Chapter 36 - An Adoption Vow x 10k
Yoda sat in the council chambers. A serious look was on his face as Master Jinn walked in. They'd all read his mission logs as soon as he'd sent them, and found several pieces of the report disturbing. Not as disturbing as Yoda found them, of course. He had to walk out of the chambers to avoid his emotions affecting the others. Something he hadn't had to do since he was a youngling. But he had recovered, and was now here to listen to the man's account.
Qui-Gon looked around the room, a sheepish smile on his face, amused by something only he could see. "Look at it this way, at least I didn't bring back any orphaned younglings this time." He held his arms out so the council could see the space under his robes and confirm that there were no younglings hidden there.
In a lighter time Yoda would have chuckled at this, remembering one of the instances when that was not the case, and the man was using his long flowing robes to smuggle refugees in under the council's nose. It was all thanks to an ancient law: If one is caught on Coruscant without immigration paperwork there are laws and departments that handle it, but, if one makes it to the Temple and pleads for sanctuary, they'd be out of reach of said law enforcers. If Master Windu could've summoned Master Nu for discipline thanks to her teaching Qui-Gon about said laws, he would have.
Beside him, Mace let out a breath and rolled his eyes. "His first mission."
Yoda side eyed him. Indeed, it was Qui-Gon's first mission after finishing his disciplinary creche duties. Yoda supposed it was only characteristic of his GrandPadawan to find the most extraordinary way for it to turn. And surviving after his previous timeline's death date, meant Yoda didn't have any warning how it would go. He should've known.
Qui-Gon finished his demonstration and bowed to the council.
"Master Jinn, why don't you offer us a quick rundown of your latest mission?" Master Even Piell offered.
"Alright, Uh. Well, I was sent to the Rishi system when they requested help resolving a law enforcement matter. It seemed that a rather large family had immigrated, and they were all trying to register as one family. The Rishi authorities thought that this was an attempt to take advantage of their taxation laws, so they had a problem with it. The trouble was, this family was Mandalorian, and tough looking. None of their police officers wanted to go near them. So they requested Jedi help. My first step was to go and meet this Mandalorian clan…"
Qui-Gon flew his craft to the hangar where the Mandalorians were reported to be located. It was a normally busy public hangar in the middle of the capital city. As he flew into the Hangar, he noticed one ship set apart from the others. Rishi residents, it seemed, were just as hesitant to go near this clan, as their police were. Qui-Gon didn't let himself be anxious, though. He landed his ship in the empty space beside their ship, and he got out.
The first thing he noticed were a pair of young boys, twins he thought, sitting on the stoop outside of the ship. Qui-Gon nodded at them. They were probably eight, maybe nine years old, and neither was wearing any armor. This would've been unusual for traditional Mandalorian youths, but then with Duchess Kyrze's pacifism, it was getting more and more common to see Mandalorians go out in public without wearing their armor. Qui-Gon hoped this meant he might be able to negotiate a peaceful compromise. He would certainly try. "Greetings young ones. I would like to talk to your Buir, if he is available."
The youngling's heads shot up, and they eyed him with surprise. Then one of them climbed up onto the ship's ramp to go looking for his parents, probably. The other stayed behind, eying Qui-Gon suspiciously.
"Hello youngster, what is your name?" Qui-Gon asked.
The youngling just stared at him like he was asking if Bantha's fly. In a few moments a man emerged from where the other one disappeared. "Rayshe'a go inside," his voice boomed."
'Rayshe'a, that means Five. It isn't an ordinary Mando name.' Thought Qui-Gon.
The father, and that's what Qui-Gon thought him to be for he looked just like the twins, he then turned to look at Qui-Gon. In his eyes were the suspicions of a man who'd lived a hard life and been ill-treated by more than a few.
"Su'cuy," Qui-Gon greeted him with a wave. "My name is Master Jinn, or Qui-Gon if you prefer. I have come to talk to you about your registration flimsywork for Rishi immigration." He looked down to the document on his datapad to read, "Mr. Fett?"
Yoda had to release a whole bunch of emotions that name brought up. He almost didn't hear what Qui-Gon said next.
"And Jango Fett was hesitant to trust me, but I mentioned something about having a grand-padawan near his youngling's age, and he warmed up to me." Qui-Gon said.
"And are you saying that because of this similarity in the age of Initiate Skywalker and his younglings, you believe he trusted you completely? That he wouldn't lie to you?" Oppo questioned.
"No, I'm not saying that at all. All he agreed to do was to talk to me." Qui-Gon answered, and he continued his story.
"And what does my immigration forms have to do with the Jetii?" Jango Fett wisely asked.
"Oh, uh. Rishi wanted to avoid a diplomatic incident, I understand, and I well… I hadn't been on a mission in a while, and this one looked like a nice quiet one to start with." Qui-Gon stumbled a bit over his words. "First, there may have been a computational error, but how many ade do you have?"
"Over ten thousand. Your question, Jetii, should be, how many children do I have with me today. Regrettably, I have less than fifty."
Qui-Gon blinked, and his expression made Jango laugh.
"I've had my luck with women, but not that much luck! No. Gai bal manda, my name and soul, is theirs now."
"Oh." Qui-Gon understood the Mandalorian adoption ritual. "The twins look so much like you, I thought… But where did you find fifty orphaned younglings?"
"Where? You mean who would create and then abandon over ten thousand younglings when they changed their minds?" Jango didn't blink. This was a loaded question, if ever Qui-Gon heard one. "The Jetii, that's who."
Qui-Gon gasped. "I- I… What? When? Why?"
"All I know is, several years ago, I was contacted by an old… Friend is a strong word for it, and enemy wouldn't be accurate either. He was a Jedi. We met on Galidraan of all places, and he had a job offer for me. Introduced me to some Cloners and gave me a reference. I got the job, and they took their samples. Made an army of my blood for the Jedi. As a part of the deal I was given an apartment so I could be around whenever they needed more samples, and a youngling clone to be my ad, my son. Then, a couple of months ago, they got a letter from the Jetii. Not the one who hired me, but another Jetii. Higher rank, I understand. He said they didn't want a clone army anymore. So the Cloners decided to decommission the whole project. I barely got my hands on these few, and it was by mere luck."
"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss."
"What! Oh no. The others are still alive. Getting rid of one or two subjects that don't look right is one thing. Decommissioning an entire battalion, that's another. And it'll take time. It's why we're here. So I can slip back in the first chance I get to release more."
"What does he mean?" Adi shouted her question. "This council has never approved a clone army being made for us, and it never would."
Yoda sighed. He knew the truth behind that statement, and though he didn't want to share it yet, he felt he might have to.
Before he could, Qui-Gon spoke up, "That's what I asked him next. The name he gave me for his Friend was Tyranus. I don't suppose any of you know the name." He paused.
Yoda did know that name. He didn't know his Padawan had used it before his fall, however. He hoped that's what this was.
Qui-Gon explained, "It was a nickname used by my master Dooku in the field. I suppose he knew how this council would react to his actions and he didn't want to risk being discovered. I do wish I could understand what motivated him, though."
Several voices rose up. Mace's voice boomed over them all, "Later, we will contact Count Dooku and question him about these matters!"
"Yes, later." Qui-Gon cleared his throat. "Jango didn't know who the other Jedi was. The one who canceled the order."
Yoda knew his time had come. He spoke up, "I, it was." Everyone, even Mace eyed him with shock. "A vision of this army, I had. Our deaths, it would have led to. That they had so many clones already, I did not know. To stop them early enough, I had thought."
"A vision. Well this makes sense now." Qui-Gon absorbed it. "It took some time, but I was able to convince him that I had never heard about any of this. I think it was when I told him Dooku, uh Tyranus, was my Master, he decided he could trust me. The first thing I did was offer to negotiate with the Kaminoans. Those are the Cloners I mentioned before. I promised to see how many more of his ade I could get released to us."
"And this was when you asked Obi-Wan to assist you over holo?" Mace paged through his digital copy of the mission report.
After his first visit, Qui-Gon went back to see Jengo. "Hello Cody." He patted a young man's head on the way in. In all his interactions with the Fett boys, he found it was getting easier to tell them apart. They were almost identical in appearance, but they had vastly different personalities.
"Buir, buir!" Cody, a nickname he received for his love of word games, ran off to get Jango.
"Qui," the man warmly greeted. "Clear a space." He then ordered the three who were in the room.
The Younglings were reenacting a battle scene, wearing paper versions of their father's armor. When one of the little ones went to move, his "Beskar'gam" tore.
The little one shouted in frustration, "Haar'chak!"
Jango scowled. "Joha! Language." He turned back to Qui-Gon. "I'm sorry. I really am trying."
Qui-Gon started to laugh, then turned it into a cough when he remembered there were Younglings nearby. "It isn't the worst I've heard."
"Thanks, their social skills really need work. I'm just trying to give them a childhood, in what time I have."
"Well, in that case, I have good news," Qui-Gon started.
"Your Ad helped you form the argument?" Jango's eyes went wide with awe.
Ad, the Mandalorian word for son or daughter, wasn't an exact translation for Padawan, but Qui-Gon didn't really mind it. Infact, he rather liked the sound of it. "Yes, my Obi was so helpful that I asked him to negotiate with the Kaminoans in my place." Qui-Gon clapped. "It took him one comm call. I've never been prouder! Apparently, they were expecting some form of political aid which has since vanished. And the letter they supposedly received, whoever it was from, spooked them badly. They are willing to give you the whole army, if you'll sign a nondisclosure agreement."
Jango collapsed into giggles. Then he sighed with relief. "I'll sign whatever you tell me to."
"That's not all, my friend. They also agreed to remove the accelerated aging from the clones' DNA structures. Something about it being their intellectual property. They also said something about removing a biochip, for the same reason. But I don't think you'll have a problem with that."
"No. A Bio-chip. That isn't something they ever told me about," Jango scowled. Then he shrugged. "Whatever it is, it doesn't sound like something we'll miss."
"No, they assured Obi-Wan that these chips were 'inactive components,'" Qui-Gon motioned quote marks beside his head, "and they were part of the original order. But they're Kamino's property, and they want them back. I think it was partly to get the ones you have here to return that made them so agreeable. The ones that are still in the tubes will be frozen and stored until you can arrange for them to be grown at your own expense.
"Oh, I doubt I'll be in any position to do that anytime soon." Jango looked down. "It'll be hard enough to feed the ones I'll have."
"On that note, I have an idea. If you'll trust another job recommendation from one of my lineage, I know some people who are looking to hire…"
"Is this really wise?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked. "Giving a lone man custody over an army. I know they are children now, but it's what they were bred for."
"Let alone a man with Fett's background?" Oppo pointed out.
Qui-Gon raised a hand. "Now, I don't think any of you are as acquainted with Mandalore as I am. By the time I arrived, Fett had already adopted every one of the clones. By Mandalorian law, they are his ade, his sons. Plus, with the blood connection, I'd imagine even republic law would be on his side." Qui-Gon took a moment to glance around the room. "Mandalore takes one thing very seriously, and that is the responsibility of a parent to a child. At this point, we'd have to rip them from his arms. Are you prepared to do that?"
"No," Mace sighed. "No, we are very grateful you didn't bring ten thousand orphans back to the Temple. Is Jango Fett in need of further aid? Perhaps we can work out a fund."
Qui-Gon smiled proudly, and Yoda couldn't help but wince. "That is all taken care of…"
"Tatooine has recently been recognized as a part of the Republic. They need to hire new law enforcement. Plus, as a result of the way their prior leadership worded things, their new leaders have inherited a supply of credits, likely procured by now illegal means including: slavery, smugling, and the spice trade. Not to mention, the sector's previous senator, a Geonosian, has withdrawn from the senate. And his people have yet to replace him. This means that Tatooine, with their number of voters, is now in line to choose the next senator to represent the sector. Whoever it is will need protection."
Jango tapped his fingers. "It is a tempting offer, but I've never been involved in law enforcement, from a legal perspective."
"No… I've looked up your record." Qui-Gon eyed the now tense Jango. "In your work as a bounty hunter, you've had to look into getting past such people. Finding holes in security and leaks to public senator's squadrons of aides. Not to mention, you've got ways to locate criminals police don't bother to learn. You'd be using those same skills, only working for the other side, this time.
"Hmm…" Jango scratched his chin, giving it great thought. "I could talk to your friends about it. See if they're as credulous as you are."
Qui-Gon smiled and he patted his back. "That sounds good. I'll comm them and tell them to expect your call." He whistled as he walked away.
Hello Everyone,
This chapter started when a reviewer from named Scarease mentioned the risks Cliegg, and all of Tatooine, is in now. The Slaver's and criminals who've been taking advantage of the planet for so long are not going to sit back and allow things to change, and let themselves lose all that business and power, no. Cliegg's going to need some protection to keep himself safe from all the Hutts, now probably gunning for him. I did have this idea a while back to get Jango to adopt the Clones, now that the Jedi won't be buying them. I just wasn't sure how to include it, until now.
I am regretfully aware that the timeline might not be Canon here. If they started ten years before AOTC, and aging is exactly doubled, Jango would have a bunch of 2-4 year olds max. But I stretched the Canon here because it isn't working for me. Deal with it.
Poor Yoda feels like his worst nightmares are coming true all over again. I know it's extreme. He even regrets his actions now, but can you understand why he did what he did?
And I did translate Fives nickname into Mandalorian, using one of the internet's translators. I hope I did well. I am not an expert in Mando culture or language, so correct me if I got anything wrong. I couldn't figure out what to translate codey to, because there is no "Code" in the language, according to my translator. If I write future chapters with them, I will likely try to do the same with some of the others.
Poor Jango now has the biggest family ever. Part of me imagines him going into his room at the end of the day, singing that "Little girls," song from Annie, only in Mandalorian. Which would sound something like:
Kih Ad'ike (small children)
Kih Ad'ike (small children)
Gayiyla Ni slanar Ni liser haa'taylir ade (everywhere I go I can see children)
Kih Ad'ike (small children)
Kih Ad'ike (small children)
Ca bal tuur (night and day)
Ni epar, nuhoy bal haalur ade (I eat, sleep and breathe children)
And that's here because I could not sleep until I translated it. It isn't a perfect translation, of course, but the best I could do. Mandalorian lacks a "them" pronoun, for one. Are you all thankful that the idea to write a "Star Wars the Musical" hasn't occurred to Disney yet?
Anyway, in the next chapter, I don't know exactly what will happen. There may be a time jump, not sure how far.