Requiem for the Fallen

[Diocletian Solus]

There are fewer things in the universe sadder and yet at the same time, as potentially triumphant, as the death of a warrior in battle. Battles are fought in open space, across planets, and even in back alleys throughout the galaxy on an almost minute by minute basis. Those that fall in those battles are sometimes remembered but oft times are left where they lay with no one to remember them.

The Mandalorian people come from nomadic roots. The dead themselves are believed to join an eternal battle where they exist to protect their family and loved ones. Nomads have no place to call home and so it was impractical for the Mandalorian people to carry the dead with them. Instead they took their possessions and honored them.

Usually this took the form of a full suit of armor that would be returned to the family of a dead warrior for use by future generations. In cases where the armor couldn’t be recovered or kept, pieces of the armor, such as helmets, gloves or buckles might be taken instead. Mando’ade recite the names of their fallen loved ones and comrades each night before bed in a very conscious act of keeping their memory, and so their existence, alive.


Diocletian stepped off the ramp of his Mynock Series Freighter and into the bustle of the Keldabe spaceport. He reveled in the fact that he was home and at the same time was troubled by the reasoning. He was here to return the helmet of another Mandalorian to the family of the fallen warrior. He had the helmet in a small case to preserve it and to honor the fallen warrior as he took what was left of his heritage home. Dio had not known the warrior, they had both worked for rival criminal syndicates on Nar Shaddah.

Following a turf war which had become especially bloody, Dio had run across the corpse of the fellow warrior while clearing a storehouse they had recently taken. It was obvious from the beginning that the warrior had ended up on the losing side of several fragmentation grenades tossed in his direction. The only real piece of him had been the helmet that rested in the case with Dio. Dio, being a traditionalist, had retrieved the helmet and taken it upon himself to ensure the return of the warrior’s kit to his family. He would hope that should the same fate befall him, another Mandalorian might do the same for his family.

@Rimrald

 

[Wyatt Kebiin-Solus]

Standing at the side of Bay 1-A-9, Wyatt was present and adorned his full set of armor, equipment and a fresh polish to the now battle worn plates that composed his protective elements. The blazed red and black paint was worn but the badger sigil that sat over his heart was fresh, and Wyatt stood with his hands clasped behind his back as numerous groups of armored Mandalorians passed in opposite directions. He was here to meet Diocletian, or better known as Attack Badger while clansmen were not in mixed company, and Dio when they were because Diocletian was just a mouth full.

Wyatt had gotten the request to accompany Dio in the return of a warriors remains today, a time honored tradition that any Mandalorian was expected to do for a fallen countrymen. Rival or not there was to be honor among one another so long as they died like a warrior, Vod received honors all the same.

As the small freighter made landing, Wyatt walked to meet Dio and awaited the lowering of the ships ramp. This was a somber day even though Wyatt would have never known this man existed before he got the message, something about this resonated deeply with Wyatt as the memories of those lost on Medriaas flashed back in his head briefly. The grim visuals were less frequent than they had been in past months, but still a common occurrence and always unpleasant.

@Critas

 

[Diocletian Solus]

Diocletian looked up towards the North of the city and the forests that spread out across that portion of the planet. He breathed in deeply and was rewarded by the scent of the Kelita river that almost surrounded the city of Keldabe, his capitol. Lost in the senses for a moment, he just stopped and took it all in, his mind temporarily lost in sensory overload. This was his city, where he had grown up and where his family still was. This was no pleasure trip and the small smile that had threatened to lighten his mood, died with that thought.

Scanning the skyline, he sought and found the familiar silhouette of the Mandal Motors tower off to the East. An institution in Keldabe, the tower had been there for as long as Dio could remember. Continuing to scan he found the armored helm he had been looking for. Re-situating the case with its treasured cargo on his hip, he started to mill through the various spaceport personnel and general passengers that made up the population of the bustling metropolitan space port.

Looking at Wyatt, he knew that this mission, although seemingly without endangerment of life and limb, could be harming to the psyche. It was never easy to tell someone bad news and to inform someone of the death of a loved one, well Dio could not even imagine that. He tried to push that thought out of his head as he made his way through the crowd. He knew Wyatt was from Medraas and that the destruction of that planet had left him scarred. How could it not? When one loses their family, with no chance of recovering their heirlooms, well, it was not something that Dio wanted to consider. That was why he had requested Wyatt accompany him on the visit. He hoped that perhaps the delivery of the heirlooms of another might heal some of those wounds in his clan brother.

He approached Wyatt and removed his own helmet, hoping that the smile he plastered on his fact would relax the situation to a degree. “Thank you for coming along on this with me,” he started off with.

“I do not know if I could have done this on my own, I have no idea how this family will react, or who they even were for that matter. I hoped that the genealogical archives here in the city might help us identify his clan if nothing else. Unless of course you have a better idea.”

@Rimrald

 

[Wyatt Kebiin-Solus]

"The archive would be the best place to start, even if he does not belong to a clan, his family more than likely falls under a clan. With that information we can probably go to the officials and request a recent address for his next of kin."

Wyatt said with a somber voice after he removed his own helmet. This wasn't anything he hadn't done before, losing two of his own cousins to warfare and having had brothers and sisters serve alongside the planetary defense forces. He was no stranger to these sorts of possibilities but it was the first time he had been delivering the news, and this man's armor wasn't even destroyed on a battlefield rather in an alley somewhere on a seedy planet.

His mind drifted to the thoughts of lost loved ones and friends as the duo began their walk to the archives, and the city was new to Wyatt never having spent time beyond the last few months in Mandalorian space. Letting Dio lead the way as he trailed on his left flank taking in the scenery and it really sunk in that this was the first time he had gotten a break from the constant go go go of his new life.

"So, who was he to you... Beyond what you told me, was he anyone you knew personally?"
@Critas

 

[Diocletian Solus]

"The archive would be the best place to start, even if he does not belong to a clan, his family more than likely falls under a clan. With that information we can probably go to the officials and request a recent address for his next of kin." said Wyatt.

Adjusting the box where the fallen warrior’s helmet was kept, Dio nodded to the sentiment. “I think you are right, we should start there. I had considered seeing my family while we were here but not until we complete our business. There are things that children should not be a part of.” Dio fell silent at the mention of his family, it had not been a subject that he had shared with his clan mate.

Turning and heading towards the archive building, Dio let his mind wander to his family. The images were bidden by their place in conversation. He could not imagine, did not want to imagine, how his family might react should it be his helmet in the case. He tried to put it out of his mind, but it would stay there, lingering and lurking in the back of his subconscious he knew. Only the delivery of this warrior to his kin might exorcise the demon that had made his head its home. Wyatts voice broke him out of his reverie as they were nearing the archive.

” So, who was he to you... Beyond what you told me, was he anyone you knew personally?" said Wyatt.

” I only knew him by reputation and the name he was called. Cale.” replied Dio. ” He was known to be an honorable man and a fierce warrior. I found this along with what was left from multiple grenades after a turf battle on Nar Shaddaa. As you can imagine, there was not much left besides the helmet. Its amazing how they generally are able to stay together, to spite the trauma to the rest of the body.” Dio patted the case where the helmet lay with one hand, reassuring himself that the object was still within.

Entering the archive, their boots joined the chorus of other boots clicking over the marble floors of the building. The archive opened into a huge chamber, surrounded by balconies and floors, open to the center. The floors were accessible by several lifts at the far end of the chamber. On those floors were row upon row of bookshelves. Those shelves were filled not only with books but also trophies and even picts of Mandalorians past and present.

Between the lifts and strategically placed around the central oval shaped chamber, were the banners of the clans. Hanging from ceiling to floor, the banners must have been 200 meters long and bore the colors and symbol of each clan. Located directly in the center of the room was a large raised platform with a desk that dominated the room. Behind it was a stern and efficient looking woman dressed in the uniform of the planetary defense force. The sign beneath her post said simply, “ARCHIVIST”.

@Rimrald

 

[Wyatt Kebiin-Solus]

Wyatt couldn't help but marvel at the intricacy and regal presence the interior of the building gave off coupled with the utilitarian simplicity of Mandalorian architecture always took Wyatt by surprise any time he visited buildings in Mandalorian space.

”-I only knew him by reputation and the name he was called. Cale.” replied Dio. ”He was known to be an honorable man and a fierce warrior. I found this along with what was left from multiple grenades after a turf battle on Nar Shaddaa. As you can imagine, there was not much left besides the helmet. Its amazing how they generally are able to stay together, to spite the trauma to the rest of the body.”

Wyatt nodded solemnly as they approached the Archivists desk.

"Cale will get home, if he died a warriors death it's the least we can do with what remain."

Wyatt said while looking down at the protector case with a very sad look in his eyes. His mind immediately shot back to the image of his mother and father and then to Medriaas being bombarded as he watched from space, he couldn't get back to save anyone and he blamed himself for being away when the blockade was formed. They could've tried to run it, or took an imperial ship or something he could've helped but he was no where to be found when his best friend called his holo-comm as it began.

Wyatt snapped himself out of the thoughts with a long pause and his eyes closed before speaking in an almost shaky voice as they reached the counter.

"Hello Ma'am, we're looking to track down the information on a man and hopefully his next of kin to return what is left of his Beskar'gam. I am not entirely sure where to start or what to do as we only have his name and are unsure if he belonged to a clan or only bore his family name."

Wyatt finished regaining the composure in his voice before motioning to the case Dio carried and awaited her response to hopefully point them in the right direction. @Critas

 

[Diocletian Solus]

The Archivist had been very helpful and solemn. Diocletian had shown the helmet to the extremely stern and severe woman. Almost reverently, she had taken the helmet and examined the markings. The process had taken hours as she noted the various markings on the helmet and its color scheme. Eventually she had looked up from her books and data pads and declared that the clan of the owner was undoubtedly, from Clan Wren.

Dio had taken the helmet back from the Archivist and paid for her service, even though she had attempted to deny him. Finally, after several minutes of arguing she had accepted it as a donation to the archives with a promise to return with Clan Solus artifacts for the clan’s display area. Leading the way out of the impressive building, Dio was lost in thought for the few minutes it took and did not speak again until the paid had exited the building.

“Well vod, we know the clan now. But it seems we are still at an impasse for where to go to return our cargo. It has been a while since I lived in Keldabe and I am not sure where to find Clan Wren. I suppose we could go out where I last knew they lived and see if any are still there.”

Diocletian was not hopeful of their chances, the Mandalorians were a nomadic people at heart and moved around a lot, even within their own cities. Still it was an entire clan’s central area within the capitol, surely there would be some continuity there. After walking for a few moments, Dio asked Wyatt; “How do you think this will go?”

@Rimrald

 

[Wyatt Kebiin-Solus]

As the investigation in the archives of Cale's clan concluded, the results pointed to Clan Wren who fell under House Vizsla, one of the prominent houses who command a presence on Mandalore and influence its people. But that was a thought for another time as Dio began to speak on the matter.

“Well vod, we know the clan now. But it seems we are still at an impasse for where to go to return our cargo. It has been a while since I lived in Keldabe and I am not sure where to find Clan Wren. I suppose we could go out where I last knew they lived and see if any are still there.”

Wyatt pondered the matter for a moment before responding, knowing this was an area of expertise for his partner who hailed from these parts.

"I would say that is the best course of action, and if we cannot find anything there perhaps we can meet with someone from House Viszla who may have recent records on Cale's family?"

It was the next best thing he could think of doing but was unsure if the House kept records like that on the clan's but he knew Solus was organized as such so it had to be worth the effort. Wyatt was determined at this point to give closure to a family who would otherwise never know the fate of their son, with the galaxy being as big as it is its a wonder anyone can keep tabs on each other. It was something Wyatt regretted heavily as his mind drifted to his own family whom he had only seen at holidays. Sometimes he would stop and see them when he would visit friends in the city they lived but he never made time for them like he felt he should've; but he pushed the thought out of his head and cleared the visible sadness from his face as he made his way towards the exit of the archives with Dio.

"Lead the way Vod, i'm like a tourist on this planet." @Critas

 

[Diocletian Solus]

Diocletian led the way out of the archives and into the pedestrian heavy streets of Keldabe. He knew that House Vizsla would be found in the Western part of the city, within their compound. There they would find a representative of Clan Wren and hopefully finish this sad duty. Making their way through the city, Dio pointed out some of the sites. The MandalMotors tower was the most interesting feature that dominated the skyline of the city. You could see it from anywhere in the city and see almost anywhere in the city from atop it.

The streets started to thin out as they got closer to the compound where House Vizsla laid claim to their part of the city. They arrived at a large open arch that led into the compounds, the banner of House Vizsla hanging proudly from the arch. Several smaller banners hung alongside, belonging to the various clans that owed homage to the House. It was an impressive display of heraldry and it did not go unseen by Dio.

After explaining their errand to the guards at the arch, they were ushered into a small building just inside the compound and asked to wait. Dio went along with the instructions without comment or protest, this was not their territory and he did not wish to poop where his clan might one day eat. They were given refreshment to include drink and small foods while they waited. Dio found it interesting that they left a guard in the room under the auspice of he is being their steward.

Dio ensured he would not be impolite by eating a little of the food and drinking the wine. The vintage was fairly good and Dio was suitably impressed. He raised a toast to the House of Vizsla which the guard echoed with a hand holding an imaginary glass. Then he turned to Wyatt and gave him a slightly knowing look when the steward was not looking. He spoke to Wyatt in a low voice, not moving his mouth at all, his face locked in a smile so the guard would not know they were speaking.

” Does this seem a little out of the ordinary to you?”

@Rimrald

 

[Wyatt Kebiin-Solus]

Wyatt followed Dio through Keldabe as he pointed out the MandalMotors tower and a handful of other sights on the journey to House Viszla's estate, which Wyatt thought he could glean the top of from a distance and he confirmed as they approached the building's exterior wall. The compound was sprawling and it fit the fact that one of the two houses on Mandalore would be this grand while still being reserved, as it could be while keeping with the tradition of minimalism with the cultures beliefs.

As they entered the exterior and explained their reason for the visit to the guards posted outside Wyatt took in the immense amount of heraldry and history on display even from the moment they stepped beyond the exterior wall. It almost rivaled the archive in completeness in Wyatt's eyes, he wasn't used to such pride in the past as Medriaas was not entirely Mandalorian and as such subject to more extreme imperial rule when it came to the cultural suppression laws where Mandalore probably had the ability to push back on the laws within reason. The duo had been brought into some sort of reception or holding area before they could go to the main buildings within the compound and were left with a Viszla baby sitter, but he was not the only one present as a pair of guards had remained outside of the door they'd come in as well.

Surely they would not be killed on Mandalore in Keldabe city, no this was something else Wyatt thought as he took a deep breathe and removed his helmet to accept the refreshments. He wasn't a wine connoisseur by any stretch and he knew he liked wine on the sweeter and redder side, and swallowed hard at the dry liquid as he reached for the cheese cubes that were on the platter that accompanied the drink. Cheese was something he could speak to that was for sure as he tasted the aged varieties and even pulled out some of the more uncommon ones and the regions of space they originated from, offering a polite note to the steward about the House's tastes. When he turned to focus on something that required him Wyatt listened to Dio before returning the sentiment "Either this Cale was more important than we thought or bringing his name up really pissed someone off... I guess we'll find out." Wyatt finished stiffing the end of the sentence with another sip of wine as the guard began to return his attention. @Critas

 

[Diocletian Solus]

Diocletian waited with Wyatt for several moments until he started to get antsy. Wyatt was right, this was taking too long. He stood and started to walk towards the door when it abruptly burst open and a young lady, approximately in her twenties, burst through the doors. She was filled with hope and her eyes were wide as she searched the room for something or someone. She looked around the room for several moments before she ran to look behind the two Solus warriors. She finally resorted to calling his name and Dio’s heart sank. “Cale? Where are you? They told me you were here! Stop hiding…”

Dio stood quite dumbfounded as the young lady finally stopped and placed her hands on her hips. She looked at Dio and Wyatt, her eyes going up and down their armored forms. She knew their clan immediately, everyone on Mandalor had been talking about the Solus recently. Dio started to speak and then closed his mouth, he really didn’t know where to start. The young woman started for all of them.

“Where is Cale, did he talk you two ruffians into this? Probably in one of those bars on Nar Shaddaa with the Twi’lek girls. You two definitely seem the type. Where is he? Has he told you about me? His wife to be? I am Lily Wren and my father will hang you two up by your toes if you don’t tell me where my fiancée is this instant!” She accentuated that last point with the cutest little foot stomp that it made Dio’s heart ache. He turned to look at Wyatt, he was lost and didn’t know what to do in the face of this sort of pressure. Give him a firefight any day but a clueless fiancée tore him to pieces.

@Rimrald

 

[Wyatt Kebiin-Solus]

Wyatt's heart broke like it was the day in space watching Medriaas being bombarded from orbit, the words coming from her mouth made his heart pound in his ears as he looked around for the steward or babysitter as he fancied how they had been watched. Someone had to tell this woman about Cale but Wyatt was deep in his own mind for the moment as his own fiance flashed over his eyes while he looked upon this woman and he lost his composure as tears began to stream down his face and he could not hide it as his helmet was under his arm and not on his head. It had protected him from the outside judgement in the past but her would not be so lucky this time as he inhaled sharply to stifle any noises while he cried, turning away from the woman he moved towards to closest wall and rested his head against it as he tried to compose himself.

Through tears he spoke without facing the woman or turning his head "Cale is not returning." Wyatt painfully explained as the tears filled his words again and he placed his hand over his mouth as he rubbed his bearded face trying to keep himself together, pushing off the wall and clearing his throat "We have brought what remains of his beskar'gam, but he was killed on Nar Shaddaa. We went to the archives to learn what we could about him in order to return this to his kin." Wyatt finished motioning to the case Dio carried, turning then and walking to pace the room with his head towards the ground, diverting his gaze from anyone else in the room.

@Critas​