Maze had to get away from Skirata and the Nulls; although he had to give it to him, this was well thought out. Totally isolated, easily defended and they were getting on with that other building, so room to expand.

He'd seen Essie; her body language told him, she wanted to talk to him but he couldn't face her. Lunch was crowded and he'd had enough, so he did a quick run of the perimeter as his recce to clear his head and checked on their freighter. He could do with spending some time on it.

Sergeant Rav lived nearby, with Yayax squad and he heard she had some relative who was a mechanic. It was her boys working on the building in the grounds but it was difficult to discern exactly what it was intended to be and he noted a number of additional people he had not expected to see.

Commander Levet was the first regular trooper he had seen here but no Delta and no Vau. That was unusual.

He recognised the scientist from Qiilura, the one who caused all the trouble there, when he was first assigned to Zey. She was unexpected, although her planet had now been 'cleansed' by the Empire. He picked up that titbit on Fradian.

He wondered what Skirata wanted with her.

He headed back to the house, hearing Essie's voice and stopped when he saw who she was talking to, peering through the trees.

Kom'rk — all smiles, talking to her. He backed away, out of sight.

A feeling of jealousy coiled like a snake around his insides again; he moved back as they went inside before he walked out.

"Maze!" He heard a familiar voice and was hit around the knees by a small child.

He looked down and picked up Del swinging him around before setting him back down. He squatted to talk to him.

"Del. How are you?" He hadn't spoken to him either since they left Fradian. His eyes flicked over to a small child toddling over to them.

"I'm good Maze. I have a friend here. Kad. He's showing me around. His dad's a clone but he's not here."

"How's your mum?"

"Shes sad. She misses Gramps and Mama Sol like I do."

Maze felt guilty again.

"They have Nuna and Roba here and the trees are humongous." He couldn't get the words out quickly enough.

"Thank you for getting us away from that bad place."

Maze smiled, it was as good a way as any to describe it.

"I didn't like it."

"They didn't hurt you did they?" Maze asked, worried.

Del shook his head.

"It's getting dark now. Time to go in."

"Maze?" Del was asking a question, "Can you make Mammy happy again?"

Maze didn't answer as walked him to the door.

.

"You don't have to do this, you know, you should rest!" Laseema said, "You've had a bad few weeks."

Laseema had talked to her about what happened, as they made their way here and asked if she needed any other medical treatment. She had not. Now they were sorting through the supplies. Laseema needed to do a stock take, with more mouths to feed and arrange a supply run if needed.

"I feel better doing something."

"Flour?"

"Three bags."

Essie looked at the large bags of flour, enough to feed an army especially based on the thing called bread they had served. Hard and flat. It needed to be soaked in something before you ate it. She shuddered at the thought of it.

"Don't you have real bread?"

"Not really."

"My parents were bakers, I could try…"

"Yes. Give it a go! Red beans?" Laseema continued.

"Five bags. The other women?"

"Besany, Jilka, Ny?"

"Yes."

"Besany is with Ordo. Jilka is Besany's friend but Corr might be interested there. Ny." She paused, "Ny is A'den's friend and he thinks she would be ideal for Kal, as a wife. His brothers seem to agree."

"What? You can't just make someone like them." Essie was surprised at a clone matchmaking.

"Try telling them that but I have to say, she does seem to like him and he, her."

Essie shook her head, surprised by these new clones.

They both raised their heads from the counting, as the engines of a ship revved, as it came into land.

"It's okay. It's expected. It's the Doctor and Vau." Laseema said. "They've been on a medical shopping trip."

"Doctor?"

"Yes. What if a clone came in injured?"

Essie nodded, she should have known they would have thought all this through and couldn't rely on just one clone medic, however, good he was. Although it looked chaotic there was an underlying order to everything they did

"Vau?"

"Another Sergeant."

Essie felt Laseema's unease at the new arrival.

Then they heard the raised voices.

"Vau." Said Laseema. "He's not happy about Zey."

"Why?"

"He hates Jedi more than Kal."

Essie stopped what she was doing.

Laseema put her hand on Essie's, "Don't worry. You'll be okay. Kal likes you."

She wasn't so sure, if this Vau finds out about her, what she is, which he is bound to. She tried to shut out their feelings of anger, it was overpowering.

.

Essie lay there, unable to sleep; the argument between the Sergeants, Skirata and Vau earlier, and the resulting tension unnerved her. Laseema's husband Atin used to have a problem with Vau, she said, but they got over it.

She was finally piecing all the names and relationships together, like some giant puzzle.

Checking on Del, he was fast asleep. Snoring. He had been running around all day and hadn't asked where Maze was again, and she hadn't seen him.

She stood, folding the clothes Rav sent over for him; Laseema said they belonged to Rav's family, although there were several sets of small fatigues included in one bundle and some tops for her. Essie held one up trying to imagine a small clone wearing them; the image came all to easily to her now she had met Kad but they were a little too large for him yet. Just right for Del.

"I must thank her." She murmured to herself.

She squeezed into a pullover Laseema gave her; it was a tight fit on the shoulders, pulled on the fatigue bottoms she had been lent, turning up the bottoms, and pulling the cord she used as a belt tighter. The hips were fine but the waist, much too big. She was a little too muscular for the trousers offered by the some of the other women and walked quietly to the kitchen. She needed to do something, just lying in bed looking at the ceiling wasn't in her nature and it never worked.

A soft nightlight lit the kitchen, it was all she needed.

She filled the heavy kettle and put it on the stove, no fancy appliances here. Then she looked for the shig or tea, opening several cupboards.

"Top shelf, right hand side, unless you want something stronger."

The voice startled her.

Kal held out the bottle in the dim light of the living room. "Bad habit!"

"No thanks. I'll stick with the shig." She turned back to the cupboard.

"Sensible girl."

She wasn't sure if he was drunk or not, he didn't sound it but his attitude to her was different.

"Can't sleep?" He asked.

"No, the arguments. You?"

She lit the stove.

"What I did for the war."

She felt herself looking at him for a long time. Then decided not to go down that road, no matter how inviting it was. Leaning back against the counter she spoke, not wanting any silence.

"I spent all my life on Coruscant and while the apartments were soundproofed, there was always the underlying hum from the sky lanes. I think I miss that as well."

"Too quiet here?"

"Sometimes. Sort of….and open…. and green….and fresh."

"Sit down! It'll take a while." He patted the settee next to him.

She watched him again for a few more seconds before sitting next to him.

"Fradian…."

"Yes?"

"We didn't know about you."

"I understand."

She wasn't going to apologise for escaping.

There was nothing more he could say, if Maze had asked, he wasn't sure he would have agreed to let him go. Kom'rk took that decision out of his hands,

"The young lad, Del?"

"He's mine but you already know that."

She now sensed nothing of the repressed anger that heralded their arrival, or the argument, just sadness and regret. "He seems taken with Kad, my grandson and Kad's happy with him. I watched them play together."

"Your grandson?" Laseema had told her, he was a clone's son.

"Yes." The older man smiled wistfully.

"Your daughter was….with a clone?"

"Not Ruu. One of my Commandos married his General. I adopted the Nulls and some of my Commandos. It's a Mando thing."

The kettle whistled as it came to the boil; Essie brewed her shig still unsure of the man talking with her and just realising what he said. The Generals were Jedi.

"Can I make you one?" she asked, trying not to sound shocked.

He shook his head.

They were both being polite.

She took her shig and sat down again, using hers to warm her hands.

"How is your son?" He asked.

"He…He's better than he was. There was a problem on Bracca… and then Raxus…..but Maze…..."

"Children, they find trouble. The Nulls, when they were young…...but that's another story."

He sipped his drink. Never ask questions you don't know the answer to, unless you're prepared to be surprised.

"You and Maze…..together?"

Essie nodded, hoping they still were.

"First Zey, then you and the boy turning up was a surprise. This place was set up for clones, who wanted to leave the army."

Zey wasn't the only one who didn't know.

"At least someone is doing something."

He nodded.

"Heard you tried to do something yourself?"

"Tried— but it was like banging your head against a durocrete wall."

"I can imagine!"

He sipped again.

"You and Maze—How?"

Pretty stupid question Kal decided but he had never seen Maze as anything but an aide to Zey, following him around like a sheep and he was an exact clone of Jango, trained by him, not known for his relationships.

"I worked at the University Library. He wanted to learn more about the Republic, not just what he was told on Kamino. Not what he read in the sanitised version on the Holonet. He wanted to see the original documents. We were interested in the same subjects. We were friends before….."

She looked into her mug, then back at him.

"But you already knew this."

"I wanted to hear you explain it."

It didn't fit with what he knew of Maze. The one that thumped Ordo in front of his girl, during the Dha Verde. He was still Mandalorian enough to do that. Maybe there was still hope for him.

"But now he just seems angry, all the time."

"The galaxy's changed ad'ika, we have to change with it. There's room here for him."

"Zey?"

He huffed. She didn't pursue it.

"What do you want?" Kal asked.

She was surprised at his question but there was only one answer.

"For my son to be safe."

"That's all most of us want."

She drained her mug.

.

Essie had taken to sitting outside in the morning, after breakfast, unless the weather was bad. It was chilly but the sun was shining and the frost clearing. She watched the melted water dripping from the branches of the trees, as Kad and Del played.

They had become inseparable. Kad waddled after Del and he waited for him to catch up, watching over him like an older brother.

She observed the people walking around, most avoided her; the majority were clones, big clones.

Commandos.

They looked like a big family of brothers; very dangerous brothers, she reminded herself.

"I obviously have this effect on you."

She turned to see Kom'rk sitting next to her.

"Sorry I didn't hear you."

"The story of my life." He muttered under his breath.

"So what does Kal want to know now?" She sipped her caf, as she waited for the reply.

"Nothing."

Her eyes narrowed, "But you're my minder, so something must be happening, as you're here to keep an eye on me. Keep me out of the way."

"Can't I just be here because I like talking to you?"

"Hmmh!"

Kriff! You're as cynical as Prudii."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Not decided yet."

He saw a smile creep out for a few seconds. "I'll get you a top up. Kad and Del are running around playing some sort of secret game."

Essie knew she should have refused but she enjoyed his company. She shivered, sure someone was watching her.

Kom'rk pushed the mug of caf into her hands.

"There you are!" He dropped onto the seat next to her.

"So what are you going to do with yourself now the war has ended." She asked before taking a drink.

"Not sure, Man of leisure I think." He leaned back, stretching out.

"Not Bounty hunting? I thought that's what Mandalorians did."

"Not all. You need to talk to Wad'e Tay'haai, he can tell you everything about us, our history."

"You can't?"

"Who's interrogating who, Ess'ika?"

"What does that mean?"

"Little Essie." He grinned. "Why aren't you with the other Jedi."

"I'm not a Jedi."

"Hmm."

"I'm not, I've had no training and spent most of my life avoiding them."

"So, that went well then." He deadpanned, before taking another drink.

Essie glared at him but he was right.

She stood quickly, as she heard the boys screech. Kom'rk shot up from his seat, listening.

The two young boys ran giggling from around the corner, followed by a large golden furred animal with the biggest jaws Essie had seen. She dropped her mug, running to them and stood in front of them facing the animal. It opened its mouth.

"Don't move Ad'ika!" A voice she didn't know, ordered her.

She obeyed.

Essie stood staring at the beast; it wasn't an Akk dog. She wasn't sure what it was. It cocked its large head on one side, drooled and whimpered. She felt a question but it was odd, like nothing she had felt before.

Kom'rk stood next to her.

The Mandalorian dressed in black came around the corner—Vau.

"Mird!"

The animal loped over and he stroked its head as it reached him, then it dropped down next to him, folding four of its six legs underneath. She pulled Del and Kad to her.

"He won't hurt them, although technically he can be both he and she, and he's got a very strong protective instinct towards the young."

Essie didn't look convinced.

"We were playing, Buir." Del told her, putting his hand in hers. "It was fun."

"Mird, introduce yourself." Vau ordered his companion.

The animal walked over to her; she heard Kom'rk snort. Mird sat at her feet and looked up at her with baleful eyes. She couldn't resist stroking his head.

"Hello Mird." She said; he sniffed her, drooled on her foot and rubbed against her leg, leaving a wet patch, then looked at Del, and back to her. She heard a little groan from Kom'rk next to her.

"It's a Strill." Said Vau, "Used to be common on Mandalore but not so now. An endangered species. He won't hurt you. He knows now you're the young lads' Buir."

"Mird. Stay with the ad'ike!"

Vau walked off and the Strill sat with the boys, on guard; you could see from how alert it was.

She felt Kom'rk's hand on her shoulder.

.

A few days later, Essie found herself drawn to the rooms the Jedi used. She hesitated on entering but every time she tried to get hold of Maze, he disappeared although she was fairly certain it was he who was watching her. She needed to talk to them, find out what they knew.

"Come in my dear." A Kaminoan sing-song voice called out.

She pushed the door open.

"Estefania. I've been waiting for you, sit down. We're just having tea. Would you like some?"

The 'we' included the tall woman called Besany. She was from Coruscant, Essie recognised the accent. They had passed the time of day, when she was helping out in the kitchen but she seemed out of place here.

"Yes please. And it's Essie."

"Oh. I think Estefania is such a beautiful name."

Essie smiled in spite of herself. It almost sounded beautiful in a musical sort of way when she said it.

"Call me Kina. We were just discussing the gentlemen in this place and how we should deal with them. Sit, sit." She indicated a chair opposite.

Essie sat.

Deal with them?

"As I was saying to Besany, or Bes'ika, as everyone here says."

Besany smiled at her.

"What Kal and Walon…., have you met Walon?"

"Yes, for a few seconds."

"Such an awful childhood. Some people should not procreate. He has done well to rise above that in his own way."

Her head swayed hypnotically, as Essie processed that information.

"Now what was I saying is— what Kal and Walon and the others are doing here is so altruistic, that it is almost Jedi like." She laughed that weird tinkling laugh that Essie had heard in the house occasionally. "Although they would hate that anyone said that, there is good and bad in all walks of life and no planet or culture has a monopoly on either."

She was unlike any Jedi, Essie had ever seen or imagined.

"But the Jedi should have done this."

She handed Essie her tea, who took a sip immediately.

"I have lived for many centuries…"

Essie choked on her tea and coughed, trying not to spit it out. Besany slapped her firmly on the back.

"Centuries?" She wheezed.

"Yes my dear." She laughed again. "You aren't the only one who has choked on that small piece of knowledge."

"My aunt…."

There were so many questions she could and should ask. A history of the Republic from a personal viewpoint, how she thought the Sith came to power but all she wanted to know was about her aunt.

"She was a Jedi and from what I remember was quite rebellious. But all good Jedi are. She was where she was because of that."

"You knew her?" She leaned forward and nearly spilt her tea this time, and Besany held the cup up for her.

"She was in one of my classes for a short while, as were a great many who had problems. But she is no longer with us, I am sorry."

Essie was deflated, she still hoped despite what Zey had said but he had been struggling.

"The Jedi, with the Council, are no longer and we have to move on. I for my part will help with this research to stop the ageing for these young men, who through no fault of their own and without any choice in the matter were used in this despicable scheme of the Sith's."

"Surely you …." Essie started.

"…..Could sense him?" Finished Kina Ha.

Essie nodded.

"Those of us that could, or got too near, were removed or disgraced by his manipulations. Our Council did not help."

Essie took a deep breath, processing that.

"Now this young man of yours?"

"Maze?"

"He's troubled. He needs to tell you something but is unsure how you will take it. What he did, he did for the best reasons. You should give him a chance to talk."

"I know…it was…."

"Hurtful?"

Essie nodded.

"And it still hurts?"

"Yes."

Besany took her cup away and busied herself making more tea, pretending not to listen.

"I should tell you, it was not his decision and his instinct was to help. He should tell you the rest himself."

"But what? What does he need…"

"Now Besany, what were we saying about Ordo?"

Essie sat in silence drinking the tea as Besany talked about Ordo and how they had met.

Thankfully, she thought, Maze had never shot her.

.

"So how are you doing with our unexpected guest?" Asked Kal, sitting next to his son who had not seen for many months during the war and after what happened recently he knew he needed to spend more time with him. He thought he knew him.

"She's not hiding anything from me." Kom'rk replied.

"Nothing?"

"Not that I've found."

"And you like her?"

"Yes Buir. I like her." He felt Mereel's gaze on his back. There would be some comment soon from his brother.

"Maze?"

"Not sure, he's avoiding her."

Mereel nudged his shoulder.

"You could be well in there, ner vod. The rescue an' all."

Kom'rk glared at his brother. He was adjusting to being back with them, after the years away during the war, the missions. And as much as he liked being back and loved them all, it was overwhelming at times, that was partly why he went with Maze. The last thing he needed was a girlfriend, one with issues, that would just complicate things.

"That wasn't what Buir asked me to do."

"If you do like her Kom'ika there is no harm in asking, making your feelings known." Kal said.

That's the trouble. I like her too much to inflict myself on her and she's with a brother, despite the fact Maze is being a di'kut, watching us.

Being alone, searching for Grievous and finding him much earlier than anticipated, then keeping him under surveillance, had given him too much time for introspection and sometimes he didn't like what he found.