Bankor

Baesal had arrived likely durign the spat between the senator and Jax but chose to be quiet...and take her place

Jace looked at Saresh , he understood her stance and then to Jax and understood the man did do wrong but came around to do right. He had done his part, but there was little he could do to avoid the justice planned by the senator. He finally spoke, “Alright let’s get to it, the situation is good for us we have momentum and mobility. Our target will be neutralizing the weapon on Vantage station for now we are trying to keep them from using that weapon.”

“Tomorrow we have a full assault planned, I will lead a boarding force onto the Station and our goal will be to destroy the control mechanism for that weapon. It’s a war crime and I want it eradicated. This will be a full scale assault, fighter wings will be ready to move as I am sure the Mandos will give everything they got to defend that station.”

Jace continued, “After we neutralize the weapon we get a small window of downtime and then begin invasion of Veras City, our target will be Varo Kryze. The Resistance will join us for the final push along with the forces provided by Iyana Miu. This will be the largest battle of the conflict; the people of Bankor are depending on us to deliver freedom. I will de damned if we deliver anything else but that.”

“Understood? The floor is now open.”

"How many teams will be needed to assault the station, Commander." Durasay had been in the meeting, standing with his arms folded as he watched the proceedings. He could understand Saresh's concerns, but at the same time, he had his own shady past as well.

"Will the Cruiser be available for a last ditch full barrage on the station if needed?"

Jace explained there will be several divisions deployed with special assault teams formed to hit critical locations as for the ship it was a last resort as the station has tens of thousands of civilians living there. He finished with, “I will make the final call if we go that far, but only if we have no other option.”

Tethys has been standing, impassive, against one of the walls until now. At this point, she interjects at last in her cool, steady alto. “What measures will we take to ensure the safety of those civilians when the strike force assaults the station? We have removed Varad from the picture, but Kryze sanctioned their crimes. And they have clearly not hesitated to harm civilians to get at their real adversaries.”

"The safety of civilians is a paramount," Lyseil agreed with the jedi knight. "It would be preferable if they could be evacuated, but I suspect that even if we were to call in aid to have them transported somewhere safer, the Mandalorians would be focusing their attention on them."

She pressed her lips together at the distaste of the tactics their opponents were using.

"It would probably be wise to keep some teams back on the ship in preparation to repel potential boarders from the Kryze."

Niall grimaced. "If we don't make some effort to evacuate the civilians, the Mandalorians will use them as distractions. Or weapons; they've massacred them in the past simply to try to demoralize us. I think we can expect the same. Steps should be made to keep that from happening."

"Speaking along the same lines, I would recommend vacuum suits. In case the enemy decides that venting the air into space is a viable stratagem." Durasay looked to the others present. He knew he could survive in his combat armor, but if others were caught unprepared, it could be disastrous.

Too many have been sacrificed already on mistakes made.

Too many friends in caskets, too much potential wasted.

Lyseil nodded, and started looking up on her datapad on what they had available for the civilians of vac suits, in case of a worst case scenario. Or at least emergency vac-gear in case they needed to be moved from one part of the ship to the next.

Rear Admiral Myranda Dennor stepped forward with a holocommunicator. "The situation is more complicated. Earlier today, my vessel received a message from Keilynn Rodarch. She is a sister of the recently captured Eralynn Varad. A necessary task, but it is far from complete." She clicked on the recording and stepped back.



The red-haired woman stood on the planet with nobody else in sight. "I am Keilynn of Clan Rodarch, sister of Eralynn Varad," she introduced herself. She had no way of knowing that the listening present already knew that. "You have done well in routing her warband here on Bankor," she said earnestly, "Her remaining followers have allied with my forces.

"I have come for two objectives: glory from combat and the retrieval of my sister." She took a breath. "I am willing to forsake the former if you hand her over to me."

Keilynn then smirked and then shook her head. "I imagine your first instinct will be to refuse. After everything she and Varo have done." Her lips grew to a wider grin. "And I imagine you will not believe when I say I am not like them." Her voice turned shifted to a more serious tone. "I find no enjoyment in the slaughter of non-combatants, nor will I use them as leverage against you. But the Resistance forces are targets that are capable of fighting back, individuals who would raise arms against the Mando'ade."

She stared forward. "I will give the Resistance no respite as you battle with Clan Kryze in orbit. Meet my demands, seek me out, or live with the consequences. I will leave a means of communication for you if you wish to discuss matters."

Niall frowned. "That was the entire message? Did she offer any sort of guarantee?"

He shook his head, his lips twisting with distaste. "What a bold request. Eralynn committed scores of war crimes. She massacred prisoners. She strapped bombs to civilians and used them as weapons. It would dishonor the memory of every innocent she's killed to let her go. Not to mention the additional deaths she'd be sure to cause once she was released."

Eralynn couldn't be released, that much was certain.

They could, on the other hand, take the chance to capture her sister as well. But it would be a risky business, and likely a trap from the Mandalorians as well... and she wasn't sure how she felt about suggesting to lure them in under false pretenses. Lyseil shifted uncomfortably in her position, brow furrowed in thought.

Jace said, “She is a valuable prisoner of war and more importantly war criminal, I won’t let her loose on the galaxy just so she can pick up right where she left off. Mandalorian honor has not been all that useful to me.”

Delmi nodded, "Sorry if I'm speaking out of place here... But these Mandos have done things against their own code a bunch of times during this campaign. They're some of the least trustworthy mandos I've seen. And after all I've seen, this sounds a lot more like a convenient lie to me than anything else. If we trust dishonorable folks and get burned, there's no one to blame but ourselves. One thing I've noticed being around you all is that making a deal with the devil to make your life easier isn't worth giving up your principles."

"Even if we were to meet with her... there's a high chance it could be a trap," Lyseil added. Still unsure on the situation, but the possibility of a trap was something she felt certain about. She nodded to Delmi to show she was agreeing with her. "They haven't been the most trustworthy sort so far."

Baesal was thoughful

''I certainly do not enjoy the idea of setting her free again...but the resistance might be vulnerable while we are here. We should discuss the matter with them and allow them a say in the matter.''

"Sensible, I think that would be the best course of action," the Senator agreed.

Delmi chewed on her lip for a moment after the senator spoke. She likely would have volunteered to speak with the Resistance if Lelia were still alive... The Zeltron's death still stuck in her craw; the thought of it now making her feel angry and useless. The woman had protected her, but when it mattered most she couldn't return the favor.

She shook her head slightly as she struggled to control herself and refocus on the discussion at hand.

"Best case scenario they agree we shouldn't hand her over, and thank us for letting us know," Chase says as she steps a little more into the spotlight, "or the worst case, we tell them. Then they want to give her over and we're stuck with the conundrum that we now have to explain to them why we can never allow this monster to be free again." Chase raised her hand filled with her cup of ice and pointed at Niall, "Don't need to remind everyone again about what this monster is capable of if we let it leave. So, why cause the headache?"

“It was their people Varad massacred. She took their teeth as ornaments. I can’t imagine they will want to see her freed,” Tethys puts in. “If anything, some may wish we hadn’t taken her alive. But either way, they deserve a warning about this threat, and an assurance that the Republic strike force will continue to do everything in its power to support them.”

With an expression of some distaste, she adds, “This reminds me. When we took Eralynn into custody I confiscated all of her,” she considers her wording for a moment, “trophies. Baesal, would you offer to return them to the Resistance, or learn what else they want done with them?”

((The teeth thing could probably have happened over downtime, but it seems more flavorful to let Baes handle it if she wants to..)))

Jace nodded and then said, “As it stands when we assault the station I will dedicate forces to try and protect the people, but my resources are first and foremost going to taking out that weapon. That is our priority. Padawan Baesal get in touch with the Resistance see what they want to do with Clan Varad, let them know we advise they do nothing, turning her over is only going to make things worse.”

Niall shifted, grimacing. "Commander, may I suggest that we allow them a say, but make the final decision ourselves? We took her into custody; she's our responsibility. And whatever devastation she caused after being freed would also be our responsibility."

He took a breath. "Giving another party the ability to make that choice for us doesn't make us any less culpable; it just makes them culpable too. And that's not fair to either group."

"I agree, captain," Jace said.

"From a policy perspective, any officer of the Resistance who involved themselves in negotiations to free Eralynn would surely be abdicating their personal chance at leading a free Bankor," Tethys adds. "But we shall see if they live up to our expectations."

Baesal listened to Tethys's suggestion and nodded

"I could do that but I am sure they would like to meet with the one who defeated her"