AN: Kal is a dick in this chapter, but I'm building up Stewjon as planet people have actually heard about and Jedi are known for mind tricks. There are more than a few reasons why Obi-Wan will not be immediately welcomed. (Kal smartens up, there's plenty of other drama to go around).
P.S. Buir - parent, Buire, parents, Verd - warrior, Riduur - partner/spouse, Mand'ade - Mandalorians, Haat - true, Dar'manda - traitor to the way/coward.
Chapter - Stewjoni Pur
Obi-Wan had been gone for nearly three months, and Jango had heard not a single word from him.
Fay's reassurances that he was, in fact, fine were not enough.
Jango missed him. The vode missed him.
He also had a squadron of ade who had taken to calling themselves Kenobi and turned down right feral at any of the Haat Mando'ade who dare insinuate they needed another buir. They allowed Jango to hold them but even that was wearing thin when he had no information to share with them on Obi-Wan.
All in all, they had eight Kenobis on their hands now; Alpha-17, Cody, Ponds, Appo, Gregor, Rex, Fives, and Helix, all of whom were one trigger away from murdering Kal in his sleep who made it clear he didn't think they needed the Jedi.
Omega and Boba conversely became more clinging in Obi-Wan's absence.
When a Jedi ship showed up, the vode were very excited.
The Haat Mando'ade not so much.
Seeing as Obi-Wan had left on one of the crap ships brought to Kamino by Silas, Jango doubted it was him.
The Kal Dor that arrived, a Jedi youngling in his arms, was named Master Plo Koon and the Togruta foundling he brought with him was named Ahsoka Tano.
Rex was immediately enamoured with the little female whose montrals made her head look too large. While Plo himself one over an entire battalion of vode, CCs and CTs alike who had been reticent to choose buir among the Haat Mando'ade. It was a blow to many, many egos, but Jango understood.
Plo Koon exuded calm and love and kinsmanship. Jango did not find it particularly strange that so many of the vode (as in nearly three hundred) chose a single guardian, meaning they didn't have to be separated from each other. Among Plo's ade were some of the straggler CCs from the 212th division, such as Waxer and Boil, nor the near entirety of Wolffe's cohorts, the 104th. Their desire to remain in larger brother groups was understandable. Additionally, unlike Fay and Obi-Wan, Plo Koon held nothing back, not even from the vode he didn't adopt personally. Obi-Wan was a good man and at his core, a general. But Plo was just a font of love and acceptance and he earned the term buir faster than anyone Jango had ever seen.
He was not as mystical as Fay nor as strange and dishevelled as Rael.
It surprised Jango this male had left the Order.
To this, Plo answered simply, "The Force led me here, and I followed."
Rael grinned as they over looked the training fields, "The Order is distraught, Plo was everyone's favourite Council member."
Fay joined them at the observing dock, "Obi-Wan was also on the Council."
Jango wasn't particularly blown away by this knowledge, Rael seemed a bit more unnerved about this.
"When?" the man asked.
"He's older than the years," Fay answered simply. "It's why he's so driven, if he fails now, he will never be able to forgive himself."
"Are you saying he's from the future?" Jango asked.
Fay shrugged, "He saw the end of Mandalore, the end of the Jedi Order, lived or seen, it shattered him. It's a miracle he remains sane." She smiled, "Or, mostly sane."
Rael opened his mouth to respond but his com chimed. Pulling it out, he answered the holo-com and a little image of Dooku appeared.
"Hello, Master Mine."
—Rael, the Sith responded.
In just that word alone, he sounded exhausted.
"Obi-Wan said you might call."
—Obi-Wan is a menace, Dooku all but snarled.
Jango raised a hand to his mouth to hide a smile, glad he wasn't the only one getting rail-roaded.
"What did he do this time?" Rael asked, not even attempting to hide his amusement.
—He's convinced me to endanger my position. I've entered a treaty with the Naboo and will be leading a strike force against Mustafor and Geonosis.
"Mustafar?" Rael repeated. "What the hell is on Mustafar?"
—The seat of power of the Sith Empire, Dooku said. —Obi-Wan knows the name of the Sith Lord who seduced me and though I agree with his withholding the information, you should know that the Sith have the backing of Muun Banking Clans and the Trade Federation. Given the recent changes within the Order, I doubt the Senate will be able to send the Jedi after the Mandalorians.
"That is true," Plo said.
Dooku hologram glanced in the other Jedi's direction despite not being able to see him, before turning his gaze on Rael. —I may not survive this assault, or its aftermath. I need you to know, despite our disagreements, I am proud of you, Padawan Rael, and that I love you.
Rael looked at Dooku as if he had been gut punched, "Master—"
But the com connection cut off.
Plo put a clawed hand on Rael's shoulder.
Jango felt like this was a private moment and retreated as the Jedi comforted one another. Jango's own heart was lightened, because he knew Obi-Wan would be returning home soon.
The only decent thing about the time apart was the arrangements he was able to put in place for Obi-Wan to truly be brought into their clan.
oOo
Kal Skirata could easily forgive Jango for the blurry ethics of creating these precious verd'ika, these little warriors. Despite the Null class already being adopted by the karking shabbled Jetii, the Alpha Class were superior enough for Kal.
Alpha-17 excluded. Where the other Alphas took Mando'a names, Seventeen went simply by Alpha.
And his devotion to Kenobi was unfaltering.
It was infuriating. Any of the vode would snap at their buire if they spoke ill of Stewjoni, no matter how shy or well-behaved ade were; insulting Kenobi was always a line too far.
Even the man's absence did not deter their devotion to him, the man they called General. They spoke of him as if he were an elder; or a messiah.
Still, while he was gone, Kal did his damnedest to impress upon the Haat Mando'ade way of life to them.
Therefore, Kal found it particularly demoralizing when Kenobi returned and every ade dropped their buire, Mando'ade and Jetiiese alike, to go to their 'General'.
They all gathered, tightly packed together, all two thousand of them and at a motion from the smiling man, he was promptly tackled.
Kal found himself clenching his fists as Walon Vau stood at his side, "Makes you wonder who the true Mand'alor is, doesn't it?"
"I will not concede to him," Kal growled low.
Wad'e, their clan's Weapons Master, came to stand beside them as others left to reset play rooms and prepare food that had actual flavour in it. Wad'e snorted at Kal's remark, "You had best get over it soon. He will be our Riduur'alor."
Kal turned on the other verd and hissed, "What did you just say?"
Wad'e tilted his head, "He swore the Resol'nare, and Jango'alor is in love with him."
"He's a kriffing Stewjoni," Kal snapped. "It isn't love."
Wad'e gestured to the younglings, "I half love him, Kal, and it has nothing to do with how pretty he is and everything to do with how much those ade trust him. He has earned his place here."
"Some backwater Jetii has no place in our business."
"He fought in our wars," Wad'e said.
"And look how that worked out for us," Kal retorted.
"He didn't stay with the pacifists, the Duchess's crimes are her own. Would you rather he supported the Watch?"
"We don't know anything about him," Kal argued.
"Yes we do," Wad'e said. "You just don't know him personally, there is a difference."
"Mark me, Jango is hiding something about him."
Wad'e shrugged, "He's here to stay, Kal. And don't be fool enough to wish him harm. It would destroy the vode. He is more than a buir to them. He is their hope."
Kal said nothing more, watching the little ones who were each greeted individually by Kenobi. Kal had tried, but he wasn't yet able to name every vode, much less tell them all apart, at least when it came to the CT classes.
Kenobi new them all.
Kal waited for the vode to move on to last meal. It took time, and then Kenobi's chosen few made no indication they would let their newly returned buir out of their sight. But Jango saw the need for smaller ears to be absent, attempted to send them off with the other vode. While the youngest, Omega, Boba, Helix, and Fives could be cajoled into going to the mess halls, Ponds and Gregor Kenobi needed to step in to direct the foundlings as Kal approached.
Rex, despite being a CT, was firmly attached to Kenobi's side, glaring up at Kal with something close to hatred.
"I hope you had a good vacation," Kal greeted the Jetii.
Kenobi stood, pressing his four foundlings, Rex, Cody, Alpha, and Appo against his legs. "It was productful."
"Was it? I hear you are in league with the dar'jetii," Kal said.
"Skirata," Vhonte chastised, her voice sharp.
"This is not a conversation suited to this space," Kenobi said pleasantly.
"You disappear for two months and you expect us to trust you?" Kal demanded.
Kenobi switched into heavily accented Mando'a, the Stewjoni so thick to make the clipped words come out in a pur, likely unintelligible to the ade who Kal knew for a fact had yet to figure out how to find Mando-porn sites.
It made the words doubly insulting, "I did not expect your ego to be assuaged so easily, no."
Kal saw red.
oOo
Jango moved before he could process what Obi-Wan had said.
Stewjoni warriors were rare, and even fewer of them were comfortable enough with themselves and their abilities to flirt so boldly.
It was extremely attractive, and Obi-Wan was extremely pissed if he was using it outside of the bedroom.
Jango had his blaster at Kal's temple before the other warrior could fully lower his hand to his own weapon, and said in Mando'a, "Hurt him and I'll end you."
Kal bared his teeth and asked Mando'a, near spitting, "Why, is the whore you're Riduur, Fett?"
Obi-Wan snorted, angling himself more fully between the ade and Kal, "If that's your grievance, then be at ease. We swore the Resol'nare and I warm his bed, but we are not promised to each other."
Jango didn't let the pain of those words show. He had treated Obi-Wan poorly and taken too long in changing that. However, that did not give any of the Mand'ade the right to disrespect the man. No matter his relationship to Jango, Obi-Wan deserved respect on his own merits alone.
"We don't need a kingmaker," Kal snarled, though he remained still under Jango's blaster.
"No, you need a miracle. When you're up against an opponent, or in Mandalore's case, opponents, who would rather see everything and everyone your fighting for burn than admit defeat, you need every scrap of advantage you can manage."
"And what advantage can you give us?" Kal snarled. "Where the kark did you go?"
"The Sundari Palace, Concord Dawn, and Sereno," Obi-Wan answered. "I have access to all of the Duchy's databases, raw files of the blue prints of the Sundari palace, and the planet's cities. Building orders and future construction plans. I also have installed splicing hardware in the Duchess's personal computers and reversed tracked Senator Almec's movements, and his encrypted communications with the clans on the moons."
Jango blinked, unable to voice his shock as he tried to process that list.
"So you're still friends with the Duchess?" Kal demanded.
"I still know my way around her security as I was her main bodyguard for years, yes. But I don't know friends are best described as those willing to chloroform one another."
"Chloroform?" Vhonte asked, laughing. "You chloroformed the dar'manda?"
"Why not kill her?" Kal demanded.
"And preemptively start another civil war and give Clan Vizsla the system on a silver platter?" Obi-Wan scoffed. "I have no doubt all this will end in war. But it is in our best interests to wait for the Watch to make themselves the visible monsters, the New Mandalorians —the Nendos— reveal themselves as hypocrites. It will mean less bloodshed."
"Afraid?" Kal challenged.
Obi-Wan was unamused, "I was born to war, that does not mean I enjoy the spilling of my own people's blood."
"And who are your people, Stewjoni?" Kal asked, then sneered. "Oh wait, you're a Kenobi, you have no one."
"He has us!" Cody yelled, pushing in front of Obi-Wan.
Kal jerked back, Jango didn't shoot him, but he did take the man to his knees.
Obi-Wan stepped away, taking Cody and the others out of reach of Kal, and said, "Better a Kenobi than a Vizsla."
Kal laughed, "No shit."
Obi-Wan remained silent.
Kal's expression slipped as he connected Obi-Wan's words, "Wait, you're—"
"Tor Vizsla's son and Pre Vizsla's vod'ika, yes, regrettably so," Obi-Wan said. "Luckily for me, when my mother learned that not only was I an underweight child born too early but a Force sensitive, there was a Jetii Master close enough to prevent my murder at my dar'buir's hands."
Cody, Alpha, Rex, and Appo wrapped themselves around Obi-Wan's legs, offering silent help.
Kal just stared up at Obi-Wan, not knowing how to wrap his head around that clusterkark of a family-history.
"What other adventures did you get up to, Riduur'alor?" Wad'e asked, voice thick with amusement. "Other than chloroforming the Duchess of Mandalore without making the holo-news."
Obi-Wan shrugged, "R2 sabotaged one of the ion canons so we have a way for a frontal assault if the need arises. I found Pre and some of his sympathizes on Concord Dawn, and bought a farmstead to act as a landing point if we need it. Then I went to speak with my dar'Jetii-ba'buir and turned him against the Chancellor of the Republic."
No one had an immediate comeback, and Jango was reminded why he wasn't just in love with this warrior, but he was going to make a proper Riduur'alor out of him.
"I don't believe you," Kal said finally.
Rael rolled his eyes, "Stubborn bastards, all of you. My nephew entered his first planetary civil war when he was thirteen. You have no concept of what he is capable of."
Obi-Wan shook his head and said to Kal, "Jango is a better leader than I am, he is the true core of your culture." Jango was ready to defend Obi-Wan but Jedi defended his own worth. "Yet without me, you would be dead in the water. I'm the General who understands Satine, the Watch, the Senate, and the Sith, and I will not allow anyone to muck up our chances of success because you feel a whore has reason above their station."
"You seduced Fett," Kal said circling back to his original argument.
Obi-Wan smiled, "Oh, I don't deny that. But I seduced him with his own dagger through the skull of a slaver who dared raise a hand against his ad'ika. I seduced him by adopting the vode. By living as a Haat'Mand'ade is meant to live." He cocked his head at Kal. "What is seduction to a Mandalorian, after all, than to lose everything and take it all back for their ade?"
Again, silence.
Obi-Wan crossed his arm over his chest, in salute to Jango as he bowed his head to him, "Ner, Mand'alor." He knelt gracefully, lifting Cody and Rex in his arms, while Appo and Alpha remained pressed to his legs so they near disappeared in the fall of Obi-Wan's cloak as they turned away.
Jango didn't holster his blaster until they were out of sight. He exchanged a look with Rael.
Obi-Wan had been furious, despite how well he hid it.
Rael had seen it.
"He's feisty," Silas said.
Jango pulled Kal to his feet, non-too-gently, "If you want to keep karking with a Hutt Slayer, I won't stop him from putting you down, Kal."
Vhonte raised a brow, "You mean the slaver he mentioned was a Hutt?"
"Jabba the Hutt," Jango affirmed.
"Liar, that was you," Kal snapped.
"He borrowed my armour while I was held up."
Silas whistled, "How good is he really?"
Jango shook his head, "I would only win against him because he refuses to lift a hand against me."
"So why isn't he the Mand'alor?" Kal asked bitterly.
"Because," Rael said. "He might very well kill you all to be done with any threat that looms over the vode. You must understand, he is a Jedi Master, but he has deliberately left the Order. His regard for rule following is non-existent. He's a skilled negotiator but he no longer possesses the patience to be a political leader."
Silas laughed, "You think Jango is patient?"
"I think if your golden shelled friend had raised a weapon that close to his younglings he would have relieved you of your head," Rael said with the utmost seriousness.
Vhonte hummed, "That's kriffing hot."
They all looked at her.
She grinned, unrepentant, "I'm sorry but isn't that the Mandalorian wet dream? Having a partner that would burn down the galaxy for you and your ade?"
"He is Mandalorian spiced candy," Wad'e agreed. "If you ever get bored, Mand'alor…"
Jango snarled at him, wordless and pissed as Wad'e knew exactly how serious he was about ner Jetii.
Wad'e laughed.
Rael snorted, "Master Obi-Wan Kenobi is many things, but no one has ever accused him of being boring. Well, aside from his Padawan, however, Anakin is in his own level of chaos theory."
"Anakin?" Vhonte asked.
"He remained on Coruscant, he is no longer a Knight's Padawan as he left the Knight's Corps in favour of the Education Corps," Rael explained.
Jango wondered at that, Obi-Wan often cried Anakin's name in his night terrors, but almost never in his waking hours.
"Education Corps?" Kal asked.
"We have five corps in the Order, the Knight's Corps is the smallest. We don't overly advertise the others as they work primarily in the Mid to Outer Rims, and we don't want slavers targeting Force sensitive families."
"Jetiiese don't have families," Kal said.
"Honestly, Kal, the vode are going to murder you in your sleep if you keep bad mouthing the Jetiiese and Obi-Wan," Jango said with a heavy sigh.
Vhonte tisked, "Come on, Alor, I wanted him to learn that the hard way."
"The vode a very capable of murder, I'd rather we not press that button before they reach their majority," Jango said.
"You are going to have to speak to the rest," Vhonte said, gesturing to the half dozen of them not including Rael in the room.
Jango sighed, "I know."
But he was less worried about the rest of his Haat'Mand'ade driving Obi-Wan to homicide than he was about the way Obi-Wan had dismissed his importance in Jango's heart.
oOo
AN: Thoughts, spiced candy, or feedback on the chapter, pretty please?