Forging Bonds
Reviews and criticism are always welcome
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.
A/N: Sorry for the wait. I got sidetracked with a great little game called Baldur's Gate 3 and briefly with some Waste of Time called Starfield. Damn it's been a year since I started this. Longest fic I have ever written. I did get sidetracked with Flamekeeper and One-Eyed Wildcard, but I am surprised I kept at it this long. Hopefully this winter I will be able to write more often.
Enjay let me keep the other bar of beskar. I told him the qixoni and my master's lightsaber would have been enough, but Enjay had been clear that I earned it by taking that shot from the Blood Reaver. He got the bigger ingot anyway. So he claimed. Anyway, while the blue and black swirls of hyperspace flew past me in my new fighter, I held the items I had acquired floating in front of my face. I looked at Tal'or's lightsaber. It still worked, but I had disabled it just in case. I didn't have the space to work on a blade that could cut my fighter in half if the wiring had degraded and/or was shorting out. Lightsabers were tough, but not immune to neglect. I would restore the blade when I got back. I still hadn't replaced the one Maul destroyed. It seemed fitting and not without precedent.
I turned my focus on the crystal. The crystal held a darkness within. Made sense considering its origins. Now it wasn't exactly a qixoni crystal. The Qixoni system's star only went supernova about 4000 years ago and this crystal was far older. It had gone through the same process however I was sure. I would have to purify it of the Dark Side.
No, Dark Side was the wrong term. It was easy to conflate the two, but this was a more primal part of the force. Mostly primal, there was a hint of evil from its time as a Pius Dea heirloom. Even so, even stars died and in the death of that very same star one day a new one would be formed. This crystal still held the death energy of the star, but that energy could be turned to a new purpose. New life.
Just how to turn it to that purpose, I had the faintest idea. I would just have to find out as I went. My ship exited hyperspace not long after my musings. I saw the side of the destination that looked like a big white marble. The destroyed half of Mandalore. Well about a third of the world in truth. It was a few hours into the morning on the habitable side already. I could see forests and plains, even a huge jungle in the southern hemisphere. I descended onto the Keldabe spaceport. Might as well stop since I had a decent reason now.
My reason for stopping was two fold. I wanted to have a mechanic check over Lam's repair job. Not that I didn't trust his droid, but Lam might not have purchased the best parts for the little droid to work with.
I knew nothing about working with beskar. I was no smith. Milling metal into a cylinder and hollowing out the interior space wasn't hard when you have the Jedi Temple's workshop. What I needed was a proper beskarsmith and since I was in the system I might as well find one. That's if they would lend their services to a Jetii. We would see. I was doubtful, but it never hurt to ask.
Throwing on a satchel which held the bar of beskar, I exited the spaceport. I drew stares as I walked down the streets. Mostly to my hip where my lightsaber could be seen. My destination wasn't hard to find. Against the massive MandalMotors tower in the distance and the mismatched buildings of different styles and time periods. I found my path heading into the center of the city where the the Oyu'baat tapcaf and hotel stood. The old building was a cornerstone of the city. It was a large three story place, constructed of stone and wood with several other buildings mashed together over time. Despite the plaster flaking off the outside, it was a rugged and chimeric representation of the different eras of the Keldabe's history.
The interior led into a large room furnished in dark wood. The walls held tapestries of various events, both triumphant and disastrous alike. The destruction of Cathar, The battle of Malachor V, and The Mandalorian Excision among them. The other half was surrounded by booths, some shut with privacy screens. Opposite to the entrance was a cozy looking fireplace. With room for about a dozen. In the center of the room was a scattering of tables full of conversing Mandolorians with a few outsiders that were visiting or were on a break from their work. A lot of bounty hunters called Keldabe home. The chairs and tables were of no uniform design. No doubt they were various replacements. After all, bar brawls tended to destroy chairs.
I looked up to see the second and third floor alcoves that led to various rooms that made up the hotel part of the structure. This place was pretty impressive, if a bit rustic. I will admit I was a bit excited to see a place. I had always wanted to visit here in my old life. I never had the time nor the proper excuse until now.
After getting over my brief old life nostalgia mania (I didn't really have a good name for it.), it was then I noticed the conversation had immediately stopped. I looked around to see what the cause was. Several t-visors were looking in my general direction. By several, I mean all of them. It seemed a Jedi wasn't a normal patron of this place. I made a show of not noticing and walked to an open seat near the bar. I sat down. The bartender looked a little nervous and I could sense the unease of the patrons on the stools next to me.
"I would like to try the black ale please. Ne'tra gal if I recall." The Mandolorians' memories from Galidraan had mostly faded. Something I was glad for and a bit sad about. It embarrassing how much of a fangirl I acted in my teens to be honest. In the end, I needed that space for my own memories to be honest. I still kept certain things close like the language and the various rituals they had at least. The useful stuff.
The bartender, an unarmored human man in an apron, raised an eyebrow, but complied. His nervousness was overridden by curiosity at how Jedi would react to such a drink.
He slid one down the table and I caught it. I took a tentative sip. It was sweet but thick like syrup. "Not bad," and I took another sip of the stout ale.
"You got a reason to be here Jetii?" The bartender asked, shedding the nervousness from earlier. I could have sworn I heard a click of a safety being flicked off somewhere in the bar behind me. I decided to accentuate words with action.
I pulled out the beskar bar from the satchel. All the eyes that were still on me, instantly zeroed in on the beskar bar as if it were pure electrum. I set it on the bartop with a light thud.
"I need a weapon forged from this. I was hoping to find a smith who could work it into something." There was a brief pause before the bartender and shortly the rest of the bar burst into laughter.
"That's a good one Jetii…" he trailed off until he realized I was being serious. I raised an eyebrow in anticipation of an answer.
"I really would like to find a smith as soon as possible." I took another quick sip while I waited for an answer. The black ale was pretty good.
"Fat chance of that. I don't know any beskargoran that would do a job for a Jetii." The bartender shook his head and started wiping down a metal mug. As it must have been written down in the sacred universal bartender texts or something.
I rolled my eyes. "Well it never hurts to ask."
"Well, well, well," I turned to see Myles, leaning on the bar. I knew what was coming. "So, I hope the bomb I got you worked well enough. It was hard enough to find one on short notice. Pretty sure I am on some sort of watchlist now, I might add." The bartender tilted his head in confusion, but I could hear him and the others near us were listening.
"You are the son of a man the Republic secretly considers a terrorist. I'd be surprised if you weren't already on a list. As for the bomb, it worked great. Did what I needed it to do. Big boom!" I threw my hands apart and made a sound approximate to what I remembered on Sojourn.
"That's… good to hear." I could tell from the sound of his voice didn't know what to make of that answer. He sighed and pinched the brow of his helmet.
"How is your father doing by the way? I heard he got into a bit of a scuffle." I ghost punched the air a bit before I threw the bar back in my satchel.
"Scuffle is a bit of an understatement. Buir and the Gundai had nearly killed each other when we showed up. The mostly deserted part of town they were in was leveled. I still don't know what he was doing there by himself. Something about a message." He ordered a black ale and took the seat kindly offered by the Mando sitting in it. I turned around on my stool and leaned on the bar.
"I might have to pop by the hospital then for a visit. Did they manage to stabilize him? I heard he was in critical condition on the news." I took another sip, and realized I was getting to the bottom of my mug rather quickly.
"He was never in that bad a shape. Dikutla press. Most likely the Republic is trying to overplay his injuries in hopes of someone taking their shot at him." He shook his head and took a drink from his own mug. I was disappointed to see him use a straw instead of lifting up his helmet. Myles connected it to an Emergency Induction Port under said helmet. I only realized then I had never seen Myles' face. Unsurprising since I was still an outsider. Jetii still sounded better than aruetii at least.
"How are the others in your dad's circle?" I asked.
"More or less the same. Ida got married a while back. She had twins, but she stops by to have a drink every now and then. Eight months without alcohol must have driven her mad." Myles chuckled at the thought.
"Eight months, were they born premature?" there was a bit of concern in my voice.
"Zeltron pregnancies only last eight months from what I hear." Oh. That explained his joke about her not being able to drink. Zeltrons had two livers and had to work to get drunk. They drank hard liquor like water. "I remember having the same fear myself when I heard was told she was in labor. I came rushing into the hospital like a mynock of the void." Wait, why was Myles there for that? Myles continued before I could ask further.
"Anyway, the rest of the usual suspects were fine. A couple went their own way, but most of us stayed in Manda'lor's company. Kal Skirata disappeared on some Merc job in the rim. A few former Deathwatch have as well." He took another swig. I mulled over what the hell that could mean. Was the Deathwatch getting back into the swing of things? That didn't sound good.
"I suppose I should stop by and say hello." I knocked back the rest of my drink and stood. I resisted the urge to sway because I was a lightweight. "Besides I am in no real hurry."
"Right this way, oh wise Jetii." Myles said.
"Oh, cut that osik." I shook my head as Myles chuckled and ventured out into the city. I would have to see about ordering a small keg of that black ale when I got the chance.
The hospital wasn't too far. I suppose it was natural for it to be near the most rowdy bar in the galaxy. There were even a few golden armored guards outside Jango's room. Gold was the color of their police force. They made a show of stopping me, but Myles waved them off. Jango's bed was surrounded by a curtain. I knew what he looked like, but Myles insisted on me standing outside the shade.
"The little Jetii stopped by to visit. I hope Keldabe hasn't been too rough on you?" Jango's voice sounded strained. Damn, it sounded like Dirge hit him hard. And I wasn't short enough to be called little. I was a respectable 5'7". Okay maybe I was a bit short. Komari always called it endearing. I shook my head.
"Oh, it has its charm. Heard about your fight?" I listened to hear him mutter to himself. I heard Myles whisper, but I wasn't going to eavesdrop.
"You could say that. Now what brought you here from what I hear? Not to stop and see me?"
"Well, I will admit, you were not the reason I stopped by this system, but I am glad I did." It was true. Jango had established some stability for the Mandolorians in recent years and if they had to choose a new leader or worse, not choosing a new leader would cause issues especially if Sidious or Tyrannus had a hand in choosing a successor. Wouldn't be the first time the Sith put a puppet on the Mandolorian barstool. Yes, the Oyu'baat was a government building too. I felt weight drip into my gut at the thought. Thinking of Dooku's fall was not something I wanted to do at the moment so I pushed the thoughts to the back of my head for now. .
"Myles said you were looking for a beskargoran." Jango said. Jango whispered to Myles. The younger man's voice held a touch of surprise at what he heard.
Myles exited the curtain and I refused the urge to look inside. Myles was all business.
"Manda'lor has granted your request. But you owe him now."
I resisted the sigh that wanted to escape my lips. "What favor can I do for Manda'lor?"
"He'll get around to finding something. He wants to ensure it is used wisely. Having a Jetii owe you a favor is not something you use on a whim." I could only nod at the reasoning.
"Fine, I don't see an issue."
"We better get moving," Myles was going to lead toward the entrance. I wasn't in too much of a hurry. It was then I sensed a disturbance in the force. Something was going down, and I reacted on instinct.
"WATCH OUT!" I reached past Myles as an explosion ignited near the window. I held back the explosion with the force. It had to have been a rocket. Debris exploded in a shower of duracrete and transparisteel against an invisible barrier I created.
Three assassin droids leapt into the room and opened fire on Jango's gurney. They blind fired on full auto into the curtain. Myles immediately opened fire, unleashing several rounds from his blaster pistol. I divided my attention and raised my opposite arm pointed at the droids. I used ionize on the last droid with a condensed lightning beam and with my left hand keeping the barrier up as I sensed another rocket incoming. The third assassin droid exploded in a shower of sparks as Myles finished off the last two.
I didn't sense Jango's life departing, so he still lived. More droids entered. They hopped around after seeing the other team taken by surprise by heavy resistance. They took shots at us. I activated my lightsaber to deflect a round even as another rocket impacted on the force shield. They were also IG models. Blaster Fire ripped through the already torn apart and burning curtains as Jango hobbled out from behind holding a small pistol in hand and nailed every one of the droids in the head even as they moved. Despite not being force sensitive, the man was almost as good as a Gray Paladin. He was Manda'lor after all.
Myles immediately put himself and his beskar armor between Jango and the entrance while both scanned any new threats. I focused on whoever was launching rockets. I went out to the ledge with my lightsaber at the ready and saw a bulky protocol droid on the opposite roof.
The droid was heavily armored and was holding a rocket launcher as big as it was. I saw its optics zero in with my enhanced vision on my lightsaber. It fired at me again. I stopped the round mid flight and it detonated. There were people below and I was forced to insure the debris landed where it wouldn't hurt anyone. The droid was gone when the smoke cleared. I relayed what I could to Myles as he reported the attack. Jango's guards were alive. Knocked out by the droids. Their armor saved them.
I searched my memory quickly. I noted the armor it wore was Mandolorian in design and the droid could be anywhere now if it threw on a helmet. It was so strange. I watched as Myles helped Jango and the Doctors arrived to help with the wounded.
I examined the droids closer. Nothing out of the ordinary. They were assassin droids. That was the extent of my knowledge. I bent down examining the droid's chassis.
"They might be boobytrapped." Myles stopped me. I nodded. What was I thinking? It would be best to leave them for someone more qualified.
Jango called a team down from MandalMotors. Their employees were generally recruited from the techheads of the Mandos. The Mandolorian police, in their Golden Armor, were watchful and wary of the crowd that gathered around the hole in the hospital. Word of the disguised driod getting out.
I guarded Jango until we found a safe house. Jango had opened some stitches and the Docs were sewing him back together. He had tipped his gurney over when the droids attacked and avoided their fire.
"Jetii, you don't have to stay." The Manda'lor said from the couch he sat on. He didn't even flinch as the doctor who tagged along restitched him.
I nodded, "Just ensuring you weren't followed. I don't sense any immediate danger."
Jango chuckled, "It seemed I owe for saving me now. You'll have access to what you came here for." He looked at Myles. "Ad'ika, take her to the beskargoran."
Myles nodded. "I don't want to leave-"
"Go," there was no room for argument, "Your presence in the area will be a beacon to any more assassins."
Myles nodded. "Right, it is time to go visit Ida." I was surprised. His voice was wary, but resigned.
"Ida is a beskarsmith?" I raised an eyebrow. I didn't believe it. Ida didn't seem all that patient.
Myles snorted in amusement. "No, her ba'buir is. Ida can lead us to where he is hidden. Beskargoranla tend to isolate themselves for the safety of the craft."
"Alright, we better get to it."
The cave leading into the beskarsmith's forge was well hidden. I reached out with the force and found the place surprisingly teeming with force energy. Ida grumbled about bothering her grandpa with Jetii nonsense but led us here regardless. She wore her full armor and carried one of her kids on her hip, and led the other on the ground. The toddlers were already rather big for their age.
The girls were rambunctious, but they minded their mother well. They had streaks of blond hair mixed with blue hair. While adorable, they wouldn't stop trying to pull at my veil though during the ride here. Even at a young age, annoying the Jedi must have been an inborn instinct. I couldn't help but notice one of them fell asleep on Myles lap during the ride. The way he held her as we rode told me all I needed to know. Ida wasn't the only one of Jango's inner circle to get married it seemed.
"Why did you bring the kids along?" I asked. Looking down at the magenta skinned toddler holding Ida's hand.
"They are too young to remember where this place is and I wanted them to see their ba'ba'buir." I could hear the smile in her voice.
We heard the sound of a power hammer in the echoes of the cave. This place was sound proofed good considering we were only a 100 yards into the cave and just now hearing the hammering. In the forge was a pile of armor in various states of repair. All of it was smoothed down and shiny in the blue firelight. The old man's bare arms and graying beard could be seen. We waited a few seconds as the man quenched a newly forged shoulder pad and placed it next to a matching one on a rack. He was Zeltron as well, but he was the only Zeltron I ever saw that was so hairy. He might have had a human parent. His helmet was blackened from the forge's fires.
He looked up to see Ida. "Ba'adika," we heard his smile. He stopped and frowned when he saw us. "And guests."
Ida presented her children to the man. He bent low and greeted them warmly. Myles led me out as the man began to take off his helmet. I understood. I cooled any impatience I had. It was a few minutes before I was called back in.
"Any reason you didn't mention your recent marriage?" My question didn't seem to surprise Myles.
"Picked up on that did you." Myles rubbed the back of his neck.
"Are you two having issues?" I waited for an answer.
"I just forget what clan she is sometimes." His voice was melancholy.
"Fett, bring your friend in here." The Smith's voice called out before Myles could elaborate.
The beskarsmith stood with his bare arms crossed over his chest armor. They were thickly built and were pitted in scars from burning sparks.
He held out his hand. I took the bar from my satchel and handed it to him. He weighed it in his hands. After a moment he spoke. "Pure." He said with surprise. I don't know how he could tell that from just holding it. "What type of weapon were you hoping to make out of this?"
I honestly was still undecided. I wondered aloud. "What can you make out of this?"
The smith looked at the bar for a moment and looked back to the bar. "Not enough for a proper beskad, but perhaps…" He looked at me for a moment. "A long dagger." He nodded to himself. "Was there anything else you wanted to put into it? I don't think a Jetii would come all this way for a simple dagger. Nothing is ever simple with your kind."
Right, I picked out my crystal. "You are right about that. This is what I wanted to insert into the blade."
He eyed the crystal and immitdate went to the forge. "It will be a few weeks." he said.
"I have the time. You will need me present if the crystal is to be set properly." The man grumbled but nodded.
"Myles and I will head back." Ida said. She dropped a bag of supplies near the door. No doubt the old man didn't get out of his cave much. It wasn't long before I sensed Myles and the Atiniir clan members leaving via the speeder. They would return in a few days.
And so the Smith started forging the dagger. I stood and crossed my legs in a corner and began to float. I slowly floated down to ground level as I began to meditate. I didn't want to touch the floor. It was dirty and full of those annoying metal shavings that stuck to everything. I reached out with my battle meditation to the Smith. His work started almost immediately to become faster and more precise. He felt my presence and turned back to look at me. Zeltrons were all force sensitive to a degree. Mostly as far as sensing emotions. He must have felt my aid.
"I know not a lick of your craft, but I wish to aid you all the same in my own way." He stared at me, gauging my honesty before shrugging and getting back to work.
I resumed my battle meditation. I reached out to the force in the cave. The qixoni crystal rose from my hand and hovered. It began to glow in the dimly lit cave alongside the burning forge. Its darkness slowly being cleansed and turned to a new purpose. It was a slow process, but I had time. As the smith worked, I put all my focus into the process. The smith hammered like he never hammered before. He stopped only to sleep and eat, but I remained planted. hovering in place for the next three days, focusing on the cleansing. By then the qixoni went from a dark menacing orange to lighter and softer indigo. It shone bright as millennia of darkness was shed from its heart.
On the eve of the third day, the smith quenched the blade for the last time with a hiss of steam. He ensured the blade was straight and nodded in approval. I finished up around the time he sanded and polished the blade. When he was done, he brought the blade over. The crystal floated down and inserted itself into a hole in the steel just under where the dagger's crossguard would be set. It heated the steel briefly as it melted the beskar around it, becoming part of the blade. It was a long thin blade. A stiletto to be exact. The blade double edged and looked wickedly sharp. The crystal glowed softly.
The smith was hesitant to speak for the first time in days.
"I have never made such a masterpiece in all my years. Mind you I am a grandmaster, but never have I felt the focus and precision in my blows as I have on this piece here. It was an honor to forge such a piece." He went back to a workbench and through the small crossguard and seated the handle. He gave a few test swings before he walked back over and handed it carefully to me, pommel first.
I held the blade in my gloved non-hand and the crystal glowed a little brighter. It felt like an extension of my arm. I had never felt this close to my lightsaber more than I did this dagger. I held it out and examined the flawless blade. The blade was around 14-inches in length, not counting the handle. The blade itself was an inch and half wide. It had a fuller that ran down the length of the polished blade. The crossgard and handle were blackened to offer a less conspicuous and covert look while in the sheathe. Simple, yet elegant.
"It was an honor to have you forge this for me. Even with the Force's aid I don't think I could have made it anywhere near this nice on my own." I felt a hint of pride in the smith's aura at that.
"I never learned your name." I felt bad for not asking.
"Just Beskargoran to an aruetii like yourself. My order doesn't not share that type of thing with outsiders." he turned and picked up a small bag. "This is the beskar I did not use in the forging. They are big enough to make lightsaber casings if need be." I was tempted to let him keep the leftovers for other jobs.
"Are you sure you don't need it for other orders?" He waved a hand dismissively and pointed to a pile of used slag and shavings near the forge.
"I got plenty if I need to add a bit of extra to another job."
"I guess I will take my leave then." He nodded and handed me a sheathe for the dagger. It wasn't much, but it would do until I made up another one to fit the blade properly.
"Go on then Jetii, I got work to do." there was no real irritation in his voice as he waved me off.
I turned to leave.
"Good luck Jetii." I heard as I was about to exit the cave.
"And to you Beskargoran." With that I was finally able to return to the Temple. My test was complete.
Then Myles had to ruin the mood by sending me a picture of what the technolorians of MandalMotors found. Among one of the photos was a piece of equipment. It looked like a transponder of sorts. That wasn't what caught my attention. The piece was half mostly burnt up from some sort of failsafe as the notes beside the picture stated. I knew the half burnt logo at once though it had been a few years. It was back on Bal'demnic with Komari and again on Alsakan. It was another damn butterfly.
"Osik," I sent a message to Myles asking for any info on that part in particular. I knew it would lead to a dead end, but perhaps the Mandos could find something the Jedi had missed.