Oyu'baat

It had been several years. Kaine had had his apprehensions about returning to Manda'yaim, but he had no regrets ever since landing. The smells, the air, it was home. Home was worth all the baggage. Whatever challenges awaited, he would meet them as Mando'ad. What was necessary, he would do. And he would ensure Mandalore stood strong and defiant once again.

Removing their helms and clipping them to their belts as they entered, Kaine, accompanied by his loyal companion, Darzeka, walked into Oyu'baat. Kaine's blue eyes took in the crowd, and then he headed for the bar, and ordered tihaar for the both of them. Once their drinks arrived, Kaine raised his glass high, and Darzeka followed suit.

To Clan Australis, and Mandalore! Darzeka echoed the toast. Ordering a second round, he made one of his own. To General Kaine, back from the dead! Kaine laughed and drank. The two slugs of tihaar in quick succession gave him a nice headspin, and he took a stool, as his companion did the same.

It's been far too long, vod'ika. Tell me what you've been up to. I'm sure it was more interesting than prison. The two men began a long conversation, where Darzeka detailed the fall of the clan, all the deaths and destruction, the failed crusade, and the diaspora. Kaine took it all in, and filled his friend in on the events that led to his capture and imprisonment on Belsavis, and the exploits that had led to his escape. He left out a few dishonourable parts, no one needed to hear the depths he'd sunk to in order to survive, but it was good to finally get it all out. The two friends shared a cathartic moment, and both were the better for having laid their burdens down.

Now, they could both look to the future unencumbered by the weight of the past. For their Clan needed them. And so, Kaine thought, did the Mando'ade.

Kaine spotted Hokaar entering, and excused himself from Darzeka. He heaved himself off his stool and walked across to where Hokaar was finishing off his Ne'tra gal.

Kaine felt genuine gratitude towards the man, he'd stepped in to intervene when the Hutt thugs were trying their best to kill Kaine back in Mos Espa, on Tatooine. He'd shown himself to be capable, and the skill and efficiency shown by his men indicated he was a talented and capable leader. Both of these attributes made him an attractive prospect for recruitment. Kaine was always looking for capable individuals.

Kaine cleared his throat and made his approach.

I think I owe you a drink, ner vod. He hailed the bartender with a wave. Another round, i'll have what he's having. The bartender quickly returned with two more Ne'tra gal ales for the two Mandos.

Hokaar aliit Shukalan. You mentioned you're looking for work. Clan Australis is looking for capable vode. Mandalore is going to need all her sons in the very near future. That was true. If Mandalore was to rise from dereliction and despair, every vode worth his beskar'gam needed to step up and be counted. The time for Mandalorian resurgence was now.

Kaine considered Hokaar's words carefully. To join a clan was a serious business, not to be undertaken lightly. Kaine had brought many into his Clan over the years, and it was always a carefully weighed decision. After quick consideration, he made his mind up.

Kaine gave Hokaar a grin.

I swear that as members of Clan Australis, you will always have a purpose, support, and plenty of tihaar for everyone. Your actions on Tatooine speak louder than any words. If you are willing, I extend to you an invitation to join Clan Australis, and stand with us as brothers, from this time, until the end of time.

He held out his hand. This would call for a celebration, and they were in the right place for that. Then, it would be time to get down to business, and as Mando'ade, they were in the right place for that too.

Kaine stepped back, and took his own drink, then raised it high. His voice boomed out across Oyu'baat.

Clan Australis has a new brother. All drinks are on the Clan. For Mandalore!

OYA! Shouts of Oya, Manda! and Oya! rang out in reply, the crowd buoyed by the spirit in Kaine's voice, and possibly also the offer of free booze. Kaine took a swig of the ale and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He grinned again at Hokaar.

Any Australis can make an Australis, and now you're one too. Any and all of your men are welcome, you just need to officially invite them, and later on, let me know, so i can keep our rosters current. Welcome to the aliit, ner vod.

If you have any questions, or need anything specific, let me know, anywhere, anytime. Kaine hit a button on his datapad, which sent a short burst transmission to Hokaar, containing Clan command codes, and Kaine's personal comm code, which linked directly to his buy'ce.

For now, is there anything you need from me right away?

Kaine was thoughtful, even feeling the joy at welcoming new brothers to the Clan. The mention of expanding troops and fleets had his mind racing. Already, the framework of a plan was forming in his mind. He could use Bonadan Heavy Industry, but if he was going to be making regular orders of capital ships, eventually he would need to expand his sources. But that was a problem for later, outfitting Hokaar and his people wouldn't stretch his current resources.

Kaine nodded as Hokaar outlined his status and need to expand his forces.

I can provide you with the ability to fit out a full battle fleet, and secure you the equipment and ground forces that you need. Do you have specific vessels and other craft in mind? My contacts in the Corporate Sector will be able to handle the orders, I just need to know what you think you require.

I recommend using Mandalorian designs, but that's hardly compulsory. Kaine considered the options open, he could provide pretty much anything that was on the market across the galaxy, and hide the purchases through the CorpSec contacts. For the time being. Eventually, outside interests were bound to notice that the Corporate Sector seemed to be arming itself heavily.

Ad’Atins mother, Natasi Australis, had left Ad’Atin and her brother in the care of an Auntie upon discovery of Kaine being missing, rumoured dead. Once names Vihn and Arla, she had renamed them for their own protection. For 6 years she had been in and out of the lives of the children, returning to Mandalore for a short time before leaving once more.
In their mothers absence their Uncle would train the twins while raising them as their own, and when their mother would return there would be loud arguments that the twins would listen to. Ad would listen to her mother defending her father while her Uncle and Aunt would be telling her to move on and face the fact that her father had left Natasi.
Her mother would spend hours forcing the twins to listen to stories of their father, making him out to be some kind of god and hero, while their Uncle would be telling them that he was nothing more than a womanising drunk who abandoned the twins and their mother.
Aged 9 the uncle of the twins had the heartbreaking task of telling the twins that their mother had been killed. She had been killed while trying to find their father.

Her brother had done well, he had grieved and then he had moved on. Being force sensitive he had gone off to train with the Jedi, but Ad had not been able to move on. The images of her mother distraught and living only to find their father haunted her. She had on her person still the holopics of her mother and father on their wedding day, the holopics of her mother gazing lovingly at their father as he accepted the helm. So many images were now ingrained in her brain as her mother had made it so.
Ad had continued the training with her Uncle and was now an affective mercenary and had completed jobs solo. She was earning her own money and at the age of 19 she was ready to leave the homestead and make her own way in the world.
The time to leave was now and despite the protests of her Aunt and Uncle, she would leave. Her Uncle had bought home the news over breakfast. Her father was not dead, Kaine was back on Mandalore and was re-establishing the Clan Australis. Her Uncle had been right, he had abandoned herself, Vihn and her mother.
Almost immediately Ad had risen from the table and was packing her belongings, She was off to find her father and was going to make him pay for all he had done to them. She was going to destroy everything he held dear and then she would kill him, but she would kill him slowly. She wanted him to feel the pain her mother lived for 6 years, she wanted him to feel the pain that herself and Vihn had lived.

In her room she was throwing in a few staple pieces of clothing into a small duffle bag as her Aunt enters the room. She walks over to Ad and places a loving hand on her shoulder and turns her…

cyar'ika, you are like my own. I love you and I cannot see you destroy yourself like this. Please, do not do this. Buir is a powerful man. He is an experienced soldier, this mission will end in death. Let it go. It killed Natasi, do not let it kill you too.

Biting back tears, Ad looked upon her Auntie and kissed her tenderly upon the cheek…

Ba'vodu. I need to do this, even if only to ask why…

Shaking her head her Aunt looked upon her sternly…

Do not lie to me, cyar'ika. I have raised you and know you to be as stubborn as your mother and as hotheaded as your Buir! I know what you plan on doing!

Turning from her Aunt Ad finishes her packing and secures her bag and lifts it from the chair of which it sat…

Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Ba’vodu. I am doing this. I need to do this.

Kissing her on the cheek, Ad walks from the room quickly and takes a deep breath to halt the tears that threatened to fall. Seeing her Uncle stood by the door she stops and stares. He takes a deep breath and steps to the side of the door.

I have transferred credits into your account…he holds up his hand to silence her and continues…you are taking the credits! I know you need to do this, but do not do anything stupid. She was my vod and I want to see him pay for what he did to her, but doing what you plan to do, it will destroy you. Make his life hell, but do not take his life. Please.

Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Ba’vodu. I shall check in with you soon.

Smiling softly at him, she raises herself onto the tips of her toes and kisses him softly upon the cheek and then leaves the house. She stepped out of the door and threw her bag into the speeder and climbed into the speeder. She set off for the Oyu'baat.

Climbing out of the speeder, Ad steps inside the Oyu'baat with her helm under her arm and immediately approached the bar.

1 Tihaar…She looked around the bar and immediately she saw him. Ad would never have expected to have found him so quickly and the surprise of it had her rooted to the spot, frozen. She stood there staring at the man from the pictures, Ad had no memory of him other than what her own buir had told her. He was the same as he was in her pictures, older and slightly more silver, but otherwise he looked no different. It must have been no longer than a minute that she stood staring but to her, it felt much longer. To anyone else in the bar she probably looked like an admirer, if only they knew. It was the voice of the barman that woke her from her shocked state… Vor entye

She sat herself down upon the bar stool and sat her helm to the side of her and slipped the credits across the bar.

That is Kaine Australis, right?

He took the credits and gave her a nod before walking off to serve another. She crossed her legs and leaned against the bar while continuously looking over to him and trying to think of how to proceed.

Kaine considered the options as Hokaar spoke. There was an easy answer, to his question; Firepower. Still, there were many ways to skin a Cathar... He sighed inwardly, good ale had been hard to come by on his travels, and he hadn't seen a drop on Belsavis.

Kaine took a swig of his ale as he formulated his response.

Yeah, it seems i've been recognized. It was bound to happen, I guess. Once upon a time, I held the title of Mand'alor. I had to step away for personal reasons, family issues. People get to hearing about you when you're the leader of an entire people. Still, I don't anticipate trouble, not here.

He took another long pull on the ale, and put down the empty mug. It's been my experience that you cannot anticipate long-term needs, so it is best to plan for war, and make changes when specific mission requirements present themselves.

I don't know your people well yet, so I'm not in a position to effectively plan for their needs. It's down to a question of style.

Personally, I find building my fleet around ship-to-ship combat for large fleet engagements is the best way to support Mandalore in time of war. I only field two squadrons of fighters, but can field several large capital ships and their support craft. This allows my force to fight effectively alone, or as part of a larger armada. For small jobs, a single ship and a squad of fighters can detach from the main force to avoid overly intimidating certain targets.

However, that isn't to say a single large capital ship with more fighters couldn't do as well if not better. It's certainly not a bad option.

Essentially, though, ner vod, the choice is yours. Kaine sat back in his seat, adopting a relaxed pose, and taking a quick check of the nearby vode. His gaze lingered for a moment on the female, who seemed to have most of her attention on him.

He didn't recognize her, but he did feel as if he should, which was strange. She'd have been a child when he was prominent among the Mandalorians, so she wasn't a comrade in arms, hell, she was young enough to be his daughter, even a granddaughter, but he hadn't gotten started that early. A sharp pang of regret touched him, as he briefly thought of his own family, now lost to him. He knew his wife, his love, the mother of his children, Natasi, was gone, and that his children; a son, Vihn, and a daughter, Arla, had disappeared. He'd found no evidence that they still lived, and had accepted, reluctantly, that they too were no more.

He couldn't think about them during his time on Belsavis. He'd had to become harder, to do things he would never have done under normal circumstances, and the experience had changed him markedly. Before Belsavis, he'd given up his life, his family, his clan, everything, to go on a mission of vengeance. The saying went 'before embarking on a mission of vengeance, dig two graves'. Kaine hadn't beaten the odds, they'd beaten him. His mission had cost him everything but his life, and he didn't even know whether he had succeeded. Too many traumas did strange things to memory, and that didn't even take into consideration the damage he'd suffered battling enemies on the hellhole that was Belsavis that used the Force in strange and troubling ways.

His last memory before the painful early days on the prison planet was finding a lead, and following it to the planet Korriban. After that, he knew that several years had gone by, but he remembered nothing of that time. He remembered the three years on Belsavis, the horror would never leave him. It actually frightened him to think what could have been so much worse as to make him forget entirely. Experiences like that changed anyone they didn't kill, and they hadn't quite killed Kaine Australis.

He was a different man now, with many good and bad years behind him. At fifty years of age, he knew he didn't have many years left in his prime, so time was a factor, but he gave himself a decade at least before he'd have to change his lifestyle. Considering the time he had left to him brought Kaine back to the present. He made a mental note to find out who the girl was, then filed it away, and turned his attention back to his vod. Hokaar and he would build a new Clan Australis, and help to raise Mandalore high once again.

It would start, as it generally always did, in Oyu'baat. Kaine gave the young woman a nod, then looked back to Hokaar.

We could certainly use more starfighters, so my preference is the Secutor, but it's entirely your decision, and I will support it fully.