Chapter Eight
Argyle lounged lazily in his chair gazing out the window as the blue of hyperspace danced before him; with a sigh of contentment, he placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes slowly, as he began to drift into a comfortable nap, Terra came into the cockpit, carrying two cups of Caf, and softly kicked his chair.
"Sleep when you're dead, old man," Terra said with a smile, as she handed Argyle his cup before taking her seat next to him,
"After the week we've had, I'm lucky that I'm not," Argyle said with a grin, taking a drink and turning his attention back to the window.
Terra opened her mouth to reply when an alarm began to sound, and Argyle set his cup down and leaned forward to turn it off before slowly shutting down the hyperdrive, turning the view in front of them from bright blue to dark black in an instant as a planet suddenly appeared.
"Mandalore…" Terra breathed softly, "How long has it been since we last stood on her surface?"
"Six years, at least," Argyle responded, "Too long, far too long."
Terra nodded in agreement as she gazed at the brown surface of the planet longingly,
"It is good to be home, even under the circumstances we have been asked to return."
Argyle nodded grimly and made as if to reply when the speaker came to life, and a stern voice came out,
"Unidentified ship, gar gana entered Mando'ad tra, identify gar ra tsikado cuyir ru'naasta" (Unidentified ship, you have entered Mandalorian space, identify yourself or prepare to be destroyed).
Argyle pressed a button on the controls and quickly answered, as three ships took positions around them,
"Ner gai cuy argyle be aliit farr. Ni Gana ru'yaimpa yaim ti ner aliit bah attend eyn joruur be cuun aliit, sa ordered de cuun chief" (My name is Argyle of clan Farr. I have returned home with my family to attend a gathering of our clan, as ordered by our chief).
There was a moment's pause for a moment at Argyle's words before the voice replied
"Transmit gar rusur codes bal await chaashya orders" (Transmit your clearance codes and await further orders).
Argyle pressed another button on the console with a sigh of annoyance and began transmitting the requested codes while Terra rolled her eyes, picked up her cup, and took a drink.
After another moment of silence, the voice rang out from the speakers again,
"Gar cuy cleared rusur, proceed bah te transmitted coordinates, bal moruta yaim" (You are cleared to land, proceed to the transmitted coordinates, and welcome home).
Without another word, the ships turned away. A moment later, they were gone as coordinates began to beep as they were transmitted to the ship's navigation computer; with another sigh, Argyle turned on the auto-pilot before turning to Terra.
"C'mon, we need to speak with Killian before we land," Argyle said in a solemn voice as he rose to his feet, followed quickly by Terra,
"About what those pirates said?" She asked to which Argyle nodded.
"We need to know the truth, Terra. If the boy can truly use the power of the Jedi and Sith, then the situation has become much more complicated."
"How do we know they were telling the truth?" Terra asked as they left the cockpit and made their way down the hallway, "Those pirate scum would have said anything to save their skins,"
"True, but there's only one way to be sure."
With a sigh of resignation, Argyle quickly made his way down the hallway to the mess area where he knew Killian and Aola would be doing their studies, his mind racing.
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"And that is how The Great Hyperspace war ended," U-3T said to the two children sitting at the table in front of the droid, "The few remaining Sith fled into wild space, and the Republic began the long process of rebuilding."
Aola raised her hand to stifle a yawn as the droid continued in its monotone voice about the day's lesson; even Killian found it hard to pay attention as the droid turned an exciting event like 'The Great Hyperspace War' into a tedious story that barely kept his attention.
As the droid began to list off the various problems that the Republic faced following the war, Argyle and Terra suddenly appeared, making the droid stop its lesson at their approach,
"Greetings, masters. I have almost finished the morning lesson, then I shall release the children for their midday meal unless you have further orders?"
"The rest of today's lesson will have to wait," Argyle said quickly, "We have reached Mandalore; we'll be landing shortly."
Aola let out a whoop of excitement and threw her hands into the air happily, bringing a smile to both Argyle and Terra; even Killian smiled excitedly at the expectation of meeting the rest of clan Farr, though his excitement was mixed with no small amount of fear.
"Aola, go and pack your things; we need to speak to Killian for a moment in private," Terra said softly; Aola looked at her in suspicion for a moment, quickly taking Killian's hand in her own, since his kidnapping she had become very protective of him, even choosing to sleep in his room instead of her own, most nights.
"You heard your mother, go on now, and take the droid with you," Argyle added after a moment of tense silence, his tone showing that he would allow no argument.
Aola cast one final look at Killian before lowering her head miserably and doing as she was told, U-3T followed close behind; Argyle waited until their footsteps had faded before turning to Killian and staring at him in silence.
Terra took a seat next to Killian, and after another moment of tense silence, Argyle took the seat next to her so that both were facing the boy instantly; Killian began to grow nervous as to what they wanted to discuss with him and was about to ask what it might be when Argyle broke the silence,
"We need to ask you something, Killian. And you mustn't lie to us, is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," Killian answered in a nervous voice,
"Can you use the force?" Argyle asked in a soft voice; Killian instantly paled at the question as he stared into Argyle's eyes; though he tried to answer, Killian suddenly found no voice to speak as the memories of what he had done returned him in a flash.
"Killian, this is very important," Terra said quickly as she reached over and took his hand, "Mandalorians are not fond of those who have the power of the Jedi; many view any who can use such power as our people's enemy. And if you do have such abilities, we must know so that we may better protect you from those who would see you harmed, do you understand?"
Killian slowly nodded and squeezed her hand in sudden fear as the dark voice that had whispered to him at the pirate's hideout once again rang out in his head,
"Well? What are you waiting for, boy? Tell them what you did, what you are, let's see how long your new family will want you, then!"
"You promised us when we took you in that there would be no more lies between us, remember? Argyle said gruffly, making Killian turn to him,
"Yes, you did promise that." The voice whispered, "But if you tell them what you can do, they'll be afraid of you and cast you away just like everyone else…."
"Are you afraid of us, boy?" Argyle asked, guessing Killian's thoughts, leaning back in his chair, and crossing his arms, "Have we given you a reason to be afraid of us?"
"No sir," Killian answered, lowering his head rather than meet Argyle's eyes,
"We told you that you are ours, now. We came and rescued you when you were taken from us, did we not?" Argyle said in a cold voice that was worse to Killian than if the Twi'lek had shouted.
"Yes, sir, you did."
"Then I am asking you to trust that we only want to protect you, and we cannot do that if you continue to hide things from us. For us to make decisions regarding your welfare, we need all the facts, even the ones you would prefer not to share."
Terra squeezed Killian's hand gently, making him look up at her,
"Killian, I know you've been hurt in the past by trusting the wrong people," Terra said in a gentle voice, "But we will never ever hurt you, nor will we abandon you; you are our son, understand?"
Killian nodded slowly and took a deep breath before he told the two Twi'lek what had happened back at the pirate's base with the Duro, staring at the table in front of him the whole time, in fear of what he might see if he looked at them.
When he had finished, there was silence in the room for several moments as the two digested what they had been told; Terra stared at Killian wide-eyed, while Argyle looked at him passively, as though he had simply been told what time it was.
"Have you ever done anything like this before?" Argyle asked, to which Killian quickly shook his head no,
"As I said before, there is no force on my world," Killian said quickly, still looking at the table, "All of this is just a story where I'm from; I don't know how I did what I did."
"This complicates matters, then," Argyle said, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers,
"What do you mean?" Killian asked, raising his eyes and looking at Argyle,
"As Terra said, Mandalorians do not have a favorable opinion on those who can use the force. They view any who can as Jedi, whether they are or not. If any on Mandalore discover what you can do, it will cause a great deal of chaos, and no doubt there will be many who will call for your immediate execution."
"But I'm not a Jedi!" Killian cried in sudden fear, squeezing Terra's hand tighter,
"We know that, Killian." Terra said soothingly, "But there will be many on Mandalore who will not differentiate whether you are or not. A few of the purist clans would especially demand your head if they knew."
"Purist?" Killian asked,
"There are a few clans on Mandalore who follow the old code; they never remove their helmets in public from the moment they put them on and believe that anyone who uses the force is the enemy of our people." Argyle said quickly, "They believe that those who do not follow the old ways aren't really Mandalorians, simply pretenders to the name, and they especially despise those who are not human and dare to call themselves Mandalorians."
"So needless to say, Clan Farr is not looked on favorably by some of the other clans," Terra added with a sneer, "If they had their way, Argyle and I would be stripped of our armor and banished from Mandalore for daring to call ourselves Mandalorians. They say that they are simply following the old ways, but the truth is that they are just xenophobic assholes!"
Argyle chuckled at his wife's outburst before once again becoming stony-faced and turning his attention back to Killian,
"We will have to ensure that no one finds out what you can do; otherwise, the consequences could be dire. So just like the truth of where you originally come from, you must hide your abilities, no one can know, do you understand?"
Killian nodded quickly, while the dark voice seethed angrily,
"Why should you hide what you are, just because a few weaklings are afraid of real power?! They have no right to dictate terms to us, not after what you did! You have the power to snap their pathetic necks if they cross you; you should revel in such power, not hide it!"
Killian ignored the voice and said in a small voice,
"What happens if I slip up and accidentally use my power?"
"That must not happen." Argyle said simply, leaning forward to emphasize his point, "Your life will depend on your ability to hide in plain sight, to keep what you can do a secret. Only we three know, and that is enough; you must not tell anyone, not even Aola, understand?"
"But she's my sister…." Killian said in a sad voice, "I don't want to lie to her."
Argyle looked at Killian sadly before saying in a weary voice, "I know you don't, Killian. But right now, secrecy is your best ally; your very life will depend on it. Perhaps someday we can tell her, she'll be angry, of course, but I'm sure she will understand why we kept this from her."
Killian nodded in understanding, though he felt guilt roll through him at the deception and hoped that when the day came that he finally did tell Aola, she wouldn't be too angry with him for keeping such a secret from her.
"We will talk more about this later," Terra said, releasing his hand after one last gentle squeeze, "Go and get your things ready for when we land.
"Okay, Terra," Killian said softly as he rose to leave; before he could, however, he heard a small cough behind him and turned to see Terra staring at him with a raised eyebrow, while Argyle was grinning at him, making him turn red with embarrassment,
"Sorry, I meant okay, mom,"
"That's better," Terra said with a grin before motioning him to go and do as he was told.
Quick as a flash, Killian darted forward and gave Terra a hug, which she promptly returned after a moment of surprise, then he turned and quickly walked down the hallway and was gone,
"We'll need to keep an eye on him," Argyle said slowly, "To ensure he doesn't slip up."
"We can't watch him all the time, though," Terra said softly,
"No, we cannot. But I think he knows now what is at stake; hopefully, he will be able to keep his power in check.
"And if he cannot?"
"Then we cross that bridge when we come to it…." Argyle said wearily, running a hand over his head, "For now, let's just concentrate on this upcoming gathering. There hasn't been one in a long time, and there is sure to be some bad blood from the clans; let's just hope that they can keep their rivalries somewhat civil,"
Terra nodded, and the two rose to their feet and walked back into the cockpit, hoping that this would be an easy homecoming, yet neither believed it.
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"It's different from how I imagined it would be," Killian said as he looked out the window from his seat at the planet below.
"What did you imagine it would look like?" Aola asked from her seat next to him,
"I don't know," Killian answered with a shrug, "They rarely showed the planet in the books I read, and the few that showed the planet made it seem…greener?"
"It was green once," Terra called from in front of them, "But centuries of war have left most of the planet barren; Mandalorians now reside in domed cities that stretch out across the planet, the city that we're headed to is where most of Clan Farr reside, Gorga."
"Which brings us to the matter at hand," Argyle said, spinning his chair around to face Killian, both he and Terra were wearing their armor. The effect made Argyle seem even more intimidating, "Once we reach Gorga, we'll travel to the Farr stronghold where we will meet with the chieftain of our clan, Lec Farr. As you are now a member of Clan Farr, that makes him your chieftain, so when you meet him, you must first kneel to show your acceptance of his seniority over you, understand?"
"I thought Mandalorians bowed to no one," Killian said with a wry grin which quickly vanished under Argyle's hard stare,
"A Mandalorian bows only to two people, their chieftain and the Mandalore. We are a proud people, it is true, but these two rules are absolute and must be followed, or else you risk severe reprisal, even death, understand boy?"
"Yes, sir," Killian said quickly, bringing a nod from Argyle before he turned his chair back to the controls,
"So, how am I related to this Lec Farr?" Killian asked, eager to learn more about his new family,
"He's my adopted brother," Argyle replied simply, "His father, Mak Farr, adopted me into Clan Farr when I was very young; Terra came soon after; he took a great risk taking us in."
"Why's that? Killian asked,
"We're not human," Terra replied with a sneer, "The purist clans said allowing us to become Mandalorians would be a strike against our people and the way. Mak Farr disagreed and offered a challenge to any who dared to disparage the honor of his two new children, but his prowess as a duelist was so great that none were stupid enough to accept his challenge; Argyle and I grew up alongside Mak's son, Lec."
"Coming up on Gorga," Argyle said quickly, making Killian grin excitedly at the large dome that was slowly growing in front of them; as they approached, Killian began to wonder how they were supposed to get in when a large hole appeared in the dome, through which the ship flew in.
"There it is," Argyle said, turning the ship towards the nearby landing pad, where waited three Mandalorians in black armor with red trimming,
"Lot of security for a landing platform…." Terra said to Argyle, who grunted in agreement.
When they reached the landing pad, Argyle slowly lowered the ship down until it gently touched down, and Argyle began to shut off the various switches and buttons,
"Alright, let's go greet our welcoming party," Argyle said as everyone began to unbuckle themselves; as Killian and Aola picked up their bags and made their way down the hallway to the exit ramp, Argyle and Terra put their helmets on and followed close behind, as they approached the ramp, they were approached by U-3T,
"Greetings, masters, will I be accompanying you?"
"No," Argyle answered, "You will stay on the ship, no one is to come aboard but myself or Terra, notify me if someone does, is that understood?"
"Yes, master, I will eagerly await your swift return," U-3T replied before turning and quickly making its way down the hall and out of sight.
As they descended the ramp and onto the platform, the three Mandalorians approached them and stopped a respectable distance away before the tallest of the three said in a deep voice,
"Greetings, you must be Argyle Farr."
"I am, and you are?"
"I am called Jes Farr. I have been sent by the chieftain to see that you make it to the Farr compound safely and without incident."
"Things are that dangerous?" Terra asked, making Jes Farr turn to her and nod quickly,
"With so many clans returning home for the first time in so long, there have been a few disputes from rivals, a few fights so far but no deaths yet. Lec doesn't want to take any chances that something happens to his brother and sister, so I have been tasked with ensuring nothing does."
"Then we thank you for your diligence," Argyle said; behind him, Killian tilted his head trying to determine whether or not Argyle was mocking Jes Farr; apparently, Jes was trying to do the same for the mirrored Killian's movement before deciding to ignore the comment and motioning them all to follow him and his companions.
They quickly boarded a hovercraft, and Jes Farr took his place at the controls while his companions took a post on either side of him, leaving Argyle's group to stand alone near the back.
As they sped away, Killian began to grin as the city opened up before him in a flurry of activity as hovercrafts flew around them; Killian thought his neck would break as he whipped his head around, taking in the city with its hundreds of buildings that stretched towards the sky.
"This is amazing…." Killian breathed, a smile growing on his face with each new thing he saw,
Terra put her hand on his shoulder, and Killian looked up at her, unable to see the expression beneath her helmet,
"It truly is," she replied, "But you must be cautious and ever watchful, understand?"
"I understand, mom," Killian answered back, making her give him a pat on the shoulder before turning his attention back to the scene around him.
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They flew through the city for what seemed like forever, zooming past building after building, before the city gradually began to diminish into what looked like a neighborhood of earth, when finally the pilot called out,
"We've arrived; ready yourselves."
Eager to see what the Farr compound looked like, Killian hurriedly leaned over the railing and looked ahead, gasping when he had done so.
The compound was huge; there was no other word for it; it resembled a large brownstone mansion; surrounding it was a large black stoned wall, upon which sat turrets that were as far as Killian could see, currently offline.
As they landed on the platform in front of the compound, Killian got a better look and saw that the wall was manned by several Mandalorian warriors, all heavily armed with large blaster rifles,
"Is it always like this?" Killian asked no one in particular as his gaze shifted to the front gate and saw the four more Mandalorians guarding it.
"It didn't use to be," Argyle replied sternly, "Lec must have made some changes since becoming chieftain; I wonder what else he's done since taking his father's place."
As they followed Jes and his companions, one of the guards raised his hand for them to stop when they had approached a respectable distance from the gate,
"Halt and identify yourselves!"
Jes Farr, escorting other members of the Farr clan home from their ship." Jess called back,
"Password?" The guard said to Jes,
"Ripper!" Jes called again; the guard nodded his head and motioned them to come forward; when they had done so, the guard typed in a code onto a screen on the wall, and the gate slowly rose up in a loud screech that made Killian's hair rise.
They quickly walked under the gate and into a large empty stone courtyard; the thing that Killian noticed first was the silence; it was as if the square absorbed all the sound and the only noise that Killian could hear was the sound of their boots as they walked toward the large brown building in front of them, the effect was eerie, and Aola quickly grabbed Killian's hand as they hurried their pace.
When they finally reached the building and stepped inside, Killian gasped in shock at what he was seeing; the inside of the building was enormous and stretched for yards ahead of him, large stone pillars rose above him, and he could not see the roof when he looked up.
As they walked down the hallway, Killian peered into the rooms they passed, his excitement growing with each step they took, a great many were empty, but some of the rooms were filled with warriors training with everything from rifles and blasters to Vibro-swords and their bare fists.
Killian stopped at the entrance of one room to watch as a female Mandalorian human wrestled with a large male; while the crowd cheered around them for their favorite to win, the two warriors grunted as each tried to loosen the other grip, but before he could see what happened next, Argyle put his hand on Killian's shoulder and urged him on.
They came to an elevator, and Jes typed in a set of numbers before turning to Argyle,
"The elevator will take you to the chieftain; he'll be expecting you,"
"You're not going with us?" Argyle asked, surprised
"My orders were to make sure you made it here in one piece, there are others scheduled to land today, and we have to bring them back just like you."
"Well then, thanks for the ride home," Argyle said, sticking his hand out to Jes, who promptly took it and gave it a firm shake before letting go and heading back to the courtyard with his two companions in tow.
As the elevator doors opened and the group stepped inside, Killian had to squint his eyes as bright white light shone throughout, and they quickly rose to the designated floor; with a small chime, the doors opened, and they stepped into a large chamber with tall windows that flooded the room with light, four long red banners hung from the ceiling emblazoned with a strange black symbol on them and a large circular table sat at the end of the room, around which sat five large Mandalorian warriors, all wearing armor and so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even look up at the group's approach.
"We should expect some form of violence at this gathering," a Mandalorian wearing light blue armor said in a deep voice, "Especially from the Tortuga Clan, those belligerent fanatics have never forgiven our clan for abandoning them during the Mandalorian Wars."
"That was almost three centuries ago," another Mandalorian in dark green armor said quickly, "Surely they don't hold a grudge for someone that happened THAT long ago,"
"The Tortuga Clan have a long memory," a Mandalorian in a similar set of green armor said; Killian assumed this one was a female based on the voice,
"And they rarely forgive a slight until blood has been spilled; we should prepare for it at the very least; it's better to plan for a fight than being caught defenseless."
"This is supposed to be a peaceful gathering, though!" Another Mandalorian in red armor said, "If we show up armed to the teeth, all we'll do is give the other clans a reason to suspect treachery; the smart play is to show we are not planning any."
"We are Mandalorians, Tron," a Mandalorian in brown armor said to the one in red, "Peace is an alien concept to our people, and despite your schemes and machinations, only a fool would walk into something like this without protection."
The last Mandalorian was wearing armor as black as the night sky, red trimming and raised his hand for silence as Argyle's group approached, making the others at the table turn to see who had disturbed them,
"An interesting turn of phrase considering our current guest's arrival," the black Mandalorian said in a deep voice, "Hello Argyle, it is good to see you again, my brother."
The other Mandalorians rose to their feet respectively as Lec Farr strode around the table towards Argyle's group instantly Argyle and Terra lowered themselves down to one knee, followed seconds later by Aola until only Killian was left standing to stare open-mouthed at the massive warrior in front of him. Lec must have been over six feet tall, perhaps closer to seven, by Killian's reckoning, and was very heavily muscled; it was only when Terra issued a loud cough that Killian remembered what Argyle had said to him and quickly dropped to his knee. Lec stopped in front of them and stared for a moment before he said simply,
"Rise, all of you."
As they slowly rose to their feet, the Mandalorian in brown called out,
"I'm surprised to see you still alive, Argyle. I have expected to hear you died in some barroom brawl."
"I don't die easy, Torra," Argyle called back with a tilt of his helmet, "You should know that best of all, though you are welcome to try again if last time's lesson didn't sink in…."
There was silence for a moment before the brown armored warrior threw his head back and issued a great laugh that rang out throughout the room, echoed by the others who quickly joined in,
"I have missed you, you crusty old bastard!" Torra said, making his way to Argyle and embracing him in a great hug and lifting him off the ground,
"And I, you, old friend. Now let me go before you crack one of my ribs!" Argyle laughed back as Torra lowered him back down and turned to Terra,
"And look who it is?! Terra! Still, married to this waste for a warrior? Any time you want to trade up, just let me know."
"Sorry, Torra," Terra laughed back, "But Argyle is the only one for me, but I'll be sure to tell your wife your kind words,"
Torra laughed at that before taking Terra in a hug similar to the one he had given Argyle.
"We will continue this discussion later," Lec said, "For now, leave me; there is much that my brother, sister, and I must catch up on."
The four Mandalorians all nodded respectively and quickly made their way to the elevator; when they had gone, Lec suddenly turned to Argyle and clapped him hard on the shoulder, issuing a booming laugh as he did so,
"It's been a long time, brother. Too long!"
"Indeed, it has," Argyle replied, "I never meant for my absence to be so long; I have missed you, brother."
"And I, you, Argyle. Father asked for you at the end," Lec said; turning to Terra, he added, "Both of you."
"Did he suffer?" Terra asked in a sad voice, making Lec shake his head quickly,
"No, he went quickly. He was hallucinating towards the end, speaking to long-dead friends."
Before he could say more, Aola ran up to him and jumped into his arms with a cry of happiness,
"Uncle Lec! I've missed you so much!"
"And I, you, little one!" Lec laughed back, taking her into an enormous embrace; after a few seconds, he released her and lowered himself down onto one knee to look at her more closely,
"Look how big you've gotten; the last time I saw you, you were barely big enough to reach my knee; now look at you! You'll be a fine warrior someday,"
Aola blushed under the compliment and giggled slightly before returning to Killian's side.
Lec rose quickly to his feet and placed his arm around Argyle's shoulder and led him to the table, motioning for them all to sit; after they had done so, Lec slowly reached up and removed his helmet, placing it on the table in front of him, allowing Killian to finally see the man who was to be his uncle.
His face was tanned and clean-cut, he had dark green eyes that seemed to radiate power from under heavy dark brows, and his hair was as black as his armor and hung loosely to his shoulders now that it had been freed from the confines of his helmet. Following his example, Argyle and Terra also removed their helmets and placed them on the table, and Lec smiled at them warmly,
"So, this is the boy you were telling me about," Lec said, looking at Killian for the first time, "Why has he not greeted me? Can he not speak?"
Killian quickly jumped to his feet and bowed his head respectfully before answering in a shaky voice,
"Greeting, uncle, I am Killian, and it's a pleasure to meet you, sir."
Lec stared at Killian for a moment, making the boy shift nervously, before finally letting out a bellow of laughter that made Killian jump,
"Relax, boy, you needn't be so formal when we're alone," turning to Argyle, Lec added, "So, tell me about the boy; I'll trust your evaluation."
Argyle cleared his throat as Killian retook his seat and said simply,
"We found him on Alderaan while chasing a bounty; he was alone and had no one, so we decided to take him in."
"Why?" Lec asked quickly, interrupting Argyle, "What made you decide to take him in?"
Argyle looked at Killian for a moment and saw the pleading look the boy was giving him; with a sigh, Argyle continued,
"Killian had been the victim of years of abuse from his foster mother; he carries many scars from her cruelties and tortures; when Terra and I saw that, we decided to take him in."
Let's eyes went hard at Argyle's words, and he looked at Killian, who was staring at the floor trying desperately not to be seen,
"Show me," Lec said, making Killian's head whip up in sudden terror,
"Please, sir, I…." Killian began before Lec cut him off
"I said, show me," Lec said in a cold tone that showed he would not ask again
Killian turned to Terra, who sadly nodded at him to do as he was told,
"Your chieftain gave you an order, Killian," slowly Killian reached down and pulled off his shirt, tears beginning to show in the corners of his eyes, when he had done so, Let's eyes became murderous at what he saw,
"The bitch that did this to him, she got a name?" Lec asked angrily as Killian stood miserably under Let's inspection,
"Yeah, her name is Mrs. Murray," Argyle said, his lekku twitching with the same anger he felt whenever he saw Killian's scars, "Killian said she ran the orphanage where he grew up."
"And that would be?" Lec asked, motioning for Killian to put his shirt back on, which he did quickly, before taking his seat and staring at the floor again, Terra took his hand in a gentle grip while Argyle continued,
"The boy says he comes from a planet called Earth beyond the outer rim; he escaped onto the first ship he came across and ended up on Alderaan; that's where we found him."
"Earth? Strange name for a planet, I've never heard of it before,"
"According to Killian, it's a backwater," Argyle lied, "It doesn't get many visitors, and the few that do frequent it are smugglers and those who wish not to be found."
Lec stared at Killian for a moment more before turning to Argyle,
"Are you sure the boy can be one of us? Once broken, it is tough to remake a person's spirit."
"The boy is not broken, brother," Argyle said firmly, "Our ship was attacked by pirates on the way here; the boy here took down four of them by himself,"
Lec turned back to Killian at that, and his eyes showed that he was impressed with Argyle's words,
"He will make our clan proud one day, I am sure of it," Terra added, bringing a nod from Argyle.
"We shall see," Lec replied, looking at Killian with fresh eyes, "For now, though, there are things that I need to discuss with the two of you. But, first, after such a long trip, the children must be hungry; why don't they head down to the mess hall and get some food while we catch up."
Argyle nodded in agreement before turning to Aola,
"Wait for us there; we'll be along directly,"
Aola nodded and quickly rose from her seat, taking Killian's hand and pulling him out of his and towards the elevator; a moment later, they were gone.
"Doesn't say very much, does he?" Lec said, staring after the kids, "I hope you're right about him, Argyle. This is no time for weakness; Mandalore needs warriors ready to fight, not cowards who cannot."
"Killian is no coward, brother," Terra growled, "The boy has endured suffering most of us could never dream of, yet he still stands tall despite it. When we first met, he saved me when I was getting beaten by our target, ran right up to the bastard, and smashed a bottle over his head."
Lec nodded his head in approval at the words,
"Good, the boy has some fire in him, then. That's just what our clan needs right now,"
"What do you mean?" Argyle asked,
"There hasn't been a gathering like this in a long time, brother," Lec replied with a sigh, "Nor has there been a war like this one for a long time; there are many who think we should side with the Sith empire, others who feel we should side with our enemy, the Republic, and then there is a third faction who thinks we should just stay out of it altogether; apparently there are a few clans who have become pacifists, bah!" Lec slammed his fist onto the table at the last word,
"They believe that we should no longer follow the old ways of our people and instead begin a new path, one where we embrace peace and becoming protectors, like our hated enemy, the Jedi."
"You can't be serious…." Argyle said, his mouth falling at the words,
"I wish I wasn't, brother," Lec growled, "There are two clans so far who have embraced this idiocy; Clan Roth, and Clan Deras, both will be at the gathering and will no doubt suggest we join with the Jedi and the Republic."
"So, where do you stand, Lec?" Terra asked softly; for a moment, Lec didn't answer but instead sat in silence and stared at the table with his hand under his chin; with a sigh of frustration, he looked at her and said in a weary voice,
"I promised our father that I would protect Clan Farr at all costs; I intend to keep that promise. As to what side I plan to take, I honestly don't know; it would be a betrayal to our clan to join forces with the Republic after what they did to our people in the last war, but at the same time, I do not think the Sith will win this war, their record for winning against the Jedi speak for themselves. So if we choose the wrong side, we will be the winner's next target."
"Might I make a suggestion?" Argyle asked, to which Lec nodded, "For now, let's do nothing. Let's see which way the wind blows with the other clans and make our decision; sometimes, patience is the best policy."
Lec stared at Argyle for a moment before nodding in agreement,
"I have missed your wisdom, brother; it has been sorely needed the last few years."
"I have missed you too, Lec," Argyle said sadly, "But we both know why Terra and I needed to leave,"
"Bah! This again?!" Lec barked, "You didn't need to leave, brother! No one believed the rumors that were being spread about you; I certainly didn't, at any rate!"
"And I thank you for that, Lec," Argyle said with a dip of his head, "But there were many outside of our clan who did, that's why I had to leave, to ensure that father picked you, his natural-born son, to be the next leader of our clan. I left to ensure that you would be the only one by his side, and therefore he would have to choose you; if he had decided for some reason to pick me, an alien, the purist clans would have torn clan Farr apart!"
There was silence at Argyle's words, and Lec dipped his head sadly before replying,
"You made a great sacrifice for our clan, brother. But, one I will never forget, your loyalty to our family and our clan has never once been questioned, and I promise it will be repaid one day."
Argyle nodded his head gratefully as Lec continued,
"The gathering will be in a few weeks; we will use that time to plan accordingly,"
"You expect trouble?" Terra asked,
"There will be the chieftains of over a hundred clans at this meeting," Lec said thoughtfully, "Old rivalries are sure to show themselves; only a fool would think otherwise."
"So, what do we do?" Argyle asked,
"We will not be the ones to break the peace," Lec growled, "But if it happens, we will be ready. Tomorrow the two of you will join the rest of my council. We shall plan accordingly; while that is happening, your children will be given to my battle master, Buta Kug, to train alongside the other clan children if Killian is as spirited as you say. Buta will make a fine warrior out of him."
Argyle and Terra shared a glance, which Lec saw in an instant,
"Is there a problem?"
"No," Argyle said quickly, "It's just, Aola and Killian are still young, and Killian has only just begun to learn the way; I fear it will be too much for him."
"Buta will teach him, even if he has to break the boy to do it," Lec said simply, making Terra wince slightly,
"He's suffered enough, Lec," Terra said softly, "Must he suffer more?"
"Our life is not for the weak, sister," Lec said, giving her a hard stare, "To follow the way means embracing the warrior's path and embracing pain; if he cannot do that, he has no place amongst us."
"And your niece?" Argyle asked in a harsh voice, "What if she proves too weak? Will she also be cast out?!"
"Aola is a true daughter of Mandalore," Lec said, waving his hand irritably, "I've no doubt that she will make our clan proud, the boy will as well if he is given proper instruction, he will be treated the same as all the others, Buta shows no favoritism, I can promise you that."
Argyle opened his mouth to argue some more when a protocol droid entered carrying a tray with three goblets and a large vase filled with red liquid,
"Enough about the children; we have a lot to catch up on, and what better way to do it than with copious amounts of alcohol!" Lec laughed as he poured them all a full goblet; Argyle smiled as he took his and raised it to toast Lec and Terra, before taking a long drink and smacking his lips in satisfaction.
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