AN 1: You might notice a Pronoun shift in this chapter. That is because the word in Mando'a used to talk about others, Kaysh, is actually gender neutral. While Din knows that Cobb, Luke, and Grogu are all He/Him, Jango does not. Since the word is the same in Mando'a Jango is hearing it as They/Them in his POV.

AN 2: Just a quick warning for for Anxiety, Trauma, and Shame. Jango does not react well to the sound of a lightsaber.

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 Jangoo's surprise overpowered his anger. It was no wonder Adatoya was so good with children if he had his 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. Jang 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. "He wouldn't keep his 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 was 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 newest 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 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-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;

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.

(Let me know if I missed any and I'll update the list.)