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Ok, loose end tying time. Did everyone study up on their fancy knots?
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Chapter 39
~X~
"Mandalorians: Kicking the galaxy's hind-end since 4000 BBY."
~pure observation~
It wasn't long before Din, Ravana, the kid, Zax and Paz were standing on a small rise a fair distance from the facility, watching as Ahsoka and Dr. Pershing approached.
"Is it done?" Paz questioned, having laid the still unconscious Gideon down on the ground, his hands and feet now securely bound in case he woke up.
"The charges are set," the Togruta woman nodded. "Fire away."
This apparently pleased Paz a great deal, and everyone could just imagine the big smile on his face as he activated the thermal detonators with a push of a button. Everyone's eyes grew wide as the deafening explosion shook the ground beneath their feet. The facility was instantly engulfed in flames, as gasses and other volatile compounds reduced the building to rubble.
"Thus dies all the information on Midi-chlorians and how to extract them," Dr. Pershing stated, sounding glad of the fact. "It was something that never should have been experimented with. It's good that the research will not continue."
"Just see that it doesn't," Din warned the man in a threatening tone. "Let it die here."
The doctor nodded, fully understanding the Mandalorian's words, and knowing that should he ever attempt such a thing again, he would be the next one to die over this.
"Which way to your ship?" Ahsoka asked, looking around curiously.
"Ships," Paz corrected. "As in plural. Cara and I arrived after they did."
"So how did you get here?" Ravana asked, noticing that Ahsoka didn't act as if she had one of her own.
"I was dropped off by a friend," she responded. "She and I were on our way to pick up some others when I felt the Force drawing me here. She went on without me and promised to come back to pick me up. However, if I could catch a ride with you, that would save her some time and trouble." She then looked from one Mandalorian to the next. "Unless doing so would put a strain on your timetable?"
"No, of course not," Din assured her. "You helped us. We can certainly give you a ride in return. However, our first order of business is to drop Gideon off with some new friends of ours, who I believe were heading for a planet named Lothal."
"Well, isn't that a strange coincidence," Ahsoka chuckled, shaking her head in wonder. "For it just so happens that my friend was heading for Lothal as well. Perhaps our meeting on this planet was more the will of the Force than we originally thought."
"So it would seem," Din agreed, looking down at the still sleeping child in his arms. "And after seeing a few of the things this little one can do…I've come to have a healthy respect for this Force you speak of."
"Then, shall we head for your ship and find our way to where we both wish to go?" Ahsoka suggested.
"Lead the way, Paz," Ravana instructed, not wanting to leave Din's side and knowing that he was hardly in any condition to take point.
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So, it was they found their way across the planet's dark surface, at last coming upon the two spacecrafts sitting side by side. Cara was standing at the base of the landing platform of her ship, weapons ready, as she waited for them to arrive. When she saw them come over the small rise, she let out a pent-up sigh of relief.
"About time you got here!" she scolded, though all could tell she was using her harsh words to cover up her utter joy that everyone was back safely. "I was starting to wonder if I would have to come back and fetch the lot of you!"
"We took a few extra minutes to blow the place up before we left," Din explained, still allowing Ravana to aid him, yet having begun to feel better quite a ways back. Still, he was not about to tell her that and relinquish the enjoyable hold she had on him. "And we had far too many to carry for Paz and me to use our jet packs again."
"I see you got Gideon," Cara said, nodding towards the prone man on Paz's shoulder. "Is he dead?"
"No. Din wouldn't let me cut his head off," Paz grumped. "He wants to turn him over the authorities, can you believe it?"
"From what I heard, he's the one who killed the man Ravana's being accused of murdering. So it makes sense to keep him alive if she wants that price off her head," was Cara's pragmatic response. "Still…I'm with you. I'd rest much easier if he were simply dead." She then turned to the other man in the group she had yet to meet. "Who's he?"
"Dr. Pershing. A friend," Ravana was quick to state, giving the shy man a warm smile. "He helped us escape. Thus, he's earned our trust and friendship."
"Or at the very least, a ride off this planet," Din cut in, not quite ready to count the man among his trusted associates. "Where's the kids?"
"Inside, having a bite to eat," Cara told him, before giving a bit of a laugh. "Or in the case of that little Ugnaught, two or three bites. That kid can really shovel it in."
"May I use one of your com-panels? I need to notify my friend that I'm coming," Ahsoka asked.
"And we need to get in touch with that Rebel princess and tell her we're heading her way as well," Din added.
"Rebel princess?" Cara's eyes grew wide. "You mean Princess Leia Organa?"
"I believe she's recently married and goes by Leia Solo now," Ravana pointed out. "But yes, the very same."
"When did you meet her…and how?" This was news to Cara, and Paz, for he looked over at the two for an explanation as well.
"Let's just say they kind of found us," Ravana laughed, then glancing at Ahsoka. "And I just learned that there are no coincidences where the Force is concerned."
"I'll tell you all about it while Ravana and Ahsoka send their messages," Din promised, once more heading for the ships, eager to find a place to sit down and rest.
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While the messages were being sent, Cara was filled in on what had transpired at the facility, as well how they'd met the Rebel Princess on Anoah. It was decided that they'd make use of Din's carbonite freezing chamber aboard the Razor Crest. Encasing Gideon in the suspension substance would ensure that he would be no threat to anyone during the trip, nor would he have an opportunity to try and escape.
Paz and Cara said they would take him, and Dr. Pershing, in their ship, feeling that keeping the two of them separate from the children might ease their minds somewhat. Din and Ravana would then transport the children and Ahsoka. Only the young human girl, Shay, seemed disappointed with this arrangement, appearing as if she would have rather remained with Cara. Still, she followed directions and went with the other children into the Razor Crest.
"It looks like you have an admirer," Paz told the Shock Trooper in a quiet voice, watching as the little girl turned back several times as she walked up the ramp.
"Yeah…well, don't look so surprised. I'm a very likeable person," she said in a rather uncomfortable tone, before squaring her shoulders and heading for her own ship…with Paz following right behind her.
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"Leia said they would meet us on Lothal, at docking bay eighty-four near the capitol city," Ravana told Din as he passed over the still sleeping String-bean and headed for the cockpit. "Do you want me to come with you…to help?"
Din could tell that she was still worried about him, though he was feeling nearly back to normal by now. He figured by keeping the kid around, he would sure save a lot of money on bakta spray.
"No, I need you to make certain that the kids are all strapped in for takeoff," he answered, sparing a moment to reach up to touch her cheek affectionately. "I'm fine, Ana…I promise. I'm not going anywhere, and you better not either."
"Don't worry about me, I'm keeping you in arm's reach from now on," she smiled, loving the feel of his touch. "Now go, I've got things handled down here." And with a nod, up the ladder he went.
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Ravana watched him go, feeling a sense of peace wash over her as she heard the engines powering up. They had done it. They'd defeated Gideon, saved the children and didn't lose anyone in the process. Though, she was acutely aware that without the aid of the child in her arms, that would not have been the case. They both owed their lives to the String-bean…and they would never forget it either.
Once they were back in the darkness of space, Ravana sat beside Ahsoka as they watched the children busy themselves with a few of the toys they'd acquired for the kid. He was still a bit droopy eyed and was quite content to remain in her arms, dozing in and out.
"Thank you again for all your help," Ravana told the interesting woman at her side. "I don't think we could have done this without you."
"It was my pleasure to be of assistance," she smiled. "I was called to the planet by the Force, and as I said, meeting up with you was no accident. Especially knowing that we are all now heading for the same location as well."
"That is quite amazing," she nodded.
"My friends said they would also meet at docking bay eighty-four," Ahsoka told Ravana. She was quiet for a moment, before turning to look directly at her. "Yet, there is something else that I find rather…intriguing," the Togruta woman admitted. "Today wasn't the first time I'd heard your name. And there's a very good chance that I know a relative of yours, Ravana Searan."
"Oh?" this idea shocked her, knowing that she had so few relatives to start with, and none that were still living…that she knew of. "Who is that?"
"Might you have an uncle that goes by the name of Rexl?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yes! I did!" Ravana revealed. "You knew my uncle?"
"I did indeed," she smiled. "He was an exceptional warrior, and a fine pilot from what I was told."
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It was these words that Din overheard as he exited the cockpit, stopping him in his tracks as he froze in place. He'd just initiated the jump to hyperspace, with Cara doing the same, and had planned to rejoin everyone in the hold. Yet, hearing what Ahsoka had just revealed made him remain hidden, listening with great interest.
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"A warrior?" Ravana repeated skeptically. "I think you might be mistaken. My uncle flew transports, yes…but that's all. Are you sure you have the right man?"
"Your middle name…might it begin with the letter F?" Ahsoka questioned. "Searan is the surname of your father, but you also inherited your mother's family name as well, did you not?"
"Yes…how did you know?" Now Ravana was really confused. "My middle name is my mother's maiden name. Fett. Just like my two uncles, Rexl and Jango."
"Then I do have the right man, for Rexl Fett was a true friend of the Republic, and to a great many of the Clones during the war." Here she turned her head a bit, a sad expression crossing her face. "His brother, Jango, however…well, he was…" She paused, as if searching for a delicate way of explaining things.
"Oh, don't bother trying to sugar coat it," Ravana stopped her. "My Uncle Rexl had more than a few choice words to describe his brother, Jango. Trust me, I have no illusions that he was loyal to anyone but himself. That's what lead to his eventual death, or so I was told." Yet, shaking off such disturbing recollections, her face brightened. "So, tell me more about how you knew my Uncle Rexl."
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Again, Din was stunned. Ravana was related to Jango Fett? He'd heard of the man, of course, him being a notorious bounty hunter and the father of one of his contemporaries…Boba Fett. Both men may have worn the Mandalorian armor, but from what he could tell, neither one lived by their code. And now to find out his wife was from their clan…well this was rather shocking. Still, hadn't the Armorer hinted that there might be some Mandalorian connection in her past?
Pushing this information to the back of his mind, he continued to listen, unnoticed from above.
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"Rexl was one of the men assigned to instruct the soldiers that were genetically cloned on Kamino, their genes having been altered to speed up their growth process in order to form a near instant army that fought for the Old Republic," she continued. "I only met him a few times myself, but a good friend of mine told me all about him. Including the fact that he left the service in order to settle down on a remote planet and care for his orphaned niece. You, I take it?"
"Yes, on Pessue! He took me in when my parents were killed in an accident," Ravana confirmed.
"My friend, who was one of the Clones your uncle trained, even took on the name Rex in honor of him," she revealed, having once asked him how he came to choose that designation, as well as how he received the blue Jaig Eyes symbol he wore on his helmet. It being the Mandalorian sign of bravery in battle, something he earned by saving his entire platoon when they were overrun by battle droids. "Needless to say, they were very close friends."
"I…I never knew any of this," Ravana said in disbelief. "All he'd ever admit to was being a pilot on a transport ship. Sometimes, if he drank too much, he would tell me wild stories about battles and such, but the next day he'd just claim he made it all up."
"Oh, he did fly ships just before he left…transporting new recruits from Kamino to Coruscant, the capital of the Republic, and the home of the Jedi temple," Ahsoka confirmed. "But he also joined many of the Clones he once trained on several decisive missions as well. Like I said, he was a fine warrior…someone you could be proud of."
"Unlike my Uncle Jango," Ravana countered. "Did you know him as well? Other than the fact that he somehow betrayed all my Uncle Rexl held dear, I know so little about him."
"I never met him, no. He died before I was assigned as a Padawan Learner and was allowed outside the Jedi temple. Though it was widely known that Jango Fett was the template used to produce the entire Clone army on Kamino," Ahsoka revealed in a sad tone. "Much to your Uncle Rexl's dismay, he secretly joined forces with the Sith, fighting against the Jedi during the Battle of Geonosis, which subsequently ended his life. I fear that I do not know what became of his son…Boba."
"WHAT? I have a cousin?" Ravana gasped, her volume and movement jerking the child in her arms awake. She quickly apologized, soothing him until he no longer appeared startled. "I…I didn't know I had any family left in the galaxy!"
"And you still might not," came Din's voice, breaking his silence and revealing his presence at last. Making his way down the ladder, he stood before Ravana and Ahsoka, telling them what little he knew. "Boba Fett was a bounty hunter that worked outside the guild and was believed to have been killed during a massive battle on Tatooine, between a Rebel Cell and one of the leaders of the crime syndicate, Jabba the Hutt." He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Now, I've heard rumors that he may yet be alive…but I wouldn't get your hopes up if I were you."
"Oh," she said with a disappointed sigh. "Well, I guess I can't mourn someone I never knew existed…until now. Still, it would have been nice to have some family left."
"You will have family…when we return to Anoah and I officially take you as my wife," Din assured her. "You will become a Mandalorian then, and all the clan will be your brothers and sisters."
"Actually…" Ahsoka spoke up. "It's my understanding that both Rexl and Jango, as well as your mother, Ravana, originally hailed from Concord Dawn, a moon under the control of a clan of Mandalorians known as the Protectors. Were you never told of your family history?"
"I…I what? No…never!" This time Ravana actually swayed where she sat over the news, causing Din to reach out and take the kid from her arms just in case. "I…I'm a Mandalorian?" Now free of any burden, she stood up and began to pace back and forth, her hands raking through her hair as she attempted to assimilate all she'd just learned. Her wide eyes and repeated mutterings causing her to appear rather unstable.
"Ravana?" Din said in a soothing tone. "Ravana, are you all right?"
At this she stopped and stared right at him, though her mind was still a million miles away.
"I'm a Mandalorian," she stated, before speaking the words she'd heard Din say so often in the past. "This is the way." Her brows furrowed slightly. "This is the way! No…this is the way."
"What are you doing?" Din questioned, not sure why she kept repeating herself.
"I thought maybe that saying would make more sense to me now…but honestly, I still have no idea what it really means," she shrugged.
"Just because you now possess the knowledge that your family were Mandalorians," Ahsoka said with a chuckle. "It does not automatically afford you knowledge of their ways and philosophies. You must study your heritage in order to understand them." She then gestured towards Din. "However, I feel you have the perfect tutor for such studies."
"So, the real reason my Uncle knew so much about the Mandalorians is because he was one," Ravana said, going over all this newfound information in her mind. "And when he said he left serving the Old Republic because he couldn't stand watching his brother die over and over again…it was because all the clones looked exactly like him!" She turned her eyes to Ahsoka. "And your friend, Rex…he looks like my Uncle Jango as well?"
"All the Clones did," she nodded. "Though many of them altered their appearance with tattoos or different hair styles in order to offer themselves a bit of individuality. Still, I can see how it might have been painful for Rexl to watch those who resembled his sibling dying in so many battles."
"Who was my aunt? If Uncle Jango had a son…who did he marry?" was her next question.
"No one," Ahsoka admitted. "As part of his payment for offering his DNA for the production of the clones, Jango requested an unaltered child for himself…one who would mature at a normal rate that he could raise as his son. He is the one who would have been your cousin…Boba."
"And you say there might be a chance that he's still alive?" she questioned, giving Din a hopeful look.
"There's always a chance," Din admitted, yet knowing he would say just about anything if it brought that smile he loved so much back to her lips. "And I promise to make inquiries about him as soon as possible. If he's alive…we'll find him."
"Thank you!" Ravana cried, throwing her arms around his neck and giving him an appreciative hug, being careful not to squish the kid in the process. She then turned to look at Ahsoka. "Do you think there are any Mandalorians on Concord Dawn that might remember my family…or that I might be somehow related to?"
"During the Great Purge, most Mandalorians were either killed, or driven into hiding," Din explained. "That's why Paz was so determined to get the Dark Saber back, for it might rally the clans to unite once more into a single unit, banding together under one House."
"House Vizsla," Ravana nodded, recalling Paz's declaration.
"And a strong House it used to be," Ahsoka agreed.
"Would our clan then be under House Vizsla?" she asked, looking at Din for the answer.
"If we chose it, yes," he nodded, though not saying he agreed with the idea or not. "It would be for us, and us alone, to decide."
Ravana sat down on the chair she'd earlier occupied, leaning her head back against the wall.
"This is so confusing," she muttered. "It will take me a lifetime to figure it all out."
"And is that a lifetime you're still willing to give…as my wife?" Din asked, worried that all this had been too much for her to take.
Ravana was back on her feet in an instant, her arms once more wrapped around her Mandalorian, still being careful of the child that was now sandwiched between them.
"Of course I am! Never doubt that, Din," she insisted, feeling him relax a bit at her declaration. "But…does this mean I have to start wearing a helmet and beskar too?"
This had Din chuckling softly, wishing with all his might that he could remove his now in order to kiss her lips.
"No…only if you swear to the creed do you need to wear such things," he assured her. "And no one will fault you if you choose not to. No matter what, you will be my treasured wife, my equal in all things, the mother of our children, and anything else you wish to be."
"Children?" this had Ravana pulling back, staring up at Din in shock. "You want kids? As in more than the String-bean here?"
"I…" Din found he didn't know how to reply to that. Yes, he wanted children, but perhaps Ravana did not. "I will leave it up to you."
"Then of course we'll have kids! Dozens of them!" she cried happily, this time grabbing his helmet and pulling it to her as she placed a kiss on the smooth beskar. It was a sorry replacement for his actual face, but at the moment, it was the closest she was going to get.
When she pulled back, Din could see her eyes were filled with happy tears, and the wide grin on her face told him all he needed to know. They would be a family…and a very large one if either had a say in the matter.
"Well, now that we have that settled," Ahsoka laughed, honored to have been witness to such a tender moment. "How about I keep watch over the younglings, while the two of you get some much-needed rest. It won't be long before we reach Lothal, and I can't have Ravana falling asleep when I introduce her to my friend Rex."
"I'll get to meet Rex? The one who knew my Uncle?" Ravana was tickled to hear this.
"Yes, for he is one of the others my friend and I were planning to meet up with on Lothal," Ahsoka informed her. "She and I were on a mission to find a dear comrade who became lost, and we think we have at last stumbled onto the secret of where he went. But to get there, we need a crew and a fast ship…and Rex is part of that crew. The rest will be joining us there as well."
"Oh, I can't wait!" Ravana said, her mind nearly buzzing from all these revelations. "Things just keep getting better and better!" Her expression then turned sad as she looked over at the four children, three of them still playing quietly together while the fourth, little Merp, was sitting in a corner, happily munching on some more rations Ahsoka had given them. His sleepy little eyes now as droopy looking as the kid's had been. "Do you think we'll be able to find their parents and get them back to their homes?"
"I will speak with them and see if I can ascertain where they were taken from while you two rest," the Togruta woman promised, reaching out to remove the kid from Din's arms. "Now go…I will see to things out here."
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Din didn't need to be told twice, and taking Ravana's hand he led her towards his cabin door. His body was exhausted, his mind was spinning from all that had happened, as well as all that he'd just learned about his wife. Now, all he wanted was to rest with her tucked securely in his arms.
Once inside, Din shut the door behind them and turned off the lights, bathing them both in comforting darkness. His helmet was off in seconds, and his first act was to kiss his wife soundly on the lips. Oh, how marvelous that felt.
"Oh, Din…I almost lost you!" Ravana suddenly sobbed, plastering herself against his body and holding on for all she was worth. "I don't know what I'd have done if Gideon had killed you."
"You would have been fine," he assured her. "You're strong…you would have survived."
"No! No I wouldn't have been fine!" Ravana argued, pulling back and stubbornly slapping at his beskar plate in disagreement, an irksome trait of hers that Din found he was becoming rather fond of. "I would have died inside without you!"
"You would have gone on…for the kid's sake," he countered, sure of that at least.
"Maybe," she admitted reluctantly. "But it would have been with a broken heart! Now stop arguing and just hold me!"
"Gladly," he agreed, doing just that. He reached up and removed his gloves, letting his bare fingers find their place within her tresses at last. "I love your hair," he muttered, loosening the hateful pins that she used to keep it in place and letting it fall free. "As a wedding gift to me, promise that you will always wear it down from here on out."
"But it gets tangled so easily if I do," Ravana protested.
"Then it will be my privilege to brush it out for you any time you wish," Din countered. "Something I will take great delight in doing."
"Well…that does sound nice," she hummed happily. "And what else will you take delight in doing for me, dear husband?"
"So many, many things." he promised, once more covering her lips with his own as he gave her a taste of the pleasures to come.
Ok, there was a LOT of information thrown at you just now. So what do you think of:
Her being related to Jango Fett - and Boba? Remember her middle name always started with the letter F.
Her uncle Rexl being the one who trained our dearest most favorite clone trooper Rex? And how Rex took his name from her uncle as a sign of respect and admiration?
And her family having been Mandalorians from Concord Dawn? (for the record, if you look up Jango's history on the internet, it does say that's where he came from - true or not, I'm going with it)
And did you notice that I let them have hugs AND kisses this time, and snuggles for the kid and Zax? But I think Din is looking forward to more of that...without the helmet. (soon)
Please let me know what you thought of all these connections...I worked really hard to pepper in hints along the way. I know that at least one reader, 'Akira-Hayama', was picking up on all the right clues...did anyone else figure them out? I'm curious to know.
More on Monday!
Guest Reviews:
Lilais: Good to see you again! Glad you enjoyed chapter 38. The kid saving Din was a given. It had to happen. I tried to be very scientific with the Midi-chlorians. But I'm willing to bet that no one will try THAT little trick again. Since they will turn on you and KILL YOUR EVIL BEHIND! Always nice to have a fan...first, second or third. I'll take them all. ha ha. Thanks. T.O.W.G.
Phantom Guest: Hey, can't have a Force healer on the payrole and not use him, right? I think Ravana wasn't ready to give up just yet, so taking off his helmet was NOT going to happen. But he did want her to see him before he died...the quitter! Oh, there will be a few more cliffies...but nice ones, not life or death ones. ha ha. Thanks!