Welcome to Gaia! ::

He continued, choosing his words best as he could. "I am not my leader, nor do I speak entirely for him for he may have changed his mind since we last met; yet, I can permit to say though, that my leader has... anticipated certain events. Yes, he did usurp leadership from you, and by law you are still the one true Mandalore. However, we both know that you have at most 1/5 of active support from our people. If the Conquerer wanted, he could expend all his resources and it would only be so long before you would be found."

He shrugged. "I'm sure you have the better soldiers under your banner, and maybe even better weapons, but you lack the man-power. You would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers, even if we were both deprived of our allies. On the flip side, the most prominent of our clan supporters, while favorable of my leader, do not want to see you terminated. Which brings me to what I must tell you.

"Mandalore the Conquerer has forseen that this conflict will eventually spread to all corners of the galaxy, and that as parties to both sides, we will be caught in the middle. We do not want to be allies with either side, ultimately, but a temporary truce with those who would be our enemies would be better than civil war. He did not step up because he is the most powerful of us, because we both know that he is not; we all know this. By usurping you and making you a rebel, he effectively alienated you at the cost of what he believes to be protecting our interests."

He fingered his virboknife, its sharp edge running along his armored gloves. "We have both made allies and enemies, including of each other. However, regardless of what occurs now, eventually we will be betrayed by one, or probably both of our allies. The only ones we can trust are our own. Inevitably, when we are betrayed, we will be caught on both sides, and we will be overwhelmed. If we continue our bickering like this, we doom ourselves to that very fate.

"However, my leader has seen a path that will ensure that we are put on top of this. We have found a way to know that, when we are betrayed, we will be the dominant force in the galaxy and not them. I say this not because I want conquest, but because we want peace. If you want to blame someone, blame the Empire, Chiss, and your bothan friend for dragging us into this all. Blame Fel and Krayt if you want. Blame me if you feel the desire. I do not trust the Conquerer's false leadership, but I know that what he does can only help us get exactly what we want."

He resheathed his knife. "So now I tell you, that may every curse imaginable be placed on all clans under his banner if we betray the Mandalorians, and may the universe have mercy when we are surrounded on all sides. I don't need a piece of chiss spit to tell us what to do, but I do know that this MUST be done to ensure that the Mandalorians persist to exist.

"If you trust what I have to say, we should walk away, both allies and enemies in this, only to serve our people. We need a stalemate here, and continued friction between our people, so that we may continue to weave our way into our enemies, and stranggle their pre-emminent vicegrips on us. Our allies must be convinced we are enemies, so that when the time comes, we can ally together and defeat all our enemies. If you do not trust any of this," He took out his vibroknife again, and pointed it directly at his neck, arms ready to thrust it on a command. "Then as Overlord of Dxun, I surrender to Mandalore the Immortal, become a marytr for my Manda'lor, and die in the hopes that whatever you may do will not cause the Children of Mandalore to vanish into the abyss."

((Delete your post, you're stuck in an Assault Shuttle, his fleet hasn't arrived. He's playing an NPC right now))

He returned tha laugh. "If you really didn't believe me, you would have killed me on the spot. If you really saw me as the Dar'manda you said I was, I still wouldn't be talking."

"I don't care how you kill me, if that is what you really choose. If killing my brother means my family will live to fight another day then so be it, because ultimately my life is nothing, as is yours and even the Conquerer. If you are truly so blind you would reconsider. This is not conquest. This is preservation. You know this, but are too attached to your ways to admit so. Again, I ask you, do you accept my surrender or will you talk to Mandalore the Conquerer?"

"I will not choose," he answered. "With all do respect Mandalore, I aready offered my surrender, a choice you yourself offered me, which you have yet to accept. I tell you, this time there is no way we can be preserved by sitting idle. You will come to the conclusion yourself if you only think on the matter, but I guarantee you, if you make the wrong choice, and persist in allying yourself to the notion that by staying out of this war we will survive, then you are gravely mistaken. Again, I ask you, do you accept my surrender, or will you entreaty to Mandalore the Conquerer, the man who does not even want to be leader?!"

He glowered. "You taught me that a Mandalorian is always for his clan and people; that we are to fight with the utmost conviction in our beliefs and our sense of duty. This one time, Manda'lor, my duty tells me to defy what you want so that I may protect my clan, and every other clan amongst the stars.You say yourself that we have been taught to fight against a galaxy that seeks to kill us; if you truly mean that, than you will see the wisdom in this and command me not to listen to you."

"I am convinced without a doubt that this is the right course to follow. I don't follow what your rival says; I follow what my honor tells me is right. I ask you one last time, will you accept my surrender, or will you entreaty to the man who wants only to protect his people from those who claim to be our allies?"

Mandalore tilted his head.
"So you wont fight me then?" He asked as an Explosion ripped the jungle several miles away.
Voor, Wedge and Mandalore didn't flinch.

He shook his head. "If this arguement can be called a fight, then we are already at battle. Otherwise, I will not step into the battle circle because I do not believe you are following the best course of action." He lowered his head. "I am not Mandalore, and I do not order any but those who would follow me, but I would see you as our leader than him. I would follow you to the ends of the universe, but only if I was certain you were doing what was best for our people."

He looked up. "I am a Mandalorian before all else, and I swear to you, Mandalore the Immortal, that if I fail you, may all clans who follow my conviction, which they undoubtly do, be cursed under every spell a shaman of every species could possibly conjure." He offered his vibroknife. "Do you accept my surrender, or will you entreaty?" He offered one last time.

Iria thought on the question as the ship came ever closer to Ansion's surface. "Yes." As she said so, she felt a cold chill, which grew even more profound as they zeroed in.

And, then, off on the horizon, there it was. "There," she said, gesturing to a northeastern point, as what looked to be the remains of an abandoned site crept up. If one cared to look outside the ship, one could even see the long carbonized hulks of AT-ATs and AT-STs, as well as pieces of shrapnel from X-wings and TIE fighters.

And, there it was. The tibanna-scarred remnants of a bunker-like emplacement, as well as a serviceable landing platform jutting from the surrounding plains, leading to a garrison-type compound.

"This must be the place from my dreams," Iria quietly declared.