The Armorer was more than a little baffled by the fact that Midnight had brought back 40 more clones to be brought into their family, and even further surprised by the fact that he'd brought over 200 more into the fold (including the vehicle crewmen). However, despite her surprise, she praised him nonetheless for his efforts, noting that it was only appropriate for the Mand'alor to expand and further strengthen the clan. As such, she happily began the forging process for all of them, which had been greatly expedited with some of the higher-end equipment she'd purchased with some of the lien their Mand'alor had set in the clan's vault. 100 million lien... she could still scarcely believe that the Kingdoms would actually pay them the full bounty like they did. Now scanning the helmets was a process finished in mere minutes, and making the molds for the outer shells was a very simple process. With the custom equipment she'd procured, she was able to make several pieces at once, and reckoned that she'd be able to equip all 40 of them within the next 10-12 hours.
"You've done well as our leader, Mand'alor." The Armorer began, praising him as she continued the process of forging several ARC Trooper and Commando style helmet shells, two each. "The most sacred duty of all Mandalorians is to strengthen the clan, and it is the Mand'alor's duty above all else. Our ranks have swelled considerably under your leadership, enough that we do not currently have enough Beskar for everyone, counting our brothers still at Yultim and those already in Vacuo. This is a good problem to have, so long as we have the strength to reclaim more of it to match our forces."
"I am honored to receive such praise. When we reclaim our Beskar from the convoy, will that be enough for everyone to receive a helmet?" Midnight questioned, remaining seated back on his knees with his katana laid out before him, still within its saya.
"Perhaps. One thousand pounds of Beskar is truly quite the bounty, but I am not sure it will be sufficient for the influx of new kin." She responded as she moved a specialized plasma cutter towards a sheet of Beskar, cutting into the currently malleable metal and cutting in the shape of a Commando's visor.
"Then I will be sure to reclaim more with every opportunity that presents itself." He assured, drawing a satisfied 'hm' from the Armorer as she continued to work.
"This is the way. Now, I believe you promised your Foundling some time together?" She smirked behind her mask, nodding to Midnight respectfully as he bowed, recollected his blade and fitted it back through its holster. With a quick pat on her shoulder, he nodded to all his brother waiting within the room, most of them lounging around or propped up against the walls with relaxed postures, and made his way out. He'd promised his adoptive daughter some quality father-daughter time, and he'd be damned if he wasn't gonna make good on that promise.
Their ride to the docks was a short but lively one, with Ruby barely able to contain her excitement as they loaded up in his MRAP and made their approach. However, following his lead as they sat down together at the edge of the docks, she settled down as she cast her line beside him just like he'd taught her. It was nice, peaceful, and for once they weren't being hounded by media drones and the sort... for the most part. He made a point to shoot down any drones that stared at them for too long, something Ruby also began to do as it seemed she'd become just as fed up with their unrelenting pestering as he had, drawing his opposite blaster pistol with her free hand and making surprisingly accurate shots. It made Midnight proud, and brought a small smile to his face that remained the whole time they fished together.
"Daddy, you said yesterday that I'd be a worthy "Heiress" some day... what's an "Heiress?"" Ruby asked him, drawing his gaze down to her. Unlike before, there wasn't any division of attention while they were together, right now it was just him and his daughter, and the rest of the world could wait. That being said, he took a moment to think before answering, wanting to give her the best answer he could.
"An Heiress is like an inheritor, the one who'll take up my legacy come the day I either die or become too unfit to continue bearing the torch myself." He spoke, eyes only turning slightly as he felt something snag on his line. His reaction was instantaneous and done out of instinct, not requiring him to pull his attention away from Ruby as he reeled it in.
"But... you promised me you won't leave me..." Ruby lamented softly, prompting him to sigh lowly, pulling the bass he'd hooked from the water up and placing it into the bucket before resting a hand on his daughter's shoulders.
"Don't worry, I'm not leaving you, not any time soon... but nobody lives forever. That's part of what makes life beautiful, I think, how fleeting it can be. Some day, I will die. So will Marcus, so will Mercury, so will all our brothers and sisters in the clan... and one day, you too will pass on, be it in bed surrounded by your loved ones or on some distant battlefield." Her gaze turned up to meet his own after she hooked in a cod, dropping it in her own bucket. "That's why... I believe we should cherish every moment we have with those we love, those we hold dear. Hold tightly onto every memory, because some day, that's all we'll have, and that's all we'll leave behind for those who'll come after us."
He would say he was speaking from his ass, but these words were those he did truly believe, deep down. He didn't quite know where to say they'd come from, in any event, but from the way the child was cuddling up against his side, he'd say that his answer to her worries had soothed her. Smiling softly, he hooped an arm around her and pulled her into his side gently, eyes turning back to his rod as she just adjusted her head so that her helmet resting against his side would be more comfortable for her. They had a few hours until sundown, but the skies were already darkening, the horizon shifting into shades of deep blue to their left to contrast the hues of orange and red bleeding over the water before them on the right. It was a beautiful sundown, both could agree, and they were content enough to remain there, not even casting their lines out again as they just enjoyed each other's presence and appreciated the sunset before them...
About an hour has passed before they decided to pay Wolf's a visit, this time with Midnight more than happy to accompany his daughter as she went around the arcade. From shooters to racing games, he handicapped himself to allow Ruby to win more often than she'd lose, just happy to see his little girl so cheery and full of life despite knowing she still hurt deep down. It hadn't been long since her family of blood was slaughtered before her very eyes, and he knew it had to be a truly terrible burden to bear, but he was incredibly proud at how well she soldiered on despite it. He felt confident enough to brag about just how strong his daughter was, despite her young age and strength not generally being associated with youth as small as she was.
"YOU!" He sighed as he turned to face the Karen he'd handled the other day, this time keeping Ruby close and ensuring her hair wasn't in any position which this woman could pull from... not that he'd even give her the opportunity this time. He said it once, and wouldn't give a second warning: if she so much as touched Ruby, she'd be dead on the spot. "How DARE you wreck my car as you had last time you were here, and now you have the NERVE to show yourself here again?!."
"I warned you once already, I won't do it again. Consider your current situation very carefully, Lady. Unless you're living under a rock, I don't have any issues taking lives, and the world is very aware of that fact." He spoke, arms relaxed yet ready to draw at a moment's notice. She however only scoffed, waving her arms around to, he assumed, make herself look bigger, before eventually crossing over her chest as she glared down at the child.
"You can't kill me, your brat is right there, and she'd see it. Not to mention, my little angels can't be exposed to senseless violence." She stuck her tongue out, as if she'd just made some grand point, albeit not moving either Midnight nor Ruby.
"I've seen worse." Ruby answered plainly, before looking to the woman's kids, this time five as opposed to three, and cracking her neck from side to side, cracking her knuckles too as it almost seemed she wanted to fight them. The woman seemingly recoiled at the violence Ruby's body language was conveying, while her father merely chuckled at his daughters mannerisms. "I'm game, Lady. If your little cockroaches can beat me in a fight, we'll leave. But when I win, you'll leave, never show yourself here or before us again, and if you do see us and don't run like hell, my daddy will gun you down. Deal?"
"You little!- y'know what? you're both a brat and stupid beyond all else, you insolent little bitch!" She growled, before turning her eyes back up to Midnight, who merely took up a relaxed posture against the pillar behind him, crossing his arms over his breastplate. "Pfft. Stupid little kid, I have five and you're all alone. Kids, don't stop hitting until she can't move!"
"You don't need any encouragement from me to kick these five little rats asses, Rubes. Make 'em bleed." Midnight's reaction was much calmer, much more certain than that of the lady who's kids his own just picked a fight with. He already knew how it would end, so he really saw no need to hype his little girl up.
With a cocky grin behind her mask, Ruby waited for them to make the first move, watching as the first one swing at her with a wild haymaker, something easily countered as she raised her wrist to catch the throw before it could gain momentum. Grasping his collar with her opposite hand, she drove her knee into his crotch before throwing him to to the floor and ducking beneath another wild fist, jabbing hard and fast into the girl's kidney before shoulder-checking her to the floor. Her head turned slightly as one wrapped his arms around her torso to try to hold her in place while another girl swung for her head and the last boy tried to jab at her face with a fist. Ruby chuckled as she saw the boy's fist had his thumb tucked inside, so she just smirked and allowed him to strike the face of her helmet. He screamed as he recoiled from his own punch and she used the momentum of the strike to shoot her head back, smacking the one holding her back in the nose with her helmet as she tanked the negligible amount of pain she felt from the connecting strike and forcing him to drop her as he grasped at his now bleeding nose. Finally the last girl, she simply sidestepped, allowing her fist to over shoot and nail the one already clutching his nose in the face again, sinking him to the floor while Ruby grasped her by the back of her collar, pulled back and slammed her fist into the side of the girl's head, dropping her with ease. Finally, turning back to the last boy who'd mostly recovered from getting kicked in the nards, Ruby simply picked up a puck from the air hockey table, and domed him with one hard throw, knocking him down again and finishing the fight.
"Wha- how did- she can't- WHAT?!." The lady screeched as she scrambled to look over her hurting children, before snapping her eyes back to Ruby and beginning her March over. "How DARE you?!. HOW DARE YOU HURT MY LITTLE ANGELS?!. I'll kill-"
Before she could take another step towards the child, an open, flat hand struck her windpipe, sinking her down and causing her to gasp and sputter for air just inches short of her laying hands on the child. Midnight, now standing over Ruby and the source of the strike, merely looked back down at Ruby and gave her a full smirk, before turning his attention back to the lady.
"Enough. You accepted the fight and tried to sic your little roaches on my daughter, now respect the results, and stick to your end of the bargain." He demanded, hand hovering over his blaster pistol while the lady recollected her breath, gathered her hurting kids, and ran out the door without another word. As soon as she was out of sight and the sound of her speeding off reached his ears, Midnight began to chuckle lowly, eventually turning into full on laughter as he lifted Ruby up under the arms and spun her around a few times, an action he found the child to enjoy as her loud giggling and laughter reached his ears. "Hot Damn kid! I knew how the fight would end but you floored e'm! I don't think I could possibly feel prouder right now!"
"Really?!. Did I really make you proud?!." Ruby exclaimed, her tone conveying her boundless joy and happiness to know she'd done right by her dad.
"Absolutely, both as a Mandalorian and as a father, you filled me with a sort of pride I never knew existed before. Without a doubt!" He affirmed to her as she sling her arms around his n neck and shoulders in a tight hug, prompting the clone das to return the gesture, shutting his eyes as he embraced his daughter for a few moments before setting her down and lifting her helmet slightly to check for any damages. Though unsurprised, the Beskar protected her perfectly, leaving not even a scratch or bump leftover from where she'd been struck.
His smile remained in place as he lowered the mask back down, patting his daughter on the shoulders and saving the recording he'd been making from his helmet. He'd be sure to show off Ruby's ability to kick ass to all their brothers and sisters, brag a little or a lot about his daughter.
Though, as all good things came to an end, so too did their embrace, and within the hour, Ruby had cashed out on all her tickets and gotten herself a cute wolf onesie pajamas and a big plushy wolf to cuddle with, before taking their leave...
Within about thirty minutes of leaving Wolf's, Midnight and Ruby found themselves at Calliah's once again, with the same boy from their last trip here present. His eyes widened as he beheld the Mand'alor enter the shop, and immediately cleared the counter and welcomed him with a big smile.
"Welcome back to Calliah's, Mand'alor! It's truly an honor!" He greeted the two of them cheerfully, before reaching out to stop him before he could pull any cash out. "Please, some of my ancestors perished trying to slay Ouroboros, the least I can do for you avenging them is allow you and your little one a round on me!"
"That's very kind of you kid. Alright, We'll have what we had before, with the addition of a glass of lemonade for both of us." Midnight accepted the offer, drawing a gratuitous smile from the boy as he whipped up the frozen treats and handed them to the Mand'alor and his daughter, followed just after by the glasses of lemonade. Nodding in thanks to the boy, Midnight and Ruby found the same table they'd sat at before, and occupied it, this time with Ruby sitting on her adoptive father's lap.
"Mmmm... I love ice cream... and the lemonade is really refreshing!" Ruby cheered as she took a spoonful of her ice cream and a sip from her drink's straw, only slightly raising her helmet to do so like he usually did. It was flattering to him that she was mimicking his actions and mannerisms, cementing a small grin on his face for their entire time there. However, before they finished up their drinks, Ruby turned her attention back up to her adoptive father. "Daddy, you never did say what your favorite drink or food was?"
"I didn't? Must've slipped my mind." He replied, sipping from the cold drink for the first with a slight look of surprise crossing his expression. It was more refreshing than he thought it'd actually be.
"C'mon, dad, you gotta have a favorite food or drink! Here! I love strawberries, and my favorite drink is strawberry lemonade!" Ruby told him, prompting him to scratch his chin a little as he thought about it. Truthfully, he hadn't put much thought into having a favorite food or drink, as for most of his life they were just sustenance and nothing more. The food on Kamino was bland, with no thought placed into flavor whatsoever as long as they could pack all the nutrients they'd need into what they got. That being said, his missions had let him get out a little, explore the Galaxy and experience the flavors from around it...
"I would say... my favorite food has to be jogan fruit pie, and my favorite drink to pair with it would be a nice glass of Corellian Whiskey." He answered as he reminisced on the sweet flavor of the pie and the pleasant heat the whiskey left on his throat. "Unfortunately, according to my research, Jogan fruit doesn't exist here, and neither does Corellian Whiskey... still, this ice cream is pretty good, and I really do enjoy this lemonade... think I'd prefer something warmed and grilled to go with the drink over a frozen treat, though."
She beamed him a bright smile that he swore he could see through her visor, before the both of them returned to their drinks, finishing them in due time before stopping by the counter, leaving a generous tip for the boy, and making their way back to the HQ...
It was nightfall when they'd returned, just as the change of shift for guards at the front doors occurred, Ruby and Midnight walked into the penthouse and regarded everyone kindly before returning to their room for the night. Wordlessly, Mand'alor removed a lot of his extra items, mainly his jetpack, Kama, katana, holsters, everything that could be removed from the armor, really, before falling back into bed with Ruby hopping up and diving down into his side. She crawled up to sleep within his arms, softly pressing her helmet against his breastplate as a loud yawn escaped her lips.
"Goodnight daddy... *yawn*... I love you..." she muttered, swiftly falling asleep in His arms before he could respond. Silently, he stroked her back and the little hair that poked out from under her helmet, eventually leading him to press his helmet's crown against the top of her own for a moment, speaking as he did so before he too turned in.
"I... Goodnight, Ruby."
With the arrival of morning, Midnight made certain everyone was ready to move. The first part of this operation was staging all the supplies they didn't have room for in other transports on the outside of the city walls, with all the personnel who didn't have their own transport standing guard. As soon as the convoy was hijacked, they'd hightail it back to the staging ground, load up, and they'd be on their way. As the Clones back at the Venator couldn't spare any gunships, the ARC Troopers and Commandos that reinforced their ranks made it absolutely necessary to take the vehicles, as otherwise they wouldn't have any means of transport other than their feet.
For this operation, the 20 ARC Troopers and the 20 Mandalorians trained in jetpack usage would be the main attacking force, as all knew how to use jetpacks and were equipped for rapid assault. They'd rise up from the foliage in the valley they were bypassing via bridges and elevated roads, while one Commando Squad cut the convoy off at the front, another squad at the back, and a third would provide close supporting fire from above on a ridge. Finally, he and two other commando squads would provide sniper support from across the chasm, targeting drivers, vehicle commanders and mounted weapon operators.
During the time they'd spend getting into position, everyone else was staging everything that needed to be put in the hijacked convoy at the designated area and those that weren't doing that were guarding their assets or loading up, getting ready to move out as soon as the word was given. All yachts were prepped, all transport vehicles loaded to the brim with supplies or personnel. The tank was fueled and ready to go, decided at the last minute that they'd not be participating in the convoy raid since the aim was to capture, not destroy the vehicles. Instead, it would be helping to provide coverage for the staging grounds.
"Daddy... I'm scared..." Ruby was trembling slightly as she and her father posted up in the foliage, their MRAP just a short ways behind them. He'd entrusted her with a disruptor pistol, citing that she could be trusted to watch his and the other Commandos' backs while they provided the others with sniper support. Chuckling slightly, he pat his daughter on the back before pointing down the sight line they currently shared.
"C'mon, chin up Ruby. I know you can handle this, otherwise I wouldn't have entrusted this role to you and not another Mando that's already an adult... I'm trusting you to watch our backs this time, and I know you're up to the task. So c'mon, hold your head high, give us a smile, eh?" He spoke in a reassuring tone, making the child perk up and nod enthusiastically, seemingly all her fears and doubts were assuaged.
"He trusts me... daddy trusts me! I can't let him down! OK Ruby, you got this! Just smile and focus, I can do it!" She thought to herself, holding her disruptor at the low ready and and scanning the area around them for any incoming threats. It drew a small smirk from Midnight, not that she could see it.
"Alrighty then... Marcus, are you in position? Are you ready?" He questioned, drawing a few low guffaws from from his XO on the other end in affirmation.
"I got with me 40 Mandos that are ready to fly, and another eight ready to drop into the thick of things with us with cover fire from 4 more, and sniper support from 9 of the best snipers in the Galaxy. Oh yeah, we're ready, and we're in position too. Just waiting for the convoy to round the bend." Marcus spoke with confidence and bravado, just how he liked it.
"Good to hear it, now, prepare for action, that convoy is coming into view now." He informed as he watched the front of the convoy show itself as the first Vic crested over the the spur and onto the high roads. Smirking lowly, he turned his gaze over to meet that of his commandos, extending his pinkie and thumb from his fist and shaking the gesture back and forth, an action mimicked by the commandos before they slapped each other's hands and traded fist bumps, turning their sights to the convoy not a moment too soon.
"Steady..." Midnight spoke into his comms, eyes tracking back to the last vehicle in the convoy. 55 Vics, including the truck that was hauling the Beskar shipment. He was waiting for just the right moment to spring the ambush.
"Snipers, target the front and rear four drivers, wait for my cue..." He continued, with each of his snipers drawing a wad on their respective targets after some brief cross-talk. Finally, after the seconds finished ticking by as if they were an eternity, the convoy arrived right where they wanted it. "Commence attack!"
In unison, eight powerful plasma bolts raced through the open air, instantly killing the unaware drivers of the front and rear vehicles, a ninth striking the leading vehicle's exposed commander in the head. Still in disarray from the sudden halt, the two Commando teams dropped down from their concealed positions at the front and rear of the convoy, with the third squad popping up and peppering the exposed troops in unarmored vehicles with a rain of blaster fire, careful to avoid any actual vehicle damage with their shots. And, as the final nail in the coffin, the forty airborne Mandalorians led by Marcus ascended over the convoy, dropping down onto or around each vehicle and gunning down the crews with precision blaster fire.
Silently, Midnight continued to provide sniper support where it was needed, but ultimately him and the eight Commandos with him now were only needed for the opening phase. The rest of the operation had played out beautifully, with the Commandos, ARC Troopers and Native Mandalorians swiftly and efficiently sweeping through and clearing the convoy within mere moments. He honestly doubted the battle had even lasted a minute, as it seemed the convoy was caught completely unaware and off guard, and provided little if any fight. Without any care, his men tore the Atlesian soldiers out of their vehicles, and tossed them off the side of the road, on the side of the elevated ground. They weren't so callous that they'd deny these soldiers a retrieval and burial whenever they were found by their comrades.
Nevertheless, after a few minutes spent ripping out any trackers that the convoy had and dropping them off into the valley, his brothers and sisters mounted up in their new vehicles, and all gave the ready signal as Marcus took the leading vehicle of the convoy, giving the Mand'alor a thumbs up before the started their movement.
"Alright commandos, pack it up, we'll meet them at the staging-"
*BZZZT!*
"Incoming!" His head snapped back as the sounds of a disruptor firing and Ruby yelling reached his ears, immediately picking up on the sight of those Grimm controlling bastards trying to pull up on them from a couple hundred meters back, the Grimm quietly stalking alongside them as they approached. Swearing under his breath, Midnight turned his weapons back onto the now fast-approaching horde, with the two commando squads quickly following suit as they swapped over to their weapons' standard blaster carbine configurations.
"Contact, Contact, Contact! Commandos, Engage!" He barked out, using his DC-15X to target larger beasts while his brothers targeted the rest of the horde. "Ruby, focus on the humans and faunas, you have the disruptor, so it should only take one shot each!"
He ducked low as they began firing back on them with small arms, and from somewhere further away a Machine Gun was opening up on their position. Growling lowly, Midnight directed the commandos to continue engaging the mass of approaching enemies while he located the MG. It took a few seconds to find them through the foliage, but eventually he spotted the gunner and put a bolt through his face, killing him instantly as it seemed they didn't expect return fire.
"Under fire, all Mandos, shoot and scoot! You only need one hand for the wheel today! All that aren't driving, return fire!" He heard Marcus announce over the net, making him growl in annoyance at just how well coordinated-
"Rylanor here, we have contact at the staging grounds! Grimm and humans, I repeat, Grimm and humans!" Midnight swore as he heard the last one. They were targeting the staging grounds too? A growl escaped him as he turned his eyes over to the MRAP, before jerking his head towards the armored truck.
"GET IN THE MRAP! We're under attack on all fronts, and we need to consolidate our forces for a counter attack!" He ordered, slinging his rifle and drawing both pistols as he began an aggressive push back against the enemy horde. It hadn't reached the truck yet, but if they didn't haul ass, they wouldn't make it before the Grimm did, and that would make this fight a helluva lot more difficult. Holstering just left blaster pistol, he scooped Ruby up as he ran, knowing her to be the slowest of the group on part of her physical development. Nevertheless, even as he heft her over her shoulder in a fireman's carry, she used one hand to stabilize herself and continued to return fire with the other.
"All forces, rally on the staging grounds! If we can't fight them off, we'll load up under fire, and beat feet out of here! Move out!" Midnight spoke into the net, thankful that he'd left the ramp down, doors open and engine running, as with their advanced and superior training and conditioning, him and his commandos were just able to pile in first, shutting the doors and speeding off before tossing Ruby down into the passenger seat, not immediately too concerned with her comfort.
Still, to her credit she didn't complain, simply grunting in discomfort before adjusting herself and buckling in. He was surprised as instead of just waiting for the next destination and for him and the commandos to do all the work, Ruby instead pulled out a reserve box full of magazines for the Commandos DC-17Ms, handing them them up one by one to the Commando that pushed open the top hatch and back to the others who'd partially opened up the back to fire on the masses giving chase to them. Though he noticed, Midnight only gave a nod of approval to Ruby while he gunned it down the dirt road.
It infuriated him that despite his forces, he and his were the ones on the back foot still. Nevertheless, Midnight knew that as soon as they'd massed their firepower and came together as one, there wasn't a single foe they couldn't beat on this whole blasted planet. So, with a muted growl, he stuffed his pride and the desire to slam on the brake to face these foes head-on, and made full speed for the Staging grounds...
A/N: Sorry about posting this chapter twice, found a few errors and it wouldn't let me update the chapter like normal for some reason.