Summary:

The new character's name, Brii, is pronounced "Bree" =o)

OH AND MAJOR shout outs to any Psych fans who read! 3

Please note: if you would like to read the lyrics to the entire lullaby presented in the story you can find it on my Tumblr here: (simplicity-writes)

post/149110335711/so-this-is-the-mandalorian-lullaby-i-used-in

Our new language appears here again-one that is completely unique and is not known commonly. I can't really speak of it without major spoilers.

You can hold your cursor over any of the Mando'a/Non-Basic words in the story and the pronunciation and explanation will pop up for you! I haven't tested this on mobile yet, but it works on the computer!

I've put a * by the words that are not-Mando'a.

In case that doesn't work: Chapter 6 Translations: For those who don't like to wait til the end to know what the non-english words mean (like me!) This works especially well if you open it in another window so you can just click back and forth to see the translations as you hit the words. (Right click and say "open in new tab")

WARNING: Contains spoilers of course! (Tumblr: simplicity-writes)

Translations: post/149109234776/the-pages-between-chapter-6-breathe

Chapter Playlist-Youtube: playlist?list=PLCmzlzRgPUhH8bdGM5KeRhzV-mwtNbh2D

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)


Hour 95

She was standing at the base of the hill she had ascended from, there were whisperings faint in her ear—some kind of strange sensation of others in this place—but try as she might she was unable to actually feel their presence. Everywhere she looked there was desolation, smoke rising and filling the sky, fires burning faintly in the distance.

Valkorian was telling her about love, asking her pointed questions about her crew, about Torian.

"That's none of your business," she snapped, turning her back to him as she surveyed the land around her. She was positive he knew nothing about love, this monster who ate planets filled with light for his own gain.

"Torian won't wait for you forever," he responded, his tone matter of fact.

She turned on him then, hissing, "Don't you dare even speak his name!" She crossed the few steps to where his apparition stood, her finger pointing at him, while he was looking at her as if completely bored, "You know nothing about him—don't you dare even utter his name—you are unworthy!"

She knew she was being baited, and was furious with herself for being so weak—but there was so much going on in this world and running through her head. She was so confused, and so angry. This was all Valkorian's fault but he acted like he was the positive part of the experience.

Valkorian opened his mouth as if to speak, but Raeyn interrupted him, "No. We're done talking."

She turned swiftly, stomping down the embankment to the next plateau. She wanted to rail at him, tell him the truth. She knew love. She could measure it. She knew love that was deep, and pure, and real, and forever. Hearing his name in this atmosphere made it feel like her heart was being ripped out of her chest—she drew her hand up as if to hold it in place.

My beloved.

Her entire body felt twisted, the missing pieces inside of her heart feeling like needles in her skin. She stopped, folding her hands together, trying to center herself—to remember what she is working toward, what she was doing here, what she had to live for. Her mind wandered back in time for a moment, her eyes drifting closed as she savored a fleeting memory.


Raeyn had started unpacking her supplies, preparing to make a place to sleep in the room where they had made their camp. A perfect building with only one door, high walls—with a roof that had been ripped off by what appeared to be some kind of blast—still, she was happy that the sky was clear and bright above them. They'd actually built a fire to stave off the cold air that was edging closer as the night fell to darkness. They'd strategically placed the fire in the far corner of the room—away from the door—to ensure they weren't spotted on the landscape by both wandering creatures, as well as patrolling soldiers who were known to hit this area on their route.

She had not imagined that Torian would be here on Taris, especially not looking for his father. She had been concerned, when she first realized she was going to have to admit her mark to him, that he might not be supportive. He had explained why he was hunting his father, and once she'd dug around to access the information about Mandalorians she had tucked away, she had a much better understanding of what he was doing and why. Given what she understood now, he couldn't have been anywhere else but on Taris—though she wasn't sure she understood the timing. It was good fortune they had ended up here at the same time.

She had felt him, the moment she landed on the planet, she sensed him. It was different than on Dromund Kaas—where she had to find a quiet place inside the cave away from prying eyes to calm herself down so she would be able to fight the monster she was sent there to destroy by Mand'alor. She had sensed her prey too, within seconds planetside she could feel the evil flowing from it, permeating the atmosphere.

Mako had stood watch while she centered herself, drawing on her strength to be able to focus on the job at hand. Her responses were exaggerated too because of the confrontation with Jogo—who frankly needed someone to teach him some manners to put a stop to his overinflated ego and raging superiority complex.

If he only knew what I could do to him.

It was good her parents had taught her so many lessons on self-control—otherwise, that moment might have ended differently—and despite him putting Jogo in his place—Torian might not have actually approved if she had killed a clan member. Apart from the chaos that the negative conversation had on her—the time spent with Torian there was just as charged and volatile as the time when she was named Grand Champion.

The edges to the feelings were softer-still just as powerful, still just as potent—but it lacked the jagged parts it had there—she supposed it was because she'd had a few weeks to temper her response to it. To learn to handle it better, less emotionally. It wasn't easy, by any stretch of the imagination. It was one of the hardest things she had ever done—and she had known hard things.

That said, for the two days that she and Gault had spent evading Republic forces, and some of the most disgusting local creatures, while chasing cold and dead end trails Jicoln had left—she was admittedly distracted at some level by the anticipation of seeing Torian, of being in the same room as him again. She had about given up, thinking perhaps he had been there and what she was feeling was just a residual response to his presence—when Torian had approached her from behind, gun drawn, issuing some comment about thinking she'd "be harder to get the drop on".

It didn't take much effort to rattle his cage, a small flirt, delivered in the right tone, "I was just eager to see you again after Dromond Kaas."

He hesitated, shaken—that was all it took—she went in for the kill and he was on the ground before he could take another breath, gun pointed at him, her smirk saying more than words about how he had certainly underestimated her. She was able to control her body's response to the first time she touched his skin, glad that her brother had warned her about it. Her hand had felt like it was on fire, and then it was tingling—alight with sensations from the small touch when she grabbed his hand to disarm and flip him. Her brother had mentored her several times—teaching her and reminding her that she'd spent her entire life preparing for this.

Once they had recovered from the initial contact, having a good laugh at each other, they had agreed to join forces—spending the afternoon with the three of them following trails, killing rakghouls, and generally having a lot of fun. Well, at least her and Torian were having quite a lot of fun. Gault wasn't so moved by the whole scene, his complaints being lodged often, and loudly.

That said, she had spent the entire day quite happily observing Torian. Studying his movements, his patterns, how he breathed, how he tilted his head. She was a predator in the deepest part of her, trained from birth to analyze her enemy and use those weaknesses against them. She had to stop herself from laughing when she realized early on that he was doing the exact same thing to her. An odd game they had begun to be sure.

She had noticed a lot about him—one of the most telling was the fact that he was very articulate. He spoke very plainly, and she struggled to not dive into his mind to find out what he was really thinking. She knew it was wrong so she didn't, but it didn't change the fact that she wanted to. She reminded herself she actually cared about this being traditional, like the way other couples found love with one another, so she was determined to do this as naturally as possible.

By the time they started setting up their camp when the sun was beginning to fade, she had spent enough time watching Torian that she found herself more and more intrigued by him. Every time she thought she had something figured out, he'd say or do something that proved her wrong. He was an amazing hunter, able to follow the paths and trails with ease—better than her even with her superior senses—and he never missed a mark so far as she could tell. He was a fierce warrior—and she had admired his form all afternoon.

Admired his form. Really? I might have spent an extraordinary amount of time admiring his assets.

Assets.

She snickered softly, a fevered blush settling in her cheeks, quickly lifting up her blanket to shake it out, hiding her face in case Gault or Torian might have noticed.

It's not my fault.

She couldn't help but admire him, he was strong, and tall, and handsome, and his face, and his cute cheeks with those symbols on them, his bright blue eyes, and his hair that looks so soft, and his arms were so strong, and his legs were so solid, every inch of him was like a work of art that belonged in a sacred place—and she just…really, she had to work very hard to not let him be a distraction.

It's actually a miracle I was able to kill anything at all.

She knew they couldn't afford to let their guard down, not when his Father was one of the most wanted people in the Mandalorian universe. No, he was skilled, would put up a real fight—and it was this alone that made her focus and get her head in the game. She said she would see to it that Torian regained his honor and she meant to see it through. She'd make sure she handled things better tomorrow.

Of course, once Gault had noticed her…attention was diverted, he began commenting—little jabs that he thought were subtle but were actually as subtle as a flagship landing on your speeder would be—which basically led to her wanting to murder him. Which had the added benefit that she couldn't think about Torian while she was angry at Gault, in effect causing her to focus more on the hunt.

Maybe I'll actually thank him later.

Gault helped them set up their camp for the night in a safe area, and then he immediately dismissed himself.

"Looks like you two kids don't need me here anymore," his hand slapped the side of his neck, grimacing, "I will be retiring back to the ship, where there is climate control and a distinct lack of bugs."

Raeyn had walked to where he was standing, nodding thoughtfully. She was opening her mouth to tell him to be safe getting back to their ship when he spoke, his voice loud, musing, "Yep! You two need some alone time. It's clear you like him, and with the way he watched you, I'm guessing he likes you too. If I tried that stunt back there with you and the gun—we both know I'd be wearing my face on the back wall."

He's not wrong. On either account. Wait! Torian was watching me?

She glared at Gault, thankful she was standing a few feet in front of Torian so he couldn't see her face, flaming red, "Put a sock in it Gault, comm me when you get back to the ship so I won't worry about your sorry ass getting lost or killed out here by yourself."

"Sure thing, Boss," he smiled then, she braced herself—knowing him well enough to know when he smiled, especially one as devious as this one, it was usually because something grossly inappropriate was about to come out of his mouth.

His eyes narrowed slightly as she mouthed the words silently—his eyebrow raising as he took her meaning—"I will cut you."

Don't do it, Gault, please, don't do it!

"You two don't do anything I wouldn't do. Actually, scratch that—please, do. The Boss has been very tense since Dromund Kaas," At this his eyes shifted from hers to a point over her shoulder, no doubt looking at Torian, who was completely silent, "She could use a little attention from a strapping young man like you, haven't seen her with anyone since I joined her crew." He drew his eyes back to her, winking quickly, laughing as her face turned a darker shade of red. He leaned forward, next to her cheek as he whispered in her ear, "You can thank me later."

She was holding her breath as he walked away, her mind filtering through all of the ways she could recover this situation, and drawing a blank short of the ground opening up and swallowing her whole. She was going to kill Gault, through one of the myriad ways that her mind could conceive, in a slow, painful, horrific way. She shivered, looking up at the sky which was gradually fading to darkness.

She tensed as she heard Torian moving behind her, clearing his throat before he spoke, "Fire's warm."

She hesitantly turned around, finding him sitting on the ground by the fire, his back against the wall, facing the doorway, legs bent, his hands resting on them. His eyes gestured to the ground beside him.

He's casual. He's casual. Calm down…

She took a deep breath, grabbing her blanket from her pack, walking to where he was, settling down beside him, a decent space between them, because seriously—I hate Gault.

The warmth from the fire was soothing—having removed her gloves and shields from her arms—hoping she could get at least a little sleep—the skin lacking the extra layer of protection felt the elements. She stretched her blanket out over her, pulling her legs up against her, trying to use her body to create more heat. She studied the fire, the way it danced and she could feel the tiny bits popping and bubbling in excitement. The air around it welcomed it, ushering it's waves out through the room.

So beautiful.

"So…Gault?" Torian's voice made her jump.

She tried to settle herself down, taking a deep breath, this is a very innocent question, with a very innocent answer, "Gault is an idiot. I'm sorry he…just…what he said was inappropriate."

He grunted, something she took as his understanding before he spoke again, "Was it true?"

Her mind whirled trying to come up with a way to explain something more than a little complex, the question edging too close to her internal chaos, "Which part?" Stalling.

"All of it?"

She took a deep breath. All of it. Just answer the safe questions, that's all—"I would have killed Gault. Yes. And no, I haven't seen anyone since Gault joined the crew."

He was silent at that, she was too nervous to look at him, so she wasn't sure what his expression was—she wished she could read him though, but she hadn't learned his tone yet, and there was no way she was going to attempt looking at him.

It was quiet for a few minutes, the fire crackling softly, the sound of leaves hitting the walls outside.

"No relationship?" His voice held a note that she hadn't really heard before, was that a hopeful undertone?

She shrugged, knowing there was no way she could explain this and not look crazy, "I don't want any casual relationships. I am not interested in them. I've been waiting for…" she paused awkwardly then wanting to scream 'you', followed immediately by her pouncing on him—she shook her head, trying to dismiss the vision—gathering herself, finishing the thought, "…the right person."

He grunted again, immediately, clearly an agreement, firm approval, "Same."

Same. So much in a single word.

She heard him take a breath, loud in her ear as her heart was thrumming, her senses going hyper alert, "The other?"

Somehow hoping he had discarded the other bit of dialogue she closed her eyes, wishing herself away, "What other?"

Maybe he really wasn't paying attention.

"The part about…liking," he whispered softly, so softly if she hadn't been trying to hear him, she might not have heard it at all.

She swallowed, her throat dry, opening her mouth to speak, but just drawing a blank—this was more complicated than she had imagined, no one told her it was going to be like this—the uncertainty, the fear of messing things up. Somehow finding a way to balance what could be with what is. Knowing things but not able to act on them, understanding the delicate facets but being unable to respond to that understanding. She settled for being straight forward, since force knows there were a lot of revelations moving forward that would require her complete honesty.

"Yes, that was true, too."

He drew a sharp breath in then, and she lectured herself to keep from turning to see his expression—she could see him twisting his hands out of her peripheral vision—his forearms resting on his knees, "Good to know."

She tried to ease the tension out of her shoulders, wishing she could calm down. Was that a positive response?

Good to know. Why is there no manual for this? …surely 'good to know' is a positive response?

It seemed like a positive response. She knew it was a bad time to even start talking about anything serious—to try to explain things to him, they were there to hunt his father for the love of all things Empire. Without any warning, a long, heavy yawn caught her off guard, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as she made a noise trying to stifle it. Torian turned his face to look at her.

"Tired?"

She shrugged, she was tired, but there was little doubt in her mind that he was also tired, and there was no way she could sleep here—too many wild things ready to eat them in their sleep for her to be comfortable. She turned to look at him, his eyes still fixed on her.

"Sleep," his tone would be easy to mistake for lack of care, but she could see in his eyes that it was far from that. She considered protesting, he was tired too—she could see it on his face—but before she could say anything he spoke again, "I've got first watch."

Something crossed his face then, something she couldn't define, and when it did, he turned from her, looking back at the fire. She stared at him for a moment, sure he was going to ask her what was wrong with her any moment—but he slowly turned to look at her, she saw the muscle in his jaw twitch where he had his teeth clenched, tilting his head slightly as he spoke, his voice softened, "You are tired. Sleep here by the fire."

His hand swept the ground beside him, his eyes drifting back to the door, "I'll keep you safe."

When she didn't move, he huffed out a tiny breath, his voice seemed a little sad to her, "Know you don't need protecting—will be watching just the same."

He turned to look at her, his eyes seeming apologetic, "Gedet'ye, sleep now."

She nodded her head, feeling like there was something in this conversation she needed to correct, but not sure how to figure out what part it was. His expression drifted into a small grin before he turned back to watch the doorway.

She knew that they would both need to get some rest, and she was exhausted—she'd sleep a bit and then relieve him so that he could get some sleep too.

Decided, she used her foot to loop around the strap of her pack, dragging it to her, pulling out her other blanket. She rolled it into a ball, then moved around to position herself close to the fire. Her feet toward the door, her head in position to be able to see the room…just part of her way of doing things, her back to the wall behind her…never leave yourself facing away from a potential enemy. She shifted, adjusting pieces of armor, getting her head settled and the blanket over her. Her eyes drawn back to the fire, the lovely dancing flames smiling.

For a few minutes she continued to move, wiggling this way and that, trying to find some comfort on the cold, hard ground, but there seemed to be none to be found. If it were not giving up the progress they'd made today she would have suggested going back to the ship with Gault—but there just was no way she could justify that—clearly, they were making real progress and any amount of that would be lost if they left the forest that night. She was going to see him through this. She had promised.

"Here," Torian's voice held a question in it, causing her to look up at him from where she was laying—trying to apprise what he was saying until she realized he had moved his blanket into a ball on his lap, his hands gesturing for her to come lay there. She debated, and then decided it was time to just do what felt right, to hell with all of the constant doubts that were plaguing her. If it was a mistake she'd be sorry tomorrow.

She shuffled over to him, momentarily stilling, eyes closing as she broke through his aura. She felt so much uncertainty there—so much pain, struggle, suffering—and then there was a sense of wonder, a feeling of happiness—so odd to have such conflicting emotions at the same time. Once the initial shock of him had passed she resumed her crawl, calming herself by focusing on the happiness, her armor making grating sounds as she moved, dragging her blanket with her. She caught his eyes in the light of the fire, they were fixed on her, his expression unreadable. She suddenly felt very cowardly and wanted to run out of the room, off the planet, out of the galaxy.

"You sure?" She couldn't decide what she was more afraid of—him saying yes, or him saying no.

He nodded, his eyes steady on hers, "I am."

He shook the blanket softly urging her to lay down. She shoved her blanket under her shoulder to prop herself up off the ground a bit—carefully laying her head down in his lap. Her heart was wild with so many feelings she couldn't express and she tucked her hands between her face and the blanket to keep them from shaking.

She'd never been this close to anyone besides her family before—well, she considered some of the men she had toyed with to get information—she'd sometimes stood close to them, or even once sat in an intelligence officer's lap to get information from him—but when it came down to it, she had very rarely been touched, or touched others—it was overwhelming and something she avoided. The truth was she had only done those things when nothing else worked—and even then it usually ended up with the guy passed out from the herbs she put in his drink so she could make her escape without questions. She really had no shame about it—she wasn't going to give her body over for some information, and she could tell them a good story and they would believe it.

Even if she had a lifetime of touches, she realized it wouldn't have prepared her for this—no one else would have ever been him. She could hear the blood thrumming through her veins, her heart slamming in her chest—she had no idea how she was going to be able to fall asleep now.

She heard Torian smile through his words, "I won't take advantage, by my honor. No matter what Gault implied."

She smiled then, amusement in her tone, "Don't ever listen to Gault." A small yawn escaped her, her eyes closing to the feeling of it.

"Noted," his tone matter of fact, then more emphatic, "Sleep now."

She nodded. She wanted to sleep, she had every intention to do so, but her mind wouldn't stop the circles it was spinning in. She tried to block out all of the sensations, his aura, the way the air around them was static with all of the emotions she was producing. She focused on the sounds of the fire, calming now, sweetly trying to share their soft waves with her.

She had to force herself to be still, wanting to sit up to see Torian's face when he began to sing softly in Mando'a. The first few words clearly indicating that it was a lullaby.

Nuhoy cyar ner verd'ika ner,

Mand'alor's kotep taylir keldab…

She didn't know much Mando'a and kicked herself for not taking the time to learn it, making a mental note to get Eldae'na to send her whatever texts she had on the language so she could learn it. The few words she made out seemed like it was singing to a child, referred to as a 'little soldier". Torian continued to sing the lilting song, softly, almost like a whisper on the wind, she recognized only a few other words. The soft cadence of the song mollified her overactive mind, her eyes slowly drifting shut, caught in the melody. Turning her body inward, snuggling closer into Torian's body—which was surprisingly comfortable given the nature of his armor—losing her worries in the sound of his voice, feeling contented. His aura embraced her, he was content.

Warm fuzzies. Torian warm fuzzies.

She smiled a lazy, tired smile.

Time was a slow friend, and it seemed to her that a long time passed before she felt the hands of sleep coming for her. She knew that he had repeated the song a few times, and truth be told, she didn't want to fall asleep—she wanted to hear him sing more. His voice was beautiful, still masculine and strong, but there were notes in it that spoke of deeper places in him. She wanted to discover them all.

She could see the small window where time and space bend to yield itself to the world of dreams—drifting slowly toward it. She was just there at the precipice—where she would fall into it, when she felt something touch her hair.

She froze, her breath caught in her chest. His voice still singing.

Breathe.

Torian's hand moved once through her hair, slowly, as if memorizing, her scalp tingling where his fingers stroked, sending trills of electric throughout her body, he paused the song, the new words he spoke so small in the great big world, spoken so softly they were nearly lost by the wind, "Like you, too."

Her eyes popped open, staring at the fire, it's energy changed from her own, flaring up for a moment, before she controlled her emotions, the warmth brushing her face, she smiled, knowing he couldn't see her face. He picked up the song where he left off, his hand resting on the side of her head, just laying still, touching her with the most innocent touch—clearly believing she was asleep.

Eventually, she did fall to sleep, his soft voice melodic with the sounds carrying her to slumber, such sweet sleep.

Her dream imitated life—hearing words between the lines of the song, his hand carefully pulling her hair back from her face, "Sleep sweet, my little soldier," his hand stroked her cheek softly, her dreams were exquisite she decided, humming under the attention, "Nuhoy, cyar ner verd'ika."


Andronikos had been sitting in the same chair for nine hours. They were on day five of their mission to heal Torian, and he was beginning to wonder if they were going to be successful. He didn't normally question his Sith—but he couldn't see a change in him at all so far. He'd studied his wife while she was busy glowing and healing and whatever other things she was doing across the room. Mand'alor was kind enough to send food with Andare for them, though his Sith didn't stop for food, and he knew she'd pay for that later. He had eaten both portions—mostly out of boredom. He'd taken a long nap earlier in the afternoon, and had watched through the dirty window the sun setting outside, the camp alive with activity.

He heard a loud commotion in the hallway, jumping to his feet, the chair tipping backward and crashing to the floor as he crossed the room in three steps, his blaster drawn and lined up with a shot to anyone who walked through that door.

His finger tempered the trigger as the sound got closer to the doorway, when he heard a voice from the chaos, his finger relaxing.

"Brii, darlin', don't think this is the right way to handle this," the voice was pleading, while he could just make out Mand'alor protesting, trying to speak over the noises.

"Corso! If you don't let go of my arm right this second I am going to shoot your fingers off!"

A flurry of energy wrapped up in a young woman entered the room, walking directly into the line of Andronikos' blaster. The girl jumped when she saw him standing there, then huffed, crossing her arms, anger marring her features.

"Damn it, Brii!" Andronikos raised his voice, his face red with fury, "Are you insane? I could have killed you!"

The woman rolled her eyes, her entire countenance one of dismissal, when Corso walked into the room, shuffling his feet, looking down at the floor, "Sorry, sir—I told her this was a bad idea."

"I know better than to blame you, son," he looked pointedly at Brii, "your wife has zero self-control. Gets it from her Mother."

Corso looked up, nodding, "Yes, sir, she does."

Brii's foot came down, her boot making a loud noise as it landed, "I want to know who the hell decided it would be a good idea to keep this from me!?"

Andronikos put his blaster back in his holster, his eyes meeting Mand'alor's who was standing in the doorway staring at the scene—her eyes asking if he had the situation handled. He nodded his head, thanking her, and she huffed, leaving the room.

"I'm not talking to you while you are this worked up," Andronikos muttered, "you need to calm down—before you do something stupid."

"Stupid is keeping this from me!" She stomped her foot again, the walls seemed to rattle a little bit, and Andronikos raised his eyes to the ceiling worriedly.

He looked at Corso then, his tone exasperated, "How long has she been like this?"

"Sir, it took us four days on hyperdrive to get here, she's had a good plenty long time to work herself up into this here frenzy."

Andronikos nodded, glancing behind him to check on his Sith who was still glowing and appearing for all the world to not have even noticed what was happening in the room. He knew better, of course, but he was glad she wasn't involving herself at this point.

He stepped forward, grabbing Brii, pulling her into him, her tiny body nearly disappearing in his arms. She pushed against him for a moment, a loud squeal filling the room before she suddenly burst into tears. Andronikos lifted his hand to hold her head to him, stroking her hair softly, "Shhh, now, everything is fine. Maer'naeh is healing him. We got here in plenty of time. We've been here four days, accessing the situation, that's all."

While she had been shuddering from the power of her tears, she was sniffling now, her voice watery as she spoke, "Maer'naih—you wouldn't lie to me about this would you?"

Andronikos stepped back a small bit, enough to reach to her face with both hands, forcing her to look him in the eyes, her bright blue eyes boring into his, searching for the truth, "I have never lied to you. I never will." She stared at him, and then he could feel the tingling sensation of her looking into his mind. He allowed her, knowing it was probably the only way she was going to calm down.

She nodded, her hands grabbing onto his wrists, his hands still holding her face, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"S'right," he whispered, "I understand." She leaned her head forward onto his chest for a moment, her stiff body relaxing into him.

"You should have told me."

Andronikos shrugged, speaking unapologetically, "I did what your Maer'naeh told me to do. She's the one who knew what had to be done—I was just the pilot of this crazy ship."

She looked up at him smiling a tiny smile, her hand reaching back to grab Corso's hand without even looking, his hand already in motion to reach for hers. She squeezed it hard, holding it fast.

"Wait, though, how exactly did you know where we were and what was happening?" Andronikos asked, his expression confused.

"Force bless a gundark—when are you two going to realize you can't hide things from all of us?" She threw her hand up in the air, then pointed at him, "you need to accept that we will always find out."

"I'm having a talk with Nikolaes, soon." His voice was firm, his eyes narrowed.

"You two taught him everything he knows; you can't be mad that he's better than you!" She laughed at him when he nodded, "…'sides we could have done it without him."

"Could you now?" Andronikos raised his brows, waiting for her to explain.

"We put a tracker on your ship, like eons ago," she shrugged, "We always know where you are."

His eyes widened, "You did what? That's not…it's not possible, we have a million security features to stop anyone from pu…"

"Cool your jets," she laughed then, "I'm just joshin' ya."

His eyebrows drew down, his frown deepening, "Is that right?"

She twisted her body in a little dance and then threw her hands up in the air, "Of course!"

Andronikos stared at her, "You know, you're the worst liar ever to be such a successful smuggler."

"I take exception to that remark—you wouldn't know I was lying if you weren't using your patriarch jujumagumbo on me."

She took a deep breath then, stepping backward into Corso's arms as if to gather strength from them, "You can take all the time you need to work your mind around all of your progeny outsmartin' you later—right now though, I need to see him."

Andronikos nodded, his expression uncertain, knowing that it was going to be hard for her to see him like this—and he'd do just about anything to keep her from suffering—she'd already suffered enough. He stepped to the side, gesturing for her to go around the machines that were blocking her from Torian.

She pulled Corso along with her as she walked further into the room—her heart wild with fear—until she turned around the large wall of machines and saw her Maer'naeh on the top of the bed, the soft glow from her filling the room and making her squint to try to see him.

She walked further into the room, Corso's grip on her hand tightening as she walked to the side of the bed, her eyes adjusting to the light and finally being able to see him.

The first thing she noticed was that he was alive. That was good. Then she studied him and the more she looked the harder her heart became—seeing the extent of his injuries, looking at the inner parts of him that were so broken.

"Who did this?" her voice was seething, her eyes moving away from Torian to meet Andronikos'.

"The Eternal Empire."

She wanted to scream, her rage was a living thing in the room—the walls were rattling from the force of it. Corso came up behind her, whispering softly in her ear, his arms reaching around her, holding her arms down, pulling her back into his embrace where at first she stiffened, looking like a caged animal ready to break free—but then slowly, as if by his sheer willpower alone, she melted into him, her eyes closing, her hands coming up in front of her, trying to get control of herself.

She breathed in deeply a few times, Corso felt the change in her, loosening his grip on her as she twisted in his arms, kissing him softly on the cheek in appreciation. He smiled at her, his face serious despite the happy expression, "We'll make them pay."

She nodded her head sharply, intent on making that promise come true, turning to Andronikos, Corso moving his arms to wrap around her waist, his head resting softly on her shoulder.

"They will pay," she was asking more than stating, "that's the truth right?"

"No one can see all ends, Brii," he spoke firmly, "you know that—but yes, it is almost certain they will pay for what they have done."

She stared at him for a moment, and then shifted her eyes back to Torian, moving away from Corso to stand by the bed—he followed her, as if linked to her by a tether, his fingers touching the small of her back. She reached down, picking up Torian's hand, holding it—wanting nothing more than to feel the strength that belonged there, gripping her hand back.

She glanced up at the Sith, whispering softly, "I'm sorry Maer. I was just…scared."

The Sith raised her hand, her position otherwise completely unchanged, the light unwavering even as she moved, her hand flipping to the side as if to dismiss her concerns.

Brii closed her eyes, "Can he hear me?"

"Yes," the Sith spoke softly, her powers unchanged.

"Ahdae'na," her voice broke on the name, she cleared her throat before speaking again, squeezing his hand, her voice stronger, "I've come to help take care of you, Ahdae'na. Ni ceta dar'olar. Ni olaror jii."

She looked up at Andronikos who nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"Ni kelir gaa'taylir gar, jahaala gar, Ni Kelir nu draar ba'slanar gar tug'yc akay gar cuyir ani," her tone was sharp, as if she was angry, but her body began to shake softly, and she slowly dropped beside the bed on her knees, her head pressing into his side, her arm placed across his chest, pulling his hand to her face, kissing it gently, "Gedyet'ye, Dae'dae, please…"

Tears began to roll down her face as she felt so lost in the moment, "I need you."

She tried to catch her breath, the emotions seeming to overwhelm her—her body trembling with unshed tears trying to break free. Corso whispered to Andronikos that this was the first time she'd cried, since Raeyn went missing, and Brii growled, wanting to kick him in the shin for saying it out loud.

"I need you, Ahdae— gedet'ye nu draar vaabir ba'slanar ni. I can't lose you too—not after Eldae." Her body shook softly as the weight of her words moved through her. She stood up quickly, "Ni ceta—I'm not helping, I'm hurting—I can feel his emotions—I'm disturbing him. I'm going go out…I need to calm down."

She reached back and took Corso's hand turning to leave the room. She jumped when a hand came around her wrist, turning sharply, hoping to see her father's blue eyes looking at her. She met her Maer'naeh's pale eyes instead, her expression soft, her touch easing as she pulled her forward into her arms, holding her softly, Brii's body melted into her, the emotions roiling off of her, as the Sith soothed her in every way.

"Shhh, sweet Brii—your parents named you Briikase because you smiled before you were born and your giggle was heard long before you opened your eyes—sweet child—your soul is not meant for tears. He is going to be healed—I promise you. Your Maer'naih wanted to tell you—I told him we would not, because I knew you couldn't do this without being here. You are here now—now it all begins," she let go of her, pulling back—holding her face in her hands, pulling her forward to kiss her forehead, "Se'teai," the name filled the room with joy, and Brii couldn't stop the smile edging onto her face, "I have never lied to you."

Brii nodded her head in her hands, "Thank you, ai te'aer."

The Sith smiled, her face soft with the love emanating from her, speaking softly, "I love you too—so much!" She looked up to Andronikos—without a word he immediately moved to the other side of the bed, his hand wrapping around her upper arm as she swayed.

"I'm done for the day," she smiled weakly at him, "you arrived just in time."

It was like Brii had not looked at her Maer yet, and when she did all she could feel was alarm. Her skin was drawn and so pale, the markings on her face standing out more than normal. She seemed too thin, something….off, sickly.

"What in the world have you been doing?" her voice came out in a screech, and Brii leaned forward catching her grandmother's eyes, "Tryin' to kill yourself? You've let her get to this point?"

She glared at Andronikos, her eyes widening when he reached over, his hands going around the Sith's waist as he lifted her gently off the bed, careful of the wires and machines still hooked up to Torian. He set her carefully on the ground in front of him, his hands still on her waist, clearly supporting her as she swayed.

"Frakking hell!" Brii hissed—her eyes narrowing, "You ARE killing yourself!"

She stomped around the room in a flurry, boxing in her grandparents, reaching out both hands to grab her grandmother's. The Sith's eyes were wide and curious, when suddenly Brii started to glow brightly, forcing life through her hands into her Grandmother's. She tried to pull her hands away, but Brii was absolute, refusing to let them go.

"Brii—language please…and you don't…" she started to speak, but Brii shushed her, still sending white light through the connection of their hands.

She realized it was pointless to argue with this stubborn child—too much of her Mother and Father in this one to be anything other than a brick wall when she'd set her mind to something. She waited until Brii severed the connection with her, huffing softly, "I was just getting him stabilized, that's all. You had no need to do that, I would have taken time to recover…"

Brii made a loud buzzing sound, cutting her off, not letting her finish, "I'm sure you have—like a few hours instead of a few days—you are too far from the aim'te here in this gods forsaken ball of dirt! It's taking too much out of you! I had a feeling this is what I would find when I got here—I've already sent messages to everyone. We're taking him home, off of this rock."

She had crossed her arms, her hip jutting forward, her entire being radiating with the fact she was prepared to put up a fuss over it. She dropped her arms, her face confused when the Sith nodded, "That would be best, you are the only one who can get him off planet safely and to the aim'te."

Andronikos leaned down and around, kissing his Sith on the cheek, smiling as he whispered into her ear, "Just as you planned."

"Frak!" Brii exclaimed loudly, "You could have just contacted me like normal people do!"

"I didn't know until I was here with him, by the time I understood I had already felt you moving closer—so there was no point." The Sith stood still for a moment, before her head dropped, her eyes on the floor, "I wanted to fix this…I had to at least try—it felt like something I could do…."

They all knew she was referring to Raeyn and the fact she still couldn't figure out where she was or how to rescue her.

"That's not your fault," Andronikos whispered, sincerity filling his words, "You're the only one who thinks you should be able to do everything."

"He's not lying, Maer," she leaned down to see her face, making the Sith look up at her, "none of us can find her. We've even went in groups to search thinking it would give us better attunement. This is something new. You could not do anything other than what you have done."

The Sith nodded, her hands squeezing Brii's, "Thank you, I suppose I needed to hear that."

She turned then, her legs weak, her body starting to buckle when Andronikos lifted her up into her arms before she could fall.

"I've got you, crazy Sith," he smiled over at Brii, moving past her toward the walkway to leave the room, "Taking her to bed—you two find your way around?"

"Sir, I will take good care of her," Corso tipped his head, walking to stand next to Brii, "You have my word."

"No doubt in my mind about that Corso," he laughed, then more seriously, "I'll hold you to it."

He looked down at the Sith, who was already fast asleep in his arms, smiling at how precious she was, then nodded to the two kids as he walked out of the room heading to their ship for some rest. He'd see to it she wasn't disturbed tonight, and then tomorrow maybe he'd make her some of that soup she liked, and give her some of her herbal tea, and maybe run her bath if she would allow him to.

Suddenly, he appeared back around the machines, "…by the way Brii?"

Her eyes met his, questioning.

"I don't know what you are wearing, but if your Dad wakes up and sees you in that, he's liable to kill Corso."

Brii looked down at what she considered a perfectly proper wardrobe, her best features on display. Sure, the pants were tight but that was part of the package, the tied shirt was covering all of her girl parts but showed just enough to be effective with stupid men, and for that matter women, too—her toned tummy slowed everyone down—this was the perfect smuggler's outfit.

She glanced back up at her grandfather, "I don't see what's wrong with it—and b'sides why are you not discussing how tight his pants are?" she pointed to Corso beside her, her eyes brushing up and down his body before putting her hands on her hips, his hands flying up in the air, "Don't be bringing me into this!"

Brii scoffed at Corso, shoving him sideways and walked forward, "Besides Dae won't do nothing—Corso and I have been married for almost ten years! If he was planning to pitch a fit about our personal activities, that ship done sailed through this galaxy—and about eighteen other ones as well."

She nearly burst out laughing at her grandfather's horrified expression, instead she turned around looking back at Corso, who was counting on his fingers, then he corrected her, "Nineteen, don't forget the one with the weird fish people."

She nodded, turning back to her grandfather, "Nineteen."

Andronikos grunted, a long slow sound of disapproval filling the room, "Hellfire and damnation, Brii!"

She laughed then, a deep, hearty sound that filled the room with joy, Corso joining in, his arm coming around her waist to pull her back to him.

"It's a contest, everyone plays—'cept for Niko for obvious reasons—you should ask Maer about it when she wakes up," she burst out laughing again at the sight of Andronikos' discomfort, his body shuddering, grimacing at her as he turned to carry his Sith to their ship.

"We're in second place," she called out to him, still laughing, "You don't want to know who is in first place—that's a conversation for you and Maer to have, when you are in a brand new galaxy!"

She smiled when she heard her grandfather's curses as he went down the hallway.

"You're incorrigible, Capt'n," Corso whispered in her ear, leaning down to kiss her neck, "that was downright mean."

She reached her hand up to hold his head to her, scraping her fingernails through his hair, "He'll kill me when he finds out there's no contest—but his expression was totally worth it."

"Hopefully, we'll be off this planet by then," he mumbled, his hands squeezing her hips, "course, knowing her, your Grannie might just play along."

"Ew," she frowned, her face twisted in disgust, "Corso, they're my grandparents!"

He laughed, his breath flowing across her skin making her shudder, "Well, you get all your feisty from somewhere—that's all I'm gonna say."

She hummed lightly, turning in his arms, her hands grabbing his face, kissing him soundly, "Good point. I love you, Farmboy."

"Now, you know I love you too, Capt'n, but…" he turned her around and pointed her at the bed where her father was, slapping her on the backside, causing her to squeal, gently pushing her forward, "still got some words to share with your old man there—go get 'em."

She moved to the bed, her father laying so still, he was a shell of himself, but she knew he was in there—she could feel it—so she leaned down to him, close to his face, all of her tears spent and now knowing what needed to be done.

"You taught me that we were verda, you raised me to stomp my feet to the universe's fight song! I'm here to fight for, with you—and I don't settle for failure—it's not in my mandokar—not in yours either, and certainly not in Eldae's. You are gonna be strong when she comes home! It's time for you to return to battle!" She pushed her hand to him, flattening her palm over his heart, a soft glow coming from her hand to his chest, "You feel me. I am strong, and willful. I am fierce and I am Mando'ade. I am the daughter of the two most powerful Mandalorians in the galaxy—and I am not going to battle without you."

She leaned over, her hand still resting on his chest, closer to him, her entire body glowing for a moment as the cry left her lips, "Oya manda!"

The machines near her beeped wildly, her eyes shifting to look at them, his heart rate having increased, setting off alarms. She turned to look at him, smiling broadly, "Fight the good fight, Daedae. K'oyacyi!"

Andare rushed into the room, tapping buttons on the machines and walking to stand on the other side of Brii and Corso. Her eyes studying Torian, his machines hadn't made any new sounds since the day she had hooked him up to them—she glanced up, jumping as if she didn't even notice them there so absorbed was she in Torian…her eyes widening as she looked at Brii for the first time.

"Andronikos said you are Torian's….daughter?" she gestured to the man beside her, "and son-in-law?"

Brii nodded, grinning at the perplexed expression on the medical officer's face, glancing down at the chart in her hand, and then back up to look at Brii—clearly trying to figure out the math. Corso cleared his throat, "No sense in even doin' the figures, ma'am, there is some kind of alien calcula'tin involved that don't no one fathom 'cept them."

Andare's eyes widened, looking from Torian, then back to Brii, "That would…actually explain…quite a lot...so, he's...an...alien?"

Brii burst out into laughter, slapping her leg, "Him?" she pointed at Torian, waiting for Andare to answer. When she nodded, Brii tried to speak through her laughter, "He's 100% human through and through. He's no alien."

Andare looked at her, confused, "...but he's your father...which means...he's older than he is?" She looked back down at Torian, "...but the tests all show his age at 26. It's not possible for you to be his daughter."

"I'm clearly missing something here," she mumbled flipping through Torian's chart again.

"Ma'am, it's not cause you aren't smart or nothing," Corso spoke softly, "it takes some fancy ways of accepting information that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to be able to understand."

"Jujumagumbo," Brii said flatly.

"Yep," Corso nodded, "unexplainable truths that don't fit into the confines of the reality we know? Jujumagumbo."

"Jujuma..." Andare stared at the two of them, "are you serious?"

"Yep!" Brii nodded, "Nothing to worry about, we're gonna see him back to good health. I'm going to need to see your boss so I can arrange moving him onto my ship without causing any problems for her."

Andare studied the woman, her resemblance to Torian remarkable. She wondered what her mother looked like since she favored her father so much. Her blonde hair was the exact color of Torian's pulled into an intricate braid that fell down her back, and her eyes…they were a brilliant blue—and though she had only seen Torian's eyes when she checked them for dilation she'd be willing to bet money on the fact that they looked just like the ones she was looking at.

She blinked rapidly when Brii waved her hand in front of her face, "Hello? Is this thing on?"

Andare laughed, embarrassed, "I'm sorry—it's just….you look just like your father."

Brii glanced down at him, smiling, "Not ashamed of that, I'll tell ya, though I got a spark of my Momma in me too, to be sure!" She winked at Andare, nodding.

"I'll arrange everything you need to get him off planet without any suspicion. Probably not until tomorrow though, I'm sorry," Andare put the chart back on the end of the bed, walking toward the door, Brii and Corso following.

"That's just fine by us," Corso murmured, nodding toward the door, gesturing for Andare to walk first, "We got us some explorin' to do here."

"Good, good…well, wait, no, you should really be very careful out there beca…" Andare stopped, looking at the amused expressions on their faces and realizing that they clearly knew how to take care of themselves. She walked to the door, turning to look back at them, "Then I'll speak with you tomorrow with the plans!"

Corso nodded, turning to look at Brii who was staring at him, her eyes wide and dilated, "What's this about some kind of exploring, Corso?"

He smiled at her, pulling her into his arms, "The way I got it figured—this is one system we haven't been in before, Capt'n, and it sounds like we're free til tomorrow mornin'." He leaned down, kissing the side of her head, whispering in her ear, "Thinkin' a private tour."

She felt a wave of excitement wash over her as she picked up on the direction his mind was taking him. Her hands came up to grab his face, pulling it down to hers, her mouth sliding softly across his lips and he hummed, starting to lean into her, but then he stood straight up abruptly, her expression confused, "What the heck, Cor…"

His hands flew up, taking a step back, his face pleading, "No, no, no, not here—dang woman, you muddle my brain—that's your Dae over there, and I am not sure he still wouldn't kill me for thinkin' bout you like that."

She laughed, her eyes twinkling as she grabbed his hand and started dragging him out of the room, "Then let's find somewhere else to finish this conversation!" She wagged her eyebrows up and down and he blushed, laughing at him when he shook his head.

"Besides, I'll protect you from Dae."

They were nearing the back door, when he pulled on her arm, sweeping her up into his arms, kissing her quickly, and then started walking her backwards, her head falling back as she laughed, him corralling her toward the exit, "I'm counting on it, pretty lady."


Notes:

I LOVE YOU ALL! If you read to here, I am always trying to come up with new ways to tell you how VERY MUCH I appreciate you! Your kindness, enthusiasm, and you reading my work is such a beautiful part of my world. THANK YOU!


Translations: I've put a * by the words that are not-Mando'a.

Gedet'ye [geh-DET-yay] Please

Nuhoy cyar ner verd'ika ner,
[noo-HOY shar nair vair-DEE-kah nair]
Sleep sweet my little soldier mine,

Mand'alor's kotep taylir keldab,
[Mand'alor's KOH-tehp TIE-leer kel-DAHB]
Mand'alor's bravest hold the line,

*Eldae'na [EL-day-NAH] Mother, Mom

*Maer'naeh [MARE-nay] Grandmother, literally Elder Ma

*Maer'naih [MARE-nigh] Grandfather, literally Elder Pa

*Maer [MARE] Affectionate term for Grandmother, literally Elder, equal to Grannie, Mamaw, or other affectionate name-this term is also used to refer to the male equivalent: Grandpa ie, Papaw, Pappie, etc.

*Ahdea'na [AH-day-NAH] Father, Dad

Ni ceta dar'olar. Ni olaror jii.
[nee SET-ah dahr OH-lar. nee oh-LAR-ohr gee]
I'm sorry I wasn't here. I'm here now.

Ni kelir gaa'taylir gar, jahaala gar, Ni Kelir nu draar ba'slanar gar tug'yc akay gar cuyir ani.
[nee kel-EER gah-TAY-leer gahr, ja-HAH-lah gahr, nee kel-EER noo DRAR BAH-slah-NAR gahr too-GEESH ah-KAY gahr KOO-yeer AH-nee]
I will help you, heal you, I'll not leave you again until you are whole.

Gedet'ye, Daedae [geh-DET-yay DAY-day] Please, Daddy

*Ahdae [ah-DAY] A more affectionate term than the use of Daddy-less juvinile-with full appreciation of who your parent is and what they mean to you

Gedet'ye nu draar vaabir not ba'slanar ni
[geh-DET-yay noo DRAR VAH-beer BAH-slah-NAR nee]
Please do not leave me. Do not is emphatic as in never leave me.

*Eldae [EL-day] Extremely affectionate term-less juvinile thank Mommy or Mama-with full appreciation of who your parent is and what they mean to you

Ni ceta [nee SET-ah]sorry (lit: I kneel) grovelling apology - rare

Briikase [bree-KAH-say]happy

*Se'teai [say-TIE] Affectionate nickname which loosely means sweet little

*ai te'aer er [EYE tay-AIR er] I love you

*aim'te [AIM-tay] Connection-link-heart

Dae [DAY] Dad

verda [VAIR-dah] warriors

mandokar [MAN-doh-KAR]the *right stuff*, the epitome of Mando virtue - a blend of aggression, tenacity, loyalty and a lust for life

Oya manda![OY-ah-MAN-dah]Expression of Mandalorian solidarity and perpetuity: emotional and assertive.

K'oyacyi![Koy-AH-shee!] *Come back safely.* Literally, a command; *Stay alive!*