A year and a half on Manda'yaim and his son had grown immensely. Not that his personality or appearance had changed much, besides getting a little taller and getting his hair cut short. Rather than the shy and uncertain child he had been when they met he was growing into a confident and capable boy who seemed more in tune with his own inner power.

A year ago one of the leaders of the allied Clans in their House offered to train his son in some of the force arts she'd learned from her life before becoming Mando'ad. Jango wasn't all that surprised by how quickly his son absorbed the new lessons and implemented them into his training. He already knew his son was a genius.

His boy's only real issues seemed to be his insatiable curiosity, boundless energy, and a need to be doing something at all times, unless he was asleep. Thankfully there was always someone around to keep his hyperactive kid busy and engaged. Some days they had him fixing damaged speeders, other days it was broken droids, and on the rare occasion he even helped fix a ship or two. They'd teach him new skills and useful tricks for the field. They'd take him exploring in the fields or hunting in the forest. They even told him stories about those who had marched onward.

Each day Anakin grew more fluent in Mando'a and more knowledgeable about their culture, their way of life. He began to blend almost seamlessly with the other kids of the House, only differentiated by virtue of being Jango's son. The younger kids flocked to the boy, wanting to hear his stories or asking him to fix their toys, knowing the blonde boy would indulge them with patience and kindness. The older kids quickly learned to respect Anakin's strength and intelligence, often bringing him problems they couldn't solve alone and didn't want their parents to know about.

If anyone had any lingering doubts that Anakin was the rightful heir to the House or the title of Mand'alor they had long since given up voicing them. Now it was a waiting game.

Ducking the swing of a beskad he brought his own up into a defensive position and waited to see what else Wad'e wanted to try against him. The man's eyes glinted with amusement as Anakin cheered them both on from the sidelines, cleaning his own sword carefully even as his eyes followed the two warriors without fail.

When Jango had first contacted Wad'e and asked for his help the man had agreed to train his son for six months. "So the kid knows enough to not skewer himself at least." But after all this time the man had yet to leave. In fact he'd only gotten more invested in Anakin's training. To the point where he'd demanded Jango learn alongside his son so the boy would have other opponents to train against.

Over time more clans and unaffiliated Mando'ade slowly began to trickle in, swearing fealty to House Mereel. Every time a new clan showed up at the compound Jango had to wonder about the state of the system if so many where fleeing their homes in order to join him.

Jango did his best to meet secretly with the clans that were in areas heavily influenced by Vizla or Kryze, wary of the possibility of betrayal. After all Jaster had lost his life when Montross betrayed him and left him to die on the battlefield. He didn't want to believe it of the Mando'ade but he had a child to keep safe, he wouldn't be taking any chances.

A lot of the clans from farther out sent representatives to try and feel him out. They seemed to be under the impression that he was a lot more aggressive in his demand for clans to join his cause, which couldn't be farther from the truth. While he wanted to amass enough power to pose a threat to Vizla and Kryze he didn't want to be a tyrannical dictator. Part of being Mando'ad was having the choice to live your life freely. He wouldn't force anyone to stay under his command if they didn't want to be there.

Even if he was determined to wrest control of the system back from the two false leaders he knew it was not for him to accomplish. Anakin would be the future Mand'alor of a united system. Jango was just building his power base until his son was old enough.

Surprisingly his son helped ease his path during some of the negotiations with a few clans who were under the thumb of the New Mandalorians. The boy had walked right into a meeting he was having with a group of representatives, not even looking up from is datapad and allowing the Ka'ra to guide him. His short hair was swept back and there was a smear of grease across his nose. The newly fitted durasteel armor he wore was already dented and scratched from his practice with Wad'e. Looking up when he finally sensed the others in the room he flushed slightly before giving the group a bright smile. He welcomed the representatives to their home and introduced himself politely in flawless Mando'a. Jango had been so proud of him in that moment. The representatives smiled back at the boy as Anakin turned to his father and asked for his assistance when he was finished. Then he excused himself, giving the group a polite blessing before leaving the room.

"That was your child?" One of the group asked with clear disbelief.

"Anakin, I adopted him three years ago. He's the best thing that ever happened to me." Where before there had been hesitance and resistance there was now excitement and acceptance. The representatives couldn't help but bring up their own children, sharing holos and laughing about the ridiculous things the kids got up to when no one was looking.

"An'ika likes to take things apart to see how they work. He doesn't always know how to put them back together again afterward though." The disgruntled look on his face made the group laugh and Jango knew they'd finally relaxed completely in his presence.

"I think we were wrong about you, Fett. It's very obvious you love your child. I can't see you diving straight into a major conflict while he's still so young." Jango frowned, surprise warring with confusion. "You have no idea what we're talking about, do you?"

They brought out a datapad and streamed a saved video. It was the security footage from when he had taken out K'tharsin and his slave operation. From the outside it looked cold and calculated, which it was. The fact that the security had picked up his comment at the end made his face feel hot with embarrassment. He wasn't usually one to make bold statements aloud, letting his work speak for itself.

"They said that this was revenge but no one ever said what for." There were questioning looks, clearly tinged with suspicion. Jango scowled. They needed more clans on their side. He couldn't hide and say it was a 'contract.' They needed to know how far he would go for his son. How far he would go for his clan and house.

"They kidnapped my son and were going to sell him back into slavery. On top of running a slave operation for children." There was a collective gasp and an almost low buzz of anger in the room. Even those with New Mandalorian leanings knew how precious children were. No matter how much Kryze tried to stamp out their culture some things would be eternal. The importance of family was one of them.

"Back into... you adopted him three years ago, hm?" Jango bristled as they put two and two together. It was not his place to speak about Anakin's experience as a slave. He gave them a single firm nod.

The group leaders looked at one another and after what felt like an eternity of silence later they pledged their support to his cause. "One of your people forwarded us Jaster Mereel's Supercommando Codex. We'd never been allowed to read it before and a few of us didn't even know it existed. While we do not wish to be warriors we agree that the Codex is more fair and honorable than we had been led to believe." That had to be the fault of Kryze. Vizla would just tell everyone that the Codex made them weak and punish anyone who adhered to it. While Kryze was burying and destroying any texts that disagreed with her views on a peaceful Mandalore.

"I..." He swallowed. "Before I joined Clan Mereel my family were farmers." It was something he almost never spoke about, but the absolute silence that followed his words and the surprised looks on their faces was worth it. "Being a non-combatant and a True Mandalorian are not mutually exclusive. We accept those who do not wish to fight but want to contribute to our community in other ways." It was this comment, in the end, that settled them firmly in the allies category.

Once the representatives had taken their leave Jango was on his way to find his son when a call came through. "Fett."

"Jango." He frowned at the slight wavering in Roz's voice.

"What's wrong Roz? What happened?" He stopped in the hall, staring down at the communicator.

"Fett. Long time no see." Jango felt his breath hitch in his lungs. He knew that voice.

"Montross." He growled.

"It's time to finish what I started on Korda VI." A message came through from Roz's station- a set of coordinates. "Come alone. I'll be waiting."