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“Yep,” says Arotta with an audible pop of her lips, “The Kakari got a pretty good deal – an autonomous enclave for their species that’s allied with the Alliance and pays a nominal tax, but otherwise has the freedom to do whatever the hell they want.”
You bring your hand to your face, rubbing the side of your temples as a headache begins to form. “The Kakari barely invented aqueducts, not even spaceflight or hyperdrive theory before Jombaral forced them underground! It’d be too much to simply expect them to just....join.”
…not to mention the fact that almost four thousand years of living in fear of extinction have left them jumpy and fiercely protective of their culture. Even if they’re more than happy and smiling as they trade supplies with the soldiery.
<span class="mu-i">“The Kakari will pay tithe for living on the planet, and send soldiers to march with you. But we will not be deprived of who we are. Allies, yes. Assimilated? Never.”</span>
“There’s a silver lining though,” adds Arotta with a wave of her hand, “It’s only the newer arrivals. The initial three million? They all fought and bled together for their independence, so they’re pretty happy to stick together in the MSDF. Fight together, die together, be free together.”
“…and the new arrivals didn’t have that camaraderie,” you conclude. "Or won't for a long time."
“Got it in one.” Arotta grins, showing the edges of her teeth. “Funny how war brings unlikely people together and makes ‘em all friends – different species of slaves against the Tof…Clones and Jedi against Separatists and the Sith…”
It’s painful to watch her deflate into a bundle of tense emotions. Literally. The white-knuckled grip she has on your hand starts to hurt.
“…dammit, now I’ve made myself all upset,” she grumbles, “Could’ve sworn I was going somewhere else with that comparison.”
“…Scrapper Squad still considers you and Master Kosa their rightful leaders,” you comfort her. “If not their friends.”
Arotta snorts, rubbing at the corner of her eyes. “…damned fools. But you better do me a solid and let me know when you find Jombaral. I’m gonna carve my name into her heart and count the rings before I set her on fire.”
An exceedingly unbecoming statement for a Jedi Knight, but one you can understand and sympathize with. “Get in line.”
Her lips pull back in a fierce snarl. And for the briefest moment, you’re taken back to your fateful meeting in the sewers of the Heart of Kakarit, deep in the throes of her madness. “She owes me for the 57th Elite Corps. Almost six thousand clone troopers that she brainwashed into serving her, twisting them into those…<span class="mu-i">things</span>.”
(cont.)