Some time passed until Big Blue and the healer joined them outside. She would take every bet that not only she and her father shared a knowing smile, but that also helmeted faces displayed the same smiles.

All of a sudden everyone one was very occupied with whatever was at hand. The maroon warrior dragged two of the oldest ade back to training. His riduur was suddenly busy getting a hold on the youngest who was conveniently about to crawl off. Her father turned to the small boy and engaged him in a conversation.

Just she stood dumbstruck, well not she alone. She heard the shuffle of feet just behind her. The green-blue warrior was also at a loss about what to do. Annoyed she shook her head, why should they feel awkward. Despite their desolate situation it should be something the tribe should be happy about.

So she kept a pleasant smile on her face as she watched the two come closer. Yet she still called herself lucky when the healer addressed her right away and inquired about her health. She rolled up her sleeve to emphasise that she was doing and healing well. Nevertheless she got an appointment for later that evening.

With a commanding voice Big Blue called those who had wandered off together. It was time for everyone to relate their explorations, which had been cut short by the hail and her rescue. With a nod at the warrior accompanying her the blue helmet announced who was to begin first.

He turned and pointed in the direction where he had headed off to: "Wasn't really lucky. Down there is a swampy area with some nasty creepers. Don't think we find a dry patch of land there to hide out on. Besides this marsh land seems to be vast. Not much game there either. Went over there, to that plateau next, it is quite barren and we would be much too exposed, but saw lots of tracks and droppings of herbivores, so we should be able to make that a hunting ground."

The couple were the next and followed their tribe member's way to point out where they had gone exploring: "Well, al'verde, game can be found in the forests that are over there, too. But there is also something bigger. We saw paw prints of a formidable size. If we are to find a home there we need secure housing. Would hate to wake up with something the size of a Blurrg trying to get at us. The forests though are quite dense and could give us cover."

Big Blue nodded towards her father. She wondered slightly, hadn't both men walked off in the same direction. It spoke of the heavy infantry to let her father tell of their findings.

"Over where the mountain range is we found several caves. Some are just small, half flooded or caved in. But there are several which are rather large, maybe even linked underground. It would definitely take time to explore them completely, but I'm sure that at least one or two would do as a kind of housing. Judging from the warmth that comes from some I think that they might have something to do with a volcanic system. It is up to the al'verde, but it might be a good idea to concentrate your … our search there."

Said commander nodded again at the Zabrak, they seemed to be on good terms. So maybe her father's pains were good for something. Over her musing she almost missed the nod towards herself.

"Well, I wasn't out seeking for an accommodation for you, but I wanted to find out about those who would be living closest to you if you decide to stay here. There are some things that speak for them, they are Sundari, farmers and want to keep to themselves. They agreed to not bother anyone as long as they are not bothered. I tried to warm them to the prospect of a neighbourhood and gave them one of the animals I had hunted. If you keep that up you can trade with them and maybe they could even get what you need from one of the cities without you having to ever show there."

The green-blue warrior reacted taken aback: "You have been hunting although the storm was coming?!"

"When I went into the forest the weather was still good and no hint of a storm and later, when I brought them the game. Well, thought I could make it. Didn't think it would get that bad." She glared at him, why should she have to explain herself at all.

"Cut it." The al'verde made a step towards them. "We need a plan for those caves. Exploring the most promising, instead of wasting time and resources."

The bulky warrior turned back to face the Zabrak: "Can you remember where to start best?"

"He is going nowhere, you made sure of that." She was back into her I'm-pissed-stance with her head tilted and her arms crossed. Not even the quickly turning mass of blue directly in front of her made her change it.

"Ask your healer. He can take of the younglings instead."

The healer was quick to come to her assistance and the heavy infantry conceded to agree that she would get the information from her father and go in his stead. Of course a certain other had to utter his objections, but she shrugged them off: "I'm sure your ori'vod will give me clearance."

Again the Nevarro brave reacted stiffly. She had stressed the fact that the healer was his older sister and that she knew about it, not much thanks to him. Somehow she thought that the nod the healer gave her was one of approval and likely even one of support.

Whatever it was, it made the green-blue warrior turn abruptly and stomp off: "Will prepare for the trip then."

She was staring after him when the clearing of a throat pulled her attention back. Her father gave a quick and assuring smile: "I best show you the area which I think most promising."

Together they ventured off back to the ship. He wanted prepare a map, but an idea made him stop: "Your shuttle as scanners. We should try to gather intel from above for a better layout of this area. Pointing at towards the rising ridge he explained what he had in mind.

It was a good idea. With the small shuttle they could get close and cover a much wider area than of foot. Scans from above to get the layout of different entrances and then working from both sides towards the middle would give their work some structure.

She smirked at how animated the Zabrak worked through his plan: "You just want to stall your detention time on the ship."

"Yes, I indeed might be guilty of that. But we are both aware, that this clash was on its way. Sooner or later it was due. I made it sooner to take off of its edges. Now we both are able to assess and value the other better."

She sighed: "I only wished that you hadn't been injured."

"And I wish that I could say you should see the other one. But you know, the larger the rock, the harder it falls. It could be worse and it was my own fault. As soon as I'm healed I will challenge him to another sparring."

His grin was wide at her incredulous gasp: "You are exasperating!"

With an annoyed groan she changed the topic then: "Let's get started the surveillance flight, there's not that much day time left."

She was preoccupied with preparing her shuttle. The bike had to be pulled back from the cockpit and the wet mess on the floor had to swiped clean. When her father returned they set off. She made sure they used to lasting hours well.

When she flew over the ridges she noted some strange rounded dents in the surface which she pointed out to the Zabrak next to her. He nodded and mapped them. Another peculiarity caught her attention, a foliaged area with something blueish glinting between, when she lowered to the side of the raised area she could make out a small brook. She made a mental note to go there herself.

It took them until the light had faded so much that it was impossible for them to make out things clearly. It was time to return to the ship and share their knowledge.

He was angry at himself but mostly at her. She was barely back on her feet again and already on the move again. And he was not able to keep her from it. He paced in the cabin assigned to be his quarters. His pretence to prepare for their excursion long forgotten.

The knock on his door interrupted him: "Who's there?"

"Me," he heard his sister's voice and was immediately reminded at how the pilot had phrased her words. Bitter bile rose in his throat at his own inadequacies. He should have told her, but when would have been the right time, he scowled.

"Guess making you wait won't make you go away?"

"Nope, khi'vod." She sounded way too happy. With a resigning groan he let the door open.

"What do you want?" He really didn't want to talk to her.

She walked into the room and sat down in one of the chairs. She crossed her arms and legs and by the way her foot dipped relentlessly he could tell what she was up to: "Do you think you accusing her and questioning her abilities will you gain any favours?"

"What … I haven't … " He was cut short.

"Yes, you have. Wanting to protect her should not end in holding wrong decisions against her. As far as I know you, you would have done the same in her position."

"But I …" Her hand told him to stop.

"No, whatever you want to say, just don't. And if you want to talk, do so, but to her. Which you still haven't. You haven't told her that we are related and because of that she got angry at me. As soon as she is back you will talk to her, and you will do that before she comes to see me. I will not suffer her anger again for your sake. Is that understood?"

He was shuffling, his whole body a display of his discomfort: "Yes, ori'vod. Understood."

After she had left, he let out a deep inhale which he had held without realizing. He turned around his room and started sorting things. It was unproductive as he just ended up replacing things. Upset he tore out cloth and oil from one of the boxes and sat at the table.

Starting with the gun in his holster he took it apart, neatly placing the parts in front of him. The mechanical work of cleaning, oiling and putting the weapon together calmed him down. There were still some guns left which he could tend to in order to finally sort his thoughts.

As the light was fading he had gone through his persona arsenal and the one in the boxes in the storage room. If she wasn't to come soon he would have to ask Paz and the Rulls for their weapons.

She had landed next to the ship. He had opened the hatch of the shuttle and the first sight he perceived was a pacing Tharam. He cocked an eyebrow at the younger man and at the expectant swivel of the green-blue helmet he nodded back over his shoulder.

When Tharam made no move to come closer he walked over to him. "What's wrong?"

"Did some thinking. Need to talk to her."

He lifted his head in a tilt: "Yeah, she didn't like your reproach."

"I didn't … I mean … it came out wrong."

His lopsided grin grew wider: "Uh-hu it sure did. Now go and use your time well. I'll keep the others at bay."

As he walked up the ship's ram he looked back and saw that the Nevarro had drawn closer to the shuttle, standing just outside the lowered ram. As neither of them was a big talker negotiations might take a bit longer.

He wrapped his hands together. It should not be of his concern as long as they weren't at each other's throats. He would share the time with the others and bring them their news and he had a notion that some nice warm and hot food might be just the thing everybody could need right now. With the meat fresh and the storage full he could make some proper Tiingilar.

He was standing at the entrance of the shuttle and waited, when she left the cockpit she stopped short. He instantly took one step back, he didn't want to give the appearance that he wanted to corner her.

"Can we talk?" With he head lowered he gazed at her just through the upper part of the T-visor.

"Is there anything to talk about?" The scepticism in her voice made him edgy.

"Things … This afternoon." This wasn't the start he had imagined over and over again. He had varied the scenarios, but this one hadn't come to his mind. "Gedet'ye."

She shifted at his plea and finally understood that he didn't want to talk where they were at the moment: "Lead the way."

He lifted his helmet towards her and something made him hold his hand out to her. His heart thumped hard in his chest until she stepped forward and when she lifted her eyes from his hand towards his visor he thought it might just jump out of his throat.

He hoped his hand was steady enough as she finally placed her hand in his. He had made out a fallen tree trunk just near the thicket where the forest started. There they could sit within sight of the ship yet be undisturbed.

He straddled the trunk and lead her to sit alike, still holding her hand. She had placed her free hand on her thigh and he slowly reached out and placed his on top.

"I'm sorry for what I said this afternoon. It came out the wrong way. I wasn't questioning your decision. I just … I was worried. I…"

The squeezing of his hands kept his risen heartbeat from accelerating even more.

"I … My ori'vod talked to me after you left. … She was angry with me too."

He thought it a good sign that the corners of her mouth twitched.

"I'm sorry, I should have told earlier that she is family, my sister. I don't want you think that I keep something from you, but I don't know what I'm supposed to tell you. I … There was never the need to talk to others about myself. So I'm at a loss about what you would like to know."

A soft smile was on her lips and it made him continue.

"I … we fled from the purge. Buir said that hiding was the best way to survive. The verde made sure that … not many came with us or made it back to us. My sister made sure that I was raised properly."

Her question had been soft: "Your buir?" He only shook his head.

"My ori'vod became my buir. There was the tribe, yes but no family. We were our family. When I came of age I wanted to provide. There was no family, so I provided for the tribe."

"As beroya?" This time he nodded.

"My first oya'karir was shortly after I had come of age. Our beroya took me along. I screwed it, totally. He had to save my hide and the bounty escaped."

"The burn mark on your shoulder?" He shook his helmet.

He lifted her hand with his and placed it between his collarbone and his chest. Her eyes widened, she knew what that meant: "Lung." He nodded slowly.

"I did say that I screwed it. Went straight through the dura-plate I wore back then. He spent the money we had made so far on me. For the med centre. Saved my life. Never said a word about it. Made me join him more instead. Till I learnt enough and went on my own hunts."

When she studied him, he gave her time to put the pieces together: "The beroya is the one on the run from the Imps."

"Yes, wish I could do more for him." He grew silent. The knot in his chest made it difficult for him to think of something else than the worry that spread. But she pulled him out with her next question.

"What about the burn mark?"

"A few years ago the bounty I was after had found help and when I arrived they lured me, trapped me. They wanted to burn the stable to ashes and me with it. Was quite sturdy, so it took me a bit too long to get out unscathed."

"Did you lose that bounty too?" She was not making fun of him, it was just curiosity he could see in her eyes.

"Nope, I made sure that I got him and the others for good measurement. " At her rising eyebrow he added: "Settled for the lower reward, couldn't be bothered to take them in alive. Just wanted to go back to the covert to heal."

"So you came around as a bounty hunter?" It took him a while to understand what she actually wanted to know and when he did, he felt the heat warm his ears and cheeks. But he wasn't giving up that easily.

"Well, yes one or the other planet or moon."

Her lips tightened shortly to a line, but it took her a while before she finally voiced her question: "What about partners?"

Before his saucy grin could find its way into his voice he bit his tongue: "Well, besides the beroya back then I worked alone."

She groaned and if he hadn't held her hands she would have face-palmed herself. Or him, he wasn't sure there.

"Di'kut. I told you about D-Denx. I'm asking about … yours."

He quickly squeezed her hand and leant forward, making sure she was looking into his visor: "No partners, no lovers." He paused, the hot sting on his cheeks increased, the sounds of the early night seemed to waver in and out of ears.

"I … on Nar Shaddaa … They … he meant that it's … that it's good … that I should know."

"Who? The beroya?" He shook his head and quickly made sure they were alone.

"No, the al'verde." He would kill him if he ever got to know and his sister would deal with what was left of him.

She just nodded once and he suddenly felt as if that was the worst mistake of his life. He told himself that it was nonsense, yet he had to make sure: "Is … is that … bad?"

He watched her scrutinising gaze until it made him shift on the trunk. A wry smile spread on her lips and only then she shook her head: "Not really. Sounds like it was some time ago"

He nodded and made sure he was seeing correctly, yes, she was leaning forward. Slowly he inched closer just stopping short of resting the Beskar of his forehead against hers. When her hand moved over his Beskaryc Kar'ta his heart seemed to skip a few beats. His hand quivered slightly when he placed his hand overs hers again.

If she couldn't feel the beat of his heart through the Beskar he wanted to make sure that she could feel his breaths. Listening to her slow breaths calmed his own and he didn't want to move, so he closed his eyes.

He felt when she untangled her hand on her thigh from his hold. There was a moment when he felt the warmth through the fabric of her trousers, but his attention was diverted soon. His breath came to a halt when he felt her hand on his shoulder, moving to the nape of his neck, until he felt his helmet being softly pressed forward against her forehead.

"Hmm could get used to that." His voice was just a soft murmur, just loud enough to not drown in a static of his vocoder. And her equally soft giggle made him smile.

"I fear I have a date with your sister."

He was totally shocked and unable to move when her heart slipped up from his chest to the lower rim of his helmet, tilting his head up, aligning it with hers. If it hadn't been for the blue of his visor he would have been able to press his lips on hers.

Her eyes sparkled as an impish smile crept onto her face; "You are adorable when you get shy."

He inflated, gasping several times, but nothing would come from this opened mouth. With a deep sigh he let his helmet sink to his chest. At least he wasn't putting her off with his awkwardness when it came to matters of the heart.

He looked after her as she walked back to the ship to meet his sister.

She went to the med bay, through the open door she could see the healer in her red armour. She made herself known and entered. The woman immediately pointed towards the med cot and she sat while the healer closed the door.

She grunted softly, she didn't think a check-up necessary. But she was up for a surprise when the healer just pulled the chair closer and sat down.

"Did he finally find his mouth in your presence?"

She had to snort amusedly: "If want to ask if he talked to me. Yes, he did."

"I'm not going to ask what he told you. Yes, as an older sister I have a tendency to try to watch over him. He is kind of accident-prone. Not to say he can be a complete disaster.

She nodded with a giggle: "Kaysh shu'shuk."

"I took care of him from an early age on. It bonded us. But since he came of age I learnt to trust his skills and abilities. Especially after our beroya took him under his wings. He is my family and I love him dearly."

The healer was quick to interpret her inhale: "No, please hear me out. It is difficult for us, driven away, hunted, secluded to the underground, keeping to the shadows, relying on secrecy, cut off from other, all that has formed us and, I fear, the way we treat others."

The red helmet watched her intensely: "It is nothing we do on purpose, it is just that we got so used to it. Back in the cockpit you said something about secrets that we keep from you. We don't, not intentionally. All I ask of you is that you give us time to get used to the new situation, to you."

She watched as the healer ran her palms up and down her thighs. It was not easy to keep still. But she had one side, now she intended to hear out the other side too.

"When you said that I was checking you out, you were wrong. I have to admit that I was and still am curious about the woman my brother got interested in … errrm … . But he is a good judge of character and …"

She couldn't keep still anymore: "Wait, he actually said that he is interested in me?"

The healer sighed: "You should know better by now than to assume that he said anything. I guessed from the way he acted. He has never been that intense before. Not even the mildest interests, despite … well the choice wasn't vast – but nevertheless, not interested. I watched him since you were brought to the covert. You changed something in him."

She had to press the air out of her lungs to release the inhale: "I changed something? You take it for interest or …"

The red helmet immediately nodded: "Very much so and more . I've never seen him overwhelmed that way."

She felt the redness creep into her face, but at the same time a knot of fear spread within her: "I don't know whether I can be what he wants."

"Never worry. You don't have to be, just are. That is what makes him fall for you. And, I'm sure he won't pressure you." The healer was quite confident in her brother, but after all she knew him best.

Still she shook her head: "You don't understand. I cant … can't lose another – Through serenity you gain strength – lo..." She gasped and spattered in a coughing fit. Clawing at the mattress beneath her didn't keep the world from spinning violently.

The healer was at her side and pressed her shoulders down onto the cot, then she moved to her legs to lift them: "What's wrong?"

She swallowed hard at the different taste her salvia has taken on, she had to keep the bile down: "Dunno. Comes. Since the temple. Feel like losing control, like invaded."

Only slowly she gained control of her senses again. The healer talking her through her breathing helped. When she was feeling better enough to sit up again, the healer's posture expressed concern. But she waved it off: "It's ok. I'm fine. Still thanks."

She paused for bit, her father had taken the first step and had succeeded in the maroon couple opening up enough to share their names. Maybe it was her turn now: "Vayra, Vayra Kryban. Clan Varad."

A moment of silence followed and she already thought that she wouldn't get an answer, when the healer finally spoke: "Tulata, Tulata … Tern, Clan Vizla."

She tilted her head at the other woman immediately added: "Shae, not Pre."

She reached up and scratched her neck with a crunched face: "Need to freshen up my history lessons."

"I can tell you later, but right now I prescribe bed rest. I'm sure we will have a busy day tomorrow."

She nodded, the healer was probably right. They would set out early in the morning. Again in teams, the couple, no she had to correct herself the two couples and she and the green-blue warrior.

She reflected for a moment. His sister had halted, but then given her full name. She was not interested in the clan, but she suddenly realized that she had been given a family name. The Nevarro brave had become more than just a coloured armour, he was a Tern.

Mando'a

ade: children
riduur: wife, husband, partner
al'verde: commander
ori'vod: big sister, older sibling
khi'vod: little brother
Gedet'ye: please
verde: warriors
beroya: bounty hunter
oya'karir: hunt, chase
di'kut: idiot, useless individual, waste of space (lit. someone who forgets to put their pants on)
Tiingilar: hot spice Mandalorian dish (effect comparable to fresh horse radish, just more!)
Beskaryc Kar'ta: Iron heart, Beskar heart
Kaysh shu'shuk: He's a disaster