Magnet for Trouble

by Virodeil

Instead of vanishing into oblivion, Jango's clones find themselves on the fields belonging to the Fett family after death, fresh as new. Now, what is a pair of farmers to do with the homeless, clueless millions of individuals bearing unnervingly close similarities to their children popping up all over their property? And what if the number increases even more with other people?

41. Repayment

Magnet for Trouble
By Rey

Chapter summary: A whole army has crashed the party, complete with bagage.

Warning for: implied various abuses towards clones, including possible sexual abuse

41. Repayment

The golden-eyed, dark-red-haired child now seated on Kote's chest has both of their hands round Kote's neck.

Kote lets them.

It is the least Kote can do for someone Jango has wronged, even if the event would have been decades still in the future.

`One of the many, many clones, whom my child never acknowledged,` they remember, and the memory as well as the acknowledgement only drive the hurtful notion deeper into their hearts.

The children's fear of them, too.

And then something dreadful occurs to them: `What would they do if they knew Ruu'ika and I are Jango's parents? Will they be angrier? Will they be even more afraid? Or both? Can we cope with their hatred of us?`

They test the thought by removing their helmet and letting the wild-eyed, frantic, panicked child see the eyes both share, unimpeded by the faceplate.

They are not surprised – just very, very sad about a horrible theory confirmed – when the child yelps and hastily scrambles off their chest, quickly followed by the others, as if the little ones were just made aware that they were so close to a ticking bomb ten seconds to detonation instead of their elder – their grandparent, technically, but Kote won't bother about that and neither will Ruusaan, surely.

And, given this confirmation, also aware of their rather sharp height differences, Kote seats themself on the ground and keeps their hands away from their weapons, both on their belt and vambraces.

"I am Kote Eldar," they introduce themself – in Basic, but that can't be helped, since not all the children can speak Mando'a, the spouses have found the hard way – when the children have settled down again, though this time in the same posture the "Alpha-class" adopted when waiting for Kote to return home, and positioned at least two metres away from them and Ruusaan… in such a confined space! But they can't try to coax the children forward – not yet.

So they forge on.

"This," they indicate Ruusaan, who are now seated cross-legged beside them, "is Ruusaan Vhett, my spouse. Our children are Arla and Jango Vhett."

Predictably, the children go even tenser and even more wide-eyed, also even paler, when the last name is mentioned. And, beside Kote, Ruusaan sags with a softly moaned, "Jan'ika, what did you do?"

Kote slips their hand into their spouse's, squeezes it – or rather, as much as it as they could, which is not so much – in commiseration, and plods on. "Now, who might you be? And know that we do not mean harm to you. If you are the persons I think you are, after this we can help you join your siblings in the farm proper."

They struggle not to frown when the children then start the roll call, beginning from the one who jumped them, whose number is CC-1010.

The roll call is horrible, but it's not the first Kote has experienced. The "Alphas" did this, and those didn't give out their names, either, just their numbers.

But the Alphas' numbers are sequenced, while these are not.

It's Ruusaan that speaks up about it, though, when the roll call has ended… some time after… and CC-1010 claims that these are only the leaders among them.

"You are not… batch, then?"

Ah, yes, the "batches" of clones that the "Nulls" and "Alphas" mentioned about when the spouses asked why such designations for the different groups of children. So much – too much – like basic droids produced by a factory.

Kote barely refrains from grimacing, now.

And they do grimace when CC-1010 answers carefully, "We are the Coruscant Guard, sir. We are not all of one decanting batch. We are placed adjacent to the Grand Army of the Republic, and we are in charge of policing and guarding Coruscant. We do not know how we were suddenly here and in these bodies. We apologise profusely for our treatment of you, and we will not inconvenience you any longer. We were… malfunctioning. Briefly. If we could… pay for the inconvenience, I am ready to pay it on behalf of the Coruscant Guard, sir."

There are so many things that are wrong in just that statement, and a child with such a young voice should not have said all that.

Ruusaan's hand round Kote's trembles and twitches, and Kote makes the decision to hug the whole arm instead.

Because they know that both will need this closeness quite soon, even as they ask just as carefully, "What do you think you will repay us with, CC-1010?"

And… yes, they do need it, for CC-1010 then answers in a stoic expression and tone, "Everything, sir," and Ruusaan bursts into tears.

Not that Kote is much better.