduce himself. You may already be familiar with my... colleague. Thank you for meeting with us, he said. @Lucid @Braden Drake

 

[The Storyteller]

Serena gave the Mandalorian a warm smile veiled with a warning, she was not going to roll over like some of her compatriots on the planet. This was her world, her hard work to get here, she wasn't going to through it away for some tin can with a blaster. "No, don't recognise him. Should I?" She said looking over at Narir's compatriot. It was a lie, most politicians who bordered the Empire read Jacob Tagger's work. Most of his work involved the active expansion of the Empire which would swallow planets like Serena's instantly.

There was no doubt that this was also the aim of the Mandalorians, a rogue nation-state approaching a neutral one only ever wanted two things, land or arms and some wanted both. She had heard about the tide of Mandalorians erupting from their planet, especially those belonging to the Solus Clan, it was only a matter of time before either they or the Empire appeared at her office. She wouldn't admit that she had a preference of the Mandalorians, the Sith only took and would replace her quickly with some sabre swinging dunce. Believing the connection to the force was the best thing in the galaxy. The Mandalorians had a different mindset, something she could hopefully use to her advantage. "Please take a seat." She said gesturing to the seats closest to her own at the head of the table, before taking her own Serena continued. "And tell me what brings you to my planet."

@Lucid @Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir found the comment about not knowing Tagger as telling. If she were some backwater crime lord or even a Mandalorian, he might have been able to buy that she didn't know who he was, but she was a politician, and politicians knew who the media people were. Even if they didn't like them - especially if they didn't like them - so she had some reason to say that. Or else she wasn't as informed as he would have expected. He found either of these to deviate from the expected, which was in and of itself something to note.

Narir took his seat, and the governor got right down to business. He could respect that, and in fact, rather appreciated it. He knew he should have played some political game, but for the life of him, he didn't know what that was, so he did what he did best: he acted. For better or worse, he was going to present the facts, and that would be his case.

I'm sure you can already guess at what brings me here, he said. And he was sure she knew. She could play ignorant in some areas, but she wasn't not an idiot, and that was what she would have had to be not to know what you wanted. I'd like to ally Bandomeer and Mandalore, he said, deciding that sugar coating things would get him nothing and nowhere. Maybe I'm supposed to play some political game first, but with me what you see is what you get, he said. He half expected her to scoff at the comment, but what would that really gain her? No, she had things she wanted, and he could guess at some of what those were, and Narir knew he could give those things to her. @Lucid @Braden Drake

 

[Jacob Tagger]

Jacob didn't bother to offer a hand, it wouldn't have been warmly received, he suspected. Instead he offered a bland smile and took in the Governor's imposing posture. Everything about her, from the way the room was positioned to her immaculate outfit spoke to a woman who was rigidly in control. Of herself, her world, everything...beyond that he really didn't know much about her.

Bandomeer was a bit out of the way and in a precarious position between two warring entities. It was no wonder the Mandalorians wanted to set up shop here and again no wonder why the Bandomeer Government was entertaining them. It was as far as he got before he needed to take a seat and say something.

"My name is Jacob Tagger, correspondent with the Holo News Network, Couriscant office," he said politely, playing along with her. "I contacted the Mandalorians to see if I could learn a little more about them. I'm here to observe, ma'am. Please don't let me interfere."

He pulled from his satchel an old fashioned filmsi pad and a pen and began to take notes. The scratching on the paper was audible as the two began to talk. Immediately they got right to business. No political discourse, no talking about things of no importance.

This is going to be very interesting, he thought. All the while, the pen scratched away.

@Phoenix @Braden Drake

 

[The Storyteller]

Serena smiled at Jacob when he introduced himself giving him a slight nod in greeting before turning back to the Mandalorian. He was direct, she liked direct, hating the indirect nature of politics, Serena liked to get to the point. "Mr Solus, thank you for your honesty, truly the roundabout conversations I have to have with my fellow politicians is rather tedious so having a man be direct for a change is a breath of fresh air." Serena finally took her seat and lent back in a relaxed fashion crossing her legs and placing her intertwined fingers on her knee.

"To be direct in return. Why should Bandomeer ally with the Mandalorians? From what I hear you are rebels to the Imperial Government, joining you and your clan, is pretty much me writing little Elix a Casus Belli to invade Bandomeer the next day. Why would I not just give Elix a call and let him know that a Mandalorian Al'Verde and a traitorous Imperial Reporter are sitting in my very boardroom? Or I could always call, what was his name Monique?" She asked clicking her fingers trying to remember his name. "Darth Vrael, Governor." Monique replied. "Yes, I am sure he would pay handsomely for you as well."

@Lucid @Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir knew this was the logical question for her to ask. Ally with the Empires or ally with the Mandalorians. The Mandalorians were the up and coming of the galaxy, and it was harder to sell to most people, but actually, he thought that selling it to her would be easier than most people. She was independent and strong-willed, and she wasn't going to want to bend to the Empire.

Bandomeer isn't a part of the Empire, and you don't want to make it part, he said. It was him making a very educated guess, but he was confident enough in it that he actually said it. Most governors hadn't and didn't join the Empire willingly. Elix hasn't done anything about the Mandalorians, he said. And even if you called him, what would he do? It's not like we've hidden who we are and he still hasn't moved on us, he said. They were true. The bounty on Solus had done all but nothing, and the pittance of money the governor would get from turning in a certain Al'Verde wouldn't even be worth her time.

He let that sink in for a moment. He was sure that she had done her homework on him before this meeting, and he gave her a moment to sort through the information in her head to think of a single victory the Empire could present over Clan Solus. She would come up short.

They can't protect their own worlds, and if and when they try to annex you, they won't be able to protect you either, he said. But we can keep them from coming after you, he said. And it was completely sensical. The Empire was afraid of the Mandalorians, and if Bandomeer fell under Mandalorian protection, the Empire would be afraid to come for the world as well. @Braden Drake @Lucid

 

[The Storyteller]

Serena smiled at the Mandalorian as he spoke, he was correct all counts and it was nice he didn't sugar coat it. She was surprised when the news of the Mandalorian rebellion had yet to be crushed, they were one planet, maybe two against pretty much the whole core. The lack of inaction on the Empires part was both infuriating as a politician and comical as a neutral party. It was only a matter of time though, once something or someone woke up in the Empire their would be repercussions, be it from Elix or Vrael, one of them would strike. And Serena wanted to be on the winning side.

"So when they come. And they will eventually come, what can the Mandalorian's offer me and Bandomeer as protection, you can't have much considering?" It was a honest question, she knew they were good fighters, on par with the Sith for all she knew, but a good blaster did or vibroblade did not stop an orbital bombardment.

@Phoenix @Lucid

 

[Narir Solus]

Her question was an interesting one, and one that Narir had become acutely aware of over the course of Mandalorian expansion. Ships were going to be a quantity that were deadly and terrible to ground troops, but the Empire was not of infinite resources. Their ships could be stolen from them, their ability to coordinate and launch attacks could be pulled out from under them, and their large fleet could disappear quickly.

There're many ways to stop the Sith advance. You assume they'll be able to launch an attack against you in that situation. That we won't have already crippled their abilities to launch such an attack before they ever get underway, he said. And the comment wasn't bravado. Narir had already put plans in motion to do just that: cripple Imperials ship production, repair, and maintenance. If they couldn't even protect their own borders, how could they expand to take territory under Mandalore's protection?

And the Mandalorian fleet will grow, he added. It wasn't large yet, but Clan Solus was going to grow more, they were rallying the rest of Mandalore, and that meant assets, MandalMotors, and more. But as I understand it, the first of the Sith have already arrived here, he said, knowing that some of the Mandalorians had come to blows with Sith on Bandomeer.

So the time to decide whether you want to be invaded seems to have come knocking, he said. She could certainly decline his offer, but she was no fool, and the Sith would invade in short order without the Mandalorians to stop them, and Bandomeer wouldn't have much of a leg to stand on. I don't want to see one more planet taken over by the Empire, he said honestly. @Braden Drake @lucdi

 

[Jacob Tagger]

"Ms. Winter," Jacob said, speaking for the first time since the start of the meeting. He was tapping his pen against the desk as he thought about how to phrase what he wanted to say. The tapping stopped as he began to speak again. "I understand that I am here simply to record and report for the Holo News Network but my understanding of the political climate of the galaxy may be of some use her."

He was being honest and while he was certain that Winter had her own understanding, he thought that a neutral outsiders perspective could be of use here. "Bandomeer has for some time managed to retain its independence. You have done well to walk such a precarious political line, however as tensions rise in the galaxy Bandomeer will [and already has] come under scrutiny.

"The location of Bandomeer is advantageous to two of the biggest powers in the galaxy and one has already turned its sights to you. The reasons you had to keep Bandomeer must still be true; neither of the large power blocks are suitable options for your people. That said, we are on the precipice of war. The major powers are certain to look for geographically advantageous to stage from as conflict begins at their borders and your world is one such location."

Jacob looked genuinely concerned as he chewed a lip thoughtfully. He wasn't trying to be impolite, he simply wanted to moderate. Both sides stood gain critical resources or assurances from this meeting and he wanted to do his best to make it so. He decided to phrase things a little more politically. "Allying with the Mandalorians would be the equivalent of an abstention vote. They are currently not a large enough threat to galactic stability to warrant harsh consequences from either of the major powers you border on and by the time they are they will be well able to defend you and your people. They have done it already, turning back the first advance on Bandomeer and Mr. Solus has made it clear that they would continue to offer such support in the future; should the Sith come with a more concentrated effort to claim Bandomeer for themselves."

Jacob was nervous that perhaps he had upset the Mandalorian next to him...he didn't want to get shot, but he didn't let any of his emotions show. He was keen to see a resolution here. It was exhilarating in a way, he could feel something starting in the galaxy and he felt privileged to be at the beginning of it.

@Phoenix @Braden Drake

 

[The Storyteller]

Serena was impressed by both the Mandalorian and the want away Imperial. They put their arugments across strong, but without little emblishments, they both accepted the Mandalorian's weakness, which was always a good thing in her eye when it came to politics. She had heard of the Sith encroachment on her planet already and this was part of the reason she was facilitating these talks. Perhaps with the Mandalorians behind her she could keep this post, but perhaps she could leverage it some more.

"You both make strong arguments. But I need more than half promises, I need figures and facts. How many Mandalorian's would be stationed here on Bandomeer for our defense? What ship's will you supply to bolster our own protection fleet?" [/abpx3]

 

[Narir Solus]

It was a fair question, and one that Narir wasn't going to try to make up numbers for, but he could guarantee certain things that could be complemented with a hard figure. Enough to repel a standard Imperial planetary assault force, he told her, which typically included at most a star destroyer and its escort. That wasn't even to mention the fact that it was a complement to Bandomeer's own defense force, which meant that combined it should have little issue holding against the Empire.

In addition to a quick reaction force from Mandalore, he said. The Mandalorian homeworld was a very short distance away, which meant drawing additional soldiers to the planet would be quick and easy. Rapid response was a very real thing.

Is there something in particular you're looking for? he asked, simply putting it out there. If she had a number in mind, then they might as well have it out, but he figured it was safe to say that the results were far more important than an arbitrary number. If a star destroyer and its escort dropped into orbit, the Mandalorians would have enough men and women on site to deal with it rapidly.

OOC: Sorry for the delay, I'm back in town now. @Braden Drake @Lucid

 

[The Storyteller]

"Your number is vague, which is either a good piece of politics or bad, Mr Solus. I haven't decided yet." Serena replied raising her fingers to her lips, tapping her index finger nail on her teeth. "As I hope you understand, I need something for myself as well. One must always look out for themselves." She continued with a devilish grin. "I would of course expect my position to stay, as the representative of Bandomeer in this new alliance with Mandalore. I would also need some further incentives." The grin remained as she spoke. "And dinner with yourself would also be a good point to add."

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir gritted his teeth slightly behind his helmet, a similar feeling to when he was closing in on a kill while hunting. It felt good, and it meant that the critical moment was at hand where he would either succeed or fail. One can't play all their cards out of the gate, he agreed with her. She was a politician, but despite that, their candid conversation was actually rather refreshing.

Done, he said with a nod in reference to her staying in her position within Bandomeer. He dared say that most of the Mandalorians wouldn't know the inner workings of Bandomeer nearly as well as its governor, so the request was only logical and not at all difficult to agree to.

It was the final request that took him off guard. Dinner with him? And here he didn't think he was nearly that much of a charmer, but it seemed the governor had taken a fancy to him. It would be my sincerest pleasure, governor, he said before glancing at his chrono. How is tonight? he asked. A daring request for a schedule no doubt as busy as hers, but the last thing he wanted was to be appearing to put it off.

Whatever the time or place, Narir would make time for it. The Mandalorian expansion had begun, and Narir may have just gained a personal ally as well.

//Thread @Lucid @Braden Drake