[Chase]

With the day coming to a close, following the completion of their mission the halls were a bit busier than usual. Made for an ability to find a few proper folks to direct Chase toward Saresh's quarters. Now, while word of mouth traveled fast so did Chase and the woman was soon upon the Senators door step... so to speak.

Knocking on the door, "Senator Saresh? This is Lieutenant Chase, I was hoping for a word."

[Leontyne Saresh]

Saresh beckoned her in and said, "Of course, how can I help you?"

[Chase]

"Nice digs," Chase said looking about the room as she entered. "Roomy, guess the Senator life is a good one," Chase walked over toward a wall, turning about and leaning with her foot kicked up behind her for support. "Well, you know what I mean."

"Anyway, you were accusing Jax Dolross of some things of the other day, and I gotta say, that's got me mighty curious. Prefer to hear it from you, as it is, so, what'd he do?"

[Leontyne Saresh]

“Mister Dolross sold us out to some war profiteer and helped smuggle goods meant for the Resistance. He knew it was wrong and only came clean when it seemed like he was going to be caught. I have no sympathy for his kind,” she said honestly.

“The Republic has enough enemies.”

[Chase]

"Huh, didn't seem like the type. Selling out the Republic, the Resistance like that, that's a damn shame that is," she said. "Could certainly use a few more folks who look out for the little guy around here. Though.."

Chase folds her arms over her chest, "Speaking of the little guy and enemies, what's the situation with that bastard Nee? We got a plan on how that ones going where he belongs for a long long time?"

[Leontyne Saresh]

“It is a situation I will leave for the incoming government. They may pardon him they may not, Vando deserves a jail cell under the prison but he is a popular man and a hero to many. Turning on one of their own could start the government off on the wrong foot,” she said.

[Chase]

"You're kidding me right? We're just gonna let him slide after what he's done?" Chase leaning forward but also held herself back to the wall. Like she was trying to stop herself from separating from it entirely. "That mans a goddamn monster and we're just gonna let him walk if they decide to let him walk? He's got these people eating out of the palm of his hand!"

[Leontyne Saresh]

“Not our decision, the people of Bankor need to decide what legacy we want. I will advocate for punishment but my voice will only go so far,” she said honestly.

“Politics is more complicated than just right or wrong.”

[Chase]

Chase huffed air, "Yea, and here I was thinking I could actually trust someone to get something done for once. Goes to show just how useless all your damn politics are. Shoulda shot him when I had the chance, saved us all a whole lotta damn trouble for it and left the world in better hands."

[Leontyne Saresh]

Saresh sighed and said, “We either do things the right way or we don’t deserve the Republic. It will take time but if we allow the wheels to turn Vando will get what he deserves it may not come immediately but it will happen.”

“Immediate vigilante justice diminishes the vision of the Republic.”

[Chase]

"Yea, but from the sounds of it this mans just gonna be paraded about as some damn hero and he's not deserving of any of that, and I'm not quite sure I can trust he's gonna get his in the end. Sounds an awful lot like a setup that'll let him get away with what he's done and I'm not about that life," Chase said, voice raised but measured. Keeping herself from getting too out of hand.

[Leontyne Saresh]

“You don’t win every fight, I learned that a long time ago. Lots of people that deserve worse than they got, it’s not ideal but that is how life works sometimes. You allow yourself to get lowered to their level and you become no better, I won’t let myself be compromised by expediency. We have to be above that, we have to be better even if that means someone walks that deserves worse,” she said confidently.

[Chase]

With a suppressed chuckle Chase leaned her head back against the wall, "Funny, I'm getting told why I shouldn't have shot him from the same person who's telling me that we're probably just gonna have to let some bastard who strapped bombs to kids and told them where to run walk free into the arms of his misguided people. And you know what, maybe you're right. Maybe I shouldn't have. But maybe this kriffed system should do something about the worst of the worst. It's the Republic, it was supposed to protect the people who can't protect themselves or don't know better."

Chase unfurled her arms and pushed herself off the wall. "Let a smuggler here or there go, that'd be the kinda thing I'm fine with. They're the lot that tend to follow the money and they can be brought around to do some good for the cause. Heard you speaking out against Jax and I thought we might be getting somewhere with this whole business. They did their part to hurt the people of Bankor, Vando Nee did so much more. You say you're gonna do everything you can to see him done in but you're giving me some excuses already on why that might not be or can't be. Can't trust someone who makes a promise with excuses like that attached. Those are the kinds of promises people turn their backs on."

"Hearing you talking like this, I'm damned disappointed. Saw that fire with Jax and Vando before, thought things might be different here but it's just more of the same. I'm always hearing how we couldn't do better when I know better than that. It's not the easy call sometimes, but it's the right one, and no one seems willing to take them. No ones willing to take a risk for the little guy anymore."

Chase brushed her hands off against one another, "I think I'm done having to be told why we couldn't do better. I'm ready to do everything I could have for a damn change."

[Leontyne Saresh]

“Maybe you will get it right then, but I am guessing you have never had to make a hard call between two bad decisions or choices that are not black and white. You think I like knowing people like Vando get to walk free? No, but I know that no system is perfect, even the Republic. It’s easy to criticize when you only have yourself to worry about, easy to go well you guys should just do the right thing no matter what because there are no consequences… when the truth is that every decision we make has unintended consequences good and bad.”

She glared at Chase, “I am not sure what you want me to do, break the law? Do the right thing in the short term and jeopardize the long term project of rebuilding Bankor? Actions don’t exist in a vacuum, we know Vando is a monster, but his people see him as a hero, take that away from them and you turn the people against us. They won’t care about what we say he did, only what they believe he did for them.”

“Trust me, it’s easier to bring a man down over time then it is to kill a hero.”

[Chase]

Chase stepped forward toward Saresh, raising her hand with index extended toward her, "Why" her brows were raised, ready to make a point and then they fell back to place suddenly. Hand lowering slightly. "do you have to be right? I hate it but you are. Damnit," she said casting her eyes down and to the side.

[Leontyne Saresh]

Saresh shrugged and said, “I don’t have all the answers, I wish I did but like you I want the right thing for the Republic. The Republic to be a beacon of justice, but it is a work in progress, it isn’t there yet.”

[Chase]

"No, I guess it's not," Chase stepped back, milling about a bit. "Still, it's better by far than anywhere else. So.. maybe I can still give it a shot. Keep around for a while longer," Chase looked away, smirking, "Not sure you folks could do it without me after all. Save my retirement plan for another day."