Star Wars does not belong to me. Just Skylar & Co.
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Skylar chuckled as Tea blew as hard as she could on the beskad, actually managing to produce a sound this time. Sure, it was more of a high pitched shriek than part of a melody but Cordav could hardly complain. I probably sounded worse when Mama started to teach me.
Gabe and Doz, who were in the process of making breakfast, both winced, making her chuckle. Kot walked into the kitchen, hair a mess and looking far from well-rested.
"Your girlfriend keep ya up late, vod'ika?" Doz asked, zeroing in on his one-handed brother.
Kot just glared at him, choosing not to answer. Which was good on his part. A flat-out rebuttal was just more ammo as far as Doz was concerned. Instead, he just looked at Sky, "Zephyr's still asleep."
Sky nodded, turning her attention back to little Teanna, who was frowning at the red flute in her little hands, "We'll practice later. Okay, ad'ika?"
"But I wanna learn now, Mama. Gedet'ye?" Tea did her absolute best to look perfectly pitiful. And she almost succeeded.
Skylar laughed and leaned forward to kiss the little Togruta's temple, "No whining, Teanna. Miss Zephyr's still sleeping, we need to let her rest."
Tea huffed, exaggeratedly puffing out her cream-colored cheeks, "Okaaay." Then she perked up, "Can I call Daddy?"
"The Resolute's still in hyperspace, so I don't see why not." Sky only knew that because Fives had called her just an hour before, while their daughter was still sleeping. "Tell him that I said hello, okay?"
"Eleck, Mama." And with that, Tea bounded down from her seat and raced to the stairs, Sky's comlink grasped firmly in her little hands.
Doz scooped her up in his arms before she could leave the kitchen, "What have we told you about running in the house, T'ika?"
"That I shouldn't do it. But, ba'vodu-"
"No buts. Walk," he admonished firmly as he set her back down. "I don't want to have to be the one calling your Buir to tell him that you broke your leg running up those stairs."
"Yes sir." And then she walked out of the kitchen. As fast as she could while still walking, of course.
Kot shook his head, rolling his eyes while Doz and Gabriel laughed along with Sky. Only Tea. "C'mon, Kot'ika. Sit with me for a minute," Sky offered, indicating Tea's recently vacated seat. And giving Doz a look that clearly said 'lay off' as Kot all but fell into the chair. "You look like you could sleep some more, ner vod."
"Zephyr kept waking up." He drummed his fingers on the table as Doz went to wake up Hew and Top. Gabriel left the kitchen shortly after, Briika's bottle in hand. Deena was currently working the early morning shifts at the medcenter, she wouldn't be home until after noon.
Kot breathed a sigh of relief once they were alone, "There's something I wanted to talk with you about, S'ika."
Judging by the fact that he'd waited until they were alone, Skylar knew that it had something to do with Zephyr. Best just to listen and not jump to any conclusions though. "About what, vod'ika?"
"When you and Fives found out that you were... Yaihadla, right?" he asked, his gaze asking if he'd gotten the Mando'a term right. She nodded, and he continued, "You both seemed pretty happy about it."
"And Zephyr doesn't?" He nodded. Cordav took a breath, "The difference is, Kot, that Fives and I were expecting it to happen." She laid a hand on her belly, "Granted, I got pregnant sooner than we'd planned, but that's beside the point. The point is that we'd agreed to have a baby. Whoever impregnanted Zephyr did so without her permission."
"She doesn't want the baby?" Kot asked, seeming appalled that someone wouldn't want their own child. But he's only had myself, Fives, Gabe, Deena, and Wreck as examples. He's still a lot more innocent about the ways of the galaxy than the rest of my brothers are.
"I can't answer that. Remember when I told you that Mandos become adults much sooner than aruetiise? In her own mind, Zephyr's still a child. She's not mature enough to handle a child herself. And this is a child that she didn't ask for."
Kot sat still for several minutes, chewing over what she'd just said. Finally, he nodded, "I told her that I'd be around, if she ever needed me."
Sky stood, kissing the top of his head as she went to put his plate together for him, "You did good, Kot'ika. Being there for her is the best thing we can do right now."
Zephyr woke to clinking silverware and something that smelled really good. As her stomach growled, she realized that she hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday. Kot was sitting on his pallet, his plate in his lap and another full plate next to him.
"Is that for me?" she asked. She winced at how small her voice sounded.
The clone, which Sky had told her that Kot and brothers actually were, looked up at her with a soft smile. She'd heard of clones, she just hadn't thought that they'd be allowed to wonder Coruscant like Kot had obviously been doing last night. He lifted the plate, "Yes. Compliments of Doz and Gabe."
Instead of taking the plate from him right away, she slid down to the floor next to him. He raised a brow as she took the food from him, "Now you trust me?"
She gave him a small, shy smile in return, "No, not really." He chuckled softly and she wondered why she had ever thought that he could cause her harm. Sure, he was a big man who definitely knew how to fight, but he'd been nothing but gentle towards her. But then, Gaon and Cales had both treated me like a lady... At first. I can't forget that people change. Zephyr scooted back to where she was just beyond his reach.
Kot frowned, setting his empty plate down, "Zephyr?" She tried to avoid looking at him, but her yellow eyes were almost immediately drawn to his face. Her breakfast completely forgotten on the floor between them. He blew out a breath, at a loss as to what he should say.
She didn't say anything, she just sat and watched him squirm. I know he's not toying with me. But I just can't-
Kot seemed to finally have figured out what he wanted to say, "Zephyr, I promise that I would never hurt you. Okay? I'm a soldier, I don't break my promises."
The Wroonian girl just mutely nodded. She wanted to believe him, she really did.
Fives was vaguely aware that Tea would be going down for her afternoon nap by now when he took cover as an explosive detonated way too close to his position. Again. He was currently holed up with Teroch Squad and it was obvious that the clankers had a very good idea of their general position. General Skywalker had sent the five of them ahead to soften up the enemy. Aka, set up charges and blow out a good-sized portion of the fortress wall. I don't see how that's going to happen any time soon.
"This is great, just great," Jesse's agitated voice came over the comlink. "There's no way we're getting out of this one." Fives couldn't help but notice that the trooper-turned-commando was using a private channel, which meant that the rest of his squad couldn't hear him. Which was just as well. Unlike their sergeant, Cooper, Hotshot, and Chip had been fresh from Kamino when Sky had started cross-training them. They were still shinies, and Jesse didn't want to cause them to panic.
"We will, ner vod. I've been in tougher spots than this one." No need to mention that he'd lost a lot of brothers in those tough spots, though. "General Skywalker, this is Fives, over."
"Reading you loud and clear, Fives. Did you manage to blast us a way in?"
"Negative on that, sir," Fives said, trying to keep his voice even as he ducked. They've figured out where we are... "The tinnies are onto us. We're basically sitting ducks, General. We could use some help."
There was the sound of a lightsaber whirling and blasterfire before the Jetii answered, "Kind of busy at the moment. If you can't get those doors open, we're not gonna last out here." Fives was struck by the almost complete lack of concern for the five of them. The General has seemed a little distant lately... It's got to be the war getting to him. Jedi weren't meant to be soldiers, after all. But, then again, officers aren't supposed to show any trace of panic anyway. That's probably it.
"Copy that, sir. We'll figure something. Fives out."
"Figure what, sir?" That was Cooper. He was arguably the youngest of the group, still a little on the gangly side. This is no place for him, no place for us either. Sky is so going to kill me for this... Fives couldn't help but notice that Chip and Hotshot were being uncharacteristically silent. They and Jesse had already figured out what he was planning...
"I'll create a diversion. You four carry out the mission."
"Diversion my foot, Fives. That's suicide," Jesse snapped. "No. Absolutely not." More blaster fire zipped over their heads and Fives slammed his hand on top of Jesse's helmet, pulling his brother down with him as he ducked again.
Fives took a deep, calming breath, "There's no other way, Jesse. I'll be fine, I've been training with a Mando a lot longer than you have." What I wouldn't give for some proper beskar'gam. And to see that Mando girl right now...
His words didn't placate the other tattooed clone much, but Jess seemed to finally accept that Fives' mind was made up. "Alright," he sighed. "Just be careful out there, okay? Don't do anything stupid."
"Copy that." With that, Fives started crawling down the trench on his belly, "When I say 'go', you go." Sky is going to really, really kill me. But what other choice do I have?
After crawling several meters, he popped his bucketed head up over the top of the trench, gray rangefinder lowered. The tinnies were still firing on Teroch's position and he took a deep breath to steady himself. Here goes nothing.
Fives pulled himself up out of the trench and ran full force at the fortress, his blasters aimed at the tinnies on the walls and giving out a battle cry that only he could hear in the confines of his bucket.
The guns on the turrets swiveled and Fives dodged heavy cannon fire. Just like training with Domino back on Kamino. The fact that he may very well end up joining the rest of his squad today wasn't lost on him. It's a good thing that Sky and Tea know that I love them. At least, if I don't make it through this... And the baby... Oh, this is the most di'kutla thing I've ever done.
"Teroch, go go go!"
beskad = flute made out of Mandalorian iron. Also doubles as a small spear.
vod'ika = little brother
ad'ika = little one
gedet'ye = please
eleck = yes
ba'vodu = uncle
buir = papa (father)
ner = my
vod = brother
yaihadla = pregnant
Mando'a = language of the Mandalorians
aruetiise = non-Mandalorians
Jetii = Jedi
beskar'gam = Mandalorian armor (literally, iron skin)
di'kutla = moronic
Please R&R.
