We finished up breakfast with a little time to spare. Jennet gave me a quick kiss and said she was heading outside to stretch and do some calisthenics. I joined her; I had been too long without a regular routine. Side by side, we went through push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups. I managed to do more, but not by much. She gave me a quirk of her mouth.
Competitive, much?
I've got to take what I can get with you, I answered gruffly.
All you have to do is ask, she purred back. Or look at me like that. Or breathe.
I grinned, and kissed her. She took my hand, and we walked together to the entrance of the camp. The honor guard was waiting; Jarxel let me know that our jetti friends were already at the Ebon Hawk. We all made our way to the ship, Jennet muttering about being sweaty. I didn't mind; she smelled good to me. Honest sweat has never been a turn off to a Mandalorian.
Once on board the 'Hawk, we were greeted by the Elders and the rest of the crew. Jennet and I bowed respectfully and they returned the gesture.
Elder Gregor spoke. "Most of the writings regarding Mates have been lost; there has not been a true Mate of a Mandalore in two and a half centuries."
Jennet looked at me accusingly. "You said four generations."
I looked back, puzzled. "Yes. A generation is about eighty years."
"Oh." She looked mollified. "Most humans consider a generation to be twenty or so."
Elder Gregor cleared his throat. We went back to paying attention. "However, there are the classic signs of being Mates: sharing battle ecstasy, sensing each other's presence, even over distance, reading each other's thoughts. We have never heard of an outlander Mate before, let alone one who is Force sensitive; we can only imagine what the two of you can share, if proven Mates." He paused, looking from me to Jennet. I remained stoic; Jennet smiled sweetly.
"Elder Evana, Elder Drane and I have decided that the first step in the Trials is to test Jennet for Mandoa blood, and Canderous for metichlorides; this will eliminate more scientific explanations for their bond. I am relatively certain we already know the outcome of these tests, but we would like it on record. This is an unprecedented event, and we as a race have few enough records left. Disciple has graciously offered to act as scribe during the trials; we are fortunate to have a trained archivist on hand."
Elder Gregor inclined his head at Disciple, who gravely nodded back, his eyes shining.
"Ladria Windbreak, as senior Jedi present, and acting head of the Council," Jennet looked up sharply at that, and Ladria smiled at her serenely. Jennet smiled back with approval. "Has offered to conduct the blood test on Canderous; Elder Evana will conduct ours on Jennet. We would like physicals from both of you, to ensure you can survive the Trials. This is a formality only, ceremonial, if you will. However, as no Elder council has formally approved Canderous as Mandalore, this would be a good time to do so, and physical trials are part of that."
"No." Jennet and I spoke together.
"You refuse?" Elder Gregor asked with a glower.
"Not to ceremonial examinations, no," I explained calmly. "I object to being 'approved' as Mandalore. I am Mandalore, have been for five years now, and the Elder Council does not hold that much power over government."
"If you attempt to endorse him now, formally," Jennet added, "along with our Mate trials, you're more or less publicly doubting his claim to the Helm. I understand it's only the Mandalore and his Mate apparent that undergo trials; anyone else can just marry and be done with it. You can't have it both ways; either he is Mandalore, and is undergoing trials to prove he's Mate to me, or he isn't Mandalore, in which case, we're done here."
"I doubt any of the men here will take kindly to having their leader questioned," Jarxel said in a quiet but carrying voice.
"They certainly wouldn't," Dax added with just a touch of a growl.
The Elders looked from the two men flanking me to Jennet, then my face. Unexpectedly, they all smiled.
"You have passed the test, Mandalore." Elder Gregor said formally. "The loyalty of your people is impressive."
"Thank you," I said. "The trials?" I was aware of the honor, but didn't feel it was necessary.
"Yes. Master Ladria?" he nodded to her, and she stepped forward, holding out a device almost exactly like the one I'd used on Jennet – was it only ten days ago?
"Elder Gregor, I would like to take not only a sample from Canderous, but all the Jedi present, Jennet, and the honor guard as well, if they consent to it," she said smoothly. "It would give a baseline. I know you want to be as thorough as possible."
"That is a good idea," Elder Evana said slowly. "Perhaps it would be best to do the same with our tests as well. But the Mandalorians involved must give consent freely."
"Of course," Ladria said, smiling.
The common area was crowded with the three Elders, the Ebon Hawk crew, and Jarxel and Dax. The rest of the honor guard were outside, both to ensure privacy and because the ship was full enough. Ladria got samples from all the jetti, Jennet, herself, and me. Dax approached without comment, but Jarxel balked for a second. I gave him a look that said only if you want to. He shrugged and put his hand on the pad. I followed Ladria outside, Jarxel coming along.
"Men," I said without preamble, "The Jedi are taking blood samples from themselves, me and Jennet, and would like to take one from you all as well to get a baseline. You do not have to, but it would be helpful. I expect the Elders would like to take some as well. This is strictly a volunteer basis." I turned and went back into the ship.
Ladria and Jarxel returned a few minutes later. I was pleased that not one man refused.
While the test was running, Elder Evana collected samples from everyone as well. In about five minutes, the first results were in.
"Here," Ladria said, plugging her device into the computer terminal built into the table in the common room. "These are the samples from the Mandalorians." She pointed out eight lines on the graph. "This line is the minimum amount of metichlorides needed to be eligible for Jedi training." She indicated a point above a line that was higher on the graph than the other seven. "This one is Canderous," she traced the one that was closest to the Jedi cutoff. "He clearly has more Force ability than the others, but is still below minimum requirements."
"Where am I?" Jennet asked, leaning forward. Ladria pointed on the graph. I whistled.
"Who is the one above her?" I asked curiously.
"Me." Ladria said simply. She turned to Jennet. "I am not going to ask you to become a full Jedi, but for all intents and purposes, you pretty much are. The only one I've seen higher than either of us that wasn't a Master was Revan."
"Surely there were more," Jennet said nervously.
"Of course," Ladria said smoothly. "I haven't seen everyone's, after all."
Jennet sat back, looking a little stunned. I put an arm around her.
"Wildcat, if you want to train, I'm behind you," I said sincerely. "Things are different now, both for the jetti and the Mandoa. There is no Council to forbid our marriage, and my people would accept it, in time. Most already do."
"I…" Jennet seemed at a loss for words. "I'll think about it."
"Fair enough," Ladria said briskly. "As I said, I'm not going to ask. But…the threat isn't over, yet. Jedi are nearly extinct; we would welcome you. I suspect you're more like me than we know; it would explain some things."
"Like what?" Jennet asked sharply.
"We share some common traits," Ladria said quietly. "Healing ability, for one. You might have noticed I'm almost as good as you are in that. The ability to attract people, bind them to you. Within a day, everyone on the Ebon Hawk regarded you as family; it seems the same has happened here, with the Mandoa. I'm not saying," she held up a hand to the Elders, who seemed to be wanting to interject, "That Jennet isn't genuine, or using a Jedi trick to bind Canderous or your people. She wouldn't do that, even unconsciously. But she is charismatic, and a natural leader. With training, she would be even more powerful. That could have a positive effect on your people, with her bound to Canderous. The best advice I can give you right now is not to cut yourself off from the Force, like I did." She gave a sad, bitter smile.
"You are positive Jennet is not a threat, or binding Canderous unconsciously to her?" Elder Gregor asked gravely.
"Absolutely," Ladria said firmly. "She's not capable of it. Canderous is stronger in the Force than most of you, but not strong enough to make the sort of bond with her that would explain their connection. And she should not be able to use her Force abilities through him; he's definitely not sensitive enough."
"All right then," Elder Gregor said. "I have our results as well."
He plugged his unit into the computer, and another graph appeared, floating above the table.
"These are the Mandalorians," he said, touching eight dots. "They all test positive, seven of them pureblood. This one is well over half, but just under full blooded."
I was curious, but decided not to ask whose dot it was. Elder Gregor pointed to the other seven dots, all glowing red; but one was lighter than the others. He pointed to that one first.
"This one has had a Mandalorian in their family history at one point, but does not have enough DNA to generate a positive response. This one is Jennet," he said, pointing to another dot, glowing brightly but absolutely red. "Clearly, no Mandalorian genes at all."
"Well, no one is perfect," I quipped. Jennet elbowed me.
Disciple was taking notes the entire time on a datapad. He looked up at Elder Gregor, eyebrow raised. "Let the records show that Jennet is not Mandoa, and Canderous could not be Force sensitive enough to explain their connection?" he asked.
Elder Gregor nodded. "So says the council."
Disciple busily entered that into his datapad.
"So now what?" Jennet asked.
"We will give each of you a physical examination, and discuss the next trial," Elder Drane said. It was the first time I'd heard him speak clearly; his voice was low and raspy, as if at one time someone had attempted to strangle him, and his vocal chords had been damaged.
"I'll go first," I said, and headed toward the small infirmary. Elder Drane and Disciple followed. The medbay was almost too small for three; all of us were large men, and the room felt claustrophobic. I sat on the gurney and suffered being poked and prodded, Disciple pausing every so often to add something to the datapad. They were swift, and I was pronounced healthy about in about fifteen minutes.
Jennet's exam by Elder Evana and Ladria took longer; Visas took the datapad for hers, and I suspected the Elders wanted more data on Jennet because of her healing and other Force abilities. But eventually, she came out with a clean bill of health. She sat next to me, smiling, and took my hand. I gave her a squeeze back.
Elder Gregor stood, and faced us. "The examination portion of the Trials are complete. Let the record show that there is no medical or other scientific reason for the apparent bond between Canderous Ordo and Jennet Jax; therefore, the Trials will continue. The next step is to prove or disprove the mental connection; the first of these trials will take place tomorrow at mid-morning. We will meet in the mess hall after breakfast; anyone who wishes to witness the Trials may do so."
The three Elders gave a short bow, which we stood and returned, and they left, escorted by Zuka and Tagren back to camp.
"That was almost anticlimactic," Jennet said grumpily.
"Would you rather it had been a grueling seven hour physical examination, complete with probes in uncomfortable places?" Mira asked, grinning.
"Well, no," Jennet said sheepishly.
"At the risk of saying 'I told you so…'" I grinned at Jennet.
"Don't," she said, half-seriously. "I'm glad today was easy, but I really don't think it's going to stay that way. Why tempt the Gods?"
"All right, Wildcat. I'll keep my hubris to myself."
"We're here, with the infirmary, and I have Ladria and Visas on hand. Go get Kex; it's time to hold him to his bet," Jennet said, changing the subject.
Jarxel and I went outside and dragged a reluctant Kex into the ship. He wasn't trying to welsh on his bet, he was just most unhappy about being poked and prodded. When I pointed out how I'd just been through that, he brightened some, but still didn't look eager. Still, a bet was a bet, and Kex was an honorable man. Within a few minutes, he was out of his armor, wearing only his daily tunic and breeches, and looking grumpy.
Jennet took both his hands in hers, closed her eyes, and stilled. I tuned in and could feel her tracing the bones, muscles, sinew, and blood in Kex's hands, assessing damage, judging what could be done. After a time, she shifted her hands to his left knee, repeating the process, touching up and down the whole limb, then took stock of the good leg. It took about fifteen minutes for her to get a complete reading, and I already knew what she was going to say.
"I can fix this," Jennet said quietly. "But it's going to be brutal for a short time, and I'd rather you were out. In fact, I insist on it."
"What do you mean?" Kex asked suspiciously.
"I mean I'm going to have to re-break both your hands and shatter your knee in order to fix them. They've been healed wrongly too long; my ability will only fix you to where you are; not where you should be. You are at full strength right now, in body; the state of your hands and leg is irrelevant to my healing. I might be able to do enough healing to permanently remove much of the pain, but not restore you to full function as it is. However, if I break them, I can guide the muscles and bones back to their ideal positions."
Kex looked at her, open-mouthed. He shut it, and looked at me. I nodded encouragingly, as did Jarxel. Finally, he spoke. "You're absolutely certain you can fix me?" He asked, in a voice that was just short of wonder, yet tinged with suspicion.
"Yes," Jennet said firmly. She nodded to Ladria, who grabbed a hypo and started toward Kex.
"No," he said with finality, putting a hand up to Ladria. "I'll do it, but I don't want to be put under."
"Kex," I said sternly. "Jennet and Ladria will not pull any tricks on you while you're asleep. You insult my Mate and my guest by being suspicious of their motives. Besides, I'll be here."
"No, no," Kex said, "I meant no disrespect. I just don't wish to be unconscious. I like your lass, Mandalore. She wouldn't mean me harm."
Jennet looked horrified. "You expect me to do this with you awake?!"
"Yes," Kex said calmly. "I wouldn't mind a drink or six first, though."
"You are out of your mind," Jennet said in a low voice. "You get that this is going to hurt a lot, right? As in vomiting up a lung pain? As in begging to die? You understand?"
"What's some pain to a Mandalorian? When you're done, I won't hurt anymore, right?" Kex asked.
"Well, no." Jennet said doubtfully. "But it's going to be hell until I heal you. Three times, I'm going to have to do this."
"Lass, it's been hell not being able to fight these last few years. I can stand anything if it means I'll be back to myself again. But I can't do it quietly, drugged. I got this way with pain, I'll get back the same way."
"Alcohol is a drug, you moron!" Jennet shouted.
"Aye, but it's a drug I can control," Kex said, smiling. He didn't seem fazed by her outburst at all.
"You are fucking insane!" Jennet yelled again.
"No more than most Mandoa," I said, deciding it was time to intervene. "I don't like being put out at all. Wildcat, can you keep it together and heal him, even if he's awake?"
Jennet glared at me. "Of course I can."
"Then do it," I said with finality. I didn't make it an order, really, but she sent me a look that told me just what she thought of my tone.
"Fine," she snapped. "Apparently insanity is contagious. I'll do it. But we'd better go somewhere else, where we can fit most of us; I'm going to need help."