Chapter 7
Midway through his story she pulled off her helmet and scrubbed her face with her hands. He was about to warn her again when Deux informed him that the two synths had been testing the air the whole time and there was no need to be concerned. The gene editor was in his blood and blood alone.
She quickly realized what she had done and shot him a worried look. “Oops. I take it that it’s safe so far?”
“Yes, my friends here are continually watching to ensure that what I have doesn’t get loose. So far it’s just transmitted by blood.”
“If only we could get past the memory wipe it really wouldn’t be so bad.” She said.
“Its worse than you think Ma’am,” Omni spoke for the first time, in Mando’a no less. “Not only is the brain reset but the age is set to early adult. Not bad if you’re older, but if you are a small child…”
“And,” Deux threw in, “while a certain amount of compatibility is needed for the process there is absolutely nothing preventing this from affecting literally every single creature on this world, possibly even some plants.”
“And then someone panics and lifts off, heading towards another world. The process would be complete when they got there but…”
She paled. “Okay, I can see it now.”
Omni spoke up. “Sparrow does seek a way to aid all those we can with a lesser version or some variation but the very first thing we plan to do is stop it from being continuously active in their bloodstream.”
“A worthy goal young one.” She said, smiling. “I always knew there was a reason I had a soft spot for you.”
“Well, I sense there is more to this, and since not only do I see your friends here but you have gained a hundred pounds and a foot in height since a month or so ago when I saw you, I guess I must believe you. Lets get the rest of it out.”
“You’re sure it’s me?” Sparrow asked, A bit surprised.
“You still rub your horns.” She said simply.
“Oh.” As he realized he did still have the habit of rubbing where they used to be.
“So, you were genetically changed into a super soldier copied from an alien clone from another galaxy but your mind was saved by a living cybernetic being made of liquid metal that lives inside your head now, you escaped the lab, killed the evil scientist and blew the place, and, coincidentally an empire remnant star destroyer, up and headed off deeper into wild space. I assume the next part of your story will cover the 3 or 4 thousand year old armor you all are wearing?”
All three looked at each other and started laughing.
“Yes, THAT is when things got weird.”
So followed the whole story about the moon, the battlegroup, the impact, and their experiences there, culminating in them leaving to get into contact with the clan. When that part was finished she just stared at him for a minute, slack jawed.
“You mean to tell me you located an entire, 4000 year old, Sith empire battlegroup? The whole group? Unmolested?”
“Well, the impact with the moon did some serious re-arranging, but, other than that, yes.”
“And all based on sensor data from an exo-galactic ship. You are certainly having an eventful month my young friend.”
“I still have more.”
“Of course you do. We need to discuss whatever, or, more accurately, whoever, is in those two cells you kept prisoner. Somehow I doubt you spared any trandoshans.”
“No, we did not.” He said emphatically.
And so he launched into the final third of his story. Covering the planetary landing, the fighting, changing Kitten, and then the revelations on the way here. When he finally finished, he was exhausted and parched. He looked into her face and she was just staring at him.
Finally, she spoke. “You have seriously GOT to be kidding me.”
“What! He said defensively, “You find THIS part hard to believe?”
“I need to meet these clones, and I need to figure out what kind of absolute idiot would clone THE MANDALORE and then sell her like a prey animal. Something here does not make sense.”
“Welcome to my world.” Sparrow said.
“As to the rest, let me think. I have some ideas, but I will need time to consider the angles.”
“Yes Ma’am.” He said, then got up to lead her to the cells.
She first, surprisingly, spent some time with the Fetts. He left Deux with her and went and got a drink, a ration bar, and took some time to destress, well, as much as possible. He also took time to check on Kitten.
He was surprised to see that other than her coloration, and possibly a bit of muscle mass, she had changed little from before. Omni explained over their connection that this wasn’t exactly like cloning, different people would react to the gene editor in slightly different ways. The synth started talking about proteins and coding or protein coding or something but Sparrow just told him it didn’t matter.
He returned and met Jith leaving Bo’s cell with a look of concentrated thought. She absently glanced up at him and then focused. Turning to Omni, obviously having figured out he was the “expert” and asked, “Is he or the girl a danger right now?”
Omni conducted another scan. “No.”
“Good, Sparrow, take off that helmet, I need to see what you look like.”
He felt dread at the risk but she was his clan leader and was obviously speaking as such. He reached up and removed it.
She stared at him for a long moment, then said, “all right, show me the girl.”
They went to the med bay and she took a long look at Kitten. When she finished perusing she asked to return to the lounge.
Once they were seated at the table again she focused on Omni.
“This ability you have to copy memory, it doesn’t affect the original host?”
“No, it isn’t painful and there have never been any long term effects.”
“And you HAVE to bond to someone to do it?”
“Not exactly, we need a place to store the memory. That is usually within ourselves. The bonding we do is because once we are there and are part of an organism it is a natural reaction. We also can provide a lot more aid in service of someone with such a link.”
“I can see that.” She nodded her head.
She focused again on him. “you said you can’t do this budding without more nourishment and more energy. What provides the best source.”
He looked around awkwardly for a second then went ahead and spit it out. “So far, in this galaxy, the best material I have found is beskar.”
“Hey!” Sparrow said.
“Oh hush! You never even noticed, I just thinned it all out a few molecules is all.” The synth said defensively.
“Sparrow, do you have any idea how much beskar that find of yours will be worth?” She asked.
“Well, no.” He admitted.
“Me either, to be honest, but I can assure you it will be an awful lot.”
“Omni, you said you “bud” to reproduce, have you ever tried to bud with another of your species?”
“Well, no.” He admitted. “I instinctively knew I could form a copy when I reached the proper size.”
“I would like to try an experiment. Sparrow, retrieve your childhood armor. It obviously won’t fit you anymore.”
He was inclined to argue, that armor meant a lot to him, but she was the leader and he had already told her he was donating the beskar to the tribe. He went and got it and set it down on the table.
She watched him caress it as he placed it there and remembered how he had gotten it. “Your buir would be very proud of you Sparrow. You have already done massive service to this tribe.”
“The forging of your armor bonded you, not the armor itself.”
Sparrow considered that for a moment. He finally decided he agreed.
“Go ahead you two. Eat what you need.”
The two synths exited the droids and began on different corners of the chest piece. They visibly ate away maybe a quarter of it before they stopped, and the whole time the beskar was disappearing the two were slowly growing.
“That is all we can process for now.” Omni said.
“Now try to combine yourselves and then bud.”
The two liquid pools reached out slowly towards each other and then began to draw together, once they did an arm of sorts extended out of the mixed pool and formed a third, smaller pool. After a few seconds the third pool was complete and the two re-separated.
“That felt.. odd” said Deux
“I agree.” Omni offered.
The third pool shimmered a bit, testing its movements.
“I can sense him but he’s empty.”
“Yes, he was born without all my knowledge.”
“I thought so,” chimed in Jith, “most organisms that can reproduce like you can also do it this way. The way you have done it before is more like cloning. This is actually a new being.”
“Now, teach him how to read memories while I make a comm call.”
Jith comm’d back to the culvert and requested Caleb Durden come to the ship. This caught Sparrow by surprise, Durden was very old now but he had, for quite a while, been the fighting and tactics instructor for the clan.
When she finished, she looked up and them and, deadly serious, said “Now, you are going to have your new child read my mind and plant it in the Bo clone and then Caleb into one of the males.”
“But why?” asked Sparrow, “Aren’t you too important to risk?”
“Unless I miss my guess, your friend Omni there has been at this for a very long time. I seriously doubt he hasn’t mastered the skill. This is the best way to get all the help I can out there with you. You will have my knowledge and experience as well as all my contacts.”
“I chose Caleb because before he finally got too old he was the finest of our fighters and, more importantly, remains our best tactician. Depending on how this next call goes we may still find trainers for the rest of the clones.”
The synths must have agreed with her because the new one slipped up her body and then smoothly slid into her ear. Sparrow shuddered a bit, he never enjoyed watching that. After a few minutes the synth came back out.
“I have it,” said a new voice, a female voice.
“Congrats guys! It’s a girl!” Sparrow smiled.
He could tell that both Omni and Deux were a bit shocked.
“I could do without experiencing that again.” Jith gave herself a shake as she stood up. “I need you to lead me to the comm station Sparrow. I have to make a couple of long-distance calls.”
The first call was answered by a helmeted clone. “Cam”
“Are you and your men still looking for work?”
“Always. You know that.”
“Well, get them and maybe another 100 or so that you can trust, same as your boys if you can get them, and I will send a ship to meet you at the port tomorrow morning.”
“You bet! Standard rates?”
“See you then.” He said and closed the call.
“I think we’ll be able to do shares on this one but I may have to deal in a partner, we will work it out.”
“Former clones, now mercenaries, a trustworthy group.” She told him.
She dialed again, when it was answered a voice said, “Fett Gotra, how may I direct your call?”
“Please inform the Daimyo that Jith Chek wishes to speak to him.”
“Please hold.”
“You’re calling Boba Fett?” Sparrow said in amazement.