Past a thousand reviews, WOW, that's always such a crazy achievement for a story and I am god damn proud of it. Thank you to the one thousand reviews, both old and new readers to the story.
Truly a great feeling you have all given me.
Now then, there's a lot to do for this arc here as this is an original. One that will play into the larger scheme of things later on down the line.
So much to do here as at long last we're tackling a story point I've been wanting to do for a long time now. Like before, this is a setup for the things to come.
Be sure to check out my newest story Spirit Unto Dawn with my Comrade BulletStormX and A Song of Fire, Ice and Hearts with Jebest4781. The three of us got a special new project in the works and when the time comes I'll direct you guys to BulletStorm's account. It's something I'm really excited for cause it's the first three-man project I've worked on. So yeah, stay tuned for that new project.
Anywho, we're diving deep into the original Legends material though there are distinctly clear departures that serve as a means to this story. So yeah, there's clear differences that you will all see in these next two chapters.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Avengers Infinite Wars Chapter 36: We Are Protectors Part 1.
The bar was bustling with activity as most bars would.
It was crowded with many patrons at booths, stools and tables with drinks all around.
However…
One particular booth within the bar was given a large berth from the other patrons as they drank in relative peace. These group of individuals were several well-armed, well-armored men who were seated at a round table drinks in hand and T-visor helmets off.
Two of them had mostly green painted and tinted armor with their companion having his primarily black and grey.
The trio of men were around the same age more or less with the black and grey armored individual being slightly younger than them both by about two years or so.
He had jet black hair that was crew cut with a small scar on the right side of his chin. The most defining feature he had was his steel-grey eyes that held an air of mischief mixed with a wariness that showed a man who is a battle-hardened warrior.
The one to his right and seated in the center of the three men had blond hair with blue eyes, arm resting upon his helmet that was on his leg.
To his right was their last companion and friend, downing a drink with a satisfied exhale a moment later. He had a buzz cut hairstyle though it was easy to see that his color was brown while his eyes were blue like the one in the middle but his were slightly tinted darker.
Now, aside from the unifying armor that these three men had there was one other aspect that tied them all together as comrades, allies and friends.
"So, what'd Spar tell ya Fenn?" The Steel eyed man asked.
"Nothing much for the time being." Fenn said, wiping his helmet, thumb unconsciously brushing over the Jaig-eyes above the visor.
"Why you asking, Dax?" the buzz cut man asked, leaning back into his seat. "Thought you'd enjoy the chance to take a nap."
"Come on, Tobbi, I'm still a Mandalorian. I can only sit still for so long." Dax waved off. "Besides, already got my nap in on our way here."
"Why do you always nap anyways, Dax?" Fenn inquired. "You sleep more often out of all of us. How do you ever get anything done?"
Dax only shrugged. "I manage."
"Course you do." Tobbi muttered with a small smirk.
Fenn chortled to himself, patting Tobbi on the shoulder. "Come on you two, Spar is probably gonna want a report on our latest job."
Nodding, the other two men grabbed their helmets and the trio departed from the establishment towards their ship they had affectionately nicknamed sleek. It was a black painted Kom'rk class Star Fighter given to them by MandalMotors, the primary starship utilized by many Mandalorians not associated with the Mando's of Mandalore.
It was 68.1 meters in length, with broad, angular, rotating wings as it was shown once it was currently parked in an upright position. When in flight, the wings could rotate around the vessel's main body, allowing for increased maneuverability. And while they could've been fine with having the smaller version of this ship, they were a team so had to deal with the extra amount of space for their respective quarter to their personal armory they had to share amongst themselves.
Clambering into the ship, it lifted off shortly after with Tobbi at the helm and Dax as his co-pilot. Flying Sleek out into the vastness of space, Tobbi punched in the coordinates and they were off into Hyperspace.
The trip was relatively short, arriving back over the Mandalorian occupied planet of Concord Dawn. This planet has long since become the operating base of the Mandalorian Protectors being led by the new and true Mandalore Spar. Not those pretenders on Mandalore itself and that despicable group, Death Watch, living on the moon of Concordia.
Descending down onto the planet side, Tobbi guided it to the primary encampment/base that the Protectors used for their operations.
Landing nearby where many of the other ships were stationed, the three Mandalorians exited the ship and were greeted by several other Mando's who they all greeted cheerfully.
Entering the camp, all three men paused as they saw none other than Spar standing there awaiting their return.
"Mandalore." all three stated in unison, bowing their heads in respect.
"I take it the mission was a success?" Spar asked, approaching them.
"Would we be here if it weren't?"
Smirking, Spar gestured his head towards the largest tent in the encampment with the trio following after him.
"Good to hear that." Spar spoke calmly. "I hope you didn't encounter any problems."
"Aside from Dax sleeping next to the explosives again, no, not really." Fenn said airily.
Dax quickly elbowed his teammate in response before composing himself in front of their leader.
"Alright. Now then…" Spar went to the nearby holo-table and typed something in as an image soon appeared. "I have a new assignment for you and your team."
Fenn removed his helmet, as did his two friends with all three gazing upon the holo-table that showed a familiar planet to them.
"What is it, Mandalore?"
"Ordo has been recently harried by raiders and pirates." Spar said grimly. "You all know that the Mandalorian sector has been in a constant state of peril due to us being de-unified."
They grimaced, knowing full well that their people were very much splintered into multiple factions right now, spread out across the galaxy.
"What is it you want us to do?"
"Isn't it obvious? Liberate the place, that's what." Dax stated gaze now a bit more intense as he stared at the planet of his namesake.
"You would be correct, but a bit more than that." Spar informed them.
"Which is?"
"An… asset I wish to procure."
Fenn's eyes narrowed. "Is it… him?"
Spar grumbled. "Possibly. But I've had no such luck. This is only a lead really and it's the only one I've gotten as of late.
The three Mandalorians were fully aware as to whom Spar was referring to. He had been wanting to track him down personally and being three of his most trusted friends and allies were privy to this individual and the significance he held.
"We'll find him, Mandalore." Fenn assured.
"Don't put your hopes up, but I'll appreciate it if you do." Spar then gave his next instruction. "Go to the Forgemaster before you leave." He told the three. "Asides from refilling your armory, I believe she has something prepared for you three."
"Is it something cool?" Tobbi inquired with a grin.
"You'll see."
Spar then went back to his own devices as the trio left to their new destination.
Exiting the large tent, Fenn led Tobbi and Dax over to where the Forgemaster of the protectors operated.
The place itself was distinctly different as it was a solid one story building as it was personally built and designed for the sole purpose of the Forgemaster.
Nodding to the two other Mando's currently conversing outside the Forge House, they entered.
Even with the protection of their suits, they were met by the heat from the forging chamber. Not truly because of the actual heat from the kiln but because of how intense the owner was radiating.
Hammering away on some project she was working on; the Forgemaster was putting so much focus into it. The power behind the blows, the focus in being sure there are no mistakes and weakness into the craft. The dedication and discipline on the pride of it all could practically be felt by any entering the vicinity.
"I take it you three know what needs to be done?" Spoke the Forgemaster, not breaking her gaze from her work.
"Yes Forgemaster." They chanted in respect.
The duty of a Mandalorian Forgemaster was always first and foremost to their craft and to the clans of the Mandalorians. They are to go by title, sharing names only to those closest to them while adhering to their duty. Being a Mandalorian Forgemaster was one of commitment and understanding, being able to craft with prior knowledge yet innovation that can advance the clans that they primarily serve.
Once done hammering into the metal, she slowly quenched it into a nearby oil pan. It lit aflame upon contact before the Forgemaster soon placed her attention on the new arrivals.
"If you'll follow me."
Not far away from the central kiln, she opened up a compartment on the wall to reveal an assortment of Mandalorian weapons. Vibroblades, rifles, and so many more. Going to a lower compartment, she opened it up to retrieve some small containers. Opening the first up, she then presented the contents to the trio.
"I believe it's time for you three to have these." She stated. "Whispering Birds are a powerful defense against multiple enemies. Use them sparingly for what may come for you."
"Of course." Chorused the three.
She handed the boxes containing the Whispering Bird weapons onto them before hearing their demands on what needed to be refilled in their immediate armory.
"Where is it that you are travelling to?" The Forgemaster inquired as she was authorizing most of their demands.
"Ordo, Forgemaster." Dax answered straight away.
"Ordo." She repeated in a low voice. "That planet holds great significance for our people. I pray for your success, Protectors."
"We'll die if we don't succeed."
"I know. For our culture and our way." Said the Forgemaster. "This is the way."
"This is the way." Came the resounding chorus from the rest.
Now fully equipped and prepared, the three Mandalorian Protectors departed from the Forge and returned to their ship destination and mission now in mind.
"So, Ordo." Tobbi stated, looking over to Dax. "Weren't you born there, Dax?"
Dax shook his head. "No, my father was from the planet. I was actually born on Concord Dawn."
"Really?" Fenn said with intrigue, carefully inserting whistling birds into his gauntlet. "I didn't know that."
Dax, while a good friend of Fenn and Tobbi, never really spoke about his past all that much. He only let out little details here and there, though he mostly kept his old past to himself. He had joined the Protectors soon after they were established, becoming fast friends with Spar, Fenn and Tobbi as well as a leading example of the Protectors.
A leading example being a fierce warrior and an extroverted napper. Dax made it a point to always take a nap before a mission and whenever there was downtime for himself.
Still, he was someone they trusted as a brother and knew that when push came to shove they knew Dax would be right by their side blaster in hand and ready to fight.
"Say, Fenn, Tobbi." Dax spoke up after several moments of silence as the ship was well on its way through hyperspace by this point. "What's Mandalore like?"
"Hmmm?" Tobbi looked over to him. "What? You've never been to Mandalore?"
"Not really. Only seen images of the home world."
"How to describe it… I would say it's a facade." Fenn remarked, rubbing his chin in thought.
"A facade?"
"Sure it looks peaceful and all with what the Duchess has done in these past years. A pristine image, being an example for many neutral systems. Yet there's an underbelly she doesn't really notice with what crime is done here and there. Some black-market dealings over here, discussions of rebellion over there."
"Doesn't sound stable." Dax noted.
"Not in the slightest." Fenn shook his head. "I get that she wants peace and all, trust me I get it. But to just up and change our way of life that has been like this since the very beginning? Too drastically and too soon? There's no way it will work."
"We're Mandalorians." Tobbi said plainly. "Our way of life is all about being warriors. Then this pretty haired upstart just goes and says we're peaceful now. Yeah, like that's gonna last."
Dax hummed in agreement, knowing all too well the truth on that matter. He was fully aware of the planet of Mandalore itself being under the control of the New Mandalorians, as they like to call themselves, that were "pacifists" and a "peaceful" people now.
Only reason Duchess Satine was able to fully gain power when she first came onto the scene was because more than enough influential Houses and Clans were tired from the fighting and wanted to settle down. Those sided with her were able to turn the votes in Satine's favor, which soon led to what is happening now.
Yet it was easy to see how little sway that sentiment truly had. Only the planet of Mandalore itself was occupied by this new regime. Every other planet within the Mandalorian sector of space followed the old ways.
The Aka'liit as they were called in Mando'a. Or the Faithful in Basic. Those who held true to the old ways of the Mandalorians. The true way. The way that the Protectors have based themselves on.
While they had only started as a small number of around 212 members, the recent weeks have been showing a steady rise in recruits and members from all clans as well as foundlings.
The foundlings were the future of their people. They would be protected and trained when the time came to carry on the name of Mandalorians.
"I heard this little rumor actually, before I left." Fenn said, leaning forward as his two friends gazed at him. "Before the New Mando's went and changed Mandalore, The Duchess' own sister refused to support her cause."
"Really?" Dax was surprised at that piece of information. "Any idea on who it was?"
Fenn shook his head. "Nada. Didn't have time to learn about it. But goes to show how her regime isn't made to last."
"Agreed." Dax and Tobbi said in unison.
The trip to the planet Ordo was shorter than their flight back home after the mission prior to this one. Arriving within the system of the planet, Tobbi flew their ship towards the planet the clan and the system was named after.
It was a primarily desert world with very few spots of vegetation within the northern and southern hemispheres. The primary area of agriculture was near the equator of the planet, where most settlements can be found.
Landing outside a small town surrounded by greenery, the Protectors exited their ship and with the trio headed straight for the settlement. It wasn't necessarily big with few people out and about right now yet it was clear for them to see that something was wrong.
There were booths here and there that were either damaged or destroyed with goods missing and other houses and structures having suffered recent damage.
As soon as they set foot into the town, several of the passersby saw them and went for the blasters strapped to their sides. Though they slightly relaxed with one of them, a male human, recognizing them immediately.
"Mando's." He greeted cordially. "A surprise, but a welcomed surprise to be sure."
"What happened here?" Fenn asked straight away.
"Raiders." A woman stated plainly, looking a bit disheveled. "Damn bastards have been harassing towns all over Ordo for the past few weeks."
"Raiders?" Tobbi spoke up, removing his helmet to show a clear visible frown. "What kind of raiders?"
"Vagrants from the way they were outfitted." The man who first spoke to them stated with a disgruntled look.
"They would attack Ordo so blatantly?" Dax asked with a level of anger in his tone.
"Where are the warriors to protect this planet?" Fenn asked. "Are there not Mandalorians on this planet?"
"We are all Mandalorians." The woman puffed out her chest with pride yet deflated a moment later.
"It hasn't been the same." A different male spoke up, this one being younger closer to the end of his teenage years.
"What happened?" Dax stepped forward. "How is it that Ordo, a planet that we all hold in high esteem is to be plagued by lowly raiders."
The elder male spoke with contempt. "It's the blasted New Mandalorians. Those foolish pacifists have been so focused on consolidating control on Mandalore that the rest of Mandalorian Space has been left to fend for themselves."
The three Mandalorian Protectors all twitched with anger at the mention of the New Mandalorians. How could they let this happen?
They knew that Mandalorian Space is essentially fractured into differently aligned factions but the fact that raiders have proven to be such a problem is beyond an insult to them.
"Where are these Raiders right now?" Fenn asked sharply.
"Not far from this village. Roughly a few miles out." the elder male said, gesturing to the left with the Protectors gazing in that direction. "See that building situated upon the hilltop? You'll find them there."
"Alright. Just stay indoors in case of anything." Fenn ordered.
"You think we're stupid in not doing so?" The woman sarcastically stated.
The others shook their heads, with the Mandalorian Protectors making their way towards the building on the hilltop. The trek up to the hilltop was surrounded by tall grass, making for useful cover as they drew closer.
They came to this planet to seek out their objective yet here they were, already going after a set of despicable raiders who had the audacity to choose Ordo of all places.
The trio would not abide by this.
The Protectors were formed with the goal of unifying the Mandalorians under a single, proper banner once more with a united people. However, they come to a planet of prestige and historical importance that was struggling to deal with basic raiders.
To think this is how far the Mandalorians had fallen.
As they drew closer to the hilltop, they noticed that the building situated there was more akin to weathered down home.
"Looks like they're still home." Tobbi noted, eyeing the large freighter parked right beside the house.
"Alright, we'll need to split up and survey the area. Find the full number of Raiders and any additional variables. Don't want a repeat like last time." Fenn instructed; the last comment directed at Dax.
"How was I supposed to know they had a small battalion of battle droids hidden away?"
"Because you were too lazy to fully check your assigned area. That's why."
Dax grumbled beneath his breath, going his separate way from the other two as they utilized the tall grass and any trees or large enough shrubbery for cover as they moved up the hill. From all three perspectives, they heard chatter and laughter.
From Fenn's area, he was hiding behind a large bush with his green armor helping to further blend in as he spied upon the group of raiders that had taken up residence within the house.
They were a ragtag group so to speak. Humans, Trandoshans, Twi'leks and Weequay made up the majority of the raiders with a Devoronian among them. He was the largest of all his companions, laughing boisterously as he downed an entire glass of alcohol.
"Dax, Tobbi, come in." Fenn spoke through the comms. "How many do you count?"
"Looks like fifteen on my end." Dax said, flat on his stomach as he gazed upon the collection of raiders.
"Seventeen." Tobbi added, crouched behind a thin tree on the right hand side of the hill from the entrance. "There's two more coming out from the house."
"Alright, this should be a quick one boys." Fenn said, kneeling down and leaning forward slightly. "On my mark."
Dax and Tobbi readied themselves, sending out signals to Fenn that they were prepared.
"Now." Fenn said aloud, launching a missile from his jetpack. Dax and Tobbi did the same with the three missiles bombarding the front of the old house with the cacophony of explosions drowning out the sounds of pain and agony from the raiders.
The Protectors sprung out from their hiding places; jetpack thrusters fired up as they ascended up into the sky with their blasters out at the ready.
There were several remaining raiders though they handley taken out by the Mando trio. A few had managed to get their weapons and return fire at the flying group of Protectors yet due to their vantage in the air, it was easy to dodge their blaster fire.
The only real problem was the Devoronian as he was growling challengingly with his large blaster rifle. Exchanging looks with one another, all three shrugged a moment later and concentrated all their fire on the horned headed raider, the combined assault taking him down in a matter of seconds.
Descending down to the ground, they made a quick scan of the area to make sure that it was clear before they began looking over the corpses.
"These guys are outfitted with some heavy duty equipment." Dax noted holding a particularly well-crafted blaster rifle.
"But untrained." Tobbi said, picking out some credits that one of the Weequays had one him and shrugged, pocketing the creds.
"Makes you wonder where they got the equipment." Fenn said aloud, looking to the weathered down house. "Any idea what this place is?"
Fenn received negatives from both his friends. Deciding to take a personal look, Shysa cautiously entered the crumbling house while taking out a WESTAR-34 blaster pistol in case of any surprises.
It seemed relatively empty for the most part. The interior looked no better than the exterior.
Peeking out around the corner into the room over, he saw a sort of living room space. There were chairs, shelves and in the center of it all; a large pile of… well a bunch of stuff to put it plainly.
Tilting his head to the side, Fenn removed his helmet, setting it down upon a nearby table he walked over to the pile inspecting it.
"Quite the original organization system there." He said sarcastically.
Hearing footsteps behind him, he looked behind him to see Tobbi and Dax had entered the house.
"What'd ya find?" Dax asked.
Fenn merely gestured to the pile with his two friends standing around it.
"What is all this stuff?" Tobbi asked, walking over to a large pile of discarded material the raiders appeared to have abandoned.
It was a bunch of items, from clothing to blasters, old armor and figurines with a few books even.
"Looks like the raiders couldn't get anything useful out of these leftovers." Fenn remarked, grabbing a particularly large but very much damaged blaster rifle. "Think the Forgemaster could rebuild this sucker? Love how it feels."
"Depends on what's salvageable. Rest will just be used for parts and smelting material."
Dax was on the other side of the pile, eyes skimming through what he assumed was mostly junk. None of it looked all that important really. Where did those raiders even get half this stuff? And better yet, why'd they take it to begin with? They discarded most of it anyway.
Spotting something unusual within the pile, Dax reached forward and pulled out one of the books within the pile.
It was quite rare to see an actual book these days as everything was on data pads for quite some time. What paper pages one could find would be old, torn and treated quite delicately as they'd be found in museums, collector halls and in some particular libraries.
Turning the book onto its front cover, Dax's eyes widened as he immediately recognized the symbol on the center of the old hard cover. Brushing his thumb over it, in case it was real or not, the indent was true.
It was the symbol of Clan Ordo!
Delicately opening the book to its first page with him inhaling sharply.
Ubic Cuyir Nodew De Canderous Ordo.
'Canderous Ordo.' Dax internally read in complete and utter reverence and disbelief. It couldn't be.
Flipping to the next page over, he saw a faded photo of a group of unique individuals all standing side by side. There were humans, a Wookie, a Twi'lek, a Cathar and some kind of droid.
On the bottom of the photo was a scribbled down note in basic.
To eternal friends, brothers and sisters. With them, we changed the galaxy.
Beginning to flip through the pages, Dax began reading every single word that his ancestor had written down.
What many may not know about Dax is aside from sharing the last name of the legendary Mandalore of old, he also shared his blood. He wasn't just a member of the clan Ordo but a direct descendant of the Preserver.
Something he takes pride in yet does not share.
He wished to attain his own legacy that leaned upon that of Canderous Ordo.
While Dax was roaming through the pages, his teammates were taking care of the real task at hand. They were quite focused on their roles that neither didn't notice Dax doing his part at all. It was only when they heard a soft 'thud' from the room did they turn towards Dax and notice him pick back up the book with a state of shock.
"The hell do you have there, Dax?"
Dax didn't say anything, only presenting it towards Fenn and Tobbi. Once out of his grasp, Dax waited to see their reaction. And after several minutes, they soon shared his earlier reactions.
"This… this is." Tobbi stammered.
Fenn's jaw only dropped. "Dax, how did…"
"We need to report this in." Dax stated.
"No kidding." Fenn said, reaching for his communicator.
"Already making the call." Dax informed them, soon requesting to directly access their leader via holo-com.
It took several moments before the image of Spar appeared before them.
"What is going on? What is so urgent you needed to call now? Run into any problems?"
"Hardly."
The Mandalore frowned in confusion. "Then is the mission still underway or…"
"No it's done. We were just about to call you to report on what we found."
"Did you find-"
"Unfortunately no, Mandalore. But we have a lead as to where he's at." Fenn informed. "Not just that, but we found something else you'll no doubt like."
"Like…"
"The journal of the Preserver."
This surprised Spar quite well on this bit of information. "Interesting. Wonder why it was there of all places if Canderous Ordo was buried elsewhere."
"That's what we'd like to know, but that's not the point." Dax said. "There were things in there that could prove beneficial for us all."
"One is the schematics of Basilisk War Droids."
There was a momentary lapse in silence from Spar, the Mandalorian Clone looking at his comrades in blatant surprise.
"Truly? This isn't some kind of joke?"
Dax shook his head with a manic grin, holding up the book to show him that they weren't joking. Spar couldn't help but stare for a moment of disbelief.
"It's all here Spar." Fenn said with a roguish grin.
Spar pondered a bit on this new bit of information. "That will certainly help boost our numbers and morale." He then snorted. "And it'll give us some fighting chance against our enemies, one way or another. Seems like the opportune time on what's about to happen."
The trio looked at each other, wondering what was going on.
"I was just about to call you three later in order to call off your search. I found what we were looking for. Head for these coordinates. I will meet you all there."
"Are you certain about this, Spar?" Fenn asked.
"Not a doubt in my mind, Vod."
-Scene Cut-
Tatooine.
A desert world with a long history of being one of the center points of galactic crime, slavery, mercenary guilds and bounty hunters.
A planet ruled by the Hutt Cartels where much of their illegal business dealings and profits transpired. From pod racing, slave trading, simple to complex spice deals, weapons dealing, etc. etc.
The sight of four Mandalorians walking together was an unusual sight yet not as uncommon as some would see. To them, it only seems smarter that there are four Mandalorians walking together. Shows unity and a clear message that they cannot be dealt with so easily. Many a fool would play their hand at attempting to get their hands on Mandalorian equipment.
Most would see all sorts of bounty hunters roaming about, given this was a haven for the likes of them. But their kind was a rare commodity in these parts.
Mos Eisley spaceport was known to be a city where the most vicious of criminals and bounty hunters converge. The most jobs can be found here as for the most opportunities.
Dax eyed a particularly scruffy looking human in an intimidating manner.
"You sure he's here?" Dax inquired.
"I most certainly am." Spar said resolutely. "And where he most frequents."
The four Mandalorians stood in front of a cantina for several moments, the Resurrector entering first followed by the others.
Standing in at the entrance of the cantina, they all looked around the bar and its patrons. The majority kept on with their business, either personal or with others, while the rest soon took notice of them and tried to stay away.
It took some time from the hustling and bustling in the establishment for the Resurrector to spot their target.
"There." Spar said in a low voice, the others looking over to see a young boy seated within a booth along with several other individuals.
The young lad was nearing his teen years, having dark hair, tanned skin and brown eyes. With him was a female Palliduvan with ashen skin and a large ponytail, a trandoshan and another human, this one being slightly older and with clothing around his head.
"You three stay back." Spar instructed.
"Are you sure, Spar?" Fenn asked.
"Trust me on this one, my brothers." Spar said, walking over to the booth. "Just keep a little eye out if anyone wants to disturb this meeting."
Fenn watched their leader before clapping his friends on their shoulders. "Come on, let's get a drink boys."
Spar went on over to the booth as some people moved out of the way without him having to speak. When he got close, he was soon noticed by the booth's occupants.
The young boy gave the Mandalore a hard glare, a glint in his eyes as he gazed upon armor all too familiar to him. "What do you want?"
Spar merely shrugged. "Just a simple little chat. That's all."
"With whom?" Asked the Palliduvan.
The Resurrector merely tilted his head down before answering. "You, Vod."
"Excuse me?"
"He's talking about me, Aurra." the boy stated.
"The hell you mean by that, Boba?" Aurra inquired.
"What I mean exactly is that I wish to speak with him, alone." Spar said a bit more intensely now.
"And if he doesn't want to do that?" The Trandoshan said with a slight hiss.
"This is rather important." Spar insinuated.
Taking off his helmet, Spar was soon met with some glares by Boba's companions.
"What's a Clone doing here?" Asked the other human.
"Looks like a stray to me." Growled the trandoshan.
"Then why's he wearing Mandalorian armor? He stole it?"
"I earned it, actually." Spar corrected. "Is it too much for a father to speak with his son?"
"Don't play that card with us, Clone." Aurra sneered. "We know that Jango Fett died on Geonosis. Boba was there, he brought back his armor with him. We've been with him ever since."
Spar merely held up his hands. "Very well, I'll admit that much. I know I'm not exactly Jango Fett. But unlike all of the other Clones out there, I carry his memories; quite literally in fact."
Boba quirked a brow at that statement. "And that's supposed to mean…?"
Spar exhaled. "Jaster Mereel."
At the mention of that name, Boba's eyes narrowed.
"And what is that name supposed to mean to me?"
"Well it should." Spar remarked. "Considering how much Jango spoke of him. How he was raised by him, how he followed in his footsteps in becoming Mandalore." He leaned in closer. "How you are the embodiment of Mereel's will."
Boba's face was stoic yet his eyes…
"Guys." Boba gazed down at the table. "Give me a moment."
"But Boba-"
"Please, Aurra. Just this once."
Aurra glared at Spar. "Try any funny business and I'll personally shoot you."
"Then have at it."
Aurra soon left the booth with the others following a little while after. Each were hesitant in wanting to do so, but the Palliduvan made them quickly comply to move elsewhere. They didn't exactly leave the room, only heading towards a good distance away as they were within eyesight of the booth Boba currently sat in.
"What do you want?"
"It should be obvious." Spar stated seating himself before his… brother so to speak. "Having his memories, I know how much Jango missed the Mandalorians, his people; your people."
"But he was banished."
"No." Spar shook his head. "Jango followed the old ways, the true ways. Death Watch and The New Mandalorians merely branded him as such. For the Aka'liit, he was Mandalore. He ruled as our true Mandalore. For Jango inherited Jaster's will and title as he lay dying at Korda Six. For Jango was his son in all but blood."
Boba had his head down yet it was easy to see him trembling.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Boba asked sharply, eyes snapping up to glare at Spar.
"I wish for you to return home and rejoin your people."
"I was never a part of the Mandalorians." Boba stated.
Spar chuckled slightly. "You understand our words. You know our ways even if you don't even realize it. You were taught by your father in everything he knew before Geonosis. I merely want to help fill in what he did not complete before his abrupt passing by Mace Windu."
Boba's fist clenched tightly with a look of fury flashing across his face.
"I can already tell you want revenge on the man who took him away from you. But that's not what your father would've wanted. He would've wanted you to live on and have your own life and hopefully with-"
"What would you know?!" Boba roared. "You have my father's memories do you not?! You should know he killed Torre Vizla in revenge for the death of his father. How can you say that about revenge?"
Spar sighed, leaning back as he blankly stared at the ceiling.
"The thing about revenge, Boba, is what you get afterwards." Spar said. "Having his memories and all allows for such perspectives." He laughed bitterly. "Sometimes having all these memories is both a blessing and a curse."
The two sat there in silence.
"Getting your revenge, Boba, will gain you nothing." Spar stated. "Killing Torre got him nothing. It feels fulfilling, at first, but let me tell you Jango had nothing afterwards. His clan and brothers and sisters, dead. His title gone, stolen with his pride and dignity. Now tell me Boba, does that sound like something you want?"
Boba didn't respond.
"I retook the title in order to carry on Jango's memories in hopes of properly passing it onto you, his son and heir." Spar said with complete sincerity. "Please Boba, come home. Your people and your clan will welcome you with open arms."
Boba didn't say anything upon hearing these words.
Sighing once more, Spar pulled out a transmitter and placed it in front of Boba. "Take your time in thinking this over. You don't have to come back now as our doors will always be open to you. When you do, use this to reach me and I'll help you get back to where you belong in the galaxy."
All the while...
Fenn watched from the main bar in the center of the cantina as Spar spoke with the true son of Jango Fett. It had taken a while but at long last, they had found him. Now here's to hoping they would join them.
From what he saw from his spot in the room, things were… heated and complicated. And from the way Spar soon left the booth and made his way out of the cantina, it seemed Boba wasn't going to join them right away.
It was understandable as the kid probably had other matters to attend to, on top of the recent offer. Who knows when he'll return to his people. But for now, Spar at least made contact.
Sighing, he turned his back onto the bar, he leaned back as his eyes wandered about the establishment. Dax and Tobbi were by his side, drinking and chatting about random topics while he continued to observe the patrons.
Nothing more than a hive of scum and villainy.
Yet… there seemed to be something amiss with the setting. And he spotted it quite fast upon finding a peculiar individual.
She was sitting alone with her posture straight and quite frankly one might call it polite with how her hands rested upon her lap as she gazed around the cantina herself. Her entire set of clothing was very green and a bit unusual.
She radiated such… purity and it was extremely out of place in this setting.
But above all else, what stood out to him were her eyes. Her big, large wide eyes that just added to her seemingly innocent disposition. And they pried his attention away from a pair of fleshy attenai dangling from her hairline.
Just who was this girl?
Curious about the young woman getting the better of him, Fenn briefly looked over to his Mandalorian brothers and saw that they were indisposed with their own matters.
Standing up out of his seat, he approached the strange woman who had her head bobbing back and forth as she hummed to herself.
Fenn cleared his throat, making her look up to him. "Excuse me, miss. This seat taken?"
"Oh no, please, help yourself." She gave him a kind smile that made him feel a bit bashful.
Nodding, Fenn sat down in front of her.
"I'm Fenn." He introduced himself. "Fenn Shysa."
"Mantis." She said cheerfully. "It is nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Fenn said. "So, what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"
"Oh, I'm just waiting for some friends of mine." Mantis said
"Really?"
"Yes. We just arrived here not long ago."
"From where?"
"Can't say."
Fenn wondered if she was merely covering up something or was being quite honest with her answer. "Then what are you and your friends doing in these parts?"
"Finding someone."
"Who?"
"I don't know." She said honestly. "All we know is that they're related to our one friend and we're trying to reunite them."
"Huh, weird."
"Until then, we're just looking around for work."
"What kind of work?"
"Bounty hunting, most likely."
"...You don't seem like someone who's in such a profession."
"That's what Rocket said." Mantis remarked. "But you'd be surprised. I am a capable fighter now."
The flexing of her arms to be frank was adorable in the eyes of the seasoned warrior. And who was this Rocket? Probably one of her friends.
"So, you're a bounty hunter."
"Yeup~" Mantis nodded. "But we do a lot of other jobs as well. Bounty Hunting just looks like it's the easiest job for us to do."
Fenn wondered if she was just a rookie. She appeared to be. And he wondered how bad things will go with how pure she is and how she'll break at some point.
"What guild are you associated with?"
"The Guardians of the Galaxy." Mantis said with pride."
He wasn't quite sure if he heard that right. "The Guardians… of the Galaxy?"
She nodded her head happily. "Yeup~ Quill was once a Ravager but became his own team."
"Right… Ravagers." Fenn was clearly missing some information here.
Either the Ravagers was a new up and coming guild or some group that's been under a need to know basis.
He had been gazing silently at her for so long, Mantis had tilted her head with a curious look to her.
"What's wrong?" Mantis asked aloud, breaking Fenn out of his thoughts.
"Hmm?"
It took a moment to realize that he had been staring at her without saying a word.
"O-Oh, sorry about that I was just thinking, that's all."
"About?" She inquired.
"Er…" He didn't exactly know what to say here. "About… how you have such pretty eyes."
'Smooth, Fenn, real smooth.' He internally bonked himself on the head. 'Come on, man. You know you could do better than that.'
"You think they're pretty?"
Fenn was thrown off from the innocent question. He looked at her as she seemed to be hanging onto his throw off statement.
"Uh, yeah. They are." Fenn quickly added on. "Beautiful even."
"Really~?" Mantis was gaping slightly, lips twitching upwards. "I always thought they were ugly."
At that, Fenn found himself frowning. "Well I don't know who ever told you that, but ugly is the last thing that would come to mind."
"Oh~ Thank you~" Mantis gave him a beaming smile that he couldn't deny made her look prettier.
"Well who put the idea they were ugly in your head in the first place?"
"My friend, Drax. I was told by my other friend that Drax was trying to… what was it again? Letting me down easy as he wasn't interested."
"...Sounds like a really bad way of doing that."
Mantis only shrugged. "He was being honest."
Fenn eyed the strange girl. "Well, for what it's worth, I think you're beautiful."
Mantis only stared at him, eyes widening slightly before leaning forward with her hand outstretched. Blinking in confusion, Fenn jolted a bit away yet she still drew in closer with her soft hand placed upon his cheek. His own eyes widened when the tips of her antenna glowed with her eyes closing.
"You… you truly believe that." Mantis whispered.
He felt… really happy all of a sudden when she touched him. He didn't know where that came from but that swelling feeling in his chest must have come from somewhere.
Pulling her hand back, the feeling left being replaced by pure bewilderment.
"Wha-what was that?" Fenn asked gazing at the now slightly bashful alien.
"When I touch someone, I can feel their feelings." Mantis admitted, holding her hand up, smiling down at it.
That was certainly an unexpected surprise.
"You could feel my feelings?" Fenn inquired with Mantis nodding.
A moment went by when her face had a small red hue on her cheeks with a bashful smile now. "I've never been called beautiful before."
Blinking, Fenn had a small grin grow upon his face.
"Well get used to it." He declared. "Cause that's the only word I'd use to describe you whenever I think of you from now on."
The red on her cheeks grew with her now brightly smiling as she wrung her hands together.
"Really?~"
"Well, it's not the only word I'd use." Fenn said a moment later, putting on a more suave grin. "I've got a long list of-"
"Mantis, there ya are."
Both looked up to see a human male approaching with a maroon trench coat and brown hair.
"Hi, Peter. Are you done already?"
"Just barely. Everyone's meeting back on the ship and ready to head out."
"Wonderful." Mantis said.
Peter eyed the Mandalorian. "Who's your new friend?"
"Fenn Shysa." The Protector introduced himself, holding out a hand for the other human to shake which he did. "Hope you don't mind me keeping your friend here company."
"Peter Quill. And if ya didn't do anything to her..."
"Oh no, he was very kind." Mantis cut in with an emphatic smile. "He was very nice. He called me beautiful!"
Fenn slightly ducked his head down while a small smirk made its way onto his face.
Peter rose a brow on what she said before looking over to the Mandalorian. "You think some pretty words could convince her into doing something-"
"Hey." Fenn shot up from his seat. "Don't go getting your mind into the gutter like that. I ain't that type of guy."
Quill raised his hands up defensively. "Alright, alright, no problems here man. Just looking out for my friend here. Wouldn't want to get on Drax's bad side if anything were to happen to Mantis."
Fenn quirked a brow. "Same Drax who said she wasn't pretty?"
"Huh, you told him that?"
Mantis nodded her head with a large smile. "He called me beautiful."
Peter chortled slightly. "Well, you made her happy for today. Guess I can thank you for that. Sorry about that earlier comment. This place and all…"
"I get it." Fenn waved him off. "We're on Tatooine after all. Not a lot of friendly folks around here."
Nodding, Peter turned to leave with a nod to Fenn as a gesture of 'goodbye' with Shysa doing the same in return.
"Bye, Fenn." Mantis said, coming right up to his face. "I hope we see each other again."
Fenn blinked before he smiled softly at her. "Same here, Mantis. Try not to get into too much trouble."
Smiling at him, she strode past the Mandalorian and walked to catch up with Peter, the two exiting the Cantina a moment later.
Now it seemed he was looking forward to seeing her again.
"Blast, I should've asked for a way to contact her."
"So, who was that? Your new girlfriend?"
Fenn whirled around to see Dax grinning at him with a teasing look.
"She's not."
"Doesn't look that way."
"Shut up before I make you."
"Did you get a way to contact her again?"
Fenn wanted to retort but sighed. "No, but I will next time."
"That's the spirit." Dax clapped him on his back.
Alright, there's another one done.
This one was especially tricky with how much of legends material we had to pull from in order to get this chapter out.
Just so you guys know, yes there may be inconsistencies here and there but they are there for the sake of the overall narrative.
I've been dying to get this chapter out cause the Mandalorians are probably my favorite faction within Star Wars. they're just so awesome and I can't wait to do more.
Next part will be REALLY awesome, I can tell you that much and it's gonna have a lot of surprises like this one.
So until next time.
Rate Read and Review and As Always Have Nice Day.