Parental Duties
By Rey
Chapter summary: There is purportedly an item that "warlike Mandalorians" would cherish, held ransom by an outsider for the cooperation of the aforementioned people, and the said outsider is purportedly a Jedi. – Oh, there is so much wrong in that statement!
Mando'a terms (with Rey-verse slant) used:
alor: leader, boss, superior, could be shortening of mand'alor
Manda'lase: Mandalorian Space
Manda'yaim: Mandalore the planet viewed as homebase
traataliit: military unit, squad, something like a second family for its members
verd('e): a term of address for Mandalorian adults (and its plural form)
verd'ika('se): young one (and its plural form)
vod: sibling, comrade
Ýmska used:
Amma: mother, primary adopter, carrier-birther-nurser-raiser
milaða: Rey-verse species of extremely long-lived cold-loving giants that can usually take on human looks
Nicknames used:
Grog'ika: Grogu (Mando'a)
Ob'ika: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Mando'a)
Ra: T'ra Saa (non-Mando'a)
Ré: Fay (non-Mando'a)
Té: Tarre Vizsla (non-Mando'a)
Chapter warning: very brief mention of dissociative episode (if you wish to skip it, skip the paragraph after Tarre's first response to Boba's explanation; just that)
Chapter note: This particular POV firstly aired in Chapter 16, if you'd like to refresh your mind.
22. Tarre: The Item
Nevarro was part of Manda'lase.
Was, because there is no more Manda'lase for any world to be part of, even though Nevarro itself had apparently ceased to be part of Manda'lase long before, during the first series of orbital bombardments that had seen huge swathes of Manda'lase barren.
An empire did the former. Completed the deed, as it were. It was a Sith empire, it sounds, judging by the name of the right hand of the Emperor that Boba supplied for them upon request: Darth Vader.
But the Republic had done the latter, had obliterated a chunk of Concordia and the entirety of Manda'yaim's southern hemisphere, had done the same to many other important worlds in Manda'lase, and it used the Jedi to do it: a preemptive strike, an "excision" as if Manda'lase had been a tumour to be dealt with as soon as possible.
And the Jedi were also massacred, centuries after, just as the Republic was replaced by the Sith Empire.
And Té found this out only when they were on the way to this very planet, through the interlinked commline between the five ships that was kept open as they traversed the tricky hyperlanes from the Deep Core out.
It was fortunate, truly, that they were not alone when they received such a news, neither were their siblings, and the whole traat'aliit also met physically regularly with each other during resupply stops. The regular, tangible company that never failed to be there throughout the weeks-long travel anchored the siblings, distracted them, boosted their morale, and kept them from feeding on each other's misery in an ever-thickening loop for the most part.
It is also fortunate that they are not alone, now, as Ob'ika, who followed Grog'ika into the underground levels of this settlement, reports that there is purportedly an item that "warlike Mandalorians" would cherish, held ransom by an outsider for the cooperation of the aforementioned people, and the said outsider is purportedly a Jedi.
There is so much wrong in that statement! And, thankfully, all the other verd'ika'se are of the same opinion. None of them fully understand, barring Té's own siblings, but they understand enough to squawk about it in their own ways.
Din also understands, and is also highly uneasy, while Fennec is silent and unreadable.
But Boba is blasé about it all.
"The blade you keep toting everywhere, it somehow became the symbol of leadership for a Mandalorian terrorist group in our universe," the verd drawls when Té, affronted, verbally homes in on it. "Death Watch. Surfaced from time to time. The last one standing in a three-pronged civil war by the time the Empire rolled in to subjugate the sector, then to obliterate it. Naturally, their idea lingers the most, including this one."
"The blade…. My blade," Té can only echo, feeling sick to their soul, which has already been battered previously by the loss of the greater part of their family and the horrible news befalling Manda'lase.
Everything feels numb, feels distant. And still, they are all too aware of the nausea churning their everything, of the words bouncing about in their mind and leaving slimy bruises each time, things that they cannot just scrub off and heal.
Except… `Ob'ika said the 'Jedi' is coming here. If I can wrest the blade off of them and return it to my counterpart, or at least hold on it….`
Té perks up, stirs, and now they notice that they have transmitted everything that they have been feeling to their siblings, which has apparently made Ré and Ra worried, which in turn has made everyone else worried.
They wince, offer their apology for the bother through their bond as well as verbally through the interlinked commline, delight relievedly when their siblings support them in this idea. And, now, they notice that Rey has somehow squirmed onto their lap and patting insistently at their ironheart.
"You feel weird," is all she says when Té catches her smaller hands and holds both in theirs. "Weirder than before. Different. I don't like it."
Té chuckles.
It sounds flat even in their ears.
But they gamely explain, "I was not in… a good place. But now I am better. I appreciate your concern of me."
"Yeah, weird." Rey shakes her head. But at least she does not resist when Té gently evicts her off their lap.
And then Té braces themself for the mission that they have suddenly landed themself in, filters out how Rey is loudly whispering at Merrin and Asajj behind them of how weird they are, takes a deep breath, and lets it out saying, "I shall accompany Ob'ika in this mission and take custody of the blade, until I can return it to its owner."
It's weird, as Rey would say it, speaking of their counterpart in a third-person manner like this. But it is indeed the reality of it.
Reality has not yet ceased to be "weird" since they and Ré and Ra were firstly dragged here, in any case.
Not to mention, it's familial duty, and Té would like to think that they have known enough by now of such duty not to shirk it.
Their ears and mind would have been figuratively blistered by Amma, if not… and a heat-related injury like that is always serious for a milaða, halfbreed though they are, figurative or not.
Fortunately, nobody objects to this arrangement.
They object strenuously, however, and instantly come up with other ideas when Té explains that, so as not to tip the "Jedi" to what is going on, they will roam this field of a makeshift spaceport alone and act only when Ob'ika – from afar – indicates who the "Jedi" is via the ghost that gave him this information.
"If this Jedi is who I think he is, it's too dangerous for you to take on alone," Boba drawls, "unless you'd like to just get rid of him?"
"It's too dangerous, either way. You need backup, kid," Din frets. "My armourer said that Mandalorians and Jedi were ancient enemies."
"Just say it, and you can collect the item from the corpse. I'm good at sniping Force-sensitives," Fennec offers in a similar drawl to her… alor? Vod? Boba.
"Someone loitering alone is more suspicious," Ob'ika points out. "Besides, it's my mission, too, right? So I ought to be there with you."
"I'm good with mechanics! We can talk about ships and the like while we look round," Cal jumps in.
"I'm good with animals! And there are surprisingly not a few round here. I could ask for their help, and I have to do it personally, which means I have to be there, too," Caleb follows swiftly, apparently forever unwilling to be bested by Cal in anything.
"I could always take the sabre from whoever holding it without them knowing, especially if they are not a Jedi in truth," Jon puts in in his unique mixture of shyness and confidence. "The crystal is a Jedi's soul partner. It should be with the owner, not paraded around as trophies of anyone."
"I'm a good thief, too!" Ezra pipes in from farther away from the comm's mic, added on with an excited squeal from Grogu, and Té has to quickly stifle a laugh.
But they cannot – and do not – stifle the warm feeling that is quickly and steadily sparking in them and spreading to everywhere in their body, in their mind, in their soul, almost like Amma's milk would.
`I know them,` they realise. It's a quiet but sturdy thing. `I remember them.`(*)
End notes: In Mandalorian culture, knowing and remembering are important and serious business, and have many nuances both positive and negative. In my opinion, Mandalorian proverb that translates as "A Mandalorian never forgets" is not only an oath of vengeance but also a promise of remembering someone, making that someone eternal in their regards even after death. ("I remember you, so you are eternal" is part of the litany to acknowledge the dead, by the way, if you didn't know.) Also, part of the vow of adoption is "I know your name" and Mando's "I love you" is literally "I know you forever," with "know" being synonymous with "hold in the heart." So when Tarre says "I know them. I remember them," it means that they're just made aware that they do like everyone here and beginning to love the latters.