USH'S STAR WARS GAME- CAMPAIGN II EPISODE IV (JEDI)- Purity

Mostly... anger?

She does not reply immediately.

"Why so coy?" says the third man, stepping forwards as Korth;s fight goes on, spreading to the other side of the room.

He is tall and strong and... devastatingly handsome, witha clean face and sparkling eyes- even a jaunty grin.

"Brith, I..."

"Couldn't bring yourself to admit things in front of him?" He mimics her voice "Vale! Fenring! Help meeeeeee! What a damsel in distreess you makle. You should be proud! You did exactly as agreed in bringing him here to meet his fate. You knew he would ciome for you. That's why you sent Korth off on that red herring- so we could have Gallagher alone."

Gallagher points his lightsaber towards this third man as he approaches, catching sight of his face for the first time.

"Leave my sister out of this," Gallagher says. "I don't know what you want with her or what she wanted with you, but I assure you that your business is with me now."

"Oh, not really," he says. "She is the one that has brought you here to kill you, just like she killed her own Protector. my hands," he says, spreading them to his sides, "are very clean. Virtually invisible, in fact."

"Then she will face judgement in the courts," Gallagher says. "But I know that you and your companions are minions of the Dark Side. That in itself requires me to take you in."

Does Brith have a lightsaber at his belt?

Yes.

"No, Gallagher, there will be no trials. She is just waiting for you to turn your back. That is how she prefers it.

"You should never have got invovled!" Kellan says to you.

"And you shouldn't have consorted with agents of darkness!" Gallagher says. "What the hell were you thinking? You were bound to have been found out eventually!"

Gallagher keeps his lightsaber towards Brith, glancing briefly at the lightsaber at the Dark Sider's belt as if waiting for it to spring to life.

(I recall hearing that Sienar's lightsaber was of a special design... is it this one or his current one?)

It is of special design because he doesn't have enough fingers to grip it. Not a problem back then.

"You don't understand! It's a matter of survival! THis family either thrives or dies, and this world with it! You are a naive fool, Gallagher! This Galaxyn isn;lt about justice and law. It is about power! Strength! If you show weakness, you get destroyed. My protector was going to inform the auuthorities of our family activities. It couldn't be allowed!"

"One can gain power without corruption!" Gallagher tells her. "Strength does not require the defilement of morals and the abandonment of values. That is only the easy path, as I am sure these villains can tell you. Helping these Dark Siders has only put our family and world at its greatest risk!"

'Brith' gives a contemptuous snort.

"How amusing that you really believe that..."

"We either side with the syndicates or go under, Gallagher. And THEY are in control now. And you are a danger to them. It... has to be this way."

Korth is trying to press his assailants near the wall of the room to limit their ability to flank him. He keeps side on to them to miminise his profile, contiuing to block one and dodge the other.

"Brith, get this over with and get us to the ship!" says Kellan.

"Ah..." he says. "Actually... there is no shiip..."

Gallagher watches Brith quizzically.

"You do not have a means of escape?" Gallagher asks, somewhat incredulous.

"*I* do... I may have misled the others. There's a lesson here, you see. This is all... my trap, that I put in motion from the moment I ordered that Rodian to tell you everything, Gallagher. I'm clearing up."

"But... why?!" says Kellan.

"It always happens in the end. Betrayal is our life. I simply got there first. Here's the lesson- betray your allies whilst you still need them. If you wait until they are no use to you... they rather expect it."

Gallagher recalls how the Rodian was suddenly willing to share everything once Zaland had left, thinking that this Brith character probably knew that the search would carry Zaland and the Jedi to that bar.

"Get behind me, Kellan," Gallagher says. "You have been used and no longer serve any point in his plan. Please, let me help you."

"Or if you can get by your brother and come with me you will be fine," says Brith. "Rather time for me to go..." he says, is sabre hilt leaping to his hand.

As before, Gallagher adopts a defensive stance to protect himself against his likely superior opponent, but tries to maneuver himself to block the exit.

"I cannot allow you to leave," Gallagher says.

He chuckles, and extends his blade slowly.

"The funniest part," he says as Vale runs Korth through, "was watching you think you were working something out... when in fact you were just following my script... step... by step... by step..."

He steps to one side so you are between him and Kellan, and raises his sabre...

---

EWhich is where we end thigns until the Jedi catch up.

(Holy balls, I'm almost surprised that Gallagher even made it to the present...)

What would the proposed Mandragos Committee mean for the Republic and the Senate? It seems like it is a step away from democratic procedure, just telling people what to do and how the money needs to be spent...

It's done through the Senate, how can it not be Democratic? They have to be elected.

As for what it would mean- you aren't a politician.

Forming the Mandragos Commission would certainly consolidate power behind Sienar, as he is the Archimandrite and so effective ruler of Mandragos, and being the formative mind behind the Commission would likely put the decisions of the Senators in the Commission somewhat under his sway, meaning he could use its funds for his purposes perhaps? It would still be a democratic process (deciding how to use the funds, where and when) but he would certainly be in position to influence the outcome, I think...

Except Sienar won't actually have any power over the new Commission; you've not seen any evidence of Senators coming under his power. His entire effort has eben with the Synod.