Strange Times (Donald Kail)

[Regnier]

Click

"Oh, for the love of..."

"Deggeram?

The pale blue Twi'lek's head snapped up from the terminal she had nearly completely dismantled and was sitting hunched over, her face quickly changing from alarm to a distinctly fake smile. "Nothing! Just...just...a...uh...slight problem, no big deal."

"Uh-huh. Sure. Never heard that before. Stop breaking things, would you? This thing wasn't that cheap."

"Um...honestly? Blame yourself for being cheap. I mean, seriously, how am I supposed to keep this flying hunk of scrap's systems going if all you buy are after-"

"Hey! Did you just call my ship a 'flying hunk of scrap'? Don't blame me for knowing a good deal when I see one."

As the 'conversation' rapidly sped towards a contest of insults and vocal projection, the behemoth standing just at the edge smacked the nearest head, which just so happened to be Felix, over the back, nearly knocking him off his balance. Maybe it was the fact that none of them were wearing armor, or maybe it was because they were actually on Coruscant, but there had been a little more tension the past few days than usual. "Shut it, Verda!" And suddenly, everyone was quiet. Except Felix, who was muttering something under his breath about it always being him that got hit. "Deggeram, can you make it work?"

"Without any more interruptions, yes."

"Then shut up and get back to work. Both of you."

"Got it, Boss."

"Aye aye, my fearless captain. Just don't hit me again. I swear, there's a permanent bruise on the back of my skull."

"That's just a tumor, Fel!"

All eyes in the room turned down the corridor the familiar voice had come from. "That lizard's not natural."

"Damn his ears..."

"Heard that!"

-----

"Boss? System's up."

"Good. Set up a link to the Senate. Find this...military spokesman, this...Kail."

"You sure this is a good idea, K?"

Raynes turned his head slightly as he leaned against the terminal. "You don't have to follow me, Carthen, you know that. And no, I'm not sure; but I don't trust these sith, don't know how they work. The Republic I can trust to be the Republic."

The man nodded and folded his arms. "Just checking. You think it's the right move, I'm behind you."

"Ha! I win. Republic zero, me one. Oh, the damage I could cause in here...I'm in the network, and I've located Kail's current residence on the planet. I'm calling the place now. Here goes nothing."

The Twi'lek closed her eyes and crossed her fingers as she pressed the Call button on the small communications terminal she'd cobbled together from nearly scratch, sending an anonymous call to Senator Donald Kail's residence that would appear to have originated from the halls of the Senate. Raynes just hoped the man was there. He knew politicians, and politicians always seemed hard to find when you needed them. Mesh'la, on the other hand, just hoped the bloody thing worked long enough to get a call through.

She knew technology, and technology could be just as fickle as the worst of politicians.

"Uh...nothing happened..."

"Mesh'? The button?"

She blinked an eye open, only to realize her finger was not on the button, but rather beside it. "Oh. Right. Sorry.

"Mesh, one. Technology, five billion."

"Di'kut. Lemme try that again."

This time, she kept her eyes open until after she'd pressed the button.

[Daren & Donald Kail]

Donald sat in his office working on his plans to help his friend Jade find his sister. He also had to work on his run for Supreme Chancellor. When his message beackon started beeping he wasn't surprised in the least. What a day this had been message after message after message....what could one more do to his day? Couldn't get much worse... He pressed the button expecting the Supreme Chancellor, or his stupid spokesman, or his....wait what? Who is THAT? Who are they???

[Regnier]

The Twi’lek blinked an eye open and stared at the screen, a grin creasing her mouth. ”It…worked…

”Unbelievable…I’ll never doubt you again, kid.”

”Yes you will. Move.” With all the gentleness of a wampa, Raynes shoved his technical officer out of the chair in front of the console and sat down. The relatively small, metal frame, obviously designed for a normal-sized being, creaked in protest of the weight placed on it. Raynes looked the face on the other side of the terminal over, his own face stuck in a seemingly perpetual glower, and brushed a few strands of gray hair from his eyes. He leaned forward slightly, his massive shoulders shifting to accommodate his immense weight as he set his forearms just above his knees. ”Senator Donald Kail?”

”My name is Raynes.” Leaning back, he folded his arms across his chest, his deep bass words much the same as his face. Strong, unforgiving, and full of scars, but it held no emotion, no deviation in tone. ”Both myself and those you see with me are what you would call…mercenaries. Personally, I dislike the term, but what other societies choose to call us makes little difference. We are Mando’ade.

Undoubtedly, you wish to know why we have contacted you. My people have, after all, performed acts of war against your vaunted Republic, and we are certainly no friends of yours. The answer is simple, Senator: survival. I believe you can help us, as we can help you.”

Honestly, he had no idea if this would work or not, or if it would cause more harm than had already been done, but he did know his options were few. He didn’t trust these so-called ‘sith’ in the least, and he wasn’t about to go join another fool crusade led by someone he had never even heard of proclaiming themselves to be Mandalore. In his opinion, this was their best shot. ”I have a proposition for you, Senator, for your Republic; much as I trust the skill of my technical officer, however, I am a very cautious man. You do not live as long as I have if you are not. I wish to meet you in person, soldier to soldier, to discuss matters of importance. What say you, Admiral?”

[Daren & Donald Kail]

Donald took this all into careful consideration. He smirked he liked this man, a military man like himself. Donald felt his consealed weapons beneath his rob, he'd be able to handle this man even with his age at least until guards arrived. He thought trying not to chuckle. He smiled to the Mandalorion. "Where would you like to meet me, alone." Donald said with a smile that showed he had no intention of meeting with the merc's entire squad. He would be willing to bargan. He's fought against his people before and he knew they were invaulable to any war effort. Even in small numbers. "We could meet here inside my office, or a more public place. Whatever is your likeing." Donald awaited his answer patiently he wanted to be on good terms with this man. As well as their fighting abilities their tempers were also legendary.

[Regnier]

Raynes met the senator's smile with a blank face. He simply nodded.

"Your office is acceptable. I'm not greatly fond of crowds. My vode will stay put while we meet, though I suggest we do so as soon as possible; we are not at home on this planet." He stated flatly. Coruscant hadn't been a good place for Mandalorians in quite some time, but now...now it was not a place he visited lightly. His people were not well-liked by the Republic, and though it was easy enough for them to conceal what they were...neither would it be difficult for them to be exposed at the wrong time, and he had noted long ago that many people of the Republic bore grudges far too easily.

"Boss?"

"He knows what he's doing, Fel. It's better if he goes alone; we aren't the most diplomatic lot. This won't end up like Ylesia."

Carthen sighed and shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but the Twi'lek cut him off before any words came out. "Fine. We'll wait. But don't expect us to wait all day; the food on this planet is horrible."

[Daren & Donald Kail]

Donald smiled and looked to the hologram, "That's fine I must be leaving soon as well. You can come whenever you feel." He gave him the landing codes to his office's platform and sat down. Mandalorins? why would they be meeting with him...It must be important. Donald would be propared. These guys might try to kill him but he doubted it. Who would face a former admiral senator in his own office alone...try to kill him and expect him to get out alive. Either way he'd be ready for them. He checked his concealed weapons and smirked they were loaded, he could handle one hopefully...well at least until the guards arrived.

[Regnier]

"Very well. We'll meet soon." Raynes flicked a key, terminating the transmission as he stood up. He unbuckled his gunbelt and tossed it towards the Barabel. It had been a long time since he'd been completely unarmed, but it didn't particularly bother him any. He strongly doubted he would be encountering any trouble, but if it came to it, he didn't need any weapons to kill someone, and if worst came to worst, he had no fear of death. "Carthen, Mkohar, set up shop in the hanger. Deggeram, get me up there, then come back here and wait."

Turning on his heel, Raynes started for the cockpit of the small freighter that had seen far too many years, battles, and storms, and far too few maintenance routines, Mesh'la following close behind. He stopped beside Felix and set a hand on his shoulder. "You're in command until I get back. If you don't hear from me by tomorrow morning, head back to the She'eta Tuure and inform Hollis that she's responsible for the Verda. Utrel'a?"

"Utrel'a. Don't do anything stupid, eh?"

-----

Raynes unstrapped himself from the copilot's seat and stood up as the ship touched down on the senator's office's landing platform, wordlessly turning to leave.

"Tion'ad hukaat'kama o'r ogir?"

"Ibi'tuur? Ni hukaatii'ni shebs ti kama."

"Then I feel sorry for anybody stupid enough to cross you. See you soon, big guy."

"Re'turcye mhi."

Without another word, the massive Mandalorian made his way out of the ship and down the exit ramp. He didn't even slow as the ramp raised behind him and the freighter lifted off, slowly vanishing into the bustle of Coruscant behind him. He was distinctly out of place, even unarmed as he was, dressed in simple, dark clothing reminiscent of well-worn military fatigues, though they bore no markings and no damage, and they were clean all the same, but it made little difference to him. He imagined the military type were not all that uncommon in this area, though those such as himself certainly were. He also imagined that people of his size were fairly uncommon in the area, as, at least counting humans, they were fairly uncommon just about everywhere.

Stopping at the door that led to the landing pad, Raynes pressed a button beside it to call the tenant's attention, and waited patiently for a response, his banana-fingered hands resting lightly behind his back.

[Daren & Donald Kail]

Donald moved to the door slowly and opened with a hiss. Donald hadn;t seen a Mandalorain in a year but this one was one if he'd ever seen one. Dark Military clothes, extremely large and battle worn. Donald's type of people...he hated some of the polotitions he had to deal with on a daily basis. He was actually glad to meet with this man. He gave him a smile and offered his hand, "I'm Senator Donald Kail..." He waited for it and then showed him inside, his office. Donald's secratary eyed the Mandalorain in fear and she quietly asked if he wanted anything. Donald smiled to her "We're fine," He showed The Mandalorin to his office,
"please sit down..." He poured himself a glass of water, "Drink?"

[Regnier]

The Mandalorian gripped the senator's hand firmly and nodded silently as he was lead inside. Kail had been a soldier once, and it was that fact, and that fact alone, that afforded him respect in Raynes' eyes. Time would tell if he was still a soldier in his heart. He still looked it, in the eyes of another soldier.

Raynes raised his hand slightly and shook his head as they came to Kail's office. "No, nothing for me." He replied in an indifferent tone, his words slow and precise, before turning straight to the point. He'd always been direct, today was no different. "Senator Kail, I believe it is time I properly introduced myself. I am Commander Raynes of the Mandalorian Clan Kohul. I have lived in this galaxy, and fought across it, for ninety-one of your years. To this day, I have led a small number of my people through persecution, war, and life itself, though not even a dozen of us remain today. Te Verda be Tal bal Prudii, they call us- The Warriors of Blood and Shadow."

He set a hand on the nearest chair, looking it over briefly. It had become instinct a very, very long time ago never to take his weight for granted. There were certain things he just couldn't do, and there were certain things that just weren't built for someone of his size. After ascertaining the chair would probably support him, he gently eased himself into it. "You probably wish to know why I contacted you specifically. Simply put, it is because of who you were before you became a senator. I am hoping you're still a soldier underneath. You are one of the few people in your Senate that I have any respect for; you are also the Republic's military spokesman in the Senate. Together, it made you the logical choice.

"Now, do not mistake my intent; I have no wish to aid your Republic, per se. Even people such as myself need certain resources to survive, and war is my business. Every business needs a customer in order to prosper. We can no longer sit in the shadows, not while a war of this magnitude is coming, and while I have no love for your Republic, I would not side with these false...'sith'...unless it were my only choice, and I do not believe my people would fare well beneath them. Neither will I follow a Mandalore who has not proven himself to me on a Crusade I believe is not the best path for my people. That leaves you. I am here to offer the services of the Verda to the Republic."

[Daren & Donald Kail]

Donald listened intently to the mandalorian. He had a deep respect for any soldier and he had a deep respect for Mandalorians. Donald waited until he was sure the Raynes was finished then he started, "I respect you and your people greatly...and am honored to be respected by them." Donald said nodding taking a sip of his drink. He then continued, "So your not interesting in alliance mearly a job. Hired soldiers. The Republic has for a long time feared and respected your people. I don't take this offer lightly." Donald thought deeply for a moment and then contiuned with a smile, "I am sure we could put you and your men to good use. We can offer payment and supplies. I would offer more soldiers but I am aware of your culture and that probably would cause more problems than it would solve. I cannot tell you at this time what we will have for you. I will defaintly speak of this with my colluages and we will find the best suited mission to your crew capabilities." Donald smiled and looked over the Mandalorian. He was a fighter a man of honor, and hopefully a very good one. From the looks of it he was. Donald didn't know what they other would say but he would fight for the Mandalorian's rights. "The Sith are dangerours..and war is coming...I feel the Republic will have great use for you and your people. You say your numbers are small. Would it be possible to get more of your own people to join you? Surely a couple?"

[Regnier]

Raynes leaned back in the chair, which creaked in protest, and stared idly at an empty spot on the wall opposite him. "Indeed, we are few. Only eleven, myself included, remain. Understand this, however- we are small in number not because of the tolls of time and battle, but because we choose to be. Five decades ago, when we numbered our largest, there were no more than fifty of us." He folded his arms across his chest, turning his head slightly and focusing his gaze on the senator. That was the way it had always been, the way Hesh had intended it. He knew the old Rodian would have approved of his methods; it was him who had taught them to Raynes in the first place. "To become a member of the Verda, one must prove their worth to the one leading them. More than sixty years ago, Edorni Hesh, our founder, chose only the best he could find among Mandalorians, only those that lived up to his standards. Today, I lead; and I am a harsher man than he was. It is not blood, not family that allows you entrance to our ranks; it is me."

He shrugged his massive shoulders slightly, the small motion shifting iron-hard muscle underneath the cloth of his shirt like boulders, and raised his hand slightly, gazing intently at one of countless scars that lined it. "Add to that the fact that we have not entered Republic space more than a few times in the past half-century, and have not been to our homes since the last Crusade, and you can see why we are so few. I have not been in contact with my people for a very long time, Admiral. Now that we have returned, I find it likely that our numbers will increase; there are undoubtedly some out there that can meet my criteria. It's just a matter of finding them. Whether or not they would willingly aid the Republic is another matter entirely; this 'treaty' serves as little more than provocation to them, a reason for them to hate you. They will not forgive it lightly, and they never will so long as it still stands." He leaned forward and set his forearms against the fronts of his thighs and caught Kail's eyes, his own seemingly devoid of life; what they lacked in emotion, however, they far more than made up for in fierceness. There was a drive behind them, the kind that didn't stop for anything or anyone.

"But do not mistake our lack of numbers for a lack of capability on the large scale. We have waged many a war in our time, some of which we have come through victorious with fewer numbers than we have now. We have accomplished with a handful what a force a thousand-strong could not. We are worth the fee we require for our services."

[Daren & Donald Kail]

Donald didn't doubt a word the Mandalorian had said. He had fought against the Mandalorians before and he knew their cabapilites. He wouldn't underestamate them ever.
"I ment no offense if it was given. I don't doubt your abilities, I will take you too your word about your men. I trust they are some of the best fighters in the galaxy. Did you have something in mind for payment? I am probably not in much control of that unless I paid you personally, but I can help you fight for an offer. I know you won't come cheap and I wouldn't let them try to buy you for a cheap price. Your good fighters...it cost good money for good fighters." Donald took a sip of his drink and looked to a painting of a battle on his wall. It showed a small group of soldier surrounded by a huge number of enemies. Fighting to the last man, dieing with honor. This was the way of the Mandalorian infront of him and the way of himself. "I trust you will do what you have to do with what you have." Donald smiled trying not to heavily toned, "Their are many Sith, I'd like to have many Mandalorians fighting by our side against them." Donald sighed remembering the previous treaties of the Republic with the Mandarlorians...few had ended well, "Your people have good reason to hate the Republic. I fear many of them might turn with the Sith just for the past sakes." Donald looked in the fierce eyes of the Mandalorian. He had some trouble holding the glance but was relaxed about it. He wouldn't look intimidated by him, even a old soldier's blood doesn't run cold.

[Regnier]

"No offense taken. If there is one thing you will learn about me, it is that I have very thick skin. A man in my position can't afford emotion, not as long as my brothers and sisters live."

Raynes sighed and shook his head slowly, turning his attention to the nearest window as he laced his fingers together. Payment. Yes, every man had his price, though not all could be bought with credits. To an extent, he was not one of those people, so long as it didn't interfere with who he was. "Our price has not changed in a long time, and we rarely make special deals. Two-hundred and seventy-two credits per day active, per man used, as well as a fee for every objective required of us; the more difficult the objective, the larger the fee. Wiping out a small criminal syndicate, for instance, would not be comparatively expensive; hijacking a fully-crewed sith cruiser, on the other hand, would. That is what we have always lived by away from home."

Standing to his full height, Raynes folded his arms behind his back and moved to a window, his eyes flicking back and forth over the countless movements outside. "What others of my kind would want, I cannot say, but any of my number will ask no more. Neither can I say how many would fight for you without considerable persuasion; fortunately, I can be very convincing when I wish to be." He turned his head to the side, catching Kail trough the corner of his eye at the mention of his people fighting for the sith. "And rightly so do you fear such a thing. Some will. Many still bear grudges for past harm done and would rejoice in the downfall of the Republic. Still, the Mandalorians are smarter than most give us credit for; my people will not take up an alliance with these...'sith'...easily. They are not a force to be trusted, as their name would suggest. Mandalorians have allied with people calling themselves Sith before, and it has never ended well for us."

[Daren & Donald Kail]

"Yes, I know it won't be easy for them to make an alliance but the Sith are very convincing." Donald had lost his smile. This was a sitation that took away most of his happyness. The Sith were going to ruin the galaxy and destroy everything he worked for. He looked up to the Mandalorian at the window and shook his head, "I know of at least two clans that have joined them...and they made it very obvoius. I don't know how many were with them. Could be a group as big as yours or smaller. The Sith have money and power, they can do whatever they want. Mostly they want to start a war and have made it obvoius. They have more troops and almost more ships that we know about. If we go to war, they might win. I would love to say they have no chance but that's just not the truth. Their military knows what their doing and more of our keep converting to them. If I can get an advantage I'll take it." Donald relized he was making a speech and stopped. He doubted the Mandalorian was concerned about his worries for the Republic. He only carried about his people, everything else he might not even care about. Either way he'd made his point and would wait for an answer. Donald didn't know if this mandalorian would be able to pull together a force of Mandalorians but if he could it would be invaliable.

[Regnier]

Raynes shrugged slightly again as he listened, waiting patiently for Kail to finish, before turning around to face the senator. "Any Mandalorian stupid enough to form an alliance with the sith will understand their folly in time; if they cannot be persuaded to see the danger of the sith, then, well...then they are fair game, so to speak. I will not kill any of my people for you unless they are furthering the goals of the sith; then I will be doing my people a service, and after two entire clans are eradicated, it will serve as a strong warning to any other Mandalorians contemplating siding with the Empire. It is unfortunate that it may come to that, but this is war, and people die in war. As long as they die fighting, there will be no dishonor in their deaths."

Turning back towards the window, he sighed gently and shook his head. If one were to look close enough at the window, they might notice through his reflection that a faint smile had come to the Mandalorian's lips. But it wasn't of amusement, not by any means, but out of knowledge. "Senator, you worry too much. Three hundred years ago, your Republic had my people outnumbered five to one, at the least; you had more ships, more troops, more wealth the entire Republic behind you, and the Jedi, and we still nearly broke you. Not all of war is about money, nor numbers. If your soldiers, your worlds, are given a reason to stand strong, they will fight hard for it, for they will not be motivated by greed, but by the will to survive; and that, my friend, is a far more dangerous ally.

"And let us not forget that you still have the Jedi on your side. I do not know if you know just how formidable the Order can truly be. It was not the Republic that won the war three centuries ago, Senator."

He turned his head slightly, his visage returning to its natural stoniness. "No, your problem is not your military might, it is your...Senate. The sith hierarchy may not trust each-other in the slightest, but they are very nearly single-minded in their goal. Your Senate, however, will be your downfall if it is not brought in check. That part is up to you; I doubt they would listen to one such as me, and if they did, I do my best persuasion when I'm holding a man in the air by his throat. Hnh, perhaps that's what a few senators need."

[Daren & Donald Kail]

Donald nodded finding himself agreeing with everything the Mandalorian said he adressed the personal issue first, "Working for us, you might run into those Mandalorians who turned to the Sith. Now the Senate...I think they will see what is right in front of them. I have been warning them for a while when something happens...a conquest of a planet or something of that scale. They will wake up, or the galaxy shall fall into darkness." This next point Donald breathed in deeply considering then he looked to the Mandalorian, "The Jedi are powerful and wise but they are also too honorable. They feel they shouldn't do anything that could cause them to loose that honor. That includes helping us with the war directly. You may not know but the ones who joined the war...did it without their Jedi Council. I have notihng but respect for the Jedi until it comes to this matter..." This matter and one other Donald thought then he countinued,
"The Jedi will never help the Republic in a way that would make a difference. Maybe if something happens that would require the Jedi Council to be afriad. Otherwise they see it as a Republic problem and not a Jedi Problem."
"I believe we have made ourself a deal." Donald said finally out of the blue. Donald wasn't sure what it was but he felt that he should stop beating around the bush and questioning. That was the senator side of him trying to pick out ever detail. It wasn't important and wasn't going to help,
"For now I suggest you give me a way for myself or the military contact you. Until then try to locate some other willing fighters to grow your number. I trust your abilities but as you said our Senate is a little harder to convience. They won't want to send you in on something of your potential without a bigger group." Donald didn't really want to discuss this he hoped the Mandalorian understood politics that much. He was tired and wanted to leave this matter. He respected the Mandalorian but he hated talking about a simple buiness for this long. The stress of all the work was getting to him and he needed to get away from it for a while.

[Regnier]

Raynes remained silent for some time, simply gazing out the window, watching Coruscant continue about its daily business. Sighing, he turned on his heel and pulled a small sheet of paper from his pocket and set it on the senator's desk. "Then we are in agreement. This holds the transponder frequency to our ship. I sincerely doubt that even with your Republic Intelligence that you could track it, but it will allow you to contact us. I will return there as soon as we are done. I believe our next stop with be inside Mandalorian space. We will be waiting, though you may find me indisposed. My second in command, Vera Hollis, has the full authority to act in my place while I'm gone, so you may deal with her if I am unavailable."

"And if the Senate needs convincing, then we would be willing to prove our capability. But that is a discussion for another time. Unless there was something else, I believe that concludes our business together, for the time being."

[Daren & Donald Kail]

"I believe so as well." Donald nodded and stood quickly adding, "Keep a log of what you do in the coming time. Too convience them if my word isn't enough." Donald smiled softly and looked out the window then back to the Mandalorian. He held out a hand to him hopeing that the Mandalorian wouln't break it when he got ahold of it. He laughed thinking that this was his first meeting with a Mandalorain that didn't end in blaster fire.

[Regnier]

"All of our helmets have recorders in them. I'll have my tech officer make copies for you of anything important. That should be enough for your Senate." Raynes replied simply as he turned to face the senator. He gripped the man's outstretched hand firmly, though not overly so, and shook it once. He had had a very long time to learn his strength, and he had developed a great deal of control over his musculature. When he wanted to be, he could actually be very gentle; he could also crush a man's skull with one hand if he wanted. "Re'turcye mhi, Kail."

Turning, the Mandalorian started for the door. He had a lot of work to do.

[Daren & Donald Kail]

Donald nodded and held the Mando's grip. He watched as he headed for the door and thought if he had anything else to say. He didn't think of anything until much later. By then it didn't matter much anyway. The Mandalorian would prove himself to the Senate that Donald was sure of. He sat back down behind his desk and looked outside his window to the vastness of Coursuant. The endless city never slept as Donald never would if he won the Chancerlor race. His worst nightmares may never be reliazed but having some Mandalorains on your side would never hurt.