There's still more to talk about

"I like the sound of that. Shall we head to my quarters...?" The Outlander asked, his thick arm around Lana's shoulders.

"Not just yet. We need to talk about your other candidates," Lana said, but she slid her hand into a gap in his armor at the hip to touch him briefly.

"You want to discuss the women you'll have to share me with," he said flatly.

"Well I'd rather say it's an important issue to me, isn't it? And as your adviser, it's my duty to give you the information that might be most useful to you on any given subject."

"You just want to make sure I don't pick someone you don't like."

Lana sniffed disdainfully. "My personal feelings are secondary. Besides, if I dislike someone, there is probably a very good reason."

The Outlander chuckled at Lana's bristling pride. It was one of the things he loved about her. "Of course, love. Of course. So, who do you approve of, for me?"

"Well, we can start with the obvious. Torch, or Mandalore the Avenger, or Shae Vizla. However you want to call her. She's the obvious choice, of course."

"How so?"

Lana raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Well, for starters, you were adopted as a Mandalorian by her predecessor. You're still learning the culture, but more than once you've identified yourself as a Mandalorian. You led them to glory in fighting the Eternal Empire on Darvannis, and against my advice, gave them vital intelligence we'd acquired, that cut their losses and helped them capture badly needed arms and supplies. I was concerned that if we let them get too strong, they'd be a problem for us later. So far, I've been mistaken. Once again you gave them a strong enemy to fight on Voss against Vaylin. Under her leadership on the battlefield fighting your war, they have earned glory, loot, and strong enemies to fight - all that Mandalorians seek. The two of you, together, have made them more than just mercenaries. If you join with their leader, it gives us a powerful fighting **** we can use to settle smaller conflicts without spreading our fleets too thin. And it keeps them from turning against us."

"That's all very practical, but what makes you think she'd be interested?"

Lana rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Just because she's often wearing a helmet, doesn't mean I can't tell where she's looking. And if you hadn't noticed, when you're in her company, she's often looking at you. Think about it - Grand Champion of the Great Hunt. Bested her clan and herself in personal combat on Rishi. Fought alongside her against the Revanites on Yavin IV. Helped solidify her position as Mandalore on Darvannis. But it's more than that. She's interested in you as a woman interested in a man. I have no doubt that if you proposed, she'd accept."

"Even though that means sharing with you."

Lana shrugged. "It's odd. While Mandalorians are especially unforgiving about betrayal, they don't really consider adultery to be the same thing. I guess it's because they often go on extended campaigns away from their families - people get lonely and things happen. And, well, we got on well enough working together against Revan, there could be worse people to have to share you with."

The Outlander thought about it. Torch did have a lot of the qualities he wanted in a spouse, the political benefits were obvious, and she wasn't exactly unattractive either - her long red hair and warm brown eyes were quite stunning, once you got to see her without a helmet.

"So you want me to marry Shae, then?" he asked.

"I merely suggest her as a good candidate. There are others in your inner circle as well."