Chapter 3
Once again Gavin sat in the pilots chair as the star trails passed. It had been 4 long years since he had left Kamino with Tinker that morning, and it turned out that he was wrong.
They never did see Talwin again.
The two had flown to Concord Dawn first, and slipped in at night to speak to Valorus. Gavin had given his own impressions, then shared the letter from Talwin.
He could see Valorus’ brow furrow as he read what Tal had sent him and then the man sat back with a sigh.
“Something very, very big is happening.” He had said.
“What do you mean?”
“There are a bunch of planets at odds with the republic senate over various issues right now and there is talk of succession. The republic is breaking into 3 camps. Those that want to secede, those who oppose them, and the neutral camp.”
“At the moment Duchess Kryze still controls Mandalore and the planets within our sphere. She is a strong believer in peace and neutrality and I am sure she will attempt to keep us out of it.”
“Even here on Mandalore there is conflict though, because the death watch has begun terrorist actions against the new Mandalorian government.”
“And now this. An army of clone children created from Mandalorian DNA and secretly commissioned by the Jedi, of all people.” He sighed heavily. “It’s enough to make a man want to retire.”
Gavin was familiar with this particular complaint and knew the man was still working through the issues so he just waited.
“Okay, time for some political stuff. You are now an adult and a seasoned warrior of the clan, as such it is your right to head out on your own to start your own clan.”
“I recommend you do this because then, in the unlikely even that I am asked, I can honestly say you left the clan so I would have no reason to know your whereabouts.”
“However, if I were a man who had a vod who needed training and who wanted to lay low for a while I would head to someplace like maybe Dantooine. There is still a small Mandalorian settlement there although they make no effort to stay in touch with anyone here or on Mandalore itself. It’s mostly made up of crusty old retirees now.”
“As far as the surgery goes once you get to hutt space and ask around I am sure that you will find a doctor willing to do the work.”
“I’m going to be a chagrian,” said Tinker, “those horns are Wizard!”
“Those horns would weigh a lot and make it hard to wear a helmet.” Gavin calmly returned.
“Togruta then”
“Same problem.”
“What about a Kel Dor?”
Gavin chuckled, “You would look kind of funny the first time you actually tried to breathe what they call air.”
“Wookie?”
Gavin put his hands to his temples.
Valorus looked over at Tinker and he was amazed to see the boy wink at him and grin. “Oh my, this one is going to be quite the handful” He thought.
“Well, I’ve got a chance to upgrade here and there’s no way I want to stay a boring human, you know, like you.” Said Tinker.
“He is quite the character.” Valorus said, switching to mando’a.
“He is testing me somewhat, I think. I remember doing the same to Talwin in the beginning.”
“That is normal. He is in a new situation with a new person and will seek to find out if you are worthy. He worried about the way you would treat him I take it?”
“Yes, the deal was no beatings.”
“I don’t like what that implies but nevertheless I am sure that is what started it but I think at this point he is mainly being playful.”
“He is incredibly smart.”
“He is also learning Mando’a very quickly” Tinker said.
The two men had laughed and praised him for it.
On board the ship, back in the present, Tinker dropped into the seat next to him.
“Thinking about him again?”
“Yes, something about being in hyperspace gives me the urge to reflect, always has.”
Tinker was fully grown now and was nearly the same size as Gavin. Glancing over at him Gavin had to give himself a little grin. After all his joking Tinker had just changed his hair color to blonde, altered his nose and cheeks a bit, and lightened his skin tone.It had obviously been enough because in the rare times he took his helmet off in public no one had ever commented.
“I still think the wookie idea had promise.” He shot out.
“Funny man, funny.” Tinker grinned.
The two sat in companiable silence for awhile before Tink drew in a breath and ventured.
“Listen, I know buir said not to go after them, but I am fully trained now and no one has twigged onto me in years. I am sure we could slip in and..”
“No, Talwin and Valorus were right. This war is doing nothing but getting worse, there is unrest everywhere, and if we stick our necks out into something this large we are liable to lose our heads.”
“Valorus has promised us that when the time is right we will be free to pursue our vengeance. We have to be happy with that.”
Gavin thought back to a year or so into Tinker’s training. They had set up on Dantooine and gotten to know the old Mando’s there and Tinker had found plenty of help in his education.
He wasn’t like Gavin had been, or Talwin for that matter. He was physically capable and took to his lessons well, but his passion was technology and machines. He could fight, but was not really a born warrior.
Gavin remembered with amusement how one of the older mando’s had pulled him aside and told him the way to get the young man training was to use that interest to motivate him.
So they made deals involving different pieces of tech or tools that Tinker wanted. Every step along the way he had been working towards some other goal of his own. It worked though, he had passed his verd’goten in a year and then trained his way to his complete set of beskar’gem.
Thankfully there had been an armorer there. She was older but definitely knew her business. Just as Talwin had with him they worked with the armorer through her complete list of weapons and devices, not just the armor.
What had surprised him was that Tinker was almost immediately suggesting changes and improvements and the armorer was listening.
Tinker had taken his beskar’gem back to his room and gone to work on it almost immediately. It was still obviously a suit of
Mandalorian armor but it also contained a large amount of tech and tools. He had done so well with it that Gavin had let him do some improvements on his as well, as had a few of the others.
The call to return to Concorde Dawn had been unexpected and ominous. The two had arrived late at night, as requested, and had gone to the clan home to see Valorus.
Nothing needed to be said, there, on the floor in front of the clan seat, was Talwins armor, battered and burned.
Gavin had sunk to his knees and placed his hands on it as tears ran down his face under his helmet.
“Parjir. Gedeteyar. Udesiir Mando’ade. Ni su'cuy gar kyr'ady mi partyli gar darasuum. Mando'ad draar digu. Ret'urcye mhi ner vod.”
Be victorious. Be thankful. Be peaceful child of Mandalore. I 'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal. A Mandalorian neverforgets. Goodbye my friend.
Valorus’ voice rang out clear and strong in the Mandalorian prayer.
“The republic sent a report. It was a “training accident.”
He and 7 other trainers, along with the group of clones they had been working with were all killed in the explosion.”
“I don’t believe that for one second!” Gavin had growled.
“I don’t either, since the explosion occurred the day before the jedi master who has been tasked with overseeing the clone
training arrived.” Valorus had growled right back.
“It is a murky cesspool of a situation and they buried my Vodu’adright in the middle of it.”
“He had sent a holocube, in case this happened, here it is.”
“His armor and his possessions go to you, as is creed.”
“His armor? But it is your families, it was your vod.”
“And now it is my vodbu’ad.”
Gavin was truly touched, even in his grief. He gathered himself together and took the cube.
He activated it and saw his buir standing in his room on Kamino.
“If you are watching this I was correct and whomever is behind this has acted before the jedi arrives. Do not come here for revenge my sons. Things here are too dangerous for anyone to muck around with right now, there are layers of deception everywhere.”
“Some time in the future, if some names come to light, then you can act. In the meantime your most important task is the one I gave you.”
“I am part of the manda now, and will always be watching over you. You boys take care.”
They had re-forged the armor in the clans forge, then gone ahead and re-forged his beskar helmet for Tinker. After the forging was complete Tinker headed off with the armors to the ship to add all the tech.
He had walked with Valorus, telling each other little stories about Talwin and reminiscing. Mandalorians believed that the dead weren’t truly gone. A follower of the resol’nare joined the manda when he passed, the collective consciousness of the Mandalorian people.
After the talk with Valorus he had felt better.
Still cautious of drawing attention to the clan on Concorde the brothers had left the next morning.
The beeping of the warning he had set in the navi-computer brought his attention back to the present.
“5 minutes out Tink, I hope you’re right about this.”
“With the new shielding and the mask on the ships ID the CIS would have to have a full blockade up to detect us, what are the odds?”
Gavin was about to make a comment when they reverted to normal space.
Looking at a total blockade of the system.
“I hate you.” He said to Tinker as he grabbed for the controls.
“No need to panic,” Tinker said, “I planned on us dropping out a little early, there’s no sign we’ve been detected.”
Just then what seemed like the whole fleet went into action, vulture drones and smaller ships started swarming out of hangers, capital ships began to maneuver, and Tinker said, “Okay, so maybe we have been kind of detected.”
“Plot us a route out of here or we are going to become permanent residents!” Gavin shot out as he started throwing the ship around, dodging the increasing amount of fire.
“Working on it! They’re maneuvering to block us though.”
The ship rocked as a series of impacts rocked it.
“The idea is to dodge incoming fire!” Tink said as he tried to strap into his chair with one hand while feverishly typing on the navi-computer with the other.
“I am trying a different strategy, since every ship in the universe is currently shooting at us I am letting the little ones hit us so we avoid the big, ship killing ones.” Gavin shot back.
“Ah, I see, excellent strategy, please continue.”
Gavin could hear Tink mumbling to himself as he concentrated, “no, not there, ship in the way, nope, nope, nope…”
This was getting a little serious, he thought as he looked in vain for anything to escape the incoming fire. The only thing he could hide behind the separatist fleet from was other separatists ships.
Even in a moment this serious though, he couldn’t resist the dig, “It would take a blockade, you said.” In a sharp tone.
“And wasn’t I right?”
“Okay, its not the newest or best traveled route but I found an old hyperspace lane that goes to an extra-galactic research center or did once anyway."
“Extra-galactic as in..”
“Yes, it was actually set up..” A cacophony of impacts shook the ship crazily.
“Enough said, punch it in!”
“Tinker hit the proper buttons and switches and said, “Go!”
Gavin pulled the levers and they shot off into hyperspace.
After they were in hyperspace the brothers conducted their post battle routine, first checking read outs and alarms, and then walking the ship. Gavin forward and Tinker aft.
After they finished they met up in the crew lounge amidships.
“Well, we lost some paint and we are out of drones for the forward launchers but no serious damage.”
Tinker looked much less happy, “We must have taken a nearly direct shot to the port side exterior cargo hold. Its fragged.”
“That was over half our food storage!” Gavin said, reflexively feeling for the jerky in his pocket.
“Yeah, it looks like we have 18-20 days left at full rations.”
“How long until we reach this research center and can find a different lane back?”
“14 days, so I hope they can give or sell us some supplies or thatthere’s a planet nearby that has some stuff we can harvest.”
Gavin just stared at him for so long that Tinker got a bit nervous.
Finally he spoke.
“Good, plenty of time for full contact sparring then!”
“Dank Ferrik!”