Aliit Ori'shya eyn Eyayah be Ruyot (The Mandalorian/Clone Wars)

[JonathanAnubian]

Family is more than an echo of the past.​

Summary;
When a Jedi artifact sends Din somewhere else the poor man is disoriented and confused. He has no idea what's going on or why he's no longer in a dark cave. He plans on keeping a low profile and scouting out this new place until he hears the sound of a young voice crying out in pain. When he sees an armored figure strike a child he can't help but intervene- after all he is Mandalorian and Children are the future.

Jango is having a really bad time. He never should have agreed to the Contract in the first place. Hindsight is 20/20 and he knows he can't stop this shipwreck in progress. But hope comes in the form of a beskar clad warrior from the ancient past. Someone who sees the Clones as people and not meat droids. Now all he has to do is convince the other mando to help.

Pairings;
Din/Jango
Female OC/Male OC

Author Notes: Italics are Basic/English, normal speech is Mando'a. Mando'a is canonically a genderless language, since a Mando doesn't care what your anatomy is as long as you're a good warrior. So most of the fic will use they/them when characters are speaking Mando'a.

This fic has a "rolling" narrative, which means that each chapter has some of the previous chapter included but from a different character's POV.

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Chapter 1- Din

Spots danced across his vision as Din let out a low groan. His entire body felt as if it had fallen asleep, the pins and needles making him twitch and wince behind his helmet. Lifting his head he quickly glanced around for any signs of life before letting out a relieved sigh too low for the helmet speaker to pick up. Slowly sitting up he stared at the unfamiliar white walls around him and frowned in confusion.

This was not the damp old cave he'd found himself in earlier that cycle.

The last thing he remembered was stumbling and falling through a wall that should have been solid, but wasn't. The walls changed from a damp old cave tunnel to a stagnant aired cavern with carved pillars. It looked exactly like the kind of thing Luke had asked him to look out for on his jobs so he'd cautiously made his way up the steps to the small altar at the top.

As he strode forward lights burst into life around him, startling him into reaching for his weapons. When nothing happened he relaxed his death grip on his spear and let out a small sigh of relief.

Resting in an indent in the elaborately carved stone was an orb that was smaller than his palm. It seemed opaque at first but the longer he stared at it, wondering if he should touch it or not, the clearer it became. Inside were dancing flecks of color that swirled together like an infinitesimal galaxy, almost hypnotic in the way they reflected the light.

Warily he reached for the orb, knowing that there was an inherent danger in anything touched or made by Jedi magic. Picking it up he tensed for something strange to happen, though Luke had told him most artifacts didn't react to someone who was both force null and encased in beskar. When nothing happened he gripped the orb more firmly and carefully made his way back the way he'd come.

Of course it was just his luck that nothing ever went quite the way he expected.

There was a loud rumble as everything began to shake around him. He could hear the cracking of stone and looked up as sharp stalactites fell from the ceiling toward him. Diving out of the way he hissed in alarm as his grip on the orb proved weak.

The orb clattered to the ground and he sucked in a sharp breath as it rolled a few feet away from his outstretched hand. Scrambling to his feet he darted forward to grab it- but was too late.

Another chunk of rock detached from the ceiling and he watched it fall as if in slow motion.

The sound of the orb shattering was loud in the sudden silence that followed.

Then Din saw white.

Now here he was, stalking the white halls of the strange facility as he tried to figure out what in the Ka'ra had happened. Oh, he knew it was force osik. Din just didn't know what kind of force osik. Luke had never been the best at explaining it in terms he understood and after the many long lectures he'd kind of started to tune it all out.

Checking around another bland corner into another junction that looked exactly like every other one he'd passed Din was about to dash across the open space when a sound was picked up by his helmet.

It froze him in his tracks, entire body stiff and ears straining just in case he'd misheard.

"Pathetic! Absolutely useless! Quit that bitching or I will twist off your head and shit down your neck!" The voice was rough, masculine, and yelling at a volume that was near impossible to miss.

But that wasn't what Din was focused on.

The sound of a child trying and failing to muffle their cries of pain made his heart race in his chest and his blood boil in his veins.

Without a single thought to the consequences he pushed himself away from the wall and stalked down the hall the noise had come from, hands clenched at his sides.

"Did I say you could step out of line CC-2224? Get back in line before I put my boot so far up your ass you can spit shine it!" The more Din heard the faster he walked until he was practically belting down the long hallway.

"And you! You have the coordination of a one winged mynock tripping on spice! A defect like you wouldn't know how to-" Slamming his hand down on the pad the door slid open to a large training room.

Din's chest heaved as he took in the small forms standing around a circle in matching uniforms, not one of them taller than his waist. Near the center of the group was an armored man with one large hand around the neck of a blonde child, pinning them against the mats as they scrabbled to escape. There were recent bruises on the child's face and blood running from their nose.

Din saw red.

"Demagolka!" He snarled, spear already in his hands as he stalked forward like the deadly hunter he was.

"Who the fu-" The man never got a chance to finish his sentence before Din was on him.

The guy put up a fight, Din would give him that, but he clearly hadn't kept up with whatever training he'd been raised with.

Din on the other hand? He'd been training since his buir saved him during the Clone Wars, had fought on the front lines during the Purge, and killed a Greater Krayt Dragon.

In the end the bastard was dead with Din's spear shoved up into his ribcage through a gap in his armor.

The children stared at him, looking too scared to move, as Din stood over their former tormentor. Pulling his spear out of the quickly cooling corpse he set it onto the ground and turned to regard the small blonde child.

Some time during the fight one of the older children had rushed forward and pulled the injured child away, cradling the blonde to their chest. As Din came closer the two of them flinched, holding fast to one another and trying desperately not to cry. Din stopped a few feet away and crouched so he wasn't towering over them.

"Hey there. I'm not here to hurt you, I swear." The children stiffened, their faces scrunching up slightly in confusion.
Din looked between them and frowned. The ade were very similar in appearance and he was fairly certain they were brothers. Not twins, one of them was at least a year or two younger, but definitely related.

But where had he seen a face like that before…

Din pushed the thought away. It was irrelevant to the situation at hand. Reaching into the pouches on his belt he slowly pulled out a small medical pack and showed it to the children. "It's just some alcohol wipes and bacta spray. I want to make sure they're okay. Will you let me?" He motioned toward the blonde who in turn looked up at their potentially elder sibling.

The child watched him for a moment, amber eyes intelligent and sharp, before they flicked over to the body of the fake Mandalorian. After a moment or two of silence the child turned back to him and nodded curtly.

Din's shoulders relaxed and he smiled. "Thank you." Getting closer he knelt in front of the children and opened the package in front of them. Taking out the alcohol wipe he gently ran it over the boy's face, making a low noise of reassurance when the child flinched and let out a hiss of pain. "Hey, you're doing good kid." He soothed quietly as he checked the rest of their bruises. He had to hold back another flash of anger at the sight of a handprint that almost completely encircled the slender neck.

He should have inflicted a lot more pain on the demagolka.

"There you go, kid, feeling a bit better?" The child blinked dark brown eyes up at him and hesitantly nodded. Din reached over and ruffled their short cropped hair. "Mandokarla." He said warmly.

The child let out a surprised squeak and ducked further into the arms of their ori'vod, who frowned up at him in confusion. Din got to his feet and looked around at the other children, looking for any further injuries, and paused as the strangeness of their appearance finally registered.

Every single one of them shared the same features. It wasn't exact, he was observant enough to notice small differences, but they were all so similar it was unsettling.

Then it clicked.

Clones.

Just like Boba.

The very thought made Din's mind race. Had the last remnants of the Empire somehow gotten hold of Boba's dna and re-started their clone army? Din thought they'd moved on to the damned droid troopers and attempting to use Grogu's blood to give them access to Jedi magic. Did they bring back the clones because Moff Gideon had failed?

As the children continued to watch him warily one of them finally stepped forward. "Sir?" They said, voice shaking slightly.

Din snapped out of his thoughts and turned toward the child. "Yes?" He said softly. Clones or not they were just children. Injured, scared, children.

"What are your orders, Sir? A-are you our new Sergeant now?" The child stood stiffly, arms at his sides even as his bottom lip trembled with nerves.

Din melted at the sight.

"No orders." He said quietly, still worried he might spook the lot of them. "And I'm no one's sergeant. I'm a Beroya." He wasn't sure if the kids knew what that was but he didn't feel like explaining further. "But I don't think we should stay here." He glanced back at the corpse and swallowed the curses that tried to force themselves out of his mouth. "If they have friends then they'll probably realize they're dead soon."

The kids stared up at him in confusion, looking so lost it hurt his soul. "Hey, I'm not going to let someone like that hurt you again. Okay?" He could feel their eyes on him and straightened further. "I swear. I will protect each and every one of you with my last breath."

"Why?" The child holding onto the blonde asked, tone heated. "We're just clones."

Din thought carefully about what to say for a moment before he decided it was best to just tell the truth. "One of my ori'vode, my… elder brothers, is a clone. He's known as one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy." Din stared right at the child as he spoke. "He is a person, just like you, and all of you have worth."

There was a sense of something holding its breath, of tense anticipation, before the child's eyes began to shine and he gave Din a watery smile. He opened his mouth to speak when the sound of a door opening behind them alerted Din to uninvited guests.

"What the fuck is going on in here!" An enraged voice that sounded oddly familiar barked behind him.
In an instant Din turned, dove for his spear, and sprang to his feet; placing his body between the unknown voice and the children.

"Stay behind me!" He ordered the children calmly through the speaker of his helmet.

Standing just inside the doorway were three sentients dressed in beskar'gam. Din growled, watching their every move.
Wearing beskar'gam used to mean that someone was an ally. But with all he'd seen in the last few months there was no guarantee that these three were not also demagolkase.

"Who the hell are you? What are you- is that fucking Priest?" The one in the sandy-yellow armor of vengeance asked in Mando'a, sounding shocked and incredulous.

"Cadets, get away from them! They're an intruder!" The second one in gold beskar'gam barked at the children, although his voice was filled more with concern than anything else.

Behind him the children shifted anxiously on their feet but didn't move.

"Leave the children alone. Your quarrel is with me." Din growled, gripping his spear tighter.

"Why are you protecting them?" The one in blue and unpainted beskar asked.

"Children are the future." He stated firmly. "This is the Way."

There was a long moment of silence before the one in silver and blue reached up to take off their helmet. "Then we are not your enemy." Without the interference of the vocoder Din stiffened as he finally placed the voice. "My name is Jango Fett, House Mereel."

Dank ferrik, was that Boba's buir? What the kark kind of Jedi magic was this?

"I think we need to sit down and have a little talk." Boba's buir said, intelligent eyes straying to the nearby corpse of the demagolka. "At the very least I have to thank you for taking out that trash."

Oh. Well... there really wasn't much else he could do, was there?

"Fine." He said lowering his spear. "But I want a medic to check on the children. Some of them are injured."

Jango Fett's face split into a grin that set off all of Din's danger senses.

"That can be arranged."

---

Mando'a Translations;

Beskar- Mandalorian iron.
Ka'ra- Stars/Ruling council of fallen kings.
Osik- Dung, insult.
Demagolka, Demagolkasse- Monster/War criminal, monsters/war criminals.
Buir- Parent.
Ad, Ade- Child, children.
Mandokarla- Someone who shows the epitome of Mandalorian virtues. Someone who has guts and spirit.
Ori'vod, Ori'vode- Elder sibling, elder siblings.
Beskar'gam- Mandalorian iron-skin/Mandalorian Armor.

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Chapter 2- Jango

Today was a shitty day.

Scratch that.

Today was a fucking disaster.

After Mij contacted him about the older cadets coming in more injured than usual he had accepted Priest's assurance that it was due to a more advanced hand to hand drill he'd started them on. He'd told Mij to just let it be and now… now look where they were.

"I told you that hut'uun was abusing his position as a trainer!" The doctor hissed at him as they stormed through the blinding halls of Kamino.

"I fucking heard you the first time!" He snarled. "I'll handle it!"

"We'll look after the cadets, Mij. Jango can deal with that dar'manda Priest." Kal growled, not falling behind despite his old injury.

"He better handle it! These boys are our responsibility, I don't care what the shab the Kaminiise say! They're just children!" Mij snapped.

Jango could feel the glare without looking. Even though Mij had married into the culture the man had taken it all to heart, even more than some of the traditional verde he'd hired. Jango still wasn't sure why the medic had taken the offer in the first place, although it might have something to do with earning enough credits to track down the shabuir who'd killed his spouse.

On his other side he could feel Kal tense. "Mij!" He barked, startling the doctor. "I know. Trust me… I know." Considering Kal had adopted six of the clones as his own sons, the Nulls who had been slated for termination early in their lives, he understood perfectly what was at stake here.

Both of them went quiet behind him and Jango bit back an aggravated sigh.

It was… difficult… to hide just how much he'd come to care for the ade. Especially the Alphas who he'd been training since they were knee high. They were Boba's ori'vode and they cared for him as much as they cared for each other. Already they had assimilated as much Mando'a as they could and were teaching it to the younger cadets whenever their training sessions crossed paths. He knew, just like Kal and Mij, that the ade were not just eyayah, empty echoes, like he'd first thought. Each of them had their own personality, their own soul, and he had sworn to do right by them.

But it was getting harder and harder to hold himself back every time he lost one of them to some hellish new criteria the Kaminiise had come up with. He'd had to harden his heart and slowly withdraw for fear that the scientists would cut him off from their 'product.' He had to remain professional as much as possible or he'd lose any leverage he had.

Stopping at the training room he knew Priest had brought the cadets he glanced back at the other two. "We catch him in the act, I pull rank, and we take the shabuir down."

Both of them nodded in understanding and Jango palmed the door control, taking a deep breath to bellow; "what the fuck is going on in here?"

The sight that met his eyes was one he had never, in a million years, expected.

A Mando'ad he had never seen before stood from where they'd been crouched in front of the clone cadets, turned on their heel, and karking dove for something on the floor. "Stay behind me!" They said in a deep voice that rumbled through their buy'ce. Jango's eyes fell on the long beskar spear held in their expert grip and the defensive stance they were taking in front of the children.

The beskar'gam they were wearing was unpainted, except for two triangles on their kom'rk. Pure beskar shone under the harsh lights of the training room and the intruder let out a low protective growl as they held their stance.

"Who the hell are you? What are you- is that fucking Priest?" Mij nearly babbled behind him, looking at something to the right of the fierce mando'ad who looked as if they'd just stepped out of an old carving of ancient warriors.

"Cadets, get away from them! They're an intruder!" Kal barked out a warning in Basic but none of the boys responded, looking as if they wanted to huddle together behind their new protector.

"Leave the children alone. Your quarrel is with me." The mando'ad growled in Mando'a, their accent slightly rough but still understandable as they gripped the spear tighter in their gloved hands; ready and willing to fight for the clone cadets behind them.

Jango was shaken. Surely the mando'ad had noticed the children were too close in appearance to be anything but naturally occurring. Yet there they were, standing in a room with the corpse of a trainer now outed for abusing ade.

"Why are you protecting them?" It was the first thing that came to mind.

"Children are the future." They stated with conviction. "This is the Way."

Jango's breath caught in his throat.

The Creed. It was almost as old as the original texts Jaster had once used to create the codex he wanted all Mando'ade to follow. His buir had spoken of the old traditions in near awe, explaining that those who took the old creed onto themselves were blessed by the Manda, but were burdened by the strict tenets they adhered to.

They were also rumored to be jatnese be te jatnese- the best of the best. Even above and beyond the ori'rami'kade, the mando equivalent of special forces.

Jango knew that something had gone tits up, there should not be an ancient warrior in the middle of Kamino, and yet… this was an opportunity. With Priest dead they would need a replacement trainer, someone who would take care of the ade and not abuse their authority over them.

Someone who could teach them to be the best.

Reaching up to his buy'ce, he took off his helmet and held it under one arm. "Then we are not your enemy." He looked the mando'ad in the visor, letting them see the sincerity in his eyes and hear it in his voice. "My name is Jango Fett, House Mereel." If they truly were Creed bound they would understand the enormity of Jango exposing his face. It was a weakness, but also a way to show trust. "I think we need to sit down and have a little talk." He glanced over at Priest's corpse and swallowed down the urge to spit at the demagolka. "At the very least I have to thank you for taking out that trash."

They watched him warily for a moment before slowly lowering their spear, though Jango was pleased to see they didn't lower it entirely. "Fine. But I want a medic to check on the ade. Some of them are injured."

A triumphant grin crossed his face as he watched the ancient warrior. "That can be arranged."

---

As Mij tended to the ade from his medical bag the stranger, who just called themselves Beroya, hovered behind him like a mother nexu. The moment any of the ade looked remotely uncomfortable or in pain they immediately swooped in to comfort them, talking quietly and gently stroking hair or rubbing circles on tiny backs. The way they went from stalking predator to gentle buir was astonishing and Jango could barely keep his eyes off the ancient warrior.

"Alor!" Blinking he turned to regard Kal as the man scowled at him. "What are you thinking?"

Jango took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm thinking we hand over Priest's duties to them." He motioned toward the warrior, who was currently patting the head of one of the cadets and telling him how brave he was.

"You can't be serious?" Kal's eyes strayed to the warrior and his eyes narrowed before his gaze snapped back to Jango. "We don't even know how they got in, let alone the fact that they killed one of our own."

"Priest was a last minute hire and you know it." Jango growled. "If I could have found someone else I wouldn't have let him anywhere near the cadets." He'd known about Priest's Kyr'tsad leanings for a while now but as long as the shabuir was doing his job properly there were no issues between them. Now he was lying dead in a training room, killed by what Jango was fairly certain was a spirit of Manda's vengeance come to rescue the children.

"We haven't even vetted them! And you want to give them ade to train however they like?" Kal spat through clenched teeth.

"Do you know who the last person to talk about the Way was?" He could see Kal's brow wrinkle in confusion. "Jaster." Just saying the name made Jango feel raw around the edges. "It's almost as old as the Code. The only reason Jaster never used it was because it is a choice above and beyond swearing the Resol'nare." Kal's eyes widened in response and Jango nodded.

"What if it's all a con? Your buir couldn't have been the only one interested in ancient history." Jango nodded, conceding the point.

"So we'll sit them down and interrogate them. If we think they're a danger to the ade we take them out. Until then we give the ade extra study periods where they would have been working with Priest. But they can't fall behind, Skirata, you know what happens when they do."

Kal clenched his gloved hands until the leather creaked from the force.

If the cadets fell too far behind the entire company of them could be killed as defective. Regardless of whether or not it was the fault of the cadets.

"Alright, Alor, I'll follow your lead on this." Kal finally agreed. "But don't think I didn't notice they're practically your walking wet dream. Don't let your other head get the better of you."

Jango let out a low sound of outrage, a flush of embarrassment crawling up his neck and to his ears. "How the fuck do you know that!?" He squawked.

Kal burst into laughter, which startled the cadets and caught the attention of the Beroya.

They looked between Jango and Kal for a moment before going back to focusing on the ade.

---

Mando'a Translations;

Shab, Shabla- Fuck, fucking.
Hut'uun- Coward.
Dar'manda- A state of no longer being Mandalorian. Not an outsider, but one who has lost their heritage, and so their identity and soul. They are regarded with absolute disgust by most traditional-minded Mandalorians.
Kaminiise- Kaminoans.
Verd, verde- Warrior, warriors.
Shabuir- Bastard.
Mando'ad, Mando'ade- Mandalorian, Mandalorians.
Buy'ce- Helmet.
Beskar'gam- Mandalorian iron-skin, Mandalorian armor.
Beskar- Mandalorian iron.
Kom'rk- Gauntlet.
Mando'a- Mandalorian language.
Beroya- Bounty Hunter.
Alor- Leader, chief, boss. Also used in place of Sir.

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Chapter 3- Din

Once the children had been looked at by the medic and he received an oath that they would be safe, Din agreed to go with Boba's buir to have that talk. Walking through the halls of the facility once again Din couldn't help but to clench his hands at his sides in frustration. Everything here made his skin crawl.

It reminded him of the Empire.

Boba's- Jango opened a door into what looked like a meeting room and stepped inside.

He followed without hesitation.

What little Boba had said about his buir made Din trust that he was a man of his word. Especially after seeing how he had reacted to the ade.

Although the man had kept his distance Din could read his body language fairly well. He'd noticed how much Jango worried about the children and had seen his anger directed at the corpse of the dar'manda when the medic gave a rundown on the worst injuries.

Din had to force himself not to think about it or he'd just work himself into a rage again.

"Have a seat wherever you like, Beroya." Looking at Jango for a long moment he realized the man was letting him choose where he felt most comfortable and his body relaxed minutely. Looking around the room he picked a spot where his back was to a wall and he could see every entry and exit point while still leaving himself space for a fight.

Just because Jango was an honorable man didn't mean something else wouldn't go wrong.

Jango and the verd who seemed to be some kind of subordinate, maybe his second in command, sat across from him and Din knew he was about to be interrogated.

"Like I said before, I'm Jango Fett. This is Kal Skirata, they're one of the trainers for the ade." Din's eyes narrowed slightly as he turned to regard the one in gold painted armor. The ade had seemed okay around the three verde who'd shown up so for the time being he would treat the verd Skirata as an ally and not an enemy.

"Fett, Skirata," he said with a small nod to each of them. Oh, and didn't that just feel awkward? Calling him Fett when the only person he'd ever associated that name with was Din's newly sworn ori'vod.

"Not going to give us a name in return?" Skirata asked calmly.

Din didn't even have to respond.

"Kal, they're Creed bound. They only share their name with aliit." Din sat up straighter in surprise. Boba hadn't known anything about his Creed until he'd begun explaining it in depth. Yet Boba's buir seemed to understand without any explanation at all. "For now we could continue to call you Beroya, but that might get confusing real quick once you meet the other trainers. Most of them were beroya before they signed on here."

Din let out a small sigh, crossing his arms. "I… that might confuse the ade, yeah." He mumbled to himself.

After a moment of contemplation he finally looked up at Jango. "You can call me… Adatoya." It was an old term used by the Armorer to distinguish between the bounty hunter and the verd who hunted down immediate threats to the Covert.

Jango shared a look with Skirata before giving him a small pleased smirk. "Adatoya, then." He said with finality. "Do you know where you are, Adatoya?"

'And so the questioning begins.' Din couldn't help thinking to himself. "No. Where?"

Skirata frowned and Din could tell they didn't believe him. "Kamino." They said evenly.

"…Kamino?" Din had heard of that planet only once, on a night when Boba had imbibed a little too much and started ranting about his past. It was the planet Boba had been born on, a planet he had come to despise.

It was then that Din realized he shouldn't know about it. Boba had mentioned the secretive nature of Kamino, how it was outside of Republic space, and how hard it was to get through the Rishi Maze safely to even land there in one piece.

Now he had to pretend he didn't know anything about it.

"How… far is that from Dantooine?" Because that was where Din had been when he'd found that multicolored orb of light.

Skirata's face scrunched slightly in frustration while Jango blinked at him in surprise. "How the fuck did you get from Dantooine to this soggy hell hole?"

Din took a deep breath. "While taking bounties for my ori'vod I keep on the look out for Jetii artifacts." Both Jango and Skirata looked murderous at the very mention of the Jedi and Din wanted to sigh. "The Jetii who is teaching my ad how to use their magic-" He didn't get to finish his sentence before the two verde were interrupting him.

"Your what?" Jango asked. "The what?" Skirata asked as the same time.

"My ad, he is a Foundling. He was being pursued because of his magic. During a dire situation a Jetii appeared to help us and offered to teach my ad how to control their magic so they would not accidentally hurt themselves again." Din said calmly, watching the two mando'ade carefully for any signs of hostility.

"You willingly gave your ad to one of those- those-!" Jango spat, clearly shocked and angry.

"I would do anything for my ad. Including give him to the care of a Jetii if it meant he would never be hunted or harmed again." He said firmly. "Luke allows me to visit my ad as much as I like, as long as it doesn't interfere with training. Just like any other buir of a Jeti'ad."

Suddenly Jango stopped looking murderous and instead a kind of puzzled air came over him.

"This Jetii allows the buire to visit their ade?" Skirata asked, both brows raised in surprise.

"Of course. He wouldn't keep his ba'vod'ad or any other ad from their buire. I'm pretty sure his vod'ika would flay him alive if he kept her from her son."

The two share a look for a moment before turning their attention back to him.

"So you claim to be a beroya. What was your biggest hunt?" Skirata asked, eyes narrowed.

…what kind of interrogation tactic was this? It didn't make much sense to him but he didn't have anything to hide except- oh. Dank ferrik! Din couldn't give them any real names. If they tried to look up those people they'd think he was lying.

He took a moment to think about it before resigning himself. Giving away his literal largest hunt would be better than trying to come up with a fabrication. "A greater krayt dragon."

Silence followed his words before Skirata started to laugh. "Pull the other leg, it's got bells." They said sarcastically.

Jango just sat there, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted.

"I did the job for a local Marshal on Tatooine. He was using a set of beskar armor that didn't belong to him to help keep his small town clean of slavers." He stated simply. "He swore to give me the armor in exchange for getting rid of the dragon. I got help from a local tribe, they also wanted the dragon gone since it kept eating their herds of bantha." He shrugged. "In the end I tricked it into eating a bantha carrying explosives. Blew it up from the inside."

Skirata stopped laughing and was looking at him in confusion, brows furrowed as they tried to discern whether or not Din was lying.

Jango muttered something under his breath, it sounded almost like 'ka'ra watch over me,' but he couldn't be sure.

"It's obvious from what you did to Priest that you're an exceptional warrior. Have you ever trained ade before?" Jango asked with a grin as Skirata rolled their eyes.

"Of course. Every verd was expected to pass on our skills to the ade of the… clan." He hesitated over the word 'covert,' not sure how Boba's buir would take the modified mando'a. "I was a foundling myself once, spent most of my time in the fighting corps before I became our clan's beroya." It had been a hard fight to win that position but in the end Din had triumphed and took on the burden of bringing in credits and goods from outside.

He wasn't the only one bringing in credits, but he was the only one doing it as a beroya.

"Before we get any farther I have a question." Skirata asked, giving Boba's buir a disgruntled look. "Who is the current Mand'alor?"

Fett sat straighter in his chair before leaning slightly forward. It was obvious he was just as interested in the answer as Skirata.

Din wanted to groan and hang his head. He could practically feel the weight of the Dha'kad'au on his hip, hidden by his cloak. After a moment he let out a sigh and slowly reached behind him.

Both of them tensed, ready for an attack, but Din held his hand up in a peaceful gesture as he pulled the damned thing off his belt and held it up for them to see.

"I am."

---

Mando'a Translations;

Shab, Shabla- Fuck, fucking.
Hut'uun- Coward.
Dar'manda- A state of no longer being Mandalorian. Not an outsider, but one who has lost their heritage, and so their identity and soul. They are regarded with absolute disgust by most traditional-minded Mandalorians.
Kaminiise- Kaminoans.
Verd, verde- Warrior, warriors.
Shabuir- Bastard.
Mando'ad, Mando'ade- Mandalorian, Mandalorians.
Buy'ce- Helmet.
Beskar'gam- Mandalorian iron-skin, Mandalorian armor.
Beskar- Mandalorian iron.
Kom'rk- Gauntlet.
Mando'a- Mandalorian language.
Beroya- Bounty Hunter.
Alor- Leader, chief, boss. Also used in place of Sir.

 

[ZavellDragar]

Oof, jango gonna be piiiiiiiiissed

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Chapter 4- Jango

Sitting across from the very vision of Mandokar, Jango listened with rapt attention as the Beroya began to speak. They seemed hesitant at first, confused, and it just added to his theory that this warrior was not from their current time.

"For now we could continue to call you Beroya, but that might get confusing real quick once you meet the other trainers. Most of them were beroya before they signed on here." When it came to the warrior's title Jango was at a bit of a loss. He knew that they wouldn't be giving their name, clan or otherwise, so there was no way to identify them outside their chosen weapon.

Crossing their arms as they sighed the warrior leaned back slightly, thinking deeply on it. "You can call me… Adatoya."

He looked over at Kal, wondering if he knew the significance behind the new title. Kal gave him a skeptical look but Jango could see the doubt beginning to creep in. His mouth twitched upward in a pleased smirk.

"Adatoya, then." He acknowledged. "Do you know where you are, Adatoya?"

"No. Where?" Their voice was carefully neutral as they uncrossed their arms and tried to appear relaxed.

Kal frowned at the warrior and spoke carefully. "Kamino."

"…Kamino?" The warrior asked, sounding perturbed with a hint of concern. "How… far is that from Dantooine?" They finally asked after a moment of silence.

Kal scowled in frustration but Jango was too busy being distracted with his own surprise to care.

"How the fuck did you get from Dantooine to this soggy hell hole?" Kal asked.

The warrior took a deep breath before launching into an explanation. "While taking bounties for my ori'vod," oh, he had family. That was good to know. "I keep on the look out for Jetii artifacts."

Jango felt his anger rise at the very mention of the murderers who killed his clan, the only family he had left. How could this warrior talk so casually about their ancient enemy?

"The Jetii who is teaching my ad how to use their magic-"

"Your what?" As the warrior spoke Jango's surprise overpowered his anger. It was no wonder Adatoya was so good with children if they had their own.

That only made them even more attractive, kark it all.

"My ad, they are a Foundling. They were being pursued because of their magic." The warrior said simply. "During a dire situation a Jetii appeared to help us and offered to teach my ad how to control their magic so they would not accidentally hurt themselves again." From the way Adatoya spoke it sounded as if their child often hurt themselves with their own magic.

But even so. Jango couldn't believe that this warrior had just given up a foundling to the Jedi. It spat in the face of everything he knew of those bound by the Creed. "You willingly gave your ad to one of those- those-!" The very thought that someone would hand over a child they took into their care, swore to teach and protect, was almost sickening.

"I would do anything for my ad." They said firmly, blank visor staring directly at Jango. "Including give them into the care of a Jetii if it meant they would never be hunted or harmed again." There was a slight tremor in their voice and Jango could almost swear he felt their grief over the decision. "Luke allows me to visit my ad as much as I like, as long as it doesn't interfere with training. Just like any other buir of a Jeti'ad." They finally said with a tired sigh.

Jango paused in confusion. That didn't sound like the child snatching dogs of the Senate that he knew.

"This Jetii allows the buire to visit their ade?" Kal asked, brows raised incredulously.

"Of course." The warrior said with a slight tilt of the helm. "They wouldn't keep their ba'vod'ad or any other ad from their buire." They said firmly. "I'm pretty sure their vod'ika would flay them alive if they kept them away from their ad." There was a faint hint of amusement in their voice.

Jango looked over at Kal, catching his eye. If all of this was true, and really it was too fucking far-fetched to not be true, then this warrior had to come from a time where the Mando'ade and the Jetiise were not enemies. Or at least were neutral towards one another.

At the very least that put their time period before the Dral'han. Kal gave a subtle hand sign below to the edge of the table and Jango held his tongue.

"So you claim to be a beroya. What was your biggest hunt?" Kal's eyes narrowed as he turned back to the warrior. It seemed he still wasn't convinced that the warrior wasn't an ancient mando'ad.

The warrior was silent for a moment before coming to some sort of decision. Considering the secretive nature of those who were bound by the Creed, Jango wasn't particularly worried about their silence. Although it was clear Kal thought it was suspicious.

"A greater krayt dragon."

The words didn't quite register at first. He was certain he'd heard wrong.

Then Kal interrupted the silence.

"Pull the other leg, it's got bells." He said with a laugh.

The warrior didn't even flinch, just sat there as if everything was perfectly normal.

"I did the job for a local marshal on Tatooine. They were using a set of beskar armor that didn't belong to them to help keep their small town clean of slavers." They stated simply, as if they were talking about the weather. "They swore to give me the armor in exchange for getting rid of the dragon. I got help from a local Tusken tribe, they also wanted the dragon gone since it kept eating their herds of bantha." The warrior shrugged, as if what they were saying was inconsequential. "In the end I tricked it into eating a bantha carrying explosive. Blew it up from the inside."

As Kal stopped laughing, his mouth falling open slightly in surprise, Jango felt his heart beginning to thud faster in his chest.

Kal didn't know anything about the Creed bound. Didn't know just how far they would go to get back a set of beskar armor. But Jango did.

There was no indication that the warrior was lying. Just the steadfastness of one who believed everything they'd said. "Ka'ra watch over me." Jango whispered to himself, praying that his attraction wasn't as obvious as Kal was making it out to be.

Mentally shaking himself out of it he tried to shift gears. "It's obvious from what you did to Priest that you're an exceptional warrior," his breath hitched a little and he swallowed hard to clear his throat. "Have you ever trained ade before?"

Kal kicked his ankle under the table and Jango couldn't help but grin at him. The man rolled his eyes.

"Of course. Every verd was expected to pass on our skills to the ade of the… clan." Jango heard the hesitation in the warrior's voice and suspected that they had been about to use a different word. But he left it slide. "I was a foundling once myself," they admitted easily, much to Jango's surprise, "spent most of my time in the fighting corps before I became our clan's beroya."

From what Jaster had told him when he was young, at least what he could remember of it, the clan beroya was a position of prestige amongst those bound by the Creed. They had to literally fight for the position to prove they were the best for the job. It was a lot of responsibility.

Kal was right. Adatoya was like a walking amalgamation of everything that got him hot under the collar… he was well and truly fucked, wasn't he?

"Before we get any farther, I have a question." Kal asked, giving him a disgruntled look. He could probably tell where Jango's mind had gone and was none too pleased about it. "Who is the current Mand'alor?"

Jango froze for a moment before straightening. The question was a loaded one, Kal wanted to see if the warrior would try and bullshit their way out of answering. After all Jango was still considered the Mand'alor in many circles, even if he had been off the grid for years now and assumed dead.

Jango leaned forward in anticipation. If the warrior answered with a name he'd be able to pinpoint exactly what time period they came from, or even what time period they were pretending to come from in the off chance Kal was right.

The warrior went unearthly still for a moment, and considering how they tended to be very still to begin with that was saying something. After a long moment of silence they let out a sigh that seemed to hold all the weariness of one with the entire galaxy on their shoulders.

They reached toward their belt and Jango tensed in preparation for an attack. He could feel Kal doing the same beside him.

The warrior held up their hand, silently urging them to remain calm, as they unclipped something from the back of their belt.

The object was hidden by their cloak for only a moment before it was brought out into the open.

"I am."

For a moment no one dared to move, or even breathe, as the Dha'kad'au sat there innocuously in the warrior's gloved hand. Slowly, as if worried what might happen if Adatoya startled them, the hand lowered to the table. They set it down between the three of them and pulled their hand back.

Jango stared at the symbol of the Mand'alor's power, a sound like rushing water filling his ears.

"…ango. Jango! Alor!" Blinking he shook his head slightly and turned to look at Kal. The man's face was ashen but his eyes were filled with fire.

"Where did you get that? Did you fight Vizsla for it?" Kal asked, voice strained.

"Vizsla? No, why would I-" They shook their head. "There was an Imperial Moff. They kidnapped my ad and wanted to do experiments on their blood. I defeated the Moff and took it from them." They paused for a moment and almost seemed to hunch in on themselves a little. "I… didn't know what it was at the time. All I knew was that it was a Jetti weapon, and that the Moff shouldn't have it."

"You… didn't know what the Dha'kad'au was?" Jango asked, just as Kal asked his own question. "An Imperial Moff?"

Adatoya took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "My clan were very… isolationist. I was one of the few who were allowed to travel outside our borders." They laced their fingers together, as if trying to stop themselves from fidgeting. "The Empire had finally fallen and the New Republic was recently established. But that didn't mean the Empire was completely gone. Remnants still remained on the fringes." They shook their head slightly and looked down. "I did what I had to do to protect my ad. I never wanted this responsibility."

Silence fell and even Kal seemed at a loss for words.

Jango took a deep breath. "Do you know what the date is?" He asked quietly.

The warrior looked up at him for a moment, helm tilted slightly, before shaking their head.

"If I said Year 8 of the Great ReSynchronization…" He said in Basic, using the calendar the Republic had come up with.

The warrior looked up at him and Jango knew that it meant nothing to them.

"What about the Dral'han?" Kal asked.

The warrior shook their head once again.

Kal's expression was pained and Jango could sympathize. Imagine having to find out your home had been bombarded from orbit and turned into a glassy desert.

"About Manda'yaim-" Kal started.

"Buir!" Turning his head when he was called he watched his son running toward him on little legs. At six years old he was already showing some of the 'enhancements' the Kaminoans had slipped in when he'd been busy.

"Bob'ika, I thought you were with your ori'vode?" Getting up from his seat he knelt and caught the little hellion, lifting him up into his arms with a stern expression. "Why are you here? You know I'm busy working." He chided.

"A Kaminii came and took them away. 22 told me to find you, and I did!" The boy said with a triumphant grin.

Jango had to swallow his anger down so as not to scare his son. How dare they take away his boys and send Boba to find him on his own!

"…is this your ad?" A voice broke through his rage and he turned to see the warrior watching them. It was obvious by how relaxed they were that kids were a weakness. Adatoya was practically melting at the sight of Jango's kid.

"Say hello and introduce yourself, Bob'ika." Jango said as he ran a hand through his son's curls.

"Hi! I'm Boba Fett, and this is my buir! He's the best!" The boy said with a large smile.

There was a small choked off sound from the warrior and Jango hid a grin in Boba's hair as he kissed the top of his head.

"Hello, Boba, I'm… Adatoya. And I agree, your buir is pretty great." They said, voice soft and warm in a way that seemed reserved for children.

Jango felt his face growing hot, even though he knew the warrior was only complimenting him to appease his son.

"What's that?" Boba pointed at the table and he couldn't help but to look down at the Dha'kad'au once more.

"It's a laser sword." Adatoya said simply.

"Really!? Can I see!?" Boba tried to wriggle out of his arms but Jango was used to his excitable son and shifted his hold so the boy wouldn't slip.

"Sure." His head whipped back to the beroya so quickly he swore he heard the bones in his neck crack.

The warrior picked up the hilt and stood up from the chair. They took a few large steps back so they were in open space before holding the weapon up. With a sizzle-snap a blade as black as night sprang to life from the end of the hilt. White lightning crackled along it's length as the warrior spun it in their palm with a practiced movement.

"Woah!" Boba breathed out, surprise and excitement so strong he could barely speak. Jango felt his heart beating against his ribcage as Adatoya took a few practice swings, swallowing down his anxiety.

The sound wasn't exactly the same, but it was close enough to cause sweat to begin trickling down the back of his neck.

"Buir?" Hearing Boba's voice he looked down at his son. "Are you okay?" He realized belatedly that he was shaking, and that his hold on his son had tightened. Letting out a long breath he forced himself to calm down and lessen his hold on his son.

"I'm okay, ad'ika."

There was a snap-hiss and he looked up in time to see the black blade vanish completely. Adatoya was watching him silently and he couldn't help the feeling of shame that came over him.

He was the Jedi Killer, the Mand'alor. The sound of a lightsaber should not have him trembling in fear.

"Kal. Will you take Bob'ika home? I'll finish up here then see where the Kaminii took my ade."

To his credit the man only hesitated for a moment before taking Boba from his arms. "Come on squirt, we can have some spiced hot chocolate and you can tell me what you learned from your ori'vode today."

Boba pouted and clung to Kal as his eyes went wide and pleading. Jango heard the warrior let out a small snort of amusement as Jango sighed. "None of that, Bob'ika. Be good for your ba'vodu."

The boy sulked, crossing his arms and scowling as he let out a scoff. "Okaaay."

With a chuckle Kal left the room, trying to get Boba to talk to him about his day.

The door closed behind them and Jango let out a small sigh. He wished he had more time with his youngest.

The sound of something heavy hitting the ground had Jango turning in alarm. But rather than getting ready to attack, now that Jango was alone, Adaotya was kneeling on the ground, one hand on their chest plate.

"I'm sorry." They said, just loud enough for Jango to hear them.

"What in the fuck for?" He blurted, confused why the warrior would be apologizing in the first place.

"I hurt you." The warrior said simply, sounding pained. "In front of your ad…" There was a hint of guilt in their tone and Jango frowned.

"You didn't-"

"I did. I saw how you were shaking. I-" They cleared their throat, their helmet tilted down and to the left as if they couldn't bare to look at him. "I know. Whenever I see droids…" They shook their head and looked up at him once more. "I'm sorry."

Jango felt his throat go tight. It was the first time anyone had apologized… the first time anyone had noticed enough to apologize.

Mando'ade might be warriors but they were not unfeeling. They had fears like any other sentient. They knew grief and trauma.

"I accept your apology." He said, his voice feeling far too loud in the near silence.

With a nod of understanding the warrior stood.

The two of them stared at one another for a long moment before Jango started getting antsy. There was an awkwardness to the silence that he couldn't stand.

"Would you like to stay here until we can find out what the fuck happened to send you here?" He finally blurted. "Since you killed Priest we're going to need someone to look after the ade he was training."

"…what happens to the ade if I say no?" Adatoya asked him.

Jango's jaw tightened. "The Kaminiise will kill them if they fall behind." He admitted with a growl.

The warrior stiffened, hands clenching tightly at their sides. "And you would let it happen?" They asked, their voice was carefully calm but there was violence in every line of their body. A carefully contained anger that was on the verge of being unleashed.

"There's only seventy-five Mando'ade here, with twenty-five aruetiise who are also training the ade. Seventy-five of us against an entire city's worth of scientists who could kill every ade here with the press of a button!" Jango couldn't keep the vitriol from his voice if he tried. "…we're working on it." He said quietly. "But the ade come first. Once they're trained enough we'll be able to overpower the aruetiise." Jango looked up into their visor. "Are you in?"

The warrior took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I'm in. I won't let them get away with hurting ade." They spoke with the tone of a sworn oath. "Just tell me what to do."

Jango wondered if their expression was as feral as his own in that moment.

---

Mando'a Translations;

Mandokar- The 'Right Stuff,' the epitome of Mando virtue. A blend of aggression, tenacity, loyalty, and a lust for life.
Adatoya- Person who hunts/Hunter.
Buir- Parent.
Ad, Ade- Child, children.
Ad'ika- Little one, an endearing term used for a child.
Beroya- Bounty Hunter.
Verd, verde- Warrior, warriors.
Ori'vod, Ori'vode- Elder sibling, elder siblings.
Jetii, Jeti'ad, Jetiise- Jedi, Jedi Padawan, Jedi plural and colloquially meaning the Republic.
Ba'vod'ad- Nephew/Niece/Child of ones sibling.
Ba'vod'u- Aunt/Uncle/Sibling of ones parent.
Ka'ra- Stars, also the ancient Mandalorian myth about the ruling council of fallen kings.
Dral'han- Also called the Mandalorian Excision. A pre-emptive attack by the Republic on Mandalorian space which devastated Mandalore, Concord Dawn, Ordo, and Fenel. Leaving behind barren deserts that are no longer able to sustain life.
Dha'kad'au- The Darksaber.
Kaminii, Kaminiise- Kaminoan, Kaminoans.
Aruetii, Aruetiise- Outsider or Foreigner, sometimes Traitor. Outsiders plural.

 

[ZavellDragar]

Nice man! I'm glad to see mandalorian culture and stuff written well. Keep it up

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Chapter 5- Din

"Buir!"

Din had only one thought in mind as a tiny figure zipped into the room on little legs, shouting for their parent.

'My ori'vod is a kih'vod now.' He had to hold back a laugh that might have bordered on hysterical if he hadn't swallowed it down with a vengeance. The child, who was certainly Boba, ran into Jango's arms and snuggled into his father's embrace.

The bright smile and brown curls were almost too much for Din. He was absolutely adorable… which just made the extensive scarring he'd seen on his ori'vod's body all the more jarring. It was a testament to the strength and conviction that this small child would one day grow to have.

"Bob'ika, I thought you were with your ori'vode?" Din's eyebrow rose slightly before he frowned in confusion. During all the times Boba had spoken about his past he had never mentioned the fact that he had elder siblings. "Why are you here? You know I'm busy working." The man chided the boy in his arms gently.

"A Kaminii came and took them away." Boba said hoestly. "22 told me to find you, and I did!" He looked so proud of himself that it almost made Din want to coo aloud. But this Boba was not his Boba. He couldn't just start treating the boy as if they knew each other.

"…is this your ad?" He asked once the immediate shock had worn off.

Jango turned to look at him when he spoke and although his expression didn't change the man's eyes were soft. "Say hello and introduce yourself, Bob'ika." As he spoke the man ran his hand through his son's curls and Din felt a flicker of warmth in his chest at the gesture.

It was obvious just how much Boba's buir loved him. It made his knowledge of the future all the heavier.

"Hi! I'm Boba Fett, and this is my buir! He's the best!" Jango kissed the top of his head as Boba's smile brightened.

That hysterical laugh tried to force its way out of his throat again but he shoved it down with prejudice.

Now was not the time to fall apart.

Instead he focused on the child in front of him. "Hello, Boba, I'm… Adatoya. And I agree, your buir is pretty great." He couldn't keep the warmth out of his voice, even if he wanted to. This small version of Boba was just so vibrant and full of life. Unlike his future self this innocent child had never suffered loss.

'And he never will.' Din vowed to himself. 'Not if I can help it.'

"What's that?" His now kih'vod asked, pointing at the table.

Din's eyes fell on the Dha'kad'au and he wanted to groan. "It's a laser sword." He answered honestly.

"Really!? Can I see!?" There was a bright look of curiosity in the boy's eyes as he tried to wriggle out of his buir's hold. A pleading look entered the kid's eyes as he gazed up at Din, bottom lip pushed forward to make himself look extra pitiful in his begging.

Dank ferrik. There was no way in hell he was able to say no to that face.

"Sure."

Jango's head snapped over to him, a complicated expression on his face. Din knew, vaguely, that Jango had a problem with the Jetiise so he was probably wary of one of their weapons. But it was a piece of history for their culture and Boba had a right to see it.

Grabbing the hilt he backed up into the open space of the room, making sure he was far enough away that any accidents would only harm himself. Pressing the switch he felt the familiar hum of the blade in his hands.

Early on he'd taken the weapon to Luke, so he could learn how to wield it properly, and had been surprised to find that it was considered very weird for a laser sword. First of all, it was a primarily two handed weapon. Most lightsaber forms seemed to be designed for one handed weapons. The second was that it was designed to mimic a beskad.

Once he'd realized that it was just a very oddly weighted beskad Din had been quick to pick up the forms Luke shared with him.

The crackle of the blade as he swung it had an oddly calming effect on his nerves. It was as if the blade itself was happy to be in his hands. Luke had told him once that the crystal inside the blade was alive, kind of, and it was happy to be with him. Which was why he found it so easy to wield. Apparently if someone was unworthy they had a real fight on their hands just trying to keep hold of the damned thing.

Din shifted his focus from the blade to Boba and smiled at the excited and awed look on his face.

Then he looked at Jango.

Shit. Din had seen that look before. On verde who had been on Manda'yaim during the Empire's invasion.

Boba seemed to notice something as he turned to look up at his buir, brows drawn together in a concerned frown. "Buir? Are you okay?"

It took him a moment but Boba's voice seemed to snap him out of whatever memories or sensation he had been stuck in.

Thank the Ka'ra for that.

"I'm okay, ad'ika." He said quietly, though there was clear strain around the edges of his eyes and stiffness in his shoulders.

Shutting off the Dha'kad'au he clipped it back to his belt. Jango's eyes were on him and he could see the dark shadow of doubt and shame that came over the man.

That was something he'd have to rectify, and quickly.

"Kal. Will you take Bob'ika home? I'll finish up here then see where the Kaminii took my ade." Jango turned to the verd.

The verd hesitated a moment before stepping closer and holding out his arms for the boy. "Come on squirt, we can have some spiced hot chocolate and you can tell me what you learned from your ori'vode today."

Din's heart clenched tightly in his chest. He didn't want to let Boba out of his sight.

Boba pouted and it was like an angry tooka. Din tried to hold back a chuckle but still ended up snorting in amusement.
Jango sighed. "None of that, Bob'ika. Be good for your ba'vodu." He said firmly.

Boba crossed his arms and it did not help his appearance as a tiny angry kitten. "Okaaay." He scoffed.

It was far and away from what he would sound like as a man and the disparity almostmade Din crack. As it was he was glad for his buy'ce since no one could see just how wide his amused grin was.

As Skirata left with Boba, Din quickly sobered. From where he was standing he could see the glistening sweat on the back of Jango's neck. He felt a twinge of guilt and regret.

There was only one way for a proper mando'ad to apologize for causing such hurt to another.

Din went down on one knee, one hand over his heart. Looking up at Jango, who had turned at the sound of his armor hitting the floor, Din took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"What the fuck for?" Jango said in a confused rush, brows furrowed in a way that reminded him of Boba whenever Din did something his ori'vod thought was foolish.

"I hurt you." He stated simply, guilt gnawing at his insides. "In front of your ad…"

"You didn't-" Jango tried to say.

"I did." Din said firmly. "I saw how you were shaking. I-" A lump formed in the back of his throat and he forced himself to clear it. His gaze fell to the floor, not quite able to look at Boba's buir as he spoke. "I-I know." He admitted. "Whenever I see droids…" Even now, even after IG-11, there were still some droids that just caused him to overflow with anger, hatred, and fear. B1 Battle Droids, B2 series Super Battle Droids…

He shook his head to clear it and looked back up at Jango. "I'm sorry."

The man swallowed hard, his eyes burning with emotion. Din didn't look away, even though he knew the man could not actually see his eyes.

"I accept your apology." The words were rough, loud in the silence, but sincere. Jango truly forgave him.
Din nodded, finally relaxing as he stood.

As the two of them stood there, staring at one another, he felt the silence creeping in like a fog. His face began to burn in embarrassment as he realized he had no idea what to say. He wasn't the best conversationalist on a good day and now…

"Would you like to stay here until we can find out what the fuck happened to send you here?" Jango blurted, breaking the tension in the room Din hadn't even realized was there. "Since you killed Priest we're going to need someone to look after the ade he was training."

The idea of training children, training clones, had him balking slightly. Not that he was against the clones themselves, but the fact of the matter was that the Clone Wars were coming.

Could Din train these children for an upcoming war with the knowledge of what would happen to them in the future? "…what would happen to the ade if I say no?" He couldn't help but to ask.

A dark look crossed Jango's face and his jaw clenched. "The Kaminiise will kill them if they fall behind." He growled.
Din's eyes went wide before they narrowed to angry slits.

How dare they!

"And you would let it happen?" He asked, feeling the cold calculating mindset that settled over him like the calm before the storm.

"There's only seventy-five Mando'ade here, with twenty-five aruetiise who are also training the ade. Seventy-five of us against an entire city's worth of scientists who could kill every ad here with the press of a button!" Jango spat angrily, body tense as if he wanted to rip something apart. "…we're working on it." He said quietly, forcing himself to calm. "But the ade come first. Once they're trained enough we'll be able to overpower the aruetiise." Jango looked up at him once more. "Are you in?"

Din took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he thought over the proposal.

If he hadn't been sent to Kamino, if he hadn't killed the demagolka, then the children wouldn't be in this predicament. It was a situation of his own making. Which meant he had a duty to the children he had saved.

"I'm in. I won't let them get away with hurting ade." He would rather die than stand by and let children be hurt… like he'd almost done with Grogu. "Just tell me what to do."

Jango's grin was a feral thing that sent a jolt of excitement through Din.

This was a man who was once known as the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy until his son took up the mantle. A former Mand'alor, and son of a Mand'alor, if he'd read between the lines correctly when speaking with both Boba and Bo-Katan.

"Alright then. Why don't you come with me and I'll have a place set up for you. I need to inform the Kaminiise that you're replacing Priest and come up with a bullshit excuse why you killed that cowardly bastard."

"You needed a reason?" Din asked as he he stepped closer.

Jango snorted humorlessly. "The Kaminiise needed a reason. They don't consider the echoes to be ade. Just property." Jango hissed between his teeth.

It took Din a moment to understand what Jango meant by 'echoes' but considering there wasn't a word for clone in mando'a it made sense.

"…this is going to be difficult." He admitted to Jango quietly.

The man glanced at him as he opened the door and lead him out into the hall. "Yeah, it's been… rough."

Din fell silent as they walked, listening to Jango as he pointed out different sections of the city as they passed each corridor. He seemed to notice how overwhelming it all was as he chuckled and gave Din a reassuring smile. "I'll get you a map. Manda knows we all needed it when we first arrived."

As they turned the corner Din stiffened at the sight of a tall, pale, sentient. They wore strange white and pale blue garments with a simple chain around their head, the tail hanging down like some kind of decoration.

"Jango, we have been looking for you." They said in Basic. "There has been an incident-" Before they could continue Jango held up a hand to stall them.

"If you're referring to what happened with Priest then I already know. It was sanctioned, by me." He lied easily.

"I see." Their unnerving eyes turned toward Din and he felt a shiver down his back. "And who is this?"

"Adatoya, a new hire. Priest's numbers were terrible. He was wasting good product for petty reasons and slacking off. I found someone more skilled to take over his group." Jango's expression barely wavered as he spoke but Din could see the tightening around his eyes and how his back stiffened with subdued anger.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Adatoya. Will you be needing any specific accommodations for your species? A particular atmosphere perhaps?" Din blinked in surprise. It was a surprisingly polite question.

"I'm… human, so a regular atmosphere is fine. But my… religion forbids me from showing my face. If someone comes in and sees me… I am within my full rights to terminate them." It wasn't even a threat, just the truth. While he had eventually felt safe taking his helmet off around Boba and Grogu, who he had claimed as Aliit, he still refused to take it off anywhere else. He still followed the Creed. "And no droids. I'll shoot them on sight."

Next to him Jango wasn't even trying to hide his glee as the sentient blinked slowly at the two of them.

"We will do our best to accommodate you. Is there anything else? Any dietary restrictions?"

Din shook his head. He could eat practically anything as long as it was edible for humans and near-humans.

"See if you can set them up near me. I have a feeling we'll be working closely for the near future as they-" Jango started to say.

"He." Din corrected quietly. Jango glanced at him in surprise but accepted it without question.

"I have a feeling we'll be working closely with one another until he gets the hang of things around here."

The sentient nodded their head cordially. "I shall send someone immediately."

"Lari Ko." Jango said before the sentient could turn to leave. "Where are the Alphas currently? Boba said they had been taken somewhere and my son was sent, alone, to come find me." There was tension in his voice now.

They, Lari Ko he supposed, stopped and stared down at Jango quietly for a moment. "I have heard nothing about this. Is young Boba alright?" There almost seemed to be a hint of concern in their voice.

"Boba's fine. A little upset, but perfectly healthy. I'm more concerned that someone took the Alphas without consulting me. I'm in charge of their training, I'm supposed to be notified if I have to modify their program around any new tests." He growled.

"Allow me to look into it." Pulling out a small datapad they stood silently, slender fingers moving gracefully over the screen. "Oh, it seems that Nala Se ordered a couple of blood tests and skin samples. They will be released soon." This did not please Jango, whose eyes darkened with rage.

"When will they be finished?"

"In approximately half an hour. There are no additional tests that have been ordered as of yet." Jango relaxed slightly.

"Thank you." With a polite incline of the head the sentient finally turned and almost seemed to glide away.

Whatever they were they were very graceful, in an almost unsettling kind of way. Din felt cold dread just looking at them.

"That's a Kaminii." Jango said, as if answering his internal question. "Cold bastards. They have a strict biological hierarchy, anything outside the norm or the approved form gets destroyed… including their own ade."

Din felt sick at the very idea.

"So…" Jango said, looking him up and down for a moment. "He?" He said in Basic.

Ah. "Male, masculine, he, him, his." He stated simply.

"Thanks for telling me. It'll make things less complicated when I talk to the aruetiise." Jango clapped him on the shoulder and motioned that they should continue on.

The tour continued, although now it wasn't as frantic since Jango had learned of the whereabouts of his ade. Which, now that he thought about it, made Din curious.

"How many ade do you have?" He asked when Jango had gone silent for longer than a minute.

The man grinned. "One hundred and one, so far." There was pride in his voice as he spoke. "The Alphas are Boba's brothers, he was born the same time they were. Although he ages like a normal ad while his brothers age at a little more than twice the rate." There was a pained look on the man's face for a moment before he continued. "A lot of them still don't have names yet. The Kaminiise give them numbers, like fucking droids." He snarled. "But I've been encouraging them to find their own names. Give them something they can choose for themselves."

Din smiled, though he knew Jango couldn't see it.

"What about the ade I rescued?"

Jango was quiet for a moment, brows furrowed. "That was… the Commander Class. They won't be in your care but you'll be taking over their hand to hand classes from now on." They came upon a door and Jango stopped. "Good timing." He muttered with a small grin as he reached for the panel beside the door. "These are the ade who will be in your care."

Din's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't been expecting to meet the children this soon.

"Foxtrot Company! Fall in!" The man called over the din as he strode into the room. There was a scramble as identical children in blue tunics hurried to stand in neat rows of four. They stood tall and proud, eyes forward, like little soldiers.

If they had been wearing helmets Din would have sworn he saw himself and Paz in those neat lines, waiting on the training Alor to begin their lesson.

"I don't know if you've heard the news yet, but Sergeant Priest is dead." Jango said with little fanfare. Stepping out of the way he motioned for Din to come forward.

Din wanted to sigh aloud. He didn't particularly like being in the spotlight. But he had already agreed to this, if not as soon.

The moment he entered the room he could feel the stares of the children, both curious and wary.

"This is Adatoya, from today onward he will be your new training sergeant. You will obey him as you obeyed your last sergeant; is that understood cadets?" Jango planted his feet as his gaze swept over the children. Yet there was something troubled about his expression.

"Sir, yes, Sir!" The response was so perfectly synchronized that Din could have sworn it was said in one, albeit very loud, voice.

"Good. You will have a study day today and tomorrow. Dismissed!"

As the children slowly began wandering back to what they were doing before Jango entered Din could see them giving him wary glances whenever they thought he wasn't looking. They tried to look unaffected by the news but there was a tension in the room now.

"They're not going to trust you right away." Jango said quietly beside him, his own expression concerned. "Not after Priest."

Din grunted in agreement before looking down at Jango. This close and without being distracted he was surprised to find that Jango was even shorter than Boba would eventually be. Was that because of a better diet or because of something the Kaminoans had done?

Better not to ask.

"After what you just pulled you better be helping me plan this new training regiment." Din finally said after a moment of silence.

Jango barked out a surprised laugh and clapped a hand against his pauldron. "Why do you think I asked for your room to be near min?" He asked with a grin. "This way we can get together with Kal and Cort to help get everything settled."

There was a small ping and Jango looked down at his bracer. "Huh. We could start now, if you want. Or you can settle into your new room." He said holding up his arm so Din could read the message.

"I wouldn't mind seeing my new room, but I'm not tired." He said honestly. Din looked up when he heard a shout and smiled as an impromptu sparring match started between two of the children. Others started to join in, cheering them on. "That demagolka earlier wasn't even a workout."

Jango made a choking sound but when Din turned to look back at him the man just waved him off. "It's nothing. Come on, let's leave the ade to play by themselves."

As they left Din turned and stared at the door behind them. In two days time he would be the guardian of all those children. From this moment onward they were his to look after and train.

His fist clenched at his side and he swore to the Ka'ra that he would do all he could to ensure every one of them was prepared. Din was no great hero, he knew next to nothing about how the Clone Wars started, and he was only one man. There was no way he could stop the coming tide.

But if even one of those children survived because of his training then it would be worth it. At the very least Din swore he would save Boba's father from his fate. Boba deserved to grow up with a parent that loved him.

Jango called for him and he turned away from the door.

'One step at a time, Djarin. One step at a time.'

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Chapter 6- Jango

Meeting Lari Ko in the hall wasn't a surprise to Jango, not after Adatoya had wiped the floor with Priest. He had to be careful not to give too much away as the Kaminii turned to slowly blink at the other mando like he was an anomaly.

Well, to be fair he actually was an anomaly. How else did an ancient warrior end up on Kamino of all places?

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Adatoya. Will you be needing any specific accommodations for your species? A particular atmosphere perhaps?" Standing next to him Adatoya seemed to twitch slightly as if surprised.

"I'm… human, so a regular atmosphere is fine." As Jango listened to the warrior speak he had to hide another grin.

Human. Or, if the pause was any indication, near-human.

That was good to know.

"But my… religion forbids me from showing my face. If someone comes in and sees me… I am within my full rights to terminate them." The casual way Adatoya spoke of upholding the Creed sent a tremble of excitement all the way to his bones. He had no doubt that Adatoya would ice anyone who tried to look at them without express permission. The only ones he could see getting away with it were the ade.

"And no droids. I'll shoot them on sight." Jango remembered the words spoken during their apology and had to hide a scowl. He didn't know what the other warrior had experienced but if they were wary of droids then Jango was going to do his damnedest to ensure Adatoya never had to deal with them.

"We will do our best to accommodate you. Is there anything else? Any dietary restrictions?" Adatoya shook their head and Jango perked up. If the warrior had no allergies or restrictions then it would be much easier to try and catch their attention with some good old fashioned tiingilar.

He turned to Lari Ko as a wicked thought came to mind. "See if you can set them up near me. I have a feeling we'll be working closely for the near future as they-"

"He." Adatoya said beside him, just loud enough to catch his attention.

Jango was surprised for a moment but accepted that it was Adatoya's choice which pronouns he preferred in Basic.
"I have a feeling we'll be working closely with one another until he gets the hang of things around here."

Lari Ko nodded her head politely and after his years spent around the species he could tell that she was mildly amused. "I shall send someone immediately."

Before she could turn to go he stopped her by calling her name. "Lari Ko. Where are the Alphas currently?" If anyone could find out what had been done with his ade it was one of the Coordinators. "Boba said they had been taken somewhere and my son was sent, alone, to come find me." The reminder that Boba had been wandering around alone, where any of the Kaminiise might be able to snatch him up with the excuse that he was 'just like any other clone,' had him on edge.

She stopped and gave him a mildly perturbed look. "I have heard nothing about this. Is young Boba alright?" Her voice was tight with concern, although she did her best not to show it.

Many of the 'lower class' Kaminiise were actually fairly decent beings, if far too passive for his comfort.

"Boba's fine. A little upset, but perfectly healthy. I'm more concerned that someone took the Alphas without consulting me. I'm in charge of their training, I'm supposed to be notified if I have to modify their program around any new tests." His voice fell into a low growl and he had to clench his teeth in order to keep from lashing out at the Coordinator.

It wasn't her fault her superiors were bastards.

"Allow me to look into it." She said quickly, for her species at least, and pulled out a small datapad. Her long fingers danced over the screen and she blinked twice in rapid succession. "Oh." A small look of sympathy crossed her face for a moment, a mere flicker. But it was enough for Jango to feel wary. "It seems that Nala Se ordered a couple of blood tests and skin samples." She looked back at him, her vocal tone shifting to one considered 'reassuring' by Kaminiise standards. "They will be released soon."

As much as he appreciated the sentiment it didn't quell the dark mass of rage and worry in the pit of his stomach. "When will they be finished?"

"In approximately half an hour. There are no additional tests that have been ordered as of yet." And if the look he was being given was any indication he would know the moment she heard about any extra tests being conducted.

Jango forced himself to release some of the tension in his body. There was nothing he could currently do, so he chose to bundle up all his anger and worry and stash it away for later.

Like when he wasn't in the middle of giving an ancient Mand'alor a tour of the city.

"Thank you." He told the Coordinator sincerely.

With a polite incline of her head she held the datapad against her side and slowly went on her way.

Turning to look at Adatoya he watched as that bare helmet followed the coordinator. There was something tense about the way he was standing and after a moment Jango realized what it was.

It had been a long while since he'd first come to the planet so he had forgotten just how disturbing the species could be to anyone unfamiliar with them.

"That's a Kaminii. Cold bastards." Well, most of them. "They have a strict biological hierarchy, anything outside the norm or the approved form gets destroyed… including their own ade." Which is why, even if he liked Lari Ko more than the vast majority of the Kaminiise, he would still gut her if she ever did anything to hurt his ade.

He could practically feel the shudder of revulsion as the warrior assimilated the information. Adatoya's hand twitched as if he wanted to go for a weapon and Jango decided it would probably be a good idea to distract him from attempting to kill one of the very few helpful Kaminiise.

"So…" He gave the warrior a once over. "He?" He asked pointedly in Basic.

The warrior looked down at him, helm tilting slightly. "Male, masculine, he, him, his." He said simply.

"Thanks for telling me. It'll make things less complicated when I talk to the aruetiise." And when he talked to the ade. Although they were learning Mando'a on the side it wasn't actually a sanctioned class. Which meant their understanding of the galaxy was primarily in Basic. Unfortunately Basic was a heavily gendered language. So getting the ade to understand someone could be male on the outside and female on the inside, and that it was respectful to use the pronouns someone asked of them, was an uphill battle.

Especially when the Kaminiise were so rigid when it came to their 'products.'

Forcing those thoughts away for the time being he clapped the man on the shoulder and motioned toward the hall. "Why don't we continue?"

Adatoya inclined his helm and the two of them set off once again.

They were passing by the area where the Commando class of clones were housed when Adatoya looked down at him, seeming to contemplate something before speaking. "How many ade do you have?"

The question came out of nowhere but Jango wasn't bothered by it.

He grinned. "One hundred and one, so far." All of them strong young mando'ade, even if he had to pretend he didn't care about them as much as he actually did. "The Alphas are Boba's brothers, he was born the same time they were. Although he ages like a normal ad while his brothers age at more than twice the rate." It was something they hadn't told him when they first started the project. No. They'd waited until the fist few 'test' batches were finished before they explained the tinkering they were doing with the lives of children.

It was the first moment he'd realized he'd fucked up.

"A lot of them still don't have names yet. The Kaminiise give them numbers, like fucking droids." Or slaves, his mind helpfully supplied. "But I've been encouraging them to find their own names. Give them something they can choose for themselves." It didn't take away from anything he'd already done, it didn't bring back the ones he'd lost, but it did give the children one small sliver of freedom.

He only hoped they took that small sliver and rammed it directly into their slavers eyes.

"What about the ade I rescued?" There was a hint of a smile in the man's voice now.

Jango took a moment to remember exactly what class Priest had been teaching at the time of his very timely demise. "That was… the Commander Class. They won't be in your care but you'll be taking over their hand to hand classes from now on." It was the class that housed one of the batches he had his eye on. There was one boy in particular who was filled with mandokar, and Jango wanted to ensure that he survived until adulthood.

Coming up to a familiar door he realized he had a chance to do some ground work. Both for Adatoya and the ade.

"Good timing." He grinned as he stopped and reached for the panel beside the door. "These are the ade who will be in your care."

Opening the door he walked inside and took a deep breath. "Foxtrot Company! Fall in!" His voice carried over the noise of children in the middle of their allotted recreation time, that Jango had to fight tooth and nail for, and they all froze for a split second before hurrying to stand in their neat little rows.

Like good little soldiers.

"I don't know if you've heard the news yet, but Sergeant Priest is dead." He paused and watched them, waiting to see how they reacted.

He wasn't disappointed.

While some of the others might have a hard time telling the ade apart he knew their faces like he knew his own. Even if they weren't exact copies of himself there were certain tics that they shared with their donor. Which meant he could see the sheer relief that many of them were trying, and failing, to hide.

He turned to look at the door just as Adatoya came inside. Funny. If Jango wasn't mistaken then the man seemed almost nervous, as if he wasn't used to being the center of attention.

Curious.

"This is Adatoya, from today onward he will be your new training sergeant." Planting his feet he looked out at the children, hoping they would hear what was left unsaid. "You will obey him as you obeyed your last sergeant; is that understood cadets?"

Listen to the new trainer, but make your own judgment.

Stars and Manda he hoped they'd understood him.

"Sir, yes, Sir!" Came the synchronized response.

"Good. You will have a study day today and tomorrow. Dismissed!"

As the cadets broke ranks and began wandering back to their activities, giving the two of them wary or curious looks whenever they thought they could get away with it, Jango glanced up at Adatoya. It was probably unfair of him to drop this all on the ancient warrior so suddenly but honestly?

A little divine intervention in the form of a past Mand'alor was something they sorely needed right about now.

"They're not going to trust you right away." He warned, voice quiet but he knew the ade had better hearing than they let on. "Not after Priest." He didn't even try to conceal just how much he had loathed that Kyr'tsad wannabe bastard as he spat the man's name.

There was a grunt from the warrior beside him, their attention primarily on the children, before they turned their helmet down to look at him. "After what you pulled," and there was a faint hint of annoyance in his tone now, "you better be helping me plan this new training regiment."

Jango let out a loud bark of laughter that startled a couple of the ade, though he pretended not to see it, and clapped a hand against the man's pauldron in amusement. "Why do you think I asked for your room to be near mine?" He grinned. "This way we can get together with Kal and Cort to help get everything settled."

A ping from his bracer caught his attention and he read through the notification quickly. "Huh. We could start now if you want." Holding up his bracer he tilted it so the man could read for himself what the message contained. "Or you can settle into your new room."

"I wouldn't mind seeing my new room, but I'm not tired." The man said with a small shrug.

One of the ade shouted and the man's helmet perked up, visor sweeping across the room until it stopped on a couple of boys who had begun an impromptu sparring match. Around them more of the children were stopping what they were doing to cheer on their brothers.

After making sure the boys weren't overdoing it he heard the man speak once again.

"That demagolka earlier wasn't even a workout."

It was said with such casual ease that it set Jango's heart racing in his chest and left his mouth dry. In anyone else he might have considered it to be a brag, or even an outright lie. But Adatoya's voice held no false confidence or pride. Just the tone of a man who had seen a problem and dealt with it.

It was unfairly attractive.

The man looked down at him again, that slight tilt that Jango was learning meant he was either curious or paying close attention.

Jango pulled his hand back from the man's pauldron. "It's nothing." He said, hoping the warrior would believe him. "Come on, let's leave the ade to play by themselves."

Heading out into the hall he watched Adatoya as his visor never left the cadets. Even after the door closed he stood there for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. He saw the man's hand twitch before curling into a fist, how he stood even straighter, his tall athletic frame practically brimming with purpose.

"Don't worry about them for now, vod. We should hurry up and figure out what you're going to teach them." Jango called to catch his attention. "They're smarter than other ade their age, something the Kaminiise did to their brains. We've had to come up with new and creative ways to teach them because they learn so fast." Adatoya followed when Jango turned to head down a different hall, quickly catching up with long easy strides.

"Are they only taught by their… sergeants?"

"No. They have flash training and some classes with the Kaminiise overseeing their basic education. The group you're training now are future ori'ramikad'e." The man stiffened slightly but didn't falter as they continued down the stark white halls.

It was hard to parse out what the warrior beside him was thinking as he went quiet. Jango didn't say anything further until they reached the lifts.

"The trainers quarters are located on the top floor of the facility. We're given free rein of about seventy percent of the city, sixty five of which is where the ade live and train. The rest is dedicated to the Kaminiise. Their living quarters, working centers, their… laboratories." Jango had to stop himself from punching the button for the top floor.

"…where they currently have your other ade?" Adatoya asked, voice pitched low in sympathy.

"Yes." He said through gritted teeth. "And unless I kick up a lot of fuss and get more of the training sergeants involved they aren't going to let me anywhere near that place." He let out a shuddery sigh and ran his hand through his hair. It was getting a bit long, he noticed suddenly, he'd have to cut it soon.

"If…" Adatoya cleared his throat and Jango looked up at him curiously. "If something happens to the ade, or if these… Kaminiise, don't want give them back…" The man looked down at him and Jango didn't need to see whatever eyes he might have to know they were brimming with fierce determination. "We will either retrieve them or bring vengeance down on the Kaminiise's heads."

Jango felt something inside his chest ease.

While Kal, Cort, and Mij were always ready to fight for the ade not every trainer thought of them as living, thinking, beings. Even amongst he mando'ade there were those who thought of them as fleshy droids. If he was being generous he'd assume they were living in denial so the weight of what they'd signed on to didn't shatter their spirits. But if he wanted to rescue his ade he would have very little in the way of back-up, and if he was killed there would be no one to look after Boba.

The fact that this ancient Mand'alor had instantly seen the ade as they truly were, and had sworn to continue protecting them, just reinforced Jango's belief that he had been sent by the Manda.

"I accept that debt." He said quietly, sagging slightly with exhaustion.

"There is no debt, Jango." Adatoya said firmly. "Ade are the future."

Thankfully Jango was spared having to say anything further as the doors to the lift opened.

"Well, this is our stop. Top floor, penthouse suite." He said with a slightly cheeky grin, feeling a little less hopeless than he had been mere moments ago.

There was an amused snort and what might have been a mutter of "smartass," as Adatoya entered the new hall.
Not that you'd know it by looking at it. Honestly, everything in this damned place looked exactly the same. The Kaminiise assured them that all the halls had markings but none of them could actually see any. He assumed it was a thing that only the Kaminiise could perceive so he and the other trainers had resorted to maps loaded into their helmets and bracers.

"This way." Turning down the hall to the left he led the way down the more cramped halls until they passed a large window. Adatoya stopped, helmet turned toward the window. Outside was another rainstorm, the most common weather.

The man shuddered slightly before turning away and Jango wondered what the hell kind of reaction that was.

"Is the whole planet an ocean?" He asked.

"It is."

The man took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Alright."

They continued in silence until they made it to the hall where their quarters were located. "This one is mine." Jango said as he tapped his knuckles on the wall next to a door. "I'll be sure to mark it on your copy of the map in case you need something." It wasn't a luxury he afforded to all of the trainers but he had a good feeling he could trust Adatoya with the knowledge of where he and his 'oldest' son lived.

They passed by five other doors before Jango stopped. "This one is yours." He entered the security code he'd been sent before stepping inside first.

The quarters were the same as the others set aside for humans or near-humans. It had a large open living space and wide window, a single bedroom, fresher, and a small kitchen. Unfortunately there wasn't a space for armor storage or maintenance, not yet at least, so the man would have to make due with the low table in the living area for the time being.

"It's not much. But it's yours. When we leave you can put in your own door code. Only you and the main security system will have access to your room at that point."

Adatoya came inside a little cautiously but after a moment seemed to relax. Almost casually he came to stand next to Jango, his gloved hand tapping against his upper thigh armor.

It took Jango two repetitions to actually catch what the man was doing.

'Safe to speak?' He tapped out again in dadita.

'Not safe.'

The man turned to look out the window. "Is it always this stormy out?" He asked even as his fingers tapped out a new sequence. 'Recording devices?'

"Yeah. You can only see the sun a few times a year. Otherwise it's just different levels of miserable." He said with no small amount of disdain. 'Yes. Will send reinforcement for search and destroy.'

"Of course it is." Adatoya said in a voice drier than the deserts of Tatooine.

Jango let out a bark of laughter. "Should have asked before you signed on, vod." He teased.
"Noted." The man said, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

"If you're done here I can comm Kal and let him know we're heading over. You might meet his ade as well, they rarely like to be away from him for long. Little disasters are constantly causing trouble." He grumbled, though there was no heat to it. He understood why Kal's boys found it hard to trust him after everything they'd been through, and how he'd had to act in front of the Kaminiise. They were doing a little better now but there was still this dangerous edge around them that made him wary.

"Yeah, I'm done here." He turned and headed for the door, waiting on Jango to exit before quickly tapping out a new security code. He didn't make any moves to hide it from Jango so he assumed the man had taken him up on his offer of letting someone else into his room to get rid of any recording devices.

Jango wasn't certain why this Manda blessed warrior trusted him so much, but he made a silent oath to never betray that trust.

---

Mando'a Translations;

Ad, Ade- Child, children.
Tiingilar- A blisteringly spicy casserole that is common in Mandalorian cuisine.
Aruetiise- Foreigners, outsiders, traitors.
Mando'ade- Mandalorians, plural.
Mandokar- The right stuff, being the epitome of Mandalorian virtues. A mix of determination, guts, and lust for life.
Kyr'tsad- Death Watch, a Mandalorian splinter group considered by many to be a terrorist organization.
Demagolka- A war criminal, a torturer of children, a Mandalorian's worst nightmare.
Ori'ramikad'e- Special forces.
Vod- Sibling, comrade, compatriot.
Dadita- Mandalorian morse code.

 

[TheHoneyPot]

I like the overall idea and concept, but I dont see the point of near identical chapters, ones that ft the same scene.

To me, it doesnt add anything to have 2 povs of the same scene of a dialogue between the same 2 people....

2 near identical povs looks a lot like those translation tools messing up and repeating the same part over and over again with the same results in negatively effecting the reading experience.

That said, the story and concepts are really interesting so far and I can always just skip near identical chapters.

 

[JonathanAnubian]

First, I did warn you. Lol
Second, this is heavily based on character motivations and misunderstandings. Knowing how each character is feeling and interpreting the same scenario is important.

That being said, it's not for everyone. And if you don't like it you may want to quit now cause it continues for a while. Since this is a crosspost from another site it's already written like this for 11 chapters.

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Chapter 7- Din

Din watched Jango's expression as his beskar solid core seemed to bend a little, his expression exhausted as he sagged against the interior of the lift. "I accept that debt." The man said quietly, looking as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"There is no debt, Jango." He said firmly, turning away to give the other warrior a moment to collect himself. "Ade are the future."

Jango didn't get a chance to respond as the lift doors opened. Instead he stepped out into the hall and turned to give Din a cheeky grin. "Well this is our stop. Top floor, penthouse suite."

Din let out an amused snort. "…smartass." The man was just like Boba when he was being playful. Or maybe Boba was like his buir… The thought made him frown slightly and he forced himself to clear his mind. To focus on the task at hand.

This new hall looked exactly the same as the one below and for a moment Din wondered if the lift had even moved at all. If he hadn't seen the floors going by himself through the glass door he would have assumed they hadn't gone anywhere.

"This way." Jango said, turning down the hall off to the left and leading Din through the maze of sterilized passages.

Passing by a large window that looked out over the planet Din stopped. Outside was a deluge of rain and from where he was standing he could see the harsh waves of the water hundreds of meters below them. Memories of the last time he was on a watery moon, Trask it had been called, flooded his mind and he shuddered just remembering it. The Quarrens feeding his son's crib to the sea monster, they way they tried to drown him in order to steal his beskar…

He would rather not think about it.

Turning to see Jango staring at him he froze. "Is the whole planet an ocean?" He asked to hide his unease.
"It is." The man said simply.

Din took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Alright." It would be fine. It wasn't like he would be out there in that mess. It looked as if all the training was done indoors. As long as he didn't have to go out onto the water he would be fine.

The silent unease followed them as Jango quickened his pace a little, maybe sensing that Din would really like to get away from the large window now thanks. They turned down another hall and the man slowed, stopping before a door. He rapped his knuckles against the wall. "This one is mine. I'll be sure to mark it on your copy of the map in case you need something."

Din looked at the door and wondered if that was where the small Boba was now.

They continued on, passing a few more doors before Jango stopped once gain. "This one is yours." Entering what looked like a one time use security code he unlocked the door and walked inside first.

Din tensed for a moment before relaxing a little at the gesture. It was something very familiar to him, being mando'ad. It was a gesture of trust. Both to give someone your back and to prove you weren't walking into an ambush.

The lights came on when Jango entered so Din got a good look at the interior as he cautiously followed. There was a door to his left and right, one a bedroom and one a fresher. Past that it opened up into an area that reminded him of a karyai, the main living space of a traditional mando home. They'd had one in the covert whenever possible, somewhere everyone could gather together to mend things, talk, play with the ade, and eat safely amongst aliit.

"It's not much, but it's yours." Jango said ahead of him. "When we leave you can put in your own door code. Only you and the main security system will have access to your room at that point."

Coming to stand next to Jango he grimaced at the window that seemed to be a feature of the rooms. As he did so he tapped out a message in dadita on his ven'cabur. When Jango didn't respond at first he wondered briefly if Boba's buir even knew dadita. Or if maybe the man had missed it due to the storm outside.

'Safe to speak?' He tapped out the message again as they stood there and he almost sagged in relief when the man responded.

'Not safe.' Jango tapped out on his vambrace, arms crossed in front of him almost casually.

Din frowned at the response and turned toward the window. "Is it always this stormy out?" He asked to cover up the next question. 'Recording devices?'

"Yes. You can only see the sun a few times a year. Otherwise it's just different levels of miserable." Jango said with a tone that told Din exactly how much the man appreciated that fact. 'Yes. Will send reinforcement for search and destroy.' He tapped out once he had finished speaking.

"Of course it is." Din said dryly, wondering if there was some way to cover up the window so he didn't have to see the ocean on the other side.

Beside him Jango let out a loud bark of laughter. "Should have asked before you signed on, vod." He said with another cheeky grin, his voice teasing.

"Noted." Din said, rolling his eyes within the safety of his helmet, though he knew some of his amusement must have shone through.

"If you're done here I can comm Kal and let him know we're heading over. You might meet his ade as well, they rarely like to be away from him for long. Little disasters are constantly causing trouble." Jango grumbled without any real heat.

"Yeah, I'm done here." Especially done staring at the churning waves and flashes of light that made his stomach clench with discomfort.

He headed for the door and waited for Jango to exit before turning and typing out a new security code. It was a date he'd never forget and knew that no one would be able to crack, not without supernatural knowledge of the future. If anyone did crack it then the whole facility would have more problems than just someone getting into his stuff. Especially since he didn't actually have any stuff to begin with. Just what was currently on his person.

He let Jango see the key pad, knowing the man was watching. If he was sending someone to sweep the place then they would need to get in later. He'd just change the code once he knew they were done.

Turning to Jango he gave the man a firm nod. Without a map or any knowledge of where things were he was entirely reliant on the other warrior for directions.

Thankfully Jango also knew this and led him down the hall to another set of quarters without a word. The man rang the bell and they waited for maybe ten seconds before another clone answered the door.

Only this was one a bit different than the others. A little older and with slightly different features. "Prime." The ad said before turning their intelligent eyes towards Din. "And you must be the new training sergeant." A pleasant smile crossed the ad's face, though their eyes never stopped scanning him. "Buir said we'd be seeing you soon. Come in."

"Thanks, A'den." Jango said with a polite nod, though he seemed oddly wary of the child.

Verd Skirata's quarters were a lot larger than Din's, though as he came into the main room and spied the ade Jango had warned him about earlier he understood why. There were four of them he could see immediately as he entered, including the ad Jango had called A'den. But as he came further into the room the back of his neck began to prickle and he turned to spy a fifth child hiding out of sight of the door.

The ad's eyes narrowed at him and he had never felt more scrutinized in his life, except perhaps when he and Paz had once drunk some tihaar on a dare and were brought in front of the alor for punishment after fighting openly outside of training.

Din gave them a slow incline of the helm in acknowledgment before turning his focus back to verd Skirata.

"Kal, where's Boba?" Jango asked, scanning the room with a scowl.

Verd Skirata, or Kal as Jango called them, looked up from the datapad they were holding. "In the kitchen with Kom'rk getting a drink." They looked past Jango and nodded at him. "Adatoya." They greeted, still sounding a bit skeptical.

All things considered Din would be skeptical too if some stranger showed up out of nowhere inside the Covert.

"Verd Skirata, or do you prefer Kal?" He asked politely.

The verd looked surprised for a moment. "Either is fine, whatever's easier." They waved it off simply, leaving it up to his discretion.

The way the verd's kids shifted on their feet, however, said that they were definitely not comfortable with the idea of someone acting familiarly with their buir.

"Skirata it is." At least until the ade and the verd felt more comfortable around him.

Looking around at the ade Din let his stance relax as much as he could. He could already see that they were agitated by his presence, uncertain, even if they acted calm on the outside. The feeling from before, that something dangerous was watching him, made him more wary of these ade than he normally would be of most ade their age. He had no doubt that Skirata had been training them to be mando'ade from the moment the verd adopted them.

"Boys," Jango said, catching the ade's attention, "this is Adatoya, the new training sergeant. He'll be training Foxtrot company in Priest's place."

One of the ade snorted. "Good. He was a bastard. I heard he was singling out CT-7567 during cqc training." There was a bitterness in the ad's voice that made Din frown. He also wanted to call the kid out for their language but hesitated. These were not Covert foundlings, they already had a parent.

"Prudii, language." Oh thank the Ka'ra. "And what else did you hear about Priest?" Skirata asked, turning to regard their ad with a stern look.

The kid glanced at one of their siblings and the other kid stepped forward with a fierce scowl. "That he was making the CCs and CTs fight each other until one of the combatants fell unconscious. That he hated us clones and Prime. That he'd single out the smallest or most timid in every batch to use as his training dummy." The kid's hand curled at their side, knuckles white with anger.

Din was right there with them. "I should have stabbed him twice." He muttered darkly before he could catch himself.

The ade all looked up at him in surprise and his face turned hot with embarrassment. He'd forgotten for a moment that these ade were mando'ade and were probably fluent in mando'a. He wasn't used to being understood, or overheard for that matter. The ade must have sharp hearing to be able to hear him without the external mic turned up.

Jango snorted in amusement just as Boba and the last Skirata'ad came out of the kitchen. The curly haired boy spotted his father and immediately ran to him, arms up in the universal demand to be picked up and held.

"Hey, Bob'ika." The man said in Mando'a as he bent to lift the boy into his arms, a gentle smile crossing his scarred face. "Were you good for ba'vodu Kal?"

"Lek, buir! We played hide and hunt!" Boba said with a bright smile as he leaned up and accepted a kov'nyn from his buir.

"I'm glad you had fun." Jango said as he ran his hand through the boy's hair. "But it's time for your education modules now."

Boba pouted and wrapped his arms around his buir's neck. "Noooo! Buir! I want to play with my ba'vod'ade more!"

Din melted at the sight and wondered if anyone would notice if he just took a quick holo. If he ever got back to his own time he'd be able to share it with his ori'vod and tease him about how adorable he was as an ad. Maybe gift him some image files as a way to remember his buir…

"That's enough, Bob'ika. Kal, Adatoya, Cort, and I have some work to do." He looked around at the Skirata'ade. "Will one of you make sure he starts his modules and keep an eye on him for a bit?"

The boy who had met them at the door, the one with the cheerful smile named A'den, opened his mouth to agree when Boba interrupted. "No! I want Sull! Or 77!"

"Boba." Jango's voice dropped lower and he looked down at the child in his arms sternly. "They're busy right now. Maybe when they're finished they can help you. But right now I need you to be a big boy for me, okay? If you're good I'll tell you an extra story tonight before bed, how's that sound?"

The boy sniffled, looking miserable for all of two seconds before he smiled brightly, gave his buir a hug, and wriggled in his arms until Jango put him down. The man let out an exasperated sigh as Boba darted over to the older ad and grabbed his hand, grinning like he'd won some great triumph.

A'den led Boba out of the room and Verd Skirata let out a bark of laughter, no longer able to keep their amusement contained. "Ad has you wrapped around his little finger, Alor." They shook their head, grinning, as Jango glowered at them, though there was no heat in his eyes or aggression in his stance.

"He's smarter than he lets on but he's still an ad." Jango rolled his eyes.

"Bribery isn't going to work forever." Skirata told him as they stood and shuffled some flimsi on their caf table to make it look like less of a mess. The verd looked up at him and thrust a chin toward the couch. "Have a seat, Adatoya. We can get started." They looked around at the ade, who looked reluctant to leave but perked up when they met their buir's eyes. "We aren't talking about anything classified. You can stay or go, your choice."

Din sat gingerly on the couch, aware of the eyes that followed his every move. He had the feeling that if he stepped out of line with verd Skirata that it wasn't the adult verde he would have to worry about.

"Before I forget," Jango said as he lowered himself onto the couch next to Din, "Adatoya is male and goes by he/him." He stated. "Kal is also male and goes by he/him. You haven't met them yet but Cort prefers they/them or just kaysh."

Skirata looked at him with interest for a moment. "I guess none of us thought of it earlier, since we were speaking in Mando'a this whole time."

"I'll do my best to remember." Din said honestly, dipping his head politely toward the other verd.

"First thing's first," Jango started, leaning forward and shifting through the flimsi on the caf table. "This is the list of cadets in Foxtrot Company. Their aptitude tests, most recent scores, and potential squad make up. Commandos are sorted into groups of four based on compatibility and potential unit cohesion."

Din took the first page of flimsi and let his eyes scan down the words. Halfway down the first row he began to frown, then to scowl. By the end of the second row his hand was beginning to shake in anger, his perception narrowing to just the list.

A list of numbers, rather than names.

"Vod." A hand grabbed his wrist in a loose hold and he stiffened, head turning almost mechanically toward Jango. There was a burning light in his eyes, one Din could have sworn came from the Manda themselves. "I know." He squeezed gently, a way to ground Din in the present moment. "But you're in charge of them now." The man reminded him. "You'll make it right."

Din couldn't agree more.

---

Mando'a Translations;

Ven'cabur- Also called Cuisse, the upper thigh armor.
Dadita- Mandalorian morse code.
Ad- Child
Ade- Children.
Buir- Parent
Verd- Warrior, soldier.
Ba'vodu- Aunt, Uncle, Sibling of a parent.
Kov'nyn- Tapping or pressing of the foreheads together as a sign of affection.
Ba'vod'ade- Cousins.

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Chapter 8- Jango

Watching Adatoya interacting with Kal's boys was both fascinating and amusing in equal measure. It was clear that the verd had noticed the scary competence of the ade and was rightfully wary of them. Yet at the same time it was clear the man had no hostility towards them, even as Ordo did his best to glare a hole into the back of his skull through his beskar helmet.

Thankfully his respectful interactions with Kal made the Nulls relax from their overly alert state, though it was clear they were still keeping an eye on the strange verd just in case he tried to hurt their buir.

Jango felt a pang in his chest. These boys were another mistake he had made, another thing he couldn't change or fix. But he was damned glad that Kal had stepped up to take them under his wing.

"Boys," He said, catching the Nulls collective attention, "this is Adatoya, the new training sergeant. He'll be training Foxtrot company in Priest's place." And Manda was he thankful for that.

Prudii snorted derisively. "Good. He was a bastard. I heard he was singling out CT-7567 during cqc training." The sharp pang of bitterness in his voice made Jango straighten slightly, as did the new knowledge. Nearby Adatoya also stiffened slightly, looking as if he wanted to say something but keeping quiet.

"Prudii, language." Kal said, though there was a faint smirk at the corner of his lips. Adatoya relaxed a little and Jango hid his own look of amusement as he realized why. "And what else did you hear about Priest?" The look Kal levered at his ad was stern. Jango would bet his buy'ce that Kal hadn't known about that little bit of information.

Prudii glanced over at Ordo, their groups little Alor'ad, and the boy stepped forward with a scowl harsh enough to melt metal. "That he was making the CCs and CTs fight each other until one of the combatants fell unconscious. That he hated us clones and Prime. That he'd single out the smallest or most timid in every batch to use as his training dummy." Ordo's hand curled at his side, knuckles white, and Jango wanted to sigh. It was a bad habit the kid had and anyone observant would be able to see it as the tell it was. But it wasn't his place to mention it, that was Kal's job as buir.

Before Jango could even think of a response to the absolute banthashit he'd just heard, Adatoya spoke. "I should have stabbed him twice." The verd said in mando'a, seemingly to himself.

Jango didn't even hide his savage grin, or the snort of amusement, when Kal's boys zeroed in on the man in surprise. Watching Adatoya fidget slightly at all the suddent attention, as if he'd forgotten these kids were mando'ade and would know mando'a, Jango smirked. It was pretty damned endearing.

Just then his ad returned from the kitchen with Kom'rk, saw him standing there, and immediately raced over with his arms up in a silent demand to be held. "Hey Bob'ika." He said, smiling down at his youngest. "Were you good for ba'vodu Kal?" Leaning down he met his son halfway in a kov'nyn.

"Lek, buir! We played hide and hunt!" The bright smile on his son's face made some of the tension from earlier melt away.

Jango ran his hand through his boy's curly locks. "I'm glad you had fun. But it's time for your education modules now." Even knowing how his son was going to react he wasn't quite ready for the death grip as Boba wrapped his arms tightly around his neck.

"Noooo! Buir!" He said with a pout. "I want to play with my ba'vod'ade more!"

"That's enough, Bob'ika. Kal, Adatoya, Cort, and I have some work to do." Looking away from his ad he addressed Kal's little monsters. "Will one of you make sure he starts his modules and keep an eye on him for a bit?"

As A'den opened his mouth to speak Boba suddenly yelled. "No! I want Sull! Or 77!"

Jango let out a small huff as his son made his eyes go wider and his lip trembled convincingly. "Boba." He said firmly, letting his voice drop into the tone he used to correct his ade's behavior. "They are busy right now. Maybe when they are finished they can help you. But right now I need you to be a big boy for me, okay?" Even knowing that his son was faking, however, it was difficult to say no to the little con artist. "If you're good I'll tell you an extra story tonight before bed, how's that sound?"

Boba let out a small sniffle, probably just because he could, before the bright smile returned. He gave Jango a hug before he started fidgeting and trying to get down.

Jango set him down with an exasperated sigh as Boba ran over to A'den and grabbed his hand with a large grin.

As A'den took Boba into one of the other rooms so he wasn't distracted by what the adults were doing, Kal let out a bark of laughter. "Ad has you wrapped around his little finger, Alor." Jango sent the man a stern glower but it didn't really phase him, Kal was used to his glare.

It wasn't as if Kal was any better. The man would let his ade get away with murder, literally, and even help them hide the body.

Jango rolled his eyes. "He's smarter than he lets on but he's still an ad." And ade had very simple desires.

"Bribery isn't going to work forever." Kal 'helpfully' pointed out as he began tidying up the caf table. He stopped momentarily to motion at the verd Jango had almost forgotten was there, he'd been so quiet and still. "Have a seat, Adatoya. We can get started." He turned his attention to his ade, who looked hesitant to leave them alone even if they knew Jango would back Kal up if a fight broke out. "We aren't talking about anything classified. You can stay or go, your choice." The ade perked up and it was obvious what their decision would be.

Adatoya sat on the couch gingerly, clearly aware of the stares he was getting from the Nulls.

Taking pity on the poor bastard Jango chose the seat next to him. Him. Right. That was something he needed to mention. "Before I forget," he turned to look at Kal, "Adatoya is male and goes by he/him." He said in Basic before turning to look at the verd. "Kal is also male and goes by he/him. You haven' t met them yet but Cort prefers they/them or just kaysh."

Kal looked at Adatoya curiously. "I guess none of us thought of that earlier, since we were speaking in mando'a this whole time."

"I'll do my best to remember." Adatoya promised as he gave Kal a polite nod.

"First thing's first," leaning forward he shifted through the stacks of reports on the caf table until he found what he'd been looking for, "this is the list of Cadets in Foxtrot Company." Picking up the sheets of flimsi he held them out to Adatoya. "Their aptitude tests, most recent scores, and potential squad make up. Commandos are sorted into groups of four based on potential unit cohesion."

The verd silently took the stack of flimsi and stared down at it. For anyone else who had been born and raised outside of armor it might have looked like the man wasn't doing anything at all. But Jango knew he was reading the list, slowly getting more and more agitated.

Reaching over when the man began to practically vibrate in anger he carefully wrapped his hand around the man's wrist in a comforting, but not confining, hold. It was a bit of a risk but Jango felt that Adatoya was controlled enough not to lash out suddenly in anger, regardless of how pissed he was. "Vod." Squeezing his wrist gently, grounding and comforting all at once, he swallowed down the bile that was rising in his throat. "I know." He knew exactly how Adatoya felt seeing that list of numbers. "But you're in charge of them now." And seeing his reaction to the ade themselves, then list of identification numbers, Jango was becoming more and more certain Adatoya would take care of the them the way they should have been from the start. "You'll make it right."

After what felt like an hour, but was probably closer to a minute or so, Adatoya's body slowly relaxed. He nodded firmly and Jango got the vague sense that he was grateful before his helmet turned back to the flimsi in his hand.

Jango reluctantly let go of his wrist.

"They haven't been placed into squads already?" The man asked after another moment to collect himself, going back to speaking mando'a.

"Priest was dragging his fucking heels." Kal answered before him. "And now we know why. If the cadets didn't have a squad they could rely on it would be easier to pit them against each other and keep them quiet about it." Even from where he was sitting he swore he could hear Kal's teeth grinding in rage.

"I think that should be the first thing I do, then." Adatoya said carefully. "I'm a new face," Jango snorted in amusement at the slight pause as the man's words registered. Adatoya let out a small put upon sigh and continued. "The ade aren't going to trust me right away, or feel comfortable being alone with me after that demagolka hurt them." There was a long moment of silence and he was certain that all three of them were trying to keep their anger in check. "Putting them into squads will, hopefully, make them feel more secure. I know I do when I have vode at my back."

"You should start with finding the highest scorers and putting them on a squad with the lowest." Kal suggested. "That should even out their scores overall so no one falls behind."

Unearthing a blank datapad from the mess on the caf table he handed it to Adatoya. The man took it with a quick nod of gratitude and started to jot down notes in what looked like some sort of shorthand. Fucked if he could figure out what it said though. It wasn't in any code he was familiar with.

"Is there a list of what skills they're learning?" The man asked, even as he continued to type his cryptic notes.

"Every ad gets the same basic education but each trainer has free reign on the rest of their training. Jango tries to keep an eye on everything but between Boba, the Alphas, and overseeing the majority of the basic education he can't be everywhere." Kal frowned. "I've got the ade running timed accuracy drills and running through basic squad tactics at the moment."

Jango couldn't say how he knew but he was certain that Adatoya was frowning. Maybe it was the way he shifted his weight and leaned slightly towards Kal. "I have no idea what that coward was teaching them. I'm going to have to start from scratch, and if the ade are in trouble of being killed like you said…" He shook his head. "Was there anyone else who was around for their training that could get me up to speed on what they were learning?"

Jango shared a grimace with Kal. "Reau, but you're going to want to avoid her. She and Priest were close. Really close. There was a running bet on when they'd say the riduurok." Which meant that the moment Reau saw Adatoya there was going to be trouble.

"If they were that close I'd send someone to check on the ade." Adatoya said, voice deepening with a slight growl. "You don't become that close with a demagolka and do nothing about it unless you agree with their actions."

Jango froze before clenching his hands into tight fists. He should have thought of that! But it was so far out of the realm of possibility for a mando'ad to hurt children that he hadn't even realized what Priest had been doing, let alone Reau. But it was a logical conclusion to come to. "Kal, continue the briefing, I have some calls to make." Getting up he stalked out of the room and into the kitchen without even a glance back.

Once he was certain he was alone he slammed his fist into the counter and let out a curse, hissed between his teeth so he didn't draw the attention of Kal's ade or Boba. Punching in the comm frequency he waited, taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly to keep himself calm.

"If you hurt yourself trying to show off for that new verd then you can just suffer." Came a voice as dry as Tatooine's deserts.

"Mij." He growled. "I want you to check all of the medical reports for Phi Company. Reau and Priest were close, there's no way she couldn't have known what was going on."

The medic cursed. "I'll call back once I have something, Alor." The line went dead and Jango let out a sigh before punching in another comm code.

The moment it connected an older female voice answered. "Fett, what do you need?"

"Rav, I need you to keep an eye on Reau. I know the news has already made its rounds but if you didn't hear; Priest is Dead. Reau is going to want revenge. Watch out for Mij too, he's on the warpath."

"I'll see what I can do, but no promises. You already know my personal opinions." There was a core of beskar to her words, though she'd kept her tone light. Rav had been one of the more vocal voices telling him to dispose of Reau and Priest but with no one to replace them, and this late in the training, he hadn't wanted to take the chance.

It had taken an ancient warrior appearing and killing Priest to kick his ass into gear. He wasn't very proud of that fact, but all he could do now was keep moving forward.

"Yeah, I know Rav. Just don't cause trouble without warning me first." He said with a grimace.

"No promises." She reiterated before hanging up the comm.

Jango let out a heavy sigh and slumped forward, his head hitting the cupboard door with a slight thunk. He just knew that Rav and Mij were going to team up and Reau was going to end up dead sooner rather than later. He'd better start planning for that inevitability and find a replacement quickly. The only problem was that he'd called in a lot of favors when the contract first started and he wasn't sure he knew anyone else he could trust with training the clones. He certainly didn't want to hire another aruetii, no matter how skilled.

Eventually noise from somewhere else in the apartment caught his attention and he headed back into Kal's living room.

Standing next to Adatoya, sharing a friendly arm clasp with him, was Cort. They looked past the ancient verd and gave him a wide grin, blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Alor! I hope you don't mind me greeting our new resident ori'ramikad without you." Their lips quirked up in a smirk and Jango bit back a curse.

Of course the other Concord Dawn native already knew about Jango's attraction to Adatoya. Kal or Mij must have told them.

"Adatoya's a grown verd, he can look after himself." He said, rolling his eyes as he strode back over to the couch and sat down. "You here to help or stand around looking pretty?" He snarked.

"Aw, the Alor thinks I'm pretty!" Cort said with a shark-like grin on their face as they released Adatoya's arm and lazily flopped back into a chair.

Kal let out a strangled snort and shook his head. "None of that, we've got more important shit to do than watch you two go at it." He indicated himself and Adatoya. "He's going to need all the help he can get making a new training regimen for the ade."

Adatoya sat back down and picked up the datapad again, looking between the three of them.

Cort leaned forward in the chair and laced their fingers together, arms across their knees. "I do know a little about Priest's training methods, but that's only because I've overheard him bragging with Reau about how his methods are better than whatever Wad'e cooked up. But we all know that's banthashit. Wad'e used to be an ori'ramikad himself and his skill with a bevii'ceryc is unmatched. I think he's been teaching the ade to hold back just enough to hide their real skill."

Next to him Adatoya perked up at the mention of the hunting spear that Wad'e liked to use. It was pretty hard not to miss the spear resting against his back, even with most of it hidden by his cloak, so he could guess where the man's mind had gone.

Madno'ade loved a challenge. The moment they saw a worthy opponent, or heard about them in this case, they wanted to test themselves. It was clear by how Adatoya had taken out Priest that he was at the very least skilled with the spear, if not a master of it.

Cort let out a chuckle. "I'm sure you'll get to meet Wad'e during the next large gathering. Jango tries to have them once a month so we can all bring up any issues or adjust our training methods if someone is falling behind."

Adatoya nodded. "Sounds good." His helm tilted down and he looked as if he were pondering something before he looked up at them again. "From what I'm gathering here, there are no standard training modules for the ade. We train them how we think they should be trained, or how we learned, is that correct?"

The others looked at him and Adatoya turned to regard him as well. He sat up a little straighter. "There is some oversight but you're mostly right. The ade have to learn enough to keep up with the testing the Kaminiise put them through. But as long as they can shoot straight, work as a team, and pass all the tests it's fine."

Adatoya leaned forward, chin on the back of his armored hand and elbow resting on his cuisse. There was a long moment of silence before he straightened. "I know how I'm going to train them." He glanced around at them, giving them each a respectful nod. "But I'm going to need help and resources to put it together."

Jango gave the man a reassuring smile. "That's what we're here for."

---

Mando'a;

Verd- Warrior
Ad, ade- Child, children
Buy'ce- Helmet
Alor'ad- Captain
Kov'nyn- Pressing foreheads, or helmets, together as a sign of affection. It also refers to a headbutt.
Vod, ori'vod, vod'ika- Sibling, older sibling, younger sibling.
Ba'vodu- Sibling of a parent.
Ba'vod'ade- Cousins
Demagolka- Someone who commits atrocities, a real-life monster, a war criminal. From the notorious Mandalorian scientist of the Old Republic, Demagol, known for his experiments on children, and a figure of hate and dread in the Mando psyche.
Riduurok- Mandalorian marriage vows.
Aruetii- Outsider, foreigner, one who is not Mandalorian. Also used for traitors.
Ori'ramikad- Supercommando, Mandalorian elite forces.
Bevii'ceryc- Mandalorian hunting spear.

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Chapter 9- Din

Din stared at Jango for what felt like an eternity as the strong grip around his wrist held fast. From where Jango had grabbed him he could feel the warmth of the man's fingers and he had to keep perfectly still not to shiver at the sensation. But as he got used to the touch his body slowly began to relax and he was able to take his anger and store it away for later. For when it was most useful.

When he felt like he was more himself he gave Jango a firm nod of appreciation and gratitude before his eyes turned back to the flimsi in his hands.

Jango slowly removed his hand and Din had to carefully school his reaction again at the slow glide of skin against skin. "They haven't been placed into squads already?" He asked to hide the fact that he could still feel Jango's warm fingers against his bare wrist even after the man had pulled away.

"Priest was dragging their fucking heels." Verd Skirata answered. "And now we know why. If the cadets didn't have a squad they could rely on it would be easier to pit them against each other and keep them quiet about it." The disgust was clear in his voice and the way a vein jumped along his jaw.

"I think that should be the first thing I do, then." He reasoned. "I'm a new face." Jango snorted beside him and Din wanted to sigh at his own poor choice of wording. He chose to press on instead. "The ade aren't going to trust me right away, or feel comfortable being alone with me after that demagolka hurt them." He knew what it was like to go from something horrific to suddenly having others care for you. It was disorienting and hard to believe at first. But he would be there for the ade, no matter how they reacted.

He'd held more than one Foundling who cried into his armor once they finally realized they were safe with their new aliit.

"Putting them into squads will, hopefully, make them feel more secure. I know I do when I have vode at my back." Oh, how he missed them. Even Paz, the hulking bastard.

"You should start with finding the highest scorers and putting them on a squad with the lowest." Kal suggested. "That should even out their scores overall so no one falls behind."

Jango rifled around the mess of flimsi and datapads until he came up with one that was blank. He handed it to Din, who nodded gratefully. Going back and forth between the scores and the list he started to jot down an outline for which ade would do well on a squad together. He used the old shorthand he'd been taught in the Fighting Corps for judging the competence of each warrior and used it to efficiently create a list of criteria.

Once he had a more solid idea of how he wanted to structure the squads he glanced at Jango, though he knew the man wouldn't be able to see it behind his visor.

"Is there a list of what skills they're learning?" He asked as he tapped out a few more key points he didn't want to forget.

"Every ad gets the same basic education but each trainer has free reign on the rest of their training. Jango tries to keep an eye on everything but between Boba, the Alphas, and overseeing the majority of the basic education he can't be everywhere." Verd Skirata frowned thoughtfully. "I've got the ade running timed accuracy drills and running through basic squad tactics at the moment."

Din frowned as he looked over at the older warrior. The lack of a basic standard across the board made him wonder how well the ade were going to fare when working with other groups trained by a different verd but he supposed that was what the basic education modules were for.

He just wasn't sure his own training methods would mesh well with that of the others.

"I have no idea what that coward was teaching them. I'm going to have to start from scratch, and if the ade are in trouble of being killed like you said…" Din shook his head sadly. "Was there anyone else who was around for their training that could get me up to speed on what they were learning?"

Jango and Skirata gave each other a look that did not bode well. It sent a small shiver of danger up Din's back.

"Reau, but you're going to want to avoid them. They and Priest were close. Really close. There was a running bet on when they'd say the riduurok." Jango supplied after a moment of contemplation.

Din felt the feeling of danger increase, the back of his neck practically itching with it. "If they were that close I'd send someone to check on the ade." He tried to keep the anger out of his voice but couldn't quite keep his usual calm. Not when it came to ade and the fact that they might currently be under the thumb of someone who was abusing them. "You don't become that close with a demagolka and do nothing about it unless you agree with their actions."

Beside him Jango stiffened like he'd been struck, before his hands curled into tightly balled fists of barely concealed rage. There was a look of guilt about him as his head snapped toward verd Skirata and he snarled out a terse, "Kal, continue the briefing, I have some calls to make." Then he stood and stalked off towards the area Din vaguely thought might be the kitchen, since it was where Boba had come from earlier.

Verd Skirata let out a long sigh that sounded heavy, dragging Din's gaze back from Jango's retreating form. "…I wish we'd thought of that before." He said with a pained look, once he realized Din was looking at him.

"It's… sometimes it can be… difficult to find fault with… the people around you. Especially if… you don't know anything else." He said quietly, putting the datapads down and lacing his fingers in front of him awkwardly.

When he'd found out from Bo-katan that the Covert was considered a cult by traditional mando standards he had been shocked to say the least. It was only Boba's acceptance of him, and the explanation that the Coverts were older than Bo-katan knew, that had made the sting of it hurt less. But the sting was still there.

Verd Skirata ran a hand roughly through his hair. "Stars dammit!" He cursed darkly. "We knew Reau was the problem. She's the one with Kyr'tsad leanings. But she was always good about keeping that shit locked behind her teeth whenever Jango or the rest of us Haat'ade were around! Priest was as subtle as a fucking cudgel to the face. But he didn't start out spouting the Kyr'tsad propoganda. He was a bastard but he was also naive. It was only after he started hanging around Reau that there was any noticeable change." He said through clenched teeth.

It was becoming more and more obvious that it wasn't just Jango who had a lot on their plate at the moment.

"Priest is dead." He said simply. "You were going there to kill them, I just beat you to it. But you were there. You knew something was wrong and were on your way to fix it. And now that you know there's another problem you're already planning on how to change the situation." Din looked into Skirata's eyes and could see when the understanding began to dawn on him, when the doubt was chased away.

"…thank you." The man said with a small smile of relief.

"There are no debts between allies." Din said firmly. Not waving away his gratitude, but neither was he going to accept a debt from someone who was just doing their best for the children under their care.

On the far side of the main living room he heard the door open and stiffened, hand going to his brace of throwing knives as he turned to observe who had decided to interrupt them.

The mando'ad was about average height for a human or near-human, about five-foot-seven if he had to guess, with short black hair and deep blue eyes. They waved toward Skirata's ade, who grudgingly let them inside, before coming over to stand with their hands on their hips, grinning down at Skirata.

"Starting the party without me?" They asked, voice a clear alto.

Skirata snorted. "You're late." He said simply.

"Had to make a little stop to do a favor for Jango or I would have been here sooner." They said, glancing at Din and giving him a conspiratorial look as they held out a small pouch.

Din sucked in a breath after opening it and getting a good look inside. Now he knew who Jango had trusted with getting rid of all the bugs in his quarters. "Thank you."

The verd waved him off. "Don't mention it. It's a small price to pay for Priest getting shanked like they deserved." There was a sharp look in their eyes that Din recognized and he nodded in response as he closed the pouch and handed it back. He had no reason to keep the bugs, after all.

"Cort Davin, I'm certain Jango and Kal said something about me." They said, holding out their arm in a friendly manner.

Din reached out and grasped their arm in a proper mando handshake. "I heard enough to know I'm going to need your help if I want to protect the ade."

Verd Davin's hand tightened around his wrist and he blinked at them in surprise when their eyes bore into his visor, as if trying to see past it to his eyes. After a moment they seemed to relax. "You really think of them as ade, don't you?"

Din blinked in confusion before nodding. "Of course they're ade, what else could they be?"

Verd Skirata let out a bark of harsh laughter behind him. "Not everyone here sees it that way. It took some of them a while to see ade instead of droids inside a skin suit walking around."

Din felt his skin crawl at the very thought. Not only was the thought of droids wearing human skin absolutely made of nightmares, but the idea that others wouldn't see them as ade… it was horrifying.

Some of what he was feeling must have show in his posture as Verd Davin's grip loosened and they grinned. "I think we're going to get along great." Their gaze went past him and Din turned just as they called out. "Alor! I hope you don't mind me greeting our new resident ori'ramikad without you." They said with a slight tilt to their lips that suggested amusement.

"Adatoya's a grown verd, he can look after himself." Jango said, rolling his eyes as he took his place on the couch once more. "You here to help or stand around looking pretty?" He said in a tone that implied insult, but was clearly meant as a joke.

"Aw, the Alor thinks I'm pretty!" Verd Davin said with a wide grin that reminded Din of a predator waiting to pounce on their prey.

Or like a vod just itching to get into a fight.

Verd Skirata let out a strangled snort, shaking his head at their antics. "None of that, we've got more important shit to do than watch you two go at it." The man waved his hand vaguely in his own direction then towards Din, indicating who had better things to do. "He's going to need all the help he can get making a new training regimen for the ade."

Din sat down on the couch, next to Jango again, and picked up his note taking datapad. He was more than happy to get back to it and find a way to help the ade.

Cort leaned forward in the chair and laced their fingers together, arms across their knees. "I do know a little about Priest's training methods, but that's only because I've overheard him bragging with Reau about how his methods are better than whatever Wad'e cooked up. But we all know that's banthashit. Wad'e used to be an ori'ramikad himself and his skill with a bevii'ceryc is unmatched. I think he's been teaching the ade to hold back just enough to hide their real skill."

Din sat up straighter at the mention of the bevii'ceryc. It was a mando hunting spear similar to the one made of beskar on his back. He hadn't really thought about it much when using it but he knew that he was woefully inept. He'd only studied the bevii'ceryc for a short time before being pushed onward in training with more accessible weapons. Like knives. The fight on Manda'yaim had been heating up and they needed jacks of all trades instead of specialists.

Maybe now he could learn to wield his new weapon properly. And if he was lucky, he could teach the ade as well. He'd learned in his years as a beroya that having a working knowledge of any weapon one could get their hands on was better in the long run than being an absolute specialist in one weapon type.

Verd Davin let out a chuckle. "I'm sure you'll get to meet Wad'e during the next large gathering. Jango tries to have them once a month so we can all bring up any issues or adjust our training methods if someone is falling behind."

Din nodded in agreement. "Sounds good."

Looking down at his notes his fingers tightened a little on the datapad. Another thought had crossed his mind, something his own teachers has subjected them to that was both interesting and educational. He looked up and addressed the verde in the room. "From what I'm gathering here, there are no standard training modules for the ade. We train them how we think they should be trained, or how we learned, is that correct?"

Verde Skirata and Davin looked to Jango. Din looked towards the man ans saw him straighten under their combined attention. "There is some oversight. The ade have to learn enough to keep up with the testing the Kaminiise put them through. But as long as they can shoot straight, work as a team, and pass all the tests it's fine."

Din leaned forward, resting his chin on the back of his hand as he thought through the new angle he hadn't considered. He smiled as he sat up. "I know how I'm going to train them." He said as he glanced around at the three warriors. "But I'm going to need help putting it together." He didn't have resources or a working knowledge of the facility, after all.

Jango gave him a smile filled with reassurance. "That's what we're here for."

---

Mando'a;

Verd- Warrior
Ad, ade- Child, children
Buy'ce- Helmet
Vod, ori'vod, vod'ika- Sibling, older sibling, younger sibling. Also comrade, sibling in arms, close friend.
Aliit- Clan, family.
Demagolka- Someone who commits atrocities, a real-life monster, a war criminal. From the notorious Mandalorian scientist of the Old Republic, Demagol, known for his experiments on children, and a figure of hate and dread in the Mando psyche.
Riduurok- Mandalorian marriage vows.
Ori'ramikad- Supercommando, Mandalorian elite forces.

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Mando'a;
Tion'ad te sha- Who the fu-
Megin'ad be haran? Meg vaabir- cuy shabla Priest?- Who the hell are you? What are you- is that fucking Priest?
Ba'slanar ade solus. Gar akaanir cuy ti ni- Leave the children alone. Your quarrel is with me.
Tion'jor cuy gar cabuor val'e?- Why are you protecting them?
Ade cuy te vencuyot- Children are the future.
Ibic haar Yust- This is the Way.
Mhi cuy n'aru'e- We are not your enemy.
Ni gai Jango Fett aliit be'Mereel- My name is Jango Fett, House Mereel.
Ni mirdir mhi linibar sha'kajir- I think we need to sit down and have a little talk.
Vor entyre par kyr'amyc ibac chakaaryc.- At the very least I have to thank you for taking out that trash.
Elek a'ni copad baaru'ur haa'taylir te ade. Val cuy shupur'yc- Fine. But I want a medic to check on the children. Some of them are injured.
Liser vaabir- That can be arranged.
Ni cuy baar'ur- I'm a medic.
Tayli'bac- Got it?/Understand?
Dar'manda- No longer Mandalorian. Someone who has strayed so far from the path of being Mandalorian that they are considered irredeemable. An outcast.
Haar'chak- Dammit.
Haat, ijaa, haa'it- Truth, honor, vision. Words used to seal a Mandalorian pact or oath.

Click to shrink...

Interlude- Cody

That morning, as they'd been called into Sergeant Priest's training room once again, CC-2224 felt something in his gut twist with dread. The last few times they'd had hand-to-hand training with the overly strict trainer the man had picked CT-7567 as his 'demonstration' partner. CT-7567 was an obvious mutation with blonde hair, which no one mentioned unless they desperately wanted to meet CC-3636's teeth, CC-6454's fists, CC-1010's choke hold, CC-5052's grapple, or a swift kick from CC-2224 himself. The CT was a cut above the rest when it came to intelligence and sheer determination, which was why 3636 had once joked about his hair marking him as 'kingly,' and 'noble.'

But Sergeant Priest didn't see it that way.

He saw the lone CT in their midst as an aberration, a weak link, and did his damnedest to make the blonde fail at every turn. It didn't matter that the tasks he set were unfairly challenging. He was in charge and they were trained to obey.

2224's hands tightened behind his back as he stood around the circle with the others of their training block, nails digging into his arm as he willed himself to stay in place.

Another blow had the young CT hitting the ground with a cry of pain, blood now dripping freely from his nose. "Pathetic! Absolutely useless! Quit that bitching or I will twist off your head and shit down your neck!" Sergeant Priest barked.

Next to him he could feel 3636 trembling in barely contained rage as CT-7567 rose to his feet, swaying slightly.

All of them loved the spunky little blonde, with his fierce loyalty and sharp mind.

The Sergeant lashed out again and it was obvious this was no longer a training exercise but a thinly veiled beating. The man kicked CT-7567 down again and pinned him to the floor with a large hand around the Cadet's throat.

To no one's surprise, except maybe Sergneant Priest's, 2224 stepped forward, unable to watch the spectacle anymore without doing something. "Sir!" He said to catch the man's attention. "I don't think-"

The sergeant turned to glower at him, eyes alight with something dark and cold. "Did I say you could step out of line CC-2224? Get back in line before I put my boot so far up your ass you can spit shine it!" He snapped before turning back to CT-7567, who was struggling to try and escape. "And you! You have the coordination of a one winged mynock tripping on spice! A defect like you wouldn't know how to-"

With a loud beep and a whoosh the door to the training room opened and for a moment 2224 didn't care who came through that door. They could be Kaminoans, the Prime, or even Sergeant Reau. Anything to distract Sergeant Priest long enough to get CT-7567 away from him.

Around him the others let out quiet gasps of shock as a strange sergeant they'd never seen before appeared in the doorway. Suddenly he reached back and pulled a weapon before snarling something 2224 couldn't understand.

"Tion'ad te sha-" Sergeant Priest tried to speak but the stranger didn't even give him a chance before he was forced to defend himself.

2224 barely paid attention to the fight as the two sergeants clashed, all of his focus turned toward dashing forward and grabbing CT-7567 before retreating back to his batch mates where. The blonde cadet hiccuped and clung to him, forcing himself not to cry even as he trembled with fear and pain.

There was a wet thump and a gurgling cry. 2224 looked up to see Sergeant Priest fall to the floor, bleeding out from the long metal bar shoved up into his ribs. Even without advanced medical training it was easy to see the wound was fatal. Already Sergeant Priest's chest had stopped moving, which indicated he'd stopped breathing.

The stranger pulled the metal bar out of Sergeant Priest's body and turned toward them. Blood dripped off the sharpened end and 2224 could feel CT-7567's hold on him tighten.

Setting the bar on the ground the stranger came toward them and 2224 flinched, wrapping his arms around CT-7567 for fear that he would be taken away. The stranger stopped before crouching in front of them.

"Hey there. I'm not here to hurt you, I swear." The voice that came from inside the helmet was deep and even though it was distorted by the metal there was a warmth to it that surprised 2224. Not as much as his declaration, however. The only one who'd ever made that kind of statement was Sergeant Gilamar, and that was because he was a medic.

The stranger looked from him to CT-7567 and 2224 stiffened slightly as he reached into his belt pouches, uncertain what could come next. Pulling out a small pack stamped with a medical seal the stranger held it out so they could see. "It's just some alcohol wipes and bacta spray. I want to make sure they're okay. Will you let me?" He asked, motioning towards CT-7567.

The younger cadet looked up at him, trusting 2224's judgment more than his own.

2224 looked up at the stranger, analyzing what information he could glean from the situation. He glanced over at the corpse of Sergeant Priest and a couple of things kind of clicked into place at once. He looked back at the stranger and nodded once.

Something in his gut told him he could trust this stranger with the younger cadet who was clinging to him like 2224 was his only lifeline in a raging storm.

The stranger's frame became more loose, as if he'd lost tension. "Thank you." He said, sounding truly grateful. Although why that was 2224 had no idea. He came forward before dropping to one knee, opening the medical package where 2224 and CT-7567 could see. He took out the alcohol wipe and leaned closer, running it over the blonde cadet's face quickly and efficiently. Much like Sergeant Gilamar.

CT-7567 made a low hissing sound, jolting back slightly when the alcohol touched a rough patch of skin, but otherwise he remained stoic like they'd been taught. What surprised 2224 was the low murmur of reassurance and the soft tone that came after. "Hey, you're doing good kid."

2224 felt a sudden pang of confusion. Kid? Like… like a natural born cadet? But… but they weren't natural borns.

"There you go, kid, feeling a bit better?" The stranger asked CT-7567, who slowly nodded. 2224 could understand his confusion. The stranger reached over and ran his hand over the blonde cadet's hair, a move that had only ever come from the Alphas when no one else was watching them interact. "Mandokarla." The man said, his tone of voice so filled with warmth and pride that it left 2224 conflicted.

CT-7567 let out a surprised squeak and tucked his head against 2224's chest, trying to hide.

The stranger got to his feet and their helmet slowly turned this way and that, as if finally taking everything else in. 2224 noticed the exact moment the stranger realized they all looked the same. There was tension in the air now and he could feel 3636 and 6454 sidling closer to back him up if the stranger suddenly turned violent.

Movement off to his right had him turning and biting down on his tongue so he didn't berate his batch mate in front of the stranger. What did 1010 think he was doing!? The other cadet had stepped out of line and looked mulishly up at the stranger. "Sir?" He said, trying and failing to hide his slight tremors of anxiety.

The stranger turned to regard 1010, helmet tilting slightly. "Yes?" His tone was still soft, so maybe 2224 had been right and he was like Sergeant Gilamar.

"What are your Orders, Sir? A-are you our new Sergeant now?" 2224 could see his lips tremble and hoped that the stranger didn't notice. Or if he did that he didn't care.

"No orders." Came the soft voice again. "And I'm no one's sergeant. I'm a Beroya."

2224 frowned. He knew that word. It was Mando'a, what the Alphas were trying to teach them whenever they got the chance. It meant someone who hunted people for money. Usually criminals.

"But I don't think we should stay here." 2224's eyes snapped back to the man in time to catch him looking back at the corpse of Sergeant Priest. "If they have friends then they'll probably realize they're dead soon."

They, not he. It was like hearing one of the other Mandalorian sergeants speak. Tay'haai or Bralor. It made sense, he supposed, the stranger was wearing the fanciest and most elaborate armor 2224 had ever seen.

"Hey." His voice broke through 2224's thoughts. "I'm not going to let someone like that hurt you again. Okay? I swear. I will protect each and every one of you with my last breath."

"Why?" 2224 asked finally. He couldn't help it, this whole day had been terrible and confusing and he was finally losing patience. "We're just clones."

The stranger stood quietly for a long moment. "One of my ori'vode, my…" he seemed to hesitate for a moment, "elder brothers, is a clone. He's known as one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy." 2224 sucked in a breath at the admission. There were other clones besides them? And one of them was allowed to be a bounty hunter out in the galaxy? None of that made any sense. Unless… unless the Kaminoans didn't want them to know…

"He is a person." Those words snapped 2224 back into focus and he stared at the stranger in awe. "Just like you, and all of you have worth."

2224 felt a wave of warmth blossom in his chest as CT-7567 peeked up at the stranger. Unbidden a smile crossed his young face, even as his vision blurred slightly and he had to swallow hard to even attempt a response.

Then the door to the training room opened, interrupting them for the second time that day.

"What the fuck is going on in here!" 2224 didn't need to look to know whose voice that was. It was a voice that every single clone had heard at least once in their life and dreaded hearing up close.

The moment the door opened the stranger turned and dove for the ground. 2224 was confused at his actions before the man rolled to his feet, the long sharpened metal bar already in his hands. "Stay behind me!" He ordered as he planted himself in front of 2224 and the CT still curled against him, standing between them and the Prime.

"Megin'ad be haran? Meg vaabir- cuy shabla Priest?" 2224 leaned slightly to try and see past the stranger but sitting on the ground as he was meant he was too short. But that voice had sounded like Sergeant Gilamar.

"Cadets, get away from them! They're an intruder!" That had to be Sergeant Skirata.

2224 looked around at his batch mates and the rest of their training block. While they hesitated and fidgeted in place he noticed that none of them actually moved to obey.

"Ba'slanar ade solus. Gar akaanir cuy ti ni." The stranger growled in Mando'a, holding their weapon at the ready.

"Tion'jor cuy gar cabuor val'e?" The Prime asked, voice almost neutral.

"Ade cuy te vencuyot." The stranger stated in a tone that brooked no argument. "Ibic haar Yust."

The room fell quiet as the two sergeants and the Prime stared down the stranger. "Mhi cuy gar n'aru'e." 2224 couldn't see what happened next but judging by the sound of his voice the Prime had taken off his helmet. "Ni gai Jango Fett aliit be'Mereel."

The stranger seemed to hesitate, which 2224 could understand. The Alphas said that the Prime was famous off of Kamino, so lots of beings would recognize him by name.

"Ni mirdir mhi linibar sha'kajir. Vor entyre par kyr'amyc ibac chakaaryc." The Prime continued to speak and after a moment the stranger lowered his weapon.

"Elek a'ni copad baaru'ur haa'taylir te ade. Val cuy shupur'yc." The stranger said firmly.

"Liser vaabir." Prime said with finality.

"Ni cuy baar'ur. And I think, for the sake of the cadets, we should be speaking in Basic." Sergeant Gilamar said heatedly.

"Alright. Just keep your hands where I can see them. Tayli'bac?" The last word was sharp, almost aggressive. A threat maybe? 2224 didn't know.

"I'm not going to hurt the ade! I'm not dar'manda like Priest was." Sergeant Gilamar practically hissed as he came into view, taking a wide path around the stranger and the corpse. "Hello cadets," he said, voice softening a little, "I need to know if anyone has any injuries, okay? Report in to me."

2224 looked to the stranger, as did many of the other cadets, and they relaxed when he nodded.

"CT-7567 got it the worst but the Serg- er… intruder helped him already." 5052 said, face turning slightly darker with embarrassment at his slip-up.

Sergeant Gilamar looked to the stranger, who came to loom behind him with his arms crossed over his chest. "Nosebleed, some abrasions, bruising around the face and neck… I didn't get a chance to check further. They don't know me." The man said honestly.

"Haar'chak." Sergeant Gilamar cursed under his breath. "I've got a scanner, we'll see if he has any cracked ribs." Pulling out the piece of equipment the man looked at 2224 and raised a brow.

2224's hold tightened around the blonde cadet for a moment before he gingerly let go and stood back, only to hover protectively nearby.

Once CT-7567 was scanned and nothing was found beyond more bruising 2224 heaved a sigh of relief.

After that things seemed to move quickly. Sergeant Gilamar would scan one of the cadets and administer aid while the stranger watched. When one of the others looked uncomfortable or flinched the stranger would come and stand next to them. Sometimes he'd say a kind word or tell them how brave they were. Other times he would place a hand on a cadet's back or ruffle their hair like he'd done earlier to CT-7567.

The whole thing was a little confusing but… nice. It was like having one of the Alphas around, but one who couldn't get into trouble for being too affectionate with them.

Commotion from the corner of the room where the Prime and Sergeant Skirata were standing had 2224 and some of the other cadets sneaking glances. Skirata was laughing and the Prime looked… upset? No, that wasn't right. But 2224 didn't want to be caught staring so he focused back on the stranger instead.

"Alright, cadets, is that everyone?" Sergeant Gilamar looked at each of them carefully. "No one is getting any demerits and no one is going to get into trouble, I swear." When no one stepped forward or spoke up the man gathered his medical items back into his bag and stood back up. "Alright then. If you notice any new pain or swelling I want you, or one of your squad mates, to come tell me. I didn't notice any major injuries but I'd rather err on the side of caution."

As Sergeant Gilamar walked back over to stand with Sergeant Skirata, the Prime came towards them. 2224 and 3636 quickly stepped in front of CT-7567, even though they knew the man had already seen him. In fact, it had been the Prime who saved CT-7567 from being decommissioned in the first place. But it was a habit by now to protect whoever was most in need of help whenever the Prime was around.

"Come on. Mij will see them back to their barracks." Prime said as he stopped about five feet away. "We have a lot to talk about."

Sergeant Gilamar's head whipped back around so fast it almost looked painful. He glared at the Prime for a moment before he let out a sigh loud enough to hear all the way across the room.

"…fine. But I want your oath that they won't be hurt or punished." The stranger said, pointing a gloved finger towards the Prime.

"Haat, ijaa, haa'it." The prime said with a stern look.

The stranger nodded and turned back to look at them. His helmet seemed to search for a moment before it stopped on 2224. "Remember what I said about my ori'vod, and take care of your vod'ika, your little brother." The helmet tilted slightly and 2224 knew he was talking about CT-7567.

2224 stood military straight. "I will, Sir." He said with a curt nod of acceptance. He could have sworn the stranger was smiling at him, even if he was wearing a helmet, before he turned around and looked to the Prime.

"Alright, cadets! We're heading back to your barracks. Get into formation." Stepping into his place next to 1010 he let the familiar cadence of marching next to his batch mates carry him back to their bunks as he thought over everything that had happened in the span of the last hour or so.

Once Sergeant Gilamar was gone and everyone had settled down some he pulled CT-7567 against his side and let the younger clone curl up in his protective hold. On the blonde's other side 3636 squeezed in, bracketing the CT between them. At the end of the bed 6454 sat down, letting 5052 sit between his legs to have his hair played with. Nearby 1010 stood grumpily off to the side, arms crossed and keeping a silent guard.

"Hey Two's-four?" Looking down at his… his vod'ika, the stranger had called him, he let out an acknowledging hum. "He said… he said that we're people."

2224 shared a look with 3636 and 6454 before nodding. "He did. And I believe him. We're people and one day… one day we're going to go out into the galaxy too. Just like his ori'vod."

"Haat, ijaa, haa'it." 3636 muttered beside him, grinning wildly.

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Chapter 10- Din

Waking with a start, cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck, Din stared blankly at the odd ceiling above him. Laying there for a long moment he tried to remember where he was before the last couple of days came back to him.

The mission, the cave, the orb, killing a dar'manda, meeting Boba's father and realizing he was in the past. It still didn't feel real.

Getting out of the admittedly comfortable bed he looked out into another storm, or perhaps it was the same storm, and sighed. It was just his luck that the planet the clones came from was a soggy skughole, much like Trask. The only difference was that here he had allies who respected his Creed, and the places he walked were clinical halls instead of dingy alleys.

Heading into the fresher he ensured the door was locked before he cleaned himself up. Today was the day he would finally begin training the ade. Already his stomach was clenching with nerves at the very thought. Sure he'd taken a turn training the foundlings whenever he returned from a long hunt, but this was different. From the way Jango and the others spoke this was more like adopting foundlings rather than just teaching a class or two.

Very damaged foundlings who had never been shown proper care by an adult in their entire short lives.

Din clenched his hands around the bowl of the sink and stared at his own reflection. He knew he looked like osik but there was nothing to be done about it now. So he squared his shoulders and slipped his helmet back on.

Grabbing something to eat from the small conservator he ate quickly, checking the chrono. He had just enough time to force the food down and replace his helmet before there was a chime from the door.

Opening the door cautiously he relaxed when he realized it was only Cort. The verd gave him a wide friendly grin, which Din had come to understand was just their general demeanor. "Good morning Adatoya, ready to meet the ade properly?" They asked as they moved out of he doorway to let him pass, slipping their helmet back on as they did so.

Din inclined his helmet as the door to his quarters closed and locked behind him. "Ready enough." It would have been nice to have more information on each of the children he was about to train. But without speaking to them there was no way to know their personalities, preferences, or stress responses. Regardless of how the Kaminiise insisted that each of them was exactly the same. He knew nothing about brain chemistry, cloning, or much science in general, yet even he knew that all children were different. No matter how they were brought into the world.

The verd clapped him on the pauldron in a genial manner, chuckling. "Good attitude."

Although Din didn't need an escort, he'd already incorporated the maps Jango and Skirata had given him into his systems, it was nice not to have to walk alone to meet the children.

"You know, Jango wanted to be the one to walk with you." They said, helmet tilted his way slightly in a manner he knew meant he was being watched for a reaction. "But the poor bastard was forced into a meeting with one of the administrators."

Din frowned slightly in concern. "Is there going to be a problem for us?"

The verd shook their head. "The Alor will handle it, don't you worry your pretty shebs off." They said with a chuckle.

Din snorted in amusement. "That's one I haven't heard before." He muttered under his breath.

The verd next to him snickered. "Well you'll be hearing more of it soon, and in more colorful language I imagine."

"Oh?" Din wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean but it clearly had the verd amused.

"Ah, you'll see soon enough." They turned another hall and sobered. "Look, I bet you're already nervous. So a word of advice, if you're willing to listen?" The tone of their voice was sincere, if a little hesitant.

"Of course. Anything to help the ade." He nodded his assent to emphasize how much he wanted whatever words of wisdom the verd could share.

"Let the ade see you fall. Or fail. Or make a mistake. And when you go to correct it, be generous to yourself. Then apply that same kind of generosity with them. It'll go a long way in helping them learn to trust you." Their voice wasn't loud but in the empty hall it might as well have been.

Din swallowed, hard. "I… I can try." If he was being truly honest he knew that he was harder on himself than anyone else. He didn't expect perfection, that was an impossible goal. But he did expect a certain amount of expertise from himself that would be difficult to just set aside.

"As long as the ade see you trying I think you'll be fine. You're already parsecs better than Priest ever was." They said as they clenched their hands into fists, hard enough the material creaked with the force.

"Anyone would be better than a dar'manda who doesn't understand the value of ade. They are the future, and I will help you protect that future." He turned to look fully at the verd next to him. "This is the Way."

The verd relaxed with a sigh. "I can see why Jango chose you, beyond the obvious."

Before Din could ask what the 'obvious' was they were suddenly in front of the door to the barracks of Foxtrot Company.

Beyond this door were his new charges. The ade who would one day take the galaxy by storm as the largest known army since the wars of the past.

That would not happen. He wouldn't let it. Boba wouldn't lose his buir, Manda'yaim would not fall, and the Empire would not rise.

It was time to set aside his fears and focus on the ade who would shape the future.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Cort asked him, voice gentle and non-judgmental.

"I am." Well, as ready as he was ever going to be. There wasn't anything more he could do to prepare.

Entering the room behind Cort he watched a couple of the ade roughhousing as others finished making their beds or sat quietly talking to one another on the floor. Their dark hair and eyes were so much like little Boba that it made his heart clench painfully in his chest.

Who could ever look at these children and see nothing but droids covered in flesh? The very thought made anger curl in the pit of his stomach. But as the children began to notice their presence he quickly pushed the feeling away and made his body relax as much as possible. He didn't want the children to see him as a threat.

Beside him Cort slipped off their helmet and tucked it under their arm, clearing their throat as they did so. "Cadets! This is your new Training Sergeant- Adatoya. From today onward you will report to him. You have fifteen minutes left to finish your morning routine, we will be waiting in the training hall."

The moment Cort spoke all activity stopped as the children listened with rapt attention and blank expressions. "Sir, yes, Sir!" They called out as one, their eyes darting to look at him with a mix of apprehension, fear, and hope.

Din gave an exaggerated nod of acknowledgment towards the children before following Cort out into the hall. The moment the two of them were alone he let out a heavy sigh.

Down the hall they entered the same training room Jango had brought him to the day he'd arrived. Cort nudged him and motioned toward a raised platform that was meant to give the trainer a better view of their trainees. Din took one look at it and shook his head. That was not how they'd done it in his Covert and that was not how he was going to do it either. He would stay on the ground on an equal field with the ade. Just because he was an authority didn't mean he had to lord it over them. If they had been adults it would have been a different story entirely.

About ten minutes later, where he and Cort spent the time looking over messages and finalizing a few tweaks to the training program, the children filed into the room and stood in what he knew to be their 'assigned' places.

Assigned by number.

Din felt that thought crawling on his skin like insects under his armor and grit his teeth against his rage.

Cort clapped him on the pauldron in an encouraging manner. "They're all yours. We'll see you around mid-meal." And with that the verd was gone.

Din turned to regard the one-hundred and four children standing at attention in front of him and let out a slow breath. All he had to do was follow the script he'd made for himself with the help of Jango, Skirata, and Cort. Everything would be fine.

"Good morning, cadets." He began. "Although Jango and Cort have already said my name before I wanted to introduce myself to you all properly. My name is… Adatoya. I am, was, a Mandalorian Bounty Hunter. I am a human male and my pronouns are he and him." There was some interest on the children's faces now, although they were all still very stiff with apprehension. "You may refer to me as Sir, or Alor, and Sergeant, or Ruus'alor." Some of the children's eyes went wide as he spoke and he had to wonder if any of them knew any Mando'a at all. "My first instruction as your new training sergeant is to find your assigned squad as I read out your na- designations. The first will be the current squad leader and should stay where they are while the rest move to their location. Do you understand?" He looked over the gathered children and grimaced to himself as they just blinked back at him, uncertain how to respond. Din cleared his throat and raised his voice. "I said do you understand?"

The children seemed to scramble for a moment as some of them responded immediately and others reacted a little slower. The ones who were slow flinched or winced, crumpling in on themselves slightly as if expecting a reprimand. Or more likely a beating after being berated and torn down verbally.

Din took another slow breath.

"First squad. RC-407, you are squad lead, with RC-466, RC-453, and RC-492." He waited for a moment as the children absorbed the information. "RC-407, raise your hand so your squad mates can find you."

Hesitantly one of the children raised their hand in the air, eyes darting around as they waited for the three other children to converge on their position.

Once the four of them were standing together Din nodded at the little group. "Jate. Exactly like that." He praised before looking to the next group on the list. "RC-599, you are squad lead, with RC-555, RC-487, and RC-512." He waited for the children to gather near their leader. "Jate."

On it went, until one-hundred and four children were standing in twenty-six groups of four.

"From now on these vode, brothers, standing beside you will be your squad. You will learn to rely on each other as we begin squad tactics and training." He looked over the children. "Does anyone have any questions so far? If you do, raise your hand and state your designation."

The children froze for a long moment but Din didn't press them further, only stood there and waited patiently.

Finally someone put up their hand and Din zeroed in on the child. "Yes?"

The child faltered slightly before standing straighter, eyes straight ahead. "Sir! My designation is RC-435." They stalled, their eyes flicking over to him before just as quickly looking forward again. "Is Sergeant Priest really dead? And… did you kill him?"

The children let out quiet murmurs of concern, RC-435's new squad shifting closer as if they could protect the child from any repercussions.

"Yes." He said simply, cutting through the chatter. "I found the former sergeant going far and beyond what is proper for training ade, and my honor demanded I kill them for breeching the code all Mando'ade should follow." He straightened his shoulders.

A long moment of silence followed before another hand tentatively rose into the air.

"Yes?" He turned to look at the child and noted there was something a little odd about their eyes.

"RC-549, Sir. What language is that?"

Din's heart ached in his chest as he realized that the children hadn't been taught any Mando'a. "It's Mando'a, the language spoken in the Mandalore sector and by all Mandalorians." He made a show of sweeping his gaze across the gathered children. "And I will teach each and every one of you how to speak it."

Another hand. "Sir? Sergeant Priest said we couldn't be Mandalorian because we're clones."

Hearing this Din turned and made his way toward the child who'd spoken. The child gave him a nervous look, letting their hand drop and glancing around at their new squad. Once he was close enough Din took a knee and looked the child directly in the eyes. "Cadet, look at me." He said quietly, tone gentle. Once they were looking directly at his visor he spoke. "Sergeant Priest was a coward and a liar. Being Mandalorian has nothing to do with who or what you are as long as you follow the Resol'nare or the Creed. Now that I am your trainer I promise that I will teach you all to be proper Mandalorians, if that is what you want."

The children stood there in awe of him, many of them with newfound hope filling their eyes.

Din stood and made his way back to where he'd been standing before, addressing them all. "I will say it today, and I will repeat it every single day from now onward- you are not droids, you are not abominations, and you are not expendable. Each and every one of you is an individual, a sentient being, and you all have worth."

He let them absorb his words in silence for a couple of minutes before clearing his throat and catching their attention once more. "Now. We're going to run some basic squad building drills. If anyone has any questions I will be sending you my personal comm frequency. You can send me any questions you have and I will do my best to answer before the next training session. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, Sir!" The children responded loudly, their voices less tense than before.

"Jate, that means 'good.' Now, I would like all the current squad leaders to come stand over here-"

It wasn't much but the fact that most of the children didn't seem to hesitate to approach made him feel good about their interactions so far. He knew that there would be hiccups in the future but for now the children were giving him the benefit of the doubt.

And Din? He was going to do his damnedest not to betray the sliver of trust he was being gifted with. None of these children would suffer again if he had any say in the matter.