Nar Shaddaa

Hala found a small cafe near the docks of the port and grabbed a street-facing table. Even if the view wasn't much, it was a view. Space reserved, she pulled out her pad and delicately tapped out the message to her guest to confirm and acknowledge the location. Her new right fist opened and closed repeatedly, whirring softly, before she lay it in her lap and settled in for the wait.

Niall was there not long after. It only takes him a few moments to spot Hala, his expression brightening slightly with recognition. While Niall's uniform is tidy and clean, as is the rest of him, more lines are visible in his face than usual, along with the beginnings of some dark circles under his eyes.

Still, he offered Hala a polite smile and a bow, worth of his Alderaanian heritage, as he arrived at the table. "Colonel. It's good to see you again." His gaze grew a little concerned. "I'd heard you'd been injured. I'm glad that you're up and about, at least."

Far more pale and perhaps a bit perceptibly fragile than the last time they had met, she just gave him a wan smile and glanced down at her uniform. Her wounded in action decoration now bore another tiny gold chevron. Still she stood when he approached and inclined her head before offering her right arm this time to shake hands with another faint whirring.

"It's a little sad how quickly can hand them out, isn't it?" she said softly, her lips pursing slightly. "Yes, my treatment was expedited yesterday. I'm still a bit out of sorts though, and adjusting. I hope you've had an easier past few days?"

Niall's eyes lit in understanding, the whirring giving enough away, when combined with the additional decoration. "Ah. I see." His lips twisted. "The benefits of rank, I see? I'm quite glad that they didn't keep you waiting." The corners of his lips curled up just a little. "Just another Situation, eh Colonel? I'm certain you'll adjust in no time."

He waited for her to sit, or at least shift towards sitting, before seating himself. "I've made it through relatively unscathed. Quite busy, especially with last night's incident." His expression grew solemn. "Can I ask how things are on your side? Many losses?"

"Yes, they are always happy to pin medals on officers like prized racing animals," she said wryly before her eyes flicked over his with a touch of concern.

"They're bad. The incident on the barge last night, the ascension of a new Magpie, the bombs. And all of this while the Crescent Shadow have been making moves, and none of these things help the talks. I'm not unsympathetic to the Shadow's cause, at least as I understand it being freedom or something, but this is the wrong way to go about it. And now there are how many hundreds of dead bodies on the deck. How are things with you?" she asked, before adding, "How are things with you?"

Niall chuckled softly at her black humor.

"Yes." Niall nodded agreement. "It's entirely the wrong way to go about it. How many of the people they've killed might have been sympathetic to their cause. What sort of response do they think they'll receive now? Someone who's lost a friend or a loved one to them isn't going to give them a sympathetic ear." Niall sighed. "Words and actions define us, and I feel if they aren't in agreement, it is actions that will win out. And hundreds dead, on both sides, and in the middle..." He sighed.

Niall had started to answer before Hala spoke again. He paused a moment, his own lips pursing thoughtfully. "I'm fine. Truly." Another few moments passed. "But I won't pretend, one soldier to another, that this hasn't been a difficult week. Nar Shaddaa... it doesn't agree with me."

He gave Hala a smile. "I hope you don't mind if I turn the question back on you. It seems wrong of me to speak about my woes when you lost an arm."

She shrugged and smiled slightly.

"I don't know if you'd noticed, but the arm was half-dead already. Just took a terrorist fanatic to take it the rest of the way. It was certainly a rotten way to end a week, but the last time I saw you - you looked like you were shell-shocked of a different kind.... the explosion at the wedding reception? I wanted to ask whether you were feeling.... less guilty over that, I guess."

Niall had noticed; he just nodded acknowledgement.

"Oh." Niall sighed. "Yes, the wedding reception. That was a special sort of unpleasant." He gave her a wan smile. "I'll get over it though. Another few ghosts for my collection isn't anything unusual." He hesitated a moment, and then went on. "I do appreciate you asking, though. Have you had, ah, similar experiences?"

"What, with civilians butting in on my negotiations with criminals? More than you might think. They never set off a bomb though.... Usually they just wanted things resolved, especially without hurting civilians, or it was the owner of the building complaining about any damages we might need to inflict if we had to breach. So similar, perhaps, but that's some premium-grade bullshit to deal with. You should have been put in that position, and I'm sorry about it," she said before lifting her right hand towards a cup. It was metal, thankfully, but she curled her fingers around it anyway delicately to prevent accidentally denting or crushing it.

"Mmm." Niall murmured. "Unfortunately, I'm put in a position of interacting with civilian authorities quite often. Normally, that's easy to do, but sometimes..." He trailed off, his lips twisting.

"But that didn't bother me." His lips twisted again. "That is to say, I did not take that part of what happened on a personal level. Except, I suppose, for my inability to control the situation better. That was the big mistake I made. Beyond that, it's the usual worries, could I have been faster, or more convincing, or tried a different argument. All familiar to anyone who's been in our positions, I imagine."

"Civilians," she scoffed, "You can never really control them. They don't understand, they can't understand."

"Mmm." Niall's lips twitched, neither quite agreement or disagreement. "Are you military for life then, Colonel? Even if there's peace, I imagine there will still be need for people like you. It's a big Empire, and a bigger galaxy, after all."

"As long as I'm needed, I serve," she agreed.

"You probably have better prospects though, 'Captain Alderaan'? Maybe running for office or something? Get out of the game while the gettings is good?"

"Haha." Niall spoke it rather than laughed, but he did smile. "I'm still not sure where that started..."

After a moment, he shrugged. "It's always been my plan to get out someday, circumstances permitting. Like you said, if I'm needed..." He gave her a respectful nod. "But not yet, certainly; even if there's peace, I still owe the Republic military more service. But someday, yes. Alderaan does have a place in the senate. And... I think that I could do very well there, both for Alderaan, and for the Republic."

"Well, I doubt your constituents would react well to an imperial officer campaigning for you, but you would be my favorite of all the senators I have yet to meet," she said encouragingly.

Niall chuckled at that. "Well, yes. That's certainly true. As much as I appreciate your endorsement on a personal level, I think perhaps that it would do me little good to publicize it."

He inclined his head to her, smiling just a little. "I'm glad to have met you as well, Colonel. I haven't met any other Imperial officers, so I have little to compare you to. Except for the Sith I've met." His lips twisted. "Mixed impressions, there."

"Most of us don't get out. My excuse, and the curse, is to assist our diplomats and the Sith with the task of negotiation. You may have also run into Sgt. Gunnar or some of his squadmates about.... he was one of the people who affected the defense of those trapped inside the wedding attack," she said, her smile saddening slightly.

"Is there anything left to do before the talks conclude tomorrow, or anything I could help you with?"

"I did meet Sgt. Gunnar, yes. Good man. Is he okay, then? He helped me find a store selling Alderaanian goods not far from here." He smiled, remembering.

"I don't think so." Niall said, shaking his head. "At least, I very much hope not. The bombs were a surprise, and I imagine we both have more to do there. If there are any more surprises..." His lips twitched. "Well, let's hope not. I've had enough surprises for the week."

"I disagree. I want one more surprise," she said before placing her new hand on the table less lightly than intended.

"I want to rack out in my bunk tomorrow and not be at war."

Niall smiled. "Mmmm. That is one surprise that I would not begrudge you."

He sat back in his chair, arms crossed still smiling. "Although that would probably be a lot of work as well. I sometimes wonder if keeping the war going is as much a matter of momentum as anything else. Still..." He nodded. "I'll join you in that hope, Colonel. For the sake of both of our nations."

"That's certainly a part of it," she agreed. "As terrible as it is, atrocities on either side fade with time and just become the reasons we use to justify our actions because that's what we did yesterday too."