#rozatta

Chapter 6: Haran

In his secure base on Rorak 4 the red Nikto lounged inside his luxury apartment. The new shipment was already being processed and he could already envision the wealth of credits he’d be swimming in once the sale went through. Sipping at the alcoholic beverage in his hand he leered over the datapad at some of the merchandise. Opening a channel he called down to the guards and ordered them to bring him a specific product from the new shipment. A thrill of anticipation ran through him as he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Calling down again he cursed at the guards and demanded to know what was taking so long. But there was no response, only static. An explosion rocked the very foundation of his base and K’tharsin cursed vehemently as he flicked through different channels, trying to contact any of his guards. No one was responding.

Behind him the door to his expensive apartment blew off its hinges and he scrambled toward the panic room he’d had built into the place since day one. From the smoke and haze of debris a whipcord zipped through the air and latched onto his leg. The owner of the whipcord grabbed the end and yanked, hard, slamming the red Nikto into the ground with enough force to daze him.

Storming into the room, fierce like a stalking predator, was a Mandalorian in silver armor with a blue flight suit. Terror swamped K’tharsin as he immediately recognized the famed bounty hunter. “Wait! Please! I-I’ll pay you double whatever the price on my head is!” The Mandalorian stopped, black visor staring down at him coldly. Before he could even think to offer more credits two blaster bolts seared into his skull and three more through his torso.

“Who said anything about credits?” Jango said to no one as he untied his whipcord, turned on his heel, and left the dead Nikto behind.

[Shiona]

Helping Maav load more of the kids into the transport the purple Twi’lek felt her stomach roil in disgust and chest burn with rage. When Jango had come out of nowhere, asking for a favor, she’d punched him in the side of the head before hugging the daylights out of him. They’d heard tales there was a possibility he was alive and had learned about the bounty hunter sharing the name of their lost Mand’alor but hadn’t wanted to believe, in case it was just some trick to draw them out of hiding.

What she learned of the aftermath of Galidraan set her blood to boiling. Now, after years of thinking their king was dead, he returned asking for a favor? There had to be a pretty damn good reason for it.

Lo and behold there was, and his name was Anakin.

The picture Jango showed her was one that had been taken by someone else, a candid shot if ever she’d seen one. The blonde was sitting on Jango’s lap holding up a little flag with a racing logo on it, a wide grin on his face and eyes sparkling with joy. The gentle smile on Jango’s face as he watched his son was enough to make Shiona’s heart melt. It was obvious how much he cared for the boy.

So when he explained that someone had nearly kidnapped him to put him back into slavery, that the one responsible was purposefully targeting kids to sell, she gathered a few of the Haat Mando’ade she’d kept in contact with and got them in on the raid. When they learned they were saving kids from slavery none of them even asked if their was a contract or reward. Kids were precious, regardless of whose kids they were. Not to mention the inherent disgust at slavery in general.

Their reaction to Jango had been a mixed bag of joy, grief, anger, and disbelief but in the end they all accepted that he was, in fact, the Mand’alor- and that their Mand’alor was calling them to action.

No one cared that it was out of revenge for messing with Jango’s son. No one cared that they had been divided for years after Jango’s reported death. The Haat Mando’ade weren’t going to sit back when someone was dealing in kids. Especially if they’d attempted to try and snatch the Mand’alor’s son. That was a very deep and personal offense none of them were about to let slide.

“That’s the last of them, Captain. We’ll meet you at the rendezvous and head toward our destination from there. Safe travels.” Shiona waved the man on and got back into her ship. Maav, seeing she had things well in hand, quickly headed to the cockpit to start up the ship.

“Captain, got a present for you.” Catching the datachip out of the air she looked it over then raised a brow at Zermot, their most talented slicer.

“What’s this?” The man grinned at her.

“Proof.” Her eyebrows rose and she eyed the man curiously.

“Proof of what?” She asked him, fondly exasperated.

“Of why you shouldn’t mess with Mando’ade.” He paused. “And that Jango’s back. Our comrades are going to want proof.” She nodded and slipped the datachip into one of her waist pouches. She knew just the person she could send a copy of whatever Zermot had cooked up.

[Roz]

Watching the scene play out again the pink Toydarian chuckled with dark amusement. Trust Jango to take his revenge in the most daring, competent, and vicious raid anyone had seen in years. It was a neat military operation the likes of which could only be accomplished by a tactical mind and a trained mercenary force. The bounty hunting guilds couldn’t even fault him for it, either. Not only was he freeing enslaved children, which no respectable guild would dare disagree with, but the organization had tried to steal his own child. Roz knew the guild would look the other way on the matter.

“What’s so funny ba’vodu?” Clicking off the video she smiled at the blonde head that was peeking into the room, smudges of grease across a pale forehead and nose.

“Nothing, sweetheart. Just a silly video a friend sent me.” Anakin’s nose scrunched up as he scrutinized her and she smiled. “What are you working on now? I hope you didn’t take apart one of my expensive appliances again without asking.” Blue eyes went wide and darted toward whatever it was before coming back to rest on her.

“Uh… naas. Dar’baati, ba’vodu.” ‘Nothing. Don’t worry, auntie.’ Roz let out a sigh. Jango was going to have to teach the boy how to lie better, he was absolutely abysmal at it. Especially since he always slipped into Mando’a whenever he tried. It was a dead giveaway for anyone who knew him.

“Anakin.” She said sternly. The boy blushed and chewed on his bottom lip.

“Okay, but… you looked really busy and I actually know how to fix it this time! It was leaking anyway and I thought it would be nice to do something for you…” She wanted to be cross with him, she really did, but she just couldn’t bring herself to be. Not when he was trying so earnestly to do something nice for her.

“Fine, I’ll overlook it this time. As long as there’s no mess and it actually works when you’re finished.” A smile like a sunrise crossed his face and he was quickly nodding.

“Lek ba’vodu!” ‘Okay auntie!’ Roz sighed as the boy darted off, he was always so full of energy it was a wonder Jango could keep up with him. She honestly never thought she’d learn to speak Mando’a either and yet here she was helping a little Mandalorian child to learn his basic letters and how to hold simple conversations. It was something she knew Jango had once thought to leave behind him, to keep to himself and never speak about with her, but his son just had a way of bringing hope and light to everything he touched… except for her washing machine. That poor thing looked like it someone had stuffed a frag grenade inside by the time Anakin had finished with it and tried to turn it on.

The comm on her desk chimed and she flew over to answer. “Yes? What is it?” There was a request for docking from five ships, none of them with familiar transponder codes and all of them clearly of Mandalorian make. Roz smiled and granted them access. She had no doubt that Jango wouldn’t be far behind.

“Anakin!” She called. The boy came running into the room, wiping his hands on a greasy rag.

“Yes auntie?” Landing beside him she smiled and ruffled his hair, which made him pout.

“Go get cleaned up, quickly. There are some guests in the hangar and your buir should be right behind them.” Anakin whooped and ran off to get cleaned up, leaving Roz to smile warmly at his retreating back.

[Anakin]

Once he was properly washed and changed into the nice tunics his buir had bought him he followed Auntie Roz to the docks, feeling as if he was going to explode with excitement and joy. He was so happy that his buir was back and if he wasn’t heading straight for the medics it meant he wasn’t hurt! Anakin preferred when his buir came home in one piece, since he hated to see him hurt. It reminded him too much of the last time he saw his mom and then he got all sad and anxious…

When they reached the docks his buir was standing with a group of people, although Anakin didn’t really pay them any mind. He wanted to make sure his buir was there, real and whole. Running as fast as he could, ducking around the workers and other guests, he barreled right into his buir’s side, clinging to him as if he could be taken away at any moment. “Su’cuy buir!” ‘Hi dad!’ His buir let out a chuckle and pried him off, making him pout, before he was being lifted into the man’s arms for a proper hug.

All the conversation stopped and he could feel the curious eyes of the people his dad had been talking to. “Anade, ner ad Anakin.” ‘Everyone, my son Anakin.’ Smiling he waved at the group of armored individuals, staring at their armor in open curiosity and awe. “Anakin, anade.” ‘Anakin, everyone.’ Jango made a few hand motions that Anakin didn’t yet understand, since his buir said he needed to learn Mando’a before he could learn the Tigaan, or Mandalorian Hand Signs. After a moment of hesitation the other Mandalorians removed their helmets, except for one of them. They made a few small hand gestures at at his dad, who nodded respectfully back. The last Mandalorian kept their helmet on.

“Su’cuy gar, anade!” ‘Hello, everybody!’ Anakin said with a wide grin, happy that he could talk to them in Mando’a at least. The first Mandalorian, a purple Twi’lek, smiled at him.

“It’s nice to meet you, An’ika. Your buir told us all about you.” Anakin looked at his dad, eyes wide. His dad just chuckled and ran a hand through his hair to soothe his sudden embarrassment.

“Mand’alor, I’m sorry to interrupt but we need to talk about the ade.” His buir frowned and he could feel his mood turn from content/amused/joy to rage/sadness/determination. Flinching back slightly he looked the man in the eyes for a moment before giving him another hug.

“What are they talking about, buir?” Jango hugged him back, arms protective rather than smothering.

“Remember the hut’uune that took you?” Anakin nodded solemnly, his eyes going hard at the memory. “They took other kids too. We went to rescue them.” Anakin’s eyes widened and he began to shake slightly as he gripped his buir’s armor.

“D-did they have chips too? Can I go see them?” Buir felt hesitant and defensive in the force but his expression became calm and contemplative so he stayed still, almost wanting to hold his breath waiting for the answer.

“You can come with me to see them. But if I think you’re in danger and I tell you to go you will listen to me, An’ika. Tion suvarir?” Yes, he nodded, he understood. Buir set him down and took of his helmet, clipping it to his belt before taking Anakin’s hand.

[Jango]

Sitting on the couch with Anakin sprawled over his lap, dead asleep, he ran a hand through the blonde’s hair and chuckled when the boy let out an undignified snore. Anakin had walked with him among the child slaves and carefully coaxed the kids into trusting the armored figures who had gone to rescue them. Among their number they had found a few who were Ka’runi and some who were injured but had been hiding it for fear they would be killed.

The fact that children had been scared they would be killed if they were too wounded or sick had disgusted and angered him to the point where he’d let one of the others take over for a moment while he left to calm down. Thankfully only a few of them had any kind of chip and none of them were explosive. Roz had quickly organized what medical staff she had on the station to take over looking after the kids. Some of them had homes and families to get back to.

“He’s very brave.” Looking up at Partra’s indigo helmet he grinned.

“He’s Mandokarla.” He couldn’t see their face but he knew the slight tilt of their helmet meant they were amused.

“And Ka’runi.” Jango stiffened for a moment before forcing himself to relax.

“Like attracts like?” He asked, eyes narrowing slightly. Jango had always suspected the reason Partra didn’t interact as much with others, and never took off their helmet, was because they were Ka’runi and wanted to hide it. Some clans were far more strict than others when it came to force sensitivity. Partra nodded slowly.

“He feels like a newborn star, even asleep.” Frowning he looked down at his son. “There are going to be those who want him for themselves just because of what he is. What he could do.” There was a graveness to their modulated voice that sent a shiver of fear down Jango’s spine.

“I won’t let anyone take him from me. They’ll have to kill me first.” He snarled, squaring his shoulders and glaring at the other Mando’ad.

“Good. He’ll need you… try not to die.” Turning on their heel they quickly walked away, leaving Jango alone with his son and his thoughts.

“Alor.” Looking over his shoulder he saw Shiona leaning on the back of the couch, smiling gently down at the sleeping blonde. “We need to talk.” Jango felt his stomach clench.

“About what?” Shiona’s eyes hardened and she rose to her full height.

“About the future.” Jango let out a large sigh and carefully lifted his son into his arms. Anakin woke, blinked bleary blue eyes at him, and smiled before promptly falling back to sleep. Shiona snorted in amusement and signed that she would be waiting for him with the others.

Jango put his kid to bed and asked Roz to make sure he wasn’t alone if he woke from a nightmare. After seeing and speaking with the child slaves he was more likely to remember his own time as a slave and wake in a cold sweat. There had been many nights where Jango’d had to rock his son to sleep because he woke in a panic.

Entering the sitting room he looked over the nine gathered Mando’ade and grit his teeth. It was time to face his past and those he let down.

It was not going to be a fun night.

[Anakin]

Waking with a gasp he gulped in mouthfuls of air, looking around the room with wide eyes. Auntie Roz jumped slightly in a seat near his bed and quickly flew over to him. “Oh honey, are you okay?” He shivered at the cool air touching his heated skin and pulled away when she reached out to stroke his hair. It wasn’t that Auntie Roz wasn’t someone he trusted, he wasn’t scared of her, but right then he needed his dad. Something was screaming at him and he needed to move.

“Sorry Auntie!” He said said as he jumped out of bed and dodged past her.

“Anakin! Wait!” Bursting into the living room he spied his dad and immediately dove into his side, hiding his face. His dad stiffened for a moment before relaxing and mumbling reassuringly in Mando’a.

“Dar’baati, ad’ike. Udesii. Bic shi cuyir dush’vercopa.” ‘Don’t worry, little one. Calm down. It’s just a nightmare.’ Anakin shook his head, still hiding his face from the Mando’ade in the room.

“Haat haa’it.” ‘True vision.’ He said. “Nu’dush’vercopa.” ‘Not a nightmare.’ He knew it all the way to his soul that the images that flashed through his mind were real, and he didn’t want them to happen. “They wore black and had a red claw mark on their beskar’gam, there were explosions!” So many people were going to die! They had to stop it from happening.

“Udesii, ner ad, ni cuy’olar.” ‘Calm down, my son, I’m here.’ He felt his dad’s focused intent and slowly the shaking went away. When he finally felt like he could breathe he pulled his head out from under his father’s arm and looked up at him. Jango smiled and ruffled his hair. “Let me take you back to bed, kiddo. You can write down your haa’it on your datapad before you go back to sleep and we’ll discuss it in the morning.” Anakin nodded and let his dad pick him up. He could feel eyes on the both of them and looked over at the warriors shyly, embarrassed that they had seen him freaking out.

“Um… jate ca anade.” ‘Good night everyone.’ There were a few snickers and smiles but he didn’t get the feeling they were laughing at him. If anything they felt worried about him and his dad. It was kind of nice. It made him feel like the accepted him and his dad.