Characters: Kal Skirata, Jango Fett, Mij Gilamar, Ruusaan, Nulls, Original child character male

Warnings: Character Death off screen, child death, murder, war off screen,

Tags: Jango is a good dad, Traumatized Jango, gap filler, mama bear Jango, reckless behavior explained, Kyr'tsad is evil, just seriously really evil, stream of consciousness fic, I wrote this with no outline, I have no idea what I am doing, no beta we die like Mando'ade, OYA!

AN: seriously I have no idea what I am doing. I just got this idea in my head and had to write it. If I make you cry I did it right.

Did anyone ever think it was odd, no, bizarre that Jango just rushed out onto the battlefield in the Arena during AOTC, and just left Boba by himself. Yes I know Jango trained him to be self-sufficient, but Mando'ade (plural) are protective as hell of their offspring. I found it weird so I had a thought: a dark twisted, demented and thoroughly evil thought that inspired this.

So again sorry if I made you cry, I might just cry myself.

Oh and if this doesn't make a lick of sense it's because it's supposed to be Kal Skirata's explaining Jango's behavior after his death to someone off page. I got no idea who, but I imagine it might be Boba after the war or maybe his sons after the battle, or someone who cared about Jango but didn't know this.

Well I've stalled long enough

Onto the Fic (and the ball of tears I'm going to reduce myself to)

OYA!

I didn't believe it at first when I heard the news, ya know. Just thought it was some more Republic osik rumor, but when those first troops came stumbling back to Kamino, and word kept spreading, I had to face facts: Jango was gone, our Mand'Alor was dead, and a Jetii had killed him. I didn't think it possible that one of those saber wielding sorcerers could do it, after all Jango had killed six of them before, and with his bare hands. And as those men, boys really, came trickling back I couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Then another thought nearly froze my spine: where was Boba. Jango loved that boy, and was as protective of him as a mother Striile when he thought that boy was really in danger.

Why? Well there is an old saying, not sure who thought of it or where it came from, but it seems to fit: once bitten twice shy.

(Scoff)

Jango had a kid once, before Boba; a precocious, intelligent, beautiful, Mandokarla boy, that Jango and Jaster absolutely adored. The rest of the Haat'Ade did too. I wasn't there when the kid was born, but Jaster was, and one of our old Baar'ure. I never did manage to get that story pried out of him. What little I did find out painted a pretty strong picture. The boy wasn't Jango's, not by blood that is, but in the ways that matter, he was Jango's.

(Snort)

Jango was a Fett, he comes from old stock; Real Mandalorian blood. There was even a rumor that he had Taung blood in him. I asked those Kaminiise if that was true once, for a laugh, and the long-neck, started grumbling about buried genetic markers and non-human genomes. I still laughed, but I doubt the Kaminii did. Anyway, the thing most don't know about the Taung, or at least those descended from them, like Jango, is that there is a reason their language, our language is genderless: it's because from the point of view of Humanoid mammals like us, ya can't tell them apart, mostly because at any one time they could be both.

Ya get me?

Jango carried that boy, nurtured him in his womb without even knowing if he was his child, and gave birth to him. I don't remember who told me, but ya can imagine my shock at hearing it. Apparently Jaster was there for the birth. Heck of a thing really, being the leader of all Mandalore, a Buir, and then suddenly a Ba'Buir one day. He must have felt the Ka'ra had blessed him.

(Chuckle)

Jaster loved his Bu'ad, just as much as Jango did. When Jaster … when Alor Mereel was sent marching on ahead, that boy was Jango's anchor, kept him happy, and kept him sane.

(Sigh)

I may be a hard man, I know it. Fett said I could be a right bastard when I wanted to, but that day… I'm not the best Haat'ad, I'll admit it. I'm a bit more orthodox than most Mando'ade these days, but Kyr'tsad… those bastards are just evil. I draw the line at hurting ade to go after people ya don't like. And what they did would be a sin to any true Mandalorian, who follow the Way.

(Sigh)

It's not a pretty story, son, and if I weren't this Haranyc drunk I wouldn't tell you. But I am and you deserve to know.

(Pause, shuddery sigh)

It was a Taungsday, I'll never forget that. It's always the little things you remember on those sorts of days, ya know; the ones that change everything.

Jango had hired me out for some work, some job, tracking down a lead on Kyr'tsad and Vizsla. Tor Vizsla, not the other one, Pre, spoilt brat! Someone ought to have tanned his scrawny hide, the Chakaar, ge'hutuun.

(Swallow hard)

I was in the sector and knew it well enough that I was called on to help. If we had known it was a diversion we would have gone right back to the compound. We didn't though. We followed the lead to the end, like a herd of tame nerf bulls being led by the nose. Once Jango realized it was a dead end, he gave up the hunt. He invited me home, said his little boy missed his Ba'vodu.

(Sad chuckle)

We landed just outside the base, and Jango tried to hail someone in the compound, but there was no answer; just static. I could tell he was unnerved we all were. It was just a small group of us at the time: myself, Ruusaan, Jango and our Baar'ur. We left the ship, and walked toward the compound, hadn't even taken off our Buy'ce, when Jango suddenly froze before he bolted to the entrance. The rest of us just followed his lead. It wasn't until we were closer that I could see it: the blood, and then closer the bodies. There were only a handful of Verde protecting the compound, and they were slaughtered. It was the worst I had ever seen. There were Haat'ade and Kyr'tsad'ade lying at the entrance and in the courtyard. Jango stopped to check on one of the live ones. I was too far away to hear what he said; even Jango had to take off his helmet to hear him. The Baar'ur knelt by him to treat him, but he was already dead. I looked up and saw Jango looking at the doors to the other parts of the compound. Jango suddenly turned pale as cin'ciri and bolt. Ruusaan and I took off after him, but Jango was running like the hounds of hell were on his heels.

(Sniff)

We quickly realized where he was going, and I felt like a ball of terror was lodged in my gut: the Karyai, the keep. Jango's personal quarters were just off the main room, and so was the nursery. Ruusaan and I had just turned into the room when…

(Gulp hard, shaky breath)

I have never in my whole life heard anyone, not neverd, Mando'ad, nor Aruettii make a sound like that. And Jango made it; my Mand'Alor. My fearless, brave dral Mand'Alor had screamed as if someone had just ripped out his heart. It chilled me to my bones. We finally arrived to the nursery and found three of our own verd, Haat'ade, dead and even more Kyr'tsad'ade at the door, also dead. They made a last stand there worthy of song, only I wish it would have had a better ending. There was blood everywhere, and inside I could hear Jango wailing and screaming like some wounded and dying animal. When we finally stepped over their bodies and entered the room we found Jango curled around the body of his son, keening and rocking him in his lap as he wept.

(Shuddery breathe)

There was so much blood, and the ad… it looked as if they'd … bashed him against the wall. His head was … there wasn't much left. His body was twisted and broken; he looked like a broke doll cradled there in Jango's arms. I wanted to be sick, I nearly was; Ruusaan was, though. I could hear her rip off her helmet and vomit on the floor outside the doorway. Of all the things Kyr'tsad could have done, this was Demagolka even by their standards.

(Growl, sigh sadly)

And through it all Jango just wailed and sobbed into his son's kute. The ad'ika had wanted to be just like his buir, and Jango had given him a kute sewn to look like Jango's Beskar'gam. I walked over to Jango and placed my hand on his shaking bes'marbur. When Jango looked up at me all I could see was devastation. There is no word in our language for what I saw in his eyes, but if I had to pick one it would be Shuk'la: broken.

(Wry laugh)

Maybe that's why he charged down there like that, like a rabid Striile protecting its cub: he saw a threat to his baby boy, his Boba, and couldn't stand the thought of burying another ad. All I know is that day taught me that you really can break a Mando'ad's spirit, because Jango's was already broken, and he didn't want to live to see it shattered.

Now you know. I hope Boba never does. For as much as he hates me, I hope he never finds out that he had an Ori'vod that was murdered only a few weeks after his 6 birthday on the anniversary of Jaster's death. I hope he never finds out how they broke his Buir's spirit with that one act. And I hope he never has to bury a child, like Jango did.

(Sigh)

I'm an old man now; I don't have many hopes left, but that one… well… I just hope I'm long dead before Boba finds out. I don't want to see that look on any Mando'ad's face ever again.

End

End note: well I didn't cry, but if I made you cry (Sorry). Honestly this was on my mind for a while and I have a bad habit of making something short and sweet into a giant undertaking. (Just look at my current work) I couldn't figure out how to do it until I thought, why not make it a first person retelling. Have one of my characters tell it to someone else off screen like as stream of consciousness, that way I don't have to write how gory it really is.

But that line I had about Jango's scream: yeah that was one of the first things I thought of.

Please review, and pop me kudos they make my day.