Chương 9: Silver Codex V1
Forward
As Mandalorians, we live in strange times. With the ending of the clan wars a decade or so ago we now live in a peace we have not had in a generation. However, even with the fighting done, we still live in two worlds. One wishes to move us forward but forgets the past, and one who wishes to hold on to the past, no matter its failings. Neither answer is right and neither answer is wrong.
The correct answer exists in the political realities of our existences. for millennia Mandalore and her sector has produced the finest soldiers the galaxy has ever seen. We tested ourselves against all opponents and adapted our abilities to overcome or at the very least find parity with them.
But our enemies are now our allies, and some would say we should give up our warrior ways completely. Others would say having allies will make us weak and we should go back to the old ways and test ourselves against the galaxy again with another Crusade.
But is that really what the old ways say? Yes, the Code of Honor, which some point to as the definitive version of what Mandalorians should be, focuses on gaining honor for the clans. Even though those are addendums on the Resol'nare, if we go back to them, we find the act of gaining Honor through combat lacking. It is my belief that they are not something that should be abandoned or overlooked for the later Codes, as they prove that the road by which Mandalorians can find peace while maintaining respect for our ancient ways is possible.
The Resol'nare and Historical Shift
To first understand how this simple saying is still relevant we must first read the text.
"Education and armor, self-defense, our tribe, our language, our leader—all help us survive."
Looking at the text you can see no mention of honor or war or glory. So where did that line of thinking come from? Our ancient cultural ancestors the Taungs. They believed their gods were the god of war and that through war they would venerate their gods, but there are other texts stating that their warrior ways were unable to win the fight and they were then cast out of their homeworld. If we are to assume that this is true we know where the basis of the idea for this saying comes from. It is not about glory, it is about survival. And that survival was on a planet called Roon, we will come back to that.
The later addendums of Codes of Honor would take this statement and add on ideas related to gaining honor for oneself and their clan, creating rules by which conflict could be settled, but they're just that, an addendum, made for their time and their place in history. And their place in history was a lively one. What both those who claim we should go back to the old ways and those who say we should abandon them entirely tend to forget is that Nevoota, and Fenelar, Tlönians were not peaceful neighbors who lived in harmony with every other power.
The Nevoota in their time were considered Mandalorian of their time. The deadliest species in the galaxy, and were led by warlords which would imply they were known for causing wars in the region they lived. Now, why is that interesting to Mandalorians? because Nevoota lies along one of the most direct hyper lane routes from Roon to Mandalor. The ancient Mandalorians no doubt had long-standing feuds with them, and now that they had secured their new homeworld they most likely sought to make sure Nevoota didn't inteifer with their survival. While also secreuing the reputation Nevoota had for themselves.
If you look at the other wars the Mandalorians took on in the early days you can see a similar pattern. Fenelar was a known producer of dreadnoughts on the Mandalore sector's doorstep.
Same for the Tlönians, a hive mind species looking to expand in the same region. These conflicts were started to ensure the survival of Mandalore, but through these conflicts that veneration of war took hold which would lead on to further Crusades and the Codes of Honor.
They took their need for survival too far and eventually overstepped what the galaxy was willing to accept. It is one thing to go to war with the Basiliskan, a species who built war droids and used chemical weapons, and quite another to go to war with the Kuarans, who besides having wars and civil wars now and again are not an aggressive species. They were targeted because they had an army the Mandalorians could fight, not because they were a threat.
If you go back to our history, every time we overstepped ourselves, we survived not due to the codes of honor but falling back on the principles in the Resol'nare. The Dxun Mandalorians fell back on it when they needed to rebuild the clans after the Mandalorian Wars. Clan Ordo exist to this day because they adhere to the defensive nature of the Resol'nare. Clan Awaud, who rebuilt the sector, saw great success 1000 years ago because of their use of their defensive nature when it was needed. Pirates were issues and a defense force in the sector made it safe enough for recolonization by the Mandalorian Diaspora.
The Resol'nare interpretation for the Modern Age.
We are no longer in a time when wars are common. There is conflict; the recent dust-up on Naboo shows that forcse of arms is necessary for the survival of a culture. Is more conflict like that likely in the future? Well, taxing The Free Trade Zones will undoubtedly lead to conflict. Will there be outright war as a result of it? that is unlikely, but chaos creates opportunities. Imagine the Trade Federation is in need of credits so they send one of their fully armed Lucrehulks to the Outer Rim. This vessel then goes on to strong-arm planets or uses the ship as a mobile base for pirate fleets in the region. These are reasonable conflicts that could come to pass in the next decade.
If such conflicts were to arise, abandoning our warrior nature completely would spell disaster. Breaking your hand because it could be used to kill in aggression, only means you have nothing to protect yourself when someone who hasn't broken their hand comes around. Some would say the new Mandalorian would break their own hand, that they would abandon all aspects of what it means to be Mandalorian, this is false, they do maintain police and peacekeeping forces for Mandalore along with the royal guard which recruits from all clans equally. They understand the need for self-defense, they are just unsure about how to implement a fighting force that cannot be abused like the Mandalorian Armed Force was during the end of the Mandalorian civil war.
The answer to the worries of Old and the concern of the New can be found in the Resol'nare, with a proper mindset.
Education, a simple tenet, "raise your children as Mandalorian", what is a Mandalorian? Someone who follows the next five tenets. Though now most Mandalorians are humans, 4000 years ago this was not true. There are Mandalorians of every species our cultural forefathers came in contact with. The only real thing that should be clarified is All Mandalorians must know of our long history. For too long, those who seek to harness the Mandalorians for one conflict or another denied our failures and recoveries. to them the crusades happened yesterday, thus we must not continue them. It is long since past the time of such conflict, the history has their place but that is what they are, history, something we should know, or we will be doomed to repeat again and again.
It already began when Clan Awaud sought to bring back the Diaspora 1000 years ago, to rebuild Mandalore. Now Clan Awaud along with many clans who took part in the civil war have left the sector, creating a new Diaspora, this loss of Mandalorian resources weakens us as a whole and is a threat to our survival.
Armor, not weapon, armor. A defensive tool meant to keep our most valuable resource as Mandalorian safe, our lives. All Mandalorians must honor and maintain the armor of our people. Even if it's a simple ancient relic to remember the leader of our past, having that around is the keystone to what makes us Mandalorian, as we honor those who help keep our systems and sector safe and together during the worst the galaxy has thrown at us. That being said, there is no need to field an army of Beskar suited Super Soldiers, not to mention many clans have already given up their armor to join the new Mandalorians.
Demanding that they go out and buy new Beskar would be foolhardy. And in the other direction, a clan that bankrupts itself to hoard Beskar cannot be said to have acted in the common good of the Mandalorian people. There are plenty of ways of dealing with these issues, the style of our armor does not need to be made entirely of Beskar or even have any at all.
Armor, for all of the history of our people, has changed to meet the requirements and limitations of common doctrine and material availability. Thus armor adapted to be less cumbersome for the day-to-day requirements of the Mandalorian in question is no less honored than the armor required for heavy infantry of ancient times.
Self-defense, for us that is where the weapon comes in, though note how it specifically mentions self-defense. Self-defense is where New Mandalorians and the Old Mandalorians will see different sides of the coin from the same statement no matter what. But in reality, we want the same thing, the ability to defend ourselves in case something dangerous comes to call our homes. New Mandos believes a well organized and regulated police force can handle that, Old Mandos believes clans should be the ones to do that. They're both right and wrong at the same time; it is individuals that should come to account on self-defense, not clan, not organization, but the Mandalorian themselves.
If Mandalorians are called upon to defend their home and property they should be able to do so just as easily as if they were called upon to defend Mandalore itself. There are many ways to accomplish this standard, and though some more extreme elements of pacifism will raise hell, they can be appeased.
I believe Mandalore should have A Self-Defense Force, an arm of the government meant to defend Mandalore and all her allies, a force that is unable to be deployed off-world unless invited by a friendly power. And all Mandalorians, when of proper age, should spend a year in this force to make sure they can defend themselves. This will not only promote the teachings of self-defense but unity as well, as those youngsters will come to learn how to fight with people outside their normal clan setting not as enemies but as allies, resulting in a more united Mandalore. In simple terms, All Mandalorians must learn to defend themselves and our people.
Our Tribe, not clans, but they mean all the same as they are often used interchangeably. A Mandalorian must in some way devote themself to the betterment of Mandalore, be it in a simple way of looking out for your fellow Mando in the street or provide a service that will help ease a troubled mind, to Self-Defenses Forces or helping with repairing the planet of Mandalore. All Mandalorians must devote themselves to the betterment and enrichment of all Mandalorians. It's the connection we have between our peoples by our culture that helps us survive.
Our Language, this a simple bond between our people that has spread out amongst the stars, yes it is not galactic Basic, it will never be used for the Great Economy of the Galaxy, but it is ours, it is something we share, that allows us to speak to each other even if we are from a different parts of the galaxy. All Mandalorians must speak our ancient tongue.
Our Leader, who is our leader at this time? Some would say if there is no Mand'alor there is no leader, I would say differently. This saying predates the Mand'alor, and if how our clan structure works now is anything to go by, our ancient past very likely have their leader voted into power by clan heads, with perhaps a bit of fist de cuffs along the way to prove their metal. So our leaders must be legitimately elected. All Mandalorians must heed the call of the legitimate Mand'alor.
I would then say though, that Mand'alor should have their power granted by the constitution. Mand'alors have abused their powers like anyone else who has unlimited and unchecked power, so limits must be imposed
The Mand'alor must show no favor to any particular clan. The Mand'alor must heed the will of the Mandalorians. The Mand'alor must act for the good of the Mandalorians. The Mand'alor must allow the Mandalorians a common representative body. The Mand'alor must be above the petty politics of the day. Only the Mand'alor may call the Mandalorian people to war.
Who should be the leader, our Mand'alor at this time? At the moment Duchess Satine Kryze holds that title. As duchess she heeds the will of her people. She has attempted to act for the good of all Mandalorians. She has allowed the creation of a representative body to take care of the day-to-day task and she attempted to stay out of the petty politics to keep her position as neutral as she can. Her history at the end of clan wars shows she was willing to do what was necessary to defend Mandalore and was duly elected by clans to her position. She does not use the title Mand'alor, as its history with the Crusades is distasteful to her, but that is not what is important to the Resol'nare. A strong leader who will fight for our people's future is what matters.
Thought on Codes of Honor and Supercommando Codex
Some may read everything stated up to this point and assume I advocate for the delusion of the Codes of Honor, that just because I believe that the Resol'nare are defensive in nature, that Codes are solely offensive, and to some extent they would be right. But there are things that can be learned from the ancient codes that can only be found there. Jaster Mereel used them in the creation of the SuperCommando Codex, a document that has shown its usefulness to several clans when it comes to dealing with bounty hunting and mercenary work. Even local planetary defense forces have implemented elements of that codex when it comes to honorable conduct in a fight. This document has shown great legs and usefulness in realms of self-defense, and compared to works from the other side of the Mandalorian civil war such as Ba'jurne Kyr'tsad Mando'ad it does not demand that you fall in line and believe what your rally master teaches you is the truth, it gives you the choice to make up your own mind.
So how can Codes of Honor and Supercommando Codex be used to serve the notion of defending Mandalore? Their ritualistic styles of combat allow one to settle honor disputes without starting a clan war. There are elements to both that guarantee the treatment of prisoners as honorable combatants, not slaves or worst. And those who wish to go on adventures, leave the system to become mercenaries or bounty hunters would do well to learn how to act honorable, the benefits of having a clear code and lines you won't cross will allow you to be able to come home to the sector when you have grown tired of your adventures and you want to spend the remainder of your life in peace.
While you're out there gallivanting around in the wider galaxy you also represent the Mandalorian people.If you abuse that representation, degrade what we stand for, do not expect to come home to a hero's welcome.
Thought on Rebuilding
We are still recovering from the Mandalorian Civil war and the Clan wars that followed, the New Mandalorians have done a good job with their rebuilding efforts… but they tied one hand behind their back while doing so. The most important resource in the Mandalorian sector for the galaxy is Beskar, however, it is something we do not trade away, it is too important to our survival to let slip through our fingers. Besides that, most planets produce something that is easily replicated elsewhere in the galaxy. So what resources could be used which are beneficial to rebuilding our homeworlds?
Jaster Meree correctly noted that the most important resource is our people, we have a long history of fighting, everyone knows of our exploits and can recognize what we are just from our helmet's style of armor. New Mandalorians recognize this as well but their fear of war scares them from fully utilizing these resources to their fullest potential.
Our armorers are some of the greatest Craftsmen in the galaxy. They are too scared to make armor because of the connotations of war. However, as we have gone over before, the armor itself is not a declaration of war, is a declaration that you are prepared to defend yourself.
They should be allowed to produce armor to be creative and as I discussed, they can make armor from resources other than Beskar. Imagine if you will if we sold non-beskar armor for self-defense forces outside the Mandalore sector? made sure there are changes so people could not mistake these Self-Defenses Forces for Mandalorians. Remove the Irons Hearts from the chest and never sell the distinctive helmets with T visor and such, the profit from armor production alone would set up armorers for life.
Not to mention, once it becomes commonplace for armorers to work with things other than Beskar, this will allow clans that can not afford Beskar armor the chance to at least own a set of Mandalorian armor. As well as opening opportunities for elements of Mandalorian armor to be used as accessories in civilian garb, shoulder plate or a bracer could easily be a style to show your dedication to Mandalorian self-defense.
As well, our history can be better used now, people outside our sector want to learn about us. They are interested in our history because of the prestige we acquired over the last 4000 years.
There are an untold number for fortresses and castles across the Mandalorian sector; many of them are deprecated and useless, their eyesore writing till the day a battle happens to be nearby and their usefulness comes to bear again. We can use them even in times of peace, turn them into museums, charge people admission to show people relics from our past and tell them our history. Perhaps on their way out of this museum they can stop by a gift shop where fine Mandalorian replica blades and armor are sold. This would not only allow these fortresses to find uses in times of peace and bring more revenue to this while also serving as a way to make sure the next generation learns of their history.
There is one other element of history that can be of use here and now, our stories. There are plenty of tales throughout our history, moments of great wonder and of tragedy, and if we use the right format other than oral history and books to tell these tales, they could be used to rebuild our world. The creation of the entertainment industry to produce these works would allow not only our stories to be told from our point of view, but will allow our culture to become more accessible and sympathetic to the galaxy and encourage people to buy Mandalorian products and visit our worlds.
The economic benefits from leveraging our culture and history for our future are massive, and the tax revenue from these could be used for rebuilding efforts, Mandalore.
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