Being invited out was a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one. As eager as he was to chase problems, Sol had to remind himself to check out for breaks. Obsession could be a great fuel, but that fuel had a tendency to burn you out. A chance to recharge sounded welcome, and he had never had the chance to thank the Mando who had watched his back while he was scavenging.

"I like this place" The Gank mentions offhand. "It reminds me of some of the places I looked for work when I was bounty hunting or doing merc work, only homier" The Gank removes his mask, exposing a muzzle of yellow fur. He laps at an ale with his tongue. "And the ale is better too."

He picks up a pool cue, hefting it with an appreciative eye, checking the balance, thoughts immediately turning to how he would need to swing it to break it over a man's skull.

''It is a nice place'' agreed the helmed mandalorian as he was hovering around the table to inspect it ''They are welcoming, don't ask too much questions and allow me to reserve a pool table...can't ask for more''

Richo was not usually expressive passed what needeed to be. Still, most would have reacted upon realising their poolmate was a gank...he did not.

''Been working as a merc and bounty hunter for long?'' he reached for the triangle

"As a merc? Most of my life really. There was always some Hutt or boss who wanted to show some teeth. Sometimes, someone from the Republic wanted bandits cleared out while their army was stretched thin. Mostly though, it was bad beings hiring us to do bad things to other bad beings."

"Then... We took the Empire's credits. " Sol tried to break, but the cue ball scutters wide, hitting the side for a messy break. "It wasn't the first time someone thought killing us was cheaper than paying us. They were the first that had what it took to make it stick"

" After that, I was lost for a while. I've been bouncing around the 'verse a while, picking up odds and ends. Stepping in where I feel it proper, usually when someone has a jackboot on a defenseless person's neck"

" What about you? Always a Mando, or are you one of the recruits. I've met one of you calling himself Clay about a year ago. Seemed newer"

Richo roams around the table in a manner that would befit a jungle predator looking for a meal...or angle in this case

''No, I wasn't'' he leaned over to align his shot ''I was adopted into the mando'ade sometime after the end of the clone wars. My brother gave me a new direction then. A new way, an honoroble one, to use what I was made for.''

He took his shot and pocketed the first ball

''One of the few people who ever believed I could be more then fodder for the canon and I will alway respect his memory for that'' he tapped the red on his helmet as if it meant something

The second shot was feeble, but managed to dislodge his next few targets.

''What have you been doing since you left merc work?...assuming you did''

Solork eyes up a dislodged ball that was knocked free and eyes it up.

"No, I'm out of the game now for the most part. After the Imps betrayed us I was saved by the people I was sent to kill. After that, the idea that I would take credits as a mindless killer, that my honor would be stained by coming back another day because I was hired to finish the job... I couldn't do it anymore."

Sol hits the cue ball on the side and pulls back, putting spin on it. It collides on the corner of his target, sending it at a 45 degree angle into a pocket.

"I bummed around awhile, taking what jobs I could. I did a job for the Empire again, and it turned out to be hunting Clones who used to serve them. It wasn't hard to figure out which side to come down on that one"

Sol eyes another angle shot. "I found a teacher shortly after that" His hand wavers a moment, causing his aim to go wide. He sighs and curses under his breath. "Spiritual one. I took the last year or so trying to get my head right. I thought I had...maybe less so." The Gank seems to frown

''Clones were good soldiers...a shame what happened to them. I had one as a close friend'' he admitted in between shots ''Yeah, never accept Imperial credit...and vet employers if possible.''

He reached for the chalk cube to adjust his cue

''Honorable work is hard to find and does not feed much...still I cannot phantom doing anything else.''

He made a straight shot that pocketed one of his balls but failed the other

''Spiritual teacher? What do you mean?''

Sol hesitates for a moment, but then shrugs to himself.

It's not like I haven't tripped over three Force Sensitives who were on the ferry over, plus that one hiding on planet.

"A Jedi. I found a Jedi."

The Gank aims for a cluster and offers a power shot, breaking it apart and sending balls careering around the table.

"Though apparently the Dark is too much of a temptation, so I have been released from my tutulage. So...I don't really know what to do once" he looks up, knowing this Mando was part of the group at work "the radio assignments are finished. You aren't wrong that honorable work pays little and is few and far between."

Richo was silent for a good moment ''I see'' being his only words before a grunt and an annoyed shake of the head.

''Jedi are such tight asses. A student who is failing is one who needs the most help, that's what my brother always told me.''

he lined up another successful shot, using Solock's power shot opening before making one of his own

''Do you want me to go find your teacher and share that bit of mando wisdom?''

"Heh. No. I think part of the separation made me know that there was a bit of wisdom to it." Solork leans forward on his pool cue

"Don't get me wrong, I wanted to learn. And I did , though not with any flashy sorcerer tricks. I learned that the debts I owe aren't to the people I've wronged, it's to the people who are being wronged by people like I was. I learned that cutting off the part of myself that I was upset at meant that I never addressed it, and learned to accept it, to tame it. I've learned" somehow the Gank's muzzle manages a rueful smile "that good intentions mean nothing in comparison to the action. That running to overcorrect a problem is sometimes worse than letting it lie."

The smile fades. "But I don't think I was every going to sit around in an ivy covered ivory tower. I was never going to be a pacifist. I was never going to learn an elegant fighting style from a more "civilized era" the Gank offers air quotes. "So maybe it's for the best"

''HA!'' the mando seemed to engage in what appeared to be a chuckle ''Well said, glad you found some wisdom in all of this...you almost sound like a mandalorian...almost''

he nodded towards the table

''Speaking of that...since you are beginning a new path, ever thought of joining the mando'ade?''

Sol's muzzle opens for a minute, tongue derping out as he tries to recover from the surprise.

"Is that...possible? I mean, for one like me? What does it even entail?" He seems blindsided by the idea.

''It is possible, hard and demanding, but possible.'' he considered for a moment ''Her words were harsh but she got the right of it when she spoke them'' he paused for a solemn second when he spoke back the words of Mandalore the Destroyer

''Here's why you can't exterminate us, aruetii. We're not huddled in one place—we span the galaxy. We need no lords or leaders—so you can't destroy our command. We can live without technology—so we can fight with our bare hands. We have no species or bloodline—so we can rebuild our ranks with others who want to join us. We're more than just a people or an army, aruetii. We're a culture. We're an idea. And you can't kill ideas—but we can certainly kill you."

"That's" Sol tries to evaluate the words. "Surprisingly profound. But I still don't know what precisely is needed. Is anyone who calls themselves a Mandolorian one? Do you need to be accepted by one already? It seems like there could be a lot more, potentially"

"There is an adoption ritual a mandalorian must perform with the the one who wishes to join. From that point on it is the adopting parent's duty to instruct his protégé in the ways of the mando'ade. The fondation lies with the Resol'nare"

Solork is quiet, surprised at how appealing it sounds. The way that J-Richo phrases it, the group would seem like another pack, only one that was more inclusive...and took fewer jobs sight unseen.

"Please take this with the most respect I can offer: this seems like a commitment I could not honorably shirk from if I accepted. I have no intention of agreeing and then going back on my word, so I do not want to make such a choice hastily."

The Gank muses for a while. "What does your clan stand for? I already told you that I have no intention of being the boot on the throat of others: the opposite in fact. I would have a hard time looking away at such a thing because it was "inconvenient", though I am pragmatic to know that there is such a thing as a lost battle. What would it mean if I were to refuse an order that was given to me? Am I pledged to a cause if I accept? And...

Sol moves in closer, dropping his voice. "For fairness, I must warn you: taking me on would lead to a number of additional enemies for you. I have bounties on my head for surviving the Imperial job. Furthermore" the Gank changes to a whisper "You might have guessed, but I can use the Force. Jedi would consider me a grave menace. The Empire would want to kill me...or worse. So know who you are offering this to"

''I do not expect haste with something like this. Adoption is an important matter and it would be disrespectful for me to be dishonest''

He pauses as he listens to the gank's quiery

''My clan...might not be more then I.'' he admitted ''My brother, Caesar, feared he might have been the last of his clan until he adopted me. He lost contact with the rest of clan Toboga during the clone wars was unaware of their fates until the end.''

He looked around and opted to close the drapes at the entrance of the pool room: mando business is private

''Since the civil war the traditional clan affiliation have been fractured as nearly all of them splintered to join different ideological factions. My brother's and mine comes from past Mandal'ore Jaster Mereel and we still uphold the supercommando codex: the highest code of conduct of our people. Mandal'ore Mereel believed in our warrior ways but also believed that we should always act with honor and dignity, rejecting baseless violence and criminality. If you believe an order to be wrong, abusive or dishonorable it would your duty to confront your commander and hold him or her accountable. You can follow your faith as long as it does not bring shame or dishonor to our people and should you, or I, stumble on the way we will be expected to help each other back up.''

He paused to let Solork digest everything so far and continued in a solemn and low voice

''Should you accept to join the Mando'ade in this fashion you and I will become brothers. No matter what come I will have your back and you will have mine. Should the Empire come, we will fight them together. Should the Jedi remnants come for you, we will face them side by side if they become hostile.''

Now came the hardest part

''The Mando'ade are a fractured people with different beliefs and allegiances. A question I now ask of you is this...''

He removed his helmet to reveal his face, the first time in a long, long, while before putting it back.

''...are you ready to call me brother with all that entails?'' Richo was one one for expression but anyone could feel the weight of that question

It was many things that help Solork make his decision: the conviction with which the words were said that did it. the sense of belonging, a code of conduct that (at worst) did not seem to contract his Jedi teachings...and the fact that the Mandolorian was alone without allies.

When the mask came up, what lay beneath it was irrelevant.

Sol offers a hand. "A brother. If you'll have me. If we are the only ones left, then they are none to gainsay what we make of it"

Richo firmly grabs Solorks forearm

''Welcome to the Mando'ade, brother'' there was...shaking...in his voice ''There is still much for you to learn to truly become one of us. It will be my honor to transmit to you the knowledge I have received.''

He nods

''And we need to forge you a proper helm''

"I have a lot to learn" Solork looks the mask he had placed down. "It was the best I could make with the materials at the time"

''We will work on that and I can give you the schematics of my own helm if you can forge yours'' he nodded ''Chose a place and a few witnesses. Adoption is a simple yet important affair, let's make it count''