"Jango Fett was a man marked by tragedy. His family killed before his eyes, taking away any hope of him ever having a peaceful life. Then, he witnessed his adopted father die because of the acts of a traitor, the meddling of the Senate, and the foolishness of the Jedi. The man that was being groomed to be the next leader of Mandalore found himself a slave, his people gone and his planet turned over to those that saw him as a backwards savage. Finally freeing himself, Fett was forced to work as a bounty hunter and while he did rise up amongst the ranks of that guild the stigma that seemed to forever taint the profession of Bounty Hunter ensured that he had little hope of ever being seen as a reputable member of society. Where others broke under such pressures Fett continued on, refusing to give in, and thus making him one of the greatest Mandalorians of all time."

-Entry of Jango Fett in The Song of Mandalore: A Written History

"-a hateful man who never took blame for his own actions. But more than that he was someone who seemed to believe that the galaxy was out to get him when in reality he received no more bad than anyone else. While it was tragic that his parents died and his sister taken it can't be stressed enough that most orphans do not end up as the ward of the Mand'alor, groomed to be his heir. And what did he do with his power? Nothing. He did nothing."

-Excerpt from page 197 of "The House of Vizsla", Third Printing, written by Corello Fan

"He was a decent bounty hunter… still not sure what made him give it all up. What a waste."

-Alleged quote by Cad Bane

"We are simple people trying to make their way in the universe"

- Quote falsely attributed to House Fett as their "Official Creed"

~MC~MC~MC~

1 Year, 7 months, 8 days AOP

Jango watched as Boba happily stared up at the Besalisk cook who was regaling him with tales about the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and shook his head before returning to his food.

"I can't believe you let him listen to that drivel," Zam said with an annoyed look. They were in their human disguise, to better blend in with Jango and not to draw too many questions. Even out near the edges of the Mid Rim there were people who questioned why a humanoid would meet with someone very clearly not of the species.

"He likes it. I've come to learn that sometimes the key to being a parent is finding something your child likes and letting them enjoy it. Only way you are able to keep them from going wild."

"I would never do that with Sone," Zam commented.

Jango though merely smirked as he cut into his nerf steak. "Oh… and I am sure that its merely a coincidence that you play that Bothan Ballad stuff all the time in the ship even though I KNOW you hate it?"

Zam decided not to say a word.

The two bounty hunters had accidently ran into each other at Four Arm Feast, the new space cruiser restaurant. It had been only opened for about a month but already was becoming the place that anyone that refused to make a single planet their home went to if they wanted a good meal, a chance to refuel and resupply, and really didn't want to answer a lot of questions. Run by Dex, who Jango personally knew from his days as a swindler, muscle man, and weapons dealer. Of course he'd also known the man's passion was cooking, as Jango had never met someone surrounded by some many weapons who spent all his time gushing about the different types of steak and burgers he loved to make. Four Arm Feast was a place where everyone knew you were safe to dine there because even the owner didn't want government types sticking their noses into their business.

And, of course, the fact that it was already becoming so popular with the smugglers, assassins, and bounty hungers of the Mid Rim and Outer Rim made it that no one would be foolish enough to try and cause problems. Honestly, Jango was about ready to put his name on the list of people that would defend the place if someone stupidly decided to kick up a stink.

"You actually like the food," Zam said with a surprised tone.

"Dex knows how to do his spices right," Jango said. "You run into hack cooks claiming they can make authentic Mandalorian meals and they are always so bland you don't even realize you've taken a bite. He knows just how much to add to the meal."

"You mean he makes it so hot that it burns most people's tongues."

"There is more to Mandalorian food than heat," Jango retorted. "its about the subtle flavors."

"Like ash under the flames," Zam replied, looking over as Dex waved his arms about, Boba's eyes going wide. The 7 year old was utterly entranced by the tale, leaning so much on his bar stool it was a wonder he didn't fall off. Zam and Jango had run into each other during one of the quieter moments at the Four Arms Feast; while technically there shouldn't ever be 'slower hours' as the place was open all the time and shuttle jockeys were always rolling in according to Dex about every 60 or so hours things really calmed down. He wasn't for sure why but they just did. That was why Dex had been able to step away from watching the cooks and began regaling Boba with stories.

Four Arms Feast was the signature restaurant on the cruiser but it wasn't the only one. Dex had brought on several different cooks and chefs that were interested in feeding people but not interested in dealing with the snobs and the stuck up bastards that one tended to get when they settled on a planet. Even Dex's Diner, his place on Coruscant, had apparently attracted far too many people who thought it was a status symbol to dine there. It was part of the reason why Dex had decided to sell the place and start up Four Arms Feast: he wanted to feed the people that actually needed a good meal and not the ones concerned with the attention they might get.

A cheer went up and Jango and Zam tensed… only to see it was a group of pirates watching the pod races celebrating Sebulba going down yet again.

"You think its going to last?" Zam asked.

"The race?"

"No," she said, not faulting him for not understanding. "The Age of Pirates."

"They are calling it an 'Age' now?" Jango asked as he sipped some Corellian ale. "Its been only what? A few months?"

"A few, yeah. And normally I wouldn't put too much stock into this and think it just a fadbut… this is different, Jango. I can feel it. Things are changing. People are talking…"

"People always talk," Jango said.

"But not like this."

"…yeah, not like this."

Jango had begun to notice it too. He had seen people beginning to shake themselves from the apathy of their lives and begin to change. That was something that wasn't normal for the galaxy. As much as people claimed that the galaxy was ever shifting and moving it really wasn't. Oh, there were tiny things but for the most part people hated change and liked to keep things just the way they had always been.

After all, wasn't that why Montross was able to trick them all so easily? Get them to think everything was just normal?

He pushed those bitter thoughts aside, allowing his mind to go back to the issue of the galaxy and how it was changing. People were whispering about being 'True Pirates'. There were more men and women going out and deciding to seek adventure. He was running into them more and more and he could tell that they were liking what they were doing. Wondering why they hadn't done it sooner. That was the biggest sign that a change was going to stick: when people began to openly wonder what had taken them so long to change, finding it more natural than what they had once been… that meant that the change was going to stay.

"Not going to whine or complain about them causing trouble?" Zam teased.

"Woman, I don't whine," Jango grunted.

"Sure you don't."

Jango huffed. "Besides, why would I? They aren't causing problems… in fact they are making life easier for me. True Pirates like to deal with the riffraff and then minor problems, leaving the big stuff to me."

"You hear that Sugi and Embo turned pirate?"

"They did?" Jango said, surprised. Only… "Huh. That… actually makes sense. Those two always were looking for charity cases… True Pirate fits them well."

Zam shook her head. "Always is annoying how people lump all us bounty hunters together."

"Damn right it is," Jango replied.

People had it in their heads that bounty hunters all did the same thing. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. Just hiring a bounty hunter because they were cheap or the reverse and hiring them because they were well known and expensive was just begging for you to lose every credit you had and have nothing to show for it. Some were good at blending in, like Zam. Others, like Jango himself, were skilled at taking on targets that were deemed 'impossible', either due to their strength and skill or where they were located. Some had codes of ethic, with Embo being utterly honorable and refusing to go after bounties that had not been proven guilty yet, Jango willing to go after someone if there was doubt but not willing to track down runaway slaves and the like, and others like Cad Bane worked for anyone with the credits. You had to RESEARCH. Had to look into things. Had to pick the PROPER bounty hunter.

Sugi and Embo? Oh yeah, Jango could see them turning pirate.

"Dad!" Boba said, hurrying up to him with a huge smile. "This place is amazing! Its like Black Leg's floating restaurant."

Jango, who had been forced by Boba to tell the stories of Luffy and the straw hats multiple times, merely smiled and nodded, knowing exactly who his son was referencing. "Well, while you are entertained by the stories I hope you also got something to eat."

"Aw, come on!" Dex declared as he ambled over, shaking his head and chuckling. "You know me better than that, Fett! I made sure the kiddo here got a good filling mean." Boba nodded rapidly at that and after a few moments Jango smiled and ruffled his son's hair. He had figured Dex would make sure Boba was cared for but it didn't hurt to tease the boy a bit.

"So… what stories did this gruff old grump fill your head with?" Jango asked.

"If anyone is a grump its you," Zam teased, earning a glower from Jango and a snicker from his son.

His son.

It was… so weird to think about, him having a son, even after all these years.

At one time he had thought that Sheeka might be the one for him. Yes, she wasn't Mandalorian and that would be frowned upon by the True Mandalorians but he could work with that. Get her to convert. But then they'd become separated and… well… he'd never seen her again. And everything had gone to hell after that and he'd felt no urge to be with anyone long enough to become entangled and connected in such a way.

But… the desire for a child of his own had remained strong with him.

He knew his son or daughter had to be STRONG. It was a cruel, hard galaxy and he wanted them to be able to survive. If he was lost… he wanted his child to be able to continue on. So he couldn't just couple with anyone. It had to be someone that would help his son. No woman had been able to meet that qualification…

And then Tyrannus had reached out to him. Told him of his plan to destroy the Jedi. To lure them into a trap… just like his father had been lured into a trap. And when he'd said that it was clones… well, the payment was simple.

Boba.

And he'd never regretted it.

Jango huffed at Zam's comment. "So… who was it this time? Luffy? Maybe something about Shanks?" He paused. "Not the daughter. The singer? Please no." He did NOT need to hear some of the recordings of her songs that artists were covering, no thank you-

"Ugh, no!" Boba said, crinkling his nose in disgust. "It was about… the best pirate ever!" He was all smiles again with that statement.

"Oh really?" Zam said, resting her chin on her hand. For all her talk about being strict with kids she was an old softy. "And who exactly is the best pirate ever?"

"Whitebeard!" Boba declared, nearly bouncing in his chair.

Jango chuckled at that. For as mature as Boba acted sometimes he just… he just was a kid. And that made Jango so happy because while he wanted his son to be strong… he didn't want him to grow up too fast.

"Whitebeard, huh?" he said with a smile. "Yeah… he has an interesting Devil Fruit power."

"No dad!" Boba said in that exasperated tone that only children could have. "Not because of his Devil Fruit… though it is really cool! Its because of who he is!"

"Who he is?"

"Yeah!" Boba proclaimed. "He is tough and he's strong, sure… but he has his sons! He's a father to all his men! He finds people that need a dad and he becomes one to them!" Boba grinned at that. "A true Mandalorian."

Jango forced himself to smile… even as he felt his soul clench.

A True Mandalorian.

~MC~MC~MC~

Jango sat in the cockpit of Slave 1, deep in thought.

He knew he should get some sleep. He had taken on a contract to track down a pair of killers that were wanted by the Alderan System. Several others had also hit upon the contract and it was going to be a race to see who could get to the couple first and collect the VERY handsome reward that the Royal House of Organa was offering. The snobby elites might have looked down on bounty hunters but when their people were getting killed they were awfully quick to pony up the cash… and make sure what they were offering was more than worth it.

He needed to begin seeing about getting Boba some armor. Not Beskar… that would wait until Boba reached maturity, as there was no reason to waste good credits on something that he would outgrow. Good metal though, something to teach him about the weight, how it affected your movements. But he would need to pay tribute to an Armorer and that meant having the funds to donate to their clan. And being who he was…

…who he was.

'"He is tough and he's strong, sure… but he has his sons! He's a father to all his men! He finds people that need a dad and he becomes one to them!"'

Jango knew about Whitebeard of course. He knew the entire story of the One Piece at this point, though he often got it mixed up. Boba could keep it straight though and often ribbed him for getting something wrong. "No dad, that happened AFTER the Straw Hats went off to train for two years, not before!" was a common complaint of his son's. He knew of Whitebeard's life and his death, noble and tragic. Boba always hated that part but it was why Jango never allowed him to avoid it when the story tellers at the bars and saloons they went to got to that part. He needed to understand that yes, it was very sad that Whitebeard had died as he had… but he had also lived a grand life and he had died doing what he believed in.

"A True Mandalorian," Jango murmured to himself. There were things that Boba didn't know yet that… well, that made that statement more true than he realized. 'Whitebeard was betrayed by one of his own. Blackbeard. A man who twisted what Whitebeard thought was right all in the name of power. Who helped see him die like a coward and stole from him.'

Whitebeard. Blackbeard.

Jaster. Montross. Viszla.

There were other things he could see in Whitebeard that reminded Jango of his adopted father. His moral code. His dedication to protecting those he cared for. His desire to use his power to make the world, the galaxy, a better place. Whitebeard was a True Mandalorian, just like Jaster.

'And what the hell am I?' he thought to himself, running his hand over his short cut hair. 'Ever since Jaster fell and my failed attempt to step into his place… I have been chipping away everything he saw in me.' He had told himself that he was surviving, that he was doing all of this in order to ensure that he was able to make it in the galaxy. That it was a cruel place and he needed to be hard enough to endure. He saw now all of that for what it truly was.

An excuse.

'Doing all of that… I've become things I never wanted to be.'

There were still Mandalorians who would find him and ask him what his plans were. When was he going to gather up the True Mandalorians and rise up against the usurpers, the New Mandalorians. The fools forged from the Civil War who hadn't learned what it meant and taken all the wrong lessons from it. He understood their desire for peace; Jaster had wanted that and so had Jango, once. The Civil War had been fought to bring about peace but the New Mandalorians had gotten it in their heads that everything about their culture was wrong. That they needed to be twisted into something else entirely. Jango had seen it happen sometimes on a personal scale; someone would get burned by a flamethrower and refuse to have one in their suit. Claim that it was horrible and evil and that any Mandalorian that used one was not actually Mandalorian. It was fear that drove them and Jango could understand that…

But this was… it was everything.

No Beskar. No armor. No training in the ritualistic dances. No use of Mando'a. Some were whispering that the Duchess was even moving to put limits on the spices used for their meals. The dress and garb was shifting to reflect those of Alderaan.

'From all reports once she was no different than any other Mandalorian child. She learned all of these things and their importance. And now she is so revulsed by them… it is like someone went in and manipulated her mind, making it so that all that she knew and understood was erased, replaced with only hatred.' Jango then shook his head. 'But you… you know what its like to hate something so much that it changes you completely, don't you?' He reached up to rub his neck, remembering the weight of the slave collar.

It wasn't just the New Mandalorians that his people came to speak to him of. There was also the last remains of Death Watch. Viszla had a son and while he was claiming that he was not his father Jango had heard whispers that he was reforming his father's cult, waiting for the right moment to strike. When he did who would Jango have on his side? Anyone? Anyone at all? No… because he kept everyone at arm's length, refusing to trust them.

Boba shifted in his sleep and Jango suddenly had a horrible, awful, soul crushing vision of his boy now a man… and Jango roaring at him to leave and never come back because he looked at him and saw him as just another traitor.

At once he moved from the cockpit to the small bed bolted to the wall of the ship, looking down at the boy before he began to stroke his hair. Just enough to offer comfort without waking him up.

'No,' Jango swore to himself. 'I won't abandon my child. I will NOT push him away.'

But even as he thought of that… he thought of Jaster. Not his death, as he so often did, but his words and his life. He thought of him compared to Whitebeard and while Jaster had died on his back… his spirit had died on his feet. Strong and determined. And he was more than his death, just like Whitebeard was more than his own. Jaster had lived a long life and accomplished many things. A life to be proud of.

He looked down at Boba.

'A True Mandalorian seeks to give their child a better galaxy than the one they were born in.'

Could Jango call himself a True Mandalorian when he was failing to do that?

Boba would not inherit a better galaxy. In fact Jango's own actions had ensured that it would be a WORSE galaxy.

'The Clones are supposed to be the ultimate Jedi Trap… but that trap itself is going to be a war that wraps around the entire galaxy. Not just the republic but… everything. And who knows what the galaxy will look like when it is done. How damaged it will be. Jaster fought a Civil War to bring about peace… and now I am starting a Civil War with no idea how it will end.

'And Mandalore… it is damaged and broken but it CAN be fixed. There are ways to repair it! The New Mandalorians… they are so obsessed with turning their backs from our ways that they have dismissed the methods we developed to recover! They now live in orbed cities rather than working the fields and using the waters to repair the damage. They act as if all is lost… there are ways to fix it! But they don't want to!' It hurt him that Boba would never get to walk the lands of Mandalore. To understand their beauty. It was a harsh world… but beautiful. Much like the Mandalorian people.

So many children would never know the glories of Mandalore. Would never understand their culture and their ways. They would die without souls because they would be denied what was theirs!

But, as was always the case when such thoughts came to him, the dreams of a Mandalore restored… well, reality sank in.

'We are a shattered people,' he thought. 'The True Mandalorians are too few in numbers now. Montross wasn't the only one of us to fall and become Death Watch. And others have seen that the only way they can avoid exile is to follow the path of the New Mandalorians. Were I to try I would be jailed at best. None of them would ever let me rise up and gather my strength. I need warriors NOW and I-'

Jango stopped.

Whitebeard.

Whitebeard… had sons.

'Is it… really that simple?'

~MC~MC~MC~

1 Year, 7 months, 28 days AOP

Jango looked down at his vambrace and sighed before he reached down and grabbed the hem of the Prime Minister's cloak and began to scrub at the spot of blood that he had missed. While there were some that would argue he needed to be blood-splattered, to show all gathered that he had fought like them, he knew that was a bit much. First, because the footage of his speech would soon be spread across the galaxy and while there was something to be said about having a dramatic image, him drenched in blood would only fuel his enemies. Second, because the people that mattered, the ones he was to talk to? They had seen him fight side by side with them. They didn't need a reminder.

"Must you?" Sorin asked.

"Its his blood," Jango reasoned. "Why not use his robes?"

That made Sorin chuckle. "You know… we were all beginning to wonder if you actually were going to do this. We were afraid that everything the Kaminoains were shoveling had lodged in your brain."

Jango smiled at that even though his heart clenched. Because Sorin had no idea how right he was. He WAS going to just do what the Kaminoians were saying. He was going to allow the Clones to march to war. He was never going to rise up and claim them as his own, as the other trainers had wanted.

'Doesn't matter now. I wised up.' He tucked his helmet under his arm and walked towards the balcony that looked down upon one of the great flight pads of Kamino. There, gathered below him, were 275,000 clones. He knew that on other flight pads, in the cafeterias, and in others spots all around the facilities other clones were gathered, watching his address to them.

3 million.

There were 3 million men with his face. With Boba's face.

He… hadn't actually considered what that meant when he'd first begun this project. Even when he'd begun training them he hadn't realized what it meant. After all, he only trained the elites. The ones meant for command. And that number had been in the thousands but… 3 million.

It didn't matter now how maddening that number was. He couldn't take it back. He wouldn't. They were his now.

"My sons!" he called out, the microphones amplifying his voice and causing the Clones, who were all standing at the ready, waiting for orders, to stiffen. "Today… we have freed you from the Kaminoians that would use you as little more than slaves! But our work is not done! In the coming days the best and brightest of us will be looking over you all so we might undo the damage the Kaminos have done to you."

The accelerated aging needed to go. He knew that several of the Kaminoians had looked into it, a cocktail of drugs that would undo that nasty but needed bit of tampering. The chips too… it sickened him to know that his clones… his sons… had CHIPS in their brains. He needed to learn if the long neck bastards had put one in Boba. If they had… well, they were all dead, so there wasn't much he could do but he would find some way to make the now extinct race suffer for that.

"We will also begin work to help you gain your souls!" Jango called out. "Your names. Your identities. You will become your own men… my sons. Sons of House Fett!"

The clones roared at that.

"And then… our true work begins! First, we will claim back the Dark Saber, stolen from my father, your grandfather! With it I will be able to prove myself the True King of Mandalore! We will take back our home!"

The clones cheered as one.

"But before all of this… I want you to understand HOW we are going to fight. How we are going to act. Because you are no longer soldiers… you are Pirates. True Pirates."

He paused, knowing he had to say this next part… even if it hurt his soul.

"True Pirates… that will root out evil in the Republic… and aid… the Jedi."

The Clones stood more alert and ready, determination written in their features.

'I am going to have to slowly ease them out of their fanatical love for those blasted monks,' Jango thought darkly. He wanted to have nothing to do with the Jedi but he knew that couldn't be the case; as part of the Jedi Trap the Jedi would have needed to sense the love and the respect the Clones had for them. It had been drilled in them that they were made 'for the Jedi'. And until Jango could remove that he wouldn't be able to badmouth them.

"So… now… a story."

He stepped back and Taria, the best speaker of all the True Mandalorians he had brought to serve as Trainers, took a breath before she began to tell the story of Monkey D. Luffy and the hunt for the One Piece.

Stepping back inside he was surprised to see Boba bouncing in excitement along with Do-Gull, who had been selected to be the boy's minder during the campaign to take Kamino. It wasn't the normal excitement Boba felt when he saw his father after an absence. This… this was something else.

"What is it, Boba?" Jango asked.

"We found something, sir," Do-Gull stated. "Or rather… someone." He motioned to a doorway at the side of the room and five figures came out.

The tallest of them were clones, that was to be sure, but they were… different. So utterly unique that Jango felt it wrong to call them clones. The four were in their teens, at that awkward moment between adulthood and childhood. 13 to 14 years of age. But they were already growing more sure of themselves and how they fit into the world around them. One had long hair held back in a headband and he looked the most like Jango. Next to him was one with short hair that was cut to make himself look older and had on goggles. The third was very thin, his hair a grayish color that made Jango wonder why he had dyed it like that. And the final one was HUGE, a good head taller than the other three, able to look Jango in the eye and he had a feeling soon would loom over him.

But it was the final one, the shortest of them… that had Jango stopping short.

A girl.

The exact same age as Boba.

And he just KNEW… she was unaltered like him.

He took her in. The blond hair. The bright eyes.

"May I present Hunter, Crosshairs, Tech, Wrecker, and-"

"Arla," Jango whispered, staring at the near duplicate of his lost sister. She wasn't an exact match but she was so close…

The seven year old smiled shyly. "Uh… no… my name… well, everyone just calls me Omega…"

Omega.

"This is what you asked for," he remembered the Kaminoian saying when she'd placed Boba in his arms, the baby smacking his lips and wiggling a touch before settling down. "Alpha."

They had wanted to call his son… Alpha.

Alpha and Omega.

"That… that is the name the Kaminoians gave you," Jango said, at once knowing he'd made the right decision. He would become a True Pirate. He would take back the Dark Saber and he would reclaim Mandalore. And then he would find the One Piece. "But you… are my daughter. And I name you after your aunt. You… are Arla Fett."

Omega… Arla… beamed at him before on impulse she rushed forward and hugged him. Jango closed his eyes and drew her in with one arm before reaching for Boba; his son at once joined them. Any worry that Boba might be jealous disappeared as he felt his boy reach out and wrap an arm around Arla as well.

He finally looked up at the older cl… his four sons.

"Hunter. Crosshairs. Tech. Wrecker. Did you choose those names or were they given to you?"

"Chosen, Prime," Hunter said with pride.

Jango shook his head. "Father. I… am your father. And I accept your names and add you to the Song of House Fett."

He would claim them all.

A father to 3 million.

And the galaxy… would never be the same.