Brawln and Nomi

Brawln comes across Nomi in the mess, fixing herself a tea-like drink from whatever would pass in the ship's rations. While she went unscathed in the last fight on the Mirror's ship she looks a little shaken. Perhaps it is just the cumulative effects of the last action-packed days.

"Are you feeling alright after that fight? You took some rather heavy impacts in there. I was impressed that you were ok after all of that debris fell on you. It would have crushed me."

Brawln seems a bit shaken as well, though he seems unfazed talking about the fight.

"Brawln says he's feeling fine thanks to the stimpacks. He's been in worse scraps before. Honestly, the biggest shock was finding out that the Mirror was created that way - that someone made him a killer on purpose."

Brawln shakes his head and gestures your direction and HC-7 says, "But how are you handling things? I must imagine it's difficult for you and some of the rest of the crew to adjust to times of sudden violence. And has it sunk in yet - that you and your sister are going to need a new place in the world?"

Nomi nods at the droid and then remembers that she is talking to Brawln so turns to him as she opens her mouth to talk. Her blush turns her cheeks a slightly darker shade of lilac. "It is quite shocking that he was made like that. And also that someone can even do that. If they could program him to be that way could that be done to all clones? Could they have been 'programmed' to act a certain way, or follow a certain person's orders above those of another, for example? I mean, if you are growing a person from raw genetic data, why not?" She shivers at the thought as though it scares her.

Brawln's line of questioning sobers her even further and she gets a little line between her eyebrows. She didn't answer his question about the difficulty of being launched into a violent world, her attention going straight to the other idea he brought up. "Oh! I hadn't thought. I have been so busy with everything going on and finding Damasa Kovani and being pursued by the Mirror, or pursuing him ourselves that I wasn't thinking much beyond the tips of my toes and the nose of this ship." She turns to her tea, pulling the strainer out of the hot water and letting it drip, occupying herself with this for a moment and thinking before she continues. "I suppose we could return to Ryloth. I don't know that we would go back to live with our family, but we could find something to do there among other Twi'leks...but I don't think that's necessary. Wherever Somi is is a good enough place for me. Even if we wandered the galaxy for the rest of our lives because Somi was avoiding detection of having once been associated with the Temple Padawans I don't think that I would mind. We would make our way together like we always have." She looks back at Brawln. "Where is your place? Do you have a place you call home? I know it was not on Coruscant and you said that you have never been to Kashyyyk."

Brawln walks over to a window aboard the ship and looks out at a nearby star as he answers.

HC-7 begins translating. "It would seem Brawln has never had a stable home of his own before. He's always lead a somewhat nomadic life hunting down bounties, doing favors where they're owed or paying back debts. He says he feels he's -" HC-7 stiffens for a moment and turns to Brawln. "Really, Brawln, I had no idea you had such a melodramatic side."

HC-7 turns back to Nomi and says, "It would seem that Brawln feels he is home-" the droid arcs his hand up over his misshapen head, and his voice drops to a whisper, "wherever there are mysteries to solve."

Brawln turns and makes noise of protest.

"Yes, Brawln, you did say it like that."

More Wookiee noises.

"Well, they don't have that word in Galactic Basic, and that tone was the best I could do to convey a similar message."

There is a little more back and forth, and Brawln doesn't seem happy at the conclusion, but he continues at some point and HC-7 turns back to Nomi. "Brawln likes his work and has always had a soft spot for being helpful to others in ways that many bounty hunters are unwilling or unable, due to guild allegiance and such, to pursue. It's not good money, but Brawln has gotten by for more than a hundred years this way, and he doesn't seem to have any interest in changing that anytime soon.

"And speaking of work, one of the reasons he mentioned the Kaminoan isn't so much because he's curious what your thoughts are on the philosophical angle of that level of control over the Mirror, so much as it was because Brawln wishes to know if the Captain," as HC-7 says the word, Brawln is suddenly watching Nomi very closely, "has considered whether we ought to do something about the Kaminoan if the opportunity presents itself. A presence like that out there, somewhere, no doubt gives everyone the same sense of dread that maybe there will be more like the Mirror, and sooner than we'd like.

"In any event, there's nothing more to be said right at the moment, but it may be something worth considering - if this sort of activity offends us collectively enough to cause us to either intervene ourselves (which would mean killing her) or sending word to those who drove her out of wherever she's being driven out of at the moment. Just something to think over."

When HC-7 is done speaking, Brawln seems satisfied to have been heard, and he rummages around for something to drink in one of the rations on board before returning his attention back to Nomi.

Nomi waves her arms expansively. "Welcome home!" she says. There is mirth in her voice, but also warmth showing that she is not making fun of Brawln, but the situation could possibly be considered amusing.

As HC-7 continues to translate Nomi snorts at the title of Captain. "Yes, sure, Captain by necessity, or a figure-head really. I have no illusions of being in charge of this group. I have no more claim to authority than the rest of any of us."

Nomi studies Brawln for a moment. "As to the Kaminoan and the Mirror." She sighs. "I have no wish to take out a personal vendetta against the Kaminoan or people like her. And I'm not so sure there are not already a whole army of clones out there like the Mirror. He's not wearing armor, they are, but any one of the Clones wearing armor, if they knew about Somi and Vesper and Efnir would be coming after us too. Is it any less worse because they are following orders? What if they are following orders only because they were bred to. I think if we're going to get up in arms about the Kaminoan we're going to also have to take up cause against whomever made the clones and asked for them to be made in the first place. Is that something I want to do?" Nomi shrugs.

Tapping her fingers on her mug Nomi narrows her eyes just a bit at Brawln, considering. "Now, you on the other hand. I think you have more personal investment in this than you are letting on. The Mirror is not just a job with you, is he? It has something to do with you dad, doesn't it?" She's not accusative, if anything her voice carries sympathy and an invitation to unburden. Her voice drops a bit to a quiet empathetic purr. "Does the Mirror have something to do with how he died?"

Brawln listens to her dismiss the captain title as ornamental and sighs a bit. HC translates, “I thought you might feel that way, but even so, the time may come where we need a captain, a real one. Not someone to tell others what to do, but someone to keep everyone together, and moving in the right direction. You’re young and all, but out of the people we have here you seem to be one of the most effective at doing that. Just something to think about, and for what it’s worth, anyone who takes charge for the right reasons is going to have me behind them, but I thought I might mention it all the same.”

As the conversation turns to the mirror and Nomi’s thoughts on the Caminoan, Brawln’s head droops and he mutters “Yeah, I see your point.” Shaking his head, he reaffirms, “No, you’re absolutely right. She’s dangerous, but that’s not our problem or our responsibility, and we aren’t in a position to police everyone and everything that’s dangerous.” Brawln continues to look unhappy, but HC-7 translates the his last few grunts are, “Thanks, that actually really helped me get my head on straight there.”

As the conversation turns to his father HC-7 turns and says to Brawln. "Wait, is this true?"

Brawln's appearance is guarded, but he responds. HC-7 says, "It would seem you are correct. The Mirror does have something to do with his father's death - but it would seem it isn't as simple as you might be imagining. Brawln isn't here for vengeance, because the Mirror is not the one ultimately responsible for his father’s death."

With that, Brawln stands up and makes a light growl, and HC-7 says, "Brawln says he is sorry to end the conversation like this. It's been a good chat. We should have one again sometime. But for now, it would seem that he needs a little space on that topic. Do think about the captain bit, though, if not you, at the very least who you’d want there instead."

With that, Brawln leaves the room, and HC-7 trails after him, the two of them conversing in Shyrriwook on their way out.

Nomi doesn't miss the way Brawln's attention turns inward, perhaps in a manner that expresses some feelings of guilt. Correctly intuited or not, properly felt or not, Nomi realizes that if she is going to help him unpack how he feels about his father's death it will have to be another time. "Thank you for the vote of confidence, Brawln. I will think about it, definitely. Have a good night." She doesn't have a chance to say anything else without continuing to yell after Brawln and HC-7 as they head down the corridor so she says nothing more. Nomi washes the cups that the two of them used and stows them securely away before heading to her own room.