#aril'ree

3.7.10, sunset

Under other circumstances, the mountains of Alderaan might have seemed beautiful, if austere; in the middle of a civil war, they were simply a lonely place to die.

Republic Medical Officer Aril’ree’s lekku wrapped tighter around her neck as she trudged through the bloody snow, looking for survivors of the battle. The temperature was dropping already, and any soldiers left alive overnight wouldn’t be by morning. The Alderaanian troops would hold the position, but Aril’ree doubted they’d have much time to search the battlefield.

House Ulgo’s troops had retreated, leaving their dead and injured scattered among those of House Organa and House Alde. Aril’ree had already had several arguments with Organa medics regarding the extraction of injured enemy combatants.

That was Alderaanian honor. Fight where you can see the enemy, and the enemy can see you, because that’s The Way War Is Done, but leave your fallen enemies to bleed out or freeze to death because… loss is dishonorable? …enemies have no honor? …honor was a terrible replacement for actual laws of warfare.

She knew her fellow Republic soldiers sometimes broke those laws—she’d seen it herself—but at least there were laws. Not archaic conventions that were followed when they cost more lives and broken when they cost more lives.

Her handheld medical scanner picked up vital signs. Another living casualty. No, two. She commed their location.

“Sir, that one’s House—” The Alde soldier broke off at her look. “Yes, sir,” he finished instead.

It was twilight when the last of the medical evac units lifted off the mountain, heading for an Organa stronghold, with her and the last of the casualties she’d found on it. With her team, and the stronghold’s medical staff, most of the casualties would make it. Whatever that was worth.

The Alderaanian civil war had been raging for ten years, since just after the Treaty of Coruscant was signed. The soldiers she saved would simply go back into battle again, fighting a futile war for the throne and the allegiance of Alderaan.

Not that she was any different, she thought as she checked a fluid drip. She’d been all but ground zero for the Sacking of Coruscant, her residency ending in that horrifying mass casualty event, and she’d traded in her planned future in civilian medicine and signed up with the Republic Army Medical Corps. To make a difference.

Perhaps she belonged on Alderaan, planet of futile wars. She could battle death while they battled for their throne.

Perhaps she needed a meal and rest, or at least a ration bar and a cup of caf. Her battle wouldn’t seem half as futile to the solders as theirs seemed to her.

Jezari: Which others are we talking about? Sure, she’ll try to convince her friends of things, but that’s likely not what the question intends. And, yes, she’d have qualms about that when it came to friends. Not so much when it comes to authorities, enemies, and other adversaries. (Though her skills at manipulation tend to diminish the further you get from: “No, officer, no contraband here.”)

Kyrian: In the diplomacy and negotiation sense, not so much. Though he defaults to honesty a hell of a lot more than someone in his line of work should. (Because when it comes to lies and deceit and shadier sorts of manipulation, he very much does have qualms.)

Savler: Nah. There are definitely lines she wouldn’t cross when it comes to friends and family, but manipulation covers a whole wide spectrum of things, most of which there’s nothing wrong with.

Ianya: When it comes to people she’s very close to, yes, depending on the sort of manipulation in question. Otherwise, well, they teach you the Jedi Mind Trick for a reason.

Novani: Yes. She knows that manipulating people is part of diplomacy, and diplomacy is very much the Jedi way. But where do you draw the line? When is manipulating people, even for what you think is the greater good, going too far? Or is it always at least the least wrong thing? (And that’s not even touching on the additional complication that is the Jedi Mind Trick. When is that acceptable? When the ends are too important to risk? When all other options save violence have been exhausted? When you’re dealing with bad people? When it won’t do any immediate harm but might help you greatly?)

Tevin: Yes. Though, honestly, manipulating people isn’t really his strong suit anyway. Unless we’re using a very generous definition of “manipulating.”

Pheodra: No. It’s part of the job, and necessary for the greater good.

Daska: Nope. The alternatives are generally very much worse. If showing too many teeth and reminding someone that they’d make an excellent floor rug or that they probably don’t need both of their hands gets them out of your way, it’s totally worth it. Half the Empire already thinks that Zabrak eat people’s livers with some fava beans and a nice Chianti anyway, might as well make use of that.

Lysara: No. If it’s Imperials, they deserve far worse, if it’s Republic people, it’s for their own good.