Standing in the main hold of the Jaster's Legacy II Jango looked at the scattered parts littered across the floor and grumbled under his breath at the mess. Normally it wasn't too bad, the parts placed in neat little piles by some criteria he didn't think he'd ever understand. "Gotab'ika! Come here!" His voice carried, loud enough that there was no way he wouldn't be heard in the fairly small ship. A moment later a blonde head poked out of an access panel above him he hadn't even realized existed. The boy looked at him, blue eyes large in his pale face. "Come on, down you go." He said clearly, pointing at the floor next to him. The boy pouted but complied.

Slipping out of the small space with ease the seven year old boy dropped to the ground and looked up at him a little sheepishly. The kid's hair was a fluffy mess and his face was streaked with grease. Tucked into his belt were a bunch of tools sized to fit his small hands. Tools that Jango bought him. It filled his heart with joy to see such a sight.

"What have I told you about leaving parts all over the floor?" The blonde ducked his head, nibbling on his bottom lip and looking contrite. He knew that Jango preferred the ship to be tidy. Just in case they had to fly evasive maneuvers suddenly. It had happened often enough.

"Uh, not to?" He sighed but there was no heat behind it. If anything he was a cross between exasperated and amused. He wondered if Jaster had often felt this way about him as a child.

"Not to. It's time for lunch and practice. Afterward I want you to clean up this mess. Tion suvari?" The bright smile returned and the boy quickly scrambled over to him, almost tripping.

"Lek buir!" Jango huffed and ruffled the fluffy blonde hair as the boy reached up to hug him around the waist.

"Go wash up." Rushing off like the little ball of energy he was Anakin darted into the fresher to clean himself up. Jango watched him go with a small smile. He still wasn't sure how exactly he'd come to adopt the former slave from Tatooine but he was happy he had. For the first time in a long time Jango felt almost… at peace.

Going into the small kitchen he dished out their meal and sat down to wait. If he started without him the blonde would pout for the rest of the day. Adorable but not very helpful in the long run.

His son bolted into the room and sat down, muttering a small prayer in thanks for the food before digging in. It made Jango's heart clench in his chest every time. To be honest he'd thought about stopping the boy from doing those small things that reminded him of being a slave on that desert planet. But it was something from the boy's mother and their culture, and he refused to take what few happy memories he had of the woman away from him.

"What was so catastrophically broken in the ceiling that you had to climb up into there?" The boy grinned up at him, joy shining in his eyes.

"The ship is wired funny." He stopped eating, letting his hand drop to the small table as he thought of how to describe what he'd been doing. "It's like… someone tried to make holes in the walls to hide things. So they moved all the big stuff out of the way. But they didn't know how and now all the wires are wrong." He hummed thoughtfully. He let very few mechanics actually take that deep a look into his ship, preferring to fix it on his own. No nasty surprises that way. "Why don't you fix it, buir?"

"Places to hide things are useful, ad'ika. Like that knife in your boot." The boy took another bite of his meal, looking thoughtful. "Finish your lunch."

"Lek."

After a quick clean-up they moved somewhere with a little more room. Jango stood, feet a shoulder's width apart, as he watched his son go through the different hand to hand forms. Every once in a while he would correct a stance or give out advice and encouragement. Once his son was almost trembling from the strain he called a break. Some water and cool down stretches later they were sitting across from each other on the floor, eyes closed.

"Breathe in." He intoned. "And out." He knew the blonde was following along as he spoke in a calming voice. Meditation wasn't something many people thought of when Mandalorians came to mind but it was actually quite common. A way to learn control over ones body, to calm the mind into sharp focus, and keep yourself from breaking apart at the worst moment. It was an important skill and had proven useful when it came to Anakin's control over the force.

What the stars cursed jetiise had never understood was that Mandalorians didn't hate those born with the force. What they hated was the jetiise philosophies that took those bright souls and did their best to dull their shine. Jango wasn't force sensitive but his people had a word for what he was- Mir'kotyc. Strong willed, someone whose mind was immune to the effects of mind tricks and other jetiise nonsense. But Anakin was Ka'runi, and a particularly strong one at that.

He remembered waking up those first few nights, unsure what the hell was going on, when the kid would thrash and scream in his sleep. He knew what kind of nightmares the boy was likely to be having so he did his best to wake him and comfort him. Holding him close in those dark moments when the blonde's whole world had come crashing down once again. The biggest issue wasn't consoling Anakin, however, it was the fact that shit started to tremble, then shake, then suddenly fly around the room whenever his emotions would boil over. Jango recognized it immediately and had cursed a blue streak. But even then, he didn't regret taking the boy in.

"Buir?" He opened his eyes and tilted his head questioningly. Anakin took in a deep breath and held it for a moment. "Mando'ade and jetiise don't… get along… do they?" Jango swallowed hard, emotion welling up in him. Chief among them was hatred and self loathing. He saw his boy flinch and quickly pulled himself together. He knew his son was empathic, like many with the force.

"The jetiise and our people have different ways of looking at the world. So no, ad'ika, we don't get along. Besides they've… done some things to our people that many Mando'ade can never forget." He looked into his sons eyes. "What do I always say when someone slights us?"

"Mando'ad draar digu." If his smile was a little rueful he didn't notice. For a seven year old Anakin had an amazing memory and brilliant intellect. It made Jango proud.

"That's right ner ad. It doesn't mean we can't forgive others, but we will never forget how they treated us." He ran a hand through his dark hair. "The jetiise though… I will never forgive them for what they've done. To our people, to me." He tried hard to keep the vitriol out of his voice. His son was still only seven, regardless of how intelligent he was. He didn't need to learn about their history, not yet.

Anakin was quiet for a moment, looking down at his crossed ankles. "I... used to have dreams about being a jetii." Jango grits his teeth, vehemently against the idea of his son being a one of those soulless monsters. Let alone being anywhere near them. "But now I have different dreams. I'm standing on a balcony and... I have a lasersword. But... it's all black." Jango's eyes widen. "I'm wearing beskar'gam, like yours buir. But mine is black and blue and I have a red cape and… a skirt?" He looked confused.

"Kama, it protects the legs." The boy nodded, eyes glazing over for a moment as he memorized the word and matched it to whatever vision he was seeing in his mind.

Jango knew that Anakin had visions, true visions. He'd listened to his son on more than one occasion where the boy had emphatically told him something would happen and went out of his way to avoid the scenario. But this? This was the first time Jango felt a shiver of anticipation run down his spine.

If the vision was true, and he believed it was, then his little boy would grow up to be the new Mand'alor. He was surprised that he didn't feel a sinking dread at the thought. The last Mand'alor didn't have a very good track record when it came to helping his people. Anakin however? His little star child, engineer, disaster on legs- he would be the one to reunite the clans and take Manda'yaim back from the weaklings and cowards.

"Oya manda!" He mumbled under his breath, a predatory grin crossing his face.

Mando'a

Gotab'ika- Little Engineer
Tion suvari- You understand?
Lek buir!- Yes dad!
Ad'ika- Little one
Mir'kotyc- Strong willed
Ka'runi- Star Soul
Mando'ad draar digu- A Mandalorian never forgets.
Ner ad- My son.
Oya manda!- Expression of Mandalorian solidarity and perpetuity: emotional and assertive.