Nar Shaddaa

"Attention!" The group of soldiers managed to get into a line without exchanging any looks with each other. Niall continued as he paced in front of them.

"You all know why you're here." His voice was soft now, a contrast to the volume he used just a moment ago, making them have to strain to hear him. "This is discipline, but not punishment. Nothing is on your record. Impress me, and we'll speak no more of it. Understood?" He remained blank-faced into the chorus of 'yes, sir' that followed. "Very good." He nodded to the sergeant, stepping slightly away as the soldiers began their drills.

"Excellent work," announced a hulking brute of a man. He paced about, observing the men during their drills. "I am Jedi Master Garrick Lorne, commander of 'the Forlorn.' You could say I will never forgive the soldiers under my command for choosing such a nickname," he jested.

Niall turned, his eyes widening as he spotted the imposing figure. He kept his cool, though, his mind quickly flickering over what had been said. "Thank you, Master Jedi, sir." He said, saluting smartly. His lips twitched ever so slightly. Had... had he told a joke?

"Would you care to inspect them? I'm sure they'd be honored." Actually, they might be terrified. Well, it would be good for them, Niall decided ruthlessly.

Garrick Lorne gave a salute in response. "Good man," he remarked. "And yes. I would enjoy inspecting the men under your command. But first: your name, captain?"

"Captain Niall Organa, sir. And it shall be done."

The sergeant on duty was alert to Niall's gesture; he approached and saluted. "Jedi Commander Lorne wishes to inspect the troops. Have them form up." Another salute, and the sergeant went about his task, bellowing so that Niall wouldn't have to. It didn't take long, the soldiers having been at least subconsciously aware of the presence of a high ranking officer. They lined up as stiff and ready as they could. Niall stood next to the armored Jedi, his own posture perfectly straight.

"A noble from Alderaan. I believe I heard of you. You received accolades for your service in the war." A pause. "It was Tatooine, correct?" He kept his posture at ease, at least for a sodlier, as he watched the soldiers perform their drills.

The sergeant continued to lead the men through the drills under the watchful eyes of both Captain Organa and the Jedi Commander.

"Yes, sir. I'm honored. I'm surprised you've heard." Niall said, his eyebrows going up just a tiny bit. Indeed, he was honored. And perhaps surprised. "And yes, tt was Tatooine. Wounded in the line of duty." The lavender medal was colored to stand out nicely on his blue uniform.

"Right." He kept his masked face towards the men. "You have trained your men well. I was on Tatooine before you arrived then. It is an arduous deployment."

"You were, sir?" Goodness, how had he avoided hearing about this Jedi? "But yes, it was. The heat was bad enough. The fighting was nasty." His lips twitched. "I find myself wondering, sir, if you feel the same way about sand as I do."

"I dislike it." He let a small laugh. "I no longer feel its coarseness with my feet. However, I still habitually check my leg's servos for it." He shook his head. "It gets everywhere."

"Yes, sir." Niall gave the ghost of a smile. "I didn't care for it either." He turned back to watch the soldiers a bit more.

"May I ask what brings you here? I assume it's to assist with the defense of the peace talk delegation."

"I am here for a different reason. Two of my former padawans were put in danger by a group of scum attempting to kidnap children. I will be putting an end to their schemes and then returning to the war."

Niall's lips pressed together, and he nodded. "I see. I don't think I could devote any Republic resources to this besides what you could muster on your own, except perhaps myself. If I can be of assistance to you or your former padawans, please let me know. Kidnapping children..." His lips pressed together more firmly.

"I have men searching for their whereabouts as we speak. Your offer is noted and I am grateful but I believe your other duties should take precedence." A pause. "Do you know Arali or Vatou? I would rest easier if I knew they were staying out of further trouble."

"I've met Arali in passing. I'm not familiar with Vatou. I'll look into it for you, sir." Now it was his turn to hesitate a moment. "Do you know the Jedi Alysele Cortess? You can count on her as well."

"I have not met her but I know of her. She rescued Arali during the attack," he clarified. "Her master and I have sparred before. He spoke highly of her skills."

"I see." Niall's eyebrows went up ever so slightly. He was silent for a few moments, his lips pressed together, before they finally curled up just a little. "As I said, you can count on her."

He frowned, remembering something the Jedi had said earlier. "Returning to the war, sir? Do you expect the peace talks to be unproductive?"

"Two nobles looking over them." He let out a small laugh. "What a strange turn of events."

He nodded. "I do believe that. However, the war is also still in progress as long as the negotiations are underway." A pause. "The conflict may be less intense but it still exists. I can only hope that my absence has not cost us any ground."

Niall's lips pressed together, but he didn't respond to the first bit.

At the second, he gave the Jedi a look. Normally, it would be the height of hubris to think that a single individual not being present would change the course of a war. In this case, Niall believed it. "I hope so too, sir." He looked back at the soldiers. "How long have you been fighting?"

"I have been fighting since the beginning of this war, Captain," he explained, "I was young then but there was no avoiding the war. I never wanted to, anyways."

Niall gave the Jedi another look. "As it happens, sir, I felt the same way. I'm no Jedi, but I'm not without my talents. And even before I joined the Academy, and therefore the service, I was given the best schooling the Republic had to offer. I couldn't ignore what was happening; I had to serve."

"The sentiment is common among the ranks. And for that I am grateful." He tightened his robotic fist. "The Jedi are the peacekeepers of the Galaxy and we uphold the Republic's values. We cannot do it alone and to have men such as yourself in service benefits everyone."

"Thank you, sir." Niall said, straightening. "I can't speak for everyone in the Republic Military, but speaking for myself, I have the utmost respect for the Jedi, and what they do. And perhaps even more for what they represent."

"And I have the utmost respect for the Republic military, from Supreme Commander to the greenest recruit."

"That's very kind, sir."

After a moment, Niall nodded again. "I'll check up on Arali tomorrow. If there's anything else this Captain can do for you, please don't hesitated to ask. I'm more than happy to do whatever I can for the good of the Republic."