Note: I'm sorry this took so long to upload! I have been busy with life and working on future episodes. All this time in The Path of the Ravager, I had been uploading just as fast as I was finishing them. I wanted to get an episode or two written entirely before uploading again. Also my mind has been stressed in dealing with… stuff. And studying in college.

Finding the time to write and upload has been difficult of late… so I've just been writing as a stress-relief.

As always, I have appreciated the reviews and been amazed by people's thoughts on various matters, no matter how small or insignificant you may perceive them to be.

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Episode 7 - Securing the Future Part 1

Naboo was a welcome home. Its lush valleys, gentle rolling hills, little rivers, gardens by the window of every home, and an eccentricity to build cities near waterfalls and crystal clear lakes were all regular sights for Anakin. The peace and quiet eased his mind, much unlike the troubles of Tatooine. It was practically a planet designed to give peace of mind, and not a half-bad vacation spot. Its people were peaceful, but strong. Strong because of past conflicts between two rival races occupying the same planet, yet learning that there were ways to coexist. It reminded him much of Padme every day. The gentleness, the diplomatic approach, yet also the strength to not be pushed around. In a way it also gave him a perspective of where to take his sect. The peace, the gentleness, the love and cooperation, yet also the strength to know there are foes out there that may seek to destroy it.

Naboo had shaped the Tatooine-born desert rat into a more at-peace mindset, and for all of it, it still didn't feel like home, nor did it have what he needed. Padme was gone, and in order to get her back, he needed to go into a form of strategy that Naboo as a people, and as a world, was too noble to consider.

After Boba Fett hung up his bounty hunter license and turned to his Voda clone brothers to lead them as a new clan, he had gone from rogue to a kind of public spectacle. The way he was put on the spotlight on almost a daily basis reminded Anakin almost of himself in the clone wars. Contacting Boba Fett wasn't the hard part. Something Anakin chuckled about.

The hard part would be contacting Boba Fett, discretely, staying hidden, and securing the mask of Nihilus to a safe place without anyone knowing, without a single trace. If it was some simple trophy, he could take it to him publically, hand it over, have a nice little show about it, and be on his way; but this wasn't some simply trophy. If one person, a nerf herder even, came upon it. A calamity could transpire that would rival the loss of Coruscant. The Mandalorian home world did not have the level of economy, infrastructure, governmental structure, nor fame of Coruscant, but it was no less the center of the free world now.

So Anakin chose a nearby planet with a less shiny background for the rendezvous. Boba agreed to meet, and all Anakin could do was wait. He chose a table from where he could see all exits, entrances, and be out of sight near the corner. Years ago he would have ordered a glass of wine and stirred it a bit rather than drink it, now he drank it and ordered more.

I dislike having a sense of smell again… Nihilus' voice was little more than a ghastly whisper in his mind.

"Get over it." Anakin whispered.

Please cleanse the room. I cannot take much more of the stench.

Anakin chuckled. "No."

These people have not bathed in months. Pathetic. Pity I missed this world in my hunt. It would have been worth exposing myself to these… vagabonds if only to purge them if this foul odor… You are enjoying this. Nihilus muttered after a pause.

"Yes, I am."

Nihilus growled, but moved to the back of Anakin's mind. It was a small victory, but it still felt good. Anakin raised the glass to himself and took a sip.

When he put the glass back down, he saw that a Mandalorian had entered the room. Now, this wasn't all that peculiar of a sight. Mandalorians were not afraid to be in bars with scum, they practically bathed in them and dared the people to take them on, or they would be others who put on Mandalorian armor as trophies. What made this sight peculiar was the man's bulk. Every Voda clan member that Anakin knew had a massive bulk, and most other Mandalorians for that matter. This one was bulky as well, but not near as much. He was angular and looked more athletic than strong.

The Mandalorian took one look at him and pointed. "You!"

"Uh-oh…" Anakin muttered.

This should be good. Anakin all but envisioned Nihilus with a bowl of popcorn. He knew Varus would.

Without further ado, the Mandalorian was jumping over tables, pushing aside people, and tossing aside chairs in his singular objective of getting to the suddenly frightened Jedi. Anakin leaped up, knocking back his own chair, to meet his adversary. He couldn't pull out his lightsaber without drawing too much attention and had to resort to hand to hand combat.

Seconds later he found himself face down on the floor with an armored man holding his arm behind his back. Anakin tried to put up a fight, but the spry man was as fast and nimble as a tusker! "Give me back my ship you piece of-"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Anakin yelled back, but only found himself with his nose to the dirt floor.

Try a little Jedi mind trick. See if you can make him more confused than he already is.

"You think you can betray me?!" The Mandalorian yelled. He slammed Anakin's face into the floor, again. "You think you can take what is mine!?" And again. "WE HAD A DEAL!" And again. This time, Anakin heard a visible crack and knew his nose was bleeding.

"Come on!" The Mandalorian roughly grabbed him, threw him half-way across the room, over a table, and onto the floor. Anakin groaned in pain on impact and the crowd dispersed. The Mandalorian stomped over to him, picked him up, and stopped long enough to slowly, very slowly, turn his visor on every single scared person in the room as if he only just realized anyone else was there. He punched the lights out of the nearest alien in one hit who had the misfortune of gaping at him. "Anyone else want to have a staring contest!?"

Everyone immediately found their private conversations to be of infinite fascination.

The Mandalorian dragged Anakin out, found a shadowy corner away from the main path, and dropped the Jedi. Anakin could have whooped him if he used the Force, but didn't want to draw attention. Instead, the Mandalorian took off his helmet and extended a hand. "Here as requested, Master Jedi. I hope the mission you spoke of is not as grave as it sounds."

Anakin could only gawk at him and his outstretched hand. Nihilus burst out in laughter. The man Anakin assumed to be Boba Fett continued, "I must say, Master Jedi, your acting skills were excellent. You truly seemed confused and taken off guard at my outburst."

"Because I was!"

Boba opened his mouth, then promptly closed it. "Oh."

"What was that about?! Why not just sit down and have a drink!"

"I needed to extract you, Master Jedi, without causing curiosity. If we tried to be invisible as you did in a place like this, we would only draw attention to ourselves by showing we have something worth being killed for, information or otherwise, as well as a healthy dose of fear. The fact that I pretended to make the confrontation a personal matter, that has been dealt now with vengeance, and drove fear into the witnesses, therefore they will not see you as a target with anything of note any longer, nor I as someone worth noticing."

He knows his scum well.

Anakin looked him over closely, during which Boba lowered his hand back to his side. "I assume it was also to send me a clear message that, if it came down to it, you can easily beat me in combat."

Boba shrugged, but had a pleased smile. "You understand us well, Jedi."

"Unfortunately." Anakin snapped his nose back in place with a wince.

"Oh, yes. Sorry about that."

Boba Fett and Anakin returned to Boba's ship, the Slaver One. It contained a small crew of five Voda soldiers, and at his utterance, left the two of them alone in the primary conference room. The ship itself was small, but had the rooms necessary if you were cramped. Over fifty-percent of the ship was made up of a hangar where a number of hammocks were hung as clear signs of living quarters.

"Just think, this ship was firing pit shots at my old master back in the day." Anakin commented. "Hard to believe it is still functioning."

"It has had its fair share of upgrades to keep up with the growing standards of war."

Boba removed his helmet, and, piece by piece, did so with his armor as well. He kept the pistol on his side and a knife on his chest. While the removal of armor may appear to make him more vulnerable, in his case, it only eased his movements. Anakin couldn't help but calculate inside the sheer number of pounds the plating had on his already fast, athletic form. Still, he understood the gesture to be as non-threatening as a Mandalorian can have. In turn, he placed his lightsaber just out of reach.

Now that the Mandalorian was without his coverings, and was left in his tight under-armor suit, Anakin was able to get a good look at him. The last he saw the 'boy', he was a preteen hell-bent on vengeance with Mace Windu. Boba had destroyed starships, clone brothers, and anything else on his way, but at the end of it was captured because of his morals and growing guilt of what he had already done slowing him down. After his escape, near the end of the Clone Wars, the last Anakin heard of the aspiring Bounty Hunter was his oddity for selecting missions based partially on their honor and morality and less on payment alone.

Now Boba appeared to have grown into a strong, viral young adult. He had to be eighteen or nineteen by now. He was definitely his father's clone. The resemblance would be frightening were it not for Anakin's experience with so many of the Voda in the clone wars. Except now those Voda were older.

Boba reached into a wall-cabinet. "Whiskey? Beer? Wine?"

"Water will do." He had already had a fair share for the day.

"Suit yourself." Boba pulled out a pair of glasses, the whiskey, and some water. Pouring himself the whiskey, he passed the water to the Jedi.

Boba sat down and sipped his drink. "So, what's the nature of this mission of yours?"

Anakin glanced to the door left open, and shut it gently with the Force. Boba merely raised an eyebrow in growing curiosity. Anakin presented a small sack on the table.

Somehow, even with the object covered, Boba could feel something was either very wrong or very right, not unlike looking at a covered crown's hidden symbol of power. He could not mistake the chill down his spine, and it made him wonder.

"What is it?" Boba asked worriedly. He unconsciously fingered his pistol.

Anakin uncovered the mask of Nihilus. The Void was so strong you could see it around the mask.

Boba immediately jumped up, stepped back, and aimed his pistol down at it. "What is that accursed relic doing on my ship!?"

"As a leader, I hope you can understand the danger this object imposes! I have done well in hiding it, but what if the Sith find it? I know you have seen the pattern. Even with the Jedi sects in hiding, we are being picked off one by one. Whether it is the Sith's goal to find this mask, or not, it is in danger with me. At the same time, if anyone gets it, even you, it can destroy everything. It must be secured in safety. A place where no one will find it. Not the Sith, not the Hutts, not some greedy thief, and not the Czercha."

The Czercha's innovation combined with the Trade Federation's supplies was a fearsome combination, especially when Czercha don't understand that some technologies are too volatile in the wrong hands. They do science for the sake of science, and forget how many lives can be lost if a field test goes wrong.

Anakin is half waiting for the day Czercha accidentally creates a galaxy wide black hole.

Boba kept his eyes trained on the mask and his pistol in his hand. "The Czercha are too curious for their own good…" He raised his eyes to the Jedi. "So why trust me with it?"

"I'm not." Anakin covered the mask again, and Boba visibly relaxed. "I am trusting you with me. I am the only one to have resisted the power of the mask this long in years, if ever. The mission is to take me, in secret, to Mandalore. No one is to know. Not his personal secretary. Not your crew. No one. Once there, I will negotiate with Mandalore to have a safe place secured, where I will place it with my own hand."

Boba kept his eyes trained on the mask as he seemed to mull it over. "Mr. Fett, this mask is the Force version of a galactic nuke. It doesn't belong in the hands of anybody, and must be placed in a secure vault where no one will be able to tamper with it. Lives are at stake."

Boba muttered curses, but none of the less, holstered his pistol. "Fine! I'll do it, but I need something in return if I am going to take time doing errands for you when I should be leading my clan."

"Name it."

"It will not be in credits…" Boba sat back down, albeit more tensely than before. "Rather, I want a favor. You want me to help you in helping the galaxy, so I want the same in return."

"Alright…" Anakin nodded slowly. A mission for a mission. Sounded reasonable… depending.

"As you know, the clones were given a place in the Mandalorian Clans as the newly born Voda clan. Your Padawan is credited for having helped in that endeavor."

"I'm quite proud of her for that. I couldn't be happier for your brothers."

"Thank you. However, a number of… complications arose. Mandalorians have a strong tradition of purity through action, choices, strength. The old ways even went so far as purity of blood and soul. As irony would have it, the original Mandalorians were native to Coruscant, and exiled from their home world by invaders. They established a new home, only to die and leave behind their culture and ways to a colony of humanoids they were watching over like a child-race. Hence, us humanoid Mandalorians."

"I had no idea." Anakin mused. So Mandalorians were the original inhabitants of Coruscant? At least non-human ones? Mandalore might stake a claim to Coruscant then.

"Our archeologists found that out recently. We have the Duchess to thank for insisting on funding such… trivial things." Boba chuckled. "Women, it seems, can find values in things men can't be bothered with. So the whole philosophy of purity in blood is less valid than it used to, and the Duchess has been pushing this philosophy and movement to help bring acceptance of my Voda brothers. It has done well. After all, we can hardly claim homage to a philosophy of true perfection in Mandalorian blood, if we are not even the originals."

"I can see that. Where is this going?"

"You will see. One of the complications that arose with the Voda clan was the idea that my brothers are imperfect and will taint and corrupt the Mandalorian line. It was a problem Mandalore himself predicted, but the Duchess has effectively headed off most of the problem. It became a minor social controversy at most. However, the controversy sparked up again recently, and has gained strength."

"How? Wasn't the argument settled?"

"The 'argument' changed completely. Hundreds of millions of Voda, in their twenties physically, strong, young, fit… were suddenly single and available. The Duchess went so far as to alleviate taxes on married couples in the Voda clan with three or more children. Women by the millions flocked over for prospective husbands. Not just humanoids, but Twi'lek and… other races." Boba cringed. "Now it has been five years. Take a wild guess what we are looking at."

"A lot of children." Anakin smirked.

"Five-hundred million Voda men can prove to be quite..." He smirked. "Virile. In one generation the Voda will have twice the population of even the largest clans, and four times the population of most others."

"That is one hell of a baby boom." Anakin laughed.

Boba sighed. "Tell me about it. Happy as I am for my brothers, for the Voda, we have become a major threat in the eyes of the other clans. The controversy has sparked up like never before, and a terrorist faction has risen. They claim the children are spawns of impure Mandalorians. That me, and my brothers, are not true Mando'a because we were born in a test-tube, and that my father, Jango, was the most dishonorable man in Mando'a history. They strive to make a singular statement: Remove the Voda from the Clans by either exile or genocide. They have gone as far as to capture and/or kill children of my brothers to do it, publically denouncing the children as less than animals, little more than hunks of flesh not worth living."

Anakin felt his blood boil. As a newly-found-out father, he could only imagine what the Voda were going through. He may not have seen his twin children, but by the Force, if anyone touched them… he would even let Nihilus have his way with them.

Boba, seeing he had Anakin on his side now, continued. "As a former hero of the Republic, and still highly reputed by the Voda as one of the most sympathetic generals of the time toward them, you are kind of a legend. I find myself almost having to compete with you at times, your presence had such a strong impact on them. If you help me put down this group at the source, you will have earned enough points in the eyes of the clans to request for a moon of your own if you asked it. In this case, take your request to Mandalore, and while my brothers will have no need to know of the specifics, you will have the full backing of myself, the Voda, and the Duchess; but… most of all… the Voda, the soldiers you served with for so long, will have their children safe."

"Name them."

"They call themselves the Death Watch."

"I'm in." Anakin said without hesitation.

The plan Boba came up with was simple. First Anakin left the ship openly, followed by Boba sending his crew on shore leave, then Anakin returning in secret and the two of them lifting off. They left the system and entered Warp. Considering the distance between the Mandalorian Clans and New Republic, it would be a day or two before they neared the destination. With the need for stealth, they opted for the lengthy route.

On the second day, Anakin sat in the cramped pilot chamber behind Boba. The red lights detailed information on their surroundings and prepared to lock onto specific targets and provide information on them. "The target is Vizla and his traitorous pet, Spar. Captured or dead, I don't care. Either way we are bringing their flesh to Mandalore."

"Alive for trial would be preferable." Anakin commented.

Boba nodded. "If we can, but I make no promises. Vizla was a powerful clan leader until they suffered a major loss in the war against the Cartel. Even in disgrace, he used his position to great effectiveness in starting the Death Watch. He is also a strong warrior, I don't expect him to fall easily nor willingly. Spar is a clone."

That raised red flags for Anakin. Boba sounded like he took it personally. "A clone?"

Boba nodded. "Spar, or Alpha-02, was a clone that accidentally inherited the memories of our father, making him unnaturally dangerous, cunning, and independent. This knowledge also allowed him to know of a hidden compartment on the Slaver One, where he hid and escaped in one of our father's trips. After the death of… father, he took it upon himself to find and train a group of clones into super-commandos in order to try to take the mask of Mandalore."

"Wouldn't that only secure the Voda clan's position?"

"Yes, but that was years ago, while your Republic was still intact. Mandalore was not finished uniting the clans when Spar invaded the Harbinger. Spar's assassination attempt failed. He took Mandalore's arm and barely escaped with his life."

"That's why it's robotic."

"Mhmm. When the Voda were given a place among the Clans, there had to be a lot of give and take. Just as Mandalore gave much for us, we had to make gestures of good will to show allegiance. Spar was blacked out."

Anakin whistled. The two worst punishments for Mandalorians were being whited out or blacked out. It was almost a religious execution in their eyes. Not having their name allowed to be used by future generations, or having their family name considered criminal until the family could prove themselves of honor again were not things Anakin really understood. His views of law was much like Coruscant's, Jedi's, and Naboo's. Mandalorian law and punishment was foreign to him, even if he knew the details. "He must not have taken that well."

"No. He has not." Boba agreed. "Now, be warned. The Alpha class clones were Advanced Recon Commandos. Genetically stronger than their brothers, faster, smarter, and… a little crazy."

Sometime later in their journey, Anakin wondered, "What's your personal stake in this?" Boba growing up was an unusually independent clone, and while his rap-sheet may have gone down a more moral path in his choice of missions, he still didn't strike Anakin as the type to do things purely out of the good of his own heart. He needed something in return or was assigned to this. But then, a few terrorists were small fries compared to the entire Hutt Cartel. Mandalore wouldn't have assigned this.

So it was personal, or he was hired by someone besides Mandalore who had a personal stake in this. Most likely the former.

Boba said nothing.

"You sound like this mission is more personal for you than your trying to let on."

"I'm a leader trying to protect his brothers." Boba replied flatly.

"Perhaps… But then non-personal missions like simple protection don't usually involve two people going solo into a hornets nest."

Boba snarled and Anakin grinned as a thought came to him. Now it all made sense. "How many?"

...

"One. A son. Named him Jango."

"Wasn't that name-"

"Yes." Boba snapped. The name was whited out by Mandalore long ago. "But is it not the duty of the son to honor his father?"

Anakin shrugged. Boba turned in his seat to look at him for the first time the whole day. "How'd you guess?"

"You sounded a lot like how I would sound if I were in your position."

"I could say the same. You agreed to join a bit too fast."

Anakin blinked. "Damn."

Boba smirked. "How many?"

"Two, twins. Haven't met them yet."

Boba simply nodded and turned back to piloting the ship. "That sucks."

"Yea."

The Slaver One dropped out of Warp on the outer edge of the system. Anakin knew a thing or two about stealth operations, but Boba seemed to have something bothering him, and left him to do his thing in silence. Boba hit the stealth systems and kept as many objects between them and the destination as possible including the sun, moons, and planets.

"Taking us through the asteroid belt, it should keep us hidden until we are closer." Boba said.

"Sounds good."

Anakin half wondered if he should be manning the guns or something, but it wasn't his ship, and he wasn't in charge of the operation. The Mandalorian seemed to have everything under control.

The asteroid belt could more specifically be described as a dust cloud. The pieces of rock varied from the size of millimeters to a full inch at most. He felt like he could jump out and swim in it. The way they collected dust from space, and little bits of water vapor from the peak of the atmosphere, combined with the sun's rays, made it a beautiful sight.

The window was covered in the particles right up until the very top of the ship peaked up over the rock ocean and they peered over it. The planet in question was too far to see clearly with the naked eyes, but it was practically inches away as far as the sensors were concerned.

The planet appeared on the screen and indicators of large concentrations of life appeared in different colors. With most of the planet's life focused in a few areas, and only one having civilization, it wasn't hard to guess where the enemy was. Why wasn't the planet more inhabited? It was close to the center of the Clans territory.

Anakin chose not to voice any of that. It wasn't his business. "Do we have intel on planetary defenses, scanners, facilities, ships at their disposal, blueprints, and the like?"

"The Death Watch stole the colony for its mining and weapons manufacturing. It was planned that the manufacturing and like would generate enough local income to allow easy expansion, but we haven't heard anything of the workers since. They may have joined Death Watch for all I know. I wouldn't expect anti-air guns, but they have a sizable military and space presence to worry about."

"They're probably using the main facility as their headquarters, or they're hiding underground."

"My thoughts exactly. I have the blueprints to every building in the city, but I wouldn't be surprised if they heavily modified the important areas. Unfortunately nothing shows up underground caverns except for the last update the Clans had on the mine." Boba pulled up a map for them to glance over. "The mine will be my best bet. With a little extra work it can have everything an underground terrorist organization could ask for, including access to the important areas of the city and seven separate escape routes in every direction."

"And those are just the ones you know of from old intel... They may be blocked off too."

"Yep. We will need to do further reconnaissance when we land. The scanners I expect will be half-way decent, but then I can beat decent. Getting to the planet won't be a problem."

"Sounds good. Do what you need to do, I'm just along the ride." Anakin smirked.

"You better hang on then, I don't fly as dainty as you." A mischievous glint appeared in the man's eyes as he took hold of both controls and launched them forward.

Anakin gulped. Suddenly the ship shook and he griped the sides of his seat until his knuckles turned white.

Now you know how everyone else feels when you fly, Jedi.

"Keeper, if I may have a word with you." Rebhorn stopped Varus. While, technically, Varus was not a Keeper, until he took on the role properly, it was a statement of respect. No need burning bridges with the Ravager's captain until truly necessary.

The Keeper had been on his way to see Leland Marek and the stasis chamber. He looked like he still wanted to, but he kept his feet back. "What is it, Admiral?"

"I wanted to speak with you before you find yourself enthralled with the possibility of a growing family. I'm sure you must be... curious. Has anyone ever spoken to you of Leland?" He suspected not, judging from the Varus' blatant shock earlier.

"No, no one has mentioned anything about him." I rope my arms together in annoyance. Whether at him or people not telling me about a brother, I'm not sure yet.

"With good reason, unfortunately." Rebhorn motioned for Varus to move with him, and they walked to the side of the Council chambers away from others that would listen in. Actually, there would be plenty who could hear them, but Rebhorn had their loyalty in his pocket. He supported many areas of the fleet and gained support in turn. Visas stayed by her Keeper's side, and the clear sight of her hand hovering near her lightsaber was ample statement enough, even with Varus not seeing it behind him.

Rebhorn explained Leland's story from birth to present. Visas may not have been around at the time of Leland's life, but she had the power of the Seekers, the Marr House, relationships with many who knew the story, and enough perception to find the truth anyway. There was no point in lying or holding back facts. He presented everything as events, factual and unbiased, for the sake of Victoria and everyone involved. He could easily take the truth and facts and spin it to make Leland look truly monstrous, but doing so would hurt the Marek family.

It may be his agenda to remove the Mareks from power, but not necessarily his plan to hurt them.

Rebhorn felt that telling the story may be too much though, and would hurt his agenda. He was an enemy of Varus, politically, and the story revealed the Admiral to be more human than he would like to be seen. Being human made him vulnerable. The story told of his past failures, but also where his resolve came from, and why he chose the path he chose; and that was the most dangerous thing. He was taking a massive risk trying to help Varus. The story of Leland was not only of Leland, but of where his decision to rid the Miraluka of the Keepers was born. He tried to sway away from this, but Varus somehow saw through to the core of the whole matter.

"You blame yourself, don't you?" Varus asked sympathetically.

"Blame has little to do with what he is." Rebhorn evaded. Yes, he blamed himself. He was Leland's teacher, but a teacher is only as good as the student. "I cannot keep you from him, he is, after all, family, he paid his punishment in full, and he returned with a prize. Just be wary. Trust him only with what you are willing to lose. We can sit here and play the blame game and be sympathetic as to his circumstances all we want, but that will not change what he is, and what I fear he may do."

"I'm a former Sith, Admiral." Varus reminded him. "Yet you trust me, despite how hard you try to show not to. How bad can he be?"

How bad can he be? "Honestly." Rebhorn turned his attention to Leland. He may not be able to see the boy's eyes like others with actual eyes, but he still felt chills when he looked at them through the Force. He wasn't afraid of Leland because of how bad he knew he was, but because he didn't. Leland's inner coldness may be similar to Visas' in nature, due to pain and hurt, but it didn't change the feeling that there was something... missing... in his eyes. "I don't know."

They stood in silence as both of them process the information in their own way. Rebhorn suspected that Varus would be sympathetic and believe Leland to be no worse than himself, and be just as worthy of redemption. If anything, Leland may be better off, since his crime was one time and very much building up over the years, while Varus's past crimes are too numerous to count.

The Admiral hoped Varus was right.

So, I have a brother.

He has a history with my people, and he was abused until he lashed back and was punished for it. He also happens to have been scarred by Nihilus since he was in the womb. There is a lot to process, but in all of it, the only fact that remains is that he is my brother.

My younger brother. The brother mother was pregnant with at the time of my fall into the Sith ways.

I... I had never dreamed there would be a brother. Sure, I may have imagined at times what it would be like to have a sibling, or a mother, or a father again... But to actually have it. It's... different from how I imagined.

What does one say to all this? I have no experience in male bonding of any kind, or sibling bonding, or brothers in bonding or anything of the like. I have Koj'Ineh, but that is a brotherhood born of time in slavery together and a vow after he saw how I protect Squirt, and we simply have worked our way into a kind of brotherhood. Leland and I... it's like trying to take a square peg, stick it in a circle hole, and use a 2-ton Varus-Hammer (and rubber band of doom) on it.

Okay... let's take this a step at a time. The 'Galen' in me says to run over, hug him, and see what he likes to do for fun and if we can go have lunch. 'Starkiller' says to not give a crap that it doesn't matter since we are wasting time standing around when we should be training to deal with these dangerous foes that have appeared. 'Varus' doesn't know what to do.

'Revan' was a single child, but he did have a childhood friend who was like a brother to him: Malak, who was originally nicknamed 'Squint'. I call my niece 'Squirt'... Is that a coincidence?

And anyone who knows history of the Revanchist and Triad Sith's war knows how that went. Malak and Revan betrayed each other, Revan reached out to him when he regained his sanity, the gesture was rebuffed, and Malak ended up dead at the end of his blade.

That's not... exactly helpful.

Visas though... "Visas, what did you and Ash do when you first returned to our people?"

Visas frowns briefly, and her feet move around a bit. She's uncomfortable with the subject. "We... did nothing. It was very awkward."

Well, that doesn't help me. "And?"

"That's it. I was far less social back then and I said nothing for weeks. I was too nervous inside to let it out. If it wasn't for the Mistress, I never would have opened up a single crack."

"Then what do you suggest? Because you and I both know I am a hell of a lot more talkative than you." Except, she has been talking like five times more today than she usually does. Guess our talk also opened her up a lot more with me. It's kind of nice. "I have a thing with boredom."

"Why don't you try starting with mere acknowledgement that you are siblings? Then... depending on how badly you want to get to know him and be around him, see where he will be staying, arrange to talk sometime, and present simple interest. You don't know him, so you do not know if he is someone to get to know or ignore."

Damn, that actually sounds like good advice. Visas is more socially aware than she gets credit for. The quiet ones are scary...

"But Rebhorn said-"

"Keeper." She stops me. "Remember, Admiral Rebhorn's agenda is to ultimately remove the Marek's from power. Everything he says is to be taken carefully, and considered just as carefully." I also get the sense there is an unspoken reference to the talk we had earlier about me telling her to decide for herself what to do with her life.

"Alright..." I smile in thanks and force myself to walk to Leland.

Leland has a stronger resemblance to mother more than I do. He has an intelligent, almost girlish look to him. I could see wearing a robe, having long hair and long nice finger nails. He would still be a man, and look like a man, but one you would describe as beautiful more than handsome. I don't remember my father, but mother claims I am the spitting image of him with her spit-fire, untamed personality in her youth. This might mean that Leland has father's personality. I don't know how this crap works. If I have father's looks and mother's brain, does he get the opposite?

His head is covered in a mask that loops around form his nose to the back of his head, and there is no eye-hole or mouth-hole or ear-hole. All of his senses come from his right side seemingly. Also, the fact that he has an eye, brown one, is very odd to see in a people of blind ribbon-wearing monk-hippies. He has a bandage over his entire left arm that is a little disconcerting. It covers each finger and goes up around his shoulder and neck to the bottom off the mask.

Before I have the chance to say anything, Leland smiles widely and extends his (good) hand. "So, this is the prodigal son! I would say I've heard so much about you, but five years is an awfully short time to base tales on." His smile is unnaturally warm and polite, and his posture is open to me. I never see people this exposed and vulnerable. They're usually guarded either from respect or fear.

Uh... okay? How am I supposed to take that? I take his hand anyway and shake it. "Yeah, that would be me. I would say I've heard so much about you too, but then... I haven't." I'm sorry, but I'm not as eloquent as him. That came out rather flat. None of the less, the smile is still there. "And yes, I would be the 'prodigal son'." Whatever that means... "Spent one too many life-times with Nihilus, then Jedi, then slavery, and was rescued by our people."

"Ah yes... Well, someone had to be." The smile dims slightly, and I get the feeling there was some kind of hidden meaning in there. There is too much... I don't know. He sounds like a politician in some ways.

"I take it the Admiral took you aside to tell you about me?" And now... the awkward.

"Uh..."

He waves it off. "I take no offense. He is doing what he believes is best, and is actually making the effort to take action this time around, and he would be right about everything, knowing him." Okay... again, sounds like a double-meaning. He does sound offended about something, but I'm not that good at communication to pick apart the meaning of his words and figure out exactly how he really feels or is saying.

At least I'm the stupidly honest type. "I take it you're as dangerous as I suspect?"

His smile goes from fake, to real. "Very, but then, so are you and a full discussion of what I am probably should not be had in such a public venue. Another time, perhaps?"

I nod. I'm sure we will be seeing more of each other if he sticks around, and now that his smile is real, with a slightly dangerously intelligent tone, I actually feel more relaxed. I see the true person now. He is capable of handling me in a fight of words, of planning, of thought and politics. He may not be using it fully against me right now, but he could if he wanted to, just as I could completely overpower him in a fight right now. I shouldn't be so comfortable around dangerous people, but this is what I'm used to. I grew up around Nihilus, my only friends were a broken ship and training droids designed to try killing me, and I am most comfortable in chaos (despite my freaking out verbally). So it's only natural.

It means we have something in common. I won't have to worry about how to deal around some fragile twit who doesn't have the self-respect or strength to look me in the eye.

"So this is Starkiller." I change the subject. I peer down into the stasis cell, and the guy definitely looks like me. Except he has an old scar, and I know the 'Starkiller' from Dantooine didn't have that scar. That's troubling. Just how many of me are there? "How did you come by him?"

He stands beside me and looks down with me. His smile left behind for a pensive look. "If you can believe it I found him a little over a year ago. He died of heart-failure and has been in that casket ever since." He glances at me out of the corner of his eye. "It is nice to see he is merely a fake."

"There's nothing fake about him." I argue. "He had his own life, his own friends and ambitions. He isn't me."

"..." Leland's face is blank and observant.

Yeah, I took that comment personally. "What are they going to do with him?"

"From what I have heard, our people are in a tough spot with the surrounding nations. Everyone has their bull's eye on you, and believe you to be the only one. This proves there are clones out there, and information like that can change everything. It creates an opportunity to give us some political points in the galaxy."

"But not enough to secure a future..."

"Nope."

In truth, I know what can. The Star Forge. It lies in a part of the galaxy still unmapped, and that is the important part. If I can find the last piece of the puzzle, and we can get there, we will be safe. No one will be able to find us. It is less about the Forge itself and more about the place on the map. And Leland has given us time to use to continue looking, a second chance.

I can't put it into words, but I get the sense that I can trust Leland to be family, even if I have to watch my back. It's like Koj when we're wrestling or sparring. He won't hold back on me, but he won't take it outside the spar... Perhaps that's simply a male thing.

I don't have an agenda in the Miraluka, no real goal beyond the sixth sense that both Rebhorn and Leland have made the first blows in a silent game of honor, loyalty, and respect for control of the Miraluka. I don't want control of the Miraluka. I wouldn't know what to do with the loyalty of my people. But that doesn't mean I won't give them a fight in their own game. Because... that's simply my nature, to pick fights even when I don't want the reward. I don't need a reason. It's family.

Welcome to the Mareks, please be sure to step off at the next crazy.