I don't own these characters. I'm merely playing in a galaxy far, far away.

Chapter 2

The two of them stared at each other, the boy trying to absorb the man's words, and the man trying to let the child see that he intended him no harm. Naturally, the boy was distressed; he had lost everything and everyone he had ever known and loved. The sleep that had claimed the child had been deep, and the warrior hoped it had been enough to start the boy on the path to healing. He would always remember his lost family, but in time, the thought would not pain him. Loss was a part of life, and though young, the boy was not too young to accept this hard truth. There was a deep core of strength in the child before him, the warrior sensed that clearly, and it pleased him.

The red-haired man shook the child's hand firmly. "My name is Ghee Rendanali," he said. He continued to hold the small, dirty hand in his and gave the child a look that said he was waiting for an introduction.

Pendar studied the warrior for a moment, obviously wary but content to let his hand rest in the man's grasp. Finally, he gave a stiff nod. "I'm Pendar Epoc," he said quietly.

"I'm honored to meet you, Pendar Epoc," Ghee replied with a slight smile as he released the boy's hand. He noticed with amusement that the boy wiped his hand on the blanket. Spirited indeed, he mused, and not easy to frighten.

"Were you the one who killed my parents?" Pendar asked suddenly, his eyes daring the warrior to lie to him. Ghee had a feeling this one would know if he lied. Pendar was strong-willed and intelligent, and suddenly the man could not wait to see Kyri's face when she saw the child.

"No," Ghee answered. "But one of my men was," he continued, driven to brutal honesty by his own nature. Ghee would not dishonor this fragile beginning by lying to the boy, and it would be wise to see if the child had the strength he would need in the months ahead. Many changes were coming for the boy, and he would need to face them head on, without flinching away from harsh reality.

They two were silent for a moment, the boy absorbing this truth and the man giving him the time to do so. Then the child's dark eyes came up to meet the man's gaze, and the warrior was pleased to note that his eyes were dry, his expression fierce but no tears. "You came to our planet because of King Nehwo, didn't you?" the boy asked. "What he did to the Ziira, right?"

The warrior nodded. "Your king attacked a peaceful planet and slaughtered many," Ghee replied. "But the Ziira were not without financial resources. So they hired us."

"Who's us?" Pendar asked, further surprising the man with his curiosity and indications of adaptability. All of these were good signs that the boy would adjust to life among the Mandalore. He had chosen well, recognizing the boy's spirit. It had been right to give him a chance at the glorious life of the Mandalore rather than spending his youth on the harsh soil of his homeworld. Pendar Epoc was meant for greater things, that much was obvious.

"We are the Mandalore," Ghee answered. "We are a warrior people."

Pendar tilted his head. "My father spoke of the Mandalore once," he said. "He came from a warlike people, too." The boy smirked. "He said the Mandalore were nothing compared to the Tuugaats."

The warrior grinned at the boy. "I see you have your share of pride, cub." He nodded. "That is good, a man should be proud of who he is and what he has accomplished."

"My father told me we were descended from noble warriors," the boy explained. "And my father never forgot that." Pendar shot a sly glance at Ghee. "He said the Mandalores weren't much more than glorified bounty hunters."

To the boy's surprise, Ghee did not take offense but burst out into laughter and shook his head. "Leave it to a Tuugaatian mud crawler to come to that conclusion," he said without rancor.

His temper suddenly pricked, Pendar hopped to his feet, his little fists clenched at his sides. "Take it back!" he cried. "Take back what you said about my father!" The boy launched himself at Ghee, his fists flailing, but the warrior caught him easily and held him at arm's length. Pendar was breathing hard, his fury written clearly on every line in his face. His dark eyes were narrowed, hard – much older than his years. War not only made orphans, it made men out of children, Ghee mused.

"Easy, boy," Ghee said quietly. "It is good to honor your father's memory," he continued. "We honor our ancestors, as well. But your father would not want you to get hurt over a few harmless words." Ghee smiled slightly. "The Tuugaats are proud to be called mud crawlers, boy. Your father would agree." The warrior patted the boy's shoulder. "He would have clapped me on the back as hard as he could and told me that it was better to be a mud crawler than a Mando, and we would have had a friendly argument about the matter." Ghee brushed back the hair from the boy's sweaty brow. "And I would have bought him a drink and we would have forgotten the matter." He shrugged. "It is the way of fighting men."

His nostrils still flared, the boy calmed. His outburst seemed to have exhausted him. He slumped gracelessly back to the floor and looked up at his captor. "Where are we going?" Pendar had been wondering where the warrior was taking him ever since he woke up.

"We are going to my people," Ghee explained. "We have been gone a long time and all of us want to go home and see our families."

"Where is home?" the boy asked. It did not really matter where they took him; everyone he had loved was gone now, dead. He no longer had a home or a family.

"Home is where our armor is," Ghee replied quietly, shrewdly guessing at the direction of the boy's thoughts.

"That's stupid," Pendar replied listlessly. "You can't live in your armor," he noted.

"A Mandalorian can," Ghee assured him with a confident grin.

The boy snorted but did not answer. Then his dark eyes focused on the warrior. "So why did you take me from my village?"

Ghee sighed quietly. "You were the only one left alive," he explained. "Perhaps others escaped early on, but…"

Pendar nodded. "Most of the families with children left yesterday," he said quietly in a tight voice. "They escaped into the far hills. But my father said no one was going to run him off his farm." His eyes filled with tears that he would not let fall. Angrily, the child wiped them away and scowled. "My parents argued…"

"Your father would defend his home," Ghee murmured. "I can understand that, for I would feel the same."

"A lot of good it did him," Pendar said bitterly.

Ghee raised the boy's chin and frowned slightly. "Do not dishonor your father's sacrifice. He made a noble choice and he died a warrior's death," the man said softly. Pendar blinked but his gaze did not break away from Ghee's blue eyes. Then the boy nodded stiffly, and Ghee smiled approvingly. "Good," he whispered. "You are stubborn, not stupid."

With a flash of his dark eyes, Pendar noted dryly, "Too bad I can't say the same thing about you."

A bark of laughter escaped the man. "Ah, cub… How my Kyri will love you, for she would agree with you much of the time!"