Chapter Ten
Killian stifled a yawn as he put on his boots; he had been shaken awake a short while before by Terra and given a new pair of clothes to put on, which included a black sleeveless t-shirt and a pair of camouflaged cargo pants, then told to make his way to the mess hall for breakfast.
When he had finished changing, Killian made his way down as ordered and saw that Aola was wearing a similar set of clothes, while Terra and Argyle were wearing their armor, absent their helmets.
"Eat quickly, both of you," Terra said as she handed them their trays of what looked like eggs and bacon, "You need to meet with Alexander and the other children out in the courtyard as soon as you're done."
"What's with the new clothes?" Killian asked as he quickly shoveled food into his mouth,
"Those are the uniforms you'll wear while training," Argyle clarified,
"And don't talk with your mouth full; it's rude," Terra said with a smile,
"Sorry, mom," Killian said quickly, making Terra smile as she started on her own food.
A moment later, Alexander appeared wearing similar clothes to Killian and Aola,
"Ready to go? We don't want to be late on our first day,"
Aola and Killian grunted in affirmation as they finished the last of their meal and rose to their feet, followed quickly by Terra, who gave each of them a quick hug before saying in a serious tone,
"Make us proud, you two, and whatever happens, show no fear, understand?"
"Yes, mama," Aola said,
"Yes, mom," Killian added with a fierce expression,
"Go on, now," Argyle said quickly; with a final nod, Killian hurried out of the mess hall, Alexnader and Aola following swiftly behind.
The room was quiet after that as Terra stared after them while Argyle enjoyed his cup of caf,
"They'll be fine, love," Argyle said after a few moments of silence, "The drillmaster will break them down so that he can build them back up, just as ours did to us, remember?"
"I know, but what if Killian slips up and uses his power?" Terra said with a sigh
"He won't," Argyle replied seriously, "The boy knows what will happen if he does; we must trust him,"
"I do trust him; I'm just worried, is all,"
"You should concentrate on the matter at hand; we have only a few weeks to prepare for the gathering; that's not much time; Lec will need our full focus until then,"
Terra nodded as her face took on a severe look, though her lekku still trembled with anxiety,
quickly, Argyle finished the last of his caf and rose to his feet,
"Alright, let's head upstairs, then."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The sun had yet to rise when Killian, Aola, and Alexander made their way into the courtyard, and the chill made them all shiver a bit; around the square, Killian saw at least two dozen other children, perhaps more, all wearing the same clothes as he and all equally trying not to shiver.
Suddenly a voice roared, shattering the quiet of the courtyard and making everyone jump,
"NOW, WHAT IS THIS?!"
Instantly the children turned to see who had spoken and saw a grizzled man approaching them, wearing dark blue armor, absent a helmet, followed by two others who were likewise dressed,
"ALL OF YOU GET INTO A LINE AND STAND AT ATTENTION, DO IT NOW!"
The children were frozen in fear for a moment at the sudden order, and the grizzled man growled angrily at the hesitancy,
"I SAID NOW!"
Quickly the children ran to follow the man's order, and a moment later, a long line was formed with each of them trying to stand straight and not shiver; the man stared at them in silence for a moment as he took in the kids in front of him, then he called out in a harsh voice,
"That's better! From this day forward, you pack of womp rats are mine to shape into future warriors who will bring honor and glory to the name Mandalorian and to clan Farr,"
the man began to walk down the line as he spoke, eyeing each of them with barely concealed contempt, "Judging from what I see in front of me, it will not be an easy task; you are by far the most pathetic excuse for Mandalorians I have ever seen, you're not even worthy of the name!"
He stopped in front of Killian, and the boy looked at the man as he stared down at him,
the man was tall with snow-white hair that ran around his head but stopped short of his bald dome; his face was stern and clean cut with years' worth of wrinkles that told the story of a hard-fought life, with a mouth that was set in a sneer, dark brown remorseless eyes looked out from under heavy brows, and a long white scar ran across the man's right cheek, despite his age the man carried himself well and stood as straight as an arrow as he glared down at Killian,
"And you, boy, are the most pathetic one of all," the man spat at Killian, "How am I supposed to make a warrior out of a skinny piece of trash like you?! Well?"
"I don't know," Killian said softly,
"You will address me as sir when you speak to me, brat! And secondly, did I give you permission to speak?!" The man roared into Killian's face, making the boy turn pale in an instant,
"No, sir, I mean you asked me a question, so I thought…."
"You will speak only when I tell you to speak. Do you understand me, boy?!"
"Yes, sir!" Killian yelled back; the man stared hard at him for a moment before walking away to stand in front of the two others who had come out with him,
"My name is Buta Kug, and it is my unfortunate duty to be responsible for you until I deem you ready to face your right of passage and become worthy to wear this!" He struck his fist against his armor at the last,
"Many of you will think that just because your parents are Mandalorian, you are also worthy of the title; in this, you are wrong! You must earn that title, and it is my duty to make sure that you do! I have trained womp rats into Mandalorians for over thirty years, and not once have I ever failed in my mission; I don't plan on having you pieces of trash change that, is that clear?!"
Silence followed this question as the kids didn't know whether to respond or not, not wanting to bring Buta Kug down on them as Killian had done,
"I asked you womp rats a question, is that clear?!" Buta roared, spittle flying from his mouth,
"Yes sir!" the kids responded as one, their shout echoing across the courtyard,
Buta nodded contemptuously at them before jabbing his thumb at the two behind him,
"These two are my assistants, Marcus Tetch and Fiona Kels; they are here to assist me in turning you all from lowly street rats into warriors who will make our clan proud; their orders are to be followed as if I were the one speaking to you, is that clear?!"
"Yes sir!" The voices rang out again, making Buta nod again before turning to his companions and talking to them in low, too quiet for anyone to hear.
As they did so, Killian stared at the two that Buta had brought with him and, to his surprise, saw that the woman, Fiona Kels, was the one he had seen at the boxing match the previous night. However, today she was clad in sapphire blue armor; Marcus Tetch, who stood beside her, was likewise wearing blue armor and stood head and shoulders over both her and Buta; he was heavily muscled and had short dark brown hair with a goatee to match.
A moment later, Buta turned back to the kids and put his hands behind his back as he called out,
"You will now be placed into groups of five, these groups will become your squad for the remainder of your training, and you will each be responsible for each other; if one fails, then you all fail, and if one does something wrong then you all will be made to pay for it, understood?!"
"Yes sir!"
"Good, now then, as you can see, my two companions here are holding data-pads which contain information on each of you; it is with this information that you will be assigned your squad, to pair you all where we feel you best belong! Fiona, Marcus, split them up!"
Immediately, Fiona and Marcus began moving amongst the children and assigning them a number based on the information on each of them from a data-pad they held in their hands. To his immense delight, Killian was grouped into the third squad, the same squad as Aola and Alexander; a moment later, they were joined by a tall blonde haired boy named Ben Raz and a short brunette girl named Danielle Tionne.
"Is it normal for family members to be put in the same squad?" Killian whispered to Alexander, who was standing next to him,
"No," Alexander whispered back, "I'll bet my father had something to do with it."
The sun had risen before the kids were all grouped into their new squads and stood apart from one another, but once it was all done, six squads stood before Buta, who once again called out in his angry voice,
"Good, now that's done, we can get started turning you lazy wastrels into something worthwhile, so now we'll see how well you complete your first test."
An evil smile spread across Buta's face as he spoke, and Killian suddenly felt himself sweating as he tried to think of what Buta could mean by his comment when he was interrupted by the man's voice,
"You will now jog around this courtyard at a nice leisurely pace," Buta called out, "However, when I blow this whistle, you will sprint as fast as you can until I blow it again, at which point you will jog again, anyone who stops before I give you permission or tries to avoid giving it their all, will surely regret it, I promise you. You will run as a squad which means if one falls out, then you will all be held responsible!"
Buta blew on his whistle without another word, sending a shrill screech to echo off the walls, and the children began their run.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The hall was filled with voices as the myriad of Mandalorians tried to shout over one another,
"The Sith have won every battle they've fought against the Republic for two years now! I say we throw our lot in with them before there is no glory left to be had!" One Mandalorian in silver armor cried out; this was followed by cries of agreement from those surrounding her,
"Yes, they've won a great deal, but history has proven that the Sith know only how to win battles, but never the actual war! The Jedi and the Republic always win in the end, so I say we throw our lot with them!" Another Mandalorian in black armor shouted back; this was also followed by shouts of agreement from his supporters,
"Side with the Jedi?!" A woman in blue armor sputtered angrily, "You would have us fight alongside our hated enemy?!"
"If we choose the wrong side and lose, then the winners will show us no mercy, and our people will suffer; as a result, the winners won't care which clan chose which side!" The warrior in black retorted angrily.
As the voices grew louder, Argyle, Terra, and Lec watched with growing impatience as the assembled warriors grew more and more belligerent,
"If our own clan can't even agree on which side to take, how bad do you think it will be at the gathering?" Argyle said, raising his voice so the other two could hear him; Lec narrowed his eyes at the comment and suddenly slammed his fist into the table in front of him,
"ENOUGH!" He roared, ending the noise instantly, "We do not have time for this! The galaxy is at war, and both sides are eyeing our people to see which path we will choose; we have just over two weeks before the gathering to prepare, and I need solutions, so take your seats!"
The warriors slowly took their seats around the table as Lec glared at each of them as though daring them to refuse his order; after a tense moment of silence, a young woman in dark blue armor raised her hand, and Lec nodded at her to speak,
"My chieftain, no matter what our clan decides, we cannot speak for the whole of Mandalore, and if every clan chooses the opposite side, we will put ourselves in a very dangerous position; we cannot risk making the wrong decision in this, the stakes are too high."
Lec nodded in agreement before speaking,
"I agree, Cara, and that is why I have called you all here; we need to plan every eventuality to ensure no surprises; as Cara stated, the stakes are too high to allow for any mistakes."
"Then perhaps it would be best if the aliens were not in attendance at the gathering," a man in silver armor said, instantly the temperature in the room dropped, and Terra and Argyle froze for a moment before a look of pure rage came over their faces, Terra began to rise from her chair when Lec placed his hand on her shoulder and forced her back down as he slowly rose from his own chair and glared at the man,
"How dare you insult my family like that!" Lec snarled, as he stormed over to the man, making the man turn pale in an instant,
"I meant no disrespect, chieftain; I only meant that-"
whatever he had been about to say ended as Lec hauled back and punched the man in the mouth so hard that his chair fell backward and hurled him to the ground; as the man tried to rise, Lec delivered a powerful kick to the man's stomach which lifted him off of the ground a few inches before he crashed back onto the floor and gasped in pain, as the man struggled for air, Lec brought his foot down on the man's outstretched hand, and the watchers heard the audible 'crack' as the bones broke and the man shrieked in agony,
"Listen to me well, all of you!" Lec said as he turned to the stunned crowd, "Terra and Argyle have earned their place in this clan and amongst our people many times over; they have sacrificed more than any of you know to protect our clan and are true warriors; of Mandalore! I do not care what your own personal beliefs are, but you will NOT insult my family in front of me, is that clear?!"
There were quickly murmurs of assent from the onlookers as Lec turned back to the man who was groaning at his feet; with a sneer of contempt, Lec growled,
"Get this miserable wretch out of my sight before I end his life for his disrespect,"
Two Mandalorians instantly rose from the table and grabbed each man's arms, lifting him to his feet, before hurrying him away.
As Lec sat back down, Terra patted him on the shoulder affectionately,
"Thank you, brother,"
Lec nodded at her quickly and replied,
"As long as I am chieftain, no one will speak of you that way, sister."
Turning back to the rest of those gathered, Lec growled,
"Now, let's get back to the matter at hand…."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Killian's lungs burned as he gasped for air; he had lost track of how long they had been running as Buta blew the whistle for them to jog and then again for them to sprint; over and over again, Killian had begun to despise that damn whistle and wanted nothing more at this point than to ram it down Buta's miserable throat.
'Tweet' came the echoing sound Killian had begun to hate as he sped up his pace again; in front of him, Alexander and Aola were also showing signs that they were nearing their limit as sweat poured off their bodies as though they had just stepped out of a shower,
"How much longer are we going to do this?!" Ben gasped from behind Killian,
"Just don't stop; it can't be much longer," Aola called back between breaths,
'Tweet' came the hated sound a moment later, and the group slowed its pace again, and Killian struggled to breathe,
"I can't keep going," Killian thought wearily, "And by the looks of it, no one else can either,"
as though to emphasize his point, Aola suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground with a painful 'oomph.'
Immediately Killian stopped to help her up as she gasped for air,
"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Buta roared as he stormed over to them,
"DID I GIVE YOU TWO PERMISSION TO STOP?!"
"No, sir!" Killian gasped as he tried his best to stand at attention while Aola did the same next to him, "I was simply trying to help my sister get back up; she fell, and…."
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR EXCUSES, BOY!" Buta roared, coming within inches of Killian and showering him with spit,
"AND I DON'T GIVE A DAMN IF SHE FELL; YOU KEEP GOING!"
"But…..but you said we had to run as a squad and that if one of us fell out, we would all be responsible, so…."
"ARE YOU TALKING BACK TO ME, BOY?!"
"No, sir," Killian gasped as sweat began to pour off of him, "I was simply reminding you of what you had told us…."
Before Killian could finish, Buta stopped him with a powerful backhand that knocked Killian to the ground,
"YOU DON'T REMIND ME OF ANYTHING, BOY! IS THAT CLEAR?!" Buta snarled at Killian, who lay stunned on the ground; Aola stared at him, shocked, and made as if to move to help him when Killian raised his hand and shook his head at her and slowly rose to his feet,
"Yes, sir, I understand."
Buta glared at him for a moment more before putting the whistle into his mouth again and blowing out the hated sound,
'Tweet, tweet'
the rest of the children stopped and began to gasp for air as Buta roared out,
"Line up and stand at attention, now!"
Quickly the children did as they were ordered, and Killian and Aola ran to join them to avoid angering Buta more than they apparently already had; once they were all lined up, Buta took his place in front of them and glared daggers at the children who were all gasping for air,
"That was the most miserable display I have ever seen!" Buta roared at them, "I can see that you miserable rats need exercise if you can't handle a run like that! So, I shall now give you spoiled brats a little break, and we will try it again!"
A groan came forth from the group at Buta's words, and he turned bright red at the sound,
"SHUT YOUR MOUTHS, BRATS! JUST FOR THAT, WE WILL CONTINUE THIS EXERCISE UNTIL I AM SATISFIED; I DON'T CARE HOW LONG IT TAKES! NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT UNTIL I SAY OTHERWISE!"
With a final curse, Buta turned and stalked towards the other end of the courtyard where Marcus and Fiona were waiting with grins on their faces
; as he did so, Killian slowly sank to the ground and began to rub his face where Buta had struck him. A moment later, Aola sat down next to him and took his face in her hands to get a look at where he had been struck,
"I'm sorry, Killian," she said miserably, her lekku drooping as she let go of him, "It's all my fault you got hit,"
"No, it's not, Aola," Killian responded between breaths, "Don't worry about it; I'll be okay,"
a moment later, Alexander approached, followed by Ben and Danielle,
"Are you okay?" Danielle asked in a soft voice, making Killian turn to her,
"Yeah, I'll be fine; it just stings slightly."
She looked as though she might have been Killian's age, perhaps a year or two younger, and had a runner's physique, which probably explained why she wasn't gasping for air like the rest of them; her dark brown hair was currently tied in a pony-tail, like Killian, she had a sea of freckles across her face and bright green eyes that looked out at him from under soft brows.
Ben was equally impressive, appearing to be the oldest of the group by at least a year and standing head and shoulders above them all, and his crop of bushy curly blonde hair made him appear even taller; steel-gray eyes looked down at Killian from under heavy brows, and the small stubble of hair could be seen on his chin.
"You did well to stop for the Twi'lek," Ben said quickly, nodding at Aola as he spoke,
"She's my sister; I couldn't just leave her behind," Killian answered as he finally managed to get control of his breathing,
"Your sister?" Ben asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise,
"Yes," Killian said as he narrowed his eyes at Ben, "Is that a problem?"
"Not at all!" Ben hastily answered, raising his hands in peace, "I am not one of those xenophobes who think humans are superior for no other reason than they are human; I'm just surprised to hear that the two of you are related, is all."
"Her parents found me on Alderaan and adopted me; I wouldn't be alive if not for them," Killian responded quickly, bringing a nod of understanding from Ben and Danielle
"Care to sit?" Aola asked the group, "We should rest while we can before that old bastard comes back,"
grunts of affirmation followed this, and Alexander collapsed next to Killian while Ben and Danielle slowly lowered themselves down,
"I don't know what that guy's problem is!" Killian said a moment later, "How is slapping us around and terrifying us supposed to make us better warriors?"
"Every member of our clan has had to go through this," Alexander responded, "Just as our children will one day go through it,"
"It'll be worth it in the end," Ben said softly, "Buta taught my older brother, and now he is one the fiercest fighters in our clan; someday, we'll be the same as him,"
"If Buta doesn't kill us first," Danielle snapped back, "Forcing us all to run like this on our first day is foolish; only a handful of us are even prepared for such a run, no offense meant to you, of course,"
"None take, Danielle," Killian responded with a nod,
"Call me Dani; everyone else does," Danielle said softly,
"Okay, Dani, it is then," Killian replied with a smile that was quickly returned,
"Quit flirting, you two," Aola said with a grin as Killian and Dani both turned scarlet
"Aola!" Killian cried in embarrassment, making her break out into a fit of giggles,
"It's his job to break us down so he can build us back up," Alexander replied as he leaned back against Killian, "It won't always be this bad,"
"I hope not, cousin," Killian said softly.
Before Alexander could reply, Buta came storming over to them and roared in an angry voice,
"Alright, that's enough rest, you lazy rats, on your feet!"
With a groan, Killian slowly rose to his feet and helped the others do the same; when they were all on their feet, and back in position, Buta glared at them and blew the hated sound,
'Tweet.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Far away on a Sith battle cruiser, a large bald-headed Sith warrior in black armor was kneeling before a towering holographic image of another Sith, wearing a heavy cloak with the hood drawn so only the lower part of his face could be seen.
"You honor me with your presence, lord," the armored Smith said in a voice as cold as ice,
"Rise and dispense with the pleasantries, Lord Malgus," the hooded Sith replied in an equally cold voice, "I did not contact you so that you could lick my boots; I have others for that."
Anger rippled off of Malgus at the insult as he rose to his feet and glared daggers at the hooded Sith, though he wisely chose not to respond; as the hooded Sith stared down at him, Malgus was a towering warrior, clad in black armor that seemed even darker when compared to his bone-white skin, the only other color that could be seen were his eyes, which burned red-orange with barely suppressed rage.
"May I ask why a dark council member is contacting me at all?" Malgus asked as he placed his hands behind his back and stood with his feet apart,
"The emperor has a task for you, Malgus,"
"The emperor?" Malgus repeated softly, "What does he require of me?"
"There is to be a gathering of all the clans of Mandalore in a few weeks; you are to go there and ensure that the clans decide to side with the empire."
"Surely this task would be better served by another more experienced in diplomacy than I, my lord,"
"Indeed, that is why you will be accompanied by Lord Faeth; she is quite skilled at twisting the minds of weaker beings towards her way of thinking,"
"The Mandalorians are not to be underestimated, my lord," Malgus said quickly, "And that which might do more harm than good."
"Are you questioning my command, Malgus?" The hooded Sith asked in a deadly whisper, "Have you forgotten that questioning a command from the dark council is the same as questioning the emperor himself?"
Instantly Malgus went down on one knee and dipped his head in respect as he felt his throat constrict as though someone was holding him by the neck,
"I meant no disrespect, my lord. I was only offering my advice on the matter," he said hoarsely.
"Your advice is neither wanted nor needed; you will do as commanded, understand?!" The hooded Sith barked,
"Yes, my lord, I understand," Malgus responded, though his fists curled in rage.
The room was quiet for a moment as the hooded Sith stared down at Malgus before finally speaking again,
"I can feel your hatred, your anger; it serves you well but do not think that you are strong enough to challenge a member of the Dark Council; our power far outstretches yours, boy."
"I understand, my lord," Malgus replied as the pressure finally dissipated,
"The gathering is in two weeks; Lord Faeth is already en route to meet you, do not fail us, or you shall find the council most displeased."
Without another word, the hologram ended, and Malgus was left alone in his chamber; slowly, he rose to his feet and glared angrily at the spot where the hooded Sith had just been; the Sith had been right, Malgus was not strong enough yet, but one day he would be, the vision he had had years before had shown him that, even now he could still see it as though it were yesterday, the Jedi temple in flames and he, Darth Malgus, the one who would burn it to the ground.
Slowly he turned and walked to a large window that dominated his chamber; as he gazed out into the dark of space, Malgus could see his destiny before him; one day, it would be his, it would all be his, and on that day he would show the dark council just how powerful he truly was….
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I can see that we have a long way to go before any of you can even be considered worthy of calling yourselves Mandalorians!" Buta yelled out; in front of him, the assembled squads were struggling to stand straight as the legs of more than a few shook with fatigue; they had been running to the tune of that damn whistle for over three hours now, and almost all of them had dropped out at least once, only to be picked up and shouted at by Buta to 'get back to it' before being shoved hardback into line to enforce the point.
"You are now released for your mid-day meal, but I want you back here in an hour; if you are even one second late, I will make you regret the day you were born!"
With a final sneer of contempt, Buta Kug turned and strode out of the courtyard, followed quickly by his two assistants; once they were gone, the squads began to disperse as the children slowly limped after them into the building, some holding onto their squadmates for support.
"I truly and honestly hate that man," Killian growled as he stared at the doors where Buta had gone; he and Alexander were supporting Aola, who had her arms around their shoulders and looked like she might collapse if they let her go,
"I second that motion," she wheezed with an attempt at a smile,
"We should hurry," Ben said, "That jerk will look for any reason to torture us some more, and I don't want to give him one,"
"Agreed," Dani said, even she looked drained and ready to drop despite the brave face she was attempting,
with a final sigh of exhaustion, Killian nodded at Alexander, and they slowly joined the rest of those who were slowly limping into the building.
A short time later, the group sat in awkward silence as they ate their meal which consisted of meat and greens with some brown drink that tasted like sweet tea to Killian, deciding that if any conversation was to be had, Killian would have to be the one to start it, he cleared his throat and asked,
"So tell me about yourself, Ben,"
Ben looked up in surprise before asking in a suspicious voice,
"Why do you want to know?"
Killian shrugged quickly before replying,
"Well, if we're to be squadmates for the foreseeable future, we should try and get to know one another, shouldn't we?"
Ben nodded slowly at Killian before replying,
"Yeah, that makes sense, I suppose. So, what would you like to know?"
"Anything you'd like to tell me, I suppose, were you born into the Farr clan?"
Ben nodded his head quickly at the question,
"Yeah, my dad was a foundling adopted into the clan when he was very young and became a well-known bounty hunter later on."
"Is he still one?"
Ben's face fell at the question, and he was quiet for a moment before replying in a soft voice,
"No, he died several years ago,"
Killian paled slightly at Ben's words, and Killian quickly sputtered an apology for any offense he might have given,
"You needn't worry," Ben said quickly, "I'm not offended by your questions; I was very small when he passed; I don't really remember him that well, to be honest, my mother raised me for a while after that."
"And what does your mom do?" Aola asked, eager to join in the conversation,
"She's also a bounty hunter," Ben answered, "Though I have not seen her for some time, now."
"Why not?" Killian asked to which Ben blushed slightly,
"She isn't very fond of me," Ben muttered, "She says I'm too weak to be a Mandalorian; my uncle has looked after me for most of my life,"
"That's an awful thing to say!" Aola said in shock,
"It's understandable," Ben said quickly, "My father was an incredible warrior, and I'm just….me."
"That's nothing to be ashamed of," Alexander remarked, "You can't expect to become a warrior overnight; in time, I'm sure you will live up to your father's name,"
Ben smiled slightly at the compliment and nodded at Alexander in thanks,
"So, what do you like to do?" Aola asked, "When you're not being forced to run to death, I mean,"
Ben grinned at her for a moment before replying,
"I like to read; I spend most of my time in the library,"
"Me too!" Aola said happily, "I used to spend hours reading stories, but that was before mama and papa adopted Killian, and his stories are way better than any I've read in a while,"
"You tell stories?" Ben asked, turning to Killian quickly, who blushed under the group's scrutiny,
"Uh, yeah, I know a few."
"A few?" Aola scoffed, "He knows more than a few, that's for sure!"
"I'd love to hear some of them when you have time," Ben said with a smile,
"I'd be happy to tell you some of them sometime," Killian responded, quickly returning the smile.
"And what of you, Danielle?" Alexander asked, turning to the girl seated next to Ben,
"Dani," she corrected quickly,
"My apologies," Alexander said just as quick, "What of you, Dani?"
"Not much to tell," she said simply, "My mother was from house Fett, she fell for my dad, who was from Clan Farr, and they got married and had me, the end."
Killian, who had been taking a drink, began to choke at her words and had to be thumped hard on the back by Aola before he was able to stop; there was a girl from one of the most famous houses in all of Mandalore, a house that would one day produce one of his favorite characters in all of Star Wars as well as the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter, Killian couldn't help but smile at Dani in awe, making her look at him in confusion for a moment.
"Surely there's more to it than that?" Ben asked with a grin, turning her attention away from Killian,
"If there is, they never saw fit to tell me about it," Dani answered quickly as she picked at her food,
"House Fett is quite powerful," Alexander said slowly, "Why were you not raised among your mother's people?"
"Because she was banished from it," Dani answered, looking Alexander in the eye defiantly, "My mother was banished for choosing my father over her house, they tried to kill her as an oath breaker, but my father saved her and brought her to Clan Farr where she was welcomed."
The table went quiet at that as the group slowly digested what they had heard; after a moment of tense silence, Killian quickly spoke up,
"I'm sure my cousin meant no disrespect, right Alexander?"
Alexander looked at Killian coldly for a moment before turning back to Dani and nodding slowly,
"I apologize if I upset you, Dani; it was not intentional."
"You didn't upset me," Dani said back coolly, "It happened before I was born; it matters little to me,"
"So, what do you do for fun?" Killian asked, wanting to change the subject,
Dani was quiet for a moment in contemplation before she softly replied,
"I like to fly,"
"You've flown a ship?" Aola asked in awe, making Dani grin sheepishly before nodding,
"My mother sometimes lets me pilot hers when she takes me with her on jobs,"
"That is so cool!" Killian said, making Dani smile at him
"And what about you?" She asked Killian,
"Not much to tell," he answered quickly, "My parents died when I was a baby; I grew up in the foster care system on a planet called Earth beyond the outer rim,"
"Never heard of a planet called Earth, strange name," Dani said,
"Well, it's a backwater," Killian lied quickly, "Not many people even know it exists, and we very rarely get visitors from other worlds aside from smugglers and the like."
"So, how did you end up here, then?" Ben asked as he pushed his empty tray away,"
"The foster home I was in was not a nice place," Killian said slowly, "So I ran, jumped onto the first ship I found, and hid there until it landed; it turns out that the planet it landed on was Alderaan and I got lost on the plains there, Aola's parents found me and took me in, if they hadn't I would probably be dead right now."
Aola grabbed Killian's hand and squeezed gently as he finished, she knew the truth of his origin, but that was a secret that no one else need know,
"Sounds like you got lucky," Ben replied, making Killian nod,
"I think so," Killian said happily, "I found a family and will be a Mandalorian one day."
The table smiled at that; even Alexander showed a grin at the words though he quickly hid it,
"We should head back outside," Dani said as she looked around, "We don't want to be late,"
looking around, Killian gaped as he saw that the mess hall was nearly empty as the kids began to shuffle out the door,
"It can't have been an hour already!" Killian said mournfully, "I feel like we just sat down a moment ago!"
"Unfortunately, it has been," Alexander said in a weary voice, "Let's go before Buta comes looking for us."
With a final sigh at what else the crusty old drillmaster would have waited for them, the group slowly rose and walked out the doors to the courtyard, already exhausted at the thought of more torturous running.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
From above the courtyard, Lec and Argyle looked down from the window at the children who were currently standing in their assigned squads and being yelled at by Buta Kug; from their height, the people below looked like ants, so they couldn't make out what Buta Kug was shouting, but Lec chuckled all the same as he thought of what unpleasantries Buta was currently showering the squads with.
"Age, it seems, has not dulled Buta's anger, it would seem," Lec said with a grin as he lifted his cup to his mouth to drink; Argyle smiled at the comment as he, too lifted his cup to drink, before replying,
"He does appear to be quite prickly, doesn't he. How long has he been the drillmaster for clan Farr?"
"Father appointed him not long after you and Terra left; he was given the position as a reward for saving father's life,"
Argyle looked at Lec in surprise at that,
"When was this?"
"Father went to a meeting with clans Daegus, Torf, and Hurtz; they said they wanted to unite the clans and make a new house with the Farr clan at its head," Lec responded, his eyes glazing in memory,
"I'm guessing things didn't go to plan?" Argyle asked, making Lec shake his head angrily,
"No, it was a trap; the Torf clan had grown jealous of the strength of our clan and decided to end us before we grew more powerful, the Daegus clan wanted to end us because they thought we had betrayed the way by adopting you and Terra into our clan, and the Hurtz clan just wanted to fight. So the three of them had brought the entirety of their clans against us, almost four hundred warriors."
"What happened?"
"It was a glorious battle, brother," Lec said softly, a smile appearing on his lips, "Father had expected such treachery and dozens of warriors in hiding waiting for such an attack. We fought against three whole clans bent on our destruction. We had lost many when it was over, but we had obliterated the three clans who had dared challenge us; Clans Torf, Daegus, and Hurtz died that day."
Argyle's eyes widened, and for a moment, he was left speechless; when he finally found his voice, Argyle responded softly,
"Why am I only hearing of this now? If father had told me of such a gathering, Terra and I would have hurried home to stand with the two of you."
Lec turned to Argyle at that, and his eyes were cold for a moment before he responded,
"Did you think father was happy when you left? That your self-imposed exile was something, he wanted you to do? You broke the old man's heart when you left; for a long time, he refused to even speak you or Terra's name,"
Argyle turned back to the window at the words, and his lekku drooped miserably,
"I had no choice, brother," Argyle said in a sad voice, "The other clans were beginning to move against us because of the victories Terra and I secured for the clan. I left to keep our people safe."
"No, what you did is allow the other clans to dictate terms to us!" Lec growled, "And no one dictates to us, brother! We do the dictating!"
Argyle was quiet at the outburst, his eyes looking down on the kids far below who were now doing jumping jacks,
"What happened after the battle?" Argyle finally asked, turning back to Lec,
"After the battle, father marched on the compounds of the clans we had fought against and burned them to the ground; the families were given a choice to either join clan Farr or be annihilated, many chose to die with their clan, but a few chose more wisely to join ours, the other clans learned well the lesson and left us alone after that."
"He should have exiled them all," Argyle responded, "The ones he allowed into our clan will remember what happened; how can we trust their loyalty?"
"Exactly what I said," Lec said with a sneer of contempt, "That's why after I became chieftain, I had them all killed, save for the children who were too young to remember anything before clan Farr."
Argyle looked at Lec in horror, his mouth dropping slightly and creating an almost comical effect,
"Brother, tell me you didn't…."
"I had no choice, Argyle! How could I allow those whose people we slaughtered to remain a part of the clan that did the slaughtering? It's like giving a slave a knife and trusting them not to slit your throat while you sleep; the risk outweighs the rewards."
"How many?" Argyle asked sadly, his expression one of sadness mixed with horror,
"Not as many as you would think, brother," Lec responded dispassionately, "Only a few dozen, no more than sixty,"
"Oh brother, how could you?" Argyle said sadly,
"I will not apologize nor feel guilt for doing what I feel is best for my clan, Argyle," Lec growled, "Those people were snakes in the grass waiting for the day to take their revenge; only a fool would say otherwise."
"And their children?" Argyle asked quickly, "What happens when the children of those you slaughtered grow up and want revenge?"
"They won't," Lec said simply, taking a drink from his cup, "Because no one but you or I know it happened at all,"
"What do you mean?" Argyle asked,
"I sent them aboard a ship to attack a nest of pirates hiding too close to our borders. However, no such nest actually existed; it was all a ruse to get them together; once they were outside Mandalorian space, the ship exploded along with all trace of them. As far as their children know, their parents died in glorious battle against pirates; I made sure to have them placed with families that will take care of them and raise them well."
Argyle sneered at Lec when he had finished,
"How very altruistic of you, Lec,"
Let's eyes narrowed slowly, and his voice took on a hard edge as he replied in a cold voice,
"Careful, Argyle, I am still your chieftain, and everything I do is for the good of our clan, whether you choose to see it or not, and before you judge me, perhaps you should remember that we both have spilled blood in the name of this clan, your hands are no cleaner than mine, brother."
Argyle's face paled slightly, and his lekku twitched angrily as Lec stared down at him; after a moment of tense silence, Lec drained the last of his cup and turned and walked back to the table where the others were still arguing, leaving Argyle alone to stare down at the kids who would one day take his place in the clan as the next generation of warriors, with a sigh he too finished the last of his drink and went to join the others.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
For the next two weeks, Killian's life became one of routine; each morning, before dawn, he would join Aola, Alexander, Ben, and Dani for breakfast; they would then make their way out to the courtyard, where they would spend two hours exercising while Buta Kug would hurl insults at them.
After exercising, they would be excused for an hour to shower before they were to report to one of the nearby training rooms, where they would be split into pairs and train in hand-to-hand combat under the direction of Buta's companions, Marcus Tetch and Fiona Kels, who were much less belligerent than Buta, they would occasionally stop the groups and have them watch as Marcus and Fiona demonstrated something, before having the kids resume their training and try to copy what the had just seen.
After a few hours of this, the kids would be moved to another training room where they would learn how to fight with Vibro-swords;. However, they were told by Buta that it would be a while before they were allowed to train with actual swords; the kids instead were given heavy wooden sticks that resembled swords and shown the correct movements on how to use a Vibro-sword, the weight, they were told, was so that they could grow muscle and learn how to properly use their weapons when they were finally issued.
After lunch, their training would become inconstant, with no two days being the same; some days they would spend learning how to fire blasters or rifles, other days would be spent learning ship repair or survival techniques or a thousand other things that they needed to know to be the best warriors they could be.
At the end of the day, they were released for dinner and ordered to train in the gym for one hour afterward; only then were they finally released for the day and allowed to do whatever they wanted; every sixth day, the kids had to themselves, save for the foundlings who were required to report to the library for a few hours to learn the history of their new clan and the Mandalorian people as a whole.
Despite the constant physical and mental workout he was under, Killian found that he was actually enjoying the training and was surprised to see that the rest of his squad felt the same, Dani's favorite class was, of course, anything to do with ships, something that Aola loved as well and had made her and Aola fast friends. In contrast, Killian's and Alexander's had been weapons training, Ben's favorite class, to everyone's surprise, turned out to be medical training, and he seemed to do much better in this area than all the rest of them combined.
One day, after completing the day's training, Killian and the others were relaxing in the mess hall when they were approached by Argyle and Terra, both looking solemn and severe, which made Killian suddenly nervous.
"You three need to come with us," Argyle said, indicating Killian, Alexander, and Aola,
"Is everything okay, uncle?" Alexander asked quickly,
"Just come with us; everything will be explained shortly," Terra replied,
"Okay then," Killian said before turning to Ben and Dani, "See you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow's training had been canceled," Argyle said quickly, making the kids turn to him,"
"How come?" Ben asked,
"You're Ben Raz, correct?" Argyle asked, making the boy nod, "I knew your father; he was a close friend; I mourned his passing. I am glad his son is becoming friends with mine; Killian needs friends."
Ben turned red with embarrassment, which was shared by Killian a moment later, as Argyle continued,
"True friends are hard to come by in the galaxy; it makes me happy to see that Killian has finally found some worth having."
"Argyle, quit teasing the boy," Terra said softly, though her face suggested she was fighting the urge to smile,
"I can't speak for Ben," Dani suddenly said, "But I'm happy to call Killian and Aola my friends, just as I hope they feel the same,"
Killian and Aola smiled happily at Dani, while Ben nodded that he agreed with the words.
Argyle nodded at this before responding softly,
"That is good to hear, and as to young Ben's question as to why training is canceled, it is because tomorrow is the gathering, and many of our warriors will be in attendance; the few that remain will be guarding the compound, I advise you to use tomorrow as a well-needed break, too much training is never a good thing."
The kids nodded in understanding, and Argyle turned to walk away, followed quickly by Terra; after a hurried goodbye to Ben and Dani, the others followed after Argyle to the elevator,
moments later, they stood in the same room that Killian and Aola had stood in two weeks prior, though this time the room was empty, save for Lec, who stood by the window, looking out in thought with his hands clasped behind his back.
As the group approached, Lec turned towards them, and Killian saw that his face looked stressed and tired, though he still held himself well,
"I have spoken to Buta Kug," Lec said as he observed his son, "He says your training is going well; that makes me happy."
"Thank you, sir," Alexander said quickly; Lec then turned to Killian and Aola and continued,
"You, however," Lec said, addressing Killian, "Leave much to be desired, according to Buta. He says that you are an embarrassment with a blaster and even worse with a rifle; I find that surprising considering that Argyle says you killed four pirates with a blaster when they boarded your ship."
Alexander looked at Killian in surprise at the words, and Killian realized that he had never told his cousin that he had killed before, and the memory still made Killian feel a little sick,
"Those four were more down to luck than any skill, uncle," Killian said softly as he fixed his gaze on the floor,
"Clearly," Lec responded in a cold voice, making Killian turn red with embarrassment,
"You needn't worry, boy," Lec continued after a moment of tense silence, "You have some years yet to become capable with a blaster, though perhaps you'll end up like Argyle, and capable is all you'll become."
"I'm still better than you with one," Argyle responded in a semi-serious voice which made Lec smile for a moment,
"I'll take that challenge," Lec said, making Terra shake her head slowly,
"Men…" She said, making Aola giggle.
"The reason I called you here," Lec thundered, "Is because tomorrow is the gathering of the clans, and you three will be going,"
Killian's mouth dropped slightly at the words, and from the corner of his eyes, he could see, Aola's had done the same; while both Argyle and Terra's faces took on a stern expression,
"Are you sure about this, Lec?" Argyle asked, "They're just kids, after all."
"No, they are not," Lec said coldly, "They are the future leaders of this clan, one day, my son will serve as chieftain, and your children will serve as his captains; they need to learn how to lead."
"They still have a long time to learn that," Terra replied quickly, "There is no need for them to be placed in such a dangerous position, Lec,"
Let's expression hardened, and his voice was as cold as ice as he replied,
"I have spoken, Terra,
Terra opened her mouth as if to reply but must have seen something in Let's expression that told her not to, for she promptly shut her mouth and glared at him.
Lec glared back at her for a moment before turning to the three kids in front of him and continuing,
"You three are to observe all that goes on tomorrow but say nothing; is that understood?"
The three before him nodded quickly, and Lec nodded at them before a different look came across his face, he looked suddenly wary, and Killian wondered what could make him so; when Lec spoke again,
"I received word last night that we are to have two visitors at this gathering,"
"Who?" Argyle asked with a raised eyebrow,
"Two Sith are being sent to try and convince the various clans to join them in the war."
The temperature in the room dropped as Argyle, and Terra's faces hardened at the news,
"Already trying to stick their noses in our business, I see," Terra growled contemptuously,
"If the Sith are coming to personally supervise this meeting, then we need to be very careful," Argyle said slowly, "They won't like to be told no,"
"Agreed," Lec said with a nod.
As the adults began to discuss the news, Killian's mind reeled at the implications, if the Sith were going to be at the gathering tomorrow, would they know what he was? Would they be able to sense him? He suddenly felt very light-headed and began to break out in a cold sweat at the thought when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder; turning to see who it belonged to, Killian saw Terra smiling warmly down at him, she squeezed his shoulder gently, and Killian smiled at her, instantly beginning to feel better. Whatever happened tomorrow, he would face it without fear with the rest of his clan, and he would just have to pray that the Sith didn't sense him.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Author's note:
I want to thank all the 'Guests' who have been messaging me with ideas and questions about how to proceed with Killian's story; it helps me create a better story. To be honest, I hadn't intended to introduce Darth Malgus yet, but a reader gave me an idea of what to do with him, and it gave me an idea I might follow. The next chapter might take a while as I plan to put as much effort into the gathering as possible to make it worth your time; other than that, I hope you enjoy reading.