A Bitter Brotherhood

The Meeting

Zaru runs down the hall of the ship looking through the medical ward looking for someone, drenched in sweat and out of breath from all the running. Counting the room numbers down till he reached the 6th room on the left frantically bursting through it and seeing his best friend Kayde getting a medical check-up. The medical droid moves away deeming Kayde to be okay and moves to the room next door letting Zaru rush past. Tubes embedded into his skin covered in soot, his eyes holding the thousand-yard stare at the ceiling. He couldn't possibly imagine what Kayde was going through, the pain that flooded his heart even though he still could not believe what he heard.

"Hey man it's me, your best friend Zaru i'm here, please look at me man it will be alright it's over." He said to Kayde trying to reach out to him but seeing that it proves no results. His head dropped with sadness feeling useless as always, he suddenly felt a large hand on his head and looked up to see his father Bysro. "We need to give him some space son he is clearly going through a lot right now, and has to work it out on his own. The most we can do now is back him up when it's deemed appropriate" Bysro said with his gruff voice. Zaru noticed his voice sounded more hoarse than usual with the corners of his eyes puffy and red, probably from crying which didn't surprise him, Afterall both he and Kaydes' father were friends back in the day.

Zaru stands up as he looks back at Kayde "Yes sir" he said solemnly turning around as he followed his father. Following his father down the hall he saw what remained of the Lassiter Clan: only 3 members were left alive, and one of them was only 3 years old; the oldest was Krista and she was only 16. As he followed his father they entered a private room with many more higher-up officials, he even saw the former and current Mandalore's Kal Ordo and his daughter Sandra Ordo respectively. Bysro gestured for his son to stay by his brother's Klayso side whilst they discussed business making Zaru feel ill to his stomach to be near Klayso.

As he moved towards Klayso they began to hold an open discussion about what transpired and how this should be handled, sadly he would have listened in if his brother hadn't started to open his mouth. "So sounds like your friend is an orphan now, how pitiful he should have died with the rest of his family," Klayso said with a smile disregarding all the people who died that night. Zaru not looking at him replied with disdain "53 Mandolorians died tonight, and of course like the sadist you are Klayso, you only worried about the fact Kayde didn't die with the rest of them. Truly an example of how we Ordo's should present ourselves" Zaru never liked his brother and the feeling was very mutual. "Don't forget you're only half Ordo seeing as how you are nothing more than a bastard with a whore for a mother." He said with such venom in his voice knowing that Zaru couldn't cause a scene unless he wanted to embarrass their father in front of Mandalore. Biting his tongue Zaru decided to not respond nor stoop to his level as this was how all their arguments went with him calling him a bastard and his mother a whore.

Zaru turned his attention back to the meeting and finally caught up to this discussion "We will have to of course give them all a home seeing as how they are all without families' ' said Bysro looking at the crowd around him. One hand raised suggesting they could adopt the children into their families, followed by another from a Wealthy Ordo whom he knew his name was Jadec who was looking to adopt the youngest into their family as they had been wanting a daughter for the longest time. Another offered to take Krista into their home, leaving only Kayde which caused the air to turn silent, not many people offered to adopt him as they did with the girls. Kal Ordo stood forward "If no one else will adopt him then I shall take him into our home" he proclaimed amongst the crowd causing voices to begin to chatter amongst one another. As Sandra began to call this meeting to adjourn Zaru rushed over and proclaimed with a shout "We will take Kayde Lassiter under our care!!" stunned silence befell the room as Bysro hushed Zaru.