Chapter 5

The Eve of the Festival

"I think that went well," Atton said cheerfully.

"That was embarrassing," Kalan mumbled.

"Oh, come on, we were only talking. You're sure she was awake, right?"

"I'm sure."

"I was really afraid she would get up when we were talking about her. It's a good thing she's nosy."

"So you went ahead and found out where Mical is?"

"Yeah. He leaves a trail in that jungle any idiot can follow. Don't worry, he'll be a lot easier to convince. Even if we slip up he probably won't notice and we can be as dramatic as we want because he'll be too gullible to realize we're acting."

"Atton, are you sure about this?"

"No point ending it now."

"Well…I guess not…but it seems to me like all this is going to do is make Mira like you less and Mical like me less."

"Trust me, I've known plenty of girls like Mira. They're all the same. As for Mical…you don't really want him to love you, do you?"

"Of course not."

"Then, as I said before, no harm done, unless one of them decides to tell Kreia."

Kalan followed Atton into the jungle. He was right; Mical's path was obvious. Then Atton made a turn, telling Kalan they'd have to cut him off; they didn't want to come up from behind. "We have to approach from a different way. Otherwise he'll just run up to us while we're talking and say hi and ruin it all."

"It'll be pretty clear we don't want to be bothered. Even Mical isn't that thick."

"You sure about that?"

"Yes."

"Okay, fine…but we can be more visual on this one, because he should be able to see us."

"More visual? Atton, are you suggesting…"

"Hey, don't worry. This is Mical, remember? It won't take much to convince him. Now come on."

They continued until Atton made Kalan stop. "There he is, see him?"

"Yes…"

"Follow me."

Atton put his arm around Kalan's waist. She glared at him but didn't say anything. They both walked as loudly as they could in his direction.

Mical heard the noises and thought it was a cannok. He raised his blaster. Then he heard Atton's voice. "Well, I'm glad we're finally alone."

I shouldn't intrude, Mical thought. He's probably talking to Mira or Visas…

"I know," Kalan agreed, making sure she raised her voice when a bird started squawking in the distance. "It's too hard to get privacy on the ship."

What's Kalan doing with him? Mical wondered.

The two stopped walking and Kalan spoke. "So…maybe later tonight we can slip off together and…and I can 'teach you more about the Force.'"

Oh, so that's what they're doing! Mical thought, relieved. He was about to leave them when Atton spoke. "Why don't we start now?"

This excited Mical. He realized the value in staying and watching. Kalan always liked to train him and Atton separately, but she hadn't taught him anything in a while and he was eager to see her lesson. He crept behind a tree, knowing that if Kalan found out he was observing Atton's training she wouldn't be happy.

"Now?" Kalan said, looking a little nervous.

"Yeah, right now," Atton said, putting his arms around her.

What…? Mical thought. Then Atton started kissing her. Mical had to cover his mouth to keep himself from gasping aloud. She's not teaching him about the Force!

"Kalan, I need to talk to you."

Kalan and Atton immediately stopped. Mandalore came out of nowhere and approached them. They had both been so focused on Mical they hadn't even noticed him coming.

"Uh," Kalan said slowly, "we were…just…er…"

"Learning about the Force," Atton said, smiling. He seemed to find this amusing. Kalan wanted to kick him.

"Right," Mandalore said. "The Force. Just come with me."

Kalan followed Mandalore back onto a path that led to the Mandalorian camp. "Why are you taking me here?" she asked.

"I wanted to introduce you to some people. Tomorrow we might not have time."

"Shouldn't we have brought the others?"

"No."

A few seconds of silence passed before Kalan spoke. "Really, Atton and I weren't…I mean, we aren't…"

"Trust me, I couldn't care less."

"Just don't tell anyone," Kalan mumbled.

"I…see," Mandalore said, seeming to find this last remark funny. Then he mumbled something to himself that sounded like, "What is it with Jedi women and their pilots?" As Kalan didn't know what this meant and knew the statement wasn't directed at her, she decided not to comment.

"I've seen all the ships coming in," Kalan said, as one passed overhead. "I hadn't realized there would be so many."

"I told you it was all our wives," Mandalore said. "Not to mention our children."

"Children?" Kalan repeated. "You never said anything about that."

"There's a ceremony for them later tonight. I'm looking forward to it…it's where I'll see a lot of my own children for the first time."

"That really is something to look forward to…"

"But they won't be in the way during the festivities tomorrow. Tonight is their night. Tomorrow is for the adults."

When they reached the camp, Kalan was astounded at how it had transformed. Huge tents had been put up everywhere, making the place look more like a small town. Everywhere Mandalorians were greeting wives or other people they hadn't seen in a long time, and children were running around, pointing at ships descending onto the area. It was starting to get dark, and big lanterns were being activated everywhere. Kalan was surprised at all of this; she had expected a Mandalorian celebration to be more…formal.

A teenage girl suddenly ran up to Mandalore. She knelt down in front of him and he tapped her on the head. Then she stood up excitedly. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" she exclaimed.

"What is it?" Mandalore asked.

She suddenly frowned at Kalan. "Who's that?"

"This is a Jedi."

"Wow," the girl said. "Is she going to be your wife?"

"Maybe," Mandalore replied. Kalan frowned.

"Well, anyway, I wanted to tell you that Kelborn has made a claim on me."

"Kelborn?" Mandalore repeated. "He's a good man." Mandalore turned to Kalan. "This is my daughter, Ralla. Last year she was still a child, but this year she's a woman."

"I'm Kalan," Kalan said.

Ralla bowed her head quickly in response before turning back to her father. "I'd better go. I'll see you later."

Ralla ran off. Mandalore watched her disappear into a crowd. "Kelborn," he said to himself. "Huh. I'm surprised. I was expecting someone with less honor…one of the boys here as men for the first time, perhaps. Kelborn must have taken a great liking to her."

"If she's your daughter, wouldn't she have a lot of honor?" Kalan asked.

"No, because she was born before I became Mandalore…and I never married her mother."

"Oh," Kalan said quietly, wishing she hadn't asked, but Mandalore didn't seem bothered.

Suddenly a large group of women approached Mandalore. They simultaneously bowed.

"These are my wives," Mandalore said, sounding pleased with himself.

One woman rose and stepped forward. Most of the women in the group appeared to be in their twenties, but this woman looked like she could be twice that. She knelt down in front of Mandalore and he tapped her head. She stood up, beaming. "It has been a long time, Husband."

"It certainly has," Mandalore said. "Kalan, this is my Number Two. Number Two, this is Jedi Kalan."

"A Jedi?" Number Two repeated. "Amazing."

Mandalore quickly introduced her to all his other present wives, from Number Three all the way through Number Twenty-Seven. Most of them looked interested in Kalan, but a few didn't seem to care. Kalan noticed some in particular who looked almost jealous.

"Where's Jana?" Mandalore asked Number Two after he was finished.

"I don't know," Number Two said, her smile faltering.

"I'll have to ask around, then. I'll see you after the ceremony."

They left Mandalore's wives. As they walked along, Kalan asked Mandalore, "Don't your wives have names?"

"Yes, but they're not normally used, and certainly not in public. If someone else was referring to, let's say, Number Two, they would say 'Mandalore's Number Two,' because almost every Mandalorian has a Number Two of his own."

"Is it a ranking system, or does it go in order of when you marry them?"

"It's a ranking system. The way you rank a woman is complicated…it depends on a lot of things, primarily how much honor her father had and how many children she's given you. Of course, how much you like a person also plays a part, but for most Mandalorians that isn't very important."

"I've never seen anyone kneel like that for you before. Is that only required of women to do for you?"

"It's required of women to do for every man, not just me. Some men don't require their wives to do it for them, but they still have to do it for everyone else…and it would look bad if my wives didn't do it for me. As Mandalore, it's my responsibility to uphold all the ancient traditions."

Kalan sighed. "I know what you're thinking," Mandalore said. "But eventually you'll come to appreciate our culture."

"I suppose," Kalan said, beginning to doubt that could ever be possible.

"But don't worry; you're not a Mandalorian woman. I won't make you do those things and neither will anyone else."

"All right."

They walked around the large camp; Mandalore introduced Kalan to various other warriors and their wives, always ending the introduction by asking them if they knew where Jana was. No matter who he talked to, the looks and tone of voice of the person he asked indicated that Jana was not well liked. Finally, somebody said she was standing by herself at the northeast edge of the camp, so Mandalore went there with Kalan.

"Don't be alarmed if she acts…strange," Mandalore cautioned. "She doesn't really get along well with people."

After hearing about how wives were addressed by their numbers, Kalan was expecting Jana to be a child. It surprised her when she saw the woman standing at the edge of the clearing, her arms folded and her eyes narrowed. Jana was very tall and muscular, and she was the first woman Kalan had seen all night who was wearing armor. She had short black hair, and her dark skin and black armor made her difficult to see so far away from the lanterns.

"Who is this?" Jana asked, raising her eyebrow when Mandalore and Kalan had reached her. "The Jedi everyone has been talking about?"

"Yes, actually," Mandalore replied. "Her name is Kalan, and she's here as my guest."

"Your guest?" Jana repeated, sounding disgusted. "But that's only temporary. Tomorrow she'll be your wife."

"Not necessarily," Mandalore said patiently. Kalan was impressed with the way he was handling this; judging by how everyone else acted in front of him, she guessed he wasn't very used to this kind of treatment.

"I have nothing to say to this Jedi," Jana spat.

"Then we'll leave," Mandalore said.

"Oh, so you are choosing her over me."

"I'll see you later, Jana."

"I'll be waiting, Canderous."

Mandalore and Kalan walked away. "Why doesn't she follow the rules?" Kalan asked, interested.

"She doesn't like the rules," Mandalore replied with a sigh. "She…she wasn't born a Mandalorian."

"Really?"

"She didn't like her own peaceful people, and she admired us, so she joined us in the Republic War, and fought very bravely and honorably. She's a real warrior, but isn't treated that way. Despite her honor she remained unmarried until last Valentine's Day."

"Did you marry her?"

"Yes," Mandalore said heavily, "and it was probably the most unpopular decision I've ever made. There wasn't a single person who agreed with my choice…even she didn't agree, because she felt insulted at being put below twenty-six other women who weren't as strong as her. I agreed that it was unfair, and I did something even worse than marrying her…I made her my Number One."

Kalan had wondered where Number One was when he introduced her to all his other wives. "So your wives were unhappy with that choice?"

"Unhappy?" Mandalore laughed dryly. "She was an outsider, she didn't practice our traditions, and I made her the most important Mandalorian woman alive. She hadn't given me any children, she didn't have an important family, and everyone hated her…but she had more honor than a lot of the men in this camp, and she's right to think she should be treated with as much respect as them."

"I agree," Kalan said. Over the past few days, Kalan's opinion of Mandalore had been lessening, but it went back up now.

"You'd better stay away from her. I was surprised by the way she treated you…somehow I had expected her to respect you more, because you're a warrior like her. But it don't take it personally…she hates everyone, including me."

"What was that word she called you?"

"What word?"

"Candruss, or something like that?"

"Oh…that used to be my name. I don't really know why she calls me that, but I don't think she's trying to be insulting."

"Maybe it's because you call her by her name and not her title, so she calls you by yours."

"Maybe you're right. I don't really know much about Jana, and no matter how hard I try we never seem to get along. I think she still feels insulted that I have so many other wives…I try to explain to her that it's necessary, and no Mandalore in history has ever had a Rak'jan, but she just doesn't get it. I guess she'll always be that way."

"What's a Rak'jan?"

"It's a…look, it's getting late, and the ceremony is going to start soon. I only wanted to show you around the camp a little so people won't be surprised when they see you here tomorrow. All the Mandalorians are staying up tonight because of the ceremony for the children, but you can sleep and have an advantage in contests…if you decide to participate in some."

"You're right, I should be getting back. The others are probably wondering where I am."

"You can tell them about what you saw here, so they'll be prepared tomorrow. Just remind them that they'll be treated like outsiders, and won't be required to do anything they don't want to unless they get themselves into it."

"I will. Thanks for everything, Mandalore. This was really…interesting."

"I'll see you at dawn tomorrow."