𝐈𝐨𝐥𝐞

[Excerpt:]

“Duchess, given the opportunity to be direct with you, I feel that I must ask: What do you want? What would be the ideal outcome for you when this war is over?” Vinor added, bringing his hands together on his lap and straightening his posture, reminding himself that he was addressing a member of the Mandalorian nobility.

Satine clenched her rations in her hand as she responded sternly, “I want Mandalore to have a future, Commander Wren; access to healers and hospitals that provide state-of-the-art care, academies for its youth, structured support for those in need, and self-sufficiency from the Republic. I want our farmlands fertile. I want to see strills eating Kalevalan clover as it grows wild. I want our engineers invested in rebuilding our world, and for our artists to tell our ever-evolving story through music, paintings, and theatre. I want-”

“No, Your Grace - not what you want for Mandalore, but… but what you want for yourself,” Vinor interrupted.

“That is what I want,” the duchess responded without hesitation, turning to look at him with astonishment and doubt on her face. How could her answer have been anything other than the only answer? She knew no other purpose in life than to follow in the footsteps of her parents for the betterment of their world. Had he expected her to desire autonomy and excitement?

Vinor held her gaze for a few uncomfortable moments before he murmured, “They say that you are naive. I wonder if that’s true.”

Scowling, Satine replied, “I wonder if they are naive.”

Her retort seemed juvenile and off-putting, but before Vinor could properly react, she was speaking again and his doubts were mitigated.

The Duchess of Kalevala sounded like a seasoned orator as she began, “Politicians, mostly men, who outnumber me in age and most importantly in years of education, experience, and service to their constituents came together and made the decision to invest in me. I was provided an opportunity to create something with them. I was only seventeen cycles old when they first began floating around the idea of giving me a prominent position of leadership.”

She paused for a few moments to chew the ration stick and sip from her canteen, but the fullness growing in her stomach did nothing to fill the void where her self-worth had once been.

Her eloquence was replaced by an age-appropriate apathy as she admitted, “I feel out of control, Commander Vinor. I have spent nearly nine months facing a great number of dangers, but the deceptive practices in play and the loss of life on Kalevala have tested my mettle.” She bowed her head but carried her spine as upright as possible as she said, “I will not wear my armor. I will not fight.”

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Chapter 44 is up.

Me another third of the time: CM fandom be less racist challenge!!!!!!!