[Mando/Renelo] Reuniting a Family

[Ral]

When Ral had returned from the mission to rescue Astra off of the slaver's ship only to find Deidra gone he was furious, perhaps more so than he should have been. He wanted to know where she was and why she would leave in the middle of an operation where he might have needed her, but only one verd had an answer, the one Deidra had pulled along for her mission to observe the exchange with her sniper rifle. Inquiries had quickly pointed to her having a dispute with Kex after she had returned from her part of the mission. After asking Kex about what happened, Ral stormed off to his quarters where he sent out a coded message to Deidra requesting a meeting. Where she was now he had no idea, but he figured that if Sisk could manage to get in touch with her for a bounty, Ral could do the same thing. Sending out a message on the same frequencies, Ral offered a fair paying job to recover a missing vod. The message would echo he same one Sisk had sent out for the job on him. Embedded in the message was a encrypted request to meet with her and discuss things.

The truth was, Ral owed her for saving his life. Perhaps not as much as he owed Kex, which is why he let the man's actions slide with a semi-firm warning to not drive off anymore allies. But it was enough for him to track her down, plus he wanted to speak with her about other matters. The simple fact remained Ral needed all the friends, allies, and warriors he could get. Whether they were psychopathic maniacs, hired guns, or loyal friends. So long as they proved to be trustworthy to him and loyal to the cause, Ral didn't care. And now, Ral had to track one down, one Ral owed a favor to.

That's when Ral had a bit of an idea, a card to play. One that he wasn't sure was a good idea, but it was the best idea he could come up with at the time, the best way he was going to get Deidra back without having to search through the proverbial haystack. Dei had mentioned that she had a niece, a girl that Ral had in fact met before in the sewers of Nar Shaddaa. A girl that had cost Ral his marriage, and caused a major ruckus at the last gathering of the clans nearly leading to her death-by-exile. If it were only for Carii, things might have gone much worse for her. But now, Ral was having to use his pull with his estranged wife to bring back Alora, and use her to try and draw Deidra out. Perhaps with two Laars, he might have more success than just having one of them.

So, the call went out, and now Ral waited on the surface of the cold world that he had set up his temporary base camp for his clan where they could train, and test their survival skills as well as hunt the local beasts. Looking over to Astra, Ral motioned for the young woman to come closer. "Is everything ready for our guests? I don't want there to be any problems, got it? This needs to be a perfectly smooth transition." He glanced at her before looking out the early morning fog that still clung to the red brush and rolling hills that surrounded the camp. It was the reason why Ral had ordered Kex to take had select the best commandos and go to the other side of the planet to train them up.

---

Carii's heart beated with anticipation. She hadn't seen or really spoken to Ral since the meeting on board the station Haven with the rest of the clans, and now she was about to speak to him as an Alor, a true leader of a real clan. His message sounded urgent, and she knew that whatever that had caused Ral to ask her to come back must have been important. So, gathering up her ship, and those who would accompany her, she headed for the coordinates of the rendezvous. Bringing the ship down to the surface of the planet, Carii was surprised to see the idyllic landscape and terrain. Is he finally starting to settle down? She thought to herself for a moment, but she quickly banished the notion it was ridiculous.

With a satisfying and resounding thud the ship touched down onto the ground next to the Haranov gunship. Standing up, Carii looked to Alora. "Well girl, I'm not entirely sure what this is about, but please promise me you won't immediately try to kill people." She asked as she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, her voice sincere but with the hint of a lighthearted tease in it. Placing her helmet on her head, Carii led the girl down to the main hold where she found a small welcoming party waiting for her on the outside, Ral was not among those with them. "I take it the alor is busy?"

A lavender-skinned Twi'lek replied. "He regrets that he is tied up with some last minute business to attend to before the other guest arrives, but he'll be here soon if you need anything. In the meantime I can help you."

With a frown, Carii nodded. "Indeed. C'mon Alora, let's go find some chow."

 

[Alora]

The comm beeped once when Deidra received a new message. She blinked at the small icon on her HUD and read through the text. The message was from Ral Aran, requesting a meeting with her. Although Deidra had no obligation to his group, she never owed any loyalty to anyone, still she was little curious about what he had to say. Hesitating for a few moments she blinked at reply icon. A voice input mode turned on.
- Freeport 17, Hidian way, 12 parsecs from the trade hyperlane. You have 24 hours.
And she blinked at "send" after a minutes pause. Not sure what this will come to, Deidra was at least ready to listen to the man.

---

Alora nodded with a grim expression on her face. She may be a killer, a murderer, but she was not a savage. Well, not entirely.
She went back to her quarter and picked up her mother's helmet. After their small adventure on the space station they managed to replace the visual and audial in the helmet, allowing the wearer to hear and see in it. But nothing more yet. No HUD, no comms, no targeting. Just a simple bucket with video and audio feed. But she hid her face in it.
Stepping down the ramp after Carii she never said a single word, just nodded and followed Carii. She realized of course that sooner or later she will have to reveal her face. And the warriors around her she mostly recognized from her endeavor on Heaven. That meeting did not go very well.
They found a small establishment which looked like field mess for soldiers, and took seats. Carii took a pair of soups and placed a plate in front of Alora. But the girl was reluctant to take her helmet off. But the hunger won and she slowly lifted it off her head.
A few whistles and hushed voices sounded from around them. Men and women were staring at her face. Some with expression of disgust, some with surprise and curiosity. But all of them soon turned pretty hostile.
A man slapped a hand on the table Alora and Carii occupied. The plates jumped spilling some of the soup.
- You're not welcome here!
Carii lifted her eyes at the man.
- We are here by invitation of Ral Aran. If you have a problem with that, you better take it up with him. Now, usen'ye.
The man stared at Alora a little longer, then removed his hand and walked away. In the next few minutes the whole mess cleared out, men and women refusing to stay in their company.
- Some reputation you have, Al'ika.
Alora didn't reply, she just stared at the plate in front of her. A single tear dropped into the cold broth.
It wasn't fair. She wanted to save her people, but instead she alienated herself. Well, no other way but to ride the storm.
With a grim face she lifted the helmet and put it back on her head.

 

[Ral]

The man walked out of the tent he had been using as a command center of sorts at a brisk pace, his head was held high, but a scowl was etched across his face. Ral had just heard about the commotion in the mess tent, and he was not pleased, not in the slightest. He had Astra gather up those who had been there into a section of camp away from the others. Walking up to the assembled Mandos, Ral removed his helmet to look at each and everyone one of them and so they would know he was looking at them. Pacing the lines they had formed he finally stopped to address them all, the expression on his have was not one of amusement or happiness, but one of annoyance and extreme displeasure to have heard the news of the situation that had developed in the mess minutes earlier. "It has come to my attention that some of you have been less than welcoming to our guests, something I find rather disturbing to hear. I understand many of you remember Alora from the gathering and what she had said there. It wasn't something many of us could bear to hear, and I know many of you, like me, wanted to see her punished for what she said. But they're my guests, here at my invitation. You will provide them with every courtesy, treat them with respect, and if you find you can't stand being around her, then don't say anything. If I hear of any more problems I'll stick that person on latrine duty. Now, you all have duties, get to it."

With that Ral motioned to Astra and had go about clan business while he returned to the mess tent, placing his buy'ce back onto his head. Stepping inside, Ral saw the two forms of Carii and Alora sitting at one of the tables. It seemed Alora had found a helmet of her own now as she was wearing the bucket on her head. He wondered where she found it and who it used to belong to. Taking another step further he in Ral finally spoke. "You sure do cause a bit of a fuss wherever you go. Ya know that, Alora?" He asked as he approached the two. Nodding at Carii he continued on. "I do hope it wasn't too much of an inconvenience. Trust me, those involved have been punished. I see you have a new piece of gear. Where did you get it from?"

Carii Galaar frowned as she looked at the man. "It was a bit, this whole thing has been a bit of an inconvenience if I'm going to be honest. Mind telling me why I'm hear?" She asked as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"I'd like you both to join me. Plus I have a few other reasons for wanting you both here besides getting all my stuff back from you." Tapping on his helmet's side he signaled her to switch to their private channel where he would be able to explain the basic circumstances in private. When he was done he looked to Alora. "Alora if you're alright with it I'd like to talk to you in private. Carii, can you load your stuff up onto the ship. We'll be leaving soon. The final person I plan to meet has sent us coordinates of a place to meet. So we'll be leaving as soon as you two are ready."

Carii nodded before standing up to leave. Motioning to Alora, Ral beckoned for her to join him on a short walk around the area. "Look, I know things have been rocky between us. But I'm hoping to put all of that behind us and start new. Cin vhetin. I find myself needing all the allies I can get, wherever I can get them, to make sure my clan has a reasonable shot at survival. Now, before you give me your answer, I'd like you to meet the final guest first. Now if you'd think about it and follow me, I'd like you get comfortable for the journey. If you need something feel free to call on me."

With that, Ral boarded his Haranov and they took off once Alora and Carii were aboard and settled. The journey would be short and relatively quiet as he made sure none of the members of Renelo would cause problems; he made sure that everyone understood how delicate the situation was and how he needed this to go perfectly. They seemed to understand that, and decided that if someone couldn't handle being around Alora they would get someone else who could. Finally, the ship landed at Freeport 17 where Deidra had instructed him too. Sending out a message, Ral asked Dei come to him as he made sure Alora and Carii would stay out of sight for the first part of the talks, coming in when signaled. When Dei boarded, Ral removed his helmet and smiled at her. "I'm glad you came."

 

[Alora]

- Well, I'm not. Tell me what you want and I'll be on my way.
For all there was, Deidra did sound pissed off. Not at Ral, but at the whole situation she was in. She was denied to go anywhere near Hutt space and she certainly wasn't all that excited about being with Ral's clan again. Last time, only time, she tried to work with them, she has been almost dumped on Tatooine. Good thing her ship could fly by itself. So trusting these men again was not in her plans.
But she could at least listen to what the man wanted to say.

---

The same time Alora was sitting quietly in her quarter on the ship. It was a very small room, but it was isolated from the rest of the ship. That was meant for her safety as well as to keep the crewmen away from her. Her reputation could cause some serious disorder among the men, so Ral had to take precautions. Carii was somewhere on the ship, maybe talking with Ral, or doing some other stuff. Ral said he needed them on this flight, but didn't explain what for. So there Alora sat, waiting.

 

[Ral]

"Perhaps we can talk about it someplace quieter? Like my quarters? That way we can get everything out in the open without worrying about others hearing what we have to say." Ral stepped back through the entryway so that Deidra could pass, a frown hidden by the T-shaped visor and helmet he was wearing. His request wasn't really a request, he didn't plan on talking, or shouting, in front of the rest of his clan, and he wished to be close so that when he called on Alora they wouldn't have to wait. He just hoped Deidra wouldn't try and make a big deal out of it. "Please, I'd like to this go as smoothly as possible, if you don't mind. The sooner you hear what I have to say, the sooner you can leave if that's what you want."

Ral would lead Deidra back to his own personal quarters, which were rather spartan even for a Mandalorian. Besides a bed, a rack for his weapons and armor, and there was a desk with a datapad and a holoemitter on it flanked by seats. Sitting down in the chair nearest the bed so that he would be facing the door, the man offered the red-headed female the seat across the desk from him. Removing his helmet, Ral placed the bucket on the desk across from him, then he turned his blue eyes on the woman across from him. "I've been apprised of the situation that developed between you and Kex during the mission to infiltrate the slavers. I understand that you might have had some reservations about the plan, and about Kex given the way he treated you, but the truth is Deidra, we need you, I need you. If you need me to pay you to keep you on retainer with us, then so be it, but I'd like to keep you around, if at the very least so nobody else can have you. I'd like to keep you around for the good of the clan, and I have my own reasons for wanting you to be with us as well..."

Taking a moment to let what he had just said settle in, Ral inhaled slowly through his nose, trying to gauge Dei's body language, how she was taking it. Not an easy task all things considered. "The simple fact is, if we as a people are going to survive we need to stick together, to put aside old grudges, unify, and evolve. Of course having babies wouldn't hurt our survival, but we need to take care of things one step at a time. I'd like you to stick with us, you have a particular skill set which will come in handy in the future, and you can provide insight for the clan in future endeavors."

"Plus, there's one more reason why I think you should stay... but I'd like to hear what you think first."

---

Holding her helmet tucked under her arm Carii walked into the quarters Alora was using and smiled at the teenager before sitting down next to her. "I guess Ral is doing some kind of meeting with someone. Not really sure yet why he wants you here, but I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Taking a moment to examine the girl, she sighed briefly. "You don't have to feel ostracized, ya know? You can be accepted by them... I don't know what you want, Al'ika, but if you want to be a part of the culture you're going to have to learn to live amongst them, whether you approve of what they did in the past or not. Forgive and forget is what some people say. I'm not going to tell you to do that, but Sisk is dead, if you want a fresh start, the best time to give it a go is right now."

Standing up, the woman looked at the girl. "Just a thought." Then she walked out.

 

[Alora]

Deidra followed Ral into his quarters with some reluctance. It was in fact a sort of hostile territory for now. Anything except her seat in her fighter was hostile territory.
Then Ral took his helmet off and offered her to sit down. But Deidra ignored it preferring to stay standing. Ral talked. He seemed a little of edge speaking into a faceless mask of her helmet, but not as much as all the non-mandos were. Mandalorians are more used to have their faces hidden. Especially ones born in the culture.
Ral went on about keeping the people together, preserving the culture and other stuff, but Deidra wasn't really interested in all that. Mandalorians as she had known them ceased to exist when the Sith Imperium annihilated their homeworld and began a long hunt for the remaining ones. Her family was one of the victims. So she had no ties to the culture.
But what he offered was a sort of steady base. Maybe a kind of friendly territory, a way to have a place to rest. And a steady income. Maybe a purpose for her existence. Up until now all she did was surviving. Maybe now she could do something else.
When Ral finished she kept looking at him without answering for a couple of minutes. Then she slowly pulled her helmet off and sat down at the desk across from him. Her face was just as emotionless mask as was her helmet's faceplate.
- Jat. Here's the terms. I don’t take part in your operations, I don’t provide cover. We tried that, your… men obviously don't need any. They are tough enough to run into dragons lair with their pants around their knees. You give me solo objective, I do the mission on my own. The price for each of them we'll discuss separately. And keep your boy Kex away from me. If he leads your men into their deaths it's your problem, but I won't be part of this. Tayli'bac?

---

Alora didn't look up when Carii entered and sat next to her. She kept sitting still and staring into black T-visor of her mother's helmet. She missed her so much. And the worst part was, she vaguely remembered her face. Somehow it slowly drifted away, but Alora made hard effort to keep remembering.
Finally she looked at Carii.
- Part of the culture? What culture is that? All we are left with is T-visors and scraps of mando'a curses. Half of those men wearing beskar'gam wouldn't understand me if I asked them for a cup of caf in mando'a. I saw a guy who was rebuking some of his subordinates. And they stood at attention, in perfect line. When the hell did mandos start to treat each other like some damn army cannon fodder instead of brothers and sisters?
She shook her head and looked back at the helmet in her hands.
- We're dead, Carii, whether we admit it or not.
It looked that her eyes were turning wet.
- If you say that we need to be here, then we'll be here. But I will not fool myself thinking that it's some kind of reunion, cause we don’t unite anymore. Some men try to dominate the others to build a stronger military force. That’s not what "preserving the people" means.
Zeera, a fierce beast, who's fangs ripped hundreds of throats without a hint of mercy, came up to Alora and put it's big head on her lap, making a strange sound very alike to purring. She seemed to be sad about Alora and how she felt.

 

[Ral]

The man was rather relieved when Deidra came with him without needing further convincing or persuading, at least that was one less thing he'd have to fight with her on. Inside his quarters, Ral waited and watched Deidra as stood looking at him silently. It was rather unnerving not to know what she was thinking, much less what she looked like at that moment; it made reading her all the more difficult. Something Ral did not particularly enjoy in of itself. And then finally, after a long enough pause the woman slowly pulled off her helmet revealing the fiery red hair and the piercing blue eyes. Sitting down, Ral could see that she was as emotionless as ever. He wondered what was running through her mind, if she actually felt anything at all, or if she was truly empty on the inside, devoid of any emotion at all.

Listening to her demands, the slightest hints of a frown began to tug at the corners of his mouth. While he could understand that she wouldn't want to be around Kex, he didn't like the idea of him leading his men to their deaths. It wasn't something he planned on happening, but the fact that she thought Ral was in error choosing Kex, that he would lead his men into a FUBAR situation and get them all killed did not sit well with him. And that was what caused him to frown the most. The only other thing that got him was her seeming refusal to be a team player. Perhaps that just was the way she is, perhaps she didn't care about the clans anymore. Whatever the justification, it didn't really matter, so long as she was still willing to be used. When she was finished, he gave her a very slight nod of the head in return. "I got it. If you don't wish to join with the larger operations I'll find more delicate matters for you to work on. Maybe after a while, you'll consider taking on a more permanent roll within the clan. I wouldn't require anything from you but your time and experience, as I do now. Just... it would be in a more specific and focused manner. Anyhow, just something to think about. I actually have another reason for bringing you here, call it motivation to stay with us in the long term."

Reaching over to the comlink on his desk, Ral keyed the switch. "Bring her in please."

Out in the corridor of the gunship, Carii received Ral's message and made for Alora's room once again. She had thought on what the girl had said, and while she disagreed with the notion, she could see where she was coming from. Opening the door she motioned for the teenager to stand. "C'mon, Ral wants to see you." When Alora would join Carii in the hallway, the older woman would lead the girl to Ral's office. Before she opened the door, she looked at the emerald-eyed brunette. "Not all of us are like that, Alora. Some of us want to revive what we had. Just remember that." With that she punched the button to open the door and motioned for Alora to enter. Carii would not join, it wasn't her place to join, she would remain outside until needed again.

Walking inside, Ral would look up at the teenager, "Ah, there she is. Alora, I'd like you to meet Deidra. Deidra, this is Alora. I believe you might know each other..."

 

[Alora]

Deidra listened to Ral's explanation of her possible purpose in his clan with not much attention. But she felt a slight satisfaction when he twitched his lips at the mention of Kex and his way of leading. Got, he has been warned. The rest was not her business.
But then Ral invited someone else to come in. Deidra instinctively reached for her helmet when the door slid open and a teenage girl stepped in. She looked a little shaken and kept staring at her boots. Deidra felt a little puzzled as to what was the purpose of this. Then her eyes moved lower and noticed a mandalorian helmet the girl held under her arm. A female one, with narrow faceplate and smooth top. The paintwork was mostly worn off, but a few lines were recognizable. And they formed a sharp wings on top of the helmet. Like a primitive drawing of the hawk wings. The recognition came instantly.
- Al'ika?...
Alora slowly lifted her face and looked at the woman saying her name. Her child's name. And the accent was painfully familiar. The woman standing in front of her wore a full mandalorian beskar'gam. The colors she didn't recognize, but the high crest on the helmet was unmistakable. Long time ago it was blue, not gold.
- Ba'vodu?
Dropping the helmet to the floor Deidra jumped forward and grabbed her niece in tight embrace. She hugged her so tight that she lifted her off the floor. Her eyes went wet and a lump in her throat almost blocked her breath.
- Gar oyayc!
- Mirut, ni oyayc! Tion'vaii gar ru'cuyi?
Deidra didn’t answer, she just held the girl in her hands, letting the tears flow down her cheeks for the first time in many years.
She put Alora back on the floor and dragged her to the bunk. She just sat there, studying the face of a girl she thought lost and dead so many years ago. But she survived. Alora felt the same turmoil. So many years of loneliness, no friends, no family. But the Galaxy seemed to be at least a little bit merciful. She wasn't alone after all.
- Ru mhi udesii darasuum…
Deidra smiled at the girl's words and replied:
- Mhi ven haa'tayli Iral'kar hetti.
Then she turned to Ral.
- Whatever you need, just ask. I have a debt to you for bringing her to me. I'll pay it.
Alora didn't look at Ral, but she felt she owed him too. From this day she'll try to make it up to him.

 

[Ral]

A smile spread across Ral's face as he watched reunion play out before him. It felt good to do something right for a change, one that even Deidra and Alora couldn't take offense to. The exchange was heartwarming, even to Ral who wasn't a person to be affected by other people's displays of affection. Ral waited patiently for the two Laar's to finish their touching exchange, a rather surprising thing to see when one considered how the two normally acted around others. At least it was nice to know that both of them could feel under the right circumstances. When Deidra turned to look at Ral he raised his chin up a little expectantly. Listening to her only caused him to smile bashfully. It was nice to have her on board with him, but he was going to want a little bit more than just being owed. But they could work out the details later. Holding up his hand Ral smiled, "Right now I just need you to join with me, which you already have done. So long as I can count you amongst my own, both of you will have a place in my clan. If you're with me I'll call you my family, and that means I'll fight for you, help you out in anyway I can, and provide you with food and shelter when you need it."

Looking at Alora, Ral nodded at the teenager as well. "I have a few ideas, but we can go over them once you two have gotten to know each other a little bit. Feel free to use my quarters as long as you need," he stated as he stood up. Walking to the door, he stopped and looked at them. "I'm in the business of making our people strong again. I'd like you both to join me to shape a better future and revive what little of our culture is left. Even if you don't think it can be saved, than help me forge a better tomorrow. I hope I'll see clan Laar great again." Ral gave a little smile at the two women before stepping out. Looking at Carii, he nodded at the woman. "I guess we have a few things we need to discuss..."

"I guess we do. My quarters?"

"It would probably be best." Ral nodded and followed the woman down the corridor so they could have some privacy to talk. When Alora and Deidra were done, they could find Ral. He only hoped that they were ready to work.