Chapter Eighty-Six: Vod

When the elevator doors hissed closed behind the escaped inmates, I let out a long, hissing breath. I could swear my skin was steaming, I was so angry.

"What did he say?" Rex asked gently beside me. My private elevator from the back rooms was small, making more than three people pretty uncomfortable. And with a Trandoshan…I elected to send Bossk and Boba up ahead of us. Besides, I needed a moment to collect myself.

And we had a facade to keep up.

I turned and began leading Rex back down the hall toward the staff door. "He was speaking Huttese wasn't he? I know Jango spoke it."

"Yeah," I replied gruffly.

Rex stopped me before I went through the door, turning me to look at him. "Hey, are you okay? I'm not going to turn him in." Admittedly, the concern had crossed my mind, but I had assured myself I'd convince him to keep quiet. I guess I didn't have to, and I was actually surprised. He must have read it on my face, giving me a small smile. "I'm not thrilled, but I'm not about to turn in your only family." He shrugged, his grin turning teasing in nature. "You'd never forgive me."

"You're right," I teased back, relaxing in his hold. He felt it, his hands dropping to rest on my waist.

"Do you want me to leave? It's okay if you want to be alone with him."

I scoffed. "Alone with him and Bossk, you mean. No," I leaned up, kissing him softly on the cheek. "I'd like for you to stay. If you're willing to put up with Boba being a jagyc to you, that is."

"He really doesn't like clones, huh?" Rex asked with a quirked brow.

I pulled from his grasp, pushing open the door as I muttered, "Yeah, something like that." He doesn't like you, in particular. I wanted to tell him, but I was strangely embarrassed. Was it my brother's behavior? It certainly wasn't that I was with Rex.

Right?

I plastered an relaxed smile on my face as we entered my club's main floor again, gazes snapping our way with curiosity. I gave them nothing to see, Rex returning my expression with surprising ease. He knew we had to act like everything was handled and nothing was out of the ordinary. His hand touched my hip again, his lips grazing my ear to whisper to me over the thumping of the bass.

"I'm going to tell my brothers that we're done for the night."

My face flushed, earning a look of surprise from the captain. I shook off my embarrassment at the implication this was sending to the clones, responding with a fake laugh. "I'm sure they'll be thrilled," I said sarcastically.

Rex chuckled, but I could feel his trepidation as he moved away. "I'll meet you upstairs."

I know he trusted my abilities to handle myself. I did too, of course. But still…I felt a loss at his presence leaving my side. As if a pillar had been knocked out beneath me, making my knees wobble as I ascended the curving stairs towards my office. I cast a wave and forced a smile to my regulars and the confused-looking clones before turning my focus on the locked door.

A practiced dance of my fingers over the dial pad had the door hissing open to reveal my softly lit office. I stepped in, Boba and Bossk both reeling around to face me. They'd both been watching the private elevator, waiting for me to emerge.

I waved dismissively at their defensive stances as the door snapped closed behind me. "You caused a scene," I grunted, immediately walking to my decanter to pour myself another glass of spiced rum. Damn the fact that it's so low. "I had to smooth things over," I offered as explanation for my unexpected entrance, taking a long sip of the liquid. It warmed my throat nicely.

"What kind of workersss do you have that panic in a crississ?" Bossk's arms crossed, his tone taunting.

But I only laughed, leaning against my polished desk. "They're dancers and wait staff, not bounty hunters." I turned my attention to Boba. His hair was cut short against his skull, his face having thinned out to define the angles that reminded me of his father. He was taller, too, nearly reaching Bossk's shoulder now. His eyes were the same, though. Haunted. Tired. Angry.

But there was a bit of relief there. And excitement.

"So, you broke out of prison," I chuckled, only looking at my brother now. "I can't wait to hear about this. But first, were you followed, and are there any tracking devices we need to be worried about?"

"You think I'd let myself be followed?" Boba spit. He was clearly still angry about Rex. I was sure it'd only get worse once the captain returned.

Still, I couldn't help myself from falling into my usual banter. "You were in prison," I shrugged, "You're probably rusty."

Boba scowled but Bossk only let out a low hiss. "There were no tracking braceletsss," he reported, surprisingly formal. "But I'm sssure they'll ssstart usssing them sssoon."

I actually let myself chuckle, relaxing against the desk again. "Good. I'm glad you came here. This is the best place to hide."

"I disssagree," Bossk replied, harsher now.

Before I could say something snarky back, Boba chimed in, "He's right. This place is crawling with Republic soldiers."

"Hey, I literally work for the Republic," I laughed back, mentally tallying the soldiers in the club below. "And four soldiers is not crawling."

Boba scowled at me and crossed his arms. I had a pang in my chest before I registered why, seeing the spitting image of Jango before me. It almost felt like he was scolding me again for how I was holding my blaster.

I shook myself, seeing my frustrated brother again. The private elevator on the far side of the room hummed, and I knew Rex would be here shortly. I wondered if he didn't use the stairs for discretion or if he didn't know the passcode. I made a mental note to ensure it wasn't the latter.

"Either way, Boba, they are my friends and you will be kind to them."

His face pinched. "You're not my buir."

"Shab yeah, I'm not. Which means I won't hesitate to punch you in the face." Bossk hissed at my words, but I only shot him a hard look. "Don't start with me. Last time we met, you would've killed me."

The Trandoshan only smiled at me, his tongue flicking as he hissed with glee. His Force signature wasn't giving off any signs of attacking, though. I guess he just enjoyed the memory. Shebs'palon.

"In his defense," Boba started, his anger finally beginning to wane. "I was going to kill you, too."

"No you weren't," I responded immediately, grinning. "And besides, at least you apologized." Boba surprised me with a chuckle. I turned back to Bossk, sighing. "But you did honor your word. And I thank you for that." He only replied with a guttural hiss of acknowledgement.

Just when Boba's anger seemed to be dissipating, the private elevator dinged, opening to reveal the captain in his civilian clothes. His hands were stuffed in his jacket, his head bowed in thought as he stared at the floor. His fingers quickly left his pockets and were lifted towards the ceiling when both of the escaped convicts reacted in fright.

"Woah," he said easily, his Force signature steady. Ever the cool-headed. While his aggressors relaxed their stances, their glares never wavered as Rex entered the room. He crossed it quickly, making an arc around Boba and Bossk to stand by my desk.

"Relax. This is Rex. He's a friend."

Boba huffed a laugh, crossing his arms again. "Koga Pateesa." Bossk laughed at my brother's words, my presence darkening again. Rex glanced at me, confused, only making them laugh harder.

"That's enough, Boba." My words cut through their laughter like a knife, quieting them both with my venom. "You're ori'suumyc."

My brother scowled at my words. "I am? What about you?" He gestured to the clone standing beside me. Rex swallowed and I could feel his discomfort rise as he began to guess what the convicts had been saying in Huttese.

I matched Boba's expression, turning to the captain to hand him my glass easily. He took it after a moment, taking a drink while not breaking eye contact with me. Finally, I spoke, but I still watched Rex's amber gaze. "I am always here to help you, Boba. But I don't need to put up with you abusing the people I love." Rex's brows rose slightly at my words, and I felt his anxiety begin to flutter away into warmth. Good. Boba's opinion shouldn't bother him. Nor should it bother me. "And I have no reason to help someone who gave me new scars when we last met. So be nice or Bossk is on the street."

Rex frowned at my words, but I turned from him to see Boba's face red with anger. "You'd kick us out–"

"Bossk," I interrupted, "I said I'd kick Bossk out."

"I'd leave with him!"

"You have free will and the right to choose your own path."

"You sound like a Jedi."

"Please," I laughed genuinely. "The Jedi don't believe in free will. They believe in the will of the Force."

Boba groaned, throwing his hands in the air, but I only crossed my arms with a grin. "Then we'll leave. We don't need your help."

"You're probably right," I responded immediately, catching him by surprise. "I'm sure Bossk has connections, too. But you came here." Boba watched me cautiously. "You want my help. So don't leave and just play nice. Maybe you'll even have a good time."

The two looked at each other for a long while, the silence filling the room until it was nearly ready to burst. I sighed loudly, leaning back on the desk to hit my comm button. "Merl, I'm going to need some drinks up here." I paused, glancing back at the escaped convicts. Boba's eyes were wide and uncertain, but the prospect of a real drink seemed to pique his interest. "And food. Something warm."

There was a crackle as the comms connected, followed by the muffled thumping of the club. "You got it," came Merl's gruff response.

The private elevator dinged again, Boba and Bossk reacting the same way they did when Rex arrived. The captain chuckled under his breath, offering me my glass back. "At least it wasn't personal."

I hummed, taking a drink from the glass. "It was personal," I admitted, making him blanch. I couldn't help but chuckle, taking a longer sip before pushing the glass back into his hand. "You need it more," I assured.

He drank from it greedily this time.

Rouva emerged from the elevator, bundles of cloth wrapped in her arms. "I–" she stopped, watching the inmates settle and take a step back to give her room. Boba didn't seem to bother her. If anything, she seemed to want to take a closer look at him and likely wanted to pick his brain the same way she often did with me. Bossk, though, she watched warily, her Force signature alight with fear. "I thought you'd need different clothes."

She swallowed, turning to offer the top bundle to Boba. He stared at her a moment, earning a dazzling smile, before blushing and taking the bundle with a muttered thanks in Ryl. Rouva's smile grew. "A clever one, I see. Just like his sister." His shade deepened as he turned his attention to the bundle to look through its contents. Rouva held Bossk's bundle out a bit further from her, but he took it quickly and without a word. "I'll…leave you to it."

She clapped her hands awkwardly before turning back towards the elevator, making me chuckle. "Thank you, Rouva," I called after her, earning a wave and lazy mock-salute as the doors closed between us.

There was silence for a moment as they both looked at their bundles. "You…seem to have a lot of loyal workers," Boba finally said quietly.

I smiled softly. "They're called friends, Boba. But thank you." I glanced at Rex quickly before looking back at the two bounty hunters. "The food will be here soon. You should get out of those uniforms. Boba, you can use my room. Bossk, you get the bathroom." I wasn't about to let the Trandoshan into my personal things.

They departed quickly, likely eager to shed the uniform of the prison. I turned to look at Rex as the doors closed behind them. "You're sure it's alright to leave them?" He was looking pointedly towards my bedroom–our bedroom?

"He'll be fine," I assured, touching his arm softly and taking my drink back to refill the glass. "Besides, Apex will keep an eye on him."

Rex hummed, watching me return with a full glass. "You okay?"

"Are you?" I shot back. "I know you've put together what he was saying before."

"Eh," he shrugged, "More or less. He disapproves of our relationship?"

I sighed. "He was cruder than that, but yes, more or less." I sat fully on my desk, Rex leaning on it beside me, his side brushing against my legs. I let out another sigh, dropping my head to rest on his strong shoulder. I liked when he wore his civilian clothes…his shoulder pauldron didn't allow for this. Not comfortably, at least. "I'm sorry."

My head shook as Rex laughed. "Why are you apologizing? You can't control how your brother acts. Besides, I'm not offended. He's never liked clones, so why would you being in a relationship with one not bother him? And it's not like his word would have any weight if he tried reporting us,"

"He wouldn't," I said quickly. "He'll be a jagyc and maybe even try to kill you, but he wouldn't report us."

"That's good to know," Rex replied with a raised brow. It was quiet again for a moment, the captain taking my drink to sip at it with a chuckle. "You know, he kind of reminds me of you."

I lifted my head. "Oh?" This would be good.

Rex smiled easily, taking another long swig before handing back the glass. "Let me see. Hot-headed. Defensive. Intelligent." He cast a glance at me, seeing me scowl. "Kind of mean, really."

"Slana'pir," I grumbled, swatting his arm and refusing him the glass as he reached for it.

"See?" he teased, finally gaining the upper hand and stealing the glass back. He finished the drink, earning an annoyed growl from me. "Hypocritical of you to ask Boba to be nice, really."

I rolled my eyes, throwing my hands up in defeat. "Shut up," I said dejectedly.

"I'm teasing, cyare." His tone was gentle now.

"I know. I just…" I glanced back at the doors to ensure they weren't going to open any time soon. "I honestly can't say how I expected this–seeing Boba–would go, but it definitely wasn't like this."

Rex surprised me with a dark chuckle. "You mean, a surprise commotion at your club, accompanied by a bounty hunter who's tried to kill you in the past wasn't your ideal reunion?"

I laughed back, meeting his golden gaze. "No," I admitted, "But I'm glad you're here. Thank you for staying."

"Of course," Rex smiled, closing the distance between us to give me a chaste kiss. "Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum." I returned the kiss, opening my mouth to respond when the elevator chimed to announce its arrival.

Rouva and Vamira arrived, towing a tray of drinks and steaming food. A few touches to the panel on my wall had a table rising from the floor, the Twi'leks placing the trays down swiftly. They helped me arrange the table, dragging the chairs around the room into place. It was an odd assortment, considering we were pulling in lounge chairs, but it worked. While they set down the food and drink, I glanced back to Rex.

"Do you not know the passcode to the door?" I asked, glancing towards the stairway down into my club.

Rex glanced at me and shook his head. "Was I supposed to?"

"It didn't occur to me," I admitted, but shrugged it off. "We'll just add your prints to the access permissions later." I wasn't sure, but I thought he blushed a bit.

Bossk emerged before Rouva and Vamira were done, the latter two going rigid at the Trandoshan's appearance. He hissed at them, earning a scowl from me. Sending me a taunting glare, he moved past them and took a seat, greedily slurping at one of the bowls placed before him.

"You're welcome," Vamira dared, earning a hiss from Bossk. I admired her courage, despite the frightened squeak she gave as she scurried away.

"Thank you," I said softly to them both as they passed, each giving me worried glances. "And Vamira," I called, making the younger Twi'lek turn back at the entrance of the elevator. I could tell how badly she wanted to leave, her hand practically clutching the frame of the door. "Not a word. To anyone. Including Tup."

She frowned at me, but bowed her head dutifully. "Yes, ma'am." She left with Rouva, their relief flooding from the elevator when the doors closed.

"Where'sss Boba?" Bossk asked carefully between slurps of his food.

I scowled at him. "Why are you suspicious of me, here? I'm literally feeding, clothing, and housing you right now." I walked past him, casting a reassuring glance back to Rex as I left him. "I'll check on Boba."

Despite Bossk's unfounded suspicion of me, it was true that Boba was taking a long time. I'd imagined it was harder to change clothes with talons like a Trandoshan, if I'm being honest. I slowed at the door of my bedroom, casting a glance back at the two warriors behind me. They were both scary, in their own capacity. Though Rex never scared me, I'm sure he terrified people.

I breathed slowly, rapping my knuckles against the door firmly. "Boba?" I called, getting no answer. My eyes closed, reaching out with the Force. Well, he was alive. He seemed…sad, though. I knocked again. "Boba." When he still didn't answer, I let out a low sigh, tapping the comm on my wrist to connect me with my personal AI. "Apex, is he decent?"

"Yes, miss," came his brisk answer.

I disconnected, tapping the door console to slide it open. I stepped in, closing it behind me the moment I spotted my brother. He was sitting on my floor, all four of my holo-pictures spread on the ground around him. His shoulders were trembling. Every part of me wanted to embrace him, but I couldn't get a read on him. He was shifting between anger, envy, relief, and sorrow rapidly. I stayed standing near the door.

"Boba," I said again, this time earning his attention.

"So this is the life you've made." His voice was flat, giving away nothing.

"I'd argue that four pictures don't capture the essence of a whole life."

He scoffed at me, but it turned into sniffing. He wiped his nose quickly, his eyes casting towards the ceiling to fight off tears. "Doesn't it? You have…" finally, he sighed, his emotions falling into sadness and jealousy. "You have a family, Kida."

I knew what he meant, but I chuckled anyways, stepping forward a bit. "Of course I do. You're right here, di'kut."

"That's not what I meant." I know. "These people," he gestured to the subjects of the pictures: Ahsoka, Anakin, Padme, my friends from the 501st…Rex. "They love you." He picked up the holo-picture from the first night the clones came to my club, all of us squished together on the dance floor. "Look at you, partying with clones." He spit the last word, but it was more sad than angry.

I breathed out slowly through my nose, sitting behind him on my bed to look over his shoulder. "I'd brought them here after a particularly hard mission." I glanced away, surprised by the tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. "We'd lost a good friend. So we came here. They visited here and there after that." I sighed, looking back at the clone draped around my waist, his head tucked against my shoulder. "That's Hardcase," I said, pointing to him. "He died not long after this…and the guys have been regulars here ever since. When they can, of course."

"Was he your Koga Pateesa before this one?" Boba asked cruelly, flicking his head towards the door.

"You're being mean, Boba." The softness of my voice surprised him, earning me a glance. "No, he wasn't. But it's like you said: he was my family."

His eyes were downcast while he mumbled, "N'eparavu takisit." I didn't respond as he looked back over the pictures. He picked up the one in Padme's office, looking closely at the senator. "Isn't this the woman Dad tried to assassinate?"

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "She's really nice," I tried.

He cast me a look, but there was some amusement creeping into his features. His nose scrunched as his eyes slid over the Jedi in the picture, but my heart didn't really seize until he picked up the picture of Rex and I. The one from the bar in my club, where Rex's lips were pressed against my temple with a grin, my eyes closed in my wide smile.

"You know," he started slowly, glancing at the final holo-picture: the one of us and Jango. "Dad had always wanted to find something like this." His fingers brushed at the image, making my and Rex's faces ripple.

"What?" I asked genuinely, leaning forward.

Boba let out a chuckle. "Yeah. I asked him once why he had me, a clone, instead of just having a biological son."

"And?"

"He said he never found the right woman."

I laughed genuinely. "I'm sure he had an impossibly high bar." It made sense, considering the bar he held for himself, and for both of us.

"Of course," Boba admitted with a chuckle, "But it was more than that. He said he didn't have time between his work to…or he'd just never found the person worth stopping for." He sighed holding the holo-picture in both hands. "I think…I think he'd be happy to know you'd found something like that."

My lips lifted in a smile. "Thank you. I'd like to think that, too."

"He would be," Boba decided. "And…I'll try to be, too." He would turn out a better person than either myself or his father.

"I know it's hard for you, so I appreciate you trying." I reached forward and dared to squeeze his shoulder. "It wasn't easy for me in the beginning, either, for my own reasons."

He flinched at my touch at first before leaning into it. After a moment of silence, he turned abruptly, climbing to his feet. He grabbed my hand that was sliding from his shoulder and pulled me up as well, dragging me into an embrace. I returned it happily, after a moment of shock.

"I never actually said Su cuy'gar," he muttered into my shoulder.

I chuckled. "It's nice to see you. You've gotten tall," I commented as he pulled away, showing our new reduced height difference with my hand. I moved it again to poke his arm. "And are these some muscles I see?"

"It's a prison, Kida. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Write me letters, since you wouldn't let me visit."

He stuck his tongue out, knowing I was teasing him now. I chuckled again, ruffling his short hair before leading the way back towards the door. "Come on, kid. Skraan's here."

"I'm not sorry about Bossk," he said before I could reach it, halting my steps. This kid was unbelievable.

"Fine, but he's not staying here. You're welcome to, but he's being put up in a safe house until I can get you both off planet."

His brows lifted. "You're not throwing him out?"

"Not if you're polite to Rex," I half-joked. "And we all have our families, right?" He blinked at that, but said nothing back. "Come on. Let's eat and then we can figure out next steps, okay? And," I turned back to give him a sharp look, the door hissing open behind me. "Be nice."


MANDO'A

Vod – brother; sister

Jagyc – dick

Buir – mother

Shab – fuck

Shebs'palon – asshole

Ori'suumyc – beyond the pale; one step too far; outrageous (in Mandalorian morality)

Slana'pir – Get lost (very impolite)

Cyare – beloved

Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum – I love you ; (lit) I will know you forever

Di'kut – idiot

N'eparavu takisit – sorry; I eat my insult

Skraan – food; grub


HUTTESE

Koga Pateesa – bed friend *wink*


AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Wow, two in one day. I don't know what came over me. Anywho, I had been looking forward to some interaction between Kida and Boba. We will get a little bit more before our mini-vacation arc:)

-Ryder