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Sorry, I missed the memo; are we trying to ruin every planet we stop at now? Because this plan -- this mercenary deal -- sure makes it seem like it. I mean, it would be bad enough on a terrestrial planet, but a hydrogen atmosphere gas giant? That’s where we’re planning on putting a bunch of firearm-toting mercenaries?

Look, maybe some of you weren’t here for our stops on the last few planets, but trust me when I say that getting involved in local affairs ended very, very badly. For everyone. And that was without hiring mercs to solve problems that aren’t ours to begin with. The best thing we can do here is to take what we need and leave.

And if you have been here long enough to remember: don’t make us responsible for another Cadacus Primary.

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Well, it's nice to see that logic and thinking hasn't been completely stripped away within the fires of moral indignation that many of the crew seem to be basking in.

Even if it is quite likely the pesky thing known as morals are currently running the thought process of most of our crew. Thus no one is taking a look at the bigger picture.

Hold it. EVERY planet?

Only the ones where someone’s stuck their nose where it doesn't belong.

So half of them from what I’ve seen.

[Such clear thinking is one of the many benefits of Zam being relatively amoral compared to the rest of the crew. Not amoral enough to watch another planet die, but certainly enough that "whales dying" vs "planet on fire" seems like a fairly simple value judgment to her.]

That “moral indignation” is going to end up killing a lot more than just the whales if it gets out of hand.

Disappointing answer from anyone, let alone someone who trades in information. What do you mean by "ruin"?

[You know, she would’ve told you for free if it weren’t for your attitude, Jedi.]

I don't see you making an offer.

You owe me. One step closer to calling it even.

[It is truly unfortunate that Anakin is not there to witness the look on Zam’s face upon reading his message.]

OWE you? For what? The pleasure of your company on our romantic jog around Coruscant?

You owe the senator, which is as good as owing me.

[Oh, so now he pulls that card...] I seem to recall in our last conversation that you were quite convinced that the senator wasn’t here.

And I am. I would know. That's not the point. I'm here, she isn't.

What do you mean "ruin"?

The problem is that this is a bad idea amongst a list of bad ideas. Without a better idea to throw out there we've got a serious problem, because the bad idea happens anyway.

[Oh hey look it's that kid what does the spooky stuff with the arms. And she's agreeing with you, Zam.]

I don't really understand how it's supposed to help, anyway.

Mercenaries are people who do bad things for money, right? What happens when they find out that there's bad things they can do to the whales for money?

[A long-suffering sigh. It’s not like there aren’t dozens of other people on the ship who couldn’t give the Jedi the same information. If Zam telling him means they’re even (or closer to even) in his deluded mind, then she might as well play along.]

We destabilized the government on the last planet we were on. Emiri. Those sleemo in charge got what was coming to them, but we left the place in a state of civil war, or at least on the brink of it.

Before that, there was a planet called Cadacus Primary. The leaders there tried to forcibly remove us after accusing the captains of stealing from them. Things got violent and one of the crewmen snapped.

[The messages stop for a moment. When they start again, they're choppier, but come at a slower pace.]

It was a slaughter. Their entire planet was destroyed. We evacuated who we could, but

It was an entire planet. We couldn’t save everybody. Not even close to everybody.

[Another pause.]

That's what I mean by "ruin."

[So much for trust. But if that could be proved as a breach of contract...]

I thought this whole thing was about getting people home, not a galactic murder cruise.

[It's grim, but he has to remark on it as much; the gravity of it otherwise is almost too much to comprehend. The destruction of a planet? Anakin can't imagine as much, even in a fit of pique.]

Do I want to know what caused it on the first planet? Emiri?

Technically, firearms on a hydrogen rich planet is worse for the person wielding the firearms more than the local environment. If the planet was that easy to ignite, the sheer amount of static electricity generated by the atmosphere alone should have done it in waaaayyy back when.

But I agree on the mercenaries not being a sound decision for this venture, especially armed conventionally.

[Tangent aside, the final part does make Nihlus curious.]

So what happened on Caudacus Primary?

You know, given what happened, you could afford to be a little less flippant. [And when Zam of all people is telling you to take something more seriously, you know there’s a problem.]

The government there was kidnapping children from their families and enslaving them. Something about them having abilities that the people in charge found useful. Might have even been Force-users. Most of the people living there didn’t even know what was happening, just that kids were disappearing.

Like I said: the ones at the top got what was coming to them.

[No. Of all things, it had to be that?]

WHAT?

[That's all he can manage without wanting to punch a wall, but the urge is definitely still there.]

[Um...]

I’m going to need you to be more specific.

[Cool it, Skywalker. Not everyone needs to know why that rankles him so, and he's usually good enough at pushing it down deep where it belongs, but the idea that this still exists out here where the narrative is "we're not here long enough to fix anything, what can we do?," it only dregs up memories he doesn't want to relive.

Especially not with present company.]

Nothing. It's
Nevermind.

So they fell into civil war. How did that happen?

[By killing every last slaver there, he hopes. ~~It may not be the peacekeeper's way, but it certainly feels right.]~~

Edited 2016-03-23 03:55 (UTC)

W-wait, what?

They're gonna blow up the planet?

I can't say I particularly care about the fate of this planet, but I can agree with you on this.

[she shakes her head.]

I simply don't understand what it is that drives these people to get involved! Emiri was fun, yes, but this just seems like some obligatory save the whales protestation to make themselves feel better. Ridiculous.

I honestly can not find any fault with such a statement, and can only add the worry about what would happen if these mercenaries decide that what we are giving them is not enough and our own crewmembers end up on the wrong side of individuals that have no obligation towards them.

There are far too many ways for this entirely delicate situation to go awry by allowing another element we can't fully control to be brought into the equation. It's a bit distressing.

What other “bad ideas” have people proposed? I can’t imagine many worse.

[THIS KID. THIS KID RIGHT HERE GETS IT.]

Mercenaries just do things for money, period. Besides that, yeah, you’ve pretty much got a better grasp of the situation than most of the adults onboard combined.

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